of nature by Ferus iudgement profits nothing but rather hinders our saluation And after Fer. in cap. 10. Act. These beasts signifie all them which should beleeue of the Gentiles For the Church was to bee collected not onely of the Iewes but also of the prophane Gentiles And they are fitly compared to beasts for what is man without the knowledge and the feare of God but a beast according to that Man when as he was in honour vnderstood not c. He was compared to beastes and became like them he liues like a beast as a swine that is washed wil wallow in the myre againe he lacks reason he is full of poison The poison of Aspes is vnder their lippes He is more fierce and cruell then any beast See what a miserable creature a sinner is If thou doest not knowe thy selfe at least wise hereof learne to knowe thy selfe Thus farre Ferus Here man maie see as in a looking glasse what hee is of his owne nature he is a Lyon a Beare a filthie Swine no Lyon so cruell no swine so filthie as he Fer. Ibid And here also wee maie learne out of Ferus what kind of sinners these beastes doe signifie he names thrée kinds of beasts For all that is in the world is either the concupiscence of the flesh or the concupiscence of the eyes or the pride of life Foure footed beasts signifie riotous persons creeping things signifie couetous men foules of the Aire ambitious men that ambitiouslie seeke after honors Peter is commanded to eate and deuour all these c. Sée then what accompt God makes of thee what an vglie monster thou art in his eies whosoeuer art giuen to thy pleasures who soeuer art couetous and greedie of this earthlie claie whosoeuer art ambitous and gapes after honors and promotions Though thou seeme in thine owne eies neuer so glorious nor of so great estimation thou art but a filthie swine a creeping vermine and a soaring Kyte And learne hereby rather to please God then either man or thy selfe Againe vpon these wordes I also am a man hee wrytes thus Ibid. He teacheth the Apostles successours that they ought to flie ambition for it is an horrible fault and it makes vs ascribe vnto our selues those things which God workes in vs or by vs as it were by instruments when as all glory is due vnto God And therefore Paul ascribed to himselfe all the paines he tooke but to God all the fruites of his labours I saieth he haue laboured more then they all but not I but the grace of God with me The fruit of Gods word he yéelds wholie to God For he works in vs both to will and to performe hee teacheth them also to challenge no praise to themselues for these thinges which they haue doone in Christs name and by his power The false Apostles and Byshops obserue neither of these Fer. in cap. 13. Act. And after Thou seest how necessary Christ is ascribe not light to reason nor saluation to thy works but both to Christ And after vpon these words And they beleeued as manie as were predestinate No man beleeues but hee which is predestinate No man comes to me vnlesse my father draw him Here he giues vs to marke that faith is not of the desert of man but of the mercie and election of God for the Lord saith in the Gospell to Peter confessing Christ Flesh and bloud hath not reuealed this vnto thee but my father which is in heauen And to Nicodemus vnlesse one be borne againe from aboue he cannot see the kingdome of God All these places doe not impute to God the fault why the wicked are condemned but rather they proue euidently that the election and grace of God is the cause of the saluation of the godly least any man should attribute to our strength that which belongs onely to God Thou seest also here who are predestinate to life they who beleeue in Christ therefore thou needest not curiously dispute of predestination beleeue in Christ and bring forth good works in him and thou art sure that thou art predestinate Otherwise if thou were the very signet of Gods right hand thou shalt be cast away Our owne forces and strength by Ferus his iudgement maie challenge no part in our saluation And declare thy faith by thy good workes as Saint Iames teacheth thee and bee sure of thy predestination saieth Ferus In cap. Act. 17. And vpon these wordes God is in vs. The power of God appeares in no creature more then in man although he fulfill all things as he saith by the Prophet Ieremie An◠I God onely nigh at hand and not a farre off also Therefore he saith truly that God is not farre off of euery one of vs who workes by vs as a workeman with the toole which he hath made And after They are fit to receiue the word of God which earnestly thirst after it In cap. Act. 18. which shut the eies of reason who altogether distrusting to their owne righteousnes wisedome or knowledge do relie onely vpon the word of God acknowledging themselues to be blind and euer to erre and stumble vnles they be lightned with the heauenly light And for this cause they require and earnestly desire often this lightening in their godly prayers Of them it is said in the fift of Matthew Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousnes And a little after The flesh is euer fearefull Ibid. and escheweth perils and trembles at death nor can endure any trouble for the Lords sake Therefore we haue need of the grace of God by which we are that we are By this it appeares that there is no goodnes in the flesh And of Abraham he writes thus In cap. Act. 19. True faith doubts not of the word of God though all things seeme contrary So Abraham beleeued God when as he had heard of him This shall not be thy heire meaning Ismael but he that shall proceed out of thine owne bowels he shall bee thine heire Though he himselfe were an old man and had a very old woman to his wife who also was barren yet he beleeued God promising him a sonne against nature against reason against mans capacity That I may say with Paul He beleeued in hope against hope he gaue God the glory and hee brought in bondage himselfe and his owne reason And that was accompted to him for righteousnes that is pleased God more then all thinges that Abraham had doone hitherto That for this faith he was iust and so accompted of before God c. Thus we may see what is in man euen regenerate still flesh bloud resisting the will word and promises of God which all good Christians must striue dailie to conquour 1. Epist Ioh. 5.4 And this is that great victory of faith which Saint Iohn speakes of And of S. Paul when he was come to Ierusalem the same Ferus writes thus Letting all other things
how is he all cleane which is commanded as yet to wash his feete Yea how can he be all cleane which is baptized when as the Scripture in euerie place affirmeth that no man is without sinne It is most true that no man is without sinne and yet notwithstanding it is also true that he is all cleane that is purified by faith For he because he is grafted into the body of Christ by faith doth participate and possesse the holinesse and puritie of Christ And therefore Paul said to them that beleeue ye are washed ye are sanctified by the name of our Lord Iesus Christ And againe there is no condemnation to those that are in Iesus Christ Therefore they which are grafted into Christ are called holy for the faith name and bloud of Christ although in the meane time in themselues they are nothing els but sinners and haue in them much sinne as yet but no condemnation because they are accounted iust with God through faith in Christ Hereof it is that Paul speakes of himselfe with my minde I serue the lawe of God but with my flesh the lawe of sinne Ferus here plainly teacheth that mans righteousnesse is by imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ and not by any inherent righteousnesse in himselfe And againe speaking vpon Stephens death he giues these notable lessons vpon these words Fer. in cap. 7. Act. Lord Iesu receiue my spirit He railes not nor curseth not but with great modestie cals vpon God To him alone he coÌ„mits his soule Here I would haue thee also learn the best manner of dying First he is carefull not for his body but for his soule the wicked doe contrarie Secondly hee cals vpon God distrusting in himselfe and of his owne merites but the wicked trust in their owne merites and therefore they builde vpon the sande Thirdly he confesseth his faith briefly but most perfectly calling him Lorde who is able and Iesus who is also willing to saue These three things are especially to be marked for they are verie necessarie to a blessed and happy death For they are blessed which die in the Lord. I would to God all true Catholiques which minde to die wel would learne these thrée lessons of Saint Stephen out of Ferus First to haue more care of their soules then of their bodies It makes no matter what maner of death they die or what cost be bestowed vpon their funerals let them do good and bestow their goods themselues 3. Cor. 5.20 while they are in the bodie Secondly that at the houres of their deathes yea and all their life long also if then in that extremitie they would call vpon none other but as Saint Stephen doth here vpon Iesus Christ Thirdly that they would condemne themselues as vnprofitable seruants before the maiestie of God and not trust in their owne merites as Ferus here teacheth them And here if Saint Stephen trusted not in his Martyrdome being so notable a worke neither was it laid vp in the treasurie of the Church to helpe the saluation of others much lesse the works of anie other as Poligranes teacheth And lastly that they would confesse the Lord Iesus euen this shorte faith these two wordes as Saint Stephen did For as Saint Paul saith God will make his account and gather it into a short sum Rom. 9.28 with righteousnes for the Lord wil make a short count vpon the earth God will make now a short account with his faithfull seruants Psal 143.2.12 with them that beleeue in Iesus Christ they shall not be called to so strickt account of euerie idle word as the Infidels shall Psal 32.1 Matth. 12.36 Luke 9 26. 1. Cor. 15.35 Reuelat. 1.18 Matth. 11 28 they shall be blessed because their sinnes shall be couered and because Iesus Christ at that great day of account shal not be ashamed of them That they would confesse I saie but euen with S. Steuen these two words Lord Iesu That he is a Lord of death of hell and of the Diuell and therefore is able to saue them and that he is Iesus who cals all that are heauie laden with the burthen of their sins vnto him And therefore be thou neuer so blinde Marke 10.49 euen as blinde as Bartimeus thou maiest boldly come vnto him as he did when as he called him and thou shalt not onely receiue thy sight but also be saued as he was Who neuer repelled anie from him not halte not lame not leapers not possessed Mat. 21.14.8.2 28. Iohn 11.44 naie who raised euen dead men vp againe and therefore is willing to saue They which acknowledge but these two things from a liuely faith néede no more This is the summe of Christian religion thus Stephen died and in this Religion Againe the same Ferus speaking of the word of God faith That is rightly called the word of grace because it preacheth grace In cap. 14. Act. and comes to vs of the grace of God and it condemnes merites And againe Of this Chapter as well the preachers of faith In cap. 15. Act. as the Preachers of workes make their bragges and therefore it is most diligently to be marked of all men the question was whether the lawe was necessâ—rie for them which were conuerted to Christ or whether faith in Christ sufficed The same question is now also amongst vs whether faith or workes doe iustifie It is not called in question whether good workes are to be done or no for all are forced to confesse that that good workes must be done but whether they iustifie or not The Apostles conclude that faith iustifieth and not workes nor the lawe And why doth faith iustifie because it leanes vpon the grace and mercy of God vpon the promises of God vpon the merites of Christ Why doth not the law iustifie because no man euer kept it Why doe not workes iustifie because they are vnperfect All our righteousnesse is like a defiled cloth This is the summe of the Apostles councell saith Ferus what can be spoken more plainly then this Here are questions proposed and answeres shaped to them and the conclusion is that faith onely iustifies because it relies wholie and onely of the mercie and promises of God and that works no not of the best men cannot iustifie because they are imperfect I wish that all they which crie out Generall councels Generall councels and will beleeue nothing but that which generall councels doe teach would marke diligently the conclusion of this first Generall and Apostolicall councell in this great and waightie matter euen in the saluation of their soules and that they would condemne all other generall councels which doe not agree with this both in matter and forme They direct their decrées from that generall thus Act 15.28 It seemes good to the holy Ghost and vnto vs Not it séemes good to Peter to vs which should haue béene the title if Peter had béene the head of the Church but
that is euery day looke for it and wish that it might come spéedilie Would anie man wish for the spéedie comming of Iesus Christ vnlesse hee were sure hee should bee saued That saying in the Reuelation euidentlie prooues the same Reuel 22.17 The spirit and the bride say Come As the spirit doubteth not of his saluation so neither the bride of her mariage And shall shée doubt of her saluation That saying of the Prophet Esay of the Church of Christ is most manifest to prooue this doctrine One shall say I am the Lords Esay 44.5 another shall be called by the name of Iacob and another shall subscribe with his owne hand vnto the Lorde and name himselfe by the name of Israel Here is the state of Christes Church plainelie set downe One shall saie I am the Lordes another shall saie I am Iacob another shall saie I am Israel and shall anie then doubt of his saluation doeth anie man doubt of Israels or Iacobs saluation But see how contrarie the Papists doctrine is to that which the Prophet here sets downe and teacheth One shall say I am the Lords saieth the Prophet and this one is euerie one no doubt in the Church of Christ but they dare not teach anie one to saie so but thinke to saie so were great presumption But how can that bee presumption which Gods word so plainelie teacheth Let euerie true Christian well ponder in his heart whether he now will beleeue them or the Prophet Esay But the Vniuersitie of Collen speaking of Christians saieth that they hope firmely and with great courage Dialog 40. but they beleeue not that they shall bee saued for faith say they cannot bee deceiued but hope is after declared But here to answere their first point that No man ought to beleeue that he should be saued doeth not Dauid saie plainlie Psal 27.13 I should vtterly haue fainted but that I beleeue verily to see the goodnes of the Lord in the land of the liuing Dauid here plainelie confesseth that hee beleued that hee should be saued and why maie not other Christians also saie so Iob also saieth Iob. 19.25 I know that my Redeemer liueth And Abrahams faith was accounted to him for righteousnes And Saint Iohn saieth Iohn 20.31 That these things were written that all Christians might beleeue and beleeuing might haue eternall life But master Bellarmine alleadgeth that place of Saint Paul 1. Lib. de iustificat cap. 11. We are saued thorough hope and therefore we must hope and not beleeue that we shall be saued But if we marke well the natures of these thrée faith hope and charitie wee shall plainelie see that our hope saueth vs by the meanes of faith for these thrée vertues faith hope and charitie spring one of another and haue their diuers obiects Hope and charitie spring of faith and faith first of all hath respect vnto the word of God and embraceth most assuredlie the promise of God then of faith of the promise necessarilie springeth the hope of the thing promised and lastlie hee that beleeues ones promise and hopeth for the thing promised will loue the promiser and all that be his and this is Christian charitie So that these three vertues are as twinnes all lincked together and one taketh her vertue and force of another And none of these hath anie force without another Therfore hope saueth which procéedeth of the faith of the word of God and that charitie pleaseth which procéedeth to him and to all his from this faith of his word and promise And although hope be properlie of good things of things which concerne our selues yet as faith is of the paines and torments of the wicked so also is hope as we do beleeue verily the promise of God made to Abraham concerning himselfe his posteritie Gen. 12 3. I will make thee a great nation and will blesse thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing So also wee must beleeue the same promise as verilie concerning his friends and his enemies which immediatlie followes I will also blesse them that blesse thee and I will curse them that curse thee and in thee shall all the Nations on the earth be blessed And as wee beleeue the promise so wee must assuredlie hope and looke for the things promised euen the plagues and punishments which without all doubt God will inflict vpon all Abrahams enemies and vpon all the enemies of his Church And vpon this promise no doubt Dauid pronounceth thus boldlie All mine enimies shall be confounded and sore vexed Psal 6.10 They shall be turned backe and put to shame sodainly And in another Psalme Mine eie hath seene his desire vpon his enimies Psal 54.7 Psal 38.37 And againe I will follow vpon mine enimies and ouertake them neither will I turne again till I haue destroied them So that then as we beléeue this promise of the coÌ„fusion of our enimies so we maie most assuredlie hope and looke for their plagues and the perfourmance of the same and so our hope in some sort stretcheth out it selfe as ample as our faith But to end this place of the certaintie of our saluation that place of the Prophet Esay of all Christians is worth the marking Esay 32.1 Behold saieth hee a king shall raigne to be righteousnesse to iustifie and his princes shall beare rule to teach men iudgement What King is this but Iesus Christ who is called by the Prophet Ier. 23.6 The Lord our righteousnes And what bee those his Princes which beare rule in iudgement but his Apostles and ministers and magistrates which teach men to iudge themselues least they be iudged of the Lord to minister iudgement to his people 1. Cor. 11.31 Psalm 82.3 And this man shall be a hiding place from the wind Gods wrath is compared to the wind and men to grasse Psalm 103.15 The dayes of man are but as grâ—sse saieth the Prophet Dauid for he flourisheth as a flower in the field for as soone as the wind goeth ouer it it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more From this sharpe pinching wind of the wrath of God Iesus Christ saueth vs according as Saint Iohn writes Iohn 3.36 He that beleeueth in the son hath euerlasting life and he that obeieth not the son shal not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him This is that hiding place which is mentioned in 1. Sam. 22. which is called Adullam 1. Sam. 22.1 that is their Testimonie their protestation all Christians must protest this that but for Iesus Christ the wrath of God had euen consumed them And to this caue or hiding place fled Dauid and saued himselfe there and his brethren and his fathers howse and there gathered to him thither all men that were in trouble and all men that were in debt and all those that were vexed in mind Here is that prefigured which Christ himselfe in the Gospel
dangers So the Apostles teach three things first the law that is what we must doe and what we must eschew Secondly the gospell Thirdly they bring remedies against perils But he especially counsels them that they should take meate for there is nothing more necessarie to thē that be in danger then the bread of the word of God No man can swimme out and escape from death vnlesse he first strengthen himselfe with the bread of life Wouldest thou escape death then follow Ferus his counsell strengthen thy soule with this bread 8. Of Pilgrimages FIrst concerning Pilgrimages Ioh. 4.21 the Gospell teacheth vs these lessons And Iesus said vnto the woman of Samariah Woman beleeue me the houre commeth when ye shall neither in this mountaine nor at Ierusalem worship the Father c. No nor in any other set place But the houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth that is in euerie place Mal. 1.11 And this is that which Malachie also prophesieth of Christs kingdome From the rising of the sunne vnto the going downe of the same my Name is great among the Gentiles and in euery place incense shall be offered in my name Here are two things of vs to be considered First that Gods name alone shall be great among the Gentiles and of it shall proceede incense that most swéet smelling sacrifice vnto God in euerie place And what is this els but prayers to bee made in all places in the name of Iesus Christ The same lesson also grounded no doubt of this Prophesie Saint Paul teacheth al christians I will therefore that men pray euery where 1. Tim. 2.8 lifting vppe pure hands without doubtfulnesse No doubt this prayer in all places is that sacrifice and most pleasant incense whereof Malachie spake before But that place of Saint Paul most manifestly ouerthrowes all Pilgrimages The word is neere thee Rom. 10.8 euen in thy mouth and in thy heart This is the word of faith which we preach for if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus shalt beleeue in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saued For with the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth man confesseth vnto saluation The word of faith the worde of saluation is nigh thée saith Saint Paul thou néedes not go to Rome or to any other place for it For if at home in thine house thou shalt beléeue in the lord Iesus confesse him with thy mouth thou shalt be saued thou néeds not make any great long iournie for to obtain thy saluation Nay our sauiour Christ himselfe most manifestly makes it a signe of heretikes to teach this doctrine of pilgrimages There shall arise false Christes saith he and false prophets c. Mat. 24. Wherefore if they shall saye vnto you behold he is in the desart goe not forth behold he is in secrete places 23. or in their cels cloisters beleeue them not For as the lightning commeth out of the East and shineth into the West 27. So shall also the comming of the sonne of man be Not onely in his comming to iudgement but also to euerie faithfull soule as saint Luke seemes to expound this For as the lightening that lighteneth out of the one part vnder heauen shineth vnto the other part vnder heauen Luke 17.24 so shall the sonne of man be in his day Where as that which saint Matthew calles his comming saint Luke calles his day And saint Luke before calles the light of the Gospell the daie of the sonne of man which in the thicke darkenesse of Antichrist he saith Vers 22. Men shall desire to see but one of them and shall not see it Christ in his kingdome as the true sunne of righteousnesse to illuminate to quicken things nowe dead thorow sinne shines not onely at Rome but thorow the whole world Of Pilgrimages to Rome or to other places Concerning this matter Ferus writes thus By this word hee shewes Fer. in ca. 4. Io. all controuersies of the prerogatiue of places are to be taken away for in the newe Testament the worship of God is tyed to no one place but in all places of his dominion God is praised of the faithfull as it was foretolde by Malachie This is our great comfort that we may finde God in all places For otherwise if we must all goe to Ierusalem who seeketh not howe fewe should haue beene saued therefore he left not one stone vpon another in the Temple of Ierusalem that we might all know that that law of worshipping God in one place was now abrogated as concerning externall things for spiritually we all do worship and sacrifice nowe in Christ the true Temple of God Fer. in pass Parte 4. And againe of the same matter in another place hee writeth thus To conclude saith hee no man knowes where Moses graue is neither makes it any great matter But Christes graue is knowen to all men and so also it was necessarie that of it wee may learne our burials and resurrection for as Christs passion is ours so his buriall is ours also that wee are buried with him in baptisme to death c. It makes no matter for Moses his graue saith Ferus and the chiefe end of Christes graue why it is knowne where it is is not to go to sée it but to beleeue that as hee was buried and rose againe so shall wée also But how contrarie is all this to that which the Rhemists in their Testament haue noted vpon the second chapter of Saint Matthew vpon these wordes Came to adore they write thus This comming so farre of deuotion to visite and adore Christ in the place of his birth was properly a pilgrimage to his person and warrants the faithfull in the like kinde of externall worship done to holy places persons or things But this followes not they came to worship Christ therefore the faithfull may go a pilgrimage to worship holy places or things when as God is onely to be worshipped Then they had a starre to direct them but we haue none now therefore their fact cannot warrant vs. 9. Of Traditions and ceremonies AS concerning traditions and ceremonies Deut. 16.1 and what account to make of them that shadow of the lawe may seeme to teach Thou shalt keepe the moneth of Abib or new corne as Ierome translates it that is when as corne growes to be eared Reue. 11.1.8 And thou shalt celebrate the Passeouer vnto the Lord thy God For in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee out of the land of Egypt The comming out of that corporall Egypt was a signe no doubt of the comming out of the spirituall Egypt as S. Iohn teacheth vs in the Reuelation And amongst manie other resemblances Rom. 15.4 that the one of these hath to the other this is not the least and to be obserued of vs
For to this thou art also inuited of the bridegroome in the Canticles when he saith Let me be as a signet in thy heart and as a signet on thy arme Thus much Granatensis cites out of Bernard A discourse worth the marking who knowing these vertues of the name of Iesus will not call vpon it or will call vpon any other name This must be an electuarie euer in our bosome and euer in our hands saith Bernard and Granatensis two skilfull Physitions of soules and shall we not follow their counsell Of prayer in the Church he writes thus Med. 10. vit Christi It is an vsuall thing that if we wil find any thing we wil seeke it in his proper natural place If therfore the Church be the proper place of God it is meet that the son of God and God be sought found there The church is the house of prayer and where prayer is heard there God is found Wherefore my brother when as thou art afflicted destitute of comfort distracted with cares lean luke warme without any fatnesse or sparke of deuotion enter into the Church continue in prayer For if thou shalt continue praying with faith and humilitie without doubt thou shalt finde Christ who is God and this shall be a signe to thee that thou hast found him if thou shalt after finde deuotion pleasure refreshing and ioy in thy soule Med. 16. And after that in the Church and in all other places that we should praie onely vnto Christ he alleadgeth this notable saying out of Austen Austen saith that so great mercie and courtesie shined in the person of our Sauiour in all his words works and in his whole life and that there was such a report thorow all that countrey of his courtesie and mercie which sprung of the workes which he wrought daily amongst them that the malicious harts of the Iewes thought that so courteous and mercifull a man could not speake the word of condemnation or pronounce sentence of death against any no not although the lawe condemned him and therefore they brought vnto him the woman taken in adulterie that hereby they might take an occasion of slaundering him and of accusing him as a transgressor of the law So that the greatnesse of the clemencie and mercie of our Sauiour gaue opportunitie to those wicked persons of accusing him But the wisedome of God ouercame the malice of man and Moses Serpent deuoured the Serpents of the Sooth-sayers For the Lord iudged so wisely that the woman was absolued her accusers being put to silence and confusion If the malicious Iewes had such an opinion of the great mercie of our Sauiour shall not Christians haue the like And if they haue will they direct their prayers to anie other And after speaking of the woman of Chanaan he writes thus Med. 17. First we are taught here in all our tribulations and necessities that we must run vnto God as this woman did who as Origen notes was an infidell and a worshipper of diuels yet she neither went to men nor to diuels to seeke remedy of them but she came to the true Sauiour and redeemer of the world For this is the propertie of prayer that it is a generall remedy against all euils and in this respect the vertue thereof was commended as Theodoret witnesseth of one of the auncient fathers who was wont to say That physitions for diuers diseases had their diuers medicines and that they cured this disease with this medicine and that with another but Christians against all manner of euils haue but one medicine and that is continuall and deuout prayer which neuer returnes emptie If this infidell naie being also a worshipper of diuels as Origen affirmes were not repelled of our Sauiour whie should anie Christian distrust And of the cōditions which are required in our praiers he writes thus The first thing that is required in our prayers is faith For which this woman is commended to which especially the obtaining of her suit is ascribed of the Lord according to the word of Christ himselfe saying All things whatsoeuer you aske praying beleeue that you shall receiue them The reason hereof among other is this because this bond of faith which euer brings with it assured trust of the mercie and goodnesse of God is one of those things which doe most glorifie and honour God whose nature is to honour those againe of whom he is honored and to glorifie those of whom he is glorified The which that we may better vnderstand wee must know that there are two manner of waies of praysing God One with wordes another with workes The physition with words commends the treacle he hath made and saith that it is of great force against all poyson but he commends it in deed who being stricken of a Scorpion takes his treacle and is healed by it Thou seest how this second kind of praising is better then the former The one praiseth it in hope the other in deed the praise of the one consists in words but of the other in workes and therefore as much difference as there is betweene saying and doing so great difference is there also betweene those two manner of commendations But faith praiseth the goodnesse and mercie of God after the second manner when as she being in the midst of perils and temptations she is secure and triumpheth Through this assurance she vndertakes great and hard matters and she distributes to the poore that she hath without any care hoping with assurance in the mercie of God which neuer forsakes them which trust in him and which enter into perils and troubles for his name sake There are verie fewe although perchance otherwise good men who haue attained to this steppe of faithfull assurance but happy and thrice happy is he that hath attained vnto it to which this woman seemes to haue climbed vp who being so often repelled and reiected of the Lord yet for all that did not distrust of his goodnesse and mercie Therefore not without cause the Lord commends her faith saying O woman great is thy faith Be it vnto thee euen as thou wilt And this is diligentlie of vs to be marked here that thorow the whole Gospell there are onely found but two such exclamations of our Sauiour and both of them to the same purpose One is in the words now recited the other is when as Christ reproouing a man not beléeuing cried out O froward and incredulous generation How long shall I be with you how long shall I suffer you These two exclamations doe verie manifestly declare how gratefull and acceptable to God that faith is which hath this hope assurance euer ioined with it and how greatly incredulitie and distrustfulnesse displeaseth him Faith brings with it euer assurance and confidence and therefore cannot abide wauering and doubtfulnesse And such a faith only is acceptable to God saith Granatensis But how can then that be a faith acceptable to God which other papists
euidently he writes thus If any man therefore haue tares which may be burnt which the enuious man did sowe whilest the housholder slept these shall the fire burne these shall be burnt and in the eies of all the Saints their punishments shall be made manifest which in steed of gold siluer and pretious stones haue built vpon the foundation of the Lord hay wood stubble food of that euerlasting fire And after As of the diuels and all them that denie God and wicked men which say in their hearts there is no God we beleeue their torments are euerlasting fire so also of sinners Alas euen of Christians whose works are to be prooued and tried with fire we thinke that there shall be a mercifull sentence of the iudge mixt with clemencie This fire and this purging and this sentence Ierome plainly affirmes to be at the last daie Also writing of that hard place of the Psalme Pardon me before I go hence he writes thus Lib. 18. in Es He truely which while he liues in this body and hath not obtained pardon for his sinnes and so shall depart out of this life perisheth to God and ceaseth to be any more although as concerning himselfe he remaine in punishments Of purgatorie also Ierom in another place writes thus Ier. Epist 135. ad Damas God wil not punish twise the same fault and he that hath once receiued euils in this life shall not suffer again the same torments at his death which he hath suffred in his life But if néed be al Gods children are chastened in this life saith S. Peter Againe 1. Pet. 1.6 4.27 now the time is that iudgement begins at the house of God Therefore none of Gods children shall be punished hereafter If need be they shall be punished now Ephes 4.5 Iam. 4.12 And S. Peter séemes to make but as there is one God and one law and one lawgiuer so also but one iudgement concerning all the transgressions of this law And he affirmes that it is begun alreadie in Gods house among Gods children but it shall bee perfited and consummated at that great day of iudgement of all the wicked and damned And in another place he writes thus Tract 1.2 par Epist 3. ad Dar. Doe we therefore seeke where this healthfull burning shal be No man doubts but in the holy Scriptures By the reading whereof all the sinnes of men are purged These thrée purgatories Ierome séemes to auouch vnto vs the purgatorie of Gods worde the purgatorie of afflictions and the purging fire of the daie of iudgement which according to the opinion then receiued of manie in the Church he thought should purge the Lords gold without impairing it or hurting it from his drosse that it might shine the brighter Although S. Peter doe referre this purging to the afflictions of this life 1. Pet. 1.7 Cyp. de mortalitate The common receiued opinion of the Church was in Cyprians daies that all Christians departed were with the Lord as at large he prooues first by a vision secondly by the scriptures He writes thus When as one of his fellowes ministers and priests being now wearie with sicknesse and affraid of death approching desired deliuerance from death there stood by him thus desiring and almost dying a young man of maiestie of honour to be worshipped of great dignitie and glorie whom no mortall eie could almost behold but that he was able to see him being now ready to die But he not without griefe of minde and voice groned out and said Are you affraid to suffer will you not depart hence what shall I do to you Our brother being at the point of death heard what he should say to others for he which heard it being nowe dying heard it to this end that he should shew it to others he heard it not for himselfe but for others c. And after he writes thus To vs our selues the least and basest of all others how often hath it bin reuolued how often and plainly by the grace of God commaunded that I should diligently and humbly preach and protest that our brethren are not to be lamented that by the Lords calling are deliuered out of this world when as I know that they are not lost but sent before and departing from vs that they go before vs. And that as going a iourney or sayling we should long for them we should not lament them neither that we should here weare mourning garments for them when as they there haue taken white garments And that we should not giue occasion to the Gentiles that they may iustly and rightly reprooue vs that we should lament those as extinct or perished whom we affirme to be aliue with the Lord and that we should reprooue with the testimonie of our heart and mindes the faith which wee professe with our tongues and voice We our selues sin against our owne hope and faith all the things we say seems but faigned forged counterfaited It auaileth nothing in wordes to tattle of vertue and with deeds to destroy the truth S. Paul also reprooues and chides and blames those that are sorie for the departure of their friends He affirmes that those are sory for their friends departure which haue no hope but we which liue thorow hope and beleeue in God and beleeue that Christ suffered for vs and rose againe we beleeue that those that remaine in Christ Iesus shall rise again by him and in him Why will not we our selues depart out of this world or why doe we deplore and lament our friends departing as though they were perished Our Lord Christ admonishing vs saying I am the resurrection he that beleeues in me though he were dead yet shall he liue And all that liues and beleeues in me shall not die for euer If we beleeue in Christ let vs beleeue his words and promises and we shall not die for euer that we may come to Christ ioyfully and without care with whom we shall liue and raigne That in the meane time we die by death we passe to immortalitie neither can immortalitie succeede vnlesse we depart hence first Death is not a going out of the doores but a passage from a worse place to a better And an earthly iourney being ended as an arriuall to things eternall who will not hasten to obtaine these things which are better Who will not wish the sooner to be changed and to be made like the forme and shape of Christ to come to the dignitie of eternal glorie as S. Paul preacheth our conuersation is in heauen 3. Philipp And that we shall be such as our Lorde Christ promiseth when as he prayeth to his father for vs that we might be with him And that we may liue with him in eternall dwellings and may reioice with him in the heauenly kingdome O father those that thou hast giuen me I will that where I am they be with me and that they may see my glorie which thou
fauour againe therefore it was meet that mans nature being ioined to the nature of God should be so rich that it should aboundantly make satisfaction to God the father for the sinne of all mankind Therefore Christ borrowed this of his diuinitie that his body being holy innocent and stained with no spot of sinne should haue in it infinite vertue and force whereby it might pay all the debt we were bound in And hereof he saith I paid them the things I neuer tooke And a little after he writes thus He that hath giuen vs the bloud of his Sonne what will he deny vs Ibidem that is necessary to our saluation He that spared not his owne Sonne as Saint Paul saith but required of him the punishment due to our sinnes how will hee againe now punish vs if we shall be vnthankfull for such a benefite So that Osorius here plainlie affirmes that God required of his sonne Iesus Christ the punishment due to our sinnes and that whatsoeuer we now can suffer is but our dueties is but thankfulnesse for so great a benefit And after VVe must be followers of God Ibidem and if God could not be imitated vnles he were seen and if he could not be seen vnles he became man that he might stirre vp men to the earnest desire of true vertue not onely in words but also by examples what thing could be inuented either more profitably or wisely to mans saluation then to see the Sonne of God for mans saluation euen as it were shotte thorough with reproches torne in pieces with wounds tormented with griefes and enduring all these with an inuincible patience that he might not only suffer punishment for vs but that also be might strengthen our minds with the example of his heauenly vertue and with inuincible patience Let vs marke how he saith that he suffered the punishment for vs. Dauid also in the Psalmes teacheth vs verie excellentlie the great benefite of Christs redemption Psalm 85. ◠O Lord saieth hee thou art now well pleased with the land where the Hebrew word Ratsitha which he vseth signifies the greatest good will that can bee Thou hast turned the captiuitie of Iacob Iacob is nowe deliuered from sathans tyrannie Gen 3.15 thou hast broken the Serpents head as thou hast promised thou hast quite taken awaie the transgression of thy people That prophesie of Micah is now fulfilled we maie saie Micah 7.19 He retaineth not his wrath for euer because mercie pleaseth him he will returne and haue compassion vpon vs he will subdue or take with violence all our iniquities and cast all their sinnes into the bottom of the Sea Our sinnes doone awaie by Christs redemption shall neuer be seene anie more this wee must all beleeue And as Moyses said to Israel of Pharaoh and his armie Exod. 14.13 Feare ye not stand ye still and behold the saluation of the Lord which he will shew to you this daie for the Aegyptians whom you haue seen this daie ye shall neuer see them again So Saint Paul saieth to all Christians Wh◠shall laie anie thing to the charge of Gods elect Rom. 8.33 It is God that iustifieth who shall condemne It is Christ which is dead yea rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and makes request also for vs. Ioh. 12.31 And our sauiour saith Now is the iudgement of the world by faith or incredulitie by receiuing mee or not receiuing me And the prince of this world is cast out of doores And againe Luk. 10.18 I saw Sathan like lightning fall downe from heauen As verilie as Pharaoh is drowned in the redde sea so that the Israelites which then sawe him and his armie pursuing them neuer saw him anie more so verilie is this our spirituall Pharaoh his armie which pursues all christians drowned in the sea of Christs bloud in the bottomlesse depth of his redemption that the faithfull shall neuer see him anie more Hée shall not dare or bee bold now to appeare in God sight to accuse them Hée is now quite cast out of doores Reu. 7.14.12.8 By the bloud of the Lambe now and by that mightie Michael Iesus Christ is that great Dragon and all his angels conquered they preuailed not neither was their place found anie more in heauen Exod. 25.21 And thou hast couered all their sinnes Here is also the propitiation of Iesus Christ hee is that golden couering or propitiatorie that couered the whole arke No part of the arke here is excepted and therefore he also couered the blessed virgine Mary her sinnes Luk. 1.47 and hereof no doubt shée called him also her Sauiour Hée couered also the Apostles sinnes and therefore also they saie If anie man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father 1. Ioh. 8. Iesus Christ the righteous and hee is also the propitiation of our sinnes Thou hast gathered together as in a bundell all thine anger and laide it vpon Iesus Christ and art now turned from thy wrathfull displeasure Here is no doubt the great redemption of Iesus Christ and vpon this word of God must our faith be grounded And doe we not thinke then that Christ by his passion hath quite taken awaie both the fault and punishment all our repentance and sorrowes are nothing vnto the punishments due vnto our sinnes They are fruites of repentance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 3.8 of our after wittes as the Gréeke word mate seeme to signifie they are Testimonies that now our former sinnes doe displease vs. As that great sinner Mary Magdalen testified by the breaking of hir Boxe of precious ointment and annointing Christs feet therewith and wiping his feet with hir haire Ioh. 12.3 that now shée made no account neither of that precious ointment nor of her haire wherein before shée tooke great pleasure No doubt where true repentance and turning to God from sinne is these fruites will follow and without these fruites worthie of repentance we maie saie as Iohn said to the Pharisies that our repentance is but hypocrisie And after vpon this loue of God towards his Church followes a Prayer Turne vs O God of our saluation Verse 4. and let thine anger cease from vs. And after Make vs see thy mercie Verse 7. O Lord and giue vs thy saluation What is this but Iesus Christ Vnlesse God reueale it to vs wee cannot see the greatnesse of his mercie towards vs And therefore Dauid prayeth Make vs see thy mercy O Lord and giue vs thy saluation And after Verse 10. Mercie and truth are met together righteousnes and peace haue kissed each other As though hee should saie In Iesus Christ is mercie it selfe In him is the truth of all Gods promises What mercie 2. Cor. 1.20 or loue or blessing soeuer God hath euer promised by the mouth of anie of his Prophets is verified nowe and fulfilled in Iesus Christ These foure vertues neuer
mette in anie man since Adams fall till now Truth now hath flourished out of the earth Verse 11. O happie earth that bore at length such a blossome All men before were liars till Iesus Christ was borne Psal 12.2.62.9 In whose mouth was no deceit So that now it maie be said that trueth hath flourished out of the earth and neuer till now And righteousnes hath looked downe from heauen Euen nowe also to impart her selfe to men who were all before vnrighteous who were altogither naked as their great grandfather Adam confessed to cloath and adorne them Gen. 3.10 O happie assembly of heauenly vertues Oh blessed natiuitie of Iesus Christ Without this earth had still brought forth lies man had béene still vnrighteous anger and displeasure of God had raigned in the world Luk. 2.24 Esay 53.5 punishments and all manner of plagues had taken hold of all men Oh happie Metamorphosis and exchange That for lies truth for sinne righteousnesse for anger peace for punishment mercie and louing kindnesse is bestowed vpon man Naie this our king is such a king as that Righteousnesse shall go before him Vers 13. it shall direct his goings in the way he shall not once treade awrie So that to the verie faces of his enemies he shall saie Iohn 8.46 Which of you can rebuke me of sinne And none of them shall be able to accuse him He shall iustifie sinners that trust in him Esay 53.11 He is able to pay their debts and minister iustice for all those that are oppressed to their oppressors as he did to Naboth and Ahab 1. King 21.21 Luk. 16.25 to Diues and Lazarus This is the meaning of this Psalme Granatensis as he is full of holie meditations so especiallie he excéedes in this matter so that although the places I shall take out of him be verie long yet I hope the excellencie of the matter will make them séeme short Euen as it is written of Iacob Gen. 29.20 That he serued seuen yeeres for Rahel and they seemed to him but a few daies because he loued her So all they which loue Iesus Christ all the paines they shall take in reading things that concerne him it should séeme nothing vnto them Granatensis first therefore in a discourse he makes vpon the Lords prayer writes thus verie excellentlie of mans iustification by Christ in the sight of God But O Father doest thou forgiue vs our sinnes freely and without any recompence Truely thou forgiuest them freely not freely not freely for although mercy be readie to forgiue yet iustice will be satisfied freely because thou hast giuen vs freely that wherwith to repaie iustice that is that great and inestimable treasure which thy onely begotten sonne the whole space of xxxi j yeeres did laie vp as treasure for vs An entrance to the which he hath purchased for vs with his bloud We offer to thee this treasure O Father take thereof as much as thou wilt There may be drawn out thereof abundantly but it can neuer be drawne drie we may spend thereof but it can neuer be diminished All his merits are ours his satisfaction is ours his bloud is our ransome Therefore we beseech thee O Lord that being pacified with the bloud and merits of thy sonne that thou wouldest winke at our sins the which if thou shalt call into a streight account there is no man shall be able to abide the fauour much lesse the rigour of thy iustice Let thy mercie helpe vs who acknowledge our selues worthie to be damned for a thousand sinnes by thy iustice Purge vs with the feruent fire of thy loue take vs againe to thy fauour be friendes with vs Forgiue vs our trespasses Thus farre Granatensis And this which he teacheth must all Gods Saints pleade at the tribunall seate of Gods iustice They must saie with Dauid Pleade thou my cause O Lord Psal 35.1 with them that striue with me fight thou against them that fight against me And againe And now truely what is my hope 39.7.38.15 Truelie my hope is euen in thée And againe For in thee O Lord haue I put my trust thou shalt answere for me O Lord my God This must be their plea if they minde to be saued against all the accusations of their owne consciences and enditements of Sathan And this is that which our Sauiour teacheth Verely verely Ioh. 5.24 I say vnto you he that heareth my worde and beleeueth in him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life Granatensis concludes the Lords prayer thus Behold most louing Father how our childishnesse hath plaied her part as well as she can in vttering the words which thy only begotten sonne hath taught vs but now we powre out altogither and at once without wordes our whole hearts that thou wouldest mercifully grant vnto vs those things which we desire of thee O Father we most humbly beseech thee that thou wouldest mercifully bestow vpon vs all those benefites and graces before recited not respecting our vnworthinesse but the worthinesse of thy onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ For he is our aduocate our priest our sacrifice and our patrone before thee For we doe not prostrate our prayers before thy face trusting in our owne righteousnesse as the Prophet saith but in the multitude of thy mercies and in the merites of thy sonne our Lorde For whatsoeuer he hath done or suffered all that he hath giuen vnto vs he hath suffered and done al that for vs therfore for his sake we desire thee that thou wilt grant vs all these our requests By him thou hast created all things and by him thou hast restored all things that were lost by him thou hast created man to thine owne image and likenesse and by him thou hast reformed man againe to the same image He is the foundation of our being he is the foundation of our righteousnesse and the cause of our merites he is our intercessor with thee he is our aduocate and the strength of our hope Therefore whatsoeuer hitherto O heauenly Father we haue asked we haue asked all that by thy sonne for that which is not due to our righteousnesse is due to his merites If thou shalt finde no goodnesse in vs truely thou canst finde no wickednesse in him If there be no merites in vs behold his merites without estimation or number By him therefore we pray thee by him we beseech thee honour him in vs. For that which thou giuest to vs the verie same thou giuest to him for whatsoeuer is bestowed vpon the members redounds to the head whereof they are members We confesse O Father we confesse our pouertie we haue nothing of our owne that we may offer vnto thee least notwithstanding that we should appeare emptie before thee which thing thou forbiddest in thy law behold we offer vp in sacrifice vnto thee thy onely begotten sonne with all his labors
