and orderly I haue set down Lawes in writing and appoynted penalties and punishments for all suche as offende agaynst them Doth not this saying seeme worthy of commendation P. I graunt there haue bin and still are many that haue not defiled them selues with common vices but vvhat their minds were and how far off from the purenesse which God requireth by the Lawe of nature euen the wiser sort themselues vvere not ignorant and as for vs we know well inough For wheras these men knew Gods Lawe by the helpe of the inwarde light and by beholding the things that were created namely that they vvhich commit suche wickednesse were worthy of death not only they themselues committed them oftentimes but also seemed to fauour and bolster the dooers thereof by their levved example I will not say by their wicked Lawes And therefore agaynst the wise man so standing in contentiō I would reply in this wise Chap. 2. 1 But thou ô man whosoeuer thou art vvhich by thy Lavves condemnest other men as one that is indevved with the knovvledge of Gods lavve art vnexcusable euen in that behalfe R. Why so will the Philosopher answere P. Bicause that thou thy selfe whiche takest vpon thee as a iudge controller of other men giuest sentence agaynst thy selfe in as much as thou doest the same things And althogh the couert of thy hart be so thick that thy vyces doo easly scape vnespied of other men yet thine owne conscience bewrayeth thy wickednesse Mat. 7.1 For Gods law is not satisfied by bearing the countenance and report of goodmen but by being good men in deede For it requireth not so much the outwarde shew of vertue cōmendable to the worldward as the true vertue of the minde moste acceptable vnto God R. But perhaps the Philosopher might answere who can cal to accoūt the secret priuie thoughts intents of mās mind P. In this case we site not men to the iudgement seates of men but to the streit vncorrupt iudgement of God himselfe who sifteth discerneth not only the outward doings but also euen the inward conceipts Now then in a matter of so great weight as is our saluation the false and counterfeit colour of feigned honesty is not so much to be regarded as the sound and substantiall vertue that shall haue setled deepe rote in our minds R. What is that iudgement of God which you tell me of Surely there neuer came any glaunce of it in my minde vnto this houre P. O the blindnesse of men For although Gods wrath procede with slow pace yet notwithstanding how canst thou hope to scape scotfree with the same offences which thou condemnest in other men Knovvest thou not that the slownesse of Gods vengeance is requited with the greuousnes of it Thinkest thou thy selfe able to make God the more mercifull and fauourable to thee through thine owne holynesse innocencie Or doest thou not rather despise the vnmesurable riches of Gods sufferance and forbearing Ought not his so great mildnesse kindnesse and patience to prouoke thee rather to repentance and amendment R. The Philosopher will not yeelde or giue place to thee in this case to shrink a heare bredth from his accustomed and wonted Religion or to giue ouer his Philosophie For he is in loue with the outwarde shewe of vertue taking no care at all for the purenesse of his mind Peraduenture also he beleeueth that it is in mens owne power to ridde their mindes of the vices that are bredde in them or else weeneth that God is not greatly offended at them as slight errors of mens minds and thinketh moreouer that he is fauourable and friendly to mankinde and will not punishe mens misdooings with so sore and greeuous punishments or at leastwise he trusteth that he him selfe is free from them and that they be not yet come vpon him P. Surely he is farre ouerseene which is of that minde and I will not sticke to vse suche words as these against him Whosoeuer thou art which art of that opinion thou knowest nother god nor thy selfe Iames. 5. 3 And for this stubbornesse of thy minde voyde of al repentance thou procurest and heapest vp wrath destruction to thy selfe hoording it vp agaynst the time when God shall shewe foorth his wrath and moste iust iudgement to punishe wickednesse R. O wretched mankinde But vtter thou vnto mee the maner and description or fashion of that iudgement P. At that time God almightie whiche knoweth all things shall bring too light the secret and hidden thoughtes and purposes of mens harts Psa 62.3 Math. 16.27 and thereafter giue sentence on eyther side and then shall it appeare moreouer hovve cold the excellencie of outward things and dooings is euen in them that are counted vvisest if their consciences be not pure and cleane therwithall R. I quake both in body and minde at the rehearsall of so terrible iudgemēt For if God list to deale with men according to extremitie of Lawe howe can they euer hope to escape Nay rather what shoulde it auayle men to liue honestly or to trust to Gods promises if their offences committed through the infirmity and feblenesse of mind should be sifted and punished so seuerely P. I haue not set downe this iudgement of God to discorage the mindes of the godly but rather to cheere them vp and to comfort them with a certein singular hope For like as God will punish men of vnrecouerable wickednes with sore punishments so also will he shew singular mercy and louing kindnesse to such as stand in awe of him and worship him and