Apostles and Peter Shoulde we not beleue this resurrection because that wemē taught it first Apollo a mightye learned man in the scriptures submitted hym selfe to be further taught in true religion of Priscilla and Aquila◠simple man his wyfe Timothy Ihon the Euangeliste were bothe verye yonge when they were called to be preachers Peter the elder Apostle is content to be rebuked of Paull his yonger Iudith that good woman corrected the Elders Priestes and Rulers in Bethulia mistrusting Gods helpe and prouidence for them whē they woulde yelde vp the Citye Dauid a man accordinge to Gods owne heart heares most willingly the Prophet Nathan rebuke hym who was of muche lesse estimation then he And kynge Ezechias heareth Esai rebuke him of his faultes These and suche other examples be written to teach vs that the elder in what authoritie so euer he be or by what name so euer he be called shoulde willingly suffer the iuste rebuke of the yonger bringinge the woorde of God for hym Further where he addes this twyse sayinge the Lorde their God the Lorde their God it is verye comfortable for all sinners that haue longe lyen in sinne that they shoulde not dispaire of Goddes mercie but spedely turne by repentaunce The longe sufferinge of God is farre aboue our desertes had suffered this people thus longe to lye in sin yet had not caste them of but doth vouchesafe to send his Prophet to thē to rebuke them stirre them vp to their duties calling him selfe their God whiche had forgottē forgeuen all their former disobedience who nowe was woulde continue their good gracious and mercifull Lorde and God styll Who can dispaire too obtayne grace and pardon for all his greate offences seinge set before him the louinge gētlenes of oure good God and maister which offereth vndesired his mercies so plētifully to so hard a hearted and disobedient people his free pardon A poena et culpa from all payne due to sinne or the gylte thereof whiche alsoo calles him selfe their God and by continual earnest cryinge of this his Prophete awakes them out of this deadde sleepe of sinne wherein they had lyen so long and left his house vnbuylded It is commonly saide saieth Ieremye if a man put away◠his wyfe for adulterye will he take her agayne yet thou sayeth God to his people although thou hast played the harlot with many hoores yet turn vnto me and I wil receiue thee againe sayeth the Lorde thy God O mercifull Lorde praysed be thy holy name for thy gentle offers and liberall promises offered vnto vs in thy sonne Christ Iesu oure Lorde Thou standest at the doore of our conscience knockinge too be let in offeringe thy selfe to dwell with vs if we would receiue thee There is no time so longe that a man hath run from God in nor any time so short to aske forgeuenes but if he will turne God is ready to forgeue him The Gentiles hadde lien in synne aboue foure thousande yeares from the beginninge of the worlde to the deathe of Christe withoute any true teachinge or knowledge of God and yet whan they receiued the Gospell by the preaching of the Apostles they were most gently receiued of Christe into the number of his people The thefe hanginge on Christes right hand on the crosse askinge mercy in the houre of deathe obtained it So that neither the greatnes of sinne nor the longe tyme that man hathe continued in it nor the shortnes of tyme to aske forgeuenes in can stoppe the great vnspeakeable mercies of God to pardō the sinnes of the whole worlde Why should we than mistrust the goodnes of our God seinge he is the maker of thesame lawe whereby we shal be iudged also able to dispence withal pardon the breakers of thesame lawe if he will who also shal be Iudge and Executer of thesame lawe as pleases him But that the people should rather beleue his woorde he saieth the Lorde their God sente him no straunge God but the mightie God of hostes and the liuing God of Israel nor he ranne not before he was sent but soberly looked for the callinge of God and then did his message faithfullye This is an example for all ministers too folowe that they doo not with bribery or flattery thrust them selues into any office but paciently tary the calling of the Lord their God which can and wil call them at suche tyme as he iudges them necessarye to serue him Who woulde be so bolde to bye a Benefice or flatter for a Bishoprike if he did thinke them to be offices in Gods house