doting women who through the diuels delusion suppose that they themselues doe that which indeede the diuell doth alone albeit they endeauour cunningly to cloake this sinne yet by the same meanes they may defend murther adulterie and what other sinne soeuer II. Those which doe consult with Magitians they doe also worship the diuel for they reuolt frō God to the diuell howesoeuer they plaister vp their impietie with vntempered morter that they seeke Gods helpe though by the meanes of Magitians 1. Sam. 28.13 The woman said to Saul I saw gods ascending from the earth Leu. 20.6 If any turne after such as worke with spirit◠and after soothsayers to goe a whoring after them then will I set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people Esay 8.19 20. When they shall say to you Enquire at them which haue a spirit of diuination and at the soothsayers which whisper and murmure Should not a people enquire as their God from the liuing to the dead to the law and to the testimonie The affirmatiue part Thou shalt worshippe God in spirit and trueth Iohn 4. 24. God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and trueth For so soone as any man beginneth to worship God after an ouerthwart and vnlawefull manner he then adoreth an idoll howsoeuer he seemeth to colour his impietie Paul therefore Rom. 1.23 saith that such as worshipped the creature and turned the glorie of the incorruptible God to the similitude of a corruptible man did forsake the Creator v. 25. and 1. Cor. 10.20 Those things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to diuells and not vnto God To this part therfore appertaine such things as respect the holy solemne seruice of God I. The true and ordinarie meanes of Gods worshippe as calling vpon the name of the Lord by humble supplication and hartie thanksgiuing and the ministerie of the Word and Sacraments Act. 2.41,42 They that gladly receiued his word were baptized the same day there were added to the Church about three thousand soules And they continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and of prayers 1. Tim. 2.1 I exhort you especially that praiers supplicatiōs be made for all men for kings all in authoritie Act. 20.7 The first day of the weeke the Disciples being come togither to breake bread Paul preached vnto them readie to depart on the morrow and continued the preaching vnto midnight Tertul. Apolog. chap. 39. We come into the assemblie and congregation that with our praiers as with an armie we might compasse God This kind of violence offered to God is acceptable to him If any man so offend that he must bee suspended from the publike place of praier and holy meetings all ancient men that be of any account beare rule being aduanced to this honour not by bribes but by their good report c. read the rest II. An holy vse of the meanes First in the ministers who ought to administer al things belonging to Gods worship according to his word Math. 28. 20. Teaching them to obserue all things which I haue commaunded 1. Corinthians 11. 23. I haue receiued of the Lord that which also I haue deliuered Secondly in the rest of the assemblie whose dutie is in praying vnto God in hearing the word preached and read and in receiuing the Sacraments to behaue thēselues outwardly in modestie and without offence 1. Corinth 14.40 Let all things be done honestly and by order Inwardly they must take heede that their hearts be well prepared to serue God Eccles. 4.17 Take heede to both thy feete when thou entrest into the house of God c. and chap. 5.1 Be not rash with thy mouth nor let thine heart he hastie to vtter a thing before God Againe wee must looke that wee approch neere God in confidence of his mercie togither with a contrite and repentant heart for all our sinnes Heb. 4. 2. The word that they heard profited not because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it Psal. 26.6 I will wash mine hands in innocencie O Lord and so come before thine altar III. The helps and furtherances of the true worship are two Vowes and Fasting and they are not to be takē as the worship of God it selfe For we may not obtrude any thing to God as good seruice and as though it did binde the conscience except he haue ordained it for that end and purpose A vow in the New Testament is a promise to God with a full intent to obserue some corporall and externall duties which a Christian hath on his owne accord without iniunction imposed vpon himself that he may thereby the better be excited vnto repentance meditation sobrietie abstinence patience and thankfulnes towards God Gen. 28.20 Then Iaakob vowed a vow saying If God will be with me and will keepe me in this iourney which I goe and will giue me bread to eate and cloathes to put on so that I come againe to my fathers house in safetie then shall the Lord be my God and this stone which I haue set vp as