death hell sinne and sathan cancel the hande writing against vs triumphe ouer all our enemies transforme vs into a new man enter into heauen like a victorious conquerer in our behalfe and purchace for vs the hope of a better inheritance sende vs downe the holy ghost to comfort and strengthen vs in our iorney thether make vs haue bolde accesse vnto God the father and call him our father and clayme sonship of him No man no woman no angell no creature no earthly or heauenly bodely or spiritual thing could haue wrought these mighty works for vs but only the only begotten sonne of God. Nor any thing that we can cōceaue could so haue set forth the fathers loue in these doings as this that he vouchsafed to geue his only begotten sonne to do it What madnesse then hath bewitched the Papists mindes to seeke other mediatours than the sonne of God other satisfactions other gifts other reconciliations other means to saluation and pardon of their sinnes than that which God him selfe of sutche highe loue and fauoure hathe geuen vs as a most excellent and effectuall worker of all these things the only begotten sonne of God Is not this a greate vnthankefulnesse a foule beastlynesse a very follie or by what worthie name maye I cal their vnworthy demeanour to GOD to them selues to the sonne of God to the world to refuse so notable a loue and forsake so fre and riche a gifte to seke trifles and let go the principall to run to puddles of errour and goe from the flowing streame of grace and fountaine of life to cleaue to them selues and to renownce the sonne of god O brutishe Papistes and vnsensible or rather ledde too much by sensualitie O horse and Mule in whome there is no vnderstanding O Image makers howe lyke bee yee vnto your images Of whome sayeth Dauid they are lyke to them that made them hauyng eares to heare and heare not eyes to see and see not noses to smell and smell not For if ye hadde eyther hearyng seeyng smellyng or sauouryng of anye thyng petteynyng to GOD yee coulde not bee thus senselesse But this sheweth ye are but fleshe and blood whiche canne not reueale the sonne of the liuing god Good Lorde what is manne if hee be caste off of God and lefte to him selfe gyuen ouer to his owne lusts and a reprobate sense ▪ But the saying of Esaye is verified on them He hath blynded their eyes and hardened their heartes that they shoulde not see wyth theyr eyes nor vnderstande with their heartes and shoulde bee conuerted and I shoulde heale them For were it not that God had sent them strong delusion that they should beleeue lyes and be damned whiche beleeued not the truthe but hadde pleasure in vnryghteousnesse they wold neuer so like swine haue trod vnderfote this most precious perle the sonne of God and delight to wallowe in the mire of mens traditions and durtie deedes of their owne righteousnesse as they doo and had rather like Grillus that was bewitched of Circes be still a swine and sosse in swil than returne to the forme of a manne and be with wise Vlisses had rather liue in Egypte with sclauish bondage and foode fit for sclaues onions leekes and garlike than liue in libertie trauailyng to the lande of promise and be fedde with angels foode Here is a notable gifte if we value it well all the riches in the worlde is but drosse vnto it How do the Papists value this excellent iewell Lette vs see yf they be good iewels yea or no or if they bee as wyse prysers of the valew hereof as Esops donghyll Cocke who fynding a precions stone hadde rather haue had a sillye barley corne to cramme his croppe than all the precious stones in the worlde And doo not the Papistes as fondly esteeme and worse handle this precious Iewell that GOD the Father hath gyuen vs His onely begotten sonne Howe doo they value Christe That traytour Iudas valued hym but at an easy price when hee solde hym for thirtie pence to the Priestes Thys was too mutche vnder foote in conscience for sutche a Iewell But theeues haue no conscience they wyll make Robyn Hoodes penywoorthes to dispatche and away wyth all that they can come by Well Iudas solde hym for thyrtie pence to the Priestes but the Priestes since that haue esteemed him at a greate deale lesser value than Iudas did They beare vs in hande that that little rounde white cake whyche the Priest at his Masse dothe consecrate as they call it is Christe hym selfe But ye shoulde haue hadde any morrowe Masse priest haue solde ye thyrtie Masses thyrtie consecrations for thirtie groates a whole Trentall for a royall and so the price of Christ was come downe to foure pence mutche vnder Iudas price But there was a reason of the fall of the price For why the makyng of Chryste was so easye and there were sutche a companie of those Christmakers and of those Christes Here is Christe and there is