dye and be buried but not corrupt and rotte as our sinfull flesh doth and that his blessed deuine soule should not be cast in hell or graue but be vnited againe to the body that he should rise agayne from death sit at the right hand of God giue vs euerlasting lyfe It was meet that he should be the first fruites of thē which were dead that by his glorious resurrection he might open vs the true gate vnto lyfe and make the way for vs by which we also must go to him But Peter and Iohn the other Apostles before Christs rising againe vnderstood not this although they had heard it oftentymes vntill they saw the lord aliue agayne Wherfore it is no wonder though Cleophas and his companion vnderstood it not Dauid saith O lord my God I cryed vnto thee and thou hast restored me O lord thou hast broght vp my soul out of the graue Thou hast reuiued me from them that go downe into the pitte Arnobius and Augustine vnderstande this prophesie of the death and resurrection of Christ And againe he sayth God shall deliuer my soule from the power of the graue for he will receiue me Selah The church vnderstādeth these wordes also to be ment of the death descending into hell and risyng agayne of Iesus Christ And in another place he sayeth Thou hast shewed me great troubles and aduersities but thou wilt returne reuiue me And wil come again take me vp frō the depth of the earth These wordes also doth Arnobius expound of the death of Christ of his descendyng into hel and of his resurrection And againe in the 86. Psal. Christ saith to God the father Thou hast deliuered my soule from the lowest graue S. Augustine and with him the whole church of Affrica vnderstand this to bee vndoubtedly ment of the descending of Christ into hell of his rising againe The 22. psalm doth more fully and plainly then any other describe the passion resurrectiō and euerlasting kingdom of Christ And there are the very same wordes in which Christ in his great agony his extreme necessitie called vnto his father vpon the crosse And that psalm describeth Christ his passion also setteth forth the fruite of his death resurrection saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All they which see me haue me in derision they make a mo nod their hed saying He trusted in the lord let him deliuer him let him saue him seyng he loueth him They perced my handes and my feet I may tel al my bones yet they behold and looke vpon me They part my garments amōg them and cast lottes vpon my vesture Behold how exactly how liuely how truly and how excellently the holy ghost foretold Christes passion vsing the very same wordes which the Iewes vsed when they mocked Christ hanging on the crosse And the Euangelists are witnesses that al these things happened in his passion which were fore told of it And they recite the very same words to the end they may proue that it was the good will both of God the father and the son that Christ suffered seing the holy ghost prophesied many yeres before that all these things should happen vnto Christ Yea the spirite foreshewed also that Christ by this his passion should enter into his glory be lord ouer al things As before ye haue heard in the 8. psalm But in this 22. psal he saith I will declare thy name vnto my brethren and in the middest of the congregation will I praise thee Do you see he shal first suffer his passiō but he shall not bide in his passion and death For euen thē shal he magnify his fathers name and make it famous and wel known through the whole world by this glorious and famous preaching of Gods mercies in that he spared not his owne onely sonne but gaue him for our sakes to the death of the crosse that we might therby obtaine the benefite of euerlasting lyfe For so it followeth in the psalm The poore shal eate and be satisfied they that seeke after the lord shal prayse him their harts shall liue for euer This eating and satisfieng of the poore is a spiritual satisfieng when the poore sinners eate the true bread of heauen that is when they heare the gospel of Christes humanity passion and resurrection and kepe it in their hartes by fayth For then are they fed by it vnto euerlasting life according to that of Iohn I am the liuing bread which came down from heauen if any man eate of this bread hee shall liue for euer Neither can mans cōscience be otherwise satisfied and set at quiet that it be not vexed and troubled by any other thing but onely by Christ apprehended by fayth It followeth All the endes of the world shall remember themselues and turne to the Lord and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee For the kingdome is the lordes and he ruleth among the nations This is when men by the preaching and doctrine of the Gospell are put in mynd of gods great benefites and are constrayned to acknowledge worship confesse glorify and call vpon Christ their lord who is appointed of God the father to be the head of all things and king ouer all nations of the whole world Here haue ye the kingdome of Christ which is the holy catholike church spread ouer the face of the whole earth And now in all things and places where that euill spirit the deuill before ruled by lying hauing seduced all people and led them into all kindes of errors and idolatry that they might be as Paul sayth without Christ without the worde without hope and without God in the world there I say in those partes shall Christ now be heard It followeth their seede shall serue him and the lord shal be preached from age to age But if Christ shal haue seede that is to say spirituall children borne by the gospell as well of the Iewes as Gentiles as you see by this text he must then can he not be ouercome by deth nor abide in the graue For how could he then regenerate and congregate the Gentiles together into the catholike fayth and rule such an empire which should fill the whole world whose dominion should not extende through one piece of the earth onely but thorough the whole circuit of the wide world and so cōtinue for euer world without end For whosoeuer beleueth in Christ shal be partaker of euerlasting lyfe Wheresoeuer therfore the prophets set down the kingdom of Christ saying that it shall haue continual peace health and felicitye there is set downe and in dede declared the deth and resurrection of Christ and all christian men For if Christ shal be a king and set vp and haue an heauenly and euerlasting kingdome it must needes follow that he should leaue this temporall mortall lyfe by death
Psalme the holy ghost very sweetly and comfortably setteth forth Christes ascension glorification and ample kingdome saying thus All people clap your handes sing loud vnto God with a ioyful voice for the lord is high and terrible a great king ouer all the earth God is gone vp with triumph euen the Lord with the soundes of the trumpet Sing prayses to God sing praises sing praises to our king sing praises For god is the king of all the earth Sing prayses euery one that hath vnderstāding God raigneth ouer the heathen God sitteth vpō his holy throne In this Psalme all nations are stirred vp to laud and prayse the Lord who in Christ raigneth now ouer all the world If then all these thinges ought to be accomplished through the whole earth it could not be that Christ should continue in death especially seing it was prophesied that Christ should deliuer the world out of the bandes of death himself be exalted placed in the highest type of honor glory The prophet Dauid also speaketh of the battail victory of Christ in the 68. psal telling how he ouercame death and Satan and by his mighty deuine power deliuered al thē from Satans tiranny which were his captiues ascended into heauen And this psal Paul citeth to the Ephes saying He ascended vp on high he led captiuity captiue S. Augustine here vnderstandeth by captiuity captiue euen death it selfe which held al the children of Adam as sinners in captiuity and mightily ruled ouer them yea euen ouer good christiās which lay bound and captiue vnder the yoke and captiuity of Satan but by Christs death and resurrection are deliuered and redemed Dauid saith The lord raigneth and is clothed with maiesty the lord is clothed and girded with power The world also shal be established that it cānot be moued Thy throne is established of old thou art from euerlasting the floudes haue lifted vp O lord the flouds haue lifted vp their voice the floods haue lifted vp their waues The waues of the sea are maruelous through the noise of many waters yet the lord on hie is more mighty Thy testimonies are very sure holines becommeth thy house O lord for euer Here God the holy ghost prophecieth of the kingdome of Christ to wit how Christ the king of all glory so wonderfully kepeth surely establisheth strōgly fortifieth his kingdom that it cannot fall and be ouerthrown although the sea of this world by violence and huge stormes inuade it set vpon it and seke cleane to subuert it The Iewes did all they could vpō good Friday quite to extinguish this king And now that he is risen again from the dead both Iewes Gentiles Turkes heretikes and false christians with the world and Satan al their power resist him and his kingdom They forge most impudēt and shameful lies against him they lay snares by subtleties to intrap him they fill all places with slaughter of him they assay euery way to hurt him and they doe the worst they can both by force and cunning agaynst him But though they try euery thing they shall preuayle nothing Al their deuises shal be frustrate al their trauaile shal not preuaile yea all their power shall not profite them for he died once and henceforth dieth no more Now he sitteth at the right hand of God aboue the heauens and is the euerlasting and eternall God himselfe whose throne is builded and standeth on so sure a foundation and ground worke that it cannot be moued or ouerthrown Yea the very gates of hell cannot preuail against the poore church in as much it only dependeth vpon this head Christ that glorious kyng of heauen that most sure and vnmouable rocke He which falleth on this stone shal be broken but on whomsoeuer it shall fall it will grind him to pouder Seing then the habitatiō of this king shal endure for euer it must nedes follow that he shal both liue for euer and also giue euerlasting lyfe vnto vs. Againe Dauid saith The lord raigneth let the people tremble he sitteth betwene the Cherubins let the earth be moued The Lord is great in Sion and he is high aboue all people They shall prayse thy great and fearefull name for it is holy and the kings power that loueth iudgement for thou hast prepared equitie thou hast executed iudgement and iustice in Iacob exalt the lord our God and fall downe before his footestoole for he is holy This king is Christ who ruleth the church which is the spirituall Sion thorough the whole world He hath placed his throne in a high place euen in the very heauens and all the earth is his footestoole and he ruleth for euer But Sathan and the world beyng set on euill cannot abide this And when they are not able to throwe downe Christ from the seat of his maiesty they fret and fume agaynst the godly and cruelly persecute them But for all that they cannot take away their saluation although they indeuour it neuer so much For where this king is there shall all those be also which beleue in him Therefore the vngodly cannot hurt the righteous so as may truely bee called hurting For when they kill them and take their lyues from them which to the world seemeth the greatest hurt that can be then do they most profite them For death is vnto them the gate and redy way to lyfe but the enemies of Christ and his church shal in the end be thrown vnder foote troden downe and be more vile and filthy then any rubbish dirt or dung And agayne Dauid sayth Thou wilt arise and haue mercy vpon Sion for the tyme to haue mercy theron for the appoynted tyme is come For thy seruantes delight in the stones therof and haue pity on the dust thereof Then the heathen shall feare the name of the Lord and all the kinges of the earth thy glory when the Lord shall builde vp Sion and shall appeare in his glory and shall turne vnto the prayer of the desolate and not despise their prayer This shall be written for the generation to come and the people which shal be created shall prayse the Lord for he hath looked downe from the height of his sanctuary out of the heauen did the lord behold the earth that he might heare the mourning of the prisoner and deliuer the children of death In this Psalme we see how earnestly the godly Christians which were before Christes natiuitie did in feruency of prayers looke for his kingdome wherin onely or els not sinnes are pardoned and death is vanquished These true Christians desire and praye that Zion that is the church may be builded euery where and the glory of Christ seene and propagated through all the world as did Dauid Samuel and the rest of the Prophetes who with spirituall eyes saw long before that Messias should first be debased but afterward exalted and glorified through the whole world Neither were they offended at
I will set his hand also in the sea and his right hande in the floudes He shall cry vnto me thou art my father my God and the rocke of my saluation Also I will make him my first borne higher then the kinges of the earth My mercy will I keepe for him for euermore and my couenaunt shall stande fast with him His seed also will I make to endure for euer and hys throne as the dayes of heauen But if his children forsake my law and walke not in my iudgementes If they breake my statutes and keepe not my commaundements then will I visite their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with strokes yet my louing kyndnes wil I not take from hym neither will I falsify my truth My couenant wil I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips I haue sworne once by myne holinesse that I wil not fayle Dauid saying his seed shall endure for euer his throne shall be as the sunne before me he shal be established for euermore as the Moone and as a faythfull witnesse in the heauen Behold how certayne and sure gods grace is to vs in Christ and for Christ Iesus our king Although we sin very often and much yet shal not sin condemne vs if we bide in Christ For what soeuer the Lord hath spoken it is the very truth it selfe and cannot but come to passe and be as he hath sayd For though we be most vnworthy wretches of our selues and haue no merits but sin wickednes to the attayning of so great grace and goodnes of God yet this is our stay and comfort that God hath promised vs these worthy benefites not for our deserts or worthines but onely for hys mercy sake in Christ Wherfore those thinges whiche be here promised are most sure certaine as also the state of our saluation is certayne because it standeth and dependeth on the euerlasting mercy truth of Gods promises of which he can neuer repent him nor vnsay or recant the same In the 111. Psalme he sayeth Hee hath sent redemption to his people he hath commaunded his couenant for euer Here is Christ promised that he shal be our deliuerer or redemer neither is there any other sauiour but Iesus Christ alone This Psalme was song in Iuda for a thanksgiuing on Easterday when they eate the Paschall lambe because God had deliuered them out of the captiuity of Egypt But that temporall or corporall deliuerance and the lambe was nothing els but a figure of the true and euerlasting deliuerance and of our true lambe Iesus Christ by whose bloud we are deliuered and brought out of hell and euerlasting captiuity into our heauenly countrey In the 113. Psalme he prophesieth of the glory honour of Christes kingdome telling what a one how great it shall bee thoroughout all the worlde For he sayth From the rising of the sunne to the goyng down of the same the name of God is glorified Which thing can not otherwise be but by the catholike faith that is that the Gentils should heare the gospell of Christ thereby acknowledge and set forth his grace and goodnes which is the sacrifice of prayses which the Christians offer The wordes of the Psalmes are these Prayse the Lord O ye his seruants prayse the name of the Lord blessed be the name of the Lord from henceforth for euer The name of the Lord is euer praised frō the rising of the sunne to the goyng downe of the same The Lord is high aboue all nations and his glory aboue the heauens Who is lyke vnto the Lord our God that hath his dwellyng on high who abaseth himselfe to behold things in heauen in earth Likewise the 117. Psalme sayth that the whole world both Iewes Gentils shal magnify Christ Iesus honor and acknowledge him for their true God in his kingdom in which is is all felicity mere grace mercy forgiuenes of all sinnes true righteousnes true peace true comfort true ioy euerlasting life The wordes be these All nations praise ye the lord all ye people praise him for his louing kindnes is great towardes vs and the truth of the Lord endureth for euer And the 130. psalme also setteth forth to vs the grace of God in Christ which God hath promised vs in him our true propitiatory reconciler Dauid sayth in that Psal. Let Israel wayte on the Lord for with the lord is mercy and with him is great redemption and he shal redeeme Israel from all his iniquities All this must bee vnderstood of Christ for the new testament is the kirnell the perfect and ful interpretation of the old And the new testament witnesseth in euery place that there is no other deliuerer sauiour or recōciler but Iesus Christ and it teacheth vs that our reconciliation redemption commeth only by Christ who is the alone sacrifice satisfaction for the sinnes of the whole world Wherfore take this for a sure rule in scripture which neuer fayleth that wheresoeuer deliuerance reconciliation redemption remission of sins or the grace of God is promised in the prophets there always though the name of Messias or Christ bee not expressed must we needes vnderstand Christ and hys death and bloudsheding absolute sacrifice For these great things to wit forgiuenes of sinnes reconciliatiō c. are prepared gottē obtained by no other means but only by the sacrifice and death of Iesus Christ And these are almost the chief prophesies which Dauid hath concernyng Christ Anna. Whac hath Esay prophesied of Christ and of his passion resurrection and euerlasting kingdom Vrb. After Dauid is the notable and worthy prophet Esay who hath prophesied both plainly truly of all the mysteries of Christ In his 2. chap. he describeth the spiritual kingdom of Christ that is the catholike church saying that it shal be ample glorious through all the world among the Gentiles by the preaching of the gospell by which men do acknowledge the grace of God in Christ and be conuerted and do willingly and ioyfully serue and worship the lord His words be these It shall be in the last dayes that the mountain of the house of the Lord shal be prepared in the top of the mountaines and shal be exalted aboue the hils and all nations shal flow vnto it and many people shall go and say come let vs go vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach vs his wayes and we wil walke in his pathes For the law shall goe forth of Sion and the word of the lord from Ierusalem he shal iudge amongst the nations and reserue many people they shal break their swordes also into mattockes and their speares into sithes nation shal not lift vp a sword against nation neither shall they learne to fight any more O house of Iacob come ye and let vs walke in
heritical members and yet hath alwayes scaped and in the end obtained victory and triumphed ouer them all For the word of the Lord abideth for euer ¶ Anna. This Easter Sermon is more plenteous and of greater authoritie with me then all the pompe and wealth of the whole world Nay what are a hundred thousand worldes with the vanitie of all their wealth power and pompe in comparisō of such great promises of God as we haue in Iesus Christ Euen nothing at all I hartely thanke God our heauenly father that he hath vouchsafed me to liue vnto that happy daye that I might heare such an apostolicall Sermon And I hope that I shall euer hereafter be better for it while I liue And I trust I haue receaued such comfort here by that that I shall euer hereafter celebrate that ioyfull feast of Easter with spiritual comfort in Christ For this gospell which was promised in the prophets so many ages agoe is now preached openly throughout this world in these latter dayes doth not exclude me For euery one which beleueth in Christ and calleth vpon his name shall be safe Here is no merite of mine spoken of as necessarye to lyfe and saluation but onely the infinit merit of Iesus Christ which is preached of all the prophets and Euangelists The mercifull and euerlasting God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ our Father be praysed for euer and euer for the holsome misteries of the holy Gospell of Christ Iesus which he hath so mercifully opened and so richly geuen vnto vs vnworthy sinners ☞ Vrba Now you know what S. Paul meaneth where he sayth that Iesus Christ is our wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption geuen vs of God and you see what is the true hope helpe and comfort of Israell ¶ Anna. I see it and I beleue it The Lord increase my fayth And I beseech thee O most merciful Father for Iesus Christes sake our onely reconciler that thou wilt also vouchsafe to reueale the comfortable gospell of thy vnspeakable grace promised geuen in thy only begotten son Iesus Christ by thy holy spirite vnto our beloued children which thou hast geuen vs to the inlarging of the kingdome of Christ and to the glory of thy most blessed name that they by the inward instruction of thy spirite may vnderstand and beleue this Sermon of thy son and through thy holy spirite continew vnto the end in that fayth of Christ and hope of the Gospell and true Israell All the riches of this world are nothing to this christian fayth I wish vnto my deere children no other felicitye no other dowries no other riches nor no other inheritaunce but that they may truely and constantly bebeleue this sermon which if they doe then are they rich enough in this world and in the world to come though they should neuer so poorely here begge their bread all the dayes of their lyfe For by fayth in Christ we haue God the father God the son and God the holy ghost one true God by the inestimable benefits and merite of Christ who for our sakes became man that we might be made the children of God and that God might be our louing Father And now what can we want seeing we haue thee O Lord the onely true and louing god to be our Father through Iesus Christ our Lord who is our owne proper righteousnes lyfe and and saluation ☞ Vrba God keepe you and me and our Children in this fayth and then are we fafe then shall we be passing well then shall we haue perfect ioy of spirite and then shall we dayly and hourely with ioy celebrate the ioyfull feast of Easter till we with our beloued childrē passe out of this fraile and trāsitory lyfe into the heauēly kingdome of Iesus Christ our Lord and true God which hath ben prepared for vs from the beginning of the world of which thing I am assured The Lord cōfirme our fayth and hope vnto the eternall glory of his holy name ¶ Anna. Amen ☞ Vrba But you must euery day wife when you haue geuen God thankes and made your prayers thorowely ponder with your selfe these thinges of the gospell of Christ which I haue ben now a good long time in speaking and you must kepe them in your hart as a most rich treasure and pretious iuell ¶ Anna I will doe it by Gods grace and God blesse me and all good Christians ☞ Vrba Amen ¶ Anna. Amen FINIS The Lordes name be praysed And O Lord I beseech thee geue plentifull fruite of these my Labors Amen Amen * ⎠* Luke 9.26 Iohn 8.51 1. Ione 5.1 Reuel 12.12 1. Pet. 5.8 Luk. 22.31 Ephe. 2.12 Acts. 23. Luke 24.16 Rom. 6.23 Gen. 25.33 Reuel 12.12 Iohn 5.25 and August l. 4. de trinitate c. 3. Reuel 12.4 1. Pet. 1.7 Deut. 8.3 Rom. 15.4 Math. 4.4 Emaus signifieth the bright morning Cleophas signifieth all glory Gene. 10.9 Luke 24.13 Acts. 8.23 Math. 13.44 and 45. Iesus signifieth a Sauior Iohn 20.25 Math. 21.22 Ieremy 5.9 Rom. 15.4 Ephe. 2.3 Ezechi 3.18 Genesis Psalmes Prouer. Esay Ieremy Ezechias Daniell Micheas Zephany Aggias Zachary Abdias Mathew Iohn A Iesus Sy. 30.23 B Phll. 2 18. A 2. Cor. 7 10. A holy greyfe Christ the way to god A Ioh. 14. v. 6. Esay 66.14 C Mat. 11.27 B Col. 2.9 D Esay 53 11. How needfull it is to know Christ E Cor. 2.1 F Iohn 17.3 G 1. Cor 1.23 Lukc 24. A Col. 3.16 Pray before we read or heare the word B 1 Cor. 2. ¶ A praier A Luke 10. A Iohn 4 46. The first promise of grace B Gen. 3 C. Rom. 1 Gal. 3. The misteries of the promise in the seede of the woman T' at is the Caldey bible Only by Christ not by our selus or workes are we sauid e. Rom. 5.15 f. Gen. 3.15 Feare not though the deuill fishe he cannot bite g. Rom. 6.14 h. Ebr. 2. The promise which was made to Adam was the Gospell The promise renued to Abraham i. Gen. 12.3 and 18.28 and 21. and 18. k. Gen. 26.4 l. Gen. 28.14 M Rom. 1.1 N Act. 3.24 O Esay 53 10. The end of threats in preaching p. Gal. 3.24 q. Heb. 10.1 r. Heb. 7.18 s. Act. 17.1 t. Luk. 24.44 what the Prophets looked for v. 1. Pet. 1.10 a. Luke 24.47 Repentance the first step to grace b. Psal. 51.5 c. Rom. 5.12 What we are by nature The naturall man. D Gen. 8.21 E 1. Cor 15 22. F Ephe. 2.3 H Ephe. 2.1 K 1. Thes 4.5 L Psal. 116.11 M Ier. 17.9 N 1. Cor. 2.14 O Gen. 3 19. P Gen. 2.17 Q Rom. 6.23 The law r. Deut. 27.26 ſ. Psal. 119.21 t. Mat. 19.17 u Gal. 5.19 The frutes of our flesh naturally x. Gal. 3.22 Where then be papistical merites The cause why we are threatned with the law To whom Christ was sent Y Ro. 3.20 Z Gal. 3.24 Z Gal. 3.21 The end why the law was geuen Fayth saueth a. Gen
haue I begotten thee And although all the godly be called in the scriptures sonnes of God yet Christ in this place is the sonne of God after an other sort We are the sonnes of God by grace by the washing of the new birth or the lauer of regeneration but Christ is the true natural sonne of God begotten of the substance of the father before al worlds from eternitie And Paul speaking of this prerogatiue saith Vnto which of the Angels sayd he at any tyme thou art my sonne If he speake not these wordes vnto any Angels much lesse spake he them to any mā God created the Angels he created vs also and by his word and spirit he hath begot vs a new by this new birth we are become the childrē of grace but vnto Christ he saith this day haue I begotten thee Saint Augustine in his commentaries vpon the 2. psal saith that this word this day doth signify declare the euerlasting birth of the sonne And although this day set downe there in the prophesie may be thought to signify the tyme when Christ was borne according to hys manhood yet because this day signifieth a presence for in eternitie nothing is so past as though now it were not neither is any thing to come as though it had not alredy bene For what so euer is frō euerlasting is always it is vnderstood deuinely according to this saying this day haue I begotten thee wherby our true and catholike faith setteth forth vnto vs the euerlasting generation of the power wisdom of God which is the only begotten sonne of god And diuers other godly holy doctors as Arnobius Hillarius Cyrillus Chrysostomus and many mo vnderstand this verse thus S. Paul also to the Hebr. reciteth the wordes which are in the 2. booke of the Kings where God the father sayth thus of Christ I wil be his father he shal be my sonne This cannot be properly spoke of Salomon because God had promised Dauid a sonne or seed which shold spring out of his own loines And the circūstances of the places do plainly proue that this was spokē of Christ But Paul by these wordes goeth about to proue that Christ is a sonne far aboue differing frō other sons that God said this to no angell much lesse to Salomon How then can this otherwise be but that Christ must nedes be the natural sonne of God For the adoption calling of vs children which beleue in Christ is only geuen vs by grace as Iohn saith As many as receiued him that is Christ to them he gaue power to be the sonnes of God to wit to such as beleued in his name And Paule also citeth this verse worship him all you gods or angels out of the psalms These are his wordes And again when he that is his father bringeth in his first begotten sonne into the world he saith let all the angels of God honor him This verse speaketh of the kingdom of Christ which is aboue all things both in heauē and earth which kingdom is prepared by the gospell by which Christ is made known to the world the world is become his inheritance which heritage the father promised to giue him in the 2. psalm And although the cōdition of angels amongst all creatures is of all other most noble yet are they cōmaunded to adore this king Christ But to be adored is that honor which is onely due vnto God not vnto any other For seke the scriptures you shal find that the angels neuer adored any but God alone Paul also to the Hebr. proueth the godhed of Christ out of the 10. psal saying And thou lord in the beginning hast established the earth and the heauens are the workes of thine handes They shal perish but thou doest remaine and they shal waxe old as doth a garment and as a vesture shalt thou change or fold them vp they shal be changed but thou art the same and thy yeares shal not faile The holy ghost teacheth vs here as you may see by his minister Paul that this psalm in this place speketh of Christ as may be gathered both out of the argument and whole tract of the psalm to wit how that king whom the apostles had preached through all the world should be feared of all kings kingdoms of the world and that he is God himself who framed foūded both heauen and earth And although the creatures change and perish yet this God abideth stil in himself and is immutable and eternall but we shall fynde all these things in Christ And therfore vndoubtedly he is that true God which is both preached and feared thorow the whole world The names also of God by which the Scriptures speake of God giue vs if we marke them well a most firme and strong argument to proue the deuinity of Christ S. Hierom vnto Marcella hath noted names by which the scriptures cal god The first is El that is mighty the 2. Elohim the 3. Elohe that is God the 4. Zebaoth which the 70. interpreters translated into Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the learned doctor Rabbi Aquila doth trāslate it of Hostes The scripture vseth alwayes to adde this maiestical name Iehoua Edonai that is lord or god Edonai Zebaoth the lord of hostes 5 Elion that is the most hie 6. Eheieh Escher Eheieh Exodi that is I am that I am the 7. Edonai that is lord 8. Iah 9. Iehouah These two last names do only signify God in his holy eternal vnchangeable essence The x. name is Schaddai that is strong by himself or of himself sufficient able to do al things as s Hierom expoundeth it And God calleth himselfe so in Gen. saying Eni El Schaddai which S. Hierome translated into latin thus I the lord all sufficient But the 70. interpreters vse for Schaddai 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is god And this translation is true thogh Schaddai in dede signifieth almighty not properly god yet seing none is almighty but only god their translation is good Now marke what god saith in Esa. I am sayth he the lord or Iehouah this is my name and my glory I will not giue to another that is I am the true god This name and honor is only due to me this doth belong to me alone to no creature But if now this excellent hie name Iehouah may be proued by the prophets to be giuē properly to Christ then by an infallible argument good consequent is Christ proued to be true god For it is sure manifest that this name Iehouah is the proper essential name of god signifieth nothing but one true God in his holy essence maiesty which none of the other x. names doth but only this name Iehouah and Iah which Iah in my iudgement signifieth the same that Iehouah doth for they spring both out of one roote ¶ Anna.