a pillar shall be Gods house and of all that thou shalt giue me I will giue the tenth to thee In vowing we haue these things to obserue 1. We must not vow that which is vnlawfull 2. We ought not to vowe the performance of that which is contrarie to our vocation 3. Vowes must be of that which we can doe 4. They must be farre from so much as a conceit of merit or worship of God 5. We must so performe our vowes as that they encroch not vpon Christian libertie giuen vs in Christ for we are bounden to pay our vowes no longer then the causes thereof either remaine or are taken away Deut. 23.18 Thou shalt neither bring the hire of a whore nor the price of a dogge into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow v. 21. When thou shalt vow a vow vnto the Lord thy God thou shalt not be slacke to pay it for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee but when thou abstainest from vowing it shal be no sinne vnto thee c. v. 23. Psal. 66.14 I will pay thee my vowes which my lips haue promised Fasting is when a man perceiuing the want of some blessing or suspecting and seeing some imminent calamitie vpon himselfe or other abstaineth not onely from flesh for a season but also from all delights and sustenance that he thereby may make a more diligent search into his owne sinnes or offer most hūble praiers vnto God that he would withhold that which his anger threatned or bestow vpon vs some such good things as we want Matth 9.15 Can the children of the marriage chamber mourne so long as the bridegrome is with thē 1. Cor. 7.5 Defraud not one another except for a time that ye may the better fast and pray Ioel 2.12 Wherefore euen now saith the Lord be ye turned
Ghost yea and more then this we must hold and beleeue that God the father is our father the Sonne our redeemer the holy Ghost our sanctifier and comforter Well then if we must in this manner beleeue in God then we must also know him for we can haue no faith in the thing which is vtterly vnknowne Wherefore if we would beleeue in the father sonne or holy Ghost we must know them in part Ioh. 17. This is life eternall to know thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Ioh. 14. 17. The world can not receiue the spirit of truth because it hath neither seene him nor knowne him 1. Ioh. 2.23 Whosoeuer denieth the sonne hath not the father Thirdly this doctrine directs vs in worshipping God aright for vnitie in trinitie and trinitie in vnitie is to be worshipped one God must be worshipped in the Father in the Sonne and in the holy Ghost and if wee worship God the father without the Sonne and the holy Ghost or if we worship the Sonne without the father and the holy Ghost and the holy Ghost without the father and the Sonne we worship nothing but an Idol Againe if we worship the three persons not as one God but as three Gods then likewise we make three Idols Note further that of all the three persons the first person the Father is set in the first place and described to vs by three things I. by his title that hee is a Father II. by his attribute that he is Almightie III. by his effect that he is maker of heauen and earth of these in order as they lie in the Creed And first of the title Father It may seeme that he hath some prerogatiue ouer the Sonne and the holy Ghost because he is set before them but wee must knowe that hee is set before them neither in regard of timeâ— nor of dignitie for therein all three are equall but in regard of order onely The Father is the first the Sonne the second and the holy Ghost the third as may appeare by this similitude If three Emperours equall in dignitie should meete all in one place beeing equall also in power and maiestie if all three should sit downe though one be no better then an other yet one of them must needes sit downe the first and an other in the second place and then the third but yet we cannot say that he which sate downe first is the chiefest And so it is in the Trinitie though none be greater or aboue another yet the Father is in the first place not because he is before the Sonne or the holy Ghost in dignitie or honour but because he is the fountaine of the Deitie the Sonne beeing from him and the holy Ghost from them both Now let vs come to the title of the first person The name Father in Scriptures is ascribed either to God taken indefinitely and so by consequent to all the three persons in Trinitie or particularly to the first person alone For the first God is a father properly and principally according to the saying of Christ Call no man father vpon earth for there is but one your father which is in heauen that is principally whereas earthly parents whome we are commaunded to worship and honour are but certaine images or resemblances of our heauenly Father hauing this blessing that they are fathers from him And hereupon this title agrees to men not simply