heare me ye shall eate the good fruites of y â— earth If that ye will not but prouoke me to anger the sworde shall deuoure you for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Put your burnt offerings to your sacrifices eate the flesh For when I brought your Fathers out of the lande of Egypt I spake not one word vnto them of burnte offeringes and sacrifyces but thys I commaunded them saying heare my voyce and I shall be your God and ye shall be my people See ye walke in all the wayes that I haue commaunded you that ye may prosper I hate and vtterly defie your holy daies and where as ye sense me when ye come together I will not accept it And though ye offer me burnt offeringes yet will not I receaue your giftes Awaye from me with the noyse of thy songes for I can not abyde the hearyng of thy playeng at the Organs Prouide that equitie may followe as the water and righteousnesse as a mightie streame for in these thinges haue I delight and pleasure sayeth the Lorde I will mercy and no sacrifice sayth the Lord and the knowledge of God do I set more by then burnt offeringes What shall I offer worthy the Lorde Shall I bowe my knee to y â— hie god Shall I offer vnto him burnt sacrifices calues of a yeare olde May the Lorde be pleased with a thousande fat Weathers Or with many thousandes of lustie Goates Shall I geue my first begotten for my wickednesse Euen the fruite of my wombe for the sinne of my soule I will shewe theâ—… Oman what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee verely to do iudgement to loue mercy and carefully to walke with thy God How long will ye halte on both partes If the Lord be God follow him If Baall be God follow him ☞ Examples out of the old Testament NAdab and Abihu of a good entent offered incense to the Lord w t straunge fyre yet for all their good zeale they were consumed with fyre so that they dyed before the Lord. King Saule thought that he had done great worship vnto God when in the absence of Samuell he offered burnt offeringes but Samuell said vnto him thou hast done folishly neither hast kept the coÌ„maundements of the Lord thy God which I commaunded thee Saule also of a good zeale contrarye to the commaundement of God spared Agag the kyng of Ameleche aliue with the best and fattest flockes of sheepe oxen â—…c Pretending that he reserued them for to offer vnto the Lorde But Samuell sayd vnto him for asmuche as thou hast caste away the word of the Lord the Lord hath cast away thee that thou be no more king Willeth the Lorde burnt offringes and sacrifices and not rather that it maye be obeyed vnto his worde Obedience is better then sacrifices and to geue eare to the lordes commaundement is more then to offer the fatte of Weathers Oza thought y â— he had done God highe seruice when he stayed the Arke of God in the waine being in ieoperdie of falling but yet was y â— Lord angry with him because he touched it contrarye to hys word in so muche that he was striken and sodenlye dyed King Ozias toke vpon him to burne incense vnto the Lord thinking that by this meanes he should highlye please God but for all his pretensed holines he was strikeÌ„ with leaprosie and so being cast out of the house of the Lorde he continued a leper euen vnto his death ¶ Sentences out of the new Testament THese people draw nighe vnto me with their mouthes honour me with their lippes but their hartes are farre from me Beholde they worship me in vaine teaching doctrines euen the coÌ„maundements of men Woe be vnto you ye Scribes Pharisees yea very ipocrites which deuour widowes houses vnder the pretence of long prayer ye shall therefore receiue the more greuous dampnation God hath deliuered vs from the hand of our enemies that we should serue him in holines and righteousnes all the daies of our life The houre commeth and now it is wheÌ„ true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirite and truth for the father seketh such that should worship him God is a spirite they y â— worship hym must worship him in spirite and truth The time shall come that whosoeuer killeth you shall thinke that they do vnto God an hie good seruice God is my witnesse whom I serue in my spirite Be ye fulfylled with the spirit speaking with your selues in psalmes and hymnes spiritual songes and making melodie to the Lord in your hartes geuing thankes alwayes for all thinges vnto God in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ. Unto god king euerlasting immortall inuisible and wise only be all honour and glory for euer and euer Amen ¶ Examples out of the new Testament OUr Sauiour Christ whan he liued in thys worlde dyd all thinges according to hys heauenly fathers commaundementes as he hym selfe sayth as my father hath geuen me commaundement so doe I thys dyd he to geue vs example that in matters of religion we shoulde attempte nothing as due seruice vnto god but that only which we haue learned out of his holy worde The apostles of Christe bothe taughte and wroughte that onelye whiche they had receaued of their Lorde and maister Iesus Christ. Of these aforesaid Scriptures histories maiest thou learne that God is not worshipped as