and that they must make a count to God for his people He that comes before he be sent for oftentimes comes before he be welcome and he that climbes in at the wyndowe is a thefe for the doore is made to come in by But because these Popishe prollers seke not the profit of the flocke but to fyll their bellies thei care not how thei come by it so they maye haue it and thinke they haue done God good seruice the people well content when they teache them neuer a woord of scripture but haue saide Masse made cōiured water or song an Antiphone of our Lady If they hadde this true stedfaste opinion of God as they ought to haue that he were a louinge father to his household and a wise maister that could and woulde set wise Stuardes ouer his house and that whosoeuer presumed to take any office in his house vncalled were a theefe and should be sharpelye punished A man coulde not hire them for money to take any cure of teaching Gods people vntill they were inward moued of God to do it for loue to the people not for their owne gayne Thei woulde also prouide to be ordinarely called by man leaste he which should teache and se others kepe good order should be proued the first breaker of all good lawes orders If a straunger shoulde violently thrust in him self to be the Shepeheard of thy shepe thou wouldest aske him whoo sent for him what he had to do there and thou wouldest rather thinke him to be a thefe and a murtherer of thy Sheepe then a trusty seruaunt So surely if thou come to take charge of gods people before he inwardly moue thy conscience to pitie hys people and outwardly by order cal and place thee where he thinkes good he will iudge thee a theefe a Wolfe a deuourer and not a feeder After they hearde that the woorde of God was sent vnto them by Aggeus and had wayed and considered diligently how true his sayinges were that so many yeares they had suffered soo greate plagues they beganne so feare and beleue that the threateninges folowinge woulde alsoo proue true and than they humbled theym selues in the sight of God and were afraid in dede This profit had thei by hearing the word of God that thei knowledged their owne sinnes that thei
The coniurers that stode afore Pharao working miracles thought thei shoulde haue defaced Moyses set vp them selues but Pharao was drowned with his hoste Moyses with his people was deliuered and the coniurers grauÌ„ted that the liuinge God wrought in Moyses Achitophel counsailing Absalon to folow his father Dauid that same nighte he beganne to rebell lest in deferringe time he shoulde escape thoughte Absalon shoulde haue ben a kinge but God proued his worldly wise counsaill to be folishnes for whan he see that he was not beloued nor his counsail folowed he went and haÌ„ged him self but Dauid escaped and Absalon was slain Whan Haman had obtained a proclamation for the distroinge of al the Iewes and made a galowes for Mardocheus he thought him selfe wiser than all the worlde and that he shoulde haue ben promoted him self and the people of God spoiled and destroied But Haman was hanged on the same galowes Mardocheus promoted the Iewes deliuered Whan Saul promised Dauid his daughter for the killinge of an hundreth Philistines â–ª not for loue but thinkinge Dauid shoulde haue ben killed him self afore he had kylled so many he thought he had done politicly but Dauid kylled them all maryeâ— hys doughter and was kyng after hym For whiche thinge onely Saul abhorred him The Scribes and Phariseis thinking if Christ were once dead thei should be safe neuer hear tel more of hiÌ„ but after his death thapostles wrought mo miracles in his name than he did him selfe beinge aliue and mo beleued in him after his death than euer did whan he was aliue Thus all the scripture proues plain that that whiche worldly wisedome thinkes best to set vp them selues by and too destroye Gods people is proued too be the destruction of all those that truste in it whan thei loke for moste comfort of their deuise it turnes to their owne hurte as we see it hays chaunced by Gods merciful prouideÌ„ce to our papistes for bringing in the Spaniardes trusting by that people to maintayne their superstitious popery ydell lordly authorite The wisedome of this worlde says the apostle is foolishnes afore God The wiser thou art afore men not hauinge the glorie of God afore thine eyes euer studyinge howe too set foorthe his will