briefe they are true Israelites in whō there is no deceit or fraude because Christ their king blesseth and gouerneth them by his holy spirite and renueth regenerateth them maketh them which were bloud-thirsty and enuious very myld men and patient sufferers of all harmes that happen so that beyng hurt they hurt not agayne nay they wish well vnto their enemies they blesse them that curse them and doe good to them that hurt them Forasmuch then as appertayneth vnto themselues they neede no swords but only for the infidels and wicked which must be ruled restrayned by the sword and by force least that the godly and good liuers be oppressed hurt by them As Esay sayth of the kingdom of Christ They shall do no hurt neither do any iniury in my holy hill because the earth shal be filled with the knowledge of God euen as the sea with flowing waters And Micheas prophecieth of the peace which shall be in the kingdom of Christ saying But they shall sit euery man vnder his vine and vnder his fig tree and none shall make them afrayde And Hose sayth I will make a couenaunt for them in that day that is when Messias shall rule with the wild beastes and with the foules of the heauen and with that that creepeth vpon the earth and I will breake the bow and the sword and the battail out of the earth and will make thē to sleep safely And Zachary saith I will cut of the chariots from Ephraim and the horse from Ierusalem the bowe of the battail shall be broken and he shall speake peace vnto the heathen These things are not to be vnderstood corporally and grosly as the blinded Iewes and Chiliastes did dreame but spiritually of the heauenly peace in the spirituall kingdom of Christ If therfore the Gentiles through all the world according to this prophesie ought to run vnto the Lord into the church or christian religion and receiue the doctrine therof and be partakers of that true peace it was needefull that Christ should rise agayne that he might erect restore and establish that great kingdom which consisteth of the Iewes and Gentils For as yet the Gentils when he dyed knew not who he was Nay the very Iewes themselues could not abide this their king wherupon the prophet warneth euen the Iewes in the ende of his prophesie saying O house of Iacob come ye and let vs walke in the light of the lord that is in his gospell in the fayth of Christ And Esay comforteth the people of the Iewes prophesieng vnto them that although the Iewes should suffer a great destruction and haue a miserable fall yet many of the Israelites should escape all those euils obtaine that euerlasting ioy and incomparable comfort which God promised saying In that day shall the bud of the Lord be beautifull and glorious and the fruite of the earth shall be excellent and pleasaunt for them that are escaped of Israel Then he that shal be lost in Sion and he that shall remayne in Ierusalem shal be called holy and euery one shall be written among the liuyng in Ierusalem when the Lord shall wash the filthines of the daughter of Sion and purge the bloud of Ierusalem out of the midst therof by the spirit of burning In these wordes the prophet foretelleth how glorious and honorable this kingdome of Messias should be And he speaketh properly of the tymes of the new Testament wherein Christ adourned hys kyngdome his Church with beauty aboue measure and with all the giftes of the holy ghost For he washeth cleanseth and sanctifieth his daughter Sion that is the church with holy baptisme by his bloude Hee mortifieth the olde Adam by the spirite of iudgement and of fire And seeing that the churche her selfe must fight here in the fleshe against most wicked and vile enemies and seing that she is here on earth in great daunger Christ her almighty king doth promise her comfort defence ayde and helpe in all aduersities and calamities that she may bee safe vnder the protection of the most high For hee shall be a cloude for his church in the day tyme and a fire lightnyng it in the night as hee visibly deliuered his people out of the house of bondage as we read in Exodus where it is sayd And the Lord went before them by day in a piller of a cloude to leade them the way and by night in a piller of fire to geue them light that they might goe both by day and by night hee tooke not away the piller of the cloud by day nor the piller of fire by night frō before the people Note here that the prophet calleth our Lord Christ the budde or blossom of God and the fruit of the earth because Christ is the sonne of God naturally and also the true sonne of man to wit of the perpetuall and pure Virgin Mary of the tribe of Dauid He is called the fruite of the earth because he tooke his holy humanitie of the daughter of Adam which Adam was made of earth This prophesie the Iewes vnderstood both in Babilon and afterward also of Christ For Thargum Ionathan sayth At this tyme the Messias of the lord shal be our ioy and glory ¶ Anna. Cleophas and his companion by this prophesie might easily haue vnderstood that Israel should not quite perish because Christ died For if it was meet that he should bee the fruite of the earth that is to say naturall man what meruaile is it then if he died But in that he was the budde of the Lord it was not possible that he should abide in death For then should God himselfe haue remayned in death which thing is vnpossible Wherfore he was able both to raise vp and deliuer hymself and other from death Moreouer seyng that not all which were in Ierusalem and in Sion but the remnant only should be holy and numbred amongest the elect it must needes be that there were some wicked men in Ierusalem and so consequently enemies to Christ For holines and wickednes cannot agree What maruayle was it then that these prophayne and wicked bishops and princes deliuered Christ to death But yet for all that he was able to deliuer Israell yea death it selfe was the way and meane whereby God had determined to saue Israel as the Prophetes haue sayde and yet not by force armour and the sworde as the Iewes dreamed but euen by his holinesse as it seemed good vnto the Lorde But it appeareth in Luke that those good disciples as then neither knew nor vnderstood the person and ministery of Messias to wit that he both could and should by death destroy death ☞ Vrbanus You say well and therfore doth Christ call them fooles and slow of hart to beleue and vnderstand all thinges which the prophet spake of Messias But marke what Esay sayth of Christ First he giueth Christ this worthy warriours name calling him Maher
deadly sicknes of sinne and ouercome the power of darknes thorough the might and power of this signe Christ crucified But it is especially to be marked that the prophet saith All nations shal seke vnto him The 70. translaters haue interpreted these wordes thus Which shall rise again to be the king of the Gentiles that is of all people in the earth in him shal the Gentils trust Like as the patriarke Iacob said according to the exposition of the 70. translaters in these wordes Siloh shall be the hope or expectation of the Gentils Here haue we a plaine euident testimony of the calling of the Gentiles to the grace of the gospell For they shal enquire after Christ or seeke him as their only sauiour put all their hope trust in him What els is this but that they shall acknowledge Christ to bee true GOD and true man of the stocke of Dauid For hope in the first commaundement is the honour due onely and soly vnto the true and liuing god And thus the kingdome of Christ according to this prophesy shall be as wide and large as the whole worlde so that the Iewes shall bee the least and smallest parte of Christes kingdome And euen all the Iewes vnderstande this chapter of Messias who should recouer and restore the kingdome of Israel And where as the Prophet sayth His rest shall be glorious that is his death and buriall shall be glorious for his body is neither corrupt nor rotten He died an innocent whose death brought all vs the childrē of Adam out of eternall death and shame into euerlasting honour and glory For Christ by this his most holy and sacred death entred into his glorious and euerlasting kingdome and so after his death began his raigne in lyfe And when as the Iewes supposed that hee was dead in deede and quite extinguished al those things which he had promised and spoken to be vaine and of none effect as Cleophas also and his companions supposed then beeing risen from death to life came forth and ouercame and quite destroyed and killed death and became glorious and was made kyng both of the Iewes and Gentiles and raigneth for euer throwyng downe his enemies with euerlastyng shame First therfore in these wordes is contained the deth of Christ for the prophet sayth his rest And afterward is noted his glorious victorious resurrection For the prophet saith that his rest shal be glorious but his rest or death could not haue bene glory or glorious or honorable if he had abiden still in death wrought done nothing by it In Exodus it is written that the lord stretched out his hande and by his great miracles declared his power that he might deliuer his captiue afflicted and oppressed people out of Egypt and bring them vnto the promised land of Canaan And here the Prophet doth agayne promise such a deliueraunce but a much more glorious and meruailous deliueraunce then that was when hee drowned Pharao with all his hoste in the red sea and brought his people out of all danger into the land of promise without hurt and harme The deliuerance out of Egypt was but onely a figure of this deliueraunce of which the prophet speaketh here For God wil deliuer the remnant of the Iewes and Gentiles out of the eternall captiuity of Satan by Iesus Christ and gather them all together into the kingdom of heauen where they shall neuer suffer eyther damage detriment or losse And he calleth all nations throughout all the whole worlde For saluation hath extended it selfe to all the world that the dispersed and wandring children of god might be gathered together out of all quarters of the earth as Christ himselfe saith in Iohn And I if I were lift vp from the earth will draw all men vnto me And agayne Christ should dye for the nations not for the nations onely but that he should gather together in one the children of God which were scattred abroade The prophet Esay singeth a notable Psalme of this great and inexplicable benefite of the true and spirituall redemption in Christ wherby we be deliuered from euerlasting damnation And in that Psalme he meruailously setteth forth the goodnes of god in Christ saying Behold God is my saluation I will trust and wil not feare for the lord God is my strength and song he also is become my saluation If Cleophas and his companion had known him to be the sauiour and deliuerer of Israel as well as Esay did they had neuer bene in harte so heauy as they were It followeth in the prophet Esay Therefore with ioye shall ye drawe waters out of the welles of saluation And yee shall say in that daye prayse the Lorde call vppon his name declare his workes among the people make mention of them For hys name is exalted Syng vnto the Lorde for he hath done excellent thinges This is known in all the world Cry out and shoute O inhabitant of Sion for great is the holy one of Israel in the midst of thee Note here how greatly and aboundantly the prophet reioiceth in spirit or the bountiful grace of god offred in Christ our only sauiour and deliuerer When the gospel of God is taught vnto vs then is the holy ghost with all his graces giuen vnto vs to wit remission of sinnes peace of conscience true ioy He is the true fountain spring of the liuing water of which Christ speaketh in Iohn saying The water that I shall giue him shall be in him a well of water springing vp into euerlasting life And againe Christ sayth If any mā thirst let him come to me drinke he that beleueth in me as saith the scripture out of his belly shal flow riuers of water of life He spake this of the spirit which they that beleue in him should receiue For he obtained this holy ghost by his deth for vs and he mightily shewed forth to vs how that by his death the victory of his resurrection he ouercame sinne death and Satan The true Sion that is the catholike church of the faithfull doth in dede and not without good occasion reioice shout for ioy yea she may well and worthily glory For she hath gotten forgiuenes of sinnes righteousnes the holy ghost peace of conscience and euerlasting saluation For Paul sayth to the Corinthiās That God hath giuen vs a glorious victory triumph ouer the law sin death hel through our lord Iesus Christ Esay prophesieth in like maner in his 25. chapter of the victory of Christ saying God Messias will destroy death for euer and the Lord God will wipe away the teares from all faces and the rebuke of his people wil he take away out of all the earth For the lord hath spoken it Now then if Christ hath swallowed vp death then are we surely deliuered from it For death neither hath nor euer had power ouer Christ because he was
of the name of the Lord his god and these shall dwell still for now shall he be magnified vnto the endes of the world That is to say the captayne and guide of Israel shall not yet come but the Iewes for their Idolatrye shall first be greuously punished and afflicted For they shall abide 70. yeares in their captiuity of Babilō and afterward they shall come into their countrye and loking for that gratious time of the God of Israell And although their plague captiuitie and affliction be great yet will the Lord keepe his promise and wil send the promised Messias Moschell vnto Israell at the time appointed and then at the last shall true felicitie come then shall all thinges fall forth well and prosperously then shall the true Israelites come together euē as it came to passe in the time of Iesus Christ who is the true shepheard and cast out all false ministers pharises scribes and Iewes and feede his sheepe himselfe by the great power of god For he taught thē by the spirite of grace and cōuerted lightned their harts and cast out the euill spirits and raysed the dead to life agayne wrought strange miracles and wonders in the name of his heauenly Father So that the shepe can now no more be demaūded and destroyed of the Volues but may sit safe in his pastures vnder his protections And this Moschel or Lorde prince of Israell shall be magnified and glorified through the whole world in the time of the new testament which was fulfilled when Christ by his passion entered into his glory and rose agayne from the dead the 3. day sitteth at the right hand of God that all power both in heauen and earth might be geuen him and when the holy ghost preached him by the Gospell in all the world and when his horne that is his spirituall kingdome as you haue heard in the psalmes was in the name of god exalted multiplied and dayly increased both by the Iewes and Gentiles as it is yet manger Sathā-and the world his wife And a little after Miche prophecieth how Christiās or the kingdome of Christ should raigne and remaine euē vnder the crosse in the middest of their enemies By which we see that it is a spirituall kingdome seing it is in the wicked world amonest many nations euen as the dew of the Lord or as a drope of water in the grasse For the people of the faythful is a marueilous people They are in the earth but not an earthly kingdome of the earth Their doctrine is the holy ghost which commeth from heauen from God the holy ghost They thē sealues also are from heauē regenerated by water and the holy ghost their lyfe consisteth in fayth they liue in Christe and they are wonderfully preserued vnder the crosse And although in the eyes of the world they may seme weake yet are they inuincible through fayth in Christ haue alwayes the victory yea they breake through the world sin death and the bondes and snares of Sathan and gouerne their inheritance but all these thinges are done spiritually and by a marueilous meanes altogether hidden from the world For this is wrought by the worde and spirite but much more worthely and gloriously then man can imagine These are the wordes of the prophecy And the remnant of Iacob shall be amongst many people as a dew from the Lord and as the showers vpon the grasse that waiteth not for mā nor hopeth in the sons of Adame And the remnant of Iacob shall be among the Gentiles in the middest of many people as the Lyon among the beastes of the forrest and as the Lyons whelpe among the flock of sheepe who when he goeth through treadeth downe and teareth in peeces and none can deliuer Thy hand shall be lift vp vpon thy aduersaries and all their enemies shall be cut of Here you may see the power of the gospell and faythfull christians Those which beleued in Christ taried loking for him were the true remnant of Iacob They trusted not in man but in God and certainely beleued that according to his promise he would deliuer them out of all calamitie although at that time they were captiues and afflicted in the middest of their heauy and deadly enemies But the Lord dwelleth with his seruants he hath promised in Exodus vnto all faythfull christian men that he will be an enemie vnto their enemies and afflict them which afflict the faythfull Christiās Wherfore there is a certaine hope and sure victory promised here vnto the remnant of Iacob and the kingdome of Christ that is to the whole Church which in this world dwelleth here amōg her enemies And thus be the faythfull Christians incouraged fortified and embouldened by the promise of God and fayth in Christ Iesus to walke euen as the Lion in the wood which feareth no other beast and passeth them all in strength And this prophet magnifically describeth Christes kingdome in his 4. chap. much lyke to the 2. of Esay his wordes be these And the same day sayth the Lord will I gather hir that halted and I will gather hir that is cast out and hir that I haue afflicted And I will make hir that halted a remnant and hir that was cast farre of a mighty nation and the Lord shall raigne ouer them in mount Sion frō thence forth euen for euer This is the tyme of the new testament faythful christians are here signified by the halt cast out and afflicted men lyke as they are also vnderstood in 61. of Esay and in euery place of this prophecy because of that crosse which they beare in this world that so they may be made lyke vnto Christ their king You must then vnderstand by the halte cast out afflicted those which are poore in spirite which are troubled in conscience which outwardly in this world suffer persecution and inwardly in their conscience are terrified and tormented with the feeling of their sinnes the feare of death the wrath of god These are the poore vnto whome this good tidinges are brought that they haue a good fauourable and most gentile king who will not cast them of for their weakenes and infirmity but helpeth them and salueth their sores And although in this worlde they be weake forsaken banished abiects and most contemptible yet will the Lord make of them a famous people who shall liue safely vnder him in perpetuall glory in the kingdome of heauen Here agayne you heare that the kingdome of Christ is spirituall for the faythfull Christians in this world are weake and contemptible but by the crosse they are brought to eternall glory For when the whole world with all his pompe and glory shall decay then shall they be crowned with great honor and glory in the euerlasting kingdome of Christ And thus the prophets haue respect vnto the eternitye and saluation ordayned for vs in the kingdome of Christ In the end of
moueth sedition bloudshed warre strife brauling grudging debate hatred He neuer slepeth he is alwayes watching he daily traueleth laboureth very sedulously and all to this ende that he may hurt man bryng him into some misery destructiō of body soul name goods He stirreth vp most cruel persecutiōs sharp stormes and poisonfull hatred against the godly To be short what euil calamity wickednes abhominations diuelishnes is done in al the earth he is the causer therof and to speake at a word he hindereth as much as in him lieth the gospel kingdom of Christ and laboreth both day night with all his might with hand and foote with tooth nayle that the territories therof be not augmēted enlarged But al his force studies and practises shall be frustrate For we haue on our side with vs the angels the good spirits of god which repugn and resist Satan Yea we haue Christ himself with vs who is a fiery brasen wall about al that faithful that the euil spirits do thē no harme nor iniury but that they may be in safety and with out danger Satan is an horrible enemy in deede so forceable that vnles god by his holy angels hindered and destroied his deuises withstood and resisted his assaults there should be no family in the whole world in which he should not euery day cause worke wickednes slaughter calamity tumultes sorrow debates mourning all kind of mischief nay rather he would disturbe destroy dissolue ouerthrow and make a confusion hauocke of the whole world he is an euerlasting irreconcilible bloudy deadly sworn enemy to al the godly And he maketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bellum continual war without any truce vpon the godly euen to the last day And therfore we must both morning euening euery day giue thanks to God because that of his fatherly mercy towards vs he doth so wondrously so mightily and so gloriously defend and kepe vs from so cruell horrible mischieuous mighty and noisome enemies ¶ Anna. We ought so to do in dede And I wil do it with all my hart with all diligence as my duty is For we are bound to be thankfull to our good father God almighty because he hath in such great dangers so carefully prouided for vs preserued vs from all enemies and euils For we haue often seene how these wicked sprites lay wait for vs and seke by al meanes to endamage vndo and destroy vs But God hath opēly frustrated all their assaults And now I pray you recite expound the prophesies of the mystery of our fayth to wit of the death resurrection and kingdome of Christ which we haue now in hand ☞ Vrb. I wil first begin to recite the testimonies of the Psalmes as I haue done before For of al the prophets Dauid is the floure for he prophesieth much plainly euidently of Christ who should be born of his familie or tribe according to his humanity of all his workes mysteries You haue heard before how the kingdom of Christ was described in the 2. Psal. where God the father did not onely constitute his sonne king ouer the Iewes but also gaue him the Gentils of the whole world for his inheritance Wherupon it followeth that Christ should not abide in death although he died as true mā of the seed of Dauid For it was requisite that accordyng to the decree and statute of God the father he should be king ouer the whole world Which thing could not haue bene in any corporall worldly maner as the Iewes dreamed that Messias should rule haue in this world a great corporall kingdom And therfore it was necessary that the state and condicion of Christes kingdome should be altogether of another sort then the kingdomes of this brickle frail life are Christs kingdom was to be euerlasting he which is in that kingdō shal for euer haue euerlasting righteousnes peace safety life felicity eternal saluation And therfore he endeth the psal with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conclusiue exclamation Blessed are all they which trust in the lord But he speaketh not of a tēporal blessing here in this world For the king himself and his chief nobles his welbeloued prophets and apostles had no great plenty here of worldly welth and pleasure of this life but were miserably afflicted and always subiect to many grieuous perils calamities In the 3. Psal. Dauid saith I take my rest and sleepe I rise agayne for the lord sustaineth me The old church a thousand yeres ago vnderstood this prophesie of the true death and resurrection of Christ as appeareth by Arnobius And againe Dauid saith O giue saluatiō vnto Israel out of Sion when the lord turneth the captiuitie of his people then Iacob shal reioyce and Israel shal be glad Here Dauid in sprite desireth and godly and feruently prayeth Messias who onely is called in the holy scriptures the true sauiour and redeemer seeing both the Iewes and Gentiles by him are deliuered from all euils and perils that they may through him and in him enioy euerlasting blessednes S. Augustine also taketh these wordes to bee ment of Christ And take this wife for an infallible rule for you in the scripture that in so much as there is but one onely deliuerer giuen of God vnto men by whom they may be iustified and saued that Christ is truely properly certainly ment signified and vnderstood in all those and such places where there is mention made eyther of saluation sauiour redeemer or deliuerer whether it be spoken in figures or playne and manifest wordes For seyng Israel and Iacob that is the catholike church beyng congregated of the Iewes Gentils should be glad reioyce in Christ they must liue in peace and security That cannot be vnles such troubles be taken away the conscience be comforted death abolished These words therfore importe and plainly shew that our redemer out of Sion or as it is in Thargum our redemption saluation which is Christ himself shal take away destroy all those things that trouble afflict that godly to wit an euil conscience tribulation sinne persecution and all kind of vexation death it self c. For of necessity he must lead captiuity captiue that is he must ouercome Satan who hath vs in captiuity and he must deliuer vs from his tiranny Christ in the Psalmes sayth My flesh also doth rest in hope For thou wilt not leaue my soule in hel or in the graue neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruptō Thou wilt shew me the path of life In thy presence is the fulnes of ioy at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore We can haue no surer nor better expounders of the prophets then the Apostles and Euangelistes And Peter and Paul haue expounded this prophesie to be ment of Christ saying that he should
