exhorting herevnto gathering to this end al the chief reasons which ought to ioyne vnite the faithful one with an other as one God one Lorde Iesu Eph. 4 4.5.6 one faith one baptisme one body one spirite one hope of their calling wold neuer haue forgotten this whervpon it seemeth by theÌ„ that al this vnity should depend of one supreme pastor whom all ought to obey As this reason of vnity is alleaged for the pope so is it for all the rest of his hierarchie the very image of the beast that is of the RomaÌ„e empire some shadow of the glory wherof this Antichrist would haue expressed in his Prelates after him to whom it hath as much reason as in himself Pity it is that in so faire and cleare a lighte of the day and in this fulnesse of the brightnesse of the sunne any state shoulde not sée that as not beeing appointed of God to be any meanes of the intertaining of good agreement in the Church so contrarywise thorow his wrath and iust iudgment for the peruerting of his lawfull and holy ordinances which onely should rule the church in these cases that it hath been and yet is the most effectuall instrument of Satan to hinder the prosperous and flourishing estate of the gospel For hereby in his supreame Vicar vppon earth he sitteth as the strong man of whome we reade in the Gospel harnesed and armed in the middest of his hall and Pallaice possessing al his house in peace till his weapons wherin he trusteth most whereof this is chiefe be taken from him by our sauiour Christe who is stronger then he and so cast out of his possession The ambition of P. and of the people hath béen one cause to vphold it so long who as the prophet coÌ„plaineth delight in it and take pleasure to haue it so that their priestes should exercise authoritie by their pomp increase the state honor of theÌ„ both An other the weakenes of iudgement euen in those which were wise who seeing worldly states thus gouerned and not knowing the ordinaunces of our sauiour Christe in this case thought it a thing conuenâ—ent And it is to be feared that the allowaunce of this popishe hierarchie springeth in some pretending to be Catholicke from a most bitter roote as seeing hereby that thorow the giftes they receiue of them they shall alwayes haue them at commaundement to apply religion as may be fittest to serue their turn But wheÌ„ the Lorde shall of his goodnes vouchsafe to weâ—de out this roote of wormewood out of their harts and to lighten their eies with true knowledge they shall see both that to be true which hath been in this matter declared and further that this supremacy and whole hierarchy as it is no meanes of vnity in trueth so is it the very cause of keeping out the truth in so many places and detaining the knowledge of God vniustly and in captiuitie For whereas the fathers in their couÌ„cels bind themselues by a solemne oth to do nothing against the present state of the Pope and his Church and that the greatest parte of the abuses which are to be reformed in the Church of Rome are such as their supreme pastor his Hierarchy are guilty of if they call neuer so manye counsels for the purpose Vrspergensis yet if they be sworne vowed one to another to maintaine al their abhominatioÌ„s stil and yet all men be to follow the determination of the pope his prelats what hope is ther that euer they shold condemne them selues their gainful errors what losse soeuer it be to the world For as if things were reformed according to the truth of the Gospel his fatherhood shold part with his triple crown and leaue his riding vpoÌ„ mens shoulders so euery member of his body for his place in it must make lesse of more theÌ„ they would be willing to parte withall Wherefore their couÌ„cels are but for the establishing of their own kingdoÌ„ in the world And as are their general councels such are their national lesser synodes of like men for like purposes To consult of the best way for the reformation of abuses of furthering the seruice of God and of his people not a worde is amongst them For the chiefe abuses are in themselues It were to be wished therfore that all Christian P. or if suche as pretend to bee catholique wil not yet at the least they which make holy profession of the trueth of the Gospell as farre as this aduise may be necessary for them regarded the reformation of so great abuses and established the onely lawfull discipline in the Church which is the meane that Christ hath appointed for the kéeping of the vnity of the spirite in the bonde of peace Further where he blameth vs to receiue no mans exposition but our owne and to despise councelles he is to vnderstande that wee receiue the exposition of anye man bee he neuer so simple whiche is agreeable to the word of God We allow desire we hold expedient and