from the seruitude and bondage of the Deuill vnder whome they were subiect and to set them at libertie with the raunsome and price of his most sacred and blessed bloud which was poured out vppon the Crosse by cruell and vnthankfull Iewes meaning I say that vnlesse hée beléeue this with stedfast faith and in consideration of the same present himselfe before the face of God firmely trusting that for Christes sake he shall be accepted and mercifullye receyued no man can come vnto the father of heauen or enioy the gracious aspect of the mightie God of Iacob but is vtterly destitute of the glory of God and is a firebrande of hell and heire of eternal misery And Paule saith Without fayth it is vnpossible to please god And againe Whatsoeuer commeth not of fayth is sinne and it is fayth that maketh a man to be saued For Christ sayth to a woman that came vnto him Fides tua te saluam fecit Thy fayth hath made thée hole which is to be vnderstanded not onely of bodily helth but also of heauenly safetie And againe qui non credit 〈◊〉 dicatus est He that doth not beleeue is alreadie iudged or condemned Therefore they which doe dispise reiect or contemne prayer if they be vnfaythfull are in most certaine peril and danger of hell fire But that they are vnfaithfull it shall by the assistance of almightie God be declared by the force fruits and effectes of fayth which bicause they are innumerable and infinite it is requisite that we speake of a few only which wil sufficiently shew vnto vs howe farre they abhorre from the excellent gifte wherewith the dartes of the deuils be quenched the host of Antichrist ouercommed and the firie flames of Hell extinguished That they lacke loue and obedience the speciall fruites of fayth which exercise not prayer The .xij. Chapter FAith whersoeuer it be doth bring forth or ingender repentaunce doth apprehende the spirit of god doth worke in mans harte loue and obedience which fruites and effects if they necessarilye porceede of faith as hereafter it shal appeare sée that by no meanes they may be seperated and contrarilye if they can neuer be founde in any of them which despise prayer as it shall be declared it must néedes of necessitie folowe they haue no fayth but are dry deade vnfruitfull and faithlesse people But first let vs sée whether repentaunce procéede of faith or no and then whither such men can be repentant Faith when it is giuen from heauen and placed in the heart of man then it doth as it were rule and gouerne all the motions of the minde it trieth and prooueth and sercheth all the corners of his cogitations it séeketh swepeth scoureth and clenseth away the filth the rust the drosse the dregges of all impietie For God in the first of Esay sayth if your sinnes be as red as scarlet I will make them as white as snowe which commeth onely by 〈…〉 on through which we appeare righteous before the throne of our mightie God and iustification commeth onely through faith in the most precious bloud of our onely sauiour Iesus Christ For Paule saith in the thirde chapter to the Romaines The righteousnesse or iustification no boubt which is good before God commeth by the fayth of Iesus Christ vnto all and vppon all that beléeue There is no difference For all haue sinned and lacke the prayse that is of valure before God but are iustified fréelye by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Iesu whome God hath made a seate of mercy through fayth in his bloud to shewe the righteousnesse which before him is of valure in that he forgyueth the sinnes that are passed which God did suffer to shewe at this time the righteousnesse that is allowed of him that he might be accounted iust and iustifier of him that beléeueth in Iesus Hitherto Paule But vnlesse the sharpe salue of hartie repentaunce be layde vnto the festred woundes of our sinfull hartes it is â—mpossible that they shoulde be purified cleansed or healed For therefore the scripture calleth vs so often to repentance Conuertimini ad me saluieritis Turne vnto me sayth the Lorde and ye shall be safe and againe Si conuersus fuerit impius c. If the wicked shall turne from his euill way and nolo mortem peccatoris I will not the death of a sinner but that he repent and liue and resipiscite credite euangelio repent and beléeue the gospell and non veni vocare iustos sed peccatores ad penitentiam I came not to call the iust but sinners to repentance So that here we sée plainely that first is seâ— conuersion to God and repentaunce then helth or life or safetie whereby we may well perceyue that vnlesse repentaunce doe launch and cut and rent our hartes we can not come to the perfection of obedient christians And againe An humble and