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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06193	The mysterie of mankind, made into a manual, or The Protestants portuize reduced into explication application, inuocation, tending to illumination, sanctification, deuotion, being the summe of seuen sermons, preached at S. Michaels in Cornehill, London. By William Loe, Doctor of Diuinity, chaplaine to his sacred Maiesty, and pastor elect, and allowed by authority of superiours of the English Church at Hamborough in Saxonie.	Loe, William, d. 1645.	1619 (1619)	STC 16689; ESTC S105401	92,048	356

Scripture calleth this cause The spirit of faith or the spirite ●f beleeuing Gods second cause of our ●eleeuing is his blessed and ●oly word read and preached 〈◊〉 the ordinarie means of our ●ith which worketh vpon ●wo forcible and perswasiue ●enses the eye and the eare ●he one for the reader of the word the other for the hearer of the word preached or read For the eare God hath ordayned a voyce to call vpon ●s by the paynes of preaching For the eye his sacred word is written or printed that it may be read and vnderstood of vs and our children and this is the cause of our beleeuing which is called The word of Faith Aske a Christian then why he beleeues the Trinitie in Vnitie and Vnitie in Trinitie his answer is because the Scripture records it there is the word of faith but reply vpon him and aske him why he beleeues the scriptures his reason is without reason in himselfe for he saith The finger of God is there If you vrge and say Why doest thou beleeue and I do not I heare the word as well as thee Saint Paule will answer with an out crie O depth That is a matter of amazement not of argument saith S. Ambrose But what might be the cause that stayeth and vpholds the hearts of the sonnes of men along the misery of this life in this word of beleeuing Surely eternall life the saluation of our soules the last article of our Christian faith is the finall cause and anchor-holde of out beleeuing in Christ Iesus For the hope whereof the holy ones of God purge thēselues both in soule and body that they may be accepta●le vnto God through Iesus Christ our Lord. And there●ore S. Peter calleth eternall ●ife the end of our beleeuing ●uen the assured glorification ●f soule and body which by ●aith wee expect in the other world In respect whereof also it is that this faith goeth not alone like some bankrupt but is royally attended with a troupe of good works semblable to the causes thereof For the spirit of faith is not barren but is in continuall motion in stirring and quickning vp the harts of gods children euery day to goodnes Neither is the word of faith verball onely But liuely and mightie in operation and sharper then any two edged sword enters throgh euen to the diuiding of the soule and the spirit and of the ioynts and the ma●row and is a discerner of the thought and the intents of the heart The people of God therefore whose hearts are thus powerfully moued by the spirit of faith to beleeue and thus effectually counselled by the word of faith to liue well endeauour nothing else but that their liuing may be answerable to their beleeuing that so their soules might bee saued For this sacred faith of Christ first of all purifieth the heart now if the fountaine be cleare and cleane the whole streame that issueth thence will be cleane also Secondly this faith of Christ worketh by loue and bringeth foorth good workes I should euer therefore distrust that I neuer was a true beleeuer vnlesse I felt my heart sanctified by grace and my and working the deedes of haritie This doubtlesse was ●he faith of the primitiue ●orld while the bloud of Christ was yet warme in the ●earts of those beleeuers Witnes all those Churches ●olledges Hospitalls En●owments Rents Reuenews ●ands Liuings Pensions and ●●l other such donations and ●onsecrations appropriated ●nd giuen to the maintenance of religion and learning to ●he succour of the poore and ●o the perpetuating of Gods worship here on earth vntill ●he second comming of Christ. For the people then liued and beleeued as men knowing that the faith of Christ is not fruitlesse and that by the fruites therof they are assured of their election past and of their perfection by Christ to come that their good deedes should follow them where nothing else ●ould and that according to the proportion of their workes wrought in earth by grace in Christ they should through the mercie of God and not of merit bee allotted a portion of happines hereafter in the heauens And therefore vnderstanding their weldoing here to be necessarie to their well being for euer they studyed nothing else but to goe on in that race of goodnesse that they might attaine at the last the blessed end thereof euen the reward of mercy promised vnto them by the word of faith written vnto them in the bloud of our faith sealed assured vnto