doth onelie call his elect and chosen and whom he hath ordeined before vnto life euerlasting working so in them by the inward operation of his holie spirit that the word preached to them doth take root in their hearts and bringeth foorth fruit vnto life eternall He doth also by the same spirit testifie vnto them I meane vnto their spirites that they be the children of God and heires of the kingdome of heauen I. Veron Of two manner of callings There are two sortes of vocation the one outward and the other inward By the outward vocation I meane a common and generall vocation by the which God doth call by his outward preaching all those to whom the Gospell is preached bée they chosen or reprobates And by the inward I vnderstand a vocation wherby God doth not onelie call men by the outward preaching of his word but maketh them to feele the power and efficacie of the same by his holie spirit in such sort that they doe not onelie heare it with their outward eares but doe also receiue it into their hearts by faith whereby they are iustified Pet. Viret ¶ The calling of God is of two sorts the one is common whereby men in déede are after a sort stirred vp but they â—â—â—not bowed for that those things which are offered please them not but the other is a conuenient apt mighty calling wherby the mindes are touched and truelie chaunged After this manner was Iacob called and not Esau. Therefore the one was beloued and the other hated the one drawne and the other forsaken Caluine in his insti fol. 257. God doth call men two waies the one is a generall calling by the which God with the outward preaching of 〈…〉 word doth inuite al meÌ„ vnto him yea those to whom his word is propounded for their dampnation The other is a special â—â—ling that is a calling according to Gods purpose by the whâ—â—â— he worketh so through the inward lightening of the spirit 〈…〉 the word preached is also grounded in our hearts tru◠〈…〉 stoode faithfully beléeued Euen as we see yâ— wil of God 〈…〉 two sortes the one preached and reuealed in his holie Scripture whereby he willeth that all men should be saued albeit for their iniquities few be saued The other vnsearchable and also vnknowne to vs whereby he worketh his will both in heauen and in earth F. N. B. the Italian ¶ Sée more in these wordes Election Predestination Chosen Manie are called and few be chosen ¶ All nations and people are by the outward preaching of the Gospell called but onelie they that are ordeined chosen to life euerlasting doe beléeue and giue credit to the word Sir I. Cheeke CALFE Of the Calfe that Aaron made ANd made of it a molten Calfe They smelled of their leuen of Aegypt wher they saw calues oxen and serpents worshipped Geneua ¶ The Hebrues when they compelled Aaron to make them a Calfe to worship had not that minde to fall from the true God when they confessed that he brought them out of Aegipt This was onelie their intent to worshippe him vnder some signe or visible forme and they chose that forme whereby they had séene the Aegiptians expresse their God by Pet. Mar. vpon Iudic. CAMEL How the Latin word Camelum is taken two waies IT is easier for a Camel c. ¶ The latin text is Facilius est Camelum acus transire This worde Camelum a Camell in yâ— English translation is expounded of some to signifie in this place the Cabell of a Ship and truelie that doth better agrée to the eie of a nedle And yet Pollux writing of yâ— instruments perteining to a ship maketh mention of this word Camelus Suidas onelie is found to vnderstand this word in that signification yet vnderstanding it so as it is written with i not with e as Camilos and not Camelos For though there be a little difference in the wordes yet notwithstanding in sense there is greate contrarietie for the first signifieth a beast called a Camell and the other signifieth a Rope or Cable of a Shippe Other some doe rather agrée to Hierom which followeth Origen which taketh this word Camelum being a Gréeke word as we shewed before for the beast called a Camell For Christ would haue it seeme altogether as impossible for a rich man trusting in his riches to enter into the kingdome of heauen as for a Camell being a monstrous beast to goe through the eie of a néedle But if this saieng seeme to anie man obscure let them remember the man reprehended of the Lord which went to plucke yâ— mote out of his brothers eie and could not sée the beame in his owne eie What can be more absurd then to saie that a man carieth a beame in his eie But this absurditie of his words hath a great Emphasis and force Marl. fol. 434. CANDELS OR TAPERS Against the superstitions of Candels and Tapers in the Church ANd whereas they bring thether burning Candels and that at noone daies it must néeds come from the superstition of the Ethnikes The old christian men vsed burning candels but it was in the night time because they durst not assemble together in the daie season and it was not very hansome to sit in the darke Wherevpon Hierom also saith We doe not light candels at broad daie as you doe slaunder vs without cause but by this comfort we doe delaie the darknesse of the night and doe watch by light least like blinde folke we should sléepe in darkenesse like as thou dost Musculus fol. 291. ¶ Lactantius inueighing the Heathenish or Popish superstition of Candels that hath bene vsed saith Accendimus lumina velut in tenebris c. They light candels vnto God as it were in the darke But if they wil behold heauenlie light thei we cal the sun they maie vnderstand that their God lacketh no lights that for the vse of man hath giuen so cleare a light And yet whereas in so small a circle which by reason of the distaunce séemeth no bigger then a mans head ther is so great a oliâ—â—ering that the engine of mans eie is not able to looke directly vpon it And if for a while you fixe your sight thereon diâ—â—esse darknesse doe follow your dazed eies What light what clearenes maie we thinke to be with God with whom there is no night at all Who hath so ordered this light of his that neither by too much shining beames nor ouer parching heate he should hurtâ— the Cattell And yet of both hath departed so much as either the bodies of men maie beare or riping of the fruite require wherefore he concludeth with these words saieng Is he to be thought to be in his right wits that to the Authour giuer of light offer vp the light of Candels and Tapers for a gift CANDELSTICKE Why the Church is likened to a candelsticke ANd the 7. Candlestickes which thou sawest are the 7. churches ¶
What kind of figure it is 997 Sennacherib wherfore his sonnes slue him eod Sent. How this place is vnderstood eod Search why God is said to search 998. Commaunded of Christ to search the Scriptures eo Serpent What Serpent doth signifie 999 What it is to sucke yâ— serpents head eod Seruice what the true seruice of God is 1000. How it ought to be ministred in a known tongue eod Obiections aunswered eod Seaâ—e of God What yâ— seat of God is 1001 Sethtani What manner of heretikes they were eod Seauen How it is taken in Scripture eo What the 7. Angells doe signifie 1002. Seauentie interpreters Of their traÌ„st 1003 Seueâ—us Of his hereticall opinions 1004 Shadow eod Shame What shame is eod How and whereof shame came first eod Shape of God What it is to be in the shape of God 1005. Shaue How the woman taken in warre was shauen eod Wherefore Hanon shaued the beards of Dauids ambassadours eo Sheepfolde How there shall be one sheepfolde eod Shepheard The opening of these places eo The propertie of a good shepheard 1006 Of the restoring of good shepheards eo Of the outward gouernement of foolish shepheards eod Of the swoord that should come of the shepheards 1007. Of foure kinde of shepheards eo Shew bread Wherefore it was called so eo Obiections aunswered eod How the Lords death is sheweÌ„d 1008. Shooe What Gods shooe is eod Short life How it is not a generall rule of Gods iudgement eod Sicera What kinde of drinke it was 1009 Sicle What a Sicle is eod Sichem What is meant by the diuiding of Sichem 1010. Siggaion What it is 1012. Signe What a signe is eo How it is not both the signe the thing signified 1013. Silence What is meant by the word silence eod Siloh What Siloh is 1014. The meaning of the place eod Of the soft running waters of Siloh eo How that by Siloh Christ is meant eod Of the towre of Siloh 1015. Siluer What it is to tourne siluer into drosse eod What a siluerling is eod Simon Magus Of his opinions and ende eodem Of Simon Chananeus the Apostle 1016 Simple Who are simple eod Sinagogue What a Sinagogue is 1017. Singing The meaning of the places eod When it was brought into the Church 1018. The iudgment of the learned concerning singing eod When plaine song prickesong and Descant were brought into the Church 1020. Single life What the fruits thereof are among the Priests eod Sinne. The definition of sinne 1022. What sinne is eod How euerie sinne is mortall 1023. The Doctours saiengs in that matter 1024. How God ordeined sinne and yet is not the author thereof 1025. The cause of sinne is not to be layed to God eod How all sinne is both deadly and veniall eod How it is not of Gods creation in man 1026. How it entered into the world eod How Christ is called sinne eo How no man can pardon sin but Christ. 1027. To sinne against the holy Ghost what it is eod Wherfore the holy Ghost will rebuke the world of sinne 1028. Of sinne vnto death how it is declared 1029. How our sinne is made Christs sin 1031. How sinne is forgiuen in Baptime eod Sin offering what was ment therby eo Solde vnder sinne eod Sion What Sion is 1032. What the daughters of Sion signifieth eod Sir How men of countenance may be called Sir eod Sirtes What the Sirtes were eod Sister how Abraham made his wife to say she was his sister 1033. Sit. what it is to sit in the temple of God eod What it is to sit on the right haÌ„d of God eo What it is to sit in the dust eod Why they sat not at the eating of passeouer 1034. Sixe What it is to deliuer out of six c. eo What time of the day the sixt houre was 1035. Sleepe Now sleepe is taken in Scrip eod What Dauid meant by this sleepe 1036. The meaning of the place eod How God is said to sleepe eod Slime What slime is 1037. Smirna What Smirna was eod Snare What the snare signifieth eod The meaning of tâ—e place eod Snow Of the ingendering of snow 1038. Solde What it is to be sold vnder sinne eo Sonne of man what is meant by the sonne of man eod How the sonne is punished for the Fathers fault 1039. Sonne of God How Christ is proued so to be 1040. Of his deliuering vp his kingdome eod How he is equall to his father 1041. Who are the sonnes of God eod How we are borne the sonnes of God 1042. Sophist what a Sophist was and what now 1043. Sorrow Of godly sorrow worldly sorrow eod How Christ ouercame the sorrowes of death 1044. Souldier what the profession of a souldier is eod The meaning of the place eo Soule The diuerse taking of the word 1045. How Christs soule was heauie 1046. Of Christs soule descending into hell eo Wherein the soule of man and beast doe differ eod Of the apparition of soules eod Of soules departed 1048 The meaning of the place eod How Satan hath no part of the soule of the godly 1049. How the soules departed know nothing what c. eod Sound How Caluine vseth this worde Sound 1050. Sowe what it is to sow in the flesh 1051. Spittle How Christ made clay with his spittle eod Spiders web What it is to weaue the Spiders web 1052. Spirit how the word spirit is vnderstood eodem How the spirit of God maketh intercession for vs. eod Who is of the spirit of truth and who is not eod Of yâ— spirit that Christ promised to send 1053. Why the holy Ghost is called the spirit of truth eod Of the spirit of southsaieng eod Of the spirits of the Prophets eod Of the spirits in prison eod How to serue God in spirit 1054. Spirituall who they be that be spiritual eo Of the spirituall house 1055. Of the spirituall eating of Christs body eod Spitting What is meant by spitting in hir face eod Sprinkling What is meant by the sprinkling of bloud 1056. Staffe What it is to goe with a staffe eod What the staffe of Gods mouth signifieth eod What the staffe of bread signifieth eod Stained clothes eod Starre What the starre was that appered to the Magies eod How the moone and starres are vncleâ—â— in Gods sight 1957. Of the seauen starres called Pleiades eo How the good instructors shall shine as starres eod How starres presage nothing eod Steward Of the vniust steward eod Stoikes What they were 1058 What certeine of their opinions were eo Stone Of the stone that Iosua pitched vp eodem Of the stumbling stone and who shall stumble thereat 1059. What stones in this place signifieth eod Of the stone cut out of the mountaine eo Who is the corner stone 1060. Who is the stone full of eyes eod Straite gate What it doth signifie eod Subiection Of Christs subiection to his father eod Sucoth 1061. Superstition What it is and how it is defined eod
their Brides doe sette themselues foorth at the gates of the Cities by the space of seauen daies together to be abused in fornication And by this meanes Iuda was deceiued of Thamar his daughter in lawe ANABAPTISTS How this sect began and who was the Author thereof About the yeare of our Lord 1525. in Mulhausen a tâ—wâ—â— in Thuringe was a Preacher named Monetarius which taught openlie that he would reforme the state of the Church and made aduaunt priuelie that reuelations were shewed to him by God and that the sword of Gedeon was committed to him to ouerthrowe the tyrannie of the Impius He led out great companies commaunding them to spoile and rob Monasteries and the palaces of great men But while the vnrulie people were scattered and disseuered without order the Princes of Saxonie sodainlie oppressed them and tooke their Captaine whome they put to death This Monetarius was the first Author of the diuelish sect of heresie of the Anabaptists which long time after vexed Germanie and is not yet altogether extinguished The Anabaptists caused great trouble and rufling in the North parts of Germanie and at the Citie Monstere choosing to their King one Iohn a leade a Coblar as saith Sledane exercised much crueltie expelling other out of the Citie that would not condescend vnto their beliefe This Iohn a leade in token that he had both heauenlie and earthlie power gaue to his Garde gréene and blew and had for his Armes the figure of the world with a sword thrust through it He married himselfe fiftéene wiues and ordeined that other should haue as manie as they listed and all other thinges to bée common amonge them The Bishop of Monstere by the aide of other Princes besieged the Citie against the rebellious Anabaptists fiftéene or sixtéene monethes In which time the stubborne and froward people sustained so great scarsitie and hungar that they béeing aliue were like dead corses and did eate commonlie dogs cats mice with other wilde beasts and séething hides leather and olde shooes did powne the same and make bread thereof After long siege the Citie was wonne spoiled and destroied with great crueltie and slaughter of that wicked people Cooper ANANIAS How his dissembling was punished Brought a certaine part and laid it at the Apostles féete ¶ By the casting of his moneie at the Apostles féete would he haue bene counted to be one of the Christian Congregation and that one of the chiefe But in holding part backe he declared vtterlie what he was that is subtill and an hypocrite mistrusting the Holie ghost which thing because Peter would in no condition should be vsed among that sort therefore punished hée it so earnestlie Tindale How he needed not to haue sold his possession if he had lust Was it not thine owne and after it was sold was it not in thine owne power c. ¶ By this place we maie euidentlie sée that in the Primitiue Church no man was compelled to make his goods common for Peter telleth plainlie that it did lie in Ananias power whether he would sell his land or no and when he had sold it the moneie was his owne so that he might haue kept it if he had lusted ANATHEMA What Anathema is ANathema saith Chrisostome are those things which being consecrated to God are laied vp from other things and which also no man dare either touch or vse Pet. Mart. ANDREVV Of the death of Andrew the Apostle I Erome in his booke De catologo Scriptorum Eccl. writeth how that Andrew the Apostle and brother to Peter which did preach to the Scitians Sogdians Saxons and to the Citie Augustia was crucified of Eneas the Gouernour of the Edessians was buried in Patris a citie of Achaia Booke of Mar. fol. 52. Of an heretike called Andrew This man was an Italian who went about the countreie leading a blinde redde dogge and by telling mens fortunes he brought them into great misfortunes by deceiuing of them with heriticall fables Futrop ab vsperg ANGEL What an Angell is ANgell is a Gréeke word and signifieth messenger and all the Angels are called messengers because they are sent so oft from God to man on message Euen so Prophets Preachers and the Prelates of the Church are called Angells that is to say messengers because their office is to bring the message of God vnto the people The good Angels héere in this booke are the true Bishops and Preachers and the euill Angels are the heretikes and false preachers which euer falsifie Gods word with which the Church shall be thus miserablie plagued vnto the end of the world Tindale This word Angell hath vndoubtedlie sprong from the Gréeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which in Latin is as much to saie as Nuncius a Messenger By the which it is plaine that Saint Augustine saith Angelus non nature sed officij nomen est As I am a man naturallie but I am a priest a preacher by office So naturallie an Angell is a spirit but when he is sent on message then is he an Angell Saint Augustine defineth an Angell on this wise Angelus spiritus est substantia in corpora inuisibilis rationabilis intellectualis immortalis An Angell is a spirit that word Spiritus is in the place of Genesis a spirit that is a substaunce bodilesse or a substaunce without a bodie inuisible endued with reason vnderstanding and immortall They eate not they drinke not they marrie not they sléepe not but liue euermore in heauenlie ioie and fruition of God fulfilling his blessed will and pleasure with all readinesse without anie wearinesse or slacknesse and therefore we saie in the Lords praier Fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo in terra They serue God not with crieng of the mouth for they haue none but with crieng of minde and that they doe continuallie And as Esay the Prophet saith these be part of their holie crieng Sanctus sanctus sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth As they are without bodie so they occupie no circumscriptiue place that is to saie no bodilie place no seuerall nor quanticatiue place and yet their intellectiue and spirituall place is so that when they be in Heauen they be not in earth And contrarie when they be in earth they be not in Heauen For there is no power finite that can be in two places at once And if ye will knowe saith Saint Austen how Angels doe eate and drinke yée shall vnderstand that Angels taking vpon them the visible and tangible bodies of men Edent habent potestatem sed non necessitatem Rich. Turnar Wherefore Angels were made An Angell is the creature of God in spirituall vnderstanding mightie made to serue God in the Church from which end of their creation some are fallen and become enimies of the Church Other that fell not but continued in their innocencie doe serue to God and his Church How Angels ought not to be worshipped We ought saith Saint Austine to beléeue that the bountifull Angels
fol. 211. Whether Angels did in verie deede eate and drinke when they appeared Of the Schoole-men some thinke that they did eate in verie déede and other denie it Scotus thinketh that to eate is nothing els then to chawe meate and to conueigh it downe into the bellie and this thing did the Angels wherefore he gathereth that they did eate in verie déede Other doe thinke that to eate is not onelie to chawe the meate and to conueigh it downe into the bellie but moreouer to conuert it into the substaunce of his bodie by concoction through the power of vegitation This forsomuch as the Angels did not therefore they did not eate in verie déede The booke of Tobias is not in the Canon of the Hebrewes but yet it might be applied to our purpose but that there is variance in the copies for in that booke which Munster set out in Hebrewes in the twelfth Chapter Raphel the Angell saith I séemed to you to eate and to drinke but I did not eate neither drinke the common translation hath I séemed to eate to drinke but I vse inuisible meate and drinke Neither text denieth but that the Angell after a certeine manner did eate Pet. Mart. vpon Iudic. fol. 212. How Angels be by nature spirits by office messengers The Scripture declareth of the Angels that they be by nature spirits by office Angels that is to say messengers August Psal. 103. The spirits be Angels when they be spirits they be not Angels when they be sent they be Angels for Angell is the name of the office not of nature Respecting that whereof hée is he is a spirit and in respect of that which he doth he is an Angell Who maketh saith the Apostle Angels his spirits yâ— is to saie he maketh messengers of his spirits in the first Chapter of the Hebrewes They be all serueable spirites sent for the health of the elect Musculus fol. 10. How Angels be not borne but created of God Scripture teacheth vs that Angels be not gotten of God as Christ the onelie begotten of God but that they be created of God and made in like sort as the rest of the creatures That they bée not gotten of God as Christ was The Apostle witnesseth where he saith To which of his Angels did he saie at anie time I haue begotten thée this daie and againe I will be to him a Father and he to me a sonne but whereas in Iob the Angels bée called the sons of God it is not to be vnderstood that they be the naturall sonnes of God as Christ was but because they be the sonnes of grace and adoption as all the elect bée That they be created and made the Prophet Dauid witnesseth Psalme 148. 2. But when and what time they were made there is no mention in anie place of Scripture A man maie gather that they were made at that time when the foundation of the world was set by that we do read in Iob. 38. read the place But it appeareth not by that place plainlie determinatelie when they were created as it is not in anie place declared whereof and how they were made Musculus fol. 10. How Angels are appointed to waite on the faithfull Then said they it is his Angell ¶ There be manie places in the Scriptures where we doe plainlie learne that Angels bée appointed to wait on the faithfull euen from their verie birth Ag. 18. 10. Heb. 1. 14. And in thâ— Psalmes Hée hath giuen commaundement to his Angels that they kéepe thée in thy waie Such a thing is héere meant by his Disciples Sir I. Cheeke ¶ For they did know by Gods word that Angels were appointed to defend the faithfull And also in those daies they were accusâ—omed to sée such sights Geneua How we shall be like vnto Angels But are as Angels of God in heauen ¶ Héere we must note and marke that Christ doth not saie in the resurrection they shall be Angels but they shall bée like vnto Angels For Angels haue no bodies at all but we shall haue our bodies both raised from death and also glorified Sir I. Cheeke How Christ is greater then the Angels proued by this place He maketh his Angels spirits and his ministers a flaming fire ¶ The absolute meaning of which words we must learne of the Apostle himselfe in the 〈…〉 4. ver following where according to this testimonie he hath defined their nature and called them ministring spirits Then in these words he maketh his Angels spirits and his ministers a flaming fire according to the similitude in which their glorie hath bene séene as the Angels that were with Elizeâ—s his seruants sawe them in Chariots of fire The similitude of the beasts which Ezechiel saw were as coles of burning fire and the Seraphins haue their names because they be of firie coulour And these words spirits ministers we must resolue thus ministering spirits So out of this text his argument standeth thus Christ is called the sonne the first begotten sonne whom the Angels worship but the Angels are his ministring spirits therfore Chrisâ— is greater theÌ„ the Angels Deer The opinion that euerie man hath his good and bad Angell is false The opinion yâ— particular men haue of their particular Angell one good an other bad is an heresie saith M. Deering not much vnlike the Maniches who taught yâ— euerie man was violentlie drawne to do good or euill by a good spirit or euill which equalitie of themselues had rule in man c. The first author of it saith he was Empedocles the Philosopher who as Plutarch saith taught tâ—â—t euerie man had two Angels one good and an other bad c. Plut. de Animi Tranqu The degree of Angels falselie proued aunswered The Prophet Ezechiel describing the glorie of the king of Tire he nameth nine precious stones which are in his garments in which place he nameth the same king Cherub comparing him with the Angels therefore these stones signified nine orders of Angels Aunswere Touching the argument of the nine precious stones of the king of Tyrus it is nothing but follie for what though he were coÌ„pared to Angels in glorie because his garment was full of precious stones doth it therefore follow yâ— as manie kinde of stones as were in his gowne so manie orders there should be of Angels If I saw a man clothed in rich colours manie iewels about him so that I would saie he shineth like the Sunne must it néeds follow yâ— as many coulours as are about him so many colours are in the Sun But the thing is all false the king is not there compared to Angels but because the Cherubins yâ— couered the mercie seat were of beaten gold excellent workmanship with that yâ— king is compared called the couering and the anointed Cherub so that the nine precious stones must be nine orders of Cherubins vpon yâ— mercie seate or nine orders of clothing Deering What is
times alwaies his praise shall be in my mouth Chrisostome saith when God is blessed and thanks be giuen of men vnto him then more plentious blessing is wont to be giuen of him for their sakes by whom he is blessed For he that blesseth maketh him debter of a greater blessing Calfehill fol. 116. By blessing vnderstand not the wagging of the popes or Bishops hand ouer thy head but praier as when we saie GOD make thée a good man Christ put his spirit in thée or giue thée grace and power to walke in the truth to followe his commaundemēts as Rebeccaes friends blessed hir when she departed saieng Thou art our sister growe into thousand thousands thy séed possesse the gates of their enimies And as Isaac blessed Iacob saieng God giue thée of the dew of heauen and of the fatnesse of the earth abundance of corne wine and oile And Gen. 28. 3. Almightie God blesse thée and make thée grow and multiplie thée that thou maist be a great multitude of people giue to thée and to thy séede after thee the blessing of Abraham that thou maist possesse the land wherein thou art a straunger which he promised to thy grandfather such like Tindale fol. 145. What Gods blessings are Gods blessings are his giftes as in the first Chapter of Genesis he blessed them saieng Grow and multiplie haue dominion And in the. 9. Chapter he blessed Noe his sonnes and gaue dominion ouer all beasts authoritie to eate them And God blessed Abraham with cattel and other riches And Iacob desired Esau to receiue the blessing which he brought him that is the present and gift God blessed the. 7. daie That is gaue it a preheminence that men should rest therein from bodilie labour and learne to know the wil of God and his lawes how to worke their works godlie all the wéeke after God also blessed all nations in Abrahams séed that is he turned his loue and fauour vnto them giueth them his spirit and knowledge of the true waie and lust and power to walke therein and all for Christs sake Abrahams sonne Tindale fol. 5. Who is blessed and sanctified of God He is blessed which kéepeth himselfe that which he is by new birth that is to wit which continueth in walking in newnes of life according to the which Christ saith Blessed are they which heare the word of God and kéepe it Luke 11. 28. Also Blessed is he to whom the Lord imputeth no sin in whose heart there is no guile Psal. 32. 1. 2. Rom. 4. 8. Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 276. ¶ Blessed is that man of the Lord yea holie iust and perfect maie he be reported also of all men which hath portion conuenient in y◠first resurrection with Dauid Magdalene Zacheus Peter Happy are they which hearing the word of God retaineth it in their liuing for they being renued with the glad tidings of life are depured by the spirit of Christ sanctified so made the habitacles of the holie Ghost Bale vpon the Apoc. fol. 59. Some peraduenture will aske who be they that be blessed and sanctified of God truelie all they whome Christ hath sanctified in his bloud and washed their sinnes in his bloud that hath faith and doth beléeue their sinnes onelie to bée taken awaie by Christ and his bloudshed for their remission of sinnes which will beléeue surelie till they die These be they which be truelie hallowed and sanctified in God the father and these bée holie and blessed whether men do blesse them or curse them Other there be that be sanctified as of men and of the Pope of the Cardinalls of Bishops or Abbots but these be not holie nor blessed except that Christ hath sanctified them in his bloud and hath remission of their sinnes by Iesus Christ which thing they beléeue surelie or els they be not sanctified of God nor blessed be they neuer so oftentimes blessed of the popes holy hand and all his thrée crosses with all the miters of his Cardinalls and Bishops Bibliander in the exposition of Iude. Of the sacramentall blessing Iesus tooke bread blessed c. ¶ To blesse is not to make a crosse but rather to giue thanks as he himselfe doth expresse by by when he speaketh of the cup. Againe where Marke vseth this word blessed Mathew Luke and Paule doe saie he gaue thanks both in Gréeke and in the Latine Sir I. Cheeke And when he had blessed ¶ Marke saith had giuen thanks and therefore blessing is not a consecrating with a coniuring of murmuring force of words and yet the bread the wine are chaunged not in nature but in qualitie for they become vndoubted tokens of the bodie and bloud of Christ not of their owne nature and force of words but by Christ his institution which must be recited and laied foorth that faith maie finde what to laie holde on both in the word and the element Beza The cup of blessing which we blesse c. ¶ When I spake saith Chrisostome of blessing I spake of thanksgiuing and speaking of thanksgiuing I open all the treasure of the goodnesse of God and rehearse those great giftes of his For with the cup we adde the vnspeakable benefites of God and whatsoeuer we haue obteined So we come vnto him we communicate with him thanking him that he hath deliuered mankinde from errour that when we had no hope and were wicked persons he admitted vs brothers and companions to himselfe with those and such other rendrings of thankes we come vnto him Héere ye sée what Chrisostome tooke blessing to be Calfehil fol. 106. What it is to blesse the Lords name Blessed be the name of the Lord. ¶ We maie not onelie picke out the words but also consider of what minde they procéede and that they be spoken trulie and vnfainedlie for how is it possible that we should blesse the name of God if we doe not first acknowledge him to be righteous But he that grudgeth against God as though he were cruell and vnkinde cursseth God because that as much as in him lieth he lifteth himselfe vp against him He that acknowledgeth not God to be his father and himselfe to be Gods childe ne yéeldeth record of his goodnesse blesseth not God And why so For they which taste not of the mercie and grace that God sheweth vnto men when he afflicteth them must néedes grinde their téeth at him and cast vp and vomit out some poyson against him Therefore to blesse the Lords name importeth as much as to perswade our selues that he is iust and righteous of his owne nature and not onelie that but also that he is good and merciful Lo◠héere how we maie blesse Gods name after the example of Iob that is by acknowledging his Iustice and vprightnesse and moreouer also his grace and fatherlie goodnesse towards vs c. Caluine vpon Iob. fol. 32. ¶ Héereby he confesseth that
perfect faith Of the spirituall sacrifice that the Christians doe dailie offer vnto God Looke Rom. 12. 1. Phi. 4. 18. 1. Pet. 2â—5 Ric. Turnar Sée more in the word Sacrifice CAINE How and by what meanes Caine was slaine IN the beginning of the world most people went naked sauing that they were partlie couered with skinnes of some beast at that time they had no dwelling house to defende them neither from the colde neither yet from heate but after their owne phantasies they made with pretie boughs and twigs of trées such little pretie lodgings as we call Cabens or Boothes And it so chaunced that Caine béeing verie olde and also wearie happened one daie to laie him downe to rest in a bush that was enclosed with gréene boughs as aforesaid And Lamech one of yâ— kinred of Caine in the fift degrée who by reason of his greate age had lost his sight and yet at a time was disposed to go abrode to kill some wilde beast And taking his Bowe and Arrowes he toke also a little boie to leade and direct him where hee might haue a good shoote And when he drew somewhat néere vnto the bush where Caine laie the little boie espieng the bush to wagge séeing as it were a great thing in the midst therof he imagined that there laie some wilde beast and the boye béeing afraide thereof gaue knowledge to olde Father Lamech that in a bush standing right before him not farre off there laie a great and terrible beast And Lamech vppon the report of the childe stretched out his arme drew a straight draught toward the bush where he slew his cosin Caine that laie in the same after he had liued 730. yeares as saith Philo Graftonan his Chro. fol. 7. ¶ Lyra saith that when Lamech perceiued he had slaine Caine whom the Lord had forbidden him in paine of greate punishment he fell vpon his owne seruant beat him so that he died Of a certeine sect called Caini Caini were heretiks which honoured Caine and tooke him for their father They highlie estéemed of Esau Chore Dathan Abiram with the Sodomits They called Iudas the traitour their cosin honouring him for betraieng of Christ affirming yâ— he foresawe how great a benefit it would become vnto maÌ„kinde They reade a certeine Gospell written as they saie by Iudas they reuiled the lawe and denied the resurrection Epiphani haeres 38. August de haeres CAIPHAS How he was the mouth of God and the mouth of the diuell all at one time HE was the mouth of God in as much as God made him to saie that his people could not be saued but onely by the death of his sonne Iesus Christ but he was the mouth of the diuell according to his intent after the which he so spake for he did not speak according to the meaning of the holie Ghost but as a murtherer an enimie of truth pretending the death of Iesus Christ because of the hatred which he bare towardes him ¶ God made him to speake neither could his impietie let Gods purpose who caused this wicked man euen as he did Balaam to be an instrument of the holie Ghost Geneua ¶ The spirit of prophesie doe manie times speake by the mouth of an vngodly man for the vngodlie are so excecated and blinded that they do oftentimes speak against theirown selues vnwittinglie and that to their vtter vndoing and destruction â— Sir I. Cheeke CALL What it is to call vpon the name of the Lord. IN that time beganne men to call vppon the name of the Lord. ¶ To call vpon the name of the Lord is to require all things of him and to trust in him giuing him the honour and worship that belongeth vnto him as in Gen. 12. 8. T. M. ¶ In these daies God began to moue the heartes of the godly to restore religion which a long time by the wicked had ben supprest Geneua Of three mnner of callings Manie are called c. ¶ Christ speaketh of the externall calling by the preaching of the Gospell of yâ— which there are three degrées All men are called yea euen they which heare not these which are dumme and are deafe minded are also called The second sort enter in and promise that they will serue God neuertheles their consciences condemneth them because they haue not the true root As Symon Magus which did faine himselfe to beléeue of the faithful being conuicted in his conscience by the truth of the Gospell professed the same but he had no roote as Peter casteth him in the téeth Such are they trulie to whom the Lord sendeth his holie spirit and whome for a time he illuminateth but at the length by the iust desert of their ingratitude he forsaketh them and striketh them with great blindnesse The third calling is speciall of great efficacie by the which God doth verie much aduance the elect faithfull onelie when that by the inward lightening of the spirit he bringeth to passe that the word preached abideth in their hearts To these testimonie is giuen by the same spirit that they are the adopted sonnes of God We cannot iudge who are the elect and who are the reprobate for we ought to leaue this iudgement vnto God Notwithstanding by signes there maie be some coniecture had but we must alwaies beware of rash iudgement Euerie man that is elected and chosen of God is fullie certified in himselfe of his calling The which thing we maie dailie beholde For manie are brought into the Church which afterward fall awaie from the same either béeing terrified by persecution or els béeing ouercome with some other temptation Such trulie are of the number of them that are called but are not elected for héereby our election is proued if we perseuer vnto the last end Mar. fol. 51. ¶ First all men be generallie called euen those that doth not heare the word for vnto them both heauen and earth and and the creatures comprehended therein doth not cease to preach the almightie power of God and also his goodnesse and mercie so that all men as the Apostle saith are vnexcusable before the maiestie of God And with them maie be comprehended those that heare the word who though they be called be so deafe in their hearts and mindes that they will neither giue care nor héede to the calling The second sort that be called doe professe the Christian religion receiue the word but it hath no true root in them as Symon Magus being conuinced in his heart yâ— the gospel was true did for a time professe but because it had no root in him he did soone fall awaie from it Such are them to whom yâ— Lord doth giue his holy spirit illuminating theÌ„ for a time but after ward he doth forsake them because of their ingratitude and vnthankfulnesse doth strike them with great blindnesse The third manner of calling is both particular and also most effectuall For by it the Lord
