first of Luke that when Zacharie the holy priest and father to John baptist dyd sacrifice within the temple al the people stoode without a long tyme praying suche was theyr zeale and feruencie at that tyme And in the seconde of Luke appeareth what great iourneyes men women yea and chyldren tooke to come to the temple on the feast day there to serue the Lorde and specially the example of Joseph the blessed virgin Marie mother to our Sauiour Jesus Christe and of our sauiour Christe hym selfe beyng yet but a child whose examples are worthy for vs to folowe So that yf we woulde compare our negligence in resortyng to the house of the Lorde there to serue hym to the diligence of the Jewes in commyng dayly verye early sometyme great iourneyes to theyr temple and when the multitude coulde not be receaued within the temple the feruent zeale that they had declared in standyng long without and praying We may iustly in this comparison condemne our slouthfulnesse and negligence yea playne contempt in comming to the Lordes house standyng so nere vnto vs so seldome and scarcely at none time So farre is it from a great many of vs to come early in the morning or geue attendaunce without who disdayne to come into the temple and yet we abhorre the verye name of the Jewes when we heare it as of a moste wycked and vngodly people But it is to be feared that in this poynt we be farre worse then the Jewes and that they shall ryse at the day of iudgement to our condemnation who in comparison to them shewe suche slackenesse and contempt in resortyng to the house of the Lorde there to serue him according as we are of duetie most bounde And besides this moste horrible dread of Gods iust iudgement in the great day we shall not in this lyfe escape his heauie hande and vengeaunce for this contempt of the house of the Lord and his due seruice in the same accordyng as the Lorde him selfe threatneth in the firste Chapter of his prophete Aggeus after this sort Because you haue left my house desert and without compayne sayth the Lorde and ye haue made haste euery man to his owne house for this cause are the heauens stayed ouer you that they shoulde geue no deaw and the earth is forbidden that it shall bryng foorth his fruite and I haue called drought vpon the earth and vppon the mountaynes and vpon corne and vpon wyne and vppon oyle and vpon al things that the earth bringeth foorth and vpon men and vppon beastes and vpon all thynges that mens handes labour for Beholde yf we be such worldlinges that we care not for the eternall iudgementes of GOD whiche yet of all other are moste dreadfull and horrible we shall not escape the punishment of God in this worlde by drought and famine and the takyng away of all worldlye commodities whiche we as worldlinges seeme only to regard and care for Whereas on the contrary part yf we woulde amende this faulte or negligence slouthfulnesse and contempt of the house of the Lorde and his due seruice there and with diligence resort thither together to serue the Lorde with one accorde and consent in all holines and ryghteousnesse before hym we haue promises of benefites both heauenly and worldly Wheresoeuer two or three be gathered in my name saieth our sauiour Christ there am I in the middest of them And what can be more blessed thē to haue our sauiour Christe amongst vs Or what againe can be more vnhappy or mischeuous then to driue our sauiour Christe from amongst vs and to leaue a place for his and our most auncient and mortall enemie the olde dragon and serpent Satan the deuyll in the middest of vs In the second of Luke it is written how that the mother of Christ and Joseph when they had long sought Christ whom they had lost coulde finde hym no where that at the last they founde hym in the temple sittyng in the middest of the doctours So if we lacke Jesus Christe that is to say the sauiour of our soules and bodyes we shall not finde hym in the market place or in the guylde hal much lesse in the alehouse or tauerne amongst good felowes as they call them so soone as we shall fynde hym in the temple the Lordes house amongst the teachers and preachers of his worde where in deede he is to be founde And as concerning worldly cōmodities we haue a sure promise of our sauiour Christe Seke ye first the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse therof and al these thinges shal withall be geuen vnto you And thus we haue in the first part of this Homilee declared by gods word that the Temple or Churche is the house of the Lorde for that the seruice of the Lorde as teaching and hearing of his holy worde calling vppon his holye name geuyng thankes to hym for his great and innumerable benefites and due ministring of his sacraments is there vsed And it is lyke wyse declared alredy by the scriptures howe all godly and Christian men and women ought at tymes appoynted with diligence to resort vnto the house of the Lord there to serue hym and to glorifie hym as he is most worthy and we most bounde to whom be all glory and honor world without ende Amen ¶ The seconde part of the Homilee of the ryght vse of the Churche IT was declared in the firste part of this Homilee by gods word that the temple or Churche is the house of the lord for that the seruice of the Lorde as teaching hearyng of his holy worde calling vpō his holy name geuyng thankes to hym for his great and innumerable benefites and due ministring of the sacramentes is there vsed And it is lyke wyse alredy declared by the scriptures how all godly and christian men women ought at times appointed with diligence to resort vnto the house of the Lorde there to serue him and to glorifie hym as he is most worthy and we most bounden Nowe it remayneth in this second parte of the Homilee concernyng the ryght vse of the temple of God to be likewyse declared by Gods worde with what quietnesse scilence and reuerence those that resort to the house of the Lord ought there to vse and behaue them selues It may teache vs sufficiently how well it doth become vs christian men reuerently to vse the Churche and holy house of our prayers by considering in how greate reuerence and veneration the Jewes in the olde lawe had their Temple whiche appeareth by sundrye places whereof I wyll note vnto you certayne In the xxvi of Matthewe it was laide to our sauiour Christes charge before a temporall iudge as a matter worthy death by the two false witnesses that he had sayde he could destroy the temple of GOD and in three dayes buylde it agayne not doubting but yf they might make men to beleue that he had sayde any thyng agaynst the honour and maiestie of
shall be shewed briefely what tyme is meete for fasting for all times serue not for all thinges But as the wyse man sayth All thinges haue their times There is a time to weepe and a time agayne to laugh a time to mourne and a time to reioyce c. Our Sauiour Christe excused his disciples reproued the Pharisees because they neyther regarded the vse of fasting nor consydered what tyme was meete for the same Which both he teacheth in his aunswere saying The chyldren of the maryage can not mourne whyle the bridegrome is with them Their question was of fasting his aunswere is of mournyng signifying vnto them plainely that the outwarde fast of the body is no fast before God except it be accompanyed with the inwarde fast whiche is a mournyng and a lamentation in the heart as is before declared Concernyng the time of fasting he sayth The dayes wyll come when the bridegrome shal be taken from them in those dayes they shall fast By this it is manifest that it is no time of fastyng whyle the mariage lasteth and the bridegrome is there present But when the mariage is ended and the bridegrome gone then is it a meete time to faste Now to make plaine vnto you what is the sence and meanyng of these wordes VVe are at the mariage and agayne The bridegrome is taken from vs. Ye shall note that so long as GOD reuealeth his mercie vnto vs and geueth vs of his benefites eyther spirituall or corporall we are saide to be with the bridegrome at the mariage So was that good olde father Jacob at the mariage when he vnderstood that his sonne Joseph was aliue and ruled all Egypt vnder king Pharao So was Dauid in the mariage with the bridegrome when he had gotten the victorie of great Goliah and had smitten of his head Judith and all the people of Bethulia were the children of the wedding and had the bridegrome with them when God had by the hande of a woman slayne Holofernes the graund captaine of the Assyrians hoaste and discomfited al theyr enemies Thus were the Apostles the children of the mariage while Christe was corporally present with them defended them from all daungers both spirituall and corporall But the mariage is saide then to be ended and the brydegrome to be gone when almightie God smiteth vs with affliction and semeth to leaue vs in the middest of a number of aduersities So GOD sometime striketh priuate men priuatelye with sundry aduersities as trouble of minde losse of frendes losse of goodes long and daungerous sicknesses c. Then is it a fitte time for that man to humble him selfe to almightie God by fasting and to mourne and bewayle his sinnes with a sorowfull heart and to pray vnfaignedly saying with the prophete Dauid Turne away thy face O Lorde from my sinnes and blot out of thy remembraunce all myne offences Agayne when God shal afflict a whole region or countrey with warres with famine with pestilence with straunge diseases and vnknowen sicknesses and other such lyke calamities then is it tyme for all states and sortes of people hygh and lowe men women and chyldren to humble them selues by fasting and bewayle their sinfull liuing before God and pray with one common voyce saying thus or some other suche like prayer Be fauourable O Lord be fauourable vnto thy people whiche turneth vnto thee in weepyng fasting and praying spare thy people whom thou hast redeemed with thy pretious blood and suffer not thine inheritaunce to be destroyed and brought to confusion Fastyng thus vsed with prayer is of great efficacie and wayeth much with god So the angell Raphel tolde Tobias It also appeareth by that which our sauiour Christe aunswered to his disciples demaunding of him why they coulde not cast foorth the euyll spirite out of him that was brought vnto them This hynde sayth he is not cast out but by fastyng and prayer How auayleable fasting is how muche it wayeth with God and what it is able to obteyne at his hande can not better be set foorth then by openyng vnto you and laying before you some of those notable thynges that hath ben brought to passe by it Fastyng was one of the meanes whereby almyghtie God was occasioned to alter the thyng whiche he had purposed concernyng Ahab for murdering the innocent man Naboth to possesse his vineyarde God spake vnto Elia saying Go thy way and say vnto Ahab Hast thou killed and also gotten possession Thus sayth the Lord It the place where dogges licked the blood of Naboth shall dogges euen licke thy blood also Beholde I wyll bryng euill vpon thee and wyll take away thy posteritie Yea the dogges shall eate him of Ahabs stocke that dyeth in the Citie and hym that dieth in the feelde shall the foules of the ayre eate This punishment had almightie God determined for Ahab in this worlde and to destroy all the male kynde that was begotten of Ahabs body besides that punishment whiche shoulde haue happened vnto hym in the worlde to come When Ahab heard this he rent his clothes and put sackcloth vppon hym and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went bare footed Then the word of the Lord came to Elia saying Seest thou how Ahab is humbled before me Because he submitteth hym selfe before me I wyll not bryng that euyll in his dayes but in his sonnes dayes wyll I bryng it vpon his house Although Ahab through the wicked counsell of Iesabel his wyfe had committed shamefull murder and agaynst all ryght disherited and dispossessed for euer Nabothes stocke of that vineyarde yet vppon his humble submission in heart vnto God whiche he declared outwardly by putting on sackcloth and fasting God changed his sentence so that the punishmente whiche he had determined fell not vpon Ahabs house in his tyme but was deferred vnto the dayes of Ioram his sonne Here we may see of what force our outwarde fast is when it is accompanyed with the inward fast of the mynd which is as is sayde a sorowfulnesse of heart detesting and bewayling our sinfull doinges The lyke is to be seene in the Niniuites For when God had determined to destroy the whole Citie of Niniue and the time which he had appoynted was euen no we at hande he sent the prophet Ionas to say vnto them yet fourtie dayes and Niniue shal be ouerthrowne The people by and by beleued God and gaue them selues to fasting yea the kyng by thaduise of his counsell caused to be proclamed saying Let neyther man nor beast bullock nor sheepe tast any thing neither feede nor drinke water But let man and beast put on sackcloth and cry mightilie vnto God yea let euery man turne from his euil way and from the wickednes that is in their handes Who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his fierce wrath that we perish not And vppon this their heartie repentaunce thus declared outwardly with fastyng renting of their clothes putting on
to the Apostles in the mount Sion the fiftie day after Easter And hereof this feast hath his name to be called Pentecoste euen of the number of the dayes For as Saint Luke writeth in the actes of the Apostles When fiftie dayes were come to an ende the Disciples beyng altogether with one accorde in one place the holy ghost came sodenly among them and sate vpon eche of them lyke as it had ben clouen tongues of fyre Whiche thing was vndoubtedly done to teache the Apostles and all other men that it is he whiche geueth eloquence vtteraunce in preaching the Gospel that it is he which openeth the mouth to declare the mightie workes of God that it is he whiche engendreth a burnyng zeale towardes Goddes worde and geueth all men a tongue yea a fierie tongue so that they may boldly and chearefullye professe the trueth in the face of the whole world as Esai was indued with this spirite The Lord saith Esai gaue me a learned a skilful tongue so that I might knowe to rayse vp them that are fallen with the worde The prophete Dauid cryeth to haue this gyft saying Open thou my lippes O Lorde and my mouth shall shew forth thy prayse For our sauiour Christe also in the Gospel sayth to his disciples It is not you that speake but the spirite of your father whiche is within you Al whiche testimonies of holy scripture do sufficiently declare that the mysterie in the tongues betokeneth the preachyng of the Gospell and the open confession of the Christian faith in all them that are possessed with the holy ghost So that if any man be a dumbe Christiā not prosessing his fayth openly but clokyng and colouring hym selfe for feare of daunger in tyme to come he geueth men occasion iustly and with good conscience to doubt least he haue not the grace of the holy ghost within hym because he is tongue tied and doth not speake Thus then haue ye hearde the first institution of this feaste of Pentecoste or Whitsuntide aswell in the olde law among the Jewes as also in the tyme of the Gospell among the Christians Nowe let vs consyder what the holy ghost is and howe consequently he worketh his miraculous workes towardes mankind The holy ghost is a spirituall and diuine substaunce the thyrde person in the deitie distincte from the father and the sonne and yet proceedyng from them both which thyng to be true both the Creede of Athanasius beareth witnesse and may be also easilye proued by most playne testimonies of Gods holy worde When Christe was baptized of John in the ryuer Jordan we reade that the holye ghost came downe infourme of a Doue and that the father thundred from heauen saying This is my deare and welbeloued sonne in whom I am well pleased Where note three diuers and distinct persons the father the sonne and the holy ghost which all notwithstandyng are not three Gods but one god Likewyse when Christe dyd fyrste institute and ordeyne the sacrament of baptisme he sent his disciples into the whole world willyng them to baptize al nations in the name of the father the sonne and the holy ghost And in an other place he sayth I wyll pray vnto my father and he shall geue you another comforter Agayne when the comforter shall come whom I wyll sende from my father c. These and suche other places of the newe Testament do so playnly and euidently confirme the distinction of the holy ghost from the other persons in the trinitie that no man possibly can doubt thereof vnles he will blaspheme the euerlastyng trueth of Gods worde As for his proper nature and substaunce it is altogether one with God the father and God the sonne that is to say spirituall eternall vncreated incomprehensible almyghtie to be short he is euen God Lord euerlastyng Therefore he is called the spirite of the father therefore he is sayde to proceede from the father and the sonne and therefore he was equally ioyned with them in the commission that the Apostles had to baptize al nations But that this may appeare more sensibly to the eyes of all men it shal be requisite to come to the other parte namely to the wonderfull and heauenly workes of the holye ghost whiche playnely declare vnto the worlde his myghtie and diuine power Fyrste it is euident that he did wonderfully gouerne and direct the heartes of the patriarkes and prophetes in olde tyme illuminating their myndes with the knowledge of the true Messias geuing them vtteraunce to prophesie of thynges that shoulde come to passe long tyme after For as saint Peter witnesseth the prophesie came not in olde tyme by the wyll of man But the holye men of God spake as they were moued iuwardly by the holy ghost And of Zacharie the hygh priest it is sayde in the Gospell that he beyng full of the holy ghost prophesied and praysed god So dyd also Simeon Anna Marie and diuers other to the great wonder and admiration of all men Moreouer was not the holy ghost a mightie worker in the conception and the natiuitie of Christe our sauiour Saint Matthewe sayth that the blessed virgin was founde with chylde of the holy ghost before Joseph and she came together And the Angell Gabriell dyd expreslye tell her that it shoulde so come to passe saying The holy ghost shall come vppon thee and the power of the most hygh shall ouershadowe thee A marueylous matter that a woman shoulde conceaue and beare a chylde without the knowledge of man But where the holy ghoste worketh there nothyng is vnpossible as maye further also appeare by the inwarde regeneration and sanctification of mankynde When Christe sayde to Nicodemus vnlesse a man be borne a newe of water and the spirite he can not enter into the kyngdome of God he was greatly amazed in his mynde and began to reason with Christe demaundyng howe a man myght be borne whiche was olde Can he enter sayth he into his mothers wombe agayn and so be borne a newe Beholde a liuely paterne of a fleshely and carnall man He had litle or no intelligence of the holy ghost and therefore he goeth bluntly to worke and asketh howe this thyng were possible to be true Whereas otherwyse yf he had knowne the great power of the holye ghost in this behalfe that it is he whiche in wardlye worketh the regeneration and newe byrth of mankynde he woulde neuer haue marueyled at Christes wordes but woulde haue rather taken occasion thereby to prayse and glorifie god For as there are three seuerall and sundrye persons in the deitie So haue they three seuerall and sundrye offices proper vnto eache of them The father to create the sonne to redeeme the holy ghost to sanctifie and regenerate Wherof the last the more it is hidde from our vnderstandyng the more it ought to moue all men to wonder at the secrete and mightie workyng of Gods holy spirite whiche
These words are sufficient to proue that Peter was alredye iustifyed through this his lyuelye fayth in the onely begotten sonne of god wherof he made so notable and so solemyne a confession But did not he afterwardes moste cowardlye denye his maister although he had heard of hym Whosoeuer denyeth me before men I wyll denye hym before my father Neuerthelesse assone as with weeping eyes with a sobbyng heart he did acknowledge his offence and with earnest repentance did flee vnto the mercy of God taking sure holde thereupon through faith in him whom he had so shamefullye denyed his sinne was forgeuen him for a certificate and assurance therof the roome of his Apostleship was not denyed vnto him But now marke what doth followe After the same holy Apostle had on Whitsondaye with the reste of the Disciples receaued the gyft of the holy ghost most aboundauntly he committed no smal offence in Antiochia by brynging the consciences of the faythfull into doubt by his example so that Paule was faine to rebuke him to his face because that he walked not vprightlye or went not the ryght way in the Gospell Shall we now say that after this greeuous offence he was vtterly excluded and shut out from the grace and mercy of God that this his trespasse wherby he was a stumbling blocke vnto manye was vnpardonable God defende we shoulde saye so But as these examples are not brought in to the ende that we shoulde thereby take a boldnesse to sinne presuming on the mercye and goodnesse of God but to the ende that if through the fraylenesse of our owne fleshe and the temptation of the Deuill we fall into the lyke sinnes we shoulde in no wyse dispayre of the mercy and goodnes of God Euen so muste we beware and take heede that we do in no wise thinke in our heartes imagine or beleue that we are able to repent aright or to tourne effectuallye vnto the Lorde by our owne myght and strength For this must be verifyed in all men Without me ye can do nothing Agayne Of our selues we are not able as much as to thynke a good thought And in another place It is God that worketh in vs both the wyl and the deede For this cause although Hieremie had sayde before If thou returne O Israel returne vnto me sayeth the Lorde Yet afterwardes he sayeth Turne thou me O Lorde and I shall be turned for thou art the Lorde my god And therefore that holye wryter and auncient father Ambrose doth playnely affirme that the turnyng of the heart vnto God is of God as the Lorde hym selfe doth testifie by his prophete saying And I will geue thee an heart to knowe me that I am the Lorde and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they shal returne vnto me with their whole heart These thinges beyng consydered let vs earnestlye pray vnto the liuyng God our heauenlye father that he wyll vouchsafe by his holye spirite to worke a true and vnfained repentance in vs that after the paynefull labours and trauayles of this lyfe we may liue eternally with his sonne Jesus Christe to whom be all prayse and glorye for euer and euer Amen ¶ The seconde parte of the Homilee of Repentaunce HJtherto haue ye heard wel beloued how needeful necessary the doctrine of repentaunce is how earnestly it is throughout all the scriptures of God vrged and set foorth both by the auncient prophetes by our Sauiour Jesu Christ his Apostles and that forasmuche as it is the conuertion or turning agayne of the whole man vnto God from whom we go away by sinne these four pointes ought to be obserued That is from whence or from what thinges we muste returne vnto whom this our returnyng muste be made by whose meanes it ought to be done that it may be effectual and last of all after what sort we ought to behaue our selues in the same that it may be profitable vnto vs and attayne vnto the thing that we do seeke by it Ye haue also learned that as the opinion of them that denie the benefite of repentaunce vnto those that after they be come to God and graffed in our sauiour Jesu Christe do through the fraylenesse of theyr fleshe and the temptation of the deuill fall into some greeuous and detestable sinne is most pestilent and pernitious So we muste beware that we do in no wyse thynke that we are able of our owne selues and of our own strength to retourne vnto the Lorde our God from whom we are gone awaye by our wyckednesse and sinne Nowe it shall be declared vnto you what be the true partes of repentaunce what thinges ought to moue vs to repent and to returne vnto the Lorde our God with all speede Repentaunce as it is sayde before is a true returning vnto God whereby men forsakyng vtterlye their idolatrie and wickednes do with a lyuelye fayth embrace loue and worship the true lyuyng God onelye and geue them selues to all maner of good workes whiche by Gods worde they knowe to be acceptable vnto him Nowe there be foure partes of repentaunce which beyng set together maye be lykened to an easie and short ladder whereby we may clymbe from the bottomles pit of perdition that we caste our selues into by our daylye offences and greeuous sinnes vp into the castle or to wre of eternal and endelesse saluation The fyrst is the contrition of the heart For we must be earnestly sorye for our sinnes and vnfaynedlye lament be wayle that we haue by them so greuously offended our most bounteous and mercifull God who so tenderlye loued vs that he gaue his onely begotten sonne to dye a most bitter death to shed his deare hart blood for our redemption and deliueraunce And veryly this inward sorowe and greefe being conceaued in the heart for the haynousnesse of sinne if it be earnest and vnfayned is as a sacrifice to God as the holy prophete Dauid doth testifye saying A sacrifyce to God is a troubled spyrite a contrite and broken heart O Lord thou wylt not dispyse But that this may take place in vs we must be diligent to reade and heare the scriptures and worde of God whiche most lyuely do paynt out before your eyes our naturall vncleanlynesse and the enormitie of our sinfull lyfe For vnlesse we haue a through feeling of our sinnes how can it be that we shoulde earnestlie be sorye for them Afore Dauid did heare the worde of the Lorde by the mouth of the prophet Nathan what heauinesse I praye you was in hym for the adultrie and murther that he had committed So that it myght be sayd right wel that he slept in his owne sinne We reade in the Actes of the Apostles that when the people had hearde the Sermon of Peter they were compunct and pricked in theyr heartes Whiche thing woulde neuer haue ben if they had not heard that holsome Sermon of
prayer to GOD for so gratious a Soueraigne but also them selues take armour wickedly assemble companies and bandes of rebels to breake the publique peace so long continued and to make not warre but rebellion to endaunger the person of suche a gratious Soueraigne to hazarde the estate of theyr countrey for whose defence they should be redye to spend their liues and beyng Englishemen to robbe spoyle destroy and burne in Englande Englishemen to kyll and murther theyr owne neyghbours and kinsfolke theyr owne countreymen to do all euill and mischeefe yea and more to then forraigne enemies woulde or coulde do What shall we say of these men who vse them selues thus rebelliously agaynst theyr gratious Soueraigne Who yf GOD for their wickednesse had geuen them an heathen tyrant to raigne ouer them were by Gods word bound to obey him and to pray for him What maye be spoken of them so farre doth their vnkindnes vnnaturalnesse wickednesse mischeuousnesse in their doynges passe and excel any thing and all thinges that can be expressed or vttered by wordes Onlye let vs wishe vnto all suche moste speedie repentaunce and with so greeuous sorowe of heart as such so horrible sinnes against the maiestie of God do require who in most extreme vnthankfulnesse do ryse not only agaynst theyr gratious prince agaynst theyr naturall countrey but agaynst all theyr countreymen women and chyldren against them selues theyr wiues children and kinsfolkes and by so wicked an example agaynst all Christendome and agaynst whole mankynde of all maner of people throughout the wide worlde suche repentaunce I say suche sorowe of heart GOD graunt vnto all suche whosoeuer ryse of priuate and malitious purpose as is meete for suche mischeeues attempted and wrought by them And vnto vs and all other subiectes God of his mercie graunt that we may be moste vnlyke to all such and most like to good naturall louyng and obedient subiectes nay that we maye be suche in deede not onlye shewyng all obedience ourselues but as manye of vs as be able to the vttermost of our power habilitie and vnderstandyng to staye and represse all rebels and rebellions agaynst God our gratious prince and naturall countrey at euery occasion that is offered vnto vs And that which we all are able to do vnlesse we do it we shal be most wicked and most worthie to feele in the ende suche extreme plagues as GOD hath euer powred vppon rebels Let vs all make continuall prayers vnto almyghtie God euen from the bottome of our heartes that he wyll geue his grace power and strength vnto our gratious Queene Elizabeth to vanquishe and subdue all aswell rebelles at home as forraigne enemies that all domesticall rebellions beyng suppressed and pacified and all outwarde inuasions repulled and abandoned we may not onlye be sure and long continue in all obedience vnto our gratious Soueraigne and in that peaceable and quiet lyfe which hytherto we haue led vnder her Maiestie with all securitie but also that both our gratious Queene Elizabeth and we her subiectes may altogether in al obedience vnto God the kyng of all kynges and vnto his holy lawes leade our liues so in this worlde in all vertue and godlinesse that in the worlde to come we maye enioy his euerlastyng kyngdome whiche I beseche God to graunt aswel to our gratious Soueraigne as vnto vs all for his sonne our sauiour Jesus Christes sake to whom with the father and the holye ghost one God and kyng immortall be all glory prayse and thankes geuing worlde without ende Amen Thus haue you heard the first part of this Homilee nowe good people let vs pray ¶ The prayer O Most mightie God the Lorde of hoastes the gouernour of all creatures the onlye geuer of all victories who alone art able to strengthen the weake agaynst the myghtie and to vanquishe infinite multitudes of thyne enemies with the countenaunce of a fewe of thy seruauntes calling vppon thy name and trusting in thee Defend O Lorde thy seruaunt and our gouernour vnder thee our Queene Elizabeth and all thy people committed to her charge O Lorde withstande the crueltie of all those whiche be common enemies aswell to the trueth of thy eternall worde as to their owne naturall Prince and countrye and manifestlye to this crowne and Realme of Englande whiche thou haste of thy diuine prouidence assigned in these our dayes to the gouernment of thy seruaunt our Soueraigne and gratious Queene O moste mercifull father if it be thy holye will make soft and tender the stony heartes of al those that exalte themselues agaynst thy trueth and seeke eyther to trouble the quyet of this realme of England or to oppresse the crowne of the same and conuert them to the knowledge of thy sonne the onely sauiour of the world Jesus Christ that we and they maye ioyntlye glorifie thy mercies Lyghten we besech thee their ignoraunt hearts to imbrace the trueth of thy worde or els so abate their crueltie O most mightie Lorde that this our Christian region with others that confesse thy holy Gospell maye obteine by thine aide and strength suretie from all enemies without shedding of christian blood wherby al they which be oppressed with their tyranny may be releeued and they which be in feare of their crueltie maye be comforted finally that all christian realmes and specially this realme of England may by thy defence and protection continue in the trueth of the Gospel and enioy perfect peace quietnes and securitie and that we for these thy mercies ioyntly altogether with one consonant hart and voice may thankfully render to thee al laud and praise that we knit in one godlye concorde and vnitie amongst our selues may continuallye magnifie thy glorious name who with thy sonne our sauiour Jesus Christ and the holy ghost art one eternall almyghtye and moste mercifull God To whom be all laude and prayse worlde without ende Amen ¶ The second parte of the Homilee agaynst disobedience and wilfull Rebellion AS in the fyrste parte of this treatie of obedience of subiectes to their Princes against disobedience and rebellion I haue alleaged diuers sentences out of the holye scriptures for proofe so shal it be good for the better declaration and confirmation of the sayd holsome doctrine to alleage one example or two out of the same holy scriptures of the obedience of subiects not onelye vnto their good and gratious gouernours but also vnto their euill and vnkynd princes As king Saul was not of the beste but rather of the worst sort of Princes as beyng out of Gods fauour for his disobedience agaynst God in sparyng in a wrong pitie the kyng Agag whom almyghtye God commaunded to be stayne accordyng to the iustice of God against his sworne enemie and although Saule of a deuotion ment to sacrifice such thinges as he spared of the Amalechites to the honor and seruice of God yet Saul was reproued for his wrong mercy and deuotiō and was tolde that obedience woulde haue more pleased him
