consciences that as the Father the Son and the holy Ghost are one God so our faith which beleeueth is one faith our knowledge which apprehendeth this mysterie is one knowledge that is with the same obtute of faith I beleeue in God the Father with the same and no other I beleeue in GOD the Sonne and God the holy Ghost And with the same light of knowledge I know one I know all three Neither doth this Vnion rest here to make our faith one and our knowledge one but to make the knowers one for which our Lord prayed That all which shall beleeue in Christ through the Gospell preached by his Apostles may be one as the Father is in Christ and Christ in the Father that they also may be one in vs. I in them and thou in mee that they may be made perfect in one This then we must take for certaine that in reading this Scripture we must of necessitie vnderstand God the holy Ghost with God the Father and God the Sonne as S. Augustine teacheth Ordo verborum est vt cum patre et filio consequenter spiritum sanctum intelligamus quia c The order of the words is saith hee that by consequence wee must vnderstand the holy Ghost with the Father and the Sonne for the spirit is the substantiall and consubstantiall charity of both the Father and the Sonne because the Father and the Sonne are not two Gods neither are the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost three Gods but the Trinitie it selfe is one God Neither is the Father the same person that the Sonne nor the Sonne the same that the Father is nor the holy Ghost the same that the Father and the Sonne whereas the Father the Sonne and the Spirit are three and this very Trinitie is one God Wee haue then by the grace of Christ in these words A Catechisme or Enchiridion for a Christian man contayning in it all the mysteries of saluation all the articles of our faith For at that very instant that wee beleeue God to be the Father maker of the world almighty the onely true and liuing God wee beleeue the incarnation of Iesus Christ we beleeue in the holy Ghost the resurrection from the dead the remission of sinnes we beleeue the holy Catholique Church the communion of Saints and whatsoeuer is written in the law and the Prophets all the contents of the Gospell This one knowledge hath all knowledge in it for as life in that instant that it is life giueth spirit motion seeing tasting feeling and desire to preserue life so as soone as we haue this knowledge wee haue with it all heauenly wisedome and vnderstanding we need not be perswaded to beleeue the Scriptures wee haue the light the feeling the tast of heauenly things and as the light of this Sunne which directeth my going in one place shineth to mee in all places in the house in the field in the Sea in the Desart and in all deepe places so the light of the knowledge of God and Iesus Christ lightneth to mee all things that were in darknesse leadeth me out of all doubts and errours and illuminateth all things that are in heauen and earth But that you mistake me not I doe not deny when we haue receiued this faith but that we haue our farther growing in Christ and encrease in godlinesse by hearing and reading the word by meditation by prayer by receiuing our daily bread and drinke of life in the Sacraments by walking by motion by exercise and labouring in our most holy faith The thing I entend is to shew that all these spring from this fountaine and moue from the power of this life For our bodily life cannot consist or continue without daily foode therefore it is naturall to life to hunger for it daily and by foode wee receiue strength and in our strength we trauaile and labour and doe the things which belong to this life This then is my purpose to shew that all heauenly gifts and powers of the spirit are of the nature of faith So the Apostle By faith we haue an entrance into this grace wherein we stand But first wee liue by faith The iust shall liue by faith By faith we feed therefore the word of God is most properly called the word of eternall life which is the word of faith which wee preach And this word must be mixed with faith and be as meat digested in the stomack of our soules The word did not profit them in whom it was not mixed with faith By this faith we eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his blood which is the bread of life By faith wee are nourished as said Paul of Timotheus which hast beene nourished vp in the words of faith In faith we grow When your faith shall encrease In faith wee haue our strength Strong in the faith By faith wee stand Thou standest by faith By faith we walke For wee walke by faith and not by sight By faith we worke as Saint Paul saith The worke of your faith in power By faith wee resist Satan Whom resist being stedfast in faith By faith wee fight Fight the good fight of faith By faith we conquer and ouercome This is the victorie which ouercommeth the world euen your faith See how S. Paul ascribeth to faith all the patience labours workes striuings assurance hope and the victories of the Saints in the whole Chapter which is the eleuenth to the Hebrewes But here the Scripture speaketh of knowledge not of faith No it cannot vnderstand this knowledge without the light of faith For our knowledge of God is the issue and birth of our faith In all earthly things knowledge maketh faith for all the wise men of this world beleeued no farther then they were led by reason but of heauenly