made at one with vs the same also was fylled with the sanctification of the holy ghost the same fynally was receaued into heauenly glory after the conquest had of death In the same then all the partes of lyfe were placed to the end none myght Iustly fynde fault that he is depryued of lyfe bycause it is hyd farre from him 32 He that taketh the svvearde shall dye vvith the svvearde Mathe. 26. He that hath a garment let hym sell it and bye a svvearde Luke 22. IEsus Christ speakyng thus whosoeuer taketh a sweard shall dye on a sweard confyrmeth the commaundement of the lawe by whiche pryuate persons are forbydden the vse of the sweard WheÌ„ God strayghtly forbad vs all slaughters wycked murders hys wyll was to shewe therby howe well he loueth mankynde So Iesus Christ would not that folke should defend theÌ„self by violence strong hand bicause y â— god in y â— law hath forbiddeÌ„ to strike It wer theÌ„ a mad folly to infer therupon y t it is not lawful for â—dges Magistrates to strike w t the sweard It is very true y t it is not lawfull for any maÌ„ to take y e sweard in hand to vse it at his fantasie to be y e cause or furderance of any murder But y e Magistrates who ar apointed to be y e officers of God by whoÌ„ he exerciseth his iudgements must not be set among y e coÌ„moÌ„ sort of men Ther is more in it thaÌ„ so to wete by these words of Christ their power authoritie is maintayned for when he pronounceth y â— murtherers shalbe put to death we may very well inferre therof y t the sweard is put into y â— hand of y e iudges to punyshe those y â— vniustly haue slayne It may happen somtyme y â— mansleyars shalbee other wyse punished but thys is y â— ordinarie meane by which god would y â— the crueltie proud fellonye of y â— wicked shold be repressed not abyde vnpunished Yet for all y â— hys mynde is not by the other sentence to arme euery one with a sweard to strike whensoeuer he wil. He signifieth by a figure y â— great and terrible troubles were at hand as if a captayne in y â— warre mynding to set his meÌ„ in battayle a ray should cry alarum he coÌ„maundeth y â— laying aside all other cares they shoulde be bent to nothyng ells but to fyght so that they shoulde not care eyther for meate or drynke for as meÌ„ are wont to do in extreme daungers he wil haue theÌ„ sel al euen to their walleâ— or scryp to furnyshe theÌ„ with weapon But this battayle to which he calleth theÌ„ is not an outward battayle but only vnder this similitude of fighting he admonisheth theÌ„ to thynke that they must sustayne many fearefull hard conflictes and horrible charges of spiritual battailes So a man may easely see y â— these sentences are not so diuerse that there is any contrarietie in them 33 VVhosoeuer coÌ„meth to me I vvill not cast hym of Ioan. 6. It is not of hym that vvylls nor of him that runnes but of God that hath mercy Roman 6. BEfore that our Lorde Iesus spake thys that he wil cast of none of theÌ„ that coÌ„me vnto hym he had sayd All that my father gaue me c. Where he sygnifyeth that fayth is not in the wyll of men so as any can saye that it is in his liberty to beleue or not to beleue or y â— fayth is a thyng by chaunce or at al aduentures But God choseth his faythful to geue them to hys soÌ„ne euen as it were from hande to hand For when he sayeth that al that is geuen hym coÌ„meth we maye easely gather hereof that al coÌ„me not We may wel say also that God worketh in hys chosen by so great an efficacie of hys spirit when he so vseth hys free goodnesse that none of them falleth For the father regenerateth hys chosen then geueth theÌ„ to his sonne to make them obedient to the Gospel Fayth then being a free gyfte procedyng froÌ„ the goodnesse of God is the same that openeth the way for men to goe to the Lord Iesus and the obstinate and vnbeleuyng haue no accesse thither and they that coÌ„me to him coÌ„me to him after an other maner than by their own force or wills And wheÌ„ they haue submytted themselfe vnder hys defence they shall be freely receaued These two sentences therefore not onely doe not disagree but rather one doth confyrme the other For where Sainte Paule sayth that it is neyther of hym that wills nor of him that runnes but of hym that hath mercy it is to shewe that meÌ„ may runne or wil or bestowe all