and humbled hart Which pleaseth the angels excedingly well Christ him self saying in his gosspel that the angels doo reioyce at the conuersion of sinners Let vs therfore endeuor our selues that we may turne a right vnto the Lorde be reconciled â—â—â—o him which thyng muste be doone not by the intercessioÌ„ of angels but by the grace onely and intercession of our sauior Iâ—sus Christ Are not all angels ministring spirites Hebr 1. sent foorth to minister for their sakes that shal be heires of saluation Why do we not then rather worship call vpon the lord of angels and of men than vpon mens felow seruantes Reue. 22. When Iohn had fallen downe at the feete of the aungell this do oth he heare of the angel Se thou do it not for I am thy felow seruant and of thy bretherne the prophetes and of theim that kepe the wordes of this boke â–ª worship God Albion Ye haue not yet answered to the wordes of Iacob where he saith And let my name the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac bee called vpon them My faithfull guydes did say vnto me that this is as much as if he should haue said And they shal cal vpon my name vpon the name of my forfathers Againe They dyd alledge that when Moyses prayed for the people he did speake these wordes Exo. 34 RemeÌ„ber O Lord thy seruantes Abraham Isaac and Iacob vnto whom thou did dest sweare by thine owne selfe Lo say they Moyses prayenge for the people dooth pray by the name of the holy patriarches that were dead 4. Kin. 1â— These ar also the wordes of the Lord. I will defend this Citie and saue it for myne owne sake and for Dauid my seruantes sake Is it not moste plaine by this that for the prayers and merites of the Sainctes synners are spared wholle nations and cities saued and preserued PHILALE You re blynde guydes through ignoraunce of the holy tongue gather of a thynge misvnderstanded VVhy Iacob vvilled that his name should bee called vpoÌ„ Ephraim and Manasses vvhâ—t his meaning vvas Esa 4. a folishe and fonde conclusion or rather a false and erronious doctrine Iacob otherwise called Israell did by adoption receaue Iosephes children in to the numbre of his owne children that they mighte haue equall or euen portion of the lande of behest with them And therfore sayeth Iacob they shall beare my name and not the name of my son Ioseph they shall be called Iacobs or Israels children and not Iosephs This shall we fynde written in Esay the prophete Then shall seuen wiues take holde of one man and say we will lay all our meate and clothing together in commune tantum nomen tuum inuoce tur super nos onely let thy name be called vpon vs that is onely let vs be called thy wiues and beare thy name and so take away from vs oure opprobiousnes and shame By as good reasoÌ„ may we by this text of Esay proue that women ought to call vppon the names of theyr husbandes when they be deade as they canne by the texte that they doo alleadge proue that Ephraim and Manasses Iosephs children ought to haue called vpon the name of Iacob Danic 9. Abraham and Isaac Dominc saith Daniel respice ciuitatem super quam inuocatuÌ„ est nomen tuum lord looke vpon the citye that thy name is called vpon that is which is called by thy name I mean the city of god In like maner doo they declare their blinde ignoraunce when they do bringe in for the mayntenance of theyr idolatrous inuocation of the deade Saintes Hovv the place brought out of the 32. chap. of Exodus ought to be â—nderstanded these woordes of Moyses remember O Lorde Abraham Isaac and Iacob asthough thys were like vnto that which they haue continually in their mouthes sayinge Sainct Abraham ora pro nobis sainct AbrahaÌ„ praye for vs or obteine by thy prayers merites that god vouchesafe to forgeue vs oure synnes Esa 63. It is easye to see in the prophete Esay how little they did trust in the merites and intercessions of the forefathers For there the hole churche crieth out saying Where is thy zeale thy strength the multitude of thy mercies of thy coÌ„passions they are restrained from me Doubtlesse thou art our father For Abraham knoweth us not neither is Israell acquainted with vs but thou Lorde art our father and redemer and thy name is euerlasting Therfore Moses dyd not call vppon them whom he knowe right well to be ignorant of the estate that they were in but vpon the true liuyng God our heauenly father puttyng hym in remembrance of his promises For with expresse wordes he sayth Remembre thy seruants vnto whom thou hast sworne by thy selfe and vnto whom thou hast saide he saith therfore remeÌ„bre our fathers because the God had with an othe promised vnto the fathers that he would be the god of their sede And of this promise doth he put god in remembrance now at this present And hereunto semeth that to pertaine whiche the Lord himselfe dooth speake in Exodus The Lord god of your fathers Exod 3. the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob hath sent me vnto you This is my name foreuer and my memoriall frome generation to generation Therfore God would be so called and prayed vnto that is he would be put in remembraunce of his promises not for his owne but for our own sake But now that we haue our sauior Iesus Christ in whose blood both the promises and couenant be established and sealed vp in whose name should we offer vp oure prayers vnto God but in his onely Albion What say ye to the last sentence ye haue not yet aunswered to it Philalethes It may be aunswered two maner wayes Firste The expositâ—â— of the place that 〈◊〉 ale aâ—â— out of 4. Kâ—â— 19. 