notwithstanding so great knowledge and light of the word yet so few beleue All the other multitude hateth this doctrine as a pernicious and erronious thyng as though it sette men at libertie to do all kynde of mischief and to lyue without regard of honestie and godlynes neyther can reason iudge otherwise And therefore is the doctrine of faith set foorth to christians for that the thyngs set foorth in the worde are not agreable to naturall capacitie But yet they count it worthy to be beleued because it is Gods worde whiche wyll when the tyme is come bryng it to passe Then shall we haue perfect vnderstanding of that that now passeth our capacitie But the Scripture is full of examples Dauid before that he fought with Goliath beleued that he shold ouerthrowe and kyll that huge and myghtye gyaunt And this he declared to Saule The Lorde saith he that delyuered me out of the hand of the lyon and out of the hand of the beare shal delyuer me out of the hand of this Philistine Lykewise he sayeth agayne This vncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them that reuile the hoste of the lyuyng GOD. And agayne he saythe to the Philistine The Lorde shall geue thee in to my hande and I shall strike thee and cutte of thy head These wordes bee spoken of the mouth of Dauid but yf they were Dauids wordes onely and not the wordes of God they should neuer haue taken effect But they are Gods and Dauid beleued them before they came to passe Wherfore afterward they toke effect and it maketh no matter that some thoughte it a foolyshe enterprise and therefore coulde not beleue that it should come to passe as it dyd afterward For it semed impossible that Dauid beyng but a yonge man shoulde with suche a little stone ouerthrowe suche a greate Gyant But Dauid beleueth it and dothe it in dede Then the matter appered certayne and not fayned When he came fyrste and spake the worde reason iudged it a vayne and a foolyshe enterprise For after this maner dyd reason counte Dauid is yong and a shepheard without knowledge of the feats of warre and nowe he gothe forthe vnarmed with a staffe and a slyng as though he would fyght with a dogge But the gyant is harneissed and commeth with his shielde and speare Wherfore he crieth oute and sayth Thou foolyshe boy takest thou vpon thee that that none in the hoste durste take And Dauid hym selfe sawe no more then this by reason but he beleued more euen that God woulde reuenge this blasphemie and saue hym and so it came to passe But to be short this is the maner of all good wordes and workes that before they are done they seme impossible and yet they take effect And when they ar come to passe then they seme easy to reason But before they are done they belonge not to reason but to Faith For where as we are washed from sin by baptisme and shall rise agayne from death in the last day reason shal neuer vnderstand it And especially sith the saintes and godly men haue so diuers chances Wherof some are cast as a pray vnto wyld beastes and foules of the ayre Some are burnt and their ashes cast into the flood What crueltie vsed the Pope agaynste that holye manne Iohn Husse at Constantia Here reason thynketh Howe can God recouer his body agayne Nothynge woorketh this but Gods worde Wherefore no man oughte to count it impossible although it seme to syght so to bee But nothyng is vnpossible to them that beleue For al the effect and ende of the matter lyeth in Gods power whych is almightie and maketh all thynges of nothyng What were we an hundred yeare agone No more than a chylde that is borne thirtie or fortie yeares after vs Wherfore sythe this is Gods maner to make all thyng of nothynge then can he muche more make agayne somewhat of that that was before Wherefore the godly must not consyder whether a thyng be possible but whether GOD hath sayd it shal be done be it neuer so vnpossible to syght For althoughe that can not appere to me yet God hym self is he that maketh thinges impossible to be possible and of nothing all thynges Wherfore all that calle Gods worde to the tryall of reason are woorthy to bee abhorred For is not God able to rayse the deade because it is not in my power Wherefore lette euery man esteeme it a greate wyckednesse to trye or ponder Goddes power and worde by reason and carnall iudgement For yf all thynges myghte bee vnderstande and comprehended by oure reason God neded not to shewe foorthe hys worde But for as muche as he geueth his word it is a token that there bee thynges whiche our reason can not conceaue and comprehend And we learne by experience that the word of God is aboue and agaynste all reason I shewe thee the remission of synnes and absolue