of Math. he made a poore man see he made the dūme speake the deafe here he cast forth a spirit and restored the dry hand and in the 15. of Math. he healed the Cananites daughter which was troubled with a deuil he restored the lame the blind the deafe the dumme the maimed many other diseased to their former helth And so by these his mighty actes strange maruels he sheweth that he was the true Messias of whom Esay writeth thus Hee wil destroy death for euer or he deuoured it or swalowed it vp For he called the dead to life again As the princes of the sinagogs daughter the widowes daughter and Lazarus which had lyen in the graue 4. dayes and did stinke The raising of these to life was a foreshewyng certification confirmation sure argument of his true resurrection from the dead Of which we in the last day also shal be pertakers when the lord shall sūmon all the dead raised out of their graue before his tribunall seat in the twinckling of an eye We may finde his other miracles wōders which he wroght est down in the euangelists so that it is not nedefull here to speake any more of them ¶ Anna. Now I know why you still apply and include those miracles that Christ did in the gospel as his restoring of the sick to helth and the dead to lyfe in the article of the resurrection of the dead to wit that we may more surely aod deepely by these miracles imprint and ground in our harts the hie mistery of the last rising agayne of the body and that we may therby confirme and kepe the fayth hope of our resurrectiō But now explicat proue out of the prophets the other articles of Messias to wit of his passion descēding into hel resurrectiō of his kingdō ¶ Of the death descending into hell and the glorious resurrection of Christ of the causes and infinite commodities of his passion resurrection and of his euerlasting kingdome Vrbanus THese in deede were the chiefe articles which Christ taught Cleophas his companion as they went to Emaus And seyng the holy prophets prophesie of these ministeries of Christ in one place annexe them together we will also speake of them together as it were knit them vp in one and open them seuerally or ioyntly as the prophesies giue occasion And first of all let vs heare the worthy prophet Dauid in the 8. Psalm where he sayth What is man that thou art so myndful of him and the sonne of man that thou visitest him for thou hast made him little lower thē God crowned him with glory worship thou hast made him to haue dominion in the works of thine hands Thou hast put al things vnder his feet all sheep oxen yea and the beasts of the field the foules of the aire the fish of the sea and that which passeth thorough the pathes of the seas O lord our lord how excellent is thy name in all the world This psalme which the new testament doth soundly opē vnto vs prophesieth of Messias saying that it should come to passe that for a tyme Christ should be humbled debased and as it were forsaken of God the father And that tyme was the space of 3. dayes when he was taken deliuered to the Iewes and Gentils and when they beat him with whips crouned him with thornes crucified him killed him and buried him The Hebrues text is thus Vathechasrehu meat meeloim that is for a tyme thou sufferedst him to be without God or thou shalt suffer him a while to be forsaken of god For it seemed that God had forsaken him all the tyme of his passion euen vnto the third day because he suffred him to be slaine and buried And the Iewes thought that Christ had bene dead in deede and vtterly destroyed Neither did they vnderstand that comfortable decree of the Lord how that therefore he sent his sonne that he might by his crosse reconcile his father to vs and that Christ suffred not of constraynt but was willingly and gladly obedient vnto his father euen vnto the death the death of the crosse The Greeke text is thus As Paule also citeth it to the Hebrues in the 2. chap. where this Psalm also is applyed to Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Thou hast made him a little inferiour to the Angels The Caldee Bible hath in that place mi maleachia that is from the Angels As our Lord sayde vnto Peter when he had cutte of the eare of the high priestes seruauntes and so thought to helpe Christ Thinkest thou that I can not nowe praye to my father and hee will giue me moe then 12. legions of angels how thē should the scriptures be fulfilled which saye it must be so Christ would here stand great neede of help that therby he might succor vs For for our sakes he came into the erth humbled himself and suffred himself to be forsaken to wāt al help so that no angel could help or deliuer him Paul vnto the Hebr. expoundeth these words of the Psal. applieth them vnto Christ saying For in that he hath put al things in subiection vnder him hee left nothing that should not be subiect vnto him but yet we see not all thinges subdued vnto him but we se Iesus crouned with glory honor which was made a little inferior to the angels through the suffring of death that by gods grace he might tast death for al men for it became him for whō are al things by whom are al things seyng he brought many children vnto glory that he shold consecrate the prince of our saluation through afflictions for he which sanctifieth they which are sanctified are al of one And so the prophet marueleth that this true man sonne of man was for the little time of his preaching and passion here vpon earth forsaken contēned humbled or abased but after a little that is after 3. dayes highly glorified honored crouned made lord of al creatures in heauen earth And that afterward his name became renomned famous and admirable through the whole world As Paul out of this Psal. teacheth at large to the Ephes where he sayth That the god of our Lorde Iesus Christ the father of glory might giue vnto you the spirit of wisdom reuelation through the knowledge of him that the eies of your vnderstanding may bee lightened that ye may know what the hope is of gods calling what the riches of his glorious inheritance is in his saintes what is the exceding greatnes of his power towards vs which beleue according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him vp frō the dead set him at hys right hand in the heauenly places far aboue al principalitie power might dominion and euery name that is named not in this world only but also in that that
is to come hath made al thinges subiect vnder his feet hath appointed him ouer all thinges to be the head to the church which is hys body euen the fulnes of him that filleth al in al things Many mysteries of our faith are contained in this Psalm to wit Christes passion resurrection and dominion which he hath ouer al creatures both in heauen earth and what the fruite of Christes workes to wit of his passiō is For he was by his passion to deserue and giue vs infinite benefits that all which beleue the gospel might be deliuered frō Satans kingdom haue place with God in heauē and be ruled and saued by Christ for euer But yet here in this world by faith vnder the crosse but after this fraile and miserable life opēly in glory The kings of this world do get gouerne kepe establish their kingdomes by the sword force of armes ouercomming vanquishing their enemies but this king after a new strāge proper and cleane contrary maner beginneth gouerneth and fortifieth his kingdom to wit by suffering dying on the crosse For in that he was killed he killeth ouercommeth his enemies This passing and exceeding great submission and lowly humbling of himselfe euen to the death of the crosse doth preuayleth more then the force sufferings strength might of all creatures could haue done For it ouercame Satan it swalowed vp death obtayned worthy honor glory As Paul saith to the Phil. Christ humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto death euen the death of the crosse wherfore God hath also highly exalted him giuen him a name aboue euery name that at the name of Iesus shold euery knee bow both of things in heauen and thinges in earth and things vnder earth and that euery tong should confesse that Iesus Christ is the lord vnto the glory of god the father ¶ Anna. Seyng the scriptures set down so many mysteries of our faith briefly and in one place for now I heare in this 8. Psal. the passion resurrection ascension and kingdom of Christ all in one the selfe same place comprehended and fully touched I would haue you expound and teach the vse of the death and resurrection of Christ what his kingdome is briefly And thus in reciting the prophesies concerning these articles as they offer themselues you shal find an indifferent easy way so that you need not ouer labor and wery yourselfe as of late you haue done ☞ Vrb. The fruit and commoditie of this most precious death and glorious resurrection of Christ is the redemption of mankind from al euils and calamities and mans victory ouer death the deuil damnation So that now by Christes infinite and great merites by his deserts and not by ours we obtayne forgiuenes of our sinnes grace peace with God perfect holines the holy ghost with his giftes and that blessed adoption by which we are the children of god and he our father and that after this short life we looke for the resurrection of our flesh in which we shall receiue both in body and soule and immortal incorruptible inheritance an inheritance that shal not fade euen life euerlastyng and the eternall kingdom of Christ which was promised vs in the law and prophets But al this we receiue onely in Iesus Christ the seede of Abraham and Dauid according to the flesh who purchased and deserued all these things for vs This is daily preached to vs in the gospel and all mē are called vnto this grace none is excluded none refused The Euangelists and Apostles as the true expounders of the Prophets do worthely in all places of the new testament preach and declare out of the prophets this fruit of Christes passion Paul to the Rom. sayth Christ was deliuered to death for our sinnes and is risen agayne for our iustification And agayne in the same epistle God setteth out his loue toward vs seing that while we were yet sinners Christ died for vs Much more then being now iustified by his bloud we shall bee saued from wrath thorough him For if whē we were his enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled we shal be saued by his life And to the Cor. he sayth Christ is made of God vnto vs wisdom and righteousnes and sanctification and redemption In these few wordes he openeth and declareth all those things which Moses and the prophets wrote before of the offerings sacrifices oblations which were offred for the peoples sinnes and offences These sacrifices oblations could reconcile none vnto GOD neyther clense any man from sinne but were onely figures of that most precious sacrifice the bloud of Christ It was he that should recōcile his father to vs and by his precious bloud clense vs from all our sinnes Paule to the Corrinthians sayeth Christ dyed for all that they which liue should not henceforth lyue vnto themselues but vnto him which died for them and rose agayn God made hym which knew no sinne to be sinne for vs that we might bee made the righteousnesse of God in him And to the Gallathians he sayth Christ Iesus our Lorde gaue himself for our sinnes that he might deliuer vs from this present euill world according to the will of God euen our father to whom be glory for euer and euer Amen And agayne Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law while he was made a curse for vs for it is written Cursed is euery one that hangeth on tree And to the Ephesians he sayeth By Christ we haue redemption thorough his bloud euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes according to his rich grace And agayne he sayth But now in Christ Iesus ye which once were farre of are made nere by the bloud of Christ for he is our peace which reconciled both vnto god in one body by his crosse And agayne Christ hath loued vs and hath giuen himself for vs to be an offring and a sacrifice of a sweete smellyng sauour to God. And to the Collos he sayth God by Christ reconcileth al things to himselfe and setteth at peace through the bloud of his crosse both the thinges in heauen and the things in earth And agayne God raysed Christ from the dead and you which were dead in sinnes and in the vncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him forgiuing vs all our trespasses and putting out the hand writing of ordinaunces that was against vs which was contrary to vs he euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it vppon the crosse triumphing in himselfe ouer all principalities and powers in the same crosse And to the Thessal he sayth I would not brethren haue you ignorant concernyng them which are a sleepe that ye sorrow not euen as they which haue no hope For if we beleue that Iesus is dead and risen agayne euen so them which
the humility passion of Christ which of his owne free will he would suffer because they vnderstood the purpose of Gods workes to wit that he would make Christ the Lord and head of the church and that he would with great admiratiō build vp Sion the holy church through all the world They desired to see such a king and his great kingdome reuealed vnto them by the spirite yea to see hym euen with theyr corporal eyes as Christ witnesseth in Luke where he sayth Blessed are those eyes which see that ye see For I tell you that many Prophets and Kinges haue desired to see those thinges which ye see and haue not sene thē and to heare those things which ye heare and haue not heard them And agayne Dauid sayth The Lorde sayde vnto my Lord sitte thou at my right hande vntill I make thine enemies thy footestoole The Lorde shall sende the rod of thy power out of Sion thou ruler in the midst of thine enemies He shall drinke of the brooke in the way therfore shall he lift vp his head In this Psalme is a most comfortable prophesie of Christ howe hee must be placed at Gods right hande that is that he shall be exalted vnto most high glory honor dignity power But yet so that before he must drinke of that brooke that is of the cup of his passiō so by it passe into his glory Wife looke you haue this psalme in great price loue it derely for it setteth forth vnto vs two special things wherin true and sound consolation al our saluation doth consist to wit the euerlasting kingdom deuine power of Iesus Christ He sitteth at the right hande of God that is he hath all power he is most mighty all things are in his handes he is and that euen according to his blessed glorified humanity lord king of all things both in heauen and earth all things are in his subiection Therfore it well followeth that he is able to deliuer vs from all necessities calamities both temporal and eternall neither can any creature do vs harme if we bee in the kingdome of Christ by true faith Moreouer God the father assuredly promised by an othe that he would giue vs Christ to be an eternall priest Here is Christ vpon Gods othe appointed to be our priest and he is touched with the feling of our calamities no lesse then if they were his own He hath purged and taken away our sins by his owne sacrifice vpon the crosse and hath reconciled vs vnto the father yea he doth still make intercession for vs with his father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without ceasing and he teacheth geueth vs by his worde and holy spirit all things which are necessary for the obtaining of euerlasting helth and saluation Wherfore although Christ according to his humanity was the sonne of Dauid that is his sonne by flesh bloud yet neuerthelesse Dauid saith that Christ is his lord not only according to his deuine nature as he is the creator and lord of al things but also as saint Augustine sayth according to that his humaine nature glorified in which he sitteth at the right hand of god For he is the euerlasting king of Israel which truly erected and for euer established and confirmed the kingdome of Dauid Moreouer he is a true priest the true Melchisedech who only could and ought to giue that euerlasting blessing for that he is that blessed seed of Abraham in which onely we are blessed that is we are deliuered from sinne death and are iustified saued Christ in Math. putteth forth this questiō to the Pharises which were puft vp with an opiniō of their own learning saying Why did Dauid call Christ his Lord who was his sonne that is to say of his stock But althogh they semed learned vnto themselues although they swelled with the pride of their owne knowledge yet they were ignorant of this which they ought especially to haue known Again Dauid saith The lord hath prepared his throne in heauen and his kingdom ruleth ouer all And again Thy lord shal raigne for euer O Sion Thy God endureth from generation to generation Hee saith Thy lord O Sion shal rule for euer He speaketh not here of any earthly kingdom in earthly Sion but of that euerlasting Ierusalem And in the 103. Psalme he witnesseth the same where he sayth thus The lord hath prepared his throne not in Canaan but in heauen And againe All thy workes prayse thee O Lord thy saintes blesse thee they shew the glory of thy kingdom speake of thy power to cause his power to be known to the sons of mē the glorious renoume of his kingdom Thy kingdom is an euerlasting kingdom thy dominion endureth throughout all ages All these things are spokē of Christ his kingdom In the 89. Psal. the kingdom of Christ is called an heauēly kingdom where the prophet speaketh of the promise made by God vnto king Dauid in the 2. of the kinges where God promiseth that he will giue a sonne to Dauid which shal be a peculiar notable worthy excellent king a king of all kings whose kingdom shal neuer decay and wherin is forgiuenesse of sins euerlasting mercy and therfore both lyfe and helth For where sins are forgiuen there is the tiranny of death quite abolished destroied And here we haue true helth promised for this kings sake borne of the seed of Dauid according to the flesh in whom that eternall couenant of grace is made established The words of the Psalm be these I wil sing the mercies of the Lorde for euer with my mouth wil I declare thy truth from generation to generation For I sayd thy mercy shall be set vp for euer thy truth shalt thou establish in the very heauens I haue made a couenant with my chosen I haue sworne to Dauid my seruant Thy seede wil I establish for euer set vp thy throne from generation to generation Selah Righteousnesse and equity are the stablishment of thy throne mercy truth goeth before thy face blessed are the people that can reioyce in thee they shall walk in the light of thy countenance O Lord they shall reioyce continually in thy name and in thy righteousnes shall they exalt them selues for thou art the glory of their strength and by thy fauour our hornes shal be exalted For our shield appertaineth to the Lorde and our King to the holy one of Israell I haue found Dauid my seruaunt with my holy oyle haue I annointed him Therefore my hand shall be established with him and my arme shall strengthen him The enemy shall not oppresse him neither shall the wicked hurt him But I will destroy his foes before his face and plage them that hate him My truth also and my mercy shall bee with him and in my name shall his horne be exalted
the blinded Iewes and foolish Cheliasts the prophet saith in the words following that this corporall and visible sun shal not make the gates and walles of this Citie visibly to be seen with bodely eyes in the brightnes and light of the sonne There must be a much cleerer light for the beholding of this Citie God himselfe shal shine in this citie as the visible sun and shall lighten our harts with the gospel And by this light may we see all those great things and excellent benefits which God hath promysed to his church Hereby also know we that the catholick church and the kingdome of Christ is not a visible kingdome For these worldly kingdomes dominions or politik powers may be beholden in all their regal pomp with corporall eyes But the church and the beuty thereof cannot be seene but with spirituall eyes for an other kind of sun must shine in it then doth in this world But now mark what excellent and comfortable promyses we haue in Christ The sun of Christes kingdome shal not goe down This visible sun on the day time hauing runne his course doth euery day goe down and bydes himself til the next morning But our sun and our moone tary with vs for euer For Christ the sun of righteousnes ryseth and shineth to vs by his gospel and shall neuer goe down from his elected For though neuer so great a cloud of temtation darken this sun yet shall it not vtterly goe from vs but at the last day of redemption it shal apeare and shine vnto vs most cleere where neither cloud of affliction ignorance or incredulity can couer hinder or blemish his brightnes Then at the last shall be seen the fulfulling of the great promises of the peace helth and ioy of the church Whē Christ our euerlasting light shal be made many fest then shall we see him face to face then shall our afflictions end and then shall the day of eternall glory appeare to the children of God. Note also here that in the church or kingdome of Christ there shall be none but iust men Here in the world godly vngodly dwel and are mixt together but in the true church the congregation of Christians in the spirit is such that there is not one vngodly person For in the last day the vngodly faithles shall be euen corporally seperated for euer from the godly The fantasticall and mad rable of Anabaptists suppose that they can gather together all the godly into some one erthly city and that they should so corporally fulfil this promise But their conate shall be frustrate they shall labour in vaine it cannot be so in this earth while this life lasteth At the last day the Tares shall be seperated from the Wheate But here in this church the vngodly as theeues and robbers in a kingdome which abuse all Creatures and with violence and iniurye possesse and cease all things into their hands are mixed with the godly vntil the last day But the godly shall raign with Christ in heauen and earth God shall excellently and brauely burnish the earth and visible creature and shall geue it a new shape and marueilously beutefy it that the childrē of God may inioy it And thus shall the godly inherite and posses a new heauen and a new earth in which righteousnes shal dwell as Peter saith But how shall they come to so great a glory And why shal they haue it Euen therfore shal they haue it as Esay sayth because they are the bud or bowes or young plant which the lord himself hath planted with his own hand because he hath renued in vs the Image of God by his word and his spirite and hath made vs new men and a new creature in Christ In the end of this chap. Esay promyseth it shall come to passe that though the church be small and rare yet shall it so increase that an innumerable and infinite number of people shall receaue the faith of Christ And least when we see the true godly persecuted and slayn on heapes and the world swarme with a great multitude of vngodly and worldlings and the church in comparyson of the world but litle and straight wee should something doubt how this should come to pas In his conclusion he saith that it is not mannes deed thus gloryously to exalt the kingdome of Christ but God himself shal doe it in his due time For to see the gospel taught men beleue such hidden misteries beleeuers of Gods promyses to relinquish and contemne this world and valyantly by death to confes Christ passeth al mannes reson wisdome and worldly power These must nedes be the works of the mighty God which by his power and spirit doth work them preserue them and increase them in vs. Agayn you may gather out of this prophecy that the kingdome of Christ is spirituall and eternall and that it behoued him to rise again from death if he shold be the sonne and euerlasting light of the godly that we also shal rise again that we may in the life to come receue and for euer enioy al these great promises made in the prophets Whosoeuer beleeueth this sorroweth not as did Cleophas his cōpanion For he knoweth that Christ shal come to delyuer Israel and aduaunce it to glory But this glory is not seen in this frail life it is here but in hope but after this life we shall see and haue it in eternall and perfect possession Now shall you heare what Esay prophesyeth of the church of vs christians and of Christ the Sauyour of the church how that he shall come in Syon and iustify the gentils How euen the very gentils shall receiue Messias how he shal geue this church faithful bishops and pastors and how he shall gloriously beutefy it and diligently cōserue it as his only beloued spouse Wherby all men may plainly see that though the church be here crossed to the end it may be made like her Lord king yet is she not forsaken of God. And thus he sayth in the 62. chapiter For Sions sake I will not hold my tongue and for Hierusalems sake I will not rest vntill the righteousnes thereof breake forth as the light and the saluation therof as a burning lampe And the gentiles shall see thy righteousnes and all kinges thy glory and thou shalt be cald by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name Thou shalt also be a croun of glory in the hand of the Lord and a roiall diadē in the hand of thy god It shall no more be sayd vnto thee forsaken neither shall it be sayd any more to thy land desolat But thou shalt be called Hephzibah That is to say my delight in her and thy land Beulah That is to say inhabited For the Lord delighteth in thee and thy land shall haue a husband For as a young man marieth a virgine so shall thy sons mary thee and as a bridgrome is
through al the world how the Apostles should gather together by the preaching of the gospel all such of the gentils as be elect and should bring them into heauenly Ierusalem the catholicke church as a sacrifice and oblation vnto the lord These be his words For it shal come that I wil gather all nations and tongues and they shall come and see my glory and I will set a signe among them and will send those that escape of thē vnto the nations of Tarshish Pul and Lud and to them that draw the bow To Tuball and Iauan Iles a far of that haue not heard my fame netther haue seene my glory and they shall declare my glory among the gentils and they shall bring all your bretheren for an offering vnto the Lord out of all nations vpon horses and in charyots in horselitters and vpon mules and swift beastes to Ierusalem my holy mountaine saith the Lord as the children of Israell offer in a clean vessell in the house of the Lord. Doe you heare God by the preaching of the gospel wil iudge all the works both of the Iewes and the gentils and will gather them together that they may see the glory of God how that all our hability and strength is nothing but that only his grace obtayned by Christ is al in al. This Christ only forgeueth our sins iustifyeth vs saueth vs and he only destroyeth and ouercommeth death and the deuil and delyuereth all his out of all misery and calamity And this deliuerāce doth he declare by the preaching of the gospell in all parts of the world and he calleth certayn parts of the earth which lye East and West North and South which lye to the foure parts of the world And that rēnant of Iewes which he speaketh of here which escape and are delyuered out of blindnes are the Apostles them doth he send to all the world Wherefore you may well see that there he doth not speake of a worldely kingdome Iesus Christ crucyfied is the signe he is preached to be the only sauyour of the world and the true glory of God which glory that is to say truth mercy power which God hath geuen vs in Christ shall be preached and shewed to the Gentils and by that preaching shal the Gentils be brought to God as it were a gift or oblation purifyed and made acceptable by the gospell as Paul witnesseth to the Rom. saying I put you in remembrance through the grace that is geuen me of God that I should be the minister of Iesus Christ towards the Gentils 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is ministring the gospel of god that the offering vp of the gentils might be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an oblation acceptable being sanctified by the holy ghost You see then that the Iewes sacrifice should haue an end and that liuely men not bruit beastes must be offered vnto the Lord in all lands The true delyueranee of Israell by Messias is this that he saueth all his that be in the world as wel Iewes as Gentils which are conuerted and illuminated by the word and his holy spirite and maketh thē partakers of eternall life And these thus delyuered and saued by Christ are that heauenly Ierusalem the holy mountaine and the congregation of the faithfull in Christ into the which there is euery day some brought out of all places and offered vnto the Lord as a pure oblation By these horses chariots horslitters and such other that the prophet here speaketh of must be vnderstoode that sweet faire gentle milde and pleasant preaching of the gospel in which the consciences of men be caryed very easely And by these things as S. Augustine saith may be vnderstood all the help we haue either by God himself or by his angels or men wherby the bretheren of the elected Israelits be drawen into the church as bretheren into the catholick faith And thus do you heare how that the spiritual kingdome of Christ the church consisteth both of the Iewes and gentils and how that in all parts of the world she is gouerned by the preaching of the gospel and is subiect in this life to the cros that she may be made lyke to Christ her king and yet notwithstanding she hath passing fayr great and comfortable promises in which she reposeth her hope and hath her comfort and consolation til such time as Christ the king of glory appeare from heauen in his maiesty with the angels of his power that he may be glorifyed in his saints and praysed in all his faithfull Thē at that day shall it wel appeare how great excellent and infinite the glory of the eternall king and of his kingdome and the holy church is whereof the prophets haue spoken euen from the beginning ¶ Anna. What prophesyeth Ieremy of Christ and his church ☞ Vrb. Ieremy in his 11. chap. prophesyeth of the willing redynes of Christ in suffering his passion he sayth thus The Lord hath taught me and I know it euen then thou shewedst me their practises but I was like a lambe or a bullock that is brought to the slaughter and I knew not that they had deuysed this against me saying let vs destroy the tree with the fruit therof and cut him out of the land of the liuing that his name may be no more in memory But O Lord of hostes that iudgest righteously and tryest the raynes and the hart let me see thy vēgeance on them for vnto thee haue I opened my cause Here in this prophecy Ieremy is a figure of Christ and the church hath 1000. yeares and moe so expounded this text to wit that God the father doth here reuele to his sonne Christ the wicked counsels hatred despite and bitternes of the Iewes and how that they would kil him as a sheep and lambe By the which name Esay also calleth Christ For it was very requisite that he should be that lambe without spot which by his only sacrifice should purge the sinnes of the wholl world euen as the figures in Moyses law fore shewed ¶ Anna. Why doth Christ here say that he perceiued not or knew not their wicked and malicious pretences seeing he him self told his disciples lōg before his passion that he must suffer at Ierusalem and knew euery thing the Iewes ment and deuised against him ☞ Vrb. S. Hierō taketh the meaning of this text thus that Christ saw in him self no sinn or knew him self to be gilty of no sin as Esay saith But although this may be so read and vnderstood yet do I take it to be meant of Ieremy him self against whom the Iewes at Anathoth toke such diuelish deadly and priuy counsell as he had not vnderstoode of if God had not reuealed it to him It is sufficiēt that Ieremy be a figure of Christ in the chief point that is to say in his passion for it is not needful that he should in euery word beare the figure of Christ
