diligence to correcte that which is amisse Verily out of carelesse loosenesse doeth arise invred custome to committ sinne and negligent securitie Penitents doe not stande in defence of their sinnes but make their supplicant apologie to God to haue them remitted Hypocrites excuse themselues and seeke out shiftes and starting holes not coÌ„fessing fréely their sinns and offences nor praying to God to haue them forgiuen He which repentâ—th truely in verie déed is angrie with him selfe because of his wicked manners and life alreadie lewdly spent The punishment which he doth exercise vpon him selfe preuenteth and turneth awaye the reuengeing and imminent wrath of God. Moreouer with feare he doeth take heede howe hee sinneth any more For the contempte of GOD is the originall of mischiefes and bonde of an impenitent life Furthermore he which doeth truely repent is rauished with the passing vehement desire or loue of GOD and heauenly thinges hee burneth with zeale whereby it commeth to passe that hee neither foadeth off from daye to day nor yet doth coldly nor slackely go about that whiche hee hath learned by the word of God to be required at his hand to be done and performed Briefly what soeuer he doth he doth it with al his minde euen from the very bottome and roote of his heart For so sayeth the great Prophete of God the holy man Moses If thou wilt turne to the Lord thy God and hearken vnto his voice with all thy heart and with all thy soule the Lord thy God also shall turne thy captiuitie and shewe pitie vpon thee in the bowels of mercie Thus much touching the fruits of Repentaunce Nowe vppon all the premisses we inferre this consequent that Repentaunce whose onely scope whereto it tendeth is the renouation by the spirit of Christ of the image of God whiche was by Adams fall of old defiled is not a worke of a day or twaine or of a prescribed number of yeres but a coÌ„tinuall obseruaunce of our whole life and so coÌ„sequently a daily putting off and renuing of the old man for euer For they that are regenerate by the holy spirite of God are neuer so purged that they féele no motions of the flesh of sinne and of carnal affections There is alwayes obiecte to the eyes of the faithful this sentence of s Paul that cannot by any meanes be pluckt out of their minds I know that in me that is in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing For to will is preseÌ„t with mee but I finde no meanes to perfourme that which is good For the good that I would I doe not but the euill that I would not that doe I. For wee beare about the reliques of the flesh thorough all our life Wherevppon it commeth that in the Saincts there is a perpetuall and very sharpe battaile For they doe partly obey the spirite and are partly weakened of the flesh By the spirite they are lifted vp to the contemplation desire of heauenly thinges But by the flesh they are thrust downe to earthly thinges troubled with the allurements of this naughtie world For euen the Apostle féeling that combat in himselfe sayed The flesh lusteth contrarie to the spirite and the spirite contrarie to the flesh For they are so at enimitie beetwixt theÌ„selues that what ye would ye cannot doe And in an other place he sayth Euen I the same doe in the minde serue the lawe of God but in the flesh the lawe of sinne And to help the matter forward withal there lackes no deceipt no craft and a thousand temptations of the subtile crafts maister our enimie the diuell Therefore the labour and perill of the true penitent that is of a Christian man is farre greater than that our prayers are comparable vnto it But now who doeth not here perceiue how great watching abstineÌ„ce constancie fortitude and patience are néedeful for those y doe repent What great néede they haue of earnest and continuall prayers Let vs in this sharpe conflict lay before our eyes the instruction of that valiaunt champion the Apostle Paule For that which he sayeth may be to vs in stéed of a large and ample commentarie For he will in fewe wordes passingly instruct vs how to behaue our selues in this troublesome combate how to vanquish howe to triumphe when the victorie is gotten In his Epistle to the Ephesians thus he sayth Brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Put on al the armour of God that ye may stand against the assaults of the diuel For wee wrestle not against flesh and bloud onely but against rules against powers against worldly gouernours of the darckenesse of this world against spirituall subtiltis in heaueÌ„ly things Wherfore take vnto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to resist in the euill day and hauing finished all thinges to stand fast Stand therfore hauing your loynes girt about with the truth hauing on the brest plate of righteousnesse your feete shodd in the preparation of the Gospell of peace Aboue all taking the shield of faith wherwith ye may quench al the sierie dartes of the wicked take the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirite which is the word of god Praying alwayes in al prayer supplication in the spirite and watching for the same wth all instance And so as followeth in the 6. to the Ephesians Here therfore are also to be rehearsed y outward exercises of repentance or rites of penaunce wherewith the Sainctes do exercise themselues partly to tame and kéepe vnder the motious of flesh and partly to testifie their repentaunce vnto the congregation Those exercises are carelessenes of the flesh teares sighes sackcloth fastings wéeping lamenting neglecting hatred of deintie diet trimming of the body and also of allowable pleasures which although they be done and yet do not procéed from the very heart and from true faith are notwithstanding nothing auaileable to him that vseth them But it is best héere to learne as it were in a painted table to behold them pictured in the word of god The Prophete Ioel sayth Turne ye to me sayth the Lord with all your heartes with fasting with weeping and with mourning and rent your heartes and not your garmentes and turne to the Lord your God for he is gratious mercifull slowe to anger and of great goodnesse he wil repent him of the euill Who knoweth whether the Lord wil returne take compassion and wil leaue behind him a blessing Blowe vp a truÌ„pet in Sion proclame fast call an assemblie sanctifie the coÌ„gregation gather the people gather the elders assemble the children and sucking babes Let the bridegrome come forth of his chamber and the bride out of her closet Let the priests the Lords ministers weepe betwixte the porch and the altar and let them saye Spare thy people O Lord and giue not ouer thine heritage vnto reproch that the heathen should rule ouer them Wherfore
of God the father Here true Christiās are separated from Iewes from Turkes yea and Papistes also For they despising the sonne of God call vpon the father only without the mediation of Christ Iesus But the voice of God by the Gospel and his Apostles pronounceth against them In the Gospel we read the Lord said The father hath committed all iudgement vnto the sonne beecause that all men shuld honour the sonne euen as they honor the father He that honoureth not the sonne the same honoreth not the father which hath sent him And againe I am the way the trueth the life No man cōmeth to the father but by me And Iohn the Apostle and Euāgelist saith Who soeuer denieth the sonne the same hath not the father But these men doe not acknowledge Christ to be the only intercessour but teach the saincts in his stéed or with him ought to bee called vppon as patrones before god But the same Iohn shewing an aduocate vnto Christiās did not appoint him selfe did not lay before vs sainctes in stéed of Christ or them with Christ But saieth he wee haue an aduocate with GOD the father Iesus Christ the righteous Neither doeth Paule shewe vs any other in 1. Tim. 2. cap. and Heb. 7. cap. To the Ephesi By Christ sayth he wee haue bouldnesse entraunce with confidēce by faith in him Christ is sufficient for them that beléeue as in whom alone the father hath stoared vpp all good things commaunding vs to aske those thinges in him and by him thorough prayer These thinges are sufficient for minds not desirous of contention They that wil let them serch further in the third Sermon of the fourth Decade I haue told you who is to be prayed vnto or called vppon of the godly worshipers of God and by whome to witt God alone by the onely sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ Let vs now sée what should stirre vp man to call vppon God surely the spirite of our God principally For prayer is rightly counted amonge the giftes of grace For neither could we earnestly nor hartily call vpon our God vnlesse we be stirred vpp and prouoked thervnto by the spirite of god For albeit the commaundement of God will vs to pray present necessitie and daunger driue vs and the example of other allure vs to pray yet all these thinges would doe nothing vnlesse the spirite inforce our minds vnto his will and guide and kéepe vs in prayer Therefore though there be many causes concurring whiche moue men to prayer yet the chiefe original of prayer is the holy Ghost to whose motion and gouernement in the entraunce of all prayers whosoeuer pray with any fruite do begge with an holy preface To this perteine these words of the holy Apostle The spirite also saith hée helpeth our infirmities For we know not what to pray as we ought but the spirite it selfe maketh requests for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed But he which searcheth the harts knoweth what is the meaning of the spirite for he maketh requests for the saincts according to the will of God. In déede the spirite of God is said to make intercession not that he in very déed prayeth groaneth but because he stirreth vp our mindes to pray and to sighe and bringeth to passe that according to the pleasure of GOD wée should make intercession or pray for the Sainctes that is to saye for oure selues But let vs consider with what abilities hée must be furnished which cōmeth of purpose to pray vnto god First it is necessarie that hée lay aside all opinion of his owne worthinesse and righteousnesse that hee acknowledge himselfe to bee a sinner and to stand in néed of all good thinges and so let him yéeld himselfe vnto the méere mercie of God desiring of the same to be filled with all things that are good For that great prophete of God Daniel saieth Wee doe not present our prayers before thee in our own righteousnes but in thy manifold mercies Also you read the like prayers offered vnto God Psal. 79. For the people of the Lord crie Helpe vs O Lord of our saluation for the glorie of thy name deliuer vs and be mercifull vnto our sinnes for thy names sake Remember not our sinnes of old make hast and let thy mercie deliuer vs. In the new Testament the Phariseie in Luke trusting in his owne righteousnesse is put by and cast off from the Lord but the Publican fréely confessing his sinnes and crauing mercie of God is heard and iustified For vnlesse we acknowledge our nakednes weakenes and pouertie who I pray you wil pray vnto God For not they that bestrong but they that bee sicke haue neede of the Physician And the Lorde in the Gospell sayth Aske and ye shal receiue knocke and it shal be opened vnto you seeke and ye shall finde Hee therfore that is commaunded to aske that he may receiue hath not as yet that he asketh he that knocketh by knocking signifieth that he standeth without doores and he whiche séeketh hathe lost that which yet he séeketh for We therefore being shut out from the ioyes of Paradise by prayer do séeke and aske for that whiche we haue lost and haue not Therefore where as Dauid and Ezechias and other saintes of God in prayer do alledge their owne righteousnes for which they séeme worthily to require to be heard truely they regarde not their owne worthinesse but rather the trueth of god He hath promised that he will heare them that worship him therfore the Godly say Beholde wee are thy worshippers therefore it is méete thou shouldest not neglect vs but deliuer vs In the meane while in other places they speake in suche sort of their righteousnesse that we cannot doubt that in their prayers they made mention of their righteousnesse with a certeine measure and limitation Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant sayth Dauid for in thy sight shal no man liuing be iustified c. Furthermore and that whiche is the chiefe of all it is needefull that they which pray must haue a true feruent faith Let the doctrine of faith therefore in the matter of prayer shewe vs lighte as the morning starr and with an assured hope to obtein of God the thing which is asked let him that prayeth make his petition Let him aske in faith sayth saint Iames nothing wauering for he that wauereth is like a waue of the Sea tost of the winde and carried with violence Neither let that man think that he shal receiue any thing of the Lord. And Paule also sayth Howe shall they call vppon him on whome they haue not beleeued I haue spoken of faith in the fourth sermon of the firste Decade But to the ende that faith may increase in iust measure flourish and continue stable we must labour in the promises and examples from euery place gathered together We will recite a fewe In the booke of Psalmes
c. 980 10 Arise I also myselfe am a man c. 654. 890 10 That which God hath cleansed call not thou common or vncleane c. 226. 1055 10 Thy prayers and thine almes déedes are hadde in remembraunce c. 924 11 Agabus foretolde Saint Paule the famine which was to come c. 878 12 Herode put Peter in pryson Peter slept betwéene two souldiers c. 735 12 It is the voyce of God and not of man c. 890 13 The Churches by the commandemente of the Apostles ordeyned doctours c. 837 13 Be it knowne vnto you men brethren that through this Lorde c. 45. 408 13 The Iewes being filled with indignation spake against those thinges c. 903 13 The word of God ought first to be preached vnto you but bycause you reiect it and iudge your c. 1107 14 The apostles returned strengthened the disciples soules againe c. 1016 14 God left not him selfe without witnesse in that he shewed his benefites from heauen c. 638 15 Dissention kindled by Paule and Barnabas againste them that taught circumcision c. 1001 15 Paule preaching the worde of God among the Gentiles went into the Synagogues c. 1114 15 We beléeue that through the grace of our Lord Iesus c. 50 15 Fornication forbidden by the Apostles in that Synodal Epistle which they sent froÌ„ Ierusalem c. 234 15 Bloud and strangled forbidden by the apostles in that Synodal Epistle which they sent from Ierusalem c. 421 16 Beléeue in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued and thy whole c. 903 17 By God we liue and moue and haue our being c. 638. 685 17 God is not farre from euerie one of vs For by him wee liue wee moue and haue our being c. 610 17 God that made the worlde and all that therein is c. 126. 1004 17 Feare not Paule thou must be brought before Caesar and lo God hath giuen thée all them that sayle with thée c. 740 18 The Apostle shooke his raymeÌ„t and sayd your bloud be vppon your c. 903 19 The sonns of Sceâ—a the priest were sayd to be exorcistes c. 884 972 19 The holy ghost came vpon theÌ„ and they spake with tongues and prophecied c. 1032 19 When they heard these things they were baptised in the name of the Lord Iesus c. 1060 19 Iohn baptised with the baptisme of repentance saying vnto the people that they should beléeue c. 1031 20 God hath purchased to him selfe a church with his owne bloud c. 695 20 Take héede vnto your selues to the whole flocke whereof c. 866. 878. 901 20 I knowe this that after my departing shall grieuous wolues enter in c. 829. 887 20 Paule preached brake breade at Troas c. 1069 21 Paule being oppressed of the Iewes in the Temple of Hierusalem is rescued c. 832 22 I receiued authoritie from the high Priestes to binde al those that call c. 812 22 Paule being borne frée in the citie of Tharsus traueled to HierusaleÌ„ vnto Gamaliels féete c. 1115 22 Arise and be baptised washe away thy sinnes by calling on the name c. 989. 