not with his owne strength and merites The sea of all people and Nations almost haue fledde backe from our Pharao the Pope and Iordaine that most commodious ryuer of sayling to Rome for pardons and dispensations is driuen backe And these same great mountaines of kinges and noble men haue skipped like Rammes and reuolted from him At the presence of the Lord his holy spirit which is in the middest of our churches the little hilles of the people like yong sheepe This desire of all nations Iesus Christ hath so inflamed the hearts of all men hath so set them on fire kindle in them an vnspeakable zeale For what other cause can be giuē of the sudden forsaking of the Popes yoke obedience almost now of the best in euery countrey in his so great power crueltie in theirs so great perils and dangers which doe forsake him that they should hazarde and venture not only their goods and possessions but also their own liues Surely it must néedes be some great matter that should thus moue themselues to venture their liues to this extremitie and that voluntarily and not by compulsion Besides this mouing of all Nations the worde of God hath giuen to all men peace of conscience which beléeue it and receiue it That nowe they feare not to dye merily and ioyfully without any 〈◊〉 or pardons or Diriges to be song yearely for them after their death That nowe with their captaine Iesus Christ they dare boldly commit their soules into the hands of God their father without any singing or ringing or massing of Popish Fréers This is the peace of the gospel this is the peace in death this of all other peace is the greatest And are not our churches adorned and decked are not they verye glorious are not they very famous Are not these strange things and wonderful which in our church the Lord worketh Doe we account this mouing of all Nations this knowledge of Iesus Christ this presence of his holye spirite this preaching of his worde this greatest peace of all other peace of conscience to be matters of nothing to be matters of no weight Many there be that make many other complaintes but these are the most grieuous and most common Some do find fault at our euil liues They doe not followe saye they the worde of God which they professe and they commend to the skyes the holinesse and good workes of our forefathers Some other doe accuse the basenes of our birthes the obscuritie of our stocke They are vpstartes strangers of base parentage youthes not of the auncient Nobilitie Some other do feare and blase abroad the sturres and stormes of our times the inuasions of our enimies See say they 〈◊〉 what dangers they haue brought vs in howe many and howe mightie enimies they haue plucked on our backs Some mislike with our often marriages and that maketh so many beggets say they Some other do condemne especially the marriages of Ministers and they cannot abyde that they shoulde purchase anye lande for their children Others which woulde seeme more deuout stande onely on this point They condemne all our forefathers saye they and therefore they will neuer be on our opinion So that there is almost no man but he hath something to complaine of some thing grieueth him To which all he that woulde fully satisfie should neuer make an ende Yet lost by our scilence they shoulde seeme to haue gotten the victorie I wil saye some thing to euery one of these And first of all these which talke so much of their forefathers doe little consider with Dauid the dayes of their forefathers in déede Psal 75. ver 3. These did not goe into the Tabernacle of God they doe not receiue the congregation with Dauid for then they woulde iudge rightly they pronounce like blinde men of colours without light of vertue But that I maye aunswere briefelye to this great Chaos and heape of quarrels this is my opinion First concerning oure liues that they so greatly fynde fault withall and our workes Wée haue one worke almost dayly amongest vs in manye places which doeth surmount and surpasse all their workes of the whole yeare naye of their whole liues The which only worke God the Father commaundeth from heauen that is to saye the hearing of the worde of Iesus Christ Mat. 17. ver 5. This is my beloued sonne sayeth God the Father heare him God the Father was neuer heard to speake to any man before in this worlde so properly in his owne person as in Matthew 3.17 and in the 17. Chapter and fifth verse teaching this doctrine Therefore his voyce is worthie to be marked diligently And he commaundeth nothing but this Heare him And our Sauiour Christ hath pronounced of his ministers to the end of the worlde lest our Recusants shoulde saye they refuse not to heare Iesus Christ Hée that heareth you heareth mée Hée that heareth mée heareth him that sent mée And I am with you to the end of the worlde This worke wée haue This onely wée doe This is our glorie But they had one sinne in those dayes which surpesseth all the sinnes of the whole worlde which like that leuen of the Pharisies corrupted all their workes so manye in number so costly so stricte and so seuere and that was Incredulitie They belieued not the Gospell of Iesus Christ They durst not ground their faith and venture their liues vpon it The Holie Ghoste when hee shall come into the worlde sayeth 〈◊〉 Sauiour Christe shall rebuke the worlde of sinne Iohn 16. ver 9. But of what sinne of that greate sinne