thee by the commaundemente of CHRIST Thou hearest the woorde and when thou hast hearde it and receaued absolution yet thou doest not perceaue howe great familiaritie thou haste thereby with GOD and the Angelles Thou knowest nothynge of that great ioye whereof Christe speaketh howe greately the Angelles in heauen reioycethe vppon one synner that doothe repente So whenne thou arte nowe baptysed there appearethe in thy fleshe no other fourme then was before But I pray thee is absolution and Baptisme therefore of no strength Thynke not so but hyghly esteme them for that they are belongyng to the administration of Goddes kyngedome and commaunded by his word Wherefore we muste by faythe surely beleue for the wordes sake that thynge that thou shoulde neuer perceaue trewe by thy sence and reason And this Faith as touchynge the great beneuolence of God towarde hym selfe is surely perswaded beleuynge that the father taketh hym for his sonne and CHRIST for his brother and that the angelles greately reioyce of his prosperous estate If it please not the Pope to beleue this what is that to vs God is shewed to haue respecte vnto theym that esteeme hys woorde and thynke it woorthye to bee beleued And the Euangeliste poynteth an example of suche a Faithe in the blynde Hee perceyued by reasone noo lykelynesse of the matter but susteyneth an vncurable euyll But as soone as the woorde of CHRIST soundeth in his eares Looketh vp he beleueth it and the thyng came to passe This worde was by it selfe pronounced before the effect appered For the eyes of the blynde were as yet not open but forthwith after the word because it was beleued folowed the effecte and then the vnderstandyng of the matter was easye to the blynde After lyke maner goeth it wyth the disciples in this place Christ reherseth vnto them the hystorie of those thinges that should be done at Hierusalem and they because they vnderstode them not toke it for no truth Not because they suspected anye vayne talke in CHRISTE but they thought that
commaundement vntill Samuel comme and annoint hym kyng yea and the hystorie maketh speciall mention that he had seuen proude and stately brothers whiche despised hym as the yongest But God saieth to Samuell Let passe these stately persones annoint hym kyng whom I shewe vnto thee for I wyll none of the other Dauid when he was nowe exalted of God is not stately For if he had ben so he should haue ben reiected of God after the example of Saul But for as muche as he sheweth modestie and lowlynes although he be put besyde his kyngedome yet dothe he recouer it agayne and is also aduaunced to great renoume of God for that that hee promiseth that Christ shall procede of his stocke and kynred All these thynges are written and declared in sermons to the intente that wee shoulde vse humilitie and beware of pride and not saye after the maner of the stately Who canne abyde thys drudgerie Lette vs couete to lyue more gentylmanlyke But whenne thou thynkest thus thou arte more certayne of nothynge then that GOD is made thy aduersarie therby For thys is trewe that God can not abyde pride and loftynesse as we haue exaumples to proue thys euery where For what other thyng thynkest thou to be the cause of so great trouble in the world and that there is suche a multitude of rustikes barbarous rude and wretched men then because they were delited in theyr youth with pride licētious liuyng wherfore after that God counteth them not worthy to be regarded of hym neither can they euer waxe thriftie in any kynd of lyfe For this is surely decreed that what so euer exalteth it selfe shall be brought lowe Contrarily what soeuer humbleth it self that God can not chose but exalte Moste hearty thankes bee vnto our God whiche hathe shewed forthe to vs this day this doctrine and graunt vs his grace that we may shew our selues obedient to this doctrine through Iesu Christe Amen The xviii Sonday after trinitie Sonday The Gospell Math xxii WHen the Phariseis had heard that Iesus dyd put the Saduceis to scilence they came together and one of them whiche was a doctour of lawe asked hym a question temptyng hym and sayinge Master whiche is the greatest commaundement in the lawe Iesus sayde vnto hym Thou shalt loue the Lorde thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soule and with all thy mynde This is the fyrst and greatest commaundement And the seconde is like vnto it Thou shalt loue thy neyghbour as thy selfe In these two commaundementes hange all the lawe and the Prophetes Whyle the Phariseis were gathered together Iesus asked them saying what thynke ye of Christe Whose sonne is he They sayde vnto hym the sonne of Dauid He sayde vnto