the principall and most vsual causes as specially ambition and ignoraunce By ambition I meane the vnlawful and restles desire in men to be of higher estate then God hath geuen or appoynted vnto them By ignoraunce I meane no vnskilfulnesse in artes or sciences but the lacke of knowledge of Gods blessed wyll declared in his holye worde whiche teacheth both extremely to abhorre all rebellion as the roote of all mischeefe and specially to delyght in obedience as the begynnyng and foundation of all goodnesse as hath ben also before specified And as these are the two cheese causes of rebellion so are there specially two sortes of men in whom these vices do raigne by whom the deuill the aucthour of al euill doth cheefely stirre vp all disobedience and rebellion The restlesse ambitious hauing once determined by one meanes or other to atcheeue to theyr intended purpose when they can not by lawfull and peaceable meanes clime so hygh as they do desyre they attempt the same by force and violence wherein when they can not preuaile agaynst the ordinarie aucthoritie and power of lawfull princes and gouernours them selues alone they do seeke the ayde and helpe of the ignoraunt multitude abusing them to theyr wicked purpose Wherfore seeing a fewe ambitious and malitious are the aucthours heades and multitudes of ignoraunt men are the ministers and furtherers of rebellion the cheefe poynt of this part shal be aswell to notifie to the simple and ignorant men who they be that haue ben and be the vsuall aucthours of rebellion that they may knowe them and also to admonishe them to beware of the subtill suggestions of suche restles ambitious persons and so to flee them that rebellions though attempted by a fewe ambitious through the lack of mayntenaunce by any multitudes maye speedyly and easyly without any great labour daunger or domage be repressed and clearely extinguished It is well knowen as well by all histories as by dayly experience that none haue eyther more ambitiously aspired aboue Emperours Kinges and Princes nor haue more pernitiously moued the ignoraunt people to rebellion agaynst theyr Princes then certayne persons whiche falsely chalenge to them selues to be onlye counted and called spirituall I must therefore heare yet once agayne breefely put you good people in remembraunce out of Gods holye worde howe our Sauiour Jesus Christe and his holy Apostles the heades and cheefe of all true spirituall and ecclesiastical men behaued them selues towards the princes and rulers of their tyme though not the best gouernours that euer were that you be not ignoraunt whether they be the true disciples and folowers of Christe and his Apostles and so true spirituall men that eyther by ambition do so highly aspyre or do most malitiously teach or most pernitiously do execute rebellion agaynst theyr lawfull princes beyng the worst of all carnall workes and mischeuous deedes The holye scriptures do teache most expresly that our sauiour Christe him selfe and his apostle saint Paul saint Peter with others were vnto the magistrates and higher powers which ruled at their beyng vppon the earth both obedâ—â—nt them selues and dyd also diligently and earnestly exhort all other Christians to the lyke obedience vnto their princes and gouernours whereby it is euident that men of the Cleargie and ecclesiasticall ministers as theyr successours ought both them selues specially and before others to be obedient vnto their princes and also to exhort all others vnto the same Our sauiour Christe like wyse teachyng by his doctrine that his kingdome was not of this worlde dyd by his example in fleeing from those that would haue made him kyng confirme the same expresly also forbidding his Apostles and by them the whole Cleargie all princely dominion ouer people and nations and he and his holy Apostles like wyse namely Peter Paul dyd forbid vnto all ecclesiasticall ministers dominion ouer the Churche of Christe And in deede whiles that ecclesiasticall ministers continued in Christes Church in that order that is in Christes worde prescribed vnto them and in Christian kyngdomes kept them selues obedient to their owne princes as the holy scripture do teache them both was Christes Churche more cleare from ambitious emulations and contentions and the state of Christian kyngdomes lesse subiect vnto tumultes and rebellions But after that ambition and desyre of dominion entred once into ecclesiasticall ministers whose greatnes after the doctrine and example of our sauiour shoulde cheefely stande in humbling of them selues and that the Byshop of Rome being by the order of Gods worde none other then the bishop of that one see and diocesse and neuer yet well able to gouerne the same did by intollerable ambition chalenge not only to be the head of all the Churche dispersed throughout the worlde but also to be Lorde of all the kyngdomes of the worlde as is expresly set foorth in the booke of his owne Cannon lawes most contrary to the doctrine and example of our sauiour Christe whose Uicar and of his holy apostles namely Peter whose successour he pretendeth to be after his ambition entred and this chalenge once made by the Byshop of Rome he became at once the spoyler destroyer both of the Church which is the kyngdome of our sauiour Christe and of the Christian Empyre and all Christian kyngdomes as an vniuersall tyraunt ouer all And whereas before that chalenge made there was great amitie and loue amongst the Christians of al countreis herevpon began emulation and much hatred betweene the Bishop of Rome and his Cleargie and freendes on the one part and the Grecian Cleargie and Christians of the East on the other part for that they refused to acknowledge any such supreme aucthoritie of the Bishop of Rome ouer them the Bishop of Rome for this cause amongst other not onlye namyng them and taking them for schismatikes but also neuer ceassing to persecute them and the Emperours who had their see and continuaunce in Grece by stirring of the subiectes to rebellion agaynst their soueraigne lordes and by raysyng deadly hatred and most cruell warres betweene them and other Christian princes And when the Byshops of Rome had translated the title of the Emperour and as much as in them dyd lye the Empyre it selfe from their lorde the Emperour of Grece and of Rome also by ryght vnto the Christian princes of the West they became in short space no better vnto the West Emperours then they were before vnto the Emperours of Grece For the vsuall discharging of subiectes from their othe of fidelitie made vnto the Emperours of the West their soueraigne lordes by the Byshops of Rome the vnnaturall stirring vp of the subiectes vnto rebellion agaynst their princes yea of the sonne agaynst the father by the Byshoppe of Rome the most cruell and blooddy warres raysed amongst Christian princes of all kyngdomes the horrible murder of infinite thousandes of Christian men beyng slayne by Christians and whiche ensued therevpon the pitifull losses of so manye goodlye Cities countreys
all the same so resortyng thyther ought with all quietnesse and reuerence there to behaue them selues in doing their bounden duetie seruice to almightie God in the congregation of his Saintes All which thinges are euident to be prooued by Gods holye worde as hereafter shall playnelye appeare And firste of all I wyll declare by the scriptures that it is called as it is indeede the house of God and temple of the Lorde He that sweareth by the temple sayth our sauiour Christe sweareth by it and hym that dwelleth therein meanyng God the father whiche he also expresseth playnely in the Gospell of Saint John saying Do not make the house of my father the house of marchaundize And in the booke of the Psalmes the Prophete Dauid sayth I wyll enter into thyne house I wyll worshyp in thy holy temple in thy feare And it is in almost infinite places of the scripture specially in the prophetes and booke of psalmes called the house of God or the house of the Lorde Sometyme it is named the tabernacle of the Lord and sometime the sanctuarye that is to say the holy house or place of the Lorde And it is in lykewyse called the house of prayer as Salomon who buylded the temple of the Lorde at Hierusalem doth ofte call it the house of the Lorde in the whiche the Lordes name should be called vpon And Esaias in the. 50. Chapter My house shal be called the house of prayer amongst all nations Which text our sauiour Christ alleageth in the newe Testament as doth appeare in three of the Euangelistes and in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publicane whiche went to pray in which parable our sauiour Christ sayth They went vp into the temple to pray And Anna the holy wydo we and prophetisse serued the Lorde in fastyng and prayer in the temple nyght and day And in the storie of the Actes it is mentioned how that Peter John went vp into the temple at the houre of prayer And saint Paul praying in the temple at Hierusalem was rapte in the spirite and did see Jesus speaking vnto him And as in all conuenient places prayer may be vsed of the godly priuately So it is most certaine that the Churche or temple is the due and appoynted place for common and publique prayer Nowe that it is lykewise the place of thankes geuyng vnto the Lorde for his innumerable and vnspeakeable benefites bestowed vppon vs appeareth notably in the latter ende of the Gospell of saint Luke and the begynnyng of the storie of the Actes where it is written that the Apostles and disciples after the assention of the lord continued with one accorde dayly in the temple alwayes praysyng and blessyng God. And it is lykewyse declared in the first Epistle to the Corinthians that the Churche is the due place appoynted for the reuerent vse of the Sacramentes It remayneth nowe to be declared that the Churche or temple is the place where the lyuely worde of God and not mans inuentions ought to be read taught and that the people are bounde thyther with all diligence to resort and this proofe likewise to be made by the scriptures as hereafter shall appeare In the storie of the actes of the apostles we reade that Paul and Barnabas preached the worde of God in the temples of the Jewes at Salamine And when they came to Antiochia they entred on the Sabbath day into the Synagogue or Churche and sate downe and after the lesson or readyng of the lawe and the prophetes the ruler of the temple sent vnto them saying Ye men and brethren yf anye of you haue any exhortation to make vnto the people saye it And so Paul standyng vp and makyng scilence with his hande sayde Ye men that be Israelites and ye that feare God geue eare and so foorth preachyng to them a sermon out of the scriptures as there at large appeareth And in the same storie of the actes the seuenteenth Chapter is testified howe Paul preached Christ out of the Scriptures at Thessalonica And in the fifteenth Chapter James the apostle in that holy councell and assemblie of his felowe Apostles sayth Moyses of olde tyme hath in euery Citie certayne that preache hym in the Synagogues or temples where he is read euerye Sabbath day By these places ye maye see the vsage of readyng of the Scriptures of the olde Testament among the Jewes in theyr Synagogues euery Sabbath daye and sermons vsually made vpon the same Howe muche more then is it conuenient that the Scriptures of God and specially the Gospell of our sauiour Christ should be read and expounded to vs that be Christians in our Churches speciallye our sauiour Christe and his apostles allowyng this most godly and necessarie vsage and by theyr examples confirming the same It is written in the stories of the Gospels in diuers places that Jesus went rounde about all Galilee teachyng in theyr Synagogues preaching the Gospell of the kyngdome In which places is his great diligence in continuall preachyng and teachyng of the people most euidently set foorth In Luke ye reade howe Jesus accordyng to his accustomed vse came into the temple and howe the booke of Esaias the prophete was deliuered him howe he read a text therein made a sermon vpon the same And in the. xix is expressed howe he taught dayly in the temple And it is thus written in the. viii of John Jesus came agayne earlye in the mornyng into the temple and all the people came vnto hym and he sate downe and taught them And in the. xviii of John our sauiour testifieth before Pilate that he spake openly vnto the world and that he alwayes taught in the Synagogue and in the temple whyther all the Jewes resorted and that secretely he spake nothing And in saint Luke Jesus taught in the temple and all the people came early in the morning vnto hym that they myght heare hym in the temple Here ye see aswell the diligence of our sauiour in teaching the worde of God in the temple dayly and specially on the Sabbath dayes as also the redynesse of the people resortyng altogether and that early in the morning into the Temple to heare hym The same example of diligence in preachyng the worde of God in the Temple shall ye fynde in the Apostles and the people resortyng vnto them Act. the. v. Howe the Apostles although they had ben whypped and scourged the day before and by the hygh priest commaunded that they shoulde preache no more in the name of Jesus yet the day folowyng they entred earlye in the mornyng into the Temple and dyd not ceasse to teache and declare Jesus Christe And in sundrye other places of the storye of the Actes ye shall fynde lyke diligence both in the Apostles in teachyng and in the people in commyng to the temple to heare Gods worde And it is testified in the
the temple he should seeme to al men moste worthy of death And in the. xxi of the Actes when the Jewes found Paul in the temple they layde handes vppon hym crying Ye men Israelies helpe this is that man who teacheth all men euery where agaynst the people and the lawe and agaynst this place besydes that he hath brought the Gentiles into the temple and hath prophaned this holy place Behold howe they tooke it for a lyke offence to speake agaynst the temple of God as to speake agaynst the lawe of God and howe they iudged it conuement that none but godly persons and the true worshippers of God should enter into the temple of god And the same fault is layde to Paules charge by Tertullus an eloquent man and by the Jewes in the. xxiiii of the Actes before a temporall Judge as a matter worthy death that he went about to pollute the temple of god And in the. xxvii of Matthewe when the cheefe priestes had receaued agayne the peeces of siluer at Judas hande they sayde It is not lawfull to put them into Corban whiche was the treasure house of the temple because it is the price of blood So that they coulde not abyde that not onely any vncleane person but also any other dead thyng that was iudged vncleane shoulde once come into the temple or any place thereto belonging And to this ende is saint Paules sayyng in the second Epistle to the Corinthians the vi Chapter to be applyed What felowshippe is there betwixt righteousnes vnrighteousnes or what communion betwene light darknesse or what concorde betweene Christe and Beliall or what part can the faythfull haue with thunfaythful or what agremēt can there be betwene the temple of God and images Which sentence although it be cheefly referred to the temple of the mynde of the godlye yet seeyng that the similitude and pith of the argument is taken from the material temple it enforceth that no vngodlines specially of images or idols may be suffred in the temple of God whiche is the place of worshyppyng God and therefore can no more be suffered to stande there then light can agree with darkenes or Christ with Belial for that the true worshipping of god and the worshipping of images are moste contrarye And the settyng of them vp in the place of worshyppyng may geue great occasion to the worshyppyng of them But to turne to the reuerence that the Jewes had to their temple You will say they honoured it superstitiously a great deale to much crying out the temple of the Lorde the temple of the Lorde being notwithstanding most wicked in life be therfore most iustly reproued of Jeremie the prophete of the Lorde Trueth it is that they were superstitiously geuen to the honouryng of theyr temple But I woulde we were not as farre to short from the due reuerence of the Lords house as they ouershot them selues therein And if the prophete iustlye reprehended them hearken also what the Lord requireth at our handes that we may know whether we be blame worthy or no. It is written in Ecclesiastes the fourth Chapter When thou doest enter into the house of God saith he take heede to thy feete draw neare that thou mayest heare for obedience is muche more worth then the sacrifice of fooles whiche know not what euill they do Speake nothyng rashly there neyther let thyne heart be swyft to vtter wordes before god For God is in heauen and thou art vpon the earth therfore let thy wordes be fewe Note welbeloued what quietnesse in gesture and behauiour what scilence in talke wordes is required in the house of God for so he calleth it See whether they take heede to theyr feete as they be here warned which neuer ceasse from vncomely walking and ietting vp downe and ouerthwarte the Churche shewyng an euident signification of notable contempt both of God and all good men there present and what heede they take to their tounges speach which do not only speake wordes swiftly and rashly before the Lorde whiche they be here forbydden but also often tymes speake fylthyly couetously and vngodly talkyng of matters scarce honest or fytte for the alehouse or tauerne in the house of the Lorde lytle consyderyng that they speake before God who dwelleth in heauen as is here declared when they be but vermins here creeping vpon the earth in camparison to his eternall maiestie and lesse regarding that they must geue an accompt at the great day of euery ydle worde whersoeuer it be spoken muche more of fylthye vncleane or wicked words spoken in the Lordes house to the great dishonour of his maiestie and offence of all that heare them And in deede concernyng the people and multitude the temple is prepared for thē to be hearers rather then speakers consyderyng that aswell the word of god is there read or taught whereunto they are bound to geue diligent eare with all reuerence and scilence as also that common prayer and thankes geuyng are rehearsed and sayde by the publique minister in the name of the people the whole multitude present wherunto they geuyng their redye audience shoulde assent and say Amen as S. Paul teacheth in the firste Epistle to the Corinthians And in another place glorifiyng God with one spirite and mouth which can not be when euery man and woman in seuerat pretence of deuotion prayeth priuately one askyng another geuyng thankes another readyng doctrine forceth not to heare the common prayer of the minister And peculierly what due reuerence is to be vsed in the ministring of the Sacramentes in the temple the same saint Paul teacheth in his Epistle to the Corinthians rebukyng suche as dyd vnreuerently vse them selues in that behalfe Haue ye not houses to eate and drynke in sayth he Do ye despise the Churche or congregation of God What shall I saye to you Shall I prayse you In this I prayse you not And God requireth not onely this outward reuerence of behauiour and scilence in his house but al inward reuerence in clensing of the thoughtes of our heartes threatning by his prophete Ose in the. ix Chapter that for the malice of the inuentions and deuises of the people he will cast them out of his house whereby is also signified the eternall castyng of them out of his heauenlye house and kyngdome whiche is most horrible And therefore in the. 19. of Leuit. God sayth Feare you with reuerence my sanctuarye for I am the Lorde And accordyng to the same the prophete Dauid sayth I wyll enter into thine house I wyll worshyp in thy holy temple in thy feare shewyng what inward reuerence and humblenes of mynde the godly men ought to haue in the house of the Lorde And to alleage some what concerning this matter out of the newe Testament in what honour God woulde haue his house or temple kepte and that by the example of our sauiour Christe whose aucthoritie ought
of good reason with all true Christians to be of most wayght and estimation It is written of all the foure Euangelistes as a notable acte and worthy to be testified by many holy witnesses how that our sauiour Jesus Christe that mercifull and mylde Lorde cōpared for his meekenesse to a sheepe suffring with scilence his fleece to be shorne from him and to a lambe led without resistaunce to the slaughter whiche gaue his body to them that dyd smyte hym aunswered not hym that reuiled nor turned away his face from them that dyd reproche hym and spit vpon him and accordyng to his owne example gaue preceptes of mildnes and sufferaunce to his disciples Yet when he seeth the temple and holy house of his heauenly father misordred polluted and prophaned vseth great seueritie and sharpenes ouerturneth the tables of thexchaungers subuerteth the seates of them that solde doues maketh a whip of cordes and scourgeth out those wicked abusers and prophaners of the temple of God saying My house shal be called the house of prayer but ye haue made it a den of theeues And in the. ii of John Do not ye make the house of my father the house of marchaundize For as it is the house of GOD when Gods seruice is duely done in it So whē we wickedly abuse it with wicked talke or couetous bargayning we make it a den of theeues or an house of marchaundize Yea and suche reuerence woulde Christe shoulde be therein that he woulde not suffer any vessell to be caryed through the temple And where as our saniour Christe as is before mentioned out of S. Luke coulde be founde no where when he was sought but only in the temple amongst the doctours and nowe agayne exerciseth his aucthoritie and iurisdiction not in castles and princely palaces amongst souldiers but in the temple Ye may hereby vnderstande in what place his spirituall kyngdome whiche he denyeth to be of this worlde is sonest to be founde and best to be knowen of all places in this worlde And accordyng to this example of our sauiour Christe in the primitiue Churche which was most holy godly and in the which due discipline with seueritie was vsed agaynst the wicked opē offenders were not suffered once to enter into the house of the Lorde nor admitted to common prayer and the vse of the holye Sacramentes with other true Christians vntil they had done open penaunce before the whole Churche And this was practised not only vpon meane persons but also vpon the ryche noble and mightie persons yea vpon Theodosius that puissaunt and mightie Emperour whom for cōmittyng a greeuous and wylfull murther S. Ambrose Byshop of Millayne reproued sharply and did also excommunicate the said Emperour and brought hym to open penaunce And they that were so iustly exempted and banished as it were from the house of the Lorde were taken as they be in deede for men diuided and separated from Christes Churche and in most daungerous estate yea as S. Paul sayeth euen geuen vnto Satan the deuyll for a tyme and theyr company was shunned and auoyded of all godly men and women vntyll suche tyme as they by repentaunce and publique penaunce were reconciled Suche was the honour of the Lordes house in mens heartes and outwarde reuerence also at that tyme and so horrible a thing was it to be shut out of the Churche and house of the Lorde in those dayes when religion was most pure and nothyng so corrupt as it hath ben of late dayes And yet we wyllyngly eyther by absentyng our selues from the house of the Lorde do as it were excommunicate our selues from the Churche and felowshyp of the Saintes of God orels comming thyther by vncomely and vnreuerent behauiour there by hastie rashe yea vncleane and wicked thoughtes and wordes before the Lorde our God horribly dishonour his holy house the Churche of GOD and his holy name and maiestie to the great daunger of our soules yea and certayne damnation also yf we do not spedily and earnestly repent vs of this wickednesse Thus ye haue hearde dearely beloued out of Gods worde what reuerence is due to the holye house of the Lorde how all godly persons ought with diligence at times appoynted thither to repayre howe they ought to behaue them selues there with reuerence and dread before the Lord what plagues and punyshementes as well temporall as eternall the Lorde in his holy worde threatneth aswell to suche as neglect to come to his holy house as also to suche who commyng thither do vnreuerently by iesture or talke there behaue them selues Wherefore if we desyre to haue seasonable weather and thereby to enioye the good fruites of the earth yf we wyll auoyde drought and barrennesse thirste and hunger whiche are plagues threatned vnto suche as make haste to go to their owne houses to alehouses and to tauernes and leaue the house of the Lorde emptie and desolate yf we abhorre to be scourged not with whyppes made of cordes out of the materiall temple only as our sauiour Christe serued the defilers of the house of God in Hierusalem but also to be beaten and dryuen out of the eternall temple and house of the Lorde which is his heauenly kingdome with the iron rodde of euerlastyng damnation and caste into outter darkenes where is weeping and gnashing of teeth if we feare dread and abhorre this I say as we haue most iust cause to do then let vs amende this our negligence and contempt in comming to the house of the Lorde this our vnreuerent behauiour in the house of the Lorde and resortyng thither diligently together let vs there with reuerent hearyng of the Lordes holy worde calling on the Lordes holy name geuing of heartie thankes vnto the Lorde for his manyfolde and inestimable benefites daily and hourly bestowed vpon vs celebrating also reuerently of the Lordes holy Sacramentes serue the Lorde in his holy house as becommeth the seruauntes of the Lorde in holines and righteousnes before him all the dayes of our lyfe and then we shal be assured after this lyfe to rest in his holy hyll and to dwell in his tabernacle there to prayse and magnifie his holy name in the congregation of his saintes in the holy house of his eternal kingdome of heauen which he hath purchased for vs by the death and sheddyng of the pretious blood of his sonne our sauiour Jesus Christ to whom with the father and the holy ghost one immortal maiestie of GOD be all honour glorie prayse and thankesgeuyng worlde without ende Amen An Homilie against perill of idolatrie and superfluous decking of Churches The first part IN what poyntes the true ornamentes of the Church or temple of GOD do consiste and stand hath ben declared in the two last Homilies intreating of the right vse of the temple or house of god of the due reuerence that all true Christian people are bound to geue vnto the same The summe wherof is that the Churche or
