â—m 3.4 be the helme and guyde of the shyp of our body néedes must the ship run at large whose guyde is vnrulie â— Cor 15. S. Paule recording the wordes of Menander sayd Euill words corrupt good manners Likewise Dauid describing the vngodly among other things sayth Vnder his tongue is vngodlines and vanitie â—am 3.6 Yea Iames sayth The tongue set among our members defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the course of nature and especially you shall note it in those whose inclination is to euill and in whom there is founde a towardnes and a wylling readines to a wanton wicked and filthy life wherfore I fréendly admonish with S. Paul Fornication â—ph 5.34.5 and all vncleannes and couetousnes let it not be once named among you as it becommeth Saintes Neyther filthynes nor foolish talking neyther iesting which are thinges not comelye but rather gyuing of thankes Last of all there remaineth an other sustenaunce to carnall pleasure which is immoderate diet Immoderate dyet an â—â—imâ—â—d to all temperancy an ouerthrowe of knowledge a râ—fer out of reason a disfigurer of shape and a murtherer of vertue Likewise a fréede vnto vice a maintainer of appetite and a copartner with â—â—â—â—lines for if you behold the man in â—â—ned eyther to gluttony or drunkennes you beholde him that dooth so stuffe the flesh as he séemeth to be wylling to féede the effectes and desires thereof whych appeared shamefully bothe in Lot and in Holophernus to their confusion And as Marcinus sayth Tu ganea indulges Ciprian sectare nefandam So thou doost fauour gluttony that in the ende thou doost nourish venerye The wise man sayth Ecc. 31.30 Drunkennes encreaseth the courage of a foole till he offende it dimisheth his strength and maketh wounds Also in the Prouerbes of Salomon Pro. 23 31 32 33. Looke not thou vpon the wyne when it is red and when it sheweth hys colour in the cuppe or goeth downe pleasantlie in the end therof it wil bite like a serpent hurt like a Cockatrice thine eyes shall looke vpon strange women and thy hart shall speake lewde thinges Héerein you may sée the lewde forces of excessiue wine it maintaineth venery gyueth courage to offende diminisheth strength woundeth stingeth as a serpent hurteth like a Cockatrice turneth the eyes to straunge women and maketh the hart speake lewde thinges what greater ouerthrow can there be to the honour and dignity of a man Now beholde what God pronounceth against such In the Prophet Esay hée sayth â—sa 5 11 Woe vnto them that rise vppe earely to folow drunkennes to them that continue vntill night till the wine doo enflame them And a little after in the same Chapter â—rse 22 Woe vnto them that are mighty to drinke wine and to them that are strong to powre in strong drinke â—el 1 5 Likewise the Prophet Ioel cryeth out at them Awake ye drunkardes and wéepe and howle all yée drinkers of wyne because of the newe wyne for it shal be pulled from your mouth Nowe because mans nature is apt and prone héerevnto God did not onely gyue a threatning to this reason to be terrified but an order to his bodye to be mortified and therefore ordeyned and proclaimed fasting Fasting as a most godly and commendable constitution of the body in temperancye and that wee shold so order our dyet that we shoulde be féeders of nature and not releuers of appetite neyther should this fasting supersticiously consist in the choyse of meates and drinkes as the Maniches did August dâ—moribus Manich lâ— 2 cap 13 which refrayned flesh and yet in other dainties were distenti crepantes but rather that we shoulde take to relieue nature and no more To this ende sayth Caluin was fasting ordeyned Institu li cap 12. secâ— 15 first to supprosse the flesh least that it shoulde were wanton Secondly they should be the better gyuen to prayer and thirdly it should be a testimony vnto humility in those that did vse fasting orderly that is to saye in refraining ouermuch stuffing and pampering of the bellye the Lord God graunt it spéedily in all good Christians for his Christs sake Amen A prayer O Mercifull God forasmuch as wee see that we are but very dust and ashes and though wee growe vp gloriously as the flower of the fielde yet we are cut downe quickly and wyther as the grasse and forasmuch as out of this corruptible nature of ours proceedeth no good thing but wicked thoughtes deuilish inuentions and moste damnable actions VVe humbly beseech thee gyue vs grace that wee may so beholde our vile nature and wicked inclination that we may be ashamed at the fruites thereof that by shame we may be â—â—uen to shun the wickednes of sin and forced to shadow our selues vnder the winges of thy protection and learne to put on the beautye of thy sonne Iesus