them Howe then doth Dauid in spirite call hym Lorde saying The Lorde sayd vnto my Lorde sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy foote stoole If Dauid then call hym Lorde howe is he then his sonne And no man was hable to aunswere him any thing neyther durst◠any man from that day forth aske him any mo questions THE EXPOSITION IN this Gospel are two thynges to be marked aboue all other The one is of that scribe which demandeth what is the greatest commandement in the lawe The other howe Christ demaundeth again the phariseis as touching Christ whose son he shold be For Dauid in spirit calleth him his lord The first question declareth that the ignorance blindnes of the Iewes was so great that they had forgottē the ten commaundementes which children are wont to learne by heart Wherfore it were an easy thyng for a chylde to geue them answer The first and greatest commandement is Thou shalt haue no other Gods but me But the phariseys and scribes take it not for the greatest and they be fallen to suche foly that they call in question what that commandement should be One saieth that it is sacrifice an other to geue almes an other to fast and to vse a peculiar kynd of apparell c. As we see it to come to passe when men fall from Gods commaundement and worde and ordeyn and sette vp other workes for them selfe of their owne inuentyng For this came to passe with oure religious men also when they became cloysterers they made their profession they had no propre goodes and therwith they forgat also what is faithe and what is charitie And their Religion they called afterwarde the state of perfection But is not a chyld now more able to declare what is the state of perfection then all the monkes The reason is that they haue only in their syght their rules of their profession But a christen man saieth To be perfect signifieth to feare and loue God to profite thy neighbour with al kynd of benefit For god gaue no other cōmaundement But at last the matter came to that poynte that ceremonies be inuented whiche appeare pleasant and full of pompe as when dayes vestures meats be chosen wherin they diffre from the other multitude This moueth the eyes of the rude and turneth them on them selues But in the mean tyme the principall workes and commandementes where as God is commaunded to be loued and thy neighbour to bee holpen is cleane left a side as the example of the phariseys and Scribes is euident in this place Wherfore thys is a notable exaumple where as suche notable learned menne were in so great blyndnesse that they knewe not whiche was the greatest or smallest precepte And yet if a man may say the truthe they were doctours whiche oughte to make declaration to the people howe God was to be worshypped truely As oure religious menne bee also If a man shoulde demaunde of them as touchynge good woorkes and what is to be doone they woulde not putte foorthe the tenne commaundementes but aunswere that he must become a religious man and bye Masses go on pilgrimage faste c. But this is nothyng els then to withdraw men frō the true cōmandements vnto trifles And such reward haue they at length for theyr errors that folow mans doctrine and sett foorth suche workes as touchyng the whych God gaue no commaundement By suche are menne deceaued so that they haue no more respecte to the tenne commaundementes but doo let them wholly passe For yf it were not for that it would not haue ben harde for them to answere that that is the greatest precepte that God commanded But the phariseys Scribes priests and monkes knewe not that Wherefore this erroure is to bee auoyded and your owne foolyshe deuotion is alwaies to be eschued ▪ But contrarily the Catechisme and Christian discipline is not lightly to be regarded yf that menne woulde be instructed to know what is theyr duetie to doo For here we doo learne that GOD is to bee loued and that we muste haue no other Gods that is we oughte to preferre nothyng before the loue of God but rather to lette all thyngs passe and to suffer all thynges for his
