obtained of Phocas the Emperour and murderer of Mauritius that the Bishoppe of Rome might bee the heade of all Churches to whose iudgement all the world in spirituall matters must be subiect by which in time it came to this that hee corrupted the whole Church of Christ that hee got both swords into his hand and made himselfe a triple Crowne after the manner of the late Roman Emperors who had three Crownes at their inauguration and as the triple lightning was the auncient of Iupiter so the triple Crowne is the badge of the Pope thourough the honour or terrour thereof he threatneth what thunder-bolts he pleaseth in the world The Cabalists imagined two Keyes whereby Paradise was opened and shutte from hence the Pope hath in his banner the crosse Keyes telling vs that he hath power to open and shut Paradise for against whō he pleaseth Being thus exalted into the highest place as it was reported the God Termines would not giue place to iupiter standing both in the Capitoll no more the Pope giueth place to Christ although hee stand in the middest of his Church and sit at the right hand of his Father in heauen For this cause as the Emperours had their senate so he hath his Cardinals as the Egyptians bound the Priests of Isis or Apis to liue in perpetuall virginitie so hee forceth the sacred shauelings of his vnholy seate with the vowe of perpetuall chastitie and that he might helpe their weaknesse in this behalfe as Caligula suffered the whoores of Rome in his daies so the Popes haue graunted the tolleration of a Stewes builded by a Pope Sixtus the fourth which in shorte time so preuailed that the Pope receiued for Rents thereof fourtie thousand Duccats by the yeare And Paule the thirde had the names of fourtie fiue thousand Tennants belonging to that most filthie and damnable kinde of life Furthermore hee furnished or rather poysoned the Church of Christ with Friers Munkes Nunnes The Friers and Munkes are the successors of the Essaean Dosithaean Nasachaean and Cynicall heretickes which like these take vpon them the vowes of wilfull pouertie and perpetuall chastitie placing their Religion in abstinence from meates in outward and hypocriticall fasting affirming that they are the successors and followers of the Apostles like the heretiques called by Augustine Apostoliques defending that the Apostles leade a single life and had no wiues so these Romish heretiques accompt Marriage but filthines like the Marcionites Tacians Adamites Platonists and Valesian heretiques and are not ashamed to make the holy Apostles of Christ breakers of wedlocke and wilfull departers from their own wiues contrarie to the writings of the Euangelists and Saint Paul The Nunnes or women-Munks are the naturall successors of the vestall Virgins instituted by Numa as these were Dedicated to Vesta Apollo Iuno Argiua Diana Minerua so are the Romish Nunns to Marie the mother of Christ and other holy women Then also did he begin to dresse and adorne the Temples with Images which he learned of the Gentiles as I haue already declared and herein hee ioyned with the Gnostickes and Basilidian heretiques who defended Images to be lawfull for Christian people and as the Gentiles had their sacrifices for the dead called Inferiae so he instituted praiers for the dead least he should seeme to want any thing which hee should not haue Then also hee tooke the Scriptures from the common people least they should espie his lewdnesse and as Lysis the Pythagorean blamed one of his fellowes for making knowne abroade their Masters precepts so hee blameth all those that shall open the misteries of the Gospell to the common people and as the Magicians of Persia were wont to sing to their Idols in a strange tongue so the Pope commanded all things to bee done in the Church in an vnknowne language wherein they also ioyne with the Basilidian heretiques who gaue this as a principle that their misteries must be concealed and reuealed onely to a few being worse then the Pythagoreans who commaunded but fiue yeares silence to their Disciples but the Papistes keepe men all their liues from reading speaking and conferring on the Scriptures By this meanes he deceiued the world with iugling like the heretiques called Mirabiliarii and affirmed that faith commeth by nature like the Basilidians and Gnosticks they taught that euerie one that would be saued must be annoyled in their sickenesse like the Heracleonite heretiques that it is lawfull for women to Baptise like the Marcionites that children vnbaptised are not vnder the couenant