necessarye lawfull holy méetings of conferences of synodes councels would most willingly that our cause might be debated in a free lawful and generall Councell Which woulde to God we might see if it be the Lordes good pleasure so assembled and ordered by the meane of Christian Princes as the worde of God preuailing and all our controuersies taken awaye there might be but one flocke and one solde as there is but one shepheard Christe Iesu And if this cannot be obtained wtout most vnequal conditions of appointing him to be iudg of our cause whoÌ„ we are to charge before God his whol parliment of saints and the reuerend assembly of such a generall and frée counsel as we according to Gods word do desire to be the very same Antichrist whom the scriptures foretold shold come for iust punishmeÌ„t of the wicked by hauing power to seduce into errors apostasie suche as had not the loue of the truth and the very head of that harlot whom S. Iohn painteth out in her colours in the reuelatioÌ„ which hath made al kingdoms drunk with the cup of her fornicatioÌ„s we must for that remit ourselues to the gret day of trial wheÌ„ Christ shal come with thousands of his mighty angels to iudg the quick the dead and before men angels before heaueÌ„ earth al creatures bearing witnes of his iustice giue sentence with vs against our aduersaries But if this so greatly to be desired throw their vnreasonable demaÌ„ds to be iudges in their own cause being to stand arraigned endited of high treason against God al the states of christendom theÌ„ wold to God yet it might be obteined of such christian P. as profes the gospel that there might be a general free councel of al the churches wtin their dominions The benefit wherof thorow the blessing of god must néeds be inestimable both to the preseÌ„t state of the church
honour of a large dominion then euer the Kinge of Iuda did The Assirians the firste Monarchie of the world ruled in a manner all Nacions for many yeares many Kinges succéedinge one an other in the royall seate of Assiria After them arose the Persians who subduing the Assirians obtained the Monarchie and raigned likewise a space succéeding one an other Then came the Grecians who preuayling against the Persians made themselues maisters of thē and almost of the world Last of all the Romaine Empire abolishing the former succéeded in the souerantie possessed it first in Roome and after in Constantinople againe in the West to that decayed estate which now remaineth of it whē the great Turke had seased vpon Constantinople and all the East part of the Empire So Tamerlan the Tartarian had a time as also many other horrible Tirantes wherein they prospered That these prospered for a season he cannot deny as he accounteth prosperitie but I think hee wyll not say that the detestable profession of Mahomet or the Pagan Heathen abhominations of the Monarches vnto Constantine in the Roman Empyre were the cause of their prosperitie It is manyfest they were not but rather the cause of their finall ruyne and ouerthrow as not ceasing to call for vengeance to God vntil he with his Thunderbolt from Heauen had striken thē What was the cause then Surelye this the goodnesse of God who dooth good euen to the vnthankfull and vngodly who letteth his Rayne to fall-vppon the Féeld of the iust and vniust and causeth his Sonne to shine vpon the Christian and vpon the Heathē An other may be that the Lorde purposing to execute his iust Iudgements vppon the Kinges of the earth for their Idolatries oppressions violences murders adulteries and all such lyke their impieties raysed vp from time to time as hee dooth also euen vnto this daye some to serue him in the execution of his high Iustice vpon thē For which cause the Lorde doth make some Nation to growe stronge and mightie as the Okes of the Forest that hee may vse it for a Staffe in his hande to chastice the Nations Whiche when it hath perfourmed hee casteth it into the fire and rayseth vp another for the consuming of them These are the true reasons the Lordes mercy and Iustice which caused them for a time to florish as the Ceder in Libanus which after he cut downe and so grubbed by the Rootes that the place of many of them is no more to be knowne and not their wicked Idolatries which the Lorde alwayes abhorred euen so doo I say of all the Kinges that haue receiued Poperie and haue prospered for a season that not their Idolatrie and Heresie but that the goodnesse of God dooing well vnto his enemies that his Iustice to punish those that loue not the trueth was the cause of any prosperitie that euer they enioyed Againe I saye that if the Bookes bee well looked it wyll easily bée founde that their pretended Catholike Faith and Roman Religion hath beene pernicious to most