but so farre forth as God honoureth them with fatherhoode in calling them to be fathers whereas God himselfe receiues this honour from none God is tearmed a Father in respect both of nature and grace He is a father in regarde of natureâ— because he created and gouerneth all things In this regard he is called the father of spirits and Adam is called the Sonne of God He is a father in respect of grace because we are regenerate by him and accepted to be his sonnâ—s by adoption thorough the merite of Christ. And in this respect the second person as well as the first is called a Father and saide to haue an offspring or seede and children But when the name of Father is giuen to the first person it is done vpon a speciall consideration because he is a father by nature to the fe 〈◊〉 â—erson begetting him of his owne substance before all worldes By thâ—◠〈◊〉 â—â—peares that out of the title of the first person we may fetch a â—â—â—cription thereof on this manner The Father is the first person in Trinitie begetting the sonne Nowe to beget is the personall proprietie whereby he is distinguished from the other two If it be saide that creatures doe beget and that therefore to beget is not proper to the father the answer is that in this point there are many differences betweene God the father and all creatures First the father begets the sonne before all eternitie and therefore God the father begetting and the sonne begotten are equall in tâ—me whereas in earthly generation the father is before the sonne in time Secondly God the father begets his Sonne by communicating to him his whole essence or godhead which can not be in earthly parents vnlesse they should be abolished and come to nothing Whereas neuerthelesse God the Father giuing his whole nature to his sonne retaines the same still because it is infinite Thirdly the father begets the sonne in himselfe and not forth of himselfe but in earthly generation the father begetting is forth of the child and the child forth of the father And that must not trouble vs which heretiques alleadge against this doctrine namely that if the father who is of one nature with the sonne did beget the sonne then he did beget himselfe for the godhead of the father doth not beget either the godhead or the person of the sonne but the person of the father begets the person of the sonne both which in one godhead are really distinct Thus we see what the Father is Now to beleeue in the father is to be perswaded that the first person in Trinitie is the father of Christ and in him my father particularly that for this cause I intend and desire for euer to put my truâ—t in him The duties which we may learne hence are manifold And here we haue occasion offered first of all to consider who is our father by nature I shall say to corruption saith Iob thou art my father and to the worme thou art my mother seeing God vouchsafeth this great prerogatiue to them that loue him that he will be their father therefore Iob in consideration hereof would haue euery man to haue recourse to his owne naturall condition to see who is his father by natureâ— Iob saith corruption is his father but if we marke well the condition of our nature we shall further see euery man to be the childe of wrath and that Sathan is his father for so long as a man walkes in his sinnes which euery
And the earnest in a bargain it may be is but a penie laid down for the paying of twentie thousand pound The second question is whether the graces of the holy Ghost may be wholly lost or not Ans. The common gifts of the spirit may be lost and extinguished But the gifts proper to the Elect can not Indeed they may be diminished couered as coales vnder ashes and as the sappe in the roote of the tree in the winter season not appearing at all in the branches the feeling of them may be lost but they can not either finally or totally be abolished It is true that God doth forsake his children but that is onely in part as he left Ezechias to prooue and trie what was in his heart A mother that loues her child most tenderly sets it downe in the flore lets it stand and fall and breake the face and all this while shee hides her selfe not because her purpose is to leaue her child quite or to make it hurt it selfe but that wheÌ„ shee taketh it vp againe it may loue her the better So dealeth the holy Ghost with men to make them see their owne weaknes and frailtie he hides himselfe as it were in some corner of the heart for a season that they may the more earnestly hunger after grace the want whereof they feele The vse of this article whereby we confesse that we beleeue in the holy Ghost is manifold First considering that all the gifts which any man hath whether they be gifts of knowledge in the word of God or of humane learning or againe gifts whereby men are inabled to practise their trades or handicrafts doe come not