euery man so consider his neyghbour when he doth hym good that god may take it as done vnto hymselfe Then is ther nothyng in the worlde so vile base with which God may not be serued The seruant in the stable The mayde in the dayrie or kitchyn the child in the schole yea all shoulde be the Lordes seruantes and worshippers if they woulde do that diligently that God commande So shoulde houses be made churches where as nothyng is kepte but gods seruice But no man caÌ„ be persuaded to care for this No man will serue his neyghbour All men endeuer to serue them selues to seke their owne commoditie Wherfore euen as by doing good to our neyghbour we may worke a thing acceptable to god So the world doth alway gratifie and please the deuill in that it regard not Charitie toward his neyghbour But the ende therof will be sorowfull For how can this please God wher as god hath ordayned his seruice to be done so nigh that with out in the felde within in the house whersoeuer thou doest the workes of thy vocation thou art occupied as it were in an holy temple wher moste acceptable seruice may be done to god And yet we regard it not but despise it and had rather serue the deuil than hym Wherfore learne this that he that geueth a benefite to his neyghbour doth it not only to his neyghbour but to his heauenly father also For there is a sayinge in this place that God will take this to be done vnto him euen as though it were done to hym in heauen For els woulde not Christ haue sayde The second is lyke the first He that can not be brought into this beleife that he maye do heauenly thynges in the earth and that he may fynde euery where a temple let hym get hym to the deuill For euen as thou mayest make thee here a Paradise and an heauen when thou doest good to thy neyghboure for therin thou doest good to God whiche is in heauen so when thou doest not good to thy neyghboure thou makest a hell and damnation for thy selfe For thou doest gratifie the deuill whiche is appointed to hell Neither doth it skyll if thou doest not yet see it and fele it For the tyme shall come when thou shall both fele it and see it when thou shalte accuse thy selfe for thy stubburnes and great folye Wherfore it were very necessarie for vs to learne to exercise oure selues to doe good vnto our neyghbours For all thynges are geuen to vs from god to this entent hole and perfect senses riches vnderstandynge and suche other that we myght therby obey this commaundement and do to hym this seruice And as this doctrine as concernynge loue of GOD and our neyghbour belongeth to this present lyfe So the second doctrine whiche teacheth whose sonne Christe is doth teache vs howe we maye obtaine an other euerlastynge lyfe after this lyfe For we shall not obtayne euerlastynge lyfe by this if we knowe howe GOD and oure neyghbour ought to beloued of vs althoughe we begyne to performe this in dede with all diligence as the Phariseyes dyd suppose whiche thought that if they had Moses they neded no more But Christ sheweth here that this preuayleth not vnto the obtayninge of euerlastyng lyfe We must clyme and ascend to a hyer steppe and learne perfectly what is Christ and whose sonne he is The Phariseâ—es knewe that he should be the son of Dauid But Christe requireth more in this place The reason is this For if Christe were no more but the sonne of Dauid he must nedes die as Dauid dyd and should he haue only a corporal kyngdome But Christ hath an eternall kyngdome And Dauid his father calleth hym father in spirite Howe doth this agree that Christ should be both Dauides sonne and Lorde This is a question to the whiche the Phariseyes can make no answer neither can any of the Iewes at this present time answere therto In this question is nothing beloÌ„ging to thy neighbour to charitie to good workes But this is intented euen to teache vs to know what Christ is He that learneth yâ— can not wander froÌ„ the kyngdom of heauen and euerlasting life For it is not sufficient to euerlasting lyfe to know the law what is to be don The reason is this Because that also is required that it should be done Which thing is wont to procede very slowly Wherfore this is of necessitie required euen to know perfectly what CHRIST is Wherfore Christ doth so put forth the question and byddeth them to make answere whose sonne Christe is which after the flesh was Dauids sonne But for as muche as Dauid calleth him not son but his Lord yea and such a Lord that sitteth at the right hande of god to whoÌ„ god wil make all his enemies his footstoole By this questioÌ„ Christ mindeth to stirre vp the Iewes and all vs to haue a more hygher iudgement of Christ to beholde him with other maner of eyes than with suche as see hym only to be the son of Dauid For he is Dauids Lorde also that is he is not only a man but also very God borne eternallie out of the father Or els would not Dauid haue called him Lorde if he had not ben more then a man and if he had only byn Dauids sonne For Dauid was an excellent holy man and a most learned Kyng and yet he calleth Christ which is his sonne lorde As though he should say and openly confesse-My son passeth me farre I am a Kyng and beare the name of his father but yet he is my lord and such a Lord that sitteth at the right hand of God and by gods commandement beareth rule ouer