it doth no good vnlesse we haue life and the iust shall liue by fayth It is very necessarie that we labour for fayth whereby we may perfectly be nourished and well fedde with this meate there is nothing that the deuill desireth more then to haue fayth out of our heartes therefore hee planted vnbeliefe in the heartes of Adam and Eue for vnbeliefe they were thruste out of paradise vnbeliefe in the heartes of Moses and Aaron for vnbeliefe they neuer came into the lande of promise vnbeliefe in the heart of Zacharie for vnbeliefe hee was dumbe vntill the thing came to passe whereof hee doubted Faith is the euidence of thinges whiche are not seene vnto faith did Christ call Mary when he saide to her touche me not for I am not yet ascended to my father Cum iam ascenderit saith Barnard tum tangi ab ea velit aut possit vtique poterit sed affectu non manu voto non ocu lo fide non sensibus woulde he or could he be touched of her when hee was ascended truely he coulde but with the hearte not with the hande with prayer not with the eie with faith not with sēses By faith we see him as the wise men we imbrace him as Simeon we heare him as Mary we touche him as Thomas Faith is the shield whereby we quenche all the fierie darts of the wicked by faith our hartes are purified by faith we resist the deuill by faith we are the children of Abraham by faith we shall not come to condemnation but shal passe from death to life no vertue by Christ so much cōmended as faith be it vnto thee according to thy faith thy faith hath made thee whole I haue not founde so great faith no not in Israell O woman great is thy faith be it vnto thee euē as thou wilt to faith nothing is vnpossible Whatsoeuer is without faith is sinne and without faith it is vnpossible to please GOD on the contrary parte nothing doeth more greeue the Maiestie of Almightie Iehoua then incredulitie and vnbeliefe all the day long I haue stretched out my hande to an vnbelieuing people O thou of litle faith why dost thou doubt to them that went to Emaus hee saide O fooles and slowe of heart to beleeue Againe O generation incredulous how long shall I bee with you how long shal I suffer you in his owne countrie hee coulde not do many myracles for their vnbeliefe the Iewes entred not into his rest Why for vnbeliefe let vs therfore crie with the Apostles Lorde increase our faith and as the father of the sicke childe cried with teares Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeliefe Now because faith is not reuealed vnto vs by fleshe and blood but by the holy ghost let vs labour for him also that this meat by faith may worke effectually in vs let vs vtter vnto the Lorde strong cryings and deepe sighings for his spirite that our prayer may bee in his sight as the incence and the lifting vp of our handes an euening sacrifice For hee is the spirite of trueth the Maister and Teacher of the faithfull the shewer of thinges to come the witnesse of Christ the distributer of all giftes the spirite of adoption the pleadge of our inheritance hee beareth vs witnesse that we are the children of God hee helpeth our infirmities and maketh petition for vs. No man saith that Iesus is the Lorde but by the holy Ghost did not the Diuelles saith Chrisostome name Christe Somtime they named Christ saith he for feare not for loue and somtime that the people might giue eare to them take them for professours of the gospel so they might bring the people through a colour of christianity into manifolde heresies but of sinceritie heartie good will they neuer named him So then no man can name Christ louingly sincerely but by the holy Ghoste we haue not receiued the spirite of bondage to feare againe but the spirite of Adoption wherby we crie abba father Wherefore this is the end of my exhortation that you labour for all these three meate faith the spirit by heartie and earnest praier I meane not to crie all day long as Baals Priestes did O Baall heare vs O Baal heare vs. Nor as the Ephesians cried for the space of two houres great is Diana of the Ephesians But in hearte feruently and strongly as Moses Phinehes Manasses Ionas our Sauiour Iesus Though our praiers be short as was the prayer of the poore publicane God be mercifull to me a sinner of the prodigall sonne father I haue sinned against heauen and against thee am no more worthie to bee called thy sonne Of Steeuen Lord Iesu receiue my soule Of our Sauiour Christe Father into thy handes I commit my spirite nay though wee vtter neuer a worde the Lord will heare vs Moses spake neuer a woorde when GOD saide vnto him why doest thou cry vnto me Moses Anna spake neuer a word when God heard her prayer she only moued her lippes and Ely the Prieste saide she was dumbe If we thus labour for the spirite we shal obteine him and then