our Father and that his Christ is by his goodnesse geuen to vs and by his spirite hath he grafted vs into his Christ as the braunches are into the true vine by whose sappe euen his sayd spirite wée haue not onely our Arra and earnest penie of his assured couenant But also are set so sure into eternall lyfe that it is impossible for sinne satan flesh or whatso euer to condemne vs For it is our Lorde which hath redéemed vs his people and we are by fayth grafted into him our Lorde So that to vs can come no condemnation nor any want of that which is good Therefore agayne wyth the whole Church of God we most ioyfully ought to say Blessed be the Lorde God c. For he hath visited and redeemed his people Finally note here that the Papistes in their Mattins vsing or rather into abuse bringing and chaunting this song did neuer a right as Zacharie the good Priest did therewith praise the Lord for they worshipped him with lippes alone without vnderstanding the causes why but he first waigheth the cause before hée poureth out by waight the Lordes praise His hart was wholy fraught with conceiued matter of ioy they voyd thereof laden with terrible doubtfulnesse dare not presume say they to bost of their deliuerance which popish vice as it is their deuotion in their life so it purchaseth for them after death the dregges of Gods angrie Cup as dreaming Dirgis and restlesse Masses to purchace requiem where none is to be had and a neuer ceasing paye till land and reuenewes wyll serue no more And yet if eftsones of them it be asked neuer can it by them be aunswered the soule the Lord visiting hath redéemed for then their poperie should decay But thankes be vnto God who by his vnfallible truth in his writtē word hath assured as many as beleue in him of eternall life yea and that presently after and from the moment of naturall death our Lord and redéemer so saying hee that beleeueth in me shall not die for euer c. but shall passe from death to life O ye Papistes learne to repent which God if it be his good wil graunt you for Christes sake and to perceiue with vs the causes why we blesse the Lord for he hath erected vp an horne of saluation in the house of his seruant Dauid for the Church of true Israell as this our good Priest and Prophet Zacharie speaketh on this wise saying Vers 2 And hath raysed vp the horne of saluation vnto vs in the house of his seruaunt Dauid Albeit sayth the Prophet that in the eyes of all men Israel was cast downe his strength worne out and his light extinct his hope gone and no glory left in the house of Dauid yet do I now sée thée O Lord mindfull of thy former promises For in that thou hast sent my sonne the Baptist thy messenger and enriched the wombe of the virgin with child thou hast assured vs of thy erected Christ in the Tabernacle of Dauid which is to vs a most mightie saluation by thy spirit in the mouth of the same Dauid promised saying There will I make the horne of Dauid to bud for I haue ordained a light for mine anoynted And the time now thou hast respected to the inestimable comfort of thy Church in which Herod and thy enemies haue perished in shew thy Dauids line and haue vsurped his throne As thou before time hast promised saying Jn that day will I rayse vp the Tabernacle of Dauid that is falne downe and close vp the breaches therof And J will rayse vp his ruines and J will build it as in the dayes of olde A horne he calleth Christ our Sauiour significantly thereby checking the pride of Sathan in his members that séeke to destroy the kingdome of Israell as also declaring that he shal be of strēgth to ouercome their strength yea and that his place and dignitie is no where els thē from the Lorde who doth anoynt this Christ aboue his fellow Priestes Princes with the Horne of his Euerlasting strength for his people Vnderstand therfore that this word Cornu a horne in scripture sometime signifieth kingdom and princely power as in Daniell and in Samuel Sometime it is taken for strength and great might as in Daniel againe and in the Psalmist All the hornes of the vngodly will J breake but the hornes of the iust saith he shal be exalted The sum of the Prophets wordes are as if he had sayd To vs depriued of strength hope and comfort by the mightie enemies of god in the world the Lord in despite of them that throw vs downe to the dust hath erected in the midst of them his promised Christ which is to vs that beleue in him a mightie king a strong saluation That and the only sauing health of God giuen to al nations that feare him and call vppon his name Yea and that in the same linage and stocke which the mightie of the world are now in hand to destroy euen in the house of his seruant Dauid Since to vs this horne with his honour and strength is erected let vs consider something further of these the Prophets wordes And first note that in Christ alone which is borne of Dauids stocke the virgin Mary not in the popish wheaten and coniured counterfet Christ hath the heauenly father placed our sauing health and in no other wherefore in him alone must wée repose our trust as in whom the fulnes of the Godhead and his whole fauour dwelleth corporally and in whom alone he resteth with vs pleased whose name is the Lord our righteousnes Secondly he is of God set vp to be our saluation therefor may we not els where séeke for health of Man or Angell neither feare any other power for neither sinne Sathan world or Hell can take our sauing health from vs that rest in him nor separate from him his merites those which the father hath geuen to him Thirdly the same horne that to the wicked is terrible and vgly destroying their kingdomes and tiranny is to the faithfull the horne of their health in God from the sicknes of their sinne And also it is to them life into heauen from and against the death in hel As the same water which drowned the wicked of the world neither sparing Shippe Citie Towne or Castel at the same instant caried the Arke of the obedient Noah and his familie from destruction Yea and as naturall death it selfe is to the wicked the doore to eternall fire So is the same naturall death by this our strength Christ Iesus who hath ouercome death and her sting to vs that rightly beleue in him the passage to eternall ioye and blisse Let the Papists therefore tremble at the presence of this our strength for neither they or the gates of hell shall or can preuayle in battayle against vs because God
them to saye forgeue O Lorde our sinnes Hath not the chiefe of them whose lyfe was angelical whose person to death was eftsoons assailed Paule I mean hath not he writtē doth not he therby yet speake that the merit of eternall life is Gods mercie not mans merit And yet speaking of the suffringes and bloud of martired saintes for the testimonie of God and his Gospel he acknowledgeth that the afflictions of them in this life are not worthy of the glory which shall be shewed to them in the triumphant kingdome of our heauenly father But their merit sayth hée is Gods loue who hath chosen them to bée his sonnes and hath sayth hée annexed them with Christ as heires of the inheritance Note well eternall life commeth not by the bloud and afflictions of martirs not by purchase of mens merits but by the inheritaunce geuen vs in Christ thorough Gods mercie Thus good reader thou séest that this popish post is rotten for age and want of heart what shal we saye of the third matter the Popes pardon Surely if neither his God the Masse nor his saintes bloud can helpe neither can his pardons any thing profite thée for they are all of one force haue all a like authoritie I néede not longer to stand in the confutation of such a wicked taile of the people that boasteth himselfe to bée the onely head of Gods church in earth controler in the heauens prince in Purgatorie and Master of Hell. Bée not offended that I call him that tayle of the people for the warrant is geuen me by the holy Ghost so to terme him The auncient and honorable man he is the head saith Esay and the Prophet that teacheth lies he is the tayle of the people The last of Popish merites are good workes which can not merit Gods mercie for either they precede or folow faith If they go before fayth they are sinne and therefore moue Gods furie rather then merite his mercie If they followe faith they then merite not that which of God is giuen before their birth but expresse by such fruite what well planted trée brought them forth But as no trée meriteth life by the Apple which hée beareth but fast setled in the ground liueth of the iuyce that commeth from the roote so the faythful merite not Gods fauour which is their life by their works the fruites of their fayth but setled and grafted into Christ their foundation they doe receiue their common life from the same roote by the sappe his spirite which from him is sent and geuen to euery of them sufficiently to life eternall What shall we then not worke God forbid Alwayes do and continue in that which is good but cause not a good thing commaunded of GOD to become a pestilent euill to thy conscience Liue and walke in good workes which God hath prepared for thée but let them bée done to the same end which GOD hath directed to them Namely that the outward déede in them may expresse thy inward fayth in Christ our Lord. And further that the Church of GOD may bée profited by them But chiefely that by the same many mouthes séeing thy faythfull actes may bée prepared and stirred vp to glorifie thy Father which is in heauen This is the voice of holy scripture declaring the end of good works to be as we haue said but that they merit not Paule playnely sheweth to the Romanes for and to al in the person of Abraham saying if Abraham were iustified by workes he hath wherein to reioyce but not with god For what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnes Now to him that worketh the wages is not counted by fauour but by debt hut to him that worketh not vz. to merit thereby but beleueth in him that iustifieth the wicked his faith is counted for righteousnes Thus then we sée that the fathers with vs haue not merited Christ our onely felicitie but Gods mercie and loue surmounting as I may reuerently say his iustice in iust wrath hath not of dutie but by loue geuen and not sold to vs that beleue in him his Sonne Christ that we should not perish but by him being deliuered from our enemies should haue euerlasting life and power in him to serue him in this time of our mortall flesh in all holines vertuous exercises before him al the dayes of our life Moreouer I note that our Lord God will not haue vs to dwell in vncertainties for our saluation and therefore he sendeth vs to his written word where his promises couenant is by his owne spirit set downe to all flesh for the which cause Zacharie hath relation in this verse to the written promises and couenaunt And to the same sayth John also is the Gospell written to vs now that wee should by that written truth beléeue that Iesus is the Christ the sonne of God and that in beleuing we might haue life through his name As for the vnwritten verities of the Papistes as they are counterfet and forged of their owne brayne so can they bring no comfort to the conscience of the wounded man or satisfaction to the thirstie soule that laboureth to séeke the water of life which God doth geue to those that hunger thirst after the same For nothing els worke they but draw to hell all such as trust and are led by them But he that thirsteth after the water of life els where then in the written sacred scriptures can it not be found Séeke this water in the Scripture therfore good Reader and the Lord will make heauenly riuers to flowe out of thée wherewith thou shalt satisfie thine owne conscience in the same Christ fully and be able also to bring many other to the same saluation which the knowledge of the Lord by his spirite in the scriptures hath wrought in thée Last of all in this verse let vs marke diligently that not otherwise thē in christ Iesus God the father maketh vs partakers of his holy couenant Or yet by any other meanes are we kept within the compasse therof then by the cause it selfe which is Christ the Lord the Alpha and Omega of the same So voucheth the Apostle saying in thy séede which is Christ shal al nations be blessed The obseruations of the sixt verse are also comfortable and profitable Comfortable when we perceiue that our sinnes deserue the breach of Gods loue and extreme iudgement yet God in his mercie doth promise sweare to kéepe his word giuen to the fathers and to deliuer vs from the sayd iudgment as the Prophet in the text sayth and the oth which hee swere c. The profite hereof ensueth in the doctrine following In no case may we gather because God is sayd here to sweare that his word without an oth is doubtefull for the Scriptures euery where approue them absolutely Amen