house of God is a place appoynted by the holy scriptures where the lyuely word of God ought to be read taught hearde the Lordes holy name called vpon by publique prayer heartie thankes geuen to his maiestie for his infinite and vnspeakeable benefits bestowed vpon vs his holy Sacramentes duely and reuerently ministred that therfore all that be godly in deede ought both with diligence at times appoynted to repayre together to the said Church and there with all reuerence to vse and behaue them selues before the Lorde And that the sayde Church thus godly vsed by the seruauntes of the Lorde in the Lordes true seruice for the effectuous presence of Gods grace wherewith he doth by his holy word and promises endue his people there present and assembled to the attaynement aswell of commodities worldly necessary for vs as also of all heauenly gyftes lyfe euerlastyng is called by the worde of GOD as it is in deede the temple of the Lorde and the house of God and that therefore the due reuerence thereof is stirred vp in the heartes of the godly by the consyderation of these true ornamentes of the sayde house of God and not by any outwarde ceremonies or costly and glorious deckyng of the sayde house or temple of the Lorde contrarie to the which most manyfest doctrine of the scriptures contrary to the vsage of the primitiue Church whiche was most pure and vncorrupt and contrary to the sentences and iudgementes of the most auncient learned and godly doctours of the Churche as hereafter shall appeare the corruption of these latter dayes hath brought into the Churche infinite multitudes of images and the same with other partes of the temple also haue decked with golde and siluer paynted with colours set them with stone pearle clothed them with silkes and pretious vestures phantasyng vntruely that to be the cheefe deckyng adournyng of the temple or house of God and that all people should be the more moued to the due reuerence of the same if all corners thereof were glorious and glisteryng with golde and pretious stones Whereas in deede they by the sayde images and suche glorious deckyng of the temple haue nothing at all profited suche as were wyse and of vnderstandyng but haue thereby greatly hurt the simple and vnwyse occasionyng them thereby to commit most horrible idolatrie And the couetous persons by the same occasion seemyng to worshyp peraduenture worshippyng in deede not onely the images but also the matter of them golde and siluer as that vice is of all others in the scriptures peculierly called idolatry or worshipping of images Against the which foule abuses and great enormities shal be alleaged vnto you First the aucthoritie of Gods holy worde aswell out of the olde Testament as of the newe And secondly the testimonies of the holy and ancient learned fathers and doctours out of their owne workes and auncient histories ecclesiasticall both that you may at once knowe their iudgementes and withall vnderstande what maner of ornamentes were in the temples in the primatiue church in those times whiche were moste pure and sincere Thirdly the reasons and argumentes made for the defence of images or idols and the outragious decking of temples and Churches with golde syluer pearle and pretious stone shal be confuted and so this whole matter concluded But least any shoulde take occasion by the way of doubtyng by wordes or names it is thought good heere to note first of all that although in common speache we vse to call the lykenesse or similitudes of men or other thynges images and not idols yet the scriptures vse the saide two wordes idols and images indifferently for one thyng alway They be wordes of diuers tongues and soundes but one in sense and signification in the scriptures The one is taken of the Greeke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an idoll and the other of the Latin worde Imago an image and so both vsed as Englishe termes in the translatyng of scriptures indifferently accordyng as the Septuaginta haue in their translation in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and saint Hierome in his translation of the same places in Latin hath Simulachra in Englishe images And in the newe Testament that whiche saint John calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saint Hierome lyke wyse translateth Simulacrum as in all other lyke places of scripture vsually he doth so translate And Tertullian a most ancient doctour and wel learned in both the tongues Greeke Latin interpretyng this place of Saint John Beware of idols that is to say sayeth Tertullian of the images them selues The Latin wordes whiche he vseth be Effigies and Imago to say an image And therfore it forceth not whether in this processe we vse the one terme or the other or both together seyng they both though not in common Englishe speache yet in scripture signifie one thyng And though some to blynde mens eyes haue heretofore craftily gon about to make them to be taken for wordes of diuers signification in matters of religion and haue therefore vsually named the lykenesse or similitude of a thyng set vp amongst the heathen in their temples or other places to be worshipped an idoll But the lyke similitude with vs set vp in the Churche the place of worshippyng they call an image as though these two wordes idoll and image inscripture dyd differ in proprietie and sense whiche as is aforesayde differ onely in sound and language and in meaning be in dede all one specially in the scriptures and matters of religion And our images also haue ben and be and yf they be publiquely suffred in Churches and temples euer wil be also worshipped and so idolatrie committed to them as in the last part of this Homilie shall at large be declared and proued Wherefore our images in temples and Churches be in deede none other but Idols as vnto the whiche idolatrie hath ben is and euer wyll be committed And first of all the scriptures of the olde Testament condemnyng and abhorring aswell all idolatrie or worshyppyng of images as also the very idols or images them selues speciallye in temples are so many and plentiful that it were almoste an infinite worke and to be conteyned in no small volume to recorde all the places concerning the same For when God had chosen to him selfe a peculier and speciall people from amongst all other nations that knewe not God but worshypped idols and false gods he gaue vnto them certayne ordinaunces and lawes to be kept and obserued of his sayde people But concerning none other matter did he geue either mo or more earnest and expresse lawes to his sayde people then those that concerned the true worshyppyng of hym and the auoyding and fleeyng of idols and images and idolatrie for that that both the sayde idolatrie is moste repugnaunt to the ryght worshipping of him and his true glorye aboue all other vices and that he knewe the pronenesse and inclination of mans corrupt kynde and nature to
that most odious and abominable vice Of the whiche ordinaunces and lawes so geuen by the Lorde to his people concerning that matter I wyll rehearse and alleage some that be moste speciall for this purpose that you by them may iudge of the rest In the fourth Chapter of the booke named Deuteronomie is a notable place and most worthy with all diligence to be marked whiche begynneth thus And nowe Israel heare the commaundementes and iudgements which I teach thee sayth the Lorde that thou doyng them mayest liue and enter possesse the lande which the Lorde God of your fathers wyll geue you Ye shall put nothyng to the worde whiche I speake to you neyther shall ye take anye thyng from it Kepe ye the commaundementes of the Lorde your God which I commaund you And by and by after he repeateth the same sentence three or foure tymes before he come to the matter that he woulde specially warne them of as it were for a preface to make them to take the better heede vnto it Take heede to thy selfe sayth he and to thy soule with all carefulnes lest thou forgettest the thynges whiche thyne eyes haue seene and that they go not out of thy heart all the dayes of thy life thou shalt teach them to thy children and nephues or posteritie And shortly after The Lorde spake vnto you out of the middle of fire but you hearde the voyce or sounde of his wordes but you did see no fourme or shape at al. And by and by foloweth Take heede therefore diligently vnto your soules you sawe no maner of image in the day in the which the lord spake vnto you in Horeb out of the myddest of the fyre least peraduenture you beyng deceaued shoulde make to your selues any grauen image or lykenesse of man or woman or the lykenesse of any beaste whiche is vppon the earth or of the birdes that flee vnder heauen or of any creeping thing that is moued on the earth or of the fishes that do continue in the waters leste paraduenture thou lyftyng vp thyne eyes to heauen do see the sunne and the moone and the starres of heauen and so thou being deceaued by errour shouldest honour and worshyp them whiche the Lord thy God hath created to serue all nations that be vnder heauen And agayne Beware that thou forget not the couenaunt of the Lorde thy God whiche he made with thee and so make to thy selfe any carued image of them whiche the Lorde hath forbidden to be made for the Lorde thy God is a consumyng fyre and a ielous god If thou haue chyldren and nephues and do tary in the lande and beyng deceaued do make to your selues any similitude doyng euyll before the Lord your GOD and prouoke hym to anger I do this day call vppon heauen and earth to wytnesse that ye shall quicklye peryshe out of the lande whiche you shall possesse you shall not dwell in it anye long tyme but the Lorde wyll destroye you and wyll scatter you amongst all nations and ye shall remayne but a verye fewe amongst the nations whyther the Lorde wyll leade you away and then shall you serue gods whiche are made with mans handes of wood and stone whiche see not and heare not neyther eate nor smell and so foorth This is a notable Chapter and entreateth almoste altogether of this matter But because it is to lōg to write out the whole I haue noted you certayne principall poyntes out of it First howe earnestly and ofte he calleth vpon them to marke to take heede that vpon the perill of their soules to the charge which he geueth them Then howe he forbyddeth by a solemne long rehearsal of all thinges in heauen in earth and in the water any image or lykenes of any thyng at all to be made Thirdly what penaltie and horrible destruction he solemly with inuocation of heauen earth for recorde denounceth and threatneth to them their children and posteritie if they contrary to this commaundement do make or worshyppe anye images or similitude which he so straightly hath forbidden And whē they this notwithstanding partlye by inclination of mans corrupte nature moste prone to idolatrie and partly occasioned by the Gentiles and Heathen people dwellyng about them who were idolaters dyd fall to the makyng and worshyppyng of Images GOD accordyng to his worde brought vppon them all those plagues whiche he threatned them with as appeareth in the bookes of the kinges and the Chronacles in sundrye places at large And agreeable hereunto are many other notable places in the olde Testament Deuteronomie xxvii Cursed be he that maketh a carued image or a cast or moulten image whiche is abomination before the Lorde the worke of the artificers hand and setteth it vp in a secret corner and all the people shall say Amen Reade the xiii and. xiiii Chapters of the booke of wysedome concernyng idols or images howe they be made set vp called vppon and offered vnto and how he prayseth the tree whereof the gybbet is made as happye in comparison to the tree that an image or idoll is made of euen by these very wordes Happie is the tree wherethrough ryghteousnesse commeth meaning the gybbet but cursed is the idoll that is made with handes yea both it and he that made it and so foorth And by and by he sheweth how that the thynges whiche were the good creatures of God before as trees or stones when they be once altered and fashioned into images to be worshypped become abhomination a temptation vnto the soules of men and a snare for the feete of the vnwyse And why the seekyng out of images is the begynnyng of whoredome sayth he and the bryngyng vp of them is the destruction of lyfe for they were not from the begynnyng neyther shall they contynue for euer The welthy idlenesse of men hath founde them out vppon earth therefore shall they come shortlye to an ende and so foorth to the ende of the Chapter conteynyng these poyntes Howe idols or images were fyrste inuented and offered vnto how by an vngratious custome they were establyshed how tyrauntes compell men to worshyppe them how the ignoraunt and the common people are deceaued by the cunnyng of the workeman and the beawty of the image to do honour vnto it and so to erre from the knowledge of God and of other great and many mischefes that come by images And for a conclusion he sayth that the honouring of abhominable images is the cause the begynnyng and ende of all euyll and that the worshippers of them be either mad or most wycked See and view the whole Chapter with diligence for it is worthy to be well consydered speciallie that is wrytten of the deceauing of the simple and vnwyse common people by idols and images and repeated twyse or thrise least it shoulde be forgotten And in the Chapter folowyng be these wordes The paynting of the picture and carued image with dyuers colours enticeth the ignoraunt so that he
honoureth and loueth the picture of a dead image that hath no soule Neuerthelesse they that loue such euyll thynges they that trust in them they that make them they that fauour them and they that honour them are all worthy of death and so foorth In the booke of Psalmes the Prophet curseth the image honourers in diuers places Confounded be all they that worshyp carued images and that delight or glorye in them Like be they vnto the images that make them and al they that put their trust in them And in the Prophete Esai sayth the Lorde Euen I am the Lorde and this is my name and my glorye wyll I geue to none other neyther my honour to grauen images And by and by Let them be confounded with shame that trust in idols or images or saye to them you are our Gods. And in the. xl Chapter after he hath set foorth the incomprehensible maiestie of God he asketh to whom then wyll ye make God lyke Or what similitude wyll ye set vp vnto hym Shall the Caruer make hym a carued image and shall the Goldsmyth couer hym with Golde and cast hym into a fourme of syluer plates And for the poore man shal the image maker frame an image of tymber that he maye haue somewhat to set vp also And after this he cryeth out O wretches hearde ye neuer of this Hath it not ben preached vnto you since the begynnyng and so foorth how by the creation of the worlde and the greatnesse of the worke they myght vnderstande the maiestie of God the Creator and Maker of all to be greater then that it shoulde be expressed or set foorth in anye image or bodilye similitude And besides this preachyng euen in the lawe of God wrytten with his owne fynger as the scripture speaketh and that in the fyrste table and the begynnyng thereof is this doctrine aforesayde agaynst images not breefely touched but at large set foorth and preached and that with denuntiation of destruction to the contemners and breakers of this lawe and their posteritie after them And least it shoulde yet not be marked or not remembred the same is wrytten and reported not in one but in sundrye places of the worde of God that by ofte readyng and hearyng of it we myght once learne and remember it as you also heare daylie read in the Churche God spake these wordes and sayde I am the Lorde thy god Thou shalt haue none other Gods but me Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image nor the lykenesse of anye thyng that is in heauen aboue or in the earth beneath nor in the water vnder the earth thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them For I the Lorde thy God am a ielous God and visite the synne of the fathers vpon the chyldren vnto the thirde and fourth generation of them that hate me and shew mercie vnto thousandes in them that loue me and keepe my commaundementes All this notwithstandyng neyther coulde the notablenesse of the place beyng the verye begynnyng of the lyuyng Lordes Lawe make vs to marke it nor the playne declaration by recountyng of all kynde of similitudes cause vs to vnderstand it nor the oft repeating and reportyng of it in diuers and sundrye places the oft readyng and hearyng of it coulde cause vs to remember it nor the dread of the horrible penaltie to our selues our children and posteritie after vs feare vs from transgressing of it nor the greatnesse of the rewarde to vs and our chyldren after vs moue vs any thing to obedience and the obseruyng of this the Lordes great lawe But as though it had ben wrytten in some corner not at large expressed but breefely obscurely touched as though no penaltie to the transgressours nor rewarde to the obedient had ben adioyned vnto it like blinde men without all knowledge vnderstandyng like vnreasonable beastes without dread of punishment or respecte or rewarde haue diminished dishonoured the high maiestie of the liuing God by the basenesse and vilenes of sundrye diuers images of dead stockes stones and mettals And as the maiestie of God whom we haue lefte forsaken and dishonoured and therefore the greatnesse of our synne and offence agaynst his maiestie can not be expressed So is the weakenesse vylenesse and foolishnesse in deuice of the images whereby we haue dishonoured hym expressed at large in the scriptures namely the Psalmes the booke of wysedome the Prophete Esaias Ezechiel and Baruch speciallye in these places and Chapters of them Psalm Cxv. and. Cxxxiiii Esai xl and. xliiii Ezechiel the. vi Wysedome xiii xiiii xv Baruch vi The whiche places as Jexhort you often and diligentlye to reade so are they to long at this present to be rehearsed in an Homilee Notwithstandyng I wyll make you certayne breefe or short notes out of them what they say of these idols or images Fyrste that they be made but of small peeces of wood stone or mettall and therfore they can not be anye similitudes of the greate maiestie of God whose seate is heauen and the earth his footestoole Secundarilye that they be dead haue eyes and see not handes and feele not feete and can not go c. and therefore they can not be fitte similitudes of the lyuyng god Thirdely that they haue no power to do good nor harme to others though some of them haue an axe some a sworde some a speare in their handes yet do theeues come into their Temples and robbe them and they can not once stur to defend them selues from the theeues nay if the Temple or Churche be set a fyre that their priestes can runne away and saue themselues but they can not once moue but tary still lyke blockes as they are and be burned and therefore they can be no meete figures of the puissaunt and myghtie GOD who alone is able both to saue his seruauntes and to destroy his enemies euerlastinglye They be trimlye deckt in Golde Siluer and Stone aswell the images of men as of women lyke wanton wenches sayth the Prophete Baruch that loue paramours and therefore can they not teache vs nor our wyues and daughters anye sobernesse modestie and chastitie And therefore although it is nowe commonly saide that they be the lay mens bookes yet we see they teache no good lesson neyther of GOD nor godlynesse but all errour and wyckednesse Therefore GOD by his word as he forbiddeth anye idols or images to be made or set vp so doth he commaund suche as we fynde made and set vp to be pulled downe broken and destroyed And it is wrytten in the booke of Numbers the. xxiii Chapter that there was no idoll in Jacob nor there was no image seene in Israel and that the Lorde God was with that people Where note that the true Israelites that is the people of GOD haue no images among them but that God was with them and that therefore their enemies can not hurt them as appeareth in the
processe of that Chapter And as concernyng images alredye set vp thus sayth the Lorde in Deuteronomie Ouerturne their aulters and breake them to peeces cut downe their groues burne their images for thou art an holy people vnto the Lorde And the same is repeated more vehemently agayne in the twelth Chapter of the same booke Heare note what the people of God ought to do to images where they finde them But least anye priuate persons vppon colour of destroying of images should make any sturre or disturbaunce in the common wealth it muste alwayes be remembred that the redresse of such publique enormities apparteyneth to the Magistrates and suche as be in aucthoritie onlye and not to pryuate persons and therefore the good kynges of Juda Asa Ezechias Josaphat and Josias are hyghly commended for the breakyng downe and destroying of the aulters idols and images And the Scriptures declare that they speciallye in that poynt dyd that whiche was ryght before the Lorde And contrarywyse Hieroboam Achab Joas and other Prynces whiche eyther set vp or suffered suche aulters or images vndestroyed are by the worde of God reported to haue done euyll before the Lorde And yf anye contrarye to the commaundement of the Lorde wyll needes set vp suche aulters or images or suffer them vndestroyed amongest them the Lorde him selfe threatneth in the syrst Chapter of the booke of Numbers and by his holye Prophetes Ezechiel Micheas and Abacuc that he wyll come hym selfe and pull them downe And nowe he wyll handle punyshe and destroy the people that so set vp or suffer suche aulters images or idols vndestroyed he denounceth by his Prophete Ezechiel on this maner I my selfe sayth the Lorde wyll bryng a sworde ouer you to destroy your hygh places I wyll caste downe your aulters and breake downe your images your slayne men wyll I lay before your Gods and the dead karcases of the chyldren of Israel wyll I caste before their idolles your bones wyll I strowe round about your aulters and dwellyng places your Cities shal be desolate the hyll Chappelles layde waste your aulters destroyed and broken your goddes cast downe and taken awaye your Temples layde euen with the grounde your owne workes cleane rooted out your slayne men shall lye amongest you that ye maye learne to knowe how that I am the Lord and so foorth to the Chapters end worthy with diligence to be read that they that be neare shall perish with the sworde they that be farre of with the pestilence they that flee into holdes or wyldernesse with hunger and if anye be yet left that they shal be caryed awaye prysoners to seruitude and bondage So that if eyther the multitude or playnenesse of the places myght make vs to vnderstande or the earnest charge that GOD geueth in the sayde places moue vs to regarde or the horrible plagues punyshmentes and dreadfull destruction threatned to such worshyppers of images or idols setters vp or maynteyners of them myght ingender anye feare in our heartes we woulde once leaue and forsake this wyckednesse beyng in the Lordes sight so great an offence and abhomination Infinite places almoste myght be brought out of the scriptures of the old Testament concernyng this matter but these fewe at this tyme shall serue for all You wyll say peraduenture these thinges parteyne to the Jewes what haue we to do with them Indeede they parteyne no lesse to vs Christians then to them For if we be the people of God how can the worde and lawe of GOD not apparteyne to vs Saint Paul alleaging one texte out of the olde Testamente concludeth generallye for other scriptures of the olde Testamente as well as that saying Whatsoeuer is wrytten before meaning in the olde Testament is wrytten for our instruction whiche sentence is moste speciallye true of suche wrytynges of the olde Testamente as conteyne the immutable lawe and ordinaunces of GOD in no age or tyme to be altered nor of anye persons of anye nations or age to be disobeyed such as the aboue rehearsed places be Notwithstandyng for your further satisfiyng herein accordyng to my promise I wyll out of the Scriptures of the newe Testamente or Gospell of our Sauiour Christe lykewyse make a confirmation of the sayde doctrine agaynste idols or images and of our duetie concernyng the same First the Scriptures of the new Testament do in sundry places make mention with reioycing as for a moste excellent benefite and gyft of God that they whiche receaued the fayth of Christe were turned from their dumbe dead images vnto the true lyuyng God who is to be blessed for euer namely in these places the. xiiii xvii of the Actes of the Apostles the. xi to the Romanes the fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians the xii Chapter to the Galathians the. iiii and the first to the Thessalonians the first Chapter And in lyke wyse the sayd idols or images and worshyppyng of them are in the Scriptures of the newe Testament by the spirite of God much abhorred and detested and earnestly forbydden as appeareth both in the forenamed places and also manye others besydes as in the. vii and. xv of the Actes of the Apostles the fyrste to the Romanes where is set foorth the horrible plague of idolaters geuen ouer by God into a reprobate sense to worke all wyckednesse and abhominations not to be spoken as vsuallye spirituall and carnall fornication go together In the first Epistle to the Corinthians the fifth Chapter we are forbidden once to keepe company or to eate and drynke with suche as be called brethren or Christians that do worshyp images In the fifth to the Galathians the worshippyng of images is numbred amongst the workes of the fleshe And in the firste to the Corinthians the tenth it is called the seruice of deuilles that such as vse it shal be destroyed And in the. vi Chapter of the said Epistle the fifth to the Galathians is denounced that suche image worshyppers shall neuer come into the inheritaunce of the kingdome of heauen And in sundry other places is threatned that the wrath of God shall come vpon al such And therfore S. John in his Epistle exhorteth vs as his deare children to beware of images And. S. Paul warneth vs to flee from the worshyppyng of them yf we be wyse that is to say yf we care for health and seare destruction yf we regarde the kyngdome of God and lyfe euerlastyng and dread the wrath of God and euerlastyng damnation For it is not possible that we shoulde be worshyppers of images and the true seruauntes of God also as S. Paul teacheth the seconde to the Corinthians the. vi Chapter affyrming expresly that there can be no more consent or agreement betweene the Temple of God which al true Christians be and images then betweene ryghteousnesse and vnryghteousnes betweene lyght and darknesse betweene the faythfull and the vnfaythfull or betweene Christ and the deuyll Which place enforceth both that we
shoulde not worshippe images and that we should not haue images in the Temple for feare and occasion of worshyppyng them though they be of them selues thynges indifferent For the Christian is the holye Temple and lyuely image of God as the place well declareth to suche as wyll reade and weight it And where as all godly men dyd euer abhorre that any kneelyng and worshipping or offeryng should be vsed to them selues when they were alyue for that it was the honour due to God onlye as appeareth in the Actes of the Apostles by Saint Peter forbidding it to Cornelius and by Saint Paul and Barnabas forbiddyng the same to the Citezins in Lyftra Yet we lyke mad men fall downe before the dead idols orimages of Peter and Paul and geue that honour to stockes and stones whiche they thought abhominable to be geuen to them selues beyng alyue And the good angell of God as appeareth in the booke of S. Johns reuelation refused to be kneeled vnto when that honour was offered hym of John Beware sayth the angell that thou do it not for I am thy felowe seruaunt But the euyll angell satan desyreth nothyng so muche as to be kneeled vnto and thereby at once both to robbe God of his due honour and to worke the damnation of suche as make hym so lowe curtesie as in the storic of the Gospell appeareth in sundry places Yea and he offered our Sauiour Christe all earthly goodes on the condition that he woulde kneele downe and worshyp hym But our Sauiour repelleth Satan by the Scriptures saying it is wrytten Thou shalt worshyppe thy Lorde God and hym alone shalt thou serue But we by not worshyppyng and seruyng God alone as the Scriptures teacheth vs and by worshypping of images contrary to the Scriptures plucke satan to vs and are readye without rewarde to folowe his desyre yea rather then fayle we wyll offer hym gyftes and oblations to receaue our seruice But let vs brethren rather folowe the counsell of the good angell of GOD then the suggestion of subtyll satan that wycked angell and olde serpent Who accordyng to the pryde whereby he firste fell attempteth alwaye by suche sacriledge to depryue God whom he enuyeth of his due honour and because his owne face is horrible and vglye to conuey it to hymselfe by the mediation of gylte stockes and stones and withall to make vs the enemies of God and his owne suppliantes and slaues and in the ende to procure vs for a rewarde euerlastyng destruction and damnation Therfore aboue all thinges if we take our selues to be Christians in deede as we be named let vs credite the worde obey the lawe and folowe the doctrine and example of our Sauiour maister Christe repelling satans suggestion to idolatrie and worshyppyng of images accordyng to the trueth alleaged and taught out of the Testament and Gospell of our sayde heauenly doctour and scholemaister Jesus Christe who is God to be bicssed for euer Amen ¶ The seconde part of the Homilee agaynst perill of Idolatrie YOu haue hearde welbeloued in the fyrst parte of this Homilee the doctrine of the word of God against idols images agaynste idolatrie and worshipping of images taken out of the scriptures of the olde Testament the newe and confirmed by the examples as well of the Apostles as of our Sauiour Christ him selfe Nowe although our Sauiour Christe taketh not or needeth not anye testimonie of men and that whiche is once confirmed by the certaintie of his eternall trueth hath no more neede of the confirmation of mans doctrine and wrytinges then the bryght sunne at noone tyde hath neede of the light of a litle candle to put away darknes and to encrease his lyght yet for your further contentation it shall in this second part be declared as in the begynnyng of the firste parte was promised that this trueth and doctrine concernyng the forbidding of images and worshipping of them taken out of the holy Scriptures aswell of the olde Testament as the newe was beleued and taught of the olde holy fathers and most ancient learned Doctours and receaued in the olde primatiue Churche which was most vncorrupt and pure And this declaration shal be made out of the sayd holy Doctours owne wrytynges and out of the auncient histories ecclesiasticall to the same belongyng Tertullian a most auncient wryter and Doctor of the Churche who lyued about one hundreth and threescore yeres after the death of our Sauiour Christe both in sundrye other places of his workes and speciallye in his booke wrytten agaynst the maner of crownyng and in another litle treatise entituled of the souldyers crowne or garlande doth moste sharplye and vehementlye wryte and inuey agaynste images or idols And vpon S. Johns wordes the firste Eyistle and. v. Chapter saith thus Saint John saith he depelye consydering the matter sayth My litle chyldren keepe your selues from images or idols He sayth not nowe keepe your selues from idolatrie as it were from the seruice and worshyppyng of them but from the images or idols them selues that is from the verye shape and lyknes of them For it were an vn worthye thyng that the image of the lyuyng God should become the image of a dead idoll Do not you thynke those persons whiche place images and idols in Churches and Temples yea shryne them euen ouer the Lordes Table euen as it were of purpose to the worshipping and honouring of them take good heede to either S. Johns counsels or Tertullians For so to place images and idols is it to keepe them selues from them or els to receaue and imbrace them Clemens in his booke to James brother of the Lorde sayth What can be so wycked or so vnthankfull as to receaue a benefite of God and to geue thankes therefore vnto stockes and stones Wherefore awake ye vnderstande your health for God hath neede of no man nor requireth any thyng nor can be hurt in any thyng But we be they whiche are eyther holpen or hurte in that we be thankfull to God or vnthankfull Origenes in his booke agaynste Celsus sayth thus Christian men and Jewes when they heare these wordes of the lawe Thou shalt feare the Lorde thy God shalt not make any image do not onlye abhorre the Temples aulters and images of the gods but if neede be wyll rather dye then they shoulde defyle them selues with anye impietie And shortlye after he sayth In the common wealth of the Jewes the caruer of idols and image maker was cast farre of and forbidden least they shoulde haue any occasion to make images whiche myght plucke certayne foolishe persons from God and turne the eyes of their soules to the contemplation of earthly thynges And in an other place of the same booke It is not only sayth he a mad and â—rantike parte to worshyp images but also once to dissemble or wynk at it And a man may know God and his onely sonne and those whiche haue had suche honour geuen them by God
