the truth appeare plainly speake brieflie therwith repeating your chiefest arguments most truely And what be they In great mislike of many good things now vsed in our church you commonly begin after this manner In mine opinion Byshops Deanes cathedrall churches c. are not to be allowed sith they sauour of the constitutions of men and are not commaunded by the word If you will ioyne reason with true iudgement and let iudgement guide the vncertaintie of opinion you shal easily perceaue that in mine opinion is no great good argument Looke into true art and you shall soone see that as vnderstanstanding is the internall beginning of the demonstratiue syllogisme whose conclusion is aeternae veritatis vnpossible to be refuted and as fansie is the internal beginning of Sophistical arguments which flie at the presence of the former euen as the shadow of the earth shrinketh successiuely from the rising of the sunne Euen so opinion is the internall beginning of probable reasoning whose conclusion is indifferently either true or false as the Philosopher in his Morralles concludeth most plainely as it cleerely appeareth by this example In your opinion they are not to bee retained in myne opinion they are Now let the Reader iudge which of these two argumentes is the stronger The absurditie of this conclusion flowing from the fountaine of ignorant arrogancie teacheth vs that these mens opinions is more than the truth There zeale farre beyond all knowledge their arguments without all compasse of art Herein wee must vnderstand that opinion is their proper prerogatiue Art is not worthie to knocke at the dore of their blind arrogant zeale What then remaineth to raise this scaled Dragon out of his dungeon Exurgat Dominus dissipentur inimici etus Let the Lord arise and let his enemies bee scattered abroad Let the truth breake forth like the morning beams descending from the cristall skies Let the holie scriptures confute this reason founded on the ysie ground of false opinion and that by the example of Ietro who though he were an Ethnicke and a straunger to the Common wealth of Israell yet his aduise proceeding from mans inuention was both accepted of by Moyses and directlie followed in all good Common wealthes vnto this day Therefore the constitutions of Byshoppes Doctors Deanes Cathedrall Churches c. and all other Discipline orders constitutions and lawes whatsoeuer in the Church of Englande or else where though they proceede from mannes inuention as they tearme it yet if it bee Secundum non contrae scripturas according to the word of God not contrarie to it They are all lawfull good and godlie This is a plaine vndoubted truth and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it And though the piercing floud striue to issue through the chinkes of those infernall dores Though the pitchie smoke ascending from that deadlie pitte contende to couer the eies of the simple Though this hellish Cloude of darknesse could put on the cleerenesse of the radiant Sunne and those foule deuilles appeare in the habite of the brightest angels Though they open their mouthes wide and to the end they may deceaue manie crie alowde dispersing the doctrine of sedition vnder the colour of the word of God opposed to mannes inuentions yet shall the Lord of light quell this hideous dragon with one small sentence of truth proceeding frō his mouth And though the truth is best knowen and most euidentlie seene when she is most naked yet is she not so tender that she can be pierced with the sharpest arming sword of her enemies nor so feeble that shee will yeeld to blastes of wind nor so ill appointed that she hath but one pore dart nor so vnlearned that shee should yeelde to the vanishing smoke of false opinion nor so simple but that she can soone discerne deceauing spirites from the spirit of truth Wisedome crieth in the streates saith Salomon and the truth of this conclusion though it was first pronounced in Ierusalem yet at this day the sound therof hath passed through al our streets entred al our eares◠knocked at the dore of al our hartes And what is the sound thereof euen the voice of the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world He hath said it plainely Whosoeuer is not against vs is with vs. By which shorte sentence he which hath but halfe an eye may plainly see that whatsoeuer is not contrary to the worde of God is according to his worde Sententia scripturae est scriptura saith Saint Augustine Not the words but the meaning of the scripture is the scripture The letter is a dead element but the spirituall vnderstanding thereof founded in truth and veritie giueth life to all which apprehend it Therfore these subtill deceiuers which cry out for a new reformatiō in the church framed in their own fancy according to the word and vnder that colour disclaime the regiment set downe by our most gratious Princesse they do therein most presumptuously abuse her maiestie and all her subiectes This facing error is not content with bare saying but it also proceedeth to defending and prouing after