life Christ hath not forsaken it nor neuer will forsake it all our whole strife is vpon the particular churches which be mingled with good and euill together They not onelie can erre but also haue erred and doe erre yet in manie points c. Musculus fol. 267. Saint Augustine in his preface vpon the 47. Psalme alleadgeth this place of the Apostle in this wise Therefore wée must vnderstaÌ„d by the second of the sabboth none but the church of Christ but the church of Christ in his Saintes the church of Christ in them which be written in heauen the church of Christ in them which doe not yéelde vnto temptations of this world for they be worthie to beare the name of the firmament Therefore the church in them which be strong of whom the Apostle saith Wée which be strong beare with the infirmities of the weake is called the firmament whereof it is song in the Psalme Let vs heare let vs knowe let vs sound let vs glorie let vs reigne For heare you and knowe that the same also is called the firmament by the writing of the Apostle which is saith he the church of the liuing God the piller and firmament of truth Thus saith Augustine Chrisostome doth expound this place in this sort Not as the Iewish church for this is that which conteineth the faith that is to saie the piller and establishment of the church and the preaching For truth is the piller and establishment of the church this saith he He maketh not the church to be the piller establishment of the truth but the truth of the church c. Mus. fo 268 To proue that the congregation of faithfull men is the church that cannot erre heare their owne law The whole church cannot erre â— Againe The congregation of faithfull men must néeds be which also cannot erre ¶ This church which is spred abrode throughout all the world and standeth in the vnitie of faithfull christen men is the church that God suffereth not to erre in those things that belong to saluation D. B. fol. 254. How the Church is knowne Whereas the word of God is purelie and sincerely preached the Sacraments orderlie ministred after the blessed ordinance of Christ. And wheras men do patiently suffer for the veritie And the hearers doe applie their liuing to Christ doctrine and with méeknesse receiue the holie Sacraments these be good and present tokens to iudge vpon that there be certeine members of Christs church and to proue this read the doctors following Our mother holie church faith Augustine throughout all the world scattered farre and wide in her true head Christ taught hath learned not to feare the contumelies of the crosse nor yet of death but more and more is she strengthened not in resisting but in suffering They that be in Iudea let them flie vnto the mountaines that is to saie they the be in Christendome let them giue themselues to the scriptures for in that time in the which heresies haue obteined into the church there can be no true probation of christendome nor no other refuge vnto christen men willing to knowe the veritie of faith but by the Scriptures of God Afore by manie waies was it shewed which was the church of Christ and which was the congregation of the Gentiles But now there is none other waie to them the will know which is the verie true church of Christ but onely by Scriptures By works first was the church of Christ knowne when the congregation of christen men either of all or of manie were holie the which holinesse had not the wicked men But nowe christen men are as euill or worse then heretiks or Gentiles yea greater continence is found among them then among christen men Wherefore he the will knowe which is the verie church of Christ how shal he know but by the scriptures only And therefore our Lord considering that the great confusion of things should come in the latter daies for that cause coÌ„maunded he that christen men willing to reserue the stablenesse of the true faith shuld flée vnto none other thing but vnto the scriptures For if they haue respect vnto other things they shall bée slauÌ„dred shal perish not vnderstaÌ„ding which is the true church The same Doctour saith â— It can no waie bée knowne what is the Church but onelie by the Scriptures Againe Christ commaundeth that who so will haue the assuraunce of true faith séeke to nothing else but vnto the Scriptures Otherwise if they looke to anie thing else they shall be offended and shall perish not vnderstanding which is the true Church and by meanes héereof they shall fall into the abhomination of desolation which standeth in the holie places of the Church There bée certeine bookes of our Lord vnto the authoritie whereof each part agréeth there let vs séeke for the church Thereby let vs examine and trie our