dominion After them came Theodosius the third he commaunded the defaced images to be paynted agayne in their places but this Theodosius raigned but one yere Leo the third of that name succeeded him who was a Syrian borne a very wyse godly mercifull valiaunt prince This Leo by proclamation commaunded that al images set vp in churches to be worshipped should be plucked downe and defaced and required specially the bishop of Rome that he should do the same and himselfe in the meane season caused all images that were in the imperial citie Constantinople to be gathered on an heape in the middest of the citie and there publiquely burned them to ashes and whyted ouer and rased out al pictures paynted vpoÌ„ the walles of the temples punished sharplie diuers maynteyners of images And when some did therefore report him to be a tyraunt he aunswered that such of al other were most iustly punished whiche neither worshipped God aryght nor regarded the imperial maiestie and aucthoritie but malicioustie rebelled agaynst holsome and profitable lawes When Gregorius the third of that name bishop of Rome hearde of the Emperours doinges in Grece concerning images he assembled a councell of Italian Byshops agaynst him and there made decrees for Images and that more reuerence and honour shoulde yet be geuen to them then was before and stirred vp the Italians against the Emperour first at Rauenna and moned them to rebellion And as Aspurgensis and Anthonius Bishop of Florence testifie in their Cronicles he caused Rome all Italie at the last to refuse their obedience and the payment of any more tribute to the Emperour and so by treason rebellion maynteyned their idolatrie Whiche example other bishoppes of Rome haue continually folowed and gone through with all most stoutly After this Leo which raigned xxxiiii yeres succeeded his sonne Constantine the fifth who after his fathers example kept images out of the temples And being moued with the councell whiche Gregorie had assembled in Italie for images agaynst his father he also assembled a councell of all the learned men and Bishoppes of Asia Grece although some writers place this councel in Leo Isauricus his fathers latter daies In this great assemble they sate in councel from the fourth of the Idus of Februarye to the sixth of the Idus of August and made concerning the vse of images this decree It is not lawfull for them that beleue in God through Jesus Christ to haue any images neyther of the creatour nor of any creatures set vp in temples to be worshipped but rather that all images by the lawe of God and for the auoyding of offence ought to be taken out of the Churches And this decree was executed in all places where anye images were founde in Asia or Grece And the Emperour sent the determination of this councel holden at Constantinople to Paule then Bishop of Rome and commaunded hym to cast all images out of the Churches whiche he trusting in the frendship of Pipine a mightye prince refused to do And both he and his successour Stephanus the third who assembled another councell in Italie for images condempned the Emperour and the councell of Constantinople of heresie and made a decree that the holye images for so they called them of Christe the blessed Uirgin and other sayntes were in deede worthy honour and worshipping When Constantine was dead Leo the fourth his sonne raigned after him who maried a woman of the citie of Athens named Theodora who also was called Hyrene by whom he had a sonne named Constantine the sixth and dying whylest his sonne was yet young left the regiment of the empyre gouernaunce of his young sonne to his wyfe Hyrene These thynges were done in the Churche about the yere of our Lord 760. Note here I pray you in this processe of the storie that in the Churches of Asia and Grece there were no images publiquely by the space of almost seuen hundred yeares And there is no doubt but the primitiue Churche next the Apostles tyme was most pure Note also that when the contention beganne about images howe of sixe Christian Emperours who were the chiefe magistrates by Gods lawe to be obeyed onelye one whiche was Theodosius who raigned but one yere helde with images All the other Emperours and all the learned men and Bishops of the Easte Churche and that in assembled councels condemned them besydes the two Emperors before mentioned Valenâ— and Theodosius the seconde who were long before these tymes who strayghtly forbad that any Images should be made And vniuersally after this tyme all the emperours of Grece only Theodosius excepted destroyed continually all images Nowe on the contrarie parte note ye that the Byshoppes of Rome beyng no ordinarie magistrates appoynted of God out of their diocesse but vsurpers of princes aucthoritie contrarie to gods word were the mainteyners of images against Gods word and stirrers vp of sedition and rebellion and workers of continuall treason against theyr soueraigne Lords contrary to gods lawe and the ordinaunces of all humane lawes beyng not onely enemies to God but also rebels and traytours against their Princes These be the first bringers in of images openly into Churches these be the mainteiners of them in the Churches and these be the meanes wherby they haue maynteyned them â—to wit conspiracie treason and rebellion agaynst God and their princes Nowe to proceede in the historie most worthye to be knowen In the nonage of Constantine the sixth the Empresse Hyrene his mother in whose handes the regiment of the Empire remayned was gouerned muche by the aduyse of Theodore Byshop and Tharasius patriarche of Constantinople who practised and helde with the Bishop of Rome in mainteining of images most earnestly By whose councell and entreatie the Empresse first most wickedly digged vp the body of her father in lawe Constantine the fifth and commaunded it to be openly burned the ashes to be throwen into the sea Whiche example as the constant report goeth hadde lyke to haue ben put in practise with Princes corses in our dayes had the aucthoritie of the holy father continued but a little longer The cause why the Empresse Hyrene thus vsed her father in lawe was for that he when he was alyue had destroyed images and had taken away the sumptuous ornamentes of Churches saying that Christ whose temples they were allowed pouertie and not pearles and pretious stones Afterward the said Hyrene at the perswasion of Adrian bishop of Rome Paul the patriarch of Constantinople his successour Tharasius assembled a councel of the bishops of Asia and Grece at the citie Nicea where the bishop of Romes legares being presidentes of the councell and ordring all thinges as they listed the counsell which was assembled before vnder the Emperour Constantine the fift and had decreed that all images shoulde be destroyed was condempned as an hereticall councell and assemble And a decree was made that images shoulde be set vp in all the Churches
punyshment as for the lyke offence fel vpon the Jewes wyll also lighte vppon vs That is least the cruel tyrant and enemie of our common wealth and religion the Turke by Gods iuste vengeaunce in lykewise partly murder partly leade awaye into captiuitie vs christians as dyd the Assyrian and Babylonian kynges murder and leade away the Israelites and least the empire of Rome christian religion be so vtterly brought vnder foote as was then the kyngdome of Israel and true religion of God whereunto the matter already as I haue declared shrewdlye inclyneth on our part the greater part of christendom within lesse then three hundreth yeares space beyng brought into captiuitie and moste miserable thraldome vnder the Turke and the noble empire of Grece cleane euerted Whereas yf the christians diuided by these image matters had holden together no Infidels and miscreauntes could thus haue preuayled against christendome And all this mischiefe and miserie whiche we haue hitherto fallen into do we owe to our mightie gods of gold and siluer stocke and stone in whose helpe and defence where they can not helpe them selues we haue trusted so long vntyl our enemies the Infidels haue ouercome and ouer runne vs almost altogether A iust rewarde for those that haue left the myghtie lyuyng God the Lorde of hostes and haue stopped and geuen the honour due to hym to dead blockes stockes who haue eyes and see not cares and heare not feete and can not go and so foorth and are cursed of God and all they that make them and that put their trust in them Thus you vnderstande welbeloued in ou◠Sauiour Christe by the iudgemente of the olde learned and godly Doctours of the Church and by auncient histories Ecclesiasticall agreeyng to the veritie of Gods worde aleaged out of the olde Testament and the newe that images and image worshyppyng were in the primatiue Churche whiche was most pure and vncorrupt abhorred and detested as abhominable and contrary to true Christian religion And that when images began to creepe into the Churche they were not onlye spoken and wrytten agaynste by godly and learned Byshoppes Doctours and Clarkes but also condemned by whole counselles of Byshoppes and learned men assembled together yea the sayde images by many Christian Emperours and Byshopyes were defaced broken and destroyed and that aboue vii C. and viii C. yeres ago and that therefore it is not of late bayes as some woulde beare you in hande that images and image worshyppyng haue ben spoken and written agaynst Finally you haue heard what mischeefe and miserie hath by the occasion of the saide images fallen vppon whole Christendome besides the losse of infinite soules which is most horrible of all Wherefore let vs beseche God that we beyng warned by his holye worde forbidding all idolatrie and by the wrytynges of olde godly Doctours and ecclesiasticall histories wrytten and preserued by Gods ordinaunce for our admonition and warnyng may flee from all idolatrie and so escape the horrible punishment plagues as well worldly as euerlastyng threatned for the same whiche God our heauenly father graunt vs for our onlye Sauiour and Mediatour Jesus Christes sake Amen ¶ The thirde parte of the Homilee against images and the worshipping of them conteyning the confutation of the principall argumentes whiche are vsed to be made for the mayntenaunce of images VVhich part may serue to instruct the Curates them selues or men of good vnderstandyng NOwe ye haue heard howe plainelye how vehementlye and that in manye places the worde of God speaketh agaynste not onlye idolatry and worshipping of images but also agaynste idols and images them selues I meane alwayes thus herein in that we be stirred and prouoked by them to worshyp them and not as though they were simplie forbidden by the newe Testament without suth occasion and daunger And ye haue hearde lykewyse out of histories Ecclesiasticall the begynnyng proceedyng and successe of idolatrie by images and the greate contention in the Churche of Christ about them to the great trouble and decay of Christendome and withall ye haue hearde the sentences of olde auncient fathers and godly learned Doctours and Byshoppes agaynste images and idolatrie taken out of their owne wrytynges It remayneth that suche reasons as be made for the maintenaunce of images and excessyue payntyng gyldyng and deckyng aswell of them as of the Temples or Churches also be aunswered and confuted partly by application of some places before alleaged to their reasons and partly by otherwyse aunswering the same Which part hath the last place in this treatise for that it can not be well vnderstanded of the meaner sorte nor the argumentes of image maynteyners can without prolixitie to muche tedious be aunswered without the knowledge of the treatise going before And although diuers thyngs before mentioned be here rehearsed agayne yet this repetition is not superfluous but in a maner necessarye for that the simple sorte can notels vnderstand how the foresayde places are to be applied to the argumentes of suche as do maynteyne images wherewith otherwyse they myght be abused Firste it is alleaged by them that maynteyne images that all lawes prohibitions and curses noted by vs out of the holy Scripture sentences of the Doctours also by vs alleaged agaynst images and the worshyppyng of them apparteyne to the idolles of the Gentiles or Pagans as the idoll of Iupiter Mars Mercurie c. and not to our images of God of Christe and his Saintes But it shal be declared both by Gods worde and the sentences of the auncient Doctours and iudgement of the primatiue Church that all images aswell ours as the idolles of the Gentiles be forbidden and vnlawfull namely in Churches and temples And fyrste this is to be replyed out of Gods worde that the images of God the father the sonne and the holy ghost eyther seuerally or the images of the Trinitie which we had in euery Church be by the Scriptures expresly and directly forbidden and condemned as appeareth by these places The Lorde spake vnto you out of the middle of fyre you hearde the voyce or sound of his wordes but you dyd see no fourme or shape at all least peraduenture you beyng deceaued shoulde make to your selfe anye grauen image or lykenesse and so foorth as is at large rehearsed in the first part of this treatie agaynst images And therefore in the olde lawe the middle of the propitiatorie whiche presented Gods seate was emptie least any should take occasion to make any similitude or lykenesse of hym Esaias after he hath set foorth the incomprehensible maiestie of God he asketh to whom then wyll ye make God lyke or what similitude wyl ye set vp vnto hym Shall the Caruer make hym a caruen image and shall the Goldsmyth couer hym with golde or cast him into a fourme of syluer plates And for the poore man shall the image maker frame an image of tymber that he maye haue somwhat to set vp also And after this he cryeth out O
not be without lyes ought not to be made or put to anye vse of religion or to be placed in Churches and Temples places peculierly appoynted to true religion and seruice of god And thus much that no true image of God our sauiour Christe or his saintes can be made wherwithall is also confuted that their allegation that images be the laye mens bookes For it is euident of that whiche is afore rehearsed that they teache no thinges of God of our sauiour Christe and of his saintes but lyes and errours Wherfore either they be no bookes or if they be they be false and lying bookes the teachers of all errour And nowe if it should be admitted graunted that an image of Christe could truely be made yet it is vnlawfull that it shoulde be made yea or that the image of anye saint shoulde be made speciallye to beset vp in Temples to the greate and vnauoydable daunger of idolatrie as hereafter shal be proued And fyrste concernyng the image of Christe that though it myght be had truelye yet it were vnlawfull to haue it in Churches publiquely is a notable place in Ireneus who reproued the heritikes called Gnostici for that they caryed about the image of Christe made truely after his owne proportion in Pilates tyme as they said and therefore more to be esteemed then those lying images of hym which we nowe haue The whiche Gnostici also vsed to set garlandes vppon the head of the sayde image to shewe their affection to it But to go to Gods worde Be not I pray you the wordes of the scripture playne Beware least thou beyng deceaued make to thy selfe to say to any vse of religion anye grauen image or anye similitude of any thyng c. And cursed be the man that maketh a grauen or molten image abhomination before the Lorde c. Be not our images such Be not our images of Christe and his saintes 〈◊〉 〈…〉 ed or molten or caste or similitudes of men and women It is happye that we haue not folowed the Gentiles in makyng of images of 〈…〉 es fyshes and vermynes also Notwithstandyng the image of an Horse as also the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Asse that Christe â—ode on haue in di 〈…〉 places ben brought into the Churche and Temple of god And is not that whiche is written in the begynning of the Lordes moste holye lawe and dayly read vnto you moste euident also Thou shalt not make any lykenesse of anye thyng in heauen aboue in earth beneath or in the water vnder the earth c. Coulde anye more beforbidden and sayde then this eyther of the kyndes of images whiche be eyther carued molten or otherwyse similitudes or of thynges whereof images are forbidden to be made Are not all thinges either in heauen earth or water vnder the earth And be not our images of Christe and his saintes lykenesses of thynges in heauen earth or in the water If they continue in their former aunswere that these prohibitions concerne the idols of the Gentiles and not our images Fyrste that aunswere is alreadye confuted concernyng the images of God and the trinitie at large and concerning the images of Christe also by Ireneus And that the lawe of God is lykewyse to be vnderstanded agaynst all our images aswell of Christe as his saintes in Temples and Churches appeareth further by the iudgement of the olde Doctours and the primatiue Churche Epiphanius rentyng a paynted cloth wherein was the picture of Christe or of some saint affyrmyng it to be agaynst our religion that any such image shoulde be had in the temple or Church as is before at large declared iudged that not onlye idols of the Gentiles but that all images of Christe and his saintes also were forbidden by Gods worde and our religion Lactantius affyrming it to be certayne that no true religion can be where an image or picture is as is before declared iudged that aswell all images and pictures as the idols of the gentiles were forbidden els woulde he not so generallye haue spoken and pronounced of them And saint Augustine as is before alleaged greatlye alloweth M. Varro affyrmyng that religion is moste pure without images and sayth hym selfe Images be of more force to crooke an vnhappye soule then to teache and instruct it And he sayth further Euery chyld yea euerye beast knoweth that it is not God that they see Wherefore then doth the holye ghost so ofte monishe vs of that whiche all men knowe Whereunto saint Augustine aunswereth thus For saith he when images are placed in Temples and set in honourable sublimitie begyn once to be worshypped foorthwith breedeth the most vyle affection of errour This is saint Augustines iudgemente of images in Churches that by and by they breede errour and idolatrie The Christian Emperours the learned Byshops all the learned men of Asia Grece and Spayne assembled in counselles at Constantinople and in Spayne vii and. viii C. yeres ago and more condemnyng and destroying al images aswell of Christ as of the Saintes set vp by the Christians as is before at large declared testifie that they vnderstood Gods worde so that it forbad our images as well as the idols of the Gentiles And as it is written Sapi. xiiij that images were not from the beginning neyther shall they continue to the end so were they not in the begynnyng in the primatiue Churche God graunt they may in the ende be destroyed For all Christians in the primatiue Churche as Origen agaynste Celsus Ciprian also and Arnobius do testified were sore charged and complayned on that they had no aulters nor images Wherefore dyd they not I pray you confourme themselues to the Gentiles in makyng of images but for lacke of them sustayned their heauie displeasure if they had taken it to be lawfull by Gods worde to haue images It is euident therefore that they toke al images to be vnlawful in the Churche or Temple of God and therefore had none though the Gentiles therefore were most highly displeased folowing this rule We must obey God rather then men And Zephirius in his notes vppon the Apologie of sertullian gathereth that all his vehement perswasion shoulde be but colde except we know this once for all that Christian men in his tyme dyd moste hate images with their ornamentes And Ireneus as is aboue declared reproueth the heretikes called Gnostici for that they caryed about the image of christ And therefore the primatiue Church which is speciallie to be folowed as most incorrupt and pure had publiquely in Churches neyther idols of the Gentiles nor any other images as thynges directly forbidden by Gods word And thus it is declared by Gods worde the sentences of the Doctours and the iudgement of the primatiue Churche whiche was moste pure and sincere that all images aswell ours as the idols of the Gentiles be by Gods word forbidden and therfore vnlawful specially in Temples and Churches Nowe yf they as their custome
whosoeuer doth not this shall seeme to haue reproched and done villanye to the image of god For what honour of God is this to runne to images of stocke and stone and to honour vayne and dead figures of God and to despise man in whom is the true image of God And by and by after he sayth Understande ye therefore that this is the suggestion of the serpent satan lurkyng within you whiche perswadeth you that you are godlye when you honour insensible dead images and that you be not vngodly when you hurt or leaue vnsuccoured the lyuely and reasonable creatures All these be the wordes of Clemens Note I pray you howe this most auncient and learned doctour within one hundred yeres of our sauiour Christes tyme moste playnely teacheth that no seruice of God or religion acceptable to him can be in honouryng of dead images but in succouring of the poore the liuely images of God according to saint James who sayth This is the pure and true religion before God the father to succour fatherlesse and motherlesse chyldren and wyddowes in theyr affliction and to hepe hym selfe vndefyled from this worlde True religion then and pleasing of god standeth not in makyng settyng vp payntyng gylding clothing decking of dumbe and dead images which be but great puppettes and mawmettes for old fooles in dotage and wicked idolatrie to dally and play with nor in kyssyng of them cappyng kneelyng offeryng to them in sensyng of thē setting vp of candels hanging vp of legges armes or whole bodies of waxe before them or praying askyng of them or of saintes thynges belongyng onlye to God to geue But al these thynges be vayne and abominable and moste damnable before god Wherefore all suche do not only bestowe theyr money and labour in vayne but with theyr paynes and coste purchase to them selues gods wrath vtter indignation and euerlasting damnation both of bodye and soule For ye haue hearde it euidently proued in these Homilees against idolatrie by Gods word the doctours of the Churche ecclesiasticall histories reason and experience that images haue ben and be worshypped and so idolatrie committed to them by infinite multitudes to the great offence of Gods maiestie and daunger of infinite soules and that idolatrie can not possiblye be separated from images set vp in Churches and Temples gylded and decked gorgeouslye and that therfore our images be in deede verye idols and so all the prohibitions lawes curses threatnynges of horrible plagues as well temporall as eternall conteyned in the holy scripture concerning idols and the makers mainteyners and worshyppers of them apparteyne also to our images set vp in Churches and Temples to the makers maynteyners and worshyppers of them And all those names of abomination which Gods word in the holy scriptures geueth to the idols of the Gentiles apparteyne to our images beyng idolles like to them and hauyng lyke idolatrie committed vnto them And Gods owne mouth in the holye scriptures calleth them vanities lyes deceyptes vncleanlynesse fylthynesse dounge mischeefe and abomination before the Lorde Wherefore Gods horrible wrath and our moste dreadfull daunger can not be auoyded without the destruction and vtter abolishing of all suche images and idols out of the Churche and Temple of God whiche to accomplyshe GOD put in the myndes of all Christian princes And in the meane tyme let vs take heede and be wyse O ye beloued of the Lord and let vs haue no straunge gods but one only god who made vs when we were nothing the father of our Lord Jesus Christe who redeemed vs when we were lost and with his holye spirite who doth sanctifie vs For this is lyfe euerlastyng to knowe hym to be the onlye true God and Jesus Christe whom he hath sent Let vs honour and worship for religions sake none but him and hym let vs worshyp and honour as he will him selfe and hath declared by his word that he wil be honoured and worshipped not in nor by images or idolles whiche he hath moste strayghtly forbidden neyther in kneelyng lyghtyng of candels burnyng of incense offeryng vp of gyftes vnto images idols to beleue that we shall please hym for all these be abomination before God but let vs honour and worshyp god in spirite and trueth fearyng and louing hym aboue all thynges trustyng in hym onlye callyng vppon hym and praying to hym only praysyng and laudyng of hym onlye and all other in hym and for hym For suche worshyppers doth our heauenly father loue who is the most purest spirite and therefore wyll be worshypped in spirite and trueth And suche worshyppers were Abraham Moyses Dauid Helias Peter Paul John and all other the holye patriarkes prophetes apostles martyrs and all true saintes of God who all as the true friendes of God were enemies and destroyers of images and idols as the enemies of God and his true religion Wherefore take heede and be wyse O ye beloued of the Lorde and that whiche others contrarie to gods worde bestowe wickedly and to their damnation vpon dead stockes stones no images but enemies of god and his saintes that bestowe ye as the faithfull seruauntes of God according to Gods worde mercifully vpon poore men and women fatherlesse children wydowes sicke persons straungers prisoners and such others that be in any necessitie that ye may at that great daye of the Lorde heare that most blessed and comfortable saying of our Sauiour Christ Come ye blessed into the kingdome of my father prepared for you before the beginning of the worlde For I was hungrye and ye gaue me meate thirstie and ye gaue me drinke naked ye clothed me harbourlesse and ye lodged me in prison and ye visited me sicke ye comforted me For whatsoeuer ye haue done for the poore and needie in my name for my sake that haue ye done for me To the which his heauenly kingdome God the father of mercies bring vs for Jesus Christes sake our onelye sauiour mediatour and aduocate to whom with the holy ghost one immortall inuisible and most glorious God be all honour and thankesgeuing and glorie world without end Amen ⧠An Homilee for repairing and keping cleane and comelye adourning of Churches IT is a cōmon custome vsed of all mē when they intend to haue their freendes or neighbours to com to their houses to eate or drink with them or to haue anye solempne assembly to treate talke of anye matter they will haue their houses which they kepe in continuall reparations to be cleane and fine lest they should be counted sluttish or litle to regard their frendes and neighbours How much more then ought the house of God whiche we commonlye call the Church to be sufficiently repaired in all places and to be honorably adourned and garnished and to be kept cleane and sweete to the comfort of the people that shall resort thereto It appeareth in the holy scripture how Gods house which was called his holy temple and was the mother Churche of all
