table where imagerie is not forbidden for ciuile vsage amongs men but that suche may be made kept if abusing of them be auoyded yet of things belonging to the first table where imagerie is forbidden for any vsage in religion or seruice of God all suche imagerie ought vtterly to bée auoyded and abolished Also negligently to heare speake or read the word and name of god or to pray without deuotion yea not to heare reade confesse God and his truth with reuerence diligence praise thanks and prayer so oft as thou may haue occasion is condemned by the third commandement which requireth honour due vnto Gods name The fourth commaundement requireth perfit diligence in all due labours a mind neuer wearied but alwayes delited with godly meditations so as any mā may therby euer finde himselfe faultie both in labor and rest Then doth a man breake the fifth commaundement when as he doth not with all earnest deligence louing obedience obey and maintaine al good orders among men Thou sinnest against the sixth as a murtherer so oft as thou dost not relieue defende euery man that néedeth so muche as thou may by any charitable meanes Thou art gilty as an adulterous person agaynst the seuenth commandement so oft as any filthie lust inflameth thy fleshe And if thy filthy lust be satisfied in any abuse of naturall seede then is thy sin not only a vil◠corruption of nature but also a Sodomiticall abhomination contrary vnto nature If thou liue in idlenesse vpon other mennes labours or do not get righteously and bestow charitably somuch knowledge and comfort meates money and all maner of goods as thou may be able by al honest and godly wayes thou arte then iudged a théefe by the eight commandement If thou make any manner of lies or but faintly and vnfaithfully defende thy neighbors truth and honestie thou art condemned of false witnesse agaynst thy neighbor in the ninth commaundement Finally if in consideration of thy necessitie thou do not onely desire and take as sufficient gods plentie prouided vnto thée but in seing any thing faire or good pertayning vnto thy neyghbor dost couet the profite or pleasure propertie or possession of the same from him vnto thée then dost thou offende afore God against man Yea euery such lust lying in thy heart may bèe perceyued by the tenth commandement to be sin albeit so secret that Paule sayth he should not haue known it but by this commandement which sayth Thou shalt not couet Surely such knowledge of sinne cōmeth by this lawe that when as any man in his owne conscience afore the face of God wil truly measure by the line of this law howe far he is fallen from the righteousnesse acceptable vnto God into sinne abhominably offending God then shall be perceiue that through the infirmitie of his owne flesh he doth fall so farre from al power of frée will from all ablitie to performe fully his duetie vnto God that in him selfe he can haue no hope to escape the rigor of the lawe the letter of the law which killeth curseth and condemneth all faults infirmities and imperfections in man vnto whome God did giue in creation both purenesse and perfection Therfore as in him that presumeth to be iustified by his déedes in doing of this law any impurenesse or imperfectiō is worthily condemned by the righteousnesse contained in the lawe so contrariwise vnto him that féeleth and with fayth in Christe confesseth his owne faultes and infirmities al horrible sinnes and gréeuons crimes shall be graciously pardoned through the mercyfull pitie of the Lorde ouer the lawe So is the lawe a tutour or scholemaster teaching man what he oweth of dutie and forcing him to flée vnto the promise of God in Christ for mercy They therfore vse the law lawfully which learne by it to knowe what man ought to do and performe of dutie and so be made méete and desirous too heare the glad tidings of the gospel of Christ in whome God doth promis and performe vnto man all things freely For the lawe sheweth vnto man death and damnation in all his owne deedes and the gospel allureth man vnto assuraunce of saluation in Christes merites So Adam in Paradise being broughte vnto a perceiuing and féeling of his owne sinfull miseries through the lawe and commaundemente was by the gladde tidinges of the Gospell by the promise in the seede of the woman to breake the heade of the Serpent comforted and called to come by fayth in Christe forth of his owne miseries vnto Gods mercies So the Israelites in wildernesse immediatly after their greuous idolatrie vnto the golden calfe being brought vnder feare of the law vnto a féeling of themselues were recouered with comfort in the promise of a Prophet to be raysed vp of God vnto them of their brethren And continually all the dayes of Iosua the Iudges and the Kings and so forth so oft as by any plagues preachings and threatnings of the lawe they were brought vnto true féeling and confessing of themselues and their owne faultes they euer lerned to flée vnto Gods promises and to finde recouerie in his mercies but when as they followed their owne fantasies flattering