¶ A CHRISTIAN DISCOVRSE vpon certeine poynts of RELIGION Presented vnto the most high puissant Lorde the Prince of Conde Translated out of French into English by Iohn Brooke of Asâ—he next Sandwich 1578. 1. PETER 4. b. ¶ As euery man hath receaued the gift minister the same one to an other as good ministers of the manifold grace of God. ¶ Imprinted at London by Thomas East the 6. daye of Iune 1578. ¶ TO THE RIGHT HONOrable and his singuler good Ladie and Mistres the Countesse of Oxenforde Iohn Brooke wisheth longe and blessed life with increase of much honoure c. WHEN first true intent of bounden dutie and entire zeale had quickened and pricked me forward to present your Ladishippe with the dedication of this smal volume Right honorable and my verie good Ladie I grewe full of doubtes in my selfe whether to proceede and go forwarde or els to surcease and reuoke my presumed enterprise And abiding sometime in this vncerteine and vndetermined conclusion one while adaunted and suppressed with the vnworthinesse of the woorke in respect of mine owne labours beeing an vnlearned translation an other while animated and encouraged by the godlinesse of the matter comprehended and included therein then pulled backe and in manner put to silence by many doubtes of presumptioÌ„ rudenesse or rashnesse eftsoones againe imboldened and harted on partly by duetie to vnfolde and shewe my willing minde partly by certeine knowledge and dayly report of your Ladiships good inclination to vertue and godlinesse wherevnto adioyned the great fame of your singuler humilitie manifolde curtesie leaning at length onely to this staffe I wounde in time out of this doubtfull Laborinth of inconstant passions and became plainely resolued in the processe and going forwarde of this mine enterprise wherevnto I was yet the rather and more easely induced for that as within the hard and vntoothsome bone is included the sweete marrowe and as the vnsauorie shell comprehendeth the pleasant kirnell so vnder the rough and vnsmothed grace of mine vnlearned stile is shrowded much wisdome vertue godlinesse and in the simplicitie and plainnesse of my translation many profitable examples and holesome lessons conteined worthy to be embraced and followed of all men It came vnto my handes right honorable in the French and is entituled A ChristiaÌ„ Discourse vpon certein points of Religion Which title draue mee first to the ouerrunning of the matter and then finding the whole summe and contentes so well agreeing with the nomination I thought if I could put him on an English â—abite I might thereby pleasure and profite diuers of my natiue countrie men studious in the Scriptures to the contentation I trust of many to the offence of no vertuous and well disposed person May it therefore please you to admit the same into your fauourable acceptance and that vnder your ensigne it may haue safe conduct to enioye publication and free passage This request beeiâ—g graunted allowed of your good Ladiship Let captious Zoilus cauill or finde fault Let hatefull hereticke with all his forcible inuectiues subtil argumeÌ„ts straunge reasons diswade and seeke to oppugne impaire or discredite the matter Let proude Papist with all his authoritie abiure curse condemne both booke author to the fire Our immunitie protection defence resteth in almightie God the high Iudge of all And for the cleernesse of this matter we referre vs vnto his most holy and pure woorde and sacred Scriptures Wherefore trusting the sinceritie and trueth of the matter shal counteruaile the plainnesse of the interpretation and that the consideâ—ation of my zeale and bounden duetie aboue rehearsed shal abanndon all suspect of arrogancie and rashnesse I leaue for this time to trouble your Ladiship beseechinge the Almightie to blesse you with longe and manie happie yaeres in this life and the reward of Vertue in the life to come Your Ladiships seruaunt all to commaunde Iohn Brooke ¶ TO HIS SAIDE LORDE the Prince of Conde the author sendeth health IF feare doth make vs vnderstand the voice and as Dauid doeth witnesse that hee did erre and go wronge before that he was afflicted and troubled what can we lesse do after so many cyuil warres and persecutions of our owne countrey men yea rather houshould seruantes but to magnifie the Lord and dayly to meditate or studie vpon the maruels of his puissance and goodnes If say I Moses and Debora being sette at libertie and enfranchised srom the tyranny of the Egyptians and Chananeans did consecrate of late vnto God so many goodlye canticles and spirituall songes what can wee lesse do in this same meane time of religion but alwayes to offer vnto him sacrifices of thankes giuing That is to say the fruite of oure lippes confessinge his name And vnto whom ought wee to direct such writings but vnto those vnto whom the Lorde hath drawen from the middest of the waters and reserued from among them that are killed for to restore the ruins and decaied places of his second temple and to reestabish and set vp againe the true vsage of the Christian religion Beholde O Christian Prince wherfore I haue dedicated vnto thee this litle worke hauing first premeditated to the honour of him from whom doth proceede euerie good and perfect gift Assuring my selfe that thou wilt receiue it in as good part as the Lord did the two mites of that poore widow mencioned in the gospell Furthermore I doe not care what opinion men haue so that it be agreable to that true Iudge which doth not iudge men according to the sight of his eyes neither doth reproue a matter at the first hearing but doeth iudge all thinges in equitie and righteousnesse Our Lord Iesus Christ vnto whom be glory for euer Amen A BRIEF ADVERTISMENT wherein is shewed that we ought not to abuse the holy Scripture but to apply it to his proper vse 2. TIMOTH 2. Ch. â—5 ¶ Studie to shew thy selfe laudable vnto God a workeman that needeth not to be ashamed deuiding the word of trueth iustly FOrasmuche as the holy Scripture doth teach vs that the wordes of the Lord are pure words euen as the siluer whiche from the earth is tryed and puryfied seuen tymes in the fyre and the gospell is the puissaunce of God to the saluation and health of all that beleue therein insomuch that the Prophets speaking of the dignitie of the Herolds and Embassadours of the gospel doe crye out O howe beautifull are the féete of the Embassadour that bringeth the message from the mounteine and proclameth peace â–ª that bryngeth the good tidinges and preacheth health and sayth vnto Sion Thy God is the king The wyse suche as haue taught others shall glyster as the shining of Heauen and those that haue instructed the multitude vnto godlynes shal be as the starres world without ende Truely we may perceiue with our eyes what default it is to declare or shew forth the ordinaunces of the Lord
matter what it is to let the true Christian religion I do meane those which are confirmable and agreable to the Christian rule and good manners On the contrarie I beséech them to remember a lawe of the Aegyptians by the which the kings of the countrie did adiure and sweare the iudges not to iudge any thing wrongfully yea when the king hath commaunded them expresly and if they do disalowe me in this matter I wil put before their eyes the exhortation which Iehosaphat made vnto the Iudges of Iuda admonishing and warning them to consider that they doe not exercise the iudgment of men but of GOD and that it shall be with them according to the thing iudged to haue the feare of the Lorde before their eyes to know that there is no vnrighteousnes in the Lord your god nor the regarding of persons nor taking of rewardes They haue written this lawe not with ynke but with the spirite of the liuing God not in tables of stone but in the fleshly tables of their heartes To the end that by their arrestes and Edictes they haue moued by that afore the people vnto a rage and furie more then barbarous and Scythian they may be also an occasion that hereafter the Christian people doe breake their swordes and speares to make sithes sickles and sawes thereof From that time foorth shall not one people lift vp weapon against another neither shall they learne to fight from thencefoorth but as the prophet Iob saith that we may all walke in the feare of the Lord let vs acknowledge also on our parte that God hath ben prouoked iustly against vs for our demerites and transgressions according as he doth menace and threaten some time his people by the Prophet that he wil take from them the Captein the Souldier the Iudge and the Prophet the wise and the aged man the worshipfull of fiftie yeare olde and the honourable the Senatours and men of vnderstanding the maisters of craftes and Oratoures and shall giue vnto them to be their Princes children and babes shall haue the rule ouer them The people shal be pilled and polled one shall euer be doing violence and wronge to an other The boye shall presume against the elder and the vile person against the honourable Bicause saith the Prophet that both their wordes and counseils are against the Lorde they prouoke the presence of his maiestie vnto anger Wherefore O Christian and faithfull people let vs consider our wayes and search them and let vs returne vnto the Lorde and bewaile vs for our sinnes Let vs lift vp our heartes with our handes vnto the Lorde that is in heauen saying We haue bene dissemblers and haue offended wilt thou therefore not be intreated thou hast conuerted vs in thy wrath and persecuted vs thou hast slaine vs without any fauour thou hast hidde thy selfe in a cloude that our prayers shoulde not goe thorowe thou hast made vs outcastes and to be dispised among the heathen All our enimies gape vppon vs feare and snare is come vpon vs yea dispite and destruction O Lorde be not so sore displeased and kéepe not our offences too long in thy remembrance but consider that we are all thy people The cities of thy Sanctuarie lie wast Syon is a wildernesse Ierusalem a desert Our holy house which is our beautie where our fathers praised thée is brent vp yea all our pleasures and commodities are wasted away remember not Lorde our offences but finish the worke which thou hast begunne in vs in this meane libertie of the religion that we may all sing in great hope and assurance with the Prophet Dauid mercie and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace kisse each other truth shal rise out of the earth and righteousnesse shall looke downe from heauen Graunt vs O Lorde that grace in the name and fauour of thy welbeloued sonne our Lorde Iesus Christe vnto whome be glorie for euer Amen ESAY 11. c. The Lord shall set vp a token among the Gentils and gather together the dispersed of Israel yea and of the outcastes of Iuda from the foure corners of the worlde A prayer O Lord which doest disperse and breake the counsells of the nations dost bring too nothing the enterprises of the people shed out the bowels of thy mercies vpon those which do fight daily against thée as their forefathers and woulde chase and driue thée from thy celestiall throne as the king of Babilon To conclude doe put and set them selues against thy sonne Christe teachers and liers as that sonne of perdition for to pull vp by the roote that which thou hast planted to destroy to ruinate that which thou hast builded to hinder and stop that which thou hast shed out euen vnto the vttermost ends of the earth yea do go about by all meanes to marre and to spill that which thou hast tried in the furnesse of the earth and purified seuen times in the fier to ad vnto that which thou hast ordeined in all integrie perfection To cōclud would suppresse abolish by force that which thou hast established for euer O Lord giue thē feare that they may acknowledg confesse him whom thou hast raised vp to set vp the kinreds of Iacob to restore the destruction of Israel and whom thou hast giuen for to lighten the Gentiles that he may be thy health vnto the end of the worlde our Lorde Iesus Christe vnto whome be glorie for euer Amen AN ADVERTISEMENT VNto these which doe crie dayly that wee must not suffer two religions Cap. 4. 1. TIMOTH 4. ¶ Therfore we labour and suffer rebuke bicause we beleeue in the liuing God which is the sauiour of all men but especially of all those that beleeue IT is most euident and knowen by the discourse of the holy scripture that as the Lord is true entire perfect so doth hée require of vs an acknowledging of him neither fained nor cloked That is the cause wherfore he did regard rather the sacrifice of Abel then of Cain did commaunde in the lawe that is written that wée must haue a perfecte and a iust measure and weightes and not to haue two manner of weightes he did rebuke Saul because that he did not wholy and fully accomplish his will and desire inasmuch as he did reserue some of the spoiles which they had gotten against the king of Amalech And in the Gospell is more praised the prayer of the Publican then that of the Pharisie To conclude in the booke of the Actes of the Apostles Ananias is punished bicause he deceiued the Apostles of the price of his possession In the same respect also we do greatly abhorre those which do mingle the sacrifice of the liuing God with that of Baal the doings of the Iewes with the fame of the Samaritans the baptisme with the circumcision the Christian lawe with that of Antichrist And yet