2 Sam 7. we must consider the promisse of God that he made vnto Dauid touching the seede that shold come of hym and the stablenesse and eternitie of his kyngedome The wordes of the promyse are these Whenne thy dayes bee fulfylled thou shalte sleape with thy fathers and I will lett vp thy sede after thee whiche shall procede out of thy body and will establishe his kyngdom c. These thinges are expounded by many of kynge Salomon and of his reigne or kyngdomme but no manne will denie but that the same may be vnderâ—â—anded of the sede of Dauid or of his posteritie or other kinges that oâ— folow after him For this is moste manifest and playn that for this promise sake many kynges and the whole realme were spared 1. Kin. 15. In the historie of Abiah this promisse was renewed For so we reade there And the hart of Abiah was not perfect with the Lorde his God as the hart of Dauid his father But for Dauids sake the Lorde his god did geue hym a light in Hierusalem and did set vp
temple not made wyth handes Ibi. ca. 16. And in an other place yf therfore any angels wil haue sacrifices to be offred vnto theÌ„selues they that wyl haue the sacrifice to be offred not vnto them selues but vnto god the creator of all thinges whom they do serue are to be preferred before them For hereby do they shewe howe syncerely they loue vs when by the sacrifice they wil assubiectize vs not vnto theim selues but vnto him by the contemplation of whoÌ„ they are blessed and seke that we shoulde come vnto him from whome they neuer wente awaye Although thys hadde bene sufficiente for to aunswer al the obiections that caÌ„ be made of the angels yet wil I for to make the matter more plain adde these few wordes that is to saye howe that the same is many tymes attributed vnto aungels as vnto the farther cause whiche in dede doth properly perteyn to god only but is attributed vnto the angels as to ministers instrumentes and meanes Di. I do not well vnderstande what your meaning is Exod. 23. Hovv the name of god 〈◊〉 in hâ—â—â—â—â—ed Philalethes I shall make you anone to vnderstande it In Exodus the lorde dothe with exprsse wordes speake thus of his angel My name saieth he is in him that is I wil geue hym myne autoritye and whatsoeuer he shall do he shall doo it in my name he shall do it by my vertue and power So doth holy Stephen speak also And when fourty yeres were expired Actu 7. ther appeared to him in the wildernesse of Mount Syna an aungell of the lorde Exo 3. Then by and by dothe he adde And the voyce of the lorde came vnto hym saying I am the god of thy fathers the god of Abraham the god of Isaac and the GOD of Iacob Loe he dothe expresselye calle hym GOD whome he hadde already called an aungel because that he vnderstode that the aungell dydde all whyche he dydde in the name of God and at hys commaundement EVTRAPELVS Sith that this aungell dothe call hym selfe God I doo stedfastelye beeleue that he was Chryste The angel of the gâ—â— câ—unsaile the angeâ—â— of the testament Augu. lâ— que â—â— ex odâ— 2. c. 3. the mediatour who is the eternall God and who in the scriptures is called Angelus magni consilii angelus Testamenti that is to say the aungell of greate counsell and the aungell of the Testamente Philalethes Ye doo not beleue amysse For Sainct Augustine in his questions vppon Exodus dothe write of it on thys manner The Lord cried vnto him oute of the bushe The lord in the angell or that lorde the aungell which is called the aungell of greate counsayle â–ª Tertullâ—â— contra â—â—xeam and so Chryste is vnderstanded whervnto maye bee added the sayings of Tertullian in hys boke contra Praxeam It is the sonne sayth he who at the begynnyng dydde condemne that moste proude towre dashyng out and destroying the tongues punnishyng the whole worlde wyth violence of waters raynynge fyre and brymstone vpon Sodome Gomorre beyng GOD of God For he dyd always come down to speake wyth men from Adam vnto the Patriarches and prophets in vision in dreame c. Sith then that this angell of the testament whiche is Christe was promised vnto Abraham Israell coulde no better expresse the faith of his mynd than with these wordes The aungell which hath deliuered me from all euill blesse these children For he vnderstode the angel of great counsaile euen the Lord Iesus who alone is the blessyng saluation