to the world the more foole thou art the craftier thou art to set vp thy self the soner thou workes thine own destruction How many of the worldly policie mâ—Ì„ haue ben trapped in their own snare here amoÌ„g vs haue not they whan they were highest in auctorite suffered death by the same their own lawes thus ye se that al worldly wisedoÌ„ againste God is nought that it is no wisedoÌ„ in dede but folishnes And althoughe worldly wittes doe many things wel for a time yet whaÌ„ they trust in it most stande most in nede of it they shal be deceiued as the nexte verse saies Shall I not in that daye destroie saies the Lord the wisemen froÌ„ Edom. c. And as it is in worldly wittes policies that they be all vain whan thei striue against God so is it in the spiritual kingdoÌ„ of Christ in his woord church for the dregges of Poperie with their CanoÌ„s Decrees shal be throwen doune can not alwaies maintaine those idel bealy gods the Popes chaplens but as thei haue ben cast doun by tymes euer so shal thei at length be troden vnder fote to their confusion Like is the case of subtil scholemeÌ„ with their distinctioÌ„s defacing Christ his truth neither settiÌ„g forth the maiestie of God his sonne Christ Iesus nor edifying with coÌ„fortable promises the weak conscieÌ„ces nor opening the misteries of the scriptur but with folish gloses defacing the mercies of God taught in his holy word burdening men with traditions vnwriteÌ„ verities or rather vanities their own dreames phantasies all which God abhorres says al that worship him teching maÌ„s doctrine worship him in vain These all such like conning of the wisedoÌ„ of the flesh be euerlasting death as Paul saies sensual carnall deuelish as Ia. termes theÌ„ mere ignoraÌ„ce of God his mercies for a natural sensual man perceiues not the things of God And to conclude generally all wisedom that settes vp it selfe in any kinde of thinges whatsoeuer it be it is no wisedom it shall confounde all that vse it or truste in it and whan thei would moste gladly enioye it they shall surelye not haue it There is no wisedome nor counsaill againste the Lorde sayes Salomon the Pope with all hys rabel is not so wise to throwe doune Christ as the Scribes and Phariseis were in their time as they were confounded so shall all that rebell agaynste the sonne of God whyche by the mighte of hys holy spirite in the mouthe of his true Apostles disciples and ministers beiÌ„g but poore simple abiects a despised people in the sight of the worlde hais ouerthrowen tyrannes stopped blaspheminge mouths confouÌ„ded the wyse learned and declared his strengthe in oure weaknes that there is no power wisedoÌ„ streÌ„gth nor policie that preuailes against him or his people and because they didde glorie so muche in their wisedom and policie the Lord countes if a glorious thing to throw them doune because the glorie may be geueÌ„ to him alon for such a noble victorie he says Shal I not thrâ—w theym doune as though he should saye No man shall haue the praise of it but I my selfe I will destroye them with myne own haÌ„des in that daye whan thei loke not for it trust moste in them selues The towre of Babel the cytyes Niniue and Ierusalem beinge greate and mightie were sodenlye ouerthrowen whan they thoughte not on it The wisedome of God purposes one thinge and the wisedom of man an other so wisedome shall ouercome wisedome the pride of man shal be ouercomen by the mightye hande of God God taries longe to haue his enemies too turne by repentaunce too see their owne folye and aske forgeuenes but whan he sees there is no remedye nor hope of their amendemente hee comes lyke a sharpe and righteous iudge and vtterly ouerthrowes theim But not onely their wisedom wisemen perished but their stronge men shal be afrayde also because euery noble man amonge theym shoulde be afraide as the laste verse sayes What a case shal these people be in whan neither wysedome nor strength shall serue Theman signifies by interpretation the south and it is also the name of one of their chiefe cities and therfore some translate thy strong men shall be afraide of the southe because Nabuchodonozor came with his hoste frome the south â—o so Babilon stode southward from them or better the strongest men of ThemaÌ„ thy chiefe cytye shall be afrayde and so Ieremie vses it there is no more wisedoÌ„ in ThemaÌ„ it is thought of many learned and that probably that Iob dwelled in this countrie afore Esau was borne and