thē by the death of our faith stirred vp moued herevnto by the spirit of faith Christs vicegerent on earth whose they were encouraged thereunto by the bloud of so ●any faithfull beleeuers that ●yed for the faith of Christ ●nd continue therein vnto ●heir liues end by the exube●ant and abundant riches of Gods mercy in Christ Iesus their Ruler and Redeemer O Blessed Paule faithfull and beleeuing was the world when as yet the bloud of Christ was warme in me●s hearts and when the faithfull beleeuers inflamed with the loue of God and ouerioyed with the glad tydings of the Gospell thus bespake Gods seruants that preached th● faith vnto them Blessed in th● Lord will our goods pleas●●● you Behold we lay them dow● at your feete will our eyes 〈◊〉 you good Take ought of ou●● that is neere and deere vnto 〈◊〉 euen our right eyes Will our liues steede you Wee esteeme the● not for the testimonie of the fait● of Iesus Christ as for all manner of tribulations that can happen for Iesus Christ sake We accompt them not worthy 〈◊〉 the glory that shall bee receiued A blessed and beautifull ●ace of time it was O Paule when the prime beleeuing Christians had no other fault ●ound in them no not by ●heir verie enemies as Plinius ●ecundus an heathen testifieth 〈◊〉 Traian the Emperour but his was all hee could certifie ●gainst them to the state that ●hey oft times assembled ●emselues together before ●ay in the caues and holes of the earth to sing Psalmes ●nd prayses to the Lord of ●ife Christ Iesus which seruice for feare of persecution they durst not performe publikely O then was the time ho●y Paule that faith wrought ●y Gods loue and not by selfe loue by good workes and not by goodly wordes what time the beleeuing Christians were knowne not ●o bee of the tribe of Naphta●● giuing goodly wordes but of the tribe of Ioseph beeing fruitfull boughes euen fruitfull boughes by a Well whose branches run ouer the wall When Placilla the wife of Theodosius a beleeuing Empresse would resort vnto the Almes houses and Hospital●s of the poore to see them succoured and releeued and when her nice Gentlewomen that wayted o● her would dehort and disswade her not to debase her selfe to come into such meane places and neere such nastie people shee with teares in her eyes would re●ply and say O I wou●d not doe thi● and this onely

THE MYSTERIE OF MANKIND Made into a Manual OR THE PROTESTANTS Portuize reduced into Explication Application Inuocation tending to Illumination Sanctification Deuotion being the summe of seuen Sermons Preached at S. Michaels in Cornehill London By William Loe Doctor of Diuinity Chaplaine to his sacred Maiesty and Pastor Elect and allowed by autho●ity of Superiours of the English Church at Hamborough in Saxonie 1 Cor. 3. 23. All are yours and yee Christs Christ God LONDON Printed by Bernard Alsop for George Fayerbeard and are to be sold at his shoppe at the North side of the Exchange 1619. TO THE MOST CATHOLIKE and most Christian Monarch IAMES by Gods especiall appointment of great B●ittaine France Ireland King Defendor of the faith DRead Soueraigne The blessed cōpany of holy ones that houshould of faith that Spouse of Christ and Church of the liuing God which is the pillar and ground of all truth is so grieuously gastered and so continually infested with hellish Athisme misled Papisme and misperswaded Separa●isme especially in these last worst ages of the world that had not God of his exuberant mercies set vp your Highnesse among vs for a blessing as another Ioshua to succeede Moses and as another Solomon to sit vpon the throne of Dauid to the supportatiō of the Church of England It is verily beleeued of many wise and iuditious that the doctrinall principles of Christian Religion had not onely beene sore-shaken within your Maiesties Realmes as they are to the hearts-griefe of many thousands among your bordering neighbours but also a most wofull and lamentable distraction and open diuision would before this time haue broken forth to to the vtter ruine and razing of the verie foundations of the blessed peace and established discipline of the church within these your Maiesties Territories But magnified for euer be our God who hath remembred vs in mercy and hath directed your Maiesties royall and enlarged heart not onely to take care of things Quae sunt ante pedes but also amidst other your Highnes many and manifold cares of your most Christian gouernment longe prospicere as to haue an eye what manner of growth your Seminaries of Marchants haue beyond the Seas at Hamborough Middleborough and other places for asmuch as they are the men in all likelyhoode who are to bee of your Maiesties great Chamber the Citie of London and to sit neere about the Sterne in future ages Therefore most dread Sou●raigne It beeing almost a whole year sithence I was by the worthy and auncient Companie of Merchant-Aduenturers elected and by the most reuerend