heard of this We perceiue now that God hath also graunted vnto the Gentiles repentance vnto lyfe So that the necessitie of this poynt is farre greater then I can wel declare because men are geuen generally to thinke that yf they can frame them selues to do well as they tearme it and to mortifie the lustes of the fleshe that that is the onely thing the Lorde requireth and accepteth of but they are marueylously deceyued For the Lorde delighteth more that men shoulde haue the sounde knowledge of him then he doth in all the workes which we call good be they neuer so many by vs perfourmed for yf it stoode onely vpon good workes and mortification wherewith the Lorde woulde be pleased I am sure you can not denie but that all the people in the worlde were then in as good case one as an other For who can deny but that the verie Insidels for outwarde actions behaue them selues as well as men can do and yet notwithstanding they go to eternal destruction And why Because they know not God in Christ. For this is an eternall rule whch you are bounde to holde that is that who soeuer knoweth not the Sonne of God nor beleeueth in him shal neuer see lyfe but the wrath of God abydeth on him Therefore yf you be one of those which loue eternall lyfe you must haue an earnest minde to know him aright that so your beliefe in him may stande most firme and constant and then assure your selfe you haue perfourmed the chiefest worke that God requireth at your handes For when the people demaunde of our Sauiour what they shoulde do whereby they myght worke the workes of God His answere is that they shoulde Beleeue in him whom the Father had sent for that in deede was the onely worke that God required at their handes as he also telleth them Agayne when the keeper of the Prison demaundeth of Paule and Silas what he shoulde do whereby he might be saued Their answere is in like maner that yf he woulde beleeue in the Lord Iesus Christ he shoulde then be saued Now it may be you wyll say vnto me in this place yf that be all in all to beleeue in him what neede you then to bestowe such long speech in this poynt For we beleeue in the Lord Iesus and know well enough that all the workes in the worlde will not helpe vs vnles we do so Then must I say vnto you agayne yf it be so that you do beleeue in him as you say you do it must folow then of necessitie that you haue a minde to knowe him for those that beleeue in Christe the Sonne of God the Lord hath geuen a minde to knowe him sayth the Apostle Iohn therfore if you haue an earnest minde to be increasing in the knowledge of the Sonne of God then may you safely say that you are one of those that do beleeue in him and then agayne yf you be one of those that do stedfastly beleeue in him you haue then perfourmed the chiefest worke that God requireth at your handes yea then haue you also learned true mortification in deede otherwyse you haue it not For true mortification consisteth not only in humilitie or in not sparing of the body or in not satisfiyng of the fleshe to fulfill the lustes thereof Neyther do good workes as you see onely consist in the doing of that which is required vnto men for so the Papistes and many others as the forenamed woulde goe before you in that kinde but they both consist chiefly in the soundnes of your knowledge which you ought to haue of the Sonne of God Therefore whereas the most part of people are brought to this passe that is euen to thinke that yf they can say they do beleeue in Christ and learne withall to bring foorth the fruites of a christian lyfe which is to feede the hungrie to cloath the naked to visit the sicke to relieue the prisoners to do vnto all men as they woulde be done vnto and to mortifie the lustes of the flesh all which in deede are their dueties concerning the seconde Table and therefore worthy of commendation for so much But whereas they are brought to this passe I say which is to thinke that yf they can performe these thinges that they haue then performed the only thing the Lord requireth they are greatly deceyued for the Lorde requireth a great deale further matter at their handes then so For knowe you not the answere of our Sauiour vnto the Ruler who had asked what he might do to inherite eternall lyfe yf you do not this is it Yet lackest thou one thing sayth our Sauiour Now what this one thing was that he then lacked I wyll shew you First then the Ruler demaunding of our Sauiour what he myght do to inherite eternall lyfe and our Sauiour reciting the dueties of the seconde Table and he replying that he had kept them all euen from his very youth Our Sauiour trieth him then with a further and more chiefer poynt that is with his duetie concerning the fyrst Table and telleth him playnely that he lacked one thing yet and that in deede the most chiefest thing of all which was his loue towardes our Sauiour Christ and therefore sayth our Sauiour vnto him Sell all that thou hast and come and folowe me thinking thereby to try his obedience towardes the first Table that is to see whether he did so loue the Lorde in hart mynde and soule as that he coulde be contented to leaue all that he had and folow