children neither could it be thought that of them should come such a famous people Notwithstanding it came so to pas that this seed was so multiplyed that it was like the sand of the sea according to the promise of the lord And so though the litle flock of Gods people in this world be as a desolate barrain and only widow in comparison of the great number of the vngodly yet shall it come to pas that thou shalt increase grow and be exceeding famous For although thou hast in this world many enemies which do all they can and imploy themselues totally to subuert thee to root thee out and to ouerthrow thee yet can they not hurt thee Their councels and deuises shall all be frustrate yea they them selues how great soeuer they be are nothing nay much les then nothing For the moth shall eat them as a garment and the worme shall consume them like a vesture but my righteousnes remayneth and abideth for euer from generation to generation Yea and he addeth a saying that is ful of comfort The Lord shal comfort Syon he shall comfort all her desolations and he shall make her desert like Eden and her wildernes like the garden of the lord Ioy and gladnes shall be found therin praise and the voyce of singing Which is to say although the church be like vnto Abraham solitary and forsaken yet shall she be blesssed and florish like as a most pleasaunt garden And therfore we ought in no wise to be offended at the base estate of Christ and his former comming or at the homely state of the church while she walketh in this crooked world like to a pilgrim And a litle after in the same chap. the Lord speaketh to his people I euen I am he that comforteth you This is a greate and worthy mistery for we vnderstand here Christes humanitye as if he should say my seruants the prophets haue much and diuersly hetherto comforted you but yet came not that true comfort of Israell Now therfore will I far otherwise comfort you and that much more liuely and in greater aboundance then before For now euen I my selfe will come in mine own person and comfort Sion This came to pas when Christ was made man and liued among men For he sent not a Prophet or an Angel but he himself at the fulnes of time came in the flesh that he might comfort vs in the flesh Those two discyples plainly felt that comfort on Easter day when God him selfe in mans nature glorifyed and reuiued them and cheered vp their heuy harts by the scriptures And Esay saith further Arise put on thy strength O Syon c. And here again doth the prophet comfort gods people making them promise of Christ their redeemer as if he should say goe to Sion thou which art so often afflicted and troubled thou which art now prisoner vnto thy enemies and now again set free and yet afterward captiue and laid wast so that thou maist truely be called most miserable and wretched Now reioyce Now be glad and leap for ioy for thy miseries shal once haue end For I promise thee a better and more blessed state in time to come Hethertowards thou hast bene for a time redeemed from thy enemies and for a tyme thou hadst tranquility and wast afterward afflicted agayn But now thou shalt enioy at last sound consolation which shall neuer decay after which no captiuity or destructiō shal follow Wherfore put all heauines from thy hart be of good courage and awake for the time wil once come wherin thou shalt truly be set at fredome And thus the prophet speaketh of that euerlasting deliueraunce which we haue in Christ who hath vanquished our enemies by whom we were afflicted and vexed in captiuity and hath deliuered vs from them and restored vs to our old fredome and all this he did of his own mere grace cleane without our desert though it cost him euen the best chiefest and most precious humain thing he had For he offered vp his body for a sacrifice and shed his most precious bloud for our redemption that thereby he might put away our sinnes ouercome death and vanquish and destroy hel And by these works of his euerlasting and infinite person he obtayned for vs euerlasting redemption Sion the spirituall citie is vexed and troubled because it is constrayned to harborow and beare the vngodly It can in no wise paciently suffer such griefe and blasphemies against god and his name Therfore God by the prophet promiseth that the vncircumcised and vnclean that is the vnbeleuers whose hartes in Christ Iesus are not purified nor cleansed but hate the church of God shall not haue their habitation there But this thing in this world is done spiritually For whosoeuer beleeueth not in Christ yea though he sit in Peters chaire or were head of the church as Annas and Caiphas were in the Sinagogue and other many wicked Iewes which would be counted righteous yet is he no member of true Syon that is of the Church for he hath not the spirite of Christ and how then can Christ be hys head or he his member for such a one is without the communion of saynts But at the day of redemption when Christ shal come to geue sentence then at the last shall all the wicked infidels and false Christians be euen corporally seperated from the faythfull Then shall Sion be most beautifull and delectable when all which shall dwell in her shall put on their wedding garments then shall the Church be clean without blot or wrinkle and then he which hath not on his wedding garment shall with his hands and feet fast bound be cast into vtter darcknes In the meane tyme Sion in outward apparance hath a heuy countenance because we wander yet in this flesh and because the old man is not yet mortifyed and because sathan and the world doe iniury vs persecute vs and torment vs and because tirants vexe and trouble vs with the doctrine and traditions of men But we must not sleep in security we must rise and lift vp our selues and shake of slouthfulnes And although with our body we cannot come vnto that wished marke and full perfection yet in hart we must aspire fly vp to Christ our redeemer as Paule teacheth to the Philip. saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our conuersation is in heauen Moreouer we must still stand in our freedome which Christ by his pretious and inestimable price wrought for vs And we must by pure and vnspotted faith cleaue closely in all we can to Christ and cast the bonds of humain traditions quite and clean out of our consciences that so Christ may rule in our harts otherwise we shall neuer be able to stand And then the prophet speaketh of a twofold captiuity and transmigration The first is corporall when as they were most miserable captiues in Egipt and afterward amongst the Assirians and Caldeans who at that time
copy of this fayned angry countenance lyeth hid a fatherly grace and great good wil as if he should say I will not kill thee but I will smite thee and chastice thee that thou maiest liue It followeth Therfore thy gates shal be open continually neither day nor night shall they be shut that men may bring vnto thee the riches of the gentils and that their kings may be brought For the nation and kingdome that wil not serue thee shal perish and those nations shal be vtterly destroyed That is although thou be enuyroned with many enemies which all seek thy life and threaten thy death yet shalt thou be safe and without danger euen as a fortifyed and wel defenced citie which shutteth not her gates and feareth not her enemie This is our security that we haue in the spirite Neither can all the enemies of christ though they ioyne hands lay their heads together subuert or destroy the church of the godly though they neuer so sore afflict their bodyes and take away their goods The church is as a city that lyeth alway open For it euer and at all times receiueth and wayteth for all that repent and geue their names to Christ come into this citie for it hath this promise that it shall increase euen vnto the last day The word and the Sacraments be and are euer to be found in the church by which if we conuert we haue remission of sinnes neither be these truly found in any place but in the church He that is not a christian or a citizen of this citie is flatly condemned It followeth in the text The glory of Lybanus shall come to thee the Firre tree the Elme and the Box tree together to beutefie the place of my Sanctuary For I will glorifie the place of my seate That is in whatsoeuer excellent and famous thing the Sinagoge of the Iewes hath before time excelled other nations as in the sacred Scripture the knowledge of god the promise of grace Christ righteousnes and true hope of saluation With all those will I now bles Christs church It followeth The sonnes also of them that afflicted thee shall come and bow vnto thee and all they that despyse thee shall fall down at the soules of thy feet and they shal cal thee the Citie of the Lord Syon of the holy one of Israell Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated so that no man went by thee I will make thee an eternall glory and a ioy from generation to generation Thou shalt also suck the milk of the gentils and shalt suck the brests of kings thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Sauyour and thy Redeemer the mighty one of Iacob That is Harken my church Those which now persecute thee and so bitterly reuile thee shal once be conuerted to the catholick faith and shal wel know that thou euen thou art the city of god and the true Syon And look how desolate thou wast as forsaken for a litle time so shalt thou now be highly exalted to great glory And where he figuratiuely speaketh of milk thereby he geueth vs to vnderstand that euen as mothers doe wish wel to their deerly beloued babes cherish them softer them and nourish them euen so shall the Gentils shew exceeding great curtesy and kindnes to the church and by all meanes study to profite further it Here now must you note that though the church outwardly appeare despysed and fouly deformed yet wil God preserue it and defend it that he may highly magnify exalt it and glorify it But this is chiefly done in spirite and this Spirituall glory of the church doth very far excell all the beuty of the world Furthermore those shal be highly honored which in this world were despised persecuted Were not the Apostles and Martirs I pray you vtterly contemned and yet the remembrance of them is now yearely celebrated with all solemnity and ioy And they are called as in deed they are the deer frends of God and most holy and happy soules And whence haue we this estimatiō verely because God himself is our sauiour that strōg almighty one our redeemer How now cā we miscary hauing this sauiour redeemer alwaies with vs on our side It followeth For bras wil I bring gold and for Iron wil I bring siluer and for wood bras for stones Iron I will also make thy gouernment peace and thine exactors righteousnes Violence shall no more be heard of in thy land neyther desolation nor destruction within thy borders but thou shalt call saluation thy wales and prayse thy gates Thou shalt haue no more son to shyne by day neyther shall the brightnes of the Moone shine vnto thee For the Lord shal be thine euerlasting light thy god thy glory Thy sonne shal neuer goe down neyther shall thy moone be hid For the Lord shall be thy euerlasting light and the dayes of thy sorrow shal be ended Thy people also shal be all righteous They shal posses the land for euer The graffe of my planting shall be the work of my handes that I may be glorified A litle one shall become as a thousand and a small one as a stronge nation I the Lord wil hasten it in due time That is to say Geue eare my church if for my sake thou lose any thing or be despised it shal be manifoldely and aboundantly restored thee and thou shalt be recompenced with heauenly treasures Thou shalt become mighty and gloryous thou shalt haue faithfull bishops and doctors which shal godly and diligently teach both spirituall and temporall peace so that the godly may liue and be at rest and peace both inwardly in their harts with God and outwardly with their neighbours The Lord shall so marueylously defend thee that thy Inhabitants and Citizens may for euer sit secure and safe But this must be vnderstood in this life of the spirituall security and peace Thou shalt call thy walles saluation Seeing thou hast within thee this so sure and certain an ayd and defence against all assaults of the enemyes a defence I say much surer then the world either hath or can geue And thou shalt call thy gates prayse because the true and marueilous great riches of gods graces shall be so plainely taught and vnderstood in thee that by them al christian men may be moued to laude and prayse the Lord without ceasing for all his gifts both temporall and spirituall which this wicked and vngodly world doth not so much as acknowledge so far is it from geuing God thanks and prayse for them Only the faithfull in Christe be they that doe this and they sing both in spirite and mouth and desire alwayes so to sing as witnesseth the Psalmist saying Blessed are they that dwel in thine house O Lord for they will euer prayse thee Selah And least we should look for a corporal Citie and an earthly kingdome at Christs hands as doe
only to the deliueraunce out of the captiuitye of Babilon such lyke as appeareth in the 30. of Iere. Where God sayth write thee all the wordes that I haue spoken to thee in a booke For loe the day is come sayth the lord That I will bring agayne the captiuity of my people Israell and Iuda sayth the lord For I will restore them into the land that I gaue to their Fathers they shal possesse it This prophesy can not be vnderstood of the land of Canaan or of any earthly deliueraunce For Osias sayth that his wife bore him a daughter whose name was Loruhamah that is with out pity Whereby is meant that God would not any more haue mercy vpon the x. tribes as he had mercy vpon Iuda Bēiamin which two tribs he brought home out of the captiuitie of Babilon but he left the x. tribes in Assiria amongste the gentiles Wherefore without doubt Ieremy prophesieth of the spirituall bondage of the remnāt of the 12. tribes of Iuda God will turn away this spiritual bōdage wherein they were holden captiues all abroad in error vnbeleefe vnder Sathā bring thē forth into the land of truth righteousnes as it may be gathered by Ieremies wordes which here follow For in that day sayth the Lord of hostes I will breake his yoke from of thy neck and breake thy bondes and strangers shal no more serue them selues of him but they shall serue the Lord their God and Dauid their king whome I will raise vp vnto them Therfore feare not O my seruant Iacob sayth the lord Neither be affrayd O Israell for loe I will deliuer thee from a farre countrey and thy seed from the land of their captiuitie and Iacob shall turne agayne and shall be in rest and prosperitie and none shall make him affraid For I am with thee sayth the Lord to saue thee In deede the Iewes were vnder a figure corporally deliuered from the bondage in the which Nabucadonezer held them captiues but this deliuerance was but a trifell in respect of the spirituall deliueraunce wherewith Christ deliuered vs from Sathan Here the prophet speaketh manifestly of Christ as the Iews them selues confesse with vs And he calleth Christe Dauid the king of the Iewes For Dauid which was Salomōs father had in the Lord departed this world lōg before this prophesy But Christ many times in the scriptures is called Dauid because he was to come of the house and stock of Dauid after the flesh to this doth the Chaldes translatiō agree For Ionathan hath this text thus Veijschthameum limschicha bar Dauid malcehom that is they shall obay their king Messias the sonne of Dauid And so did the Iewes vnderstād this prophesy of Messias in the tyme of the captiuitie of Babilon whē they had the prophets and vnderstood the Scriptures Zachary singeth a notable song of this deliuerance vnder Christ the true Dauid where he doth plainely and notably expound this prophesy of Ieremy and other such lyke as be ment of the kingdome of Christe For when he vnderstood by the gift of the holy ghost that his sonn Iohn was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fore runner of Christ after whome Christe immediatly should follow and when he saw that plentifull time of grace and saluation in which all the promises of God concerning the redemption of Israell should be fulfilled he soung this most sweete and pleasant song Blessed be the Lord God of Israell for he hath visited and redeemed his people and hath raysed the horne of saluation vnto vs to wit a most certaine and sure kingdome in which there is true health and happines in the house of his seruaunt Dauid For many whiche bore this true Dauid Iesus Christ as God before had promise to Dauid was of the house of Dauid It followeth as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which were since the world began saying that he would send vs deliuerance from our enemies and from the handes of all that hate vs that he would shew mercy towardes our Fathers and rememeber his holy couenaunt and the oth which he sware to our Father Abraham Which was that he would graunt vnto vs that we being deliuered out of the handes of our enemies should serue him with out feare all the dayes of our lyfe in holynes righteousnes before him And thou babe shalt be called the prophet of the most hiest for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes and to geue knowledge of saluation vnto his people for the remission of their sinns through the tender mercy of our God wherby the day spring from on hye hath visited vs to geue light to them that sit in darknes and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace Here we see Christ Iesus is our king vnder whom the faythfull in Christ do sit sure safe without feare in fulnes of heauenly giftes in the spirituall kingdome when Christ hath made them at one with his father whē he shall be their king and god Who thē should they fear and tremble seing the horne of saluatiō is in the house of Dauid that is the kingdome of Christe the kingdome of blessednes in which neither sin death nor Sathā can hurt the faythfull beleuers with whom Christ is alwayes present and whome he doth euer support And this is the true redemption and that true helpe which all the true godly and elect haue gredely loked for from the beginning Ieremy prophesieth of Messias at large in the 31. saying at the same tyme sayth the Lord will I be the God of al the famelies of Israel they shal be my people The fulfilling of this prophecy begun in the appostles time when many of the kingdomes and generations of Israel beleued in Christ and became the people of god and it shall be fulfilled or finished when the fulnes of the gentiles shall be come in wheras those x. tribes were before this vtterly rooted out of the earth from the face of the Lord for your Idolatrye Ieremye prophesyeth of the hope of the Gentiles saying that it should so fall forth that Israell that is to say the remnant which the Lord had chosen should be deliuered from their captiuitie and that they shoulde come into Sion that is into the Catholicke Churche with spirituall songes that the gentills should heare it and speake of it and reioyce at the conuersation of the Iewes If this must thus come to passe then out of doubt must they needes come to Sion that is the church of Christ which is the spirituall kingdome of Christe wherin shall be great aboundance and plentiousnes of all good and precious thinges We must vnderstand by the corne wine and oyle and such lyke heauenly giftes which Christ by his spirite bestoweth on the Churche that it may be glad and reioyce in spirite For the kingdome of God is not earthly meate
commaundements and word of God. Is not this promise full of comfort where he sayth I will heale Israells backsliding that is he will pardon all their offences and neuer be angry with them any more for their sinns In which promise Christ the throne of grace is included and comprehended For these determinations of God is that he will forgeue sin to no man that he wil loue no man and that he wil receaue none vnto grace by any other meanes but by his deerely beloued sonn who is become our onely redeemer mediator recōciler bishop priest propiciatory or throne of grace as Paule affirmeth saying We are accepted in his beloued by whome we haue redemption through his bloud euen the forgeuenes of sinns according to his rich grace It is manifest therfore by the firme foūdation of the apostles doctrine that Hoseas here speaketh of Christ although he name him not seing that there is no other reconciler which can turne the wrath of God from vs but onely Iesus Christ Wherefore I haue often sayd that where the Lord promiseth his grace redemption forgeuenes of sinns righteousnes lyfe and health that there is Iesus Christ promised by whose death and pretious bloud we are reconciled to God the father and receaue forgeuenes remission of our sinns true righteousnes and lyfe euerlasting There followeth in the text more promises but expressed in figuratiue wordes For he taketh a similitude of the dew of roses of Libanō and of the oliue tree which wordes import nothing els but the great felicitie of Israell or christifidelians after that they beleue and are receaued in the grace of God and obtaine forgeuenes of their sinns Is it not an exceeding great felicitie to obtaine forgeuenes of our sinns to be counted righteous before God and to receaue the holy ghost with all his gifts and by the same to be healed vp in fayth Which is the receauing of that great pretious and heauenly earnest peny that is the spirite of God the father and the son which doth assure vs that we be the children of God and so his heyres and coheyres with Iesus Christ what I pray you can he want which hath the Lorde for his inheritance This prophesy chefely taketh place in the tyme of Christ when the gospell brought forth fruite throughout the whole world and christs heauēly kingdome was builded in euery place that Christ the king of glory be imbrased for our God and sauiour through fayth by which we are made the children of God and shall prayse him for euer together with his holy angells to whome we shall be like in the world to come in the resurrectiō of the dead the glory whereof exceedeth all that the hartes of earthly creatures can conceaue but it is now hid For we are as yet but blessed in hope but when our king the prince of glory shall come in his maiestye to iudgement then shall our felicitie be made manifest To be short the Lord shall be the defence bulwark comfort helpe solace and sound felicitye of Israel But the Prophet speaketh of a greater defence comfort helpe and benefit thē this world hath or can vnderstand The kingdome therfore of Christ is a kingdome of blessing wherin we inioy aboūdance of all goodnes The prophets prophesied that this deliueraunce helpe comfort and kingdome should be a continuall and spirituall not a tēporall kingdome which aboundeth in fraile vayne and transitory welth of this world as the carnall Iewes dreame and imagine ¶ Anna. What I pray you doth Iohell the prophet prophecy of Christ ☞ Vrba Ioell in his 2. chapiter prophesieth that the kingdome of Christ shall be illuminated and beutified with the rich knowledge of God and that it shall receaue the holy ghost with all his gifts and that espetially in the mount Sion to wit in the catholicke church where shall be true deliueraunce helpe and redemption from sinn and death and that afterwarde there shall be no more respect of persons betwene the Iewes and Gentiles but whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord Messias shall be freely deliuered from all his sins These are the wordes of the prophesye Ye shall also know that I am in the middest of Israell and that I am the Lord your God and none other and my people shall neuer be ashamed And afterward as Peter cited this prophecy on whitsonday in his sermon at Ierusalem In those dayes that is in the tyme of Messias I will powre out my spirit vpon all flesh And your sons and daughters shall prophesy your ould men shall dreame dreames and your young men shall see visiōs and also vpon the seruants and vpon the maydens in those dayes will I power my spirite and I will shew wonders in the heauens and in the earth bloud and fier and pillers of smoke The sun shal be turned into darknes and the moon into bloud before the great and terrible day of the Lorde come But who so euer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued For in mount Sion and in Ierusalem shall be deliueraunce as the Lord hath sayd and in the remnant whome the Lord shall call This prophesy tooke place in Christs time for Israell had then experience in deed that god was with thē in mans flesh And the holy ghost was then much more gloriously royally and aboundātly geuē them thē before the natiuitie passiō resurrectiō of Messias For before they were but few which had the spirit of prophesying but when Iesus Christ was ascended vnto the right hand of his father then the holy ghost withall his giftes was wonderfully and richly geuē vnto many as the hebrew word Eschpoch declareth which signifieth to poure out The holy ghost was visibly poured vpon faythfull Christians when they were baptised and the Church in all places had his teachers who had the spirite of prophesying And the knowledge of Christ is now spread abroad and dispersed throughout the whole world But where the prophet speaketh of Sion and Ierusalem it must be vnderstood of the church of faythfull Christians wherein Christ hath his habitation as in his owne kingdome Who so euer will be saued from sinne death and tyranny of Sathan he must beleue in Christ call vpon Christ and be brought into the church of christ for without that Church is neither health nor forgeuenes of sins Neither is there any cause why any sinner should respect this or the citie aboue other as the Iewes did earthly Sion Ierusalem seeing Ioell sayth that the Lord would poure out his spirite vpō all flesh not only vpon the Iewes in Ierusalem or in the land of Canaan but euery where through the whole worlde where the Gospel is beleued It followeth therfore that whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of god shall be safe and not the Iewes onely which serued and called vpō God at Ierusalem for then was that time come of which Christ sayth in Iohn that the heauenly father requireth
true worshippers which worship and call vpon him in spirit and truth Behold the kingdome of Christ hath not any bond or limits prescribed to it The gates of heauenly Ierusalem are so broad that euery one that will may easely enter in There is no need now that any should be circūsised that is that any should come to Ierusalem to offer vp the bloud of beastes Nether is it necessary that he should be of the stock of Abraham after the flesh onely let him beleue the gospel of the power and grace of Christ and let him cal vpon Christ in al places so maye he haue enteraunce vnto the true Sion This is the most redy compendious and onely way and dore vnto Sion where the true helth and saluation of Gods grace is found This is the notable and large way of deliueraunce not onely of the Israelits according to the flesh but of al men beleuing and calling vpon Christ wheresoeuer they be Thus you read in the acts when the keper of the prison in Philippa asked Paule and Silas what he should do to obtayne saluatiō then Paule aunswered beleue in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saued thou and thine houshold They commaund him not to goe to the Temple in Ierusalem or Sion For the Spirituall Ierusalem was then begun to be spread abroad among the Gentiles throughout the whol world And wheresoeuer any beleue the gospell and cal vpon Christ the same are saued and are in the spirituall Ierusalē that is in the Church of the faythfull and haue one true God one sauiour one teacher one spirite one fayth and one hope with all the saints in the world Ioell in his 3. chapiter also amongest other thinges prophesieth of the true and spirituall Ierusalem to wit of the Church of the faythful saying thus The Lord will be the hope of his people and the strength of the Children of Israell So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Sion my holy moūtaine then shall Ierusalem be holy and there shall no strāgers go through her any more And straight way followeth But Iuda shall dwell for euer and Ierusalem from generation to generation For I will clense their bloud that I haue not clensed and the Lord will dwell in Sion Here we see that though the Church of Christ be persecuted with many and bloudy enemies yet shall that continew for euer and that those which hurt the christians but euen lightly shall not escape scotfree but Christ will punish them and him selfe abide in Sion This prophecy to wit that God himselfe will alway dwell in Sion that is the Church of Christ is often times repeated of the prophets and it hath more comfort and consolation in it then hart can thinke Saint Paule alleged this promise as an vnuincible fortresse for a cōfort for himselfe and for the church in al afflictions saying If God be on our side who can be against vs. As if he should say the kingdome of Christ the spirituall Ierusalem is strong enough and sufficiently well fensed it neede not feare any foe for the Lord himselfe dwelleth in it and who then can ouercome it What is this whol world what are all the deuils in hell what are al the tyrants in the earth what are all creatures in the worlde in respect of God surely nothing but weake wormes flyes and gnats ¶ Anna. Now followeth Amos. What doth he prophecie of Christ and his kingdome ☞ Vrb. He prophesyeth of Christ in his 9. chapter and he calleth him the Tabernacle of Dauid Because Christ was born of the stock of Dauid and he calleth him a fallen tabernacle for he speaketh according to the opinion of the Iewes For while the Iewes were now and then captiues and dispersed afflicted and while the promise of Messias which was that he shold come of the stock of Dauid was in their opinion protracted and long delayd they greatly regarded it not but for the most part despysed it as though God wold not performe it Yea after the captiuity of Babylon when Christ his comming drew neare and those seuēty weekes of yeares which Danyell speaketh of drew towardes their end the famely of Dauid fell in decay and was cleane without power and honor So that thē it was neither esteemed nor regarded and al men thought that Messias that great king of Israell could not rise of that stock For the parents of Christ dwelled not in Bethelem in Iuda in the citie of Dauid or at Ierusalem in Sion but in Nazareth a citie of Galiley so that the house of Dauid and Messias who was promysed to come of Dauid seemed vnto the Iewes a ruinous tabernacle quite fallen down When therfore it came to pas that Christ was born in Bethelem the citie of Dauid the tabernacle of Dauid was restored and that kingdome which was promysed should rise of his seed was then perfectly erected and that which before seemed fallen ruinous and destroyed was then at the last repayred and amended and that promise which was made to Dauid to wit that his seed should raign and rule in his throne was then mightely fulfilled And the Thargum saith that Christ his kingdome is promised by this tabernacle of Dauid and doubt ye not but that this exposition of Ionathas is good and true These are his wordes Akin Iath malcuta debeth Dauid that is I will raise vp the kingdome of Dauids house that is the kingdome of Christ But marke this although Dauids kingdome before was mighty so that he ruled not onely ouer the 12. tribes of Israell but also ouer the Idumites Sirians Moabites Philistines and other nations moe yet was all that his gouernmēt but a ripe of the true Dauid Christ Iesus and his euerlasting kingdome nay being compared vnto Christes kingdome all his kingdome was but as decayed broken and shaken ruinous and torne tabernacle But when Christ came then was the horne or kingdome of Saluation erected in the house of Dauid and that kingly throne of Dauid was then geuen to the true king For Christ by the gospell calleth all the tribes of Israell into his spirituall kingdome and he called the gētiles through the whole world by his Appostles that both the Iewes and Gentiles might receaue this sone of Dauid acknowledge him for their kinge and that he be king ouer all men from sea to sea The most mighty Lord in all the world euen the Lord of all creatures And this is the stopping vp and repairing of the falne and rent tabernacle and this is the restoring strengthning of the thinges which were decayed therin Now heare the wordes of the prophecy In that day will I rayse vp the tabernacle of Dauid that is fallen downe and close vp the breaches therof and I will rayse vp his ruines and I wil build it as in the dayes of ould that they may possesse the remnant of Edom and of all the heathen