matter Againe hée saith in the same Chapter I will ye shew me the holie church not by decrées of men but by the word of God August de vnit eccl cap. 3. The question or doubt is where the Church should bee what then shall wée doe Whether shall we séeke the Church in our owne wordes or in the wordes of her head which is our Lord Iesus Christ In my iudgement we ought rather to séeke the Church in his words for that he is the truth and best knoweth his owne bodie August de vnit eccle Chap. 2. Whether of vs be Scismatikes wée or you aske not me I will not aske you Let Christ be asked that hée maie shewe vs his owne Church Augustine cont litter Petilium li. 2. chap. 85. In times past saith Chirsostome there were manie waies to knowe the church of Christ that is to saie by good lyfe by myracles by chastitie by doctrine by ministring the Sacraments But from that time heresies did take holde of the church it is onelie knowne by the Scriptures which is the true church They haue all things in outward shew which the true church hath in truth They haue Temples like vnto ours c. Wherefore onely by the Scriptures doe we knowe which is the true church Verses Hoc est nescire sine Christo plurima scire Si Christum bene sâ—is satis est si caetera nescis Englished This is to be ignorant to know manie things without Christ If thou knowest Christ well thou knowest inough though thou knowest no more What is meant by the militant and triumphant Church Men doe diuide the true Church of Christ into the militant the triumphant church So that the militant church should be of them which doe yet trauaile in this mortall flesh do striue with Satan the flesh and the worldâ— The triumphant of them which are passed to heauen and haue ouercome all manner of their enimies In this sort Augustine placeth the Angels also These bée not two churches but the
reason with reason August contra Maxi. li. 3. chap. 14. More weightie is the doctrine of the Scripture and the Prophets then of such as be raised from the dead doe report any thing or if an Angell descend from heauen As for the things they talke they be but seruants that speake them but whatsoeuer the Scripture vttereth the Lord hath spoken it The Lord therfore doth teach vs that we should thinke credit shuld be rather giuen vnto the Scriptures then to all other things Chrisost. de Lazaro concione 4. No man will giue héede to the Scriptures for if we did consider them we shuld not onely not fall into â—rrours our selues but also thereof deliuer other that are deceiued and put them from perill Chrisost. in Epist. ad Heb. Homil. 8. Let vs not bring deceitfull ballances wherein we may weigh whatsoeuer we lust at our owne discretion saieng this is heauie this is light but let vs bring the heauenly ballance of the holy Scripture as from the treasure of the Lord therin let vs weigh what is of more weight Hierome causa 24. quest chap. 1. non adfera How Christ ouercommeth Satan with Scriptures Iesus sayd vnto him it is written againe ¶ Christ woulde not ouercome Satan by his diuine and almightie power but with the Scriptures and word of God to teach vs by his own example to fight against Satan with the holy sacred Scripture which are our heauenly armour the word of the spirit Beza How this place following is to be vnderstood Among the which some things are hard to be vnderstoode c. ¶ That is to say among the which things for he disputeth not héere whether Paules Epistles be plaine or darke but saith that amongest those things which Paule hath written off in his Epistles and Peter himselfe in these two of his owne there are some things which cannot be so easily vnderstood and therfore are of some drawne to their owne destruction that hée saith to make vs more attentiue and dilligent and not to remoue vs from reading of holy things For to what end should they haue written vaine speculations Beza ¶ As no man condempneth the brightnesse of the Sunne because his eyes is not able to susteine the cleerenesse thereof so the hardnesse which we cannot somtime compasse or perfectly vnderstand in the Scriptures ought not to take away from vs the vse of the Scriptures Geneua Of them which say that Scripture hangeth vpon the iudgement of the Church I know saith Caluine that they haue commonly the saieng of Augustine where he sayth he would not beléeue the Gospel saue that the â—uthoritie of the Church moued him therevnto But â—ow vntrue and cauillously it is alleaged for such a meaning by the whole tenour of his writing it is easie to perceiue He had to doe with the Maniches which desired to be beleeued without gaine saieng when they vaunted that they had yâ— truth on their side but proued it not