incurre feare to indure the discōmodities disturbāces of banishment such like things They could wel finde in their hearts to goe into paradise by that large wide way gate but Iesus christ saith that this is the waie that leadeth to destruction that the narrow waie strait gate leade to eternall life So that these men are the more guilty before God the lesse excuse they haue But furthermore you wil obiect that I am too rigorous and that I haue no regarde to mans infirmitie that there is none so good but he doth offend c. I answere that your fault cannot be sufficientlie exaggerate it is so monstrous and scandalous and it is most necessarie that you be brought to the sight of your maladie and miserie that you maie be cured And as for the infirmitie of our flesh I know I praise God that it is greater than I can expresse the Lord knoweth it better than we and he taketh pitie and compassion thereon but yet for al that he wil not take our excuses which wée alleage for paiment for it ariseth from a corrupt fountaine that is from sinne yea it is sinne in it selfe and principallie hee condemneth it when wee nourish it cherish it and entertaine it in our selues when wee take pleasure and flatter our selues in it when we wil make a buckler of it to couer and defend our faultes we ought rather whē we procéed against our selues to begin here that is first of al to condemne our infirmitie as beeing a fruite of our corruption and afterward our sluggishnes and slacknesse in that we despise the means which God setteth before vs to strengthen our selues with al in the power of his spirite If during the time of your prosperitie at which time the Lorde graunted you grace to take some rest or at least to take some breath you had wel known your infirmity and that this knowledge ingendering in you a distrustfulnesse of your selues had stirred you vp to craue help at Gods handes euen the strength of his spirite you should not haue fallen into this inconuenience If you saie that the loue of your fathers mothers wiues and children their prouocations their cries their teares the desire of their good and commoditie and the feare you had to leaue them opē to all manner perils and dangers or to suffer and indure anie harme if you alleage I saie that al these thinges were of great force to make you stagger and to abate your courage I graunt that these are great trials namely to those that haue a tender heart and that a man must be furnished with singular strength from aboue that he may be able to ouercome al those things I saie moreouer that this humane natural affectiō is laudable approued of God whē it is wel ruled for he that careth not for those that belong vnto him is worse than an Infidel saith the Apostle 1. Tim. 5 but I saie therwithall that this affection hath not onelie béene disordered in you Deut. 6. Mat. 24. but also strāgely disordered vnbrideled For you know what that meaneth which the Lord requireth at our handes that we loue him with all our heart strength thought and vnderstanding that is to say that there be nothing in the world neither without nor within vs that may be able to turne vs aside how little soeuer from the intire and perfect loue which we owe vnto our God and father moreouer that we loue nothing in this world of all that which we can and ought to loue no not our selues but onely in him and for his sake or to speake plainely that there bee nothing which we loue properlie but him alone You know also what Iesus Christ saith that if we preferre the loue of our fathers mothers wiues children brethren sisters and of our owne life before the loue which we owe vnto him yea if we hate not all these thinges for the loue of him we can not bee his disciples and we are not worthie of him This was then a marueilous excessiue and disordered affection that carried you away so farre as to make you forget the loue of your God and father and of your sauiour and redéemer Iesus Christ Furthermore I aske you this question what greater good and commoditie yea what greater honour you could desire and procure for your wiues and children then to shew them an example of true godlines and of the feare of God of patience and Christian constancie To carry thē with you if néed had beene into some place of safetie where God might be called vpon serued and honored And there to learne in good time to beare the crosse of Iesus Christ that they might haue this honor together with you namely to weare the liuerie and coller of his order that you might together be partakers of this blessing of the sonne of God Ma◠5. Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theirs is the kingdome of heauen and of that whereof S. Paule speaketh that if wee suffer with him we shall raigne with him and shall be glorified with him furthermore how could you better saue them from danger and prouide for their safetie and your owne then to bring them to this stronge dungeon of the house of God that is into the church which is without rifts and frée from vndermining and which is founded vpon a rocke and garded by the celestial armies which lye incamped round about Mat. 16. Psal 34. Ps 125. being couered and inuironed on euery side with the fauour of the almightie being garded fortified and defended by the inuincible force of the spirit of God To be briefe what better thing could you do for those that are of your bloud and for your own soules then to further and procure the saluation the life and the eternall felicitie of you all But you haue taken a cleane contrarie course for you haue procured their perdition their dishonour and eternall confusion together with your owne and haue drawen them and your selues into farre greater danger then if with your owne handes you had deliuered them vp to the moste cruel bloudie cutthroates of the world or els if you had committed them to the mercie of Lyons Tygers and Beares or of other bruit beastes which are mercilesse For first of al of what benefites fauours blessings of God haue you depriued your selues together seing you haue cut your selues off frō the church of Iesus Christ from the communion of saints wtout which there is no blessednes felicitie saluation neither anie life whatsoeuer but all vnhappines cursednes death ruine and destruction What duetie haue you done to edifie them when you shewed them the example of your cowardlines trecherie and disloialtie What account will they make to come to Christian religion séeing you make so small account thereof What reuerence will thy giue to Iesus Christ and his doctrine seeing you renounce the same so cowardlie
