his faithfull seruaunt Moses amonge the middest of all his enimies In like manner the Lord did set vp Ioseph in the house of Pharao then though his brethren did sell him to the Ismaelites thincking thereby altogether to deface his memorie from the earth Furthermore did bring to naught all the deliberatioÌ„s of Haman conspiring the death of Mardocheus and of the Iewes Finally the same Lord did drawe from those that were slaine a little Ioas against the rage and fuerie of quéene Athalia his mother The same doth sufficiently teach vs that the meanes that our enimies doe take for to subuert the true christian religion the same meanes doe serue for to encrease and defend it against all the enimies of the crosse of Christ For euen as the good hearbe the more that it is pressed the more smelling it is Euen so the good men the more that they are afflicted of the world the more they do magnifie the religion of the lord The which the Apostle doth witnesse by his owne example when he doth write vnto the Phillippians that the thinges which haue happened vnto him are turned to the great furthering of the gospell So that his bandes in Christ are famous throughout all the iudgement hall and in all other places insomuch that many of his bretheren in the Lord are bouldned through his bandes and dare more franckly speake the word And truely God doth not measure his workes according to the thoughtes of men As it is written by the prophet Esaie that his thoughts are not our thoughtes nor our wayes are not his wayes but as farre as the heauens are hier then the earth so farre doe his waies excéede ours and his thoughtes ours Thou doest sée in Daniel that greate and meruailous Image yea of which the beholding of him was terrible and grimme broken by a little stone hewen out of the rocke without mannes hande Figuring that eternall kingdome of Iesus Christ which â—ought to bring to naught and breake all the monarches and kingdomes of the worlde and be established for euer Thou doest reade in the Scripture of one little Dauyd a figure of the true Disciples of the LORD all readie to fight against the great Philistian without swoord buckler or speare but in the name of the Lorde of hoastes the GOD of the hoast and him whom the sayd Goliah hath railed on and despised Within a little while after Dauyd hauing the victorie did bring the head of Goliah into the citie of Hierusalem and he put his armoure in his tent Furthermore the holy scripture doth teach thée that Iosua which was the leader of the people of God at the sound of the trumpets made the walles of the Citie of Iericho to fal downe yea that the Angell of the LORD at the praier of king Ezekiah did kill a hundreth foure score fiue thousand men of the campe of the Assirians To be short we may not bée ignorant that Iesus Christ béeing pursued to death and béeinge asked of the Scribes and Pharises if hée were Iesus of Nazareth at that simple worde I am he did so stonish and amase a bande of soldiers and officers sent by the high priestes by the Pharises that they went backwards fell to the ground Finally we may better knowe that the Apostles of Iesus Christe and those simple and idiotes haue brought to good order a number of people to the obedience of our Lorde Iesus Christ In such sort that by the preaching of the crosse hath bene destroyed the wisdome of the wise and hath cast awaye the vnderstanding of the prudent Forasmuch as the foolishnesse of God is wiser then men and the weaknes of God is stronger theÌ„ men Also that the Lord hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confounde the wise Assure your selues then of the promises of the Lord though that the world doe conspire men doe imagine mischiefe Fortifie strengthen your selues with a liuely fayth after the example of that good patriarke Abraham and father of all them that beléeue who besides hope did beléeue in hope doubted not in the promises which the Lord made vnto him through vnbeliefe but was made strong in the faith gaue honour vnto God full certified that what he had promised he was able to make good And beléeue that the worke which the Lord hath builded in you shall continue for euer if such and lyke admonitions will not suffice beholde what punishments haue followed those who distrusting of Gods promises haue forsaken the knowen veritie and the true seruice which was due vnto him It is written in the booke of Exodus that when the people sawe that it was long or Moses came downe out of the mountaine they gathered themselues together came vnto Aaron and sayd vnto him vp make vs a god to go before vs For of this Moses the fellowe that brought vs out of the land of Aegypt we wote not what is become of him And Aaron sayd vnto them plucâ— of the golden rings which are in the eares of your wyues your sonnes and of your daughters and of them to make a Calfe of molten metall made an aulter and worshipped it Then the Lord sayd vnto Moses go get the downe for the people which thou broughtest out of the lande of Aegypt haue marred all they are tourned at once out of the way which I commaunded them And the Lord sayd vnto Moses suffer me that my wrath may waxe hot vpon them and that I may consume them Moreouer the children of Israel did committe idolatry and whoredome with the daughters of Moab for that cause the LORDE was angry againste Israel and sayde vnto Moses take all the heades of the people and hang them vp vnto the Lord against the sunne that the wrathe of the Lorde maye tourne away from Israel The said children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord and serued Baalim and forsoke the Lorde God of their fathers which broughte them out of the land of Aegypt followed straunge gods euen of the gods of the nations that were rounde about them and bowed themselues vnto them and angred the lord And so they forsooke the Lord and serued Baal and Astaroth Wherefore the Lord wared angry with Israel and deliuered them into the hands of raueners to spoyle them and solde them into the hands of their enemies rounde about them so that they had no power any longer to stande before their enemies But vnto whatsoeuer thinges they went the hande of the Lord was vpon them with euill lucke afterwarde the Lord raised vp Iudges which deliuered theÌ„ out of the hands of their opressours After the the Iudge was deade they tourned and did worse then theire fathers in followinge straunge gods in seruing them Wherfore the Lord waxed angry and sold them into the handes of Chusarim king of Mesopotamia Within a litle while after the chil
not keeping his commaundementes lawes and ordinaunces That when you shall haue the thinges that you desire and your riches and goodes increased then your hart rise and you forget the Lord your God which hath deliuered you frō the hand of your enimies Learne by the example of the people of Israel that he which ought to be right hath kicked he I say which was made fatte thicke and smooth hath forsaken and let God go that made him and despised the God of Israel that saued him As also the same Lord doth witnesse by his Prophet that the iniquitie of Sodome was pride aboundance of bread and idlenesse On the other side submit your selues therfore vnder the mightie hande of God that he may exalte you when the time is come Cast all your care on him for he careth for you Be sober and watch for your aduersarie the diuell as a roring Lyon walketh about séeking whō he may deuoure Sée that ye loue not the worlde neither the things that are in the worlde For all that is in the worlde as the lust of the flesh the lust of the eies and the pride of life is not of the father but of the worlde and the worlde passeth awaie and the lust thereof but he that fulfilleth the will of God abideth for euer And truely we knowe that we are of God and that the world lyeth in wickednesse Déerely beloued absteine from fleshly lustes which fight against the soule And as obedient children not fashioning your selues vnto the olde lustes of your ignoraunce But as he which called you is holie euen so be ye holy also in all manner of conuersation And in al sobernes trust perfectly on the grace that is brought vnto you by the reuelatiō of Iesus Christ And beware my brethrē of the great Babilon the mother of fornicatiō with whom haue cōmitted fornicatiō that kings of earth that they are droncken with the wine of hir fornication For although that that woman was araied in purple and crimson and guilded with golde and precious stones and pearles yet truely she had in hir hand a cup ful of abhominations and filthines of hir fornication And as it happened at the subuersion and destruction of Sodome and of Gomorra that Lots wife looking backe was turned into a piller of salt And euen as Dina the daughter of Iacob going out to sée the daughters of the lande was rauished by the Princes of the sayd lande Feare on your part that ye taking to great pleasure in worldly things ye be not seduced and deceiued and forsaking the commaundements of the Lorde ye be not destroied For as it happened that the children of Israel being induced and prouoked by the wiues of the Madianits did trespasse against the Lord bicause of Peor It is also to be feared that you following to much that which is of the world You do altogether forget the homage obedience which you doe owe vnto the Lord. To be short if the enimie doth oppresse you stand therefore and you loynes girde about with veritie hauing on the brest plate of righteousnesse and your féete shode with the preparation of the Gospell of peace Aboue all take to you the shield of faith wherewith ye may quench all the fierie dartes of the wicked And take the helmet of saluation the swoord of the spirite which is the worde of god And pray alwaies with all manner prayer and supplication Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might put ye on the whole armoure of God that he may stande stedfast against the craftie assaultes of the Diuell for we wrestle not against flesh and bloude but against rulers against powers against the worldly gouernours the Princes of darknesse of this world against spiritual wickednesses which are aboue If the world do pursue you set your faith as a fort in expugnable against hir pleasures for this is the victorie that ouercōmeth the world euen our faith By which meanes Samuel Dauid and the other prophets haue subdued kingdomes wrought righteousnes obtained the promises stopped the mouthes of Lyons quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword If your flesh bée weake watch and pray that ye fall not into temptation And beléeue that the Lord which is faithfull shall not suffer you to be tempted aboue your strength but shall in the middest of the temptation make away that yée may be able to beare it To conclude assure your selues vpon the word of God when he saith that his shéepe do heare his voyce and he knoweth them and they followe him and and he will giue vnto them eternall life and they shal neuer perish neither shall any man plucke them out of his hand bicause that his father which gaue them him is greater then all Remember that Moses and Aaron did not enter into the lande of promise bicause they beléeued not the LORD that he might be sanctified by them in the eies of the children of Israel No more then those which were gone out to search the lande shall sée the same lande which I the LORD sware vnto their Fathers But his seruaunt Caleb bicause there is an other manner spirit with him and bicause he hath followed the Lorde vnto the vttermost God gaue him the saide lande for an heritage Finally bicause that the capitaine of Samaria would not beléeue the promise which the Lord made vnto him by the mouth of the prophet Eliseus foreshewing the great aboundance plentiousnesse within a little space was depriued from the fruites therof and troden vnder foote that he died Wherfore be not as some faithlesse people distrusting of the promises of him which is the God of veritie But rather be ye imitators and followers of Gedeon who béeing come to the assault blewe with his trumpet helde his lampes in his hande and brake his pitchers figuring vnto all true Christians that they ought alwaies to kéepe that light of faith to be like vnto the seruaunts attending their masters when they shall bée retourned from the mariages And as the trumpet to lift vp their voice in the middest of all daungers for to magnifie and praise the Lord. Furthermore if néede bée or if the case so require not to spare their bodies which are but as earthen vessels to that heauenly treasure In so dooing beléeue assuredly that by the same meanes by them which they doe thincke to destroy and ruinate the worke of God by the same meanes it shall be established amplified The which is also figured vnto vs by examples in the booke of Exodus where the king of Aegypt purposing to exterminate and altogether to ruinate and destroye the people of God afflicting them through a long seruitude and bondage in making morter bricke and other bondage worke in the fieldes was partly a cause that the Lorde did multiplie and increase his people aboue al other people and prospered
