goodes whiche shoulde haue necessarely ben bestowed to the buyldinge of gods house we shoulde not haue felt gods rodde so sharpeli but God would haue ben pleased and shewed his glorie amonge vs. But whan men would not geue laÌ„dâ— fast inough to Abbeys than the Pope rather than his chapleÌ„s should want would robbe many Parisshes to fede his moÌ„kes God graunt that the gospell maye restore that iustly whiche the Pope toke wrongfully awaye and gaue them yet a rightâ— name of impropriations because improperly thei be takeÌ„ away properly belong to the parishes The workemaÌ„ is worthy hys byre he that serues the gospel muste lyue of the gospel Therfore those impropriacions whiche take awaye the Preachers liuinge be againste the woorde of God But what doeth this belong to vs or oure time doth goo require of vs to build him Abbeis Nunries Chauntries c. no surely but this was an outwarde exercise for that grosse harde harted people for a time to be excused in that they should not buylde temples to Idols â–ª and teacheth vs to buylde god spirituall house wherin we maye offer spirituall sacrifices prayers to him where in he is well delited will shew his Maiestye This house is nowe for vs to be vnderstande generallye the hole churche and companye of Christians and the bodye and soule the hearte minde or conscience of all ChristiaÌ„s particularly wherein god dwels by his holy spirite as sainct Paule saieth to the Corinthians Do ye not knowe that your bodyes be the temples of the holy ghoste and whiche he hath sanctified to be kept holy for him self alone by Baptisme and for the whiche Christe hath died that we mighte liue by 〈◊〉 whome he hathe redemed with hys 〈◊〉 and wasshed cleane from all sinne 〈◊〉 shoulde liue no more to our owne lustes and desires but to him that hath redemed vs. It is written that God dwels not in Tempels made with handes nor is worshipped with any worke of maÌ„nes haÌ„des but he is a spirite an inuisible substance and wil be worshipped in spirite truthe not in outwarde woordes onely of the lippes but with the depe sighes grâ—ninges of the heart and the hole power of the mynde and earnest hearty callinge on hym in prayer by faithe And therfore he doeth not so muche require of vs to â—uyld him a house of stone and timber but hath willed vs to praye in all places and hath taken awaye that Iewish and Popish holinesse whiche is thoughte too be more in one place than an other All the earthe is the Lordes and he is present in all places â–ª hearinge the peticions of them which call on him in faithe Therfore those Bishops which thinke with their coniured water too make one place more holy than the reste are no better than Iewes deceyuinge the people teachinge that onely to be holy which thei haue censed crossed oyled and breathed vpon For as Christ saide to the womaâ— thinkinge one place to be holier to 〈◊〉 than an other Woman beleue 〈◊〉 time is come whaÌ„ ye shal worship 〈◊〉 â—t Ierusalem nor in this byl but the true worshippers shal worship God in spirite truthe so is it now saide the place makes not the man holy but the man makes the place holy and ye shal doe worship youre Idols stockes stones neither at Walsingham Ipswich CaÌ„terbury nor Shene for God chuses not the people for the place sake but the place for the people sake But if ye be in the middest of the fielde God is as ready to heare youre faithfull prayers as in any Abbey or Nunrye yea a thousand times more for the one place he hates as defiled with Idolatry and the other he loues as vndefiled and cleane If the good man lye in pryson tyed in chaynes or at the stake to be burned for Gods cause that place is holy for the holines of the man the presence of the holy Ghooste in him as Tertullian sayeth Yet there shoulde be common places appointed for the people too assemble and come together in to prayse oure God For where the Apostle rebuked them whiche woulde not resorte with the rest of the Christians to make their common praiers together to hear his woorde and receiue his sacraments it proues they had some common place to resort to And where saincte Paule requires that all thinges should be done in a comely order what can be more comely or agreing to good order then 〈◊〉 haue a time appointed and a place too resorte vnto together to worship oure onely God Nay how shal they come together â—â—cept place and time be appointed Howe shal they know when whither to resort vnappointed How canne the sheepehearde teache his sheepe if he haue not a folde to gather them together in In the Apostles time when the rulers were not christened they resorted into priuate houses and chauÌ„bers by the water side 〈◊〉 worship their God but when princes became christened they had churches appoâ—â—â—ted for them yet all these prayers preachinges that were priuely in parlers and by the waterside were as pleasaunte too God yea better peradueÌ„ture for coÌ„monly they came of a greater