their force but yet they cannot make open the way of God Of necessitye God must work in it of his mere mercye he is no waye bounde to any man if he do good to any al thys good coÌ„mes of hys mere liberalitye And wheÌ„ he hath ones vsed this liberalitye it is so done as he foloweth hys worke to the end as muche as belongeth to the saluation of the faythfull It is theÌ„ God y â— of hys mercy geueth hys faythfull to hys sonne whiche coÌ„me not to hym of their own motion but bicause they are geuen to the sonne or as S. Paule sayeth bycause that God hath vsed mercy where it hath pleased hym to vse mercy 34 I am not coÌ„me to iudge the vvorld but to saue the vvorld 〈◊〉 1â— I am coÌ„me into the vvorlde vvith iudgement Ioan. 9. IT is certayne that the sonne of God came into the worlde chiefly to thys end to saue men Surely he was not sent hither without cause Nowe so it is that he was not sent to destroye theÌ„ it foloweth that he came to doe the offyce of a sauiour For what neded he to coÌ„me down to cast vs away sith we were more than castawayes Then we must consider nothing in our Lord Iesus but y â— God according to his infinite goodnesse would saue vs by him yea vs that wer lost As often therfore as our synnes presse vs that Sathan eggeth vs to dispaire or discoÌ„fort we must hold before vs thys buckler that God wil not suffer vs to be oppressed with eternall ruyne forasmuche as he hath ordained his soÌ„ne to be y â— saluatioÌ„ of y â— world And for this cause he sayth y â— he came not to iudge to coÌ„demne y â— world but to saue it y â— wickednesse of them y â— proudly retect God is worthy to be coÌ„demned But yet he asswageth y â— seueritie which he might vse against such while he stayeth froÌ„ pronouncing iudgement agaynst theÌ„ bicause he rather came to saue al. And although he spake here of those y â— of a wilfull stubbornesse despyse y â— doctryne of y â— Gospel whiche was offered theÌ„ Yet for a while leauing y â— person of y â— souerayne iudge he offers saluatioÌ„ indifferentlye to all and
In that case men can dyscerne no more than a blynde man in the darke But yet for all that oure fayth is not a whyt ouerthrowen it leaueth not to make vs certayne of Goddes goodnesse towarde vs seyng it proceadeth not from the fynenesse of mans wyt But from the only lyghtenyng of the holy ghost For thys cause in the second Chapiter of the fyrst to the Corrinthians Saint Paule hauing shewed that as the mysteryes of God doe farre surmount the conceite of oure vnderstandyng by and by after he ioyneth thereunto that the faythfull vnderstande and knowe the meaning of the sonne of God bycause they haue not receaued a spirite that is of thys worlde but the spirite that they haue was geuē them of God by which they are taught y ◠mercye and goodnesse of hym which otherwise is comprehensible Al faythful seruauntes know by y e teachyng of the holy ghost y t which is farre aboue y e fleshly sense so that they speake boldly and freely as out of the mouth of y ◠Lord. Wherfore euē as by their own abilitye they cannot cōme vnto y ◠knowledge of y ◠hygh mysteries of God so by the grace of y ◠holy ghost they haue a certayn and cleere knowledge of the same Now the holy ghost must go before we muste folowe we must staye where he leaueth vs ther we must set fast our foote But if any man desyre to know more than y ◠same spirit hath opened he shalbe euerprest w t the infinite brightnesse of his light 24 The same is Helye Mathe. 11. I am not Helias Ioan. 1. ACcordyng to the true interpretation of the Prophet Malachy Iesus Christ affyrmeth iustlye that Iohn the Baptist is Helias if you wil receaue hym sayth he the same is Helia that should cōme He shewes howe Iohn began to Preache the good tydynges of the kingdome of God that is to say in asmuch as he was y ◠same Helias that shoulde be sent before the face of God Then Iesus Christes wil is to haue thys fearefull commyng of God that was celebrated by Malachy acknowledged of y ◠Iewes seyng that the same Helie that was there promised dyd then as it were the dutye of a porter But Iohn the Baptist also speaketh the truth in saying that he is not Helia The Iewes knewe by the Prophecy of Malachye y ◠Helie should be as it were as a daystarre to shewe the commyng of the Messias In the meane time they held this ouerthwart opinion that the soule partyng forth of one body should enter into the body of another man Bycause Malachye sayd that Helia shoulde bee sent they thought that the same Helie that was in y ◠tyme of kyng Achab should cōme agayne Wherfore Iohn the Baptist aunswered ryghtly and trulye that he was not Helia for he spake and aunswered accordyng to theyr opinion 25 Those that he hath called he hath also sanctified Roman 8. Many are called but fevve are chosen Mathe. 