Jewry fell sometimes into decaye and was oftentymes prophaned and defiled through the negligence and vngodlinesse of suche as had charge thereof But when godlye Kynges and gouernours were in place then commaundement was geuen foorthwith that the Churche and temple of god should be repaired and the deuotion of the people to be gathered for the reparatiō of the same We reade in the fourth booke of the kinges how that king Joas being a godly prince gaue commaundement to the priestes to conuert certaine offrings of the people towardes the reparation and amendement of Gods temple Lyke commaundement gaue that most godly king Josias concerning the reparation and reedification of Gods te aple whiche in his time he founde in sore decay It hath pleased almightye God that these histories touching the reedifying and repayring of his holy temple should be written at large to the end we should be taught therby First that God is well pleased that his people should haue a conuenient place to resort vnto and to come together to praise and magnifie Gods holy name And secondly he is hyghlye pleased with all those whiche diligentlye and zelously go about to amende and restore suche places as are appoynted for the congregation of Gods people to resort vnto and wherein they humblye and ioyntly render thankes to God for his benefites and with one heart and voyce praise his holy name Thirdlye God was sore displeased with his people because they builded decked and trimmed vp their owne houses and suffred Gods house to be in ruine and decay to lye vncomly and fulsomly Wherefore God was sore greeued with them and plagued them as appeareth in the Prophete Aggeus Thus sayeth the Lorde Is it time for you to dwel in your seeled houses the Lordes house not regarded Ye haue sowed much and gathered in but little your meate and your clothes haue neither filled you nor made you warme and he that had his wages put it in a bottomlesse purse By these plagues whiche God layde vppon his people for neglecting of his temple it maye euidentlye appeare that GOD will haue his Temple his Churche the place where his congregation shal resort to magnifie him well edified well repayred and well mainteined Some neither regarding godlines nor the place of godlye exercise will say The temple in the olde lawe was commaunded to be buylte and repayred by God him selfe because it had great promises annexed vnto it and because it was a figure a sacrament or a signification of Christe and also of his Churche To this maye be easylye aunswered First that our Churches are not destitute of promises forasmuche as our Sauiour Christ sayth Where two or three are gathered in my name there am I in the middest among them A great number therefore comming to Church together in the name of Christ haue there that is to saye in the Churche their God and Sauiour Christ Jesus presently among the congregation of his faythfull people by his grace by his fauour and godlye assistance according to his moste assured and comfortable promises Why then ought not Christian people to buylde them Temples and Churches hauing as great promises of the presence of God as euer had Salomon for the materiall temple whiche he did buyld As touching the other point that Salomons temple was a figure of Christ We knowe that nowe in the tyme of the cleare light of Christe Jesus the sonne of God all shadowes figures and significations are vtterly gone all vayne and vnprofitable ceremonies bothe Jewishe and Heathenishe fully abolished And therefore our churches are not set vp for figures and significations of Messias and Christe to come but for other godly and necessarie purposes That is to saye that lyke as euery man hath his owne house to abyde in to refreshe him selfe in to rest in with such like commodities So almightie God will haue his house and palace whyther the whole parishe and congregation shall resort whiche is called the Churche and temple of God for that the Church which is the company of Gods people doth there assemble and come together to serue him Not meaning hereby that the Lord whom the heauen of heauens is not hable to holde or compryse doth dwell in the Churche of lyme and stone made with mans handes as wholly and onely contayned there within and no where els for so he neuer dwelt in Salomōs temple Moreouer the Churche or Temple is counted and called holy yet not of it selfe but because Gods people resorting thereunto are holye and exercyse themselues in holy and heauenlye thinges And to the intent ye maye vnderstand further why Churches were buylte among Christian people this was the greatest consideration that God myght haue his place and that God myght haue his tyme duely to be honoured and serued of the whole multitude in the parishe Fyrst there to heare and learne the blessed worde and will of the euerlasting god Secondly that there the blessed Sacramentes whiche our Lorde and Sauiour Christ Jesus hath ordayned and appoynted should be dulye reuerently and honorably ministred Thirdlye that there the whole multitude of Gods people in the parishe should with one voyce and heart call vpon the name of God magnifie and praise the name of GOD render earnest and hartye thankes to our heauenly father for his heape of benefites dayly and plentifully powred vpon vs not forgetting to bestow our almes vpon Gods pouertie to the intent GOD may blesse vs the more rychely Thus ye may well perceaue and vnderstand wherfore Churches were buylt and set vp amongst Christian people and dedicated and appoynted to these godly vses and vtterlye exempted from all filthy prophane and worldly vses Wherefore all they that haue litle mynde or deuotion to repayre and buyld Gods Temple are to be counted people of muche vngodlinesse spurning against good order in Christes church despysing the true honour of God with euill example offendyng and hinderyng their neyghbours otherwyse well and godly disposed The worlde thinketh but a trifle to see their Churche in ruyne and decay But who so doth not laye to their helping handes they sinne against God and his holye congregation For if it had not ben sinne to neglect and passe little vppon the reedifying and buylding vp againe of his Temple God would not haue ben so muche greeued so soone haue plagued his people because they buylded and decked their owne houses so gorgeouslye and despysed the house of God their lord It is sinne and shame to see so manye Churches so ruynous and so fouly decayed almoste in euery corner If a mans priuate house wherein he dwelleth be decayed he will neuer cease till it be restored vp againe Yea if his barne where he kepeth his corne be out of reparations what diligence vseth he to make it in perfeete state againe If his stable for his horse yea the stye for his swyne be not able to holde out water and wynde howe carefull is he to do cost thereon And shall
made without faith in hym on whom they call but that we must first beleeue in hym before we can make our prayers vnto hym whereuppon we must only and solely pray vnto god For to say that we shoulde beleeue eyther in angell or saint or in any other liuing creature were more horrible blasphemie against God and his holy worde neither ought this fancie to enter into the heart of any Christian man because we are expressly taught in the worde of the Lorde only to repose our fayth in the blessed trinitie in whose only name we are also baptized according to the expresse commaundement of our sauiour Jesus Christe in the last of Matthewe But that the trueth hereof may the better appeare euen to them that be moste simple and vnlearned let vs consider what prayer is Saint Augustine calleth it a liftyng vp of the mynde to God that is to say an humble and lowly powring out of the heart to god Isidorus sayth that it is an affection of the heart and not alabour of the lippes So that by these places true prayer doth consist not so muche in the outward sounde and voyce of wordes as in the inwarde gronyng and crying of the heart to God. Nowe then is there any angell any virgin any patriarche or prophete among the dead that can vnderstand or knowe the meanyng of the heart The scriptures sayth it is God that searcheth the heart and raynes and that he only knoweth the heartes of the chyldren of men As for the saintes they haue so litle knowledge of the secretes of the heart that many of the auncient fathers greatly doubt whether they knowe any thing at al that is commonly done on earth And albeit some thynke they do yet saint Augustine a Doctour of great aucthoritie and also antiquitie hath this opinion of them that they knowe no more what we do on earth then we know what they do in heauen For proofe wherof he alleageth the wordes of Esai the prophete where it is sayde Abraham is ignoraunt of vs and Israel knoweth vs not His mynde therefore is this not that we shoulde put any religion in worshyppyng them or praying vnto them but that we shoulde honour them by folowyng their vertuous and godly lyfe For as he witnesseth in an other place the martyrs and holy men in tymes past were wont after their death to be remembred and named of the prieste at diuine seruice but neuer to be inuocated or called vpon And why so because the prieste sayth he is Gods priest and not theirs Whereby he is bounde to call vpon God and not vpon them Thus you see that the aucthoritie both of scripture and also of Augustine doth not permit that we should pray vnto them O that al men would studiously reade and searche the scriptures then shoulde they not be drowned in ignoraunce but shoulde easily perceaue the trueth aswell of this poynt of doctrine as of all the rest For there doth the holy ghost playnely teache vs that Christe is our only mediatour and intercessour with God and that we muste seeke and runne to no other If any man sinneth saith saint John we haue an aduocate with the father Jesus Christe the ryghteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes Saint Paul also sayth There is one God and one mediatour betweene God and man euen the man Jesus Christe Whereunto agreeth the testimonie of our sauiour hym selfe witnessing that no man commeth to the father but onely by hym who is the way the trueth the life yea and the only dore whereby we muste enter into the kingdome of heauen because GOD is pleased in no other but in hym For whiche cause also he cryeth and calleth vnto vs that we shoulde come vnto hym saying Come vnto me all ye that labour and be heauie laden and I shall refreshe you Woulde Christe haue vs so necessarily come vnto hym and shall we moste vnthankfully leaue hym and runne vnto other This is euen that whiche God so greatly complayneth of by his prophet Ieremie saying My people haue committed two great offences they haue forsaken me the fountaine of the waters of lyfe and haue digged to them selues broken pits that can holde no water Is not that man thinke you vnwyse that wyll runne for water to a litle brooke when he may aswell go to the head spryng Euen so may his wisedome be iustly susspected that wyll flee vnto saintes in tyme of necessitie when he may boldly and without feare declare his greefe and direct his prayer vnto the Lorde himselfe If God were straunge or daungerous to be talked withall then myght we iustly drawe backe and seeke to some other But the Lorde is nygh vnto them that call vppon hym in fayth and trueth and the prayer of the humble and meeke hath alwayes pleased hym What if we be sinners shall we not therefore pray vnto God or shall we dispayre to obteyne any thyng at his handes Why dyd Christe then teache vs to aske forgeuenesse of our sinnes saying And forgeue vs our trespasses as we forgeue them that trespasse agaynst vs Shall we thynke that the saintes are more mercifull in hearing sinners then God Dauid sayth that the Lorde is full of compassion and mercy slowe to anger and of great kyndnesse Saint Paul sayth that he is riche in mercy towardes all them that call vppon hym And he hymselfe by the mouth of his prophet Esai sayth For a litle while haue I forsaken thee but with great compassion wyll I gather thee For a moment in myne anger I haue hid my face from thee but with euerlastyng mercy haue I had compassion vpon thee Therefore the sinnes of any man ought not to withholde hym from praying vnto the Lorde his god But if he be truely penitent and stedfast in fayth let him assure him selfe that the Lorde wylbe mercifull vnto hym and heare his prayers O but I dare not wyll some man say trouble God at all times with my prayers We see that in kinges houses courtes of princes men can not be admitted vnlesse they fyrst vse the helpe and meane of some speciall noble man to come vnto the speache of the kyng and to obtayne the thing that they woulde haue To this reason doth saint Ambrose aunswere verye well writing vppon the first Chapter to the Romanes Therefore sayth he we vse to go vnto the king by officers and noble men because the kyng is a mortall man and knoweth not to whom he maye commit the gouernment of the common wealth But to haue God our frende from whom nothing is hid we nede not any helper that should further vs with his good worde but only a deuoute and godlye minde And yf it be so that we neede one to entreate for vs why maye we not content our selues with that one mediatour whiche is at the ryght hande of God the father and there
towardes God to keepe holy their sabbath daye the daye of rest And to these temples haue the Christians customably vsed to resort from tyme to tyme as vnto meete places where they might with common consent prayse and magnifie Gods name yeelding him thankes for the benefites that he dayly powreth vpon them both mercifully and aboundantlye where they might also heare his holy word read expounded preached sincerely and receaue his holy sacramentes ministred vnto them duely and purely True it is that the chiefe and special temples of God wherin he hath greatest pleasure most delighteth to dwel are the bodies mindes of true christians and the chosen people of God according to the doctrine of holye scriptures declared by Saint Paul. Knowe ye not sayth he that ye be the temple of God and that the spirite of God doth dwell in you The temple of God is holy whiche ye are And againe in the same Epistle Know ye not that your body is the temple of the holye Ghost dwelling in you whom you haue geuen you of God and that ye be not your owne Yet this notwithstanding God doeth alowe the materiall temple made with lyme and stone so oft as his people come together into it to praise his holy name to be his house and the place where he hath promised to be present and where he wil heare the prayers of them that call vpon him The which thing both Christ and his apostles with all the rest of the holy fathers do sufficiently declare by this That albeit they certaynlye knewe that their prayers were heard in what place soeuer they made them though it were in caues in woodes in desartes yet so oft as they could conueniently they resorted to the material temples there with the rest of the congregation to ioyne in prayer and true worship Wherefore dearely beloued you that professe your selues to be Christians and glory in that name disdaine not to folow the example of your maister Christe whose schollers you saye ye be shew you to be lyke them whose scholemates you take vpon you to be that is the Apostles and disciples of Christe Lift vp pure handes with cleane heartes in all places at all tymes But do the same in the temples and Churches vpon the sabbath daies also Our godly predecessours and the auncient fathers of the primitiue Church spared not their goodes to buylde Churches no they spared not their lyues in tyme of persecution and to hazarde their blood that they myght assemble them selues together in Churches And shal we spare a little labour to come to churches Shall neither their example nor our duety nor the commodities that thereby shoulde come vnto vs moue vs If we will declare our selues to haue the feare of God if we will shewe our selues true christians if we will be the folowers of Christ our maister and of those godly fathers that haue liued before vs now haue receaued the rewarde of true and faythfull christians we must both willingly earnestly and reuerently come vnto the material churches and temples to praye as vnto fit places appoynted for that vse And that vppon the sabbath day as at most conuenient tyme for Gods people to cease from bodyly and worldlye businesse to geue them selues to holy rest and godly contemplation parteining to the seruice of almightie God Wherby we may reconcile our selues to God be partakers of his reuerent sacramentes and be deuout hearers of his holye worde so to be established in fayth to godwarde in hope agaynst all aduersitie and in charitie towardes our neighbours And thus running our course as good christian people we may at the last attaine the reward of euerlasting glorie through the merites of our sauiour Iesus Christe to whom with the father and the holye Ghost be all honour and glorye Amen The seconde part of the Homilee of the place and tyme of prayer IT hath ben declared vnto you good Christian people in the former Sermon read vnto you at what tyme and into what place ye shal come togyther to prayse God. Now I entende to set before your eies first how zelous desirous ye ought to be to come to your Church Secondly how sore God is greeued with them that do despyse or little regarde to come to the Churche vpon the holy restfull day It may wel appeare by the scriptures that many of the godly Israelites beyng no we in captiuitie for their sinnes among the Babilonians full often wysshed and desyred to be agayne at Hierusalem And at their returne through Gods goodnesse though many of the people were negligent yet the fathers were maruelous deuout to buyld vp the temple that Gods people might repayre thyther to honour him And Kyng Dauid when he was a banished man out of his countrey out of Hierusalem the holye Citie from the sanctuarie from the holye place and from the tabernacle of God What desyre what feruentnesse was in him towardes the holye place What wysshinges and prayers made he to God to be a dweller in the house of the Lorde One thing sayth he haue I asked of the Lorde and this will I still craue that I maye resorte and haue my dwelling in the house of the Lorde so long as I lyue Agayne Oh howe I ioyed when I heard these wordes VVe shall go into the Lordes house And in other places of the Psalmes he declareth for what intent and purpose he hath such a feruente desyre to enter into the Temple and Churche of the Lorde I will fall downe sayth he and worship in the holy temple of the lord Agayne I haue appeared in thy holy place that I myght beholde thy myght and power that I myght beholde thy glory and magnificence Finally he sayth I will shewe foorth thy name to my brethren I will prayse thee in the middes of the congregation Why then had Dauid suche an earnest desyre to the house of God First because there he would worship and honour god Secondly there he would haue a contemplation and a syght of the power and glorye of god Thirdly there he would prayse the name of god with all the congregation and companye of the people These considerations of this blessed prophet of God ought to stirre vp and kindle in vs the lyke earnest desyre to resort to the church especially vppon the holy restfull dayes there to do our duties to serue God there to call to remembraunce how God euen of his mere mercie for the glory of his name sake worketh myghtely to conserue vs in health wealth and godlynesse myghtyly preserueth vs from the assaults and rages of our fierce and cruell enemies and there ioyfully in the number of his faithfull people to prayse and magnitie the Lords holy name Set before your eyes also that auncient father Simeon of whom the scripture speaketh thus to his great commendation and an incouragemēt for vs to do the lyke There was a man at Hierusalem
the Prince and people ioyned them selues together in publique prayer and fasting and were preserued In the prophete Ioel God commaunded a fasting to be proclaymed and the people to be gathered together young and olde man and woman and are taught to say with one voyce Spare vs O Lorde spare thy people and let not thine inheritaunce be brought to confusion When the Jewes shoulde haue ben destroyed all in one day thorowe the malice of Haman at the commaundement of Hester they fasted and prayed and were preserued When Holophernes besieged Bethulia by the aduice of Iudith they fasted and prayed and were deliuered When Peter was in prison the congregation ioyned them selues together in prayer and Peter was wonderfully deliuered By these histories it appeareth that common or publique prayer is of great force to obtayne mercie deliueraunce at our heauenlye fathers hand Therfore brethren I beseche you euen for the tender mercies of GOD let vs no longer be negligent in this behalfe but as the people wylling to receaue at Gods hand such good thinges as in the common prayer of the Church are craued let vs ioyne our selues together in the place of common prayer and with one voyce and one heart begge at our heauenlye father all those thinges which he knoweth to be necessarie for vs I forbid you not priuate prayer but I exhort you to esteeme common prayer as it is worthye And before all thinges be sure that in all these three sortes of prayer your mindes be deuoutlye lifted vp to God els are your prayers to no purpose this saying shal be verified in you This people honoureth me with their lips but theyr heart is farre from me Thus much for the three sortes of prayer wherof we reade in the scriptures Nowe with lyke or rather more breuitie you shall heare howe manye sacramentes there be that were instituted by our Sauiour Christe and are to be continued and receaued of euerye Christian in due time and order and for suche purpose as our sauiour Christe wylled them to be receaued And as for the number of them yf they shoulde be consydered according to the exact signification of a sacrament namely for the visible signes expreslye commaunded in the newe Testament whereunto is anexed the promise of free forgeuenesse of our sinne and of our holynesse and ioynyng in Christe there be but two namely Baptisme and the supper of the Lorde For although absolution hath the promise of forgeuenesse of sinne yet by the expresse worde of the newe Testament it hath not this promyse annexed and tyed to the visible signe whiche is imposition of handes For this visible signe I meane laying on of handes is not expresly commaunded in the newe Testament to be vsed in absolution as the visible signes in baptisme and the Lordes supper are and therefore absolution is no suche sacrament as baptisme and the Communion are And though the orderyng of ministers hath his visible signe and promise yet it lackes the promise of remission of sinue as all other sacramentes besides do Therefore neither it nor any other sacrament els be suche sacramentes as Baptisme and the Communion are But in a generall acception the name of a Sacrament maye be attributed to anye thing whereby an holye thing is signified In whiche vnderstandyng of the worde the auncient writers haue geuē this name not only to the other fiue commonly of late yeres taken and vsed for supplying the number of the seuen sacramentes but also to diuers and sundry other ceremonies as to oyle wasshing of feete and suche lyke not meaning thereby to repute them as sacraments in the same signification that the two forenamed sacramentes are And therefore saint Augustine weyghyng the true signification and exact meanyng of the worde wryting to Ianuarius also in the thirde booke of christian doctrine affirmeth that the sacramentes of the Christians as they are most excellent in signification so are they most few in number and in both places maketh mention expressedlye of two the sacrament of baptisme and the Supper of the Lorde And although there are reteined by thorder of the church of England besides these two certayne other Rites and Ceremonies about the institution of ministers in the Churche Matrimonie Confirmation of children by examining them of theyr knowledge in the articles of the faith ioynyng there to the prayers of the Church for them and like wise for the visitation of the sicke yet no man ought to take these for sacramentes in suche signification meaning as the sacrament of Baptisme and the Lordes Supper are but eyther for godly states of life necessarie in Christes church and therfore worthy to be set foorth by publique action and solempnitie by the ministerie of the Church or els iudged to be such ordinaunces as may make for the instruction comfort and edification of Christes Churche Now vnderstandyng sufficiently what prayer is and what a sacrament is also and how many sortes of prayers there be and howe many sacramentes of our sauiour Christes institution let vs see whether the scriptures and the examples of the primatiue Churche wyl alowe any vocall prayer that is when the mouth vttereth the petitions with voyce or any maner of sacrament or other publique common rite or action parteyning to the profite and edifying of the poore congregation to be ministred in a tongue vnknowen or not vnderstande of the Minister or people yea and whether anye person maye priuately vse any vocall prayer in a language that he him selfe vnderstandeth not To this question we must aunswere no. And fyrst of Common prayer and administration of Sacramentes Although reason yf it myght rule woulde soone perswade vs to haue our cōmon prayer administration of sacramentes in a knowen tongue both for that to pray cōmonly is for a multitude to aske one the selfe thing with one voyce and one consent of minde and to administer a sacrament is by the out warde worde and element to preache to the receauer the inwarde inuisible grace of God also for that both these exercises were first instituted and are still continued to the ende that the congregation of Christe might from tyme to tyme be put in remembraunce of their vnitie in Christe and that as members all of one bodye they ought both in prayers otherwyse to seeke and desire one anothers cōmoditie and not their owne without others Yet shall we not neede to flee to reasons profes in this matter syth we haue both the plaine manifest wordes of the scripture and also the consent of the most learned auncient writers to cōmende the prayers of the congregation in a knowen tongue First Paul to the Corinthians sayth Let all thinges be done to edifying Whiche can not be vnlesse commonpraiers administration of sacramentes be in a tongue knowen to the people For where the prayers spoken by the minister and the wordes in the administration of the sacramentes
their examples or that we ought to thynke that God dyd alow euery of these thyngs in those men But we ought rather to beleue and to iudge that Noe in his drunkennesse offended God highly Lot lying with his daughters committed horrible incest We ought then to learne by them this profitable lesson that if so godlye men as they were which otherwise felt inwardly Gods holy spitite inflamyng in their heartes with she feare and loue of God coulde not by their owne strength kepe them selues from committyng horrible sinne but dyd so greeuousâ—y fal that without Gods great mercie they had perished euerlastinglye Howe much more ought we then miserable wretches which haue no feeling of God within vs at al continually to feare not onely that we may fall as they did but also be ouercome and drowned in sinne which they were not And so by consydering their fal take the better occasion to acknowledge our owne infirmitie and weaknesse and therefore more earnestlye to call vnto almightie God with heartye prayer incessauntlye for his grace to strengthen vs and to defende vs from all euill And though through infirmitie we chaunce at any tyme to fall yet we may by harty repentaunce and true fayth speedily rise againe and not slepe and continue in sinne as the wicked doth Thus good people shoulde we vnderstande such matters expressed in the diuine scriptures that this holye table of Gods worde be not turned to vs to be a snare a trappe and a stumbling stone to take hurt by the abuse of our vnderstanding But let vs esteeme them in suche a reuerent humilitie that we may fynde our necessary foode therein to strengthen vs to comfort vs to instruct vs as God of his great mercye hath appoynted them in all necessarye workes so that we may be perfect before him in the whole course of our lyfe Whiche he graunt vs who hath redeemed vs our Lorde and Sauiour Jesus Christe to whom with the father and the holy ghost be all honour and glory for euermore Amen ¶ The seconde part of the information for them which take offence at certayne places of the holy scripture YE haue heard good people in the Homilee last read vnto you the great commoditie of holye Scriptures ye haue heard how ignoraunt men voyde of godlye vnderstanding seeke quarrelles to discredite them Some of their reasons haue ye heard aunswered Nowe we will proceede and speake of suche politique wyse men whiche be offended for that Christes preceptes should seeme to destroy all order in gouernaunce as they do alleage for example such as these be If any man strike thee on the right cheeke turne the other vnto him also If anye man will contende to take thy coate from thee let him haue cloke and all Let not thy left hand knowe what thy ryght hand doth If thine eye thine hande or thy foote offende thee pull out thine eye cut of thine hand thy foote and cast it from thee If thine enemie sayeth saint Paul be an hungred geue him meate if he be thirstie geue him drinke so doing thou shalt heape hotte burning coales vpon his head These sentences good people vnto a naturall man seeme mere absurdities contrary to all reason For a naturall man as saint Paule sayeth vnderstandeth not the thinges that belong to God neyther can he so long as olde Adam dwelleth in him Christ therfore meaneth that he would haue his faithfull seruaunts so farre from vengeaunce and resisting wrong that he woulde rather haue him redy to suffer an other wrong then by resisting to breake charitie and to be out of pacience He would haue our good deedes so farre from al carnall respectes that he would not haue our nyest freendes know of our wel doing to win a vaine glorye And though our freendes and kynsfolkes be as deare as our right eyes and our right handes yet if they woulde plucke vs from God we ought to renounce them and forsake them Thus if ye wil be profitable hearers and readers of the holye scriptures ye must firste denye your selues and keepe vnder your carnall senses taken by the outward wordes and searche the inward meaning reason must geue place to Gods holye spirite you must submit your worldly wisedome and iudgement vnto his diuine wysdome and iudgement Consyder that the scripture in what straunge fourme soeuer it be pronounced is the word of the lyuing god Let that alwayes come to your remembraunce which is so oft repeated of the prophete Esaias The mouth of the Lorde sayth he hath spoken it the almighty and euerlasting God who with his onely worde created heauen and earth hath decreed it the Lorde of hoastes whose wayes are in the Seas whose pathes are in the deepe waters that Lorde and God by whose worde all thynges in heauen and in earth are created gouerned and preserued hath so prouided it The God of Goddes and Lorde of all Lordes yea God that is God alone incomprehensible almyghty and euerlasting he hath spoken it it is his worde It can not therefore be but trueth whiche proceedeth from the God of all trueth it can not be but wisely and prudently commaunded what almightie God hath deuysed how vaynely soeuer through want of grace we miserable wretches do imagine and iudge of his most holy worde The prophete Dauid describing an happye man sayeth Blessed is the man that hath not walked after the counsayle of the vngodlye nor stande in the waye of sinners nor sit in the seate of the scornefull There are three sortes of people whose companye the prophete would haue him to flee and auoyde which shall be an happy man and partakers of Gods blessing First he may not walke after the counsayle of the vngodlye Secondlye he may not stand in the waye of sinners Thirdlye he muste not sit in the seat of the scornefull By these three sortes of people vngodly men sinners and scorners all impietie is signified and fully expressed By the vngodly he vnderstaÌ„deth those which haue no regarde of almightye God being voyde of all faith whose heartes mindes are so set vpon the worlde that they studie onely howe to accomplishe their worldlye practises their carnall imaginations their filthy lust and desyre without anye feare of god The seconde sort he calleth sinners not such as do fal through ignoraunce or of frailenesse for then who should be found free What man euer liued vpon earth Christe onely excepted but he hath sinned The iust man falleth seuen times and ryseth agayne Though the godly do fall yet they walke not on purposely in sinne they stande not still to contynue and tarye in sinne they syt not downe like carelesse men without all feare of Gods iust punishment for sinne but defying sinne through Gods great grace and infinite mercye they ryse agayne and fight agaynste sinne The Prophete then calleth them sinners whose heartes are cleane turned from God and whose whole conuersation of lyfe is nothing but sinne they delight so much in