Christe that thys pulled downe the markette But yf that were Christe howe ordered they hym Forsoothe they ordered hym euen as they prysed hym that whiche they might haue of so easie a price a fourepenie matter was ordered euen thereafter Fyrste they turned Chryst out of his owne likenesse and made him looke lyke a reunde cake nothyng lyke to Iesus Christe no more than an apple is lyke an oyster nor so mutche for there appereth neyther armes nor handes feete nor legges backe nor belly heade nor body of Chryst but all is visoured and disguysed vnder the fourme of a wafer as lyghte as a feather as thinne as a paper as whyte as a kerchiefe as round as a trenchour as flat as a pancake as smal as a shilling as tender as the Priestes lemman that made it as muche taste as a stycke and as deade as a dore nayle to looke vppon O blessed GOD dare they thus disfigure our Lord and sauior Iesus Christ or can they make suche a strange Metamorphosis of the sonne of God They saye they doo thys But now what do thei with him hauīg thus trāsformed him Forsoth euen as the cat doth with the mouse play with it dandle it vp downe hoise it euer her head tosse it hither thyther then eate it cleane vp euen so for al the world did they order Christ. Mark a Priest at Masse and marke a Cat with a mouse tel me then what differēce Now if Christ were not eaten vp of the Priest did he so escape the Priests handes Nay euen as a mouse kept in a trap till she pine to death as a birde in a pitfal til she be st◅rued as a caytif in a dungeon til he be famished so was Christ thrust vp into a copper pixe and there hanged vp tyll euen the wormes did eate hym and scraule all ouer hym and the very hoarie moulde dydde rotte him and then was he
restraint of this word Al qui credunt that beleeue Wherein is both declared who shall be saued only the beleuers and also the meanes whereby they receiue their saluation that is belefe The nature of this word belefe compreheÌ„deth three things knowing acknowledging and trusting as when I say I beleue in God I inferre by this word beleue first that I thinke and know that God is Credere enim oportet accedentem ad Deum quia est He that commeth to God must beleue that God is Secondly I assente to this my thought and knowledge and with a firme persuasion acknowledge and professe him whome I so know and thinke to be Thirdly I trust vnto him and with an assured confidence reckeÌ„ vpon him Al which this word belefe doth coÌ„prehend For looke how much I want of any of these three points so much in dede I do not beleue And therfore the diuels that can not chose but take the first and al the wicked ones which take the first and the seconde bicause withall they take not the thirde although so farfoorth they haue a belefe yet fully rightly proprely they can not say they beleue For where as this worde GOD comprehendeth all power truth goodnesse grace and glory god maketh a promise to me of his grace goodnesse glorie I must not only staÌ„d on this point that he is power he is almighty he can perform it but I must go further and make my reckening that he is truthe also therfore wil not breake promise but vndoutedly will perfourme his good gracious promise of his glory to me which if I do not I make God a lier which is asmuch as to make god not god if I doo not beleue him to be a true God To beleue therfore in God requireth al these three things principally the more principal wherin I glorifie and honour him Vt iustificeris in sermonibus tuis I make him a iust and a true God in his sayings and promises and also benefit my selfe therby hauing as it were already in this poynte of my belefe that is my trust and confidence in the promiser who is faithful and wil not fayle me the thing that he promised me and I fully recken vpon and am assured for to haue it of him So sayth Saint Paule we haue heauen already Conuersatio nostra est â—…n coelis Our conuersation is in heauen Although wee bee not yet in it by faith wee haue it Propter spem quae reposita est vobis in coelis for the hope which is layd vp for vs in heauen and Christ in our fleshe hath taken possession of it for vs And therfore sayth S. Paule to the Hebrues Faith is a sure grounde or confidence a sounde and firme foundation consisting in the bottom Hypostasis a substance of things hoped for and an argument a certayn and infallible proofe an euidente euiction of things although they be not seene yet nothing doubtyng but with a full assured confidence that we shal see euen as we be sene and tast and enioy the fulnesse of Gods promise Thus much propreprely and fully importeth thys word belefe Nowe although to repose our selues on the veritie of Gods promises be belefe yet excepte thys thirde parcell concurre withall that is in eum in him that our beleefe