Christ that in him wee may bee restored to the shape and forme of vertue and godlines to the honour and glory of thy holy name through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Howe many greeuous enemies we haue by reason of sinne COnsidering howe ouglye and monstrous sinne is in the mind fleshe of man Chap. 3. and howe diuerse it is in hys wyll as it is a thinge impossible to proportionate it so is it a thing so detestable that by reason therof I meane sinne onely we haue many most gréeuous and intollerable enemies As for example Gods vengance and wrath our owne conscience death and damnation of the which some of theÌ„ are enemies vnto our sin fréends vnto vs as are Gods vengeaunce and our owne conscience and some of them are fréends vnto sinne and enemies vnto vs as are death and damnation but by reason that sinne raigneth in vs and we fauour it and water it and cannot nor wyll not seperate our selues froÌ„ the hazarde of it but kéepe a society wyth it Wée are like the Corne that is is found among the chaffe which is gathered vp cast into the fire and so they perish togeather Euen so when sinne is founde to excéede in our mortall bodies and that we ouermuch defile the house of the Lorde I meane his Temple he shal come with his Fanne in his hand and purge hys flower and that séede which is not séene but couered with the Chaffe and dust of the flowre shall be cast away and that man whose multitude of sinnes doo couer him so that neyther repentaunce nor any good conuersation doth discouer vndoubtedly eyther the broome of Gods vengance shall swéepe him away or els the worme of his conscience shall gnaw him or the sting of death shall confound him or els the fire of hell shall consume him for all these are enimies vnto vs for sins sake Nowe therefore least sinne myght raigne among vs too aboundantly without the cutting off of the buddings and blossomes of it either with amendmeÌ„t with grace or with feare I wyll laye
clogging accusing pressing down as a heauy lump of lead shaming at condemning our own reasons and wils for giuing entertainmeÌ„t vnto sin in asmuch as sometimes ye shal find the tormeÌ„ts gréeues of conscieÌ„ce to worke greater sorrow care in our minds theÌ„ if we were either in prison or ready to goe to execution and although there bée 2. consciences the good and the bad Two consciences forasmuch as I write vnto the good people of God I will haue to doo but with the conscience of the good referring the other to his continual hardnes And although oftentimes we sée not the conscience of the good by their wickednes of sin for that they are not yet called yet if theyr consciences do not shew her force of accusation no doubt it is imprisoned and so hid in the great heape of corruptioÌ„ that though it cannot now speake in the end wil breake foorth that we sée in many disordered personnes in these daies which in the hardnesse of their hartes haue contynued in theyr sinne a long tyme vntouched or vndisclosed Yet in the ende when God wyll call them or sathan bring them to shame or wheÌ„ no man can iustly accuse them how be it suspect them of euill liuing being called to examinacion before any magistrate then who can better accuse then the conscience who doth first condemn and then strike a great feare in the ende produceth two witnesses that is eyther the stammering tongue or els the blushing face to accuse the guilty wyth hys owne mouth and make him speake although he sée eyther shame to discredite him or the magistrate to punish hym or the Gallowes to confound him Therefore is the conscience called Mille testes a thousand witnesses because it dooth more euidently know that which is hid in him then a thousand men and dooth boyle and burne in the harts of wicked men like a fire As Tully sayth Nolite putare quemadmodum in fabulis sepenumero videtis In oratione pro Roscio eos qui aliquid impie scelera te que commiserunt agitari perterreri taedis ardentibus sua quemque fraus suus terror maxime vexat suum quemque scelus exagitat amentiaque afficit suae malae cogitationes conscientiaeque animi terrent c. Thinke not as Poets haue fayned that they that haue committed something vngodly or wickedly are vexed and scourged with burning Torches it is our owne guile and our owne feare doth most trouble vs it is our owne wickednes doth torment vs and amaze vs our owne wicked thoughts and consciences that dooth affright vs c. There is a great accusation of the conscience in the hart of the sinner as when the Scribes and Pharisies had taken a woman in adultery they brought her to Christ to sée what sentence he woulde gyue against her because they hadde found in Moses Lawe that such a one should be stoned to death but they dyd it