Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	evil_a	speak_v	treasure_n	3,744	5	10.2424	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14461	The Christian disputations, by Master Peter Viret. Deuided into three partes, dialogue wise: set out with such grace, that it cannot be, but that a man shall take greate pleasure in the reading thereoff. Translated out of French into English, by Iohn Brooke of Ashe; Disputations chrestiennes. English	Viret, Pierre, 1511-1571.; Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Brooke, John, d. 1582.	1579 (1579)	STC 24776; ESTC S119193	490,810	627

bee that some for want of aduertisement will make none accompt to proue what it is I haue partly testified what it is for to giue encouragement vnto those which wil beleeue me to stir them forwarde to see them vntill such time as they may Iudge of themselues Not that I doe presume so much as to attribute vnto my selfe the Iudgement aboue the workes of others for to pronounce them as for authoritie or to bring all the Readers vnto mine opinion or aduise Yet neuerthelesse bicause that I thinke and am altogether perswaded that many will not refuse to staye and content themselues to that that I affirme vnto them I am constrayned for the profite of them to speake my minde Although it is not now needeful to set foorth at large all the profite that may be gathered and the pleasure that may bee taken therein This onely I can certifie that all those which shall haue the patience to continewe the reading ouer it will not repent themselues to be so well occupied There is one onely point which I knowe which might diminish the grace of the booke towards some men That is that it shoulde seeme good that the matters of the Christia●tie ought to be intreated off with a grauitie correspondent to their dignitie and worthinesse And therefore it is not meete to mingle them with matters of myrth considering that there is daunger that in so doing wee shoulde turne them into laughing Chiefely at this present time in whiche impyetie ouerfloweth more then euer sithence the beginning of the Christian Church Or at the least wise it is more openly vncouered To the ende that none for being preuented with that reason bee not out of tast with the reading It is to be noted that one may dispute of the matters of the Christianitie two wayes First in rebuking the foolish supersticions which are risen among the Christians vnder colour of Religion the which notwithstanding are not but corruptions of the same for to destroy and ouerthrowe it Secondly in declaring the simple and pure veritie according as it is reuealed vnto vs of GOD by his holy worde As touching the seconde kinde it is most certeine that assoone as wee haue opened our mouthes for to speake of GOD no merrie conceite or iest ought to enter in our matter But wee ought in all that we say and speake declare what reuerence we doe beare vnto his Maiestie not pronouncing one worde but in feare and humilytie But in disiphering and disclosing the superstitions follyes with which the poore worlde hath beene blinded in before time he could not chose in speaking of matters so ridiculous but to laugh with open mouth It is most true that there is also good occasion to weepe and lament Forasmuch as it is not a sport or iest that the glory of GOD and his eternall veritie hauing beene so darkened the which ought to bee had in vs in a singuler recommendation hath beene so abolished thorow infinit lyes that so many poore soules haue beene ledde of Sathan into ruyne and dampnation But the one must not let the other that 〈◊〉 and taking such sorrowe as we ought to haue to bring vs againe in remembrance how God hath beene so blasphemed hauing also pitie and compassion of the calamitie wherein the worlde hath beene so long time and is yet at this present Yet neuertheles in rehersing of such foolish dreames and fonde bables we vse such mocketies as they doe merite and deserue When we doe so it shal be after the example of the Prophets who interpreting of the pure veritie of God doe speake with a maiestie which ought to make all the worlde to tremble But in blaming the dreams of the Idolaters do make it no doubt to vse scoffings and laughings for to declare howe ridiculous they are Although the Prophets are one we an other For asmuch as we speake not in the name of God as they to the end that all that which we pronounce shoulde be receiued as a reuelation come from Heauen It is lawefull for vs to vse a baser stile But I haue alleaged this comparison onely for to declare that it is not to giue any occasion vnto the Luci anists and Epicures and other contemners of God to speake euill of the Christian religion or to haue it in disdaine when they shal mocke of the corruptions of the same Thomas Singleton to the Reader OVR Author gentle Reader