and horrible confusion as we see at this time in the papisme Yea I doe greatly pitie their miserable state whiche seke meanes wherby they maye serue god deuoutly and liue amonge the enemies of faith if it may be possible by any waies But what wil we I can do nothing els to the one or to the other but declare their errour and sinne that they them selues may adde the remedie If thei cōe herafter to aske of me this or that more diligently and particularly I will send such curiouse inquisitours to the cōmon rule which haue of god I speak this for that ther be some of this sort of men so importune that yf a man shuld answer all their difficulties doutes he shulde seme neuer to mak an end of any thing And me think such men may wel be cōpared to them who after thei be taught in a sermon to vse sobre apparel and decking of the bodye whthout all dissolute and sumptuouse trimming they wold haue the priacher to make their hoose sewe their shoes Wel what must we do thē In this matter there is a certain thing set before vs wher vnto we ought to derect and conferre our wholl minde studie thought That is that the zeal of godes house mai eat vp our hart and so moue vs that we bear and take vpon our selues al dishonours contumelies and opprobries which ar done most vnworthily against gods holy name Whē such desier of gods honour and feruent loue shall be kindled in our hartes not like drye stubble sone set on fier easely extinguished but lik a fier that burneth continually a man shall be so far from suffering or approuing these abomitiōs wher with the name of god moste shamfully vnwortheli is polluted that whē he shall beholde them he shal be able in in no wise to suffer dissimulation silēce and taciturnitie And it is diligently to be marked that he saith the zeal of gods house that we shuld know that to be referred vnto the outward order which is instituted in the churche that we shuld exercise our selues in confession of oure faith I do not wey the mockers whych say that I my selfe lyuing here without ane daunger yea rather in great quietnes doe talke goodlely of this maters I am not he with whom these men haue any thing to do For this is wel knowē I haue here no land of myn owne So mai we thīk sai of al these philsophers whiche geue their Iudgment without knowlege of the cause For seinge they wil not here god who doth now truely speak so iently to them to teache them I do declare the daie iudgmēt at what time being called before the iudgment seat of god they shal hear that sentence agaīst the which ther shal be no answer nor defence For seing they wil not hear him as the best and most meke maister they shal thē know at the last fele him as their most seure iust iudg At which time the stowtest the craftiest of thē shal perceaue know that thei were deceaued in their opinions Let thē be so wel exercised and prepared as they wil to obserue or subuert iustice and epuitie yet their lawlike iudicial ornaments and the badges of the great dygnitie and power wherewith thei now prowdly war insolent shall not thyne geue them the victorie I speake thys by causa counseilours Iudges proctours aduocats and suche othere bearinge the swing in courtes and iudgmēts ar not only bold to striue with GOD and so to contend that thei wold seme to haue gottē a certaine right to scorne mocke his maiestie but also reiecting al holy scripture do spue oute their blasphemies as the greatest sentences of the law and most high decrees These mē whom the world doth honour as certaine idoles so sone as thei haue spoken one word can not suffer reason trueth to haue any place to rest in But yet by the way I admonish warne thē before hād that it shal be better for thē to haue some remembrance of that same horrible vengeāce which is ordeined for them that change iustice with iniquitie truth with lying Nether the doctors chamber maisters the delitious bāckettours very voluptuous mē take any high degre here thē that thei may chatter in their feastes banquets bable forth their wordes against the heauēly maister to whō trulye al mē oght to geue most diligēt ear Nether cā their goodli famous titles pluk any mā frō this iudgemēt in which the lordly reuerēt abbotes priors deans archdecons as chief maisters of the game shal be cōpelled to lead the daūce in that cōdēnatiō which god shal mak most greuous Now although the courtears are wont to gratifie men with the sprinkling of their holye water let them not thinke that thei can with that kind of doing satisfie god To conclude al iesters praters let thē hold their tōge bost not out their merie wittie sayinges onles they wil fele his mightie hād at whose word thei ought to tremble Wherein theyr errour is to much folishe that beleueth because thei take me for their aduersary therefore thei shall not haue god to be their iudge Let them scrape my name out of their bokes and vtterlye bloth it forth specially in this kind of cause and question wherein my purpose is onely that god be hard and obeyed not that I shulde rule mens consciences after my lust charge them with any necessitie or lawe As for all others which do not so proudly dispise gods word and yet