from our selues but from the holy Ghost we are taught this dutie Looke what gifts soeuer we for our parts haue receiued of the spirit of God we must vse them so as they may euer serue for the glorie of God and good of our brethren and not to the practising and setting forth of any manner of sinne and by consequent to the seruice of the deuill For that is as if a man receiuing riches and reuenues of his prince should straight way goe to the princes enemie and employ them for his benefit which were a point of exceeding trecherie Furthermore in euery place the greater part of men are blinde and ignorant persons both yong and old and aged folkes as they are ignorant themselues so they nuzzle vp their youth in ignorance Conferre with them you sâ—all finde that they can say nothing but that which may be learned by common talke as that there is a God and that this God must be worshipped but aske them further of the meanes of their saluation and of their duties to God and man and they will answer you that they are not booke-learned tell them further that the ordinarie meanes to bring men to knowledge is the preaching of the word which if they will not vse they shall be inexcusable they will say alas we are dull of memorie and cannot learne Wel for all this thou saiest thou beleeuest in the holy Ghost and he is thy schoolemaster to teach thee though thy capacitie be dull yet he is able to open thine vnderstanding for as there is outward teaching by the minister so the worke of the holy Ghost is ioyned withall to enlighten the conceit of the mind that they which heare the word with reuerence may profit thereby and get knowledge But if for all this men will not learne but remaine ignorant still then let them marke the example of the sonnes of Eli he in some part did rebuke them for their wickednes but yet they would not obey and the reason is there set downe because the Lord would destroy them In the same manner howsoeuer we may not iudge of any mans person yet this may be said that if men refuse to heare the word of God when they may or if in hearing they will not obey it is a fearefull signe that God will at length destroy them When a trumpet is sounded in a mans eare and he lies still not stirring at all he is certenly dead And surely when the trumpet of the Gospel is sounded in the eares of our hearts if we awake not out of our sinnes to newnes of life we are no better then dead men before God Wherefore the case beeing thus dangerous and the punishment so great let vs labour in time for the knowledge of Gods will preuent Gods iudgements before they light vpon vs. Thirdly as the Apostle saith If we liue in the spirit we must walke in the spirit that is if we be dead vnto sinne by the power of the holy Ghost and be raised vp to newnes of life then we must walke in the spirit Now to walke in the spirit is to lead our liues in shewing forth the fruits of the spirit In Esai the holy Ghost is compared vnto water powred forth on the drie land which maketh the willowes to blossome and to beare fruit wherefore those that haue the gifts of the spirit must be trees of righteousnes bringing forth the fruits of the spirit which as they are set downe by Paul are principally nine The first fruit is loue which respects both God and man Loue vnto God is an inward and spirituall motion in the heart whereby God is loued absolutely for himselfe This loue shewes it selfe in two things I. when a mans heart is set and disposed to seeke the honour and glorie of God in all things II. when a man by all meanes striues and endeauours himselfe to please God in euery thing counting it a most miserable estate to liue in the displeasure of God and the heart that is thus affected can haue no greater torment then to fall into sinne whereby God is offended and his displeasure prouoked By these two signes a man may know whether he loue God or no and by them also must he testifie his loue Now our loue to man is a fruit of this loue of God for God is to be loued for himselfe man is loued for God This loue must not be in shew onely but in deede and action S. Iohn biddeth vs not to loue in word and tongue onely but in deede and truth Brotherly loue doth not alwaies lie hid but when an occasion is offered it doth breake forth into action it is like fire which though for a time it be smothered yet at length it breakes forth into a flame And so much loue a man sheweth to his neighbour as he hath and where none is shewed none is The second fruit is Ioy when a man is as glad at the good of his neighbour as at his owne good and this is a speciall worke of the holy Ghost For the nature of man is to pine away and to grieue at the good of another and contrariwise it is a worke of grace to reioyce thereat Paul saith Reioyce with them that reioyce And this was the holy practise of the
