natiuitie For when the Iewes had lost their libertie and were compelled to pay taxe and tribute to a straunge Prince and an Ethnike and euery man was ceassed by Cyrenius then was that promised and so long looked for Sauiour of the world borne Yea he was borne of the stocke of Dauid where as it had lost all dignitie and seemed as Esaye once sayde a rotten and vnprofitable stocke Therfore let no man despayre in imminent afflictions The seconde argument whereby he prooueth Moses to bee saued by the mercy of God he taketh of his Parents who brought him vppe three moneths at home at their house contrary to the kings commaundement For this was as Paule testifyeth and interpreteth it Hebr. 11. a worke of fayth whereby they respecting Gods mercie and his promises were so comforted that they durst breake the kings commaundement But that fayth and boldenesse of minde are the gyftes of God is more euident than needeth long proofe So therefore must the fayth of Moyses parents be considered that we encouraged by their example must learne to contemne those wicked commaundementes oftyrauntes which no man can obey with godlynesse For in such thinges must Peters rule be followed which plainely sayth we must rather obey God than men Thirdly he rehearseth the order and maner howe Moyses was saued that the grace and power of God may the more appeere For Pharaos daughter tooke him being cast out into the riuer Nylus and brought him vp as if it had bene hir owne sonne Furthermore being trayned vppe in the Court in all maner of wisedome of the Egyptians he became expert in all qualities belonging to a ruler and gouernour Who will in these thinges attribute anye thing to mannes desertes or merites who will not acknowledge Gods singuler grace and fauour Here is the power of God marueylous woonderfull who disappoynteth and laugheth at tyrants enterprises Pharao bringeth vp in his owne Court and as it were in hys owne bosome the Captaine and deliuerer of that people which he sought most to oppresse So whyle Achab persecuteth the Prophetes and the Church Abdias a most faythfull defender of the Prophetes and true doctrine is in greatest honor and authoritie in the court So vnder the Romaine Emperours sometime the mainteyners of the true fayth had greatest charge in the fielde although the Emperours would haue had the faith destroyed And many other examples there are which declare howe the greatest enimies of Christ haue furthered and set forwarde the Church Who therfore will be afrayde of their attempts which are ruled by the bridle of Gods power and prouidence Let vs also consider howe he sayeth Moyses was brought vp in all maner wisedome of the Egyptians Christians therefore maye reade the workes of Gentyles and Philosophers as it appeareth Paule did by his writings and sermons wherein he feately placeth the sentences of the Ethnickes Yet a meane must be obserued least the mysteries of the worde of God beginne to be contemned of those that delyght in Gentyle philosophie and that we make not to much of those things in their writings which openly impugne the prophecies of heauenlye wisdome This thing commeth to passe in Astrologers and in the ouer curious searchers of naturall causes which yet are not ashamed to defend their vngodlynesse by Moyses example But they ought rather to followe his modestie who in the description of the frame and workmanship of this worlde hauing great occasion to haue shewed and set out his Egypticall wisedome comprehendeth all those things in marueylous playnenesse and breuitie that the curious wittes of Mathematicalles and Philosophers haue wearied their braynes vnprofitably about nowe these manye hundred yeares For where he referreth the causes of things to God alone as the Scripture euerywhere doth he easily saw that it was a wicked ostentation of the wit to spoyle God of any part of his glorye and to bring the gouernaunce of the world in subiection and bondage to the course of Creatures Therefore their foolishnesse and madnesse is detestable which make Abraham and Moyses the authors of iudiciall astrologie Let vs rather depende vppon Gods appoyntment and prouidence onely who of his goodnesse chose both Abraham and Moyses and hath by them promised vs hys sonne to be our Sauiour and King To whome be all prayse honor power and glory Amen The .xlviij. Homelie AND when he was full fourtie yeares olde it came into his heart to visite his brethren the children of Israel And when hee sawe one of them suffer wrong he defended him and aduenged his quarrell that had the harme done to him and smote the Aegyptian For he supposed his brethren would haue vnderstande how that God by his hande shoulde deliuer them but they vnderstoode not And the next daye he shewed himselfe to them as they stroue and would haue set them at one agayne saying Sirs yee are brethren why hurt yee one another but he that did his neyghbour wrong thrust him awaye saying who made thee a Ruler and a Iudge ouer vs wilt thou kill mee as thou diddest the Aegyptian yesterdaye Then fledde Moyses at that saying and was a straunger in the lande of Madian where hee begate twoo sonnes WHereas the blessed Martyr Steuen following the order and tracke of the storie of the fathers is commen to Moyses in whom the Iewes so greatly glorie as in their deliuerer and lawe giuer he diligentlye handleth his hystorie partly bicause Moyses touching their deliuerie out of Egypt was a figure of Christ and bare witnesse of Christ and partly bicause he would not seeme to be a contemner of Moyses as they accused him in that he preached agaynst the Temple and Ceremonies of the lawe And bicause he woulde quyte take from them the vayne affiaunce they had in outwarde ceremonies he sheweth that the fathers so little trusted in mannes righteousnesse that Moyses himselfe had nothing whereof to reioyce before God bycause through no helpe of man but by the onely grace of God he was saued and called to such honour as he had Wherevpon it followeth that whatsoeuer afterwarde he did worthy of any singuler prayse and commendation it was to be attributed vnto Gods goodnesse and grace The same is more plainely set forth in this present place where he declareth how Moyses beganne to vse his office wherevnto God had appoynted him and howe the fathers vnworthily despised the benifyte of deliuery giuen them and very vncourteously reiected Moyses their reuenger and defender He beginneth with Moyses age and with the cause that mooued him to take vppon him the charge of the people being so grieuously afflicted he sayth he was fourtie yeares olde before he gaue anye token of the peoples deliuerie In the meane time liuing in the Court among the Nobles of the Realme he seemed to haue little regarde of the people which thing Steuen manifestly teacheth where he sayth when he was full fourtie yeares of age it came into his heart to visite his brethren Who
And if we compare the proceedings of these dayes herewith wee shall fynde but a fewe tokens of the primitiue Church For a great number conueye awaye the goodes of the Church and dishonestly make hauock of them and there are very fewe or none which of their owne goodes will exercise christian contribution But there is a great number of them which will abuse publike calamitie to their priuate commoditie And they that bee the best men will not releeue the neede of the poore before he see him brought to extreeme beggery be compelled to go from doore to doore God graunt that we maye be enflamed with true fayth and charitie that we may by our works be knowne for Christians at that day when Christ our Lorde and Sauiour shall come to iudgement in the glory of his father to whome be prayse honour power and glory for euer Amen The .xij. chapiter vpon the Actes of the Apostles The .lxxxij. Homelie AT the same time Herode the King stretched forâ—h his handes to vexe certaine of the Congregation And hee killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword And bicause he sawe that it pleased the Iewes he proceeded farther and tooke Peter also Then were the daies of sweete bread And when hee had caught him hee put him in prison also and deliuered him to fower quaternions of souldiers to be kept entending after Easter to bring him forth to the people And Peter was kept in pryson But prayer was made without ceasing of the congregation vnto God for him BEfore this the Euangelist Luke described to vs the persecutions raysed by the Priests agaynst the congregation which though they might seeme grieuous and horrible yet the persecution here reported was much grieuouser For a king of great power and one which had the ruling of all the Iewishe Nation was the beginner and procurer thereof And whereas tyll this time the Apostles abode safe and vntouched nowe hath this wicked Tyrant such power that by cruell death he maketh awaye one of the chiefe among them The ende of all this hystorye is that hereby we should learne the state of the Church and being myndefull of Christes admonitions prepare our selues to the like Howbeit where in these thinges there appeareth alwayes a great dulnesse of our nature all the circumstaunces of this place must be the more diligently considered And first Luke coupleth this present hystorie with the ende of the Chapiter before going and beginneth his narration or discourse of the tyme For where he had entreated of the dearth foreshewed by Agabus he writeth that the same time Herode begunne to persecute the Church And if you conferre this place with the ende of the Chapter it shall appeare this was done in the last yeare of Herode a little before he ended his lyfe at Caesarea by the horrible iudgement of god And if we cast the time according to hystories we shall fynde that this last yeare of Herode fell in the fourth yere of Claudius the Emperor what time the Hystoriens say that this dearth reygned There came two most grieuous calamities dearth and persecution togither eche of which seemed intollerable to the congregation Thys state of the Church is to be diligently considered of vs bicause God suffreth his Church with so many afflictions to be tryed and exercised For God which a little before had stirred vp the mindes of those at Antiochia and others to releeue the necessitie of the Iewes with their liberalitie suffreth now the furious blasts of this wicked king to rise against them But it is no straunge thing that here commeth to passe For there are infynit examples of this sort We reade of Abraham howe when at Gods calling he had forsooke his natiue Countrie and was come into the lande of Chanaan hee was driuen from thence by famine and inforced to flye into Egypt Isaac his sonne fynding the like trouble sustained great want of victuals among the enuious Nation of the Chanaanites So we reade that Ioseph hauing lost his libertie was put in prison and like also to lose his lyfe What shall I speake of Iacob his father which was still invred with troubles and vexation insomuch that euen in his extreeme age he confessed before Pharao that he had led the more part of the dayes of his lyfe in trouble and cares And if a man would consider and weigh the people of Israels estate as well in Egypt as in the wildernesse he shall see continuall traueyles and as it were freshe floudes of afflictions flowing by course And that which the Primitiue Churche nowe prooueth came to passe also in the yeares following Neyther is there any cause why we shoulde looke for any better in these dayes than the Oracles of Christ declare shall be about the last days where we are taught that the Church shall be exercised with famine plague wars persecutions in all parts Wherfore it behooueth vs to prepare our selues vnto pacience that wheÌ„ these things come to passe we may consider howe iudgement must beginne at the house of God and that wee bee iudged of God to the ende we should not be condemned with the irrepentaunt worlde Here also is the error of them confuted which iudge of religion and faith according to the things that fall out in this worlde as though the Citie of the godly were on earth whereas the Scripture euerywhere sheweth howe it is prepared for vs in heauen Secondlye Luke nameth the author of this persecution and wryteth that it was Herode By this place it appeareth that the Kinges of Galiley and Iurie were commonly called Herodes verily of that famous and great Herode which being an aliaunt first obteyned to be king of Iurie For it is plaine that this of whome Luke speaketh in this place was Agrippa Nephewe to this great Herode by Aristobulus his sonne whose death Iosephus in all poyntes agreeing with Luke describeth in the .xxix. booke of his antiquities and .vij. Chapter This Herode was both a moste mightye Prince and a craftie For after he was let out of prison by Caius Caesar where Tiberius had put him bicause of his ouermuch familiaritie with Caius and was declared king of the Tetrarchies of Philip and Lysanias a little after he tooke from Herodes Antipas his vncle by the fathers side and sisters husbande the kingdome of Galiley procuring him to be banished by Caius to whome by his letters he had accused him And after the decease of Caius Caesar Claudius being Emperor he gaue him the Prouinces both of Iurie and Samarie And thus Agrippa obtayned almoste the whole kingdome of Herode the great his grandfather It shall behooue vs diligently to consider the power of this king that the power of Christ may appeare the greater which so easily subdued so mighty an enimie For God would set Christ and his Church togither with such an one as this to shew a singuler example and to declare that all the
at large by narration Wherfore in all these things we will briefely touch those things only which serue for this present place First he plainely teacheth what this Christ is where he calleth hi m Lorde of all things This is an euident testimonie of his diuinitie For it is manifest that the rule of all things pertayneth vnto God alone bicause he alone is the creator of all things And it is playne that all thinges were made by that eternall worde and that all power is giuen him of the father He must needes therefore be true god And lette no man here obiect vnto vs this worde of giuing as though he were therfore the lesse bicause he receyueth of another For this is to be referred to the nature of manne which he tooke vpon him to the which in a certayne time appoynted God the father gaue that which Christ according to his Godheade had from euerlasting For thus he speaketh himselfe a little before he went to hys death Now glorifie me ô father with thine owne selfe with the glory which I had with thee ere the worlde was The Arrians are hereby confuted and the Seruetanes which nowe a dayes follow their steppes and the dignitie of Christian fayth is defended against the Iewes and Turkes which saye we glory and trust in one that is no more but a man. Then Peter toucheth by the waye the meane of our saluation where he sayth that that eternall worde of God Iesus Christ was sent from God the father For in this worde sent he comprehendeth all the mysterie of his incarnation euen as Paule also where he sayth when the fulnesse of tyme came God sent his sonne made of a woman c. In his incarnation are comprised whatsoeuer things Christ did or suffred in the flesh for our saluation sake of the which things we shall hereafter intreate Furthermore he sayth he was sent to the children of Israel not that he belonged to them alone but for that he tooke fleshe and was borne of them and shoulde first shewe himselfe to them vntill through their vnbeliefe he should be caryed vnto the gentiles Thou shalt obserue in these things that al these affaires of Christ which are preached in the gospell are not of man but of Gods ordering and appoyntment For this worde was sent from god And it is euident that this is the eternall decree of God that Iesus Christ should be the King and Priest of his people Psal. 2.110 Wherevpon we gather that men striue in vaine by their owne power against his Gospell which thing before this we hearde that Gamaliel sawe and is abundantly declared by the examples of all ages Last of all he commeth to the ende and marke of all this matter which is that peace shoulde be preached by Christ Iesus So Esaias cap. 52. speaking of the Preachers of the Gospell sayth O how bewtifull are the feete of the Ambassadour that bringeth the message from the mountayne and proclaymeth peace c. Peter maketh mention of preaching not for that Christ is the Minister therof only but bicause that peace wherof he is the author is offred to vs by preaching of the Gospell receiued by hearts of fayth He specially speaketh of that peace which is betweene god and vs by the meane of Iesus christ For before times by reason of our sinnes we were seperated from god reputed as his enimies And Paule writeth that the wrath of God was declared from heauen agaynst all vngodlynesse and vnrighteousnesse of men Therefore there was neede of a peacemaker and reconcyler which the scriptures declare God the father hath giuen vs euen Iesus christ For he hath taken vpon him our sinnes which were cause of the seperation betweene God and vs he hath purged them by the merite of his death and satisfied the rigour of Gods iustice And he being made ours by fayth doth clothe vs with his righteousnesse and doth defende and shielde vs that wee be able to abyde the iudgement seate of God who otherwyse had deserued by reason of our sinnes to be damned for euer Thus it commeth to passe that according to Paules doctrine we being iustified by fayth are at peace with God through Iesus Christ our Lorde Thys the father himselfe confesseth when from heauen he sounded that ioyfull and comfortable voyce This is my beloued sonne in whome I am well pleased And this is that peace which passeth all vnderstanding and which can by no maner of afflictions be disturbed bicause it maketh them seeme light and easie to them which vnderstande that God is become mercifull to them in Christ and that they are made the children of god This peace also breedeth ciuill brotherly concorde amongst men bicause that by meane of Christ all that respect of persons among the faythfull wherby mutuall concorde among men is chiefly broken is taken away And bicause it kindleth mens mindes wyth the fire of charitie it so graffeth in them the desire of peace that they hate no things more deadly than such as they knowe hinder it Great therefore and very execrable is the ingratitude and iniquitie of those men which exclame and crye out saying the preaching of the gospell is the disturbaunce of publyke peace and policie For thus they make Iesus Christ the Prince of true and euerlasting peace the author of those offences which they may thanke the wicked worlde of who therefore maketh tumultes and businesses agaynst Christ and his worde bicause they can not suffer the light thereof whereby their naughtie workes are reprooued Let vs acknowledge the goodnesse of God which doth vouchsafe to offer the doctrine of saluation vnto all men and let vs with true fayth embrace Iesus Christ the onely author of saluation and peace to whome be prayse honour power and glorye for euer Amen The .lxxv. Homelie YOV I saye knowe that woorde which was published throughout all Iurie and beganne in Galiley after the baptisme which Iohn preached howe GOD annoynted Iesus of Nazareth with the holy ghost and with power Which Iesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the deuill For God was with him ALthough Peter made this Sermon at Caesarea in the house of Cornelius the Captayne yet the same apperteyneth to all men and is meete at this daye to be most diligently considered of vs For beside that manye thinges are gone before which teach vs that the spirit of God was the author hereof in this part Peter fully includeth the whole order of our iustification and saluation And hereof he admonished his hearers in the proposition as erewhile we sawe whereas he promised them to speake of the eternall worde of God which is Iesus Christ who being Lorde of all things and therefore very God did yet vouchsafe to come into the worlde to reconcyle mankinde vnto God the father and to be the author and preacher of that moste wholesome peace Now bicause by these wordes he
resurrection abrode in the Citie Furthermore the vnprosperous ende of these souldiours teach vs what they may looke for which serue tyrantes turnes against the truth They fall commonly into the pit which they digged for other And they fynd them to be their enimies whose good will they go about to get by killing the godly Whereby it commeth to passe that although men doe them no iniurie yet are they punished by the iust iudgement of God bicause they had liefer please men than god Let such as eyther themselues doe anye thing against the faithfull of Christ for mennes sakes or else suffer other to doe beare this well in minde It is Christes saying Touch not myne annoynted And he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye These sayinges threaten present destruction to the persecutours of the Church Therefore they that will be taken for the syncere loouers of true fayth lette them abstaine from these mennes company and counsell least they perishe with them In the meane season let vs acknowledge the power of Christ our king and sauiour which so luckily deludeth the enterprises of his enimies and so valiauntly defendeth his chosen To him be all prayse honor power and glory for euer Amen The .lxxxv. Homelie HERODE was displeased with them of Tyre and Sydon But they came all with one accord made intercession vnto Blastus the kings chamberlaine and desired peace bicause their Countrie was nourished by the Kings prouision And vpon a daye appoynted Herode arayed him in royall apparell and set him in his seate and made an Oration vnto them And the people gaue a showte saying It is the voyce of a God and not of a man And immediatly the Aungell of the Lorde smote him bicause he gaue not God the honour and he was eaten of wormes and gaue vppe the ghost And the worde of God grewe and multiplied And Barnabas and Paule returned from Ierusalem to Antioch when they had fulfilled their office and tooke with them Iohn whose surname was Marke ALthough God suffreth his Church to be exercised and tryed with continuall persecutions yet he appointeth for the persecutors thereof grieuous and horrible punishments For in the Prophet Zacharie he is compared to a weightie stone wherewith euery one vseth to trye maisteries and to prooue his strength But none scapeth scot-free or without some hurt Hereof is set forth vnto vs a notable example in Herodes Agrippa who as was declared in the beginning of this Chapter entended and begunne a grieuous persecution against the Church both for that he woulde not haue the people of his iurisdiction deuided in diuers religions and also for that he ment thereby to get the fauour and good will of the Iewes And at the fyrst his enterprise seemed luckilye to succeede For where he had set on two of the chiefe Apostles he put Iames vnto death and Peter he tooke and layde in yrons appoyinting sixteene souldiours to watch him At which time how greatly all mennes mindes were amazed and striken with feare their continuall prayers testifye But euen in a moment when all things seemed past hope Christ declareth himselfe to be the protector of his Church And fyrst of all he deliuereth Peter in woonderous wise Next he causeth the punishment to light on the souldiours that they ment vnto Peter And bicause none should thinke that Herode should alway prosper God catcheth him also with an horrible reuenge the which Luke nowe in this place diligently describeth He beginneth with rehearsall of a newe hystory which more manifestly yet sheweth the nature of Herode that hereby we may the better knowe the cause of so grieuous a punishment The summe and chiefe poynt hereof is that he had conceyued in his minde displeasure against those of Tyre and Sidon whom when he had compelled through publike necessitie that is say by famine humbly to sue for peace waxing hereby the prowder he did hasten the vengeance of god And although Luke declareth not the causes of his enmitie yet is it not harde to perceyue what they were For it seldome commeth to passe that Monarches and free Cities agree togither in one bicause they take against their ambition and licentiousnesse and by their example allure kings subiects to the desire of libertie Furthermore it is credible that the Tyrians and Sydonians dyd not well lyke of Agrippa his pryde as being an vpstart and aduaunced to such great power by Caligula and Claudius and but newly come out of prison And peraduenture their great riches and power by the sea which they had many yeares gotten by their merchaundise encouraged them and set them the more a gogge For that they were hereof the prowder appeareth by the writings of the Prophetes See Esay 23. Ezech. 26.27 and .28 And it may be that the crafty tyrant cloked this lurking hatred in his minde vntill penurie and dearth of victuals gaue him occasion to stirre against them They againe perceyuing that their Cities coulde from none other place be so commodiously maintayned as by nighnesse of Herodes kingdome and that therefore his friendship was necessary became humble suters vnto him and that they might obtayne peace the sooner at his hands they make Blastus of his priuie chamber their friende which thing could not be compassed without many bribes and rewardes In these thinges the holy Ghost hath set out vnto vs to beholde as in a glasse the condicions of tyrauntes For as Herode is not here content with the wyde boundes of his kingdome but desireth to haue the borderers also vnder his obeysaunce so if the insatiable desire of the fleshe bee not brydled in the hearts of Princes there is none so large and wide a kingdome that can content their minde or suffyse their ambition For as couetous men heape and masse vp mony and ioyne house vnto house and fyelde vnto fyelde with all greedye desire so Kinges labour to ioyne Realme vnto Realme and still to extend their power ouer them that border vpon them little regarding in the meane season how they may prudently gouerne those people which God hath giuen them the rule of And this is the cause of continuall warres whereby the miserable subiectes are wasted and consumed who fynde them that ought to be as shepeheardes and fathers vnto them to be their destroyers Againe where kings puffed vp with insatiable ambition desire to haue all men in subiection vnder them their selues most commonly are ruled by vile slaues which by craft can creepe into their bosomes and knowe well ynough how to vse their foolishnesse and blockeheadnesse to their owne aduauntage Of which kinde of men it appeareth this Blastus was vppon whome this one place easily declareth the whole rule of the realme depended So with some Emperours we reade that such were of most authoritie about them as they of bondmen and villaines had made free to saye nothing of those which were ledde and ruled by players â—esters harlots and abused yong Springalles And