themselues then fell they continually from euill vnto worsse sinnes and sorrowes miseries and mischéefs For in continuance of times and lack of grace they lost Iudges Kings and good Gouernours of their owne vtterly they and their countrey were brought into subiection to serue strangers Their temple gods house made to be replenished with riches of godlinesse was turned into a den of theeues which did rob God of his honour and Gods people of muche riches and of all maner of godlinesse and in the place of godly Priestes and true Prophetes false flatterers and ambitious prelates did by many meanes draw men from god vnto themselues from Goddes lawes vnto their traditious to labour in conscience vnder intollerable burdens Wherefore as afore time God had by the crueltie of Pharao driuen them out of Egypt to be allured and led by méeke Moses toward the lande of promise so then at that time did God driue them by those euils frō seruing vnder the letter of the lawe which killeth to be called by Christ at his comming vnto the libertie of the gospell which by the spirit quickneth So all things that be done in the world and truly written in holie Scriptures pertayning to the lawe and the Gospell serue to declare and witnesse that al men be sinners and al their déedes deserue damnation and that God in many thinges sheweth mercy vnto all men and that he also giueth abundance of mercie and grace vnto so many as beleus his pronuse made vnto them in Christ Iesu. CHAP. v. God by the ministerie of the gospell teacheth men to beleue in dede the diuel by common custome teacheth men to say onely that they beleue THE Lorde God in Christ did reconcile the world to himself not charging men with their sinnes but offering vnto them his mercies And
is that thou mayest learne to see the dangers of thyne owne deseruings by the lawe of God and to finde and take the right way to gods sauing helth welth kingdome by faith in Christe For euen as God did once driue his people out of Egipt by many greeuous euils to be allured towardes the holy land by moste comfortable promises so dothe hee nowe by many dangers driue thèe from the wickednesse and vengeance in this worlde to be called and guyded by grace vntoo all godly comfort and commodities in Chryste iesu Amen So be it At Geneua 1556. ¶ A Treatise of the way from daunger of Sinne and vengeance in this wicked world vnto godlie wealth and saluation in Christe Chapter I. This time filleth the worlde full of daungerous euils too driue men from the worlde and most comfortably offereth the beste way too allure them vnto Chryst. THE Lord bée mercifull vnto vs and blesse vs shewe the light of his countenance on vs so that we may know and kéepe his way vpō erth with speedy passage intoheauen For nowe doth sinfull wretchednesse diuelishe darkenesse and daungerous vengeance ouerflow the face of the whole erth to driue them from desire and loue of earthlie things Nowe is the way the truthe and the life prouided of God and profered vnto men to allure guide bring them through all earthly daungers vnto heauenly ioyes Nowe bee the euill dayes and perillous times and nowe is the day of saluation the acceptable time For euen nowe God calleth most earnestly vnto men seeing them in greatest dangers offring them his exceeding mercies saying Come vnto me all ye that trauayle and be burdened and I shall ease and refresh you Come nowe when as I do call walke nowe while yée haue light Now is the world worthily condemned to bée vtterly destroyed bycause that lighte is come into the worlde men louing worldly darkenesse more than godly light doe refuse gods mercies and prouoke Gods vengeance Nowe is suche calling and crying to enter with Chryst the bridegrome into the chamber of comfort as thretneth the shortly shutting vp of the gates of grace against al them which will not come when as they bée called but tarrie to take their partes and portions with hypocrites in outwarde darkenesse which is for the Diuell and his angels prouided Nowe the prince of darkenesse knowing his time to bée shorte ▪ doeth moste furiously rage to destroy man and God therfore seing man in greatest danger and necessitie doth nowe most euidently offer his sauing health vnto man in the face of Iesus Chryste his sonne Not in the face of Chrysts bodie which is falsly fygured in colours caruings but in the face of Chrystes conuersation and doctrine whiche is so truely and clearly reuealed in holie Scriptures that it can not be couered and hid frō any mā but alonly frō them whose faithlesse vnderstanding the prince of this worlde hathe so blinded that they can not nor will not beholde the cleere light of the Gospell of the glorie of Christe most comfortably shining vnto the saluation of man For the gracious goodnesse of God dothe appeare in al his words and works howbeit towards man sufficiently vnto saluation it can no otherwise be séene and perceiued but by the light of the gospel shewing the face of Christe God and man the fauour and grace of God towards man in the déedes and doctrine of Christ Iesu