commaundements and word of God. Is not this promise full of comfort where he sayth I will heale Israells backsliding that is he will pardon all their offences and neuer be angry with them any more for their sinns In which promise Christ the throne of grace is included and comprehended For these determinations of God is that he will forgeue sin to no man that he wil loue no man and that he wil receaue none vnto grace by any other meanes but by his deerely beloued sonn who is become our onely redeemer mediator recōciler bishop priest propiciatory or throne of grace as Paule affirmeth saying We are accepted in his beloued by whome we haue redemption through his bloud euen the forgeuenes of sinns according to his rich grace It is manifest therfore by the firme foūdation of the apostles doctrine that Hoseas here speaketh of Christ although he name him not seing that there is no other reconciler which can turne the wrath of God from vs but onely Iesus Christ Wherefore I haue often sayd that where the Lord promiseth his grace redemption forgeuenes of sinns righteousnes lyfe and health that there is Iesus Christ promised by whose death and pretious bloud we are reconciled to God the father and receaue forgeuenes remission of our sinns true righteousnes and lyfe euerlasting There followeth in the text more promises but expressed in figuratiue wordes For he taketh a similitude of the dew of roses of Libanō and of the oliue tree which wordes import nothing els but the great felicitie of Israell or christifidelians after that they beleue and are receaued in the grace of God and obtaine forgeuenes of their sinns Is it not an exceeding great felicitie to obtaine forgeuenes of our sinns to be counted righteous before God and to receaue the holy ghost with all his gifts and by the same to be healed vp in fayth Which is the receauing of that great pretious and heauenly earnest peny that is the spirite of God the father and the son which doth assure vs that we be the children of God and so his heyres and coheyres with Iesus Christ what I pray you can he want which hath the Lorde for his inheritance This prophesy chefely taketh place in the tyme of Christ when the gospell brought forth fruite throughout the whole world and christs heauēly kingdome was builded in euery place that Christ the king of glory be imbrased for our God and sauiour through fayth by which we are made the children of God and shall prayse him for euer together with his holy angells to whome we shall be like in the world to come in the resurrectiō of the dead the glory whereof exceedeth all that the hartes of earthly creatures can conceaue but it is now hid For we are as yet but blessed in hope but when our king the prince of glory shall come in his maiestye to iudgement then shall our felicitie be made manifest To be short the Lord shall be the defence bulwark comfort helpe solace and sound felicitye of Israel But the Prophet speaketh of a greater defence comfort helpe and benefit thē this world hath or can vnderstand The kingdome therfore of Christ is a kingdome of blessing wherin we inioy aboūdance of all goodnes The prophets prophesied that this deliueraunce helpe comfort and kingdome should be a continuall and spirituall not a tēporall kingdome which aboundeth in fraile vayne and transitory welth of this world as the carnall Iewes dreame and imagine ¶ Anna. What I pray you doth Iohell the prophet prophecy of Christ ☞ Vrba Ioell in his 2. chapiter prophesieth that the kingdome of Christ shall be illuminated and beutified with the rich knowledge of God and that it shall receaue the holy ghost with all his gifts and that espetially in the mount Sion to wit in the catholicke church where shall be true deliueraunce helpe and redemption from sinn and death and that afterwarde there shall be no more respect of persons betwene the Iewes and Gentiles but whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord Messias shall be freely deliuered from all his sins These are the wordes of the prophesye Ye shall also know that I am in the middest of Israell and that I am the Lord your God and none other and my people shall neuer be ashamed And afterward as Peter cited this prophecy on whitsonday in his sermon at Ierusalem In those dayes that is in the tyme of Messias I will powre out my spirit vpon all flesh And your sons and daughters shall prophesy your ould men shall dreame dreames and your young men shall see visiōs and also vpon the seruants and vpon the maydens in those dayes will I power my spirite and I will shew wonders in the heauens and in the earth bloud and fier and pillers of smoke The sun shal be turned into darknes and the moon into bloud before the great and terrible day of the Lorde come But who so euer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued For in mount Sion and in Ierusalem shall be deliueraunce as the Lord hath sayd and in the remnant whome the Lord shall call This prophesy tooke place in Christs time for Israell had then experience in deed that god was with thē in mans flesh And the holy ghost was then much more gloriously royally and aboundātly geuē them thē before the natiuitie passiō resurrectiō of Messias For before they were but few which had the spirit of prophesying but when Iesus Christ was ascended vnto the right hand of his father then the holy ghost withall his giftes was wonderfully and richly geuē vnto many as the hebrew word Eschpoch declareth which signifieth to poure out The holy ghost was visibly poured vpon faythfull Christians when they were baptised and the Church in all places had his teachers who had the spirite of prophesying And the knowledge of Christ is now spread abroad and dispersed throughout the whole world But where the prophet speaketh of Sion and Ierusalem it must be vnderstood of the church of faythfull Christians wherein Christ hath his habitation as in his owne kingdome Who so euer will be saued from sinne death and tyranny of Sathan he must beleue in Christ call vpon Christ and be brought into the church of christ for without that Church is neither health nor forgeuenes of sins Neither is there any cause why any sinner should respect this or the citie aboue other as the Iewes did earthly Sion Ierusalem seeing Ioell sayth that the Lord would poure out his spirite vpō all flesh not only vpon the Iewes in Ierusalem or in the land of Canaan but euery where through the whole worlde where the Gospel is beleued It followeth therfore that whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of god shall be safe and not the Iewes onely which serued and called vpō God at Ierusalem for then was that time come of which Christ sayth in Iohn that the heauenly father requireth
therfore there are not eares in the stone but eyes onely are grauen therein They therfore which imbrace the gospell by the holy ghost that they may beleue in Christ and know the vnsearchable riches of his grace and bring others to the knowledge therof they are the 7. eyes The Apostles truely were sharpe and quicke eyes and also the godly which do yet to this day learne to know Christ Wherfore where Christ by the Gospell is not yet knowen there is black and thicke darknes and neuer one eye at all And the eyes are onely in the stone The faythfull Christians be onely they which see know all thinges as namely what God is what Christ is what the spirite is and what life righteousnes sin hel and Angels be and what the deuill the world the lyfe present and the lyfe to come be Of all which the wise of the world can not so well iudge as the blind man doth of colors And where he sayth that he will cut out the grauing of that stone that is meant of the passion of Christ because that by his crosse and passion he was as it were pollished grauen that he might be the corner stone of the church he was also formed and pollished to his glory euen as a stone is cut and pollished for the building as he himselfe also sayth vnto these 2. his disciples Was it not meete that Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory And Paule sayth That he by afflictions should confecrate the prince of their saluation The instrumentes for this ingrauing were they which martired Christ as the souldier which perced the holy side of Christ and other tormenters Iohn 19. And this stone with his afflictions is the foundation of this new and heauenly temple vpon whome all the other building doth safely stand All faythfull Christians are builded vpon this stone and haue all their righteousnes strength life by Christes passiō And he himselfe now plainely declareth what profit the grauing or pollishing of this stone or the passion of Christ bringeth vnto mankinde Saying I will take away the iniquitie of this land in one day As if he should say in the leuiticall priesthood were diuers sacrifices for sin but those sacrifices could not in deed take away any sin by their bloud they weare only figures betokening Messias to come he only alone both can must by his ingrauing death in one day that is to say on good friday offer vp such a sacrifice and make such a reconciliation for sin as may be sufficient for all the sins which haue ben committed from the beginning of the world and shall be vnto the end thereof Hereby also you may gather his resurrection For if he must be cut of that is put to death and so take away all sin and consequently abolish death it selfe it must needes that he must rise agayne and raise vs vp also at the last day And seeing that the truth it selfe that is Messias should not long after the captiuity of Babilon come to beutify and set vp a true omnisufficient priesthood and kingdome therfore that tipicall priesthood of the Iewes and the earthly kingdome had their end as sone as that true and perpetual kingdome of Christ came in which in one day because of the sacrifice that then was offered is perpetuall remission of sinnes and reconciliation with god But seing sin is purged for which there was perpetuall enmity betwixt god and man seing the wrath of God is pacified seing we are reconciled vnto our God by the death of Messias we haue true peace and tranquilitie in Christ his kingdome need not feare our enemies sin death and sathan For Christ hath vanquished them al for vs which thinge the prophet meaneth by the wordes following In that day that is in the day of Messias shall ye call euery man his neighbor vnder the vine and vnder the figg tree In these similitudes and figuratiue words he speaketh of the spirituall peace of God which is in the Church And in his 6. chap. he sayth Behold the man whose name is Zemath that is the braunch he shall grow vp out of his place and he shall build the temple of the Lord and he shall beare the glory and shall sit and rule vpon his throne and he shall be a priest vpon his throne and the counsell of peace shal be betwene them both In this prophecy is Christ with his double kingdome promised to wit his kingdome priesthode for the prophet was made to set 2. crownes vpon the head of the hye priest Whereby it was signified that Messias should be the true king and priest in Israell And it is meete that these two kingdomes the priesthood and princely power should both be found in one person Christ For he putteth the crown onely vpon the head of him that was then the hye priest but he did not put it vpon the leuitical magistrate Zerubabell And againe he calleth Messias Zemath he sheweth the cause why he calleth him so For this king and priest shall haue so great felicitie and prosperitie in his kingdome that all thinges shall haue prosperous successe and shall fall forth happely and according to his minde and desire And Esay sayth The will of the Lord shall prosper in the hande of Messias As a fine bow or braunch at the first is small and tender but after groweth hyer and hyer and doth shute forth vntill at the last it become a faire pleasant and hye tree full of faire and bewtifull braunches so that it delighteth the eyes of all men and is also very pleasaunt by reason of the shadowe therof euen so Christ although he was in the beginning but small and vnknowen when his name was yet but onely knowen in Iudea in the land of Israell and was dispised of the most part of men yet did he grow so mightely and shute vp so hy and spread so broad that he filleth the whole world with his bowes and braunches as Esay sayth that he may confirme and strengthen it c. And Daniell sayth that the stone which is taken out of the mountaine without handes becommeth a great mountaine and filleth the whole earth This Zemah is not tied vnto a certaine place where he should be king as Dauid was vnto Ierusalem but he is king in al the world and raygneth in all places by the gospel the holy ghost Sathan with this his world goeth about to hinder destroy cut downe and pluck vp blossomes while it be young that it grow not but the more they hinder it the better it prospereth and groweth and buildeth Gods temple that is the church of Christ with pretious and liuely stones of which Peter speaketh But this is a far greater temple then that which Iehoschua and Zerubabell builded at Ierusalem It is a temple which no Nebucadnezer no Antiochus nor Tytus can burne and destroy This temple is the spirituall
by what meanes it pleased God to redeeme the captiue worlde and to reconcile it to him by Messias his only begotten sonne We read in the booke of Numbers which is the 4. booke of Moses that Moses by the commaundement of God erected in the wildernes a brasen serpent which when the children of Israel should behold they should be restored to their former health although they were stinged with the deadly woundes of the firy serpentes and should not die of the poyson and stinges And so was it meete that the sonne of man as Christ sayth should be lifted vp that all they which beleue in him should not die but haue euerlasting life In this figure of the serpent the crosse and wholesome deth of Christ together with the fruit and vse of the same that is to say our deliuerance from death is very well and fruitfully prefigured ¶ Anna. By this figure also Cleophas and his felow might haue coniectured and seen that Messias should die and afterward rise agayne to euerlasting lyfe ☞ Vrb. They needed not in deede haue bin so pensife neither yet haue wauered doubted or bin so offended about Messias as they wer if thei had wel known Gods purpose and predestinated ministery of Christ Neuertheles they had plainer and liuelier prophesies of Christ in the Prophets then these out of which they might more certainly and euidently haue gathered the death and resurrection of Christ ¶ Anna I pray you go through and explicate to me the rest of the prophecies which Moses hath of Christ ☞ Vrbane Saint Peter in the third of the Actes reciteth out of Deuteronomie 18. a famous prophesie of Christ and worthy to be remembred where Moses sayth thus to the people The Lord thy God wil raise vp vnto thee a Prophet like vnto me from among you euē of thy brethren vnto him shall you harken and who so euer will not hearken vnto my woordes which hee shall speake in my name I will require it of him sayth the lord It is euident and certaine that in this text Christ is that prophet of whō Moses here maketh mentiō For the holy ghost himself doth apply it to Christ speaking by S. Peter And the multitude which was refreshed with meate speaketh after this sorte of that excellent prophet in Iohn where the Greeke text is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say This verily and without all doubt is the selfe same prophet which is to come into the world according to the prophesies of the prophets Luke also saith A great prophet is raysed vp amongst vs and God hath visited his people And here is to be noted that Christ should first be a true man and consequently be partaker of death And then he saith A Prophet like to me of your bretheren Secondly ye see that Christ also should be a doctor should bring into the world the word of God his Father the word of life the holy sauing Gospell Here you see he speaketh spiritually of the kingdō of Christ And thirdly is to be noted that he which doth disdayn to heare this word of life and wil not beleeue it shall bring vpon him self the iudgement and wrath of God And that God for that mans vnbeleef will visite him in his indignation and will plague him with horrible punishments Of this is Paul a witnes to the Thessalonians where he saith When the Lord Iesus shall shew himselfe from heauen with his mighty Angels in flaming fire rendring vengeance vnto them that do not know God and which obey not the gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ which shal be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he shal come to be glorified in his saints and to be made maruelous to all thē that beleue And Peter also in the Acts when he hath recited the wordes of the prophesie addeth these wordes It shall be that euery persō which shall not heare that prophet shal be destroyed out from the people The Latine translation in Deut. sayth it thus If any man will refuse to heare the wordes of this prophet God will be reuenged of him By which wordes we see that there must be a Iudgemēt By all which it followeth that Christ should not remayne in death but rise agayne to lyfe ¶ Anna. What is there written of Christ in the other prophets as in Samuel Dauid Esay Ieremy and Ezechiel c. ☜ Vrb. They prophesie sufficiently of all thinges which is nedeful for vs to know As of the genealogy or stocke of Christ according to the flesh Of the city where he should be borne Of the pure virgin Mary his blessed mother Of the manner and circumstances of his conception and natiuitie Of his name which should be giuen him Of his firster and poore comming into the world Of his condicion and lowly lyfe which should be void of all worldly ostentation and when that commyng of his should be Of his double birth wherof one was Eternall of his Father and of his true Godhead the other temporall of the vndefiled Virgine Mary which neuer knew man. Of his flight into Egypt Of his office that is to say that he should be our King. Priest Doctor Reconciler Mediator Shepeherd Redemer Deliuerer and Iudge of the world Of his miracles Of his shamefull and reprochfull but vnto vs most wholsome and happy death Of his descending into hell Of his glorious resurrectiō and of the causes and vnspeakable commodities therof Of his passion and resurrection that is to say of his maruelous victory wherin he ouercame destroied therfore Mathew calleth Christ the sonne of Dauid the sonne of Abraham Heare you see that Christ came of the tribe of Iuda and Mathew reckeneth vp some of Christes ancetors or progenitors from Abraham to Ioseph which was Maries husband and of the house and line of Dauid So that we may plainly see that God stood to his promise and very faithfully performed that which he had promised to Abraham and Dauid in sending that blessed seed Christ ¶ Anna. I know that Mathew wrighteth a Cataloge of Christ was not the sonne of Ioseph but seeyng Christ was not the sonne of Ioseph but onely of Mary the pure virgin which neuer knew man being conceaued by the operation and vertue of the holy Ghost without mans seede not after the cōmon and naturall order of mans conception as the text in playn words doth testifie saying of whom that is of the which Mary was borne Iesus I do not yet vnderstand how Christ can come of the stocke and linage of Abraham and so of Dauid For what I pray you doth Iosephs kinne or family make to Christs byrth seing Christ was not the sonne of Ioseph In deede if S. Mathew had recited Maries ancetors and progenitors from Abraham to Marye so it might haue appeared very euidently and playnely that the promise had ben fulfilled
or if S. Mathew had proued and declared that Marye had ben Dauids daughter or of Dauids house then I thinke there would haue ben no cause of doubting but for all my simple capacitie it would haue bene both esy playne and yet I would not you should think I speake this as one that doubteth any thing at all of the truth of the Gospell For I beleue verely that all which is in the scripture is most true and I yeld vnto God such dew honor that I beleue that his word is as it is in deed the truth it selfe and such a sound certaynty and sure foūdation as neuer shal be remoued But I say it because I earnestly desire to learne some certayne ground and profe out of the holy scriptures of this matter wherby my fayth may be strengthened ☜ Vrb. In asmuch as Mathew sayth that the virgin Mary the mother of Christ was betrowthed to Ioseph he needed not recken vp the petegrees of the woman or the genealogy of Mary for it was sufficient to set out Iosephs petegree whereby it is of it self playne and certayne that Mary was of the tribe of Dauid and so Christ the sonne of Dauid For as Hierom sayth the scripture doth not vse to draw the petegree of the woman This is the truth of the matter Ioseph and Mary were both of one tribe to wit of the tribe of Iuda For Ioseph tooke Marye who was his cosin to wife according to the law of the Lord in Nume the wordes of the law be these They shal be wiues to whome they thinke best onely to the familye of the tribe of their father shall they mary So shall not the inheritance of the children remoue from tribe to tribe for euery one of the children of Israell shall ioyne himselfe to the inheritāce of the tribe of his fathers And euery daughter that possesseth any inheritance of the tribes of the children of Israell shal be wife vnto one of the family of the tribe of her father that the children of Israel may enioy euery man the inheritance of their fathers neither shal the enheritance go about from tribe to tribe but euery one of the tribes of the children of Israell shall stick to his owne enheritance as the Lord cōmmaunded Here now it appeareth that in as much as Ioseph and Mary were spoused together they were both of one tribe and family For she could not marry any man vnlesse he were her cosen or of his owne tribe linage If therfore Ioseph be of the tribe of Iuda Mary his spouse is also of the tribe of Iuda Wherfore S. Math. in that he drew the genealogy of Christ from Zerobabell Abiud comming downe to Ioseph the husband of Mary drew it well and truly according to Moises his law Yet S. Luke draweth this genealogy from Zerobabell by Resa Iohanna Iuda or Ioseph Semei til he came to Hely and so to Ioakim who was the father of the virgin Mary the blessed mother of god And this genelogy is also both trew very wel drawne You heard a little before a prophesye out of Esay which sayth There shall come a rod of the stock of Ishai and a graffe shall grow out of his rootes and the spirite of the Lord shall rest vpon him Here the Prophet sinne death and hell Of his glory and his ascending into heauen Of his Eternall kingdome as both of what sorte it should be and how he should raigne And of his other second or latter and glorious cōming in the last day to Iudgement ¶ Anna. There be me thinks many articles of Christ in the prophets did Christ I pray you expound thē all to those two disciples on the way betwixt Ierusalē and Emaus which towne as the scripture witnesseth in Luke was but threescore furlonges distant from Ierusalem ☜ Vrb. Christ as I thinke onely expounded those prophesies which are written of his passion death resurrection and glory Because in those that is to say in his passion they were most offended supposing in so much as they had seene him end his natural lyfe vpon the Crosse there had bin neither counsaile hope nor helpe left in him for Israell to looke for and for this cause were they so sad They sorrowed and were pensiue because they knew not nor thought not that Messias ought first to suffer that vile and ignominious death and rise agayne and so enter into his glory redeeme the world and remaine our God for euer as I haue sayd before But when they now vnderstood the prophesies of his passion and resurrection and when they had learned by the prophets that it was gods wil and ordinance that Messias by dying should become Lord of life death they had no further cause to sorrow and therfore their hartes were so ioyfull and their hope so sure that they could not hide their ioy but vttered and participated it with their fellow disciples which were at Ierusalem ¶ An. God be praised for euer Verily we haue no perfit or right ioy in deed vnles first we be wel throughly acquainted with Christs death and resurrection which if we surely beleue and haue them inwardly by fayth grounded within vs they not onely expell all mistes and cloudes of sorrow but also make vs triumphantly reioyce in the lord And although Christ perhaps opened no prophesies to those two disciples but onely of his passion and resurrectiō yet would I faine heare what els the scripture hath prophesied of him concerning those things which you haue alredy summarily gathered into a Catalogue certayne articles that I may herby haue a more sensible sure feling of Christ ¶ ☞ Vrb. It shal be no great labor for me to recite and expound them all whereby the rather we may haue euery part of the Sermon which Christ thē preached and I will doe it so much the more willingly and diligently because S. Luke sayth Christ begonne at Moyses and interpreted vnto them all scriptures which were written of him That Sermon then must needes haue ben a good long sermon if he expounded all the scriptures to them and therefore my explanation of them will also require some tyme. Of the stocke or genealogie of Christ ¶ Anna GO to then first say what the scripture hath of Christes stock ☞ Vrb. You haue hard before that he should come of the seede of Abraham and the prophesye in the 18. of Deutero declareth that he should be born of the Iewes to whome the promise was made and this was no small prerogatiue nay there was none like it as Paul witnesseth to the Romans saying The Israelites are they to whome pertayneth the adoption and the glory and the couenauntes and the geuing of the law and the seruice of God and the promises of whome are the fathers and of whome concerning the flesh Christ came who is God ouer all blessed for euermore Amen This promise in processe of tyme did God make to Dauid by the