Now Augustine asketh them what they would doe if they did light vpon a man that would not beleeue the Gospell it selfe with what manner of perswasion they wold drawe him to their opinion Afterward he saith I myselfe would not beleeue the Gospel c. saue yâ— the authoritie of the church moued me therto meaning yâ— he himselfe when hée was a straunger from the faith could none otherwise be brought to embrace the gospell for the assured truth of God but by this the he was ouercome by the authoritie of the Church And what meruaile is it if a man not yet knowing Christ haue regard to men Augustine therfore doth not there teach yâ— the faith of the godly is grounded vpon the authoritie of the Church nor meaneth that the certeintie of the gospel hangeth theron but simply onely that there should be no assurednesse of the gospell to the Infidels wherby they might be won to Christ vnles yâ— consent of the church did driue them vnto it And the same meaning a little before he doth plainly confirme in this saieng When I shal praise yâ— which I beléeue scorne the which thou beléeuest what thinkest thou méet for vs to iudge or do but the we forsake such men as first call vs to come know certeine truths after commaunded vs to beléeue things vncerteine And that we follow them that require vs first to beléeue that which we are not yet able to sée that being made strong by beléeuing we may attainâ— to vnderstand the thing that we beléeue not men now but God himselfe inwardly strengthening giuing light to our minds These are the very words of Saint Austen Caluin 1. booke chap. 7. Sect. 3. The Papists say it must be vnderstood after the interpretation of the Church of Rome which is false When the Apostles bad vs trie the spirits whether they be of God or no meant he trow ye we shuld trie them according to the testimony of the Church of Rome When the men of Thessalonica tried the Apostles doctrine whether it wer true or no Asked they yâ— iudgement of the Church of Rome c. Deering Obiection How is the word of God and the Scriptures knowne but by the Church Aunswere The Church was and is a meane to bring a man more spéedely to know the scriptures and the word of God as was the woman of Samaria a meane that the Samaritanes knew Christ but as when they had heard him speake they sayde Now we know that he is Christ not because of thy words but because we our selues haue heard him So after we came to the hearing and reading the Scriptures shewed vnto vs and discerned by the Church we doe beleeue them and know them as Christs shéepe not because the Church sayth they are the Scriptures but because they be so being assured therof by the same spirit which wrote and spake them Bradford in the booke of Mar. fol. 1794. When the Scriptures was in English ¶ Looke Bible Of the burning of Scriptures ¶ Looke Herode SEA Of the diuerse names giuen to this Sea OUer the sea of Galile ¶ This is a lake which is called in the Scripture the sea or lake of Ginnereth which some interpret the sweete sea is called of the Gréeks Genezar or Genazareth Of this Iosephus maketh mention in his third booke of the war of the Iewes 18. chapter S. Iohn calleth it the sea of Tiberias because the citie of Tiberias so called of Herode the Tetrach for the honour of Tiberius Caesar bounded vpon the East part of the same Wherefore by this portion the Euangelist doth more plainly describe the place whither Christ went For the whole lake was not called the sea of Tiberias but onely that part which lay more to the shore vpon the which Tiberias was scituate Marl. fo 188. What the Sea of Glasse signifieth As it were a Sea of Glasse ¶ The Hebrues betoken all manner of
the poore and sicke Geneua The Bishops oth to the Pope â— N. elect Bishop of N. from this time forth will be faithfull and obedient to blessed Peter and to the holie Apostolique Church of Rome and to our Lord N. the Pope and to his successours entring canoniallie The Counsell which they shall commit vnto mée by themselues messengers or by their letters to their hinderaunce I will not willinglie disclose to any man I will be an helper vnto them to reteine and defende against all men the Popedome of Rome the roialtie of Saint Peter I will doe my endeauour to kéepe defend increase and inlarge the rights honors priuiledges authoritie of the Church of Rome of our Lord the Pope of his foresaid successours Neither wil I be in counsell practise or treatie wherin shal be imagined against our Lord the Pope himselfe or the same Church of Rome any sinister or preiudicial matter to their persons right honor state or power And if I shall vderstand such things to be imagined or procured by anie I wil hinder the same as much as lieth in me with as much spéed as conuenientlie I maie I wil signifie the same vnto our said Lord or to some other by whom it maie come to his knowledge The rules of the holie Fathers the decrées ordinaunces sentences dispositions reseruations prouisions commaundements Apostolica I will obserue with my whole might and cause them to be obserued of other Heretikes scismatikes and rebells against our Lord the Pope I will persecute and to my abilitie fight against Héere is not one word of the Gospell neither yet of Christ. Bullinger How by meanes of this oth certeine Bishops rebelled heere at home against their owne Prince About the yeare of Christ. 