thee Where the Prophet shewing causes why the whole world should not preuaile against Christ he saith because God had decreed it in his eternall counsell and proclamed it with this sentence Thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee That is this day haue I declared that thou art my natural sonne meaning especially the time in which he made him knowen in the worlde by his wonderfull workes as S. Paule ment when he saide God was made manifest in fleash noting the power of the spirit working in him in his birthe life death resurrection and ascension So this day noteth not any particular time but all times in generall wherein God hath shewed his power in Christ as especially in the time he liued among vs And it see meth that the Apostle maketh manifest this sense of his wordes in that he addeth to the text alledged in the vi verse the time when it was fulfilled leauing this without any distinct time as that whiche apperteined to all times in which Christ should be shewed to be the sonne of God especially as I saide in his life and before or since as God sheweth his glorie in him So this sentence was true when he appeared to Abraham Iacob Moses to any of the patriarches or prophets or after his ascension when he appeared to Stephan to Paule or any other or whensoeuer he sheweth his power to defend his church vnto the end according to his owne promise I am with you to the latter end of the world And thus this word to day is takeÌ„ in that which is after alledged To day if ye will heare are his voice harden not your hearts And againe In the day of health I haue heard thee And in the day of saluatioÌ„ I haue succoured thee meaning no particular day but al the time that the word is preached vnto vs. It followeth I wil be his father and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…y sonne This is another texte to proue Christ the naturall sonne of god It is written in the seconde of Samuel the seuenth chapter and they are the wordes of God vnto Dauid by the Prophet Nathan to giue him a promise of the blessing of his seede after him which was begone in Solomon who built the temple and whome God so highly aduaunced in all wisedome richesse and honour that the Fatherly prouidence of God appeared ouer him as ouer an especiall chosen sonne All which as it was promised to Dauid so Dauid looked for the perfourmance of it in Christ and to be figured in Solomon his sonne after him whose temple was a figure of the Churche of Christe his riches a figure of the great graces of the spirite of Christe giuen to his Church his honour aboue all kinges a figure how kinges should submitt them selues to Christ and be nurlefathers and Queenes nurses to the Churche of Christe his wisedome a figure that in Christe should be hid all treasures of wisedome and knowledge and finally he called by name the sonne of God in respect of his blessings as a figure of Christ who is the eternall sonne of his father in nature of his person And so the Apostle here alledgeth this place without any suche long exposition howe the place is meant because we should see in it that the people of Israel were not so ignorant of the Scriptures as we be but brought vp in the knowledge of the lawe and taught the vnderstanding of it euen from their â—…dell as we shoulde be And thus haue we heard this argument of the Apostle Christ hath a more honourable name then the Angels therefore he is more excellent then they Nowe also let vs see the manner of proofes here vsed He proueth Christe to be the naturall sonne of God by textes of Scripture witnessing 〈◊〉 he donâ—…eth that Angels are so because God in his scriptures neuer spake it for so he beginneth Vnto which of the Angels said he at any time c. The self same maner of proofe againe he vseth in the 13. verse following Because the scripture saide it not therefore he proueth it is not so making his argument negatiuely from authoritie of Scripture whiche in all thinges what soeuer man is required to do or know in matters of religion is euer a most certeine conclusion God spake it therfore we must doe it God spake it not therfore we haue nothing to doe with it And this argument must needes bee good so long as this word of the Lordo doeth endure What I commaund thee doe that only And so long as this is a iust condemnation of all our owne deuises who required these things at your hands And so long as this shal be true that our wisdome is folishnesse and we cannot doe well but when we bearken to the worde of God that shineth in our harts as in a dark place True it is and if we had but the wisedome of children we must needes see it that all particular lawes and orders with which we may be bound they are not set downe in precise words of Scripture but it is as true that the nature and propertie of euery lawe or order is so described that the worde of God as clearely is followed in it as if the wordes of the law were set downe in it For of all decrees to be made in his church hath not God said It must be without offence it must edifie it must bee comely and according to order and it must serue to the glorie of God. Now God hauing giuen grace into our heartes to iudge what soeuer we decree by these rules is not the word