Melchisedech And therfore not onely this prophet but also the whole church desired him whom their soule most dearely loued that it would please him to shew them where his abiding was and to drawe them after him that so they might runne and behold king Salomon euen runne and beholde him with the crowne wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his marriage and in the day of the gladnesse of hys heart Agayne it was sayd of Christ by the prophet Esaiah that there should come a rod forth of the stock of Ishai and a graffe should grow out of hys rootes vpon whome the spirite of the Lord should rest euen the spirite of wisedome and vnderstanding the spirite of counsell and courage the spirit of knowledge and of the feare of the Lord. That a virgin should conceiue and bring him forth That they shoulde call his name Emmanuel that is euen God with vs That they should call his name wonderfull councellor the mightie God the euerlasting father the prince of peace And that wheras the faithfull citie had lost both iudgement and iustice Christ shoulde come and sit vpon the throne of Dauid to order it and to establish both iudgement and iustice thereon for euer Moreouer it was sayd by the same prophet that a voyce shoulde goe before hym in the wildernesse That it should cry prepare the way of the Lord make straight in y â— desart a path for our God That the glory of the Lord should be reuealed by hym and that all fleshe should see it together That the Lord would say of him Behold my seruant vpon whome I will stay myne elect in whome my soule delighteth That the Lord woulde annoynt him with his holy spirite and send hym to preache good tidinges to the poore to binde vp the broken hearted to preach libertie to the captiues and to them that were bound the opening of the prison That by hym the eyes of the blinde should be lightened the eares of the deafe be opened That the lame man should leape as an heart and the dumme mans toonge should sing for toy That he should preach that moste acceptable yeare of the Lord euen that great Iubilee wherby they might inioy bewtie for ashes the oyle of ioy for mourning and the garment of gladnesse in stead of the spirite of heauinesse And moreouer that hee should make vnto all people a feast of fat thinges euen a feast of fined wynes and of fat thinges full of marrow and of wynes fined and purified And that he should destroy the couering that couered all nations that so the people that walked in darkenes might see great light and that they that dwelled in the land of the shadow of death might say that vpon them great light had shined And that not onely should hee be giuen for a light of the Gentiles but aso for a couenant of the people euen to be the full glory of them the ioy of the whole earth because that like sheep they had all gone astray and for that they had turned euery one vnto theyr owne wayes Therefore the prophet sheweth that Christ should be wounded for al their transgressions and broken for their iniquities That the chastisement of theyr peace should be vppon hym and that with hys stripes should they be all healed That he should be oppressed afflicted brought as a sheepe to the slaughter and yet woulde he not open his mouth agaynst them That his backe shoulde meete with smyters hys cheekes with nippers his face with shame and spitting and yet would hee not hide it from them but put it forward as a flint That notwithstanding Christ would poure out his soule vnto death as an offering for theyr sinnes beare all their infirmities carrie all their inquities and sorrowes on his backe yet would they iudge hym as one plagued and smitten of God yea the prophet sheweth that they would condemne him amongest the transgressors and make his graue with the wicked That they would despise him reiect hym and accompt hym as one without forme or bewtie yea and although he should be as a sanctuary yet would they make him as a stone to stumble at and as a rocke to fall vpon euen to both the houses of Israel should he become as a snare and as a net Agayne the prophet sheweth that notwithstanding they for theyr partes would forsake him yet should hee the roote of Ishai stand vp for a signe vnto the people to the intent that all nations should seeke vnto hym because hys rest should be glorious And that the Lord would stretch out hys hand again the second time that so he might possesse the remnant of hys people euen of hys people which shoulde be left of Ashur of Egypt of Pathros of Ethyopia of Elam of Shinar of Hamah and of the Isles of the sea and that he would destroy the toonge of the Egyptian sea and with hys mightie winde lift vp his hand ouer the riuer smit hym in hys seuen streames and cause men to walke therin with shoes that so there might be a path to the remnant of hys people which should be left of Ashur euen a path to seeke vnto this signe that should be set vp not onely for the naturall Israel dispersed but also for all nations and strangers that would cleaue vnto the Lord as for them of Medyan of Ephah of Sheba of Nebaioh and Keder and that all these would bring giftes of gold of incense and of