at this day we shall finde more straunge that vnder colour of some ordinarie tribute they doe suffer vnpunished the Iewes with the Christians the common harlots with the married women the Temples consecrated vnto strange vnknowen Gods amōg the middest of the Christian Churches But for all that it followeth not that they ought to chase driue vs out of the realme to depriue vs from our goods to exile and banishe vs from our landes to conclude to force vs in our bodies and consciences except that it be first decided and determined by the word of GOD that the Romishe Churche is the true Churche on the contrarie side that they doe knowe by the same Iudgement that ours is contrarie vnto the true Christian Churche For as the Lorde doth sende vs by his Prophet vnto the lawe and to the witnesse not vnto the deade So doth he commaunde vs by his welbeloued sonne to search diligently the Scriptures because that they are those which do beare witnesse of our saluation And euen as I say that it was but a small thing that the Iewes did reproch Iesus that he was a Samaritane and had the deuill And that they did call his Apostles deceiuours and sowers of newe doctrin To conclude that amōg the Romain Emperours they no more estéemed the Christian religion then of a new superstition or dangerous profession Also it shall not muche serue to crie dayly that they ought to kill vs banish and exile vs from our landes except that they doe declare vnto vs by the worde of God wherein we do swarue from the Christian church For it doth not followe that our religion is false because that it is contrarie vnto the Romish Church no mor then we must say that the doctrine of Iesus Christ was euil because that it was contrarie to the traditions of the Scribes and Pharises And it shall yet lesse serue in that matter to alledge vnto vs the prescription of the time in asmuch as the gospel doth rule vs or the greatnesse and magnificence of the Romish Church in regarde of ours forasmuch as they doe knowe that thorowe force and hypocrisie the ministers of the same haue vsurped such power aucthoritie and greatnesse For in those foundations the scepter reigne of Antichrist is shored vp mainteined And such are the markes of all false religion doctrine as doth witnesse vnto vs besides that which is said in the scripture of the sonne of perdition the good Cosba which did reigne in the time of Hely Adrian Emperour of the Romains him which doth call himselfe at this day the great Lord. For the true Christian religion doth not consist and lie in weapon or strength but in weeping and in bewailing no more then the brightnesse and clerenesse of the same in the force and strength of handes but in the patiēce and hope of men To conclude the perfection of our law doth not consist in visible outwarde thinges but in the most déepest places of mens hartes and imaginacions That is then without any purpose to conclude that we must be exiled from our countrie bicause they cannot suffer two religions except that the subporters mainteiners of the Romish church doe confesse by the same meanes that the truth is odious vnto them Euen so the people of Athens dyd chase and driue from their Citie and did put to death him in Cyprus which hath established the lawes Euen so Licurgus was banished of those whom he instructed in all good dysciplyne and ordinances Euen so Aristides was exiled and banished his countrye although they could rebuke him of none other thing but that he was too iuste The tyme will not serue mée to speake of the Patriarkes Prophets and Apostles it suffiseth me to send or apply the rest vnto that which the Apostle speaketh off vnto the Hebrewes the xj Chapter To conclude the confession of so many martyres of our religion ioyned with the worde of God doth giue most sure witnesse that wée are not the disciples of the God of the Gentiles for to deceiue men through ambiguitie and obscuritie of matters nor of an Idol Dagon God of the Philistians for to make vs afrayde in the presence of the Arke of the Lorde The humblenesse and obedience of ours and the despising that they haue of worldly goodes doe euidently declare howe abhominable the pride of Babilon the mother of fornication is vnto them Finally their bloodshed in all places doth sufficiently teach our enimies what fayth and hope they haue vnto the promises of the Lorde and to the merite of Iesus Christ and what defiaunce and distrust they haue of the power and might of creatures I will not héere compare the pollicie and rule of our Church vnto that of the Apostles and yet lesse the manners of ours to the life of them I doe leaue off to speake to them which with right conscience doe bring some meane knowledge to the holy scripture what difference there is betwéene the church of Iesus Christ that of Rome what deformitie they doe finde of ours to that of the Apostles I doe meane for the regard and respect of the doctrine and pollicie assuring my selfe in that matter that if they doe consider it throughly rightly and without affection they shal be more attentiue to correct and amende their owne vices then enclyned to condempne so lightly ours Furthermore it is easy to iudge that our religion is neither double neither fayned in that chiefly wée do holde nothing lesse then of the superstitions of the Gentiles nor of the ceremonies of the Hebrewes knowing that they were a shadowe of thinges nowe come No more then of so many traditions of the scribes and Pharises but that the simplicitie and plainnes of the holy scripture doth please vs or for to speake better the playne and simple veritie of the same making our selues agréeable to the worde of hym which hath sayde that GOD woulde bée worshipped in spirite and truth our LORD Iesus Chryst vnto whom be glorie for euer Amen Ieremie 2. c. My people hath done two euils They haue forsaken mee the wel of the water of life and digged them pittes yea vile and broken pittes that holde no water A Prayer O Lord which art full of compassion and mercy shed out thy mercy and fatherly goodnesse vpon that mad and furious people which doe gather themselues daily against thée for to abolish thy glorious name and to deface from the earth the remembraunce of thy sonne Christ Regard with pittie all those which go about by all meanes to obscure and darken thy lawe for to establish their traditions and do enforce themselues daily to chase and dryue away him whō thou hast sent in thi name for to receiue him which of longe tyme hath vsurped the seate of thy sonne in his owne name yea which are not ashamed to presente vnto the Chrystyan people in steede of a Iesus
blame the poorenesse and littlenesse of our church forasmuch as it is staied vpon the worde of the Lorde which abideth for euer But we must rather accuse the malice of those which do rise vp against vs for to destroy and ruinate that principall foundation whiche is Iesus Christ in whom all the building coupled together groweth vnto an holy Temple in the Lord in whom we also are built together made the habitation of God by the spirite for as we ought not to blame Moses nor to attribute vnto his doctrine that the people of God did not multiplie and increase but vnto king Pharao which did force them vnto an extréeme and miserable seruitude and bondage euen vnto the killing of the first borne of the people neither vnto the prophet Helyas that in his time the true Prophets were no more at commaundement but rather vnto king Achab and Iesabel his wife whiche did followe and chase them vnto death No more also then we ought to blame Sainct Iohn Baptist the messenger or forerunner of the sonne of God or the Apostles of Iesus Christe because that so many people did put themselues against the Christian lawe But to accuse the ambition of the Romaine Emperours together with the priuie hatred of the Scribes and Pharises willing to deface in the earth the memorie of Christ In like manner we ought not to condempne the true Christian religion or to stay vs or tarrie vppon the default of those which do professe it but to acknowledge the rage furie of the enimies of the crosse of Christ and in the meane season to beare patiently the manners of our domesticalls teaching them with gentlenesse prouing if God at any time will giue them grace that being conuerted they may know the trueth And because that the haruest is great but the labourers are fewe let vs on our parte pray vnto the Lord of the haruest to send foorth labourers into his haruest and that for so many hired and vnprofitable shepherds he do send good shepherds into his folde looking for or beholding the cōming of the true shepherde of our soules our Lorde Iesus Christ vnto whom be glory for euer Amen 1. CORINT 1. d. VVhen the world by wisedome knewe not God in the wisedome of God it pleased god by folish preaching to saue them that beleeue A prayer O Lorde whiche hast spoken by thy Prophet I will destroy the wisedome of the wise and will cast away the vnderstanding of the prudent yea which hast chosen the foolish things of this world for to confounde the wise and the weake and féeble things for to confounde the strong and the vile and despised and those which are not for to abolish those which are to the end that no flesh doe glorifie himselfe before thée Poure out thy vengeaunce vpon those which are of a corrupt iudgement rebuke as concerning the faith Who as Iannes and Iambres withstode Moses also of a purpose doe resist the trueth of thy gospel and do count the worde of the crosse folishnesse Breake a sunder and confounde the enterprises and counsailes of all those which do eleuate themselues against thy holy Mounteine as thou hast destroyed the strength and force of all the kings and monarkes of the worlde by that little stone cut out of the rocke without any handes and hast abated the pride of the mightie through the humilitie of thy sonne to the end that all the worlde may knowe that thy kingdome is not of this worlde and that the felicitie of thine doth not lie in this present life but in the kingdome of the blessed Finally that the Christian Church is not an assemblie of proude and imperious Magistrates but of those which do humble themselues vnder thy obedience and do put themselues vnder the yoke of thy welbeloued sonne Iesus Christ our Lorde And yet Lord that bicause of vs thy name is blamed not among the Christians onely but also among the straungers in so much that our sinnes demerites do giue occasion vnto our enimies of slaunder and to vs of confusion and rebuke Neuerthelesse O Lord in asmuch as thorough the incredulitie of some of ours thy lawe is no lesse veritable and true as it is written That thou mightest be iustified in thy sayings and ouercome when thou art iudged Remember not O Lord for thy fatherly goodnesse our offences and haue not in minde the wickednes of those which do polute and blame thy name but beholde the face of him which was holden and taken to be of the companie of the malefactours and hath protested before thy maiestie that the rebukes of them which rebuked thée were fallen vpō him our Lorde Iesus Christ vnto whom be glorie for euer Amen ¶ THAT NONE CAN HINder or stoppe the course of the religion by fire and sword threatnings and bonds Cap. 6. 2. CORINT 13. c. ¶ VVe can do nothing against the trueth but for the trueth IF the Scripture doth teach vs in diuers places that the Gospel is none other thing but a message of peace according as Esaie saith that beautifull are the féete of him that bringeth the message from the mounteine proclaimeth peace that bringeth the good tidings precheth health saith vnto Syon thy God is the king if say I the same prophet speaking of the vocation and calling of the Gentiles and message of the gospel doth write in the persone of the Lorde that he will let peace into her like a water floud and the might of the heathen like a flowing streame and that in that same time men shall breake their swords and spears to make sythes sickles sawes thereof From that time forth shall not one people lifte vp weapon against another neither shal they learne to fight from thenceforth according to that we do reade that at the fist or new comming of the sonne of God that there was with the Angel a multitude of heauenly souldiers lauding God and saying glorie be to God in the hie heauens and peace in earth and towards men good will. As it is most euident that Iesus Christ our sauiour was borne vnder Cesar Augustus reigne a kingdome full of tranquilitie and peace truely the Ambassadour and herauld of one such message ought to obserue and kéepe a great méekenesse and gentlenesse in his charge profession For it is most certeine that Moses and Iesus Christ in that haue had a singuler prerogatiue aboue all other of Moses the scripture saith that he was a verie méeke man aboue all the men of the earth what Iesus Christ was he himselfe doth manifest and declare it when he cried with a loude voice come vnto me all ye that are wearie and laden and I will ease you Take my yoke on you and learne of me that I am méeke and lowely in heart In somuch that the Prophet speaking of his méekenesse saith he shall not be an outcrier nor