things faith maketh the knowledge for these are aboue reason and captiue our vnderstanding Therefore Saint Paul By faith wee vnderstand c. And Saint Peter I beleeue and know that thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing GOD. Therefore our faith hath her perfection in this life and knowledge doth surrender to faith heere In the world to come faith shall surrender to knowledge and faith shall bee no more Wee beleeue not heere in part wee know but in part now but wee beleeue all things Then in the life to come vvee shall know all thinges as vvee are knowne Then as Saint Paul and Saint Peter ioyne faith with knowledge so doe wee heere and more then that with Christ himselfe in this Chapter the twentith verse vvee take them both for one for so hee prayeth that they vvhich beleeue in him may bee one euen all that shall beleeue by the preaching of their that is the Apostles word that they be one as hee and his Father are one Now let vs goe forward Hypocrates said truely of the Art of Physicke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
infinite difference bewixt Gods teaching and mans teaching which driueth away our sinnes as the winde the mist which ouercommeth our ignorance as the light the darknesse which consumeth our euils as fire the wax and the Sunne melts the Snow which couereth our nakednesse as the Heauens couer the earth which createth our newnesse as he created heauen and earth of nothing See the Apostles being taught by the spirit which were idiots and simple men as was knowne to all men are not onely at the instance repleat with all heauenly knowledge themselues but are made the onely Doctors and Teachers of all the world beside And cannot that Son which made those silly fishermen the lights of the world by one whole infusion of faith lighten my closet and chamber I meane the secret corners of my heart Heare we what Saint Paul saith God that commanded the light to shine out of darknesse is he which hath shined in our hearts to giue the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ. But you will obiect the Apostles had the gift of that knowledge by miracle and those gifts were extraordinary and now they cease euery man that will haue knowledge now must eyther learne of others or seeke it in his booke I deny not but that those gifts which are gratis data giuen freely and not gratum facientia as is the distinction of the Schoole-men not iustifying or making a man acceptable to God of which sort were the gifts of tongues and vnderstanding all Scriptures I say I doe not deny but they are ceased and were giuen onely to the Apostles and Ministers and some others by imposition of the Apostles hands in the primitiue Church for these are not giuen them which receiue them for their owne saluation but for the saluation of others and we haue the vse and collation and benefit of the same gifts being by their preaching brought to the knowledge of God but this I say the gift of faith which is giuen vs by which we are inwardly regenerate and know God though it be ordinary and shall be euer in Gods Church to the end of the world yet is it of higher power and greater miracle for regeneration of euery Soule that is grafted in Christ speaketh as much to the prayse of Gods power and glory as the creation of heauen and earth made of nothing and this is wrought in vs by which wee are made the sonnes of God in the same instant as was that knowledge extraordinary and by God immediately and by Gods free gift and in all that are saued alike absolutely necessary for all that are saued Lastly we can shew this by examples of them which beleeued Zaccheus a Publicane an Heathen man the first houre he beleeued heareth Christ say vnto him This day is Zaccheus a childe of Abraham The Thiefe is admitted to Paradise for one confession Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome Christ our Lord replyeth Verily verily I say vnto thee this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise The soule and bodie-sicke Woman in one houre goes away sound thy faith hath made thee whole The Eunuch in that houre that he beleeueth Iesus to be the sonne of God is baptised Three thousand are conuerted to Christ at one Sermon and that same day were added to the Church This ground of Scripture was there all to be beleeued No more did Saint Paul require of the Iaylour but this Beleeue in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saued and thine household This was eternall life this is eternall life this euer shall be eternall life to beleeue c. Thus we haue the way of life made compendious and playne and that â—…um necessarium that one thing which is necessary cleere and euident at the first opening of the Scriptures for as God hath so ordered for our bodily life that those things which make not for necessity but for lifes beauty onely and ornament are abstruse and hard to finde and stâ—…ut vp in the bowels of the eaâ—…th or hidden in clests of the Rockes or in the bottome of the Sea as Pearles and Gold and pretions stones because they are neyther necessary nor fit for all men but those things that are of lifes substance and are necessary for our being and sustenance are ready and offer themselues to euery mans hand as ayre and water and corne and fruits of the earth so many things with which the Spouse of Christ may be adorned and beautified he buried as it were in deepe and prefound sense of Scripture