prophet Nathan that of his seed should Messias come saing When thy dayes be fulfilled thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers and I will set vp thy seed after the which shall proceed out of thy body and will stablish his kingdome he shall build a house for my name and I will stablish the throne of his kingdome for euer and I will be his father and he shal be my sonne Also in the psalmes it is sayd The Lord hath sworne in truth vnto Dauid and he will not shrinke from it saying Of the fruit of thy body I will set vpon thy throne This same promise is also extant in the 89. Psal. And tolled magnified and exalted for the wonderfull marueilous holy and deuine natiuitie of the noble maiesticall sonne of God Iesu Christ by whose meanes this poore village obtayned got this worthy name and great honour For what I pray you be walles though high and faire towred what be bulwarkes though great and strong what is circuit though most ample and large what is popularitie or what is the brauery and glistering bewty of building and workemanship of any Citie to the glory prerogatiue and priuiledge of that poore towne Bethleem only in that it was the bringer forth and natiue soile according to the flesh and humayne nature of the most mightye magnificent and omnipotent God our Messias And therfore S. Mathew inspired with the holy Ghost iustly preferreth it before other Cities saying Thou Bethleem in the land of Iudea art not the least among the princes of Iuda And the 70. translators also as Hierome witnesseth red this place thus And thou Bethleem the house of Ephrata art not the least that thou shouldest be amongest the thousandes of Iuda The Calde text saith thus Thou Bethleem Ephrata art not much behynd and but little inferior but that thou mayest be reckoned amongest the thousand houses of Iuda Bethleem in deed was a little towne in the tribe of Iuda once called Ephrata as it appeareth in Genesis But if we will diligently throughly and truely ponder the Ebrew text or true sence we shal see in my iudgement that the prophet Micheas and the Euangelist Mathew plainly and throughly agree in one sence without any differing or iarring at all S. Hierome interpreteth this Hebrue word Zagir Thou art a little one But these wordes of the Prophet Zagir liheioth may bee translated also thus It is but a trifle a small thing a thing of nothing and a thing to to badde base that thou shouldst be counted amōgst thousands of Iuda And this is the true and natural sence of these wordes Thou Bethleem Ephrata art farre greater and excellenter yea better and of more fame then that thou shouldst be reckoned or numbred amongst thousands or princes of Iuda Such honour as the other cities haue is to base and vile for thee nothing correspondent to thy dignitie thy renowne and maiesty is of more glory then that the princely prayses of these cities can sufficiently set it forth nay no tongue can speake nor penne expresse the prayses that are due to thee If you will thus construe the Prophets wordes you shall finde that the Euangelist spake the selfe same thing which the prophet ment for it is all one in sence to say Thou art not lest amongst the princes of Iuda And to say it is a very base and small prayse to value thee with the commō princes and thousands in Iuda And the cause why is shewed immediately after in these wordes For out of thee shal Messias come And this glory and honour of this little towne was no small glory but a most splendent and famous glory yea it is such that it is not lightly to be estemed but before al other to be praysed and preferred And where the prophet hath these wordes In thousandes of Iuda it must be thus vnderstood Moyses in Exodus maketh a law that one tribe or prince should be hed ouer a thousand for he diuided the people into hundreds and thousandes The prophet then sayth thus much in effect Thou Bethleem Ephrata which hast scarcely on thousandes of men in thee for it was but a little Citie and not populous nor much replenished shalt neuerthelesse for all thy basenes yeld and bring forth vs as a prince or Lord which shall gouern all Israel For in thee shal be borne c. Furthermore in this prophesie is to be noted that by this word Moschel or prince no other can be ment but only Christ or the promised Messias whom the Iewes alwayes vnderstood in this place For in the second of Mathew whē Herod ernestly enquired of the Scribes where Christ should be borne they answered him out of this prophesie that Bethleem in Iuda should be the place of his birth And they recited this text for autoritie But where the Hebrue word is Moschel that is lord or prince there the Calde Bible hath Meschihah which is to say Christ and Rabbi Salomō doth thus interprete it Out of thee shall come to me Messiah the sonne of Dauid And this I thought good to put in here as an addiphet prophesieth that Christ should be born of the tribe of Dauid for Iesse or Ishai as the Ebrew worde is was Dauids father All these thinges were fulfilled and then the Angel Gabriel hauing saluted the virgin sayd To him that is Christ shal God giue the throne of his father Dauid And Paul to the Rom. sayth Christ according to the flesh was borne of the seede of Dauid And againe Remember that Iesus Christ made of the seede of Dauid was raysed agayne frō the dead according to my gospel And the woman of Canaan in Mat. cōfesseth the same crying O lord thou son of Dauid haue mercy on me Also those two blind men sitting by the high way side when they heard that Iesus passed by cried aloude saying O Lord the sonne of Dauid haue mercy on vs. In like maner on Palme sonday the multitude cried saying Hosanna the sonne of Dauid Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. And in Mathew the Pharises confesse that Christ is the sonne of Dauid ¶ Anna. I thanke God I am as sufficiently satisfied in this point as harte can wishe wherefore now I pray you recite some places which make mention of the city in which Christ vouchsafed to be borne here in earth ¶ Of the Citie wherein Christ should be borne Vrbanus MIcheas the Prophet in that prophesie which he hath of Christ nameth the citie saying And thou Bethleem Ephrata art little to be amongst the thousandes of Iuda yet out of thee shall he come forth vnto me that shal be ruler in Israel whose goings forth hath bene from the beginning and from euerlasting Here you first see the Bethleem in Iuda was the place where Christ should be borne As in Mathew the Scribes at Ierusalem declared to Herode out of this chap. of
Rom. 8.19 Our hope 1. Tim. 1.1 Our brother Psal 22.22 Hebr. 2.12 Mat. 28. 10. Our shepeherd Ezech. 34.23 Iohn 10.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chiefe shepeheard 1. Pet. 5.4 The dore of the sheepe Iohn 10.7 The bread of lyfe Iohn 6.48 Our rocke Math. 16.18 Our peace Ephe. 2.14 The stone that hath seuen eyes vpon it Zach. 3.9 The stone which was cut out of the mountain without handes which became great and filled the whole earth Dan. 2.34 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ende of the law the perfection and fulfilling of the law Rom 10.4 The head of the church Ephes 22. 5.23 The true vine Iohn 15.1 The stone which is become the head stone in the corner Psal. 118.22 and Act. 4.11 The righteous branche or branche of righteousnesse Iere. 23.5 The Lord of lyfe Acts. 3.15 The Lord of all Acts. 10.36 The king of glory Psal. 24.7 The righteous one Rom. 3.26 and 5.7 Esay 51 6.7 Acts. 3.14 and 7.52 1. Iohn 2.1 Mat. 25. The hope of glory Col. 1.27 The heyre of all Heb. 1.2 The prince of the kings of the earth Apoc. 1.5 The word of lyfe 1. Iohn 6. Immanuel God with vs Esay 7.14 Mat. 1.23 The euerlasting word of the father Iohn 1.1 The wisdome of God. 1. Cor. 1.24 The power of God. 1. Cor. 1.1 The image of the inuisible god Col. 1.15 The first borne of all creatures Col. 1.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the brightnesse of the glory of god Hebr. 1.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the expresse image of the substance of God the father Heb. 1.3 True God and eternall lyfe Iohn 5.20 The Lord of Zebaoth that is of hostes The seuenty Translators interpreted it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is almighty as Hierome noteth vpon Zach. 2.8 The angell of the Testament Mal. 3.1 Wonderfull Esay 9.6 The geuer of counsaile Esay 9.6 The mighty god Esay 9.6 The euerlasting father Esay 9.6 The prince of peace Esay 9.6 The sonne of righteousnesse Mal. 4.2 The iudge of the quicke and the dead Actes 10.42 Christ hath these and many moe most sweete epithites and goodly figuratiue names giuen him in the Scriptures which would be both long to recite and here not much nedefull ¶ Anna. It is vncredible to beleue what light what vnderstanding what comfort and what consolation I haue receyued euen of this bare and briefe recitall and catalogue of these epithites and names of Christ But what vnspeakeable ioy what maruelous profound knowledge and what plentifull and aboundant consolation would then follow euen as out of a ful fountaine to vs if these Heroycall titles were thorowly opened and euery one particularly in his place expounded ☞ Vrb. These epithites in deede plainly and euidently declare though not fully both the qualitie and quantitie of Iesus Christ our Lord as what kinde of one and how great he is and they tell vs what comfort and helpe we may hope to haue at his hands But it were a very tedious trauel at this tyme to handle euery name at large according to his dignity they shal be expounded God willing more commodiously and fitly together in an other place in the openyng of the Prophets ¶ Anna. You promised also to say some thing of the former comming of Christ into the worlde If your leisure serue I would see you performe that your promise ⧠Of the former commyng of Christ into this world and of his humble conuersation and being here on the earth and also of the tyme of his comming Vrbane THis article in deede is worthy to be diligently expounded and well vnderstood If the Iewes had well vnderstood this article and beleued it they had neuer fallen so horribly or if they would yet either vnderstād it or beleue it they would not be so greatly offended at Christ as they are neither would they so obstinately persist thus long in their blyndnes as they doe Before Christes comming and in Christes tyme they of all men in the world gloriously vaunted themselues of their great knowledge and vnderstanding of the holy scriptures as a thing in which they excelled al men and yet were they vtterly ignorant of this especiall chiefe point and article of scripture to wit of Iesu Christ how after what sort for what cause he should come They in their carnal vnderstāding dreamed that Messias should come into the world as a mighty Monarch with a puissant and huge army of men and that in worldly pompe power brauery and dignitie he should exceede all other kings of the earth and with dint of sword subdue Goym that is all nations and bring them in subiection to the Iewes and that he should establish his princely throne at Ierusalem in the land of Canaan and giue the Iewes al welth riches dignity ease and plenty of all worldly pleasure These thinges did they in their doltish iudgement grofly looke for at the hand of Christ so vtterly ignorant were they of the heauenly and spirituall blessings promised in Christ Wherefore carnally construing all the prophecies of Christ they promised themselues in him onely the externall momentany fraile brickle and transitory riches of this short lyfe At this day also the Iewes retayne these and much more doltish dreames and fantasies of Messias For oftentymes at Ratisbone and other places I haue disputed with them of Messias and his kingdome But I could neuer here any thing of them but mere doltish dreames carnall imaginations and ridiculous foolish fables S. Hierome writeth much of the errors of the Iewes how they looked for an earthly kingdome in Christ and many other grosse and foolish fantasticall fansies which I would neuer haue beleeued if afterward I my selfe had not heard them with my eares But it is no maruell to see them which are thus wrapped in darkenes bewitched with all madnesse fowly and foolishly erre seing they neither be nor can abide to be in the catholike church of Christ in which onely and els not the holy ghost doth reueale vnto mē the vnderstanding and true meaning of the scriptures And this is the cause that they vnderstand no parte of diuinitie neither haue any sound iudgement at all in their Bible bookes For where gods holy spirit is not there must needes the mysteries of the holy scriptures lye hid The Iewes deuise and dreame onely of the earthly land of promise But the Scripture speaketh of much more excellent high and glorious things then is any Iudea or Ierusalem though it were of Iemmes or beaten gold The Prophets with their spirituall eyes looked farre aboue this world vp into heauen where we shall need neither perle gold meat nor other necessaries of this mortall lyfe but inherite euerlasting life with celestiall ioy and felicitie As S. Peter sayth the Prophets speake of our saluation But let vs see what the holy ghost sayeth of Christes comming and humilitie in Zachary where he writeth thus Reioice greatly O daughter Sion shoute for ioy O
I pray you what is the root of this word Iehouah whence hath it this wonderful signification Vrb. Iehouah cōmeth of this word Hoiah or Houah Houeh which words in the Hebrue tong hath the same signification that our is hath in english is spoken of nothing vnles it haue a substance or be somthing You know that when god would send Moses into Egypt to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt into the land of Canaan Moses speaketh vnto god saying Behold when I shall come vnto the childrē of Israel shal say to thē the God of your fathers hath sent me vnto you If they say vnto me what is his name there god answered vnto Moses saying Eheieh Escher Eheieh that is I am that I am and he sayd thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel Eheieh sent me vnto you that is I am hath sent me vnto you Here you see whēce this name Iehouah is deriued to wit from Eheieh And it is in the Hebrue tong Tetragramaton which is a word of 4. letters after the writing of the Hebrue to wit these Iod hoe uau hoe and it signifieth being or he which is For god alone if you speak properly is such that he hath or boroweth his being of none other Al creatures are something haue a substance but they haue it not of them selues but of God the almighty creator Eheieh He geueth all creatures and things their beings he nourisheth fedeth comforteth and kepeth al things And therfore Rabbi Dauid Renchi saith the scripture calleth almighty God Iah because he is the maker of the world and the cause of the worldes being But I will now recite certaine places where the scripture calleth Christ Iehouah that is god and thē you shal know why Christ said in Ioh. to the Iewes Verily verily I say vnto you before Abraham was I am Here he calleth himselfe by that name Eheieh by which God called himself whē he talked with Moises in the 3. of Exodus Dauid in the 23. psal calleth Christ the lord of Zeaboth in Hebrue it is Iehoua Zeaboth that is the God of hosts or almighty As s Hierom writeth vpon the 2. of Zach. That the 70. interpreters translated it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is almighty And the church doubteth not that the 24. psal was made of Christ that Christ is there called the lord of Zebaoth If therfore this name be geuē to the alone true natural God to none other then is this testimony vndoubted most true that Christ is true and natural god Neither can the Iewes though they be neuer so stifnecked hard harted alledge any thing here to the contrary Christ saith in the 2. of Zach. Iehouah Zebaoth the Lord of hostes hath sent me vnto the nations Here Christ himself whom God the father sent into the world that he should not only cal the Iewes but also the Gentils by the gospel vnto his euerlasting kingdom geue thē euerlasting saluation speaketh calleth hymselfe Iehouah Zebaoth which wordes signify almighty God alone And again Zach. saith and the lord my God or Iehouah shal come all the saintes with him or with thee This also is spoken of Christ of his latter comming to iudgement as s Hierom saith And the church vnderstandeth this place so vnto this day to wit that Christ our lord Iehouah shal come with his angels as it is written in Math. in these words When the sonne of man shal come in his glory al the holy angels with him then shal he sit vpon the throne of his glory Zach. sayth and who so wil not come vp of al the families of the earth vnto Ierusalem to worship the king the lord of hostes euē vpon them shall come no rayne The Prophet speaketh this of thē that wil not beleue in Christ nor acknowledge worship him in the church for their king lord god And he saith that he wil punish them with a heuy and horrible plague to wit he will take away from thē the dew of his holy word which happened to the Iewes that so they might wither decay and perish When I see a Iew heare him opening expoūding the scriptures O good God what misery what horrible ignorance do I heare see surely mans tong can not vtter the miserable darkenes that their harts are wrapped in the vncurable hardnes of hart lamentable captiuity of their errors in which Satan mightily holdeth thē You haue in this prophet diuers places moe in which Christ is called true God by the name of Iehouah Dauid also speaketh thus of the ascensiō of Christ God is gone vp with triumph euen the lord or Iehouah with the sound of the trumpet Are not these most plaine sure testimonies of the godhed of Christ And againe he saith Prepare the way for him that rideth vpō the heauens as it were vpon an horse his name is the lord or Iah reioyce ye before him or exalt him that rideth vpō the heauens in his name Iah reioice before him In this psalm Dauid speaketh again of Christ which place the holy ghost by s Paul to the Ephes expoundeth of Christ And here again is the essential name of God set down in this psalm· For the Hebrue words are these Solu Iorocheb Baeraboth be Iah Schmo And here as you see is set down the right name of God Iah which hath the same signification that Iehouah hath that is God. And Esay saith The lord or king Iehouah is our iudge Iehouah is our law giuer Iehouah the lord is our king he wil saue vs. Here Christ is three times called God which is not so plain in the common translation For in the common trāslation Iehouah is translated lord which word is general common to al those which haue power rule or gouernment of any others But Iehouah is the proper name of God alone neither is it general or cōmon to others as this word dominus is with the Latines The prophet prophesied of the state condition of the christian church to wit how it should haue great peace tranquilitie quietnes vnder our lord Christ And he addeth this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because the church shall haue god himself to be her iudge law giuer king who also wil be our help aide He is our iudge not to cōdemn vs but help vs saue vs frō the vngodly whose iudge he also is after another sort As is described in the 2. psal saying Lay hold on discipline or kisse the sonne least he be angry ye perish in the way when his wrath shall sodenly burne Thē shal his iudgemēt wrath waxe hote only against the vnbeleuing vngodly but whē he speketh of vs that beleue in Christ he saith Blessed are al they that trust in him He is our law giuer but far differyng frō Moses
Which thing he did on Easter day when by his owne proper power and might he rose from the dead This is the worke of God and he attributeth and taketh it to himself For he saith I haue power c. We also shall rise againe but we haue no power to rayse vp our selues as Christ raiseth himself but he through his owne proper strength and vertue doth rayse vs vp Christ also is omnipotent but none but God is omnipotent therfore Christ is god Paul proueth his almighty power to the Phil. where he sayth Christ shall chaunge our vile body that it may be fashioned lyke vnto his glorious body according to the working wherby he is able euen to subdue all thinges to himselfe Therefore must he nedes be almighty so of necessity true god God saith in Zachary I wil poure vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitantes of Ierusalem the spirite of grace and of compassion and they shal loke vpon me whō they haue perced Here God speaketh For to giue the holy ghost is the very office of god And the same onely Lord God saith He was nailed on the crosse and pierced through the side And did not the very same happen vnto Christ hanging vpon the crosse Iohn saith One of the souldiers with a speare pierced his side forthwith came there out bloud and water Seyng that God and man is one person in Christ therefore doth the Scripture because of the vnitie of person vse this phrase or maner of speaking as Paule sayth to the Corinthiās They would not haue crucified Christ the Lorde of glory For the person of Christ is not to bee deuided or sundered Wee must not say man Christ suffered for vs man Christ was slayne for vs but God and man that one person the Lord of glory and maiesty was crucified and dyed for vs. The Godhead or deuinitie of Christ is euery foote in the new Testament proued and confirmed out of the ground of the olde Testament Paule in the Actes sayth Take heede therefore vnto your selues and to al the flocke whereof the holy ghost hath made you ouerseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his owne bloud Bede sayth in his Commentaries on these wordes Paule is not afrayde to call it the bloud of God for the vnitie which is in the two natures of our Lord Iesus Christ Wherefore he is called also the sonne of man which is in heauen Let therefore that Nestorian heretike cease to seperate the sonne of man from the sonne of god and let him not make to hymselfe two Christes Iohn Baptist sayth thus concerning Christ I saw and bare recorde that he is the sonne of God. Let vs note here that which Cyrill noteth vpon Iohn to wit that the Greeke article doth declare the person Christ to be the very sonne of God after a peculiar sorte We are the children of God adopted by grace but Christ is the onely true and naturall sonne of God begotten of the substaunce of the father who was prefigured and set downe in the types of Moyses lawe who also was prophesied of by the Prophetes God so loued the worlde that he hath giuen his onely begotten son that whosoeuer beleueth in him should not perishe but haue euerlasting lyfe Saint Cyril sayth vpon these wordes He giueth forth in these wordes that he is true God by nature For it must needes be that the onely begotten sonne of God beyng like to the father must also be God who hath not onely the externall honour of childhoode as we haue but is in deede the very same which he is sayd to bee Christ also in Ioh. sayd vnto the Iewes None is able to take thē my shepe out of my fathers handes I and my father are one for which saying the Iewes being about to stone him sayde Thou being a man makest thy self a God. Here the Iewes plainly vnderstood that when Christ called God his father and when he said I the father are one that then he called himself true God and the naturall sonne of God who is like to his father as s Augustine sayth vpon these words And Thomas simply calleth Christ God saying Thou art my lord and my God. Here again s. Cyril admonisheth vs to note these wordes well as they were writtē in the Greke tong in which the new testament was writtē The Greke is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Both the wordes lord and God haue their proper articles Wherupon it may easily be gathered vnderstood that Christ is not called lord or God as the angels and men in office authority are called gods but after another proper peculiar sort for he is the true and natural god But it would be long to repeate all that is in Iohn concerning this matter And this I tel you that all the gospel of Iohn almost euery chap and verse is nothing els but a testimony of Christes Godhed Wherfore my councel is that you highly esteme Ioh. gospell that you hartily loue it and that with all diligence you read it and read it again Paul saith that god had promised his gospel afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his sonne Iesus Christ our lord And here after a peculiar sort he calleth Christ the sonne of God euen his natural sonne And he sayth that Christ concerning the flesh came of the ancient fathers who is God ouer all blessed for euer Amen We looke for that blessed hope appearing of the glory of the mighty God and of our sauiour Iesus Christ And to the Phil. he saith Christ being in the forme of God thought it no robbery to be equal with god but he made himselfe of no reputation toke vnto him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a mā And to the Col. In Christ dwelleth the fulnes of the godhead bodely That is as Theophilact expoūdeth it substantially or essentially so that God and man are one persō and not two sonnes of god but one sonne of God one Christ And Ioh. saith We are in him that is true that is in his sonne Iesus Christ This same is very God eternal lyfe There are many mo testimonies of Christes true godhead But seing it would be great trouble and also aske long tyme to speake of them al I pray you at this tyme be content with these ¶ Anna. You haue alledged sufficient testimonies concerning Christes diuinity I haue oftentymes heard you in many and long sermons thorowly ground and proue it but you haue neuer done you make no end if you once beginne and haue occasion and opportunity to speake of this doctrine and article ☞ Vrb. Some mē litle conuersant in heauēly things perhaps wil thinke that I haue spoken many needles wordes laboured long about a little But take you good hede my wife that