contrite heart is an acceptable sacrifice to the Lorde to whome nothing is acceptable that procéedeth not of faith For the Apostle sayth Whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne and with sinne howe can God be pleased It remayneth the â—â—â—re that repentaunce whereby the soule is sorrowfully charged but therewithall after shall chéerefully be discharged is engendred and brought forth by fayth For like as in a fielde or garden swéete pleasaunt or delectable flowers can not grow freshly abundantly before that wéedes and stones and thornes be rased vp and cast out euen so the most delitesome fruit of dame vertues grace can not plentifully replenishe the fielde or garden of mans hart vnlesse first the briers of vices and stones of wicked abhomination be by repentaunce cast out and exiled Zachaeus an example of an hartie repenter and that repentance is the salue to recure the wounds of wicked lyfe The .xiij. Chapter THerefore Zacheus the prince of Publicanes in the .19 of Luke when he had receyued the fayth of Christ burst out into these wordes and sayde Ecce Domine dimidium bonorum meorum do pauperibus c. Beholde Lorde the halfe of my goodes I giue to the poore and if I haue defrauded any man of any thing I render to him foure folde which wordes vndoubtedly doe giue a most certayne token of heartie repentaunce For he did so much detest his former iniquitie so much lament his olde enormities so willinglye condemne his practised prankes and deceitfull dealinges that he not onelye did purpose in time to come to auoyde the lyke but also did with most readie minde recompence them foure folde whome he had before deceiued or oppressed And in the seconde of the Actes when diuers at the preaching of Peter began to beléeue they being pricked in conscience exclamed on this sorte Yée men and brethren what shall we doe here they knowing by the sermons of the Apostle that they hadde a long time erred from the truth and serued rather their owne inuentions than the true God and therefore perceyuing that they were in daunger of
shoulde daunt the power of the Deuill valiauntly vanquishe the host of Sathan puyssantly conquere the campe and companie of our enimies ouerthrow the kingdome of bloodie Belzebub breake downe the gates of the nethermost hell and beate downe the walles of the Deuill his defensed Castle and deliuer vs poore afflicted people from the cruell rage and violent clause and tearing téeth of oure deuouring enimye This was perfourmed at the fulnesse of tyme in the latter dayes when God sent his Aungell to the most happie holye sacred and pure Virgin who being ouershadowed with the spirit of the most highest brought forth Christ Iesus our onely Sauiour our onely redéemer our onely succour safegarde and defence our sure and stedfast rocke our stable and constant hope the rampire and castle of our helth the soueraigne salue of our heauie and sorowfull heartes the sole and singular and moste holsome remedie for all our diseases In this case therefore we must doe our diligent indeuour that we maye applye this playster to oure gréeuous wounde and so fruitfully enioy the commodities of the same For lyke as a great and infinite treasure lying hydde in the earth will not enrich vs vnlesse with labour care and diligence we digge vp the same and like as a great swift and couragious courser will nothing profite vs in flying from our enimies vnlesse we learne how to sit fast vpon him and so to escape and as the surpassing knowledge cunning and science of a learned and well experienced phisitian will not helpe to cure our maladie and sicknesse or procure our health and safetie vnlesse we open our disease vnto him and desire hys ayde comfort and assistaunce euen so the meruellous mercies the manifolde merites and incomparable desertes the euerlasting goodnesse and bountious liberalitie the riches and excellent greatnesse of the inestimable grace of God through our swéete Sauiour graunted vnto vs wyll not cure our disease will not inlarge the boundes of our libertie will not deliuer vs from the bondes and chaines of Sathan wherewith we are clogged wyll not enrich vs with the glorious giftes and precious pearles of iustice holinesse eternall life and purity vnlesse we with humble hearts with thankefull mindes with heauie chéere with hart oppressed wyth greeuous grones lamenting our former iniquities confessing our manifolde misdeedes detesting all impietie crauing pardon for our committed blasphemie and hartily sorowing for our accustomed idolatrye stubburnesse and wilfull disobedience doe display our miserie and open before him our shamefull nakednesse and in the bowelles of Iesus Christ in whome he