so many make the crowne and garland of their life this also is dullnesse in a little while and this garlande is as withered hay an other thinge must come to take this vp or rather then this should be still we would neuer play while we liued Thus as the night doeth ouertake the day and the day doth driue away the night so our worldly pleasures runne one after an other and the best of them all do not endure long Euen as SolomoÌ„ sayth The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the eare with hearing but be the tune neuer so sweete at last wee desire another This flesh and fleshly minde if wee shall bring to our religion can we think you perseuere in the profession of it We cannot no more then the Cat of the mounteine can change her spots or the black Moore can change his colour If therefore we will holde this excellent vertue of perseuerance vnto the ende let vs make a good beginning euen that God who chaungeth not with his holie spirite which neuer forsaketh vs may kindle our heartes with the loue of his trueth which shall nor be quenched for euermore This it is I say let this be our comming vnto the Gospel in this preparation of our heart that our heauenlie Father the God of all grace may giue vs his spirite that we may loue his trueth vnto eternall life This beginning shall haue stil increase and haue at the last a perfect worke but if this bee not it if the loue of God be not all wee looke for if ambition authoritie riches prayse of men if any fleshly affection be with vs when we haue our purpose our woorke is at an ende Or if by occasion the Gospel shall hinder this purpose our religion is at an ende fare well the Gospel Booke and all wee beginne to sing a new maister a newe But ô man blind and folish What is thy glorie but in shame and what is thy song but lamentations and mourning and woe Thou hast gotten in deede a newe maister for thou haste forsaken God who is from the beginning and seruest the croked serpent who was an Apostata afore thee and yet thou haste no newe maister but whome before thoâ—… seruedst in hypocrisie him now thou seruest in vanitie and he holdeth thee bound euen as he will him selfe Let vs take heede dearely beloued and neuer be ouertaken of such a shame Let vs feele our hope reioyce in it loue the glorie that is set before vs inlarge our heartes to comprehend immortalitie and with all our soule serue the God of glorie Let vs delight in his statutes iudgementes and make them our songes in the night season so we shall knowe we be the house of God we shall haue this perseueraunce whereof I haue spoken and we shall not be confounded for euer Now let vs pray c. The fifteenth Lecture vpon the 7 8 9 10. 11. verses 7 Wherfore as the holie Ghost saith To day â–ª if yâ—… shal 〈◊〉 his voice 8 Harden not your hearts as in the prouocation according to the day of the tâ—…tion in the wildernesse 9 Where your fathers tempted me proued me and saw my workes fourtie yeares long 10 Wherefore I was grieued with that generation saide They errâ—…â—…uer in their heart â–ª neither haue they 〈◊〉 my wayes 11 Therefore I snare in my wrath if they shal enter into my rest WE haue hearde hitherto in this thirde chapiter howe the Apostle hath taught that our Sauiour Christe is our onelie Prophet faithfull in his worke euen as Moses was faithfull 〈◊〉 muche more honourable then Moses as the workeman is aboue the house or the sonne aboue the seruant this house which Christ hath built and in whiche he reigneth are euen we our selues if we hold fast what he hath taught reioyce in the hope of it vnto the end Now he addeth another reason takeâ—… of y Prophet Dauid who in spiâ—… 〈◊〉 this of Christ To day â–ª if you heare his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…y â—…ll circumstances of y time words doth manifestly apeare therfore let vs open our eares heare this excellent prophet and neuer suffer his doctrine to fall vnto the ground to this purpose he alledgeth this long sentence of the prophet Dauid and beginneth thus Wherefore as the holie Ghost doth say he had before exhorted in his owne wordes he addeth now more weight by the authoritie of the Prophet Dauid to pricke them the more that were dull to learne for howsoeuer they woulde otherwise haue made light account of the Apostles words yet to haue despised the admonition of so high a Prophet it had bene intollerable euen among them selues And to the end he might feare them yet more with their sinne if they would not heare he nameth not the prophet Dauid whose words they knew well enoughe but he nameth the holie Ghost who spake in the Prophet that they might know to refuse it were not to refuse a man but God who spake by man vnto them for this purpose he begineth thus Wherfore the holy Ghost doth say and let vs here learne euen as the Hebrues ought to haue learned with reuerence to heare and to obey the worde for it is not the wâ—…orde of man but of God noâ—… spoken by man but by the holie Ghost So saint Paule speaking of the scripture he giueth it this title of speciall honour aboue all writinges that it is inspired from God and Saint Peter sayth that prophesie is not of man or mans wisedome but the holie men of God