this manner Things once abused by superstition and idolatrie ought not to bee vsed in the woorship of Christ therefore Churches c. ought to be pulled downe and vtterly abolished When I heare this principle so often repeated by them I think on that prouerbe Facile quae cupimus credimus and when I confer therewith the manner of their reasoning I remember Tindarus his short salutation to his master Salue atque vale So when I behold their false propositions which they take as granted and their vntagged arguments therevnto annexed I cannot imagine that they euer entered further into the Logicke schooles than the threshould or beeing there that euer they did once behold that mistresse of Arts and Sciences or if they did once see her grace and countenance yet they neuer saluted her or if they did salute her it was but Salue atque vale Ex vnguibus leonem the first view of this daungerous error doth discouer the vglines of the monster Suppose these seeming saints were so indeede their opinion true yet doe but view a while the venim taile which she draweth after her and you shall soone espie a thousand Hidraes heades arising out of her footings If you be so hard harted that you will not beleeue vnlesse you see then cast away the blinking eyes of fonde opinion and with the cleare sight of true vnderstanding behold that mirrour of heauenly truth which by the beautifull shew of sundry portraitures teacheth vs plainely that things abused by superstition may be well wisely and religiously vsed in the church of God The Gentiles they had their gods to whome they built solemne temples offered daily sacrifices many praiers petitions Therfore should not Salomon builde a most solemne temple vnto the God of heauen and earth The example confirmeth that rule Quarum rerum est vsus
Councell hath foreseene the daunger and set downe the sentence of eternall trueth in these wordes Hee which shall not wiselie foresee this euident daunger of eternall damnarion to his owne soule and contrarie to this sentence take awaie the goods and possessions once giuen to the Church or vniustlye deteyne the same vnlesse hee make present restitution to the church so soone as he can let him be strucken with the curse which the wrathfull iudge of all the world shall inflict on all the soules of the wicked at the day of doome and let these goods bee a curse to him which gaue them from the Church which receaued them and which possessed them Neither let him finde anye protection for his crime before the tribunall seate of Iesu Christ because without all feare of God and regard of his holie worshippe against lawe and right hee hath taken awaie the goods of the Church giuen to maintaine the holie worship of the Lord and to feede the hungrie bodies and soules of the poore innocent people Generallie saith the same Councell whosoeuer shall presume to confiscate to spoyle or to take anie thing consecrated to holie vse or belonging to the Church vnlesse hee truelie repenting correct and amend his wicked facte so soone as hee can and that by restitution to the same Church let him bee subiect to the greeuous curse and censure of the Church Likewise those which enter on the goods of the Church and detaine them through the gifte the authoritie the commission of Kinges and Princes obtaining them by tirannicall force from the Church leauing them to theyr heyres and posteritie as though they were theyr owne inheritaunce vnlesse with speedie repentaunce they restore the Lords possession vnto his Church being first admonished by the holy Bishop let him be accursed for euer and accounted as an infidell according to that commandement of our sauiour Christ if he will not heare the Church let him be to thee as an heathen or as an infidell therefore saith the councell it is not lawfull for the Emperour or anie true christian to attempt anie thing contrarie to the commaundementes of God neither to doe anie thing repugnant to the rules of the holy Prophets the Apostles and Euangelists Those which bee my sheepe saith our Sauiour Christ they heare my voice and those which be naturall children of the Church their hart will melte when they heare the voice of their mother crying in the streetes Our heauenly father he hath begotten vs in the spirite and our spirituall mother shee nourisheth vs with the sweete milke of the word of life Shee vttereth her voyce often and cryeth alowde in many places of the world but neuer so manifestly as when shee sheweth her countenaunce openlie to all the world in open generall councell gathered together in the holie Ghost You haue heard her voyce whileare and the sound thereof hath gone into all landes saying touch not mine annointed neither anie thing once dedicated to my holie worship Sponsus sponsam amat the bridegroome doth loue his spouse intirely Hee sheweth her his brest and reuealeth to her the secrets of his hart his wil is apparant vnto her she hath reuealed it at sundry times vnto her children Which times though they were diuers yet veritatis simplex est oratio her voice was is alwaies the same