which yet many by continuall meditation and study doe dig forth like pearles and precious stones but that without which our soules life cannot haue her being or subsisting those things which are the very bread and drinke of our soules viz. to know the true God and Iesus Christ whom the father hath sent that I say is so plaine perspicuous and easie to finde in holy Scriptures that we cannot misse of eternall life vnlesse we will deny our selues to it What then was thy purpose O Sauiour Christ to set downe this one rule and ground for all to end all controuersies to stay all disputation to take away all doubts to cut off all schismes and factions to build vs sure vpon the rock to set the marke of all trueth high in the tower of the Scriptures to make plaine the way to Heauen When a way is vnknowne to a farre country where is much treasure many will seeke it some by climbing Mountaynes some will venter the Desart some will seeke passage by Sea some by Land and some by East and some be West but when discouery is made of a passage and the way is knowne being made playne and easie no man will seeke dangerous circuits and windings but passe by the knowne way For this way to eternall life was vnknowne to the world some climbed vp by the steepe of their owne workes some wandred in the desarts of mens doctrines some had blinde Phylosophers for their guides some seducing Southsayers some were led by the light of the creatures some sounded the deepe of mans reason Iesus Christ hath made this way straight and knowne and discouering the neerest cut or passage sayth this is it haec est to beleeue the Father of Christ the onely very God and him whom he hath sent Iesus Christ. Now that we may not doubt let vs stand and inquire of the passengers let vs aske our Father Abraham this was his way as our Lord Iesus said Abraham desired to see my day and saw it Let vs aske the Prophets To him all the Prophets beare witnesse Let vs enquire of the law The Law was our Schoolemaster to Christ. Aske the Apostles all the blessed Martyrs this was the onely poynt they sealed with their bloud that Christ was God Aske our Lord Iesus I heare him say
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Life is short the Art is long the experience is full of danger How miserable then were the state of simple men if it were of like hardnesse to haue the knowledge of eternall life as to learne Physicke or Astronomy or Rhetorique or any other Art But heere the Art is short and our life compared is long and the practise is secure and full of pleasure heere is the whole science to know God the Father and his Sonne Iesus Christ And this wee obtayne not by learning but by beleeuing not by discourse as seeking but by obtute as seeing wee haue it not by acquisition but by infusion not by diuision but by vnion not as I haue said in all other Sciences first the parts and then the whole but first the whole and then the parts This the superabundant mercy of God hath prouided for the simple the ignorant vnlearned that no man may pretend difficulty or hardnes in the way of life eternal but that it may be as easily learned of the simple as of the wise All other Arts whether mechanicall or liberall haue their misteries by themselues diuers Arts haue diuers misteries for diuers men and all kept secret this Science of Sciences hath but one mistery for all men in the world which is preached and published to all the world the same of bond the same of free the same of old the same of young the same of the learned the same of the ignoran tthe same of men the same of women the same of Iewes the same of Greekes one mistery for high and low rich and poore all people one with another and this is it to know God the Father c. well then might Saint Paul call it common saluation and Saint Iude common faith and S. Peter write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To them which haue obtayned like precious faith for as in this bodily life nature by one and the selfe same way worketh in all alike and that same which is the cause of life in one that liueth is the cause of life in all that liue wherefore it is held a maxime in Philosophy that Nature is one in all things so in our spirituall and eternall life there is but one mistery and in it one cause of vitality in all that are saued that God may be all in all I one in all which worketh in all and we all one in God I haue foure arguments by which I may shew that it is a matter of no great hardnesse or which requireth long time to learne the science of a Christian My first I take from that principle of Nature in which there is in all men a desire and appetite ingenite and inly rooted of the soueraigne good Omnia appetunt borum for when to this desire ingrafted the good desired shall be manifestly obiected out of the vnderstanding conuicted by euidence of the light of Gods word how quickly will the desire assent and rest satisfied For now she is filled and at the end of her appetite and cannot possibly desire farther If then the straying and erroneous desire of Heathen people in ignorance after the true God being misled in the blindnesse of their vnderstanding did like men which being almost drowned in vnperfectnesse and amazement of their sense will catch at stickes and stones and weeds in the bottome of the water and hold them fast to death thinking by these to get out so they hoping to seeke euasion from eternall death