our faith shall be fruitefull thē the meate in vs shalbe effectuall The word norisheth faith reuiueth the holy ghost quickeneth the word saueth faith iustifieth the holy Ghost sanctifieth the worde bringeth vs to heauen faith openeth the dore the holy Ghoste placeth vs among the holy Angels to haue euerlasting life which the sonne of man shal giue vnto vs. And this is the reason added to the exhortation being drawne from the person that giueth and the certaintie of the thing giuen Hee which is called the word of God the image of God the power and wisdome of God the Creator of all thinges the searcher of the heart the prince of life the Lord of glory the prince of saluation the prince of faith the brightnesse of the glory and the ingraued fourme of gods person the sonne of God doeth heere call himself the sonne of man he whom Peter confessed to be the sonne of God hee whom the Angell named Iesus hee of whom God the father witnessed this is my beloued sonn in whom I delight heare him hee when the very Diuelles could not choose but confesse him to bee the sonne of God doeth heere call himselfe the sonne of man Hee calleth himselfe the sonne of man first to testifie that he tooke a very true and substantiall nature of man both body soule vpon him fleshe of our fleshe bone of our bone Verbum caro factum est the worde was made fleshe heere some woulde proue that hee was not perfect man because the worde was made flesh that signifieth only the body but these men know not that flesh in the scripture sometime signifieth the one part of mā as when Christ saide
in England but the vniuersities and other places are full of them yet must wee labour for this meate Although the Midwiues neede not feare the kinge of Aegypt to hide Moses three monethes and afterwarde to cast him out Rahab need not to feare the king of Ierico to hyde the spies vnder stalkes of flaxe and let them downe at her window Michael need not feare her father Saule to let her husband Dauid downe at a windowe and to lay an Image in his bead Obadiah need not feare Queene Iezabell to hide a hundred Prophets in a caue The Disciples need not feare the hye Priestes to let downe Paule thorowe the wall by a rope in a basket Moses need not feare Pharao and saye I haue a stutting tongue Ieremy need not feare the Iewes and saye I am a childe Ionas need not feare the King of Niniuie and so for to runne away both from him from the Lord but all the Ministers of the Lorde are mainteined and preserued may vtter the message of their master boldly with out feare and freely without daunger yet wee must labour for this meate although the Lorde hath broken the bowe and knapped the speare in sunder broken our swordes into mattocks and our speares into sithes blessed vs with the crowne of peace and crowned vs with mercie and louing kindnes yet must wee labour for this meate if it were a time of derth of scarcitie of penurie thē we might haue some pretence to labour for belly meate as Iacob did send into Aegypt for corne as Dauid did send to Naball for victuall then we might seeme to haue some coulour of cause to doubt and to be ouer carefull as Moses was when he sayde shall the sheepe thebeeues be slaine for them or shal al the fishe of the sea bee gathered for them and suffise them as King Iehorams seruaunte who mocked the Prophet prophecying the plentie of corne to bee the next day and sayde though the Lorde woulde make windowes in the heauen could this come to passe As Saint Andrew who sayde there is a little boy heere which hath fiue barly loaues and two fishes but what are they amongst so many If I say we were brought into such extremitie as they were fleshe and bloud woulde be ready to doubt But seeing God hath blessed the fruite of our cattell the increase of our kine the flockes of our sheepe our basket our dough seeing al his blessings are come vpon vs and ouertaken vs as hee promysed to them that feare him why should wee labour to fulfill the lustes of the fleshe and take no care to prouide victuall for our soules I pray God those things be not the fall of England which were the vtter ruine of Sodome They were iiii sinnes pride pride aboundeth in England fulnesse of bread gluttony triumpheth in England idlenesse idlenesse is succoured in Englande contempt of the poore beholde this sin hath as a Queene gottē the vpper hand in England Aboue all other vices The way to heauen is a narrow way the gate is a straight gate then wee must striue and labour to enter in The kingdome of heauē is a treasure hid in the ground it is a pearle of great price in a far country then must we take our spade dig then must we enter into ship and passe ouer the seas We are in the Lords Vinyarde not they that sleepe and are idle shall haue their penny at night but