of Israell should come after the captiuity of Babylon as we haue sayd before out of the 9. chap. of Danyel And that your Iudaisme should then haue an end and that that earthly kingdome of Iuda should be an eternal and heauēly kingdome Goim that is the Gentils should also come out of all the parts of the earth and be partakers with true Israell of all Gods blessings promised in Messias Wherfore Abdias must be vnderstood here to speak of this spirituall possession which is that Messias And the Apostles and true beleeuers shal through the gospel bring all nations vnder the sweet yoke and obedience of the christen faith that they may acknowledge Christ for their only and euerlasting king and confes the Apostles of Christ with all faithfull Christians conuerted by the Apostles to be the Church their spiritual mother and glorious Citie of God to whom they doe readely and willingly yeeld them selues and obay as you haue heard out of Amos. Now I will expound the prophesy and then shall you more easely vnderstand it Mount Siō you know is the Church of Christ it is also a holy hill because the Lord dwelleth in it and Christ the holyest of all holy consecrateth and sanctifieth it by his word and spirite to be his holy habitatiō for euer as Esay sayth when you reade this hebrew word Kodesch it signifieth the holynes For true holines righteousnes is no where but in this holy mount the Church of Christ Many do reade Kodosch and then it signifieth holy as we haue spoke before The house of Iacob is called the scripture the house of Dauid the tribe of Iuda which alwayes taryed with the house of Dauid And when it is called Iudah and the house of Iacob and Ierusalem and the house of Dauid it is for the most part all one And this was a figure of the great kingdome of Christ Iesus And therefore the Archangell Gabryell in Luke calleth Christes kingdome the house of Iacob the trone of Dauid in which Christ shall rule for euer For the spirituall kingdome of Christ begun in Sion the earthly kingdome of Dauid and from thence spred it selfe through out the whole world when the Apostles according to Gods commandement begun to preach the gospel of christ to all creatures and in the name of Christ preached repentaunce and remission of sinns amongest all nations beginning at Ierusalē as Luke witnesseth Note also how God promised the Patriarkes Abraham Isaac and Iacob seed of their owne flesh and bloud in which all the earth should be blessed that is should be freed and deliuered from the euerlasting cursse of sinn from death and from the bondes o Sathan and be made the children of God who should raigne together with the same seede Christ in the kingdome of innocēcy lyfe and saluation for euer and euer This was a great promise and therefore doth the scripture in euery place make mention of these patriarkes For when this seed was promised them and whē god promised that their childrē should be in number as the sand of the sea then was Christ the eternall king and his eternall kingdome promised them and vs And therfore is this kingdome of Christs also called the house of Iacob the seate or trone of Dauid that is the Church of Christ The house of Ioseph in the scriptures is the very same that the other 10. tribes of Israell be which fell away from the house of Dauid and chose vnto themselues a king of their owne This kingdome seperated by it selfe is called Samaria of that head and Metrapolitaine citie It is called also Ephraim because of Ieroboham which was of the tribe of Ephraim and it is also called Ioseph or the house of Ioseph because Ioseph was the father of Ephraim The house of Esau is the kingdome of the Edomits which tooke their beginning of Esau and had their dwelling in mount Seiar ny to the great desart which lyeth from Ierusalem Southwardes The Southrē menare they which dwelt in the tribe of Iuda Those which dwelt in the champion coūtries are Lidda Emaus as Saint Heirome saith Those v. Citties Gaza Ascalon Azotus Accaron and Geth which lye westward be the Phelistians Ephraim is a country of Samaria wherin dwelt the tribe of Ephraim who was the son of Ioseph Beniamin is a peculier and propper tribe of the Iews but it is counted in the kingdome of Iudah Saint Herome sayth that Gallaad is Arabia The citye Zarphad was betwen Tier and Sidon wherof Iosephus speaketh Siphrad was a citye in the land of Babilon This therefore is the meaning of the prophets he prophecied of the captiuitie of his people and how Edome should be layed wast but now he comforteth the Iewes least they should haue ben discouraged as if therehad bin no hope for Siō in the captiuitie of Babilon as if Messias should not haue come And he promiseth also vnto the Iewes deliueraunce that they should come agayne into Sion though they yet layed wasted by the Babilonians and Edomits For he saith the Lord will bring deliuerance helpe and redemption vnto Sion which came so to pas in deed For hard after that the Iewes came from Babilon and that the citie of Ierusalem with the temple and deuine seruice was restored came Messias our true Sauiour and deliuerer into Sion The Lorde had often times before helped the mount Sion and the Citye Ierusalem but they were not the true helpe or sure saluation which Messias in his owne person should bring But when the king of Israell borne of the tribe of Dauid was come into Sion thē came there also with him all felicitye saluation and aboundance of all good thinges For he began by his word and spirite to call back and redeeme his people from that spirituall captiuity which they suffered vnder Sathan and other false teachers He fulfilled the prophets and obtained a true and euerlasting deliuerance vnto his people by his blessed death and glorious resurrection This was that true Pletho that is redemptiō all other deliuerāces were but only figures of this deliueraunce Reade the acts of the Apostles and note how saluation by the gospell begunne in Sion and thus spread forth it selfe through the whole world Peter redeemed and conuerted 3000. men at on sermon and from that time forth the Lorde mightely increased the kingdome of Christ as luke witnesseth saying the Lord added daily to the congregation such as should be saued This saluation was shewed forth with such powre of the holy spirite that the remnant of Israell the Apostles and their fellow laborers being the true house of Iacob and Ioseph were a flame of fier which lyke straw burnt and consumed the house of Esau that is the Edomits who before were mortall enemies to the house of Iacob Ioseph so that many of the Edomits were in deed won to the gospell and the wickednes and hatred of their Father
worthy sentence of the gospell of Christ as a forceable and waighty testimony of the righteousnes of fayth saying that it is not any otherwise to be gotten retained but by fayth And therfore Christ reproueth Cleophas and his cōpanyon for that they beleued not the prophets speaking of Messias and so became pensiue and doutfull In lyke manner doth Abacuk also He bouldly and vehemētly threatneth the Iewes captiuitie yet neuerthelesse he sayth that the comming of the promised Messias should not thereby be hindered at all but he should in deede deliuer them according vnto the prophets And he sayth that they which will be partakers of this deliuerance must lay sure hould by fayth vpon the holy promises of Christ of his passion of his resurrection of his ascention But they which wil not beleue shal not be partakers of Christes merites but remaine captiues in their sinnes and dye for euer ☞ Anna. What and when did Zephane prophecy of Christ and his kingdome ¶ Vrba He prophecied in the 19. yeare of that vertuous prince Iosias king of Iuda and he sayth thus in his 3. chapiter Therefore waight ye vpon me sayth the Lord vntill the day that I rise vp to the pray For I am determined to gather the natiōs and I wil assemble the kingdomes to poure vpon them my indignation euen all my fearce wrath for all the earth shall be deuoured with the fire of my ielosy Suerly then will I turne to the people pure language that they may all call vpon the name of the Lord to serue him with one consent from beyond the riuers of Ethiopia the daughter of my disparsed praying vnto me shal bring me an offring In that day shalt not thou be ashamed for all thy workes wherein thou hast transgressed against me For then I will take away out of the middest of thee them that reioyce of thy pride and thou shalt no more be proud of mine holy mountaine Then I will leaue in the middest of thee an humble and poore people and they shall trust in the name of the lord The remnant of Israell shall do no iniquitie nor speake lyes neither shall a deceitfull tongue be found in their mouth For they shall be fed and ly downe and none shall make them affrayd Reioyce O daughter Sion be ye ioyfull O Israell be glad and reioyce withall thine hart O daughter Ierusalem The Lord hath taken away thy iudgementes he hath cast out their enimies the king of Israell euen the Lord is in the middest of thee thou shalt see no more euill In that day shall be sayd to Ierusalem feare thou not O Sion let not thine handes be faint The Lord thy God in the middest of thee is mighty he will saue he will reioyce ouer thee with ioye he wil quiet him selfe in his loue he wil reioyce ouer thee with ioy After a certayne time will I gather the afflicted that were of thee and them that bare the reproch for it Behold at that time I will bruse all that afflict thee and I will saue her that halteth and gather her that was cast out and I will get them prayse and fame in all the landes of their shame At that time will I bring you agayne and then will I gather you for I will geue you a name and a prayse among all people of the earth whē I turn back your captiuitie before your eyes sayth the Lord. Zephany prophecieth vnto the people what punishment should come vpō them for their sin as Ierusalē and Iuda should be destroyed and the people be lead captiues out of their countrye But seeing the prophets were the ministers of Iesus Christ sent for the true Israels sake their manner is alway after threatning and denuntiations to the people of their deserued punishment to comfort the elect by sweet and plentifull promises of their true deliuerer Christ and of his kingdom to the end the godly should not dispayre in their captiuity as though the Lord would for euer be angry and reuoke hys worde of the promised helpe in Messias Seing I say the chief end of the prophets be the promises of Christ which are the true very Gospell it self they alwayes preach Christ And so doth Zachary here in the end cōfort the Iewes least in the captiuitie of Babilon they should faint and doubt of Gods worde And he prophecieth that the Lord will gather them together againe in a mightie hand and that he will send Christ and spread his kingdome through the whole world and exalt his people vnto the highest stage of honor This is the meaning of this prophesye Ye must needes be captiues whether ye will or no but ye must not therefore dispaire waight onely for the Lordes leasure For when time shall be I will not faile you but helpe you I will rise vp and declare my power to the whole world sayth the Lord. First of all he stirred vp the king of Babilon to seaze vpon the countrey and miserably to destroy all thinges that were in it But the Babilonian king was well fauordly and deuly punished plunged and destroyed againe himselfe of the Meades and Persians Thus the Iewes the people of god were spread all abroad throughout the whole world by those wordes the great prayse honor glory of gods name was better knowē to all men so that euery one might euen with his handes feele and much rather know the God of the Hebrewes to be the true and onely God euen vntill the time of grace it selfe came when the father by his son Iesus Christ was euery where truely knowen and glorified in his Gospell This pure language or those pleasant and sweete lips be the preachers of the Gospell which preach vnto vs mere grace in Christ and offer vs and geue vs true deliueraunce in Messias For by these the fayth of Christ entereth into mens hartes that they maye receaue the holy ghost so together with one hart publickly and openly praye vnto Christ and confesse him to be their onely Sauiour and deliuerer For they all haue one doctrine one spirite one fayth and one hope and they beleue in their hartes that God hath raised Christ from death and they cōfesse with their mouthes that God hath made this Iesus Lord of all thinges and annoynted him to be his Christ and by this fayth are they saued and Iustified He prophecieth also of the greatnes and widenes of Christ his kingdome and he speaketh of that mighty kingdome of Ethiopia lying beyond that great and famous floud Nilus to wit that it also shal be brought to the fayth of Christ and shall haue true worshippers who shall call vpō God through Christ their only mediator and shall by the Gospell be brought as a presēt to our God into Sion his holy temple as we read in the Actes of the Ethiopian chamberlin of the Queene of Cande who came to Ierusalē to worship the true god
Then Ierusalem at that time to wit in the time of Christ when the gospell shall be preached through the whole world thou shalt not be confounded or ashamed any more For thy sins through the Gospell shall then be wiped away and thou shalt plentifully receaue the holy spirite of Messias that thou mayest not be defiled againe with so great Idolatrye as thou wast before The proud hauty and swelling pharises with their accōplises and other of such like stampe which are puffed vp with a perswatiō of their owne holines and trust to their owne righteousnes fastings sacrifice circumsitiō almes deeds the workes of the lawe the temple vpon this presumption haue erected a humain holines of their own reiected the deuine grace of god in Christ these pharisaicall fellowes I say can not abide to acknowledge the true righteousnes of God to wit Iesus Christ as sufficient to saluation whome God himselfe hath geuen vs for our righteousnes and who alone and no other is the fulfilling and end of the Law for righteousnes vnto euery one that beleeueth in him But the Lord hath taken away from the true Ierusalem these proud puft vp Iusticiaries which will be saued by their owne workes and looke not for saluation by the meere and free grace of God that the true Christians may know thē to be seducers and take heede of them Now note that the kingdome of Christ is not an earthly but a spirituall kingdome and that the true christifidelians are not proudly prickt vp in the pomp of worldly vanitie neither doth the world greatly regard them and yet are they in great price and highly glorified with God. He calleth faythfull Christians a miserable and pore people They are not in deed in multitude so many as the wicked be and for the most part the world despiseth and reiecteth them in this earth but with God they are in great honor and highly esteemed For by fayth in Christ they are the childrē and heyres of god whose names are written in the heauens The time is not yet come wherein their glory doth appeare now is the time of trouble with them euen vntill the last day that they may by afflictions crosses and persecutions be made lyke their Maister Christ But at the last day Christes kingdome shal be manifested in glory In the meane time they hould them selues contented with Gods word they trust him who hath promised them true and euerlasting lyfe with sure parfite and eternall treasures He calleth faythfull Christians as other prophets do reliques or remnantes for the smalest cōpany of people come vnto Christ euen as the Lord sayth many are called but few are chosen He calleth thē in Luke his little flocke in whome the Lord is so well pleased that he will geue them his kingdome And where he sayth that the chosen remnant will worke no wickednes it is spoken of the Godlines innocencie integritie and simplicitie of the faythfull because they are honest and simple dealers For they haue that true fayth which worketh by loue And although they are not altogether perfect neyther can in all pointes fulfill the law but haue many infirmities so that they must dayly praye our Father which art in heauen forgeue vs our trespasses and so haue their sinnes also by fayth dayly forgeuen them yet by fayth they are in the gratious kingdom of Christ wherein is perpetuall remission of sinnes and a perpetuall exercise vnto repentaunce and Godlines and the remnant of their sinnes which lurke in their flesh are not imputed vnto them to condemnatiō for Christ the king of glory his sake on whome they beleue and continually call It followeth therefore that the remnant of Israell the faythfull Christians shall liue safely and without daunger For the kingdome of Christ is a kingdome of true peace and securitie in which they are so louing as by fayth in their hartes they lay handes on Christ their Lord who hath ouercome the world and Sathā and both can and will dayly helpe all that be his in all their calamities and dangers What then neede they feare haue they not I pray you in him and of him a true shepheard comforter sauiour deliuerer and a full horne of all happines Now he exhorteth Sion to wit the faythfull Christiās to be hartely merry And he prophecieth very cōfortably of the saluation which Christians haue in Christ the Lord of Sion to wit that Christ saueth christians from punishmēt and turneth their enemies frō them but wheras he deliuereth the earthly Ierusalē driueth away their enemies it is a figure but where as he deliuereth the spirituall Ierusalem to wit the faythfull and taketh away the punishment which their sinnes had deserued and satisfieth for their transgretion and ouercommeth the world death and the deuil and turneth away those enemies from vs this is that true deliueraunce and helpe which Sophonias and other Prophets spiritually had respect vnto What can be spoken more comfortably then that God himselfe is the king of Israell and is ready with vs to helpe vs. For God himselfe is made man and dwelleth with vs We are his tabernacle his possession his darling and his people and he him selfe will alwayes continue with vs there is therfore no cause why we should feare any euill or danger Who can hurt them which haue God the Father and which haue God the son with them as their king reconciler deliuerer and the life it selfe and which haue God the holy ghost as their comforter and earnest peny of their euerlasting inheritaunce and saluation For the prophet vseth that great name Iehoua that is God himselfe 3. persons and one god Is not this kingdome of Christ a glorious and princely kingdome are not these treasures which our faythfull God promiseth by his Prophets in Christ great vnspeakeable and infinite treasures He which hath the Lord God the Father the son and the holy Ghost that summum bonum that onely alone and the chief goodnes to be his defender what can he desire more Wherfore Sophoni sayth furthermore at that time that is in the day of saluation when Christ shall come then shall a ioyfull Message be brought vnto Ierusalē the church as the Angell sayd vnto the sheapherds be not affraid let not thy handfast hold goe that is dispaire not beleue still that God will help thee all things shall hap well your case shall be better thē you can either desire or wishe seeing that thy onely God and mighty Sauior is in the middest of thee And that thou mayest the better looke for helpe and all happines of him be assured of this that thou art so derely beloued vnto him that he doth reioyce in thee euen as the tender father doth in his deerely beloued son when he loueth and cherisheth him The prophet cannot sufficiently declare the ioy which god taketh in the congregation of the faythful Christians saying he will saue thee and he
scriptures as the Lord Iesus appeareth in his talke to haue opened to his two disciples going to Emaus And in lyke respect no lesse commendation also is of his part deserued and of our part to be recounted to this our good brother and learned scholemaister Hilton who at request hath taken paines to translate the same into our english countrye speach for the better instructiō of such as haue not ben brought vp in the skill of the Latine tongue Accept therefore well in worth gentle reader the laborious trauaile of this godly man read it as the Lord shal geue thee time and leasure vpon a more fruitfull matter thou canst not employ thy diligence For when all other thinges shall faile thee onely fayth in Iesus the Lord is that must saue thee both body and soule Read and pray The Lord Iesus heare thy prayers and blesse thy reading Amen Yours in Christ Iesu fellow laborer Iohn Foxe The translator to the Christian Reader WHereas Doctor Vrbane hath here set down the doctrine which our Sauiour Christ taught his disciples on the way to Emaus in a dialoge and not as it semeth in a sermō as both in this booke it is called and in deed it is for euery godly dialoge such as this is is a sermon or rather a great many sermōs think it to be done beloued reader for thy profit good insāple For though this familiar kinde of talking be not the most glorious kinde of oration for the teacher yet is it the most commodious way of instruction for the learner And here behold how the godly byshop sought more thy profit then his owne prayse Agayne it is a good insample for all that haue charge of others thus to instruct them and reason with them in diuinitye and commonly after they haue hard a sermō that so they may see how their younglinges heare and beare away the sermō which they here But maryed men especially haue in this dialoge a good ensample as good byshops of their houses to instruct their wyues and to haue such talke with them at home as may be to the vse of edifiyng Then which nothing is more comely nothing more fruitfull nothing more necessarye For as man and wife are the Image of Christ and his spirituall church so ought there communication to be of heauenly and spirituall thinges And they which will vse this way of domesticall instruction shall reape the fruite thereof euen to haue their wiues cōforts not crosses and helpers not hinderers of their godly proceedings yea they shall haue thē though they be but women by this meanes as great defences to their houses families and people as was Lot to Sodome as was Phenies to Israell and as Moses was to the Iewes when he stode in the gappe and tourned away the wrath of the lord But women children and families cōtrarily vsed do shew contrary fruites and worke contrary effects And here if any aduersarye of the gospell hold that such hye matters would not be handled in such homely dialogs with women send them to the example of Christ in the gospell and the apostles in the Acts who are Vrbans warrant in this matter And if they require examples of doctors they shall finde that Hilarius in his booke to his daughter Aphra Ambrose to his sister Hierom to Principia Hedibia Algasia Eustachius and Paula and Saint Augustine to his mother haue all vsed the lyke participation of hye misteries with women as Vrbane hath here done in this dialoge And therfore can it not be sayd but that this manner of teaching is godly profitable and vsual Wherefore receaue it reade it and pray beloued reader that thou mayst profite in it to Gods glorye and thy saluation ⧠The principall contents of this booke discoursed at large in their places quoted as followeth OF the knowledge of Christ how necessarye it is 2.3 Of the gospell and doctrine thereof 4.5 Of originall sinne and the promises of grace 12 14. Of Christ his kingdome and of the Iewes 17.20 Of the figures of Christ in the olde law 2.24.25 Of the Genealogie of Christ 28. Of the Citie Bethleem where he was borne 29. Of the virgine Mary and Christes conception 33 36. Of Christ his name 37.39.86 Of his former comming how base 41. the time therof 63. Of his eternall Godhead 70. and humane byrth 84. Of his flight into Egipt 90. Of his minesterie that he should be a king priest doctor mediator redeemer and iudge of the world 91. Of his miracles 97. Of his death descending into hell resurrection kingdome euerlasting and commodities thereof 98. FINIS †Certaine places of the Scripture expounded cap. ver  Fol. 3 15 I will put enmity betwene thee and c. 7 26 4 By my selfe haue I sworne 11 46 10 The scepter shall not depart 16 49 11 He shall binde his Asses 20 8 4 What is man that thou 98 22 1 My God my God why 106 110 1 The Lord sayd vnto my Lord. 112 8 22 The Lord hath possessed me 71 2 1 It shall be in the last dayes 115 4 2 In that day shall the. 117 8 13 Sanctifie the Lord of hostes 118 7 14 Behold a virgine shall conceaue 33 11 1 But there shall come a rod. 119  10 And in that day the roote of Iesse 121 12 3 Therefore with ioye shall 122 13 14 The Pallace shall be forsaken 125  21 And the Lord went before him 117 26 19 Thy dead men shall liue 123 27 2 In that day sing to thy vineyard 124 35 1 The defeart and the wildernes 126 42 1 Behold my seruant I will stay 47  5 He that created the heauens and. 51 52 13 Behold my Seruaunt shall prosper 137 53 1 Who will beleue our report 157 60 1 Arise Ierusalem 150  17 For bras will I bring gould 152 61 1 The spirite of the Lord is with me 55 62 8 The Lord hath sworne by his right hand 156 31 31 Behold the day is come sayth the Lord. 171 37 1 The hand of the Lord is vpon me 175  21 And say vnto him thus sayth the Lord. 176 2 34 I saw a stone cut of a mountaine 35 2 44 And in the dayes of these kinges 63 9 24 Seuenty weekes are determined vpon 62 5 2 And thou Bethleem Ephrata 29 3 8 Therefore waite ye vpon me 199 2 7 Thus sayth the Lord of hostes 202 3 8 Heare now O Iehosua the hye priest 205 9 9 Reioyce greatly O daughter Sion 42 1 17 But vpon mount Sion shall be deliueraunce 190 2 6 Thou art not the least 29 1 1 In the beginning was the word 72 8 58 Verely Verely I say vnto you before 31 FINIS ¶ A Dialogue of Vrbanus Rhegius vpon the Sermon which Christ made out of Moyses the Prophets to those two his Disciples as they went from Ierusalem to Emaus immediatly after his Resurrection