spake as they were carried of the holy ghost This must breed in vs a singular regard of the worde of the Prophets except we bee exceeding blinde for if I do beleue in my heart as I confesse in my tongue that God onely is wise God onely is holie God onely is our Lord then I must needes acknowledge that his worde onely is my wisedome and my vnderstandinge before all people his word is my warrant of all pure hollie and blamelesse religion If I doe confesse that God onely hath immortalitie and is in light that shineth for euermore then must I needs also saye as Peter sayth All flesh is grasse the glorie of man is as the floure of the feelde the grasse withereth and the floure vadeth but the woorde of the Lorde indureth for euer To be short if this be a commaundement vnto me Thou shalt haue none other Gods but me let me holde this as a commaundement from him that I haue no worde of life but his yea whatsoeuer I owe vnto him in the thoughts of my minde in the woordes of my mouth in the workes of my handes in all my life If this be his worde this must be my teacher and in obedience of it I must doe all that I doe make this accompt of the word of God or you make no accompt of it at all and make not this accompt of any other thing or else thou
drawe it that was spoken in Hierusalem two thousand mile out of Italie that it was ment only of the Citie of Rome Againe they say the sinne against the holie ghost shall neuer be pardoned neither in this world nor in the world to come Ergo there is a purgatorie such are their proofes in their greatest mysteries And is not this trow you a miserable doctrine which hath no plaine and directe scripture but by suche wrested and straunge expositions can onely be proued and this I speak of their best expositions which to this day they hold and reuerence but infinite other expositions they haue and in times past of greatest account for they are written in their masse bookes their portesses their pontificalls their legends their decrees their councels their lawes that you may be sure they were expositions of generall consent and greatest force howe so euer now some woud dissemble them and these are suche expositions as I assure you and I beseech you to beleeue it for before the liuing God you shall finde it one day true the mad men in bedlem can not speake more foolishly they reason thus Peter drewe his sword and cut off Malchus eare therfore the Pope is head of the Church The world was finished in seuen dayes therfore none must marrie within seuen degrees of kinred God made two great lightes the Sunne and the Moone therfore as much as the Sunne is brighter then the Moone so much the Pope is greater then the Emperour The Prophet saith behold the face of thine anointed thus saith the pontifical is a Bishops prayer ouer the popes legat when he kneeleth before the Altar Behold I sende my messinger to prepare thy way before thy face saith God by his prophet Esaie the pontificall vseth this as a prophesie fulfilled when the Popes legate meeteth the Emperour to receiue him into any citie I haue found Dauid my seruant and annointed him with holie oyle My loue is beautifull among the daughters of Hierusalem This they applie to kings and Queenes when the cleargie receiue thē personally into their churches The prophet saith sprinkle mee Lord with ysop I shal be cleane that they applie to the priest sprinkling with holie water Lifte vp your head O ye gates and ye euerlasting dores lifte vp your selues that is when the Clarke openeth the churche doore for the Prieste to come in with the crosse on Palme sunday Tenne thousand such applications and expositions are in their bookes suche I say as I thinke no bedlem man coulde deuise more vaine and foolish Now if any of thē be ashamed of these doings I pray God that shame may be the triall of their countenance which testifieth against them and so be in them a good colour of repentance if they wil not be ashamed then the wrath of the Lord is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still ◅il hee make their madnesse knowen vnto all the world make them a hissing amonge his people who haue so prophaned his word of life And thus much touching the hardnesse of the scripture which the Apostle heere speaketh of It foloweth in the Apostle For wheras considering the time you ought to be teachers yet haue you neede again that we teach you the first principles of the word of God and are become suche as haue needs of milke and not strong meat this is the cause why the Apostle said they were slowe of hearing because they had profited no more in knowledge a great while the gospel preached professed among them yet they stil so ignorant that they knowe not the principles of their Christiā faith We haue had a great while the Gospell preached we might haue beene by this time doctours if we would haue learned I say not euery day or weeke or moneth but euery yeere a little and what a shame is it fos vs if yet we be ignoraunt in the principles of fayth howe many sermons haue wee heard or reade in vaine how many times haue wee made the sower to sowe his seede in the high wayes or among the thornes and stones If in xv yeeres we bee scarce past