is on our side and therfore we feare not what the Pope or any other Carnalite can doe against vs. Fourthly where and when is this horne erected Euen there then where and in what place the worlds force is to represse the same euen in the house of his seruant Dauid When did Israel féele most the presence of the horne Whē Pharao entred with greatest rage to destroy the Lordes heritage When did Daniel perceiue his might and where Euen when his friend the Kyng wanted strength to helpe him and in the place prouided for his destruction Where did Helias the good Prophet beholde this wonderfull horne erected But where idolatrie had preuayled ouer all and then also when not one séemed to stand with the lord And did not Israell now decay and the heathen enter into their possessions Was not Dauids house aboue al persecuted Then there did the Lord send his promised horne Christ our Lorde by whose sapience the wisedome of all flesh is proued foolishnesse and through whose strength the strong armed mā is spoyled of his treasure Be of good comfort O thou little flock afflicted for the Lord hath and wil haue his Christ to haue the victorie Yea death is the instrument of life and he maketh persecution to bee the séede time of his Gospel and the bloud of Martirs the budding time of the same Wherfore alwayes with this other such places of the holy Scripture take comfort thou that trustest in the Lord And let the experiment of the last persecution in England assure thée that the power of this horne is eftsones encreased Where and when did this Christ shewe forth to our age his might But when the bloud of his saintes in our English bloudy Church became as riuers of water and in the time of their greatest pride and ripenes of their Butchers actes Then and there hath the Lord againe in this nation erected his Christ and Gospell and from the prison of the Tower hath to the Throne and diademe of this land raysed his more then halfe dead Elizabeth our godly and gracious Quéene vnder whom the ruines of the decayed walles of true Religion are greatly repayred once againe God make vs mindfull of his mercies thankfull for his benefites And giue her Maiestie such encrease of his zealous spirite that the remnant of the Hydra and seuen headed beast may be banished this nation that in her gracious raigne and by her godly hand with the state of her ecclesiastical and ciuil gouernment in God as Gods holy instruments Christ alone may be erected as he is set downe by the Psalmist to be our strength our light So shal her daies be many her throne established and her and our enemies vtterly ashamed And in the meane space graunt vs O Lord for Christes sake true and perfect obedience to her Maiestie with pacient abyding in humble peace till the time which thou hast set to frame her heroical heart further to those things which shall most sound forth thy glory her Maiesties honour and the profite of thy Church that so we may depend vppon Christ our horne of saluation God of strength The Prophet not contented to staye with this summary spéech dilateth the same more amplie sayth as followeth in the next verse Vers 3 As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which haue ben since the world began Least the saluation by him now preached in Christ should séeme to the world a new noueltie fréeed from vtilitie and truth he voucheth the same to be long sith determined of God and the same open to all ages before by the holy Prophets in their times Euē from the voice omnipotent to Satan at the fal of Adam vntill the houre of this ioyful song so sending as to our certaine stay the written word of god As if he had sayd other sauing health to looke for at the handes of God then hée hath promised and to refuse the same by him set and geuen according to his promise is mere wickednes To geue credite to his word and to subscribe therto is true godlines Wherfore come hither ye sonnes of God this is the promised séed the little stone the virgins sonne Jesse his braunch the Messias and the anoynted Sauiour of the Lord promised by al the prophets since the beginning of the world This verse exhibiteth as by hand to our sences excellent matter First that to the whole world aswell before Christ as since and till the last day and houre of the same world there is no saluatiō to be looked for by that perishing world els where then in Dauids house in and by the horne Christ Iesus alone by God and not men erected vp in all sight in that house not set with or vnder other helpes but alone and aboue all other séeking their helpe at him Of saintes the virgin Mary is of most worthy fame yet is she farre of frō hauing power to helpe in earth the sonnes of men Therefore she in her life for a lesson till the end of death to all Dauids house in the Gospell being called vpon of the seruitors at the mariage sayth Whatsoeuer he biddeth you do speaking of her sonne Christ se that ye do it And when Elizabeth this holy priestes wife had saluted her she acknowledged Gods mercie to be the cause and sayd My soule doth magnifie the lord c. And my spirite eke reioyceth in God my Sonne which is my Sauiour for els had I wyth the rest of the sinfull world both soule and bodie perished into eternall fire had not this Christ by the spirite of God my Lord bene conceited and borne not of me alone but to and nor me also Secōdly he hath promised by al his Prophets to deliuer vs from error that this Christ is not to be found els where then in Dauids house by the which as all false Christes are descried so also the true Church is hereby approuedly knowne For as after the flesh Christ is of the line of Dauid so spiritually Dauids house signifieth his new Church and in the same wise Christ is by the Prophets called sundrie times Dauid aswell by Jeremie as Ezechiel where the church is prophesied to serue God and Dauid their king vz. christ the sonne of Dauid For Dauid was now long sith departed to the Lord and again sayth the Lord I will set vp a shepherd ouer them euen my seruaunt Dauid c. And my seruaunt Dauid that is Christ shal be the Prince among them I the lord haue spoken it Therefore good Reader of force it must be so The house wherin this Princely Dauid raigneth and this priestly Prophet teacheth is the church of true Israelites the vnfayned house of Jacob to the which and for the which the Angels discend and ascend dayly by the commaundement of our King to the ministring comfort of his
he sheweth himselfe bent to mercie But if both he spare to strike and spende his holy labors by his Propheticall preachers in vaine to the people to whom he sendeth them then and there will he poure out his double plagues to their vtter confusion Let Jerusalem alone suffize to testifye the same And grant O Lord more grace to England that we in no sort receue this thy long suffering aboundant gracious light of thy blessed truth in vaine for thy sonnes sake For then assuredly as it now appeareth by thy handy work is become to be the best Receptacle for thy afflicted members So shall it then be sene an horrible Cage for euery foule byrde and fylthie gryppe and in stede of songes of mirth and ioy howling lamentation and mourning for her great desolation shall found her sorow to the heauens redoūd to the earth againe accompanied wyth thy most terrible plagues in vehement sort Oh the securitie of England Oh the manifest contempt of the English nation Oh the depe dissimulation that enuironeth so the borders of this land as no wher thence it were permitted to haue his passage Wel God sēdeth to thée yet once Zachary Iohn Bap. in plentiful sort to cry with exalted voice incessantly repēt for the day of the Lord is at hand And through the preaching of truth they open the way to saluation in Christ Happie be thou ye twise blessed oh miserable England canst thou in time lende thyne Eares and laye thy hearte to the touche of truethe in this the daye of thy moste louing visitation And thy day of appearing canst be readye to tourne to thy Lorde who shall purge thée lyke vnto moste pure Syluer But if the Lorde take from thée Oh Englande his Worde and Preaching then Desolation is imminent For when Preaching fayleth the people perishe and dye for want of their spiritual breade the force of their lyfe Where is the beautie of the former Hierusalem What is become of the Learned Chorinth the pryde of all Achaia And where is the former glory of that Christian Antioche Is not the east Churche wholy become an Apostata from God and them selues betrothed to the seruitude of sinne his huge enemies And what shal we say of that roging Rome which somtime was the deare church of God is she not now become the seate of Antechrist and the Sinagogue of Sathan Yes forsooth Whence flowed the Floudes of Godlinesse thence commeth the Waters of fylth in the streame of Idolatrie superstition adulterie homicide treason murder couetousnesse and sinnes agaynst nature and the holy Ghost There as in a mirrour we may sée the testimonie of Paule speaking of the Heathen Idolators to the Godly Romanes verifyed For when they professed themselues to be wise they became fooles turning the glory of the incorruptible God to the similitude of a corruptible man c. Wherefore God gaue them vp also to their hartes lustes vnto vnclearnesse to defyle their owne bodies betwéene themselues which tourned the trueth of God to a lye and worshipped and serued the Creature forsaking the Creator which is blessed for euer Amen For this cause sayth Paule God gaue thē vp vnto vile affections The spirit of god foreseeing the lyke Idolatry and sinne to followe in this satanicall Sea warned them by these former plagues to auoyde the seconde destruction set downe by Iohn the diuine in the Reuelation But sith this seate is set for Antechrist and that no man can safely vnder her harbor be sure from Gods wrath or can be permitted to nussle as the Sowe in the myery puddles of her broken Cesternes Let vs wyth on consent recoyle to the commaundement of the Spirite which soundeth the retire from Romish Babilon and her damnable desolation lest running in her chase we be ouertaken by the Lorde which persecuteth her wyth al arma of sundry and sodeyne Fyghtes to her most terrible ouerthrow And always haue before thine eyes that pyller of Salt which sometime was the holy Lots wife who for her great loue she bare to her line bloud which would not lende their eares to God receiued a monstrous shape and lost the beutie of her first Creation A notable example certaynely Vers 10 And to giue knowledge of saluation vnto his people by remission of their sinnes The office of Iohn and how he is to prepare the way of the Lorde is here by Zacharie set downe namely by the Preaching of repentance and driuing the Iews to the view of their sins wherby they might be the more apt to receiue Christ by fayth in him saluation for their sins true righteousnes eternall lyfe This preparation is so requisite as without the same neither shall the wounded man féele his griefe or the dreined conscience gaspe thirst after christes bloud the founteine of health to euery dry sinning soule pined sinner that hungreth his water of life Wherfore his inestimable merit hath not onely giuen a sauiour but hath sent a heauenly voyce to cry out to our deade deafe bodies the knowledge of life and way to saluation which commeth to vs by the forgeuenes of our sinnes at the hands of our good God most merciful father he hauing fully satisfyed his iustice in the person of our crucifyed Christ the chastisement of our peace Thrée especiall poyntes this verse containeth first by what means saluatiō is atteined euen by the forgeuenes of sins Secondly whose sinnes are forgeuen Onely the sinnes of Gods elect chosen people Thirdly the way by the which they atteine to so hie a price Euen by that they haue this saluation made so apparant to them by the ministery of Preaching that they apprehende by fayth Gods spirit opening the hart of the hearer Concerning the first whence new iustification is had is apparantly sene by our Prophet namely that their sinnes be forgiuen thē Neither is there in any one to purchase such remission for then should not our iustification stand in forgiuenes but in mans purchase so god in bestowing life should not giue vs his son but according our merit and his debt pay to vs christ our desert which were to vttermost pestilent blasphemy against God and his Gospell So God loued the world sayth Christ that he gaue his only begoten sonne c. But this verse teacheth vs that our saluatiō is had by the remission of sins seteth downe both the meane for vs to apprehende lyfe and the cause of lyfe also The meane or hande whereby we take holde of christ which is our lyfe is fayth norished and bred in our hartes by the worde preached which accepteth christ as of the Father he is giuen and by the scriptures he is discribed vnto vs The cause here expressed is gods loue who hath predestinate to lyfe all those whom he hath translated from the poynte of death to the kingdome of his deare sonne and from
crosse in his bitter death at what time the angrie countinance of his God with the full paines of hell for mans sin was wholy laide vpon him hee was compelled with vehemency to cry my God my God why haste thou forsaken me The fruite of this death is such that as no one of vs hath put our hand to this crosse with him to cary his Fathers wrath for our sin so hath he obtained such redemption as none of vs that beléeue a right in him shal or can tast any part of condeÌ„nation Further to vs our Saluation is most frée But in respect of the price it is the ful satisfaction of the fathers iustice and the valour is the bloud and death of our redéemer Christ Iesus The end is that we being deliuered froÌ„ sinne c should depart from iniquitie and dedicat our selues to the lord in newnesse of life as chilldreÌ„ redemed froÌ„ sin death Regard with feare therefore thy Christ hys death yeeld not thy self to sathans snare for he that willingly by wilfull lustes wil treade his death vnder his féete cannot be partaker of his glory and lyfe The third thing to obserue is the allusion which our Prophet vseth in this place to the former prophesies calling him the day spring or as other the learned translate the word a Braunch For the former translation great comfort is giuen therby to thée deare reader the word rightly considered in such sence as it ought that is to vnderstand by Oriens not the place wher the Sonne riseth but the Sonne himself so doth Malachie vse that metaphorical spech when he calleth Christ the sonne of righteousnes vnder whose winges or beames lyeth health Note heare our Zachary alluding to this Scripture teacheth Christ to be the trewe Messias the same which was of them promised to bee the lord of life by whom the church shuld haue her light full safety Further looke into the Metaphor the sunne is the guide of the world the beawty of the Heauens the light of the starres and firmament by him the vapours noysome and pestilent are taken from men the spring the Harneste the times and seasons haue their comfort and validitie of him The Moone the figure of Gods churche hath her whole light of his light of him depryued she is in her darkenes and eclipsed state by his presence the night vanisheth the stormes and tempestuous tymes are abandoned as barrennes turned into fertilitie euery crooked occurrent vadeth and all comfortes to men and creatures els present theÌ„ selues To aplie the same with a thousand more fruite thou oughtest whensoeuer thou saiest this Psalme to thy heauenly Lorde the only begotten of God the Sonne of righteousnes which is the light of the world the glory of the father the gouernour of al things the way the truth life it self to al that shal be saued which by him self redéemeth vs with his fathers mercy clotheth vs by his spirit regenerateth sanctifieth guydeth vs in him to lyfe euerlasting The Sun entring the house euery dark corner is full of light what filth remaineth is by him manifested So where christ by faith appeareth in mans hart all ignorance is banished and the light of his word reproueth all iniquitie and driueth all error forth of mans soule The learned Beza translateth the word not Oriens but Germen and in his learned Annotations geueth his reason vpon the nature of the Hebrew word tsemach which saith he signifieth not Oriens but germen a branch he affirmeth there the Prophet to allude vnto the wordes of Zacharie before and Ieremie which promised