we are chosen WE are not chosen of God to breake his commaundements but for to liue in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of our lyfe How God hath chosen vs and we not him You haue not chosen me saith Christ but I haue chosen you ¶ Who hearing this saieng of our Lord dare bee so bolds as to saie that men are chosen through beliefe whereas rather they are chosen that they maie beléeue least y◠they should bée found to haue chosen Christ first contrarie to the sentence of the truth vnto whom Christ saith you haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you Pet. Viret Obiection We were chosen do some saie before the foundations of the world were made because that God did foresee that we shoulde be good and not that he himselfe should make vs good Aunswere God saith ye haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you for if he had therefore chosen vs because he had foreséene that we shoulde bée good he should also haue knowne before that we should haue chosen him Veron How God is said not to haue chosen manie wise men Paule saith that God hath not chosen manie wise men after the flesh nor manie men of power nor manie noble men borne And yet the same man saith God will haue all men saued how then doth he nor choose God is said not to haue chosen them not because he would not haue them saued but for the sequele of it that is to saie because the wisedome of this world power nobilitie of birth do like baits entice and withdrawe manie from the obedience of the Gospell Dauid was rich and puissant and so was Nero. But Dauid was not entised by the riches and power to fall from the Gospell as Nero was to his owne destruction And so foorth of other like Hemmyng Of Marie Magdalens good choosing Marie hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken from hir ¶ She hath chosen the hearing of the word of God which euer endureth is the onelie waie to euerlasting life Tindale ¶ The good part that is the hearing of the word of God from the which it was not méete that she should bée drawne hauing not alwaies opportunitie to heare the same The Bible note How God chooseth two manner of waies I haue chosen you twelue saith the Lord and one of you is the diuell ¶ It is to bee vnderstood that there is two manner of choosing The one whereby the Apostles were chosen to that most worthie office of Apostleshippe that they were in and the other wherby they wer chosen into life euerlasting Therfore when Christ saith that Iudas was chosen with the other Apostles that same must be vnderstood of the office wherevnto he was called and chosen with the other For when he speketh of the election that doth perteine to life euerlasting hée doth altogether exclude him from the number of the chosen I doe not saith he speake of you all I know whom I haue chosen I. Veron ¶ Looke Iudas Calling Election Predestination Of the choosing of Ministers Looke Ministers CHRISOLITE The nature of this stone and what it betokeneth The seauenth a Chrisolite ¶ This stone glittereth like gold and casteth out burning sparkes Wherby are ment those that vnderstand the diuine Scriptures both in word worke doe vtter that vnto others which they themselues vnderstand Marl. fol. 300. ¶ The seauenth foundation is of a Chrisolite or Turcas which shineth as golde and séemeth as it shoulde send foorth sparkes vnder this are they comprehended which hauing the wisdome of the spirit inflameth other with it prouoking them thereby to the loue of God and their neighbour This did Moses Esau Barnabas and Paule in whom the glorie of the Lord appeared plenteouslie Bale CHRISOTRACE The description of this stone and what it betokeneth THe 〈…〉 a Chrisoprade ¶ This is of a greene colour intermedled with golde and it betokeneth such as resembleth the freshnesse of the euerlasting countrie by charitable intercommuning one with an other Mirl vpon the Apoc. fol. 300. ¶ The tenth was a Chrisoprace whose condition is to shine like golde and yet he is greene in sight Such are they which hauing godlie wisdome vttereth it according to the talent giuen them of the Lord thereby renuing the dull spirits of other vnto heauenlie things Among this sort maie 〈…〉 be numbred which sawe manie wonderfull visions And so maie Simeon and Anna in the Gospell Bale CHRIST How Christ was first promised to Adam WHen the first man Adam through the craft and subtiltie of the Serpent whom the diuell had set for his minister to deceiue him had lost the felicitie of Paradise and made himselfe and all his posteritie for euer subiect to death and all other calamities and nuseries of this world where afore it was in his power alwaies to haue liued Then almightie God for the saluation of mankinde promised that of the séed of the woman Christ should come and destroie the power of Satan and deliuer vs frée from sinne and death Lanquet How Christ grew in age and wisdome Christ as touching his Godhead did not grow in age wisdome and fauour but in respect of his manhood in that he was verie man whose example would God we could follow that as we grow in yeares so we might grow in wisdome and fauour with God and men Hemming How Christ is called Dauids sonne If Dauid call him Lord how is he then his sonne ¶ Christ in that he is a verie naturall man is Dauids sonne but in that he is a true and a naturall God equall with the Father he is also his Lord. Sir I. Cheeke How Christ had moneie Looke Moneie Whie Christ became man As through a naturall man we were banished out of Paradise made the children of dampnation so it pleased the almightie trinitie neither by an Angell nor Archangell but by a naturall man to restore vs againe and made vs heires of saluation as Paule witnesseth By a man came death and by a man commeth the resurrection of the dead for as by Adam all die euen so by Christ all be made aliue R. Hutchynson Whie Christ fasted Like as it pleased God to giue power vnto Moses xl daies twice in the mountaine not for the auoiding of temptation but for to set foorth the glorious lawe and will of the Father then to be published And Elias béeing sent to anoint a king ouer Siria a king and a Prophet ouer Israel by whom both these kingdomes should be cleane altered and chaunged did fast fortie daies from all maner meates for the declaring of the power of God in his works So did it please Christ of his owne power to fast fortie daies that the Iewes shoulde haue none occasion to thinke him inferiour to those tw◠their great Prophets in the publishing of his Gospell and gladde tidings vnto the world and his renuing of all things not to the
of good fridaie which we after our counting of yâ— clock do take to be toward night as it were about 3. of yâ— clocke in yâ— after noone vntil yâ— dawning of Easter daie in yâ— morning But I doubt of this doctrine saith yâ— Author and yâ— for two causes Once we read yâ— Christ hanging vpon yâ— crosse did giue vp his soule commending it into the handes tuition of his Father saieng Pater in manus c. Againe we read that Christ hanging vpon the crosse said to the good théefe that said Remember me O Lord when thou shalt come into thy kingdome Christ answered yâ— thiefe saidâ— Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso This day thou shalt be with are in paradise weigh these words wel First Christ said Hodie to day yâ— is to say immediatly after thy soule shal depart out of thy body MecuÌ„ eris Thou shalt be yâ— me wher In Paradiso in paradise what shal we cal paradise Shal we not vnderstaÌ„d yâ— kingdoÌ„e of heuen by paradise séeing yâ— théefe said Remember me wheÌ„ thou coÌ„mest into thy kingdom wher is Christs kingdoe but in heauen Lyra doth wrest this word paradise to signifie LimbuÌ„ sanctoruÌ„ patruÌ„ But Theophilactus grauÌ„teth yâ— paradise the kingdoÌ„ of heaueÌ„ is all one thing in vnderstaÌ„ding yet he séemeth to lene to this conclusioÌ„ Quod Christâ—s euÌ„ menâ—e ingressus est paradisuÌ„ in infernuÌ„ desceÌ„det cuÌ„ aâ—ima And yet he denieth yâ— théefe had yâ— fulnes of glory yea or yâ— the soules of yâ— patriarks other saints departed in of yâ— faith of Christ haue yâ— fulnesse of ioyes glory which they shal haue at yâ— day of dome wheÌ„ yâ— body yâ— soule shal be vnited together yet he graunteth yâ— the théefs soule went straight to yâ— kingdoÌ„e of heaueÌ„ S. Augustine in an epistle yâ— he wrote to Euodius affir moth plainly Quod anima Christi descendit ad infernos yâ— Christ in his soule while his bodie laie dead in yâ— graue went downe into hell whom Saint Bede doth follow Saint Hierome in his commentaries that he written vppon yâ— Psalter Si tamen Hieronimi sint hath these words Non derelinques qua ipsa ad inferna defcendit vt electos suos eijcerit diabolos ligaret qua antea iactitabat se esse omniuÌ„ DominuÌ„ nunc omnium seruus And therfore S. Hierome in a certeine Epistle hath these words Quid homine imbecilius qui a carne sua vincitur quid ita homine Christi aut fortius qui diabolum mundum vincit But how Quia omnia possum in eo qui me confortat Because we put our trust in the name of Iesus which bad vs be bold vpon him saieng Confidete a me quia ego vici mundum To tell you more of their mindes that say that Christ went downe into hell in his soule Saint Gregorie and certeine other doe adde and saie moreouer Quod anima Christi passasiâ— apud inferos And that when Iohn Baptist béeing in prison and hearing of the myracles of Christ sending to Christ two of his Disciples with this message saieng Tu es qui venturus an alium expectamus The meaning of Saint Iohn was this Art thou he or shall wée looke for an other not meaning whether he were the true Messias incarnate for then he must haue said Tu es quivenisti an alium expectamus but Iohn said Tu es qui venturus an alium expectamus Meaning saith Saint Gregorie that where now I am in prison and sée nothing but present death what shall I in my soule like as I haue bene thy preacher and thy fore runner héere iu earth shall I in my soule also preach vnto the soules departed in the faith of thée to come These bée Saint Gregories words Debeo te nunciare inferis qui te nunciam superis As touching the second opinion that Christ descended into hell not personalie in his soule Sed in spiritu Hoc est viuifica mortis sua virtute that is by the might and power of his redeÌ„mption that he made vpon the crosse This opinion I haue not saue onelie in the learned writers of this our age which doe proue their opinion true by the wordes of Saint Peter written in his first Epistle in the third and fourth Chapters which places vndoubtedlie are verie notable These bée the wordes of Saint Peter in the third Chapter Christus in spiriâ—u 〈…〉 spiritibus â—ui 〈…〉 careete â—raâ—t prâ—dicaâ—it Christ in spirit that is to sale in the power of his Godhead and inerites of his manhood and vertue of his passion went and preached vnto the Saints that were in prison Of the spirites that were in prison at the time of Christs suffering vnder Pontius Pilate ther wer two sundrie sorts good bad the soules of Infidels the soules of vngodlie wicked liuers in this wretched world as Cain Nemroth the Sodomits Gomoreanâ— the Philistines the Iebusites Iudas the traitor with his fellowes And the soules of the Patriarchs Adam Abel Seth Noe Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid and all other soules of holie men and faithfull beléeuers in Christ to come All flesh both good and badde were in prison till at the suffering of Christ vpon the Crosse but yet not all in one prison The soules of the Saints that is of good men were by themselues in one societie or fellowship which the Gospell calleth the Bosome of Abraham and S. Peter calleth it a prison in respect of the infinite pleasures To both these sorts of spirits or soules Christ preached but after a sundry sort To the good sort he preached redemption satisfaction for their sinnes paied by Christ vpon the crosse and therevpon receiued them into heauen vnto himselfe To the soules of the sinfull he preached perpetuall paines in Hell neuer to haue ende but bound and to burne continuallie with the Diuell whom they did serue when they were aliue Of the wicked and damned soules S. Peter giueth an example by whome all the world maie take héede Of the good soules he giueth no example But of the damned soules he giueth now example by them that liued iâ— Noesâ— time that were disobedient to the preaching of Noe when the long suffering of God abode excéeding patientlie but in conclusion there were no moe saued from drowning sauing onelie eight persons That the meaning of S. Peter in the third chapter should be this that I haue recited That is that Christ in the spirit that is in the power and vertue of his passion descended into hell these learned and godlie writers do proue by the exposition that Saint Peter maketh of his owne words in the next Chapter following where he saith thus Mortuis euangelizatum est vt iudicentur quidem secundum homines in carne viuant autem secundum Deum in spiritu The Gospell was preached vnto the dead that they should bée iudged in the flesh after the fashion of men but in the Spiritshould
himselfe and in his owne minde being made priuie to euerie thing that he either hath committed or not committed doe either condemne or acquite himself And this reason procéedeth frō God who is both prompt writeth his iudgements in the hearts and mindes of men Bullinger What Saint Paules meaning is by this Hauing the conscience seared with an hot yron ¶ Their dull consciences first waxed hard then after canker and corruption bred therein Last of all it was burnt with an hotte yron so that he meaneth such as haue no conscience Geneua ¶ Whose conscience waxed so hard that there grew an hard fleshlinesse ouer it and so became to haue a Canker in it and now at length required of verie necessitie to be burned with an hot yron ¶ Tindale applieth this place to false Teachers whose consciences being seared be witnesses vnto themselues that for their bellie sake and desire of filthie lucre they hide the truth and stablish lies Tindale CONSECRATION What Consecration is GIuing of thanks vnto God for y◠death of his onlie begotten Son Iesus Christ is the true Consecration Sir I. Cheeke Consecration signifieth the whole action of the Supper and not the turning of the Elements Booke of Mar. fol. 1538. Doctor Redman being sicke at Westminster was among other things asked this question by one Master Wilkes what Consecratio was it is quoth Doctor Redman tota actio in ministring the Sacrament as Christ did institute it All the whole thing done in the mysterie as Christ ordeined it that is Consecatio Thus farre D. Redman CONTEMPT How Contempt is defined COntempt consisteth chiefelie in thrée things for either wée contemne onelie in minde when we despise anie man and their goods or when we doe them anie discommoditie not thereby to séeke our owne gaine but onlie to reioice at their discommoditie or lastlie when we adde words or déedes which haue ignominie or contumelie ioined with them Pet. Mar. vpon Iudic. fol. 166. CONTENTION Of the Contention betweene Paule and Barnabas ¶ Looke Paule CONTINENCIE What Continencie is COntinencie is a vertue or power of the mind receiued from the spirit of God which suppresseth affections and doth not in anie wise permit vnlawfull pleasures This is conuersant and doth shew it selfe in the common and vsuall talke of men in pleasures that are allowed in apparell in buildings and dwelling houses in meate and drinke and in other things also c. Bullinger fol. 237. CORNELIVS How Cornelius was iustified by faith and not by workes COrnelius thy praiers and thine almes are come vp into remembraunce before God c. ¶ The praiers and almes of Cornelius pleased God before he was baptised but without faith God cannot be pleased Cornelius therefore as Bede trulie noteth had faith whereby his praiers and almes pleased God for saith he he came not to faith through workes but to workes through faith The Bible note ¶ Inasmuch as by workes no man can be saued as the psalmist openlie affirmeth In thy sight none that liueth can be iustified And againe If thou looke on our iniquities Lord who shall be able to beare them No christen conscience dare be so hardie as to attribute saluation of this man Cornelius to his praier and fasting for first ye see he was a Gentile vncircumcised not kéeping the lawe nor once thinking thereon and therefore must be iustified by faith that came by hearing the glad tidings preached in Christ and therefore must we looke to the words of Luke in the beginning of this Chapter where he saith that he feared God which thing he could not haue done neither yet haue praied nor giuen almes except he had beléeued For how should he haue called on him on whom he beléeued not Thus are we compelled to ascribe his calling vnto faith out of which these fruites of praier and fasting procéeded speciallie séeing that Saint Paule affirmeth that whatsoeuer is not done of faith the same is sinne The christen then and such as will the Scriptures to be true in all places to expound one texte that another maie agrée with it do right well know that his calling our saluation is fréelie giuen of God for his son Christs sake and not for the deseruing of our workes And because faith can receiue this great and free benefite of God and beléeue it to be true and workes neither can beléeue it neither discerne it therfore it is ascribed vnto faith and not to workes If praier or fasting or the holiest worke vnder heauen could saue Christ had neuer néeded to haue suffered such gréeuous paines but vtterly died in vaine Neither should God fréelie chuse vs but our workes should chuse him Understande therefore that by his workes was he not called but by Faith out of which his workes sprong which faith God freelie gaue him as he calleth and saueth vs all Good workes must we do as this man did and that with all loue and earnestnesse and thereto are we bound and without them can it not be knowen whether we be verie christen or no no more then we can knowe a good Trée to be good and neuer felte his fruite But we maie in no condition ascribe iustification or saluation to them for as saith Christ When ye haue done all ye can doe 〈…〉 ye are vnprofitable seruaunts but to faith which onelie can receiue the benefites of Christ and beléeue that he alone hath deserued forgiuenesse for the sinnes of all the world The Apostles were héere first taught and certified by the holie Ghost of the conuersion of the Gentiles Tindale CORNER STONE ¶ Looke Stone CORRVPTION From whence our corruption commeth ADam was not created in the corruption which is spoken off héere but he purchased it of himselfe For God found all the things to be good which he had made Man therefore who is the excellentest of all creatures was not marred after that fashion till he had withdrawen himselfe from God But when he had once seperated himselfe from the Fountaine of righteousnesse what coulde remaine vnto him but naughtinesse and corruption Thus wée sée from whence all our naughtinesse procéedeth that we ought not to blame God for the vices wherevnto we be subiect and vnder which we be helde prisoners according to the Scripture which saith that wee bée solde vnder simie and become the bonde slaues of Satan Wée must not blame God for this but we must learne to knowe that it is the heritage which we haue from our father Adam and therefore we must take the whole blame to our selues before God c. Cal. vpon Iob. fol. 274. COVETOVSNES What Couetousnesse maketh men to doe COuetousnesse is the roote of all euill 1. Tim. 6. 10. Couetousnesse is Image seruice Col. 3. 5. It maketh men to erre from the faith 1. Tim. 6. 10. It hath no part of the kingdome of Christ and God Ephe. 5. 5. It hardened the heart of Pharao that the faith of the miracles of God could not
¶ Holofernes being ouercome with drinke was slaine of a woman ¶ Simon and his sonnes through dronkennesse was slaine of Ptolomy and Abobus ¶ Of the incommodities of Dronkennesse Read Pro. 23. 30 c. Eccl. 36. 26. c. DROPPES How these Droppes shewe Christ to be a true man ANd his sweate was like Droppes of bloud ¶ These not onelie showe that Christ was true man but other things also which the godlie haue to consider of wherein the secret of the redemption of all mankinde is contained in the sonne of God his debasing himselfe to the state of a seruant such things as no man can sufficientlie declare DRVCILLA What manner of woman this Drucilla was FElix with his wife Drucilla ¶ This Drucilla was Agrippa his sister of whom Luke speaketh afterward a very harlot and licentious woman and being the wife of Azizus King of the Emesens who was circumcised departed from him and went to this Felix the brother of one Pallas who was somtime Nero his bondman DVVELL What is betokened by this word Dwell WIll dwell among them ¶ By this word dwell is betokened friendship familiariâ—ie and companie betwéeneâ— God and the Elect according as Christ saith If anie man heare my voice and open me the dore I will come in to him and suppe with him and he with me Marl. vpon the Apo. fol. 113. ¶ The Lord that sitteth on the throne will alwaies dwell among them as their most mightie defender their solace their comfort Bale Let the word of God dwell in you plentifullie in all wisedome ¶ To dwell in vs is to haue full possession and a mansion house in vs to sit and rest there to gouerne and rule there as we doe in our houses and places of our owne aboâ—e and how shall this be but by that ordinarie meanes which God hath appointed vs which is by reading and hearing the word of God c. Beza And dwelt in vs. ¶ And dwelt The Gréeke word Escuiosen is as much to say as he made his Tabernacle whereby the Euangelist signifieth that he was conuersant among them as a verie man and he shewed not himselfe the twinckling of an eie and so vanished awaie but had his abode and continued among them long time whereby they might haue sure and certaine experience of his godlie behauiour of his singular vertues and of his wonderfull workes Some thinke by this word Dwelt that the Lord Iesus had no certaine dwelling place in this world but was faine to â—lit often and remoue for so do they that dwell in Tents and Tabernacles Chrisostome taketh in vs to be in our flesh and vnderstandeth that the humanitie of Christ was a Tabernacle to the diuinitie and so frameth this argument against the Heretikes that affirmed the Word to be turned into flesh ¶ Looke after in Word Traheron How men should dwell with their wiues Likewise ye men dwell with them according to knowledge ¶ To dwell with them is with faithfulnesse with the despising of pleasures and of ambition with the decking of the inner man with the méekenesse and demurenesse of a quiet spirit with loue reuerence to order them not according to our wilfull commaundement lust but according to knowledge appointing them to doe nothing but that is expedient and flattering them in nothing that maie hurt or corrupt honest conditions and manners Tindale Ebion Of the heresie of this man EBion of whom the Ebionites are called affirmed Christ to be but a bare man borne of Ioseph and Marie he thought that faith onelie did not iustifieâ— He affirmed the corporall obseruation of the lawe to be necessarie he denied the Epistles of Paule accusing him that he fell from the Lawe The Iewish Sabaoth and other Ceremonies he obserued together with the Iewes onelie the Sundaie he celebrated in remembraunce of the resurrection Euse. li. 3. ca. 24 Epiphanius saith haeres 30. that Iohn the Euangelist hearing that Ebion was in the Bath refrained his companie Abdias B. of Babilon saith that Philip the Apostle ouerthrew this heresie of Ebion at 〈…〉 erapolis EDIFIENG What it is to edifie LEt euerie man please his neighbour in that that is good to edifieng ¶ To Edifie signifieth to doe all manner duties to our neighbours either to bring him to Christ or if he be won that he maie grow from faith to faith for the faithfull are called the Temple of God wherein is resident his holie spirit and these faithful are the stones of new Hierusalem that is the vniuersall Churchâ— Esay 54. Apoc. 21. 2. Of the which building Christ is the corner stone Ephe. 2. 20. Geneua EDOM What is signified by Edom. WHo is this that commeth from Edom with stained red clothes of Bosra ¶ Edom is the Earth and the stained and red clothes are Christs bloud which he did shed vpon earth for our sinnes And they which demaund Who is he be his creatures which shall meruaile at the wisedome of God in deliuering mankinde from the bondage of the spirituall â—harao by bloud by death and by the Crosse. Turnar This Prophecie aforesaid Esay 63. 1. is against the Edumians and enimies which persecuted the church on whom God will take vengeaunce and is heere set foorth all bloudie after he hath destroied them in Bosra the chiefe Citie of the Iâ—umeans for these were their greatest enimies And vnder the title of Circumcision the kinred of Abraham claimed to themselues the chiefe religion and hated the true worshippers Psal. 137. Geneua Remember the Children of Edom. According as Ezechiel 25. 13. And leremy 49. 7. and Abdias ver â—0 sheweth that the Eâ—onntes which came of Esau conspired with the Babilonians against their bretheren and kinfolkes For thy crueltie saith Abdias against thy brother Iacob shame shall couer thée and thou shalt be cast off for euer ¶ Héere he sheweth the cause why the Edomites were so sharplie punished to wit because they were enimies to his Church whome now he comforteth by punishing their enimies Geneua EIE A description of the Eie LActantius in a little booke that he wrote de opificio Dei saith on this wise Marke saith Lactaâ—tius the scituation of Eies in the head of a man The Head is like a goodlie Tower gallantlie garnished with the Eies which Nature by the premission and ordinaunce of God haue set in a pretie valley compassed about with the bulwarke of the strong and hardie rocke of the forhead couered with fine soft close windowes which we call the Eie liddes In Latine they be called Cilia quasi caelia caelando of ciling or couering the eies Vnderneath is set as it were a little Mount which we call the ball of the cheeke and all this is for the defence and sauegard of the Eie which if he stood open in a flat plaine place as it standeth in a round valley it should euer be in daunger to be hurt where now it is so on
the Hebrues Whie it is thought not to be Saint Paules THe Epistle which beareth the title to the Hebrues is not thought to be his for the difference if the stile and phrase but either iudge it to be written of Timothie as Tertulian supposeth or of Saint Luke as other doe thinke or else of Clement afterwarde Bishoppe of Rome who as they saye was adioined with Paule and coupling together his songes and sentences did phrase them in his stile and manner Or else as some doe iudge because S. Paule wrote to the Hebrues for the odiousnesse of his name among that people therefore he dissembled and suppressed his name in the first entrie of his salutation contrarie to his accustomed condition And as hée wrote to the Hebrues he béeing an Hebrue so he wrote in Hebrue the is in his owne tongue more eloquentlye and that is thought to be the cause whie it differeth from his other Epistles is after a more eloquent manner translated into the Gréeke then his other Epistles bée Some also reade the Epistle written to Laodicia but that is explosed of all men Thus farre Saint Hierome In the booke of Mar. fol. 55. EQVALITIE OF BISHOPS ¶ Looke Bishops EQVINOCTIALL What it is THE Equinoctiall is when the daie and night is both of one length and commeth twice in a yeare to wit the. viii of Aprill and the viii of October The Iewes beganne to reckon from one to twelue as wée beganne to recken from seauen in the morning till sixe at night and so it was that our thrée a clocke was nine a clocke to them and our fiue eleuen to them Bullinger fol. 363. EARES To what end the vse of Eares serue IT is not saide onelie that the eare shall heare that is to saie that it is created onelye to heare but it is also said that it shall iudge of woordes and matters As if Elim should saie that the LORD hath not giuen vs the opening of our eares to receiue the Doctrine that is tolde vs as a poison but to the ende to receiue the doctrine that serueth to the spirituall féeding of our soules Like as when we receiue Bread and Wine wée are not afraid to eate and drinke as though we wist not whether it were poyson or no. True it is that wée must beware of poison and praie to GOD to preserue vs from it But are men so foolish to sterue themselues and to forbeare eating and drinking for feare least their foode be poisoned No for they can skill of meates to discerne whether it be poisoned or no. So then let vs vnderstande that our Lorde hath not giuen vs the vse of our eares to the ende we should be afraide to receiue the doctrine because wée thinke it too high and too darke for vs but it behooueth vs to praie GOD to giue vs the spirite of discreation and iudgement to the ende we maie applie that thing to our profite which shall bée declared to vs out of his woord and therewithall so to gouerne vs by his holie spirit as wée maie be skilfull to discerne the thing that is good and profitable c. Caluine vpon Iob. fol. 105. How and by whome our eares must be opened Hée put his finger into his eares c. and straight wayes they wer opened ¶ By the which we maie learne that his word can neither be heard nor vnderstoode vnlesse our eares bée opened by Christs finger that is to saie vnlesse the holie Ghost do open the eares of our hearts Hemmyng How God is said to haue eares God is sayd to haue eares because he heareth all thinges Sap. 1. 10. The eare of the iealous heareth all things and the noise of the grudgings shall not be hid EARTH How it is founded vpon the Seas IT is the propertie of all wise men as it maie plainlie appeare by the wordes of our Sauiour in the Gospell of Saint Mathewe that when they shall goe about to builde anie stronge house they will bée sure that the foundation shall bée laide not vpon sande or muddie myre but vppon a rocke or some other sure or stedfast grounde knowing that otherwise all their labour and cost commeth shortlie to naught whilest either the violence of the winde or the waues of the hudge floude doe rush against that house and breake it downe Séeing then that this is the right propertie of all substantial wise and politike builders What a wonderfutl paradoxe and inopinable sentence is this to saye Qui ipse fundauit c. The Lorde himselfe the fountaine of all hath founded the whole earth that is so hudge and heauie a thing vppon the wauering waters and flowing floudes These bée the wordes of the Prophet Super maria fundauit eam super flumina preperauit eam Or as Saint Hierome readeth Super flumina stabiliuit eam Upon the Seas he hath founded the whole earth and vpon the floudes he hath stablished it This sentence cannot but séeme to the iudgement of all men a meruailous straunge and wonderfull saieng the earth to be founded vpon the water Naturall reason will lead a man to say that God hath founded the sea vppon the earth and not the earth vpon the water Nam terra aquae stabilimentum est non aqua terrae For of the foure Elements the Fire the Aire the water and the earth the Orbe of the fire is the highest couereth the earth round about the Aire likewise ought by natural cōsent to couer the water round about the water the earth Wherefore then it followeth by good reason that earth beeing the heauiest and lowest of all the foure Elements and next vnder the water it ought therefore to be called the foundation of the waters because the waters doe lie vpon the earth and not the waters the foundation of the earth This reason is so strong that no naturall wit can be able to impugne it Againe in the 104. Psalme the Prophet saith That the Lorde hath founded the earth vpon his owne weight and stablenesse Fundasti terram super stabilitatem tuam non inclinabitur in seculum seculi Ouid the Poet saith in like manner Tellus pōderatū librata suis. The earth is staied paised by meanes of his owne weight he saith not that the earth is founded and yet the Prophet saith Dominus super maria fundauit orbem terrae super flumina stabiliuit eam The Lord hath founded the whole earth vpon the Seas and vppon the floudes hée stablished it Yée shall vnderstand therefore by the order of naturall reason the earth like as it is the lowest of all the foure Elements and next vnder the water so it ought to be altogether couered with water and vnderneath the water But the almightie and most mightie creatour of all things by his myraculous and his diuine power hath altered the order generall and hath made a lawe and a statute peculiar which is this That the waters shall not ouerflow the whole earth