Archbishoppe of Canterbury allowed to be Pastor of the English Church at Hamborough I thought it my bounden duty before I departed and in some part of recompence for my long stay to leaue behinde mee a token of that seruice o●seruance duty loue and alleagia●ce which I owe vnto your Maiestie and vnto the Church of England wheresoeuer the Lord di●pose●h of me The doctrine and discipline of which Church I shall endeauour to maintaine pro modulo meo euen to my last breath think my selfe an happy m●n to bee the sonne of so famous and Christian a Catholike Church Some of the compilers of whose deuout Letu●gie haue shed their bloud for the testimony of the Lord Iesus which bloud I haue alwayes thought to bee the best bloud in the world A measure of which modell of mine I here humbly prostrate at your Highnes feet heartily beseeching Almighiy God to preserue your Highnesse and your most royal seede to be glorious instruments of his Church to crown your Maiesty and your Princely Progenie with his sauing mercies in Christ Iesus Your Maiesties most humble s●ruant and Subiect WILL LOE 1 TIM 3. 16. Without controuersie Great is the mysterie of Godlinesse God manifested in the flesh Iustified in the Spirit S●ene of Angels Preached vnto the Gentiles Beleeued on in the world and receyued vp in glory A PREFACE OF Pacification to all Christian Tearmers and Trauellers from the reuerend Iudge Itinerant Iustice of Oier and Determiner vnto the poorest Clyent that iournyeth within the foure seas of Great Britaine Mercie be multiplied in Ch●ist Iesus BLessed and beloued in the Lord for I cannot giue you a more honourable title if I should studie to giue you ten thousand be of what ranke or condition your will Hearken Vpon the Lords day beeing the third day after our Sauiours sufferings two disciples trauelling from Ierusalem to a village called Emaus as they walked on their way they talked of Iesus And as they thus communed Iesus himselfe drew neere and went with them and afterward questioning with them opened vnto them the Scriptures tarries with them sits witb them blesseth their meat eats with them giues them a super substantial blessing for he openeth their eyes and they know him A perf●t president for you beloued in the Lord and a blessed direction as you tra●aile for we aree all Viatores looke as big as we will not comprehensores if wee haue company to conf●rre and talke of the Lord Iesus for you see if you bee but two in company hee will make the third if you commune concerning him in feare and reuerence yea your conference shall not bee fruitlesse For what is the sequell Eu●n knowledge of the holy Scriptures they shall bee opened vppon such conference Christ his comfortable company by the holy Ghost will be affoorded for albeit according to his Es●e Naturale he is in heauen yet secundum esse personale he is euery where by his breath and fauour in his chosen Moreouer hee will sit with you vpon the throne of Iustice to direct your hearts aright you shal partake of his blessings with healtb and saluation hee will blesse you in your store hee will enlighten your minds encline your wils rec●ify your desires and you shall know him whom to know is eternall l●fe For this cause I haue often bowed the knees of my heart vnto the God of heauen for you all and haue presumed to reduce the summe of all into this little Manuall as the Protestants portuize to carry in his hand in his bosome and to accompany him in your trauels as Paul had his parchments with him which casually he left at Troas and whereof it seemed hee had an especiall care Let not the prudent Iudge disdaine or despise that I become his remembrancer for the time is come that wee must looke to our Christian principles seeing many are gone so farre to question long receiued truthes in the spirit of subtiltie and error as if the Metempsycosis of the Pythagorists were reuiued and the soule of Iohn Duns Scotus were entred into the bodyes of suruiuing schollers to trouble the world with nicities and to lose themselues in miserable extrauagant wandrings It was a good rule therefore that Irenaeus gaue That we should diligently heede neuer to bee transported beyond the limits of Doctrinall Principles which indeede is a glosse of that of

