trauailed in husbandrie Christ him selfe was a carpenter The Apostles of Christ were fyshers Paule laboured with hys own handes and gat both his owne liuynge and others that were wyth hym Saynt Luke was a Phisicion and as some wryteth a Paynter also Aquila was a maker of tentes of the whych occupacion Saynte Paule was Symon Sayncte Peters hoste was a Tanner Dorcas that vertuouse womanne made garmentes wyth her owne handes and gaue them to the poore Ther was no good godly man euen frome the begynninge of the world which hath not practised sūwhat to get his liuynge and lyued in some certein honeste and godlye vocacion wherin he myght wyth a good conscience eate his breade The Magistrate is called of god to rule wyth the temporall swerde to be gouernoure of the people to promote goddes worde to noryshe the preachers of the same to exercyse iustice to defende the wydowe and fatherles to conserue the common weale to banyshe all false religion out of his realme and to seke the quietenes and cōmoditie of his subiectes euen as a father seketh the health and profite of hys naturall sonne The spirituall minister is appoynted of God to rule wyth the swerde of the spirite whych is the word of god to rebuke sinners wyth the lawe yea and to excomunicate them if thei be obstinat and wyll not repent to conforte and cheryshe the weake with the swete promises of the holy scripture to encorage the stronge to exhorte them to go forward vntyl they waxe ancient and be perfect in Christes religion to minister the sacramentes to make colleccions for the pore to mayntein hospitalitie for the relief of the nedie The subiecte is called of god to obey and to be in subieccion vnto his superiours and euerye one of them is bound by the cōmaundemēt of god to lyue in their vocaciō The Lawer in pleadyng and defending poore mens causes The Shomaker in making shoes the Tailour in making garmētes the Merchaunt in occupyinge merchandise faythfullye and trulie the Scholemaster in bringing vp his scholers godly and vertuously the Father of the houshold to prouide for his familie the Mother of the housholde to looke vpon thynges perteyning to the house and to see her familie well gouerned and so forth in al other personnes in what soeuer state God hath called them Euerie man in his vocacion ought to laboure and by no meanes to be idle And who so dothe God wyll blesse his laboures and sende hym wherewyth abundauntlie to lyue Theo. The wyse manne saythe the slugherde ploweth not for colde wherefore he beggeth in herueste and getteth nothinge He that gathereth in heruest is a wyse sonne but he that is idle in somer is the sonne of confusion Againe He that tylleth his fielde shall be satisfied but he that is idle shall suffer honger Philemon God in deede hathe promised to fede vs but yet so that we oure selues laboure for oure liuinge God hath promised vs saluacion in Chryste Iesu yet so that wee beleue hys promise and laboure to the vttermost of our power to frame oure lyues accordynge to hys blessed wyll Dauid saythe not onlye Spera in domino truste in the Lorde but he addeth vnto it et fac bonitatem and do good All oure affiaunce and truste must be reposed in God and all good thynges muste be loked for at his hand yet must we do that lyeth in oure power concernynge all those thynges that wee desyre to obtayne of God Therefore Chryste saythe Take no thought He sayth not laboure not The pensiue care and thought takyng for our liuyng wherwyth the Heathen be so greatly disquieted we must caste away from vs and laie it vpon God which careth for vs but as for labour whych is layed vpon vs of God as a Crosse for oure synne and disobeience in Adam we may not refuse euery mā in his vocacion but ioyfullye take it vpon vs and geue god thankes that by suche meanes without our care and thought takyng he wyll fede vs accordynge to his worde For what are all oure paynes labours and trauailes if god blesse them not as the Psalmograph sayeth Except the lord build the house their labour is but lost that builde it Except the lord kepe the citie he watcheth but in vaine that kepeth it Chri. Me thinke the occasion of thys dearth wherwyth we are now oppressed is not so greatly to be ascribed vnto the couetousnes of certeine gredye gripes as vnto oure owne selues vnto our vngodlines and dissolucion of lyfe whiche so lyue as though there were no God at all so behaue oure selues as thoughe there were neither heauen nor hell They whych haue the gospell swymminge in their lyppes so liue cleane contrary to the doctrine of the gospell as though ther were no gospell at all In ambicion in pride in couetousnes in enuye in malice in wātonnes of lyfe c. thei geue place to none Another sorte are so drowned in papistry in supersticion in hipocrisie c. and burne wyth suche an immortall hatred againste gods worde that they can neyther abyde that otherwyse then it shall serue their phansie nor the preachers of it