1061 23 Atroupe of horsemen and a certein companie of footmen sent with the Apostle Paule c. 832 23 As thou hast borne witnesse of me at Hierusalem so must thou beare record of me at Rome c. 640 23 The Saduceis say that there is no resurrection neyther Angel nor spirite c. 731 24 I beléeue all that is written in the Lawe and the Prophets c. 89 26 Paul wisheth that king Agrippa were suche an one as him selfe except his bandes c. 872 26 I send thée vnto the Gentiles to open their eyes that they may be c. 871 27 Sâ—rs I exhort you to be of good cheare for there shall be no losse of any mans life c. 640 27 There sâ—oode by me this night the Angel of God whose I am c. 743 Out of the Epistle of S. Paule to the Romanes 1 APpointed to preache the Gospel of God which he promised afore by his Prophetes c. 629 693 838 1 His inuisible thinges being vnderstanded by his workes through the creation c. 620 1 God verily promised the Gospel of God afore by his Prophets c. 429 1 What so euer may be knowne of God is manifest c. 102 1 God gaue them vp vnto a reprobate sense c. 492 1 The wrath of God is reuealed from heauen against al vngodlines c. 520 2 There are two sorts of Circumcisions the one of the letter in the flesh c. 361 2 The circumcision of the heart is the circumcision which consisteth in the spirite c. 715 2 What doest thou despise the riches of Gods goodnes c. 125. 522 2 When the Gentiles which haue not the lawe do of nature c. 101 3 Doe we then destroye the lawe through fayth God forbid c. 553 3 The righteousnesse of GOD by fayth in Iesus Christe conuneth vnto all c. 546 3 Is he the God of the Iewes only Is he not also of the Gentiles c. 553 3 Where is the boasting it is excluded By what lawe Of works 552 3 All haue sinned and are destitute or haue néede of the Grace of God c. 501 3 If our vnrighteousnesse setteth foorth the righteousnesse of GOD what c. 482 3 Shall their vnbeliefe make the fayth of God without effect God forbid c. 1027 3 We doe therefore hold that a maÌ„ is iustified withoute the workes of the lawe c. 553 4 To him that worketh not but beléeuâ—th in him that iustifieth the vngodly c. 555 4 To him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of Grace but of duetie c. 554 4 What shal we say theÌ„ that Abraham our father as apperteyning to the flesh c. 51 4 If Abraham were iustified by workes c. Abraham beléeued God and it was counted for righteousnesse c. 51. 457 554 4 Where no lawe is there is no transgression c. 502 4 Therefore by fayth is the inheritaunce giuen that it might be by grace c. 52 5 Euen as by one man sinne entâ—red into the worlde and death by sinne c. 45. 482. 496. 502. 645. 1052. 5 Being iustified by the bloude of Christe we shall be saued c. 45. 54 5 We reioice also in tribulations knowing that tribulation worketh patience c. 294 5 The loue of God is poured oute into our hearts c. 92 5 Therefore being iustified by faith we are at peace with GOD c. 1002 5 Christe when as yet we were sinners dyed for vs muche more therefore nowe being iustified c. 662 5 Knowe ye not that all we which haue bin baptised into Iesus Christ haue bene baptised into his death c. 444. 709. 1025 7 Sinne withoute the lawe was once deade and I once
and the abhominable and murtherers c. 655 22 And after I had heard and séene I fell downe to worship c. 653 22 Sée thou do it not for I am thy fellow seruaunt c. 743. 842. 890 The third and last table conteyning a short summe of such words or names and matters as are mentioned in this booke A. AAron a type or figure of Christ 332 Aaron his rod. 332 Abraham how he is iustified 3. 387. 554 Abia beléeuinge the ward of the Lord ouercommeth 5000000. men of theâ—ribe of Israel 253 Abigei what they are 279 Abrogation of the Lawe 409 Abrogation of the Iudiciall lawes 427 Abortion what it is 443 Abuse of Christian libertie 449 Alsolom 523 Abuse of the Church goods 1128 Achaz 254 AccusatioÌ„s false and wrongfull 320 Accusations that be iust 322 Actuall sinne and the cause thereof 505 Adam and â—ethusalem 649 Adoration 651 Adamonition before punishmeÌ„t 202 Adulterie spoken against 231 Adulterie and fornication 863 Adulcerie pardoned by Christ 234 Adulterie what things are in it forbidden 234 Arian heretiques condemned 775 Affinitie that the word of God hath with sacraments 291. 892 Afflictions 292 293. 298 299. 307. 310. 311. 312. 313 316. Altar 348 Altar or table of the Lord. 1070 Allthinges of God by God and in God. 494 Amasias 254 Ammon the king rebelling against the word of God after two yeares infortunate reigne was murthered of his owne household servaunts 255 Ambition worketh by priuate gifts 278 Anabaptistes and Nouations the me 〈◊〉 of Sathan 569 Angel and Angels 732. 733. 734. 735. c. vsque 745. Anthropomoâ—phites 118. 613 Antiochus Epiphanes 511 Anthemius 892 Annoynting or annoyling 1136 Apostles of Christ 11 Apostles how they bynde and loose 902 Apostles what they be 877 Apostles bâ—ptise infants 1055 Apostles authoritie very great 12 Apostles Créede 55 Apostles receiue wages 1121 Application of scripture necessarie 903 Appeale 392 Appearing of spirits 392 Article of the Christian faith 55 2 Article 59 3 Article 60 4 Article 63 5 Article 67 6 Article 69 7 Article 74 8 Article 78 9 Article 78 10 Article 81 11 Arâ—icle 84 12 Article 90 Aristocracie 169 Arcke 345. 346. 996. Assemblie 1064 Assemblies that be holy 915. 916 Ascension of Christ 69 Asturia 235 Asa 253 Ascend into heauen 1088 Auncient lawes 387 Authoritie of the Apostles very great 12 Authoritie of fathers 393 Auengment taken by the magistrate 196 Augustines opinion of the righte hand of the father 73 Augustines diuision of signes 955 Augustines sentence touching merites of Saintes 494 Auricular confession 577. 578 581 Authoritie of pastours 912 Authour of Sacraments God himselfe 962 Auncient exposition of the words of the Supper This is my bodie 1086 B. Backbiting pernicions 323 Bargaining buying selling 287 Baptisme 989. 1005. 1013. 1027. 1031. 1033. 1050. 1055. 1060. 1061. 1062. Baptising with water vnconsecrated 1039. 1040. Baptiser 1042 Baptised 824. 1055. 1060 Baâ—lards 395 Baâ—des and Curtisans haue benefices at Rome 900 Belongeth to vs to knowe what was written to theÌ„ in old time 15 Beléeue in the sonne of God. 59 Beléefe of oures the second Article thereof 58 Beléefe in the church forbidden 78 Bed in wedlocke ought to be vndefiled 226 Benâ—fits of God are to be acknowledged 952 Beginning of sinne against the holy Ghost 517 Beginning of the ministerie from whome and the worthines thereof 875 Behauiour of the godly in their calamities 300 Bearing witnesse 319 Birth of Christ 63 Bishops 878. 905. Blaspemie 516. 517 Blessing and thankesgiuing 977 Bloud and strangled forbidden by the apostles 421 Body of Christ 689 Body glorious 87. 88 Body naturall body spirituall 89 Bodies of the wicked rise againe 89 Bonauentures opinion of grace 1003 Bondage 395. 441. 442 Both kindes in the supper giuen receiued 1066 Bow downe to images what it is 122 Bread among the Hebrues what it signifyeth 947 Bread and wine remaine in their substance after consecration 984 Bread and wine are so called after consecration 985 Breaking of bread 1063 Buriall of Christ 65 Buying and selling c. 394 C. Catalogue of the bookes of the diuine Scripture 12 Cause of Christes incarnation 60 Calling to the ministerie 891. 893 Cathechising 907. Calamities 291. 293 Candlesticke golden 347 Carnall and fleshly people 404 Cure of the bodie 448 Cauills of those that attribute iustification to workes 458 Cause of sinne and euill 483 Catholique church what it is 79. 813 Carnall bondage and seruile 991 Carthage counsell for examining of bishops 895 Celebration of the supper c. 1072 Ceremonies 229. 328 329. 330. 364. 413. 415. 424. 1033. 1034. Confession of true religion 366 Charitie 92. 98 Christe as yet executeth all the dueties of a priest in the church 872 Christ what hee receynâ—th to himselfe from his ministerie and apostles 872 Christ is the naturall sonne of God 883 Christ reâ—eyneth both natures vnconfounded together 691 Christ in one person remayneth vndiuided 694 Christ is king of all 698 Christ is a Monarch 698 Christ is cotent to debate with Pilate of his kingdome 700 Christ called the onely sonne 59 Christ how he reigneth on earth in his kingdome 700 Christ Iesus the highe prest 704 Christ is annointed but with inuisible oile 705 Christ doth the office of a priest that is teacheth maketh intercession blesseth sacrificeth and sancrifieth 705 Christe his priesthood 706 Christians are kinges and priesis 709 Christ compared with Adam 49 Christ died not in vaine 50 Christ by interpretation annoynted 60 Christ is our Lord. 60 Christs conception and the maner thereof 62 Christes conception pure 63 Christ suffered vnder Pontius Pilate 64 Christ a Judge 74 Christ conueyeth himselfe awaye when the people would haue made him a king 218 Christians haue nothing to doe with the yron like Philosophie of the Stoikes 301 Christ coÌ„mandeth vs to beare his crosse 309 Christ and Paule examples to vs. 314 Christ is the rock not Christ signifieth the rocke 991 Christ the first begotten 331 Christ and his Apostles institute scholes 1115 Christ hath taken all burthens froÌ„ our shoulders 437 Christ fulfilled the lawe and is the perfectnes of the faithful 407 Christ alone is our life and saluation 543 Christ doeth fully worke our saluation 544 Christ is receiued by faith and not by workes 548 Christ how he preached the Gospel 548. 661. 862. Church Churches and CoÌ„gregation c. 667. 812. 813. 815. 816. 820. 821. 827. 831. 832. 833. 852. 860. 861. 863. 864. 866. 867. 868. 1118 1127 Circumcision 355. 357. 358. 359. 360. 361. Citie and temple of Hierusalem destroyed 413 Clearkes what they were sometime 883 CoÌ„municating of properties 696 Counsell of the priestes forsaken by king Ioas what followed 254 Conscience at quiet peace before God is the worke of the holy ghost 723. Constancie of the Apostles 723 Consecrating of pastours begun with fasting and prayer 897 Concupiscence 108. 949 Consubstantiall and coessentiall 59 Communion of sainctes 80 Confession and acknowledging of sinnes 81
teache their children the. 10. commaundementes the Apostles Créed the Lords prayer and let them teach thē a briefe and ready rule out of the Scriptures for the vnderstanding of the sacraments Let them oftē and many times cause them to repeate the Catechisme and beate into their heads such sentences as are most necessarie to put them in memorie of their faith and duetie of life But if so it be that the housholder haue his dwelling with a people that persecuteth the Christian faith and doctrine which hateth the true and lawfull worship of Gods name cannot abide the congregation ministers of Christ as it hapneth in the Turkish captiuities and troublesome persecutions of our days then shal he take héede and kéep him self from idolatrie neither shal he in his owne person goe nor suffer his familie to come to those vngodly assemblies but shall rather in his owne house at home instruct them in true religion first in the Catechisme and then in déeper diuinitie Moreouer so oft as the case and necessitie shal require he must fréely and openly professe Christe and his Gospell For it is apparantly euident by the Epistles of Paule and other hystories that such Churches were in priuate houses of great cities in the time of the Apostles and thickest of those hote and auncient persecutions Neyther is it likely that the Iewes in their captiuitie at Babylon although they lacked the outwarde vse of sacrifices were altogether without all worship of god Although Daniel did not sacrifice yet did he at certaine houres in the day time worship God in his owne house The house of Cornelius at Cesarea was the Church wherin Peter preached in a very good and ecclesiasticall assemblie or congregation and he bycause Ioppe had no Church for him to pray in went vp to the higher part of the house to make his prayers there Neyther is it to be doubted but that the Eunuch of Quéene Candaces nobilitie of whome mention is made in the Actes of the Apostles did ordeine a Church in Aethiopia And let them be persuaded whiche are without the publique and lawefull vse of the Sacramentes that that shall not be imputed to their default whiche is committed not by them but by anothers offence For euen in such a case can the Lorde worke well by his spirite in the myndes of his people But whereas by the grace of God libertie is giuen for the congregation to assemble and to heare the frée sincere and true preaching of the Gospell and lastly to celebrate the Sacraments there must those priuate and domesticall Churches be broaken vp and come to an end not for bycause the house of a godly housholder is not nor remaineth still a Church but for bycause the hearing of Gods worde prayer and the celebrating of the Sacramentes ought to be publique and common to all the Saints For those assemblies by stealth which the Anabaptistes vse and all other sectaries are bothe worthily and vtterly condemned And now let vs heare the testimonies of Scripture which commaund all housholders to instruct holily their familie in the true religion and to declare to their children the meaning of the Sacramentes Moses in the sixte of Deuter. sayth Heare Israell the Lorde our God is Lord only Therfore shalt thou loue the Lord thy God with all thy hart with all thy soule and with all thy might And these wordes whiche I commaund thee this day shall be in thy heart And thou shalt shew them vnto thy children and shalt talke of them when thou art at home in thine house and as thou walkest by the way and when thou liest downe and when thou risest vp And thou shalte bind them for a signe vpon thy hand and they shall be as frontlets betwene thine eyes And againe When thy sonne asketh thee in time to come saying what meane these testimonies ordinaunces and lawes whiche the Lord our God hath commaunded vs Then thou shalte say vnto thy sonne we were Pharaoes bondmen in Egypt and the Lorde brought vs out with a mightie hande and shewed signes and mightie wonders before oure eyes and brought vs out from thence and gaue vs all these preceptes and statutes to doe and to feare the Lord our God. Herevnto belongeth a great part of the. 78. Psalme And in the. 13. of Exodus the Lord doth say againe Sanctifie to me all the firste borne And when thy sonne shal aske thee in time to come saying what is this Thou shalt say to him The Lord slue all the first borne of Egypt and therefore I sacrifice vnto the Lord all the males that open the matrice Also in the. 12. Chapter God or Moses in Gods name expounding the mysterie or sacrament of the Passeouer sayde When your childrē aske you saying what manner of seruice is this that ye do ye shal say It is the sacrifice of the Lords Passeouer which passed ouer the houses of the childrē of Israel c. These testimonies are sufficiently euident and néed no further exposition I will nowe therefore adde to these the other things which parents haue to teach their children Let the father instruct his children in manners We all from our byrth are clownish rude all childrē haue vnséemly and vnciuil manners which euill is made double as much by euill custome and clownish company Let the parents therefore teach their children manners betimes which may adorne them at home and become thē abroad Let him instruct him how to behaue him self decently in his going and gesture of his body howe in the Church how in the market howe at the table howe in mens companies and in all other places of companie There are excellent preatie bookes set out for that purpose so that I néede not stande to discusse to you the particularities thereof Lastly let the father place his children with expert and cunning workmen to teach them some handie craft whereby to get their liuing another daye But firste hée muste make tryall of their wits to sée wherevnto euery one is best apt and wherein he doth most delight For cunning will neuer be come by where good will is wanting in him that must learne it If thou hast any fit for learning thou shalt do a good and godly déede to train them vp to the ministerie of the churche or some other office that standeth by learning But of all other those parents are to be founde faulte withall that bring vp their children in lazie idlenesse For although there be left vnto them huge heapes of treasure yet in thrée or foure odde houres al may be wasted and come to nought Wherevnto then shall your deintie idle Gentleman truste what shall hee do when there is nothing left but his bare carkasse that is a lumpe of clay not good for any thing The inhabiters of Massilia would not admit any into the number of citizens but such as had learned an occupation to liue by For to a citie there is no greater a