the same that they choose continually to abyde and dwell in sinne The thyrde sorte he calleth scorners that is a sorte of men whose heartes are so stuffed with mallyce that they are not contented to dwell in sinne and to leade their lyues in all kynde of wickednesse but also they do contempne and scorne in other all godlinesse true religion all honestie and vertue Of the two first sortes of men I will not say but they may take repentaunce and be conuerted vnto god Of the third sort I thinke I may without daunger of gods iudgement pronounce that neuer anye yet conuerted vnto God by repentaunce but continued on still in their abhominable wyckednesse heaping vp to them selues damnation agaynst the day of Gods ineuitable iudgement Examples of such scorners we reade in the seconde booke of Chronicles When the good kyng Ezechias in the beginnyng of his raygne had destroyed idolatrie purged the temple and refourmed religion in his Realme he sent messengers into euerye Citie to gather the people vnto Hierusalem to solemnize the feast of Easter in such sort as God had appoynted The postes went from citie to citie through the land of Ephraim and Manasses euen vnto Zabulon And what did the people thinke ye Did they laude and prayse the name of the Lorde whiche had geuen them so good a kinge so zelous a Prince to abolish idolatrie and to restore againe Gods true religion No no. The scripture sayeth The people laughed them to scorne and mocked the kynges messengers And in the laste Chapter of the same booke it is written that almyghtie God hauing compassion vppon his people sent his messengers the Prophetes vnto them to call them from their abhominable idolatrie and wicked kinde of liuing But they mocked his messengers they dispised his wordes misused his Prophetes vntill the wrathe of the Lord arose against his people and till there was no remedie For he gaue them vp into the hands of their enemies euen vnto Nabucodonozar kyng of Babilon who spoiled thē of their goods brent their citie and led them their wyues and their children captiues vnto Babylon The wicked people that were in the dayes of Noe made but a mocke at the worde of God when Noe tolde them that God woulde take vengeaunce vppon them for their sinnes The fludde therefore came sodainely vpon them and drowned them with the whole worlde Lot preached to the Sodomites that except they repented both they and their Citie shoulde be destroyed They thought his sayings impossible to be true they scorned and mocked his admonition and reputed him as an olde doting foole But when God by his holy angels had taken Lot his wyfe and two daughters from among them he raigned downe fyre and brymstone from heauen and brent vp those scorners and mockers of his holye worde And what estimation had Christes doctrine among the Scribes and Pharisees What rewarde had he among them The Gospell reporteth thus The Pharisees whiche were couetous did scorne him in his doctrine O then ye see that worldly riche men scorne the doctrine of their saluation The worldly wyse men scorne the doctrine of Christe as foolishenesse to their vnderstanding These scorners haue euer ben and euer shal be to the worldes ende For Saint Peter prophesied that suche scorners shoulde be in the worlde before the latter daye Take heede therefore my brethren take heede be ye not scorners of Gods most holy worde prouoke him not to powre out his wrath now vpon you as he did then vppon those gybers and mockers Be not wilfull murderers of your owne soules Turne vnto God whyle there is yet tyme of mercye ye shall els repent it in the worlde to come when it shal be to late for there shall be iudgement without mercy This might suffise to admonishe vs and cause vs henceforth to reuerence Gods holy scriptures but all men haue not faith This therfore shal not satisfy and content al mens mindes but as some are carnal so they will stil continue abuse the scriptures carnally to their greater dampnation The vnlearned and vnstable saith saint Peter paruerte the holy scriptures to their owne destruction Jesus Christ as saint Paul sayth is to the Jewes an offence to the Gentiles foolishnesse But to Gods children as wel of the Jewes as of the Gentiles he is the power and wisdome of god The holy man Simeon sayeth that he is set foorth for the fall and rysing againe of many in Israel As Christe Jesus is a fall to the reprobate which yet perishe through their owne default So is his worde yea the whole booke of God a cause of dampnation vnto them through their incredulitie And as he is a rysing vp to none other then those whiche are Gods children by adoption So is his worde yea the whole scripture the power of God to saluation to them onelye that do beleue it Christe him selfe the Prophetes before him the apostles after him all the true ministers of Gods holye worde yea euery worde in Gods booke is vnto the reprobate the sauour of death vnto death Christ Jesus the prophetes the apostles and all the true ministers of his worde yea euery iot and title in the holy scripture haue ben is and shal be for euermore the sauour of lyfe vnto eternall lyfe vnto all those whose heartes God hath purified by true fayth Let vs earnestlye take heede that we make no iesting stocke of the bookes of holy scriptures The more obscure and darke the sayinges be to our vnderstanding the further let vs thinke our selues to be from God and his holye spirite who was the aucthour of them Let vs with more reuerence endeuour our selues to searche out the wisdome hidden in the outwarde barke of the scripture If we can not vnderstand the sense and the reason of the saying yet let vs not be scorners iesters and deryders for that is the vttermost token and shewe of a reprobate of a playne enemie to God and his wysdome They be not ydle fables to iest at whiche God doth seriouslye pronounce and for serious matters let vs esteeme them And though in sundrye places of the scriptures be set out diuers rites and ceremonies oblations sacrifices let vs not thynke straunge of them but referre them to the tymes and people for whom they serued although yet to learned men they be not vnprofitable to be cōsydered but to be expounded as figures and shadowes of thinges and persons afterwarde openlye reuealed in the new Testament Though the rehearsall of the genealogies petegrees of the fathers be not to much edification of the playne ignoraunt people yet is there nothyng so impartinently vttered in all the whole booke of the Byble but may serue to spirituall purpose in some respecte to all suche as will bestowe theyr labours to searche out the meanynges These may not be condemned because they serue not to our vnderstandyng nor make not to our edification But let vs turne our labour to
the Lorde Which one benefite among all other is so great wonderfull that neyther tongue can well expresse it neither heart thinke it much lesse geue sufficient thankes to god for it But here is a great controuersie betwene vs and the Jewes whether the same Jesus which was borne of the virgin Marie be the true Messias and true sauiour of the worlde so long promised prophesied of before They as they are and haue ben alwayes proude stiffe necked woulde neuer acknowledge hym vntil this day but haue loked and gaped for another to come They haue this fond imagination in their heades that Messias shall come not as Christ did like a poore pilgrime and simple soule rydyng vppon an Asse But lyke a baliaunt and mightie king in great royaltie honour Not as Christ did with a fewe fishermen and men of small estimation in the world but with a great armie of strong men with a great traine of wyse noble mē as knightes Lords Earles Dukes Princes so foorth Neither do they thinke that their Messias shal slaunderously suffer death as Christ dyd but that he shall stoutly conquer and manfully subdue al his enemies and finallie obtayne such a kingdome on earth as neuer was seene from the beginning While they faigne vnto them selues after this sort a Messias of theyr owne brayne they deceaue them selues and accompt Christe as an abiect foole of the worlde Therefore Christ crucified as saint Paul sayth is vnto the Jewes a stumbling blocke and to the Gentiles foolishnes because they thinke it an absurde thing and contrary to all reason that a redemer and sauiour of the whole world should be handled after suche a sort as he was namelye scorned reuiled scourged condempned and last of al cruelly hanged This I say seemed in their eyes straunge and most absurde and therefore neyther they would at that tyme neyther wyll they as yet acknowledge Christe to be theyr Messias and sauiour But we dearely beloued that hope loke to be saued must both stedfastly beleue and also boldly confesse that the same Jesus which was borne of the virgin Marie was the true Messias and mediatour betweene God and man promised and prophecied of so long before For as the Apostle writeth With the heart man beleueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made vnto saluatiō Againe in the same place Whosoeuer beleueth in hym shall neuer be ashamed nor confounded Wherto agreeth also the testimonie of saint John written in the fourth Chapter of his first generall Epistle on this wyse Whosoeuer confesseth that Jesus is the sonne of God he dwelleth in God and God in hym There is no doubt but in this poynt all Christian men are fully and perfectly perswaded Yet shal it not be a lost labour to instruct and furnish you with a fewe places concerning this matter that ye maye be able to stoppe the blasphemous mouthes of all them that moste Jewishely or rather diuelishly shall at any time go about to teache or maintaine the contrary First ye haue the witnesse and testimonie of the angel Gabriel declared aswel to Zacharie the high priest as also to the blessed virgin Secondly ye haue the witnesse and testimonie of John the Baptist poynting vnto Christe and saying Behold the lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the worlde Thirdly ye haue the witnesse and testimonie of God the father who thundred from heauen and sayde This is my dearelye beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him Fourthly ye haue the witnesse and testimonie of the holye ghost whiche came downe frō heauen in maner of a white doue and lighted vpon him in time of his baptisme To these myght be added a great number more namely the witnesse testimonie of the wise men that came to Herode the witnes and testimonie of Simeon and Anna the witnesse and testimonie of Andrew and Philip Nathanael and Peter Nicodemus and Martha with diuers other But it were to long to repeate all and a fewe places are sufficient in so plaine a matter specially among them that are alredye perswaded Therfore if the priuie impes of amechriste and craftie instrumentes of the deuil shal attempt or go about to withdrawe you frō this true Messias and perswade you to loke for another that is not yet come let thē not in any case seduce you but cōfirme your selues with these such other testimonies of holy scripture whiche are so sure certaine that all the deuils in hell shal neuer be able to withstand them For as truelye as God liueth so truelye was Jesus Christe the true messias and sauiour of the worlde euen the same Jesus which as this day was borne of the virgin Marie without all helpe of man only by the power and operation of the holy ghost Concerning whose nature and substaunce because diuers sundry heresies are rysen in these our dayes through the motion and suggestion of Satan therefore it shal be needefull profitable for your instruction to speake a worde or two also of this parte We are euidently taught in the scripture that our Lord and sauiour Christ consisteth of two seuerall natures of his manhood being thereby perfect man and of his Godhead being thereby perfect god It is written The worde that is to say the seconde person in Trinitie became fleshe GOD sendyng his owne sonne in the similitude of sinfull fleshe fulfilled those thinges which the lawe coulde not Christ being in fourme of God toke on him the fourme of a seruaunt was made like vnto man beyng founde in shape as a man GOD was shewed in fleshe iustified in spirite seene of angels preached to the Gentiles beleued on in the world and receaued vp in glorye Also in another place There is one God and one mediatour betwene God and man euen the man Jesus Christe These be plaine places for the profe and declaration of both natures vnited and knitte together in one Christe Let vs diligently consyder and waygh the workes that he dyd whiles he lyued on earth and we shall thereby also perceaue the selfe same thing to be most true In that he did hunger and thirst eate and drinke sleepe and wake in that he preached his Gospell to the people in that he wept and sorowed for Hierusalem in that he payde tribute for him selfe and Peter in that he dyed and suffered death what other thing dyd he els declare but onlye this that he was perfect man as we are For whiche cause he is called in holye scripture sometyme the sonne of Dauid sometime the sonne of man sometime the sonne of Marie sometime the sonne of Joseph and so foorthe Nowe in that he forgaue sinnes in that he wrought myracles in that he dyd cast out deuils in that he healed men with his only worde in that he knewe the thoughtes of mens heartes in that he had the seas at his cōmaundement in that he walked on the water in that
vs and he rose agayne to sende downe his holy spirite to rule in our heartes to endowe vs with perfect righteousnes Thus it is true that Dauid song Veritas de terra orta est et iustitia de coelo prospexit The trueth of gods promise is in the earth to man declared or from the earth is the euerlasting veritie Gods sonne rysen to life the true righteousnesse of the holy ghost lookyng out of heauen and is in most liberal larges dealt vppon all the worlde Thus is glory and prayse rebounded vpwarde to God aboue for his mercie and trueth And thus is peace come downe from heauen to men of good and faythfull heartes Thus is mercie and trueth as Dauid wryteth together met thus is peace and ryghteousnesse imbrasing and kissing eache other If thou doubtest of so great wealth felicitie that is wrought for thee O man call to thy mynde that therefore haste thou receaued into thyne owne possession the euerlasting veritie our sauiour Jesus Christ to confyrme to thy conscience the trueth of all this matter Thou hast receaued hym yfin true fayth and repentaunce of heart thou haste receaued hym yf in purpose of amendement thou haste receaued hym for an euerlastyng gage or pledge of thy saluation Thou hast receaued his body which was once broken his blood which was shedde for the remission of thy synne Thou hast receaued his body to haue within thee the father the sonne and the holy ghost for to dwell with thee to endow thee with grace to strength thee agaynst thyne enemies and to comfort thee with their presence Thou hast receaued his body to endow thee with euerlasting righteousnes to assue thee of euerlastyng blisse and lyfe of thy soule 〈…〉 r with Christe by true fayth art thou quickened agayne sayth saint Paul from death of synne to lyfe of grace and in hope translated from corporal and euerlastyng death to the euerlastyng lyfe of glorye in heauen where nowe thy conuersation should be and thy heart and desyre set Doubt not of the trueth of this matter how great and hygh soeuer these thynges be It becommeth God to do no litle deedes how impossible so euer they seeme to thee Pray to God that thou mayest haue fayth to perceaue this greate mysterie of Christes resurrection that by faytâ— thou mayst certaynely beleue nothyng to be impossible with god Onlye bryng thou fayth to Christes holy worde and sacrament Let thy repentaunce shewe thy fayth let thy purpose of amendement and obedience of thy heart to Gods lawe hereafter declare thy true beleefe Endeuour thy selfe to saye with Saint Paul From hencefoorth our conuersation is in heauen from whence we looke for a sauiour euen the Lorde Jesus Christe whiche shall change our vile bodyes that they may be fashioned like his glorious body which he shal do by the same power wherby he rose from death and wherby he shal be able to subdue all thynges vnto hym selfe Thus good Christian people forasmuche as ye haue hearde these so great and excellent benefites of Christes myghtie and glorious resurrection as howe that he hath raunsomed synne ouercome the deuill death and hell and hath victoriouslye gotten the better hande of them all to make vs free and safe from them and knowyng that we be by this benefite of his resurrection rysen with hym by our fayth vnto lyfe euerlastyng beyng in full suretie of our hope that we shall haue our bodyes lykewyse raysed agayne from death to haue them glorified in immortalitie and ioyned to his glorious bodye hauyng in the meane while his holy spirite within our heartes as a seale and pledge of our euerlastyng inheritaunce By whose assistence we be replenished with all ryghteousnes by whose power we shal be able to subdue all our euyll affections rysyng agaynst the pleasure of god These thynges I say well consydered let vs nowe in the rest of our lyfe declare our fayth that we haue to this moste fruitful article by framyng our selues therunto in rysyng dayly from sinne to righteousnes holines of lyfe For what shall it auayle vs sayth saint Peter to be escaped deliuered from the filthynesse of the worlde through the knowledge of the Lorde and sauiour Jesus Christe if we be entangled agayne therewith and be ouercome agayne Certaynely it had ben better sayth he neuer to haue knowne the way of righteousnes then after it is knowne and receaued to turne backwarde agayne from the holy commaundement of God geuen vnto vs For so shall the prouerbe haue place in vs where it is sayde The dogge is returned to his vomite agayne and the sowe that was washed to her wallowyng in the myre agayne What a shame were it for vs beyng thus so clearely and freely washed from our synne to returne to the filthynesse thereof agayne What a follie were it thus endowed with ryghteousnesse to lose it agayne What madnesse were it to lose the inheritaunce that we be nowe set in for the vyle and transitorie pleasure of synne And what an vnkyndenesse shoulde it be where our sauiour Christe of his mercie is come to vs to dwell within vs as our gâ—este to dryue hym from vs and to banishe hym violently out of our soules and in steade of hym in whom is all grace and vertue to receaue the vngratious spirite of the deuyil the founder of all naughtines and mischeefe How can we fynde in our heartes to shewe suche extreame vnkyndnesse to Christe which hath now so gently called vs to mercie and offered him selfe vnto vs and he nowe entred within vs yea howe dare we be so bolde to renounce the presence of the father the sonne and the holy ghost For where one is there is God all whole in maiestie together with all his power wysedome and goodnesse and feare not I say the daunger and peryll of so traiterous a defiaunce and departure Good Christian brethren and sisters aduise your selues consyder the dignite that ye be nowe set in let not follie lose the thyng that grace hath so preciously offered and purchased let not wylfulnesse and blindnesse put out so great lyght that is now shewed vnto you Onlye take good heartes vnto you and put vppon you all the armour of God that ye may stand agaynst your enemies which woulde agayne subdue you and bryng you into their thraldome Remember ye be bought from your vain conuersation and that your freedome is purchased neyther with golde nor syluer but with the price of the precious blood of that most innocent lambe Jesus Christe which was ordeined to the same purpose before the worlde was made But he was so declared in the latter tyme of grace for your sakes which by hym haue your fayth in God who hath raysed hym from death and hath geuen hym glory that you shoulde haue your fayth and hope towarde god Therefore as you haue hytherto folowed the vayne lustes of your myndes and so displeased God to
and earth as is alredy made We must nedes agree that whatsoeuer good thyng is in vs of grace of nature or of fortune is of God only as the only aucthour worker And yet it is not to be thought that God hath created al this whole vniuersall worlde as it is and thus once made hath geuen it vp to be ruled and vsed after our owne wittes deuice so taketh no more charge therfore As we see the ship wright after he hath brought his ship to a perfect end then delyuereth he it to the maryners taketh no more cure therof Nay God hath not so created the worlde that he is carelesse of it but he styl preserueth it by his goodnes he styll stayeth it in his creation For els without his speciall goodnes it coulde not stande long in his condition And therfore saint Paule sayth that he preserueth all thynges and beareth them vp styl in his word left they should fall without hym to their nothing againe wherof of they were made If his speciall goodnes were not euery where present euery creature shoulde be out of order and no creature should haue his propertie wherein he was firste created Hee is therfore inuisible euery where and in euery creature and fulfilleth both heauen and earth with his presence In the fyre to geue heate in the water to geue moysture in the earth to geue fruit in the hart to geue his strength yea in our bread and drinke he is to geue vs norishment where without him the bread and drynke cannot geue sustinaunce nor the hearbe health as the wyse man plainly confesseth it saying It is not the increase of fruites that feedeth men but it is thy worde O Lorde whiche preserueth them that trust in thee And Moyses agreeth to the same when he sayeth Mans lyfe resteth not in bread onely but in euery word which proceedeth out of Gods mouth It is neyther the hearbe nor the plaster that geueth health of themselues but thy worde O Lord sayth the wyse man which healeth all thinges It is not therefore the power of the creatures which worketh their effectes but the goodnes of God which worketh in them In his worde truely doth al thinges consist By that same word that heauen and earth were made by the same are they vpholden maynteyned kept in order sayth saynt Peter shall be till almightie God shall withdrawe his power from them and speake their dissolution If it were not thus that the goodnes of God were effectuallye in his ceratures to rule them howe coulde it be that the maine sea so ragyng and labouring to ouerflowe the earth could be kept within his bondes and banks as it is That holy man Job euidentlye spyed the goodnes of God in this poynt and confessed that if he had not a speciall goodnes to the preseruation of the earth it coulde not but shortly be ouerflowed of the sea Howe coulde it be that the elementes so dyuers and contrary as they be among them selues should yet agree and abyde together in a concorde without destruction one of another to serue our vse if it came not onely of Gods goodnes so to temper them How could the fyre not burne and consume al things if it were left loose to go whyther it woulde and not stayed in his sphere by the goodnesse of God measurably to heate these inferiour creatures to their ryping Consyder the huge substaunce of the earth so heauye and great as it is Howe coulde it so stande stablye in the place as it doth if Gods goodnes reserued it not so for vs to trauayle on It is thou O Lorde sayeth Dauid which haste founded the earth in his stabilitie and duryng thy worde it shall neuer reele or fall downe Consyder the great strong beastes and fyshes farre passing the strength of man howe fierce so euer they be and strong yet by the goodnesse of God they preuayle not agaynst vs but are vnder our subiection and serue our vse Of whom came the inuention thus to subdue them and make them fit for our commodities Was it by mans braine Nay rather this inuētion came by the goodnes of God which inspyred mans vnderstandyng to haue his purpose of euerye creature Who was it sayth Job that put will and wisdom in mans head but god only of his goodnes And as the same saith agayne I perceaue that euery man hath a minde but it is the inspiration of the almightie that geueth vnderstanding It could not be veryly good Christian people that man of his owne wit vnholpen should inuent so many and dyuers deuyses in al craftes sciences except the goodnes of almyghtye God had ben present with men and had stirred their wittes and studies of purpose to knowe the natures and disposition of all his creatures to serue vs sufficiently in our needs and necessities Yea not only to serue our necessities but to serue our pleasures and delight more then necessitie requireth So liberall is Gods goodnes to vs to prouoke vs to thanke him if any heartes we haue The wise man in his contemplation by him self coulde not but graunt this thing to be true that I reason vnto you In his handes sayth he be we and our wordes and al our wisdom and al our sciences and workes of knowledge For it is he that gaue me the true instruction of his creatures both to know the disposition of the world and the vertues of the elementes the beginning and ende of tymes the change and diuersities of them the course of the yere the order of the starres the natures of beastes and the powers of them the power of the windes and thoughtes of men the differences of planets the vertue of rootes and what soeuer is hid and secrete in nature I learned it The artificer of all these taught me this wisdome And further he sayeth Who can searche out the thinges that be in heauen for it is harde for vs to searche suche thinges as be on earth and in dayly sight afore vs For our wits and thoughtes sayth he be imperfect and our pollicies vncertaine No man can therfore search out the meaning in these things except thou geuest wisdome and sendest thy spirit from aboue If the wise man thus confesseth all these thinges to be of God why should not we acknowledge it and by the knowledge of it consyder our dutye to Godward and geue him thanks for his goodnes I perceaue that I am farre here ouercharged with the plentie and copye of matter that myght be brought in for the proofe of this cause If I should enter to shewe howe the goodnesse of almightie god appeared euery where in the creatures of the worlde howe marueylous they be in their creation howe beawtified in their order howe necessary they be to our vse all with one voyce muste needes graunt their aucthour to be none other but almighty God his goodnes must they needes extoll and magnifie
intent that we should be content with our owne and not contentiously stryue for others to the breache of charitie by any incroching one vppon another or clayming one of the other further then that in auncient ryght and custome our forefathers haue peaceablye layde out vnto vs for our commoditie and comfort Surely a great ouersight it were in vs which be christian men in one profession of faith daylye looking for that heauenlye inheritaunce which is bought for euery one of vs by the blood-shedding of our sauiour Jesus Christe to striue and fall to variaunce for the earthly boundes of our townes to the disâ—uyet of our lyfe betwixte our selues to the wasting of our goods by vaine expences and costes in the lawe We ought to remember that our habitation is but transitorie and short in this mortall lyfe The more shame it were to fall out into immortall hatred among our selues for so brittle possessions and so to loose our eternall inheritaunce in heauen It maye stande well wâ—th charitie for a Christian man quietlye to maynteyne his ryght and iuste title And it is the part of euerye good townes man to preserue as much as lyeth in him the libertyes franchises boundes and limittes of his towne and countrye But yet so to striue for our verye ryghtes and dueties with the breache of loue and charitie whiche is the onelye liuery of a Christian man or with the hurt of godly peace and quyet by the whiche we be knit together in one generall fellowship of Christes familie in one common housholde of God that is vtterly forbidden That doth God abhorre and detest which prouoketh almightie Gods wrath other while to depriue vs quite of our commodities and liberties because we do so abuse them for matters of stryfe discorde and discention Saynt Paule blamed the Corinthians for suche contentious suing among them selues to the slaunder of their profession before the enemies of Christes religioÌ„ saying thus vnto them Now there is vtterly a fault among you because ye go to lawe one with another Why rather suffer ye not wronge Why rather suffer ye not harme If Saint Paule blameth the Christian men whereof some of them for their owne right went conten iouslye so to lawe commending thereby the profession of patience in a Christian man If Christe our Sauiour woulde haue vs rather to suffer wronge and to turne our left cheeke to hym whiche hath smitten the ryght to suffer one wrong after another rather then by breach of charitie to defende our owne In what state be they before God who do the wronge What curses do they fall into which by false witnesse defraude eyther their neyghbour or towneship of his due ryght and iust possession which will not let to take an othe by the holy name of God the aucthour of all trueth to set out a falshoode and a wrong Know ye not sayth saint Paule that the vnryghteous shall not inherite the kyngdom of God What shall we then winne to encrease a little the boundes and possessions of the earth and loose the possession of the inheritaunce euerlastyng Let vs therfore take such heede in mainteyning of our boundes and possessions that we commit not wrong by encroching vppon other Let vs beware of sodayne verdite in thinges of doubt Let vs well aduise our selues to aduouch that certaynly whereof eyther we haue no good knowledge or remembraunce or to claime that we haue no iuste title to Thou shalt not commaundeth almyghtie God in his lawe remoue thy neyghbours marke which they of olde tyme haue set in thine inheritaunce Thou shalt not sayth Salomon remoue the auncient boundes which thy fathers haue layd And lest we should esteeme it to be but a lyght offence so to do we shall vnderstande that it is reckoned among the curses of God pronounced vpon sinners Accursed be he sayth almyghtye God by Moyses who remoueth his neyghboures doles and markes and all the people shall saye aunswering Amen thereto as ratifying that cursse vpon whom it doth lyght They do much prouoke the wrath of God vppon them selues which vse to grynde vp the doles and markes whiche of auncient tyme were layde for diuision of meeres and balkes in the feeldes to bryng the owners to theyr ryght They do wickedlye whiche do turne vp the auncient terries of the feeldes that olde men before tymes with great paynes did treade out whereby the Lordes recordes whiche be the tenauntes euidences be peruerted and translated sometyme to the disheriting of the ryght owner to the oppression of the poore fatherlesse or the poore wyddowe These couetous men know not what inconueniences they be aucthours of Sometyme by suche crafte and deceipt be committed great discordes and ryottes in the challenge of their landes yea sometymes murders and bloodshed whereof thou art gyltye whosoeuer thou be that geuest the occasion thereof This couetous practisyng therefore with thy neyghbours landes and goodes is hatefull to almyghtie god Let no man subtillye compasse or defraude his neyghbour biddeth saint Paul in any manner of cause For God sayth he is a reuenger of all such God is the God of all equitie and ryghteousnesse and therefore forbiddeth all suche deceipt and subtiltie in his lawe by these wordes Ye shall not do vniustlye in iudgement in lyne in wayght or measure You shall haue iuste ballaunces true wayghtes and true measures False ballaunce sayth Salomon are an abomination vnto the lord Remember what Saint Paule sayeth God is the reuenger of all wrong in iustice as we see by dayly experience howe euer it thriueth vngratiouslye whiche is gotten by falshoode and craft We be taught by experience howe almighty God neuer suffereth the thirde heyre to enioy his fathers wrong possessions yea manye a tyme they are taken from him selfe in his owne lyfe tyme God is not bound to defend such possessions as be gotten by the deuill and his counsel God will defende all suche mens goodes and possessions whiche by him are obteyned and possessed and will defend them against the violent oppressour So wytnesseth Salomon The Lorde will destroye the house of the proude man But he will stablishe the borders of the widowe No doubt of it sayth Dauid better is a little truelye gotten to the ryghteous man then the innumerable ryches of the wrongfull man Let vs flee therefore good people all wrong practises in getting mainteining and defending our possessions landes and liueâ—odes our boundes and liberties remembring that such possessions be all vnder Gods reuengeaunce But what do we speake of house and lande Nay it is sayd in scripture that God in his yre doeth roote vp whole kingdomes for wronges and oppressions doth transtate kingdomes from one nation to another for vnryghteous dealing for wronges and ryches gotten by deceite This is the practyse of the holy one saith Daniel to the intent that lyuing men maye know that the most hie hath power on the kingdomes of men and geueth