second point is in what thing this communion consisteth Ans. Saint Paul openeth this point to the very full when hee saith that after Christ hath subdued all things vnto him then God shall be all in all that is God himselfe immediatly shall bee all good things that heart can wish to all the elect But some men may say What is not God all in all vnto vs euen in this life for whatsouer good things wee haue they are all from him Ans. It is true indeed God is all in all euen in this life but howe not immediatly but by outwardâ— meanes and that also in small measure For he conueies his goodnes and mercie vnto vs so long as we liue on earth partely by his creatures and partly by his word and Sacraments but after this life is ended all helpes and outwarde meanes shall cease Christ shall giue vp his kingdome and as he is Mediatour shall cease to put in execution the office of a priest a prophet or a king all authoritie and power shall be abolished and therefore all callings in the three maine estates of the Church the Common-wealth the familie shall haue an ende there shall be no more magistrate and subiect Pastor and people master and seruant father and sonne husband and wife there shall be no more vse of meate drinke cloathing respiration physicke sleepe and yet for all this the condition of men shall bee many thousand folde more blessed then euer it was For the Godhead in the Trinitie immediately without all meanes shall be all things to all the chosen people of God in the kingdome of heauen worlde without ende This may seeme strange to mans reason but it is the very â—lat trueth of the word of God S. Iohn in the description of the heauenly Ierusalem saith that there shall be no temple in it Why how then shall God bee worshipped marke what followeth the Lord God almightie and the Lambe are the temple of it Whereby is signified that although now we vse the preaching of the word and the administration of the Sacraments as meanes of our fellowship with God yet when this life is ended they must all cease God and Christ beeing in stead of al these meanes vnto vs. And he addes further The citie hath no neede of the sunne neither of the moone to shine in it What then will some say must there be nothing but darkenes Not so For the glory of God doth lighten it and the Lambe is the light of it Againe he saith that in the Paradise of God there is the riuer of water of life and the tree of life bearing fruit euery moneth and that is Christ. And therefore we shall haue no neede of meate drinke apparell sleepe c. but Christ himselfe our head and redeemer shall be in stead of them all vnto vs on whome all the elect shall feede and by whome both in bodie and soule they shall be preserued euermore If a man would haue glorie the father sonne and holy ghost shall be his glorie if a maÌ„ desire wealth and pleasure God himselfe shall be wealth and pleasure vnto him and whatsoeuer else the heart of man can wish Hence it appeares that this communion is most admirable and that no tongue can tel nor heart conceiue the least part of it The third point is touching the benefits or prerogatiues that proceede of this communion and they are in number sixe The first is an absolute freedome from all wants In the minde there shall be no ignorance no vnbeleefe no distrust in God no ambition no enuie anger nor carnall lust nor terrour in conscience or corrupt affection In the bodie there shall be no soare no sicknes nor paine for God shal wipe away al teares from their eies nay theÌ„ all defects or wants in bodie or soule or in both shall be supplied and the whole man made perfect euery way The second is perfect knowledge of God In this life the Church and all the seruants of god know him but in part Moses would haue seene gods face but he was permitted to see onely his hinder parts and as Paul saith now wee know in part and darkely as through a glasse In this life we can no otherwise discerne but as an old maÌ„ through spectacles the creatures but specially the word of God and the Sacraments are the spectacles of our minde wherein we behold his iustice mercie loue c. and without them we can discerne little or nothing yet after this life when that which is perfect is come and that which is imperfect is abolished we shall see God as he is to be seene not as through a glasse but face to face and we shall knowe him as we are knowne of his maiestie so farre forth as possibly a creature may God indeede is infinite and therefore the full knowledge of his maiestie can no more bee comprehended by the vnderstanding of a creature which is finite then the sea by a spoone yet neuerthelesse God shall be knowne euery way of man so farre forth as a creature may know the Creator Now vpon this that the elect haue such fulnesse of knowledge it may be demaunded whether men shall knowe one another after this life or no. Ans. This question is oftener mooued by