20. IT will be an easye matter to agree these two places so we vnderstand that ther are two sortes of callings one of the whiche is spoken of in the eyght of the Romaynes the other in y ◠xx of Mathew Fyrst then there is one callyng which is effectuall that is the dyscoueryng of the eternall election whē God by y ◠mynistery of his word the grace of his holy spirit declareth vnto vs maketh vs to know perfectly y ◠he is our father Here we haue not to do only with y ◠outward preaching which shoulde but beate our eares except y ◠the second wer ioyned to it y ◠is to saye the holy ghost whiche causeth this calling to haue his effect And thei y ◠in this sort be called be also sanctifyed they possesse y e free ryghteousnesse which is in Iesus Christ They bee sanctified they haue also a continuing of Gods goodnesse frō y ◠callyng vntyl y e death ▪ Ther is another sort of calling w t which god calleth al 〈◊〉 by his gospel Many infected vncleane persōs preace in by force which though for a whyle they occupye a place among others yet at y ◠last they ar driuen out drawē to punyshment Not al they by a great many y ◠be called or bydden or y ◠haue some entry into y ◠Church are made pertakers of euerlastyng lyfe but only they whō y ◠sonne of God shal fynd prepared clad in such a garmēt as is worthye of the heauenly palace 26 He is not the lyght Ioan. 1. He vvas the burnyng and shyning lampe 〈◊〉 IN both these places Iohn y ◠Baptist is spoken of First when it is sayd y ◠Iohn was not y e light that is to be vnderstode of y ◠lighte whiche doth geue light to euery man cōmyng into the world Iesus Christ only is that light who maketh euery one of vs to feele some force of his clerenesse And true it is y ◠as he is the eternal lighte so he hath a bryghtnesse y ◠is natural to him is not takē frō any wher els But rather we ar sent backe to y ◠experience y ◠we al haue of it Seing our lord Iesus maketh vs al partakers of his brightnesse we must also cōfesse this honor to belong to him alone generally al mē ar here cōtayned For we know y ◠mē haue thys singular to thē aboue al liuing things y ◠they haue reason vnderstanding they carrye grauen in their hartes the difference of good and euil There is no man therefore but hath some syghte of thys great euerlastyng light Thys cannot be sayd of Iohn the Baptiste nor of any other whosoeuer he bee of whom it is sayd ryghtly y ◠he is not the light to the end hys bryghtnesse bee it neuer so greate dymme not the clerenesse of the glory of God For some did so sticke to Iohn y ◠Baptist that they made no accompt of our Lord Iesus As if a man should be astonned with the sight of the dawnyng day or of some little starre and the whilest voutchsafe not to turne his eyes toward the sunne Nowe as touchyng the other sentence it is also true that Iohn y ◠Baptiste was a burnyng and shynyng lampe Thys may be sayd of al faythfull that they be lyghtes to the Lorde as Saint Paule calleth them Ephe. 5. and the reason is bicause they ar lightened by hys spirite And they haue their eyes open not only for them self but also to direct and guyde other into the way of saluation The Apostles also haue caried the torche of the Gospel to dryue darkenesse out of y ◠world Although therfore the faythfull be decked wyth this honorable title that they are called lyghtes and that inasmuch as they haue the word of lyfe and saluation they must shyne in the world as lyghtes torches Yet Iesus Christ doth attribute thys particularly to his Apostles