of Israel cried vnto the Lord. And the Lord stirred vp a sauer and saued them one Othoniel the sonne of Kenes Calebs younger brother and the lande had rest fortie years And Othoniel being dead the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord the Lord deliuered them into the hands of Egloh king of Moab whom they serued by the space of xviij years And then they cried vnto the Lorde And the LORD stirred them vp a sauer Ahud the sonne of Gera. Incontinently after the children of Israel began again to do wickedly in the sight of the Lord wheÌ„ Ahud was dead And the Lord sold them into the hands of Iabin king of Canaan whose captaine of warre was Sisara At which time Debora a prophetesse the wife of Lapidoth iudged Israel who exhorted Barack the sonne of Abinoam to deliuer the people but the Lorde at the prayer of Debora trounsed Sisara and all his charyottes and all his heaste with the edge of the sword before Barack insomuch that Sisara lighted downe of his chariot and fled a foote And of all the hoast of Sisara there was not a man left And sodeinly the children of Israel did begin againe to do wickedly in the sight of the Lorde And the Lord deliuered them into the hands of the Madianites by the space of seauen years The Lord had pitie on them and ordeinâ—d Gedeon for a deliuerer of the people 〈◊〉 that tyme there the Madianites were discomfited of a meruailous fashion The same people began againe to committe wickednesse in the sight of the lord And the Lord deliuered them into the hands of the Philstians fortie years but the Lorde hauing compassion of them ordeyned Samson for their deliuerer Saul in the beginning of his kingdome did prosper greatly against his enemies forasmuch as he obeyed the Lord the voice of Samuel But Saul hauing transgressed the commaundement of the Lord who commaunded him to slay all the Amalekites both man and woman infant and suckling and Oxe shéepe Camell and Asse Bicause that he reserued the spoyle is forsaken of the Lorde and his kingdome geuen vnto an other in which place is declared that rebelliousnesse is as the sinne of witchcrafte and stubbernnesse is wickednesse and idolatrie yea to obey is better then offering Dauid bicause that he made alliaunce with the Lorde did profite in going and increasing and the Lord of hoastes was with him insomuch that he wonne many victories that is to say against the Philistians Idumeans Sirians Assone as he had defiled Bethsabe and caused hir husband to bée slaine contemned and despised the word of the lord The Lord said vnto him behold I will stirre vp euill against thée euen of thine owne house and will take thy wiues before thine eyes and giue them vnto thy neighboure which shall sléepe with them in the sight of the sonne And although that the Lord had put away his sinne after his repentaunce notwithstanding bicause in doing this déede he hath giuen the enemies of the Lord a cause to rayle it was sayd vnto him that the childe that was borne of Bethsabe shall dye surely After that time king Dauid being touched wyth greate pride did number his people and the Lord being angry with him did offer him by the prophet Gad to choose of thrée plagues one that is to say famine warre or pestilence And Dauyd choosinge rather to fall into the handes of the Lorde then into the handes of men The Lorde sente a pestilence in Israel And there dyed of the people betwéene Dan and Bersabe lxx thousand men Salomon as long as he serued the Lord prospered wonderfully In the time of his olde age his hearte was tourned after straunge gods the LORD stirred vp aduersaries that is to say Hadad Razon and also Ieroboam Roboam as soone as his kingdome was stablished and made strong forsoke the law of the LORD and all Israel with him wherefore the fith yeare of king Roboam Sesac the king of Aegypt came vp againste Hierusalem bicause he had transgressed against the Lorde And they toke the strong cytyes that were in Iuda and came to Hierusalem Then came Semeiah the prophet to Roboam and to the Lordes of Iuda that were gathered to Hierusalem for feare of Sesac and sayd vnto them Thus saith the LORDE ye haue left mée therefore will I leaue you also in the hands of Sesac Wherevpon the Lords of Israel and the king humbled themselues said the Lord is righteous And when the Lord saw that they submitted themselues the word of the Lorde came to Semiah saying Forasmuch as they humble themselus I wil not destroy them but I wil deliuer them somewhat Ieroboam and the children of Israel were discomfited by Abiah and the children of Iuda fortified bicause they leaned vnto the Lord GOD of their fathers And Ieroboam recouered no streÌ„gth again in the dayes of Abiah And at the last the Lorde plaged him that he dyed Asa the sonne of Abiah reigned in his stéede in whose days the land was in quiet tenne yeares And Asa did that was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his god And Zarah a blacke Morian made warre against him And Asa cryed vnto the Lorde and the LORDE smote the blacke Mores before Asa and Iuda that they fledde Then Azariah the sonne of Obed which had the spiryte of GOD in him went out againste Asa and sayde to him heare me Asa and all Iuda and Beniamin The Lord is with you while ye be with him and if ye seeke him he will be founde of you but and if ye shall forsake him he will forsake you Then Asa and his made a couenant to seeke the Lorde God of their fathers with all their heartes and all their soules so that all that sought not the Lord God of Israel should die for it whether he were small or great man or woman And they sware vnto the Lorde with a loude voice and shooting and with trumpets and hornes And the Lord gaue them rest round about them on euery side Iehosaphat his sonne reigned in his steede and was mightier then Israel And the LORDE was with Iehosaphat bicause hee walked in the olde waies of his father Dauid and sought not Baals But sought the Lord God of his father and walked in his commaundements and not after the dooing of Israel Therefore the Lord stablished the kingdome in his hand all Iuda brought him presents so that he became excéeding riche and glorious and prospered and grew vp on hie The Moabites and the children of Ammon came against Iehosaphat in battell and Iehosaphat bowed himselfe with his face to the Citie and all Iuda and the inhabiters â—f Hierusalem fell before the Lord to bowe â—hemselues vnto the Lorde And as Iehosaphat rose early in the morning to get him â—ut vnto the wildernesse of Thekna he said vnto them heare me Iuda and ye inhabiters of
shal be saued as thou hast afterwardes confirmed it by thine Apostle that he that striueth for a mastrie shall not be crowned except he striue as he ought to do Giue vs grace that we all continuing in one spirit and striuing altogether in one minde through the faith of the gospell we may not be troubled by our aduersaries and that we be not as children wauering caried about with euery winde of doctrine But let vs folow the truth in loue in all things grow vp into him which is the head that is to say Christ Giue vs such constancie strength in the midst of those troubles of our enemies that we faint not in any thing so that with ioy we may end our course the charge which we haue receiued of thée for to testifie the gospel of thy grace Embrace so our harts our soules in thine heauenly loue through thy holy spirite especially that for al afflictions or threatnings we nothing varie frō thy lawe either to the right hād nor to the left that we hauing rightly accomplished the course of this presēt life And the time of our departing aprochīg euery one of vs may say with thine apostle I haue fought a good fight haue fulfilled my course haue kept the faith From heneforth is laid vp for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord that is a righteous Iudge shall giue me at that day not to me onely but vnto all them also that loue his comming For all which thinges Lord we pray thée in the fauoure of him who for to accomplish and fulfill thy will humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ To whom be glorie for euer So be it ¶ A BRIEFE ADVERTISMENT for to shew that we must simplie obey the voyce of the Lord without further inquiring of the cōmaundement to beleeue that euē as he is iust in al his works he is as puissāt for to fulfil in vs his wil. Cap. 14. e 1. Samuel 15. ◠¶ To obeie is better then offering and to giue heede is better then the fatte of Rammes For rebelliousnesse is as the sinne of witchcraft and stoubournnesse is wickednesse and idolatrie IT is written in the booke of Iesus Siraach that many are excellent of great renowne but vnto the wise are the secretes reuealed For great power belongeth onely vnto God and he is honoured of the lowely Séeke not out the things that are aboue thy capacitie and search not the ground of such things as are too mightie for thée But looke what God hath commaunded thée thincke vpon that alwaie and be not curious in many of his works For thou hast not to doe to sée with thine eyes the things that are secrete where the sonne of Syrach doth exhort vs to execute willingly and with a frée will the commaundement of the Lorde without enquiring any further what is the cause of his commaundemen◠bicause that the seruaunt that knoweth his maisters will and prepareth not himselfe neither doth according to his will shal be beaten with many stripes And truely as a certeine christian authour hath verie well said the Lord hath left the effect of many things of which he hath hid from vs the causes Insomuch that we séeing with our eye the fulfilling of them yet for all that we know not to what end the Lorde hath ordeined them and in the meane time he would be obeyed The which is taught vs by an exāple in the booke