like as he who is defiled in soule did defile al the workes that he taketh in hande euen hys prayer and sacrifices c. so thei did also defile al which kepte companye with theym by theyr euill example This kynde of teaching by parables and similitudes which be like in matter consequence and truth althoughe diuers in woordes is pithy too perswade and is vsed sundrye times in the scipturs to bringe a man to geue sentence against hym selfe As when Nathan tolde Dauid the similitude of the ryche man that had many sheepe and the poore man that had but one and that the riche man had taken the poore mans one sheepe Dauid sayd◠he had deserued death not vnderstanding that Nathan did meane Dauid him selfe to haue done this thinge who gaue thys sentence of death against him self because he had so many wyues of his owne yet coulde not be content with them but toke Urias wife also So when the woman of Thecua fayned her self to be a poore widow and her twoo sonnes hath the one kylled the other and the officers woulde haue put y◠other too deathe for murtheringe his brother she makes supplication to the kynge Dauid desiring that her other sonne mighte not be put to death for she had rather lose the one sonne which was kylled thē haue the other now put to death also For then all her comfort was gone When Dauid had graunted her request that her sonne shoulde not dye for this murther thē sayd she Why should not the king bring home againe his sonne Absalon whiche kylled his brother Ammon but suffer him to dye also banished Thus Dauid was deceiued by the woman whiche vnder the names of her owne sonnes made sute for Absalō the kynges sonne by the coūsayll of Ioab and Dauid thoughte in reason he shoulde be as ready to shewe pitie to his own son Absalon as to another and gaue sentēce so againste him selfe So the priestes here graunting that whatsoeuer touches him who is defiled in soule that thinge is also defiled to proue and geue sentence agaīst them selues condemninge all their owne dedes too be noughte and defiled because thei them selfes were wicked and defiled· What wickednes were in this people Esdras tels when he diuorces suche a nūber as had married Heathen wyues contrary to the lawe and Nehemias when he tels howe by bribery and vsurye they had polled their poore brethren gotten their goods and landes into their handes and howe they had all offended God in not byldinge this temple this Prophete teaches here plaine These with diuers other grosse sins had defiled this people therfore all that they did and touched was defiled ▪ Sinne is so vile and filthy that it defiles euen those thinges whiche God hym self hath commaunded Esay saieth your sabboth daies and other feastes my soule abhorres◠yet God had cōmaunded them his owne mouth to obserue suche feastes Esaye saith also he that offers an Oxe is as if he killed a man and he that sacrifices a sheepe is as though he brained a Dogge And again sacrifice offerīg for sin thou hast not required But Esay addeth a reason why God shoulde hate that whiche he once cōmaunded saith your handes are ful of bloud ye do not hear the widowes the fatherles c. Seing then sin hath suche a strēgth in it that it makes God to hate those things which he ordeined him selfe howe much nede haue we to take hede what we do least in thus offending God we make him to forsake both vs all that we shuld haue good of That is called holy flesh which was offered to the Lord whereof sometime the whole was burned sometime that part which remained was eatē of the Priests them that brought it to be sacrificed If that flesh then whiche was thus halowed by the cōmaundemēt of God had not thys strēgth in it to halow the lap of a garmēt wherin it was caried so the lap to halowe what thing so euer it should touche howe can the Popes coniured water whiche he cals holy make the man or house where it is sprinkled so holy that no deuils dare enter The deuill durst tempt our Sauioure Christ yet they say he feares their cōiured water as thoughe it were holier then Christ hym selfe Where hath he any promise from God of such foolishnes what cā their holy asshes holy palmes holy crosses holy belles holy creame relikes moldes chalice corporas fire candels beades or that which is their most holy relike their oyle wherwith they anointe their shauelinges Priestes