to then I pray you tel me what the prophets haue said of the two fold natiuity of Christ to wit of his eternall and temporall birth and also of his deuine nature ¶ Of the twofold birth of Christ the one of the father eternall and of his true deuine nature and the other temporall and of his mother Mary a perpetuall pure virgin Vrbanus I Doubt not but that you remember the prophesie of Michea concerning the temporall and eternall natiuitie of Messias which we fully declared before And therfore I thinke it needlesse here to repete it agayne There you heard that Christ is not onely a true man but also very God and that the deuine and humaine nature in Christ are vnited in vnity of person Of the which vnitie of person the godly man Athanasius in his Creede which he drew out of the holy scripture writeth very godly and well And as he confesseth in his Creede so with him the whole Catholike church doth now thinke and beleue ¶ Anna. I pray you recite Athanasius wordes touching the person of Christ That I may confirme my beliefe in this waighty article of my faith and therein thinke and beleue godly and rightly ☞ Vrb. These be Athanasius wordes of the sonne in his godhead according to his deuine nature substance There is one person saith he of the father an other of the sonne and another of the holy ghost but the godhead of the father of the sonne and of the holy ghost is all one the glory equall the maiesty coeternal The father vncreate the sonne vncreate and the holy ghost vncreate The father incomprehensible the sonne incomprehensible and the holy ghost incomprehensible The father eternall the sonne eternall and the holy ghost eternall yet they are not three eternals but one eternall As also there be not three incomprehensibles nor three vncreated but one vncreated and one incomprehensible So likewise the father is almighty the sonne almighty and the holy ghost almighty and yet they are not three almighties but one almighty So the father is God the sonne is God and the holy ghost is God and yet are they not three Gods but one god So likewise the father is lord the sonne is lord and the holy ghost is lord and yet not three lordes but one lord For like as we be compelled by christian veritie to acknowledge euery person by himselfe to be God and Lord so are we forbidden by the Catholike religion to say there be three gods or three lordes The father is made of none neither created nor begotten The sonne is of the father alone not made nor created but begottē The holy ghost is of the father and of the sonne neither made nor created nor begottē but proceding So there is one father not three fathers one sonne not three sonnes one holy ghost not three holy ghosts And in this trinity none is afore or after other none is greater nor lesse then other But the three persons be coeternal together and coequal So that in all thinges as is aforesaid the vnitie in Trinitie and the Trinitie in vnitie is to be worshipped He therefore that will be saued must thus thinke of the Trinitie Furthermore it is necessary to euerlasting saluation that he also beleue rightly in the incarnation of our lord Iesus Christ For the right faith is that we beleue and confesse that our lord Iesus Christ the sonne of God is God and man God of the substaunce of the father begotten before all worlds and man of the substaunce of his mother borne in the world perfect God and perfect man of a reasonable soule humaine flesh subsisting Equall to the father as touching his Godhead and inferior to his father as touching his manhood Who although he be God and man yet he is not two but one Christ One not by conuersion of the godhead into flesh but by taking of the manhood vnto god One altogether not by confusion of substance but by vnitie of person For as the reasonable soule and fleshe is one man so God and man is one Christ You must thus vnderstand this These two natures God and man in their owne substaunce do not perish decay or chaunge but both of them continue whole and perfect in Christ which is but one person and not two So you heare that Christ the naturall sonne of God is alwayes continuing in the father with the father and begotten from euerlasting of the father whose eternall generation can neither be comprehended with reason nor expressed with wordes but is incomprehensible and cannot with mans tonge be vttered as the Prophet Esay saith Who shal declare his age Which words the old and godly doctors as Cyrillus and other moe vnderstoode to be spoken of the eternall natiuitie of Christ And the Nicene and Constātinopolitane counsaile taught vs out of the scriptures to thinke beleue of Christ after the same maner saying We beleue in one lord Iesus Christ the only begottē sonne of God that is of the substaunce of the father begotten of his father before all worldes God of God light of light very God of very God begotten not made being of one substaunce with the father by whom all thinges were made who for vs men for our saluation came down from heauen and was incarnate by the holy ghost of the virgin Mary and was made man. Now marke what the perpetuall and firme foundation and vndoubted truth of holy Scripture sayth concerning the euerlasting natiuitie of Christ Salomon in his Prouerbs saith thus of Christes natiuitie The Lord hath possessed me in the beginning of his way I was before his workes of olde I was set vp from euerlasting from the beginning and before the earth Whē there was no depth was I begotten when there were no fountaynes abounding with water before the mountains were setled and before the hils was I begotten He had not yet made the earth nor the open places nor the height of the dust in the world When he prepared the heauens I was there when he set the compasse vpon the deepe when he established the cloudes aboue when he confirmed the fountaynes of the depth when he gaue his decree to the sea that the waters should not pas his commaundement when he appointed the foundation of the earth then was I with him as a nourisher and I was alway his delight reioysing alway before him and tooke my solace in the compasse of his earth and my delight is with the children of men The old and sound writers as Cyril and Cyprian vnderstood this of Christ saying that Christ was the euerlasting worde and the pure wisdome of God the father by which he made all things both in heauen and earth Like as S. Augustine sayth in his exposition vpon this Psalme O Lorde how manifold are thy workes in wisdome hast thou made them all And Paule calleth Christ the righteousnes and wisdom of God. And sayth that by Christ all things were
God hath shewed the king what shall come to passe hereafter In this prophesie is the tyme prefigured in which Messias would come and begin his kingdome by his Gospell and holy spirit First in an humble base habite but afterward at his latter comming in glory and power S. Hierome vpon this text sayth that in the end of these kingdomes a stone that is our lord and sauiour Christ was cut frō the mountaine without hands that is he was borne of the virgin Mary without the seed of man Wherefore it is manifest that Messias in his former comming in great humilitie would not come in the flesh and begin his kingdome before the last Monarchy which is the Romains Empery For Daniel sayth in the dayes of those kingdoms that is whē the three first Monarchies be ended and the fourth last that is the Romaine Monarchy doth florish and rule the roste and when it is tossed and troubled with tumults then shall the kingdome of Christ be erected and begunne and it shall destroy the Romish empire But it is to wit Christes kingdom shal abide for euer All other kingdomes of the world haue their borders limited and their dayes numbred which beyng expired the kingdoms decay and come to naught But that great and mighty kingdome of Christ shall haue no end it shall neuer be dissolued but shall abide for euer and euer neither shall it be in a part or corner of the world as in Europe Affrike or Asia but in the whole world As Daniel witnesseth where he speaketh of the image that Nabuchadonizer saw saying Thou beheldest it till a stone was cutte of the mountayne without handes which smote the Image vpon his feete that were of iron and clay and brake them to pieces Then was the iron the clay the brasse the siluer and the gold broken altogether and became like the chaffe of the sommer flowers and the wynde caried them away that no place was found for them and the stone that smote the Image became a great mountayne and filled the whole earth This stone is Christ to whom is giuen all power as wel in heauen as in earth that he may rule with power in euery place And Daniel saith agayne in the 7. chapiter where the foure Monarchies are vnderstood by foure beasts that Christ should come and beare rule in the tyme of the fourth Monarchy that is when the Romaynes should rule Let vs now gather by the seuenty wekes in the 9. chapter whē the tyme should come and how long they had to looke for Messias and whē he should begin to rule By this reuelation of Daniel the Iewes are plainly and mightely conuinced that Christ according to the Prophets foretelling is alredy come on thousand and fiue hundred yeres ago For first the angel sayth in the 9. chapter out of which I recited the wordes of the prophesie before that there were seuenty wekes determined and appointed for the people of the Iewes and the holy city Ierusalem after which 70. wekes the people and priesthood of the Iewes should cease And the whole state of the kingdō should be destroyed For after that time appointed God determined that al Ierusalem shold be ouerthrown that the Iewes shold be partly blinded and partly destroyed We must also vnderstād that the angel speaketh not here of such wekes as consisteth on seuen dayes For so seuenty wekes woulde scarce make two yere But he speaketh of such wekes as seuen yeare do make but one weke and so seuentie wekes do make foure hundreth and ninety yeres For so the scripture speaketh in other places And the same phrase and maner of speaking is vsed in Leuiticus And so also al men indued with the spirit of prophesiyng haue hitherto continually vnderstood it Note diligently by the wordes of the prophet how great things should happen in the dayes of Messias how wonderful the power of his kingdom should be These are the wordes of the prophet To finish the wickednes and to seale vp the sinnes and to reconcile the iniquity and to bring in euerlasting righteousnes and to seale vp the visiō and prophesie There had bene Moses and many other doctors of the law who had taught commaunded them to do thinges honest godly and forbiddē things that were euill and wicked but none of them all did any thing preuaile For sinne once reueiled by the law became greater and more sinfull For nature without grace though she be neuer so much admonished or instructed vnto honesty and godlines though she be neuer so much moued pricked forward vnto pietie and obedience towards God will yet for all that play her wonted prankes and run her old race followyng her fansie goyng on as she was wont Nay thenceforth after such admonition she becommeth worse and worse more vnhappy wicked more inflamed by heat of lust to offend So then sinne remayned and could not be taken away but as Paule witnesseth to the Galathians our offences afterward became greater heauier and more more without ceasing And therfore was it nedefull that Messias him selfe should come and mend this matter bring helpe with him otherwise our case had bene worse worse and we had fallen into greater and greater euils As Paul preached in the Actes saying Be it knowen vnto you therfore men and brethren that through this man is preached vnto you the forgeuenes of sinnes And from all things from which ye could not be iustified by the law of Moyses by him euery one that beleueth is iustified For Christ was therfore sent from the father made man that he might satisfy for the sinnes of all men obtain for vs the holy ghost and eternall lyfe and so indue vs with perfect righteousnes which before God is auaylable to wit with the christian fayth of which the law and the prophetes foretold many thinges And so it was meete that the visions and prophesies should be fulfilled that is it was conuenient that those things should come to passe which the Sears or Prophetes which were inspyred and illuminated by the holy Ghost had seen and foretold of Messias For all the Prophets and euen the law it self prophesied vntil Iohn And the holyest of holy or most holy shal be annoynted at that tyme This is Christ the Lord and king of all holynes who was sanctyfied by the holy Spirit far aboue his fellowes and was called by God his heauēly father in his baptisme his wel beloued sonne He onely is to be heard as the true Preacher Lord Master of all the Prophets His word is to be imbrased To him only with tooth and nayl must we cleaue And vpon him only must we beleeue Seing then Christ was to be looked for within seuenty weekes that is within 490. yeares at which time he should begin his kingdome We must here search where and when these seuenty weekes should begin and then we may
the humility passion of Christ which of his owne free will he would suffer because they vnderstood the purpose of Gods workes to wit that he would make Christ the Lord and head of the church and that he would with great admiratiō build vp Sion the holy church through all the world They desired to see such a king and his great kingdome reuealed vnto them by the spirite yea to see hym euen with theyr corporal eyes as Christ witnesseth in Luke where he sayth Blessed are those eyes which see that ye see For I tell you that many Prophets and Kinges haue desired to see those thinges which ye see and haue not sene thē and to heare those things which ye heare and haue not heard them And agayne Dauid sayth The Lorde sayde vnto my Lord sitte thou at my right hande vntill I make thine enemies thy footestoole The Lorde shall sende the rod of thy power out of Sion thou ruler in the midst of thine enemies He shall drinke of the brooke in the way therfore shall he lift vp his head In this Psalme is a most comfortable prophesie of Christ howe hee must be placed at Gods right hande that is that he shall be exalted vnto most high glory honor dignity power But yet so that before he must drinke of that brooke that is of the cup of his passiō so by it passe into his glory Wife looke you haue this psalme in great price loue it derely for it setteth forth vnto vs two special things wherin true and sound consolation al our saluation doth consist to wit the euerlasting kingdom deuine power of Iesus Christ He sitteth at the right hande of God that is he hath all power he is most mighty all things are in his handes he is and that euen according to his blessed glorified humanity lord king of all things both in heauen and earth all things are in his subiection Therfore it well followeth that he is able to deliuer vs from all necessities calamities both temporal and eternall neither can any creature do vs harme if we bee in the kingdome of Christ by true faith Moreouer God the father assuredly promised by an othe that he would giue vs Christ to be an eternall priest Here is Christ vpon Gods othe appointed to be our priest and he is touched with the feling of our calamities no lesse then if they were his own He hath purged and taken away our sins by his owne sacrifice vpon the crosse and hath reconciled vs vnto the father yea he doth still make intercession for vs with his father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without ceasing and he teacheth geueth vs by his worde and holy spirit all things which are necessary for the obtaining of euerlasting helth and saluation Wherfore although Christ according to his humanity was the sonne of Dauid that is his sonne by flesh bloud yet neuerthelesse Dauid saith that Christ is his lord not only according to his deuine nature as he is the creator and lord of al things but also as saint Augustine sayth according to that his humaine nature glorified in which he sitteth at the right hand of god For he is the euerlasting king of Israel which truly erected and for euer established and confirmed the kingdome of Dauid Moreouer he is a true priest the true Melchisedech who only could and ought to giue that euerlasting blessing for that he is that blessed seed of Abraham in which onely we are blessed that is we are deliuered from sinne death and are iustified saued Christ in Math. putteth forth this questiō to the Pharises which were puft vp with an opiniō of their own learning saying Why did Dauid call Christ his Lord who was his sonne that is to say of his stock But althogh they semed learned vnto themselues although they swelled with the pride of their owne knowledge yet they were ignorant of this which they ought especially to haue known Again Dauid saith The lord hath prepared his throne in heauen and his kingdom ruleth ouer all And again Thy lord shal raigne for euer O Sion Thy God endureth from generation to generation Hee saith Thy lord O Sion shal rule for euer He speaketh not here of any earthly kingdom in earthly Sion but of that euerlasting Ierusalem And in the 103. Psalme he witnesseth the same where he sayth thus The lord hath prepared his throne not in Canaan but in heauen And againe All thy workes prayse thee O Lord thy saintes blesse thee they shew the glory of thy kingdom speake of thy power to cause his power to be known to the sons of mē the glorious renoume of his kingdom Thy kingdom is an euerlasting kingdom thy dominion endureth throughout all ages All these things are spokē of Christ his kingdom In the 89. Psal. the kingdom of Christ is called an heauēly kingdom where the prophet speaketh of the promise made by God vnto king Dauid in the 2. of the kinges where God promiseth that he will giue a sonne to Dauid which shal be a peculiar notable worthy excellent king a king of all kings whose kingdom shal neuer decay and wherin is forgiuenesse of sins euerlasting mercy and therfore both lyfe and helth For where sins are forgiuen there is the tiranny of death quite abolished destroied And here we haue true helth promised for this kings sake borne of the seed of Dauid according to the flesh in whom that eternall couenant of grace is made established The words of the Psalm be these I wil sing the mercies of the Lorde for euer with my mouth wil I declare thy truth from generation to generation For I sayd thy mercy shall be set vp for euer thy truth shalt thou establish in the very heauens I haue made a couenant with my chosen I haue sworne to Dauid my seruant Thy seede wil I establish for euer set vp thy throne from generation to generation Selah Righteousnesse and equity are the stablishment of thy throne mercy truth goeth before thy face blessed are the people that can reioyce in thee they shall walk in the light of thy countenance O Lord they shall reioyce continually in thy name and in thy righteousnes shall they exalt them selues for thou art the glory of their strength and by thy fauour our hornes shal be exalted For our shield appertaineth to the Lorde and our King to the holy one of Israell I haue found Dauid my seruaunt with my holy oyle haue I annointed him Therefore my hand shall be established with him and my arme shall strengthen him The enemy shall not oppresse him neither shall the wicked hurt him But I will destroy his foes before his face and plage them that hate him My truth also and my mercy shall bee with him and in my name shall his horne be exalted
commaundements and word of God. Is not this promise full of comfort where he sayth I will heale Israells backsliding that is he will pardon all their offences and neuer be angry with them any more for their sinns In which promise Christ the throne of grace is included and comprehended For these determinations of God is that he will forgeue sin to no man that he wil loue no man and that he wil receaue none vnto grace by any other meanes but by his deerely beloued sonn who is become our onely redeemer mediator recōciler bishop priest propiciatory or throne of grace as Paule affirmeth saying We are accepted in his beloued by whome we haue redemption through his bloud euen the forgeuenes of sinns according to his rich grace It is manifest therfore by the firme foūdation of the apostles doctrine that Hoseas here speaketh of Christ although he name him not seing that there is no other reconciler which can turne the wrath of God from vs but onely Iesus Christ Wherefore I haue often sayd that where the Lord promiseth his grace redemption forgeuenes of sinns righteousnes lyfe and health that there is Iesus Christ promised by whose death and pretious bloud we are reconciled to God the father and receaue forgeuenes remission of our sinns true righteousnes and lyfe euerlasting There followeth in the text more promises but expressed in figuratiue wordes For he taketh a similitude of the dew of roses of Libanō and of the oliue tree which wordes import nothing els but the great felicitie of Israell or christifidelians after that they beleue and are receaued in the grace of God and obtaine forgeuenes of their sinns Is it not an exceeding great felicitie to obtaine forgeuenes of our sinns to be counted righteous before God and to receaue the holy ghost with all his gifts and by the same to be healed vp in fayth Which is the receauing of that great pretious and heauenly earnest peny that is the spirite of God the father and the son which doth assure vs that we be the children of God and so his heyres and coheyres with Iesus Christ what I pray you can he want which hath the Lorde for his inheritance This prophesy chefely taketh place in the tyme of Christ when the gospell brought forth fruite throughout the whole world and christs heauēly kingdome was builded in euery place that Christ the king of glory be imbrased for our God and sauiour through fayth by which we are made the children of God and shall prayse him for euer together with his holy angells to whome we shall be like in the world to come in the resurrectiō of the dead the glory whereof exceedeth all that the hartes of earthly creatures can conceaue but it is now hid For we are as yet but blessed in hope but when our king the prince of glory shall come in his maiestye to iudgement then shall our felicitie be made manifest To be short the Lord shall be the defence bulwark comfort helpe solace and sound felicitye of Israel But the Prophet speaketh of a greater defence comfort helpe and benefit thē this world hath or can vnderstand The kingdome therfore of Christ is a kingdome of blessing wherin we inioy aboūdance of all goodnes The prophets prophesied that this deliueraunce helpe comfort and kingdome should be a continuall and spirituall not a tēporall kingdome which aboundeth in fraile vayne and transitory welth of this world as the carnall Iewes dreame and imagine ¶ Anna. What I pray you doth Iohell the prophet prophecy of Christ ☞ Vrba Ioell in his 2. chapiter prophesieth that the kingdome of Christ shall be illuminated and beutified with the rich knowledge of God and that it shall receaue the holy ghost with all his gifts and that espetially in the mount Sion to wit in the catholicke church where shall be true deliueraunce helpe and redemption from sinn and death and that afterwarde there shall be no more respect of persons betwene the Iewes and Gentiles but whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord Messias shall be freely deliuered from all his sins These are the wordes of the prophesye Ye shall also know that I am in the middest of Israell and that I am the Lord your God and none other and my people shall neuer be ashamed And afterward as Peter cited this prophecy on whitsonday in his sermon at Ierusalem In those dayes that is in the tyme of Messias I will powre out my spirit vpon all flesh And your sons and daughters shall prophesy your ould men shall dreame dreames and your young men shall see visiōs and also vpon the seruants and vpon the maydens in those dayes will I power my spirite and I will shew wonders in the heauens and in the earth bloud and fier and pillers of smoke The sun shal be turned into darknes and the moon into bloud before the great and terrible day of the Lorde come But who so euer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued For in mount Sion and in Ierusalem shall be deliueraunce as the Lord hath sayd and in the remnant whome the Lord shall call This prophesy tooke place in Christs time for Israell had then experience in deed that god was with thē in mans flesh And the holy ghost was then much more gloriously royally and aboundātly geuē them thē before the natiuitie passiō resurrectiō of Messias For before they were but few which had the spirit of prophesying but when Iesus Christ was ascended vnto the right hand of his father then the holy ghost withall his giftes was wonderfully and richly geuē vnto many as the hebrew word Eschpoch declareth which signifieth to poure out The holy ghost was visibly poured vpon faythfull Christians when they were baptised and the Church in all places had his teachers who had the spirite of prophesying And the knowledge of Christ is now spread abroad and dispersed throughout the whole world But where the prophet speaketh of Sion and Ierusalem it must be vnderstood of the church of faythfull Christians wherein Christ hath his habitation as in his owne kingdome Who so euer will be saued from sinne death and tyranny of Sathan he must beleue in Christ call vpon Christ and be brought into the church of christ for without that Church is neither health nor forgeuenes of sins Neither is there any cause why any sinner should respect this or the citie aboue other as the Iewes did earthly Sion Ierusalem seeing Ioell sayth that the Lord would poure out his spirite vpō all flesh not only vpon the Iewes in Ierusalem or in the land of Canaan but euery where through the whole worlde where the Gospel is beleued It followeth therfore that whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of god shall be safe and not the Iewes onely which serued and called vpō God at Ierusalem for then was that time come of which Christ sayth in Iohn that the heauenly father requireth
Then Ierusalem at that time to wit in the time of Christ when the gospell shall be preached through the whole world thou shalt not be confounded or ashamed any more For thy sins through the Gospell shall then be wiped away and thou shalt plentifully receaue the holy spirite of Messias that thou mayest not be defiled againe with so great Idolatrye as thou wast before The proud hauty and swelling pharises with their accōplises and other of such like stampe which are puffed vp with a perswatiō of their owne holines and trust to their owne righteousnes fastings sacrifice circumsitiō almes deeds the workes of the lawe the temple vpon this presumption haue erected a humain holines of their own reiected the deuine grace of god in Christ these pharisaicall fellowes I say can not abide to acknowledge the true righteousnes of God to wit Iesus Christ as sufficient to saluation whome God himselfe hath geuen vs for our righteousnes and who alone and no other is the fulfilling and end of the Law for righteousnes vnto euery one that beleeueth in him But the Lord hath taken away from the true Ierusalem these proud puft vp Iusticiaries which will be saued by their owne workes and looke not for saluation by the meere and free grace of God that the true Christians may know thē to be seducers and take heede of them Now note that the kingdome of Christ is not an earthly but a spirituall kingdome and that the true christifidelians are not proudly prickt vp in the pomp of worldly vanitie neither doth the world greatly regard them and yet are they in great price and highly glorified with God. He calleth faythfull Christians a miserable and pore people They are not in deed in multitude so many as the wicked be and for the most part the world despiseth and reiecteth them in this earth but with God they are in great honor and highly esteemed For by fayth in Christ they are the childrē and heyres of god whose names are written in the heauens The time is not yet come wherein their glory doth appeare now is the time of trouble with them euen vntill the last day that they may by afflictions crosses and persecutions be made lyke their Maister Christ But at the last day Christes kingdome shal be manifested in glory In the meane time they hould them selues contented with Gods word they trust him who hath promised them true and euerlasting lyfe with sure parfite and eternall treasures He calleth faythfull Christians as other prophets do reliques or remnantes for the smalest cōpany of people come vnto Christ euen as the Lord sayth many are called but few are chosen He calleth thē in Luke his little flocke in whome the Lord is so well pleased that he will geue them his kingdome And where he sayth that the chosen remnant will worke no wickednes it is spoken of the Godlines innocencie integritie and simplicitie of the faythfull because they are honest and simple dealers For they haue that true fayth which worketh by loue And although they are not altogether perfect neyther can in all pointes fulfill the law but haue many infirmities so that they must dayly praye our Father which art in heauen forgeue vs our trespasses and so haue their sinnes also by fayth dayly forgeuen them yet by fayth they are in the gratious kingdom of Christ wherein is perpetuall remission of sinnes and a perpetuall exercise vnto repentaunce and Godlines and the remnant of their sinnes which lurke in their flesh are not imputed vnto them to condemnatiō for Christ the king of glory his sake on whome they beleue and continually call It followeth therefore that the remnant of Israell the faythfull Christians shall liue safely and without daunger For the kingdome of Christ is a kingdome of true peace and securitie in which they are so louing as by fayth in their hartes they lay handes on Christ their Lord who hath ouercome the world and Sathā and both can and will dayly helpe all that be his in all their calamities and dangers What then neede they feare haue they not I pray you in him and of him a true shepheard comforter sauiour deliuerer and a full horne of all happines Now he exhorteth Sion to wit the faythfull Christiās to be hartely merry And he prophecieth very cōfortably of the saluation which Christians haue in Christ the Lord of Sion to wit that Christ saueth christians from punishmēt and turneth their enemies frō them but wheras he deliuereth the earthly Ierusalē driueth away their enemies it is a figure but where as he deliuereth the spirituall Ierusalem to wit the faythfull and taketh away the punishment which their sinnes had deserued and satisfieth for their transgretion and ouercommeth the world death and the deuil and turneth away those enemies from vs this is that true deliueraunce and helpe which Sophonias and other Prophets spiritually had respect vnto What can be spoken more comfortably then that God himselfe is the king of Israell and is ready with vs to helpe vs. For God himselfe is made man and dwelleth with vs We are his tabernacle his possession his darling and his people and he him selfe will alwayes continue with vs there is therfore no cause why we should feare any euill or danger Who can hurt them which haue God the Father and which haue God the son with them as their king reconciler deliuerer and the life it selfe and which haue God the holy ghost as their comforter and earnest peny of their euerlasting inheritaunce and saluation For the prophet vseth that great name Iehoua that is God himselfe 3. persons and one god Is not this kingdome of Christ a glorious and princely kingdome are not these treasures which our faythfull God promiseth by his Prophets in Christ great vnspeakeable and infinite treasures He which hath the Lord God the Father the son and the holy Ghost that summum bonum that onely alone and the chief goodnes to be his defender what can he desire more Wherfore Sophoni sayth furthermore at that time that is in the day of saluation when Christ shall come then shall a ioyfull Message be brought vnto Ierusalē the church as the Angell sayd vnto the sheapherds be not affraid let not thy handfast hold goe that is dispaire not beleue still that God will help thee all things shall hap well your case shall be better thē you can either desire or wishe seeing that thy onely God and mighty Sauior is in the middest of thee And that thou mayest the better looke for helpe and all happines of him be assured of this that thou art so derely beloued vnto him that he doth reioyce in thee euen as the tender father doth in his deerely beloued son when he loueth and cherisheth him The prophet cannot sufficiently declare the ioy which god taketh in the congregation of the faythful Christians saying he will saue thee and he