our A. b. c. when doe we hope that the secretes of the word shal be reuealed vnto vs Are so many yeares so small a portion of our life that wee may giue them to vanitie and learne nothing the Lord graunt that wee may better looke vnto our selues and seeing euery day taketh away parte of our life maketh this earth lie tabernacle more to corrupt let euery day bringe increase of knowledge and adde to our life that when our course is runne our faith may be kept and we may finde the crowne of righteousnesse whiche God hath laid vp for those that be wise of heart Or if this counsel of the Apostle wil not persuade vs but by leasure in xv yeeres to come we will learne hereafter I assure you our graues wil meete many of vs in our wayes while wee are yet dull in learning and when then shal be the time in which we wil enioy our knowledge Let vs looke therefore to our selues for I am afraid this sharpe rebuke of the Apostle is as iust against vs as it was against them and it must needes make vs at last ashamed except it make vs in time repent our sluggishnesse And heere by the way I beseeche you to marke well this place to see the difference of the spirit of trueth and the spirit of errour The Apostle checketh the people because they be so dull of hearing that the woorde of God is harde vnto them which ought to be moste familiar and easie He rebuketh them of ignoraunce that in so long time they haue not learned to be doctours in Christianitie able to teach others He threateneth them that if this greate sinne bee not amended let them looke for no other but that vengeaunce and wrath shal be a recompence vnto them Thus the Apostle sayth but what saith the false apostolicall man the pope of Rome forsooth he pray seth them of greate modestie that wil not presume to read the scripture as those which are darke and obscure writings he alloweth well of learning nothing and after many yeares to be neuer the wiser for ignorance saith he is the mother of deuotion He blesseth the men that haue no wisedome in them though they knowe not how to giue accompt of their faith yet he biddeth them beleue as the church beleeueth and they shal be saued Can any thinge be more contrarie to other then the apostles doctrine is contrarie to this why then do we not yet cast him off for shame and bid sye vpon the beaste that speaketh so presumptuously against the worde of God let him and his foolishnesse perishe together but let vs learne the knowledge of the Lorde It followeth For euery one that vseth milke is inexpert of the word of righteousnesse for he is a babe The Apostle before prouoked them to diligence first
beware of vnrepentaunt sinne And thus farre of the purpose of the Apostle by which we beeing confirmed that though we should fall through many infirmities yet we can neuer fall away We may now more boldly examine the words to learne as God shall instruct vs what this sinne is let vs therefore come vnto the wordes For it is vnpossible that they which are once lightened c. We see here how the apostle setteth out the sinne against y holy Ghost shewing who they are which cōmit it what the sinne is and what end it bringeth But before we further examine it I must admonish you of two contrarie faultes which are common vnto vs in speaking of this matter The one is too muche carelesnesse the other is too much feare Some of vs scarse hauing any conscience at al or any reuerence of Gods secrete iudgements being altogether children more ignorant then children If at any time talke be of diuinitie streight with carelesse hearts venturous toungs they are vp with predestination or with sinne against the holie ghost To these men I say it were better for them that they had neither tongues in their heads nor hearts in their breastes then that they should cōtinue in this vnreuerend most vngodly vsage for what do they else but blaspheme the eternall wisdome of god At al his words we should feare tremble yet at his greatest mysteries we are carelesse mockers The knowledge of his predestination should cast down our proud reason euen to the ground to confesse before him that all his iudgements are vnsearchable and al his ways are past finding out yet we like fooles who though we were braide in a morter yet would not our foolishnesse depart from vs so foolishly wee examine y high iudgments of God to make them agreeable to our blockish reason Likewise the sinne against the holie Ghost which is mentioned to make vs feare that we be not despisers of the graces of God but y we would loue him learne all his iudgmentes whereby we might assure our selues of his fauour y we cānot possibly sinne against his spirit but whether soeuer we fall he would raise vs againe as though this pleased vs not we make no ende of questioning whether it be this sinne or that sinne when in deede at all sinnes we make but a mocke This fault deatly beloued I beseech you take heede of praye that you may cast it from you then no doubt in this our matter the trueth which we seeke for in feare reuerence God wil reueale it vnto vs The other faulte I spake of and of which we must take heed is to much feare for some of vs and they of the best of vs on whom God hath shewed