nor no tyme to come as the creature hath and therefore Christ speaketh of his deuine and eternall nature in that one word or syllable of the present tyme saying I am For in deed eternitie is for euer and hath neyther former nor latter tyme beginning nor ending The vacabond and vnbeleuing Iewes supposed iudged that he was no more but bare man and such a one as Abraham or Elias was neither could they abide to heare the mysteries of Christes wordes or giue credite to them They dreamingly thought it could not be possible that he should haue seene Abraham seyng it was ful two thousand yeares and more betwixt Abrahams departure out of the world and Christs comming in the flesh into the world neither did they know or vnderstande the scriptures which teache and foreshew that Messias should not only be borne in Bethleem in tyme but also that his forth going was before all tyme as Paul testifieth to the Hebrues saying Iesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same also euen for euer Here then if you will well waigh this prophesie you maie see in it both the death and resurrection of Christ which necessarily is to be required that hee might raigne and rule eternally and spiritually For in as much as it was determined that he should be borne of the stocke of Dauid a perfect and very natural man in the citie of Bethleem it was not to be thought strāge though he should dye as well as Dauid Salomon other men did What meruail is it I pray you to see a naturall man die certainly the corporal or vitall life can not alway indure Neuerthelesse for all that in as much as he should be the true and chiefe Lord of Israel it can not be that he should be subiect to death or that death should vanquish or deteyne him but that of necessity he must rise agayne from death liue for euer And therfore is he compelled by temporall death to leaue his mortall lyfe for how can mortall man come to immortalitie least first he put of his mortall body which can not be done but by corporal death And thus it behoued him to change this frayle corporal and corruptible lyfe into a spirituall inuisible immortall and incorruptible lyfe that he might become the true and euerlasting Lord of all the Israelites as well of those that before had bene as of those that thē were and afterward at any tyme should be and that he might also begin his true eternall and spirituall kingdome the administration whereof is not after the maner of men nor yet consisteth in worldly matters And therefore Iohn sayth Verily verily I say vnto you except the wheat corne fall into the ground and die it abideth alone but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit ¶ Anna. O good Lord though it be not seene and known of fleshly eyes yet how full of sweete comfort and consolation how full of marueilous maiesticall deuine wisdom and deep mysteries is the sacred scriptures O how great and vnspeakable wisdome and knowledge lyeth hid vnder the letter how truly sayd Dauid O how sweete are thy promises vnto my throte yea sweeter then hony vnto my mouth By thy Commandements haue I gotten vnderstanding therfore I hate all wicked wayes Thy worde is a lanterne vnto my feete and a light vnto my paths O I say what a tresure of knowledge wisdome what precious pearles of euerlasting lyfe lye hid in the wordes of God how doth it flow with vnderstanding most aboundantly and intelligence farre passing mans capacitie what sound present and aboundant comfort may a godly man cōceiue of this holy worde If these two disciples after this sort had known the person of Christ in this prophesie of Micheas they had not bene so offended at his death but had vnderstood and receiued comfort Because God had so ordeyned prouided all these things to come to passe and had so determined that the crosse of Christ should be the glory and triumphant victory of all true Christians But in as much as you haue shewed me the scriptures concernyng the place of his birth Say also I pray you what is written of his Mother ¶ Of the Virgin Mary the Mother of Christ and of Christes conception Vrbane WHen Pekah the king of the ten tribes which fell away in Israell and Rezin the king of Syria made warre vpon Achas the fifteenth king of Iuda murthered and spoyled the inhabitantes of the country purposing and determining to remoue Achas place an other in his kingdome then the holy ghost while these two kings with detrunēt and bloodshed had all to defaced the land of Iuda prophesied by the Prophet Esay Of the blessed Virgine Mary that she should beare the child Christ And although those kings were very cruell vpon Achas and were both mightily and maruelous bloudily bent against him yet did not God for all that suffer them to preuayle against him and his poore tribe of Iuda because he would faithfully perform and pay that which he had promised to Dauid euen that Messias should come of his house and lynage He comforteth therfore Achas the king in this perill purposing to quicken and confirme his faith by this miracle to the ende he should not feare his enemies For God promised that he himselfe would ayde him But Achas was an Idolater and an hypocrite neither did he receyue that for a signe of Gods helpe Wherfore God reiected that wicked king and yet neuerthelesse published the myracle and gaue the signe to the house of Dauid which was the signe of true helpe and deliuerance from the horrible and euerlasting calamity and misery wherin all we were wrapped euen death damnation and the tiranny of Sathan These be the wordes of the prophet Behold Haalmah or a Virgin shall conceiue and beare a sonne and his name shall be called Emanuel or Immanuel Loe here you see that he prophesieth of the Virgin Mary and her sonne Christ our Sauiour And here the holy ghost telleth vs that Messias should not be borne after the maner of all the other sonnes of Adam of the seed of man but onely of the pure and vndefiled virgin Mary And therfore his birth is not as ours is vncleane defiled and infected but holy pure and free from all blemish of sinne Because he is that blessed seed of Abraham by which onely and by no other all we wretched children of Adam conceiued and borne in sinne must be clensed blessed sanctified iustified frō all the filthines of our sinnes Moreouer the wordes of this prophesie do plainly paynt out the maner of his conception signifiyng that he was not conceyued of mans seede but that Mary onely by the vertue of the holy ghost conceiued For here is promised that a child should be borne and yet the mother remayne a pure virgin And yet here is no mention of any father because it might bee a famous signe and miracle
most plentifull and perfite comfort and singular hope seyng the true and naturall sonne of God nothing neding our helpe would so humble and debase himselfe that beyng our lorde he did vouchsafe to become our seruant and tooke vpon him and bare our heauy lode and burden of sinne and put himselfe in our place and suffred death for vs and payd our dets which we our selues should haue payd If at this his comming he had shewed himself lordlyke and had come in the mighty power and greatnes of his godhead and had vsed and shewed his might maiesty where should we poore wretches miserable sinners haue appeared whither should we haue fled or with what face could we now approch come so often into his sight seyng we so oftentymes offended him and know so much euill by our selues but now seing he commeth in such humility like a seruant and sheweth such humblenes modesty and gentlenes in his person may not we hope to receue of him grace and forgiuenes of our sinnes yea although we were drowned in a most deepe whirle poole of sinne and though we were guilty of neuer so much wickednesse Truly this seruice of Christ is to God a most delectable acceptable and precious seruice which he greatly estemeth and deliteth most to haue offred vnto him And this order Paul kepeth in preaching Christ De doth not first extoll magnify and set forth the great wonderful power and maiesty of Christ but he first preacheth that crucified Christ and telleth vs that of his owne free will he became weake for vs and humbled himselfe most lowly for vs and was despised and abased for vs And when he hath well beaten these things into his auditors eares then he sheweth into what power deuine dignity he was exalted through his humility As we may reade for example in the 2. chap to the Philip. It followeth I will stay vpon him The Hebrue word Asmech doth signify to put vnder to vnder proppe to lay ones hand on a thing to leane to or stay on a thing so that the substance and stay of the humaine nature in Christ may very well be here vnderstood to wit that his humanity is vnited to his deuinity in vnity of person according to S. Paules saying to the Col. In him dwelleth all the fulnes of the godhead bodily Let him therfore which seketh God seke him in no other place but in this chosen seruant nay rather in our only lord Iesus Christ and in him he shall not seeke God in vayne but shall finde him most fruitfully In him only shall he feele the fatherly loue of God toward vs. It followeth My elected Christ is the true elected and dearely beloued sonne of God whom God so tenderly dearly and ardently loueth that for this his beloued elected and only begotten sonnes sake He hath through Christ Iesus beloued chosen and predestinated vs that he might adopt vs to be his children which were worthy nothing els but heauy wrath and sharpe punishment It followeth In whom I am well pleased The father frō heauen spake these very same wordes in Mathew and can we then doubt any thing hereafter of the grace of God in Christ If God the father be well pleased in Christ surely he will be well pleased in all them which are his sonnes which do beleue in his sonne Christ as the gospell euery where teacheth vs. I haue put my spirit vpon him and so it is sayd in Iohn The Lord hath not giuē him his spirit by measure For he was annoynted with the oyle of gladnes aboue his fellowes And Iohn sayth The spirit discended from heauen like a doue and it abode vpon him And Esay sayth The spirit of the Lord God is vpon me therefore hath the Lord annoynted me c. He shall bring forth iudgement vnto the Gentils Here Esay setteth forth the person of Christ in very pleasant and louing wordes saying He commeth vnto vs not as a prince swelling in pride or hautines of hart bragging himselfe of his regal power and desiring and neding the prayse and helpe of men but he commeth as a gentle milde and courteous teacher who deliteth to instruct vs and to bestowe and poure foorth vppon vs all his dignities benefits and gracious goodnesse And here he speaketh of Christes doctrine that is of the gospell saying that it should not onely be preached amongst the Iewes but through the whole world euen amongst the Gentils also And he calleth the gospel or the doctrine of Christ his iudgement because the holy ghost by the Gospell rebuketh the sinnes of the world reiecteth condemneth the righteousnes of the whole world and al the strength merites of this our sinfull and corrupted nature and teacheth vs that they are all folish and of none effect to the deseruing of the grace of God euerlasting life and that they deserue not the name of that righteousnesse which is allowed before God and which may be set against his seuere iudgemēt And in this gospel he setteth forth offreth vnto vs the righteousnes of Christ which is the alone onely most true perfit righteousnes which is able to coūteruail the wrath of god And he biddeth vs trust in Christ which thing alone doth iustify make vs acceptable before god There be many sayings testimonies like to these cōcerning the calling of the Gentils to the gospell plentifully set forth in the scriptures in euery place as Psal. 17.18.21.45 56.64.66.71.85.45.101.106 116. Esai 2.9.11.27.42.49.51.54.55.60.65.66 Iere. 3. 16. Hosea 1.2 Mich. 4.5 Zeph. 2.3 Zach. 2.8.9 Math. 2.21 28. Luk. 2.23 Ioh. 10. Acts. 2.10.11.13.14.15.18.22.26.28 Rom. 3.4.9.10.11.15 Eph. 2.3 Col. 1. 1. Thes 2. 1. Pet. 2. It followeth in the Prophet He shall not cry nor lift vp his voyce That is Christ shall not come after the maner of a mighty Prince swelling in pride neyther lyke a tyrant vaunting of his power and might which maketh all men feare and dread him but he shall come like a most louing and comfortable teacher and as one which wil rule and gouerne his kingdome with all humility facilitie curtesie and gentlenesse And therfore his voyce shall not be fearefull fierce rough seuere or cruel but sweete louing comfortable pleasant ioyfull and amiable He shall haue none of that stately high mynded disdainful and hauty behauiour which the princes of this worlde shew and vse Who if they go a progresse or trauaile any where are mightily garded and haue about them great troupes of horsemen footemen timbrels trumpets shawmes hornes and cornets so that euery man must needes quake and be afraid to heare and see such a stirre there shall no such a doe and hurly burly be sene in or about Christ he shall not cry he shall not turne any man away with bitter hawry and cruell wordes neyther shall he disdaine terrifie and driue men away with his hye proud and great lookes but he
yet come God the father defēded him with his hand He is also the seruant of God because of the office ministery and seruice which he doth sheweth and performeth for vs to wit because he beareth and taketh vpō him our sinnes shedeth his bloud for vs as he witnesseth of himselfe in Iohn saying As my father commaunded me so I do And in an other place he sayth Father I haue glorified thee on the earth I haue finished the worke which thou gauest me to do His father also called him Israel because he should be a more mighty better Israel then euer Iacob was For the posteritie and childrē of Iacob were for the most part of the carnall Israel which glorifieth not god But Christ begetteth true Israelits which are strong and mighty in God and with God by whome the name of God is praysed But here Christ doth by and by complaine that few acknowledge this his benefite and seruice giuen and offred vs and that this voluntary seruice and gracious benefite of his was euill bestowed and quite cast away on many As it is written in Iohn He came vnto his owne and his owne receiued him not The Apostles also complaine on the same saying Who will beleue our report Yet this comforteth him that this labour and worke of his was the worke of God the father who would finish it well and saue his seruantes and comfortably ende it and giue the gospell such successe that it should be very fruitfull and not returne in vayne although the number of them that truly loued it seemed but small The Lord knoweth his in whome the Gospell is mighty Although the most part of men would not heare him but die in their errors some yet notwithstanding who beleued the Gospell were deliuered and saued vnto whom the father sent him that all Israel should not perish And although al the Iewes receaued him not yet for all that was he not forsaken of euery one nay God the father hath many more seruants in the earth amongest whom he will haue him glorified For he was to be the maister teacher sauiour of the Gentils also and all people which dwel in this world The wordes of this prophesie Paul and Barnabas pronounce with great boldnes against the obstinate stubborne Iewes dwelling at Pesidia in Antiochia which withstood those things which Paule had spoken but Paule and Barnabas sayd boldly it was necessary that the word of God should first haue bene spokē vnto you but seyng you put it from you iudge your selues vnworthy of euerlasting lyfe lo we turne to the Gentiles for so hath the Lord commaunded vs saying I haue made thee a light of the Gentiles that thou shouldest be the saluation vnto the ende of the world Paul speaketh of this calling of the Gentils to the Ephesians where he calleth the Gentiles inheritours also and of the same bodye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and pertakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel And Christ saith in Esay The spirit of the Lord God is vpō me therfore hath the Lord annoynted me he hath sent me to preache good tidings vnto the poore to bynde vp the broken harted to preach liberty vnto the captiues to them that are boūd the opening of the prison To preach the acceptable yeare of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourne To appoint vnto them that mourne in Zion and to geue vnto them beauty for ashes the oyle of ioy for mourning the garment of gladnes for the spirit of heauines that they might be called trees of righteousnes the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified Luke in his gospell sayth that Christ on the Saboth day entred into the synagoge in the city of Nazareth as his custome was and stood vp to read and there was deliuered vnto him the booke of the Prophet Esaias and whē he had opened the booke he foūd this place of Esay now recited and when he had red it he closed the booke gaue it agayne to the minister and sat downe And the eyes of all them that were in the synagog were fastened on him then he began to say vnto them This day is this scripture fulfilled in your eares And they all bare him witnes and wōdred at the gratious wordes which proceeded out of his mouth Thus doth the Lorde apply this prophesie to himselfe to whom it only belonged He is not here described as a mighty king in worldly power but as a teacher and minister which in this world should be of base state and as a seruant whose whole study trauel care and diligence is totally set to serue redeme cure and keepe such as be miserable afflicted sorowful and broken in hart ¶ Anna O this is a noble and famous prophesie and certainly worthy to be well considered inwardly pondered and deeply fixed in the mindes of all the godly Wherefore I pray you expound it and declare me the meaning of it verbatim as you did before to the end I may both the better vnderstand it diligentlier consider it and the longer remember it ☞ Vrb. Esay doth passing wel and plainly here describe Christ and better in deed then tong can vtter in such wordes as wherof a man may conceiue especiall comfort Goe to then as you desire let vs examine euery word particularly Where as the Prophet sayth in the person of Christ The spirit of the Lord is vpon me He signifieth that he was consecrated annoynted and ordred of his heauenly father to be our priest and teacher that we should not doubt but whatsoeuer Christ sayth and doth it is the word deed of the holy ghost And then he sayth Therefore the Lorde hath annointed me Kings and priests in the law were chosen and called to their offices by annointing Wherfore it was cōuenient that Christ in as much as he was the true and eternall King and hie priest should be annoynted but not with oyle wherewith the body is annoynted but with the holy ghost the fulnesse of all grace Of the which annoynting the Prophet speaketh in the Psalmes But to the ende we might knowe what kynde of ointyng that was and what a king priest Christ should be he addeth To preach good tidings vnto the poore to comfort all that mourne Here the Iewes beyng deluded by that fanaticall spirit conceiued a vayne folish opinion of their Messias to wit that he should come with a worldly traine in corporal magnificence and princely pompe after the maner of earthly kings and that he should be feareful to his foes and raign corporally here on the earth and geue the Iewes such aboundance of worldly goodes that they should exceede in all pleasure wallow in all corporal welth be lordes of al the earth c. Such an one is the Iues Christ no dout a goodly trim Christ And yet are not the Iewes alone in this
to destroy him So Ioseph rose toke the babe and his mother by night and departed into Egypt was there vnto the death of Herode that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the lord by his prophet saying Out of Egypt haue I called my sonne This prophesie is thus set down in Hosea When Israel was a child then I loued him and called my sonne out of Egypt Here the prophet speaketh of Israel that is the Iewes and of his sonne Iesus Christ He sayth that God loued the Israelites Which thing he sufficiently declared by many and wonderfull benefits He brought thē vp nourished them always cared for them euen as a father careth for his chylde He made them a great mighty famous people And although their vnkindnes deserued farre otherwise yet notwithstanding he faithfully performed alwayes the promises which he had made vnto thē All these things were done for Christes sake that most blessed seed which he had promised vnto Abrahā This Christ this seed according to the flesh was to be borne of the tribe of Iuda And therfore he brought his people Israel by Moses Iosua out of Egipt the house of bondage into the lād of Canaan with a strong hand mightypower For it was his good pleasure that of this people Christ the sauiour of the whole world should be born as he promised before by his prophets But now after that when Christ our sauiour in the fulnes of tyme was borne had for a tyme by flying into Egypt shrouded himself from the wrath of Herode who had commaunded all the infants to be slain God brought him thence againe into the land of Israel Of which Math. sayeth But when Herod was dead behold the angell of the lord appeared in a dream to Ioseph in Egypt saying arise take the babe his mother and go into the land of Israel for thei are dead which soght the babes life Then he arose toke the babe his mother came into the land of Israel But when he heard that Archelaus did raigne in Iuda in stead of his father Herod he was afraid to go thither yet after he was warned of God in a dreame he turned aside into the parties of Galile wēt and dwelled in a city called Nazareth that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet which was that he should be called a Nazarite ¶ Anna. What speaketh the prophets of the ministery of Christ Of the ministery of Christ how he should be a king a priest a doctor a peacemaker a mediator a shepeheard our redemer and iudge of the world Vrbanus THe prophets witnes that Christ is our king priest teacher maister peacemaker redeemer mediator high iudge God saith by Dauid I wil declare the decree that is the Lord hath said vnto me thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee aske of me and I shall giue thee the heathen for thine inheritance the endes of the earth for thy possession Here god the father saith that he had ordained his sonne Christ to be king in Zion that is in the whole catholike church For Zion was a hill in Ierusalem wheron king Dauids pallace stoode It is also a figure of the whole catholike church through out the world The sonne maketh mention of his preaching doctrine saying that he would preach declare him self to be the son of god vnto the whole world and that he had all power geuen him not onely to be Lord and king ouer the Iewes but also ouer the gentils that is of all the Christians in the world that all they which beleued hys preaching should bee hys peculiar people ouer whom he would raigne for euer And agayn Dauid sayth Geue thy iudgments vnto the king O Lord and thy righteousnes to the kinges sonne yea all kinges shall honor him and all nations shal serue him This Psalme speaketh of the true Solomon Christ that he should be the greatest and most mighty in the earth before whom all other kinges should do homage So Christ also is called a kyng in the 89. Psalme But we will speake more of these in the title of Christs kingdom I wil make him my first borne higher then the kings of the earth Esa. saith The Lord is our iudge the lord is our lawgiuer the lord is our king he wil saue vs. We read the like in Eze. Zach. And Ioel also saith Be glad then ye children of Zion reioyce in the lord our God for he hath giuen you a raigne or teacher of righteousnes This raigne or teacher is Christ Iesus our only maister doctor as it is sayd in Math. One is your doctor to wit Christ and all ye are bretheren He is not such a teacher or such a maister as Moses or we are For he preacheth not the gospel to the outward eare onely but he giueth vs by the holy ghost the true holines in our hartes spiritually which before god is auailable to wit faith in him Which Paul calleth the righteousnes of God. For faith in Christ is the worke and gift of god in vs which is imputed to vs for righteousnes Againe Dauid saith our instructer shall be adorned with many blessings This instructer is Christ who in dede is truely blessed For all that beleue his doctrine by him are deliuered frō the curse are made the childrē of god for euer He washeth vs with the gratious welsprings of his gifts teacheth vs in our harts that we may be taught of god know the father by the sonne in whō consist true blessings and euerlasting life You haue heard before out of the 61. of Esay that Christ was sent by the father to preach the gospel to the poore afflicted As he confesseth in Luke saying that he should preach the kingdome of God to other cities for therfore was he sent Wherfore Esay calleth him the light of the Gentils the gospel the light of the world because he illuminateth vs which sit in the depe darknes of folly ignorāce with true knowledge the holy ghost For naturally of our own strēgth we neither know god nor our selues The womā of Samaria saith in Ioh. I know well that Messias shal come which is called Christ when he is come he wil tel vs al things And therfore Moses calleth him a prophet because he should teach the worde of God vnto his people Christ also saith in Esay He hath made my mouth like a sharpe sword that is I wil execute my ministery by the word which shal be effectual pierce lyke a sharp sword And he saith to Pilate that for this cause he was borne and for this cause he came into this world that he should beare witnes vnto the truth And he addeth euery one that is of the truth heareth my voyce He wil speake peace vnto the heathen To be brief al
bringeth vs vnto God reconcileth vs vnto God as a Mediator maketh intercession for vs vnto God that we may with a sure trust ioy of hart make our prayers vnto the father in the name of our eternall high priest Christ As Paul sayth For there is one God one mediator betwene God man which is the man Christ Iesus who gaue himselfe a raunsome for all men And Iohn saith My babes these things write I vnto you that you sin not if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust he is the reconciliation for our sins not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world And Paul saith Through Christ we both haue an entrāce to the father by one spirit And again by whō we haue boldnes enterance with confidēce by fayth in him Christ also saith Verily verily I say vnto you whatsoeuer you shal aske the father in my name he will giue it you So Paule maketh his prayer through Christ as our high priest by whom for whom only we our praiers are acceptable vnto God the father As it is said to the Hebr. By Iesus Christ we offer the sacrifice of prayse alwais to God that is the fruit of the lips which confesse his name Furthermore it is worthy marking that where the prophets do promise to the people of God deliuerāce from sin death al other euils that there Iesus Christ is promised For we see this is the purpose of God that he wil not helpe any deliuer any nor be gracious to any but only for Iesus Christes sake As Peter sayth in the Acts. We haue saluatiō in none but in Iesus Christ For among men there is giuē none other name vnder heauen wherby we must be saued Now looke on the prophesie For both the name worke of Christ is liuely described in it He is called Iehoschua or Ieschua that is a sauiour who must deliuer helpe saue Which worde we find written in the prophets sometime with moe sometyme with fewer letters but yet significatiuely plainly set downe Dauid saith All the endes of the earth haue haue sene Iescuah the saluation or sauiour of our god And in the 119. he calleth him often Teschuatecha that is a deliuerer or a sauiour It followeth My soule fainteth for thy saluation In all these places the prophet sheweth how hartily he desireth Christ how earnestly he loketh for Christes cōming as S. Augustine saith vpon this Psal. And here you see that Christ the onely sauior was euer euen from the beginning of the world the only hope trust as well of the fathers elected in Christ in the old testament as he is now our god our hope our comfort in the new testament For no man can attaine saluation vnlesse he beleue in Christ and be a christian Esa. saith My righteous one or my righteousnes is nere my saluation goeth forth My saluation shall be for euer my righteousnesse shal not be abolished Here this name Ieschua or Iesus is often repeated for the prophet speaketh in this text of Christ And againe he saith The lord hath made bare his holy arme in the sight of all the Gentils all the ends of the earth shall see the saluation of our god And again I euē I am the lord beside me there is no moschia that is sauiour There be many such testimonies as these in Esay 33.46.66 in many other places He is called in the 54. of Esa. a redemer For he that made thee is thine husband or he shal rule ouer thee which was thy maker His name is the lord of hostes or Iehouah Zebaoth And thy redeemer the holy one of Israel shall be called God of the whole earth Here this word Goel is vsed which signifieth a sauior or deliuerer which epitheton in the scriptures is alwais attributed vnto Christ And Es saith The redemer shal come vnto Sion vnto thē that turne frō iniquity in Iacob saith the Lord. S. Paul to the Rom. citeth this text of Christ our only deliuerer in Sion And therfore Ose saith thus I wil redeme them frō the power of the graue I wil deliuer them frō death O death I wil be thy death O graue I wil be thy destruction Death where is thy sting hell where is thy victory But we wil speake more hereof in another place And yet mark here by the way that this word Goel or redemer in the prophets signifieth not only man but also very god And therfore is he much more mighty then sinne death and hel and he both wil can saue deliuer vs And thus vpō such a sure and sound foundatiō as you see is our catholike faith grounded Now note the doctrine of the Apostles grounded and stayed vpon these testimonies of scripture in the new testament Paul saith Christ is our redemption Christ gaue himselfe for our sinnes that he might deliuer vs from this present euil world We haue redemption by the bloud of Christ Christ deliuereth vs frō the wrath to come We loke for that blessed hope appearing of the glory of the mighty god of our sauior Iesus Christ Vnto you is born this day in the city of Dauid a sauiour which is Christ the lord The new testamēt is ful of such sentences Againe the Psalmist witnesseth that Christ is our shepeherd that we be his shepe that he carefully kepeth preserueth vs fedeth vs in his pleasaunt pastures vnto euerlasting life And he speakes only of Christ saieng Come let vs worship and fall downe and kneele before the lord our maker For he is our God we are the people of hys pasture the sheep of his hād And the 100. Psa saith thus Know ye that euē the lord is god he hath made vs and not we our selues we are his people and shepe of his pasture Esa. saith He shal feed his flock like a sheepeherd he shal gather the lambes with his arme and cary them in his bosome shal guide thē with yong And Christ in Ioh. calleth himself that good shepeheard which giueth his life for the sheepe he promiseth them eternal life saying No man shall plucke them out of my hand And Luke saith He is a faithful shepeheard which seketh the lost shepe when he findeth it he laieth it on his shoulders with ioy bringeth it home Iere. saith He that scattered Israel wil gather him will kepe him as a shepeheard doth his flocke For the lord hath redemed Iacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that is stronger then he This is not to be vnderstood of the carnal but euen of the spirituall Israell whether they be Iewes or Gentiles And Zach. sayth Arise O sword vpō my shepeherd vpon the man that is my felow