heritical members and yet hath alwayes scaped and in the end obtained victory and triumphed ouer them all For the word of the Lord abideth for euer ¶ Anna. This Easter Sermon is more plenteous and of greater authoritie with me then all the pompe and wealth of the whole world Nay what are a hundred thousand worldes with the vanitie of all their wealth power and pompe in comparisō of such great promises of God as we haue in Iesus Christ Euen nothing at all I hartely thanke God our heauenly father that he hath vouchsafed me to liue vnto that happy daye that I might heare such an apostolicall Sermon And I hope that I shall euer hereafter be better for it while I liue And I trust I haue receaued such comfort here by that that I shall euer hereafter celebrate that ioyfull feast of Easter with spiritual comfort in Christ For this gospell which was promised in the prophets so many ages agoe is now preached openly throughout this world in these latter dayes doth not exclude me For euery one which beleueth in Christ and calleth vpon his name shall be safe Here is no merite of mine spoken of as necessarye to lyfe and saluation but onely the infinit merit of Iesus Christ which is preached of all the prophets and Euangelists The mercifull and euerlasting God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ our Father be praysed for euer and euer for the holsome misteries of the holy Gospell of Christ Iesus which he hath so mercifully opened and so richly geuen vnto vs vnworthy sinners ☞ Vrba Now you know what S. Paul meaneth where he sayth that Iesus Christ is our wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption geuen vs of God and you see what is the true hope helpe and comfort of Israell ¶ Anna. I see it and I beleue it The Lord increase my fayth And I beseech thee O most merciful Father for Iesus Christes sake our onely reconciler that thou wilt also vouchsafe to reueale the comfortable gospell of thy vnspeakable grace promised geuen in thy only begotten son Iesus Christ by thy holy spirite vnto our beloued children which thou hast geuen vs to the inlarging of the kingdome of Christ and to the glory of thy most blessed name that they by the inward instruction of thy spirite may vnderstand and beleue this Sermon of thy son and through thy holy spirite continew vnto the end in that fayth of Christ and hope of the Gospell and true Israell All the riches of this world are nothing to this christian fayth I wish vnto my deere children no other felicitye no other dowries no other riches nor no other inheritaunce but that they may truely and constantly bebeleue this sermon which if they doe then are they rich enough in this world and in the world to come though they should neuer so poorely here begge their bread all the dayes of their lyfe For by fayth in Christ we haue God the father God the son and God the holy ghost one true God by the inestimable benefits and merite of Christ who for our sakes became man that we might be made the children of God and that God might be our louing Father And now what can we want seeing we haue thee O Lord the onely true and louing god to be our Father through Iesus Christ our Lord who is our owne proper righteousnes lyfe and and saluation ☞ Vrba God keepe you and me and our Children in this fayth and then are we fafe then shall we be passing well then shall we haue perfect ioy of spirite and then shall we dayly and hourely with ioy celebrate the ioyfull feast of Easter till we with our beloued childrē passe out of this fraile and trāsitory lyfe into the heauēly kingdome of Iesus Christ our Lord and true God which hath ben prepared for vs from the beginning of the world of which thing I am assured The Lord cōfirme our fayth and hope vnto the eternall glory of his holy name ¶ Anna. Amen ☞ Vrba But you must euery day wife when you haue geuen God thankes and made your prayers thorowely ponder with your selfe these thinges of the gospell of Christ which I haue ben now a good long time in speaking and you must kepe them in your hart as a most rich treasure and pretious iuell ¶ Anna I will doe it by Gods grace and God blesse me and all good Christians ☞ Vrba Amen ¶ Anna. Amen FINIS The Lordes name be praysed And O Lord I beseech thee geue plentifull fruite of these my Labors Amen Amen * ⎠* Luke 9.26 Iohn 8.51 1. Ione 5.1 Reuel 12.12 1. Pet. 5.8 Luk. 22.31 Ephe. 2.12 Acts. 23. Luke 24.16 Rom. 6.23 Gen. 25.33 Reuel 12.12 Iohn 5.25 and August l. 4. de trinitate c. 3. Reuel 12.4 1. Pet. 1.7 Deut. 8.3 Rom. 15.4 Math. 4.4 Emaus signifieth the bright morning Cleophas signifieth all glory Gene. 10.9 Luke 24.13 Acts. 8.23 Math. 13.44 and 45. Iesus signifieth a Sauior Iohn 20.25 Math. 21.22 Ieremy 5.9 Rom. 15.4 Ephe. 2.3 Ezechi 3.18 Genesis Psalmes Prouer. Esay Ieremy Ezechias Daniell Micheas Zephany Aggias Zachary Abdias Mathew Iohn A Iesus Sy. 30.23 B Phll. 2 18. A 2. Cor. 7 10. A holy greyfe Christ the way to god A Ioh. 14. v. 6. Esay 66.14 C Mat. 11.27 B Col. 2.9 D Esay 53 11. How needfull it is to know Christ E Cor. 2.1 F Iohn 17.3 G 1. Cor 1.23 Lukc 24. A Col. 3.16 Pray before we read or heare the word B 1 Cor. 2. ¶ A praier A Luke 10. A Iohn 4 46. The first promise of grace B Gen. 3 C. Rom. 1 Gal. 3. The misteries of the promise in the seede of the woman T' at is the Caldey bible Only by Christ not by our selus or workes are we sauid e. Rom. 5.15 f. Gen. 3.15 Feare not though the deuill fishe he cannot bite g. Rom. 6.14 h. Ebr. 2. The promise which was made to Adam was the Gospell The promise renued to Abraham i. Gen. 12.3 and 18.28 and 21. and 18. k. Gen. 26.4 l. Gen. 28.14 M Rom. 1.1 N Act. 3.24 O Esay 53 10. The end of threats in preaching p. Gal. 3.24 q. Heb. 10.1 r. Heb. 7.18 s. Act. 17.1 t. Luk. 24.44 what the Prophets looked for v. 1. Pet. 1.10 a. Luke 24.47 Repentance the first step to grace b. Psal. 51.5 c. Rom. 5.12 What we are by nature The naturall man. D Gen. 8.21 E 1. Cor 15 22. F Ephe. 2.3 H Ephe. 2.1 K 1. Thes 4.5 L Psal. 116.11 M Ier. 17.9 N 1. Cor. 2.14 O Gen. 3 19. P Gen. 2.17 Q Rom. 6.23 The law r. Deut. 27.26 ſ. Psal. 119.21 t. Mat. 19.17 u Gal. 5.19 The frutes of our flesh naturally x. Gal. 3.22 Where then be papistical merites The cause why we are threatned with the law To whom Christ was sent Y Ro. 3.20 Z Gal. 3.24 Z Gal. 3.21 The end why the law was geuen Fayth saueth a. Gen
wherin the prophesies of the old Testament concerning Christ are godly and plainly expounded Vrbanus WHy are you sadder wife Ann then you were wont to be and specially on this Easter day when all Creatures ought infinitely to reioyce and triumph with Christ raysed again to life What trobleth your mind Why doe you sigh so often Do you not know that Iesus Sirach willeth vs to pluck vp our harts in holines and to driue al heuynes away from vs Sorrow saith he hath slain many and there is no profit therin Do you not know that S. Paul also biddeth vs alway reioyce in the Lord ¶ Anna. I know it wel but sorrow and sadnes are not both of one kind neither be our mindes alwayes pensiue vpon one and the same occasion Doth not the same Paul also say that there is a godly sorow or heuines which causeth repentance vnto saluation not to be repented of cōtrarily a worldly sorrow which causeth death ☞ Vrbanus You say well in deed But what is the matter I pray you that you are so full of heuines What is it that trobleth you thus ¶ Anna. What was it that trobled and vexed those two Disciples Cleophas and his companyon as they went to Emaus Vrbanus O they had very great causes to be sad For as thē their harts were al blinded with the darknes of ignorance and their faith was litle and slender and they had not a sufficient and perfect knowledge of Christ although they had now a long time professed themselues to be his Disciples ¶ Anna. And the same thing also is the cause of this my heuynes For in asmuch as I am baptized into Christes death and am adorned with that most glorious and sacred name of Christ and am called a Christian It greeueth me that I find not my hart furnished and indued with such plentiful and sound knowledge of Christ my Lord as it ought to be ☞ Vrb. There be more then you that in this behalf bewayle their infirmity you are not alone sick of this sore you haue a good many partakers in this grief which tast with you of this cup. True it is there is much and often mention made of Christ and he is diligently preached and many famous things are honorably and truely spoken of him and yet there be very many which neuertheles haue not yet perfectly and playnly known him as they ought ¶ Anna. But seeing I haue so great cause of grief I cannot cease sorrowing before my eyes be opened as the eyes of those two disciples were which went to Emaus that I may haue the true and ful knowledge of Christ For I remēber I haue heard you many times say that there is no arte no knowledge nor no wisdome more excellent necessary nor heauenly then the knowledge of Christ because that knowledge bringeth with it euerlasting righteousnes and saluation ☞ Vrb. I confes I haue alwaies taught so and so say I stil and the same also wil I both say teach while I liue and my profession is so to teach and no otherwise But there be some fantastical and giddy heades which set aside Christs humanity and wil be aloft and so climing into the very heauens busely indeuour thēselues to search and try out what the euerlasting infinite vnmeasurable incomprehensible Deity of God is occupyed about And marueylously and busely they beat their braines by sharpnes of wit to attaine to those things which in the Scriptures are set down of the essence or being of God of the persons of God of the vnderstanding and knowledge of God and of predestination and other like Where it is much more necessary and meet that we geue our selues wholly ouer to learn to finde out and to know what Christ is and who he is For seeing that most high and infinite maiesty hath abased it self so extremely low as that he vouchsafed to descend into the lowest parts of the earth to vs and tooke our flesh vpon him and became man that he might delyuer mankind which was in bondage and thraldome of euerlasting death and hauing deliuered it bring it to heauen to the glory of the immortall and euerlasting life Seeing I say thus standeth the case it is not meet that euery mā should make and appoint for him selfe his own ladder whereby to mount vp to God to the glory of his maiesty but it becommeth vs to vse that ladder those steps which God the father him self hath ordayned and appointed for that ascention and we must goe in by that path and way which God the father him self hath shewed by which he would haue the passage to heauen lye Truly our Sauiour Christ in Iohn sayd grauely and for great causes I am the way and the truth and the life No man commeth vnto the Father but by me If there had ben another and shorter way if there had been an easyer or redyer ascētion to heauē God had neuer in vayn sent his only begottē sonne into the world neither wold he haue suffered him to take our miserable frayle nature vpō him for this end only that he should being made man after death raysed to life ascend to heauen and cary vs men with him to his father The holy Scriptures call Christ a Peacemaker a Mediator a Priest an Aduocate a Shepheard a Way a Candle a Lanthorn a Light a Maister a King a Head a Redeemer a Iustifyer and Lyfe itself With all these names and epithetons doth the holy Scriptures adorn Christ And why I pray you Verely because we can neither come to God the Father be reconcyled to him or haue any thing to do with him by any other meanes or way but only by Christ very God and very man To be short God cannot will not nor suffereth not him self to be apprehended or found of vs without a Medyator If you wil come to God if you desire to see the face of his diuine maiesty if nearly truly and thorowly you long to know God then you must needs first wel and perfectly know Christ our Mediator if you set light by the knowledge of Christ you shall neuer find God. Esay sayth that God hath set Christes humanitye before vs and displaid it as it were a certain and glorious ensigne or streamer wherwith he might cal cōgregate and gather together his Children out of the world to him self And S. Paul saith that In Christ doth the fulnes of all Deity dwel bodely Yea Christ him self saith a. All things are geuen me of my Father and no man knoweth the Sonne but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father but the Sonne and he to whom the Son wil reueale him And immediatly after these words he allureth vs to come to him saying Come vnto me all ye that are wery and laden and I wil ease you Wherefore I haue alway both sayd and taught that we must both learn and know Christ And I would to God
Christ and being sent vnto thē on whitsōday taught thē put them in remembrance of all thinges which were written of Christ which Christ before his death with his own tongue had taught them And looke what soeuer the Holy Ghost taught them it tended only to this end That they might know Christ and by Christ know the Father and through this knowledge be iustifyed and saued ¶ Anna. It is possible then as far as I perceiue to know what that Sermon was which Christ made to those two Discyples as they went to Emaus wherewith he made their harts so burne within them But if I also might come to the hearing of that Sermon Oh I would desire nothing in comparyson of it nay I had rather heare that sweet Sermon then haue all the pleasures in the earth and ioyes of the world ☞ Vrb. You may easily coniecture what that Sermon was seeing he expounded all the Prophets beginning at Moyses Doth not Luke I pray you eloquently and plainly testifie that he expounded to thē all that is writen of him in the wholl Scripture It was the Prophesies therfore which are writen in the Scripture of Christ which he interpreted vnto them which is nothing els but euen the very Gospel it self which he commaunded his Discyples to preach and spread euen to the worlds end For this Gospel is the doctrine of Christ the Sonne of God which telleth why he was made man and declareth to vs the eternall counsell of God the Father and his great good wil to vs in promising so redely that he wil be our Father and in imbrasing vs with more then a Fatherly affection and in vouchsafeing to knowledge vs for his deere Sonnes but onlye through his onlye begotten Sonne Christ This Gospel teacheth vs also that the Father so ordained that when the fulnes of time was come Christ should be born true man of the seed of Dauid and that he should dye on the Crosse and rise againe from the dead to the end he might purge mannes sinnes pay the raunsom for them destroy and take away death bring vs to euerlasting life reconcile his Father to vs and ascend into heauen and sitting there at the right hand of his Father begin his true and euerlasting kingdome where we shal raign and reioyce with him for euer Into this glory would his father haue him to enter by his own payn passion and opprobrious death of the Crosse That by this meanes he might deserue the same glory for vs This was done at Ierusalem vnder Herod Pontius Pilat and Caiphas when Tiberius Caesar was Emperor and so were the Prophesies fulfilled which are written of him Now he sitteth at the right hand of Gods Maiesty and being Lord of all he defendeth and gouerneth his Church that is to say all godly and truely beleeuing men by the holy Ghost and in the last day he shall come in his Maiesty to iudge the quick and the dead and shall geue euerlasting Life to those that beleeue But he shall throw hedlong down into hel amongst the multitude of Deuils all those that at that day shall not haue beleeued the Gospell And he doth by his Ministers dayly declare vnto vs these his Merits Works precious Passion Resurrection and Ascention into Heauen That those which beleeue of Christ the sonne of God as the scriptures do speake of him might be deliuered from the burthen of their sinnes be reconcyled to God the Father and liue with him for euer in the glory of Christ And for this cause especially doth the gospel moue vs and cal vs to repentaunce to the end that we may be hartely sory for our sinnes that we may abhor and detest our sinnes and with al our indeuour fly al things that might moue vs to sinne seeing our sinnes could be taken away by no other Sacrifice but only by the most precious bloud of Christ which he shed for vs that he might cleanse vs and delyuer vs from sinne death and hel And furthermore the Gospel promiseth remission of sinnes and euerlasting life to all that beleeue in Christ and refuse not this Gospel but with all their hart faithfully receiue the same vsing it reuerently and holyly And thus of meere grace without all our deserts only for the works and merits of Christ if we beleeue in him are we washed from our sinne beutefyed with the holy Ghost and are iustifyed sanctifyed saued and made heyres with God and coheyres with Christ in his kingdome and liue for euer We also heare the Gospell with a godly deuotion we trust in Christ and we beleeue him to be the only Sauyour of the world And then also are we angry with our sinnes and detest and abhor them we repent vs and are sory that through our sinnes we haue offended God we begin better to frame our liues and we loue God with all our harts which hath bestowed his great and wonderful mercy and his vnspeakable and infinite goodnes in Christ Iesu his Sonne vpon vs we loue also our neighbours euen as Christ loued vs and we doe our diligence that we may as becometh holy children lead a chast holy modest sober and innocent life after Christes example and so for the loue of righteousnes and godlynes we doe all good works sauing that while we are in this flesh we haue not the full feeling of our frailtye and sinne and that our faith and knowledge of Christ that is of the great and incomprehensible mercy loue care grace and benefits which in Christ and for Christ are freely geuen and bestowed vpon vs is not full perfect and pure in this life but while we liue doth stil grow and increase And we must also fight and striue continually while we liue with the flesh and mortefie renue and reforme our old Adam vntil the Image of God be renued again in vs and vntil we shall haue put on that most beutiful and holy Image of Christ like as before our receiuing of faith and regeneration we did beare that euil fauoured and horrible Image of the old Adam Now you haue heard what Christ taught his two Disciples And without doubt the Apostls afterward taught the same things which Christ did teach and confirmed the doctrine of Christ after the same sort by the Prophets wrytings For the holy Ghost had sufficyently instructed them therto as plainly appeareth in the Actes of the Apostles ¶ Anna. As far then as I perceiue Christ preached nothing to those two Discyples out of the prophesies but the very pure doctrine of the Gospel wherby they might learn what Christ was for what cause he was sent into this world what he did what he suffered what he meryted by his suffering and how we might haue benefit by his Merits and what was to be hoped and looked for of him This then no doubt was it that comforted them so made their harts so glad ☞ Vrb. And haue not these thinges I pray you sufficient matter inough to make
our harts ioyful and glad as when we vnderstand what inestimable and great riches of his grace God in his Prophets hath promised to vs sinners and when we see those promyses of him fulfilled now in the Gospel and dayly also to be in fulfilling and seeing we haue Christ himselfe the very Sonne of God a most sure pledge of the performance of those promyses may we not well I say reioyce and be glad ¶ Anna. I am very desirous to heare of you if time serue you the order of Christes Sermon out of Moyses and the other Prophets What and how in euery place they prophesyed of Christ that thereby I may when my faith is strengthned haue ioy in the lord And though you spend some time in explicating these prophesies yet happely it may be a work worth our labour and you shal neuer a whit misspend the time nay I think the time that is so spent godly profitably very necessarely spent seeing S. Paul warneth vs that the word of Christ should dwel plentifully in vs. ☞ Vrb. We read in the acts that Paul made a long Sermon of Christ out of the Law and prophets euen from the morning til night Why then should not we speak often much and willingly of our Lord Iesus Christ our only and incomparable Treasure with whom we shal liue and dwel for euer But first note what Luke wryteth in his last chapter where he sayeth when Christ had blessed broken and geuen the bread to his Discyples their eyes were opened and they knew him And a litle after he saith that Christ opened their vnderstanding that they might know the Scriptures Wherfore we also must pray to Christ that he would feed and refresh vs with his bread of the knowledge of him that he would driue away the thick cloudes of our vnbeleef that he would mend and take away our ignorance and dulnes that he would send down into our minds the light of his holy spirit wherby we may learn to know him out of the holy scriptures Paul saith we haue not receued the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the thing which is geuen vs of God. Let vs therfore pray with humble feruent harts Almighty God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ our Father and the Father of all mercy and God of all comfort and consolation haue mercy vpon vs heare vs we beseech thee O God for thy deerely beloued sonne Iesus Christs sake for all his workes and benefits which he hath done for vs and for his precious passion and death which he suffered for the redemption of vs Send thy holy Spirit of truth into our harts that it may geue and ingraft in vs true and constant faith so that the light and brightnes of thy Gospel and the glory of Christ may appeare vnto vs and lighten our harts that we may learn and vnderstand the vnspeakable and aboundant riches of thy mercyes O Father of glory geue vs thy Spirite of wisdome and bring vs to the knowledge of thee and thy deerely beloued Sonne Iesu Christ Open and lighten we beseech thee the eyes of our minds vnderstanding That we may perceue what is the hope of our vocation and what is the rich glory of our heauenly and euerlasting Herytage which in Christ and through Christ thou hast geuen vs That by true faith vnderstanding and knowledge of thy eternal wisdom which is Iesus Christ we may in deed be made as we are called true christiās That we may worship thee alway in Spirit and truth And that we may now and for euer shew forth thy glory whereby thou hast blessed vs in Christ our Sauiour Graunt this O Father through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen ¶ Anna. Amen ☞ Vrb. Now Christ being our gouernor and our good guid let vs begin the treatise and opening of the matter which we haue taken in hand But first of all wife see you harken with as great reuerence diligence desire as if Christ were present seeing Christ sayth He that heareth you heareth me And looke also that you beleeue al things which shal here be spoken and declared vnto you to be as true and certayn as if Christ himself visibly and in his bodely shape had spoken them vnto you out of the Prophets And as if he should in his own person declare vnto you by his own mouth how and for what cause it was conuenient he should be born suffer dye and rise again and so ascend into his glory ¶ Anna. Begin then Husband at Moyses and tel me I pray you what he wrote of Christ ☞ Vrb. Moyses hath written much of Christ as Christ himself witnesseth in Iohn where speaking to the Iewes he saith If you had beleeued Moyses you had also beleeued me for he wrote of me And Moyses euen in the beginning as soone as heauen earth and man were made saith that the Serpent to wit Sathan deceiued Eue and entyced her to make a lye and seduced her and she afterward perswaded and deceued Adam and so God being despised and set aside brought him and threw him headlong into the same calamitie and thus they beleeued a lye wherin they cōmitted an horrible offence because they broke Gods commandement and did not obey the Lord their God as their duety was but were obedyent vnto the Deuil which from the beginning is a lyar and a mankiller into whose power and tiranny they fel both in body and soule by their transgression and disobeydience and so death by the sinne of Adam came in both vpon Adā al Adams posterity in so much that by the iust iudgement and iustice of God all men should haue entered by the death of this body into euerlasting death And thus did death through sinne mightely raign in all the world Alas what is more horrible then this power of sinne and this extreame calamity which casteth vs into euerlasting damnation What burthen is there heuyer or harder then this and what more cruell mischiefe could there haue hapned then this But God here in the middest of this danger being mindful of his mercy as the Prophet saith of him found a most present and soueren salue for this sore to wit he offred vs his grace and promysed that he would pardon our sin and destroy death by a certain marueilous meane to wit by his only begotten Sonne who when the fulnes of time that is to say when the determined time was come was sent into the earth from heauen and salued this sore that is to say redeemed and deliuered the poore prysoner mankind out of the tyranny and power of darknes and Sathā and that after a strange and secret sort For he tooke vpon him the shape of a seruant and being made man subiect to all misery calamity and troble of this life yea and death it self but yet free from all faulte and pure without sinne vouchsafed to dye for vs that
and with a holy violence as it were forsably entreth in vnto him and voluntarily submitteth yeldeth vp and dedicateth him selfe wholy to him as appeareth in Mat. But now geue care and mark what Siloh doth import why he would by this name vnderstād Christ This noble personage is so rich prosperous flowing with aboundance of all good things that none of the kings of the Iewes nay not all the kings cā match him or compare with him alone And Christs kingdome is another and clean contrary kingdome to the kingdomes of other kings and shal be gouerned after another sort then earthly kingdomes be nay all other kingdomes must geue place to this king which out of doubt could not be if this Siloh should haue bin a king whose kingdome and princely dignity enduring but a short time had ended with the kinges as the kingdome of Dauid Salomon and the rest did or if this kingdome of his should haue looked for another king to succeed him as did the kingdome of Iuda wayt for him It must needes therfore be that here should be a marueilous great change of kings and that this king whose comming is here foretold should be clean another kind of king and prince then others were otherwise the Scriptures would neuer haue named him Siloh which signifyeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a most blessed happy fortunat Lord who in al things he goeth about hath passing prosperous succes Here then in this word may Christes death immortality and eternity be gathered if it be well and throughly pondered For first he was to be true and naturall man and consequently mortall for he was to come of the tribe of Iuda being of the seed of Abraham and sonne of Dauid Secondly he was to be immortal and should rise agayne from death and lyue for euer because the scripture describing him sayth he shal be a royal prince farre differing from other kinges and much more honorable mighty and great then all the former princes of Iuda which orderly succeding one another raigned vnto his comming This king committeth not his kingdom to any other to rule neither hath he any successour he yeldeth not to any man but hauing once taken the scepter in hand in Herodes time he ruleth and raigneth a king for euer Which could not otherwyse be but that he should first die and hauing put of this miserable and short lyfe by death rise agayne death beyng ouercome to immortality and liue for euer That the scriptures might be fulfilled and that Christ might be such a king and Siloh as to whom not only the Iewes might cleaue but also whom all the world might acknowledge receiue worship for their God and king And finally that he might after this sort be true man and king of the stocke of Dauid and yet neuertheles immortall inuisible and eternall and raigne after this sort in fayth spiritually for euer ¶ Anna. If Cleophas and his fellow had well vnderstoode this prophesie which was the testament of that their Patriark Iacob they had not been so offended at Christs death ☞ Vrb. Indeed this prophesie might sufficiently haue instructed them and they might haue learned plainly inough out of it how Gods will and purpose was that Messias or Siloh should be put to death and yet not remayne in death but rise agayn to deliuer Israel and raigne for euer But they as yet beleued not the prophesies as these their wordes of incredulitie do sufficiently argue declare where they say a. We hoped it had bene hee that should haue deliuered Israel For their hartes as yet wauered and were vnconstāt and they supposed that Christ had ben vtterly extinct and dead for euer and themselues cleane frustrate of their hope For seing Christ himselfe was now put to death they dreamed that he could neither help nor deliuer other men from death and therefore Christ sayth vnto them O fooles and slow of hart to beleue all things that the Prophets haue spoken Ought not Christ to suffer these things and to enter into his glory ¶ Anna. Wrote Moses nothing els of Christ in Genesis ☞ Vrb. I haue determined to expound those prophesies onely which most specially plainely and euidently speake of Christ For if I would explicate and run through all the mysteries and types which are in Genesis I could finde many moe of Christ and his church ¶ Anna. Moses in the 14. of Genesis briefly describeth Melchisedech I haue often heard you say that Christ was called Melchisedech I praye you tell me why he was called so ☞ Vrb. There is an excellent and comfortable mystery of Christ in Melchisedech in the 14. of Gen. And Paul in the seuenth chapter to the Hebrewes doth famously and aptly expound the same saying Melchisedech the priest of the most high God is a figure of our Lord Iesu Christ to whome God the father fayth thus in the 110. Psal. Thou art a Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech ¶ Anna. What was Melchisedechs order in his priesthoode ☞ Vrb. The state and order of his priesthoode is maruelous and altogether differing from the state of the priests of the law In the law of Moses there was a priesthood of the tribe of Leui. That priesthood offered vp sacrifice and prayed for other and for thēselues and they taught the law of God in which euery man might see his sinne and the curse due for his sinne But this priesthood could deliuer none from their sinne or from the curse Moreouer there were many Priestes that succeded one another for they died others came in their places neither was there any one that still enioyed the office of priesthood But Melchisedech was a maruelous priest of whom Moses speaketh but little But the holy ghost expounds the same more at large in the 7. to the Hebrues saying Melchisedech by interpretation is the king of righteousnes after that he is also king of Salem that is king of peace without father without mother without kinred and hath neither beginning of his dayes neither ende of lyfe but is likened vnto the sonne of God and continueth a priest for euer Moreouer he blessed the Patriarke Abraham who notwithstanding had the promises of the blessing of god All these were fulfilled in Christ as Dauid witnesseth saying The Lord hath sworn and will not repent thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech That is to say Thou art a priest cleane after another sort then Aaron and his successors were For they were mortall men who by the cōmaundement or law of God could condemne and bring al men vnder the curse but could not deliuer or quit any man from the curse And such were both their sacrifices the priesthod itselfe that they could not take away euen the least sinne that is But thou O Christ art the true Melchisedech the euerlasting and true king and priest And this must you after this sort vnderstand