Ferus a Papist and a Frier of this matter writes thus This brings saith he great comfort to an afflicted conscience to know that Christs promises such like as these are Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee and againe it is your fathers pleasure to giue you a kingdome and againe your father knoweth that you stand in neede of these things doe not belong onely to the Apostles but do belong also to him Ferus ser 57. in cap. 19. Iob. But most plainly in his Sermons vpon Iob he teacheth this doctrine Thirdly saith he he doth not say onely a redeemer liues but that my redeemer liues and not without an expresse signification of his mind as we say that not coldly or for fashion sake For what good doth it me that Christ is a redeemer vnlesse he be also my redeemer vnlesse he haue made me partaker of his redemption Sathan knew that Christ was a redeemer but he cannot call him his redeemer therefore all the force of this sentence consists in this word mine let vs therfore endeuor to fashion our faith to this Neither is it sufficient if we doe beleeue vnlesse we beleeue with a certaine hope and assurance If I beleeue that there is a God and do not beleeue that he is my God that faith brings me no comfort for the Diuels beleeue the same and tremble Such a faith profiteth nothing But then I beleeue aright with a ioyfull assurance of my hart if I can not only say I beleeue that there is a God but I beleeue he is my God nor only I beleeue that God is a father but I beleeue that he is my father This to conclude is that that makes the hart merrie this is the true confession of the faith this God requires Heare O Israell I am thy Lord God that is to say I will not that thou account me for a God onely but that thou haue me for thy God but then thou shalt acknowledge that I am thy God if thou shalt boldly call vpon me in thy necessities so Christ will not that we shall onely say Father which art in heauen but Our Father as he himselfe hath praied in the garden After this manner also Thomas made a confession of his faith my God and my Lord acknowledging Christ not onely to be a God and a Lord but also his God and his Lord. So doth also Iob in this place I know that he is a redeemer and I know that he is mine Let vs marke how plainlie he teacheth this doctrine and strongly he confirmes the same against Maister Bellarmines former position Philippus de Dies a Frier also of this matter Domin 3. post pent conc 2. agréeing with Ferus writes thus O immutable God saith he wherefore when as there are so many wicked men in the world some for gaming some for pleasures some for pride some for couetousnesse thou saiest there is but one lost sheepe because the most sweete Iesus wils that thou shouldest beleeue that he sought thee so that if thou hadst beene in all the world alone he would for thy sake onely haue died Therefore euerie one is to account himselfe as that lost sheep and should thinke these benefits of his redemption not as vniuersal but as particular euen done for him And as for such like benefits should shew himselfe thankefull What can be more plaine then this that euerie man ought to account himselfe that lost shéepe And that Christ died for him alone And that not for a generall benefit as Maist Bellarmine teacheth but for such a particular benefit bestowed vpon him alone he should be thankfull Surely their doctrine diminisheth this thankfulnesse Philippus de Dies of speciall grace writes thus Conc. 1. in fest pet Pauli In euery temptation of our faith we must flie to this point saying My Lord Iesus Christ is the naturall sonne of God and the same is also God with the father and the holy Ghost and therefore whatsoeuer he hath taught or said concerning the Sacraments of grace of the glory of heauen of the paines of hell is a most certaine and infallible truth Stella of speciall grace writes thus In cap. 12. Luc. Marke that he saith to them which waite for their Lord. Wherein thou must take heede that the God which shall come vnto thee both that he be thine and that thou be Gods So that thou maiest truely say with Dauid I am thine O saue me because I haue sought thy righteousnesse It is a bird seldome seene vpon earth that can say to God I am thine He can saie so truely which cleaues to God with his whole heart and affection Can he say so which is greedie of money or which cleaues to a whore He which thinkes of the world and seekes after worldly things without doubt is the worlds as also they are the Diuels that serue the Diuell Lust comes and saith thou art mine because thou thinkest of those things which concerne the body concupiscence Couetousnesse comes and saith thou art mine because thou takest care for money And so other vices Howe canst thou which art such a one say to God I am thine And he addeth by and by Because I haue sought thy righteousnesse that is I haue sought nothing els I haue sought but that which belongs to thee Some seeke iewels golde siluer and precious stones dignities pleasures of the flesh reuenge of their enemies but I haue sought for thy righteousnesse I cannot possesse but that which belongs to thee I am thine because my portion is not in these earthly things but only in thee c. As we are Gods so also we must euerie one of vs accompt God to be ours by Stella his iudgement De Iacob vita beata ca. 6 Ambrose speaking of that place of S. Paul Rom. 8. writes thus He hath wonderfully added that that he gaue him to die for vs all that he might declare that he loued vs all so that he gaue his dearely beloued sonne euen for euerie one of vs. And in another place speaking of Christ he writes thus He died but once Ambr. de fuga seculi cap. 9. but he died for euery one that is baptized into the death of Christ that we may be buried with him and may rise againe with him may walke in the newnesse of his life And after the chiefe Priest is dead for thee is crucified for thee that thou mightest sticke fast to his nayles for he tooke thee and thy sins vpon him on that Crosse the obligations of thy sins were fastned to that gibbet that now thou shouldest owe nothing to the world which thou hast renounced Ferus also of the same matter writes thus Fourthly as it was said to Christ Fer. part 3. pass Let God deliuer him if he will haue him so this is the fourth temptation of the godly when they are tempted whether God loue them or not Where this word him hath a great force let him deliuer him
if he will haue him For who doubts but that God knowes how to saue and is also able and willing to saue For God is the God of saluation as saith the Psalme but whether hee will saue him or no this the Diuell cals in question especially if a man haue liued among the wicked as Christ was here among the theeues Therefore it is a great temptation when the Diuell makes a man doubt which trusts in the Gospell that although he beleeue that Christ is our righteousnesse yet that he should doubt whether he be his righteousnesse or no c. Euerie true Christian must beléeue in particular that Christ is his righteousnesse if he minde to ouercome the Diuell and be saued To beléeue in Generall that he is the righteousnesse of all men is the marke the Diuell shootes at and this doctrine the Papists some of them doe now teach But he must go further that will be saued and apply this soueraigne plaister of Christs death to himselfe and to his owne soule and beléeue that he is his righteousnesse also Granatensis also of the same matter writes thus But thou O Lord as thou art omnipotent in vertues Granat de perfectione amor dei lib. 2. ca. 34 so thou art sufficient for all men in loue thou art infinit in them both and therefore that cannot be wanting to any which hath neither lymits nor any ende although it be deuided amongst many Euen as no man enioyeth lesse the light of the sunne because it shineth to all men but he receiueth so much thereof euen as though he were alone in the world so that heauenly bridegroome loues no lesse all the Godly soules both in particular and in generall then if it were one soule alone For he is not a louer like to Iacob whose loue towards Leah was colder for the feruent loue wherewith he loued Rachel but as an infinite God whose vertue is no lesse in euerie particular person though it be deuided also amongst many And after The Philosophers say Cap. 37. that goodnesse is to be beloued of it selfe but also that euery one loues his owne goods the best for when as man loues himselfe by nature it followes by a necessarie consequent that he must loue all his owne things as proper and pertaining to himselfe alone Wherefore euerie one loues his owne house his owne vineyard his owne money his owne seruants his owne horses and whatsoeuer he possesseth for all these serue to his vse and therefore man as he loueth himselfe so he loues all things which belong to himselfe Therfore if then thou my Lord God be not the onely best good thing in the world but also my best good thing that I haue in the world I minde here to consider in what degree thou art mine and by how many titles thou art mine that hereby I may more manifestly know how greatly I ought to loue thee Therefore I see O my God that thou art my Creator that thou art my sanctifier and that thou art my gloryfier Thou art my helper my gouernour defender tutour and keeper thou sustainest me thou encouragest me thou preseruest me thou to conclude art my God thou art my Lorde thou art my saluation thou art my hope thou art my glorie thou art all the good things I haue Thou art all these thinges vnto me O Lorde as thou art God but in that thou art man there are many other titles other duties and other bonds wherewith I am bound to thee Thou art my repairer for thou hast made perfect againe mans nature which by sinne was corrupted and weakned thou art my deliuerer for by thy captiuitie thou hast deliuered me from the tyranny of sinne death hell and the diuell my deadly enimy thou art my redeemer for with a price and incomparable treasure laid out for my sake thou hast redeemed me from that seruitude into the which thorow sinne I was fallen thou art my King for thou gouernest me with thy Spirite thou also hast fought for me and hast deliuered me from the hands of mine enimies And so going forward he reckons vp a great many benefits of Iesus Christ to his Church and after concludes thus All these things thou art O Lord my God and more then these both to all and to euery one and to me alone And therefore with what face shal I not loue thee Lord to whom I am bound by so many titles and meanes Par. prec orat 7. de impet amore dei Michaelab Istelt cites thus Granatensis praying But when as indeed euery good thing is to be beleeued by it selfe yet notwithstāding euery one doth loue his own good the best I wil therfore loue thee O Lord my God not only because that thou art the best good thing but because that thou art my good too For when I consider and way with my selfe by how many titles and means thou art become mine my very entrails melt within me and I crie out with the Bride My loue is mine and I am his For thou O Lord art my creator thou art my sanctifier and glorifier thou hast giuen me the essence of nature thou hast giuen me the essence of grace and thou wilt giue me the essence of glory Thou art my helper my gouernour my defender my tutor my preseruer and lastly thou art my Lord and my God thou art my saluation my hope my glory thou art all the goods I haue And truly thou art all these vnto me in as much as thou art God in as much as thou art the Creator and preseruer of all things but in that thou art man there are many other titles other duties and other bonds wherewith I am bound to thee and thou to me for the which also I ought of good right to loue thee if it were possible with an infinit loue c. Granatensis here affirmes that God is not onely the best good thing in the world but that hee is his good to him And what is this else but to teach men to beleeue speciall grace Mem. lib. 2. cap. 4. Granatensis also himselfe of speciall grace writes thus Amongst all those losses which the sinner incurres thorow his sinne there is none greater or more to be lamented then that hee loseth God himselfe for this is the root and fountaine of all other losses For to haue lost God is not to haue God a speciall father tutor pastour and defender and now to haue changed him from being a most louing Father into a most seuere Iudge Here is the verie word vsed that God is as it were a speciall father protector and defender to euerie one of his Granatensis in another place of speciall grace writes thus Mem. lib. 5. orat remiss peccat O Lord remember thy wordes which are most comfortable which sometimes thou spakest by the mouth of thy Prophet Ier. 31. But thou hauing plaide the harlot with manie louers yet turne againe to mee sayth the Lord. Wherefore O mercifull father
dreame of vs we not knowing that we doe appeare Nay he thinkes that those apparitions are of Angels which appeare sometimes to men and commaund that their bodies should be buried when as they themselues whose bodies they are know no such thing If Austen smelled thus much in his daies concerning burying of bodies of Saints that they were not the saints themselues that appeared but angels the saints neuer knowing we may suspect that they were also euill angels that did appeare then because they lied but if they were good angels as Austen thought yet we maie iudge of the like thus much that those apparitions which were in time of Poperie which often appeared and craued to be holpen out of purgatorie in the likenesse of mens soules were not their soules nor perchance the soules of such neuer knew anie such thing but were lying angels Of the knowledge also of them which are dead Austen in the same booke writes thus Those which are dead Cap. 15. may know some things here which are necessarie for them to know and againe not know what is not necessarie for them to know both things past present and also things to come the spirit of God reueâ—ling it vnto them as also not all men but the Prophets while they liued here knew Neither knew they all things but such things as Gods prouidence iudged fit for them to know So that by S. Austens iudgement first it is vncertaine whether the Saints know anie thing at all of our earthlie affaires or no. And againe if they know they know not all things but such things as God reueales to them and thinks méete for them to know And now in this vncertaintie of their knowledges who will make their prayers vnto them and not be sure whether they be heard or not especiallie when as the same S. Austen in another place writes If faith want prayer dies De verb. dom secund Lucam ser 36. for who will pray that beleeues not Wherfore the blessed Apostle when as he exhorted to prayer said Whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued And that hee might shew faith to be the fountaine of praier neither that the streame can runne where as the head of the water is dried vp he added and said But howe shall they call vpon him in whom they haue not beleeued Therefore that we may pray aright let vs beleeue and let vs pray also that faith faile not by which we pray So that without certaine faith that our praiers are heard and obtained praiers by S. Austens iudgment in this place are nought but such praiers can no man make to saints Againe Ser. 120. de temp he teacheth that prayers are now the sacrifices of christians Therefore God commanded the Iewes to leaue the whole land and to offer sacrifices in one place and to pay their vowes because then all the land was vncleane with the smoake of Altars and with the sauour of graues and with other pollutions which from the sacriledge of the prophane Gentiles were brought vpon it But to vs nowe that Christ is comed and hath purged the whole earth all places are become places fit for vs to pray in And therefore S. Paul exhorts and commands to pray without ceasing and in euery place c. So that now in stoode of all Iewish sacrifices praier is the Christians sacrifice and in stéede of their one place Ierusalem where they were bounde to offer their sacrifices onely we maie now praie in all places And againe De ciu lib. 10. cap. 4. he that sacrificeth to gods but to God alone shall be destroyed for that I may say nothing of other things which belong to the seruice wherewith God is worshipped as concerning sacrifice there is no man dare say but that it belongs to God alone And againe Who euer thought that he ought to offer sacrifice but to him either whom he knew to be God or supposed or imagined to be God So that praiers being now Christians sacrifices and sacrifices being due onlie to God therfore praiers by Austens iudgement should be due to God also onlie Lib. 22. ca. 10. And in another place of Martyrs he writes thus We build not so our Martyrs Churches as to gods but memorials as to dead men whose spirits doe liue with God neither there doe we erect Altars vpon which we may sacrifice to Martyrs but we ofter all our sacrifices to our onely God and also the God of the Martyrs At which sacrifice as men of God which through the confession of his faith haue ouercome the world they are named in their place and order yet they are not called vpon of the priest when he sacrificeth for he offers sacrifice to God and not to them although he offer sacrifice at their memorials for hee is Gods priest and not theirs And the sacrifice he offers is the body of Christ which he offers not to them because they are it themselues Here S. Austen doth teach vs most manifestlie these thrée things That sacrifice belongs onlie to God and that inuocation is sacrifice and that the bodie of Christ which the Priest offers is not Christs naturall bodie as the Papists teach and would haue vs beléeue that S. Austen taught when he speakes of the oblation of Christs bodie in the Eucharist but his mysticall bodie and the sacrifice of that bodie I think the Papists will not saie anie thing profits the dead And if inuocation be sacrifice as S. Austen here plainlie teacheth shall we inuocate martyrs and saints If the priests in those daies did not inuocate them shall we now This is S. Austens resolute iudgement His speeches in his other booke of the care of the dead are but doubts Rom. 8.26 Saint Paul of prayer writes thus Likewise also the spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray as we ought but the spirit it selfe makes requests for vs with sighs which cannot be expressed But he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the meaning of the spirit for he maketh request for the Saints according to the will of God We must alwaies praie in the holy Ghost Iude v. 20. as S. Iude teacheth vs but onlie God which searcheth the hearts as S. Paul here teacheth knoweth and vnderstandeth the sighings of the spirit and no angell or saint els therfore we must make all our praiers to God alone and not to anie saint or angell Prayer is a talking with God and therefore Dauid saith Psal 5.1 Heare my words O Lord and vnderstand my meditation But are we sure when we speake to a saint that he heares vs And who will speake to anie that he is not sure whether he heareth him or no And Ferus also yéelds this reason Fer. in cap. 12. Act. why we should inuocate onlie Iesus Christ Christ saith he was present in the congregation at Antioche according to his promise Where two or three be gathered togither in my
glorifie him Thus farre Ferus Wherein he doth teach vs manie notable lessons First not to giue to Saints those things which belong to God Secondly that we maie honor the Saints too much which some I thinke at this daie do not beléeue Thirdly what is the minde of all Saints they cannot abide that they should be extolled for any of Gods gifts Fourthly that they are but Gods instruments and do nothing by their owne power as hath been taught and beleeued most commonly in the darknesse of Poperie when as men went a pilgrimage and offered to them as if they of their own power could helpe them Fiftly let all men in all wonderfull works acknowledge God the chiefe workman and giue him all the glorie and praise and magnifie him in his Saints as the first Christians did in Paul they did not magnifie Paul Gal. 1.24 Neither that they make anie of them equall with God The same Ferus manifestly refutes that same obiection which the Papists make commonly for their pictures and images of God Fer. in 2. Act. God say they hath appeared often times in many formes and shapes and why may we not then paint him according to that forme he appeared in Here first besides that this their picturing of God is manifestly against the second commandement and against the doctrine of the prophet Esay where God as it were euen reasons with these idolaters Esay 40.18 and saith To whom will ye liken me c. Ferus yéelds another reason of these appearances of God God saith he in himselfe is inuisible yet we reade that he hath oftentimes appeared And all such his appearances are for the most part as the matters required for the which hee appeared So Esay saw God sitting as a iudge for the iudgement of Israel was at hand He appeared to Moses in a bush burning and not consuming For then such like was the state of the people of Israel in Egypt for they were in the fire of aduersitie and were not consumed Also he shewed himselfe to the eies of man at the giuing of the law in thunder lightning cloud and an earthquake to declare that that law should be a fearfull lawe and should cause wrath So the Angell hauing a sword drawne in his hand shewed himselfe to Iosuah now ready to fight whereby he declared that he would fight against the enemies of the Iewes So to Zacharie Angels appeared like horsemen for it was a time of feare and trembling for the inuasions of the Persians So the holy Ghost was seene vpon Christ in the shape of a Doue that he might declare that singular and rare innocencie puritie and mildnesse which was in Christ For a Doue is a gentle simple and plaine creature without any gall So in the transfiguration of our Lord which is a type of the resurrection the holy Gost appeared in a bright cloud that he might declare that at the last resurrection shall want no comfort not glorie Here also the holy Ghost appeared in toongs and fire for the state of the matter then euen so required it The Apostles stood need of toongs but both of firie and heauenly toongs So Ferus giues these reasons of these apparitions and not that we should by them make images of all these things Ferus also concerning images quite dissents from M. Bellarmine Bellar. de imag lib. 2. cap. 12. M. Bellarmine writes thus We with the Church affirme that the images of Christ and the Saints are to be honoured if so be that as it is declared in the councell of Trent Sess 25. we put no trust in the images neither that we aske any thing of them neither that we thinke that there is any diuinitie in them And againe answering after the obiection of the golden calfe which the Israelites made he answeres Cap. 13. that the Israelites thought verily that they had receiued their deliuerance out of Egypt not of the God of Moses but of Apis the god of the Egyptians which they had seene in Egypt worshipped of the Egyptians and therefore to him they made the image of a calfe But Ferus is of another and better iudgement vpon these words Make vs Gods c. he writes thus Fer. in 7. c. Act. He shewes that they were not only rebellious against Moses but also against God By gods here they meane saith he some worship of God by which they might purchase his helpe For they were not so blockish that they beleeued that Aaron could make them a god And this prooues that which Aaron said Tomorrow is the holy day vnto the Lord therfore they worshipped the true God with this worship The which thing is euident also by their owne words These are the gods c. For they knew well enough that that calfe was not then when they came out of Egypt therefore no worship whatsoeuer pleaseth God which he himselfe hath not appointed Therfore they sinned herein two waies First in that they made an image against the first commandement of God Secondly in that they worshipped him with a worship deuised of themselues The true worship of God is in spirit and truth He worships God which beleeues in him trusts in him loues him feares him praiseth him and obeyeth him This worship is to be preferred aboue all others nor any other are auailable without this Images are therefore tolerated and borne withall in the Church that they may put vs in minde not that they should be worshipped otherwise they cannot at all be excused Here Ferus quite dissents from M. Bellarmine First he plainly affirmes that the Israelites as we doe teach did worship the true God vnder the image of the golden calfe and not Apis the God of the Egyptians as M. Bellarmine affirmeth Secondly that images are not to be worshipped at all And that their worship cannot be defended and yet M. Bellarmine goeth about to defend it Thirdly he teacheth that no worshippe whatsoeuer can please God which God himselfe hath not ordained Contrarie also to M. Bellarmines exposition Bell. de Imag. lib. 2 cap. 4. who expounds that place of the second to the Colossians thus I say secondly that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voluntarie worship doth not signifie any voluntarie worship whatsoeuer not commanded of God or deuised of man but onely superstitious worship as our interpreter hath rightly translated it or false religion as S. Ierom expounds it in his Epistles in his tenth question to Algasia Therfore saith he Caluin must prooue the worship of reliques to be superstitious or false if he will haue it reprooued here of Paul Thus farre M. Bellarmine He affirmes that some worship of God deuised of man or besides that which God hath commanded so that it be not superstitious maie please God But Ferus plainly condemnes all worships of God whatsoeuer besides those which he hath appointed himselfe And to this purpose he writes thus after vpon these words Fer in 7. Act. Ye haue
lambs for so Gedithaik the Hebrew word signifies nigh vnto the tents of those sheepheards Here is that heauenly Oracle first she must know for her selfe Habac. 2.4 Heb. 8.10 The iust man must liue by his own faith And this is now the new couenant that all shall know me saith the Lord from the smallest to the greatest They which lacke this knowledge no doubt are without the couenant And this is life eternall saith our Sauiour that they know thee to be the onely true God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Io. 17.3 They which know not thus much shall neuer haue eternall life But how now shall we attaine this true knowledge and be sure not to go astray in so manie by waies as now are in the world The answere is plaine and easie Follow the tract of those sheepe Hatsoon saith the spouse as it is in the Hebrew that is of the first Christians not of euerie common shéepe as the Papists would haue vs. The shéepe will make a tract or way by which it may appeare which way they haue gone Euen so let vs follow the steppes of the ancient Christians Let vs beléeue to be saued as they beleeued let vs liue as they liued and then surely we shall rest with Iesus Christ For as saint Paul saith The Corinthians wanted nothing 1. Cor. 1.7 but were euen now readie to looke for the comming of our Lord Iesus to iudgement What things then they had not as necessarie to their saluation what néed we thē And S. Peter saith testifieth that that was the true grace of God wherein the Christiās stood in his daies 1. Pet. 5.12 And shall we beleeue to please God now by any other new deuises And this is that which saint Paul teacheth the Corinthians For this cause haue I sent vnto you Timothie 1. Cor. 4 17. which is my beloued sonne and faithfull in the Lord which shall put you in remembrance of my waies in Christ Saint Paul would haue the Corinthians follow his tract follow his waies And againe in the same Epistle Be ye followers of me 1. Cor. 11.1 euen as I am of Christ And againe to the Philippians Brethren be yee followers of me and looke on them which walk so Phil. 3.17 as ye haue vs for an example And to Timothie he writes thus 2. Ti. 3.10 Thou hast fully knowne my doctrine manner of liuing purpose faith long suffering loue patience c. And to the Hebrewes Remember them that haue the ouersight of you Heb. 13.7 which haue declared to you the word of God whose faith follow considering what hath been the end of their conuersation No doubt these are those shéepe which the bridegroome here counselleth his spouse to follow And feed thy younglings Vers 2. Here all Catholickes must learne another principall marke of Gods Church that is to instruct their young children in the law of the Lord as Dauid teacheth them also Wherewith shall a young man redresse his waie euen by taking heed thereunto according to thy word Psal 119.9 1. Ioh. 2.14 And saint Iohn also in his Epistle I write to you babes that you haue knowne the father Euen young infants must know God the Father and then Iesus Christ the Sonne also who makes God to be our louing father Luk. 2 14. and then the holy Ghost by whom this loue of God is shed into our hearts And saint Paul writes of Timothie Rom. 5.5 2. Ti. 3.15 that he knew the scriptures of a child And shall we not beléeue all these and instruct our children in the lawe of the Lord By the Tents of those shepheards that is of the Apostles whō Christ made pastors of his Church not of euery common shepheard nor also of anie one of those shepheards no not of Peter Ephe. 4.11 God hath giuen Apostles Prophets and Euangelistes to the building of his Church and no one Apostle Embrace therefore all the Apostles writings and féede on them and not on Peters onely embrace and follow all the Apostolical Churches as the fathers did and not the Romane Church onely And here I cannot but giue a lift at that great rocke which being deriued from that rocke whereof our Sauiour Christ speaketh in the 16. of Matthew the Papists oppose for the defence of their Church that because hel gates haue neuer preuailed against her Mat. 16.18 as they haue done against others because that now only of the Apostolical Churches she remaines therefore that she is the true Church But I answere that if by hell gates be vnderstood Heresies as some of the Fathers haue expounded them Epiphan in ancorato August de symbolo ad Catechum lib. 1. ca. 6 Bellarm. de Ro. Pont. lib. 4. ca. 3 D. Reinolds against Hart. ca. 7. deuis 8. and as Master Bellarmine seemes to affirme neither haue heresies preuailed against anie of the other Apostolike Churches For Artius though he assaulted the Church of Alexandria and Nestorius the Church of Constantinople yet they preuailed not but had the repulse in the end Nay in the Church of Rome there haue bin Bishops that haue béene heretiks as hath beene of late verie learnedly proued Neither hath hell gates at this day that is heresies preuailed against those Churches of the East which now the Turk possesseth but rather his sword power And that partly for their own sins partly for the sin of the Pope as may appeare by that prophecy of Zachary Zach. 11.17 O Idol sheepheard which leauest the flocke the sword shal be vpon his arme and vpon his right eie His arme shall be cleane dried vp and his right eye shall be vtterly darkened Which prophecie I haue handled else where in a Treatise of the Epistle of saint Iude. Har. euang ca. 66. But if by the gates of hell be meant the kingdome of the diuell as Iansenius doth expound them surely then also the gates of hell haue preuailed against the Church of Rome as well as against other Churches For from what monstrous sinnes hath she béene frée as appeareth by their owne histories But the true meaning of this promise Read Platina that hell gates shall not preuaile against the Church of Christ and against that faith which Peter professed is that although Sathan assault it with all his power and might with sinne heresies persecutions c. yet it shall neuer be quite ouerthrowne Mat. 24.2 as is now that stately Temple of Ierusalem which though it were builded on an earthly hill hath not now one stone left on another but shall remaine euer vnto the worlds ind Nay euen the reliques of those other Apostolicall Churches professing Christianitie remaine yet vnder the Turkes tyrannie so that Rome cannot brag that she alone remaines God shall haue at the least two witnesses to confirme his truth for euer Reuel 11.3 So that whereas the bridegroome bids his spouse to
be by it wiser as he himselfe was then the aged By Gods word the holy Ghost shall so teach euerie one of them that now as saint Iohn saith they shall need no other teacher 1. Io. 2.27 Esay 11.9 Then shall be fulfilled that which Esay prophecieth The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord euen as the waters that couer the sea If this be the marke of the true Church then euerie one that is not to too partiall or will not shut his eies wilfully against the light of the sunne néed goe no further but may here plainly discerne which is the true and false Church and may decide that great doubt which at this day troubles so many mens consciences Hath this knowledge béene in the Popes Church Haue they thus knowen God from the greatest to the smallest Speake truth herein whosoeuer thou art And if it be most apparant that this knowledge hath béene wanting therein be not afraid to say with the Prophet Ieremie and with S. Paul with Esay that she is none of Christs spouse that she hath no part in his testament This same onely marke bewrayeth her and condemneth her The same marke hath God put downe againe of his house and true Church by the Prophet Esay least we should doubt thereof Esay 59.20.21 The redeemer shall come vnto you and vnto thē that turne from iniquitie in Iacob saith the Lord. Here first is Iesus Christ now followes his Church And I wil make this my couenant with them saith the Lord My spirit which is vpon thee the words which I haue put in thy mouth shal not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of the seed of thy seed saith the Lord frō henceforth euē for euer Here is first a couenant Secondly here are the spirit Gods word vnited and knit togither So that euen as the windes accompanie the waters so doth Gods spirit the waters of comfort Rom. 15.4 that is the waters of the scriptures And these words as they haue bene in Christs mouth for he spake not of himselfe but as his father gaue him commaundement so he spake so they shall be in the mouth of his séed Io. 12.49 and of his seedes séede for euer If these be the true markes of the Church the Popish Church which lacks these markes is not the true Church Nay she hath broken this couenant most apparantly And therefore no doubt she is that whore of Babylon which saint Iohn speaketh of in the Reuelation Reu. 17.2 Io. 6.63 Ro. 8.9 Gen. 1.2 Act. 10 44. 2. Cor. 3.6 Nay she is not onely a trucebreaket but a murtherer she hath debarred Gods people of his word and so also of his spirit which is the verie life of the faithfull and without the which they are but withered braunches For the word and the spirit are knit togither as the Prophet here teacheth vs and therefore shée is guiltie of murther And of such liuing and spirituall murtherers of whom the ciuil lawes of magistrates take no hold Saint Iohn saith also Cap. 9.11 that they will not repent of these their murthers but still maintaine them and practise them euen as the Papists doe at this daie They which wil be accounted Gods séede and his children let them sée that they haue Gods word in their mouthes euen as Iesus Christ had Let it neuer depart neither from their mouthes nor hearts let it alone direct all their workes let them in all their workes saie as he said As my father hath commanded me so doe I. Iohn 14.30 Dauid also thus pictureth out Gods Church Psal 87.1 A paraphrase of the 87. psal 1. Cor. 15.3 Her foundations are vpon the holy hils What other holy hilles are these but the scriptures Gods Church is built vpon the scriptures vpon them shée groundeth all her doctrines God loueth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Iacob Here is next her glorie her beautie her strength her felicitie God loueth nowe the meanest christian better then the best Iewe euen the gates of Sion before the stately pallaces of Iacob Ier. 9.23 So that now let not the wise man reioyce in his wisedome nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches but let him that reioiceth glorie in this that he knoweth me saith the Lord. 1. Cor. 1.31 And wherein this knowledge consisteth S. Paul teacheth that is to know that Iesus Christ of God is made vnto vs wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption That according as it is written saith S. Paul let him that reioiceth reioice in the Lord for these things for this wisedome of Gods word for this strength of faith for the riches of Christ merits which all are ours And therefore he saith so often to the Philippians Phil. 4.4 Reioice in the Lord and againe I say reioice And why because God loues thee If thou be a christian euen whosoeuer thou art though thou be neuer so meane a christian though thou be but a gate no stately pallace yet the Lord loues thée more then all the pallaces of Iacob Though thou be but a little one in Christ Mat. 18.10 yet thy Angell thy seruant that attends vpon thée beholds the face of God in heauen And this loue of God is another marke of Gods Church Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou citie of God The Church is called here the citie of God Reu. 22.17 shee is called also the Spouse of Christ And againe Esay writes thus of her Esay 54.10 For a moment in my anger I hid my face from thee for a little season but with euerlasting mercie haue I had compassion of thee saith the Lord thy redeemer And againe O thou afflicted and tossed with the tempest that hast no comfort Behold I will lay thy stones with the carbuncle and lay thy foundations with Saphires And I will make thy windowes of Emerauds and thy gates shining stones and all thy borders of pleasant stones And thy children shall be taught of the Lord and much peace shall be to thy children In righteousnesse shalt thou be established and be farre from oppression for thou shalt not feare it and from feare for it shall not come neere thee These are great blessings euen in worldly affaires in things that concerne our bodies but in those things which concerne our soules how farre more excellent are they such glorious things are spoken of Gods Church But the Romish Church by their placing of peblestones and stones that lie in the hie waie in the windowes of Gods church that is simple and vnpreaching Prelates and also by teaching the doctrine of the vncertaintie of saluation hath obscured this glorie I will thinke of Rahab and Babylon with them that know me c. Here is another marke of the church She shall now be spread ouer the whole world
sighing and groning Ro 8 15.16.26 with faith and assurance For all these are the fruits of the holy Ghost Thirdly keep your selues in the loue of God that is be sure that God loues you Be sure and know that you haue eternall life Let not that subtil serpent euer perswade you to doubt of Gods loue towards you as he did Eue your grandmother And who goes about still teaching the same lesson to them that will beléeue him Gen. 3.5 And lastly looke for the mercie of our Lord Iesus Christ to eternall life Do not trust in your workes challenge nothing of desert Confesse that you are vnprofitable seruants Trust onely in his mercie Luke 17.10 These are the markes of the true Church by saint Iudes iudgement And they which lacke these are Sathans synagogue are the false Church what markes soeuer else they doe bragge of Psal 119.142 For Gods word is the word of truth And the markes of the Church that are in it set downe are onely the true markes But to conclude although many other cleare and manifest marks of the Church might be gathered out of the scriptures yet these markes are especially to be marked of vs which saint Iohn puts downe in the Reuelation For they concerne our daies they are those marks of Gods house which Babylon had defaced Antichrist had raced out so as in mans iudgement it séemed impossible that euer they should haue béene brought to light againe Antichrist heere dealt so cunningly euen as Pharaoh did in murthering the Israelites children intending to destroye their posteritie Exod. 1.14 and Herode in murthering the young innocēts Mat. 2.16 thinking thereby also to haue murthered Iesus Christ But God that dwelleth in heauen laughes all these their counsailes all this their wisedome to scorne And therefore saint Iohn saw an Angell flie in the midst of heauen Psal 2.4 Reue. 14.8 hauing an euerlasting gospell to preach to them that dwell on the earth and to euerie nation kinred and tongue and people Here is the first marke of the Church the preaching of the gospell This marke Antichrist had quite abolished And although in his kingdome that he might not séeme to be quite opposite to Iesus Christ vtterly to disallow preaching he had his Friers that preached yet the pastors of congregations Luk. 12.42 1 Pet. 5.2 whom Iesus Christ and Peter also commaunded to feede their flocke themselues in those daies seldome preached And these Friers preached not the Gospell but their legends of Saints commonly And therefore the second marke of the true Church is to preach not legends or olde wiues tales but an euerlasting Gospell that which was from the beginning not a new faith deuised of mans braine in the succession of manie ages Iesus Christ is the same yesterday and to day and for euer Heb. 13.8 Iud. 1.3 And all Gods true Saints must striue to maintaine that faith which was once giuen to the Saints in the beginning by Christ Iesus himselfe and by his Apostles That gospell which the Church of Rome now teacheth is not such a gospell And this gospell must be preached to the inhabitants of the earth to euerie nation and kinred and tongue and people Antichrist had seduced all these Reu. 17.2 all these were drunken with the pleasant wine of Babylons fornication Antichrist had not seduced the nation of the Iewes as the Papists thinke hee shall What néede the Diuell go about that they are his alreadie they are alreadie seduced as much as can be but he shall seduce all nations tongues kinreds and people he shall peruert the gospell of Iesus Christ And therfore to them it behooueth that this euerlasting gospell should be preached againe The plaster must be applied to the sore And here that marke which the Church of Rome woulde make men beléeue is a true marke of the true church is quite ouerthrowne and approoued to be a false marke Shall all nations be made drunken with Antichrists poisoned and pleasant wine why then Vniuersalitie is not a sound and a true marke of the Church Saying with a lowd voice Feare God Reu. 14.7 and giue glorie to him c. Now followes the doctrine and chiefe points of this euerlasting gospell as also by the contrarie most euidently may appeare the points of Antichrists doctrine for contraries make one another more manifest and cléere So that then if this be the euerlasting gospell to feare God and giue him the glorie the gospell which Antichrist preached was contrarie to this Not to feare God and not to giue him glorie Deut. 10 1◠And now Israel what doth thy Lord thy God require of thee saith Moses but to feare thy Lord thy God to walke in all his waies and to loue him and to serue thy Lord thy God with all thy hart and with all thy soule And God himselfe speaketh thus by the Prophet Ieremy Ier. 5.21.22 Heare now this O foolish people and without vnderstanding which haue eies and see not which haue eares and heare not Feare ye not me saith the Lord or will yee not be afraid at my presence which haue placed the sand for the bounds of the sea by the perpetuall decree that it cannot passe it and though the waues thereof rage yet can they not preuaile though they roare yet can they not passe ouer it And of man the Prophet Esay saith Esay 2.22 Cease you from the man whose breath is in his nostrels Marke 7.7 And our Sauiour saith of the Pharisees They worship me in vaine teaching the doctrines and commandements of men For ye lay the commandement of God apart and obserue the traditions of men as the washing of pots and of cups and many other such like things yee doe Such feare to breake mans lawes and commandements they had also most manifestly in the time of Poperie As concerning Gods glorie also the Prophet Esay writeth thus Esay 42.8 I am the Lord this is my name and my glorie will I not giue to another neither my praise to grauen images And after Behold I haue fined thee Esay 48.10 but not as siluer I haue chosen thee in the furnace of affliction For mine owne sake for mine owne sake will I doe it for how should my name be polluted Surely I will not giue my glorie to another And so Ieremy counsails the people Ier. 13.16 Giue glorie to the Lord your God before he bring darknesse and or euer your feet stumble on the darke mountaines And Dauid saith Psal 65.1 To thee O Lord praise keeps silence or vpon thee it waites in Sion So that whereas God by his eternall word commandeth to feare him and to be afraid to break his commandements and to giue all glorie to him the gospell of Antichrist was to feare man and to kéepe his commandements and to giue glorie to creatures And did not we sée this fulfilled in the time of Poperie how
that is of the sorrowes of a woman trauelling with child eueÌ„ to Tabbaath to the last moneth in the yeare which answereth to our December which for the abundance of waters Psal 137.8 1. Pet. 5.3 which commonly are â—herein is called in Hebrue Tabbah which signifieth to be drowned Surely such flouds of sorowes and calamities remaine for Rome the daughter of Babylon Reue. 17.2 which Saint Peter calleth Babylon as the prophesies of the holie Scriptures do teach Nay Saint Iohn describeth her most manifestly That great citie which is built vpon seuen hilles and raignes ouer the kings of the earth Psal 73.27 Ier. 3 1. made them drinke the wine of her fornication What citie in the world is thus built and hath had this authoritie ouer Kings Reuel 17.17 and hath made them drinke wine of fornication that is Idolatrie which is so called in the Scripture but Rome The day shall come that these her louers those kings which with one consent haue giuen their kingdome to the beast shall hate her and shall eate her flesh and shall burne her with fire Wee see now the former of these fulfilled so no doubt wee shall see the latter also When God shall put it into their hearts and when his wordes are fulfilled and that euen in one day If Rome be in this case may shee not fitly be called the afflicted tottering house And therefore as the father and prince of the Madianites Dan may resemble the Pope and the Madianites his souldiers which shall one of them kill another so Beth-hashittah may resemble Rome their castle of refuge And God deales euen now as mercifully with his Church 2. Chro. 20.22 as he did in the dayes of good king Iehoshaphat against whom when manie nations had conspired and came to make warre it is thus written When they began to shout and praise the Lord the Lord himselfe laid ambushmeÌ„ts against the children of Ammon Moab mount Seir which were come against Iudah they slew one another 1. King 18.13 Ioh. 3.1 Luke 25 50. Matth. 27.19 euen so the enemies of the Church of God at this day by Gods speciall grace and mercy one of them kill another And euen as in the law Obadiah Ahabs steward nourished the Prophets of the Lord and Nichodemus and Ioseph of Arimathea princes amongst the Iewes Phil. 4.22 Ierem. 38.7 and euen Pilates wife fauoured Iesus Christ euen so now also in the Gospell the Popes darlings and Friers some of them fauour the truth And as Saint Paul also had some friends in Caesars house and Ieremie in the kings court so now hath the Gospell some friends among the Popes traine and that in no smal matters There is no one thing I am perswaded at this day doth so dazell the eyes of a great nuÌ„ber that they cannot behold the cleare light of the Gospel keeps theÌ„ stil in the obedience of the Church of Rome as the reading of Granatensis Stella Ferus Philippus de diez such like But all shall clearly see in this book how that in the principall points of religion they ioyne hands with vs. And that we may say of them 1 King 22.43 as we reade in the booke of the Kings of Iehoshaphat that he walked in all the wayes of Asa his father and declined not therefrom but did that was right in the eyes of the Lord neuerthelesse the high places were not taken away and the people offered still and burnt incense in the high places Good men haue their imperfections So these follow the way of the Fathers in preaching and setting forth zealously the word of God in maintaining the authoritie thereof as also the knowledge reading and meditation thereof they teach also the true vse of prayer with faith deuotion vnderstanding our perfect redemption by Christ and the assured faith that we ought to haue in him and how that we ought to trust in his merits and not in our owne works his exceeding great loue towards vs and the great corruption of our nature without his grace In these points they worship God aright with good king Iehoshaphat and they followe the wayes of their fathers But yet the high places are not taken away they burne incense there still They maintaine the Popes supremacie their patron Col. 2.18 2. King 9.20 10.28 they make prayers to Saints and Angels through their ouermuch humilitie as Saint Paul teacheth vs. Their great and good zeale is like to that wee reade of Iehu And the marching is like the marching of Iehu the sonne of Nimshie for he marcheth furiously And againe So Iehu destroyed Baal out of Israel but from the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat which made Israel to sinne he departed not He was the founder of his kingdome The policie which he deuised to maintaine his estate and kingdome hee also although it were against the word of God embraced So these are zealous Mark 12.34 but they also maintaine their founder the Pope and his authoritie We may say of these truly as our Sauiour Christ in the Gospel sayd of that Scribe Thou art not far from the kingdom of God no more surely are these So that heere good gentle Reader thou maist see Popery pulled vp euen by the roots by the hands of Papists themselues The true Catholike faith out of the Scriptures out of the Fathers out of the mouthes of them who seeme to be the verie enemies therof this small Treatise teacheth Euery one therefore that tendereth his own saluation let him mark wel that faith which herein is taught In the time of ignorance God might and no doubt did shew mercy but now at midday in the most cleare sunshine of the Gospell now I say to shut the eyes is wilful murther Reu. 14.8 For in the Reuelation our daies are most liuely expressed Then I saw saith S. Iohn another Angel fly in the midst of heauen hauing an euerlasting Gospell to preach vnto them that dwel on the earth and to euery nation and kinred tongue and people saying with a loud voice Feare God giue glorie to him for the houre of his iudgement is come and worship him that made heauen and earth the sea and the fountaines of waters Are not here our daies most euidently declared The preaching of the euerlasting Gospell the worshipping of God alone that made all things and not of any creature nay the verie time For the houre of his iudgement is come This preaching of these doctrines and this preaching of the Gospell shall be immediately before the iudgement Hee that is not starke blind cannot choose but see this Now followes the Church of Antichrist And there followed another Angell saying It is fallen it is fallen Babylon the great citie for she made all nations to drinke of the wine of her fornication Here is likewise the Church of Antichrist most euidently described She shall make all nations drinke of the wine
common father to vs all so we should be all as brethren one to another and it is greatly to be feared that at this daie that the lacke of this naturall and brotherly loue amongst our selues makes God withdrawe this his fatherlie loue and care from vs. Wilt thou not accompt the poore thy brethren and deale with them as with brethren Surely then God will not be thy father Oh what a losse is this We had better make leases of our lands for nothing nay léese all the goods in the world then léese this Mat. 16.26 Which art in heauen Here is his Maiestie declared vnto vs we haue a mightie father a father of the greatest maiestie in the world The winde the raine the thunder that comes from heauen how mightie how terrible how forcible are they But our father whose dwelling is in heauen 1. King 8.27 naie whom the heauen of heauens cannot containe is of farre greater might These are but his seruants as the Psalmist saith Psal 104.4 He makes the spirits or windes his messengers and his seruants the flames of fire He is most terrible when he is angrie Psal 18.7.2.12 yea if his anger be kindled but a little Oh let vs feare him let vs not sinne presumptuouslie euen the smallest sinnes He is most mercifull Psal 19.13 where hee loues Oh let vs praie vnto him he is able to helpe Heb. 10.26 Psal 103.8 let vs trust in him Let vs not thinke that the darkenesse or anie worldlie pretence whatsoeuer can couer or hide our sinnes Ps 94.9 139.1 The sunne which is but a little aduanced in the heauens we sée howe his beames will pierce into euerie corner much more the power of our God which dwelleth aboue all the heauens his eies his brightnesse his maiestie is in euerie place Hallowed be thy name We will not name the Emperor nor anie king nor anie meane gentleman without reuerence 1. Tim. 1.17 Psal 138.2 and without his titles We cannot sée God he is inuisible he hath onely giuen vs his name here amongst vs to see how we will vse it Hereby are we tried as we accompt of his name so we accompt of him as we esteeme it so we estéeme himselfe Let it be of the greatest accompt amongst vs aboue the names of all Kings and Princes let it be our greatest iewell let vs alwaies vse it most reuerentlie and holilie Let here all Ruffians and Atheists and blasphemous swearers and periured persons quake and tremble that make so light accompt of the name of God This is such a sinne that now although they make light accompt thereof yet God hath tolde them most plainlie in his lawe which if they were not starke deafe they would marke and remember that he that committes it Psal 58.4 he will not accompt him guiltlesse but at that great daie of iudgement when as he will pardon other sinnes he will most assuredlie condemne this Exod. 20.7 Thy kingdome come who hauing land purchased for him would not long to be in the possession of it who being an apprentice would not gladlie be at libertie who hearing his sonne to be a King Gen. 45.27.28 would not now gladlie make haste to go to sée him Did not Iacob thinke you when as he heard that Ioseph his sonne was a Prince in Egypt thinke euerie daie a yeere till he were with him Such are all our estates here in this world we haue not great lands or possessions purchased for vs but euen a kingdome yea and that such a kingdome as farre surpasseth all the kingdomes and monarchies of the world Reu. 1.6 who would not desire to be in the possession of such a kingdome who would not long to sée it we are here all apprentices watching and manie times wanting and euer warring and labouring Who would not gladly be at liberty Iob. 7.1 be deliuered from this bondage be in franchised into that citie where there is not want nor watching nor warring Reu. 21.4 nor labouring but ioie rest peace plenty and fréedome for euermore We doe not onelie heare good newes as Iacob did that our son is a Prince in Egypt but that we our selues are made Kings and Priests by the meanes of Iesus Christ Reu. 1.6 1. Pet. 2.9 and that of the kingdome of heauen and that we are now fellowe heires with him 1. Co. 3.21.22 Rom. 8.17 This is the summe of the Gospell This is our ioyfull newes And did Iacob make hast to go into Egypt and shall not we hasten to our heauenlie kingdome O we of little faith Reu. 22.17 and therefore in the Reuelation the spirit and the spouse say Come Lord Iesu As though they should saie Come Lord Iesu and end this our apprentiship finish this our pilgrimage giue vs now possession of that kingdome which we beléeue that thou hast purchased for vs. And it is all one with that our Sauiour here teacheth vs to praie O Lord let thy kingdome come Iacob was not so sure of his sonne Iosephs kingdome in Egypt nor anie apprentice is so sure after his yeeres expired of his fréedome nor anie purchaser of the landes he hath purchased as we are sure of this our kingdome Mark 16.16 1. Ioh. 5 13. Mat. 5.18 our libertie our heauenlie inheritance The Gospell witnesseth it vnto vs it assures vs thereof Heauen and earth shall passe away but one tittle or iot thereof shall not passe away And therefore being thus assured we saie boldly let thy kingdome come and therefore as Saint Paul teacheth Wee groane and sigh for that great day of our deliuerance out of this bondage and apprentiship with all the creatures of God Rom. 8.22 which also grone with vs that they may be deliuered also into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God And thinking therefore of that great daie of iudgement which is terrible to all Infidels wicked persons and Idolaters Psal 97.7 Esay 2.20 Confounded at that daie saith Dauid and let them hide their faces all such as worship carued Images and delight in vaine gods Reu. 9.20 And to Dauid agrees Esay and S. Iohn Let all papistes marke this then wee are not dismaide but lift vp our heads because we know then that our redemption drawes neere Luke 21.28 Wée praie also O Lorde let thy kingdome come Rom. 6 12. let not sinne raigne in our bodies let vs not delight in it let vs not submit our selues vnto it let not the law of our mēbers Rom. 7.23 which manie times is so imperious and with authoritie euen commands and with necessitie forceth vs that we must néedes doe this or that let not this law O good Lord euer preuaile against vs Eph. 5.18 but be thou our king Let thy holie spirit euer beare rule in our hearts Psal 2.6 Rom. 8.14 Psal 119. 105. Ioh. 18.12 let thy most holie law be a lanterne to our waies and a