they that worke and labour Thou art promised to haue but thou must aske and haue thou shalt finde but thou must seeke and finde it shalbe opened vnto thee but thou must first knocke and then it shalbe opened Knocke like the womā of Canaan who continued knocking although shee was three times repelled and the gate of mercie was shut against her not that she should not enter in but that with more earnestnes desire and vehemencie shee myght knocke and euen prye thorowe the chinkes of the gate so must wee labour by prayer for our meate and though we haue not our petitions at the first second and third knocking yet we must knocke as Peter continued knocking at the dore before hee coulde come in Labour to see Christ as Zacheus who being a man of worship in the middes of a citie did climb vpon a wild Fig tree like a boy to see Christ because he was a man of lowe statute and coulde not see Christ for the prease Let vs labour by fayth as did the sick of the palsey to come to Christ who seeing hee could not goe in at the dore for the multitude was let down thorow the roof of the house which they vncouered Let vs labor by faith to touch the very hem of Christes garment as did the woman who had an issue of blood twelue yeares and had spente all her money on Phisitians If wee thus labour saluation wil come into Zacheus house the dropsie shall bee cured the issue of blood shalbe stopped Remember what a iorny the queen of Saba tooke to come to heare the wisedome of Solomon Remember the trauell of the Eunuche of Ethiopia Candaces the Queene of the Ethiopians chiefe gouernour who had the rule of al her treasure and came to Hierusalem to worship Remember the long iourney of the wisemē who came from the farthest parte of the East to see Christ The Iewes went vp euery yeere to Hierusalem the Papistes trauaile farre and wide on Pilgrimage to see reliques dead mens bones monuments images monasteries and such like trumperie and they thinke theyr labour well bestowed All these shall ryse when the trumpet shall sound and shalbe able to condemne vs if we will take no paines suffer no labour moue scarse a foote to heare the word of God to receiue the euerlasting Nectar and the heauenly Ambrosia to refresh to nourish to cherish yea to preserue our soules vnto euerlasting life But what is meate in this place whatsoeuer pertaineth to the renuing and amendment of this life or to The chiefest part wherof is that which is hid from the wise and mightie of the worlde that which is receiued of the poore and simple that which is the power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth the glorious Gospel of Iesus Christ and because meat doth not nourish a dead carcasse we must labour for fayth the life of the soule and because this meate cannot bee digested in our soules without the effectuall operation of Gods spirit we must thirdly labour for the holy Ghost who is promised to be giuen to all them that in a right and true prayer shall aske for him of the Father in the name of the sonne although hee descend not like a doue as vpon our Sauiour nor in the forme of clouen and fierie tongues as vpon the Apostles He is now to be sent not to be seen of our bodily eies but into our
eie to be a byshop euery man cānot be a leg to be a piller in gods church yet euery one may be a hād to giue sōwhat to the building therof euery one may be an eare to heare the word a tongue to prayse the Lord and a mouth to receiue this meat which endureth vnto euerlasting life whē the people came home from Babila they buylded the temple of the Lorde before they builded eyther their own houses or the walles of the citie they builded with one hand hauing weapons in the other All the people followed Dauid to seek the Arke of God and all went with Solomon to builde a temple vnto the Lord. How did the Iewes desire and loue this meate when they heard Esdras read the law from morning to noone and wept bitterly How did the people of Antioch labour when the rulers of the sinagogue an example for officers to folow came to Paule and his companions and said Men and brethren if ye haue any word of exhortation to the people say on When they besought Paule to preache the same sermon the next sabboth day the nexte sabboth daye the whole citie came together to heare the worde of God How did Cornelius labour when he wayted for Peters comming he called his friends and kinred into his house to heare him for we haue not done our dutie if we our selues onely eate of this meate vnlesse we cause them also to eat that belong vnto vs as Cornelius brought his friendes to heare Peter preach as Andrew brought his brother Simon as Philip brought Nathanael as Iohn Baptist brought his Disciples to christ I was glad saith Dauid when they said to me we will goe into the house