reste and settle it selfe on the promises of God in him that is in Iesus Christ it is no true nor right belefe in god nor is capable of any the foresayd benefites For where as of al the promises of God this promise is the grounde and principall that was made in the beginning of the blessed seede for Adam Eue and al their ofspring to ground their faith vpon Ipse conteret caput 〈◊〉 He that shal come of the womans sede shal treade downe the serpentes head the power of Sathan And wher as God renuing the same promise to Abraham when he first chose him a peculiar people sayd to him In semine tuo benedicentur omnes nationes All nations shal be blessed in thy seede and where as all the ceremonies of the lawe were but shadowes and figures of him and the law it selfe but a schole maister to driue vs to him and Moyses by whom the law was giueÌ„ referred vs to an other prophet that is to wit to him that in fulnesse of time God performed this his promise and sent him into the worlde and sent vs only to him Hunc audite here him and al the fauor and graces of God all the forgiuenesse reconciliation and redemption of man cometh by him there is none other name whereby we may bee saued but in the name of him and all the Prophets beare witnesse vnto him Therfore the ground of this our knowledge and acknowledging of this our assent persuasion of this our assurance confidence that we haue in god is only wholly and altogether reposed grounded and asâ—…ied on him that in him for him and by him and only him we are elected predestinate and writen in the boke of life we receiue the loue and fauoure and all the gracious giftes of God we are deliuered from perdition and shall haue eternall lyfe And he that beleueth not in him the wrath of God abideth on him and is alredy iudged bicause he beleued not on the only son of God and euen this is his iudgement that light came into the world and the world loued darknesse more than light And here we see what is the means wherby the elect of God receyue this benefit belefe in him and why the wicked shall be damned not for theyr wickednesse so muche as for their infidelitie For wheÌ„ the holy ghost shal come saith Christ to confirme the godly he shal reproue the world of sinne Of sin euen for that it hath not beleued on me For if they had beleued on him all their sins had ben couered from the face of Gods iustice neyther had their sins but the righteousnesse of Christ ben imputed to them and then had they as Dauid saith ben blessed Beatus â—…ui dominus noÌ„ imputauit peccatuÌ„ And this is the reason that the godly shal staÌ„d vpright in iudgement and shine as the sunne not any godlinesse of their owne in them but bicause they beleued in him by which belefe they receyued Christe into them and so the righteousnesse of Christ doth shine in them bicause he is by faith in them they in him These then only receiue this benefit all they that beleue in him Here first are excluded and quite cut of al the heathen al the Turkes al the Iewes from this benefit that refuse to beleue in him Neither can it auaile the Turkes to alleage that they professe and beleue in one liuing and eternall GOD creatour of heauen and earth For he that wil beleue in this god must beleue in him in suche forme as he hath taught him how
Faythe and take holde of Chryste No sayeth Christe hymselfe Hoc est opus Dei vt credatis in eum This is the worke of God that ye beleeue in hym whome hee hathe sente It is not your worke Donum Dei est It is Gods gift Then man hath nothyng at all in hym selfe not so mutche as to put out his hande and receyue this gifte excepte GOD geue hym this gyfte also to receaue it except God geue him this hand to put out howe can he put out that he hath not it muste needes bee then that those that receyue this gift the sonne of GOD are euen the elect of god Crediderunt quotquot praeoidinati fuerunt ad vitam aeternam Euen so many beleued as were ordeyned to eternall lyfe And further then thys we will not we dare not we can not wade howe soeuer the diuell the worlde the fleshe the Papists doo startle hereat but moste humbly lette vs prayse and magnifie God for this and saye with Christe Confiteor tibi pater c. I giue thee thankes O Father Lorde of Heauen and earth bicause thou haste hidden these thyngs from the wyse and prudent and haste opened them vnto babes it is so father bycause thy good pleasure was such It is not so bicause it was oure pleasure oure will oure merite our worke our preparatiue or any thyng in vs But GOD hath only of his mere mercyful loue begunne it wrought it and performed it in his choyse vessels of mercie thorough his onely begotten sonne oure Lorde and Sauioure Iesus Christe Thus haue I derely beloued in the lord a great deale to long I graunt deteined your pacience but