Paule written in the .5 of Mathew and in the first Epistle to the Corinthians the sixt Chapter where the righte vse of Iudgementes is not forbidden but the desire of priuate and vnlawefull reuenge and the insatiable luste of contention which gapeth after other mens goods and disturbeth all kinde of charitie is bridled and restrayned Finally Paules wordes conteyne in them a generall doctrine chiefly appertayning vnto all Magistrates namely that it is lawful for none of them to commit an innocent to the will and pleasure of others or to purchase any mans fauour with his death and bloud For whosoeuer beare office and authoritie are the Ministers of God to defende Innocents and to punishe naughtie and wicked persons Therfore whosoeuer doo otherwise they are the Ministers of the diuell and felowes with Pylate and Herode whereof the one deliuered Chryst to the Iewes to be crucified and the other for an whoores sake beheaded Iohn the Baptist. But let vs returne vnto Festus which beeing moued with Paules sodayne appeale and seeing him selfe disappoynted of his hope debating the matter with those that sate on the benche with him aunswereth at length with angry moode Hast thou appealed vnto Caesar As if he should say art thou so bolde to take Caesar for thy iudge rather than me well thou shalt go vnto Caesar. He trimly expresseth the vsage of the wicked who although they well know how wicked they aâ—e yet they will take it in very euill parte if a man touche them neuer so little therwith or make any exception agaynst their decrees Yet is he much better than many of the Princes of our dayes who will suffer the faythfull of Chryst to enioy no benefite of law or publike equitie And verily the seueritie that the Romanes vsed in administring their lawes is very notable seeing that Festus after the appeale that a person of no estimation had made thought it was lawfull for him no further to meddle in the matter The force wherof dyd long preserue their common weale battered and â—ore shaken with many vyces It were meete that Presidents in these dayes shoulde bee kepte vnder with lyke seueritie as wee erewhyle declared which thing if the higher Magistrates would obserue bothe should they be hated the lesse them selues and innocencie euery where should be the more mayntayned But chiefly let vs obserue the power and truthe of God wherby he defendeth his seruaunts against the assaultes of their enimies Let vs in truste hereof embrace the truthe with all our hearts and hauing once taken holde of hir keepe hir faste and suffer our selues by no threates to be pulled from our sauiour Iesus Chryst to whom be prayse honour power and glory for euer Amen The Clviij Homelie ANd after a certaine days king Agrippa and Bernice came vnto Caesarea to salute Festus and when they had bene there a good season Festus rehearsed Paules cause vnto the king saying There is a certayne man left in prison of Felix about whome when I came to Ierusalem the high Priestes and Elders of the Iewes enfourmed me and desired to haue iudgement agaynst him To whome I aunswered It is not the maner of the Romanes for fauour to delyuer any man that he shoulde peryshe before that hee whiche is accused haue the accuser before hym and haue lycence to answere for him selfe concerning the cryme laide agaynst him Therfore when they were come hither without any delay on the morrow I sate to giue iudgement and commaunded the man to be brought foorth Against whom when the accusers stoode vp they brought none accusation of suche things as I supposed but had certayne questions against him of their owne superstition and of one Iesus which was dead whom Paule affirmed to be alyue And bycause I doubted of suche maner of questions I asked him whether he would go to Ierusalem and there be iudged of these matters But when Paule had appealed to be kept vnto the knowledge of Caesar I commaunded him to be kept till I might sende him to Caesar. Agrippa sayd vnto Festus I would also heare the man my selfe To morrow sayd he thou shalt heare him GOD vseth to exercise his people in this worlde with diuerse and sundry tribulations but according to his wisedome and goodnesse he maketh them serue to the glory of his name and to their saluation A very notable example whereof is heere set foorth in this Storie of Paule For after his apprehension at Ierusalem he had euery day ministred vnto him fresh occasion of preaching For firste he was permitted to speake vnto all the people standing vppon the stayres gooing vp to the Castle wherof he neuer had the lyke oportunitie before After that he protested his fayth in the Counsell of the Priestes and Elders which otherwise woulde neuer voutsafe to haue heard him Thirdly he made a long Oration touching his vocation and office before Felix the President which vsed many times to sende for him and to talke with him At length he gaue an account of his fayth and doctrine before Festus as wee hearde of late And hee so declared and opened his cause euery where that both the Romane Presidents and the barbarous souldiours might easily vnderstande his innocencie a thing surely much making to the setting foorth of the Gospell And vndoubtedly suche seedes of fayth were sowen in the minds of a gret many that not long after they brought foorth rare and singular increase bicause the worde of God as Esai testifieth vseth neuer to be preached in vayne Moreouer the things that follow must be referred to that we euen now sayde whereby it shall be declared what occasion of preaching Paule had giuen him before king Agrippa and Bernice and all the nobilitie of that Countrey And bycause it was a thing seldome seene for Princes to heare a Preacher in bandes therefore Luke thought good to passe ouer none of those things which chaunced in or about the same Firste he sheweth the occasion of all the matter which was the comming of king Agrippa and Bernice vnto Caesarea to welcome Festus beeing lately come from Rome And it was no maruell that the king shewed him selfe so officious vnto the President for it was euident that he had obteyned the kingdome of the Emperour through fauour and so helde it that he muste of force acknowledge the Romanes to be his lordes and superiours This Agrippa was sonne to Herodes Agrippa of whose tyrannie horrible death it hath bene spoken in the 12. Chapter And Bernice was his sister whom Iosephus sayth the people suspected to haue vnlawfull company with hir brother Wherfore to auoyde this suspition she maried with Polemon king of the people called Lysij from whoÌ„ yet not long after she was diuorsed and returned to hir brother agayne who trusting in the amitie power of the Romanes made no account of the peoples talke This is a singular example of Gods goodnesse which dothe voutsafe to haue the saluatioÌ„ that is purchased by Christ to
hee be the king of Israell let him nowe come downe from the crosse 269 28. I am with you vntill the ende of the world 879.327.520 28 All power is gyuen too mee in Heauen and in earth 35 28. Teaching them to obserue all things what soeuer I haue commaunded you 335 MArc 8. who so euer shall bee ashamed of mee and of my wordes c. 591 10. No man that forsaketh house c. Pag. 891 16. Goe yee into all the worlde and preache â–ª c. 133. â—10 16. Hee that beleeueth and is baptised shal be saued 458 16. Hee that beleeueth not shall bee dampned 182 16. When the Lord had spoken vnto them hee was receyued into heauen 33 LUc. 1. Hee hath put downe the mightie from their Seates and exalted them of lowe degree Pag. 330 6. Woe vnto you that nowe laughe for you shall wayle and weepe Pag. 115 7. Thy sinnes are forgyuen thee Pag. 181 9. Who so euer will not receyue you when you go out of that citie 549 9. No man that putteth his hande to the plough and looketh back is apt to the kingdome of God. Pag. 549.612 10. Hee that heareth you heareth mee and hee that despyseth you despyseth mee 592.608 10. Into whatsoeuer Citie you enter 549 11. Happie are they that heare the wordes of GOD and keepe it Pag. 351 12. Let your loynes bee gyrte about and your lightes brennyng 8 12. Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers pleasure to gyue you a kyngdome 50 13. It can not bee that a Prophete perishe any other where then at Hierusalem 16 26. The children of this worlde are wyser then the children of light Pag. 192.657 17. As it chaunced in the dayes of Noe so shall it bee in the dayes of the sonne of man. 661 18. There was a Iudge in a certain Citie 499 21. I will gyue you a mouthe and wysedom agaynst the which c. Pag. 175 22. Yee are they which haue abydden with mee in my temptacions Pag. 171.557 22. I appoint vnto you a kingedome as my father hath appointed vnto mee 538 22. You bee come foorth as vnto a theefe with swordes and stanes Pag. 491 23. To daye thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise 118. 23. Father forgyue them for they wote not what they doe 171 24. Ought not Christ to haue suffered these things c. 27 24. That all must be fulfilled which were written of mee in the lawe of Moyses and in the prophets and in the Psalmes 676 24. Handle mee and see for a spirite hath not fleshe and bone as you see mee haue 10 24. RepentaÌ„ce remission of sinnes muste bee preached in his name among all nations 133 IOan 1. Hee came amongest hys owne 309 1. In him was lyfe 538 1. No man hath seene God at any tyme but the sonne c. 552 1. Beholde the Lambe of GOD. Pag. 544 2. Tho zeale of thyne house hath euen eaten mee 659 3. Hee that beleeueth not the sonne shall not see lyfe 182 3. So GOD loued the world c. Pag. 184 3. The wynde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sounde thereof but knowest not whence it commeth and whether it goeth Pag. 79.138.195 4. Whosoeuer drinketh of the water that I shall gyue him shall neuer be more a thirst 7.665 4. The true worshippers shal worship the Father in spirite and in the truth 328 4. Ye worship you wote not what Pag. 665 5. The woorkes that my Father hath gyuen mee to finishe beare witnes of mee 7 5. Hee that heareth my worde and beleeueth in him that sent mee â–ª is escaped from death vnto lyfe Pag. 563 5. The houre shall come in the which all that are in the graues shall heare his voyce 117 6. No man commeth vnto mee except the Father drawe him 135. and 586.620 6. This is the will of him that sent mee that euery one whiche seeth the Sonne and beleueth on him 12 7. Hee that beleeueth on mee â–ª out of his belly shall flowe ryuers of water of lyfe 19 7. Doth any of the Rulers beleeue on him 45 8. Abraham sawe my day and was glad 122 8. Hee that is of God heareth the worde of God. 181 10. If I doo not the woorkes of my Father beleue me not 7 10 My sheep heare my voice 181.320 No man shal pluck them out of his hande 196.353 10. I haue other sheepe also whiche are not of this folde 554 11. This infirmitie is not vnto death but for the glory of God that the sonne of God might be glorified thereby 165 11. It is expedient for vs that one man dye for the people 633 12. Where I am there shall also my minister bee 12 12. When I am lifte vppe from the earth I will drawe all men vnto mee 2 13. Who so receyueth whom soeuer I sende receyueth mee 9 By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you loue one another 223 13. You ought also to washe one anothers feete 328 14. I am the waye the light and the truth 538 14. No man commeth vnto the Father but by mee 107 14. In my Fathers house are many dwelling places â–ª 35 14. I will not leaue you comfortles Pag. 308.327.520 14. I will come agayne and receyue you euen vnto my self 12 24. I will praye the Father and hee shall gyue you an other Comforter â—9 15. Without mee yee can do nothing Pag. 110.270 15. If they haue kept my sayinge they will keepe yours also 550 15. Nowe are you cleane thoroughe the wordes which I haue spoken vnto you 596 16. Yee shall leaue mee alone and yet am I not alone 308.520 16. Nowe yee haue sorrowe but I will see you agayne and your harte shall reioyce 115. and 558 16. In the worlde yee shall haue tribulation 98 17. I haue glorified thee vpon earth Pag. 113 17. Father I will that those whiche thou hast gyuen mee be with me where I am 12.36 17. This is life euerlasting â–ª that they might knowe thee 542.552 18. My kingedome is not of thys worlde 98 19. Wee haue no kynge but Cesar. Pag. 179 19. It is finished 118 20. These things are written that you might beleeue 0 ROman 1. Which was declared to bee the Sonne of GOD with power 540 2. Whosoeuer hath sinned without lawe shall also perishe withoute Law. 675 3. What though some of them dyd not beleeue 17 3. Therefore wee holde that a man is iustified by fayth 595 3. All men haue sinned and are destitute of the glory of God but are iustified freely thorough hys grace 458.544 4. Not in circumcision but in vncircumcision 294.297 5. That where sinne abounded there myght grace also raigne Pag. 512 7. The lawe is spirituall but we be carnall 155 7. O wretched maÌ„ that I am who shall deliuer mee from the body of this death 613 8. If God bee with vs who can be against vs. 13.298 8. You haue not receyued the spirite of bondage to feare anye
things which can not be attayned too nor perceyued by mans reason it becommeth vs with Paule to marueyle with godly confession of our ignorance and to crie out O the depth of the riches and of the wisedome of God how vnsearchable be his iudgementes and his wayes vnfindeable for who hath knowne the minde of the Lorde or who hath bene a counsell with him or who hath first giuen to him and it shall be giuen to him againe For of him and by him and in him c. Nowe let vs see the other part of Christes aunswere wherein he repeateth such thinges of his kingdome as serue for this present purpose Hee so handleth this matter as I sayde before that he both marueylously comforteth the Disciples and admonisheth them of their dutie For he sayth You shall receyue power when the holy ghost shall come vpon you and you shall be witnesses to me not only in Hierusalem but in all Iurie and Samarie and vnto the worldes ende First he repeateth the promyse of the holy ghost wherwith he comforteth the Disciples and describeth the state of his kingdome I woulde not sayth he haue you abashed where you heare you are appointed to the setting forth of my kingdome among the Gentyles For this thing will not bee compassed by mans strength which I perceyue in you to be very small and little regarded Here needeth heauenlye and diuine strength from aboue which I haue often promised you shal not want and now againe I promise you the same For the holy ghost shall come vpon you which shall giue you courage and strength that shall make you able to fulfill your office We are here admonished that Christes kingdome as hee confessed before Pylate is not of this worlde or earthly but spirituall neyther consisteth in the power honour glory triumphes riches and pleasures of this world but in righteousnesse peace and ioy in the holye ghost Wherevpon we gather further that it is not set foorth and defended with carnall weapons and strength of Princes of this worlde but with preaching of the worde wherwith the spirite of God worketh effectuously in the harts of men This teacheth the wordes of Paule where he sayth Though we walke in the fleshe yet warre we not after the flesh For the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty in God to cast downe strong holdes wherewith we ouerthrowe counsayles and euery high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God bring into captiuity all imagination to the obedience of Christ. c. Therfore they labour in vaine which go about by mans counsell leagues fight fauour and amitie of Princes and such lyke meanes to set vp the kingdome of god For Christes kingdome is in the mindes of men which by no mans strength can be forced but with the power and operation of the holye ghost It becommeth both Kings and Princes to be the nurses and maintayners of the Church as Esay sayth but they shall neuer with outwarde power and strength set forth the kingdome of christ And the examples of all ages plainely teach vs that whatsoeuer man went about by his counsell and strength that way to bring it to passe neuer happily succeeded Moreouer he expressely teacheth what the Apostles haue to doe in their office in this kingdome You shall be my witnesses sayth hee This shall bee your kingdome your office your dignitie to beare witnesse of my doctrine life myracles passion death buriall resurrection from death and ascention into heauen and briefly of all the things which I haue done and suffred for mans saluation Neyther shall you expounde the hystorie of things by mee done onelye but declare the ende and vse of them that all nations maye acknowledge mee their onelye teacher sauiour and redeemer Christ thought good in this place to vse this worde witnesse as also in Iohn the .xv. to admonish as well the Apostles as the hearers of their dutie For the Apostles and their successors learne by the dutie of a witnesse how to preache the Gospell of Iesus christ In a witnesse the looue of truth is chiefly required and a lying witnesse God hateth Againe it is the part of a witnesse to speake nothing but that he knoweth which he hath so certainly seene and heard that he doubteth nothing of the truth of them Further he must haue no corrupt affections least of hatred feare or fauour he put to hyde or conceale any thing but plainly confesse the thing he knoweth Such witnesses we reade that the Apostles were For whatsoeuer they heard Christ teach or sawe him doe they truely preached it neyther feared they the threates of their enimies as appeareth in all hystories Neyther confirmed they their witnesse of Christ with words onely but with their life with death and with their bloud It becommeth the Ministers of the worde to imitate their truth and constancy who if for fauour of man or feare of daunger they chaunge or at least dissemble any thing in the quarrell of Christ they pollute themselues with an horrible crime and are in daunger of Christes sentence Whosoeuer is ashamed of me in this naughty and adulterous world him will I also be ashamed of when I come wirh the holy angels in the glory of my father Againe the hearers of the Apostles and Apostolicall doctrine are here admonished what an heynous offence it is not to beleeue the holye gospell or to gainesay it For it is not a simple preaching of Christ or an hystoricall and bare narration but a testimonie which the Apostles as sworne witnesses brought into the worlde by the very sonne of God gaue not only before the common people but also before the Bishoppes and Priestes Kinges and their Counsell But he that in the lawe giueth no credite to sworne witnesses and openly denieth their testimony bringeth himselfe in daunger of lyfe What shall we saye then of those â–ª which feare not to speake against the Apostles being Christes witnesses For they accuse not only the Apostles of lying but also Christ himselfe as much as in them lyeth yea they woulde cause God the father to be suspected as though he would bring forth false witnesses and obtaine his sonnes cause with suborned witnesses This sawe that beloued Disciple of Christ when he sayth If we receyue the witnesse of men the witnesse of God is greater For this is the witnesse of God which he bare of his sonne He that beleeueth the sonne of God hath the witnesse in himselfe He that beleeueth not God maketh him a lyer bicause hee beleeueth not the witnesse that God beareth of his sonne c. These things if we consider brethren we shall finde the chiefe cause of the euils of these daies For where we take it for a ieast and pastime to call in question and doubt the things written by the Apostles of Iesus Christ yea many wickedly deny them and persecute that testimony of Iesus Christ with fire and sworde
them in question he aunswereth them by another testimony saying For Dauid is not ascended into heauen but he sayth The Lorde sayde vnto my Lorde sit thou on my right hande vntill I make thy foes thy footestoole This argument consisteth of two pointes First Dauid ascended not into heauen Ergo these thinges ought not to be vnderstanded of Dauid He denieth that Dauid is ascended into heauen not bicause he thinketh him to be reckoned in the number of the damned but speaketh of his bodye which as was beforesayd was consumed into dust and earth Touching the soule this saying of Christ standeth in force He that beleeueth in mee hath lyfe euerlasting and shall not come into iudgement but is passed from death vnto life The other argument standeth vppon the testimonye of Dauid who sheweth that these things ought not to be vnderstanded of himselfe but of Christ which shoulde be borne of his stocke For in the Psalme Cx. he sayeth The Lorde sayde to my Lorde c. which place is so cleere and so vndenyable that Christ thought good to vse it against the Scribes In the meane season we are taught by Peters example that the Scriptures ought to be expounded by conference of other places least standing rashly vpon some one place we gainesay many other which thing is the cause of many errors in the Church It is to be marked how vnto Christes ascention into heauen he ioyneth the sending of the holy ghost This doth he very prudently and in order For hereby he teacheth vs that though Iesus Christ haue taken his body out of this worlde yet ought he not to be contemned For he hath not for all that cast of the care of the Church but by his spirite is present with the same by the which spirit he woorketh more effectually in the mindes of those that be his than before he did when he was conuersaunt with vs in body wherefore he sayth vnto the Disciples that it is expedient for vs that he leaue the worlde and go vnto the father For so place shoulde be giuen to the holy ghost which we coulde not haue so long as we did sticke to his bodily presence And surely after that Christ had giuen his bodye vpon the aultare of the Crosse for the life of the worlde and had by the raysing vp thereof againe ouercome death there was no more for his body here to doe vpon earth It remayned therefore that by his glorious ascention he should open the gates of heauen which our sinne had shut against vs and should become a pledge for vs in heauen whereby we might be assured of the inheritance possession of heauen Therfore Christ caried his body into heauen and set it on the right hand of his father hath sent vnto vs being here on the earth to vse Tertullians terme his holy ghost to be his vicare or substitute By the operatioÌ„ of him he regenerateth vs through the immortall seede of the word of God to be the sonnes of god By him he teacheth vs and comforteth vs The same is the earnest or gage of our saluation Through the encouragement we crie Abba father By him it commeth to passe that Christ dwelleth in vs and we in him All which things sithens Christ worketh in vs most effectuallye by his spirite there is no cause we shoulde complaine of the absence of his body which is resident in heauen for our healthes sake And they that require the presence of his bodye and desire to haue it shewed on earth seeme to me little mindefull of the admonitions which are read in the .xxiiij. of Mathew Also Peter describeth the kingdome of Christ with the wordes of Dauid which it behooueth vs oftentimes diligentlye to consider The first point herein is how he sayth Christ is exalted by the right hande of God and ascended into heauen Therfore his kingdome is heauenly not of this worlde as himselfe confessed before Pylate In deede all power is giuen vnto him in heauen and in earth but not to rule after the maner of Princes in this worlde in whose reignes must needes fall out vncertaine and vnstable entercourse of matters bicause they labour to obtayne kingdomes by the vncertaine and vaine power of the flesh We are also taught that we must not seeke for worldly goodes in the kingdome of Christ suche as are riches honors pleasures friendship of the worlde and others of like sort They are eternall and celestiall goodes which God the father hath giuen vs in christ Therefore we ought altogither to be busied in studying for them Then he teacheth vs that Christ sitteth at the right hande of God by the which phrase of speach both a certaine place is appointed of beatitude and blisse and also an equall power of kingdome or empire with God the father For the father loueth the sonne and hath giuen all thinges into his handes He also commaundeth all men to honour the sonne euen as they honour the father Wherevnto also this worde sitting belongeth whereby is expressed the maiestie of Christ in his reigne and the sure and vnmooueable power of his kingdome Last of all he sayth that all his enimies shall be subdued and become his footestoole Christ is therfore a victorious king and an inuincible vanquisher of his enimies Satan is the capitaine and standerdbearer of them all who was threatened with death long sithens by the first promyse of saluation that was made in Christ when God sayd The seede of the woman shall treade downe the serpentes heade And Christ teacheth vs that he is alreadye iudged and cast out In like maner it is as playne that sinne is ouercome For God sayth Paule sent his sonne and hath condemned sinne by sinne that is to say by the sacrifice of his sonne offred vpon the aultar of the crosse for sinne he hath put awaye the guilt or trespasse of sinne and hath taken awaye the power and force thereof that it shall hereafter not hurt vs But sinne being put away it is euident that death also must be vanquished which fought against vs by none other weapon than the sting of sinne Therefore all the power of hell is truelye subdued by Christ. He also ouercommeth the world and tyraunts with all the â—able of the reprobate For we reade that it hath bene long since decreed by the father that they that will not be gouerned by the wholesome worde of his sonne shall be brused and broken to poulder with his rod of yron Neither want there examples of dayes longe passed and nowe present which teache vs what notable victories and triumphes Christ atchieueth of the enimies of his Church Let vs learne therfore to acknowledge this king and not to feare this worlde which when it rageth most is nearest to destruction and is able to doe nothing against them whome Christ taketh charge of against whome the gates of hell are not able to preuayle
and gouerneth them defendeth and enricheth them moste bounteously with the treasures of his heauenly kingdome The same is a priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech For he taught in times past and daily doth teach in his Church And by the onely sacrifice of hys body hath purged all the sinnes of men And nowe he maketh intercession for vs before his father being a faithfull bishop to performe all the things which remayned to be done for vs with the father Therefore whosoeuer truly acknowledge the sonne of God to be a king and Priest and the only sauiour of the Church of God and staye vpon him only they beleeue trulye in the name of the sonne of God which the Apostle teacheth to be the chiefe commaundement of God. The ende or fruite of this faith is the wholenesse and soundnesse of all man such as we see happened to this lame man and halt Christ bicause of his faith bestowed on him perfite health of body so that nowe he was able to walke to leape and to skippe And that his soule and conscience was likewise healed appeared by that he praysed God and ioyned himselfe to the Apostles Therefore Christ hath made vs all perfitely whole by faith And he deliuereth vs not from sinne and the punishment therof alone but also regenerateth vs by the immortall worde of God through the operation of his spirite Whereby it commeth to passe that we vnderstande the things that be heauenly frame our selues to the will of God resist the desires of the fleshe and finally can doe all things in Christ which strengthneth vs And after this life attayne to the perfite saluation and true blisse which is prepared for vs in heauen Into this blisse the soule departing this worlde by faith is receyued and commeth not into iudgement And the bodie when it shall haue put of all corruption being raysed vp in the later daye by the trumpe and voyce of an Archaungell shall rise againe Therefore this is a most large and ample fruite offaith which also we can attaine to none other waye than by faith in christ Let vs therefore studie the worde of God by the which God giueth vs faith Let vs ioyne feruent prayers to our studie that being quickened through this faith we may attayne perfite health both of bodie and soule and come to the possession of heauen in Iesus Christ our only sauiour king and Priest to whome be prayse honour power and glory for euer Amen The .xxiij. Homelie AND nowe brethren I knowe that you did it through ignoraunce as did also your Rulers But God which before hath shewed by the mouth of all his Prophetes howe Christ shoulde suffer hath thus wise fulfilled Repent you therefore and conuert that your sinnes may be done awaye When the time of refreshing commeth which we shall haue of the presence of the Lord and when God shall sende him which before was preached vnto you that is to witte Iesus Christ which must receyue heauen vntill the time that all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the worlde beganne be restored againe THe Apostle Peter in the seconde parte of his sermon touching the myracle done vpon the lame man hath so declared God to be the author thereof that he hath also shewed the Iewes of their great wickednesse committed agaynst Iesus Christ the sonne of god And where there was nothing more horrible and cruell than this fact of theirs it is no doubt but a great number of them in their consciences were not a little wounded and feared Wherefore it was necessary to shewe them the waye of repentance and saluation This doth he in this place which is the thirde member of his sermon wherein he marueylously frameth himselfe to their disposition and capacitie First bicause they seemed to stande vppon the pitte of desperation he teacheth them that there is yet hope of pardon and saluation Then sheweth he them the way of saluation and exhorteth and mooueth them with most weightie reasons to take holde of the same All which thinges being discussed shall much serue for our instruction For they teache vs that God will likewise pardon them which haue most grieuously sinned and they shew what way of saluation they must take which will be reconciled vnto God and are desirous to be saued His beginning is very wittie and commodious in that he teacheth them they be not yet past hope of saluation For except sinners vnderstande this in vaine shall we exhort them to repentance bicause they will thinke it cannot profite them And then it will come to passe that eyther they will become stubborne and heape sinne vpon sinne or else will be swallowed vp of desperation as we reade Iudas was which thing was the cause that the Prophetes among the grieuous reprehensions wherewith they accused the sinnes of the people and threatened them punishment did intermeddle promises and oracles of Christ our sauiour that being feared with the conscience of sinne they might lift vp their mindes againe through faith in the sauiour promised them and learne to seeke saluation in him Peter followeth the industrie of these Prophetes which knewe it belonged to his dutie not to feare the people from Christ by threatening woordes but to winne them vnto him Which ende and marke the Ministers of Christ in these dayes ought to set before them But let vs see the arguments wherwith Peter encourageth them to hope for pardon and saluation First he mitigateth their offence by reason and pretence of ignoraunce I knowe sayth he that you did it through ignorance as did also your Rulers For if they as Paule sayth had had knowledge they would not haue crucified the Lorde of glory Yet Peters wordes are not so to be taken as though he woulde nowe extenuate or excuse their wickednesse which before he so set forth exaggerated For so could he not do without suspicion of lightnesse And ignorance of it selfe excuseth not the things that are committed against the glory of God yea ignorance is no small fault considering we knowe that men are created to that ende to knowe God to worship him and glorifie him But he meaneth to make a difference betweene the Iewes sinne and the sinne against the holy ghost This sinne is when men wittinglye and willingly cast away the knowen truth and Christ whome they knew in their mindes and so make warre with God and his Christ as is euident Iudas the traytor Iulian the Apostata and such other whelpes of that haire did Christ testifyeth that such mennes sinnes shall not be forgiuen And Iohn forbiddeth vs to praye for it The reason hereof the Apostle in the .vj. Chapter to the Hebrues rendreth by a feate similitude taken from the earth For as the earth being well husbanded and watred from aboue and yet remayning barren and fruitlesse by that argument sheweth sufficiently that it will neuer be good so if men