reuelations that 's meerely Anabaptisticall God in an engine Vpon what then Euangelical Esay the Lordes Prophet tels vs That our faith must bee founded vppon Gods Oracle the Scriptures and Christ the sonne of God biddes vs Search the Scriptures and Saint Peter a chiefe pillar of the Church sayeth Wee shall doe well to heede that certaine end of Prophesie as vnto a light that shineth in a darkplace vntill the day dawne and the day starre arise in our hearts But stay who then shal be iudge of the scripture that our faith may bee setled with iudgement for as much as most Heretikes auouch scripture Shall Christians iudge betweene Christians in cases of controuersie no they are too partiall because they are parties Shal Pagans no they are not capable of holy mysteries shall Iewes no they are enemies of Christ. What then Shall wee knocke at heauen gates that Christ Iesus may come downe and decide these doubts What neede that Wee haue him in the Gospell sayth Cyprian wherein if we exercise our selues diligently by conferring scripture with scripture and expounding according to the Analogie and rule of our faith beeing guided by the iudgement of holy reformed Church which acknowledgeth no other guid but onely the Euangelicall and Apostolicall writings nor any other rocke to builde vpon but Iesus Christ nor any other City of refuge to flie vnto then the word of God which as Dauid sayth is a Lampe vnto our pathes for our liues a light as S. Peter sayth in darkenesse for our knowledge a ballance for our decision to weigh the light from the ponderous sayth S. Augustine a touch stone for our tryall as sayth S. Chrysostom to discern the currēt from the counterfeite and in a word as Constantine in the Nicene counsell sayde of all sufficiencie for our ful satisfaction and the onely deuoyment of all controuersies for our resolution wee shall doe well This being added that we pray earnestly with Dauid That God would open our eies that we may see the wōders of his Law Otherwise they that are conceyted in their owne singularity and priuat spirite either for doctrine of faith or direction for manners Sathan stands at their right hand and the thinges that should haue beene for their good are occasion of their falling These thinges beeing so what meanes the cursed malignants of our Church of England to trouble mens mindes with niceties the breeders of controuersies whence many monsters of opinion and thousand of fancies doe dayly arise which entangle the simple in many wofull Laborinthes as to demaund of vnsetled soules where was your Church hid vntill of late some hundred yeares since What Emperor raigned when it came forth or on what day was it hatched What age did the Religion you professe arise in What is become of our Forefathers These and the like interrogatories are as introductions and preambles to insnare and entangle the simple with needlesse questions and quiddities As if Petrus Valdus Lugdunensis Iohn Wicleefe Husse Luther and others such reformers did at any time endeauour to beget or set vppe a new Church whereas the truth is they onely diligently labored by the word of God and by the power thereof to reforme that Church which by mens traditions and deuizes was most miserably deformed and defaced and to reduce it to its former splendor and integrity Alwayes saluting that church though much deformed by the louing Sister And doubtlesse wee know many pious and chaste Matrones who iustly may be ashamed of their owne sisters enormious courses and exorbitant conditions Neyther did they vse any other means in seeking reformation but by yeelding onely and lamenting sayd Oh how is that faithfull City become an harlot It was full of iudgement and iustice lodged therein but now they are murtherers Thy siluer O sister is become drosse thy wine is mixed with water For these and the like important consideratiōs of the great defect miserable reuolt and dāgerous obliquities of those times they had learned Apostolicall counsel To haue no fellowship with such doings but to reproue them rather Were these and their followers then to bee accounted enemies and to be scornefully branded with the names of Waldenses Wicklefiās Hussites Lutherans and other the like disgracefull tearmes as if they had beene Nouelists because they tolde the truth God forbidde George Cassander the choyce diuine of his time said well and iuditiously when he gaue his sentence of the dissentions of the Church both to Ferdinand and Maximilian the Emperours acknowledging that in the beginning many were iustly stirred vp by a godly zeale earnestly to reproue and reforme some apparāt abuses in the church and that the principall cause of the Churches calamity and distraction was not to bee imputed to those who sought reformation but rather to such as ruled the stern who beeing puffed vp with disdaine and scorned to be rebuked proudly and peremptorily despised and disdayned those that modestly meekely and iustly did but admonish and aduertise them And hee thought that there could bee no firme nor constant concord in the Church vnlesse they beeganne to reforme who first gaue the occasion of distraction to witte that those of the Churches Gouernement must abate theyr rough rigor and sternnes yeeld somewhat for the peace of the church and by listening to the petitions and counsels of many godly and well disposed men should reforme the apparent errors and abuses crept into the church and conforme them according to the rule of Gods word and the primitiue integritie from which they were in many things declined If