ar so delicate and weake that thei can in no wise be moued I do most hartily besech them that thei wil take more thoughte and regard to their own duty saluaciō and gods honour do no more flatter themselues as thei haue done hitherto Let them therfore open their eies and reare vp them selues that they may beholde the miserie wherein thei are I know well inough the euils difficulties and stoppes wherin thei be wrapt emōg the papists I do not speake vnto them as though it were an easie matter in the middest of the idolatries to take vpon them to defend the pure and sincere religion of god but if thei lack strēgth I aduertise thē to flie vnto god the autour of all power that thei may be made strong by him learn to prefarre his glory before al things of this world For I do earnestly desier that all faithful men which are miserably afflicted in the papisme should vnderstand know this howe that the prophet Ieremy remaining at Ierusalē in Iewry did send this aduertisement and exhortacion vnto the people which were holden captiue and oppressed in Babilon Yf the tiranny of the pope and of all his ministres be to them sharpe and cruell thei must cōsider that the Iewes also of that time suffered heauy and bitter bondage and yet thei are commaunded in the vulgare speach of the countrey to execrate the idolatrie
nede of vs yet for that he wil vse oure labour seruice and obedience to serue and honour him truely it is to much vnsemely and for vs the greatest shame infamye to do all thing other wise then he will and cleane to be void of the studye and dutye which we owne vnto him yea our shame is so muche the greater that the worme of the earth and an vnliuing creature shall requiere more power ouer vs and honour then his creatour But yet we must talke with these beastes more plainly They say it is leafull for them to fein and cloke what so euer they will emong the papist and to conforme them selues to that maner fashion of religion whiche is thought most apt to norish superstition Who is he then that geueth them bread to be fed with all ther Who doth make the ground fertile to bring forth fruit If god do fede and norishe them in those places wher thei dwel as he doth al other men in the other partes of the earth why do thei not honor the geuer of that benefite which that part of theÌ„ self which is so bountifully norished of him Why do they rather obey and serue the deuil with their bodies If these men wer in any part of christians I wolde vse with them more waighty and higher reasons I wolde aske of theÌ„ to what end we liue in this world and where vnto our life oghte to be referred But O miserable case that they which with subtelties and shiftes wil daily with god are so brutish that thei must be haÌ„dled as meÌ„ not only destitute of gods spirit but in a maner void of natural common sence Thei thinke this is a sufficieÌ„t excuse to sai thei do nothiÌ„g in this kind but for feare of peril dauger but yf this colour maye take place then muste we saye that Ioseph shulde haue done no euill yf he had committed whordome wyth hys maistres when it was violeÌ„tly offered him seing he shuld not haue folowed hys owne wyll but haue geuen place to necessitie and violence which she did vnto him It shulde haue bene a folishe facte of him to enter such peril and infamie as afterward he suffered by the false accusation of that noughty woman seyng he might haue escaped those euils yf he had accomplished her wil. But we oght rather to folow the example of Ioseph and allowe the testimony of the holy gost who doth commend his constancie If there be no wickednes in taking vpoÌ„ vs idoletrous religion when we do it to auoide the raging crueltie of the papists the seruant shall not synne who for his maisters pleasure shal playe the bande kyll and play the traitour for feare to displease him vnder whose power he is But I abide to longe in this matter wherein as I said before there is no dout or difficultie It shall not be far from the purpose to consider into how great confusion thei fal which trauail with all their crafts to escape gods iudgemeÌ„t Others ther be that haue found another shifte sterting hole thei grant that the supersticion of the gentils is a wicked detestable religioÌ„ but it is not al one reason of these the supersticions which are in the papisme As though all the false religion that euer was amonge the heithen was not a corrupting deprauation of the true religioÌ„ of god FroÌ„ wheÌ„ce did the heatheÌ„ draw tak to theÌ„selues their ceremonies but of the holy fathers In which doiÌ„g this was their great faut that thei depraued vtterli peruerted those thigs which thei had receiued wel wisely instituted of god But yet al the abominacioÌ„s that euer wer iÌ„ the world haue ben cloked with a beutiful title of god himself and the couerture of his religion But those couÌ„terfeit religions had neuer that coÌ„mendation power authoritie that god did at any time approue those seruices congregatioÌ„s or the faithful meÌ„ did vse frequent theÌ„ Go to let vs procede further Although I shuld grant the idolatrie of the papistes to be vnlike differ froÌ„ the superstition of