oure forefathers did not pray to any other but God alone the onely creatour of all thinges and did bâ—leeue verilie that hée would be mercifull vnto mankinde for the blessed séedes sake And although they did not so vsuallie call vppon God as wée at this day doe thorough the mediatour and intercessour Christe Iesus euen as the Lord in the Gospel did himselfe testifie and say Hetherto haue ye not asked any thinge in my name aske and ye shall receiue yet were they not vtterly ignoraunt of the mediatour for whose sake they were heard of the lord Daniel in the ninthe Chapiter of his Prophecie maketh his prayer and desireth to be heard of God for the Lords sake that is for the promised Christ his sake Finallie so often as the holy Saincts did in their prayers say Remember Lord thy seruaunts Abraham Isaac and Iacob they did not looke backe to the persons or soules of the deceased Patriarches but to the promise that was made to the Patriarches Now since that promise is In thy seede shal all the kinreds of the earth be blessed and since Paule doeth testifie that Christ is that blessed seed it followeth consequently that the holy fathers in their prayers had an eye to the blessed seede and that they did desire God to heare them for Christ his sake For in one place also the Lord promiseth deliueraunce to king Ezechias saying I will defend this citie for mine owne sake and for my seruaunt Dauids sake But in the 7. and 28. Chapter of Esaies Prophecie it is manifest that the citie was spared for Christe his sake the sonne of the Virgin whiche is the foundation placed in Sion whome Ezechiel in the 34. Chapiter calleth by the name of Dauid and the Gospell calleth Dauids sonne Last of all the Apostle Paule doth shewe that the auncient fathers had amongest them the very same Sacramentes which wee nowe haue as hee doth in other places also make vs partakers and applie to vs both circumcision and the Passeouer the Sacramentes whiche were giuen to them of old as doeth appeare in the second to the Colâ—ssians 1. Cor. the fifth cap. In the tenthe Chapiter he threateneth gréeuous punishment to the Corinthians at the handes of God vnlesse they absteine from thinges offered to idols and from all heathenishe sensualitie And thereuppon he bringeth in the example of the Israelites which he doth after this manner applie to his purpose I would not brethren that ye should be ignoraunt that our fathers were the Church of God and that they had the same sacraments which we at this day haue For they were all baptised vnto Moses that is by Moses or by the ministerie of Moses in the cloude and in the sea For the cloude and the sea were figures of baptisme And they did also eate of the same spirituall meate and did drincke of the same spirituall drincke And immediately after hée interpreteth his owne meaning and saith For they drancke of the spirituall rocke that followed them which rocke was Christ Mannaverily and the Rocke did typicallie represent the spirituall foode wherewith Christ refresheth both vs them who is himselfe the bread and drincke of eternall life But although they did bodilie outwardly visiblie receiue these SacrameÌ„ts yet for because they were destitute of faith and the holie Ghost because they were defiled with the worshipping of idols with surfetting and fornication they displeased God were by him destroyed in the desarte And therefore vnlesse ye also absteine from those filthie vices neither shall baptisme nor the sacrament of the Lords supper auaile you but ye shall vndoubtedly bée destroyed of the lord Since therefore it is by most euident proofes of Scripture declared that the old fathers had the same SacrameÌ„ts the same inuocation of God the same hope expectation and inheritance the same spirite the same faith and the same doctrine which we at this day haue the marcke I hope whereat I shot is fullie hit and I haue I trust sufficiently proued that the faithfull fathers of the old testament and wée the beléeuers of the newe couenaunt are one Church and one people which are all saued vnder one congregation vnder one only testament and by one and the same manner of meanes to wit by faith in Christ Iesu Thus much haue I hetherto said touching the likenesse the agréement and the vnitie betwixt the old newe testament or people of god I wil now add somewhat touching the diuersitie betwixt them and the thinges wherin they differ In the verie substaunce truly thou canst find no diuersitie the difference which is betwixt them doth consist in the maner of administration in a fâ—w accidents and certeine circumstaÌ„ces For to the promise or doctrine of faith and to the chiefe and principall lawes there were annexed certeine external thinges whiche were added vntill the time of amendment so that the whole Ecclesiasticall regiment the manner of teaching the doctrine of Godlinesse and the outward worship of God was amonge the old fathers of one sort and is amonge vs of an other But the especiall things wherin they differ may be rehearsed and sett downe in thefe fewe principall poinctes First and foremost all things of the newe couenaunt are more cleare and manifest thaÌ„ those of the old testamâ—t The preaching of the old couenaunt had alwayes in it for the most parte some mystie or cloudie thing and was still couered and wrapped vpp in shadowes and dimme shâ—wes But the publishing of the newe testament is cleare and manifest so that it is called the light which is without all mystes and darckenesse Moses did with a vayle couer his face neither could the children of Israel behold his countenance but wée beholding not only the countenance of Moses which is nowe vncouered but the pleasant and amiable face of Christ himselfe doe greatly reioyce to see our saluation openly reuealed before our eyes In that sense 〈…〉 say that his disciples were happâ—â— where hée brake out into these wâ—â—ds Happie are the eyes which see the thinges that ye see For I say vnto you that many Prophets and kinges desired to see the thinges that ye see and sawe them not and to heare the thinges that ye heare and heard them not The iust man Simeon did in this sense call himselfe as happie a man as liued and did thereupon promise that hee was willing to die saying Lord now lettest thou thy seruaunt depart in peace according to thy woord For mine eyes haue seene thy saluation which thou hast prepared before the face of al people to be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glorie of thy people Israel But althoughe our forefathers had not so much light as doeth shine to vs in Christe since his comming in the fleshe yet was that little light whiche they had sufficieÌ„t to the getting of saluation by faith in Christ Eâ—en wée our selues although wée sée him farre more clearelie than oure forefathers did
the fiftéenth of the Acts. And lastly what I pray you is a sinner able to doe of his owne strength What power I pray you haue we sillie wretches of oure selues to do good But it gréeueth mée and I am ashamed of these mennes impudencie to sée that they will haue this their auricular confession to bee instituted of God and that they go about to vpholde confirme it by the Scriptures guilefullye wresting that place in the Gospell where the Lord sayeth to the Lepre Goe thy waye shew thee selfe to the Prieste Now they doe not impudently wreste this place alone contrarie to the true sense but doe also corrupt all the other testimonies of holie Scriptures whiche they are wont to cite Among all the rest I will tell you of this one Bonauentura in his commentaries Ad sententias Magistri lib. 4. Dist 17. Quaest 3. imagineth two thinges to bee in confession The one formall to witt absolution or the power to heale and this hee sayeth was instituted by the Lord at the giueing of the keyes The other is materiall to wit the disclosing of the sin and this he sayth that the Lorde himselfe did not institute but onely insinuate For immediately after he addeth these woordes And therefore confession was insinuated by the Lorde instituted by the Apostles and openly proclamed by Iames the Bishop of Hierusalem For as hee proclamed the decree of not keepinge the ceremoniall lawes Acts. 15. So also he published layed vppon all them that sinne the necessitie of confession saying confesse your sinnes one to an other Thus muche hath Bonauentura But who will not woonder at the blyndenesse of that age This writer acknowledgeth that auricular confession was not instituted by the Lorde but obscurely and as it were by coniectures of the consequents That the Apostles expounded the mynde of Christ and instituted it And that S. Iames in the name of all the Apostles did by a decree openly proclame it Hee addeth that the woordes of the proclamation were Confesse your sinnes one to an other Nowe what is it else to wreste the Scriptures if this be not to wrest them Euen hee that is the blindest doth easily se that these champions are vnweaponed in this same combat bringing forth a speare made of a wrapt vp wisp of hay which they shake keepe a coyle with as if it were the lance-staffe of Hector or Achilles It is most euident that the Apostle speaketh not of secreat and auricular confession but of the confession whiche by a certaine reciprocation is made of them that haue mutuallie offended one an other And nowe agayne freely confessinge their faultes one to another are mutuallie reconciled and praye one for an other agayne Of which I haue saide somewhat allreadie a little before They doe not see that in the Apostles woords there are two thinges which beeing diligently considered do make thē meere mockinge stockes to them that perceyue them For firste the Apostle in that place vseth this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiche signifieth mutuallie one an other one for one and as it were reciprocately There vppon we inferre thus if according to the Apostles precepte we must confesse our selues one to an other and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie mutuallie or reciprocately that is that wée muste confesse our selues by turnes as it were firste I to him and then hee to me as it signifieth so in verie deed Then muste it néedes be that after the Lay-men haue confessed them selues to the Priestes the Priestes shoulde againe confesse themselues vnto the Laye-men For that is to make confession one to an other For wee saye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is they loue one another mutuallie he him and hee him againe But if this trouble the priests to haue their confessions heard of lay-men let them then acknowlege that this place of the Apostle doth-make nothinge for theyr secrete and auricular confession which they haue deuised for their own commoditie Then the Apostle addeth And praye yee one for an other that ye may bee healed Hee doeth therefore associate and as it were ioyne vnder one yoke both confession and prayer And vppon that wee doe agayne gather if wee muste confesse to none but Priestes then muste we praye for none but Priestes But we muste not praye for Priestes alone Ergo wee must not confesse to priests alone but euerye one one to another The same place of Sainct Iames must not bee vnderstoode of secreate and auricular confession but of that open or publique Confession by whiche they returne into charitie againe by the mutuall confession of their faultes which had before offended eache other with mutuall iniuries and béeing nowe againe reconciled do praye one for another that they may be saued We do therefore leaue this for an vndoubted trueth that the disputers for auricular confession neither haue proued nor can proue that it was instituted and ordeined of GOD. But when they sée that this their confession will to wracke they go about with weake proppes God wot to staye it vp and saye that that confession is to bee reteined still in the Churche if it were for nothinge else but for disciplines sake to make men blushe when their sinnes come to light which is a cause many times that some doe sinne the seldomer And also they saye that it is to bee reteined for priuate absolution and peculiar or singular consolation of the Gospell But if auricular confession bee so néedefull and profitable for the Church as they will seeme to haue it howe chaunced it that the Church for the space of a thousand yeares after the Apostles tymes was vtterlie without it It is meruayle then that the Apostles did in no place eyther vse it or commaunde it And agayne it is manifeste that the tymes which were before the comminge of Christ did not once so muche as dreame of this confession neyther did the Apostles leaue the Church of GOD destitute of any thing necessary vnto saluation Nowe what discipline this auricular confession planted in the Church of GOD is the abhominable deedes and wycked acts that insued it doe plainely declare For both hee that did confesse and hee that heard the confession learned horrible wickednesse euen by the examination and beatinge out the circumstaunces of sinnes commytted By that meanes there were gyuen and taken causes and occasions of whoredomes and adulteries Vnder the pretence of those confessions the chastitie of matrons and virgins hath ben assaulted and also corrupted oftener tymes and more sundrie wayes than is decent to bee named Those confessours fished out the secrets of euerie mans conscience which thinge auayled greately to the establishinge of theyr tyrannie By those confessions the confessours coulde cunningly spoyle and robbe theyr shrift-children as they called them of theyr goods and substaunce because they knewe what riches euery one had and how he came by them And when the Peeres of euery common wealth knewe that the priestes were priuie to
He that obeyeth the commaundement of Christe and in his name maketh inuocation the same néedeth not at al the mediation of Saintes Hath not he all thinges plentifully in Christe We say therefore and affirme that onely Christe is the mediatour intercessour and aduocate with the father in heauen of all men whiche are in earth and in such sorte the onely mediatour c. that after him it is néedelesse to haue other aduocates Many do graunt that Christe is giuen vnto vs an intercessour with God but bycause they ioyne with him many other they do not surely send all vnto him alone neyther yet do they preache one onely mediatour They imagine that Christe is the mediatour of redemption yea and the onely mediatour how be it not the onely mediatour of intercession but together with him many more But the scripture setteth foorth vnto vs Christ as the only mediatour of redemption so also of intercession The office of a mediatour touching redemption and intercession is one and the selfe same A mediatour putteth him selfe in the middest betwéene them that are at variance or disagréement and he is ioyned to eache in disposition and nature An intercessour putteth him self in the midst betwéene them that are at strife and dissention and vnlesse he be indifferent for eyther side he can not be an intercessour On both parts reconciliation or attonement is required and looked for There muste néedes therefore be a certeine cause of discorde which being taken away the discord or debate doth also ceasse The cause of discorde is sinne It is the duetie therefore of a mediatour or intercessour quite to raze out sinne that disagréement may no longer remayne For this there is no amendes or satisfaction made with wordes or with prayers but with bloude and death Hebr. 9. Wherevpon we doe necessarily gather that only Christ is the mediatour or intercessour with the father For principally Christ may set him selfe in the middest betwéene God and men bycause he onely is partaker of both natures The Saints participate but onely one For they are men But Christe is both God and man Furthermore he that is an intercessour muste also be a reconciliatour or an attonement-maker For the end wherat he y maketh intercession doth shoote is reconciliation But Christe is the onely reconciliatour of men therfore also the onely intercessour For it belongeth to an intercessour to disolue the cause of contention and discorde that is to say to abolish and take away sinne But Christ alone and no creature taketh awaye sinne It remayneth therefore that Christe is the onely intercessour Hetherto doe nowe perteine the testimonies of scripture Paul sayth There is one god and one reconciler or mediatour of God and men the man Christ Iesus who gaue him selfe the price or raunsome for the redemption of all And although the Apostle speake expressely of redemption yet notwithstanding these wordes are placed in the middest betwéene the disputation of the inuocation vppon God which is done by Christ who is the onely mediatour of redemption and intercession For as he alone redeemed vs so doth he alone euen now commend vs being redéemed vnto the father Touching this let the Apostle be heard once againe saying to the Romanes Christe when as yet we were sinners dyed for vs muche more therefore no we being iustified or made righteous by his bloud we shall bee saued from wrath through