here of franke and free good heart A Chest of treasures hath vnlockt whereoff thou maist take part With trauaile great he hath it brought from farre and forraine soyle Which thou and many may enioye at home with easie toyle Stand backe hard harted Heriticke here is for thee no ware Eake stubborne Papist go thou by thou hast herein no share Whom blinde erronious fancies leade the truth that thou despise Whom wilfull and grose ignorance hath closed vp thine eyes These rich and precious Ornaments and Iewels high of price For Godly Zealous Vertuous beene that hate both sinne and vice A milde and gentle friendly Brooke hath brought the same to shore Then Reader take it thankefully he craues of thee no more FINIS ¶ The Preface IT is sayd in a common prouerbe he which hath suffered nothing knoweth not what euill is And therefore it is very hard that he which neuer hath suffered any euill can haue such pittie and compassion of the captiues and miserable as he which hath tryed and proued great miseries and néede and which hath bene exercised in them and hath abidden many aduersities and troubles For he that knoweth not what pouertie is doth not much thincke vppon the necessities of the poore nor he cannot so well know in what languer and misery they doe lyue When the ryche man hath hys féete well shodde and that hée is well cladded and pompeously apparelled he sitteth at the table he hath of delicate meate great aboundaunce amongest which he banketeth and maketh greate cheere he thincketh not much vpon Lazarus who lyeth at his gate full of botches and sores naked and hauing no nourishment He doth not greatly passe whether he be shodde or vnshodde naked or cladde whether he be colde or warme whether he haue meate drinke or not Sith that he is at his ease all others are so and he careth not for them Wherefore I doubt not but that the Lorde will s●nde many aduersities and afflictions vnto his seruaunts in this world and that he will trye them so many wayes that euery day we shall feele and proue them to that ende that they hauing proued in themselues the poorenesse and miseryes that others maye suffer they doe learne the better howe to beare it and to haue more greater pittie and compassion and to bee the readyer to ayde and succour them And without séeking to farre the examples of the Patriarkes and Prophets As Abraham Isaac Iacob Ioseph Moses Dauid and other lyke whiche haue bene tryed wyth so many tribulations

occasion of offence they doe finde it in Iesus Christ Wherefore wée must not much care or take thought for it For they doe take the offence wythout any man gyuing it them and are an offence vnto themselues and cannot heare the truth wythout béeing offended Wherefore wée must holde vnto that which Iesus Christ sayde vnto them Let them alone for they are the blinde leaders of the blinde They must vnderstande that an euill knotte and harde péece of woode to cleaue hath néede of an harde wedge and a stronge mall to cleaue it If they are so shamelesse that they haue no shame at all and haue their heart so obstinate and hardened that they haue no remorse of censcience in mockinge of GOD and blaspheminge hym so horriblye as they doe daylye and doe teste so at men to their greate losse and hurte shall wée bée more ashamed to tell them their iniquitie to rebuke their abuses and abhominations which they dooe If they woulde not that one shoulde speake of them let them leaue off and cease to doe them For I beléeue that there is not a man of a good hearte which taketh any great pleasure to remoue that filthinesse except they bée constrained to doe it through their importunitie impudencie and shamelesse face For what good Christian heart can suffer that dayly men shoulde hyde those abhominations and that one shoulde couer suche villanyes makinge vs to beléeue that their filthmesse and stincke is as sweete as balme their poyson to bée the bread of lyfe lyinge to bée the truth Hell to bée Paradise cursinge to bée blessinge darkenesse to bée light and death lyfe As for me I cannot colour flatter nor hyde the thinges and I cannot but name them by their names For such is the language and style of the spyrite of God which will not speake after mens fantasies and for to please them as the Oratou●s which can giue vnto vices the names of vertues and such colour as it pleaseth them but to speake truth as the thinge is calling Idolatrie that which the Hipocrites and Idolaters doe call diuine seruice and their Idolles Diuells the which they call Gods. Wherefore althoughe such Hipocrites haue their forheades of stone and Iron so harde and immutable that one cannot make them blushe but doe kéepe their countenaunces as théeues and murtherers and shamelesse as harlots yet let them vnderstand on the other side that GOD hath giuen to his seruaunts as he said vnto Ezechiel