him as Abraham Moses Dauid Daniel and diuers others in the Gospell did but when he came to that poynt the case was altered whereby you may playnely see that yf men neuer so well performe their dueties concerning the seconde Table and yet misse therein as touching the chiefest poynt of the fyrst it profiteth them nothing at all Therefore this is the marke the which most earnestly I do shoote at euen this to haue you and all men well to know that the Lorde requireth most chiefly your whole duetie as touching the fyrst Table which is not fulfilled onely in saying there is but one God Father Sonne and holy Ghost nor in saying you beleeue to be saued by the seconde person in the trinitie but you must well knowe that the Lorde doth also require a most intire loue to be shewed towarde him that is he wyll haue you to loue him euen with all your hart with all your minde with all your soule with all your strength the which loue can in no wyse be so greatly expressed as when you haue a most earnest desire to heare his voyce and when as rather then you woulde be hindered from the hearing thereof by worldly matters you woulde rather be contented to forsake them all Therefore it is not enough onely to say you know this or beleeue that but you must shewe a willing minde to know beleeue according
that woulde so leade you into the dytch as to make you beleeue that y ◠Apostle meaneth the Genealogies conteyned in the holy Scriptures In deede he meaneth that endles Genealogies are vnprofitable but you must well know that there is none such in the Scripture neyther any thyng superfluous or vnprofitable for our saluation Therefore who woulde thinke that men who pretende to haue great zeale and knowledge shoulde be so beastly and foolyshe as to expounde the Apostle in that meaning as though the Apostle who spake by the spirite of God woulde speake agaynst the spirite of God For I pray you did not the same spirite set downe them that set downe all the rest and dare men be so bolde then as to speake against the wysedome of the holy Ghost And I pray you what part of the Bible is there that doth not thereof consist be not men the grounde and cause of all the matter there And how can we knowe the matter as we ought vnlesse we know the men of whom the matter speaketh As for example yf the holy Ghost say Sheba and Seba shall bring gyftes or Nebaioh and Kedar shall come and serue how can we know rightly what is meant hereby vnlesse we know the people of whom the holy Ghost doth speake and also the cause why they were estranged from the Lord and now shoulde come agayne Or yf the Lorde do tell you how that he will subdue the Canaanites Heuites Iebusites Gergesites and the rest of those nations to geue vnto Israel their possessions must you not of necessitie yf you wyl know the cause cleerely vnderstande what these people are and of whom they come and also vpon what former prophesie and promises these matters do depende Yes you are bounde to know them for the holy Ghost commaundeth you and all the world to consider of it euen of this how that when y ◠most High God deuided to the Nations their inheritaunce he appoynted the borders of A people meanyng Canaan and his sonnes according to the number of the sonnes of Israel that in tyme they might haue it So that yf you wyll know any thing in the Booke of God cleerely as all thinges therein you are bounde to knowe you must of necessitie knowe the persons that the holy Ghost doth intreate of For when as the holy Ghost doth tell you of blessednesse to befall Sem and his posteritie and lykewyse the contrarie vnto Canaan and his posteritie and also of a reuersion of Sems blessednes to befall Iapheth in the ende and his posteritie and also how Canaan his posteritie shall be seruantes vnto both them and theirs how is it possible I say for you to vnderstande any thing with iudgement vnlesse you be able in some good sort to distinguysh of these Families For all the whole Bible from the ninth of Genesis to the ende of the Reuelation dependeth vpon this one Prophesie euen on this which by the spirite of God was vttered in the Chapter before cyted Or agayne yf the holy Ghost do tell you of Moab Ammon Edom and diuers mo with them to be ioyned in league agaynst the people of God must you not of necessitie also yf you wyll know the cause cleerely herein vnderstande of what rootes those wicked branches do also proceede and likewise how for what cause they became suche rotten ones as they were and also how for what cause the other the Israelites became the people of God of whom they also come Yes in deede must you or otherwyse your hart shall remayne that hard way and stony grounde vnfallowed vp vpon the which the seede of the Worde being cast is not able to take roote to the bringing foorth of fruites And why because without the knowledge of these thinges you are neyther able to heare or reade the worde of God with vnderstandyng Therefore in the name of God take heede that you be not so perswaded by them to beleeue that the Genealogies in the holy Scriptures be endles or vnprofitable or superfluous for yf you so thinke then do you nothing els but take