he fauoreth imbraceth loueth tendereth vs he wil for asking bestowe vpon vs such infinite and excéeding commodites whose greatnesse excellency can neither by though of man be conceyued nor by force of wordes expressed Moreouer he repeateth the same in one place and at one time as it appeareth the more to confirme vs to incourage vs to strengthen vs to encrease our desire to pray vnto him that neyther doubtfulnesse in asking neyther lacke of hope in receyuing might hinder our endeuours In the .15 of Iohn likewise he saith Si manseritis in me et verba mea in vobis manserint quicquid volueritis petetis fiet vobis If you abide in me and my wordes abide in you whatsoeuer you will haue you shall aske and it shall be done and then he conteyneth these wordes in this my father is glorified that you bring forth good fruite plentifully and be made my disciples so that by praying vnto him we shal glorify his name bicause that by that meanes we shall be made fresh and fruitfull gardens fullye replenished with the flourishing flowers of most excellent vertues which will yéelde so swéete a sauor to God and Christ our sauiour that we shall be most acceptable sacrifices and pleasant offeringes vnto him He subuerteth also these wordes which containe incredible comfort to the solace of siely soules Euen as my father hath loued me so I haue loued you What more ioye and pleasure What so much comfort can we conceyue What earnest loue of Christ Iesus towardes vs maye we gather of this that he loueth vs as his father hath loued him His father to shewe his loue towardes him spake on this sorte out of a clowde This is my beloued sonne in whome I am well pleased Him he raysed from death to life from earth to heauen from cruell crosse affliction to an eternall crowne of glorie immortall and hath set him on his right hande in all power and dominion and hath made his enimies his footestoole all which doe well declare his loue he beareth towardes him Nay he loueth him as he loueth his owne substance or his owne selfe For he is God of the same substance that his father is Let vs therefore be sure that if we call vppon him with feruent and humble and heartye prayer hée will heare vs hee wyll sanctifie vs he will direct vs he will leade vs in all holynesse and purenesse of life and he will preserue our soules and bodies to euerlasting felicitie For so he loueth vs as his father hath loued him And Christ sayth in an other place Beati pauperes spiritu quoniam illorum est regnum coelorum Blessed are the poore in spirite for theirs is the kingdome of heauen And to be poore in spirite is nothing else but to humble himselfe before the face of God to put awaye all confidence in himselfe to craue mercie for his committed wickednesse to poure out his complaint before his onely redéemer to acknowledge his owne vnworthynesse to confesse his weakenesse not to bost of his merites not to bragge with boldnesse his owne abilitie not to trust in his owne deseruings but to lye prostrate before the iudgement seate of God to wayte for the crūmes of mercy that fall from the Lords table to cal and cry for grace and bounty through Christ Iesus his death and passion by whome alone he seeketh for reliefe health and comforte in all humylitie Againe we haue a sure promise of Christ himselfe saying vnto vs. 16 of Iohn Verily verily I say vnto you whatsoeuer you shall require my father in my name he will giue it you Aske and you shall receyue If then we shall desire God the father in the merites of his most dearelye beloued sonne Christ Iesus to water our harts with the dew of his heauenly grace and to refresh our hungry soules with the foode of his holye worde and still to preserue protect and gouerne our heauie hartes wyth the wisedome of his heauenlye spirite he will no doubt assist vs helpe vs heale vs direct vs shadow vs with the wings of his mercy and at the last when our soule is dissolued from the pryson of the body will place it in eternall paradise For Christ is the truth and therefore cannot lye and he hath promised faithfully to fulfill all our godly desires The comparison of God vnto the vnrighteous Iudge which is ouercome with continuall and importune sute The .xviij. Chapter ANd he the more to encourage vs doth make a comparison Luke 18. betwixt his father and an vnrighteous Iudge on this maner There was a Iudge in a certaine Citie sayth he who neyther feared God nor estéemed man There was also a widow in the same citie and came vnto him saying Reuenge me of mine aduersary and for a while he woulde not But at the last he sayde within himselfe Although I neyther feare God nor care for man yet bycause this widowe still troubleth me I will reuenge hir of hir enimie least at the last the come and reproue me And the Lorde sayde heare what the vnrighteous iudge sayth And shall not God reuenge his elect people that cry vnto him night and day although he differre it I say vnto you that he shal reuenge them quickly Here Christ doth expresse and paynt out in liuely colours the force of earnest and harty prayer For that Iudge that was of so rough and rigorous a nature of so fierce and austere conditions of so vngentle and cruell disposition that he dispysed the complaints of