sayth the lord of hostes smite the shepeherd and the sheepe shal be scattred Christ himselfe expoundeth this prophesie in Math. calling himself the shepeherd and sayth All you shal be offended by me this night for it is written I will smite the sheepeherd and the sheepe of the flocke shal be scattred but after I am risen againe I will go before you into Galile Ezechiel inueying against the vnfaithfull and false prophets in Israel whith taught not the word of God sincerely and vprightly but preached mās doctrine for the word of God and fed themselues but not the sheepe sayth Behold I wil search my sheep and seek them out as a shepheard searcheth out hys flock when he hath ben amongst hys sheep that are scattered so will I seek out my sheep will deliuer them out of all places where they haue bene scattered in the cloudy and darck day I will feed thy sheep sayth the lord c. Christ teacheth vs in Iohn who is the true sheepeheard to whome the sheep of dutye belongeth who also will keep and defend them from al dangers Wherfore he sayth not simply I am a shepheard but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the Greke is more effectual that is I am euen that good shepeheard As if he had sayd the prophets haue spoken of a good shepherd which should be so faythful and so mighty that he both would and could deliuer his sheep from al peril That good shepherd is now here himself I am euen the good shepheard There are many other shepherds but they are hirelings for they are not carefull ouer their sheep they are not faithful diligent in their cures but I am that good shepeheard I giue my life for my shepe God the father speaketh more in that place of the prophet cōcerning this shepeherd saying I will set vp a shepeherd ouer thē and he shal feed them euen my seruant Dauid he shal feed them and he shall be their shepeheard This is not spokē of king Dauid the sonne of Isa◠for he was dead long before the time of Ezech. but it is spoken of Christ the true Dauid of whō Dauid was but a figure of whose lineal descent it was prophesied that Christ should come Again God saith They shal be my people I wil be their god and Dauid my seruant shal be king ouer thē they al shal haue one shepeherd This is spoken of Christ whose seruants we all are in the ministery of preaching but he is that true shepeherd with whō we shal find a safe place of refuge succor help helth pleasant pastures with all other things necessary for this life for the life to come Paul speaketh thus of this shepeherd to the Hebr. The God of peace that brought again frō the dead our lord Iesus the great shepeherd of the sheepe through the bloud of the euerlasting couenant And Pet. saith When the chief shepeherd shal appeare ye shall receiue an incorruptible croune of glory ¶ An. But where do the prophets witnes that Christ should be the iudge of the world both of Iewes and Gentiles ☞ Vrb. The new testament is an exposition and interpretation a cleare light of the old testamēt Christ saith in Ioh. The father iudgeth no mā but hath committed al iudgement vnto the sonne because that al men should honor the sonne as they honor the father The father also hath giuen him power to iudge because he is the sonne of man The church alwais vnderstood these words to be of the last iudgement when the dead shal rise againe the iudge shal giue to euery one as he hath deserued Paul saith We must al appeare before the iudgemēt seat of Christ that euery man may receiue the things which are done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or euil Christ therfore died and rose againe reuiued that he might be lord both of the dead and the quick And is ordained of God a iudge of quicke and dead Now loke on the prophets what after what sort they speake of that iudge who shall iustly iudge the whole world And you shall easely perceaue that it is none other but our Lord Iesus Christ And this is most true This is most infallable For Ioh. sayth The father hath committed all iudgement to him And Peter sayth that god ordained him to this end And so doth the new testament expounde and vnderstande the Prophetes in all places where they write of Christ neyther need we be moued with this that the scriptures do geue iudgment only vnto god For this is no matter this repugneth not our saieng for Christ is that true god And in asmuch as he is God he receiueth nowe nothing which he had not before seing that he is of one essence power and maiestie with God the Father for euer But in asmuch as he is man he receiueth power from the father to iudge al things as Cyril sayth Now then let vs see what the prophets foretell of this mighty iudg Dauid sayth The Lord hath prepared hys throne in heauen for iudgment for he shal iudge the world in righteousnes and shall iudge the people with equitie We easely vnderstād this text by the 17. chap. of the Acts. where Paul preaching to the Atheniences sayth God admonished all men to repent because he hath appointed a day in the which he will iudg the world with righteousnes by that man whom he hath appoynted Again Dauid sayth The God of gods euē the Lord hath spoken and called the earth from the rising vp of the sun vnto the going down therof out of Sion which is the perfection of beauty hath God shyned Our God shall come and shall not keepe silence a fire shall deuour before him and a mighty tempest shall bee mooued rounde about him Hee shall call the heauen aboue and the earth to iudge hys people The 70 interpreters haue translated it thus God shal come openly euen our god and shall not keep silence any longer The Church taketh this to be spoken of the latter comming of Christ For he will not then come to iudge the world in a base forme or habite hiding hys godhead but at the last day he will come with great power Thus sayth Austine Furthermore that shining beame or beutiful brightnes of God is Christ Iesus he bursts forth and shineth out of Sion that is out of the tribe of Iuda the house of Dauid and will come openly in great power and maiesty accompaned with all the Angels At his first comming he came secretly humbly without any great ado for it was his wil to be iudged and slaine for our sakes euen as a sheepe appointed to the slaughter But in the last day he shall come with great power magnificence and shal descend from heauen as the most mighty high God iudge of all with a
our body here is a natural body and to the fustentation therof we must if we wil liue eate drinke slepe disgest purge And the same body is weried and in the ende corrupteth and fadeth And therfore as sone as that soule departeth frō the body the corps beginneth to smell putrify so that no man can abide the stinke therof This is the dishonor which for sinne is laid vpon the body But in the last day the lord wil trāsfigure our body into such brightnes make it so beautiful that it shal be like the sunne so shal alway abide continue a firm sound immortal body without bodily meat fed of god for euer And therfore saith Paul pointing as it were to his body with his finger this corruptible body wherin I now stād sit walke speake this same body I say must put on incorruption this mortal must put on immortalitie When this corruptible body hath put on incorruption this mortal hath put on immortalitie then shall bee brought to passe the saying that is written Death is swalowed vp into victory ¶ Anna. Now I haue heard the fruit of Christes passion resurrection which I take to be this That what Satan in Adam our nature by sin had corrupted destroyed the Christ by his death resurrection hath recouered restored to wit he hath destroyed sin ouercome death giuen life that we which beleue in Christ may be deliuered from our sins freed from the tiranny of deth the diuel be made heires of euerlasting life Now shew me what maner of kingdom Christs kingdom is which is so magnifically set forth promised vnto vs in the law prophets and euangelists ☞ Vrb. The kingdom of Christ which is promised in the prophets is a spirituall kingdom not of this world it is a kingdom of euerlasting blessednes mercy truth righteousnes peace life wisdom light ioy security liberty euerlasting saluatiō in which Christ the king of glory being taken vp into heauen exalted at the right hand of god doth by the gospel the holy ghost in fayth raigne inuisibly gouern defend al that beleue in him euen in the midst of their cruel deadly enemies to wit the world Satan heretikes persecuters of the church sin death Moreouer he is our intercessor in heauen to god the father he forgiueth vs our sinnes he sēdeth his holy spirit into our hartes he renueth repayreth our corrupted depraued decaied nature and he restoreth in vs the most beutiful image of god which through sinne was blotted out destroyed in vs To be briefe he sanctifieth vs defendeth vs preserueth vs in all dangers euils and so he in this life euen vnto the day of iudgement gathereth vp into his kingdom which is the true catholike church of the godly the children of God dispersed throughout the whole world He ouercōmeth in them sinne death the prince of this world by this means he prepareth maketh thē redy for that great glorious day of our full perfect redemption And although the godly die in the mortal body yet will he raise thē all again at the last day and they shall liue with Christ for euer But vntil the day both the euil and the good the godly the vngodly shal be mixt dwel together and the vngodly wil colourably seeke to beare a face and outward shew of godlines wil also be taken in place for godly nay they will be the chiefe in this earth and sit as magistrates vaunt themselues to be the heads of the church as Annas and Caiphas did in Christes tyme yea they wil root out curse and vehemētly persecute the true godly to the vttermost For in deede the true church is so hidden in this world the some times in great temptations it cannot for a space see it selfe ¶ Anna. What meaneth the miserable people the Anabaptists what madnes moueth them to seeke to cōgregate a church heare in this world which shold be pure vnspotted vndefiled and without all blot and where in they wil haue no sinner seing that euē the godly offend fal in many things the greatest part of those which are called christiās are mere hypocrits very wicked mē ☞ Vrb. These miserable mē vnderstand not the scriptures And therefore they know not what is the true church what maner of church it is or what the state of the true church is in this world Christ only is he which at the last day shal purge the chaffe that is the vngodly frō the good wheat which is the godly christians In the meane time that godly are compelled here to dwel liue among the vngodly And yet shall they not haue any discōmōditie or losse therby if they learne not at thē to liue be vngodly The godly may bear publik offices haue such politike functions as the ciuile magistrate doth ordain so long as they be not cōmaunded compelled to do that that is contrary to the commaundement of God and his holy word yea they both may with a safe conscience also ought as far as belōgeth to the body tēporal goods vse al humane publike ordināces and cōtracts which make for that maintenāce of this life society If so be they may be suffred to kepe retaine the true doctrine of the sauing gospel liue as it cōmādeth ¶ Anna. Seing you haue alredy described the kingdom of Christ I pray you discouer me the kingdō of Satan ☞ Vrb. Sathans kingdom is quite contrary vnto the kingdom of Christ it is a kingdom of euerlasting perdicion of lies of death of sinne of ignorance of blindnes of darkenes of heauines of affliction of sorrowe and of continuall captiuity and damnation And this kingdom of condemnation beginneth in this worlde and hath in it all the vngodly which will not beleue and obey the Gospell in whom the euill spirit worketh and is effectual And therupon is called in Iohn the prince of this world the god of this world This spirit blindeth the mynds of that vnbeleuers so that they see not the most cleare light of the gospel of the clearenes of Iesus Christ which is the image and caracter of God. ¶ Anna. How doth Sathan raigne in this world ☞ Vrb He is the strong man armed in his house of whō Luke speaketh who kepeth the wicked in his hande and hath thē in his power driueth thē whether he will at his pleasure Paul saith he bindeth thē holdeth thē in strōg lies errors darknes bewitcheth their harts and casteth thē hedlong into al wickednes filthines vncleannes and moueth and inflameth thē to all vngodlines Satan is alwais an enemy and an aduersary vnto true christians in all their godly enterprises procedings He stirreth vp fals teachers and draweth many into horrible heresies He alwais maketh
Psalme the holy ghost very sweetly and comfortably setteth forth Christes ascension glorification and ample kingdome saying thus All people clap your handes sing loud vnto God with a ioyful voice for the lord is high and terrible a great king ouer all the earth God is gone vp with triumph euen the Lord with the soundes of the trumpet Sing prayses to God sing praises sing praises to our king sing praises For god is the king of all the earth Sing prayses euery one that hath vnderstāding God raigneth ouer the heathen God sitteth vpō his holy throne In this Psalme all nations are stirred vp to laud and prayse the Lord who in Christ raigneth now ouer all the world If then all these thinges ought to be accomplished through the whole earth it could not be that Christ should continue in death especially seing it was prophesied that Christ should deliuer the world out of the bandes of death himself be exalted placed in the highest type of honor glory The prophet Dauid also speaketh of the battail victory of Christ in the 68. psal telling how he ouercame death and Satan and by his mighty deuine power deliuered al thē from Satans tiranny which were his captiues ascended into heauen And this psal Paul citeth to the Ephes saying He ascended vp on high he led captiuity captiue S. Augustine here vnderstandeth by captiuity captiue euen death it selfe which held al the children of Adam as sinners in captiuity and mightily ruled ouer them yea euen ouer good christiās which lay bound and captiue vnder the yoke and captiuity of Satan but by Christs death and resurrection are deliuered and redemed Dauid saith The lord raigneth and is clothed with maiesty the lord is clothed and girded with power The world also shal be established that it cānot be moued Thy throne is established of old thou art from euerlasting the floudes haue lifted vp O lord the flouds haue lifted vp their voice the floods haue lifted vp their waues The waues of the sea are maruelous through the noise of many waters yet the lord on hie is more mighty Thy testimonies are very sure holines becommeth thy house O lord for euer Here God the holy ghost prophecieth of the kingdome of Christ to wit how Christ the king of all glory so wonderfully kepeth surely establisheth strōgly fortifieth his kingdom that it cannot fall and be ouerthrown although the sea of this world by violence and huge stormes inuade it set vpon it and seke cleane to subuert it The Iewes did all they could vpō good Friday quite to extinguish this king And now that he is risen again from the dead both Iewes Gentiles Turkes heretikes and false christians with the world and Satan al their power resist him and his kingdom They forge most impudēt and shameful lies against him they lay snares by subtleties to intrap him they fill all places with slaughter of him they assay euery way to hurt him and they doe the worst they can both by force and cunning agaynst him But though they try euery thing they shall preuayle nothing Al their deuises shal be frustrate al their trauaile shal not preuaile yea all their power shall not profite them for he died once and henceforth dieth no more Now he sitteth at the right hand of God aboue the heauens and is the euerlasting and eternall God himselfe whose throne is builded and standeth on so sure a foundation and ground worke that it cannot be moued or ouerthrown Yea the very gates of hell cannot preuail against the poore church in as much it only dependeth vpon this head Christ that glorious kyng of heauen that most sure and vnmouable rocke He which falleth on this stone shal be broken but on whomsoeuer it shall fall it will grind him to pouder Seing then the habitatiō of this king shal endure for euer it must nedes follow that he shal both liue for euer and also giue euerlasting lyfe vnto vs. Againe Dauid saith The lord raigneth let the people tremble he sitteth betwene the Cherubins let the earth be moued The Lord is great in Sion and he is high aboue all people They shall prayse thy great and fearefull name for it is holy and the kings power that loueth iudgement for thou hast prepared equitie thou hast executed iudgement and iustice in Iacob exalt the lord our God and fall downe before his footestoole for he is holy This king is Christ who ruleth the church which is the spirituall Sion thorough the whole world He hath placed his throne in a high place euen in the very heauens and all the earth is his footestoole and he ruleth for euer But Sathan and the world beyng set on euill cannot abide this And when they are not able to throwe downe Christ from the seat of his maiesty they fret and fume agaynst the godly and cruelly persecute them But for all that they cannot take away their saluation although they indeuour it neuer so much For where this king is there shall all those be also which beleue in him Therefore the vngodly cannot hurt the righteous so as may truely bee called hurting For when they kill them and take their lyues from them which to the world seemeth the greatest hurt that can be then do they most profite them For death is vnto them the gate and redy way to lyfe but the enemies of Christ and his church shal in the end be thrown vnder foote troden downe and be more vile and filthy then any rubbish dirt or dung And agayne Dauid sayth Thou wilt arise and haue mercy vpon Sion for the tyme to haue mercy theron for the appoynted tyme is come For thy seruantes delight in the stones therof and haue pity on the dust thereof Then the heathen shall feare the name of the Lord and all the kinges of the earth thy glory when the Lord shall builde vp Sion and shall appeare in his glory and shall turne vnto the prayer of the desolate and not despise their prayer This shall be written for the generation to come and the people which shal be created shall prayse the Lord for he hath looked downe from the height of his sanctuary out of the heauen did the lord behold the earth that he might heare the mourning of the prisoner and deliuer the children of death In this Psalme we see how earnestly the godly Christians which were before Christes natiuitie did in feruency of prayers looke for his kingdome wherin onely or els not sinnes are pardoned and death is vanquished These true Christians desire and praye that Zion that is the church may be builded euery where and the glory of Christ seene and propagated through all the world as did Dauid Samuel and the rest of the Prophetes who with spirituall eyes saw long before that Messias should first be debased but afterward exalted and glorified through the whole world Neither were they offended at
the humility passion of Christ which of his owne free will he would suffer because they vnderstood the purpose of Gods workes to wit that he would make Christ the Lord and head of the church and that he would with great admiratiō build vp Sion the holy church through all the world They desired to see such a king and his great kingdome reuealed vnto them by the spirite yea to see hym euen with theyr corporal eyes as Christ witnesseth in Luke where he sayth Blessed are those eyes which see that ye see For I tell you that many Prophets and Kinges haue desired to see those thinges which ye see and haue not sene thē and to heare those things which ye heare and haue not heard them And agayne Dauid sayth The Lorde sayde vnto my Lord sitte thou at my right hande vntill I make thine enemies thy footestoole The Lorde shall sende the rod of thy power out of Sion thou ruler in the midst of thine enemies He shall drinke of the brooke in the way therfore shall he lift vp his head In this Psalme is a most comfortable prophesie of Christ howe hee must be placed at Gods right hande that is that he shall be exalted vnto most high glory honor dignity power But yet so that before he must drinke of that brooke that is of the cup of his passiō so by it passe into his glory Wife looke you haue this psalme in great price loue it derely for it setteth forth vnto vs two special things wherin true and sound consolation al our saluation doth consist to wit the euerlasting kingdom deuine power of Iesus Christ He sitteth at the right hande of God that is he hath all power he is most mighty all things are in his handes he is and that euen according to his blessed glorified humanity lord king of all things both in heauen and earth all things are in his subiection Therfore it well followeth that he is able to deliuer vs from all necessities calamities both temporal and eternall neither can any creature do vs harme if we bee in the kingdome of Christ by true faith Moreouer God the father assuredly promised by an othe that he would giue vs Christ to be an eternall priest Here is Christ vpon Gods othe appointed to be our priest and he is touched with the feling of our calamities no lesse then if they were his own He hath purged and taken away our sins by his owne sacrifice vpon the crosse and hath reconciled vs vnto the father yea he doth still make intercession for vs with his father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without ceasing and he teacheth geueth vs by his worde and holy spirit all things which are necessary for the obtaining of euerlasting helth and saluation Wherfore although Christ according to his humanity was the sonne of Dauid that is his sonne by flesh bloud yet neuerthelesse Dauid saith that Christ is his lord not only according to his deuine nature as he is the creator and lord of al things but also as saint Augustine sayth according to that his humaine nature glorified in which he sitteth at the right hand of god For he is the euerlasting king of Israel which truly erected and for euer established and confirmed the kingdome of Dauid Moreouer he is a true priest the true Melchisedech who only could and ought to giue that euerlasting blessing for that he is that blessed seed of Abraham in which onely we are blessed that is we are deliuered from sinne death and are iustified saued Christ in Math. putteth forth this questiō to the Pharises which were puft vp with an opiniō of their own learning saying Why did Dauid call Christ his Lord who was his sonne that is to say of his stock But althogh they semed learned vnto themselues although they swelled with the pride of their owne knowledge yet they were ignorant of this which they ought especially to haue known Again Dauid saith The lord hath prepared his throne in heauen and his kingdom ruleth ouer all And again Thy lord shal raigne for euer O Sion Thy God endureth from generation to generation Hee saith Thy lord O Sion shal rule for euer He speaketh not here of any earthly kingdom in earthly Sion but of that euerlasting Ierusalem And in the 103. Psalme he witnesseth the same where he sayth thus The lord hath prepared his throne not in Canaan but in heauen And againe All thy workes prayse thee O Lord thy saintes blesse thee they shew the glory of thy kingdom speake of thy power to cause his power to be known to the sons of mē the glorious renoume of his kingdom Thy kingdom is an euerlasting kingdom thy dominion endureth throughout all ages All these things are spokē of Christ his kingdom In the 89. Psal. the kingdom of Christ is called an heauēly kingdom where the prophet speaketh of the promise made by God vnto king Dauid in the 2. of the kinges where God promiseth that he will giue a sonne to Dauid which shal be a peculiar notable worthy excellent king a king of all kings whose kingdom shal neuer decay and wherin is forgiuenesse of sins euerlasting mercy and therfore both lyfe and helth For where sins are forgiuen there is the tiranny of death quite abolished destroied And here we haue true helth promised for this kings sake borne of the seed of Dauid according to the flesh in whom that eternall couenant of grace is made established The words of the Psalm be these I wil sing the mercies of the Lorde for euer with my mouth wil I declare thy truth from generation to generation For I sayd thy mercy shall be set vp for euer thy truth shalt thou establish in the very heauens I haue made a couenant with my chosen I haue sworne to Dauid my seruant Thy seede wil I establish for euer set vp thy throne from generation to generation Selah Righteousnesse and equity are the stablishment of thy throne mercy truth goeth before thy face blessed are the people that can reioyce in thee they shall walk in the light of thy countenance O Lord they shall reioyce continually in thy name and in thy righteousnes shall they exalt them selues for thou art the glory of their strength and by thy fauour our hornes shal be exalted For our shield appertaineth to the Lorde and our King to the holy one of Israell I haue found Dauid my seruaunt with my holy oyle haue I annointed him Therefore my hand shall be established with him and my arme shall strengthen him The enemy shall not oppresse him neither shall the wicked hurt him But I will destroy his foes before his face and plage them that hate him My truth also and my mercy shall bee with him and in my name shall his horne be exalted
I will set his hand also in the sea and his right hande in the floudes He shall cry vnto me thou art my father my God and the rocke of my saluation Also I will make him my first borne higher then the kinges of the earth My mercy will I keepe for him for euermore and my couenaunt shall stande fast with him His seed also will I make to endure for euer and hys throne as the dayes of heauen But if his children forsake my law and walke not in my iudgementes If they breake my statutes and keepe not my commaundements then will I visite their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with strokes yet my louing kyndnes wil I not take from hym neither will I falsify my truth My couenant wil I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips I haue sworne once by myne holinesse that I wil not fayle Dauid saying his seed shall endure for euer his throne shall be as the sunne before me he shal be established for euermore as the Moone and as a faythfull witnesse in the heauen Behold how certayne and sure gods grace is to vs in Christ and for Christ Iesus our king Although we sin very often and much yet shal not sin condemne vs if we bide in Christ For what soeuer the Lord hath spoken it is the very truth it selfe and cannot but come to passe and be as he hath sayd For though we be most vnworthy wretches of our selues and haue no merits but sin wickednes to the attayning of so great grace and goodnes of God yet this is our stay and comfort that God hath promised vs these worthy benefites not for our deserts or worthines but onely for hys mercy sake in Christ Wherfore those thinges whiche be here promised are most sure certaine as also the state of our saluation is certayne because it standeth and dependeth on the euerlasting mercy truth of Gods promises of which he can neuer repent him nor vnsay or recant the same In the 111. Psalme he sayeth Hee hath sent redemption to his people he hath commaunded his couenant for euer Here is Christ promised that he shal be our deliuerer or redemer neither is there any other sauiour but Iesus Christ alone This Psalme was song in Iuda for a thanksgiuing on Easterday when they eate the Paschall lambe because God had deliuered them out of the captiuity of Egypt But that temporall or corporall deliuerance and the lambe was nothing els but a figure of the true and euerlasting deliuerance and of our true lambe Iesus Christ by whose bloud we are deliuered and brought out of hell and euerlasting captiuity into our heauenly countrey In the 113. Psalme he prophesieth of the glory honour of Christes kingdome telling what a one how great it shall bee thoroughout all the worlde For he sayth From the rising of the sunne to the goyng down of the same the name of God is glorified Which thing can not otherwise be but by the catholike faith that is that the Gentils should heare the gospell of Christ thereby acknowledge and set forth his grace and goodnes which is the sacrifice of prayses which the Christians offer The wordes of the Psalmes are these Prayse the Lord O ye his seruants prayse the name of the Lord blessed be the name of the Lord from henceforth for euer The name of the Lord is euer praised frō the rising of the sunne to the goyng downe of the same The Lord is high aboue all nations and his glory aboue the heauens Who is lyke vnto the Lord our God that hath his dwellyng on high who abaseth himselfe to behold things in heauen in earth Likewise the 117. Psalme sayth that the whole world both Iewes Gentils shal magnify Christ Iesus honor and acknowledge him for their true God in his kingdom in which is is all felicity mere grace mercy forgiuenes of all sinnes true righteousnes true peace true comfort true ioy euerlasting life The wordes be these All nations praise ye the lord all ye people praise him for his louing kindnes is great towardes vs and the truth of the Lord endureth for euer And the 130. psalme also setteth forth to vs the grace of God in Christ which God hath promised vs in him our true propitiatory reconciler Dauid sayth in that Psal. Let Israel wayte on the Lord for with the lord is mercy and with him is great redemption and he shal redeeme Israel from all his iniquities All this must bee vnderstood of Christ for the new testament is the kirnell the perfect and ful interpretation of the old And the new testament witnesseth in euery place that there is no other deliuerer sauiour or recōciler but Iesus Christ and it teacheth vs that our reconciliation redemption commeth only by Christ who is the alone sacrifice satisfaction for the sinnes of the whole world Wherfore take this for a sure rule in scripture which neuer fayleth that wheresoeuer deliuerance reconciliation redemption remission of sins or the grace of God is promised in the prophets there always though the name of Messias or Christ bee not expressed must we needes vnderstand Christ and hys death and bloudsheding absolute sacrifice For these great things to wit forgiuenes of sinnes reconciliatiō c. are prepared gottē obtained by no other means but only by the sacrifice and death of Iesus Christ And these are almost the chief prophesies which Dauid hath concernyng Christ Anna. Whac hath Esay prophesied of Christ and of his passion resurrection and euerlasting kingdom Vrb. After Dauid is the notable and worthy prophet Esay who hath prophesied both plainly truly of all the mysteries of Christ In his 2. chap. he describeth the spiritual kingdom of Christ that is the catholike church saying that it shal be ample glorious through all the world among the Gentiles by the preaching of the gospell by which men do acknowledge the grace of God in Christ and be conuerted and do willingly and ioyfully serue and worship the lord His words be these It shall be in the last dayes that the mountain of the house of the Lord shal be prepared in the top of the mountaines and shal be exalted aboue the hils and all nations shal flow vnto it and many people shall go and say come let vs go vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach vs his wayes and we wil walke in his pathes For the law shall goe forth of Sion and the word of the lord from Ierusalem he shal iudge amongst the nations and reserue many people they shal break their swordes also into mattockes and their speares into sithes nation shal not lift vp a sword against nation neither shall they learne to fight any more O house of Iacob come ye and let vs walke in
