godly Ioash to be daylie thankfull to God for her deliuery and to continue the godly counsell of Iehoidah I meane her Maiesties honorable Counsell learned Bishops and godly preachers and to stop her gracious eares against the wylie charmes of such as séeking to bring some sorte of these states to contempt would doe their best to drawe vs to their former Idolatrye the dore of our vtter desolation Finally the wicked wayteth but to wallow in all synne and Epicureous lyfe saying Let vs eate and drinke 1. Cor. 15.32 to morrowe we shall dye take our pleasures whylst we lyue for after this we knowe not what shall become of vs. But Symeons brethren are farre and sure set another waye they wayte and looke for the Heauenly knowledge of the Lorde wherein is eternall lyfe for Christ their consolation to dwell in their hartes by fayth Iohn 17.3 for his holye spirite to kéepe their bodyes Soules and Spirits blamelesse vnto the day of consolation when Christ with his Angels shall come to receyue them to glorie They vse the worlde as they whose mindes are else where set in the heauens from whence they wayte for their Sauiour Titu 2.13 They lyue in hope and wayte by al meanes to ouercome the worlde the fleshe and the Deuill they abyde paciently the euill degenerating dayes of our lyfe Hebr. 12. and méekely beare the crosse of Consolation heauy to the flesh hoping that the euent shal be to their God glorious to his Church commodious and to themselues in hym prosperous 1. Pet. 2.12 They finally wayte to liue so as the enimy which backbyteth them may by their example be trayned to reioyce in the daye of their visitation And last of all when God the Father with whome their lyfe is treasured vp in Christ will by his beloued sonne appeare for our full redemption Collos 3. that all we that longly wayte in Spirite and Truth for his comming to cutte of these dayes of synne and ende this wretched worlde maye lifte vp our heades with assured comforte Luc. 21.18 bicause we shall then be with thys our Symeon and the whole elect of God for euer after glorious brought to our Fathers kingdome the inheritance of our onely consolation Christ Iesus and lykewise oure inheritance in him Furthermore we are precisely to stande in this No health but in christ that besyds Iesus Christ there is no consolation and without syncere fayth in him nothing but desolation and eternall woes The way to rest in this our Redemption by Christ is with Symeon to fixe our fayth absolutely in him for our Saluation without which we shall neyther feele comfort in him or rightly serue him And before I passe this point as the meaner sort haue had in Symeon a playne patterne of holynesse So I thought to giue the Ritcher and more Noble personages A Noble patterne to the Nobles of England an example of Nobilitie to followe in this case And the same is noble Ioseph of Aramathaea the Disciple of Iesu and the same was ritche Luke sayth of him thus And beholde there was a man named Ioseph he was a Councellour a good man and a iust c. Luc. 23.50 Hee did not consent to the counsell and deede of them which was of Aramathaea a Citie of the Iewes who himselfe also wayted for the kingdome of God Mathew thus And when euen was come Math. 27.57 there came a ritch man of Aramathaea named Ioseph who had also himselfe bene Iesus Disciple Iohn sayth He was Iesus Disciple Ioh. 19.38 but priuilye for feare of the Iewes for he doubted that if he should confesse Christ they would cast him not onely out of Counsell but out of the Synagoge Marke the Euangelist sayth thus Mar. 15.24 Ioseph of Aramathea an honorable Counsellour which also looked for the kingdome of God came and went in boldly vnto Pilate and asked the body of Iesus This noble Counsellour by all the Euangelists is thus discribed First his dwelling place is to vs noted which was a famous Citie of the Iewes for Ioseph was of Aramathaea supposed to be the same which was also before called Ramath layde oute for the Citie of the Leuites by Samuel the Prophet sytuate about the Mounte Ephraim néere to Lydda which after was called Diospolis Secondly his condition and lyfe by condition Noble for he was an honorable Counsellour eyther of the Sanhedrin or called to Pilats Counsell Concerning godly cyuilitie he was honest a good man and a iuste Touching his Religion he was a disciple of Iesu and wayted with Symeon for the kingdome of God that is for his redemption in