Christ to spring vp as out of the withered stocke of persecuted Dauid of whom the world should make smal accompt but his groth should be maruailous therfore he addeth from aboue that so he may shew his comming vp to be contrary to the plants of the earth This is the stone which commeth out of the mountaine without hands doth preuaile against al the mountaines of the world though the builders refuse him he is chiefe of the corner This Christ is that despised branch which séemed withered beaten for his own sinne but in the daies of his flesh he so visited vs that by his stripes we â—â—e made whole This is the gréene â—â—irident trée vpon whom the cruell Jewes bestowed their whole tirannie This is the trée â–ª vine of whom the faithfull branches receiue their light knowledge saluation and power to passe the passage of heauenly peace This is that branch by maÌ„s iudgement so eaten into the earth as no bâ—dding or spring shuld be permitted him which by his owne power defendeth his owne cause against the Monarches of the world yéeldeth foyle to the gates infernal spoyleth Satan of his pray This is the Lord king of heauen earth to whoÌ„ the powers aboue the spirits below and â—â—n in earth do stoupe fall before his throne as to their only Lord and God in whose hand is life and death Now deare reader this branch is thine geuen thée of God to be thy staffe of defence in the day â—f battel and hath come himselfe to visite thy weake state â–ª geue to thée his mightie aide The Church of God shall dwell â—ost safely vnder the shadowe of this branche for whosoeuer striueth against her â—re sure to find him present in her to whom he hath distended from aboue to geue comfort to her miseries which he câ—â—leth here darknes and the shadow of death he that lifteth at her shall find her as an heauie stone which shal crush them to péeces Further note hee suffreth oftentimes his holy ones to be led into darke troubles and poyntes of death but then is it his nature to visite them So hée came to Joseph in Pharaos chaynes He suffred the Israelits to be driuen to the brinke of the seas backset with Pharaos whole power but then he visited them gaue the light of life lead them in peace the way of the troublesome waters Hezekia Susanna Sydrach Misach and Abednego Daniel Jonas Paule Stephen and many the fathers since hath he by their trial brought forth Sathans power sheâ—ed in his deliuerie his secrete iudgements and their weakenes not able to wound or confound his instrumentes which of them selues are of most féeble force For neyther Sennacheribs blasphemie the Priestes accusation the burning ouen the Lions den the Whalles bellie Aretas ire or Saules furie could cutte shorte his deare children of his presence in thâ— middle of these their deathes but euen when their liues were thought with Peters in Herods person to be subiect to present death then did the Lord beyond all expectation deliuer them Finally to some such as he beyond al time hath predestinate in time to be called hath he appeared to their conciences and body in the extreme darknes of their furie in
An Exposition of the Hymne commonly called Benedictus with an ample comfortable application of the same to our age and people By A. Anderson Preacher Stay prophane vain bablings for they shall encrease vnto more vngodlines 2. Timothe 2.16 But if you haue bitter enuying and strife in your harts reioyce not neither be liars against the truth This wisdom discendeth not from aboue but is earthly sensuall and diuelish For where enuying and strife is there is sedition and all maner of euill woorkes Iames. 3.14.15 16. ¶ Imprinted at LondoÌ„ by Henry Middelton for Raufe Newbery The booke to the Reader To prayse the Lord is my desire To helpe his Church all that I can To quench if could such burning yre As Satan late hath caste in man VVhile pen doth carpe at brothers ill Sinne taketh rest the Church doth spill For other state some men do craue And cut themselues from this we haue In hart they hate thy state and life â–ª They ioy to see thee at such strife And they at ease do by disdaine Inuent all meanes t' encrease thy paâ—â—â— Their Pope and Masse they long to see Our Christ his law and vnitie They do blaspheme through our discent In cases new of gouernment Thy brawle their broyle would come to end If cease thou couldst thus to contend Ioyne hands in one embrace remorce To banish sinne bend all thy force Thy selfe restraine Gods truth respect His Church and peace of his elect Vouchsafe vs Lord thy Christ his grace Our Queene thy sprite but sinne deface Amen A.A. ¶ To the right reuerend Father in God THOMAS by the mercifull prouidence of God Bishop of Lincolne his good L Anthony Anderson Minister of the good Gospel of God wisheth all health and peace in Christ our only Sauiour THe holy Apostle sayth that whatsoeuer thinges are writteÌ„ afore time are written for our learning which sentence reuerend father as often as I do remember by the hand leadeth mee deepely to consider with reuerent regard what I read in the holy Scriptures and vrgeth me by feruent prayer to craue of God the geuer of all good giftes in Christ the true vnderstanding of the Scriptures sense and the hidden treasures therein comprised And so hath it pleased the lord of life to open the windows of heauen his name bee euer praised and from thence by his spirite most familiarly to speake vnto mee by his written word So that to his great prayse and my endlesse comfort I see that no iot of his Law is voyd of most excellent comfortes to the heart that simply in integritie of soule seeketh to quench his thirst in this fountaine of health the Gospell of God. In this word I find the knowledge of God Christ his sonne with promise of his holy spirit shall in all his elect open their hartes and write in them the true vnderstanding of his lawes Ezec. 36. The which most excellent gift by the learned books since the time of the Apostles and penned trauels of sundrie godly fathers in the Church aswell before our times as in these our dayes doth appeare to be eueÌ„ now most florishing in the church of God his name be alwayes praysed therefore And wherefore did the Prophets by his spirite speake or Christ and his Apostles preach or the godly Fathers before vs or these our learned writers in this age VVherefore I saye with hart mouth and penne haue they trauailed But to vtter the testimonie of gods gift confesse his name to the people of the earth to the life of the elect the inexcuse of the reprobate So will the Lord haue his spirite euer resiant in his Church to the end of the world To follow these Fathers as they followe Christ I accompt it my part hauing for further example amongest the many worthy workes of our writers now your L. profitable worke lately set forth to the better tast of Gods good wil in his expressed word in the appoynted Lessons at common prayer Of which worke I cease to speake further and seeke to follow as I can such good examples to the ende before touched VVhat if my Mite be not much worth Yet as it commeth from the Lord of heauen so shal it no doubt profite thither to his habilitie and that is my whole desire Let the learned eares accept as in inferior place this my small coyne yet good curraÌ„t siluer I trust tried by the touch of truth and geue him licence to passe to the lesse learned and poore countrey people whose state requireth yet mornings milke not all able for solidate questioÌ„s or deepe digested misteries Their soules are precious in the sight of God their liues ought to be deare in our consciences their wounded hartes require some soueraigne medicine of gentle digesture and quiet operation yet so that their ignorance weaknes may be remoued which God for his mercies sake in Christ vouchsafe them richly in his loue This is not the least cause why I haue stirred vp the small gift of God in me to exercise the same vpon this Hymne vsed in and at the morning prayer Iudging as by order through vse the wordes are readie at the lippe to vouch the Prophetes speech So if their tender hartes had some helpe to open therto the hidden cause of ioye in that holy letter no doubt I say the same of them shuld both with hart and mouth ioynd in one consent of grateful harmonie crie out the praises of the Lord in the temples of the holy Ghost which is the song that deliteth only the musical eares of Gods maiestie Assuredly al other chaunting notes and changing keys seeme they neuer so pleasant in the eares of men are far estranged from the good like of god al if set vp in his house of prayer This people worship me saith God with their lippes but their hartes are farre from me In vaine do they serue me c. And albeit I cannot touch the stile worthie so high a matter or set downe such deepe doctrine as the nature of the place requireth or yet approch such the hidden treasures as are here layd vp or the finenes of this our age expecteth yet nay the lesse the wydowes Myte is my boldninge comfort And on the other part the sorowfull lookes of the slothful Miser to whom the Lordes Talent was imparted maketh me afraid to queÌ„ch the spirit or stay the firie word kindled in my hart if I may vse Ieremies wordes at this present But be it that I should blushe to present my simple skill to the scanning of the wise and sharpned sight of the loftie learned deepe Doctors of our time knowing that my owne weaknes is to sundrie of them knowne also inable to this exploit in respect of infinit others â–ª yet I ioye at this refuge my conscience beareth me witnes tofore GOD and men that the onely end and scope of this my pen is chiefely to promote Gods glory
elect This Christes church where this horne is erected is builded not by mans wisedome nor mayntained by popish policie and diuelish diuinitie but the chiefe builder hereof is Christ himselfe and by his commission his Prophets before him which by his spirite word builded the harts of the fathers to the fayth in his erected sonne And euer since his Apostles Euangelists Pastours Doctors and preachers which receiue of his holy Gospel and therewith edifie the church are likewise builders of this holy temple and house of our heauenly Dauid Of which house Christ is the head and chiefe corner stone The familie and building of this house are such ▪ as by the Apostolical and Euangelicall Doctrine are brought to the rules which are therein set by the Lord herein erected of him also to the same end they haue their name eate of his bread and worke as hée is by calling in such good workes as are of the same Lord for them prepared euen from the time of calling till the last houre of the penies receite The continual building of this Dauids house is by preaching the word of truth not by popish pressing in of false Doctrine by geuing the sacraments of the Lord to the people as they themselues haue of the Lord receiued them And not without commission and against the word to take the same from the people and offer them vp to the Lord as doe the Papistes Also to kéepe the house in order by ciuil and ecclesiasticall gouernment with the lawe of Christ our Dauid By this and such like building where so euer the Church is thus set vp the same is true Dauids house And where the power of this horne is in the hartes of the people by the worke of Gods spirite surely setled and through the instrument and organ of preaching the same Christ is naked and without corruption in Doctrine described simplie and depaynted so plaine wyth the pensell of the Scriptures that hee is to them manifested as hée is of the Father geuen the onely promised Christ crucified our saluation redemption iustification that Prophet the onely Priest and our Kyng and that all men by such meanes are drawen alone to the Father by hym there maye wée assure our selues that that Church and Nation is Dauids house and therein is Christ to be found erected for our saluation Against this building the gates of Hell shall not preuayle For as many as beleue in him shall not perish wyth the serpent Sathans sting but by this holy serpent voyd of poyson Christ Iesus shal haue eternall life Agaynst this church and to the subuersition of his house the old enemie hath set him selfe wyth his whole power continually to persecute the same and hath so preuayled in the eyes of men that this house hath eftsones séemed a forsaken cottage in the Lords vineyard and the familie destroyed But euen when it séemed of least value then from the handes of such strength the mightie God hath valiantly taken of that number such as shoulde cōtinue his house elswhere And wheras the wicked seketh the destructiō of this house God by his might vseth the same another way that to two principall ends First to teach other natiōs into the which they are dispersed that heauenly doctrine which els they had not known And secōdly that at their returne they might bring with them againe not only his word law but therwith many mo children begottē in that time by the persecuted gospel eftsones to the enlarging of the borders of that late nobled church Go and kill sayth raging Saule the priestes of the Lord which were the remnant of Elie for their hand is with Dauid they haue not bewrayed him to me At whose commandement that cursed Doeg did kill of them 85. priestes of the Lord that were the lynnin Ephod Their Citie Nob also hee destroyed from the most to the least some and all for the hate he bare to them that fauoured Dauid What then Did he herewith kil the church No surely In this sharpe persecution Abimeleck his sonne called Autathar one of these priests escaping fled to Dauid which was him selfe also from the furie of the sayde Saule fled to Achish the Kyng of Gath a heathen prince where both hée had succour and Auiathar continued with him to the continuall encrease of Gods Church Note here with me good Reader that God by his prouidence doth vse the bloudie hand of Saule whose purpose was to destroy by his kingly power both priest and people in Gods Church to an other end for he made him his instrument therby to spreade the same his church among the gentiles that not only in that place their harts might haue experiment of his power but that also his Church of Iesus then to the comfort of the same nowe might behold his secret work far passing al their expectations which was to foster for a season in such flight such two principal persons as after should erect that persequuted cause and people in the same persequuted Nation and that by no lesse meane then whereby for a time the same was repressed nor in any other place then in Saules seate that is to say Dauid hys faithfull fostred king and Auiathar his good preserued prest When cruel Athalia the Mother of Ahasia King of Ierusalem sought to extirpe the kings séede that she might vsurpe the kingdome shée murthering the rest did she destroy the house No Joash one of his sonnes was from her hand of slaughter saued that by the hand of a maid his Sister till the time that the Lord had appointed for the said Ioashe the true King to enter into his realme and so to render recompence by iust pay of deserued death to that wicked vsurper Athalia which after Seuen yeares he brought to passe setting this reserued Ioash in his fathers seate Herod also séeking by the death of the innocentes to kill the Messias not only failed of his pray but was himselfe deuoured of GODS Iustice And although the Papistes followe these and such other their forefathers in like murthering crueltie as lately in Englande and since in Fraunce yet will the LORDE and hath the LORDE set vppe as he hath promised by the mouthe of all his Prophetes since the worlde began his Christe to bee his strength in spite of them Who yéelding as it were for the tyme doth thereby nothing loose but lesse ableth the aduersarye While by Sathans furie the Churche is else where gone as before is saide to bringe foorth by her Christe in a more quiet place many moe Children At whose returne the losse of her former are restored with infinite moe her borders enlarged her honoure encreased and her fame spred ouer all For the LORD her strength hath and will confounding her ennemies and treading them in the mire geue her the