aforehead of Brasse and of a Diamond which is yet more harder and which doth lesse shame to speake the truth and to giue praises vnto God then they to mainteine lyings to blame it And therfore the Lord commaunded Ezechiel saying goe speake vnto them and say vnto them that which I haue commaunded thée I know neuerthelesse that they will do nothing but I will y thou do tell them I know not what excuse such men can haue For they haue bene already taught al manner of wayes If they do complaine that one hath learned taught them to sharply and with to great seueritie and rigor I would learne and teach thē a little more ioyfully and more iestingly then bitterly If they doe yet finde my manner of dooing too sharpe there are as many others which haue written as modestly as is possible yet they finde no goodnesse in it and leaue not off to perseuer alwayes worse and worse in their errours and heresies Wherefore I knowe not what song one may sing vnto them but to rebuke them of that which Iesus Christ rebuked the Iewishe people and that which the little children whiche played in the stréetes rebuked their companions off when wée dyd singe vnto you sorrowfull thinges you haue not wepte when wée dyd singe vnto you ioyfull thinges you haue not daunsed Iohn Baptist came in great seueritie ●austeritie haue found him very sharp they say he hath the Diuell within him Iesus Christ came with all humilitie and gentlenesse and they said that he was a drunkard and a glutton and a friend vnto publicans and sinners If one do speake vnto them sharply as their iniquitie requireth they say that one is furious and mad If one do speake vnto them pleasantly they will call him foole or scoffer To couclude they will alwaies finde some thing to say as wée sée it by experience in our time Many men at the beginning haue taken vppon them to touch a little some abuses yet of the most grosest most apparant These Hipocrites could not beare them but they haue persecuted them by sea and land They cannot onely suffer that one should touch a little with his finger their Idolatry superstitiō that one should open his mouth for to speak one word for to reforme their estate but which is more haue declared themselues to be enemies vnto all learned wise men which haue trauailed to abolish all barberousnesse and sophistrie for to set vp againe all good letters and other disciplines haue accompted and condemned them for heritickes and haue put them in great daunger of their liues Sith then that they cannot suffer those héere that they should goe so pleasantly not onely of little dialogues familiar talke for little children which doo vnto them yet more greater honour then they deserue and do flatter them more then is néed God hath raised vp others who haue in such sort remoued their filthines the which others haue not done but a little tickled vp that they haue in such sort made the filthinesse and stinke so to auoide that all the world doth perceiue and foole it in such sort that one can no longer abide and suffer it When these sharpe surgeons are come which haue thrust their instrument so deepe within the Apostume that they haue perced them euen vnto the heart and bones they haue begun to reiect y first which did but a little touch the wounds and sores without and through their gentlenesse make them to fester and waxe worse and worse makinge of it but a certeine pallatiue cure or healing When they haue experimented and tried the second they haue cried out Alarome against them and haue bene constrained to prayse the first whome they condempned in comparison of those héere Afterwards came consequently others who haue a little better vncouered their disceite and which haue better manifested the villany and the fornications of the great whoore of Babilon insomuch that those whome men accompted to bée so earnest and such heretickes haue begun by them to bée estéemed gentle and good men in comparison of the latter And so they haue had of all sortes and yet they will vnderstand nothing Wherefore mée thincks they can no more pretende ignoraunce nor infirmitie or any iust excuse but that it is tyme to aunswere to a foole according to his foolishnesse to the ende hée thincke not alwaies to bée wise Wée must then let them to vnderstand that men doe accompte