of tongue in suppressing of anger in cutting off concupiscence back biting lieâ—g and periurie c. True fasting is a religious worke ordeined to testifie our humlitie and to make the flesh make obedient vnto the spirite that we maiâ— be the quickeâ— to praie 〈…〉 to all good workes Iewel fol. 15. ¶ Looke Abstinence ¶ The true vse of fasting which is spoken of in holie Scripture is the taming and subduing of the flesh thereby either to be the better disposed 〈…〉 â—ditation and to those praiers which thou offereâ—â— to God or els for aâ—estimonie of humblenesse at such time as thou confessest thy faults before God himselfe F. N. B. the Italian ¶ Fasting is to abstaine from surfetting or ouermuch eating from dronkennesse and care of this world as thou maist read Luke 21. 34. And the â—nâ—e of fasting is to tame the bodie that the spirite maie haue a frée course to God maie quietlie talke with God For ouermuch eating and drinking care of worldlie businesse presse downe the spirit choke hir tangle hir that she cannot lift vp hir selfe to God now he that fasteth for anie other intent then to subdue the bodie that the spirite maie wait on God and freelie exercise hir selfe in the things of God the same is blinde woteth not what he doth erreth shooteth at a wrong marke his intent and imagination is abhominable in the sight of God When thou fastest from meate drinke all daie is that a christian fast either to eate at one meale that were sufficient for foure A man at foure times maie beare that that he cannot do at once Some fast from meate and drinke yet so tangle themselues in worldlie busines yâ— they cannot once thinke on God Some abstaine from butter some from egges some from all manner of white meate some this daie some that daie some in the honour of this saint some of that euery man for a sundrie purpose Some for the tooth-ach some for yâ— head-ach for feuers pestilence for sodaine death for hanging drowning to be deliuered from the paines of hell Some are so mad that they fast one of the Thursoaies betwéen the two S. Maries daies in the worship of that Saint whose daie is hallowed betwéeneâ— Christmas and Candelmas All these men fast without conscience God without knowledge of the true intent of fasting do none othâ—â—â—â—â—onour Saints as the Gentiles and Heathen worshipped their Idolls are drowned in blindnes know not of the Testament that God hath made to man-ward in Christs bloud In God haue they neither hope nor confideÌ„ce neither beleeue his promises neither know his will but are yet in captiuitie vnder the Prince of darknesse Tindale fol. 80 ¶ Fasting standeth not in eating and drinking onelie and much lesse in flesh alone but in abstinence of all that mooueth the flesh against the spirit as long sléeping idlenesse and filthie communication and all worldlie talking as of couetousnesse promotion and such like and wanton companie and softe cloathes and soft beddes and so foorth Which are that right hande and right eie that must be cutte off and plucked out that the whole man perish not Obiection Some man will saie séeing fasting is to withdrawe all pleasures from the bodie and to punish the flesh then God delighteth in our paines taking Aunswere God delighteth in true obedience and in all that wée doe at his commaundement and for the intent he commaunded it for If thou loue and pitie thy neighbour and help him thine almes is acceptaple If thou doe it of vaine glorie to haue the praise that belongeth to God or for a greater profite onelie or to make satisfaction for thy sinnes past and to dishonour Christs bloud which had made it alreadie then is thine almes abhominable If thy praier be thankes in heart or calling to God for helpe with trust in him according to his promise then thy praier pleseth If thou beleeue in Christs bloud for the remission of sins and hencefoorth hate sinne that thou punishest thy bodie to slaie the lusts and to keepe them vnder that thou sinne not againe then it pleaseth God exceedinglie But and if thou thinke that God delighteth in thy worke for the worke it selfe the true intent awaie and in thy paine for the paine it selfe thou art as far our of the waie as from heauen to the earth If thou wouldest kill thy bodie or when it is tame enough punish it farther that thou wert not able to serue God and thy neighbour according to the roome and estate that thouâ—aâ—â— in thy Sacrifice were cleane without falt altogether vnsauerie in the taâ—â—e of God and thou mad and out of thy wit But and if thou trust in thy worke thou art then abhominable Tindale fol. 229. How it is not appointed in Scripture vpon what daâ—es we ought to fast Saint Austeniâ—â—â—th Quibus die bus oporteâ—t ioiunare c. Upon what daies we ought not to fast and vpon what daie we ought to fast I finde it not appointed by anie commaundement either of our Lord or of the Apostles Iewel fol. 197. Who first prescribed laâ—ves of fasting Eusebius in his 5. booke and. 16. chapter saith that Montanus the Heretike was the first that prescribed lawes of fasting How the Maniches fast and the Papists were much alike The Maniches of whom S. Austen testifieth vnder the colour of abstinence refrained from anie liuing thing from drinking of wine yet did they 〈…〉 pamper themselues with delicate fruites and spices with drinke made of the â—uice of Dates which fast was much like to our Papists fast How Fasting is of three sorts Fasting is an outward for bearing of meate and drinke for a time whereby the bodie is kept lewe and as it were mortified And it is of thrée sorts indifferent godlie and vngodlie The indifferent Fast is when a man abststaineth either for pouertie or for health sake c. The godlie fast is not onelie an abstinence from meate and drinke but also from all other things that may delight or prouoke the flesh to sinne The vngodlie Fast is an abstinence from certaine kinde of meates which of it selfe is thought to be a worshipping of God and a thing acceptable to God for the workes sake and therefore also meritorious c. And this hypocriticall Fast is it that the Prophet doth condemne Hemmyng The manner of Fasting in the olde time I caused a Fast to be proclaimed c. Fasting as the Scripture maketh mention haue bene common humiliations and supplications done before God either for some great tribulation suffered or comming at hand or for a singular repentaunce and earnest fore-thinking of their sinnes as it is written 1. Reg. 7. 6. and. 31. 13. 2. Esd. 1. 4. ¶ When Iehoakim King of Iuda heard that the King of Babilons armie was comming to besiege Hierusalem he appointed a solemne and publike fast for all the people commanding them to resort
267. What the feare of God is Wheras we speak of the feare of God we haue to vnderstand yâ— it is not a â—â—auish feare as men term it but it is so termed in respect of the honour which we owe for that he is our Father Masterâ— Doe we feare God Then it is certaine nothing but to honour him to be whollie his Doe we know him That must be in such wise as he hath vttered himself that is to wit that he is our maker our maintaines â—â—e that shewed such fatherly goodnes towards vs that we of dutie ought to be as children toward him if we wil not be vtterlie vnthankful Also it behoueth vs to acknowledge his dominioÌ„â— superioritie ouer vs to the end yâ— euerie of vs yeldâ—ng him his due honor may â—ern to plese him in al respects thus you see yâ— vnder this â—ere of god héere is coÌ„prehended all religion yâ— is to wit all yâ— seruice honor which the creatures owe vnto their God 〈…〉 4. They neiâ—her fâ—ared the Lord c. ¶ Not to feare the Lord is to liue carelesse and to serue their lusts and appetites and not to sette by God and his Lawe as is said Psâ—l 55 19. T. M. ¶ He meaneth this by the Israelites to whome God hat giuen his commaundements Geneua They feared the Lord but serued their Gods ¶ That is they had a certaine knowledge of God and feared him because of the punishment but they continued still Idolaters as do yâ— Papists which worship both God Iâ—ols but this is not to feare God as appeareth ver 34. Geneua How this place following is expounded Perfect loue casteth out feare â—I know there are some which interpret those words in this sense that they which loue God trulie are not afraid for pietie sake to put themselues in al manner of daungers neithâ—r doe they shame persecution but valiantlie stand fast in all manner of dangers which selfe thing Paule in the letter to Timothie writ in other words 〈…〉 We haue not receiued the spirit of fearefulnesse but of might of loue Wherefore he exhorteth Timothie not to be ashamed of the testimonie of the Lord nor of him being in â—andes for the Lords sake but couragiouslie to indure labours for the Gospels sake Although those things are true yet this is not it which this place of Iohn teacheth For it there maketh mention of the iudgment of the Lord of which he willeth the godly which loue God not to be afeard and he rendreth a reason for yâ— feare hath vexation ioined with it Wherefore I gladlie assent vnto Augustine which saith that Iohn speaketh of perfect Charitie which forasmuch as it cannot be had in this life we maie not looke to haue it without feare Further we mought in this place vnderstand that feare which is seâ—oined from confidence therfore driued men to desperation For they which beleeue loue God trulie vphold their feare with a liuely faith Pet. Mar. vpon the Rom. fol. 208. Of feare that commeth of faith and of feare without faith He that fearth God trulie will eschew all things wherewith he knoweth he shall offend God and doe whatsoeuer hée perceiueth to be acceptable vnto him this feare hath his beginning of faith There is a feare of God in the vngâ—lie but it is without faith For they alwaies dread Gods iudgement against them and would rather there were no God then to bée punished for their wickednesse How we cannot vtterly shake off all feare so long as we liue heere Be not high minded but feare ¶ No man of the number of the faithfull ought to be in doubt of his saluation For the nature of faith is to make men assured of the promise of God Howbeit this is to be known yâ— it is not possible that so long as we liue héere we should not vtterlie shake off all feare for we are continuallie tossed betwéene two cogitations the one of the goodnes faith constancie of god The other of our corruption infirmitie pronesse to euill For when we consider how weak we are prone to euil coÌ„sider also the filthines imperfection of our workes though they be neuer so good therwithal the seueritie of the law in requiring euen to the vttermost the things which it commaundeth This consideration I saie if it be vehement cannot but excéedinglie make afeard the mind and deiect it But on the other side when we consider the clemencie goodnesse mercie of God his constancie in his promises therewithall remember that all the merits of Christ are communicated to vs we are refreshed and recreated and the feare is either lenified or els sometime vtterlie laide awaie And these effects where they are perfect vehement doe succéed the one the other for they cannot be both at one time or if they be both at one time then are either of them remisse not vehement But in what matter they giue place the one to the other we may by daily experience vnderstand For if a man be set vpon the top of an high tower if being ther his mind run vpon nâ—thing els but vpon the height of the tower what a déepe way he shuld fall so yâ— he cannot fall without danger of death it iâ— possible but yâ— his minde being still vpon this he should be altogether smitten with an errour but if he turne his eie aside to the barre or battlements which staie him vp that he cannot fall then will he plucke vp his spirits againe and put away al feare neither ought it to seeme vnto anie man straunge yâ— wée saie that faith expelleth that feare which is ioined with doubting of saluation when as in Iohn it is said That charitie driueth feare out a doores For it is most certeine that yâ— which the Scripture attributeth to charitie may be attributed to faith for charitie springeth of faith Pet. Mar. vpon the Rom. fol. 355. FERVENT Of two sorts of feruentnesse THey haue a ferueÌ„t mind to God but not according to knowledge ¶ There be two manner of feruentnesse of minde two maner of good intents The one is grounded vpon a vaine or fleshlie opinion and not vpon Gods word this good intent is damnable before God The other procéedeth of faith and suffereth it selfe to be ruled by the wisdome and iudgement of the spirit of God Such feruentnesse was in Moses in Phinâ—hes and in Helias with other innumerable Sir I. Cheeke ¶ Looke Zeale FEASTES Feast of dedication wherefore it was ordeined THE feast of dedication ¶ That is to saie the feast of inuocation or renueng because the temple which was polluted by yâ— coÌ„mandemeÌ„t authority of Iudas Machabeus was coÌ„secrated a fresh And then it was appointed yâ— euerie yeare ther should be a feast daie of new dedication to put the people in minde of the grace and fauour of God who had taken from them
weake infirmitie and want of desert Hemmyng ¶ Therefore euerie man in his vocation as he is called first ought to goe forward and encourage others seeing the hire is indifferent for all Geneua FISHERS The meaning of this place following I Will send out manie fishers to take them ¶ By these fishers are vnderstoode the hoastes by whome the Lorde scourged the Iewes and fished awaie their rulers at foure sundrie draughtes were foure of their kings taken and at euerie time some of the chiefe of the people withall but at the last in the time of Zedekiah was all the rest of the people hunted out of those cruell hunters the Chaldees 4. Reg. 25. T. M. ¶ By the fishers and hunters are meant the Babilonians and Chaldeans who should destroie them in such sorte that if they escaped the one the other should take them Geneua The first inâ—enter of fisher-boates ¶ Looke Zabulon FIVE LOAVES Applied to the good indeuour of the Pastour WE haue héere but fiue loaues and two fishes ¶ Though we thinke our selues vnable to teach Christs congregation yet let vs at the commaundement of Christ emploie and bestowe that little that we haue vppon Christs flocke And hée that augmented the fiue loaues two fishes shal also augment in vs his owne gifts Sir I. Cheeke FLIENG Of flâ—ng 〈…〉 time of persecution AND the woman fiedde into wildernesse c. Although the Church knowe most certeinlie that God hath a care for her whose defence is more for her safetie then all the power and fauour of men yet notwithstanding least she might tempt her mainteiner and defender sometimes shee fileth when shée is assailed by enimies and yet for all that she waiteth quietlâ—e for 〈…〉 at the Lordes hande So we reade that Moses fledde for displeasure of the king of Aegypt and abode priuelie with his father in law lethro the Priest of the Madianites by the space of 40. yeares Exo. 2. 21. And also that Dauid and his companie hidde themselues in caues of mountaines for feare of Saules displeasure 1. Reg. 24. 1. And also that Elias hidde himselfe out of the waye by the space of thrée yeares and an halfe to eschewe the wrath of Iezabel 3. Reg. 19. 3. Likewise the hundred Prophets of the Lorde whome Abdias had hidde in two caues for feare of the same lezabel 3. Reg. 18. 4. Concerning which men looke also Heb. 11. 38 â—o did the Lordes Disciples shut the boores to them and kept themselues out of the waie for a 〈…〉 Iohn 20. 19. Paule béeing let downe in a basket by the brethren at Damasco went aside for a while into Arabia Act. 9. 25. Finallie who is ignoraunt of the hiding of 〈…〉 and of other Catholike Bishoppes in the time of the persecutioâ— stirred vp by the Arrians and moreouer of man 〈…〉 Aegypt which sought the innermost courts of the wildernesse by reason of the vngratiousnesse of the same 〈…〉 of whome Eusebius writeth manie thinges in the fourth chapter of his eleuenth booke of the stories of the church c. Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 172. ¶ The church was remoued from among the Iewes to the Gentiles which were as a 〈…〉 wildernesse and so it is perfecâ—ted 〈…〉 Geneua Of two manner of fliengs There is a flieng of the bodie a flieng of the minde The one is sometime lawfull and the other neuer The flieng of the bodie is when the true preacher flieth the cruell persecution of tyrants that séekes his death and destruction And this maie he doe lawfullie both by the doctrine and example of Christ. The flieng of the minde is when one flieth from dooing his duetie and will not defend the true doctrine by rebuking and condemning the false Hemmyng FLESH What is vnderstood by flesh FLesh is not vnderstood as though flesh were onelie the which perteineth vnto vnchastitie But Paule calleth flesh héere as Christ doth Iohn 3. All that is borne of flesh that is to wit the whole man with life soule bodie wit will reason whatsoeuer he is or doth within or without because that those al all that is in man studie after the world and the flesh c. Tindale By yâ— déeds of the law no flesh shal be iustified ¶ Flesh in Paule doth not signifie as the schoolmen dreame manifest grose sins for these he vseth to call by their proper names as adulterie fornication vncleanenesse such like but by flesh Paule meaneth héere as Christ doth in the third chapter of Iohn That which is borne of flesh saith he is flesh Flesh therefore signifieth the whole nature of man This flesh saith he is not iustified by works no nor of the lawe Flesh therefore according to Paule signifieth all the righteousnesse wisdome deuotion religion vnderstanding will that is possible to be in a naturall man So that if a man be neuer so righteous according to reason and the lawe of God yet with all his righteousnesse works merits deuotion and religion he is not iustified c. Luther vpon the Gal. fol. 65. That which is borne of flesh is flesh c. ¶ That is fleshlie to wit wholie vncleane and vnder the wrath of God And therefore this worde Flesh signifieth The corrupt nature of man contrarie to which is the Spirit that is the man ingraffed into Christ through the grace of the holie Ghost whose nature is euerlasting and immortall though the strife of the flesh remaineth Beza By the workes of the law no flesh shall be iustified ¶ Flesh is héere taken for man as in manie other places and furthermore hath heere a greater feare for it is héere put to shew the contrarietie betwéene God and man as if you would saie man who is nothing els but a péece of flesh defilâ—d with sâ—â—me and God who is most purs and most perfect in himselfe Beza The meaning of this place following Such shall haue trouble in the flesh ¶ By the flesh he vnderstandeth what things soeuer belongeth to this present life for marriage bringeth with it manie discommodities so that he bendeth more to a sole life not because it is a seruice more agreeable to God then marriage bâ—t for those 〈…〉 which if it were poss 〈…〉 hee would with all men to be void of that they might giue themselues to God onelie Beza What it is to be in the flesh Neither doth Saint Paule in this place where he saith Yée are not in the Flesh meane anie other thing then did the Lord in the Gospell when he said vnto his disciples ye are not of this world Wherefore Ambrose saith that we haue such a nature framed vnto vs as we féele it to be and he addeth moreouer that the wise men of the world are in the flesh because they resist faith and will beléeue those things onelie which are agréeable to reason This place againe teacheth vs that Ambrose by the name of flesh vnderstandeth reason and the higher parts of of
the soule we saie therfore that to be in the flesh according to the Apostles meaning signifieth nothing els then in all our actions to be ruled and gouerned by the sense and effect of Nature not yet regenerate in Christ. Pet. Mar. vpon the Rom. fol. 198. Againe this place Ye are not in the Flesh cannot but be figuratiuelie interpreted for if we should vnderstand simply that we are not in the Flesh the truth would shew the contrarie Wherefore Chrisostome vpon this place saith that it is a thing verie daungerous alwaies to vnderstande the Scriptures according to the proper signification of the words I meruaile therfore what our aduersaries meane so much to iangle and make such 〈…〉 that when we saie that these wordes of the Lorde This is my bodie are spoken figuratiuelie and that we vnderstand meane by this place the filthie lusts and incontinencie of the flesh But by the vnquietnesse of the flesh and messenger of Satan he vnderstandeth the persecutions and troubles which by the meanes and stirring of Satan he was 〈…〉 to suffer continuallie for the Gospells sake not onelie of the open 〈…〉 but also of the false Bretheren And for 〈…〉 his 〈…〉 persecutions and troubles that happened vnto 〈…〉 praie vnto the Lord that he would deliuer 〈…〉 these afflictions and troubles which his flesh did 〈…〉 Thus both Theodoretus Ambrose and also Erasmus 〈…〉 place ¶ Looke Messenger of 〈…〉 ¶ Looke Pricke of the flesh To take no thought for the flesh how it is expounded Take no thought for the flesh to fill the lusts of it ¶ By the flesh he hèere vnderstandeth not naturall health for that is not to bée neglected that wee maie bee able the more constantlie to serue GOD. Paule writeth to Timothie Use a little Wine because of the stomacke and often 〈…〉 Heere hee prohibiteth onelie the pleasures and delights of the flesh For when wée lette loose the bridle to them the flesh is made vnrulie Wherefore seeing that we ought continuallie to wrastle against the prone affects thereof lette vs take héede that with ouer much delicatenesse we nourish them not Pet. Mar. fol. 434. The meaning of this place following My flesh is verelie meate and my bloud verelie drinke ¶ When Christ spake thâ—se words he spake nothing of the Sacrament for it was not instituted vntill his last Supper Upon this S. Austen saith Why preparest thou either tooth or bellie beléeue and then thou hast eaten him And when Christ sawe them offended hée said vnto them Doth this offende you What will ye saie then when ye shall see the Sonne of man ascending thether whence he was before Then addeth Saint Austen You shall know that he meant not to giue his flesh to eate with your téeth for he shall ascende whole And Christ addeth it is the spirite that quickeneth the Flesh profiteth nothing the wordes that I speake are spirite and life that is to saie saith S. Austen are spirituallie to be vnderstood And when Christ saith his flesh profiteth nothing meaning of his owne flesh as Austen saith he meaneth that it profiteth not as they vnderstood him that is to saie it profiteth not if it were eaten but it doth much profite to be slaine that through it and the shedding of his bloud the wrath of God our father is pacified our sinnes forgiuen His Disciples which followed him wer astonied and abhorred his words and vnderstoode them not Againe in another place he saith when Christ said Except a man eate my flesh and drinke my bloud he shall haue no life in him they because they vnderstood him not said to each other This is an hard saieng who can heare him August in sermo ad infan What flesh shall inherit the kingdome of Heauen Flesh and bloud cannot inherite the kingdome of Heauen ¶ Our beliefe is that there shall be a generall Resurrection of the flesh according to the Scripture Esaie 26. 19. Rom. 12. 2. Iob. 19. 26. Iohn 5. 29. Neuerthelesse it shall be purged from all corruption and be chaunged to immortall life for it must be an vncorrupt flesh that shall inherit the kingdome of God Of the battaile betweene the flesh and the spirite Betwéene the flesh and the spirite is a continuall strife if the spirit ouercome in temptation then is the stronger and the flesh weaker but if the flesh get a custome then is the spirite none other oppressed then as though she had a mountaine vpon hir backe and as we sometime in our dreame thinke that we beare heauier then a milstone vpon our breastes or when wée dreame now and then that we would runne awaie for feare our legges seeme heauier then leadâ— euen so is the spirit oppressed and ouerladen of the flesh and striueth to gette vppe and breake loose in vaine till God of his mercie which heareth his grone through Iesus Christ come and loose him with his power and put his crosse of tribulation on the back of the flesh to kéepe it downe to minish hir strength and to mortifie her Tindale fol. 186. What flesh and spirite signifieth Flesh and spirite maist thou not héere vnderstande as flesh were onelie that which perteineth vnto vnchastitie and the spirit that which inwardlie pertaineth vnto the heart â—ut Paule calleth flesh heere as Christ doth Iohn 3. All that is borne of the Flesh that is to wit the whole man with life soule bodie wit will reason and whatsoeuer he is or doth within or without because that those all and all that is in man studie after the world and the Flesh. Call Flesh therefore whatsoeuer as long as we are without the spirit of God we thinke or speake of God of faith of good workes and of spirituall matters Call Flesh also all workes which are done without grace and without the working of the spirit of God howsoeuer good holie and spirituall they seeme to be as thou maist proue by the 5. to the Galathians ver 19. 20. where Paule numbreth worshipping of Idolls witchcraft â—nuie and hate among the deedes of the Flesh. And by the eight to the Romanes ver 3. where he saith that the Lawe by the reason of the Flesh is weake which is not vnderstood of vnchastitie onelie but of all sinnes and most speciallie of vnbeliefe which is a vice most wicked and ground of all sinnes and as thou callest him which is not renued with the spirit and borne againe of Christ Flesh and all his deedes euen the verie motions of his heart and minde his learning doctrine and contemplation of high things his preaching teaching and studie in the Scripture building of Churches founding of Abbaies giuing of Almes Masse Mattinâ— and whatsoeuer he doth though it seeme spirituall and after the Lawes of God So contrariwise call him spirituallâ— which is renued in Christ and all his deedes which springeth of faith seeme they neuer so grose as the washing of the Disciples feete done by Christ and Peters fishing after
inclosed in a Boxe of an inche and an halfe déepe when the Priest will mumble vppe foure wordes in a corner and there bée tied till he waxe foistie vnlesse the Priest loose him A. G. How God is called a Rocke The Lord is my Rocke ¶ Godlie men haue called the Lord by diuers names according to their faith that is as they thought of God within themselues and as they also had proued As Dauid héere calleth him his rocke his Castle his deliuerer his strength his shield his horne of defence Psal. 18. 1. T M. ¶ By the diuersitie of these comfortable names he sheweth how his faith was strengthened in all temptations Geneua ¶ God is called a Rock because he his word lasteth for euer He is sure to trust to and a present comfort to belâ—â—uers their singular defence at all times T. M. How God is not chaunged If I shall speake euill against anie Nation saith the Lord and that Nation shall repent I will also repent me of that euill which I said I would doe And that Ieremie might more manifestlier vnderstande the things that were spoken he bad him goe into the house of the Potter where he saw the Potter make a vessell of claie which was broken in the handes of the workman But the Potter made againe another vessell of the same claie So saith the Lord if they repent I will also repent I do now make for them euill things but for euill things I will make good And yet as I haue said he changeth not his sentence because such threatenings and promises doe depend vpon a condition which is sometimes chaunged when as God abideth the selfe same Of this thing right well writeth Chrisostome vpon Genesis in his 25. homelie The Lord commanded Noe to build an Arke threatened that after an 120. yeres he wold destroie all mankinde by a floud but when in the meane time they nothing at all profited he cut off 20. yeres sent the floud in yâ— hundred yeare and yet was not God chaunged but the conditions of men veried The same Chrisostome also vpon Math. in his 65. homelie when he interpreteth this Uerelie I saie vnto you ye which haue forsaken all things c. demaundeth Was not Iudas one of the twelue And shall Iudas sit vppon the seates and iudge the twelue Tribes of Israel Did Christ chaunge his sentence No saith he but Iudas was chaunged Which selfe same thing we must iudge of the citie of Niniue of King Ezechias whom God pronounced should die For neither Niniue at that time perished nor Ezechias diâ—d because they were changed God said at the beginning that the feare of man shuld be vpon beasts but it happeneth contrarie For men are now afraid of Lions Beares and Tigers because they are of them oftentimes torne but that commeth héereof because the condition of men is chaunged and not the councell of God Pet. Mart vpon Iudie fol. 175. How God heareth no sinners God heareth no sinners that is he heareth none that repenteth not nor is not in minde to leaue their euill life Tindale ¶ Saint Austen saith This was not spoken of the Lord but of him that had alreadie his bodelie eies restored but the eiâ—s of the heart was â—ot yet opened and therefore he thought of the Lord that he was but a Prophet for afterward knowing that he was the Sonne of God hée worshipped him But the Lord himselfe when two did praie together in one Temple a Pharisie anâ— a Publicane doth saie that the Publicane confessing his sinnesâ— was more iustified then the Pharisie boasting his meritesâ— for although being iustified he ceased not to bée a sinner yet while he was a sinner he did praie and confesse his sinnes that he might be iustified and being heard he was iustified that he might cease to be a sinner and trulie he should not cease to be a sinner vnlesse he were heard being yet a sinner ¶ This place doth not so meane that God will heare no sinners that is alwaies readie to repent but of such as will neuer repent but still continue in their sinnes We must vnderstande that there be two kinde of sinners They that acknowledge their sinnes and repent vnfainedlie are heard and forgiuen of God Math. 9. 13. and. 28. Eze. 18. 21. But they that doe of an infidelitie continue in their sinfull abhominable liuing and despaire of the mercie of God shall neuer bée heard Iohn 5. 16. Sir I. Cheeke How God tempteth no man to euill ¶ Looke Temptation How we are made like vnto God After his owne likenesse ¶ That is after the shape and Image which was before appointed for the Sonne of God The â—hiefe part of man which is the soule is made like vnto God in a certaine proportion of nature of power of working so that in thatâ— we are all made like vnto God T. M. ¶ This Image and likenesse of God in man is expounded where it is written that man was created after God in righteousnesse and true holinesse meaning by these two words all perfection as immortalitie wisedome truth innocencie power c. The Bible note How to serâ—e God in the spirit ¶ Looke Spirit Of Gods permission or suffering ¶ Looke Permission What the hiding of Gods face is ¶ Looke Hide How God is to be worshipped ¶ Looke Worship How God is called a consuming fire For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire ¶ Because God proueth his by afflictions therefore he is called a consuming fire Heb. 12. 29. And because he consumeth the vnfaithfull remednesse for there is nothing that can resist his anger towards them T. M. How Gods ordinaunce may not be broken There were some orders in the Primatiue Church commanded by God and some there were deuised by man for the better training of the people Such orders as were commaunded by God maie in no wise be chaunged onlie because God commanded them For as God is euerlasting so is his word commandement euerlasting On the other side such orders as hath bene deuised by men maie be broken vppon some good consideration onelie because they were men that deuised them For as they be mortall so all their wisedomes and iudgements be but mortall And so indéede as touching such things as hath bene ordeined by men we are not bound of necessitie to the order of the Church but such things as God hath commaunded preciselie by his worde maie not bée broken by anie custome or consent How God was seene ¶ Looke See Of Gods consolation in trouble And that because we should not put our trust in our selues but in God ¶ God doth helpe and deliuer vs when we doe patientlie beare his crosse that is to saie the persecution trouble and aduersitie that he doth send vnto vs. For God will neuer forsake them that do patientlie wait for his aide succour Againe they yâ— wil not wait for