victorie Adde vnto the holy Scriptures testes our own experimented testymony in the late persecuting time of Queene Marie and therewith well consider the encrease of hys Church number of her children which by the persecuted Preachers then with others their brethren since through their ministerie in the Gospell are begot in Christ and in thys Churche of Englande fostered to the praise and in the profession of the same our lord To conclude let euery faithfull man assure himselfe of the same continuall worke of God in his church to the end of the world For his eyes with remembrance of his promise are euer ouer the righteous to performe to all perpetuity that which by so many holy witnesses as his patriarks prophets he hath to the same promised frō time to time so assuredly Now let vs repaire again to our prophet Zachary who proceding doth set forth at large the performed promise of God and the effectes of the same to his beloued Church saying as followeth Vers 4 That he would send vs deliueraunce from our ennemies and from the hands of all that hate vs. Vers 5 That he would shew mercie towardes our Fathers and remember his holy couenant Vers 6 And the othe which he sware to our Father Abraham Vers 7 Which was that he would graunt to vs that we being deliuered out of the handes of our enemies should serue him with out feare Vers 8 All the daies of our life in holines and righteousnes before him This whole text dependeth vppon the former expounded verse As he promised to our fore c. And declareth by manifest proofe the faithfulnes of God which hath fulfilled his promises and oth not by the Prophets alone but long before made to the Patriarkes that was to Abraham saying I will blesse them that blesse thée and I wil curse them that curse thée And also thy séede shall possesse the gates of their enemies and in thy séede shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed and this promis he confirmed with an oth which Zacherie here repeateth saying I haue sworne by my selfe I will blesse thée and multiplie thy seede His liuing couenant also with Abraham was this Moreouer I will stablish my loue betwéene me and thée and thy séede after thée in their generations for an euerlasting couenant to be god vnto thée and to thy séede after thée And I will geue thée and thy séede after thée the land wherein thou art a straunger euen all the land of Canaan for an euerlasting possession I wil be their god And with our Father Dauid he made a couenant also which by oth eke he established that it might be euery way most firme and now in sending his Christ saith Zachary he hath performed the same which erst thus spake I haue made a couenant with my chosē I haue sworne to Dauid my seruant thy séed wil I stablish for euer and set vp thy throne from generation to generations Againe I haue found Dauid my seruant with my holy oyle haue I anointed him Therefore mine hand shal be established with him and my arme shall strengthen him The enemy shall not oppresse him neither shal the wicked hurt him But I will destroy his foes before his face and plague them that hate him My truth and my mercy shal be with him and in my name shall his horne be exalted And albeit that these and such other couenants by GOD with the Fathers made for and to them and the rest of his Churche may séeme to sound temporall thinges yet beside that this Psalme sheweth them to be spirituall our Prophet here as a moste true Paraphrast expoundeth the same couenantes and promises by othe of the LORDE also confirmed to their infallible stabilitie to be vnderstanded of vs spiritually and in Christ to possesse them by him likewyse as victorius men and more then conqueroures to triumph ouer and against our spirituall ennemies sinne Sathan the worlde and the flesh Principalities powers worldly gouernoures that is to say such as gouerne by and for the worldes luste Princes of darknes of this world spirituall wickednesses which are in high places and whatsoeuer openeth it selfe to the worke of our Saluation Neither did Christ deliuer the Iewes from the tirranny and bondage of the Romaines but yéelding himselfe to that authoritye paid the tribute thither due Teachinge vs thereby to looke for a further a more blessed deliuerance of which as before Paule speaketh to the Ephesians And the Angelles from Heauen preached the same to Ioseph saying he shal be called Iesus For he shall saue his people not from temporall gouernment of Straungers but from the spiritual captiuity of their sinnes That being so from feare of sin sathan hell world and flesh spiritually and safely deliuered they may serue the Lord not with Iewish rites or popish deuotion but with sinceritie of hart purenes of handes in euery place in true holynesse and like righteousnesse by him accepted and in his sight frée from hipocrisy al the daies of their life Lo this is the fruite of the blessed promises othe and couenantes which our Prophet here speaketh of This is the victory which God geueth to his faithfull fighting souldiers and sanctified people On this sorte shall they possesse the gates of their ennemies they shal through Christ their head remaine and dwell as Lordes ouer all thinges And shall treade Satan vnder their féete notwithstanding his dayly assaltes and subtil fight The battel is betwixt Sathan and the soule of man it beginneth wyth mans lyfe and is fought in the fielde of a good conscience enduring by fayth till death for both partes sound the retyre But the a victory by Gods spirite is euer assured to the faythfull and shall be perfected wyth b Christ in his kingdome to our endles happie and most blessed state Now hauing the text thus opened by Gods mercies and grace of his spirit let vs according to our former rule obserue some such profitable notes as the same doth reache apparantly to our considerations And first in this seconde verse of this section for of the first we shall speake more herafter Christ so willing let vs vpon the wordes note that the Fathers Patriarkes and Prophets albeit they are of the prophet here called and that truly holy yet did not their holinesse demerit such great treasures and heauenly fruitfulnesse eyther for their selues or their posterity as by his words he here expresseth But sayth the prophet well instructed in the doctrine of truth the Lorde was there vnto brought towardes our Fathers by his mere mercy that wyth them he should make so Solempne and Honorable a couenaunt And if the Fathers whose holinesse the sacred Scriptures so much recounteth had not wherwyth to meritte the couenaunt of peace wyth God Where shall theyr Chyldren obteyne suche pryce Naye such as haue sought by theyr worthynesse and Obedience to the Lawe set
to sweare truely that which hee himselfe knoweth by sight or self hearing and not to leane vpon other mens reportes Furthermore let no man frame himselfe to sweare for trifling things or lightly prouoked but in mere necessitie then with graue consideration and reuerent regard of Gods presence before whom wée all stand whose eyes behold the déedes of all men whose eares receaue the whispering spéech of the déepe dissembling harte Trēble therefore to sweare for light matters or at euery mans first perswasion for an oth is the extreme poynt of Gods ordinance to bée vsed of men and before Magistrates to banish braules and contention and to conserue the peace and vtilitie of his church The fourth and last poynt is that wée sweare in Justicia Let not your othes sayth he be contrary to right and godlines but thereby séeke to geue to euery man that which of right is due vnto him whether in cases pertayning to God to godly Magistrates or to any other sorts of men And let the loue of God and of eour Christian brethren wyth regard of the onely truth hée alwayes your guide in swearing and not the faces of sinfull men In any case beware of too much credite in other men geue thy selfe his true Iusticia that is to say let thine owne eyes thy reason thy conscience thy faith thy honestie thy person with his name fame and crauing credite kéepe him selfe subiect to the Lord his God in holines and righteousnes in the middle of the euill world al the dayes of thy lyfe Farre bée it from thée to become the slaue of the riche in thy swearing the foresworne tenaunt of thy leude prouoking landlord or a chayned lumpe of flesh to the bones of thy kindred by such meanes or any wayes else to bée caried from the truth to the hurt of an other though hée bée thine enemie or to the condemnation of thine owne soule by a false othe to purchase thy friend his pleasure Finally if thou shalt embrace that which here thou art exhorted vnto and shalt abhorre that which thou readest here forbidden of God thou shalt in such swearing blesse his name and he shall acknowledge thée for his child and in his Christ shall defend thée from the force and rage of the mighty wicked in earth and shall geue thée in the end of this thy life thy resting place and dwelling house his holy Tabernacle the heauenly blisse as the Prophet Dauid doth witnesse in the fiftenth Psalme most comfortably to the reading of the which I referre thée Now are we come to that which we erst promised vz. to speake of our deliuerance from our enemies by this erected horne Christ whereto god hath sworne that we should not only giue him the more credit but also shuld frame our selues in him to lead the life that such redemption requireth at our hands But this redemption reacheth to the ends of the world therfore what kind of enemies so euer or in what sort they bend their battrie against vs God by this Scripture with other his promises hath assured vs the victory and from our foes full deliuerance Our enemies are sinne Satan the world and the flesh who in all ages haue not onely troubled the church people of god with grosse and carnall vices but haue set vp in the sayde Church a fourme of Religion deuised in Hell carying the title of holinesse and Gods seruice wherewith they haue more easely drawne the multitude of men from GOD to such sinne vnder the cloke of deuotion to their perpetuall confusion and shame This imagined holinesse and humane religion did Sathan first broche in the church of Iesus vnder Moyses and eftsones renued the same as hée could chaunging him selfe after the fashion of euery age preuayleth till the time of Christ and the Pharisies and since also hath playd his part in the Synagoge of Rome of whose filthie cup the Kynges and Nations of the earth haue tasted to their extreme dronkennes This is the greatest enmitie that Sathan can worke to Gods people vnder coulour of séeking and seruing him to drawe them quite from his Maiestie and in such sort blyndeth their eyes and wyth his fierie Dartes so kendleth their carnall zeale that in the will worshippe of their owne inuention they spare no cost or shunne any payne to séeme more then religious therein In this our age the Church of England is vexed wyth two horrible Impes and messengers of our enemie Sathan as sent of hym to molest our happie state to stoppe the ioyes that wée are to conceiue in our most comfortable Christ The first imphe is the forraine papisticall foe the seconde is our domesticall Englishe hipocrites The forrayne Papistes beyonde the seas haue bent their force agaynst the truth professed here in Englande and to encounter wyth the same haue prepared a double shot agaynst this frontire our religion The one shooting slaunder by rayling penne at the truth and persons professing the same the other charged wyth treason and Popishe pouder shooteth at the state and person of our souereigne as at the Liefetenaunt of the Lordes bande But from them both the Lorde in his great mercie hath and doth deliuer vs And with the truth of his Gospel by such habilitie as he geueth to his church and ministerie in these our dayes doth so ouertake the wylinesse of our aduersaries that their penned bookes are in euery respect learnedly and truly made knowne as they are to be ouer weake to breake the Walles of Gods church much lesse to confounde the Doctrine professed in the same Wherfore as men alwearied in wofull wast labors after sundrye conflictes hauing spent all their popish muniments in this war they pray a peace take a day of truce and so by scilence subscribe to the conquering truth which by his force their pouertie they are compelled vnto The charged shot of treason which the Romanistes haue trayled to this nation are they not by the Lord before the time of their discharge and without the strength of man broken al in péeces The smith that framed them the pope I say is he not ashamed to sée his Platforme put to foyle What Nation doth hée more enuie then this our happye Land What confederacies doth he make with sundrie conspiracies both wyth in and wyth out the Lande against the Lord and his anoynted Prince What offers of ayde what practises for proofe of good successe hath his vnholy holinesse assayde in this Lande and yet the Lorde hath deliuered and preserued from al his subtle engines both her maiestie and vs that she should be mauger his bearde the Nurssing Moother not onely to the Churche vnder her gouernement but also to the Afflicted members of Iesus CHRIST which that Huge Dragon doth Persecute from place to place And happye may her Maiestie be that GOD vouchsafeth to select her béeing a weake woman from among the mightie Monarchies of