of the holy Scriptures is sufficient for vs yet this ought further to moue vs to confound the Infidlls when we doe see the vertue of the truth to be so puissaunt and of such force that it constrayneth Philosophers Poets and others who haue bene ignorant of the knowledge of God to confesse it and to beare witnesse thereoff Thomas But me thinkes that our Priests and Monks do much differ from Plato Virgile in y they do lodge y richest people and the great Princes and Lords sooner in Purgatory then in Hel. Hillarius Do you not know the cause There came no profite vnto Plato nor Virgile of the Purgatory as commeth vnto those beléeue that although they had any profite they were of a better conscience and that for their owne perticuler gayne they would not haue so seduced the poore ignorant people For they do shew foorth by their writings that they had a certeyne feare and knowledge of God more then we may acknowledge in these our priestes For they watche after the deade bodyes as the Rauens doe vppon carrion And if they can méete with any dead man that hath his purse well stuffed with money wherewith hée is able to paye his raunsome they will be sure to make him tell who hath eaten the fat they will put him in such a place from whence hee cannot come out before they haue taken some fat from him For they are the tyrants of tyrants and the pillers of the great pillers and Vsurers whom they will not suffer to be broiled and tormented of the Diuells but they will be their hangmen themselues take away that office from them to whom God hath giuen it Thomas They shal be thē much tormēted by this accompt For they shal be cruelly handled in this world and also in the other after their death as they haue vexed b tormented y worlde whilst they were alyue And suffer them not notwithstanding to fall into y hands of the Diuells But I would gladly know what payne the other haue that haue committed smaller sinnes Hillarius Plato and Virgile do lodge these in Purgatory especially the simple people which haue not bene of great credite and authoritie Wherefore they could not haue so great lycence to doe euill as the others And if they had committed any fault they had not the power so much to hurt the people as the others had For the sinnes of the Princes doe not hurt onely themselues But as well by them as by their euill example they doe hurte and destroye all the worlde where the simple people doe hurt but themselues And therefore they did thinke that their sins were sanable and that they might be purged For that cause they condemned them not vnto eternall dampuation For they thought y they had not committed euils inough for to be damned that ther was some remedie to be healed Also they lodged them not at y first dash in y fields of bliseas as the other great and vertuous men who thorowe their vertue haue merited to be incontinently receiued into blessednesse and toye or in the number of Gods. Thomas Those then which were good people and which had not the power to doe so euill as the other doe go into Purgatory against their wils Neuertheles I am sure that God will not held them excused therfore For ●e regardeth the heart will and the affections and not onely the workes as the Philosophers doe Our priests differ not much from that opinion For they Cannonise lodge among the Saints those whome they doe iudge to haue bene most vertuous and holyest and the soules perfectly good the which doe fly straight into heauen and haue no néede of our good déedes Hillarius That is to wéete the most greatest Hypocrites superstitious and Idolaters those which haue done most for them and that haue best nourished and fed their fat bellyes Thomas They doe lodge in Purgatory those who haue not accomplished héere their penaunce which neuerthelesse dyed confessed and repentaunt or which do not carry deadly sinne with them but onely veniall sinnes the which may be purged by the fire For there is some remedy for those Hillarius Such is their doctrine But notwithstanding when it commeth to triall they neyther haue regarde to mortall nor yet veniall sinnes but sooner to the riches or to the pouertie It is all one with them whether the sinnes be mortall or veniall sanable or insanable so that the dead hath wherewith to paye their drougs medicines money for his raunsome and letters of grace that they make for them by their buls and pardons And as touching the poore of whome they haue no profite it is to them all one whether they go be it into Paradise Hell or Purgatory For they haue no care of the soules but onely of their purses Thomas I haue yet one thing to demaunde of thée Doe they say that there is fire in y Poets Purgatory as there is in y of the priests Hillarius It séemeth to mée that y Poets are a lyttle more reasonable and more merciful then the priests and Monks For they make not such broyling and rosting of the poore soules Thomas How then Hillarius Bicause that they haue assigned the payne a little easier and lyghter according to euery ones misdéedes For they condempne not all generally to y fire But they do make thrée differences according to the greatnesse and smalnesse of sinnes Those that haue sinned most grieuously and which are most full and stuffe● with sinnes and which are most earthly and most hardest to be purged béeing so harde glewed and tyed to the soule that it cannot be pluckt away nor made cleane