as appeareth by the councell of Aurialens whose wordes though they differre from the former yet the sence and sentence is the same first forewarning her eldest children of this grieuous sinne and then the other in their order after this manner Let no Clarke or spirituall pastour alienate any goodes belonging to the Church and least it should seeme true which some obiect that those which giue to the Church may also take away the same councel doth meete with that obiection in the 19. chapter in these wordes It is not lawfull for him which giueth anie thing to the Church or for his heires once for to require it backe again In like maner the second councell ☜ of Spale Those Churches which by tumultes and warres haue beene disturbed shal altogether retaine the selfe same liberties which they had before with all the possessions whether they bee possessed by any other Church or any others whatsoeuer The first councell of Paris hath giuen this resolute iudgement concerning Bishops goodes and therein the goods of the Church because the goods and possessions of Bishops are knowne to be the goods and possessions of the Church If any man shall violently intrude himselfe into them or by violence peruert them let him bee stroken with the curse of the holie Canon that he which would not followe the motion of his owne conscience at the least maye bee reclaimed by the holie constitutions of the Church Which offence least it shold seeme a smal sinne in the eyes of worldlye men or that the gaine gotten thereby might seeme to counteruaile the losse no man is so simple which seeth not plainely that this is a pleasaunt sinnefull thought leading to a bitter end as appeareth by the sentence of the same councell following Let no man be so farre from the seeking of his owne soules health or so willing to seeke eternall death that he should once desire enter or possesse any goods landes or commodities belonging to the church Though the councell of Magnutium seeme in the beginning by gentle words to mittigate the haynousnesse of the fact yet indeede the meaning is the same and in conclusion of the same weight as appeareth by their style in this manner If anie man doe presume to retaine diminish or take anie goodes landes or profites belonging to anie Church Colledge or any holie place let him bee excommunicated as a spoyler of the Church not once allowed to come neere the Church doore These milde wordes least they should animate the wicked they drawe a more fearefull iudgement after them as appeareth afterward in the same councell concluding thus If anie man diminish any thing belonging to the Church as a cruell murtherer of the poore let him bee accursed for euer This was the voice of the mother and her children haue learned to pronounce the same Saint Ambrose as it is written before affirmeth it vnlawfull for temporall men to possesse ecclesiasticall goods Saint Augustine writing on the Psalmes saith that when the last dedication of the house of God shall come then shall that safetie also bee giuen vnto it which was spoken in the seuenteenth chapter of the second booke of the Kinges after this manner I will appoint my place of worship with my people Israell and they shall dwell alone seperated from others and the sonne of iniquitie shall not presume to destroy it The scripture calleth the spoilers of the church the sonnes of iniquitie bicause the sonne of heauen hath not beheld a more vngodlie fact then the iniurie of the sonne done to the mother of the infantes to the nurse of
resembleth perfect truth oft richlie clothed in their golden verse sith they had wit at will and the Muses sounded at their call their pen did flow with droppes distilled from the fountaine of most pleasant inuention their stile was high their words were sweete their sentence true their number perfect their workes admired So that nought but enuie durst once deuise the least disgrace against the same If my skill would yeeld me but a bare resemblance of their perfect stile whereby I might reueale the truth vnto the world with like delight as did those Poets fine or if this age were but halfe so much delighted with the substance of truth it selfe as they were with the portraiture of the shadow I would hope for that good acceptance of this smal simple worke which now I doubt write with him I am sorie for my selfe sith thou shalt be accepted But sith that daie of darkenes hath alreadie dawned in which if wee write the truth plainlie wee are hated if wee write obscurelie we are suspected if we write simplie we are contemned if we write not to please the itching eares of flesh and bloud we are reiected Sith men are so much bent to their owne selfe will and so besotted with the loue of themselues of their owne house their owne goods their owne landes their owne wife their owne children their owne posteritie lastlie with the loue of this present world of dignities honors scepters kingdomes that the kingdome of heauen to them is but a dreame bred in a litle corner of their secret cogitation and he which shall tell them