is well pleased desire him with constaunt faith with certaine hope with earnest and continuall prayer to haue mercy vpon vs to illuminate our hartes with the spirite of knowledge to scoure away the clowdes of ignoraunce to wash away the spottes of sinfull disobedience to kindle in vs a feruent heauenly true burning and godly charitie and to worke in our hartes a continuall desire alwayes to fulfill hys most blessed will and therewith all to giue vs the power of his holye spirite to performe the same to the glorie of his eternall maiestie the comfort of the godly the fruitfull edification of our brethren and the saluation of our owne selues soules for euer and euer in his glorious and immortall kingdome The meane and way how to come to our heauenly father with a promise of the Authour to intreate of prayer and a diuision of hys worke The thirde Chapter IF we will therefore be the sonnes of God if we will be pertakers of those infinite and celestiall commodities which were gotten and purchased by the most pure bloude of the immaculate Lambe if we will be healed by the swéete salue of his bloudy wounds we must not slacke to runne vnto God our heauenly father with continuall and heartie prayer Which prayer bicause it is a thing so necessarie for christians that without the same we cannot attaine to the grace of God and merites of our sauiour Christ and seing that daylye experience doth apparauntly but pitifully teach vs that in these oure dayes it is an exercise that is nothing at all or verie lightly vsed of many which beare the name of Christ but in déede are not christians I meane and minde by the assistance of almightie God and ayde of his holy spirit to intreate something of the same I saye of prayer that the prowd contempt of the disdainfull Epicures which passe not for prayer may be something abated and diminished that the licentious life of beastly belly Gods which take al their delite in worldly filthinesse may by the terrour of Gods iudgement be corrected and amended that the rarelesse concupisence of worldly wicked men which wallow in welth and worldly banities maye by the knowledge of the bounden dueties be cut off and contemned that such as be deceiued by simplicitie may be reformed that such as knowe not how to praye so that they may mercifully be hearde may charitably be instructed that such as are alreadie forwarde in the same may thervnto be the more incensed For Saint Chrysostome saith that prayer is as the roote and foundation of al vertues For as the foundation doth make a shippe or house to be strong and holdeth it that it may not be dissolued so the exercise of prayer doth holde our lyfe and maketh it strong on all partes and so that without this no good can happen vnto vs nor anye thing which belongeth to our health I will therefore that I may the more orderly procéede diuide my whole talke into thrée principall partes and first by the grace of God I will declare that if we doe reiect or nothing regarde earnest and hartie prayer that we be in present daunger of eternall damnation Secondly that if with pure prayer we doe as we ought call vpon God in Iesus Christ our blessed sauiour for the assistaunce of hys holy spirite we shall be sure of most happie blissefull immortall saluation and thirdlye God guiding me I will shewe plainely how we may praye so that assuredly we shall obtaine our request For although the singular goodnesse and incredible mercies of almightie God our louing father cannot allure vs the terrible vengeaunce which he poureth downe vpon stifnecked sinners maye perchaunce constraine vs to accomplish that which of dutye we shoulde performe Then when by continuall feare of grieuous plagues and punishmentes we are driuen from former negligence to néedefull and healthfull diligence when by terrour of seuere iustice the rayne of our lose libertie is drawen in more straightlye so that we may not runne lyke roysting rouers at randome to the heauie displeasure of our almightie iudge as willingly we woulde and vnwisely were wont it may he that the constaunt hope of so bountifull a rewarde so princely pearles and surpassing a benifite as is eternall saluation maye prouoke and entise our appetite to shewe some earnest zeale and heartie desire to please and serue our maker Afterwards least some