and Bishops do They would make mē beleue that the oyle hath suche holines in it that whosoeuer wanteth it is no Priest nor minister Therfore in the late daies of popery oure holy bishops called before them all such as were made ministers without suche greasinge and blessed thē with the Popes blessing anointed them then all was perfit they might sacrifice for quicke dead but not marry in no case yet kepe hoores as many as they woulde If any of their such greased disciples were traitour felō or heretike that he had deserued death in token that their oyle was so holye and had entred so depe in to the flesh but bringing no holynes with it for than their anointed shuld not haue fallen so sore as they did and do before anye suche offender coulde suffer death he must firste be deposed of all that he receiued from the Pope of his orders apparell and haue all that skynne of hys croune fingers pared of or scraped because they were greased with their oyle What oyle vsed the Apostles in makinge ministers or what scripture is for it The holy flesh whiche was offered too God by his owne commaundement had not thys power to halow the thinges which it touched and yet their holy water and grease must haue it Is this like to be true doeth not all their false fayned holinesse which they putte in thinges made holy by theyr owne halowinge onely and not by God fall by this one sentence of Gods mouthe Can any thinge be more playnely spoken againste all their iuglinge then this For the same reason that is againste fleshe is against all their holy toies by what name soeuer they be called If they will not beleue God and his scripture let thē beleue the Priestes their elders and prodecessours yea and that whiche they crake so muche of that is a generall counsayle whiche they thinke can not erre The Prophete here is sent to all the Priestes and here is aunswered in all their names by generall consente and counsayle that holy flesh can not halow that thing which it touches If it be so in one halowed thīg as it is in this flesh why shoulde it not be so in all other likewise There is no creature whiche can geue that holines to an other which is in it self this thinge belonges to
that fearfull sentence go ye cursed into euerlasting fyre which is prepared for the Deuill and his aungels shall make vs to tremble And of mercy there is no hope at all excepte we doe as we reade of a womaÌ„ whiche when she stoode before Alexander the great and was condempned she said I appeale from thee o Kynge Alexander wonderinge at her sayde thou arte a madde woman doest thou not know that euery appellacion is frome a lower iudge to a hygher but who is aboue me Then sayde shee I knowe thee too be aboue thy lawes and that thou maye geue pardon and therfore I appeale froÌ„ iustice to mercie and for my faultes desire pardon So we when wee loke into the righteous lawe of Gods woorde see him ready to condemne vs and oure conscience witnes that we haue deserued death we must appeale from iustice and our deseruings vnto hys pardon and forgeuenes bothe call and truste to be partakers of that saluation which he hath purchased and offered to the whole worlde Hys mercies doe passe all oure miseries as farre as God is greater than man and his pardoÌ„ can forgeue all that call on hym This is not too be lightely considered that it is sayde they hearde the voyce of the Lord their God and the woorde of â—â—gues geus the Prophete What neded bothe to haue ben written seinge they were bothe one for the woordes of Aggeus were thâ— same that the Lorde badde him speake 〈◊〉 he hath saide diuers times before He be in this example we shall learne twoo gâ—â— lessons one for the preacher and all other for the hearer The Preacher muste 〈◊〉 bee afrayde to rebuke sinne in all 〈◊〉 and degrees of men as here Aggeus dyd rebuke bothe Zerubabel the chief ciuil râ—ler in the common wealth and Iosua the hye Priest and chief in religion and also the whoole people beside and threatens the plages indifferentlye to all withoute any flattery or respect of person So do all the Prophetes as Esaye cals the rulers felowes with theeues and princes of Sodome and Gomorrha because thei folowed their wickednes And when Achab a kinge asked Elias whether it was he that troubled all the countrye because it was so longe a droughte for the space of three yeares and a halfe without any rain or dewe he