nor yet suche as a uaunce it Can God do any otherwyse then sende his plages where such impiety vngodlines reigne It commeth from gods great mercies that we be not consumed and handled as Sodome Gomorre But our owne damnacion slepeth not if we do not bothe shortly and earnestly repente and amende Phil. Trueth it is in dede that god many times sendeth the plage of famyne into the worlde for sinne as it came to passe in the tyme of that moste wycked an idolatrous kynge Achab and at diuerse other tymes And Moses that most excellente Prophet of God sayth If thou wylte herken diligently vnto the voice of the lorde thy god to obserue do al his cōmaundemētes whych I cōmaunde the thys daye the lord wil set the vp on hie aboue all nacions of the earthe And all these blessinges shall come on the and ouertake the if thou wylt herken vnto the voice of the Lord thy god Blessed shalte thou bee in the towne and blessed in the fieldes Blessed shall be the frute of thy bodie the fruite of thy grounde and the fruite of thy cattell the frute of thy oxen and thy flockes of shepe Blessed shall thy almerye bee and thy store Blessed shalte thou bee both when thou goest out and blessed when thou comest in c. The Lord shal commaund the blessinge to be with the in thy store houses and in all that thou setteste thyne hande to c. The Lorde shal make thee plenteouse in goodes in the frute of thy bodye in the frute of thy cattell and in the frute of thy grounde c. The Lorde shall open vnto thee hys good treasure euen the heauen to geue rayne vnto thy lande in due ceason and to blesse all the laboures of thyne hande
as y e Psalmographe sayeth The eyes of all thynges loke and wayte vpon the O Lorde and thou geueste them meate in due tyme. Thou openest thy hande and replenishest all thinges lyuynge wyth thy blessynge Ageine They that feare the Lord shal haue no scarsenes Thei whyche seke the Lorde shall wante noâ— good thynge Chri. God shall soner cease to be God then such as vnfainedly trust in hym shal peryshe for honger Phil. As y e Israelites murmured for meat so likwise did they for water They came to Moses chide with him yea thei wer almost redye to stone him and saide Gyue vs water to dryncke Wherefore haste thou broughte vs oute of Egipte to kyll vs and oure chyldren and cattalle wyth thyrste The Lorde God styll conâ—â—derynge hys promyses and not weyinge their in fidelitie nor vnthanckefulnes woÌ„derfullye and agaynste all naturall and humayne expectacioÌ„ gaue them plentye of swete waters oute of the harde stonye rocke Euse. O the maruelouse worckes of God He is not called almyghtye wythoute a canse For he dothe what so euer hys good pleasure is It is truelye sayde of Dauid greate is oure Lord and greate is his power yea his wysdome is infinite Who wil now doubt of necessari foode seing God so meruelously fedeth the vnfaithful vnthaÌ„ckefull disobediente people Phi. At a nother tyme the rascall people y t was amonge them beinge wearye of the meate sent downe from heauen fell a lustynge and turned theÌ„ selfes and wept euen as did also y e children of Israel and sayde who shall gyue vs fleshe to eate We remember the fyshe which we did eat in Egipte for nought and y e cucuÌ„bers and melons lekes onions garlecke But nowe oure soule is dryed away for we can se nothing else saue Manna And oure soule lotheth thys lyghte breade Ye see that these people are styl like them selfes that is vnfaithful vnthaÌ„kefull disobediente O frowarde and croked generacioÌ„ sayth Moses do ye so rewarde the Lorde O ye folyshe people and vnwyse Chri. It is not without a cause that sainte Stephen called that nacion styfnecked vncircumcised hartes and eares and suche as alwaye resyste the holy ghost Phil. Wel yet note Notwithstandinge their infidelitie vnthanckefulnes and disobedience God continued styl iuste in his promises faythfull in his wordes true in his dealynges for accordinge to their desire for his promyse sake he wolde not suffer them to wante but gaue them whatsoeuer they lusted for Ther weÌ„t forth a wynde frome the Lorde saythe the scripture and brought quailes from the sea and let them fal about the host eueÌ„ a daies iournei rouÌ„d about on euery syde of y e hoste and they dyd flye in the ayer as it were two cubites hye ouer the earthe And the people stode vp all that daye and all that nyghte and on the morow they gathered quayles And he that gathered a litle gathered ten homers full And they spred them abrode rounde aboute the hoste Thus se ye how God for hys promyse sake cheryshed the Israelytes although vnfaythful vnthanckefull and disobedient euen as y e Nurse doth hir sucking babe and fedde them by the space of .xl. yeres in y e wildernes without their paine care trayuayle or laboure Theo. If God shewed such gentilnes to the vnfaithefull and disobediente for hys promyse sake howe much more wyll he shew hym selfe a gentle and louynge father to them that fear hym beleue