singular mercie greatly to humble them so that they couer their faces and hang downe their heades at the remembrance of their sinnes and hunger and thirst after the righteousnesse of Christ they would not haue this spoken of at all and euerie sounde of the sinne against the holy Ghost doth wounde thē as it were to death for feare least themselues should be holden in the transgression To these men what should I say nay what can I say for y sūme of all Christe hath saide and spoken truely vnto thē feare not my litle flock for it hath pleased your father to giue vnto you a kingdome and if he haue giuen vnto them a kingdome purchased with the bloud of his only sonne how should he not giue also vnto thē y victorie ouer sinne and death And nowe my good brethren and sisterne who so euer you be sith you haue a spirite that desireth knowledge delighteth in obedience loueth God hateth iniquitie reioyce in this pledge of your saluation for as the Lord doth liue neither this sinne nor the shadowe of this sinne shal come nere vnto you only because it is a saluinge medicine to many of your brethren when they be sunken deepe in rebellion and because it is the mightie word of the Lorde to crushe in peeces the reprobate before him therefore I beseech you with glad faithful eares abide the hearing of it feare not the smoke when the fire can not hurt you Now to cōe to our purpose In these words of y Apostle I wil shew vnto you first what maner of men they must needs be y do fall into this sinne Secondly what māner of sinne it is Thirdly with what manner of mind it is committed whervnto at last I wil add some examples that you may see more clearly what it is Touching the persons which sinne against the holy ghost they are described thus by their qualities first they haue bene once lightened secōdly they haue tasted of the heauenly gift thirdly they haue beene made partakers of the holy Ghost fourthly they haue tasted of the good word of God of the powers of y world to come Vnto these qualities we may add more out of other partes of scripture in the 12. of Matt. our sauiour Christ speaketh of such men thus that the vncleane spirite is gone out from them that they are swept garnished in the 2. Epistle of Peter the 2. chapter it is sayd of them that they haue escaped from the filthinesse of the world through the knowledge of the Lord of our sauiour Iesu christ By these such like places we may cōclude that God hath many wayes made himselfe knowen vnto them y hee hath giuen them true vnderstanding y he hath quickened their spirits to receiue gladly his gospel that they had a feeling of y kingdome of heauen y they haue knowen sinne to be ful of miserie vexation of spirit y they haue cōfessed there is no ioy but in christ This is y state of knowledge to which they were called these are the graces which they were indued with wherby we may first cōclude y Turks and infidels that all Atheists Epicures they haue not yet sinned against the holy ghost not Pharaoh a vessel of Gods wrath not Sodome Gomorha withal their filthinesse not Rabsaketh or any such who would make them selues Gods they haue not sinned against the holy Ghoste they are accursed creatures and their sinnes are abhominable they are bondslaues of Satan straungers from the God of Israell but yet we may say truely it shal be easier for all those of Sodome Gomorha for Tyre and Sidon in the day of iudgement then for these wicked blasphemers of the holy spirite which not only fulfilled the full measure of these Pagans sinnes but haue also contemned the graces which were giuen vnto them and despised the spirite of whiche the Pagans were neuer made partakers Thus briefly I haue set foorth what manner men they be whiche may fall away to so great confusion And that it may yet be made more plaine let vs consider the wordes by which the Apostle describeth them The first marke of them is that they bee lightened that is indued with
in whō the God of this world hath blinded their vnbeleuing mindes that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ should not shine vpon them for otherwise the secret of the Lord is reuealed to those that feare him and his woorde is a lanthorne vnto their feete and a light vnto their steps it is not harde but as Salomon saith It is easie to him that wil vnderstand he is a scorner that seeketh it and can not finde it Moses sayth This commaundement which I command thee this day it is not hid from thee nor sarre of it is very nere vnto thee euen in thy mouth and in thy hart to do it The prophet Ose saith of the iudgementes of God vnto his people that they were as the morning light And the Lorde saith by the prophet Esay I haue not s◅okē in secret nor in a place of dark nesse in the earth I said not in vaine to the house of Iacob Seeke ye me And if thus the doctrine of saluation were preached while yet the people were taught by signes figures how clere is it now since the sonne of righteousnes hath shined in perfect light what wrong is it to say still the scriptures are hard and to make them to be Sphynx his ridles or the winding oracles of Apollo whiche are the cleare wordes of the liuing God I appeale to your owne consciences all that