shoute required to haue Christ most shamefully crucifyed There are infinite lyke examples which teach vs that Tirauntes cannot allwaye doe what they list These serue to encourage vs that we be not afrayde at the vaine threates of the worlde but to follow our vocacion boldely and not to doubt of Gods defence and ayde who hauing nombred the heares of our heade will suffer nothing to happen vnto vs without his good prouidence and pleasure He defendeth those that be his in the middle of Babylon and Egipt as long as he seeth they serue to set fourth his glorie and to bring other into the way of saluation And when they haue finished their course he calleth them vnto him And although it may then seeme the wicked haue some power vpon them yet is it none other but that they ryd the godly out of this myserable dungeon of the flesh whereas they themselues in the meane season fill vp the measure of their iniquitie and be receiued into Hell among them which brought feare into the lande of the lyuing Furthermore we may behold the state and condicion that tyrants are in when they seeme to be of most power and authority that is to say how while they go about to put many in feare they stande in feare of many The same cōmeth to passe in them that we see fal out among cruell beasts such as are Beares Lions Panthers other like These beasts are fierce against all they meete with are feared of all men Yet men make taltrops digge pits for them and make engines to kill them wherby it commeth to passe many times that that beast which not long before made an whole country afraid is killed by the hande of some one man the most cowarde and fearefullest of al other men Tyrants many times find it so commeth to passe by them and therefore they are still vexed wyth the preposterous feare and dread of the people and going about to make all men afrayde liue in feare of them that are nearest about them as Luke in this place saith these men did Hence proceede those exquisite gardes that Tyrauntes haue about them for preseruation of their bodies and lyfe For this cause most times they wage souldiours and armed men out of straunge Countries and promyse them selues more safety in the defence of straungers than in their owne countrymen bicause among straungers they thinke there be none that hope for any gaine by their death For this cause Masinissa King of Numidia being both in amitie and league with the people of Rome and hauing foure and fiftie children garded his bodie with mastiues and bande dogs reposing in them a more sure succour and defence than in men whome he knewe hee had many times offended What shall we say of Dionysius which caused his daughters to learne the Barbers craft bycause he woulde not commit his throte to the handes of men And after his daughters were mariageable woulde trust them no longer nor neuer woulde company wyth any of his wyues before they were dilygently searched and ransaked But Histories be ful of these examples which may both comfort vs against tyrantes and teach all men that be in authoritie to doe iustlye and truely and not to thinke their lyfe safe through vnbrydeled authoritie For the more they make afrayde the more they prouoke to lye in wayte for their goodes and lyues And whosoeuer be ledde wyth the feare of God and thinke to follow his commaundements and moderate their authoritie and power after the same although sometimes the wicked craftily laye wayte for them yet shall they perceyue that God defendeth them who can easily scatter the deuyses of all that are seditious as we are taught by the examples of Dauid and Ezechias Last of all Luke telleth what the Apostles did after they were let gone saying They came vnto their fellowes and shewed them all that the highe Priestes and Elders had sayde So they declare all the matter to the congregation both for that they woulde mooue them to prayer as the things following declare and also that perceyuing the threates and attemptes of their enimies they might all arme themselues with a christian valiantnesse and pacience and as farre as they might without preiudice of religion take heede of their ginnes and snares By which example we are taught that it is lawfull for Ministers of the Church to declare openly to the congregation whatsoeuer the professed enimies of the truth take in hande agaynst Christ and his flocke Which thing manye nowe a dayes thinke not onely superfluous but also to haue in it some likelyhoode of sedition when eyther the Popes Bulles or the decrees of Synodes and Counsayles and horrible threates of Antychrist are recited before the Congregation But by these mennes iudgement both Christ and his Apostles shall be accused of sedition who it is euident many times thus did Let vs rather remember that the Ministers of the Churche are appointed to be shepeheardes and watchmen It is therefore their dutie to rebuke Woolues and to warne the sheepe of daungers at hande The ende of all these things is that the faithfull shoulde turne vnto God by prayers and amendement of lyfe and be armed with Christian fortitude and constancie of fayth that when we haue ouercome all the attemptes of our enimies we may be taken at length into the blessed kingdome of Iesus Christ to whome be praise honor power and glory for euer Amen The .xxx. Homelie AND when they hearde that they lift vp their voyces to God with one accorde and sayde Lorde thou art God which hast made heauen and earth the sea and all that in them is which by the mouth of thy seruaunt Dauid hast sayde why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vaine things The kinges of the earth stoode vp and the Rulers came togither against the Lorde and against his annoynted for of a truth against thy holy childe Iesus whom thou hast annoynted both Herode and also Pontius Pylate with the Gentyles the people of Israel gathered themselues togither to do whatsoeuer thy hande and thy counsell determined before to be done And nowe Lorde beholde their threatenings and graunt vnto thy seruantes that with all confidence they may speake thy worde So that thou stretch foorth thine hande that healing and signes and woonders bee done by the name of thy holy chylde Iesus And as soone as they had prayed the place moued where they were assembled togither and they were all filled with the holy ghost AS our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ doth oftentimes make mention of the persecutions of the godly so the holy ghost woulde haue Luke diligently to set forth the persecutions of the primitiue Church not only for to maintaine the truth of Christes sayinges but partly for that we shoulde not be offended at the aduersitie and tribulation wherwith the church is now a dayes troubled as at a straunge and vnwoonted thing and partly for that we
he hath created which hath respect vnto things voyde of lyfe and seeth them gouerned The seconde part contayneth the narration wherein they shewe vnto God the attemptes of their enimies and the present daungers that they be in not that they thinke God is ignorant of them but for that they would somewhat ease their mindes of care and griefe by laying their complaints before Gods eyes which thing was the chiefe cause of these complaintes which the Saintes vsed to intermeddle among their prayers Here maye we perceyue the goodnesse of God whose eares be so easily opened to our complaintes and heareth vs so mercifully when we complaine of our miseries and distresse They take the beginning of their narration out of the seconde Psalme where Dauid inspired by the holy ghost described the kingdome of Christ and also the wicked enterprises of the worlde which fight against his kingdome The sense of all their sayinge is thus Wee finde it nowe true O God that thou once didst prophecie by the mouth of thy seruant Dauid For truly in this Citie of Ierusalem which in times past was called both holy and the seate of righteousnesse Herode and Pylate haue conspired togither against thy sonne the souldiers also of the Gentyles haue gathered themselues togither and the people of Israel which ought to haue serued thee c. And it is not for naught that they recyte this olde prophecie For hereby they declare that there is no straunge and vnwoonted thing come to passe and that therefore no man ought to be offended with the wicked attemptes of Christes enimies We are taught by their example howe we also shoulde call to remembrance the prophecies of the scripture when we be tossed with the tempests of persecution and specially those where Christ testifyeth there shall be perpetuall enmitie betweene the worlde and those that be his If you were of the worlde sayeth he the worlde woulde loue his owne But nowe haue I chosen you out of the worlde and therefore the worlde hateth you And Paule sayth Persecution shall followe all them that will liue godly in Christ Iesus Wherevnto chiefely belongeth that which God prophecied in the first beginning of the worlde that there shoulde be perpetuall enmitie betweene the Serpent and the seede of the woman that is betweene the deuill the Prince of this worlde and Christ who also includeth the Church which is his body The consideration of these things maketh vs not to be offended at persecutions forasmuch as we see it is so ordeyned of God that the godly shall be tryed as it were by fire with the rage and furie of the world Herevnto appertaineth that saying of Peter Dearely beloued marueyle not that you are prooued by fire which thing is to trie you as though some straunge thing happened vnto you but reioyce in as much as yee are partakers of Christes passions c. But it behooueth vs somewhat more diligentlye to marke howe the holye ghost speaketh of the enterprises of Christes enimies both by Dauid and also by the congregation of the faithfull First he describeth their enterprises saying they rage they ymagine they stande vp and take counsayle togyther These things expresse an ardent and earnest hatred against Christ and his kingdome which they seeke by all meanes to ouerthrow And he trimly describeth the maners and condicions of them For where he numbreth Nations People and Kinges among the enimies of Christ he attributeth to each of them their peculyar properties The vnbeleeuing Gentiles rage as who are ledde rather with furiousnesse of affections than with counsayle The people whereby is vnderstanded the communaltie ymagine or speake thyngs that be vayne whyle amonges their Cuppes commonly they talke of ouerthrowing the kingdome of christ But Kings and Princes tossed with the care of their kingdomes ryse vp ioyne togyther and openly take counsayle by what force and polycie Christ may be oppressed And yet he sayth they altogyther take in hande and muse vpon things that are but vayne For what are mortall men whose thoughtes and cogitations are but vaine able to doe against the Lorde They are conceyued with vexation they traueyle with vanitie and bring forth lying And God whose counsayle endureth for euer doth easily bring the counsayle of the heathen to naught Hereto belongeth the saying of the godly in the Prophet Breake downe ô you people and you shall be broken downe Muster you and you shall be broken downe Prepare you to battaile and you shall be torne in peeces take your counsayle togither yet must your counsaile come to naught goe in hande wyth all yet shall it not prosper for the Lorde is with vs. They that reade the Scriptures and stories of the Church may see euerywhere examples hereof so that it needeth not greatlye to make rehearsall of the same yet is that one example of Iulian the Apostata or runnagate most notable who burning in hatred against Christ ready to giue vp his ghost was constrayned to say Thou hast the victorie ô Galylean thou hast the victorie So that a certaine Christian very wittilye aunswered a wicked Sophister asking him what the Carpentare of Galyley did that he was making a Coffin or Beere to beare Iulian to his Graue vpon Afterwarde he sheweth against whome these enterprises are made They came togither against the Lorde and against his annoynted It myght haue seemed a light matter to contende or striue wyth Christ by reason of his humble and lowly porte of mannes nature which he tooke on him But they are not Christes enimies onely but also enimies of god For as hee which disdayneth to acknowledge the Kinges onely sonne to be the heyre and King of the Realme and is a procurer of sedition against him is worthily iudged to make warre against the king so he that will not acknowledge the sonne God to be our king and sauiour may well be sayde to be the enimie of God who hath giuen to him only all the power of his kingdome and all the glory of mans redemption that all men might honor the sonne euen as they honor the Father Neyther can God be acknowledged and honoured otherwyse than in his sonne Wherefore of consequence they neyther acknowledge nor honour God which doe not acknowledge and honour his sonne And if they rebell and mooue warre against the sonne of God then like the wicked Gyaunts they may be iudged to make warre against God also This did Iohn the Baptist well perceyue when he sayde The Father loueth the Sonne and hath gyuen all things into his hande He that beleeueth in the Sonne hath lyfe euerlasting He that beleeueth not the Sonne shall not see lyfe but the wrath of God abydeth vppon him And who can doubt but he is the enimie of God that prouoketh againâ—â— himselfe the irreuocable wrath of God These things serue both for our instruction that we defyle not our selues wyth lyke impietie and also for our comforte
heare the Apostles aunswere very Apostolike and venerable by reason of the grauitie thereof which may be deuided into three partes First they put awaye the crime of disobedience Secondly they aunswere the other two obiections briefely And last of all they declare the whole matter of Christs kingdome if happily they might winne any of them vnto the same The fault of disobedience they excuse briefely not denying they were forbidden to preache but replying that they ought to obey God more than men Which sentence they before also so propounded that they made the Priestes themselues Iudges thereof bicause all men endued with common reason and vnderstanding might easilye perceyue the authoritie and truth thereof But forasmuch as they perceyue the Priestes growne to such impudencie that they sticke not to preferre their owne authoritie before Gods they boldlye and plainely repeate the same agayne In these wordes we may learne the true trade of obedience For they deny not that men must be obeyed to whome God hath giuen rule ouer vs such as be our parentes teachers Officers maisters and Lords but that we must obey God more than them They therefore appoynt certaine boundes and limittes of obedience within the compasse whereof they must walke which shall prescribe others what to doe For parentes haue left them their authoritie ouer their children Magistrates haue their power reserued by doctrine of the Gospell ouer their subiectes And that authoritie which God hath giuen to the Ministers of his worde must not be broken or violated And Peter in another place commaundeth seruants to obey their maisters though they be vnreasonable and waywarde The lyke reason is also of persons maried and of all others whome God hath made superiours ouer other But if they beginne to abuse their power and dignitie and will take vpon them to commaunde things contrary to the lawes of God and to the dutie that we owe him we must then run vnto the rule of Peter not suffer the authoritie of man and counterfayte shewe of Gods institution to preiudice or derogate any thing from Gods commaundement For assoone as they beginne to passe their boundes and to resist God they are but meere men and not to be accounted as the ministers of god But bicause we haue spoken hereof before let these fewe wordes suffice for this time Secondly they aunswere the other two crimes in one saying The God of our fathers hath raysed vp agayne Iesus whome yee slewe and hanged on tree In fewe wordes they dispatch two things The first is the God of our fathers hath raysed vp Iesus that is to saye we preache that Iesus and sauiour which we haue not imagined of our owne heade but which the God of our fathers once promised yea whome he from euerlasting ordeyned to be the sauiour of the world Therfore no man ought to accuse our doctrine eyther as new or false And I see none other cause why they make mention of the fathers but for that they woulde put them in minde of the promises reuealed to the fathers concerning christ Where by the waye may be perceyued the antiquitie and infallible certaintie of the Christian fayth and religion And we maye vse the same argument in these dayes against them which accuse our doctrine of newnesse and falshoode For why is it called new which preacheth Christ that was promised from the beginning of the world Why is it called false which sheweth vs saluation in him that is the way the light and the truth The seconde is where he speaketh of Iesus saying whom ye slewe and hanged on tree As though he should say we go not about to bring vpon you the blode of Christ nor to charge you with his death For you your selues were the authors principalles of that heynous deede you condemned him by your consents delyuered him to Pylate you required him to be put to death when Pylate iudged him to be let loose It was you that sayd His bloud be vpon vs vpon our children These things al men know bicause they were openly done And though we would holde our peace yet the thing it selfe cryeth out and will not be kept hid c. We learne by the Apostles example with what constancie and libertie we must cope with the professed enimies of the truth It behooueth vs boldly to defend the quarrel of the truth We must also freely reprooue their wickednes that they thinke not men be afraid of them For such is the nature of wicked Bishops that the more they be feared the more fierce they waxe bicause they think their craft is not yet espied But if a man withstand them to their face then their combe is cut Hence springeth that constancie of the prophets wherby they withstoode most mightie princes For this cause Christ which was the myldest of all other men seemeth to thunder when he hath to doe with the Scribes Phariseis whom he knew to be altogither incurable Therfore their modestie is preposterous that now a dayes flatter Popes Bisshops who in deede are greater enimies of the truth worse than the Iewishe Priests Howbeit least they might seeme to neglect them which perhaps might be woonne they briefly set forth the whole hystory of Christ and of our saluation and confirme the same with most sure testimonies which is the thirde part of this Apologie or defence For they say Him hath God lift vp with his right hand to be a ruler and a Sauiour for to giue repentance vnto Israel and forgiuenesse of sinnes And we be witnesses or recordes hereof c. In these wordes both Christ himselfe and the maner and meane whereby he giueth vs saluation is described And they saye Christ is not onely a sauiour but the Prince of saluation exalted by the right hande and power of god In the Scriptures mention is oftentimes made howe Christ is a King and Prince chiefely in the Psalmes and sermons of the Prophetes For herevnto belong the things reade in the Psalmes ij xlv.lxxxix.cx c. Mich. 5. And the Aungell Gabriel seemeth to haue alluded herevnto where he sayth he shall sit in the chaire of Dauid his father and of his kingdome shall be none end Thus the holy ghost teacheth vs that Christ is not only the minister of our saluation but is the author which by his owne power hath deliuered vs from the tyrannie of the deuill also that he is so mightie a sauiour that no man is able to resist him Neither did he by force take vnto him that honor but when he had most lowly humbled himselfe that name was giuen vnto him that is aboue all names in the which euery knee shoulde bowe c. This serueth for our comfort in temptations For where Christ is a mightie king whome the right hande of God hath exalted and to whome all power is giuen in heauen and in earth it shall be an easie matter for him to defende vs neyther
appointed to some other that may serue at the table that is to say which may see to the thinges belonging to the helping and succouring of those that be poore We are taught in the first part of thys relation how great the dignitie of the gospell and worde of God is consydering the Apostles preferre the preaching hereof before the ecclesiasticall distribution and helping of the poore which yet is a most godly thing verie necessary Neyther were they ignoraunt that the ministers of the Gospell ought by no meanes to despise the poore seing afterwarde they so earnestly commended the care of them to Paule and Barnabas But when the matter came to thys point that either the ministerie of the table or worde must be intermytted â–ª they thinke it vnmeete to neglect the preaching of the worde vnder the pretence of looking to the poore Bicause greater respect is to be had of the soule which is fedde with the worde of God than of the body and bodily foode as Christ hymselfe teacheth Seeke first the kingdome of god c. Yea Christ hymselfe preferreth the studie of his worde before all other dueties which sometimes were done vnto hym For he aunswered the woman that sayde blessed be the wombe that bare thee and the pappes that gaue thee suck yea blessed are they rather which heare the worde of God and keepe it Whervnto is to be referred the storie of Martha Marie Lazarus sisters in the same Euangelist And Paule thought he ought to haue more regarde of the Gospell than of the sacraments where he sayth he was not sent to baptise â–ª but to preache the gospell Furthermore the Apostles in thys place plainely teach that the excellencie and waight of his office is suche that it requireth a peculiar man voyde of all other cares and labours Which was the cause that Christ would not haue his Apostles occupied in the administration of Empyres and kingdomes of this worlde Herein our counterfait Byshops in these daies are verie faultie which will doe any thing rather than preache and are oftener seene in the Courtes and Campes of princes than in the Pulpit where Paule sayth the chiefe propertie in a Bishop is to be able to teach But would God they onely herein offended and that we had not among vs that eyther through immoderate desyre of ryches or in vanities to say in banquetting hawking and hunting and sometime in dishonest exercises spent not the greatest part of that tyme that otherwise shoulde be employed to reading and teaching They shall one daye feele the horrible iudgement of God when the bloud of those which haue perished through their negligence shall be required at their handes In the seconde part of the Oration they shewe what is to be done for the succouring of the afflicted Church where they saye Looke out therefore among you seauen men of approoued honestie being full of the holy ghost and wisedome wome we will appoynt for this businesse They thinke it good to ordeyne Deacons or Stewardes to whome this charge myght peculiarly appertaine And they will haue seauen to be chosen bicause they suppose that number sufficient for that time not that they woulde haue all Churches bounde to that number Although this might seeme profitable to commit the charge of publike goods to no fewer bicause many times commeth to passe that such eyther waxe the more insolent or else seeke after their priuate gayne vnlesse they be restrayned by the rule and authoritie of others And though no such thing fall out yet a fewe are sooner suspected than many standing charged with one thing But least they might erre in their election they diligently declare what maner of men must be ordeyned First they will haue them chosen out of the companye of the faythfull Therefore none must be admitted therevnto which is an aduersary of the fayth or estraunged from it Then they requyre men of a tried honestie to thintent that publike goodes might safely be committed to them Thirdly they looke that they be full of the holye ghost not suche as are ledde and ruled altogither with filthy affections Last of all they will haue a respect to be had of their wisedome that is of their skill and dexteritie in handling of matters bicause without this the lawfull dispensation of such goodes cannot be exercised Ioyne vnto these the thinges that Paule requireth in Deacons and it shall easily appeare what in these dayes is to be obserued and followed But as in other thinges so herein also is committed great ouersight For with the Papistes hath nothing remayned but the bare name of Deacons onely yea euen they that are called Gospellers whether they bring the Church goodes to the publike Treasury or conuert them to other vses they commonly make such Stewardes as are straungers from the fayth which hate the worde of God and the Ministers therof who when they haue wasted and consumed their owne goodes seeke to enriche themselues by the Church goods whome a man may see rather full of wine than of the holye ghost and not ledde so much with the spirite of wisedome as with the impotent and vnruly perturbations of the minde These men grieuouslye offende but no lesse doe they offende by whose voyces such men are chosen For Paule testifieth that they are partakers of other mennes sinnes In the thirde and last part they declare what they themselues intende to do least any man might suspect they sought their owne ease or ydlenesse We saye they will giue our selues to prayer and to the ministration of the worde By this worde giue they expresse an ardent and earnest industrie and endeuour which all Ministers of the worde must haue that will doe good in their office In two duties they comprehende the chiefe poyntes of Ecclesiasticall ministerie The first is doctrine or teaching which for that it must be taken from the mouth of God we haue neede diligently to studie the holy scripture in the which God speaketh to vs. Therfore Paule biddeth Timothie to applye his reading Againe bicause the same must be applyed to edification we must take good heede that the worde of God be duely broken and deuided that it may serue as well to instruct as to comfort euerye man But bicause the endeuour and diligence of the Minister is in vayne except God giue the encreas he must by continuall prayer be intreated that he will vouchsafe to drawe and inspire the mindes of the hearers by his holy spirite Christ our Lorde ioyned both these togither whose example the Apostles in thys case thinke good to imitate Let as manye as be Ministers of the Churche followe the same and they shall perceyue that they shall not labour in vayne For Iesus Christ that true and supreme king of the Church shall with the grace of his holye spirite prosper their studies to whome be blessing honor power and glory for euer Amen The .xlj. Homelie And