him And yet againe somewhat playner For if when we were enimies we were reconciled to god by the death of his sonne much more being recoÌ„ciled we shall be saued by his lyfe For in an other place the same Apostle sayth Christ euer liueth for this ende to make intercession for vs. And againe It is God that iustifieth who is hee that can condemne Christ is he that dyed yea that is raysed vp who also is at the right hande of God and maketh intercession for vs The same Christe openeth the waye or maketh accesse for vs vnto the father Hebr. 4. chapter and Ephes 2. chapter For the Lorde Iesus him selfe in the gospel doth not shew vnto vs many doores but one onely doore I am sayth he the dore And againe I am sayth he the way the truth and the life None commeth to the father but by me Doth not he which sayth I am the way the truth and the life yea and such a way that there is accesse to the father by none other than by me that is by me onely and alone exclude all other meanes al other wayes and al other patrones or aduocates what so euer Also in an other place of the Gospell least any through shamefastnesse â—nowledge of their owne vnworthinesse and guiltinesse of sinnes or the maiestie and glory of Christ the sonne of God shoulde be hindered from calling vppon God in the name of Christe and commiting them selues to Christ his defence he in his owne person plainly and louingly calling all vnto him to the benefite of his defence cryeth Come vnto me al you that labour are heauie loaden and I wil giue you rest Out of the Epistle to the Hebrues no lesse euideÌ„t testimonies thaÌ„ these and that good store may be gathered Amongst other this one is excellent Christe for that hee endureth for euer saith the apostle hath an euer lasting priesthoode Wherefore he is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him seeing he euer liueth for this ende to make intercession for theÌ„ For such an high priest it became vs to haue which is holy harmlesse vndefiled separated from sinners and made higher than the heauens c. Marke I praye you howe many arguments in this testimonie of Paule we haue to proue that Christe is the onely intercessour of the faythfull in heauen with the father The proper or peculiar office of the prieste is to make intercession But only Christe is priest in the presence of God He therefore is the only intercessour Nowe also the priesthoode of Christe is euerlasting or vnchangeable Therefore not by once offering vp hath he redeemed vs being made the onely and alone mediatour of redemption but the euerlasting and perpetuall mediatour also of intercession making intercession for vs euen till the end of the world For albeit our Lorde be a iudge yet notwithstanding he is a iudge of the vnfaythfull a defender and vpholder of the faithfull and at the length when the worlde is at ende a iudge of all And if so be he haue an euerlasting priesthood and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not conueyable I say or remoueable which can not eyther by succession resignation or part-taking passe ouer to any other then certeinely Christe onely and alone remayneth intercessour of the faithfull Moreouer there is no cause why we should choose and take to our selues eyther after Christe or with Christe other intercessours For he is able him selfe alone to worke oure saluation at the full leauing vnto others nothing at all whereabout to
of the prayers of Angels and that they offer the prayers of the faythfull in Gods presence therefore not Christ alone prayeth or maketh intercession for vs in heauen but also the Saintes We denie that this followeth bycause the scripture teacheth that Angels are ministring spirites and according to their office offer prayers only as ministers in the presence of God but not to make intercession or that men are heard for Angels sakes but for Christes sake who maketh intercession and for whose sake the prayer whiche is brought and offered vnto God is acceptable vnto him Nowe if so be they will bring foorth the like also touching the blessed soules of the Saintes and reason Asimili from that that is like let them first teache that soules are appointed and made ministring spirits But they can not and if they coulde yet had they not proued that the heauenly Saintes are intercessours For not the Angels themselues doutlesse are therefore intercessours bycause they offer the prayers of men vnto god They agrée say they and are knit vnto vs in the same knot of charitie and loue and forbycause the spirites of the blessed whiche liue in heauen do loue vs here in earth therfore according to the nature and disposition of this loue they also praye for vs We answere that they gather this without warrant of scripture For that we maye without wrangling graunt them this that the Saintes in heauen are not without the loue of their neighbour yet notwithstanding we adde that this loue in the heauenly Saintes hathe not nowe that nature or disposition and those offices which in times past it had in earth Otherwise we should attribute many moe absurdities to the Saints as though they eyther did or suffred those things which they neither do nor yet suffer Whilest they liued in earth according to the disposition and nature of loue they were sorie and they were glad and they prayed with vs yea they also made intercession for vs but nowe that they haue put off this corruptiō and haue lefte vs leading their liues in heauen with the Lord they neither knowe our affaires neither are moued with any earthly affectiōs They vnderstād that it is passing well with vs without their helpe They vnderstande likewise that the worke of our saluation is already wrought and accomplished so that they may acquiet them selues and rest from their laboures and reioyce in Christe who is doubtlesse the onely intercessoure with the father of all men liuing in their miserie bycause he knoweth all and can do al neither is he moued at neither wearied or tyred with or yet is ignorant of any thing but taketh vppon him most absolutely and dispatcheth all things whatsoeuer are incident or belong to an intercessour They vnderstande that this glory agréeth vnto the onely sonne of God and therefore they goe not busily about it that they in Christes steade might appoint or make thē selues intercessours For here the loue that they beare to God surpasseth the loue of their neighbour But these mē obiect that the saints pray not in heauen after the rite and fashion of that only intercessour but after the same maner that they prayed for their fellow-brethrē in earth Euen nowe we sayde that it did not follow This they did in earth therfore they doe the same in heauen Neither can it be proued by manifest scriptures that the Saints in heauen pray for vs Why then doe they set foorth vnto vs doubtfull opinions for certeine For that we may graunt them that the Saintes pray in heauē which thing not a fewe of the fathers haue written it doth not therfore followe that the Saints are to be called vpon For that sentence of S. Augustine is very well knowne which is reade written in his booke De Ciuitate Dei. 22. chap. 10. The Gentiles did both build temples made altars ordeyned priestes and offered sacrifices vnto their Gods. But we do not erect tēples to our martyrs as vnto Gods but remēbraunces as vnto dead men whose spirits liue with god Neither do we there set vp altars vpon whiche we might sacrifice vnto martyrs but we sacrifice to one God who is the sacrifice both of the martyrs also our sacrifice according to whiche sacrifice as men of god that haue ouercome the worlde in the confession of him they are named in their place and order Howbeit they are not called vpon of the priest that sacrificeth Bycause hee is Gods priest not theirs Now the sacrifice it self is the body of Christ which is not offered vnto them bicause they also them selues are the same Thus saith he Testifying plainly enough that the Saintes are not called vpon or to be called vpon bicause sacrifice belongeth vnto God and not to the Saints Wherefore when the aduersaries adde That the Churche many yeares called vpon the Saintes that the churche erred not and therefore they that call vpon the Saints do not erre We answere that the churche doth not erre when she heareth the voyce of her bridegrome and shepehearde but that she doth erre when neglecting the voice of her shepheard she followeth her owne decrées The whole churche of Israel erred together with their high Priest Aaron the elders of the people when transgressing the lawe of God they worshipped god represented by an image with singings and dauncings otherwise than he him selfe had appointed Neither are the Israelites absolued from errour and sinne for that many yeares they put not downe their high places They add againe The saints haue helped when they haue bene called vpon therefore they are to be called vpon Oftentimes that falleth out well whiche is instituted against the worde of god But who can thervpon gather that that is good whiche is instituted against the worde of God as though the innocent and harmlesse were therefore to be spoyled with warre bicause we sée that by warre mercilesse souldiers waxe rich The Gods of the Gentiles likewise séemed to heare the petitions of their supplyants but are the Gods of the Gentiles therefore to be called vpon But we meane not to answere to euerie one of their arguments bicause we haue done that already elsewhere according to our talent We conclude therefore that the word of truth vttered out of the mouth of God doth teache vs inuocation of Gods name by the mediation of Iesus Christe neither doe we reade that any holie man either in the olde or the new testament of whome the scripture vndoubtedly hath made mention called vpon any though neuer so excellent a Patriarch or Prophete departed this life or vpon any Apostle or Apostles disciple otherwise than by the name of Iesus Christ Let vs therefore hold fast that that doctrine is most perfect and most safe which biddeth vs all to cal vpon God alone by his only sonne that God him selfe requireth this of euery one of vs and that when we obey we please God. The last place touching the seruing of God doth remaine behinde This
right hand of the father in heauen doeth not so oftentimes humbly fal downe on his knées and make intercession for vs as we doe sinne In the dayes of his flesh when he did offer vp praiers supplications with strong crying and teares hee was once heard in that which he feared For nowe he alwayes appeareth for vs in the presence of god Al our matters are manifest in his sight the father beeholdeth the face of his Christe for whose sake he is pleased with all his members hearing them and giuing them whatsoeuer healthful things they require according to that saying of our sauiour Verily verily I say vnto you Whatsoeuer ye shall aske the Father in my name he shal giue it you Therfore here wee must imagine no turmoyles no molestation no labour wherwith he shuld be wearied which is the intercessour aduocate priest of al before God the father in heaueÌ„ Whereof also I put you in minde in my last sermoÌ„ where I entreated of inuocation and intercession Wherfore our priest executing his office before God in heauen hathe néede of no altar of inceÌ„se no censer no holy vesselles or garments muche lesse hath he néede of the altar of burnt offerings For on the crosse which was his altar he offered vp him selfe but once for al. Neither was there any mortal man worthie to offer to the liuing god the liuing sonne of god And that only sacrifice is alwayes effectuall to make satisfaction for all the sinnes of all men in the whole world And though in the discourse of the ceremoniall lawes I haue alleadged many testimonies touching these things yet I caÌ„ not stay my self here but must cite vnto you some that be notable For this matter wherin the fruite of Christes diuinitie humanitie to be short al our saluation consisteth cannot worthily and diligently ynough be printed in mens harts Paule vnto the Hebrues speaking of the priestes of the olde Testamente and comparing Christ our high priest with them yea by all meanes preferring him sayth And among them many were made priests because they were not suffered to indure by reason of death But Christ because he indureth for euer hathe an euerlasting or vnchangeable priesthod for that it doth not palle ouer to another by succession Wherfore he is able also perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him seeing hee euer liueth to make intercession for them For such an high prieste it became vs to haue which is holy harmelesse vndefiled separate from sinnes made higher than the Heauens which needed not daily as those high priests to offer vp sacrifice first for his owne sinnes then for the peoples for that did hee once when he offred vp himself And againe he sayth Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands whiche are the similitudes of the true sanctuarie but into heauen it selfe to appeare nowe in the sight of God for vs Not that he should offer himselfe often as the highe priestes entred into the holie places euerie yere in strange or with other bloud For theÌ„ muâ—t he haue often suffered since the foundation of the world But now in the end of the worlde hath he appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himself And as it is appointed vnto men that they shall once die and after that coÌ„meth the iudgement Euen so Christ once offered to take away the sins of many the second time shal be seene without sinne of them whiche waite for him vnto saluation And againe the same Paule saith Euerie priest appeareth daily ministring and oftentimes offereth one manner of offering which can neuer take away sinnes but this ma after he had offered one sacrifice foâ— sinns sitteth for euer at the right hand of God and from hencefoorth tarrieth til his enimies be made his footstoole For with one offering hath he made perfect or consecrated for euer theÌ„ that are sanctified All these sayinges hitherto are the Apostle Paules And I think that these testimonies are not to be made manifest and agréeable to our purpose by a larger interpretation For they are all euen without any exposition of ours most euident and verie aptly agrée to the matter which we haue in hand For they doe plainely set forth and lay before our eyes to beholde the whole priesthood of Christ specially that which belongeth to the intercession and the onely and euerlasting sacrifice or satisfaction for sinnes It belongeth also to the same priesthoode to consecrate priestes vnto God all the faithfull not that we should offer for the satisfaction of sinnes but that we shoulde offer our prayers thankesgiuinges and our selues and the dueties of Godlinesse as it were euerie momente For Saint Iohn the Apostle and Euangeliste sayeth Iesus Christe prince of the Kinges of the earth loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in his owne bloud made vs kinges and priestes vnto God and his father We may finde the same sentence also in the Epistle of Saint Peter So that in these we may sée what fruite riseth and floweth vnto vs from the diuinitie and humanitie of Christe oure king and highe priest For he coulde not be prince of kings highe priest vnlesse he were God and man. Here this place requireth to speak somewhat of the name of a Christian and of the dueties of a Christian man We haue the name of Christians of Christ to whome being vnseparably knitte we are the members of that bodye whereof he is head And Christe is not his proper name for he is called Iesus but a name of office deriued from the Gréeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiche signifieth annoynting so Christ signifieth asmuch as annointed Therfore Tertullian saith it is not a proper name but a name attributed And hee addeth Annointed is no more a name than cloathed or apparelled a thing accident to the name But the kinges high priestes were annointed with oyle therefore Christ signifieth vnto vs him that is king high priest or Bishop And because we are named Christians of Christe who hath annointed vs with the holy ghost truely we also are kings priestes Where you may sée how great a benefite we haue receiued of Christe God man for he hath made vs kings priestes We sée what the dutie of christians is namely to mainteine this dignitie euen to the last gaspe lest it be taken from vs againe by sathan Furthermore if we be kings we are Lordes ouer thinges and are frée ruling not ruled or in subiection Frée I say froÌ„ sinne and euerlasting death and from all vncleannesse Lords ouer sathan prince of this worlde and ouer the world it selfe For we rule the world and the fleshe wee are not ruled by them Herevnto belong those wordes of the Apostle Let not sinne reigne in your mortall bodie that ye shoulde therunto obey by the lustes of it Neither giue ye your members as instruments or weapons of