in hym loue hym and for their powers laboure to walke in hys holye path-waies Phil. Such shal neuer waÌ„t Nowe marcke what followeth As god prouided meate for the Israelites so in lyke manner suffered he them not to go naked nor to peryshe for colde but all that tyme of fortye yeres when they were in the wyldernesse he so preserued their clothes that they waxed not olde and soo saued their shooes that they were not worne but both garmentes and shooes so whole at the fortie yeres ende as they were at their fyrste comminge into wildernes I haue led you forty yeres in the wyldernesse sayeth god and your clothes are not waxed olde vpon you neyther are the shooes of your feete worne Ye haue eaten no breade nor dronke wyne or stronge drynke that ye mighte knowe that I am the Lord youre god Moses also sayth god humbled the suffered the to honger fed the wyth Manna whiche neyther thou nor thy fathers knew of to make the to knowe that man dothe not lyue by breade onlie but by euerye word that procedeth out of the mouthe of the Lorde doth a man lyue Thy rayement waxed not olde vpon the neyther did thy foote swell those fortie yeres Here of maye ye perceaue howe bountifull God is in geuynge foode and apparell to them speciallye y t feare hym and kepe his holy commauÌ„dementes Who wyll nowe be careful eyther for the bellye or for the backe as they saye God made theÌ„ both God wyl nourishe them both Eus. These histories do so set forth the kindenes of God towarde maÌ„ that none excepte verye infideles haue iuste occasion to dispayre of Gods liberalitie if they cal on his name and trauaile accordinge to theire vocacion phil There is no thyng more certeine But leste any man should thyncke that thys kyndnes of god ceassed in them of whome I haue hitherto spoken I wyll rehearse one or two histories mo out of the olde testamente and then alledge certeine oute of the new wherof ye maye learne that other proued the lyke kyndenes at the hand of god euen as wel in the newe testament as in the olde that by this meanes ye maye be perfectlye perswaded god to be the Lorde of the same liberalitie now that he was afore alike kynde to his seruauÌ„tes in all ages Who knoweth not y â— Elias was an excellent Prophet of god feruent in spirit vehement in worde and ielous for the glory of god Chri. The scriptures testifie no lesse of him Theo. Elias stode vp as fyre saith the wiseman and his worde brent lyke a cresset Whyle he liued he was afrayed of no Prince and no man myghte ouercome him Of his prayse wryteth Iesus the sonne of Syrache Phil. Thys man of God lyued in the time of Achab kinge of Israel in whose dayes God sent a greate dearth into the world for it rained not vpon the earth by the space of iii. yeres and .vi. moneths In this plage of famine whereof innumerable wythoute dyed se howe God prouyded for hys seruaunt Elias Fyrste when the waters began to be dryed vp God sente hym to the brooke Cherith where he promysed to gyue hym drincke whyche thyng he vnfainedly performed so that wheÌ„ other perished for lacke of dryncke he hadde Gods plentye inoughe as they vse to saye Now as touchyng his meate behold the wonderfull power of God whyche commaunded the Rauens to fede him and to bringe him meate The Rauens saith y â— scripture brought hym
hym before Pilate dyd not his aduersaries accusers lay to his charge that he sowed sedicion among the people that he corrupted and peruerted the commons wyth his doctrine that he forbad men to pay tribute to Cesar and that he sayd he hym selfe was Christ a kinge How vniustly Christ was here accused the holy scriptures aboundantly testifie How could he be the author of sedicion whyche came in to thys world to make peace How coulde he corrupt and peruert the people with his doctrine when he taught nothynge but that whiche he had hearde of his father Can heaueÌ„ly thinges corrupt y â— mindes of mortal men Forbad he to pay tribute to Cesar which him self paied tribute to Cesar coÌ„mauÌ„ded other so to do Boasted he him selfe a king which â—â—ed away from the people when they wolde haue made hym theyr kyng Sayd he not vnto Pilate my kyngedome is not of this world Was he disobedient to the temporal rulers whych disdayned not to be brought before them to be iudged of theÌ„ yea and to suffer death vnder them Moreouer was not the blessed martyr S. SteueÌ„ accused y â— he spake blasphemouse wordes against Moses against god when of God no man euer spake more godlye nor of Moses more reuerently Yet must SteueÌ„ to the pot and be condemned for an heritike wheÌ„ Steuen deserued rather praise and promocion But Steuen had offended inoughe seynge it was the chief priestes pleasure the other rauening rabines that Steuen shulde lyue no longer Agayn when s Paule Silas came to Tessalonica and S. Paul preached in the sinagoge the passion râ—surreccion of Christe howe dyd certeyne of the Iewes complain of them vnto the heades of the Citie and rushed