of all other because they beléeued not in mee sayeth oure Sauiour Because they haue not beléeued in the onely begotten sonne of God Because they haue not beléeued his Ghospell his ioyfull tydings of saluation This sinne was common to them with the Pharisies and therefore all their workes were vnsauourie Naye they were sinnes before the Lorde For without faith it is vnpossible to please God And what so euer is not of faith is sinne And as conseruing the small fruite of hearing the worde of God which they finde faulte withall because it is not fruitefull in all or in the moste parte Let them remember our Sauiour Christe himselfe hath tolde them that not all his seede but the fourth parte onely shoulde bring foorth good fruite Let them remember the Apostle Saint Paule rebuking them which so curiousely prye into other mennes lyues and for the moste parte neglect their owne Rom. 14. ver ◠1. Cor. 4. ver 3. Who art thou that doest iudge another mannes seruauntes Euery man standes or falles to his master The prayses or disprayses of men hée himselfe nothing regardes Hée runneth his race by good reportes and euill reportes as hée teacheth the Corinthians And so surely must all his companions and fellowe seruauntes That seruaunt is happye whome the master commendeth Sathan is readye to pinche the héele of the womans séede of the
I that haue sinned that haue done wickedly but those sheepe what haue they done Let thy hand I pray thee be against mee and against my fathers house Thus we ought in all these externall plagues punishments of the Lord to find fault with our selues and to saye that wee haue deserued euen the same plagues not to find fault with those iudgements of God which are far lesse then we haue deserued And yet surelie amongst vs in these daies no sin more cōmon We shal come in no place we shal talke with no man but we shal finde him complaining or grieued with somewhat The gentleman he complaines all things are deare money skant his charge great which dearth in trueth him selfe in some parte is the cause of For if hee let his pastures fermes deare he must needes buy deare againe The husbandman he complaines that corne is too cheape he is not able to paie his rents seruants wages of his crop The Artificer he saith there are so manie of an occupacion that one cannot liue by another and that he can not get his debtes paid whose prices without all conscience the Lord sometimes plagues with euil paiments The seruants some times lack masters men wil do their worke them selues some lack wages some victuals So that from the top to the toe no part is free euerie one is grieued euerie one complaineth So that this plaister is verie necessarie the disease being so general dangerous Therefore I conclude with our last weekes lesson out of S. Paules Epistle to the Philippians fit for our times Phil. 4. The Lord being euen now at hand in deede Reioice in the Lord alwaie againe I saie reioyce Let your curtesie or gentlenes be knowen or manifest to all men The Lorde is euen at hand Be careful for nothing but in all things let your petitions be manifest vnto God in prayer supplication with giuing of thanks Let vs reioyce in the Lord who is now our aduocate our lawyer that pleadeth al our causes shal be our Iudge Let our curtesie mercifulnes be knowen to al men that we may find mercie curtesie at the Lords hand at that daie For with what measure we measure to others now in the chaffe and pelfe of this world shal then no doubt be measured vnto vs againe The Lorde is euen at hand let vs be careful for nothing but in al our needs necessities let vs praie vnto him and we shal receiue What is more easie then to aske and haue But aboue al things let vs giue thankes Let vs beware of murmuring complaining So shal the Lord not only this yeare but euerie yeare powre down his blessings vpon vs. Thus desiring your worships to accept this my simple gift praying the Lorde to blesse you both with his holie spirite this yeare manie others to his glorie the benefit of this our countrey and in the world to come of his great mercie to crowne you with euerlasting glorie I moste humblie take my leaue Welborne this xv of Nouember 1589. ¶ An Apologye or defence of our dayes against the vaine murmurings and complaints of manie wherein is plainlie proued that our daies are more happie and blessed than the daies of our forefathers WHereas there are manie things in my opinion right worshipfull in this our age out of counse manie things complained without a cause manie things and that of them which would be counted wise men verie iniuriouslie and vnaduisedly giuen foorth commonlie vttered then as mee seemeth amongst all the rest that complaint is verie iniust vneqaull and against all reason That these our dayes are worse than the former that our times are vnhappie miserable and that the former daies the dayes of our fathers were happie verie blessed verie calme and prosperous When as this opinion of the common people too too common amongst vs. Salomon the wisest that euer was Ecclesiastes ver 12. c. 7. in that one Sermon of his of the excellencie and vanitie and comparison of things together wherein he nameth himselfe a preacher to all ages and countries hath with his verdit as it were plainly condemned Saye not saith he what is the matter or howe chaunceth it that the former dayes are better then