1102. Ranulph Bishop of Durham excited Robert Curtâ—eise Duke of Normandie to warre vpon his brother Henrie the first who fauoured nothing the vsurped power of the Bishop of Rome for the crowne of England who assembled a strong armie and landed at Portsmouth But by meditation peace was made on this condition that Henrie should paie 3000. marks yearlie to Duke Robert ¶ About the yeare of our Lord. 1106. Anselme the Bishop of Canterburie by whose meanes the Priestes of England were constrained to forgo their wiues stroue with Henrie the first for the inuestitute of Bishops and giuing of benefices ¶ About the yeare of our Lord. 1164. Thomas Becket Bishop of Canterburie stroue with king Henrie the second for the liberties of the holie Church as he called them ¶ About the yeare of our Lord. 1045. in the seauenth yeare of king Henrie the fourth sir Richard Scrupe Archbishoppe of Yorke and diuerse other of the house of the Lord Mumbrey for grudge they bare to king Henrie gathered to them a great power of Scots and Northumbers intending to haue deposed him from all kinglie authoritie but he had knowledge thereof and made against them in so spéedie wise that he came vpon them vnwares and taking the said Bishoppe with his Alies commaunded them to be beheaded at Yorke Cooper BLASPHEMIE What blasphemie is BLasphemie is to withstand the truth which a man knoweth as did the Pharises attributing the works of Christ vnto the diuell Tindale ¶ To blaspheme signifieth among the diuines to speak wickedlie and among the more eloquent Grecians to slaunder Beza vpon Mat. 9. 3. But for thy blasphemie ¶ The name of blasphemie the which prophane writers vse generallie for euerie kinde of reproch the Scripture referreth vnto God when his maiestie and his glorie is defaced And there are two sortes of blasphemie as either when God is robbed of his proper honour as if so bée a man should arrogate yâ— vnto himselfe which is proper to God or els when anie thing is attributed and giuen to him which his nature will not beare Therfore they call Christ a sacrilegious blasphemous person because hée béeing a mortal man vsurped to himselfe diuine honour And this was a true definition of blasphemie if so bée Christ had bene nothing more then a man Onelie they sinne in this that they refuse to beholde the diuinitie which was euident to be seene in his myracles Marl. vpon Iohn fol. 389. ¶ Blasphemie is to attribute that thing vnto a creature which is proper or peculiar to God as to forgiue sinnes is proper vnto God who saith by the Prophet Esay I am I am hée that wipeth awaie thine iniquities for mine own name sake c. Of this place the Scribes Pharises argued that Christ was a blasphemer because he tooke vpon him to forgiue sins which no doubt had bene a true argument if Christ had bene like vnto the Scribes that is to wit if he had ben méere man and not God also c. What blasphemie of the holie spirit is Blasphemie of the holie spirit is when men sée and knowe the open manifest truth of God his word their conscience being fullie certified therof And yet notwithstanding wil raile vpon it and persecute it to the vttermost of their power saieng it is of the diuell and not of God which sinne shall neuer bée forgiuen Tindale ¶ Looke Sinne against the holie Ghost BLESSE What it is to blesse and who be blessed To blesse God is to giue him praise and thanks for his benefites ¶ To blesse a king or a Prince is to thanke him for his kindnesse and to praie to God that he may long raigne to the laude of God and wealth of his Commons ¶ To blesse a mans neighbour is to praie for him and to doe him good ¶ To blesse my bread meat is to giue God thanks for it To blesse my selfe is to giue God thanks for his great benefites that I haue receiued of him to praie to God of his infinit goodnesse he wil increase those gifts yâ— he hath giuen mée vnto his laude and praise and as touching this flesh to fulfill his will in it not to spare it but to scourge cut and burne it onelie that it maie be to his