vs what we are without this good spirit of God For thus we reade of him 1. Sam. 18.10 And on the morrow the euill spirit of God came vpon Saul and he prophesied in the midst of the house and Dauid plaied with his hand like as at other times and there was a speare in Sauls hand and Saul tooke the speare said I will smite Dauid thorough to the wall But Dauid auoided twise out of his presence Mat. 26.33.34 Peter the first Apostle also when as God withdrew his good spirit from him denied his Maister and began to curse and to sweare although he before hauing Gods spirit vowed that he would die with him Leu. 26.36 This maie teach vs what we are of our selues prone to all sinne more vaine then a leafe which a small winde will mooue and make to quake and therefore we haue néede to praie continuallie O Lorde leade vs not into temptation But deliuer vs from that euill That is from the Diuell who tempted Iesus our most blessed sauiour and therefore no doubt will likewise tempt all his Mat. 4.1 Luke 22.31 Luke 17.5 who desired to sift Peter euen as wheat is sifted And who is able to abide this sifting vnlesse God giue him the strength of faith as he did to Peter I haue praied for thee saith he that thy faith shall not faile O let all Christians praie also for thēselues dailie for the encrease of faith against these his temptations against these his siftings So he sifted Iob Iob. 1.12.2.5.11 not onlie with the losse of his goods and children but also with the griefe and torments of his bodie and with the vexation of his friends And here Iob is set downe for an example to all Christians by him to learne patience as S. Iames teacheth them Iam. 5.11 and to endure lesser griefes and lesser losses considering his ende Psal 30.5 There is but a minute of an houre in Gods wrath as Dauid saith but in his fauour are liues as it is in the Hebrew euen a thousand liues and good blessings Nay Sathan buffeted Paul 2. Cor. 12. 11.24.25 and did so vex him in his flesh that for that to haue it remooued Paul praied to the Lord thrise No doubt it was a mightie temptation that made Saint Paul so earnestly desire to be deliuered from it He had sustained shipwracke he had beene whipped often times he had been stoned he had beene in prison but this griefe this temptation passed them all But God answered him that his grace his loue was sufficient for him As long as God loued him whereof these his troubles and afflictions were a most certaine token he néede care for nothing And hereby also we may learne that the multitude or the sharpenesse of anie afflictions whatsoeuer ought not to moue vs. God loued Paul in this extremitie of afflictions in this great affliction which Paul could verie hardly endure and therefore let no extremitie of afflictions dismaie anie Christian or make him doubt of the loue of God towards him Dauid also in the Psalme faith I am troubled aboue measure O Lord Psal 119.107 quicken me according to thy word Dauid being afflicted euen aboue measure yet despaired not he trusted and praied to God Againe if we shall praie with Paul and with Dauid and with the Woman of Canaan and yet not perchance be heard let vs not forsake God let vs continue in prayer still Gran. lib. 2. de orat cap. 3. Med. ex Bar God will either giue vs our petitions or that which is better for vs. Saint Paul he receiued of God this answere this honie to swéeten that his bitter potion My grace my loue is sufficient for thee As though hee should saie If I loue thee what carest thou for else Let sathan buffet thee vexe thee torment thee and doe what he can against thee if thou hast my loue it is sufficient for thee If thou loose all thy goods it is riches enough for thee if thou endure all paines and griefes it is comfort enough for thee if thou bee wounded neuer so deadlie it is plaster enough for thee Thinke onelie this that I loue thee and it shall be able to counteruaile all the paines and griefes and losses in the world 1. Pet. 5.8 Be sober and watchfull saieth saint Peter for your aduersarie the diuell as a roaring Lyon walketh about seeking whome he may deuour whome resist stedfast in the faith The diuelles studie and dailie practise is here declared vnto vs he goeth about continuallie and is malitious like a Lyon seeking whome he maie deuour Hée is a watchfull painefull spitefull and blood thirstie enemie O be sober and vvatch saieth saint Peter If you excéede in anie thing yée giue him the aduantage The Papistes euen in this point erre mightilie and they disagree from saint Peter they are not sober they kéepe no meane in their religion they make the sacrament a god they make the blessed Virgine an angell saying that she was without sinne they also decline too farre from the vse of this world by teaching their wilfull and voluntarie pouertie They excéede in the worshipping of saints in making their Images and in worshipping them as though this kind of honor pleased them naie in praying vnto them and yet they would make vs beleeue that they giue not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnto them as they call it but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And is not prayer Latria that who sees not They go also beyond all measure in whipping and scourging their bodies we neuer read in the scriptures that anie of the saints did so Paul was whipped of others but hee neuer whipped himselfe In the moderate vse of these we would ioine with them but their excesse in these with Peter wee condemne Gods religion is called a reasonable seruice Rom. 12.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let all Christians be sober and vse a meane in all things Meane things are firme and sure but huge things are tottering and vnstable as the common Prouerbe is Bée fober therefore in your cares in your apparell in your fare excéede not herein with Diues that rich man least with him yée bée ouerthrowne Watch in prayer praie often O deliuer vs from that euill one Remember that saying of Dauid Psalm 56.9 Whensoeuer I call vpon the Lorde then shall mine enimies bee put to flight this I knowe for God is on my side Let vs marke this lesson well and who it is also that telles it vs Dauid was an old beaten souldier against this enemie hee had often experienced this This is as it were an armour of proofe against him This I know saieth hee this I haue often prooued true by experience Wouldest thou then put this enemie to flight most assuredlie why then praie And in another Psalme Dauid saieth When I called vpon thee O Lord thou heardest me Psal 138.5 and enduedst my soule with much strength Wouldest thou
bee strong then against this enemie call vpon the Lorde praie One compares prayer to Sampsons haire when it was long hee was of an inuincible strength but when it was cut short Iudg. 16.19 hee was no stronger then another man Euen so whosoeuer thou art praie continuallie Pray thrise a daie with Dauid and Daniel and thou shalt be as strong as Sampson Psal 55.17 thy soule shall be endued with much strength but if thou neuer vse to praie Dan. 6.10 thou shalt be no stronger then another man Nay euen Sampson himselfe vsed prayer though his haire were growne long now againe yet when he came to take the piller in his hand and to pull the house on the Philistines heads hee prayed O Lorde God I beseech thee thinke vpon me O God I beseech thee Iudg. 16.28 now strengthen mee at this time onely Hée vsed also prayer besides his haire S. Iames also saieth ye haue not because you aske not And our sauiour vseth so manie words as one noteth Aske seeke and knocke to declare our dulnes and slacknesse in prayer Stella in 12. ca. Luc. Let vs pray that we maie haue And resist him stedfast in the faith Ephes 6.16 Aboue all things as saint Paul counselleth vs against this enemie let vs take the shield of faith Beleeue assuredly in Iesus Christ and in his death passion be strong in his power and might Eph 4.8 He hath led captiuitie it selfe captiue euen that mightie conquerour that conquered all men he hath not onelie conquered him but also hee hath made him thy captiue The verie witches confesse that against those that are strong in faith neither they nor their diuell haue anie power Iesus Christ is Vcal and Ithiel Prou. 30.1 of whome that man of might Agur the sonne of Iache prophesied which is the son of Hammoshe the bundell of all religion knit vp togither as the Hebrew word maie seeme to signifie that is Iesus Christ is euer with vs and can doe all thinges And this lesson no doubt Saint Paul had learned Phil. 4.13 who said I can doe all things through Christ which strengtheneth me For thine is the kingdome the power and the glorie for euer and euer Psal 97.1.99.1 Our God is the great king ouer all the world if we marke he gouernes all things Psal 62.11 but most secretlie and most patiently euen as corne growes To him also belongs all power Those euer which haue gloried in their owne strength he hath ouerthrowne by weake meanes Iudg. 4 3.21 1. Sam. 17.51 Sisera who had nine hundred chariots of yron by a woman Goliah whose speare was like a weauers beame Psal 65.1 by a boy To him belongs all glorie they which go about to robbe him thereof Act. 12.22 shall bee eaten with wormes like Herode To him therefore with the sonne and the holy Ghost be all honour glorie power and saluation nowe and for euer Amen Amen The Contents or points of the true Catholiques Catechisme 1. Of mans free will 2. Of Iustification 3. Of speciall grace 4. Of good workes 5. Of the certaintie of Saluation 6. Of the reading the Scriptures and their sufficiencie 7. Of Pilgrimage 8. Of Traditions 9. Of the Popes Supremacie and in this Article is declared howe the Papists haue iniuriously dealt with Ferus in leauing out manie thinges in his Commentaries vpon Matthew printed at Rome concerning this matter which are in the copies printed at Paris 10. Of Antichrist and the calling of the Iewes 11. Of Miracles and apparitions of spirits 12. Of Inuocation 13. Of Pâ—â—â—atorie 14. O Idolatrie The true Catholiques Catechisme or briefe summe of Religion 1. Of mans free will THE Fathers of the councell of Trent Conc. Trid. Sess 6. ca. 5. concerning this weightie matter declare their iudgment thus The beginning of iustification in those that haue yeeres of discretion is from God by Iesus Christ his grace preuenting them that is by his calling by which they are called without any of their deserts as such who by their sinnes were turned away from God and are now prepared by his grace stirring them vppe and helping them to conuert themselues to their owne iustification by their free assenting and working iointly with this grace So that God toucheth mans heart by the light of his holy spirit neither doth man himselfe nothing receiuing that inspiration who might also haue refused it nor yet could he haue mooued himselfe without the grace of God to righteousnesse before him of his owne free will And therefore it is said in the holy Scripture Turne ye vnto me and I will turne vnto you We are here put in mind of our freedome And when we answere turne vs O Lord vnto thee and we shall be turned we confesse that we are preuented by the grace of God This is the sentence of the councell of Trent wherein they teach that in mans first calling to God Gods grace doth but only stirre vp his will as being a sléepe and helpe it as being weake And that being thus wakened and helped and strengthned it doth fréely and willingly yéeld to this grace and so helpes her owne iustification But this their assertion diminisheth the grace of God which euerie true Catholique must acknowledge that he hath receiued and it extols too much mans corrupt nature Rom. 6.8 Ephes 2.1 2. Cor. 3.5 which euerie true Christian must with the Apostle confesse to be in himselfe Man was not onely a sléepe through his sinnes but dead in them as Saint Paul teacheth neither was he onely weake but vnapt vnfit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Gréeke worde signifies to thinke a good thought much lesse to doe a good worke There remained not in man as in one that sléepeth his former strength so that hee néedes nothing Gen. 3.10 but wakening to doe his dutie but he was now quite spoiled and robbed thereof and left naked as Adam himselfe confesseth and now stands néede of a supplie of newe strength to be giuen him And therefore our Sauiour to let passe all Metaphors and allegories tels Nicodemus in plaine termes That vnlesse a man be borne againe Ioh 3.3 he cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen This is more then the helping of a man vp that is fallen downe or wakening one that is a sleepe Man must be borne againe he is starke dead he must haue new life put in him if he euer will enter into the kingdome of heauen And this must all Gods children confesse This was the first lesson concerning his saluation that our Sauiour Iesus taught Nicodemus and as manie as do minde to be saued must also learne it Mat. 5.3 and this will make them poore in spirit which is the first steppe to blessednesse Nay our Sauiour there plainly teacheth that that which is borne of the flesh is flesh Whereby we maie learne what we are by our owne nature nothing but flesh sonnes
of Adam hauing no goodnesse left in vs but that we maie become the sonnes of God we must be borne againe and receiue Gods spirit and by it be now not helped as the Councell of Trent teacheth but quickened and made aliue againe to do good works And therefore Saint Paul agréeing to this doctrine of our Sauiour writes Eph. 2.8 that by grace yee are saued through faith and that not of your selues no not in parte as the Councell here would haue it For it is Gods gift saith the Apostle and dare we imagine that Gods gifts are not most free most ample Dare we our selues challenge anie part in them this no doubt were diuelish pride proud presumption Nay but that which followes plainlie prooues the same Not of workes saith Saint Paul least anie man should bragge In this matter of our saluation God will haue all the glorie himselfe man maie challenge no part thereof God will not haue him bragge no not of a mite thereof he will haue all the glorie thereof ascribed to himselfe alone As all the Saints of God in the Reuelation to our instruction doe also confesse Reu. 7.10 And they cried with a lowd voice saying Saluation commeth of our God that sitteth vpon the throne and of the Lambe Shall they thus alowde crie out this lesson to vs and shall we not heare them shall they all with one consent testifie this and shall we not beléeue them But Saint Paul to make this matter more manifest goeth on forward For wee are his workmanship created in Christ Iesu to good workes which God also hath long prepared before that wee should walke in them This is an inuincible reason able to stoppe the mouths of all bragging Pharises we are Gods workmanship againe as wel in our Regeneration as in our Creation and we are new creatures can he that is created challenge any part of his strength to himselfe Such is mans estate to that which is good after his fall and to all good workes he is regenerate vnto them And the same doctrine Saint Paul teacheth in another place 2. Cor. 5. â—7 If anie man be in Christ he is a newe creature Olde things are gone and behold all things are newe Here first this lesson is generall If any one be in Christ he is a new creature It concernes all Christians they were all in the same case Secondly we are all new creatures we euerie one of vs now haue newe willes new strength new hearts all thinges are newe The olde things are not onely mended and repaired as the Papists teach Mans naturall frowardnesse to goodnes was described to vs euen in iust Lotte he was loth to go out of Sodome he protracted the time And the men tooke him by the hand the Lord being mercifull vnto him and led him out He had Gods vocation he had Gods grace offered preuenting him but did he by and by as the Councell teacheth embrace it and assent vnto it Naie it is said that the Angels constrained him Gen. 19.15 vim faciebant as Arrius Montanus translates it Such fréedome of will to assent to Gods grace offered was in Lotte and doe we thinke that anie of Gods seruants haue had hearts better disposed No verely The like we maie reade of the children of Israell who although God had promised them the land of Canaan Gen. 17.8 Exod 14.27.16.15.13.21 and drowned Pharao before their eies and fedde them with Mannah and went before them by daie in a clowde and by night in a piller of fire yet such was the frowardnesse of their willes Exod. 16.3 Num. 11.6.14.4 Gen. 6.5 that they spurned against all these graces offered them and euen daily before their eies and often made mention of returning to Egypt againe so that the will of mans corrupt nature of it selfe is now euen from the cradle proue to all euill enemie to all goodnesse euer resisting as Saint Stephen taught the Iewes and not willingly and fréely assenting to the Spirit of God as the Papists teach vs. Act. 7.51 The Councell to confirme their doctrine misapplieth that saying of the Prophet Zacharie Zach. 1.3 Turne you vnto me and I will turne vnto you These words were spoken to the circumcised Iewes who had beene well instructed in the law of the Lord and therefore cannot fitlie be applied to the man vnregenerate Rupertus a Papist expoundes this place of Zacharie thus Rup in ca. 1. ver 13. Zac. Thus saith the Lord of hostes the father and the Lord of hostes the Sonne and the Lord of hosts the Holy-ghost Turne vnto me and I will turne vnto you that is beleeue in me and all anger being set apart I will be reconciled vnto you Be not like your Forefathers to whome the former prophets cried saying Turne from your euill waies and from your wicked thoughts and they woulde not heare nor giue heed to mee saith the Lorde This is like to that which the Holy ghost saith by Dauid To day if ye will heare his voice harden not your hearts as in the prouocation and in the day of temptation in the Wildernesse when your Fathers tempted me proued me and saw my works c. Thus farre Rupertus Where first that word of reconciliation argues regeneration and a former loue and friendship but most manifestlie the example of the Israelites which he addeth out of Dauid These Israelites of whome Dauid here speakes 1. Cor. 10.2 were regenerate in the redde sea as Saint Paul teacheth and had seene Gods wonderous workes and had beene as should seeme a great while schollers in his schoole and therefore to such might this exhortation fitlie be applied But to the vnregenerate the councell doth not rightlie applie it euen by Rupertus his iudgement Luk. 10.30 That man that descended from Ierusalem to Iericho may resemble a man regenerate and now falling into greeuous sinnes or if he signifie Adam falling from Gods fauour into the hands of the diuell let vs marke what a miserable case hee was in hee had no power to helpe himselfe no not a tongue to aske helpe and being helpen vp was neither able to stand nor to goe but was set vpon the good Samaritans owne beast to beare him Hee was halfe dead the flesh liued in him his worst halfe but his spirit and power to doe good was quite dead If this man which came from Ierusalem was in this case what shall wee saie of them which neuer saw Ierusalem It was not the helping vp that would serue the turne but hee stood in neede of other legges to beare him of Wine and Oile to be powred into his wounds and not of these onelie but his wounds were to bee bound vp least these heauenlie graces being powred in should runne out againe and of two pence to be giuen him to paie for his charges Such a case was this man in he had nothing left him hee was quite robbed and spoiled of all his riches Psal
104.15 hee had not a drop of the true wine of God to comfort him nor of the oile of Gods spirit to cheere his countenance he now hid his face Gen. 3.8 he ranne awaie from God he had no will nor mind nor desire nor loue towards him he stood in neede of all these afresh to bee powred into him Andradius also and the Vniuersitie of Collen Lib. 4. Orth. explic are of the same opinion almost word for word with the councell of Trent The Fathers of Collen saith Andradius do proue by many and strong reasons that there is free-will in the mindes of men beeing possessed with neuer such vgly monsters of sinne to vndertake any good worke neither that that can be extinguished or blotted out vvith any filthines of sinne whatsoeuer but yet it may bee so bounde with yron fetters that it cannot rid it selfe out of them without the power of God And therefore the cause why wicked men can do no perfect or spirituall good worke as long as their minds are ouerwhelmed with the spots of sinne is not because they lacke free-wil but because that that is so entangled with the snares of sinne and so kept vnder with the weight of their offences that it can no way vnloose it selfe nor by his owne power any way looke vp no otherwise then they which are in the stocks haue power to go although they cannot goe vnlesse the bonds bee first taken away which hinder their moouing VVhen as therefore the light of Gods grace shines into the minds of the wicked it doth not violently thrust righteousnes vpon them or forceth them to embrace those ornaments of their soules but stirres vp the will which now lies on the grounde and being weake helpes it vp that now it being as it were comen to it selfe by Gods helpe it may freely yeeld to the calling and pleasure of God and receiue his grace neither is there any thing then that may hinder or bind this liberty This is also the opinion of the Vniuersitie of Collen and of Andradius concerning this matter But how quite contrarie to the Scriptures is this their assertion Man saie they hath free-will still in him be he neuer so wicked euen to vndertake anie good worke But this his free-will is fettered or hindered onely through sinne the which fetters being by Gods grace remooued it worketh freely that which is good So that they make mans fréewill the chiefe and principall cause of dooing good and the grace of God but the secondarie cause or causa sine qua non as the Philosophers doe tearme it that is the cause without the which the thing could not haue beene doone And thus Vocabularium scholasticae doctrinae a booke of the Papists owne making defines Causa sine qua non Causa sine qua non est qua posita aliud ponitur aliunde quamuis secundum candem That is which cause beeing present another effect followes in another thing and yet by the meanes of it Surelie that which wrought the effect the let beeing taken awaie freelie and of it owne accord maie bee said to be the principall or an equiualent cause at the least if the grace of God do after the let be taken awaie worke with the will as the councell of Trent seemes to affirme But the Scriptures teach quite contrarie to this Esay 26.12 Esay saieth Thou O Lorde hast wrought all our works in vs And what hath our will doone then And saint Paul saieth Phil. 2.13 that it is God which workes in vs both the will and also the performance in those things which bee good according to his good pleasure Man by saint Paul his iudgement abiding yet in his sinnes is not like a man in fetters who would gladlie goe if his fetters were loosed and who would gladly haue his fetters taken awaie from him but quite contrarie hee delights in sinne he loues and likes well of his fetters he thinkes that hee is in Paradise hee would neuer haue not so much as a will or mind to be loosed vnlesse God gaue it him This will then remaines not in man as Andradius and the Vniuersitie of Collen teach but according to the doctrine of saint Paul it is a new worke of God in him And whereas they saie that the grace of God doeth offer no violence in the conuersion of sinners what meanes then that saying of our sauiour Ioh 6.44.12.32 that no man can come vnto him vnles his father draw him And againe when I shall bee exalted from the earth I will draw all vnto me What meanes these drawings of God the father and of his sonne Iesus Christ but a certain holie violence in the conuersion of sinners In that parable of the gospell Luke 14 23. those that sate in the high waies and vnder hedges were they not types of the Gentiles which should be saued And were they not compelled to come in to the Supper Surely without this compulsion they would neuer haue comen in of themselues What meanes also that which Dauid so often prayes in the Psalmes Make me to walke O Lord Psal 119.35.144.8.11.119 107. in the waies of thy commandements and direct my pathes vnto thee and make me know the way that I should walke in and quicken mee according to thy word but that euen he himselfe felt this froward will in himselfe to all goodnesse and this blind vnderstanding so that God had neede euen as it were to force him to goodnesse What meane those goades and nailes which the Preacher speakes of Eccle. 12 11. Hebr. 10.24 and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that pricking and prouoking to loue and good works which the Apostle mentions but a certaine kind of violence which both God himselfe vseth by the ministerie of his word in drawing sinners to him and wee our selues after our calling must vse one towards another in stirring vp our dull and slow willes to goodnes And no doubt of this violence and of these goades which the Lord God himselfe vseth in the conuersion of sinners it is said in the Acts that the Iewes who were conuerted to the faith by Peters Sermon Acts 2.37 were pricked in their hearts No doubt they felt these goades of God And in their conuersion God vsed some violence But let vs a little consider how other Catholiques somwhat so under then these haue declared their iudgementes concerning this matter First Granatensis writes thus Lib. 2. de orat cap. 11. The necessitie of praying continually vnto God doth spring of mans pouertie and miserie into the which he fell through his sinne and of the diuersitie of his estate wherein hee is now and wherein hee was when God created him For if he had continued in that first estate he had not needed these engines nor so many meanes to drawe his soule to God and that he might be lifted vp to the consideration of heauenly things For euen as the Eagle of hir owne
Sixtly she must go out by absolution and come into the citie of Ierusalem that is into the holy Church and be reconciled to her againe by a spirituall life Lastly she must confesse and testifie both in word and worke that Christ is the sonne of God as did also the Centurion Here truely Ferus declares what mans hart is before regeneration It is a rocke there is no softnesse nor aptnesse to goodnesse in it before grace And it is euen now as great a miracle for God to conuert a sinner Exod. 16. ver 6 as it were for him to make the water to runne out of the hard rocke Fer. in 9. cap. Act. Ferus also on this matter writes verie excellently vpon these wordes O Lorde what wilt thou haue me to doe This is the speech of a changed heart See here what Gods correction can doe what grace can doe what the spirit can doe In one word it makes a wolfe a sheepe For by and by he cries what wilt thou haue mee doe O Lord For I am now readie hereafter to obey thy commandements I would to God we were made all so ready by the Lords correctiō Surely then it would fare better with vs. For God strikes vs that he might by by heale vs and if we be not healed that comes of our own wickednes frowardnes Therfore we must praie thus that he will conuert vs also Conuert vs O God of our saluation c. Thou seest that this beginning of true repentance doth proceede of none other cause but from God when as he doth touch our heart with the feeling of sinne and doth also so vnderproppe it that it despaire not as we heare here that he did to Paul For he being so terrified had runne from Gods presence and had vtterly despaired vnlesse by Gods spirit he had been called backe againe that he might crie O Lord what wilt thou haue me doe Thou seest therefore how true repentance differs from that which is false and counterfeit For vnlesse all the hart be kindled with this earnest desire that it say O Lord I couet to forsake mine owne euill waie and to doe that which thou wouldst haue me doe it is but hypocrisie it is no repentance But this earnest desire no man can frame to himselfe vnlesse God touch his heart Therfore the beginning the middle and the end is of God and is Gods worke Here we may learne what we were before grace we were wolues we were no shéepe and therefore not a helping vppe or pricking forward was necessarie for vs but as our Sauiour teacheth a regeneration And this is that which God himselfe promiseth by the Prophet Ezechiell Ezech. 11.19 I will take away their stonie heart and I will giue them a heart of flesh God had néede shewe his most mightie power as well in mans regeneration as in his creation His heart was become a stone and therefore vnapt to mooue and apply it selfe to the grace of God as the Papists teach What fitnesse is there in a stone to receiue into it anie moisture or to mooue it selfe vpward and such like were all mens hearts to grace before regeneration as God himselfe here plainlie teacheth by his Prophet Ezechiell And hereof also is that which Iohn saith in the Gospell to the proud and bragging Iewes of their carnall descent from Abraham Matth. 3.9 That God was able of stones to raise vp children to Abraham no doubt by these stones he meant all Abrahams spirituall sons who by the preaching of the Gospell and by faith in Iesus Christ should be borne vnto him And doe we not sée now this prophesie of Iohn verified The proud bragging Iewes are reiected and the Gentiles who before were as stones are by Gods grace now become Abrahams children This also that vision that God shewed Peter As Ferus also notes hereafter Act 10.11 when as hee would call the Gentiles prooues most euidently He saw heauen opened and a certaine vessell came downe vnto him as it had been a great sheete knit at the foure corners and was let downe to the earth wherein were all manner of foure-footed beasts of the earth and wilde beasts and creeping thinges and foules of the heauen No doubt these beasts as Peter himselfe also after expounds this vision signified the Gentiles Into such monsters we were growen by reason of sinne Psalm 49.12 Man being in honour had no vnderstanding euen Adam that first man and in him all men and so became as the beasts that perish so that man must be killed and quickened againe as God here commands Peter he must haue new life put into him before he can please God So farre off is he of his owne nature to assent fréelie to the grace of God offering it selfe vnto him sinne being onely done away And this is that which Ferus here teacheth men must become of wolues shéepe before they can be acceptable sacrifices vnto God The beginning of the desire which they haue to serue God and the middle and continuance thereof when as they haue once begun and the ende also thereof is of God Not the beginning onely as the Papists doe teach And this is that also which Saint Peter teacheth all true Catholiques 1. Pet. 1.5 in his Catholique Epistle That we are kept by the power of God through faith vnto saluation He not onely at the beginning workes fréely our iustificaon as the Councell of Trent teacheth but euen also fréelie through the same faith he then wrought in our hearts he continually preserueth vs. So that our whole saluation the beginning and the middle and the end thereof we must only and wholy ascribe vnto God This great worke is his worke alone no man what soeuer maie challenge anie part in it with him hee alone must haue all the glorie of it Ibid. And to this effect the same Ferus writes thus againe Marke here that God is not onely the beginning but also the perfection of all goodnesse in vs. For he that begins the same also finisheth He workes in vs both to will and also to finish he giues the increase To this maie be applied that which Moses saith The land which the Lord will giue you is not like the land of Egypt c. The forces and powers of nature are sufficient to externall workes but to those things which concerne our saluation we must looke for a shower from heauen that is grace Therefore euerie godlie man must say I will not trust in mine owne bowe And after The light of nature seemes to be reason but in diuine matters they are but scales hindering the sight as thou seest here in Paul These scales signifie that couering which is ouer Moses face yea ouer the hearts of all the Iewes before faith Those scales also which claue together in the body of Leuiathan are wicked men amongst whom Saul was All these when the light commeth fall downe to the ground c. The light
would deny Sée how fitlie Christ applieth plasters vnto our woundes Sinne first is conceiued in the hart for concupiscence begets sinne Fer. de pass part 1. and after it is by our works finished So Christ is first sorrowfull in heart and after outwardly that he might take away all sinne and fully make satisfaction for vs. So that by Ferus iudgement Christs saluation was full and perfect for vs. All men were like those two debters whereof our Sauiour speakes in the Gospell To whome when they had nothing to pay the lender forgaue mercifully so hath God fréelie forgiuen vs our sinnes for the satisfaction of Iesus Christ All our teares and kneeling downe Luke 7 4◠and workes of mercie and repentance for our sinnes are but signes to so mercifull a Lorde and of the loathing of our sinnes And after Ferus writes thus I am he by this word Christ puts himselfe in our stead patiently about to endure whatsoeuer the iustice of God should endure for our sinnes And a little after Idem part 8. For this cause especially hee would not haue his Apostles die with him least we should think that his death alone had not sufficed and therefore he would die alone that hee alone might be acknowledged our Sauiour Esay 63. Deut. 33. I haue troden the Winepresse alone saith he and of all nations there was none with mee And therefore Moyses also saith God alone was his God neither was there any other God with him Therefore he redeemed vs and not we our selues c. But the Church of Rome addes the Apostles and Martyres merites to Christs as though hee alone had not redeemed vs and calles those the treasure of the Church Fer. part 2. pass In these manifold sufferings of Christ we see as it were with our eyes our vniustice how wicked how full of sinnes we are but especially wee were For how vile here Christ outwardly appeared to men so vile were we before God in our soules yea what kind of one Christ is here such should we haue beene for euer vnles he had taken these things on him Part. 3. pass And after Here let vs consider our selues as here Christ with one consent and with great ioy of his enimies without all pitie without all hope of deliuerance or of returning backe againe no man assisting him or knowing him is led to the iudgment of death So we should haue beene ledde to that horrible iudgment of God vnles Christ had put himselfe in our stead Therefore if thou mind to stand in Gods iudgement rely vpon Christ then by faith For without him none can stand in the iudgement of God For no man liuing is iustified or found righteous in the sight of God And after speaking of those things which Christ had suffered at the handes of the Iewes Although saieth hee those things which we haue heard already had been enough for the redemption of all the world yet he would suffer more then these that he might fully satisfie for our sinnes that considering the greatnesse of the remedy no man might euer haue cause to despaire And speaking of his whipping hee writes thus He that clothes all things is spoiled of his clothes and he that hides all our shame is openly put to shame in the sight of all men least that we should be put to a perpetuall shame which surely we should haue beene if Christ had not endured this nakednes and shame for vs. Part. 2. pass But that agony of Christ signified nothing else hut the feare of our conscience before the iudgment seat of God for the soule now the time of the iudgement drawing neare is touched with the feeling of our sinnes which being touched begins now altogether to tremble and quake and euen to perish being now alone before the tribunall seat of God Of which trembling Iob said If he shall sodainly cal man to an account who is able to answere him This feare was also shewed in that feast of the Gospell whereas he who hauing no wedding garment being examined of the Lord was straightwaies dumbe The godly are sometime possessed with this feare as appeareth in Iob and Dauid saith O Lord chasten me not in thy wrath because there is no health in my flesh by reason of thy displeasure So also Ezechias I saieth hee said in the middest of my daies I shall go to the gates of hell Least therefore that wee should bee euer in danger of this feare Christ was for our sakes in this agony Therefore when that temptation shall inuade vs let vs pray with Ezechias O Lord I am violently afflicted answere thou for me and with Dauid vnder the shadow of thy wings protect me Man is not able no not the holiest man to appeare before the tribunall seate of God without this feare and quaking his best works are vnperfect And therefore Christ was in this agony for him c. And after the same Ferus writes thus Yea Fer. pass part 3. speaking of Barrabas and Christ that vvhich vvas doone in Pilates iudgement the same falles out in the iudgement of God On the one side stood that notable theefe Adam with all his posterity who all of them had deserued death on the other side stood the most innocent Sonne of God Now one of these by Gods iustice was to suffer death and God of his great mercie spared Adam and yeelded his most innocent Sonne vp to death for him Let vs embrace this great mercy of God brethren and be thankfull to God for it And of Christs spoiling of his garmentes he writes thus Ibidem He is turned naked out of his garmentes which cloathes the heauens with Starres and the earth with flowers and what kind of one the first man was when he dwelt in Paradice such a one the second Adam entred into Paradise againe He suffered therefore himselfe to be spoiled of his garments that he might receiue for vs the garment of innocency he was not ashamed to stand naked before all men least we should be found naked before god the endured shame that he might couer the guiltines of our consciences for he is blessed whose sins are couered And vpon these wordes He that is washed Part. 1. pass needs not but that his feet only should be washed he writes thus This second washing is not doone at the Font but by repentance which cleanseth our daily sins For repentance is as it were a second board by which they which after baptisme haue suffered shipwracke may swimme out Of this washing Esay speaketh Be ye washed be ye cleane and this washing of our feet by repentance must be doone euer For the way wherein we walke is mirie as Dauid saith and Ieremy 1. King 21. Lam. 1. 2. Tim. 2. the mire sticks to Hierusalems feet and saint Paul He that shall cleanse himselfe from them shall be a vessell of honour But this may trouble some perchance that Christ addeth But is all cleane
they make the holie Ghost Christs Vicar and his vicegerent As hee also himselfe doth Iohn 16.7 Yet I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the comforter will not come vnto you but if I go away I will send him vnto you The holie Ghost comes here in Christs place and hee is his Vicegerent hee placeth Byshops and Pastors in the Church Act. 20.28 13 2 10 19. hee separates Paul and Barnabas to the worke he appointeth them he sent Peter to Cornelius He is President in this councell And is not this to gouerne and to be head of the Church And a little after Ferus writes thus This is the chiefest point of all Christian Religion vpon which all other doe depend that in Christ Iesus is all fulnesse and therefore all that are iustified are iustified onely by faith in him and by nothing els This is the summe of all the Gospell this is the matter of all Saint Paules Epistles especially of those which he wrote to the Romaines Galathians and Hebrewes And here marke the conditions of false Apostles First they bragge themselues to be Christians They departed from vs but they were none of vs they are accounted in the number of Christians when as they are nothing lesse although they be baptized with water and partakers of other mysteries yet they are not baptized with the spirit nor incorporate into Christ from whome their life doth so greatly disagree Counterfeit Christians haue euer done more harme to the church of Christ then Infidels no enemies more hurtfull then false teachers and especially then those which teach men to trust in their workes For these reach vs a broken staffe and daube vp the wall without morter these Christ bids vs beware of saying Beware of false teachers Here Ferus declares his iudgement plainly concerning our iustification That we are iustified Vnica fide in Iesu Christo by onely faith in Iesus Christ and that this is the chiefest point of christian Religion and that this doctrine Saint Paul taught almost in euerie of his Epistles and that they which teach men to trust in workes are false teachers If this be the chiefest point of christian religion as it is indéede then in the chiefest point of Christian religion Ferus is on our side And as Basill writes of the Philosophers Bas ho. 8. in car The wise men of Greece saith he haue disputed much of the natures of all things but there is no reason there is no firme or set opinion among them the latter opinion euer ouerthrowing the former so that we may easily ouerthrowe their opinions when as they by their mutual distension are sufficient to ouerthrow themselues so I maie saie of the Papists Secondly if they be false teachers which teach men t s trust in their workes by Ferus his iudgement then are the Papists false teachers Againe of Christian righteousnesse Ferus writes thus He speakes not only of that righteousnes which giues euery man his owne speaking of Saint Paul making his Oration before Foelix and Drusilla but of Christian righteousnesse which is faith in Christ In cap. Act. 24. Onely faith in Christ by Ferus his iudgement is Christian righteousnesse The workes of the Pharisées were no doubt as painfull as are nowe the workes of the Papists Luk. 18.11 They fasted twise in the weeke they prayed they payed their tithes truely they were no extortioners they offered no man violence or wrong For Saint Paul is saide to haue beene brought vp in the Citie of Ierusalem at the feete of Gamaliel Act. 22.3 and instructed after the perfect maner of the lawe of the fathers And their workes were done also in the faith of Christ as well as ours they all beleeued that Messias should come as we now do beleeue that hee is comen and yet because by these their workes they went about to iustifie themselues Rom. 9.32 God condemned them and their workes they lost all their costs Ioh. 3. ver 8. and paines and labours whatsoeuer Let all christians learne to bee wise by their examples that they also loose not the workes which they haue wrought God cannot abide this mind in anie of his seruants that they should goe about to iustifie themselues in his sight Rom. 3.19.27 Psal 115.1 All mouthes before his Maiesty must be stopped All glory must be ascribed to him alone And therefore were we made and predestinate Ephes 1.6 that we should be to the praise of the glory of his grace Let all men marke well this end Osorius also contrarie to the assertion of Poligranes of Christs merites and redemption writes thus He was so despised that we accounted him not a man De Sapie lib. 1 but he bare our infirmities and sustained our sorrowes But we supposed that he had beene stricken and reiected of God for his owne sinnes But he through his wounds did beare the punishment of our rebellion and was afflicted for our iniquities For this he tooke vpon him that he might establish by his punishments the nouriture and discipline of our peace by which he was to make vs perfect friends with God and that hee might heale our wounds by his stripes For we al haue gone astray like sheep euery man turned his owne way but the Lord appointed vnto him the punishments due to our sinnes These and many other things the Prophet Esay prosecutes by which he declareth the intollerable sorrowes of Christ and his most bitter and vnspeakable torments Thus farre Osorius In which words he teacheth that Christ suffered not onelie for the faults but also for the punishments due to our sinnes And that by his sufferinges wee are made perfect friends with God Ibidem And after hee writes thus But how this most pleasant liberty was established it is worth the marking that there might an end be made saieth he to sinne Sinne is iniquity against God which containes in it the seeds of all euilles And that this sinne might be sealed vp that is that it might now no more appeare or shew it selfe but that it should now be so couered by the mercy of God as though it had neuer been committed euen as Dauid saith Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Such a perfect redemption and propitiation of all our sinnes Osorius attributes to Iesus Christ Againe Lib. 4. de Sapi. of the merite of Christs redemption the same Osorius verie excellentlie writes thus Gods iustice required that there should be a iust recompence made of the law of God transgressed by man through his sins There was nothing of such force on earth that was able to make this satisfaction But without a iust satisfaction for the offence the equity of Gods iustice did not suffer that mankind which had offended the Maiesty of God and was now spotted with all manner of sinne should bee receiued into Gods
sorrowes stripes wounds and whatsoeuer he hath done and whatsoeuer he hath suffered from the first minute that he was borne into this world and that he beheld this light vnto the verie last gaspe which he dying on the Crosse yeelded vp all that we offer vnto thee For we are partakers of all these al these are ours he did all these things for vs he suffered them for vs We trusting and relying wholy of this oblation of this sacrifice of these merits do come vnto thee and we desire mercie of thee euen as it were now of iustice and good right for if thou respect thy sonne it is iustice but if thou respect vs it is mercie But there is also another thing that makes vs bolde that makes vs hope well that makes vs be of good courage because we doe not come to thee through mans presumption or with the impudent face of flesh and bloud and doe begge of thee these so great requests and petitions but we come thus begging sent of thine only begotten sonne for he commands vs to come to thy throne to aske in his name whatsoeuer is necessary to both our liues Neither doth he onely command vs this but also he hath put wordes in our mouthes fitte for the same purpose he hath giuen vs those phrases and maner of speeches which thou knowest and art acquainted wel withall which hitherto we haue repeated Know them O Lord it is the stile of thy sonne they are the words which he left vs to deserue our saluation Remember O Father that woman of Thekoah which obtained pardon of Dauid for his beloued sonne Absolon assoone as the king perceiued that shee came being sent of Ioab the captaine of the hoste which fauour Ioab expounded to be done vnto himselfe and not to the woman so I O Lord am sent of thine onely begotten sonne it is he that hath put these words in my mouth it is he that beseecheth thee by me and for me That which thou grantest to me thou grantest to him and he will thanke thee for it Remember O Lord how thou didst not condemne but commende that vniust steward of thy goods who made himselfe friends with them Be not angrie with me if that I the poorest creature in the world who haue euill spent thy goods and wasted them doe come to thy sonne make him my friend submit my selfe to his patronage and protection that in this time of my neede and extremity he may receiue me into his tabernacle and that his merits may protect and shrowde me I know that it is a dangerous thing to come into thy sight without our spirituall brother Beniamin that is thine onely begotten sonne Behold him therefore behold we bring him with vs and we present him vnto thee that by his intercession we may be mercifully heard of thee And thou also O thou onely begotten sonne of God who also art the sonne of man stretch foorth thy arme ouer vs. For thou art our protectour and with thy cloake couer our nakednesse and with thy riches helpe our pouertie and do not put vs backe from thy grace and fauour whom thou hast vouchsafed to make partners and companions of thy nature who liuest with the Father and the holy Ghost for euer and euer We maie learne here how that as our iustification is frée in respect of our selues but déerelie bought with the precious bloud and innumerable merites of Iesus Christ so likewise all the good things we haue we also obtaine by his meanes He is the captaine of the Lords hoste by whose meanes all disobedient wicked Absolons are restored into their heauenly fathers grace and fauour againe he is that beloued Beniamin without whom it is dangerous to appeare in our heauenly fathers presence Therefore in our praiers let vs be sure euer to bring him with vs and no bodie els To the same effect Granatensis also writeth in another praier Thou art my king Orat. 7. pro impet amor dei for thou gouernest me with thy spirit thou hast fought for me and hast pulled me out of the hands of mine enimies thow art my high Priest for thou hast prayed and dost still pray for me without ceasing as an euerlasting high priest in the presence of God thy heauenly Father Thou are my sacrifice for thou hast offered vp euen thine own selfe a sacrifice vpon the Altar of the crosse that most graciously and mercifully thou mightest purge and wash away my sinnes Thou art my Aduocate for when the diuell accuseth mee and teacheth to thy father against me an inditement wherein are written all my sinnes thou defendest me and maintainest my cause Thou laiest downe of thine and suppliest all that is wanting to my righteousnes Thou art my redeemer for thou art both God and man mans friend and also true man a friend also that can do much with God and the true Son of God And therefore thou settest thy selfe as a Mediatour in the midst between God and me And after To conclude thou art my Sauiour and surely such a Sauiour who euery where alwaies and in all things sufficeth me for thou didst worke in the middle of the earth most perfectly and absolutely all whatsoeuer was required to my saluation Thou hast lightened my ignorance with thy doctrine thou hast strengthened my weaknes with thy examples thou hast kindled and enflamed my luke-warmenes with thy benefits Thou hast instructed my soule with thy mysteries Thou hast enriched my pouerty with thy merites Thou hast healed my wounds with thy sacraments Thou hast paide and satisfied for my pleasures with thy griefes and sorrowes and now sitting in heauen at the right hand of thy father thou makest intercession for me VVhat shall I vse many words Thou art made my wisdome my righteousnes my sanctification and redemption and therfore all my goods This glorie Granatensis attributes to Iesus Christ and all true catholiques wil most assuredlie beleeue this doe the same Here is the perfect summe of our saluation And speaking of the holie communion he writes thus That it is a Sacrament of infinit vertue Lib. 3. Mem. cap. 1. I say of infinit vertue saieth hee for it containes in it Christ who is the fountaine of grace And man by that Sacrament is made partaker of all the merites of the Lords passion which also haue neither measure nor number If this be true how doeth Poligranes measure and number them affirming that they take awaie the fault and not the punishment Hée also writes thus This faith affirmeth Lib. 1. Mem. cap. 5. that the reward of vertue and the punishment of sinne the one of them is so sharpe and the other so great that if all the world were full of bookes and all creatures were writers yet all these writers should be sooner weary and the world should be ended then that they should lacke matter what to write of either of these what these things containe in them according to their exceeding greatnes
which are of the circumcision but vnto them also that walke in the steppes of the faith of our father Abraham This to be iustified more which saint Iohn speakes of is no doubt to walke in the steppes of the faith of Abraham And this no doubt also is that which saint Peter meaneth when hee concludes his epistle thus Growe in grace 2. Peter 3.18 and in the knowledge of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ That is grow in your faith and knowledge of the Gospell For this is life eternall saieth our Sauiour to knowe thee to bee the onely true God Ioh. 17.3 and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ Gagneius should haue considered all these places and not grounded his second iustification of workes vpon that one onlie place Whereas also that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him be righteous still maie signifie rather a perseuerance then an increase But to let Gagneius go with his mystes and cauilles against the trueth and to returne to saint Austen againe As hee quite takes all our iustification from all workes whatsoeuer either ceremoniall or morall so he yéelds this to that our first iustification that it makes vs partakers of the glory of God Lib. spir lit cap. 9. and doe wee thinke then that hee euer thought of anie second Thus hee writes By grace the wicked man is iustified freely that is hauing no merites of his works going before For otherwise grace were not grace because therefore it is giuen not because that we haue doon good works but that we may do them that is not because we haue fulfilled the law but that we might fulfill it For he said I came not to destroie the law but to fulfill it Of whome it is saide We haue seene his glorie the glorie as it were of the onelie begotten Sonne of the Father full of grace and trueth This is the glory whereof it is said All haue sinned and are destitute of the glory of God And this is the grace whereof by and by he saieth Being iustified freely by his grace So that by saint Austens iudgment this grace which we receiue in our first iustification is that grace of God which before our iustification all men were depriued of And will Gagneius saie then that our iustification is imperfect Naie herein also saint Austen agrees with saint Paul who speaking of that first iustification saieth 1. Iohn 15. We being iustified by faith are at peace with God and is it imperfect then no imperfect thing can please God Ephes 2.16 He is light and in him is no darknes at all Naie in another place hee saieth that Iesus Christ hath slaine hatred betweene God and vs and that we haue an entrance now to the father by one spirit no doubt which we receiue in our Baptismes and at our first iustification 19. And that now we are no more strangers or forreiners but citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God And is this our first iustification as yet imperfect Naie saint Iohn saieth 1. Iohn 1.3 That we haue seene and heard we declare vnto you that you also maie haue fellowship with vs and that our fellowship may be also with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ Do wée beleeue this O happie newes by faith wee are made fellowes with the apostles naie euen with God himselfe and is then our first iustification imperfect and these things Saint Iohn writes to vs that our ioy may be full Who will not reioice that heareth this newes Other Papists make another cauill at our iustification Stella writes thus Of these words of Christ that error of the Lutherans is conuinced Stella in cap. 6 Luc. who dare affirm that faith cannot be without charity but one may truely as it is manifest out of this text of the Gospell heare the vvordes of God and beleeue them and yet not bee in grace But here Stella addes this of his owne and beleeue them that is more then is in the text The text saieth One maie heare the words of God and not do them not be in grace But surelie he that heares them beleeues them will do them also no doubt and therefore such a one is in grace S. Austen also verie excellentlie condemnes the Papists in this their doctrine De fide operib cap. 23 The Lord saith in the Gospell The houre shall come wherein all they that are in the graues shall he are his voice and they shall go which haue doone well into the resurrection of life and they which haue doone euill into the resurrection of iudgment Neither is it said that they which haue beleeued or that they which haue not beleeued but thus they which haue doone wel and that they which haue doon euil for a good life cannot be separated from faith which works thorough loue yea verily that same is a good life it selfe A true liuelie faith and a good life by saint Austens iudgement are vnseparable And againe saint Austen declares his iudgment concering our iustification and she vse of good workes verie manifestlie thus When as the Apostle saith Aug. de fide operib cap. 14. that he supposeth that a man is iustified by faith without the works of the law hee meanes not that when as wee haue receiued and professed the faith that the works of righteousnes should be despised but that euery one may know that he may be iustified through faith although no works of the law haue gone before For they follow a man that is now iustified they do not go before him which is to be iustified This is saint Austens plaine iudgement that workes are fruites of our iustification not rootes they are neither precedent nor concurrent causes but effects following Ibidem And after hee addes the causes why saint Peter Iohn and Iames and Iude wrote their Epistles and expoundes their meanings whereas they seeme to make much for good workes Because this opinion saieth he was then sproong vp that is that works were despised the other apostolique Epistles of Peter Iohn Iames and Iude against this opinion bend al their force so that they very vehemently affirme that faith without workes profiteth nothing As also Saint Paul himselfe cals not faith euery faith wherewith we beleeue in God but that healthfull and euangelicall faith whose workes proceede from charitie and faith saieth he which vvorketh thorow loue Therefore he affirmes that that faith which some men thinke is sufficient to saluation to be of so small force that he saith If so be that I had all faith so that I could moue mountaines out of their places and yet had no charity I am nothing But where this faithfull charitie works there is a good life c. So that by saint Austens iudgement that vaine and barren faith which some men in those dayes imagined of their owne braines and despised all good workes doe both saint Iames and saint Iohn and the