whiche is the way the life and the truth which is by the gospell so shewed and set forth before al men as maketh most to the shamefull confusion and vtter perdition of them that wil refuse it and to the exceeding comforte assured saluation of them that do receiue it For the same sorte of sins which caused sundrie plages in sundry places afore times bée altogether fully flowing into this wicked worlde at this time and the same saluation that was promised vntoo the fathers witnessed by the lawe and the Prophetes signifyed by sacrifices sealed by sacraments and shadowed in ceremonies afore time is nowe playnly and plentifully by the light of the Gospell through power of gods spirit presented and profered vnto vs in this time Therefore to escape from vnder many daungers and to come vnto great comforte to walke in the way of saluatiō promised vnto the fathers and perfourmed vntoo vs shadowed in the lawe and reuealed in the Gospell a man must not sléep in slouthfulnesse vnder dangers nor trust and stay in the signes and shadowes of sacrifices and ceremonies nor in the letter of the lawe nor in the persons of Prophets and preachers but vse al these things as meanes to make him mindfull of Chryst only in whome by fayth man may euer finde and obtayne mercie and grace help comfort plētifully For be that feleth by fayth howe that the Father hathe giuen Christ his déere sonne to die for mā he shal finde by experience howe that God hathe made and doth guide and giue all creatures as is best for the necessitie commoditie of man And as the wonderfull wisedome of god doth neuer make any prouisiō but such as is necessarie so the great mercifull goodnesse of God doeth euer prouide sufficiente succour for all them that be in danger of extremitie Therfore God hath nowe sent the light of the gospell so clearly and openly abolishing sinne shadowes and figures as is sufficient to put away any manner of darknesse as shoulde not haue bene necessarie if god had not foreséen vs to haue now come vnder many moe greater dangers at this our time thā other men did in their times CHAP. II. The light of the Gospell sheweth comfortable commodities in all things THERE is but one way of saluation in Chryst onely and that hath euer béen at diuers times diuersly reuealed as God hath forseene to bée moste expedient and necessary And this saluation can not be gotten by mans workes in kéeping of the lawe but it is fréely giuen by Gods grace to the beleuers of the Gospell The righteousnesse of the lawe of God is so heauie a yoake by reason of the infirmitie of mans flesh as no man is able too beare the glad tidings of the gospell of Christ by reason of the grace of god be so cléere and comfortable vnto the faythfull as causeth all things to bée vnto them pleasant and profitable So Abraham hearing and beléeuing the promise in his séed which was the glad tydings in Chryst to come felt no losse nor lacke neyther of his natiue countrie kinred from whence hée was called neither of bis deare sonne which was commaunded to be sacrifised but had great abundance of all riches with a sure promise of blessed succession and large landes of possession and was by imputation of righteousnesse taken and named to be the friende of God and the father of the faythful So Adam whiche did not by any abilitie of free will perfitly obey Gods commaundement to continue in the pleasures of Paradise did
purchase man fauour with God but onely Chrystes precyous bloud And they onely bée redemed and restored vnto Gods fauour by Iesu Christes bloud whiche faythfully receyue Chrystes Gospell Therefore to séeke or looke for remission of any sins for any gracious gifts or for any good thing of any other than of God or by any other mean than by faith in Christ according to the gospel of christ is an vnthākfull refusing of the liuing god of his gracious goodnesse and of sauing health in Christe to deserue by so doyng vengeance with the worlde damnation with diuels For they that will forsake mercy shall not escape vengeaunce they that will not come vnto Christe shall goe vnto the Deuill For as there is no other way vnto the father but by him so what other way so euer any man taketh hée falleth into the handes of the deuill from him CHAP. IX A perillous path of perdition to followe the moste part to obey rather man than God to resist authoritie vnlawfully to wishe vengeance and to lay faults and blames vpon other vncharitably MAny mē lacking grace and good wyll to searche the scriptures so as they might fynde sée and folowe this way of saluation in Christ vnto God take that waye which commeth into their imagination by cōmon custome followe the most parte of men which cōmonly kéepe the worste way and furthest from god For commonly in mans imagination is suche a false fayned fashion of Christe and his kingdome as is most vnlike and cōtrary vnto the true face and fourme of Christ and his holy Church ▪ as is nothing agréeable vnto that whiche is clearely and comfortably reuealed vnto suche as searche and sée the same in holy scripture And