Christ in earth hath no father and in heauen no mother he is euerlasting God and also immortall man And in this order neither went any before him nor shall come after him He was not made priest according to the law of the carnall cōmandement but after the power of euerlasting life who truly blesseth vs and deliuereth vs from our sinnes from eternall death and giueth vs euerlasting life He is Malchizedek Malchischolam that is a king of righteousnes who is our righteousnes and doth iustify vs before god He is also a king of peace because by him only we haue peace with god As Paule sayth to the Rom. and the Eph. ¶ Anna. Vndoubtedly in this mysterie as in the other before is to be vnderstoode that Christ should first die seing Paul to the Hebr. sayth that this true Melchisedech Christ of the tribe of Iuda should be borne a very true man and yet neuertheles immortal who should liue eternally that he might helpe vs euerlastingly But Cleophas and his companiō did not vnderstand nor beleue this For if they had they would neuer haue bene so pensife nor offended at Christes death ☞ Vrb. In deed they had prophesies figures and testimonies enow of the scriptures out of which they might haue gathered that Christ should first dye And they had but euen three dayes before eaten the Paschal lambe which by Gods commaundement they ought to kill eate without leuen They tooke also the bloud of the lamb and therwith they oynted and sprinckled the two side postes the vpper post of the dores of their houses which was a tokē of grace For whē God killed all the first borne thorow all the land of Egypt the Iewes were safe in their houses For vpon what dore so euer the Angel saw the bloud of the lamb sprinckled he past it ouer This lambe with his bloud was a figure of the immaculat lamb Christ which was slayne and offered for vs by whose bloud we be deliuered from death S. Paule fitly and aptly expounded this figure saying Christ our passouer is sacrificed for vs Therfore let vs keepe the feast not with old leuen nether in the leuen of malitiousnes and wickednes but with the vnleuened bread of sincerity and truth ¶ Anna. It might manifestly and easely by this figure appeare that our passouer or pascal lambe Christ should be slayne and that his bloud should be shed ☞ Vrb. They might haue learned out of the 23. of Esay who was the trew lambe but their eies were holden neither could they vnderstand the scriptures till Christ him selfe opened their hartes ¶ Anna. Hath Moyses any more tipes or figures of Christ in his bookes ☞ Vrb. He hath and that a great many but I will onely expound those that be most principall as they stand in order In the 25. of Exo. there is a notable delectable and beutifull tipe of Christ in Caporeth God commaunded Moses that he should cause the arke to be made and be couered within without with gold and that vppon the vpper part aboue he should put the mercy seat made of pure gold You know that this word Caporeth is deriued of Ciper and signifieth a peace offering a reconciliation or the place of mercy This is a worthy mistery For God promised to the children of Israell that he himselfe would dwell in that mercy seat and that he would make answere and say his minde to the people out of it This same mercy seate both is and signifieth Christ Iesus our Sauiour ¶ Anna. How may we know that Christ is ment by that Caporeth or mercy seate ☞ Vrb. The holy Ghost by Paule doth so expound this figure to the Roma where he sayth All haue sinned and are depriued of the glory of God but are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Iesu whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation or a peace offering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the mercy seat thorow fayth in his bloud And to the Ebrews where he speaketh of the hye priest Christ which is moued with the feeling of our infirmities he sayth Let vs go boldly to the throne of grace that we may receaue mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of neede And so did Moses in his mercy seate liuely and plainly paint forth Christ in his humanity in whome alone all wee finde both mercy and God him selfe as Paul sayth to the Colos In Christ dwelleth all fulnes of the Godhead bodily Of this Caporeth Christ God himselfe talketh with vs as Christ in Iohn sayth My doctrine is not myne but his that sent me Christ is the euerlasting word of the father and his onely begotten sonne true god If we see and heare Christ we heare also the father as Christ witnesseth in Iohn saying f. Phillip he that hath sene me hath sene my father also doest thou not beleue that I am in the father and the father in mee We haue here large scope and matter ministred to speake of this Caporeth but I may not tary in figures because I would come to the manifest and playne prophesies of Christ and especially to those which speake of his death and resurrection Let this therfore suffice concerning Caporeth For by Christ we be reconciled and at one with God and by him we receiue forgiuenes of our sinnes to be short in Christ we finde and obtayne God himselfe as we reade in the new testament for there is no other God but Iesus Christ ¶ Anna. What is writt of Christ in the third booke of Moses ☞ Vrb. Whatsoeuer is spoken in Leuiticus of the outward priesthood of Aaron and of all kynd of sacrifices of the sheding of blood and of forgeuing of sinnes all these were nothing els but figures of Christ our true priest which by his true sacrifice offred vpō the crosse hath redemed vs and purged vs from oursinnes ¶ Anna. How may we know that ☞ Vrb. The new Testament doth well interprete and expound these figures to vs and it applieth them all to Christ but aboue the rest the epistle to the Hebrues in which Paule plainly declareth and teacheth that Aaron the priest and the whole priesthood in the law with all the rites sacrifices offrings clensings orisons doctrines reconciliatiōs propitiatiōs sprinklings of bloud and other fit figures for that purpose do plainly set forth and prefigure vnto vs Christ For what things soeuer were then done they were onely shadowes and types of the new testamēt of Christ because that then there was no true reconciliatiō forgiuenes of sinnes or righteousnes in that outward priesthood and sacrifices Dumbe and brute beastes were then offred whose bloud as Paul sayth cannot take away sinne There were many sacrifices effutiōs of bloud washings in the law which were but tipes shadowes and could make no man perfect within in conscience They were onely figures and memorials of sinnes
prophet Nathan that of his seed should Messias come saing When thy dayes be fulfilled thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers and I will set vp thy seed after the which shall proceed out of thy body and will stablish his kingdome he shall build a house for my name and I will stablish the throne of his kingdome for euer and I will be his father and he shal be my sonne Also in the psalmes it is sayd The Lord hath sworne in truth vnto Dauid and he will not shrinke from it saying Of the fruit of thy body I will set vpon thy throne This same promise is also extant in the 89. Psal. And tolled magnified and exalted for the wonderfull marueilous holy and deuine natiuitie of the noble maiesticall sonne of God Iesu Christ by whose meanes this poore village obtayned got this worthy name and great honour For what I pray you be walles though high and faire towred what be bulwarkes though great and strong what is circuit though most ample and large what is popularitie or what is the brauery and glistering bewty of building and workemanship of any Citie to the glory prerogatiue and priuiledge of that poore towne Bethleem only in that it was the bringer forth and natiue soile according to the flesh and humayne nature of the most mightye magnificent and omnipotent God our Messias And therfore S. Mathew inspired with the holy Ghost iustly preferreth it before other Cities saying Thou Bethleem in the land of Iudea art not the least among the princes of Iuda And the 70. translators also as Hierome witnesseth red this place thus And thou Bethleem the house of Ephrata art not the least that thou shouldest be amongest the thousandes of Iuda The Calde text saith thus Thou Bethleem Ephrata art not much behynd and but little inferior but that thou mayest be reckoned amongest the thousand houses of Iuda Bethleem in deed was a little towne in the tribe of Iuda once called Ephrata as it appeareth in Genesis But if we will diligently throughly and truely ponder the Ebrew text or true sence we shal see in my iudgement that the prophet Micheas and the Euangelist Mathew plainly and throughly agree in one sence without any differing or iarring at all S. Hierome interpreteth this Hebrue word Zagir Thou art a little one But these wordes of the Prophet Zagir liheioth may bee translated also thus It is but a trifle a small thing a thing of nothing and a thing to to badde base that thou shouldst be counted amōgst thousands of Iuda And this is the true and natural sence of these wordes Thou Bethleem Ephrata art farre greater and excellenter yea better and of more fame then that thou shouldst be reckoned or numbred amongst thousands or princes of Iuda Such honour as the other cities haue is to base and vile for thee nothing correspondent to thy dignitie thy renowne and maiesty is of more glory then that the princely prayses of these cities can sufficiently set it forth nay no tongue can speake nor penne expresse the prayses that are due to thee If you will thus construe the Prophets wordes you shall finde that the Euangelist spake the selfe same thing which the prophet ment for it is all one in sence to say Thou art not lest amongst the princes of Iuda And to say it is a very base and small prayse to value thee with the commō princes and thousands in Iuda And the cause why is shewed immediately after in these wordes For out of thee shal Messias come And this glory and honour of this little towne was no small glory but a most splendent and famous glory yea it is such that it is not lightly to be estemed but before al other to be praysed and preferred And where the prophet hath these wordes In thousandes of Iuda it must be thus vnderstood Moyses in Exodus maketh a law that one tribe or prince should be hed ouer a thousand for he diuided the people into hundreds and thousandes The prophet then sayth thus much in effect Thou Bethleem Ephrata which hast scarcely on thousandes of men in thee for it was but a little Citie and not populous nor much replenished shalt neuerthelesse for all thy basenes yeld and bring forth vs as a prince or Lord which shall gouern all Israel For in thee shal be borne c. Furthermore in this prophesie is to be noted that by this word Moschel or prince no other can be ment but only Christ or the promised Messias whom the Iewes alwayes vnderstood in this place For in the second of Mathew whē Herod ernestly enquired of the Scribes where Christ should be borne they answered him out of this prophesie that Bethleem in Iuda should be the place of his birth And they recited this text for autoritie But where the Hebrue word is Moschel that is lord or prince there the Calde Bible hath Meschihah which is to say Christ and Rabbi Salomō doth thus interprete it Out of thee shall come to me Messiah the sonne of Dauid And this I thought good to put in here as an addiphet prophesieth that Christ should be born of the tribe of Dauid for Iesse or Ishai as the Ebrew worde is was Dauids father All these thinges were fulfilled and then the Angel Gabriel hauing saluted the virgin sayd To him that is Christ shal God giue the throne of his father Dauid And Paul to the Rom. sayth Christ according to the flesh was borne of the seede of Dauid And againe Remember that Iesus Christ made of the seede of Dauid was raysed agayne frō the dead according to my gospel And the woman of Canaan in Mat. cōfesseth the same crying O lord thou son of Dauid haue mercy on me Also those two blind men sitting by the high way side when they heard that Iesus passed by cried aloude saying O Lord the sonne of Dauid haue mercy on vs. In like maner on Palme sonday the multitude cried saying Hosanna the sonne of Dauid Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. And in Mathew the Pharises confesse that Christ is the sonne of Dauid ¶ Anna. I thanke God I am as sufficiently satisfied in this point as harte can wishe wherefore now I pray you recite some places which make mention of the city in which Christ vouchsafed to be borne here in earth ¶ Of the Citie wherein Christ should be borne Vrbanus MIcheas the Prophet in that prophesie which he hath of Christ nameth the citie saying And thou Bethleem Ephrata art little to be amongst the thousandes of Iuda yet out of thee shall he come forth vnto me that shal be ruler in Israel whose goings forth hath bene from the beginning and from euerlasting Here you first see the Bethleem in Iuda was the place where Christ should be borne As in Mathew the Scribes at Ierusalem declared to Herode out of this chap. of
Micheas that this Bethleem should be the place where he should be borne This prophesie was fulfilled in the 42. yeare of the raigne of Augustus Caesar the Emperour of Rome when Cirenius beyng the President of Syria there was a publike decree giuen forth that all the worlde should be taxed Now when the tyme of taxing came euery man resorted to his owne citie whereby it came to passe that Ioseph in asmuch as he was of the house and line of Dauid and Iuda went vp together with his wyfe Mary from Nazareth out of Galile into the land of Iuda to the city of Dauid which is called Bethleem that he might so shew his duetifull obedience to the magistrate so it fell forth by Gods prouidence ordināce that while they taried there the tyme of her trauel came and she brought forth her first begotten sonne the true King and Lord of Israel The history of whose birth Luke setteth forth in his 2. chapter ¶ Anna. Mathew in deed citeth this prophesie of Micha but where Micheas saith Thou art litle to be amongest thousands of Iuda or little in thousandes of Iuda Mathew sayth Thou art not the least in c. How I pray you must these two textes be reconciled ☞ Vrb. The Prophet Micha speaketh of Bethleem and considereth the case it was then in when he liued for beyng compared with Ierusalem and other gorgeous and populous cities in Iuda it appeared as then contemnable little and of small countenance It was thē to Ierusalem and Samaria as if I should at this day compare Fridberg in Germany with the famous citie Auspurge or Ware with London But S. Mathew writeth of Bethleem as it was to be esteemed in his dayes when this prophesie was fulfilled and Christ was borne and openly known to the world and so in this place he prayseth it and preferreth it before the other cities For if one should haue looked only on the walles territories and circuite of this poore towne Bethleem it would in comparison of other stately and mightily replenished cities of the countrey appeare a base and mean village But if we according to the maiestie of the matter ponder and consider the high honour that God vouchsafed it in that the Messias the only sauiour of the vniuersal world would be borne in it we shall then in deed see that it is not to be iudged and estemed the lest but that of all the cities euen of the whole world it only rightly beareth away the price and prayse and before all other is to be preferred extolled additiō and ouerplus least any thing should lack Because the Iewes themselues did vnderstande in this place the true Messias which is no other but Iesus Christ and yet to say the truth it had bene sufficient or more then sufficient to any godly man that the Euangelist applieth and appropreateth this to Christ ¶ Furthermore where the Prophet sayth that this Moschel shal be the true gouernour of the Israelites he sheweth hereby that this Prince should not be a fudatory or vassall as the lawyers terme it but the true Lord king of Israel whose vassayls nay seruants Saule Dauid Salomon Roboam and all the other former kinges were For Moschel in Ebrew signifieth properly a Monarch and a mighty pearles Prince of whome all other do hould and he of none but hath euery soule subiect to him And lastly he geueth vs to vnderstand how royall a Lord and Prince he is In that he sayth his forth goinges haue bene from the beginning and from euerlasting by which wordes the Church alwayes vnderstode the byrth of Christ to be from euerlasting of the deitye of his heauenly father incomprehensible and vnscrutable For the Scripture maketh mention of a two fould byrth of Christ whereof one is temporall to wit when at the determinated tyme he was according to his humanitie borne true man of the virgin Mary in the Citie of Bethlem The other eternall according to his deuine nature without compasse of tyme without beginning and from euerlasting Both these natiuities the prophet here toucheth by these last wordes he proueth his true diuinitie saying his forth going c. As though he should say beholde and heare O Bethleē what a kind of Lord thou shalt bring forth Certenly in thee shal be borne a true man but that his byrth is not his first beginning original For he was euen alwayes without beginning before the world was made nay before the foundations of the world were layd euen from euerlasting Wherof it truly followeth that he is true and naturall god For there is no creature without beginning but euery one hath his tyme of creation takes his first beginning at some tyme before which it was nothing Now then if his forth going be from before beginning very well truly is that thing heare vnderstod out of which he went to wit God the father ¶ And thus the prophet very playnely and excellētly sheweth that this Prince according to his nature in which his forth going was without beginning is our onely trew and naturall God the sonne of God which tooke not his originall with tyme nor had not his beginning when tyme begon neyther was made with the world when it was made but is as Paule sayth The Image of our inuisible Cod the first borne of euery creature For by him were all thinges created which are in heauen and earth thinges visible and inuisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all thinges were created by him and for him and he is before all thinges and in him all thinges consist And Iohn sayth In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was god This was in the beginning with god by it were all thinges made and the word became flesh that is was borne a naturall trew man. For the Ebrew word Basar in holy scriptures signifieth as one wold say the whole man both in body and soule Christ also in Iohn sayth to the Iewes Verily verily I say vnto you before Abraham was I am And here mark that he sayd not I was but I am In the which phrase of speech he would signify vnto them his eternall and deuine nature For the state of all creatures is such that at one tyme or other they are made and haue their beginning and are limited and bordered with some end of tyme And the tyme also was in whiche the creature yet was not and when it was not made there was also a tyme when it was made as Abraham was not in the tyme of Noye but he was in the tyme of Melchisedeck But with God it is farre otherwise For the Godhead is vnmesurable infinite and euerlastyng it can not be comprehended nor conteyned in tyme and of tyme which vanisheth perisheth passeth and slippeth away and neuer stādeth in stay The godhead hath no former nor latter tyme no tyme past
Rom. 8.19 Our hope 1. Tim. 1.1 Our brother Psal 22.22 Hebr. 2.12 Mat. 28. 10. Our shepeherd Ezech. 34.23 Iohn 10.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chiefe shepeheard 1. Pet. 5.4 The dore of the sheepe Iohn 10.7 The bread of lyfe Iohn 6.48 Our rocke Math. 16.18 Our peace Ephe. 2.14 The stone that hath seuen eyes vpon it Zach. 3.9 The stone which was cut out of the mountain without handes which became great and filled the whole earth Dan. 2.34 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ende of the law the perfection and fulfilling of the law Rom 10.4 The head of the church Ephes 22. 5.23 The true vine Iohn 15.1 The stone which is become the head stone in the corner Psal. 118.22 and Act. 4.11 The righteous branche or branche of righteousnesse Iere. 23.5 The Lord of lyfe Acts. 3.15 The Lord of all Acts. 10.36 The king of glory Psal. 24.7 The righteous one Rom. 3.26 and 5.7 Esay 51 6.7 Acts. 3.14 and 7.52 1. Iohn 2.1 Mat. 25. The hope of glory Col. 1.27 The heyre of all Heb. 1.2 The prince of the kings of the earth Apoc. 1.5 The word of lyfe 1. Iohn 6. Immanuel God with vs Esay 7.14 Mat. 1.23 The euerlasting word of the father Iohn 1.1 The wisdome of God. 1. Cor. 1.24 The power of God. 1. Cor. 1.1 The image of the inuisible god Col. 1.15 The first borne of all creatures Col. 1.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the brightnesse of the glory of god Hebr. 1.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the expresse image of the substance of God the father Heb. 1.3 True God and eternall lyfe Iohn 5.20 The Lord of Zebaoth that is of hostes The seuenty Translators interpreted it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is almighty as Hierome noteth vpon Zach. 2.8 The angell of the Testament Mal. 3.1 Wonderfull Esay 9.6 The geuer of counsaile Esay 9.6 The mighty god Esay 9.6 The euerlasting father Esay 9.6 The prince of peace Esay 9.6 The sonne of righteousnesse Mal. 4.2 The iudge of the quicke and the dead Actes 10.42 Christ hath these and many moe most sweete epithites and goodly figuratiue names giuen him in the Scriptures which would be both long to recite and here not much nedefull ¶ Anna. It is vncredible to beleue what light what vnderstanding what comfort and what consolation I haue receyued euen of this bare and briefe recitall and catalogue of these epithites and names of Christ But what vnspeakeable ioy what maruelous profound knowledge and what plentifull and aboundant consolation would then follow euen as out of a ful fountaine to vs if these Heroycall titles were thorowly opened and euery one particularly in his place expounded ☞ Vrb. These epithites in deede plainly and euidently declare though not fully both the qualitie and quantitie of Iesus Christ our Lord as what kinde of one and how great he is and they tell vs what comfort and helpe we may hope to haue at his hands But it were a very tedious trauel at this tyme to handle euery name at large according to his dignity they shal be expounded God willing more commodiously and fitly together in an other place in the openyng of the Prophets ¶ Anna. You promised also to say some thing of the former comming of Christ into the worlde If your leisure serue I would see you performe that your promise ⧠Of the former commyng of Christ into this world and of his humble conuersation and being here on the earth and also of the tyme of his comming Vrbane THis article in deede is worthy to be diligently expounded and well vnderstood If the Iewes had well vnderstood this article and beleued it they had neuer fallen so horribly or if they would yet either vnderstād it or beleue it they would not be so greatly offended at Christ as they are neither would they so obstinately persist thus long in their blyndnes as they doe Before Christes comming and in Christes tyme they of all men in the world gloriously vaunted themselues of their great knowledge and vnderstanding of the holy scriptures as a thing in which they excelled al men and yet were they vtterly ignorant of this especiall chiefe point and article of scripture to wit of Iesu Christ how after what sort for what cause he should come They in their carnal vnderstāding dreamed that Messias should come into the world as a mighty Monarch with a puissant and huge army of men and that in worldly pompe power brauery and dignitie he should exceede all other kings of the earth and with dint of sword subdue Goym that is all nations and bring them in subiection to the Iewes and that he should establish his princely throne at Ierusalem in the land of Canaan and giue the Iewes al welth riches dignity ease and plenty of all worldly pleasure These thinges did they in their doltish iudgement grofly looke for at the hand of Christ so vtterly ignorant were they of the heauenly and spirituall blessings promised in Christ Wherefore carnally construing all the prophecies of Christ they promised themselues in him onely the externall momentany fraile brickle and transitory riches of this short lyfe At this day also the Iewes retayne these and much more doltish dreames and fantasies of Messias For oftentymes at Ratisbone and other places I haue disputed with them of Messias and his kingdome But I could neuer here any thing of them but mere doltish dreames carnall imaginations and ridiculous foolish fables S. Hierome writeth much of the errors of the Iewes how they looked for an earthly kingdome in Christ and many other grosse and foolish fantasticall fansies which I would neuer haue beleeued if afterward I my selfe had not heard them with my eares But it is no maruell to see them which are thus wrapped in darkenes bewitched with all madnesse fowly and foolishly erre seing they neither be nor can abide to be in the catholike church of Christ in which onely and els not the holy ghost doth reueale vnto mē the vnderstanding and true meaning of the scriptures And this is the cause that they vnderstand no parte of diuinitie neither haue any sound iudgement at all in their Bible bookes For where gods holy spirit is not there must needes the mysteries of the holy scriptures lye hid The Iewes deuise and dreame onely of the earthly land of promise But the Scripture speaketh of much more excellent high and glorious things then is any Iudea or Ierusalem though it were of Iemmes or beaten gold The Prophets with their spirituall eyes looked farre aboue this world vp into heauen where we shall need neither perle gold meat nor other necessaries of this mortall lyfe but inherite euerlasting life with celestiall ioy and felicitie As S. Peter sayth the Prophets speake of our saluation But let vs see what the holy ghost sayeth of Christes comming and humilitie in Zachary where he writeth thus Reioice greatly O daughter Sion shoute for ioy O
most happy peace saying How beautifull vppon the mountaines are the feete of him that declareth and publisheth peace that declareth good tidinges and publisheth saluation saying vnto Sion thy God raigneth The Apostles declare the true peace they tell vnto vs out of the Gospell most ioyfull and good tidings to wit that God will be no more angry with vs but will be our mercifull father through his sonne Christ who hath pacified and mitigated his wrath and brought vs peace as Paul sayth It pleased the father by his sonne Christ to reconcile all things to himselfe and to set at peace through the bloud of his crosse both the things in earth the things in heauen This comfort doth God in his gospell giue vs by the apostles and ministers of his church And of this peace the scripture in sundry places maketh mencion as in Esay where it is sayd The encrease of his gouernment and peace shall haue no ende And Christ in Iohn saith vnto his disciples Peace I leaue with you my peace I geue vnto you And because they should not dreame of a carnall peace he by and by addeth Not such peace as the world giueth giue I vnto you In the world you shall haue affliction but be of good comfort I haue ouercome the world It followeth and his dominion shall be from sea to sea Here he describeth how farre the bondes of Christes kingdom should reach what limits it should haue and how great it should be to wit he shall not only be lord and king of the Iewes but also of the Gētiles so of the whole world according to the Psalme The earth is the lordes and all that therein is the rounde world and they that dwel therin And Abdias witnesseth that Christes kingdom extendeth it selfe ouer all that dwell vpon the earth according to the exposition of Thargum which sayth from the waters vnto the ende of the earth In which text by waters we vnderstand Iordan which is a worthy and famous riuer in Canaan It followeth Thou also by the bloud of thy couenant hast deliuered the prisoners out of the pitte wherein is no water The prophet in the former wordes said that the kingdom of Christ should be spirituall vile poore miserable and of no beauty in the eyes of the world and yet for all that the king of this kingdom should iustifie saue his people And his helpe should be so great and auailable that both the Iewes and Gentiles in all the world should feele the sweetnes of his grace and that this king should make them be at peace one with an other nay which is more he saith that for this kings sake they should haue peace with god These be excellent things and such as passe all other But now seyng the kingdom of Christ is spirituall and doth not stand on worldly power vaine glory or any other earthly thing Perhaps some may thinke and aske how by what meanes and way then did he meane to worke such wonderfull things The Prophet answereth this obiectiō saying It shal be wrought by bloud Our redemption shal cost this king much for he shal be constrayned for payment thereof to shed that which is most precious and best beloued vnto him euē his most holy precious bloud by which only he deliuereth cleanseth vs from all our sinnes and so redemed vs. And where he sayth thou hast deliuered thy prisoners by bloud c. He doth allude and hath respect to Moses who after the same sort in the olde testament sacrificed with blood and by the bloud of the old testament brought Israel out of Egypt And it is as much as if he should say thou bringest thy people out of bondage euen as Moses brought the people of Israel which was a figure of the church out of Egypt But thou doest it more mightily royally and maruelously then Moses did For that bloud in the old testament was nothyng but a figure of thy bloud But thou madest a new testament and thou diddest make and confirme a newe graunt of grace not by the bloud of beasts but euen by thine owne blood by which thou didst not deliuer a few or certaine number of men as Moses did but an innumerable people to wit all that beleue in Christ through out the whole world and thou bringest them out of that most darke and dangerous Egypt the tiranny of Sathan and euerlasting damnation which in deed is a place without water that is in which is no recreation no refreshing no comfort no rest For when the sinner beyng in the bondes and chaynes of sinne vnder the law is in state of damnation then feeleth he nothing but feare terror trembling dread horror anxiety abashment of hart desperation and death it selfe gnawing vpon him Neither findeth he any helpe counsell comfort or remedy either in the world or worldly creatures vnlesse he be sprinckled with the bloud of this new testament that is vnlesse he beleue that Christ as the Gospell teacheth hath shed his bloud to pacify Gods anger for his sinnes and wash them away This if the sinner beleue then is he thorow that fayth by which he beleueth that Christ shed his bloud for his sinnes deliuered out of that lake to wit his conscience and he hath comfort and reioyceth in the lord This prophesie doth also plainely tell vs that Christ our king should suffer death because he could by no other meanes but through his bloud deliuer iustifie bring his captiue people into euerlasting lyfe But he could not haue deliuered his seruantes from death if he had continued still in death And therefore it was needfull that he should rise agayne from death and vāquish and ouercome death This knew not these two disciples going to Emaus and therfore they were as you heare offended at Christes death and they supposed that all their hope which they had conceiued of Christ for the deliuerance of Israel had bene quite frustrate Now then you see in this prophesie that Christes conuersation at his former comming should not bee stately or lofty but lowly contemptible humble and modest For there was nothing to be seen in him but gentlenes towards poore sinners with much misery grieuous calamitie great stormes and heauy burdens of persecutions afflictions tribulations yea at the last death it self all which he suffred for our sakes But you shall heare of this Christ more out of the same prophet who sayth u. And the Lord shewed me Iehoschua the high priest standing before the Angell of the Lord Sathan stood at his right hand to resist him and the Lord said vnto Sathan the Lord reproue thee O Sathan Now Iesus or Iehoschua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the Angell and he answered and spake vnto those that stood before him saying take away the filthy garmēts from him In this prophesie the high priest in the law who was
called Iehoscua or Iesus is set downe apparailed with filthy garments and he is a figure of Christ the true high priest who although he was true God yet did he so humble himself that he vouchsaued to put vpon himself mans flesh that he might beare our sinnes in his body on the crosse he himself beyng free frō al sinne But he hath borne our infirmities and caried our sorowes We are they for whom he so abased deiected and humbled himselfe and for whose sakes he would be counted vile and abiect as Dauid telleth vs saying But I am a worme and not a man a shame of men and the contempt of the people All they that see me haue me in derision they make a mowe and nod their heds c. ¶ Anna. What haue the other prophets writtē of the seruile and humble habite and conuersation of Christ here vpon earth ☞ Vrb. It will be long to speake of all I wil touch some and that the chiefest Ieremy sayth that the Iewes did acknowledge and confesse their faultes for which they were afflicted with all kind of troubles and calamities and amongst other wordes he hath these Lord our rebellions are many we sinned against thee O the hope of Israel the sauiour thereof in the time of trouble Why art thou as a stranger in the land as one that passeth by to tary for a night Why art thou as a man astonied and as a strong man that cannot helpe Yet thou O Lord art in the midst of vs and thy name is called vpon vs forsake vs not In this prophesie the Iewes complaine that they are in great distresse and woful calamity and that they are forsaken of God or els that he semes to be alienated and turned from them and not to regarde them But this onely was their comfort that God was in Sion and Israel and that he had chosen Israel for his peculiar people Because he had defēded them from the hurtes and harmes of their enemies and dwelt amōg them as he had promised them in Leuit saying And I will set my tabernacle among you and my soule shall not lothe you also I will walke among you and I will be your God and you shall be my people But now they were forsaken God did so hādle them as though he disdayned to walke and dwell any longer amongst them and as one all wery of his way which had but turned in vnto them as into an Inne and by and by departed And thus the Iewes vnderstand this text But the olde church a 1000. yeres agoe as S. Hierome sayth vnderstood these things of Christ and beleued that the prophet did foreshew in these wordes the ministery or office of Christ Because he should at the tyme appointed take vpon him the flesh of man and walke in this earth as Paule affirmeth saying Who being in the forme of God thought it no robbery to bee equall with god But he made himselfe of no reputation tooke on him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a man. To wit he did so humble himselfe that he liued in this earth as a stranger or pilgrime neither had he any place where to abyde As Luke witnesseth in his 9. chap. where the Samaritans refused him when one said vnto him I wil folow thee whersoeuer thou goest He answered the foxes haue holes and the birdes of the heauen haue nestes but the sonne of man hath not whereon to lay his head And in Mathew The Gergesenes desired him that he would depart out of their costes Wherfore in this prophesie he is called Ger and Nidham that is a pilgrime and stranger hauing no abiding place nor house or certaine place to dwell in For at his natiuitie an oxe stall was his inne the manger his cradell After his birth he was constrayned to flie into Egypt And when he had begun the office of his ministery he went out of Galile into Iuda and agayne out of Iuda into Galile now goyng from this city vnto that and then from that to another And although he was the lorde and gouernour of the whole earth yet wandered he in this earth frō place to place now hither now thither euen as a pilgrime or stranger or as a wayfaring man that asketh lodging for a night and hath nothing of his owne And although he was mighty as Esay doth call him which could deliuer himselfe and others out of all danger yet in all the tyme of his being here vpon earth he would not shew his might strength and power but became weake and poore as the Iewes flouting him vpon the crosse said in the gospell of Mathew He saued others but he can not saue himselfe if he be the king of Israel let him nowe come downe from the crosse and we will beleue him he trusted in god let him deliuer him now if he wil haue him But harken now what Esay prophecieth of the former comming of Christ foretelling how humbly and lowly he should behaue himselfe here in the earth Behold saith the Lord by Esay my seruant I will stay vpon him mine elect in whom my soule deliteth I haue put my spirit vpon him he shall bring forth iudgement to the Gētiles he shall not cry nor lift vp nor cause his voyce to be heard in the streete a brused reed shall he not breake the smoking flaxe shall he not quench he shal bring forth iudgement in truth he shall not fayle nor be discoraged till he haue set iudgement in earth and the Iles shall waite for his law Here Esay describeth the person of Christ and telleth what his conuersation should be here in this earth all the tyme of his trauaile in his office or ministery how he should take vpon him our sinnes how he should satisfy for our faultes and how he should with all gentlenes and mercy vse vs poore wretches which deserued nothing but payne and punishment and how he should so entierly loue vs that no man need be afrayd of him dread him or tremble at the presēce of him But all men may rightly looke craue and hope for comfort ayde and helpe at his hand But we will waigh euery one of the prophets wordes in order for they are ful of great and infinit comfort First God the father nameth Christ his seruant because it was the will of our heauenly father that his onely begotten sonne mans flesh being taken vpon him should come downe to vs to be our seruāt which thing Christ himselfe witnesseth in Mathew saying The sonne of man came not to be serued but to serue and giue his lyfe for the ransome of many And Paule sayth He tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse Is not this now a wonderful incredible and great submission and humility May we not here conceiue a