stones with Carbuncle lay thy foundations with Saphire I wil make thy windows of Emraudes thy gates shining stones all thy borders of pleasant stones and all thy Children shal be taught of God and much peace shal be vnto 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 nie thée Beholde the Enemye shall gather himselfe but wythout me whosoeuer shall gather hymselfe in thée agaynst thée shall fall Beholde I haue made the Smyth that bloweth the Coales in the Fyre and him that bringeth forth an Instrument for his worke and I haue Created the Destroyer to destroy but all the Weapons that are made agaynst thée shall not prosper And euery Tongue that shall aryse vp against thée in Iudgement thou shalt Condemne Thys is the Lordes Heritage and their ryghteousnesse is of mée sayth the LORDE Thus farre the Prophete speaketh to teache thée good Reader great cause of comfort and courage agaynst dispayre though England which is Gods church haue now many enemies risen vp against her her religion yea though her owne skirtes doe carie suche as insult agaynst her she is Promised that theyr Weapons and the smith that framed them shal not prosper Their lybelling bookes which séeke to persecute her though they come from the house of counsell and séeme to procede from the seate of learnings iudgement yet shal this church of God be set a Iudge ouer their wearie trauels and toyling spite and shall condemne them Let that worthy Jewel of famous memory the holy confessor and Saint of and by Iesus Christ treasured vp in the Lapydarie of the heauens for the glory of our God let his excellent workes I say stand for an ample warrant hereto to this age to her posteritie for euer And let others whether at home or abroade looke for the same end of their molesting troubles which they cast into this our age and Church But thou wilt say why doth the Lord suffer so long our weake consciences to be troubled with these contending strifes What art thou O man that wilt dispute with God These troubles to vs yet in respect of the Schismes of old are but as an entring into the first moment of the day Waite thou the lords leysure and be still learne thy song framed by firme hope in truth which Micah hath taught the church of God alwayes in her trouble to sing thou shalt be relieued though thy enemies yet séeke to triumph ouer thée Reioyce not against me O my enemie saith the church there for though I fal I shal arise when I shal sit in darknes the Lord shall be a light vnto me I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him vntil he plead my cause and execute iudgement for me then wil he bring me forth to the light I shal sée his righteousnes Then she that is my enemie shall looke vpon it shame shall couer her which said vnto me Where is the Lord thy God my eyes shall behold her now shal she be troden downe as the myre of the stréets c. Thus much forth of the prophet Micah where thou maist learn to accuse thy self for thy sinne as Dauid did séeing the people afflicted not with Achab to charge the Lord or his profession Prophets whē troubles plagues arise in the church but to turne thy eyes into thy owne conscience sée the booke of thy iniquities there written to confesse before god man that thy sinne is the cause of such trouble plague brought into the church people by Satan his malice the pollicie of these his wicked impes Last of all discourage not at the romish scoffes taunting reproches nor yet despaire in the bottome of her darke dungeons sharpe persecutions for the lord wil comfort thée in them if thou rest vpon his laysure remaine constant in the end deliuering thée wil stampe thy enemie into dirt make thée beautiful in the sight of al men that thou maist serue him thy god thus deliuered frō feare in new holines deuoid of hypocrisie in iustice righteous dealing to with al men in the place of thy abode traffike els where amōgst men in earth And euer respect thy deliuerāce frō sinne regard thy state so that Satan eftsones pul thée not to thy former sinne which cōpelleth his erst bondage for the end of such as so fal is worse then the beginning And thus much for the first part of this Hymne in which I haue bene more prolixe then first I purposed but I trust that the profite which may rise vppon the attentiue reading of the matter simply set downe wil coūteruaile the tedious sight of so much blotted paper sith my willing trauayles hath forced me to dwell in comfortable spéech with the lesse learned some thing the longer because they of themselues can not conceiue such profitable matter as this our text doth exhibite to the serching eye assuredly perswaded that the better so godly learned will vouchsafe soueraigne Censure to this my vnpolished pen. And wherein I erre from the truth if by the same I may heare louingly therof as I hope I haue geuen no poyson to the Church so I wil be glad to reforme that and those thinges which godly reasons with learned truth shall require at my hands The Lord graunt continuance of his gospell in this Nation preseruation to her Maiestie with encrease of Gods knowledge and zeale to his holy name and to vs and his whole Church from all heresies Scismes and ciuill dissentions if it stand with his good wil and pleasure once full deliuerance that we may serue the Lord our god in sinceritie of hart and integritie of life in his sight by his holy spirite all the dayes of our life to whom by and with Christ our Lord to that deitie in the trinal vnitie be al praise power glory for euer Amen Vers 9 And thou child shalt be called the Prophet of the most high for thou shalt goe before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes As the sacred Priest before had declared Gods great benefites and faithfulnes in performing his louing promises to the redemption of his elect So now he returneth to this present action and vsing the person of an interpreter expoundeth the Oracle of God declaring his sonne this child to be the same preacher and Doctor which erst by the Prophet Malachy was promised to precede Christ By whose trauel in Doctrine the way should be prepared for the Lordes comming his and our Messias Which office this babe in his appoynted time executed right wel with sinceritie of hart ▪ sparing no person place time or people or omitted any occasiō when he might most aptly performe such his calling This Baptistes voyce was euer crying against the sinnes of all exhibiting the remedie
concerning the purpose of God in this Baptist Thus he saith And thou little babe shalt be called the Prophet of the highest c. By these words we are put in mind stil of Gods aboundant mercy in his Christ who not only maketh Zacharie an old comfortable father but openeth also vnto him the arcane counsel of his diuine disposition And by the spirit of prophecy assureth him and the Church committed to him of the heauenly benefite their spirituall deliuerance in this Christ their true Messias of whom this little babe that yet can nothing say shal be the most noble preacher and Prophet When hée calleth him the Lords Prophet he acknowledgeth him to be the interpreter of the lords Law and Oracles the Doctor and preacher in to the Church of God by whose mouth the Lord him selfe speaketh to the same opening to them his secretes and manifesting his holy will as appeareth by that which followeth To geue knowledge of Saluation c. Which prophecie of the father was fulfilled in his sonne the Baptist in the the first yeare of Tiberius at which time Christ was about thirtie yeres of age And John began to preach publiquely saying Repent for the kingdome of God is at hand Two notable thinges in the wordes of this his text he promiseth to his sonne by his warrant receiued frō god First that albeit he be in respect of natures worke and the worldes reputation but a small child and of lowe degrée yet hath the lord chosen appointed him from his cradell nay before his creation to be the instrument most apt to the Lordes labour The second is the nature of his office which is to prepare make straight the way of the Lord as the Angel before had sayd to Zacharie in the vision Who being corrected for his doutfulnes assured him selfe and others most constantly of the Lordes promise which was that this holy Prophet the Baptist should be great in the sight of God and should not geue him selfe with the wicked Priestes of the earth or the false prophets of Israel to gorge their crawes with bibbing cheare but should lead an austere temperate diet hauing his hart wholy set vpon his office which the spirit of God selected him to from his mothers wombe that he should turne the children of Israel to their Lord God by that heroicall spirite which God erst gaue to Helias to turne the harts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisedome of the iust men to make ready a people prepared for the lord This was the most excellent office of the Baptist in consideration wherof this Zachary song this Psalme to the lords praise Now let vs note here good reader that not by chāce but by gods prouidēce al things are guided to his glory the churches profite Not any mā is by chāce set into place autoritie or any office but are appointed of god in his wisdome yea before they are to be men beyond his search sute or expectatiō to the seruice of his god As Moyses Aarō Saul Dauid Samuel Amos Jeremie Esay Christ him selfe Paule the Apostles els and all others before and since The very wicked Magistrates their office and authoritie is of the Lord by him kinges doe raigne good or euil In that they are kinges of his good wisedome it is but as they are euill it is of their owne frowardnes Satans malice from which persons neyther may the action of Gods iustice in any wise be seperate Pharao his hart the Lord hardened Nabuchadnezar hée stirred vp against the children of Israel Pilate and Herode with the Gentiles and cruel Jewes were in their malicious harts furiously bent and did in déede gather them selues together against Christ the annoynted of the lord But it was to do whatsoeuer the hand and the counsell of the Lord had before determined to be done All which emphatically Zacharie voucheth vnder this word Thou shalt c. Wherefore let vs depend vpon our heauenly fathers prouidence and what gouernement raigne pollicie or order so euer we sée prayse God for the good pray God to amend rectifie or remoue the euill at his good pleasure and for his spirit to direct our steppes knowing that as a sparowe falleth not to the ground without the heauenly fathers prouidēce So shall nothing come to passe without his good pleasure to his elect And the euent shall euer be to them because they feare the Lord good and prosperous Oh that ye Papistes Atheists and other the Macheuils of this our age could consider this then would ye not so range at the Gospell or so enuie the professors therof or yet contēne so gracious gouernmēt as is set ouer you vs by the which not by casualitie but by diuine destinie gods word is so amplie preached forcibly beaten into your eares that were you not appointed to the slaughter in the day of wrath impossible should it be for you to remayne rebellious But so is it Gods good pleasure to rayse vp little Baptists and lowly babes to possesse that grace which you wise and mightie Giants of the world despise and persecute All prayse be to thée O heauenly father therefore and continually vouchsafe thy blessing to this our nation graunt our Dauid to consider thy choyse of her Maiestie which was not from the fold of simple shepe but out of the Lions téeth the Papists clawes out of the Towers prison and tirans death to féede thy people of England in the sinceritie of her harte and the porcion of her gracious giftes bestowed vppon her Moreouer I note to thée good reader the yet more mercie of our good GOD who spilleth not but spareth the worlde for the electes sake and before he sendeth destruction for sinne he exhibiteth to that people his Prophetes to call them to repentance that he in lyke sort may torne from the euil which he hath determined agaynst them As to Adam in Paradise he appeared by him selfe To Cain by his voyce from heauen To Pharao by Mosses To Achab his age by Hely To the Iewes before the destruction by Esay Je. sundry others To Ierusalem by Iohn Baptist Christ Iesus and his Apostles forty and od yeares after his death and all to call these to repentance and true turning to the Lorde by the warning of the Trumpe of God the mouthes of the Preachers But alas these ages as they are past before vs so haue they left to their posteritie as yet their former vices of securitie and contempt of the preachers voyce So that Esay may well say at this houre Lorde who beleueth our saying or to whom is the arme of the Lord knowne But woe ouertooke them and so shall it all such as despising the light of the worde wallow still in the myre of mans deuises agaynst god Where God offereth his worde therewyth