away from the Scripture and so the cursse of God wyll come vpon you euen to your vtter damnation Therefore yf it be so as Moses sayth that the thinges reuealed in the holy Scriptures are for vs and our chyldren for euer And also that the same Apostle that you spake of doth tel you that All thinges that are therein written are written for our learning You must in any wyse take vnto you the whole armour and instrumentes that God hath you appoynted that so your buylding may be so coupled and knit togeather in euery ioynt of the furniture thereof and so surely grounded vpon that precious foundation of the Apostles and Prophetes Christ him selfe being the chiefe corner stone as that it may stande firme and sure against all the assaultes of the Deuyll in the stormy and euyll day Wherefore seeing that these blinde Guydes whose lyppes do not preserue knowledge but woulde take away the key thereof and neyther enter in them selues nor suffer you that woulde Be you carefull your selfe to lay your grounde-sieles so sure and fast vppon the former Rocke as that your spirituall buyldyng may grow vp as an holy Temple for the Lord and in any wyse geue an entrance to the buylding therof by the holy worde of God and assure your selfe the Lorde wyll geue you lyght yea such exceeding shyning lyght as that the hardest knot and darkest place therein wyll seeme most cleere and bryght yf you wyll the Lord beleeue For you shall vnderstande that he doth tell you that yf you woulde but seeke after knowlege as you woulde do after syluer and search after vnderstanding as you would do after treasures then you should be sure not onely to fynde the knowledge of the hardest Genealogie in his Booke conteyned but also in them and by them the feare and knowledge of the Lorde your God Therefore leaue of so much your seeking after trashe which perisheth and seeke for that true knowledge which neither Moth nor Canker nor Theefe decreaseth as our 〈◊〉 you commaundeth Yea but you wil say that some of our guydes do also tel vs that if we shoulde get this great knowledge vnderstanding that you speake of it woulde be very hurtfull vnto vs for it would puffe vs vp make vs vnreasonable proude for so say they the Apostle sayth and it is more meete say they that we should learne Mortification to do good workes and as for such great knowledge it forceth not It is true in deede that the Apostle sayth that knowledge puffeth vp and it is most meete also that you should learne Mortification also to glorifie y ◠Lord through your workes But you must know what knowledge it is that the Apostle speaketh of a man woulde thinke not heauenly knowledge for who knewe more then he
to Scripture for the Lord wyl in no case like that you shoulde be troubled about many matters with Martha but wyll haue you without all excuse to choose the best part with Marie because that in deede is y e most excellent thing you can desire I meane the hearing of his voyce continually as Marie did that so you may haue all his most gracious words printed in your hart as Moses speaketh And why so Euen to the intent you may be able to rehearse them continually vnto your chyldren and that so you may be able to teach them and your selfe to knowe aright how that he IEHOVAH your God is one and that there is none but he according as he requireth in that first great Commaundement saying Heare O Israel IEHOVAH thy God IEHOVAH is one Therefore yf you holde them happie as happie blessed they are whose God this Iehouah is and that your selfe woulde be of this happie sort you must learne to know him aright that is you must learne to know according to the Scriptures how that vnder this name and nature there be three the Father the Worde and the holy Ghost and that these three are but one God for the Worde is the Sonne and yet he is IEHOVAH as S. Iohn in his twelfth teacheth you out of Esai the sixth And the holy Ghost is IEHOVAH as S. Paule in the Actes 28. teacheth you out of the same text of Esai And how this name IEHOVAH is opened S. Iohn in Apocalips the first sheweth you in this sort I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ende sayth the Lord euen he who was who is and who will be The knowing of this true God who is but one as also that the seconde person in this Trinitie was to take the nature of man that so he might suffer to the intent that in death he might destroy him that had the power thereof and so geue lyfe vnto the worlde The knowing of this I say according to the Scripture the which in all ages most playnely hath been manifested is the chiefest thing the Lorde requireth at your handes therefore you are to vnderstande that the holy Prophetes and Apostles did euer first and most chiefly labour to set foorth this and afterwardes exhorted men to walke according to their dueties layde downe in the seconde Table For you are not to thinke that when Iohn the Baptist came preaching in y e wildernes that his only drift was to bring the people to a more perfection of workes although after their demaunde he tell them that thus and thus they were to do but you are to vnderstande that most chiefly his drift was to bring them to a