not for Iustice but to tempt him Then he writ wyth hys finger on the ground and said béeing vrged by them for his sentence Let him that is among you without sinne cast the first stone at her And when they heard it Ioh. 8.7.9 being accused by their owne consciences they went out one by one beginning at the eldest euen vnto the last It is most true that Iuuenall sayth â—â—t 13 Euasisse putes quos diri conscia facti Mens reddit attonitos et surdo verbere caedit Doost thou thinke he can escape whoÌ„ the conscience of a moste horrible facte maketh amazed and whippeth with a deafe scourge And as the same Iuuenall saith in an other place Nocte dieque suum gestat in pectore testem But day and night where that he goe or rest hee â—till doth beare a witnes in his brest Conscientia S. Paule speaking of the Gentiles sheweth that they haue the effect of the Lawe written in their harts their consciences bearing witnes Rom 2 15 and as long as we liue in this worlde God graunt that this witnes may alwayes stirre and sting vs till we be ashamed of sin vnlesse after this life it be opened as in an inditement to accuse at the iudgment seate Reu. 20 12 as Iohn maketh mention And I saw the dead both great small stand before God and the (a) That is their consciences bookes were opened and an other booke was opened which is the booke of life the dead were iudged of those thinges which were written in the bookes according to their works Thus we may sée the conscience in thys world that accuseth and the conscience in the worlde to come that condemneth God grant the we may in this worlde so behaue our selues as with Horace to say Hic murus ahaeneus esto This is a brasen wall when a man may knock his breste and say I knowe nothing héere that maketh me ashamed or a feard Miscellan prelect sepâ— time Toâ— primi He that wyll sée more of the conscience let him looke in the Bishoppe of Exceter hys booke Not in Ally though indéede he wryte of conscience at large But D. Wolton that is now Bishop who wryte larger in his booke called the Conscience dedicated to a godly zealous knight S. Iohn Gilbert mine olde good master louing fréend a fit Patrone for such a booke and title there he shal find inough touching the conscience The third enemy vâ— to sinne An other most terrible enemy vnto mankind for sinnes sake is death who by reason that our bodye is all spotted corrputed with sinne hath his lawfull accesse vnto mankind and foloweth him step by step from place to place of what estate or degrée soeuer he bée either King Prince Duke Marques Earle lord baron knight or whether he be rich or mighty wise or politike tyll at last he plucketh him downe and depriueth him of life wife children houses lands goods and all those thinges in the world wherin he setled his hart The cause of this his power is that man beeing corrupted wyth sin is rewarded with death a certaine appoyntment of God in our first parent for his sin and disobedience â—n 2.17 As appeareth in Genesis 2. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death In that he dyd eate he disobeyed and so sinned which sinne hath runne into all hys posterity by discent hetherto â—m 5 12 and shall vnto the worlds ende and that is the cause that Death triuÌ„pheth ouer vs in this world in ouerthrowing vs. S. Paul sayth Stipendium peccati mors â—om 6 23 The rewarde of sinne is death Likewise the Apostle Iames sayth â—m 1.15 When lust hath conceaued it bringeth forth sinne and sin wheÌ„ it is finished bringeth foorth death So that there is no doubt among men but by reason of sinne death hath taken hold in them â—om 5.12 and as sin is entred into all the worlde as the Apostle sayth euen so death
downe what the force of all those enemies is that we may sée how that dayly by the entertainement of sinne wée prouoke gréeuous enimies against vs. And touching the first which is the vengeaunce of God vpon sinners Vengeance of God I wyll begin with the Hystory of the Isralites expressed in the Bookes of Exodus and Numery where the people for theyr murmuring wyshing of their fleshpots for worshipping the Golden Calfe Exo 15 16 17 19 32 Chapters and many other sinnes had the plague leprosie and gréeuous diseases among them and many of the Idolaters were slayne And in Numery such as rebelled were swallowed vppe in the earth Chapters 16 21 25 such as murmured had firye Serpents sent among them and such as commitmitted fornication among them hadde the plague in so much as there dyed in the plague twentye foure thousande We reade also that for the sinnes of the people the world was drowned and for the sinne of Sodome and Gomor Gen 6 13 those Citties were consumed with fire and brimstone Horosius reporteth Gen 19 24 that for sinne