the light of the Lord. ¶ Anna. The prophets vse a straunge kinde of speakyng when they prophesie of Christes kingdome for they speake of some temporall or politike kingdom here in this earth For Esay saith that the whole world shall run together to the hill Sion in Ierusalem and there shall all the world heare the worde of God and there shal be no more warre in the earth but true perfect and euerlasting peace amongst all men yet this is impossible and vncredible ☞ Vrbanus The prophets haue their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and peculiar maner of speaking but when they prophesie of the kingdome of Christ thē especially they vse strāge and figuratiue wordes and rare speches which are full of figures and similitudes as if they should speake of corporall kingdoms on earth and of the great mighty potentates of this world But I told you in the beginning of this our talke out of the first of Peter that the Prophets speake of a much more excellent thing then at the first sight their wordes seeme to import vnto men which are not well seene in scriptures to wit they speake of eternall saluation and of Iesus Christ the sonne of God how he should come into the world and be borne of the virgin Mary true man of the stocke of Abraham and Dauid and how he should beare the sinnes of the world and by his death take away our death with all our iniquities and sinnes and how he should rise agayne from death and receiue all power in heauen and on earth and giue vnto all faithful christiās his eternall kingdom with life euerlasting which kingdome of his shall containe such glory as eies haue not sene eares haue not heard neither hath entred into the hart of man as Esay saith In so much that all maiesty might magnificence brightnesse beauty power riches glory dignitye honours worshippes pleasures ioy peace tranquillitie comforte fortitude strength and vigour yea life in this worlde And to be short what pleasure or happinesse so euer this visible and frayle worlde contayneth are not all so much as a shadowe in comparison of the glorye to come in the kingdome of Christ Wherfore seyng the Prophets speake of such great and meruailous thinges promised vs in Christ as farre passe all our vnderstanding and capacitie and are so wonderfull that euen the Angels in heauen are glad and reioyce at them they are constrayned to vse similitudes and comparisons and to speak as if they spake of corporal states and earthly things of worldly kingdomes and of corporall honour peace glory and such other that by the visible temporall known things which are set forth to our eyes and senses they might moue and draw vs to consider and with harty praiers to desire those spirituall inuisible and eternall things for the possession and enioying of which we together with the angels are ordained For we must wander here a tyme as strangers or pilgrimes in this visible world but at the last we shall be made lyke to the angels and be placed in the spiritual and heauenly kingdom of Christ in the fellowship of Angels And here if we well consider the prophesies of the Prophetes we may easily vnderstand and iudge by the circumstances of these writings that they speake of the spirituall and heauenly kingdome For they attribute such great thinges vnto the kingdome of Christ as are not to be found in any earthly kingdome As in that they say that the king of this kingdome shall be poore and contemned in this worlde and shall teache suffer dye and be buried and yet for all that by this meanes become a great and victorious prince ouer sinne death and Sathan and raigne a king for euer But what a happy thing is it that we haue the newe testament the writings of the Apostles and Euangelistes which are the most sure and true interpreters of the Prophetes But now when we heare in the new Testament that the kingdome of Christ is not of this world but spirituall heauenly and eternall we must needes vnderstand the Prophets according to the exposition thereof which if we do we can neuer erre nor be deceyued ¶ Anna. I pray you tell me what Esay meaneth by these his figuratiue wordes what is that of which he speaketh which is that house of God whether run the Gentils ☞ Vrb. I neede not expound it for Paule expoundeth it to the Hebrues where he sayeth You are come to the mount Sion and to the city of the liuing GOD the celestiall Ierusalem and to the company of innumerable Angels and to the congregation of the first borne which are written in heauen Here we see that the earthly mount Sion the house of Dauid and the earthly Ierusalem is nothyng els but a figure of the spirituall mount Sion and the heauenly Ierusalem that is of the catholike church of all the elect Into this mount and to this true Ierusalem which is the house of the liuyng God all nations come on heapes The holy ghost was sent from heauen in mās sight manifestly into this earthly Sion and Ierusalem In it also was the gospell preached by Christ and his Apostles There also began the church by the reuelation of the new testament so the doctrine of Christ went out of Sion and taried not only there but was published through all the whole world that the heauenly Ierusalem beyng spred through all nations myght be builded agayn as Christ witnesseth in Luke where he sayth It behoueth Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead the third day and that repentaunce and remission of sinnes should be preached in his name among all nations This should begin first at Ierusalem whether all nations come on heapes to heare the gospell preached How far and wide did euē Paul himselfe by preaching spred the Gospell how many people leauing the erronious and idolatrous race of their vngodly lyfe run then into the mount of the lord that they might learne his law and gospell For the lord iudged among the nations when by the spirit and gospell he reprehended the world of sinne that they might acknowlege their wickednes and repent and desire the grace of Christ and so be made faithfull christians by faith haue inwarde peace with god Swordes among christians are turned into shares when they enioy through the gospell celestiall peace when their hartes conceiue true perfect peace with God and when they liue peaceably with their neighbors and alway study peace Christes kingdome is thus at peace Mē are humble and submit thēselues one to another they do not braule and striue bitterly enuiously about trifles but are merciful towards their neighbors oppressed with calamity and they shew thē selues gentle pitifull lowly and humble vnto al men and redy to maintaine iustice equity and vpright dealing they know not how to faine or dissemble but are plaine simple and mercifull dealers with all men c. And to be
shallal hash baz that is hast thee to pray He calleth him so because of his almighty power which no man can withstand And therfore if he will do any thyng he neede not much tyme to the performance therof as we do which be but only men Moreouer he is a mighty Lion of the tribe of Iuda which casteth downe and destroyeth all our enemies euen with his owne strength and mightily deliuereth vs from their tiranny In the same chapiter Esay prophecieth also that many shall bee offended by Christ saying Sanctifie the Lorde of hostes and let hym bee your feare and let hym be your dreade and hee shall bee as a Sanctuarie But as a stombling stone as a rocke to fall vpon to both the houses of Israel and as a snare as a net to the inhabitants of Ierusalem and many among them shall stumble shall fal shal be broken shal be snared shal be takē Here you see that although Christ be that most precious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or corner stone of the spirituall building to euerlasting lyfe therfore came into this world that he might open our eyes deliuer vs from all calamities euerlasting euils Yet many are hardened and blinded when Christ is taught many be offended stumble at that doctrine and so cast themselues into euerlasting destruction but altogether without Christes fault Much lyke to the working of the sunne which greatly hurteth the running sore or bleared eyes with his beautiful bright beames but yet this fault is not the sūne but in their own infirmity for to the whole sound eyes the light therof bringeth pleasure delectation Blessed is he saith Christ in Math. which shall not be offended in me But the world is offēded at these things by which it might receyue helpe and comfort The world goeth about to reiect Christ But euen as a vessell of clay or earth beyng hurled against a rocke or stone is broken so the man that kicketh against Christ is shiuered and broken in pieces As it fell forth in Israel when the doting Saduces the famous hypocritical Pharises were offended at Christ And it is euen so also now at this day and shal be vntil the worlds end For he shal be a stone of offence to many and yet he no part of the cause as the new testament doth expounde this prophesie For in Luke Simeon saith to Mary Behold hee is appointed for the fall and rising agayne of many in Israel for a signe which shal be spoken against These things nedes not much opening for we plainly see that many are offended at the wholsome doctrine of Christ as these frensie and fanaticall Anabaptists like folish Pharises which cursed Christ as touching hys person and ministery And it hath alwayes ben so For the Iewes sayd in the Actes vnto Paule at Rome As concerning this sect we know that euery where it is spoken against Here the blynded Iewes call the true christian church and the right gospell of God a sect euē as now the Papistes call it an heresie Paule expoundeth this prophesie to the Romaynes shewyng that Christ should be vnto the Iewes a stūbling stone saying Israel which foloweth the law of righteousnes could not attaine to the law of righteousnes and wherfore Were not they circumcised Did they not sacrifice kept they not fasting dayes did not they kepe holydayes and did they not the workes of the law Yes forsooth they were altogether occupied therein But Paul maketh answer that therfore they obtained not true holines because they neuer sought it by fayth in Christ but as it were by the workes of the law that is they did striue to come vnto God and to be made righteous without the help of Messias which was vnpossible and so they haue stumbled at the stumblyng stone as it is writen Behold I put in Sion a stumbling stone and a rocke of offence And euery one that beleueth in him shall not be ashamed And Peter sayth You are come vnto the lord as to a liuing stone disallowed of men but chosen of God and precious and you as a liuely stones be made a spiritual house and holypriesthood to offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ Wherfore it is conteyned in the scripture Behold I put in Sion a chiefe corner stone elect and precious and he that beleueth therein shall not be ashamed Vnto you therfore which beleue it is precious but vnto thē which be disobediēt the stone which the builders disalowed the same is made the head of the corner and a stone to stumble at and a rocke of offence euen to them that stumble at the word being disobedient vnto the which thing they were euen ordained of which Esay speaketh in his 28. chap. ¶ Anna. If these two disciples had known that the sauiour of Israel should haue bene so handled that his kingdom and word should haue bene so delt with all they would neuer haue bene so offended at the death of Christ ☞ Vrb. Christ is also described in the 11. of Esay and there is foreshewed where he should be borne accordyng to his humanity and he telleth what maner of king and what maner of kingdom and people he and his should be The wordes of the prophet are these But there shall come a rod forth of the stocke of Iessa a graft shall grow out of his rootes and the spirit of the Lord shal rest vpon him the spirit of wisedome and vnderstandyng the spirit of counsaile and strength the spirit of knowlege and of the feare of the Lord and shall make him prudent in the feare of the lord for he shal not iudge after the sight of his eies neither reproue by the hearing of his eares but with righteousnes shall he iudge the poore and with equity shall he reproue for the meeke of the earth and he shal smite the earth with the rodde of his mouth and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked and iustice shall be the girdle of his loynes and faythfulnesse the girdle of his raynes The Wolfe also shal dwel with the Lambs the Leopard shall lie with the Kidde In this prophesy first you haue Mary and Christ her sonne Because Mary was of that tribe of Isay who was Dauids father This is that king of whom mention is made Then afterward he declareth how he should ordayne and set vp so mighty and eternall a kingdom how he should continue it It is a heauenly kingdom and therfore standeth no need of corporall and earthly armour neyther can such inuention keep and preserue it But the holy ghost by his gratious gifts ruleth this kingdome and worketh all goodnes in it hys workes and gifts are wisedome wherwithall he teacheth vs to acknowledge god instructeth vs in things that pertayn to true godlines and to a lyfe which pleaseth god and he techeth
precious bloude of Christ Although many hurtfull beastes inuirone it and goe about by craft to burst into it and vtterly to destroy it yet shall it growe and be fruitfull because the lord him selfe keepeth it and is a watchman and keper thereof which keepeth it with all care and diligence And the new testament in Mathew speaketh of the church after the same sort Although this vineyard abide great tempests violent assaults and grieuous stormes yet is it not torne in pieces broken downe lesned or cutte shorter and made straighter but euery day becommeth more flourishing greater and greener For the church encreaseth and is dilated and spred into the foure quarters of the whole world The Apostles which were to spring of the seede of Iacob and Israel according to the flesh propagated and spread the Gospell abroade through all the world And the Lord by their planting and wateryng gaue such encrease that throughout the whole world there sprong vp of the Gentils spirituall Iacobites and Israelites which haue the fayth of their heauenly father Iacob and by their lyfe professe and witnes that they are endued with the fayth of the Patriarkes and are their children by fayth And thus the true Iacob or Israel that is the true church spreadeth it selfe through the whole world which before was onely in Iudea For many shall come from the East and West and shall sitte downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen And it was conuenient that the trumpe of the gospel should at the same tyme of grace be blown through the whole worlde that the grace of Christ myght appeare and be opened and offered to all men And that both the Iewes and Gentiles might be gathered out of the whole earth into one church and worship the lord Iesus Christ in hys holy hyll Ierusalem to wit the catholike church which is the hill of the Lord and the heauenly Ierusalem For the earthly Ierusalem hath now hys ende and lyeth wasted and destroyed and was but onely a type of the heauenly Ierusalem And now that the truth it selfe and the thyng figured is come and is present there needeth not any more figures In vayne therfore and frustrate is the expectation and hope of the Iewes which vnderstande these prophesies of the earthly Ierusalem which shal neuer be restored to his former state and dignity as Daniel prophesieth in his 9. chapter ¶ Anna. If this vineyard or catholike church that is christian religion should flourish thorough the whole world If also the Gentils should worship Christ and if they should become true Israelites and by the helpe and ayde of Christ flourish and waxe greene then surely was it conuenient that Christ should rise from the dead to plant and kepe the great and ample vineyarde and so saue and deliuer not only Israel according to the flesh but euen vs Gentiles which be the spirituall Israelites But these two disciples considered not this ☞ Vrb. If these prophesies be well and diligently waied and considered we may plainely see and gather out of euery one of them the resurrection of Christ true christians This is the true deliueraunce of Israel not only from the king of Assiria or Babilon but from that great and horrible tirant of hel Satan and euerlasting death Esay prophesieth in other places also of that gracious tyme of the new testament wherin Christ came and the holy ghost was sent into the Apostles by whō the chiefe and true quietnes and peace of consciēce was giuen in the kingdom of Christ And thus he prophesieth in the 32. The pallace shal be forsaken c. vntill the spirit be powred vpon vs from aboue and the wildernesse become a fruitfull field and the plenteous field bee counted as a forest And iudgement shall dwel in the desert iustice shal remaine in the fruitful fields And the worke of iustice shall be peace euen the worke of iustice and quietnes and assuraunce for euer And my people shall dwell in the tabernacle of peace and in sure dwellings and in safe resting places Esay had tolde the Iewes that both their city and kingdome should bee destroyed as it came to passe afterwarde by the Chaldes And so it ought to bee before the commyng of Messias who should ende all calamities and before the holy spirit of Christ should be poured vpon thē from heauen which was fulfilled in Ierusalem on Whitsonday whē Christ sent his spirit visibly vnto his Apostles Then at the last was the true Ierusalem builded by the Apostles on Christ the head corner stone Then the desert that is the remnant of the Iewes and Gentiles shall be as a field well tilled and they shall bring forth aboundance of fruite in the fayth of Christ And the fielde which before flourished to wit the Sinagoge shall be made a forrest and wildernes Then shall true righteousnes dwell in this kingdome of Christ to wit fayth in Christ which bringeth forth most pleasaunt and delectable fruites namely peace euen true peace in the lord peace of conscience with true and euerlasting security He calleth the church of Christ also the habitation of peace the tabernacle of trust or most sure habitation because we can fynde peace and safety from the tiranny of the wicked spirite from sinne and from death in no other place but onely in the churche of Christ For he which kepeth and defendeth the church is the Lord of hostes himselfe which hath ouercome Sathan and established Sion that is the churche on a strong and sure foundation and in all places strongly defendeth it from all euils that hang ouer it He onely deserued and made our reconciliation The church is his heauenly body the church is his temple the church is his kyngdome wherein he dwelleth And therefore there can bee no true peace at all any where but onely in the church in which we haue true peace with GOD thorough our mediator and reconciler Iesus Christ Without this dwelling place of God is very whote indignation wrath and wretchednesse For in hym which beleeueth not in Christ dwelleth the wrath of God therefore he must needes perish But the true peace and securitie which we haue here but in fayth by the holy ghost the earnest peny of our inheritaunce shall then in deede at the last in the lyfe to come haue his beginnyng when our last enemy death shal be vtterly abolished There is also in the 35. of Esay a comfortable prophesie of Christ and of the kingdome of hys church of the doctrine of his Gospell of the miracles and signes of Christ and of our true deliuerance through Christ and of the eternall ioy of faythfull Christians The wordes are these The deserte and the wildernesse shall reioyce and the waste grounde shall bee glad and flourish as the rose it shall flourish aboundantly and shall greatly reioyce also and ioy The glory of Libanus shall be geuen vnto it the beauty of
Carmel and of Sharon They shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our god Strengthen the weake handes and comfort the feeble knees Say vnto them that are fearefull bee you strong feare not Beholde your GOD commeth with vengeaunce euen God with a recompence hee will come and saue you Then shall the eyes of the blynde bee lightened and the eares of the deafe be opened Then shall the lame man leape as an harte and the dumbe mans tonge shall sing For in the wildernesse shall waters breake out and riuers in the desert And the dry ground shall be as a poole and the thirsty as springes of water in the habitation of dragons where they lye shall bee a place for reedes and rushes And there shall be a path and a way and the way shall be called holy The polluted shall not passe by it for he shall be with them and walke in the way the foules shall not erre There shal be no Lion nor doysome beastes shall ascende by it neyther shall they bee founde there that the redeemed may walke Therefore the redeemed of the Lorde shall returne and come to Sion with praise and euerlasting ioye shall be vpon their heades They shall obtayne ioye and gladnesse and sorow and mourning shall flie away Both the Iewes and christians vnderstande this chapter of the tyme of Messias when the new Testament through the whole world is preached The prophet vseth figuratiue speaches vnder which are hidden many mysteries Libanus Carmell and Sharon are places in the lande of Canaan and by them the inhabitance of the land are to be vnderstood And this flourishing reioicing is a spiritual reioicing is wroght in mens hartes when they heare the gospell of Iesus Christ And this is the meaning of the prophet Though the rebellious and disobedient Sinagog with the princes of Iuda and the greatest part of the Iewes together with their kingdome be abolished and destroyed yet shall some remayne and continue still the people of the lord shall florish and be encreased This was fulfilled in the land of Iuda euen in the Iewes in Christes tyme when he liued here on this earth For Christ and his disciples went and coasted thorough ouer all that country Christ was in the desert and the Gospell was preached in the cities streetes villages fieldes waters and mountains with great and strange wonders And although these things were done in the skorsaunt and fruitful in as much as welsprings of Gods grace streamed and flowed therin with great aboundance and in as much as the holy ghost by the gospell caused notable and pleasaunt fruit to grow where before had bene through the slender knowledge of God great drought thirst and barennes But be not these I pray you to wit faith in Christ knowledge of our sinnes and graces of God remission of sinnes with a pacified and quiet conscience in the lord and good workes comming of true charity and vnfayned fayth excellent faire fruites and beautifull and fragrant flowers But this grace did not remaine and abide the remnaunt of the Sinagoge alone but was by the Iewes to wit the apostles conueied also vnto the dry great and wild wildernes of the Gentiles which also became very fresh and fruiteful by the welspring of the Gospel And thus those notable and inestimable giftes of God to wit that we haue the wordes of God the law and the prophets and the Euangelistes with the true exposition and vnderstanding of them which before tyme was onely in the Iewish Synagoge be nowe giuen to the churche which consisteth of the remnant of the Iewes and Gentiles And the vnbeleuyng Iewes haue not nowe one of them Is it not I pray you a great and singular grace glory and gyfte to see the lord to wit to know Iesus Christ the knowlege and vnderstanding of whom doth in dede iustify deliuer vs from our sinnes from death and frō all those things of which Sathan did accuse vs. ¶ Anna. What preaching and ioyful gospel is that by which such great things are wrought ☞ Vrb. The preachers teachers of Christ shal with sound and plentifull comfort direct and strengthen all humble and broken hartes which do acknowledge confesse their sinnes and desire the grace of Christ For God hath ordeyned and promised them helpe aid and comfort in Christ that they may be safe and out of all the dangers of death and Sathan ¶ Anna. What comfort and helpe is that ☞ Vrb. Verily a most sure and strong comfort and helpe euen God himselfe present in his owne person to deliuer vs For he sayth hu iabo he himselfe will come Where then shal there be any place left for sinne death and Satan seyng that the Lord himselfe will come to to deliuer vs from them They must of force flye and vanish away at the presence and sight of our God euē as smoke This prophesie was fulfilled in Nazareth and Bethelem when the true and naturall sonne of God the euerlasting word of the father in his owne person toke on him mans nature in the vnity of his eternall person in the wombe of the virgin Mary for our sakes and became man that in that his eternall innocent inculpable and most righteous person he myght deliuer mankind from misery and restore him that was fallen and gone astray to his old honor Which thing he performed in deede both by his passion and resurrection Cleophas and his companion waighed not this prophesie of Messias diligently inough neyther did they thoroughly vnderstand it For if they had they would haue lept for ioy and said Let our Scribes and Pharises disdaine fret sinne and rage And what thē Our Messias will well inough ouercome their cruelty and tiranny though it be neuer so bloudy Neither can they for all their cruell rage vtterly take hym from vs And where as he died once it was his pleasure for he willingly suffered death for vs For if he had not offered himselfe freely vnto the handes and crueltie of the Iewes they could neuer haue touched hym or hurt him a haire But he tarieth not in death because he is God who promised also vnto vs miserable sinners power helpe comfort consolation and euerlastyng ioye And whatsoeuer he hath promised he both can and will performe And in that he is God he rose by his owne power from the dead and tooke all power from death First in his own person then also in ours which beleue in hym And we verily haue seene such and so many wonderfull miracles of his that they doe plainly inough testifie vnto vs that he is the true Messias For he gaue sight to the blynd he made the deafe heare he healed the weake and lame and made the dumbe speake Wherupon the prophet sayth Then shall the eyes of the blynde be lightened By this worde then you must vnderstand that most acceptable and ioyfull tyme of grace of the newe Testament that tyme of