the estates doe destroy the Iudges and in the meane time it must néeds be that the Iudges doe liue by stelth and doe get againe through dishonest gaine that that they haue vnlawfully disboursed Furthermore I wil not muse or studie to marke and discouer the faultes of ours it is inough for me that euery one doe knowe that the puissance and greatnesse of the cities and common wealthes doe not lye and consist in an excessiue and madde number of magistrates â—endinge and seruing rather to the ruine and destructioÌ„ of the people then to the comforting of them No morâ— then the iustice and true rule to liue well to so many newe Edictes and statutes But to the wisdome of the magistrates and true vsage and exercise of the religion and iustice And I will not bee abashed if an Emperour of Rome called Licinius Cesar did call sometime a heape and companie of officers mothes and rattes As also one may daylie sée that they do despise so many waies the edictes and statutes of the Prince and of the superiors Bicause that the number of magistrates serueth nothing to the common wealth no more then so many edictes and statutes of the magistrates to the helping and comforting of the subiectes I will ende this matter by the prayer which king Salomon made aswell for his owne regarde as for the regard of all his people O Lord forasmuch as thou hast caused a younge Ladde to reigne ouer thy people giue vnto him a heart full of knowledge to iudge thy people and to knowe the good from the euill that he may walke in thy waies in truth and righteousnesse and kéepe thy statutes and commaundements Giue vnto him grace that he may duely and rightly rule his subiectes vnder the obedience of thy lawes and ordinaunces teaching them the way by the which they shall walke in the worke that they shall doe Finally O Lord cause that the same Prince doe prouide among the people vertuous men and fearing God men louing truth and hating couetousnesse and which doe iudge thy people at all seasons in all right equitie iustice In the fauour of him which iudgeth the poore with righteousnesse and with holynesse reformeth the simple of the worlde Our Lorde Iesus Christ vnto whom be glorie for euer Amen Prouerbes 29.14 The seate of the king that faithfully iudgeth the poore shall continue sure for euermore Prouerbes 28. Bicause of sinne the lande doth oft chaunge hir prince But through men of vnderstanding and wisedome a Realme endureth long A Prayer O Lord which by thy mightie and puissant hand hast made the world of nothing and which doest dispose all thinges with a meruailous order and counsell Which settest vp againe righteousnesse in the ballaunce and iudgement in the weights yea by whom the kings reigne and the Princes make iust lawes Direct so by thy grace the young age of our king vnder thy feare that he reigning ouer vs in all equitie and righteousnesse he doe mainteine his people in the kéeping of the lawes which do concerne the aduauncement of thy glorie and the libertie of thine O Lorde make him to vnderstand that as al puissance and power is from thée So the Prince is the minister of God for all mens wealth To the ende that the may employ bestowe the giftes which thou hast giuen vnto him to thy glorie to the aduauncement of the kingdome of thy sonne and to the comfort of his people Assist through thy fatherly goodnesse all those which are of his counsell That they may acknowledge that thy feare is the beginning of wisdome and that they doe not séeke onely their priuate commodities but also those of other mens or that they séeke not their owne but those of Iesus Christ vnto whom bée glorie for euer Amen A BRIEFE DEMONSTRATION vnto those which doe make it no conscience to shed the innocent bloode vnder preteÌ„ce I know not of what foolish zeale Wherein is shewed by examples of the scripture how odious before God such cruelties are Cap. 11. Genes 9. a. ¶ He which sheddeth mannes blould shal haue his bloude shed by man againe For God made man after his owne likenesse 1. Samuel 15. g. ¶ Samuel said vnto king Agag as thy swoord hath made women childlesse so shall thy mother be childlesse among other women SAlomon doth witnesse in his prouerbes that ther be sixe things which the Lord hateth and the seuenth he vtterly abhorreth A proud loke a dissembling tongue handes that shed innocent bloud an heart that goeth about with wicked immaginations féete that be swift in running to doe mischiefe a false witnes that bringeth vp lies and such one as soweth discord amonge bretheren That is the cause wherefore Dauyd prayed the Lord that he will not destroy his soule with the sinners nor his lyfe with the bloude thirstie Where that good Prophet speaking vnto GOD doth crie thou O God shalt cast them downe into the pitte of destruction For the bloud thirstie and deceiptfull man shal not liue out halfe their daies The Lord trieth the righteous but his heart hateth the wicked and him that loueth violence The which is sufficiently declared vnto vs by examples of the scripture yea who will begin from the creation of the world For froÌ„ the lawe of nature Cain killed his brother Abel for that cause the Lord said vnto Cain What hast thou done The voice of thy brothers bloud cried vnto me out of the earth And nowe cursed be thou as perteining to the earth for when thou tillest the ground she shall hence foorth not giue hir power vnto thée a vagabund and a runnagate shalt thou be vpon the earth In the lawe that is written Pharao king of Aegypt went about by all meanes to afflyct the people of GOD vntill that he caused to be killed al the men children of the Hebrewes But in a little while after all the first borne in the lande of Aegypt were killed Pharao and all the Aegiptians were drowned in the seas In the time of the Iudges Abimelech desiring to reigne ouer Israel caused to bée killed all the children of Gedeon except Ioatham insomuch that Abimelech was made king in Sichem But within a little while after this vengeaunce happened vnto him For Abimelech hauing besiged the Citie of Thebes and taken it and going to take a tower wherein the people were gotten together a woman did caste a peace of a milstone from the wall vppon his head and all to brake his brayne panne â–ª So as sayth the Scripture all the wickednesse of Abimelech which hée did vnto his father in sleying his thre score and ten bretheren God did bring vpon his head The Quéene Iezabel caused Naboth to bée killed for to haue his vineyard But the Scripture doth teach vs that the Lord spake against Iezabel saying that the dogges shal eate Iezabel vnder the walles of Iezrael the which came to passe For Iehu
not In so dooing we shall bée afrayde to condempne vnto death so lightly him for whoÌ„ Iesu Christ fréely hath shed his bloud In such sort that we leauing all disordinate desire of vengeaunce and carnall affection as spirituall men may discerne and discusse spirituall thinges Amen Apocalip 6. b. ¶ I sawe vnder the alter the soules of them that were killed for the word of God and for the testimonie which they had And they cryed with a loude voyce saying how long tariest thou Lord holy and trewe to iudge and to auenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth A Prayer O Lord and father of our Lorde Iesus Christ which art meruailous in puissaunce and infinite in mercy Extende thy clemencie and fatherly goodnesse vppon those Who of an vndiscréete zeale and following the traditions of their fathers doe bandon theÌ„selues against thy sonne Christ â–ª and doe shed daylie the bloude of thy seruauntes Regarde their threateninges and giue vnto those which do adore and feare thée to declare thy word with al boldnesse breake the force strength of thine enimies by the sword of thy mouthe that they acknowleging thy maiesty may be wise as serpeÌ„ts innocent as doues To conclude that euery one may call vpon thée and magnifie thee in the middest of the nations séeing the chaunging of thy right hande And as thou hast foreshewed by thy Prophet that at the birth of thy welbeloued sonne our Lorde Iesus Christ the people shall breake their swoordes and speares to make sithes sickles and sawes herof that one people lift not vp weapon against an other But that thou wilt giue vnto them a newe heart and a newe spirite and that thou wilt take that stonie heart out of their bodies for to cause them to walke in thy commaundements to kéepe thy lawes Giue vnto vs grace in this meane libertie of religion and exercise of the same That the wicked béeing slaine with the breath of thy mouth the Wolfe may dwel with the Lambe and the Leopard shall lie downe by the Goate the Lyon and other cattell may keepe companie together so that a little childe may driue them foorth I doe meane that no man do any hurt vnto thy holy mountaine But that the earth be filled with thy knowledge as if the waters of the sea did couer all thinges Finally that we may all walke in the lyght of our LORD Iesus Christ to whom be glorie for euer Amen ¶ A BRIEFE DEMONSTRAtion vnto those which of a set purpose do turne themselues from the knowne veritie without any force and compulsion Hebrewes 10. e. Cap â–ª 2 ¶ If we sinne willingly after that we haue receiued the knowledge of the trueth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes FOrasmuch then as the lawe of the Lorde hath bene published with thunderinges and lighteninges and that the same Lorde did sometime manifest and shewe him selfe vnto the people in figure and shewe of a burning bush As also it appeareth that the holy Ghost descending vpon the Apostles there came a sound from heauen as it had bene the comming of a mightie winde Truely we cannot be ignoraunt what the troubles are to the manifestation of the lawe bicause of those which doe speake against the true religion as it is written that Iesus Christ shall be the fall and resurrection of many in Israel and a signe which shal be spoken against Also that the lawe doth ingender in vs trouble vnder consideration of the paine appointed for the transgressors of the same Forasmuch as it is an heauie thing that a mans owne conscience beareth record of his wickednesse and condemneth him Insomuch that there is no meanes to appease such differences but in the peace of him who hath reconciled all thinges vnto GOD his father and to set at peace by the bloud of his crosse both things in heauen and thinges in earth Euen as in the olde lawe there was no better remedy for the biting and stinging of the Serpent then by the beholding and looking vpon the brasen serpent lifted vp in the wildernesse According as Iesus Christ sayth in saint Iohn that as Moses lifted vp the Serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man bée lifted vp That none that beléeueth in him perish but haue eternall life And nothwithstanding that there was as wel in the law of Moses as in the christian lawe great troubles and contradictions yet truely there is great difference of the one and of the other For the one doth set before vs threatnings the other doth declare vnto vs peace the one doth represent a Moses terrible and fearefull the other doth represent vnto vs in persoÌ„ a gentle and gracious Iesus Christ The one doth rebuke our faultes transgressions the other doth bring vnto vs our grace and satisfaction Finally the one doth condempne vs of eternall death the other doth iustifie vs before God in the death of his onely welbeloued sonne our Lord Iesus Christ And euen as in the lawe that is written Moses is iustly condemned for that hée fayled towardes GOD at the waters of striefe And the children of Israel are rebuked bicause they murmured against the same Lord desiring the pleasures of the countrey of Aegipt Euen so in the lawe euangelicall Iesus Christ will not hold for vngiltie those which for common afflictions doe dâ—strust of his grace puissance and goodnesse For he hath said whosoeuer shall knowledge me before men him will I knowledge also before my father which is 〈◊〉 heauen But whosoeuer shall denie me before men him wil I also denie before my fatheâ— which is in heaueÌ„ That is the cause wherfore he requireth of vs that our lamps may bâ— alwaies burning burning I say of thaâ— heauenly fire whereof our Lord speaketâ— in this manner I am come to sende fire on earth and what is my desire but that it were all ready kindled and he would that we should not be betweene both or luke â–ª warme but that we should be hotte or colde and that we should cast our sorowes and afflictions vpon the loue of him which hath borne our paine and taketh away our infirmitie and hath bene wounded for our offences and smitten for our wickednesse For in all those thinges we are more then vanquishers bicause that he hath first loued vs. Furthermore inasmuch as the same Lord doth admonish vs that he will be with vs alwaies euen vntill the ende of the worlde Truely in what kinde of affliction so euer it bée wee ought alwaies to assure our selues in that woorde and not to bee lyke vnto that disciple of Iesus Christ our Sauioure the whiche did feare the windes and outragiousnesse of the weather in the presence of him which hath the power not onelie to commaunde both the sea and the lande but by one breath of his mouth can at one moment bringe to naught and destroye all the