noble states and in the verye nature of the doctrine and the practise of it is contrarye to the wealth liberty honour and authoritye of any state or kingdome The Romaine Empyre may sufficiently beare witnes of it For the Empyre hauinge pitty to see that Church créepinge as it did in the begynning vpon the ground suffered it to growe vp by it and to embrace it as the Yuie doth vpon the Oake as some haue well compared it whereof the Empyre being amighty trée indede felt not at first any annoyance but now hath declared that it hath sucked it in such sorte as it hath drawne out all the iuyce and vygure of it and broughte it nowe to a withered stocke scarce able to beare the barren braunches that are vpon it For by meanes of excōmunicating and cursing the Emporors by gyuing the Empyre to whome it pleased them by forcing warres betweene the house of Fraunce and the Empire and other the noble houses of Europe the Pope hath broughte to passe that nowe there is no Emperor at all at Roome but him selfe As for other kingdomes in Europe that haue prospered nowe séeme most to florish I say thereto it rose and ryseth from other causes for it is manifest by all storyes that the Popes haue bene the very firebrands to set them afyre sowing causes of warres betwene thē They haue bene the very insatiable leaches of theyr treasure which could neuer be satisfyed Tyrants that haue oppressed not onely the lawfull libertye of the people but also the royall power and aucthority of their Princes yea of Kinges and Emperors Wherefore neither Asia Greece Egypt Africk Hungarie nor anye other haue bene ouerthrowne for abandoning that superstition neither is it to be feared of any Country that in these dayes haue altered and reformed themselues herein but the admitting and receiuing of this superstition with other wicked Heresies or the chaunging it not for better but for the worse the contempt of the worde of God and of his holye doctrine of the Gospell which euery where impugneth this as it appeareth by S. Iohn hath indeede remoued the Candlesticke and the true light from amongst them and wyll doe likewise from euerye nation that shall not bringe forth the worthy fruits thereof And thus as many other Nations héertofore so it may well bee that both the Countries néere vnto vs for refusing to haue Christ to raigne ouer them yea and al the worlde for the lyke contempt may be plagued with horrible calamyties These may iustlye bringe wrath vppon any Nations not the reforming of Popish superstitions accordynge to the trueth and sinceritie of the Gospell And thus muche for his experiences of this imagyned prosperitie of Popishe States his fyrste proofe in this Question Nowe let vs examine his seconde reason This Argument is from the cause which may make any State to florishe whiche hee aleadgeth to bee vnitie and affirmeth the Churche of Rome to haue the meanes to kéepe it and the professors of the Gospell to want both it and the meanes therof Whereunto I answer as to the same Argument alleadged before that not euery agréement and consent is pleasing to God or profitable to men For there are agréements in Idolatrie in adulterie in robberie in conspiracie in murders and in all iniquitie which are all odious to God and hatefull to men and of this sort is the vnitie that is amongst them which is no better then a conspyracie against GOD and his Poeple to mayntaine Heresie and all iniquitie but let him shew vs a vnitie amongst them of Brethren not of Freres so falselye called but of Brethren that are the Sonnes of one heauenlye Father the heyres annexed with Christ yea and by him alone of that same fayth and church pertakers of the same Holy worde doctrine and Sacraments and then I will confesse that vnytie to bée both pleasant and profitable as it is in 133. Psalme And that the Lorde
the greatest transgression of the one with the greatest breache of the other and so likewise in the reste keepyng a due rate and equalitie of sinnes that are matched together Therefore notwithstandyng wee esteeme not sinne light but all in their natures mortall and deadly yet wee make a great difference of sinnes Wherefore if thei vnderstoode by this distinction no other matter but to make a difference that some should bee greater then others thei haue no cause to striue with vs. And for this what commoditie it maie bryng to a cōmon weale we are in the blessing of God to looke for it this beyng our doctrine But thei vnderstande it farre otherwise as appeareth by the Counsell of Trent and by this aucthour For bothe determine mortal to be suche as by their natures and in iustice deserue euerlastyng death wherein we also agree But the poinct of variaunce is in this that thei saie all sinnes are not mortall but that there