manifest that this godly inuentioÌ„ of those men who liued holily in the time of Abraham which of late by the doctrine of Christe is preached to all nations is the first moste auncient and eldest of aâ— Thus much Eusebius Furthermore if we behold our selues in this looking-glasse of a Christian name we shal see that very few at this day are worthie of this name Truly all of vs are commonly so called we will be all named christians but fewe of vs liue a life worthie of our profession We are named christians of holy annointing The holy annointing is the holy ghost himself Vpon whom shal my spirit rest saith the Lorde Euen vppon him that is poore and of a lowly troubled spirite and standeth in awe of my wordes But we set light by the word of God we haue very troublesome heades we are corrupt with euil affections and lewde lusts we swel with pride therfore we want the oyntment of holy oyle or are voide of the holy ghost Who therefore can say that we bée Christians We are all of vs in maner ruled by wicked desires by the flesh the world and the prince of this worlde fewe of vs rule the world the flesh and those thinges which are in them Therefore not the spirite of God but the spirite of the world and the fleshe beareth rule in vs The diuel the world and the fleshe haue dominion ouer vs for in them wee liue and them we doe obey wherevppon being estranged and let loose froÌ„ all righteousnesse and holines we are beecome flaues seruing a most vile filthie slauerie For we not desiring to be deliuered do neither séeke a redéemer nor being impatient of their tyrannie rise rebell against them but like faint-harted cowardes wée yéeld our selues to be brought in subiection and to be kept vnder their tyrannie nay it repenteth and yrcketh vs of our labours watchinges prayers of all duties of Godlines béeing carelesse wee lie lurking as in a place of voluâ—tuousnesse But who would 〈◊〉 â—uch swine the most holy name of a Christian but he that is bothe exceeding foolish and wicked No maruel theÌ„ iâ— such be thrust down into hell there eternally to burne and there eternally to be yoked vnto him whom they haue moste wickedly chosen to themselues to follow And now what one of vs is there y doth teach admonish exhort those that boast brag of this Christian name I speak nothing heere concerning the Doctors or teachers of the Church but my talke doth touche the office dutie of a christian man Truly the most part of vs are slowe in instructing our families and felowe-brethren For either it grieueth vs to take the paine or else we feare daunger Therefore we turne the office of admonishing instructing vpon the publique ministers of the church as though nothing at all of this matter were required of vs For this cause speaches in a maner vnséemly to be spoken are heard vttered of men I haue not the office of a minister I am no Pâ—aff priest why therefore should I 〈◊〉 â–ª why should I admonishe And these care not howe blasphemous and filthie things be spoken either at home or abroade For they liue to themselues and thinke that the glorie of God and the soules-healthe of their neighbour belongeth nothing vnto them But what sacrifices offer wee worthie of God and our name where are prayers and thanksgiuings where is the mortification of our fleshe and the denying of this world where is compassion or well-doing where is an holy and harmelesse life The contrarie if néede so required I coulde reckon vppe in a long bead-rowe but to what ende were it to make a large discourse of those thinges that are manifest vnto all men For who I pray you doth denie that the life of this presente age of men I meane whiche bragge and boaste of their Christian name is filthie stincking and pestilent Whiche thinges since they bee too too true and euident I haue nothing done amisse in saying a litle before that at this day there are fewe Christians They that are wise and desire to bee according to their name let them heare our Sauiour speaking in the Gospel of Matthew Striue to enter in at the streight gate for wide is the gate and broade is the waye that leadeth to destruction and many there be whiche goe in thereat Because streight is the gate and narrowe is the way whiche leadeth vnto life and fewe there be that finde it Furthermore they whiche thing ought first of al to haue béen spoken doe verie greatly offende against religion and Christian profession whiche as they doe not sincerely acknowledge the priesthoode kingdome of Christ so they boast theÌ„selues to be chiefly praise worthie coÌ„mendable catholike because they coÌ„mit those things which by al meanes obscure darken the kingdome priest hood of Christ Christians being content with this only title name doe not ambitiously séeke after or admit another name But these men as thogh the name of a christiaÌ„ were but a light trifling name neuer rest vntil they be also called by other names as though they were babtised into the name of BrioÌ„ Benet Robert or FrauÌ„cis Christians cleauing only to their lawgiuer maister teacher Christ do not acknowlege the voice of strauÌ„gers neither goe a strawes breadth from the diuine scriptures But these men charge thée with heresie vnlesse thou receiue and woorship for heauenly Oracles al kinde of constitutions of the Romish Church though they be flat contrarie to the wordes teaching of Christ Christians acknowlege themselues to haue one king one deliuerer one sauiour one head in heauen These men worship his vicar in earth and attribute saluation not onely to triâ—â—ing things but to verie stinking loathsome thinges Christians put all their trust in God to whome they offer all their vowes and prayers by Iesus Christ whome they beléeue to be the only highe priest and most faithfull patrone and aduocate of all that beléeue They make their prayers to creatures and mens imaginations and choose to themselues so many patrones and intercessours as there doe liue saintes in heauen Christians know that the sacrifice of Christ once offered is alwayes effectuall to make satisfaction for all the sins of al men in the whole worlde and of all men of al ages But these men with often outcries say that it is flatte heresie not to confesse that Christ is daily offered of sacrificeing priests consecrated to the purpose Therfore the name of a christian is common to al but the thing signified ment by the name is common to the faithfull only who cleaue vnto one Christ Nowe I conclude my whole discourse of Christ a king and a priest with these words of saint Augustine The sonne of God whiche made vs is made among vs and beeing our king ruleth vs therfore we are Christians because he is Christe He is
and the benefites receiued at his hand Herevnto is referred a great part of the psalmes wherof part perteine to inuocation or calling vppon God and some ferue to teache or instruct some to declare or expound whereof at this present there is no place to speake Paule the blessed Apostle of Christ acknowledging these parts of prayer writing to the Colos sayeth Continue in prayer watch in the same with thankesgiuing And to the Philippians Let your requestes be shewed vnto God in prayer supplication with giuing of thankes And againe vnto Timothie I exhort therfore sayth Paule that first of all prayers supplicatioÌ„s intercessions giuing of thanks be made for al men Kinds of prayers are these There is a priuate prayer of euerie faithfull man there is also a publique prayer of the whole church Priuate prayer is made vnto God by euerie faithfull man in what place soeuer either in the house or without dores in the closet of his heart temple of his owne bodie For S. Peter went vp into the vppermost part of the house and prayed S. Pans sayeth I will therefore that the me pray euery where lifting vp pure hands And Christ our Lord himselfe verie often departed euen out of the temple into the mount to pray And in the Gospel hee sayeth When thou prayest enter into thy chamber and when thou hast shutt thy dore pray to thy father whiche is in secrete Publique prayer is that which is vsed of the church whiche is made vnto God in the holy assemblie according to the accustomed order of euerie churche Nowe the pastours duetie is as Paule also admonisheth in the 1. Tim. 2. and wée in the last Sermon before this haue rehearsed to gather together instruct and preserue the assemblies in whiche supplications or common prayers are made And they are greatly to bee blamed who are more negligent in this behalfe than becommeth them neither are they in déede to be suffered which séeldome or neuer teach diligently and are cold in stirring vpp a desire in men to pray Men by nature are slow and slacke in the studie of religion and therefore we haue néede of a sharpe spurre And the charge and office of stirring vpp and prouoking is committed to the pastours of churches The prophets somewhere crie Blowe out the trumpet in Sion assemble a congregation For in a holy congregation thrée thinges are chiefly vsed the teaching of the Gospel faithfull prayers and religious celebration or administration of the Sacraments And sometimes there is a collection made for the reléeuing of the poore and of the church The holie Scripture wittnesseth that these thinges are not instituted at the will and pleasure of man but by the authoritie of God yea and immediatly after the first beginning of thinges and that they were also vsed of the most holy worshippers of god Of those most auncient patriarchs both which were first before the floud and which followed immediatly after there is no doubt since the scripture plainly witnesseth of Iacob himselfe the nephue of Abraham that he exected an altar in Bethel whervnto he assembled his whole household though it were excéeding great and there offered sacrifice vnto god In Moses time by the law in most euident commaundements he instituted holy assemblies Yea in the 10. commaundements he diligently coÌ„maundeth to sanctifie the sabboth day which also compreheÌ„deth holy assemblies The holy prophets of God do euerie where praise and commend the ecclesiasticall assemblies of Gods people Neither did Christ our Lord disallow them wheÌ„ he came in the flesh For as in the most notable assemblies and feastes hee taught with great diligence euen so he gathered and assembled together both the people and also his disciples whome he specially commaunded that they should not depart from Hierusalem but waite for the promise of the father which thing when they were gathered together into an assemblie and in prayer we read in the Actes to haue béene performed There also the assemblie of the faithful is coÌ„mended to vs as appeareth both in the 11. and 14. cap. of the 1. epist. of Paul to the Corin. Those supplications which the same Paule commaundeth to bée made for all them that are set in authoritie are made chiefly in holy asseÌ„blies Truely Plinie an heatheÌ„ author writing to Traianus the Emperour doth make verie manifest mention of holy assemblies Holie assemblies had of old time verie excellent promises as we may sée in the prayer of Solomon whiche is described vnto you in the first booke of the Kinges the 8. cap. And at this day the church of Christ hath promises nothing inferiour to them Christ our Lord saying I say vnto you that if two of you shall agree in earth as touching any thing that they shall aske it shal be done for them of my father whiche is in heauen For where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them Behold the Lord him selfe is in the middst of the assemblies of saincts And where the Lord is there is both plentie and the treasure of all good things And therefore experience it selfe which we haue of matters teacheth that the supplications of the church are effectuall For the Lord heareth the prayers of the church and deliuereth from euil those whose safetie the church commendeth vnto him We haue oftentimes had experience that they which were in extreme daunger haue found verie present helpe euen at the same instant wherein the congregation hath offered their prayers to the Lord. Moreouer the example moueth verie many otherwise hard hearted and barbarous For they sée the deuout godlines of the holy congregation and the feruencie of the faithful in assemblies are thereby moued so that entring into themselues they acknowledge that they are miserable desire to be partakers of this fellowship according to the saying of S. Paul. If therfore wheÌ„ the whole church is come together in one and all speake straunge tongues there come in they that are vnlearned or they whiche beleeue not will they not say that ye are out of your witts But if all prophecie and there come in one which beleueth not or one vnlearned he is rebuked of all men is iudged of all And so are the â—ecrets of his heart made manifest and so he wil fall downe on his face and worship God and say plainely that God is in you in deede With what confidence therefore and howe shamefully dare some set light by holy assemblies and not onely set light by them but also scorne at them as if they were assembled together without any profite at all Dauid in his banishment maketh complaint of nothing so much as that hee was compelled to wander in the wildernesse and was shutt out from holy assemblies For hee promiseth the Lord hee wil enter into his holie congregation if euer he be restored againe Verily when the Lord sayeth in
that whiche they aske it doeth not proue that prayer is altogether vnprofitable for it is ofteÌ„times profitable for him that prayeth not to receiue his requestes There are moreouer many causes for the whiche God either putteth off the things that are asked or doeth not graunt them There is a kind of men which pray of whome we read written He that stoppeth his â—are at the crie of the poore shal crie himselfe not be heard Againe Though ye make many prayers yet will I heare nothing at all seeing your handes are full of bloud So againe in Solomon Wisedome cryeth testifying that she will not heare them that call on her because they would not first heare her giuing them warning in time All these things in a maÌ„ner are gathered from the person of them that pray from the thing it selfe which they pray for that whiche followeth is deriued S. Iames sayeth Yee aske and receiue not because ye aske amisse euen to consume it vpon your lustes For the Lord also aunswering two euen of his chosen disciples which required the highest roomes in the kingdome of Christ saith Ye knowe not what ye aske Furthermore holy men when they aske holy and necessarie things or at the least not vniust or euil whiche neuerthelesse they receiue not of the Lord they forthwith thincke that God is a God of iudgement and iustice and therefore that hee will not immediatly deliuer out of afflictions yet desire they deliuerance with continuall prayers Whome the Lord loueth he chasteneth whome he chasteneth he doeth not to this end to destroy them but that they should not be condeÌ„ned with the wicked world For it is lawefull in such distresses to pray with Dauid Rebuke me not in thine anger O Lord neither chasten me in thy displeasure And with Ieremie Lord â—orrecte me in iudgement not in furie And with Abacuch WheÌ„ thou art angrie remeÌ„ber thy mercie The godly doubt nothing of the power goodnes of God to men ward That which God will and which is profitable for the children of God god can do Innumerable examples of this thing the old new testament doth affoard vs Wherefore when we are not deliuered when we obteine not our desires it is most sure that God wil haue it so and that it is profitable for vs it should so be By this meanes he heareth our prayers when he heareth vs For our prayers tend to this end onely that it might go wel with vs God since he is onely wise knoweth what can profite and what can hurt vs and doth not giue vs y we aske yet by not giuing he in verie déed grauÌ„teth that whiche is good for vs Therefore the lawful prayer of the faithful is alwaies effectual and euermore obteineth his purpose the Lord gaunting to his that which he knoweth to be good Furthermore the Lord deferreth to perfourme that whiche is asked yea and at somtime séemeth altogether to neglecte our prayers but hee doeth that by prolonging to trie his that he may make their faith the more feruent and his giftes also more acceptable whiche are so much the more ioyfully receiued by how much they are looked for by an ardent desire In this temptation let that saying of the prophete comfort