that the kingdome of this world passeth away like a flower a clowde a smoke a shadowe that the kingdome of Christ is not of this world that the further wee enter into worldlie possessions and the higher wee climbe vnto honor the further wee goe backe from the kingdome of heauen and the greater is our fall into the graue sith hee which shall write this plainlie and more than that that the whole regiment of a Christian common wealth ought principally aboue all things to serue for the setting forth of true religion the true worship the true honour of the name of God sith the disgrace of worldlie pride now commonlie receiued and on the contrarie the extolling and magnifying of the beautie of the temple of God is an odious thing amongest worldlinges at this day and my skill verie simple mine inuention slender my treatise rude my words plaine mine eloquence nothing at all I begin with him though to another ende Parue nec inuideo My litle booke I do not enuie thee nay rather I pittie thine estate sith thou art now to passe into the world whose ysie wayes are opposite to God and crauest attentiue eare of those whose fowle deformities thou openlie displaiest Nether would I thinke thy destinie so hard or so much to be lamēted if they were simple at whose harts thou knockest willing them to reuerence the worshippe of God more than the lawes of earthlie princes or easilie to bee recouered from the bewitched waies of this present world But of them manie are high and honourable manie wife and learned manie politique strong and wealthie hardlie bowing downe their eie to behold the low estate of the humble and seldome opening their eare to the crie of poore fatherlesse lying in the streete or to so plaine so simple so vnsauerie a speach as thou seemest willing to vtter in their eares at this time In this dispair of thy good successe I heare an other trumpet sownd whose lowde alarum biddeth thee either retire or else to chaunge thine habite thy countenance thy simple stile and cote wherewith thou art now clothed The solemne courtes of princes haue their Porters to keepe such base coats out who if they once presume to speake beeing controlled then the staffe the rodde the whippe the stockes do make the period of their stile These be the stormes wilt thou shrink for showers of raine God it is which fashioned the globe of the golden tressed sun he raiseth cloudes and discusseth them againe he thundreth lowd and sendeth quiet calme he sendeth grieuous stinges of the bodie oft times to his beloued that he may reioyce his soule with the beautie of his countenaunce Ille meas errare boues vt cernes ipsum Ludere quae vellem calamo permisit agresti he first sent foorth the piersing beame of cleare light he opened mine eye hee bowed the fingers of mine hand and bid me write that in this age we seeme and are not holie learned wise charitable louing and kinde one to an other If this bee the generall course of the world foreshewed long sithence by reuealed Prophesie let no man thinke that trueth proceedes from any euill humor or that this heauenlie darte which spareth none dooth aime at him or her or any one but humblie requesting all in the bowels and mercies of Iesu Christ specially to looke to the saluation of their owne soule it toucheth all that all therby leauing the loue of this present world by his gratious crosse and passion may be made the true children of eternal blisse That auncient Poet Hesiod writte many hundreth yeeres agoe that which our liues doe porfectly fulfill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whē the Gods mortall men began to multiplie vppon earth the first age was a goulden age for they were simple plaine wise honest religious long liued deuoide of iniury crafte and and subtilty The second like to siluer not so good as was the first The third brasse more corrupt in minde manners and nature O sineque ego quinto interessem hominum generi O saith the Poet that I had not come in the fift age of the world but either had beene dead long before or else not yet borne sith this is an iron age replenished with malitious crimes and mischeefe This was a deformed shadowe and the bodie of our age is like vnto the same according to the exposition of Daniell vnto Nabuchodonozer wherin he foreshewed that the images head of golde and the breast siluer the bellie of brasse the legges and feete halse iron halfe earth signified the nature and inclination of the whole world Three of them be past and seldome commeth the better Sith this in which we liue is the ende of the fourth Monarch whose euil workes and sinful inclination is resembled to the iron mixt with earth in steede of long life yeelding shorte sinfull wretched daies in steede of sweete peace yeelding wars and rumours of wars in all places in steede of simplicity yeelding double dissembling in steede of true deuotion to the church of Iesu Christ yeelding pilling and polling on euery side in steede of loue to the common wealth and our posterity with the vnsatiable greedy worme of couetousnes prouiding oncly for