these for if thou saye so thou hast not asked wisdome counsaile concerning this matter As though he should saye Wisdome would teach thee another lesson that is to saye That things present seeme alwayes grieuous to men and strange things pleasant that our owne things although they be better in deede to be of none account with vs and that other mens things do please vs most of all Thus is the nature of man euer lothing things present and longing for things absent despising her owne things greedie of other mens things bragging of things past and slacke in things present verie fruitfull of vnthankfulnes And not onely Salomon but Iesus Christ being the wisedom of God the father teacheth vs the same in his Gospell He hath said manie that are first shall be the last and the last shall be the first Our heauenly father will haue his noble Kings his Mecenasses and gentlemen his Constantines his Theophilus his doctors his confessours his Martyres not onely in the infancie of his Church but also in her olde age not in her cradels but in her graye haires not in her time of increasing and flourishing shining as at the first sending downe of the holie Spirit but also in her groning decreasing and as it were now labouring time of trauell vnder Antichrist And these are no lesse notable no lesse famous no lesse valiant no lesse inflamed with the zeale of Gods house than the former And these at the last day shal be without doubt in maiestie euen to be reckoned vp amongest those first Because his mercie is for euer Ioel. 2. euen the same towards his Church And also our Prophet Ioel doth teach vs the same doctrine which did prophecie of our times vpon whom truely those ends of the world haue come more fully than vpon those first Christians which do not liue in the last hour of the day as they did but truely in his last moment and minute I will powre out saith the Lord by that Prophet in those dayes my spirite vpon all flesh and your children and your daughters shall prophecie your old men shall dreame dreames and your yong men shall see visions And also I will powre out my spirite in those dayes vpon your seruants and maydens And I will shewe wonders in heauen aboue and tokens in the earth beneath bloud fire and the vapour of smoake The Sunne shal be turned into darkenes and the Moone into bloud before that great and notable day of the Lorde come And it shal be that who soeuer calleth vpon the name of the Lorde shal be saued Who is he which will denye these things to concerne our dayes The fulfilling of
against her daughter and the daughter against her mother the daughter in lawe against her mother in lawe and the mother in lawe against her daughter in lawe And euen nowe the world marueiles slaunders and complayneth at these discentions of sonnes and fathers against the Gospell and name of Iesus This thing in my opinion that Sathan goeth about is that he might quite abolish and take away credite from the Gospell Our Sauiour Iesus hath foretold vs the same thing so often that we should not be offended thereat The Lorde by this meanes tryeth some whether they will rather sticke to their olde father Zebebe mending his nettes or with Iames and Iohn forsake al and following Iesus Christ calling them Whether at the Lordes commaundement they woulde forsake Sodome with Lot and his daughters or for their owne pleasure with his wife they would looke backe and be turned into a piller of salt Other some by this meanes the Lorde quite refuseth and casteth of who being well brought vp of their parentes and in true religion yet they had rather quite cast off the feare of God and obedience to their parents to shake hands with the Prince of darkenesse Gods vtter enimie then to tread the trace of Gods holy commaundements and of their fathers holesome instructions And are not such children both of God their father of man their father iustly to be forsaken Neither the agreemēt concord of al men in the darkenesse and ignorance of the Popes religion whereof they bragge so greatly doeth auaile anye thing to the confirmation and trueth of that blinde and superstitious religion For in the night season if wee marke wel as thinges are quiet and peaceable Naye the quietnes and peace of the night is farre greater then the quietnes of the daye But who woulde then therefore commende the night before the daye Such was their blinde and darke peace concorde and agréement which they had Againe Sathan himselfe hath a certaine kinde of vnitie in his kingdome as our Sauiour witnesseth in the Gospell If Sathan should rise against Sathan and be deuided saith he he could not continue but should haue an ende Sathan therefore in his kingdome hath a peace and surely to our outwarde senses a farre greater peace then the Church of God hath which outwardly in this worlde like a shippe is tossed hither and thither and is neuer at rest But he lacketh that inwarde peace that peace of conscience which the Church and housholde of God onely enioyeth Though Sathan his members do make a faire shewe of peace and quietnes outwardly yet they are tormented and vexed inwardly So that outward peace is no argument of trueth but rather that other inward peace For that craftie serpent créepeth softly and goeth stilye and bringeth in vnder hande like a craftie iuggler without any noyse without any wordes all his trishe trashe But this peace