among the wicked of the earth hath taken them and according to his good will being before the foundation of the worlde was layde hath chosen them to be his people This is the minde of our Prophet saying To giue knowledge c. If we should aske of the Papistes whereby we apprehend Saluation they will say to vs partly by christ and partly by the worthinesse of mans workes Such blasphemies they bray out of their helly hartes But deare reader be not deceiued by their delusions lend thy selfe some leasure to take view for thy wealth of that which here is sayd Were it that saluation could be atteyned by the workes of the law as true it is the law of-God sayth he that doth fulfill the law shall lyue by the law yet are there two absolute reasones ouerthrowing all meritte in man what or whosoeuer by the Lawe The firste is the impossibilytie that is men to perfourme the law The other is the frayltie of man which fulfylling if he could yet can not alwayes stand frée from transgressing the Law of god And at what time he falleth his righteousnes tombleth downe with himselfe in to the dyche and so frustrate is his vaine trust before reposed in his owne holines For the first he that shall by the works of the Lawe become iust before God must in hearte be pure from Sinne for as out of a filthy puddle can naturally come no swéete water so out of a wicked hart can procéede no pure action nor is God pacified from wrath by any worke which procéedeth from a sinfull and a corrupted conscience Search seeke from east to west north south among the sonnes of men behold no where shalt thou find a man whose hart is pure from sinne Nay whose harte is not altogether a lump of that Massie poison so that if God should loke strayghtly vpon him his holinesse should not be able to abyde the tryall of the lord Finally the wisedome of the fleshe is death and is at set battle in enimytie wyth God for it is not subiect to the Spirite nor the Law of God neyther in deede can be So that I conclude with Paule that they which be in the flesh and that is euery Popishe iusticiarie cannot please god Wherfore since the founteine of mans harte is corrupt and poysoned what pleasant action can proceede from his conduites But ye will say the regenerate man meriteth Yet Paule sayth to the man regenerate what hast thou that thou hast not receiued I suppose Paule was regenerate when he wrot his Epistle to the Romanes and yet he of himselfe sayth that his hart is combred wyth the Canker of sinne So that he dare not boast of meritte but rather cryeth out for woe agaynst that guylt of his Regenerate fleshe saying I sée another Lawe in my members rebelling agaynst the Lawe of my mind and leading me Captiue into the Lawe of Sinne that is in my members Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodye of this death I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lorde His desert here he confesseth to be suche that were it not God through Christ our Lorde he caried nothing with him but a body he meaneth soule and body deseruing by meritte euerlasting death And of his impossibilitie to perfourme the act of Iustification by workes he in that place a little before sheweth saying for I know that in me that is in my fleshe dwelleth no good thing for to will is present wyth me but I finde not meanes to perfourme that which is good for I doe not that good thing that I would but the euill that I would not that doe I. If in the best sort of men and most perfect Sinne hath such power how shall the Papistes the ofscourings of the Church boast of their worthinees Nay neyther we or our Fathers are able to fulfyll the law and therefore God sent his sonne in the similitude of sinful flesh and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh that the righteousnesse of the lawe should be fulfilled in vs that is to say by christ imputed to vs which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And that no man should bost of his workes being regenerate he more telleth vs that God the father which raised vp his son christ from death shall also quicken our mortal bodies not for any worthines in vs but because of his owne gift euē bicause his spirit dwelleth in vs Thus his diuine wisdome hath disposed the matter that both the action the cause of our true righteousnesse may not descende one steppe from the maiesty of his throne of grace Assure thy selfe therefore Christian reader that in man is no meritte vnlesse to death for Sinne which maketh al men culpable before god So it is his goodnesse to haue mercy vpon all Therfore if thou wilt atteyne to true righteousnesse it is by the lawe not of works but of fayth in Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all that beleue For the redemption is not in man regenerate or carnall but in christ who hath reconciled vs to the father in his bloud declareth our righteousnesse to come by the forgiuenes of our sinnes so preaching cōfusion shame to vs the glory to him selfe And albeit that fayth which saueth is called a worke yet is not the worke comming from the poure of man for it is the worke of God and his onely gift by the which we obteine christ in whom we haue plentifull redemption from all our sins Now let vs speak of the second branch that is of mans impossibility to stand alwayes fulfilling the law The Scripture saith cursed is euery man that continueth not in al things which are written in the law to doe them And againe when a righteous man tourneth away from his righteousnes and committeth iniury he shal euen die for the same If once departure from well doing demerit death and the iust falleth seauen times and since there is no flesh that sinneth not nor any be he neuer so pefect that alwaies continueth in well doing I aske where shall we finde the meriting man or who shall dare to present him before the Lorde the reuenger of sin Or yet what is he that can deliuer himselfe from the danger of Gods Curse due to his transgressions Vaine therefore and diuelish is the confidence in such Popish doctrine and pernicious is the euill which this opinion bringeth to the soule and great is the iniurie by it committed against christ Iesus the price of thy forgiuenes The man meritor thrusteth Christ Crucifyed vnder his féet setteth himselfe vp in his stead for his owne sauiour by his workes But cast thy accompt by scripturs audite at the foot of the same thou shalt find this debt apparant to such wastfull spenders of their Lordes treasure that such as haue sought
righteousnes by the works of the law haue lost the same this remaineth recorded for the iust that all which sought it by faith not by works haue atteined to true righteousnes in déede What then doth it profit good men to worke good works The good wors of holy men profite 2. waies First weighing their valoure wyth our dutie they cast downe our Peacoks tayle and Egles hearte béeing so farre shorte of that they should they call mans crye to vouche his state vnprofytable to his Lorde And so wyth crauinge Pardon for his sinnes fogetting his fewe déedes now past he hasteneth wyth humblenes to the degrées of encrease to walke and please God as he ought towards the throne of grace where he séeth by fayth himselfe drawne vp wyth courage to rest in Christ for lyfe since his spirite liueth in him Secondly they worke a most assured corroboration in our hartes whylest we consider of whom we haue suche grace Euen that our hartes of Adamant are changed to fleshye not fleshly harts into the same Gods holy spirit is put powred by the power of which we are cause to walke in his lawes and kepe his statutes Al which though we do not or can in such sort as we should yet because his holy finger hath written his sacred lawe in our hartes and put the sinne into our inward parts is himselfe become by his couenant in christ our god and hath chosen vs for his holy people for this cause I say he accepteth vs as iust though we be all sinners and our works are acceptable in his sight and are not wythout their rewarde yet of his mercye deuoyd of our merit thus through our infirmitie worketh he his owne praise So ende we the firste parte of this verse To giue knowledge c. The second pointe is to note whose sinnes are forgiuen and so consequenly what kinde of persons atteine truely and in déede to this saluation by his Prophets preached and this I note of this word To his people For albeit that Christ is of the father giuen to the whole world to be vnto them their sauiour and that there is no age or people vnto whō the death of christ is not sufficient to their saluation and is therfore by himselfe and the worde vouched the sauiour of the world yet are not al people by him saued nor any but suche as here be called his people Now haue we also to consider that neither all that call or chalenge to be his are so in déede For then should not the Infidell Saracene with the Turke onely be cōdēned because they refuse life which is only in christ Iesus to be foūd but also of that nomber which professe christ in shew and receiue the badge and seale of righteousnesse in Baptisme and in the dayes of their flesh inuocate christ as God and call the Father Lorde be furthermore accompted to be of the church and People of God of this multitude shall infinite walke the wandring path to eternall payne Not euery one that crieth Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of god c. These are for a time in but at no time are they of the church of god These eyther haue Satan to pull the séede out of their hartes least they should beleue and be saued or beleue with ioye for a season and in fierie triall vade and consume to dust and ashes and turne to their erst conceiued death But saluation standeth at the end of the race happie is he that endureth to the end for he shall be safe Or els do they with the fayth in Christ and gospel of the sonne of God intermedle the cares of this world pleasures of the flesh which do choke the growth of the séede that no Wheate can come to ripenes for the Lordes barne they begin in the spirite but they end in the flesh These albeit they are bidden ghestes yet shall they not once tast of the Bridegromes supper For they being called dayly and the Lord with open armes euer readie to embrace them refuse to come therefore shall desolation deuoure them neither shall Ierusalem saue them or the Sinagoge of Sathan the Church of Rome deliuer them from the wéeping state and wofull paynes prepared for all hypocrites Where in stéed of popish piping and carnall delights shal be mourning and howling in perpetual chaines nayled fast to damnation his gaol And that because they neither heard or sought the Lord with integritie of soule or worshipped him els then with their owne inuentions hauing their harts a long estranged from his delite And albeit they were nourished vp in the bosome of his beloued spouse yet they are to him as Mice in the housholders barne whose purpose is to féede them fat and fill their young of the corne but not at any time to haue the presence of the Masters face For whom also the husband prepareth engins destroyers them to consume though for a time he permit them to their deuised pleasures Such shal be the end of al Papists carnall protestants fained hypocrites which séeke thē selues altogether and not the lord at all As daily those persons passe their time in such wicked lustes But of farre other nature are the true people of god As the other in the day of trial cannot be knowne of him for he shall say depart frō me I know ye not ye workers of iniquitie so the lords people are knowne to him by their name they are borne againe of the spirit They are sanctified by the holy Ghost They are graffed into Christ their vine They are predestinate to life Chosen to bee the f sonnes of god Called to the knowledge of the word of saluation and taught of god The spirit of the sonne is by the loue of the most louing father powred into their harts which causeth thē to crie to him Abba father Their stonie hartes hée mollifieth and turneth into hartes of flesh and into them for their direction and life he putteth his spirit by whose power through the woord sowne and taught he teacheth them his Lawes and geueth them grace to walke in his statutes Thus wrought by GOD they bring forth holy fruites They onely heare his voyce All straunge sound and charminge incantation they vtterly auoyd charme they c neuer so wisely They hunger after the truth and thirst the Lordes righteousnes They claspe their harts by fayth in Christ that through him alone they may apprehend the louing countenance of the heauenly Fathers face They lay their sinnes vppon his crosse and craue by comfortable cries in earnest and ardent prayer to be clothed with his righteousnes They euer confesse their many sinnes and assure them selues by fayth of his saluation They driue away terror and rest in the harbour of a quiet conscience and in most humble wise approche
his throne of grace as deare children adopted in Christ to their best beloued father They loue to labour in godly workes as by his word they are commaunded They séeke to liue by faith in Christ as by the Scriptures they are taught They ioy to suffer and beare his crosse and aspiring by lowlinesse of mind they pray his aide and helpe there in with comfort continuing vnder the same They appoynt no time for their release but paciently abide his lotted leysure They looke not on the present troubles but weigh their sinnes his decréed purpose and place as opposite to their aspect the ioye that is set before them They runne with patience the race for them appointed and despising the present shame they still endure the crosse alwayes looking to Iesus christ the authour finisher of their life They blesse those that curse them they loue their enemies and do good to all but their chiefe delight is to ioyne with the houshold of faith They challenge to themselues by nature confusion for sinne and shame for their infirmities and to God the father in Christ our Lord by the instinct of his holy spirit they attribute all honour and glory and forgetting their workes past assay to go forwards to the price set before them expressing thēselues by their good workes to be the Lords building who hath made them an holy habitation and a royall priesthode In hym they offer vp themselues for a spirituall sacrifice dayly yéelding forth the fruites of holy lippes to his priest and willing obedience to his holy will. They by the spirite desire not to followe but defie and kill the lustes of the flesh They fight against Sathan and his impes continually They beare an vnfained hate to alsuperstitious vanities They contemne and despise the beggerly ordinances of the wicked world disdayning to become bondslaues to sinne any more They reioyce in their deliuerance walke in the way of the lord with a sincere hart single mind Though slide they may eftsones by frayltie yet neuer flatte fall they by falshode from the Lord their god Lo these are they of whom our Zacharie speaketh and the Angell poynteth Joseph vnto whē he affirmeth Iesus to saue his people from their sinnes And all if these haue so many fraylties be of such weaknes that they cannot as they would or do as they should perfectly walke before the Lord Yet shall they not feare for his Christ is theirs with him they haue in him iustificatiō sanctification redemption and perfect wisedome By whose vertues and merites they are euer presented before God as a iust and holy people peculiar to the lord To these can come no condemnation or any accusation shal be admitted against thē nor any gilt procure sentence to their losse For it is the Lord that doth iustifie them Finally no power shall or can conuenting conuince them For they haue in their hartes the word which is Gods power to saluation And God him selfe standeth on their side for their defence So that it is more possible for light to become darknes good euill and euill good which neuer shall come to passe then that the Lordes people should not be deliuered from death or yet want the knowledge of their saluation Which knowledge teacheth them to féele in hart and find by truth that the same sauing health consisteth not in their remuneration but commeth of god for his Christs sake by