First let vs here consyder howe when the tyme of promise drew nigh God raysed vp such a king as oppressed his people with tyranny and so intreated them that scarce they had any more hope to be deliuered Thys is Gods vsage of olde to mixe aduersitie and prosperitie togyther and then to suffer Tyrannes most to rage when their destruction draweth nighest By thys meane he vseth to trye the fayth of his people and is verie carefull that they by carelesnesse abuse not their liberty There are euerywhere examples hereof in Dauid Ezechiel and infinite others Hereto belongeth that that came to passe after the people returned from Babilon about the restoring againe of the church when neyther the authoritie of Cyrus could represse the attemptes of their enimies and Cambyses his sonne following encouraged the enimies of the church by his supportacion insomuch that they that wrought vpon the walles of the Citie were fayne to worke with one hande and fight with an other It is for our profite diligently to consyder these things that we be not to bolde in prosperitie least we be entangled in securitie but rather that we consyder howe we must tryumphe vnder the crosse and that we therefore must prepare our selues vnto the same howsoeuer all things seeme to laugh vpon vs. Next we haue to consyder that he sayth a king arose which knew not Ioseph And if we searche the Chronicles we shall finde it to be scarce fiftie yeares betwene the death of Ioseph and the raigne of this tyranne For Ioseph at thirtie yeares of age was made ruler of Egypt Then followed the seauen yeres of plentie and in the seconde yeare of the dearth he sent for his father Iacob to come vnto him Wherefore if we allowe them anye time to prepare for their iourney and to iourney in we shall finde that Israell came into Egypt not long after Ioseph was fortie yeres of age Ioseph lyued yet after this three score and tenne yeares for Moses sayth he dyed when he was an hundred and ten yeares olde Now the Israelites were in Egypt two hundred and ten yeares from which if we take the three score and ten yeres of Ioseph and the foure score yeares that Moses liued before he brought out the people there shall but three score yeares onely remaine betweene the death of Ioseph and the byrth of Moses from which yet must be taken ten yeares at the least that Amram liued in matrimonie in the tyme of persecution before Moses his sonne was borne For it is playne that Aaron was borne three yeares before Moses And when Moses was founde by the ryuer side his sister Marie was of that age that she was able to talke with Pharaos daughter and to giue hir counsell howe to saue and bring vp the childe The consideration of these things teache vs howe little remembraunce princes of this worlde haue of good turnes that men doe vnto them seing the kings following within so little a space are ignoraunt of Ioseph through whose counsell Egypt was preserued and the kings power so greatly increased For being drunken with prosperitie and good successe they easily waxe prowde and thinke it an heynous matter to acknowledge themselues debters to any man Therefore Dauid both truely and wisely sayth Put not your trust in Princes nor in anye childe of man for there is no helpe in them Agayne It is better to trust in the Lorde than to put any confydence in Princes We are also taught howe hurtfull a thing it is to forget or to be ignorant in the auncient actes lawes and priuiledges For this place plainely testifieth that this thing was the cause of most cruell tyrannie and at length of most horrible destruction Therfore notable is the custome of the Persians and Medians whose kings as Hystoriographers saye are contynually occupied in the reading of the Chronicles For howe much profite ensueth thereof the onely hystorie of Mardocheus aboundantly declareth Thirdlye let vs consider the craftes that tyrauntes vse in oppressing their subiectes For Pharao seemeth not to vse his absolute power but craftily circumuenteth the people of Israel and so vseth the matter that he seemeth to haue great regarde both of publike tranquillitie and equitie and yet in deede he cruelly persecuteth a people spoyled of their auncient libertie For vndoubtedly he complayned that it was not reason and right that a straunge Nation shoulde be free and haue more libertie than the Egyptians Furthermore he sheweth that it was a daungerous matter and to be feared least they should ioyne with some forreyne Nation and aspyre to the kingdome of Egypt But if we consider the falling out of the matter the ende was altogither couetousnesse which taught the Egyptians howe to waxe rich by oppressing and abusing the labor of others Hereof followed a crueltie passing all other which the very infantes new borne coulde not escape So lawfull thinke they it is for them to doe all things which once haue violated and broken all lawe and right and haue tasted any priuate aduantage or profite thereby Let vs marke these crafts that we may learne the easilier to beware of thē Yet let vs not be discouraged forasmuch as it commeth to passe many times that tyraunts enterprises set forth the power glory of God who can most easily ouerturne the deuises of people as the godly prophet teacheth and as appeereth came to passe in this place Nowe Steuen goyng forth with his narration bringeth forth Moyses in whome the Iewes as in their Captaine deliuerer and lawe maker chiefely gloried And he prooueth that he was preserued and aduaunced to so high a dignitie through the singuler goodnesse of God and had nothyng wherein to reioyce Wherevpon it is easie for euery man to conclude that they which were deliuered by his ministerie and receyued the lawe of him were much more bounde to the goodnesse of god There are three reasons whereby he prooueth that that we haue sayde First arguing of the time he sayth he was borne when the tyranne most raged and when he coulde by none other meanes be saued than by the secret working and goodnesse of god He addeth another poynt that euen when he was newe borne there appeared manifest tokens of Goddes fauour which surelye can be ascribed to no deserte of Moyses In the meane season we must note howe he was then borne to be their deliuerer when there was almost no hope of deliuerie and when himselfe was lyke to bee in daunger before he coulde declare anye token of his valiauntnesse in deliuering of them So God vseth to succour his people when all hope is past and as Esaye sayeth that he maye doe his worke his straunge worke and to forget it as it were that he may execute it afterwarde with the more glorie For it is Gods proper worke to saue men which he then doth when all hope and helpe seemeth to them quite past The lyke thing fell out in Christes
that bodies are committed to the ground as seedes vnto the earth which afterward shall be raysed vp with more glory Howbeit it is like the holy men had an other consideration For while they decently bury him that was condemned by the sentence of the counsell they manifestly reproue the vnrighteousnesse of their aduersaries giue an euident testimony of the fayth which Steuen had preached Furthermore they declare how they reuerenced him whō they saw was so singular an instrumēt of christ And they are not like vnto those which now adays vse to let slip the raynes of an impotent vnbridled tonge against the ministers of the word by whose free speach and doctrine they see their enimies are incensed and so seeke after the bloud of the faithfull ministers of Christ deride their cōstancy boldnesse whom they ought to reuerence honor In the meane time we learne by this example what we owe to the bodies of the deade that is to say honest and comely buriall forasmuch as Paule sayeth our bodies be the Temples of the holy ghost We must in our buryinges vse no pryde or superstition wherin diuers faultes are now adayes committed For there are some which puffed vp with vanitie doe so forgette their mortall estate that they will after death also be prowde while they fasten the armes cognizances of vayne glory about their Tumbs There are other again which labour by Diriges and sacrifices to do away the sinnes of the dead or else after a peculiar sorte of ceremonie vse to canonize them and make them saintes wherof the one is peeuish and without example the other derogatory and repugnaunt vnto Christes merite and doctrine which teacheth vs that those that beleeue passe from death vnto lyfe and haue neede of no new expiacions Moreouer they make great lamentation ouer Steuen And that is not against the rule of Paule whiche forbiddeth vs we shoulde not mourne as the heathen do For they lament not as vncertaine doubtfull of Steuens estate but for that they see the wicked to haue such power and the church depriued of so excellent a Minister which might yet haue done very much good in setting forth the kingdome of christ Neither are they to be blamed which cannot by and by forget their friendes like men voyde of all humanitie and common sense but are enforced to weepe forasmuch as God hath not made vs blockes and the scripture euery where condemneth those that be destitute of naturall affections On this sort we reade Abraham bewayled Sara his wife Ioseph with his brethren Iacob their father the people of Israell Aaron Moses and Samuel wyth godly dutie Yea Christe when he sawe the two sisters mourne wepte for his belooued Lazarus In deede a meane must be kept lest we may be thought either to enuy the dead their heauenly felicitie or else to stande in doubte or not firmely to beleeue the inheritaunce of the same Last of all Luke setteth vs out a singuler example of tiranny that Saule vsed against the church wherin first the great crueltie of the tyranne next the vayne successe of his purpose and intent is to be considered Of this Saule it was sayd before that he consented to the death of Steuen and kept their clothes that stoned him wherby is signified that he was guiltie of innocent bloude But now he can not be satisfied with the tirannye of an vniuersall persecution but deuiseth a peculier way and goeth about vtterly to pull vp the church as it were by the rootes And he setteth not on them alone which openly professed the faith but bursteth into priuate houses and draweth out not onelye men but women also whome the infirmitie and weakenesse of sexe defended and putteth them in prison in so muche that certaine writers thinke not vnwittily the Oracle of a Woolfe that shoulde come out of the tribe of Beniamin ought to be applied vnto this Saule For he was in deede a rauenyng Woolfe which yet at length when he was conuerted distributed the wholesome spoyles of Euangelicall preachyng almost ouer the whole world And the thinges which Luke here reporteth of him he himselfe oftentimes confesseth yea he lamenteth hym of the same verye often See Actes 26. 1. Cor. 15. Galath 1. The vse of them all is that we shoulde acknowledge the goodnesse of God whiche did vouchsafe to take into his fauour so great an enimy For as he himselfe interpreteth the matter On hym would Iesus Christ shewe all long pacience to declare an example vnto them which should beleeue on him vnto eternall lyfe But what preuayled Saules great enterprise Coulde he make hauocke of the church Nothing lesse Yea he was the cause that they beyng scattered hither and thither spred the word of saluation kingdome of Christ the further Thus God knewe how to set forth the glorye of his sonne euen by those wayes which seemed most to hinder it Whervnto also is to be referred how the euill spirites in the gospell euen against their will brought before Christe and threw to the ground those whom they thought they had all power ouer Therefore their feare is foolishe which suffer themselues to be discouraged with the attemptes of tyrannes In the meane while we are aduertised of our dutie that we be not ouercome with persecutions nor forsake not our dutie by and by Which thyng diuers doe in these dayes who hauing bene once or twise in daunger make holyday for euer after as though they had fully discharged their dutie toward Christ already But they of whom Luke here speaketh do better which being driuen out of Ierusalem are by their banishment made the bolder and preach Christ euerywhere being myndfull of that sentence which sayth they shall be saued not which begin well but which continue vnto the ende Let vs therfore follow their zeale that after we haue faithfully finished this race of life we may attaine to the garland of the heauenly reward through Iesus Christ to whom be all praise honor power and glory for euer Amen The .lvij. Homelie THEN came Phillip into a Citie of Samarie and preached Christ vnto them And the people gaue heede vnto those thinges which Phillippe spake with one accord hearing and seyng the myracles which he did For vncleane spirites crying with lowde voyce came oute of many that were possessed of them And manye taken with palseyes and many that halted were healed And there was great ioye in that Citie But there was a certaine man called Simon which before tyme in the same Citie vsed witchcraft and bewitched the people of Samarie saying that he was a man that coulde doe great things whome they regarded from the least to the greatest saying this man is the power of God which is called great And hym they set much by bicause that of long tyme he had bewitched them with sorceries ALthough the Kingdome of Christ and the church is alway assaulted and set on by the
onely to him Therfore it frameth it selfe to his lore and desireth nothing so much as to be seene of all men whereas it knoweth it hath to reioyce in none but Christ alone These thinges reprooue the sluggysh mindes of the men of our dayes which are ashamed of Christ and saye that fayth maye be dissembled if there be lyke to ensue any daunger by the confession thereof Howbeit there were manye thinges which myght haue feared the Aethiop from being baptized for as much as he knewe that both Queene Candace and all the people of hir Countrie were farre from the knowledge of Christ which thing threatened him manifest perill both of his estate and goodes But his mynde incensed with the liuely fayth of Christ ouercommeth and bursteth through all impediments in whose hart vndoubtedly was written by the suggestion of the holy ghost that saying of Christ whosoeuer shall be ashamed of me and of my wordes in this aduouterous sinfull generation of him also shall the sonne of man be ashamed when he shall come in the glory of his father with the holy Aungels Moreouer this also is one other propertie of fayth that although the Eunuch thinketh he hath obteyned in Christ all the treasures of Gods grace and the infallibe certaintie of saluation yet for all that he iudgeth not the vse of baptisme to be vnprofitable or superfluous For fayth knoweth that Christ hath ordeyned nothing vnprofitably or in vayne bycause it knoweth that he is the eternall wisedome of God the father in whome are hidden all the treasures of knowledge It knoweth also that the corruption of our fleshe hath neede of many thinges and that it scarsely can be compelled with many prouocations to take the way of saluation Wherby it appeareth that they are voyde aswell of the knowledge of Christ as of themselfe that vse to despyse and reiect the sacramentes For although by fayth in Christ we attayne to whatsoeuer thinges are necessary to our saluation yet bicause of the inclination of our flesh it is profitable that Gods benefites shoulde be confirmed with outwarde seales and that by them we shoulde be admonished of our dutie whereof oftentymes we are forgetfull But Luke bringeth forth the other person of this act that is to say Philip which by and by obeyed not the Eunuch least he shoulde seeme to haue yeelded vnto him bicause of his dignitie or humanitie but he requireth of him first the confession of a true fayth saying If thou beleeuest with all thine heart thou mayest He hath therefore a respect to hys fayth and will haue it voyde of all guyle and dissimulation By which example we are taught that the sacraments ought not to be prophaned that is to saye to be giuen to the faythlesse For where they be the badges and cognizaunces of the Church of Christ it becommeth not them to weare them that are straungers fro the church bicause such for the more part are dogges and hogges before whome Christ forbiddeth vs to whoorle pearles And if we consider the commaundement of Christ it shall appeare that the Apostles first ought to teach and then they that beleeued their doctrine shoulde be baptised For he sayth Teach ye all Nations baptising them in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost c. Yet let no man thinke we support or maintayne the madnesse of the Anabaptistes For they erre and keepe a pernitious coyle whyle they drawe that to the infants of Christians and rashly keepe them from baptisme which is onely to be obserued in straungers from religion and those that are of a full age For we affirme that such as â—e straungers from the church of christ as were sometime the Iewes and Gentyles and as are at this daye the Iewes and Turkes and other such lyke ought not to be baptised vnlesse we wyll to grossely pollute baptisme vntill they haue made profession of their fayth But the reason of infantes borne of Christians is of a farre other sort and case For these are accounted among the children or houshold of the church by reason of the lawe of couenant They be holy and Christ commaundeth them to be brought vnto him It is also manifest that they please God bicause their Aungels alwaies see the face of the father And although our capacitie cannot conceyue their state and condicion yet Christ testifyeth they haue fayth And that they haue the holy ghost both the examples of Iohn the Baptist and others do teach vs Wherfore to denye baptisme vnto them is no small impietie and a point of boldenesse more than monstrous Howbeit bicause we haue intreated hereof in other places let thys little suffice for this present Further let vs see the confession that the Eunuch made which in marueylous breuitie comprehendeth thinges of most importaunce I beleeue sayth he that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God. This confession is much like to that that Peter made in the name of all the Apostles He attributeth vnto Christ whatsoeuer is spoken of him in holy scripture Yea if the matter be narrowly marked it comprehendeth all the articles of our fayth or Creede Apostolicall For he acknowledgeth him to be God no doubt that God which the Scriptures say was Creator of heauen and earth He confesseth no such God as the Iewes and Turkes doe but such an one as hath a sonne borne of himselfe coeternall and consubstantiall with him He beleeueth that this sonne was incarnated as may be gathered of the thinges which he red in Esay Further he beleeueth that the sonne of God is Christ that is to say annoynted wherein he vnderstandeth his kingdome and Priesthoode Unto the Priesthood belongeth all the passion of Christ where he offered the sacrifice of his bodie and bloud for the sinnes of the whole worlde In the name of Kingdome is conteyned his glorious resurrection whereby he ouercame death also his ascention whereby as by a most gorgeous tryumph he entered into heauen and is sitting on the right hand of the father which declareth him to be a most mightie king to whome all power is giuen in heauen and in earth and which shall come againe to giue iudgement and sentence vpon all fleshe But he that confesseth Christ to be a King must needes also confesse that he hath a Church wherein he reigneth and gouerneth This Church is the Communion or felowship of all Saintes to whome Christ hath committed his inestimable treasures to say â–ª the forgiuenesse of sinnes the resurrection of the fleshe and felowship of eternall lyfe These mysteries I say this short confession of the Eunuch comprehendeth Whereby we are taught what an one we also should acknowledge and confesse Christ to be It is well to be considered howe confession of mouth is ioyned with fayth of minde For we haue before this declared â–ª howe these two must of necessitie be coupled togither and Paule expressely teacheth the same where he sayth This is
sodeynly and destroyed all the worlde Upon Sodome he rayned fire and brimstone from heauen The haughtie and stowte stomaked Aegyptians he brought downe one while by darknesse one other while by swarmes of flies sometime by the hopping of filthie frogges sometime by twinging and byting of Lice Antiochus and Herod he killed with wormes and vermine that bred of their owne fleshe He killed Saul the Tyranne wyth his owne sworde I let passe an infinite number of like sort bicause this fall of Saul may serue in steade of many examples It shall profite vs well to beholde him What doe the letters procured from the high Bishop profite him being nowe sodeinly fallen What auayleth the power graunted by his authoritie agaynst the Christians Can he be helde vp by the ministerie of that garde of his that he brought with him No with what engines and weapons lyeth he ouerthrowne that euen now seemed an other Enceladus Then was no clap of thunder as yet heard no ratling of clowdes among themselues no renting or reauing with fall of thunderbolte Onely a light from heauen flashing in hys face and the voyce of Christ sounding in his eares so stryketh him both in bodie and soule that he lyeth wide open and yeeldeth to Christ his Conquerour whome a little before he ment to put cleane away out of all mens remembraunce As these things serue for our consolation agaynst the wicked enimies of Christ so they must be applyed to our instruction For they teach vs how vnprosperously the pride of them succeedeth which seeing euery day the examples of Gods power Maiestie dare yet stowte and waxe fierce against God and his worde which I iudge to be one of the chiefe arguments of our corruption when we puffed vp in affiaunce of well fauourednesse kindred dignities or ryches forget God who can so easily pull downe our prowde stomackes Let vs rather acknowledge Gods power and humble our selues willingly vnder his valiaunt hande least we prooue to our vtter losse and hinderaunce how much he is able to doe Nowe let vs beholde Saule thus lying prostrate along who hearing a voyce from heauen asketh Who art thou Lorde He hearde he was cast downe by him whome he persecuted and yet he asketh who he is Yet is this saying a token of an humbled and asswaged minde Which would God we might see in these dayes in those whome God vseth to cast downe either by sicknesse by pouertie or other affliction or calamitie and yet acknowledge not the Lorde nor that God hath cast them downe But bicause Saule sheweth himselfe nowe to be somewhat meeker the Lorde doth vouchsafe to make him aunswere saying I am Iesus whome thou persecutest It is harde for thee to kicke agaynst the pricke Which aunswere standeth in two poyntes In the first he teacheth who he is and also reprooueth him of his heynous offence as though he shoulde saye Thou thinkest thou goest about to persecute men and such who as they are hated of all men so haue they no reuenger or defender amongst men But they are not without a reuenger neyther doest thou persecute them alone For I am that Iesus whome they professe I reigne in heauen and diligently obserue their condition and case I long since promised to be their patrone and defender yea such familiaritie is betweene me and them that I thinke it done to my selfe whatsoeuer thou doest to the least of them c. Hereof may be gathered a generall doctrine that whatsoeuer is done to them that worship Christ the same is done to christ For it is his saying that is reade in the Prophetes He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye And Esay in the .lxiij. chapter speaking of the beneuolence of God towarde hys people amongst other things sayth In all their afflictions I am afflicted Let this serue for the instruction of Tyrannes that they forget not howe they haue Christ their enimie while they persecute the Church who shall one day bruyse them with a rodde of yron and breake them in peeces lyke a Potters vessell Againe let the Godly take comfort hereof that in tribulation they haue Christ a companion with whome if they suffer they shall one daye reigne In the other part of his aunswere he layeth a punishement before their eyes saying It is hard for thee to spurne agaynst the pricke He vseth a Metaphore or translation taken from Oxen or Horse which if they winse agaynst the Goade they do not only not preuayle in so doyng but also pricke themselues the deeper into the fleshe and are occasion of their further hurt The Lorde threatneth the same shall come to passe in Saule and in all other which after his example persecute the Church that is to saye that their attemptes shall not onely be in vaine but daungerous and hurtfull also for the beginners For the Church of Christ is the heauie stone in lifting vp whereof no man shall trie maystryes without some hurt as God promiseth by his Prophete And there want not examples whereby to prooue the same For hereto belongeth the storie of Pharao which spurning against the pricke hath renowmed the waues of the redde sea with his and hys peoples destruction The same iudgement tryed Sanheribe who warring with God and the people of Israell by the hande of one Aungell lost hys whole armie bagges and baggage Of Antiochus and Herode we spake ere while To whome may be ioyned the Emperours of Rome as manye as after Christes tyme persecuted the Churche and within short space bought their crueltie full deare To these if wee ioyne the examples of Gods iudgementes in our dayes agaynst the enimies of the Church we shall say that the truth of this sentence which Christ here pronounceth is infallible To vs this must be the vse of all these things that we feare not the power of the worlde and persecution of Tyrannes nor be not therewith discouraged For that verie Christ lyueth still and will not forsake hys Church which he hath promised to be with vnto the ende of the worlde to him be blessing honour power and glorie for euer Amen The .lxiiij. Homelie AND he both trembling and astonyed sayd Lorde what wilt thou haue me to doe And the Lorde sayde vnto him â–ª Aryse and go into the Citie and it shall be tolde thee what thou must doe The men which iourneyed wyth him stoode amazed hearing a voyce but seeing no man And Saule arose from the earth and when he opened his eyes he sawe no man But they led him by the hande and brought him into Damascus And he was three dayes without sight and did neyther eate nor drinke AS Saule before hee was conuerted vnto Iesus Christ with great crueltie persecuted the name and Church of Christ so God chose him to set forth in him a peculiar ensample of his grace and goodnesse teaching vs hereby that we haue nothing that we may glorie in before God but that both our