of the letters but the Gospell is in the marking of the sentence of Scriptures This sentence approueth Saint Paule saieng thus The kingdome of God is not in worde but in vertue and Dauid saith The voice of the Lorde that is his worde is in vertue And after Dauid saith Through the worde of God the heauens were made And in the spirit of his mouth is all the vertue of them In the booke of Mar. fol. 644. An exposition of this place following For I am not ashamed of the Gospell ¶ The Gospell is that heauenly message which declareth vnto vs yâ— Iesus Christ is the power of God in whom and by whom God doth set foorth vnto the world all his heauenlie treasures that whosoeuer doth beléeue in him whether he be a Romaine or a Iew Gréeke or other he should not perish but haue lyfe euerlasting Sir I. Cheeke Saint Bede affirmeth that in his time and almost a thousand yeares after Christ héere in Britaine Easter was kept after the manner of the East church in the full moone what daie in the wéeke so euer it fell on and not on the Sundaie as wée doe now whereby it is to be collected that the first preachers in this land haue come out froÌ„ the East part of yâ— world where it was so vsed rather then from Rome Petrus Cluniacensis writing to Barnard affirmeth that the Scottes in his time did celebrate their Easter not after the Romaine manner but after the Gréeks And as the sayd Britaines were not vnder the Romaines in the time of this Abbot of Cluniake So neither were they nor would bee vnder the Romaine Legate in the time of Gregorie nor woulde admit anie primacie of the Bishop of Rome to be aboue them Ghildas saith that Ioseph of Aramathia that tooke downe Christ from the crosse béeing sent hether by Philip the Apostle out of Fraunce he beganne to preach the Gospell first in this Realme in the time of Tiberius the Emperour Nicephorus saith that Symon Zelottes about the same time came into this land and did the like Theodoretus sayth that Saint Paule immediatly after his first deliuerie in Rome vnder the Emperour Nero preched the Gospell in this Ilande and in other Countries of the West Tertulian saith of his time that the countries of Britaiâ—e which the Romaines could neuer attaine vnto are now subiâ—ct to Christ. Origen saith the same GOATE How this Goate doth figure Christ. PUtting them vpon the head of the Goat ¶ Héere this Goat is a true signe of Iesus Christ who beareth the sinnes of the people Esay 53. 5. Geneua Why it is called the scape Goate And the other for a scape Goate ¶ In the Hebrew it is called Azazel which some saie is a mountaine néere Sinai whether this Goate was sent but rather is called scape Goate because it was not offered but sent into the desart as verse 21. Geneua GRACE What Grace is BY grace vnderstand the fauour of God and also the gifte of working of the spirit in vs as loue kindnesse patience obedience mercifulnesse despising of worldlie thinges peace concord and such like Tindale The true definition of grace The true definition of Grace and agréeing to the holy scriptures is the free beneuolence of God whereby he counteth vs déere in Christ Iesus and forgiueth vs our sinnes giueth the holie Ghost an vpright life and eternall felicitie by this definition is séene not onlie what we call grace but also by whom we haue it and with all the principall effects thereof Pet. Mar. vpon the Rom. fol. 140. Receiued grace of all Apostleship ¶ Grace is throughout all the Epistles of Paule taken for the fauour and frée mercie of God whereby he saueth vs fréelie without anie desertes or workes of the lawe In like maner peace is taken for the tranquilitie of the conscience being fullie perswaded that through the merites of Christs death and bloud-shedding there is an attonement and peace made betwéene God and vs so that God will no more impute our sinnes vnto vs nor yet condemne vs. Sir I. Cheeke What it is to reiect grace To reiect and refuse the grace of God is to séeke righteousnesse by the law or to deserue grace by our owne righteousnes What difference is betweene grace and gift Grace properlie is Gods fauour beneuolence or kind mind which of his owne selfe without deseruing of vs he beareth vnto vs wherby he was moued inclined to giue Christ vnto vs with all his other gifts of grace Gift is the holie Ghost his working whom he powreth into the hearts of theÌ„ on whom he hath mercie whom he fauoureth Though the gifts of yâ— spirit increase in vs dailie haue not yet the full perfection yea though there remaine in vs yet euill lusts sinne which fight against the spirit as he saith héere in the seauenth Chapter and in the fift to the Galathians and as it was spoken before in the third Chapter of Genesis of the debate betwéene the womans seede and the séede of the Serpent yet neuerthelesse GODS fauour is so greate and so strong ouer vs for Christs sake that wee are counted for full whole and perfect before God For Gods fauour towardes vs diuideth not her selfe increasing a lyttle and little as doe the giftes but receyueth vs whole and altogether in full loue for Christes sake our intercessour and Mediatour And because the giftes of the spirite and the battell betwéene the spirite and euill lustes are begunne in vs alreadie Of this nowe vnderstande thou the. 7. Chapter where Paule accuseth himselfe as a sinner and yet in the 8. Chapter sayth There is no dampnation to them that are in Christ and that because of the spirite and because the gifts of the spirite are begunne Sinners wée are because the flesh is not full killed and mortified Neuerthelesse in as much as we beléeue in Christ and haue the earnest and beginning of the spirite and woulde faine bée perfect GOD is so louing and fauourable vnto vs that he will not looke on such sin neither will count it as sinne but will deale with vs according to our beliefe in Christ and according to his promises which hée hath sworne to vs vntill the sinne bée full slaine in vs and mortified by death Tindale in his Prol. to the Rom. The difference betweene grace and the Lawe Chrisostome noteth certeine diefferences betwéene the Lawe and Grace The Lawe sayth hée setteth â—oorth a Crowne but first requireth workes and battailes Grace first crowneth and afterwarde bringeth vnto the battayle By this hée teacheth that the righteousnesse which is set forth the Lawe is obteined by workes for wée cannot bée iustified by the lawe vnlesse wée haue accomplished all the thinges which are commaunded in the lawe But that other righteousnesse which wée haue by grace through fayth doth first crowne vs with a newe generation and adoption to be the children of
The Bible note ¶ Looke Eliote HINDER PART What is meant by the hinder part of God THe hinder part of God is Christs humanitie the which he tooke vpon him in the end of the worlde that we might liue without end HYPOCRITE What an hypocrite is AN hypocrite is as much to saie as a fainer or dissembler or a player which representeth the person of an other man which seemeth to be such a one as indéede he is not Marl. vpon Math. fol. 113. Hypocrisie described We sée manie which beare the face of verie zealous Christians so long as it is but to dispute and to holde long talke to beare men in hand that they studie to serue God and to honour him and yet for all that as soone as they haue to doe with their neighbour a man shall perceiue what they haue in their hearts for they séeke their owne aduauntage and make no conscience to rake to themselues and to beguile folke when they haue them in their danger by what meanes so euer it be Now then there is no doubt but that those which séeke their owne aduauntage and profite are hypocrites Caluine vpon Iob. foi 4. HYPOTIPOSIS What this word signifieth IT is a figure called Illustration by the which the forme of things is so set foorth in words that it séemeth rather to be séene with the eies thâ—â— heard with the eares Marl. vpon Math. fol. 607. HIRE What is meant by hire wages or reward AND my hire is with me ¶ Héere Christ sheweth himselfe to be iudge of the whole worlde inasmuch as he auoucheth that he will render euerie man his reward For all this whole booke treaseth of the holynesse and righteousnesse of the chosen and lykewise of the naughtinesse of the cast-awaies wherfore it behoueth vs to bée héedfull that euerie one of vs doe diligentlie performe his duetie according to his calling As for the profiting or not profiting of our labour that must we put to the discreation of him that promiseth to yéeld to euerie man his reward according to his work Let vs not sléepe as other doe but let vs watch be sober 1. The. 5. 6. waiting for the blessed hope for yâ— appearing of yâ— glory of yâ— great God of our sauiour Iesus Christ. Tit. 2. 13. Moreouer the hire wherof mention is made héere must be referred not to the desert of the worke as the meritmoÌ„gers talke but to yâ— beléeuing of yâ— promise according to this text when yée haue done al that is enioined you saie ye we are vnprofitable seruants haue done that which we ought to doe Luke 17. 10. Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 312. Why eternall life is called by the name of hire And yâ— thou shouldest render hire vnto thy seruants c. The Lord shall bring to light the things that are couered make the righteousnesse of yâ— godlie to shine as the noone daie whome the gracelesse world had condemned for the worst of al men Psa. 32. 6. Esa. 58. 8. 1. Cor. 4. 5. And it is called by yâ— name of hire in the Scripture not absolutelie nor yet for yâ— works sake but in respect of yâ— bountifulnes of the promiser as for example If a man â—uie a bondslaue he is wholie at his maisters coÌ„maundement And whatsoeuer seruice or toile he doth it is onelie his Lorde and maisters Now if his maister should of his owne frée goodnesse promise his slaue anie wages for shewing himselfe diligent and faithfull in dooing his seruice surelie it were rather a reward then of hire but yet the maisters promising of it giueth it the name of hire by reason wherof our Sauiour Christ saith When you haue done all that is commaunded you saye ye we be vnprofitable seruants Luke 17. 10. Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 164. HISTORIE What an historie is TVllie calleth an historie the witnesse of times the light of vertue the life of memorie Maistres of life HOBAB What this Hobab was AND Moses said to Hobab the sonne of Raguel the Madiaâ—te Moses Father in lawe ¶ Hobab is the same which before is called Iethro euen as Salomon is called in some place Idida and as Osias is also called Azarias He was the sonne of Raguel and Father to Zephora Moses wife Albeit that in the second of Exod. Raguel is called her Father not because hee was so indeede but because he was her Fathers Father which manner of speaking is not a few times vsed in the Scripture T. M. ¶ Some thinke that Raguel Iethro Hobab and Keni were alone Kimhi saith that Raguel was Iethroes Father So Hobab was Moses Father in lawe Geneua HOLIE Who is holie HE is holie that is borne againe by the word of lyfe and hallowed that is to saie made cleane by Christs spirite and so â—s become the dwelling place of God In the respect whereof Paule calleth them holie which are borne againe through the fountaine of lyfe Rom. 1. 7. 1. Cor. 1. 2. For the chosen heare how the Lorde saith Be ye holie as I am holie Leuit. 11. 44. 1. Pet. 1. 16. Also God hath not called vs to vncleannesse but to holinesse 1. Thes. 4. 7. Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 276. How Christ is called holie Thus saith he that is holie c. ¶ Christ Iesus is properlye tearmed holie and so soothfast because that all other things yea euen the Starres of the Skie are defiled and vntrue in comparison of him for he is God blessed for euer Rom. 9. 5. Moreouer he onelie is holie in respect of his manhood because béeing segregated from the number of sinners he alwaies performed the things that pleased his Father and became obedient vnto him euen vnto death He did not sinne neither was there anie guile founde in his mouth Heb. 7. 26. Iohn 8. 29. Psal. 2. 8. 1. Pe. 2. 22. Héereby onelie hath he reconciled vs vnto God and obteined faith and grace at his hand for vs becomming our righteousnesse and holynesse 1. Cor. 1. 30. To be short he is worthelie termed the holie of holiest Dan. 9. 24. Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 60 What is meant by the Angells crieng Holie Holie Holie And one cried to an other said Holie Holie Holie ¶ This oft repetition signifieth that yâ— holie Angels cannot satisfie themselues in praising God to teach vs that in all our liues wée should giue our selues to the continuall praise of God Geneua The meaning of the Prophet in this place With the holie thou shalt be holie and with the perfect thou shalt be perfect with the cleane thou shalt be cleane and with the froward thou shalt be froward ¶ This text most commonlie hathâ—bene alleadged to this end That if a man did acquaint himselfe and kéepe companie with good men he shoulde learne by their example custome and companie kéeping to be a good a godlie man And contrariwise who did keep companie with the vngodlie with mockers and scorners with liars and swearers
not onely know Christ but also they knew both Moses and Helias that talked with him notwithstanding they had neuer séene them before The rich man being in hell knew both Abraham and Lazarus being in ioye Saint Gregorie in his Dialogue sayth There is a certeine thing sayth hée in Gods elect and chosen people which is to bee meruayled at for they béeing in Heauen doe not onelye knowe them whome they knewe in this worlde but they shall knowe also the good people which they neuer sawe euen as perfectlye as though they had afore both seene and knowne them For when they in that euerlasting inheritaunce shall sée the auncientâ— Fathers they shall not bée vnknowne to them in sight whome they alwayes knowe in worke For when all there with one cleerenesse do behold God what is it that they shall not there know where they knowe him that knoweth all things How the Heathen doubt not in this doctrine I haue a greate desire sayde Cato the elder to sée your Fathers whome I honoured and â—oued But I wish not onelye to talke with them whome I haue knowne in this world but with such also as of whom I haue hearde and read yea and I my selfe haue written If I were once goinge thetherward I woulde neuer haue minde to tourne hether agayne Againe he sayth O that noble and pleasaunt daye when it shall be my chaunce to come vnto the heauenlye companye and blessed fellowshippe and departe from this troublesome and stinking worlde for then shall I goe not onelye to those men of whom I spake vnto you before but also vnto my Cato who was as worthye a man as euer lyued and as noble And it is written of Socrates that when he went vnto his death among many other things he sayd that it is a most blessed and godlye thing for them to come together which haue liued iustly and faythfully And saith he what a greate pleasure thinke you it to be friendly to talke with Orpheus Mâ—saeus Homerus Hesiodus and such like verily I would dye full oft if it were possible to get those things yâ— I speake of c. Basil. ¶ Looke Luther Labans Gods How easie Labans Gods were to steale away â—Herfore hast thou stolne away my Gods ¶ Chrisostome expounding this complaint of Laban against Iacob for stealing away his Gods saith thus Wherfore hast thou stoln away my Gods O what a passing folly is this be thy gods such ones that a man may steale them And art thou not ashamed to say Wherfore hast thou stolne away my Gods This is resembled to the Sacrament hanging in the Pixe Canopy which be as easie to steale away as Labans Gods wer LABOVRS The meaning of this place following OTher men laboured and ye are entered into their labours ¶ This ought to be vnderstoode of the preaching of the kingdome of God Among the Israelites and among whom the Prophets had laboured alreadie into whose labours the Apostles did enter But when the Apostles did preach amonge the heathen they were the first labourers as Paule saith I haue planted Apollo hath watered Againe I haue layd the foundation and an other hath builded vpon it 1. Cor. 3. 6. and. 10. Sir I. Cheeke LADDER What is signified by this Ladder ANd behold ther stood a ladder vpon the earth yâ— top of it reached vp to heauen ¶ By this Ladder of many steps is signified the degrées of generatioÌ„ by the which Christ after the flesh descended from Adam vnto the virgin Marie which brought him forth which degrées are numbred in the beginning of Mathews Gospell Lyra. ¶ It maye signifie Christ by whose mediation all graces come downe to vs and all helpe and by whom we ascende vp into heauen The Bible note ¶ Christ is the Ladder by whom God man are ioyned together by whom the Angels minister vnto vs. All graces by him are giuen vnto vs and we by him ascend into heauen Geneua LAY MEN. How lay men ought to read the Scripture TAke héede to thy selfe therefore onely that thou forgette not those things which thine eyes hath seene that they depart not out of thy heart all the dayes of thy life but teach them thy sonnes and thy sonnes sonnes Heare O Israel the Lord our God is Lord onely and thou shalt loue yâ— Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy might All these wordes which I commaund thée this day shall be in thy hart and thou shalt shew them vnto thy children and thou shalt talke of them when thou art at home in thy house as thou walkest by the way when thou lyest down and when thou risest vp And thou shalt vinde them for a signe vpon thy hand they shall be warnings betwéene thine eyes and thou shalt write them vpon the poasts of thine house and vpon thy gates c. Thy word is a Lanterne vnto my féete and a light vnto my path Blessed is the man that setteth his delectation in the wil of God and his meditation on Gods lawe night and daye ¶ Héere men bée blessed that studye the worde of God D. Barnes Take the helmet of health and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God ¶ Héere is it lawfull for laye men to haue the spirit of God D. Barnes If anye man come to you and bring not this learning receiue him not into your house nor yet salute him ¶ This was written to a Ladie and her children D. Barnes Christ saith to the Pharesies search Scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall life All Scripture giuen by inspiration of God is profitable to teach to improue to enforme to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of God maye be perfect and prepared vnto all good workes You may all interprete Scripture one by one that all may learne and all men maye haue comfort But lette your women kéepe silence in the congregation c. If anye will learne anie thing let them aske their husbandes at home ¶ The women was learned belike for he néede not to commaunde them to kéepe silence and if they were vnlearned And also how should the women learne of their husbands at home except they were learned themselues D. Barnes The noblest of Thessalonica which receiued the worde searched the Scriptures dayly whether those thinges that Paule spake were true or no. Priscilla and Aquila did expound vnto Apollo which was a great learned man the perfect vnderstanding of Scriptures ¶ These wer lay persons of whom this great learned and eloquent man disdayned not to be taught nor was not ashamed to be instructed in the doctrine of Christ of a poore christen man and his wife D. Barnes Also Eunuchus that was the treasurer to the Quéene of the Aethiopians did reade Esay the Prophet the which he vnderstoode not till God sent him Philip to declare it vnto him
How the Letter killeth For the Letter killeth but the Spirit giueth lyfe ¶ The Letter héere and in the seconde to the Romanes verse 27. and in diuerse other places of the Scripture signifieth the Lawe or olde Testament and the Spirit the Gospell or new Testament And so doth Saint Austen expounde them in sundrie places of his booke which hée wrote of the letter and the spirit And Erasmus also both in his Paraphrases and Annotations Because the lawe findeth vs guiltie and thervpon condemneth vs therefore saith the Apostle rightly that it killeth And the gospel because it pronounceth vs righteous in Christ and sheweth vs that by him we are iustified from all thinges whereof we could not be iustified by the lawe Act. 13. 39. doth therefore bring lyfe As for such as by the letter will vnderstand the litterall sense and by the spirit the spirituall sense can no learned or christen man allowe For these wordes Letter ministration of death ministring of condemnation and that which is destroied signifieth all one thing And these Spirit Ministration of righteousness and that remaineth be there verie contraries Now wordes meaning one thing must haue one interpretation And by some of the first cannot the litterall sense be vnderstoode nor by some of the last the spirituall Ergo neither by these wordes Letter or Spirit sith Letter is all one with the first and spirit with the latter Tindale ¶ Origen writeth thus Et est in Euangelio littera c. Euen in the Gospell there is a Letter that killeth For when as Christ sayth Unlesse ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man c. If ye take the same according to the Letter the Letter killeth What is Littera occidens the murthering Letter Truely the lawe which causeth anger by which commeth knowledge of sinne which is a Schoolemaster vnto Christ. The lawe first killeth yâ— Christ may make aliue it condemneth yâ— Christ may iustifie it sheweth sinne it healeth sinne Ro. Hutchynson How letter and circumcision is taken in this place Which being vnder the Letter Circumcision doth transgresse the law ¶ The letter is héere taken for the outward shew or ceremonie as a little after by the spirit he vnderstandeth the circumcision of the heart Sir I. Cheeke ¶ When the Lawe is called the Letter or that is prouoketh death in vs or that it killeth or is the minister of death or that it is the strength of sinne it is meant as we consider the law of it selfe without Christ. Geneua LEVEN How Leuen is diuersely taken in the Scripture Leuen is sometimes taken in an euill sense for the doctrine of the Pharesies which corrupted the swéetnesse of the word of God with the leuen of their gloses And sometime in a good sense for the kingdome of heauen that is to saye the Gospell and glad tidings of Christ. For as leuen altereth the nature of dowe and maketh it through sowre euen so the Gospel turneth a man into a new lyfe and altereth him a little and little first the heart and then the members Tindale fo 226. Take heede and beware of the leuen of the Pharesies and of the Saduces ¶ By leuen héere is vnderstoode the doctrine and inuention of the Pharesies and of all other men lyke conditioned vnto them Sometime leuen in the Scripture is taken in an euill sense as héere and sometime in a good sense As in the. 13. 33. and in the 12. of Saint Luke verse 1. it is noted by the name of hypocrisie because it is deceitfull false and vngodly and maketh all the louers thereof hypocrits Tindale ¶ Leuen héere is taken for the â—rronious doctrine of the Pharesies Saduces which with their gloses deprauated the Scriptures Some thinke this word 〈…〉 n is taken for wholesome doctrine of the Gospell Math. 13. 33. Sir I. Cheeke Beware of the leuen of the Pharesie◠¶ He wi 〈…〉 eth the in to beware of contagious doctrine and such sâ—bile practises as the aduersarie vsed to suppresse the Gospell Ge 〈…〉 LEVY Of Leuy otherwise called Mathew AND sawe Leuy the sonne of Alpheâ— sit at the râ—ec 〈…〉 e of â—ustome ¶ He that is heere in Marke called Leuy in the Gospell before Chapter 9. and verse 9. is called Mathew in whom we haue an example how they that be called and beléeue ought to bring foorth worthy fruites of repentaunce Sir I. Cheeke ¶ Looke Mathew LEVITES What their office was TAke the summe c. from thirtie yeare olde and aboue ¶ The Leuits were numbred after thrée sortes first at a moneth olde when they were consecrate to the Lord next at 25. yeare old when they were appointed to serue in the tabernacle and at 30. yeare olde to beare the burthen of the tabernacle Geneua â— He sayd vnto the Leuites that taught all Israel and were sanctified vnto the Lorde put the holy Arke in the house which Soloâ—on the sonne of Dauid king of Israel did builde it shall â—e no more a burthen vppon your shoulders ¶ It appeareth héere that the Leuites charge was not onely to minister in the Temple but also to instruct the people in the worde of God And where as he sayth It shall bée no more a burthen vpon your shoulders that is as it was before the temple was builtâ— Therefore your office onely is now to teach the people to praise God Geneua How this place following is to be vnderstood For the Leuites were purer hearted to bée sanctified then the Priestes ¶ Pelicane translateth the wordes thus Leuitae quip 〈…〉 〈…〉 ritu c. For the Leuites were sooner or easier sanctified then the Priestes which he expoundeth more plainely in his Commentaries saieng Intiligitur Sacerdotum numerum imminutum fuisse c. It is to bée vnderstoode that the number of the Priestes was diminished which should haue sufficed for to prepare the Sacrifices and therefore they desired the helpe of the Leuites that all thinges might bée done more diligentlye There was also an other cause of the Leuites helpe for the sanctifieng of the Temple and the preparation of the Sacrifice was so sodeinly commaunded that many of the Priestes had not time to sanctifie themselues according to the lawe which required a certeine space for the same and the Leuites might bée sanctified with lesse adoe and in shorter time And surelye the verye circumstaunce of the place doe proue this to be the true vnderstanding of it for these be the wordes that immediatelye goe before but the Priests were too fewe and were not able to sleye all the burnt offeringes therfore their brethren the Liuites did helpe them vntill they had ended the worke and vntil other Priests were sanctified I. W. fol. 11. LEVIATHAN What Leuiathan signifieth DArest thou drawe out Leuiathan with an Angle c. ¶ Leuiathan as diuerse learned men expounde signifieth the greatest fish that liueth in the Sea which is a Whale T. M. Euen
words al perfection as immortalitie wisdome truth innocencie power c. Geneua After the likenesse of God created he him ¶ That is after the shape and Image which was before appointed for the son of God The chiefe part of man also which is the soule is made like vnto God in a certeine proportion of nature of power working So that in that we are made like vnto God Tindale How God made man to be vndestroied God made man to be vndestroied ¶ That is when God made him in the Image of his owne likenesse neuerthelesse through the enuie of the diuell came death into the world whereby it may be easily gathered yâ— the wise maÌ„ doth speak ther of Adam being in the most perfect state of his first creation in the which if he had continued abiden still obaieng the commandement yâ— the Lord his God had giuen him neither death nor hel could haue had anie power of him he shoulde haue bene immortall he should haue liued for euer God then had created him to bée vndestroied if he had not through disobedience broken his commaundement I. Veron ¶ For God would not that man shuld perish But they after that they were created haue defiled the name of him that made them and are vnthankfull vnto him which prepared lyfe for them How the death of man and beast is alike It happeneth vnto man as it doth to beasts euen one condition to them both as the one doth so doth the other ¶ There is no difference betwéene a man and a beast as touching the body which of them both dieth but the soule of man liueth immortal the body of man riseth vp againe by the mightie power of the spirit of God The Bible note ¶ Man is not able by his reason and iudgement to put difference betwéene man and beast as touching those thinges wherevnto both are subiect or the eye cannot iudge any otherwise of a man béeing dead then of a beast which is dead Yet by the word of God and fayth we easily know the difference Geneua Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth vpward ¶ Meaning that reason cannot comprehend that which faith beléeueth héerein Geneua ¶ The immortalitie of the soule is not knowne by carnall reason or sense but by the word of the spirit of God The Bible note How mans life is but sorow and care What profit saith the wise man hath man more of all the labour wherewith he wearieth himselfe vnder the Sunne but sorrow and care and nothing without paine griefe ¶ Euripides saith if thou which art borne mortall doe thinke to liue thy selfe without labour and vnquietnesse thou art a foole I. Northbrooke Of mans good purpose before grace A reason of the Pelagians Dunce men of mans good purpose before grace The grace of God say they doth helpe mans good purpose so that man doth first intend and purpose well as Dunce saith dispose himselfe by attrition to receiue grace and then God doth helpe him Aunswere Of truth there is no good purpose in man no good disposition nor good intent but all is against goodnesse and cleane contrarie against all things that agréeth with grace till that God of his méere mercy commeth and giueth him a will to will goodnesse yea and that when he thought nothing of goodnesse but doth cleerely resist all goodnesse This doth S. Austen proue in these words The Pelagians say that they graunt how the grace doth helpe euery mans good purpose but not that he giueth that loue of vertue to him that striueth against it This thing doe they say as though man of himselfe without the helpe of God hath a good purpose and a good minde to vertue by the which merit proceeding before he is worthy to be holpen of the grace of God that followeth after Doubtlesse the grace that followeth doth helpe the good purpose of man but the good purpose should neuer haue bene if grace had not preceded And though that the good studie of men when it beginneth is holpen of grace yet it did neuer begin without grace ¶ Héere we sée S Austen cléere against them D. Barnes How mans ordinance my be altered There be some orders in the primitiue Church commaunded by God some other were deuised by men for yâ— better training of the people Such orders as were coÌ„manded by God may in no wise be chaunged onely because God commaunded them for as God is euerlasting so is his word commaundement euerlasting On the other side such order as haue bene deuised by men may be broken vpon some good consideration only because they were men that deuised them For as they be mortall so all their wisdome and inuentions be but mortall And so indéed as touching such things as haue ben ordeined by men we are not bound of necessitie to the order of the primitiue Church But such things as God hath precisely coÌ„manded by his word may neuer be broken by any custome or consent Iewel Of the disposition of man As mans strength is so is his worke as is his will so is his worke as is his forecast so is his dooing as is his heart so is his mouth as is his eye so is his sleepe as is his mind so is his talke either of the law of the Lord or of the lawe of Behal In the Testam of Neptalin Of mans will and running It lieth not in any mans will or running but in the mercie of God Whereas some vpon this place doe ascribe part of iustification vnto the grace and mercie of God part of it vnto the same will and running or indeauour of man S. Austen maketh answere thus If saith he the Apostle did meane none other thing but that it doth not onely lye in the will and running of man except the mercy of God doe helpe we may also say on the contrary that it lyeth not only in the mercy of God without the will and running of man but sith it were a plaine vngodlynesse to saye so let vs not doubt but yâ— the Apostle did attribute all to yâ— mercy of God that he did leaue no manner of thing vnto our owne will endeuour Againe he saith in an other place Therefore that we should beléeue in God liue godly it lyeth not in the will and running of man but in the mercy of God not that we ought not both to will runne but because that he himselfe doth worke in vs both to wil and also to runne I. Veron Of two Hebrew words that signifie man A man sent from God ¶ The Hebrewes haue two words to signifie man Adam and Ish. Adam signifieth a man subiect to mortalitie miserie and calamitie Ish signifieth a man of reputation The Prophet Dauid comprehendeth both in one verse in the Psal. Heare this all ye people c. Bâ—th children of Adam and children of Ish. The Greeke word which the
him from Least hée bée compelled to pay his debt with double disprofite one that his milstone is idle in the meane time another that he is constrained to come further in debt otherwise to sell his necessarye goods without which he cannot liue to make payment T. M. ¶ By the neather or vpper milstone is vnderstoode anye thing whereby a man getteth his liuing Geneua MINISTER What the Minister is by the word of God THE true Minister is the eye of the bodye The workman in the haruest Math. 9. 38. The messenger that calleth to the marriage Math. 22. 3. The Prophet that telleth the will of the Lorde Math. 23. 34. The Scribes that doth expound the lawe The seruaunt that occupieth his Maisters talent vnto gaine Math. 25. 16. The witnesse that beareth testimonie of Christ to all people Luke 24. 48. The dispensers of the mysteries of God 1. Cor. 4. 1. The Stewardes that giueth meate in due season vnto the residue of the householde Math. 24. 45. The Sacrificer of the Gospell of GOD to make the oblation of his flocke acceptable Rom. 15. 16. The Minister by whome the people doe beléeue The labourers of God to till the husbandry The Shepheard to féede the Church of God which he hath purchased with his bloud What men ought to be Ministers in the Church of God As in the olde lawe it was forbidden that anye man shoulde prease to come to the altar and to offer the bread of God which had anye manner blemish or deformitie in the bodye So ought no man nowe to take vppon him the preaching of Gods holye worde and ministration of the holye Sacramentes that is deformed with vice but innocent pure faultlesse and vncorrupt both in lyfe and doctrine Theo. Basil. The qualitie of Gods Minister They must be blamelesse watchfull sober modest herberous wise gentle apt to teach able to conuince the aduersarie such as gouerne wel their whole families no drunkards no quarellers no contentious men these be yâ— qualities that God requireth How ministers ought to be Preachers He is a dead Priest saith Gregorie and therfore no Priest no more then a dead man is a man which doth not preach for he kindleth the wrath of God the great iudge against him if he walke without the sword of preaching Againe he saith you Priests encrease your owne sinnes with the death of others and you kill and murther so manye as you sée daily without all care holding your peace go to their death How Ministers ought first to be doers and then teachers But whosoeuer doeth and teach the same c. This that is spoken héere perteineth to the ministers of the word He teacheth them therefore what perfection is required of them namely that they expresse declare those thinges in their life which by their doctrine they declare teach Saint Paule did chastise his bodie and brought it into subiection least when he preached to others he himself shuld be a castaway And writing to Timothy Be saith he vnto them the beléeue an example in word in conuersation in loue in spirit in faith in purenesse And to Titus he saith in all things shew thy selfe an example of good works in the doctrine with honestie with grauitie with the wholesome worde which cannot be rebuked that he which withstandeth may be ashamed hauing no euill to say on you The lyke wordes hath Saint Peter in effect Marl. fol. 92. ¶ Whosoeuer doth c. Christ maketh mention first of the worke and then of the doctrine for if the workes goe before though the doctrine doe not followe yet shall the verye worke more suffice to teach them that looke vpon vs then any words shall doe First of all teach with works and then with wordes least the saieng of Saint Paule be obiected Thou that teachest another teachest not thy selfe The saieng of Cato The things which in other thou art wont to blame Be well ware that thou offend not in the same For it is very shame when a man will preach If that his deeds against his words doe teach The saieng of Menander The manners of the speaker are they that perswade not that which is spoken How the Ministers of the Church are called Starres The seauen Stars are the Angels of the seauen Churches ¶ The ouerséers of Churches are in Scriptures called Stars and Angels Starres in respect of the brightnesse both of their heauenly doctrine and of their heauenly conuersation Angels because they report vnto vs the will of God the Father According also as in the same respect Christ is called the Angell of the Testament Mal. 3. 1. And Iohn Baptist is called an Angell Mal. 3. 1. Math. 11. 10. So also in this place the rulers of the Churches are called Angells which thing appeareth chieflye héerby that héereafter in yâ— second chapter the first verse they be willed to repent which thing coulde in no wise agrée with the heauenly spirits Therfore like as the Starres shine in the Skie so must the ministers of Gods word shine in yâ— Church goe before other in purenesse of doctrine and christen conuersation But a great part of them alas for sorrowe walke as enimies of Christs crosse whose end is damnation whose God is their belly and their glorie is shame which séeke after earthly things when as notwithstanding their conuersation ought to be heauenly Phil. 3. 18. Marl. fol. 28. How ministers were chosen in the olde time Ministers in the olde time were elect and chosen by the whole consent of the people as Cypriane reporteth The common people themselues haue before all other power either to choose worthy Priests or to refuse the vnworthy This order tooke his beginning of Gods authoritie for God sayd to Moses Take thy brother Aaron and Ehazarus his sonne and set them on the mount before all the coâ—gregation and put off Aarons apparell and put it vpon Eleazarus his son which declareth that ministers ought not to be admitted vnto the ministrie but with the consent and knowledge of the people Theo. Basil. In olde time none was receiued into the companie of clarkes without the consent of all the people insomuch that Cipriane laboured earnestly to excuse yâ— he appointed one Aurelius to be a reader without asking aduise of yâ— church because yâ— was done beside the custome though not without reason For this he saith before In ordering of clarks déere brethren we are wont to aske your aduise and by common counsell to weigh yâ— manners deseruings of euery one But because in these lesser exercises there was not much perill because they were chosen to a long proofe and not to a great office therfore yâ— consent of the people ceased to be asked Afterward in the other degrées also except the Bishoprick the people commonly left yâ— iudgement and choise of them to the Bishop the Priests that they should examine who were méet and