by no meanes but thorow the fire are put and cast into the hot furnace For they must be melted all new agayne The other that are not altogether so filthy vile and that haue not their sinnes so glewed in the soule that one cannot pul them away are holden for a certeine time within the great goulfes of water for to be there washed and made cleane Ther are yet others y are lesse faultie and guyltie which haue committed but certeyne small sins that hath no neede of such strong purgation And therefore they are hanged but a lyttle in the ayre for to winde them For they néede but to haue a lytle winde for to blowe away the dust that cleaueth fast to the soule bicause of the coniunction that it hath with his body and his fleshe Thomas As farre as I perceiue they doe with the soules in that Purgatorye as we doe with our apparayle sheetes vessell and mettall For when we haue any clothes or shéetes that are dustie or whereof we doubt the Moths and Wormes we stretch them abroad and hang them vppon a pearch in the ayre for to winde and cleane them And if ther be any spot or staine that will not easely come out we wash them with water

could be done Theophilus It hath taken as good effect among the superstitious Christiās as among y panims For euen as the Panims hipocrites haue ben the Apes of the Patirarches Prophets and true seruants of God so haue those bene héere For all that which the Panims dyd dyd séeme to haue some coulour and imitation of the lawe whiche God gaue vnto hys people For that which they sacryficed in the mountaynes that they caused the chylbren to passe thorow the fire sacrificed them vnto Moloch and the wasshings that they had dyd seeme to be taken of the custome of the auncient Patriarches and of the people of Israell after that sorte as the Turkes doe followe them at this daye who doe spende and bestow a great parte of the time aboute such wasshinges and Ceremonies But there is greate difference For although they followe somewhat in outward appearaunce the woorkes of the auncient seruauntes of God yet neuerthelesse they fayle greatlye in that that they doe it wythout the commaundement of God followinge onely their foolishe santasie and opinion And they dooe it not in such fayth to such intent and wyth suche a spyrite as they dyd For they dyd them to render obedyence vnto the commaundement of GOD the whiche was vnto hym a sacrifice more agréeable then the Ceremony which for that ende was ordayned Nowe these héere cannot scriue God by such obedyence sith that they haue no commaundement But they doe offende thorow disobedience despysinge the meanes that he hath commaunded and choosinge others contrary vnto his wyll Furthermore the true Israelites dyd not thinke to bée purified by those outwarde thinges but had regarde onely vnto the bloud of Iesus Christe by them represented And they trusted but onelye in the mercye of god But those ●éere doe attribute the vertue vnto the outwarde woorke and to the creature sayinge that such Ceremonies and Sacraments haue efficacy by the vertue of the woorke done Or if thou louest rather in theire naturall language Ex virtute operis operati Nowe if the Prophetes haue rebuked and condempned the vipocrites who haue put the whole trust of their health and saluation vnto the ceremonies commaunded by the lawe of God and haue reiected and reproued their sacrifices and purifications how much more are our hipocrits to be condemned which do not only make a god of their works but which is worse doe make the same of the woorkes which are nothing at all commaunded of God but altogether condempned Hillarius Wée may rightly compare them vnto those good merchaunts of whom Ouid maketh mencion after this manner Hard by Capena gate there is of Mercury a well Wherein is vertue rare and straunge as cunning folkes doe tell For Merchaunts doe thether repaire with pitcher ready pight And therewithall doe water drawe by vertue of whose might The Laurell branch is dropping wet and all those things that shall By Masters right be set to sale are sprinckled therewithall And after that his head is wet by sprinckling of the bayes Vnto the Gods in wonted wise his prayer thus he sayes Wash off sayth he my periury of those times that are past Wash of my false and fained woords my falsehood now off cast Bycause that they holde and accompt Mercurius for the God of the théeues it semeth vnto them that the one of the théeues wyll easelye absolue the other and that the larcenies periuries and rapines shall be washed away as soone as they shal cast a little water vpon them Wherfore our Papistes knowing that they haue the like God in the earth do the like Theophilus Therefore it is more then néede to crye with Esay Be ye washed Be ye cleane But how Put away the euill from your thoughts before mine eyes saith the Lorde And with Ieremy