the old gentiles yet can thei not deny but god so ernestly did forbid the religion wickedly set vp in Bethel as al other superstitioÌ„s which wer instituted celebrated in other places WheÌ„ the calues wer erected in DaÌ„ and Bethel this was instituted don vnder a certain colour of his name which had broghte his people of Egipt yet that same religioÌ„ which was ther apointed is manifestly against the doctrine of the law God doth coÌ„demne al those that go thither to defile polute theÌ„selues And truly the supper of Iesus christ the popish masse are no lesse repugnant coÌ„trary the one to the other then the sacrifices of Moses IeroboaÌ„ FroÌ„ wheÌ„ce then is this dispensation licence to go here masse vnder this colour that the supper of Iesê° christ is but traÌ„sformed yea rather in dede deformed But I saie affirm coÌ„trarie that al thie that do fear god truly honor hiÌ„ godly ought so much the more to hate detest it for that it doth more openly violat and profane the holy institution of Iesus Christe then yf it were not so repugnant and contrary vnto the same Wherefore let vs kepe this coÌ„mon rule generally that al the ordinance and inuencions of men proponed and takeÌ„ in haÌ„d to corrupt the simple truth of gods word to peruert that religion whych he requireth alloweth ar very sacrileges with which the christian maÌ„ mai in no wise comunicate without that iniurie contumelye which treadeth vnder fete gods honor most wicked I knowe wel inough how greuous intollerable this seuere iudgement semeth to them which wold after their own lust delicat mind be more nicelye mekely spoken to and taught Wherin what wold thei I shuld do What moderation lenitie shuld I vse Truly now I perceyue how tender deintie thei ar I couet so much as mai be to spare theÌ„ but both I thei muste be condemned so sone as god hath spokeÌ„ therfore if we wil teÌ„der our own saluacion let vs take it in god part Thei say thei find no man more seuere sharpe then I am but I wyll declare vnto them on the other part that I handle them more mekely and tenderlye then the trueth of the cause the worthynesse of goddes name and theyr own saluacioÌ„ did require Which thing beiÌ„g so in ded truly they can not excuse and deliuer them selues from the necessitie of that dutie and testimonie that the prophet Ieremie doth requier of the Iewes captiues in Babilon whoÌ„ he not only forbiddeth to come neare the abhominacions of the Chaldeans or colourably and feinedly to geue anye consent to them but also doth geue a plain commaundement that thei shuld declare the wicked religion of the Chaldeans to be vnto them a most oft filthie sauor You shal say to them saith the prophet Ieremy the Gods whiche haue
things doth teache and admonish vs by these plaine and notable sings of his most iust Iudgement that that daie shal once come whē all things that be now troubled confused shal be sattled But yf that same time seme far long to let vs flye to the reamedie let vs not flatter our selues in our vice For this is certaine that we haue no faith at al onless we cast the eies of our minde to the honourable coming of Iesus Christ And because god wold leaue out no consideration that might be apt to moue stirre vs he doth set forthe one that one part promises on the other part threatenings Do we fele that the promises of god haue not force Inough and autoritie in vs To confirme them withal let vs Ioin ther to the threatenings We shew our selues wondrously forward sence we beleue goddes promises no more then we doe When the lorde Iesus Christe saith he will acknowlege vs for his owne and cōfesse so of vs before his father so that we also confess him before mē what shuld let vs to geue to him that confession which he requireth of vs. Whē men haue done al they can the worst thei may do is to take away our liues How precious then shal the heauēly life be vnto vs when it is cōpared with this present life which is lost It is not my purpose in this place to collect al the promises set forth in the scripture to this end Yet sence thei be repeated so often times renued vnto vs we oght so to be experiensed not only in the reading but also in the knowledge cōsolatiō of thē that we might be as it wer died surely confirmed in them But yf when the plage hangeth ouer our heads thre or four of thē are not sufficiēt to cōfirme strengthen vs truly an hūdreth shuld be sufficiēt to ouercō al aduersete contrary tentatiōs But if with these great swete promises can not entice draw vs to him are we not very great dullerds betle heads when nether the seuer threatenings can work any more in vs Iesus Christ doth apoint a dai to accuse al thē before his father which deny the truth for feare of losing this life for whom he declareth destruction both of body and soule to be prepared Also in another place he protesteth that he wyll refuse all maner of communion with them that denie him before men These words onlesse we be vtterly void of all sence ought vehemently to moue our mindes so to fray vs that for fear the heares of our head shoulde stert vp But how so euer it be onlesse we be so affected moued as the greatnes of the matter and