ceremoniall nor morall neither in those that go afore iustification neither in those that follow but onely in the grace of Christ And this is one of the chiefest pointes of Christian religion to knowe whereunto one maie trust in his saluation and in this he plainelie agrees with our doctrine And againe in another place he sayeth expresselie That the woman comming for another thing In cap. 2. Ioh. that is for vvater found Christ so God deales with vs. Our saluation chanceth to vs without desert and commonly neither desiring it nor seeking it yea being busied about other matters and seeking other things So the Kingdome fell to Saul seeking his fathers Asses So Christ was preached vnto the Shepheards keeping their flocks So Andrew and Peter casting their nets into the Sea were called of Christ So Matthew and Paul and others going about other matters receiued saluation of Christ To conclude so long wee are carefull for our owne affaires that is for carnall things till Christ of his owne freewill offer himselfe vnto vs beyond all our expectation And hence it is that the Bride crieth Draw me after thee and the prophet Turne vs O God of our saluation For if Christ should not preuent vs with his grace we do still remaine in our sins euen as that woman had returned euen as she came if Christ had not preuented her In cap. 3. Ioh. And in another place hee writes thus Vnlesse a man be borne againe Nicodemus asked Christ nothing expressely and yet Christ first of all answeres him of regeneration By this he hath taught all Preachers that first they make the tree good and then that they require good fruites that is to say that first they teach faith whereby a man may be iustified and afterward good workes and in this one short word he comprehendeth the whole summe of Christian religion Man truly was created to euerlasting felicity but because thorough his sinne he became accursed it came to passe that not onely himselfe and all things that he had but that also all his posterity became accursed therefore because wee are borne of Adam we are all become vnprofitable and abhominable both in body and soule in all our power and hability Vnlesse therefore by the grace of God we be borne againe and of Adams Sonnes bee made the Sonnes of God all things are in vaine that we doe or endeuour or thinke or speake yea our selues are vaine and all our reason will strength and works Therefore he that desires to enter into the kingdome of God must become a new man so also he that desires to see the kingdome of God that is to vnderstand the mysteries of the kingdome of God and his heauenly doctrine as God shewed to Iacob the kingdome of God in that ladder lift vp which reached to heauen he must lay aside all fleshly wisedome he must deny his owne reason he must despise his owne strength and must yeelde himselfe wholy as it were a bondslaue to the word of God By this word therefore Christ condemnes vs and all things that wee haue that hee might prouoke vs more forcibly to seeke helpe of him Againe by this word he wrests from vs all confidence in our selues or in our owne works and takes from vs that staffe of a reede that we may learne to trust in the onely mercy of God For faith is the sure staffe of our old age by which alone we may passe ouer this Iordan of temptation the figure whereof was shewed before in Iacob Here therefore learne why God in the Scriptures oftentimes condemnes our works and our endeuours for he doth not this to bring vs into despaire or because good works do not please him but that he may teach vs to trust only in the mercy of God And a little after hee writes thus Although one man beeing compared to another one may seeme more nobler or wiser or more iust then another yet if we respect the power wisedome and iustice of God we are all alike weake ignorant and sinners neither one not so much as an haire excels another For we all stand need of the grace of God And after It is no maruell if Nicodemus vnderstood not the words of Iesus For the fleshly man vnderstands not those things which are of God For they are foolishnesse vnto him Ferus here plainelie teacheth that a right faith must bee the roote of all good workes and that is such a faith as the Gospell teacheth that is that Iesus Christ is both able and willing to cure all diseases both of bodie and soule and with such a faith all sinners should come to him alone and that this faith should be planted in euerie Christians heart which the Papistes haue not doone heretofore in their Church And after this faith then good works should bee taught and required Secondlie hee teacheth that we haue no power to doe good left in vs wee are not like Birdes in a Cage which if the stoppe of sinne were taken awaie would voluntarilie flie out as other Papistes teach but euen deade Birdes and Carions hauing no strength or power at all to doe good and that Christ condemnes vs to make vs more forciblie to flie to him and that wee must not put anie confidence or trust in our workes and that before God there is not anie one man a haire better then another but all are alike sinners not excepting the blessed Virgine Marie of her owne nature What doctrine can bee more agreeable to the Gospell then this or to that wee nowe teach in the Church of England I woulde to GOD all Papistes woulde marke it and beléeue it Philippus de Dies also writes thus King Ezechias asking life of God Sermone 2. de resur recites his benefits saying O Lord I beseech thee behold I haue walked before thee in truth and in a perfect hart that I haue don that which is right in thy eies Why O holy King sayeth hee doest thou alleadge thy seruices that thou hast done to God It had seemed better if thou hadst alleadged thy miseries thy pouerty So poore men are wont to doe that may moue them to pity of whome they hope for an almes they shew them their wounds and miseries To this Saint Gregory answeres that the holy King here doth not alleadge his vertues as deserts but as all Gods benefites for all the good thinges wee doe they are Gods benefites And so saieth Saint Austen expounding the Psalme Who crowneth thee with mercie and louing kindnes saieth hee Is there not a crowne due to good works But because he works in vs all our good works therefore he sayth which crowneth thee with mercy and louing kindnes because al our good workes are the mercies of God And in another place hee writes thus Conc. 2. in fest Matth. One of the holy fathers being asked who was holy answered He that was humble And beeing asked againe who was more humble answered Hee that was more holy Lastly
being asked who was most holy answered He that was most humble and he that accounted himselfe least of all others For he trusting nothing in himselfe hath all his trust reposed in God Dauid came downe to this steppe of humility who said O Lord my hart is not exalted nor I haue no proud lookes my soule is euen as a wained child By which words the Prophet very excellently declared how humbly he accounted of himselfe therefore he most finely coÌ„pares his wil to a child who being taken and wained from his mothers pappes relies altogether in his mothers curtesie who by himselfe can prouide no meat for himselfe c. Al true Christians should be as wained children they should put their whole trust in God they should find no meate no matter of strength whereupon to trust or relie in themselues but in GOD. This is Philippus de Dies his iudgment Oleaster also a Papist writes thus In 2. cap. Gen. Can thy worke be euill O Lord or can there be any imperfection in it that it should neede to be examined As if all other works need triall yet not light which thou hast made most pure and glorious by which al the other works are examined what wilt thou teach me in this triall I thinke thou wouldest tell me that I should examine and trie my darkenesse if so be that thou so diligently examine thy light for what are our works if they shall come to be examined in Gods iudgement but darknesse No flesh saith the Lords child shall be iustified in thy sight Wée maie note here how this Papist confesseth that all our workes if they should bee examined in Gods iudgement are but darkenesse And yet after he addes Not that we think with the LutheraÌ„s that the iust man sinnes in euery worke hee doth but we meane to signifie the imperfections of our works if they be brought to examination of Gods iudgment If there bee darknesse in the workes of the iust is there not sinne Are not all imperfections and declining from the law of God sinne Hée teacheth here the same doctrine the Lutherans teach that there are imperfections and daâ—kenesse in the workes euen of iust men and that their workes are not able to stand in Gods Iudgement and yet hee will not bee of their opinion And hee addeth for more confirmation of this doctrine that place of Esay We haue all beene vncleane and all our righteousnesses as the defiled cloth of a woman Therefore sayeth hee how pure soeuer how good thy worke seem to thee O man compare it to the glasse of Gods law that thou maiest amende vvhat thing thou findest fault in it present it to Gods eyes that thou maiest heare his iudgement of thy worke Stella of the perfection of our workes and perfect fulfilling of the lawe In cap. 1. Luc. writes thus vpon these wordes And they were both iust before God if therefore it be written In thy sight shall no man liuing be iustified how can any man be called iust before God If our righteousnesse be considered as it hath some fault mingled with it no man is iustified because In manie thinges we offend all and all our righteousnesses are like a defiled cloth of a woman Also if you compare our righteousnes to the righteousnes of God no man shall be saued and therefore most holy Iob said Shall man be iustified being compared to God But if this righteousnesse be considered according to the measure prescribed to man so the best and those who are friends with God on some sort are called iust before God In cap. 16. Mat. Ferus also concerning this matter writes thus Although the Scripture call all the faithfull Saints not that they want no perfection but for the blood of Iesus Christ wherewith they are washed and sanctified yet in themselues they are imperfect and haue need to say Forgiue vs our trespasses and euer with faith and trust in the mercy and goodnes of God they haue feare ioined for their infirmity as Iob saith I feared all my works when as the same Iob somtimes declared himselfe to be innocent Both therefore are necessary to a Christian feare and hope hope least be should despaire and feare least he should presume Stella also writes thus Neither was the holy Virgine content for the excellent vertue of hir humility to say he had respect vnto his hand maid In 1. cap. Luc. but to the basenes of his handmaid And here thou must marke this basenes concerning hir merits for she thought hir selfe of no merit of no vertue and this not fainedly or falsly for she considered the excellency of hir owne strength and not on Gods behalfe his gifts bestowed on hir And this consideration is the mother of an â—â—mble hart whose root is in the soule Thus farre Stella I woulde this roote of humilitie did also growe in all Christians heartes which did grow thus fruitfullie in the heart of the Virgine that they would with her consider not their merites but their vnworthinesse 5. Of the Certaintie of Saluation ANdradius Lib. 6. orthodox explicat expounding the meaning of the Vniuersitie of Collen against Monhemias how wee maie both hope and doubt of our saluation writes thus Although sayeth hee our hope hath euer doubting ioined with it yet it differs very much it selfe from doubting For when as our hope whereby we do promise to our selues eternall life doth trust both to our works and also especially to the mercy of God and his omnipotency which doth proceed of our merites and when as we do often loose the grace of God by our sinnes and we our selues do hinder the course thereof that it doth not flow into our hearts it comes to passe truely that our hope is so certain that yet it is euer coupled and ioined with feare and doubtfulnesse For hee which considers the goodnesse and omnipotent power of GOD neuer doubts nor feares any thing but is as the mount Sion which of no side can be remooued but when he considers his owne frailty and pronenes to sinne as long as he liues then he feares least he should expell or hinder the goodnes of God Wherefore when as Saint Paul saith that hope maketh not ashamed and he calles it the sure Anchor of the soule he considered the omnipotency and power of God vpon which our hope chiefly resteth by which it hath this vertue that it is without al doubt But the Vniuersity of Collen where they say that it doubteth very much they consider the infirmity of our nature and the force of our desires which oftentimes force vs from the standing in the law of God and reason and doo as it were driue vs into these sinnes whereby we loose the brightnes of righteousnesse and merit the anger of God and euerlasting torments But let vs heare howe farre they are wide from Saint Pauls doctrine in this their consideration Abraham sayeth hee is called the father of vs all as it is
written A father of many Nations haue I ordained thee Roman 4.16 euen before God whome he beleeued who quickneth the dead and calleth the things which be not as though they were which Abraham beleeued against hope vnder hope that he should be the father of manie Nations according to that which was spoken to him So shall thy seed be And he not weake in faith considered not his owne bodie which was now dead being almost an hundreth yeare old neither the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe neither did he doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strengthened in faith and gaue glorie to God being fully assured that he that had promised was able to doe it And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Now it is not written for him onely that it was imputed to him for righteousnesse but also for vs to whom it shall be imputed for righteousnesse which beleeue in him which raised vp Iesus our Lord from the dead who was deliuered for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Saint Paul here the Doctour of the Gentiles teacheth all Christians by the example of their father Abraham contrarie to the doctrine of the Vniuersitie of Collen that they must not consider their owne frailtie and weakenesse for who then shoulde not despaire but the promise and mercie of God Abraham considered not that now hee and Sarah his Wife were as good as dead to child-bearing and begetting but the word and promise of God which euen quickens things that be dead calles things which are not as though they were and euen so must all Abrahams Children and all true Christians not consider their owne frailtie and weakenesse for if they respect their owne deseruings euen the best of them all they are like their Father Abraham euen dead in their sinnes and farre off from obtaining the Kingdome of God yet beleeuing the promise of God assuredlie and not respecting this their owne frailtie and weakenesse but euen nowe with a liuelie faith whensoeuer it assaulteth them ouercomming it they must all assure themselues of the kingdome of God as Abraham did of his sonne Isaac And this is faith and this is to be the true sonne of Abraham and without this faith no man can bee saued Wée must not consider our owne infirmities naie that wée are euen of our selues dead through our sinnes as the Vniuersitie of Collen teacheth but wee must onelie respect the grace mercie and promise of God as Abraham our forefather did and by this strengthened ouercome the other which as an enemie is opposed and set against faith to wrestle with it and to assault it The Vniuersitie of Collen in this their doctrine doe gainesay the Prophet Dauid whome they alleadge for their witnesse Psalm 125.1 The iust man sayeth Dauid is like mount Sion which on no side can bee moued Hée is firme on euerie side hee trusting on the mercie of God is not mooued as they teach with the consideration of his owne frailtie Againe let vs consider howe the Vniuersitie of Collen and Master Bellarmine do disagree in this great point of saluation Bellarmine whereas saint Iohn saith Lib. 1. de Iustificat cap. 11. These things haue I written vnto you which beleeue on the name of the sonne of God that you may knowe that you haue eternall life answereth that S. Iohn saith truly they which beleeue as they ought haue euerlasting life The meaning therefore saith he of the Apostle is conditionall for hee writes to those which beleeue that they may know that they haue eternall life if so be they beleeue indeed as they ought to beleeue that is if they haue faith which worketh by loue This is master Bellarmines iudgement But the vniuersity of Collen writes thus Dialog 4. contra Monhem Who euer hath taught thus of faith that the saluation of euery particular man should bee obtained by it or haue relation to it For faith is of all things most assured which neither can be deceiued nor deceiue But the iustification of euery priuate man say they is very vncertaine much more their eternall saluation how therefore can faith bee had of such vncertaine things This is the censure of the Vniuersitie of Collen whereas both Saint Iohn and master Bellarmine auouch that they which beleeue aright know that they haue eternall life so that by the censure of the Vniuersitie of Collen wee must not beleeue assuredlie wee must not knowe that wee shall be saued wee must onelie hope that wee shall bee saued And they saie againe That the certainty of hope is not such that any man trusting thereunto should not doubt for so long as we hope say they we are vncertaine as the very Etymologie of the name of hope doeth teach vs. Thus wée maie plainelie see howe they will haue vs doubt still of our saluation which doubting is both contrarie to faith and also to knowledge which Saint Iohn the Apostle teacheth But to returne againe to M. Bellarmines former answere his meaning is thereby though hee dissent from the vniuersitie to prooue that no man shall bee assured or know that hee shall bee saued For hee saieth a little before that euen by our confession faith is necessary to the forgiuenes of sinnes But saieth he out of what word of God do they learne that they haue such a faith as is required to get and obtaine remission of sinnes This is one of his mistes whereby hee would haue euerie one doubt whether hee hath faith or no and so doubt whether hee should bee saued or no. But this doctrine is contrarie to Saint Paul who thus writes to the Church of Corinth 2. Cor. 13.5 Trie your selues sayeth hee and search your selues whether you bee in faith or no. Doe you not know your selues that Iesus Christ is in you vnlesse you bee reprobates All Christians must knowe that Iesus Christ is in them that they are by faith engrafted into him or else they are reprobates By master Bellarmines doctrine all Christians are reprobates For no Christian sayeth hee knowes whether he hath such a faith as obtaineth remission of his sinnes and then it must néedes followe that no Christian knowes that Iesus Christ dwelleth in him which all shoulde knowe and so all are reprobates by his doctrine 1. Pet. 1. Peter the Apostle writes his Catholique Epistle in generall to all Christians and hee sayeth that they haue gotten like precious faith to the Apostles And shall they not know then that they haue obtained such a faith as is required to the forgiuenesse of sinnes The Papistes imagine God to bee a respecter of persons and that to the Apostles hee gaue a great faith and that they might bee sure of their saluation but to none else hee gaue the like faith and that all others ought to doubt but Saint Peter here plainlie teacheth that euen those to whome he wrote had obtained euen as precious a faith as he And shall not we iudge so
liue by faith Heb. 10.38 but he that shal withdrawe himselfe hee that shall shrinke as wee saie and whose heart shall faile him My soule shall haue no pleasure in him This faith wee must haue in all things in the matter of our saluation in receiuing of the Sacraments as here Granatensis teacheth vs Mark 11.24 Iam. 1.6 Heb. 11.6 and in our prayers as also our Sauiour and saint Iames instruct vs And without this faith it is impossible to please God in any thing we go about Ferus of the certaintie of our saluation writes thus O father I will that those which thou hast giuen me be with me c. All the Gospelles are full of such promises And Saint Iohn plainly affirmes that the Gospell for no other end hath beene and is now preached vnto vs then that we should haue all these promises common to vs together with the Apostles And a little after Fer. in cap. 1. Epist Iouis Our Apostles for this end preached the gospell that mens consciences might be comforted and that all Christians might be knitte and remaine so knitte fast and vnited to God and the Church that is the society and communion of the faithfull Therefore he that teacheth to this end that mens consciences may bee made to doubt or troubled and that the Communion of Saints may bee rent and that men may be pulled backe from GOD and heauenly things c. surely he is not ledde with the Spirit of the Apostles And here vvho sees not if vve shal pronounce sentence according to this doctrine of Saint Iohn how many of them which thinke themselues euen next to the Apostles will be one day reiected for false prophets Ferus maie seeme here to touch the pope for his doubtfull doctrine of saluation Philippus de Dies also of the certainty of our saluation B. Dionys Epist 8. Phil de Dies Sum praed Tit. amor Dei erga hominem Exod. 20. writes thus Saint Denis in his Epistle very greatly extolling the loue of God saith We dare boldly auouch this for truth that God himself for the greatnes of his loue is as it were euen besides himselfe as we say hauing a care of his creatures and through loue he abaseth himselfe from his high estate of Maiesty that he should be present amongst all things Wherefore also hee is called A zealous God that is earnest and feruent in loue towards those things which are worthy to be loued And this is his property both to be the onely thing which is to bee beloued and also to bee loue it selfe The Kingly Prophet Dauid considering the excellency of this loue of God towards man faith What is man that then art mindfull of him or the Sonne of Adam that thou visitest him In this place this holy King as that wise learned man Eusebius notes vseth two meanes that is to saie Enos and Adam whereof the one was giuen to man to signifie the wants and imperfections which the soule runnes into through sinne and the other to declare the mortality and misery which naturally in his body he is subiect vnto For Enos is deriued of a certaine word that signifieth forgetfulnes and so Enos is nothing else then one that is forgetful or that lacks memory and Adam signifies that which is earthly and mortal This did so woonderfully amaze the holy prophet that he said Who is man O Lord who being vnmindfull of thee and offending thy Maiesty that he should be euer imprinted in thy memory Dost thou remember him who forgets thee Doest thou seeke for visit and loue exceedingly him that flies away from thee A thing verily to be greatly woondred at that God of such infinit maiesty should set his loue vpon such a miserable thing Whereupon Saint Ierom expounds those words of the diuine Psalmist Thou hast done Psal 39. Beat. Ieron super Psal O Lord thy manie woonderfull works and in thy thoughts who is like vnto thee on this manner Thou hast wrought O Lord my God many wonderfull things worthy of thy wisedome and power but of all other this is the chiefe thy very thoughts in the fauour which thou yeeldest to men in the loue wherewith thou louest them in the helpe that thou affoordest them and in the iustification which thou bestowest vpon them Is not this of all other miracles the greatest that God should loue men so greatly and should thinke on them so earnestly that he should say Prou. 9. My delight is to be with the Sonnes of men Truly this secret was made manifest onely to the diuine hart that when as the most high God hath not communicated to the Angels his personall essence and also the diuine properties which are in it as the Apostle also considered saying Hath he taken vpon him the Angels who as farre as mans reason can iudge would not perchance haue beene so vnmindfull of his benefits but would haue beene more thankfull then men when as I say he hath not granted all these things to the Angels yet he hath vouchsafed to communicate to bestow them most liberally vpon vnthankfull and miserable men Of which vnspeakeable loue it comes that the good things which he doth to vs he saith that he doth them to himselfe Wherefore the Patriarch Iacob amongst the blessings of his Son Dan being sodainly turned to thinke of the Messias speaking vvith the eternall father he said O Lord I will looke for thy saluation which the Chaldee paraphrase expounds literally of the Messias for Iacob being now about to die did prophesie of Sampson which was to spring of the Tribe of Dan and to saue the people of the Hebrewes from the tyranny of the Philistines But that hee might giue to vnderstand that he should not be the true Sauiour being as it were rapt into a trāce he breakes out into these words O Lord I wil looke for thy saluation as though he should haue saide I will not looke for Sampson nor Gedeon nor Iepthe nor others as though they were true Sauiours but I will yet looke for the true Messias which shall come being the true Sauiour of the world With such so stately a title Simeon also named him saying Luc. 2. Psalm 11◠O Lord now thou lettest thy seruant depart c. Because mine eies haue seene thy saluation The Kingly prophet also calles him so And let thy mercie come vpon me O Lord euen thy saluation according to thy word Christ is called the mercy of God because he is the beginning and foundation of all the mercies of God For in this mercy wherein the word became flesh all other haue their foundation And therefore Saint Paul saith to the Ephesians Ephes 1. In whome we haue redemption by his bloud euen the forgiuenesse of our sinnes according to the riches of his grace And thy saluation according to thy word that is according to thy promise In all these places Christ our Lord who is our saluation is called the saluation
of God because the eternall father for the exceeding great loue wherewith he loueth vs he cals that his saluation which is our saluation Wherefore also the Prophet Esay speaking in the person of God saith Esa 42. I haue giuen thee to be a light to the Gentiles that thou maiest be my saluation euen to the vttermost parts of the earth O blessed and praised be such a God who loues vs so that he calles our saluation his saluation Saint Paul also shewes vs this loue saying I beseech you 1. Thes 4.1 that you walke as you ought to walke and to please God for you know what commandements I haue giuen you by the Lord Iesus for this is the will of God euen your sanctification Marke I beseech you what commandements these are and what is this will of God The former words did seem to require that he should haue added This is the will of God that you should praise him that you should offer him sacrifice and yet notwithstanding hauing made that preface before he addeth that the will of God is Our sanctification which in truth is accounted one of the greatest good things which man hath Therefore O my brethren giue thanks to God for this his singular loue wherewith he loues you for his will and that thing which most pleaseth him is your profit and commoditie This loue wherewith the highest loueth vs he cals the coards wherewith he drawes vs vnto him when as he faith by the prophet Osee Ose 11. I will draw them with the coardes of Adam that is with what affection I made Adam their first parent holy and created him in grace as the interlmeal Glosse expounds it with the same loue I will sanctifie these which he addes expounding it In the bonds of loue that is with the affection of charity Whereas another translation hath I wil draw them with the coards of men that is with the same loue that I bound vnto me Abraham Isaac and the other patriarches I wil also ioine them vnto me Although Lira expounds it thus With coards that is with benefites bestowed vpon them which drawe the heart of man and are certaine bonds of loue Saint Ierom expounds it otherwise that is I haue had a care of them for the coards and bonds of loue wherewith I haue bound Abraham Isaac and Iacob vnto me Wo be vnto vs if so be that we shall not be thankefull for such singular loue as those fathers were Thus farre Philippus de Dies If this ought to bee the faith of all Christians and that they ought to haue this firme and most assured beliefe of the loue of God towards them and that not onelie the Scriptures but the fathers doe teach them most manifestlie this excéeding great loue of God towards them who then will doubt of his saluation To doubt is plainlie to denie this excéeding great loue And after of the loue of Christ our redéemer hee writes thus Ibidem Tit. amor Christi Cant. 1 Whereas we reade in the Canticles My beloued is to me a grape of Ciprus another Text hath My loue is to me a cluster of Camphire O heauenly and most fit similitude Alcamphor is a certaine Tree whose gumme hath this property that if a graine or a little of it be kindled with fire and be put in a Lampe full of water it will giue a most cleare and bright flame It is a woonderful thing that that flame should not be extinguished with the water but that it should burne and shine more clearely This graine and not onely a graine but a cluster is our Lord Iesus Christ For those waters of the vnthankefulnes of his enemies and those waters of so manie and great torments which entred in euen to his very soule did not only quench his loue but caused it to glister shine more brightly while it shewed more manifestly his vnspeakeable loue patience mildnes and liberality When as euen the selfe same night wherein he was betraid he ordeined that most high mystery of his most blessed body and bloud and hanging on the crosse prayed for his enemies Let vs learne of this our heauenly master to shew loue to our enemies and to haue in greater trauell and paines greater patience Thus farre Philippus de Dies Such a loue must euerie Christian beleeue that Iesus Christ hath towards him that no waters in the world either of sinnes or of vnthankefulnesse is euer able to quench and this flesh and bloud and our spirituall enemie go about to make vs often forget And therefore saint Paul prayeth for the Ephesians Ephes 3.19 Iud. Ep. v. 21. that They maie know the loue of Christ which passeth all knowledge and that they maie be filled with al the fulnesse of God And this also no doubt Saint Iude meaneth in his Epistle when as hee sayeth Keepe you your selues in the loue of God Theodoret also writes thus of this matter In ca. 8. ad Heb He cals heauen the vaile c. God hath promised the kingdome of heauen to all that beleeue in him we hope for saieth hee those good things and we hold fast this hope as a sure Anchor for this Anchor beeing hid in the bottome of our hearts will not suffer that our soules should bee dasht hither and thither And also by another mans hee shewes the certaine hope of our good things and such a hope as cannot be gainesaid Whither our forerunner Iesus is entred for vs for our sakes saith he He became man for our sakes he gaue his body to be slaine and hauing vanquished and ouercome death he hath ascended into heauen being the first fruits of them which sleepe And he hath giuen vs here a greater confidence by calling him our forerunner For if he be our forerunner and hath ascended for vs then we must needes follow him and ascend also And Basill writes thus of euerie Christian In examer Homilia 5. Thou also shalt be like a fruitfull Oliue in the house of God neither shalt thou euer bee depriued of thy hope but shalt euer haue thy saluation flourishing in thee through faith Ambrose of the certaintie of our saluation writes thus Ambros de Iacob beat vâ—t cap. â— But thou fearest the manifold chances of this life and the deceits of the enemy when as thou hast God himselfe to be thy helper and his so great fauour towards thee that he spared not his owne sonne for thy sake The scripture hath vsed a comfortable word that it might declare the good will of God the father towards thee who offered himselfe wholy to die for thee In that he was a father he left nothing to himselfe he offered it all for thy sake onely hee left not the fulnesse of his deity Consider the loue of a father as concerning pity hee hazarded the life of his sonne he drunke for thy sake the sorrowfull cuppe of one that is childlesse least the price of thy redemption should not haue
of that were for the most part corporall but the commandements of this are spirituall the commandements of that were temporall but of this are eternall that was the law of seruants this of children that was giuen by the hand of man though a holy man this by the hand of the word it selfe of the eternall father and wisedome of God By the excellencie of the law-giuer appeares the excellencie of the law The best wine of the feast was reserued for that Lord whose duety and office it was to turne the cold water of the law into the precious wine of the Gospell c. This studie of the lawe of God and especially of the Gospell of Iesus Christ should be the chiefe studie of all christians by Granatensis iudgement and it is of verie manie their least and last studie Naie the church of Rome hath hidden them from her children as a sharp knife least they should cut their fingers therewith But shee should not haue done so by Granatensis his iudgment In 6. cap. Luc. Stella vpon these wordes And they came to heare him writes thus As the soule of Christ was the instrument of the Deity to worke miracles in the bodies of men so the wordes of Christ were the instrument of the same Deitie to worke miracles in their soules And as it was a wonderfull thing that Christs hand should giue sight to the blinde and should cleanse the Lepour so it was farre more wonderfull that his very word should giue life to dead soules For the words of Christ did not only stirre vp the mindes of his hearers neither did only perswade them as other preachers are wont to doe but they had also such a vertue and power that they seemed euen to compel the hearers that they should doe that which he preached Therefore the words of Christ gaue grace also without the which the minde cannot once moue her selfe to that which is righteous before God And a little after He that is of God heareth Gods word therefore you heare them not because you are not of God Euery one is glad to heare the noble actes of his country-men If any bee a Frenchman hee delights to heare any man tell the noble actes of Frenchmen but if one in the presence of a Frenchman should tell of the noble acts of the Hungarians he would make no account thereof he would giue no eare So by nature euery one delights to heare of the famous actes of his kinred and of his auncestors because hee comes of them But if men chance to talke of those thinges which belong not to his he makes no account of them but he goeth away So they truely which are Gods children delight to heare those things which are of God but they which are not of God but haue the Diuell to their father as obstinate children they delight not to heare Gods word And therefore the Lord said vnto them Therefore you heare not because you are not of God Whose are they then You saith he are of your father the Diuell and therefore you delight to heare his wordes and communication as murmurings blasphemies filthie and dishonest words One of the chiefest signes whereby it may be knowne whether one be predestinate or no is this whether he delite to heare the word of God and sermons For if he delite and take pleasure to heare the word of God surely it is a great argument that he is elected and of the householde and family of God O what a great company is there which are weary of hearing sermons and haue not tasted or sipped of the words of life So there is a great company of them that goe to hell They will haue leasure enough to read prophane filthy bookes wherin is nothing handled but of the world and the flesh but they cannot abide a holy and deuout booke in their handes no not halfe an hower yea if a sermon last aboue halfe an hower how will they goe home murmuring and grudging That now that saying of Paul may be verified of our miserable and vnhappie time There shall come a time when they shall not endure holsome doctrine but they shall heap to themselues teachers according to their owne lusts hauing itching eares and shall turne alwaie their eares from the trueth and shall be giuen to delight in fables Oh that all Christians would acknowledge this mightie power of Gods word which Stella héere teacheth It is as forcible and mighty euen now to heale soules as Christs hand when as hee was here was of force to heale bodies And that if they would apply it often to their soules it would heale all their infirmities Secondly that they would delight to heare Sermons It is the chiefest signe to knowe whether one be predestinate or no and who would not gladly be assured hereof In 6. Luc. And after speaking of the ground of Gods Lawe he writes thus Wherein O good Christ is thy law founded Not in power For thou hast compelled no man to receiue thy faith neither hast thou forced any to embrace thy law Neither is it grounded on naturall reason for although it be not against naturall reason but doth presuppose it yet it is aboue it for it surpasseth all the bounds of reason and goes beyond all the wit of man be he neuer so quicke witted and subtill In what thing therfore is this law grounded Surely onely in his Authoritie for only because Christ hath spoken this therefore we must beleeue it His word must be our only and sufficient warrant in all our actions 2. lib. de Abraham Pat. ca. 5. S. Ambrose verie excellentlie writes of the daily reading of the scripture And that thou maiest know that it is good that the beginning and the ende should agree together good Iesus him selfe hath saide I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ende Therefore let our minde be euer with him let it neuer depart from his Temple and from his word let it euer bee occupied in reading the Scriptures in Meditations in Prayers that the worde of him who is in deede may euer worke in vs and that daily we either going to the Church or giuing our selues to prayers at home we may beginne with him and ende with him So the whole day of our life and the whole race of the daie shall beginne in him and ende in him For euen as in the beginning of our life to beleeue in God and to follow him is our saluation so perseuerance to the ende is necessarie And it is the best care that a soule can haue that marking wel the word of God it do nothing against reason wherewith it may be made sadde that euer knowing well what shee doeth shee maie keepe the ioy of a good conscience Here Saint Ambrose puts downe the whole course of a Christians life dailie to studie the Scriptures and to direct all his actions according vnto them De Iacob beat vita 2. lib. cap. 2. And againe he
doth not say the words I haue spoken a little before but the wordes I doe speake are spirit and life and therefore are my flesh For euen as that which containeth a mans spirit and life is his flesh euen so saith our Sauiour that which containeth my spirit and life is also my flesh So that by this short sentence he exhorteth all men to the reading of his word Wouldest thou be partaker of Christs life and spirit then eate his flesh that is read his word muse and meditate therein day and night And no doubt beleeue the saying of thy Sauiour his wordes he hath spoken shall be spirit and life vnto thee Thus we may sée how Ferus doctrine most manifestly agrées with the doctrine of our Sauiour Manie for want of eating of this flesh which feede their bodies daintily with the flesh of fishes and foules at this daie haue faint and pined soules nay dead soules void of the life and spirit of Iesus Christ In Mat. cap. 7. Ferus also of the certaintie of our saluation and of the sufficiencie of the Scriptures writes thus What saith he do men so greatly desire as securitie How much would the Emperor of Rome giue that he might be safe from his enemies How much would euery iust man reioice if he were certaine of his estate if he knewe that he should neuer fall how greatly would euery sinner reioyce if safetie were assured him against death hell But all these things doe Christs words onely performe This saith Ferus But the Romane Correctors in their copie do command to put out onely They are loth that so much should bee attributed to the Scriptures Of the sanctification also of the sabboth In cap. Mat. 22 Ferus hath this notable lesson The chiefest worke of the sabboth saith he is to cease from thine owne workes and to giue place that God may worke his in thee that is faith charitie patience longanimitie chastitie The second worke is that we apply our selues to doe good workes and to meditate in the Law of God to heare the word of God to pray in spirit and truth Especially therefore the word of God is to be heard without which there is no hallowing of it know that this is commanded thee of God that thou heare his word and keepe it and of this he will require an account of thee in the day of iudgement Neither is it enough for thee to heare it once or twise vnlesse thou heare it often The Diuell is euer assaulting thee and thou must euer by the word of God resist him by which alone he is ouercome Againe thou must meditate of the word of God or els thou hearest in vaine And two things especially are to be meditated out of the word of God that is to say our sinnes and Gods goodnesse And by these two as in Iacobs ladder sometime we must descend into our selues and sometime ascend vnto God Thus farre Ferus If this be true how hallowed they the Lords sabboth in the daies of our forefathers when Gods word was neuer or seldome preached to them If this be true that we should meditate on this Law of God then must we know it And here the Romane addition to Ferus detractes from the word of God againe that dignitie which Ferus giues to it By which alone saith he the Diuell is conquered but they blot out alone Of voluntarie religion Ferus writes thus Then In cap. 4. Ioh. their worshippings had not the warrant of the word of God and how can then they be certaine or sure to please God for they onely followed their owne reason and the examples of the fathers For thus they reasoned with themselues If an earthly or fleshly calfe pleased God offered at Ierusalem how much more shall a calfe of gold seeing it is more precious lasteth longer Also if it were lawfull for our holy fathers to worship God in this mountaine why is not the same lawfull for vs But in the worship of God neither mans reason neither the examples of the fathers but Gods word are to be followed Thou shalt not doe saieth he that which seemeth good in thine owne eies but that I command Here Ferus sets downe the only true and certaine ground of Gods true worshippe that is the word and commandement of God Here the reason of man or the examples of the fathers are denied to bee sure grounds of Gods worshippe and yet the Papistes doe builde their faith on these Dom. 1. Sexag Of the Scriptures also Philippus de Dies writes thus The matters which faith teacheth are so excellent that no mans wit be it neuer so sharpe and subtile can attaine vnto them for if it could then it were no faith And therefore to obtaine this faith we must heare the word of God as the Apostle exaggerates saying howe shall they beleeue in him which they haue not heard And after he concludes saying Faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God And so it appeareth how to the obtaining of faith it is necessarie to heare the word of God Behold how God which is the fruit which we hope for is not obtained without charitie and charitie is not obtained without faith and faith is not obtained without the preaching of the word of God And therefore for the verie great agreement and likenesse that it hath the Lorde called his worde seed What other doctrine doe we teach at this day here in England of the necessitie of hearing and knowing the worde of God In 3. cap. ad Col. Theodore also vpon that place of the Apostle to the Colossians Let the word of God dwell plentiously among you writes thus The olde law also commanded the daily meditation and studie of Gods word Thou shalt meditate in them saith the Lawe sitting at home in thy house rising vp also and lying vpon thy bed and going in thy iourney This thing the Apostle commandeth that we should also carrie about with vs the doctrine of the Lord and that we should praise him and that we should sanctifie him with our tongues with spirituall songs That phrase also in your hearts is as much to say As not in your mouthes onely That same note which the Hebrew text yéelds in that same Psalme we vse daily to repeat is worth marking Psal 95. v. 7. In the Hebrew it is thus Because he is our God and we are the people of his pasture and sheepe of his hands If to day you will heare his voice Here is the full point in the Hebrew text and here endes the verse and not where the common translation appoints it to ende So that then we are his people and shéepe of his pasture Here are great priuiledges such as none could be wished greater such as euerie man would desire to be partaker of But as euery one desires to be partaker of these priuiledges and blessings so let him as well marke the infallible and most plaine
mā doubts but that he is good merciful iust We know also assuredly that they which obey the will of this most holy God to be crowned with most excellent rewardes in that heauenly kingdome and againe that those which offende him impudently with sins offences shall be thrown with great shame reproch into that miserable darke dungeon of hel If now God had not giuen vs his law wherin he had declared to vs as well those things which were to be eschewed as those things which were to be embraced sorrowfull surely and most sorrowfull heauie had beene the life of man For although we had knowen that we had bin created to euerlasting felicitie yet we should haue bene vtterly ignorant how we should haue obtained it Therefore that great God and parent of all things hath bestowed vpon vs a singular and most excellent benefit when he did proclaime his law by which all Christians may plainely vnderstand what was necessarie to obtaine euerlasting life and what was also required to eschewe that darke dungeon of hell So the notable Psalmist speaking to God saith Because of thy law I haue endured thee patiently If thou hadst not giuen mee thy law I could neuer haue endured this life So the same Psalmist saith againe Thy word is a lanterne to my feet a light to my pathes That benefit was no small benefit by which God bound all men to him when as he gaue them his lawe to the square and leuell whereof they should frame and apply all their actions c. What can be said more in the commendation of Gods word then this It makes knowne to vs Gods pleasure and will It is a rule and square to frame all our actions by It is Gods lanterne to direct our steppes in the darke night of this world and what neede we then anie other Is not this sufficient And after he writes thus Wilt thou know how excellent and of what great force the law of God is consider with thy selfe but a little this one thing that God himselfe did not disdaine to submit himselfe vnto it and to obey it O then a most excellent and princely lawe and shall not man submit himselfe vnto it and obey it Nay shall anie man say that he is aboue it and hath power to dispense with it Ibid. as the Pope now doth Of mans will the same Stella also verie excellently writes thus The beginning of our miserie and vndoing was the pride of our first parent when as he refused to keepe that commaundement which he ought to haue kept He had rather doe his owne will then Gods will Therefore when God came to redeeme vs it was necessarie that he should come humble to cure our pride and obedient to cure our disobedience which disobedience was the fountaine and cause of all our euils There is nothing burnes in hell but mans owne will the which man had rather fulfill then the will of God So the Lord God himselfe witnesseth Of olde times thou hast broken the yoke and burst my bonds and hast said I will not serue the Lord but will walke after mine owne deuises From the smallest to the greatest all will fulfill their owne willes euery one is ruled by his owne iudgement doth that which seemeth good to himself Thus farre Stella Where we may learne that we must not doe our owne willes Mat. 16.24 Psal 119.115 Io. 15.15 we must denie our selues as our Sauiour teacheth in the gospell and that especially in Gods seruice we must do the will of God And his will is reuealed to vs in his word To the same effect the same Stella writes thus againe in the same Chapter In these fewe wordes saith hee the Euangelist saith thrise According to the law of God first According to the law of Moses Secondly As it is written in the law of the Lord And thirdly As it is said in the law of the Lord. Wherein the Euangelist would signifie vnto vs how studious our thoughtes ought to be and our wordes and workes howe greatly they ought to be conformable to the law of God Because Christ whatsoeuer he did he did it according to the law of God The which thing Dauid also declared in the Psalme saying What loue haue I vnto thy law O Lord All the day long is my studie in it If this be true what degenerate Christians be they which thinke they ought not to know the law of God which all their life neuer care for it These follow not Dauids steps nor the holy steps of Iesus Christ And after let vs also wōder at Iesus Christ beleeuing those things stedfastly not which appeare outwardly but which the holy scriptures the Catholike saith do testifie according to that whē thou entrest into the house of God stand fast draw neere that thou maist heare for we cannot see the maiestie of God with our eies neither comprehend it with all our witte but with our faith and hearing only without any more search or enquirie Beware of that He that searcheth the Maiestie of God shall be confounded of his glory So many Iewes Philosophers and Heathens were confounded erred and were deceiued who because they would not captiuate their vnderstanding into the obedience of Christ and according to their knowledge worship him fell into many errors and heresies For euen as in Isaake now being olde all his senses were deceiued when he blessed his sonne Iacob besides his hearing so about the vnderstanding of our Sauiour Christ all mans senses are deceiued besides hearing The voyce saith hee is the voyce of Iacob In this thing onely he said trueth but he was deceiued in that he said thy handes are the handes of Esau So thou O faithfull Christian when thou hearest Simeon confessing Iesus Christ to be the light and saluation of the world and Anna confessing that he is the King of Israell and that the redeemer which was so greatly looked for is comed beleeue that these things are true for Isaackes hearing was not deceiued c. I would to God the Papistes would obserue this rule in their worship of God their inuocation of Saints their Latine prayers their images haue no warrant in the worde of God where heare they that these are commanded That which hee saith after of hearing the Church and the Martyres is true if they shall speake that which they haue heard from God for they maie not speake of their owne heads Gal 1.8 Againe of the excellencie of the Scriptures he writes thus The word was vpon Iohn he saith because it descended vpon him For Esay saith Euen as the showers and snow doe descend from heauen c. so shall the word be that proceedeth out of my mouth For that word vpon signifieth an excellencie because the word of God doth not ascend vp into the hart of man but the word doth descend to the heart and the heart ascendeth vnto the word So holy Dauid cals all his Psalmes by