carnall reason and fleshly wisdome imagineth and prescribeth but as god by his holy worde biddeth appointeth and commaundeth A Christen man oughte to followe Christes steps and to walke as he hath walked Against mens traditions and vnwritten verities IF Sathan or any of his impes vnto the derogation of Gods glorye shall at any time tempt thee with mans tradicions or vnwritten veryties for to geue no les credite vnto them than vnto the word of God auoyde him with these scriptures ☞ Sentences out of the olde Testament YE shall not ad vnto the worde that I speake nor take ought from it Ye shall not turue vnto the right hand nor vnto the left haÌ„d but by the way that the Lord your god hath commaunded you ye shall walke that ye may liue and haue good luck Keepe the commaundementes of the Lord thy god and the testimonies and ceremonies whiche hee hathe commaunded thee and do that whiche is pleasaunt and good in the Lordes sight that thou maiest haue good luck That I coÌ„mauÌ„d thee do y â— only neither put to any thing nor take ought away Put nothing to his wordes least thou be reproued and found a lier Wo bee vnto them that cal euill good good euil which make darknes lighte and light darknes that make sower swete and sweet sower Wo be to them that are wise in their own sight and think them selues to haue vnderstanding Wo be vnto you that make vnrighteous lawes and
wyll caste an hunger vppon the earth not the hunger of breade nor the thirst of water but of bearing the word of the Lord. And they shal go from sea to sea and walke aboute from the South to the East sekinge the worde of the Lorde and yet shall they not finde it ☞ Examples out of the 〈◊〉 Testament GOd the Father wrote the law of the ten coÌ„maundements in tables of stone with his finger and commaunded Moyses to declare them vnto the people The people are commaunded of God not only to rede his holy law but also diligently to exercise them selues in the me ditation therof so long as they liue and to teach it their childreÌ„ yea to talk of it both in their house and when they go abroad and to write it vpon tâ—…e thresholds dores and postes of their houses that it may bee â—…er in their sight For man shall not liue with breade alone but with euery worde that procedeth from the mouth of God A kinge is commaunded to reade the boke of the law of the Lorde all the dayes of his life that he may feare the Lorde his God Iosua was commaunded that the boke of the Lordes law should not depart from his mouth but that he shoulde study in it day and night that he might kepe and do all thinges that are written in that boke King Saul was cast down from his roy all estate because he was negligente and disobedient to the law of God When Dauid lay on his deathe bed he saide to Sallomon thou shalt prosper and come to great renoume if thou kepest the commaundementes and ordinaunces which the Lord commaunded Moses Ioas when he was crowned in y â— temple had the law of the Lord deliuered vnto his handes that he shoulde keepe and maintaine the same Iosaphat that walked in the commaundementes of the Lord loued Gods word so entierly that he sent hys princes Leuites and priestes to teach in all partes of Iuda which had the booke of the Lordes law with them and went about in all the cities of Iuda and taught the people Ezechias diligently walked in the law of the Lord purged his realme of all idolatry set vp againe the true worshipping of God exhorted all his subiectes to followe the lawe of their Lord God Iossas that most godly king which walked so purely in the waies of the lord that he declined neither on the ryght hand nor on the left when the boke of the law was deliuered vnto him did not only cause the booke to be red before hym but he himself also red it before all his people both small and great and all idolatry destroyed restored the true religion to hys kingdome Esdras red the law of the Lord plainly and distinctly to the people they gaue very earnest and diligent attendaunce to the bearing of it Susan from her infanciâ—… was so diligentlye brought vp of her parentes in the lawe of God that she did not onely feare god but also chused rather to be stoned vn to death then she would once transgresse the law of god by committing adultery Sentences out of the newe Testament Man shall not liue with breade alone but with euery worde that commeth out of the mouth of God Uerely verely I say vnto you this age shal not passe till all these things be done Heauen and earth shall passe awaye but my wordes shall not passe away Blessed are they that heare the word of god and kepe it Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdome of God They haue Moyses and the Prophets let them heare them If they heare not Moyses and the Prophets neither will they beleue though one shoulde rise from the dead Thys is condemnation that lyghte is come into the world and that men loued darkenes more then lyght because theyr workes were euill For euery man that doth euill hateth the lyght neyther commeth he to y â— light least his workes should be reproued but he that doth truth commeth to light that his deedes myghte bee known how