Hierome saith The people before the second comming of Christ which shall be in glory shall leaue their negligent idle schoolmaisters which haue of long time deceiued them and shall flye to the mountaines of the Scriptures and albeit they finde not one to teach them yet shall their desire and endeauour be accepted before God for that they haue sought vnto thesâ— mountaines and the negligence and slothfulnesse of their maisters shall be reproued Iewel fol. 721. What these Mountaines signifie That the Mountaines may bring peace ¶ By the mountaines are vnderstoode the great men and Rulers that receiue the word of peace and by the little hills their subiects Psal. 114. 4. 148. 9. Luk. 3. 5. T. M. What is ment by the translating of Mountaines He translateth Mountaines ¶ God translateth Mountaines not onely those of the earth but also the arrogant and proude Tyrants and the great Realmes of the world which by a borrowed speach are oftentimes in the sriptures signified by mountaines and hills So translated he Pharao Exo. 14. 28. and king Senacharib Eze. 37. What the name of this Mountaine was Our Fathers worshipped in this mountaine ¶ The name of this mountaine is Garizim wherevpon Sanabalecta the Cuthite built a Temple by Alexander of Macedony his leaue after the victory of Issica and made there Maâ—asses his sonne in lawe high Priest Iosephus bo 11. MOVRNE What it is to Mourne MOurne wéepe c. ¶ To mourne in the Scripture signifieth sometime to make an vnmeasurable and grieuous lamentation as when a man for impatience and griefe smiteth his owne bodie renteth his clothes teareth his haire c. So in Math. 24. 30. And then shall all the kingdomes of the Earth mourne T. M. The mourning of the Christians vnder the Crosse. Blessed are they that mourne c. ¶ This mourning is that Crosse without the which was neuer Disciple of Christ nor neuer shall be For of whatsoeuer state or degrée thou be in this world if thou professe the Gospell there followeth thâ—e a Crosse as warmnesse followeth the Sunne shining vnder the which thy spirit shall grone and mourne secretly not onely because the world and thine owne flesh carrye thâ—e away cleane contrary to the purpose of thine owne heart but also to see and behold the wretchednes and misfortunes of the bretheren which because thou louest them as thy selfe thou shalt mourne sorrow no lesse then for thy selfe Tindale fol. 190. How farre mourning for the dead is admitted The Scripture admitteth the mourning for the dead For in Deut. 34. the people mourned for Moses Abraham bewayled his wife Sara Ioseph mourned for his father Iacob Dauid mourned for Ammon Israel for Samuel Martha for Lazarus And our Lord himselfe wept for Lazarus Iesus the sonne of Syrach saith 38. chapter verse 16. My sonne shed thy teares ouer the dead But Ier. 22. 10 saith Bewaile not yâ— dead And Christ saith Luke 7. 13. to the woman whose sonne was dead Wéepe not Which counter saieng Paule recoâ—cileth 1. Tess. 4. 13. where he saith Bretheren I would not haue you ignoraunt concerning them that be fallen a sleepe that ye sorrowe not as other doe which haue no hope So it is â—eâ—thenish sorrowe that is forbid which haue no hope nor comfort of the resurrection Hemâ—yng And made great lamentation for him ¶ A moderate mourning for the dead ought not to be reproued so yâ— all supersâ—ition be layed aside howbeit these godly deuout persons yâ— be spoâ—en of héere did rather make this lamentation for Steuen because they had lost such an â—arnest and valiaunt deâ—â—nder of the truth then for any other thing For without all peraduenture they had a hope of resurrection and that no harme was happened vnto him Sir I. Cheeke MOVTH What the mouth of God is GOds mouth is taken for the sonne of God the Father or his commaundements Esay 40. 5. the mouth of the Lordâ— hath spoken it The meaning of this place following He hath made my mouth lyke a sharpe sword c. ¶ That is he hath giuen me the spirite of sharpe and pithye speach so that my words shall euen cut a sunder as it were the hearts of the chosen which heare me and driue them to repentaunce and declare the offences of the wicked and without excuse This doth the spirit of Prophecie and of true preaching of the word Apoc. 16. T. M. He hath made my mouth lyke a sharpe sword That is spoken in the person of Christ to assure the faithful that these promises should come to passe for they were all made in him and in him should be performed Geneua Of the staffe of Gods mouth ¶ Looke Staffe MVLTITVDE How it is not good alwaies to follow a multitude THe Turkes being in number fiue times moe then wée Christians doe knowledge one God and beleeue manye things of God moued onely by the authoritie of their Elders and presume that God will not let so great a multitude erre so long time and yet they haue erred and bene faithlesse 800. yeares And the Iewes beléeue this daye as much as the carnall sort of them euer beléeued moued also by the authoritie of the Elders onely thinke that it is impossible for them to erre being Abrahams séede the children of them to whom the promise of all that we beléeue wer made And yet they haue erred and haue bene faithlesse this 15. hundred yeares The elect which are few shall among that great multitude neuer be without persecution and temptation of their faith as the great multitude of the Pope persecute and suffer not and yet the same in the middes of their persecution shall be kept by the mightie hande of GOD against all naturall possibilitie We must suspect as many things as the rude multitude with great assent and consent appeareth Many be called but few be chosen Broad is the waye that leadeth to destruction and manye there be that enter thereinto Of séede sowen in foure places fruite was brought foorth but in one MVRDER Who be Murderers ANd murderers ¶ That is to wit with tongue minde hand or by with-holding of things néedfull of which sort be those Canâ—sh Gyaunts and great men of name like Nymrod the strong hunter which murder guiltlesse persons at their pleasure and make them as shéepe to the slaughter Which thing no man doth more cruelly at this daye then doth the Romish Bishop the Uicar and stepfollower of that méeke Lambe and the successour of Peter whome Christ commaunded to put vp his sword And there be other of the chiefe Prelates also which are verye diligent in following the example of the Romish Bishop but God will abhorre those bloudthirstie and deceiptfull men Psal. 5. 6. Mar. vpon the Apo. fo 289. ¶ The vnpitifull murderers are also the same bloudthirstâ—e Prelates those Caines and those boysterous Nemrothes that neuer will be satisfied with the slaughter of Innocents No cruell
diuell and therefore yéelded all those parts vnto all beastly life Some called those men Venustianos August PATHMOS What Pathmos is WAs in the I le of Pathmos ¶ Pathmos is one of the Iles of Sporas whether Iohn was banished as some write PATRICIANI What manner of heretikes these were PAtriciani said that mans flesh was not made of God but of the diuell so that some dispatched themselues to cast off the flesh August PAVLE How Paules afflictions is prophesied of Agabus SO shall the Iewes at Hierusalem binde the man that oweth this girdle ¶ God for the most part is wont to warne his elect before what afflictions and troubles shall happen vnto theÌ„ for his sake not to fray them therby but rather to prepare and arme their mindes against the boisterous tempests of persecution Therefore doth he now send Agabus vnto Paule to prophesie vnto him of his imprisonment and bonds that he should suffer at Hierusalem where we haue also a good example of constancie stedfastnesse in Paule which regarding nothing the teares of his familiar friends nor yet perill of his owne lyfe did through fire and water goe on still to set forth the glorie of God Sir I. Cheeke ¶ God would â—haue his seruaunts bands knowne to the intent that no man should thinke that he cast himself into wilful daunger This was not to make Paule afraid but to encourage him against the brunt Geneua How Paule persecuted Christ in his members I am Iesus whom thou persecutest ¶ Iesus was now in heauen and could not be persecuted of Paule But the persecution which Paule exercised against the faithfull being his members Christ counted it as done vnto himselfe The Bible note Of the comfort that God gaue to paule in his iourney to Rome And he entered into a ship to Adrâ—mitium ¶ The lyfe of man is a perpetuall warfare vpon the earth Paule being deliuered out of the hands of the vngodly and that so many times is now faine to commit himselfe to the rough waters of the sea where he was a long season in great perill and ieopardy of his owne life God being alwayes to the great comfort of all them that heard of it most ready to helpe succour him First he did send him a most friendly company I meane Aristarcus and Lucas so ruling the heart also of the vndercaptaine that he was beneficiall vnto him alwayes In lyke manner God did in the olde time appoint men for Ioseph and the Prophet Ieremy when they were in their most troubles Of Paules purifieng We haue foure men which haue a vowe on them them take and purifie thy selfe with them ¶ Paule yéelding to this ceremonie offended as sore as Peter did when he was reproued of Paule for absteining from meate s in presence of the Gentiles notwithstanding through feruencie of his zeale he did ieopard much to winne thousandes of the Iewes for the saluation of whom he wished himselfe to be seperated from Christ. The Bible note ¶ The end of this ceremonie was thanks-giuing was instituted by God and partly of ignoraunce and infirmitie receiued Therefore S. Paule supported therein the weaknesse of others and made himselfe all to all men not bindring his conscience Geneua Of Paules appealing I appeale to Caesar. ¶ The iniquitie of the Iudge who contrarie to equitie willing to pleasure the Iewes deuised how to betray Paule draue Paule to appeale which is the vttermost remedie for such as by wrong iudgement are oppressed And this appellation by Gods prouidence was a meane that Paule shoulde testifie of Christ at Rome also The Bible note How Paule had his authoritie from God and not from Peter Paule an Apostle not of men neither by man but by Iesus Christ and by God the Father c. ¶ Paule though he came long after the Apostles yet had he not his authoritie of Peter or of any that went before him Neither brought he with him letters of recommendation or Bulls of confirmation but the confirmation of his Apostleship was the word of God conscience of men and the power of the spirit that testified with him by miracles and manifolde gifts of grace Tindale How Paule and Iames are made to agree The saiengs of the two Apostles Paule and Iames are not contrary wheras Paule saith a man is iustified without works and Iames sayth faith without workes is in vaine For Paule speaketh of the works that goe before faith Iames speaketh of the works that follow after August lt 8. quae qua 76. Iames. 5. The ordinarie glose out of Saint Austen sayth that Paule and Iames doe agrée in this sort That whereas Abraham was iustified by fayth without good workes it is vnderstoode of the workes that went before for he was not made iust for the workes he did but for faith onely And héere it is meant of the works which doe follow fayth by which he was iustified the more wheras he was iust before by faith Wherfore Paul sayth Abraham offered vp Isaac when he was proued This oblation was the worke and testimonie of his faith and iustice This hée writeth vpon the Epistle of Saint Iames. So that if the offering of Isaac was the testimonie of the faith and iustice of Abraham than he was not iustified by it but declared thereby to be iust Musculus fol. 230. ¶ Ioyne the liuely faith of S. Paule with the good works of S. Iames and bring both these into one lyfe And then hast thou reconciled them both so shalt thou be sure to be iustified both afore God by Paules faith and before man by S. Iames works M. Foxe How Paule denieth to be crucified for vs. Was Paule crucified for you ¶ It is euident by Saint Paules saieng that Christ only who was crucified for vs ought to be our Lord that in matters of religion we ought only to haue our name of him and not to be called after this Doctor or that Doctors name for that is to deny Christ and so to bring againe the hypocriticall sectes of Friers and Monkes Sir I. Cheeke Of Paules beating and mortifieng his body I beate my body saith S. Paule and bring it into subiection least by any meanes after that I haue preached to other I my selfe should be reproued ¶ Whereas some doe gather of this place that Paule did mortifie in himself the fire of inconstancy by long fasting and by beating and scourging of his body it is nothing so For what néede had hée to â—ame his body with fasting when he was shut vp in prison and had nothing to eate either yet to beat and scourge his body when he suffred stripes inough of his enimies S. Paule had the gift of continencie as it appeareth 1. Cor. 7. I would sayth he that all men were as I my selfe am but euery man hath his proper gift of God c. Then by these words Saint Paule doth meane that he did subdue and
the winde doth signifie a man inconstant As in Math. 11. 7. and Luke 7. 24. Geneua What is meant by the brused Rede A brused Réede shall he not breake c. ¶ By the brused Réede and smoking flaxe the aduersaries of Christ the Scribes and Pharesâ—es are vnderstoode whose power is likened vnto a brused Râ—ede and their furâ—e wherwith they persecuted the innocent vnto smoking flaxe so that it had bene as easie for Christ to haue destroyed them as it is to breake a sunder a brused Réede or to quench smoking flaxe Some suppose that the same should be vnderstoode of the Publicans and sinners whom he did not contemne nor despise but mercifully called them vnto him Sir I. Cheeke A brused Réede c. ¶ That is he will beare with them that is infirme and weake Geneua READING What profit commeth of reading holy Scripture AVgustine sayth Reading cléereth and purgeth all things who will euer be with God must euermore pray and read Aug. de tâ—mpor sermo â— If we either read not the Scriptures our selues or bée not desirous to heare other read them then are our 〈…〉 dictnes turned into wou 〈…〉 and then where we might haue had remedy we shall haue iudgement Aug. Ser. 55. Heare me ye men of the world get ye the Bible that most wholesome remedy for the soule if ye will nothing else yet at the least get the new testament S. Paules Epistles the Acts that may be your continuall and earnest teachers Chrâ— vpon the Coll. in hâ— 9. Homâ—â— Isidore saith saith that reading bringeth great profit to the hearers Tertulian saith when ye come together to the reading of holy Scripture wée féede our faith with these heauenly voyces we raise vp our affiaunce wée fasten our hope And againe he calleth the reading of thâ— scriptures the féeding of our fayth Let one of you take in hand the holy booke let him call his neighbours about him by the heauenly words let him water their mindes and also his owne Chris. in Gen. hom 6. Being at home we may both before and after meat take the holy booke in hand thereof receiue great profit and minister spirituall foode vnto our soules Chris. in Gen. Homi. 10. Would God we would all doe according as it is written Search the Scriptures Origen in Esay Homi. 10. Harken not héereto onely héere in the Church but also at home let the husband with the wife the father with the childe talke together of these matters and both to and fro let them enquire and giue their iudgements and would God they wold begin this good custome Chrisost. in Math. Homil. 78. Looke Scripture REGENERATION What this word Regeneration importeth THis worde Regeneration importeth as much as a man might say new birth As if after that wée were once borne we are borne yet againe And therefore it importeth forthwith a reformation fo the man which is a rising againe from the dead which is wrought in the spirit as the last resurrection shall be wrought in the flesh Pet. Viret Regeneration standeth chiefly in these two points In mortification that is to say a resisting of the rebellious lusts of the flesh and in newnesse of life whereby we continually striue to walke in that purenesse and perfection wherewith we are clad in Baptime How Regeneration is taken in these places following Ye which followed me in the regeneration c. In this worke whereby the world is chaunged renued and regenerate or to ioyne this word with the sentence following and so take regeneration for the day of iudgement when the elect shall in soule and body enioy their inheritaunce to the end that they might know that it is not sufficient to haue begun once Geneua By the washing of the new birth ¶ Baptime is a sure signe of our regeneration which is wrought by the holy Ghost Geneua How this place is vnderstood Except a man be borne of water and spirit ¶ Nichodemus vnderstoode not the opinion concerning regeneration or newe birth of man Therefore our louing and mercifull Sauiour more plainely expoundeth these things which before he spake mystically teaching that to be borne againe is nothing else but to be borne of water and of the spirit and that the same is the true manner of regeneration But all men for the most part by this sentence of our Sauiour Christ vnderstand Baptime and many of them doe héereby make Baptime so necessary that they affirme it impossible for a man to attaine to saluation except he be washed with the water of Baptime so disorderly they include the assuraunce of our saluation vnder the signe when as the whole Scripture attributeth the grace and power of regeneration to the Holye ghost as maye appeare in diuers places of Scripture but specially by these places noted in the margent And as touching this place we ought to vnderstand the same simply of mans regeneration and not of Baptime For the purpose of Christ was to exhort Nichodemus to newnesse of life because he was not capable of the Gospell vntill he was a newe man Therefore this is the simple meaning of this place That it behooueth vs to be born againe that we may be the sonnes of God and also that the Holy ghost is the Author of the second birth Marl. vpon Ioh. fol. 66. REYNES What they signifie YE shall vnderstand that the reynes or kidneyes of a man is that intire part from which springeth chiefely the strength the desire of naturall generation which effect or desire in man because of all other effects it is the most mightiest therfore the Scripture vseth to call the secrets or the priuie thought or effects of a man by the name of the reynes or the kidneyes Insomuch as when the Scripture saith that God knoweth all our harts our thoughts then the Scripture saith Scrutans corda reâ—es Deus God is the searcher of hearts and reynes that is of the most priuie and secret thoughts that be in man R. Tur. Trye out my reynes and my heart ¶ By the heart and reynes will he signifie the delectations and affections of yâ— flesh which let him to follow God As in the Psa. 16. 7. T. M. ¶ My reynes also teach me in the night ¶ God teacheth me continually by secret inspiration Geneua ¶ Examine my reynes and my heaâ—t ¶ My very affections and inward motions of the heart Geneua Thou hast possessed my reynes ¶ Thou hast made me in all parts and therefore most needes know me Geneua Thou art néere in their mouth and farre from their reynes They professe God in mouth and denye him in heart which is héere meant by the reynes Esay 29. 13. Math. 15. 8. Geneua REIOICE Wherefore we should chiefely reioice REioice because your names are written in heuen ¶ Though we should worke miracles and cast foorth diuells yet ought
we not to reioice therefore for we shall haue no profit at all thereby but other shall haue the profite that come thereof But this ought to be our chiefe ioye and comfort that we are elect and chosen in Christ Iesu afore the foundation of the worlde were laid whose names are written in the booke of life S. I. Ch. RELEASEMENT How releasement and payment cannot stand togethers THe Lord forgaue the seruaunt his debt ¶ By this it appeareth that saluation falleth vnto men by releasement of the debt and not for satisfieng of the debt For releasement and payment cannot stand in one respect together It ouerthroweth Popish satisfaction which say they must be done by Pilgrimages fasting and almes deedes It quencheth the fire of Purgatorie For where the debt is forgiuen the debter ought not to be punished RELIGION How couples ioyned in marriage of diuers Religions is doubtfull THe prohibition of S. Paule is that we drawe not the yoake with the vnbeleeuers which thing is to be vnderstood not only of doctrine but of all trade of life For he that toucheth pitch saith Salomon shall be defiled therewith For it cannot bée but that he which keepeth company with the vngodlye must néedes himselfe gather some infection thereby As Salomon kéeping companie with Heathen women became an Idolater Achab through the counsell of lezabel slewe the Prophets Hemmyng Be not vnequally yoked with the Infidels ¶ He séemeth to allude to that which is written Deut. 22. 10. where the Lord cōmaundeth that an Oxe and an Asse be not yoked together because the match is vnequall So if the faithfull marry with the Infidells or els haue to do with them in any thing vnlawfull it is héere reproued Eccl. 13. 18. Geneua How the Diuell is sory to see the religion of Christ flourish Diabolus gentium vocatione cruciatur c. The Diuell is sore greeued with the calling of the Heathen to the faith and with the daily decresing of his power sorrowing to sée himselfe forsaken and Christ the true King to be worshipped in all places therefore he deuiseth guyles and imagineth dissentions REMEMBER How God is said to remember GOd remembred Noe. ¶ This is not so to be vnderstood that there is any forgetfulnesse in God But the Scripture speketh after the manner of our speaking As when we maye delyuer a man that is oppressed and doth it not then it is sayde we doe forget him And when we begin to goe about his delyueraunce then it is said we doe remember him REMNAVNT Of the remnaunt that God saith he had reserued I Haue reserued vnto my selfe seuen thousand men c. ¶ He speaketh of remnaunts and reserued people which were chosen from euerlasting and not of remnaunts that should bée chosen afterward For they are not chosen because they were no Idolaters but therefore they wer no Idolaters because they were chosen and elect Theo. Beza RENT What is ment by renting of clothes HE rent his clothes ¶ It was specially vsed among the Hebrues to rent clothes when the glory of God was contemned And héere where they feared God so little as to kill their owne brother T. M. Then they rent their clothes ¶ To signifie how greatly the thing displeased them and how sorie they were for it Geneua What is ment by renting of our hearts Rent your hearts and not your garments Ioel meaneth that it is to no purpose for men to haue great store of ceremonies and to martir themselues much in outward sight of the world except their hearts be broken before And what manner of renting or breaking is it that God requireth in our hearts it is that we should be cast downe and humbled before him that when we perceiue any signes of his wrath specially when we feele the blowe of his hand already we should be patient assuring our selues that all commeth for our sinnes and that we doe not as many doe who when they be beaten with Gods rod chawe their bridles lyke mules and conceiue I wot not what a fiercenesse bitternesse which serue to set them in a rage against God notwithstanding that they make countenaunce as though they were well tamed But contrariwise as I haue said it behooueth our hearts to be rent according to the exhortation that is made vnto vs in the Psalme by laieng our hearts open before God to the ende that he should knowe all that is within it Then let vs follow the said saieng of the Prophet Ioel that we should not rent our garments but our hearts rather for therein will the true repentaunce shewe it selfe Cal. vpon Iob. fol. 46. And rent your hearts c. ¶ Mortifie your affections and serue God with purenesse of heart and not with Ceremonies Geneua REPENTAVNCE What Repentaunce is and the definition thereof REpentaunce is an vnfained tourning to God whereby wée being of a sincere feare of God once humbled doe acknowledge our sinnes and so by mortifieng our olde man are afresh renued by the spirit of God Bulling fol. 562. Repentaunce is a very displeasure which man hath in his heart of his sinne the which ingenderesh in him an hatred against sinne a desire to liue better in time to come reseruing his life to the will of God Peter Viret Repentaunce is nothing but a conuersion of the minde and an alteration of the former opinion as appeareth by the sayeng of the Prophet Turne vnto me and ye shall be safe Againe I will not the death of a sinner but that he turne liue Also Repent and amende that your sinnes may be done away Marl. Repentaunce is an inward thing which hath his seate in the heart and minde and bringeth foorth fruits in chaunging the life Marl. vpon Math. fol. 47. Concerning this word Repentaunce as they vsed Penaunce the Hebrue hath in the olde Testament generally Sob Turne or be conuerted for which the Translation that we take for S. Hieromes hath most part Conuert◠to turne or to bee conuerted And sometime Agite poenitentiam And y◠Gréeke in the new Testament hath perpetually Metanoeo to tourne in the heart and minde and to come into the right knowledge to a mans right wit againe for which Metanoeo S Hieroms translation hath sometime Ago poenitentiam I doe repent Sometime Poeniteor I am repentaunt Sometime Habeo poenitentiam I haue repentaunce Sometime Poenitet me it repenteth me And Erasmus vseth much this word Recipisco I come to my selfe or to my right minde againe And the very sense and signification both of the Hebrue also of the Gréeke word is to be conuerted and to turne to God with all the heart to know his will and to liue according to his lawes and to be cured of our corrupt nature with the Oyle of his spirit wine of obedience of his doctrine which conuersion or turning if it be vnfained these foure doe accompanie it and are included therein Confession not in
himselfe the Empires both of God and man Hitherto Chrisostome And it is manifest to all men that the papaâ— grew tooke increase by the decay of the Empire at the fall of the Monarch they challenged full possession of all dominion both spirituall and temporall Of the same iudgement is S. Hierome writing vpon the same place of Paul vnto Aglasia in the eleuenth question whose words are these Nec vult aperti c. Neither will he openly say that the Romane Empire should be destroied which they yâ— gouerne it thinke to be euerlasting wherefore according to the reuelation of S. Iohn In the forehead of the purple whoore ther is written a name of blasphemy which is Rome euerlasting The same Hierome in his 13. booke of his Commentaries of the Prophesie of Esay vpon the 24. chapter writeth thus Licet ex eo quod iuxta septuaginta c. Forasmuch as the seauentie Interpreters write not the daughter Babylon but the daughter of Babylon some do interpret the rest not Babylon in Chaldea but the citie of Rome which in the reuelation of S. Iohn the Epistle of Peter is specially called Babylon The same in his preface vnto the booke of Didimus De spiritu sancto which he translated out of Greeke into Latin writing to Pauinianus he vttereth these words Cum in Babylone versarer c. Of late saith he when I was in Babylon was an inhabitant of the purple harlot liued after the lawes of the Romaines I thought to intreate somewhat of the holy Ghost The same writing to Marcella a vertuous gentlewoman of Rome whom he allured to forsake Rome to dwell néere vnto him in Bethleem one especiall reason that he vseth to perswade her is this that as Bethleem whither he would haue her to repaire is situated in the holy land and the place consecrated to the birth of Christ so Rome where she desired to remaine was the Babylonicall harlot according to the Reuelation of Saint Iohn appointed for the birth of Antichrist which there should arise and exercise tyrannye and from thence shoulde deceiue the whole world with his wicked wiles Hue vsque Hieronimus Ambrose writing a Commentarie vpon the Reuelation of S. Iohn is of the same iudgement Primasius also a verye auncient writer who lykewise Commenteth vppon the Apocalips expoundeth these Prophesies of Antichrist to bée fulfilled in the Romane Empire Augustine in his worke De ciuitate Dei not once or twise but oftentimes is bolde to call Rome Babylon and Babylon Rome As in his 6. booke and. 17. Chapter he calleth Rome an other Babylon in the West And in his 18â— booke and second chapter hée calleth Babylon of Chaldea the first Rome and Rome of Italy the second Babylon willing men to consider that in the beginning of the Citie of God which was the Church in Abrahams time the first Rome that was Easterne Babylon her enimie was builded in Chaldea about the same time that the first Babylon was destroied least the citie of God should lacke her enimie the second Babylon which is Rome in Italy was erected Hue vsque August ¶ Looke more in Antichrist Babylon If Caput come of Capio which signifieth take TheÌ„ may Rome wel be called so which nothing doth forsake If you decline Capio capis and to the grounds come Her nets are large cannot misse to caâ—ch both all and some RVDIMENTS What these Rudiments were and wherefore they were called poore WEake and beggerly Rudiments ¶ The poore and weake Rudiments be circumcision sacrifices the choise of daies and meates and other obseruation and kéeping as a thing necessarie to obteine euerlasting life the grace of God He calleth them poore or weake because they be not nor consist of themselues whose nature onely consisteth in signifieng And what strength so euer they haue that they haue because they import or signifie some waightie thing Doctor Heynes ¶ The Galathians of Panims beganne to be Christians but by false Apostles were tourned backward to beginne a new the Iewish ceremonies and so in stéed of going forwarde toward Christ they ran backward from him Geneua Sabboth Wherefore the Sabboth was instituted YE shall doe no labour therein but hallowe the sabboth as I commanded your fathers ¶ The foundation of the faith is to beléeue Gods premise that he made the whole world doth also gouerne it further that he knoweth will iudge all things c. Those things did the law require in keping of the sabboth to confesse both with word and signe to giue diligent héed to the hearing interpreting of the law to thinke of the glory of God to reléeue the faithful soule with the foode of the word to minister occasion also vnto the simple that they likewise might attempt such things in their houses amongst their household folks to be pitifull ouer the wearines of such neighbours as laboured sore al the wéeke long reléeue them to attend giue héed to the exercises of the spirit to the consolation and comforting of their neighbours not onely to absteine from outward works and fulfill their appetites and lustes for that did the Lorde forbid The Sabboth should bée applyed to the lawfull seruing of God not to sinfulnesse and wantonnesse It is commaunded to be sanctified and not polluted and defiled with naughtinesse To God alone must wée also kéepe it and call on his name Other Gods or Gods fellowes ought we not to enquire of nor fall downe vnto them But when such occasions come as turne our rest into occupation labour then ought we remember that the Sabboth was ordeined for man not man for the Sabboth So that in the meane season the feare of God and the charitie towards our neighbour which are the chiefe and principall things in the obseruation of the Sabboth be not lightly regarded T. M. A Sabboth of rest it shall be vnto you ¶ Sabboth feasts and new moones signifie the ioye and gladnesse of the conscience the renuing of man and the rest wherein wée rest from our owne workes not doing our wills but Gods which worketh in vs through the Gospell and gladde tidings while wée earnestly beléeue it Exech 20. 12. Exo. 20. 8. 31. 13. Deut. 5. â—4 God rested the seauenth day ¶ What we should learne in this we may plainly sée in the commaundement Kéepe holye the Sabboth day for that day was instituted for this cause because then God rested from his works in that day a rest is commaunded vs that in it we should do no manner of worke and why déerely beloued shall we rest God is not pleased with idlenesse he will not haue vs like the idle men yâ— in the ninth houre of the day stand still idle in the market but God commaunded vs to kéepe that day holy vnto him which is to serue him in it and not our selues