are sinnes whiche in iustice are not to bee punished with euerlastyng death whiche kinde of sinne thei call veniall Not vnderstandyng that God for Christes sake doeth forgiue it those whiche beleeue for so wee graunt that al are veniall For to the beleeuer all shall be forgiuen and there shall be no imputation of any sinne but takyng it in this sense which I haue declared in which I deny any sinne to be veniall affirme all to be mortall whiche our doctrine is groūded vpon the worde of God For this is generall of all sinne whiche the Apostle without exception of any saieth that the paine of sinne is death meanyng euerlastyng as it appeareth there by the mention of life euerlastyng life in the same place And thus the Apostle taught according to the lawe wherin it is saied expressely cursed bee he that abideth not in all that is commaunded in this Lawe But saieth he though your doctrine bee true yet doeth it not stande with good pollcie whiche is to kepe men in vertue and honestie as ours doth Because if al be mortall who will striue against sinne whereas admittyng all not to bee mortall though a man be caried into a veniall sinne yet would he striue to refraine from mortall consideryng it bringeth damnatiō And though this Romane doctrine be false yet doeth it more incourage men to striue against sinne But I saie this is to reason like an Atheiste For as I haue often saied before there can be no doctrine fit to procure the blessing of God to any state whervpon dependeth the wealth peace and honour of euery people and common wealth but only that which is of God And therfore whatsoeuer he maie suppose in our or their doctrine to bee for or against a state the truthe muste needes bee that all thynges reckened and in the ende it can neuer proue a good doctrine for any state that God hath not taught nor that vnproffitable whiche he hath deliuered vs. But I saie further that our doctrine in the Nature of the doctrine it self is more to restrainyng frō vice then that of theirs For what greater incouragement can there bee in all good reason and pollicie to sinne then impietie what stronger restraint then greeuous punishement Therfore their doctrine whiche teacheth so many sinnes negligences and ignoraunces not to bee in the iustice of the Lawe of God guiltie of death must needes hereby giue incouragement to continue in ignoraunce in negligences and other suche like offences But ours whiche truely teacheth the wrathe of God and euerlastyng death to depende vpon it muste needes bee more forceble to stirre vp all men to be carefull to auoide to the vttermoste of the grace thei haue receiued all maner of sinne and if the lesse muche more the greater whiche haue more greeuous condemnation But he and the rest of these Romanists in faith in allegiaunce suppose by makyng all sinnes to be punished with death that all are taught to be equall whiche is nothyng so For that death is not like vnto this whiche is of the naturall soule and bodie and of the life of the naturall man but it is a deadly castyng out of the presence and fauour of God with whom onely is life that which in deede and truth maie be so called for the comforte that is in it whereas the other is suche a life as some which liue in it wishe rather for death and would digge for it As Iob speaketh if thei might finde it and desire that the Moūtaines might couer them and the Hilles hide them from the wrath of God liyng vppon them Therfore if it be possible for men in the naturall death of the bodie to deuise greate difference of tormentes so as notwithstandyng all suffer death yet one maie endure without comparison greater tormentes in it then an other How much more in this case both by the natur of the death which thei suffer and by the almightie power of God is it possible that notwithstandyng all sinnes bee punished with death yet there should be sundrie kindes of that death the tormentes of the one to bee in comparison in them selues alwaies horrible more easie and tollerable then an other Which our Sauiour Christ expressely teacheth speaking of the punishment of Sodom and suche as should with contempt refuse the Gospell Wherefore that beyng an offence of their ignoraunce not of our doctrine it is not to bee imputed vnto it And so notwithstandyng any thyng is saied by hym or can bee saied by any to the contrary our doctrine in this point is most fit and strong for the restraint of sinne and their impunitie moste daungerous by incouragement to smaller offences to draw men also in tyme to the easier committyng of the greater Besides in this their doctrine it is to be noted that thei teache the sprincklyng with a little Holly water to be sufficient to take awaie those sinnes whereby the precious death of our Sauiour