the two great Citties in Asia Colossa and Hierapolis suncke into the earth and were swallowed vp Iericho was besiged by Iosua and the Cittye was taken Iosu 6 21 and all the inhabitants sauing Rahab and they that were wyth her bothe olde and young were put to the sworde and the Citty burnt but of all lamentable plagues sent from God the destruction of Ierusalem by Titus and Vespasian may be a terrible example vnto vs for they hadde the Lawe Prophets Math 11. yea Christ himselfe who bitterly wept ouer them and yet they would not turne from theyr wicked sinne but hardned theyr harts and cared not for the Lords swéete warning and comfortable calling nor yet for their owne harme and confusion which was so néere at hande but euer they thought that the Lorde woulde not destory hys Temple among them nor yet that they shoulde bee spoyled for their Temples sake and besides that they were so many they boasted of their multitude and strength and thought all the worlde could not ouercome but all the world cannot preuayle where God him selfe dost sette against as appeared by this great and populous Ierusalem Whereof Iosephus maketh mention that they were besieged so long that a bushell of Corne was worth a talent yea they were so hungry that they dyd eate the Leather of their Targets and shooes Anno salutus 73. and glad were some of them to eate the dunge of Oxen the mother killed her owne child to eate if which was a most lamentable vnnaturall thing there were xâ— C.M. besides Gaâ—â—leans slayne by Vespasian xvii M. sent to Alexandria by Titus to be kept 〈◊〉 vile bondage Two thousand to be brought 〈◊〉 Rome for a triumph which afterward were deuoured of wylde beastes â—â—llâ—es that xxv M. Iewes were sold all this grâ—â— multitude which man 〈◊〉 haâ—â— thought could haue conquered the whole 〈◊〉 the Lord 〈◊〉 their sinnes and for the contemning of hys word and trueth deliuered vppe to the bloddy hands of their enimies What harâ— is so hard that wyll not tremble to heâ—â—e this lamentable vengeaunce and wrath 〈◊〉 God with so sharpe punishment vpon his owne people which before he loued so well and among all other nations of the worlde chose for his peculiar flocke Besides this the hayle thunder lightning stormes tempest fluds mists palpable darknes frogges caterpillers and firye serpents which the Lorde hath sent vnto hys people for sin The Prophet saith that for the sinnes of the people the Lord wil send a dearth vpon theÌ„ not of bread and oyle onely but of hys holye worde and therfore for their Idolatry and iniquity Eze. 14 the Lorde sent false Prophets among them and the Lord sent word vnto the people by the Prophet Ezechiell That if they did sinne by committing any trespasse against him he woulde stretch foorth hys hande and break the staffe of bread and sende such a famine vpon it that man and beaste shoulde bée destroyed likewise be would sende â—â—â—soâ—e beastes into the lande to spoyle it a sword to destroy them or a pestilence to ouerthrowe man and beast and their if Noab Daniell and Iob were among them they shold deliuer but theyr owne soules but their sonnes and daughters should not be deliuered How bitterly were the offences of Aâ—hab and Iezabel punished for the taking away of a little péece of land I would to God it were séene in England by them that taketh away great liuings and manours and sendeth a whole housholde it begging if the sonnes of those menne were so vsed as Achabs sonnes theyr heads cut of all in one day and likewyse theyr hungrye Iezabels were vsed as Achabs Iezabel deuoured of dogs and foules of the aire they would I thinke consider what a a God there is that séeeth into the harts of wicked offenders and dooth beholde the multitude of their sinnes not onely entertained in corrupt nature but allowed in corrupt wyll Good Lord considering the ripenes of sinns in these dayes it is to be lamented that wee feare not the vengeaunce of God Eze 16 19 The Prophet Dauid could say If thy wrath be kindled O Lord who may abide it Ezechiell doth shewe howe greatly the Lorde cryed out against Ierusalem shewing the offences of Sodome for the which they were destroyed whych were pryde fulnes of bread Idlenes and contemning the poore But alas we haue not onely thys but an infinite more of most horrible sins raigning amongst vs. As disobedience murther enuy couetousnes horedome extortion vsury false accusation drunkennes lying dissimulation and periury from the iust iudgement of which sins nowe ripe among vs I beséeche God of hys mercy defend vs and be fauourable vnto vs. Truely our owne sins of EnglaÌ„d béeing so many and so boldly and openlye vsed doo blind vale a great many that they neither beholde the maiestye and authority of