liuely word where Christ is called a father for euer so depely and thorowly sinke into our harts and because we do not meditate so of it do not so wel vnderstand it nor so stedfastly beleue it as Paul did For our harts would not so faile vs as they do if we beleued and certainly knew what a God what a King what a lyfe and what a father Christ is vnto all those that faithfully beleue The name is Sarscholam that is a prince of peace Christ hath a kingdom wherin is peace security safety freedome from death Satan and all other dangers But here is all the labor and trauel to come vnto to attaine to dwel in that euerlasting kingdom If we be once there then are we safe without gunshot then are we sure then are we in a most happy state If sinne pricke vs in our consciences Christ is by by at hand defendeth vs He toke our sinnes vpon him and satisfied for them and became our righteousnes He put out as Paule saith the hand writing of ordinances that was against vs which was contrary to vs he euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it vpon the crosse Of this true heauenly peace the scripture speaketh in many places As to the Rom. where Paule sayth We haue peace toward God through our lord Iesus Christ Sinne had made vs the enemies of God as Paul calleth vs in the same place But Christ himself wiped away our sinnes and reconciled vs vnto God so that now he is not an enemy or iudge vnto vs but a welbeloued father For if when we were his enemies we were reconciled vnto God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled we shal be saued by his lyfe And not onely so but also reioycing in god through our lord Iesus Christ by whom we haue receiued the atonement And nowe in Christ Iesus we which once were farre of are made neere by the bloud of Christ for he is our peace This therefore is true peace when we haue peace with God through our mediator peacemaker Christ For what would the peace and friendship of all the world and worldly creatures auaile profit vs if God were our enemy and angry with vs but if God who taketh more care for vs and loueth vs better then any father doth hys children fight for vs if we be at one with him if he wish vs wel and if he profit vs what can now hurt vs how can the earth with all the creatures therein euen once touch vs Thus you heare that when we beleue in Christ we haue this peace with God thorough Christ so that we may now say If God be on our side who can be against vs and he that kepeth Israel will neither slumber nor slepe Wherefore although we haue affliction in this world yet haue we perfect peace in Christ our peace-maker 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Sarscholam that is the prince of peace or peacemaker He obtained merited peace for vs with God the father giueth vs his spirite the spirit of peace that we may also haue peace with our neighbour He wisheth vs this peace saying Peace I leaue with you my peace I giue you not as the world giueth it c. He also preserueth vs that we be not hurt of our enemies that we may be safe from all dangers By these epithetons names of Christ many mysteries are to be noted as that he is true God that he shold die because he was borne a mā but that he should not abide in deth because he was to raign eternally Wherby is plainly truly proued that both Christ we shal rise againe For we which beleue in Christ both are his members enheritance and kingdom shal be for euer The sonne hath prayed for vs his praiers are heard The father hath giuen vs his sonne with him shall we dwel for euer Our mansion house our lodging our abiding place is already prepared And Christ saith in Ioh. Father I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me euen where I am In the wordes following the prophet Esay prophecieth of the euerlasting kyngdome of Christ how it should be great seyng he was to be king not only of the Iewes but euen of the Gentils also dispersed through the whole world how he should daily increase and inlarge his dominion euen to the last day and how he should execute confirme establish and for euer preserue and gouerne the same by iustice and iudgement but of this part of the prophesie I will speake more by Gods grace in the title of the kingdome of Christ You haue heard before where I expoūded the 5. of Micheas and the 2. of Luke where and how the child Christ should be borne Well then Christ was borne at Bethelem Iuda in December in the midst of Winter and was swadled layd in a manger For Ioseph and Mary could not be lodged in any Inne for there was no roume for them The holy prophet foretold this sacred and blessed birth of Christ as you haue heard And the angels from heauen afterward did declare it vnto the shepeheardes in Luke where the angel saith Be not afraid for behold I bring you tidings of great ioy that shal be to all the people that is that vnto you is borne this day a sauiour in the city of Dauid which is Christ the lord And straight way ther was with the Aungell a multitude of heauenly souldiours praysing God and saying glory be to God in the heauens and peace in earth towards men good wil. The shepeherdes which saw this birth of Christ published and shewed it abroade The starre also in the East and the wisemen which came thēce vnto Bethelem were witnesses of the birth of Christ Simeon also Anna in the temple saw this childe who was the promised author of our saluation and they bare witnes that Messias was present And this doth the whole church of Christ beleue confesse preach and declare through all the world and the name of God is preached and praised in euery place And these glad tidings to wit that Iesus Christ our saluation is borne in Bethelem is preached in euery place And Ierusalem that is the catholike church doth reioyce and skippe for ioy for this natiuity bringeth vnto vs all felicity saluation and consolation ⧠Of Christes flying into Egypt ¶ Anna. WHat say the Prophetes of Christes flying into Egypt ☞ Vrb. Mathew saith in his 2. chap. when the wise men of the East returned from India they returned into their own country an other way and went not to Herode After their departure the angel of the lord appeared vnto Ioseph in a dreame saying arise and take the babe his mother flie into Egypt there lie vntil I bring thee word for Herod wil seke
sayth the lord of hostes smite the shepeherd and the sheepe shal be scattred Christ himselfe expoundeth this prophesie in Math. calling himself the shepeherd and sayth All you shal be offended by me this night for it is written I will smite the sheepeherd and the sheepe of the flocke shal be scattred but after I am risen againe I will go before you into Galile Ezechiel inueying against the vnfaithfull and false prophets in Israel whith taught not the word of God sincerely and vprightly but preached mās doctrine for the word of God and fed themselues but not the sheepe sayth Behold I wil search my sheep and seek them out as a shepheard searcheth out hys flock when he hath ben amongst hys sheep that are scattered so will I seek out my sheep will deliuer them out of all places where they haue bene scattered in the cloudy and darck day I will feed thy sheep sayth the lord c. Christ teacheth vs in Iohn who is the true sheepeheard to whome the sheep of dutye belongeth who also will keep and defend them from al dangers Wherfore he sayth not simply I am a shepheard but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the Greke is more effectual that is I am euen that good shepeheard As if he had sayd the prophets haue spoken of a good shepherd which should be so faythful and so mighty that he both would and could deliuer his sheep from al peril That good shepherd is now here himself I am euen the good shepheard There are many other shepherds but they are hirelings for they are not carefull ouer their sheep they are not faithful diligent in their cures but I am that good shepeheard I giue my life for my shepe God the father speaketh more in that place of the prophet cōcerning this shepeherd saying I will set vp a shepeherd ouer thē and he shal feed them euen my seruant Dauid he shal feed them and he shall be their shepeheard This is not spokē of king Dauid the sonne of Isa◠for he was dead long before the time of Ezech. but it is spoken of Christ the true Dauid of whō Dauid was but a figure of whose lineal descent it was prophesied that Christ should come Again God saith They shal be my people I wil be their god and Dauid my seruant shal be king ouer thē they al shal haue one shepeherd This is spoken of Christ whose seruants we all are in the ministery of preaching but he is that true shepeherd with whō we shal find a safe place of refuge succor help helth pleasant pastures with all other things necessary for this life for the life to come Paul speaketh thus of this shepeherd to the Hebr. The God of peace that brought again frō the dead our lord Iesus the great shepeherd of the sheepe through the bloud of the euerlasting couenant And Pet. saith When the chief shepeherd shal appeare ye shall receiue an incorruptible croune of glory ¶ An. But where do the prophets witnes that Christ should be the iudge of the world both of Iewes and Gentiles ☞ Vrb. The new testament is an exposition and interpretation a cleare light of the old testamēt Christ saith in Ioh. The father iudgeth no mā but hath committed al iudgement vnto the sonne because that al men should honor the sonne as they honor the father The father also hath giuen him power to iudge because he is the sonne of man The church alwais vnderstood these words to be of the last iudgement when the dead shal rise againe the iudge shal giue to euery one as he hath deserued Paul saith We must al appeare before the iudgemēt seat of Christ that euery man may receiue the things which are done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or euil Christ therfore died and rose againe reuiued that he might be lord both of the dead and the quick And is ordained of God a iudge of quicke and dead Now loke on the prophets what after what sort they speake of that iudge who shall iustly iudge the whole world And you shall easely perceaue that it is none other but our Lord Iesus Christ And this is most true This is most infallable For Ioh. sayth The father hath committed all iudgement to him And Peter sayth that god ordained him to this end And so doth the new testament expounde and vnderstande the Prophetes in all places where they write of Christ neyther need we be moued with this that the scriptures do geue iudgment only vnto god For this is no matter this repugneth not our saieng for Christ is that true god And in asmuch as he is God he receiueth nowe nothing which he had not before seing that he is of one essence power and maiestie with God the Father for euer But in asmuch as he is man he receiueth power from the father to iudge al things as Cyril sayth Now then let vs see what the prophets foretell of this mighty iudg Dauid sayth The Lord hath prepared hys throne in heauen for iudgment for he shal iudge the world in righteousnes and shall iudge the people with equitie We easely vnderstād this text by the 17. chap. of the Acts. where Paul preaching to the Atheniences sayth God admonished all men to repent because he hath appointed a day in the which he will iudg the world with righteousnes by that man whom he hath appoynted Again Dauid sayth The God of gods euē the Lord hath spoken and called the earth from the rising vp of the sun vnto the going down therof out of Sion which is the perfection of beauty hath God shyned Our God shall come and shall not keepe silence a fire shall deuour before him and a mighty tempest shall bee mooued rounde about him Hee shall call the heauen aboue and the earth to iudge hys people The 70 interpreters haue translated it thus God shal come openly euen our god and shall not keep silence any longer The Church taketh this to be spoken of the latter comming of Christ For he will not then come to iudge the world in a base forme or habite hiding hys godhead but at the last day he will come with great power Thus sayth Austine Furthermore that shining beame or beutiful brightnes of God is Christ Iesus he bursts forth and shineth out of Sion that is out of the tribe of Iuda the house of Dauid and will come openly in great power and maiesty accompaned with all the Angels At his first comming he came secretly humbly without any great ado for it was his wil to be iudged and slaine for our sakes euen as a sheepe appointed to the slaughter But in the last day he shall come with great power magnificence and shal descend from heauen as the most mighty high God iudge of all with a
shout 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and with the voyce of the Archangell and with the trumpe of god And againe He shal be reueled frō heauen with his mighty angels in a flamyng fire rendring vengeāce vnto them that do not know god which obey not vnto the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ And in Mathew it is sayd He shal sit vpō the throne of his glory before him shal be gathered all nations he shal seperate them one from another as the shepeherd seperateth the shepe from the goates and he shall set the shepe vpon hys right hand and the gotes on his left then shal the king say to them on his right hand come ye blessed of my father inherite ye the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world but then shall he say vnto them on his left hand depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the deuil and his angels And agayn Dauid sayth Geue thy iudgment to thy king O god thy righteousnes to the kings son then shal he iudg thy people in righteousnes and thy power with equitie This kings son is Christ he iudgeth the that world here by the word and the spirit he punisheth the wicked and defendeth the godly But in the last day he will execute that iust iudgment and punish them euerlastingly which refused the gospel and would not acknowledge hym to be their king and agayn Dauid sayth The Lord raigneth let the earth reioyce let the multitude of the Iles be glad cloudes and darcknes are round about him righteousnes and iudgment are the foundations of hys throne there shall go a fire before hym and burne vp hys enemies rounde about his lightninges gaue light vnto the world the earth saw it and was afrayd the mountains melted like waxe at the presence of the lord at the presence of the lord of the whole earth And agayne he sayth The Lord commeth to iudge the earth he wil iudge the world with righteousnes and the people in his truth Esa. saith Behold the Lorde will come with fire and his chariots lyke a whirlewynd that he may recompence his anger with wrath and his indignatiō with the flame of fire For the lord wil iudge with fire with his sword all flesh And Zach. saith The lord shal go forth fight against those nations as whē he fought in the day of battel his feet shall stād in this day vpon the mount of Oliues which is before Ierusalem on the East side And the mount of Oliues shall cleaue in the midst therof toward the East toward the West there shal be a very great valley halfe of the mountain shal remoue toward the North and half of the mountain toward the South And ye shal flie vnto the valley of the mountains For the valley of the mountains shal reach vnto Azal yea ye shal flie like as ye fled from the earthquake in the daies of Vzzia king of Iudah and the lord my God shal come and all the saintes with them Here Zachary prophesieth of the second comming of Christ at the last day howe that hee shall come as a captayne or Emperour to assayle and destroy hys enemies and that his last comming shall be so fearful that euery one if they could would be glad to flye It will be fearful in deed vnto the wicked vnbeleuing who thē shall be no longer able to withstand Christ Then shal their rage and insolency agaynst the Godly with their tyranny and sauage bitternes and cruelty which they haue vsed agaynst the members of Christ haue an end For there is ordayned for them an euerlasting prison euen continual torment in hel fire for their wickednes Then all theyr might all their force all their pride all their crueltie all their contumacy all their threates shall cease neyther shall they afterward be able to persecute or in any wise hurt Christ or his seruants as before that last day they had done They shall then sodēly vnwares be cast down from the face of God and the glory of hys fortitude into euerlasting destruction For that is the day of redemptiō in which Christ as Paule sayth shal be glorified in his saintes be made maruelous in all thē that beleue The scripture vseth such similitudes as these in discribing Christes cōming to iudgement as in Paule to the Thes For when Christ shall come to iudgment our enemies shall be slayn and put to flight The wicked world and Sathan shall in the turning of a hand euen in one moment become very firebrands of hell so continue for euer Then shall death be swallowed vp in victory then shall all the Godly be taken vp in clouds to meete the Lord God in the ayre and so shall we euer be with the Lord. ¶ Anna. We may easely perceiue and gather by these prophesies of the euerlasting kingdom and priesthood of Christ that he should be both a mediator to pacify God turne away his wrath from vs and a shepeherd and redemer which alwais in al places might feed vs and saue vs at the end iustly iudge the world Moreouer there was no doubt but Israel was truly redemed seyng Christ had suffered For in as much as God in Christ had promised such a blessyng to the world it was not possible that Christ should abide in death but then truely in deed lyue for euer But these two disciples vnderstode not those things which the prophets had written of Christ as Christ obiecteth vnto them and therfore they were not sad without cause But now I pray you let me heare what the prophetes haue written of Christes miracles ¶ Of Christes miracles Vrbanus THe prophet Esay prophesieth thus of Christ God commeth with vengeance euen god with a recōpence he wil come saue you then shal the eies of the blind be lightned the eares of the deafe be opened then shal the lame man leape as an hart the dumme mans tong shall sing This prophesie was fulfilled 1576. yeres ago whē Iesus Christ true God man went about healyng all diseases griefes of the people in the country of Galile And Christ himselfe saith in Math. vnto Iohns disciples Goe shew Iohn what things you haue heard and sene the blind receiue sight the halt go the leprous are clensed the deafe heare the dead are raised vp and the poore receiue the gospel You see also in the history of the gospel how this prophesie is fulfilled in the 8. of Mat. Christ clensed the leprous he healeth the Centuriās seruant restoreth the sick of the palsie He deliuered Peters wiues mother being sicke of a feuer In the 9. He healed an other sicke of the palsie Hee restored the dead to life again he healed the woman of the bloudy issue he gaue sight vnto the two blind men And in the 12.
slepe in Iesus will God bring with him And to Tim. he sayth Christ came into this worlde to saue sinners And againe There is one God and one mediator betwene GOD and man which is the man Iesus Christ who gaue himselfe for a ransome for all men And againe God saued vs and called vs with an holy callyng not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen vs through Christ Iesus before the world was but is now made manifest by the appearing of our sauiour Iesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality vnto lyght through the gospel And to Titus he saith For the grace of God that bringeth saluation vnto all men hath appeared and teacheth vs that we should deny vngodlinesse worldly lustes that we should liue soberly and righteously and godly in this present world loking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the mighty God of our sauiour Iesus Christ who gaue himselfe for vs that he might redeme vs from all iniquity and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe zelous of good works And to the Hebr. he sayeth Forasmuch then as the children were partakers of flesh and bloud he also himself likewise tooke part with thē that he might destroy through death him that had the power of death that is the deuil and that he might deliuer all them which for feare of death were all their life tyme subiect to bondage For he in no sort tooke the angels but he tooke the seed of Abraham Wherfore in all things it became him to be made like vnto his brethren that he might be mercifull and a faythfull high priest in things concerning God that he might make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people For in that he suffred and was tempted he is able to succour all them that be tempted In the same place the Apostle sayth that Christ by the grace of God tasted of death for all men Read the whole epistle to the Hebr. but especially the 5. 7. 8. 9. 10. chap. concerning Christes priesthood and sacrifice for it is in deede a most worthy and precious treasure Peter sayth Blessed be God euen the father of our lord Iesus Christ which according to his aboundaunt mercy hath begotten vs agayne vnto a liuely hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead And it followeth You are not redemed with corruptible things as with siluer and gold from your vayne conuersation receiued by the traditions of the fathers but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a lambe vndefiled and without spot which was lord before the foundation of the world but was declared in the last tymes for your sakes which by his meanes doe beleue in God that raysed him from the dead and gaue him glory that your faith hope might be in God. And agayne Christ himselfe bare our sinnes in his body on the tree that we being deliuered from sinne should liue in righteousnesse Christ also hath once suffred for sins the iust for the vniust that he might bring vs to god And Ioh. saith The bloud of Iesus Christ the sonne of God clenseth vs from all sinne And againe We haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust and he is the reconciliatiō for our sinnes ▪ and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole world It followeth Your sinnes are forgiuen you for his names sake And againe For this purpose appeared the sonne of God that he might loose the workes of the deuill And again In this appeared the loue of God toward vs because God sent his only begotten sonne into the world that we might liue through him Herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs and sent his sonne to be a recōciliation for our sinnes To be briefe this is the pithe of all the Apostles preaching And this is the summe of their doctrine that we obtaine forgiuenesse of all our sinnes and euerlasting lyfe by none other but only by Iesus Christ and by no other worke but by his most precious death and victorious resurrection Therfore Peter with great boldnes instructing the Iewes concerning Christ comprehendeth all the whole matter briefly in few wordes in the 4. chap. of the Acts where he sayth You haue crucified Christ whom God raysed frō the dead This is the stone which was cast aside of you builders which is become the head of the corner neither is there saluation in any other For among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen wherby we must be saued And Paul to the Cor. saith Christ died for our sinnes according to the scripture and was buried and rose agayne the third day according to the scriptures And if Christ be not raised agayne then is our preaching vayne and your fayth vayne Ye are yet in your sinnes and so they which are a sleepe in Christ are perished If in this life onely we haue hope in Christ we are of all men the most miserable But now is Christ risen from the dead and was made the first fruits of them that slept For since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead For as in Adam all die euen so in Christ shall all be made alyue S. Augustine hath a learned and worthy saying namely that one resurrection of Iesus Christ saith he hath giuen vs two resurrections to wit one spiritual from our sinnes and the other corporal For when as Christ rayseth vs vp from the spirituall death of sinne by his holy Gospell and lighteneth our hartes with the knowledge of Gods grace and our sinnes When he pardoneth our sinnes and whē he giueth vs the holy ghost then do we rise from our wickednesse and are counted righteous in the sight of god This resurrection is here in earth by fayth in Christ which we receyue whē we heare his word in the holy gospell As Christ sayth in Iohn Verily verily I say vnto you the houre shal come and now is when the deade shall heare the voyce of the sonne of God and they that heare shal liue Which words are spoken of the rising from our sinnes as S. Augustine expoundeth them The other resurrection which Christ hath deserued wrought or obtayned for vs by his resurrection is that resurrection of the body which shal be in the last day Of which Iohn sayth thus The houre shall come in the which all that are in the graues shall heare his voyce And they shall come forth that haue done good vnto the resurrection of lyfe but they that haue done euill vnto the resurrection of condemnation And Paul saith to the Thes If we beleue that Iesus is dead is risen euen so them which slepe in Iesus will God bring with hym For this say we vnto you by the worde of the Lord that we which
not slide Thine handes shall finde out all thine enemies and thy right hand shall finde out them that hate thee Thou shalt make them like a firy ouē in tyme of thine anger The lord shal destroy them in his wrath and the fire shall deuoure them Here agayne we see that Christ after he had humbled and debased himselfe should be exalted aboue all thinges as the true king of eternall blessednes and felicitie and that the enemies both of Christ and Christians should perish eternally Wherefore it is something strange that those two disciples were so offended at Christes suffring ¶ Anna. It is a strange thing in dede that they vnderstood not their owne prophets For seyng they were Iewes borne they should not haue bene ignoraunt of any of those thinges But peraduenture the carelesnesse and slouthfulnesse of the churchmen or priestes was the cause that the Iewes had so little knowledge of Messias and his kingdom I remember I haue heard you say that when Christ came into the sinagogue the Scribes and Pharises had layd aside the holy Scriptures and taught and vrged the doctrine and traditions of men What meruaile thē if the rude vnlearned people knew not the Scriptures seing they which boasted themselues to be the rulers of the church were blinded and vnderstood them not ☞ Vrban It is as you say for you see in Mathew how at that tyme those blynd guides set aside and despised the commaundements of God and preferred the doctrine and traditions of mē before the word of god Sathan hath alwais his false prophets among the children of God and he soweth spreadeth his errours in all places ¶ Anna. God the father kepe vs and destroy the deuises and assaults of that enemy But now go on and open the prophesies which be in the psalmes ☞ Vrb Dauid prophesieth in the 24. Psalme that Christ should be a most mighty and puissaunt prince in all the world And there he commaundeth that all worldly princes potentates should open the gates dores of glory vnto this most maiestical king and that they should on eche side go out of his way that he might haue a wide large way to walke in For he sayth he is the almighty God that most mighty puissant lord strōg in battail These are the prophets wordes Lift vp your heds you gates and be ye lift vp ye euerlasting doers and the king of glory shall come in Who is the king of glory The lord strong and mighty euen the Lord strong in battail Lift vp your heades ye gates and lift vp your selues ye euerlasting dores and the king of glory shal come in Who is the king of glory The Lord of hostes he is the king of glory Selah And againe he saith The lord doth remayne king for euer The lord shal giue strength vnto his people the lord shall blesse his people with peace This god shal rule for euer Iesus Christ and no other whose kingdom only shal remaine for euer Neither is his kingdō an earthly kingdome wherin Israel accordyng to the flesh raigneth in the lande of Canaan as the Iewes dreamed but it is an heauenly kingdome For Dauid sayth not here that the lord will giue his people cities fieldes grounds medowes vineyardes wealth riches but he sayth he wil giue them strength fortitude and power to wit the power of the holy ghost which is the spirite of strength and fortitude He sayth that he will blesse his children with peace and he blesseth them in deede with that true and eternall peace and enricheth and encreaseth them in all heauenly gifts The 72. Psalme also doth excellently prophesie of this heauenly kingdom of Christ shewyng what kind of kingdome it should be to wit a kingdom of righteousnes a kingdome in which should be perfect true holinesse without hypocrisie a kingdom of true peace wherin nothing is done contrary to law and equitie a kingdom wheras no man hath wrong but al things be wrought and done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by true iustice equalitie equitie and clemency a kingdom where all peace quietnes humanity and iust dealing florishe and a kingdom where the poore afflicted oppressed contemptible and wretched find present helpe comfort and consolation And further he sayth that this kingdom wherin true life dwelleth is so wyde that it extendeth it selfe not ouer Iuda onely but ouer the whole worlde For thus sayth Salomon Giue thy iudgementes to the King O GOD and thy righteousnesse to the kinges sonne Then shall he iudge thy people in righteousnesse and thy power with equitie The mountaynes and the hils shal bring peace to the people By iustice he shall iudge the poore of the people he shall saue the children of the needy and shall subdue the oppressour They shall feare thee as long as the sunne the Moone endureth from generation to generation Hee shall come downe like the rayne vpon the mowen grasse and as the showers that water the earth In his days shall the righteous florishe and aboundaunce of peace shal be so long as the Moone endureth His dominion shal be from sea to sea and from the ryuer vnto the endes of the lande They that dwell in the wildernesse shall kneele before him and hys enemies shal licke the dust The kings of Tharses and of the Iles shall bring presentes The kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring giftes yea all kinges shall worship him all nations shall serue him For he shall deliuer the poore when he cryeth the needy also and hym that hath no helper He shall bee mercifull to the poore and needy and shall preserue the soules of the poore he shall preserue and redeeme the soules from deceite and violence and deare shall their bloud be in his sight yea hee shal lyue and vnto him shal they giue of the gold of Sheba or Arabia they shal also pray for him continually daily blesse him His name shall be for euer His name shal endure as long as the sonne all nations shall blesse hym and be blessed in him It was nedefull that Christ should rise from death that this prophesie might be fulfilled that he might begin enlarge establish preserue this his most ample and wide kingdō for euer and euer And the holy ghost in the 45. Psalm also setteth forth Christ and his kingdom with wonderfull glorious wordes callyng Christ true god Which testimony Paule also citeth to the Hebrues saying O God thy throne is for euer and euer The scepter of thy kyngdome is a scepter of righteousnes thou hast loued righteousnes and hated iniquity Wherfore god euen thy God hath annointed thee with the oyle of gladnes aboue thy fellowes Read the whole Psalme for it doth excellently set forth Christ and his spirituall kingdome in which both sinne death and Sathan yea els whatsoeuer afflicteth and troubleth the godly are extinguished destroyed and ouercome in their places is giuen euerlasting lyfe Also in the 47.