all his enemies For wher as he is a man it is easie to iudge what maner of enemies he hath euen the deuill death as Paule gathereth out of this very psalme If the deuill then death ought to be made a footestoole to this sonne of Dauid that he might be their Lord this must nedes folowe that a godly power is in this sonne of Dauid For without this vertue he coulde do nothyng against death and the deuill no more then other men can By this meanes than doth Christ bringe vs to the true meaning declaring the way to euerlasting lyfe The law is a most profitable necessary doctrine For it sheweth what we ought to do to please God to serue him to escape yâ— punishement of sinne But this doctrine belongeth only to this present lyfe But for as much as after this life we must come to an other lyfe which is euerlastynge the doctrine of the lawe preuayleth nothing ther vnto The reason is There can be no hope of lyfe excepte we be whollie ridde and deliuered froÌ„ sinne And although the law be geuen to this ende that sinne might be restrained yet synnes be not therby layde a syde Wherfore we haue nede of an other
doctrine aboue the lawe For syth we can not perfectly fulfill the lawe The law causeth vs to haue an euil conscience to feare gods wroth for our synnes sake Wherfore this doctrine tendeth to this ende that thou sholdest learne what is Christ and what he hath done And nowe this is his voyce that he is not onely the son of Dauid as the Iewes beleue but also Dauids Lord that is an euerlastinge and verye god But what dothe he he putteth asyde from hym the forme of god as Paule sayeth and becommeth a man He taketh vpon hym the deathe of the Crosse. And why so Uerilye because he is the sonne of god that is to saye a sacrifice for the synnes of the worlde After that he dyed and rosse agayne the thyrde day from death vnto euerlastinge lyfe and sytteth at the ryghte hande of god This must we learne and beare awaye as touchinge Christ. For he that holdethe this faste is safe He that holdeth it not shall perishe vnder his synnes The reason is we are all synners and the lawe doth not only not deliuer vs from oure synnes but maketh vs more greuous synners agaynst god accuseth vs before God so that we are in greate daunger and can fynde no wayes to escape by all that we can doe In sinnes are we conceaued and borne and the longer that oure lyfe is the more do oure synnes encrease For this burden is put on vs not as an other burden which we may put downe cast of when we will It cleaueth to our very mary bones most secret parts of vs neuer suffereth vs to be at reast as we cā not denie this if we wold cōsider wel proue our strēgth Against this is this the only remedie to learne what is Christ. For assone as thou knowest who he is and then what he doth this is the very way to come vnto saluation The reason why is this If thou be a sinner and haste sinned muche againste God haue respecte to this God sendeth this Christ to suffer for synners to make satisfaction for synnes But what should this debte trouble the whiche that most riche Christe hath taken vpon hym to pay yea and hath payd it allredie wherfore this only remaineth that thou embrace with true confidence and fayth this death and crosse of Christe This can be vnknowen to no man that death is dewe to vs all and no man can haue any hope of a priuilege for the contrarie When we are dead we are vndone We can not helpe our selues But consider wherof commeth death Is it not for sinnes sake Nowe haste thou heard wher thou muste set remission of thy synnes euen in the death of thy Lorde Iesu Christ. This Christ whan he was deade remained not in death But he arose frō death to lyfe And this is a sure profe that he is Lord ouer death Wherfore euen as thou hast remission of syn through hym so by him thou hast euerlastyng lyfe in that he shall rayse thee vp againe thy flesh bodie in the last day And this the true knowing of Christ to know whose sonne he is euen the son of Dauid For he is a mā yet neuertheles the Lord of Dauid which sitteth at the right hāde of god hath for his footstoole his enemis sin death and hel Wherfore he y◠nedeth any helpe against these enemies must not require it of Moses nor of the law nor of his own worke or righteousnes but let him require it of the son Lord of dauid wheras he shal be sure to find it This doth the idle kind of Phariseies not know Wherfore they care not for Christ are cōtent with this that they know out of the law how god the neighbour is to be loued Wheras yet it is not possible that god shold be knowen I will not speake of the loue of him except Christ be knowen firste As he saith in Math. 11. No man knoweth the