Christ is in this behalfe made of none effect For if thei bee not mortall sinnes the punishment whereof in the iustice of God is death then Christ dyed not for them and if he did then it followeth bothe that thei are mortall and death the rewarde and stipende of them and also that the guilt of them can not bee otherwise washed out but with the true Yssope sprincklyng vs with the most precious bloud of the sonne of God whiche purgeth all our sinnes The second poinct in this nineth Article is of the doctrine of cōcupiscence which he saieth that we affirme to be truely sinne euen in the regenerate and thei saie in the regenerate that is as this man affirmeth it in Christians after Baptisme as if al that are washed with the water of Baptisme are also borne againe whiche is no more true then that all receiuyng the Lordes Supper should receiue also the Spirite of Christ which the Apostle denyeth to be no sinne except that concupiscence bee consented vnto I acknowledge this to be our doctrine whiche
and dayly sute of all that feare GOD and vnderstande this matter within this lande is that it maie please God to touche your HH hartes with that zealous care of his glorie and loue of the saluation of the people that by your HH meanes to her moste excellent Maiestie order maie bee taken for the establishyng hereof In the meane season we haue to aunswere our Aduersarie in this case that the preaching of the Gospell by the blessing of God maie be of power to those in whō God shall worke by it to keepe them in his feare And for the regiment of the churche the abuses being theirs that thei of all other haue not to charge vs in this respect As for their auriculer Confession the famous storie of abolishing of it by that worthie and reuerend Bishop of Constantinople Nectarius vpon occasion of wicked companie betweene a Matrone of the Citie and one of the Churche doeth sufficiently shewe for how iust cause it is to bee abolished in a Christian state and Cōmonwealth So doth also the experience of these 300. yeares wherein it hath been so vniuersally commaūded practised which hath discouered it to haue been one of the fittest instruments of Sathan for nourishyng and maintainyng all the abhominations in these partes of the world and the very seede of all priuate contentions publique warres of open violences and secrete treasons So that when I thinke of the consequence of it I maruaile how Christian states and people could indure it so long By this meanes thei had the best intelligence of the greatest secretes of the publique states in Christendome whiche thei traiterously vsed to the troublyng of the worlde and for their owne aduauntage Thei searched and gaged by this meanes bothe publique states and priuate houses so as there was nothing in any Kyngdome Citie or Towne no nor in any house or familie but was knowne to them Which was suche a politicke point in deede for thē to keepe the world in awe of them and to holde them still in captiuitie to sett vp and put doune whom thei listed to make their freendes to subdue their foes as a stronger wall for the maintenance of this Antichristian tyrannie could not be deuised And this is his dosen of pointes whiche he thinketh to bee worthe so many millions to a Common wealthe whiche if he maie sell at his owne price wee shall buye them deare enough But I hope I haue sufficiently shewed them to be so little worthe as no man but hymself and his fellowes that esteeme their graines relique pouders and suche other pedlary as thei bryng in now into the lande for riche Marchaundrise will make any great reckenyng of thē Wherein I haue so dealt as I thincke he can not iustly complayne that I haue followed impartiment matter and left the state of his question as he wrongfully chargeth the reuerend D. Fulke whose learned writings al the sort of them will neuer be able with truth to aunswere Because hee wold be answered to his mind he is careful we should vnderstād his ful meaning which is sayth hee not whether doctrine be true or false theirs or ours but whither bee more politicke or profitable to a cōmon wealth Wherin he is to be admonished that to prooue his doctrin fitter for the establishing of a K. and state in peace wealth and honour to bring vppon it all good promises and blessinges of God his next and readiest way had bene to haue prooued the truth of it by the scriptures For this is a most certain ground the true religion hath the promises of this life the life to come which are so farre in this life bestowed vpon vs as God seeth to be most expedient and may be without the greater losse and hinderaunce of the other Therefore in leauing to prooue that hee left the way he should haue followed and hath takē a cleane contrary course which is that