briefe they are true Israelites in whō there is no deceit or fraude because Christ their king blesseth and gouerneth them by his holy spirite and renueth regenerateth them maketh them which were bloud-thirsty and enuious very myld men and patient sufferers of all harmes that happen so that beyng hurt they hurt not agayne nay they wish well vnto their enemies they blesse them that curse them and doe good to them that hurt them Forasmuch then as appertayneth vnto themselues they neede no swords but only for the infidels and wicked which must be ruled restrayned by the sword and by force least that the godly and good liuers be oppressed hurt by them As Esay sayth of the kingdom of Christ They shall do no hurt neither do any iniury in my holy hill because the earth shal be filled with the knowledge of God euen as the sea with flowing waters And Micheas prophecieth of the peace which shall be in the kingdom of Christ saying But they shall sit euery man vnder his vine and vnder his fig tree and none shall make them afrayde And Hose sayth I will make a couenaunt for them in that day that is when Messias shall rule with the wild beastes and with the foules of the heauen and with that that creepeth vpon the earth and I will breake the bow and the sword and the battail out of the earth and will make thē to sleep safely And Zachary saith I will cut of the chariots from Ephraim and the horse from Ierusalem the bowe of the battail shall be broken and he shall speake peace vnto the heathen These things are not to be vnderstood corporally and grosly as the blinded Iewes and Chiliastes did dreame but spiritually of the heauenly peace in the spirituall kingdom of Christ If therfore the Gentiles through all the world according to this prophesie ought to run vnto the Lord into the church or christian religion and receiue the doctrine therof and be partakers of that true peace it was needefull that Christ should rise agayne that he might erect restore and establish that great kingdom which consisteth of the Iewes and Gentils For as yet the Gentils when he dyed knew not who he was Nay the very Iewes themselues could not abide this their king wherupon the prophet warneth euen the Iewes in the ende of his prophesie saying O house of Iacob come ye and let vs walke in the light of the lord that is in his gospell in the fayth of Christ And Esay comforteth the people of the Iewes prophesieng vnto them that although the Iewes should suffer a great destruction and haue a miserable fall yet many of the Israelites should escape all those euils obtaine that euerlasting ioy and incomparable comfort which God promised saying In that day shall the bud of the Lord be beautifull and glorious and the fruite of the earth shall be excellent and pleasaunt for them that are escaped of Israel Then he that shal be lost in Sion and he that shall remayne in Ierusalem shal be called holy and euery one shall be written among the liuyng in Ierusalem when the Lord shall wash the filthines of the daughter of Sion and purge the bloud of Ierusalem out of the midst therof by the spirit of burning In these wordes the prophet foretelleth how glorious and honorable this kingdome of Messias should be And he speaketh properly of the tymes of the new Testament wherein Christ adourned hys kyngdome his Church with beauty aboue measure and with all the giftes of the holy ghost For he washeth cleanseth and sanctifieth his daughter Sion that is the church with holy baptisme by his bloude Hee mortifieth the olde Adam by the spirite of iudgement and of fire And seeing that the churche her selfe must fight here in the fleshe against most wicked and vile enemies and seing that she is here on earth in great daunger Christ her almighty king doth promise her comfort defence ayde and helpe in all aduersities and calamities that she may bee safe vnder the protection of the most high For hee shall be a cloude for his church in the day tyme and a fire lightnyng it in the night as hee visibly deliuered his people out of the house of bondage as we read in Exodus where it is sayd And the Lord went before them by day in a piller of a cloude to leade them the way and by night in a piller of fire to geue them light that they might goe both by day and by night hee tooke not away the piller of the cloud by day nor the piller of fire by night frō before the people Note here that the prophet calleth our Lord Christ the budde or blossom of God and the fruit of the earth because Christ is the sonne of God naturally and also the true sonne of man to wit of the perpetuall and pure Virgin Mary of the tribe of Dauid He is called the fruite of the earth because he tooke his holy humanitie of the daughter of Adam which Adam was made of earth This prophesie the Iewes vnderstood both in Babilon and afterward also of Christ For Thargum Ionathan sayth At this tyme the Messias of the lord shal be our ioy and glory ¶ Anna. Cleophas and his companion by this prophesie might easily haue vnderstood that Israel should not quite perish because Christ died For if it was meet that he should bee the fruite of the earth that is to say naturall man what meruaile is it then if he died But in that he was the budde of the Lord it was not possible that he should abide in death For then should God himselfe haue remayned in death which thing is vnpossible Wherfore he was able both to raise vp and deliuer hymself and other from death Moreouer seyng that not all which were in Ierusalem and in Sion but the remnant only should be holy and numbred amongest the elect it must needes be that there were some wicked men in Ierusalem and so consequently enemies to Christ For holines and wickednes cannot agree What maruayle was it then that these prophayne and wicked bishops and princes deliuered Christ to death But yet for all that he was able to deliuer Israell yea death it selfe was the way and meane whereby God had determined to saue Israel as the Prophetes haue sayde and yet not by force armour and the sworde as the Iewes dreamed but euen by his holinesse as it seemed good vnto the Lorde But it appeareth in Luke that those good disciples as then neither knew nor vnderstood the person and ministery of Messias to wit that he both could and should by death destroy death ☞ Vrbanus You say well and therfore doth Christ call them fooles and slow of hart to beleue and vnderstand all thinges which the prophet spake of Messias But marke what Esay sayth of Christ First he giueth Christ this worthy warriours name calling him Maher
pure free frō al sinne All mankind in deed is subiect to it But Christ paied the price of all our sinnes and in his owne person ouercame death and so destroyed it that henceforth it cannot vtterly vndo vs and deuour vs Because all we which beleue in Christ shall rise again by the vertue of Christes resurrectiō This also might haue comforted Cleophas and his companion haue certified them that Christ was a spirituall king which should not restore that corporall kingdome of Israel but redeme the true Israelites to wit the children of promise through the whole world from the kingdome of Satan and bring them into the heauenly and spiritual kingdom of euerlasting lyfe and immortalitie Esay in his 26. chapter hath a notable song of the kingdom of Christ of the church of the faithfull and of the fortitude and security therof where he sayth We haue a strong city saluation shall God set for walles bulwarks That is to say the walles and armour of it are the sauing helth and victory of Christ which are sure and inuincible fortresses Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which kepe the truth may enter in Here are the citizens of this city described to wit the righteous which beleue in Iesus Christ It followeth By assured purpose wilt thou preserue perfect peace because they trusted in thee This is spokē of the king which ruleth this heauenly city because he doth alwayes and in all places giue and maintayne true pleasant and perpetuall peace against Satan the world and the flesh This peace is in consciēce through faith in Iesus Christ A little after Esay doth prophesie of the resurrection of those dead which shal haue beleued in Messias and are citizens of that heauenly Ierusalem saying Thy dead men shall liue euen with my body shall they rise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust For thy dew is as the dew of herbes and the earth shal cast out the dead Come my people enter thou into my chambers and shut thy dores after thee Hide thy selfe for a very litle while vntill the indignation passe ouer for loe the Lord commeth out of his place to visite the iniquity of the inhabitauntes of the earth vpon them and the earth shall disclose her bloud and shall no more hide her slaine Now if the righteous which yet lye in the earth shall rise in theyr owne bodies then must it needes be that Christ should rise before who is the head kyng by whome they are iustified and deliuered from theyr sinnes and by whom they shall rise agayne The prophet therefore vndoubtedly speaketh here of the resurrection of Christ and christians and calleth the faythfull of Christ the lordes dead that is pertayning vnto the lord or which are the lordes of whome God will take an accompt and whome he will preserue and not leaue them in death but bring them to euerlasting lyfe For if God be theyrs and they Gods then out of all doubt can not they continue in death neither hath death totally swallowed them vp and cōsumed them but it hath for a short tyme separated their body and soule For God is not the God of the dead but of the liuyng The soule is with Christ and the body in the ground But at the last day the lord will purge and purifie theyr bodies and adorne them with infinit and vnspeakable glory Esay teacheth vs what maner of lyfe we shall haue after our death when he sayeth Awake and sing If the godly must sing and vndoubtedly they shall syng that euerlastyng Alleluya that is a thankesgiuyng because death is swalowed vp in the victory of Christ then out of doubt shall our lyfe after this temporall lyfe be a most happy and blessed lyfe and we shall haue continuall ioyes without any tast of payne or sorrowes perpetuall health without sickenesse eternall and true pleasures delightes and comfortes without any wearisomnesse or molestations After that day sicknesses shall trouble our bodies no more neyther shall olde age wither our bodies or decrease our strength but we shal alwayes haue a continual spring euerlasting pleasure and perpetuall beauty Therefore sayth the prophet Thy dewe shall be as the dewe of a greene medowe That is after your resurrection you shall not fade or decay but flourish alwayes and for euer and be as a fayre medow and greene garden which by her sweete dew comfortable buddes and pleasaunt delectation feedeth the eyes of all men But before this most ioyfull day of the resurrection of the faythfull we must suffer much affliction and heauinesse as Christ warneth vs in Iohn saying In the world ye shall haue affliction and bee made conformable vnto hys death This must be suffered paciently and moderately that be suffering we may be made lyke vnto Christ and so according to our portion be partakers of glory And so Paul sayth to the Philippians The thinges which were vauntage to me the same I counted losse for Christes sake that I might winne Christ and that I might knowe hym and the vertue of hys resurrection and the fellowship of his affliction and bee made conformable vnto his death if by any meanes I might attayne vnto the resurrection of the dead In the meane while we sit as it were shut vp vnknowen to the world in our parlor or closset of the holy church beleuing the doctrine of the sacred Gospell and confirmyng our fayth and hartes with the sweete promise of GOD in hys worde euen vnto the last iudgement that the wrath of GOD may passe ouer and that which ought to be iudged receiue iudgement Our afflictions here are not continuall but for a short tyme which compared vnto eternitie is not the twinckling of an eye And this tyme once finished the Lord will come to iudgement and giue vnto euery one accordyng to his workes Then shall the godly and guiltlesse Abel ryse from the dust of the earth and then shall not the earth any longer couer the bodye of the righteous but it shall giue them vp that together with their soules they may be glorified And the Prophet in his 27. chapiter prophesieng of Christes kingdome and the catholike church calleth it a vineyarde saying In that day sing of the vineyarde to wit the church of red wyne I the Lorde do keepe it and will water it euery moment least any assaile it I will keepe it day and night Hereafter Iacob shall take roote Israel shall flourish and growe and the worlde shall bee filled with fruite And in that day also shall the great trumpet be blowen and they shall come which perished in the land of Ashur and they which were chased into the land of Egypt and they shall worship the lord in the holy mount at Ierusalem This vineyarde is the church of the faythfull which is enclosed and hedged about with the worde of God adourned with the holy spirite and moystened and watered with the
the Iewes I pray you in the beginning receaue the gospel how absurd and incredible seemed it to them Did not Christs own kindred according to the flesh at the first refuse to beleue him had not Iohn Baptist much to doe to draw his discyples from himself and to bring them to Christ And when they had seen all those great miracles and wonders yet would they scarcely in the end geue credit vnto Christ so offended were they at his base habit and lowly conuersation And this ran alwayes in their heads if he had bin our true Christ or Messias he would haue come after a more regall magnificent and imperiall sort then thus But how fel it out with Cleophas and his companyon was not this prophecie verefyed and fulfilled euen in them they had heard before of Christ and they had seen his works and great wonders Whereupon they supposed and iudged that he was the true deliuerer of Israell But when they saw so much humility and weaknes in him on good Fryday that he suffered himself to be slayn and buryed it offended and trobled them very much so that they then began to stagger and wauer and doubt whether he was the true Messias or no. It would not sink into their heads that Iesus whom they had seen crucified could help other and delyuer Israell seeing that was now the third day since he himself suffered death vpon the cros And these cogitations ran in their heads How shal he delyuer Israel from al his calamities which suffered himself to be taken and nayled to the cros we beleeued that he had been the redeemer of Israel but our hope is frustrate Behold how hardly the disciples beleued the misteries of the gospel concerning the death resurrection and kingdome of Christ But when the women sayd that they had seen Angels at the graue and when the discyples heard them say that Christ was rysen to life agayn O how strange was that to them how hardly did they beleue it Christ in Luke told his disciples before what things should happen vnto hym at Ierusalem that is to wit how he should suffer and rise agayn the third day But Luke sayth that they vnderstood not those things So vtterly ignorant were they of all these things And in the last of Luke when Christ was rysen the discyples hardly beleeued that he was rysen and when Christ appeared vnto them they thought they had seen some spirit or vision vntil they had seen and handled his true body and eaten meat with him and therfore it is sayd in Esay to whom shal the Lordes arme be reueled This arme is Christ the vertue and power of God who is eternall infinite and almighty Reason cannot perceiue or vnderstand it and therfore was it needful that it should be reueled vnto our harts by the holy spirit by which spirit onely we are able to vnderstand perceiue and beleue these great and wonderful treasures which Christ hath geuen vs. Paul to the Corinthians saith The natural man neither perceiueth nor vnderstandeth these things Therfore Christ himself opened his disciples harts and by his holy spirit lightened them that they might both vnderstand and beleue the scriptures ¶ Anna. Why doth the prophet call Christ a branch or root springing out of a dry and barrain ground ☞ Vrb. This may be vnderstood two wayes First of his wonderful natiuity For al mankind was a dry and barraine ground destitute of the liuely water of grace And yet of this dry and cursed ground of mankind was Christ borne a most beutyful and blessed branch and was made man in deed without all spot of sinne Surely surely this is a very strange branch which groweth out of such a dry ground and yet bringeth neither blot nor blemish of that cursed ground with it He hath the nature of Adam truely but cleane without sinne Secondly it may be vnderstood thus It is wonderfull that Christ after he had put of that base habit and humiliation is made Lord of all things No man would euer haue thought that such a glorious glory should come of so vile a cros For there was no beuty then in his flesh all was dry vaded feeble flagge withered and weake And therfore the prophet sayth very well and to good purpose he shall grow vp or he ascended vp before him that is before God because he was before him a most beutifull branch He was before God in the most splendent and highest glory although contemned of the world and without beuty in his passion The prophet saith he was not beutiful alas what beuty could there be in him his most blessed face was all to be torne and defyled with bloud and spittle and so deformed rent with thornes that euen Pilate the Gentile wondered at their cruel dealing and had more compassiō on him then those enuyous blind Iewes In the words folowing Esay doth more at large set forth the ignominious passion of Christ telling vs how he was miserably and cruelly tormented He was sayth the prophet most despised and least regarded of all men There was no account made of him and out of doubt in deed the Iewes regarded him nothing but had him in great despite for they made him being the king of glory their mocking stock and sent him to Herod for a may game But seeing that Esay had foretold thus much of Christ the Iewes ought in no wise to haue bin offended at the contumelious and shameful passiō of Christ especyally seeing these things happened by the ordinance will and prouidence of god And seeing that Christ yealded himself into the Iewes hands of his own wil not of compulsion But now harken what good he wrought by this his passion and debasing of him selfe Hee bare not his owne infirmities but oures Wee had perished in euerlasting shame if he of his meere mercy had not taken compassion vpon vs and born that most heauy burthen which came by our sinnes and was layd vpō all mankind to wit if he had not taken vpon him selfe our calamities which was due to al mankind for their sins and born them himself and quite discharged vs of that burthen we had dyed eternally And now first of all learn here that mans nature through sinne is most dāgerously diseased and should by eternall death haue dyed for euer if Christ had not helped vs and not borne our deadly disease and great weaknes Secondly it appeareth that our sinnes and those infirmities which proceed of sinne was so great so heuy and so importable a burthen that al mankind could not beare it but had fainted vnder the burthen and so must needes haue been drowned in hell And therfore natural and simply mā which being no more but mā could not make satisfaction for sinnes But Messias who was not only true man but also true God onely both had abilitie and ought to doe it Thirdly it must needes be both meere and horrible blasphemy to teach
and condemned to the death of the cros but that heuy and vnspekable payn that the Lord of all things and iudge both of the liuing and dead suffered himself to be iudged and condemned by sinful men was not to continue longer then three dayes After which torments he should at the last being rysen agayn raigne with great glory ouer Israell He dyed once and dyeth no more Death henceforth hath no more power ouer him but he is ruler ouer it for euer Whereupon sayth the prophet who shal declare his age or generation or tel of the time of his raign When the Iewes supposed he had bin dead and quite destroyed then at the last he passed from time which perysheth into eternity which neuer shall haue end and he rose from death into the glory of the euerlasting ioy and immortality This is that infinite merite of Christes passion by which he deserued for vs forgeuenes of all our sinnes and euerlasting life He was cut of and taken away by his passiō out of the land of the liuing which liue here in this transitory life Our life verely is miserable and short and alwayes caryeth death about with it and is euery moment in danger of death and hath death following it euen as the shadow doth follow the body But Christ then in his passion passed from death to euerlasting life where he doth now raign our Lord and king for euer and euer ¶ Anna. Why saith Esay the Lord made his sepulchre with the wicked or suffered him to be buryed as the wicked ☞ Vrb. The prophet speaketh of the outward passion of Christ Paul to the Gala. calleth him a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is cursed or maledcition and there he sayth that for our sakes he became accursed as though he should say although Christ as touching his own person was innocent and that blessed seed of Abraham againste whom neither sinne nor death had any power yet of his own free wil he became in his outward man contemned and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accursed and suffered himself to be slain vpō the cros for vs poore miserable sinners this kind of deth is due only to those who for their offēces and wicked life are condemned He suffered this most shameful death became for our cause the curse that we through him might obtayn blessednes Thus then suffered he on the cros for great offences wherewithall the blinded Iewes did most vniustly charg him They accused him of blasphemy and sedition saying that he trespassed against God Cesar so rightly deserued that cruel death wheras in deed he suffered willingly for our sakes that vile ignominye false accusation which they falsly forged against him For he him self neuer sinned neither could offend but so was the wil of our heauenly father He spared not his deerely beloued Sonne that we poore sinners might by that his most shameful and contemptuous death but vnto vs sure saluation be delyuered from all our sinnes Esay teacheth in the words following what commodity we haue by this miserable and ignominious death of Christ and he sayth The figures or types of the sacrifices in Moyses law are fulfilled by this onely Sacrifice of Christ These be his words when he shall spend his life for our sinne when he shall make his soule an offering for sinne or when he shall geue his life a sacrifice for sinne then shal he haue seede his age shall be prolonged that is when he shal haue offered himselfe vp in Sacrifice vpon the cros to his heauenly father for our sinnes then shall he haue seed or children that is faithfull beleeuers in him And his yeares shall be so long that the life of him and all faithfull christians shal be without end It is otherwise with erthly kings for they when they dye depart from their kingdomes their Successors possesseth thē But this our king of glory Christ dyed another holesome and liuely kinde of death by which he entereth into true life and most mightely beginneth the administration of his eternall kingdome And here again is the resurrection of Christ and faithful Christians foretold For this is the right and true ruling gouerning erection and establishing of a kingdome whē the king erecteth such a kingdome as wil neuer decay in which the subiectes alwayes haue continuall and perfect safety protection peace surety felicity and all good things aboundantly and this can no earthly king doe For all earthly kings dye their kingdomes perish and decay with them as we see all dominions princely power and kingdomes continue in this world but a while and not for euer but within a few ages to come vtterly to ruine Wherupon Esay saith that the wil of the Lord is in his own hand or his determination or purpose by the hand of Messias shal haue prosperous succes For what thing soeuer the father commaunded Christ to doe for vs all that hath he fully finished with perfection yea with faithfulnes and to our great commodity and he plainly declareth that this was done by Christes merite where he saith his soul was in payn that is he suffered much vexatiō greef sorrow misery for our sake but shall haue a great reward or worthy hire For after so many tribulatiōs he shal see those things which wil make him ioyfull that is the catholick church or the true godly who through sincere faith doe openly honor Christ glorify Christ preach Christ and confes the Lord Christ and so highly esteem these his labors miseryes and greefes that they doubt nothing but that by the same they shal attain euerlasting saluation peace rest and consolation And therfore they wil not be afraid to suffer temporall death for the glory of Christ For they know that true righteousnes euerlasting life eternall saluation and aboundant treasures of all goodnes and felicity are to be found in Christ Iesu Now haue you heard how Christ bare our sinnes and satisfyed for them In the words following Esay teacheth vs how we may be iustifyed and made partakers of that most holsome passion and merits of christ And he sayth his knowledge or the vnderstanding of Christ is the mean wherby we receaue attain that great treasure Wherfore wife if you beleue this prophecye to wit that Iesus Christ the true sonne of God God man tooke away from you your sinnes satisfyed for them and offered him self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sacrifice for you and that he became your sauiour hath by his myserable and innocent death reconcyled you to God These I say if you beleue by this faith shal you receue forgeuenes of your sinnes and be reputed before God both iust and holy as the Euangelists and Apostles and especially S. Peter Paul and Iohn in euery place witnes This is the righteousnes of Christians to acknoledge and beleeue that Christ is our onely Mediator Sauyour and Redeemer whom God sent to take our sinnes vpon him and satisfy for them
from you and iudge your selues vnworthy of euerlasting lyfe loe we turne to the Gentiles for so hath the Lord cōmaunded vs c. And agayne he sayd to the Iewes at Rome that would not beleue the Gospell Be it knowne therefore vnto you that this saluation of God is sent to the Gentiles and they shall heare it Esaias also doth plainely promise that Christ should be the redeemer of Sion that is to saye of such of the Iewes as be elect so that all shall not be condemned although thy be fallen into most greeuous horrible and long blindenes and God also promiseth that he will not take his word holy spirite frō the Churche For as Mathew sayth Christ shall tarry alway with vs So also sayth Esay And the redemer shall come to Sion and vnto them that turne frō iniquitie in Iacob sayth the lord And I will make this my couenaunt with them sayth the lord My spirite which is vpon thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of thy mouth of thy seede nor out of the mouth of the seede of thy seede sayth the Lord from henceforth and euen for euer ¶ Anna. Is this the prophecye which Paule reciteth in the 11. of the Romans where he cōforteth the Iewes saying that many of them shall be conuerted before the last day ☞ Vrb. It is the same and he speaketh mistically to the Gentiles that they should not vtterly contemne the remnaunt of the Iewes or dispaire of their saluation saying Partely obstinacy is come to Israell vntill the fulnes of the Gentiles be come in and so all Israell shal be saued As it is written The deliuerer shall come out of Siō and shall turne away the vngodlines from Iacob And this is my couenaūt to them whē I shall take away their sinns As concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sakes But as touching the election they are beloued for the Fathers sake Out of all these prophecies might Cleophas his felow haue drawne some comfort and knowne that Christes kingdome was spirituall But to go on marke how sweetly pleasaūtly gratiously Esayas prophecieth of the kingdome of Christ saying that it should by preaching be enlarged spred all abroad that there is no lyfe but only in the Church and that he which refuseth to be of this spirituall kingdome is damned The prophets vse very much figuratiue and borowed speches We must therefore be acquainted with their phrase of speaking These then be his wordes in the 60. Chapiter Arise O Ierusalem Be bright for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is rysen vpon thee This light is the gospel the glory of God and the gifts of the eternall treasures as wisedome security health and life It followeth For behold darknes shal couer the earth gros darknes the people But the Lord shal arise vpon thee and his glory shall be seen vpon thee And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light And kings at the brightnes of thy rising vp Lift vp thine eyes round about and behold all these are gathered and come to thee Thy sonnes that is to say the faithful in Christ shal come from far That is to say in all the parts of the wide world shal the gospel be taught and the people shal beleeue on Christ And thy daughters shal be nourished at thy side Then thou shalt see and shine thine hart shal be astonyed and enlarged because the multitude of the seas shal be conuerted vnto thee That is to say the Gentils that inhabite the Ilands and al the sea coastes And the riches of the Gentils shall come vnto thee This prophecy was then fulfilled whē the gentiles in Spayne Fraunce Italy Greece Asia Cilicia Affrica Egipt Cyprus Creet Rodes Liuonia Borus or Pruse Pomeriane lower Germany about the West sea Scotland England Ireland Island and in other countreis and places were conuerted by the preaching of the gospell The multitude of Camels shal couer thee That is the people of the East which abound in Cammels shall also come to the heauenly Ierusalem The Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah That is the people about the red Sea and they of Arabia shall beleeue in Christ All they of Sheba she l come they shal bring gold and incense and shew forth the prayses of the Lord. All the sheep of Kedar shal be gathered vnto thee The Rams of Nebayoth shal serue thee By Seba is ment the people on the right hand of the East By Kedar and Nebayoth those that be on the left hand He saith that these should serue the Church and gather them selues together to it and should preach and glorify Christ as our onely Sauyour They shall come vp to be accepted vpon mine Altar This is fulfilled when the preachers of the word of God conuert the people so that they mortify the old man and willingly submit them selues to the cros and so offer vp and sacrifice them selues to God through Christ our Altar And I will beutefie the house of my glory That is I will enrich and beutefy my church my spiritual Temple with all kind of gifts of the holy ghost It followeth who are these that fly like a cloud and as the doues to their windowes These words be figuratiuely spoken The cloudes be the Apostles who are very fruitfull For they bring the sweet shoures of the word of god And they were swift as the cloudes as doues for they did flye to all people in all parts of the world that they might preach to them the gospell It followeth Surely the Iles shall wayt for me and the ships of Tarshishe as at the beginning that they may bring thy sonnes from farre and their siluer and their gold with them vnto the name of the Lord thy God and to the holy one of Israel because he hath gloryfied thee And the sons of straungers shal build vp thy walles and their kings shal minister vnto thee That is men shal greedely and earnestly desire the gospel as the only comfort of their sad and troubled conscyences And they shall frankely lay out their substance and goods to help to set out and publish abroad the name of the Lord and to preserue and delyuer the miserable and afflicted men These children of strangers or strangers be the doctors of the gentils in the church such as Athanasius Nazianzenus Cyrillus Chrysostomus Augustine Hillary and others which builded the church by their wryting and preaching It followeth In my wrath I smote thee but in my mercy I had compassion on thee That is thou hast now some sinnes and it is necessary thou shouldest in this life be beaten and chastened with a fatherly rod and suffer affliction But this yet is a fatherly anger For all thy affliction shal be for thy profit and health that thou be not damned with this wicked world Vnder the