father but the sonne he to whom the son openeth him And this is the cause why Christ by this occasiō moueth this presēt questiō As though he should saye This ye know that god is to be loued But ye shal neuer loue god with all your heart wyth all your soule with all your mynde excepte ye knowe Christ well and perceaue who he is For how can we otherwise knowe what grace and mercie God hath geuen vnto vs This is no smale thinge that God hath made vs and geuen vs bodie and soule and all thinges But we vse these thinges but for a litle time in this lyfe But herein appeareth moste especially the riches and great goodnes and mere mercy of God wheras he spared not his only begotten sonne but deliuered hym vnto the death of the Crosse for our sinnes that we should be deliuered from sinne and obtayne euerlasting lyfe through hym This is the euerlasting infinite and incomprehensible loue and grace whiche no man can know excepte he know Christ. And therfore he can neuer loue God truely without Christ. Wherfore it appeareth hereby what the Phariseies and Scribes get by their question Euen this verely that they are openly conuicted of Christ before them al that they can talke much of the loue of God But they vnderstande not nor yet perceaue the leaste part therof truely And wheras they knowe not god whiche hath bestowed so great benefittes and liberalitie vpō them how shall they loue their neyghbour that hath nede of their helpe and can recompence nothynge for their pouertie Wherfore let vs highly esteme this doctrine and let vs geue thankes to God with all oure heart that we are deliuered out of vncredible darkenes vnder the Popedome euen like as the darkenes of the Iewes were here And we haue the pure doctrine of Christ wherby we do not only knowe howe we ought to be deliuered and saued from sin but we receaue the holy ghost Whiche by this doctrine moueth oure mindes so farre that we may begin to loue God and our neyghbour The whiche thing our Lord Iesus Christ graunt vs. Amen Amen The .xix Sonday after Trinitie ¶ The Gospell Math. ix IEsus entred into a shipe and passed ouer and came into his owne citie And beholde they brought to him a man sicke of the paulsey lying in abedde And when Iesus sawe the faythe of them he sayd to the sicke of the paulsey Sonne be of good cheare thy sinnes be forgeuen thee And beholde certayne of the Scribes sayde within them selues this man blasphemethe And when Iesus sawe theyr thoughtes he sayde Wherefore thynke ye euyll in your heartes Whether is it easier to saye thy sinnes be forgeuen thee or to saye aryse and walke But that ye maye knowe that the sonne of man hath power to forgeue sinnes in earth Then sayeth he to the sicke of the paulsye Aryse take vp thy bedde and go vnto thine house And he rose and departed to his
not they are not to be obeyed but to be frely spokē agaīst althoughe losse of life shold folow therof For the gospell spareth no mā but reproueth the sinnes of all men generally without exceptiō Therfore let the pastors preachers diligently consider the greatnes wayght of their office remēbring that they must geue an accoūte therof at the great day of iudgemēt if they frely speake not to all men without feare rebuke those thinges that are worthy to be reproued be the persones of hye or low degree Why then shold we preachers for thy cause O thou maiestrate cast our selues into daunger serue thy lustes cōtrarie to our office It is not our worde Neither are we in this office to serue thy tourne as men hyred of thee to teach such things as maye please thy fansye the preachers may not do so neither wyl they do so nor yet ought they so to do He that is not willing to heare these thinges let him seke other that may serue his lustes so that this ministery be free wherunto God hath geuen authoritie power to rebuke sinnes yea the sinnes of all men And these are the three kindes of men whom Christ in this his most noble miracle hath censoures Iudges The first praise it allow it meruel at it the secōd hate it blaspheme it The third wolde haue such miracles wrought as they appoint neither are they any other at all times before whom the gospell is preached in the worlde Therfore the preachers in this behalfe must as Christ did dispute reason cōtēd with the aduersaries by no meanes suffer them or wincke at them but stoutly and valeauntly defende the Lord Christ his cause worde what soeuer aduersitie foloweth and not to regarde thoughe they seme to labour in vaine and to profite fewe We haue done our dutie if we haue disclosed their blasphemies If they heare not farewel they so that they vnderstand what they haue done and whom they haue contemned despised