Christ his Lord and Mayster Concerning his faythfull seruice to his Mayster Christ our Lorde he withstoode the Counsell boldly as did also Nicodemus and when he coulde not preuayle he openly refused to gyue his consent to them in the death of Christ for the Euangelist speaketh of a thing that was knowne to all men His infirmitie was somewhat great in déede that hee durst not confesse Christ for feare of the Iewes But his modestie was more that being of such place and power he resisted not the Magistrate by sworde for the cause of Christ being a subiect to that tyrannous power or with haultie wordes or conuitious spéeche gaue counterchecke to their curssed blasphemies but manifestly refused to allowe of that murthering Sentence To giue you this man wholy in his vertues As he refused to kyll Christ by cruell sentence So Christ being slayne he sheweth himselfe more faythfull and bold in the cause of Christ then eyther the Virgin Mary or any other of the Apostles For as saint Marke sayth He went with great boldnesse to that dissembling Tyran Pilate in the heate of the Iewes rage and honorably obtayneth the body of Iesu to be buryed and the same layeth in his owne graue honorably prepared for himselfe This was to his state very dangerous For in that he maketh sute to honor him with buriall whome the Presidente Princes and people of the Iewes had condemned to death and subscribed therevnto what might they accompt of Ioseph other then that this his peticion gaue flat condemnation to their present action What was he and where dwelte he That did or durst begge with boldnesse the bones of the beloued Bucer which the Papists in their rage and great solemnitie burnte at Cambridge By this measure howe bolde and aduenturous attempte this was in this Noble Counsellour his honor ryches place and calling considered Besides this Ioseph myght haue founde some better and more easie waye to haue obteyned his purpose to haue done that honor to the slayne bodye of Christ whome he durst not confesse during his lyfe As he might haue obserued the Iewes where their crueltie ended they woulde haue caste the deade bodye of our Sauiour Iesus Christe and by night haue priuely conuayed the same to hys Sepulture or to haue procured fauour of the Centurion for
Loe to thys place went the holy father Symeon departing wherof perswaded he departed in moste assured peace in conscience and with God who in his Christ with him being satisfied by his holye spirite setled the harte of Symeon in moste quyet rest That the soules departed walke not after death in earth againe But yet or I passe from thys worde departe for that I wryting this a most slaunderous reporte is raysed of an honest and vertuous Minister departed this lyfe that hys soule nowe walketh at this daye in his Parsonage house it shall not be vnprofitable Christian Reader that I saye something to the beating downe to death this error It is an olde sinister opinion of men that the soules of the dead depart not so from vs but that after buryall they walke in the earth and appeare vnto men exhorting them to this or to that as Gregory of Rome reporteth in his Dialogues Yea the Apostles might séeme to be combred wyth this error saying when they saw Christ vpon the water it is a Spirite Act. 12.15 And when Peter knocked at Iohn Markes mothers dore they saide to Rhoda the mayde it is his Angel This had they of the vulgare opinion receyued from Pithagoras teaching the soules of men to returne into the bodies of others eyther for correction or reward And thus deluded Herod hearing of Christ supposed Iohn Baptist to be rysen againe Mat. 14.1 Mar. 6.14 Luc. 9.7 whom he had beheaded And the better sort of the people dreamed Christ to be Helias Iohn Baptist Ieremy or some of the Prophetes all which we sée were most vntrue But as touching the departure of the soule once seperated from the bodye that it returneth not or can possibly into the world the storie of Lazarus doth affyrme Diues desyreth that Lazarus might come to help his tongue Luc. 16. but it is denied that they which be in ioy can come to the Helles He then desyreth that the soule of Lazarus may go to his brethren that are in the earth and may teach them to beware but he receyueth this aunswere They which be here cannot come hence and they which be there cannot come thence And they haue Moyses and the Prophets let them heare them and if they wil not heare them neyther