the Lorde hymselfe hath humbled the faythfull foorthwith he appeaseth their fearfulnesse leaste beeing ouercharged they shoulde fal vnder the burden and not that onely but also he healeth by the mildenesse of hys grace the wound and hurt which he himselfe caused But as touching the reprobate and proud they are sodenly flyghted and wyther by little and little in their tourmentes as men out of theyr wittes are agaste for a litle whyle yet are they not touched to the quicke for by and by they forget that they wer in feare not that the remembraunce of the feare is altogether oute of them but bycause thys lyuely apprehension of Gods power is fallen from them Nowe as touching the fyrst Feare whiche proceadeth of Fayth it maketh vs to walke in all reuerence and obedience vnto Goddes Iustyce And therefore it maketh vs happy bycause God wyl neuer forsake those that obey him in feare and lowlynesse Thys is contrary to the common opinion of al men that they that seate the Lord are happy and principally in thys life For how many Epicures are there whiche vomite oute blasphemies saying that God fauoureth the wicked when they prosper in their wickednesse Moreouer the prosperity of the wicked troubleth and maketh the weake to wauer besyde they faint in trouble and vnquietnesse And althoughe the dispisers of God ar not very wel at their ease and that the state of the good is in some sorte good and tollerable yet so it is that the more parte haue their eyes blinde or shutte vppe when they consider Goddes prouidence But howsoeuer it be this is very certayne that happye are they that feare the Lorde Nowe if it be so that true charyty whiche can not be withoute Fayth and is not but of the holy Ghoste causeth vs to know that we abyde in God and hee in vs howe is it sayed that feaâ—e is not in loue but that loue driueth out al feare We muste remembre the seconde kinde of feare which bringeth nothing but trembling and horroure There is in deede a seruyle feare which is altogether contrary to willing reuereÌ„ce When we loue not God francklye as our father but ar chiefely constrayned by feare of punnishment but Saynte Iohn meaneth another thynge hys mind is to shew that when we knowe by Faith what the loue of god to vs is wee haue peace in our conscience whyche is contrary to this feare And though we cannot yet altogether driue feare awaye bycause we canne haue but a little taste of the loue of God towardes vs yet whennesoeuer we haue recourse to God as to an assured porte free from all feare and daunger of wracke and of all stormes and tempestes feare is truly driuen awaye bycause it geueth place to fayth Feare then is not in loue not that it moueth not our hearts but bicause it troubleth vs not nor letteth not our reste whiche wee obtayne by fayth So a man maye saye of those two sayinges that there is in them diuersitye but no contrarietie 90 Touche me not for I am not yet gon vp to my father The vvemen handled hys feete and bent themself dovvne before hym Ioan. 20. A Man may easely agree these two places if we loke vpon the affectioÌ„ of Marye Magdalene and on the manner of the other wemens doyngs Christ suffereth these to touche hym to the end hys resurrection myghte bee certaynlye knowen And therefore Saint Mathew addeth that the wemen bowed downe before hym which was an argumente or a sygne of an vndoubted knowledge Also he suffered hys Dysciples to touche hym and specially Thomas to put hys fyngers within the hollownesse of his wounds And that he dyd bycause it was nedeful to put them out of al doubt of hys resurrection But when he sawe that Marye stayed at hys bodily presence and loked for no other happier maner of enioying hym than that he shoulde bee conuersante in earth with them a man oughte not to maruell if he were willyng to moderate and correct thys vnaduised zeale Wherefore let vs take thys for a certayntye that Christ forbad not Marye to touch him tyll he sawe that shee Importunely desyred to keepe hym styll in the worlde The reason is added therunto whiche sufficiently sheweth that whiche is very worthy to be noted to wete that he is not yet gon vp to hys father Nowe he wil make Marye to vnderstand that shee oughte to suspende her affection til time he were receaued into the heauenly glorye Besyde thys he sheweth what the end of hys resurrection is not suche as Marye deuysed it to bee according to her fantasye to wete that after hys resurrection he shoulde tryumphe here belowe in y â— world but rather that by going vp into heauenly glorye he myght take possession of the kyngdome that was promysed