of Samuel where the Lorde commaunded Saul to destroy wholy all the Amalechites both man woman infant suckling and oxen shepe camels and asses But Saul spared a liue of the shéepe and of the oxen and fat things and the lambes and al that was good for to haue sacrificed it vnto the Lorde Then the Lord saide it repenteth me that I haue made Saul king because he hath not perfourmed my commaundementes In which place is shewed that to obey is better then offering The like example is witten in the booke of the kings where the Prophet which did contrarie vnto that that the Lord said vnto him that is to say that he shoulde not eate breade nor drinke water nor to turne againe by the same way he went and he doing contrarie was torne in péeces and deuoured of a Lyon. In all this we ought not to take any excuse vpon the difficultnesse and hardnes of the commaundement or smalnesse or weakenesse of our strengthes For he which maketh the commaundement doth giue vnto vs also the meane to execute it Let vs remember that Moses being called of God for to deliuer the children of Israel excused him selfe saying Oh my Lord I am not eloquent no not in times past namely since thou hast spoken vnto thy seruaunt But let vs marke what the Lord vnto him Who hath made mannes mouth or who hath made the dum or the deafe the seing or the blinde haue not I the Lord Go therfore I wil be in thy mouth teach thée what thou shalt say Euen so Ieremie being chosen of the Lorde to bée a Prophete vnto the people of Hierusalem excused himself saying Oh lord God I am vnméet for I am yet but young and the Lord said vnto him say not so I am to young For thou shalt goe to all that I shal send thée vnto and whatsoeuer I commaund thée that shalt thou speake And although that the commaundement of the Lord doth séeme to be sometime according to mans sight either to hard or contrarie vnto that that they do ordinarily Yet hée ordeineth all to a good end and for iust occasions As we do sée that it séemed to mans iudgement that the children of Israel should haue bene vanquished or taken by Pharao king of Aegipt hauing the red sea against them as a fort ineuitable for to stop them of their way It séemed also that they going to the promised lande vnder the conducting and leading of Iosua should neuer haue entred the floud of Iordain letting them But the LORD which hath commaundement vpon all his creatures deuided the waters and the children of Israel went in through the middest of the sea vpon the drie ground And the water was a wall vnto them both on their right hand and on their left hand As much chaunced of the floud Iordain for the waters which came downe from aboue did stoppe and stoode vpon a heape a great way off And the waters that were on the side of the salt sea vanished and dried vp the people went rightouer against Iericho Furthermore the Lord séemeth sometime to commaund thinges altogether against the order of nature and good manners as when he cōmaunded Abraham to sacrifice his onely sonne Isaac for to proue his obedience Also he commaunded the Prophet Oseas to take an harlot to his wife Also he commaunded an
sorts of men so that they do referre it to his right vse In that respect there doth consist and lye a merueilous wisdome and discretion chiefly for the respect of the ministers of god For as Clement saith one ought not to take any sense newe and straunge from the scripture for to confirme it by the scripture but to take or choose from the scripture the true natural sense of the veritie And as Sainct Hilarie doth write that he doth reade rightly the holy scripture which doth vnderstand the sense and meaning of the scripture by the same meanes and will not take from or put to the scripture a straunge sense or contrarie vnto the same Such are the wordes of the songes of the spouse of the Lord the which we may ofte refer rather and to apply it to some disordinate pleasure than to the fruite of a feruent loue or charitie I wyll recite besides that whiche is before thrée or foure notable examples of the olde lawe First that of the Prophete Fsaie vnto whom the Lord did commaunde to loose off the sackcloth from his loynes and to put off his shoes from his féete and to goe naked and bare foote The other is of the Prophet Ieremie vnto whome the Lorde did declare expresly that he did make bands and chaines and put them about his necke and did sende them to the kinge of Edom. The third shal be of Oseas vnto whom the same Lorde did ordeine and commaunde to take an Harlot to his wife The last shall be of Ezechiel vnto whom the Lord commaunded him to sléepe sometime vpon the right side sometime vpon the left side to eate Barly cakes and to strike them with mans doūge Things truely that one should finde very straunge farre from the veritie were not but the lawe hauinge the shadowe of the good thinges to come be the thinges which are ther presented giuing an assured witnesse that all doth serue for our instruction and learning If any doth demaunde wherefore the Lorde hath not giuen hys holy Scripture in all or by all more easie familiar I do answere with Basil that the same was to the ende that our spirit being occupied to meditate vnderstand such secretes of the scripture should draw it so much the more from euill things and hurtfull For as it dayly happeneth or chaunceth that the things which are gotten with greate paine and labour are best estéemed and set by and those are more durable and wyll continue longer whiche are brought forth by longe space and continuaunce of tyme. To be shorte as that which is offered at commaundement without any trauayle is despised there will bee also daunger that the carnall men would not abuse the holy scripture without knowledging the price and worthines of the same Euen saith Basil as the Lord would not that we should hate and abandon incontynently as other brute beastes all that which is necessarie vnto the vse of mans lyfe but is willyng and desirous that man doe resist such defalte by hys industrie and laboure Euen so the Lorde hath lefte a certeine difficultnesse and hardnesse in the scripture to the end that our spirite should exercise it selfe more more to the knowledge of the veritie That is the cause wherefore the scripture doth not permit euery one to teach And sainct Hierome doth complaine of some which doe presume first rather to teath then to learne And the Lord hath made some to bée Apostles some Prophetes some Euangelistes some shéeperds and some teachers And all are not Prophets and teachers and all do not speake with diuerse tongues and al doe not interprete but the selfe same spirite doth all those thinges diuiding to euery man seuerall giftes euen as he wyll To the end that as euery man hath receyued the gifte minister the same one to an other as good ministers of the manyfolde grace of God. Furthermore the same doth declare verie wel that we ought to haue in great honour and reuerence the holy Scripture and not to abuse it as do the Panims of their writinges I do meane to all matters of laughing bawdry and dyssolution For Sainct Paul doth not suffer that any fylthy communication should procéed out of our mouthes but that which is good to edifie with all to the end that it may giue fauour and grace vnto the hearers yea and doth expresly forbid that fornication and all vncleannesse or couetousnesse bée not once named among vs neither filthynesse neither folish talking neither gestinge which are not comely Also he would not that wée should mingle the holy wordes of the Scripture with so many vile and dissolute matters For as saith Sainct Ambrose although that it haue pleasures pleasaunt and honest yet notwithstanding they are very farre from the Christian and ecclesiasticall rule bicause that that which we can not finde in the holy scriptures we ought not to vsurp To that purpose Eusebius doth recite the example of a Tragicall Poet named Theodotus who in applying certeine places of the Hebrewes vnto a fable was taken blinde and beléeuing that the same affliction and punishement was happened vnto him for the same occasion did acknowledge his sins as that good aucthour saith that with in a litle while after his sight was restored to him againe What shall we say of those which do wrest the holy scripture after their own fātasie do abuse it to the arte of the Magicians inuocations of wicked spirits Although that the Apostle doth admonish and warn them so many tymes that rightuousnesse hath no felowship with vnrightuousnesse or light hath no company with darkenesse or what concorde hath Christe with Belial either what parte hath hee that beléeueth with an Infidel or howe agréeth the Temple of God with images Also that such disciplines are forbydden throughout the whole scripture I wil not forget those which do abuse it to their priuate and perticular profite as did of late the Scribes and Pharises who vnder the coloure of paying their dismes and tythes which the Lorde did vow for the seruice of his Temple do defraude deceiue in the meane time theyr proper owne parentes of the dutie which nature hath commaunded thē according as Iesus Christ did rebuke thē saying But ye say euery man shall say vnto his father and mother that which thou desirest of mée to helpe thée with is giuen GOD and so shall he not honoure his father or his mother And thus haue yée made that the commaundement of God is without effect thorough your traditions As at this day many of the Romishe Church doe handle the places of the scripture not so much for to establishe the kingdome of the sonne of GOD as for to maintaine their vtilitie and profite and truely it is very harde that amonge such people one may finde the true wysdome For as Iob sayth wysdome is not found nor the
place of vnderstanding in the lande of those which do lyue easely and which haue great riches for the feare of the Lorde is the true wysdome and to retyre and drawe himselfe from euil is the vnderstanding We must not then be astonied or amazed if they do abuse the scripture after their owne sense forasmuch as they do not estéeme but their owne pleasure which is the enemie of reason It doth gréeue me verie much to speake of those which for to please the will and minde of their Auditors And least they should hurte or gréeue them do apply the Scripture I know not to what matters of iesting and laughter yea being set in Moses Chayre in which place especially and chiefly it ought to be intreated off withall reuerence and grauitie I do say furthermore that they are not ashamed to play by maskings and counterfaitlike that which ought to be taught with feare and al humilitie To conclude they do serue more willingly to the pleasures of other then to the honour of the Lord and to the edification of his congregation What shall I saye of those which will referre and attrybute vnto the holy scripture vnto the bookes writings of the heathen Phylosophers as if we had borowed the rule to lyue well of them and not they of vs I will not denie but that the Philosophers chiefly the Platonicians haue written many thinges verie néere vnto the christian rule and very much confirmable and agréeing vnto good manners But as Sainct Augustine saith bicause that they haue made it their owne the true Christiās ought to serue to a better vse in asking it again of thē as vniust vnlawful possessours euen so as the Israelites haue applied the treasures riches of the Aegyptians to the honour of the Lorde And as it was lawful for the people of Israel to take to wife an estraunger captiue so that she do shaue hir head pare hir nailes put the raiment that she was taken in from hir also it is not forbidden to apply the writings of the heathen men Panims to our religion so that we do cut off that which doth concern their idolatrie and supersticion and that we doe apply vnto the honour of the Lorde that which doth serue to the veritie of our doctrine That is the cause wherfore sainct Paul disputing in the citie of Athens against certeine Philosophers did not feare to recite the saiyng of a Poet for to proue the doing of our religion And the same Apostle in another place of his Epistles did not make it a doubt to alowe the saying of Epimenides against those of Crete for all that I will not taxe those which haue the charge in the Church But I desire that they may be so discrete and well aduised in their profession that they may trie proue all things but to kéepe that which is good after the example of the good chaungers which doe knowe verye well to separate the good money from that which is false and vnlawfull to the ende they do not bring any thing from other learninges which might defile the worde of God or marre the doing of the christian veritie in so much that the word of preaching be receiued of all men not as the worde of man but euen as it was in déede the word of God which worketh in you that beléeue to the aduauncement of the kingdome of his sonne our Lord Iesus Christ to whom be glorie foreuer Amen COLOSS. 