of God the warrant of it By such manifest proofe ofscripture the church of Christ doeth iustifie all that she doeth Thus the Apostle proueth heere his doctrine Thus we must do if we will bee the Apostles scholers Marke well this reason for it is worthy God said to Christ thou art my sonne therfore he is his sonne God said not so to any Angel therefore no Angel can take the name vnto him In like manner we will dispute with them God said The true worshippers should not go to mount Sion nor to Ierusalem but worship God in spirit and trueth Where said he go a pilgrimage or go visit the holie sepulchre God said Doe not obserue dayes and monethes and times and yeeres Where said he keepe vnto me Lent or Aduent imber weekes or Saincts Eeues God said vnto vs It is the doctrine of diuels to forbid marriage or to commaund to abstaine from meates Where said he eate now no fleash now no white meate let not the minister marrie God said Let euery soule be subiect to kings princes and the autho ritie of such men let it not be in his Apostles Where said he let the pope haue the gift of kingdomes bee exempt from authoritie of man weare a triple crowne and haue Lords and noble men vnder him God said Cursed 〈◊〉 he that addeth ought to his law or taketh
from it Where said he the pope shall dispense against my apostles and prophets God said It is better to speake fiue wordes which we vnderstood then 〈◊〉 thousand in an vnknowen tong Where said God the ignorant men should pray in latine With this verie argument are ouerthrowne all doctrines of men all traditioÌ„s alpoperie And if this argumeÌ„t were good in the Apostle why is it not good in vs Nay if this be vsuall in y scripture why are we so dull that we will neuer learne it Doeth not God condemne the idolatrie of the people of Israel by this reason They built high places which I commanded not Doeth he not condemne all their superstition and vaine worshipping with y same argument Who required these things at your hands When Dauids purpose was stopped from buylding the house of God was not this the word of the Lord that came vnto him Where socuer I haue walked with all Israel spake I one woorde to any of their Iudges saying why haue you not builte me a house of Cedretrees But why seeke we further wheÌ„ the law is plaine What I commaund thee do that onely And true it is y it is our wisdome and the Light that shineth in our harts as in a dark place If once we go from it as y prophet saith There is no wisdome at all within vs. And this I say because of some which would not haue arguments made negatiuely of scripture I think because it is against Aristotles doctrine But let vs now go forward It followeth in thevi verse Againe when he bringeth c. This is the second comparison betwene Christ and the Angels That it is saide plainely of Christ who is the sonne Let all Angels worship him a thing determined by y scripture it self that Christ is not onely greater then Angels but God to be honoured of all Angels And he alledgeth to this purpose the manifest prophesie that wheÌ„ God brought his sonne into the worlde hee proclamed before him this honour Let all the Angels worship him First touching the alledging of this texte out of the Psalme we neede not doubt this doeing of the Apostle is proofe inough that that Psalme is a prophesie of the kingdome of Christe of which the psalme saith that God with great power and glorie would establish it in earthâ—… shewing miracles in his creatures feare and confusion in his enimies ioy and gladnes in the hearts of his children righteousnes and holines in their liues and not only this but all Angels should worship before him Now as he hath taught this by the testimonie of the prophets giuen to Christ so after in the 7. verse he sheweth the same on the other side by the testimonies which y scripture giueth to angels of whoÌ„ sayth he it is said he maketh his Angels spirites and his ministers a flaming fire The absolute mening of which wordes wee must learne of the Apostle him selfe in the 14. verse following where according to this testimonie he hath defined their nature and called them ministring spirites Then in these wordes he maketh his Angels spirites and his ministers a flaming fire hee nameth them a flaming fire according to y similitude in which their glorie hath ben seene as the angels that were with Elizeus his seruant sawe them as chariots of fire the similitude of the beasts which Ezechiel saw were as coles of burning fire and the Seraphims haue their names because they are of a fierie colour and these wordes â–ª spirits and ministers we must resolue thus ministring spirites So out of this texte his argumeÌ„t staÌ„deth thus â–ª Christ is called the sonne the first begotten sonne whome the Angels worship but the Angels are his ministring spirites therefore Christ is greater then the Angels Now for the allegation of this text the Apostle is a sufficieÌ„t witnesse to me that this verse of the 104. Psalme is ment of the Angels of God and not of the windes and I see no reason to the contrarie For first he mentioneth the winds before where he saith He walketh vpon the wings of the winde and therefore a repetition of the same in other wordes was not necessarie