Deering And went into the Sinagogue on the sabboth day sat down ¶ The truth neuer feareth the light but commeth forth boldly as it appeareth by Paule Barnabas which entered into the common Sinagogue Also héere we doe learne why the sabboth was instituted not for vaine sports and pastimes but that vpon that day the people should giue themselues to praier to read heare the word of God Sir I. Cheekeâ— How the Priests brake the Sabboth and were blamelesse ¶ That on the Sabboth the Priestes in the Temple brake the Sabboth and are blamelesse ¶ Not that the Priests brake the Sabboth in doing that which was commaunded by the lawe but he speaketh this to conâ—ute the errour of the people who thought the Sabboth broken if any necessary worke were done that day Geneua Sée that ye kéepe my Sabboth ¶ The Sabboth beside that it serued to come heare the word of God to seeke his will to offer and to reconcile themselues vnto God It was a signe vnto them also did put them in remembraunce that it was God that sanctified them with his holy spirit and not they themselues with their holy workes T. M. What is meant by the second Sabboth It came to passe in the second Sabboth ¶ Epiphanius noteth well in his treatise where he confuteth Ebion that the time when the Disciples plucked the eares of corne was in the feast of vnleuened bread now wheras in these feasts which kept many daies together as the feast of tabernacles and the passeouer their first day and the last wer of like solemnitie Leâ—â— 23. Luke fitly calleth the last day the second Sabboth though Thâ—ophilact vnderstand it of any of them that followed the first Beza The feasts which conteined many daies as the passeouer and the feast of tabernacles had two Sabboths the first day of the feast and the last Geneua A sâ—ieng of S. Austen concerning the Sabboth It is lesse euill saith Saint Austen to goe to plough then to play vpon one of those daies meaning the Sabboth daies Why the Machabees fought on the Sabboth Obiection The Machabees fought and defended themselues vpon the Sabboth day notwithstanding God had appointed that day to rest Aunswere The Machabees might lawfully defend themselues vpon the Sabboth day for Christ expoundeth the law man is not made for the Sabboth but the Sabboth for the man And the Iewes did euil saith Dâ—do being besieged vpon the Sabboth day to stand to yéeld them vnto their enimies Yet did not the Machabees proclaime yâ— it shuld be lawfull vpon the sabboth day to go to the field The meaning of this place following And beare no burden on the Sabboth day ¶ By meaning the Sabboth day he comprehendeth the thing the is thereby signified for if they trangressed in the ceremony they must néeds be culpable of the rest Read Exo. 20. 8. And by the breaking of this one coÌ„mandemeÌ„t he maketh them transgressours of yâ— who le law for as much as the first second table are conteined therin Geneua The signification of the Latine word Sabbathum Sabbathum was among the Iewes accompted the seauenth day in the which they fasted in remembrance of the seuen daies in the which they were fatigate going fasting in the desart of Arabia or they came to the mount of Sinai S. Austen vpon the Psalmes writeth the Sabbathum is taken three maÌ„ner of waies for ye. 7. day is called by the name in the which almightie God rested after his worke of 6. daies Sabbathum is also eternall quietnesse Moreouer Sabbathum is the conscience of a quiet minde aduaunced by hope of the time to come not being shakeÌ„ or vexed with stormes of things present Eliote Look Winter SACKCLOTH What the wearing of sackcloth signifieth SAckcloth shéering of mens heads renting of their garments and casting of dust and ashes vpon them were â—okens of repentaunce or els of great sorrow among the people of the East countries in olde time Cal. vpon Iob. fol. 29. SACRAMENT What Sacrament is A Sacrament saith S. Austen is the signe of an holy thing ¶ If it be the signe of an holy thing then it is not the very thing it selfe which it doth signifie I. Frith It séemeth to me that a Sacrament is an outwarde signe wherewith the Lord sealeth to our consciences the promises of his good will towards vs to sustaine the weaknesse of our faith And we againe on our behalfes doe testifie our godlinesse towards him as well before him and the Angells as before men We may also with more briefenesse define it otherwise As to call it a testimonie of Gods fauour towards vs confirmed by an outward signe with a mutuall testifieng of our godlinesse towards him Whether of these definitions it differeth nothing in sense from the definition of S. Augustine which teacheth that a Sacrament is a visible signe of an holy thing or a visible forme of an inuisible grace but it doeth better and more certainely expresse the thing it selfe for whereas in the briefenesse there is some darknesse wherin many of the vnskilfull sort are deceiued I thought good in more wordes to giue a fuller sentence that there should remaine no doubt Cal. in his Instit. 4. b. chap. 14. sect 1. A Sacrament as S. Austen defineth it is a signe of an holy thing But if the Sacrament be Christs body as the Papists say it is then can it not be a Sacrament that is the signe of an holy thing for it is the holy thing it selfe So that they must either deny the sacrament to be the body bloud of Christ either els the Sacrament therof For one thing cannot be both the signe the thing signified because they be in that respect most contrary the one to the other Crowley A Sacrament is a visible signe ordeined of Iesus Christ as a seale to confirme vs the better in the faith of the promises the which God hath made vs of our saluation in him Vnet Sacrament is a signe representing such appointments and promises as the Raine-bow representeth the promise made to Noe that God will no more drowne the world Tindale This word Sacrament is as much to say as an holy signe and representeth alway some promise of God as in the olde Testament God ordeined that the Raine-bow should represent and signifie vnto all men an Oth that God sware to Noe and to all men after him that he would no more drowne the worlde with water so the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ hath a promise annexed which the Priest should declare in the English tongue This is my body that is broken for you This is my bloud that is shed for many vnto the forgiuenesse of sinnes This doe in the remembraunce of mée â—aith Christ. Luke 22. 19. and 1. Cor. 11. 24. If when thou seest the sacrament or eatest his body or drinkest his bloud thou haue this promise fast in thy heart
let the whole body of Christ crie out wheÌ„soeuer it suffereth afflictions diuers temptations innumerable slaunders preserue my soule for I am a Saint Ric. Turn To al you of Rome beloued of god saints by calling â—Saints by calling is as much to say as called to be saints called to holynesse holy things For the Scripture is accustomed to call them that be aliue Saints And it ought to be all one to say S Saint or a christen man or a christian Tindale How Saints shall iudge the world They shall iudge saith Chrisostome not they themselues sitting in iudgement and exacting an accompt God forbid But they shall condemne the world the which signifieng he sayth And if in you c. He sayth not of you but in you as who should say the iust condempnation of those that are the worldlinges shall shine in the saluation of you that are in his Saintes I. Bridges SALOMONS HOVSE Of the beautie thereof and wherevnto it is applied SAint Hierome and other learned interpreters in reading and pointing doe swarue quite and cleane from our Latine Bibles reading this clause of commending of Salomons goodly house on this wise Epalatijs eburneis vt te exhilerentâ— and yet héere is still Eclipsis which may be thus made vp Supplia vestimenta deprompta e palatijs eburneis vt te exhileret Out of the Iuory pallaices and not Iuory places but out of Iuory pallaces are thy swéet garments brought out to make thée merâ—ie and ioyfull for that is one of the properties of sweete odours to make the spirits of a man merrie and chéerefull Thus then doth the Prophet commend Salomon the figure of Christ. He saith that Salomon had not onely a princely store of swâ—â—tâ— and goodly garments smelling of Mirre Aloes Eassia but also they were said vp in pallaices of Iuorie Of Salamons most princely house the Scripture maketh mention 3. Reg. 7. Where it is sayde that Salomons house was a building xiâ— yeares There was none other timber occupied in the making of the roofe certeine other parts but only Cedar which wood is costly hard to be gotten The walls were in many places set with precious stones and the pillers of Ceder plated ouer with golde This was a sumptuous house But yet we read not that Salomons pallaice was made of Iuorie No of Iuorie there is no mention and no meruaile for Iuorie is onely the bone of an Elephants tooth So that it is not lykely that such plentie of Elephants téeth could be gathered or gotten that should make or couer Salomons pallaice that was so great so large that it was xiii yeares a building wherefore by these words Domus eburnea Iuorie pallaices we must vnderstand nothing else but most goodly and sumptuous houses so pleasant and so beautifull as if they had ben made of white Iuorie of the shining teeth of Elephants Thus then hath the prophet in this dark place E domibus eburncis And if ye will applie these words vnto Christ then ye must allegorically vnderstand by the Iuory houses the white and the pure hearts of the elect Saints seruants of God wherin through the sanctifieng of the holy Ghost Christ dwelleth more princely then euer Salomon did in anie of his gorgeous houses Of Salomons Temple Which had séene the first house c. Wept with a loud voyce ¶ Because they sawe that it was nothing so glorious as that Temple which Salomon had built notwithstanding Aggeus comforteth them and prophesieth that it shall be more beautifull then the first Aggeâ— 2. meaning because Christ and his Apostles should preach the Gospell and worke miracles therein The Bible note ¶ The note in the Bible of Geneua hath thus in the ende meaning the spirituall Temple which are the members of Christs body What Salomons porch meaneth In Salomons porch ¶ The Euangelist calleth Salomons porch the Temple not because it was the Sanctuarie but a part of the same Therefore this place in the which Christ walked belonged not to the Scribes and Pharesies but to the common sort of people For it is certeine the this porch of the which mention is made héere was not the same which is described in yâ— booke of Kings for that was taken away by the Chaldees and quite ouerthrown but the same which the Iewes straight after their returne from their exile into Babylon builded according to the paterne of the olde Marl. vpon Iohn fo 391. Which was builded againe after the paterne of that which Salomon builded Geneua SALT What it is to salt THE office of an Apostle and true preacher of Christ is to salt not onely the corrupt manners and conuersations of earthly people but also the rotten heart within and all that springeth out thereof their naturall reason their will their vnderstanding and wisedome yea and their fayth and beleefe and all that they haue imagined without Gods worde concerning righteousnesse inuocation satisfaction and seruing God c. Tindale fol. 196. Who is meete to Salt The true preaching is a salting that stirreth vp persecution and an office that no man is méete for saue he that is seasoned himselfe before with pouertie in spirit softnesse méeknesse patience mercifulnesse purenesse of heart and hunger for righteousnesse and looking for persecution to and hath al his comfort and hope in the blessing onely and in no worldly thing Tindale fol. 196. Of the salting of hypocrites The nature of Salt is to bite fret make smart though the sicke patients of the world canne suffer their grose sinnes to be rebuked vnder a fashion as in a Parable a farre of yet to haue their righteousnesse their holynesse and seruing of God and his Saintes disallowed improued and condempned for dampnable and diuellish that may they not abide Tindale fo 196. Of salt that hath lost his saltnesse If Salt haue lost his saltnesse it is good for nothing but to be troden vnder foote of men ¶ That is if the preacher which for his doctrine is called Salt haue lost his nature of Salt the is to say his sharpnesse in rebuking all vnrighteousnesse all naturall reason naturall will and vnderstanding and all trust confidence in whatsoeuer it be saue in the bloud of Christ he is condempned of God and disallowed of all them that cleaue to the truth c. Tindale fol. 197. Ye are the Salt of the earth c. ¶ The ministers of Gods word are called the Salt of the earth because the men are made by their true doctrine being receiued through faith sauory vnto the Lord. And the Salt hath lost his saltnesse when the ministers fall from Gods worde vnto the dreames and traditions of Antichrist Beza How our speach ought to be poudred with salt Let your speach be gratious alway and poudred with salt Héere wée haue a goodly lesson how that our communication ought to bée tempered with godly wisedome which he vnderstandeth
Paule maketh no moe Sauiours but God alone for he attributeth saluation vnto the instruments whereby God worketh saluation When as Dauid killed Golias with a sling he that saith Dauids sling killed Golias with a â—ling saith not there was more slayers of Golias beside Dauid for the sling was the proper weapon that Dauid killed Golias with And so is Timothy Gods instrument wherby he wrought the saluation of Timothy and of them that beleeued his preaching But if a man say that a launce killed Golias the same man maketh another killer of Golias beside Dauid for the Launce was none of the weapons that Dauid killed Golias with So he that giueth saluation instrumentally to any instruments which God hath onely appointed and vsed to worke saluation vnto other instruments then are peculiar and proper vnto God which God neither appointed neither at any time hath vsed neither will allowe for his instruments maketh another Sauiour beside God I. Veron Thou gauest them Sauiours c. ¶ Sauiours are héere called the Princes or Captaines which saued the people from theyr enimies Iudic. 3. T. M. How this place following is vnderstood Whosoeuer will saue his lyfe shall loose it ¶ Whosoeuer will saue his lyfe that is whosoeuer in this world regardeth so his lyfe that he will not put it in ieopardye for me when the time requyreth the same shall loose his lyfe eternally Tindale To bee saued by hope what it meaneth For we are saued by hope ¶ We are saued by hope that is we hope to be deliuered out of the corruption of our bodyes into the glory that Christ now is in and therefore saint not in our tribulations Tindale SAVLE Why he was called Paule THen Saule which also is called Paule ¶ Of the name of Paule doe manye dispute but the most allowed opinion is that of the Hebrewes hée was called Saule and after the manner of speach of the Gentiles and Romanes hée was called Paule How Saule rent Samuels coate When Saule tooke Samuel by the lap of his coate and rent it Samuel said vnto Saule The Lord hath rent the Kingdome of Israel from thee this day Some expositours doe say that Samuel did giue this token to Saule that such a man shuld raigne in his steede as should cut off the lap of his coate which thing Dauid did For Saule when he saw the lap of his coate in Dauids hand said vnto him Now I know surely that thou shalt raigne after me Lyra. SCAPE GOATE ¶ Looke Goate SCEPTER What the Scepter of Christ is HIs scepter is a scepter of righteousnesse not onely a righteous Scepter that is that whatsoeuer he ordeineth it is righteous but the scepter of righteousnes that is whatsoeuer is righteous is ordeined of him and all spirituall scepters of all Kings which are not directed by him they are crooked broken scepters of superstition and scepters of Idolatry there is none of righteousnesse but only the scepter of Iesus Christ. The Scepter is a little wande which Princes haue accustomed to beare in their hands and it is a signe of their gouernment and by a Metonimia it signifieth héere the gouernmeÌ„t it selfe Now the scepter of Christ is as his kingdome is not a scepter of wood or mettall like other kings for his kingdome is not of this worlde as theirs is but his scepter the Prophet Esay in plaine words describeih it He shall smite the earth saith he with the scepter of his mouth with the breath of his lips shall kill the vngodly In which words of the Prophet we sée both what is the scepter why it hath the name of righteousnes The scepter is the word of his mouth yâ— is the preaching of the Gospell not decrées nor decreâ—alls nor traditions of men nor vnwritten verities by none of al these we haue receiued the spirit of God but onely by hearing faith preached it therefore alone is the scepter c. Deering SCISME What Scisme is and how it is defined SCisme is a Gréeke word lyke as Hersie is and signifieth a cutting off a diuision or a breach deriued from the Gréek word Okizio which is as much to say as to cut to deuide and to breake asunder Augustine doth allow their definition which doe define Scisme to be a new discention of some Congregation vpon a diuersitie of opinions and Heresie an olde worne Scisme But séeing the signification of this word is manifest knowen I thinke it a plainer way to define a Scisme to bée a cutting a sunder of the Ecclesiasticall vnitie and peace whereby the fellowship of the faithful is deuided into two parts and opinions and that it skilleth not whether it be new or olde or els from whome it procéede It was surely a Scisme that the Corinthians were deuided into two parts and said one I am of Paule and another I am of Cephas and another I am of Apollo Like as the Scisme of the kingdome of the Israelites was when the ten Tribes were separated from Iuda and Beniamin vnder Roboam was as well a Scisme when it came to be olde vnder the last king of that people as when it was yet new begun vnder Roboam So the Schismes of the Church be as well Scismes after all their auncientie of times and continuance as they were at the first beginning though they conuey themselues neuer so great a colour of the Catholike church because they haue bene so long vsed and accustomed Mus. fol. 542. Of Scismes good and euill That is an euill schisme whereby the good vnitie and concord is cut and put a sunder and that is a good scisme when the naughtie knot and nest was broken The vnitie of the Iewes was naught before they heard the doctrine of Christ concord was broken by scisme after the hearing of Christ. So we do read in Iohn And ther was a scisme a new among the Iews because of these words talke For many of them saide He hath a Diuell and is mad why doe ye hearken vnto him Other sayde These be not the words of one that hath the Diuell can a diuell open the eyes of the blind This scisme the doctrine of Christ stirred vp among the Iewes And what godly person will say that the vnitie concord which went before was better then it By the lyke scisme the whole world was dâ—uided afterwarde through the preaching of Christs Gospell which diuision Christ doth expresly challenge to himselfe saieng I came not to send peace but a sword for I came to seperate c. This scisme came vpon good that is to say vpon the Gospell of saluation and it tendeth to good ende that is to saye vnto the saluation of mankinde and it did breake vp the naughtie vnitie which rested in the Catholike or vniuersall blindnesse of mens mindes and it called all men vnto the true vnitie Muscul. fol. 543. SCORNER The propertie of a scorner or mocker REproue not a scorner least he
reason with reason August contra Maxi. li. 3. chap. 14. More weightie is the doctrine of the Scripture and the Prophets then of such as be raised from the dead doe report any thing or if an Angell descend from heauen As for the things they talke they be but seruants that speake them but whatsoeuer the Scripture vttereth the Lord hath spoken it The Lord therfore doth teach vs that we should thinke credit shuld be rather giuen vnto the Scriptures then to all other things Chrisost. de Lazaro concione 4. No man will giue héede to the Scriptures for if we did consider them we shuld not onely not fall into â—rrours our selues but also thereof deliuer other that are deceiued and put them from perill Chrisost. in Epist. ad Heb. Homil. 8. Let vs not bring deceitfull ballances wherein we may weigh whatsoeuer we lust at our owne discretion saieng this is heauie this is light but let vs bring the heauenly ballance of the holy Scripture as from the treasure of the Lord therin let vs weigh what is of more weight Hierome causa 24. quest chap. 1. non adfera How Christ ouercommeth Satan with Scriptures Iesus sayd vnto him it is written againe ¶ Christ woulde not ouercome Satan by his diuine and almightie power but with the Scriptures and word of God to teach vs by his own example to fight against Satan with the holy sacred Scripture which are our heauenly armour the word of the spirit Beza How this place following is to be vnderstood Among the which some things are hard to be vnderstoode c. ¶ That is to say among the which things for he disputeth not héere whether Paules Epistles be plaine or darke but saith that amongest those things which Paule hath written off in his Epistles and Peter himselfe in these two of his owne there are some things which cannot be so easily vnderstood and therfore are of some drawne to their owne destruction that hée saith to make vs more attentiue and dilligent and not to remoue vs from reading of holy things For to what end should they haue written vaine speculations Beza ¶ As no man condempneth the brightnesse of the Sunne because his eyes is not able to susteine the cleerenesse thereof so the hardnesse which we cannot somtime compasse or perfectly vnderstand in the Scriptures ought not to take away from vs the vse of the Scriptures Geneua Of them which say that Scripture hangeth vpon the iudgement of the Church I know saith Caluine that they haue commonly the saieng of Augustine where he sayth he would not beléeue the Gospel saue that the â—uthoritie of the Church moued him therevnto But â—ow vntrue and cauillously it is alleaged for such a meaning by the whole tenour of his writing it is easie to perceiue He had to doe with the Maniches which desired to be beleeued without gaine saieng when they vaunted that they had yâ— truth on their side but proued it not Now Augustine asketh them what they would doe if they did light vpon a man that would not beleeue the Gospell it selfe with what manner of perswasion they wold drawe him to their opinion Afterward he saith I myselfe would not beleeue the Gospel c. saue yâ— the authoritie of the church moued me therto meaning yâ— he himselfe when hée was a straunger from the faith could none otherwise be brought to embrace the gospell for the assured truth of God but by this the he was ouercome by the authoritie of the Church And what meruaile is it if a man not yet knowing Christ haue regard to men Augustine therfore doth not there teach yâ— the faith of the godly is grounded vpon the authoritie of the Church nor meaneth that the certeintie of the gospel hangeth theron but simply onely that there should be no assurednesse of the gospell to the Infidels wherby they might be won to Christ vnles yâ— consent of the church did driue them vnto it And the same meaning a little before he doth plainly confirme in this saieng When I shal praise yâ— which I beléeue scorne the which thou beléeuest what thinkest thou méet for vs to iudge or do but the we forsake such men as first call vs to come know certeine truths after commaunded vs to beléeue things vncerteine And that we follow them that require vs first to beléeue that which we are not yet able to sée that being made strong by beléeuing we may attainâ— to vnderstand the thing that we beléeue not men now but God himselfe inwardly strengthening giuing light to our minds These are the very words of Saint Austen Caluin 1. booke chap. 7. Sect. 3. The Papists say it must be vnderstood after the interpretation of the Church of Rome which is false When the Apostles bad vs trie the spirits whether they be of God or no meant he trow ye we shuld trie them according to the testimony of the Church of Rome When the men of Thessalonica tried the Apostles doctrine whether it wer true or no Asked they yâ— iudgement of the Church of Rome c. Deering Obiection How is the word of God and the Scriptures knowne but by the Church Aunswere The Church was and is a meane to bring a man more spéedely to know the scriptures and the word of God as was the woman of Samaria a meane that the Samaritanes knew Christ but as when they had heard him speake they sayde Now we know that he is Christ not because of thy words but because we our selues haue heard him So after we came to the hearing and reading the Scriptures shewed vnto vs and discerned by the Church we doe beleeue them and know them as Christs shéepe not because the Church sayth they are the Scriptures but because they be so being assured therof by the same spirit which wrote and spake them Bradford in the booke of Mar. fol. 1794. When the Scriptures was in English ¶ Looke Bible Of the burning of Scriptures ¶ Looke Herode SEA Of the diuerse names giuen to this Sea OUer the sea of Galile ¶ This is a lake which is called in the Scripture the sea or lake of Ginnereth which some interpret the sweete sea is called of the Gréeks Genezar or Genazareth Of this Iosephus maketh mention in his third booke of the war of the Iewes 18. chapter S. Iohn calleth it the sea of Tiberias because the citie of Tiberias so called of Herode the Tetrach for the honour of Tiberius Caesar bounded vpon the East part of the same Wherefore by this portion the Euangelist doth more plainly describe the place whither Christ went For the whole lake was not called the sea of Tiberias but onely that part which lay more to the shore vpon the which Tiberias was scituate Marl. fo 188. What the Sea of Glasse signifieth As it were a Sea of Glasse ¶ The Hebrues betoken all manner of
gathering of waters by the name of Sea according to this saieng and the gathering togethers of waters he called Seas Ge. 1. 10. And the vessell wherein the Priests washed theÌ„selues wheÌ„ they went about the holy ministrations was called the braseÌ„ sea 3. Re. 7. 23. In this place the word sea is taken for a coÌ„pany of much people whom the spirit of God enlighteneth therfore they be cléere as glasse like vnto Christall that is to saye they be deliuered from darknesse and rustinesse and soule spottes by Christ Iesus reigning in the Church c. In the. 7. chapter the word sea of some is taken for rich merchant men which traficke vpon the Seas And in the. 16. chapter verse 3. the restlesse Sea séemeth to betoken the chiefe estates of the world or the confusion or chaungeablenesse of the world or els those people that dwell farre of in out Iles. Marl. to 73. ¶ The world is compared to a Sea because of the chaunge and vnstablenesse Geneua And I saw as it were a glassie sea mingled with fire ¶ The Sea of glasse mixed with fire signifieth the wickednesse of the world and all wicked enimies and aduersaries of the truth and doctrine of the Gospell Sir I. Cheeke ¶ The glassie Sea signifieth this brittle and inconstant world mixt with fire that is troubles and afflictions but the Saints of God ouercommeth them all and sing diuine songs to God by whose power they get the victory Geneua What Iob meaneth by these two words Sea and Whale Am I a Sea or a Whale fish that thou kéepest me so in prison ¶ Am I a Sea or a Whale saith Iob that thou shouldest set as it were such barres against me and that I should be faine to haue so great lets to stop me Iob protesteth héere before God that there was no néede why he should be stopped with so great violence And why so I am not lyke a Sea saith he which hath néede of rampires and lets If a Sea haue broken ouer his bankes a thousand or two thousand men must be sent against it there must be bringing of timber of earth and of stones to make vp so great a breach Also a Whale will not suffer himselfe to be caught without great adoe but great force must be vsed to holde so strong and mightie a beast But Iob saith I am no Sea nor Whale how is it then that GOD procéedeth with so great violence against me Héereby he meaneth that the miserie which he endureth is ouer great and that God hath no néed to punish him so And héerein he sheweth that he had no such stay in himselfe as he ought to haue had Cal. vpon Iob. fol. 99. SEBELLIVS Of his hereticall opinions THis man denied Christ to be the sonne of God and sayde that he was not the first begotten before all creatures Hée denied also the vnderstanding of the holy ghost He leaned much to the opinion of Noetus as touching the thrée persons And denied that there was a Trinitie Epiph. heraes 62. August li. de heraes SECOND Of the second time of punishing that Nahum speaketh of WHat doe ye think against the Lord He will make an end neither shal tribulation rise vp the second time ¶ Which words some of the Hebrues as Hierome telleth interpret of the Assirians who when they had the first time gotten the victory against the kingdome of yâ— ten tribes thought in like manner to preuaile against the kingdome of Iuda but yâ— it should so come to passe the Prophet denieth saith That after the first tribulation the second should not follow This exposition may indéed be borne withall But there is an other which is more plaine namely to say that these things are spokeÌ„ against Sennacherib which besieged Hierusalem vnto whom God threatened a full and through ouerthrow I will saith he so blot thee out that I shal not néed to rise vp the second time against thee one plague shal be sufficient thou shalt be so vehemently afflicted with it Pet. Mar. vpon the Rom. ¶ Hee sheweth that the enterprises of the Assirians against Iuda and the Church were against God and therfore he wold so destroy them at once that he should not néede to returne the second time Geneua What is meant by the second death He that ouercommeth shall not be hurt of the second death ¶ He that so constantly perseuereth in the truth of God yâ— neither flattering perswasioÌ„ worldly promotion nor cruel tormeÌ„t can plucke his minde from it shall neuer take harme of the second death For the death of them which truly beleeueth is precious in the sight of the Lord their God neither shall sinne be imputed to him that hath fayth nor yet dampnation to them that are in Christ. Bale ¶ The first death is the naturall death of the bodye the second death is the eternall death from the which are all free that beléeue in Iesus Christ. Iohn 5. 24. Geneua SECRETNESSE How secrets ought not to be disclosed ALexander the conquerour reading a letter that came from his mother conteining matter of weight tooke Exhestion his friend to him to read the same with him And after he had read it pulled out his signet and set it to Exhestions mouth giuing to vnderstand thereby that he which knoweth a seceret ought to keepe his mouth close The Romane Fuluius opened a greate secret that Augustus had told him vnto his wife who béeing rebuked of the Emperour sell in dispaire And first rebuked his wife who made him this aunswere You blame me quoth she without a cause for sithens ye haue liued with me so long ye ought perdie to haue knowne my lightnesse long or this time and knowing of it ye should not haue credited me therwith therefore the fault how great so euer it be is your own but yet will I take the punishment vpon me first therewithall slew her selfe incontinent her husband did the like after When one asked Metellus a Romane Captaine what hée would doe touching such an enterprise in warre he aunswered him on this wise If I knew that this shirt which I haue vppon my backe were wiâ—ting what I will doe I would burne it incontinent When one asked Aristotle what thing he thought hardest he aunswered Secrets SECT What is meant by this word Sect. WHich was the sect of the Saduces ¶ The word which is vsed héere is heresie which signifieth a choise and so is taken for a right forme of learning or faction or studye and course of lyfe which the Latines call a Sect. At the first this word was indifferently vsed but at length it came to be taken onely in euil part wher vpon came the name of heretik which is takeÌ„ for one that goeth astray from sound wholsome doctrine after such sort yâ— hée setteth light by the iudgement of God and his Church and continueth in his opinion and breaketh the peace of the Church Beza
was a fountaine at the foote of mount Syon out of the which ran a small riuer through the citieâ— meaning that they of Iuda distrusting their owne power which was small desired such power and riches as they sawe in Sytia and Israel Geneua ¶ Looke Water How that by Siloh Christ is meant The Scepter shall not depart from Iuda c. vntill Siloh come ¶ Which is Christ the Messias the giuer of all prosperitie who shall call the Gentiles to saluation Geneua ¶ The Scepter shall not be taken away from Iuda till Siloh come that is to say the séede of a woman which is Christ the Lord Hemmyng Of the tower of Siloh Upon whom the tower of Siloh fell ¶ To wit in the place or riuer for Siloh was a small riuer from which the conduits of the citie came whereof Iohn 9. 7. Esay 8. 6. and therefore it was a tower of castle built vpon the Conduit side which fell downe sodeinly and killed some Beza SILVER What it is to turne siluer into drosse THy siluer is turned into drosse c. ¶ To turne siluer into drosse to mixe wine with water is depraue the heauenly word of God and to corrupt the pure iudgement thereof for couetous sake which thing was vsed in Paules time as ye may sée 2. Cor. 4. 2. much more now be ye sure T. M. ¶ Whatsoeuer was pure in thée before is now corrupt though thou haue an outward shew Geneua What a siluerling is And found it fiftie thousand siluerlings ¶ These siluerlings which we now call pence the Iewes call sicles and are worth ten pence sterling a péece which summe mounteth to of our money about 2000. Marks SIMON MAGVS Of his hereticall opinions and of his end SImon Magus the forcerer being a Samaritane of the village Gitton was baptised by Philip The Deacon in Samaria he would haue bought of Peter the gift of the holy Ghost Of him rose the word Simonie Act. 8. Euse. lâ— 2. cap. 1. He came to Rome in the time of Claudius he called himselfe a God hée was honoured there with a picture hauing this superscription Simoni Deo sancto He had to his yoke mate one Helen whoÌ„ Ireneus calleth Selen a witch and a common haâ—lot whome hée called the principall vnderstanding Euse. li. 2. chap. 12. 13. 14. He sayd vnto the Samaritanes that he was the Father vnto the Iewes that he was the sonne descended from heauen vnto the Gentiles that he was the holy Ghost Ireneus li. 1. cap. 20. Epipha li. 1. Tom. 2. heraes 21. Peter foiled him in Samaria where for shame he fled and leauing Samaria and Iudea he sayled from East to West thinking to liue at his hearts ease came to Rome vnder Claudius where Peter also being sent no doubt by the holy Ghost met him Euse. Eccle. hist. li. 2. chapter 14. 15. Peter had much to doe with him in the presence of Nero as Anton. Chron. writeth He had thrée conflicts with him In the end Symon séeing himselfe foyled and his witchcraft preuailing not at all told them he would leaue their Citie and flye vp into the heauens whence he came wherefore vppon a certeine daye appointed he climed vp into the high Capitoll whence he tooke his flight by the meanes of his witchcraft and the spirits which bore him in the ayre the people at the sight héere of were amazed But Peter fell downe and prayed vnto God that his witchcraft might be reuealed vnto the world He had no sooner prayed but downe commeth Symon Magus and brused himselfe in péeces so that thereby he dyed miserablye Abdias Babylon Apost hist. li. 1. Aegisip li. 3. chap. 2. Epiphan li. Tom. 2. heraes 21. Anto. Chron. Part. 1. Tit. 6. cap. 4. Of Simon Chananeus the Apostle Symon called Chananeus which was brother to Iude and to Iames the younger which all were the sonnes of Marye Cleopha and of Alpheus was Bishoppe of Hierusalem after Iames and was crucified in a Citie of Aegypt in the time of Traianus the Emperour as Dorotheus recordeth but Abdias writeth that he with his brother Iude were both â—laine by a tumult of the people in Suanier a Citie of Persidis In the booke of Mar. fol. 52. SIMPLE Who are simple HE is simple that is without craft or â—eceit and continueth in beléeuing and executing of Gods will Iacob was called a simple man Gen. 25. 27. SINAGOGVE What a Sinagogue is ACcording to the Greeke word it is called a Sinagogue and to the Latine word a place for the people to assemble together to heare diuine matters by the which name also the places for the assembly of the ecclesiasticall persons are called Marl. vpon Math. Sinagâ—gues are thought of certeine to be conuenient places of resort erected in the stréets or market place To other it seemeth to be an ecclesiasticall place of resort wherevnto the people come to heare the word of God Marl. SINGING The meaning of these two places following BE not filled with wine wherein is wantonnesse but be yée filled with the spirit speaking to your selues in Psalmes hymns spiritual songs singing in your hearts giuing thanks alwayes vnto God for all things in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ. ¶ To Wineâ— yâ— Apostle setteth the spirit as contrary and forbiddeth the pleasure of the senses when in stéed of wine he will haue Christians filled with the spirit for in Wine as he sayth is wantonnesse but in the spirit is both a true perfect ioy Dronkards speake more then inough but yet foolish and vaine things Speake ye saith he but yet spirituall things and that not onely in voice but also in heart for the voice soundeth in vaine where the minde is not affected they which be filled with wine doe speak foolish filthy and blasphemous things but giue ye thanks to God alwaies I say and for all things Let the word of the Lord abound plenteously in you teach admonish ye one another in Psalmes Hymnes and spirituall songs singing in your hearts with grace ¶ By these wordes Paule expresseth two thinges first that our songs be the word of God which must abounde plenteously in vs and they must not serue onely to giuing of thankes but also to teach and admonish And then it is added with grace which is thus to vnderstande as though he shoulde haue sayde aptlye and properlye both to the senses and to measures and also vnto the voices Let them not sing rude and rusticall things neither let it be immoderatly as doe the Tauerne hunters To the Corinthians where he intreateth of an holy assembly the same Apostle writeth after this manner When ye asseÌ„ble together according as euery one of you hath a Psalme or hath doctrine or hath tongue or hath reuelation or hath interpretation let all things bee done vnto edifieng By which wordes is declared that singers of songes and Psalmes had their place in the Church Pet. Mart. vpon Iudic.