4. Let your speach be alwayes well sauoured and poudered with salte that ye may knowe howe to aunswere euery man. A prayer O Lord which dost giue the tongue to teach well to the ende that one may comfort them which are troubled yea and that in due season which giuest wisedome vnto the ignorant teachest thy seruants that which they ought to say giue vs thy grace to knowe that thy worde is pure euen as the siluer which from the earth is tried and purified seuen times in the fier to the end that we may receiue it not as the worde of man but euen as it was in déede the word of God which worketh in you that beléeue and that we doe not applie it to any euill vse or dissolute woorke but to the aduauncement of thy glorie and to the edifying of our neighbour In somuch that we may be faultlesse and pure without rebuke in the midst of a croked and peruerse nation among which sée that we shine as lightes in the worlde holding fast the worde of life Finally that we do declare by our works in this latter time that we haue not runne in vaine neither haue laboured in vaine But for the veritie of him which from the beginning of all thinges was the worde of life our Lord Iesus Christ vnto whom be glorie for euer Amen THAT THE LORD IN THE middest of afflictiōs doth reserue alwayes certeine places of refuge for his and certeine true prophetes to his Church yea certeine valiant men for to withstande the tyrannie of the wicked ESAIE 49. ◠¶ The prisoners shall be taken from the Gyant the spoile deliuered from the violent for I will mainteine thy cause against thine aduersaries Saith the lord ESAIE 59. D. ¶ I will make this couenant with them saith the Lorde my spirite that is come vppon thee and the words which I haue put in thy mouth shall neuer goe out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy childrens children from this time foorth for euer more IF the Panim or Heathen man saith that the exile banishment is terrible fearefull vnto those which of a priuate singuler affection do prouide for themselues an habitation for to dwell euer not vnto those which haue the whole worlde for a Citie And the Poet Ouide hath written that euerie countrie or land is an habitation vnto a vertuous couragious man As the sea is a floudde for all kinde of fishes If I say the auncient Patriarkes Abraham Isaac and Iacob by faith did dwell in the promised lande as strangers in tentes looking for a citie hauing a foundation whose builder and maker is God although that some of them had not but the light of nature for a rule and discipline the others had not so euident a witnesse as we haue of the reuelation to come of the children of God in the which our vile bodies shal be made like vnto the glorious bodie of the sonne of god Truely somuch the lesse our exile and banishment ought to be vnto vs gréeuous and feareful in asmuch as we are assured by the mouth of Iesus Christ of his Apostles that we haue not héere a continuing Citie but that our conuersation is in heauen Also as Sainct Paul writing vnto the Corinthians doth assure vs that if our earthlie mansion wherein wée nowe dwell were destroied that we haue a building ordeined of God
in the dispensation of his worde Cap. 8. IF that king Dauid be so much praised in the scripture bicause he prepared a place for the Arke of God and ordeined Leuits for to serue to make remembraunce to confesse and praise the Lorde for euer And Salomon his sonne is honoured and praised of all nations bicause he builded and consecrated vnto the Lord that proude sumpteous temple of Ierusalem To conclud if the remembrance of those good kings Ezechias and Iosias doth endure continue for euer bicause they haue forgotten nothing nor spared any thing to clense the Temple of the Lorde from all idolatrie and superstition of the Gentiles haue destroyed the aulters of the Balamites broken their images and comaunded the people to reade the booke of Gods appointment and to kéepe al the ordinaunces of god Truely the true christian princes ought to acknowledge and beléeue that their duetie is not onely to establishe the true religion but also to haue regarde and a respect that the Temple of God doe abide and continue impolluted and vndefiled from all kinde of Idolatrie and mans supersticion That is the cause wherefore the scripture doth commaunde so often the children of Israel to honour God in his temple and to abstaine and refraine themselues from the merchandise companie and societie of the vncircumcised people For as the church is the spouse for God and a pure and chaste virgine forasmuch truely as the sonne of God is deliuered vp of her So he woulde that she shoulde be kept vnto him irreprehensible holy and glorious aswel for the regarde of the true seruice which is due as for the respect that they ought to haue to his worde and vsage of the Sacraments ordeined in the Church And to that end are repeated so often in the scripture those two precepts that is to say Thou shalt haue none others Gods in my sight for I am a gelous god And this yée shall not doe euerye man that séemeth good in his owne eyes But whatsoeuer I commaund you that take héed yée doe and put nought therto nor take ought therfro declaring by those two preceptes that they ought not to mingle the seruice of God with the seruice of so many false gods or of creatures nor to ioyne compare the commaundements of God to the traditions of men For that occasion the Lord did complain of his people that they had polluted his temple by a false seruice and that their siluer was turned to drosse and their wine mixt with water And Iesus Christ did declare vnto the Scribes Pharises that they did transgresse the commaundementes through their traditions Béehold as I thinke whervnto chieflie the Christian Princes ought to endeuor themselues that is to say to purge clense the temple of God from a false seruice for to establish the true Religion to foresee prouide that the Christian doctrine be purely declared and that it be not defiled with so many of mens traditions I wil recite for this mater two examples the first shall bee of Ptolomaeus Philadelphus who caused the bookes of the Hebrewes to be translated in to the Gréeke for to aduaunce the religion of the people of God his doctrine furthermore did remit and set at libertie the Iewes which then were captiues in Egipt The second is of Constantine the Emperoure which did rise vp for the quarell of the christiaÌ„s against Licinius Cesar willing to compel and force all the world to follow the lawes of the Painyms Insomuch that Constantine hauing vanquished Licinius not only caused the state of the Religion to bee established but also the deede of Iustice which before was subuerted and marred through the tyrannie and cruelty of Dioclesian Maximinian Maximinius and Mazentius his predecessors And truely in this duety the christian princes cannot excuse themselues for if they are so diligent to foresee and prouide that theire Townes and Cities be not taken by their enimies shall not this bée their estate to bée careful diligent that Gods temple do abide and continue impoluted and vndefiled with Idolatrie and humaine superstition if that be the propertie of a vertuous Prince to watche diligentlie that his subiects be kept vnder his obedience without oppression iniurie shall not this be the true duetie of a Christian prince to kéepe that his subiectes be not hurte with the hammer of the whole world nor that they doe not drinke in that cup of gould of that great Babilon the mother of fornication and be dronke with the wine of her fornication To conclude if the Christian princes are so curious and carefull to beware that their subiectes be not giuen to wickednesse and turned from their obedience by straungers as of late was Dina the daughter of Iacob shall not they be carefull that they be not seduced and led here and there by straunge doctrines The spouse of the Lord doth crie out in the booke of the Canticles of Salomon Saying get ye Foxes yea the little Foxes that hurte the vines whilest that the vines do beare blossomes The Prophet Ezechiel doth complaine saying O Israel thy prophets are like the Foxes vppon the drie fielde And the christian princes will suffer so many false priestes which deuoure widows houses and that vnder a coulour of praying long prayâ—rs And of others whiche peruerte whole houses teaching things which they ought not bicause of filthy lucre Insomuch that those which ought to preach a gospel of peace doe preach a message of trouble and sedition amonge the Christians Those which ought to wéepe and be sorie for the sinnes of the people doe reioyce to sée euery where the bloode of the true Chrstians shead Those which doe take the qualitie of the Apostles and doe vaunce and boast themselues to be as shéepe among wolues wise I say as serpentes and innocent as doues doe deuoure the shéepe and doues of the Lord. Those vnto whom the Lorde hath not sent for a sworde but his worde doe arme themselues for to suppresse hys worde and the kingdome of his welbeloued sonne our Lord Iesus Christ Those vnto whom the Lorde commaunded to take nothing to succour them by the way neither staffe nor scrip neither bread neither money neither to haue two coates doe heape vp infinite treasures for to afflict and trouble the people of God They doo tithe the Mint Annise and Commin and leaue the weightier matters of the lawe vndone iudgment mercy and faith Bee astonished O ye heauens be afrayd and abashed at such a thing Those which doe boast and bragge themselues to be lawfull successors of those good auncient fathers doe make it a conscience to transgresse the least of the commaundements of men And doe make it no conscience vnder coloure of true religion to bringe to vtter ruine distruction the children of god And they dare not as they say to bée founde faultie in