that they came out of the land of Egypt in the moneth of Abib when corne waxed ripe and began to be eared And this God wils them here to remember And surely no doubt for our learning and instruction That we also should come out of Egypt in the moneth Abib when as the Lords corne shall waxe ripe when as the doctrine of the Gospell shall growe to perfection when as the séede of the Gospell shall not now be newe sown as it was in the daies of the Fathers but now shall be eared and be comed to perfection Mat. 13 26.30 Mar. 4.28 and be readie for the reapers to thrust in the sicle and reape it into the Lords barnes As our sauiour teacheth The earth bringeth out of her selfe first the blade then the eare and after the full corne in the eare Such like is the growth of the seede of the worde in the Church I would to God all Israelites which nowe amongst vs belong to the Lord would remember this moneth Abib when we shall come out of the spirituall Egypt as the other Israelites came out of that corporall Egypt the Lords corne shall waxe ripe and shall growe to perfection Manie Israelites obserue not this They will haue the ceremonies and rites which the Fathers obserued euen now to be obserued still as though corne being greene and like grasse had not the hoses or huskes belonging to it which it being now ripe do wither away and fall downe as nothing which in the beginning grew aloft and flourished Surely this lesson the moneth Abib must teach vs the Lordes corne is now waxen ripe and therefore wee must not looke for those rites and ceremonies those hoses or huskes which in the beginning when as the Lords corne was greene the Fathers tolerated or perchance made great account of that part of the corne which in the spring flourished most and grewe aloft is now become withered and quite fallen to the ground The true worshippers as our sauiour teacheth worship the father in spirit and trueth Io. 4.23 And the name of the whore of Babylon is a mysterie as saint Iohn sheweth vs Reue. 17.5 that is she is full of ceremonies and mysteries Wee are made partakers of Christ if we keepe and holde fast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 3.14 That is the beginning of our confidence our vnderpropping that is of our faith as Chrysostome expounds it euen vnto the ende That is asmuch to say as if wée kéepe fast the faith in the beginning taught and preached They that holde not the beginning of their firmitie and first faith haue lost their part in Christ The traditions of men will not warrant it them as saint Paul also writes to the Galathians O ye foolish Galathians Gal. 3.1 who hath bewitched you that you should beleeue another Gospell Euen then Sathan began by little and little to chaunge the Gospell of Christ to bring in his traditions and so to make the first Christians to loose their benefit in Christ let vs beeing warned by their example beware this his sleight Ferus of the markes of the true Church writes thus In 2. cap. Mâ—â— That also is the true Church which the starre declares that is where the word of God is taught and raigneth and where they liue according to the word of God and where all things are done according to the word of God and of Christ in what corner of the earth soeuer it be The new Testament saith Ferus is nothing else but a manifestation of those things which were sealed vp in the old vnder the rude letter vnder diuers figures The which thing is excellently declared vnder the figure of a booke sealed which none could open but the Lambe that was slaine and hereof it came to passe that the Apostles in their preachings opened the scriptures and hence it is that Christ wrote nothing but preached by worde of mouth that which was conteined in the olde lawe And also sewe of the Apostles wrote any thing And if any of them did write they would onely teach things that were contained in the olde If this be true then the scripture which the Papists cal traditioneÌ„ is not of like force with that which is scripta or written Secondly then the traditions which we are to beléeue are commended to vs in the worde of God and are the same that are contained in the written word of God For such traditions onely the Iewes were commaunded to obserue As we read in Ieremie Stand by the waies Ier. 6.16 marke and enquire of the auncient waies which is the good way and walke in it and you shall finde comfort for your soules But the traditions of the fathers besides the word were vtterly forbidden them as we read in Amos Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Iudah and for foure I will not turne Am. 2.4 but because they haue cast away the lawe of the Lord and haue not kept his commaundementes Their lies caused them to erre after which their fathers haue walked Sée how the following of their fathers steppes could not iustify them neglecting or making light account of the law of the Lord no traditions of fathers besides are warranted them So saint Paul writes to the Thessalonians That they should keepe the traditions which they had learned eyther by word or by Epistle 2. Thes 2.15 That is no doubt such traditions as either were written in other parts of the scripture or were agréeing to the worde written How greatly soeuer the nature of man delightes in traditions in the seruice of God yet our Sauiour telles all men plainlie They worship me in vaine Mat. 15.9 teaching the doctrines and commandements of men God will be worshipped of all his according to his own commandements All other worshippe be it neuer so statelie or costlie is vaine worship and displeaseth God Then by Ferus iudgement that doctrine which is not contained in the olde Testament vnder some type or figure is not to be beléeued in the newe And then as the olde Testament condemned all traditions besides the lawe written so that from that the Iewes might not depart neither to the right hand nor to the left so doth also the new Testament In cap. 4.30 The same Ferus of the worship of Christians writes thus The true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and truth Waye saith he our worship according to this rule and see whether it be not more like Iewish then Christian worshippe Nay be sure that thou art not as yet a true worshipper although thou obserue al outward things neuer so exactly vnlesse thou worship God in spirit and truth How manie euill worshippers were then in the daies of our forefathers by his iudgement in the midst of Popish darknesse In. cap. 16. Mat. Also Ferus writes thus of this matter There is nothing more pestilent then euill doctrine and therefore Christ doth shadow it by
the name of Leuen and that not vnfitly For first as Leuen is added outwardly and is of another nature so it is false doctrine whatsoeuer is added to the word of God or is mingled with it as either an externall or a contrarie thing for the word of God is pure bread not mingled with any other thing to which nothing must be added or put to of man according to that thou shalt adde nothing to my words In cap. 4. Mat. And in another place he writes thus Then our workes please God if they bee done of the spirit that is if they bee agreeing to Gods commandements and the Scripture for all that is not good which seemes good to thee Thou hast an example hereof in Saul who of Amelecke reserued oxen for the sacrifice of God to whom it was said Doth God delight in burnt offrings They are like to him to whom those things seeme better which they chuse themselues then Gods commandements yea they despise Gods commandements for their owne inuentions To conclude there is nothing good that is contrarie to Gods commandements for the will of God is the rule of righteousnesse and his commandement is a signe of his will therefore doe not that which seemeth good in thy own iudgement Thus much Ferus And yet such like were manie of their workes they did in Poperie they had no commandement in the word of God to warrant them And all such works by Ferus iudgement could not please God no more then Sauls sacrifice of the shéepe of the Amalekites did and yet manie Catholikes will vse such works still And in another place hee writes thus Fer. in 11. cap Mat. So it is also a staffe of reede whatsoeuer is taught or deliuered besides the word of God It is onely the word of God the which we may safely leane vpon that hereby thou maiest learne what kinde of froward deceiuers they are which giue vs for the word of God onely their owne dreames that is a staffe of reede This sentence is quite left out in the copie of Ferus printed at Rome The vncertaintie also of Traditions should cause anie good Christian to doubt to build his faith vpon them Augustine saith That their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or loue feasts Gagneius in cap. 14. ad cor which the ancient Christians did commonly vse at their communion were euer made before their communion as Christ did first eate the Paschall Lambe before he celebrated his sacrament but Chrysostome saieth that these loue feasts were euer made after the communion which of these traditions should we beléeue now Maister Bellarmine also of the signe of the Crosse which Constantine saw writes thus De laicis lib. 3 cap. 40. That Eusebius himselfe in the life of Constantine writes that he sawe it in his iourney and that Constantine himselfe told him so But in his ecclesiasticall Historie translated by Ruffinus it is recorded that he saw it in his sleepe And that Angels stood by him and said to him In this signe thou shalt ouercome It is very likely saith Maister Bellarmine that this was added of Ruffinus If there were additions in those daies euen by Maist Bellarmines iudgement and forgeries against the truth what shall we looke for in our daies Ierom also of Origens bookes writes In pref in E◠That in his daies manie were lost and some were vnder his name forged That subtile Sathan who durst be bold to corrupt and forge Origens works would not sticke also to forge other fathers Stella also of customes and old rites writes thus Christ saith hee and his Parents were verie carefull in keeping godly and holy customes but we quite contrarie dissent from Christ In 2. cap. Luc. keeping the olde custome and wont as we say in our garments vsuries and vnlawfull bargaines we ought in this matter consider this whether that such customes agree with the Gospell or no The which if they doe not then they are to be forsaken of vs but if they agree with it then they ought to be followed For the law of God ought to be a rule and square by which euerie rite custome is to be exemined For an euill custome is no law but a wicked abuse of the law c. So no doubt all customes not onely of bargaining but of worshipping God by this rule and square are to be examined But it is obiected of the Papists that Saint Basill speakes verie earnestly in the defence of Traditions He doth so but nothing for Popish Traditions Almost all the fathers doe make mention of Traditions and outward Ceremonies which were vsed in the Church in their daies which they did reuerentlie obserue and kéepe but they were not such vnwritten verities as the Papists now Lib. de Spirit Sanct. cap. 27. vnder the name of traditions do teach men to beléeue Basils Traditions are almost all externall thinges and no points of doctrine As signing those which are baptized with the signe of the crosse to pray towards the East to dippe the childe baptized thrise in baptisme That forme of prayer which is vsed in the Lords supper is not written saith he and the annointing of the baptized with oyle Amb. lib. 1. de faer cap. 2. of which Ceremonie also Ambrose makes mention These are all outward things neither are they substantiall points of doctrine And of these our church hath retained some which séeme not repugnant to the Scriptures and others she hath refused The fathers surely in their daies through their ouermuch deuotion and zeale in religion considered not that Antichrists kingdome should be a mysterie 1. Thes 2.7 Reu. 17.5 Mark 15.38 and that Christ now suffering the vaile of the Temple did rent asunder to teach vs that the true Sonne being now comed into the world all shadowes should vanish awaie but they began againe euen then to load the church with outward ceremonies and obseruations in so much that Austen complained in his daies Ep. 119. ad Ia. that the church and the religion which Gods mercie would haue free with the ceremonies and mysteries in her seruices of God and as plaine and as fewe as might be some did now oppresse againe with slauish burdens in so much that the Iewes were in better case then we Austen then perceiued whither this immoderate deuotion would grow vnto hee vrgeth that libertie whereinto we are brought by the mercies of Christ and in the which Saint Paul wils vs to stand Gal. 5.1 and to maintaine But although S. Basill doe vrge the obseruation of these outward things besides the expresse commandement and warrant of the scriptures yet concerning doctrine about the which betwéene the Papistes and vs is the greatest controuersie hee writes plainly that he would haue that tried by the scriptures For speaking of Heretikes he saith Ep. 80. That they might blame vs thus they saie that it is against their custome and that the Scripture doth not agree thereunto But
what doe we answere to this We thinke it not meete that that manner of speech which hath obtained the name of a custome among them should be accounted for a rule and canon of true doctrine Let vs both stand to the iudgement of the holy scriptures inspired by God and amongst whome are found opinions agreeing to the diuine Oracles let the sentence of truth bee pronounced on their side What can be plainer then this Custome must not be the canon and rule of truth in doctrine but Gods worde and they which haue that on their side let them haue the victorie The like offer now we make to the Paâ—â—â—ts But that booke of S. Basill is of Erasmus suspected to be forged and that not without iust cause as the most Reuerend Father in God the L. Byshop of Winchester in his booke called The difference betweene Christian subiection and vnchristian rebellion hath verie learnedly prooued Of Christes doctrine Ferus writes thus Fer. de pass part 2. and he quite ouerthrowes the verie ground of Traditions Christ proueth saieth he the truth of his doctrine by two arguments First that he neuer taught secretly but openly For he that doth euill hateth the light but he that doth the truth comes to the light Secondly he giues his hearers leaue to iudge I saith he spake openly in the world in secret I spake nothing that I would haue kept secret or not come to light yea he plainly coÌ„manded his Apostles That which I tell you in darknes preach you in the light He told his Disciples many things alone but for no other cause then that others were not able to comprehende them For whatsoeuer Christ hath taught he will haue it published and made knowne to all least any should excuse himselfe And hereof Saint Paul saith If our Gospell be hidde it is hidde in those that perish For in truth Christ speakes openly in the world euen now wisedome cries in the streets Therefore no man can iustly excuse himselfe of ignorance And this also is most true that he taught in the Synagogues and Temple of the Iewes where all were wont to assemble themselues yea not onely in the Temple and in their Synagogues but in ships and hilles Luke 6. and plaine fields That is publikely where men most commonly mette together therfore they can haue no excuse Therefore at another time he said vnto them If I had not comed and spoken vnto them they had had no sinne c. This quite ouerthrowes the Popes Religion Christ will haue his doctrine knowne to all and the refore he frequented common places They goe about to kéepe it in secret and thinke it not conuenient that all shoulde know it Againe he deliuered all things openly and nothing by tradition secretly Lib. 5. Eccles Hist ca. 2.4 Eusebius also of Traditions writes thus Not onely saith hee of the day of Easter is the controuersie but also of the manner of fasting for some thinke that the fast ought to be kept but one day some other but two daies other moe daies some fortie daies so that counting the howres of the day and night together they make a day which varietie of obseruations began not in our times but long before vs of them as I suppose who holding not surely that which was by tradition deliuered in the beginning haue eyther by their negligence or vnskilfulnesse afterward falne into another custome Héere we may learne that traditions are no safe and sure kéepers of trueth as the papists would make vs beleeue How soone had they lost the true tradition of fasting which the Apostles practised euen in Eusebius daies And shall wee nowe in the ende of the worlde grounde our faithes vpon traditions Ier. de ord Eccle part 3. c. 9. Saint Ierome also concerning the authoritie of Bishoppes and Elders in the Church writes thus If any of vs could know the custome of the time past I would proue that which I say to haue beene obserued euer and to haue beene obserued when as the Apostles preached in the Church And after by the spite of certaine some things were corrupted and some things were presumed Héere Ierome affirmes that what was done in the Apostles times he could not then certainly learne much lesse we nowe Such an vncertaine rule in matters of faith tradition is And Austen also of Antichrist writes thus But what is the cause of the delaie that he may be reuealed in his time you do know De ciu del lib. 20. ca. 19. that which he said that they knew he would not vtter And therefore we which know not which they knew desire to come to the knowledge of that which the Apostle ment with great labour neither can we attaine vnto it because that those things which he added haue made the sense also more obscure for what meanes this nowe the mysterie of iniquitie worketh let him onely that now holdeth holde till he be taken out of the waie and then that wicked one shall be reuealed I plainely heere confesse my selfe to be ignorant what he hath said yet I will not keepe close the suspitions and surmises of men which I haue read or heard concerning this matter In Austens daies that tradition which was deliuered by saint Paul to the Thessalonians concerning Antichrist a most great and weightie matter was forgotten and doe we thinke that till our daies the Church hath kept traditions of lighter matters inuiolably Irenaeus to Florinus an heretike writes thus I saw thee Euseb lib. 5. Eccle. hi. ca. 19. when as yet being but a childe I was with Policarpe in Asia who then didst verie well whilest as yet thou remainedst within the Emperours palace and didst studie to please Policarpe For I remember farre better the things which were done then then they which are done now because those things we learne wheÌ„ we are children grow vp in vs with our minde and doe cleaue fast vnto it Wherefore also I can tell thee the place wherein Policarpe did sit when as he did dispute and also his manner of going his countenance the maner of all his life and also his apparell and also his sermons and discourses he made to the people and also howe he liued with Iohn and how he was wont also to tell of others which had seen the Lord and also how he remembred all the words which the Lord spake which he had heard of them and of his miracles and doctrine and yet notwithstanding he reported all these agreeing to the scriptures the which things I then of the mercie of God which he vouchsafed to bestow vpon me hearing attentiuely and diligently did write not in papers but in my heart and which thinges by the grace of God I yet keepe faithfully and doe as it were chew them ouer againe with my selfe without ceasing I take God to witnesse and in his sight I affirme vnto thee that if that blessed Apostolical man Policarpe had heard any such matter as thou
nowe teachest he would by and by haue cried out and would haue stopped his eares and as his manner was he would haue said O good God into what times hast thou reserued me that I should heare these things Would not he also by and by haue fled from the place where sitting or standing he should haue heard such words Héere we may plainly see what maner of traditions they were which the father 's kept and in the commendations wherof they wrote that is such traditions as were agréeable to the scriptures and no other And this one place of Eusebius may be a rule to square all other places of fathers whosoeuer when they highly commend traditions To teach all Christians that they meane no other traditions then Policarpe and Irenaeus that is such as are agréeing to the scriptures Among the Iewes that olde and subtile serpent Sathan had sowen tares amongst the Lordes wheat Munster in annot in cap. 1. Gen. as appeareth by the manifolde dreames and strange opinions of the Rabbins besides the scriptures As that before the world God had created seuen things that is to say paradise the law the iust men the throne of maiestie Ierusalem and Messias Againe they say that the moone was in the beginning created equall in light with the sunne but that this her light was diminished In annot in 7. cap. Gen. for her pride Againe All the Rabbines of the Hebrewes thinke generally that the waters which increased in the floud were hotte and that so the fishes also perished What are all these but sathans plantes so ouershadow the Lords trueth So likewise amongst vs Christians in the time of the Gospell hee hath not beene idle He hath mixed his drosse amongst the Lords gold as appeares in the Popes Legend and other Histories Longinus was a certaine Centurion who standing with other soldiers saith their Legend by the commaundement of Pilate Legend aurea de sancto Long. thrust the Lords side thorow with his speare And after seeing the signes which then happened that is the sunne to be darkened and the earthquake he beleeued but especially for this cause as some say that when as his eies were dimmed either by some infirmity or by age by chance some of the blood which ranne out of Christs side running downe his speare touched his eies and presently he saw most cleerely This is one of their traditions But Granatensis as should séeme not liking this fable in his meditations of Christes passion I thanke thee saith hee O Lord Iesu Orat. 6. parad prec that thou wouldest suffer thy side to be pierced of a certaine soldier He names not Longinus but agreeth with the scripture and goes no further that a certaine soldier pierced him to the heart with his speare So likewise they haue added manie things to the other scriptures of God as in an olde printed booke in verse made in those daies I read thus of Putifats wife and Ioseph He said Madam I will be true to my Lord Traitor will I neuer be to my Soueraigne Therefore beleeue me at a word Rather then do so I had rather be slaine With that loude did she crie and brake her lace in twaine And smote her nose that it gusht out all on bloud And rent down her serket that was of silk ful good She told the Knights that Ioseph would by her laine And that he tare her robes all asunder And helpe had not come the thiefe had me slaine Heere is no mention made howe she kept his garment when he fled away from her whereof the scripture makes mention but of dashing her selfe on the nose and rending her robe whereof in scripture there is no mention Of the first originall of bonefires in their Legend Leg. aur in Nat. Ioh. bap thus wee may read The bones of dead beastes being out of all places gathered together are burnt of some vpon this daie whereof there is two causes as Iohn Beleth saith one an obseruation of an auncient custome for there are certaine beasts called Dragons which doe flye in the ayre and swimme in the water and goe on the earth and sometime when as they goe on earth they are inflamed with lust and doe throw their seede into springs and flouds whereof followed a plaguie and vnholsome yeare Against this this remedie was founde out that a fire should be made of the bones of beasts and this fire would driue them away and because this chanced about this time therefore yet this of some is obserued Another cause is to signifie vnto vs that the bones of Saint Iohn Baptist were burnt in the Citie called Sebasta of the infidels Also then they carie in their hands burning firebrands because Iohn was a light shining burning And they turne about a wheele because then the sunne declines in his circle to signifie that the fame of Iohn who was supposed to be Christ did descende and diminish What preseruatiues against Dragons what doctrines for their soules were these Io. 5 35. Especially when as they neuer then heard in the scriptures read that Iohn was a burning light But that fable of Formosus is notable Fasc Tem. 6 aetate Christi an Dom. 9 14. which Fasciculus Temporum makes mention of This Sergius saith that booke when as he came to Rome by the ayde of the French men tooke Christopher the Antipope and sate in his steed And to reuenge his repulse he drew the body of Formosus out of his graue and being clothed like the Pope he commanded his head to be chopt off in his pontificall chaire and to be throwne into Tiber. But the fishers brought him into the Church the Images bowing themselues vnto him and saluting him reuerently as all they did see which were present This is reported in that historie And after Fulbertus Byshop of Carnotensis in his sicknesse was visited of the blessed Virgin Marie and restored againe with her most blessed milke Also of the visitation of Elizabeth they saie in their Legend that the blessed Virgin carried with her Cousin three moneths waiting vpon her and that she tooke the childe being borne in her holy armes from the ground as it is written in the Scholasticall historie and did most diligently the dutie of a nurse carrying him about This teacheth their Legend Whereas the Gospel saith that she abode with her thrée moneths and after returned to her owne house Luc. 1.56 and that when Elizabeths time was comed that she should be deliuered she brought forth a forme and her neighbours and Cousins reioiced with her But this as should séeme was after Maries departure And this Stella affirmes also in 2. cap. Luc. Thus they erre not knowing the Scriptures That miracle is strange of Germanus the Byshop of Antisiodore Fasc temp Fol. 50. which is written of him that he restored three dead men to life againe and also his Asse That he would shew a miracle vpon his asse séemes verie strange But to
mens hearts consciences The world raignes with fleshly power but it obeyes the spirituall power but I make no accouÌ„t of fleshly power but I raign spiritually against fin death and hell c. The Popes kingdome is far vnlike this And of Christs crowne of thornes he writes thus The crownes of the kinges of this world Fer. part 3. pass are some of iron some of siluer some of golde By which is declared that the kingdome of the world consisteth of fleshly power glorie and nobilitie But Christs crowne is a crowne of thornes that by this token thou maiest knowe that Christes kingdome consists of thornes and afflictions And what kinde of king Christ is himselfe such like kings he makes vs that is subiect to afflictions No doubt then the Pope was neuer made king by Christ he is farre vnlike him as hee was here in this world Nay this his thornie crowne plainly condemnes that his triple crowne of golde In cap. 16 Mat. Titilman a Frier also vpon these words Vpon this rocke I will build my Church writes thus Vpon this rocke vpon this truth of faith which thou hast confessed and hast vttered saying Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God and also vppon my selfe a most sure rocke which in thy foresaide speech thou hast confessed I will build and founde my Church c. So that all catholiques as M. Bellarmine affirmes doe not expounde Peter to be that rocke Cyril in Io. ca. 5.6 Cyrill of the authoritie of all the Apostles writes thus vppon these words And hee breathed vpon them When as hee woulde make his disciples famous and excellent for the great dignitie of their apostleshippe and would ordaine them the holy guides of his mysteries he forthwith sanctifies them with his holy spirite which by breathing he bestowed vpon them Here is the authoritie common to all the Apostles And although hee affirme that Christ built his Church on Peter as it were vpon a rocke or stone yet of Peter he writes thus and of that his thréefold loue Peter euer went before the rest for beeing especially in loue with Christ hee was euer most readie both to do any thing and to make answeare therfore euen now a little before seeing the ship came slowly to the land he girding his coate about him leaped into the sea Cap. 64. And wheÌ„ as our Sauiour asked his disciples saying whoÌ„ do men saye that I am When as againe after their answere he demauÌ„ded of them againe But whom doe you saie that I am as the principall and head of the rest he first cried out Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God He also smote off Malchas eare thinking by this meanes that he should euer cleaue to his maister Therefore of good right Christ asked him if he loued him more then the rest and that thrice Peter also confessed that he loued him and he calles none other to be witnes of this his loue but Christ himselfe And in euery one of his confessions the words being a little altered he heard that he must haue a care of Christs sheepe But this speech doth bring to light a hâ—gher matter for because Peter with the rest was adorned by Christ with the name of an Apostle and he denied him thrice at his passion by good right now the coÌ„fession of his three-folde loue is required that his three fold deniall might be requited with the like nuÌ„ber of his coÌ„fession So that which was committed by words was cured with words He asked of him if he loued him more then the rest for he which had tried the greater clemeÌ„cie of his maister towards him by good right ought to haue loued him more And although all the Apostles generally were stricken with great feare when the Lorde was betrayed yet Peters fault was the greatest that in so short a time denied him thrice Therfore seeing by the mercie of our Sauiour he obtained forgiuenes of a great sinne iustly of him greater loue is required All pastors of the Church hereby learne that they can no otherwise be beloued of Christ then if so bee that they shal studie with al their maine might that his sheep be wel fed like well Such a one was Paul c. He proues that Peter had his Apostleship common with the rest of the Apostles that by this place it was restored him againe and no primacie granted him ouer all the church And that all doctors heere haue receiued a charge not Peter onely He concludes thus By Peters threefold confession his three folde sinne of denying is done away And hee sayde to him feede my Lambes restoring to him againe the dignitie of his Apostleshippe least through his deniall which chanced by mans frailtie it had seemed to haue beene disanulled Héere is a restitution of Peter heere is no prelation as the Papists teach of the supremacie Ierome writes thus The arke of Noah was a figure of the Church Ierom. contra lucifera nos as Peter saith In the arke of Noah a fewe that is eight soules were saued by water As now also baptisme saueth vs. As in that were all kinde of beasts so in this are men of all countries and conditions The arke had her nests so the Church her mansions Eight soules of men were saued in the arke and Ecclesiastes biddes vs giue part to seuen and part to eight that is beleeue both the testaments And therefore some psalmes are written for the eight and by eight verses which are put vnder euery letter And in the 118. psalme the iust man is instructed and the blessings by the which the Lorde signifieth his Church in the mount are eyght c. A Crowe is sent out of the arke and returneth no more and after the Doue sheweth the peace of the earth So in the baptisme of the Church that blacke birde being expelled that is the Diuell the Doue of the holy ghost declareth the peace of our lande The arke beginning of 30. cubits is built by little and little decreasing into one cubite So likewise the Church consisting of many degrees at length is finished with Deacons Priests and Bishops Héere wee maye plainly sée that Ierome makes the whole order and brotherhood of Bishopps to bee that one cubite in which the arke was finished and not anie one Bishop no not the Bishoppe of Rome For in the same booke he alleadgeth thus Cyprian writing to the Bishop of Rome He ends saith he his discourse which hee had made to Stephen Bishop of Rome after this manner We haue shewed these things to your conscience most welbeloued brother both for our coÌ„mon honour and for my sincere loue I beare vnto you hoping that those things please you for the truth of your faith and religion which are both true and religious But wee knowe some that will hardly refuse that which they haue once tasted nor chang their resolution easily but the knotte of peace and concorde being kept
was pierced but this which Zacharie speaks of shall be after Neither was it fulfilled in the destruction of Ierusalem as some other haue expounded it Because the incredulous Iewes hauing now quite forgotten the death of Christ when as Ierusalem was destroyed neuer thought of Christ neither that they suffered all those euils for his sake but rather for the sins of some seditious persons and of some other that then were in the citie as Iosephus himselfe thought I will not refuse to speake that saith hée which sorrow enforceth me to speake I suppose Lib. 6. de bel Iudaic. cap. 16. that if the Romans had not comed against those wicked persons that either the citie should haue beene destroyed by some earthquake or ouerflowed with some Deluge or should haue beene consumed with thunder and lightning from heauen as was Sodom For she then had brought forth a farre more wicked brood then euer Sodome did To conclude togither with their wickednes past all cure the whole people also perished So that this prophecie is to be fulfilled in the true naturall Iewes and as yet it hath not béene fulfilled in them And no doubt our blessed Sauiour himselfe in the Gospel had relation to the prophecie of Zacharie Mat. 24. â—0 who speaking of the day of iudgement saith Then shall appeare the signe of the sonne of man in heauen and then shall all the kinreds of the earth weepe And they shall see the sonne of man comming in the clouds of heauen with power and great glorie What other signe can any man iudge here to be meant then the signe of the crosse the glorie brightnes of Iesus Christ going before him cannot be that signe for of that he ads a little after Then shall they see the son of man come in the clouds of heauen with power and great glorie But before this great glorie shall this signe appeare So that it cannot be properly this great glorie They are two distinct things Let vs marke diligently here also how the Euangelist cals it the signe of the sonne of man and not the signe of the sonne of God And therefore shall be an humble and not a glorious signe All the whole life of our Sauiour was humble but especially in his death on the crosse he declared this his humilitie That he touched leapers that he talked so familiarly with that sinfull woman of Samaria that he was baptised of Iohn Mat. 8.3 Io. 4.7 Mat. 3.15 Ioh. 13.5 Phil. 2.6 nay that he washed his Apostles feete but aboue all other signes of his humilitie this was the greatest that he died vpon the crosse And therefore saint Paul saith who when he was in the shape of God and thought it no robberie to be equall with God but he made himselfe of no reputation and tooke on him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a man He humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse Wherefore God hath also greatly exalted him and giuen him a name aboue euerie name On the crosse appeared his greatest humilitie So that the crosse in this respect may verie fitly be called the signe of the sonne of man And this also the spéeches of the Iewes spoken to our sauiour may insinnate If he be the king of the Iewes let him come down from the crosse And we will beleeue in him It was the crosse that they stumbled at Mat. 27.42 Gal. 5.11 Es 9.6 that to this day is that that offends the Iewes And that is Christs greatest glorie His principalitie is vpon his shoulder as Esay saith Nay it shall be such a signe as shall make all the tribes of the earth to wéepe which beleeue not in Christ And surely what other signe can this be then the signe of the crosse What other signe in heauen could make the Iewes to wéepe but the signe of the crosse No doubt the sight of this will euen breake their hearts make them burst out into teares and to fulfill this prophecie of Zacharie Dom. 24. Post Pent. Conc. 1. To this effect Granat hath a notable sentence and to the confirmation thereof he cites Eusebius Emissenus and he writes thus Before the comming of this heauenly king the triumphant signe of the crosse more cleere then the sunne shall appeare And then saith the Lord all the tribes of the earth shall lament because in that signe all the wicked shall manifestly see their condemnation The infidels because they haue blasphemed the crosse of Christ the faithfull which haue liued wickedly because they haue made no vse of such a great benefit and remedie For as Eusebius Emissenus saith So farre more greater shall be the sinners of men how much more Gods benefits haue stretched forth themselues vnto them Therefore saith he it is to be beleeued that the Lord will pronounce and speake to the vessels of iniquitie at his iudgement that same voice which he spake at his resurrection declaring the precious prints of the wounds which he receiued on his crosse Put thy finger in hither and behold my hands and bring hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and acknowledge O wickednes of men what for thy sake and of thee I suffered For those same signes of his nailes healthfull to the godly but terrible to the wicked which shal not be done away vntil the day of iudgment no doubt are reserued to cast men in the teeth withall Thus farre he Neither shal that crosse condemne onely our ingratitude and make it void of all excuse but our slothfulnes also and our idlenes for by what meanes possible can a wicked man excuse himselfe when as he seeth the crosse of Christ which is a most forcible remedie against that excuse of our infirmitie and all other our euils Wherefore to all other crimes wicked man may haue somthing to say but to these that is his slothfulnes and ingratitude infirmitie nothing at all for if it shall be laid to his charge Thou hast beene an extortioner an adulterer thou hast cursed forsworne blasphemed He may answere perchance I am a fraile man conceiued in sin I was prone to sin I was compassed about with sinful flesh But when the Iudge shal replie Is there not Rosine in Gilead and is not there a phisition there which is as though he should say were there not medicins in my Church were there not sacraments which flowed out of my side Was there not confession there a remedie of former sins the Eucharist a treacle and preseruatiue for those which were to come was there not in my crosse most vehement procurements of charitie and most cleare examples of most great humilitie patience obedience and of all vertues by which thou mightest haue caried thine infirmity wherfore then is not the wound of the daughter of my people healed That is wherfore hast thou not healed thy wounds with these medicines which the
of the Crosse And of this conuersion of the Iewes and of this their wéeping ioyning hands as it were with the Prophet Zacharie Ier. 50.1 the Prophet Ieremie prophesieth thus also saying The word which the Lord spake concerning Babylon and the land of the Chaldees by the hand of Ieremie the Prophet Declare among the nations and publish it set vp a standarde and conceale it not say Babel is fallen c. And in those daies and at that time saith the Lord the children of Israel shall come they and the children of Iuda togither going and weeping they shall go and seeke the Lord their God And that this destruction of Babel shall be in the end of the worlde Saint Iohn witnesseth who out of Ieremy cites this Verse Go out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins Ier. 50.8 Reu. 18.4 21. Reu. 18.21 and that ye receiue not of her plagues And after A mightie Angell tooke vp a great stone like a milstone and cast it into the sea saying With such violence shall the great Citie Babylon be cast and shall be found no more And this is also Ieremies conclusion of his prophesie concerning Babel Ier. 51 6◠And when thou hast made an ende of reading this booke thou shalt binde a stone to it and cast it into the midst of Euphrates And shalt say Thus shall Babel be drowned and shall not rise from the euill I will bring vpon her and they shall be wearie Thus farre are the words of Ieremy So that this destruction of Babylon and this wéeping and conuersion of the Iewes shall be at one time no doubt in the verie latter ende of the world immediately before Christs comming to iudgement The Babylonians shall still striue to maintaine their kingdom but they shall not prosper they shall be wearie I would to God that all Seminaries and Iesuits that take such great paines to establish the Popes kingdome would marke but this one word and the last of Ieremies prophesie it would make them cease from their vaine labours And that testimonie also which Saint Paul cites out of Esay for the conuersion of the Iewes Rom. 11.26 Esay 59.17 plainly prooues that they shall be conuerted in the verie latter end of the world and euen by Christs comming to iudgement For thus saith the Prophet He shall put on righteousnesse as an habergeon and the helmet of saluation vpon his head and he shall be cloathed with the garments of vengeance for cloathing and was clad with zeale as with a cloake As to make recompence as to requite the fury of the aduersaries with a recompence to his enemies he will fully repaie the Ilands So they shall feare the name of the Lord from the West and his glorie from the rising of the sunne when the enemy shall come like a floud But the spirit of the Lorde shall chase him away or shall lift vp a standard that is Gods word against him as it is in the Hebrew Is not here a most plaine and euident description of Christs comming to iudgement Phil. 2.7 In his first comming he came as a sauiour clothed in his apparell like a man but now he comes like a iudge to requite his enemies now he comes cloathed with the garments of vengeance And shall he not come thus at his second comming Doth not now also Antichrist and enemies assault the Church of Christ like a floud and doth not the spirit of God put them to flight doth it not raise vp the standard of Gods word against him 2. Thes 2.8 as Saint Paul also prophesieth that by that meanes Antichrist shall be ouerthrowne And then next after this followes in Esay that prophesie which Saint Paul alleadgeth for the conuersion of the Iewes And the redeemer shall come vnto Sion and he shal turne iniquitie from Iacob So that by the comming of Christ to iudgement the Iewes shall be conuerted and not by the comming of Elias and Enoch Acts 3.20 The same lesson also Peter taught the Iewes Amend your liues and turne that your sinnes may be done away when the times of refreshing shall come from the face of the Lord and he shall send Iesus Christ who hath been preached to you before Thus farre Peter This refreshing no doubt argues the great heate of afflictions the Iews haue endured And these comfortable times shall come to them but not from the face of Elias and Enoch which they now dreame of but from the face of the Lord himselfe when he commeth to iudgement For before that time now after his ascension they cannot sée his face For Saint Peter there saith that the heauens must containe him till all things be restored which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his prophets since the world began This Sermon of Peter may séeme to be a perpetuall lesson to the Iewes for euer Dauid also in the Psalme most euidently declares the sin of the Iewes against Christ Psal 59. their dispersion and also the manner and time of their conuersion Verse 2.3 Deliuer me saith he from the wicked doers and saue me from the bloudie men For loe they haue laid waite for my soule the mightie men are gathered against me not for mine offence nor for my sinne O Lord. Here is first Iesus Christ painted out most liuely vnto vs who alone might saie The mightie men are gathered togither against me not for my sin O Lord who euer could say so els Now verely here is the sinne of the Iewes they conspired against him they sought his life being a poore innocent Verse 11. Slay them not least my people forget it but scatter them abroad by thy power and put them down O Lord our shield Here is their dispersion and continuall and grieuous punishment like Caines whose posteritie they are for their bloudie and haynous offence against their brother Gen. 4.12 And thou O Lord God of hosts O God of Israel awake to visit all the heathen Verse 5. and be not mercifull to those that offend maliciously Is not here plainly the last iudgement What is it els for God to awake and to visit all the heathen and not alwaies as it were to be a sleepe and to keepe silence as it is in the 50. Psalme but to come to iudgement And then followes the time of their conuersion Verse 6. They go to and fro in the euening they howle or barke like dogs and go about the Citie Their conuersion shall be in the euening they shall weepe or howle like vnto dogs Is not this plainlie to agree with Zacharie that they weepe and lament wofully one by one euen as dogs vse to doe And after their zeale followes And in the euening they shall go to and fro howle like dogs Verse 14. and go about the Citie they shall run here and there for meate and surely they shall not be satisfied though they lie without doores all night This
of grace is called the fulnes of time And for this cause the sonne of God is called the hand of the father because as by the hand things are wont to be distributed So the eternall father by the sonne hath giuen his heauenly gifts This hand Dauid praied so earnestly for send out thy hand from aboue c. If we lacke anie thing we are wont to receiue it at mens hands and not at their féet So here let vs receiue all things at the hands of God Almightie let vs not seeke anie thing at Saints or Angels which may resemble Gods féet In ca. 19. Esa Ierome writes thus vpon these words And they shall not remember the former things Although this may be said that in the new heauen and the new earth all the remeÌ„brance of our conuersation shall be quite blotted out least this should be some peece of euill to remember our former griefes and necessities As the saints shall not remember their former anguishes or griefes to impaire in anie respect their ioy so no doubt much more not the griefes of others And againe In all their trouble there shall be no trouble And the Angell of his face shall saue them that is Iesus Christ who is the Image of God and appeares before God now for vs or else who is like to vs and is perfect man Psal 118. v. 27. In times past as Dauid witnesseth The sacrifices were bound to the hornes of the Altar not to the postes of the house of God though they were neuer so holy and gilded So now we must binde our sacrifices that is our prayers to the Altar Iesus Christ not to the postes of the house that is to the Saints In cap. 3. Io. Ferus also writes thus Afterward Iohn expresseth the conditions of those that be Christes friends he standeth saith he as readie to doe whatsoeuer is to be done he heareth what the bride groome talketh with the bride and he reioyceth in the glorie of the bridegroome These are those thrée conditions of all the friends of Iesus Christ which were bidden to the marriage by Ferus his iudgement and of all Gods Saintes And no doubt as they performed the two former while they were here in this life that is they stood all readie to doe his commandements and they gladlie heard his words so likewise in heauen they reioice in his glorie his glorie is their glorie They all with Saint Iohn here doe put awaie all glory yéelded vnto them and attribute it vnto him And after he must increase I must decrease we are taught by this sentence that all the authorities dignities offices righteousnesses wisedomes powers of all men are to be made no account of that only Christs authoritie dignitie office righteousnesse wisedome power may be established To conclude it belongs to him to be exalted it belongs to vs to be humbled If this be true what meanes all those hymnes and songs and prayers to the glorie of Saints which the Church of Rome vseth In the councell of Rhemes cap. 2. celebrated vnder Charles the great An. dom 913. we are taught that it is not lawful for a christian not to know without booke the Lords prayer or not to vnderstand it or not too often vse it If this be true how many thousand Christians in the time of Poperie were transgressors of this lawe who vnderstood not the Lords prayer Theodoret against prayers to be made to Angels writes thus They which defended the law In 3. ca. ad Col. perswaded them to worship Angels saying that the lawe was giuen by them And this fault remained long in Phrygia and Pisidia wherefore also the synode which met at Laodicea which is the chiefe Citie of Phrygia did forbid by law that they pray to Angels And euen vnto this day we may see amongst them and amongst their borderers houses of prayer of S. Michael They gaue men counsell to doe this vsing humilitie saying the God of all things could not be seene nor comprehended nor that any man could come vnto him and that they must get them the good will of God by the means of the angels Is not this plainly the papists doctrine at this day they build Churches to Angels they teach that by the meanes of Angels we must procure the fauour of God And after vpon these words Doe all things in the name of our Lords Iesus Christ because saith Theodoret they commanded to worship Angels he commaunds the contrarie that they should make glorious or acceptable to God both their wordes and deedes by the remembrance of our Lord Christ And saith he send forth your thankesgiuing to God your father by him and not by Angels The councell of Laodicea following this law and hauing a minde to cure this olde disease decréed Conc. Lâ—od cap. 32. that they should not make any prayers vnto angels that they should not leaue out the name of our Lord Iesus Christ Here we may note that we should not make anie prayers vnto Angels and that we should neuer leaue out of our prayers the name of our Lord Iesus Christ but that we should doe all things in his name and that he alone makes our prayers glorious in the sight of God and procures vs Gods fauour Stella also of the great mercie of our Sauiour writes thus Secondly he touched the leaper In 5. ca. Luc. that he might mooue vs boldly to come to him and that he might take away all occasion of feare let no man be affraid let all come to him Christ doth not loathe our Leprosie nor filthy corruption but he pities vs more then any father doth his children because he knowes whereof we be made If a leprous sinner maie come boldly to Christ what sinner shall be affraid to come Also vpon the first of Luke he askes a question why God sent an Angell to the virgin could not God himselfe haue reuealed this mysterie to the virgin he could truely but he would send an Angell first that he might declare the loue and charitie he beares vnto vs so that he procures our redemption euen by the ministerie of Angels So Paul saith Are they not all ministring spirits for those which shall receiue the inheritance of saluation Out of which place man may drawe an argument that he may magnifie or thinke well of his owne estate because Angels are sent to minister and serue vnto him And after If any prince or noble man should prostrate himselfe on the ground that he might gather vp the crums which fell from thee were he not despised and no account made of So thou which art a noble and excellent creature of God when as thou hast Angels to be thy seruants oughtst not to bow thy selfe to these earthly things which are vile and of no reputation Thus farre Stella The same reason we make against praying to Angels If God haue so exalted vs that Angels are our seruants why should we abase our selues to knéele downe to