â–ª Againe seeing ministers here signifie those which execute Gods power to saue his people I see no cause to attribute it to the windes for though God euen by the elements help his people manie times yet that praise is not giuen as a name to the element which is done in the Angels Now where it is obiected that the Prophet there setteth out the maiestie of God according to his gouernement in thinges of the worlde I graunt it and so the ministery of Angels was then open known in the world And therfore of Angels also the Prophet speaketh as of them in whome the glorie of God shined euen as in the heauens the cloudes the lightnings c. beside this in these words the apostle wil proue what is the nature of angels which requireth that he should speake in the naturall sense of the prophets wordes And the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsed of the Apostle seemeth not to be without cause for though it be the Hobrue phrase â–ª as it is saide yet it may well haue iust cause why the Apostle vseth it in Greeke it signifieth as much as if he said thus Vnto all Angels we may say you be but ministring spirites And so it is like vnto the text next alledged of christ To the sonne he sayth c. And thus the preposition is verie conueniently vsed and maketh the Prophets wordes a naturall description of the Angels Therefore for my parte thus I say and thus I am persuaded that as it is here alledged so the wordes were ment of the angels of God which are his ministers to execute his will for safetie of his people And thus muche of the Apostles argument here made Nowe where our Sauiour Christ is here called the first begotten sonne of God both Sainct Iohn sufficiently sheweth the meaning of it in the beginning of his gospel and S. Paule doth plainly expounde the word Iohn saith of our sauiour Christ that he was in the beginning with God that al things were made by him without him nothing was made at al which is as if he had added he was his first begotten sonne Saint Paule expresly addeth the comparison of creatures naming him the first begotteÌ„ before al creatures because saith he all things were created by him in heauen in earth visible or inuisible angels or powers by him and for him all were made so this is the first begotten the maker creator of all things And he is called the first begotteÌ„ not the first creature that in this name we might see the blasphemie of Arrius who sayth there was a time when the sonne of God was not when this name first begotten is not in respect of nature as one in time begotten before other but in respect of his work
religiō of the temple which was once the seruice of god is now finished hath his end frō henceforth there is neither circumcision nor vncircūcision nether Iewe nor Gentile but Christ is al in all the pure chaste bodie is his holie tabernacle spirit and truth is his heauenly worship thus much directlie the apostle teacheth them in these words whose house be we therfore called the house of God because his holie spirite dwelleth in vs as appeareth in all the places before alledged out of Paule It followeth now If we holde fast the confidence reioycing of our hope vnto the ende these wordes he addeth to teach them manifestly to know themselues whether they be this house or no for if they be they do hold and shall holde the reioycing of their hope constantly and faithfully vnto the ende These wordes dearely beloued let vs marke them well and learne them euerie iott and title with a wise hart for they conteine a blessed instruction most necessarie for our time There is not this day any other thing that holdeth backe a great number from the gospel of Christ but only the ignorance of this one sentence for what say al our aduersaries against vs but onely this Shal we leaue the Catholique Church to beleeue a few new sproung vp Shal we leaue the Church followe Luther or Zuinglius The Church hath beleeued as we beleeue the Church hath taught as we teach in the Church we abide thus vnder the name of the church the churche the world is mocked as Paule saith the hearts of manie men whiche are nor enill are seduced so that though they haue no thing to blame in vs yet they dare not come vnto vs least they should forsake the brotherhod in the Church of Christ. This generall plague is easily cured and al the euil of it is soone remedied if we can but holde our peace and heare the Apostle speake for vs all This same verie question is here handled the Iewes were now affeard to receiue Christ they thought him a new doctour they had Moses the temple the ceremonies things ful of excellent glorie and they were sure the church was heere and these things were in the Church to leaue them all soudenly and cleaue to Christ alone were to leaue the Church and follow new doctrine The Apostle to stop this offence he setteth downe first this plaine doctrine without question or cōtrouersie that the church of God or to vse his own word the house of God is not any building of woode or stones not any citie or any material Temple but man is the house of god Here first we learne one necessarie lesson Wilt thou know the house of God that is his Church Looke not at Ierusalem nor at Mount Sion for neither the Citie