ouerthrowes the workes of God denounceth warre to his worde this creeping stealeth the worde of God from the heartes naye from the eares from the eyes and knowledge of all Christians Hitherto tendeth all his stealing steppes to this end his quiet times Such was the vnitie or securitie or drowsines rather of the former times And here by the waye because they finde fault with our agreement I praye you note the consent and agreement of the diuell and of the Pope together most manifest that no man of indifferent iudgement can denye The diuell sayeth our Sauiour When the worde is sowen in the heart of man he comes priuily and stealeth it awaye lest it shoulde take roote there The Pope he stealeth and plainly conueyeth the worde out of the Churche so that it shall neither come into the eares nor into the heart And is not this manifest Doeth not the Pope forbid the worde of God to be read in the Church but in Latine in a tongue vnknowen to the hearers So that it were as good not redde to them at all they are neuer a whit the better for the reading of it And shall wée not saye then that the Pope and diuell in stealing Gods worde from our heartes doe agrée Is not this too too manifest Such is their peace and agréement they haue quite contrarye to Iesus Christe But the house of Iesus Christe is buylt vppon an hill it hath manye cold blastes and sharpe stormes His shippe sayling in the Sea of this world hath manye stormes quicke sands and rockes That same Whirlewinde whereof Saint Marke speaketh in his fourth Chapter which from out of the earth is suddenly carryed vpwarde to Heauen woulde as it were blowe the shippe out of the worlde All Gods children all his seruauntes are of the daye and of the light they sustaine troubles cares they are vexed they are pinched They carrie their crosse with their Master Iesus Christ They are neuer as long as they continue in this wildernesse frée from the pinchings of hunger thirst and scarsitie from the perils of enimies both at home as of Corah Dathan Abiram and abroad as Amalech Balacke and such like They are stil in the field their life is a warfare and this is their tryall this is their crowne this is their victory This is the wisedome of the serpent which the Gospel commaundeth who stop their eares to all the voyces of the charmers charme they neuer so wisely that they may heare their Iesus alone which beléeue not the doctrines of these false Prophets for al their miracles which wil nat depart from the word of the Lord Deut. 13. For the Lord suffreth some time false Prophets to do myracles as Moses doeth teach vs to trye vs whether wée will sticke to his worde alone or no. Hereby their Egles eyes are tryed whether they can beholde Iesus Christ the true Sunne without twinckling of their eyes or no Onely the Eagles can do so The eyes of other birdes cannot endure it these turne their eyes aside to flyes and mottes in the Sunne to fat prayes which the tempter castes in their way The Christian Eagles respect onely the glorie of Iesus Christe Therefore Dauid prayed O Lorde turne away mine eyes lest they behold vanitie and quicken mée in thy way These vanities these flyes these motes in the Sunne are left in the ayre to trye the zeale of true Christians Deut. 33. The which Moses taught before his death all the Leuites of Israell and our Sauiour Iesus all his disciples which saye to their father and mother wee knowe you not aus to their brethren we care not for you no not for their owne children But they kéepe the word of the Lord and his couenant These faithfull Leuites preferre Iesus Christ and his Gospell to all Counsails Fathers yea to their owne natural fathers to their beloued wiues to their deare children yea to their owne soule and life This great courage of theirs could not so clearly appeare without some light skirmishing at home amongest their brethren And without open warre abroad against
Heretikes from whence that tryall of spirites which Saint Iohn commaundeth to all his children is had From hence that spirice of discretion and iudgement 1. Cor. 3. whereof all the seruaunts of God in some measure are partakers appeareth He that is spiritual saith the Apostle iudgeth all things and now all Christians are spirituall For they which haue not the spirite of Christ are none of his And all the sonnes of God are led with the spirite of God And they all by this holy bonde are knitte to their heade Iesus Christ And therefore the holy Ghost is called the bonde of peace They all can discerne light from darkenesse Christ from Belyall They are not without sence without spirite fleshly not hauing the spirit as are those false Prophets whereof S. Iude prophesieth as are those Idolaters of whom Dauid sayth Their Idols and grauen Images are without sence vnderstanding and so are they that made them and so are all they that put their trust in them And surely such was the insensiblenesse of many Idolaters in times past they were as voyde of true sence of God euen as the Image which they worshipped But the true Christians all haue hereof a féeling and vnderstanding and they must vse their sences they must trie their féeling they must vse their discretion The Lorde hath not giuen them these his graces in vaine What this varietie of iudgements and opinions doth onely beautifie the Church of God Hereof was the great glorie and beautie of Moyses