wil they beleue though one should which is vnpossible before iudgement come from death againe Esa 8.19.20 Deut. 18. The Prophets doe forbid vs to aske counsell of the dead God lykewise in the lawe here Abraham doth sende vs to the Prophets and to Moses bookes for our instruction denying most constantly that any soules of the dead shall walke againe to teach or terrifie vs All they which departe thys lyfe be eyther godly or wicked If they be godly then are they by imputation iust and the soules of the iuste Sapi. 3. are in the hands of God And godly Lazarus cannot be permitted no not to do much good to come from Abrahams bosome But if they be wicked they lye in the Hels like sheepe and thence cannot Diues or his fellowes come though heauen and earth should runne together But thou wilt say what shall we saye to this there is much iumblyng in suche a house and there is séene lyuely such a man walke before vs Chrisost hom 29. whome we cannot but say to be our friend departed to all our sences iudgemente To thys I aunswere wyth Chrysostome vpon S. Mathew What shal we say to those voyces sayth he which saye I am the soule of such a man The Deuil not the soule of the deade it is that after buryall walketh to deceiue men Say it is not the soule of the deade man but it is the Deuill which doth fayne these things to deceyue the hearers thereby These are sayth he olde wyues Fables and fryuolous tales The soules of the righteous are in the hands of God and soules of Infants c. But the soules of synners are straight waye after their departure called to their place as playnely appeareth sayth thys father by Lazarus the righteous and the wicked rich man Loe this is no newe doctrine by vs deuysed but an olde truth by the Fathers concluded through the warrante of Gods worde that the soules of men departed be placed presently at the hower of death out of which place they cannot come againe to men in earth Whether Samuell apeared to Saule or no. before the day of iudgement But the Papistes séeme to presse vs with the apparition of Samuel to king Saule at the cuniuration of the Pythonisse To whome we soundly aunswere that Samuel appeared not to Saule but Satan abusing the king tolde him that he was Samuel But here againe they saye sée howe these men denye the playne Text of scripture Doth not the holye booke of GOD twise saye 1. Sam. 28. Eccle. 46. Samuel appeared vnto Saule we acknowledge the scripture to call the Spirite that apeared by the name of Samuel And albeit against the second place as not Canonicall we maye lawfully excepte August quest 3. yet we answere with Augustine ad Simplicianum the Bishop of Millaine It was not sayth he the spirite of Samuel raysed from his rest but it was some fantasie or imagination of the Deuill which the scripture notwythstanding calleth Samuel as Images be called after the names of such persons as they do represent Who doubteth sayth this father to name the Images of the Phylosophers pictured vpon the wall saying this is Cicero that is Salust and this is Achilles and this manne is Hector this is the flood of Simois and that is Rome when these be nothing other but bare pictures vpon a paynted wall No maruell therfore though the wryter of the sacred Storyes sayth he call this Image of Samuel by the name he represented or that the Deuill could transfigure himselfe to the shape of a holye man which hath power also to tourne hymselfe into an Aungell of lyght But Turtullian sayth Absit vt animam cuiuslibet sancti c. God forbid that wée should beléeue the Deuill to haue power to call vp anye soule of the saints of God much lesse of his holy Prophets for we are taught that Satan doth transforme hymselfe into an Angel of light with what ease then into the shape of a manne of lighte so he calleth Samuell bicause he is a member of Christ the true light of the worlde yea he doth sayth he affirme himselfe to be God and worketh great and prodigious things if it were possibly therby to seduce the elect people of God That learned father Peter Martyr sayth that Samuell apeared not to Saule but it was an imagined shape which by the delusion of Satan was brought vnto Saule and as we call it a Ghost and he gyueth probable reasons to approoue his assertion Diuers reasons proouing Samuell not to appeare to Saule First syth the case so stood with Saule that God would neyther answere him being often