shall we say that God dealt wel with them which died before the euils came which followed after their death if after their death they also feele what things happen in the miserable life of man Doe we peraduenture erre in saying these things of them And doe we account them to be at rest whom the disquiet life of the liuing grieues c. This doctrine Austen doeth not onely affirme but also prooues by the example of his mother and also by manie other testimonies of the Scriptures and shall we not beléeue him Surelie if the Saintes departed know not our affaires here in this worlde after their deaths much lesse doe they know and heare our prayers And therefore as S. Iohn saith of our workes Let vs not lose our works so saie I of our most excellent worke that is prayer let vs not lose our prayers But here some maie obiect that Austen doth saie in the same booke Cap. 4. that he that buries his friend nie the graue of a Martyr reaps this commoditie thereby to his friend that he commends the same soule to the Martyr by his deuout prayer and affection and that therefore Austen allowes prayers made to Martyrs But how doubtfull in this his assertion he is let all men iudge This is his opinion Cap. 16. which I haue noted before That Martyrs ordinarily and by their owne proper natures cannot be present to the affaires of the liuing nor know what they doe but by Gods power saith he they may as Moses and Elias appeared to Christ But how shall we know this that as often as we praie vnto them God giues that grace extraordinarilie vnto them that they maie heare vs no man liuing can ascertaine vs hereof And of the miracles that are done at their verie toombes where if they be in any place present they should be most present Austen writes thus Although this question passeth my capacitie to know how Martyrs helpe them whom it is certaine are holpen by them whether they themselues are present at one time in so manie places and so farre one from another or whether they may be present at all where their memories are or whether they may be present euery where where their memories are not or whether they being in places correspondent to their merits and being quite remooued from the knowledge of all affaires and yet praying generally for the necessities of such as doe pray vnto them As we also pray for the dead whom we see not neither know where they are or what they doe God almighty who is present euerie where neither being mixt with vs nor yet separated frō vs hearing the praiers of Martyrs by the ministerie of Angels which are spred abroad here and there yeeld vnto men these comforts which he knowes they stand need of in this life and so doth commend vnto vs by his wonderfull and vnspeakeable power and goodnesse the merits of his Martyrs where he pleaseth when he pleaseth and how he pleaseth but especially at their memories because he knowes this to be most profitable for vs to edifie the faith of Christ for the confession of which they haue suffered This matter is a greater matter then I can reach vnto and more deepe then I can search Therefore whether of these two be true or perchance whether they both that at sometimes these things may be done by the presence of the Martyrs or at some other times by the Angels taking vpon them the persons of the Martyrs I dare not determine I had rather learne these things of those that know them Austen here plainlie affirmes that Martyrs by their owne natures ordinarilie know not what we doe here but by Gods power they maie Againe that we praying for the dead doe neither know what they doe nor where they are so the saints maie praie for vs generallie not knowing our estates And here although he séeme to allow praier for the dead as he doth also in other places of that booke yet he declares here in what sense they then prayed for them not knowing what they did nor where they were and therefore this their praying for the dead makes nothing for the popish purgatorie They knew not where they were for whom they praied therefore they praied not to helpe them out of purgatorie as the papists teach Therefore their prayers for the dead Cap. 1. ciusd lib. which S. Austen saith was vsed of the whole Church in those daies makes nothing for the praying for the dead which now the Papists vse They had another meaning in those their prayers then they haue now They praied as it were of a certaine Christian duetie declaring thereby their affections and loue to the departed but they praie now to helpe them out of purgatorie And in this sense also S. Austen praied for his mother Li. 9. conf c. 13. which the Papists alleadge to confirme their prayers for the dead which is nothing to the purpose I beleeue saith he praying to God for his mother that thou hast done already that which I pray for yet O Lord accept the free will offerings of my mouth Austen beléeued verilie that God had alreadie done that which he praied for yet to declare as should séeme his deuotion he also wished the same Such were the prayers which the Church and the Fathers in those daies made for the dead And as concerning these prayers for the dead this is his priuate iudgement that not for all in general but for those alone who when they were aliue here deserued that those prayers might helpe such praiers are auaileable But how contrarie is this to the saying of the wise man Eccles 11.3 That the tree lies where it fals after it be once downe there is no remoouing it And how contrarie is this to that which S. Austen els where writes himselfe Epist 86. That euerie one ought to be carefull of the last day of his life For in what state soeuer the last day of his life shall find euerie man in the same shall the last day of the world also take him because what kinde of one he now dies such a one at that day shal he be iudged If this be true there is no hope of profiting any man after he be dead And herein he séemes to agrée with S. Paul Gal. 6.2 5. who saith that now we ought to beare one anothers burthen as long as we liue here But after this life euerie one must bear his owne burthen then there is no bearing one anothers burthen no easing helping or relieuing one another So that this opinion of S. Austen of working here in this life that hee maie be holpen hereafter is both against the doctrine of the scriptures also contrarie to that which himselfe hath taught in other places But to returne againe to the Martyrs S. Austen in that booke writes Cap. 18. That Martyrs or dead men appeare to vs after their deaths as we appeare to others that
well know what they say Let vs now discouer such sleights and crafts of the enemy and let vs also consider the diligence of the Saints in eschuing them that by imitating them we may set light by and make no account of those who can ouercome none but such as willingly yeeld them selues vnto them By these things which haue been spoken the saying of Aggathon the Abbot may bee prooued true who being asked what spirituall exercise of all other was most painful answered prayer because while we pray that euill spirit doth trouble vs sometimes assaulting vs openly sometimes secretly laying siege against vs and by all meanes endeuouring that he may confound and trouble the mindes of them that pray being not ignorant what a forcible matter with God is the constant continuall and perseuerant intention of the minde of him that prayeth with humilitie This Papist confesseth that when we praie we must not rashlie powre out our words but with discretion that we must not be like drunken men when we praie praying we cannot tell what And were not such like all the Latine praiers which without vnderstanding the simple people made in Poperie He confesseth that amongst all other our spirituall workes Satan labours especiallie to hinder our praiers or to peruert them which thing he néede not doe in Poperie he had framed them as the common prouerb is the bowe to his own bent They in those daies praied ignorantlie without faith with wandring mindes being fixed on nothing euen as hee would haue them The same Viuiennus also of prayer writes thus Lib. 2. de offic boni patrisfam cap. 25. With what kinde and how great an affection of his minde Dauid prayed he himselfe testifieth saying I haue made my supplication before thy face with my whole heart And againe I haue cried with my whole heart heare me O Lord. He hath cried vnto the Lord with his heart who hath prayed earnestly not they which doe make a chattering with their words and doe not conceiue with their minde that which they post ouer with their lippes And after him Salomon the most wisest king of all the kings of Iudah in that booke if it be his which is intituled the booke of Wisedome I gate me vnto the Lord and I made my prayer vnto him and I spake from the verie bottome of my heart He is to be prayed vnto with our whole heart who is commaunded to be loued with our whole heart But they which praie carelesly doe seeme to make light account of him of whom they do request anie thing and therefore they do not obtaine their requestes They do but chatter like Parats Pies by Viuiennus his iudgment that know not what they do pray for And such like chatterings were all the Latine prayers in poperie which the common people daily did make Caietane also agréeing with him of prayer writes thus Prayer saith he with a good intent without attention that is Sum. Caieta◠diligent marking or vnderstanding is vnlawfull for the want of deuotion or reuerence that is ioyned with it Thus farre Caietane He that praies must marke what he praies whether he pray himselfe or giue his consent by saying Amen to the prayers of another And therefore the simple Christian and vnlearned must as well vnderstand the common prayers of the Church as his owne priuate prayers Shall he say Amen and giue his consent to that he knowes not what it is That were an absurd thing euen in our trifling worldlie matters no man will do so and shall we do so in heauenly matters matters of great waight and importance But in the darkenes of poperie the most part neither vnderstood their priuate nor their publike prayers and how then could they haue that attention which Caietane héere requires Bernardus de Frenesda another Papist In praef 2. par Granat de devot med of prayer also writes thus It is the generall doctrine receiued of all the Saints that there are three things necessarie to a iust man which bring him vnestimable commodities and that by these three the iust man is preserued in his righteousnes And these are praying reading and wel-doing In these should a wise man daily exercise himselfe and so discreetly with Christiā zeale measure and diuide his time that he should be euer occupied in one of these Prayer giues light purgeth comforts makes merrie kindles zeale lightens afflictions nourisheth deuotion ingenders confidence if our owne spirit do not reproue vs expels slouthfulnes terrifieth the diuels ouercomes temptations These are the most excellent fruits commodities of prayer But now the same author teacheth vs also the true manner of prayer Then saith he we do pray truly when as we thinke on nothing else and when all our thoughts are bent on heauenly things whenas our heart is inflamed with the fire of the holy Ghost His prayer is perfect whose cause tongue deeds and speech and life and thoughts cries And he addeth that the third effect of prayer is the spirituall refreshing of the soule And that to this effect of prayer is necessarily required the attention or marking of the soule not that which is spēt about the material words of the prayer nor that only which is about the meaning of the words but that which respects the end of the prayer which is God and that thing for which a man prayeth We may learne here by his iudgement that he which will reape this last and most principall fruit and effect of prayer which is the spirituall refreshing of his soule must not onelie marke the meaning of the words of his prayer but chiefelie the Maiestie of God and the thing he praies for If this be true then the papists haue bereaued their brethren of this chiefe fruit of prayer which is the spirituall refreshing of their soules when as they taught them to pray in Latine when as they neither vnderstood the words of their prayer nor the thing they prayed for And so by this authors iudgement though they prayed manie and long prayers in those daies and did rise vp earlie to prayer yet the poore sillie soules for lacke of vnderstanding these their prayers were famished and receiued no spirituall refreshing or comfort thereby De orat med tract 7. ca. 8. Granatensis himselfe also of praier writes thus Euen as one that is sicke takes more profit of the meat he eats and chewes himselfe then of that which being chewed of another is giuē him like abroth or some pottage so the prayer a man makes himselfe of thos◠words which the holy ghost ministreth vnto him is more profitable then that which is framed and made by other mens words which are often repeated as of some that know not what they meane without any attention or deuotion Thus farre Granatēsis We may note here how he also condemnes praiers without vnderstanding And because that when we repeat prayers made of others though we do vnderstand the meaning of the words
to anie other The same Granatensis writes thus of himselfe Ibidem And surely the errours of my life and sinnes are so manie and so great that some men being in the same state of damnation as well as I and not considering O Lord thy omnipotencie but measuring according to their owne frailtie and wauering mindes with their forward thoughts haue entered into iudgement with thee saying Mine iniquities are greater then that they may be pardoned and giuing no credite to thy words and promises imagine that as some angrie or cruell man thou thinkest vpon punishment and reuenge and not vpon grace and pardon And such O my God when they shall see that thou wilt forgiue me my sinnes shall be ouercome and ashamed of their iudgements And they shall acknowledge that which thou spakest by thy Prophet that is As high as the heauens are exalted from the earth so are thy waies farre aboue the waies of men and thy thoughts aboue their thoughts Therefore O Lord haue mercie vpon me and blot out mine iniquitie Thus farre Granatensis He confesseth himselfe to be a damnable sinner Here is no merits then and yet for all that he hopes for pardon comes to the throne of Gods mercie nay they which think God to be an angrie God so that he will not heare sinners he plainlie teacheth that they haue a wrong opinion of God And do not the papists teach this in their doctrine of intercession to saints Angels This faith al the scriptures teach vs that when we pray in the name of Iesus Christ God doth most assuredly heare vs. And so we ought to frame our words when we pray as though we were in the presence of God and our hearts after we haue praied that God in whose presence we haue praied hath granted our requests This faith the gospell teacheth They which beléeue not this denie the faith of the Gospell And the same Granatensis that he may the more déepelie imprint and fasten this loue of God in our hearts which is the very roote of the assurance which we haue in our prayers in another place let vs marke how excellentlie he commendeth and expresseth this excéeding great loue of God towards vs. Can there be any greater argumēt of the goodnes of God wished or desired then to consider that a God of such infinite Maiestie Granat de perfect amor dei cap. 28. who not for any need but onely of his owne goodnes doth stoupe downe humble himselfe so greatly that as a steward purueyour of birds fishes and wormes he prouides all things necessary for their life Neither being content with this alone he doth humble himselfe so far that he giues them also pleasant things wherewith they may delight themselues stirring vp in them also certaine motions of pleasures That euen as thou O Lord hast not only an essence or being but also a most happie and blessed essence so also thou wouldest haue all thy creatures be they neuer so vile and base in their kinde to participate of thee and to enioy both these that they should haue both an essence and also a most happie and ioyfull essence Who is not now amased to see such a miracle who hereby acknowledgeth not the infinite kindnes nobilitie and liberalitie of Gods heart who shewes himselfe so louing and courteous to so vile creatures which if a man meet withall he will make no account to trample vnder his feet Which of vs is it that thinkes it concernes him any thing at all whether a Flie or Pismire haue food or not or whether she be merie or sad Who therefore will not maruell that a God of such great maiestie in comparison of whom all the world is no bigger almost then a little Pismire not onely to haue special care of the liues of these smal vermine but also of the delights and pleasures wherewith euerie one of these is delighted when as he lookes at the hands of these neither for praise nor thanks O wonderfull goodnes O inestimable sweetnes O my God how great incomprehensible are those things which in the bosome of thy glorie thou hast reserued for thy faithfull friends when as thou hast such a speciall care of vile wormes How can I distrust of thy prouidence mercie towards men whom thou hast bought with thy precious bloud when as that is not wanting euen to the beasts of the field Thus farre Granatensis This onelie consideration should make vs pray to God alone Chap. 29. And after of the praiers of the faithfull he writes thus What shal I say O Lord of thy readines in hearing the praiers of the iust what of thy speedines in fulfilling their desires how often doest thou promise vs this in thy holy scriptures that thou mightest take away our infidelity distresse In a certain place thou saiest which of you askes bread of his father and will he giue him a stone our askes fish and will he for fish giue him a serpent or if he aske an egge will he reach him a Scorpion If ye therefore when as ye are euill know to giue good things to your children how much more shall your heauenly father from heauen giue his holy spirit to them which aske him And in another place Aske and it shal be giuen to you seeke and ye shall finde knocke and it shall be opened vnto you But the words of our Lord which are in S. Iohns Gospell doe declare the same much more manifestly by which it is manifest that God hath at once opened to his friends all the gates of his mercie when as he saith If you abide in me and my words abide in you aske whatsoeuer ye will and it shall be done vnto you Could the heart of man if a wish were giuen him to wish whatsoeuer he would haue wished a more large or greater benefit when as in these words he hath leaue giuen him to aske whatsoeuer he will And he giues his word also that whatsoeuer he asketh he shall obtaine These are the promises of the Gospell from which they also disagree not which are found euerie where amongst the Prophets The Psalmist saith in a certaine place he will doe the will of them that feare him and he will heare their prayer and will saue them And in another place The eies of the Lord are vpon the iust and his eares are open vnto their prayers And in another place hee saith He hath regarded the prayer of the humble and hath not despised their petition Esay also sings the same song to vs. For after he had shewed with what good works God is especially serued by and by he addeth the reward that shall be giuen to them that serue him saying Then he shall call and the Lord shall heare him he shal crie and the Lord shal say Behold here am I. And as though this were but a small thing thou thy selfe O Lord addest a farre greater and more bountifull promise in the same Prophet
both the diuine nature and our nature who vnderstands what is profitable for man and also what God requires of vs both worthy of God and him also that asketh And also with what words not so much fit for God for he knoweth the meaning and force of all words as for the minde of him that speaketh that he may not be ignorant how he ought to thinke of God And of this his vnderstanding the loue of God may spring in him and be confirmed And after There is no prayer which ought so diligently and attentiuely to be said and meditated vpon of vs as this meaning the Lords prayer euerie part of it nay euerie word euerie letter euerie prick of it are to be weighed of vs. He would haue this praier especiallie of all to be vnderstood and not to be saide in Latine as they vsed in Poperie 16. Of Auricular confession De Baptis ad Io. CYprian writes thus of that place in the 20. of Iohn Whose sins ye remit c. It is manifest where and by whom remission of sinnes may be giuen which is giuen in baptisme for the Lord gaue first that power to Peter vpon whome he built his Church and from whom he ordained and shewed the originall of humanitie that that should be loosed on earth that he had loosed And after his resurrection he speaketh also to his Apostles saying As my father sent me so send I you when he had said thus He breathed vpon them and said to them receiue yee the holy Ghost whose sinnes yet forgiue they are forgiuen to him whose yee retaine they are retained Whereby we perceiue that it is lawfull in the Church for the gouernours thereof and those that are appointed by the law of the Gospell and the Lords ordinance to baptise and to giue remission of sins and that without neither any thing can be bound or loosed seeing there is no body that can binde or loose any thing Neither doe we set downe this O brother without the authoritie of the scriptures So that we said that all things are set in order by a certaine law and by his own appointment Neither that any man may take vpon him any thing against the Bishops and priests which is not in his right and power For Chore Dathan and Abiram against Moses and Aaron tooke vpon them authoritie to sacrifice neither did they that without punishment which they attempted vnlawfully Here we maie learne first that the fathers workes either thorough malice or ignorance haue béene corrupted for what sense should this haue for God first gaue this power to Peter from whom he shewed and ordained the originall of humanitie no doubt it should be of vnanimitie or vnitie as appeares by the other place of his booke of the simplicitie of prelates So we may sée how that olde cousoner Sathan hath not kept back his fingers from the fathers workes he hath béen doing with them And therfore who dare safely build his faith vpon them Secondly that the Church was built vpon Peter to declare the vnitie that should be amongst all pastors not to declare anie superioritie of Peter in power or authoritie of binding or loosing aboue the rest for there hereafter he addes That al the rest receiued like power with him of binding and loosing And that the heretiques rebelling in the Church and breaking the vnitie thereof doe not rebell against anie one but against the Byshops and priests euen as Chore Dathan and Abiram did against Moses and Aaron And lastlie he expounds plainely where this power of binding and loosing is executed which hee affirmes to be in Baptisme and not in auricular confession as our late diuines of Rome teach who attributes the verie strength and power and force of that place to auricular confession and to their priests then either forgiuing or detaining sinnes Cyrill also as hath béene alleadged before agrées herein with Cyprian and expounds this authoritie of forgiuing sinnes which the ministers haue to be executed in baptisme or in repentance of notorious sinners Austen also expoundeth that place of S. Matthews Gospell Aug. Tract in Ioh. 123. To thee I will giue the keies of the kingdome of heauen thus that Peter when this was said vnto him signified the whole Church And of Christs coate which was without seame he writes thus Tract in Ioh. 118. The coate without seame least at any time it should be ript in sunder came vnto one because he gathers all into one euen as amongst his Apostles when as the number was twelue that is three times foure and they were all asked Only Peter answered Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God And it was said to him To thee I will giue the keies of the kingdome of heauen as though he alone had receiued power of binding and loosing when as he being but one answered that for all and receiued this withall as a figure of vnitie therefore one for all because vnitie is to them all And therefore this when he had said wrought about he addeth thorow out the which if we referre to that which it signifieth no man lackes it who is found to pertaine to the whole from which whole as the Greeke tongue shewes the Catholique church is called This is Austens iudgment that Peter answered for all and receiued like authoritie for all But M. Bellarmine saith There was no cause why Christ should so particularly say to Peter To thee I will giue the keies and feed my sheepe and that for his singular faith and loue if he should receiue nothing besides the rest He plainlie dissents from Austen and so their new Catholique faith from the olde Austen and Cyprian affirme that this spéech of our Sauiour was to him alone to declare the vnitie he would haue amongst all his ministers and in this he made him a mirror and not a maister Cyrill in Io. cap. 64. And Cyrill saith by his threefold commission he comforted him againe for his threefold denying this he gained by it Franciscus de Euia a Papist of auricular confession writes thus Direct confes I counsell thee also deare brother if thou wilt confesse thy sinnes often that thou get thee a proper confessor and such a one as is well experienced in that matter a wise man and of a good and commendable life to whom thou maiest safely committe thy conscience and to haue now euen in the steed of the Lord God to whom thou maiest surely reueale all thy secrets both inward and outward and all thy sinnes Herein he plainlie discouers the corruptions of their Church Should a shéepe go from his shepheard This is an absurd thing But such hath béen their doctrine and practise that the pastors of congregations neede not preach themselues but friers in their roomes and thereby were all their Frieries maintained and that the shéepe maie go from their pastors to séeke some other to reueale their sins vnto 1. Pet. 5.1 Whereas S. Peter exhorts all elders and
pastors to feed their flocks themselues and our blessed Sauiour enioines this thing to Peter Ier. 23.2.4 Ezec. 34.16 as his principall duetie to feede his flocke The true shepheard is to binde vp the woundes of his flocke and to heale them himselfe He that doth not so is that idol shepheard Zach. 11.16 whereof Zacharie prophesieth He shall not looke for the thing that is lost nor seeke the tender lambes nor heale that which is hurt nor feede that that standeth but he shall eate the flesh of the fatte and shall teare thir hoofes and clawes in peeces And haue not the shepheards in poperie done thus Psal 119.105 whereof manie of them neuer preached Is not the word of God the lanterne and candle in Gods house to lighten our pathes and wherewith also to séeke that which is lost Luke 15.8 which candle that wise woman which was a figure of Christs Church lighted and therewith sought for her lost groat which the foolish woman the Popes Church hath quite put out and hidden vnder a bushell Matt. 5.15 Is it not the leaues of that tree of life Iesus Christ which serue to heale the nations Reu. 22.2 as Saint Iohn sheweth vs in the Reuelation Are not the scriptures those fruitfull trees also whereof Ezechiel prophecieth that by the riuer of Gods spirit which is our only comforter in this life as our Sauiour doth teach vs do grow on the brinke thereof on this side and on that side whose leafe shall not fade neither shall the fruit thereof faile and it shall bring forth new fruit according to his moneths because their waters run out of the sanctuarie and the fruit thereof shall be meat and the leaues therof shal be for medicine Is not here a liuelie description of Gods spirit and of the scriptures The one is a well a streame springing into euerlasting life a comforter that onlie like water comforts in all the heats and broyles of this life as our sauiour teacheth And the other as trees that grow on the brinke of this heauenlie riuer The word of God and his spirit are neuer separated which euer haue their leaues and fruit no winter can make their fruit fade nor frost cause their leaues fall Nay because they are watered from the sanctuary they do not onlie like other trées bring forth stil the same fruits but new fruits euerie moneth And their fruits are meate and their leaues medicines If this be true then the papists in whose coasts in times past these fruitfull trées were not seene growing and flourishing lacked also that heauenly and comfortable riuer that procéeded out of the sanctuary They had in those daies worldlie comfortes enough like to that rich man but they lacked the comfort of Gods spirit their soules were famished for the want of these trées whose fruits are the onelie food of soules And their sinnes and wounds of their soules were putrified and festered for lacke of these leaues to heale them which are the onely plaisters for spirituall sores as the prophet Ezechiel Saint Iohn do plainlie teach If we will liue we must applie these leaues to our hearts as the preacher doth teach vs. It is better saith he to go into the house of mourning then of feasting because this is the end of all men Eccl. 7.4 And the liuing will lay it to his heart And Abacucke saith that the iust shall liue by faith Abacuck 2.4 And Saint Paul that faith commeth by hearing the word of God Therefore what life could be in that Church where Gods word was seldome or neuer taught It is written of the blessed virgine Marie Luk. 2.19.51 that she laid vp her sonnes words Iesus Christs words and the words of the shepheards in her heart So must all good women that minde to be blessed that loue the blessed virgine follow likewise these her holie steps and laye vp Iesus Christs words their pastors words in their hearts and the words of no others They must not séeke straungers to confesse their sinnes and to lay open their sores vnto as the popish Church teacheth Nay euen now when as these trées beginne againe to flourish in the world many are not thankefull to God for such a great blessing that now hath made these holesome and fruitfull trées to spring againe in their coasts but doe finde fault with them do despise them They will haue nothing but olde fruit They can abide no new fruit But here they must learne that these trées bring forth new fruits euerie moneth They must not be so wedded to antiquity as to contemne condemn all nouelty but rather let them marke well what euerie thing is Let them say if it be a fruit of the tree of life if it haue a roote and ground in the scriptures 1. Thes 5.21 1. Io. 4.1 I will receiue it most thankfully ioyfullie Let euerie one of vs Trie all things and keepe that which is good as Saint Paul counselleth vs and examine the spirits whether they be of God or no as S. Iohn also commaundeth and not wilfully shut our eies or straight way cast it out of our hands we wil none of it because it séemes new Let vs remēber how that these fruitfull trees of the Lord which are watered with the water that comes out of the sanctuarie bring forth new fruits euerie moneth They diminish the dignitie of these trées are enemies to their owne health nay to their owne onely true greatest ioy and pleasures that they can haue in this world that beleeue not this and will not taste of these new most pleasant fruits And here also we must marke another singular smacke or relish and another speciall commendation or priuiledge which these fruits which the word of God hath beyond all other fruits and writings of men whosoeuer Psal 12.6 The words of the Lord saith Dauid are pure words as siluer purified to the Lord of the whole earth and fined seuen times And no siluer else whatsoeuer nay all the golde of man yea of the fathers whosoeuer is but drosse to this siluer And so must all Christians account of the fathers and yet I cannot tel how it comes to passe that in many mens mouthes the writings of the fathers haue a better relish and pleasanter taste then the word of God But let all men heere learne that euen the gold of the fathers euen the purest doctrine they teach is impure in comparison of the doctrines of the scriptures They haue onely this commendation that they are siluer purified seuen times to the Lord of the whole earth And in the repairing of the Church of Christ which now in our daies is in hand which Antichrist had defaced Re. 11.1 2.3.4 Saint Iohn in the Reuelation borrowes this testimonie of Dauid where after he had declared how much of Gods house should be repaired againe how farre the builders should procéed in that worke he addes what
testimonies God will haue and what witnesses in his Temple what trées in this his new Paradise and what candles in his house Exod. 25.31 The old Tabernacle had but one Candlesticke in it with seuen braunches to lighten it 2. Pe. 2.5 Heb. 3.5 and the olde world but one Noah to testifie to them the wil of God and the house of Israel but one Moses as a seruant to testifie those things which should be spoken after As our Sauiour also tolde the Iewes Doe not you thinke that I will accuse you to my father Io. 5.45 there is one that accuseth you euen Moses in whom you trust But in the Church of Christ shall be two witnesses The Law and the Gospell Besides this former testimonie of Moses The gospell also shall be preached to all nations for a testimonie Mat. 24 14. Mat. 18.16 saith our Sauiour and then shall the ende come Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses shall euerie word or matter be confirmed Before his iudgement God will haue his truth firmely ratified to the world And therefore of these two witnesses and of these two testaments of the Law and of the Gospell in our daies in the repairing againe of the Temple which was prophaned and defaced by Antichrist Saint Iohn saith These are two Oliue trees and two Candlestickes standing before the God of the earth Alluding no doubt to Dauid here in the Psalme The word of the Lord is purified to the Lord of the earth and these Oliues and Candlesticks stood before the Lord of the earth As though the word of God and these Oliues and Candlesticks were all one The word of God the two testaments are the Lords two Oliues able not onely to sustaine Psal 104.15 but to chéere and make merie all Gods household seruants They are also the Lords two great lights like the Sunne the Moone which are sufficient also to lighten his whole house in all obscure and dark points of Religion and to shew vs the perfect and readie way to heauen Now let all his faithfull seruants haue an eie only to these De Mirah scrip lib. 1. cap. 6. Let vs marke what authoritie saint Austen himselfe yéelded to the fathers and expositers of the holy scriptures which were before him who speaking of the doores of heauen which were opened and of the fountains of the déepe at Noah his floud writes thus We cannot saith he for the slendernes of our wit and knowledge vnfold the hardnes of this matter with a grounded or ratified opinion that that is truth which we teach notwithstanding we will without anie partiality shew what in these matters the studies of our former masters could finde out in their diuers opinions yeelding no more authoritie to one then to another of whose iudgements and of whose particular choises we giue euerie man leaue to allow or disallow at his pleasure This opinion Saint Austen had of the opinions and iudgements of those which before him expounded the holy scriptures whom he cals Masters he himselfe was bound to none of them nor no more would he haue anie other And so no doubt by this his owne example he hath taught all men what opinion if they will not be wilfull euery one should haue of his writings expositions So that then in the time of popery the shepheards the pastors of congregations in not giuing this meat vnto their flocks in not healing their woundes sores with the leaues of these trees in not preaching the word of God they haue declared themselues not be Christs shepheards Io. 10.10 but to be Antichrists hirelings Nay to make this matter more plaine They haue not only not fed them but torne in peeces their hoofes as Zacharie prophecieth wounding their consciences and weakneng their faithes in teaching that vnlesse they sang masses for them after their deaths their faith in Christ did not profit them And that they were damned if they brake one of the least of their ceremonies and traditions Is not this quite to teare in péeces the verie hoofes and clawes of the poore sillie lambes whereby they began now to go and to lay hold on Christ Secondly this same Author saith That now one hauing gotten such a faithfull and holy confessor let him account of him euen as of God himselfe and reueale to him boldly all his secret sins and all the secrets of his heart And is not this plainly to say that the Pope is Antichrist He shall sit in the Church shewing himselfe as God saith saint Paul And doth not he here confesse the same What is it else to be God Psal 7.9 Ier. 11.20.20.12 Reu. 2.23 but to search the harts and raines as the scriptures often teach This thing they attribute to God onely And yet the Pope and his cleargie arrogate it to themselues And is not this to sit in the Church as God Saint Paul writes to the ministers of the Church of Corinth that they should iudge nothing before the time 1. Cor. 3.5 vntill the Lord come who shall lighten things that are hidde in darknesse and make the counsels and secrets of the hearts manifest 1. Ti. 5.24 and then shall euerie man haue praise of God And to Timothie Some mens sinnes are open before hand and goe before vnto iudgement but some mens follow after But the papists by this their doctrine contrarie to saint Pauls doctrine in both these places doe make their confessors to take vpon them that knowledge of secrets which belongs to God and that no sinnes are to be reserued vnto the daie of iudgement Their confessors if men will not be damned as they teach must knowe them before This author here himselfe confesseth that to know the secrets of the heart belongs onely to God And that therefore euerie one is to account of his confessor euen as of God himselfe And is not this plainly to affirme that the Pope shall sit in the Church as God Let vs neuer looke that anie other shall euer come into the Church and challenge or take vpon him more of the diuine Authoritie then this And therefore let vs acknowledge that this prophecie of saint Paul is alreadie fulfilled in him And that the Pope and his cleargie sit now in the Church of God 17. Of Purgatorie Psa 40.1 FIrst concerning Purgatorie that vehement and comfortable Sermon which God commaundes Esay and in him all ministers to preach to his Church is as it were a double cannon to beat downe the paper wals of Purgatorie Comfort comfort my people saith the Lord your God speake to the heart of Ierusalem and crie vnto her that her warfare is now at an end and that her iniquitie now hath obtained pardon For she hath receiued at the Lords hands double for all her sinnes This is a sermon of comfort and this must be preached to the heart of Ierusalem and of all Gods Church and cried out in their eares that their warfare now
is finished that is no doubt when they shall ende this life For as Iob teacheth vs and saint Paul Iob. 7.2 Ephes 6.10 Our life here is a warfare And saint Paul not onely saith so but giues euerie Christian the armour that belongs to it Vers 13. Now when this warfare is ended Gods ministers are to preach to his people that then their sin hath obtained pardon Nirtse as it is in the Hebrew that is is made now well pleasing to God and that they haue now in this their warfare In this life receiued double punishment that is sufficient for all their sins And therefore they néed feare no punishment hereafter And this is that lesson which Peter also teacheth all Christians God our most louing father by the resurrection of Iesus Christ according to his aboundant mercie 1. Pet. 1.3 hath begotten vs againe vnto a liuely hope of an inheritance immortal vndefiled that withereth not reserued for vs in heauen c. wherin we reioyce though now for a season if need require we are in heauines through manifold temptatioÌ„s Peter herein agrées with Esay that in this life if need be we receiue sufficient punishment for our sinnes This is Ierusalems comfort at her verie heart And this is also that which saint Paul saith But when we are iudged 1. Cor. 11.32 we are corrected of the Lord because that we should not be condemned with the world God iudgeth his saints in this life because he will not condemne nor punish them in the life to come And the same lesson saint Paul teacheth in another place My son despise not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 12 5. as it is in the Greeke make no light account of the correction of the Lorde but account it as a most pretious ie well For whom the Lord loueth he chasteneth and he scourgeth euerie sonne which he receiueth And he after speakes verie manifestly of the afflictions of this life as these words import Verse 12. Wherefore lift vp your hands which hang downe and your weake knees And Saint Peter likewise Now is the time that iudgement shall begin at the house of God 1. Pet. 4.17 Whereas S. Paul said before that God in this life scourged all his sonnes S. Peter to the same effect saith that iudgement now begins at Gods house The one names the inhabitants and the other the house And S. Peter also to the great comfort of all Gods children séemes to ayme at the continuance of this correction and he calles it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is an opportunitie or a verie short time and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which maie signifie some longer space of time 2. Cor. 4.15 And S. Paul himselfe also in effect saith the same in another place calling the continuance of our afflictions momentaneam leuitatem a small light trifle in comparison of the ioie that hereafter we shall receiue and that which endures but for a minute of an houre Of purgatorie Ierome writes thus In 2. cap. Mat. He shall purge or melt the sonnes of Leui that is their vnderstandings and words So truely the words and iudgements of all pastors stand need of this Gods purifying his gold onely is most pure purified seuen times in the furnace Our gold how pure soeuer it seemes to vs stands need of this melting and purifying And hereupon Ierome addeth of all Christians That they shall reprooue their wicked brethren and they shall be to God as a precious iewell for he shall spare them in that terrible day which he shall make because euery man is vnder sinne Ierome will haue this melting and this iudgement to be in this life alleadging that saying of Peter nowe the time is that the iudgement began at the house of God And of that place to the Corinthians he writes thus In 6. ca Esaiae And that stone which onely the Septuag inta doe translate a Carbuncle may signifie not a dead or burning coale as some haue expounded it but a Carbuncle stone which for the likenesse it hath to the colour of fire may be called firie whereas we learne that the altar of God is full of Carbuncles that is of firie stones and hoat burning coales purging sins whereof we read thus written of God That coales were kindled of him and of God himselfe it is said that he is a consuming fire and our Sauiour saith in the Gospell I came to send fire vpon earth And that he might baptize with the holy Ghost and with fire for fire shall trie euerie mans worke what kinde of one it is And he that shall be saued shall so be saued as though he had gone thorough the fire And this is to be marked that euen to Ieremy to whom it is said before I fashioned thee in the wombe I knewe thee and I sanctified thee in thy mothers wombe because he had not vncleane lippes But yet he said I am a childe I cannot speake The Lord himselfe stretched out his hand and touched my mouth and said Behold I haue put my words into thy mouth but to Esay who said I am a man of vncleane lippes and I dwell in the midst of a people that hath vncleane lippes Gods hand was not retched but Seraphim was sent of God or he did flie vnto him of his owne accord Because he is appointed to his seruice and he hath a stone in his hand which after the Septuaginta and Theodotion he tooke with a nipper but after Aquila and Symmachus which follow the Hebrew he tooke Melachim that is with a paire of tongs that therwith he might touch his mouth and might purge his olde and accustomed sins Here we maie plainlie sée that either God himselfe with his owne hand or els Angels with those carbuncles according to the word of God doe purge sinnes and that Ierome expoundes that place of the Corinthians of this heauenlie fire and not of anie infernall fire purging sinnes But that indifferent mâ—n shall endure the fire of purgatorie séemed not to Ierome to be grounded manifestlie vpon this place who expounds it of a contrarie fire In cap. 66. Es And in another place Ierome writes thus God is called a consuming fire that hee may consume in vs whatsoeuer is hay wood or stubble and thornes that is cares of this world which the barren ground brought for good seed Ierome here affirmes that God himselfe is the fire that burneth vp all our chaffe stubble and wood not anie fire of purgatorie And that by the fire of his word and his spirit he worketh these effects For here he addeth for of this fire the Lord speaketh in the Gospell I came to throw fire downe vpon the earth And after This fire I supposed to haue sitten vpon the tongues of the Apostles and all the faithfull when they spake with diuers tongues and droue away all ignorance and lightened the hearts of them that receiued the word of God And after most
would neuer haue said When as we are iudged of the Lord we are corrected that we should not be damned with the world And therfore Iohn was taught by the mouth of an Angell Whom I loue I chasten and correct And therefore also it is written Whom the Lord loues he chasteneth he scourgeth euerie sonne that he receiueth Héere Gregorie séemes to referre that saying of the Apostle but to some And it is true in respect of the reprobate but in respect of his chosen all that he iudgeth here he will not condemne with the world Reu. 3.19 And so the Angell taught Saint Iohn indefinitely that al whom he loues he corrects Gregorie expounds this correction of the punishments of this life And of the same punishmēts he expounds that place of S. Paul And then S. Paul saith that euery son that he scourgeth that is in this life saith Gregorie receiueth and therefore not in Purgatorie Theodoret vpon that place to the Corinthians If anie man shall build vpon this foundation gold In 1. ad co ca. 3 c. writes thus Some thinke that the Apostle speakes thus concerning opinions in doctrine but I thinke he speakes it of exercises of vertue and vice And that he makes as it were a way to the accusation of him who had committed fornication Furthermore he cals gold siluer precious stones the kinds of vertues and wood hay stubble those things contrary to vertue for the which hell fire is prepared And these things do not depend of the fault of the teachers but of the intent and purpose of the schollers They truly teach them heauenly doctrines but amongst them which heare some make themselues gold some siluer some precious stones by diligently marking such things as are taught them Some other liuing slouthfully and idlely choosing that which is nought resemble the nature of wood hay or stubble which may easily be burned and the difference of these matters not this present life but the life to come shal reproue for this thing that meanes the day of the Lord shall make manifest That is to say the day of iudgement And a little after vpon these words Euerie mans worke what it it is the fire shall trie The teachers saith he teach heauenlie things the hearers according to their pleasures chuse that which they think is to be done But in the day of the comming of the Lord there shall be a sharpe and vehement examination those which haue liued well as gold and siluer the fire shall make more bright And it shall burne them which haue liued euill like wood hay or stubble The teacher also which hath taught such things as became him shall not suffer punishment but shall be accounted worthie of saluation for this he saith but he shall be saued that is the teacher The worke shall be burned that is as much to say they who haue made themselues as euill worke And after If anie will not applie that as it were by fire to the worke but to the teacher let him so vnderstand it that he shal not suffer punishment for them but he also shall be saued tried by fire if he haue a life agreeing with the doctrine Thus much Theodoret whereby it appeares plainly that he expoundes this place not of anie purgatorie fire before the day of iudgement but of the fire which at that day shall be reuealed And shall then trie and purge not the works of any middle sort of men but of all men And againe vpon these words of Malachie Behold he comes Theodoret in cap. 3. Mal. Of this second comming Zacharie also prophecieth and they shal behold him whom they haue pearced c. So also the blessed Apostle Saint Paul because it shall be reuealed in fire And the fire shall trie euerie ones worke what kinde of one it is c. And I thinke also of these fires that the Prophet meanes not onely this that is the fire of the day of iudgement or of the second comming of Christ but the purgation of the holy Ghost For by this mystically they which come vnto him the Lord doth purge with the fire of his spirit So therefore that great Prophet Iohn said He shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire and also by his heauenly grace as it were with a certaine hearb he washeth away the filthinesse of sinnes Theodoret here as it were making a suruey of purgatories findes but thrée And in none of them the Popes Purgatorie fire but first the fire of the second comming of Christ then the fire of the holy Ghost and lastly the heauenly grace and mercy of God These were all the purgatories which Theodoret could find out as this place teacheth And he referres manifestly that place of the Corinthians to the day of Iudgement 1 Cor. 3.13 The text it selfe séemes to prooue manifestly that by this fire is meant afflictions For thus we reade Euerie mans worke shall be made manifest for the day shall make it manifest for through fire it shall be reuealed and euerie ones worke what kind of one it shal be the fire shall trie No doubt fire in all these places is taken in the same signification But it is manifest that as Christ said of the séed of his word the Sunne arising that is the heate of persecution tries whether the seed had taken déepe roote or not so fire here reueales euerie ones worke that is persecutions and afflictions This fire shall disclose and make things hid manifest which the Apostle here speakes of it shall trie workes but such a fire is not the fire of purgatory It discloseth nothing nay it is hid it selfe Neither doth it trie workes as this fire the Apostle here speakes of doeth but it purgeth soules as the papists teach And therefore this place can make nothing for their purgatorie fire The verie text it selfe refutes it M. Bellarmine and Poligranes expound that place of Matthew Agree with thine aduersarie of purgatorie Wherof Poligranes writes thus There are manie other places of scripture Polig de suffrag defunct De Purg. lib. 1. ca. 4. out of which as concerning this matter the fathers say nothing yet our later writers being stirred vp by heretiques searching the scriptures more diligently do from them confirme purgatorie of which sort is this Agree with thine aduersarie And Master Bellarmine affirmes that they all agree that the prison is hell But yet there are many mansions some for the damned and some for them which shall be purged Againe almost all agree that by the last farthing are meant small sinnes Againe that vntill thou hast paide the last farthing cannot seeme rightly to be said vnlesse there were an end of payment Neither Saint Austens examples are sufficient to prooue the contrarie For when it is said he knewe her not vntill shee had brought foorth we may not hereby gather that he knewe her after but we may wel inferre that she should sometime
intreate of the punishment of them that are dead For therefore a great tribulation shall go before and afterward fire shall descend and shall quickly purge all the relickes of sinne in iust men For as Ireneus notes in the ende of his fift booke Then sodainly the Church which is on earth shal be taken to her spouse Neither then shall be any time of purging any more as there is now after death before iudgement Here is purgatorie and no purgatorie for those fathers in déede speake of a purging which shall be at the daie of iudgement by fire but not of those onely that then shall liue as M. Bellarmine here séemes to expound Ierom but of all men in generall as appeareth by the words Ierom there vseth Peccatores quosque flumina ignis ante cum traehent voluentia The rowling streames of fire shall drawe before him all sinners not those that be liuing as Master Bellarmine expounds him And the Lord is called a fire and a consuming fire that he may burne our wood hay and stubble alluding to that place of Saint Paul That if any man haue built vpon Iesus Christ wood hâ—y or stubble the day of the Lord shall trie euerie mans worke not the workes of them that liue then onely but euerie mans worke And after he addeth That according to the saying of Ezechiel whatsoeuer in our gold and siluer that is in our vnderstanding and word is mingled with brasse iron or lead in the Lords furnace may be a Percoquitur thorowly fined that pure gold and siluer may remaine Here Ierome speakes of all sinners not of those that shall liue then And he addeth That our gold and siluer that is iust mens workes as well as sinners drosse shall then bee examined And in another place which hath béene alleadged before he manifestly confirmeth this exposition As we beleeue saith he that the torments of the Diuell and of all them which denie God and of wicked men which say in their heart there is no God Ieron in 66. ca. Esaiae are euerlasting So also wo is me of sinners yea of Christians whose workes shall be purged and tried with fire we suppose that the sentence of the iudge shall not be extreame but mixed with mercie This place against M. Bellarmines exposition prooues that all Christians workes which are sinners shall be tried and purged at that daie and not those onely that then are liuing in stéede of the purgatorie they should haue endured Saint Augustine also saith which place Master Bellarmine there also hath alleadged for purgatorie Aug. de ciuit lib. 20. cap. 25. of these things which haue been spoken it seemes to appeare most euidently that in that iudgement there shall be some purgatorie punishment of some but he names not who they be It should séeme he means those whom Ierom meant before Neither doth that place of Irenaeus which alleadgeth make anie thing for his purpose For Irenaeus there first writes thus The day of the Lord is as it were a thousand yeeres Iren. lib. 5. And in sixe daies were all things finished that were made And therefore it is manifest that the sixt thousand yeere shall be the consummation of all these things And therefore in all that time man being made in the beginning by the hand of God that is of the Sonne of the Spirit that he may be according to the image and likenesse of God the chaffe being cast away which are Apostacie and the corne being taken into the barne that is they which bring forth fruits to God through faith And therefore tribulation is necessarie for them that shall be saued that being as it were broken in peeces and made into smal powder and sprinkled here and there through patience by the word of God yea euen beene all a fire they might be fit guests for the kings banquet And as one â— our Christians who being iudged to be cast to wild beasts to be torne in peeces of them for his martyrdome towards God said Because I am the corn of Christ I am grinded by the teeth of these wild beasts that I might be found fine manchet of God And after The nations are so farre profitable and fit for the iust in as much as the stubble is profitable for the increasing of the wheat the chaffe thereof to burne for the purifying of Gold And therefore in the end when the Church departing hence shall be taken aloft there shall be saith he tribulation such as neuer was nor shall be That shall be the last combate of the iust wherein the conquerors shall be crowned with incorruption Thus farre Irenaeus And here M. Bellarmine mistakes a word for repetente Ecclesia as it is in Irenaeus printed at Basil Anno Dom. 1526. which is as much as to say the Church repairing againe to a place he puts in repente that is sodainly As though this sodainnesse of her departure should be the cause of that her purging by fire because she could not stay to endure the fire of Purgatorie It may séeme of that one word he grounds this his exposition And if he doe it is but his collection it is not Irenaeus assertion as he saith and that also of a false foundation taking repente for repente which is in the auncient copie And if so be that the word were repente so dainly yet there néeded not anie Purgatorie fire to the end that they might attaine saluation For euen sodainly God is able and hath also saued sinners as Elias is called of Saint Iames A man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subiect to like affection and perturbations euen as we are Iam. 5.17 and therefore a sinner yet was he translated into heauen sodainly And our Sauiour himselfe speaketh thus of Zacheus who before was a Publican as soone as he beléeued on him This day is saluation come vnto this house Christ also healed very many both of their bodily Luke 19.9 Mark 5.34 Luke 7 50. and spirituall diseases sodainly saying thy faith hath saued thee No doubt if these had then died they should haue béene saued euen sodainly without enduring anie Purgatorie There is a place in saint Paul where the word sodainly is vsed 1. Thes 5.3.4 For when they shall say peace and safetie then shall come vpon them sodaine destruction c. But you brethren are not in darknesse that that day should come on you as a theefe in the night But that sodaine destruction or punishment respects the wicked not the faithfull that shall then liue at that day more then them that haue liued before that day Here is not one word of anie purging but of the purging of afflictions And that shall be all the time of the continuance of the world saith Irenaeus And that shall so cleane purge vs as it shall make vs fit guestes for the Lords banquet and what other purgatorie then shall the faithfull stand néede of Here is not that those that liue at the