vs Can a woman forgett her child not haue compassion on the sonne of her owne wombe Though they shuld forget yet wil not I forget thee For the church had said God hath forsaken me my Lord hath forgotten me Let vs now coÌ„sider what maner of prayer that shuld be which he y calleth on God vseth That question cannot bee better resolued than by weighing the chiefest circumstances First therefore let vs consider who must bee called vppon of them that pray None verily but the one and only god For thrée things are required of him whiche is prayed vnto First that he heare the prayers of all the men in the whole world that he pierce and exactly know their hearts yea that he know more rightly and better all the desires of men than men themselues can vtter them Secondly that he be present euerie where haue power ouer all thinges in heauen in earth and in hell whiche hath in his power all the wayes and all the meanes to helpe Thirdly that his will be excéeding good and readie prepared that that which he can he may also be willing to do But these properties are found in God onely For God onely searcheth the reines and the harts he onely séeth and heareth all thinges he onely knoweth more perfectly those things which are within and without man than man himselfe he onely is present in all places hee onely is Almightie he onely is wise the will of God onely imbraceth man with most perfect goodnes is alwayes readie onely procureth faithfully that which is profitable for man therefore ought God only to bée called vpon But who can attribute these properties were it to the most chosen soules in heauen without blasphemie and sacrilege Therefore the soules in heauen liuing with God are not to be called vpon Especially since the scripture in plaine words testifieth the Abraham Iacob know vs not and commaundeth vs to cal on God and forbiddeth to communicate those thinges which are Gods to creatures And that we say nothing else to whom I pray you of all the saincts or angels in heauen can we say without blushing O our father whiche art in heauen that which followeth in the Lords prayer Let vs therfore call vpon God onely that heauenly father whome alone all the sainctes or godly men as many as haue bin in the church haue called vppon But since no mortal man how good soeuer hee séeme to be is worthie to come forth into the sight of the eternall and most holy God whiche thinge all men with one voice confesse many in déed and diuerse patrones intercessours and aduocates are chosen and receiued of them that pray by whose intercessioÌ„ either they themselues might be brought to God or their prayers presented vnto god Wherfore some haue chosen to themselues angels other apostles other the most holy among all other women that blessed virgin the mother of Christ other some haue chosen other as they haue put confidence in this man or the man but they haue forged these thinges vnto themselues out of the imagination of their owne hart haue not learned them at the mouth of the lord The scripture y only rule of truth setteth forth to vs one mediatour intercessour patrone aduocate by whom we mâ—y come vnto God by whome we may present our prayers vnto the lord All the prayers of all men are vnpleasant and abhominable which are not made by Christ Iesus Neither doeth true faith suffer vs to forge and imagine another aduocate for Christ or some other with Christ in the sight of God nor our selues alone without our aduocate Christ to rushe into the presence
we read Offer vnto God thanksgiuing and pay thy vowes vnto the most highest And Cal vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie mee Againe The Lord is nigh vnto al that call vpon him vnto all such as cal vpon him in trueth or faithfully He wil fulfil the desire of them that feare him he will also heare their crie and will saue them Againe in Esaie the Lord saith And it shal come to passe that before they call I will answere them and while they are but yet thinking how to speake I wil heare them In Matth. the Lord sayth Aske and it shal be giuen you seeke and ye shall finde knock and it shal be opened vn-you For whosouer asketh receiueth whosoeuer seeketh findeth to him that knocketh it shal be opened c. In the same Gospell the Lord sayth And al thinges whatsoeuer ye shall aske in prayer beleeuing ye shall receiue In the 11. of Marke the same sentence is thus alledged Whatsoeuer saith he ye desire when ye pray beleeue that ye shall haue it and it shal be done vnto you Againe in the gospel according to Saint Iohn the Lord saith Whatsoeuer ye shall aske in my name that wil I do Againe Verily verily I say vnto you Whatsoeuer ye shall aske the father in my name hee wil giue it you Aske and ye shall receiue Dauid frameth an argument of the example of the Fathers and saith Our Fathers hoped in thee they trusted in thee and thou diddest deliuer them they called vpon thee and they were helped they did put their trust in the and were not confounded For therevpoÌ„ he gathereth that he also shal not be forsaken of the lord In the hystorie of the Gospell are verie many examples to be séene which excéedingly confirme establish the faith of the Godly But since faith is not a vaine imagination but an effectual power working by the holy Ghost all kinde of good woorkes thoughe they neither trust vnto these neither thinke in consideration of them to be heard yet neuerthelesse suche sinners as are faithfull doe not impudently and without repentaunce trust to their owne wittes dealing onely in wordes with the Lorde but they ioyne a holy life with prayers For Solomon sayth Hee that turneth his eare from hearing the Lawe his prayer shal bee abhominable And the Lorde saith in Esaie Though ye make many prayers yet will I heare nothing at all seeing your handes are full of bloud Of suche impenitent persons we vnderstande that in the Gospell God heareth not sinners But that more is the Saintes shal obteine nothinge if they continue prayer for suche For Ieremie praying earnestly for his people otherwise being obstinately wicked heareth Thou shalt not not pray for this people thou shalte neither giue thankes nor bidde prayer for them make thou no intercession for them for in no wise will I heare thee Seest thou not what they doe in the cities of Iuda The children gather stickes the Fathers kindle the fire the women kneade the doughe to make cakes for the Queâ—ne of heauen They powre out drinke offeringes vnto straunge Gods to prouoke mee vnto wrath After the same manner sayeth the Lorde in Ezechiel If I send a pestilence into this Lande and if Noe Iob and Daniel were therein or in the middest of it as truely as I liue sayth the Lord God they shal deliuer neither sonne nor daughter but saue their owne soules in their righteousnesse Wherefore it followeth that the supplications of vnrepentant men impudently perseuearing in their sinnes thoughe they crie without ceassing Helpe vs O God our Sauiour Deliuer vs O Lorde We beeseeche thee to heare vs are altogether fruitelesse For they desire to be preserued that they might take their further pleasure and committe wickednesse And though God giue vs fréely those thinges whiche we aske yet it is necessarie that an affection or desire to liue wel do accompany so great benefits receiued at the hands of god For here we ought most diligently to take héede that we thinke not we shal be heard for our vertues sake but for the méere mercy of God in Christe Iesu Moreouer whosoeuer desireth to haue his praiers to be acceptable vnto God let him lift vp his mind from earthly things vnto heauenly things Touching that thing the blessed Martyr of Christ Cyprian eloquently and holily intreating sayth When wee stand occupied in prayer wee must with our whole hart watch and be diligent in prayer Let all worldly and fleshly thoughtes departe neither let the mind thinke vpon any thing else at that time than only that whiche it praieth Let thy breast be shut against the aduersarie and let it be open to God only neither let it suffer the enimie of god to enter into it in the time of prayer For he oftentimes stealeth vpon vs and entereth in and subtily deceiuing vs turneth away our prayers from God â–ª that we may haue one thing in our hart another thing in our mouthe but not the sound of the voice but the minde and sense ought to pray vnto God with an vnfeigned affection Thus farre hée But that the minde of him the prayeth may bee lifted vp from earthly thinges vnto heauenly thinges y is chiefly the worke of the spirit of true fayth the stedfastnes of hope and the feruent loue of god if also we haue in remembrance the dreadfull maiestie of God before whose eyes we stande praying Him al the creatures in heauen in earth do worship reuereÌ„ce thousand thousandes of Angels serue him Let vs thinke with our selues how profitable and necessarie things we aske of God without whiche we can not be happie Let vs moreouer remoue froÌ„ vs al those things whiche either deteine and kéepe vs in this world or pull vs backe vnto earthly things of which sort are these slouthfulnes couetousnes surfetting and to be shorte al other sinnes like vnto these And contrariwise let vs applie our selues to watchfulnes sobernes gentlenesse liberalitie Surely the Scripture almost euery where ioyneth vnto prayer fasting and mercy For these vertues make vs more chearfull and readie to pray throughe faith Daniel sayth I turned my face vnto the Lord God and sought him by praier supplicatioÌ„ with fasting sackcloath and ashes Neither vnlike to this doe Ionas and Ioel teache Yea in the Gospel and writinges of the Apostles we euery where heare Watche be feruent in prayer bee sober For the bellie being full either no prayers at all or else fat and vnweildie prayers are made Whereof we reade that saint Augustine said Wilt thou haue thy prayer flie vppe vnto God make it two winges Fasting and Almes deedes For in the Actes of the Apostles the Angel of the Lord saith to Cornelius the Centurion Thyprayers and thine almes deeds are had in remembraunce in the sight of God. And surely God requireth
of godlinesse and in daylie prayers though they sing not yet remaine they neuerthelesse the sonnes of god Neither yet doth all singing and in euery place edifie neither are all Churches fitt to singe Doeth not Rabanus saye in the same place that I euen nowe cited For fleshly minded mennes sake not for such as are guided by the spirite the custome of singing is instituted in the Church that they that are not moued by wordes may bee allured with the sweetnesse of the melody c. But the singing about which there is controuersie at this day is not that auncient singing but that more is both in matter and tune for the most parte it is cleane contrarie to the olde The common sort call it Gregories singing doubtlesse not of that great Gregorie who séemeth not to haue béene very fréendlie to singing as it appeareth by his constitution whiche is read in the Registre in the fifte parte thereof Cap. 44. Wee shall therefore séeme to iudge more truely if we referre it to Gregorie the fifte which is said to haue béene enthronized aboute the yéere of our Lorde 995. and moreouer to haue vsed the healpe of I knowe not who one Robertus Carnotensis Yet there are some whiche ascribe it to Vitalianus some to Gelasius It yrcâ—eth mee to rehearse what Durandus hath patcht together of this matter in his Rat. Diuin lib. 5. For I little weigh it There are manie thinges in this kinde of singing to be discommended For first of all many things yea the most are soung contrarie to true godlines neither are all thinges that are sounge taken out of the holie Scriptures but out of I knowe not what kinde of Legendes and out of the traditions of men And those things whiche are soung out of the Scriptures are for the moste parte so wrested and corrupted that there remaineth no parte of the heauenly sense or meaning Creatures and deade men are called vpon Moreouer this kinde of singinge is commaunded and they singe not of their owne accorde or good will but vpon constrainte yea they singe for money and to th' end that they may get an Ecclesiasticall benefice as they terme it Onely Clearkes hyred for that purpose doe nowe a dayes singe not the whole Churche of Christe as in time paste hath béene accustomed Neither is there any ende or measure in their singinge They singe day and night And to this foolishe and vngodly kinde of singinge as to a heauenlie or meritorious worke there is more attributed than true faith doeth allowe A man maye well say that it is that much babbling which the Lorde in Matthewe forbiddeth and condemneth as an Heathenish superstition They singe moreouer in a straunge tongue which fewe doe vnderstand and therefore without any profite at all to the church There is hearde a longe sounde quauered and streyned to and fro backewarde and forewarde whereof a man can not vnderstand one worde Often times the Singers striue amonge themselues for the excellencie of voyces whereby it commeth to passe that the whole Churche ringeth with an hoarse kinde of yellinge and through the strife that riseth about their voyces the hearers little vnderstande what is sounge I say nothing at this present of their musicke which they call Figuratiue and of their musicall instrumentes all whiche are conteined in a manner in their Organes as they terme them I saye nothinge of their Diriges or prayers for the deade Of which I haue also intreated in an other place But these and such other like so occupied the whole time of diuine seruice in the Churche that verie little or none was lefte for true prayers and for the holie and heauenlie preaching of the worde of god Therefore for moste iuste causes they that beléeue the Gospell doe neither vse such singing neither suffer it in the Church of god And they séeme to deale verie deuoutly and in like manner moste wisely whiche bestowe the beste parte of the time or euen the verie whole time of ecclestasticall assemblies in feruent and quiete prayers and in the wholesome preachinge of the worde of God omitting that singinge especially since it is a harde thinge so to limitte or restraine singinge which otherwise is tollerable leaste at some time it excéede and go beyond the appointed boundes Furthermore that our auncient predecessours had certeine and appointed houres wherein they prayed bothe priuately in their houses and publiquely in assemblies all the holie Scripture witnesseth in many places Dauid more than once in his Psalmes sayeth that he will goe vnto the Lord in the Morning and Eueninge Daniel prayed vnto the Lorde at thrée seuerall houres or times of the day Againe Dauid saith Seuen times in a day doe I praise thee But by seuen times he vnderstandeth many times For so else-where we reade written I will smite you for your sinnes seuen times And againe The iust man falleth seuen times and riseth vp againe And also If thy brother sinne seuen times in a daye and turne seuen times in a day vnto thee c. Seuen times therefore in diuerse places as also in this of Dauid is put for many times And Christe our Lorde hath tyed the priuate prayers of the faithfull as wee haue also tolde you before neither to place nor yete to time he hath not taken away publique prayers For he is the Lord not of confusion but of order But his Disciples when they were in the land of Iurie did them selues also obserue the accustomed houres of praying whiche that nation kept at libertie not of necessitie and specially for the assemblies sake For Peter Iohn goe vp into the temple at the ninth houre of prayer In the day of pentecost all the Saincts with one accorde were gathered together receiued the holy Ghost at the thirde houre of the day And it is also read that Peter priuately went vpp into the vpper parte of the house aboute the sixt houre The Temple béeing destroyed and the Iewes scattered abroade the Churches gathered out of the Gentiles did not obserue like houres of gatheringes together or of assemblies but at their owne libertie as to euery church it séemed most méete and conuenient Of which diuersitie truely the Ecclesiasticall historie also makethe mention yet for the most part there were houres in the morning and euening vsed for assemblies S. Hierome in his Epitaph vppon Paula expounding not the rite or order of the vniuersall church what it should doe in holie assemblies but what the companyes of solitarie virgins are woont to doe of their owne accorde sayeth In the morning at three sixe and nine of the clocke at euening at midnight they did sing the Psalter by order Onely vpon the Sunday they went vnto the Church neere vnto the whiche they dwelt c. So it perteineth to priuate institution which of the same sorte is read writen to Laeta touching the institution of her daughter and to Demetriades De custodienda virginitate