yet was not this in heart and with affection but onely in word But all these allegations are so féeble and these replies are so friuelous that they deserue none answere at all And I am verie certaine that the moste part of you my brethren haue sometimes reiected them as not worthie to be receiued and of none importaunce when they would haue paied you with such monie yea I am sure you laugh at them euen at this time in your owne hearts and that for good cause For where can you finde that the Lord hath permitted vs to make such a partition between our soule and bodie as with the one to serue God and the deuill with the other Is not the Lord the creatour and sauiour aswell of the one as of the other Wil not he be glorified in both We knowe that the Apostle will haue vs to offer not onelie our spirites but also our bodies to the Lord in Sacrifice that is that we consecrate and dedicate our selues to the seruice of God both in soule and bodie And that which more is our bodies are called by the Apostle the Temples of God and must be made partakers of his glorie aswel as our selues euen then when we shall be fashioned according to the glorious bodie of the Sonne of God It foloweth then that we must not serue the deuill therwith polluting them with superstitions Idolatries but we must kéepe them in al purenes and holines for the seruice of our god For what husband is he that is so foolish which would take such an answere for paimēt at his wiues hand and that would suffer her to make such a partition If a woman were so impudent and shameles as to speake to her husband on this wise my husband I prostitute my bodie indéed to such such and make it common euerie daie in the brothelhouse but I reserue the better part for you and that 's mine heart wherwith I loue you serue and honor you I praie you should not such a woman deserue to be cast off of her husband as a mocker or rather as a common vile and detestable harlot It is most certain that she should What will the Lord then do who is ielous ouer his glorie and our saluation who hath espoused vs to himselfe that keeping our faith and promise made to him wee maie bee pure and chast in bodie and mind What will he do I say if wee pollute our bodies in Idolatrie which is spirituall whoredome Wherfore we see that this is a vaine excuse for indeede if this partition coulde haue beene made with a good conscience that is to saye to prostrate the bodie before Idols and to keepe the heart for God thinke wee that Daniell and the three Hebrue children would not rather haue vsed this opportunitie then to haue exposed their life to so great dangers séeing there was nothing required at their hands saue onely an outward kinde of worship But what shall we say of so manie martyrs whose memorie is fresh as yet Who would rather shed the last drop of their bloud or bee burnt aliue with soft fire then once to bowe their knée before Baal howe little soeuer it were Why did they it not for safegard of their life to preserue it from so cruell torments and from the fire Because they feared eternall torments and the fire of Gods wrath who abhorreth such Idolatrie what protestation soeuer wee make that wee keepe our heart whole and pure for him for he will haue both the one and the other Now it may appeare by that what account we ought to make of that other replye which manye amongst you haue in their mouth when a man studieth to set before their eies the filthines of their fault If I tel you that you haue abiured and forsworne christian religion and receiued and allowed al the abhominations of the great whore also that you haue denyed the sonne of God and acknowledged this Idole of Antichrist putting him as it were in his place you wil say that you did it not with your heart affection but onely in word to content men and you thinke that you may escape by this goodly distinction But the Lord wil not iudge you after your subtilties sophistrie which shal vanish away like smoake when we shall appeare before the throne of his Maiestie He hath not said Hee which shall confesse me with the heart and affection him wil I confesse before my father in heauen and before his Angels he which shall deny me with the heart him wil I also denie but hee speaketh of confessing and acknowledging those which shal confesse him before men and of reiecting and denying those which shal haue denyed and renounced him before men And what is it to confesse Iesus Christ before men It is to make open profession of his Gospel to make frée cōfession of his truth yea to feele it with our bloud if neede bee after the example of this cloude of martyres which shall stand vp in iudgment against you at the great daie On the other side what is it to denie Iesus Christ before men is it not to do euen as you haue done And to do that which you do as yet dailie But least you thinke that I charge you to sore and without cause I beseech you consider with an equall and quiet mind what this cursed and detestable abiuration which you haue made importeth the which I cannot read without an inward trembling especiallie when I behold the cursed and miserable estate of so manie silie soules which by this meanes are caught in Sathans net wherein they continue intangled vntill such time as they be vnited again with the Church of Iesus Christ But admit there be some few among you which haue exempted themselues from making the foresaid abiuration yet you cease not to denie Iesus Christ to be your sole Sauiour to tread his bloud vnder your féete and to renounce the merit of his death and passion when by your presence assistance you approue that abhomination of the masse which is the seale and detestable sacrament of this abiuration and renouncing of the sonne of God and as it were a poisoned heape of all the impieties of popish doctrine But for the better explaning of al this let vs consider the thinges more distinctlie not that I purpose to rippe vp all the pointes that are comprised in this goodlie fourme of confession and abiuration and to refute them by reasons and plaine testimonies of Scripture for then I should make a great volume touching that matter alone which should be a superfluous thing seeing I should then hādle and do againe that which hath bene alreadie done most excellentlie by manie excellent seruants of God in our time speciallie by him who made not long agoe the answer to the profession of faith published against those of the reformed church by the Archbishop Munkes of Bourdeaux in which answere framed according to the word of god