danger requireth there remaineth nothing els for vs but to loke for horrible and most miserable confusion wherein we may excuse our faute so muche as we lust we may say that in this great frailtie and weakenes of nature we rather are worthy of mercy thē of any seueritie sharpenes of punishment it wil not serue For it is written on the contrary parte that Moses after he had sene god by fayth was so hardened and strengthened that no violence of temptacion coulde melt his minde bende him frō the great constancie Wherfore when we be so tender and flexible that there apear in vs no power of firme and constant minde we signifie and declare plainely that we be vtterly ignorant of god and his kingdom Also when we ar warned that we ought to be ioined and coupled with our head we haue gotten a goodly colour to exempt seperate our selues from him if we say we are men And were not they that were before vs men so wel as we are Yea if we had no thing els but euen the bare doctrine of godlines yet were al the excuses which we can bring weake of no value But now are worthy more greater checke condemnation sence we haue so great notable examples whose great authoritie oght vehemētly to excite cōfirme our mindes There are two chefe parts of this our exhortacion or consolation to be considered The first is that this hath bene a cōmon state to the vniuersall body of the church alwaies euer shal be to the end of the world that it was vexed with such iniuries and contumelies of the wicked as it is reported in the Psalm cxxix Thei haue vexed me euen nowe frō my youth hither to haue drawen a plough ouer and ouer euery part of my backe The holy gost in this place doth bring in the old church speaking on this wise that it shuld not seme now vnto vs a new thīg nor greuous if we se in these dayes our cause condition to be like S. Paul also reciting the same place of an other Psal wher it is said We wer as it wer shepe led to the slaughter doth declare that this pertaīed not only to one age but it was shal be the common vsuall continual state of Christs church So that if we see in this time the church to be so handled vexed by the insolencie and pride of the wicked that some bark at her some bite her many afflict her alwaies inuent some mischef pestilent destruction to her yea set vpon her without ceasīg as it were mad dogges wilde rauenīg beastes let vs cal to remembreunce that she was so vexed afflicted and oppressed in al times before God doth geue vnto her somtime some rest refreshing as it were atime of truce And this is that which is spoken in the psal oboue alleged the righteous lord doth cut in sōder the cordes of the wicked and in an other place that he breaketh their rodde lest the good being to much pressed shuld and moue their handes to inniquitie But god wold alwaies haue his church to be tost in thys world and as it were alwayes in a certaine conflict reseruīg for her quiet rest in heauen The end of these afflictions was alwaies blessed yea truly god wrought this the the church alwaies pressed with mani and great difficult calaminites was neuer vtterly oppressed As it is saide in an other place the wicked with all their labour did neuer optain that they desiered S. Paul also doth so glorye of like happye end and issue of afflictions that he sheweth this grace of god to be perpetuall in his church We saith he are prest with all kind of afflictions but we are not killed with sorow and care we liue in great nede pouertie yet are we not forsaken we are cast down but perish not alwais carrieng about the mortificatione of our lord Iesus Christ that his life also may be declared in our mortal bodye This issue and end as we see that god hath alwaies made it happye prosperouse in the persecutions of the church oght to bolden vs seing we knowe that our fathers who also acknowleged their frailty and weaknes had alwaies thee victorie ouer their enemies be
faithfull keper When he hath ordeined and kept diligentlye this maner and fashion of lyfe yf afterward he fal in to the handes of enemies let him thinke and persuade himselfe that he is brought into that place of god for this cause that he mai haue him a witnes of hys sonne Therefore seing he is called and brought to that confession by the certain decree of god there is no way to go backe onles he wil be vnfaithfull vnto him to whome we haue promised all our endeuours both to liue and dye yea whos 's we are although we had promised nothing at all I meane not hereby to driue euery man of necessitie at all time to geue a full and perfect confession of their faith no not some times when thei be asked For I knowe-what measure and moderatiō S. Paule vsed who was as ready with heart and minde to defende the gospell as any other Neither was this spoken by the Lorde Iesus and promised without a cause that god woulde geue vs in that tyme and matter a mouth and prudence As though he would haue sayde the office of the holy ghost is not onely to confirme vs that we may be willing bolde and stronge but also it consisteth in geuing vs iudgement prudence and counsail how we may as it becometh vs gouerne and rule our selues in