the case were come to this who would not embrace that sacred peace of the church wherewith the angells of heauen congratulated mankinde in the incarnation which Christ left as his legacie to his peculiar people when hee was to forsake the world and the Apostles as their principall doctrine enioyned to the Christian Church Euery one you say is ready for peace but what if we cannot haue it Then must we make peace as Saint Iames speaks by our diligence by our sufferance What if wee make peace once and it depart Then must wee follow peace as Paule commands What if it abandon vs Peter wisheth vs to seeke it and ensue it What if it will not come as Abrahams seruant sayde of Rebecca after wee haue sought it and ensued it Surely then must wee studie to bee quiet For what good Christian is not of worthy Constantines minde who desired of God to passe his dayes free from trouble and vexation And of Iouians who sayd this by chance touching a queroulous libel of the Macedonians I hate contentions and strife and those that are giuen to peace and concord I deerely loue and reuerence Oh what hellish furie hath enraged the malignant Church to stirre vp strife and controuersie against vs not onely all the day long but euen for time and times euen many ages The Arrians and Circumcellians neuer more raged against the Orthodoxe then Rome hath against vs. For

Iesus Christ how wonderfull are thy workes in all the world For out of the mouthes of Preachers sometimes very babes and suck● lings thou hast ordained strength that thereby thou mightst make thy power the more to be knowne in suppressing the rage and fury of Sathan the enemie of all mankind by such weake and feeble instruments And this thou hast done O Lord of thine vnspeakable mercy in Christ considering that we are but dust and cannot endure the presence of an Angel to speak vnto vs much lesse are wee able to behold thee in thy glorious brightnesse Nay O Lord no man can see thee and liue Eternally therefore blessed be thy goodnes O God for ordaining so sacred and so ●afe a meanes for our ●nowledge and acknowledge●ent of thee and of him whome ●hou hast sent Christ Iesus our Lord For it hath pleased thee 〈◊〉 put thy word into the mouthes 〈◊〉 men to publish it vnto vs. Thou hast clothed their hearts ●ith thy righteousnesse to fur●●sh them with grace Thou ●ast added the power thereof 〈◊〉 thy sacred spirite to guide vs to all truth thou hast shew●● the effects thereof in the san●●itie of our liues good works 〈◊〉 thy great glory Thou hast giuen vs the ioye ●ereof in the songs of holy ones 〈◊〉 our sola●e and the end there●● in the saluation of our sinfull ●ules and bodies to our eternall ●●licitie in heauen O Lord who can sufficiently ●●●toll thy Maiesty for this thy ●●rpassing fauour towards vs ●et vs entreate thy goodnesse for Christ his sake to stirre vp and ●uicken ●our dull hearts to a thankefull acceptance of this thy blessing Make vs to loue the preaching of thy word that sacred Ambassage from heauen that wee may bee throughly reconciled vnto thee Make it the sauour of life vnto vs and let i● in no wise bee the sauour of death vnto vs or any of v● Make vs to thinke reuerently of these whom thou hast seperated and sent to be the lighte● and guide of this world cause vs to esteeme of them preciously to loue them heartily to pray for them effectually and to heare them with all possible respects fulnes as people knowing that 〈◊〉 that hearet● them heareth thee hee that receyueth them receyueth thee hee that regardeth them regardeth thee and hee that doth for them doth for thee as people knowing it is thy Word they preach thy holy will they teach thy heauenly worshippe and diuine seruice they entreat ●s to embrace as people know●●g that the glorie thereof is ●●ine the good thereof is ours ●●en to the sauing of our selues ●●d children in both worlds O King of Heauen giue vs ●●ermore of this Manna the ●ngels foode of this water of 〈◊〉 of this celestiall treasure of ●is fruite of life of those songs 〈◊〉 Sion of this speech of Cana●●● of this salt of the earth of ●●is light of life of this dew of ●ermon of this name of Iesus 〈◊〉 this eternall Gospell by the ●eaching of thy holy will As ●e heare it O Lord let it di●ill into our soules as thy holy ●●●ction Let it stirre our harts 〈◊〉 thy power Let it bowe our ●ils to thy obedience as thy ●●unsell Let it sanctifie our 〈◊〉 as thy ordinance let it ●●epare vs throughout for thee 〈◊〉 Lord and for the glory of thy ●ace for euer Humble our hearts with the remembrance what wretches we were without this reuelation of thy Sonne Say vnto vs you were dogs and might not ea●● the childrens breade you were hogges and might not haue these pretious pearls cast vnto 〈◊〉 you were as vncircumcised P●listines as cursed Can●anit●● as diuelish Samaritans as He● theni●h Pagans as Turkish I●●●●dels But I haue washed purg●● purified and sanctified you wi●● my