them with the other as before howe they are degenerate and Paule himselfe in his Epistle to the Romaynes Paule feared the Apostasie of Rome doth warne that church of the same which after came to passe vz. that she shoulde take héede for as God had not spared the naturall branches hys Church in Iewry Cap. 11.21.22 So they in that church of Rome should not be high minded but stande in awe He exhorteth them to consyder Gods sharpnesse towards them that are fallen away and hys goodnesse to the church of Rome and other Gentyls that they maye by grace remayne in their receyued goodnesse Otherwise sayth Paule Thou also though thou be the church of Rome shalt be cut off Then syr there is feare in Paule of the errors and departing from the fayth which after came to passe I saye in the Church of Rome and remayneth at thys day so as one of the Popes Legats called Cheregatus Io. Sleda lib. 4. Io. Sarisb sent by Adryan then Byshop of Rome to the great assembly of the Empyre at Norembirge in Germany 1523. by his maysters warrante sayd thus in the assembly A sacerdotibus iniquitatem populi duianare multis nunc annis c. That is the iniquitie of the people grew from the priests that now for the space of manye yeres there haue bene great offences coÌ„mitted in Rome and all thys plague and mischiefe haue followed vnto all the inferiour Rulers of the church euen from the high throne of the Popes sauing thy reuerence good Reader owne holynesse Fasciculus reruÌ„ sciendarum And in the late Counsell or conspiracie rather at Tridente Cornelius Byshop of Bitanto hath affyrmed the lyke Al filthynes from the Pope They haue brought to passe sayth he that godlynesse is turned into hypocrysie and that the sauour of lyfe is tourned into the sauour of death Would God they were not gone wholy with general consent froÌ„ Religion to superstition from fayth to infydelity from Christ to Antichrist from God to Epicurisme saying with wicked harte and fylthye mouth There is no God Neyther hath there bene this great whyle any pasture or Pope that regarded these things for they all both Pope and Prelates sought their owne and not so much as one of them neyther Pope or Cardinall sought for the things that pertayne to Iesus Christ By thys sufficient wytnesse of their owne good Reader thou now séest as the church of Rome may erre So in déede truth she hath for many yeres erred and that most fylthyly Examine the chiefe points of her Religion wherein she most gloryeth and thou shalt finde them eyther to haue their beginning and warrant of mans mortall brayne or if borrowed from Christes worde and institution the same greatly corrupted shadowed and abused Chose what poynte thereof that lyketh thée best and it wyll so appeare in euydent proofe The opinion of syngle liâ—e in priests examined in apparent truth As for example The syngle lyfe of popishe priests is a principall poynte of their profession Against which we will fetche no other wytnesse then themselues and their alowed Doctors to proue that thys opinion most stricte yoke which not many of them are or can he able to beare is farre shorte the warrante of God and deuised of their selfe inuention rather Ex diametro Priests syngle lyfe is an humane constitution againste God and holye scripture right agaynst God and his sacred worde First Hierome sayth that Paule doth not commaund christian men to put away their wyues The words of this Father their Church Doctor as they chalenge him are vpon the words of Paule Let euerye man abyde in the vocation wherein he was called Ex hoc habentibus vxores c. Hereby S. Paule byddeth not maryed men to put away their wyues sayeth Hierome Hier. coÌ„tra IouinianuÌ„ lib. 1. Dist 31. Quoniam Ergo say I Christianitie or the Gospell compelleth not syngle lyfe Further in the sixte counsell at Constantinople it is thus set downe Folowing the olde Fathers and diligence of the Apostles and the constitutions and lawes of the holye fathers from henceforth we wyll that the lawfull mariage of priests and Byshops shall stande in force not in any wayes dissoluing the lawfull mariage bedde with their maryed wyues Note he sayth that the mariage of Byshops and priests is the order diligence and lawes of the Apostles and holy fathers and sayth their maryage bedde is lawfull and therefore wyll not they compell syngle lyfe to the Clergy But yet more a most deare friend to the Pope and gatherer of his fragmentine lawe called Gratian sayth hereof Copula