O Hierusalem wash thine hearte from wickednes And with Iesus Christ Thou blind Pharisie clense first the inside of the Cup and Platter that the outside of them maye bée cleane also Giue almes of that you haue and béehold all thing is cleane vnto you And therefore must wee say with Dauid O purge mée with Isop and I shal be clean wash thou mée and I shal be whiter then Snowe For there is none which can make that holy water but he only who hath put the ministry of his Gospel in his Church which is the true sprinkeling of Isop which thorow the preaching of Iesus Christ crucified sprinkeleth and purgeth with his precious bloud our soules and consciences Hillarius There is nothing truer then that thou sayest as I will yet declare more perticulerly First as touching the purifications sprinklings of water that is already too muche proued of the same is taken that which Ouid writeth of Deucalion and Pirrha his wife willing to enter into the Temple of the Goddesse Themis of whom he speaketh after this manner after the translation of the English Poet. Whose sacred liquor straight they tooke and sprinkled with the same Their heads and clothes and afterward to Themis Chappell came In like manner Ouid rehersing the things which were called Februa bicause that the auncients vsed it in their purgations maketh mention of the woll salt meale and bowghes which they caused to be consecrated for diuers purifications of men beasts and houses the which things the Papists haue almost altogether the like For besides the water and the fire the war and the salt they haue as many holy wolles holy linnen clothes and sacred vestements They haue the holy bread and the bread of Sainct Agathe which hath also great power and the holy bowghs vpon the day of Palme Sunday and of Caster flowers But the Panims do approche neerer to the auncient lawe of Moses in their holy asshes then the Papistes For the Iewes dyd it with a red Cow young and which neuer carryed yoke The Panims dyd theirs with a young Calfe newely taken from his mothers belly the which the most auncientest of the virgins of the Goddesse Vesta as wee may say the mother of the Prioresse burned in that holy fire which was made vpon the aulter of the saide goddesse as it appeareth by these verses of Ouid saying The eldest virgin amōgst thē then those calues doth burn with fire To haue the asshes not to seeke when time shall then requite That when the feast of Pales doth approch at hand so fast The people may be pure and cleane when it is on them cast Theophilus I doubt not but that Panish superstition was some thing taken of the imitation of the people of God but that whiche was done by the people of God vnto his honoure and contayninge the misteryes of the redemption was done in Idolatrye and superstition without faith amonge the Panims as it is now amonge the Papistes Hillarius I am of thine opinion But yet neuerthelesse mee thinketh that the Panims haue more shewe and colour for to defend them by the word of

diuers interpretacions the which I will recy●● some to the ende that thou shouldest not thinke that I doe condempne all the others which haue expounded it Or that I am more arrogant then all men and that I doe attribute more to my sence and iudgdement then to any other If I define rashlye of a thinge the which all the Expositours haue founde it so obscure and harde that many among them haue bene constrayned to confesse that they cannot vnderstande it Then I will touch the diuers expositions which are more sufferable Afterwardes I will signifie vnto you that which I thinke to be most proper There are some which doe not vnderstand that Saint Peter speaketh héere but of the lyuing vnto whom Iesus Christ hath preached the gospell aswell in his owne proper person as by his Prophets and Apostles which haue all spoken by his spirite Wherefore one may well say that Iesus Christ hath preached vnto thē sith that it was not they that did speake but Iesus Christ who by his holy spirite did speake in them Those heere do take the words of Saint Peter by a Metaphore and by an Allegorie and doe vnderstande by the spirits which were in prison the dead vnto whom it is sayd in the chapter following that the Gospell was preached saying that saint Peter by that seconde place expoundeth the first Now by these dead vnto whom hath bene preached they vnderstand not the dead but doe take that word by a Metaphore vnderstanding by the dead the sinners which are dead thor●w sinne the which he hath called before the spirits which were in prison bicause that the soule which is dead thorow sinne is holden by the same as a prisoner which is in bondes and fetters in the stockes and in prison Those which doe expounde it after that manner notwithstanding that they doe accorde as touching the interpretation of the words yet neuerthelesse they