the displeasure and terrible hate of the Lord hosts desired earnestlye to knowe by what meanes they myght escape the vengeance being readie to fall on their heades and sorowfully lamented their dauÌ„gerous ignorance And Peter answereth with these words Delictorum paenitentiaÌ„ agite c. Repent your offences Here we sée that the salue wherwith their heauy harts wounded with wickednesse were first refreshed was hartie repentaunce after they came to the faith of Christ Iesus The Niniuits 3. Ionae beleeued God commaunded a generall fasting which did well declare their remorse of conscience for their former contempt of Gods commaundement and refusall of his mercies and tormenting of his Prophetes whereby they turned away at the last the wrath of the Lord from themselues and their citie all which doe proue that where faith is there is repentaunce Nowe let vs consider a while whether true repentance may be found in them that continue the vse of prayer or no. â—â—scription of repentaunce and the partes therof and the example of the saued theefe The .xiiij. Chapter REpentauncâ— is a true griefe and sorrow for the offence committed against GOD wherewith the minde is opprest the sorrowfull hart most miserably tormented the senses troubled the vnderstanding ouerwhelmed the life afflicted the woonted wanton ioyes altogither banished but so that the valiant force of a liuely faith doth agayne reuiue the languishing spirit with an earnest desire and constant assurance hoping for frée pardon for the merites of Christ his passion whereby is ingendered a full purpose neuer more to haunt the brothell houses of sinne and iniquitie but alwaies to liue in pure conuersation and sincere pietie Herein be principall and especiall partes due contrition and constant faith Contrition maketh a man to tremble and quake to consider the violent 〈◊〉 â—he oâ— God incensed against sinne wherewith he is brought into extreme feare terror and anguishe and for that detesteth the horrible filthynesse and deformitie of the same And in such case is it possible to stand and not to desire pardon To require mercie To craue deliuerance To complaine our estate To lament our miseries To seeke a salue To procure an holesome medicine whereby we may be restored to our helth No no and especially seing fayth instilled into our hartes by the spirite of God doth perswade vs that we shall obtaine if we call that we shall be raunsomed if we require it that we shall be healed if humbly with hartie prayers we repaire to the good Phisition of the soule Christ Iesus our Lord and sauiour What madnesse were it to thinke that any man being sure of most miserable tormentes if he holde his peace and is alreadie plunged into the desperate consideration of the same and féeling their extreme bitternesse and cruell sharpnesse if on the contrarie part he were sure to escape so great a daungâ—r so apparent a perill so mischieuous a miserie by opening his mouth and desiring mercie that he woulde not with readie minde with chéerefull hart with all spéedie hast prostrate himselfe before the iudge and in most lowly wise and carefull humilitie beséech him of his gracious goodnesse and desired bountie to delyuer him The théefe which was hanged with Christ on his right hande when he had receyued the boldnesse of fayth and therewith was brought to godlye repentaunce did desire Christ most humbly to remember him whan he came to his glorious euerlasting kingdome Ye he did not refuse to call vpon him but by calling was delyuered from the power of Sathan from the mouth of hell from the anguish of the soule from the death eternall to which he had surely bene condemned if he had despised or not regarded the profite of faithfull prayer The things that hinder the fruiteful exercise of praier desperation and the contrarie thereof that is securitie The .xv. Chapter WHat is it therefore that hindreth a man so that he doth not vse the fruitefull exercise of prayers â–ª Surely eyther desperatioÌ„ or else securitie Desperation drowneth a man in deadly sorrowes in bitternesse of soule in the furious floudes of most déepe and despitefull dolours Therefore wheresoeuer it is founde it shutteth out cleane the force of fayth But securitie maketh a man carelesse hardneth his heart indureth his stonie spirites and causeth to cry peace peace when destruction hangeth ouer his heade This also when contrition is absent hath no parte or porcion in a faythfull heart Whereof it foloweth that true repentaunce whereby the harts of christians are regenerated their willes chaunged their mindes framed a newe their desires reformed their liues amended their cogitations cleÌ„sed their thoughtes purified their spirite sanctified cannot be founde in those that doe not continually burst out in most hartie prayers desiring grace goodnesse pardon and amendment and consequently that such are not faithfull but faithlesse not fruitfull but fruitlesse not gracious but gracelesse persons Secondly faith doth apprehend the spirite of god For Christ saith Iohn 7. If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke He that beleueth in me as the scripture sayth shall haue floudes of water of lyfe flowing from his bellye and this he spake of the spirite which they that beleue him should receyue And ad Ephesios 1. Paule sayth In whome speakyng of Christ also ye after that you had heard the worde of truth I meane the gospell of your saluation wherein you beleue were sealed with the holye spirite of promise which is the earnest pledge of our inheritaunce to redéeme the purchased possession and that vnto the lawde and glory of god The spirite of God therefore doth possesse the hartes of the faythfull But let vs now consequently consider whither iâ— may be founde in such that will not feare God which saint Paule séemeth to denye Romanes 8. By these wordes Non enim accepistis spirituÌ„ seruitutis in timore sed accepistis spirituÌ„ adoptionis filioruÌ„ dei in quo clamamus Abba pater c. For ye haue not againe receyued the spirite of bondage in feare but ye haue receyued the spirit of adoption of the sonnes of god whereby we cry Abba father For that spirite doth testifie to our spirite that we are the sonnes of God and in the fourth to the Galathians bicause you are the sonnes of God God hath sent the spirite of his sonne into your harts crying Abba father Here in these places Paule doth manifestly shewe that the spirite of God when it resteth in the hartes of the faythfull doth so mollifie mans stony minde so breake downe the brazen walles of sléepie securitie so confounde the pernitious and pestilent purposes of negligent impietie and agayne so comforteth the sorrowfull soule so refresheth the weary wil so repaireth and healeth the broken hart that neyâ—her by contempt of Gods wrath is proudâ—ed neyther by lacke of trust and confidence helth is togither banished but contynuall prayer is poured out to God as to a father that with naturall yea more then naturall affection
our heauenly father and not to Aungels deade sainctes Deuils stocks stones or such lyke For it is written thou shalt worshippe the â—or◠〈◊〉 God and him onely shalt thou serne Aâ—â—â—e God saith in Esay the .43 Ego sum ego sum c. I am I am and without me there is no sauiour And .45 Chapter A iust and sauing God there is none but I. And such places there are to be founde a great number which for breuitie sake I of purpose doe omitte partly bicause of the rude and simple peoples sake that they may the better remember these rules and partly bycause there is a notable treatise against the worshipping inuocation of saintes now extaunt wherin this question is fullye debated by Iohn Veron a worthye member of the Church of Christ 2 Secondly we must poure out oure supplications before God in all humilitie trusting fauourably to be accepted onely for the merites passion of Iesus Christ who is our onely satisfaction iustification and righteousnesse before the Lorde not for the worthinesse of our owne workes For Christ Iesus when we were accursed came downe from heauen to delyuer vs from the curse whervnto al we were subiect was 〈…〉 â—â—crifice for our sinnes Wherevpo◠〈◊〉 â—â—â—h ye are saued by grace through â—â—th and that not of our selues for it is the gift of God and commeth not of workes least any man should boast 3 Thirdely they which present themselues before God to request any thing of him must cast of all cruelty violence and oppression towardes other For in Esay 1. we read When you shall stretch out your handes I will turne mine eies from you and when you shal multiply your praiers I will not heare you sayth the Lorde For your hands be full of bloud Washe your selues and be cleane They must put all vnmercifulnesse out of their mindes For in the .xxj. of the Prouerbes it is written He that stoppeth his eare at the cry of the poore shall cry himselfe and not be heard This is plaine by the example of Lazarus and the riche Glutton They must plucke out of their hartes all enuye hatred malice and dissension they must forgiue the faultes of their brethren For Christ sayth When ye stande to praye forgiue your brothe◠〈…〉 haue anything against him 〈…〉 sixt of Mathew If you for◠〈…〉 euen from the bottome of your hart neyther shall your father which is in heauen forgiue you They must be humble and banishe away all pride or disdaine oute of the closet of their minde For Psalme 51 An humble and contrite heart God will not despise And Peter saith God resisteth the prowde giueth grace to the humble Examples hereof be the prowde Pharisey and poore Publicane in the gospell They must be sure stedfast and constaunt in fayth For it is said Let him aske in fayth doubting nothing Iacob 10. They must with harty sincere and true repentaunce bewayle