Christ when the welsprings of liuyng water shall flowe from place to place in the desert where God before was not knowen nor heard of because that out of one church or congregation of the godly the gospell shall flowe and spread abroade into other places that there they may learne to know Christ And where the serpentes before spewed out theyr poyson of false doctrine superstition and idolatry thither shall the sounde doctrine of the truth now bee brought and there shall it bring forth most plentifull fruites ¶ Anna. What way and holy pathe is that which is here spoken of in this prophesie by which he sayth no sinner goeth ☞ Vrbanus Hee speaketh in this prophesie of the Gospell of Christ and of hys Church The holy way therefore whereof he speaketh here is fayth in Iesus Christ true God and perfect man borne here of the seede of Abraham and Dauid In this way walked Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid Mary and the Apostles neyther is there any other way but this vnto the liuyng God as Christ sayth I am the way and the truth and the lyfe no man commeth vnto the father but by me There is no other true faith but the christian and catholike fayth All other sectes though they seeme neuer so holy are nothing els but errours and Satanicall superstitions No man was euer saued vnlesse he beleued in Christ And therfore this Christian fayth is called the true right onely and holy way vnto euerlasting saluation He that walketh this way whosoeuer he be though he be a very foole in worldly matters yea a most simple ideot or vilest sinner hee can not but must needes be pertaker of euerlasting lyfe But whosoeuer goeth any other way although he seeme to the worlde learned holy wyse and of great experience yet he wandereth all wyde and goeth astray nay he hasteth hedlong vnto hell Furthermore this way onely is most sure and safe In this way Lions and wylde beastes can not hurt vs For neither tirantes nor false teachers can hurt them whosoeuer they be that abide in this way and goe not out thereof For though they take from them both their goodes and lyues yet shall they haue no losse but gayne thereby For all thinges happen vnto their health so long as they are kept of Christ who hath such care ouer them and so preserueth them that he suffereth not the least haire of theyr heade to perishe ¶ Anna. But who are these redemed of the Lord ☞ Vrban Euen both Iewes and Gentils which beleue in Iesus Christ namely all true Christians These were once seduced by Sathan and brought into the horrible captiuity of sinne and death and therin had remayned for euer if the lord had not himself come and by his precious bloud deliuered thē But the Lord himselfe came and vanquished and spoiled Satan And so these redemed turned to Sion that is into the holy catholike church by faith and the sacraments and they come with prayse ioy and exultation For the more vile and horrible the captiuity was so much greater is the ioy of the prisoners which are redeemed But this was a most vile and horrible continuall captiuity wherin we should haue bene for euer most miserably tormēted both in body and soule with al kind of calamities tortors I say which are such that they passe all our sences and capacity And therfore this our ioy in the Lord in Sion is and that by right infinit incomprehensble and more then hart can conceiue The world also hath his ioy but the ioy therof is momentany and very short for it hath his ende and continueth not But the ioy of the faythfull christians is eternall It beginneth here in fayth but afterward whē our last enemy death shal be swalowed vp and Satan with the wicked and deceitfull world cast downe into the pit of hell there to bee tormented for euer then at the last it shall burst forth and shew it selfe And all they that beleued in Christ to wit his whole kingdom shal frō that tyme forth be no more afflicted with enemies Then shall the true and euerlasting ioy of the faithfull christians begin heauines sorow and griefe shal then haue an ende For that kingdom when the glory therof shall be made manifest shall then at the last haue no more sinne nor feele death sickenes persecution calamity troubles or aduersitie for all causes of sorrows and sadnes are then through Christ taken away As Christ witnesseth in Iohn I wil see you againe and your hartes shall reioyce and your ioy shall no man take from you And in the Apocalips the voyce saith That GOD shall wipe away all teares from their eyes and there shal be no more death neither sorow neither crying neither shal there be any more payne ¶ Anna. Seyng that we through our Messias should haue such full and perfect redemption from all our sinnes death and damnation and enioy euerlasting lyfe felicity out of doubt he neither could nor should remayne in death And would to God we could beleue this and alwayes reioyce in the Lord. Vrban Truely so we should in deede alwayes beleue and reioyce But that euill spirit through his wicked temptations oftentymes doth so with thick clouds darcken this cleare sonne of ioy and fayth in vs that sometymes we cannot see it Yea he maketh vs sometymes so heauy that we either altogether forget this great and iuestimable promise of euerlasting life or els waigh it not so diligently nor print it so deeply in our harts as we ought But let vs alwayes keep in our hands the sword of the spirite that is the gospell and therewithall defend our selues from the fiery dartes of our enemies We must stir vp and exercise our faith by diligent vsing reading hearing and handling the scripture least we sleep in carnal security Yea we must say euery foot with the holy prophet Dauid Behold heare me O Lord my God lighten mine eyes that I sleepe not in death lest mine enemy say I haue preuayled against him and they that afflict me reioyce when I slide Esay prophesyeth again of Christ O Syon that bringest good tidings get thee vp into the high mountaynes O Ierusalem that bringest good tidings lift vp thy voice with strength lift it vp be not afrayd say to the Cities of Iuda Behold your God behold the Lord God will come with power and his arme shall rule for him Behold his wages is with him and his worke before him Here Syon and Ierusalem are warned that they preach the comming grace power of God in Christ As if he should say to other cities in Iuda ye haue looked long for Messias which was promysed in the law and prophets now looke vp now lift vp your eares and harts behold here is your God Messias the most mighty Lord who hath shewed his power in that he hath redeemed you from those mighty and cruell
way my paths shal be exalted Behold these shall come from far And loe these from the North and from the West And these from the Lord of Sinim Reioyce O Heauens and be ioyfull O Earth burst forth vnto prayse O Mountaynes for God hath comforted his people and will haue mercy vpon his afflicted But Sion saith the Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me Can a woman forget her child and not haue compassiō on the sonne of her wombe Though they should forget yet wil I not forget thee Behold I haue grauen thee vpon the palmes of my hands Thy walles are euer in my sight thy builders make hast thy destroyers and they that made thee wast are departed from thee Lift vp thine eyes round about and behold all these gather them selues together and come to thee As I liue saith the Lord thou shalt surely put them all vpon thee as a garment and gird thy selfe with them like a bride For thy desolation and thy wast places and thy land destroyed shall surely be more narrow for them that shall dwell in it And they that did deuour thee shall be far away The children of thy Barons shall say againe in thine eares The place is straite for me geue place to me that I may dwell Then shalt thou say in thine hart who hath begotten me these seeing I am barrain and desolate a captiue and a wanderer to and fro and who hath nourished them Behold I was left alone Whence are these Thus saith the Lord god Behold I will lift vp my hands to the Gentils and set vp my standard to the people and they shall bring thy sonnes in their armes and thy daughters shall be caryed vpon their shoulders And kings shall be thy nursing fathers and Queenes shall be thy nurses They shall worship thee with their faces towards the earth and lick vp the dust of thy feet And thou shalt know that I am the Lord for they shall not be ashamed that wayt for me Shall the pray be taken from the mighty Or the iust captiuity deliuered But thus saith the lord Euen the captiuity of the mighty shall be taken away and the pray of the tirant shall be delyuered For I will contend with him that contendeth with thee and I will saue thy children and will feed them that spoyl thee with their own flesh and they shal be dronken with their own bloud as with sweet wine And all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Sauiour Redeemer the mighty one of Iacob This prophecy comforteth true Israell to wit the church the spiritual kingdome of Christ congregated of the Iewes and Gentils and it teacheth vs what is the state of Christes kingdome in this world to wit that nothing in this world is more contemptible and vile then the true Israelites or the right beleeuers in Christ Iesus For the king him self in this earth shewed all humility and submission and was so far frō al pride cruelty ostentation and worldly pompe that the world vtterly despised and contemned him euen as if all that euer he had done had been nothing For when he had continued almost 34. yeares in very humble and low state euen as a pilgrim or stranger here on earth at last they put him to a most shamefull and ignominious death And those as S. Paul witnesseth that beleue in Christ must be like vnto their head Christ that is in this world they must be contemned persecuted afflicted and subiect to all calamities Tertullian in his Apologie against the Gentiles saith that in his time Christians of all other were counted vnprofitable persons and men good for nothing And Ciprian against Demetrian sayth that in his dayes what euil so euer happened in the earth either dearth of victuall or other euil or misfortune it was alway imputed to the Christians And Paul to the Rom. saith out of the 44. psalme that Christians in this world are accounted as sheepe for the slaughter For who so euer they be that be enemies to Christ the same also goe about to kill or destroy those that truely beleeue in Christ and they that kill them thinke they doe God seruice Wherefore it is specially to be required that the godly here arme them selues and strengthen their harts with true consolations against all assaults least they be discouraged and faint vnder the cros ¶ Anna. What comfort then doth the holy Ghost geue them in these great calamities ☞ Vrb. First he calleth the remnant of his people that is the faithfull Christians poore and contemptible soules which the world abhorreth and which are constrained to be sheep ordained for the tirants slaughter But on the other side he promiseth that there shal be in those enemies great change to wit that they shal be so clean altered and haue their disposition maners and nature so changed and become such that they will imbrace and honour the godly for Gods sake whom they shall by the preaching of the gospell know and professe And this was fulfilled when the Romaine Emperors who before time had bitterly vexed and persecuted the kingdom of Christ continually destroying his faithful christians at last were content in their own persons to professe the name of Christ and did highly honour the christians and decrely and hartely imbrace and reuerence them as the only beloued people of god Of this sort was Constantine the great Theodosius and Charles the great and many other Emperors wherby they which beleeue in Christ haue euen in this world much pleasure and ioy But the true comfort conteyned in the words following shall at last appeare The prophet saith I haue heard them in an acceptable time c. This acceptable time or time of mercy is that time of grace of the new testament in which the Lord the most plentiful welspring of mercy opened the treasure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most precious gifts of his grace and commaunded the euerlasting couenant of his mercy to be published abroad preached throughout al the world as Paul expoundeth this prophecy to the Cor. For the Lord sent Christ and Christ performed al things which made for mans deliuerance for with his sacrifice he pacified God for sinne blotted out sinne and swallowed vp death and fulfilled the law and conquered Sathan All which great benefits and rich treasures together with his royal victory and life God cōmaunded shold be offered and geuen to the world by his gospell Indeed this day of the Lord is a most acceptable ioyfull and comfortable day This is the day of perfect health help The Lord also hath geuen his seruants to wit the true beleeuers in Christ for a league of his people euen as Christ is a league betwixt God and man For the word of God and the holy sacraments by which the church doth bring other also into the league of grace that they likewise may be partakers of Gods promises are found and remain in
the blinded Iewes and foolish Cheliasts the prophet saith in the words following that this corporall and visible sun shal not make the gates and walles of this Citie visibly to be seen with bodely eyes in the brightnes and light of the sonne There must be a much cleerer light for the beholding of this Citie God himselfe shal shine in this citie as the visible sun and shall lighten our harts with the gospel And by this light may we see all those great things and excellent benefits which God hath promysed to his church Hereby also know we that the catholick church and the kingdome of Christ is not a visible kingdome For these worldly kingdomes dominions or politik powers may be beholden in all their regal pomp with corporall eyes But the church and the beuty thereof cannot be seene but with spirituall eyes for an other kind of sun must shine in it then doth in this world But now mark what excellent and comfortable promyses we haue in Christ The sun of Christes kingdome shal not goe down This visible sun on the day time hauing runne his course doth euery day goe down and bydes himself til the next morning But our sun and our moone tary with vs for euer For Christ the sun of righteousnes ryseth and shineth to vs by his gospel and shall neuer goe down from his elected For though neuer so great a cloud of temtation darken this sun yet shall it not vtterly goe from vs but at the last day of redemption it shal apeare and shine vnto vs most cleere where neither cloud of affliction ignorance or incredulity can couer hinder or blemish his brightnes Then at the last shall be seen the fulfulling of the great promises of the peace helth and ioy of the church Whē Christ our euerlasting light shal be made many fest then shall we see him face to face then shall our afflictions end and then shall the day of eternall glory appeare to the children of God. Note also here that in the church or kingdome of Christ there shall be none but iust men Here in the world godly vngodly dwel and are mixt together but in the true church the congregation of Christians in the spirit is such that there is not one vngodly person For in the last day the vngodly faithles shall be euen corporally seperated for euer from the godly The fantasticall and mad rable of Anabaptists suppose that they can gather together all the godly into some one erthly city and that they should so corporally fulfil this promise But their conate shall be frustrate they shall labour in vaine it cannot be so in this earth while this life lasteth At the last day the Tares shall be seperated from the Wheate But here in this church the vngodly as theeues and robbers in a kingdome which abuse all Creatures and with violence and iniurye possesse and cease all things into their hands are mixed with the godly vntil the last day But the godly shall raign with Christ in heauen and earth God shall excellently and brauely burnish the earth and visible creature and shall geue it a new shape and marueilously beutefy it that the childrē of God may inioy it And thus shall the godly inherite and posses a new heauen and a new earth in which righteousnes shal dwell as Peter saith But how shall they come to so great a glory And why shal they haue it Euen therfore shal they haue it as Esay sayth because they are the bud or bowes or young plant which the lord himself hath planted with his own hand because he hath renued in vs the Image of God by his word and his spirite and hath made vs new men and a new creature in Christ In the end of this chap. Esay promyseth it shall come to passe that though the church be small and rare yet shall it so increase that an innumerable and infinite number of people shall receaue the faith of Christ And least when we see the true godly persecuted and slayn on heapes and the world swarme with a great multitude of vngodly and worldlings and the church in comparyson of the world but litle and straight wee should something doubt how this should come to pas In his conclusion he saith that it is not mannes deed thus gloryously to exalt the kingdome of Christ but God himself shal doe it in his due time For to see the gospel taught men beleue such hidden misteries beleeuers of Gods promyses to relinquish and contemne this world and valyantly by death to confes Christ passeth al mannes reson wisdome and worldly power These must nedes be the works of the mighty God which by his power and spirit doth work them preserue them and increase them in vs. Agayn you may gather out of this prophecy that the kingdome of Christ is spirituall and eternall and that it behoued him to rise again from death if he shold be the sonne and euerlasting light of the godly that we also shal rise again that we may in the life to come receue and for euer enioy al these great promises made in the prophets Whosoeuer beleeueth this sorroweth not as did Cleophas his cōpanion For he knoweth that Christ shal come to delyuer Israel and aduaunce it to glory But this glory is not seen in this frail life it is here but in hope but after this life we shall see and haue it in eternall and perfect possession Now shall you heare what Esay prophesyeth of the church of vs christians and of Christ the Sauyour of the church how that he shall come in Syon and iustify the gentils How euen the very gentils shall receiue Messias how he shal geue this church faithful bishops and pastors and how he shall gloriously beutefy it and diligently cōserue it as his only beloued spouse Wherby all men may plainly see that though the church be here crossed to the end it may be made like her Lord king yet is she not forsaken of God. And thus he sayth in the 62. chapiter For Sions sake I will not hold my tongue and for Hierusalems sake I will not rest vntill the righteousnes thereof breake forth as the light and the saluation therof as a burning lampe And the gentiles shall see thy righteousnes and all kinges thy glory and thou shalt be cald by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name Thou shalt also be a croun of glory in the hand of the Lord and a roiall diadē in the hand of thy god It shall no more be sayd vnto thee forsaken neither shall it be sayd any more to thy land desolat But thou shalt be called Hephzibah That is to say my delight in her and thy land Beulah That is to say inhabited For the Lord delighteth in thee and thy land shall haue a husband For as a young man marieth a virgine so shall thy sons mary thee and as a bridgrome is
glad of the bride so shall thy God reioyce ouer thee Here the prophet sayth a great part of men regard neither God nor Christ and yet shall the elect seeke for the spirituall and true Sion and waight for Christ their onely Sauiour But seing the Church lyeth open to Sathans persecutions and of him is afflicted and wasted it hath great neede to be comforted Therefore he sayth I will not keepe silence but I will teach Christ cōtinually vntill he come For Christ as Paule witnesseth is the onely righteousnes of Sion or of the spirituall Hierusalem And he is the onely saluation of the Church as the Euangelists and Apostls teach in euery place Esay therfore teacheth of none but Christ Iesus whome God sent vs to be our Sauiour that both Iewes and Gentiles might enioy and be partakers of this his benefite as it hath ben fulfilled in all places euer since thapostles tyme And this new name here spokē of is nothing els but that Gos people is now called the Church of the sonne of God and the true and heauenly Hierusalem which is the mother of all the elected saintes And heare behold how precious and deare a darling the Church is to God our good and faithfull father For the prophet calleth it a crowne of glory the worlde counted the godly as vngodly as fooles as doultes as outcasts and as of scouringes of all thinges euery man did scoffe mocke scorne and iniury thē at their pleasure But the Church hath here an other manner of name for it is called a beloued precious glorious crowne my delight is in her and a people that hath a god that will not forget them These be most cōfortable promises when we be vnder the crosse But they must be stedfastly beleued or els they little auailed For it is most certaine although in this world we be contemned and afflicted that God yet loueth vs so derely and wel that al the creatures of the world are compelled to serue helpe vs euen then when the world supposeth they must torment vs Yea the Angels in heauen care for cherish and defend vs and God himselfe beareth vs in his armes as doth the louing Father his onely beloued childe But now consider this great worke of the loue of God I meane the passion of Christ and that God became man for vs All these thinges he did for the Church to the end that hauing deliuered them by this meanes from all euills he might bring them to health lyfe euerlasting How could he declare and shew a more fatherly loue and good will to his Church thē he hath done in deliuering his onely begotten sonne vp vnto death for it that he might deliuer it when as yet it was his enemy Though this infirmitie sore temptation and cros of ours in this world appeare outwardly horrible and detestable yet in deede thy are nothing els but a Fatherly rod wherewith he correcteth amendeth and reformeth his derely beloued children As for the glory which in the day of redemption shall be reuealed vnto vs I wil now say nothing of it but thē it shal appeare how dearely God loueth his church And then shall it be seene that this temporall trouble which we Christians haue heare is a certaine signe of Gods great good will and true fatherly loue towardes vs Esay his wordes seeme to sound as though he spak of that earthly Ierusalem in the land of Canaā And the prophet beholding the Church with spirituall eyes is cōpelled to speake as if he spake of these earthly thinges because they were figures of the true and heauēly Ierusalem and land of righteousnes As Peter and Paul doe sufficiently witnesse prescribing vs a sure rule how to vnderstād the prophets aright when they speake of Christ and his kingdome the church Note also that Esay calleth the church such a crowne as is in the hand of the Lord or which is caried in the Lordes hand Whiche is as much to say as the Church is a spirituall kingdome which God himselfe doth gouerne and rule It is also a crowne of glory or a glorious crowne in the hand of the Lord because it doth not appeare glorious in the eyes of the world And wheras the prophet taketh his similitude of a mariage and of fayth geuen betwene man wife that is very comfortable For hereby we learne how dearely tenderly and inwardly God loueth vs what infinite treasures we shall receaue of him For we know that the bridgrome makes his bride partaker of all he hath It followeth I haue set watch men vpon thy walles O Ierusalem which all the day and all the night continually shall not cease Ye that are mindful of the Lord keep ye silēce geue him no rest till he repare and set vp Hierusalem the prayse of the world The watchmen are the faythfull preachers of Gods word which watch and take paines in the Church in prayer doctrine least Sathan that deadly enemy by his false prophets should deceaue ouercome thē And these prechers alwayes preach true repentaunce and the grace of God in Christ and they diligently by their exhortations and sermons teach vs the knowledge of god and our selues and to geue God thankes for all his vnspeakeable benefits It followeth The Lord hath sworne by his right hand and by his strong arme surely I will no more geue thy corne to be meate to thine enemies and surely the sonnes of the strangers shall not drinke thy wine for the which thou hast labored But they that haue gathered it shall eate it and prayse the Lord and the gatherers therof shal drinke it in the courtes of my sanctuary This is spoken and ment of the spirituall corne and wine And this is the meaning therof It cannot be but the worde which these preachers teach should take place after it shall follow and rise the fruite of fayth which appeareth not at all in the vngodly These courtes that he speaketh of is the congregatiō or Church of Christiās or the godly amongest whome the gospell is purely taught where mens consciences were pacified quieted mery and pleasaunt in the Lord when the inward man feeleth peace tranquilitie quietnes securitye felicity perfect pleasure in the worde of god None of the vngodly either feele or haue taste of this pleasure And least we should any thing doubt of this promise he bindeth it with an oth that we shall haue those things which he promiseth It foloweth in the text Go through go through the gates prepare you the way for the people Cast vp cast vp the way and gather out the stones and set vp a standerd for the people Behold the Lord hath proclaimed vnto the endes of the world Tell the daughter Sion Behold thy Sauiour commeth Behold his wagis is with him and his worke is before him and they shall call them the holy people the redeemer of the Lord And thou shalt
haue troaden down the hugest and most deadly enemies of man I haue ouercome them and destroyed them and I haue vanquyshed Sathan with all his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his false deceate malice and trouble which he hath brought into the world for the destroying of man And whereas the vnbeleeuing sinagogue reiected me and could not abide to acknowledge me for their Lord I haue ouercome Sathan which blinded the Iewes And I am placed in heauen Lord of all creatures in heauen and in earth to take iust vēgeance vpon those that wil not beleue And now haue I won vnto me the Gentils to be mine own peculiar people This haue I done onely by mine own strength and power as Paul witnesseth to the Colossyans And in mine anger haue I duely punished mine enemies because I haue with zeale taken vpon me and fulfilled the ministery which my father hath committed vnto me and haue so confounded the Iewes that they haue lost all the dignitie priuiledge and prerogatiue that before they had This day of reuenge and deliuerance is the time when Christ suffered the Iewes to be blinded and dispersed and receued the gentils to fauor in their place by the doctrine of the gospel whereby he brake the head of the old serpent and bestowed the victory that he had gotten vpon the gentils and tooke away from the sinagogue all the knowledge and vnderstanding of the scriptures Now he holdeth on to speake of his passion and agony which he suffered for our sakes saying I looked about me to wit in the time of his passion and weakenes and there was none to help me there was not one that either would or could help me I had none on my side no man helped me yet I helped my self No mans strength could doe me good but mine own I held me by mine own arme In mine own zeale did I preserue deliuer and rayse vp my selfe now I am king and now doe I punish them that despysed me and I take from them their strength ability and els whatsoeuer I had geuen them as the scriptures and euery other excellent and great gift wherein they excelled other nations This prophecy is now manifestly fulfilled in our sight Behold the Iewes in these our dayes how ignorant they are of the scriptures and how far from the vndrstanding of the law and promises in Christ They vnderstand the law carnally and they presume but in vayn that they are able without the help of Christ to fulfill the law not knowing like blind men as they be that they cannot doe it without the helpe of Christes spirite They see not that the promises of Christ speake of the spirituall kingdome and that the Law is but a scholemaster vnto Christ in whom we are only blessed iustifyed and the law fulfilled Thus these two discyples Cleophas and his companion should in this case haue thought with them selues It pleased Messias once willingly to dy and to suffer the sinagogue to kil him for so is Gods ordynance and Christs wil and the prophets fortold it and Christ also to his discyples long before his death how he determyned to delyuer his children from death by this kind of death and he also told them that he would rise agayn the third day from death But now let vs see what shall become of the pharysees and proud prelates and let vs see how this their detestable deed shall in them be punished Their ioy shall not continue long no not three dayes For after three dayes Christ shall rise agayn to life and shake of death and in his fury tread down ouerthrow and destroy these bloudsuccors and spoyl them of their victory which they thought but falsly they had gotten of him And when they count themselues sure and thinke themselues conquerors then without any hope of recouery shall they vtterly lose all they haue both law prophets lands city temple and they shall be punished with continall calamity horible destruction and vtter subuertion of all their Iudaisme and so pay for the bloudy coate of Christ The pharisees and Christs killers haue good cause to sorrow seeing they haue brought vpon their own heads such horrible punishment and greeuous wrath and yet haue done Christ no harme But we in so much as he is risen again may wel reioyce be glad sing and comfort our selues in his resurrection For Christ hath by his death destroyed death and redeemed Israel But the natural man doth not vnderstand these supernaturall things The spirite of Christ must in these matters be our Master and Instructor Esay also in his 65. chapter prophesyeth of the receiuing of the Gentils and of the backslyding and refusing of the Iewes The same prophecy doth S. Paule recyte in the tenth to the Rom. And thus doth Christ speak in that prophecy I haue bin sought of them which asked not I was foūd of them which sought me not I said Behold me behold me vnto a nation that calleth not vpon my name I haue spread out my hands all the day vnto a rebellious people which walked in away that was not good euen after their own imaginations But least any should thinke now when he had thretened vnto the Iewes their destruction and punishment which should come vpon them that Christ had vtterly cast them of so that not one of them should euer obtain mercy He promysed that he would be gracious vnto some of that huge multitude which he wold take agayn to mercy for thus he sayth As the wine is found in the cluster and one saith destroy it not for a blessing is in it so wil I doe for my seruants sake that I may not destroy them wholl But I will bring a seed out of Iacob and a roote of Iuda that shall inherit my mountayn and mine elect shal inherit it and my seruants shal dwel there This was fulfilled in the Apostles and in them of the Iewes which beleeued the Apostles These are the kirnell of Iuda the elected seed and the childrē of promise which the father drew that they might come to Christ these be they that posses the mountaynes to wit the spirituall Syon of the church ¶ Anna. Cleophas his companyon might in this prophecy also haue seen that at Christes comming the Iewes religion should come to an end and the gentils should beleeue and that the Iewes through their incredulity should perish and fall away from their Messyas though yet some of them should be saued and delyuered Vndoubtedly this is the spirituall delyuerance of Israell And here must we marke that not all Israell according to the flesh should imbrace Christ and that this promysed deliuerance of Israell by messyas which the prophet spake of should not so come to pas that all the twelue trybes of Israell should be deliuered bodely from the violence iniuryes of the gentils and so haue vnder Messyas in the land of Canaan an earthly kingdome in which according to the