it bringeth greate commodities which if it were so yet could not suffice to prooue it true For the Turk and other heathen which apply their religion as may be fittest for the maintenaunce and securitie of their state they receiue no doubt by their detestable false worshippe many benefites to the assuring of their estates for a season yet is it but an execrable false seruice of God which is so commodious vnto them For whether commodities be blessings from God or no dependeth vpon this whether the people be his people and honor him as he hath appointed For to such we are sure hauing warrant of the truth of religion that all benefites are the effectes of the gracious promise of God to those which feare him and are in deed blessings proceeding from the tender loue of God vnto his people and seales of the euerlasting blessinges promised vnto vs in his kingdome But what blessing so euer is bestowed vpon any other is turned in th' end into a cursse it is but feeding of the Oxe for the slaughter a lifting of them vp that when they are cast downe they may fall with greater violence and more easely be dasht in pieces Finally it maketh them the more giltie and bringeth a heauier destruction vpon them For how should they be blessed that feare not the Lorde vpon whose fauour or displeasure dependeth the prosperity or hard estate of euery K and people Therfore to perswade that he pretended he hath taken a clean contrary way For if a man graunt him al that he affirmeth yet is it easy to aunswere that this benefit in the end must needes turne to a losse and this shew of securitie to all vnquietnesse this setled estate to captiuitie bondage For how many exāples haue we of this frō the beginning that is of K common weales that haue flourished for a season and in the end haue been broken al too pieces As the state of the K. of Tyre which is described by the prophet to haue been so exceeding prosperous that in respect thereof the King of Tyre for his glory is compared with the morning Star yea sayd to shyne as a Cherub from amōgst the stones of fire yet euen he as the same prophet threatned him is now cast down from his high seat and from all his glory And Tyre whose marchantes were as P. of the earth and her chapmen as the Nobles of the worlde is now become more like a poore fisher Towne then that olde Citie or greatly renoumed amongst the Ylands and in al the world We see the Ro. empire and the K. of Italy how notwithstanding the former honor wealth glorie of it yet now and that by the meanes of their Popedome it is dasht in a maner all in pieces cut into so many little seingnories Dukedoms L and free cities that they are as the potsherds of the earthen vessell which the lord as he threatneth in the Psalme hath burst in fitters with his barre of yron Whereby it appeareth to be the right way to prooue anye
vnto for your sakes Suche dishonour shal be exceedingly recompensed with a waightie Croune of glorie suche woundes are the woundes of Christ which the Apostle more boasteth of with a holie boaste then euer did soldiour of the woundes he had in the field for the defence of his Prince and Countrey and suche woundes shal be healed againe yea suche death shall be turned to a happie and euerlastyng life Therefore my humble praier to God for al your honourable Lordships is that it maie please hym to fortifie and strengthen your noble hartes to continue and proceade forwarde in this moste holie course to the aduauncyng daiely of the truthe of the Gospell and the rootyng out of Antichristianitie despisyng all the threates plattes and practises of the aduersarie with assurance that the watchman of Israll sleepeth not If his eyes bee open ouer all Israell night and daie to turne awaie all daungers from them how carefull and vigilant an eye doth he keepe ouer Ierusalem and most of all watchfull and ielous is he ouer the house and freendes of Dauid In the life to come he supposeth the Traytors worthely executed and other recusantes imprisoned shall be made equall to these who haue doen this iustice vppon theim and that then all their paines shall bee asswaged their teares wyped awaie their racked partes resetled and thei receiued to euerlastyng peace and glorie This I graunt shall in that daie be performed to those which suffer in Gods cause and for bearyng witnesse to our Sauiour and the truthe of his Gospell For so are we taught by our Sauiour himself that he that leeseth his life for him shall finde it by receiuyng in the world to come life euerlastyng Therefore I nothyng doubt but through the grace of God doe stedfastly beleeue that in that daie all our worthy fathers and brethren the noble hoste of Martirs and true Souldiers of Christ Iesu whiche haue suffered bothe in former tymes