hym being set on the ryght hand and in the glorye of hys father he myghte mayntayne hys Church by the power of hys holy spirite Mary then dyd ill forasmuche as contentyng her selfe with the halfe of the resurrection of Iesus Christ she desyred to haue hym present in the worlde And as for vs if wee will not fayle to fynde Iesus Christ wee muste lifte vp our spirites a lofte Moreouer as many as endeuour to goe to him haue nede to vnwrap theÌ„selfe of all earthlye affections of the fleshe 91 Bevvare you doe not your ryghteousnesse before men to the end to be sene of them Math. 6. Let your lyghte so shyne beefore men that they maye see your good vvorkes may glorifye your father vvhich is in heauen 〈◊〉 CHrist warneth hys faythfull to doe good works simply before god not hauyng care for their apparauÌ„ce before men which is a warnyng very necessary for it is alwaies to be doubted leaste ambition thruste in it selfe among the vertues and it commeth to passe often tymes that ther is not so coÌ„mendable woorke but by ambition is corrupted Christ speaketh nowe of almose now of prayers both are good testimonyes of the honestye of a man but when a maÌ„ dealeth almose or prayeth onely to thys purpose to bee sene of men what beelongeth to suche an almose man or to suche a prayer but onely that he bee esteemed of men We see then that here he goeth aboute to cure the syckenesse of ambition by whiche men seke for glorye at mennes handes for their wel doing But the whylest the Christian vertues can not be in a man except they shyne vnto other Thys cannot otherwise be Euen as a man fylled ful of vyces cannot be so close but that he shal be an ill example to other so the vertues can not so abyde in a vertuous maÌ„ but that other shal perceaue them Yet a Christian man beyng as it were hyd in hymselfs ought to desyre that men should so see hys vertues that al the glory should be geuen to God So not onely these two sentences dysagree not in themself but also the seconde serueth to expound the fyrst For thys seconde
myscheuous desyre to slaunder they aske thys question whoe besyde God only can forgeue synnes But although this came out of malicious mouthes yet moste true it is that onely God hath power authoritye to forgeue synnes as he onely can condemne so only he can quyte But whē in thys 20. Chapter of Saint Iohn Christ geueth charge to hys Disciples to forgeue synnes he geueth not ouer vnto them that which is propre to himselfe It is propre vnto him to remytte and forgeue synnes whiche honour he resygneth not to them in asmuch as it belongeth to hym but he wil haue thē beare recorde in hys name of the forgeuenesse of synnes and offences so that it is he y e reconcileth men to God To bee shorte it is he alone to speake fytly that forgeueth synnes by hys Apostles and ministers Howe commeth it then to passe that hee aduaūceth so hyghly their dignitie seing that he appoynteth them only for witnesses and declarers and not for authors of the benefyte Thys is done for the greate establishyng of oure fayth As in dede there is nothyng that more profyteth vs than that we resolue and persuade our self that our synnes cōme not into Iudgement or accompt beefore God Zachary in the first Chapter of Saint Luke calleth thys knowledge of y ◠forgeuenesse and pardon of synnes the knowledge of synnes Nowe seyng the good pleasure of God is such to vse the witnesse of men for to allowe thys forgeuenesse of synnes then wee shall quyet our selues when wee shall knowe that it is God himselfe that speaketh to vs in the person of hys ministers For thys cause Saint Paule saieth we exhorte you to be reconciled to god as if Iesus Christ hymself made obtestation by vs. The faythfull then ought to be so resolued that what they heare touchīg the forgeuenesse if synnes is ratified and ought nolesse to esteme the reconcilyng or attonement whiche is declared vnto them by the voyce and worde of men than if he hymself stretched his hand to them Now marke two things which it behoueth vs to remēber First that a treasure is offred vs but it is in little vessels those are men which are sente vs to offer and open thys treasure vnto vs in the name of another not as theyr owne ryches but as hys that sente them vs. Nexte that we oughte to esteeme thys treasure