God not yet the iustice he may lay vpon vs as barrennes dearth famine and pestilence and in stéede of our great plenty to sende vs scarcity in stéede of our peace to send vs warre and for the quietnes of our habitations and families to banish vs froÌ„ our owne houses and to scatter our families before our faces and to deliuer them and vs into our aduersaries hand as a pray This God can doo and vnles we spéedily repent vndoubtedly this first enemy to sin which is Gods vengeaunce wyll be powred vpon vs. The second enemy vnto sinne is our owne conscience Second enemy to sin which forasmuch as it hath an inward taste of the law of nature a knowledge of our deformed conuersation a sight of our going a stray from the image of our good creator doth alwaies at the rebellion of sin especially when we ioyne our wils therto stir in our bodies as though we had the féeling of some liuing thing there crawling Synteresis gnawing
Which ioyes as S. Paul sayeth although our hartes cannot conceiue yet let our harts beléeue those vnspeakeable ioyes and although the worthinesse and excellency of the place be such as we may dispayre of in our owne iudgement because of our great vnworthines and the multitude of sinnes yet if we beléeue that Christ is that sonne of the liuing God and that he hath payed the ransome for our sinnes and that he hath nayled our sinnes to his crosse also if we turne vnto him loue him and obey him with all our hart with all our minde and with all our soule then will he assuredly bring vs vnto that place of consolation as he sayeth in Iohn And though I goe to prepare a place for you Iohn 14 3 I will come agayne and receyue you vnto my selfe that where I am there might ye be also Ma. 19.28.29 Also the Euangelist Mathewe sayth And Iesus sayde vnto them verely I say vnto you that when the sonne of man shal sit in the throne of his maiesty ye which followed me in the regeneration shall sit also vpon the twelue thrones and iudge the twelue tribes of Israell And who so euer shall forsake houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or childreÌ„ or laÌ„ds for my names sake he shall receiue an hundred folde more and shall inherite euerlasting life These wordes are not spoken by a mortall man who may lye and deceyue but they are spoken by the very sonne of God hym selfe whose word shal stand and endure for euer tyme shall not chaunge it nor age shall not weare it out And furthermore forasmuch as the nature of maÌ„ is desirous to be resolued whether wée shall know one another after this lyfe I thought good to answere briefely that as our state shal be farre better so shall also our knowledge be farre clearer for in this world we are the more ignoraunt our sences deceyued by reasoÌ„ of a corruption But in the world to come when we shal be chaunged into an incorruptible estate then our sences shal be much more clearer and we shall know farre the better and let vs be thus perswaded that that worlde is a world of knowledge not of ignoraunce as our sauiour Christ him selfe sayth vnto the chiefe priest that would knowe whether he were Christ the soÌ„ne of God or no He answeared thou haste sayde it neuerthelesse I say vnto you hereafter shall ye sée the sonne of man sitting at the right hand of the power of God Mat. 26 24. and comming in the cloudes of heauen which is to no purpose that they sée his sitting and his comming vnlesse they know it and yet he speaketh this vnto the wicked Iewes that did crucifie him that they should sée it know it Much more assuredly shall the righteous sée him and knowe him The Apostle Paul touching this matter sayth 1. Cor. 13.12 Nowe we sée through a glasse darkely but then shal we sée face to face Now I knowe in part but then shall I know euen as I am knowen So that now what remayneth more comfortable to the godly and to them that thirst after Christ Iesu then to go to a place after this life replenished with all ioye comforte consolation and euerlasting lyfe vnto the which also our sauiour christ Iesus shall conducte vs by his mightie power and in the which is all fulnes of knowledge perfection of a blessed state The God of all blessing and comforte for his sonne Christ Iesus his sake spéedely bring vs vnto that celestiall ioye peaceable estate To whome both with the holy ghost be all glory dominion and power now and for euer So be it A Prayer O Mercifull God the king of all creatures and gouernour of all thinges which of thy mercy and goodnes didest bring thy people out of Egipt from the bondage of Pharo and didest conducte them through the red sea into the comfortable land of CanaaÌ„ we beseech thee of thy accustomed mercy deliuer vs froÌ„ the bondage of sinne the tiranny of Sathan and the persecution