such as are ignorant then by them that haue knowledge and oftentimes it is tossed in the mouthes of them that haue little religion in their hearts and therefore I answer first men should rather haue care to seeke howe they may come to heauen then to dispute what they shal do when they are there the common prouerb is true it is not good counting of chickins before they bee hatched Secondly I say that men in heauen shall knowe each other yea they shall knowe them which were neuer knowne or seene of them before in this life which may be gathered by proportion out of Gods word Adam in his innocencie knewe Eve whome he had neuer seene before gaue her a fit name so soone as shee was created And when our Sauiour Christ was transfigured in the mount Peter knewe Moses and Elias whome before he had neuer seene and therefore it is like that the elect shall knowe each other in heauen where their knowledge and their whole estate shall bee fully perfited But whether they shall knowe one another after an earthly manner as to say this man was my fatherâ— this was mine vncle this my teacher c. the word of god saith nothing and therefore I will be silent and we must be content a while to bee ignorant in this point The third prerogatiue of euerlasting blessednes is that the Elect shall loue God with as perfect loue as a creature possibly can The manner of louing God is to loue him for himselfe and the measure is to loue him without measure and both shall be found in heauen For the Saints of God shall haue an actuall fruition of God himselfe and bee
a gap to all licentiousnes therefore they agree to mans corrupt nature for who almost will not sinne when he may get a pardon for his sinnes for a little peece of money as twentie shillings or foure nobles And what is it but cosonage to sell pardons which shall be in force many yeares after the ende of the world as the Pope doth It is naturall to a man to serue God in certaine ceremonies without the power of godlines and this seruice is prescribed by the religion of the Church of Rome which standeth only in outward and corporall ceremonies as the outward succession of Bishops garments vestures gestures coloures choice of meat difference of daies times and places hearing seeing saying touching tasting numbring of beads gilding and worshipping of images building Monasteries rising at midnight silence in cloysters abstaining from flesh and white meat Fasting in Lent keeping Imber daies hearing Masse and diuine seruice seeing and adoring the bodie in forme of bread receiuing holy water and holy bread creeping to the crosse carrying Palmes taking ashes bearing Candles Pilgrimages going censing kneeling knocking altars superaltars candlestickes pardons In orders crossing annointing shauing forswearing marriage In baptisme salting crossing spatling exorcising washing of hands At Easter confession penance dirge satisfaction and in receiuing with beards new shauen to imagine a bodie where they see none and though he were there present to be seene yet the outward seeing and touching of him of it selfe without faith conduceth no more then it did the Iewes At Rogation daies to carrie banners to followe the Crosse to walke about the fieldes After Pentecost to goe about with Corpus Christi plaie At Hollowmasse to watch in the Church to say Dirge or commendation and to ring for all soules to pay tithes truly to giue to the hie Altar And if a man will be a priest to say Masse and Mattens to serue the Saint of that daie and to lift well ouer the head In sickenes to be anneled to take his rites after his death to haue funerall and Obites said for him and to be rung for at his Funerall moneths minde and yeare minde This is the summe of the catholike religion standing in bodily actions not in any motions or worke of the holy Ghost working in the heart The morall law containing perfect righteousnes is flat opposite to manâ— corrupt nature therfore whatsoeuer Religion shall repeale and make of none effect the commandements of the morall lawe that same religion must needs ioyne hands with the corruption of nature and stand for the maintenance of it This doth the religion of the Church of Rome it may be it doth not plainly repeale them yet in effect it doth if it shall frustrate but any one point of any one commandement yea the whole lawe thereby is made in vaine 1. The first commandement requireth that we haue the true Iehoua for our only God Church of Rome maketh other gods beside this true God it maketh the body of Christ to be god because they hold it may bee in many places in heauen in earth at the same time which thing is only proper to God It maketh euery Saint departed to bee God because it holdeth that Saints doe heare vs now being vpon the earth that they know our thoughts when we pray to them which none but the true God can doe It maketh the Pope to be