of men by manifest signes of his Diuinitie Geneua How the sonne is punished for the fathers fault He shall dye the death and his bloud shall be vpon him ¶ He sheweth how the sonne is punished for his fathers fault that is if he be wicked as his Father was doeth not repent he shall be punished as his father was or els not Geneua SONNE OF GOD. How Christ is proued to be the Sonne of God THou art my sonne this daye haue I begotten thée ¶ That is this daye haue I declared that thou art my naturall son meaning especially the time in which he made him knowen in the world by his wonderfull workes as S. Paule ment when he said God was made manifest in the flesh noting the working of the spirit working in his birth life death resurrection ascension so this daye noteth no perticular time but al times in generall wherein God hath shewed his power in Christ as especially in the time he liued among vs c. Deering Of the Sonne of Gods deliuering vp his kingdome vnto his father Then commeth the ende when he hath deliuered vp the kingdome to God the father when he hath put downe all rule authoritie and power for he must raigne till he haue put all his enimies vnder his feete but where he saith all things are put vnder him it is manifest that he is excepted which did put all things vnder him when all things are subdued vnto him then shall the sonne also himselfe be subiect vnto him that put all things vnder him that God may be all in all ¶ S. Paule in this place doth the Corinthians to wit that then shall the ende come that all things shall be subdued vnto Iesus Christ and Christ his Sonne shall delyuer vnto his Father his kingdome that is the Church the whole number of the elect which he hath by his death redéemed Then also Christ the son himselfe shall be subiect vnto the father touching the dispensation of his flesh in his members the Saints by which it is meaned that then the mysterie of Christ shall cease the preaching of the Gospell shall be left and no longer any such in the euerlasting kingdom of God the saints shal be as was in the militant Church when the world was subiect vnto the preaching of the Gospell For wher no sin nor disease is ther néedeth no remission or medicine And this subiection of the Saints shal be the most frée kingdom vnto them for then Iesus Christ very God man shal be al in al God in God raigning in all things creature in creatures to God subiect as a creature c. Uerely touching the dispensation of the flesh and the misterie now in force and vre Christ shal be subiect to his father but being true God and cousubstanciall sonne of God the Father hath and shal euerlastingly haue one indiuisible raigne kingdome with the father I. Proctor ¶ Now Christ shall surrender the Kingdome that was giuen vnto him that we may cleaue perfectly vnto God howbeit he shall not by that meanes vtterly giue vp his kingdom wherof as the Scripture teacheth there is no ende but he shall as it were conuay it from his manhood to his Godhead For then we shall haue an open entrie and frée accesse to the diuine maiestie where now our weaknesse will not suffer vs to approch Christ then shall this waye bée subiect to his Father for then the vale shall be taken away and the office of his mediation shall some way cease and we shall sée God face to face raigning in his glory without any countring or meane And where S. Paul saith that God may be all in all some think he speaketh so because we shall haue than without any meane many commodities which God now ministreth vnto vs by creatures For maintenance of our lyfe we shal then haue no néed of bread and drinke c. Neither for edifieng shall we haue any néede of the Sacraments of the Church nor the outward word of the Scripture nor Ecclesiasticall offices for God by himself shall be all in all Other teach the meaning of those wordes to be that the flesh shall couet no more the spirit but God shal possesse euery part of vs and raigne in vs fully perfectly which thing in this life is only begun B. Traher ¶ Looke Subiection How the sonne of God is equall to his father Thought it no robbery to be equall with God ¶ If the sonne be equall to the father then is ther of necessitie an equalitie which Arrius that Heretike denieth And if the sonne bée compared with the father then is there a distinction of persons which Sebellius that heretike denieth Beza Who are the sonnes of God The sonnes of God are the sonnes of Seth which hadde instructed and nourished them in the feare of God The sonnes of men are the sonnes of Cain instructed of him to all wickednesse Tindale The sonnes of God séeing the daughters of men that they were faire S. Austen saith that those which are ther called the sonnes of God were in very déede men namely comming of the stocke of Seth. For when they worshipped God truly sincerely and called vpon him holily and purely being adorned with his fauour and grace they are called by the Scriptures the sons of God But when at the length they began to burne in filthie lusts with those women which came of the stocke of Cain and by that meanes fell into fellowship with the vngodly taking them to their wiues and cleauing also to superstitious and wicked worshippings they were chaunged from the sonnes of God not onely into men but also into flesh And this will I say by the waye Aquila translating these wordes out of Hebrue They were not saith he the sonnes of God but the sonnes of Gods for the cause so called as I suppose because their progenitours were holy men but their Children miserably fell from God and godlinesse by inordinate loue of women And Simmachus translateth it the sonnes of the naughtie c. Pet. Mar. vpon Iudic. fol. 16. ¶ By the sonnes of God are vnderstood those that descended from Seth which wer instruct in the true knowledge and worship of God as in manye places both in the olde Testament and in the new the faithfull are called the sonnes of God And by the daughters of men are vnderstoode the women that came of the generation of Cain which were giuen to all vngodlynesse and with them Seth commaunded his children by the will of GOD that they should make no contract of marriage as the Lord commaunded the Children of Israel to make no marriage with the women of the Cananites Lyra. ¶ The Sonnes of the godlye ioyned themselues with the Daughters of the wicked without all feare of God Geneua How we are borne the sonnes of God Which are borne not of bloud c. ¶ These words pertain◠to the description
of them which beléeue in the name of Christ and doe receiue the right of the adoption of the sonnes of God they which are such are not borne of flesh bloud but of God flesh bloud begetteth not the children of God That which is of the flesh is flesh that which is of the spirit is spirit By these words the Euangelist meaneth nothing els but the carnall birth For he maketh a comparison of the generation of the flesh and the spirit reiecting the one and allowing the other c. They which beléeue in Christ being before vncleane Gentiles are not borne the sonnes of God out of the wombe or by flesh and bloud but are brought therevnto by the workmanship of the holy Ghost And although properly he hath respect vnto the Iewes which were proud in the flesh yet notwithstanding of this place a generall doctrine maye be gathered namely that whereas we are counted the sonnes of God it commeth not by the propertie of our nature neither of our selues but because the Lord hath begotten vs of his owne frée will singular loue Marl. vpon Iohn fol. 19. That we should be called the sonnes of God ¶ Being made the sons of God in Christ he sheweth what qualities we must haue to be discerned from bastards Geneua SOPHIST What a Sophist was at the beginning and what it is now SOphists at the first beginning were men that professed to be teachers of wisdome and eloquence And the name of Sophists was had in honour and price and they were of the same estimation and of the verie same facultie science that afterward wer called Rhetores that is Rethoritians yea also Logitians For when the Sophists fell to cauilling brawling and triâ—ling by little and little the estimation decayed So that or the time that Socrates liued in a Sophist was a name of contempt and hatred and so it is yet still at this day Vdal SORROVV Of godly sorrow and worldly sorrow FOR godly sorrow causeth repentaunce vnto saluation Godly sorrow is when we are not terrified with the feare of punishment but because we féele we haue offended God our most mercifull Father Contrarye to this there is an other sorrow that onely feareth punishment or when a men is vexed for the losse of some worldly goods the fruite of the first is repentaunce the fruite of the second is desperation vnlesse the Lord helpe spéedely Beza ¶ Ther be two manner of sorrowes The one commeth of God and engendereth repentaunce vnto life The other commeth of the flesh and bréedeth desperation vnto death We haue examples of both in Cain and Dauid in Iudas and Peter for they all sorrowed but the sorrow of Cain and Iudas was fleshly carnall and therfore being without godly comfort it did driue them to desperation Whereas Dauid and Peter in their godly sorrow did flye vnto the father of mercie with a true repentaunt heart and were receiued againe into the fauour of God Sir I. Cheeke ¶ Whose heart Gods spirit doth teach he is sorrie for his sinnes committed against so mercifull a God these are the fruites of his repentaunce as witnesse Dauids and Peters teares Other which are sorrie for their sinnes onely for feare of punishment and Gods vengeance fall into desperation As Cain Saule Iudas Achitophel c. Geneua How Christ ouercame the sorrowes of death And loosed the sorrowes of death ¶ The death that was full of sorrowe both of body and minde Therfore when death appeared conquerour and victour ouer those sorrows Christ is rightly sayd to haue ouercome those sorrowes of death when as being dead he ouercame death to liue for euer with his father Beza ¶ Both as touching the paine and also the horrour of Gods wrath and curse Geneua SOVLDIER What the profession of a souldier is TO professe a souldier is of it selfe saith Erasmus to confesse the puddle and sinke of all mischiefe The meaning of this place following Thou therfore suffer afflictioÌ„ as a good soldier of Iesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himselfe with the affaires of this lyfe because he woulde please him that hath chosen him to be a souldier ¶ The latter sentence is generall and perteyneth to all men The meaning is this Whosoeuer would be a souldier vnto Christ must leaue all worldly things and follow him And what Saint Paule meaneth by the affaires of this lyfe Heare Maister Caluines iudgement by the affaires of this life the Apostles vnderstandeth the care of gouerning his family and other ordinary businesse He also applieth the place on this wise Now this comparison saith he is to be applied to the present purpose that whosoeuer will playe tho warrier vnder Christ leauing all worldly matters and impediments must giue himselfe wholy vnto him SOVLE The diuerse taking of this word Soule THe soules of them that were put to death c. ¶ The worde soule is put somtime for the life because the soule is yâ— cause of lyfe and because the life consisteth in the soule as in yâ— Psal. 119. 109. and in Iob. 16. 4. Also it is taken for will minde or desire because it is the seate of the will and desire In which sense the soule of Ionathas is sayd to be linked to the soule of Dauid 1. Re. 18. 1. And the soule of Sichem is saide to haue cleued to Dina the daughter of Iacob Ge. 24. 8. And Luke saith that the multitude that beléeued were of one heart and of one soule Act. 4. 32. Many times it is taken for the whole liuing man as when it is saide that thréescore sixtéene soules went with Iacob into Aegypt Ge. 46. 27. Also the soule that sinneth the same shall dye Eze. 18. 20. And the soule that steppeth aside to witches and southsayers shall dye the death c. Leuit. 20. 6. And again eight soules wer saued by water â— Pet. 3. 20. Somtime it is taken for the breath which men doe breath in out wherein consisteth the liuely mouing of the body like as when it is said perplexity hath caught hold of me although my whole soule be still within mâ—â— 2. Reg. 1. 9. And his soule is in him Act. 20. 10. Also let the soule of the child returne into his bowels 3. Reg. 17. 21. And like as in the Latin phrase of speach they be commonly wont to say that the soule is puffed or breathed out so also doth the scripture say that the soule passeth or goeth out as it is said in Rachel And as her soule was passing or going out for she was then vieng she called the child Benony Gen. 35. 18. But most often the soule is taken for the immortall spirit of man lyke as it is sayd feare not them that kill the bodye but cannot kill the soule Math. 10. 28. In this sense doth Iohn say héere that he sawe the soules of them that were put to death c. Marl. vpon the Apoc.
shall saue his lyfe his soule that is his life shall be vnto him as a pray because he should vtterly haue lost it if hée had bidden in Hierosalem and by flieng to the Chaldees he should winne it euen as a man winneth a praye in battell T. M. How satan hath no power of the soule of the godly God hath giuen Satan leaue to punish Iob he sayth to him beholde thou maist worke thy spite vpon his substaunce but much not his person And againe after he hath destroyed all his goods he sayth Thou maist touch his person but thou shalt not come â—eere his soule Hâ—â—reâ—â— agaâ—â— we see how God reserueth alwayes the soule of Iob sol 〈…〉 Satan can no more but torment him in his goods and in his mortall lyfe and in his honour for he had not the power to â—â—lter into his soule to seduâ—e him and to make him to burst out into impatience Caluiâ—â—e fol. 22. How the soules departed know not what is done in earth If the soules of the dead departed sayth Saint Austen were present at the affaires of the liuing then woulde they speake vnto vs when we sée them in our sléepe and to omit others my tender mother would forsake me neuer a night which followed by sea by land to the end she might liue together with me God forbid she should become cruell in the happâ—er life so that if ought al anytime greiue my heart she comfort not her sorrowfull sonne whom she loued entirely whome she would neuer see sadde But in good sooth that which the sacred Psalme soundoth out is true My Father and my Mother hath forsaken me but the Lord tooke me vp if our Fathers haue forsaken vs how are they present at our cares businesse If our parents be not present what other of the departed bée there which know what we doe or what we suffer The Prophet Esay sayth Abraham hath bene ignorant of vs and Israel hath not knowne vs. God of his great goodnesse promised Iosias that he should dye be gathered vnto his people least yâ— he should sée the plagues which he threatned shuld happeÌ„ to yâ— place people Chrisostome writeth that the diuels vseth to say to the liuing Anima talis ego sum I am such a mans soule to the ende he may deceiue him Chrisost. Mat. chap. 8. Cipriane saith The wicked spirits doe hide themselues in pictures and Images consecrated they inspire the mindes of the Prophets they holden the heart strings intrailes they gouerne the flieng of birds they sort lots they sift out Oracles they mingle alwayes falsehood and truth togethers they distemper the health for they deceiue and are deceiued They trouble the lyfe they disquiet the sléepe and créeping into the bodyes they fray the secrets of the minde they bring the limâ— out of fashion they distemper the health they vexe with diseases that they may compell the poore silly wretches to the worshipping of them that being filled with the sauour from the altars and burnt bowels of bâ—astâ— loosing the thing which they bound They may séeme to cure for this is their curing and healing when they cease to hurt Cipriane de Idol vanitate SOVND Why Caluine doth vse this word Sound and not perfect HE was a sound man ¶ This word sound in the Scripture is taken for a plainâ—nesse when there is no point of sayuing counter feiting or hypocriste in a man but that he sheweth himselfe the same out wardly that he is inwardly and specially when he hath no starting holes to shift himselfe from God but â—aâ—eth open his heart and all his thoughts and affections so that he desireth nothing but to consecrate and dedicate himself wholy vnto God The same word also hath ben translated perfect as well by the Gréekes as by the Latines But forasmuch as the word perfect hath afterward bene misconstrued it is better for vs to vse the word sound for many ignoraunt persons not knowing how the sayd perfection is to bée taken haue thought thus Beholde héere a man that is called perfect and therefore it followeth that it is possible for vs to haue perfection in our selues euen during the time wée walke in this present lyfe but they deface the grace of God whereof wée haue néede continually For euen they that haue liued most vprightly must haue recourse to Gods mercye and except their sinnes be forgiuen them and that God vpholde them they must needes all perish So then although that they which haue vsed this word perfect haue meant well yet notwithstanding forasmuch as there hath bene some that haue wrast it to a contrarye sense as I haue sayde let vs kéepe still this worde Sounde Caluine vpon Iob. fol. 3. SOVVE What it is to sowe in the flesh and to sowe in the spirit TO sow in the flesh is to prouido for the néedes of this present lyfe without regard of the lyfe to come It is to bée all for a mans owne selfe to feede his owne paunch onely and to bestowe nothing to the mainteinaunce of the spirituall functions And to sowe in the flesh is to followe the fruites of the flesh and to pamper the fleshly lusts And to sowe in the spirit is to looke more to heauen then to the earth And to frame a mans lyfe as he may séeke alwayes the kingdome of God Wée sowe in the spirit when wée doe and suffer all thing in this lyfe to the end we may be wel at ease in the lyfe to come Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 307. For he that soweth in the flesh c. ¶ Hée proueth that the ministers must be nourished for if men onelye prouide for worldly thinges without respect of the lyfe euerlasting then they procure to themselues death and mocke God who hath giuen them his ministers to teach them heauenly thinges Geneua SPETTLE Of the clay that Christ made with his Spettle HE spat on the ground and made clay of the spettle annointed the eyes of the blinde with the clay ¶ This was not for any vertue that was in the earth in the spettle or in the clay to make one sée but it only pleased him to vse these signes and meanes Geneua How Spettle was abused in Baptime THe spettle whereby they doe not lighten but defile and beraye the infant they tooke out of the miraculous fact of Christ where he did strike ouer the eies of him that was borne blind with the spettle and clay and opened them This miracle the Apostles did see but for all that none of them stroke their spettle in the eies of them that should be baptised Musculus fol. 291. SPIDERS VVEB What it is to weaue the Spiders web AND weaue the Spiders web ¶ To weaue the Spiders web is to goe about vaine and trifling thinges which are of no value although they seeme neuer so excellent to the dooers T. M. SPIRIT How this word spirit is vnderstood GOD is a spirit
¶ This word spirit is to be taken heere as it is set against that commaundement which is called carnall Heb. 7. 16. as the commaundement is considered in it selfe And so he speaketh of truth not as we set it against a lye but as we take it in respect of the outward ceremonies of the lawe which did onely shadow that which Christ performed in déede Beza ¶ God being of a spirituall nature requireth a spirituall seruice and agreeable to the nature Geneua How the spirit of God maketh intercession for vs. But the spirit maketh great intercession for vs c. ¶ The right forme affection of praier commeth by the holy Ghost who maketh intercession for vs not that he prayeth mourneth but that he so stirreth our heartes that we lift them vp to heauen earnestly and seruently which is the true praier The Bible note Who is of else spirit of truth and who is not Euen the spirit of truth c. ¶ The spirit which Christ did promise shal teach onely these things which Christ had taught before whosoeuer therfore doth teach any other doctrine besides Christs doctrine he is not of the spirit of truth but of the spirit of leasing Sir I. Cheeke Of the spirit that Christ promised to send The spirit saith hâ— which I will 〈…〉 from my father shall lead you into all truth but howâ— Because saith he he shal put you in minde of all those things that I haue told you Ther he giueth warning that there is nothing more to be looked for of his spirit but that he should enlighten our minds to perceiue the truth of his doctrine Therfore Chrisostome Sermo de sanc adon spi. Iohn 12. 〈…〉 10. saith excellently wel Many saith he do boast of the holy spirit but they which speak their owne do falsely pretend that they haue him As Christ testified that he spake not of himselfe because he spake out of the lawe the Prophets So if any thing beside the Gospell be thrust in vnder the title of the spirit let vs not beléeue it because as Christ is the fulfilling of the lâ—we and Prophets so is yâ— spirit of the Gospell Câ—â— in his Inst. 4. b. cap. 8. Sect. 13. Why the holy Ghost is called the spirit of truth Who is the spirit of truth He is called the spirit of truth not onely because he is true but because he maketh the men in to whom he entereth true whereas all that they doe without the spirit is none other thing but lyes Tindale So called because he worketh in vs the truth Geneua Of the spirit of southsaieng A certeine damosell possessed with the spirit of southsaieng met vs. Which could tell things past gesse at things to come which knowledge in many things God permitteth to the diuell to this end as Austen writeth that he might thâ— more mightely deceiue those that woulde beleeue him The Bible note Of the spirit of the Prophets For the spirits of the Prophets are in the power of yâ— Prophets Héere he speaketh not of the holy Ghost in whose power all men ought to be but of the seuerall gifts of the spirit which are now in the power of them that haue them that they may alwaies without contention vse them to yâ— odifieng of the Church of Christ. Sir I. Cheke Spirits of the Prophets yâ— is the doctrine that they doe bring as being put in minde by the spirit of God The Bible note Or learning which Gods spirit moueth them to vtter Ge. Of the spirits in prison And preached vnto the spirits in prison ¶ It is vnknowne to vs where this prison was for the holy Scripture speaketh nothing of it In the Gospell it is called the bosome of Abraham It is sufficient for vs to know and beléeue that all the soules of the Saintes or faythfull which dyed since the beginning of the world are saued by the bloud of Christ howbeit the Gospell was sundrie wayes preached vnto the dead For vnto the holy Patriarkes deliueraunce and saluation vnto the vnfaythfull deserued dampnation was preached Sir I. Cheeke ¶ Christ being from the beginning head and gouernour of his Church came in the dayes of Noe not in the bodye which he then had not but in the spirit and preached by the mouth of Noe for the space of an hundred and twentie yeares to the disobedient which would not repent and therfore are now in prison reserued to the last iudgement Geneua How to serue God in the spirit To serue God in the spirit is to honour God with a true â—ffection procéeding from a pure and cleane heart and not by Images or other visible and corruptible things or else by shewes and outward ceremonies Pet. Viret SPIRITVALL Who they be that be spirituall ALL be spirituall men which are lead by Gods spirit hée who hath more abundaunce of Gods spirit is more spirituall Of a lyke manner S. Paule speaking to the married sorte in Rome as wel as to the rest said Vos non estis in carne sed in spiritu You be not in the flesh but in the spirit And Saint Iohn in his first Chapter nameth all to be spirituall that beléeue in Christ for flesh and bloud is not able to bring foorth such a child And if the outward admission were able to make a man spirituall then should Iudas and such lyke who had the outward election yet inwardly folowed the spirit of the flesh of the Diuell be worthely called spirituall But our Sauiour Christ reasoning with Nichodemus maketh a plaine proofe by euident demonstration that onely such as be endued with Gods spirit be worthy of the name spirituall and that such as bée not borne of Gods spirit bée not spirituall but carnall And in the same place the Lord hath giuen a generall resolution that no man can enter into the kingdome of heauen vnles he become a spirituall man and be borne a newe not onely of water but also of the holy Ghost Ponet fol. 34. For the spirituall iudgeth all things ¶ Who is that spirituall Not such as we now call men of holy Church but all that haue the true interpretation of the law in their hearts The right faith of Christ the true inteÌ„t of works which God biddeth vs to worke He is spirituall and iudgeth all things is iudged of no man Tindale The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God c. but he that is spirituall discusseth all things ¶ Paule doth call him spirituall which is renued by the spirit of God and béeing gouerned by the same spirit doth examine and trye all things with the true touchstone of Gods word which is set forth vnto vs by the inspiration of the same spirit that hée is inclined withall but he himself that is to say the spirit is iudged of no man Héere also the naturall man is taken for him which being without
set from thence foure hundred twenty talents of gold ¶ In the. 2. Par. 8. 18. is made mention of thirtie more which séeme to haue bene employed for their wages Geneua Of the pound or talent which the noble man left with his seruants The money pound or talent which Christ left with his seruants to occupie till he came signifieth nothing els but a fraÌ„k and frée gift giuen of God to euerie one of vs to be vsed and exercised to the glorie of his holy name and profit of his faithfull congregation We haue nothing as sayth the Apostle but that wée haue receiued as saith the Apostle 1. Cor. 4. 7. What hast thou that thou hast not receiued And againe Iames. â— 17. Euery good gift and euery perfect gift is from aboue c. Wee be commaunded to occupie our Lords money and not to hide it and sléepe our Maisters businesse as did the sluggish seruant which suffered tares to bée sowen among the corne and also the foolish virgins that fell on sléepe and let their lamps burne out Theo. Basil. TAPERS ¶ Looke Candles TAVGHT OF GOD. How this place is to be vnderstood AND they shall bée all taught of God ¶ This instruction of God is the inward illumination of the heart Notwithstanding we may not héereby take occasion to contemne vocal predication and external hearing For God verily teacheth but yet by externall meanes for fayth commeth by hearing he giueth his good spirit but yet by the preaching of the Gospell he giueth increase but yet by the planting of Paule and by the watering of Apollo Wherfore God teacheth man ministreth and faith receiueth doctrine God giueth his spirit the Apostle ministreth the beléeuer receiueth And so those things are ministred and distributed by the seruice of the Apostles whereof God is the authour himselfe This place All ought to bée restrained to Gods elect which onely are the naturall sonnes of the Church Marl. fol. 201. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord. ¶ By the hearing of his word and inward mouing of his spirit Gene. TELL NO MAN How these two places following are vnderstood AND he commaunded them that they should tell no man ¶ In this place we are taught when we do any good deed yâ— we should not hunt and hauke after the praise of men They therefore that doe béere so earnestly spread abroad the benefits and power of God sinne not against Christs wordes For in other places he requireth thankfulnesse of vs that we should alwayes setâ— forth the bounteous liberalitie of our heauenly father Theophilactus Charged them that they should tell no man what they had séene ¶ Christ forbiddeth the Apostles to tell forth the vision afore his rising againe from death least when men shoulde sée him to be crucified of whom so excellent and glorious things were spoken they should therewith be offended hauing his Apostles in dirision â—or telling of such things Sir I. Cheeke TEMPERAVNCE What Temperaunce is TEmperaunce is a sobrietie or modestie of the whole life of man which Paule setteth against the flesh He would therefore that Christians should liue soberly and chastly that they shoulde be no adulterers no fornicatours no wantons And if they cannot liue chastly he would haue them to marrie Also that they should not be couetous nor quarrellers that they should not be giuen to drunkennesse or surâ—etting but that they shoulde absteine from all those things Luther fol. 262. TEMPLES Wherefore Temples or Churches are ordeined MY house shall bée called the house of prayer but yée haue made it a denne of théeues ¶ For this finall cause or end are yâ— temples of christians ordeined that they may haue some conuenient places to assemble themselues together for to offer with one accord their Sacrifices of prayers and thanksgiuing vnto God for to preach and heare Gods word and for to minister the Sacraments duely and rightly but if there be hypocrisie superstition and false doctrine the people are robbed and spoyled and the Temples made dennes of théeues Sir I. Cheeke Is this house become a denne of thées ¶ As théeues hid in holes and dennes thinke themselues safe So when you are in my Temple you thinke to be couered with the holynes therof and that I cannot see your wickednesse Geneua How God dwelleth not in Temples made with hands Where shall now the house stand that ye will builde vnto me c. ¶ As who should say whereto make ye me a Temple of mans handy worke which rule the whole world hether to haue I suffered the temple to kéepe you Iewes in a certeine manner of instruction and obedience and choose you one place for your seruice to the intent ye should not fall to the Idols of the Gentiles but now will I haue all Idols banished and for Iewry will I challenge vnto me the whole world for one people all the dwellers on the earth which shall bée my worshippers in the spirit and truth Iohn 4. 23. I will not be superstitiously worshipped with sacrifices and ceremonies in the temple but with righteousnesse with fayth and with the spirit The same song that the Prophet héere singeth in the latter end of his Prophesie sung he before in the beginning euen in the first chapter Let the Christians note these two Chapters I meane the first and the last well and then shall they perceiue how greatly God abhorreth such hypocritish works done without faith although they séeme appeare outwardly to be most godly T. M. ¶ My maiestie is so great that it filleth both heauen and earth and therfore cannot bée included in a temple like an Idoll condemning héereby their vaine confidence which trusted in the temple and sacrifices Geneua The most highest dwelleth not in temples made with hands ¶ He reproueth the grose dulnesse of the people which abused the power of God in that they would haue conteined it within the temple Geneua How long the temple was a building and what Christ meant by the temple When the Iewes asked of Christ what meruailous signe he would worke to perswade them that he might doe such as he did he said Destroy this Temple meaning his body and in thrée daies I will build it vp again Then they vnderstanding he had meant the Temple of lime and stone sayd Forty yearâ— was this Temple a building and wilt thou build it in thrée dayes Héere we see how the Temple was a building fortye yeares not meaning that they were continually working on the same so long for sometimes it was forbidden and stopped by the kings that ruled after Cyrus but that there were so many yeares from the beginning of that worke vnto the finishing of the same For in the second yeare of king Cyrus they layde the foundation and in the second yeare of Darius the sonne of Assuerus and Ester they were willed by Aggeus the Prophet to take in hand their worke againe which they finished
to come in the deliueraunce of Hierusalem from the Assyrians yet who will denie but that it was in very déede so done T. M. TIME The meaning of this place following MY time is not yet come ¶ Some interpret this of the time of Christs death but not aptly for he speaketh of yâ— time of his departure affirmeth that he differeth from his kinsmen in this yâ— they might without danger come foorth at all houres in the face of yâ— world because they haue yâ— world their friends But he had good cause to feare for that the world was his enimie And he giueth them to vnderstand that they giue euil aduice in a knowen thing As if he should say my time to goe thether is not yet come when time shall serue I shall neede none of your admonitions I know what and when to do euery thing how also when I must be knowen vnto the world doth not depend on mans couÌ„sell but on my fathers decrée c. Euery man ought to consider his time and not to doe anie thing out of due time but patientlye to tarrie the opportunitie of a conuenient time The Lorde woulde not goe with his bretheren to Hierusalem because his time was not yet come At another time he commaunded Passeouer to be prepared at Hierusalem saieng I wil kéepe yâ— Passeouer at thy house with my disciples And to his mother he said Mine houre is not yet come Let euery one of vs therefore learne by this example to frame our selues according to the conuenientnesse of the time euen as the Astpole Paule teacheth vs but so notwithstanding that wée swarue not the breadth of a nayleâ— from our calling Marl. vpon Ioh. fo 221. What is ment by time times and halfe a time They shall be giuen into his hand vntill a time and times and the diuiding of a time ¶ God shal suffer them thus to rage against his Saints for a long time which is ment by the time times But at length he wil asswage these troubles and shorten the time for his elect sake which is héere ment by the diuiding of time Geneua TITHES What is vnderstood by Tithes THy fruites whether they be drye or moyst sée thou kéepe not backe ¶ By Tithes and first fruites are vnderstoode giuing of thankes whereby the heart knowledgeth and confesseth to haue receiued it of God as 1. Tim. 4. 4. T. M. Of the Tithes laid vp for the poore At the end of thrée yeares thou shalt bring foorth all yâ— tithes of thine increase of the same yere lay it vp within thy gates ¶ Besides the yearely Tithes that were giuen to the Leuites these are laid vp in store for the poore Geneua ¶ Read Amos. 4. 4. and Mal. 3. 8. TO DATE What the meaning is of these words To daye TO daye if ye will heare my voyce ¶ As touching the words he saith to daye he meaneth all the time in which the Gospell is preached teaching vs thereby that so long as the word is preached so long saluation is offered Deering TONGVE To speake with tongues what it meaneth I Will pray with the spirit and will pray with the minde also ¶ To speake with tongues or with yâ— spirit is to speak yâ— other vnderstand not as Priests say their seruice To speake with the mind is to speak that other vnderstand as when the Preacher preacheth Tindale How the Apostles spake with strange tongues How then heare we euery man his own language ¶ Not yâ— they spake with one voice many languages wer heard but yâ— that yâ— Apostles spake with strange tongues for els the miraclâ— had rather bene in yâ— hearers wheras now it is in the spekers Nazian in his Oration of Whitsonday What it is to smite with the tonge Let vs smite him with the tongue ¶ That is let vs slaunder him accuse him for we shall be beléeued Geneua What the tongue of God is Gods tongue is the Holy ghost Psa. 45. 1. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer How the tongue is compared vnto a launce Pithacus the Philosopher saith that a mans tongue is made lyke the yron point of a launce but yet that it was more daungerous then that for the point of a launce can but hurt yâ— flesh but the tongue perisheth the heart What is meant by the third tongue The third tongue hath disquieted many a one ¶ The third tongue or double tongue which saith vnsaith or speaketh one thing and thinketh another The third tongue do some take for that which speaketh neither out of the new nor the olde Testament but of their owne braine The Bible note TOPAS The description of this stone and what it betokeneth THe ninth a Topas ¶ This stone is of the rarer preciouser sort and hath two colours the one of golde the other of yuorie It shineth with greatest clearenes when it is touched with the brightnesse of the Sunne and it passeth all Iewels in cléernesse singularly prouoking the beholders to looke still vpon it And this stone betokeneth such as shine in Christian life and doctrine Therefore it betokeneth the Christian sort which are predestinate to saluation out of all Nations of whome is made the bodie of the Catholyke Church Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 300. ¶ The ninth was a Topas which hath in him the colour of all other stones And this signifieth them which are with all vertues adorned like as was Daniel the man of desires Iohn the Euangelist which wrote this present Prophecie whome Christ much loued The cleere works of these such other wold be to shine vnto men yâ— by them yâ— father might be glorified Bale TOPHETH What Topheth is and how it was defiled ANd defiled Topheth also ¶ He defiled Topheth that is hée openly shewed that Topheth was defiled vncleane and filthy Topheth was a place nigh vnto Hierusalem in the valley of the sonnes of Hennon in which were cast dead caâ—kases and all vncleane things T. M. ¶ Topheth was a vally néere to Hierusalem and signifieth a Tabret because they smote on the Tabret while their Children were burning that their crye should not be heard where after Iosiah commaunded carions to be cast Geneua How Tophet is taken for hell For Tophet is prepared of olde ¶ Héere it is taken for hell where the wicked are tormented Geneua TOVCH NOT. This is spoken against traditions TOuch not tast not handle not c. ¶ Men by such obseruations were led from the veritie by the which they were made frée whereof it is spoken the veritie shall delyuer It is a shame saith the Apostle and vnconuenient and farre from the noblenesse of your lybertie séeing you be the body of Christ to be deceiued with shaddowes and to be iudged as sinners if you despise to obserue those things wherefore let no man ouercome you séeing you are the bodye of Christ that will séeme to bée