most plentifull and perfite comfort and singular hope seyng the true and naturall sonne of God nothing neding our helpe would so humble and debase himselfe that beyng our lorde he did vouchsafe to become our seruant and tooke vpon him and bare our heauy lode and burden of sinne and put himselfe in our place and suffred death for vs and payd our dets which we our selues should haue payd If at this his comming he had shewed himself lordlyke and had come in the mighty power and greatnes of his godhead and had vsed and shewed his might maiesty where should we poore wretches miserable sinners haue appeared whither should we haue fled or with what face could we now approch come so often into his sight seyng we so oftentymes offended him and know so much euill by our selues but now seing he commeth in such humility like a seruant and sheweth such humblenes modesty and gentlenes in his person may not we hope to receue of him grace and forgiuenes of our sinnes yea although we were drowned in a most deepe whirle poole of sinne and though we were guilty of neuer so much wickednesse Truly this seruice of Christ is to God a most delectable acceptable and precious seruice which he greatly estemeth and deliteth most to haue offred vnto him And this order Paul kepeth in preaching Christ De doth not first extoll magnify and set forth the great wonderful power and maiesty of Christ but he first preacheth that crucified Christ and telleth vs that of his owne free will he became weake for vs and humbled himselfe most lowly for vs and was despised and abased for vs And when he hath well beaten these things into his auditors eares then he sheweth into what power deuine dignity he was exalted through his humility As we may reade for example in the 2. chap to the Philip. It followeth I will stay vpon him The Hebrue word Asmech doth signify to put vnder to vnder proppe to lay ones hand on a thing to leane to or stay on a thing so that the substance and stay of the humaine nature in Christ may very well be here vnderstood to wit that his humanity is vnited to his deuinity in vnity of person according to S. Paules saying to the Col. In him dwelleth all the fulnes of the godhead bodily Let him therfore which seketh God seke him in no other place but in this chosen seruant nay rather in our only lord Iesus Christ and in him he shall not seeke God in vayne but shall finde him most fruitfully In him only shall he feele the fatherly loue of God toward vs. It followeth My elected Christ is the true elected and dearely beloued sonne of God whom God so tenderly dearly and ardently loueth that for this his beloued elected and only begotten sonnes sake He hath through Christ Iesus beloued chosen and predestinated vs that he might adopt vs to be his children which were worthy nothing els but heauy wrath and sharpe punishment It followeth In whom I am well pleased The father frō heauen spake these very same wordes in Mathew and can we then doubt any thing hereafter of the grace of God in Christ If God the father be well pleased in Christ surely he will be well pleased in all them which are his sonnes which do beleue in his sonne Christ as the gospell euery where teacheth vs. I haue put my spirit vpon him and so it is sayd in Iohn The Lord hath not giuē him his spirit by measure For he was annoynted with the oyle of gladnes aboue his fellowes And Iohn sayth The spirit discended from heauen like a doue and it abode vpon him And Esay sayth The spirit of the Lord God is vpon me therefore hath the Lord annoynted me c. He shall bring forth iudgement vnto the Gentils Here Esay setteth forth the person of Christ in very pleasant and louing wordes saying He commeth vnto vs not as a prince swelling in pride or hautines of hart bragging himselfe of his regal power and desiring and neding the prayse and helpe of men but he commeth as a gentle milde and courteous teacher who deliteth to instruct vs and to bestowe and poure foorth vppon vs all his dignities benefits and gracious goodnesse And here he speaketh of Christes doctrine that is of the gospell saying that it should not onely be preached amongst the Iewes but through the whole world euen amongst the Gentils also And he calleth the gospel or the doctrine of Christ his iudgement because the holy ghost by the Gospell rebuketh the sinnes of the world reiecteth condemneth the righteousnes of the whole world and al the strength merites of this our sinfull and corrupted nature and teacheth vs that they are all folish and of none effect to the deseruing of the grace of God euerlasting life and that they deserue not the name of that righteousnesse which is allowed before God and which may be set against his seuere iudgemēt And in this gospel he setteth forth offreth vnto vs the righteousnes of Christ which is the alone onely most true perfit righteousnes which is able to coūteruail the wrath of god And he biddeth vs trust in Christ which thing alone doth iustify make vs acceptable before god There be many sayings testimonies like to these cōcerning the calling of the Gentils to the gospell plentifully set forth in the scriptures in euery place as Psal. 17.18.21.45 56.64.66.71.85.45.101.106 116. Esai 2.9.11.27.42.49.51.54.55.60.65.66 Iere. 3. 16. Hosea 1.2 Mich. 4.5 Zeph. 2.3 Zach. 2.8.9 Math. 2.21 28. Luk. 2.23 Ioh. 10. Acts. 2.10.11.13.14.15.18.22.26.28 Rom. 3.4.9.10.11.15 Eph. 2.3 Col. 1. 1. Thes 2. 1. Pet. 2. It followeth in the Prophet He shall not cry nor lift vp his voyce That is Christ shall not come after the maner of a mighty Prince swelling in pride neyther lyke a tyrant vaunting of his power and might which maketh all men feare and dread him but he shall come like a most louing and comfortable teacher and as one which wil rule and gouerne his kingdome with all humility facilitie curtesie and gentlenesse And therfore his voyce shall not be fearefull fierce rough seuere or cruel but sweete louing comfortable pleasant ioyfull and amiable He shall haue none of that stately high mynded disdainful and hauty behauiour which the princes of this worlde shew and vse Who if they go a progresse or trauaile any where are mightily garded and haue about them great troupes of horsemen footemen timbrels trumpets shawmes hornes and cornets so that euery man must needes quake and be afraid to heare and see such a stirre there shall no such a doe and hurly burly be sene in or about Christ he shall not cry he shall not turne any man away with bitter hawry and cruell wordes neyther shall he disdaine terrifie and driue men away with his hye proud and great lookes but he
and take away vngodlines wickednes sinfull deeds and that he might teach instill aduance and commend godlines and vertue in all men to make thē flie the euill and do the good It followeth The Iles shall waite for his law That is to say his doctrine shal be further spread be published in moe regions thē the law of Moses was which only was kept within the borders of Iury. This doctors doctrine shal be further spread For euen the Gentils which he here meaneth by the Iles shall and do looke for that doctrine that is it shall go through the whole world The Hebrue worde Thorah which the Translator interpreteth law signifieth also doctrine may well be so translated Now thē this Thorah or doctrine of Christ is that sauing doctrine of the gospell which ministreth vnto vs true ioy comfort and geueth a present helpe and salue for euery sore and sickenes that happeneth vnto vs Mathew alleageth this prophesie afterward sayth In his name shall the gentils trust according to the Greeke translation of the 70. interpreters who haue rightly expoūded this prophesie For in the Gospel the name of Christ is published preached and sayd to be our most redy and alone help ayde sauegard and saluation in all miseries and necessities As Peter saith to Cornelius the Ethnike shewing him the right way of saluation the words be these All the Prophets giue witnes to Christ that through his name all that beleue in him shal receiue remissiō of sinnes Neither by any other name but by the name of Christ be sins forgiuē through his merites onely not any of ours haue we forgiuenes of our sins by his merites only be we sinners forgiuen Christ alone none but Christ is our righteousnes But let vs go forward with the prophesie out of the same chap. Thus saith God the Lord He that created the heauens and spread them abroade he that stretcheth forth the earth the buddes therof he that giueth breth vnto the people vpō it and spirit to them that walke therin I the lord haue called thee in righteousnes will hold thy hand and I wil kepe thee and giue thee for a couenant of the people and for a light of the Gentils that thou maist open the eyes of the blind and bring out the prisoners frō the prison and them that sit in darkenes out of the prison house Behold here and see how plainly sweetly and graciously God the father setteth forth his sonne Christ yea how excellently he describeth his person and his office He doth not say he should be an angry and imperious Moses or some fearefull or proud prince who with his hie lookes should amase mē he doth not say his sonne at his comming should be such an one but he sayth that he should be a mild and officious doctor and teacher which should study and seeke for nothyng els but to bring his bywanderers into the right way to teach and instruct the ignorant and rude and to bring them that are in errour vnto the truth which may saue their soules and to comfort erect fortify and to encourage the faint harted sad sorowfull astonied and men driuen to desperation and to certifie them of gods free mercy and great grace and to deliuer them from al dāgers and calamities both of body and soule And least any man should doubt of these so great excellent and infinite benefites which here he promiseth by Christ he speaketh first and formost of his great and vncredible omnipotency saying that he is the Lord which maketh all things which fostereth all things which cherisheth refresheth gouerneth guideth all things But if he can do these things as certainly he can then can he also performe this that he promiseth As if he should say thus as surely as I haue made heauen earth so surely and truly will I call or send Christ into the earth I the Lord haue called thee in righteousnes We were all vnrighteous and so voyde of all righteousnes that of necessitie one must nedes be sent of such righteousnes that he might in our behalfe satisfy gods iustice teach vs true righteousnes and print it in our hartes This one is Christ the sonne of God in whose mouth is found no deceit he is the autor liuely paterne of al righteousnes nay he is perfect and very righteousnes it selfe he by that his most perfit righteousnes hath redemed vs most righteously from Sathans tirannicall power al other maladies God called him that he might teach vs not teach vs only but also endue vs with true righteousnes for without him there is no righteousnes I will hold thy hand and I will keepe thee Although Christ be the stone of offence and signe which is spoken against for we see Sathan and the world with all their power wisdom and hypocritical holines set thēselues ioyntly against him yea and that with such strength diligence force and violence that oftentimes the outward face of the true church appeareth miserable and semeth not able to stand and saue it self from such strōg enemies which are so forsable cunning subtill and deceitfull so that it is not much vnlike but the Gospell should be troden downe and be destroyed though I say Christ be thus spoken against yet notwithstāding shall Christ his worde with all that beleue his word persist and gloriously florish Where as the aduersaries of Christ and christians with all their subtill deuises shal be brought to extreme calamity be destroied vtterly fal horribly die miserably and perish eternally And yet doth not mans strength and power here fight against men for then the victory should be vncertayne and our state vnstable and weak but the mighty hand of God the father which createth and preserueth all things doth kepe and vphold Christ and therefore he cannot be ouercome mooued or destroyed For who shall take him out of the handes of him that made all things which is almighty and liueth for euer And this is a great comfort For the church being in this world of men so contemned with perils so indangered with rauening wolues so inuironed and with the wiles deceits subtilties crafty inuentions of the aduersary so compassed assailed And although this king lord of the catholike church came into this world as a mild doctor without any such pōpe as worldly princes vse so that the world supposeth that there is no strength power ayde or helpe for vs in him yet haue we on our side a most mighty and inuincible strength with certaine and present ayde and succor euen the right hand of the Lord which taketh vp defendeth sustaineth strengtheneth and kepeth Christ and all that beleue in Christ And I haue giuen thee for a couenaunt of my people Though Christ and his church be very contemptible and haue no beauty at all in the sight of the world yet in this haue we
created that God by the sonne made the world Whereupon the Hebrew tonge called him Amon because he was and wrought with his father as a most witty and excellent workeman in framing the heauens and earth and by this eternall wisdom the father created all things But this wisdome was neither made nor created because it is not a creature but the creator himselfe and yet begotten of the father from euerlasting And he greatly delighteth to be with mē Which thing he plainely declared in that great worke of his sauyng and holy humanitie which he tooke vpon him for vs This wonderfull great grace and saluation S. Paule calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Loue towardes man because the sonne of God although he stoode no neede of vs loueth vs with such an ardent zeale that for our sake he vouchsafed to become man and was like to vs in all things except sinne from which he was pure He truly tooke vpon him our nature that he might be in vs and we haue euerlasting lyfe in him But I need not bring many proofes and testimonies for the confirming of the euerlasting natiuitie of Christ For where so euer the Scripture intreateth of Christes true Godhead there doth it also firmely and without questiō proue his natiuitie to haue bene without beginning For if he be God and yet not the father as the scriptures do plainly notablely and distinctly make difference of the persons by their properties in Diety then is he another person and not God the father and yet no new nor strange god For seeing that there is but one eternall God it cannot be sayd that God the Sonne is yonger then God the Father as naturally it is amongst creatures that the begetter should bee before the thing begotten God cannot be comprehended in time but is euerlasting and immutable and therfore the sonne in eternity must be like the father So that it cānot be sayd there was a time in which the sonne lyued not and was afterward made It may be thus said of creatures but not of the eternall word which was before all beginning and was with God and the same word was God and all things were made by it Therfore Christ is the only begotten sonne of God as God begotten before all time the naturall sonne of God because he hath the same nature which the father hath who begot him as Hilary saith We may make similies not agreeing in deed in euery point to so great a mistery yet such as wherby we may after a sort vnderstand these great mysteries as far forth as mans mynde can conceiue of them Well then to make a simile to expresse Christes eternitie with the father If this visible and corporall sunne in the firmament had bene without beginning then the bright and beautifull light of the sunne or the sunne beame which commeth and issueth out of the sunne into the whole world had likewise also bene without beginnyng as wel as the sunne and yet the sunne should not procede from the beame but the beame from the sunne and the sunne neuer the more should not haue bene before the beame but both together at one instant and from euerlasting ¶ Anna. I pray you geue me some testimonies out of the Scriptures for the godhead of Christ ☞ Vrb. When Moses that worthy prophet by the holy spirit beginneth his book and speaketh of the creation of all thinges he maketh mention of the sonne of God and calleth him the word In the beginning saith he God created heauē and earth And God sayd let there be light and there was light and God saw the light that it was good In these wordes we may first see the person of the father where Moyses sayth God created God spake And afterward we may also see the person of the sonne For he is not onely God but he speaketh the word which worde was with God in the beginnyng and is the second person in the godhead And seing that God by that speaking or worde created all thinges it followeth necessarily that the worde which he spoke was before all creatures that it was also god And the word could not be a creature seeing God by the word in the beginning made and created all things In asmuch then as the word was not a creature and seeing it was with God the father before all time and al creatures when as yet there was no creature made it followeth of necessity that the word is eternall and true god For what thing so euer is neither creature nor contayned in time nor hath beginning that must needes be true God seeing that between God the creator and the creature there is no mean but what so euer hath any beeing is ether vncreated or created either the creator or creature If therfore the word which God spake be no creature for by the word al creatures were made so the word was the maker of all things made it followeth that this word must needes be true and eternall God. And this word is the sonne of God which in tyme became man as Iohn sayth The worde was made flesh that is true and naturall man And the euangelist Iohn beginneth his gospell which this text of Moses where he saith thus of the blessed dietie of Iesus Christ In the beginning was the worde and the worde was with God and that worde was god The same was in the beginning with God all thinges were made by it and without it was made nothing that was made This testimony proueth euidently and strongly that Christ is true and natural God for that word is very Christ which in tyme was made flesh ¶ Anna. I pray you husband do so much as expoūd these wordes more plainly for they farre exceede my simple wit and capacitie ☞ Vrb. Nay not this article only but all the articles of our christian fayth farre passe and exceede mans wit and reason But if you can subdue your reason to fayth you shall easily perceiue and vnderstand them all For it is not in this respect in spirituall things as in worldly matters we first perceiue know a thing in our owne reason before we beleue it But in the mysteries of the sacred worde the vnderstanding of these articles proceede of faith we must beleue before we see the reason According to that of Esay If ye beleeue not surely ye shall not be established But let vs interprete and expound these wordes In the beginning that is when the creatures which before were nothing tooke their beginning to be something For before that beginning of the creatures there was no beginning For as then there was nothing but god alone who had no beginning but was from euerlasting The word was in the beginning Do thou marke He saith not the worde begun in the beginning but he saith when all things did begin the word was alredy before with god The substance or essence of the word tooke
not then his beginning or began not whē other creatures began but it was then there present when al things were made all things had their beginning by the word And the word was with God without god there was nothing therefore of necessity it must nedes follow that the worde was with god Note diligently that Iohn saith well and plainly The worde was with God. For he doth there plainely and distinctly seperate the person of the word or of God the sonne from the person of God the father If any thing was with god before the beginning of creatures then was he not alone But what I pray you was with God the worde was with God but something to be with God is not God to be alone Therfore of necessitie must that word be another person thē that God is with whom it was in the beginning It followeth And God was the worde You know that God sayth thus in Deut. Heare O Israel the Lorde our God is Lord onely or is one God. If therefore he be one God it followeth that God himselfe is essentially that same word which was in the beginning before all creatures wherby you see that this word in essence is God himselfe or that God himself is the word And and thus you see here the true and naturall godhead of Christ For Christ is the worde And againe in the 8. of Iohn where the Iewes said vnto Christ who art thou He answered saying Verily euē the same that I said vnto you frō the beginning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. This was in the beginning with God Do you not here see how that in the beginning the word was with God God was that word These wordes do plainly and clerely proue that there is one only nature of gods essēce But not one only person yet neuertheles that persō is true God without beginning without ending All things were made by it These wordes do sufficiently proue that the same word Christ is God and the maker of all things which are both in heauē in earth If all creatures were made by him then without all doubt he himself was not made neither is to be accoūted in the number of things made all which had their beginning and substance of the word It followeth Without it was nothing made that was made as Hierom readeth this text If then without hym nothing was made how could he be created or made without whom nothing was made By all these it is plain manifest that this word is true God yet not of himself but of the father and yet not in time but before all tyme frō euerlasting for euermore without al other creatures Seing therfore that this eternal word the true natural sonne of God tooke vpon him mās nature and the same is Iesus Christ of Nazareth then Christ is true god These out of all doubt are most strong sound inuincible arguments and vndoubted proofes of Christs diuinity against Sabellius Arrius Eunomius Martion Manicheus Valentinus Eutiches Nestorius Appolinares other blinded bewitched heretikes which are autors of horrible heresies who while they wil opē intreat or speake of such great high matters which far passe mans capacitie not by the ground certainty of God his word but by the fantasticall folish erronious speculations and opinions of their owne braynes haue fallen into horrible detestable errors heresies It is therfore necessary that we in no wise admit take reason for our guide or ground in this matter but only folow the word of God with tooth and naile sticke to it by faith fully perswade our selues that that is most true and by it speak iudge al we iudge But if we wil refuse neglect the word take vpō vs by the sharpenes of our owne wit reason to vnderstand these articles and by our sences perceiue comprehend measure them then shal we fal from error to error vntil we be quite gone from the truth Well let vs heare more testimonies concerning the godhed of Christ The 45. psalm describeth the deuinitie humanity spiritual kingdom of Christ his promise made to his spouse the Church notably in these wordes Thy throne O God or thy seat is for euer and euer The scepter of thy kingdome is a scepter of righteousnes thou louest righteousnes hatest wickednes because God euen thy God hath annointed thee with oile of gladnes aboue thy fellowes The prophet here calleth Christ true god And this verse doth S. Paul recite to the Hebrues where he proueth the godhead of Christ You heare also that Iesus is mā whom God annointed more plenteously then his fellowes that is indued hym with his holy spirit blessed him with many more richer blessings then his fellowes to wit then the beleuers in Christ This must be vnderstood of his manhood for he was annointed according to his manhood vnto the euerlasting kingdom priesthoode by the holy ghost Christ according to his humanity hath fellowes whō in the psal he calleth brethren And Paul to the Rom. calleth Christ the first borne amongst many brethrē But he hath no fellow according to his godhead but is the only begotten eternal sonne of God. His rod or scepter is the gospell with it he raigneth ruleth that is with the rod of direction streight scepter of eternal true righteousnes which commeth by the gospell that is faith in Christ by which also we receiue the holy spirit which bringeth vs the right way not by the biewais and wrong pathes of mans doctrine but by the straite compendious and most faithfull pathe vnto lyfe true felicitie and God himselfe ¶ Anna. May not the Iewes here obiect that the godhead of Christ can not be fully sufficiently proued by this psalme seing that this word Elohim accordyng to the Analogie of that holy tonge doth not onely signifie God but may be attributed also to Angels Iudges ☞ Vrb. I confesse that this worde Eloha may sometimes be attributed vnto creatures but in this psalme all the circumstances do truly manifestly proue that Elohim betokeneth here only the true natural eternal God because he saith Lord thy seat or throne or thy kingly seat Do you marke how he speaketh here of a seate This euerlasting kingdom or empire or this kingly seat cannot belong vnto any creature but only vnto the true God who in many places of the scripture sayth I am the Lord. Therfore Elohim here doth signify that true euerlasting God which hath an eternall seat And in this place the godhead of Christ is most euidently truly proued against those stifnecked Iewes who are compelled will they nill they to confesse that this psalm speaketh of Christ Paul also proueth the godhead of Christ by the 2. psal Where the father sayth vnto the sonne Thou art my sonne this day
haue I begotten thee And although all the godly be called in the scriptures sonnes of God yet Christ in this place is the sonne of God after an other sort We are the sonnes of God by grace by the washing of the new birth or the lauer of regeneration but Christ is the true natural sonne of God begotten of the substance of the father before al worlds from eternitie And Paul speaking of this prerogatiue saith Vnto which of the Angels sayd he at any tyme thou art my sonne If he speake not these wordes vnto any Angels much lesse spake he them to any mā God created the Angels he created vs also and by his word and spirit he hath begot vs a new by this new birth we are become the childrē of grace but vnto Christ he saith this day haue I begotten thee Saint Augustine in his commentaries vpon the 2. psal saith that this word this day doth signify declare the euerlasting birth of the sonne And although this day set downe there in the prophesie may be thought to signify the tyme when Christ was borne according to hys manhood yet because this day signifieth a presence for in eternitie nothing is so past as though now it were not neither is any thing to come as though it had not alredy bene For what so euer is frō euerlasting is always it is vnderstood deuinely according to this saying this day haue I begotten thee wherby our true and catholike faith setteth forth vnto vs the euerlasting generation of the power wisdom of God which is the only begotten sonne of god And diuers other godly holy doctors as Arnobius Hillarius Cyrillus Chrysostomus and many mo vnderstand this verse thus S. Paul also to the Hebr. reciteth the wordes which are in the 2. booke of the Kings where God the father sayth thus of Christ I wil be his father he shal be my sonne This cannot be properly spoke of Salomon because God had promised Dauid a sonne or seed which shold spring out of his own loines And the circūstances of the places do plainly proue that this was spokē of Christ But Paul by these wordes goeth about to proue that Christ is a sonne far aboue differing frō other sons that God said this to no angell much lesse to Salomon How then can this otherwise be but that Christ must nedes be the natural sonne of God For the adoption calling of vs children which beleue in Christ is only geuen vs by grace as Iohn saith As many as receiued him that is Christ to them he gaue power to be the sonnes of God to wit to such as beleued in his name And Paule also citeth this verse worship him all you gods or angels out of the psalms These are his wordes And again when he that is his father bringeth in his first begotten sonne into the world he saith let all the angels of God honor him This verse speaketh of the kingdom of Christ which is aboue all things both in heauē and earth which kingdom is prepared by the gospell by which Christ is made known to the world the world is become his inheritance which heritage the father promised to giue him in the 2. psalm And although the cōdition of angels amongst all creatures is of all other most noble yet are they cōmaunded to adore this king Christ But to be adored is that honor which is onely due vnto God not vnto any other For seke the scriptures you shal find that the angels neuer adored any but God alone Paul also to the Hebr. proueth the godhed of Christ out of the 10. psal saying And thou lord in the beginning hast established the earth and the heauens are the workes of thine handes They shal perish but thou doest remaine and they shal waxe old as doth a garment and as a vesture shalt thou change or fold them vp they shal be changed but thou art the same and thy yeares shal not faile The holy ghost teacheth vs here as you may see by his minister Paul that this psalm in this place speketh of Christ as may be gathered both out of the argument and whole tract of the psalm to wit how that king whom the apostles had preached through all the world should be feared of all kings kingdoms of the world and that he is God himself who framed foūded both heauen and earth And although the creatures change and perish yet this God abideth stil in himself and is immutable and eternall but we shall fynde all these things in Christ And therfore vndoubtedly he is that true God which is both preached and feared thorow the whole world The names also of God by which the Scriptures speake of God giue vs if we marke them well a most firme and strong argument to proue the deuinity of Christ S. Hierom vnto Marcella hath noted names by which the scriptures cal god The first is El that is mighty the 2. Elohim the 3. Elohe that is God the 4. Zebaoth which the 70. interpreters translated into Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the learned doctor Rabbi Aquila doth trāslate it of Hostes The scripture vseth alwayes to adde this maiestical name Iehoua Edonai that is lord or god Edonai Zebaoth the lord of hostes 5 Elion that is the most hie 6. Eheieh Escher Eheieh Exodi that is I am that I am the 7. Edonai that is lord 8. Iah 9. Iehouah These two last names do only signify God in his holy eternal vnchangeable essence The x. name is Schaddai that is strong by himself or of himself sufficient able to do al things as s Hierom expoundeth it And God calleth himselfe so in Gen. saying Eni El Schaddai which S. Hierome translated into latin thus I the lord all sufficient But the 70. interpreters vse for Schaddai 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is god And this translation is true thogh Schaddai in dede signifieth almighty not properly god yet seing none is almighty but only god their translation is good Now marke what god saith in Esa. I am sayth he the lord or Iehouah this is my name and my glory I will not giue to another that is I am the true god This name and honor is only due to me this doth belong to me alone to no creature But if now this excellent hie name Iehouah may be proued by the prophets to be giuē properly to Christ then by an infallible argument good consequent is Christ proued to be true god For it is sure manifest that this name Iehouah is the proper essential name of god signifieth nothing but one true God in his holy essence maiesty which none of the other x. names doth but only this name Iehouah and Iah which Iah in my iudgement signifieth the same that Iehouah doth for they spring both out of one roote ¶ Anna.