righteousnesse and sanctification of his people Albion But what saye ye to that which I alledged out of Zacharie For there he doothe with expresse wordes testifie that the angell prayed vnto God for the delyueraunce of the people if the angels do pray for vs The place of the first chapter of zacharie why shoulde not the blessed soules departed pray also for vs Phil. What if by the same angell we should vnderstand our sauior Iesu Christe who as mediatour prayed for the saluation of his Churche whiche was then troubled when all the countreyes aboute them Hieron in zacharia were at rest Hierome hym selfe writyng vpon this place doothe by the angell of the Lord who stode among the myrre trees who vpon the occasion of the aunswere which they had made whome the lorde had sent throughoute al the whole worlde began so ernestly to praye for Hierusalem and the cities of Iuda vnderstande the aungell of great counsayl Again let vs by waye of disputation graunt that the angels do praye or are carefull for vs. Shal ye bee able to proue by it that we oughte therfore to call vpon them and displacyng Christ the onelye mediatour bewixt god and men to make theim our mediatours aduocates intercessors or that the blessed soules departed doo make intercession for vs vnto our heauenly father Ye haue learned beefore out of Sainct Augustine that the holy aungels will in no wise suffer that any sacrifice shoulde be offred vnto theym The holye aungels vvil haue no sacrifices to bee offered vnto them ergo they vvil not be praied vnto but will haue all sacrifices to be offred vnto him onely whose seruaunts they are Nowe it is moste playne that the prayers of the faithfull congregation are called sacrifices the aungels then who do onely seeke the glorye of him whome they doo serue will in no wise suffer that the faithfull congregation shold maâ—e any prayers vnto them Moreouer what should the carefulnes or praiers of the aungelles profite vs excepte we be firste reconciled vnto god Exo. 33. The lorde said vnto Moises Departe go vp from hence thou and the people whiche thou hast brought vp out of the laÌ„d of Egipt into the land which I promised vnto your forefathers and I will sende myne aungel before thee For I will not go vp with thee because thou arte a stifnecked people lest I consume thee in the waye Here the lorde promised vnto Moises vnto the people hys anâ—el but hear what foloweth streight waies after And wheÌ„ the people heard these euill tydinges they sorowed and no man did put on his best raymentes The scriptures do cal the helpe and assistaunce of the aungels euill tydings as longe as god is angry with vs and not yet reconciled Therfore Moyses doth laboure as much as in hym lieth yea it is all his study and care that god may be reconciled vnto hys people Whiche thing he goeth not aboute to obtayne by desyrynge the aungelles to praye for him and the people but by pouring oute his whole harte beefore God Now they that are reconciled vnto God doo vnderstande that they are through Christ reconciled to him Therfore they doo whollye depende vppon God onely in hym onely doo they reioyce in hym only haue they theyr hole affiance and truste they haue no neede of the intercession of angels but doo offer vnto God onely their troubled spirit their contrite
his sonne after him and established Ierusalem Now this is asmuch as if he had saied Therefore God dyd not destroy Abiah his kyngdome and the citie of Hierusalem because that God had promised that he would not take away his mercy from the house of Dauid nor suffer that he should want sede or posteritie or that his kingdom shold vtterly decaye It is then euident and plaine that Abiah was spared for the promise sake that was made vnto Dauid 4. Kin. 19 therfore it must folowe necessarily that Ezechias was also spared for this promise sake and that these sentences or sayenges I will defend this citie for myne own sake and for Dauid my seruauntes sake and I will defende this citie for myn own sake for myn own promisse sake which I made vnto Dauid be equipollent or of one force Secondly thus may the answer be made that God did spare bothe that city realm for his owne sake and for his Christes sake For the Prophetes are wont by a figure called Antonomasia to cal our sauiour Iesu Christ Dauid Antonomasia And the promise wherof we spake before was in very deede completed or fulfylled in Christ Thus dothe the Lord speake in Ezechiell I will sayeth he raise vp a shepeheard ouer them Eze 34. and he shal fede them euen my seruant Dauid he shall fede them he shal be their shepheard And I the Lord will be their God and my seruant Dauid shal be the prince among them I the Lorde haue spoken it Hie. 23. The like place shall ye fynde in Ieremie But none of all the expositors dyd expounde these places otherwyse than of Christ the Gospell of Iohn doothe manifestely declare that these Scriptures oughte to be expounded of Christ Therefore the