grace I haue called you my name and I will blesse yo● for euer O Lord God Graunt th●● wee may eate but the crum●● vnder thy table that wee 〈◊〉 touch but the hemme of thy v● sture that thou wilt but spea● the Word onely and we wretches shall liue shall bee heale● shall bee happie to thy prayse 〈◊〉 euer Say Lord vnto our soules am your saluation So shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and bee gladde all our 〈◊〉 so shall wee study to set 〈◊〉 thy honour and will vow 〈◊〉 sacrifices of thankefulnesse 〈◊〉 of soule and body in our 〈◊〉 and children for euer O heare vs King of Hea●●● and grant these blessinges 〈◊〉 thine to be continued vnto vs 〈◊〉 to our seed to al our generati●● for the merites of thy deare ●●ne Christ Iesus our most ●●●●acious Redeemer Amen GOD BELEEVED on in the World Explication THat the World should beleeue in God is the mystery of mysteries First that the World should beleeue in GOD in the vnitie of his essence and Trinity of existence Then to beleeue God in the verity of his written word And lastly to relye vpon God in the assurance of his loue for his promise sake this I say to know is eternall life and for the World to know it is a world of wonders For how should the World come by this sauing know●edge 〈◊〉 Take the World as in ●oly writ it sometimes signi●ies the reporbate of whome Christ sayth I pray not for the ●orld that is for the reprobate of the world these beleeue not Take it Cosmographically for the frame of heauen and of earth contayning the firmamentary and elementary regions these parts are not ●apable of such mysteries ●ut vnderstand it of the E●ect people of God inhabi●ing within the limites of the knowne Christian world and ●else where dispersed and scattered vpon the surface of the whole earth as it is taken in this place and then this mystery will bee reuealed vnto vs. For otherwise as the world 〈◊〉 more generally taken for the people of the world It is altogether set vpon wickednesse The World receyues not the Spirite of truth The Worlde knownes not God The world is at defiance with God as may plainely appeare by the contrariety betwixt God and the wo●ld The spirit of God being loue ioy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnes faith meekenesse and temperance The Spirite of the World being adulterie fornication vncleannes lasciuious●es idolatrie witchcraft hatred variance emulation wrath strife seditions hypocrisies enuyings murthers drunkennesse reuellings How could it euer be thought that these thinges so contrariantly opposit should euer accord Yet behold this great mysterie for this malignant contrariant exorbitant refractory World is conquered by holy saith in the bloud of Christ and multitudes of millions in the World albeit not of the World Liue loue and be●eeue in God amidst the furious cruell and deadly rage ●atred and bloudy cruelty of many miscreants and infidell worldlings So that now God hath purchased by faith a world of people to himselfe called out of the vniuersall masse and multitude of people in the World to know and acknowledge him to be their God and Sauiour This is the sence of these words And the sacred

scriptures call those the Worlde whom God hath thus called out of the world because for their sakes onely this world was made and this world is as yet preserued and all things continue as from the beginning But when God hath his full number of these his chosen people out of the world then this world shall haue an end and there shall bee a new Heauen and a new earth wherein shal dwell righteousnesse To these his redeemed people in the world God made his promises both of the promulgation extension and augmentation of this Kingdome of Iesus Christ his Sonne First that the extention thereof should be as large as is the expansion of the Heauens and so great that it should encircle and surround the earth Secondly that the dominion thereof should bee from sea to sea And from the riuers vnto the end of the world The kings of Tharsis and of the ●sles should bring presents yea all Kings should fall downe before him at nations should serue him Thirdly that Christ should ●edeeme vs to God by his bloud ●ut of euery kindred and tongue and people and Nation Fourthly that there should ●ee so great a multitude of beleeuers of all Nations Kindreds people and tongues which stand before the throne and before the ●ambe that no man should bee ●ble to number them The performance of which ●rophesies and promises God shewed most power●●lly in the very commencement of this conquest of faith ●or Peter conuerred in one ●ermon three thousand and 〈◊〉 another Sermon fiue thou●and soules that beleeued and ●●●●rned to God from their in●quities So mightily yea so ●uddenly grew the word of God and preuayled yea 〈◊〉 is ttuely obserued both by Suetonius in the life of Nero and by Tacitus in the first booke of his Historie beeing enemies to Christ Christians