sacerdotis c. 16. Ques 2. sors The mariage of priestes sayth he is not forbidden by any authoritie eyther of the law or of the Gospell or of the Apostles Saint Ambros expounding these wordes of the Apostle Ambro. in 1. Cor. 7. Touching Virgins I haue no commaundement sayth Si Doctor gentium non habuit quis habere potuit If the Doctor of the Gentyls had no commaundemente of the Lorde touching Virgins what man else then coulde euer haue Clemens Alexandrinus sayth all the Epistles of the Apostles all which teache sobrietie and continente lyfe Clem. strom li. 3. whereas they contayne innumerable preceptes touching Matrimonye bringing vp of children and gouernment of house yet they neuer forbad honest and sober mariage The Apostles neuer forbad honest maryage And to suffise this matter I will stay with the testimony of the Popes owne Legate Slatere Cardinall Caielanus whose wordes are touching this matter thus It cannot be prooued eyther by reason Card. Ca. in quodli contra Luthe nor by authoritie speaking absolutely that a priest synneth in marying a wyfe For neyther the order of priesthood in that it is order nor the same order in that it is holye is any hindrance to matrimony For priesthood breaketh not mariage whether it be contracted before priesthood or afterward Setting all Ecclesiasticall lawes aparte standing onely vnto those things Pano de claric coÌ„iuga cum olim which we haue of Christ and his Apostles Abote Panormitane sayth Single lyfe is not of the substance of the order of priesthood nor of the law of God The long practise in the church of Rome approoueth mariage in Ministers or priestes holy and lawfull syngle lyfe in Popishe priesthoode compelled to be a corrupte lawe after long tyme by tyranny thrust vpon the Clargy Pope Damasus wryteth that many Popes of Rome themselues were maryed priestes sonnes Sundry the Byshops of Rome maryâ—â— priests chyldren As Syluerius Pope was the sonne of Syluerius also a Byshop of Rome Pope Dens dedit was the sonne of Steuen a Subdeacon Pope Adrianus Ex Damaso ad Hieron ex Platina Nan clero the sonne of Thalar a Byshop Pope Iohn 15. the sonne of Leo a Priest Pope Hosius Steuens sonne Subdeacon Agapetus Pope had one Gordeanus a priest to his
the Sacrifice for syn some of Reconcyliation of peace and all these Rites Ceremonies and Sacryfices were executed in the Hebrewe tongue by the ordinance of God which was the naturall language of the Iewes And if there were some sygnifycations there that concerned not the vulgar sort to know what is that to kéepe vs from the knowledge of the prayses of God in deuyne seruice which ought to be knowne of euery of vs We requyre not our people to vnderstand all secrets but we reprooue the Church of Rome bicause she doth so estraunge Gods people from the knowledge of his true seruice that she wil not spare them in that church so little as the vnderstanding of the bare wordes in their natiue spéeche Let them shewe vs the lyke warrante for this synne as the Iewish priests had for their holye Ceremonies all which were prescribed to them by the word of the Lorde and they haue saide something But this they cannot and therefore are most wicked and their seruice abhominable and to all that vnderstande not their Laten tongue improfytable Enchyrid Hosij cap. 34. Againe others with Hosius say where Paule sayeth He speaketh in vayne that speaketh to a congregation in an vnknowne tongue he in that place saye they speaketh of preaching and not synging or saying Gods deuyne Seruice but the wordes of the Chapter 1. Cor. 14. most manifestly doth conuince them For their is eftsoones mention made of praying in a straunge tongue Verse 14.15 and sayth he How shall the vnlearned to thy blessing that is to thy prayer of thankesgyuing say Amen if he vnderstand not what thou sayest Wherefore this defence is most slender and a falling proppe of Popery Neyther are they to be heard which saye the Church hath power to order thys matter 2. Cor. 14.37 For Paule in the Chapter sayth If any man think himselfe to be a prophet or spiritual whether prince Pope or priest let him acknowledge that the things which I write here against praying and preaching in a strange tongue are the commaundements of the Lorde And can the Pope then or maye he or generall Counsels change the Lordes Decrée in the Church and that against the Lorde and hys commaundements Hath the Church the wyfe such authoritie ouer