honour glorie This is the forme of blessing and not to wagge two fingers ouer vs. I. Frith To blesse in the Hebrue manner of speach is nothing else but to with an happie successe and to desire good things for him As Symeon when he blessed Christ and his parents shewed by his affection that he wished well to the kingdome of their new king Hemmyng ¶ The word blesse when we talke of men signifieth among the Hebrues to with well when it is referred to God it betokeneth as much as to giue a man good fortune as they terme it or to enrich him abundantlie with all good thinges For in as much as Gods fauour is workfull his blessing bringeth foorth of it self abundance of al good things Cal. in the. 5. Psal. verse 12 To blesse is to speake well professe well liue well S. Augustine saith I will blesse the Lord in all
Saint Mathew calleth Prima Sabbati Saint Marke in the 16. Chapter doth call it Vna Sabbati saieng Cum transisâ—et Sabbatum Maria Magdalena Maria Iacobi Salomi emeruÌ„t aromati vt venientes vngerent Iesum valde mane vna Sabbatorum veniunt ad monumentem orto iam sole These places doe proue that the Iewes did vse to call the first of the wéeke Prima Sabbati and the second daie Secunda Sabbati the third Tercia Sabbati the fourth Quarta Sabbati the fift Quinta Sabbati And the sixt which we call Fridaie they did call Sexta Sabbati vell dies parascenes the daie of preparation to the Sabboth The Gentiles following the Hebrues in the number of daies concerning the wéeke they did yet chaunge the names of the daies according to the names of their Gods which they did wéekelie worship Primum dicabant sole secundum lunae The first daie in the honour of the Sunne which they did count the giuer of light they did call Dies soli Sundaie The second in yâ— honour of the Moone which they did count the giuer of the bodie they did call Dies lunae Mundaie The third daie in the honour of Mars whome they did worshippe as the giuer of lustie courage they did call Dies Marti Tuesdaie The fourth day in the honour of Mercurie to whome they did ascribe the gift of wisdome and eloquence they did cal Dies Mercurij Wednesdaie The fift daie in the honour of Iupiter to whome they did ascribe the gift of temperaunce sobernesse and discreation they did call it Dies louis Thursdaie The sixt daie in the honour of Venus the Goddesse of loue they did call Dies Veneris Fridaie The seauenth daie in the honour of God Saturne the promoter of men to lumpish lowring and heauie dulnesse they called it Dies Saturni 〈…〉 Now Siluester Bishoppe of Rome about a 300. yeares after the ascention of Christ made manie lawes and decrees ecclesiasticall of the which this was one that the daies of the wéeke should loose their olde name The day which before was called Dies Solis shuld now be called Dies Dominicus Mundaie he called Feria secunda Tusedaie Feria tertia Wednesdaie Feria quarta Thursdaie Feria quinta And Fridaie Feria sexta The name of Saterdaie he reteined stil onely altering the feast into Sundaie ¶ This word Feriae is alwaies vsed in the plurall number and neuer in the singuler number as Siluester did abuse it Hae Feriaâ— arum in latine be properly called all daies of rest which we call holidaies Ric. Turnar ¶ Fabian and other Chronicles tell that when the Saxons inuaded the realme and ther were 7. kings ruling héere at once they brought with them two Idols the one called Wed the other Fria Or els as other write it was a noble Captaine and his wife which for their worthinesse were made Gods and when they had ouercome the English men they made two daies in the wéeke to be called Wednesdaie and Fridaie by the names of their false Gods or Captaines and so to bée worshipped which names be kept still What is meant by the daie heere in this place For the daie shall declare it and it shall bée shewed in fire ¶ Daie héere signifieth the time when God bringeth to light things that is hid By fire vnderstand exquisite and perfect true iudgement the which when it hath opened the fault and errour affliction of forethinking and repenting doth followe Saint Paule intreateth héere of preachers that succéeded him when he was departed from the Corinthians He had laied a good foundation let other take héed saith hée what they build thereon If they build things worthie for Christ their works wil remaine and abide euen when it is séene in the light which thing he signifieth when he saith the daie shall declare it but if they bring in Iewish fashions they shall happelie deceiue for a time but at length their deceit shall be opened as soone as it is begunne to be examined with true and sincere iudgement which is signified by this word fire Thus doth Erasmus