Emanuel or Immanuel Which words the holy ghost expoundeth in Math. God with vs. For El signifieth God although it doth properly signify strong yet in Esa. it signifieth the true natural God who of himself is strōgest of al yea very strēgth it self The 70. interpreters trāslated it the mighty god Christ is also called God in Zach. who sayth And he shewed me Iehouah the high priest standing before the angel of the lord and Sathan stood at his right hand to resist him And the lord said vnto Satan the Lord reproue thee This angel and Iehouah or God is the onely begotten sonne of God who appeared to the prophet in the forme of an angel is often called an angel as Esa. The angel of the great counsel For he was sent into the world by the euerlasting counsell of the holy trinity This angel Christ is here called by the proper name of our true natural God that is Edonais or Iehouah And thus you see by these playne and manifest wordes that Christ is very true and naturall god I might bring more places out of holy scripture like vnto these where Christ is playnely and simply called God but you shall fynde them in reading your selfe There are also many testimonies by which the godhed of Christ is plainly declared although this name God be not alwais expresly set down For the circumstāces do mightily proue that euen he of whom the scripture in that place speaketh is true God as God saith in Esay I euen I am the Lord and beside me there is no sauior Here God himselfe saith that there is none other Moschiam deliuerer or sauiour but only he And this name Sauiour both in the old new testament is alwais attributed only vnto Christ It followeth therfore that Christ is true God or Iehouah And this testimony proueth the godhead of Christ as well as if in plain manifest wordes he had bene called god For when we write or speak of the prince of any country or prouince then it is all one whether we say here standeth the right lord heyre gouernour of this country or here standeth he to whom this land or prouince belongeth or to whom this region is subiect by the commaundement of god If therfore the whole country or dukedom belong to none other but to the ruler therof only then is the meaning of both the sentēces one If there be none other sauiour but only God and yet Christ is our alone sauiour as the scripture saith he is then must it nedes follow that Christ is God. The scripture also saith in Ieremy Cursed be the mā that trusteth in man. And Paul saith He that beleueth in him that is Christ shall not be ashamed or cōfounded And Iohn saith He that beleueth in Christ shall not be condemned All the whole Gospell requireth fayth in Christ Faith is a worke of the first commaundement which is due to none but only to the sole true god If therfore we must beleue in Christ as we daily say when we repeat the christian creede I beleue in Christ our lord c. It followeth that he is true god For if he had not bene true God the scripture would neuer haue cōmaunded vs to honor him as God But seing that the scripture cōmaundeth vs to honor him as god it must nedes be that he is God. As Ioh. saith The father hath committed all iudgement vnto the sonne because that al men should honour the sonne as they honour the father But the father is honoured in fayth loue feare hope and inuocation For we beleue in him loue hym feare him put our whole trust in him call vpon him and such like This is the honor due to God only But the sonne must be honored after the same maner and therefore he is very god Many such reasons may be gathered as we read in Hilary Ambrose Augustine but specially in Cyril in those 14. famous bokes which he intituled the treasure against the Arrians There is also a testimony of Christes godhed in the 11. of Esay where the Hebrue text is thus The nations shal seeke vnto it or shall make inquisition after it that is Christ The 70. interpreters haue thus translated it the Gentils shal trust in him that is in Christ He speaketh here of the root Isai or Iesse that is Christ which thing must nedes be confessed because none can deny it If then the Gentils must put their trust in him and yet must we trust in none but the true God because none but he can or wil saue vs it followeth by a consequent that Christ is very god The Euangelist S. Iohn is ful of such arguments wherby the godhead of Christ may be proued by his diuine workes Like as the father raiseth vp the dead and quickeneth thē so the sonne quickeneth whom he wil. Wherby it is playne that the sonne is god For to raise vp the dead to life is a worke of an infinite power which none can do vnlesse he be true god But seing that Christ raiseth vp the dead to life by his own power as wel as the father it followeth that he is true god It is also said in Iohn What so euer thing the father doth the same doth the sonne also Wherby is proued that the father the sonne are both of one essence nature and power Therefore the sonne is true God and doth as wel create as the father And in the same chap. As the father hath life in himself so likewise hath he giuen to the sonne to haue life in himself We creatures haue life but not of our selues For it is giuē vs of God by grace But the heauenly father hath life in himself so that he himself is essentially life it selfe neyther hath he taken it of another neither gaue he life so vnto the sonne as he geueth it vnto creatures as thogh he had not had it before or as though he had ben without it and afterward receiued it of his father as other creatures do nay there was no such giuing For the son in his godhed hath not his life after that sort but the father begot him from euerlasting of his own substance essence And thus the father borowed his substaunce of none And whatsoeuer the sonne is or hath the same he is hath of the father The father who is very lyfe in himselfe begot the sonne who also in like maner is very life in himself as s August saith And Christ is the very sonne of God therefore true god And so saith Christ in Ioh. I am the resurrection and the life Wherby it foloweth that Christ is true god For he is life in deed and maketh the dead to liue which thing is not the work of a creature but only of god And Christ sayth in the x. of Iohn I haue power to lay downe my life and haue power to take it againe
Which thing he did on Easter day when by his owne proper power and might he rose from the dead This is the worke of God and he attributeth and taketh it to himself For he saith I haue power c. We also shall rise againe but we haue no power to rayse vp our selues as Christ raiseth himself but he through his owne proper strength and vertue doth rayse vs vp Christ also is omnipotent but none but God is omnipotent therfore Christ is god Paul proueth his almighty power to the Phil. where he sayth Christ shall chaunge our vile body that it may be fashioned lyke vnto his glorious body according to the working wherby he is able euen to subdue all thinges to himselfe Therefore must he nedes be almighty so of necessity true god God saith in Zachary I wil poure vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitantes of Ierusalem the spirite of grace and of compassion and they shal loke vpon me whō they haue perced Here God speaketh For to giue the holy ghost is the very office of god And the same onely Lord God saith He was nailed on the crosse and pierced through the side And did not the very same happen vnto Christ hanging vpon the crosse Iohn saith One of the souldiers with a speare pierced his side forthwith came there out bloud and water Seyng that God and man is one person in Christ therefore doth the Scripture because of the vnitie of person vse this phrase or maner of speaking as Paule sayth to the Corinthiās They would not haue crucified Christ the Lorde of glory For the person of Christ is not to bee deuided or sundered Wee must not say man Christ suffered for vs man Christ was slayne for vs but God and man that one person the Lord of glory and maiesty was crucified and dyed for vs. The Godhead or deuinitie of Christ is euery foote in the new Testament proued and confirmed out of the ground of the olde Testament Paule in the Actes sayth Take heede therefore vnto your selues and to al the flocke whereof the holy ghost hath made you ouerseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his owne bloud Bede sayth in his Commentaries on these wordes Paule is not afrayde to call it the bloud of God for the vnitie which is in the two natures of our Lord Iesus Christ Wherefore he is called also the sonne of man which is in heauen Let therefore that Nestorian heretike cease to seperate the sonne of man from the sonne of god and let him not make to hymselfe two Christes Iohn Baptist sayth thus concerning Christ I saw and bare recorde that he is the sonne of God. Let vs note here that which Cyrill noteth vpon Iohn to wit that the Greeke article doth declare the person Christ to be the very sonne of God after a peculiar sorte We are the children of God adopted by grace but Christ is the onely true and naturall sonne of God begotten of the substaunce of the father who was prefigured and set downe in the types of Moyses lawe who also was prophesied of by the Prophetes God so loued the worlde that he hath giuen his onely begotten son that whosoeuer beleueth in him should not perishe but haue euerlasting lyfe Saint Cyril sayth vpon these wordes He giueth forth in these wordes that he is true God by nature For it must needes be that the onely begotten sonne of God beyng like to the father must also be God who hath not onely the externall honour of childhoode as we haue but is in deede the very same which he is sayd to bee Christ also in Ioh. sayd vnto the Iewes None is able to take thē my shepe out of my fathers handes I and my father are one for which saying the Iewes being about to stone him sayde Thou being a man makest thy self a God. Here the Iewes plainly vnderstood that when Christ called God his father and when he said I the father are one that then he called himself true God and the naturall sonne of God who is like to his father as s Augustine sayth vpon these words And Thomas simply calleth Christ God saying Thou art my lord and my God. Here again s. Cyril admonisheth vs to note these wordes well as they were writtē in the Greke tong in which the new testament was writtē The Greke is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Both the wordes lord and God haue their proper articles Wherupon it may easily be gathered vnderstood that Christ is not called lord or God as the angels and men in office authority are called gods but after another proper peculiar sort for he is the true and natural god But it would be long to repeate all that is in Iohn concerning this matter And this I tel you that all the gospel of Iohn almost euery chap and verse is nothing els but a testimony of Christes Godhed Wherfore my councel is that you highly esteme Ioh. gospell that you hartily loue it and that with all diligence you read it and read it again Paul saith that god had promised his gospel afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his sonne Iesus Christ our lord And here after a peculiar sort he calleth Christ the sonne of God euen his natural sonne And he sayth that Christ concerning the flesh came of the ancient fathers who is God ouer all blessed for euer Amen We looke for that blessed hope appearing of the glory of the mighty God and of our sauiour Iesus Christ And to the Phil. he saith Christ being in the forme of God thought it no robbery to be equal with god but he made himselfe of no reputation toke vnto him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a mā And to the Col. In Christ dwelleth the fulnes of the godhead bodely That is as Theophilact expoūdeth it substantially or essentially so that God and man are one persō and not two sonnes of god but one sonne of God one Christ And Ioh. saith We are in him that is true that is in his sonne Iesus Christ This same is very God eternal lyfe There are many mo testimonies of Christes true godhead But seing it would be great trouble and also aske long tyme to speake of them al I pray you at this tyme be content with these ¶ Anna. You haue alledged sufficient testimonies concerning Christes diuinity I haue oftentymes heard you in many and long sermons thorowly ground and proue it but you haue neuer done you make no end if you once beginne and haue occasion and opportunity to speake of this doctrine and article ☞ Vrb. Some mē litle conuersant in heauēly things perhaps wil thinke that I haue spoken many needles wordes laboured long about a little But take you good hede my wife that
things which in his word he hath promised vs For he geueth vs the holy ghost who giueth vs faith confirmeth vs with his word that we may depēd vpō him cōstantly cleaue to him as to a most strong rock so in all aduersities calamities stande stedfast vnmoueable against the assaults iniuries of our enemies so the at the last we may ouercome them vanquish them with the Psalmist reioyce say the lord our God is my strength And with Paul to the Phil. I am able to do al things through the helpe of Christ which strengthneth me The fourth name is Gibbor that is the lord or giant In the former names we are taught what maner and meane Christ vseth and how he handeleth vs when he wil bring vs to his kingdome First of all he handleth vs straightly mortifieth our olde Adam which seemeth vnpleasant to the flesh worketh al things so by contrarieties that our reason is confounded and knoweth not how to vnwynd it selfe Secondly he comforteth vs by his gospel Thirdly he is present with vs in all his might and strength deliuereth vs out of al extremities and perill But this 4. name telleth vs how Christ vseth and handleth his and our enemies Christ is called in the scriptures Gibbor that is lord or giant for his inuincible might and power For seyng he is king and will gouerne his kingdome peaceably he must nedes suppresse and vanquish the enemies of his kingdome that christians may liue safely without feare and hurt but he cannot beat down and breake the force of his enemies without great power seyng Satan with the world and sinne with death are most horrible vgly strong and outrageous enemies Death is stronger then the whole world And Satan as Iob witnesseth is of such might strength that al men in the world are not to be compared to him He is the prince of all the children of pride and disdaine And he is that strong mā armed that kepeth his palace so that all that he possesseth is in peace But Christ is much stronger who ouercommeth the euil spirite and deliuereth vs from all power of darknes wherof Dauid saith He reioiceth like a mighty man or giant to run his course Christ hath ouercome death the deuil now alone the lord of all things is with great triumph rightly honored by these titles He is lord to whō euery knee doth bow and lord ouer the quicke and the dead And Iohn saith Christ the sonne of God appeared that he might loose the workes of the deuil And Paul to the Col. saith He hath spoiled the principalities power hath made a shew of thē openly and hath triumphed ouer thē in the same crosse He is called in Esay Maher schalal that is make hast to pray As if one should say a quicke spoiler Hashbaz that is make hast to spoile or a spedy spoil We were the miserable seruants of the deuill sold vnder sinne and he held vs vnder his tiranny molested vs at his pleasure will. Thē came the mighty giant our lord Christ a lion of the tribe of Iuda fought with that prince of darknes which had rule ouer death got the victory and by his death destroyed the power of the enemy set vs being deliuered out of his tiranny at liberty according to that of Iohn If the sonne shall make you free you shal be free in deed The 5. name is Abiad that is a father for euer or always and euermore a father world without end By this name we feele and perceiue the mercy clemency pity grace of this child toward vs Because he will not be such a king amongst vs his poore people as at whose maiesty the godly shold be amased feare quake trēble but he loueth vs fatherly he embraceth vs louingly he wil norish defēd cherish vs singularly And as a godly louing father is by the instinct of nature wel affected to his welbeloued son as he is careful ouer his child alwais thinking how to prouide for him honestly how to bring him vp vertuously how to instruct frame tech chastē gouern rule defēd him fatherly make him apt fit for his heritage So doth Christ in his kingdom with vs Here is nothing but natural loue fatherly affectiō toward vs nothing but a vehement loue nothing but a care and desire to do vs good nothing but infinite beneuolence towards vs. But in this simile there is great difference betwene a worldly father Christ our father For we haue much greater better and fatherly gifts of Christ thē any beloued sonne hath of his earthly father though he be a most louyng intreater of his children The earthly father which is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in deede loueth his children careth for them fostereth them cherisheth them fedeth them and bringeth them wel vp yet this care regard good will and diligence of earthly parents is temporal and cannot continue abide for euer And it happeneth oftentimes that when the children stande most need of their parents helpe or counsaile then are theyr fathers constrained to leaue them and dye But Christ is always our perpetual euerlasting eternal father for he suffred once for vs his childrē now he suffreth no more And he neither can nor wil leaue vs without helpe he both can wil maintaine feed care for kepe and defend vs here for euer God prepareth vs here for his own inheritance that after this temporall lyfe we may liue with him for euer And hereunto accordeth very well the translation of the 70. interpreters who cal this word Abiad father of the world to come or of the lyfe that shall be to the ende they may thereby signify the mystical resurrection into lyfe euerlasting of all that beleue in Christ At which tyme shal be plainly opened and reueled in what honor and dignity the godly shal be and how derely Christ hath loued them how he hath embraced them and what care he had ouer thē Let therfore euery godly mā kepe this title of Christ in his mynd whē death approcheth he shal find therby a singuler comfort For then he knoweth that Christ is not only here but shal be for euer a most louing father Which thing Paule knew very well and was thereof throughly persuaded yea he had so grounded it in hys hart that euē in death he was of good courage saying Christ is to me life and death is to me aduauntage I desire to be loosed and to be with Christ Why then do we not desire to be dissolued why then are we not desirous to die how happeneth it that we feare death truly because we do not firmly and constantly beleue the scriptures because our faith is weake little And because we let not this heauenly and deuine comfort of Gods
liuely word where Christ is called a father for euer so depely and thorowly sinke into our harts and because we do not meditate so of it do not so wel vnderstand it nor so stedfastly beleue it as Paul did For our harts would not so faile vs as they do if we beleued and certainly knew what a God what a King what a lyfe and what a father Christ is vnto all those that faithfully beleue The name is Sarscholam that is a prince of peace Christ hath a kingdom wherin is peace security safety freedome from death Satan and all other dangers But here is all the labor and trauel to come vnto to attaine to dwel in that euerlasting kingdom If we be once there then are we safe without gunshot then are we sure then are we in a most happy state If sinne pricke vs in our consciences Christ is by by at hand defendeth vs He toke our sinnes vpon him and satisfied for them and became our righteousnes He put out as Paule saith the hand writing of ordinances that was against vs which was contrary to vs he euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it vpon the crosse Of this true heauenly peace the scripture speaketh in many places As to the Rom. where Paule sayth We haue peace toward God through our lord Iesus Christ Sinne had made vs the enemies of God as Paul calleth vs in the same place But Christ himself wiped away our sinnes and reconciled vs vnto God so that now he is not an enemy or iudge vnto vs but a welbeloued father For if when we were his enemies we were reconciled vnto God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled we shal be saued by his lyfe And not onely so but also reioycing in god through our lord Iesus Christ by whom we haue receiued the atonement And nowe in Christ Iesus we which once were farre of are made neere by the bloud of Christ for he is our peace This therefore is true peace when we haue peace with God through our mediator peacemaker Christ For what would the peace and friendship of all the world and worldly creatures auaile profit vs if God were our enemy and angry with vs but if God who taketh more care for vs and loueth vs better then any father doth hys children fight for vs if we be at one with him if he wish vs wel and if he profit vs what can now hurt vs how can the earth with all the creatures therein euen once touch vs Thus you heare that when we beleue in Christ we haue this peace with God thorough Christ so that we may now say If God be on our side who can be against vs and he that kepeth Israel will neither slumber nor slepe Wherefore although we haue affliction in this world yet haue we perfect peace in Christ our peace-maker 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Sarscholam that is the prince of peace or peacemaker He obtained merited peace for vs with God the father giueth vs his spirite the spirit of peace that we may also haue peace with our neighbour He wisheth vs this peace saying Peace I leaue with you my peace I giue you not as the world giueth it c. He also preserueth vs that we be not hurt of our enemies that we may be safe from all dangers By these epithetons names of Christ many mysteries are to be noted as that he is true God that he shold die because he was borne a mā but that he should not abide in deth because he was to raign eternally Wherby is plainly truly proued that both Christ we shal rise againe For we which beleue in Christ both are his members enheritance and kingdom shal be for euer The sonne hath prayed for vs his praiers are heard The father hath giuen vs his sonne with him shall we dwel for euer Our mansion house our lodging our abiding place is already prepared And Christ saith in Ioh. Father I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me euen where I am In the wordes following the prophet Esay prophecieth of the euerlasting kyngdome of Christ how it should be great seyng he was to be king not only of the Iewes but euen of the Gentils also dispersed through the whole world how he should daily increase and inlarge his dominion euen to the last day and how he should execute confirme establish and for euer preserue and gouerne the same by iustice and iudgement but of this part of the prophesie I will speake more by Gods grace in the title of the kingdome of Christ You haue heard before where I expoūded the 5. of Micheas and the 2. of Luke where and how the child Christ should be borne Well then Christ was borne at Bethelem Iuda in December in the midst of Winter and was swadled layd in a manger For Ioseph and Mary could not be lodged in any Inne for there was no roume for them The holy prophet foretold this sacred and blessed birth of Christ as you haue heard And the angels from heauen afterward did declare it vnto the shepeheardes in Luke where the angel saith Be not afraid for behold I bring you tidings of great ioy that shal be to all the people that is that vnto you is borne this day a sauiour in the city of Dauid which is Christ the lord And straight way ther was with the Aungell a multitude of heauenly souldiours praysing God and saying glory be to God in the heauens and peace in earth towards men good wil. The shepeherdes which saw this birth of Christ published and shewed it abroade The starre also in the East and the wisemen which came thēce vnto Bethelem were witnesses of the birth of Christ Simeon also Anna in the temple saw this childe who was the promised author of our saluation and they bare witnes that Messias was present And this doth the whole church of Christ beleue confesse preach and declare through all the world and the name of God is preached and praised in euery place And these glad tidings to wit that Iesus Christ our saluation is borne in Bethelem is preached in euery place And Ierusalem that is the catholike church doth reioyce and skippe for ioy for this natiuity bringeth vnto vs all felicity saluation and consolation ⧠Of Christes flying into Egypt ¶ Anna. WHat say the Prophetes of Christes flying into Egypt ☞ Vrb. Mathew saith in his 2. chap. when the wise men of the East returned from India they returned into their own country an other way and went not to Herode After their departure the angel of the lord appeared vnto Ioseph in a dreame saying arise and take the babe his mother flie into Egypt there lie vntil I bring thee word for Herod wil seke
to destroy him So Ioseph rose toke the babe and his mother by night and departed into Egypt was there vnto the death of Herode that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the lord by his prophet saying Out of Egypt haue I called my sonne This prophesie is thus set down in Hosea When Israel was a child then I loued him and called my sonne out of Egypt Here the prophet speaketh of Israel that is the Iewes and of his sonne Iesus Christ He sayth that God loued the Israelites Which thing he sufficiently declared by many and wonderfull benefits He brought thē vp nourished them always cared for them euen as a father careth for his chylde He made them a great mighty famous people And although their vnkindnes deserued farre otherwise yet notwithstanding he faithfully performed alwayes the promises which he had made vnto thē All these things were done for Christes sake that most blessed seed which he had promised vnto Abrahā This Christ this seed according to the flesh was to be borne of the tribe of Iuda And therfore he brought his people Israel by Moses Iosua out of Egipt the house of bondage into the lād of Canaan with a strong hand mightypower For it was his good pleasure that of this people Christ the sauiour of the whole world should be born as he promised before by his prophets But now after that when Christ our sauiour in the fulnes of tyme was borne had for a tyme by flying into Egypt shrouded himself from the wrath of Herode who had commaunded all the infants to be slain God brought him thence againe into the land of Israel Of which Math. sayeth But when Herod was dead behold the angell of the lord appeared in a dream to Ioseph in Egypt saying arise take the babe his mother and go into the land of Israel for thei are dead which soght the babes life Then he arose toke the babe his mother came into the land of Israel But when he heard that Archelaus did raigne in Iuda in stead of his father Herod he was afraid to go thither yet after he was warned of God in a dreame he turned aside into the parties of Galile wēt and dwelled in a city called Nazareth that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet which was that he should be called a Nazarite ¶ Anna. What speaketh the prophets of the ministery of Christ Of the ministery of Christ how he should be a king a priest a doctor a peacemaker a mediator a shepeheard our redemer and iudge of the world Vrbanus THe prophets witnes that Christ is our king priest teacher maister peacemaker redeemer mediator high iudge God saith by Dauid I wil declare the decree that is the Lord hath said vnto me thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee aske of me and I shall giue thee the heathen for thine inheritance the endes of the earth for thy possession Here god the father saith that he had ordained his sonne Christ to be king in Zion that is in the whole catholike church For Zion was a hill in Ierusalem wheron king Dauids pallace stoode It is also a figure of the whole catholike church through out the world The sonne maketh mention of his preaching doctrine saying that he would preach declare him self to be the son of god vnto the whole world and that he had all power geuen him not onely to be Lord and king ouer the Iewes but also ouer the gentils that is of all the Christians in the world that all they which beleued hys preaching should bee hys peculiar people ouer whom he would raigne for euer And agayn Dauid sayth Geue thy iudgments vnto the king O Lord and thy righteousnes to the kinges sonne yea all kinges shall honor him and all nations shal serue him This Psalme speaketh of the true Solomon Christ that he should be the greatest and most mighty in the earth before whom all other kinges should do homage So Christ also is called a kyng in the 89. Psalme But we will speake more of these in the title of Christs kingdom I wil make him my first borne higher then the kings of the earth Esa. saith The Lord is our iudge the lord is our lawgiuer the lord is our king he wil saue vs. We read the like in Eze. Zach. And Ioel also saith Be glad then ye children of Zion reioyce in the lord our God for he hath giuen you a raigne or teacher of righteousnes This raigne or teacher is Christ Iesus our only maister doctor as it is sayd in Math. One is your doctor to wit Christ and all ye are bretheren He is not such a teacher or such a maister as Moses or we are For he preacheth not the gospel to the outward eare onely but he giueth vs by the holy ghost the true holines in our hartes spiritually which before god is auailable to wit faith in him Which Paul calleth the righteousnes of God. For faith in Christ is the worke and gift of god in vs which is imputed to vs for righteousnes Againe Dauid saith our instructer shall be adorned with many blessings This instructer is Christ who in dede is truely blessed For all that beleue his doctrine by him are deliuered frō the curse are made the childrē of god for euer He washeth vs with the gratious welsprings of his gifts teacheth vs in our harts that we may be taught of god know the father by the sonne in whō consist true blessings and euerlasting life You haue heard before out of the 61. of Esay that Christ was sent by the father to preach the gospel to the poore afflicted As he confesseth in Luke saying that he should preach the kingdome of God to other cities for therfore was he sent Wherfore Esay calleth him the light of the Gentils the gospel the light of the world because he illuminateth vs which sit in the depe darknes of folly ignorāce with true knowledge the holy ghost For naturally of our own strēgth we neither know god nor our selues The womā of Samaria saith in Ioh. I know well that Messias shal come which is called Christ when he is come he wil tel vs al things And therfore Moses calleth him a prophet because he should teach the worde of God vnto his people Christ also saith in Esay He hath made my mouth like a sharpe sword that is I wil execute my ministery by the word which shal be effectual pierce lyke a sharp sword And he saith to Pilate that for this cause he was borne and for this cause he came into this world that he should beare witnes vnto the truth And he addeth euery one that is of the truth heareth my voyce He wil speake peace vnto the heathen To be brief al
sayth the lord of hostes smite the shepeherd and the sheepe shal be scattred Christ himselfe expoundeth this prophesie in Math. calling himself the shepeherd and sayth All you shal be offended by me this night for it is written I will smite the sheepeherd and the sheepe of the flocke shal be scattred but after I am risen againe I will go before you into Galile Ezechiel inueying against the vnfaithfull and false prophets in Israel whith taught not the word of God sincerely and vprightly but preached mās doctrine for the word of God and fed themselues but not the sheepe sayth Behold I wil search my sheep and seek them out as a shepheard searcheth out hys flock when he hath ben amongst hys sheep that are scattered so will I seek out my sheep will deliuer them out of all places where they haue bene scattered in the cloudy and darck day I will feed thy sheep sayth the lord c. Christ teacheth vs in Iohn who is the true sheepeheard to whome the sheep of dutye belongeth who also will keep and defend them from al dangers Wherfore he sayth not simply I am a shepheard but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the Greke is more effectual that is I am euen that good shepeheard As if he had sayd the prophets haue spoken of a good shepherd which should be so faythful and so mighty that he both would and could deliuer his sheep from al peril That good shepherd is now here himself I am euen the good shepheard There are many other shepherds but they are hirelings for they are not carefull ouer their sheep they are not faithful diligent in their cures but I am that good shepeheard I giue my life for my shepe God the father speaketh more in that place of the prophet cōcerning this shepeherd saying I will set vp a shepeherd ouer thē and he shal feed them euen my seruant Dauid he shal feed them and he shall be their shepeheard This is not spokē of king Dauid the sonne of Isa◠for he was dead long before the time of Ezech. but it is spoken of Christ the true Dauid of whō Dauid was but a figure of whose lineal descent it was prophesied that Christ should come Again God saith They shal be my people I wil be their god and Dauid my seruant shal be king ouer thē they al shal haue one shepeherd This is spoken of Christ whose seruants we all are in the ministery of preaching but he is that true shepeherd with whō we shal find a safe place of refuge succor help helth pleasant pastures with all other things necessary for this life for the life to come Paul speaketh thus of this shepeherd to the Hebr. The God of peace that brought again frō the dead our lord Iesus the great shepeherd of the sheepe through the bloud of the euerlasting couenant And Pet. saith When the chief shepeherd shal appeare ye shall receiue an incorruptible croune of glory ¶ An. But where do the prophets witnes that Christ should be the iudge of the world both of Iewes and Gentiles ☞ Vrb. The new testament is an exposition and interpretation a cleare light of the old testamēt Christ saith in Ioh. The father iudgeth no mā but hath committed al iudgement vnto the sonne because that al men should honor the sonne as they honor the father The father also hath giuen him power to iudge because he is the sonne of man The church alwais vnderstood these words to be of the last iudgement when the dead shal rise againe the iudge shal giue to euery one as he hath deserued Paul saith We must al appeare before the iudgemēt seat of Christ that euery man may receiue the things which are done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or euil Christ therfore died and rose againe reuiued that he might be lord both of the dead and the quick And is ordained of God a iudge of quicke and dead Now loke on the prophets what after what sort they speake of that iudge who shall iustly iudge the whole world And you shall easely perceaue that it is none other but our Lord Iesus Christ And this is most true This is most infallable For Ioh. sayth The father hath committed all iudgement to him And Peter sayth that god ordained him to this end And so doth the new testament expounde and vnderstande the Prophetes in all places where they write of Christ neyther need we be moued with this that the scriptures do geue iudgment only vnto god For this is no matter this repugneth not our saieng for Christ is that true god And in asmuch as he is God he receiueth nowe nothing which he had not before seing that he is of one essence power and maiestie with God the Father for euer But in asmuch as he is man he receiueth power from the father to iudge al things as Cyril sayth Now then let vs see what the prophets foretell of this mighty iudg Dauid sayth The Lord hath prepared hys throne in heauen for iudgment for he shal iudge the world in righteousnes and shall iudge the people with equitie We easely vnderstād this text by the 17. chap. of the Acts. where Paul preaching to the Atheniences sayth God admonished all men to repent because he hath appointed a day in the which he will iudg the world with righteousnes by that man whom he hath appoynted Again Dauid sayth The God of gods euē the Lord hath spoken and called the earth from the rising vp of the sun vnto the going down therof out of Sion which is the perfection of beauty hath God shyned Our God shall come and shall not keepe silence a fire shall deuour before him and a mighty tempest shall bee mooued rounde about him Hee shall call the heauen aboue and the earth to iudge hys people The 70 interpreters haue translated it thus God shal come openly euen our god and shall not keep silence any longer The Church taketh this to be spoken of the latter comming of Christ For he will not then come to iudge the world in a base forme or habite hiding hys godhead but at the last day he will come with great power Thus sayth Austine Furthermore that shining beame or beutiful brightnes of God is Christ Iesus he bursts forth and shineth out of Sion that is out of the tribe of Iuda the house of Dauid and will come openly in great power and maiesty accompaned with all the Angels At his first comming he came secretly humbly without any great ado for it was his wil to be iudged and slaine for our sakes euen as a sheepe appointed to the slaughter But in the last day he shall come with great power magnificence and shal descend from heauen as the most mighty high God iudge of all with a