all their riches to the house of the Lord and set forth his prayses therein to the intent they might be accepted vpon him the holy aulter and that by them the house of the Lorde myght be bewtified That they shoulde say of him Lo this is our God we haue wayted for him and he wyl saue vs Lo this is the Lorde we haue wayted for him we wyll reioyce and be ioyfull in his saluation because as sayth this Prophet he should destroy death for euer and wype away teares from all faces because he would take away the rebuks of his people from all the earth And moreouer for that he shoulde haue the key of the house of Dauid committed to his charge and power geuen hym to shut and no man to open and to open and no man to shut agaynst hym and for that in mercie shoulde his throne be prepared and for that he shoulde sitte vpon it in stedfastnes in the tabernacle of Dauid iudging and seeking iudgement and hasting iustice and for that he woulde not be discouraged vntyll he had brought foorth iudgement in trueth and vntyll he had established both iudgement and iustice in the earth that so the Iles myght wayte for his law though Israel woulde not so and therefore sayth this Prophet Though Israel would not be gathered by hym yet shoulde he be
in him no although he had done so many great workes and myracles before them but still despised the councell of God agaynst themselues and would not daunce nor leape for ioy no although y ◠prophets as you see had cōtinually piped vnto them Now if you maruell how they could be so blinde as not to see since the light was so bright and Christ so plainly manifested vnto them I will shew you why in few wordes that is because they knewe not the scriptures for so our sauiour doth tel thē saying Ye erre not knowing the scriptures For whereas they should haue made the word of God their onely meditation they had established in stead thereof the precepts and doctrines of men and so made the word of God of no authoritie as our sauiour also telleth them Besides it was so far from their delight as that they had skarce read so much thereof as that one part which told them that the stone which they would refuse should be made the head of the corner And therefore because they had thus cast off the law of the Lord of hostes and would not beleeue the writinges of Moses and the prophetes all which would haue lead them vnto Christ No maruell was it though he cast off them neyther that he should take from them that little vnderstanding which they seemed to haue according as he telleth hys Disciples saying To him that hath shall be giuen in more aboundance and to hym that hath not shall be taken away euen that little which hee seemeth to haue So that to those that had a desire to know the booke of God which paynted them out the Messias to them it was giuen to know the secretes of y ◠kingdome of heauen but to al those that cast it off to them it was not giuen So that in them was fulfilled y ◠prophcie of Esaias which prophesie saith by hearing they should heare but not vnderstande and seeing they should see but not perceiue And the reason was for that their hearts were waxen fat and their eares were dul of hearing also with their eyes they winked least they should see and stopped their eares least they should heare and so vnderstand w t theyr heartes should haue returned that hee might haue healed thē And therfore as y ◠apostle saith when men regard not to know the Lord aright by his holy word no more doth he regard to know them but giueth thē vp into reprobate minds and also to follow their own inuentions in al things and so to runne to their owne destruction for not obeying the sonne of God For as it is eternall life to knowe one true and euer-liuing God and to beleeue in hys sonne whom he the father would or nowe hath sent so he that beleeueth not in the sonne nor obeyeth hys voyce shall neuer see life but the wrath of God abideth on hym Now his voyce was that they should continually meditate in his lawe the which shoulde lead them vnto Christ but they did not and therefore well worthy to be blinded as you see for men must learne to heare the voyce of the Lord while it is called to day and to take heede howe they harden their heartes when the voyce of God doth call least when they would they shall often call them selues and not be hard Nowe if iudgement began at the house of the Lord in this sorte as you see what shall wee thinke befell the rest of the nations before the comming of our sauiour into the world Surely they escaped not for the Lord hath rendred vengeance vnto all those that haue not knowne him which haue not obeyed vnto the Gospel of our Lord and sauiour Iesus Christ not onely vnto the Iewes and the citie Iersusalem where his name shoulde haue bene called on who moste of all deserued it because most graces were offered vnto them but also vnto all nations in the world hath hee sent the cup of the wine of the greatnesse of his indignation and hath entered into iudgement with all flesh forasmuch as they haue not desired the knowledge of hys holy lawes and for as much as hee left not hymselfe without witnesse to any nation in as