full remission of and from all their sinnes The Lord graunt vs to labour so in his vineyarde which professe his name that we may be not called only but appeare in déede his chosen people Then shall we be sure of our deliuerance in Christ our Sauiour And thus much for these wordes his people in this present verse mentioned The third last branch of this verse is to consider by what meanes his people are brought to féel perceiue that their saluatiō doth consist in the remission geuen of god Namely by this that the same is made knowne to their consciences by the ministerie of the word preached vnto them For all if the price of Christes bloud bée they most soueraigne salue for mās sinne as by the which it is wholy washed away Yet onlesse the Church of God haue sence and perfect féeling hereof in her inward partes and depenesse of hart the same shall nothing profite her For the which cause Christ promiseth being once lift vp as the serpent in the wildernesse was to draw all men to looke and come to him by the instrument of fayth and to his heauenly father in that his most comfortable prayer a little before his death for the comfort of his elect he witnesseth that life eternall consisteth in the knowledge of God the father and Christ his Sonne Also reprouing the Iewes for their rebellion he chargeth their ignorance to bée the cause therof as also shewing his Disciples of their persecuted state perils to death affirmeth ignorance to be the forcing meane hereto This shal they do saith he because they neither know the father nor yet me Paule the Apostle testifieth this to be the meane to apprehend saluation euen to come to the knowledge of the truth Thereto he ioyneth it to the branch preceding saying God will haue all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the truth Lo a thing most incident to saluation is to haue knowledge of the truth To conclude who are they which are taught of god but his people And what are they taught of him but the truth of his word Which he writeth with his finger in their hartes as the scripture saith that they may be a knowing people and not ignorant as the Papistes teach but falsely the same to be the mother of deuotion But Christ sayth that ignorance is the mother of error which leadeth to damnation Behold now the scope of this Baptists office was to prepare the Iewish harts by the knowledge of their sinnes and repentance for the same to preuent Gods Iustice by fruitefull acceptation of the Gospell by Christ presently preached to haue him for there God and by him saluation and full deliuerance from their sinnes For the which cause the Angell also before to Zacharie adorned him with noble titles and not to him only doe they belong but to all the true preachers of God with him wherefore they are here of thée deare Reader the better to bée weighed as wordes that doe import the glory of his heauenly Embassage to thine earthly hart Hée is first sayd to bée full of the holy Ghost a thing most necessarie to bée in the true preacher of the word as without the same he can neither preach much lesse profite the people of the Lord. The Apostles from christ therfore receiued the fulnes of his spirit by portion to their aptnes power to execute their
thy quiet but chiefely Gods blessing for thy soules health in his Christ against the spirite of error and Sathan himselfe Secondly to him vz. to his office exercise is ascribed a certaine power to turne the harts of the fathers to their childrē This power is by his preaching the word the spirit of god directing him where note that the word preached is of power to conuert bicause it is the b mallet of God to beat downe sinne and his two edged sword to cut downe vice The mylke of GOD to nourish and alter the crooked nature of mans corpupted fleshe The séede to make him a fruitfull ground the pleasaunt Odor to delight that faythfull scent The faythfull witnesse and the poure of God to ouercome Satan and his assaultes To beate downe strong holdes and euery height that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and to bring and leade captiue to the obedience of Christe euery thought and full power the worde hath to be reuenged of all the obstinate when the obedience of the faythfull is fulfilled It is not for other cause that God doth spare the wicked then that the Godly should first be brought to more perfection and the wicked should waxe more rype in their iniquitie and that the Godly by their tyranie might dayly be exercised and that for a season they deuoure the noysome creatures of the earth that else would more hurte the children of god But when the Aples be rype the Lorde will pull the trée and cast the fruite into the fyre For the wicked as he cannot forget so wil he in his appoynted time poure out the dregges of his angry must be taken away and remoued Euery valley must be exalted euery mountaine brought low the croked must be streyght framed and the rough wayes made playne and this preparation must be by the preaching of the Gospell so expoundeth Luke the place or rather the Angel when he saith to Zachary that J. Bap. should make ready a people instructed for the Lorde As Jhon behaued him nobly so dyd the Apostles faythfully and the Fathers of olde sincerely in this their charge Remaineth that the Princes and Preachers now be diligent therein as best beséemeth their vocation to prepare his holy wayes The way of the Lord is in mans hart which agaynst the comming of his God the king of al kinges he must so prepare that there be nothing to offend his eye or hinder his louing comming If an earthly Prince shal come to a Towne or Citye how are the wayes skoured the path made playne the streates so sanded that the very Horse shall not haue wheron to trip The house paynted the Conduites running wyne the place perfumed and so garnished that his delight may féede wyth pleasure vpon the view of this prepared way This would the Baptist haue vs to thinke vpon when he alludeth to the comfortable comming of their mightie kings and the pompous preparations of the people for his receipt But sith Christes comming is into the soule of man by his Spirite the path of mans conscience must be prepared in desēt sort aswel in matters of cōscience touching religiō as in the reformatiō of his former wicked life for no mā cā be in christ Iesu vnles he be made a new creature The path of our religiō ought to he framed vnto vs by the word of God neyther ought we or may we wythout mere sacrileadge adde thereto or diminishe in the worshippe of the mightie loue in Christ eny thing at all Thrise Cursed be the Papistes therefore that leape vp into Christes Throane and thrust him to the walles setting vp a will worship of their owne inuention hauing no other warrant then the fleshe that framed that Idolatrie But the Scripture holde all them accursed that set vppe false worship vnto him or that builde their nests in mans strength or put their trust in fleshly wisdome or turn the glory of God to a mortall man or set their affiaunce in their inuentions O ye mightie magestrates in and of the church of christ to you this chiefly doth be long so to prepare this heauenly path the no offensiue matter be there left to stay or stop his godly presence from our harts You are to enter the path appoynted to the lord his vse to remoue out of the way euery base beggerly matter that is to the dishonor of God set vp as to his worship or garnishing falsly of his house the rudiments of men which can neuer edifie in the Church of god And to commaund send abroad the Preachers and forerunners of this king to cry for preparation to euery rugged hart depressed conscience with the weight of sin that by the comfort of christs gospel they may be brought to lift vp the eies of their faith to the lord in Sion There Iesus christ is set vp for their saluation there shall their heauie harts laden soules haue new refreshing in him the Lord crucified of his Father againe raysed to lyfe for their iustification And you Baptists of the Lord your dutie is to pull out of mens hartes by sound moderate doctrine the God Maisim and euery height that exalteth it selfe against god The pryd of mans hearte by the power of the worde must you beate downe which proudly say wyth Popish spyte Sic volumus so we will haue it and not by the word to measure the time cause whether so it ought to be All such as set vp their hornes on high against Christes lowly members and nothing lyke of that the path might somthing be skowred such be they which fight for lyfe with tooth and nayle as the prouerbe is to kéepe vppe the troublous thickets and the loftie hye hilles that can not stoupe to the Lordes lawe The Papistes Atheistes and Hypocrites of our dayes I meane which all though they be woll shrubbed and shred yet they begin euen nowe before the springe to budde and hope againe in time to florish as the gréen bay trée But were they lopped dazie height or proined the wyth princely Dauids a cutting knife they as the shred willow florish in a momēt but neuer eftsoones could they take roote The ragged hartes which wyth the Hare skipe here and there to flye from trueth whose smothed lippes imbrace dissimulation your seasoned sound with Helias hart oh ye Prophets of the Lorde must ring wyth power into their eares For most abhominable is the halting Hypocrite he is a Thornie Hedge and Bushe of Briers to wounde and stinge as many as be partakers of his companie The harte chaffed wyth flyght séeketh to the Riuers of water for his comfort But the Hypocryte pursued by Satan to his destruction hath no lust to looke after the water of lyfe which God doth giue to all that fathfully thirst therefore Oh let them know that
the same right the instrumentes of destruction of what nature or condition so euer they bee are together with the author of them to be punnished and condemned Hereto he alleadgeth certaine examples of scriptures as of Achan of Corah and his companie In end he thus concludeth If to condemne the organ with the wicked spirit the author it be Iniquum So by the same reason must it be wicked that the bodies of the faithfull together with their soules be made partakers of eternall life and heauenly felicitie But farre be such thoughts from the minds of the godly c. Thus farre Musculus That old father and great learned Doctor Chrisostome vppon the same place of Genesis geueth in effect the same censure whose wordes vpon the Serpents iudgement are as they are reported also by Peter Martir that famous man thus God in this action delt like vnto a man that is a most naturall louing Father who when he séeth his deare sonne slaine doth not only couet the death of the murtherer but the sword Speare euery the instrument wherewith he perished will he likewise séeke to destroy Should I stand to speake of al lets rubbish in this nation I should frō my self to al flesh without great search see such matter aboūd as no reasonable volume could cōtaine their descriptiō Idolatrous papists Atheistes Carnalites Hipocrites Adulterers Drunkardes and sundry wicked vices else in many places many times are lesse loked vpon with iustice censure then such as many wayes els are profitable mēbers in the church of god This is a perilous shrub it would be stubbed vp by the rootes The Lord graunt better regard lest the maiestie on hye take the matter into his owne hand from such as be ouer negligent Gods in earth The Preachers of God must cry out in Sion and tell Ierusalem and Iuda of her faults from the hiest to the lowest to one and other for agaynst this that euill In paine of damnation must the preacher cry out that the desert may be tracked and the hils the valleyes the ragged the croked the old and rotten for age may be altered or quite remoued that in England his prophets may so exhibit to the lord at his comming a prepared people and well instructed whose soules by his spirit being gouerned their bodies by his force shall walke in all holines in his sight as the dayes of their lyfe Then will the Lord yet more delight in our Church state and people he will take pleasure to walke into the garden of our harts there to receiue the redolent smell of the swete fruites spreading themselues far abroad all a long the beds of fayth he will blesse her with beautie and builde hir with precious stones of great price he wil teach this nation himselfe by his worde and will giue thée the more abounding spirit to walke in his statutes he wil be for thée agaynst thy forren foes domesticall enemies a tower of strēgth to assist thée and bruse thē in myerie streates before thy eyes he will destroy the smyth and all his instrumentes the Pope and his pelfe all diuelishe deuises agaynst thée of what force so euer To his faythfull ministers and Teachers will he graunt his ayde and power to be for them a well fenced cytie wyth walles of Brase agaynst all Popishe practises bent to their destruction Finally to some all from thy vertuous Quéene to the faythfull Plowman sowing his séede will he poure forth his grace and spirit his christ and heauen to be thine for euer Vers 11.12 Through the tender mercy of our God whereby the day spring from an high hath visited vs To giue light to them that sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace This knowledge of Saluation where by man is brought to the forgiuenesse of sinnes in christ commeth not to vs by purchase of gold and siluer or any other mans merit but by the inward mercy of our God sayth Zachary euen as a naturall mother séeing her child wounded in her armes or taken violently from her to be slaine all the partes of her body and soule are therewith moued with singuler compassion so hast thou O God saith he beholding our most miserable blindnes bandage vnder sinne taken most mercifull pitie in the bowels of thy Fatherly mercies hast sēt to vs this branch thy Christ day spring as the beautie of thy flesh to visit our darkenesse with the light of his trueth and by his lyfe to deliuer vs from the gloming darke death of ignorance sinne to set our conscience quiet in the Iustification by his bloud to embolden vs to approch thy presence as Children to their best beloued Father without terror of death for Sinne or feare of any worldly want For through the comfort of this bright shining sunne of righteousnesse and virident braunche of Jesse his roote the anoynted Christ we shall ouercome whatsoeuer shall set it selfe against vs. To our instruction further comforts let vs as before so in these two verses obserue some such pith as lieth within the vertue of these happy words By this maner of speach the Prophet would haue vs to consider déeply the chiefe and aboundant loue of the ineffable God whose studye and care as it were is onely bent to doe vs the best good though we in no part demerit the same Thrée speciall thinges I obserue to thée gentle reeder in these last verses whereof the first followeth The first is that by the only mercy of God without the merit of man Christ our Sauiour is giuen to vs as himselfe testifieth in the third of Iohn saying So dearely God loued the world that hee gaue his onely begotten Sonne c. Without our merit gaue the heauenly Father his sauing Christ for when we were his ennemies he saued vs Vpon the which most mercifull acte he perswadeth vs that now much more sence we belong to him will he deliuer vs frō wrath The second note is that albeit God in his great mercy hath so copiously enritched vs with the hidden treasure of ful remission from al our sinnes yet hath he therwith nothing impared his iustice but hath by the merit of another himselfe Christ Iesus our Lord which the Prophet here calleth the day spring from an high fully answered the same In whose person mercy iustice haue met together mercy peace haue kyssed each other for in that Christ Iesus tooke vpon him our nature sanctifiing the same by his conception and ioined it to his god head He tooke that person of sinne vppon him which could be subiecte to the crosse and aptly receiued the curse due thereto for our iniquitie and accept to the ful the fury of his fathers iust conceiued wrath In which body he did fully beare the same vpon the