Church How shall they call vpon him in whom they haue not beleeued saith the Apostle The sense and féeling of miseries and calamities will make a man call for help Rom. 10.24 And thus we may plainly sée how by an excellent order our faith is portraied out euen in Adams children and the true Church described In Seth his daies as should séeme was no publique inuocation of the name of God True religion would not so soone take roote though he laboured no doubt verie earnestly about it or else being planted of Adam by Cains posteritie it had bene defaced But in his sonnes daies she sprang vp and put out her head againe And then men began to call on the name of the Lord. Here is another principall marke of the true Church to call vpon the name of the Lord. For the holy ghost doth meane the whole here by the principall part No doubt they offered sacrifices then as Abel and Cain did and they did meditate of that promise of God made vnto them of the womans seed Gen. 3.15 But this was a speciall note of Gods Church They called on the name of the Lord. To commend the excellencie and necessitie of praier Mark 11.17 our sauiour also saith That his house shall be called a house of prayer to all nations and not a house of preaching As tectum the roofe of the house in Latin is put for the whole house so inuocation of the name of the Lord is here put downe for the whole seruice of God Exod 20.1 And this seruice of God he commaunds in his first commaundement thou shalt haue no other Gods but me That is thou shalt trust vnto shalt call vpon no other but me for on them whom men trust in they call vpon Psal 50.15 And in the Psalme more plainly call vpon me in the day of thy trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou sholt glorifie mee Where are added two notable reasons to make vs willing and euen to binde vs to this seruice first that God promiseth that he will deliuer vs and who being in trouble will desire anie thing else Secondly we shall hereby glorifie God This is such a seruice and dutie as belongeth to him alone we may not yéeld it to anie other This was also Abrahams religion which no doubt he had learned of his auncestors For thus we read of him Gen. 13.1 And Abraham came out of Aegypt and his wife with him and all that he had and Lot with him towards the South And Abraham was verie rich in cattell and in siluer and gold And he went on his iourney from the South to Bethel to the place where his tent had beene in the beginning betweene Bethel and Haie vnto the place of the Altar which he had made there at the first And there Abraham called on the name of the Lord. Here is Abrahams religion and worship of God set down in one word Rom. 4 12. he called on the name of the Lord. As he is the father of the faithfull in beleeuing as saint Paul teacheth so he is their father in this point also All his sonnes must follow his steppes This is a marke of the true Church If they do this they cannot erre And here we maie also note that Abraham changed not his religion though he had béen in Egypt Trauellers must not alter their religion they must not be like wethercocks turned about with euerie blast of vaine doctrine Eph. 4.14 And though also he was now waxen rich yet he kept the same religion he professed in the beginning Religion must be alwaies one no time maie alter it no wealth make it wauer Abraham being now wealthie comes a great iourney to worship euen there where he did worship before when he was poore So must the rich men of this world do riches must not choake their religion their zeale in Gods seruice as manie times they do They should now be more zealous not more slacke in Gods seruice then they were before The Philosopher could say he that found out benefites found out fetters And shall not Gods benefites binde them as they did here Abraham more firmelie vnto him Again here Iesus Christ is portraied out vnto vs He comes to the altar betweene Bethel and Hai. Bethel in Hebrew signifies Gods house and Hai desolation or a disordered heape and masse and maie fitlie represent the world Betwixt these is Abrahams altar that is Iesus Christ that all maie haue accesse vnto him he is placed betwixt Bethel and Hai Euen as God placed Ierusalem in the midst of the world as a fountaine of liuely waters that all people that would might repaire thither Esay 55.1 and freely quench their thirst And Abraham there called on the name of the Lord. The same lesson no doubt he taught Isaac his sonne who went out at the euentide Lashnak as it is in the Hebrew Gen. 24.63 to meditate or to pray in the field He called on the name of the Lord as his father did And in this one word his religion or seruice of God is put downe also Thus also is Enochs religion described he walked with God Gen. 5. â—2 24 Heb. 11.27 and he was no more séene for God had taken him away He walked with God not onlie praying but also euen liuing He liued so as though God had been alwaies present with him Psal 9.17 as he was indeed and is with euerie man although the wicked forget God and thinke not so As Moses also walked Verse 22.24 And it is twise said that he walked with God as a speciall commendation This is that great promise which our Sauiour Christ hath giuen to his Church Ioh. 16.23 That whatsoeuer they shall aske in his name they shall obtaine it And who that beleeues this will desire anie more if prayer in the name of Iesus Christ giue vs all things who will praie for anie thing in the name of any other And this is the marke whereby christians were knowne in the primitiue Church Acts 9.14 Ananias said vnto Christ Saul hath authoritie to binde all that all on thy name and after Pauls conuersion Verse 21. all the people that knew him said Is not this he that persecuted all that called on this name To call on the name of Iesus Christ was the badge of all christians in the primitiue Church by this Cognisance they were then knowne And Saint Paul himselfe by this marke points out all christians when he writes to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 1.3 and to all that cal on the name of the Lord Iesus as well in their places as in ours That is euen in all places thorow the whole world Psal 50.5 And Dauid in the Psalme against the daie of iudgement when as all Gods shéepe shall be gathered togither giues this generall marke of Gods Church and this common brand of all his shéepe Gather my Saints togither saith God that haue
not tied to any one place as the Iewish church was The Papists would nowe make their Rome a second Ierusalem and all the churches of christendome bound to her as all the Synagogues of the Iewes were bound to Ierusalem And they would make their Pope like to the hie priest of the Iewes But these Iewish shadowes are vanished away and now that mysterie of Antichrist which they by their shadowes would maintaine is come in stéed of them And no doubt this was that mysterie which began to worke in S. Pauls daies 2. Thess 2.7 Gal. 5.1 of which he speakes some did not stand then in the libertie of Christ but brought in Iewish shadowes Againe Rome is not the daughter of Ierusalem but Sion as Dauid here auoucheth whose gates and children and singers and trumpeters and fresh springs are not now in anie one place but thorow the whole world Rome if shée will néeds haue a mother is the daughter of Babylon 2. King 25.7 putting out the eies of kings that she might make them serue her leading Gods people from that good freedome wherein Iesus Christ had placed them into a miserable bondage againe Ier. 5◠58 Psal 137.8 hauing her thicke and stately wals reaching vnto heauen Of whom Dauid speaketh O daughter of Babylon which shall be sacked happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast serued vs. Happie shall he be that spoileth thée euen as thou hast spoiled all nations And their spoiles are in thy pallaces yea happy shall he be that taketh thy young children thy young impes and dasheth them against that rocke that is Iesus Christ Images in the beginning were lay mens bookes only to admonish and to put them in remembrance but now they are become lay mens Gods to worship Prayers for the dead were testimonies of the good will and affection men liuing owed to the dead now they are become means of their saluation Such impes must now be dashed against that Rocke Iesus Christ they impaire his merits they are repugnant to his Gospell Behold Palestine and Tirus with Ethiopia there was he borne In all these countries kingdomes where Iesus Christ nowe raigneth where the Pope neuer set his seat shall Iesus Christ haue children shall he haue subiects The Lord shal count where he reckons vp the people that he was borne there most gloriously Those that be regenerate and made Gods children by spirituall regeneration shall God number and account for his and therfore one Lewes a king of France Zmuger in Theatro pag. 2840. when as he had conquered manie countries one asking him of which of them he woulde take his name he answered he would be called Lewes of Poicters because there he was christened and had gotten there the greatest victorie of all other his victories euen of the Deuill the Prince of this world He accounted that birth most glorious better then to be borne the Emperors sonne and heire here in this world And here euerie poore and simple christian may reioice greatly in the Lord that he is knowne of God and that God himselfe kéepes a Register of his natiuitie and therefore he cannot perish he cannot be lost he cannot be forgotten By this Register God reckons vp and numbers all his and he shal reckon vp as well singers as trumpeters Of the people which praise God God makes account of as well as of the trumpeters which preach him 2. Pet. 1.1 S. Peter writes his Catholike Epistle to all the dispersed brethren who had obtained like pretious faith with them Our Sauiour Iesus praies not only for his Apostles Ioh. 17.20 but for all those also which should beleeue thorow their preaching Oh happie are all those whom Iesus Christ praies for 1. Cor. 3.22 All are yours saith S. Paul to the Corinthians euen Cephas and Paul and Apollo and the world and death and life and things present and things to come you are Lords of all these and all these are your seruants And you are Christs he is only your Lord and Christ is Gods Christians are Lords of life and of death of this world and of the world to come by the means of Iesus Christ they néede not feare nor care for anie of these they maie trample them vnder their féet they maie command them O excellent dignitie of all christians And here by this one place the Popes supremacie which he challengeth falleth downe euen to the ground onely Iesus Christ is here set downe as Lord of christians And Paul and Cephas and Apollo ioined altogither and the pope also if he be Peters successor are made equall accounted but as seruants of Christians Peter and the Pope here and Paul also are but seruants all christians are their Lords euen as Iesus Christ againe is the onely Lord of all christians Here is the Lordship of being Christs vicegerent committed to Peter no more then to Paul naie all christians are his Lordes and he their seruant Lastly all my fresh springs shall be in thee O fruitfull soile O plentifull church To haue one of Gods springs in it were a great blessing but to haue all Gods fresh springs in it far passeth mans reason Where such plentie of springs are who would debarre anie to digge for water who will complaine of drought as the church of Rome hath done who hath forbidden the people to reade the scriptures who hath made a pretence that they lacked water they lacked iudgement But herein the Prophet Dauid agrées with our Sauiour in the gospell Who saith Iob. 4.14 that whosoeuer drinketh of the water that I will giue him shall neuer be more a thirst but the water that I shal giue him shall be in him a well of water springing vp into euerlasting life Our Sauiour meaneth here of the aboundance of his holy spirit which euerie one that beleeueth in him hath receiued and therefore hath this fresh spring in him And why should we suffer it to be stopt with earth why should not we dig this spring and drawe water out of these wels of saluation with ioy Esay 12.3 as Esay prophecieth why should we suffer this water to putrifie in vs for lacke of drawing that is for lacke of reading meditating on the holy scriptures Gods people are so ignorant in them because they will not doe their endeuour they will not delight in reading of them Euerie one hath a fresh spring in himselfe springing to euerlasting life to water and comfort himselfe and others to by the holy scriptures if he would kéepe it open if he would vse it These markes of the true Church I haue briefely runne ouer although I haue handled some of them elsewhere because Gods words are compared by the preacher to Nailes Eccles 12.11 and must therfore be fastened by many strokes Mat. 13.31.33 And our Sauiour in the gospell doth iterate his parables As also these two marks of the Church which follow although I haue handled
the image of the beast which had the wound of the sword and did liue it was permitted him to giue spirit to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should speake Doe not these two beasts liuely represent the Pope and the Emperour whereof the one doth confirme the other Hath not the Pope healed the Emperours deadly wound in Christendome which the Turke hath giuen him So that by his meanes all nations do yéeld a kind of obedience to him who no doubt but for him would haue forsaken him Hath not he taught that men must make an image to the beast That as there is one Monarch in the world so there must be also in the Church Hath not the former beast suffered him to do wonders in his sight euen what him pleased Hath he not brought to passe that as manie as would not worshippe the Image of the beast that is which would not knowledge his supremacie should be killed Hath he not made both great and small rich and poore bond and free to receiue a marke in their right hand or in their forehead and that no man might buy nor sel saue he that had the marke or the name of the beast or the number of his name That is he was hated of all men Io. 16.2 accounted an heretique Nay that euen to kill such was high seruice done to God which had not the number of his name in their right hand that is his Latine primers and portuises and his characters that is his ceremonies in their foreheads that is that professed them not manifestly whereof his religion was full and in truth was nothing else but a huge heape of characters and ceremonies he that refused to doe any of their ceremonies which were then vsed might neither buy nor sell all men hated him But now the sunne shining of the gospell he that cleaues still to these shall die eternally These are the markes of the false Church The figures and types of the Church may also teach vs which is the true Church It is reported that Hercules his stature after his death was found out by the length of his foote God hath made nothing in vaine euen the verie shadowes of things may teach man wisedome First therefore the Arke of Noah may be a figure of the Church And God said vnto Noah make thee an Arke of Pine trees Gen. 6.14 And the arke is called in Hebrew Tabah of Bauah which signifies to build because the Church of God must euer be in building The building thereof is not like to other buildings it neuer hath an ende As long as this world lasteth it shall euer be in building And therefore saint Paul saith that Iesus Christ hath giuen some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors Ephes 4.12 and teachers for the gathering togither of the Saints for the worke of the ministerie and for the building of the bodie of Christ till we meete altogither in the vnitie of faith and knowledge of the sonne of God vnto a perfect man and vnto the measure of the age of the fulnes of Christ Neither without a mysterie doe the Grammarians call a word Tiba with Iod because no doubt this Arke of Gods Church must be builded with his word Gen. 6.14 Exod. 2.3 Secondly this word Tabah is but twise read in all the scripture That is the Arke that Noah was in and saued him and the Arke that Moses was in saued him For that is called also by the same name And this may teach vs the two Churches of the Iewish synagogue which was but like a basket made of twigges and bulrushes in comparison of the Arke of Noah that is the Arke of Iesus Christ Es 60.17 of which the Prophet Esay prophecieth that God promiseth that for brasse God will bring gold and for yron siluer The Pastors in Christs Church in comparison of the Priests in the Iewish synagogue are as it were great Cedars of Libanus to small twigs Againe this Tabah is neuer found but where water is To signifie no doubt that the Church of God as well the synagogue as the Church of Christ shall be alwaies in this world afflicted It shall euer bee on the water It shall be like to Christes shippe not onely tossed with waues but also in daunger of drowning Thirdly it is called an Arke and not a ship Mat. 8.24 because it must kéepe Iewels or else it is none of Gods Church Psal 1.3 Blessed is the man saith Dauid that hath not walked in the counsell of the vngodly c. but his delight is in the law of the Lord and therein will he meditate day and night And in another Psalme he saith Thy words haue I laid vp I haue hid them within my heart least I should offend against thee Psal 119.11 And it is said of the blessed virgine Marie that she laide vp those words she heard of the shepheards within her heart Luke 2.18 Such Arks both men and women both Kings and Inferiours must Christs Church be It must not be a ship to trafficke for gold to seeke earthlie riches héere in this world For no doubt as it were in a mysterie hereof and to teach vs this lesson 1. King 22.48.49 God brake the ships of good King Iosaphat which he sent to Ophir for gold who was as should séeme a little couetous and would not suffer the seruants of Ahaziah his friend to go with his seruants Couetousnes will haue all her selfe She cannot abide that anie should haue any thing wth her And God commaunded Noah to make his Arke of Pine trees Gen. 6.14 that is of such wood as would swimme aboue the water as would not be rotten or corrupted To teach all Christians that as many as call vpon the name of the Lord Iesus 2. Ti. 2.19 Ephes 4.1 Gal. 6.14 1. Pet. 2.11 should depart from iniquitie And that they should walke worthy of their calling and that they should be crucified to the world and the world to them that is that they should liue in the world like pilgrims and swimme aboue the water like Pine trées and not sinke downe therein like Okes of Basan and not be drowned with the loue and pleasures thereof like worldlings And thou shalt make nests or cabbins in the Arke That is resting places Heere the Hebrew word is Kinnam which may fitly be deriued of Kanah which signifies to buy or purchase Gods Church is called Ierusalem Psal 51.18.122.2.3.6 a vision of peace It must haue nests resting places in it But they are purchased they are bought That great price of Iesus Christ which he paid not of gold or siluer 1. Pet. 1.18 but of his own bloud hath made these nests these resting places Now we being iustified by faith saith saint Paul we are at peace with God Ro. 5 1. And then if we be at peace with God what neede
pardon of sinnes for them euen like the prowd Pharisées She lacked a window in her she was like a dungeon without anie light Psal 1.2 She teacheth not her children to meditate in the law of God day and night Col. 3.16 and that the worde of Christ should dwell plenteously in their houses Her light is not midday like the light of the Arke but midnight Her Linsie Wolsie translation of the newe testament into English which shee giues some leaue to reade is but a light in a corner whereas S. Paul excepts none it lightens not the whole house it is but the light of a Rush it is not the light of a torch Psal 119.105 The doore in her was not in the side but on her toppe by the Pope all entred into heauen for the most part in her She had diuersities of mansions in her as the Arke had but shée did disorder them that should haue béen placed in them She placed her Prelates and Cleargie in the highest roumes Rom. 13. ◠and Princes and Magistrates in the inferiour roumes The onlie true meanes of saluation the couenants of God she hath not taught the people with Noah naie she hath apparantly broken the couenant in denying the cuppe to the laytie which Christ cals the new couenant and therefore belongs to all as though they had not béen in the couenant or if they were 1. Cor. 11.25 to exclude them That blessing our Sauiour pronounceth to all good Pastors Blessed is that seruant Luk. 12.42 whom his maister when he commeth shall finde giuing meate to his family in due season She hath quite taken awaie she hath not fedde Gods flocke as Noah did in the Arke but she hath pined them Matt. 4.4 For man liueth not by bread only saith our Sauiour but by euerie word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God But her pastors haue not giuen meate to the Lords familie in due season nay they haue not giuen them anie meate at all They haue fedde their bodies with bread as though man had liued with bread onlie as Sathan then did séeme to instruct our Sauiour and would haue the world beléeue still and not their soules with Gods word which foode was the more necessarie Amos 8.11 And to conclude the Church of Rome is not built in all points according as God hath commanded How manie points of doctrine hath she in her which are not grounded vpon anie promise or commandement of God her inuocation of Angels and Saints departed her Latine prayers her worshipping of Images prooue this Therefore being so farre vnlike shee doth falsly bragge that shee is the Arke of Noah as hereby euerie one maie see Iericho also is a figure of the world and of Satans Citie as the name thereof in Hebrew deriued from the Moone which is called Iarak prooues which neuer continues in one state but is euer stil either increasing or decreasing Iosuah 6.34 The compassing also thereof 7. daies about with the Arke of God and the seuenth day 7. times plainly declares the same So after Christs ascension seuen Angels blew their trumpets Reu. 8.6 and in the daies of the seuenth Angell when he shall begin to blowe the mysterie shall be finished there shall be no more time the walles of Iericho shall fall downe And surely the daie we liue in now is the seuenth daie At this daie Iericho is compassed about with the Arke of God euen seuen times as much as in all the daies before The plentifull preaching of the Gospell by men speaking and writing more then euer before in anie age plainly prooue this The sunne now arising all the birds of heauen begin to sing whereas before the cockes onely did sing Surely this generall knowledge of God in the world and the profession of his gospell euen of some wicked Kites and couetous cormorants and Rauens declares that the rising of the true sunne Iesus Christ is not farre off And as Iericho resembles the worlde so no doubt the house of Rahab the harlot resembles the Church God will haue a house in Iericho Psal 87.4 Mat. 8.24 he will haue a shippe on the raging sea of this world And first her name Rahab which signifies a streete or enlarged agrées with the calling of the Gentiles The Church of God now is Rahab that is it is enlarged Esay 54.2 now is that prophesie of Esay fulfilled stretch foorth thy cordes and spare not c. Secondly her condition of life agrées with the Church She was Zonah Heb. 11.31 which signifies a vittailer or rather as the Gréeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expounds it and restraines it she was a harlot and so is the church before regeneration an Adultresse Iam. 4.4 Esay 50.1 Ezech. 16.15 Iosuah 2.2 separated from God the Spouse of Satan Assoone as the men were come into her house the king of Iericho had word and persecutes them by and by So the Gospell of Iesus Christ his true professors shall be sure to be persecuted in this world 2. Tim. 3.12 They cannot be so secret in anie place but the king of Iericho the prince of this world will heare of them will spie them out And the woman tooke the men and made them go vp to the toppe of her house and hid them in line of that tree which shee had laid in order vpon the roofe of her house Here is a liuely Image of the true Church She greatly honours reuerences and makes much of Gods seruants and ministers Rom. 10.15 Gal. 4.15 she exalts them she would euen pull out hir owne eies to giue them to do them good withall as the Galathians would haue done to Paul And she hides them in the line of that tree Bepishbe Hagnets This line of that tree no doubt is a figure of the holy Scripture which was to bee written in paper which is made of linnen cloth And in the line of that tree meaning some notable and especiall trée no doubt signifies Iesus Christ He is that tree of life Reuel 22.2 that whosoeuer tasteth of shall liue foreuer and he that shrowdes himselfe vnder it needes not to feare the persecutions of the king of Iericho In the line of this tree the true Church hides her Ministers with this they are couered They are mightie in the Scriptures with Apollo In these they are ouer the head and eares Acts. 18.24 as we say Againe here we may learne how the true Church esteemes of the Scriptures She placeth the line of that tree vpon the roofe of her house She hath them in high estimation according as Dauid saith in the Psalme Psal 138.2 O Lord thou hast magnified thy name and thy word is aboue all things And she had laid her line in order 2. Ti. 2.15 Psal 2.10.11 Ro. 13.1 Ephes 5.22.23.6.1 5 So the true Church doth rightly deuide the word of God She hath meat for kings subiects for men and
and sisters home vnto this house Euerie one must exhort his brother we must exhort one another as S. Paul commands Againe 1. Pet. 3.21 Ephes 4.4 Iosuah 6.25 Rom. 16.17 we must bring them all into one house There is but one Arke of Noah that saueth but one house in all Iericho that shall escape but one church of God wherein is saluation And therfore we must beware of schismes in the Church we must not be more cruell then the souldiers Ioh. 19.24 which would not rent in pieces Christs coate without seame but cast lots for it He that departs out of this house into the streete Verse 19. his bloud shall be on his owne head We must kéepe vs within the limits of the Church we must also follow her holie precepts that we go not foorth into the stréetes They which shall followe the world which shall doe as the most part doe Luk. 13.24 Rom. 12.2 shall be in danger of death But whosoeuer shall continue within the house Verse 19. shall be assuredly safe his bloud say they be on our heads if any touch him The ministers of the Gospell to all faithfull and obedient hearers ought and maie safely warrant them of their saluation they maie euen venture soule for soule they are so sure thereof they maie warrant their hearers And they ought not now to doubt thereof but to beleeue their preaching And lastly we must beware of Apostasie of Reuolting from the faith when persecution comes for the Gospell or when Sathan shall with faire promises go about to make vs forsake it we maie not be turnecoats we must be Peters that is stones not reeds 1. Pet. 2.5 Ephes 4.14 vnremoueable in the faith Though the king of Iericho terrifie vs or our friends flatter vs Gal. 1 16. or reason and flesh and bloud go about to perswade vs yet we must not be ledde by anie of them Wee must keepe the faith with Paul 2. Tim. 4 7. wee must finish our race we must not giue ouer as they saie in the plaine fielde And shee said according to your words so be it Verse 21. And shee let them downe and they departed And shee tied the red threed in her windowe Here is to conclude the last but not the least marke of the true Church according to your words so be it So Marie the blessed virgin answered the Angell Luk. 1.38 Behold the seruant of the Lord be it vnto me according to thy words And after when she was purified according to the lawe Luk. 2.22.23.24 and she presented him to the Lord as it is written in the lawe and she gaue an oblation as it was commaunded in the lawe So should the Church of Christ do all according to the scripture Gal. 1.8 But now let vs consider a little how vnlike Rahabs house the Church of Rome is Rahab placed the line of that trée that is the Scriptures of Iesus Christ in the roofe of her house She makes greatest account of them but the Church of Rome doth not so Concil Trid. Sess 3. she makes equall all her traditions and vnwritten verities with them She couers and hides the spies of Iosuah in them 2. Tim. 3.9 Acts 20.32 1. Pet. 5.2 Gen. 3.7 2. Tim. 4.4 the ministers of Iesus Christ should be cunning in the scriptures but the Church of Rome hath not couered her pastors with his holie line but hath rather with hurds of her own with Adams figge leaues with rags of mans deuises with the Master of the sentences and such like She doubts not of Gods word she knowes that Iericho shall be destroied and that Israel shall be Lords thereof The Church of Rome doth not teach her children this assurance grounded vpon Gods promises neither in their saluations neither in their prayers they make to God She mingles the drosse of mans frailtie Iam. 1.6 with the pure gold of faith and when as this colde water of doubtfulnesse is ready enough of it selfe to créepe in at the riftes of our weake shippe she bids vs not to stoppe it out but let it haue frée passage Rom. 10.11 Deut. 6.4 Mat. 28.18 Deut. 10.20 Ier. 5.7 Sophon 1.5 Her faith is grounded only vpon God that he is God alone that hath all power in heauen and earth and she requires an oath of them in his name as though this were a chiefe part of his honour But the Church of Rome hath vsually sworne by creatures in her thicke and palpable darknesse and her children as yet can hardly be drawne from it She dwels in the wal she reposeth all her trust in Iesus Christ 1. Pet. 1.21 The Church of Rome dwels farre from this wall reposing part of her trust and confidence in other things 1. Cor. 11.26 Rom. 10.9 She hangs the purple coard in her window she is able with her mouth to confesse Iesus Christ and him crucified the Church of Rome for lacke of the knowledge of the scriptures 1. Cor. 11.26 is not able to shew foorth the Lords death She brings her father and mother and brethren and sisters home to her house but the church of Rome doth not exhort one another Heb. 10.24 for the thicke darknes that raigned therein no man did sée his brother And lastly according to their words so she did shee added nothing of her owne when they were gone Mat. 28.20 but the Church of Rome hath added manie things of her owne to the commandements of Iesus Christ which he commanded his Apostles to go and preach to all nations and therfore in this point also as in the former she is vnlike to Rahab Exod. 25.3 The Tabernacle also which Moses builded for the children of Israel maie teach vs as a shadow which is the true bodie and as a type which is the true Church of Christ It was moueable and caried on the Priests backs from place to place Num. 4.15 Exod. 25.2 It was called the Tabernacle of the appointment because there God promised to answere them concerning all matters and in no place else Vers 9. 40. It was made of the voluntarie offerings of the people It was made according to the fashion and forme that God shewed Moses in the mount according to all that I shall shew thee saith God shall ye make the forme of the tabernacle and the fashion of all the instruments thereof And to the building of this his tabernacle God admitted as well haire of Goats as silke as well yron and brasse as gold And here first the consideration of this Tabernacle ouerthrowes the doctrine of the Roman Church Exod. 25.3.4 who teacheth that the Church in this world shall be alwaies visible and that at no time she shall loose her glorie And therefore they teach all men to beléeue the visible Church and then they shall be sure of their saluation But this Tabernacle which the people of Israel had here in the
by and by ought to follow exhortation and interpretation thereof So Paul saith There is but small profit if they speake with tongues in the congregation and doe not also prophesie and expound Here also marke that prophesiing is not to be despised that the interpretations iudgements of others in expounding the Scriptures are to be heard Héere we maie sée as in a little mappe the whole summe of Christian religion and the markes of the true Church The true Church solemnizeth the Lords Sabboth in preaching and hearing his word And without this saith Ferus there is no sanctifying of the Sabboth at all And if this be true in the thicke darknesse of Poperie where Gods word was neither preached nor heard nor meditated on there was no Sabboth kept Nay euen in our daies there are manie Catholikes which thinke they keepe holy the Sabboth verie religiouslie and yet will not come to the Church to heare Gods word And all such Ferus tels that they prophane the Sabboth and kéepe no sabboth at all Againe he teacheth that the onlie weapon to ouercome the diuell is the word of God Then no doubt the diuell was a great conqueror when as no man almost had this sword in his hand he had made as great a conquest of Christians soules as Sisera had made of the bodies of the Iewes of whom being now by her conquered Deborah sings thus They chose new gods then warre was in the gates Iud. 5.8 Was there a speare or shield found among fortie thousand of Israel So dealt Sisera with Israel and so dealt Sathan with Christians he depriued them of their weapons to kéepe them more surely in his obedience Can he be a mans friend that takes his weapon from him in the midst of most raging and cruell enemies But this hath the Church of Rome done she hath taken the Scriptures which Saint Paul calles the sword of the Spirit Ephes 5.16 1. Pet. 5.8 from the hands of the lay people and the diuell is called of Peter A roaring lyon seeking whom he may deuoure In the true Church saith Ferus Gods word is read and not any fancies of man Paul himselfe sits and heares the word of God and therefore no Christian people must thinke scorne to do it And that after the reading preaching ought to follow and that not only works but faith also must be taught These are the markes of the true Church by Ferus iudgement And whether the Church of Rome haue had these in her or not let euerie man iudge In cap. 15. Act. Againe of Christian religion he writes thus vpon these words Why go you about to lay a yoke The second reason is that it is not lawfull for the Apostles to put a yoke vpon the consciences of men which the Lord hath not put for he that doth so tempteth God It is the dutie of the Apostles to preach the Gospel that is glad tidings and not like tyrants to rule ouer mens consciences Let those Bishops marke these words of Peter which make our religion which the mercie of God would haue free in the fewnesse and manifestnesse of her seruices a bondslaue with their burthens they lay vpon it so that the Iewes are in far better case then we who were subiect to the ceremonies of the law and not to mans deuises And Augustine writes thus to the questions of Iamarus c. Euery true Catholike maie marke here how he toucheth the pope who taketh vpon him to rule ouer mens consciences and euen to loade them with his decrees and constitutions And because the Papists brag much of their generall Councels let vs mark how Ferus there describes a true generall Councell vpon these words And when there had beene great dissension See how wisely they deale in the matter They doe not rashly pronounce sentence but they weigh euerie thing For in matters of faith which touch the consciēce it is not enough to say We will and command Marke therefore how the Apostles assembled themselues together They came together plainely they seek for nothing else but the glorie of God they desire the saluation of others To conclude they weigh all things wisely What maruel is it then if the holy Ghost were in this Councell according to the promise of the Lord Where two or three are gathered together c. We come together otherwise with great pompe and state we seek to maintaine our owne glorie and estate and we perswade our selues that we may do any thing by the fulnesse of our authoritie And how can the holy ghost allow such assemblies c He toucheth the Popes state pride He thinks that the holie Ghost will not guide such proud and stately assemblies Againe of the conclusion and doctrine of that Councell he writes thus vpon these words Which neither we nor our fathers were able to beare The law is an intollerable burthen because it requires not onely our hand but also our heart Secondly because it conuinceth vs to be sinners For wee doe euer more against the lawe then according to the law And also those things we do according to the law wee do them imperfectly but by the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ we do beleeue to be saued A conclusion and a knitting vp of the matter both very godly and Apostolike that by the grace of Christ both Iewes and Gentiles are saued and not of their merits For only Christ sufficeth to all so that the law profiteth nothing to the Iewes to their saluation for euen they are saued by grace not by the law so farre against all reason is it that any man should impose those things to the Gentiles which profited not the Iewes themselues And to this end were the Epistles of Saint Paul written to the Romans and to the Galathians And our saluation is called the grace of Christ because he hath deserued it for vs. Let them therefore bragge of their merits we will seeke the glory of God Thus farre Ferus Here is the true Church put downe and her doctrine the milke she giues her children That onely the grace of Iesus Christ saues not merits She that brags of her merits and trusts in them is the strumpet is the whore is not the true Church and the spouse of Iesus Christ by Ferus his iudgement And whereas it is obiected of some against the Gospell that since the preaching thereof heresies haue sprung vp in the world and that before the Church was in peace let vs marke how Ferus answereth that obiection vpon these words Ferus in cap. 13. Act. And he resisted them Behold the combat saith he of truth and falshood This combate euer hath beene and will be God spake but one word in Paradise and by and by came the serpent which resisted it Moses being sent into Egypt found there sorcerers which withstood him The Prophets euer had false Prophets opposite vnto them Christ comming into the world found aduersaries The same thing
thy truth and faith in thée Rom. 8.30 that thou hast poured into vs good inspirations and good thoughts that thou hast deliuered vs from that euill one Matt. 6.13 and preserued vs from all perils and dangers from sodaine death burning with fire robbing with théeues and such like casualties Iob. 1 19 Luk. 13.4 wherewith manie are sodainlie taken in the night vnawares that thou hast with such greate patience and mercie staied thy wrath so long frō vs Rom. 2 4. giuen vs so large a time of repentance amendment or life For these and all other thy benefites which thou hast bestowed vpon vs from the first day of our birth vntill now Psal 105.2 which are mo in number then the haires of our heads we giue thee as we are most bound O most mercifull Father in the name of thy Sonne Iesus Christ continual and most humble and heartie thanks And we offer vnto thee O Lord all that we go about to do or suffer to be done Psal 37.5 all our labours all our studies all our exercises in a word all that we are to doe or wherein we shall bee employed or occupied this daie And we beséech thée poure downe thy blessing vpon them and prosper and giue good successe vnto them Psal 90.17 118.25 To thee also we offer euē our selues our soules and bodies with all ours Psal 150.6 that both we and all things els maie shewe thy praises set forth thy honour and declare thy glorie Into thy hands we commit all our affaires so that thou maiest do and worke in all things and dispose of all things whatsoeuer as shall please thy most holy and sacred will euen as though they were thine owne businesses and affaires and none of ours Moreouer Matt. 26.39 for as much as of our selues we are not able to doe thee anie seruice giue vs O Lord thy grace that we maie be so strengthened therwith Ephe. 3.16 that we may think saie or do nothing which is not agréeable to thy most blessed will O Lord make our wils alwaies agrée with thy wil. Psal 19.14 1. Cor. 3.5 And we most humblie beséech thée euer to assist vs with thy grace and to giue vs power and strength against all kind of sinnes especiallie against those whereunto we are inclined of our owne natures as pride couetousnesse enuie maliciousnesse gluttonie vncleannesse vaine glorie idle words such like so that through the power of thy might Ephes 6.10 we maie get victorie against these and all sinnes whatsoeuer Furthermore for as much as man is borne to labour and trauell as the birds to flie and thou hast ordained him the day to labour in Iob. 5.7 Psal 104.25 thou wouldst not haue him liue idly or spend his time vainlie endue vs all O Lord with thy grace that wee maie euerie one labour and studie to serue thée faithfullie in our callings Ephe. 4.1 2. Tess 1.11 And that labouring for the bodie and sustentation of this present life we maie yet cast awaie the great blindnesse of our minds and carefulnesse of worldly thinges and maie alwaies labour without all care ioyfully Matt. 6.33 1. Pet. 5.7 euen as the birds flie putting our whole trust in thée being most assuredlie perswaded that thou carest for vs and therfore O good Father giue vs grace to cast all our worldly cares vpon thée And giue vs alwaies onlie this care that we maie put our whole studie and care in kéeping of thy commandements O good Lord 2. Pet. 1.5 Iam. 1.23 make vs not only hearers but doers of thy word O Lord let vs not haue only a shew of thy religion but let the force and power thereof shine in our liues and conuersations 2. Tim. 3.5 Matt. 18.7 that we be not offences and stumbling blockes but lights and good examples to others And that wee may dayly do this Matt. 5.16 O good Lord as it hath pleased thée to make the Sunne to shine vpon the earth to giue our bodies light so we most humbly beséech thée inlighten our mindes and hearts by thy holy Spirit 2. Pet 1.19 that we may bee euermore directed in the way of righteousnesse Psal 90.2 And as this day addeth somwhat to our age so let thy holy spirit adde therein somewhat to our knowledge and faith that so growing in the measure of thy grace daily Ephes 4 15. Luk. 1.71 till we come to our perfection which is in Christ Iesus we maie serue thée in holinesse and righteousnesse not onlie this daie but all the dayes of our life Graunt vs these our petitions deare Father and all other necessarie graces for vs and thy whole Church for thy deare Sonne Iesus Christ his sake our most blessed Sauiour to whom with thee and the holie Ghost be all honour and glory now and for euer Amen Amen A Forme of Euening Prayer for Christian Families O Almightie God our heauenlie Father Psal 47.7 73.24 139.1 which art the great king ouer all the world which gouernest and preseruest all things which searchest vs out knowest vs which knowest our sitting downe and our vprising and vnderstandest our thoughts long before which art about our path and about our bed and spiest out al our waies We thanke thée through our onely Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ for blessing vs this daie past in all the studies businesses and affaires that we haue gone about We confesse what soeuer we haue brought well to passe to haue beene thy great mercies towards vs. Psal 108.13 Wée thanke thée for sauing vs from all dangers of bodie and soule we confesse our life our strength all the good things we haue Iam. 1.17 wholie and onlie to depend of thée And now as the day which thou hast made for labour is past and the night is come Gen. 1.25 which thou hast in like manner created for the refreshing of our wearie bodies and minds graunt vs therefore so to take our bodilie rest therein that our soules maie continuallie watch for thée and our heartes be lifted vp to loue thée Cant. 5.2 Grant that our sléepe be not excessiue but onelie sufficient to comfort our weake natures Giue euerie one of vs good Lord we beseech thée thy grace Pro. 6.9 that before we suffer our eies to sléepe or our eie lids to slumber or the temples of our heads to take anie rest to examine our consciences and to iudge our selues and to call to remembrance all our actions that wée haue done this daie whether all our thoughts words and works haue béene agréeable to thy holie will and commandements Psal 145.2 or no. And if we haue done anie thing well to giue thée in the name of Iesus Christ heartie and humble thanks for it Matt. 6.12 and if we haue omitted anie good worke which we might haue done to condemne our negligence slacknes and wearinesse in thy
disquieted within me O put thy trust in God For I will yet giue him thankes which is the helpe of my countenance and my God The ioy of the Lord is your strength Nehe. 8.10 Rom. 15.13 O Lord of hope fill vs with all ioy and peace through faith that we may abound in hope through the power of the holie Ghost When we shall heare the clocke strike let vs say Blessed be the houre wherein our Lord Iesus Christ was borne and died for vs. When as we shall haue done any thing well let vs say Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs Psal 115.1 but vnto thy name giue the glorie For thy louing mercie and for thy truths sake When we shall take a iourney I will go forth in the strength of the Lord God Psal 71.16 and I wil make mention of thy righteousnes only In a doubtfull matter let vs pray thus In silence and confidence is our strength Esa 30.15 In dangers let vs pray thus Our helpe standeth in the name of the Lord Psal 124.8 who hath made heauen and earth For Faith let vs pray thus with the Apostles O Lord increase our faith Luke 17.5 For the loue of God O Lord poure thy loue abundantly into our hearts Rom. 5.5 by thy holy Spirit For remission of sinnes Haue mercie vpon me O God after thy great goodnesse Psal 51.1 according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences Psal 19.13 Who can tell how oft he offendeth O cleanse thou mee from my secret sinnes Psal 25.7 O remember not the sinnes and offences of my youth but according to thy mercie thinke vpon me O Lord for thy goodnes For good thoughts Psal 19.14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be alwayes acceptable in thy sight O Lord God my strength and my redeemer For good workes Psal 119.122 Make thy seruant delight in that which is good that the proud do me no wrong At the houre of death Psal 31.5 Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth For the Church pray thus Psal 28.10 O saue thy people giue thy blessing vnto thine inheritance feede them and set them vp for euer Psal 80.7 Turne vs againe thou God of hosts shewe the light of thy countenance and we shall be saued Psal 85.4 Turne vs O God our Sauiour let thine anger cease from vs. In the afflictions of the Church Amos 7.2 O Lord God spare vs I beseech thee who will raise vp Iacob for he is small Psal 51.18 O be fauourable and gracious vnto Sion build thou the wals of Ierusalem Psal 122.6 7 8 O pray for the peace of Ierusalem they shall prosper that loue thee Peace be within thy walles and plenteousnesse within thy pallaces for my brethrens and companions sake I will wish thee prosperitie Saint Gregorie his Prayer Greg. post Psalmos poenitent O good Iesu the word of the Father the brightnesse of the Fathers glorie on whom the Angels do desire to looke teach me to doe thy will that being led by thy good Spirit I may come to that blessed Citie where is an euerlasting day and one spirit of all men where is certaine securitie and secure eternitie and eternall tranquilitie and quiet felicitie and happie pleasure and pleasant ioy where thou God liuest with the Father and the holie Ghost for euer and euer Amen He that shall vse these short prayers no doubt as arrowes they shall mount vnto the skies and enter euen into the eares of God A View of Gods houshold and of all his Seruants THis is set downe by king Dauid very excellently in the Psalme They haue seene O Lord Psal 68.25 thy goings how thou my God and king hast walked in the Sanctuarie Here Dauid teacheth vs that the Lord God as a mightie Prince sometimes as it were euen walketh in his Sanctuarie and among the faithfull in the congregation Now followeth his traine The singers Sharim go before the Musitians Nogenim they which play with the hand on instruments of musicke follow after in the middest are virgins playing on timbrels or drummes Here is Gods traine first singers then virgins and lastly they which plaie with the hand And these may signifie vnto vs thrée sorts of men in Gods Church Singers maie represent Martyrs or Confessors of the faith Virgins those that next to them though they haue not shed their bloud for the loue of Christ yet for his sake they haue abandoned all the vaine and fleshly delights and pleasures of this world and therefore by good right they challenge to themselues the middle or second place And lastly are those cunning Musitians which play with the hand Gal. 5.6 these are those Christians whose faith worketh through charitie Who haue sowne plentifully with their handes the Lords talents that he hath blessed them withall 2. Cor. 9.6 as Saint Paul exhorteth them to doe And they which haue done so do receiue plentifully againe as our Sauiour witnesseth Matt. 25.34 Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world for I was an hungrie and ye gaue me meate c. And how fitly agrées all these together Martyrs may bée rightly called Singers for as Prudentius writeth of Romanus the martyr when as the cruell persecutor had bored through his chéekes he spake thus to him Prudent in Rom. mart O Ruler fierce I yeeld thee thanks that for one mouth too straite Now manie mouthes thou hast me made my Christ his praise to speake Virgins may bee said to play with Drummes For their praise soundeth farre and wide Matth. 19.12 Of virginitie Christ said He that can comprehend it let them comprehend it As though hée should say it is a price propounded of me to all my disciples to runne for 1. Cor. 7.32 Happie is he that can attaine it And S. Paul erhorting all men to virginitie I would haue you without care saith he But this thing can only virginitie afford you The vnmaried man careth for the things of the Lord how he may please the Lord But hee that is maried careth for the things of the world how he may please his wife Yea there is difference betweene a virgin and a wife They are not all one the one farre excelleth the other The vnmaried woman careth for the things of the Lord that she may be holy both in body and spirit but she that is maried careth for the things of the world how shee may please her husband Here is the excellencie of virginitie put downe weighed as it were in a paire of ballance and compared with mariage that euerie one maie sée the excellency and difference of the one before the other The virgin careth only for the Lord the maried person for the world The virgin
abide in Segor that is in lawfull matrimonie for it is better to enioy a meane good thing then to bee ouerthrowne among the cragges and rockes of lusts And of the drummes of these Virgins may that bee verified which Philippus de Diez citeth out of Athanasius To. 1. dominica in pass Who saith he affirmeth that the Idolaters did so wonder at those virgins which had consecrated themselues to God that euen by force they were constrained to confesse that they were the liuing Temples of God and that onely among the Christians was the true worship of God Wherefore manie of them being lightened with this diuine light banishing all their idolatrie were turned to the Catholike faith Thus farre Diez Such sounding drums had the virgins in those dayes that they did rouse euen Idolaters from their sléepe of sin by the rarenesse of their vertues And as fitly also may the faithfull doing good works bee compared to Musitians For Musitians haue their running points and those are the swéetest musicke So the faithfull are readie to giue 1. Tim. 6.18 Gen. 18 7. 2. Cor. 9.7 They run to the beasts with Abraham for a tēder young calfe for their poore strangers They giue cheerefully and God only loueth such giuers They saie not to their neighbour Go and come againe to morow and I will giue thee Pro. 3.28 if so be they haue it presently And these running points bee most pleasant musicke in Gods eares They also kéepe time which is a chiefe point in Musicke When there was no raine on the earth thrée yeares and sixe moneths then the widow opens her barrell and imparts some of her little oyle that was left to Elias 1. King 17.12 When the good Samaritane saw the poore man lie wounded by the high waie side then he did light off from his beast and bound vp his wounds and though he had as should séeme but two pence in his purse Luke 10.33 he gaue it him Hee passed not by him as the Priest and the Leuite did And this is to kéepe time This is to be one of Gods Musitians They which run verie swiftlie their running points on their instruments and kéepe time verie exactlie vnlesse also they runne here and obserue time also they please not God with their musick These are the Singers and Virgins and Musitians that waite vpon God And if this bée true it is likelie that God now walkes in his Sanctuarie verie euill attended vpon he hath few such Singers or Damosels or Musitians to attend vpon him But Dauid stayes not himselfe here to let vs haue a viewe of Gods waiting seruants onely but of his Noblemen also For there is no king but he hath both these to attend vpon him And first he comes to the generall dutie of all these seruants which is this Blesse or praise the Lord God in the congregations from the fountaine of Israel Psal 68.26 Here is the dutie of all Gods seruants to blesse and praise the Lord from the fountaine of Israel And what is that Surely Iesus Christ who is the fountaine of Israel For as S. Iohn teacheth vs He is the fountaine Ioh. 1.15 of whose fulnesse all we as emptie vessels haue receiued euen all the good things we haue that grace for grace Grace for grace euen still all our life as we did at the beginning The case here is not altered as the Papists imagine That the first grace is giuen vs fréely but after with that grace wee our selues merit the succéeding graces that we haue But Saint Iohn here plainly teacheth them that euen as at the first so we still receiue grace for grace And haue we not great cause then to praise God alwaies from this fountaine of Israel which yéeldes vnto vs all the good things wee haue euen dayly and that also fréely Here therefore is that in the Psalme which Saint Paul teacheth in his Epistles Giuing thankes alwayes for all things vnto God Ephes 5.20 euen the Father in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ vers 27. Now followe his Noblemen There is little Beniamin their ruler the Princes of Iudah their stone as Arias Montanus translates it the princes of Zabulon and the princes of Nephthali Here are Gods Noblemen and Princes And surely among these little Beniamin goeth the foremost and that is Christian humilitie For thereof also Christ himselfe begins his blessings in the Gospell Blessed are the poore in spirit Matth. 5.3 Matth. 11.19 for theirs is the kingdome of God And Learne ye this of me I am meek and lowly in heart As though he had euen come downe from heauen to teach vs this lesson For we reade not of anie other vertue that he saith Learne that of me as he speakes here of humilitie Knowledge without humilitie puffes vp and profites not 1. Cor. 8.1 And if faith haue not charitie and humilitie ioyned with it it builds not it profites not it is as a sounding brasse 1. Cor. 13.2 or tinckling Cymball nay it is nothing Then followes Iudah their stone And that is faith And therefore it maie séeme that our Sauiour as in all his doings Matt. 4 4. Matth. 21 1◠he had a relation to the Scriptures so also after that Peter had made that same notable confession of our Christian faith and therefore was Iudah our Sauiour also called him a stone Matth. 16.18 alluding to this place of the Psalme He is not called a rock as the Papists would haue him but Petrus or Cephas Ioh. 1.42 which signifies a stone and agrées here with the Hebrue word Regem And hence also Peter called all Christians which nowe were also become Iudah by confession of this true faith 1. Pet. 2.5 liuely stones And surely not without cause are the faithfull called stones for they must be vnmoueable in the profession of their faith though euen as against Dauid Psal 3.6 the Deuill euen with ten thousand come against them as no doubt he will And therefore Saint Paul saith Wherfore my beloued be ye surely grounded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and vnmoueable that is 1. Cor. 15.58 be euen like stones in the profession of your faith and abounding euer in the worke of the Lord that is in that excellent work which the Lord Iesus so often commanded that is Christian Charitie Ioh 13.34 Matth. 22.39 Ioh. 15.12 Luke 22.31 Cant. 1.5 For Satan will sift euerie Christian euen as he did Peter the first Christian He will sift narrowlie all their words workes and thoughts They shall bee like Salomons tents they shall be set on the tenters they shall be tried to the vttermost what they will endure The next is The princes of Zabulon Now Zabulon signifieth a dwelling or familie and therefore I expound those to bée Princes of Zabulon in Gods Court who feare God and all their houshold When as God would reueale to Abraham the destruction of Sodome he saith thus Shall I