therfore they that take Christe and the Churche as commeth by custome into mannes imagination doo forsake the foundation of the prophets the Apostles Christ beyng the hed corner stone doe mislyke such example doctrine of Christ and his Churche as is by the Scripture taught vnto the faithfull For they flée from the poore little flocke and crosse of Christe as from perillous heretikes and mischeuous plagues they follow regard and reuerence the gretest multitude of priestes and prelates with moste solemne shewes and ceremonies as though the kingdom of Christ were a thing full of worldly glory outwarde holines So leauing the scriptures and folowing custome in blinde imagination of Christe and the Church they run vnto the diuell and damnation in Antichristes kingdome They imagin that in folowing the most they shall escape dānation when as in leauing the best they forsake saluation Many were drouned in the floude when as fewe entred with Noe to be saued in the shippe Many taried and perisht in the fire when as fewe followed Lot out of Sodome and Gomor Many in all places did continue in idolatrie when as Abraham was called did go to serue God in a straunge countrey Of the Israelits which came out of Egipt many deserued to die in wildernesse and fewe did enter into the lande of promise Tenne tribes fell from the kingdome of Dauid into idolatry vnder Ieroboam whē as a few in comparison went from thence to kéepe the lawe and ordinaunce of God at Hierusalem Many euer finde and take the broade way which leadeth vnto perdition when as fewe enter in at the narrow gate vnto saluation Many be called and few be chosen yea God doth choose those whiche the world doth refuse So that it is the plaine path vnto perdition which the greatest nūber and those that haue the moste solemne and séemlie shew afore the face of the worlde keepe by common custome contrary vnto Gods commaundement Many do imagin that if God work wondersly to set vp any in high authoritie then whatsoeuer such a one doth commaund is good and godly It was a wonderfull work of God to set vp Ieroboam and make hym king of Israell and yet moste vngodly dyd hée cause his people to commit idolatrie in Dan and Bethell And when as he was made a king by the wonderful working of God and caused the people whiche hée was king ouer abhominably to committe idolatry agaynste God yet euen then in so doing did hée say and commaunde euery thing in the name of God as the true honour and seruice of god But neyther the wonderful worke of God in making him king nor his owne saying or meaning to establishe that kingdome coulde make or proue that to be the honor and seruice of Go◠whiche was contrary vnto the worde and cōmandement of god O Englande beware and take good héede that thou neyther resist authoritie nor yet committe idolatrie For if thou folowing mans imagination take eyther of these two ways then doest thou perillously procéede towardes perdition contrary vnto the commaundement of God in the worde of god For the woorde of God teacheth neuer to resist authoritie but euer to pray for al men and especially for suche as be in authoritie and yet if any thing bée taught and commaūded cōtrary vnto Gods word and wil then rather to obéy god than man how high in authoritie soeuer they be which take vpon them so to teache or commaunde Therefore if thou féele authoritie heauie and greuous vnto thée which surely is Gods ordinance for mans comforte and commoditie doe not repine murmure against Gods ordinaunce but repent and amend thine owne faults whiche doe cause God to scourge beat thée with that rod of authoritie whiche when thou of curst hart by wishing woord or déed woldst snap and pull out of Gods handes then didst thou deserue and cause God to take from thée that rod of his fatherly correction poure vppon thée plagues of intollerable vengeance So the Israelites impaciently refusing the correction of seueritie vnder Roboam were plagued with idolatrie vnder Ieroboam But when as the childe that is corrected or the people that is plaged doth humbly submit himself vnder the hande of God his heauenly lord Father then will God of fatherly affection cherish his child spare his people and caste the rod into the fire eyther as he did graciously change the hart and mollifie the minde of Manasses or else as hée did righteously remoue and destroy the power and person of Nabuchodonosor of Saul and of suche other Take ye héede and bee warned as well princes as peoples as wel ye that be in authoritie as you that bée vnder authoritie for when as the one is punished by the fautes of the other then cōmonly the vngodlinesse of them that doo suffer is the cause of the faulte in the other When as the people in Israell kindled the fury of God fiercely agaynst thēselues then Satan had power to persuade Dauid their King to cōmit a great faulte in numbryng the people for the whiche GOD did greuously plage them Whē as Dauid had gréeuousely synned agaynste God in abominable murder and adultery then the sinfull sedition of the people stirred vp by ambitious Absalon