Christ her husbande This is the duety of the beloued wyfe to heare The Churches office and duety and to obey her husband Heare O Israel hearken and giue eare Oh daughter sayth the Father to his church in the shadow of Salomons mariage to Pharaoh his Daughter consyder enclyne thine eare to Christ thyne husbande forget also thy fathers house Psa 45.10 and thy people the Romishe Church so shall the king haue pleasure in thy bewty For he is thy Lorde and reuerence thou him To heare to obey to forsake thine owne institution constitution Father Pope Popish people that giue thée the lawes of Romishe Egypt is the duetie of Gods Church But to change the lawes of God to comptroll the husband Christes commandement to keepe him vnder and set himselfe aloft in the Temple of GOD as doth the Romishe Church is the signe of a strumpet Iudge therefore good Reader now of thys Church of Rome and what she is which contrary to Christs commaundement in the church of God setteth vp hypocritical seruice in a strange tongue Againe some of them saye for children Mylke is the best bicause they are not able to digest strong men therfore the Laten tongue expedient in the church But I pray you Syr is it your purpose if we be Infantes so to kéepe vs styll For when shall your Laten seruice which you call Mylke be taken by your ordinance from vs And how proue you that your Laten seruice is mylke for Christian Babes Mylke nourisheth and feedeth but howe edyfyeth the Laten tongue mans christian soule when his inward hart cannot perceyue the meaning of hys outward words Againe your seruice is exhibited you say to GOD and wyll you feede the Lorde of truth with Popish Mylke Is not his Maiesty able to receiue stronger meate But from what breast I pray you procéedeth this Mylke Neyther from the espoused Syon or was it drawne from the Dugs of the fyrst mother the Primatiue church eyther in Rome Corinth Ephesus Antioche or else where Syon had her seruice in her owne tongue in Hebrewe the East Churches in the Gréeke tongue which was their natural spéech yea and Rome it selfe in the Laten tongue Gods seruice ought to be to eche Nation in their commō language which is the auncient Romane language And there is no other greater reason in déede for the Laten seruice then that hereby they would séeme to challenge al Nations to be of their church and subiect to their Kingdome But God hauing all Nations vnder his gouernment doth speake to eche Nation in that tongue which they vnderstande Esay 6. Esay sawe the two Seraphins and heard them praysing God in a tongue that he vnderstoode Holy holy holy When Christ was borne in Bethlehem the Angelles were heard of the Shepheards Luc. 2.14 and vnderstood to syng Glory to God on highe in earth peace to men a good will Which song to Gods prayse had it bene sung in a straunge tongue the symple Shepheards had not vnderstood the same Sith therefore the ordinance of God the practise of his church the vse of the tryumphant Church to which we ought to be lyke doth syng and pray in a knowne tongue to them with whome and for whom they doe pray What church is that but Antichrists which degenerating from all these doth hyde the prayses of God in a straunge language Some Papistes are so hatefull that for warrante of their Laten seruice Romishe Churche Antichrists Church they abuse thys sentence of Christ It is not good to take the Childrens breade and to cast it vnto Dogs by which assertion vnwyllingly they confesse Mathew that to haue the seruice in a knowne tongue is to haue the bread of Gods children Wel then God hauing wrung this truth from your lyps we wyll accept the bread of our Lorde to say our seruice to vs Englishe men in the English tongue and doe leaue to your infancie A Popishe blasphemy most horrible your chyldishe Mylke of popishe Laten seruice But are those men for whome Christ hath shedde his precious bloud no better in your account syr but Dogs The spirite of God vseth not to dwell in the bodyes of Dogs but the children of God are the Temples of the holy Ghost O horrible blasphemy 1. Cor. 3.10 to call these holy Vassels caryon Dogs But ye are those dyrtie Dogs which be Canes muti ye can not speake the praises of God in a knowne tongue ye byte and deuour them which doe ye are the Deuils Mastyues which are reserued to eternall chaynes Iudae Epist if God graunt you not repentance For it is not the propertie of a Pastor to hyde the worde of god