into the house of Iason thapostels hoste and violentlye plucked him oute saiynge These that trouble the world are come hither also whom Iason hath receiued priuelie And these al do contrarie to the decrees of Cesar affirming another kinge one Iesus Here are thapostels accused both of sedicion and treason and yet wer they neither sedicious persons nor traitours They troubled not y â— world except the world here be taken for the deuelishe people of y â— world to whoÌ„ it is a trouble to hear any thing of Christ or to heare their abhominable liuing rebuked The good people of the world they quieted made theÌ„ mery in their coÌ„science for asmuch as they perswaded by y e word of god which thapostels preached y â— they had gotteÌ„ fre remisâ—ioÌ„ of al their sinnes thorow faith in Christes blud Thapostels did not coÌ„trary to the decrees of Cesar if they were not against goddes worde but rather taught meÌ„ to obei theÌ„ And though thei preached Iesus to be a kyng yet dyd this nothing derogate Cesars honor for they taught Christ not to be a temporal but a spiritual king not to rule with sweard or polare but with his spirit word not to reigne in Princes palaces but in the hertes of the faythfull Is not here great sedicion greate treasoÌ„ WheÌ„ s Paul was but sene at HierusaleÌ„ in the temple how cried the iewes out saiyng O ye men of Israel help this is the maÌ„ that teacheth al meÌ„ euery wher against the people â—he law this place violeÌ„tly drue him out of y â— teÌ„ple 〈◊〉 him wold haue slaine him if the hye captaine had not come What had Paule offended He spake nothing he did nothing buâ— as other Iewes dyd It was inough to kyll Paule because he was that Paule which had preached Christ to be the sonne of god At another time when he tolde the Iewes that god appointed hym to be a teacher of the GeÌ„tils how lifted they vp their voices saiyng Away wyth such a felow from the earthe for it is no reason that he shoulde liue Paule muste dye because at the coÌ„maundement of god he turneth the Gentiles from Idolatry to the true worshipping of god And as the wycked world linges cruelly entreated the Apostels of Christe so doe the worldly tirauntes haÌ„dle the good byshops and faythful ministers in the primitiue churche If any myschiefe plage or euyl chaunsed in the conâ—â—ey wher thei wer it was straight â—ay layd to their charge Euen so â—â—kewyse doth y â— world at this time â—eal w t the true preachers of y â— lorâ—es worde Dearth famine hoÌ„ger â—lage pestilence battel insurrecciâ—ns coÌ„mocions treasons heresies Epicurisme licencious liuing c. all is imputed to the preachers of Christes gospell They they and â—one but they are the occasion of al that naught is wheÌ„ no kinde of people is farther from doynge harme to a coÌ„mon weale theÌ„ they neither doth a coÌ„moÌ„ weale receiue mo benefites of any man then of the godlye preacher If the olde worlde had hearde and obeyed the sermons of Nohe they had not perished with waters If the Sodomites and gomorianes had harkened to the sermons of Loth they had not ben consumed with raine fyre and brymstone from heauen If the Israelites had geuen eare to the warninges of the Prophets they had not so ofte be plaged and led awaye into captiuitie If the iewes had receiued the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles they and their citie with all their posteritie had not come to such a destruccioÌ„ But when the lord rayseth vp his Prophets preachers to admonishe y â— people of their wickednes and to exhort them to repeÌ„taunce and yet they wyll not amende but cruelly entreat them sâ—launder theÌ„ persecute theÌ„ kyl theÌ„ then cometh destruccion The lord god of their fathers sayth the scripture sent to them by his messengers rising vp betimes sending for he had compassioÌ„ on his people on his dwellinge place But they mocked the messengers of god and despised his wordes and misused his Prophets vntyl the wrath of the lorde arose against his people tyl ther was no remedy And so broughte he on them the kinge of Chaldes which siue their yong meÌ„ with the swearde in their holye temple and spared neither yongman mayden olde man nor him y â— stouped for age Chr. The scholer is not aboue his master nor the seruauÌ„te better theÌ„ his Lord. If y e world hate you saith Christ ye know it hated me before it hated you If ye were of the world y e worlde wold loue the is his But for asmuche as ye are not of the world but I haue choseÌ„ you froÌ„ y e world therfore y e world hateth you Eus. Preachers are coÌ„maunded of god vnder pain of daÌ„nacioÌ„ to tel the people their fautes yet if they rebuke couetousnes theÌ„ the couetous worldlinges are mad If thei inuey against pride the proud are displesed If they coÌ„demne whoredome whores baudes and rufianes are woode Looke what soeuer sinne they reproue the gilty can not abide but maligne the preacher and seeke to do him displeasure The Gergesens had rather Christ