their sinfull wickednesse and wicked wilfulnesse and haue an earnest desire to set forth the glorie of God to liue in due obedience to God and his gospell to subuert the raging affections of the corrupt fleshe vnto the heauenly pure and angelicall motions of the spirite they must be enflamed with a feruencie of spirite ioyned to continuance in supplication and not come 〈…〉 â—art and a babling 〈…〉 â—or chalenge the hart 〈…〉 and also â—â—ou â—â—ard apperance â—â—â—leâ—se both hast and mouth agrée zeâ—â—â—ly in one kinde of worship it cannot he pleasant vnto God nor Christ Whereâ—â—â— is sayd of some this people honoreth me with their lips but their hart is farre from me Such God will spue out of hys mouth and vtterly refuse them Briefly these rules maye be thus concluded They which minde to obtayne their requestes when they yéelde vp their supplications must direct the same to God in the name of Christ Iesus but so that they themselues be in minde mercyfull in manners milde in loue charitable in affection amyable in fayth constant in lyfe obedient in spirite feruent and in hart repentaunt Nowe moreouer there be other circumstances which are to be annexed as when where for whom for what things with what iesture after what manner we ought to pray The circumstances â—â—â—h ought to be obserued in prayer beside the sixe rules The .xxv. Chapter FOr the first it is written indesinenter oratâ— pray continually that is whensoeuer you shall be assaulted with temptation eyther in prosperitie or in aduersitie call vpon God not that at all times without ceasing or intermission we should onely be occupied in prayer but that we should as godly men haue done before time appoint certayne tymes to poure out our complaintes before God also at other times in what thing soeuer we be occupied in spirite in truth in sighes in thought in worke in will call vpon God for the helpe of his grace and accesse of his mercie As the Ploughman at his labour the Marchaunt at his occupying the Scholer at his studie and so forth ought not onely at certaine houres giue himselfe to prayer but also when he is most occupied ought in he 〈…〉 with God through prayer in â—â—â—â—es but especially in the church in the congregation of christians For when many togither in one spirit yéelde vp their prayers then are they moste acceptable to God and gracious to Christ our Sauiour 3 For the thirde we ought to praye for the good and prosperous estate of godlye Princes and magistrates and principallye it belongeth to our bounden duties to beseech God in the bowels of mercye to preserue for the glorye of his holy name our good and gracious soueraigne Ladie Quéene Elizabeth in these troublesome times from all daunger in most happie estate and felicitie which I beséech him to doe for Iesus Christ his sake in whome he is well pleased to the subuersion of hir enimies the mayntenaunce of true relygion and confusion of cursed Sathan Then we ought to pray for the good estate of Gods holy Ministers for our selues for 〈…〉 â—hey 〈…〉 flesh but 〈…〉 â—â—e they be 〈…〉 out of the prison of the body For 〈◊〉 â—â—ther they raigne with Christ or dye wyâ—h Deuilles where there is no redemption 4 For the fourth we may praye for things pertayning to the necessitie of the body and of the soule and for eternall saluation in Iesus Christ alwayes in all prayers hauing respect to our own selues and to the will of God that we aske nothing which eyther is not competent for our estate or not agreable to the glory of God. 5 For the fifte we may vse any comely iesture eyther knéeling or standing or sitting as present occasion shall moue vs so that we haue an humble minde and contrite hart in all our prayers 6 For the sixt we may vse the forme of prayer that Christ hath taught vs or any other not repugnaunt to the same or vse such wordes as the present estate wyll gyue occasion vnto as Christ did in the 〈…〉 â—s not alwayes ne◠〈…〉 â—â—ng â—recisely that prayer 〈…〉 â—â—mnâ— only called the lords prayâ—◠〈◊〉 or things as certayne circumâ—â—â—â—es considered let vs now search out the effect of prayer which may easily be perceyued by examples taken out of scripture Iosuae 10. By prayer the Sunne stoode in the middle of heauen the space of a whole day Moyses by prayer wrought meruellous effectes Samson Samuel Elias Dauid Ezechias Salamon Anna Cornelius Paule and Silas wonderfullye preuayled by force of prayer as in scriptures manifestly is declared But of these things no man meanely conuersant in scriptures can be ignoraunt Therfore without longer discourse I will make an ende And here I beséeche thée good reader to call to minde the threates of God against obstinate sinners the plagues of