aunswered the kynge boldely and sayde naye it is thou and thy fathers house that hast pulled this righteous plagâ—â—â—â—on thee and thy whole realme Where 〈◊〉 haue sinned all muste bee rebuked for as God a moste righteous Iudge will punishe all sinne so must his Preachers indifferently warne and rebuke al sortes of sinners or els God wil require their blud at their handes if they perishe withoute their warning as Ezechiel sayeth The hearer must disdaine to learne of the simplest preacher that he heareth as Iosua the high Priest here doth not disdaine to hear the rebuking of Aggeus being but a poore Leuite and a simple man in comparison of him no nor yet Zerubabel the chief ruler borne of the stocke of Iuda the kinges stocke disdaynes him If a preacher should rebuke the Pope a Cardinall an Archebishop or Bishop a Doctour or a babler in Diuinitie woulde they not disdaine too heare suche simple men Woulde they not saye as hathe ben sayde of late to many when they were examined before Annas and Cayphas becomes it thee to speake thus to my Lorde Bishop arte thou wyser or better learned then he Shall he become thy scholer Was not the like saide to oure Sauioure Christe doest thou aunswere the hyghe Bishoppe so What woulde the Pope or Cardinall saye if a man shoulde threaten suche vengeaunce of God towardes him as Aggeus doeth here to the highe Priest Paule the seconde Pope of that 〈◊〉 when he had wrongfully taken landeâ—â— offices from diuers and caste theym all 〈◊〉 pryson and woulde not heare any 〈◊〉 speake for them At lengthe by much 〈…〉 whan Platina him selfe came to him 〈◊〉 coulde get no help at the laste he 〈◊〉 of the Pope that he might be hearde 〈◊〉 by his owne lawe Then the 〈◊〉 lokinge cruelly on him sayde what 〈◊〉 thou me of the lawe doest thou not 〈◊〉 that whatsoeuer I say is law Am not 〈◊〉 sainct Peters Uicar and all lawes are 〈◊〉 in my breste and I can not erre whatsoeuer I saye Am I not Pope and may disanull the decrees of my predecessours 〈◊〉 do what me lust Thus it shall be thus I am determined Thus speake holy Popes when simple men aske their right or tell them of any faultes their proude stomackes can not abide too bee rebuked of anye man Was not this common also in Englande in the Papistes mouthes when the Gospell was preached to deface the 〈◊〉 Who are your Preachers nowe but yoÌ„g men vnlerned and not skilled in the Doctours And who teaches the other old learninge but my lorde Bishop maister Doctour auncient Batchelers in Diuinite proue it by the auncient writers These are gay glorious woordes in deede if they had ben true but although yonge men did teache yet their doctrine was moste wholsome and approued by the scriptures and all good writers whiche is moste to Gods glorie that opened the mouthes of yonglinges to confounde the dotinge of olde fooles Simple men confirmed with their bloude and constant deathes that whiche before bothe maister doctour and my lord Bishoppe also allowed and taughte with mouthe and handes subscribinge vntyll contrary rulers arose but than for flatterie and their belly they destroied thesame with all their mighte and power that thei taught before So whan and howe often soeuer the world shal chaunge the most of theÌ„ as meÌ„ without conscience will be ready to do the lyke and make a face as thoughe they beleued thesame to be true but not one of theym will auenture his bodye to be burned for the dirty dregges of Poperye and yet are they not ashamed to teache and maintain thesame with fyre and swoorde so longe as the worlde is on their side There is scarce a more certain argument of an obstinate Papist then to loke how simple a maÌ„ he is that preaches and not to beleue his doctrine for the simplenes of the man nor too looke at the thinge whiche he teaches how true it is and spoken by God Let all Christians heare and be contentâ— with Christes holy worde as most only sufficient doctrine to saue our soules and disdayn none that bringes it be he 〈◊〉 so simple Saincte Paule sayeth Christe died for oure sinnes and rose for our righteousnes where this is one of the greatest treasures that we haue by Christe to be made righteous by hym marke whoâ— were the firste preachers of it Mary Magdalene and the other wemen whiche weÌ„t earely in the morning with ointments to the Sepulchre they se Christ first of all other after his Resurrection and wer sent to teache it to the