Lorde spared Hierusalem for the Lorde Iesu Christes sake whome it behoued to be manifested in that citie and his name and doctrine frome thens to bee published throughout all the whole world Therfore Daniell the prophete prayeng vnto the Lorde for the repairing of the citie and of the temple Danie 9. maketh his praier after this sort Heare O our God the prayer of thy seruaunt make thy face to shyne ouer the sanctuarie whiche is destroyed for the lorde sake As yf he shoulde say Oure maners oure life and conuersation did deserue other wyse but yet remembre the lorde thy Christ whome thou hast promysed vnto vs. Esa 2. For by Esaie and Micheas he hadde made this promise It shal be in the laste dayes that the mountayne of the house of the lorde shall bee prepared in the toppe of the mountains and shall bee exalted aboue all the hylles and all nations shall slow vnto it And many people shall go and saye Come and lette vs come vp to the mountaine of the lorde to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teache vs his wais and we wille walke in his pathes for the lawe shall go foorthe of Sion and the woorde of the lorde frome Hierusalem Whenne we doo then by Dauid vnderstande oure sauioure Iesu Christe who in Esaie is of GOD called his seruaunt we brynge no newe exposition nor yet wraste the Scriptures but sette foorthe the playne sense and meanyng of the holy ghoste to the greate commendation of the glorie of oure Sauioure Iesu Christe Albion Obie 16 Iob. â— These woordes shall ye fynde written in Iob Calle nowe yf any wyll answere thee and turne thee to somme of the Sainctes Here are we expressely commaunded in oure troubles and afflictions to turne our selues to the saintes Didymus I thought that there had bene no place in all the whole scriptures so playne for the praying vnto the Sainctes as the sames is Answer The fondnes of the aduersaries in aleaging of the scriptures Philalethes And I thought that the ennemies of the truthe had neuer ben so foolishe as to haue aleaged that place for the maintenaunce and confirmation of their doctrine For there they shoote altogether besydes the cusshion not marking to what ende Eliphas dooth speake those woordes Ye shall therfore vnderstand that Iob didde affirme that plagues and calamities dyd not alwayes happen for synne whiche thynge he proueth by his exaumple The true seÌ„se of the place that they do aleadge out of the .5 of Iob For the Lorde sayth he hath not brought me into this calamitie because of my sinnes but accordyng to his good wil and pleasure This will not his aduersaries admitt and specially Eliphas who goeth aboute to proue that no calamitie hapneth to any man but onely for his sinnes and that no man is punished but onely for his faulte prouyng besydes that all men are synners and that no man is cleane in the syght of God although few do acknowledge the same geuyng in the meane whyle a priuie nippe vnto Iob although he did not acknowledge himself to be a sinner and this was because he vnderstoode not Iobs meaning and therfore they wer taken awaye and cut of in their ignorance That this might be made more plaine and manifest he speaketh vnto Iob after this maner Call any man that is name me any maÌ„ As if he shold say Bring me any man that hath not by his wyckednesse and heynous synnes deserued the calamitie that is com vppon him turne thee to any of them that be called Saintes meanyng that it was impossible for to fynde any in all the whole world which did not deserue by his owne sinnes to haue trouble aduersitie and affliction Albion Obie 17 Hiero. 15. What will ye say to these woordes of Hieremie Though Moses and Samuell stoode before me yet haue I no heart to this people Why say my geÌ„tylmen should Hieremie speake so of the deade excepte be knowe that they made intercession for the lyuyng Philalethes Answer I may a great deale better reason after this maner Sith that neither Moses nor Samuell dyd praye for the people of Israell in that extreme peryll that they were in it appereth that there was then no intercession of the deade For who of all the Sainctes should haue takne thought for the people if Moses didde not Who in this thyng dyd exceede and passe all men whiles he dyd lyue Therefore thus I say I myght make myne argument agaynst you and your gentylmen In the extreeme necessitie of the people Moses made no intercession for theim it is moste lykely then that none at all dyd make intercession for theim The 〈◊〉 mâ—â—â—t of the papists 〈…〉 and beaten 〈◊〉 on â—â—eir heades sithe that Moses dyd passe al men in humanitie gentilnesse and mercy The meanyng of the prophete then was this that God was so offended with the people that he wold in no wise spare them though Moyses and Samuell whose prayers he was wonte to heare aboue all other should make intercession for them The like in a maner haue we in the prophete Ezechiell Ezâ—â—4 where the lorde speaketh on this maner If Noah