nor the Temple in it are nowe the house in whiche God dwelleth It thou doubtest know it for a truth that Ierusalō long since is troaden downe of the Gentiles the Turke and Infidels haue defiled all the stones of i◅ for the temple there are manie hundred yeres since the vncircumcised haue entred into it and the abhomination of desolation hathe stoode in the holie place that it might be fulfilled that was spoken by the Prophet Daniel This therefore learne for a trueth The Church of God is not in any materiall Temple not it is not knowen by any Citie or Countrie Ierusalem that for this cause once was the glorie of the worlde and the beautie of the whole earth hathe no more this dignitie neither shall it be giuen to any place for euer but to finde the Church of God seeke in the heart of man for the Apostles haue all spoken plainely We are his house Now let Rome goe and boast her selfe and pronounce her proude decrees that in her palaces the Churche of Christe doeth dwell let all her louers striue for her prayses that shee is our mother her we must serue vppon her we must wayte she cannot erre against all these children of pride we dare set out selues The house of God is neither in Rome nor in the Capitol of Rome no more then it is in Aegypt or the high pinacled Churches in Aegypt but in euery nation and in euerie countrie the men that feare God and woorke righteousnesse they are the church and the house in which God doth dwel And as the Lord hath done to Ierusalem and to the ruines thereof that the place should not boast of the Oracles of God so God hath done to Rome to the idols thereof that their boasting should bee in vaine of the church of God for what was Rome euen from her birth but a Citie builte in parricide then strengthened with robberie and made a sanctuarie for murderers of all nations What was it after but a slaughter-house of the martyrs of God And what is it in oures and our fathers dayes but the Queene of pride the nurse of idolatries the mother of whoredomes the sincke of iniquitie out of which sorceries witchcrafts poysonings adulteries rebellions and bloudie warres haue ouerflowed the whole earth I lye not on them dearely beloued neither they them selues can accuse mee if any of them heare what I say A thousand testimonies I haue of this out of their owne stories and ten thousand ryming verses haue beene made against them for their greate iniquitie by example of one learne the residue A hundred and fourtie yeeres past one sayth of Rome and of the Pope thus Imatenet Iupiter c◅lum habet Pluto Et accedit dignitas animali bruto Tanquam gemma stercort aut pictura Iuto We haue brought GOD into Hell and the diuel into heauen dignitie is now added to a brute beast as a pearle to a dounghil or a faire picture to a peece of dyrt Euen such as these are and no better a thousande testimonies are of the Church of Rome all which if we coulde not beleeue yet let vs beleeue our owne eyes we haue seene his wicked dispensations the brother to marrie his brothers wife the sister to marrie her sisters husbande the vncle to marrie his neece and the nephue to marrie his aunt Wee haue seene his bulles to make the subiects rebell against their princes we haue seene his stues in open knowen places The Turke hath no more defiled Ierusalem then the Pope hath defiled Rome and all the altars of Mahomet are not so vncleane as the Popes reuerend altars whiche serue for Sodomites and as the Popes honourable churches in which they nourish vp amorous boyes Nulla hie arcana ro◅elo Mantuan saith I speak no secrets the world knoweth this wel enough And yet if they will boaste The Church of Rome the Church of Rome shall wee still beleeue them or shall we rather beleeue the Apostle that the church of God is not neither Rome nor not Rome but in Rome and out of Rome the men that feare God are the Church of Christ. And let this be our first lesson
of God in so much that if they should bee made causes of our lustification and the glorie of Christe should be so giuen vnto them wee might iustly call them the beggerlie elements of the world and vnprofitable things What shall wee say or thinke of so manie childishe toyes and foolishe fancies as wee haue seene of late when men will attribute saluation vnto them When our owne woorkes haue this honour giuen them When Holie water Belles Candles Crosses Palme bowes Ag◅us deies the beginning of Saint Iohns Gospel hanging aboute your necke when to these thinges we attribute power against the diuel whom Christe vanquished onely vppon his crosse what name shal wee giue these beggerly thinges When pilgrimages fastinges visiting of mens tumbes kissing of reliques purchasing of Masses when these things are exalted and said to purge our sinnes what shal we cal them what drunkennes what witchings what madnesse what brutish astonishment hath couered our spirits that we should beleue such things what strange illusions and sleights of Satan haue hid our vnderstandings that we should know nothing The ceremonies ordeined of God himselfe the sacramentes of his eternall testament they are but helpes of our infirmities to leade vs vnto Chr◅ste from whom whē you shal separate them they are no more Gods holie sacramentes but