and also by Tertullian a friend to Christians in his Apologeticall exhortation to the Gentiles that the multitude of beleeuers was so great in the Prim●tiue Church euen amidst those furious bloudy butcheries and wofull persecutions that their strength and puissan●e if they should haue waged warre was oft times a feare and terror euen to the ve●ry persecuting Emperours themselues This was exceeding strange that a World of people so dissonan● so dissolute so aliant so repug●nant to God and to goodnesse should become so plyable so flexible so obediēt 〈◊〉 submit and subiect them●●lues to the yoke of Gods ce●●estiall direction And albeit this very acte ●f beleeuing may seeme very ●aruellous vnto vs in it selfe ●et the strange means where●y this victorious conquest was wrought by Christ in ●educing the world to the act ●f faith was indeed incompa●ably wonderfull and aboue mans capacitie to conceiue For Christ Iesus the Sonne of God when hee made this conquest of the World by faith did not proclaym to the world as king Cyrus did whē he intented his conquests great pay worldly promotions magnificent titles and honourable entertainements for his voluntaries and Followers neither did Christ proffer as the diuell did All this will I 〈◊〉 thee shewing all the king●omes of the world if thou wilt fall downe and worshi● me nor as the licentious Turk doth grants libertie of wiueving to what number of women men will of thriuing by what callusions and deuises men can so they doe no violence to all that embrace his Mahumetanisme nor yet as the most Turkish Pope vseth who grants pardons and indulgences from all kinde of punishments to all his Peccadilloes whatsoeuer For then Christ doubtlesse might haue had followers on a sudden more then enough But behold and consider the iniunctions motions and perswasions that Christ vsed to moue the world to beleeue and then tell me Beloued in our Lord if this be not a secret and hidden Mysterie The very first mandate that Christ ienioyned to those that meant to follow him was Re●●nt yee that is Bee of another ●inde and leade another life 〈◊〉 you haue done hereto●●re Become new creatures ●●at is leaue off to doe euill 〈◊〉 learne to do good This was no lesson for the ●●lfe louers of the world to ●●arne and of these there is an ●●finite number By this doctrine Christ ●●ight lose all the nice of the world and all that were wed●ed to their owne selfe li●ings Another iniunction was ●n the world if you will bee mine you shall haue augariation and your hearts shall bee pierced ●hrough with many sorrowes This was no coppie to bee taken out by the effeminate delitious and delicate persons of the world A third was You shall bee hated of all men for my names sake saith Christ. This was no condition to obligue faint and false hearted cowards of the world A fourth was He that loues his life shall lose it This was not the way to winne a worldling notwithstanding all these and other such like more conditions and entertainments euen to exquisite torments ye● I say what euer could be sayd or done to the contrary by the infidell party in all the bloud and but chery of Gods Saints behold yee the power of God in this wonderfull conquest of the world by faith For a Centurion beleeue● euen to life albeit Christ is absent from doing any act speakes this in the words of a beleeuer Say the word onely O Lord and my seruant liueth A Canaanitish woman beleeues to health if she might eate but the crums th●● fall ●●om the table or touch but ●he hemme of Christ his ve●ure The good theefe beleeues 〈◊〉 saluation in Christ Iesus ●hom he beheld fastened to ●●rosse laden with disgrace●●●l reproches and scoffings forlorne and forsaken of the ●hole world strugling in his 〈◊〉 dolours gasping gaping 〈◊〉 weltring in his owne ●oud Oh wonderfull power 〈◊〉 faith Oh maruellous work ●f God! Is there any reason 〈◊〉 bee yeelded hereof Are ●●ere any causes of this so rare 〈◊〉 maruellous a change in the ●eart and resolution of man ●o surely Mans reason in this ●ynt is but as a beast as Iere●ie sayth But Almightie ●od hath his reasons for it ●ost preg●ant most pow●●full For this beleeuing in ●hrist being an act of the vnderstanding assenting to Gods diuine truth at the commandement of the will so moued by the grace and spirit of God sheweth that it is the power onely and spirit of God that inclineth our hearts to beleeue as the first mouing cause thereof This was the reason why Lydia the Thyatirian hearkned to Paules preaching which many other did not that heard the word notwithstanding as well as she For the Text saith God opened the heart of Lydia that she attended the the words of Paule that is to say She attended not vntill God openeth her heart The inuisible finger of God being as you see a golden key to vnlocke our steely hearts that may see perceiue and be moued to seeke after God for our saluation And this is the reason why ●he