God and that in plaine words Pope Nicholas saith Constat summum Pontificem à pio principe Constantino Deum appellari It is well known that the Pope of the godly prince Constantine was called God Againe in the extraâ—agants of the same Cannon law it is written Dominus Deus noster Papa Our Lord God the Pope And againe Christopher Marcellus said to the Pope Tu es alter Deus in terris Thou art another God vpon earth and the Pope tooke it to himselfe As the Pope in plaine wordes is made God so the power giuen to him declareth the same He can make holy that which is vnholy and iustifie the wicked and pardon sinnes hee may dispense contrarie to the saying of â—n Apostle he can change the nature of things and of nothing make somewhat What is all this but to place the Pope in Gods roome and to robbe the Lord of his Maiestie Againe the Church of Rome maketh Marie the mother of Iesus to bee as God In the Breuiary reformed and published at the commandement of Pius the V. shee is called a Goddesse in expresse words and she is further tearmed the Queene of heauen the Queene of the world the gate of heauen the mother of grace and mercy Yea shee is farre exalted aboue Christ and he in regard of her is made but a poore vnderling in heauen for papists in their seruice vnto her pray on this manner saying Shew thy selfe to be a mother and cause thy sonne to receiue our praiers set free the captiues and giue light to the blind Lastly the very crosse is made as a God For they salute it by the name of their only hope and pray it to increase iustice to the godly and to giue sinners pardon Wherfore the Church of Rome beside the one true God distinguished into three persons the father the sonne and the holy ghost maketh also many other and so in trueth hath repealed his first commandement And they haue very plainely repealed the second commandement in that they teach it lawfull to make images of the true God and to worship him in them For the flat contrarie is the very scope of this commandement namely that no image must be made of the true Iehoua nor any worship be performed vnto him in an image which appeareth thus In Deutronomie Moses maketh a large Commentarie of this commandement and this very point he sets down expressely saying take heed to your selues for ye sawe no image in the day that the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb out of the middest of the fire that ye corrupt not your selues and make you a grauen image or representation of any figure c. His argument I set downe thus As God appeared in mount Horeb so he is to be conceiued and represented but hee appeared in no image in mount Horeb only his voice was heard therefore he is not to be conceiued or represented in any image but men are to be content if they may heare his voice Againe that sin to which the people of Israel were specially giuen euen that doth the Lord specially forbid but to this were the people of Israel specially giuen not so much to make images of false gods as to make images of the true God and to worship him in them which I prooue thus In the booke of Iudges it is said that the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord and serued Baalim Now these Baalims what are they Surely Idols resembling the true God as the Prophet Hosea declareth
not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine And the Angels in reuerence to Gods Maiestie couer their faces Isai. 6.2 Concerning our neighbour wee are to consider whether the thing which we are about to speake be good or euill This being weighed if it be good and so commendable then we are readily and cheerefully and that vpon euery occasion to vtter it especially in his absence whether he be a friend or a foe as Saint Iohn writeth of Demetrius Demetrius saith he hath good report of all men and of the trueth it selfe yea and we our selues beare record and ye know that our testimonie is true As for the euill which any shall knowe by his neighbour hee is in no wise to speake of it whether it be an infirmitie or a grosse sinne vnlesse in his conscience he shall find himselfe called of God to speake A man is called to speak in three cases First when he is called before a magistrate and is lawfully required to testifie the euil which he knoweth by another II. When any is to admonish his brother of any fault for his amendment III. When the hurt or danger that may arise of the euil is to be preuented in others As a man may say to one well disposed Take heed of such a mans cōpany for he is giuen to such or such a vice To this ende they of the house of Cloe doe certifie Paul of the disorders in Corinth And Ioseph certifieth his father of his brethrens slanders In this case all treasons are to be reuealed as tending to the ruine of the whole common wealth Thus Elisha reuealeth the secret of the king of Syria And if it shall be thought