A Prayer LOrde God heauenly father and altogether mightie which hast drawen away and saued thy faithfull seruants Lot and Daniel from the flaming fire Moyses from the middest of the waters one Ioas from amonge them that were slaine and hast reserued in the persecution of Achab and of Iesabel so many thousand men which haue not bowed their knées vnto Baal yea hast lefte alwayes vnto thy people some prophets and true ministers of thy law in the captiuitie of Babilon Giue vnto vs thy grace in this ciuill warre and persecution of our owne countrey men yea our domesticall seruantes to acknowledge that thy hande is not so shortned that it cannot saue or helpe neither is thine eare so stopped that it cannot heare But that our iniquites haue made the diuision betwéene thée and vs and that our sinnes haue hid thy face frō vs To the end that we staying on thy mercy may not be altogether desolate Giue O Lord such feare vnto our enimies that they may haue cause to inuocate and call vpon thy name in such sort that we all with one spirite and will may confesse that thou art the ayde of the humble and little ones the helper of the weake and féeble the protectour of them that are forsaken the sauiour of the abiectes yea thou art the Lord of hoastes which doest reserue alwaies for vs a fewe aliue to the ende that we shoulde not be made like vnto Sodome and like vnto Gomorra and not to fal in dispaire with the vnbeléeuing And therefore wée praye thée in the fauoure or for the loue of him which hath cried with a loude voice that the Foxes haue holes and the byrdes of the ayre haue neastes but the sonne of man hath not whereon to rest his head he I say which deliuered himselfe vnto death for to assure vs of our dwelling in the heauenly kingdome our Lord Iesus Christ vnto whom be glorie for euer Amen ¶ THAT THE CHRISTIAN Religion cannot be tied or bound to any limittes and bounds Cap. 3. 2. TIM 2. b. The worde of God is not bounde IF it be written that the king being sette vpon the seate of his kingdome shal write the Law and shall reade therin al the daies of his life that he may learne to feare the Lord his God and for to kéepe all the woordes of his lawe and his ordinaunces for to doe them and the same LORD doth promise vnto his Church that kings shal be her noursing Fathers and Quéenes shal be her norishing mothers It is certeine that as righteousnesse and truth are the estabishing of the throne or feate of the Lord so doth he preserue and keepe the kinges and doth mainteine their scepter by godlinesse and trueth I doe saie further if the Egiptians haue in such recommendation and praise the practise of their religion aboue all things as saith Plato that they will not create and make a king except that he were promoted and consecrated a priest yea greatly occupied or exercised in the dooings of the priestes And the Persians will not alowe or admitte for their prince but him which hath the knowledge of the science and discipline of the magiciens which doth conteine the true vse of their religiō Insomuch as vnto the young Princes of the countrey were ordeined foure schole maisters of whō the first did teach them the magicke of Orcastrus the sonne of Oroniasus which did conteine the dooings of the religion Truely we ought not to doubt but that the estate duetie of a christian Prince is first of al to establish mainteine the dooing of the religion and to acknowledge that he is the minister of God for the health of al men to the ende that the goods which the Lord hath giuē vnto him he should kéepe part of thē distribute part of thē that he do manifest delare him self by works as Aristotle doth write vnto Alexander that the kingdome is giuen vnto him to the end to doo wel vnto man kinde To the end also that vnder his obedience the good may be defended from iniuries and oppressions of the wicked leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie loking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the mightie God and of our Sauiour Iesus Christ Forasmuch then as it is nothing to professe to knowe God and with the déedes to denie him to haue a similitude of godly liuing but haue denied the power thereof that is not also much to mainteine a religion for certeine and true and in the meane time do depriue themselues from the exercise of the same for as the woorks do declare our faith so the exercise of the religion doth assure vs that we be no more as children wauering and caried with euery winde of doctrine but that we following trueth with loue we may growe and increase altogether in him which is the head that is to say Iesus Christ To conclude that the Lorde would be knowen chiefly in the assembly of the true christians as Dauyd sayth I will praise thée in the great congregation and performe my vowes in the sight of all them that feare thée and in another place he sayth Sing vnto the Lorde a newe songe let the congregation of the Sainctes prayse him and in an other place he sayth giue thanckes O Israel vnto God the LORD in the congregations from the grounde of the heart And Iesus Chryst hath promised his that where there shall bée two or thrée gathered together in his name that he will be in the midst of them Furthermore if the Prophet Dauid hath written that the woorde of God is a lanterne vnto our féete and a light vnto our pathes Iesus Christ would not that that lyght shoulde bée hid vnder a bushell but that it be set vpon a candlesticke that it may gyue light vnto all them that are in the house Therefore he woulde that our lyght should so shine before men that they may sée our good workes and glorifie our heauenly father which is in heauen Otherwise he that would limit and bind the dooing and exercise of the true christian religion in a certeine place as did of late certeine of the Iewes at the temple of Ierusalem and the other at the Mountaine of Garizen that should be to giue occasion of sclaunder not onely vnto the Christians estraungers and others but also vnto the auncient enymies of our Relygion to blame the name of the LORD For as the LORD hath no regarde vnto the appearaunce of men But in all people hée that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him So his worde ought not to be limitted in certeine places or persons inasmuch as by his word wée haue knowledge of him for vnto the end he hath sent vs by his welbeloued disciple saying search the scriptures for in them ye thincke ye haue
of our soules our LORD Iesus Christ doth promise vs that whosoeuer shall doe the will of his father whiche is in heauen that he will be his brother sister and mother And that our heauenly father doth assure vs that he will gather vs vp yea when we shal be forsaken of all our parentes and friendes at the time of the restoring of all things when he shall bée all in all Amen Actes 9. a. ¶ It is to hard for thee to kicke against the pricke A Prayer to the same ende O Lord which art wonderfull in puissance and infinite in mercy which desirest not the death of a sinner but rather that hée repent Regard and beholde from thine heauenly throne the rage and furie of our enimies and of those which doe pursue thy name As thou hast of late enclined thy face vpon Balaam willing to force the people whom thou haddest chosen for thine heritage Shew mercy and bring to repentance those which of an indiscéerte zeale not according to knowledge do hinder daily the course and frée passage of thy woord To the ende that they béeing cast downe by the swoord of thy mouth after the example of that vessell of election may acknowledge thy Christ magnifie thy glorious name amonge the middest of the Nations yea that they doe confesse with heart mouth that it is eternall life then to acknowledge thée to be true God and not to varie or any thing decline from the commaūdement of him whō thou hast sent our Lord Iesus Christ vnto whom be glorie for euer Amen ¶ A BRIEFE DEMONSTRAtion vnto those which haue susteined euen hetherto the dooing of the reformed religion for to confirme them more and more in their first will. Cap. 13. Psalme 73 d. ¶ They that forsake thee shall perish thou destroiest all them that commit fornication against thee THE Scripture doth witnesse that at the comming of the sonne of God many false Prophetes shall arise shall deceiue many And bicause iniquitie shal haue the vpper hande the loue of many shall abate But hée that endureth to the ende the same shall bée safe As it is written that hée whiche striueth for a mastrie is not crowned excepte hée striue lawefully And the husbandman must first by laboring receiue the fruites And what he is among you sayth the Lord that is disposed to builde a towre sitteth not downe before and counteth the cost whether he haue sufficient to performe it Least after he hath laide the foundation and is not able to performe it all that beholde it begin to mocke him saying this man began to build and was not able to make an ende I speake this my bretheren least ther be at any time in any of you an euill heart vnfaithfull to depart away frō the liuing god But exhort one another dailie while it is called to day least any of you waxe harde harted through the disceitfulnesse of sinne For we are made pertakers of Christ if we kéepe sure vnto the ende the beginning wherewith we are holden vp And we doe exhort you of this fearing that in forsaking him whiche hath called you by grace you doe transport your selues vnto an other gospell and séeing nowe ye know God yea rather taught of God you doe turne your selues backewarde vnto impotent and beggerlie ceremonies obseruing with the Iewes daies and monethes and times and yeares not for that I doe distrust of your good will. But to the ende that I may so assure you in the faith of the Lord that the course of this present life finished euery one of you may say with the Apostle Sainct Paule I haue fought a good fight and haue fulfilled my course and haue kept the faith From hencefoorth is laide vp for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lorde that is a righteous Iudge shal giue me at that day not to me onely but vnto all them also that loue his comming In like manner to the end that ye bée not as children caried about with euery winde of doctrine as cōmonly chaunseth vnto men But let vs followe the trueth in loue and in all thinges growe vp into him which is the head that is to say Christ The prophet doth complaine in the olde lawe that his people doe halt betwéene two opinions neither following the liuinge GOD nor Baal The Lorde did rebuke the Angell of the Laodicians bicause that hée was neither hot nor colde insomuch that therfore he will spew him out of his mouth On the other side hée doth promise to him that ouercommeth to sit with him in his throne as it is written no man can serue two masters for either he shall hate the one and loue the other or els he shall leane to the one and despise the other Righteousnesse hath no felowship with vnrighteousnesse neither light hath companie with darkenesse neither Christ accordeth with Belial If then ye haue receiued the word of God be ye not like vnto him which hath sowed his séed vpon stonie ground I do meane him which heareth the worde and anone with ioye receiueth it Yet hath he no rootes in himselfe and therefore dureth but a season for as soone as tribulation or persecutiō ariseth bicause of the word by and by he is offended Also be ye not followers of that foolish man which builded his house vpon the sande and the raine fell and the floudes came and the windes blewe and beat vpon the house and it fell and great was the fall thereof He that is not with me is against me saith the Lord And he that gathereth not with me scattereth That is the cause wherefore Sainct Iohn did complaine of some in his time which did beare office in the church and neuerthelesse did drawe themselues away from the same when hée saith they went out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had bene of vs they would doubtlesse haue continued with vs But this cōmeth to passe that it might appeare that they are not all of vs The Apostle sainct Paule speaking of the Apostates saith that if we sinne willingly after that wée haue receiued the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes For if we after we haue escaped from the filthinesse of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and of the sauiour Iesus Christ are yet tangled againe therein ouercome then is the latter ende worse with vs then the beginning for it had bene better for vs not to haue knowen the way of righteousnesse then after we haue knowen it to turne from the holy commaundement giuen vnto vs according to the true prouerbe The dog is returned to his vomite againe and the sowe that was washed to hir wallowing in the mire Know then my bretheren that God hath nourtered you euen as the father nourtereth his children And beware that thou forget not the Lorde thy GOD in