Hierusalem Beleeue in the Lorde your God and so shall ye continue and beâ—eeue his Prophetes and so shall ye prosper Then the enimies of Iehosaphat killed themselues and the children of Israel had great victorie Iehoram reigned after Iehosaphat and biâ—ause he walked in the waies of the kings of Israel and committed fornication with those of Iuda and with the inhabiters of Hierusalem after the fornication of the house of Ahab and killed his bretheren It was said by the Prophet that the Lord will smite his people his children his wiues and all his goodes with a mightie plague and that he shall haue much disease through infirmitie in his bowels vntil his bowels fall out Iehoas after the death of Iehoiada became an Idolater and the hoast of the Sirians came against him and came to Iuda and Hierusalem and Iehoas was killed of his owne seruaunts Amaziah after that time that he did tourne away froÌ„ the Lord they conspired treason against him in Hierusalem he fledde to Lachis Whether they sent after him and slewe him there Oziah did that pleased the Lord in all pointes as did Amaziah his father And he sought God while Zachariah the teacher to sée god liued as long as he sought the Lord God made him prosper And helped him against the Philistians against the Arabians against the Ammonites Ioathan the sonne of Oziah became mightie bicause he directed all his waies before the Lord his god he warred against the king of the children of Ammon and vanquished them Ahaz did not that pleased the Lord as did his father Dauid But he offered burnt incense in hil alters on mouÌ„taines vnder euery gréene trée Wherefore the Lord his God deliuered him into the hand of the king of the Sirians which bâ—at him and caried away a great multitude of his captiue into Damasco And also he was deliuered into the hand of the king of Israel which slew of his a mightie slaughter For Phaketh sonnne of Romeliah slew in Iuda an-hundred twentie thousand in one day and all fighting men that bicause they had forsaken the Lord God â—f their fathers Hezekiah throughout al Iuda did that which was good right truth before the Lord his god And in al the works that he â—egan in the seruice of the house of God to séeke his God after the law coÌ„mmaundement that did he with all his heart prospered greatly Manasseh succéeded Hezekiah did wickedly in the sight of the Lord like vnto the abhomination of the heathen he made Iuda the inhabiters of Hierusalem to erre to do worse theÌ„ the heathen which the Lord destroied before the childreÌ„ of Israel And when the Lord spake to Manasseh to his people they attended not to him wherfore the lord brought vpon them the captaines of the host of the king of Assur which tooke Manasseh in an holde bound him with chaines and caried him to Babilon And when he was in tribulatioÌ„ he besought the Lord his God and humbled him selfe excedingly before the God of his fathers and made intercession to him he was entreated of him heard his praier brought him againe to Hierusalem into his kingdome And then Manasseh knewe howe that the Lorde was the very God. Amon did that displeased the Lord like vnto Manasseh his father for Amon sacrificed vnto all the kerued images which Manasseh his father made and serued them méekened not himselfe before the Lord as Manasseh his father had méekned himselfe but Amon trespassed greatly wherfore his owne seruants conspired against him slewe him in his owne house Iosiah his people tourned not aside from after the Lord God of their fathers as long as he liued but did put away al manner of abhominations out of all lands that perteined to the children of Israel brought al that were founde in Israel to serue the Lord their god Iehoahaz the sonne of Iosiah is made king for his father in Hierusalem For the king of Aegypt put him downe at Hierusalem and made Eliakim his brother kinge vpon Iuda Hierusalem and did that displeased the Lord his god Against him came Nabuchodonosor king of Babilon bound him in fetters to carye him to Babilon Iehoachim reigned iij. moneths x. dayes in Hierusalem did that displeased the Lord when the yeare was out king Nabuchodonosor made Zedekiah his fathers brother king ouer Iuda Hierusalem Zedekiah did that displease the Lord his god humbled not himselfe before Ieremiah the prophet at the mouth the of lord And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers sending them betimes for hée had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place But they mocked the messengers of God and despised their woordes and misused his Prophets vntill the wrath of the Lord so arose against his people that it was past remedie And so he brought vppon theÌ„ the king of Chaldey and slew their young men with the swoorde in their holy temple neither spared he younge man nor maide neither olde man neither so much as him that stowped for age But gaue all into his handes And forasmuch as such like examples do teach vs that the eies of the Lord are vpon the righteous and his eares are open vnto their prayers But the face of the Lord beholdeth them that doe euill to destroy the remembraunce of them out of the earth That the Lord doth shed out his wrath ouer them which doe despise him and doth shew himselfe tractable and gentle vnto those which serue him with a contrite perfect heart I doe meane in all holinesse and righteousnesse Let vs keepe as much as in vs in possible the faith which we haue promised vnto the Lord and assure our our selues that he which worketh in vs both the will and the déede according to his good pleasure will finish the worke which he hath begon in vs to his honoure to the aduauncement of the christian Church and to the health of his Furthermore let vs retire and drawe our selues from the thinges which may seduce vs and make vs varie from the true seruice which is due vnto him Do we not know how that they that proue masteries absteine from all things and they doe it to obtaine a corruptible crowne But we to obtaine an vncorruptible Let vs ruÌ„ne then not as at an vncertain thing let vs fight not as one that beateth the ayre But with patience in dooing wel séeking immortalitie life euerlasting Amen Apocalips 2. a. ¶ I know thou hast suffered and hast pâ—tience for my names sake hast laboured and hast not fainted Neuerthelesse I haue somewhat against thee bicause thou hast left thy first charitie A praier O Lord God heauenly father and altogether puissant which hast said by the mouth of thy welbeloued sonne our Lord Iesus Christ that he that endureth to the ende
other Prophet to vse meates not vsed of men And neuerthelesse all that was not done without a greate secrete and misterie and neuerthelesse a man would neuer haue beléeued nor thought that a virgin shoulde beare a childe nor Elizabeth to conceaue in hir olde age To be short he commaunded king Hezekiah to make the sunne to goe backewarde contrarie from his ordinarie course And yet the thinges are happened after the will of the LORD Also after our outward sences we doe distrust our selues often times of strengthes in that that the Lord commaundeth vs although that the things which are vnpossible with men are possible with God which worketh in vs both the wil and also the déede as saith the Apostle euen of his frée beneuolence Furthermore we must not mesure the commaundement of the Lorde after the commaundement of men for often times men being moued with anger doe commaunde vnlawfull vnhonest things as did the Emperour Theodosius whiche caused to be slaine a great number of people in the citie of Thessalonia in the time of Ambrosius Bishop of of Millan And for that cause the Emperour Theodosius was excluded from the companie of the faithfull afterwarde the same Emperour acknowledging his offence caused a lawe to be proclaimed which was that the Iudges shoulde not execute so soone the commaundement of a prince conteining to great seueritie and cruelnesse That same reason moued the consultes not to admit a libell of Refus vnder the title of Refus giuen of anger that is to say except it do appeare that it was ordeined with a good deliberation aduisement The others being moued or stirred forwarde with some kinde of ambition or couetousnesse do commaunde often times thinges contrarie vnto the trueth and also vnto good maners as Pharao which commaunded all his people that they shoulde cast into the riuer all the men children of the Hebrewes saue the maide children aliue A Herod which caused to be slaine all the male children that were in Bethlehem in all the coastes thereof as many as were two yeare olde and vnder A king Ahab which caused Naboth to be slaine for to haue his vineyarde Finally some being puffed vp with a disordinate desire of vengeaunce or rather at the request of others haue no regarde to that that they doe commaunde as Ahab which caused Micheah the Prophet to be put in prison because be tolde him the trueth A king Ioas which caused Zachariah the prophet to be stoned to death A Herod who commaunded the heade of Sainct Iohn baptist to be cut off at the request of his wife of his daughter A Annanias the hie priest which commaunded them that stode by saint Paul to smite him on the mouth But with the Lord it is altogether otherwise for there is no vnrighteousnesse in the Lord our god nor regarding of persons nor taking of rewards I wil say yet moreouer men do coÌ„maund often times that which is not in their power yea that they which haue the tharge giuen them knowe not howe to execute it as those men which would build the Towre of Babel And therein they resembled the Diuell For as the Diuell tooke Iesus vnto an excéeding hie mountaine shewed him all the kingdomes of the worlde promising to giue them vnto him if he would fall downe and worship him although hée had nothing of all that in his power to giue so there are some which many times do promise thinges which are not in their power to giue Forasmuch then as all thinges are in the handes of the Lord also it is he that worketh in vs both the will and the déede euen of his frée beneuolence And neuerthelesse although the commaundementes of the LORD are easie and are none other thing then righteousnesse and truth On the other side that the commaundements of men are full of deceipt guile and hipocrisie forasmuch as man of himselfe is but vanitie yet truely often times through the traditions of men and mens commaundementes we doe leaue and forsake the holy precepts and admonitions of the Lorde euen as the children of Israel did despise the Manna of GOD. And in the meane time desired the flesh of Aegipt the which Iesus Christ rebuked the Scribes and Pharises when he saide wherefore do ye transgresse the commaundements of God through your traditions Euen so haue not the Apostles done vnto whom although that it was forbidden theÌ„ by menasces and threatenings that in no wise they should speake or teach in the name of Iesus yet truely they answered in the presence of all Iudge ye whether it be right in the sight of God to obey you rather then god For we cannot but speak those things which we haue séene and heard As much sayd the Philosopher Socrates a little before he died speaking vnto the Athenians O ye people of Athens saith that good Philosopher I loue you very much but I loue rather to obey God then you Those are the wordes of those children of the Hebrewes being compelled to worship the Idol which the king Nabuchodonosor had made protesting and declaring in the presence of the king that they will not serue the gods of the Gentiles will not worship the Image which the king hath made The which also in like manner one of those seauen Machebeans being neere vnto death doth witnesse and crying with a loude voice vnto those which persecuted him what séekest thou and what requirest thou of vs I wil not obey the kings commaundement but I will obey the commaundement of the lawe which was giuen vnto our fathers by Moses Héere some will saye vnto me that I am young weake of body and spirite and not able to suffer so many tormentes and afflictions which are ordeined for those which wil not obey the comaundementes of men I doe aunswere that euen so were those children of the Hebrewes And those seuen Machebeans and that notwithstanding they suffered death with a good courage bicause of the hope trust that they had in god The other will excuse hir selfe saying I am a woman and weake of nature Furthermore if I doe nowe dye I shoulde leaue so many small children which dailie will bewaile my decease So was the mother of those little Machebeans neuerthelesse it was she the most stirred them forward to kéepe the commaundement of the Lord and moreouer she exhorted them to be patient Others ther are which considering the greatnesse of their familie wil mourmure against God and as the Painims wil blame our reâ—igion To conclude will saue the earth for to lose the heauen To those kinde of people I would gladly demaund whether they are worthier theÌ„ Dauyd which was a king and a Prophet yea of the stocke from whoÌ„ Iesus Christ the sonne of God is come And notwithstanding that he was afflicted on euery side yea of his owne sonne yet truely