and of heauenly thinges doeth deuoutly and ardently meditate these thinges And truely the woord Father putteth vs in minde of many thinges together For first it teacheth vs that all oure prayers are to bee offered to none other than to him which is a father that is to say that onely God is to bee called vppon and not another for him or another with him For our God and father is one the fulnesse and sufficiencie of all good thinges in whome only the faithfull are acquieted and doe rest and without whome they séeke nothing that is truely good And verilie this prayer can be offered to no creature For to whiche of the Angels or the Sainctes canst thou say without sacrilege O our father whiche art in heauen c. Furthermore this word Father teacheth vs through whome wee should call vppon this father not by the mediation or by the mouthes of sainctes but by Iesus Christ our lord through whome only we are made the sonnes of God who were otherwise by birth and by nature the children of wrath Who I pray you durst come for the before the presence of the most highe and euerlasting God and call him Father and himselfe Sonne vnlesse the father in his beloued and naturall sonne had adopted vs the sonnes of grace Therfore when we say Father we speake from the mouth of the sonne who hath taught vs so to pray and by whome we be promoted into this dignitie that it néedeth nothing at all to add the name of Christe and to saye Wée pray thée O heauenly father for Christs sake since in the first word Father we comprehend the whole mysterie of the sonne of God and our redemption For in somuch as hee is our father wee are his sonnes and that by the merite of Christ therefore wée call vppon the father and so call him through Christ that I may not now repeat that we pray so from the mouth of Christ Moreouer this swéete and fauourable woord Father disburtheneth vs cleane of all distrust of heart For wée call him Father not somuch in consideration of his creating of all things as for his singular and fatherly good-will toward vs Wherevpon though he be Lord God and in déede a great Lord and an Allmightie God yet when wée praye wée attribute none of these names vnto him but call him fathér because in déede he wisheth vs wel loueth vs taketh care and charge ouer vs and hauing pitie vppon vs is desirous yea of his owne accorde and good will toward vs to stoare and heape vppon vs all good things whatsoeuer Hetherto appertaine the testimonies of the Prophets especially that of Dauid The Lord is full of compassion and mercie slowe to anger and of great kindnesse Hee will not alway chide neither keepe his anger for euer Hee hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes nor rewarded vs according to our iniquities For as high as the heauen is aboue the earth so great is his mercie toward them that feare him As farre as the East is from the west so farre hath hee remoued oure sinnes from vs As a father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lord compassion on them that feare him For hee knoweth whereof wee bee made hee remembreth that wee are but dust A verie excellent example of this thinge is to be séene in the Gospel after S. Luke where the louing father is painted out with wonderfull affections receiuing into fauour again that prodigall sonne waster of his wealth Herevnto is added this word Our whiche putteth vs in minde of two thinges For first it is a small matter to acknowledge God to be the God and father of all or to be the God and father of others vnlesse we also beléeue that he is our father vnlesse wee dedicate yéeld our selues wholy into his faith and protection as of our father who wisheth well vnto vs loueth vs hath a care ouer vs at no time and place neglecteth vs for vnlesse wee doe so beléeue neither with faith nor with the loue of GOD is oure prayer commended and therefore not a whit acceptable vnto god But that that best and greatest God is our God we doe vnderstand as well by his manifold benefites as also speciallie by the mysterie of our redemption throughe Christ Of which thing wée haue spoken elsewhere Furthermore since he bad vs pray Our father and not My father streight waye vppon the verie beginning he requireth loue of vs For his will is that we should not onely haue care of our owne saluation but of the saluation of all other men For wée are all the members of one body wherevppon each seuerall one prayeth not seuerally for themselues but euerie one for the safety of all the members and also the whole bodie Touching that matter I spake before when I intreated of the manner of prayeing vnto God. There is by and by added Which art in heauen not that God is shut vp in heauen as in a prison Solomon the happiest and wisest king of all cōfuting that errour long agone said If the heauens of heauens are not able to conteine thee howe muche lesse this house To which woordes I thincke that may be annexed which Stephan alledged in the Actes of the Apostles out of Esaie concerning the same thing Hee is therefore said to bee in heauen because his diuine maiestie and power and glorie shineth most of all in the heauens For in the whole course of nature there is nothing more glorious nothing more beautifull than the heauens Moreouer the father exhibiteth and giueth him selfe vnto vs to bee enioyed in the heauens Heauen is the countrie common to vs all where wée beléeue that GOD and oure father doeth dwel and where we worshipp GOD and oure father albeit wee beléeue that hee is in euerie place and alwayes present with all For as heauen compasseth and couereth all thinges and is euery where distant from the earthby euen spaces so the presence of his maiestie also doth fayle vs in no place Wée haue heauen euery where in our sight wée are euery where in the sighte of god But beside this by mention made of heauen wee are put in minde of oure duetie and our wretchednesse It is our duetie to be lifted vpp in our mindes by praying into heauen and to forgett earthly thinges and more to bee delighted with that heauenly father and countrie than with this earthly prison and exile It is our wretchednesse that beeing banished out of that countrie for oure sinnes and wandering in this earth wée are subiecte to diuers calamities and therefore béeing constreined by necessitie we neuer ceasse crying vnto the father But first of all saying Which art in heauen wée make a difference betwéene the father whome wée call vppon saying Our and our earthly father attributing allmightinesse vnto him Hée surely that is called vppon and ought to heare must know all sée all and heare all yea and more too will and
all things vnto God and the father in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ And againe he saith By him wee offer sacrifice of prayse alwayes to God that is the fruite of lippes confessing his name But that we may be thankefull for all the benefites of God and offer continuall thankesgiuing vnto God it is néedefull firste to acknowledge and well to weigh with oure selues the benefites of god For these being not yet knowne or rightly weyed our mynde is not set on fire to gyue God thankes for his benefites And these are indéede diuers yea they are infinit For they are priuate publique generall and speciall spirituall corporal temporal and eternall ecclesiasticall and politicall singular and excellent But who can reckon vp all their kindes and partes God created beautified garnished and made this worlde fruitfull for man To the ministerie of this he seuerally appointeth angelicall spirites whom hee had created ministers for him selfe He giueth vs soules and bodies which he furnisheth and storeth with infinite gifts and abilities and that which farre passeth all other benefits he loosed man being intangled in sin he deliuered him being a bondslaue to the diuell For the sonne of GOD setteth vs frée into the libertie of the sonnes of God by dying he quickeneth by sheading his bloud he purgeth and cleanseth he giueth vs with his spirite whereby we may be guided and preserued in this banishement vntill we be receiued into that oure euerlasting and true countrie They that consider these thinges with a true fayth can not choose but be rapte into the prayse and setting foorth of Gods â–ª goodnesse and into a wondering at a thing doubtlesse to be maruelled at that the gratious and mightie God hath suche a special care of men than whome this earth hath nothing either more wretched or miserable Here the Saints of God are destitute of words Neither haue they words méete enough for this so great a matter Dauid cryeth O Lorde our God howe woonderfull is thy name in all the worlde for that thou hast set thy glorie aboue the heauens and as followeth in the eight Psal. And againe the same Who am I O Lorde God and what is the house of my father that thou hast brought me hitherto or so aduaunced me And what can Dauid say further vnto thee for thou Lord God knowest thy seruant and so foorth as followeth in the 2. booke of Samuel cha 7. The same Dauid hath set downe a moste notable forme of blessing or praising or giuing thankes vnto God in the 103 Psal. whiche beginneth thus Blesse the Lorde O my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy name Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefites who forgiueth al thy wickednesse And so forth But what néede any more wordes The Lordes prayer may be a moste perfect forme of praysing God and giuing thankes to God for all his benefites serue in stead of many For as the preface and all the petitions do call vnto our remembraunce and absolutely set foorthe vnto vs Gods greatest benefites most liberally bestowed vpoÌ„ vs also vpoÌ„ al other so if we consider that it is our dutie â—o giue thanks to God for euery one of these and by and by beginne euen at the beginning of the Lordes prayer to weighe this chiefly with our selues that God the father of his vnspeakeable mercie to vs ward hath adopted vs miserable sinners into the number of sonnes by whome he will be sanctified and in whom he wil reigne and at the laste also translate vnto his euerlasting kingdome that I maye speake nothing of other petitions what plentifull matter of praysing God and giuing thankes vnto him shall be ministred But these thinges are better and more rightly vnderstood by good godly and deuout exercise than by preceptes thoughe neuer so diligent And the Lord doth so much estéeme this thankes giuing offered vnto him with true humilitie of mynde and also faith that he receiueth it and counteth it for a most acceptable sacrifice Of this thing there is very often meÌ„tion in the olde Testament as when it is sayde Who so euer offereth me thankes and prayse hee honoureth me I will not reproue thee bycause of thy sacrifices I will take no bullockes out of thy house nor goates out of thy fouldes Offer vnto God the sacrifice of prayse and paye thy vowes vnto the most highest And call vpon me in the day of trouble I will heare thee and deliuer thée and thou shalt glorifie me Againe I wil offer vnto thee the sacrifice of thankesgiuing and I will call vppon the name of the Lorde And Oseas also sayth Take these wordes with you and turne ye to the Lord and say vnto him O for giue vs all our sinnes receiue vs gratiously Nim recht fur gut and then will we offer the calues of our lippes vnto thee After which maner Malachie also hath left written I haue no pleasure in you sayth the Lorde of hoastes neyther will I receiue an offering at youre hande For from the rising of the Sunne vnto the going downe of the same my name is greate among the Gentiles and in euery place incense and a pure offering shall bee offered to my name for my name is greate among the Gentiles sayth the Lord of hoastes Furthermore this Pure offering al the old interpreters with great coÌ„sent Irenaeus chiefly Tertullian doe interprete Eucharistia that is to say prayses and thankesgiuinges and prayer procéeding from a pure heart and a good conscience and an vnfeigned fayth Truely for no other cause haue the auncient fathers called the Euchariste or mysticall Supper of Christe a sacrifice than for that in it prayse and thankesgiuing is offered vnto god For the Apostle Paule sheweth that Christe was once offered and that he can not be offered often or any more For great is the worthinesse power and vertue not onely of prayse or thankesgiuing but also of prayer wholy I meane of inuocation also it selfe Whereof although I haue already spoken somewhat where I declared that our prayers are effectual yet do I adde these fewe words The Saintes truely had a most ardent desire of praying bycause of the wonderfull force of prayer For that I maye say nothing of those moste auncient fathers before and anonafter the floud did not Abraham praye when he receiued the promises and as often as he chaunged his dwelling did not he call vppon God At his prayer king Abimelech is deliuered from death and barrennes whiche the Lord being displeased layed vppon his house is cured Iacob powred forth most ardent prayers vnto God and receiued of him inestimable benefits In Exodus Moses prayeth not once but often and taketh away the plagues from the AegyptiaÌ„s which the Lord by his iust iudgement had brought vppon them At the prayer of Moses the Amalechites turne their backes and when he ceassed or left off the Israelites
was once perfectly finished vppon the crosse but the Churche doeth not offer vppe sacrifice any more either with bloud or without bloud Praise thanksgiuing are a most acceptable sacrifice to the Lord the same the minister offereth not for others but with others Here now therefore we ascribe none other thing to the minister but the ministrie that he bee the president or chief dealer to recite the prayers in the celebration of the supper and after the holy prelection and the pronouncing of the solemne wordes let him after the example of Christ begin to break the lords bread and distribute his cup and let him receiue also the sacrament for himself as the other faithfull people doe as companion of the faith and when the communion is done let him end the holy action with thankesgiuing and some holy exhortatiō Concerning the place where the supper is to be celebrated I finde no contention hathe beéne amongst the most auncient ministers of the church It is read how that our Lord Iesus vsed the hall of a certeine prinate mans house And also the Apostle Paule both preached brake bread at Troas in a certeine dining place The auncient Church which insued immediately after the death of the Apostles almoste vnto the time of Constantine the great had none or verie fewe large publique churches For it was scarce lawfull or safe in so troublesome a time for the Christians to créepe abroade In the meane time they vsed verie honest places in the which they mette together in holy assemblies hauing places of prayer At this present there séemeth no place to bee more worthie or more commodious to celebrate the holy supper in than that which is appointed for doctrine and prayer For so haue we learned of Saint Paule Cor. cha 11. How beit if tyrannicall power wil not suffer vs to haue a church what shal let vs but that we may reueritly celebrate the supper in honest priuate houses Touching the holie instrumentes belonging to the Supper the matter also requireth to speake something in this place In the time that the Apostles liued they iupped at tables sett foorth and furnished for that purpose they knew no fixed altars builded of stone which are more fit to make fire vpō to burne beasts on for a sacrifice A remouing table agréeth better with the example of Christe Notwithstanding we condemne not standing altars so that they serue onely to the lawfull vse of the supper S. Paule in the 1. to the Corinthians calleth the altars of Ethnickes tables so that we néede not to meruaile that the auncient fathers termed our tables altars For it is an easie matter to fall from the one to the other and it should séeme that they alluded vnto the onely altar of the Tabernacle of God. In olde time the tables were couered with some faire cloath with some linnen table-cloth or towell Frō whence perhaps were borrowed those thinges which are called corporalls As for that outwarde brauerie worldly trimming it was not then vsed on the altars of christians We reade how it is forbidden by the law that there muste no altar be builded of hewen stone by which prouiso all cost and branerie in Religion is forbidden Thus it is manifest that in the ancient times there were no precious nor costly vessels vsed at the supper For like