their shadowed hell conspiring against him and his elect and hath geuen them the light of his saluation turned their raging race to warr with his Church into the most happie tracke of pacient sufferings and precious persecution for his names sake Wherfore let vs pray for all persecutors of his gospel for neither we or yet themselues do know whether the Lord hath predestinate theÌ„ to life Did the church of the Apostles expect Pauls coÌ„ming to their felowship who was the most cruel enemie that the Romaine power the Pharisaicall Jewes sent forth to their persecution did not the lord lead this LioÌ„ to lie vnder the féet as it were of those holy laÌ„bes euen then when he came with raging roaring huÌ„ger to deuour theÌ„ Did the famous prince most noble Monarch of the worlde king Henry the Eyght purpose to foster the Lordes people in Englande when he sat himselfe in iudgement agaynst the Godly Martir of Christ Lamhert and yet dyd the Lorde visit his Princely harte so that by the light of his Christ the spirite of God opening his harte he was made the Lordes instrument vtterly to thrust out that horrible Pope wyth all his power which no king before him could bring to passe albeit they eftsoones attempted sundry times to cut him short Which argueth Gods good lyke of his ministery with him of all such Bishops and ministers as did by doctrine stirre vp his hart her to themselues or most of them before being sworne to the Romishe obedience The noble Father and Martir of Christ M. Cranmer late the Archbishop of Canterburie shall we not accompt him amongest the lawfull ministers of God a trust none will be so wilfull as once to â—â—inke him vnworthie most reuerence 〈◊〉 Catalogie of Gods true and faythâ— ministers in his time And yet my 〈◊〉 bretherne in his persno and actions 〈◊〉 found apparant such a blemishes as for the same all of his lyke institution are of some vouched vmméete for the ministerie of the Church of god I speake not this to iniurie the fame of that holy man whom the heauens haue receiued but to offer such comfort to others as I haue I trust rightly receiued my selfe being in the dayes of Quéene Mary hatched vp in Popery and made an Idolatrous Priest often committing most horrible sacrileage to God by the sacrifising that Idolatrous Cake and counterfeyted Christ to God the Father against the glory of Christ his sonne But I dayly praise the Lord my God who hath taken mercy vpon me and called me from that power of darknes and hath translated me vnto the kingdome of his dear sonne Iesus and of from an Idolatrous Priest being ignorantly caryed into error hath chosen me wyth many others my Godly Bretherne to be a faythfull minister and true Preacher of his holy Gospell and that I craue for restes to the world the congregatioÌ„s which haue tasted of the swéet gyltes of his holy spirite by his mercifulnesse and riche goodnesse powred into their harts by my ministrie though a sinner But through christ called by grace to the preaching of the word of truth through whose good gifts by the portion of his sacred spirit giueÌ„ vnto me for their good and my continual comfort they are to confesse his grace apparant in my ministry with others our godly brethren called to the office This I say not bostingly after the fleshe but witnessing Gods great graces in me vnworthy the least after his calling me with many others from idolatry to his seruice And not to yéeld my self such like whose hartes be truly turned to the Lord to subscribe to such sharp censure as passeth to the offence of many a soule But Saul as he is not ashamed to confesse his error blasphemies So being by the Lorde in mercy changed to Paule warraÌ„teth vs with him good courage comfort to procede in our offices daring to say of himself erst a persecuter as of his fellow ministers which neuer were such séeing we haue this ministery c. He doth hereby the more embolden vs with humblenes of hart to chalenge the like authority to preach to administer the sacraments of the lord with and aswel as such others our brethren by the singular grace of god either preserued from such idolatry or since that time called to the function ecclesiasticall These spéeches therfore Q. Maries priestes K. Henries priestes c. are not so warely set downe as becommeth the place of such which séeme sufficient to supply the wants of this ecclesiasticall gouernment But the lord assist in his mercy the state present with his holy spirit grant to this our mighty monarch a zelous spirite in him yet more more to remoue reteine as the worde of God the honor of this his holy church in England the condition of our age time shall approue for truth most conuenient The places of Josias and EZechiel are not to beat vs down or to bear the contrary opinion from lacke in my iudgmeÌ„t Omitting the priuat example of the godly Iosias which can not in good diuinitie be drawne to a publique commandement I will onely note of the other place which séemeth to sundrye to stande for a law preceptorie as well to vs now as to the Leuits then First I say that Idolatrie is an horrible sin but not estranged is the Idolater from grace if the Lorde vouchsafe him repentance And where as the Lord there cutteth those Leuits froÌ„ his Alter at Ierusalem and the office of the Priest which fell to Idolatry he doth not say this shall be a perpetuall lawe to my house Church for euer Neyther did the Leuits alwais so deale to fore in the time of Moises law Did not Aaron fal to Idolatrie when he made with a grauen toole the molten image proclaimed a solempne feast day therfore attributing that selfe Idolatrous worship to the lord made an Aulter before the Idoll and if wel we weigh whose office it was in that congregatioÌ„ to offer vp sacrifice we shall further touch Aaron his person as also Moises séemeth to lay the whole crime vppoÌ„ him Yet behold the great mercy of God in the time of the law Nor is Aaron by god the lord or by his magistrate Moises depriued of his dignitie remoued from his ministery nor slaine with the slaughter of the sword at Moises his hands wheÌ„ .3000 of the Isralits were theÌ„ slaine for the same horrible Idolatrous fact This example may not moue such whom it doth coÌ„cerne to boldnes of sinne neither is the place of EZech. written to tye al times to that Iudiciall law But so hath gods wisdome enriched his written scriptures with Iustice in seuerity mercy in his christ that sin may be condemned the penitent sinner find fauor in the sight of God. It might be asked whether all the whole Chapter be of
downe by the LORDE in his woorde to haue Iustification without measure because of their numbered vertues suche I saye haue loste that they sought for nor could atteyne to that they would to saye deliuerance from their Spirituall Enemies and to be accompted iust before the Lorde the Apostle so witnesseth saying Israell which followed the Lawe of righteousnesse coulde not atteyne to the Lawe of Righteousnesse because they sought it not by Fayth but as it were by the workes of the Lawe for they haue stombled at the stombling stoane that is they are offended at the Christe which GOD hath set to be the Righteousnesse for his people and refusinge him and his merites they rest vppon the shyuering staffe of their imagined holynesse But the Gentilles sayth Paule which folowed not righteousnes haue atteined vnto righteousnes euen the righteousnes that is of faith that is to say the true righteousnes which cānot be bought by desert but is atteined by faith in the promise of god Here let our enemies the papists wey well with them selues how far they are frō the sense of truth If the holy fathers accepted with God in great fauor receiued not otherwise thē by his mercies his promised christ in him their saluation ful deliuerance also if they séeking him vnfeynedly with sinceritie of harte came so far short of merit the had not the exhibiting mercy preuented his prouoked iustice the same our fathers had perishe How then can they or man or angell for thē obteine for vs saluation or remission of our sinnes by any merit that can procéede frō a creature or creaturs The merits of the papistes are eyther the weight of their Massing Sacrifyces the bloud of Martyres the absolute power of theyr Pope or that which they thinke neuer fayleth the good workes of men men As for the meritte of their masse out of all question it meriteth neyther pardon with God the father nor place in the church of christ his sonne But it being vsed doth derogate as much as it may the Power of Christ whiche alone of God is set vp to for his church in Dauids house and arrogateth the honor of Christ and his office to that abhonable Idoll But beloued children of God geue attentiue eare to the Apostolicall wordes written to the Hebrues and thou shalt plainely perceiue by the power of Gods spirite that the one oblation of christes naturall body on the crosse in his death hath for euer not onely taken away from vs the wrath of God reward of sin but hath therewith abrogated the solempne sacrifices cōmaunded by himselfe in his written word and also hath taken away for all times to come all power from any man or angell to set vp any other sacrifice or oblation propitiatory in place thereof wherefore he sayth by the will of God by the sacrifice of Christ ordeyned of God we are sanctified euen by the Offering of the bodye of Iesus Christ once made Vers 11 And in the same place hée denyeth that the Sacrifyces commaunded of GOD can longer preuayle because that the true Sacrifyce Christ Iesus is alreadye Offered of which and whom they were Fygures Vers 12 And also denyeth that this Christ is any more to be Offered but playnely affyrmeth hym after that his once Oblation to fitte for euer at the Ryght hande of the Father and shall not thence come till his enemies be made his footstole And that all men might be Satisfyed he addeth a reasō wherefore saying for wyth one Offering hath he consecrated for euer those that are Sanctifyed And moreouer he calleth the Holy Ghost for witnesse of the same as in the 15. and 16. verses following and so concludeth vp his Assertion That since Christ Iesus hath thus redéemed vs there is no more Offering for sinne of one or other but in place thereof there is sayth hée set vppe to and for vs an entering into lyfe by a more beautifull manner which hée there calleth a newe and liuing way prepared for vs through the person Christ which is our hye Priest who requireth not sacrifice of vs Vers 23 but an approching hart made pure in conscience and body from sinne by fayth c. Therefore away wyth your Popishe trash your masking masses can no longer shaddowe the trueth Further I pray you whether doth God at any time accept the man for the Sacrifyce or the Sacrifyce for the man I trow the Text sayth that God regarded not Cayn or his Sacrifyce and contrarily he accepted Habell and his Oblation which sturred vp Cayn his wrath to kill his Brother Habell Here it is plaine God respecteth first the man and then his sacrifice if the man be not acceptable his sacrifyce is abhominable as in the Prophet Esay the Lord reproueth the Iewes for their paynefull seruing in will worshippe and sayth he abhorreth their deuises and will not turne towards them with fauor though their sacrifices be costly because they are sinful that offer them And the people for whom they are offred are the children of sinne their handes are full of bloud yea they geue to God that which he asketh not and therefore dislyking vtterly thereof he sayth who required this at your handes And there teacheth them to amend from their Wicked wayes to washe them from their sinnes so will he accept them and their Oblations Christ himselfe also doth nothing more pacifie the Fathers wrath in his most holy sacrifyce then in respecte that according to the Fathers wyll he hath yéelded himselfe for an Oblation as he was of him appoynted by his written woorde saying a body hast thou ordeyned me and loe I am here to doe thy wyll Let the Pope and his Clergye as Christ here doth shew vs the heauenly God or Father his holy written will for their accepted persones in Sacrifysing for the Quicke and Deade and for suche their fayned propitiatorie Sacrifyces and we will not shame for losse of credit to subcribe vnto them But this they can not and therefore they hate the scriptures and would not that wée shoulde Studye in them Because they knowe that there by their Idolatrye is bewrayed and their Trecherie made knowen and that both they and their Sacrifyces are wyth Cayn odious in Gods sight Oh that therefore we coulde wyth our Zachary retourne the Phrase of Popishe speache to the Forge that fyrst framed the same and coulde acknowledge our Saluatson to consist in Gods mercye alone by the meritte of his Sonne Christ in that his Sacrifyce in his naturall Bodye Crucifyed on the crosse once for al al ages By the which sayth the Apostle Peter wée are deliuered from Sinne to liue in righteousnesse for by the b strypes of Iesus Christes Death wée are made whole The bloud of Sayntes is their other Imagined meritte for mennes Saluations and Gods fauour But good reader of Sayntes the Apostles are chiefe and hath not Christ taught