set at naught blasphemed and rayled vpon Christ first of al answereth thē that sayde he cast out deuils by the helpe of Beelzebub prince of the deuils These he cōfuteth with such a reasō as no reasonable mā can deny it That kingdom saieth he which is deuided in it selfe must nedes come to desolation If therfore one deuil cast out an other this then foloweth that y◠deuilles are together by the eares amōg them selues so must their kyngdom come to naughte And this is so true that euen in families or housholdes discorde maketh hauocke of al thinges For if the man the wife be at variance amonge them selues stryue one to hurte an other one to speake euill of an other then must the familie and housholde nedes perishe come to naught Examples do teache that discorde weakeneth maketh feble and vtterly destroyeth whole Empires Kyngdomes Cittes comon wealthes houses families Therfore the Phariseyes and Scribes are here vtterlye besyde them selues and clene out of their wyttes wantyng not only the Iudgemēt of the spirit but also of reason as our aduersaries also the papistes are madde vtterly estraūged from all reason whyle they contemne and condemne so manifest trueth For althoughe we had no scriptures yet were we able to defende our matters and confounde theirs euen with very reason But this helpeth nothyng al our labour is but loste so styffnecked and vncircuncised both in heartes and eares are our aduersaries the papistes And this here is worthy to be noted that Christe sayeth the deuill hath a kyngdome and suche a kyngdom as greatly agreeth in it selfe and defendeth their matters with high concorde and perfecte agrement so that whosoeuer prouoketh one deuill prouoketh and stirreth vp all He that hurteth one maketh all the residue his enemies otherwise if they lyued not in suche a concorde we shoulde plucke awaye many mo from the papistes vnto oure side That all do not beleue receaue the worde the cause is that the kyngdome of the deuil is so mightie and defendeth all their thinges by diligent coniunction and coupling together of consentes myndes This kyngdom doste thou disturbe and greue when thou receauest baptisme hearest the worde of God receauest the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ. That the deuill doth not ouercom thee it is because that as in the deuils kyngdom there is hygh agremēt so likewise in the kingdom of Christ there is most true concord and singular linkyng together of myndes Therefore when the deuill assaulteth thee and goeth about to vexe and trouble thee he hath also to his ennemy hym that sitteth on the right hand of God the father euen Christ thyne heade as he saide vnto Paule Saul Saul why persecutest thou me This is to be taken for a myghty and strong defence yea and an inuincible fortresse I meane to be a christen man seynge we haue so myghtie a kyngdome against vs yea we shoulde not be certaine of our helth and saluation one moment of an houre if oure helpe were not sure and certain in the grace of God if God did not assist vs and be present with vs thorowe his holy spirite But here may an obiection be made against Christes confutation that the Exorcistes or cōiurers although they be a wicked kinde of people cast out deuils also Uerily al this cometh not of God but of the deuill We reade of a man that was possessed with many deuils yet a certain priest that was a coniurer and vsed sorcerie was so bold as to put his hād into the mans mouth that was so possessed And what other thing is this then one deuil to cast out an other I answer Paul saith that the deuill in the latter days shall worke wonders and do miracles yet shall they not be true miracles but fained counterfait and false For he worketh not those miracles to aduance the Gospell of Christ and to sette forth the glorie of God but to bryng men from the true faythe and to caste them headlong into all kynde of idolatrie There haue bene certain sainctes as they were wont to calle them as our Lady of Ipswiche our Lady of Walsingham the Roode of rest the roode of Grace S. Peter M. Iohn Shorne c. to whom they were wont in tyme past to sende such as were possessed with the deuyll that they myght there bee made whole and so manye tymes it came to passe But the deuyll was not therfore caste out as though he coulde no longer haue there remained but he was content gladly to depart to confirme them in their superstition and vnbeliefe As the deuill also hath many tymes fained that he is afeard of an halowed candell salt palmes holy water holy bread holy fyre c. When notwithstandynge he dyd it only to this ende to encrease superstition to banishe all true faith and religion to driue men from the lyuyng