slepe in Iesus will God bring with him And to Tim. he sayth Christ came into this worlde to saue sinners And againe There is one God and one mediator betwene GOD and man which is the man Iesus Christ who gaue himselfe for a ransome for all men And againe God saued vs and called vs with an holy callyng not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen vs through Christ Iesus before the world was but is now made manifest by the appearing of our sauiour Iesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality vnto lyght through the gospel And to Titus he saith For the grace of God that bringeth saluation vnto all men hath appeared and teacheth vs that we should deny vngodlinesse worldly lustes that we should liue soberly and righteously and godly in this present world loking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the mighty God of our sauiour Iesus Christ who gaue himselfe for vs that he might redeme vs from all iniquity and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe zelous of good works And to the Hebr. he sayeth Forasmuch then as the children were partakers of flesh and bloud he also himself likewise tooke part with thē that he might destroy through death him that had the power of death that is the deuil and that he might deliuer all them which for feare of death were all their life tyme subiect to bondage For he in no sort tooke the angels but he tooke the seed of Abraham Wherfore in all things it became him to be made like vnto his brethren that he might be mercifull and a faythfull high priest in things concerning God that he might make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people For in that he suffred and was tempted he is able to succour all them that be tempted In the same place the Apostle sayth that Christ by the grace of God tasted of death for all men Read the whole epistle to the Hebr. but especially the 5. 7. 8. 9. 10. chap. concerning Christes priesthood and sacrifice for it is in deede a most worthy and precious treasure Peter sayth Blessed be God euen the father of our lord Iesus Christ which according to his aboundaunt mercy hath begotten vs agayne vnto a liuely hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead And it followeth You are not redemed with corruptible things as with siluer and gold from your vayne conuersation receiued by the traditions of the fathers but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a lambe vndefiled and without spot which was lord before the foundation of the world but was declared in the last tymes for your sakes which by his meanes doe beleue in God that raysed him from the dead and gaue him glory that your faith hope might be in God. And agayne Christ himselfe bare our sinnes in his body on the tree that we being deliuered from sinne should liue in righteousnesse Christ also hath once suffred for sins the iust for the vniust that he might bring vs to god And Ioh. saith The bloud of Iesus Christ the sonne of God clenseth vs from all sinne And againe We haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust and he is the reconciliatiō for our sinnes ▪ and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole world It followeth Your sinnes are forgiuen you for his names sake And againe For this purpose appeared the sonne of God that he might loose the workes of the deuill And again In this appeared the loue of God toward vs because God sent his only begotten sonne into the world that we might liue through him Herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs and sent his sonne to be a recōciliation for our sinnes To be briefe this is the pithe of all the Apostles preaching And this is the summe of their doctrine that we obtaine forgiuenesse of all our sinnes and euerlasting lyfe by none other but only by Iesus Christ and by no other worke but by his most precious death and victorious resurrection Therfore Peter with great boldnes instructing the Iewes concerning Christ comprehendeth all the whole matter briefly in few wordes in the 4. chap. of the Acts where he sayth You haue crucified Christ whom God raysed frō the dead This is the stone which was cast aside of you builders which is become the head of the corner neither is there saluation in any other For among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen wherby we must be saued And Paul to the Cor. saith Christ died for our sinnes according to the scripture and was buried and rose agayne the third day according to the scriptures And if Christ be not raised agayne then is our preaching vayne and your fayth vayne Ye are yet in your sinnes and so they which are a sleepe in Christ are perished If in this life onely we haue hope in Christ we are of all men the most miserable But now is Christ risen from the dead and was made the first fruits of them that slept For since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead For as in Adam all die euen so in Christ shall all be made alyue S. Augustine hath a learned and worthy saying namely that one resurrection of Iesus Christ saith he hath giuen vs two resurrections to wit one spiritual from our sinnes and the other corporal For when as Christ rayseth vs vp from the spirituall death of sinne by his holy Gospell and lighteneth our hartes with the knowledge of Gods grace and our sinnes When he pardoneth our sinnes and whē he giueth vs the holy ghost then do we rise from our wickednesse and are counted righteous in the sight of god This resurrection is here in earth by fayth in Christ which we receyue whē we heare his word in the holy gospell As Christ sayth in Iohn Verily verily I say vnto you the houre shal come and now is when the deade shall heare the voyce of the sonne of God and they that heare shal liue Which words are spoken of the rising from our sinnes as S. Augustine expoundeth them The other resurrection which Christ hath deserued wrought or obtayned for vs by his resurrection is that resurrection of the body which shal be in the last day Of which Iohn sayth thus The houre shall come in the which all that are in the graues shall heare his voyce And they shall come forth that haue done good vnto the resurrection of lyfe but they that haue done euill vnto the resurrection of condemnation And Paul saith to the Thes If we beleue that Iesus is dead is risen euen so them which slepe in Iesus will God bring with hym For this say we vnto you by the worde of the Lord that we which
moueth sedition bloudshed warre strife brauling grudging debate hatred He neuer slepeth he is alwayes watching he daily traueleth laboureth very sedulously and all to this ende that he may hurt man bryng him into some misery destructiō of body soul name goods He stirreth vp most cruel persecutiōs sharp stormes and poisonfull hatred against the godly To be short what euil calamity wickednes abhominations diuelishnes is done in al the earth he is the causer therof and to speake at a word he hindereth as much as in him lieth the gospel kingdom of Christ and laboreth both day night with all his might with hand and foote with tooth nayle that the territories therof be not augmēted enlarged But al his force studies and practises shall be frustrate For we haue on our side with vs the angels the good spirits of god which repugn and resist Satan Yea we haue Christ himself with vs who is a fiery brasen wall about al that faithful that the euil spirits do thē no harme nor iniury but that they may be in safety and with out danger Satan is an horrible enemy in deede so forceable that vnles god by his holy angels hindered and destroied his deuises withstood and resisted his assaults there should be no family in the whole world in which he should not euery day cause worke wickednes slaughter calamity tumultes sorrow debates mourning all kind of mischief nay rather he would disturbe destroy dissolue ouerthrow and make a confusion hauocke of the whole world he is an euerlasting irreconcilible bloudy deadly sworn enemy to al the godly And he maketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bellum continual war without any truce vpon the godly euen to the last day And therfore we must both morning euening euery day giue thanks to God because that of his fatherly mercy towards vs he doth so wondrously so mightily and so gloriously defend and kepe vs from so cruell horrible mischieuous mighty and noisome enemies ¶ Anna. We ought so to do in dede And I wil do it with all my hart with all diligence as my duty is For we are bound to be thankfull to our good father God almighty because he hath in such great dangers so carefully prouided for vs preserued vs from all enemies and euils For we haue often seene how these wicked sprites lay wait for vs and seke by al meanes to endamage vndo and destroy vs But God hath opēly frustrated all their assaults And now I pray you recite expound the prophesies of the mystery of our fayth to wit of the death resurrection and kingdome of Christ which we haue now in hand ☞ Vrb. I wil first begin to recite the testimonies of the Psalmes as I haue done before For of al the prophets Dauid is the floure for he prophesieth much plainly euidently of Christ who should be born of his familie or tribe according to his humanity of all his workes mysteries You haue heard before how the kingdom of Christ was described in the 2. Psal. where God the father did not onely constitute his sonne king ouer the Iewes but also gaue him the Gentils of the whole world for his inheritance Wherupon it followeth that Christ should not abide in death although he died as true mā of the seed of Dauid For it was requisite that accordyng to the decree and statute of God the father he should be king ouer the whole world Which thing could not haue bene in any corporall worldly maner as the Iewes dreamed that Messias should rule haue in this world a great corporall kingdom And therfore it was necessary that the state and condicion of Christes kingdome should be altogether of another sort then the kingdomes of this brickle frail life are Christs kingdom was to be euerlasting he which is in that kingdō shal for euer haue euerlasting righteousnes peace safety life felicity eternal saluation And therfore he endeth the psal with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conclusiue exclamation Blessed are all they which trust in the lord But he speaketh not of a tēporal blessing here in this world For the king himself and his chief nobles his welbeloued prophets and apostles had no great plenty here of worldly welth and pleasure of this life but were miserably afflicted and always subiect to many grieuous perils calamities In the 3. Psal. Dauid saith I take my rest and sleepe I rise agayne for the lord sustaineth me The old church a thousand yeres ago vnderstood this prophesie of the true death and resurrection of Christ as appeareth by Arnobius And againe Dauid saith O giue saluatiō vnto Israel out of Sion when the lord turneth the captiuitie of his people then Iacob shal reioyce and Israel shal be glad Here Dauid in sprite desireth and godly and feruently prayeth Messias who onely is called in the holy scriptures the true sauiour and redeemer seeing both the Iewes and Gentiles by him are deliuered from all euils and perils that they may through him and in him enioy euerlasting blessednes S. Augustine also taketh these wordes to bee ment of Christ And take this wife for an infallible rule for you in the scripture that in so much as there is but one onely deliuerer giuen of God vnto men by whom they may be iustified and saued that Christ is truely properly certainly ment signified and vnderstood in all those and such places where there is mention made eyther of saluation sauiour redeemer or deliuerer whether it be spoken in figures or playne and manifest wordes For seyng Israel and Iacob that is the catholike church beyng congregated of the Iewes Gentils should be glad reioyce in Christ they must liue in peace and security That cannot be vnles such troubles be taken away the conscience be comforted death abolished These words therfore importe and plainly shew that our redemer out of Sion or as it is in Thargum our redemption saluation which is Christ himself shal take away destroy all those things that trouble afflict that godly to wit an euil conscience tribulation sinne persecution and all kind of vexation death it self c. For of necessity he must lead captiuity captiue that is he must ouercome Satan who hath vs in captiuity and he must deliuer vs from his tiranny Christ in the Psalmes sayth My flesh also doth rest in hope For thou wilt not leaue my soule in hel or in the graue neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruptō Thou wilt shew me the path of life In thy presence is the fulnes of ioy at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore We can haue no surer nor better expounders of the prophets then the Apostles and Euangelistes And Peter and Paul haue expounded this prophesie to be ment of Christ saying that he should
dye and be buried but not corrupt and rotte as our sinfull flesh doth and that his blessed deuine soule should not be cast in hell or graue but be vnited againe to the body that he should rise agayne from death sit at the right hand of God giue vs euerlasting lyfe It was meet that he should be the first fruites of thē which were dead that by his glorious resurrection he might open vs the true gate vnto lyfe and make the way for vs by which we also must go to him But Peter and Iohn the other Apostles before Christs rising againe vnderstood not this although they had heard it oftentymes vntill they saw the lord aliue agayne Wherfore it is no wonder though Cleophas and his companion vnderstood it not Dauid saith O lord my God I cryed vnto thee and thou hast restored me O lord thou hast broght vp my soul out of the graue Thou hast reuiued me from them that go downe into the pitte Arnobius and Augustine vnderstande this prophesie of the death and resurrection of Christ And againe he sayth God shall deliuer my soule from the power of the graue for he will receiue me Selah The church vnderstādeth these wordes also to be ment of the death descending into hell and risyng agayne of Iesus Christ And in another place he sayeth Thou hast shewed me great troubles and aduersities but thou wilt returne reuiue me And wil come again take me vp frō the depth of the earth These wordes also doth Arnobius expound of the death of Christ of his descendyng into hel and of his resurrection And againe in the 86. Psal. Christ saith to God the father Thou hast deliuered my soule from the lowest graue S. Augustine and with him the whole church of Affrica vnderstand this to bee vndoubtedly ment of the descending of Christ into hell of his rising againe The 22. psalm doth more fully and plainly then any other describe the passion resurrectiō and euerlasting kingdom of Christ And there are the very same wordes in which Christ in his great agony his extreme necessitie called vnto his father vpon the crosse And that psalm describeth Christ his passion also setteth forth the fruite of his death resurrection saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All they which see me haue me in derision they make a mo nod their hed saying He trusted in the lord let him deliuer him let him saue him seyng he loueth him They perced my handes and my feet I may tel al my bones yet they behold and looke vpon me They part my garments amōg them and cast lottes vpon my vesture Behold how exactly how liuely how truly and how excellently the holy ghost foretold Christes passion vsing the very same wordes which the Iewes vsed when they mocked Christ hanging on the crosse And the Euangelists are witnesses that al these things happened in his passion which were fore told of it And they recite the very same words to the end they may proue that it was the good will both of God the father and the son that Christ suffered seing the holy ghost prophesied many yeres before that all these things should happen vnto Christ Yea the spirite foreshewed also that Christ by this his passion should enter into his glory be lord ouer al things As before ye haue heard in the 8. psalm But in this 22. psal he saith I will declare thy name vnto my brethren and in the middest of the congregation will I praise thee Do you see he shal first suffer his passiō but he shall not bide in his passion and death For euen thē shal he magnify his fathers name and make it famous and wel known through the whole world by this glorious and famous preaching of Gods mercies in that he spared not his owne onely sonne but gaue him for our sakes to the death of the crosse that we might therby obtaine the benefite of euerlasting lyfe For so it followeth in the psalm The poore shal eate and be satisfied they that seeke after the lord shal prayse him their harts shall liue for euer This eating and satisfieng of the poore is a spiritual satisfieng when the poore sinners eate the true bread of heauen that is when they heare the gospel of Christes humanity passion and resurrection and kepe it in their hartes by fayth For then are they fed by it vnto euerlasting life according to that of Iohn I am the liuing bread which came down from heauen if any man eate of this bread hee shall liue for euer Neither can mans cōscience be otherwise satisfied and set at quiet that it be not vexed and troubled by any other thing but onely by Christ apprehended by fayth It followeth All the endes of the world shall remember themselues and turne to the Lord and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee For the kingdome is the lordes and he ruleth among the nations This is when men by the preaching and doctrine of the Gospell are put in mynd of gods great benefites and are constrayned to acknowledge worship confesse glorify and call vpon Christ their lord who is appointed of God the father to be the head of all things and king ouer all nations of the whole world Here haue ye the kingdome of Christ which is the holy catholike church spread ouer the face of the whole earth And now in all things and places where that euill spirit the deuill before ruled by lying hauing seduced all people and led them into all kindes of errors and idolatry that they might be as Paul sayth without Christ without the worde without hope and without God in the world there I say in those partes shall Christ now be heard It followeth their seede shall serue him and the lord shal be preached from age to age But if Christ shal haue seede that is to say spirituall children borne by the gospell as well of the Iewes as Gentiles as you see by this text he must then can he not be ouercome by deth nor abide in the graue For how could he then regenerate and congregate the Gentiles together into the catholike fayth and rule such an empire which should fill the whole world whose dominion should not extende through one piece of the earth onely but thorough the whole circuit of the wide world and so cōtinue for euer world without end For whosoeuer beleueth in Christ shal be partaker of euerlasting lyfe Wheresoeuer therfore the prophets set down the kingdom of Christ saying that it shall haue continual peace health and felicitye there is set downe and in dede declared the deth and resurrection of Christ and all christian men For if Christ shal be a king and set vp and haue an heauenly and euerlasting kingdome it must needes follow that he should leaue this temporall mortall lyfe by death
with the church Wheras men which are without knowledge of God being in heresies superstition idolatry exercised and blinded are by that euil destroying and disturbing spirit dispersed and the heritage deuided Cōtrarily Christes faithfull are by the gospell and doctrine of the church gathered together into the vnity of faith which iustifyeth ¶ Anna. But what saith the church to them which yet beleeue not ☞ Vrb. It saith that which Esay speaketh of here saying Goe forth and shew your selues as if he should haue sayd ye sit in Sathans prison in darknes of vnbeleef but if you abide in that pryson and darknes you shall die for euer And therfore arise and come out and fly speedely out of sathans kingdome repent amend your selues and beleeue the gospel and then shal your harts be lighted with knowledge then shall you both learn to know your selues you shall also receiue true holynes be saued In the kingdome and dungeon of sathā is nothing els but euerlasting hunger penury of al things but in the church which is the kingdome of Christ are most delectable pleasant pastures For the gospel is a most ioyful messenger and comfortable word of life which floweth with al delites comforts ioyes in which we finde and haue plenty and ful store of al pleasure goodnes to wit forgeuenes of sinnes true holynes peace with God ioy of spirite and peace of conscience and life yea true and perfect consolation And this is the meaning of these strange words of the prophet where he saith They shal feed in the wayes and their pastures shal be in the plaines or in al the tops of hils they shal neither be hungry nor thirsty and the heat of the day shal not touch them But whence haue they such delights and pleasures The prophet answereth because their deliuerer wil rule gouern thē They are as you here in the kingdome of mercy Christ conducteth thē by his word spirit These three to wit the word the sacraments and the holy spirit are the welsprings and flouds by which only this spirituall thirst may in all places and for euer be quenched And least this spirituall thirst shold not be quenched or these pastures of life be hid and not easely found the Lord wil make all the mountaines into a way that is there shal be in all congregations or companies of Christians place that euē easely with no troble mē may come vnto him There shal be a very broad frequented way redy and easy to be found so that no man shall haue need to aske which is the way lest therby the free acces to Christ might be hindered For in what kind and state of life so euer any man shal be so that it be not quite cōtrary to gods word if he beleeue in Christ doubtles he shall both haue forgeuenes of sinnes and be inheritor of euerlasting life whether he be Iew or Gentil master or seruant mistres or mayd maiestrate or subiect and they shal come from far Before the people of god was in the litle land of Chanaan and the church of God was straitly laced hēmed in but now it shal be let lose through the wholl world and as Christ saith in Luke they shal come frō the East and from the West and from the North and from the South and shall sit in the kingdome of God. Then the prophet biddeth all creatures reioyce and be glad for al creatures which are are in two places to wit in heauē earth now the occasion cause why they ought to triumph and reioyce is this First because God the father hath sent his sonne into this earth geuen vs his gospel from heauen which is a messuage of reconciliation betwixt God man and the word of grace remission of sinnes Secondly because that now the people of God faithful christians are out of al danger and in a happy ease for death is subdued But he calleth the good christians poore or afflicted because while they liue in this earth they are heauy troubled inwardly with feare terror of death and gods iudgement and outwardly they are shaken with persecutions and all kinds of calamities But this is our consolation that god calleth vs his people for if we be his people he our comforter protector thē may we in deed reioyce For if God be with vs who can be against vs what hurt can the creature doe vs how cā it dismay vs seeing the creator himself doth comfort help vs the flesh is very weak and when the tempest thick mistes of aduersitie and tribulations come vpon vs when we are ouerwhelmed with vehement crosses when we are something sharply assaulted with sorowes feares and temptations then doe these comfortable promises of gods grace and help vanish away and fly out of our sight in so much that we think God hath forsaken vs and that he is angry and so plagueth vs because he intendeth to destroy vs For thus saith Sion to wit the miserable afflicted godly in their infirmities and greeuous temtations The Lord hath forsaken me the Lord hath forgotten me my sinnes O Lord are haynous great greeuous and to heauy for me to beare What shal become of me O wretch that I am what shall I doe how shal I escape euerlasting death and the wrath of God ¶ An. Truely husband it is oftentimes so with me for I am many times so afflicted and am in such heuynes feares and temtations that I thinke God careth not for me and that he will euē in these trobles feares afflictions and temtations leaue and destroy me most miserable woman ☞ Vrb. Our weake fearfull flesh cannot alwayes expel such feares cogitations For though the promises of God be neuer so plentiful manifold though god euery foot help vs yea and that so manifestly and redely that we may euen grope and feel him yet whē troble and greef come again we are so vnmindful of al the former helps which we haue had and we are so trobled soroful as if the lord could forget or forsake vs which in deed he can neuer doe For he hath promised both to help comfort vs and surely he will performe his promise for he is true therfore he wil doe it he is of such might that whatsoeuer he saith he can perform it Wherfore Esay addeth to this complaint of the godly which mourn vnder the cros a most ioyfull comfortable consolation by which we may help this our dastardly weaknes and desperation and comfort our heuy harts thus wrastling vnder the cros pressed down with aduersitie desperatiō And to doe it the liuelier he boroweth a similitude of nature which is commōly knowen amongst all men to wit the louing and motherly affection of women which of all other are most naturall to their children We know that God hath planted in the
mother such fauour towarde the fruite of her womb that she wil rather dye then suffer her children to take wrong or iniury But if any mother could so forget her selfe as not to be touched with the feeling of her childrens harmes yet ought al christians to beleue that god neither wil nor can forget his loue and mercy towards vs His faith loue surpasseth the loue of all creatures as Christ himself sufficiently sheweth in mathew by the example of the father which geueth not a stone to his sonne in stead of bread which he required If we therfore which are euil cā geue our childrē good things dayly protect them and that with al care and diligence how much more carefully firmely and constantly shal god loue vs and faithfully defend vs his poore children This is a notable and worthy saying but only here apprehended by faith otherwise we vnderstand it not Furthermore the prophet declareth how the lord loueth his church where he saith that he hath grauen it on the palme of his hand or he holdeth it in his hand By which he geueth vs to vnderstand that he diligently careth prouideth for the church that he cā no more forget it thē I cā forget that which I haue alwayes before mine eyes and in my hand And seeing the Lord alwaies beholdeth the walles of this spirituall citie to wit vs that vpon purpose to preserue vs care for vs watch ouer vs and look to vs surely none can so assault vs or besiege vs our city but the lord wil see it although for a time he suffer vs to be tempted or afflicted yet wil he not see vs ouerwhelmed or deuoured This city hath also skilfull builders or carpentars to wit sincere godly teachers which daily enlarge and fortefy it And though tirants hereticks assail it and goe about to ouerthrow it yet haue they no succes in their doings but by their attempt reape perpetuall shame for it is builded vpon a sure and strong rock against which the gates of hel shal not preuail The prophet in the words following saith that a great and infinite number of people shall come together out of all places and shal beleeue the gospel be gathered into the church God also swereth by his holines that many euen of those which in the beginning stode against the church shal afterward come into it and be such ornaments to it that it may glory in them which came to pas in Paul many others And it shal be daily more and more inlarged by the great multitude of people which dayly run thus vnto it At the beginning it was but litle and had but a small company and was like a barrayn woman which is solitary in her house but these faithfull christians whereof the number was at the first so small shall wonder to see themselues made so great a multitude and to be so increased And they shall maruaile whence such a great people can come Vnto this the holy Ghost maketh answere and saith I will bring them behold I wil open or lift vp my hand and I will hold vp the signe that is the cros of Christ whereunto I will make thy disparsed children assemble and that shal be done by a singular and notable way of mildnes and lenity For the Gospell is a sweete gentle faire and fatherlye kinde of speech which draweth such as be children by most comfortable and sweet promyses of help and comfort And by this Gospel the most mighty potentates and puissaunt kinges of this world are drawen and allured into the Church that they may beleue the gospel and be a helpe and protection vnto the Church Yea they shall reuerence honour and highly esteeme the church for they shall worship it with their faces towards the earth That is they shal fal prostrate before the church This is the promise of the lord it must nedes be fulfilled though oftentimes in the eyes of the world it seemed impossible to be brought to pas and cleane contrarye to reason But wee must expect the Lords leasure and liue in hope For the Lord will performe what so euer he hath promised Which when he shall doe then are we deliuered and most happy For whosoeuer beleeueth in the Lord and paciently watcheth for his helpe and beleeueth his word shall not be confounded but haue and see his hope fulfilled But now if the church in her weakenes and infirmity say O god how shall this be that thou sayest I shall haue so many children which shall come vnto the Gospell seeing they are so subiect vnto cruell tirants that they cannot get from them and come vnto me For sinne is a cruell tirant and by it they are sore blinded yea death and hell also keepeth them close prisoners and by good right for their harts are hardened which thing these words folowing import where the Prophet saith Shall the pray be taken from the mighty to which God maketh answere saying the church shall be great ample and famous and those which are now in bondage shall haue their freedome whether those tirantes will or not for God will destroy those tirants and will bring forth his people and deliuer the church and the very tirants themselues shall be their own destruction And where he sayth Shall that which is in bondage by the iust man be brought to freedome this is the meaning The law sinne death had duly brought vs into bondage for in that we were bond and captiues to sinne we were seruants and bondslaues to the law sinne and death But there is a stronger Lord whose name is Iesus he by good right hath made vs free and that by his most pretious inestimable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 redemption to wit he by him self hath redeemed vs so that we are not onely by might but also by right freed from the power of Sathā Esay hath excellently described the state and condition of Christes kingdome Least Afterwarde any man should looke for an earthly kyngdome of Christ as the Anabaptistes and Iewes do Esay in his 50. chap. doth plainly prophecy of the passiō of Christ and he speaketh thus in his person I gaue my back vnto the smiters my cheekes vnto the nippers I hid not my face frō shame and spitting for the Lord god wil help me therfore shal I not be confounded therefore haue I set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed These two disciples thought that Christ had bin cleane confounded and extinguished but the thyrd day they saw it hapned far otherwise to wit Christes enemies were subdued and Christ himself exalted And Esay in his 51. chapter doth comfort the church congregated of the Iewes and Gentils The church in this world hath affliction and tribulation and therfore he comforteth it with the example of Abrahā and Sara Abraham and Sara were by reason of their old age past all hope of