so great and so harde a matter Truly this whole treatise is to this end that they that be in such distresses shoulde desier and receyue from heauen that moderacion and prudence not folowynge the counsel of the fleshe to seke some shiftes to escape But ther be that do obiect in this place that the lorde Iesus yea whē he was asked woulde make to them no answere But I saye that this sufficeth not to take awaye that rule which he hath geuen to vs to witnes our fayth then when the confession thereof is necessarily required Furthermore that he did neuer dissemble or kepe silence for this purpose to saue hys lyfe Last of all that he dyd neuer make so doubtfull an answere but it conteined an apt testimonie of that which he had spoken before or els did first satisfie thē that lay in waite to marke both his words dedes Wherfore let al christiās be wel persuaded sure of this thing that no man oght more to esteme his life then the testimonie of the truth wherin god wil haue the praise glory of his name to appear Is it without a cause that he calleth his witnesses for this doeth the worde martyr signifie who are broughte to make answere before the enemies of faith and religion Or is not this rather the cause for that he wold vse al their speakyng and whole course of life to the confession of his name Wherein euery mā must not so loke to his neighbour felow that he will seme to do nothyng at al without his example and testimonie And this curiositie is so much the more to be eschued because we are prone to this vice of our own nature Peter whē he had heard of Christ that he should be led in his old age whether he would not he enquired what shuld become of Iohn his felow cōpanion There is none of vs which to auoide perill and daunger woudl not gladly make answere in that wise because when we shoulde suffer any thing by and by this cometh into our minde what is the cause wherefore I shoulde suffer more then others But Iesus Christ doth coūsel monish other wise vs al in comon and euerie man priuatly to be prepared and readie that as he calleth one or other so euerie mā comforth in his ordre And I haue shewed this before that we shal be vnarmed and vnprepared to take and suffer martyrdō onlesse we be fēsed and armed with the promises of god Now remaineth to declare plentifully such promises not that we wil sett forth euerie one exactli but to shewe the chefe and most excellent thing wich god wold haue vs to hope for to comforte vs in our calamities And there be thre such thinges the first that seing al the times both of our lyfe and death do consist in his hād he wil so defend vs by his power that not one heare of our head shal fall but after hys wyll Wherfore al faitfull men oght thus to be perswaded in whose handes so euer they be tossed that god in no wise will lay a side that gouernaunce custodie which he hath taken vpon him for them with so great care Yf this perswasion of gods fatherly care and prouidēce did rest and cleaue depe in our hartes we shuld be deliuered out of hand of the greatest part of these doubtes difficulties which do now trouble hinder our duty We behold now the bitterness of the tyraunts vnbridled crueltie brawling pinishly in al sharpnes of punismēts And here by we iudge that god hath no more care nor regard to defend and kepe vs in sauetie And therfore we be so stirred prouoked by our own reasons to looke and prouide for our selues as though the whole hope of gods helpe and succour were clean taken awaie But on the other part the so great prouidence of god as he hath shewed vnto vs oght to be vnto vs like a stronge fenced castle which can be ouercome with no power Let vs therefore learn and hold fast thys short sentence that our bodies are in his hand power who also did creat them And this is the cause wherfore god hath deliuered hys after a merueilouse sorte and contrarie the opinyon and hope of all men as Sydrach Misach and Abdenago forth of the burning ouen Daniel out of the lions denne peter out of Herods prison where in he was short watched most diligētly fast boūd in chaines By these examples he wold declare vnto vs that he could staye our enemies as it were with a certaine bridle and that he had that power that when he wold he could preserue and as it were pluk vs out of the mouth of death it self Not that he doeth alwaies thus deliuer his from such perils but of right hauing the autoritie to apoint our life death he will haue vs persuaded that we are so continued and kept vnder his custodye and tuition that what so euer the tyraunts do inuēt or with what furie so euer thei set vpon vs yet it is only in his hand to apoint lyfe or death and therefore thys mater oght onely to be refferred to hys wil. But yf he suffer the teraunts to kyl vs yet our life is vnto him deare much more sett by of hym then it is worthie The which he did plainly declare to be so when he pronoūced by the mouth Dauid that the death of his saints was honourable and preciouse in his sight And also whē he say by esay that the earth it self shuld shew forth the bloud that was shedde which semeth al to gether hidden Now then let the enemies of that gospel be