saluation and whatsoeuer things else helpe vs to the attayning thereof ought to be referred to Gods mere goodnesse grace For although all men beare not like hatred agaynst Christes Church as Paule did and that God compelleth not all men by open force to take the way of saluation yet are all men in one state and condition so that they must bee drawne and conuerted by the mightie power of god For if we consider man as he is ruled and led by naturall lore and reede we shall well perceyue he vnderstandeth not the thinges belonging to the spirite of god Wherefore where the vnderstanding is corrupt the will must needes bee euill and corrupted which bringeth forth the impure and wicked desires of the fleshe so that God truly sayd in the beginning The inuentions of mans heart are euill euen from his childehoode But where by reason of sinne all our power is so weakened that of our selues we be not able to thinke well It well appeareth that no man either would or could earnestly think of his saluation except he were illuminated drawne molified by God although some mens corruption is more manifest and notorious than others But bicause in Saules conuersion there are many other things which serue for our information Luke standeth diligently vpon the discription therof And at this time bicause he hath declared the first act or dooing he rehearseth the effect of this harde encounter and diuers other things incident to the same He comprehendeth in few words a marueylous effect of gods punishmeÌ„t in Paule For sayth he trembling and astonyed he sayde Lorde what wilt thou haue me to doe And the Lorde sayde vnto him aryse and go into the Citie c. We haue in this place diligently to consider both Gods person and Paules And first in Paule we may see a token of a minde greatly humbled and readie to all kinde of obsequie and seruiceablenesse For now he doth vouchsafe to call him Lorde whome before he hated woorse than a dogge or Tode And of his owne accorde enquireth what his will and pleasure is folowing those seruaunts which of a dutifull and diligent readinesse to please vse to preuent their maysters commaundement before they heare it Hereout we may gather two thinges belonging to our instruction First whosoeuer feele Gods hande chastyning them are admonished of their dutie Let them acknowledge that God like a father punisheth and beateth them to the entent to amende them and correcteth those that be his least they should be condemned with the world that will not repent Which is the cause that the Prophete pronounceth him happie or blessed whome the Lorde chasteneth Againe let them acknowledge him to bee their Lorde and earnestly enserch after his will that they may knowe how to get his fauour and good will. This is the propertie of Gods elect who thinke nothing more grieuous and intollerable than to perceyue God to be offended with them But the reprobate be of a farre other opinion who although sometime they be compelled to obey and yeelde vnto God yet they frette and fume and by many aâ—guments declare they doe it agaynst their willes Wherefore they by and by â—eturne againe to their nature and to their olde woont scarcely intermitted The Scripture sheweth examples hereof in Pharao and Saule the king With whome may be numbred the Bishops seruaunts that were sent to apprehende Christ who though they were smitten to the grounde by the power of his worde yet they by and by rose againe and layde wicked handes on him â–ª whome they ought to haue acknowledged for their Lorde Let vs therefore doe as Paule did as oft as we be cast downe by sicknesse oppressed with pouertie or become prayes to our enimies or be any other wayes troubled or molested and let vs say with the heart Lorde what wilt thou haue vs to doe And so shall those thinges turne to our health which seemed to vs to be very hurtfull Secondly this example teacheth vs howe necessary a seuere kinde of correction is sometime in matters of fayth and religion For we see many of such a propertie and condicion that vnlesse they be constrayned by force they will not yeelde vnto the worde of god Wherefore Christ commaunded that some shoulde be compelled to come to the heauenly mariage Of which number it is more euident that Paule is one than needeth great declaration Therefore it is no small error they holde which crye out that no man ought to be compelled in matters of fayth and religion bicause God onely hath power and authoritie ouer the mynde of man For to graunt that it belongeth to God alone to inspire to drawe and to giue fayth yet we knowe agayne that God commaundeth false teachers to be conuinced both by argumentes and Scriptures and also to be bridled by the sworde of the Magistrate if they waxe obstinate and incurable By the same reason superstition false worship and blasphemie is commaunded to be made awaye For it were an absurde thing to punishe them which lye in wayte for our bodies and goodes and let them scape free which wickedlye deface the glory of God and lay snares of damnation for mennes soules There are examples euerywhere of them which being restrayned through seuere chastisement haue ceased after that from their blasphemie and haue bene brought to knowledge of the truth But as in all other thinges so herein chiefely we wishe all wisedome and moderation to be vsed But let vs heare Christ who by and by sheweth himselfe courteous and friendly to him whome he seeth so ready to doe his commaundement For as the father in the Prophets crieth Returne vnto me and I will returne vnto you so we reade in the Gospell that hee calleth all vnto him that are heauye loden and openly testifyeth that he will refuse none that coÌ„meth vnto him He commaundeth him to go into the Citie that he maye there learne of Ananias what he hath to doe Two causes maye be rendred of this commaundement For God by this meanes trieth Paules modestie whyle hee sendeth him to them whome not long before he ment violently to laye hold on And also procureth hereby an authoritie and dignitie to the ministerye of his worde For where he knoweth that men oftentimes contemne it he teacheth vs therefore that the vse thereof is necessarye to the attayning of saluation This we sawe in the hystorie of the Aethiop whose heart where 〈…〉 illuminated by the secrete working of his spirite yet woulde he vse the ministerie of Philip to do the same And now although he vouchsafe to talke with Saule yet he sendeth him to Ananias to learne the mysteries of fayth and saluation and by his ministery to be baptised and taken into the fellowship of the Church Wherevnto that also is lyke that hereafter we shall heare tolde of Cornelius the Centurion whome God admonisheth by an Aungell sent vnto him to sende for Peter and to
Prophete to winke when they may plainly see It is our duties to acknowledge Iesus whome Paule preached to be the sonne of God and Christ and to trust in hym and serue him that we may hereafter lyue in heauen with him to whom be all prayse honour power and glory for euer Amen The .lxvij. Homelie AND after a good whyle the Iewes tooke counsayle togyther to kill him but Saule knewe of their laying awayte And they watched the gates daye and night to kill him Then the Disciples tooke him by night and lette him downe in a basket ouer the wall And when Saule was come to Ierusalem he assayed to ioyne himselfe to the Disciples but they were all afrayde of him and beleeued not that he was a Disciple But Barnabas tooke him and brought him to the Apostles and declared to them how he had seene the Lorde in the waye and that he had spoken to him and howe hee had done boldly at Damasco in the name of iesu And hee had his conuersation wyth them at Ierusalem speaking boldly in the name of the Lorde iesu And hee spake and disputed agaynst the Greekes but they went about to sâ—ea him which when the brethren knewe they brought him to Caesarea and sent him forth to Tharsus AS Luke hath bene very diligent in describing Paules conuersion so hath hee as you haue hearde declared his doctrine wyth no lesse diligence The summe whereof was that Iesus which was borne of Marie â–ª the Uirgin was also the Sonne of God and Christ that is to saye our King and our Priest and that Redeemer that once was promised vnto mankinde Thys agreeth with the confession of the Apostles which we reade Peter made in the name of them all and comprehendeth also in it the whole order of our saluation as was sayd in the last sermon Wherefore as Paule otherwheres teacheth it becoÌ„meth vs to vse such constancie in retayning and keeping thys doctrine that we be not drawne from it by the authoritie of any man no not of an Aungell And bicause Chryst sayde Paule should be a chosen vessell the Euangelyst in thys place rehearseth a briefe declaration of the things done about the beginnning of his Apostleshippe to declare thereby what faith and industrie he vsed in aunswering to so great a commendation of christ Thys narration is the diligentlyer to be considered bicause it plainly teacheth howe variable and grieuous the misfortunes of the faythfull ministers of Christ be in thys lyfe and howe faythfully he aydeth them being in daunger for the glorye of hys name according to hys promyse And Luke beginneth hys discourse wyth the thinges that came to passe vnto Paule at Damascus But before we report his words the course of the hystorie must be set in order whych it appeareth Luke obserued not verye greatly as who was not purposed particulerly to rehearse all the thinges that were done but onely to declare such thynges as myght suffyse for the instruction of the Church And he plainly declareth that he hath wittinglye and willingly pretermitted many thinges forasmuch as he confesseth that the things which he here rehearseth came to passe many dayes after Paules conuersion Wherfore we must perclose make vp the order of the history out of the things which Paule himselfe rehearseth of his owne doings Writing vnto the Galathians first he sayth he went from Damascus into Arabia before he came to Ierusalem As he returned out of Arabia where it is credible he preached Christs gospell to Damascus he then fell into this daunger which he here speaketh of The authors whereof as it is here sayde the Iewes were But in hys later Epistle to the Corinthians the .xij. Chap. he sayth this ambushe to take him was layde by king Aretas his Lieuetenant Wherby we gather that the Iewes suborned him thus to doe whervnto for thys cause they might the more easily perswade him for that Paule had aduentured to preach the Gospell in Arabia which was vnder the king Aretas hys obeysance Therefore Luke hath omitted Paules voyage into Arabia which of force must be ended before he was in this hazarde forasmuch as shortly after his escape it is sayde he came to Ierusalem Furthermore touching the present hystorie the chiefe point thereof is to note what men may looke for of the worlde as soone as they ioyne themselfe vnto christ For where Christ consecrateth to hymselfe onelye those whome he chooseth out of the worlde the worlde afterwarde cannot abyde them as he teacheth And there are euerywhere so manye examples to prooue this true that it is marueile to see how so many at this day are offended with those aduersities which the Scripture giueth vs warning of so often and wherewith all the faythfull of Christ haue bene so invred from the first beginning of the world In the meane season let vs obserue that Luke sayth these things came to passe a good while after or after a certaine daies Therfore Paule had a time giuen him to preach in and in the meane whyle God stayed the rage of hys enimies which vndoubtedly woulde haue stopped him at the beginning but that they were kepte backe with the brydle that he layde on them Whereby we learne that the wicked cannot alwaye doe what they lyst nor that they seemed chiefely most able to doe For the like reason may be made of them as is of their heade For as Satan is vnder the power of Gods prouidence and can doe nothing agaynst man but by Gods sufferance so the Lord brydleth tyrants manger all their might and will they nill they and that many tymes in such vnknowne wyse that they themselues marueyle how their deuises come no better to passe which they see no manne is able to withstande but yet see not God which vseth to bring them to naught Therfore let vs alway set Gods prouidence before our eyes as often as we heare the enterprises of the enimies of the word and let vs remember that the heares of our heade be numbred in his sight But what dyd the faythfull at Damascus whyle the wicked enimies lay wayte for Paule Doe they forsake hym or leaue him suâ—courlesse Or vse they that saying of the Lorde resist not agaynst euill Or be they so carelesse that they looke for helpe from the Lorde doing nor daring to doe nothing themselues for Paule in the meane season Here is no such thing sayde of them Naye they aduenture to deliuer Paule with the daunger of their owne liues yea transgressing the common lawe which commaundeth the walles to be inuiolable For it appeareth that our auncestors counted the walles and gates of Cities amongst things that were holy and consecrated their walles vnto the Gods verily for that they knewe as the Lawyer sayth that mans affaires coulde by mans industrie be sufficiently gouerned and ordered of any one in so great falshood of men the citizens somewhiles being so negligent the borderers about them being so malicious
Lord both of lyfe and death And the elect acknowledged the same which streight waye when they had seene the myracle beleeued in the Lorde Unto this narration Luke addeth a few other thinges which serue for a preparation to that that foloweth For he sayth that Peter remained at Ioppe certaine dayes in the house of one Simon a Tanner in whose house he was admonished by a vision from heauen to call the Gentiles into the Communion of the church and was sent for by Cornelius the Centurion as shall be shewed in the Chapter folowing Here let vs obserue of what maner of people the Primitiue Church was collected seeing Peter had none other hoste but such an one as got his liuing by an handycraft and that not one of the fynest Hereof Paule teacheth vs that we shoulde reioyce in the Lord alone Furthermore the modestie of Peter is declared who disdayned not such an harbour where as nowe adayes kinges palaces are scarce able to receyue his counterfeyt successor Let vs follow the modestie of the Apostle and therin beleeue and serue Iesus Christ to whome be prayse honor power and glory for euer Amen The tenth chapiter vpon the Actes of the Apostles The .lxx. Homelie THERE was a certaine man in Caesarea called Cornelius a Captaine of the souldiers of Italy a deuout man and one that feared God wyth all his houshold which gaue much almes to the people and was alwayes in prayers vnto god The same sawe by a vision euidently about the .ix. houre of the day an Angell of God comming in to him and saying to him Cornelius When he looked on him hee was afrayde and sayde what is it Lorde He sayde vnto him Thy prayers and thy almesses are come vp into remembrance before god And nowe sende men to Ioppa and call for one Simon whose surname is Peter Hee lodgeth with one Simon a Tanner whose house is by the sea side He shall tell thee what thou oughtest to doe HItherto the first part of this storie hath bene declared wherein hath bene shewed howe the Apostles according to the commaundement of Christ preached the wholesome worde of the Gospell euerywhere to the Iewes And a great many beleeued and Luke declareth a marueylous increase of Christian faith in the Church Yet the greater part and specially those that were of most authoritie withstoode the truth For both they layde handes on the Apostles and stoned Steuen and made hauocke of the whole Church at Ierusalem by horrible persecution and sent Saule with publike commaundements as farre as Damascus to oppresse the growth of Christes Church being euen in the blade as we commonly vse to saye And it is not vnlyke but manye others did as it is here written Saule did Therefore the vncurable and stubborne contempt of so wholesome a doctrine deserued that at length the kingdome of God shoulde be taken from the Iewes and brought to the Gentiles as Christ prophecied should come to passe How this thing beganne to be put in effect Luke rehearseth in this Chapter and declareth the storie of Cornelius which we maye aptly name the first fruites of the Gentiles that were called seeing he was chosen of God to be the beginning of so weightie a matter Aboue all thinges the principall vse of this hystorie must be obserued which consisteth herein howe God vseth to cast of the vnthankfull and wicked enimies of the Gospell by his iust iudgement and is not so bounde to any Nation that he is compelled to beare with it if it be vnwoorthy Herevnto is to be added an other thing that is to saye howe the saluation contayned in Christ belongeth not to the Iewes onely but also to the Gentyles Which as it is no small comfort to vs which come of the Gentyles so it behooueth that wee stande alwaye in feare bicause the Iewes were cast of and forsaken least we by like vnthankfulnesse and disobedience deserue also to be refused For Paules saying shall alwayes stande in his full strength and force If God spared not the naturall braunches take heede least it come to passe that he spare not thee also And this is the sentence of Christ long agone pronounced that euery braunch that bringeth not forth fruit shall be hewen downe and cast into the fire But bicause the vocation adoption of the vncircumcised Gentiles seemed to the Iewes a foolysh and an absurde thing for that they onely so many yeares togither were thought worthye of that name and tytle and therefore abhorred all other Nations as we doe the Turkes and them at this day First God would haue the vocation of the Gentyles to be preached by the Prophetes whereof we may see singuler testimonies in them Psal. 2. and .27 Esay 2. and .19 Agayne 42. and .49 Zach. 9. c. Then declareth he a notable beginning hereof in Cornelius whome he so called that any man might see therein the counsell and deuyse of Gods prouidence For he doth vouchsafe to sende his Aungell from heauen to Cornelius and instructeth Peter by an heauenly vision whereby he declareth that he will haue the Gentyles called into his Church as we shall see when we come to the place At this tyme we haue to consider what God did vouchsafe to doe by Cornelius For Luke beginneth with the description of Cornelius which he knitteth vp in marueylous breuitie and playnenesse First declaring his state and kynde of lyfe hee sayth he was a Captayne of the Italian Souldiers For the Romaynes vsed to entertayne diuers bandes of men of diuers Natiâ—ons according to the which they gaue them their names And bicause among all nations they esteemed none more than the Italians the Italian garrisons were preferred aboue others And there is no doubt but that Cornelius was an Italian forasmuch as he was one of the chiefe of that bande But bicause he dwelt at Caâ—sarea which the auncient wryters call Turris Stratonis the tower or castell of Straton the maner or state of the souldiers in those dayes must be considered that we maye the easilyer vnderstande the state of Cornelius Thus wryte the Romaine Hystoriographers After the victories that Pompey called the great had gotten who was the first that subdued Syria and Iurie vnto the Romaine Empire the people of Rome had no more grieuous enimies than the Parthians who were greatly encouraged with the death of Crassus with the ouerthrowe of the Romayne Legions and number of ensignes and standerdes which they had taken wherein were the pictures of splayed Eagles paynted Wyth whose incursions and roades bicause they were continually molested they thought good to place in the Cities bordering vpon them certayne garrisons of souldiers which within a short warning being mustred myght make a complete armie if neede so required whereby to repulse and beate backe the enimie And those souldiers also were a defence and safegarde for the Cities of Iurie to tame and keepe vnder the courage of the Iewes which were very prone
plainely testified that our saluation is conteyned in Iesus Christ alone he nowe beginneth by narration of the historie more at large to explicate and dilate the same and that in such sort that it maye easilye appeare howe all the thinges that belong to the redeeming of mankynde are performed by Christ. He beginneth his narration with the time and place shewing where and when Christ began to be knowne Also he citeth them for witnesses of the things which fame long before had bruted so farre abrode least any man might iudge the hystorie to be vncertaine or doubtfull you sayth he know that word which was published ouer all Iurie and beganne in Galiley after the baptisme which Iohn preached It is not without a cause that he maketh mention of the place forasmuch as Esay sometime prophecied that Christ shoulde beginne to preach in Galiley as Mathew also hath noted in his .iiij. Chapter and Esay 9. And it seemeth he alleageth the time for none other cause saying this preaching beganne after the baptisme of Iohn bicause the Prophetes foreshewed that he shoulde be the first Minister of the new Testament and the forerunner of the promised Sauiour For that those things belong vnto him which are reade in Esay 40. of a voyce crying in the wildernesse and in Malachie of Elias appeareth by the writinges of the Euangelistes and by the testimonie of Christ himselfe in Mathewe the .xj. Chapter more manifest than needeth long demonstration They are therfore by this place confuted which denye that Iohn ought to be accounted among the Ministers of the Gospell Whereas it is playne that he bare witnesse of Christ and sent his Disciples of fayth and good zeale vnto Christ. And prepared all the people aswell by his doctrine as by baptisme to embrace and receyue Christ which office of his his father Zacharie by inspiration of the holy spirit acknowledged in him assoone as he was borne We haue here rather to marke diligentlye that the businesse of Christ Iesus and his Gospell beganne by Iohn whose dutie it was to prepare their mindes that shoulde be the Disciples of Christ by the doctrine of repentance and baptisme For this waye Christ thought good to declare that hee woulde haue no man to seeke howe to lyue licentiouslye and fleshly vnder the pretence of him which thing it is euident both many did in tymes past and many doe the same in these dayes also and euen those which glorye in the name of the Gospell For the which cause Christ himselfe thought good to beginne his teaching with repentance and bade the Apostles afterward to beginne with the same Math. 4. and .10 Luc. 24. And they are not to be hearde which seperate the doctrine of repentance from the Gospell wheras without repentaunce we cannot be partakers of the saluation which is in christ And yet for all this we attribute not saluation to mannes merite or righteousnesse bicause we are commaunded to preach repentance in the name of christ And Peter before Act. 5. hath taught vs that God the father hath appoynted Christ to be the author and giuer thereof vnto vs In the meane season they are reprooued also which slaunderously say that we open gappes to the fleshe whereby to sinne by preaching of the Gospell whereas these men for none other cause more hate and persecute the Gospell than for that it grieuously accuseth and inueyeth agaynst their open wickednesse and the cloked hypocrisie of a great many Furthermore it behooueth vs to marke how the Apostle speaketh of the ministery of Iohn For he sayeth he preached Baptisme He ioyneth preaching with Baptisme to declare he was a minister both of doctrine and the sacrament For as by Baptisme he admonished men that they were purged made cleane so expounding the misteries therof by words he taught vs that purification is to be had in Christ only that worthy fruits of repentance are required of them that are purified Wherby it appeareth it is necessary that teaching be ioined with the sacraments forasmuch as without it the mysteries of the sacraments cannot be vnderstanded So God in the beginning commaunded that the meanyng of the feast of Passeouer should be declared vnto the children And we see that the sermons of the prophets are chiefly busied in declaring the misteries of the sacrifices and ceremonies of the lawe while they most grieuously reprehende them which carefully obserued the sacrifices neglecting in the meane season the duties of life by them signified And Christ a little before he departed from his Disciples cōmaunded them not only to baptize but chiefly commended vnto them the preachyng of the Gospell Which thing Paule so diligently obserued that he confesseth how he preached euerywhere but baptized verye fewe These thinges serue to confute them which tying grace to the outwarde signes thinke the vse of them alone sufficient vnto saluation and vse no doctrine wherby to declare the vse of them yea they vse a straunge tounge in the administration of them But how absurde a thing this ought to be iudged Paule sheweth at large in the first to the Corinthians and .xiiij. chapter Hauing nowe declared the beginning of the Gospell he sheweth that Iesus Christ is the author thereof to the ende he woulde notifie vnto vs what and what maner of one we ought to beleeue he is He expressely calleth him Iesus of Nazareth for that we should acknowledge it is he whom by reason of the basenesse of his countrie and bicause of his poore and lowly conuersation outwardly all men contemned Him he testifyeth that God annoynted teaching by these wordes that he is the Sauiour of mankinde which God had long before ordeyned For he maketh mention of annoynting bicause of the olde figure For of olde time the Priests and Kinges of Israel vsed to be annoynted who it is manifest were figures of the Sauiour promised And it was a receyued opinion that the promised Sauiour was called by the name of the Messias or Christ that is to saye annoynted bicause this denomination did declare his Priesthoode and kingdome and all the whole order of our redemption wherevpon the Disciples being asked in the gospell whome they sayde Iesus was they confessed he was Christ that annoynted of god Moreouer least some man might think him to be of no more excellency than other Priests and Kings who by reason of their outward annointing were called by the same name Peter teacheth that he was annoynted wyth the holy ghost and with power alluding no doubt to that verse of Dauid who prophecying of the kingdome of that promysed Sauiour sayth God hath annoynted thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes Thus he calleth the holy ghost by whose guyding the sonne of God became man and so administred his kingdome and Priesthoode that there is perceyued no griefe or sorowe therein but all kinde of pleasauntnesse and delyght For so he interpreteth the same in the Prophet saying The spirite