that sinnes can be done away by works and penance and therfore monasteries and other buildings and els whatsoeuer was founded of that intent end and purpose that therby they might put away sinnes deserue forgeuenes and obtayn euer lasting life What thing soeuer I say was or are done for this intent they are most foule and filthy sects and horible errors therby the state of our saluatiō is gretly hasarded And looke you mark this third note wel Fourthly learn here a true comfort If Christ beare our sinnes and offences then the passion of Christ is oures and only proper vnto vs and all his deserts are oures wherfore our sinnes if the prophet be to be beleued can neuer condemne vs For this was the cause why he tooke them vpon him that he might quite blot them all out for euer so that afterward they should not at any time hurt vs And thus the passion of Christ is become our satisfaction for sinnes and so we are delyuered from al our sinnes by the death of Christ to whō be honor and glory for euer Amen ¶ Anna. Our munks and nunnes beleeue not this for they boast and brag that they deserue forgeuenes of our sinnes and that they beare our offences ☞ Vrb. If monasteryes or munkes beleue not this prophecy but by other works and meanes then by Christes merites and passion seeke saluation and promise it to other their monasteries are very theeuish dens and butcheries of soules and are filled ful of horrible blasphemies euen from the foundation vp to the roofe and are as much to be detested and abhorred as the gates of hel ¶ Anna. What meaneth Esay where he saith we iudged him as plagued and smitten of God ☞ Vrb. Read the history of Christ his passion set down by the Euangelistes and then shalt thou easely see the meaning of it The Iewes falsly accused Christ saying that he was a seducer of men a deceauer of the people an author of sedition and an enemy to the law and a blasphemer of god For in Iohn they sayd vnto Pilat If he were not an euil doer we would not haue delyuered him vnto thee And therfore he was thought to haue sinned and so to haue been punished and smitten of God for his sinnes and offences committed against god It is against all reason that there should be such a law that he which hath not offended should be punished and suffer for another offender Mannes reason saith let the offender suffer for his offence But here by the good grace and bountiful mercy of our God it is otherwise We had offended and therefore by good desert we ought to haue bin eternally punished But christ was without fault gilty in no point and defyled with no spot yet euen of his great mercy and ardent good wil he put himself in our stead and for our sakes suffered that punishment which he neuer deserued And here agayn you haue the true manhood of Christ because you see in very deede he suffered for vs and tooke our sinnes vpon him on the cros Therfore Esay saith God punyshed him not for his own sinnes but for our sinnes and iniquities It was conuenient that he should be that true pascall Lambe which is innocent it self and without blot but beareth the offences of others of the world and by this prophecy Paul taketh occasion to say to the Romanes that Christ was deliuered to death for our sinnes And so that punishment which we had deserued was layd on Christ by the meere mercy and goodnes of God that we might haue peace If he had not taken the punishment of our sinnes vpon him we had neuer bin at one with God nor the wrath of God had neuer bin appeased towards vs We were deadly wounded euen to euerlasting death neither could any other heal vs but the woūds of Christ which gushed forth of his most precious bloud No man is here excepted For all mankind yea the whole stock of mankind was by the deadly poyson of sinne miserably wounded and infected in euery part There is none that doth good no not one as the Psalme witnesseth We had all gone frō thy right way of truth and innocency into the troblesome rough rugged and erroneous wayes of falshood and wickednes like wandring and straying sheep We all lay euen as the half dead wounded man which fell into the theeues handes as he went between Ierusalem and Iericho We had all of vs need of the phisition delyuerer and pastor to seek for vs sheep gone astray to bring vs into the way and to help vs and deliuer vs But there was none other that either could or should doe this for vs but Iesus Christ by the mercyful and free promise which God made to vs of his sonne in the law and the prophets For he was ordayned as Peter sayth for this end to delyuer vs And therfore saith Esay The Lord hath laid vpon him the iniquity of vs al. This is our gospel and what more ioyful and comfortable or better newes can the woūded and sorrowfull sinner hear then that his sinnes are layd on Christ If they be layd on him he wil beare them wipe them away and blot them out For it is certayn that he dyed and rose agayn to saue vs sinners And this obedience of Christ in that it pleased him euen as a Lamb to be sacrifised for our sinnes and in that he suffered that bitter death for vs and all euen of his own good will freely with great patience is so thankful and acceptable a sacrifice to God yea a sacrifice of such infinite merite worthynes before the face of God that he neither can nor wil in any wise condemne vs so we beleue and trust in Christ And therfore God the father layd al our sins vpon his only begotten Sonne Christ least they shold condemne vs. This loue of God is so great towards vs that no hart is able to consider it and this offering or sacrifice for our sinnes is so excellent and precious that there can be no sinne where this sacrifice is offered But how behaued Christ himself when he suffered he was as meek as a sheep brought to the slaughter for the Prophet sayth He shal be brought euen as a sheep to be slain He calleth Christ a sheep because he was sent of his father that he might beare our offences and be offered vp for our sakes and sinnes as sheep were offered in the law of Moyses which offering was onely a figure of Christ ¶ Anna. How was he taken out of prison and from iudgement ☞ Vrb. Here Esay doth prophecie of that glory into which by his passiō he entred For Christ did not dye that he should remayn in death but that he might swallow vp death and rise agayn from death He was for three dayes space in iudgement and tribulation or pryson when he suffered himself by Pilate to be iudgeed
and condemned to the death of the cros but that heuy and vnspekable payn that the Lord of all things and iudge both of the liuing and dead suffered himself to be iudged and condemned by sinful men was not to continue longer then three dayes After which torments he should at the last being rysen agayn raigne with great glory ouer Israell He dyed once and dyeth no more Death henceforth hath no more power ouer him but he is ruler ouer it for euer Whereupon sayth the prophet who shal declare his age or generation or tel of the time of his raign When the Iewes supposed he had bin dead and quite destroyed then at the last he passed from time which perysheth into eternity which neuer shall haue end and he rose from death into the glory of the euerlasting ioy and immortality This is that infinite merite of Christes passion by which he deserued for vs forgeuenes of all our sinnes and euerlasting life He was cut of and taken away by his passiō out of the land of the liuing which liue here in this transitory life Our life verely is miserable and short and alwayes caryeth death about with it and is euery moment in danger of death and hath death following it euen as the shadow doth follow the body But Christ then in his passion passed from death to euerlasting life where he doth now raign our Lord and king for euer and euer ¶ Anna. Why saith Esay the Lord made his sepulchre with the wicked or suffered him to be buryed as the wicked ☞ Vrb. The prophet speaketh of the outward passion of Christ Paul to the Gala. calleth him a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is cursed or maledcition and there he sayth that for our sakes he became accursed as though he should say although Christ as touching his own person was innocent and that blessed seed of Abraham againste whom neither sinne nor death had any power yet of his own free wil he became in his outward man contemned and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accursed and suffered himself to be slain vpō the cros for vs poore miserable sinners this kind of deth is due only to those who for their offēces and wicked life are condemned He suffered this most shameful death became for our cause the curse that we through him might obtayn blessednes Thus then suffered he on the cros for great offences wherewithall the blinded Iewes did most vniustly charg him They accused him of blasphemy and sedition saying that he trespassed against God Cesar so rightly deserued that cruel death wheras in deed he suffered willingly for our sakes that vile ignominye false accusation which they falsly forged against him For he him self neuer sinned neither could offend but so was the wil of our heauenly father He spared not his deerely beloued Sonne that we poore sinners might by that his most shameful and contemptuous death but vnto vs sure saluation be delyuered from all our sinnes Esay teacheth in the words following what commodity we haue by this miserable and ignominious death of Christ and he sayth The figures or types of the sacrifices in Moyses law are fulfilled by this onely Sacrifice of Christ These be his words when he shall spend his life for our sinne when he shall make his soule an offering for sinne or when he shall geue his life a sacrifice for sinne then shal he haue seede his age shall be prolonged that is when he shal haue offered himselfe vp in Sacrifice vpon the cros to his heauenly father for our sinnes then shall he haue seed or children that is faithfull beleeuers in him And his yeares shall be so long that the life of him and all faithfull christians shal be without end It is otherwise with erthly kings for they when they dye depart from their kingdomes their Successors possesseth thē But this our king of glory Christ dyed another holesome and liuely kinde of death by which he entereth into true life and most mightely beginneth the administration of his eternall kingdome And here again is the resurrection of Christ and faithful Christians foretold For this is the right and true ruling gouerning erection and establishing of a kingdome whē the king erecteth such a kingdome as wil neuer decay in which the subiectes alwayes haue continuall and perfect safety protection peace surety felicity and all good things aboundantly and this can no earthly king doe For all earthly kings dye their kingdomes perish and decay with them as we see all dominions princely power and kingdomes continue in this world but a while and not for euer but within a few ages to come vtterly to ruine Wherupon Esay saith that the wil of the Lord is in his own hand or his determination or purpose by the hand of Messias shal haue prosperous succes For what thing soeuer the father commaunded Christ to doe for vs all that hath he fully finished with perfection yea with faithfulnes and to our great commodity and he plainly declareth that this was done by Christes merite where he saith his soul was in payn that is he suffered much vexatiō greef sorrow misery for our sake but shall haue a great reward or worthy hire For after so many tribulatiōs he shal see those things which wil make him ioyfull that is the catholick church or the true godly who through sincere faith doe openly honor Christ glorify Christ preach Christ and confes the Lord Christ and so highly esteem these his labors miseryes and greefes that they doubt nothing but that by the same they shal attain euerlasting saluation peace rest and consolation And therfore they wil not be afraid to suffer temporall death for the glory of Christ For they know that true righteousnes euerlasting life eternall saluation and aboundant treasures of all goodnes and felicity are to be found in Christ Iesu Now haue you heard how Christ bare our sinnes and satisfyed for them In the words following Esay teacheth vs how we may be iustifyed and made partakers of that most holsome passion and merits of christ And he sayth his knowledge or the vnderstanding of Christ is the mean wherby we receaue attain that great treasure Wherfore wife if you beleue this prophecye to wit that Iesus Christ the true sonne of God God man tooke away from you your sinnes satisfyed for them and offered him self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sacrifice for you and that he became your sauiour hath by his myserable and innocent death reconcyled you to God These I say if you beleue by this faith shal you receue forgeuenes of your sinnes and be reputed before God both iust and holy as the Euangelists and Apostles and especially S. Peter Paul and Iohn in euery place witnes This is the righteousnes of Christians to acknoledge and beleeue that Christ is our onely Mediator Sauyour and Redeemer whom God sent to take our sinnes vpon him and satisfy for them
of perles Iemms and pretious stones and they expound this promise carnally of an earthly building but Esay speaketh in this place of a spiritual building and spirituall stones When we heare and belieue the Gospell then are we by the word and faith builded vpon that our precious corner stone rock Christ that we may be the holy Citie of God which he him selfe doth build and in in which he doth dwell He that is a stone and Citizen of this Citie he is in safety sin death and Sathan can not hurt him for God himselfe is there the ouerseer and maister mason Esay in many chapiters hath plainely set downe what Christ is and what his ministery is and sayth that Christs Church or kingdome is not an earthlye kingdome but a congregatiō of the faythfull in spirite which beleue the Gospell and hold and depend in this life of the word of God and not of the visible thinges of this world For ther is an other world and an other earth prepared for the Childrē of God wherin nothing dwelleth but righteousnes it selfe They seeke a city to come because in this world they haue no place of cōtinuaūce And least they should be offēded at the crose or faint in so great afflictiō and least in the heat of persecution and in the tossing tempests of temtation they should say with them selues we shall perish and be vndon he comforteth them with most sweete and fatherly promises saying that he will be with them in all their daungers and readely helpe them in all their miseries Seing then the kingdome of Christ is a hiddē kingdome of fayth vnder the crosse it is needfull that we lay good handfast hold of the word of God and with And therefore Esay doth counsayle and exhorte the Church of Christe that it should diligētly heare and in hart lay vp the worde of God in which great and infinite treasures to wit euerlasting righteousnes peace ioy health and lyfe are offered and freely geuen vs without our desert And these be his wordes O euery one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and ye that haue no siluer come bye and eate come I say bye wine milke without monye and siluer wherfore doe you lay out siluer and not for bread and yet labor without being satisfied Loe heare how sweetely God allureth and draweth vs to his word and heauenly treasures He calleth his word water euen water of that euerlasting and liuely fountaine of which Iohn speaking sayth that it quencheth eternall thirst and that it refresheth recreateth vs in all our drought and heate of persecution and affliction which is the true water of comfort and lyfe wherwith we repare and refresh our selues in all distresse both of body and soule He calleth it wine and also milke for that it giueth cōfort consolation as well to the old as to the yong to the weake as to the strong because it quickneth and refresheth the troubled conscience and because it nourisheth vs to euerlasting life and feedeth vs with liuely food Here he excludeth no man he sayth Whosoeuer hungreth and thirsteth for true righteousnes onely let him come as for mony and mony worth he hath no neede onely let him come This water this wine and this milke are most pleasaunt to all the poore in spirite as Christ sayth in Mathew The pharises and Iusticiaries sell righteousnes workes and spirituall comfort very deere But here in the word of God they are all geuen gratis Whosoeuer seeketh peace of conscience righteousnes other were then in the gospell they lay out their monye where there is no bread because gods promise is the bread by which we liue before god It followeth in the prophet Harken diligently vnto me and eate that which is good and let your soule delight in fatnes Encline your eares and come vnto me Here and your soule shall lyue and I will make an euerlasting couenaunt with you euen the sure mercies of Dauid Behold I gaue him for a witnes to the people for a prince and a Maister vnto the people Behold thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not and a nation that knew not thee shall run vnto thee because of the Lord thy God and the holy one of Israell For he hath glorified thee In these wordes Esayas doth teach what great and infinite fruite we reape of the word of God to wit euen lyfe it selfe In the word of God is contayned the pleasaunt consolation meate and drinke of the soule he that beleueth it hath lyfe and doth not tast of the eternall death It is the word of grace and truth whatsoeuer it promiseth is firme certaine and sure must needes come to pas And that he may better stirre vp our mindes and strengthen vs with greater comfort he calleth it the promise of grace in Christ and couenaunt with Dauid wherof you haue heard in the Psalmes This is that new testament the couenaunt of grace betwene God and all the faythfull which in true fayth apprehend and take hold of Christ the true Dauid frō which God shall neuer turne his face and mercye And although yea euen the true godly them selues be heare weake not altogether perfect yet for Christes sake into whome they are ingrafted in fayth there is no dānation to them If this couenaunt depended vpon our good workes so that onely we should thinke God to be attone with vs so long as we are iust and without sin before him then in deed the whole state of our saluation were vncertaine For no man at all in this flesh doth liue without sinn But our saluation hath a more sound and firme foundation euen the grace and truth of god Heare he promiseth forgeuenes of sinns of his meere grace and what of his grace he promiseth in faythfulnes he performeth Wherfore Paule hath a noble saying Righteousnes is by fayth that it might come by grace and the promise might be sure to all the seede not to that only which is of the law but also to that which is of the fayth of Abraham who is the Father of vs all It followeth in the prophet that he hath geuen the true Dauid euen Christ the sonne of Dauid for a witnes For he teacheth and preacheth the Gospell The prophet also sayth that God gaue him to be a Captayne Maister Emperor or law geuer to the gentiles which is is as much to say as Christ should be the Doctor and king of the gentiles which gentiles as the Gospell witnesseth shall see how obstinate rebellious and vnbeleuing a kinde of people the Iewes be which obstinatly refused their owne flesh bloud Iesus Christ the true Messias and vtterly and contemptiously reiected him whome aboue all men they ought to haue receaued and honored Paule sayth to the blinded Iewes It was necessary that the word of god should first haue bene spoken vnto you but seing ye put it
through al the world how the Apostles should gather together by the preaching of the gospel all such of the gentils as be elect and should bring them into heauenly Ierusalem the catholicke church as a sacrifice and oblation vnto the lord These be his words For it shal come that I wil gather all nations and tongues and they shall come and see my glory and I will set a signe among them and will send those that escape of thē vnto the nations of Tarshish Pul and Lud and to them that draw the bow To Tuball and Iauan Iles a far of that haue not heard my fame netther haue seene my glory and they shall declare my glory among the gentils and they shall bring all your bretheren for an offering vnto the Lord out of all nations vpon horses and in charyots in horselitters and vpon mules and swift beastes to Ierusalem my holy mountaine saith the Lord as the children of Israell offer in a clean vessell in the house of the Lord. Doe you heare God by the preaching of the gospel wil iudge all the works both of the Iewes and the gentils and will gather them together that they may see the glory of God how that all our hability and strength is nothing but that only his grace obtayned by Christ is al in al. This Christ only forgeueth our sins iustifyeth vs saueth vs and he only destroyeth and ouercommeth death and the deuil and delyuereth all his out of all misery and calamity And this deliuerāce doth he declare by the preaching of the gospell in all parts of the world and he calleth certayn parts of the earth which lye East and West North and South which lye to the foure parts of the world And that rēnant of Iewes which he speaketh of here which escape and are delyuered out of blindnes are the Apostles them doth he send to all the world Wherefore you may well see that there he doth not speake of a worldely kingdome Iesus Christ crucyfied is the signe he is preached to be the only sauyour of the world and the true glory of God which glory that is to say truth mercy power which God hath geuen vs in Christ shall be preached and shewed to the Gentils and by that preaching shal the Gentils be brought to God as it were a gift or oblation purifyed and made acceptable by the gospell as Paul witnesseth to the Rom. saying I put you in remembrance through the grace that is geuen me of God that I should be the minister of Iesus Christ towards the Gentils 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is ministring the gospel of god that the offering vp of the gentils might be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an oblation acceptable being sanctified by the holy ghost You see then that the Iewes sacrifice should haue an end and that liuely men not bruit beastes must be offered vnto the Lord in all lands The true delyueranee of Israell by Messias is this that he saueth all his that be in the world as wel Iewes as Gentils which are conuerted and illuminated by the word and his holy spirite and maketh thē partakers of eternall life And these thus delyuered and saued by Christ are that heauenly Ierusalem the holy mountaine and the congregation of the faithfull in Christ into the which there is euery day some brought out of all places and offered vnto the Lord as a pure oblation By these horses chariots horslitters and such other that the prophet here speaketh of must be vnderstoode that sweet faire gentle milde and pleasant preaching of the gospel in which the consciences of men be caryed very easely And by these things as S. Augustine saith may be vnderstood all the help we haue either by God himself or by his angels or men wherby the bretheren of the elected Israelits be drawen into the church as bretheren into the catholick faith And thus do you heare how that the spiritual kingdome of Christ the church consisteth both of the Iewes and gentils and how that in all parts of the world she is gouerned by the preaching of the gospel and is subiect in this life to the cros that she may be made lyke to Christ her king and yet notwithstanding she hath passing fayr great and comfortable promises in which she reposeth her hope and hath her comfort and consolation til such time as Christ the king of glory appeare from heauen in his maiesty with the angels of his power that he may be glorifyed in his saints and praysed in all his faithfull Thē at that day shall it wel appeare how great excellent and infinite the glory of the eternall king and of his kingdome and the holy church is whereof the prophets haue spoken euen from the beginning ¶ Anna. What prophesyeth Ieremy of Christ and his church ☞ Vrb. Ieremy in his 11. chap. prophesyeth of the willing redynes of Christ in suffering his passion he sayth thus The Lord hath taught me and I know it euen then thou shewedst me their practises but I was like a lambe or a bullock that is brought to the slaughter and I knew not that they had deuysed this against me saying let vs destroy the tree with the fruit therof and cut him out of the land of the liuing that his name may be no more in memory But O Lord of hostes that iudgest righteously and tryest the raynes and the hart let me see thy vēgeance on them for vnto thee haue I opened my cause Here in this prophecy Ieremy is a figure of Christ and the church hath 1000. yeares and moe so expounded this text to wit that God the father doth here reuele to his sonne Christ the wicked counsels hatred despite and bitternes of the Iewes and how that they would kil him as a sheep and lambe By the which name Esay also calleth Christ For it was very requisite that he should be that lambe without spot which by his only sacrifice should purge the sinnes of the wholl world euen as the figures in Moyses law fore shewed ¶ Anna. Why doth Christ here say that he perceiued not or knew not their wicked and malicious pretences seeing he him self told his disciples lōg before his passion that he must suffer at Ierusalem and knew euery thing the Iewes ment and deuised against him ☞ Vrb. S. Hierō taketh the meaning of this text thus that Christ saw in him self no sinn or knew him self to be gilty of no sin as Esay saith But although this may be so read and vnderstood yet do I take it to be meant of Ieremy him self against whom the Iewes at Anathoth toke such diuelish deadly and priuy counsell as he had not vnderstoode of if God had not reuealed it to him It is sufficiēt that Ieremy be a figure of Christ in the chief point that is to say in his passion for it is not needful that he should in euery word beare the figure of Christ
vs in this point For Dauid the sonne of Iesse was dead long be fore the time Ezechiel spake this prophecy in the time of the captiuity of Babylō vnto which frō Dauid the son of Iesse his time were 14 generations as S. Augustine sayth in the 11. chapter de ouibus where he expoūdeth this prophecye Now you heare that this prince or king shall not rule corporally or after the maner of this world but that he shall feed his people that is he shall gouerne feed and preserue them by his word as Christ himselfe plainly expoundeth this prophecy in Iohn This league shal be a league of peace and security that the Israelites may liue bouldly in peace and safety God will neuer be angry with them any more to destroy them but they shall enioy quietnes in their consciences neither can any man harm them vnder this shepherd Dauid For the true faithful christian is so safe in his faith that none can hurt him All creatures are forced to help him And they shall know saith he or they shall see that I the Lord their God am with them and admonish them Was not this plainly and truely fulfilled when Christ the true Dauid true God and true man fed his people him self and pardoned them their sinnes pacifyed the troblesome sea healed their sicknes and raysed the dead to life again But Cleophas and his companyon could not vnderstand all these things vntil they heard the Lord himself and till their eyes were opened Ezechiel also prophesyeth of Christ and his kingdome and of the generall resurrection which shall be in the last day in his 37 chapter And how the Iewes should be truely delyuered by Iesus Christ saying The hand of the Lord was vpon me and caryed me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the field which was ful of bones And he led me round about by them and behold they were very many in the open field and loe they were very dry And he sayd vnto me Sonne of man can these bones liue And I answered O Lord God thou knowest Agayn he said vnto me prophesie vpon these bones and say vnto thē O ye dry bones heare the word of the lord Thus sayth the Lord God vnto these bones Behold I will cause breath to enter into you and ye shall liue And I will lay sinewes vpon you and make flesh grow vpon you and couer you with skin and put breath in you that you may liue and you shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commaunded and as I prophesied there was a noyce and behold there was a shaking and the bones came together bone to his bone When I beheld the sinwes and the flesh grow vpon them and aboue the skin couered them but there was no breath in them Then sayd he vnto me prophesie vnto the winde prophesie thou sonne of man and say to the winde Thus sayth the Lord god Come from the fower winds O breth and breathe vpon these same that they may liue So I prophesied as he had commaunded me and the breath came into them and they lyued and stood vp vpon their feet an exceeding great army Then he sayd vnto me Sonne of man these bones are the hole house of Israel behold they say our bones are dry and our hope is gone and we are clean cut of Therefore prophesie and say to them thus sayth the Lord god Behold my people I will open your graues and cause you to come out of your sepulchers and bring you into the land of Israell And yee shall knowe that I am the Lorde Whē I haue opened your graues O my people brought you out of your sepulchers And shall put my spirit in you and you shall liue And I shall place you in your own land And then ye shall know that I the Lord haue spoaken it performed it sayth the Lord. ¶ Anna Doth the prophet here speak vnto the Iewes that they should not in the captiuitye of Babylon be discouraged as though God were forgetful of his promise and would not deliuer them out of that bondage or would hold back the kingdom promysed to Dauids sonne Verely they were heauy and much trobled and they doubted so as if they should haue sayd with Cleophas and his companyon our hope is quite frustrate ☞ Vrb. Yea forsooth For he comforteth here the captiue Iewes that they should not dispaire or doubt of their returne into the land of Canaan though they were vexed with heauy and great calamities For it seemed as vnpossible vnto the captiue Iewes that they should returne to Ierusalem and reedify the temple set vp the seruice of God and be restored to their former state againe as that those dry and broaken bones should be reuyued and liue agayn But here Ezechiel seeth a comfortable vision in that God rayseth the dry bones to life agayn and geueth them as great beuty and strength as euer they had that so the people of the Iewes might therby learn the omnipotent power of God and nothing doubt but that he both would and could performe those thinges which he had promised of Messias the sonne of Dauid and of his glorious and euerlasting kingdome and delyuer them that all things might be accomplished and fulfilled in the land of Canaan which he had promysed them before by his prophets And that that captiuity of 70. yeares should not hinder their return and the promise concerning Messias For God wold shew and declare his power in his people that so his deed might answere to his word It followeth in the prophesy And say vnto them thus sayth the Lord God behold I wil take the children of Israel from amōg the heathē whether they be gon wil gather them on euery side and bring them into their owne lāds and I will make them ouer people in the land vpon the mountaines of Israell and one king shall be king to them all and they shall be no more to the people neither be deuided any more henceforth into two kingdomes neither shall they be polluted any more with these Idols nor with their abhominations nor with any of these transgressions but I will saue them out of all their dwelling places wherein thy haue sinned and will clense them so shall they be my people and I will be their god And Dauid my seruaunt shall be king ouer them and all they shall haue one shepheard they shall also walke in my iudgements and obserue my statutes and do thē and they shall dwell in the land that I haue geuen vnto Iacob my seruaunt where your Fathers haue dwelt and these shall dwell therein euen they and their sonnes and their sonnes sonnes for euer and my seruaūt Dauid shal be their prince for euer Moreouer I will make a couenaunt of peace with them it shall be an euerlasting couenaunt with them and I will place them and multiply them and I will
worthy sentence of the gospell of Christ as a forceable and waighty testimony of the righteousnes of fayth saying that it is not any otherwise to be gotten retained but by fayth And therfore Christ reproueth Cleophas and his cōpanyon for that they beleued not the prophets speaking of Messias and so became pensiue and doutfull In lyke manner doth Abacuk also He bouldly and vehemētly threatneth the Iewes captiuitie yet neuerthelesse he sayth that the comming of the promised Messias should not thereby be hindered at all but he should in deede deliuer them according vnto the prophets And he sayth that they which will be partakers of this deliuerance must lay sure hould by fayth vpon the holy promises of Christ of his passion of his resurrection of his ascention But they which wil not beleue shal not be partakers of Christes merites but remaine captiues in their sinnes and dye for euer ☞ Anna. What and when did Zephane prophecy of Christ and his kingdome ¶ Vrba He prophecied in the 19. yeare of that vertuous prince Iosias king of Iuda and he sayth thus in his 3. chapiter Therefore waight ye vpon me sayth the Lord vntill the day that I rise vp to the pray For I am determined to gather the natiōs and I wil assemble the kingdomes to poure vpon them my indignation euen all my fearce wrath for all the earth shall be deuoured with the fire of my ielosy Suerly then will I turne to the people pure language that they may all call vpon the name of the Lord to serue him with one consent from beyond the riuers of Ethiopia the daughter of my disparsed praying vnto me shal bring me an offring In that day shalt not thou be ashamed for all thy workes wherein thou hast transgressed against me For then I will take away out of the middest of thee them that reioyce of thy pride and thou shalt no more be proud of mine holy mountaine Then I will leaue in the middest of thee an humble and poore people and they shall trust in the name of the lord The remnant of Israell shall do no iniquitie nor speake lyes neither shall a deceitfull tongue be found in their mouth For they shall be fed and ly downe and none shall make them affrayd Reioyce O daughter Sion be ye ioyfull O Israell be glad and reioyce withall thine hart O daughter Ierusalem The Lord hath taken away thy iudgementes he hath cast out their enimies the king of Israell euen the Lord is in the middest of thee thou shalt see no more euill In that day shall be sayd to Ierusalem feare thou not O Sion let not thine handes be faint The Lord thy God in the middest of thee is mighty he will saue he will reioyce ouer thee with ioye he wil quiet him selfe in his loue he wil reioyce ouer thee with ioy After a certayne time will I gather the afflicted that were of thee and them that bare the reproch for it Behold at that time I will bruse all that afflict thee and I will saue her that halteth and gather her that was cast out and I will get them prayse and fame in all the landes of their shame At that time will I bring you agayne and then will I gather you for I will geue you a name and a prayse among all people of the earth whē I turn back your captiuitie before your eyes sayth the Lord. Zephany prophecieth vnto the people what punishment should come vpō them for their sin as Ierusalē and Iuda should be destroyed and the people be lead captiues out of their countrye But seeing the prophets were the ministers of Iesus Christ sent for the true Israels sake their manner is alway after threatning and denuntiations to the people of their deserued punishment to comfort the elect by sweet and plentifull promises of their true deliuerer Christ and of his kingdom to the end the godly should not dispayre in their captiuity as though the Lord would for euer be angry and reuoke hys worde of the promised helpe in Messias Seing I say the chief end of the prophets be the promises of Christ which are the true very Gospell it self they alwayes preach Christ And so doth Zachary here in the end cōfort the Iewes least in the captiuitie of Babilon they should faint and doubt of Gods worde And he prophecieth that the Lord will gather them together againe in a mightie hand and that he will send Christ and spread his kingdome through the whole world and exalt his people vnto the highest stage of honor This is the meaning of this prophesye Ye must needes be captiues whether ye will or no but ye must not therefore dispaire waight onely for the Lordes leasure For when time shall be I will not faile you but helpe you I will rise vp and declare my power to the whole world sayth the Lord. First of all he stirred vp the king of Babilon to seaze vpon the countrey and miserably to destroy all thinges that were in it But the Babilonian king was well fauordly and deuly punished plunged and destroyed againe himselfe of the Meades and Persians Thus the Iewes the people of god were spread all abroad throughout the whole world by those wordes the great prayse honor glory of gods name was better knowē to all men so that euery one might euen with his handes feele and much rather know the God of the Hebrewes to be the true and onely God euen vntill the time of grace it selfe came when the father by his son Iesus Christ was euery where truely knowen and glorified in his Gospell This pure language or those pleasant and sweete lips be the preachers of the Gospell which preach vnto vs mere grace in Christ and offer vs and geue vs true deliueraunce in Messias For by these the fayth of Christ entereth into mens hartes that they maye receaue the holy ghost so together with one hart publickly and openly praye vnto Christ and confesse him to be their onely Sauiour and deliuerer For they all haue one doctrine one spirite one fayth and one hope and they beleue in their hartes that God hath raised Christ from death and they cōfesse with their mouthes that God hath made this Iesus Lord of all thinges and annoynted him to be his Christ and by this fayth are they saued and Iustified He prophecieth also of the greatnes and widenes of Christ his kingdome and he speaketh of that mighty kingdome of Ethiopia lying beyond that great and famous floud Nilus to wit that it also shal be brought to the fayth of Christ and shall haue true worshippers who shall call vpō God through Christ their only mediator and shall by the Gospell be brought as a presēt to our God into Sion his holy temple as we read in the Actes of the Ethiopian chamberlin of the Queene of Cande who came to Ierusalē to worship the true god