in that deezinesse and confusion of apprehension did catch at gods of stickes and stones and beasts and creeping things in stead of the true and liuing God How much more shall we be perswaded and euicted by euidence of faith and enlightned in our vnderstandings from God himselfe hold by him So hold all that beleeue The Apostle hauing caught hold heere will not loose his hold for any creature in Heauen or earth or life or death saying What shall separate vs from the loue of Christ and hauing summed vp all other good or euill that may be imagined concluded in the last verse that none of these shall be able to separate vs from the loue of God in which is Iesus Christ. By this good see how fast holy Iob holdeth Though he slay me yet will I stay in him Thus doth the Spouse gripe her husband I tooke hold of him and left him not How fast did all the legions of Martyrs clutch and gripe this true God and Iesus Christ in banishment in bands prisons rackes in torments in drownings burnings in all cruell deaths while their skins were stript ouer their heads while their flesh was pulled off with fiery pinsers while their bodies were a grinding betweene the teeth of cruell beasts and this hold haue all that beleeue in God in the houre of death So then heere the foule of men cries 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I haue found I haue found I haue found This is that treasure which was hid from the world which when a man hath found For ioy thereof he holdeth it and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field For who taught the poore man to set so much by that treasure did not the selfe beauty and riches and worth thereof Who neede tell any man that Gold is Gold or a Pearle a Pearle such a treasure is the true God which being once found by knowledge will cause vs to e count all things as doung that we may gaine him I may shew this secondly by the euidence of the diuinity which rising as a Sunne to our vnderstanding in that instant that he is risen doth make day For which cause God is called the Father of light and is said to dwell in light Againe to be light it selfe which rising to the world by his sonne Iesus Christ lightneth euery man which commeth into the world so this knowledge what is it but Lumen vultus Dei the light of Gods face Our apprehension of this truth is to see light in Gods light which is as much as Saint Peter in other words The day-star rising in our heart Therefore as soone as I beleeue in Iesus Christ it is day and all that beleeue are called light of it selfe and children of the light How hatefull then to vs ought be the doctrines of them which seeke to obscure to vs this blessed day which say we drinke not because we drinke of the fountaine which denie that we see because we see by the Sunne which deny that we be in life because we hold by the head A third argument I draw from the manner of teaching of the holy Ghost which is our Teacher as shall be shewed in the last place of this knowledge of the Father and the Sonne and maketh euery Scholar perfect in this mistery in the twinckling of an eye Euerie man that hath learned this mistery is áocibilis Deo taught of God himselfe and there is
Christi the law of Christ for tables of stone tables of flesh Writing my law in their hearts For circumcision of the flesh Circumcision of the heart in the spirit For annoynting annoynting You haue an oyntment from him that is holy For washing washing so S. Paul Such were you thieues couetous c. but you are washed but you are sanctified Wee haue for outward the inward sprinkling Let vs draw neere c. sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience and washed in our bodies with pure water For sacrifice sacrifice to offer spirituall sacrifices to God by Iesus Christ. For Altar we haue an Altar We haue an Altar whereof they haue no authoritie to eate which serue in the Tabernacle For high Priest Iesus Christ which is an high Priest after the order of Melchisedech for euer For Lambe Lambe Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world Blood for blood The blood of Iesus Christ washeth away our sinnes Temple for Temple The Lambe is their Temple And for all Christ which is our law our circumcision washing sprinkling annoynting saerifice altar our high Priest our passeouer our temple the fulnesse of all in all To whom with God the Father and God the holy Ghost three persons and one God be all fulnesse of praise honour and glory now and for euer AMEN THE VVAY TO ETERNALL LIFE The seauenth Sermon 1 IOHN Cap. 17. Vers. 3. And this is life eternall that they know thee to be the onely very God and him whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. WHen the Lawyer stood vp and tempted Christ saying Master what shall I do to inherit eternall life he was made answere him selfe out of the morall law Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soule with all thy strength and thy neighbour as thy selfe And heere is set downe the vtmost bound of our actions but if any man should aske but what knowledge is required to eternall life our Sauiour himselfe answereth This is eternall life to know the Father to be the onely very God and him whom he hath sent Iesus Christ. So here is the vtmost limit of our knowledge This Scripture then refuteth the vanity of Sciences to which men are by nature most propense and prone and for all Arts Sciences Learning Wisedome commendeth to vs