of the Lorde God is vpon mee for the Lorde hath annoynted mâ—e and sent me to preach good tydings vnto the poore that I might bynde vp the wounded hearts that I might preach deliueraunce to the captiue and open the pryson to them that are bounde to restore sight vnto the blinde and to declare the acceptable yeare of the Lorde He is sayde to be annoynted aboue hys fellowes bicause God hath not giuen vnto him his spirite by measure but so abundantly that we all receyue of his fulnesse For he came downe vpon him in the visible forme of a Doue when he was baptised of Iohn so that Iohn thereby knewe that he was that Sauiour that God did declare and manifest vnto mankinde See Iohn the first Chap. There be also other argumentes which prooue he passed all other annoynted of the olde Testament whether they were Kings or Priests For although they were called Christes or annointed yet had none of them power so to annoynt their subiectes that they coulde call them after their annointing Christians that is annoynted But this the sonne of God hath perfourmed who hath annoynted vs and made vs Kings and Priestes to God his father Also none of the annoynted in the olde Testament was worthye of diuine honour and worship None other hath reformed the whole worlde None hath bene had in such estimation amonge his scholers that after his Maisters death he coulde finde in his heart to die for his maisters namesake Moreouer no mannes kingdome or priesthoode hath endured from euer vnto this day And bicause they were mortall men they had neede of Uicares and successors to administer the office wherevnto they were called But the sonne of God being made the administrator of the euerlasting kingdome hath receyued all power in heauen and in earth And bicause he is present with hys Church he hath neede neyther of Uicar nor Successor The same is a king for euer after the order of Melchisedech For hee blesseth vs with all spirituall benediction He teacheth vs by the outwarde worde and inspiration of his holy spirite and he giueth vnto his Church some Apostles some Prophetes some Euangelistes some Pastours and Teachers The same hath with one offering that is to say with the price of his body and bloud purged the sinnes of all the world and hath made perfite for euer them that are sanctified Furthermore being gone vp into heauen he maketh intercession for vs and is a faythfull Bishop for vs in all those things that are to be done for vs with God. Therefore it is truly sayde of Peter that he is the annoynted of God that is to saye appoynted to be the King and Priest of his people Whervpon we gather that all they sinne agaynst the eternall decree of God which make to themselues any other patrones of saluation any other Sauiours of their soules any other Priestes or intercessours For in so doing they robbe the sonne of God of his honor which he constantly affirmeth in the Prophete he will giue to none other Agayne bicause it is manifest that he is annointed of God we must beleeue that his power is inuincible and that they neede not feare the force of the worlde or of hell which acknowledge this king But bicause we haue otherwheres intreated of this argument lette these fewe things for this tyme suffise Furthermore least any man might thinke that Iesus the sonne of God is delyted with a bare name and tytle after the maner of men Peter declareth that he hath and doth faithfully performe the office of a king and priest At this present he premyseth certayne generalities declaring his benefites tâ—â—arde vs meaning hereafter to intreate of the maner of our redemption as the Sermon following shall declare And first he sayeth he went about doyng good vnto all men This is the dutie of a faithfull king and Priest not onely to helpe them with ayde and counsell that seeke for it at his hande but also diligently to prouide and looke about who haue neede of a tutor and benefactor This the Euangelistes teache vs that Iesus Christ the sonne of God hath most faithfully performed For as for our saluation sake he came into the worlde so he caried the doctrine of saluation and myracles wherwith he confirmed the same ouer all Iury Galiley and remayned no long whyle anywhere but plainly confessed that he must preache to all men euerywhere And he did not onelye curteously receyue them that came to him but also friendly inuited and called to hym all that laboured and were heauy laden promising all them that would come vnto hym reast and refreshing And that which it appeareth he dyd in tymes passed the same he doth also at this daye while he spreadeth the preachyng of his Gospell wyde ouer that it enricheth lyke a shower of raine now one nation now an other with the seede of his heauenly word so that not without a cause it may be sayd now adayes also he goeth vp and downe bestowing his benefites on euery man For he faithfully teacheth them that be in errour he bringeth the deceyued and wandring Pilgrimes into the way he friendly correcteth the corrupted with vice he gently comforteth the afflicted consciences and with his righteousnesse and satisfaction defendeth them that are feared with the rigor of Gods iudgement Therefore great and hydeous is the ingratitude of them which abhorre such a benefactour as cruell and vnmercifull and vse to seeke helpe and counsell at others Yet is their iniquitie more horrible which wickedly reiect his word and will not witsafe to heare it and so cast from them that saluation which they ought to seeke and embrace with open armes and all kinde of diligence Both these vices are to common in our dayes the indignitie wherof if we woulde diligently expende we shoulde lesse marueyle at the causes of so many euils as on euery side compasse vs. The other benefite of Iesus Christ is sayth he that all they that were oppressed of the Deuill were healed by him This appertayneth peculiarlye to the office of a King whereof also mention is made Psal. 72. He shall kepe the simple folke by their right defende the children of the poore and punish the wrong dooer c. But bicause Christ was the author of our spirituall redemption Peter maketh mention of a spirituall Tyrant to saye of the Deuill who after he had made our first parentes guiltie of transgression by them brought in all kinde of calamitie and death it selfe into the world and by the permission of God so oppressed all mankinde wyth his exceeding tyrannie that he is thereof called the Prince of the worlde For he brought to passe by sinne that they whom God had created vnto lyfe fell into death that they whome God aboue all other Creatures had endued with reason sinned agaynst the lawe of nature that they which ought wholy to haue depended on the worde
that were committed to his charge and by all meanes to be alwayes instant vppon them Therefore their error is most absurde which thinke all doctrine vnprofytable and superfluous for those which haue already once attayned to the knowledge of truth Thirdly Barnabas goeth to Tharsus from thence he bringeth Paule to Antioch to thintent the congregation through his ministery might the more be strengthened This is an other argument of a true faithfull minde and feruent in loue towarde christ For Barnabas coulde not be ignorant howe great giftes of the spirite were in Paules brest and how much authoritie he should lose if Paule came to Antioch who was the singularest instrument that Christ had But we haue before shewed that they which are feruent in faith seeke not to be glorifyed of men but desire to promote the glory of god Yea it is certayne that all they lacke fayth which are led with the desire of their owne glory prayse which argument Christ vseth against the Scribes of the Iewes In the meane season Barnabas example teacheth vs that in well ordred congregations the chiefe care is to haue fit Ministers of the word and that they shoulde be sought for and brought from all places Christ teacheth the same where he biddeth vs to praye vnto the Lorde of the haruest that he will sende forth labourers Herof we see it came to passe that the chiefe of the Prophetes and most noble Kings had so diligent a care and consideration of schooles bicause without them they perceyued the Church coulde not stande nor the pure doctrine of fayth be maintayned Wherefore their ingratitude is very grosse which do not onely contemne the Ministers as persons vnprofitable whome the Lorde of his mercy offreth but also hate them as the greatest malefactors that can be and woorse than Toades Last of all is adioyned howe Barnabas and Paule continued a whole yeare togither at Antioch For this cause vndoubtedly for that they sawe the congregation had neede of their help For Luke writeth not that they sate ydelie there like sluggards but declareth that they instructed there a great company of men in the true faith and religion of christ Let ministers of the Church followe this example and while they perswade other men to perseuerance let them constantly perseuer in their duty and not boaste themselues of the bare name of Pastors but lette them doe that that belongeth to true Pastors least they become followers and successors of that foolishe shepeherde which is described in Zachary .xj. Chapter Nowe remayneth the profite and successe of this godly and feruent diligence which Luke sayth was notable For first he sayth a great company was added vnto the Lorde Whereby it is euident that the traueyles of the godly Ministers was not without effect For as the worde of God like vnto a fruitefull seede hath power or vertue in it selfe to bring forth fruite so it alwayes falleth vpon some which being well disposed to receyue it bring forth worthy fruites And although some bring stony hearts some thorny giuen to all kinde of pleasures yet hath God his people euerywhere which receyue his seede into good hearts and there keepe it till it bring forth much fruite And the Prophete beareth witnesse that the worde of God returneth not without fruite or in vaine but is like vnto a showre of raine which watereth the grounde and maketh it fruitfull Moreouer God blesseth the studies of his Ministers so that they shall not labour in vayne This ought to encourage those that labour in the Church of Christ to thinke their traueyles can not be lost For if they deliuer but a fewe soules from destruction let them thinke they haue gotten great treasure bicause Christ witnesseth that the saluation of one soule cannot be redeemed with all the substance of the world In the meane while marke howe he sayth this compaâ—ye was added vnto the Lorde Then Paule and Barnabas gathered not scholers to themselues but vnto the Lorde For they knewe well that they must glory in Christ alone as their teacher and maister And they knewe Christ commaunded them to bring schollers vnto him Therefore great is their insolencie which be authors of sectes among Christians and make them the seruauntes of men whome Christ hath purchased to himselfe with the price of his bloude See what Paule sayth against this doing in the first epistle to the Corinthians 1.3.7 c There ensueth yet another commoditie which hath gotten perpetuall and immortall glory to the Citie of Antioche For where in that Citie the first Church of the Gentyles was gathered togither it came to passe that they which hytherto were called but Disciples are now first adourned with the name of Christians And this is that newe name which God long before promised hee woulde giue vnto his elect And what greater glorye coulde comme vnto the Antiochianes Let the Bishoppes of prowde and haultie Rome be compared with these men and they shall whether they will or nill be inforced to giue place And yet we neuer reade that that prowde tytle was giuen to Antioch to be called the heade of the Church But to let passe these matters let vs rather expende the force of this name bicause it is not giuen vs without the prouidence of god It is euident that we be so called of the sonne of God which according to the figure of the olde â–ª Testament wherewith Kings and Priests were annointed is of the Greekes for excellencie sake called Christ of the Hebrues Meschias and of vs annoynted bicause God hath appointed him the vniuersall and euerlasting King and Priest of his people as may be seene Psalm 2. and .110 And where he giueth himselfe and all that is his wholye to his people therefore he woulde haue them to be called Christians after his owne name And he hath not giuen vs a naked and an emptie name but as the Apostle sayth he hath annointed vs and made vs Kings and Priestes to God his father Therfore the vse of this name is manifolde For first it admonisheth vs of the dignitie which we haue in Christ wherevnto there is none like as they shall confesse which throughly weigh the matter For it is plaine that there was neuer King which was able to make all the subiectes of his Realme Kings no not his Courtyers or those that were of his counsayle But such is the vertue power of Iesus Christ that he is able to make them Kings for euer that acknowledge him to be their king Then this name serueth to confirme the beliefe and certaintie of our saluation For in Iesus Christ is God the father well pleased Therefore he can not be angrye with vs nor forsake vs whome he hath vouchsafed to call after the name of his belooued sonne Hence therefore may we fett arguments of consolation in aduersity especially in the temptations of our conscience Finally this title admonisheth vs of
and false Prophet Who can saye that God had any care of this man whome he suffreth to be seduced with so many and diuers errours But that faythfull shepehearde Christ seeketh his lost sheepe in the mountaynes and valleyes yea and in the sea also and will not suffer them to be taken out of his hande This place therefore teacheth vs that we must not despaire to hastilye of any man except he manifestly proue himselfe to be of the number of the reprobate Moreouer Luke declareth in this Sergius the example of a good and a godly magistrate For both he is very desirous to learne the truth and also he ouerhastilye condemneth not the Ministers of a doctrine not heard before but calling them before him giueth them libertie freely to declare their doctrine The Princes of our dayes shoulde doe well to imitate this man whereof manye of them condemne the doctrine of truth before they knowe it and vse cruelly to punishe them whose fayth and religion they are vtterly ignoraunt of But let them remember they shall not be excused through ignorance considering it is their parts to do nothing of ignorance but diligently to search out and examine all causes These things being thus premised let vs nowe marke howe the contention beginneth where it plainly appeareth that the Apostles were the beginners hereof For where Sergius the Proconsull had sent for them to learne of them the worde of God it is like that they made no tariance but with all speede hasted to set forth the kingdome of god And here streyghtway commeth forth this Magitian and withstandeth them as they preach the worde For he quickly sawe that there was like to be no longer abiding for him with the Proconsull if he were once lightned with the knowledge of truth And although Luke declareth not after what sort he resisted the Apostles yet bicause he was a false Prophete and sorcerer it maye be easily gathered that he left no wayes vnassayde which might seeme to oppresse the truth And this Contender is diligentlye to be considered that by him we may learne to knowe all false Prophetes And fyrst marke his prowde name whereby he challengeth to himselfe a certaine Godheade For being called after his right name Elymas he woulde in the Syrian tongue be called Bariesu that is to saye the sonne of the Sauiour whereby we coniecture that he presumed to promise saluation to them that woulde follow his teaching He is therefore of the number of those that Christ prophecied shoulde come and challenge to them the maiestie of his name But it is the propertie of false Prophetes that if themselues vsurpe not the name of God yet they will haue their doctrine called after his name that vnder this pretence they might the easlyer beguile the simple Thus Zedechias speaking before Achab of the victorie that he shoulde get against the Syrians vseth that common beginning of the Prophetes Thus sayth the Lorde The same may we see in diuers others Yea there was yet neuer false Prophete but he went about to get him authoritie by colour of Gods name Moreouer this he doth according to the vsage of all false Prophetes he getteth him the friendship and familiaritie of the Proconsull and cleaueth fast vnto him as a most neare companion For deceyuers vse to get them the friendship of great estates both for that when they haue gotte them on their sides other by their example are the easlyer allured and also to purchase themselfe safetie by their authoritie For where they knowe they are destitute of the ayde of truth they must needes seeke for the arme and power of man whereby to defende themselfe So Baalam in time past notwithstanding he was admonished to the contrary by Oracle went about to get the friendship of Balac king of the Moaâ—ites And it is manifest that the Romaine Antichristes haue clymed to such power as they haue being ayded with the amitie and armor of Princes yea the deceyuers and hooded Iuglers are so neare and at hande about Princes that they can scarce let a fart but they must know it And this is the cause that such teachers frame their doctrine according to the delicate eares of their hearers least they shoulde offende them vpon whome they wholy depende This was Elymas onely scope and ende to turne the Proconsull from the fayth that he shoulde not beleeue that that Paule sayde And as all the Ministers of true doctrine consent herein to winne menne vnto God by fayth in Christ so all deceyuers agree herein to ouerthrowe the faith in Christ which being ouerthrowne the kingdome of God can take no place among menne For Satan knoweth that his force is most weakened by true fayth wherof there are examples euerywhere in the Euangelistes But let vs see howe Paule confuted this wicked enchaunter First Luke sayth he was full of the holy ghost wherby he meaneth that he was moued by the spirite somewhat aboue his ordinarie wont which thing he therfore declareth aforehande that we might thinke he did nothing of fleshly affection when we shall heare his heauy and intollerable weyght of wordes In the meane season we are admonished to fyght against the enimies of truth not with the blinde affection of fleshe but by the conduct and counsayle of the holy ghost whome vndoubtedly they shall fynde to bee their enimye be they neuer so well garded with worldly power Then he goeth on in his businesse fyxing his eies fast vpon Elymas which is an argument of a well meaning and vnfearefull minde And verily it becommeth vs boldly and constantly to resist Antichristians that they maye thinke men feare them not For why shoulde we feare them seeing he is greater that is on our side Why also shoulde they be the more encouraged through our cowardlynesse who already are turmoyled with the terrours of their naughtie conscience Thirdly he painteth him out egregiously in his colours and ioyneth a speciall weight and poyse vnto euery worde First ô full of all deceytfulnesse sayth he He accuseth him therefore of subtiltie and craft as one that sought praise and authoritie by sorcery and enchauntment Secondly he vpbraydeth him with naughtynesse of minde being readye to commit whatsoeuer wickednesse it were For what is more naughtye and wicked than vnder colour of Gods holy name to beguile men which is the chiefe commendation of false Prophetes and sorcerers For by this meanes they sette God at sixe and seauen as they saye who threatneth that he will not let the prophanation of his name go vnreuenged Thirdly he calleth him the chylde of the deuill to declare his impudencie who presumed to call himselfe the sonne of the Sauiour For that he was a childe of the Deuils both his insolent pride of minde and earnest studie of naughtinesse did abundantly declare Fourthly he calleth him the enimy of all righteousnesse and that well worthy forasmuch as he was Christes aduersarie without whome can be founde no righteousnesse that
is before God acceptable Fifthly thou ceasest not sayth he to peruert the straight wayes of the Lorde In the which wordes he comprehendeth two most heinous offences incurable maliciousnesse and earnest desire to peruert the worde of the Lorde For his worde is simple and pure and sheweth vnto vs a most playne waye of saluation But through the naughtinesse of manne it seemeth vncertaine and full of perplexitie Last of all he thundreth against him the heauy sentence of punishment And nowe beholde the hande of the Lorde is vppon thee and thou shalt be blinde and not see for a season Where yet among the terrible thunder crackes of Gods threates we see there is hope of saluation left if he will repent and turne vnto the lord For God so vseth to reueale his wrath by his worde that yet he will not haue them swallowed vppe of despaire whome he will haue saued The chiefe vse of this place is that we learne what the faythfull Ministers of Christes Church haue to doe in these dayes where many Elymae are buzeing in the eares of Kings and Princes to bring them from the fayth that they may at their pleasure oppresse the ruder sort and the Comminaltie For we can iudge the Monkes and Priests none other which deceytfully sell their trifles vnder color of Gods holy name and like the presumpteous Gyauntes arrogate to themselues power vpon heauen who of set purpose striue against the righteousnesse of Christ and the faith that maketh righteous who impudently set light the authoritie of Gods word and corrupt the same with the traditions of men who make the most plaine way of saluation most intricate and vnfyndable with their infynite mazes of Monkish vowes of orders of rules of merites of bulles of pardons and of cases reserued who fynally not herewith content procure Princes to committe slaughter and murther and to shedde innocent bloude These must be accused with like boldenesse and libertie that men maye learne to beware of them which hitherto haue beguiled them with their stagelike maiestie Neyther lette vs giue eare vnto them which in this case prescribe vs rules of modestie and charitie forasmuch as it is euident that many of them be incurable and are bent onely to defende their vsurped tyrannie be it right or be it wrong Nowe remayneth the ende and successe of this contention heauy for Elymas the deceyuer but most ioyfull for Sergius the Proconsull For on Elymas falleth by and by the punishment pronounced by Paule and being striken blinde he gropeth for one to leade him by the hande The like we saw fall out before to Ananias and Sapphira whereby it behoueth vs to learne the power of Gods word The chiefe thing to be marked in this place is what remayneth for false teachers and deceyuers which dare to withstande the worde of God eyther for vauntage or honour They are made blinde for the most part if not in body yet it minde and the Lorde of his iust iudgement hath giuen them vp into a reprobate sense so that they are neyther able to embrace the truth nor yet to forsake and auoide manifest and knowne errours Furthermore being in Gods iudgement defamed they lose the strength and ayde of fleshe wherein they so much trusted So is fulfylled that that is written in Zachary 11. chap. ô Idols shepehearde that leaueth the flocke The sworde shall come vpon his arme and vpon his right eie His arme shall be cleane dryed vp and his right eye shall be sore blinded And there want not examples of this iudgement in our dayes but we want eyes to behold them And these our Elymae are so much the more miserable that being blinde yet they thinke still they see and seeke for none to leade them but contemptuously disdaine those which God offereth them Furthermore as this contention came to passe vnprosperouslye for Elymas so great profyte came thereby vnto the Proconsull whome the Lorde by this meanes deliuered out of darkenesse For he seeing the iudgement of God beleeued and beganne to make much of Christes doctrine This is the peculiar propertie of Gods children that they acknowledge the iudgementes of God are amended by others example where the euill and deceyuers waxe worse and worse But in all this storie this thing is most comfortable that we see the truth can be vanquished neyther with open force of Tyrants nor subtile conueyance of the Deuill For being pressed and borne downe it riseth againe and by striuing gathereth the more strength Therefore let vs embrace the truth and constantly stande by the author and defender thereof Iesus Christ our Lorde to whome be praise honor power and glory for euer Amen The .lxxxviij. Homelie WHEN Paule departed from Paphos they that were with him came to Perga in Pamphilia and Iohn departed from them and returned to Ierusalem But they wandred through the countries and came from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia and went into the Sinagoge on the Sabboth daye and sate downe And after the lecture of the lawe and the Prophetes the Rulers of the Sinagoge sent vnto them saying ye men and brethren if you haue any sermon to exhort the people say on THere appeare many and notable tokens of diuine power and maiestie in the workes of Iesus Christ but among them al this is the most notable and euident that by the ministerie of the Apostles within few yeres he subdued all the world For where it is manifest that they were furnished with no fleshlye succors but were the least esteemed of all men and yet brought to passe things of such importance we must needes acknowledge that Gods power wrought by them whereby it came to passe that the worlde was brought to a newe countenance and the Gentyles deliuered from the errors of their olde superstition and receyued the true religion This is the chiefe thing that we haue to consider in this present voyage of Paule and Barnabas For these two being sent forth by the appoyntment of God to preach the Gospell indifferently to all Nations they prosperously passe through all impedimentes standing in their waye And fyrst cōming to Cyprus they subdue vnto the kingdome of Christ the inhabiters of a most rich Islande giuen to all riotousnesse and worshipping of Venus and they doe not onely winne vnto them the common people but Sergius also the Romaine Proconsull whose authoritie onely had bene ynough to haue resisted them if it had bene mans affayres only they had gone about and they leade about Elymas the sorcerer a chosen instrument of the Deuill and striken with horrible blindenesse in triumph so that in one conflict it appeareth mannes force and the Deuils sleightes were ouercommen both togither Nowe let vs see howe such a prosperous beginning gaue a good occasion to the Apostles farther to spreade the kingdome of Christ. Hauing gone through Cyprus they passe from Paphus into Pamphilia and came vnto Perga a Citie of that Region making a great voyage both by sea
alone conteyneth more in it than any manne is able to perfourme And if thou haue to speake vnto Christians what canst thou deuise more amiable than the name of brother or more honourable than the name of Christian wherby both the Priestly dignitie and Princely maiestie whervnto Christ hath aduaunced vs is expressed But nowe a dayes the worlde is come to such foolishnesse that they are iudged rude and rusticall that stuffe not their orations and writings with counterfeyted and most pâ—euish and ridiculous tytles whereby they make men already not well in their wits starke staring madde How much better did Augustus Caesar who thought this name Dominus or Lorde more honorable than sitting for a mortall man as he was Secondly we are taught what maner of men they shoulde be that will heare the worde of God worthily and to their profyte and vtilitie First they must be Israelites which in the wrastling of temptations must take fast holde of the worde of God and not suffer it by anye aduersitie to be taken from them Therefore is fayth required whereby the Apostle witnesseth we ouercome Then must they be such as feare God and tremble with great reuerence at his worde as the Lorde admonisheth by his Prophet Esay 66. For it cannot be that any can obey the worde of God but he that hath learned to thinke well of it For the which cause when Moses came to talke with God he was commaunded to put of his shooes that is to say all beastly and fleshly affections whereby the maiestie of God vseth to be driuen awaye Nowe seeing there be so fewe such hearers in these dayes for that cause we see the worde of God is so much preached in vaine But to returne vnto Paule he addeth to his beginning the narration of an hystorie wherein the fyrst part of his Oration is ended And he taketh the beginning of his narration of the fathers therby declaring that he preached neyther newe God nor newe fayth but the same by the which the fathers in time past were saued For he affirmeth that they had in deede many singuler giftes but yet nothing but that God of his grace gaue them who woulde haue the Sauiour that he promised borne of their posteritie But bicause they which trust in their owne worthinesse can hardly acknowledge the grace of God Paule vseth a diligent rehearsall of Gods benefyts which both maintaineth the grace of god against the boasters of their merits and also contayneth manifest examples of our whole redemption Wherefore it shall not be from Paules purpose if we runne them all ouer and expende such poyntes as serue for our instruction First he toucheth the fountaine of all goodnesse which is free election The God of this people sayeth he chose our fathers He calleth him the God of the people of the Iewes not after the maner of the gentiles which appoynted to euery Nation their peculiar God but bicause that God which was the Lorde and gouernor of all Nations chose vnto him the people of Iewes before all other by whom he would be knowne vnto all the world That this election or choyse was of his free mercie the Scripture teacheth in euery place Uerily Iosue testifyeth that Abraham serued straunge Gods before he was called And Moses doth many times inculcate this election that they might vnderstande whome to thanke for all those benefytes that they had receyued And hereto belong the things which we read in Ezechiel 16. and Amos. 3. and they take from the Iewes all occasion of glorying Hereby also appeareth that our saluation and whatsoeuer we haue that good is ought to be referred vnto the grace of God whereby he did vouchsafe to choose vs also before the foundations of the worlde were layde Dauid therefore doth well saye Blessed is the man whome thou hast chosen And if we haue no goodnesse of our selues but are chosen of God what madnesse is it I pray you to attribute saluation to our merites or works which vnlesse free election go before cannot please God. Secondly he alleageth the glory and notable deliuerye of this people out of Egypt For when they were Pilgrimes and straungers in Egypt God did marueylously exalt them fyrst by Ioseph who being made ruler of Egypt obtained fauour for them of the king of that Countrie After that being oppressed with tyrannie he brought them out of the house of bondage into libertie wiâ—h an high or mighty arme that is to saye by myracles and wonders with great power And that this was a free benefyte and goodnesse appeareth in this that they were pilgrimes and men most abiect For what coulde such deserue To saye nothing in the meane season howe they were polluted and defyled with the superstition of Egypt whereby they deserued rather to be kept in bondage still than to be sette at libertie These things containe in them a fygure of our common redemption much agreeing with this present argument For it is manifest we are all pilgrimes vpon the earth and haue here no continuall dwelling place Such therefore as we who deserued no possession vpon earth hath God lift vppe into heauen yea he hath witsafe to take as his children He also hath deliuered vs being oppressed with the deadly tyrannie of the deuill with his highe arme that is to saye by his sonne whome Esaye the Prophete cap. 53. calleth the arme of the Lorde Thirdly he sayth God suffered their maners fourtie yeares in the wildernesse Herein is noted a marueylous and more than fatherly bearing and tendernesse such as no mortall man woulde vse towarde his only sonne or seruaunt most profytable vnto him This thing well appeareth if we read the storie of Moses Howe often reade we they murmured against Moses howe often rose they sediciously against him howe often went they about to murther him But to let passe the thinges they did against Moses what did they not commit against God himselfe They forgate his commaundements and made a Calfe and chaunged the glory of God immortall into the similitude of an Oxe that eateth haye How often preferred they the seruitude of Egypt before the benefyte of their glorious deliuery how often did they tempt the will and power of God yet God bare with their incurable malice although they daily deserued with newe punishments to be destroyed This might seeme a wonderfull meekenesse of God if we daylye founde not the like For what daye or houre passeth in the which we prouoke not the iudgement of God against vs eyther in wordes deedes or thoughts and wicked desires Yet the Lorde spareth vs as though he had not thunderboltes and diuers other weapons at hande wherewith to punishe and strike vs. For he knoweth whereof we be made to vse the wordes of the Prophet and remembreth that we are but dust Yet least any man might thinke he maye hereby sinne without checke let vs note that this lenitie of God serued but hereto