grounde before that we doe plant but when we doe sée and perceiue the budde or sciences begin for to growe it is verie harde and diffcctle to perceiue and kéepe it vntill that it doth bring foorth fruite Euen so is it of man for the generation is verie easie but the bringing vp of him is full of great trauaile and wearinesse Also we wil not counsaile those which haue a certeine charge to instruct or teach the children to conduct and guide them with force feare or with too greate bondage For as the same author witnesseth euen as too much laboure and trauaile is noisome and hurtfull vnto the bodie chiefly when it is taken by feare and compulsion euen so no manner discipline of the soule forced and compelled is profitable Wherefore he concludeth that wée must nourish and bringe vp the children in learning not as compelled but as a playe and pastime to the ende that we may the easelier knowe the propertie of the spirites and mindes of the children And to a verie good purpose hath the Poet Terence spoken which saide that it is better to kéepe the children by shame and liberalitie then by feare That is the cause wherefore in the time of the Lacedemonians the childe béeinge taken in any faulte was compelled to make certaine Towers ouer against the temple and to pronounce and declare a prayer the which was composed and written to his shame and dishonoure which was none other thing but to blame himselfe of his owne mouth géeuing vs to vnderstand by the same edict statute that the children who of themselues are cleane are ledde to honest thinges through shame and gentlenesse and that it is the propertie of seruauntes to be conducted and ledde by feare Finally this shall serue to the fathers for to aduertise and warne them not to slacke so much the bridle to their children that they doe not committe a thing which maye tourne to their shame and dishonour as it chaunced vnto Hely as it appeareth in the first booke of Samuel who for that he had borne too much with his children in their faultes was rebuked by the Prophet afterwards hee and his children cruelly punished And the same which Sainct Paul speaketh off is greatly to be noted in the instruction and demonstracion of the LORD from the difference of some panimes who haue the power of life and of death towardes their children may sell them for certaine occasions The which the christian lawe doth not permit and suffer for the correction and discipline of the fathers ought to be ruled after the worde of GOD that is to say in all gentlenesse and loue for to proue whether God will giue them sometime repentaunce for to knowe the truth and that they may amende for to do the will of him béeing escaped from the snare of the Diuell wherein they were holden that their spirites may bée saued in the day of the LORD Iesus To conclude that they may bée sorie with a godly sorowe which causeth amendement vnto saluation not to bée repented off Briefly I desire that the father in all his life time yea vnto the last breath of his daies that hée woulde regarde asmuch as in him shal be possible to kéepe his children in the obedience and feare of the Lordes lawe the which the good patriarke Iacob doth teach vs who not onely in his life time but béeing nigh his death exhorted his children to kéepe the lawe of the Lorde And particulerly to declare and shewe vnto euery one of them their faults the which wee doe reade of Moses the conductour and leader of Gods people and spirituall father of our soules who before he died blessed the twelue tribes of Israel declaring vnto them wherein they haue varied and declined from the lawe of god To be short hée declared vnto them the great benefites of the same Lorde for to assure them more and more in his promises I will recite the aduertisement that Dauid made vnto his sonne as followeth My sonne I must walke by the way of all the world neuerthelesse be thou strong quite thy selfe manfully And sée that thou kepe the appointment of the Lord thy God that thou walke in his waies and kepe his commaundements ordinaunces lawes testimonies euen as it is written in the law of Moses that thou maist vnderstand all the thou oughtest to do al that thou shouldest meddell with Shal I sorget that good and holy man Tobiah who besides that hée instructed his sonne in all his life time in the feare of GOD counsailed him in his death to flée from Niniue and to flée and auoide the companie of the wicked also to kéepe the lawe and commaundements of the Lorde and to bee mercifull and righteous Shall I speake of that vertuous woman the mother of the seuen Machebeans béeinge enuironed and compelled on euerye side with tyrantes hangmen and neuerthelesse exhorted them with a manly and couragious heart to lay all things to the commaundements of the Lord I will ende this matter with Iesus Christ head of the church chiefe shepheard of our soules who before he yelded his soule vnto God his father when he loued his which were in the worlde vnto the ende hée loued them admonished them also to kepe obserue his commaundements and to kéepe like humilitie as they haue séene in him By these examples wée are taught that the Father ought to haue suche an eye vnto his children yea all his life time that they may haue none occasion if it bée possible to varie or decline neither to the right hande nor to the left hande from the LORDS lawe I doe speake vnto those which in their life and at their death doe make accounte of nothing els vnto their children but of their inheritaunces possessions and dominions and haue no regarde to declare and propounde vnto them the lawe of GOD his loue and his feare Cirus king of the Persians and verie riche hath not done so for he béeing nigh vnto his death spake of none other thing vnto his sonne then of the immortalitie of the soule and of the resurrection of the blessed Of his bodie he cared or set so little by that he desired his sonne not to regarde it any longer then he hath closed the eyes and not to shut or laye it in Marble Aliblaster or in any other precious sepulcher but to yelde it vp incontinently to the earth which doth bring foorth and nourish all goodly thinges good and profitable Wherfore let vs not estéeme that the principall and chiefest duetie of the fathers towards their children is to heape vp treasure for their children or to giue them the meanes not to be poore but rather to admonish them that they put not their hope trust in the vncertaintie of riches but to put it in the liuing God who doth giue vnto vs all thinges abundantly for to
example of all infirmities vices and imperfections What is the cause that we are not ashamed to confesse that ther are in vs companies of the immitators folowers of Peter aduowing themselues faithfull seruants of the Lord and yet neuerthelesse do disauow and denie it at the voice of a simple maide I doe meane for a light and small occasion Yea of Pilates consenting vnto the death of the iust against their owne consciences for the feare that they haue to lose their estates dignities and promotions And wée will not denie that one can not méet with the Nicodemians the secrete disciples of Iesus Christ And if it wer néedeful to require so néere they should ther finde of Iudasses which do marchaundise and sell the innocent bloode and doe betray the iust for money What shall I saye more there lacked not a souldyer for to pearce the side of the iuste I doe meane which doe speake euill of him through false reportes iniuries and wronges And besides this so many wicked people which doe wagge their heades with the Iewes and doe mocke the iust hanged on the crosse saying that we doe promise many things but that we do execute nothing rightly And to make an ende of this matter one may there sée a thiefe hanged on the crosse for his wickednesse and faultes and yet accusing the iust hauing him in dysdaine But euen as Iesus Christ béeing deliuered to death by the Iewes and forsaken of his Apostles and disciples was knowen to be the sonne of God by the things mute and without vnderstanding For the elements forsaking their right course haue sufficiently declared his greatnesse the stones which did rent break asunder haue openly declared what his puissaūce was aswel in heuē as in earth the graues which did open and the bodies that did rise haue declared that he had power ouer the liuing the dead Also if al the men of this world did violence vnto Iesus Christ and hys woorde the stones and dome thinges shall declare his praise and shal publish shew foorth hys lawe According as he did rebuke sometime the Scribes and Pharyses that if the little ones do hold their peace sodeinly the stones would cry out for God can of these stones raise vp children vnto Abraham As of late the LORD did stirre vp a dome Asse speaking in a mans voice for to rebuke the madnesse of the prophet Let vs then conclude with Dauid that the worde of the Lord endureth for euer in heauen And that his trueth also remayneth from one generation to another The Lord bringeth the counsayle of the heathen to naught and maketh the deuises of the people to be of none effect and casteth out the counsailes of Princes But the counsaile of the Lord shall endure for euer and the thoughts of his heart from generatiō to generation For he hath builded his witnesses for euer Heauē earth shall passe but his words shall not passe In this matter those of the Romish church taknig occasion of that place wil say the one ought not to forsake their religion for the abuses which one doth se ther daily chiefly in their prelates But they ought to know that there is two marks amonge other which doe seperate the true church from the false that is to say the true vsage of the word and of the administration of the sacraments ordeined of God pure whole forasmuch then as in the Romish church there is nothing of al this forasmuch as in it the commaundements of God are forsaken for the traditions of men the sacraments prophaned and applied vnto a hyre ordinarie traficke It is not without cause if we doe disalow or denie that church for although that their foundation as they say be Iesus Christ and him crucified yet truely they do build vpon the foundation so many vaine and vnprofitable things that one can scant know in their church any marke or signe of true religion And as we do read in Esay that Iesus Christ was so despised of the Iewes that euery one did hide their faces frō him insomuch as he had neither beauty nor fauour in him So we séeing daily so many kindes of wrongs by those of the Romish church that is to say in his word in his person his members that one can skantly knowe that he doth reigne in the middest of those which doe call themselues Christians and our enemies ought not to ground or build themselues vpon that that the bishoppes haue succeded the Apostles for the discipline and christian rule being chaunged by the abuse of them their estate and charge hath bene altogether chaunged and adnulled I do not meane to blame the bishops which haue followed the Apostles in their life and doctrine Furthermore one may the better know that the marks of the true christians are those whereof our Lord speaketh of in Esay saying Lay the witnesses together seale the lawe with my disciples And Iesus Christ in his Gospell saith my shéepe do heare my voice Forasmuch then as those of the Romish church do forsake the word of Iesus Christ our true shepheard and do harken vnto the voice of straungers turning their eares frō the veritie doe giue themselues vnto fables to conclude giuing héed vnto spirites of errour diuelish doctrine of thē which speak false through hipocrisie it is to plaine that we ought not to séeke the church in their companie And they do deceiue themselues greatly if they do thincke that for their euill conuersations onely we do abandon their religon for although that for such things the name of the Lord is blamed not among the christians onely but also among the Gentiles Yet truely we haue not so much regard vnto their maners as to their doctrine by the which the men are enclined vnto idolatrie meruailous superstition And therfore the scripture doth exhort vs to depart frō the citie of Babilon least we be partakers of hir sins to holde him accursed which doth preach vnto vs any other gospel then that which we haue receiued we will follow those which are marked with this marke Thau vpon their foreheades I do meane those which haue in a singuler recōmendatiō the law of the Lord for as saith the scripture whersoeuer the dead carkas is thither wil the Eagles resort wherein Iesus Christ doth teach vs that nothing shal hinder or let that the christians be not vnited knit vnto their head Wherfore as it is said it shal be to no purpose to say that ther are amōg vs so many false brethren inasmuch as Iesus Christ doth likē his church vnto a net cast in the sea gathereth of al kinds of fishes For the true mark of the Church of God doth consist in the lawe and in witnesse vnto the which the Lord doth sende vs by his prophet whē he sayth Is there a people any where that