the matter for me I hope wil pleade my pardon A matter of no lesse momente in it selfe than conteyning the weyghtiest poynts of our religion the chiefest controuersies of oure contention and all the causes of our saluation Neither myghte wee passe through these matters hauing to deale with suche crafty and warbling aduersaries so soone as the ordinarie time in this place dothe require but I haue presumed in this extraordinarie Sermon or rather was driuen thereto to driue out the time extraordinarily for the aduersaries to step their mouths and if it please God to win their harts also at least for our selues to confirme strengthen ours against all theyr cauillations Which effect that it may worke in them and vs let vs neuer forget this most worthie sentence So god loued the world that he gaue his only begotten sonne that all that beleue in him shold not perishe but haue eternall life Let vs remember all the foure parts into the which I deuided this sentence In the firste let vs seriously set before vs these two endes Euerlasting death and Euerlasting life Secondly these two parties God and the world chiefly considering the eternall purpose and election of God the first cause and originall of our saluation In the second parte let vs consider what moued God to elect vs to life euerlasting nothing in the world but all in him selfe euen only his owne mere loue Wherin remember withall howe greatly they haue abused you or rather abused God by little and litle in taking all from God and let vs render all to him from whose loue all procedes to vs In the third parte consider by what meanes god hath wrought it euen by Iesus Christ His only begotten sonne What a passing loue thys was surmounting all kindes of loue what an excellente gifte it was and how the Papists trode it vnder foote and let vs beware least we misuse this gifte by securitie of life as they by false doctrine dyâ—… deface it Laste of all let vs receaue thys gifte by faith the only meanes we take it by and take hede of them for in euery thing they haue shewed them selues to God and man vnfaithfull neither know they what faith meanes and therefore are they suche enemies of this doctrine that only a stedfast faithe apprehending The sonne of God doth make vs acceptable vnto the father But let vs leauing them to Gods iudgemeÌ„ts to come vpon them admit and beleue this his eternall truth and prayse God for these his vnspeakable mercies poured on vs in Iesus Christ our Lord to whom with the father and the holy ghost three persons and one most perfecte and euerliuing Godhed be all prayse and glory now and for euer Amen FINIS 1. Cor â–ª 2. Luc. 14. Philip. 3. Prou. 2. Rom. 6. Ludouiâ—… Viues Eccl 7. 3. Reg. 2. Osee. 13. Rom. 6. Math. 16. Rom. 8. 1. Cor. 9. Matth. 20 Matth. 2â—… Mark 9. Luc. 16. Matth. 15. Iohn 14. Iohn 10. Ierem. 7. 2. Pet. â—… Matt. 22. Mat. 22. Luc. 12. 1. Peter 4. Hebr. 10. Apoc. 3. Matth. 24 Matth. 25. Matth. 10. 1 Iohn 5. â—… Ion. 2. 1. Iohn 2. Iohn 1 Mare 16. Legenda in vita S. Francis. Iohn 17. 1. Iohn 2. Matth. 7. Iohn 6. Ephes. 1. Rom. 8. Iohn 13. Iohn 5. 1 Cor. 6. Gen. 3. Gala. 6. Iohn 12 Iohn 17. Rom. 10 Marc. 16. Rom. 10. Gala. 3. Rom. 4. 1. Cor. 3. 1. Cor. 6. 1. Cor. 2. Lbi. 1. Dâ—… doct christiana 1. Tim. 2. Rom 9. Prouer. 15. Rom 9. Rom. 9. Matth. 26. Ephes. 1. Rom. 8. Aug li. 50. Homiliâ—…r Homili 17. Act. 9. Psalm 117 Phil. â—… Iohn 6. Iohn 17. Ephes. â—… Rom. 9. Ezech. 33. 1. Tim. 2. Matth. 23. Psalm 17. Exod. 6. Malach. 3. Rom. 〈◊〉 Hebr. 13. Exod. 3. 2 Cor. â—… Lâ—…c â—… Rom. 8. Psalm 13. 1. Tim. â—… Matth. 6. Matth. 5. â—… Tim. 3. Ierem 2. Iohn 4. Gen 3. Rom. 13. Esa 48 Prouer. 25 1 Pet 4. 1 Cor. 13. â—… Cor. 11. Matth. 22. Matth. 10. Iohn 8. 2. Cor. 6. Iohn 8. Matth. 4. 1. Iohn 2. Matth. 4. Luc. â—…2 Iob. 1. â—… Pet 5. Matth. 16. 2. Cor. 12. Iob. 13. Rom. 5. Rom. 8. 1. Iohn 3. Collos. 1. Marc. 8. 2 Reg. 6. Gen. 19. 4 Reg 6. 2. Tim 3. Luc 10. 2. Tim. â—… 2. Tim. 1. Rom. 3. Rom 8. Rom 4. Psalm 126 Rom. 11. Ezech. 16. Ezech. 16. Esai 1. 57. Gen 12. Iosu. 24. â—…sa 59. Act. 7. Rom. 5. Gal. 5. Rom. 3. Rom. 3. Rom 6. Gal. 3. Gen. 18. Rom. 7. Matth 7. Luc. 6. Iohn 15. Ephes. 1. 1 Cor. 2. Psalm 48 Psalme 31. 2. Cor. 2. Rom. 5. Ephes. 2. Rom. 7. Iacobi 1. Rom. 8. Rom. 7. Matth 12. Poueâ—…b 〈◊〉 Matth. 15. Ierem 17. Gen. 6. Gen. 8. Psalm 13. Pigghius de origin peccato Rom 5. 1. Iohn 3. Iob. 14. Psal. 50. Ruth 4. 1. Cor 7 â–ª Heb. 1â—… Iohn 3. Gen. 2. Rom. 5. Rom. 6. Iohn 8. Rom 8. Rom 8. Rom 5. Rom. 5. Rom. 8. 2. Tim 1. Gala. 3. Tit 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…phes 2. Gala. 5. Ad 〈◊〉 lib. quâ—…st 2 De â—…ide operibus cap 14 â—… Thâ—…ss 2 Rom 9. 〈◊〉 13. 1. Cor. 2. Augu in Psal. 6â—… Psaâ—…m 1â—… Iob. 〈◊〉 Iohn 17. â—…xod 9. Rom 9. Psalm 77. Iud epist. Psalm 15. Gen 3. Heb. 12. Exod. 19. Iob