giue euerlasting lyfe to such as seke honor and immortalitie by continuing and holding out in wel-doing and despise all these vayne and flightfull things for loue of the soueraine euerlasting good things R. And what shall become of the stubborne wicked and froward men P. Surely as for the froward sort and such as withstande the truth follovv iniquitie the wrathfull vengeaunce of God is certenly prepared for them R. Happie then are the Iewes or Israelites whome God taketh for hys owne And contrariwise vnhappie are the Gentiles which are out of his couenant For they shall feele Gods mercie wheras wee Gentiles shall feele his sharpnesse P. No not so But sorrow anguish shall light sore vpon the soule of euery man that dothe euill as well Iewe as Gentile vvhereas glory and honour and all maner of felicitie shall happen to euery one that doth good first to the Iew and after to the Gentile For God hath no respect of persons but of the very works and dedes done Insomuch that as the Iewes excell the Greekes in order and dignitie so shall they first and these after receiue eyther sorowe and vexation for their euill doings or glory honor and prosperitie for their good doings at Gods hande R. My mind is gretly cheared refreshed by this your saying which sheweth Gods singular vprightnes towards all men without any diuersitie For
If the case stande so what can be sayde to be more worthy and excellent than the Gospell For thereby mankind returneth into Gods fauour and is quit or iustified at his iudgement seate and moreouer by your saying obteyneth euerlasting life But in what things is the power of the Gospell seene P. Chiefly in two namely in the effects and in the contraries For first it is not only shewed by the Gospell what innocencie righteousnesse and holynesse of lyfe God requireth of men that they might so be iustified regenerated and saued but also God vseth it as a certaine touchwoode Whereby he kindleth the fire and light of fayth in mens minds by his holy spirite And that fayth groweth vp by little and little and as it were by certayne degrees and becommeth dayly greater greater and also imbraceth and applieth to it selfe the righteousnesse that is shewed in the Gospell Which is the very spiritual life of the beleuers according as that godly Prophet saith Aba 2.4 Gal. 3.11 He. 10. 39 The righteous mā liueth thriueth is saued by faith Contrariwise where this Gospell of God is not the vengeāce wrath of that soueraigne dreadfull God sheweth it selfe openly from heauen is vttered against al maner of vngodlines and vnrighteousnes of al mē as who do holde downe the truth of the naturall light and lawe buried in their vices iniquities and wicked deedes and do not so much as performe their owne lawes R. But no man is able to looke sufficiently vpon this truthe by reason of vnskil and ignorance P. How can they excuse their ignorance seeing that God hath opened to them whatsoeuer may be knowen of him For he hath giuen and ingrauen the law of nature into their minde by a certen secret power whereby he hath imprinted the fotsteps of his wil in thē R. Is this the onely meane and waye wherby God hath made himselfe knowen to mankinde P. No but by another also as manifest as that R. Which is that P. Euen the creating gouerning of all things For his inuisible power and godhead shine forth in the things that are created so as no mā may seme worthy of excuse but rather all men are come in daunger of Gods iudgement as many as pretende the not knowing of God R. Then remayneth there no starting-hole nor couert of ignorance to the forrein Nations P. No but they be rather worthy of so much the sorer punishment bicause that whereas they knowe God sufficiently by the inwarde light and by the things that are created Eph. 4.17 as I sayd afore they yeelded not God his due honor nor were thankfull for so great benefites but for a punishment of their sin imployed all the sharpnesse of their wit about vayne and trifling imaginations deuises a iust punishment of sinne and their hartes were hemmed in with fondnesse and darknesse R. This perchaunce may seeme true vniuersally but yet doth it most peculiarly belong to the ignorant and rude multitude of common people who for lacke of skill are wont to run headlong into all lustes But it is most certayne that in the noble and famous vniuersities of the world there is a great breede and store of excellent learned men yea and euen among the common sorte yee shall finde diuers that are not vtterly vnlearned P. So muche the more then is their case the worser seeing that euen the wisest of them haue cast themselues into vtter madnesse and became starke fooles and that after suche a fashion that euen where they boasted moste of wisdome there they shewed themselues moste fooles Which thing appeareth easly by this in that they turned the glory of the incorruptible and immortall God into shapes fashioned like to a mortall man yea of birdes of wilde beastes of fowerfooted cattell and of things that creepe vpon the earth R. As touching the worshipping of God I can not deny but they did greatly ouershoote them selues in it by reason of their manifest Idolatries and superstitions But as concerning the precepts of the seconde table many of them did in my iudgement leade a very commendable life R. No but cleane contrarie For in as muche as God doth oftentimes punishe sin