one smal fault fearing to lose their prebendes dignities and prerogatiues and in the meane time doe make it no conscience to bée founde dailie with conspiracies and threatnings for to put an whole realme in a pray for to shed as water the innocent blood O time O manners the prince doth vnderstande it the Senate doth sée it And yet neuerthelesse such good Lords do liue what sayde I liue yea doe sitte in counsell which if they are so curious to marke the dooinges of their fathers for to serue them in their owne dooinges They will remember verie well the saying of Sainct Ambrose béeing printed and set in their Canons that is to say that the true munitions of Gods ministers are wéepings teares Insomuch that thys good author doth crye so often that béeing forced and constrayned he may sigh and wéepe otherwise he cannot resist In such sort that he did not determine to take for his weapons against the iniuries of the men of Gotia but his wéepings and his teares I wyll not héere referre the dooing of Moses Hely and Iehu vnto our time and of an especiall and perticuler acte to make a generall rule among the christian princes for to arme and moue them vnto some kynde of cruelnesse against so many false priests I doe accorde with them that they doe kéepe the zeale of them and leaue the déede such as it is So that according to the example of Iesus Christ king of kinges and Lorde of Lordes they doe cast out of the christian Church so many marchaunts and hyred priestes and doe not suffer that of Gods house they doe make it a market or a denne of théeues For euen as Ely was grieuously punished for hiding and coueringe the sinnes of his children Also it is to bee feared that the lyke doe not chaunce and happen vnto those which are establyshed by the LORDE for to mainteine and keepe the estate of the religion and in the meane time doe suffer freely and vnpunished the sinnes of the pastors and teachers of the people and it is to be feared but that the Lord will send in the ende that which is spoken of in Ezechiell that is to say calamitie vpon calamitie crie vpon crie that the lawe of the priest doe not perish and the counsaile of the elders As the same Lorde did menace and threaten his people in an other place of the Prophet saying that hée wyll forbid the heauen to giue them any dew and the earth to giue them increase And will call for a drouth vppon the earth both vpon the land and vppon the mountaines vppon euery thing that the ground bringeth vpon men and vpon cattel yea and vpon al handie labour Bicause saith he that his house lyeth so wast that euery man runneth to his owne house The Lord shewing and declaring the fault and ingratitude of those which for to vnderstand the affaires and dooings of this worlde doe negligentlie passe their duetie in that which apperteineth vnto the affaires of the religion They cannot abide that any thing should bee attempted either in déede or worde against their personnes or goodes And they do not thinke it straunge to crucifie Iesus Christ for to saue a théefe and a seditious Barrabas or for to cut off the head of Iohn Baptist for to gratifie and please the desire of others Haue not haue not then O ye christian princes regarde to the brightnesse and magnificence of the Romish Church And beléeue not lightlie all lying spirites But proue the spirites whether they are of God or not for many false prophetes are gone out into the world and way not the dooing of the religion to the opinion of the common people But to the word of God according to the which the Lord would bée serued and honoured and not according to the mindes of men Forasmuch thē as such professors of the truth do goe in shéepes clothing and inwardlie are rauening wolues Also doe shew outwardly in their temples some appearaunce of religion as of late the Aegyptians did yet in the meane time vnder coloure of deuotion doe worshippe the creatures and workes of their handes And forasmuch as the Lord hy his prophet doth call you Noursses of his church chase driue away from his shéepefolde so many vnprofitable and hired shéepheardes And in their place send workemen approued workemen that néede not to be ashamed which doe deuide the word of truth iustly Cause that those which doe professe to teach doe put from them foolish and vnlearned questions that they doe nothing in declining to one side To conclude that they doe not giue heede to ieerish fables and genealogies nor to the commaundements of men for to turne them from the truth but that they doe handle the woorde purely as by God before God by Christ not through enuie contention or discorde But purely as those which are constituted for the defence of the gospell In that dooing as saith Sainct Paule of the true ministers of the church you shall saue your selues and those that doe here the word Amen 2. Paralip 29. a. Ezechias caused the Leuites and priestes to come and assembled thē together into the East streete And sayd vnto them here me ye Leuites purifie your selues halow the house of the Lord God of your fathers and bring out the filthinesse out of the holy place A Prayer O Lord in whom are the riches and honours and which reignest ouer all in whose hande are power and strength and greatnesse empire vnto all things which prouest the heartes and hast pleasure in plainnesse disposest the thoughts of the hearts of the people Giue thy iudgments and thy iustice vnto the king whom thou hast established ouer vs to the ende that he may iustly commaunde thy people to kéepe thy lawe Prepare so our heartes that wée liuing vnder his obedience in all sanctitie and righteousnesse may worship thée also with one will in spirite and trueth not dooing that that séemeth good in our owne eyes but that which is agreable vnto thee and that which thou commaundest vs To the ende that by that meanes all the world may know that the same that thou hast of late forespoken or prophesied of thy church be verified in vs that is to say the kings shal be the nursing fathers of thy people queenes shal be their noursing mothers for to norish and féede them of spirituall meat of which thy welbeloued sonne said that his meat was to doe the will of him the sent him our Lord Iesus Christ To whom be glory for euer ¶ THAT IT IS THE RENOWNE of a Christian prince to be beloued of his Subiectes Cap. 9. Siraac in his Ecclesiast 6. c. ¶ A faithfull friende is a strong defence FOrasmuch then as euerie kingdome deuided within it selfe shall bée desolate And euery house deuided within it selfe shall fall one vpon an other And experience doth teach
vs besides the saying of the Painim that through concord amitie little things become great the great doo perish It is most certeine true that the assuraunce of a kingdome consisteth not onely in an armie or number of people no more then-the force of a king in his royal scepter But in the amitie and obedience that his subiectes doe owe vnto him And verie well the historiographer saith when he did write that sport or pleasure is not durable wherein one is established and set in by swoord According to that another doth teach that those doe abuse themselues greatlie which doe thincke better to assure the realme by force then by amitie Euen so Theopompus béeing asked how a king may easelie kéepe a kingdome aunswered if he doe suffer his friendes to speake fréelie of laweful things And that he doe right and iustice vnto those which are wicked and euill For he which is much feared cannot choose but that he haue many enimies For as it is conteined in a common prouerbe men doe hate willingly those whom they doe feare and they doe desire gladlie the death of him whom they hate We must conclude that the most rediest meanes for to kéepe a realme is to kéepe the people vnder his obedience by gentlenesse and amitie According as Salomon doth write That mercie and faithfulnesse preserue the king and with louing kindnesse his seate is holden vp Furthermore I will not occupie my minde to search the examples of prophane histories All men doe knowe very well howe the kingdomes of Dauyd and Salomon his sonne haue prospered in respect of those of Pharao Saul and Nabuchodonosor As the Lord doth witnesse vnto vs of Saul that he hath giuen him in his wrath and in his displeasure will take him awaye agayne But as that is not mercy to desire one so great gentlenes bicause that mercy ought to gouerne hir selfe with all righteousnesse equitie and iustice Forasmuch as with true iudgement the king setteth vp the lande and the Lorde doth establish the seate of him which doth iudge the poore in vertue To conclude that the scepter of the kingdome of GOD is a right scepter To bee shorte as he which sitteth in the iudgement seate ought not to bee much enflamed and moued against these which are wicked or to weepe with the people that are gréeued or afflicted But to iudge with all vprightnesse without béeing affectioned through too much clemencie or rigorousnesse Also a vertuous and stout prince ought not indiscretly to repute for his friendes all those which do offer themselues sodeinly to his friendship But to consider diligently vnder what condition they do bear him fauoure That is the cause wherefore Isocrates Amonge other precepts that he did write vnto a Prince did commende vnto him three thinges aboue all others First that he would not repute for faithfull all those which do praise or allowe al that that he sayth or doth But those which doe rebuke him when he hath fayled Secondly that he would seperate those which doe flatter him by some kinde of deceipt from amonge them which doe honoure him by amitie Least that the condition of the wicked should be better then that of the good people Finally that he doe permitte and suffer the prudent and sage people to speake vnto him fréely to the ende that he may haue people which may aunswere to the purpose and satisfie him And truely that great orator of the Latines hath very well sayd that wée must first iudge before that we loue For that there are some men which doe loue a great deale better the body then the soule and doe not seeke but to fulfill their desire For the true friende as sayth Plutarch doth not followe all things but the thinges good and honest That is the cause wherfore a vertuous prince ought to be prudent euen to discerne and iudge of men to the ende not to beléeue too lightly all those which doe cal euill good and good euill which make darkenesse light and light darkenesse that make sower swéete swéete sower which doe sow pillowes vnder al arme holes and bolsters vnder the heades both of younge and olde to catch soules withall For as Quintus Curtius sayth That flattery is a pernitious thing and an ordinarie euill of kings by which their riches are sooner wasted then by the enimie I will content my selfe at this time with the example of Ieroboam who refusing to comfort his people according as hee was taught of the elders was the cause of the diuision and ruine of his kingdome And I will not make mencion of king Achab who for that he beléeued more the voice of the false prophets then the holesome admonitions and warnings of Micheah doth let all christian Princes vnderstand what it is to beléeue the counsaile of the good As often times it chaunceth bicause we receiued not the loue of the truth that we might be saued God shall send vs strong delusion for to beleeue lyes euen as Iob doth wryte that the Lorde chaungeth the heart of the princes and kings of the earth and disapointeth them So that they goe wandering out of the way and grope in the darke without ltght staggering to and fro lyke dronken men And Dauyd doth declare that the same Lord doth make the princes hatefull and doth let them wander out of the way in the wildernesse The which ought to serue for the christian princes chiefly for to kéepe their subiectes in their obedience rather by gentlenesse and amitie then by seueritie and cruelnesse The example is manifest of Denys the tyraunt of whom Cicero speaking off sayth that he was shutte into a merueilous prison fearing very much his subiectes for the crueltie that he vsed towardes them I will not rehearse the common saying of the Emperour Anthonius Pius that is to say that he loued rather to keepe one of his Citizens then to kil a thousand of his enimies I doe leaue willingly the sentence of Silla surnamed the happie which aboue all his prowesses did aduaunce him selfe of two thinges I doe meane of the amitie of Pius Metellus and for that hee did not destroye the Citie of Athens but did spare it As also Salust speking of the aūcient wals of the Citie of Rome doth write that the Romaines were become great puissant bicause they pardoned their enimies I wil ende this matter by the sentence of Agesilaus king of the Lacedemonians warning oftētimes his souldiers not to wrong and hurt those that they dyd take as people vniust But to kéepe them and acknowledge them as men If then the Painims and heathen men haue vsed such gentlenesse and humanitie towardes their enimies shall the christian princes vse crueltie towardes their subiectes If that one ought to kéepe faith among the straungers as we doe reade of Marius Regulus who loued