of the world and conduct vs vnto the heauenly Ierusalem the onely Canaan of our euerlasting inheritaunce where we may raigne in eternall felicitie with thee and the sonne Iesus Christ to whome both with the holy Ghost be all honour and glory now and for euer Amen FINIS A Christian exercise for priuate Housholders Question WHat doo you chiefely professe Aunswere Christianitie Question What is the badge of a Christian Aunswere Fayth Question VVhat is fayth Aunswere The verye same thing that cannot playnely be expressed in wordes for it is aboue the reach of man and therfore not vnder the reason of man Howe beit we may giue eche to other intelligence of it by wordes out of the Scripture and by the deedes of the godly which is that it is the séede of assured reconciliation sowen by God in our heartes for his sonne Iesus Christ his sake to stirre vs to comfort and to bind vs to obedience to giue vs a true certificate in our consciences that we are called againe to be the children of God and that we are ingraffed into the body of his sonne Iesus Christ and to be his members So that although fayth be such a thing as is giuen â—â—om aboue as a seale of gods mercy Yet it is required here be low of vs as a talent of assuraunce and knowledge Luke 19. receiued of him to be increased by vs. Question What doth fayth woorke in vs Aunswere The knowledge of God the assuraunce of our redemption and the consolation of conscience through the holy Ghost Question Let me vnderstand at large your meaning by this Aunswere By the knowledge of God we learne that he is our creator our gouernour and defender in all necessities daungers And as he hath a speciall care daylie to prouide for our bodies in giuing the plentifulnesse of the earth so are we perswaded that he hath a more care for our soules to preserue them to be honorable ornaments in his heauenly mansion Furthermore by this knowledge we confesse hym to be the Almightie God to whom all honour ought to be attributed of thinges in heauen and thinges in earth whereby we abandon all Idolatrie and superstition as meere inuention of man and as perswasions of Sathan to delude men and deface the knowledge of the high and mightie God whom we worship as our maker and acknowledge to be our defendour in all euilles ghostly and bodyly By the assuraunce of our redemption we are perswaded that Christ Iesus hath payed the ransome of our sins and is the sufficient sacrifice to appease gods wrath and hath for all the church fulfilled the whole lawe hath vanquished death sinne and hel and hath don all that for vs which is required of vs so that in hym God is well pleased and by hym the gats of heauen are opened and euerlasting life is promised By the consolation of the conscience through
the holy Ghost We receyue an inward féeling quickening and stirring vp of our mindes That whereas the fleshe sinne death and Sathan do séeke dayly to suppresse vs and burthen vs with manye miseries infirmities and leade vs euen vnto the gate of desperation the holye Ghost doth certifie our spirite that we are gods children he will preserue vs that the gates of hell shall not preuaile Question Why then fayth is a knowledge and an assuraunce sent from God to vs and nothing els It requireth nothing in vs Aunswere Yes It is a louing consent and embrasing of the same knowledge and assuraunce on our part yea and doth require in vs a framing of our selues agréeable to all those dueties and seruices as are expressed in the worde of God and as do become good Christians Question VVhat benefite haue you by fayth Aunswere By fayth we are iustified that is we are accepted of God as righteous because of his sonne Iesus Christe and shal be restored agayne into his fauour and haue the felowship of the blessed saintes in euerlasting ioye and blisse Question If then by faith we are iustified we neede not good workes Aunswere Fayth onely doth iustifie but this woord onelie doth not exclude good works For fayth is not a perfect faith vnlesse it be of it selfe fuller of good workes so that fayth and the workes procéeding from that fayth are not diuers but one As a trée and his twiggs or lymmes is but all a trée and such a fayth is accepted and knowen to God And yet many deceyue man For the hippocrite may do good works and yet haue no fayth so likewise fayth it selfe generally is not allowed For the Diuelles beléeue and yet they tremble that maketh their fayth to be nothing woorth Wherefore we must neither iudge nor learne faith by imagination vnlesse it procéede from the woorde of of God For that fayth which is sowen in our hearts by the holy Ghost and watred by the same spirite cannot staÌ„d as an idle and frâ—â—tlesse trée but bringeth foorth