the poore regarded not the requests of the miserable refused to giue eare to the cryes of Orphanes contemned the lamentations of the oppressed people cared not for thretnings set religion at naught considered not the terrible strokes of Gods vengeaunce lightly loked vpon his duetie gaue himselfe to vayne pleasure and was in wordes vnkinde in witte wilye in countenaunce terrible in iesture fearefull in lyfe tirannicall in manners monstrous in conuersation sauage in dealings dreadfull in hart spitefull in wyll a wolfe in thoughtes outragious in office cruell in menacing more than manful and beyonde measure ful of al iniquity by the continual calling vpon of this woman by hir pitious complaintes was reformed and brought to mercie was contented to deliuer hir from hir oppressing enimie was perswaded to leaue of his olde seueritie or rather carelesse cruelty in that case and was readie to fulfill hir will to graunt hir request and to agree to hir desire and then Christ transferreth it to his father who is our tender fauourer to shewe how much more he woulde be glad to haue vs poure foorth our prayers vnto him that he might satisfie our willes and shew mercie vnto thousandes that call vpon him For he doth of his infinite and excéeding goodnesse with fayre and faythfull promises allure vs with bonntiful rewards endeuor to entise vs with offred proffred benifits to binde vs with mercy to moue vs with kindnesse to constraine vs with curtesie to
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
first both to vnderstande the force in preuayling with God and also the glorious renoume of the Lorde his eternall maiestie through graunting the request of his poore people For when his people the children of Israel were after much affliction trouble and torment delyuered out of the lande of Egypt and was going into the wyldernesse to serue the Lord their God Pharao and all his hoste persecuted them in all haste to bring them againe into bondage which would haue bene more grieuous and sorrowfull than present death vnto them And when they were in such case that presently before their faces was the red foming and roring Seas vpon their right handes high steepe and craggie mountaynes vpon the which they could not ascend and escape vpon their left hande no refuge but daungerous and deadly perilles behinde their backes their cruell disdainefull wicked and horrible enimies threatning death tormentes and perpetuall miserie then they cried vnto the Lorde in their miserie he deliuered them out of their distresse they poured out their complaintes before him and he glorified himselfe by their deliueraunce they humbly sought for his gracious assistaunce and he mercifullye graunted the request of their earnest prayers they feared bondage he gaue them libertie they were compassed with grieuous daungers he gaue them sure are safe passage they were ready to be deuoured of the sworde he ouerthrew their enimies they were almost persecuted vnto death he brought to passe that they sawe the death and destruction of there persecuting tyrannes But how did he deliuer them Certes he commaunded the wylde waters to staye their course to lose their swiftnesse to chaunge their nature He made the waltring waues to be turned into strong walles the surging seas into the vse of sturdy stones the flickring floods into a steady bridge so that his people passed ouer with ease safetie But when the Egyptians were so bolde to enter into the same passage they were ouerwhelmed in the waters the walles turning and chaunging themselues into their woonted nature Thus was his glorie magnified his name glorified his power knowne his mercie specified his terror taught his loue enlarged his might multiplied his goodnesse graffed in the heartes of his people that afterwards they loued him as a carefull father they feared him as a mightie reuenger they honored him as a péerelesse Prince they reuerenced him as a seuere iudge they glorified him as their onely deliuerer they sanctified him as their holye profectour they folowed him as a well experienced Capitaine they obeyed his will as their only guide and defender For his name to them was fauourable to other nations and people terrible to them comfortable to gentiles fearefull to them peaceable to others dreadfull to them it brought quietnesse and safetie to others confusion to them tranquilitie to others miserie to them plenteousnesse of all thinges to other penurie of things necessarie to them solace to forrein kingdomes ruine and ouerthrowe to them pleasure to other plagues to them a ioyfull expectation of mercie to others an horrible terrour of extreme iudgement Nothing apperteyneth more to the glorie of God than prayer The ninth Chapter WHat therefore can more belong to the establishing of his prayse to his royall pompe to the blast of his magnificence through all the earth to the publishing of his glorious name than with humble and hartie prayers continually to be called vpon of hys afflicted people that he may stretche out his arme and declare his power bende his bowe and valiauntly ouerthrow his enimies Verily nothing For thus he looseth the simple captyues and bindeth the bloudy Balaamites he saueth his siely souldiours