to waxe out of loue with it that we may so much the more desire to attain to eternal life by this meanes we are prouoked to pray earnestly to cal vpō God to put our trust in him our faith our patience are exercised proued fined to be briefe afflictions are a meane whereby the Lorde procureth and furthereth our saluatiō so manie waies that those which flie from thē which abhorre thē shewe thēselues not only vnaduised but also altogether blind sworne enemies to their own good and saluation Furthermore Rom. 8. like as afflictiōs as also all thinges els whether prosperity or aduersity fal out to the good saluatiō of those which loue feare the Lorde so likewise on the contrary we may say that al things turne to a curse to those which are out of Gods fauour Wherefore this rest this ease these good thinges these honors and these temporall commodities which the world promiseth you to hinder you from turning to God ought not to preuaile with you And surely if you suffer your selues to be made drunkē with such deceiuable allurements it wil goe ill with you for he which maketh you such faire promises hath no power to performe them so that you shal be frustrate of your vaine hope shall become twise miserable But put case you should enioy al these things peaceably you should yet be more accursed for they shal be giuen you in the wrath of God the vse thereof shal be accursed to you so long as you continue separate frō Iesus Christ and his Church Furthermore what profit shuld you reap by this to haue the full and whole fruition of all beautifull precious excellent thinges that are in the worlde if you loose your owne soules and what wil you giue in recompence thereof saith Iesus Christ Mat. 26. What is there in this world which we ought to count so deare so precious as the eternal saluation of our soules The sonne of God made so great account of it that to purchase the same for vs he shedde his most precious bloode suffered a most cruell a most horrible death not only in his body but also in his soule forasmuch as he was put euen as in the presse of Gods wrath and suffered the heauie burden of his iust iudgement for vs so that he was in a manner oppressed with it so that hée saide My God my God why hast thou forsaken me We must thē néeds say that our saluation is a thing of great price seing it cost the sonne of God so deare Will you then shew your selues so vnthankful towardes him as to contemne treade vnder foote so precious so inestimable a treasure Wil you be so cruel and so vncurteous to your selues as to depriue your selues therof for euer to inioy transitorie cōmodities and to escape certaine light and smal discommodities which are not woorth the naming What man is he so mad that wil stick to forgoe thrée or foure pence to gaine a treasure of one thousande crownes Or who is he that is so daintie as that hee cannot suffer a little pricke of a pinnes point the paine wherof is gone in the turning of a hand that he maie be blessed enioye perpetuall pleasures during his whole life In like sort what man is hée that is so foolish as to hazarde the losse of all his goodes vpon hope to get one poore peny or rather a thing of nothing what man is he that is so madde and voyde of reasō who to enioy a quarter of an hours pleasure would binde him selfe to goe vp at the end thereof vpon a scaffolde and there to haue his head cut off or els to be tormented vpon a whéele And what are al torments yea euen the most cruel tormentes that a man can endure in this world being compared with the eternall torments as hath bin said For the honor of God therfore my brethren bethink your selues Come out of the cursed Babylō return to your fathers house who is ready to receiue you as his children to kil the fat calf to the end to feast you to make you good chéere yea to apparel you with the precious ornamēts of his son Iesus Christ after that he hath forgiuen you al your offences Take héed that you driue not off from day to day abusing his patiēce for feare least his wrath waxe hoater hoater against you least he shut the gate of his grace against you when after you haue stopped your eares against his aduertisemēts you shal come to séek him in vain folow him now seing he calleth you to him hardē not your hart against the swéet voice of this most merciful father You haue dishonored him by your falling away honor him now and giue him glory through your conuersion you haue cowardly forsaken the banner of Iesus Christ gather fresh strength and courage now so that it may appeare that you gaue backe to thend you might leap better and that you might fight more valiantly then euer heretofore you haue denyed and renounced him before men and haue abiured the truth of the gospel make now a quite contrarie abiuration and denyall renounce Antichrist in the face of the whole world abiure all his impieties and abhominations cast vp al his filth and infections out of your stomach you haue offended dishonoured and grieued the poore Church of Iesus Christ edifie it now and repaire the honour thereof you haue made sad the holy Ghost and all good men and haue made glad Sathan and Antichrist together with their ministers do now the quite contrarie make glad all those to whom you haue ministred matter of sorrow and let all those be confounded and ashamed which reioyce at your fall and which triumph ouer it you are gone astray and are againe entred into the way of destruction whence the Lord had drawne you returne now againe to the right way which you haue forsaken Mat. 12. for feare least that wicked spirit which was gone out of your heart returne againe that he may enter in againe with seauen other spirites worse then himselfe least after they haue gotten possession of you they make your last estate worse then your first that is most cursed and most miserable Now the father of all mercie vouchsafe in mercie to behold you the high shepheard and bishop of your soules vouchsafe himselfe to looke out his wandering shéepe and to bring it againe to his flocke The spirit of strength and of wisedome vouchsafe to strengthen and prudently to direct you in all your actions that all this may redounde to his honour and glorie to your good and saluation and to the edification of his church for the loue of his sonne Iesus Christ Amen