no whyt the lesse bycause it is in dyspiseable vessells but rather wee haue occasion to geue thankes vnto God in that he hath dealte so fauourably with men that they represente hys person and the person of hys Sonne when they heare wytnesses of the forgeuenesse of synnes so God onely forgeueth synnes yet he confyrmeth that whiche men appoynted by hym declare vnto vs touchyng the forgeuenesse of synnes 99 Call no man on earth your father for ther is but one that is your father vvho is in heauen Mat. 23. Honour thy father thy mother Exod. 20. THe Lord Iesus had shewed before y ◠thys honor belonged to no other to be called Lord but to God only If this seme to hard forasmuche as he himself hath appoynted men to be our Masters teachers y ◠answer is easye True it is y e Christ hymself whē he yet dwelt on the earth chose his Apostles appoynted thē to y ◠offyce of teachyng and if the stryfe be for the title it is very certayn that when Saint Paul named hymself the Master teacher of the Gentils hys mynde was not wickedly to steale from Christ the honour y ◠belonged vnto hym Neyther is Christes meanyng any thyng ells but to bryng euery man vnder hym from the greatest to the smallest to reserue his right wholly to hymselfe He careth not then with what tytle they be adorned which haue the charge of teachyng only hys wil was to kepe al mē w tin these boundes that no mā should vsurpe any rule ouer y e fayth of hys brethren Nowe in the same sense the honour of the name father belongeth to God for men haue not geuen to themselfe that name but it hath bene graunted them of God And it is not ynough to saye that men which haue children are fathers according to the fleshe and that God alone is father of the spirites True it is that sometime a mā shal finde thys distinction in y ◠scriptures as in the. 12. Chapter to the Hebrues But seing Saint Paule calleth hymself very often a spiritual father it behoueth vs to see how this agreeth with y e words of our Lord Iesu loe then what we must say The honour of father is falsely geuen vnto men when by that name the glorye of God is darkened that is when a mortall man seperates hymself from God to be accompted a father seyng that al degrees of kyndred depend of God only by Christ and those degrees are so knytte together y ◠to speake fytly God is alone the father vnto al. The whilest God willeth and commaundeth vs to honour our fathers to reuerence them to obeye them and to loue them and thys commaundement is confyrmed by threates and by promysse The threate is that al stubborne dysobedient children to their fathers should be punyshed by death The promysse is that they that shal honour and obeye their father shal liue long on the earth Yet notwithstandyng we muste haue thys resolution before our eyes that a man neuer ought to turne aside from the will of God Nowe touchyng that the fathers haue rule ouer theyr children it is for thys reason bycause God hath chosen them impartyng to them some parte of hys honour The subiection then that children owe vnto their fathers ought to bee vnto them as a stayre to leade them to the reuerence and obedience of God whoe is the chiefe father But if the fathers wil make their children to withstande God they are nomore theyr fathers but straungers whiche woulde tourne them from thys true obedience which they owe to their true father 100 Abraham beeleued in God and it vvas imputed to him for ryghteousnesse Gene. 5. VVas not Abraham oure Father Iustifyed by hys vvoorkes vvhen he had offered hys sonne Isaac vpon the aulter Rom. 4. SAINT Paule to the Romaynes the. 4. Chapter to shewe that Abraham was not Iustifyed by hys workes maketh thys argument If Abraham were Iustifyed by hys woorkes he maye beaste of hys deserte but so it is that he hath nothyng whereof to boast beefore God It followeth then that he was not Iustifyed by his workes But thys is hys glorye the thing he may boaste of that he embraced the goodnesse of God by fayth Fayth maketh a man to cōme oute of hym and leadeth hym to God So the glorye of Abraham was not in hys woorkes nor in the worthinesse of hys person but in the mere goodnesse and grace of God For when a man will trulye boaste hymselfe he must bryng nothyng of hys owne but the knowledge of hys owne myserye throughe whiche he