they are wrought in god Search the scriptures for ye thinke to haue eternall lyfe in them and these are they which testifie of me neyther will ye come vnto me that ye may haue life The wordes that I speake to you are spirite and life Lord to whom shal we go Thou hast the wordes of euerlasting lyfe He that is of god heareth the wordes of god But ye heare not bicause ye are not of god If a man kepeth my worde he shal neuer see death My sheepe heare my voyce and I know them and thei folow me and I geue them euerlasting lyfe Walke while ye haue light least darknes ouerwhelme you He that walketh in darknes knoweth not whether he goeth While ye haue light beleue in the lyghte that ye may be the children of lyght He that hath my preceptes and keepeth them he it is that loueth me If any man loueth me he will kepe my word and my father will loue him and we shall come to him and dwell with hym This is euerlasting life euen to knowe thee the alone true God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Euery one that is of the truth heareth my voyce The gospell of Christ is the power of god vnto saluation for so many as beleue Except the Lorde of bostes had left vnto vs sede that is hys most blessed word we had bene as Sodom and might well haue bene likened to Gomorra Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God Whatsoeuer thyngs are written afore time are writteÌ„ for our learning that we thorowe pacience comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope The word of the crosse is to them that perishe folishnesse but to vs â–ª that obtaine saluation it is the power of God If the gospell of Christ be yet byd it is byd among them that are loste in whom y â— god of this world hath blinded y â— minds of them which beleue not least the light of the glorious gospel of Christ which is the image of God should not shyne vnto theÌ„ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wysedome Teach and monish one an other Quench not the spirite Despise not the studies and preachinges of the holy Scripture Proue all thinges and that is good holde faste God will all men to be saued and come vnto the knowledge of the truth Geue thy minde to reading exhortation and doctrine continue in these things Continue in reading the holy scripture which is able to make thee wyse vnto saluatioÌ„ thorow the fayth which is in Christ Iesus For all Scripture geueÌ„ by inspiration of God is profitable to teache to improue to amend and to instructe in ryghteousnes that the man of god may be perfecte and prepared to all good workes The word of God is
blessed theÌ„ he departed from them and was caryed vp into heauen I go to prepare a place for you And if I goe to prepare a place for you I wil come agayne and receiue you euen vnto my selfe that where I am there ye may be also If ye loued me ye would reioyce because I sayd I go vnto the Father Now I go my way to him that sente me and none of you asketh me whether I goe But because I haue saide suche thinges vnto you your hartes are ful of sorrow Neuertheles I tell you y â— truth it is expedient for you that I go away For if I go not away that coÌ„forter will not come vnto you But if I departe I wil. send him vnto you I went out from the Father came into the world Againe I leaue y e world and go to the Father It is Christe whiche dyed ye rather which is risen againe whiche is also on the right hand of God So ofte as ye shall eat of this breade and drinck of the cup ye shall xemeÌ„ber the Lords death til he come God the father raised Christe froÌ„ the dead and set him on his right hand in heauenly things aboue al rule power might dominioÌ„ and aboue all names that are named not in this world only but also in the world to come Christ is gone vpoÌ„ highe hath led cap tiuitie captiue and hathe geuen giftes vnto men That he ascended what meaneth it but that he also descended first into the lowest parts of the earth He that descended is euen the same also that ascended vp â–ª euen aboue all heauens to fulfil al thinges God hath exalted Christ on high geuen him a name whiche is aboue all names that in the name of Iesus euery knee should bowe bothe in heauen and thinges in earth and things vnder the earth If ye be risen againe with Christe seeke those thinges whiche are aboue where Christe sitteth on the right hande of God Whensoeuer Christe whiche is oure life shall shew him self then shall we al so appeare with him in glory The Lord him selfe shall come downe from Heauen with a shoute and the voice of the archaungell and trompe of God c. Christe the Sonne of God being the brightnes of his fathers glory and the very image of his substaunce ruling all thinges with the woorde of his power hath by his own person purged our sins and sitteth on the right hand of the maiesty on hye This man Christ after hee had offered one sacrifice for sins sitteth downe for euer on the right hand of God and from hence forth tarieth till his foes be made his fotestoole Let vs runne with pacience vnto the battayl that is set before vs lokyng vn to Iesus the captain and finisher of our fayth which for the ioy that was set before him abode