which be more meete for brute beastes then for reasonable creatures Saint Peter doth not alowe these thynges but the deuil desyreth them gladly Wherefore take the more heede And yet a man may be a man although he doth not vse such extremitie yea though he should dissemble some thynges in his wyues maners And this is the part of a Christian man which both pleaseth God and serueth also in good vse to the comfort of their mariage state Nowe as concernyng the wyues duetie What shall become her shall she abuse the gentlenes and humanitie of her husbande and at her pleasure turne all thynges vpsyde downe No surely For that is farre repugnaunt agaynst gods commaundement For thus doth Saint Peter preache to them Ye wyues be ye in subiection to obey your owne husband To obey is another thyng then to comptrole or commaund Which yet they may do to their chyldren and to their familie But as for their husbandes them must they obey and ceasse from commaundyng and perfourme subiection For this surelye doth norish concorde very muche when the wyfe is redy at hand at her husbandes commaundement when she wyll apply her selfe to his wyll when she endeuoureth her selfe to seeke his contentation and to do him pleasure when she wyll esche we all thynges that myght offend hym For thus wyll moste truely be verified the saying of the Poet A good wyfe by obeying her husbande shall beare the rule so that he shal haue a delyght and a gladnesse the sooner at al tymes to returne home to her But on the contrary part when the wyues be stubborne froward and malapert their husbandes are compelled therby to abhorre and flee from their owne houses euen as they shoulde haue battayle with their enemies Howbeit it can scantly be but that some offences shal sometyme chaunce betwixt them For no man doth liue without fault specially for that the woman is the more frayle partie Therfore let them beware that they stande not in their faultes and wylfulnesse but rather let them acknowledge their follies and say My husband so it is that by my anger I was compelled to do this or that forgeue it me and hereafter I wyll take better heed Thus ought the women the more redily to do the more they be redy to offende And they shall not do this only to auoyde strife and debate but rather in the respect of the commaundement of God as Saint Paule expresseth it in this fourme of wordes Let women be subiecte to their husbandes as to the Lorde For the husbande is the head of the woman as Christ is the head of the Churche Here you vnderstand that God hath commaunded that ye shoulde acknowledge the aucthoritie of the husbande and referre to hym the honour of obedience And Saint Peter sayth in that place before rehearsed that holy matrones dyd sometyme decke themselues not with gold and syluer but in putting their whole hope in God and in obeying their husbandes as Sara obeyed Abraham calling hym lord whose daughters ye be saith he if ye folowe her example This sentence is very meete for woman to print in their remembraunce Trueth it is that they must specially feele the greefe and paynes of their matrimonie in that they relinquish the libertie of their owne rule in the payne of their traueling in the bryngyng vp of their chyldren In whiche offices they be in great perils and be greued with great afflictions which they might be without if they lyued out of matrimonie But saint Peter sayth that this is the cheefe ornament of holy matrones in that they set their hope and trust in God that is to say in that they refused not from mariage for the busynes therof for the greefes and perils thereof but committed al suche aduentures to God in most sure trust of helpe after that they haue called vppon his ayde O woman do thou the lyke and so shalt thou be most excellently beautified before God and al his angels and saintes and thou needest not to seeke further for doyng any better workes For obey thy husbande take regarde of his requestes and geue heede vnto hym to perceaue what he requireth of thee and so shalt thou honour God and lyue peaceably in thy house And beyond all this God shall folowe thee with his benediction that all thynges shal well prosper both to thee and to thy husband as the Psalme sayth Blessed is the man whiche feareth God and walketh in his wayes thou shalt haue the fruite of thyne owne handes happie shalt thou be and well it shall go with thee Thy wyfe shal be as a vine plentifully spreadyng about thy house Thy chyldren shal be as the young sprynges of the Oliues about thy table â—othus shall that man be blessed sayth Dauid that feareth the Lorde This let the wyfe haue euer in minde the rather admonyshed therto by the apparell of her head whereby is signified that she is vnder couert and obedience of her husbande And as that apparell is of nature so appoynted to declare her subiection So biddeth saint Paul that all other of her rayment shoulde expresse both shame fastnes and sobrietie For if it be not lawful for the woman to haue her head bare but to beare thereon the signe of her power wheresoeuer she goeth more is it required that she declare the thyng that is meant thereby And therefore these auncient women of the old world called their husbandes lordes and shewed them reuerence in obeying them But peraduenture she wyl say that those men loued their wyues in deede I know that wel enough and beare it wel in minde But when I do admonishe you of your dueties then cal not to consideration what their dueties be For when we our selues do teache our chyldren to obey vs as their parentes or when we refourme our seruauntes and tell them that they shoulde obey their maisters not only at the eye but as to the Lorde If they shoulde tell vs agayne our dueties we would not thynke it wel done For when we be admonished al our dueties and faultes we ought not then to seeke what other mens dueties be For though a man had a companion in his fault yet should not he therby he without his fault But this must be onlye loked on by what meanes thou mayst make thy selfe without blame For Adam did lay the blame vpon the woman she turned it vnto the serpeÌ„t but yet neyther of them was thus excused And therefore bryng not suche excuses to me at this tyme but applye al thy diligence to heare thyne obedience to thy husbande For when I take in hande to admonyshe thy husbande to loue thee and to cherishe thee yet wyll I not ceasse to set out the lawe that is appoynted for the woman as well as I woulde requyre of the man what is wrytten for his lawe Go thou therefore about such thynges as becommeth thee only and shew thy selfe tractable to thy husbande Or rather if thou wylt obey
mens heads as repentaunce amendement of life and speedye returnyng vnto the lord God of hoastes And no maruayle why For we do daily and hourely by our wickednes and stubburne disobedience horriblye fall awaye from God thereby purchasing vnto our selues yf he shoulde deale with vs accordyng to his iustice eternall dampnation So that no doctrine is so necessarie in the Churche of God as is the doctrine of repentaunce amendement of lyfe And veryly the true preachers of the Gospell of the kingdome of heauen and of the glad and ioyfull tidinges of saluation haue alwayes in their godly sermons and preachinges vnto the people ioyned these two together I meane repentance and forgeuenes of sinnes euen as our Sauiour Jesus Christe did appoynt him selfe saying So it behoued Christe to suffer to ryse agayne the thirde day and that repentance and forgeuenes of sinnes should be preached in his name among all nations And therefore the holy Apostle doth in the actes speake after this maner I haue witnessed both to the Jewes to the Gentiles that repentaunce towardes God and fayth towards our Lord Jesu Christe Dyd not John Baptist Zacharias sonne begin his ministerie with the doctrine of repentaunce saying Repent for the kingdome of God is at hande The like doctrine did our sauiour Jesus Christe preache hym selfe and cōmaunded his Apostles to preache the same I myght here alleage very many places out of the prophetes in the whiche this most holsome doctrine of repentaunce is very earnestly vrged as most nedefull for all degrees and orders of men but one shal be sufficient at this present tyme These are the words of Joel the prophete Therfore also nowe the Lorde sayth Returne vnto me with al your heart with fastyng weepyng and mournyng rent your heartes and not your clothes and returne vnto the Lorde your God for he is gratious and merciful slow to anger and of great compassion and redy to pardon wickednes Wherby it is geuen vs to vnderstād that we haue here a perpetuall rule appoynted vnto vs which ought to be obserued and kept at all times that there is none other way whereby the wrath of god may be pacified and his anger asswaged that the fiercenes of his furie and the plagues or destruction which by his ryghteous iudgement he had determined to bring vpō vs maye depart be remoued and taken away Where he sayth But nowe therefore sayth the Lord returne vnto me It is not without great importaunce that the prophete speaketh so For he had afore set foorth at large vnto them the horrible vengeaunce of god which no man was able to abide and therfore he doth moue them to repentaunce to obtayne mercie as yf he shoulde say I wyl not haue these thinges to be so taken as though there were no hope of grace left For although ye do by your sinnes deserue to be vtterly destroyed and God by his righteous iudgemēts hath determined to bryng no smal destruction vppon you yet nowe that ye are in a maner on the very edge of the sworde yf ye wyll spedyly returne vnto hym he wyll most gently and most mercifully receaue you into fauour again Wherby we are admonished that repentaunce is neuer to late so that it be true and earnest For sith that God in the scriptures wylbe called our father doubtlesse he doth followe the nature and propertie of gentle and mercifull fathers which seeke nothing so much as the returning againe and amendement of their chyldren as Christe doth aboundauntly teache in the parable of the prodigall sonne Doth not the Lorde hym selfe say by the prophete I wyll not the death of the wicked but that he turne from his wicked waies and liue And in another place If we confesse our sinne God is faythfull and righteous to forgeue vs our sinnes and to make vs cleane from all wickednesse Whiche moste comfortable promises are confyrmed by manye examples of the scriptures When the Jewes dyd wyllingly receaue and embrace the wholesome counsel of the prophete Esai God by and by dyd reache his helping hande vnto them and by his angell dyd in one nyght slea the moste worthye and valiaunt souldiers of Sennacheribs campe Whereunto may kyng Manasses be added who after al maner of dampnable wickednes returned vnto the Lorde and therefore was hearde of hym and restored againe into his kingdome The same grace and fauour dyd the sinfull woman Magdalene Zacheus the poore theefe and many other feele All whiche thynges ought to serue for our comfort agaynst the temptations of our consciences whereby the deuill goeth about to shake or rather to ouerthrowe our faith For euery one of vs ought to applye the same vnto hym selfe and say yet nowe returne vnto the Lorde neyther let the remembraunce of thy former lyfe discourage thee yea the more wicked that it hath ben the more feruent and earnest let thy repentaunce or returnyng be and foorth with thou shalt feele the eares of the Lorde wide open vnto thy prayers But let vs more narowly loke vpon the cōmaundement of the Lorde touchyng this matter Turne vnto me sayth he by his prophete Joel with al your heartes with fasting weping and mourning Rent your heartes and not your garments c. In which wordes he comprehendeth al maner of things that can be spoken of repentaunce whiche is a returning agayne of the whole man vnto God from whom we be fallen away by sinne But that the whole discourse thereof may the better be borne away we shall fyrst consyder in order foure principall poyntes that is from what we must returne to whom we must returne by whom we may be able to conuert and the maner howe to turne to GOD. First from whence or from what thynges we must returne Truely we muste returne from those things whereby we haue ben withdrawē pluckt and led away from god And these generally are our sinnes which as the holy prophete Esai doth testifie do separate God and vs and hide his face that he wyll not heare vs But vnder the name of sinne not only those grosse wordes and deedes which by the common iudgement of men are counted to be filthy and vnlawfull and so consequently abominable sinnes but also the filthy lustes and inwarde concupiscences of the fleshe whiche as saint Paul testifieth do resist the wyll and spirite of God and therefore ought earnestly to be brydled and kept vnder We must repent of the false and erronious opinions that we haue had of god and the wicked superstition that doth breede of the same the vnlawfull worshipping and seruice of God and other lyke All these thinges must they forsake that will truely turne vnto the Lorde and repent aryght For sith that for suche things the wrath of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience no ende of punishment ought to be looked for as long as we continue in such thinges Therfore they be here condempned
vayne Euen so most specially in this matter muste we take heede and beware that we suffer not our selues to be perswaded that all that we do is but labour lost For thereof eyther sodayne desperation doth aryse or a licentious boldnesse to sinne which at length bringeth vnto desperation Least any suche thing then shoulde happen vnto them he doth certifie them of the grace and goodnes of God who is alwayes moste redye to receaue them into fauour agayne that turne speedylye vnto him Which thing he doth proue with the same titles whorwith god doth discribe and set foorth himselfe vnto Moyses speaking on this maner For he is gracious and merciful slowe to anger of great kyndnesse and repenteth hym of the euiâ—â— thatis suche a one as is sorye for your afflictious Fyrst he calleth hym gentle gracious as he who of his own nature is more prompt and redye to do good then to punyshe Whereunto this saying of Esaias the Prophete seemeth to parteyne where he sayeth Let the wycked forsake his waye and the vnryghteous his owne imaginations and returne vnto the Lorde and he will haue pitie on him and to our God for he is verye redye to forgeue Secondly he doth attribute vnto him mercy or rather accordyng to the Hebrewe word the bowels of mercies whereby he signifyed the naturall affections of parentes towardes their children Which thing Dauid doth set foorth goodlye saying As a father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lorde compassion on them that feare hym for he knoweth whereof we be made he remembreth that we are but duste Thyrdlye he sayth that he is slowe to anger that is to saye long sufferyng and whiche is not lightly prouoked to wrath Fourthly that he is of muche kindnesse for he is that bottomlesse well of all goodnesse who reioyceth to do good vnto vs Therefore did he create and make men that he myght haue whom he shoulde do good vnto and make partakers of his heauenly ryches Fifthlye he repenteth of the euyll that is to saye he doeth call backe agayne reuoke the punyshment whiche he had threatned when he seeth men repent turne and amende Whereupon we do not without a iust cause detest and abhorre the dampnable oppinion of them which do most wickedlye go about to perswade the simple and ignorasâ—t people that if we chaunce after we be once come to God and graffed in his sonne Jesu Christe to fall into some hoâ—rible sinne repentaunce shall be vnprofitable vnto vs there is no more hope of reconciliation or to be receaued agayne into the fauour and mercy of god And that they may geue the better colour vnto their pestilent and pernicious errour they do commonlye bryng in the sixth tenth Chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrues and the second Chapter of the seconde Epistle of Peter not consyderyng that in those places the holy Apostles do not speake of the daily falles that we as long as we cary about this body of sinne are subiect vnto but of the finall fallyng away from Christ and his Gospel which is a sinne agaynst the holy ghost that shall neuer he forgeuen because that they that do vtterlye forsake the knowen trueth do hate Christe and his worde they do crucifie and mocke him but to their vtter destruction and therefore fall into desperation and cannot repent And that this is the true meanyng of the holy spirite of God it appeareth by manye other places of the Scriptures which promiseth vnto all true repentaunt sinners and to them that with their whole hart do returne vnto the Lorde their God free pardon and remission of their sinnes For the probation hereof we reade this O Israel sayeth the holy prophete Hieremie if thou returne returne vnto me sayeth the Lorde and if thou put away thyne abominations out of any syght then shalte thou not be moued Agayne these are Esaias words Let the wicked forsake his owne wayes and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations and turne agayne vnto the Lorde and he will haue mercye vpon hym and to our God for he is redye to forgeue And in the prophet Ozee the godlye do exhort one another after this manner Come and let vs turne againe vnto the lord for he hath smitten vs and he will heale vs he hath wounded vs and he will bynde vs vp agayne It is most euident and playne that these thinges ought to be vnderstanded of them that were with the Lorde afore and by their sinnes and wickednesse were gone awaye from hym For we do not turne agayne vnto hym with whom we were neuer before but we come vnto him Nowe vnto all them that will returne vnfaynedlye vnto the Lorde their God the fauour and mercye of God vnto forgeuenesse of sinnes is liberally offered Whereby it followeth necessarilye that although we do after we be once come to God and graffed in his sonne Jesus Christe fall into great sinnes for there is no ryghteous man vpon the earth that sinneth not and if we saye we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues the trueth is not in vs yet if we ryse agayne by repentaunce and with a full purpose of amendement of lyfe do flee vnto the mercye of God taking sure holde thereupon through fayth in his sonne Jesu Christe there is an assured and infallible hope of pardon and remission of the same that we shall be receaued agayne into the fauour of our heauenly father It is written of Dauid I haue founde a man accordyng to myne owne heart or I haue found Dauid the sonne of Jesse a man accordyng to myne owne heart who will do all thinges that I wyll This is a godly commendation of Dauid It is also moste certayne that he did stedfastly beleue the promise that was made hym touching the Messias who shoulde come of him touching the fleshe and that by the same fayth he was iustifyed and graffed in our sauiour Jesu Christ to come and yet afterwards he fell horribly committing moste detestable adultrye and damnable murther and yet assone as he cryed peccaui I haue sinned vnto the Lord his sinne beyng forgeuen he was receaued into fauour agayne Now will we come vnto Peter of whom no man can doubte but that he was graffed in our sauiour Jesus Christe long afore his deniall Whiche thing may easylye be proued by the aunswere whiche he did in his name and in the name of his fellowe Apostles make vnto our sauiour Jesu Christ when he saide vnto theÌ„ Will ye also go away Maister sayth he to whoÌ„ shall we go Thou haste the wordes of eternall lyfe and we beleue and knowe that thou art the Christe the sonne of the lyuing god Whereunto may be added the lyke confession of Peter where Christ doth geue this most infallible testimonie Thou art blessed Simon the sonne of Jonas for neither fleshe nor blood hath reuealed this vnto thee but my father which is in heauen
to our sauiour Jesu Christe dyd powre downe suche aboundaunce of teares out of those wanton eyes of hers wherwith she had allured many vnto follie that she dyd with them washe his feete wypyng them with the heres of her head whiche she was wont moste gloriously to set out makyng of them a nette of the deuyll Hereby we do learne what is the satisfaction that God doth require of vs which is that we ceasse from euyll and do good and if we haue done anye man wrong to endeuour our selues to make hym true amendes to the vttermoste of our power folowyng in this the example of Zacheus and of this sinâ—ull woman and also that goodly lesson that John Baytist Zacharies sonne dyd geue vnto them that came to aske counsayle of hym This was commonly the penaunce that Christe enioyned synners Go thy way and synne no more Whiche penaunce we shall neuer be able to fulfyll without the speciall grace of hym that doth say Without me ye can do nothyng It is therefore our partes yf at least we be desyrous of the health and saluation of our owne selues most earnestly to praye vnto our heauenly father to assist vs with his holye spirite that we may be able to hearken vnto the voyce of the true shephearde and with due obedience to folowe the same Let vs hearken to the voyce of almightie God when he calleth vs to repentaunce let vs not harden our heartes as suche Infidels do who abuse the tyme geuen them of God to repent and turne it to continue their pride and contempt against God and man whiche knowe not howe much they heape Gods wrath vppon them selues for the hardnesse of their heartes whiche can not repent at the day of vengeaunce Where we haue offended the law of God let vs repent vs of our straying from so good a Lorde Let vs confesse our vnworthynesse before hym but yet let vs trust in Gods free mercye for Christes sake for the pardon of the same And from henceforth let vs endeuour our selues to walke in a newe lyfe as newe borne babes whereby we may glorifie our father which is in heauen and thereby to beare in our consciences a good testimonie of our fayth So at the last to obteyne the fruition of euerlasting lyfe through the merites of our sauiour to whom be al prayse and honour for euer Amen The thirde parte of the Homilee of repentaunce IN the Nomilee last spoken vnto you right welbeloued people in our sauiour Christ ye heard of the true partes tokens of repentaunce that is heartie contrition and sorowfulnes of our heartes vnfaigned confession in worde of mouth for our vnworthy lyuyng before God a stedfast fayth to the merites of our sauiour Christe for pardon and a purpose of our selues by Gods grace to renounce our former wycked lyfe and a full conuersion to God in a newe lyfe to glorifie his name and to liue orderly and charitably to the comfort of our neighbour in al righteousnes and to lyue soberly and modestly to our selues by vsing abstinence and temperance in word in deed in mortifying our earthly members here vpoÌ„ earth Nowe for a further perswasion to moue you to those partes of repentance I wil declare vnto you some causes which should the rather moue you to repentaunce Fyrst the commaundement of God who in so many places of the holy and sacred Scriptures doth byd vs returne vnto hym O ye chyldren of Israel sayth he turne agayne from your infidelitie wherein ye drowned your selues Againe Turne you turne you from your euil wayes For why wyll ye dye O ye house of Israel And in an other place thus doth he speake by his holy prophete Ozee O Israel returne vnto the Lorde thy God For thou hast taken a great fall by thyne iniquitie Take vnto you these wordes with you when you turne vnto the Lorde and say vnto hym Take away all iniquitie and receaue vs gratiously so will we offer the calues of our lippes vnto thee In all these places we haue an expresse commaundement geuen vnto vs of God for to returne vnto hym Therefore we must take good heede vnto our selues least wheras we haue alredy by our manyfolde synnes and transgressions prouoked and kindeled the wrath of God agaynst vs we do by breakyng this his commaundemente double our offences and so heape styll dampnation vppon our owne heades by our dayly offences and trespasses whereby we prouoke the eyes of his maiestie we do well deserue if he should deale with vs accordyng to his iustice to be put away for euer from the fruition of his glorye Nowe muche more then are we worthy of the endlesse tormentes of hell yf when we be so gently called againe after our rebellion and commaunded to returne we will in no wyse hearken vnto the voyce of our heauenlye father but walke stil after the stubbornnes of our owne heartes Secondely the moste comfortable and sweete promise that the Lorde our God dyd of his mere mercy and goodnesse ioyne vnto his comaundement For he doth not only say Returne vnto me O Israel but also If thou wylt returne and put away all thyne abhominations out of my syght thou shalt neuer be moued These wordes also haue we in the Prophet Ezechiel At what tyme soeuer a synner doth repent hym of his synne from the bottome of his heart I wyll put all his wyckednesse out of my remembraunce sayth the Lorde so that they shal be no more thought vpon Thus are we sufficiently instructed that God wyll accordyng to his promise freely pardon forgeue and forget al our synnes so that we shal neuer be cast in the teeth with them if obeying his commaundement and allured by his sweete promises we wyll vnfaignedly returne vnto hym Thirdly the filthinesse of synne which is such that as long as we do abyde in it God can not but detest and abhorre vs neyther can there be any hope that we shall enter into the heauenlye Hierusalem except we be first made cleane purged from it But this wyll neuer be vnlesse forsakyng our former lyfe we do with our whole heart returne vnto the Lorde our God with a full purpose of amendement of lyfe flee vnto his mercy taking sure hold therupon through fayth in the blood of his son Jesu Christe If we should suspect any vncleannes to be in vs wherfore the earthly prince should lothe and abhorre the sight of vs what paynes woulde we take to remoue put it away Howe muche more ought we with all diligence and speede that may be to put away that vncleane filthynesse that doth separate and make a diuision betwixt vs and our God that hideth his face from vs that he wil not heare vs And verily herein doth appeare howe filthie a thyng sin is syth that it can by no other meanes be washed away but by the blood of the onely begotten sonne of god And shall we not from