much as he gaue them rayne from heauen and fruitfull seasons and filled them with all good things in great aboundance Therfore all those nations or people that haue refused the knowledge of hym he hath also refused them And as they regarded not to knowe hym a right by his holy word neyther had anie delight at al therin but cast it off euen so hath he cast off them and giuen them vp into reprobate minds as the apostle saith And thus hauing layd his iudgementes before our eyes hitherto we see what is become of all those that haue sayd vnto God depart from vs haue not desired aboue gold y e knowledge of hys holy lawes the which lawes shoulde haue bene esteemed of them aboue gold yea aboue much fine gold and also haue bene more sweeter vnto theyr heartes then the hony or the hony combe vnto theyr mouthes and looke how pretious it should haue been vnto y e Iewes so ought it to haue been to all other nations in the world for all nations heard therof or at leastwise might haue done and thus much of the iudgementes of God from the beginning of the world to the vtter casting off of the Iewes The iudgementes of God vpon the Romaine Emperours the first beast Apoc. 13. as also vpon the Popes theyr successours the latter beast and on all them that receiue the beasts marke SInce we haue seene the iudgementes of God from the beginning of the world hitherto and also the cause why whiche was the neglect of hys holy worde in the which worde they might haue seene hys will and so haue knowne hys true worship let vs proceede in briefe sort and lay the like before our eies euen frō our sauiour hys time vnto the end of the same First then we are to remember that after the destruction of y ◠low Ierusalem was that to be fulfilled which was spoken of by the prophets that is That a Ierusalem should be built the name whereof shoulde be called The Lord is there and that this citie should be lifted vp aboue al mountaines and that from the Sanctuary therof should go waters of life which should runne to the east sea and to the west sea and that there should be plentie thereof both in sommer and winter and that whatsoeuer tree should be planted by the riuer of waters which should runne out of the sanctuary of this citie the leafe thereof shoulde neuer fade neyther should the fruit thereof at any time fayle and that the waters of this riuer should be so wholesome that whither soeuer they should runne the fi◅h that should be nourished therewith should liue thereby
shalbe done according to the rule thereof we must learne to worshyp him according to the same in no case to go one foote farther For as Moses was not to do any thyng about the Tabernacle or for the geuing of lawes statutes ordinances rites ceremonies or whatsoeuer according to his owne wyl or fantasie but in all thinges to do according to the paterne and prescription shewed him in the Mount and elswhere by the Lord no more must we in the very smallest thing we take in hand concerning the worshyp of the Lorde but in all thinges therein must we also be directed by the most pure perfect worde of God For as the Cloude was a direction to their Iornies in the Wildernesse and they not to steppe one foote forwarde or backwarde farther then by it they were ledde Euen so the Lawes there geuen by the Lord are a most perfect rule for men to walke by whyle the worlde shall stande For wherewithall sayth the Prophet shall a young man clense his way The holy Ghost doth answere Euen in taking heede thereto according to the worde of God and therefore did the holy Prophetes and Apostles alwayes pray that it woulde please the Lord to direct their steps according to the same For in no case can the Lord abide any will worship seeme it neuer so holy but in all thynges wyll he be worshypped according to his holy wyll layde downe in his holy worde for otherwyse we worshyppe him in vayne as our Sauiour sayth If insteade of the doctrine of his holy worde we obserue the preceptes and foolysh traditions of men so that To obey his holy worde as the Prophet Samuel sayth is better then al kind of sacrifice and to hearken therunto is better then the fatte of Rams Therefore let vs pray with the holy Prophet that it woulde please the Lord to encline our hartes vnto his law not vnto couetousnesse and that we may esteeme al his preceptes most pure and iust hate al false wayes and abhor al vaine inuentions Seeing that euery man is but as a beast by his owne knowledge we must learne to be made wyse by the worde of God NOw that we know the Lord hath created vs to none other ende but to set foorth his prayse glory and seeing we know also that no prayse or worshyppe wyll please him but that which shalbe done accordyng to his holy worde let vs pray vnto him with the holy Prophet that euen as it hath pleased him to make vs and to fashion vs euen so it woulde please him therefore to geue vs vnderstandyng that we may learne his commaundementes and chuse the way of trueth And agayne seeing that euery man is but as a Beast by his owne knowledge as the Prophet Ieremie doth say and seeing also the Prophet Dauid confessed him selfe so to be vntyll he