one which is the Art of a Christian to know the true and liuing God These two compasse in and containe within them all Christian duty knowing and doing first we know God then wee loue him for ignotinulla cupido there can be no desire of that we know not after the Greek Prouerbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of seeing commeth louing Such as is our knowledge such is our loue If we know God but little we can loue him but a little the more we know him the more we loue him if we know him not at all we cannot at all loue him It is rooted in the nature of all things to desire that which is good and whosoeâ—…er desireth the good doth not rest his desire in any subordinate good for the desire will striue and presse forward for the soueraigne good that good to which all other goodnesse is subordinate neither can it haue rest till it haue attayned to this supreame end of all things Now albeit many desire the good apparant for the supreame good yet the desire in the false entendeth the true good as we see in the heathen people which worshipping false Gods did entend in them the worship of the true and onely God It is another principle in nature for euery thing which hath life to desire and doe all that it can to keepe it selfe from dying for if our life should perish what could the good of life profit vs for no good no not the soueraigne good could any wayes aduantage him that held by no tenure of life to enioy it Here then wee haue the supreame good made manifest to our vnderstanding which good is the true God and to a good eternall wee haue a life proportioned which is eternall that wee may neuer dye to our good nor our good to vs. You shall not then expect that I speake of this Scripture by way of diuision sithence the subiect of my Text is the true and perfect Vnion for other Sciences wee learne first by learning the parts and then the whole This Science wee haue first by being taught the whole the mysterie of the Trinity and then in it all the parts of a Christian life It is all one knowledge for all to know one life for all to seeke one God for all to beleeue in and there is but one way to come to this life which is by knowing the true and onely God I haue heard of a dangerous harbour in our Seas at whose mouth at Goodwins sands out of which the Pilot cannot make forth but hee must sinke in those sands vnlesse he so steere his Ship that he bring two steeples which stand off so euen in his sight that they may seeme to be but one Doubtlesse wee cannot make way in our faith without sinking into endlesse errour vnlesse wee beleeue God the Father and God the Sonne to be the same in substance and the onely true God But is not the holy Ghost with the Father and the Sonne one substance and the same true and liuing God yes but he is our Pilot to guide vs in this way Therefore the Scripture saith They that are led by the spirit are the sonnes of God And in another place Walke in the spirit And againe If you be led by the spirit Therefore Christ himselfe saith of the spirit He shall teach you all things If all things then this truth the ground of all truth the knowledge of the Father and and the Sonne because the spirit searcheth all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen the deepe things of God Neither ought wee more to doubt that the spirit is God because hee brings vs to Christ then that Christ is God because hee brings vs to the Father No man commeth to the Father but by the Sonne for then wee should likewise doubt whether the Father were God because he brings vs to Christ Euery man that hath heard and learned of my Father commeth to me And no man can come to mee except it be giuen him of my Father For this is that clarification of which our Sauiour speaketh in the first verse Father clarifie thy Sonne so doth the Sonne glorifie the Father verse 4. and the holy Ghost which proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne clarifie both the Father and the Sonne that all three persons may be glorified of vs all and that nothing may be more cleare illustrious to our faith then this summe and ground of all truth The Trinitie in Vnitie and Vnitie in Trinitie is to be worshipped So hence we may ascertaine our
accounted Dogs and Heretiques and Diuels Thou O Christ and the Gospell are the matter of our reproach and scorne for in thee onely we beleeue to thee onely wee cleaue and trust thee onely wee confesse Which when all the Saints haue done before how much more doth this now concerne vs in this darknesse of the ending world in this distraction of faith in this cruell warre and hostility of sides and parts Come hither beloued in Christ heere heere stand for this truth It is a small thing to die for Christ it is more hard and as much glorious to liue and confesse him Follow Christ if not in suffering death yet in the contempt and scorne of life if not in the bodies dying yet in the hearts suffering for these home enemies doe not onely seeke to take away your life as those Pagan persecuters and tyrants but that which is farre more deere and pretious your Faith But I will yet labour to set you surer vpon this foundation When Peter confessed this same confession Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God hee heard not onely to his owne comfort and priuiledge but for all others whosoeuer shall confesse the same confession foure things First Beat us