by sin they suffered horrible punishment for offending Gods maiestie For God to punish their sin willed and suffered them to bee harried thorough all the puddles of vice insomuch that they defiled euen their owne bodies with all manner of filthinesse euen for this cause I saye that they burned the deuine truth of the natural and invvard light into lyes and dreames preferred the worshipping of the creatures before their maker who is to be praysed for euer R. O incredible thing Doth God punish Idolatrie with so horrible vices P. Surely that is the very cause why God deliuered and cast them vp into most shamefull and filthy lustes in so much that their women despising the natural vse of their bodies folowed the vse that nature abhorreth And on the other side the men themselues refusing the vse of women burned in vnlawfull lustes one towards another and defiled thē selues with all filthinesse which is a worthy payment for their error and levvdnesse R. My whole mind and body shuddereth at so many and terrible iudgements of the soueraine God to heere howe the despisers of the deuine maiestie do slide so wretchedly from small vices still to greater and greater and finally into eeuerlasting destruction P. Good reason For when they had once despised the knovving of God God did thrust them dovvne into a levvde minde to committe vnseemely things against themselues and to be filled with al maner of vnrighteousnes as whordome frovvardnesse couetousnesse levvdnesse enuie murther strife deceipt malice whispering backbiting hatred of God wrongdealing pride bosting desire of the worst things contempt disobedience of Parents foolishnesse trecherie vnkindnesse vnappeasablenesse and finally crueltie that is touched with no incling of pitie or compassion R. I can not deny but that the moste part of the Grekes Gentiles are infected with al those vices euen for despising the maiestie of God But yet dare I say also that there are a number which by folowing the precepts of their Philosophie doo leade an vprighte and honest life and in no wise defile themselues with suche maner of vices For who knoweth not that Solon Socrates Pithagoras Aristides and many others not onely Greekes but also Romanes did alwayes abhorre all maner of vnhonestie and wickednesse and stablished Lawes and wrote iudgements and ordinances agaynst offenders And therfore it seemeth not in any wise agreable to reason I say not to condemne but euen to blame or accuse suche and so great persons Wherefore let vs suppose we hard some one of thē speaking after this maner I beeing a Heathen man haue by the power of the law of nature grafted in our minds drawen out and taken to me the doctrine of worshipping God obediently and for the stablishing of the same worship rightly
vale Heros clarissime Deumque praecor Opt. Max. vt celsitudinem tuam firmissimum huic Regno praesidium diu seruiet incolumem Tuae celsitudini deditissimus Antonius Corranus TO THE RIGHT honorable and his singular good Lord the Lorde Robert Dudley Earle of Leicester Baron of Denbigh Master of the Queenes Maiesties horse of the noble order of the garter Knight and one of hir highnesse honorable priuie Counsayle c. SVche as are indetted to many men and yet haue so shorte and slender abilitie that they cannot satisfy them all are wont to lay by all meanes to cōpounde first with them to whom they owe most So I also right noble Earle hauing in maner infinite persons both here and elsewhere which haue bounde me to them by their benefites and beeing vnable to discharge my self towards them all haue thought it meete to begin cheefly at those which aboue all others haue after a sorte brought me in bondage to them by ouerloding me with their deserts In whiche number forasmuche as your Honor is not the furthest behinde as who about an eight yeeres ago at my first comming into England not onely receyued mee with singular fauour and good will but also rewarded me with very bountifull liberalitie which notwithstanding to say the truthe was the thing that I least sought for I deemed it my dutie to vtter some thankfulnesse of minde towards your Lordship There are I confesse other innumerable benefites of yours towards me since that time the reckening vp whereof in order one by one would be both tedious and peraduenture not very acceptable to your Honor who as you haue not at any time sticked to bestowe your benefites vpon all straungers and specially vpon suche as were cōmended to you for learning and Religion so beeing contented with the conscience of weldooing which is the propertie of vertue and of true bounteousnes you haue neuer required any other thanke or commendation for the same Therfore although I haue many things to say and that truly of your Honorable deserts yet notwithstanding for feare as I sayd least I might perchaunce by mine vnseasonable or ouergreat setting foorth of your prayses offend your noble mind which despiseth the things that we haue in admiration I willingly leaue all those things proceede to that which both beseemeth both your excellent noble disposition and which I haue alwayes iustly taken to be the cheefest greatest of all your benefites towards mee For you haue not onely voutsafed to fauour me in my prosperitie as the maner of the worlde is nowadayes but also shewed your selfe a moste fauourable Patrone in my cheefest distresses whiche is the