is said to haue continued all night in prayer So that good king Dauid saith of himselfe At midnight will I arise to giue thankes to thee for thy righteous iudgements And of Anna that holy widow it is said Psal 119.62 Luke 2.37 that shee serued God with fastings and prayers day and night And here is another holy circumstance ioyned to our prayers that is fasting 2. Sam. 12 1â— This also Dauid ioyned to his prayers for his child as we may reade nay euen for his verie enemies when they were sicke he put on sackcloth Psal 35.13 and humbled his soule with fasting and his prayer returned euen to his owne bosome And shall not we then ioyne fasting to the prayers we make for our friends nay for our selues So Daniel ioyned prayer and fasting together those three weekes wherein no pleasant Dan. 10.4 bread nor flesh came within his mouth and therefore his prayers were heard as that man sent from God to him teacheth vs Dan. 10.12 Feare not Daniel saith he for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to vnderstand and to humble thy selfe before thy God thy words were heard I am come for thy words No doubt these words were his prayers So in the Acts Cornelius a Heathen Act. 10.30 and a souldier was praying and fasting to the ninth houre of the day and he saw an Angell appeare vnto him and Peter was fasting and praying till the sixt houre that is Vers 9. till noone and he saw that heauenly vision of the calling of the Gentiles and shall not we followe these holie examples in this cleare light of the Gospell Shall we neither watch in prayer nor ioyne fasting to our prayers Is this to professe the Gospell Is this to haue faith 2. Tim. 3.5 This is to haue a shew of godlinesse as Saint Paul prophesieth that some should haue but plainely to denie the force thereof Oh let vs watch in prayer and ioyne fasting to our prayers Let not the Papists herein go beyond vs. These are plaine and manifest commandements of the Gospell and shall we not obey them Nay how often saith Dauid Psal 5.3 143 8. Psal 108.2 thou shalt heare my prayers betimes in the morning And early in the morning I will looke vp and direct my prayers vnto thee And againe Awake lute and harpe I my selfe will awake right early And yet we will scant now come to prayers at nine of the clocke Surely the Papists Mattens if they had béene done with vnderstanding had béene more agréeable to Gods word then our slouthfull and sluggish prayers are which wee now vse God will be serued earlie in the morning And therefore it is noted as a speciall mark and commeÌ„dation of Abrahams faith that when as he was commanded to offer his son Isaac Gen. 22.3 that Abraham rose vp in the morning very early If Abraham rose vp so early to offer such a sorrowfull sacrifice what should we doe which offer vp such a pleasant sacrifice to God as our prayers are Hence it is that the Christians in the Primitiue Church as hereafter shall be noted had their assemblies before day to praie to God and to giue him thanks The Scriptures also teach Christians to ioine another circumstance to their prayers and that is wéeping and sighing And so no doubt Samuel prayed for Saul as before it hath béene alleaged And Dauid often mentioneth these his teares added to his prayers Euery night will I wash my bed Psal 6.6 and water my couch with my teares And againe Away saith he from me ye wicked for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping vers 8. Dauids teares spake to God And againe Heare my prayer O Lord and hearken vnto my crie keep not still silence at my teares Psal 39.12 And thus it is also recorded of Ezechias that when as Esay the Prophet had denounced to him that heauie message from the Lord Put thy house in order for thou shalt die and not liue 2. King 20.3 that then he turned his face to the wal and prayed to the Lord saying c. And Ezechias wept sore And after Esay was gone out of the middle of the court The word of the Lord came to him saying Turne again tell Ezechias the Captain of my people vers 5. Thus saith the Lord God of Dauid thy father I haue heard thy prayers and seene thy teares Behold I haue now healed thee No doubt if Christians in their sicknesse would vse these pilles to purge their heads withall that is their teares as Ezechias did God would heale them as he did him These teares are the best and surest purgations in the world And for lacke of these it is likely all our other pilles and potions deuised of Physitions do manie times so little good So Marie Magdalene so Peter Luke 7.38 Matt. 26.75 in their sinnes wept bitterly as the Gospell teacheth vs. And who dare say that he is not as grieuous a sinner as either of theÌ„ No man liuing knowes his secret faults Psal 19.12 It is written thus of the people of Israel that when as they had sinned against the Lord that Samuel commanded to gather all the people to Mizpeh 1. Sam. 7.5 and that he would pray vnto the Lord. And they gathered togâ—ther to Mizpeh and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted the same day and said there We haue sinned against the Lord. No doubt these waters they drew and poured out before the Lord were teares from their hearts And here is that perfect patterne and forme of repentance which Ioel teacheth Ioel 2.12 Turne to the Lord with weeping fasting and mourning So these Israelits here no doubt turned to God And this is that iudgement which Saint Paul teacheth all Christians to vse euen against themselues Iudge your selues saith he that you bee not iudged of the Lord. For if we would iudge our selues 1. Cor. 11.31 we should not be iudged of the Lord. But now for lacke of this iudgement many are sicke amongst you and many sleepe and are dead Euerie Christian for the sinnes he hath committed against God should now be as it were a iudge against himselfe euen as it were punish himselfe by fasting weeping praying for his sins and so turne to God as Ioel counselleth And then as Saint Paul here teacheth without doubt he shall escape the iudgements and plagues of God in this world as sicknesse and such other euils which his sinnes deserue But aboue all other examples especiallie the example of our Sauiour should moue vs to ioyne these teares to our prayers of whom wee reade thus Which in the dayes of his flesh did offer vp prayers and supplications Heb. 5.7 with strong crying and teares vnto him that was able to saue him from death If Christ for our sakes offered vp prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares
would haue perished in the earth is preserued in heauen Therefore that which is preserued we shall receiue Thy desert is preserued thy merit is become a treasure For marke what thou shalt receiue Receiue ye the kingdom that was prepared for you from the beginning of the world On the contrarie they that would not lend what shall they heare Goe yee into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuell and his Angels Thus farre Augustine Where he plainly sets downe the great blessing that the merifull lender shall obtaine at Gods hands and the terrible punishment which not the vsurer only but he that will not lend shall be sure to haue I would to God all Christians would but marke what censures the verie Heathens haue giuen concerning vsurie WheÌ„ as one asked Cato Censorius Cic. lib. 2. Off. what were the chiefe points of good husbandrie He answered To feed well to cloath wel and to till well And to him that asked What is it to commit vsurie Is not that also a point of good husbandrie Cato answered What is it to kill a man He thought that an vsurer sinned as greatly as a murtherer Did Cato iudge thus of vsurie by the light of nature and shall Christians professe it or thinke better of it in the light of the Gospell Panor lib. 4. Alphonsus king of Aragon compared vsurers to greedie birds which snatched catched all things And surely no doubt verie iustlie For vsurers are the cruellest Kites and vultures in the world They consume mens patrimonies they often kill their bodies and vndoe their heires And this they do to their brethren to whom they were bound to open euen their verie hearts and bowels to do them good 1. Ioh. 3.17 as Saint Iohn teacheth And will not then these cruell hearted men open to them their coffers or purses Another compares Vsurers to the diuell for what els saith he do Vsurers but that which the diuell perswaded Christ to haue done when as hee would haue had him to haue made stones bread for by their lending Pet. Greg. de Rep. lib. 2. cap. 20. they gaine of stones and mettalles that which nature cannot bring forth For naturally a peece of gold or any other money engendreth not money O wicked age that we liue in now vsurie amongst some is accounted the gainfullest and surest trade of liuing And wheras lending was commanded of God to profit our brethren now the vsurer thereby peruerting this order of God profits himselfe To conclude that interpretation of the two edged sword in the Reuelation of Victorinus an ancient Bishop Victor in Apocal is worth the marking By the two-edged sword glistering out of his mouth is meant that it is he that now shewed to the world the glad tydings of the Gospell and by Moses the knowledge of the lawe But because by the same word hee shall iudge hereafter all mankind that were both vnder the law and vnder the Gospell therefore it is said to be a two edged sword A sword armes a souldier kils a mans enemie and punisheth a reuolter or a turnecoate And that he might shew his Apostles that he preached iudgement he saith I came not to send peace into the world but a sword And after that he had ended his parables he saith vnto them Haue you vnderstood all these things And they said yea Therefore euerie Scribe learned in the kingdome of God is like to a housholder bringing out of his treasure new and old things that is the new words of the Gospell and the old of the law and Prophets And that these come out of his mouth He said to Peter Go to the sea and cast in an angle and the fish that thou shalt first take opening his mouth thou shalt find a stavre that is two pence giue it for me and thee And Dauid also by the holy Ghost saith God hath spoken once I haue heard these two things That God hath once determined that in the beginning that shall continue to the end To conclude when as he is appointed of his Father to be Iudge he minding to shew that through the word which is preached to them men should be iudged he saith Do you thinke that I will iudge you in the last day But the word which I haue spoken vnto you that shall iudge you in the last day And Paul against Antichrist saith to the Thessalonians 2. Thes 2.8 Whom the Lord shall kill with the spirit of his mouth This is therefore that two-edged sword proceeding out of his mouth c. I would to God all men would marke this exposition By Gods word all men at the last daie shall be iudged whether they haue directed their liues according to that which they haue heard with their eares or no And therefore our Sauiour saith so often Matt. 11.15 13.9.43 Mark 4.24 Hee that hath eares to heare let him heare And againe Take heede what you heare As though he should saie one daie ye shall giue an account of it And here that is verified that our Sauiour saith You are cleane for the word that dwelleth in you Ioh. 15.3 Gods word maketh our faith and religion pure and cleane and also our liues cleane But we must not be like those that can say Lord Lord Mat. 7.22 and haue done wickedlie which haue professed Christ with their mouthes and haue denied him with their works Wee must not onlie embrace the promises of saluation which the Gospell teacheth vs but also the precepts of life We must eate the whole Paschal Lâ—mbe or else it will do vs no good Exod. 12.9 As well the feete as the head and purtnance Manie at this daie eate gréedily the head and purtnance of Christ that is his diuine promises and his heauenly miracles they are verie desirous to eate these but few eate the féete that is his precepts and commandements Matt. 24.14 To such the Gospell shall be preached as a testimonie of their condemnation at that day of iudgement and not of their saluation Let vs beware that we be not hearers but doers Iam. 1.22 and not onely desirous to eate the head and purtnance but also the féete of Christ and let vs as willinglie learne his precepts and commandements and do them as we are content to beléeue his promises and remaine in them These are the waies which Gods word teacheth all Christians to walke in These are plaine waies here are no tropes or figures yet manie which will séem to professe Gods word make no account of these let such take héed at the day of iudgement they stand not among those to whom God shall saie Why didst thou preach my lawes Psal 50.16 or take my couenant in thy mouth Why didst thou professe my word and wouldst not bee reformed by it All such hypocrites shall then be condemned The manners and conuersation of the ancient Christians drawne out of the Fathers IVstine the Martyr thus describes
I trusting to this thy promise turne to thee with my whole hart no otherwise then if thou hadst called me alone and hadst inuited me vnto thee with this sweete word As Granatensis doeth applie this promise of God particularlie to himselfe so hee teacheth all Christians how they must also applie all the rest of Gods promises particularlie to themselues Granatensis againe of speciall grace writes thus De orat Med. cap. 1. Wee haue not sayeth hee a fitter Shield against the darts of sinne then euer to haue in our memories what faith hath reuealed against sinne And that faith may worke this thing in vs it is necessary that vvee frame our selues sometimes to thinke and consider attentiuely what faith saith For if we shall not doe this wee shall account the letters of faith as shutte and sealed vp from vs which although they containe either very good or very euill newes yet they shall neither make vs merie nor sorie no other waies then as if wee had neuer receiued them For wee haue not opened them and seene what is in them And what can be more fitlie said of the faith of wicked men For there can be nothing more terrible nor more ioifull then those things which are handled in Christian Religion But the euill as though they had neuer opened this Epistle that they might haue seene what had been contained in it they neuer thinke of this mystery of their faith but runne forcibly into all manner of sinnes so they neuer feele those good motions and alterations which faith works in others Therfore it behooueth euery one of vs that sometimes we diligently scanne ouer these letters and that we read them diligently and that we marke attentiuely what they teach which all are doone by the meanes of consideration or meditation for this is that which lightens obscure things and so by lightning our vnderstanding by the greatnes of the mysteries inclines our will also as much as it is able that we may liue according to the rule of them God would also prefigurate this our duty in the old law when as among the conditions of cleane beasts he puts downe this also To chew the cudde not that God hath such great care of beasts but in this he would giue vs to vnderstand the condition and duty of cleane spirituall beasts that is of iust men to whome it is not enough to haue eaten the heauenly things by beleeuing them by faith but they must chew them ouer againe by consideration thinking on the mysteries which they beleeue thorowly discussing the greatnes of them and dispersing this meat by by through al the spiritual members of the soule that it may be the food sustentation therof By Granatensis his iudgment euery Christian must open the letters of faith that is the holie Scriptures which God hath as it were sent priuatelie vnto him and hee must looke into them and examine and marke them well and applie them to his owne soule The wicked kéepe these Letters as it were sealed and neuer mind them and so runne forciblie into their sinnes Also the cleane Beasts wherein God delightes onely must chewe the cudde euerie one of them and distribute this spirituall foode to the particular spirituall members of their soules They which doe not so are vncleane in Gods sight howe deuout and religious soeuer they séem in the eies of men And is not this to haue a speciall faith Againe hee writes thus The Scripture sayeth hee is the fountaine from whence the iust man drawes the waters of comfort by which he is strengthened to trust in God For there you see the greatnes of Christs merites which is the head and foundation of our hope you see there the greatnesse of the goodnesse and sweetnes of God expressed in a thousand places his prouidence whereby he preserues and keepes his his mercy whereby he receiues those that draw nie vnto him the promises and certaine pledges which he hath giuen them that he will neuer forsake them that put their trust in him You see nothing oftener repeated in the Psalmes promised in the Prophets declared in the Histories from the beginning of the world then the fauour louing kindnes benefits which God hath euer vsed towards his how he hath euer helped them in all their tribulations and afflictions how he neuer forsooke Abraham in all his iourneys Iacob in all his dangers Ioseph in his banishment Dauid in his persecutions Iob in his griefes and sicknesses Tobie in his blindnesse Iudith in the atchieuing of her valiant act Hester in her Prayers the Machabees in their warres and triumphes to conclude how he hath defended and patronized all which with humility and with a religious and sincere heart haue craued his diuine help These and such other like do encourage vs least we should be weary in trusting in him This is Granatensis counsell that euerie particular man should applie all these examples to himselfe and thereby haue an assured hope in God that God will neuer leaue him nor forsake him as he did not anie of these And is not this to haue a speciall faith and trust in God But most manifestlie of the Passion of Christ hee writes thus Do not sayeth hee thinke these things as a thing that is past but rather as a thing present and not as another mans griefes or sorrowes but euen as it were thine own Imagine that thou thy selfe stoodst in that place wherin he is which suffereth examine thy self what thou wouldest do if any man should bore thorow any mēber thou hast so tender sensible as the head is with so many thornes and should thrust them euen to the very boanes so that they should pierce thorow thy temples thy hinder part of thy head and thy forehead what talke I of thornes thou couldest not endure the pricke of an Needle What torments then suffered the most tender heade of thy Sauiour boared thorow with so many and cruell thornes O thou brrightnesse of thy Father who abused thee so greatly O thou most cleare glasse of the diuine maiestie who be spotted thee so filthily O thou floud which runnes out of the earthly Paradice and with thy streame makes glad the Citie of God! who troubled these thy so sweet and pleasant waters My sinnes O Lord haue troubled them mine iniquities haue defiled them O wretch that I am O miserable man how haue mine owne sinnes defiled mine own soule If other mens sinnes haue filthily polluted the most cleare Spring of all beauty Oh good Iesu they are my sinnes which pricke thee my foolery and vanities are the purple wherewith thou art mocked mine hypocrisie and fained holines are those ceremonies and cappings and kneelinges wherewith they doe mocke and despise thee my pompe and vaine glorie are that crowne which is put on thy head scoffingly and yet with intollerable griefe In all my workes O Lord I am thy hangman in all places I am the cause of thy griefes Ezechias
which call vpon him and beleeue in him c. This great zeale and loue of Christ towards his verie enemies in the midst of all his torments must néedes worke an assured confidence that he will now heare vs which beléeue in him And therfore we néede not flie to anie other in our prayers but only to him If he so willingly saith Ferus forgaue the sinne done against his owne person he will no doubt farre more easily forgiue vs. Therfore we come boldlie and without all feare to God hauing so louing a patron and aduocate Fer in 4. cap. Mat. Ferus also of Inuocation that it is a part of Gods honour writes thus Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God This adoration consists not in bowing of the knee or such like but in spirit and truth To worship God to beleeue in him to serue him to cal vpō him without these thou art an Idolater whatsoeuer thou doest if thou loue or feare any other thing more then God if thou in thy necessitie call not vpon him for for this cause he sends thee aduersities that thou shouldest call vpon him And they haue not inquired after the Lord but haue trusted in the helpe of Egypt And so many of vs do Thus farre Ferus Here we may plainlie sée first that Ferus makes this Inuocation of God a speciall part of Gods worship or Latria and that to this end to make vs to call vpon him he sends vs afflictions Secondly how he reprooues them that trusts in Egypt that is in man either liuing or dead or in what thing soeuer Dom. 23. post pent conc 2. Philippus de dies also of prayer writes thus Whosoeuer doth knocke at the doores of the tender mercie of God with his prayers with faith and reuerence with humilitie and sure confidence with all which this woman was furnished he truely toucheth the Lord and drawes his vertue and spirit to him Therefore happy is he that truely can say with the Prophet I will offer the fat burnt offrings He offers to God fat burnt offrings which offers him prayers full of humilitie assurance of obtaining them and deuotion And he offers prayers without marrow which offers prayers without loue deuotion or attention And these whether they be Clergie or Lay-men although they pray a great number of Psalmes or of other prayers as a taske without any intention of the minde blessing God with their mouths but with their hearts giuing themselues to pleasures and delights in the streetes these truely thrust the Lord they touch him not because they onely touch him with their bodies and not with their spirit And therefore they receiue from him neither any vertue or grace What must we doe then brethren Truely that of Saint Paul I will praie with my spirit I will pray with my minde I will sing with my spirit I wil sing with my minde Thus much Philippus de Dies Wherein he condemnes all the Latine prayers made of the ignorant and simple people which vnderstand no Latine And such were almost all their prayers in the daies of our forefathers because they lacked this marrow of truth and confidence of the assurance of obtaining their prayers at Gods hands they lacked this minde and vnderstanding which S. Paul speaketh of And as Dies truely affirmes they that pray so thrust and throng Christ but they touch him not Stella also to the same effect writes thus In 1. cap. Luc. My soule doth magnifie the Lord saith the blessed virgin Marie And that verie fitly for God is to be praised rather in heart and minde then in voice according to that of S. Paul Sing to God in your hearts And after My soule saith she doth magnifie the Lord because my toong stambreth neither can it number all the benefits bestowed vpon me Therefore I offer the inward affection of my minde in giuing of thanks And againe Where we are taught that God is to be praised rather in minde and heart then in body But many haue the prayer of the voice onely and mouth and not of the heart to whom the Lord saith This people honoureth me with their lips but their hearts are farre from me And of our Sauiour Iesus he writes thus In that they led Iesus with them to Ierusalem Idem in ca. 3◠Luc. thou oughtest to learne that in all thy iournies and in all thy trauailings most sweete Iesus ought to accompanie thee Haue him alwaies before thine eies let no worldly matter enter into thy minde but in all thy affaires direct all thy thoughts to him as it were to a marke If we ought to haue him alwaies before our eies why should we haue then anie other And that Iesus Christ is so louing towards vs that we néede not haue anie other he writes thus after preferring his great loue towards vs before the loue of Iohn the greatest saint in the world and so by a consequent before anie other saint whatsoeuer Therefore saith he Iohn preached in the wildernesse because in the Citie there are so many sins and abominations that Iohn could not abide them Iohn was grieued at the heart neither could he digest so many sinnes But when as he saw the Pharisees he could not abide them but he burst out saying O ye generation of vipers c. But Christ hath a better stomacke to beare with our iniquities and to cure our infirmities as one that loues vs with all his heart and with all his affection and winkes at the sinnes of men that they might repent And for this cause Iohn would not enter into Cities that he might not see the lying of artificers the vsury of merchants the vanitie and pompe of noble men c. Thus farre Stella But quite to ouerthrow all inuocation of Angell or Saint whatsoeuer Coloss 2.18 doth not S. Paul most euidently write thus Let no man make you shoote at a wrong marke or defraude you of your price at his pleasure through humilitie in worshipping Angels intruding himselfe into those things he knowes not puffed vp vainly by the conceipt of his owne flesh As though he should saie If any man teach you this doctrine that it is humilitie to worship Angels and that you maie not presume to come in Gods sight such a one beguiles you he makes you lose your price lose your reward For he that runnes in a race must obey his pleasure that maketh and appointeth the game masterie If you pray neuer so much and fast neuer so often if you doe not these according to Gods word in the name of Iesus Christ you lose your price and he that teacheth contrary is puft vp of the pride of his owne minde he followes his owne reason and not the light of Gods word and therefore in these matters is starke blinde and knoweth nothing As S. Paul teacheth of all such If any man saith he teach any other doctrine and giues not heede respects not the holesome words of our Lord Iesus
Christ and that doctrine which agrées with religion he is puft vp and knowes nothing And both these places of S. Paul teach one doctrine that he which besides the light of gods word of his own natural reason teacheth this worshipping of Angels is puft vp and knoweth nothing and intrudes himselfe into those things he knowes not For who knowes anie thing of the will of God but he which was in the bosome of the father and hath now made vs his friends and hath reueiled the same in his word Nay that which followes quite ouerthrowes the inuocation of Saints or Angels And not holding the head that is Coloss 2.19 Iesus Christ by which all the body furnished and knit togither by ioints and bonds encreaseth to that encreasing and perfection which God requires Do not all the members seeke for all things from the head Euen so should all Christians from their head Iesus Christ and from none other and by that grace they shall drawe from him they shall growe to the increasing of God that which God requires And who will haue anie more Let vs therefore cleaue onlie to our head as S. Paul here teacheth plainlie and looke and hope for all good things from him and not worship anie Angell or saint whatsoeuer We shall receiue from him sufficient graces to grow to the increasing of God And what néed we anie more Granatensis praies thus Orat. 1. de vita Iesu Giue me grace O Lord that in all the stormes of my persecutions and in all my tribulations temptations that I may flie vnto thee I may seeke thee I may only call vpon thee And yet in other places he makes his prayers to Saints And againe of Angels and Saints he writes That is the ioy of Angels and the desire of the Saints In med in ora◠dom and the reioycing of iust men to serue thee perfectly to be conformable to thy will in all things and whatsoeuer they doe to referre it euer to thy honour I know O my God that the Angels and soules of Saints in heauen doe reioyce more for the glorie and magnificence of thy name then for their owne and to be more carefull for the excellencie of thy honour then for their owne And that their will is so intermingled with thy will that their will is this that thy will may be pleased in all things and by all things If this be the will of the saints as Granatensis here affirmeth why doe we not honour God alone with these and surcease to honour them séeing it pleaseth not them they looke not for it at our hands nay it displeaseth them Againe Granatensis verie excellently and finely writes thus O the soule of my soule 2. Orat. pro conc Dei O the life of my life I desire thee wholy and I offer my selfe wholy vnto thee the whole to the whole one to one and one onely to only one O that that had place in me which thou praiedst to thy father O holy father grant that they maie be one as we are one and I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one This vnitie should be betwixt all Christians and Christ They should offer themselues as they are one so only to him alone 15. Of Prayers in a strange language THe Papists at this daie condemne their olde superstition of their priuate Latine prayers and as should séeme are ashamed of it For Master Stapleton our countrey-man in his booke against M. Iewell writes thus That in our countrey whatsoeuer they did fiftie or fortie yeers ago in the late raigne of Queene Marie the people had their common Mattines bookes both with Latine and with English Thus farre M. Stapleton He confesseth that the people were bereaued of the great benefit of their priuate prayers fortie or fiftie yeeres but he might as well haue said fiue hundreth yéeres or moe For they confesse that the peoples priuate deuotion should be in a tongue which they vnderstand So that then to teach English men to praie in Latine is to defraud them of the fruit and benefit of their prayers as they did manie hundreth yéeres till the Gospell began to shine in the world And yet also in their reformation as should séeme they are loth quite to banish all priuate Latine prayers but they adde Latin prayers and English togither as though those former Latine praiers not vnderstood were not hurtfull and might safely be vsed still so loth they are to forsake their former superstition Whereas other Catholikes doe account such prayers but lippe labours and chatterings as hereafter shall be shewed And here if they will grant that priuate deuotion ought to be made with vnderstanding whie ought not our common prayers to be made so also No doubt all common praiers are grounded vpon that promise of our Sauiour Mat. 18.19 Againe verely I say vnto you that if two of you shall agree in earth vpon anie thing whatsoeuer they shall desire it shall be giuen them of my father which is in heauen And so haue the Papists themselues expounded this place Har. Euan. c. 72. Iansenius vpon this place writes thus But it shall be verie truely said that the Lord by this sentence would signifie how great the power of the Church that is of the congregation of the faithfull is to which aboue he would haue the vnrepentant brother to be manifested that is to say that if two of them onely agreeing togither they shall obtaine whatsoeuer they will much more the iudgement of any whole congregation is to be feared And no doubt that thing which she will shall be allowed of God Thus farre Iansenius The force of Excommunication lies in the consent and communion of the praiers of the Church Take this common consent awaie and take awaie also excommunication And after he writes thus Or els therefore he saith that he is in the midst of them that he should signifie vnto them that he would fulfill those things which they doe aske and that he would helpe all their enterprises that that which he attributed vnto his father in the former sentence now he should be vnderstood to attribute to himselfe For Christ is said to be in the midst of any that doe agree not onely by reason of the presence of his diuinitie according to which he is euery where but by reason of his speciall grace and assistance by which he makes their prayers acceptable to God his father as though also they were powred out of him or as though he did accept them perfect them By these sentences therefore he doth two manner of waies commend christian concord both for the great force thereof in obtaining with God the father and then that it is adorned and beautified with his presence Hereof may be learned how much we ought to attribute to synodes and generall councels gathered togither and assembled in the name of Christ for the obseruation of the faith and manners Thus
saying And it shall come to passe that before they shall call I will answere and while they yet speake I will heare Hee must needs be very hard harted and starke blind who is not mooued with such words and promises that he may consider and perceiue the great mercie and goodnesse which thou vsest towards thy seruants And who would not willingly suffer any thing that he might be accounted in the number of them c. To make intercessors to God what is it but to doubt of these promises both of the Prophets and of the Gospell then to doubt of this readinesse of God which Granatensis here teacheth to heare our praiers If this be true we neede no intercessors Cap. 33. And after Great is the loue wherewith fathers loue their children and yet the fathers tender heart will not suffer that the sonne that hath married against his will or hath done any such like fault should once come into his sight But yet the tender mercie of this our heauenly father although a man haue done vnto him all the iniuries that can be deuised if he returne to him with all his heart doth not despise him but receiues him as he did the prodigall son forgiuing all his trespasses and faults The prophet knew this when as he said O Lord thou art our father Abraham is ignorant of vs and Israel knowes vs not but thou O Lord art our father and our redeemer and thy name is from euerlasting This thy loue O Lord springs of thy goodnesse from which proceede two most profitable streames that is thy mercie and thy loue the one that our infirmities might be cured and the other that thy good things might be imparted to vs. If therefore this thy fountaine be infinit what shall the floud of loue be that proceeds from it Therefore I neither fear nor am affraid nor distrust although I acknowledge my selfe to be a sinner so vnworthy to be beloued For how froward soeuer I am he that loues me is good so good that he wil not reiect sinners yea he cals them vnto him he receiues them and eates with them To all these tokens and works of thy loue another is added O Lord because thou art loue it selfe thy Euangelist witnesseth this when as he saith God is charitie and he that dwelleth in charitie dwelleth in God and God in him O truely sweete and wonderfull thing to haue such a God who is altogither loue and whose nature is charitie c. Such a faith should all Christians haue of God and such a confidence in him And this faith the Gospell teacheth And what néeds then any intercessors to so louing a God and mercifull a father Cap. 28. And againe he writes thus The greatnesse of thy goodnesse besides all these thy mercie doth most of all testifie which thou vsest towards sinners bearing with them with so great kindnesse looking for them with such great patience yea being offended of them yet calling them to grace and pardon and being iniuried by them euen drawing them to reconciliation Nay to conclude offering them satisfactions and opening to them the rich treasures of thy merits How easily art thou found of them how soon doest thou heare them how mercifull art thou in receiuing them how liberall in pardoning them I am greatly amazed O Lord when I remember the mercie which thou vsedst towards Manasses that king of Iudah to whom after his strange idolatrie after the bloud of thy Saints shed so plenteously after so great and horrible iniquities when as he asked pardon of thee thou didst not only forgiue him all his sinnes but also didst deliuer him from most cruell bondage and didst restore him againe to his kingdome not denying saluation to him by whose wickednesse so many soules had perished and for whose haynous acts that noble Citie of Ierusalem with that most famous and holy temple was ouerthrowne and become desolate Thus farre Granatensis And this is to declare the name of God Iohn 27.26 I haue declared thy name saith our Sauiour and will declare it that the loue wherewith thou hast loued me may be in them and I in them This is to declare the name of God how mercifull how kinde how louing God is how readie he is to heare sinners and willing to pardon them For otherwise God hath no proper name that Christ declared vnto vs. And this euerie Christian is bound to doe And hereof dependeth a great reward that God will loue such preachers and declarers of his name that is of his mercie and goodnesse euen with the same loue that he loued Iesus Christ And here then let all Christians take héed how that they doe derogate anie thing from this name Titilman a Papist in his exposition of S. Iohns Gospell expounds this place thus These places of Granatensis I haue rehearsed thus at large both for the excellencie of the matter contained in them and also to declare how resolute he is in this matter The same Granatensis as in his whole booke of deuotion he doth highlie commend prayer and would that no other businesse or studie whatsoeuer should hinder that affirming prayer to a Christian to be like Sampsons hayre which when it was cut away he was no stronger then another man euen so saith he the strength of a Christian consists in his prayer Take that away from him and he shall be of no strength at all So he declares most excellentlie how we should praie De deuot li. 3. cap. 42. Christians saith he that pray are in this place to be admonished that making their prayers they doe that with as great deuotion and marking as lies in their power For hereof depends all the force and fruit of prayer for in Gods eares as Bernard witnesseth an earnest desire is a great crying and a colde or slothfull minde and intention is a low voice for his eares are open rather to the voice of the heart then to the voice of the body By this it may be plainly perceiued how barren and fruitlesse the prayers of some men are as well cleargie as lay-men which with such haste and speed runne ouer their deuotions and Psalmes that they seeme not at all to talke with God For they would not deale so negligently and carelesly with man if they had any thing that they would earnestly obtaine at his hands For as Salomon testifieth The poor man beseecheth but the rich man speaketh roughly For he that feeles his owne want and miserie and couets earnestly to be relieued in these as he desires this from the bottome of his heart so he praies with all his hart with as great earnestnesse as he can saying with the Prophet I haue cried with my whole heart heare me O Lord. I would to God men would vnderstand remember when they pray with whom they speak and about what businesses they speake For if they knew that they talked with that same great maiestie at whose presence the
these when as he said Shake off this dust arise and sit now O Ierusalem By which words the Prophet meanes that first she must shake off the dust of all earthly things and that all the snares of worldly affections must be takē from her neck the which things being done then wee may without any let arise to the contemplation of heauenly things and sit downe in the rest and comfort of them Saint Paul prophesieth of some 1. Tim. 3.5 that in the latter times shal haue a shew of godlines but haue denied the power thereof Which prophesie I feare me toucheth many at this time who make a shew of Christian religion in words but haue denied the power thereof which is as members to ioyne vs to Christ our head in heauen what member would not long to bee with the head and to haue vs vnited as spouses to Iesus Christ our heauenly husband what wife would not long to be with her husband and to draw men from the loue of this world to account this world but as an Inne in a mans iourney and to account heauen their countrey Our excessiue purchasing of land our couetousnesse about this vile earth our great cost spent thereon argues plainly that we are not so affected towards it Would a man bestow so much cost or be so busie in his Inne where he was to lodge but a night as men do now on the earth Our Sauiour hath said It is as hard for a rich man to goe to heauen Matt. 19.24 as for a camell to go thorough a needles eye But now all men studie to be rich many times they passe not how As though he had said It is as easie for a rich man to go to heauen as for a twine thréed to go thorowe a néedles eye But let all such worldly minded rich men take héede they shall one daie finde his saying true what excuses and pretence soeuer they make now And Saint Paul also saith They that will bee rich 1. Tim. 6. ◠shall fall into temptations and snares of the diuell He doth not say they that deale hardly with their brethren to become rich And how will hard dealing landlords here créepe out Who would fall into the hands but euen of a mortall Prince but to fall into the snares of the diuell what a madnes is it Surely we beleeue not Saint Paules words for if we did we would not do as we do And againe the same Granatensis writes thus Although the affaires of this world saith he do somtimes draw thy mind down to these earthly things cap. 11. yet by and by the spirit which is in it rebounds backe againe and is againe lift vp to heauen no otherwise then wood that is violently kept vnder the water yet by and by according to the naturall lightnesse that is in it it will appeare and swimme aloft againe That which nature doth here good conditions and the grace of God should work there which are of faire greater power then nature And here is a doubt resolued which perchance in reading the Scriptures may trouble some Sphinx Philosophica cap. 39. Often times you will thinke that in the Scriptures the answeres which are there made do not concerne the matter proposed or doe not fully answer the question are nothing to the purpose because indeed they answer not to those things which we enquire for but to those things that we ought to haue enquired for Christ being asked of the restoring againe of the kingdome of Israel Act. 1.7 answered of the heauenly kingdome We are troubled about the cares of this life but wee are instructed of the life to come If at anie time the Prophets do make mention of the calling of the people backe againe from Babylon of restoring the kingdom of Israel or of the repairing of the Temple by and by as it were forgetting themselues they are rapt to speake of the spirituall deliuerance from the yoke of Sathan of the kingdom of Christ and of the description of the true Temple that is of the Church Hereby signifying vnto vs that wee must not cleaue to and rest in these momentarie and transitorie things which are nothing else but a shadow and that we should not haue our kingdome here in this world but that Christ should raigne in vs by the scepter of his word and power of his spirit This lesson these impertinent answers in the Scriptures do teach vs. Orat. adhort ad gentes Clemens Alexandrinus thus also describeth a Christians conuersation Come to me all yee that be wearie and laden and I will refresh you Take my yoke vpon you and learne of me for I am meeke and humble in heart and yee shall find rest for your soules for my yoke is pleasant and my burthen is light Let vs that are religious and like to the word of God make haste and runne O men O his images let vs make haste let vs runne Let vs take his yoke vpon vs let vs take vpon vs incorruption Let vs loue Christ that most excellent carter and driuer as it were of men hee yoked the foale and the old Asse vnder one yoke together and likewise he made two yokes of men and he driues his chariote to immortalitie making haste to God that hee might now euidently fulfill that that mystically before he signified in Ierusalem doing now the same in heauen The eternall Sonne being a Conquerour is the brauest shew that can be to God the Father Therefore let vs with great studie and zeale be caried to those things which are vertuous and let vs become holy and religious men and then wee shall obtaine the chiefest of all those thinges which are free from all affections and perturbations that is God and immortall life The Word is our helper and therefore let vs be of good comfort and let vs put all our confidence in him Let neuer the desire of siluer and gold so possesse vs as of the word of truth For we greatly displease God if so be we make no account of those things which are precious and if we shall highly esteeme follies ignorances idlenesse pleasures idolatrie manifest shame and reproofe and extreame wickednesse The verie Philosophers verie iustly say whatsoeuer fooles doe thinke that they doe wickedly and iudge them wicked for their labours And also defining ignorance to be a kind of madnesse what doe they els but teach that manie are mad Therefore the word will say there is no doubt whether of these be better to bee wise and sober or to be mad Therefore we must cleauing to the truth valiantly followe God with all our strength behauing our selues soberly and to account all his things such as they are indeed And further when as we shall know that it is the greatest and gloriousest thing in the world to possesse God let vs commit our selues vnto God louing the Lord God and accounting this to be our dutie all our whole life And if
amongst friends all things bee common and by the meanes of the word the godly man is now become Gods friend now all things are mans because all things are Gods all things are now common also to these two friends God and man Thus Clemens described a Christians life to loue God all his life and to become as it were a friend with God and so to haue all things common with God and to despise these worldly things Zuinger in theatro vol. 13. pa. 2822. There is extant an epistle of Plinie the younger who was Gouernour of Asia to Traian wherein hee asketh his aduise what he thought best to be done to the Christians in whom he perceiued no such fault as to be worthy of so extreme punishments They confesse saith he that this is the summe of their fault or of their errour that they were woont at one appointed day to meete together before the Sunne arise and to sing all together a Psalme vnto Christ as vnto God And to bind themselues all together with a solemne oath not to any hainous act but that they should not cōmit theft robberies or adulteries that they should not beguile any man that they should not withhold any mans pledge when as it was demanded of them The which things being done their maner was to depart asunder againe and after to meete againe to eate their meate in common earned or obtained without anie mans harme The which thing they surceased to do after my proclamation wherein according to your commandements I forbad such fellowships or meetings This testimonie Plinie giues of Christians being a Pagan And these were then their maners euen with a solemne oth to bind themselues from hurting or defrauding anie It were to bee wished that amongst the oaths of Christians now so common amongst many these kinds of oathes were vsed also Such then were the oathes of Christians to sweare against sinne Tatian a verie ancient writer thus also describes the maners of Christians Orat. contra Graecos First teaching the obedience that they yeeld to Princes and ciuill Magistrates he writeth thus of himself And why if I will not giue my consent to your lawes am I as a most hainous offender hated of all men But if the king command me to serue and waite I acknowledge my seruice due vnto him because man is to be reuerenced after the maner of men But God is onely to be feared who is not seene with any mans eyes nor contained or comprehended by any arte If any man shall command me to denie him alone I will not obey him but I will die rather least that I should be found a liar and vnthankefull He acknowledgeth seruice and obedience due to Princes And that no image can be made of God He séemes to condemne Images in the worship of God whom he saith no arte or cunning of the workman can expresse And that he was readie to do anie thing sauing to denie his God that the Prince commanded And after I will not be a king I passe not for riches I despise the fauour and curtesie of the Emperour I hate fornication I will not saile on the seas through couetousnesse I long not for the crowne of your masteries or games I am free from mad ambition I despise death I am a conquerour of all kinds of sicknesses sorrow neuer grieues my mind If I bee in bondage I endure my seruitude patiently if I be a free man I bragge not of my gentilitie or freedom I see that there is one Sun that shineth to all men and that there is also one death common to all which commeth as well in abundance and excesse of all things as in pouertie The rich sowe their land and so do the poore also The richest of all die beggers also haue the same end of their liues The rich men stand in greater neede and because many attend vpon them therefore they become glorious but the poore and meane man desiring onely those things which concerne his estate and degree more easilie obtaineth them Why doest thou besides thy lot and destinie assigned thee of God watch through couetousnes who whilest thou desirest many things besides thy lot in the meane time thou diest O rather die vnto the world quite reiecting from thee the madnes therof and liue to God by knowing thy selfe forsaking thy old kind of life c. Here Tatian in his owne person describeth plainely the affections of all Christians in his daies they despised the world they passed not for riches nor for honours no nor for death And surely if we would follow their steps and despise these earthlie riches and these vaine honours it would make vs despise death also But now while mē are as it were wedded to this world so much it maketh them loth to go out of it Eccl. 41.1 They haue some parts of their hearts fixed here And euen as a brier though it hold but one part of a mans garment yet it will stay the whole man you must not let the brier touch you at all if you meane to go quietly awaie by it so the world it is a brier if you will depart hence quietly you must let no part of this brier touch you if it do neuer so little it will staie the whole man Naie this loue makes God not to loue vs and so he withdrawing his grace from vs we die sorrowfully the world wherein we ioyed at that day cannot helpe vs. And after he writes thus With vs vaine glorie is not sought for neither haue we many and diuers opinions amongst vs but being separated from these earthly things which the world so highly esteemes and giuing our selues wholy to the commandements of God and following the law of immortalitie which our father hath giuen vs Whatsoeuer belongeth to the glorie of this world we loath and detest Not only rich men with vs doe play the Christian Philosophers but the poore also are instructed freely For the doctrine of God is more exellent then that it can be requited with any giftes of man for the teaching of it And therefore we admit all that are desirous to learne both old and yong To conclude euery age is dutifully honoured of vs and wantonnes is quite banished And in our speech also we vse not to lie c. Here againe are the maners of true Christians set downe contempt of the glorie of this world knowledge of the lawe of God in generall of all men and trueth lying being detested in all their spéeches and dealings Anastasius Episc Nicen. quaest 1 Another writes thus What is the signe of a true Christian A right faith and good workes for a Christian is the true house of Christ consisting of good works of holy opinions A true faith therfore is proued by works because faith without works is dead as also works without faith Wherfore we must with al our strēgth firmely and constantly keepe our selues from filthy works least that be said