went into the house of the Lorde and so through his holy worde became wyse We ought therefore to pray vnto the Lorde to geue vs grace to leaue of from leaning any longer vnto our owne wysedome as the holy Ghost vs warneth and onely to hearken withall the holy Prophetes and Apostles what the Lorde wyll say vnto vs that so his holy worde may be a Lanterne to our feete and a lyght vnto our pathes and that by his counsell alone we may be guyded as the Prophet saith euen vnto righteousnes iudgement equitie and to euery good path which thing being done and preceptes kept it shalbe vnto the Lorde a sacrifice of a more sweete smelling sent then the fatte of thousandes of Rammes and Goates or riuers of Oyle Wherefore I beseeche al you that are as my selfe euen of the simpliest sort vnto whom onely I direct my speeches and such as feare the Lord that you woulde cause your eares to hearken vnto wysedome and incline your hartes to vnderstandyng But what am I that I shoulde so beseeche you since that Wysedome her selfe doth intreate you and dayly offereth her selfe vnto you And yet because the holy Ghost commaundes that we should one exhort another I can not chuse but with the holy Prophet euen desire you to taste and see how sweete the Lord is Now if you aske me what this wysedome is that you shoulde hearken so vnto her and this vnderstanding that you shoulde so incline your hartes thereto the Lord himselfe doth tell you Behold sayth he the feare of the Lord is wysedome and to depart from euill is vnderstanding And in an other place the Knowledge of holy thinges is vnderstanding and the only way for you to finde the feare of God which is to haue wysedome and to finde the knowledge of holy thinges which is to haue vnderstandyng is for to repayre vnto the worde of God for the Lorde onely geueth wysedome and out of his mouth commeth knowledge and vnderstanding So that if you searche and seeke in the Booke of God you shall be sure to finde the knowledge of the Lord and then as he is knowen of you euen so shall you feare him and also by your continuall meditation therein you shall be sure to be made wyse vnto saluation for the worde of God is fully able so to do as sayth the Apostle and therefore in any wyse see that you alwayes pray vnto the Lorde that it woulde please him to geue you such a taste therein as that it may be more sweeter vnto your hart then the Hony or the Hony combe vnto your mouth yea and more desired for your necessitie then golde yea then much fine golde or treasures for your plentie The which the Lord for his mercies sake graunt vnto vs euery one whereby we may haue suche a feeling and knowledge therein as that the bryghtnesse of the glorious Gospel may shyne most cleerely in our mindes euen to the vtter abolishyng of our former and most damnable darkenesse Certayne Obiections vpon the former exhortation answered PEraduenture you wyl now say vnto me yf it be so that we can not attayne vnto Wisedome which is to vnderstande holy thynges and those holy thinges not to be founde vnlesse we read and meditate in the Booke of God alas that is so hard that we cannot attayne vnto the vnderstandyng thereof and agayne it is for great Clarkes and not for vs simple soules to meddle withall for many tymes the vnlearned peruert the Scriptures euen to their owne destruction and so I haue heard some say that S. Peter sayth they do so But I may say vnto you in the name of God Be not deceyued for it is the subtiltie of Satan that so perswadeth you and not you onely but almost all men generally throughout the whole world And wherfore trow you doth he so Surely to none other ende but that his owne kingdome may be the better thereby maynteyned for euen as the kingdome of God is dayly inlarged where his worde is
againe so displeased with them notwithstanding all their pretence of zeale and shewe of holynesse that they were but as a polluted an vncleaue people in his sight yea all the workes of their handes and that which they offered was vncleane in the sight of the Lord so that hee caused the heauen ouer them to stay it selfe from dewe and the earth stayed her fruit for when they had sowen much they brought little in yea and when they came to their heapes of twentie measures they found but ten and to their wine presses thinking to draw out fiftie vessels they found but twentie and thus the Lord smote them with blasting with Meldewe and with Hayle in all the labours of their handes and onely to teache them to looke better vnto his holy worde that so they myght obey his wyll And yet for all this would they not try thereby wherein they had done amisse but thinke they shoulde well please the Lorde yf they wept and fasted in the first and seauenth moneth as they had done the seauenty yeeres before which was a thing that the Lord had not neyther would now approue but telleth them they shoulde rather geue care vnto his worde which by the ministerie of his Prophetes he had delyuered vnto them But in steade thereof they harden their hartes and geue stoute wordes agaynst the Lord saying It is in vayne to serue God and what profit is it that we haue kept his