haue experience whether haue you found such hardnesse in scripture or whether do you easily see how we are saued in Iesus Christ what obediēce we owe againe vnto god I am sure there is none of you that with a single heart haue come to read the scripture that were euer driuen back with any hardnesse of it How is it then why do the papists stil cry out of the hardnesse of the worde why see they not this easinesse as wel as we sure I will tel you the Lorde is witnesse howe I tell you true Those men they haue come neere vnto God with their mouth honored them with their lips but their harts haue been farre from him ▪ they haue worshipped God in vaine teaching doctrines which were precepts of men and for this cause God hath couered them with a spirit of slumber hath shut vp their eyes the gospell is vnto them as the words of a booke that is sealed so that whether they be learned or vnlearned they can read nothing This is the great hiddē cause their sinns haue found them out gods iudgemēts haue blinded them Another cause that I tolde you before is because they would leade vs blindfolde after the church of Rome this cause I make not of mine owne head thē selues as I said wil confesse it For this is a solemne decree in their late generall counsel of Trident the 4. session the 2. canon that it belongeth to their holy motherchurch to iudge of the sence interpretation of the scripture nether must we presume to leaue those interpretations although they were such as were neuer meete to bee openly taught published And their greate doctour Hossius saith thus if we haue the interpretation of the church of Rome although wee see not howe it can agree with the wordes of the texte yet we must beleeue it But are not these think you vnreasonable wordes if they be not examine mo of their witnesses at last you shall finde it confesse it that they are not onely vnreasonable but exceeding shameles men while they hold this that the scripture is hard and to be vnderstood after the church of Rome for thus they haue termed the scripture dead y◅ke a thing without life a dumbe iudge a nose of waxe a black gospell ynken diuinitie these such other words are witnesses against them to all the world their owne bookes are extant and with what spirite then haue these men spoken surely not with the spirit of the father Dauid or of his sonne Salomon who say The lawe of the Lord is perfect and conuerteth soules it giueth to the simple sharpnesse of witt and to the children knowledge and discretion nor with the spirite of Paule that sayeth All scripture is inspired of God and is profitable to reproue correct instruct and to make a godly man perfect to euery good worke this is not to call the scripture a waxen nose or ynken diuinitie but these speeches are much more agreeable to the spirit of the olde heretiques which said the prophecies were dremes But to let their vncomely speeches go to come againe to our purpose They cry out still that the interpretations of the churche of Rome are the sense of the scripture And would you not now thinke that these interpretations of the Romaine church were merueilous wise graue mysticall seing they would haue all the worlde thus to reuerence them See therfore what they are and iudge I wil alledge vnto you some of them in the weightiest matters of faith You are wise iudge what I say these are their most learned expositions of all other in which they boast not a litile Christ saith Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my church ergo the Pope is head of the church how groweth this conclusion forsooth thus if vpon this rocke Christ will build his church then vppon Peter for Peter signifieth that rocke If vpon Peter then vpon Peters successour for the trueth doth cleaue vnto the chaire and Peter maketh his success our inheritour of all his goodnes If to Peters success our then to the Pope for Peter was bishop of Rome And if the church be built vpon Peter then Peter was chiefe of all other and so the Pope is head of the church if these collectiōs be not theirs let me be reproued as a slaunderer if they bee theirs then bee you wise to vnderstand what their religion is for all these collectiōs are vtterly vntrue It is vntrue that Peter is that rocke vpon which the church is built for our Sauiour Christ himselfe saith he that heareth my wordes and perfourmeth them he buildeth vpon the rocke It is vntrue that what faith Peter had the same must be left to Peters successours for Scribes Phariseis buyers and sellers succeeded Moses Aaron It is vntrue that Peter was Bishop of Rome for he was the Apostle of circumcision therefore it was vtterly vnlawfull for him to bee a Bishop among the Gentiles Againe they reason thus The Apostles say to Christ Lord behold here are two swordes therefore the pope hath both ciuil ecclesiasticall gouernement might they not better haue reasoned when Peter would haue vsed one sworde Christe cōmaunded him to put it vp therefore no such swoord at all belongeth to him Again they say Christ promiseth to his Apostles the comforter which shall teach thē all trueth therfore the church of Rome cannot erre howe bring they all the Apostles to the Pope of Rome howe doe they