our owne mouthes our own bellies our owne time in all our dooinges fully expressing the sence and sentence of that auncient Poet Pindarus 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the present commodity is euer most accepted for the subtill age to come will alter all Together with this iron earthly age the seede of corruption is daily sowne whose blossomes nowe already put foorth though they shine cleere and bright as dooth the cockle amiddest the wheate yet if they once beginne to reape to threshe to grinde to grinde to bake to eate they shall soone perceiue that there is cockle amongest the corne and ofte times vnder the painted viserd of great knowledge you shall se blind bayard wax so bold that through many wordes and often speaking amongest the ignorant whose eyes dazell in beholding such painted sepulchers hee is reputed for wise and learned According to that true saying of that lerned Dorne In hoc ferreo postremoque saeculo non nisi faeces artium superesse videmus etsi non nulli putent eas maxime vigere propter sermonis ornatum In this last iron age we haue but the dâ—egges of artes and sciences although manie thinke that learning florisheth more nowe then in times past because we talke more then they did and that more cunninglie more smoothlie more courtlie Which great absurditie of this our age throughly mixt with earth iron to the great perill and daunger of many thousand soules mooued mee first to penne this rudely written treatise in the behalfe of the Church of Iesu Christ and the soules health of all true Christians vnto whose handes it shal come Which secret cogitation taking effect by outward sence and shewing to my bodilie eyes in sundrie places and manie solemne foundations nowe made desolate whereby manie thousandes of learned pastours might haue beene maintained for the preaching of the Gospell of Christ and the dailie praysing of his name credidi propterea loquutus sum with the holie Prophet and Apostle I beleeued and therefore I writte that which the holy scriptures the holy counselles the holy fathers haue plainelie affirmed When I looked backe and considered what wee are and what wee ought to bee what wee haue doone and what we ought to haue doone the truth piersed my spirite my heart rent and my ioyntes did cleaue in sunder the passion of that sight beganne to worke the fyer was kindled within the sayinges of the holie fathers ministred oyle wherewith the flame brake foorth at my mouth crying alowde for Sions sake I will not hold my peace Here with returning to the mirrour of trueth the holie word of God whereby all our thoughtes wordes and workes are to bee tried and furthermore perusing the holie fathers by the assistaunce of the holie Ghost openers of the true vnderstanding thereof I meant to gather some store of testimonies out of them to witnesse with mee that this my affirmation in this matter is a certaine and vndoubted trueth Hauing behelde this radiant sunne of light the word of God and the little starres the holie fathers illuminated with the cleare beames thereof though the trueth appeared plainelie in them both yet their testimonies concerning thinges once dedicated to holie vse seemed to mee neither so manie as I expected nor so plaine Herein hauing made some spence of time in seeking that which was not so plainely figured in the fathers as I hoped and as it was truely meant at length the trueth of that conclusion offered it selfe most plainelie to my cogitation which was that as that auncient Solon hauing made many excellent lawes amongest the Athenians hee made no lawe neither set hee downe any punishment for him which should kil his own father supposing that the earth would neuer nourishe so wicked a creature Euen so it is truely supposed that those holie fathers liuing in the siluer age of olde antiquitie did neuer imagine that out of this earthlie yron age of ours there should spring anie so barbarous so cruell so wicked that would attempt to take awaie any thing from the true worshippe of almightie God Which suppositioÌ„ least in some mens sight it should seeme to want true position and sure ground let vs turne our minds a litle from carnal cogitations of worldlie minded men which thinke of necessitie the course of the world must bee mainteined howsoeuer the seruice of God be neglected and his holie temple your mindes thus turned cleane away from wordlie vanities which in one minute shall all vanish and consume like the paper cast into the fier turne your eies and behold the booke of life therewith conferre the expositions of holie councels and ancient fathers expounding the true sence of the same and you shall see most plainlie that things once dedicated to holie vse are not in anie wise to bee altered vnleast it be in extreame necessitie the braunches whereof are plainlie laied open by that holie father Saint Ambrose in these wordes Vasa ecclesiae initiata in his tribus confringere conflare vendere etiam licet primum vt extremae pauperum egestati succurratur c. In these three cases it is lawfull to breake