Tabernacle of the diuersitie of oblations of the variety which euery one offred If they had all brought things of one kinde it had not béene so glorious and pleasant to the eyes Hereof when as they all agréed in the manner of their offering in this one thing that they offered willingly and fréely as for the matter not onely golde and siluer but also brasse not onely blew and purple but also scarlet not onely linnen and fine silke but also Goates haire were accepted and receiued All these being aptly ioyned together according to that forme which Moises sawe in the Mount did giue great glorie and beautie to this Tabernacle Salomons temple also contayned in it diuerse furnitures of nature diuerse functions and helpes of arte And hereof was the glorie of it contayned Ephes 4. what also meaneth that méeting of all men in vnitie of faith in the Church of Christ but the diuerse wayes and diuerse iudgements of many What meaneth this prophesyings of two or thrée in the Church and congregation and the iudgement of the rest but diuerse senses and sentences of holy Scripture what meaneth that prophesying or interpretation of scripture according to the Analogie of faith which Saint Paule maketh mention of 12. Rom. But that there is a certaine compasse of discenting varying in the Church of God so that it be within the boundes What meaneth that mariage garmentes of the Church her selfe 45. Psalme which Salomons wife no doubt did shadowe out vnto vs. The Quéene stoode on the right hande in a vesture of golde wrought about with diuerse colours and what meaneth that néedle worke that followeth all the glorie of the kinges daughter is within In a vesture of golde wrought with néedle worke shall shee be brought vnto the king What I say meane all these varieties all these diuersities all these néedle workes but wholely a diuersitie of iudgementes and as it were the soft stinginges of Bées one towardes an other which make the Lordes honny And yet al this without death without destruction without damnation Therefore in vaine crie our aduersaries and vrge this as Hercules dart Luther and Caluine do dissent concerning the Lordes Supper Therefore if Luther bee saued Caluine is damned Therefore in vaine doe many whisper this into the eares of the simple people they striue amongest them selues and that very bitterly of certaine rites and ceremonies of the Church of abuses of Ecclesiasticall matters of the garment of this Quéene Therefore their religion is nought and no credite is to be giuen to their Sermons therefore there is no trueth amongest them For say they there is but one trueth and that simple and peaceable In déede to confesse the trueth they striue of the vesture of the Quéene that is to saye of Sacrifices and Ceremonies but not of the life of faith they quarrell amongest them selues in déede of the building vppon of golde and siluer and precious stones but not of the foundation of Iesus Christ For truely besides faith in Iesus Christ all the other pointes of our religion are but the garmentes ornamentes exercises iewelles badges fruites companions waiting maydes of this our mother of true religion Not her substance not her life not her saluation And therefore first of all as concerning faith onely sayeth our Prophet Habakuck The iust shall liue by faith and the same saying the Apostle Saint Paule repeateth often after him The first to the Romaines the seuentéenth verse and the third Chapter to the Galathians and the tenth to the Hebrewes as an vndoubted trueth without any addition of workes or any thing else And our Sauiour Christ him selfe teacheth vs the same thing Hée that beléeueth in me though he were dead shall liue And hee that beléeueth not shall bée damned And also the Apostle Saint Iohn Hee that hath the sonne hath life But as concerning Sacramentes the Apostle Paule to the Galathians sayth as manie as are Baptised haue put on Iesus Christ And of good workes the same Apostle sayeth to the Collossians Put vpon you as the elect of GOD bowelles of mercie c. And to the Hebrewes of the same he sayth But wee hope better of you and thinges accompanying saluation Therefore workes accompanie saluation they are not saluation it selfe And godlinesse hee calleth the beste exercise and circumcision a seale of righteousnesse These names doe declare the nature of all these Then truth in déede is but one but as long as shée is here on earth shee is not without a veale without a mufler If truth were so easie to be mette withall then all labour of séeking of searching of studying was but in vaine If eyther the Church it selfe at anie time could embrace trueth in her perfect age absolute in all respectes then there should bee no increase of knowledge as long as we liue here in this worlde The which growing in knowledge that it should be in vs all the Apostles Peter and Paule doo verie earnestly exhort and commande If the millitant Church heere on earth coulde clyme vp to the highest degrée of knowledge then in vaine were that perfection in knowledge and not proper to the triumphant Church in heauen But as yet the Scriptures are to be searched of vs day and night besides the light which the fathers haue left vs They are written for our further learning and instruction As the Church of the Israelites had many mansions and going forwardes euen till it came to the boundes of the lande