Hierusalem Beleeue in the Lorde your God and so shall ye continue and beâ—eeue his Prophetes and so shall ye prosper Then the enimies of Iehosaphat killed themselues and the children of Israel had great victorie Iehoram reigned after Iehosaphat and biâ—ause he walked in the waies of the kings of Israel and committed fornication with those of Iuda and with the inhabiters of Hierusalem after the fornication of the house of Ahab and killed his bretheren It was said by the Prophet that the Lord will smite his people his children his wiues and all his goodes with a mightie plague and that he shall haue much disease through infirmitie in his bowels vntil his bowels fall out Iehoas after the death of Iehoiada became an Idolater and the hoast of the Sirians came against him and came to Iuda and Hierusalem and Iehoas was killed of his owne seruaunts Amaziah after that time that he did tourne away froÌ„ the Lord they conspired treason against him in Hierusalem he fledde to Lachis Whether they sent after him and slewe him there Oziah did that pleased the Lord in all pointes as did Amaziah his father And he sought God while Zachariah the teacher to sée god liued as long as he sought the Lord God made him prosper And helped him against the Philistians against the Arabians against the Ammonites Ioathan the sonne of Oziah became mightie bicause he directed all his waies before the Lord his god he warred against the king of the children of Ammon and vanquished them Ahaz did not that pleased the Lord as did his father Dauid But he offered burnt incense in hil alters on mouÌ„taines vnder euery gréene trée Wherefore the Lord his God deliuered him into the hand of the king of the Sirians which bâ—at him and caried away a great multitude of his captiue into Damasco And also he was deliuered into the hand of the king of Israel which slew of his a mightie slaughter For Phaketh sonnne of Romeliah slew in Iuda an-hundred twentie thousand in one day and all fighting men that bicause they had forsaken the Lord God â—f their fathers Hezekiah throughout al Iuda did that which was good right truth before the Lord his god And in al the works that he â—egan in the seruice of the house of God to séeke his God after the law coÌ„mmaundement that did he with all his heart prospered greatly Manasseh succéeded Hezekiah did wickedly in the sight of the Lord like vnto the abhomination of the heathen he made Iuda the inhabiters of Hierusalem to erre to do worse theÌ„ the heathen which the Lord destroied before the childreÌ„ of Israel And when the Lord spake to Manasseh to his people they attended not to him wherfore the lord brought vpon them the captaines of the host of the king of Assur which tooke Manasseh in an holde bound him with chaines and caried him to Babilon And when he was in tribulatioÌ„ he besought the Lord his God and humbled him selfe excedingly before the God of his fathers and made intercession to him he was entreated of him heard his praier brought him againe to Hierusalem into his kingdome And then Manasseh knewe howe that the Lorde was the very God. Amon did that displeased the Lord like vnto Manasseh his father for Amon sacrificed vnto all the kerued images which Manasseh his father made and serued them méekened not himselfe before the Lord as Manasseh his father had méekned himselfe but Amon trespassed greatly wherfore his owne seruants conspired against him slewe him in his owne house Iosiah his people tourned not aside from after the Lord God of their fathers as long as he liued but did put away al manner of abhominations out of all lands that perteined to the children of Israel brought al that were founde in Israel to serue the Lord their god Iehoahaz the sonne of Iosiah is made king for his father in Hierusalem For the king of Aegypt put him downe at Hierusalem and made Eliakim his brother kinge vpon Iuda Hierusalem and did that displeased the Lord his god Against him came Nabuchodonosor king of Babilon bound him in fetters to carye him to Babilon Iehoachim reigned iij. moneths x. dayes in Hierusalem did that displeased the Lord when the yeare was out king Nabuchodonosor made Zedekiah his fathers brother king ouer Iuda Hierusalem Zedekiah did that displease the Lord his god humbled not himselfe before Ieremiah the prophet at the mouth the of lord And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers sending them betimes for hée had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place But they mocked the messengers of God and despised their woordes and misused his Prophets vntill the wrath of the Lord so arose against his people that it was past remedie And so he brought vppon theÌ„ the king of Chaldey and slew their young men with the swoorde in their holy temple neither spared he younge man nor maide neither olde man neither so much as him that stowped for age But gaue all into his handes And forasmuch as such like examples do teach vs that the eies of the Lord are vpon the righteous and his eares are open vnto their prayers But the face of the Lord beholdeth them that doe euill to destroy the remembraunce of them out of the earth That the Lord doth shed out his wrath ouer them which doe despise him and doth shew himselfe tractable and gentle vnto those which serue him with a contrite perfect heart I doe meane in all holinesse and righteousnesse Let vs keepe as much as in vs in possible the faith which we haue promised vnto the Lord and assure our our selues that he which worketh in vs both the will and the déede according to his good pleasure will finish the worke which he hath begon in vs to his honoure to the aduauncement of the christian Church and to the health of his Furthermore let vs retire and drawe our selues from the thinges which may seduce vs and make vs varie from the true seruice which is due vnto him Do we not know how that they that proue masteries absteine from all things and they doe it to obtaine a corruptible crowne But we to obtaine an vncorruptible Let vs ruÌ„ne then not as at an vncertain thing let vs fight not as one that beateth the ayre But with patience in dooing wel séeking immortalitie life euerlasting Amen Apocalips 2. a. ¶ I know thou hast suffered and hast pâ—tience for my names sake hast laboured and hast not fainted Neuerthelesse I haue somewhat against thee bicause thou hast left thy first charitie A praier O Lord God heauenly father and altogether puissant which hast said by the mouth of thy welbeloued sonne our Lord Iesus Christ that he that endureth to the ende
other Prophet to vse meates not vsed of men And neuerthelesse all that was not done without a greate secrete and misterie and neuerthelesse a man would neuer haue beléeued nor thought that a virgin shoulde beare a childe nor Elizabeth to conceaue in hir olde age To be short he commaunded king Hezekiah to make the sunne to goe backewarde contrarie from his ordinarie course And yet the thinges are happened after the will of the LORD Also after our outward sences we doe distrust our selues often times of strengthes in that that the Lord commaundeth vs although that the things which are vnpossible with men are possible with God which worketh in vs both the wil and also the déede as saith the Apostle euen of his frée beneuolence Furthermore we must not mesure the commaundement of the Lorde after the commaundement of men for often times men being moued with anger doe commaunde vnlawfull vnhonest things as did the Emperour Theodosius whiche caused to be slaine a great number of people in the citie of Thessalonia in the time of Ambrosius Bishop of of Millan And for that cause the Emperour Theodosius was excluded from the companie of the faithfull afterwarde the same Emperour acknowledging his offence caused a lawe to be proclaimed which was that the Iudges shoulde not execute so soone the commaundement of a prince conteining to great seueritie and cruelnesse That same reason moued the consultes not to admit a libell of Refus vnder the title of Refus giuen of anger that is to say except it do appeare that it was ordeined with a good deliberation aduisement The others being moued or stirred forwarde with some kinde of ambition or couetousnesse do commaunde often times thinges contrarie vnto the trueth and also vnto good maners as Pharao which commaunded all his people that they shoulde cast into the riuer all the men children of the Hebrewes saue the maide children aliue A Herod which caused to be slaine all the male children that were in Bethlehem in all the coastes thereof as many as were two yeare olde and vnder A king Ahab which caused Naboth to be slaine for to haue his vineyarde Finally some being puffed vp with a disordinate desire of vengeaunce or rather at the request of others haue no regarde to that that they doe commaunde as Ahab which caused Micheah the Prophet to be put in prison because be tolde him the trueth A king Ioas which caused Zachariah the prophet to be stoned to death A Herod who commaunded the heade of Sainct Iohn baptist to be cut off at the request of his wife of his daughter A Annanias the hie priest which commaunded them that stode by saint Paul to smite him on the mouth But with the Lord it is altogether otherwise for there is no vnrighteousnesse in the Lord our god nor regarding of persons nor taking of rewards I wil say yet moreouer men do coÌ„maund often times that which is not in their power yea that they which haue the tharge giuen them knowe not howe to execute it as those men which would build the Towre of Babel And therein they resembled the Diuell For as the Diuell tooke Iesus vnto an excéeding hie mountaine shewed him all the kingdomes of the worlde promising to giue them vnto him if he would fall downe and worship him although hée had nothing of all that in his power to giue so there are some which many times do promise thinges which are not in their power to giue Forasmuch then as all thinges are in the handes of the Lord also it is he that worketh in vs both the will and the déede euen of his frée beneuolence And neuerthelesse although the commaundementes of the LORD are easie and are none other thing then righteousnesse and truth On the other side that the commaundements of men are full of deceipt guile and hipocrisie forasmuch as man of himselfe is but vanitie yet truely often times through the traditions of men and mens commaundementes we doe leaue and forsake the holy precepts and admonitions of the Lorde euen as the children of Israel did despise the Manna of GOD. And in the meane time desired the flesh of Aegipt the which Iesus Christ rebuked the Scribes and Pharises when he saide wherefore do ye transgresse the commaundements of God through your traditions Euen so haue not the Apostles done vnto whom although that it was forbidden theÌ„ by menasces and threatenings that in no wise they should speake or teach in the name of Iesus yet truely they answered in the presence of all Iudge ye whether it be right in the sight of God to obey you rather then god For we cannot but speak those things which we haue séene and heard As much sayd the Philosopher Socrates a little before he died speaking vnto the Athenians O ye people of Athens saith that good Philosopher I loue you very much but I loue rather to obey God then you Those are the wordes of those children of the Hebrewes being compelled to worship the Idol which the king Nabuchodonosor had made protesting and declaring in the presence of the king that they will not serue the gods of the Gentiles will not worship the Image which the king hath made The which also in like manner one of those seauen Machebeans being neere vnto death doth witnesse and crying with a loude voice vnto those which persecuted him what séekest thou and what requirest thou of vs I wil not obey the kings commaundement but I will obey the commaundement of the lawe which was giuen vnto our fathers by Moses Héere some will saye vnto me that I am young weake of body and spirite and not able to suffer so many tormentes and afflictions which are ordeined for those which wil not obey the comaundementes of men I doe aunswere that euen so were those children of the Hebrewes And those seuen Machebeans and that notwithstanding they suffered death with a good courage bicause of the hope trust that they had in god The other will excuse hir selfe saying I am a woman and weake of nature Furthermore if I doe nowe dye I shoulde leaue so many small children which dailie will bewaile my decease So was the mother of those little Machebeans neuerthelesse it was she the most stirred them forward to kéepe the commaundement of the Lord and moreouer she exhorted them to be patient Others ther are which considering the greatnesse of their familie wil mourmure against God and as the Painims wil blame our reâ—igion To conclude will saue the earth for to lose the heauen To those kinde of people I would gladly demaund whether they are worthier theÌ„ Dauyd which was a king and a Prophet yea of the stocke from whoÌ„ Iesus Christ the sonne of God is come And notwithstanding that he was afflicted on euery side yea of his owne sonne yet truely