to melt to sel the vessels of the Church first for the relieuing of the poore secondlie for the redeeming of the Christians beeing captiues to infidels Thirdlie for the preseruing of the Church christian buriall of the dead these extremities make that irreligious fact sometimes lawfull as appeareth though verie seldome in the practise of the primatiue Church according to that which Sozomene writeth in the fourth booke of his ecclesiasticall storie the 24. Chapter Saith hee when the people of Ierusalem wanted meat and were all readie to perish through the great famine which was amongest them Cyrillus the Bishoppe of the citie solde the treasure of the Church with all the costlie clothes belonging to the same distributing to the poore according to their necessitie First of all the goods of the Church being dulie and dutifullie bestowed on the worshippe of God and diuine function the true proper and principall vse and end of the same Secondly in extreame necessitie this is a good lawfull and also a holie vse of them and scarcelie to be called alâ—enating of the Church goods sith the poore are belonging to the same according to that generall sentence of all the councels and fathers Bona ecclesiae sunt bona pauperum the goods of the church are the goods of the poore But to take awaie the landes and goods of the Church whereby the beautiful feete of those which bring the glad tydings of the Gospel are shed their sides clothed their bodies fed and numbers of those which dailie praie in his holy temple are or ought to be mainteined lifting vp pure hands with hartie prayers for the sinnes of the people and those also which dailie sing praises to his holie name for his wonderful mercies shewed to mankind no scripture no councel no father no writer no religioÌ„ whatsoeuer doth allow it If wee looke into the law of nature or the rules of humanitie not much dissonant from the conclusions of morall
our face most apparantly I will not long discourse on that part pardon me the glasse is cleare what should I write That prouerbe was vsed of auncient time and we prooue it true Suis quisque malis blanditur euery man flattereth himselfe in his owne humor and though the glasse do shew thee plainely that thy face is foulie spotted in diuers places with vncleannesse of thine owne hands and full of puffed pimples by reason thou drinkest lyquor not ordained for thy stomacke yet to the ende that those small scabbes without may breede great sores within and that thine ende may bee the lue of thy desert flattering thy selfe with thine owne deformrtie and loath to bee corrected by an other thou castest away the glasse which once abandoned qui semel verecundiae limities transilient without all blushing thou affirmest boldly a mould a wart a wrinckle a â—reckle a spotte a wheale is but a toye in a mans face I count but little of the foolishe glasse And shew me reason why not why not if it be not seene it is no blot but if it be no more hid then the nose on your face or the sight in your eye if all men loath the sight thereof and count you carelesse of your health for neglecting the same then knowe that the time is nowe come of which it was foreshewed that men should bee loouers of themselues more then of the Lorde and you are a childe of the same nowe therefore sith the glasse is gone and reason is the rule by the which you leauell knowe yee that your deformities are great and sith you loue to feede on meate forbidden two men of your complection know this for a trueth that all meates are not for al meÌ„ It were a straunge vnnatural kindnes if the little child sucking on his mothers brest shold pull the meate out of her mouth as she is feeding yet much more vnholsome to be eaten of the child then straunge to the beholders If this vnnatural vnkindnes doe seeme so vntollerable in the flesh how much more in the children of the spirite wee must knowe that man as Hermes writeth consisteth of two natures of heauen and earth of bodie and of soule of the fleshe and of the spirite The fleshe is of earth earthlie the spirite is from heauen heauenlie first is that which is spirituall and then that which is bodilie The bodie is quickned last and dieth first but the spirite is that which is first and laste As the spirituall is first so wee ought first of all to walke after the spirit and not after the flesh to become like our spirituall father and to nourish our spirituall mother and brethren redeemed with the same spirituall sacrifice renewed with the same spirituall grace confirmed by the same spiritual pastours vnto sanctimony holines of life reading first aboue al other knowledge science contemplacions and reuelations the true heauenlie doctrine of the spirit Seking with our bodies liues and goods to preserue keepe the volumes the pastours the temples of the spirituall worship of the Lord where the breade of life is broken to those which hunger and thirst after righteousnes and the spirituall foode of the soule After the body followeth the shadowe and next to this spirituall foode of the soule the