copy of this fayned angry countenance lyeth hid a fatherly grace and great good wil as if he should say I will not kill thee but I will smite thee and chastice thee that thou maiest liue It followeth Therfore thy gates shal be open continually neither day nor night shall they be shut that men may bring vnto thee the riches of the gentils and that their kings may be brought For the nation and kingdome that wil not serue thee shal perish and those nations shal be vtterly destroyed That is although thou be enuyroned with many enemies which all seek thy life and threaten thy death yet shalt thou be safe and without danger euen as a fortifyed and wel defenced citie which shutteth not her gates and feareth not her enemie This is our security that we haue in the spirite Neither can all the enemies of christ though they ioyne hands lay their heads together subuert or destroy the church of the godly though they neuer so sore afflict their bodyes and take away their goods The church is as a city that lyeth alway open For it euer and at all times receiueth and wayteth for all that repent and geue their names to Christ come into this citie for it hath this promise that it shall increase euen vnto the last day The word and the Sacraments be and are euer to be found in the church by which if we conuert we haue remission of sinnes neither be these truly found in any place but in the church He that is not a christian or a citizen of this citie is flatly condemned It followeth in the text The glory of Lybanus shall come to thee the Firre tree the Elme and the Box tree together to beutefie the place of my Sanctuary For I will glorifie the place of my seate That is in whatsoeuer excellent and famous thing the Sinagoge of the Iewes hath before time excelled other nations as in the sacred Scripture the knowledge of god the promise of grace Christ righteousnes and true hope of saluation With all those will I now bles Christs church It followeth The sonnes also of them that afflicted thee shall come and bow vnto thee and all they that despyse thee shall fall down at the soules of thy feet and they shal cal thee the Citie of the Lord Syon of the holy one of Israell Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated so that no man went by thee I will make thee an eternall glory and a ioy from generation to generation Thou shalt also suck the milk of the gentils and shalt suck the brests of kings thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Sauyour and thy Redeemer the mighty one of Iacob That is Harken my church Those which now persecute thee and so bitterly reuile thee shal once be conuerted to the catholick faith and shal wel know that thou euen thou art the city of god and the true Syon And look how desolate thou wast as forsaken for a litle time so shalt thou now be highly exalted to great glory And where he figuratiuely speaketh of milk thereby he geueth vs to vnderstand that euen as mothers doe wish wel to their deerly beloued babes cherish them softer them and nourish them euen so shall the Gentils shew exceeding great curtesy and kindnes to the church and by all meanes study to profite further it Here now must you note that though the church outwardly appeare despysed and fouly deformed yet wil God preserue it and defend it that he may highly magnify exalt it and glorify it But this is chiefly done in spirite and this Spirituall glory of the church doth very far excell all the beuty of the world Furthermore those shal be highly honored which in this world were despised persecuted Were not the Apostles and Martirs I pray you vtterly contemned and yet the remembrance of them is now yearely celebrated with all solemnity and ioy And they are called as in deed they are the deer frends of God and most holy and happy soules And whence haue we this estimatiō verely because God himself is our sauiour that strōg almighty one our redeemer How now cā we miscary hauing this sauiour redeemer alwaies with vs on our side It followeth For bras wil I bring gold and for Iron wil I bring siluer and for wood bras for stones Iron I will also make thy gouernment peace and thine exactors righteousnes Violence shall no more be heard of in thy land neyther desolation nor destruction within thy borders but thou shalt call saluation thy wales and prayse thy gates Thou shalt haue no more son to shyne by day neyther shall the brightnes of the Moone shine vnto thee For the Lord shal be thine euerlasting light thy god thy glory Thy sonne shal neuer goe down neyther shall thy moone be hid For the Lord shall be thy euerlasting light and the dayes of thy sorrow shal be ended Thy people also shal be all righteous They shal posses the land for euer The graffe of my planting shall be the work of my handes that I may be glorified A litle one shall become as a thousand and a small one as a stronge nation I the Lord wil hasten it in due time That is to say Geue eare my church if for my sake thou lose any thing or be despised it shal be manifoldely and aboundantly restored thee and thou shalt be recompenced with heauenly treasures Thou shalt become mighty and gloryous thou shalt haue faithfull bishops and doctors which shal godly and diligently teach both spirituall and temporall peace so that the godly may liue and be at rest and peace both inwardly in their harts with God and outwardly with their neighbours The Lord shall so marueylously defend thee that thy Inhabitants and Citizens may for euer sit secure and safe But this must be vnderstood in this life of the spirituall security and peace Thou shalt call thy walles saluation Seeing thou hast within thee this so sure and certain an ayd and defence against all assaults of the enemyes a defence I say much surer then the world either hath or can geue And thou shalt call thy gates prayse because the true and marueilous great riches of gods graces shall be so plainely taught and vnderstood in thee that by them al christian men may be moued to laude and prayse the Lord without ceasing for all his gifts both temporall and spirituall which this wicked and vngodly world doth not so much as acknowledge so far is it from geuing God thanks and prayse for them Only the faithfull in Christe be they that doe this and they sing both in spirite and mouth and desire alwayes so to sing as witnesseth the Psalmist saying Blessed are they that dwel in thine house O Lord for they will euer prayse thee Selah And least we should look for a corporal Citie and an earthly kingdome at Christs hands as doe
glad of the bride so shall thy God reioyce ouer thee Here the prophet sayth a great part of men regard neither God nor Christ and yet shall the elect seeke for the spirituall and true Sion and waight for Christ their onely Sauiour But seing the Church lyeth open to Sathans persecutions and of him is afflicted and wasted it hath great neede to be comforted Therefore he sayth I will not keepe silence but I will teach Christ cōtinually vntill he come For Christ as Paule witnesseth is the onely righteousnes of Sion or of the spirituall Hierusalem And he is the onely saluation of the Church as the Euangelists and Apostls teach in euery place Esay therfore teacheth of none but Christ Iesus whome God sent vs to be our Sauiour that both Iewes and Gentiles might enioy and be partakers of this his benefite as it hath ben fulfilled in all places euer since thapostles tyme And this new name here spokē of is nothing els but that Gos people is now called the Church of the sonne of God and the true and heauenly Hierusalem which is the mother of all the elected saintes And heare behold how precious and deare a darling the Church is to God our good and faithfull father For the prophet calleth it a crowne of glory the worlde counted the godly as vngodly as fooles as doultes as outcasts and as of scouringes of all thinges euery man did scoffe mocke scorne and iniury thē at their pleasure But the Church hath here an other manner of name for it is called a beloued precious glorious crowne my delight is in her and a people that hath a god that will not forget them These be most cōfortable promises when we be vnder the crosse But they must be stedfastly beleued or els they little auailed For it is most certaine although in this world we be contemned and afflicted that God yet loueth vs so derely and wel that al the creatures of the world are compelled to serue helpe vs euen then when the world supposeth they must torment vs Yea the Angels in heauen care for cherish and defend vs and God himselfe beareth vs in his armes as doth the louing Father his onely beloued childe But now consider this great worke of the loue of God I meane the passion of Christ and that God became man for vs All these thinges he did for the Church to the end that hauing deliuered them by this meanes from all euills he might bring them to health lyfe euerlasting How could he declare and shew a more fatherly loue and good will to his Church thē he hath done in deliuering his onely begotten sonne vp vnto death for it that he might deliuer it when as yet it was his enemy Though this infirmitie sore temptation and cros of ours in this world appeare outwardly horrible and detestable yet in deede thy are nothing els but a Fatherly rod wherewith he correcteth amendeth and reformeth his derely beloued children As for the glory which in the day of redemption shall be reuealed vnto vs I wil now say nothing of it but thē it shal appeare how dearely God loueth his church And then shall it be seene that this temporall trouble which we Christians haue heare is a certaine signe of Gods great good will and true fatherly loue towardes vs Esay his wordes seeme to sound as though he spak of that earthly Ierusalem in the land of Canaā And the prophet beholding the Church with spirituall eyes is cōpelled to speake as if he spake of these earthly thinges because they were figures of the true and heauēly Ierusalem and land of righteousnes As Peter and Paul doe sufficiently witnesse prescribing vs a sure rule how to vnderstād the prophets aright when they speake of Christ and his kingdome the church Note also that Esay calleth the church such a crowne as is in the hand of the Lord or which is caried in the Lordes hand Whiche is as much to say as the Church is a spirituall kingdome which God himselfe doth gouerne and rule It is also a crowne of glory or a glorious crowne in the hand of the Lord because it doth not appeare glorious in the eyes of the world And wheras the prophet taketh his similitude of a mariage and of fayth geuen betwene man wife that is very comfortable For hereby we learne how dearely tenderly and inwardly God loueth vs what infinite treasures we shall receaue of him For we know that the bridgrome makes his bride partaker of all he hath It followeth I haue set watch men vpon thy walles O Ierusalem which all the day and all the night continually shall not cease Ye that are mindful of the Lord keep ye silēce geue him no rest till he repare and set vp Hierusalem the prayse of the world The watchmen are the faythfull preachers of Gods word which watch and take paines in the Church in prayer doctrine least Sathan that deadly enemy by his false prophets should deceaue ouercome thē And these prechers alwayes preach true repentaunce and the grace of God in Christ and they diligently by their exhortations and sermons teach vs the knowledge of god and our selues and to geue God thankes for all his vnspeakeable benefits It followeth The Lord hath sworne by his right hand and by his strong arme surely I will no more geue thy corne to be meate to thine enemies and surely the sonnes of the strangers shall not drinke thy wine for the which thou hast labored But they that haue gathered it shall eate it and prayse the Lord and the gatherers therof shal drinke it in the courtes of my sanctuary This is spoken and ment of the spirituall corne and wine And this is the meaning therof It cannot be but the worde which these preachers teach should take place after it shall follow and rise the fruite of fayth which appeareth not at all in the vngodly These courtes that he speaketh of is the congregatiō or Church of Christiās or the godly amongest whome the gospell is purely taught where mens consciences were pacified quieted mery and pleasaunt in the Lord when the inward man feeleth peace tranquilitie quietnes securitye felicity perfect pleasure in the worde of god None of the vngodly either feele or haue taste of this pleasure And least we should any thing doubt of this promise he bindeth it with an oth that we shall haue those things which he promiseth It foloweth in the text Go through go through the gates prepare you the way for the people Cast vp cast vp the way and gather out the stones and set vp a standerd for the people Behold the Lord hath proclaimed vnto the endes of the world Tell the daughter Sion Behold thy Sauiour commeth Behold his wagis is with him and his worke is before him and they shall call them the holy people the redeemer of the Lord And thou shalt
the prophet say that their former troubles are forgott put out of sight and hide from them seing that in the kingdome of Christ that as in the Church there is neuertheles outwardly nothing but affliction vexation and tribulatiō in this lyfe insomuch that euen the most holy men many tymes fall into such trouble of mind that they need the comfort of other men ☞ Vrb. You must acquaint your selfe with the prophets phrase of speach The prophets speake of the kingdome of Christ as if we were now already deliuered out of these troubles and as if the glory of his kingdome which is yet to come had now already apeared nay as if the euerlasting lyfe which is yet to come were already begun where as yet it is but only in fayth And so it behoued thē to speake of it For if they should paint forth the kingdome of Christ in his proper colors and set it forth aright as it ought to be they must not looke vpon that base and homely outward appearaunce in which here vpon earth it lyeth couertly hid vnder the crosse but they must behold the glory also in which it shall florish in the day of our perfect regeneration when all kindes of euills incommodities stombling blockes shal be remoued out of the kingdome of Christe and when we shall be free from all kind of crosses and calamities In as much as we being iustified be fayth in Christ are freed and deliuered from our sinnes and in as much as we beare Christ by fayth in our hartes and are now made the sons of God and haue our lyfe hid and preserued with Christ in God and haue the holy spirite the earnest penye of our inheritance and so spiritually are risen agayne frō the death of sin and haue nothing els to looke for but that this mortall bodye should dye and rise agayne the prophets I say because of these so excellent thinges because we are saued in hope vsed sometimes in that they knew what fayth in Christ could doe and should doe to speake of the kingdome of Christ as if now already we were translated out of this fraile and corruptible lyfe and out of these troubles cares calamities and afflictious into that lyfe that continueth for euer And this certainely is our sure plentifull comfort consolatiō nay it is our spirituall blessing wherwith we now are already blessed And these first fruites of the spirite are such heauenly treasures that no tongue can vtter the excellency and dignitie therof And this is the cause that when we be indued with these heauēly treasures we beare the heuy crosse of persecution trouble more patiētly Before this we were in the kingdome of the deuill the kingdome of the euerlasting curse but now we are in the kingdome of eternall blessing in which onely and els not at all we finde and enioy the grace of God righteousnes helth and euerlasting lyfe It followeth in the prophet For loe I will create new heauens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde But the Lord sayth bee you glad and reioyce for euer in the thing that I shall create For behold I will create Ierusalem as a reioycing and her people as a ioy And I will reioyce in Ierusalem and ioy in my people and the voyce of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voyce of crying Behold here how exceeding glorious the kingdome of Christ shall be after this lyfe God for his childrens sake his faythful which be heyres of all things in Christ will wake a new heauen and a new earth And then all thinges shall reioyce with the Children of God all affliction and trouble which we suffered here in this earth shall then be forgot For heauines hath then his end and eternall Ioy beginneth Now it is called the earth and so it is in deed euen a vale of misery and a sea of sorrow For which way soeuer a man turneth his eye there is nothing here to be seene but daunger and affliction The water drowneth vs the fire burneth vs and the ayre with tempest stormes thunder lightning haile molesteth vs In the earth we see our graues and the burying places of the dead dens of theeues and here the tortor and there the racke to torment vs To be short there is no place but that of misery and mischiefe it is a place For as yet Sathan with this his world swelleth rageth turneth tosseth euery thing vpside downe and bringeth in all kinde of calamity and mischiefe vpon vs but when he with his incredulous and wicked world shall be hurled hedlong downe to hell when our God shall renew the earth when the true Christians shall only appeare in all places and nothing but true iustice inhabite the land then shall the memory of that former earth the vale of misery in which was nothing but present perill sicknes sorrow affliction and death be vtterly extinguished and forgot then at the last shall the true heauenly Ierusalem be builded where shall be nothing but sure pure and vnspekable ioy and there we shal reioyce in the Lord for euer and euer and God shall be to vs all in all And wheras the Iewes and Chelieasts draw and wrast this text to the lande of Iuda they are foolishly and doultishly deceaued For all Iudaisme with their tempell Ierusalem priesthoode and principalitye had their limites and time appointed and ought to continue but onely till Iesus Christ should come and fulfill the scriptures who together with his Church was by the law priest sacrifice temple and Ierusalem prefigured and signified For Esay a little after in the 66. chapiter prophesyeth of the Iewes ceremonies that they shall haue an end that after for euer in the Church of the faythfull in Christ there shall be month after month and Saboth after Saboth that is to say in this church shall be a perpetuall and continuall Saboth Saboth after Saboth still one vpon one wheras the Saboths of the Iewes were numbred and knowne In this last of Esay also we haue a notable worthy prophesy of the kingdom of Christ or of the church of the faythfull The wordes of it be these Reioyce ye with Ierusalem and be glad with her all ye that loue her reioyce for ioy with her all ye that morne for her that you may suck and be satisfied with the brestes of her consolation and that ye may milke out and be delighted with the brightnes of her glory For thus sayth the Lord Behold I will extend peace ouer her lyke a floud and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing streame then shall ye suck ye shall be born vpon her sides and be ioyful vpon her knees As one whom his mother comforteth so will I comfort you and ye shall be comforted in Ierusalem And when ye see this your hartes shall reioyce and your bones shall florishe like an
of the name of the Lord his god and these shall dwell still for now shall he be magnified vnto the endes of the world That is to say the captayne and guide of Israel shall not yet come but the Iewes for their Idolatrye shall first be greuously punished and afflicted For they shall abide 70. yeares in their captiuity of Babilō and afterward they shall come into their countrye and loking for that gratious time of the God of Israell And although their plague captiuitie and affliction be great yet will the Lord keepe his promise and wil send the promised Messias Moschell vnto Israell at the time appointed and then at the last shall true felicitie come then shall all thinges fall forth well and prosperously then shall the true Israelites come together euē as it came to passe in the time of Iesus Christ who is the true shepheard and cast out all false ministers pharises scribes and Iewes and feede his sheepe himselfe by the great power of god For he taught thē by the spirite of grace and cōuerted lightned their harts and cast out the euill spirits and raysed the dead to life agayne wrought strange miracles and wonders in the name of his heauenly Father So that the shepe can now no more be demaūded and destroyed of the Volues but may sit safe in his pastures vnder his protections And this Moschel or Lorde prince of Israell shall be magnified and glorified through the whole world in the time of the new testament which was fulfilled when Christ by his passion entered into his glory and rose agayne from the dead the 3. day sitteth at the right hand of God that all power both in heauen and earth might be geuen him and when the holy ghost preached him by the Gospell in all the world and when his horne that is his spirituall kingdome as you haue heard in the psalmes was in the name of god exalted multiplied and dayly increased both by the Iewes and Gentiles as it is yet manger Sathā-and the world his wife And a little after Miche prophecieth how Christiās or the kingdome of Christ should raigne and remaine euē vnder the crosse in the middest of their enemies By which we see that it is a spirituall kingdome seing it is in the wicked world amonest many nations euen as the dew of the Lord or as a drope of water in the grasse For the people of the faythful is a marueilous people They are in the earth but not an earthly kingdome of the earth Their doctrine is the holy ghost which commeth from heauen from God the holy ghost They thē sealues also are from heauē regenerated by water and the holy ghost their lyfe consisteth in fayth they liue in Christe and they are wonderfully preserued vnder the crosse And although in the eyes of the world they may seme weake yet are they inuincible through fayth in Christ haue alwayes the victory yea they breake through the world sin death and the bondes and snares of Sathan and gouerne their inheritance but all these thinges are done spiritually and by a marueilous meanes altogether hidden from the world For this is wrought by the worde and spirite but much more worthely and gloriously then man can imagine These are the wordes of the prophecy And the remnant of Iacob shall be amongst many people as a dew from the Lord and as the showers vpon the grasse that waiteth not for mā nor hopeth in the sons of Adame And the remnant of Iacob shall be among the Gentiles in the middest of many people as the Lyon among the beastes of the forrest and as the Lyons whelpe among the flock of sheepe who when he goeth through treadeth downe and teareth in peeces and none can deliuer Thy hand shall be lift vp vpon thy aduersaries and all their enemies shall be cut of Here you may see the power of the gospell and faythfull christians Those which beleued in Christ taried loking for him were the true remnant of Iacob They trusted not in man but in God and certainely beleued that according to his promise he would deliuer them out of all calamitie although at that time they were captiues and afflicted in the middest of their heauy and deadly enemies But the Lord dwelleth with his seruants he hath promised in Exodus vnto all faythfull christian men that he will be an enemie vnto their enemies and afflict them which afflict the faythfull Christiās Wherfore there is a certaine hope and sure victory promised here vnto the remnant of Iacob and the kingdome of Christ that is to the whole Church which in this world dwelleth here amōg her enemies And thus be the faythfull Christians incouraged fortified and embouldened by the promise of God and fayth in Christ Iesus to walke euen as the Lion in the wood which feareth no other beast and passeth them all in strength And this prophet magnifically describeth Christes kingdome in his 4. chap. much lyke to the 2. of Esay his wordes be these And the same day sayth the Lord will I gather hir that halted and I will gather hir that is cast out and hir that I haue afflicted And I will make hir that halted a remnant and hir that was cast farre of a mighty nation and the Lord shall raigne ouer them in mount Sion frō thence forth euen for euer This is the tyme of the new testament faythful christians are here signified by the halt cast out and afflicted men lyke as they are also vnderstood in 61. of Esay and in euery place of this prophecy because of that crosse which they beare in this world that so they may be made lyke vnto Christ their king You must then vnderstand by the halte cast out afflicted those which are poore in spirite which are troubled in conscience which outwardly in this world suffer persecution and inwardly in their conscience are terrified and tormented with the feeling of their sinnes the feare of death the wrath of god These are the poore vnto whome this good tidinges are brought that they haue a good fauourable and most gentile king who will not cast them of for their weakenes and infirmity but helpeth them and salueth their sores And although in this worlde they be weake forsaken banished abiects and most contemptible yet will the Lord make of them a famous people who shall liue safely vnder him in perpetuall glory in the kingdome of heauen Here agayne you heare that the kingdome of Christ is spirituall for the faythfull Christians in this world are weake and contemptible but by the crosse they are brought to eternall glory For when the whole world with all his pompe and glory shall decay then shall they be crowned with great honor and glory in the euerlasting kingdome of Christ And thus the prophets haue respect vnto the eternitye and saluation ordayned for vs in the kingdome of Christ In the end of
will reioyce ouer thee in great gladnes that is he will poure forth all his faythfulnes vpon thee and his fatherly good will towards thee that at the last the world may be compelled to see and palpably feele but especially the children of God shall know that the Lord loueth thee aboundantly as Paul writeth to Titus And he promiseth Christian liberty because he will take away these toyes to wit the lyfe and tradition of men we knowe the pharasies taught the law naughtely and went a horing with the doctrine of men teaching that men should do the workes of the law to the end that they should be iustified and haue remission of sinnes by the workes of the law and not by the mere grace of God and Christ alone And he promiseth the Church such a helpe as by which her enemies should be destroyed but she continew still Wherfore though hereticks lye and deceaue neuer so much though tyrantes murder and kill neuer so many though false Christians berwaye and betray all they can and though Sathan rage and rore neuer so much Yet in the end shall the Church the kingdome of Christ ouercome and the enemies of christ yea death the last enemy of Christ Christians shall be destroyed The Church as Sophony sayth hath a mighty Sauiour which can mightely saue and deliuer her And as Math. sayth a rock whereon it is builded against which euen the gates of hell can not preuaile And although gods children are a miserable afflicted and calamitous poore people though they be crippells and outcasts and though they be outwardly in body persecuted inwardly in the soule shakē and tormented with the terrors of death and with feare of damnation yet will Messias helpe them and ayde them and bring them to honor and gather them into his kingdome as Luke sayth in the 11. chapiter where Christ calleth the halt and lame to his supper Is it not a marueilous great honor and glory that he pronounceth of the Iewes that saluation shall come of them and of the Church that it is the Citie of God which the Lord himselfe hath foūded and builded and that there is no other true ioye peace safety righteousnes fortitude riches honor lyfe or saluation but onely that which is in the catholicke Church in the time of grace and Messias I will bring you that is I will by the Gospell call you on all sides from amōgest the wicked vnto Christes kingdome and I will gather the disparsed children of the Lord and I will exault them to honor when I shall haue turned away their captiuitie Man speaketh not these thinges but God himselfe whose will or purpose no man can let or hinder He sayth that he will gather his seruaunts into the kingdome of Christ and therein make them honorable in deede For as it is the vildest shame and greatest ignominy that can be to be a sinner and bondslaue of Sathan so on the other side it is the greatest glory laud and honor that can be to be deliuered from sin and Sathan and to be made the childe of God by the gospell To conclude in that we be made by grace children by adoption so that now we may lyue and raigne with Christ for euer who can either speake or thinke of this glorious glory gloriously enough ¶ Anna. Hath Aggeus any promises of Christ ☞ Vrba Yea forsooth For he prophecied after the captiuitie of Babilon and he moueth the people earnestly to build vp the temple agayine that the worship of God might be restored For this second temple should become very honorable because the true God of Israell himselfe should personally come into it as Mallachy prophecieth And afterward he promiseth Christ and sayth that the time of his comming draweth nye his wordes be these Thus sayth the Lord of hostes yet a little while and I will shake the heauē and the earth and the sea and the dry land and I will moue all nations and the desire of all nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory sayth the Lord of hostes The glory of this last house shall be greater then the first sayth the Lord of hostes and in this place will I geue peace sayth the Lord of hostes This prophecy forespeaketh of the former comming of Messias into the world how he should come to Ierusalem into the temple and how there should be a great change both in heauen and earth For the Lord hath sent the Angell of the great counsell euen his son in the flesh that by Christ he might summarily restore all thinges in heauen and earth wherefore it was of necessitie to follow that Iudaisme should be abrogated and that the Iewes should reuolt and that the gētiles should be made the people of God and that great wōders should be don at which euen the Angels should maruell for euer And he sayth that Christ is the hope of all nations For all men are borne sinners and sinn dayly but he which sinneth doth the worke of the deuill and is the seruaunt of Sathan and child of death From the which kingdome of sin death and damnation no man can otherwise be deliuered but by Messias who onely was sent of God to take away the workes of the deuill and destroy the kingdome of Sathan to wit sin and death and to geue vs true life And therefore he is the hope of the whole world neither is there any comfort helpe forgeuenes of sinnes righteousnes peace safety ioy lyfe or health any where els to be found but onely in Christ Therefore all the elect euen from the beginning haue very carefully and earnestly desired Christ because no man either could or ought to helpe the wretched world or deliuer it from euerlasting misery and calamity and bring it to euerlasting ioy but only Iesus Christ Whē Christ in the last week of Daniel came into this world then came our true preacher our onely reconciler and mediator who made and confirmed the euerlasting couenāt of peace betwen God and vs And the prophet repeateth this word the Lord of Zebooth 5. times that the faint harted Iewes ready to fall to desperation should in no wise be discouraged but finish the worke which they had begun and stedfastly waight for the comming of Messias seeing the almighty God who is the truth it selfe had so often and so earnestly made promise of him And so we haue Christ the comfort of all nations of all sinners the true peace of the whole world and that in the temple that is in the Churche of Christ who him selfe is our peace as Paule sayth And seeing Christ is the comfort of all nations it followeth that both they ought to beleue trust in him and that his kingdome also should be among all nations both Iewes gentiles through the whole world And therefore shal they hope to haue also surely receaue of him forgeuenes of their sinnes righteousnes reconciliation
with God true peace securitye euerlasting ioy true life and eternall saluatiō For if the sin of the Gentiles should not be taken away then in deede should neither death nor Sathans tyranny and kingdome be taken away neither could they haue any cōfort or hope But seing that Christ is their hope and comfort and that no vaine comfort for God himselfe speaketh it then surely must all heuines calamities and misery be taken away from the gentiles also which is nothing els but sin euill conscience death and euerlasting damnation And therfore must they also of necessitie rise from death and liue for euer with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen You see by the Epistle of S. Peter that the prophets haue respect vnto the health of the soules and therfore their whole indeuor is to preach true comfort seing the prophecie of Christ who brought vs from sin to righteousnes and innocencye and from death to life euerlasting as we finde he doth in deed Moreouer he hath deserued for vs the comforter the holy Ghost by whome he helpeth and comforteth vs vnder the crosse vntill we be called out of this fraile and miserable life and receaue the promised crowne of glory which in deede we posses in this earth though it be but yet in fayth and hope ¶ Anna. You alwayes haue sayd that Zachary is a prophet full of notable comforts Let vs therfore here what comfort he geueth vs by his promises ☞ Vrba He is in deede a comfortable prophet and the dayes wherein he liued required the same For he prophecied when the Iewes were euen at the point of returning out of the captiuitie of Babilon and when the Citie with the temple should be builded agayne The people at that time were yet faint harted fearefull and doubted that they should not be safe from their enemies and therfore he comforteth them and setteth Christ before their eyes as a louing Sauiour that so they might be of good cheare saying that Christ should spedely come and helpe his seruantes and spread his kingdome through the whole world and therfore was it needefull that Iuda and Ierusalem should be builded againe to the end they might receaue their owne king And the prophet speaketh as followeth Ierusalem shall be inhabited without the walles for the multitude of men and cattell therein For I sayth the Lord will be vnto her a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the midest of her Here he prophesieth of the spirituall Ierusalem to wit the church of Christ for the earthly Ierusalem had hir boundes and walles but the heauenly Ierusalem shal be so wide and large that it can not be compassed with any walles yea it shall be as wide as the world For it is the kingdome of Christ which by little and little without ceasing shall be increased vnto the last day and the true children of Abraham are as the God of Abraham promised euen as the sand of the sea and the starre in the firmament and the promised blessing shall come vpon all nations through the whole world that Christ maye be knowen and worshipped euery where for the true Lord god By the cattell vnderstand weakelinges and such as are ignoraunt in the knowledge of the scriptures and fayth these are led and fed in the pastures of Christ by those which are more strong and firme in fayth But he is a merueilous wall which is all fiery truly the Church of Christ in this place hath so great and comfortable a promise of Gods helpe as you shall scarsely finde in any other place of the scriptures For I wil be saith the Lord a wall of fire round about hir the Church of Christ You see that he speaketh here of the heauenly Citye wherein God himselfe will be the watchman keper wall defēder if their God be thus present with vs we haue iust cause to reioyce in the Lord seeing that wheresoeuer God himselfe watcheth defendeth and fighteth for vs there are we safe out of daunger of this world and Sathan and neede not feare them To be breefe the great humilititie of Christ Iesus in that he vouchsafed to become man being the true son of God and the sending of the holy ghost the true teacher of holsome doctrine in the Church of God whereby the church is still houlden and preserued in truth that it may stedfastly cleaue to God where as otherwise the whole world is blinded with errors caried away with lyes and miserably deceaueth it selfe these I say do sufficiētly declare how gloriously the Lord hath shewted himselfe in this spirituall Ierusalem Sathan the world and heretickes do not cease nor sleepe but bend themselues in all they may yea they striue with hand and foote to destroy Christ his church But although according to the flesh it be weake yet neuerthelesse it standeth and getteth the victory ouer all hir enemies So plentifully doth the Lord declare his glory in his spirituall citye the Church In the wordes following he setteth forth the helpe and comfort which we shall haue in Christ his kingdome saying He which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye How I pray you could a most louing and tender father speak more louingly or sweetely euen to his darling and derely beloued son if the Lord looke carefully to vs as men vse to looke to the apple of their eyes then surely can no hurt happen vnto vs in the kingdome of Christe neither neede we to feare any daunger A little after Zachary comforteth such Christiās as are vnder the crosse and by reason of the weakenes of the flesh are in feare and trouble euen as the Iewes were at that time saying Reioyce and be glad O daughter Sion for I come and will dwell in the middest of thee sayth the Lord and many nations shall be ioyned to the Lord in that day and shall be my people and I will dwell in the middest of thee and thou shalt know the Lord of hostes hath sent me vnto the. And the Lord shall inherit Iuda his portiō in the holy land and shall chuse Ierusalem agayne Let all flesh be still before the Lord for he is raised vp out of his holy place That is to say O Sion although thou be afflicted here in the earth yet be of good chere because thou shalt cōtinew For I my selfe do come and abide with thee Was not this fulfilled when god became man and at this day wheresoeuer Gods word is receaued there doth God dwell and that is the true Sion as Christ sayth in Iohn He that loueth mee keepeth my commaundementes and my Father will loue him and we will come vnto him and will dwell with him Surely this is the spirituall kingdome wherein god dwelleth with vs by the gospel and by fayth which the holy ghost worketh in vs as S. Paul sayth to the Ephe Christ dwelleth in our hartes by fayth And Esay telleth vs where God