the crosse and dispised the shame and is set down on the right haÌ„d of the throne of god Iesus Christe is on the right hande of God and is gone into heauen Angels powers aud might subdued vnto him Examples out of the newe Testament When Iesus had spoke these things whyle the Disciples beheld him he was taken vp on hye and a cloud receyued him vp out of their sight And while they loked vp stedfastly to ward heauen as he went behold two men stode by them in whyte aparell whiche also sayde ye men of Galyle why stande ye gasyng vp to heauen This same Iesus which is taken from you into heauen shall so come euen as ye haue sene him go into heauen Stephen beyng full of the holy ghost loked vp stedfastly with his eies into heauen and sawe the glorye of god and Iesus standynge on the ryghte hande of God and sayd Beholde I see the heauens open the sonne of man standing on the right hand of God When Saule iornyed it fortuned that as he was come nye to Damasco sodenly there shyned rounde about him a lyght from heauen and he fell to the earth and heard a voyce saying to him Saule Saule why persecutest thou me And he sayde what art thou Lord and the Lord said I am Iesus whom thou persecutest c. Against the plucking away of thy trust and confidence from Christ and his merites to put it in the merites of other creatures or in thine owne good workes or in the intercession of saints or the sacrifice of the Popish Masse IF Sathan by this subtile and crafty suggestion seking thy daÌ„nation go about to pluck thy faith confidence and truste from Christe his bloud and his merites to repose it in the merites of men or in thine own good dedes works and merites or in the intercession of saintes or in the sacrifice of the Popishe masse so that thy whole saluation shall not hang on Christ â–ª his deseruiÌ„gs only but rather on some other stranÌ„g meanes leane not to his temptations but manfully resist them stedfastly abiding in this persâ—…asion that Christ alone is thy righteousnesse and that all thy saluation dependeth on him alone and on none other thinge neither in heauen nor in earth And that thou may est be confirmed in this faith let these scriptures whiche are vnâ—…ubted verities euer be before thine eyes suffer not thy self neither by y â— crafty assaults of sathan nor by the subtle and fleshly reasons of any man to be plucked from them ☞ Sentences out of the old Testament Christ is that seede which did tread down Sathans head Christ is that seede in whom al nations of the worlde shal be blessed Christ is the ruler duke and captain whome al nations haue so long looked for whiche also defendeth his people from the power of Sathan Christ is that Sonne of God whom wee are commaunded to kisse and embrace least wee pearish from the ryghte way Christ is our vpholder our glory our strong shield Christ is the Lord from whoÌ„ al helth and saluation commeth and hee it is y e blesseth his people Christ is the Lorde that neuer forsaketh them that truste in him and seeke after him Christ is our strength our sure rock our bulwarke our refuge our defence our buckeler and oure mighty sauinge helth and our sanctuary Christ is he that saueth vs because it is his pleasure Christe saueth the poore oppressed and layeth full lowe the highe lookes of the proude Christ is the Lord in whome alone our fathers trusted they trusted I say in him and he deliuered them They cryed vnto him and they were made safe they trusted in him and they were neuer confounded Christ is that Lord whose waies v niuersall are mercy and truthe to them that seke after his Testament and ordinaunces He it is that will be mercifull to our sinnes euen for his owne names sake be they neuer so great Christ is our light our sauing helth whoÌ„ theÌ„ shall we fear Christ
yet if I haue no loue it profiteth me nothing at all Brethren if any mā be fallen by chance into any fault ye which are spiritual helpe to amende him in the spirite of mekenes consideringe thy selfe least thou also be attempted Beare ye one an others burden and so fulfill ye the law of Christ. Let not the sunne go downe vpon your wrath Be gentle one to another mercifull forgeuing one another euen as GOD for Christes sake hath forgeuen you Let euery man be slow vnto anger For the wrath of man worketh not that which is righteous before God Aboue all thinges haue feruent loue among you For loue shall couer the multitude of sinnes If anye man saye I loue God and hateth his brother he is a lyer For he that lo ueth not his brother whom he hath seene god whome he hathe not seene how can he loue And this commaundement haue we of him that he that loueth god shoulde al so loue his neighbour He that loueth not his brother a◅ideth in death Whosoeuer hateth his brother is a murtherer And ye know that no murthe rer hathe euerlasting life abidinge in him ▪ My babes let vs not loue in worde nor in tongue but in worke and truthe Examples out of the new◅ Testament Christ so dearly loued vs yea and that when we◅ were yet his enemies that hee gaue him self euen vnto the death for our sake Yea he hanginge on the cros prayed for his very◅ enemies vnto his heauenly◅ Father