propertie of singular vertue and of perfect good will and not streightwayes giuen credite to matters vnaduisedly giuen out but which was the poynt of a moste stout and wise noble man did vvith great Alexander keepe one eare for me and according to the olde sayde sawe of Athens gaue eare to both sides alike and perceyuing myne innocencie voutchsafed alwayes since to imploy your authoritie and protection to my defence By meanes whereof not onely my good name which partly through ccrtein doubtfull reportes and partly through the ouerlight belefe of some persons was falne in perill abideth whole and sound to me so farre as lay in you to do but also I haue moreouer obteyned your wel liking good fauour Of which things I make so great account as a man of my meane state ought to make of the fauour of a moste honorable and bountifull noble man And surely that dealing of yours wherby I finde my good name for the most part defended through your singular iudgement wisdome from the reproche of infamie is of so great account with me that in cōparison of that alone I take the residue which notwithstanding are very great in maner as nothing For vnto a Preacher of the doctrine of the gospell what can be more deare what can be more acceptable finally what can be greater or more to be wished in this life than a good name So that to my seeming Salomon hath sayd very rightly that a good name is better than great riches And contrariwise me thinks that christian charitie is greatly impeached not only by suche as bereeue their brothers of it by their craftie dealinges but also by suche as credite misreports vnaduisedly bicause that if there were none to be found which would admit misreportes ouerhastily all the whole pestilent kind of backbiters would fade of it owne accorde and false reportes would vtterly vanish away And truely if we were not blinder than Beetles we might perceyue euen by natures direction that a good name whiche euery good man setteth more store by than by his life can not be taken away from others without exceeding great wrong and the breach of all humanitie and moreouer the thing vvoulde come oftentimes to our remembraunce vvhich vve reade to haue bene very discretly considered euen of the Heathen namely that God the creator of all things beeing most vvise hath giuen to man but one tung not to lye or slaunder vvith but to expresse the conceiptes of his minde and hart vvhere agaynst it is placed truely playnely and meeldly and tvvo eares so fitly placed that we may vvell heare the things that are spoken to vs bothe on the right side and on the left But to the intent I may at length come to the matter right Honorable vvhen I my selfe had first vvritten this Metaphrasis of mine in Latin vpon the Epistle to the Romanes and cōmunicated the same to my hearers and aftervvarde had caused a friende of myne to translate the same into Englishe I purposed to dedicate it to your name for the manyfolde and great benefites vvherby you holde me most streightly bound vnto you that wheras I am not able to make any recompence at all to so great a Lord I might at leastwise giue him some inckling of thankfulnesse And although this present if you haue an eye but to my labour only and not to the holy Epistle of the Apostle be neither worthy of your excellencie nor of the benefits that I haue receyued no nor correspondent to my vvill yet I hope such is the noblenesse greatnesse of your mynde that in respecte not of the gift but of the giuers mynd vvhich surely is most forvvade to doo you seruice you vvill take this small vvorke of myne suche as it is in good worth By the reading wherof if you take any profite you shall thinke your selfe beholden for it alonely vnto our moste gracious and almightie God vvho by his holy spirite hath put these meditations into my minde to set them foorth to the common welfare of his Churche And if the reading of this my lyttle booke shall confirme that opinion of yours vvhich your Honor hath conceyued not vvithout cause as I hope of the purenesse of my doctrine then I make this petition to you vvherof notvvithstāding I ought not to doubt that it
water without true fayth and without any keeping of Gods law than the Israelites trusted to Circumcision But hereof we will speake more an oâ—er time Now go you through shew â—hether you thinke circumcision to be 〈◊〉 value at all or no. P. Surely I thinke of little or rather â— f none at all vnlesse the bonde be perâ— ormed vvhereof Circumcision is the â— ale For vvho seeth not that if a heaâ—â— en man keepe gods lavve and trust in â— od vvith all his hart so as he looketh â— ot for saluation elsewhere than at his â— ande he shal be in as good case as the â— ircumcised Iew although he bee still â— ncircumcised and haue not his foreâ— kin pared off at al And not only that â— ut also that he shall euen by true and vnreprouable iudgement condeÌ„ne the very Iewes that are circuÌ„cised Bicause that these trusting to the signe of circumcision do despise the keping of the law wherein the force of circumcision coÌ„sisteth wheras the other being without the signe dothnâ— i his deedes fulfill and shew forth the thing signified R. Then shewe wherein the true vse and fruite both of the name of Israelite and of circumcision consisteth P. He is not vndoutedly he is not â— Iew that is coÌ„monly taken for a Iew poynted at openly with