God executed against rebellious persons the daungerous and miserable estate of harde harted christians and so perhaps thou shalt be touched with feare of anguishe and extreme misery Then ponder in thy minde wha◠〈…〉 hartie prayer wh◠〈…〉 hath prouided for them 〈…〉 â—ble suire to him in Iâ—â—◠〈…〉 eternall felicitie thou shalt enioy 〈◊〉 earnest supplication thou craue 〈◊〉 â—â—nde his grace mercy And last of all in consideration of these things let prayer be thy continuall exercise and dayly practise For prayer is the quietnesse of them which be tormoyled the rest of them that are molested the hauen of them which suffer shipwracke the comfort of the sorowfull the salue of the sinfull the shielde of the fearefull the hope of the helpelesse the holde of the harbourlesse the helpe of the hopelesse the solace of the comfortlesse Prayer is in welth a safegarde in health a preseruatiue in griefe a gracious comfort in warre a sword in peace a garden of delites in bondage libertie in sorow swéetnesse in death lyfe in penurie a storehouse of all things necessarie And to conclude prayer is the readie path to the pleasaunt pasture of eternall Paradise FINIS The purpose of the Author Tomo 5. lib. De precatione Psalm 2. Num. 16. Exod. 14. Deut. 6. Math. 4. Ephe. Mar. 11. 1. Petr. 5. 〈…〉 great 〈…〉 â—â—pe 〈…〉 are 〈◊〉 â—â—las princely 〈◊〉 â—â—de what foyzen fertyle springs 〈◊〉 from the learned skill â—f those that trauell earnestly to clyme Parnassus hill Beholde what youthfull yeres can doe through great studie and paine Beholde what knowledge tender age by labour can attaine This little booke so well compact deserueth worthy prayse Which the Authour hath published a mirror in these dayes A mirror yea a looking glasse for so I may him name Bycause by sacred scripture he his first attempt doth frame The stile of some is praysed much that fayned stories write Collected out of Poets workes for that they doe delite And please 〈…〉 who 〈…〉 Some 〈…〉 that 〈◊〉 some 〈…〉 Then waâ— doth 〈◊〉 for due rewarde deserue that vertuously Doth vse his tallent which he hath obtayned painefully Eternall prayse as I doe iudge and fame that aye shall dure For vayne delites doe vanishe all when vertue shineth pure The worde of God mans soule doth féede the scripture bringeth light But fonde and foolish tales are naught Therfore as willeth right The Authors enterprise commende conceiue his good intent Commende his trauell which he hath in sacred scripture spent Then truly shall you stirre him vp as now he hath begonne So to procéede and faythfully this kinde of race to runne FINIS
doth tender his adopted children his chosen vessels his louing friendes which appéereth by crying in fayth Abba father It is therefore prooued that they which crie not with hartie affection vnto God our heauenlye father haue not the spirite of God consequently that they are reiected from the number of the saints and sonnes of god Thirdly fayth worketh in mans hart loue and obedience For that doth most perfitely paint out the tender mercies the great good wil the gracious fauour the louing kindnesse of God the father to man in creating him of God the sonne in raunsoming him of God the holye ghost in directing him in creating him by making him of nothing a noble creature in redéeming him by making of a bonde seruant to the Deuill an adopted sonne to himselfe in directing him by restrayning him from most abhominable impietie whether hée woulde runne and cast himselfe headlong into present daunger and kéeping him in the fauour of his tender father creator These with innumerable and infinite commodities more will mooue almost a senselesse hart to contend with all endeuour to loue to please to folowe to praise to obey to reuerence to worship and honour him by whome they are bestowed and giuen and vndeseruedly fréely bountifully without respect of the receyuer his worthynesse and onely for the giuers mercie The effects of fayth in Mari of Bethania which is Marie Magdalene with an enumeration of causes why they bee condemned which reiect prayer The .xvi. Chapter MArie of Bethania after shée had receyued fayth so loued Christ that she not onely was wylling to doe that which was commaunded in the lawe of God but also exercised an extraordinarie meanes whereby shée did shewe forth hir burning and feruent loue towardes Christ For when he was set at meate in a Pharyseis house she brought an Alablaster boxe of oyntment and shée stoode at his féete behind him wéeping and began to washe his féete with teares and did wipe them with the heares of hir head and kissed his féete and annoynted them with oyntment and Christ testifieth in the same place the seuenth of Luke that she loued