spoyleth the boasting bloud-suckers he protecteth his poore people and racketh vnruly ribaldes he mightilye beyonde all hope helpeth the miserable and contrariwise debaseth subuerteth confoundeth the bragging boldnes of the proude disdainefull and swelling tirannes Seing therefore that it is a religious worke commaunded by God himself enioyned to vs by Christ our onely sauiour taught by the Apostles and Prophets tending to the celebration propagation of his eternall glorie renowme and reuerence as nothing more by subduyng the stubborne sinfull malicious people and by releeuing helping and succouring his afflicted humble and sily flocke it must néedes folowe that they which dispise the vse of prayer and negligently nay rather obstinately and deuilishly contemne the commaundements and promises of God our heauenly father and nothing regarde his gentle admonition calling them by pacience to hartie repentaunce and amendment of wicked life that they I saye depriue God of his due honour spoyle him of his worship rob him of his reuerence and consequently fall into the daunger of eternall damnation For 4. Iohan. Pater tales quaerit qui adorant illum The father séeketh such as worship hym not such as renounce his lawes and reiect his commaundementes And his not séeking is nothing else but misery griefe anguish and condemnation Againe they are trées which beare no fruit For they which are not possessed with the spirite of God which are not directed with his holy hand which are not illuminate with the light of heauen which are not assisted with the helpe of the highest nor stirred vp with the motion of the holy ghost nor plentifullye enriched with the graces of Christ our sauiour cannot bycause of their weakenesse will not bycause of their wilfull wickednesse neyther doe couite bycause of their fraile and cursed corruption eyther to deliuer themselues from the chaine of Sathan wherewith they are bounde and tyed or to replenish themselues wyth the swéete and well sauering flowers of vertues that they maye be purified to the proofe wherof Christ sayth Iohn 15. Quia sine me nihil potestis facere bycause without me ye can doe nothing And Math. 15. Omnis plantatio quam non plantauit pater meus caelestis eradicabitur euery planting which my heauenly father hath not planted shal be rooted out And Iohn 15. Si quis in me non manserit eiectus est foras sicut palmes c. If anye man doth not abide in me he is cast out as a braunche and withereth and they gather it and cast it into the fyre and burne it Here we maye perceyue that 〈◊〉 are not directed with the spirit of God are not the sonnes of God but impes of Antichrist not the friendes of God but the limmes of the Deuill not swallowers of saluation but heires of eternall condemnation And saint Paule sayth Filij dei sunt qui spirit uâ—deâ—â—guntur They are the sonnes of God which are driuen by the spirite of god And Christ sayth in the 15. of Iohn Ques meae vocem meam audiunt My shéepe heare my voyce and his voyce is Luc. 15 Quod oportet semper orare nec defatigari That we must alway praye and neuer be wearie And in the sirt of Mathew he prescribeth forme of prayer saying Ad hunc ergo modum orate vos Pator noster c. Praye ye after
this maner Our father and so forth But they which contemne prayer will neyther alwayes pray which Christ commaundeth nor vse the forme of prayer which Christ prescribeth nor leaue the lewdenesse which God abhorreth How therefore can they be any thing else but trées without fruite clouds without water rotten rootes without life barren grounde without corne â—â—â—les without curnels and vnprofitable barke without sappe or sauour For like as the vine braunch can bring forth no fruite vnlesse it remaine still in the vine euen so we can bring forth no goodnesse vnlesse we abide in Christ And how is it possible that they which heare Christ commaunde and will not obey that heare the shepchearde of their soules cal and will not follow that heare the sauiour of the worlde counsell them for there safetie helth and welfeare and will not attende that they shoulde receyue any commoditie ioy solace or comforte to refreshe their lingring and languishing soules almost or else altogither pined awaye for lacke of good nourishement That God respecteth them that call vpon him and reiecteth the contrarie wyth the discommodities thereof The tenth Chapter EVerye good and perfite gift commeth from aboue from the father of light who bestoweth his heauenly treasure wythout sparing restraint vpon all them that with continuall and humble and hartie request shall desire in the name of Iesus Christ hys grace fauour and euerlasting goodnesse But from such as before Gods goodnesse preferre there foolishe fantasies and séeke rather to please themselues in worldly delites then to pleasure themselues with the worde of lyfe he worthily taketh away his grace forsaketh them vtterlye leaueth them destitute wil no more sée vnto them in so much that through his absence and departure there miserable minde is ouerwhelmed with pernicious errours their senses darkned their vnderstanding obscured their reason oppressed their wyll imprisoned their hartes encombred their heades enraged their deuises ouerturned