onely bicause he woulde not destroy the whole Nation according to their desertes In the meane while he grieuously punished them that were incurable and woulde not repent For none of them entred into the lande of promise but were ouerthrowne in the wildernesse with many plagues in somuch that God neyther spared Aaron nor Moses bicause they also had bene occasions of offence vnto the people Fourthly he rehearseth the inheritance of the lande of promise which God gaue by lot to the people of the Iewes hauing fyrst destroyed seauen mightie Nations This is at large set forth in the booke of Iosue And Moses diligently setteth forth that benefyte of God where he sayeth when the Lorde thy God hath brought thee into the lande which he sware vnto thy fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob and giueth thee great and goodlye Cities which thou buildedst not houses full of all maner of goods which thou fylledst not and welles digged which thou diggedst not vineyardes and Olyue trees which thou plantedst not c. Which wordes as they marueylously amplify the liberalitie of God so they might cause God to be thought vnrighteous and cruell vnlesse the causes be well considered for the which these Nations were cast out Moses reciteth them in other places where he forbiddeth wandring and promiscuous lustes incest ydolatrie sorcerie and enchauntmentes and such other curious artes and addeth Thou shalt not doe after the maner of this Nation which I cast out before thee for all these things haue they done wherfore I haue abhorred them c. See Leuit. 20 and .18 Deut. 18 Therefore for these offences these Nations were destroyed wherewithall when the Israelites also were defyled we reade that God cast them of also so that no man â—an in this case accuse God eyther of vnrighteousnesse or of ouermuch seueritie Fifthly he setteth forth the benefyte of a common weale gouerned by good lawes For God did not onely giue vnto them the lande but also Iudges to gouerne and defend them against the tyrannie of their enimies And here is to be marked a manifest errour which through the negligence of Stationers and Printers hath depraued the numbers For it is written that after Moses and the distribution of the lande the Iudges ruled foure hundred and fyfty yeares whereas by infallible computation can be gathered but three hundred yeares onely which Paule was not ignorant of For it is euident that from the people of Israels going out of Egypt vntill the building of Salomons Temple which beganne in the fourth yeare of his reigne were but fower hundreth and fower score yeares From these take the fortie yeares that Moses ledde the people in the wildernesse and the fortie yeares of Samuel and Saule and as many of Dauid with the fower yeares of Salomons reigne and then shall remayne three hundred and sixe and fyftie yeares in the which the Iudges gouerned the common weale of Israel In these are declared two argumentes of Gods goodnesse For in all that time of the Iudges they deserued not so fewe times as once to be destroyed and yet were still saued Moreouer when they desired a King despising that forme of common weale which was the best of all other giuen them of God God did not set ouer them any forreine tyrant but gaue them Saule to be their king one of their owne brethren and one of the least regarded Trybes least the power of the newe king shoulde be to great and intollerable at the beginning Yea the Lorde tooke in good part and did well interpretate their inconsiderate rashnesse For so he brought the kingdome to Iuda out ofwhose Princely stocke Iacob prophecied that the Messias shoulde come But of this shall be intreated hereafter At this present let vs consider that the institution of a common weale is to be numbred among the speciall benefytes of god For where men naturally shunne to be corrected and yet without discipline it is impossible to leade a quiet and safe life it is a worke of Gods power and goodnesse to haue common weales and Magistrates ordeyned which thing it behooueth them to consider which through Gods gift enioy peace and good lawes least while they shew themselues vnkinde towardes God they cause God to giue them Kings in his wrath as the Prophete testifyeth he did to the Iewes But chiefly let Christians acknowledge their felicitie for whome God hath prepared the fruition of the heauenly kingdome in Iesus Christ the most victorious and immortall king to whome bee praise honour power and glory for euer Amen The lxxxx Homelie AND when hee was put downe he set vp Dauid to bee their King of whom he reported saying I haue found Dauid the son of Iesse a man after mine owne heart which shall fulfyll all my will. Of this mannes seede hath God according as he had promised brought foorth to Israel a sauiour one Iesus when Iohn had first preached before his comming the baptisme of repentaunce to Israel And when Iohn had fulfilled his course he sayde whom ye thinke I am the same I am not But beholde there commeth one after me whose â—â—ooes of his feete I am not worthy to vnlose THe Apostle Paule in this Sermon of his laboureth altogither to bring the Iewes from their vaine and superstitious trust in the lawe to the wholesome fayth of Iesus Christ. But where they so gloried in certaine prerogatiues wherewith God had adourned their Nation that they thought they had neede of none other Sauiour in the fyrst part of his sermon he beateth downe this affiance and teacheth that the fathers had not of their owne merite but of Gods meere fauour whatsoeuer goodnesse was in them and that for the Messias sake which was to be borne of their stocke And hereof he leaueth to euerye wise man to consider that this Messias ought to be taken holde of and kept by constant fayth vnlesse they will altogither fall from the grace of God and their former dignitie Furthermore he endeth this fyrst part of his Sermon with a diligent rehearsall of the olde benefytes of God in euery of the which appeareth the goodnesse and bountie of Gods grace which as it chose the fathers at the beginning so he saued them beyonde all their desertes where he might haue oftentimes cast them of and destroyed them And he bringeth the hystorie vnto the time of Saule whoÌ„ for this cause he chiefly maketh mention of that he may the easilier come vnto Dauid whome the Scriptures call the father of the Messias that was promised And in this place he declareth how the kingdome was translated vnto Dauid then by that occasion he taketh in hand the other part of his sermon wherein he prooueth that Christ is the Messias whose office and whole worke of our redemption he setteth out more at large The translation of the kingdome maketh much for Paules purpose For therein appeared a singuler token of Gods goodnesse in that he set not a tyrant ouer
singular fruites of fayth For shewing hir dutie of thankefulnesse vnto the Apostles she requested them home to hir house and lodged them By which occasion it came to passe that the Apostles proceeding earnestly in their office daylye wanne more and more Disciples and so beganne a Church togither as shall appeare in the ende of the Chapter But Satan thinking this geare intollerable assayeth to resist these fyrst principles and beginnings of Christes kingdome And fyrst he handleth the matter with subtiltie and guilefull flattery and by and by when his fyrst enterprise succeedeth not he setteth vpon the Apostles by open force and at length dryueth them out of the Citie But at this time we will examine but the fyrst encounter Luke beginneth his hystorie with the description of that person whose helpe Satan vsed in this conflict This was a mayde or damozell possessed with the spirite of Python which by hir prophecying was very gaynefull vnto hir maister and mystresse Nowe thys spirite of Python the Gentyles supposed to be Apollo who had that name giuen him as the Poets feigne of that Serpent Python which he slewe wyth his bowe and arrowes And that Apollo was the President of prophecying is more manifest than needeth by many wordes to be prooued For Delphi Claros Delus and diuers other places where vnder the name of Apollo the deuill sometime vsed to vtter hys Oracles were very notable and famous He lykewise inspyred certayne priuate persons striking them sodainly madde and making them speake ambiguous and doubtfull sayings which superstitious men receyued and embraced for credible Oracles And at length the matter came to this passe that foolishe men woulde enterprise or take nothing in hand vnlesse they had fyrst consulted with these Prophets and in all their distresses they woulde runne to these Oracles whereby it came to passe that great aduauntage followed Bicause man is of this nature that he will let for no labour nor cost about those things which may any kinde of way satisfye his curiositie And Satan rayseth vppe an instrument hereof among the Philippians agaynst the Apostles to the intent eyther to make the wiser sort suspect them or else the rude and vnskilfull Commons to hate them In the meane whyle we maye consider with what engines Satan maintayneth hys kingdome amongst men namely by lying and curious and soothsaying Artes wherein he counterfeyteth the spirite of Prophecie to drawe men by that meanes from the worde of God which ought to be the onely rule in all our doyngs The Professors of these Artes in Egypt were the Magitians whych the Scripture sayeth wythstoode Moses Among these may Baalam also be numbred although he did egregiously counterfeyte a loue of the truth Such were diuers and many sorts of Prophetes among the Chanaanites whome God by his lawe commaunded to be destroyed Unto the which maye be referred the Augures Aruspices and interpreters of dreames Astrologers Necromancers Geomancers Hydromancers and infynite others whose counsayles and sayings were of great authoritie among Kings and Magistrates in the administration and gouernance of their kingdomes and common weales And surelye if we consider the thing well Satan scarcely exercised the power of his kingdome in anye other thyng more than in this vanitie of Oracles wherewith he bewitched all the worlde a great number of yeres And in these dayes he many times rayseth vp certayne Prophetes which eyther make themselfe cunning in the knowledge of thinges to come or else can put awaye diseases by enchauntments and assay to doe diuers other things impossible for man to perfourme But some will demaunde wherefore God in times past suffred and yet to this day suffreth these things to be done The answere is readye For where the Gentyles in tymes past were not contented with the reuelations of God but went about to fynde out the mysteries of Gods maiestie by the pregnancie of their owne wit this presumption of theirs deserued that they shoulde be gyuen vppe into a reprobate sense and miserably seduced wyth the wyles and ginnes of the Deuill Paule gaue vs warning that the same shoulde come to passe towarde the later dayes saying that Antichrist should haue power on them which would not embrace the truth offred of god And if a manne consider the Philippians he shall fynde they were worthye to be thus seduced by this Demoniake Damsell For such was their liberalitie towards hir that hir Master and Dame had no small aduauntage by hir But yet they so little regarde the Apostles of Christ that they had wanted harbour vnlesse Lydia which also was a forrenner had taken them into hir house The like vnthankefulnesse peruersitie is in these dayes For men will not embrace the light of the truth and where they bestowe much cost vpon dumbe ymages deceyuing Priestes Coniurers Inchaunters Soothsayers and wise folke as they call them euery thing seemeth to much that they bestow on the doctrine of truth They are worthy therefore to be a pray for Satan by whose subtiltie they may perceyue both their goods to be consumed and their bodies troubled and molested Let vs therefore learne to harken vnto the lawe of God which teacheth vs to take heede and beware of all such kindes of deceyuers and commaundeth vs only to studie and followe the worde of god See Deut. 18. Leuit. 20. Esaye 8. And they that will not thus doe let them learne by the example of Saule what to looke for See. 1. Sam. 28. But nowe it is time to marke what Satan did by this Damsell She following the Apostles which of custome resorted to the prayers cried out saying These men are the seruantes of the most high God which shewe vnto vs the waye of saluation What kinde of thing sayest thou is this that I heare Is this the saying of the Deuill withstanding the Apostles Yea verily Why he coulde not saye any more in their commendation than to confesse them to be the seruauntes of God and the preachers of saluation Howbeit it behooueth vs not so much to consider the wordes as the pretence and meaning of the Deuill by whose suggestion these wordes were spoken For so shall thou perceyue that he most craftily vndermineth Christes cause where he seemeth most to holde with the same For here in this place he beareth witnesse vnto the Apostles doctrine to make it with the wiser sort specially with the Iewes if anye were present to be suspected For Satan knoweth he is accounted a lyer amongest all menne For this cause he crieth that the Apostles are the seruantes of God and messengers of saluation to make them the rather to be suspected with wise men Furthermore he seeketh to make those that beleeue the Apostles to beleeue also his answeres whereby they heard the Apostles doctrine commended But the faith in Christ cannot stande where ought is attributed vnto the deuill whose kingdome Christ came into this worlde to destroye Therefore vnder the pretence of Christ he seeketh priuily to
the sonne of Marie was the Messias and Christ that is the sauiour of the worlde that was promysed by whose onely merite we are delyuered from the cursse of the lawe from sinne and from death Thus let Ministers prepare them away prudently that at length they may waxe feruent in setting forth Christ and maintayning his doctrine that they cloke not their fearefulnesse with the pretence of modestie Againe it appeareth that Christ is the chiefe marke and Butte of the Apostles doctrine whose wytnesses they were chosen to be Peter in the Sermons that are before gone hath taught vs that in hym onely is all our saluation conteyned Paule afterwarde wryting to the Corinthians confesseth that he knoweth nothing but Iesus Christ and him crucifyed Iohn sayeth that whatsoeuer is written by the Euaungelistes serueth to this ende that we shoulde beleeue that Iesus is Christ by beliefe attaine to lyfe euerlasting we must therefore be contented with the same For it is not lawfull for any man to chalenge to himselfe any more knowledge of saluation then the Apostles did which had Christ to their schoolemaister and his most faythfull spirite for their counseller Wherefore let vs all know Christ onely which is our king and only priest who dying for our sinnes and rysing againe for our iustifycation hath redeemed vs and made vs kings and priests to his father To him be praise honor power and glorie for euer Amen The Cxxj. Homely AND when they sayd contrary and blasphemed he shooke his rayment and sayde vnto them your bloud be vpon your owne heades from henceforth will I go blamelesse vnto the Gentyles And he departed thence and entred into the house of a certaine man called Iustus a worshipper of God whose house ioyned hard to the Synagoge Howbeit one Crispus the chiefe Ruler of the Synagoge beleeued on the Lorde with all his housholde and many of the Corinthians when they gaue audience beleeued and were baptised Then spake the Lorde to Paule in the nyght by a vision be not afrayd but speake for I am with thee and no man shall inuade thee that shall hurt thee for I haue much people in this Citie And he contynued there a yeare and sixe Moneths and taught them the worde of God. OUr Sauiour Iesus Christ many tymes testifyed that the chiefe cause whye he came into the worlde was to saue sinners The Apostles beyng mindefull hereof vsed to preache the doctrine of saluation vnto notable synners and to bring them into the felloship of Christ and his Church So behooued it to be in the begynning bicause none shoulde thinke Christes merite coulde be ouercome by any heynousnesse of our sinnes or should beginne to dispayre of their saluation in him This same may notably be seene in the conuersion of Corinthe For we heard erewhyle that it was a most naughtie and corrupt Citie Yet is Paule sent thither to delyuer them by the preaching of the Gospell from the brynke of destruction And fyrst according to his vsuall maner he offereth saluation vnto the Iewes who yet of all others had deserued that God should not regarde them Who therefore will despayre of Gods mercie who so earnestly sought the saluation of so hatefull a people Let vs here marke howe the incurable impietie of this people wrastled here also against the long suffering of God Christ our Sauiour ouercomming and triumphing in the myddle of thys sturre and businesse For it is written that the Iewes gaynesayde Paule plainely bearing witnesse vnto Christ and at length rayled at him and blasphemed his doctrine That this was their common vsage we haue nowe learned by many examples This wickednesse of theirs is horrible if we consider eyther what they were in tymes passed or expende the rage of euill speaking that they vse agaynst Christ yet to this daye For who woulde not feare the horror of Gods iustice seeing he perceyueth no Nation these manye hundreth yeares such miserable vessels of his wrath as they which sometime were called the fyrst begotten of God the chosen stocke and Priestly kingdome of God It is very worthy to be noted that they nowe at length contrarye and gaynesaye Paule when he moste plainely beginneth to beare witnesse vnto Christ where as before this they had hearde him intreate of the law and certayne other pointes certayne sabboth daies togither very willingly For this that was done at Corinth we see commeth to passe nowe a dayes euerywhere They are after a sort borne withall that can nicke manifest abuses and errors a farre of as many vsed to doe in the tyme of Papistry But assoone as Christ is vrged and his glory plainly and manifestly defended then become they starke madde which before seemed very modest The cause of this euill is for that without the preaching of Christ all other reprehensions are but colde and are of no more weyght than the taulkes of Philosophers who we may reade disputed with great shewe of learning touching the studies of vertue and the miserable condicion of vices But Christ entring into the hearts of men cutteth awaye euen to the quicke all corruption aswell of religion as of manners and liuing and therefore the consequences that necessarily followe of this doctrine seeme to the worlde intollerable For of this doctrine followeth vtterlye the fall of buying and selling of holynesse Hereby is the brightnesse of mannes righteousnesse cleane put out and all affiance in our owne merites quyte ouerthrowne The same reprooueth our corrupt maners and exacteth of vs no counterfeyte or pagiantlyke repentance but a syncere and perfyte such as neyther the corruption of our fleshe can abyde nor mannes power perfourme It seemeth tollerable ynough vnto the worlde to reprooue an adulterer a souldier an vsurer a drunkerde and to let him alone in the Church if he be purged with a friuolous satisfaction although he follow styll the same trade of lyfe But if a man thunder out the sentence of damnation agaynst him by the voyce of the Gospell and exclude him out of the kingdome of God bicause he will not repent this they thinke to be a thing intollerable This is an euident proofe of our corruption and that they are in deede the enimies of God that purposely runne on in sinne and will not be corrected by the worde of god For who will not thinke him to be the enimye of God who despyseth the sonne of God in comparison of his abhominable sinfulnesse Agayne let vs obserue the maner of speach that Luke vseth They spake agaynst him sayth he and blasphemed The fyrst degree of vngodlynesse is to speake against the worde of God. This bicause many doe of ignoraunce their error at the fyrst may be winked at But he that is so led with naughtye and euill affection to speake agaynst the truth reuealed being not contented with this fyrst degree or steppe they commonlye turne them vnto rayling What these raylings and slaunders were that the Iewes vsed agaynst Paule we may gather
insolent and proude stiles which other men vsed to flatter them with For this kinde of men are easily moued to wrath specially when they suppose their estimation is lightly regarded which they farre preferre both before the glory of God and the publike saluation of man Heere let vs marke what manner of Counsels wicked Bishops vse commonly to haue Paule was burthened before with slaunders whereby they thought to bring him in hatred of all his nation And when he was about to answer thereto in a great concourse of people they disturbed him with furious clamoure and shouting Now againe as he is about to make his excuse they resist him with open violence and that in place of iustice whereof they would seeme to be great fauourers Such a Counsell for all the world was it wherein Christ was condemned when Caiphas was president And that was not much vnlike wherein Steuen was oppressed Suche also haue beene the Counsels of the Popes this many hundreth yeares as may be proued by that one Counsell of Constance where we reade the holy Martires of Châ—ist Iohn Husse and Hierome of Prage were condempned with like armoure and weapons What we may hope for at the Counsels of oure dayes appeareth aboundantly by their indictions or Bulles The crafte and impudencie whereof who so perceiueth not doubtlesse they are to be iudged voide of common sense and reason But let vs returne vnto Paule and see howe he tooke this iniurie God saith he shall smite thee O thou painted wall c. In the which words it seemeth to some that he offended against the commaundement of Christ which biddeth vs to tourne the other cheeke to him that smiteth vs on the one But he shall easily be cleared of this fault if we will weigh bothe his wordes and his person For he cursseth him not of any naughtie minde or affection but reproueth his sinne according to the office of an Apostle and sheweth that God hath a punishment prepared for him And first he calleth him painted wall euer following the example of Christ which sayth al the whole packe of them were like vnto painted sepulchers or graues And by and by he rendreth a reason why he so sayth adding Thou sittest to giue iudgement according to the Lawe That is to say Thou claymest vnto thee power to giue Iudgement vpon mee vnder a proud pretence of Lawe and commaundest me to bee smitten contrary to Lawe therefore thou aunswerest not vnto the person and name of a Iudge but vnder the cloke therof hydest an heart that cannot abide the truth and that thirsteth for bloud Therfore God wil strike thee although there be no man to take vengeance on thee These things I say Paule speaketh according to the office of a Minister and not of any reprochful or slaunderous intente or meaning And it is no doubt but he had a respect vnto the example of Christ who when the Byshops seruant smote him tourned not his other cheeke but earenestly rebuked his stoute and contumelious doing And here in this place we are taught that the pacience which holy Scripture commaundeth is not such a kinde of cowardlinesse as giueth the wicked leaue to do what they lust For although we be commaunded paciently to suffer whatsoeuer God sendeth yet must we not flatter the wicked nor dissemble Gods iudgementes Also here may all they which are in office learne a generall doctrine and rule For that which Paule threatned vnto Ananias chaunced not long after For about the beginning of the Iewes warres he was cruelly slaine by Manaim Captaine of a sort of rebellious Iewes being well worthie of suche a death who feared not himselfe to rebell against God and they shall neuer escape the handes of Gods vengeance which follow him in striuing against God and violently oppressing them that be innocentes or else suffering them to bee oppressed by other The Lorde shall smite them whome the Scriptures euery where teach to be the only and true president and reuenger of al iudgements And although they be able to fray men yet shall they neuer escape the handes of god We haue examples in Pharao Saule Achab and many others of whome prophane hystories make mention But as Paule was declaring these things by and by there starte foorth certaine that rebuke him but there was none that would reprehende the vniust force of Ananias For as tyrants take vpon them to do what they lust so they easily find flatterers to defend their authority against al men Whereby it commeth to passe that where they do al men open iniurie yet no man dare complaine on them A like tyrannie hath the Cleargie vsed many yeares in the Church For where the Monkes and Priests molested al men at their plesure yet were they counted very holie and to haue nicked them but in worde onely was a very dangerous and heinous matter But Paule by a feate Ironie and kinde of scorne reproueth this tyrannous hypocrisie saying I wist not brethren that he was the high priest As though he should say Who would take him for the high Priest in whom he sawe nothing worthie such name and title For if he be the high Priest why heareth he not mens causes quietly and with indifferencie Otherwise I am not ignorant that by Gods lawe no man oughte to cursse the lawful Magistrate Reade Deuter. 22. Exod. 22. Magistrats are taught by this Ironie of Paule that then their authoritie is inuiolable and safe when they do their office and shew themselues to be such as al wise men may iudge worthy of that honour For vnies they promote â–ª the glorie of God refrayne from violence defende good lawes and be an example of honest lyfe the same may be sayde vnto them that Paule in this place obiecteth to Ananias For who will take blasphemers bloudsuckers lawe-breakers drunkardes adulterers gamsters ruffians and such lyke companions for senatours and rulers we knowe verily that God of his iust iudgement sometime ordeyneth such whose misgouernance the godlie in temporall matters most paciently suffer But if the same be not honored as they woulde let them not maruell but acknowlede their fault and amend For in so doyng they shall haue Iesus Christ the king of kinges and Lord of Lordes the defender of their aucthoritie To whom be praise honour power and glorye for euer Amen The Cxlviij Homelie WHen Paul perceiued the one part were Saduceis and the other Phariseis he cryed out in the counsel Men and brethren I am a Pharisey the sone of a Pharisey of the hope and resurrection from death I am iudged And when he had so sayde there arose a debate betwene the Phariseis and the Saduceis and the multitude was deuided For the Saduceis sayde there is no resurrection neyther Angell nor spirite But the Phariseis graunt both And there arose a great crye and when the Scribes which were of the Phariseis part arose they stroue saying We fynde no euill in this man though a spirite or