expound this place in his Annotations vppon these wordes Haie and Stubble Prouing also by the authoritie of Ambrose 〈…〉 and other olde authours that it maketh nothing for Purgatorie though manie haue wrongfullie laboured to wrest it to that purpose Tindale◠¶ The daie c. ¶ Or the time which is when the light of the truth shall expell the darknesse of ignoraunce then the curious ostentation of mans wisdome shal be brought to naught Geneua How good daies are to be esteemed Saie not thou what is the cause that the daies in the olde time were better then they bée now for that were no wise question ¶ Good daies are not to be estéemed by prosperitie but by vertue and true religion as the daies of Christ are better then the daies of Moses The Bible note Whie it was called the daie of sweete bread In the first daie of swéete bread ¶ They were called the daies of swéete bread because that by the space of seauen daies no leauened bread was vsed among the Iewes where they kept their Easter Exo. 12. 15 Sir I. Cheeke This was the fourtéenth daie of the first moneth and the first daie of vnleauened bread should haue bene the fifteenth but because this daies euening which after the manner of the Romanes was referred to the daie before did belong to the Iewes manner to the daie following therfore it is called the first daie of vnleauened bread Beza What is meant by the daie of Madian As the daie of Madian ¶ By the daie of Madian is meant the daie wherein Gedeon with thrée hundred men fiue an innumerable multitude of yâ— Madianâ—â—s as ye read Iudic. 7. thâ—â— fought the Lord for him and deliuered the people from borâ—dage Euen so hath he now deliuered vs from the captiuitie of the diuell death and hell by Christ. T. M. ¶ Thou gauest them perfect 〈…〉 by deliuering the 〈…〉 that had kept them in cruell bondage as thou diddest deliuer them by Godeon from the Madianites Geneua Of the daie of dome called the last daie I saith Saintâ— Austem for the 〈…〉 of mine vnderstanding doe testifie and declare that neither the daie nor the moneth nor yet the yeare of the comming of the Lord can bée knowne Augustin his 79. Epist. Againe we doe in vaine trouble and foâ—ie our selues to reâ—ken and define how manie yeares there 〈…〉 of the worlde Augustin the 〈…〉 As for wée saith Saint Austenâ— I dare hot verilie number and count the time of the Lords 〈…〉 that is looked for in the end And a little after in the same Epistle hoe saith To recken therefore the times that we maie knowe when the ende of the world or the comming of the Lord shall bée séemeth to me none other thiâ— thâ—n to goe aboâ—â—t to knowe that that hée himselfe saith that no man
and the crueltie of the Iewes toward Christ. Like dogges are they at all times which Iewishlie and heinouslie persecute the members of Christ that is the faithfull T. M. A quicke dogge is better then a dead Lion ¶ This Prouerbe is the saieng of the Epicures the which beléeueth not the immortalitie of the soule The Bible note ¶ He noteth the Epicure and carnall man which made their bellie their God had no pleasure but in this life wishing rather to be an abiect and vile person in this life then a man of authoritie and so to die which is meant by the Dogge and Lion Geneua Beware of Dogges c. ¶ Beware of Dogges which barke against the truth to fill their bellies Geneua DOMES DAIE ¶ Looke Daie DOORE An exposition of these places following I Haue set a doore open before thée ¶ Paule glorieth that a doore was open vnto him 2. Cor. 2. 12. that is to saie that occasion was giuen him by God wherby to enter into the hearts of the heathen by the word of the Gospell In this wise must this present place be taken namely yâ— Christ had opened a way whereby the Church of Philodelphia might allure other churches to the faith of Christ by her owne example howe much so euer their aduersaries brabled against them whether they were Iewes or Gentiles or false Apostles And therefore by saieng and no man can shutte it his meaning is this namely no man shall be able to â—et you but that you shall preferre my Gospell to manie So at this daie there is a great doore set open vnto Gods seruaunts while the Antichrists and persecutors burst a sunder that is to saie the waie is opened for them to enlarge the bounds of Christes kingdome by preaching his worde and to beate downe the grose errours of vngodlinesse by the brightnesse of the Gospell Because that when God determineth to enlarge the borders at Christs Kingdome there is no power so high that is able to let it Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 61. For so much therefore as I finde thée thus grounded in faith bée thou certeine and sure of it I