and better lâ—ue 〈◊〉 faith as ours be now Those also whiche than were buried in no halowed churche nor churcheyarde nor christeÌ„ moldes as they be called when it is no better then other earth but rather worse for the coÌ„mâ—â—â—â— that Bishops vse about it were no worse then they which were buried with al soleÌ„nitie It appeares in the gospel by the Legion liuing in graues the widdows some going to burial Christ buried withoute 〈◊〉 Citie c. that then thei buried not in halowed Churchyeardes by any Bishops but in a seuerall place appointed for thesame purpose without the Citie which custome remains to this day in many godli places As that theÌ„ was lawful no hurt to the ded so is it nowe one place is as holy as an other to be buried in sauinge that coÌ„ly order requires the bodies not to be cast awai because thei were the temples of the holy ghost shal be glorifed at the last dai again but semely to be buried an honest place to be kept seueral froÌ„ beastes vnreuereÌ„t vsing thesame for thesame vse It is Popish to beleue that which the bishops doe teach that place to be more holi then the rest which thei haue halowed as thei sai with washing it with their coÌ„iured water crossing ceÌ„sings processioÌ„s c. that God wil hear our praiers afore one Idol or Image rather then an other or in one Abbey as pleases theÌ„ to apoint him rather than an other Wher it pleases theÌ„ to grauÌ„t mani daies of pardon ther God must hear their praiers soner work mo miracles so God is become their seruauÌ„t shal be wher thei wil apoint him But blessed be the God our lord which by the
man will see his house pulled doune ouer his head but he will restore it A good burgmaister and ruler of a citie will prouide necessaries for his that he hais rule ouer therfore seinge our God hays taken all these names and offices on him doubt not but he will doe his part for vs if wee doe not runne from him He settes not deputies to doe his office nor is not wery of well doinge He beares not the name of these offices and refuses the labor as men doe but he sais by Salomon My delite is to be with the chyldren of men and by Dauid he neither slumbers nor slepes that watches Israel verse 17 But in the hyll Syon shal be eschaping and there shall be holines and the house of Iacob shall possesse the enheritaunce of them which possessed hys verse 18 And the house of Iacob shall be fire the house of Ioseph the flame and the house of Esau for stuble shal burne them and shall deuoure thē and there shal be no remnant of the house of Esau for the Lorde hays spoken it verse 19 They shall possesse the south parte of the hyll Esau the playne countrie of the Philistines and they shall possesse the countre of Ephraim and the coūtrie of Samaria Bēiamin shall possesse Galaad verse 20 And the captiuite of this hoste of the chyldrē of Israel those whiche be the Cananites vnto Zarphat and the captiuitie of Ierusalem whiche be in Sepharad shall possesse the cytyes of the South verse 21 And there shall come sauiours in to the hyll Syon to iudge the hyl Esau and the kyngdome shall be the Lords ¶ Marke here the diuerse ende of the good and bad the persecuted and the persecutor the true Christian and the hypocrite the gospeller and the papiste The wicked florishes for a time but his ende is euerlastinge damnation the manne of God lokinge for an other kyngdome than on the earth is content to beare the crosse here vnder hope of that which is to come The stocke of Esau hays hitherto triumphed againste Iacob Goddes people but now whan his wickednes is ripe the Lord rewarde him accordinge to his desertes The hyll Esau afore reioiced in his strōg holdes wealthy countrie and the leages made with al neighbors round about thē but now in the hill Sion shall be safe esscapinge whan Edom shal haue no place to flee vnto In Sion that is Ierusalem and Goddes elect beloued people shall be holines the true worshipping of God the hole sanctuarie and temple where Gods holy name shall be called vpon where as Esau in the meane time is defiled with Idolatrie and geuen vp to the handes of the gentils Yea and furthermore Iacob shal possesse the lande of them that possessed his And although God haue promised to godlines not onely in the worlde to come but in this life also great blessings as appeares by Iob Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid Iosias Ezechias Iosaphat whiche were of greate ryches yet this place doe I not thinke to be so vnderstand that Iacob should euer possesse the landes of Esau although the scriptur says that Dauid Iacob ouercame the Edomites But I think rather vnder this outward kingdom to be prophetied that the kyngdom of Christ as the Prophetes vse by worldlye prosperite to declare the spiritual felicite by the preachinge of the Gospell shoulde be enlarged in those coūtries which were now enemies to God and his people and so the spirituall seede of Iacob the Christians shoulde