tu Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Iona 2. Flesh and blood hath not reuealed this to thee thou art taught it of my Father God is thy teacher 3. He was called Cephas that is a Rock thou art a rocke for thy constantnesse in this confession 4 Vpon this rocke that is the rocke of my Diuinitie which thou hast confessed I will build my Church Was it then blessednesse to confesse Christ to be God was Peter called blessed for this and doth the blessing now cease Is not our blessednesse the same Yes whosoeuer thou art that beleeuest and confessest that Iesus is the Sonne of God beat us tu Blessed art thou Could Peter neuer haue attayned to this knowledge without the reuealing and teaching of God in heauen and we which vndoubtedly know beleeue the same haâ—… we or can we haue any other teacher Was Simon called a rocke for not being shaken in the faith of the Godhead of the man Christ and are wee counted stubble and chaffe for our sole and constant building vpon the same Is the rock it selfe this thou art Christ the Sonne of the louing God the very foundation vpon which the Church is built and are wee which plant all our hope and faith vpon the Diuinitie of Iesus Christ outlings from the Church of Christ I beseech you then consider with me the malice and subtilty of the diuell For when he saw the ground-worke and foundation laid on which all which shall be saued must be built for euer and that very same foundation planted to triâ—…ph ouer his hell and hell gates forth with attempted the ouerthrow of this foundation that none should confesse Iesus to be the Sonne of God And first by all the Kings of the earth by cruell tyrants by open and professed enemies persecuted this faith binding banishing imprisoning beating burning drowning killing torturing destroying all those which confessed that Iesus was Christ as I haue shewed before but when hee saw that this was not the way to batter the faith of Christ and that the Church the more it was shaken with persecution was built the firmer vpon this rocke and that the blood of the Martyrs was the seede of the Church for the more they were killed the more they encreased he sought another way for that which he could not effect by violence and hostility hee wrought by sleight and subtilty that which he could not compasse by open enemies which yelled and roared against the Church Downe with it downe with it euen to the ground that he plotted by Tatnayes and Sanballats which came to vs disguised vnder the profession of Christians saying Wee will build with you And so by sleight and shift of argument and wit of man it is held for the ground of all truth What that Peter was a rocke that we deny not but that he was the rocke this rocke vpon which Christ his Church is built And so wee haue for tu es Christus tu es Petrus But the Pope of Rome is Peters successour Ergo Christs Church is built vpon the Pope But the Church shall preuaile Ergo the Pope cannot erre But the Popes seat is Rome therefore Romana is Catholica But none shall be saued but they which are of the Church therefore this is eternall life to be of the Church of Rome Doe you not see how wee are disputed out of our saluation how wee haue lost our faith as it were at a tricke of fast and loose How cunningly the Diuell hath iugled away our foundation Doe you not see this blessed Scripture our Fortresse our Rocke our Castle our high Tower which was lifted vp and planted against hell and hell gates turned to fortifie for hell and hell gates Doe you not see how lightly we are parted from this one article the ground and summe of all truth which the blessed and glorious Apostles held deerer then their lifes blood And as if we had receiued no good at all by the knowledge of God and Christ we make onely earnest of faith and stand with vtmost contention and eagernesse whether Images be to be worshipped whether the dead be to be prayed for whether the Pope can dispense with Oathes c. Doe you not see how we are robbed of our euidence and turned out of our right Patrimonie of the Scriptures and so vtterly dispossest that our way is turned into a maze or wood and our truth into a lye and our life into death If then you haue not learned sufficiently the surenesse of this ground the deerenesse of this knowledge from the light of the Scriptures the words of Christ from the faith of the Prophets Apostles Martyrs Saints yet wee may sufficiently be perswaded from the cruelty malice and opposition and raging of the Diuell which from the beginning hath neuer ceased from seeking the vndermining batterie and ouerthrow of this truth I will now draw to my conclusion and come to ourselues which hauing quitted this article from the slaunders of our enemies haue not yet turned it for our owne best vse This is the faith which we haue receiued this is our ground this we professe in this we were baptized and yet hungry after knowledge as if wee had not beene sufficiently taught wee long for newes out of Scriptures we must haue the word more curiously carued some will haue this Preacher some that and this is fuller and this is sweeter and this is deeper and wee will haue I know not what Let mee be bold to say you heare Sermons as you heare Musicke for some delightfull straine or quirke of mens wit you itch in your eares and must haue them tickled daily with new pleasure your fashion is to iudge of the learning and sufficiencie of the Preacher which should be here humbled