here is declared a newe enterprise of the Iewes attempted to oppresse Paule by For when Festus was gon to Ierusalem to take an othe of allegeance of the Citizens and inhabitants there by and by the Priests and men of aucthoritie came vnto him and accuse Paule whome Felix had left in prison desiring the newe President of his fauoure that he mighte be brought to Ierusalem to be iudged and that they might procede against him according to the law of their Countrey But in the meane season they were purposed priuily to waite him by the way and to kill him In this place may be sene how vnquiet in minde the wicked are after they be once inâ—lamed with hatred of the truthe For where alwayes their naughtie workes are disclosed by the light thereof it can not be that they can easily lay away the hatred once conceiued But rather they boile and frothe in their mindes like the raging sea busily watching euery small occasion wherby to extinguish the light of that truth which they so hate And coÌ„monly the force of this hatred is suche that without any regarde many times to their priuate auailes they only seke and desire how to make the ministers of the truth out of the way whose doctrin they perceiue so vexeth and fretteth them Both these things may be seene in this present example For we haue heard howe Paule was in prison whole two yeares Howbeit neither the continuance of time neither the miserable state of captiuitie could assuage their mindes for they could bear with any thing better than with the doctrine of the truth Wherfore they narowly watch euery little occasion spare neither for pains nor cost to bring their desire at length to passe First therfore they begin to make their requests and petition vnto the newe President against Paule which they oughte to haue made rather in the behalfe of their common weale and to haue besought him of his frendship towards all meÌ„ in general But they thought by this meane to preiudice Paule that the President might conceiue he was some publike enimie of his whole nation and couÌ„try considering they labored so earnestly to haue him punished And we must not think that hatred of the truthe had so great force in these men onely For it is the common guise of all that are vngodly that if they might haue their wish neuer so much yet nothing is more deare vnto them than to haue the liues of them who they know wil withstaÌ„d their impietie and naughtinesse Heereunto belongeth that that the Euangelists wryte of Herodias which when she heard how Herode had offered hir daughter the one halfe of his kingdom yet she required but only the heade of Iohn to be giuen hir bicause as long as he liued and preached she thought hir raigne shuld not only be vnpleasant but all hir life also Many things of like sort might be reported and examples euen of our dayes but bicause they are euery where to be sene therfore we think good to passe theÌ„ ouer Let vs rather marke the vse of these things which is that we trust not ouer sone those which haue once conspired against the truthe For although they can sometimes trimly dissemble and colour their hatred against the truth yet the poison therof lieth hiddeÌ„ depe in their brests assone as occasion serueth wil burst forth with might and main And in these persons hath that saying of the Prophet chefely place pronouncing that the hart of man is froward vnsearchable Again here appeareth what the weapons of the vngodly are First they counterfet a countenaÌ„ce of law and equity in that they require to haue him brought to Ierusalem to be iudged which might seeme an honest and iust request both bicause all the businesse began there first and also for that it seemed not reason that they which were so many in number and aucthoritie shuld be at so great charges and take such pain to iourney so farre for one mannes sake But in the meane season vnder this faire face of equitie they cloke an horrible and bloudy meaning as was euen nowe declared Lette vs learne by this place to iudge of those men which now adayes doe the like wherof a man may euery where finde more than are profitable in a Christian common weale Uerily Christe saith that these men fight with the power of darkenesse and therefore are the ministers of the Deuil which was a lier and murtherer from the beginning And Paule prophecied that Antichrist should raigne cheefely through lying and open force Therfore as many as resist the truth and the ministers therof with violent and trecherous sleights it is euident that they fight for the deuil vnder the standerd of Antichrist with whom except they repent in time they shal hereafter receiue the pay and wages of eternall damnation Moreouer let vs see how God disapointed the bloudy deuises of his ennemies For it was his woorking that Festus consented not to the desire petition of the Iewes whose request yet as shal appeare hereafter he made no small account of And surely there were great causes that might haue moued him to yeld vnto the Iewes For he might both iustly haue suspected Paule whome Felix going out of his office had left in prison and it seemed that the request which the cheefe of the Iewes made was not to be reiected and againe he might appeare but slenderly witted if in the beginning of his gouernement he would procure him the hatred of a whole nation for one mannes sake and he a prisonner and of no reputation But through the secrete inspiration God it commeth to passe that Festus had more regarde of iustice and of the Romaine lawes than of the Iewes nation Wherefore he thinketh good to keepe Paule at Caesarea still yet permitting the Iewes according to order of lawe to proceede against him It pleased God to teache all them that be in office or aucthoritie by the example of this Gentile what they haue to doe in like case verily to commit nothing either for fauoure of men or respect of priuate commoditie but to folowe equitie and lawe which if it be not kept it is impossible that common weales can continue in safetie Therefore lette Christian Kings and Princes be ashamed both of their lightnesse and vnrighteousnesse which now a dayes commonly condemne the maintainers of Euangelical truth and faith without hearing for the Popes and Bishops pleasure yea bicause they would seeme very religious they giue them all power against the faithful of Christ so coÌ„mitting the sheepe vnto the Wolues They shal one day feele to their great smart what they doe when bothe the bloudie Popes shall be punished and Christ our iudge shall require at the handes of the Kings his people committed vnto their charge But heere haue we cheefely to consider God the aucthoure of all these things whose woorking wee euen nowe saide all this was For where hee had said Paule should beare
maister Let vs rather reioyce to suffer all kinde of afflictions for the truth sake for this is the high way vnto heauen where the inheritance of eternall life remaines for vs with our head Iesus Christ to whom be blessing honor power glory for euer Amen The .xxvj. Chapiter vpon the Actes of the Apostles The Clx. Homelie AGrippa said vnto Paule thou art permitted to speake for thy selfe Then Paule stretched forth the hand and answered for him selfe I thinke my selfe happy king Agrippa bicause I shall answere this day before thee of all the things whereof I am accused of the Iewes namely bicause thou art expert in all customes and questions which are among the Iewes Wherefore I beseeche thee to heare me paciently My liuing that I liued of a childe which was at the first among mine owne nation at Ierusalem knowe all the Iewes which knew me from the beginning if they would testifie for after the most straightest secte of our religion I liued a Pharisey OUr Lord and Sauioure Iesus Christe talking wyth Ananias touchyng Paule and his ministerie saithe among other things This is a chosen vessell vnto me to carrie my name before nations and kings and the children of Israell Which words as they greatly commend the ministerie of Paule so oughte they to stirre vs vppe diligently to consider all those things that he either did or suffered in his ministerie bicause it is euident that nothing therein chaunced vnto him without the singular prouidence of god This is cheefely to be considered in this present action where before king Agrippa the Nobles of the Courte and cheefe rulers of the Countrey he defendeth his faithe and doctrine with such dexteritie and constancie that he moued his auditors greatly and by his example taught vs of what force and efficacie both the worde of God and faith is Which thing shall the more euidently appeare if we consider eche thing in order First Agrippa is sette forth which speaketh vnto Paule and giueth him leaue to answere for him selfe This was without doubt done throughe the aduise of God which by this meane would haue the gospell preached vnto those men For where as Paule saith otherwheres God will haue all men to be saued he will also haue the worde of saluation to be reuealed and preached vnto all men And this his ordinaunce is so firme and stable that it can neuer be stopped with any enterprise of the tyrās of this world Whereof wee haue bothe testimonies and Examples euery where in the scriptures by the which we may confirm our wauering faith in al aduersities But bicause we haue spoken heereof oftentimes let vs now obserue the example of equitie and iustice that the holy Ghost setteth forthe in Agrippa though otherwise an arrogante and naughtie man For he heard how all the Iewes required to haue Paule put to death and he saw nothing in him wherby to get any commoditie or honoure yet is he nothing moued with the iudgement of the whole nation nor thinketh it not meete to haue more consideration of himselfe than of publike iustice but appoynteth to heare Paule himselfe and first offereth him occasion and leaue to speake Let all men that beare office folowe this example and the more they see to conspire against any man the more diligently let them weighe and examine the matter least by their bearing and slouthfulnesse they set forward other mennes maliciousnesse This is a thing nowe a dayes too common the more is the pitie that Kings and Princes eares are not open to the faithfull of Christ bicause they thinke it meeter to hearken vnto Bishops and to their adherentes and so being corrupt with preiudice they thinke they can not be altogither faultlesse whome the spiritualtie so zelously and earnestly withstande But returne we vnto Paule who althoughe hee be compelled vppon the sodaine to pleate his cause in bandes before so honorable an audience yet he putteth out his hand for silence and so beginneth his sermon which as it containeth in it all things belonging to the mater so it sheweth no maner token of any dismaide or troubled minde Where we may see bothe the truthe and also the effect of Christes promisses For Paule had bothe the promisses general and also a peculiar wherof we made mētion in the beginning namely that he should preache the name of Christ before Kings and Princes Wherfore hauing an eie therunto he setteth all dangers at naught bicause he knewe that Christes power was greater than that it could be ouercome or hindred by any attemptes of the world How be it it behoueth vs also to take comfort of this example bicause Christ hath promised his spirite vnto all the godly to gouerne their hearts and mouthes when they shall be compelled to giue an accompt of their faith Furthermore touching Paules oration it consisteth wholely of a narration full of arguments trimly framed for defence of himselfe for he declareth what trade of life he led of a child and how he neuer gaue any suspition of lightnesse or impietie Againe howe after he was called to the faith of Christ and to be an Apostle he neither taughte nor did any thing contrary to the scriptures Wherby he proueth that the Iewes hated him so deadly without his desert Before his narration hee vseth a shorte and pretie kinde of beginning wherby he goeth about to get the kings fauor and good will saying he is happie in that he must plea◠his cause before him who was not ignorant in the Ceremonies and Questions of the Iewes For Paule knewe that it was in vaine to dispute of graue and waightie matters before them that were altogither ignorant and vnskilfull Wherfore as it is mete to haue iudges ledde with desire of iustice so wisedome ioyned with vnderstanding is moste necessary for them And it is meete that they shoulde not only be skilful in politike matters but also learned in matters pertaining to faith and religion the care and study wherof the scripture euery wher commendeth vnto magistrates For where they be ordained of God who hath giuen them such power and aucthoritie they are taught by the very law of nature to be carefull againe for the maintenance of Gods honoure and glory Wherfore God appointed the booke of his law for kings cōtinually to read in and the same booke stirreth vp all Magistrates therevnto with the Examples of moste godly Kings whome Agrippa heere wisely folowed and vnderstode religion throughly But now a dayes we are growne to suche doltishnesse that kings thinke they are most worthy to be praised for their religion when they vnderstand least thereof and say it belongeth nothing vnto them This we may thanke the tiranny of the Bishops of which perceyued that their greatest power consisted in the ignorance of Princes Moreouer he beginneth his narration whose argument we haue nowe declared of his childehoode or life before ledde calling the Iewes to witnesse howe godlily and holily he had
the perill of an other God eâ—â—dently put forthe his hand in that he broughte so many togither safe and sound vnto the shore Heereby wee may gather that it is as easie a thing for God to saue a number as a fewe For as he hath all things in tale and his prouidence stretcheth it selfe euen vnto heares and little sparrowes so is his power infinite and vnmeasurable and can be ouercome neither with multitude of those that haue neede of his helpe neither with greatnesse of daunger Thus brought he all the Israelites togither safe through the red Sea which was as easie for him to do as to deliuer Moses onely beeing caste out into the Riuer of Nilus In like sorte he fedde all the people of Israell fortie yeres in the wildernesse miraculously as easily as he afterwarde fedde Elias by the ministerie of Rauens Herevnto king Asa had a respect when beeing ready to ioyne battayle with an innumerable multitude of Ethiopians he made his prayer vnto God in this wise Lorde it is no hard thing with thee to helpe either many or them that haue no power It is very profitable for vs to acknowledge God to be suche an one For so doing we shall be feared neither with our owne wante of power and myserie nor with any multitude of daungers be brought into desperation Moreouer when all they in the Shippe had taken meate as Paule exhorted them they lightned the Shippe of all thinges in it insomuch that they caste the corne also ouer the borde For we heard before how they had caste out the Marchaundise and Tackle of the shippe And to this passe did necessitie driue these delicate persons whiche contrary to the will of God woulde needes seeke a more commodious hauen and would not bee contented with their present state and condition In the meane season this is a singular argument of their faith which would throw ouer borde their corne also For except they had certaynely beleeued that God would haue saued them they woulde neuer haue bene perswaded to haue caste away that succour of their lyfe that onely remayned But this example is set out for vs to follow that wee also when God so appoynteth it shoulde likewise willingly forsake those thinges without the which it seemeth our lyfe can not be mayntayned This wee see Abraham hym selfe did the Apostles and many others whose fayth the holy Ghoste commendeth in the Scriptures Now followeth the description of the wracke very breefe yet suche as teacheth vs that many thinges fell out therein which had bene able to quayle the fayth both of Paule and others if they would haue harkened rather to the wisedome of the flesh than to the promises of god For first although they see lande appeare a farre of yet they knewe not whether it were shore or not They are ignoraunt also whether they should come among their friends or enimies bycause many times it chanceth that they that escape shipwracke light in vnharberous Countreys where they suffer more harme of the barbarous people than of the sea which otherwise is a moste cruell element Wherfore the hope of succoure that shewed it selfe so farre of had ioyned with it no little feare Agayne when they had with all their might laboured to get to the shore they runne their shippe into a place that had the sea on both the sides where the foreship stucke in the sande and the sterne with violence of waues splete in sunder And heere the truth of Gods Oracle declareth it selfe by the which it was fortolde that the shippe should perishe which yet seemed nowe lyke to come safe and sounde to shore Howbeit this ship may be called a figure of those men which contrary to the worde of God seeme happie in their wyckednesse as though they should neuer be punished therefore For commonly suche men when they seeme to haue escaped all daunger haue a sodayne destruction as diuerse examples of suche men do testifie See what is written of these men Psalme 37. and .73 Thirdly the Souldiours deuise to kill the prisoners least any of them when he was gotte to shore shoulde take hym to hys heeles And out of doubte they were moued to take thys bloudy counsayle for feare of the Lawes An example whereof wee hadde before in the Souldiours of Herode whose handes Peter escaped by the guyding of an Aungell Actes 11. Howebeit this is greate wickednesse that they woulde not excepte Paule or spare hys lyfe throughe whose counsayle and prayers their lyfe was preserued But this is the propretie of the worlde and of all those that serue the worlde that they quickely forgette benefytes and good turnes and recompence them moste tymes with haynous iniuries Therefore they are very fooles which seeke to please the worlde and haue not rather a regarde vnto God who is the onely and moste faythfull rewarder of all men Moreouer as concerning the Souldiours deuise the daunger that Paule and the others were nowe in was more greeuous than the Shipwracke it selfe in so muche that all the prisoners were nowe in a moste wofull case and the promise of God seemed vayne who had promised to saue them all But the Lorde remedieth thys inconuenience in tyme also For the Captayne beeing desirous to saue Paule withstoode the Souldiours deuise so that it tooke not effecte He commaundeth also that as many as could swimme should fyrste take the Sea and the residue followe them vppon broken bordes and fragmentes of the Shyppe â–ª Heereby wisely prouiding that they shoulde not lette one an other in the businesse and sturre And so it came to passe that they all escaped alyue and safe vnto the shore as God had promysed should come to passe Heere the veritie of Gods promises is very notable which we see can be hyndered by no aduersitie Surely hitherto all thinges might seeme to haue conspired the death of Paule For the Sea rageth with greate and mayne surges and waues The winde armed the ayre also to their destruction The earth holdeth faste the shippe driuen and caried vpon hir The lightes and starres of heauen withholde their shine from the miserable creatures The false and vntrusty Maryners meane to runne away and the cruel souldiours deuise in their minds a bloudy slaughter But the truth of god whose pleasure it was that they should be saued ouercame all these things Therfore these things ought to comfort vs also amyddest the daungers of this worlde For experience teacheth vs that the worlde fareth lyke a moste troublesome Sea. But wee haue the promises of God who hath assured vs by his sonne to bee alwayes present and assistaunt vnto his people Therefore if God be with vs who can bee agaynst vs For surely wee beeing in safetie vnder hys protection shall happily escape through all troubles and daungers and come to the hauen of eternall blisse where the euerlasting inheritaunce of the kingdome of heauen is appoynted and prepared for vs by Iesus Chryste to whome
not declare ending in this place his hystorie according to the instincte of the holy spirite which would not haue the Church ouercharged with too many writings or bokes and therfore he hath writen onely those things which may suffise for the instruction of our fayth and life Howebeit out of Paules owne Epistles may some coniectures be taken wherby it is declared what he afterwarde did For in his seconde Epistle to Timothe and fourth Chapter he expresseth playnly that he pleated his cause before the Emperour saying he was deliuered through the benefite of God when he was redy to be offred And writing to the Philippians among other things he sayth I hope shortely to sende Timotheus vnto you assone as I shall see howe my matters will go and I truste in the Lorde that I my selfe also shall shortly come And writing to Philemon the Colossian he sayth Moreouer prepare me a place to lodge in for I trust that through the helpe of your prayers I shall be giuen vnto you Agayne in the .xiij. to the Hebrues he sayth Pray for vs and this I desire you the more instantly to do that I may the soner be restored vnto you Knowe yee that brother Timothe is deliuered with whome if he come shortly I will see you Yet before he was led prisoner to Rome he was minded to go into Spayne as the Epistle to the Romanes in the .xv. Chapter declareth Of the which thinges men gather not altogither without a cause that he was set at libertie and so returned through Grece and Asia the lesseâ— into Syria and when he had saluted the Easte Churches wente through Italie and Fraunce into Spayne Thus according to the opinion of these men he preached the Gospell ten yeres after he was set at libertie and at length beeing called backe to Rome agayne in the laste yere of Nero loste his heade and receiued the crowne of Martyrdome when he had preached Chryste vnto the moste parte of the worlde seuen and thirtie yeres long togither But bycause our saluation dependeth not on suche poyntes as these I will not contende herein ouer muche with any man And â—e thinketh they deserue not very much of Christian fayth and Religion which laboure in searching foorth those thinges which the holy Scriptures haue passed ouer in silence â–ª For in so doing bothe the Scriptures are more negligently handled and the supersticious haue occasion giuen them to be occupied in doubtfull and vnprofitable questions neglecting the doctrine of the Apostles and so being bewitched with fables do greeuously â—ire in matteâ—s of faith and saluation â–ª And surely as God would haue Moses sepulchre or buriall place in times paste vnknowen and the holy Ghost hath left fewe things in memorie in the olde Testament touching the martyrdomes of the Prophetes so in this present Treatise Luke hath described thâ—â—â—de but of two persons onely namely of Stephen and 〈◊〉 the Apostle beeing contented to say this onely of the residue that they moste constantly preached and confessed Chryst in all kindes of aduersitie â—o commending vnto vs the studie of the Apostles doctrine which maketh men followers of the Apostles and partakers with them of the heauenly inheritaunce Wherefore wee also in this place muste principally obserue and followe â–ª that feruent and continuall trauayle of Paule in setting foorth the glory of Chryste And wee muste not bee offended at his â—â—de â–ª For hereby Chryste maketh those that worshippe him lyke vnto him selfe in this worlde to the ende that hereafter they may bee partakers with him in heauen of his glory and kingdome Hitherto we haue expounded this booke according to the grace of God giuen vnto vs We haue seene therin the forme fayth and doctryne of the primatiue Church which we also must keepe and obserue in these dayes if we will be coumpted to be of Christe his Churche For we must giue no eare vnto those which say that many things are necessarily required about religion and the way of saluation that the primatiue Churche lacked Whose rashnesse or rather impudencie I know not whether a man may more maruell at For heerein they accuse the Apostles either of negligence or of vntrustnesse and feare not to prefer themselues before those whose examples the holy Ghost hathe set forthe to all men that will be counted the members of Christ and attaine to saluation in him to folowe And who will thinke that they which continued whole eight and twentie yeeres in the faithe and religion taughte by the Apostles lacked any of those things without the which saluation could not be obtained But if they were saued without those things which certaine bolde superstitious persons afterwardes brought in who will then deny vs saluation which folowe their steppes No man I thinke but hee that is led with the madnesse and frensie of the Manichees will accuse all this boke of falshode We haue seene also the state that the church is in in this world being molested with continuall tribulations whiles bothe open ennimies and false brethren vexe and disquiet the same Wee haue seene the vnworthy case that the Ministers are in and howe slenderly the world requiteth them Wee haue seene also the mighty hand and power of Iesus Christe whereby he faithfully defendeth his Churche in the middest of the waues of persecutions and by the crosse of his seruauntes moste gloriously triumpheth ouer the world and Prince therof Let vs therfore diligently vse these things to the instruction and confirmation of oure faithe that being strong in the same and ouercomming al dangers according to the example of the Apostles and primatiue Churche we may come to the inheritaunce of the kingdome of heauen prepared for vs from euerlasting â–ª 〈◊〉 Iesus Christe our King and Priest To whome be prayse honoure power and glorye for euer Amen FINIS I fought be said amisse remember man it spake If well do thou alone O Christ the glory take Deut. 6. Psal. 78. Math. 23. Math. 15. They began in the dayes of Ioannes Hircanus high Bishop of the Iewes about an hundred and thirtie yeares before Christ was borne Prou. 21. Galat. 1. Actes 20. Math. 15. Math. 15. 1. Cor. 7. Math. 16. Actes 17. 1. Thes. 12. Math. 11. Luc. 10. Psal. 119. Psal. 148. Psal. 47. Psal. 8. Math. 21. Math. 22. Marc. 12. Luc. 20. Iohn 5. Rom. 15. 1. Tim. 2. Actes 10. Rom. 2. Math. 5. Mar. 4. Luc. 8. Math. 19. Math. 11.13 Marc. 4. Esay 58. Psal. 150. Numer 11. Marc. 10. Psal. 32. Math. 2. Luc. 2. Math. 14.15 Luc. 5. Math. 9.20 Math. 8. Luc. 5. Math. 21. Mar. 12. Luc. 20. Math. 26. Marc. 14. Luc. 22. Iohn 18. Math. 27. Iohn 6. Colos. 3. ix. Homely vpon the Epistle to the Colossians In his Apologie toward the ende Matth. 7. Luc. 12. Rom. 11. Math. 5. Iohn 10. Psal. 110. Psal. 2. 1. Iohn 4. Apolog. 2. Tim. 2. Math. 24. Marc. 13. The commeÌ„dation of the holy History or Scripture The commeÌ„datioÌ„ and argument of