conuenient to mention the euil which we know by any man it must be done onely in generall manner the person and all circumstances which wil descrie the person concealed Concerning things which are secret in our neighbour we are not to be suspitious but to suspēd both speech iudgement Loue suspecteth no euill Iudge nothing saith Paul before the time vntill the Lord come who will lighten thinges that are hid in darkenes and make the counsels of the heart manifest Augustine hath a good and speciall rule to this purpose that there be three things of which we must giue no iudgement Gods predestination the Scriptures and the estate of men vncalled As touching a mans selfe hee is neither to praise nor dispraise himselfe As Salomon saith Let another praise thee and not thine owne mouth a straunger and not thine owne lippes Yet otherwhiles the times doe fall out that a man may vse an holy kind of boasting especially when the disgrace of the person is the disgrace also of the gospell and of religion and of God himselfe as Paul did But wherein saith he any will vse boldnesse I speake foolishly I will vse boldnes They are Hebrewes so am I c. CHAP. III. Of the manner of our speech and what must be done before we speake THus much of the matter of our speech Nowe followeth the manner In the manner of our speaking three things are to bee pondered what must be done before we speake what in speaking what after wee haue spoken Before we speake consideration must bee vsed of the thing to be spoken and of the ende Iames requireth that men should be slowe to speake and swift to heare Salomon saith Hee that answereth a matter before he heare it it is folly and shame to him The minde is the guid of the tongue therefore men must consider before they speake The tongue is the messenger of the heart and therefore as oft as we speake without meditation going before so oft the messenger runneth without his arrand The tongue is placed in the middle of the mouth and it is compassed in with lips and teeth as with a double trench to shewe vs howe we are to vse heede and preconsideration before wee speake and therefore it is good aduise to keep the key of the mouth not in the mouth but in the cupbord of the mouth Augustine saith well that as in eating and drinking men make choice of meates so in manifolde speeches wee should make choice of talke Here are condemned idle words that is such wordes as are spoken to little or no end or purpose And they are not to be esteemed as little sinnes when as men are to giue account of euery idle word CHAP. IV. What is to be done in speaking and of wisdome VVHen we are in speaking two things are to bee practised first care must be had of the speech that it be gratious secondly it is to be vttered with conuenient bonds of trueth The speech is gratious whē it is so vttered that the graces of god wrought in the heart by the holy Ghost are as it were pictured and painted forth in the same for speech is the very image of the heart Contrarie to this is rotten speech that is all such talke as is voide of grace which is the heart and pith of our speech And by this it appeareth that no voice can bee named but with disliking and hereupon in Scriptures when by occasion a vice should be named in token of a loathing thereof the name of the vice is omitted and the name of the contrarie vertue vsed in the roome thereof as in these wordes For Iob thought It may be that my sonnes haue sinned and blessed that is blasphemed God This being true then by proportion the visible representation of the vices of men in the world which is the substance and matter whereof plaies and enterludes are made is much more to be auoided Gods graces which we are to shew forth in our communication are thes◠Wisdome Truth Reuerence Modestie Meekenes Sobrietie in iudgement Vrbanitie Fidelitie Care of others good name and let vs consider of them in order Wisdome in our speech is a goodly ornament The Apostles when they waited for the holy Ghost in Ierusalem it descended vpon them in the forme of fierie tongues then it is said that they spake as the holy Ghost gaue them vtterance in Apophthegmes or wise sentences And hee that gouerns his tongue wisely addeth doctrine to the lips that is so speaketh as that others be made wise thereby This wisedome is then shewed when a man can in iudgement apply his talke and as it were in good manner make it fit to al the circumstances of persons times places things A foole poureth out all his minde but a wise man keepeth in till afterward A word spoken in his place is like apples of gold with pictures of siluer Now he that would haue his speech to be wise must first of al himselfe become a wise man And the wise man of whome the holy scriptures speake is a godly man and such an one as feareth God because this feare of God is the beginning and head of wisdome as on the contrarie