with God true peace securitye euerlasting ioy true life and eternall saluatiō For if the sin of the Gentiles should not be taken away then in deede should neither death nor Sathans tyranny and kingdome be taken away neither could they haue any cōfort or hope But seing that Christ is their hope and comfort and that no vaine comfort for God himselfe speaketh it then surely must all heuines calamities and misery be taken away from the gentiles also which is nothing els but sin euill conscience death and euerlasting damnation And therfore must they also of necessitie rise from death and liue for euer with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen You see by the Epistle of S. Peter that the prophets haue respect vnto the health of the soules and therfore their whole indeuor is to preach true comfort seing the prophecie of Christ who brought vs from sin to righteousnes and innocencye and from death to life euerlasting as we finde he doth in deed Moreouer he hath deserued for vs the comforter the holy Ghost by whome he helpeth and comforteth vs vnder the crosse vntill we be called out of this fraile and miserable life and receaue the promised crowne of glory which in deede we posses in this earth though it be but yet in fayth and hope ¶ Anna. You alwayes haue sayd that Zachary is a prophet full of notable comforts Let vs therfore here what comfort he geueth vs by his promises ☞ Vrba He is in deede a comfortable prophet and the dayes wherein he liued required the same For he prophecied when the Iewes were euen at the point of returning out of the captiuitie of Babilon and when the Citie with the temple should be builded agayne The people at that time were yet faint harted fearefull and doubted that they should not be safe from their enemies and therfore he comforteth them and setteth Christ before their eyes as a louing Sauiour that so they might be of good cheare saying that Christ should spedely come and helpe his seruantes and spread his kingdome through the whole world and therfore was it needefull that Iuda and Ierusalem should be builded againe to the end they might receaue their owne king And the prophet speaketh as followeth Ierusalem shall be inhabited without the walles for the multitude of men and cattell therein For I sayth the Lord will be vnto her a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the midest of her Here he prophesieth of the spirituall Ierusalem to wit the church of Christ for the earthly Ierusalem had hir boundes and walles but the heauenly Ierusalem shal be so wide and large that it can not be compassed with any walles yea it shall be as wide as the world For it is the kingdome of Christ which by little and little without ceasing shall be increased vnto the last day and the true children of Abraham are as the God of Abraham promised euen as the sand of the sea and the starre in the firmament and the promised blessing shall come vpon all nations through the whole world that Christ maye be knowen and worshipped euery where for the true Lord god By the cattell vnderstand weakelinges and such as are ignoraunt in the knowledge of the scriptures and fayth these are led and fed in the pastures of Christ by those which are more strong and firme in fayth But he is a merueilous wall which is all fiery truly the Church of Christ in this place hath so great and comfortable a promise of Gods helpe as you shall scarsely finde in any other place of the scriptures For I wil be saith the Lord a wall of fire round about hir the Church of Christ You see that he speaketh here of the heauenly Citye wherein God himselfe will be the watchman keper wall defēder if their God be thus present with vs we haue iust cause to reioyce in the Lord seeing that wheresoeuer God himselfe watcheth defendeth and fighteth for vs there are we safe out of daunger of this world and Sathan and neede not feare them To be breefe the great humilititie of Christ Iesus in that he vouchsafed to become man being the true son of God and the sending of the holy ghost the true teacher of holsome doctrine in the Church of God whereby the church is still houlden and preserued in truth that it may stedfastly cleaue to God where as otherwise the whole world is blinded with errors caried away with lyes and miserably deceaueth it selfe these I say do sufficiētly declare how gloriously the Lord hath shewted himselfe in this spirituall Ierusalem Sathan the world and heretickes do not cease nor sleepe but bend themselues in all they may yea they striue with hand and foote to destroy Christ his church But although according to the flesh it be weake yet neuerthelesse it standeth and getteth the victory ouer all hir enemies So plentifully doth the Lord declare his glory in his spirituall citye the Church In the wordes following he setteth forth the helpe and comfort which we shall haue in Christ his kingdome saying He which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye How I pray you could a most louing and tender father speak more louingly or sweetely euen to his darling and derely beloued son if the Lord looke carefully to vs as men vse to looke to the apple of their eyes then surely can no hurt happen vnto vs in the kingdome of Christe neither neede we to feare any daunger A little after Zachary comforteth such Christiās as are vnder the crosse and by reason of the weakenes of the flesh are in feare and trouble euen as the Iewes were at that time saying Reioyce and be glad O daughter Sion for I come and will dwell in the middest of thee sayth the Lord and many nations shall be ioyned to the Lord in that day and shall be my people and I will dwell in the middest of thee and thou shalt know the Lord of hostes hath sent me vnto the. And the Lord shall inherit Iuda his portiō in the holy land and shall chuse Ierusalem agayne Let all flesh be still before the Lord for he is raised vp out of his holy place That is to say O Sion although thou be afflicted here in the earth yet be of good chere because thou shalt cōtinew For I my selfe do come and abide with thee Was not this fulfilled when god became man and at this day wheresoeuer Gods word is receaued there doth God dwell and that is the true Sion as Christ sayth in Iohn He that loueth mee keepeth my commaundementes and my Father will loue him and we will come vnto him and will dwell with him Surely this is the spirituall kingdome wherein god dwelleth with vs by the gospel and by fayth which the holy ghost worketh in vs as S. Paul sayth to the Ephe Christ dwelleth in our hartes by fayth And Esay telleth vs where God
he was crucified But at the last day shall his true humain nature wherin he was crucified and woūded in deed be seen He kept the print of his wounds in his body after his resurrection Moreouer Christes frēds and Christifidelians mourned and lamēted for Christ But especially and properly the godly mourn when by faith they apprehend and deeply ponder the passiō and death of Christ when they imitate Christ in suffering and when euery one beareth his own cros and suffreth with Christ to the mortification of the old man. And Zachery in chap. 13. prophesyeth of the fruites of Christes passion of the forgeuenes of sinnes of the holy ghost of baptisme in the house of Dauid and of the church which should be saying in that day there shall be a fountayn opened to the house of Dauid and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for vncleannes Messias shall make this fountaine to flow in his kingdome of which Iohn speaketh If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke He that beleeueth in me as the scripture saith out of his belly shall flow riuers of water of life He spake this of the spirite which true beleeuers in him should receaue This holy ghost is plentifully poured vpon vs in baptisme by the washing of the new birth And this holy fountain standeth alway open in the house of Dauid that all men may come drinke For the church receaueth both Iewes and gentils into the kingdome of Christ by baptisme which purgeth away the vncleannes and filth of originall sin by which the holy nature of man in his first natiuity is stayned and spotted euen as with poyson It taketh away also that sinne which we our selues commit that is to say al sinnes are by baptisme pardoned in the house of Dauid the new Ierusalem the kingdome of Christ There were in the old testament many washings and cleansings but none could be deliuered by them from sinne but this spring of the new testament hallowed by the precious bloud of Iesus Christ floweth alwayes full of meer grace and this welspring cleanseth and drowneth all the filthynes and vncleanlynes of all sinnes And all these things rise and come to vs vpon this that Christ was crucified and pearced blod and water flowed out of his side and out of doubt it was for the washing away of all our sinnes And Zachary prophesyeth again a litle after of the passion of Iesus Christ our true shepheard saying Arise O sword vpon my shepheard and the man that is my felsaith the Lord of hostes smite the shepheard and the sheep shal be scattered and I will turne my hand vpon the litle ones And in all the land saith the Lord two parts therein shall be cut of and dye but the third part shall be left therin And I will bring that third part through the fire and wil fine them as the siluer is fined and wil try them as gold is tryed They shall call on my name and I wil heare them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God. This sword at that time was the power of darcknes For Pilate and the hard harted Iewes bare the sword and authority at that time in the earth but notwithstanding they could not haue hurt Christ vnlesse God had suffered them and ordayned the same before as Christ saith Pilat had his power from aboue This shepheard is Christ the sheep are the Apostles which fled when Christ was taken and suffered Christ himselfe alleadgeth this prophecy in Mat. 26. Furthermore the Lord calleth Christ the man that is his fellow For Christ is the true and onely shepheard in the church and is also with the father for euer as Iohn saith The sonne is in the bosome of his father Marke also how the kingdome of this world hath no beauty but appeareth oftentimes miserable and therefore can it in no wise be earthly and of this world The shepheard him selfe was smitten by the earthly magistrates and his sheep were terrified and disparsed and the disciples them selues were offended in Christ as you haue heard in Cleophas and his companiō They supposed that he would haue smitten others and that he would haue deliuered the Iewes from all tiranny of the gentils neither did they yet see how that they should in Messias haue a spirituall deliuerance from their sinnes and death But those litle ones vnto whō Christ turned him selfe are the afflicted and poore christians which are dispysed in this world but deerely beloued children before God. ¶ Anna. What are these three parts of which the third part only remayneth ☞ Vrb. Two parts is that great multitude of the vngodly in the earth which are offended in Christ of which one part cannot abide the cros and tribulation but turneth back vnto the world and stifly cleaueth vnto it Another part suffereth them selues to be seduced frō the way of truth by false teachers to perish in their errors But the third part are the true godly which stedfastly stand to the gospel and become like vnto gold finely tryed and purifyed in the fire of temptation and persecution These are those true Christians who only doe obtain saluation because they abyde in the true fayth euen vnto the end and suffer not them selues by any meanes to be called or drawne from Christ Their fayth is tryed in tribulation by which they cal vpon the name of god in spirit and truth without hipocrisy and alwaies glorifie God and are hard of god God acknowledgeth them for his dearly beloued sōnes and they also confes god to be their most louing father Seeing then that the Prophets haue so often in time past prophesied that Christ and hys people should be persecuted and afflicted but yet that all crosses and tribulation should not either let or hinder Christ nor his church to attain vnto the ioy promised those two disciples ought not to haue been so offended at the death of Christ And he prophesyeth again of Christes kingdome saying The Lord shall be king ouer all the earth And here agayn Christ is called true god In that day shall there be one God and his name shall be one This is spoken of the vnity of the Christian fayth Before that time there were many fayned Gods but in the day of Messias shall the only true God alone be called vpon in Christ And who so will not come vp of all the families of the earth vnto Ierusalem to worship the king the Lord of hostes euen vpon them shal come no raine That is those which come not into the church of Christ and doe not with one consent together with all the faithfull adore Christ and acknowledge him to be the king of glory they shall be a cursed people vpon whom no rayne of the spirituall benediction shall fall For they which are not in the church of Christ haue neither the word of god nor faith nor mercy
and haue esteemed him aboue Moyses But when Christ was come they would be Moyses discyples although the terme of his time was ended For Moyses was but only a seruant in the house of the lord And when the Lord Christ himselfe came then ought the seruaunt to geue place and all men ought to heare the word which Christ did speak by the word of his father The righteousnes of faith had also her testimonies in the law in Moyses and in the prophets But when Christ and the Apostles taught it saying Repent and beleeue the gospel the Iewes refused their doctrine and would be iustified by Moyses and his law and vsed not the true mediator and sauyour Christ in the work of their iustificatiō but refused that most precious corner stone and could not abide to vse and admit it in their building of iustification And therfore they became abominable and perished they and their building And least the day of Christs former comming should be vnknown vnto them he geueth thē a notable signe wherby they might haue learned that the day of Messias was now at hand for he promiseth that he would send them that former Iohn the Baptist before that great day he calleth him Elias because he should go before Christ and prepare the way for him in the spirite and strength of Elias as the Angel of the Lord expoundeth this prophesy of Elias to be ment of Iohn the Baptist And Christ himself applieth this prophesy in Mathew vnto Iohn Baptist saying that Iohn is that Elias which was to come that is of whom Mala. the last prophet did prophesy Let him which hath eares to heare heare But their harts was blinded their eares stopped vp that they could not vnderstand He calleth that day of Christs former comming fearfull or horrible beames of the falling away blindnes of the Iewes For before they were the welbeloued children of God and the inheritance of the lord But whē they killed the true Messas the son of god and preferred that wicked offender Barabas before him and wished that his innocent bloud might be vpō them and their children then they were reiected and blinded and the kingdome of God was taken from them and they lost both the City and the temple and the whole land and they are afflicted as well with spirituall as corporall captiuity vnto this day and the Gentiles are receaued and adopted as children This is that Heren or cursse wherewith the earth was smitten But they which at the beginning beleued Iohn and took Christ to be their sauior and forsaked Moyses they escaped the cursse And such as were the apostles and those of the Iewes which beleeued christ and his apostles And these in the prophets are called the remnant of Iacob Malachy therfore which concludeth the old testament doth tell vs that Moyses with the law and the prophets doe all with one consent beare witnes of Christ that he is the true deliuerer of Israell As if he had sayd Moyses serued in the house of the Lord vnto his appointed terme of time was expired prophesying in all his figures external sacrifices oblations and plaine promises of Christ and he referred all his doctrine vnto Christ And this is that seede of Abraham by which all nations are blessed This is that true high priest propiciation and sacrifice which reconcileth vs vnto God. This is that true Melchisedech and that serpent in the wildernes and that great prophet whom Moyses commaundeth all them to heare which will not incur the wrath of the lord And this is the sonne of Dauid to whom the Lord had promised an eternal kingdome Beware therfore that when he commeth you take not the seruant for the master and a figure and shadow for the light and truth For it is he in deede of whom the law and all the prophets with one consent doe prophecye If you refuse him thē geue you not credite to moyses and the prophets and the Lord wil smite you with a curse Beware therfore for I haue now geuen you warning before All laud and honor be vnto our good and most faithfull God for euer and euer for the gift of all prophesies through our Lord Iesus Christ of Nazareth the true and only Messias promised in the law and the prophets whom God sent into the world at the fulnes of time To wit 1576. yeares agoe And who perfectly and thorowly fulfilled all things which were necessary for the repayring and absolute redemption of mankind And now sitteth at the right hand of God our Bishop and King omnipotent for euer And here now good wife you haue almost all the chief prophesies of Iesus Christ expounded and gathered out of all the prophets as diligently as I could by which you now know what Christ preached vnto his disciples on the way from Ierusalem to Emaus Anna. Seeing that Emaus is but onely 60. furlongs frō Ierusalem it seemeth to me that Christ did not recite all these prophecies which you haue beene this 2. or 3. weekes in expounding to me ☞ Vrb. Verely S. Luke sayth that Christ begon at Moyses and expounded vnto them all the prophesies in the scripture which were spoken of hym wherby it may be gathered that it was a famous and good louing sermon in which he proued and confirmed vnto them that he must by the cros enter into his glory But it is lyke that Christ expounded vnto his disciples the most chiefe prophecies which speake of his passion resurrection and euerlasting kingdome that thereby they might learne that it was the good wil of God the father that his well beloued son Iesus Christ should redeeme the true Israell not with gould or siluer nor by any worldly pompe or power but in the weakenes of his crosse by his most precious bloud which he shed to deliuer vs from all our enemies from the wicked world from poysenfull sinne from horrible death and from our perpetuall and cruell enemy Sathan with whome all his members we haue bellum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a continuall warre I haue bene louing in citing the scriptures that I might the better set downe and more plainely expound the whole sermon of Christ as farre as appertained to the witnesses of the prophets as I haue sayd before But how saye you is it not a great ioy and a very paradise to a godly hart by fayth to search and learne the comfortable misteries of Christ cōtained in the prophets as the Thes the valiant sowldiers of Christ often times did because this kinde of exercise auaileth much to the confirmatiō and establishing of our Christian fayth For which our Lord God hath layde a perfite sure foundation euen from the beginning of the world by his holy prophets his seruauntes which are the most auncient doctors in the earth and also by the gospel of Iesus Christ which is a doctrine of great antiquitie in the world and hath alwayes bin most vehemently assailed by Sathan and his
nor no tyme to come as the creature hath and therefore Christ speaketh of his deuine and eternall nature in that one word or syllable of the present tyme saying I am For in deed eternitie is for euer and hath neyther former nor latter tyme beginning nor ending The vacabond and vnbeleuing Iewes supposed iudged that he was no more but bare man and such a one as Abraham or Elias was neither could they abide to heare the mysteries of Christes wordes or giue credite to them They dreamingly thought it could not be possible that he should haue seene Abraham seyng it was ful two thousand yeares and more betwixt Abrahams departure out of the world and Christs comming in the flesh into the world neither did they know or vnderstande the scriptures which teache and foreshew that Messias should not only be borne in Bethleem in tyme but also that his forth going was before all tyme as Paul testifieth to the Hebrues saying Iesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same also euen for euer Here then if you will well waigh this prophesie you maie see in it both the death and resurrection of Christ which necessarily is to be required that hee might raigne and rule eternally and spiritually For in as much as it was determined that he should be borne of the stocke of Dauid a perfect and very natural man in the citie of Bethleem it was not to be thought strāge though he should dye as well as Dauid Salomon other men did What meruail is it I pray you to see a naturall man die certainly the corporal or vitall life can not alway indure Neuerthelesse for all that in as much as he should be the true and chiefe Lord of Israel it can not be that he should be subiect to death or that death should vanquish or deteyne him but that of necessity he must rise agayne from death liue for euer And therfore is he compelled by temporall death to leaue his mortall lyfe for how can mortall man come to immortalitie least first he put of his mortall body which can not be done but by corporal death And thus it behoued him to change this frayle corporal and corruptible lyfe into a spirituall inuisible immortall and incorruptible lyfe that he might become the true and euerlasting Lord of all the Israelites as well of those that before had bene as of those that thē were and afterward at any tyme should be and that he might also begin his true eternall and spirituall kingdome the administration whereof is not after the maner of men nor yet consisteth in worldly matters And therefore Iohn sayth Verily verily I say vnto you except the wheat corne fall into the ground and die it abideth alone but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit ¶ Anna. O good Lord though it be not seene and known of fleshly eyes yet how full of sweete comfort and consolation how full of marueilous maiesticall deuine wisdom and deep mysteries is the sacred scriptures O how great and vnspeakable wisdome and knowledge lyeth hid vnder the letter how truly sayd Dauid O how sweete are thy promises vnto my throte yea sweeter then hony vnto my mouth By thy Commandements haue I gotten vnderstanding therfore I hate all wicked wayes Thy worde is a lanterne vnto my feete and a light vnto my paths O I say what a tresure of knowledge wisdome what precious pearles of euerlasting lyfe lye hid in the wordes of God how doth it flow with vnderstanding most aboundantly and intelligence farre passing mans capacitie what sound present and aboundant comfort may a godly man cōceiue of this holy worde If these two disciples after this sort had known the person of Christ in this prophesie of Micheas they had not bene so offended at his death but had vnderstood and receiued comfort Because God had so ordeyned prouided all these things to come to passe and had so determined that the crosse of Christ should be the glory and triumphant victory of all true Christians But in as much as you haue shewed me the scriptures concernyng the place of his birth Say also I pray you what is written of his Mother ¶ Of the Virgin Mary the Mother of Christ and of Christes conception Vrbane WHen Pekah the king of the ten tribes which fell away in Israell and Rezin the king of Syria made warre vpon Achas the fifteenth king of Iuda murthered and spoyled the inhabitantes of the country purposing and determining to remoue Achas place an other in his kingdome then the holy ghost while these two kings with detrunēt and bloodshed had all to defaced the land of Iuda prophesied by the Prophet Esay Of the blessed Virgine Mary that she should beare the child Christ And although those kings were very cruell vpon Achas and were both mightily and maruelous bloudily bent against him yet did not God for all that suffer them to preuayle against him and his poore tribe of Iuda because he would faithfully perform and pay that which he had promised to Dauid euen that Messias should come of his house and lynage He comforteth therfore Achas the king in this perill purposing to quicken and confirme his faith by this miracle to the ende he should not feare his enemies For God promised that he himselfe would ayde him But Achas was an Idolater and an hypocrite neither did he receyue that for a signe of Gods helpe Wherfore God reiected that wicked king and yet neuerthelesse published the myracle and gaue the signe to the house of Dauid which was the signe of true helpe and deliuerance from the horrible and euerlasting calamity and misery wherin all we were wrapped euen death damnation and the tiranny of Sathan These be the wordes of the prophet Behold Haalmah or a Virgin shall conceiue and beare a sonne and his name shall be called Emanuel or Immanuel Loe here you see that he prophesieth of the Virgin Mary and her sonne Christ our Sauiour And here the holy ghost telleth vs that Messias should not be borne after the maner of all the other sonnes of Adam of the seed of man but onely of the pure and vndefiled virgin Mary And therfore his birth is not as ours is vncleane defiled and infected but holy pure and free from all blemish of sinne Because he is that blessed seed of Abraham by which onely and by no other all we wretched children of Adam conceiued and borne in sinne must be clensed blessed sanctified iustified frō all the filthines of our sinnes Moreouer the wordes of this prophesie do plainly paynt out the maner of his conception signifiyng that he was not conceyued of mans seede but that Mary onely by the vertue of the holy ghost conceiued For here is promised that a child should be borne and yet the mother remayne a pure virgin And yet here is no mention of any father because it might bee a famous signe and miracle
The Archangell Gabriel did rightly expound this prophesie in Luke For after he had saluted Mary he sayd Loe thou shalt conceiue in thy wōbe and beare a sonne and shalt call his name Iesus He shal be great and shal be called the sonne of the highest And whē Mary doubtfull of these things asked how that could be seyng she had not known a man the Angell by and by answered and opened vnto her a singuler strange and supernaturall way of conception saying The holy ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the highest shall ouershadow thee Therfore also that holy thing that shal be borne of thee shal be called the sonne of God. ¶ Anna. This by the gift and grace of God I beleue constantly Neyther do I doubt but that Christ was borne of a pure and chaste virgin seyng the holy ghost himselfe doth beare witnes of the same And S Math. alledgeth this place out of the seuēth chapter of Esay interpreteth this Ebrue word Haalmah Virgin which interpreter we both ought and may certaynely beleue But whereas that faithles and obstinate people the Iewes enemies to Christ exclaime saying that Haalmah doth not signify a virgin but a maid or yong woman alredy maried to a man and whereas they contemne the virginitie of Mary and falsly accuse it as fayned and seyng they also wrast this prophesie other wayes then to Mary according as our frend Rabbi Antonius Margarita tolde vs I pray you let me heare how these false Iewes may be refuted and conuinced out of the old testament For they deny the autoritie testimony of the new ☞ Vrb. The Iewes as vtter enemies to the puritie of the gospell obiect in deed many thinges agaynst this prophesy but al without ground and reason But that you may better vnderstand the meaning of this prophesie I will first expound vnto you certaine Hebrue wordes and cleare the controuersie in some principall pointes wherof the ground of the controuersie doth depend The Iewes haue three wordes which signify maydes the first is Naerah which signifieth a yong woman mayd or no mayd For as Rabbi Lizhak Nathan testifieth the true signification of this word is generally Youth The second word is Bthulah which as the same Rabbi sayth signifieth a pure shamefast virgin The third worde is Haalmah which in this place the prophet vseth of Mary as most proper and fit for the purpose For it signifieth a virgine whose virginitie is pure and vntouched but ripe marigeable and able to beare children And it is worthy the obseruatiō that this worde is neuer taken in holy scripture for a yong woman that hath knowen a man This also is as well worth noting that Haalmah doth not signifie generally euery mayd which is pure and vntouched but as S. Hierome noteth a virgin close kept in whom the parents diligently carefully and watchfully retayne and kepe in at home This may be gathered of the worde Schoresth For Alam signifieth to hide couer keepe out of sight And so is Mary called haalmah not onely because she was a pure and vndefiled virgin but because the yōg mayd which is diligently and vigilantly kept vp of her parents is for the most part godly and holily brought vp vertuously instructed And the Prophet could not haue vsed a worde more to the purpose and fitter for this place thē this word Haalmah which most properly agreeth with Mary For Bthulah signifieth indifferently any mayde as well yonger as older whether she be fit for child bearing or not There be many maydes well striken in age of threescore or threescore and ten yeres old and so vnfit for to beare children but the prophet would here declare and set forth a virgin both yong marigeable and fruitfull Secondly the Iewes all without reason standing vpō no ground but only desirous to make braule being in hart obstinately impudently and wilfully blynded and hardened cauill and falsly say that haalmah signifieth a yong woman which in mariage hath already known a man But they may be conuinced and proued liers out of the olde testament In which haalmah neuer signifieth a yong womā that hath had the company of man but only a pure chast and vndefiled virgin As in Genesis Rebecka when she was not yet maried to Isaac is called haalmah And as then certainly she had neuer known man but was a pure chast virgin as the wordes of the text and history manifestly and without question do proue and conuince The text in Exodus vseth the same worde in the same sence speaking of Meriam Moises his sister so doth it in the 67. psalme and in the Canticles 1. and in many other places which were both laborious to recite yet not greatly needfull in so playne a matter But the Iewes alledge an other thing to wit that this prophesie imported and was ment of king Achas his sonne Ezekia they say that he was giuen to the house of Dauid as a signe by which they might know that they should be once deliuered from those two kings Rezin and Pekah ¶ Anna. They that faithfully beleue the Gospell be not troubled with this obiection at all Yet am I desirous to heare how it is refuted ☞ Vrb. The text in the 4. of the kings and 16. chap. wipeth away this obiection And I meruayle much at the shameles impudency and malipertnes of the Iewes in this place that they be not afrayd so grosly and manifestly to lye The history of the holy scripture testifieth plainly that king Achas raigned in Iuda but 16. yeres In which tyme this was prophesied as appeareth in that 7. of Esay After Achas was Hiskia placed on his father Achas his trone to gouern the people And he begā to raigne when he was 25. yeares of age Now conferre these together you shall see that this prophesy could not be fulfilled in Hiskia For he was .9 yeres old when his father began his raigne And so it appeareth plainly that Hiskia of whom they falsly affirm this prophesie to be geuen was at least 9. yeares of age when this prophesie was published How now I pray you can this prophesie then be either spoken or thought of Hiskia What nede many wordes The Iewes be blinded and their hartes are hardened neither haue they any knowledge or vnderstanding of the holy Scriptures God be mercifull vnto them Amen Thus haue you heard that the mother of Christ was a pure and vndefiled virgin and that this conception was not after the maner of other men by carnall copulation but by a new strange and marueilous maner euen by the holy ghost and yet the virginitie of his mother pure and perfect And so the prophet Daniel beholding her with spirituall eyes sayth in the vision of the 4. monarchies that he saw a stone cutte of a mountayne without hand Which wordes the holy church euer yet to this day interpreted of Christ and his blessed mother the