by preachinge conferre and possesse Esau his lande and the gentyls whiche so sore hated and persecuted them afore This is the nature of Goddes people to be good to the◠which hate them and to winne them all to God which haue done them moste displeasures and this is the nature of God to cal thē which be hys vtter enemies soften their stony hearts to make theym meete houses for the holy ghoste to dwel in in the middest of their raging persecution to smite them doune as he did Saul raise them vp make thē Paules of wolues sheepe of haters louers of the truthe Thus shall Esau be destroied whan his Idolatrie superstitiō false goddes such wickednes shall be taken awaye and Iacob shall possesse him whan he shal turne him too the true worshipping of the liuing god forsaking their Idols superstitions and folow true religion What can be counted a greater conquest than to conquere the deuil make all people subiect to Christ. After rebukinge their sinne threatening them iuste punishment for thesame now folowes cōfort as euer after the lawe preached folowes the gospel after correction comes grace pardō Siō is the church congregation of Christe faithfull men beleuing in him so that whosoeuer flees thither shal be safe whosoeuer is not vnder his winges in the nūber of christen people shal perishe in the dai of his wrath As all liuing creatures which were not in the Arke with Noe did perishe with the waters so al that be not of goddes houshold shal be cast into outward darknes This other promise that God makes here vntoo the faithfull seede of Iacob that hays hys faith is most notable confortable In the hyl Sion the church of Christ there shal be the holy one as 70. reade or holines as other or the sanctuarye as summe holy place to worship God in purely It skilles not muche whiche we reade for the sens◠is al one the meaning is that the churche and faithful people of Christ shal not wāt the true religion knowledge of god For the church of Christ is the spouse of Christ and his mistical bodye and if mortal men loue their wyues bodies so derelye that they wil not forsake them or leaue theim comfortles muche lesse will Christe oure sauiour not forsake vs after that he hays redemed vs seing he bought vs and loue vs so derely beinge hys ennemies Thys is than the greatest token of goddes loue to hys people whanne he gyues them hys true religion and therefore mooste earnestly too bee enbraced of vs And thys is the blessinge taken frome Esau and geuen to Iacob If we reade the holy one he is Christe whiche promised to bee with vs to the ende of the worlde he is made to vs of God oure father righteousnes holines wisedom and redemption because that who soeuer is holy receyues it of him and none is holy that hais it not of him though he haue bulles calues pardons reliques holy water holye asshes holy palmes holy crosse yea and all the holines that is in Rome if he haue not the spirite of Christe I am sure they will not saye they sell the holy Ghoste whan they sell pardons for that were symony therfore thei bye no holines in them If we reade holines than it is an vpright lyfe true faith with pure worshipping of God This is the wil of God says sainct
Paul your holines As they haue but one God so they will worshippe him onely and as he hais taught them and not after the deuise of man thei will also studie for a holy life as God commaundes Be ye holy for I am holy And if we reade a holy place or sanctuari to worshippe God in it is true also for in all persecutions in the spite of the Pope and all Antichrist there hays ben in all ages and shal be for God so sayinge can not lye true professors of God althoughe the moste parte of the worlde was blinded So Christe coÌ„forts his sayinge feare not thou litel flocke Thus in Christes churche in spite of their foes shall euer be Christ the heade knit to the bodye necessarely and as he is holy so shal he make them holy that heng vpon him so gouerne them by his spirite that they shall euer folow a holy kinde of lyfe fleinge mischiefe and vnclennes and so shal thei haue also his sanctuari and holy place where to resort to worship their God here is worde and call vpoÌ„ him AbrahaÌ„ Isaac Iacob Dauid in their waÌ„drings called vppon their God taughte their chyldren too feare the Lorde made their sacrifices and God reueled him self to them againe and neuer forsaked them In the captiuite of Babylon thoughe not in the temple yet they coulde by the water bankes singe psalmes on their instrumentes Whanne Christ was crucified the disciples kepte them together in a chamber praying and loking for the cominge of the holy Ghoste after whan persecution beganne some went to other countries some from house to house teachinge prayinge communicatinge and dealinge to the poore Paule sayes at Philippes by the water side thei were wonte too praye and in the middes blindnes of all Poperi hayes there euer ben some good men teachinge true doctrine