as Christe and the Apostles taught that frugalitie should be vsed in all places condemning superfluitie and beatinge into vs the contempte of golde and siluer so in those holie mysteries they haue not ouerthrowne that doctrine of theirs or giuen occasion of excesse After longe persecution when peace was restored to the Churche then began the custume to celebrate in the church w vessels of golds siluer ▪ But th◠also there were some that brought the same againe to his olde frugalitie and simplicitie Chrysostome cryed out as I haue also declared in another place that in receiuing the Lords supper we ought to haue golden mindes not golden vessels And Saint Ambrose sayeth The Sacraments require not golde neither are those things plesaunt in golde which are not bought with golde The ornament of the Sacraments is the redemption of captiues S. Hier. commends S. Exuperius byshop of Toledo who carried the Lords bodie in a basket of wicker and the bloud in a glasse had expelled couetousnesse out of the Churche And truely that canō of the Triburean counsel which is yet extante in the Popes decrées for bidding that no Priest should minister this holie mysterie in wodden vessels doeth proue sufficiently that certeine Churches more than eight hundred yéeres since Christes passion vsed to drink the bloud of Christe in wodden vessels wherefore wodden cups in the supper be of all moste auncient Bonifacius the Archebyshop which example although I haue alleadged elsewhere yet am I inforced to repeat it here again for that it agréeth so fitly with this present matter being asked long since Whether it were lawful to minister the sacramentes in vessels of wood aunswered In olde times sayth he golden priestes vsed wodden cupps but now contrarywise wodden priests vse golden cuppes But if any man bringe vessels made of any other stuffe without excesse and superstition I would not greatly striue with him so that he will also acknowledge that they do not offend which vse the wodden For as touching the forme and matter of the cuppes all are frée and lawfull for the faithful Church toovse Moreouer it is euident that the Lord in the first supper yea and the Apostles also in celebrating the same supper vsed their owne vsuall and decent apparell And therefore it is not disagreable from the first institution if the minister come vnto the Lords table couered with his owne garment so that it be comely and honest Surely the communicants doe weare on them their owne vsuall apparel We must take héede then that there créep in no superstitiō Our forfathers as it semed did weare a cloke cast ouer their common garmentes which they did not after the example of Christe or the Apostles but according to mans tradition At the length that stuffe whiche is vsed at this day was taken vp according to the imitation of the priests garment of the olde law and appointed to be worne by the ministers that would celebrate the supper Neither doth Innocentius the 3. of that name disseble this matter in the 4. Chap. and 4. booke of his worke De Sac. altar mysterio As for vs we haue learned of late that all Leuitical maters are not only put away but not to be brought againe in to the Church by any For as much therefore as we remaine in the light of the gospell and not in the shadowe of the lawe we do vpon good cause reiect that Leuiticall Massing apparell I haue also declared in another place that it hath bene the manner in olde time that euery nation hath vsed their owne natiue vulgar tonge in ministring the
comforting the sicke person prepareth him to die by makeing firste his confession of sinnes to God which he pronoūceth out of the word of God to be forgiuen if he doe stedfastly beléeue He requireth of him also that he forgiue and bée in loue and charitie with all men and that hée kéepe no olde grudge or malice in his hart After this sōe publique prayer is made to God by the sicke person by those that are about the partie that is at the point of death Hée is also admonished of sundrie thinges hée is confirmed in the fayth hée is called to patience hée is instructed according as his goodes and euerie thing else requireth and he is taught that at his departing out of this worlde he commend his soule into the hands of God the father according to the doctrine and example of our redéemer who at the very pointe of death cried aloud saying Father into thy hands I commend my spirite This discipline haue wee learned of the Apostles of our LORDE Christe For the Apostle Saint Iames saieth If any bee sicke among you lette him sende for the elders of the Church and let them pray ouer him anoynting him with oyle in the name of the Lorde And the prayer whiche is made in fayth shall deliuer the sicke And the Lorde shall rayse him vp againe And if he bee in sinne they shal be forgiuen him Confesse your sinns one of you to another pray one for another that you may bee safe for the heartie prayer of the iust is of greate force c. This is the Apostolique discipline But if you say vnto mée Where is the oyle I answere that in Saint Iames the Apostles time and certeine ages after there remained yet in the Churche the miraculous gifte of healing the sicke Of this wée reade in Saint Markes Gospell And the disciples going foorth preached the gospell that they mighte repent and they cast out many diuels they annoynted many with oyle that were sick and healed them And again in the same place saieth Moreouer These signes shal follow them that beleeue In my name they shall cast out diuels c. And anon he sayth They shall lay their handes vppon the sicke and they shall be healed And because this benefite remayned yet in the Church Saint Iames biddeth vs vse oyle and to vse it in the name of the Lorde as the Lorde had commaunded But seing that gift is now ceassed in the Churche and wée finde by experience that oyle doth no good to the sicke according to the time and as our duetie bindeth vs we do the best we can to assuage and cure the diseases of the sicke by medicines most conuenient for the sicknes being applied in the name of Christ I knowe howe by this testimonie of the Apostle the Papistes go about to set out and cōmend their extreame vnction or last annoyling but they labour in vaine But to let passe that Saint Iames speaketh nothing of the hallowed oyle and that they do not admit this medicine but in verie extremitie where S. Iames commaundeth to annoynt euery on that is sick how I pray you can they defend out of Saint Iames wordes that which the priest demaundeth of the sick person Doest thou beleeue that the Lord will heare our prayers for the merites sake and prayers of the Saintes The sick man answering I do beléeue He then saith Let vs therefore pray to God and his Sainctes Or where I beséech you hath Saint Iames or any other Apostle of Christe taught that which they bring in their annointing In the name of the Father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost I annoynt thee with holy oile that by this anointing thou mayest receiue full remission of thy sinnes What scripture I pray you teacheth vs that full remission of sinnes is obteined by that anointing These thinges are done manifestly against the principall article of our religion whiche teacheth that we are purged from all our sinnes onely by the bloud of Christ and that most fully To him onely is the glory due not to the oyle nor to any creature in the whole worlde Moreouer the Church of Christe doth not reiect the bodies of the dead as if it were a deade dogge For it acknowledgeth that their bodies haue béene the Temples of the holy ghoste which hath dwelt in them It acknowledgeth that they are buried in hope of resurrection and glorie of life euerlasting wherefore the Churche doeth in moste reuerent manner take the bodies windeth them in a shéete and couereth them verie decently and béeinge put into the coffine carefully carrieth them vnto the place of buriall or churchyard y neere friends neighbours and brethren following after and accompanying the corse While the bodie is set downe and laid in the earth there are publique prayers made by them that brought the corse For they giue thankes vnto God for that he hath called the partie deceased out of this world in the true faithe and they pray also that it may please the Lorde to take them likewise vnto him spéedily beeing lightened with the true faith Moreouer the name of the dead brother or sister is recited in the publique assemblie of the Churche with honour and all the people are put in minde of their own destinie and spéedily to prepare them selues to die And after this manner we read in the scriptures that the ancient fathers buried their dead yea the moste holie of them We reade nothing of canonizating of woorshipping of reliques of monethes and yeares mindes for the dead which are offered to the ende the soules of the departed shoulde be deliuered from the paynes of purgatorie There be certeine burialles described vnto vs in the olde Testament as the buriall of Abraham Sara Isaac Iacob and Ioseph Aaron Marie Iosua Samuel and Dauid c. And in the new Testament of Iohn Baptiste and Stephan but they were all sparing and without all manner of superstition In that Iosephes bones were carried forth they were carried in a mysterie that the Israelites might gather thereof that they shoulde bee brought into the Lande of promise Wherevnto also that belongeth that the Patriarches chose a buriall in Hebron Otherwise the place auayleth nothing to purchase the better or worse spéed to the bodie that is buried in it We must thinke that the place by reason of the bodies of the saintes and holy men which are there buried is after a maner sanctified or at the least wise called holie not that the bodies do gett any holinesse or safetie by the grounde Therefore vnlesse it séeme good otherwise to the diuine prouidence of God the saints would gladly lye with their auncestours in the selfe same place of buriall But if it please God otherwise they acknowledge that they are notwithstanding receiued into the same earth without any exception and that they are not separated from their auncestours by distance of place Wherefore there is no superstition in the Churche
truth aâ—peareth Gods 〈…〉 〈◊〉 sufferiâ—â— appearâ—â—â— to the worlâ— Gods 〈…〉 God◠〈…〉 〈◊〉 14. 〈◊〉 17. 〈…〉 Rom. 1. The workes of God are twoe wayes coÌ„sidered 1. Psal. 104. Esai 40. Iere. 10. 2 〈◊〉 78. 〈…〉 God is learned by the sayinges and sentences of the prophets and Apostles Iere. 9. God is one in Essence or Beeing Deut. Esai â—â— * 〈…〉 is 〈…〉 Esai â—◠〈◊〉 45. 〈…〉 〈◊〉 4. 〈…〉 〈…〉 Noetus is as much to say as a man of vnderstaÌ„ding which terme was the proper name of a man Anoetus â–ª signifieth a â—oolâ— or 〈◊〉 without vnderstanding The grosse errour of the Patrâ—â— passians Iohn 16. Mat. 27. Iohn 14. Iohn 10. He speaketh plurally A dispâ—tation 〈◊〉 God sprooâ— vpp Actes 〈…〉 〈…〉 Al things that are to be beleeued of God are fully coÌ„teined in the canonicall Scriptures Testimonies out of the Gospel to proue the Trinitie Math. 28. TertulliaÌ„ contra Praxeam 1. Cor. 1. Iohn 14. and. 16. Iohn 3. Math. 3. and. 17. Iohn 10. Luke 1. The Apostles testimonies concerninge â—he Trinitie Actes 2. Actes 10. Rom 1. Gala. 4. Tit. 3. Identitas 1. Iohn 2. The mysterie of the Trinitie is shadowed by â—imiliâ—â—des TertulliaÌ„ contra Praxeam I woulde wishe the skilfull in the latine tongue to reade this similitude in the latine copy for though it be here traÌ„slated ad verbuÌ„ yet our Englishe tonge will not beare it soliuely as the latine doth * or Vnitie The certeâ—ntie of the doctrine touching the Trinitie The suÌ„me of thinges to be beeleued concerninge the Trinitie The mysâ—â—rie of â—he Trinitie was veâ—ie well knowne to the Paâ—riarchs Prophets Gene. 1. As who shoulde say Gods created respecting the Trinitie of the Godhead Gene. 18. Gene. 1â— Psal. 33. Psal. 110. Esai 42. Matth. 12. Esai 61. Luke 4. The mysterie of the Trinitie must not be ioyned with curious dispucations Exod. 19. The conclusion Psal. 54. Heb. 1â— * The history of the creation coÌ„teyned in fewe wordes * The Skye and Starres * The Earthe * The Sea. * Man. Dauid celebrateth the creatiâ— of the worlde Psal. 9. God gouerneth al thinges Iohn 5. Heb. 1. Actes 17. Actes 14. Of Gods prouideÌ„ce Psal. 45. Psal. 139. Prou. 21. Matth. 10. Daniel 2. Psal. 89. Psal. 104. Psal. 104. Psal. 147. Psal .. 135 Against Gentiliâ—me The Saincts do not neglecte good meanes Gene. 16. Psal. 31. â— Sam. 19. Actes 23. Actes 27. Meteores impressioÌ„s or appearaunces which somtimes for their rarenesse and strágnes make men to maruell Matth. 5. Esai 1. Deut. 18. Gods goodwill 〈◊〉 learned by his proâ—â—dence Of Gods â—redestinaâ—â—on or fore-appoyntmeÌ„t Rom. 11. Eccle. 3. Ephe 1. Iohn 5. Iohn 6. Iohn 3. Who is elected predestinate to life A so are tentation in this case Rom. 9. â— Tim. 1. Psal. 103. Isai 51. Rom. 8. Matth. 1â— Marke 16. 1. Tâ—m 4. Gene. 22. Ioel. 2. Isai .. 53. Rom. 5. Matth. 9. Luke 19. Iohn 10. Of the drawing of those that are predessinate to lifâ— Iohn 6. 1. Tim. 4. Actes 9. Rom. 10. Matth. 25. Matth. â—3 â— Cor. 6. â— Tim. 2. 〈◊〉 2. 1. Cor. 3. Faith hath her increasinges Marke 4. Luke 11. Marke 9. Matth. 7. Luke 11. Gene. 3. To adore and worshippe what it is Gene 33. 1. Sam. 23. â— Reg. 3. To adore 〈◊〉 worship â—en Psal. â—â— â— Pet. â— Rom. 13. Exod. â—0 〈◊〉 44. In his second bokâ— and 18. chapter Chap. 19. Spirituall adoration or worshipping Adoratioâ— or worshipping 〈◊〉 is of two sortes Psalm 9 Matth. 14. 〈◊〉 9. In the history of thâ— Kinges Truly to adore or worshippâ— God what it is Isai 29. Matth. 15. That God onely and alone is to be worshipped Matth. 4. 3. Reg. 1â— â–ª Matth. 6. Deut. 6. Heb. 1. Apoc. 4 Apoc. 19. Apoc. 22. Actes 10. Iâ— his booke inâ—â—â—uled 〈◊〉 religiâ—â—â— cap. 55 Whie the Romanes neuer receiued the God of the Iewes to be worshipped Deut. 10. Rewardes and punishments for them that doe doe not worshippe God. Apoc. 21. To inuocate or cal vpoÌ„ what it is Deut. 32. Gene. 48 â–ª Isai â— 2. Sam. 1â— Dan. 9. Actes 9 â— Tim. 2. InuocatioÌ„ 〈◊〉 calling â—pon God what it is That God is to be called vpoÌ„ 3. Reg. â— Pro. 18. Psal. 50. Psal. 17. Ioel. 2. Iere. 29. Psal. 81. Psal. 22. That God onely and alone is to be called vpon Matth. 18. Deut. 32. Psal. 45. Psal. 18. Gene. 30. 4. Reg. 5. â—sai 42. Actes 14. Exod. 30. Psal. 115. Psal. 141. Heb. 13. Osee 14. 1. Reg. 8. â—sai 63. Psal. 27. Rom. 10. Rom. 8. Matth. 6. Of the intercessour with God Iohn 16. Iohn 14. Christe alone is the intercessor and aduocate with the Father A mediatour of redemption and intercession 1. Tim. 2. Rom. 5. Heb. 7. Rom. 8. Iohn 10. Iohn 14. Matth. â—â— Heb. 7. 1. Pet. â— 1. Iohn â— What maÌ„ner of intercession Christes iâ— An answeare to certeine argumeÌ„â—s or reasons of the aduersaries Rom. 3. Prayer of Angels Heb. 1. The Churche calling vpon sainctes To serue what it is 3. Reg. 16. The seruice of God. The seruice of God is â—â—â—-fould 〈◊〉 of two sortes The 〈◊〉 serâ—ice of God. 〈◊〉 10. Mich. 6. Rom. 12. 1. thess. 1. Iames. 1. The testimonie of 〈◊〉 Romane martyr coÌ„cerning the true seruice of God. Gods Temple or Church Gods Priest Gods Sacrifices The outward serâ—ice of God. Luke 11. That onely God is to be serued Deut. 13. Matth. 4. How Saints are to be worâ—â—â—pped Of true relâ—gion What true religion is To leaue or forsake the true God and to serue straunge Gods. 〈◊〉 â— Not to worshippe God alone but to worshippe other Gods also together with the true God. The properties of God are iâ— no case tâ— be attributed vnto straunge Gods. Isai 41. 4â— c. Gods gifts â—re not to be attribuâ—ed to â—traunge Gods. Oâ—ee 2. To serue God but not lawfully Deuter. 12 Leuit. 10. 2 Reg. 6. Iudg. 17. 3. Re. 12. 13 1. Reg. 15. I sai 66. I sai 29. Matth. 15. 2. Reg. 7. Matth. 5. The sonne iâ— begotteÌ„ of the Father vnspeakeablie from euerlasting 〈◊〉 5. Iohn â— Iohn 1. * Or age as other translate it A confession concerning Iesus Christ the sonne of God our Lorde That the sonne is consubstaÌ„tiall with the Father * Identitate et essentia That the sonne of god is truâ—â—nd verie God Matth. 18. Iohn 1. Matth. 16. Iohn 6. Christe is â—he natuâ—all sonne of God. Iohn 19. Leui. 14. 23 Iohn 8. Iohn 10. Iohn 14. Iohn 6. Iohn 17. Rom. 9. 1. Iohn 5. Actes 17. 〈◊〉 23. Isaie 49. Isaie 45. Philip. 2. Iohn 5. Isaie 42. Iohn 17. Mich. 4. Iohn 10. 14. 8. Ezech. 34. Mark. 2. Iohn 2. 1. Tim. 1. Isai 11. Iere. 17. Of the incarnation or true humanitie of Christe Gene. 3. Gene. 22. Gala. 3. Heb. 2. Heb. 2. 2. Reg. 7. Luke 1. Matth. 1. Luke 3. Matth. 1. Iohn 2. Esai 7. Luke 1. Matth. 1. Gal. 4. Iohn 1. 1. Iohn 4. Philip. 2. The Lord after he was risen