haue sette before thee an open doore I haue illumined thy sences and cléered thy vnderstanding to knowe the holie Scriptures and perceiue the high mysteries written therein so admitting thee 〈…〉 my Kingdome And this doore canne no man 〈…〉 againe Neither shall the power of this worlde nor 〈…〉 the gates of â—ell be able to preuaile against this opening Bale And when the doores were shut ¶ In this place the Euangelist doth diligentlie note the time that Christ our Sauiour came in to his disciples not meaning that he went in through the doores for the Gréeke hath not Diasâ—roon Kekleismenoon that is to saie through the doores beeing shutte but Toonsnroon Kekleismenoon that is to saie The Gates or Doores béeing as a man might saie late in the euening and at that time that the Gates and Doores be wont to be shut Or els could not Christ our sauiour through his diuine power cause the doores were they neuer so surelie shut to open vnto him of their own accord as when he deliuered Peter out of prison by his Angel then not onelie the chemes that he was bound withall fâ—ll off from him but also all the doores locks did open of their owne selues and did giue him passage Act. 12. 7. Againe how the Apostles were deliueredâ— Reade Act. 5. 19. Sir â— Cheeke ¶ Whereas some thinke that doores were opened for him that he might enter in according to the manner of men it disagréeth much with the minde of the Euangelist Therefore we must not thinke that Christ entered in without myracle to the ende he might declare his diuine power to make his Disciples the more attentiue Neuerthelesse that is most false which the Papists doe affirme as that Christs bodie pearcâ—d the doores which were shut This they therefore affirme that they might make his glorified bodie not onely like vnto a spirit but also so incomprehensible that no place can coâ—rein the same But the wordes of the Euangelist sound no such thing because he saide not that he entered through the doores that were shut but that he stoode sodeinlie in the middest of his disciples when the doores were shut we know that Peter came foorth of the fast barred prison shall we therefore saie that hée pearsed through the midst of the yron Gates This were too absurde and childish Let vs content our selues with this that Christ purposed by a notable miracle to confirme the Apostles in the fayth of his resurrection Marl. vpon Iohn fol. 594. ¶ So that no man opened him the doores but hée by his diuinepower caused them to open of their owne accord As of Peter is read Act. 5. 19. and 12. 10. Geneua DORCAS Looke Tubitha DOSITHEANS What manner of men they were THe Dositheans were such as in diuers Ceremonies seuered themselues from the Iewes some of them would marrie yet liue and continue Uirgins They fasted from all liuing creatures They began of Dositheus Who showing his followers an example of fasting famished himselfe to death thereby proued himselfe a foole â—pipha li. 1. tom 1. haeres 1â— DOVBTING Of the doubting of Abraham other holie persons WHether Abraham anie thing doubted when God promised to him a childe the Scripture séemeth to leaue in suspence For in the 12. of Genesis it is written that he laughed said Shall a childe be borne vnto me of an hundred yeares of age And shall Sara bring forth a childe being 90 yeares of age I would to God Ismael might liue in thy sight These words haue a showe both of ioie and admiration being ioined notwithstanding with some doubting And this Scripture therfore maketh mentioÌ„ of these things yâ— the faith of Abraham which is so highlie coÌ„mended shuld in no wise be thought to haue bene without doubting which are accustomed to spring of the flesh humane sence but because the faith of the Patriarke ouercame those doubtings therefore it is praised Neither do we read there that Abraham was accused of incredulitie as Sara was which also laughed And if a man weigh the outwaâ—d laughter they were both alike But God which is the searcher of the hearts vnderstood right well the faith of either of them Holie men although they beleeued the promises of God yet sometime through humane weaknesse they somewhat doubted and therefore it came to passe oftentimes that they required signes and miracles to confirme their weaknesse which thing we read in Gedeon and Ezechias the King But in this place is shewed a remedie against such temptations namelie to call backe our thoughtes from humane lets and to fixe our eies onelie vpon the power of God Of this thing the Angell admonished the blessed Uirgin saieng No word is impossible with God although it appeared not by the words of the Uirgin that she doubted but onelie asked how that should come to passe