of the lord If we thus labour the lord God wil raise vp cunning workmen for his tēple painfull labourers in his vineyard faithful pastors of his flock good teachers of his people as when Moses made the Arke he called Bezaleel by name and when Soloman built the temple he raysed vp Hyram of Tyrus whome he filled with his spirit to work in timber siluer brasse and golde But it is not vnknown to vs how the Popes shauelings and that fat Priest of Rome himselfe do mocke vs while we are building as Sauballat mocked the Iewes saying what doe these weake Iewes will they fortifie themselues will they sacrifice will they finish it in a day wil they make the stones whole again out of the heapes of dust seing they are burnt sōe deride vs as Tobiah the Ammonite did mock thē saying although they builde yet if a fox go vp he wil break down the stony wal Some come to vs as the men of Samaria came to Zerubbabel we wil build with you for we seeke the Lord your God as you do But he answered so doe we it is not for you it is for vs to builde the house vnto our God Ye hypocrites you speake good wordes to the people but as Absolon to steale away the hartes of the people from Dauid his father you will proclaime a fast but as Iezabell to kill Nabot you will worshippe Christ but as Herod to murther him you wil kisse Christ but like Iudas you will kill Christ You are knowne to the worlde O ye Gibeanits which fain your selues Ambassadours to Ioshua bringing old sacks vpon your Asses old bottelles for wine olde shooes and clouted on your feete olde rayment dryed and mouled bread Doe you not knowe that for all their old stuf they were knowen at three dayes end Ieroboams wife disguised her selfe and went to Ahiiah for her sonne she caried ten loaues and cracknels and a bottell of hony though Ahiiah were blinde yet he sayd come in thou wife of Ieroboam So you disguise your selues you bring hony in your mouths there is none so blind but he can say come in or rather come out thou sonne of Antichrist You vsed vs and so you hope to doe again as the Philistines vsed Isaac when they stopped and filled vp with earth all the welles which Abraham his Fathers seruantes had digged for him The water for a time with earth may be stopped fire for a time with ashes may be couered the sonne for a time with clowdes may be shadowed but now the Lord be thanked the erth is remoued and the water doeth runne the ashes are consumed and the fire doeth burne the clowdes are dispersed the sun doth shine Now that we may long enioy these benefits the Lord continue encrease the zeale of our soureigne that shee neuer set her minde on that meat which perisheth not on any erthly thing as did good king Dauid when hee numbred the people as did good king Ezechias when he bragged of his treasure to the Ambassadours of the king of Babell but to continue in maintaining the Lordes cause not like Ioash who did well all the dayes of Iehoida the Priest and afterwarde fell from the Lorde nor like Vzziah who sought God as long as Zachariah the Prophet liued and afterward forsooke God but that as her dayes may be as the dayes of heauen so to her liues ende shee may labour for to keep among vs this meat of our soules for this meat hath no end but endureth vnto euerlasting life That she may still haue before her eies the example of Dauid who before all thinges did seeke the Arke of the Lord would haue builte an house for his God and though he were forbidden because hee was a man of blood yet hee prouided timber and stone and commaunded Solomon his sonne to builde it That Solomon may bee in her remembraunce who builte the house of God before he built his owne courte The house of God was 7. yeeres in buylding but his owne was thirteene yeeres not that he bestowed more charges on his owne house but with more hast and speede he did builde a temple vnto the Lord. That she neuer cease to follow Ezechias who first of all brake the Images cut downe the groues and brake in peeces the brasen serpent that Moses had set vp that she thinke alwayes on Iosiah who being a childe beganne to seeke after the God of Dauid his father and did purge Ierusalem and Iudah that she may alwayes thinke on the commaundement of the Lorde when the kinge shall sitte in the throne of his kingdome then he shall write him this lawe in a booke repeated by the priestes it shalbe with him and he shall reade therein al the dayes of his life that he may learn to feare the Lord his god keep al the words of this law and these ordinaunces for to doe them Now for as much as meat doeth not nourish vnles it be receiued by fayth we receiue it it cannot cherish vs vnlesse it be digested and by the heate of fayth it is concocted it cannot profit vs vnlesse it be kept in our hearts and by fayth we retaine it