and in these latter daies els where and here in Englande in the tyme of their most cruell and bloudie raigne bothe suffered for the true profession of the Gospell of Christ and shall be raised againe in that daie to raigne with hym in glorie Then vndoubtedly though thei were burnt to ashes or slaine with the murdring sworde or howsoeuer openly or secretly destroyed the Lorde will restore their bodies vnto them againe Then the ashes whiche the bones were burnt vnto and are carefully laied vp by the Lorde in his treasurie by the power whereby he is able to doe al thinges shall be restored to their former nature and be made bones again Then according to the vision of Ezechiell euery bone shall come and ioyne it self againe to the bone wherewith it is to bee ioyned the sinewes shall come vppon the bones the fleshe shall couer the sinewes and the breath of life shal be breathed into them So they whom they thought thei had confounded for euer shall stande vppon their feete againe as a triumphant and victorious hoste ouer all their enemies With the least of which the saintes of God in whom the Lorde will be marueilous at his cōmyng not the proudest of the aduersaries of the Gospell shall be equall as he boasteth but in tremblyng and in feare shall stande before them who shall assist the great Iudge in his hye Courte accordyng as it is saied you shall iudge the Aungelles Therfore let them not boast them selues of a vaine hope for certainly there is no peace for the wicked saith the lorde To trauel and torment them as he obiecteth there is no man taketh any pleasure in it God forbidd we should feede our eyes with the miserable spectacle of their execution or our hartes in any their sufferinges We are so farre from it by the grace of God that if we enioye any thyng that is good wee wishe as good parte of it to them as to our selues Especially beeyng vouchsafed that high fauour of God to beleeue in Christe accordyng to the truth of the Gospell and thereby to liue thorow the same grace in the feare of his name seruyng hym and our brethren with all our power in a happy assuraunce of the forgiuenesse of our synnes and a blessed hope and expectation of the glorie of God to be made manifest in vs as in his sonnes at the glorious commyng of Christ with thousandes of his mightie Aungelles We wishe them the like precious faith together with vs and the same vndoubted and vnmoueable hope of the life to come Wherein as through the same gracious promise of God in Christe we are assured by the Sacred truthe of his Gospell to haue our parte of the hidden Manna and of the Tree of life whiche is in the middest of the Paradise of God so we desire with all our hartes if it bee so good in his eyes who is onely wise onely mercifull and onely holie that thei maie haue their part of that Manna that Tree of life and newe wine of a heauenly grape reioysyng the harte of God and man together with vs as the Lord speaketh in the Gospell eating and drinkyng at the heauenly table and that we maie altogether raigne with Christ in his kyngdome for euer As for the benefites of this life I would to God their offences hindered theim not to enioye theim aswell as wee If the Lorde haue giuen vs a good lande as he hath in deede plentiful of all good commodities of this life we wish thei were partakers of thē all together with vs. We take no pleasure in their banishment abroad our coūtry is their countrie our peace is their peace our libertie theirs We can wel afforde thē and that with ioy roome emongest vs yea prefermentes and places of any good and honorable seruice in the churche or cōmonwealth accordyng to their worthinesse and abilitie to deale in them Therefore as Iuda somtimes exhorted Israel so we exhort thē retourne ye children of Israell Fight not against the Lorde God of your Fathers for you can not prospere When the Prodigall sonne had wasted his fathers goods with harlots in a straunge countrey beyng in pouertie and neede longed after his fathers house again he aduised to returne to hūble himself to his father and saie father I haue sinned against heauen against thee am no more worthy to be called thy sōne make me but as one of thy hired seruants and his father receiued hym with a greate feast at his own table with noise of Musick and with all ioye So wee assure our selues vpon the merciful nature of our souerain Ladie whō God hath made to be a mother in Israel that thei should be graciously louyngly receiued if thei would know their owne miserie and did lothe their spirituall Fornications with the whore of Babilon vpon whō thei spend wast what giftes so euer God hath bestowed vpon thē Let them be ashamed of their féeding of the draffe of mens inuentiōs who may feede with their brethren at home