their purposes disapoynted their endeuors hindred their intentes disordred their trouble augmented their anguish exasperate their sorrowe doubled their griefe more bitterly sharpned their strength banished their life almost deuoured then spirites scattered their dolours roâ—â—ewed their wyt wasted their wisdome confounded their learning subuerted their policy disturbed their counselles abolished their bodies weakened their soules endaungered their thoughts defiled their fayth poluted their pietie defaced their rage vnbrideled their furie enflamed their wrath incensed and all vicious and detestable impietie slaunder and vylanie beyonde measure encreased For the corruption of our mortall fraile and inconstaunt nature is readie without reason to reuenge iniurie vnlesse religion doe restraine it The raging stormes of our fleshly mindes are woont to burst out into daungerous attempts vnlesse the holesome counsell of the sacred scriptures be receiued The waton will of a waywarde vessell of iniquitie maye lightly be tossed into the perilous floudes of yrefull indignation and daylie displeasure vnlesse it sayle in the safe ship and vnbroken Barcke of Gods infinite grace and mercy The olde and festering wounde of cruell hate and horrible easie will as it is woonted eate vp and consume the sounde partes of pacience vnlesse it be salued with the swéete Oyle of Gods holy spirite the filthie rust of popish ignoraunce will disgrace and deface the truth of sincere religion vnlesse it be scoured awaye with the light of the gracious gospell the deadly dregges of humane traditions will daungerously corrupt the vertuous medicine of ecclesiasticall doctrine vnlesse by the good aduise of some carefull and skilfull Phisitian they be remoued and cast out the contagious infection of noysome and vnhelthfull humore will in the minde of many men be causes of most grieuous and bitter sicknesse vnlesse they by the circumspect consideration and diligent aduise of some godlye learned and well instructed christian be auoyded purged and wisely displaced the pestilent inuasion of the créeping cancer of humane confidence wyll maliciously infect the whole bodye of the apparent and visible church of Christ vnlesse the playster of Gods direction be fitly applied to the contynuall motions of mans â—â—â—nesse and briefly godlynesse and all goodnesse will suffer most lamentable shipwrack in the troublesome waues and surging seas of vayne fantasies through the blustring windes and terrible tempestes of deuilishe desires and raging appetites vnlesse Christ rise vp and commaunde the waters to be still the tempestes to cease the windes to be calme the weather to be cléere and the ship to be safe Seing therefore that such is the estate of men which estéeme not neyther regarde the goodnesse of God that of themselues they can not helpe themselues nor by other meanes be preserued in safetie bicause nothyng can succour him whome God forsaketh seing that nothing procéedeth out of the hart of man vnlesse it be sauced with his mercy grace and bountie but it is abhominable and wicked before the face of almightie God seing that the ffincking wéedes and noysome darnell of vices wickednesse and vngodlynesse doe burst out sodainely and in a moment when the séede of Gods holye worde is not sowed in the hart of man and watred with the swéete showres of heauenly mercie seing that when God doth not extende his power grace and fauour nothing is pleasaunt fruitfull or acceptable but al things are ordered with vnruly rage with bloudy beastlynesse with disordered confusion and horrible tempest of wicked and witlesse abhomination and againe seing that they which resist the faithful exercise of prayer can not â—e directed by the finger hand or spirite of God bicause they are not Gods children because they despise his coÌ„maundements counsell bicause they refuse to heare his voyce when he calleth them to continuall prayer and earnest repentaunce of their former liues it must néedes folowe that they are vnfruitefull trées that is rotten stockes that bring forth no good and pleasaunt fruite but withered and infectious leaues impoysoned with venimous and filthie contagion and therfore shall be cast into hell fyre and condemned to eternall bitter and most horrible plagues and punishmentes For nowe the axe is layde to the roote of the trée and euerye trée that bringeth not forth good fruite shall be cut downe and cast into the fyre What vertues they be voyde of that pray not The .xi. Chapter MOreouer they lacke fayth hope and constant trust in the most precious bloude of our sauioure Iesus Christ and therefore are in desperate estate For Christ saith No man commeth to my father but by me meaning that vnlesse they put off their owne corruption and shake off their sinful hypocrisie cut away cleane from them the confidence in themselues or of other Idols vnlesse they confesse themselues to be of themselues wicked disceitful weake vnable mischieuous and damnable creatures and surely beléeue that Christ came from his throne in heauen and tooke the nature of man vpon him to worke their righteousnesse to appease his fathers wrath which was enflamed against all sinful vngodly people to deliuer them