commandementes and walked humbly before him Doe we not see that the proude are blessed and that euen they that worke wickednes are set vp ouer vs and how they that tempt God are delyuered As yf they shoulde haue sayd Do we not see that the Babylonians reigned ouer vs for seauentie yeeres and then we were deliuered But what are we the better for that for all the tyme since the Medes and Persians reigne and rule ouer vs. And lykewyse we are cursed in all the labours of our handes But whereas they shoulde haue looked into the booke of God to see the cause of all this they are as men blynde Yea and although the Lorde geue them a speciall commaundement euen in the last elause of the olde Testament to remember the lawe of Moses which shoulde leade them as it were by the hand vnto Christe euen to that Angell of the couenaunt whom they desired to beholde yet most rebelliously do they reiect the same and so growe worse and worse euen tyll at length they become Pharisees Sadduces and such like beastes wherefore the Lord suffereth most vyle beastes lyke vnto them selues to reigne styll ouer them euen vntyll the comming of his sonne our Sauiour into the worlde And then who so blynde as the Prophet speaketh as they for whereas he that Worde which in the beginning commaunded all thinges to haue a beeing was nowe become Fleshe and dwelt amongst them whose glory they might haue behelde as the glory of the only begotten Sonne of the father full of grace and trueth yet woulde they not receyue him no although he were the day spring which was now come from on high to visite them and the true lyght which lighteneth euery man that commeth into the worlde yet loued they darknes more then lyght and to walke in the shadow of death rather then in the way of lyfe yea and although he were that true King of Israel by whom they should haue had delyuerance not onely from their mortall enimies but also from their spirituall euen hell and death and also that hygh Sacrificer whose priesthoode was not made after the lawe of the carnall commaundement but after the power of the endles lyfe euen that most holy and iust one which was seperate from sinners and was now come to enter for them not into the holy places made with handes but into the true Sanctuarie euen the very Heauen it selfe and there to appeare in the sight of God to make intercession for them yet woulde they not acknowledge him so to be but despised him and most shamefully reiected him counting him most base and vile and had no desire at all vnto him but drew away their shoulders and became styfnecked and of vncircumcised hartes and eares yea a generation of very Uypers still stopping their eares like deafe Adders and hardening their hartes agaynst him vntyll at length they vtterly denied him to be their king in the presence of Pylate the Romane gouernour saying We haue no king but Caesar. And so ioyne with the Romans to crucifie the king of Glorie euen the Lord of life whō Pylate as bad as he was could not chuse but confesse him to be their king and also to pronounce him guiltlesse and to say he could finde no cause at all of death in him yea and although the diuels themselues coulde not chuse but confesse him to be that holy one of God yet desired they rather to haue Barrabas a murtherer giuen them then the Lord of life saying Let hym be crucified let him be crucified and let his bloud be vpon vs and vpon our children for euer And so according to their owne wish it befell them for moste woefull curses hath the Lord pronounced agaynst them and his wrath as the Apostle sayth is come on them euen to the very vttermost and hath scattered them as vagabondes detested ouer the whole earth for before that generation passed they fell on the sword of the Romaines who as with a floud wrought a finall consummation of them their citie and sanctuarie euen to vtter desolation according as our Sauiour standing on mount Oliuet had told them and referred them to Daniel the ninth saying When you see the abhomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place Let them that read it consider of it that is when you see Ierusalem besieged by the abhominable campe of the Romaine infidels then knowe that your destruction is neere which before that age passed came to passe euen those dayes of vengeance of wrath and of great distresse to that land and people So that here we may say especially with the Apostle O behold both the louing kindnesse and the seueritie of the Lord his louing kindnesse towards the sonnes of Abraham so long as they continued in the fayth of Abraham his seuere seueritie so soone as they became bastardes reuolting from the fayth of Abraham for as our sauiour colde them if they had bene the sonnes of Abraham they ◅ould haue done the works of Abraham that is they would haue beleeued in him as Abraham did but sayth he you goe about to kill me and so did not Abraham but contrariwise he saw my dayes and greatly reioyced yea and many others desired greatly to haue seene these dayes that you see and would also haue reioyced but you seeing will not see and hearing so manie testimonies giuen of me ye◅ will