Israel as it is written in Deuteronomium not to bring into the house of the Lorde in no maner of vowe the hyer of an whore On the other side we desire that he that stole let him steale no more but let him rather labour and worke with his hands the thinges which are good that he may haue to giue vnto him that néedeth For as Cicero saith many and those which are desirous of renowne and glorie doe steale from one to giue it vnto others and they thinke that they shal be estéemed gratious and liberall if by any meanes they enrich hem selues but the same is as contrarie to the true office that there is nothing more contrarie to the same We must then vse such liberalitie that it may profite one and not to offende an other Furthermore let vs here obserue that we take not this charitie simplie as the painimes doe for a mutuall amitie or affection the whiche is borne groweth of the conformitie of maners and good conuersation of life which is conioyned to a prompte and readie will to helpe and succoure the one the other of which concord amitie that great Orator of the latins Cicero speaketh off whē he said The worde of loue is verie déere whereof the name of amitie doth spring the which if we apply to our owne priuate profite not to the vtilitie profite of him whome we loue that shall not hee called amitie but rather a merchaundise Euen so doe we loue our medowes landes and our cattell because that of them wee receiue profite But the charitie and loue of men is thankeful The which is yet better confirmed by the same Aucthour by the example of Scipio saying hath Affricane to do with me no nor I with him But I hauing in admiration his vertue and hée hauing in opinion my manners hee hath loued me The great conuersation whiche we haue had together hath augmented greatly the amitie Nowe the Christian charitie hath regarde more further for she considereth a coniunction and alliance of members vnder one heade whiche is our Lorde Iesus Christe participating to one faith and one baptisme the vse of the sacraments established in the Church of Iesus Christ loking for the hope of the blessed the comming of the sonne of God of the which the Apostle sainct Paul speaketh off saying forbeare one another through loue endeuouring to kéepe the vnitie of the spirite in the bonde of peace There is but one body and one spirite euen as ye are called in one hope of your calling There is but one Lorde one faith one baptisme one God and father of all which is aboue all thinges and through all things and in you all That same aliaunce is also taught vs by the sacrament of the holy supper Is not the cuppe of blessing whiche we blesse the communion of the bloude of Christ Is not the breade which we breake the communion of the body of Christ bicause that we which are many are one breade and one body inasmuch as we are al partakers of one bread And as we sée that the amitie and charitie of the panimes for euerie light or small occasion chaungeth often times to a great enmitie and hatred inasmuch as it is not founded but vppon a blinde and bryttle thing so the Christians regarding not the true vse of that loue and charitie doe norish vp among them infinite debates and greate enmities and hatreds And doe not consider that our God is not the God of confusion as the Gods of the Gentils are but is the God of peace That is the cause wherfore the panimes so oftentimes demaunde vengeaunce of their enimies and being afflicted and punished of their neighbours and kinsmen doe fall into impatience and dispaire Where as the true children of God doe take all thinges in good parte as come of Gods handes Euen so the kingly prophet Dauid being wronged and cursed of Semei woulde not take any vengeaunce although that Abisai and his seruauntes were importunate vpon him but he saide vnto them behold my son which came out of mine owne bowells séeketh my life how much more then may this son of Iemini do it suffer him therfore to curse for the Lorde hath bidden him happily the Lorde will looke on my wéeping eyes wretchednesse and do me good for his cursing this day Euen so Iob being perswaded by his wife to forsake God for the afflictions that he suffered saide vnto her thou speakest like a foolishe woman Séeing we haue receiued prosperitie at the hand of God wherefore should we not be content with aduersitie also Those holy men knew assuredly that ther commeth no plague into a citie without it be the Lordes doing and also that we ought not to be ouercome of that which is euill but we must ouercome euill with goodnesse in fuffering patiently him which woulde force and compell vs If thou demaunde of me wherein the true Christian charitie and the vse of the same doth consist I do aunswere thée that it consisteth principally and chiefly the one to helpe and cherish an other in perilous thinges According to that which Salomon dofh speak of in his prouerbes saying that he is a friend that alway loueth in aduersitie a man shall know who is his brother The which Iesus Christ witnesseth when he rebuked the wicked that he was an hongred they gaue him no meat he thirsted they gaue him no drincke was herbourlesse and they lodged him not naked and they clothed him not sicke and in prison and they visited him not By this a man may plainely sée percieue the ingratitude of those who in stéede to helpe assist the necessities of their neighbours parents and friends do rebuke and checke them in their afflictions and calamities Such people doe make mée to remember the friendes of Iob who rebuked and checked him that hée hath well deserued and merited the double of that that he doth suffer by right and that GOD hath forgotten him bicause of his sinnes The like iniuries of late the Barbarians obiected vnto Sainct Paul. For they séeing that a viper which leapt out of the fire to hange on his hande they sayd amonge themselues truely this man must néedes be a murtherer whom though he hath escaped the sea yet vengeaunce hath not suffered him to liue The like wronges they that passed by vsed to our Lord Iesus Christ as he hanged on the crosse wagging their heades and saying Thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in thrée dayes saue thy selfe if thou bée the sonne of God come downe from the crosse I doe speake vnto those who doe not consider that the afflictions are common as well to the good as to the euill and are nothing ashamed to attribute them to the true Christian religion although that they know not in them whom they doe accuse any other thing then a pure and true christian
the things which are necessaries vnto him Insomuch that the mother by coniectures and presumtions hath regard to geue vnto him that which is agreeable and profitable Beehold the cause wherefore that good Philosoper Plato said that hée of whom the father or mother or their kinsfolkes do lay vp in the house as a treasure hee ought to beeleeue that hee cannot haue one suche Image not more precious in his house if hee honoure them as hee ought To that pourpose the same author reciteth the example of Oedippus who being despised of his own children wished vnto thē the affliction that happened vnto thē as wée doe reade in the holy scripture of Cham one of the sonnes of Noe at the ende hée concludeth that there is not a thing that we ought so much to honoure as the fathers and mothers in their olde age who when they are honoured GOD is well pleased thereby for otherwise God will not heare our prayers and this purtracture and Image of the father is a great deale more admirable then so manie other Images For the liuely Images when they are honoured of vs they doe praie for vs and doe beare vnto vs dayly fauour when they are despised they doe altogether the contrarie but those which haue no life do nothing of all the same For conclusion the sayd Philosopher Plato sayth that hée which doth gouerne himselfe wel towards his father and mother and towardes his graundfathers hée hath with him an Image verie fitte for to winne the loue and amitie of the LORDE Honoure then thy father from thy whole heart and forgette not the sorrowefull trauaile that thy mother had with this Remember that thou wast borne thorowe them and howe canst thou recompence them the thinges that they haue done for thée Here one may demaunde this question that is whether we must obey in all and thorowe all the commaundement of the father the which was thought to haue béene proposed by Aulus Gellius an heathen author and neuerthelesse a learned man and verie auncient The saide authour aunswered that the thinges are either honest wicked or indifferent And concludeth in the ende that to things honest indifferent we must obey him but to thinges that are wicked wee must not obey him calllng the meane things and indifferent the ordinarie actions of this common life which are suche as we do gouerne our selues that is to say to go to the warre to labour and tille the earth to be a Magistrate to defend causes and to marrie Furthermore this learned man doth teach vs that in the places and common charges the deutie and right that the children owe vnto their fathers ought to cease for a certeine time for the childe or sonne beeing in degree of a Magistrate sitting in the iudgment seat before whom there must bée no accaption of personnes And it is often times greatly to be feared that through to great familiaritie there woulde growe a contemning or despising of the dignitie in that cause I say the father ought to acknowledge the sonne as him which is Gods minister In other places and priuate houses the sonne ought to giue all honour and obedience vnto the father Let vs then conclude with an other christian and verie auncient author that wée must honour our father so that he seperate not vs frō the heauenly father we ought to acknowledge this carnall alliance as long as our carnall father shall acknowledge his creator Otherwise we