change of iudgement and to a more perfection of this knowledge and to a repentaunce of their former ignoraunces and a beleefe in Iesus Christ. For you see he telleth them playnely that the kingdome of God was euen now at hand and that a stronger then he came presently after him who in deede was before him and that him selfe was not worthy to stoope downe and vnlose the latchet of his Shoes and that although he baptised but with water yet he that came after him woulde baptise with the holy Ghost and with Fire and that he would come with his Fanne in his hand to make cleane his floore and to gather his Wheate into his Garner and to burne vp the Chasse with vnquenchable Fire And therefore vnles they did beleeue in him which shoulde come after him that is in Christ Iesus they woulde prooue to be this chasse Wherfore he telleth his kinsmen the Iewes that notwithstanding they for their partes began to say within them selues We haue Abraham to our Father and therefore we are the onely people because the couenauntes and promises of God belong onely vnto vs and also for that the Oracles of God were committed chiefly vnto vs and also because we are the Circumcision whereby we are separated from the sinners of the Gentiles I say notwithstandyng they beganne to bragge in this sort of all these outwarde thynges yet he telleth them that vnles they did beleeue in him of whom all the Prophetes before had spoken and was now come into the worlde they shoulde finde them selues to be this Chasse here spoken of and not the good Seede of the woman and of faythfull Abraham but euen the naturall seede of that olde Serpent their father the Deuill and that God was able to rayse vp sonnes vnto Abraham in steade of them euen of the very stones Whereby is meant that whereas the Gentiles vnto that time had hartes as hard as stones for asmuch as they regarded not to knowe the Lorde aright and therfore he regarded not the time of this their ignorance but suffered them to runne on in the hardnes of their hartes euen to their owne destruction Yet now he admonisheth all men eâ—…ery where to repent them of their former ignorance and beleeue the Gospell Yea now Iohn telleth them that the axe is put euen to the very roote of the trees and therefore yf these Gentiles woulde repent them of their former ignorances and beleeue in Christ as faythfull Abraham did then shoulde they be counted the sonnes of Abraham and the other shoulde be cut off euen according as the Apostle sayth Those which are of fayth are the chyldren of Abraham And againe He is not a Iew which is one outwardly neyther is that circumcision which is outwarde in the fleshe but he is a right Iew which is one within and whose hart is filled so full with the knowledge of God that he can alwayes prayse the Lorde aright and likewyse that is true circumcision which is of the hart and in the spirit and not in the letter and therefore yf these Gentiles woulde be such they shoulde then be the true circumcision in deede yea they should then be the true seede of Abraham and also the right Iewes and so their praise shoulde be of God and not of men Agayne whereas the Apostle vrgeth the Hebrewes to be led forward vnto perfection you are not to thinke he meaneth it of workes although no man will be so madde as to thinke otherwyse but that by those that haue knowledge a perfection of workes must also be practised for otherwyse because you shall not mistake me I tell you still your knowledge is in vayne For what hast thou to do with my couenant in thy mouth sayth the Lorde if thou hatest to be reformed And therfore as we are to grow vp in knowledge so are we also as the Apostle saith to grow vp in holines but in this place you are to vnderstande that the Apostle meaneth it of the perfection of knowledge which not onely y â— Hebrewes but also all others ought to attayne vnto that so they might see how Christ was answerable to all the former types figures shadowes and ceremonies in
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrimes on earth for they that say such thinges declare plainly that they seeke a country not hereupon earth but the desire a better that is an heauenly wherefore God is not ashamed of them to be called theyr God and hath prepared for them an heauenly eitie Now then seeing that fayth is the ground of thinges hoped for and the euidence of thinges whiche are not seene Let vs in any wise vse the meanes that God hath appoynted to come therby And seeing we are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses Let vs also cast away euery thing that presseth downe and the sinne that hangeth on so fast and let vs runne the race with patience that is set before vs still looking vnto our Lord and Souiour Iesus Christ who is the author and finisher of our fayth And let vs aboue all thinges take heede that we despise not him that speaketh For if all these whiche before I spake of and manie more escaped not which refused those that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turne away from him that speaketh from heauen And seeing we know that the iudgementes of God are according to truth agaynst all them that