and openinge their blasphemies for this can not be false that Christ promised his churche When the spirite whicâ— is the comforter shal come he shall leade you into all truthe I will be with you vnto the ende of the worlde he that is of God heareth the woordes of God you heare not for because ye are not of God And my shepe heare my voice a straunger they doe not folow Therefore let all that be vnder the crosse and persecution se thei assemble together to praise God openly confesse him if it be possible or at the leste as muche as they maye folowing the example of the faithfull christians in the beginninge whiche in spite of their foes coulde not be holden from assembling together with prayers and songes afore the daye was lighte nor lette any papiste reioyce againste goddes scatered and persecuted flocke for this is the state and condition of goddes people and preachinge the gospell that they shal not want a crosse yet God will performe this promise that in Sion the holy one Christe will be with them to gouerne them in holines of lyfe purenes of religion and an earnest fayth trustinge in God and will geue theym a place to call vpon hym in that his might mercy grace to his people may appeare to the worlde in the sight of his enemies Whan Abraham and Iacob fledde into Egipte the EgiptiaÌ„s learned God which afore neuer heard of him in the captiuite of Babylon the Caldees Assyrians Babylonions Medes and Parsians with al other people amonge whome the Iewes were scatered lerned God of them WhaÌ„ persecution beganne in Ierusalem after Christes Ascension the disciples scatered by persecution went and preached Christ to the Heathen whiche afore heard not of him In Englande after Wiclefs death whan persecution arose some died for the trueth constantly some fledde into Boemia and broughte the gospell thyther where it continues to this day although bothe Emperoure and Pope with al their mighte many sharp battels and bloudde sheddinge woulde haue rooted it oute What great assaulte the poore Waldeses haue suffered at diuers French kings handes goinge aboute to haue destroied them for their religion beinge a fewe in number and yet coulde neuer deface theÌ„ this .360 yeares it is piteous to heare Thus is this euer true that in Sion the true church of Christ shal be the holy one Christ sanctifieng all that beleue in him there shal be holines in faithe religion maners to the prayse of God there shal be also a sanctuari and holy place with asseÌ„bles in spite of their foes and persecutioÌ„ does not hurt but rather increase and further true religion thoughe not in the greater yet in the better parte of men For who soeuer the holy ghoste does enflame with an earnest zele to his religion they canne not kepe it within them they canne not abide to see their God and his woord blasphemed thei will braste oute and declare their faith and saye the earnest loue towardes thy house hais eaten me as oure Sauioure Christe did whan he see the teÌ„ple his fathers house so misused and hys religion contemned he gate whippes and droue them out Ieremie sayes the worde of God was to hym as a burninge fyre in his hearte and closed within his boones that he was not able too keepe it within him but woulde brust out This victory is sette oute more at large in the nexte verses folowinge where hee sayes the house of Iacob shal be fyre the house of Ioseph the flame and the house of Esau the stable c. Here is no description of horse haines gunnes any greate hoste or such other worldly things where in princes doe conquire and triumphe As the house of Iacob is spirituall and the kyngdome of Christe so be the weapons souldiers and victorie The swords where with thei faught were as the apostle sais the woorde of god which is sharper than any twooedged swoord and perâ—es more the soule conqueres the affections pulles doune hygh stoÌ„mackes deper than the swoorde can the bodye The gunnes were the Apostles words as Iames and Ioan were called the sonnes of thunder because with suche great power thei thundered terribly preached and feared carnall mindes more than the thuÌ„der does and threw doune sinne more than any gunnes coulde the walles Whan Peter at two sermons conuerted 5000. and Paul filled all countries frome Ierusalem to Illyzicum with the gospell what Emperour is able to bee compared of suche men of warre Whan Charles the .5 Emperour beganne to raygne Luter and Zuinglius began thesame time to preache and whither he hays throwen doune stopped and hindered the gospell more with al the help that his gostly and superstitious prelates coulde gyue than they with their scholers haue set it foorth and shewed the wickednes of Popery defaced his pompe let them selues iudge The Pope with his partakers haue had strength power politie wit wisedome armure gunnes horses harnes men and money and whatsoeuer they could deuise these other haue foughten with preachiÌ„g writing and giuing