temple of the Lorde builded by the gospell through the whole world and consecrated by the holy spirite This tēple shall stand for euer against the gates of hell The priest of this temple is an euerlasting priest and therefore the temple must needes be euerlasting This priest hath those true ornamentes prayses and honor which were signified by Arons ornamēts And this priest raigneth stil in his throne and hath both the functions to wit the euerlasting priesthood and the eternal kingdome But note that he sayth vpon his seate by which wordes he signifieth that this priest is the true priest king that all other tipicall priests and kinges were but seruauntes or ministers to this priest and that they in ther ministerie did but onely seruice vnto this true king and priest But Christ the true blossome of Dauid is the true king and priest and the true and naturall Lord of the throne and eternall kingdome He only shall beare rule in this throne This eternall throne is onely his seate and shall so cōtinue for euer Neither shall there euer hereafter be any contention or dissentiō betwene these two kingdomes to wit the spirituall priesthood and kingdome as before times there hath ben betwene the externall priesthoode and terrestriall kingdome For these two functions are both now turned to one person which both can make intercession for vs in heauen before the father as our priest and defend and gouerne vs here in earth as an omnipotent king Ionathan the Caldean confirmeth this exposition who hath translated this text of Zach. thus in the caldean tongue Behold for here is the man whose name is Moschiah which shall come to be made manifest famous and glorious And he himselfe shall build the temple of the lord But you may not heare vnderstand an earthly temple For like as the priest is spiriturall so doth he build vnto the Lord a spirituall temple wherein he himselfe alone doth execute the function both of the priest and king Zach in his 8. chap. prophecieth that the kingdome of Christ shall be very ample and glorious in all the world And that not the Iewes alone should reape profite by Messias but that the Gentiles also shall be ioyned vnto the Iewes and acknowledge and call vppon Christ their Lord his wordes be these Thus sayth the Lord of hostes that there shall yet come people and inhabitantes of great cities and they that dwell in one citie shall go vnto an other saying vp let vs go and pray before the Lord and seeke the Lord of hostes I will goe also yea great people and mighty nations shall come to seeke the Lord of hostes in Ierusalem and to pray before the lord Thus sayth the Lord of hostes in those dayes shall ten men take hould out of all languages of the nations euen take hould of the skirt of him that is a Iew and say we will goe with you for we haue heard that God is with you Although this prophecy was also fulfilled in earthly Ierusalem after the captiuity of Babylō in so much that the city became famous and the name of the temple which was more gloriously and princely builded then the other hefore became so notable in all places that many famous men came thether to worship and many of the Iewes which had been disparsed drew by this occasion many nations to their religiō brought them with them to worship God at Ierusalem Yet this was more gloriously fulfilled in the Apostles dayes at what time many gentils followed one Apostle that they might know the Lord Christ and beleeue in him and so come vnto the spirituall Ierusalem the church of God the true and liuely temple to honour the lyuing God. And in his 11. chap. Zache prophesyeth how Christ should be sold for 30. pence saying And I sayd vnto thē if you think it good geue me my wages and if no leaue of so they wayed for my wages 30. peeces of siluer And the Lord sayd vnto me cast it vnto the potter a goodly price that I was valued at of them And I toke the 30. peeces of siluer and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. This prophecy was fulfilled when the traytor Iudas sold Christ for 30. pence with which the Iewes bought the potters field This was the potter to whom 30. pence were geuen for Iudas Iscarioth cast them down in the temple and then they caryed them to the potter For the high priest said it is not lawful to put them into the treasury because it is the price of bloud And so when they had cast their heads together they bought with them the potters field to be a burying place for strangers The prophet prophesyeth in his 12. chap. how true Israell the kingdome of Christ should be vnder the cros here in this earth for the profession of the gospell saying The burden of the word of the Lord vpon Israell saith the Lord which spread the heauens and layd the foūdation of the earth and formed the spirite of man within him Behold I will make Ierusalem a cup of poyson vnto all the people round about and also with Iuda I will be in the seege against Ierusalem And in that day will I make Ierusalem an heauy stone for all people all that lift it vp shall be torne though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it In that day saith the Lord I will smite euery horse with stonishment and his ryder with madnes and I wil open my eyes vpon the house of Iuda and will smite euery horse of the people with blindnes And the princes of Iuda shall say in their hartes the inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hostes their god In that day will I make the princes of Iuda like coales of fire among the wood and like a firebrād in the sheaf and they shall deuour all the people round about on the right hand and on the left and Ierusalē shall be inhabited again in her own place euen in Ierusalem The Lord also shall preserue the tents of Iuda as aforetime Therfore the glory of the house of Dauid shall not boast nor the glory of the inhabitants of Ierusalem against Iuda In that day shal the Lord defend the inhabitants of Ierusalem and he that is feeble among them in that day shal be as Dauid and the house of Dauid shall be as Gods house and as the angel of the Lord before them And in that day will I seek to destroy all the nations that come against Ierusalem And I wil poure vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirite of grace and of cōpassion And they shall looke vpon me whom they haue pearced and they shall lament for him as one that mourneth for his only sonne and be sory for him as one is sory for his first borne This prophecy is a consolation for the apostles and christians that they
Paul teacheth to the Gala. In former times the house of Dauid had a great prerogatiue for it was more famous and noble then the citye of Sion For it was the kinges stocke and tribe and the citizens of Ierusalem were then more noble then the rest of the Iewes but it shall now be otherwise For all shall be alike For there shall be one spirituall freedome or redemption wherein none shall more arrogantly or gloriously vaunt him selfe then an other but all shall reioyce in the lord In the wordes following where he speaketh of Dauid God promiseth that the faythfull Christians shall be strong in the Lord of which strēgth Paul speaketh to the Phil. I am able to do all thinges through the helpe of Christ which strengthneth me All the godly receaue the spirite of Christ by fayth and haue Christ in their harts by faith Wherfore whosoeuer trauaile vnder the crosse are weak in that appertaineth to the flesh yet in the Lord are they very strong They haue all one fayth one spirite and one Lord and therefore shall they all ouercome sin death and the world Which thing otherwise the whole world with all his might power and pollecye could not euer bring to passe Neuerthelesse this their force or fortitude is not of themselues but of god Therfore sayth Zach. In that day to wit the day of this tribulation shall the Lord defend the inhabitantes of Ierusalem that is all the godly or those that faythfully trust in the lord Wherefore though some of them fall and offend yet shall they be as Dauid Who according to his outward parson was not of any great or portly stature but the strength of God was wonderfully seene in him so that he could and did ouercome that huge monsterous and dreadfull Goliah It is a common thing euen for the righteous and most godly in this life to sin stumble offend and fall But they haue in this place the promise of the lord that he wil not by by reiect them for their fall and sin For though they be weak yet shal they alwaies be most victorious Dauids Surely it is to be required that there be greatstrength and power in him who being but one man alone fighteth against the whol world sathan sin and death and so that he getteth the victory And surely thus to doe is a Dauidlike deed Moreouer these strong men and house of Dauid shal be as the house of God and as the angel of the Lord before or amongst them That is all these inuincible christians such as Dauid was who doe obtayn victory euen in this weaknes of flesh they shal be in the church the true house of the Lord and like vnto the angels of the Lord that is in whom the Lord dwelleth And they which doe instruct others to true godlines shall be so glorified that they shall be most famous amongst christians euen like the angels and messengers of Christ Now he promiseth moreouer that it shall come to pas that the enemies of Christ and the church shall be quite destroyed For he which hurteth the godly hurteth the apple of Gods eye Here you heare agayne what kind of kingdome Christes kingdom is to wit a kingdome which is forced to stand vpon watch and be ready in armure For it hath against it most mighty enemies it must therfore be of some power strength nay of very great strēgth if it shal conquere so great enemies But that can not be by any corporall or worldly meanes but spiritually by faith as the prophets words doe plainly import and signifie But such and so great is the obstinate blindnes of the Iewes that they dreame that the prophets speak of an earthly kingdome of Christ here in this world which shal vse corporall armour and strength and haue worldly pompe and glory Although therfore the godly be sore troubled with very many enemies yet for all that shall they be and remayne without danger but through patience so that they suffer and take al things wel and patiently which come vpon them The prophet also describeth the spirituall weapons wherewithall Christ armeth and defendeth the godly in his kingdome saying I will poure saith he my spirite of grace and prayer or compassion vpon the house of Dauid That is I will geue my holy spirite vnto my seruants that it may lighten them with the true knowledge of the gospel that they may know that I am mercifull vnto them for Christ his sake and that I doe pardon their offences wherupon they may haue quiet and appeased consciences Besides this when the stormes of afflictions doe come vpon them and sore and vehemently vexe their flesh then shal the holy ghost teach them rightly to pray in the name of Iesus Christ who himselfe doth pray for the godly with sighes which are not able to be expressed And these are the weapons wherewithall the congregation of the godly doe ouercome when the cros is at hand and tribulation hangeth ouer their heads The godly straight way fly to the name of the Lord and call vpon it and receaue help in due time but our Iewes and Anabaptists when persecution commeth resist their enemies with force and armes and yet notwithstanding will they boast themselues to be the people of God which is the cause that they are alwayes so miserably confounded Now the prophet telleth what it was that purchased the holy ghost for the godly to wit the passion and death of Christ They shall see and looke vpon me sayth the Lord whom they haue pearced Here God speaketh in his own person who before spake in the prophets person and confesseth that he is pearced that is nayled vpon the cros and wounded And it is here proued by this text that Christ is true God and man who should suffer and die for vs And it followeth also that Christ with all Christifidelians shall rise again For he had promysed before that he wold geue his holy spirite vnto the godly that he wold destroy the enemies of the godly and that he would preserue and defend the godly If therfore he must keepe and preserue his elect for euer and duely punish all the gentils and their enemies it must needes follow that he must rise from death and rayse vp his seruants and gouern thē for euer And here obserue this that God and man Christ is one persō for he saith they shal loke vpon me whom they haue pearced Christ was pearced according to his manhode and not according to his Godhed alone He speaketh plainly of one person alone He saith me and deuideth not his Godhead from his manhode For he him selfe the euerlasting sonne of God was pearced but according to his humanity not according to his great and infinite deity as Paul sayth to Cor. The Iewes crucified the Lord of glory That is the God of Zeboth Psal. 25. And thus Christ by the gospel is preached and seen how
he was crucified But at the last day shall his true humain nature wherin he was crucified and woūded in deed be seen He kept the print of his wounds in his body after his resurrection Moreouer Christes frēds and Christifidelians mourned and lamēted for Christ But especially and properly the godly mourn when by faith they apprehend and deeply ponder the passiō and death of Christ when they imitate Christ in suffering and when euery one beareth his own cros and suffreth with Christ to the mortification of the old man. And Zachery in chap. 13. prophesyeth of the fruites of Christes passion of the forgeuenes of sinnes of the holy ghost of baptisme in the house of Dauid and of the church which should be saying in that day there shall be a fountayn opened to the house of Dauid and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for vncleannes Messias shall make this fountaine to flow in his kingdome of which Iohn speaketh If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke He that beleeueth in me as the scripture saith out of his belly shall flow riuers of water of life He spake this of the spirite which true beleeuers in him should receaue This holy ghost is plentifully poured vpon vs in baptisme by the washing of the new birth And this holy fountain standeth alway open in the house of Dauid that all men may come drinke For the church receaueth both Iewes and gentils into the kingdome of Christ by baptisme which purgeth away the vncleannes and filth of originall sin by which the holy nature of man in his first natiuity is stayned and spotted euen as with poyson It taketh away also that sinne which we our selues commit that is to say al sinnes are by baptisme pardoned in the house of Dauid the new Ierusalem the kingdome of Christ There were in the old testament many washings and cleansings but none could be deliuered by them from sinne but this spring of the new testament hallowed by the precious bloud of Iesus Christ floweth alwayes full of meer grace and this welspring cleanseth and drowneth all the filthynes and vncleanlynes of all sinnes And all these things rise and come to vs vpon this that Christ was crucified and pearced blod and water flowed out of his side and out of doubt it was for the washing away of all our sinnes And Zachary prophesyeth again a litle after of the passion of Iesus Christ our true shepheard saying Arise O sword vpon my shepheard and the man that is my felsaith the Lord of hostes smite the shepheard and the sheep shal be scattered and I will turne my hand vpon the litle ones And in all the land saith the Lord two parts therein shall be cut of and dye but the third part shall be left therin And I will bring that third part through the fire and wil fine them as the siluer is fined and wil try them as gold is tryed They shall call on my name and I wil heare them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God. This sword at that time was the power of darcknes For Pilate and the hard harted Iewes bare the sword and authority at that time in the earth but notwithstanding they could not haue hurt Christ vnlesse God had suffered them and ordayned the same before as Christ saith Pilat had his power from aboue This shepheard is Christ the sheep are the Apostles which fled when Christ was taken and suffered Christ himselfe alleadgeth this prophecy in Mat. 26. Furthermore the Lord calleth Christ the man that is his fellow For Christ is the true and onely shepheard in the church and is also with the father for euer as Iohn saith The sonne is in the bosome of his father Marke also how the kingdome of this world hath no beauty but appeareth oftentimes miserable and therefore can it in no wise be earthly and of this world The shepheard him selfe was smitten by the earthly magistrates and his sheep were terrified and disparsed and the disciples them selues were offended in Christ as you haue heard in Cleophas and his companiō They supposed that he would haue smitten others and that he would haue deliuered the Iewes from all tiranny of the gentils neither did they yet see how that they should in Messias haue a spirituall deliuerance from their sinnes and death But those litle ones vnto whō Christ turned him selfe are the afflicted and poore christians which are dispysed in this world but deerely beloued children before God. ¶ Anna. What are these three parts of which the third part only remayneth ☞ Vrb. Two parts is that great multitude of the vngodly in the earth which are offended in Christ of which one part cannot abide the cros and tribulation but turneth back vnto the world and stifly cleaueth vnto it Another part suffereth them selues to be seduced frō the way of truth by false teachers to perish in their errors But the third part are the true godly which stedfastly stand to the gospel and become like vnto gold finely tryed and purifyed in the fire of temptation and persecution These are those true Christians who only doe obtain saluation because they abyde in the true fayth euen vnto the end and suffer not them selues by any meanes to be called or drawne from Christ Their fayth is tryed in tribulation by which they cal vpon the name of god in spirit and truth without hipocrisy and alwaies glorifie God and are hard of god God acknowledgeth them for his dearly beloued sōnes and they also confes god to be their most louing father Seeing then that the Prophets haue so often in time past prophesied that Christ and hys people should be persecuted and afflicted but yet that all crosses and tribulation should not either let or hinder Christ nor his church to attain vnto the ioy promised those two disciples ought not to haue been so offended at the death of Christ And he prophesyeth again of Christes kingdome saying The Lord shall be king ouer all the earth And here agayn Christ is called true god In that day shall there be one God and his name shall be one This is spoken of the vnity of the Christian fayth Before that time there were many fayned Gods but in the day of Messias shall the only true God alone be called vpon in Christ And who so will not come vp of all the families of the earth vnto Ierusalem to worship the king the Lord of hostes euen vpon them shal come no raine That is those which come not into the church of Christ and doe not with one consent together with all the faithfull adore Christ and acknowledge him to be the king of glory they shall be a cursed people vpon whom no rayne of the spirituall benediction shall fall For they which are not in the church of Christ haue neither the word of god nor faith nor mercy
lord Paul when he conuerted the gentiles vnto the fayth of Christ calleth that his labor the oblation of the Gentiles made acceptable and sanctified by the holy ghost Here we plainely see that the kingdome of Christ is a spirituall kingdome and that it is had vnder the cros For all they which are in that kingdome are priestes and offer vp sacrifice and therefore it is a priestly kingdome which is here in the world proued by affliction You haue not here any word or mention of an earthly dominion maiesty or pomp but you heare mention made of a kingdome which consisteth in spirite and fayth Iudah and Ierusalem to wit the Church of Christ offer vp in the tyme of Messias an excellent sacrifice vnto the Lord such as were the sacrifices of Abell Abraham Isaak and Iacob which were offered vp long before that Messias had receaued the law and ceremonies and brought to the Iewes ¶ Anna. What made the sacrifices in times past acceptable vnto the Lord ¶ Vrba Faith in Christ made them acceptable for the patriarks by fayth looked steadfastly for the promised blessings and grace of God in Messias And they offered vp yerely sacrifice honored God and gaue hym thanks with lowly and Christian harts for hys grace promised by this faith as Paul witnesseth to the Hebr. Because it is vnpossible to please God without fayth And Paul in that chapter reckneth vp also those holy Patriarch and fathers and sayth that their works pleased the Lord by faith And he speaketh of the faith in Christ which is a certaine and vndowted perswasion trust of gods grace towards vs in Christ The Lord vouchsafeth not to receaue any to grace but for Christ and in Christ Wherfore there is no other fayth that is true fayth but the fayth that is in Christ And the elect which were before the natiuity of Christ had this fayth as well as we haue it now and they were as good Christians as the Apostles and we are For there is but one gospel and one faith which saueth There is none saued vnles he be a Christifidelian that is vnles be beleue in Christ Mala. prophesieth in his 4. chap. of the ltater comming of christ vnto iudgmēt what should be the state of things in the last day and what shall be the portiō and end both of the godly and vngodly saying For behold the day commeth that shall burne as an ouen and all the proud yea and all that do wickedly shal be stouble and the day that commeth shal burn them vp sayth the Lord of hostes and shal leaue thē neyther root nor branch but vnto you that heare my name shall the sonne of righteousnes arise and health shal be vnder his wings and ye shall go forth and grow as fat calues and ye shall tread down the wicked for they shal be dust vnder the soole of your feet in that day that I shall do this sayth the Lord of hosts Remember the law of Moyses my seruaunt which I commaunded vnto hym in Horeb for all Israell with the statute and iudgments Behold I will send you Eliah the prophet before the comming of the great and fearfull day of the Lord and he shall turn the harts of the fathers vnto the children and the hartes of children to their fathers least I come and smite the earth with cursinges The day wherof Mala. speaketh here is that great day of our Lord Iesus Christ as Paul calleth it at which day Christ shall come in his maiestie with all the celestiall army to iudge the quick the dead as Peter sayth He shall come with fier and iudge the world Then the vngodly which haue not beleued the gospel but still continued in their sinnes shall be lyke strawe and the fier after the iudgement of condemnation shall compasse the wicked about and carry then away with it from the face of the earth out of Gods sight into hel into euerlasting fier which is ordayned for Sathā and his angels and the vnbeleuers as the psalme sayth Fier shall go before the Lord and Christ shall burne his enemies round about And this shall as surely come to passe as those thinges haue done which are written of Christ to wit that is borne dead risen agayne and sitteth at right hand of God and hath gathered together the Iewes and Gentiles vnto his sheepfould And then he saith The Lord of hosts the God omnipotent hath sayd it he surely can not deceaue or lye And although the wicked in this earth despise the Lord and his people are so puffed vp with pride and disdaine that they thinke the godly not onely not worthy to be spoken to but also vex and greatly iniury thē and so standing on their pantophles as if all the world were their own liue as they would for euer inioy these worldly pleasures and heare alwayes make mery yet shall they in the day of the Lord be confounded and so they and all theirs vanish away that they shall haue nothing at all left them All their temporall wealth pleasures ioy and euen their lyues also shal be taken from them And they shal neuer see those eternal treasures which they neglected and despised here vpon earth To be short they shal be rooted out from of this earth and cast into euerlasting torment And this doth Mala. signifie vnto vs where he saith the Lord God will leaue thē neither root nor brāch That is he will condemne them both body and soule and cast them for euer into euerlasting darcknes so that they shall neuer enioy nor look for either temporal or eternall life at the Lords hands for they shall be dealt with as Trees when we will vtterly destroy and root them out for then we do not only pull away a few bowes and lop it vnto the bole but we dig him vp by the root that it neuer spring any more But the state of the godly which shal haue feared the name of the Lord and beleued that after this temporall life they shal haue a better life and that Christ will at the last day surely iudge and geue vnto euery one according to that hee hath done shall be much better And therfore doe they in this life feare God as a iust iudge who will take accompt of euery idle word in the last day of iudgmēt and they loue him as a good father of whom they hope and assure them selues to receaue all good things euen as naturall Childrē seeing they haue here by patience in well doing sought that euerlasting life which the Lord hath promised them in Christ And therefore shall they receaue glory honor and immortality Whiche thing Mala. meaneth when he saith vnto them that feare the Lord shal the son of righteousnes arise That son is Iesus Christ he lightneth vs with true knowledge both of God and of our selues he onely by the beames of of fayth iustifieth vs for he
is the most splendent and bright son of all innocency and righteousnes in whom is neither blott cloud nor spot of sin He onely kindleth maketh warm our cold harts with the beames of his spirit he fructifieth our dry and parched ground that we may bring forth vnto him the fruits of righteousnes for without him we can do nothing that is good When this sun shal rise in his perfect brightnes thē shall it bring to vs that bright and wished day of liuely eternity and it shall shine vnto vs for euer and shall neuer go from vs Vnder the winges of this son is lyfe and health the Hebrew word in this place is maruell comming of this worde Ropho which signifieth to heale or medesine Note therfore that we are dāgerously and deadly sick For sinne hath destroyed and infected both our body and soule with deadly poyson The soule is full of sinne the body also is all sinfull and mortall so that of necessitie we had died for euer if the Lord had entered into Iudgement with vs but he gaue vs Christ the Phisition of our wounded and deadly sicke nature to deliuer mans nature from all sicknes and to restore vs both body and soule to perfect health He which calleth vpon this Phisition and beleueth in him shall be lightened and clerely deliuered both in body and soule from all sinne and euill which sin brought with it into the world the soule shal be clensed frō the staines of sin and frō euill thoughtes naughty lustes and vngodly desiers and the body shal be deliuered from mortalitie and corruption For this phisition is the Lord himselfe who for this cause onely tooke vpon him our nature that he might in vs make it altogether cleane innocent immortal and pure and saue it Whereupon the prophet sayth Health is vnder his winges For he which flieth to be vnder the winges of this son and seeketh health and saluatiō at his hāds is saued In deed these wordes are figuratiue but they meane nothing els but that which the Euangelistes and Apostles speake in plaine wordes to wit that he which beleueth in Christ shall be saued and haue euerlasting lyfe But if he which beleeueth in Christ hath euerlasting life surely he hath also true and euerlasting health For he which abideth in his sinns abideth in a most dangerous disease dieth an euerlasting death For the wrath of God abideth on him But he which layeth hold on Christ as one the true phisition by fayth he obtaineth euerlasting health both of body and soule Christ verely cōpareth himselfe to a phisition in Math. saying that he came vnto the sicke men as the phisition to the sick and he mightely shewed and exercised this art in this earth all the time of his pilgrimage when he healed and restored not onely the soules frō sinne and the bodies from all kinde of sicknes and diseases but raised them vp euen from the dead ¶ Anna. What meaneth Malachy in that he saith you shall goe forth and grow vp as fat calues or you shall goe forth and daunce or leape and come in like a fatted calfe ☞ Vrb. This is a figuratiue kind of speech spoken of the godly to whom the word of God is a most pleasant pasture for it shall goe wel with them in the last day For then shall they be free and safe from all euill sinne lust feare heauines and persecution Wherupon Paul calleth the last day the day of redemption And Christ in Luke exhorteth the godly to lift vp their heads when the day of the Lord draweth nye because then their redemption also is at hand Then shall that last enemy of the godly to wit death be destroyed and mortality shal be swallowed vp in the life of Christ Then shall they all haue lyberty and ability to be alwayes with Christ without any impedimēt of the body Now the body is slothful loytering and weake but at the last day it shal be as cleere as the sun immortall elegant strong puissant liuely suttle neate pure spirituall and nimble and haue eternall health For they are saued both in body and soul as our creed doth teach vs I beleeue the rising again of the flesh which with the soule must be glorifyed and haue euerlasting life The vngodly here in this earth doe miserably kick treade vpon afflict iniury and mock the godly and count thē as ofscourings of the earth nay they iudge them to be most wicked men of all and euen sacrifices for sinnes For the elect shall haue tribulation euen vnto the last day but when Christ the sonne of righteousnes shall come down from heauen to seperate chaffe from wheat to wit his seruants from the wicked then shall there be an alteration of all things then shal the pompe brauery and glory of this world with all the foolish confidence therof fail and fall Then shall the wicked be tumbled down from their honor and be for euer vtterly shamed and be made our footstole Then shall they be broaken and troaden down and be contemned for euer and be more filthy and vile then the durt in the streetes For he which here suffereth with Christ shall in the world to come be glorifyed and raign with Christ for euer But he which here beleueth not the gospell in this life and is not like to Christ our head in the crosse he at the last iudgement shall be condemned vnto horrible and euerlasting death lamentations calamities and miseries with all the deuils in hell And this shall the Lord of Zebooth or the Lord of hostes doe He shall bring that day vpon the world when it shall liue most securely and vnto his that is vnto the Christifidelians he shal geue that kingdome of glory which by the prophets and euangelistes he hath promised them In the wordes following he exhorteth the people that they call to mind the law of Moyses as if he had sayd the time of Messias is not far of it is euen now at hand Beware and watch that ye despice not the day of your visitation that when the Lord commeth you be not offended at him Moyses hath foretold you in Deuter. that the Lord wil rayse vp vnto you a prophet of your bretheren like vnto him to Moyses that is one which is true man as Moyses was he shall teach by the commaundementes of God and the Lord will punish him which will not heare him For Moyses saith that God will require it of them that is they which wil not beleue the gospell of Messias shal at the last day geue account vnto the lord and for their vnbeleefe they shall be iudged in the Lords anger If the Iewes had obayed this admonition and more diligently sought Christ in Moyses if they had learned better to know his person and office seeing Moyses speaketh so plainly of Christ then had they not so wickedly and cursedly despysed that day of their visitation but would haue imbraced Christ