héere the voice of Dauyd which sayth hearken O daughter consider and incline thine eare forget thine owne people and thy fathers house So shall the king haue pleasure in thy beautie for hée is thy LORD and thou shalt worship him The same author hath written in the first of his Epistles that if the necessitie doth so require that the loue of parentes is against the same of GOD and that both of them cannot be kept of him that he must incurre the blame of his parentes for to kéepe pietie and godlinesse towardes god Beholde the warre the which Iesus Christ hath opened of the father to the sonne and of the sonne against the father at his comming saying Thincke not that I am come to sende peace into the earth I came not to send peace but the swoorde for I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against hir mother and the daughter in lawe against hir mother in lawe And a mans foes shall bée they of his owne housholde he that loueth his father or mother more then mée is not méete for mée Furthermore I will saye with the Philosopher Plato that such is the duetie of the childe towardes the father that he ought to thincke that all that which belongeth to him belongeth properly to the father I meane the goodes of the bodie the externall goodes and those of the spirite forasmuch as of them the sonne may comfort the father If our father haue néede of our counsell for to aide him in some thing truely we ought not to forsake him I doe except aboue all the LORD vnto whom all things apperteine Plutarch doth amplifie that duetie towardes our fathers and mothers as followeth The brute beastes a little while after they haue brought foorth their young ones are out of all care and are verie well but the nourishing and bringing vp of man is ful of all trauaile the aduauncement of him verie slowe and to acquire and get vertue that is a thing of long continuaunce And often times the fathers before that their children do come to perfection do die Euen as Ariston did neuer sée Plato to professe philosophie Also the victories of Tuchitidus Sophocles were neuer knowen vnto their fathers and mothers And verie well hath Valerius said that nature is the mister is of pietie who without any minister aide of voice without the vse of letters of hir own proper force and strengthe hath shed out into the heartes of children the loue that they ought to beare to their fathers Wherfore thē doth learning profit in this matter saith this good author he aunswereth that it doth profit not for to make their spirites better but more easie to bée taught and instructed In the same booke the same author doth propunde vnto vs the example of a vertuous and good woman Who of longe time nourished hir father béeing prisoner altogether aged and lame of hir owne milke Furthermore the seueritiē and crueltie of the olde lawe against the obstinate and rebellious children doth sufficiently declare what ought to bee the obedience of the children towardes their parentes Witnesse of this shall Moses bée who sayeth in this manner When a man shall haue a wicked and rebellious childe which will not obey nor hearken vnto the voyce of his father or mother and they shall chastise and correct him and he will not obey them then the father and mother shall take him and bring
learn to fight to wrastle to leape to daunce to put at the stone not setting by the honor of their fathers Béehold briefly that which wée thinke to bée due aswell towardes the parents of our bodies as of our soules I will end by the same sentence whereof came this word Children obey you fathers and mothers in the lord For so is it right Honor thy father and mother that is the first commaundement that hath any promise that thou maist bee in good estate and liue long on earth Obey them that haue the ouersight of you submit your selues to them for they watch for your soules euen as they that must giue accomptes To the end that in all things God be glorified through our Lord Iesus Christ vnto whom bée glorie for euer So bée it Prouerbes 23. â— Giue care vnto thy Father that beegate thee and despise not thy Mother when she is olde A Prayer O Lord which hast said by the mouth of thy faithfull seruant Moses that the imagination of mans heart is euill euen from the verie youth of him Direct through thy holy mercy and fatherly goodnesse in such wise my way and guide my pathes to the right and godly commaundementes that they may loue thée euen as the true children ought to loue their fathers and mothers and may feare thée as my souereigne Lord I doe honour also those whoÌ„ thou hast chosen for to bring me forth into the worlde to the ende that by that meanes my dayes may be prolonged vpon the lande obeying and walking alwayes after thy holy precepts and commaundementes and that receiuing in good part the holy admonitions and corrections of my parentes I may shewe by workes that I am not a bastarde but that I am a sonne lawfully begotten To conclude that in humbling my selfe vnder the yoke of thy holy lawe I may be felowheire of him which in all thinges made himself subiect obedient to Ioseph and Marie and alwayes to doe the thinges which were pleasing and agréeable vnto thée our Lord Iesus Christ vnto whom be glorie for euer Amen ¶ A BRIEFE ADVERTISment vpon the duetie of the Fathers towardes their children Cap. 19. Collossians 3. d. ¶ Fathers prouoke not your children to anger least they cast downe their heart IT is written in the sixte Chapter to the Ephesians Ye fathers moue not your children to wrath but bring them vp in instruction information of the LORD Now we may plainely perceiue that the true office of a father towardes his children consisteth chiefly in two thinges that is to say to instruct them in the lawe of GOD and other honest disciplines and also to correct them in all modestie and christian gentlenesse As touching the first Salomon in his proâ—erbes sayth O my sonne forgette not â—y lawe but sée that thine heart kéepe â—y commaundementes For they shall â—olong the dayes and yeares of thy life â—nd bringe thée peace For as witnesseth â—e same Salomon Where no Prophet 〈◊〉 there the people perish but well is him â—hat kéepeth the lawe And as touching â—he seconde it is sayde in the same place that the rodde and correction ministreth wisdome but if a childe bée not looked vnto hée bringeth his mother to shame Nourture thy sonne with correction and he shall comfort thée yea hée shall doe thée good at thine heart The which is â—eclared more at large in Siraac as followeth An vntamed horse will bée harde so a wanton childe will bée wilfull If thou bringe vp thy sonne delicatelie he shall make thée afrayde and if thou playe with him hée shall bringe thée to heauinesse Laugh not with him least thou weepe with him also and least thy teeth be set on edge at the last Giue him no libertie in his youth and excuse not his follie Bow downe his necke while he is young hit him vppon the sides while hée is yet but a childe least hée waxe stubbourne and giue no more force of thée and so shalt thou haue heauinesse of soule Teach thy childe and bée diligent therein least it bée to thy shame And Salomon in his prouerbes saith withholde not correction from the childe for if thou beatest him with the rodde hée shall not dye theroff Thou smitest him with the rodde but thou deliuerest his soule from hel The same Siraac doth set foorth vnto vs the instruction which we ought to kéepe as well towardes the sonne as towardes the daughter when hée saith If thou haue sonnes bringe them vp in nourture and learning and holde them in awe from their youth vp If thou haue daughters kéepe their bodie and shewe not thy face chéerefull towardes them Marrie thy daughter and so shalt thou performe a weightie matter But giue hir to a man of vnderstanding If thy daughter be not shamefast holde hir straitely least shée abuse hir selfe through ouer much libertie Wherefore inasmuch as the children are willingly moued with certaine little giftes and honest presents It should also be verie good that their fathers should let theÌ„ vnderstand and knowe the great goodnesse which the Lorde hath ordeined to them which obserue and kéepe his lawe and the daunger and persecutions which doe followe and haue alwaies followed those which are transgressors of his lawe That is the cause wherefore in the lawe of Moses are so often repeated the blessings vnto the kéepers of the lawe and to the transgressors of the same the cursinges which are contained chiefly in the bookes of Leuiticus and Deuteronomium And also in the prophesie of Esaie the Lorde sayde If ye be louing and obedient ye shall enioye the best thing that groweth in the lande But if ye bée obstinate and rebellious yée shall be deuoured with the sword for thus the Lord hath promised with his owne mouth And by his prophet Baruch he saith O Israel heare the commaundementes of life ponder them well with thine eares that thou maiste learne wisdome But how happeneth it Israel that thou art in thine enimies lande thou art waxen olde in a straunge countrie and defiled with the dead Why art thou become like them that goe downe to their graues Euen bicause thou hast forsaken the well of wisdome For if thou haddest walked in the way of GOD truely thou shouldest haue remained still safe in thine owne lande That is the verie cause which hath induced oftentimes the Lorde to cause to be set vp for the people a certaine marke and perpetuall monument in the places in which he hath giuen witnesse of his puissance and greatnesse to the ende to declare and shewe vnto the people that he was fauourable vnto them Also that the little children regarding beholding and marking such tropes and monumentes they shoulde be admonished by their parentes of the goodnesse and benignitie of the Lorde I will recite for this matter three examples of the olde lawe the first is in the booke of Deuteronomium where the LORD hauing giuen