food of the corruptible bodie is to be prouided Both are necessarie but the former first Therefore let vs not seeke after the foode which perisheth but seeke the foode which preserueth both bodie and soule vnto eternall life knowing that as our sauiout Christ saith man liueth not by bread onely but by euerie worde which proceedeth out of the mouth of God This word is the conduit of the spirit whose substaunce is perfect trueth this word was in the beginning by it all thinges were made It created all thinges of nothing in weakenes strength in vilenes honour in the dust it placed a liuing a heauenly and an vnderstaÌ„ding soule erecting the bodily chariot where in he placed it right vp to heauen that he might aboue al things continually haue his face his eie his hart and cogitacion fixed on heauen and heauenlie conuersation But man would not abide in honour the spiriual grace of the heauenly fountaine infused into him was corrupted with the vncleanes of the vessel FroÌ„ the beginning his enemies prouoked him to offend his maker to leaue y e heauenly spirit to incline to her handmaid this sinful filthy coruptible flesh Therewith he lusted after his sensuall appetite he rowled his eie to fro according to y e wauering of fleshly sensuallity leauing the mistris in most degenerate sort he bound himself to serue the pleasurs of the body with the los of life he brought in death in affecting the losenes of the flesh he lost the freedome of the spitit in seeking lands honor on the earth he left the spiritual Canaan the heaueÌ„ly IerusaleÌ„ perfect lawe of the libertie Sith therfore the essence of man is his spirit according as it is written Mens vniuscuiusque is est quisque as the minde is so is the man eyther good or bad and that our first and chiefest constitution is spirituall Let vs vnderstand thus much of our selues that it is most consonant to our creation to our constitution to our saluation that aboue all other things we frame all our thoughts and meditations our calling and conuersation our goods and landes our liues and liuinges our bodies and our soules to the nourishing of the doctrine of trueth and the maintaining of the nurses the true teachers and preachers of the same This is the key of knowledge whereby wee must open the doore of heauen the tree of life which feedeth the soule the cleare light which lighteneth euery man which commeth into the world Now the windowe beginneth to open the day spring from an highe now visiteth vs teaching vs truely that as we consist of two natures so we are of two beginnings spirituall and earthly of a spirituall father the creator of heauen and earth a spirituall mother the holy catholique Church on whome hee hath sent his holy spirite visibly descending So we must first and principally apply our selues to the maintaining of the health peace and safety the reuerence renowne and glory of this spirituall father and mother leauing our earthly father and our earthly mother in regard of them because hee created redeemed and sanctified vs vnto himselfe our holy mother She nourisheth vs with the spirituall milke of the holy ghost that wee should be an holie religious generation vnto the Lord. Therefore after wee haue truelie confessed that wee beleeue in the most holie blessed and glorious trinitie three persons and one God next vnto our heauenlie Father wee acknowledge our spirituall mother the holie catholique Church in whose custodie at his departing out of this world he left his will and testament plainlie written and subscribed with his owne hand and the handes of
SalomoÌ„ was the wisest man that euer was being onlie man yee haue heard of the fruit of his heauenly wisdome euen the building of a holy temple vnto the Lord. If heauenly wisedome built it vp then sinful folly pulled it down down it came But wil you see with what countenaÌ„ce the Lord beheld that fact That mightie Monarch Nabuchodonozer amongst his generall warres and famous victories he conquered Ierusalem and rased the walls he spoiled the Temple and tooke away some of the golden vessels of the house of God placing them in his emple before his Idols wherein the learned obserue that he had some conscience in taking some of the vessels not all in vsing them only in the temple of his gods not in his owne house He was a mightie Emperor as his dominions were greater then those of other princes so was his hart lift vp in prid aboue all other men therefore the Lord he put the mighty man from his seate hee disarmed him of all his power he made him naked of al his glory he remooued the crowne of golde from his head that which argueth what manner of men they be which laie violent handes on the temple of God he tooke from out his brest the vnderstanding hart of man placed therein a brutishe beastly heart together with the shape of an Oxe which hath hornes and hoofs and eateth haie After this hee tooke him from the princely pallace and turned him lose into the wilde soile euen amongst the beasts of the wood His body was wet with the dewe of heauen his drinke was the water of