doe a lyt●le differ touching that spirite by the which Iesus Christ went and preached vnto the spirits which were in prison For some doe expound it for the manifestation of Iesus Christ which hath bene before his comming Others for that which hath followed his comming These heere doe vnderstand by the spirite the holy Ghost which Iesus Christ sent and gaue vnto his ●pos●les by the which he hath preached the Gospel to the Iewes and ●entiles which before were rebellious and disobedient vnto the worde of God. Wherefore hee calleth them rebellyng and disobedient spirits deteined in the captiuitie of errour and of sinne For although that Iesus Christ ascended into heauen and hath taken his body from vs yet neuerthelesse he is alwaies among vs by the vertue of his spirite by the which he speaketh in his Apostles Ministers and Euangelycall Pastors and preacheth and admonisheth alwayes the sinners and toucheth their heart and conducteth and leadeth their spirits by his for to make them enter into his Church for to saue the elect in the same as those which were saued in the Arke of Noe. There is nothing in this exposition contrary to the Analogie of the faith and the sence of the Scriptures But yet neuerthelesse it séemeth to some to be a lyttle allegorised and vyolated and to stray a lyttle too far front the Apostolycal simplycitie Although that it be tollerable and Christian lyke Others doe vnderstande by the spirite of Christ his eternall vertue by the which he hath bene long time agone the Sauiour and Iudge of the worlde as he is at this present the Sauiour by the water as he doth now by the baptisme And therefore they doe vnderstand that he is gone by his spirit by his diuine vertue by his word thorow out the world as he passed thorow out Aegipt declaring his power among the Aegyptians sauing the Israelites Asmuch hath hée done in the time of the floude and doth yet at this day For he declareth his Iudgement vnto the wicked hath drowned them in the floude euen as now he declareth it vnto all to the ende that his seruaunts may be saued in the Arke of the Churche and the others drowned by the Iudgement of god Therefore is Noe called the herauld of righteousnesse for to declare that by the same the spirite of Iesus Christ declareth vnto men the righteousnes and Iudgement of God as a king declareth the warre by an herauld of armes vnto those which doe rebell agaynst him and refuse peace And the word which Saint Peter vsed when he sayd y Iesus Christ hath preached vnto the spirits doth not signifie onely to preach but also to publish a commaundement and an ordinaunce as an Herauld And that worde herauld the which Saint Peter vsed speaking of Noe is taken of the very same of which he vseth saying that Iesus Christ hath preached vnto the spirites And as to that that Saint Peter calleth them spirits they thinke that he did it hauing regarde to their thoughtes and affections beeing possessed with euill spirits And doe buylde their interpretation vppon that which is written God did sée y all the thoughts of mans heart was giuen vnto euill And vppon that which Saint Paul speaking of the power which is giuen vnto him by the ministring of the Gospell sayth that it is for to beat downe euery high thing which exalteth it selfe agaynst God and for to bring into captiuitie the thoughts and spirites of men to the obedtence of Christ delyuering them from the subiection of the wicked spirites which doe holde capti●e the spirites and vnderstanding of the reprobate They doe vnderstand then by the spirites which were in prison those which were in the spirituall prison or whose spirits were deteyned in captiuitie and prison by the wicked spirits They haue yet regard vnto that that the scripture calleth those which perished by the floude the sonnes of God which did see the daughters of men and to that which is there written that the Lord did strike and destroy euery soule and taketh from the middes of them euery spirite and that he hath sayd in threatning them that he will take from them his spirite For that cause they thinke that Saint Peter was induced to call such men spirits bicause that whilest that their spirits did sleepe and were detemed by the wicked spirits they were ouercome and drowned by the waters of the sloude and the spirit was taken from them as to him which was strangled and c●oked in the water They also haue regarde to that that that worde which Saint Peter hath vsed which we doe interprete prison doth also signifie the watche and warde which is kept in the night Insomuch that they thinke that Saynt Peter had regard vnto the parable of Iesus Christ which admonisheth euery one to watch as the faithfull seruant looking for his master who knoweth not what houre hée will come whether it be in the seconde thirde or fourth watch of the night and for a