beggerly elementes and our owne fansies and fonde immaginations which are contrarie to Christe euen from our cradle to exalt them thus what is it but a proude liking of our owne presumption This is a cleare proofe that in nothinge is saluation but in Christe alone and that one saluation hath beene from euer whyle these outwarde thinges haue had manye chaunges And againe in that Christe was then the prophet we are sure the patriarches and forefathers did not worship God after their owne will and deuice but onely as the spirite of Christe did teache them from which testimonie of spirite when they fell away all their religion was reiected for onely in Christ God was also well pleased so that thoughe they had no lawe written yet were they taught of God and his sonne was their scholemaister to lead them in al trueth reuealing his will vnto them euer by such meanes as best pleased him and after when God wrote his lawe he wrote this also as a decree for them to holde euer that they should neuer adde nor take away but do onely what they were commaunded and much more now in these last dayes in which our Sauiour Christe hath appeared vnto vs in our owne nature man like vnto vs vppon whome we sawe the holie Ghost to come downe and God him selfe hath sealed him in making manifest the owne glorie speaking out of his cloude This is my beloued sonne heare him much more I say we ought now only to heare his voice because now more clearly thē euer before he hath reuealed all the counsell of God vnto vs but nowe the diuel hath beene no lesse enuious against the saluation of man then he hath beene before now also he hath made some to set forth the imaginations of their owne hearts and hath bewitched many to followe their damnable wayes by whom the way of truth is blas phemed and for their owne traditions sake he hath made the woorde of the Lorde Iesu of none effecte This worke hath he wrought in all the Papacie yet we cānot or wil not se his rebellious doings Christ saith his kingdom is not of this world yet hath he taught them to make their Bishops Princes and hathe giuen them power ouer life and goods Christ saith The princes of the nations beare rule ouer thē but it shal not be so among you yet hath he made his firste begotten sonne to weare a triple crowne and al the kinges of the nations to come kisse his feete So Christe hath taught vs to worship in spirite and trueth to drinke the wine in the sacrament of his bodie and bloude to praye in a knowne toung to eate of any meates without scruple of conscience to vse holie matrimonie in all estates as a remedie against sinne but as though Christ were no prophet vnto vs we haue abrogated these his lawes and made other con◅ratie of our owne This our eyes haue seene our eares haue hearde and whether we will or no wee must needes confesse it yet some flatter them selues in a maruelous madnesse and doing all things contrarie to the Lorde Iesu they say still they cannot erre but they shall one day see and knowe that Christ is the onely prophet of the new Testament and blessed be the Lorde God who hath made vs this day to beleeue it and while yet the day of health and acceptable time is to hearken onely vnto him and refuse all the vaine inuentions of men It followeth now in the Apostle But the worde that they heard prof◅ed thē not ▪ because it was not mingled with faith to those that heard it As before the Apostle concluded repeating againe his exhortation so in this verse he repeateth the cause why they profited not by the word of exhortation that wee againe hearing the cause of our sinne should be made more wise to take heede of it the cause was their infidelitie because saith he The word was not mingled vnto them with faith the word of God preached is as a cup offered vnto vs of which we must drinke whether we wil or no one way it is made vnto vs a cup of the water of life another way a cup of destructiō and such a liquor as is of death vnto death euen as saith or infidelitie is brought vnto it so it is a cup of life or death In this similitude the Apostle speaketh thus The word was not mingled to them with faith As men that loue to sit at the tauerne do mingle their drink with spices or their wine with sugre so we in that most blessed tauerne in which the worde of God is offered vs to drinke we must mingle it with the sweete spice of faith and it is a cup of eternall life vnto vs otherwise if we be vnsaithfull we haue lost our blessing and are fallen from the hope of life Christ who is the head corner stone in whō the building doth stande he is nowe to vs a stone of offence at which we haue stumbled are fallen downe because we haue not receiued his worde with faith It is true the gospel is the power of God to saue man but yet to saue the man that doth beleue whether he be Iewe or Gentile here we see how God hath ioyned vnseparablie his word our faith wherfore it is also called the word of faith neither is it possible to be faithful without the knowledge of the word neither is any knowledge of the worde profitable but beeing mingled with faith This dearly beloued is no obscure doctrine that you should not vnderstād it neither is it taught vs in ambiguous wordes that ye can doubt of it but it