the puddle his solace was the company of brute bests He led this dul deadly life for seuen yeres y t hee might learne to know the God of heauen to regard his truth to giue him al honor and glory which after the Lord of his mercy wisdom had restored him to his kingdome he did most willingly plainely acknowledg euen in these words I Nabuchodonozer do lawd magnify extoll aboue al things y â— king of heauÌ„e earth c. Though after this strange chastisement he was woÌ„derfully humbled in the sight of God man yet the corruptioÌ„ of the fathers bloud did sinke so depe into the bones of his son king Balthasar that when he was at a solemne feast amoÌ„gst his princes the nobilite of his court being dronken he commanded y â— the golden vessels which his father Nabuchodonozer â—ad brought froÌ„ the temple of IerusaleÌ„ should be brought into him that he his princes his nobles wiues concubines in a brauery might drinke in them It was so don They did eate and drinke in the vessels belonging to the temple of the Lorde they praised their idoll Gods but by the way the wine which tasted sweete to his lips came cold to his hart For in the same moment as hee was drinking right ouer against the candle standing on the table there appeared the fingers of a mans hand writing on the wal which once discried by the king himselfe hee beheld it with a gastly looke and fearefully esprised with the letters which appeared in his sight his colour chaunged his heart panted his spirit was troubled his raines were loosed and his legs shrunke vnder him Straightway in great hast hee sent for Daniel who read the writing which was this Mane Techel Phares expounding these three words in this manner Mane that is God hath numbred thy kingdom broght it to an end Techel thou art weighed in the ballaunce thou art found too light Phares thy kingdome is diuided giuen to the Medes Persians This was the sentence of the Lord against that mightie king for translating his vessels appointed for his holy sacrifice vnto prophane vse the execution was not long deferred for the selfe same night in which he presumed to drinke in those holy vessels hee was slaine in his owne house Though the Lord do not alwaies sende such manifest speedy reuenge on all those which take the goods of the holy church vnto their priuate vses yet let them which are guiltie thereof beware that they abuse not too much the merciful louing patience of the Lord for his sword is sharpe passeth swiftly betwixt the soule and the spirit like the lightning breaking out of the clowd Think not that he is forgetfull because the fact is nowe past or vniust because vengeance yet lieth hid or partial that without repentance he should suffer any sin to scape vnpunished in any person whatsoeuer from the beginning of the world vnto this day Dauid was a holy and a kingly prophet a man euen according to Gods owne hart his eies beheld the vaine beautie of a woman wherewith his hart was straight inflamed and set on fire within his brest hee tooke his poore subiects wife and sent her husband to wars where hee was slaine he loued he killed and after that he possessed the woman had by hir a goodly boy What followeth in the text of holy scripture the prophet Nathan brought him a heauie message froÌ„ the Lord saying it is euen thou thou hast sinned against the Lord and thy poore subiect thou hast slaine Vrias the Hethite and married his wife wherefore the sworde shall not departe from thine house for euer This was the defiance of the Lorde sounded against king Dauid by the mouth of Nathan the prophet to which the great alarum was not vnlike For the Lord did visite the little childe which he had by Vrias wife with sicknesse For whom Dauid prayed vnto the Lorde most instauntly that hee would spare the childe Hee prayed long hee fasted religiously hee mourned hee remained in the darke hee put on sackecloth and ashes hee lay vppon the colde ground his noble counsellors could not intreate him to take any meate for seuen dayes in the ende whereof the Lord tooke away the fruit of his sinfull delight euen the childe vnlawfully begotten which he so entirely loued Afterwards though the Lorde blessed him with Salomon yet to shewe that the fight of the rereward should bee no lesse mortall than the sodaine alarum giuen before to the maine battaile the Lorde stirred vp his owne sonne in armes against him and armed the people so stoutly with rebellious heartes in desire of his destruction that it was saide plainely before the king that all Israell were vp in armes against him and sought to destroy him This tumult of the people was so sodaine so violent and so outragious for the time that the king for feare fledde out of his owne pallace and durst not staye therein though hee had shewed great signes of hartie repentaunce and the Lorde had sayde that hee would remember his mercies promised vnto him the retreate was not fully sounded but the Lorde punished the sinnes of the king together with the death of seuentie thousand of his subiects destroyed with the plague which hee sent amongst