haue so lyghtly regarded to heare and knowe and haue counted them worthy of death which haue done so let vs not thinke if we doe the same that we shall escape the iudgementes of God but that the like famine will befall vs and our nation that hath befallen others I do not meane a famine of bread as made of corne but of that heauenly bread the worde of God Therfore seeing his word is no vaine word as Moses saith concerning men but is euen their very life Let vs as y ◠Apostle sayth as new borne babes desire the sincere milke therof that so we may grow thereby both in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and sauiour Iesus Christ especially forasmuche as that in the knowledge of him standeth our eternal life no where els is he to be found but in the holy scriptures for so he hymselfe hath sayd in these words Search the scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall life so you shal for they are they that testifie of me by whō you haue your life breath being and that eternally but you will not come vnto me sayth hee that ye might haue life Therefore hath the holy Ghost sayd in another place hee that obeyeth not the sonne of God shall neuer see life but the wrath of God abideth on hym Seeing therefore that the sonne hath giuen commandement to search the Scriptures and the father that we should not let them depart out of our mouthes and the holy Ghost hath pronounced a blessing onely on them whiche doe therein delight Let vs in anye wise take vnto vs as the Apostle commandeth euen the whole armour thereof and with the holy Prophet make it our onely meditation continually then shall we be sure to prosper and to haue good successe for so the Lord himselfe hath tolde vs yea then shall we be like a tree that florisheth beeing planted by the riuer side which bringeth forth her fruit in due season yea then shall our prosperitie be as a floud and our righteousnesse as the waues of the sea for then will the sonne of righteousnesse hymselfe ouershadow vs vnder whose winges we shall be sure to finde euerlasting health and safetie whereas otherwise we see that God is a consuming fire and hath troden downe the wicked that would not delight herein as wee haue seene in all ages Therfore most heartily I beseech you yea and beseech you agayne and agayne that you will alwayes remember that great commandement of the Lord our God whiche is this Euen to remember the law of Moses his seruant the which he hath commanded with al his statutes and iudgementes and also that most sure word of the holy prophetes with the commandementes of the apostles of our Lord and sauiour and to labour therein both day and night that so you may remayne no longer as children without vnderstanding but to bee of a most ripe age therin and that so it may be sayde of you This people is onely wise and of an vnderstanding heart For they haue knowne the holy scriptures from their childhood which are onely able to make them so to be Come therefore I beseeche you and let vs with the holy prophet confesse before all men say Oh how loue we the law of the Lord It is our onely meditation continually we haue had as great delight in the way of his testimonies as in all maner of riches Therefore shall our eyes preuent the night watches to meditate in hys word because the law of hys mouth is better vnto vs then thousandes of gold siluer yea we hys seruants wil continually meditate in hys statutes and hys testimonies shall be our delight and our onely councellors And because that by hys preceptes hee hath quickened vs wee will neuer forget his word but wee will still hearken vnto hys voyce that so wee may learne to feare it and diligently to obey it all the dayes of our life And we wil also set vp the Lord this day to be our God we wil walke in his wayes and keepe his ordinances hys commaundementes and his lawes for euer and his voice alone will we obey And so doing the Lord our God will set vp vs to be a pretious people vnto himselfe as he hath promised yea so shall wee be set on high aboue all nations of the earth in prayse in name and in glory yea so shall we be counted an holy people vnto the Lord whiche in time past were not a people so shall our enemies that dayly rise agaynst vs fall before our faces yea where as they come out one way agaynst vs they shall flie before vs seuen wayes yea so shall fiue of vs chase an hundreth of them and an hundreth of vs put ten thousand of them to flight as in good part of late we haue seene yea so will the Lord open vnto vs his heauenly treasure and giue vs rayne in due season whereby our land shall yeeld her increase and the trees of the field shall yeeld their fruit yea so shall our thressing reach vnto the vintage the vintage shall reache vnto sowing time yea so shall wee eate our bread in great plenteousnesse and dwell in our land in safetie yea so shall wee haue peace in our land and our sleepe be in quiet and none shall make vs afrayd yea so shall all the blessinges contained in the whole booke of God come vpon vs and ouertake vs if we shall hearken vnto the voyce of the Lord our God and obey it and delight in hys holy worde as in the chiefest