much Christ also sayth in the fourtéenth of Iohn If anye man loue mée he will kéepe my saying and againe qui non diligit me sermones meos non seruat he that doth not loue me kéepeth not my saying whereby it appeareth that fayth is not without the loue of god The loue of God is not without obedience obedience is not where prayer is not exercised as it is proued before Therfore they which contemne or neglect or doe not vse contynuall prayer are vnfaithful disobedient rebels against God and his annoynted Nowe therefore séeing that for such lacke of duetie on our partes the holy and heauenlye will of our eternall God is nothing regarded the swéete and holesome counsell of Christ Iesus our mercifull and mightie mediatour wilfully condemned the profered and promised mercy by the holye ghost in scripture plentifullye declared wickedly refused seing that God is spoyled of his reuerence depriued of his honour robbed of his glorie prayse and of our dutifull obedience seing that they which doe not exercise continuall prayer are trées bearing no fruite which are good for nothing but to be cut downe and cast into the fire seing that they are faythlesse desperate secure fruitlesse and harde hearted hypocrites trusting more to the fonde illusions of their vaine fantasies than the riches of Gods eternall mercies bathing themselues in the sincke of sinne and foule puddle of blasphemous iniquity it must néedes of necessitie folow that they are burning firebrandes of hell sonnes of the Deuill and heires of eternall damnation For as the Prophet Nahum saith the first Chapter Deus emulator vlciscens dominus vlciscens dominus habens furorem vlciscens dominus in hostes suos irascens ipse suis inimicis God is a zelous and a reuenging Lorde a reuenging Lorde and wrathfull a reuenging Lorde against his enimies and angry against his aduersaries Ante faciem indignationis eius quis stabit quis resistet in ira furoris eius Who shall stande before his face when his indignation is hote and in the daye of hys wrath who shall be able to resist For when he is angrye the heauens shake for feare the earth quiuereth the rockes doe breake a sunder the mountaines shippe the Lyons rore the Tygers tremble and all the inhabitauntes of the worlde are readie to desire the hilles to couer them Such is the terrour of his maiestie such is the horrour of his displeasure such is the burning fire of his hote indignation He will not therefore spare those which trayterously spoyle him of his glorie bereaue him of his due honor reuerence depriue him of his worship who may for the same cause loke for nothing else but eternall death and extreme horrible and deadly damnation For séeing he is ielous and a reuenging Lorde séeing he is a most mightie terrible and fearefull iudge séeing he is a God that hath all power dominion and rule at his commaundement séeing nothing is able to withstande hys will séeing neyther place in heauen neyther habitation in earth nor house in Hell is hidden from his presence and agayne seing on the otherside he is so iustly prouoked so yrefully inflamed so wrathfully mooued against such as robbe him of hys reuerence it is most certaine and so sure as the Lorde liueth that they shall come to vtter and extréeme and most miserable confusion The second part of the authors diuision that is that they be most certaine of the inheritance of heauen which doe exercise prayers comprising the .vii. Chapters folowing The .xvij. Chapter BVt now let vs leaue to speake of those and conuert our talke to the state of such as doe with earnest humble and hartie desire imbrace the most godly exercise of prayer They asuredlye are most certaine to be enheritours of euerlasting and most blisfull saluation for euer and euer eternally For Christ saith Iohn 14. Quicquid petieritis nomine meo hoc faciam vt glorificetur pater per filium Si quid petieritis per nomen meum ego faciam First whatsoeuer you shall require in my name that I will bring to passe that the father may be glorified by his sonne If you shall require any thing in my name I will doe it Here Christ promiseth vnto vs that we shall obtaine whatsoeuer we shall require in his name If therefore we shall require euerlasting life in glorie and all felicitie with him and his Aungels he will gladly willingly and readily graunt it vnto vs For here he is not constrayned to promise it Therefore he is willing to graunt it and againe he doth not promise more then hée is able to perfourme bicause he is GOD omnipotent equall with the father in all power godhead and diuinitie For he saith of him selfe My father and I are all one it remaineth then that of his siguler grace incredible goodnesse wherwith