token of his due and bounden obedience with denuntiation of death if he dyd transgresse breake the said lawe commaundement And as God would haue man to be his obedient subiect so did he make al earthly creatures subiect vnto man who kept their due obedience vnto man so long as man remayned in his obedience vnto god in the which obedience if man had continued stil there had ben no pouertie no diseases no sicknesse no death nor other miseries wherewith mankynde is nowe infinitely and most miserably afflicted and oppressed So here appeareth the originall kyngdome of God ouer angels and man and vniuersally ouer all thinges and of man ouer earthly creatures whiche God had made subiect vnto him and withall the felicitie and blessed state whiche angels man and all creatures had remayned in had they continued in due obedience vnto GOD theyr kyng For as long as in this fyrst kyngdome the subiectes continued in due obedience to God theyr kyng so long dyd God embrace all his subiectes with his loue fauour and grace whiche to enioy is perfect felicitie whereby it is euident that obedience is the principall vertue of all vertues and in deede the verye roote of all vertues and the cause of all felicitie But as all felicitie and blessednesse shoulde haue continued with the continuaunce of obedience so with the breache of obedience and breaking in of rebellion all vices and miseries dyd withall breake in and ouerwhelme the worlde The first aucthour of which rebellion the roote of all vices and mother of all mischeefes was Lucifer fyrst Gods most excellent creature and moste bounden subiect who by rebelling agaynst the maiestie of God of the bryghtest and most glorious angell is become the blackest and moste foulest feende deuill and from the heyght of heauen is fallen into the pit and bottome of hell Here you may see the first aucthour and founder of rebellion and the rewarde thereof here you maye see the graunde captayne and father of all rebels who perswadyng the folowyng of his rebellion agaynst GOD their creator and Lorde vnto our fyrst parentes Adam and Eue brought them in high displeasure with GOD wrought their exile and vanishment out of paradise a place of all pleasure and goodnesse into this wretched earth and vale of all miserie procured vnto them sorowes of their mindes mischeefes sicknesse diseases death of theyr bodies and whiche is farre more horrible then all worldly and bodyly mischeefes he had wrought thereby theyr eternall and euerlastyng death and dampnation had not GOD by the obedience of his sonne Jesus Christe repayred that whiche man by disobedience and rebellion had destroyed and so of his mercie had pardoned and forgeuen hym of whiche all and singuler the premises the holye scriptures do beare recorde in sundrye places Thus you do see that neither heauen nor paradise coulde suffer anye rebellion in them neyther be places for any rebels to remayne in Thus became rebellion as you see both the first and greatest and the verye roote of all other sinnes and the first and principall cause both of all worldlye and bodyly miseries sorowes diseases sicknesses and deathes and whiche is infinitely worse then all these as is sayde the very cause of death and dampnation eternall also After this breache of obedience to God and rebellion agaynst his maiestie all mischeefes and miseries breaking in therewith and ouerflowyng the worlde lest all thinges shoulde come vnto confusion and vtter ruine GOD foorthwith by lawes geuen vnto mankynde repayred agayne the rule and order of obedience thus by rebellion ouerthrowen and besides the obedience due vnto his maiestie he not onlye ordayned that in families and housholdes the wyfe shoulde be obedient vnto her husbande the chyldren vnto their parentes the seruauntes vnto their maisters but also when mankynde increased and spread it selfe more largely ouer the worlde he by his holye worde dyd constitute and ordayne in Cities and Countreys seuerall and speciall gouernours and rulers vnto whom the residue of his people shoulde be obedient As in readyng of the holye scriptures we shall finde in very many and almoste infinite places aswell of the olde Testament as of the newe that kynges and princes aswell the euill as the good do raigne by Gods ordinaunce and that subiectes are bounden to obey them that God doth geue princes wysdome great power and aucthoritie that God defendeth them agaynst their enemies and destroyeth their enemies horribly that the anger and displeasure of the prince is as the roaring of a Lion and the very messenger of death and that the subiect that prouoketh hym to displeasure sinneth agaynst his owne soule With many other thinges concernyng both the aucihoritie of princes and the duetie of subiectes But here let vs rehearse two speciall places out of the new Testament which may stand in steade of all other The first out of saint Paules Epistle to the Romanes and the. 1◠Chapter where he wryteth thus vnto all subiectes Let euery soule be subiect vnto the hygher powers for there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordeyned of god Whosoeuer therfore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinaunce of God and they that resist shall receaue to them selues dampnation For princes are not to be feared for good workes but for euil Wylt thou then be without feare of the power Do well so shalt thou haue prayse of the same For he is the minister of GOD for thy wealth but yf thou do euill feare for he beareth not the sworde for naught for he is the minister of God to take vengeaunce vppon hym that doth euyll Wherefore ye muste be subiect not because of wrath only but also for conscience sake for for this cause ye pay also tribute for they are Gods ministers seruyng for the same purpose Geue to euery man therefore his duetie tribute to whom tribute belongeth custome to whom custome is due feare to whom feare belongeth honour to whom ye owe honour Thus farre are saint Paules wordes The seconde place is in saint Peters first Epistle and the second chapter whose wordes are these Submit yoūr selues vnto all maner ordinaunce of man for the lordes sake whether it be vnto the kyng as vnto the cheefe head eyther vnto rulers as vnto them that are sent of hym for the punishment of euyll doers but for the cheryshing of them that do well For so is the wyll of GOD that with well doyng ye may stoppe the mouthes of ignoraunt and foolishe men as free and not as hauing the libertie for a cloke of malitiousnesse but euen as the seruauntes of god Honour all men loue brotherly felowship feare GOD honour the kyng Seruauntes obey your maisters with feare not onlye yf they be good and curteous but also though they be frowarde Thus farre out of Saint Peter By these two places of the holy scriptures it is moste euident that Kinges Queenes and other Princes for he speaketh of
then such lenitie whiche sinfull humanitie sayeth holy Chrisostome is more cruell before God then any murder or shedding of blood when it is commaunded of god But yet how euill soeuer Saul the kyng was and out of Gods fauour yet was he obeyed of his subiect Dauid the verye best of all subiectes and moste valiaunt in the seruice of his Prince and countrey in the warres the moste obedient and louyng in peace and alwayes most true and faythfull to his soueraygne and Lord and furthest of from all maner rebellion For the which his most painfull true and faithfull seruice Kyng Saule yet rewarded him not onelye with great vnkyndnesse but also sought his destruction and death by all meanes possible so that Dauid was faine to saue his lyfe not by rebellion nor any resistaunce but by flight and hyding him selfe from the kings sight Which notwithstanding when kyng Saul vpon a time came alone into the caue where Dauid was so that Dauid might easily haue slaine him yet woulde he neither hurt him him selfe neyther suffer any of his men to lay handes vppon hym Another tyme also Dauid entring by nyght with one Abisai a valiaunte and a fierce man into the tent where Kyng Saule did lye a sleepe where also he myght yet more easylye haue slayne hym yet woulde he neyther hurte hym hym selfe nor suffer Abisai who was wyllyng and redye to slea Kyng Saule once to touche hym Thus did Dauid deale with Saule his prince notwithstanding that Kyng Saule continuallye sought his death and destruction It shall not be amisse vnto these deedes of Dauid to adde his wordes and to shewe you what he spake vnto such as encouraged him to take his oportunitie and aduantage to slaye kyng Saule as his mortall enemie when he myght The Lord keepe me sayth Dauid from doing that thing and from laying handes vpon my Lorde Gods annoynted For who can lay his hand vpon the Lords annointed and be gyltlesse As truely as the Lord lyueth except that the Lorde do smyte hym or his dayes shall come to dye or that he go downe to warre and be slayne in battell the Lorde be mercifull vnto me that I laye not my hande vppon the Lordes annoynted These be Dauids words spokeÌ„ at sundry times to diuers his seruauntes prouokyng hym to stea king Saul when oportunitie serued him thervnto Neither is it to be omitted and left out how when an Amalechite had slayne king Saul euen at Sauls owne bidding commaundement for he would lyue no longer now for that he had lost the feeld against his enemies the Philistines the said Amalechite making great hast to bryng fyrst word and newes thereof vnto Dauid as ioyous vnto him for the death of his mortal enemy bringing withall the crowne that was vppon Kyng Saules head and the bracelet that was vppon his arme both as a proofe of the trueth of his newes and also as fit and pleasaunt presentes vnto Dauid beyng by God appoynted to be king Saul his successour in the kyngdome Yet was that faithfull and godly Dauid so farre from reioycing at these newes that he rent his clothes wept and mourned and fasted and so farre of from thankesfeuing to the messenger either for his deede in killing the king though his deadly enemy or for his message and newes or for hys presentes that he brought that he sayd vnto him How happened it that thou wast not afrayde to lay thy handes vppon the Lordes annoynted to slea hym Whereupon immediatelye hee commaunded one of his seruauntes to kyll the messenger and sayd Thy blood be vpon thyne owne head for thine owne mouth hath wytnessed agaynst thy selfe in confessyng that thou haste slayne the Lordes annoynted This example dearely beloued is notable and the circumstances thereof are well to be considered for the better instruction of all Subiectes in theyr bounden duetie of obedience and perpetuall fearyng of them from attemptyng of any rebellion or hurt agaynst theyr Prince On the one part Dauid was not onely a good and true Subiect but also suche a Subiect as both in peace and warre had serued and saued his Princes honour and lyfe and delyuered hys countrey and countreymen from great daunger of Infidels forraigne and most cruell enemies horribly inuading the kyng and hys countrey for the whiche Dauid was in singuler fauour wyth all the people so that he might haue had great numbers of them at hys commaundement if he woulde haue attempted any thyng Besydes thys Dauid was no commoÌ„ or absolute subiect but heyre aparant to the crowne and kyngdome by God appoynted to raygne after Saule whiche as it increased the fauour of the people that knewe it towardes Dauid so did it make Dauids cause case much differing from the case of common and absolute subiectes And which is most of all Dauid was hyghly and singulerly in the fauour of God On the contrary part kyng Saul was out of Gods fauour for that cause which is before rehearsed and he as it were Gods enemy and therefore like in warre and peace to be hurtful and pernitious vnto the common wealth and that was knowen to many of his subiectes for that he was openly rebuked of Samuel for his disobedience vnto God whiche might make the people the lesse to esteeme him Kyng Saul was also vnto Dauid a mortall and deadlye enemie though without Dauids deseruing who by his faythfull paynefull profitable yea moste necessarye seruice had well deserued as of his country so of his prince but kyng Saul farre otherwyse the more was his vnkyndnesse hatred and crueltie towardes suche a good subiect both odious and detestable Yet would Dauid neither him selfe sâ—ea nor hurt suche an enemie for that he was his prince and Lord nor would suffer any other to kill hurt or laye hand vppon hym when he myght haue ben slayne without any sturre tumult or daunger of any mans lyfe Now let Dauid answere to such demaundes as men desyrous of rebellion do vse to make Shall not we speciallye beyng so good men as we are ryse and rebell agaynst a Prince hated of God and Gods enemie and therefore like not to prosper either in warre or peace but to be hurtful and pernitious to the commoÌ„ wealth No sayth good and godly Dauid Gods and such a kynges faythful subiect and so conuicting such subiectes as attempt any rebellion agaynst suche a king to be neither good subiects nor good men But say they shall we not ryse and rebell against so vnkynde a Prince nothing consyderyng or regarding our true faythfull and payneful seruice or the safegarde of our posteritie No sayth good Dauid whom no such vnkyndnesse coulde cause to forsake his due obedience to his Soueraigne Shall we not say they ryse and rebell agaynst our knowen mortall and deadly enemie that seeketh our lyues No sayth godly Dauid who had learned the lesson that our Sauiour afterwarde playnelye taught
his aucthoritie and power to be geuen him from GOD and obeyed paciently the sentence of most painful and shamefull death which the sayd Judge pronounced and gaue most vniustlye agaynst hym without any grudge murmuring or euyll word once geuyng There be manye other examples of the obedience to Princes euen suche as bee euyll in the newe Testament to the vtter confusion of disobedient and rebellious people but this one may be an eternall example which the sonne of GOD and so the Lorde of all Jesus Christ hath geuen to vs his Christians and seruauntes and suche as may serue for all to teach vs to obey Princes though straungers wycked and wrongfull when God for our synnes shall place suche ouer vs Whereby it followeth vnauoydably that suche as doe disobey or rebell against their own natural gratious soueraignes howsoeuer they call them selues or be named of others yet are they in deede no true Christians but worse then Jewes worse then Heathens and suche as shall neuer enioy the kyngdome of heauen whiche Christ by his obedience purchased for true Christians being obedient to him the king of all kinges and to theyr Prince whom he hath placed ouer them the which kingdome the peculier place of all such obedient subiectes I beseche God our heauenly father for the same our sauiour Jesus Christes sake to graunt vnto vs to whom with the holy ghost be all laude honour and glory now and foreuer Amen Thus haue you heard the second part of thys Homilee now good people let vs pray The prayer as before ¶ The thirde parte of the Homilee agaynst disobedience and wilfull Rebellion AS I haue in the first parte of this treatise shewed vnto you the doctrine of the holy scriptures as concernyng the obience of true subiectes to their princes euen as well to suche as be euill as vnto the good and in the seconde parte of the same treatie confyrmed the same doctrine by notable examples lykewyse taken out of the holy scriptures so remayneth it now that I partlye do declare vnto you in this thirde parte what an abominable sinne against god and man rebellion is and howe dreadfullye the wrath of God is kindled and inflamed agaynst all Rebels and what horrible plagues punyshmentes and deathes and finally eternall dampnation doeth hang ouer their heades as how on the contrary part good and obedient subiectes are in Gods fauour and be partakers of peace quietnesse and securitie with other Gods manifolde blessinges in this world and by his mercies through our sauiour Christ of lyfe euerlasting also in the world to come How horrible a sinne agaynst God and man rebellion is cannot possible be expressed accordyng vnto the greatnesse thereof For he that nameth rebellion nameth not a singuler or one onely sinne as is theft robbery murther such lyke but he nameth the whole puddle and sinke of all sinnes agaynst God and man agaynst his prince his countrey his countreymen his parentes his children his kinsfolkes his frendes and agaynst all men vniuersally all sinnes I say agaynst God and al men heaped together nameth he that nameth rebellion For concernyng the offence of Gods maiestie who seeth not that rebellion ryseth first by contempt of God and of his holy ordinaunces and lawes wherin he so straitly commaundeth obedience forbiddeth disobedience and rebellion And besydes the dishonour done by rebels vnto Gods holye name by theyr breakyng of theyr othe made to their prince with the attestation of Gods name and callyng of his maiestie to witnesse who heareth not the horrible othes and blasphemies of Gods holy name that are vsed dayly amongst rebels that is either amongst them or heareth the trueth of their behauiour Who knoweth not that rebels do not onelye them selues leaue all workes necessarye to be done vpon workedayes vndone whyles they accomplish their abominable worke of rebellion and to compell others that would gladly be well occupyed to do the same but also how rebels do not onely leaue the Sabbath day of the Lord vnsanctified the Temple and Churche of the Lorde vnresorted vnto but also do by their workes of wickednes moste horriblye prophane and pollute the sabbath day seruing satan and by doyng of his worke making it the deuils daye in steede of the Lordes day Besydes that they compell good men that would gladly serue the lorde assembling in his Temple and Churche vpon his day as becommeth the Lordes seruantes to assemble and meete armed in the feelde to resiste the furye of suche rebels Yea and manye rebels leaste they should leaue any part of Gods commaūdementes in the firste table of his lawe vnbroken or anye sinne agaynst God vndone do make rebellion for the maynteynaunce of theyr Images and Idols and of their idolatrye committed or to be committed by them and in dispite of God cut and teare in sunder his holy worde and tread it vnder their feete as of late ye knowe was done As concernyng the second table of Gods law and all sinnes that may be committed agaynst man who seeth not that they be not conteyned in rebellion For fyrst the rebels do not only dishonour their prince the parent of their country but also do dishonour and shame their naturall parents if they haue any do shame their kinred and freendes do disherite and vndo for euer their children and heyres Theftes robberies and murthers whiche of all sinnes are most lothed of most men are in no men so much nor so pernitiously and mischeuously as in rebels For the most errant theeues and cruellest murtherers that euer were so long as they refrayne form rebellion as they are not many in number so spreadeth their wickednes and damnation vnto a fewe they spoyle but a fewe they shed the blood but of few in comparison But rebels are the cause of infinite robberies and murthers of great multitudes of those also whom they should defende from the spoyle and violence of other and as rebels are manye in number so doth their wickednesse and damnation spreade it selfe vnto many And if whoredome and adultry amongst suche persons as are agreeable to suche wickednesse are as they in deede be moste damnable what are the forceable oppressions of matrones and mens wyues and the violating and deflowring of virgins and maydes whiche are moste ryfe with rebels how horrible and damnable thinke you are they Nowe besydes that rebels by breach of their fayth geuen and oth made to their Prince be guiltie of moste damnable periurie it is wonderous to see what false colors and fayned causes by slaunderous lyes made vppon their prince and the councellers rebels will deuise to cloke theyr rebellion withall which is the worst and moste damnable of all false witnes bearyng that may be possible For what shoulde I speake of couetyng or desyryng of other mens wiues houses landes goodes and seruauntes in rebels who by theyr wylles would leaue vnto no man any thyng of his owne Thus you see that al gods
dominions and kyngdomes sometime possessed by Christians in Asia Africa and Europa the miserable fall of the Empyre and Church of Grece sometime the moste florishyng part of Christendome into the handes of Turkes the lamentable diminishing decay and ruine of Christian religion the dreadfull encrease of Paganitie and power of the Infidelles and miscreantes and al by the practise and procurement of the Byshop of Rome cheefely is in the histories and chronicles written by the Byshop of Romes owne fauourers and frendes to be seene and is well knowen vnto all suche as are acquainted with the saide histories The ambitious intent and most subtill driftes of the Byshops of Rome in these their practises appeared euidently by their bolde attempt in spoyling and robbing the Emperours of their Townes Cities Dominions kingdomes in Italie Lumbardie Cicilie of auncient right belonging vnto the Empyre by the ioyning of them vnto their Byshoprike of Rome or els geuing them vnto straungers to holde them of the Churche Byshops of Rome as in capite and as of the cheefe lordes thereof in whiche tenure they holde the most part therof euen at this day By these ambitious in deede trayterous meanes and spoylyng of their soueraigne lordes the Byshops of Rome of Priestes and none other by right then the Bishops of one citie and diocesse are by false vsurpation become great lordes of many dominions myghtie Princes yea or Emperours rather as claymyng to haue diuers princes and kinges to their vassals liege men and subiectes as in the same histories written by their owne familiers and courtiers is to be seene And in deede since the tyme that the Byshops of Rome by ambition treason vsurpation atcheued and atteined to this height and greatnesse they behaued them selues more lyke princes kinges Emperours in al things then remained like priestes bishops and ecclesiastical or as they would be called spirituall persons in any one thing at al. For after this rate they haue handled other kings princes of other Realmes throughout Christendome as well as theyr Soueraigne lordes the Emperours vsually dischargyng their subiectes of their othe of fidelitie and so stirring them vp to rebellion against their naturall princes whereof some examples shall in the last part hereof be notified vnto you Wherefore let al good subiectes knowing these the speciall instrumentes and ministers of the deuil to the stirring vp of al rebellions auoyde and flee them the pestilent suggestions of such forraigne vsurpers and their adherentes and embrace al obedience to God and their naturall princes and Soueraignes that they may enioy gods blessinges and their princes fauour in all peace quietnes securitie in this worlde and finally attaine through Christ our sauiour lyfe euerlasting in the world to come which God the father for the same our sauiour Jesus Christ his sake graunt vnto vs al to whō with the holy ghost be al honour glory world without ende Amen Thus haue you heard the sixt part of this Homilee now good people let vs pray The prayer as before The sixt and last part of the Homilee agaynst disobedience and wylfull rebellion NOw whereas the iniuries oppressions rauenie and tyrannie of the bishop of Rome vsurping aswell agaynst their natural lords the Emperours as against al other Christian kinges and kingdomes and their continual stirring of subiectes vnto rebellions agaynst theyr soueraigne lordes whereof I haue partlye admonished you before were intollerable and it may seeme more then maruell that any subiectes woulde after suche sorte holde with vnnaturall forraigne vsurpers agaynst theyr owne soueraigne lordes and naturall countrey It remayneth that I do declare the meane whereby they compassed these matters and so to conclude this whole treatie of due obedience and agaynst disobedience and wylfull rebellion You shall vnderstande that by ignoraunce of Gods worde wherein they kept all men speciallye the common people they wrought brought to passe all these thinges makyng them beleue that all they sayde was true all that they dyd was good and godlye and that to holde with them in all thinges agaynst father mother prince countrey and all men was most meritorious And in deede what mischeefe wyll not blinde ignoraunce leade simple men vnto By ignoraunce the Juishe Cleargie induced the common people to aske the deliuerie of Barabbas the seditious murtherer to sue for the cruell crucifiyng of our sauiour Christe for that he rebuked the ambition suberstion and other vices of the hie priestes and cleargie For as our sauiour Christe testifieth that those who crucified hym wyst not what they dyd so doth the holy apostle saint Paul say If they had knowen yf they had not ben ignoraunt they woulde neuer haue crucified the Lorde of glory but they knew not what they dyd Our sauiour Christ him selfe also foreshewed that it shoulde come to passe by ignoraunce that those who should persecute and murther his true apostles and disciples shoulde thinke they dyd God acceptable sacrifice good seruice as it also is verified euen at this day And in this ignoraunce haue the Byshoppes of Rome kept the people of God specially the common sorte by no meanes so muche as by withdrawyng of the word of God from them and by keping it vnder the vale of an vnknowen straunge tongue For as it serued the ambitious humour of the Byshops of Rome to compell all nations to vse the natural language of the citie of Rome where they were Byshops whiche shewed a certayne acknowledging of subiection vnto them so yet serued it muche more their craftie purpose thereby to keepe all people so blinde that they not knowyng what they prayed what they beleued what they were commaunded by God myght take all their commaundementes for Gods. For as they woulde not suffer the holy scriptures or Churche seruice to be vsed or had in any other language then the latine so were verye fewe euen of the moste simple people taught the Lordes prayer the articles of the fayth and the ten commaundementes otherwyse then in latine whiche they vnsterstoode not by whiche vniuersal ignorance al men were redy to beleue whatsoeuer they sayd to do whatsoeuer they commaunded For to imitate the apostles phrase If the Emperours subiectes had knowen out of Gods worde their duetie to their prince they would not haue suffered the Byshop of Rome to perswade them to forsake their Soueraigne lord the Emperour against their othe of fidelitie and to rebel against him only for that he cast images vnto the which idolatrie was committed out of the Churches which the Byshop of Rome bare them in hande to be heresie If they had knowen of Gods word but asmuch as the ten commaundementes they should haue founde that the Byshop of Rome was not onlye a traytour to the Emperour his liege Lorde but to God also and an horrible blasphemer of his maiestie in calling his holy worde and commaundement heresye and that which the Byshop of
Rome toke for a iust cause to rebell agaynst his lawfull prince they myght haue knowen to be a doubling and tripling of his most heynous wickednes heaped with horrible impietie and blasphemie But lest the poore people shoulde knowe to muche he woulde not let them haue as muche of Gods worde as the ten commaundementes wholye and perfectly withdrawyng from them the commaundement that bewrayeth his impietie by a subtill sacrilege Had the Emperours subiectes likewyse knowen and ben of anye vnderstandyng in Gods worde woulde they at other times haue rebelled agaynst their Soueraigne Lorde and by their rebellion haue holpen to depose hym onlye for that the byshop of Rome dyd beare them in hande that it was symonie and heresye to for the Emperour to geue any ecclesiasticall dignities or promotions to his learned Chaplaines or other of his learned cleargie which all Christian Emperours before hym had done without controulement woulde they I say for that the Byshop of Rome bare them so in hande haue rebelled by the space of more then fourtie yeres together agaynst hym with so much shedding of Christian blood and murther of so many thousandes of Christians and finallie haue deposed their Soueraigne Lorde had they knowen and had in Gods worde anye vnderstandyng at all Specially had they knowen that they dyd al this to plucke from their Soueraigne Lorde and his successours for euer theyr auncient right of the Empyre to geue it vnto the Romishe Cleargie and to the Byshop of Rome that he myght for the confirmation of one Archbyshop and for a Romishe ragge whiche he calleth a Paul scarse worth twelue pence receaue many thousande crownes of golde and of other Byshoppes likewyse great summes of money for their bulles whiche is symonie in deede would I say Christian men and subiectes by rebellion haue spent so muche Christian blood and haue deposed their natural most noble and most valiaunt prince to bring the matter finally to this passe had they knowen what they dyd or had any vnderstandyng in Gods word at all And as these ambitious vsurpers the byshops of Rome haue ouerflowed all Italie and Germanie with streames of Christian blood shed by the rebellions of ignoraunt subiectes agayng their naturall lordes the Emperous whom they haue stirred there vnto by such false pretences so is there no countrey in Christendome whiche by theyr lyke meanes and false pretences hath not ben oursprinkled with the blood of subiectes by rebellion agaynst their naturall Soueraignes styrred vp by the same Byshops of Rome And to vse one example of our owne countrey The Byshop of Rome dyd pike a quarell to kyng John of Englande about the election of Steuen Langton to the Byshoprike of Canterburie wherein the kyng had auncient ryght being vsed by his progenitours all Christian Kynges of Englande before hym the Byshops of Rome hauing no ryght but had begun then to vsurpe vpon the kinges of Englande and al other Christian kynges as they had before done agaynst theyr Soueraigne Lordes the Emperours proceeding euen by the same wayes meanes and lyke wyse cursing kyng John discharging his subiectes of their oth of fidelitie vnto theyr soueraigne lord Now had Englishmen at that time knowen their duetie to their prince set foorth in gods word woulde a great many of the nobles other Englishmen naturall subiectes for this forraigne vnnaturall vsurper his vaine curse of the kyng for his fained discharging of them of their othe of fidelitie to their naturall Lorde vpon so sclender or no grounde at all haue rebelled agaynst their soueraigne lord the king Woulde Englishe subiectes haue taken part agaynst the king of Englande against Englishmen with the Frenche king and Frenchmen beyng incensed against this Realme by the Bishop of Rome Would they haue sent for and receaued the Dolphin of Fraunce with a great armie of Frenchmen into the Realme of Englande Would they haue sworne fidelitie to the Dolphin of Fraunce breaking their othe of fidelitie to their naturall Lord the king of Englande and haue stande vnder the Dolphins banner displaied agaynst the kyng of Englande woulde they haue expelled their soueraigne lord the king of England out of London the cheefe citie of Englande and out of the greatest part of England vppon the South-side of Trent euen vnto Lincolne and out of Lincolne it selfe also and haue deliuered the possession thereof vnto the Dolphin of Fraunce whereof he kept the possession a great whyle Would they being Englishmen haue procured so great shedding of English blood other infinite mischeefes miseries vnto England their naturall countrey as dyd folow those cruell warres trayterous rebellion the fruites of the Byshop of Romes blessings would they haue driuen their natural soueraigne lorde the kyng of Englande to suche extremitie that he was inforced to submit hym selfe vnto that forraigne false vsurper the Byshoppe of Rome who compelled hym to surrender vp the crowne of Englande into the handes of his Legate who in token of possession kept it in his handes diuers dayes and then deliuered it agayne to king John vpon that condition that the kyng and his successours kinges of Englande shoulde holde the crowne and kyngdome of Englande of the Byshop of Rome and his successours as the vassalles of the sayde Byshops of Rome for euer in token whereof the kynges of Englande shoulde also paye an yerely tribute to the sayde Byshop of Rome as his vassals and liege men woulde Englishemen haue brought their Soueraigne lorde and naturall countrey into this thraldome and subiection to a false forraigne vsurper had they knowen and had any vnderstandyng in Gods worde at all Out of the which most lamentable case moste miserable tyrannye rauenye and spoyle of the most greedy Romishe wolues ensuing here vppon the kinges and realme of Englande coulde not rid them selues by the space of many yeares after the Bishop of Rome by his ministers continually not only spoling the realme and kyngs of England of infinite treasure but also with the same monye hyring and maynteyning forraigne enemies agaynst the realme and kinges of England to kepe them in such his subiection that they should not refuse to paye whatsoeuer those vnsaciable wolues did greedely gape for and suffer whatsoeuer those moste cruell tyrants would lay vpon them Would Englishmen haue suffered this would they by rebellion haue caused this trowe you and all for the Byshop of Romes causelesse curse had they in those dayes knowen and vnderstanded that God doth curse the blessings and blesse the cursinges of suche wicked vsurping bishops and tyrantes as it appeared afterward in kyng Henrye the eyght his dayes and kyng Edwarde the sixt in our gratious Soueraignes dayes that nowe is where neyther the Popes curses nor Gods manifolde blessinges are wanting But in kyng Johns tyme the Byshop of Rome vnderstandyng the brute blyndnes ignorance of Gods worde and superstition of Englishmen how much they were enclined to worship the