The same Philosopher did crie out sometime on the people of Athens O ye people of Athens I do loue you greatly but I loue rather to obey God then you Wherevnto we will aunswere that we will not depriue the Philosophers from the grace which the Lorde hath promised vnto the blessed for the Lambe hath béene killed from the beginning of the worlde But forasmuch as there is none other name giue vnder heauen vnto men whereby we must be saued then the name of Iesus We do say in this matter that the philosophers do differ from the loue which the true christians do beare vnto the Lorde forasmuch as the true christians doe acknowledge one Iesus Christ and him crucified which is the brightnesse of the glorie and the image of the personne of the father of whom the same father hath saide This is my welbeloued sonne heare him Also for to knowe perfectly the father and his wil we must know the sonne for this is life eternall that they do knowe the onely very God he whom the Lord hath sent to witte our Lord Iesus Christ according to that that the same Iesus Christ doth protest that the world knew him not that he hath giuen the name of his father to be knowē of his that the loue which the father hath loued be in them and he in them Wherefore if the onely begotten sonne which is in the bosome of the father hath declared him Who doubteth but that the Christians haue a more perfecter knowledge of the will of the father séeing the sonne by whome the father hath spoken vnto them in these later dayes and hath left vnto them the sacramentes as seales markes of his promises are not I say more moued to loue him then the Philosophers Inasmuch as the sonne hath said vnto Philippe Philip he that hath séene me hath séene my father Beleuest thou not that I am in my father my father in me And yet although that some Philosophers by the law natural haue had knowledge of God consequently they haue béene moued to loue him yet as saith Saint Paul they glorified him not as god Finally some may here say inasmuch as the Lorde desireth his that they do loue him perfectly that he desireth of them a thing either impossible or els too harde Wherevnto we will aunswere that the great perfection that the Lord desireth to loue him is not for vs to commaunde a thing which is too rigorous for he hath said that his yoke is easie and his burthen light But he hath regard to our imperfection fearing that thorough our infirmitie we should forsake him for to declare vnto vs the care that he hath of vs to gather what is the greatnesse of the precept Furthermore in that that he saith with all thy heart with all thy soule with all thy strength he requireth of vs a perfect obediēce insomuch that he would that we should consecrate our selues to his obedience loue The which also Saint Paul requireth of vs when he saith let not sinne reigne therfore in your mortall body that ye should obey sinne in the lustes of the bodie Neither giue ye your members as weapons of vnrighteousnes vnto sinne but giue your selues vnto God as they that are aliue from death giue your members as weapons of righteousnesse vnto God. And in an other place I beséech you therefore brethren by the mercifulnesse of God that ye offer your bodies a quicke sacrifice holy acceptable vnto GOD which is your resonable seruing of god And fashion not your selues like vnto this world but be ye chaunged in your shape by the renewing of your minde that yée may proue what is the will of God which is good acceptable and perfect in such sorte that the Lord would not that we shoulde lende him the tongue onely as the hipocrites do who do make profession to know God but with their déedes denie him But he would that we shoulde giue him both the word and the worke Vnto this Saint Iohn exhorteth vs saying my litle children let vs not loue in worde neither in tongue onely but in déede and in trueth That is the cause wherefore the lorde rebuked the Iewes by his Prophet that his people did approch nigh vnto him with their mouth and praised him highly with their lippes where as their heart neuerthelesse is farre from him Furthermore in this he comprehendeth a singuler perfection for the regarde of his commaūdementes For whosoeuer shall kéepe the whole lawe and yet faileth in one point he is guiltie in al. Forasmuch as he which hath said Thou shalt not commit adulterie he hath also said Thou shalt not kill At the end he concludeth So speake ye so do as they that shal be iudged by the law of liberty He would also by this cōmaūdemēt that w◠should loue him aboue al things yea aboue our owne life For he protesteth that he that loueth his father or mother more then him is not méete for him And he that taketh not his crosse and foloweth after him is not méete for him To conclude by these wordes he requireth of vs that we may be so carefull to loue him and with such affection that we may referre all our thoughtes wordes workes to his glory Whether therefore we eate or drincke or whatsoeuer we do let vs doe all to the praise of god For none of vs liueth to himselfe neither doth any of vs die to himselfe For whether we liue we liue vnto the Lord or whether we die we die vnto the Lord whether we liue therefore or die we are the Lordes One may finde at this day such a man vnto whom if one demaunde if he loue God he will aunswere franckly and fréely that which Sainct Peter aunswered vnto Iesus Christ Yea Lord thou knowest that I loue thée yea will say with the same Apostle I loue thée so much Lord that I am readie to go with thée into prison and to death And neuerthelesse if it were a question to endure and suffer some daunger for the Lord he will protest with an othe yea at the worde of a simple maiden I meane for a small occasion that he knew him not It maketh mee to remember for this matter of the same Apostle who seeing Iesus Christe transfigured in the mountaine his face shining as the sunne and his clothes as white as the light said vnto Iesus Maister here is good beeing for vs if thou wilt let vs make here three tabernacles but when the Lord said vnto him that hee must goe to Hierusalem and suffer many things did finde the things so straunge that hee began to rebuke Iesus saying maister looke to thy selfe this shall not bee vnto thee Those are they who in prosperity willingly loue the LORDE and in aduersitie doe denie him For there is no feare in loue but perfect loue casteth out
exhortinge them that no man defraude and oppresse his brother in any matter Wherfore if wée bée double hearted as sayth Sainct Iames let vs cleanse our hearts Forasmuch I saye as GOD is righteous let vs loue him with an entire and perfect heart that our heart may blesse the LORD and all that is within vs may praise his holy name and forget not all his benefites Let vs poure out our hearts like water before the Lorde and let vs lifte vp our handes vnto him and hee will beholde vs with pittie in the fauoure of his welbeloued sonne our LORD Iesus Christ vnto whom bée glorie for euer and euer So bée it Ecclesiastes 12. d. 13. ¶ Feare God and keepe his commaundementes for that toucheth all men 1. Iohn 2. d. ¶ The world passeth awaie and the lustes thereof but he that fulfilleth the will of God abideth euer A Prayer O Lord which hast taught vs by the mouth of Salomon the sonne of Dauyd that loue is mightie as the death and gelousie as the hell hir coales are of fire and a verie flame of the LORD So embrace our heartes in thine heauenly loue chiefly by thy holy spirite that wée knowing that thou hast loued vs first hauing sent thy sonne to make agréement for our sinnes that so of our part we may loue thée againe and shewe by our conuersation that we loue thée not in worde neither in tongue onely but in déede in trueth Honouring thée as our celestiall and heauenly father and fearing thée as our souereigne LORD all the dayes of our life In such sorte that neither death neither life neither Angels nor principialities neither powers neither thinges preseâ—â— neither thinges to come neither heigth neither depth neither any other creature shall be able to departe vs from the loue of GOD which is in Christe Iesus our LORD To the ende that when thou shalt appeare we may be bolde and not ashamed before thée at thy comming nor by the maiestie of him who béeing in the worlde loued his vnto the ende our Lord Iesus Christ vnto whom be glorie for euer So bée it ¶ A CHRISTIAN ADVERtisment vpon the commaundement to loue a mans neighbour Cap. 17. Deuterono 15. b. ¶ The land shall neuer be without poore wherefore I commaunde thee saying open thine hande vnto thy brother that is needie and poore in the lande Prouerbes 3. b. ¶ Honour the Lord with thy substaunce and with the firstlings of al thine encrease so shall thy barnes be filled with plenteousnesse and thy presses shall flowe ouer with sweete wine Iob 1. c. ¶ When the poore desireth any thing at me haue I denied it them haue I caused the widdow to stand waiting for me in vayne haue I eaten my portion alone that the fatherlesse hath had no parte with me For mercy grew vp with me fro my youth and compassion fro my mothers wombe haue I seene any man perish through nakednesse and want of clothing or any poore man for lacke of raiment whose â—ides thancked me not bicause he was warmed with the woll of my sheepe did I euer lift vp my hande to hurt the fatherlesse yea in the gate where I sawe my selfe to be in authoritie then let mine arme fall from my sholder and mine armeholes be broken from the ioyntes Iob. 29. c. ¶ I haue deliuered the poore when hee cryed and the fatherlesse that wanted helpe He that should haue bene lost gaue me a good worde and the widdowes heart praised me And why I put vppon me righteousnesse which couered me as a garment and equitie was my crowne I was an eye vnto the blinde and a foote to the lame I was a father vnto the poore and when I knewe not their cause I sought it out diligently I brake the chayers of the vnrighteous and pluckt the spoile out of their teeth ¶ An exhortation to loue towardes ones neighbour THE Apostle Sainct Paul â—peaking of the excellencie of loue sayth Though I speake with the tongues of men and Angels and haue not loue I am euen as lounding braue or as a tinckling cymball And though I coulde prophecie and vnderstand all secretes and all knowledge yea if I had all faith so that I coulde moue mountaines out of their places and yet had not loue I were nothing And though I bestowe all my goodes to to feede the poore and though I giue my bodie that I be burned and yet haue not loue it profiteth me nothing Loue lustereth long is courteous loue enuieth not loue doth not boast it selfe swelleth not disdaineth nothing as vnbeseeming seeketh not hir owne things is not prouoked to anger thincketh not euill reioyceth not in iniquitie but reioyceth in the trueth suffereth all thinges beléeueth al things hopeth al thinges endureth all thinges Loue doth neuer fall away though that all prophecyings shall be abolished And in the end of the said chapter he concludeth now abideth faith hope loue euen these three but the chiefest of these is loue And forasmuch then as the life is more worth theÌ„ meate the bodie more of value then raiment And also that Iesus Christe doth commaunde vs to séeke first the kingdome of heauen and the righteousnesse thereoff notwithout cause if wee mainteine that loue consisteth chiefly to helpe our neighbour in that whiche is necessarie for him for his life Insomuch that if the Lorde hath giuen vnto vs any talent I meane any grace perfection or vertue we ought not to hide it in the earth as vnprofitable seruaunts but ought to bestowe it to the profite of euerie man For the manifestation is giuen to euery one for to profit to the ende that as euerie man hath receiued the gifte so admister the same one to another as good ministers of the manifold graces of god And euen as in geuing some little part of our goods we do multiplie that which the Lord hath giuen vnto vs also in administring the spirituall things to our neighbour we augment in vs the fruites of pietie Iustice These are the wordes of Sainct Paul when he tolde the Corinthians that he that findeth séede to the sower will minister likewise breade for foode and multiplie their séede and increase the fruites of their beneuolence that on all partes they may be made ritch in all singlenesse And as we be not maisters nor owners of our goods Inasmuch as we enioy and possesse them of the hande of the LORDE so we are not but ministers of the giftes of the holy Spirite whiche worketh in vs all things Euen so saith Sainct Paul writing to the Corinthians Let a man so thinke of vs as of the ministers of Christe and disposers of the secretes of GOD. This declareth vnto vs what was gods prouidence in the dispensation bestowing of his giftes who woulde not that they shoulde abounde altogether in one man alone to the end that by them helping one an other euery one may