abundance of fruite for wée may not thinke that the gyftes of the holy ghost wherof faith is the chiefest are barren but fruitfull Question Then by your comparison and meaning vnlesse God water the tree which he him selfe hath graffed There is no fruit so that in him is all and he is all in all what neede heere anie thing to be required in vs Aunswere We are likened to good trées not too badde for our capacitie not for a captiousnes for in vs there is affection reason and will which are not in trées therefore we should gouerne and direct our selues according vnto the rule of fayth Euen as the ship-maister coming with his vessell on the Seas letteth not the ship to runne whether shée list but looketh to the North starre and is guided by the windes and with all diligence and care auoydeth the sandes and the Rockes and yet all this is in gods handes And so we may reason infinitely God doth sende vs abundance of Corne and victualls but we receiue it order it and vse it or els we maye starue Question What good workes be there best knowen and seene in a perfect faith Aunswere Many both spiritual temporal the spiritual works are loue prayer patieÌ„ce in affliction hearing and daylie exercising of gods holye woorde vsing the Sacraments and such lyke The temporall workes are generally to do good to all men to giue Almes to Fast to pittie the poore and helpe their necessities to do equitie and iustice to vse our selues honestly faythfully and orderly in obedience to our Prince Maiestrates Parents and superiours Question Then if we haue fayth we neede no more but to leaue of by the same Aunswere If we haue a good father it is ynough but we may not leaue of by the same for as the lyfe of man is not mayntayned by one meale and as he ought not afterward to be carelesse for his maintenaunce but to haue a care for the daylie prouision thereof Euen so should he alwayes mayntaine and strengthen fayth that it might liue vnto lyfe for in our corrupt nature it may weaken and sterue if the fleshe or the enemies reigning in the flesh shoulde haue the vpper hand A spirituall thing cannot be maintayned with a carnall thing although it be mayntained in a carnall thing fayth being a spirituall thing may not be mayntayned neyther with vs nor of vs but in vs and that thing or thinges that are agréeable to the proprietie of fayth is the sufficient maynteynaunce our nature is not agréeable to the propertie of fayth and therefore our nature cannot be the maintenance and vnlesse this fayth be maynteyned it will be ouergrowen with the wéeds of the flesh and so wil dye and then we perish with it Question What is the true maintenaunce of fayth Aunswere The exercising of gods holy word continuall prayer and vsing the Sacramentes Question How shall we exercise gods worde Aunswere Not onely by reading it but by hearing learned preachers to expounde it and not by hearing it expounded but by vnderstanding it wheÌ„ it is expounded and not onely by hearing and vnderstanding it but afterward by applying and vsing it vnto the honour of God and our euerlasting comfort and reformation Question How shall we praye Aunswere Not with the lipps but with our hart not ignorauntly 1. Co. 14.15 but with vnderstanding hauing alwayes in the very bottome of our harte the sorrofulnesse of our sinne and the ioyfulnesse of Gods mercy shaking of the one with defiance neuer to put it on agayne and embracing the other with affiaunce alwayes to holde it fast Psal 25.1.2 lifting vpp our hartes chéerefully and beléeuing verely that the Lord doth heare vs when we call vnto hym and wyll helpe vs. Question vvhy should we pray continually Aunswere Luke 21.36 Ro. 12.11.12 Eph. 6.18.19 Mat. 26.41 1. Pet 5.8 Because we are so commaunded and for that our enimies do coÌ„tinually hang about vs and tempt vs and séeke euery day and euery houre to bring vs to destruction both of body and soule Question Should we pray but for our selues onelye and for none els Aunswere Yes we ought to pray one for an other Acts. 7.60 Ex. 23.11 Acts. 12.5 Nu. 47.48 aswel our enimies as our fréends that the vertue and force of the prayer which shall procéede from the mouth of the godly may extend aswell vnto the vngodly for their amendement as also to the oppressed for their ease and also to the néedefull for their helpe Question Ought we to pray for the deade Aunswere No. Question vvhye Aunswere Their estate is not such as néedeth our prayers for God in his secret wisedome hath elected whom he wyll and his determination will he not alter wherefore those which are appoynted to saluation cannot be in better state by our praiers and those that are damned can we not redéeme by our praiers vnlesse we will make our praiers of greater