then the commauÌ„dements of God forasmuch then as God is the pure veritie yea in all things whole and perfect truely those doo greatly erre from the true way of saluation which doo offer vnto him a double heart I do meane those which haue the shewe and apperaunce of Godly liuing but haue denied the power thereof whiche doe confesse him with their mouthes and honour him with their lippes in the meane time haue their heart farre from him to be short they will serue two maisters together as to please God and men I do remember for this matter that which is written in the booke of Deuteronomium where the Lorde did commaunde that we shoulde not haue in our bagge two maner of weightes a great and a small neither diuerse measures a great a small But we must haue a perfect a iust measure As also the dissembler was cursed by the prophet whiche hauing in his flocke one that is male and when he maketh a vow offereth a spotted one vnto the lord The Lord meaning declaring thereby that we ought not to offer vnto him an vncleane and dissembling heart to giue vnto an other the honour whiche doth apperteine and belong vnto him Inasmuch then as those of the Romish Church do steale away the honour which doth belong vnto the Lorde for to giue it vnto men turning their siluer into drosse as saith Esaie and do mingle their wine with water I do meane do confounde and mingle the true Christian doctrine thorow their tâ—aditions it is most certeine that of the Christian Religion they do make a double religion As for vs the holy simplicitie of the Scripture doth please vs for al religioÌ„ and doctrine as saith Sanct Ierome Or the simple naked veritie of the same as sayth Lactancius and we will not adde vnto it or diminish froÌ„ it of our owne head bicause that the scripture giuen by inspiration of GOD is profitable to teach to improue to amende and to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of GOD may bée perfect and prepared vnto all good woorkes The which ought to suffice our enimies for to know that it is too great iniurie and wrong done vnto the Lord vnto his holy Scripture that they will not make themselues captiues and obedient vnto the limittes and boundes of his commaundementes and his lawe But will adde so many vaine traditions considering that of that which is conteined in the same the man of God is made perfect and prepared vnto all good workes Furthermore that which doth make vs yet more odious and hatefull vnto the church of Rome is bicause that wee doe not acknowledge any other head of the christian church then Iesus Christ Who as saith S. Paule the Lord hath made him aboue all things the head of the Congregation which is his bodie and the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all thinges and which is the first begotten of the dead that in all things he might haue the preheminence no more also then we doe admit and allow for to be Bishoppes other then those who being called according to the christian rule by their doctrine and good conuersation geuing assured witnesse vnto the people of their vocation and election And therefore wée doe remoue from the church of God that man of sinne the sonne of perdition which doth rayse and lift vp himselfe against all that which is called God And we do not holde or take for ministers of the church so many vnprofitable hired pastors of whom Zacharie speaketh off saying O vnprofitable shepherde that leauest the flock cursed be thou And Iesus Christ in S. Iohn saith an hyred seruant which is not the shepherd flyeth bicause he is an hiered seruant careth not for the shepe It should serue for nothing here for vs to alledge the dignitie of s Peter for as saith s Cyprian the other Apostles were that the S. Peter was in lyke degrée of honour and of power But among the Apostles one is chosen to the ende the vnder one head we may auoide all occasion of scisme discention and diuision And our enimies doe deceiue themselues in the same part when thy do aledge vnto vs for a title of the seculer possession that the bishopps haue succéeded immediately the Apostles For after that the bishops haue chaunged and altred the discipline and christian Doctrine by good aucthoritie we may disauowe them as vnlawfull disciples and successours of the Lorde and of his Apostles And to haue recourse vnto the first rule of the Scripture that is to saye to the institution of ministes to the ende that from thence should spring and come foorth the reason of our dooinges as sayth Sanct Ciprian whereof the order and the originall haue taken their beginning And notwithstanding al that our enimies are not ashamed to crye aloude and clerely yea daye and night that they wyll not suffer two religions Be astonished O ye heauens be afrayde and abashed at such a thing sayth the LORD Those in the Romysh Church doe suffer in their Cities the Iewes and Mahomettes and doe permitte and suffre them with all libertie to buylde temples and to erecte and set vp Sinagogs yet haue they lesse shame to take tribute dayly of baudes and harlottes although that the Scripture doth forbid them I dare not say further and doe make it a conscience to suffer in their cities those which for all Christian rules do content themselues with that that the Lord hath prescribed vnto them by his Testament and last wil the which he hath ratified by his bloude But as then hée that was borne carnally persecuted him that was borne spiritually euen so is it nowe And as we doe reade that the Idol Dagon the God of the Azotiens or Philistians could neuer stand vp before the Arke of the Lord but Dagon did fall down groueling vpon the earth before it So this Romish church béeing builded and grounded vpon al idolatrie superstition of the Gentils seing themselues almost beaten downe and destroyed by the sworde of the woorde of God in the presence of the true and reformed Christian Churche hath chosen the remedy of tyrants and is armed with all felony and crueltie for to driue away and to banish the children of god And God willing that wil happen in the ende which is shewed by Daniel that that great and mightie Image yea grimme to beholde shal be broken by that little stone hewen out of the Rocke without mans hand and shal be established for euer the kingdome of the sonne of God. Insomuch that we will sing all with one accord great Babilon is fallen is fallen bicause that she hath made dronke so many people with the wine of hir fornication Esaie 1. â— The daughter of Sion is left alone like a cotage in a vineyard like a watch house in time of warre and like a besieged Citie
A Prayer LOrde God heauenly father and altogether mightie which hast drawen away and saued thy faithfull seruants Lot and Daniel from the flaming fire Moyses from the middest of the waters one Ioas from amonge them that were slaine and hast reserued in the persecution of Achab and of Iesabel so many thousand men which haue not bowed their knées vnto Baal yea hast lefte alwayes vnto thy people some prophets and true ministers of thy law in the captiuitie of Babilon Giue vnto vs thy grace in this ciuill warre and persecution of our owne countrey men yea our domesticall seruantes to acknowledge that thy hande is not so shortned that it cannot saue or helpe neither is thine eare so stopped that it cannot heare But that our iniquites haue made the diuision betwéene thée and vs and that our sinnes haue hid thy face frō vs To the end that we staying on thy mercy may not be altogether desolate Giue O Lord such feare vnto our enimies that they may haue cause to inuocate and call vpon thy name in such sort that we all with one spirite and will may confesse that thou art the ayde of the humble and little ones the helper of the weake and féeble the protectour of them that are forsaken the sauiour of the abiectes yea thou art the Lord of hoastes which doest reserue alwaies for vs a fewe aliue to the ende that we shoulde not be made like vnto Sodome and like vnto Gomorra and not to fal in dispaire with the vnbeléeuing And therefore wée praye thée in the fauoure or for the loue of him which hath cried with a loude voice that the Foxes haue holes and the byrdes of the ayre haue neastes but the sonne of man hath not whereon to rest his head he I say which deliuered himselfe vnto death for to assure vs of our dwelling in the heauenly kingdome our Lord Iesus Christ vnto whom be glorie for euer Amen ¶ THAT THE CHRISTIAN Religion cannot be tied or bound to any limittes and bounds Cap. 3. 2. TIM 2. b. The worde of God is not bounde IF it be written that the king being sette vpon the seate of his kingdome shal write the Law and shall reade therin al the daies of his life that he may learne to feare the Lord his God and for to kéepe all the woordes of his lawe and his ordinaunces for to doe them and the same LORD doth promise vnto his Church that kings shal be her noursing Fathers and Quéenes shal be her norishing mothers It is certeine that as righteousnesse and truth are the estabishing of the throne or feate of the Lord so doth he preserue and keepe the kinges and doth mainteine their scepter by godlinesse and trueth I doe saie further if the Egiptians haue in such recommendation and praise the practise of their religion aboue all things as saith Plato that they will not create and make a king except that he were promoted and consecrated a priest yea greatly occupied or exercised in the dooings of the priestes And the Persians will not alowe or admitte for their prince but him which hath the knowledge of the science and discipline of the magiciens which doth conteine the true vse of their religiō Insomuch as vnto the young Princes of the countrey were ordeined foure schole maisters of whō the first did teach them the magicke of Orcastrus the sonne of Oroniasus which did conteine the dooings of the religion Truely we ought not to doubt but that the estate duetie of a christian Prince is first of al to establish mainteine the dooing of the religion and to acknowledge that he is the minister of God for the health of al men to the ende that the goods which the Lord hath giuē vnto him he should kéepe part of thē distribute part of thē that he do manifest delare him self by works as Aristotle doth write vnto Alexander that the kingdome is giuen vnto him to the end to doo wel vnto man kinde To the end also that vnder his obedience the good may be defended from iniuries and oppressions of the wicked leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie loking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the mightie God and of our Sauiour Iesus Christ Forasmuch then as it is nothing to professe to knowe God and with the déedes to denie him to haue a similitude of godly liuing but haue denied the power thereof that is not also much to mainteine a religion for certeine and true and in the meane time do depriue themselues from the exercise of the same for as the woorks do declare our faith so the exercise of the religion doth assure vs that we be no more as children wauering and caried with euery winde of doctrine but that we following trueth with loue we may growe and increase altogether in him which is the head that is to say Iesus Christ To conclude that the Lorde would be knowen chiefly in the assembly of the true christians as Dauyd sayth I will praise thée in the great congregation and performe my vowes in the sight of all them that feare thée and in another place he sayth Sing vnto the Lorde a newe songe let the congregation of the Sainctes prayse him and in an other place he sayth giue thanckes O Israel vnto God the LORD in the congregations from the grounde of the heart And Iesus Chryst hath promised his that where there shall bée two or thrée gathered together in his name that he will be in the midst of them Furthermore if the Prophet Dauid hath written that the woorde of God is a lanterne vnto our féete and a light vnto our pathes Iesus Christ would not that that lyght shoulde bée hid vnder a bushell but that it be set vpon a candlesticke that it may gyue light vnto all them that are in the house Therefore he woulde that our lyght should so shine before men that they may sée our good workes and glorifie our heauenly father which is in heauen Otherwise he that would limit and bind the dooing and exercise of the true christian religion in a certeine place as did of late certeine of the Iewes at the temple of Ierusalem and the other at the Mountaine of Garizen that should be to giue occasion of sclaunder not onely vnto the Christians estraungers and others but also vnto the auncient enymies of our Relygion to blame the name of the LORD For as the LORD hath no regarde vnto the appearaunce of men But in all people hée that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him So his worde ought not to be limitted in certeine places or persons inasmuch as by his word wée haue knowledge of him for vnto the end he hath sent vs by his welbeloued disciple saying search the scriptures for in them ye thincke ye haue