Hierome aduersus Iouinian lâ— 1. Of the virgin that was sought for Dauid Let there be sought for my Lord the king c. ¶ Dauid tooke this virgin not for lust but for the health of his body by the aduise of his counsell which séemeth to be done by the speciall dispensation of God and therfore not to be followed as an example The Bible note Wherefore virginitie is praised S. Paule praiseth virginitie in them that are apt and able to embrace that state of liuing that they might with more speede go forth to preach and to serue the congregations He praiseth it not because he iudgeth that state to deserue the more grace for this errour fighting against the iustificatioÌ„ of faith he most of all abhorreth We deny it not saith Melancthon but yâ— ther be distinct states of liuing The Maior of the citie excelleth yâ— ship-maister but yet deserueth not the Maior more grace for gouerning the citie then the Shipper for ruling the Ship Yea it is possible that the shipper may worship God better in his ship then the Maior in the citie Wherefore these degrées differ not concerning the spirituall life by faith or any grace therby to be obteined although they conferred together in yâ— externe life one excelleth another for God willeth an order to be in offices and states of liuing A memorable fact of a virgin in defence of her country Aeneas Siluius otherwise Pope Pius the second in describing of Asia minor cap. 74. reciteth a certeine fact of a worthy virgin who at what time the Turkes were besieging a certeine towne in Lesbos and had cast downe a great part of the walls so yâ— al the towns men had giuen ouer putting on a mans harneis stepped forth into the breach where not only she kept the Turks from entring in but â—lue of them a great sort The citizens séeing the rare courage good successe of the maide toke to them againe their heart and harneis and so lustely laied about them that an incredible number of the Turks wer slaine The rest being repulsed from the land reculed into their ships who being then pursued by a nauie of Calisa were worthely discomfited likewise vpon the sea And thus was the I le of Lesbos at that time by a poore virgin that is by the strongâ— hand of the Lord working in a weake creature preserued from the Turks In the booke of Mar. VNBELEEVERS What S. Paule doth meane heere by vnbeleeuers BEare not the strange yoke with the vnbeléeuers ¶ Nothing in this world can hinder a man so much from true godlinesse as doth the amitie and friendship with the vngodly The sonnes of God did in the beginning ioyne themselues in amitie or friendship with the children of men and they were all destroyed by a floâ—d Hée that toucheth Pitch shall be defiled therewith Beware therefore if ye wil continue and abide stedfast in the true doctrine that ye accompanye not your selues with vngodly Epicures which without the feare of God doe giue themselues to all kinde of mischiefe and blasphemie Sir I. Cheeke ¶ He séemeth to allude to that which is written Deut. 23. 10. where the Lord commandeth that an Ore and an Asse be not yoked together because the match is vnequall So if the faythfull marrie with the Insidells or else haue to doe with them in anye thing vnlawfull it is héere reproued Geneua VNCIRCVMCISED LIPPES What is meant by vncircumcised lips SEeing that I haue vncircumcised lips ¶ To be of vncircumcised lips is to haue a tongue that lacketh good vtterance to set out matter withall T. M. ¶ Uncircumcised lips ¶ Or barbarous and rude in speach And by this word Uncircumcised is signified the whole corruption of mans nature Geneua VNCLEANE SPIRIT How this place of the Euangelist is vnderstood WHen the vncleane spirit is gone out c. ¶ Unlesse wée doe now at this present take better héede to our selues vse thankfully the grace of God nowe offered vnto vs by his Gospell and labour to expell these soule spirites that yet remaine among vs as couetousnesse whoordome vncleanenes c. the same that Christ héere threateneth vnto the Iewes shal happen vnto vs. Sir I. Cheeke When the vncleane spirit is gone out of a man c. ¶ The vncleane spirit after he is cast out when he commeth findeth his house swept and garnished taketh to him seauen worse then himselfe and commeth and entreth in and dwelleth there and so is the end of that man worse then the beginning The Iewes they had cleansed themselues with Gods worde from all outward Idolatry and worshipping of Idolls but theyr hearts remained still faithlesse to Godward and towarde his mercy and truth and therefore without loue also and lust to the law and to their neighbour for his sake and false trust in their owne works to the which heresie the childe of perdition yâ— wicked Bishop of Rome with his lawiers hath brought vs Christen were more Idolaters then before and became tenne times worse then in the beginning For the first Idolatry was soone spied and easie to be rebuked of the Prophet by yâ— Scripture But the latter is more subtile to beguile withall and an hundred times of more difficultie to be wéeded out of mens hearts Tindale fol. 35. ¶ When by the grace of God we are induced brought into the knowledge of the truth then are we deliuered from the power of Satan Therefore we must take héede that hée doe not to our vtter destruction returne againe into vs that is to say that wée fall not againe into our own infidelitie superstition and ignorance Then indéed shal we be in worse case then we were before Sir I. Cheeke What is meant by these three vncleane spirits ¶ And I sawe thrée vncleane spirits like frogges come out of the mouth of the Dragon ¶ That is a strong number of this greate Diuell the Popes Ambassadours which are euer crieng and croking lyke Frogges out of Antichrists mouth because they shoulde speake nothing but lyes and vse all manner of craft and deceite to maintaine their rich Euphrates against the true Christians Geneua VNFAITHFVLL How the vnfaithfull eate not Christs bodie ¶ Looke Eating Wicked Euill will VNGODLY The meaning of this place of the Prophet THe vngodly haue bent their bow c. ¶ That is a borrowed speach by which is signified the wicked enimies of Dauid were most prest and readyâ— to destroye him for this Psalme as some suppose was made when he fledde from Saule and hid himselfe from him in diuers and sundry places As ye read 1. Reg. from the. 22. to the. 27. wher his persecution was so great that at length he was faine to flye out of yâ— coasts of Israel vnto the Philistines after the like manner do our Saules daily persecute the christen Psa. 37. 12. T. M. ¶ Looke Wicked VNICORNES What is meant by the Vnicornes ANd heare me from among
did circumcise Timothy at Derba and Listria not because he allowed Circumcision but to beare with the time and with the weakenesse of the Iewes wherby he might the better perswade them and allure them to the faith of Christ. For the same purpose did he shaue his head in Cenchrea faining himselfe to the sight of the Iewes to haue bene a Nazarei when he was nothing lesse but onely to win the Iewes by a little and a little was content to vse an holy charitable dissimulation as I might say onely for this purpose that he might win them to Christ. That this was S. Paules practise he himselfe confesseth in yâ— 1. Co. 9. 22. saieng I framed and fashioned my selfe to please all men only to this end that I might win them to Christ. This place ye see maketh nothing for the establishing of vowes Votum is sometime taken of the Lawiers Propteractis promissis ciuilibus as we would say Vir iustus est vota promissa prestare The propertie of a good man a righteous liuer is to performe all his couenaunts bargaines And now this word Votum is borrowed out of the olde Testament We call commonly our profession in Baptime a vow which is not properly to be called a vow forasmuch as a vow is a worke of a mans owne frée will But let it be that our profession be taken for a vow which vow if we kéepe all other monasticall vowes are but vaine vnprofitable foolish wicked and full of hipocrisie for either it must be graunted that these vowes as they call them of chastitie of puritie and of obedience either they are workes commaunded of God or els workes mo or other then God hath commaunded what a blasphemous pride is it what a presumpteous hypocrisie is it to doe more for our own vowing then for Gods commaunding Were not that souldier worthy of wages that would doe nothing at the commaundement of his Captaine but that which he first had vowed of his owne frée will to serue his Captaine And againe If we doe other things then those which God hath commaunded vs all our labour is but in vaine For Christ saith Frustra colunt â—me docentes doctrinas mandata hominuÌ„ Ri. Tur. ¶ Looke Widow Of the vowe of the Nazarite As touching the vow of yâ— Nazarits as it is manifestly set forth in the 6. of Num. But those things which are ther written may all be reduced to thrée principall points The first was they should drinke no wine nor strong drinke nor anye thing that might make them dronke Another was that they shuld not poll their head but all that time the Nazarite should let his hayre grow The third was that they shoulde not defile themselues with mourning for vnrialls no not at the death of their father or mother These things wer to be obserued only for some certaine time for he vowed to be a Nazarite but for certein number of dayes months or yeares Pet Mar. vpon Iudic. fol. 201. Of the godly vow of Staupitius I haue saith this godly learned man vowed vnto God aboue a thousand times that I would become a better man but I neuer perfourmed that which I vowed Héereafter I will make no such vow for I haue now learned by experience that I am not able to perfourme it Unles therefore God be fauourable mercifull vnto me for Christs sake and graunt vnto me a blessed and an happy houre when I shall depart out of this miserable life I shal not be able with all my vowes and all my good deedes to stand before him ¶ This was not onely a true but also a godly an holy desperation this must al they confesse both with mouth heart which will be saued For yâ— godly trust not in their own righteousnes but say with Dauid Enter not into iudgement with thy seruaunt Luther vpon the Gal. fol. 251. VRIM AND THVMIM What they doe signifie VRim Thumim are Hebrue words Vrim signifieth light and Thumim perfectnesse and I thinke the one wer stones that did glister had light in them the other cleere stones as Christall and the light betokened the light of Gods word the purenesse cleane liuing according to the same was therof called the example of the children of Israel because it put them in remembrance to séeke Gods word and to do there after T. M. ¶ Vrim Thumim signifie light perfectnes out of the which it pleased God to giue aunsweres oracles iudgments but what they were it doth not well appeare to any writer They were placed in the Priests breast to admonish him that he ought to shine in doctrine and to be perfect in conuersation of life The Bible note ¶ Vrim signifieth light and Thumim perfectnesse declaring that the stones of the breast plate wer most cleare and of perfect beautie by Vrim also is ment knowledge Thumim holines shewing what vertues are required in the Priests Geneua The meaning of these places following But the Lord aunswered him not neither by dreame nor by Vrim ¶ Of Vrim is spoken Nu. 27. 21. God would not that the high Priest should giue Saule aunswere at this time therfore suffered not to see his will in Vrim as he was wont to doe or happely he saw his will but saw therewith that he should not shew it to Saule T. M. Who shal aske counsell for him by the iudgement of Vrim ¶ According to his office signifieng yâ— the ciuill magistrate could execute nothing but yâ— which he knew to be yâ— will of God Ge. VS How this word signifieth mo persons then one LEt vs make man in our Image ¶ Moses speaketh in yâ— plurall number signifieng mo persons to be in God that the father in the creation of man consulted with his wisedome and spirit The Bible note ¶ God commaunded the water to bring forth other creatures but of man he saith Let vs make signifieng that God taketh counsell with his wisdome vertue purposing to make an excellent worke aboue all the rest of his creation Geneua The meaning of this place following They went out from vs but they were not of vs. ¶ Héereby doe we learne that they that fall away from among the elect chosen of God yet they be none of the members of them For if they were of them they would continue and abide with them Sith then that they fall away from the knowen truth they do plainly declare thereby that they were none of the true elect chosen of God but were plaine hipocrites which for a tune did shine in the Church with fained holinesse whereas in wardlye they wer filled with all kinde of infidelitie vnbeleefe which they cloaked as long as they could till they were by the righteous iudgement of God manifested and opened at length such shall the Church haue vnto the worlds ende I. Veron VSVRIE The
we thus cleaue to God with strong faith beléeue his words Then as sayth Paule God is faithfull that he will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue that we are able or aboue our strength that is to sayâ— if we cleaue to his promises and not to our owne fantasies and imaginations he wil put might and power into vs that shall be stronger then all temptations which he shall suffer to be against vs. Tindale fo 81. What is vnderstood by watchmen For his watchmen are all blinde c. ¶ By those blinde watchmen vnderstand the chiefe Priests yâ— Scribes Pharesies c. which were the peruerters and deprauers of the law of God These for filthy lucre sake abolished the true seruice of God and were the chiefe causers of the forsaking of Israel They were sluggish and sought not that which was for the edification of the people and for the glory of God but that which was for their owne priuate profit and pleasure They were slothfull to roote out vice and to plant vertue and driuen into the profound déepe sléepe of ignorance of idlenesse of lecherousnesse of pride As oft as the Prelates of the people Bishops Abbots and they that auaunt themselues for religious be such there hangeth a great scourge ouer the whole flocke of Christ. T. M. ¶ He sheweth that the affliction shal come through the fault of the gouernours Prophets and pastours whose ignorance negligence auarice obstinacy prouoketh Gods wrath against them Geneua I haue made thée a watchman to the house of Israel ¶ By this watchman are figured Bishops Priests aâ—d Preachers which must take the occasion of their speaking and exhorting at the mouth of God and speake not in their owne but in his name T. M. He sheweth that the people ought to haue continually gouernours teachâ—rs which may haue a care oner them and â—o warne theÌ„ euer of the daungers which are at hand Eze. 33. 2. Ge. The meaning of this place following The voice of thy watchmen shall be heard ¶ The Prophets which are thy watchmen shall publish this thy deliueraunce This was begun vnder Zorobabel Ezra Nehemiah but was accomplished vnder Christ. Geneua Of the watchman that Daniel speaketh of And behold a watchman and an holy one came downe from heauen Meaning the Angell oâ— God which neither eateth nor sleepeth but is euer ready to doe Gods will and is not infect with mans corruption but is euer holy and in that that he commaundeth to cut downe this tree â—e knew that it shoulde not be cut downe by man but by God Geneua What the fourth watch meaneth And in the fourth watch of the night The Hebrewes diuided the night inâ—o â—oure parts which they called the foure watches wherefore the fourth watch was next to the morning and was called the morning watch As in the. 1. Reg. 11. 11. Tindale VVATER How it is not water that doth wash away our sinnes ARise and be baptised and wash away thy sinnes We ought not to thinke that water washeth away our sinnes but the mercy and grace of God which is signified and represented vnto vs by the water Ye shall note that by a figure named Allocosis the same is ascribed vnto the outward signe which doth onely perteine vnto the grace election of God Sir I. Cheeke He sheweth that sins cannot be washed away but by Christ who is the substance of Baptime in whom also is comprehended the father and the holy Gost. Geneua The meaning of this place following Whosoeâ—er drinketh of this water c. To drinke this water is to beléeue credit the word of God and to receiue the testimony of Christ which thing onely can quench the thirst of the soule Sir I. Cheeke What is signified by water and spirit Except a man be borne of water and spirit ¶ Héere by the water he vnderstandeth the worde and grace of God and also the illumination of the holy Ghost which is that heauenly water that Esay the Prophet doth speake of saieng All that be a thirst come vnto the waters Iohn 4. 14. and. 7. 38. Iere. 2. 13. By the spirit he vnderstandeth the inspiration of the holy Ghost and the heauenly working of the spirit of God So that this place helpeth them nothing that doe affirme that the children of the faithfull are damned and that they shall neuer enter into the kingdome of heauen if they dye before they canne be baptised Sir I. Cheeke ¶ This place of Iohn is not to be vnderstood of the outwarde signe of holy Baptime but simply of the inward and most spirituall regeneration of the holye spirit which when Nichodemus vnderstoode not perfectly the Lorde figured and made the same manifest by Parables of water and of the spirit that is to saye of the winde or the aire by Elements very base and familyar for by an by hée addeth That which is borne of flesh is flesh c. Againe The winde bloweth where it lysteth c. Which must néedes bée meant of the ayre For the other part of the comparison followeth So is euery one that is borne of the spirit Bullinger fol. 1048. ¶ By this is signified the Baptime which is the mortification of the flesh preached by Iohn Baptyst and the renuing of the spirit which is remission of sinnes obteined by Christ. Tindale What the water of Siloh doth signifie Forsomuch as the people refuse the still running water of Siloh c. ¶ Hee calleth the kingdome of Dauid which figureth the kingdome of Christ the still running water of Siloh which thing agréeth verie well vnto Christ that was meeke and lowlye of heart Math. 11. 29. Zach. 9. 9. Beholde thy king commeth vnto thée poore and lowly c. He raigneth in still and peaceable consciences Siloh was a spring at the foote of the hill of Syon which hath not continally water but springâ—th certeine houres and dayes and commeth with a great sound by the bottome of the ground and rifts and holes of an hard rocke The manner of speaking is borrowed of the despised littlenesse of the water which signifieth the small estimation and pouertie of the christen T. M. ¶ Looke Siloh What is meant by the water of the Sea The water of the sea shall bée drawne out Nilus shall sinke away and be dronke vp ¶ The water of the sea c. Aegipt as stories shew receiueth no raine forth of the aire but is ouerflowed with yâ— water Nilus at certein times 14. 15. or 16. cubits high froÌ„ the ground for if it increse to any lesse height the Countrey scapeth not a dearth sayth Plinie And therefore by the scarcenesse and want of water is the desolation of the land described Nilus is heere called by diuerse names Sometime the Sea sometime riuers sometime wells sometime pondes c. For that fludde runneth seuen sundry wayes and it is called the Sea not onelye because the Hebrewes call
Godhead S. Iohn sayth not Caro verbum facta est as the Arrians expound it and say the flesh receiued the worde but hée sayth Verbum caro factum est The word was made flesh I. Proctour ¶ In that he sayth the word became flesh and not man hée sheweth how farre Gods sonne humbled and abased himselfe For the Scripture calleth man flesh when he will signifie the pouertie vilenesse and miserie of man As when it is said All flesh is grasse and he remembred that we were but flesh my spirit shall not euer striue in man for he is flesh But when yâ— Euangelist sayth The word became flesh we may not imagin that Gods sonne ioyned to his diuine nature flesh only and not mans soule as Appolinaris thought in his traunce that flesh and the Godhead made one person without mans soule For he imagined that the diuinitie was in steede of a soule But so it should follow that the Lord Iesus was not a very man For flesh is not a man For the soule is the formall part of a man namely that wherby a man is a man without which a man cannot be And that the Lord had a mans soule beside his diuinitie he himselfe testifieth where he saith My soule is heauy vnto yâ— death Neither can Appol 〈…〉 is aide himselfe with this place For when the Scripture calleth men flesh it meaneth not that they are without soule for then they were no men indeede Traheâ—on What the Euangelist meaneth by the word in this place of Iohn In the beginning was the worde c. ¶ By the word the Euangelist meaneth the second person in the holy Trinitie namely our Lord Iesus Christ touching his diuine nature as it appeareth afterward when he saith And the worde became flesh Héere we must consider why Gods son is called a word Auncient writers consider a worde two wayes For they teach that there is an outward word and an inward word The outward word is that foundeth and passeth awaye The inwarde worde is the conceite of the heart which remaineth still in the heart when the sound is past So they saye that God hath an outward worde which is sounded pronounced and written in bookes And that hée hath an inwarde worde which remaineth within himselfe whereof the outwarde worde is an Image effect and fruite This inwarde worde euer remaining in him is called his sonne as the conceite of the heart maye bée called the ingendered fruite of the heart and the heartes childe They thinke also that he is called the worde of God because that as a worde is the Image of mans minde and representeth it vnto vs so the Lorde Iesus is Gods Image and most liuely representeth vnto vs his power his Godhead and his wisedome For whatsoeeuer is in the Father shineth in the Sonne Some other thinke that the worde héere is taken for a thing after the Hebrew manner of speaking For the Hebrewes vse Dabar which signifieth a worde for a thing When Esay the Prophet asked king Ezechias what the Babylonians had seene in his house he aunswereth thus They sawe all that was in my house Iohaial dabar there was not a word that is to say any one thing that I shewed not vnto them in my treasures The Prophet replyeth Behold the daies come that whatsoeuer is in thine house shall be taken away and whatsoeuer thy father haue laid vp in store vnto this day shal be carried to Babylon Ioij vather dabar ther shall not a word remain saith the Lord that is to say there shall not one thing be left behinde The Angel also in S. Luke when the virgin Mary meruailed how she shuld coceiue a childe without mans helpe sayd vnto her No word shall be impossible vnto God yâ— is nothing shal be impossible for him to do So that after this vnderstanding S. Iohns mening is that in the beginning ther was a diuine and heauenly thing with God Traheron How the word of God is called the light Thy word saith Dauid is a lanterne vnto my féet Psa. 119. 105 Againe the commaundements of the Lord is lightsome giuing light to the eyes Psal. 19. 7. Theophilact saith Verbum Dei est lucerna c. The word of God is the candle whereby the théefe or false preacher is espied How the word of God endureth for euer S. Hierome sayth Quomodo eternae erunt Scripturae diuinâ— c. How shall the holy Scriptures be euerlasting séeing the world shall haue an ende True it is that the parchment or leaues of the books with the letters and all shall bée abolished but forsomuch as the Lord addeth My words shal neuer passe doubtlesse though the papers and letters perish yet the thing that is promised by the same letters shall last for euer Of the nature and strength of the word of God For the word of God is liuely and mighty in operation and sharper then anye two edged swoorde and entereth through euen to the diuiding asunder of the soule and the spirit of the ioyntes and of the marrowe and is a discouerer of the thoughts and the intent of the heart neither is there any creature which is not manifest in his sight but all thinges are naked and open vnto his eyes with whome wée haue to doe Surely as the raine commeth down and the Snow from heauen and returneth not thether but watereth the earth and maketh it to bring forth bud that it may giue séed to the sower and bread to him that eateth so shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth it shall not returne vnto me in vaine but it shall accomplish that which I will and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it How the word of God hath sundrie names The word of God according to the sundry effectes and propertyes thereof hath sundry names as thus It is called seed for that it encreaseth and multiplyeth It is called a sword for that it cutteth the heart and diuideth the flesh from the spirit It is called a net for that it taketh vs and encloseth vs together It is called water for that it washeth vs cleane it is called fire for that it inflameth vs It is called bread for that it féedeth vs. Euen so it is called a key for that it giueth vs an entrye into the house The house is the kingdome of heauen Christ is the doore the word of God is the keye Iewel fo 144. How the word of God is the key ¶ Looke Key How the word of God is plaine They are all plaine vnto him that will vnderstand ¶ Meaning that the word of God is easie to al that haue a desire vnto it and which are not blinded by the Prince of this worlde Geneua The more that Gods word is troden downe the more it groweth The Pharesies sayd thus of Christ Videtis nos nihil proficere c. Ye sée we can doe no good lo the whole world
to Bethel and transgresse to Gilgal c. ¶ He speaketh this in contempt of them which resorted to these places thinking that their great deuotion and good intention had bene sufficient to haue bound God vnto them Geneua But séeke not Bethel nor enter into Gilgal c. ¶ In these places they worshipped new Idols of which afore time serued for the true honour of God therefore he saith that these shall not saue them Geneua Reade Ieromie 48. 13. BETHLEEM How Bethleem was made famous by the birth of Christ. AND thou Bethleem in the land of Iuda art not the least ¶ Though thou meaning Bethleem be a small towne yet shalt thou be verie famous and noble through the birth of the Messias who shall be borne in thée Beza ¶ Understand because Christ was borne there Bethleem betokeneth the Christentie which in the eies of the world is little and vile but in the eies of God is great precious Tindale And thou Bethleem Epâ—rathah art little to be among the thousands of Iuda ¶ For so the Jewes diuided their countrie that for euerie thousand there was a chiefe Captaine And because that Bethleem was not able to make a thousand he calleth it little But yet God will raise vp his Captaine and gouernour therein And thus it is not the least by reason of this benefite Geneua BETHPHAGE What manner of village it was AND were come to Bethphage ¶ Bethphage was a little village at the bottome or foote of the mount Oliuete which was néere to the citie of Hierusalem béeing distant from the same not aboue two miles as we maie read in the first Chapter of the Actesâ— Marl. vpon Math. fol. 458. BETHSEDA What this word signifieth BEthseda or as some writeth Bethesda is as much to say as a spittle or an hospital whereas poore folks hath their being which place was by a poole where the Shéepe that were offered in the temple were kept And the sicke remained there looking for the mouing of the water T. ¶ If signifieth the house of powring out because the water ranne outby conduits Geneua ¶ Of this name there are diuerse interpretations and diuerse translations also for according to the Hebrue word it is sometime called Betzaida sometime Bethesda and other while Betheder wherevpon some interpret this word to signifie the house belonging to the flocke and other some the place of fishing But their opinion is more probable which expound the same to the place of effusion For so much doth the Hebrue word Eshed sound but the Euangelist hath pronounced the two last silables thus Esda as Beth-esda according to the Chaldes tongue which at that time was much vsed It is verie likelie that the water was brought to this place by conduct pipes Also this place or poole was called in latin Probatica piscma that is to saie the pond where the Priests did wash the shéep that shold be sacrificed for the Gréeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or probation signifieth a Shéepe Marl. vpon Iohn fol. 145. BETRAIENG What it is to betraie TO Betraie seemeth in Latine to signifie thrée thinges namelie to bewraie to deceiue and deliuer vp Proditio therefore is an action whereby by guile bewraieng or deliuering vp our neighbour or their goods are hurt and that especiallie of those which ought rather to defend the same Pet. Mar. vpon Iudic. fol. 37. BIBLE In whose daies it was translated into our vulgar tongue SAint Bede saith that one Cedman an English Poet translated the booke of Genesis and Exodus with diuerse other stories of the Bible into English Rime Likewise king Adelstone about a nine hundred years past caused the whole â— Bible to be translated into English S. Iohn Treuisa saith that Bede himselfe turned Saint Iohns Gospell into English Also hée saith that Alâ—red caused the Psalter to hée tourned into English Therefore it is vntruely said that this I le hath continued thirtéene hundred yeares without hauing the Scripture in English Iohn Treuisa li. 5. Chap. 24. and li. 6. Chap. 1 ¶ Theodoretus writeth thus Ye maie commonlie sée saith he that not onelie the teacher of the people and rulers of the Churches but also Taylers Smiths and Clothworkers and other artificers do vnderstand the principles of our religion And further yâ— not onlie learned women if there be anie such but also such women as liue by their labour sewsters and maid seruants but also husbandmen and dichers heard men and graffers can reason of the holie Trinitie and of the creation of the world and of the nature of mankinde a great deale more skilfuller then either Plato or Aristotle were euer able to doe ¶ In Policronicon it is shewed how when the Saxons did inhabite the land the king at that time which was a Saxon did himselfe translate the Psalter into the language that then was generallie vsed Yea I haue séene a booke at Crowland Abbeie which is kept there for a relique The booke is called Saint Cuthlakes Psalter and I wene verilie it is a copie of the same that the king did translate for it is neither English Latine Gréekâ— Hebrue nor Dutch but somewhat soundie to our English And as I haue perceiued sith the time I was last there béeing at Antwarpe the Saxon tongue doth sound likewise after ours and it is to ours partlie agréeable Lambert in the booke of Mar. fol. 1273. BILNEY Of the comfort he had of his friends and they of him the night before he died THe Fridaie at night which was before the daie of his execution béeing Saint Magnus daie and Saterdaie Bilney had diuerse of his friends resorting vnto him into the guilde hall where he was kept Among whom one of the said friends finding him eating of an Albrew with such a chéereful heart and quiet minde as he did said that he was glad to sée him at that time so shortlie before his heauie painfull departure so heartelie refresh himselfe Oh said he I followe the example of the husbandman of the countrie who hauing a ruinous house to dwell in will yet bestow cost as long as they maie hold it vp so doe I now with this ruinous house of my bodie and with Gods creatures in thankes to him refresh the same as ye sée Then sitting with his said friendes in godlie talke to their edification some put him in mind that though the fire which he should suffer the next daie should be of great heate vnto his bodie yet the comfort of Gods spirite shoulde coole it to his euerlasting refection At that word the said Thomas Bilney putting his hand toward the flame of the candle burning before them as also he did diuers times beside séeling the heate thereof O sayd he I féele by experience haue known it long by philosophie the fire by Gods ordinance is made naturally hot But yet I am perswaded by Gods holie word and by the experience of some
spoken of in the same that in the flame they felt no heate and in the fire they felt no consumption And I constantlie beléeue that howsoeuer the stubble of this my bodie shall be wasted by it yet my soule spirit shall be purged thereby A paine for a time whereon nowithstanding followeth ioie vnspeakable And he much intreated of this place of Scripture Noli timere c. Feare not for I haue redéemed thée and called thée by name Thou art mine owne when thou goest through the water I will bée with thée and the strong floud shall not ouerthrow thée when thou walkest in the fire it shall not burne thée and the flame shall not kindle vpon thée for I am the Lord thy God the holie one of Israel Which he did most comfortablie intreat off as well in respect of himselfe as appling it to the perticular vse of his friendes there present Of whom some tooke such swéet fruit therein that they caused the whole sayd sentence to be faire written in tables and some in their bookes the comfort whereof in diuerse of them was neuer taken from them to their dieng daie In the booke of Mar. fol 1131. His aunswere to a proude Papist BIlney béeing demaunded in dirision by a proud Papist when hée went to his death whie hée wrought no Myraâ—les béeing so holy a man as he was accompted aunswered with milde voice and countenance God onely sayd he worketh myracles wonders he it is that hath wrought this one wonder in your eies that I being wroÌ„gfullie accused falslie belied opprobriouslie and spitefullie handled imprisonned buffeted and condmned to the fire yet hitherto haue I not once opened my mouth with one ill word against anie of you This passeth the worke of nature and is therefore the manifest miracle of God who will by my suffering and death be glorified and haue his truth enhaunced Of the Bill of diuorcement ¶ Looke Diuorcement BINDING AND LOOSING What is meant heereby TO binde and loose is to preach the lawe of God and the Gospel or promises as thou maist sée in the third chapter of the second epistle to the Corinthians wher Paule calleth the preaching of the lawe the ministration of death and damnation and the preaching of the promises the ministring of the spirit and of righteousnesse For when the lawe is preached al men are found sinners and therefore dampned And when the Gospell of glad tidings are preached then are all that repent and beléeue found righteous in Christ c. Tindale fol. 150. Whatsoeuer ye binde on earth c. ¶ That is whatsoeuer ye condemne by my word in earth the same is condempned in heauen And that ye allow by my word in earth is allowed in heauen Tindale In the. 16. Chapter verse 19. he meant this of doctrine and héere of Ecclesiasticall discipline which dependeth of the doctrine Geneua ¶ To binde is to banish the stifnecked and vnrepentant sinner from the congregation of the Saints to loose is when he repenteth and submitteth himselfe to receiue him againe into the fellowship of the elect and chosen people of God Sir I. Chee ¶ God in promising men the forgiuenesse of their sinnes giueth charge and commission to the ministers of his worde to drawe them from death according as it is expreslie saide that the keies of the kingdome of heauen are coÌ„mitted so those which preach the gospell to what end To forgiue sinnes not of their owne authoritie but to the intent that the wretched man bée the better assured of their saluation and not doubt but God receiueth them to mercie Cal. â—pon Iob. fol. 592. BISHOP What a Bishop and his office is IF a man couet the office of a Bishoppe he desireth a good worke c. ¶ Bishop is as much to say as séer to or an ouer séer Which when he desireth to féede Christs flocke with the foode of health that is with his holie word as the Bishops did in Paules time desireth a good work and the verie office of a Bishop But he that desireth honour gapeth for lucre thirsteth great rentes séeketh preheminence pompe dominion coueteth abundance of al things without want rest and hearts ease castles parkes Lordships Earledomes c. desireth not a worke much lesse a good worke and is nothing lesse then a Bishop as Saint Paule héere vnderstandeth a Bishop Tind How Bishops were chosen In choosing of Bishops the people had their libertie long preserued that none should be thrust in that were not accepted of all This therfore was forbidden in the counsell at Antioch that none should be thrust in to them against their wil Which thing also Leo the first doth diligentlie confirme Héerevpon came these saiengs Let him be chosen whom the Clergie and the people or the greater number shal require Againe let him that shall beare the rule ouer all be chosen of all For it must needs be the he that is made a ruler being vnknowne and not examined is thrust in by violence Againe let him be chosen by the Clarks and desired by the people and let him be consecrate by them of that prouince with the iudgemeÌ„t of the Metropolitane The holy Fathers tooke so great héed that the libertie of the people should by no meanes be diminished that when the generall Synode gathered together at Constantinople did ordeine Nectarius they would not doe it without the allowance of the whole Clergy and people As they testified by thrée Epistles to the Synode at Rome Therfore when anie Bishop did appoint a successor to himselfeâ— it was none otherwise stablished vnlesse yâ— who le people did confirme it Whereof you haue not onely an example but also yâ— verie forme in Augustine in the naming of Gradius And Theodorâ—te when he reheraseth that Peter was named by Athanasius to bée his successor by by addeth yâ— the elders of Priests confirmed it the magistrate nobility the people approued it with their allowing shoute Caluine in his insti 4. â— Chap. 4. Sect. 11. Of the ordination of Bishops and Ministers The ordination of Bishops hath nothing proper or peculiar besides fruits commodities that necessarilie depend therof for it is the decrée of the Lord that of them to whome they minister the secrets and mysteries of the heauenlie life they receiue the things that belong to the necessarie vses and maintenaunce of this lyfe As Saint Paule plainlie proueth to the Corinthians 1. Chapter 9. from the. 4. verse to the. 15. And the 1. to Timothie 5. 17. 18. And to the Gal. 6. 6. which thing also Christ teacheth Mat. 10. 10. Luke 10. 17. So the this is the iust right lawe of God that the Bishoppes or ministers are to bée mainteined of the Churches and such a measure is to be kept the they be neither pressed with ouer great néed nor runne riot with too much excesse for in either of them a regard is to bée had to the calling of a