the finger neither is that the true circumcisioÌ„ whicâ— nippeth of the visible part of the body But he he I saye is a true Iew which beareth a ryght Iewish mind in deede that is to say which feareth God and keepeth his law Also that is the excellent circumcision wherthrough not the fleshe is cut off by the ceremony of the law but the sinfulnesse of mans harte is cut off by the spirit And the prayse of this inwarde circumcision is not to be sought for at the hands of men that is of most corrupt iudges but at the haÌ„d of God himselfe R. As I may well agree to your sayinges Paule Chap. 3.1 yet me thinkes that the Israelites do not without cause glory in the greate nomber of priuiledges giuen them of God Therfore you shall doo a good turne if ye shewe in what prerogatiue they excell other men and consequently declare the worthinesse and profit of circumcision P. I will doo it with a good will so you graunt mee first that you wyll not â—udge of the whole matter before you â—aue throughly and aduisedly weyed â—t For I graunt and acknowledge that â— he priuiledges of the people of Israell â— re notable but yet so as they take not â— ccasion to wex proude of them For â— f they seeme in better cace than other â— en in that respect they must not therâ— ore beare themselues in hand that they â— aue purchased Gods fauour election â— nd good wyll by their owne desertes weldoings ceremonies and sacrifices Nay rather in that cace they are to bee made fellowlyke with the Gentyles that is to wit in the iustification and euerlasting saluation bycause that both of them doo fynde themselues to haue their coÌ„scieÌ„ces gylty of sin And yet for all that as I saide afore the priuiledges of this people aboue all other are right notable among which this is euen the greatest that almighty God voutsafed to coÌ„mit his word vnto theÌ„ and to giue theÌ„ most large promises vpoÌ„ assurance wherof they neuer neded to haue douted gods singular good wil towards theÌ„ R. Very well But yet I am afraide least as it is wont to fall out in mennes bargaines and couenaunts that eyther partie standeth in like and equall state vnto other so as eyther bothe of them must stand to their couenaunts or els if any of them both breake couenaunt the other is at liberty euen so also by reason of the distrust and disobedience of some of the Iewes God takinge his aduantage will neyther keepe his couenaunts nor performe his promises to them And if it shoulde come so to passe I cannot coniecture to what ende those stately couenaunts and promises will come P. But it is vnseemely to thinke that God can by any meanes alter his mind and determination or that his coÌ„stancie can bee ouercome and compelled by mens vnthankfulnesse that he shuld not performe his promises For it is to be considered Psa 15.3 that God will neuer faile the godly and good men though they seeme neuer so fewe by reason of the wicked multitude of vnbeleuers R. It is meete to thinke so of Gods maiestie as the which doth vtterly shun and abhorre the righteousnesse and vnconstancie of men wherthrough they oftentymes breake their promises P. Euen so is it Psa 15.3 accordinge as the Prophet sayeth all men are lyers and vaine but God is true yea euen the very truth it selfe As euen the princely prophet had sayd although there was no let in me and in my wickednesse but that God might haue deemed me vnworthy of his promises and haue disapointed me of them yet is his faithfulnesse righteousnesse vprightnesse and truth so great that he neither can nor wil swarue one inch aside froÌ„ his sayings determinations In somuch that not euen the extremest naughtipackes and spitefullest persones in the worlde which thinke woorst of him can reproue him of vnconstancy or lightnesse for he is most constant R. Of this your answere ryseth a nother question Seemeth it not by that reason that God increaseth his owne glory by mens sinnes for truly his constancie becommeth the cleerer and brighter when his diuine goodnsse in keeping towch with men vnworthie surmounteth mans distrust and stubbornes And if it be so I feare me it will seeme to follow that God doth wrongfully punishe those that haue done any wickednes bicause Gods praise floweth oute of the same moreouer that the wicked haue very good cause to blame God for punnishing ther offences wherby they beautified his glory P. To speake after the maner of men no dout but it may seme so to the man which is ignorant vnskilful of things belonging to God But yet is that surmise vnmeete to come in any mans head for nothing but holinesse purenesse vndefilednesse ought to come in any mans mynd concerning the maiesty of God specially for as muche as vngodly folke nother can nor will referre their owne lustes to Gods glory but only to their owne pleasure and to their owne priuate profit and praise R. I neuer perceiued the fault of this kynde of reasoning till now For Gods goodnes and faithfulnesse get not their praise by mens wicked deeds but euen of this that they breake not their course no not euen for those wicked deedes which thing I gather euen of the example which you vsed ryghte nowe Psa 51. For wheras God performeth the mercy that he had promised to Dauid that came not to passe through Dauids wicked deede but the promised mercy shyneth foorth so muche the bryghter in that so great a wickednesse was not able to disapoint it P. Yea