Blessed Stephen in the middest of his tormentes prayed for his enemies S. Paule wished him self to be cursed from Christ◅ so that his kinsmen might◅ be saued Against the bitter stormes of persecution of Gods worde IF at a◅y time thorow the frailti of nature thou be troubled in thy minde when the cros ◅f persecution is laid vpon thee for the word of God looke that thou shrinke not backe from the truthe nor discourage thy selfe but think thy selfe blessed of G◅d call these scriptures that follow vnto rei membrance for thy comfort Sentences out of the old Testament THe Lorde killeth and geeueth life again◅ hee bringeth euen to Hell and back agayne The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them and deliuereth them out of all their troubles The Lord is nigh vnto them that ar of a troubled heart and wil saue such as be of an humble spirite Great are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord deliuereth him out of thē all He kepeth all his bones so that not one of them is broken But misfortune shall flea the vngodly and they that hate the righteous shal be desolate The Lorde deliuereth the soules of his seruauntes and all they that put theyr trust in him shall not be comfortles For thy sake O Lord are we killed all the day long and are counted as shepe ap pointed to be slaine Up Lord why sleepest thou awake and be not absent from vs for euer Wherfore hidest thou thy face and for gettest our misery and trouble For oure soule is brought low euen vnto the duste our belly cleaueth vnto the ground Arise and helpe vs and deliuer vs for thy mercies sake Thou O god hast proued vs thou also hast tryed vs like as siluer is tryed Thou broughtest vs into the snare and laydest trouble vpon our loynes Thou suffredest men to ride ouer our heades we went thorow fire and water and thou broughtest vs out into a comfortable place I beleued and therefore haue I spoken but I was sore troubled Righte deare in the sighte of the Lorde is the death of his saintes The way of the righteous is iudged to be vtter destruction but they are in rest Althoughe they suffer paine before men yet is their hope ful of immortality They are punished but in few things neuertheles in many thinges shall they be well rewarded For God proueth them and findeth thē mete for hym selfe yea as the golde in the furnace dooth ◅e try them and receyueth them as a burnt offring and when y e time commeth they shal be loked vpon My sonne if thou wilt come into the seruice of god stand fast in righteousnes and feare and arme thy soule to temptation Setle thine heart be patient ◅ow down thine eare receiue the wordes of vnderstāding and shrink not away when thou art entised Holde thee faste vpon god ioyne thy selfe vnto him and suffer that thy life may encrease at the last Whatsoeuer happeneth vnto thee receyue it suffer in heauines and be paciēt in thy trouble For like as gold and siluer are tried in fire euen so are acceptable mē in the fornace of aduersity Beleue in God and he shal helpe thee For righteousnesse take payne with all thy soule and for the truth striue thou vnto death and God shall fyghte for thee against thy enemies Examples out of the olde Testament Abell was cruelly slaine of his brother Cayne whome he neuer offended Ioseph was cast into prison because he woulde not leane to the fy◅thy requeste of his lordes wyfe Moses Aaron and the Israelites were greuously entreated persecuted of King Pharao Saule with great diligence soughte to destroy Dauid Quene Iezabel pursued the Prophete Helias Zachary the sonne of Barachias was stoned to death for telling the king truth Achymeleche with certayne other holy men of god was slaine at king Saules commaundement because he shewed kind nes to Dauid the harty beloued seruant of God Sydrac Misac and Abdenago were cast into a firye fornace because they wouldnot worship the golden Image that king Nabuchodonosor had made but only the God of Israell Daniel was cast into the den of Lions because that contrary to king Darius commaundement he had prayed vnto his Lord God the God of Israel At an other time also he was caste into the den of Lions because he sayde that Bell and the Dragon were no Gods The vertuous and chast woman Susan was at the point to be stoned vnto death because she woulde not breake the commaundement of god and consent to the vn lawfull and filthy requests of the two Elders Eleazarus was miserably put to death because at the kinges commaundemente he woulde not eate swines flesh contrary to the lawe of god A certaine woman also with her vii sonnes were with moste extreme cruelty put to death because they would not obey the wicked precepte of the moste wicked kyng The prophets were vnmercifullye slain because they rebuked synne and taught◅ the wyll of God The most excellent Prophet Esay for his libertye of speach in re◅uking the sins of the princes and of the people and prophe◅iyng of Gods vengeaunce to fall vpō the countrye and people was cut in two partes asunder with a saw and buried vn der an Oke Ieremy after much enprisonment was stoned onto death of his people at Taphu as in Egipc◅ because he warned them of