and drinke but righteousnes and peace and ioy in the holy ghost The words of this prophesy be these heare the worde of the Lord ye gentiles and declare in the Iles a farre of and say he that scattereth Israell will gather him and will keepe him as a sheppard doth his flocke for the Lord hath redemed Iacob raūsomed him frō the hād of him that was strōger thē he Therfore they shal come reioyce in the light of Sion and shall run to the bountifulnes of the Lord euen for the wheate and for the wine and for the oyle and for the increase of sheepe and Bullocks and her soules shall be as a watered garden and they shall haue no more sorrow The Iewes vnderstand not this but suppose that it shall be carnally fulfilled But I haue oftē sayd that the prophets vse to speak figuratiuely of Christes kingdome and of the great vnspeakeable goodnes therof to wit of the word of god and the holy ghost with all his giftes fayth forgeuenes of sinns peace of conscience ioye in the spirite vnderstanding of the scriptures and comfort and hope out of Gods holy promises of all which both Iews and Gentills that beleue shall be partakers And these are the giftes of god by which he adorneth and maketh his kingdome that is the faythfull Christians fruitfull euen as a firtill garden or a greene orchard In this chapiter Ieremye doth comfort the weake in Israell that they should not dowt of the promised Messias but stedfastly beleue the lyke as he had promised a spiritual drliuerance to wit forgeuenes of sins for Messias hys sake so it should come to pas that he should take some peece of Israel for his people and that so the kingdom of Christ should continue and abyde for euer And the new testament tels vs that there is an euerlasting couenant of Gods grace cōfirmed vnto al fayth ful Christiās saying that our sines are pardoned for christes sake the god will be our mercifull father for euer He promiseth also that he will send the holy ghost into our hart to lighten vs with the knowledge of God and to purify our hartes by fayth in Christ that so we may haue the law of God not onely written in papers but euen engrauen in our hartes The law requireth fayth and feare of God with hope and loue towardes God and our neighbors but the hart of man is wicked euen from his youth vp and sustayned with originall sinn that he hath no vnderstanding no ioy no desire no good will to walke in the law of god But the spirite of Messias the finger of God will take away clens all these thinges will write that within our hartes with liuely letters which the law requireth to wit fayth in Christ by which we haue forgeuenes of our snnes and loue which is the fulfilling of the law Then shall all thinges happen well and we shall be in happy and blessed state For there be none in the kingdome of Christ but men instructed blessed by the holy ghost which both know them selues and God and are bent and redy to serue God from a cleane and a pure hart of a good conscience and an vnfayned fayth although they be very weake and compassed about with sin and often times stumble and therefore with all the Saintes they make their prayer saying O Lord forgeue vs our trspasses these are the wordes of the prophet Behold the day is come sayth the Lorde that I will make a new couenaunt with the house of Israell and with the house of Iuda not according to the couenāt which I made with their fathers when I tooke them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egipt the which my couenant they brak although I was a husband vnto them sayth the Lord but this shall be the couenaunt that I will make with the house of Israell After those dayes sayth the Lord I will put my law into their inward parts and write it in their hartes and I will be their God and they shall be my people And they shall teach no more euery man his neighbour and euery man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them vnto the greatest of them sayth the Lord for I will forgeue their iniquity and will remember there sinnes no more Thus sayth the Lord which geueth the sun for a light to the day and the courses of the moone and of the starres for a light to the night which breaketh the sea when the waues thereof rore his name is the Lord of hostes If these ordinaunces depart out of my sight sayth the Lord then shall the seede of Israell cease from being a nation before me for euer Thus sayth the Lord Yf the heauēs can be measured or the foundations of the earth be searched out beneth thē will I cast of all the seede of Israell for all that they haue done sayth the Lord. The apostle expoundeth this prophesye vnto vs in the Hebrue telling vs that it was fulfilled at the former comming of Christ into this world when Christ the mediator of the new testamēt executed his priestly office offering vp sacrifice for vs and was placed at the right hand of the trone of maiestye in heauen being the minister of the holy thinges and of the true tabernacle wrought by God and not by man The ould testament had then continued vnto the time appointed that is vnto Messias who was by the priesthood sacrifices and ceremonies prefigured But when the light or candle cam it was meete that the shaddow should geue place In the ould testament the law was written in tables of stone by it the false double dealing and curse of the people was manifested and reproued but not takē away For it was a killing letter which tould thē what was iust and what was to be done but it could not inwardly change and renew the hart of the ould carnall man to make them gladly and feruenly do those thinges which were of God but it led men to Messias who should circumcise their hartes with his spirite take away their sinnes and write the lawe in their hartes Outward circumcisiō sacrifices the bloud of beasts the leuiticall priesthoode the law of Moyses and other ceremonies had no such strēgth nor force that they could helpe or deliuer sinners And the faythfull Christians before the comming of Christ had experience of this in them selues They saw in deede that their deliueraunce from sin consisted not in ceremonies and that those ceremonies should not alway continue For no sinner had euer by such ceremonies obtayned redemption or helpe but they knew very well that God had promised a new testament and forgeuenes of sinnes by the bloud and sacrifice of Messias and that the spirite of Messias should imprint and fulfill the law in vs so that through our fayth we might both receaue a cleare
because my name is called vpon them sayth the Lord that doth this Behold the daye is come sayth the Lord that the plowman shall touch the mower and the treader of grapes him that soweth seede and the mountaines shall drop sweete wine and all the hills shall melt And I will bring agayne the captiuitie of my people of Israell and they shall build the wast Cities and inhabite thē and they shall plant vineyardes and drinke the wine therof they shall also make gardens and eate the fruites of them And I will plant them vpon their land and they shall no more be pulled vp againe out of their land which I haue geuen them sayth the Lord thy God. Saint Iames alledged this prophecy in the first counsell of the Apostles holden at Ierusalem to establish and proue the Christian libertye and the calling of the Gentiles how they were not to be loden with Moyses law but that to preache the name of Christe and beleue therein both emongest the Iewes and Gentiles is sufficient saluation and that both Iewes and Gentiles as are now saued not by the works of the law but by the grace of our god in Christ and that circumsiciō with other workes of the law are not needfull vnto Iustification This is the Christian libertye which we haue through Messias the true Dauid which in the new testament is openly preached through the whole world this is that time of grace that most acceptable time of which Amos prophesieth This is the day of Saluation Afterward he prophesieth in figures that the kingdome of Christ shall be a blessed kingdome and he vseth such wordes as if he should speak of some corporal or earthly blessing wherin aboundeth wine fruites corne and stately and costly building pleasaunt gardens with all other thinges necessary for a pleasaunt lyfe But you know my generall and common rule of these and such lyke prophesies to wit that they must be vnderstood of Christ and his spirituall kingdome that we set not our will of corporall thinges as do the blinded Iewes For the kingdome of Christ hath an other far greater kinde of riches pleasures meates drinkes and treasures to wit spirituall and eternall in Christ Iesus the spirituall and eternall king of glory But we must speake and thinke of Christes kingdome as Christ himselfe and the Apostles describe it in the Gospel You must therfore vnderstand by these corporall treasures and blessings the spirituall blessings of which Paul speaketh to the Ephesians saying That God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ hath blessed vs with all perpetuall blessings in heauenly things in Christ And he calleth this blessing promysed in Christ the vnsearchable riches of Christ which for the greatnes and excellency therof cannot be searched out But the holy Ghost in the scriptures vseth to speak vnto vs of spiritual things by outward similitudes and thinges which are manyfest vnto our eyes as fathers vse to forme their tonges and talke to the capacitie and vnderstanding of their children For so long as we are in this flesh we are too too blind nothing capable of heauenly things And it may appeare by the circumstances that the prophet prophesyeth not here of earthly thinges for the Lord promyseth that he will turne the captiuitie of his people that is that he will deliuer his people from al their enemies This is that glorious and famous deliueraunce which the people of God that is the faithful christians haue in Christ Iesu He promiseth to preserue them in their land They had before the land of Canaan but God will geue them and their heires a far better land wherin shall be aboundance of all blessings and all felicity This out of doubt is that new land wherin dwelleth righteousnes and that true countrey which the patriarches true godly beleuers in Christ Iesu sought with all diligence to inherite to wit the heauenly Countrey All these things the Lord himself promised who in no wise can deceiue vs It was therfore needfull that Christ should be born of the house of Dauid that he should dye that he should rise agayn and that he shold erect and for euer establish and preserue his blessed kingdom in which is no malediction but true blessednes and plentifull aboundance of all felicitye For all promises are established and perfourmed in Christ and in him they are all yea and Amen ¶ Anna. Abdias is a very short Prophet Doth he prophecy any thing of Christ I think he may well be called Obaydiath which signifyeth the seruaunt of the Lord ☞ Vrb. In the end of his prophecy he speaketh of the kingdome of Christ and of the catholick church vnder the name of Sion and the house of Iacob And he sayth that it should be spred abroad throughout all the world His words be these But vpon mount Sion shall be deliuerance and it shal be holy and the house of Iacob shall posses their possessions And the house of Iacob shal be a fire and the house of Ioseph a flame and the house of Esau a stubble and they shall kindle in them and deuoure them and there shall be no remnant of the house of Esau for the Lord hath spoken it And they shal posses the south fide of the mount of Esau and the playn of the Philistians and they shall posses the fieldes of Ephraim and the fieldes of Samaria And Beniamin shall haue Gilead And the captiuitie of this host of the children of Israell which were among the Cananites shall posses vnto Zarephath and the captiuity of Ierusalē which is in Sepharad shall posses the Cities of the South And they that shall saue shall come vp to mount Sion to iudge the mount of Esau the kingdome shall be the Lords ¶ Anna. This prophecy is somewhat darck What meaneth the house of Iacob the house of Ioseph the house of Esau the plain fields the countrey of Ephraim and of Samaria and the mountain Gilead Zarphad and Seraphad Of what possession doth Abdias here speak meaneth he of these earthly places as that the Iewes should conquere all these countreis and be Lords ouer them what is the true naturall sence and vnderstanding of these words ☞ Vrb. The vnbeleeuing Iewes vnderstand this text and others like it to be meant of earthly thinges in deed and they feed her vaine hope looke for a day but in vain that all those natiōs whose captiues they had been to wit the Assirians Caldeans Persians Macedonians Romanes Sirians Philistians Egiptians and other more should be in subiection vnto thē and that the people of Israell should dwell safely and neuer afterward come in captiuity This exposition is erroneous and false for the lord made no such promise with them as they dreame But he promyseth that it should come to passe that Iuda should be redeemed out of Babylon that they might build vp their citie and Temple again and that Messias the true prince captayne
Esau was by the fiery heate of charitye so consumed in them that as concerning the inward man they were no more Esaits but came vnto the house of Iacob and Ioseph and were made of one fayth and minde with them to wit spirituall Israelites And thus the gospell went forth into the fower quarters of the world that Iuda beleuing might bring many countries people vnto the true faith of Christ which must be vnderstood by the people a fore named whome he ioyneth together therby to declare that the saluation and kingdome of Messias should not onely be in Sion and earthly Ierusalem but in all partes of the whole world from East to the west and from the north to the south For the people before spoken of dwelt in all the 4. quarters of the earth as Christ prophecieth in Luke of the calling of the Gentiles saying They shall come from the East and from the West and frō the North and from the South and shall sit at table in the kingdome of God. ¶ Anna. We may here also gather by this prophecye that Christ the king of Sion could not abide death seeing he was to bring such plēteous so great a reēdption as should be spread through the whole world and that he which should thus be redeemed by him should liue with him for euer in his kingdome ☞ Vrba You say well ¶ Anna. But who are those Moschim which should come out of Sion truly there is but one only Moschia or Sauiour Iesus Christ ☞ Vrba The Apostles are so called for the Gospels sake which they preached which in deed is the word of life and health by which they conuerted many in Sion and won them to Iesus Christ For Paule sayth that he prouoked the Iewes to emulation that he might saue or deliuer some of thē that he might bring them vnto Iesus Christ their only Sauiour These Moschim or redeemers iudge the mount Esau because the holy ghost by their preaching and doctrine doth before the last day reprehend all sin and these 2. shall in the last day sit vpon 12. thrones and iudge the 12. tribes of Israell ¶ Anna. What shall follow when the gospell hath bin preached in all the whole world ☞ Vrba All the kingdomes of the earth together with the earth it selfe shall then fall and all principalities shall haue an end But the Lord of Siō hath raised vp such a helpe and saluation in Sion as should stand fast for euer wheras the world withall hir pompe and royaltie with all hir kingdomes and Monarches shal fall and all earthly pompe shall haue an end But the kingdome of our king Christ Iesus shall stand for euer and he shall be king alone and his kingdome shall haue no end Other kingdomes haue their termes and yeares of contine vance appointed which being expired they fall The kingdome of Assyria and Babilon continued certaine yeares then the Monarchy came to the Medes and Persians whome king Alexander cōquered and subdued the Romaines subdued him and now hold the last Monarchye which shall be holdē in this world And yet this also shall haue an end For it beginneth all ready mightely to decrease and decaye and yet was there not of all these mighty Monarches any one so great that ruled all the world but the kingdome of our king which is the king of glory shall stād for euer and royally rule ouer all which thing Thargum witnesseth in this place For this is the Caldeans text And the kingdome of the Lord shall be declared or exalted ouer the inhabitance of the whole earth So splendēt and glorious shall the house of Iacob be But what needs many wordes The Angel Gabriell sheweth the naturall sence of this prophesye where he brieflly describeth this our king and his kingdome to the blessed virgin Mary saying He shall be great shall be called the son of the most hie and the Lord shall geue vnto him the throne of his Father Dauid and he shall raigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer of his kingdome shall be none end Here you see what Abdias ment in the end of his prophecy to wit that many kinges shall rule in this earth and their kingdome shall passe from man to man and that one shall destroy and kill another But when the true Saluation and redemption shall begin in Sion after the captiuitie of Babilon then shall a perpetual constant kingdome be builded with which no man shal euen meddle That kingdome is the house of Iacob the congregation the true Israelites consisting of Iewes and Gentiles and that house or kingdome shall be and remaine to Messias alone for euer ¶ Anna. What sayth the prophet Ionas of Christ ☞ Vrba First he declareth in his prophecy that the gretnes of Christes kingdome shall be glorious and the both Iewes and gentills shall haue saluation in Christ and that Christ shall be the king and Sauiour of the whole world For the Lord sēdeth Ionas to Niniue a Citie of the Gentills the chiefe Citty of Assiria where he preached vnto them repentance and not circumsition or other Iewish ceremonies Here you may gather that he which confesseth his sinnes and is penitent and flyeth vnto Gods grace promised in Iesus Christ is iustified saued without the workes of the law you se also that god is the God both of the Iewes and Gentiles and that he will make the gentiles Israelits who shall be partakers of all his promises with his people in Christ Iesus Secondly Ionas is a signe of the death and resurrection of Christ For the in first of Ionas you may see how God ordayned a great fishe to swallow vp Ionas and he was 3. dayes and 3. nights in the belly of the fishe in the Sea. This was a signe or signification that Christ should dye and be 3. dayes in the sepulcher and that the 3. day he should rise agayne as this figure is truly expounded by Christ the truth it selfe in Mathew where he sayth This euill and adulterous generation seeketh a signe but no signe shall be geuen vnto it sauing the singe of Ionas the prophet For as Ionas was 3. dayes and 3. nightes in the whales belly so shall the son of man be 3. dayes and 3. nightes in the hart of the earth ¶ Anna. Doth Micheas prophecy any more thē that which you haue already expounded out of that 5. chapter ☞ Vrba He prophecieth much more but it would be lōg to expound all After that Micheas had vttered that excellent prophecy of the Lord God of Israell Christ Iesus where he sayth that he should go out of Bethelem he straight way prophesieth thus saying Therfore will he geue them vp vntill the time that shee which shall beare shall trauell then the remnant of their bretheren shall returne vnto the children of Israell And he shall stand and feede in the strength of the Lord and in the maiestye
with God true peace securitye euerlasting ioy true life and eternall saluatiō For if the sin of the Gentiles should not be taken away then in deede should neither death nor Sathans tyranny and kingdome be taken away neither could they haue any cōfort or hope But seing that Christ is their hope and comfort and that no vaine comfort for God himselfe speaketh it then surely must all heuines calamities and misery be taken away from the gentiles also which is nothing els but sin euill conscience death and euerlasting damnation And therfore must they also of necessitie rise from death and liue for euer with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen You see by the Epistle of S. Peter that the prophets haue respect vnto the health of the soules and therfore their whole indeuor is to preach true comfort seing the prophecie of Christ who brought vs from sin to righteousnes and innocencye and from death to life euerlasting as we finde he doth in deed Moreouer he hath deserued for vs the comforter the holy Ghost by whome he helpeth and comforteth vs vnder the crosse vntill we be called out of this fraile and miserable life and receaue the promised crowne of glory which in deede we posses in this earth though it be but yet in fayth and hope ¶ Anna. You alwayes haue sayd that Zachary is a prophet full of notable comforts Let vs therfore here what comfort he geueth vs by his promises ☞ Vrba He is in deede a comfortable prophet and the dayes wherein he liued required the same For he prophecied when the Iewes were euen at the point of returning out of the captiuitie of Babilon and when the Citie with the temple should be builded agayne The people at that time were yet faint harted fearefull and doubted that they should not be safe from their enemies and therfore he comforteth them and setteth Christ before their eyes as a louing Sauiour that so they might be of good cheare saying that Christ should spedely come and helpe his seruantes and spread his kingdome through the whole world and therfore was it needefull that Iuda and Ierusalem should be builded againe to the end they might receaue their owne king And the prophet speaketh as followeth Ierusalem shall be inhabited without the walles for the multitude of men and cattell therein For I sayth the Lord will be vnto her a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the midest of her Here he prophesieth of the spirituall Ierusalem to wit the church of Christ for the earthly Ierusalem had hir boundes and walles but the heauenly Ierusalem shal be so wide and large that it can not be compassed with any walles yea it shall be as wide as the world For it is the kingdome of Christ which by little and little without ceasing shall be increased vnto the last day and the true children of Abraham are as the God of Abraham promised euen as the sand of the sea and the starre in the firmament and the promised blessing shall come vpon all nations through the whole world that Christ maye be knowen and worshipped euery where for the true Lord god By the cattell vnderstand weakelinges and such as are ignoraunt in the knowledge of the scriptures and fayth these are led and fed in the pastures of Christ by those which are more strong and firme in fayth But he is a merueilous wall which is all fiery truly the Church of Christ in this place hath so great and comfortable a promise of Gods helpe as you shall scarsely finde in any other place of the scriptures For I wil be saith the Lord a wall of fire round about hir the Church of Christ You see that he speaketh here of the heauenly Citye wherein God himselfe will be the watchman keper wall defēder if their God be thus present with vs we haue iust cause to reioyce in the Lord seeing that wheresoeuer God himselfe watcheth defendeth and fighteth for vs there are we safe out of daunger of this world and Sathan and neede not feare them To be breefe the great humilititie of Christ Iesus in that he vouchsafed to become man being the true son of God and the sending of the holy ghost the true teacher of holsome doctrine in the Church of God whereby the church is still houlden and preserued in truth that it may stedfastly cleaue to God where as otherwise the whole world is blinded with errors caried away with lyes and miserably deceaueth it selfe these I say do sufficiētly declare how gloriously the Lord hath shewted himselfe in this spirituall Ierusalem Sathan the world and heretickes do not cease nor sleepe but bend themselues in all they may yea they striue with hand and foote to destroy Christ his church But although according to the flesh it be weake yet neuerthelesse it standeth and getteth the victory ouer all hir enemies So plentifully doth the Lord declare his glory in his spirituall citye the Church In the wordes following he setteth forth the helpe and comfort which we shall haue in Christ his kingdome saying He which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye How I pray you could a most louing and tender father speak more louingly or sweetely euen to his darling and derely beloued son if the Lord looke carefully to vs as men vse to looke to the apple of their eyes then surely can no hurt happen vnto vs in the kingdome of Christe neither neede we to feare any daunger A little after Zachary comforteth such Christiās as are vnder the crosse and by reason of the weakenes of the flesh are in feare and trouble euen as the Iewes were at that time saying Reioyce and be glad O daughter Sion for I come and will dwell in the middest of thee sayth the Lord and many nations shall be ioyned to the Lord in that day and shall be my people and I will dwell in the middest of thee and thou shalt know the Lord of hostes hath sent me vnto the. And the Lord shall inherit Iuda his portiō in the holy land and shall chuse Ierusalem agayne Let all flesh be still before the Lord for he is raised vp out of his holy place That is to say O Sion although thou be afflicted here in the earth yet be of good chere because thou shalt cōtinew For I my selfe do come and abide with thee Was not this fulfilled when god became man and at this day wheresoeuer Gods word is receaued there doth God dwell and that is the true Sion as Christ sayth in Iohn He that loueth mee keepeth my commaundementes and my Father will loue him and we will come vnto him and will dwell with him Surely this is the spirituall kingdome wherein god dwelleth with vs by the gospel and by fayth which the holy ghost worketh in vs as S. Paul sayth to the Ephe Christ dwelleth in our hartes by fayth And Esay telleth vs where God