and that grace is giuen with the outward signe like the Arrians and Heracleonites that children must be annoynted with Oyle in Baptisme like the heretiques Marcus and Marcosus that Baptisme washeth away originall sinnes and such actuall as are committed before like the Nouatians and Messalian heretiques that the Sacrament of the Supper of the Lord after the words of Consecration spoken is the verie body and bloud of Christ so the heretiques called Marcites said they made by coniuration and for this cause the Pepuzian heretiques baked the bloud of man with the bread ordained for this supper that wine must bee mingled with water as the Artotyrites said they must offer Cheese with the bread in the Sacrament that good workes merite eternall life like the Pelagians Catharites and Mahumetistes that a man since the fall of Adam hath free will and that God hath Predestinated none like the Pelagians that it is lawfull for vs to sweare by creatures as the Virgine Marie Saints and Angels so doe the Manichaeans and Mahumetistes that some sinnes be mortall and some veniall so doth Mahomet affirme with a thousand like most vaine wicked wretched blasphemous and damnable assertions which were most easie to bee proued if there were any question of it By this your Ho. may perceiue that their Religion is but patched of many condemned heresies defended by vnwritten traditions and maintained by violent and forcible dealing like the Chamelaeon they haue often changed and poysoned the world but the scriptures are as a Baye lease to cure the contagion of such mortall confusion and thus in some sort I haue perfourmed my promise in deliuering the vanity of the world which hath refused the wisedome of the eternall word of God The end of this my speech is to shew the wonderfull and incomparable treasure of the holy Scriptures for as the Golde hath the brightest beames being laide to the Copper as the Adamante is of greatest force when the loade stone is beside it and the purest colour hath the best hiewe when the countersaite is compared with it so the blessing of God in his word doth most magnificently appeare when wee behold before our eyes the counterfaite colours of superstitious conceipts the crooked deuises and cursed opinions of the condemned Crue which haue refused the waye of life declared herein and chused the path of damnation for the hire of their superstition The Scriptures are not only a Castle to keepe
the Creetes and Ephesians Diana the Romaines Mars the Italians Ianus the Arabians Diasares The Germaines Tibilenus the men of Affrique Caelestus and the Moores haue worshipped the gouernours of their Countrie Thus they turned the glorie of the incorruptible God into the similitude of corruptible creatures as birds beasts fishes and Serpentes and wandered without God while they framed to themselues a multitude of goddes and the best they coulde inuent were sinfull and abhominable wretches such as exceeded all others in notorious crimes as I could easily shew if it were to my purpose and moreouer they haue forsaken not onelye the true God but haue blotted the names of their most famous men leauing the worthiest in hell and lifting the worst into heauen For might not they as well made Socrates a God for his wisedome whom Apollo himself honoured with this Oracle Pantoon Androon Socrates sophotatos of all men Socrates was the wisest Aristides excelled them all in iustice Themistocles for warre Alexander in honour Polycrates in felicitie and Demosthenes in eloquence Who was more graue then Cato more valiant then Scipio more affable then Camillus more excellent then Iul. Caesar more happy then Sylla more wealthie then Crassus or more religious then Numa Pompilius truely none among all their Deuils I would say goddes with whom all the nations of the earth haue committed fornication In latter times the Romaines had onely power to consecrate goddes as now the Pope his Cardinals doe challenge the same to Canonize Saints But would not the hearts of the godly breake in sunder to consider that euerie Cittie inuented a new God yea euerie familie had their housholde goddes committed Idolatrie with birdes of the ayre and beastes of the earth men and women Moone and Starres Sunne and Angels euen to the Asses head as commonly as the Serpent liueth on the dust or as greedily as the Lyon raueneth when hee findeth a pray The studie of Astronomie verifieth this for they haue imagined signes from the Eagle to the little birde from the Lyon to the little dogge from the Whale to the litle fish and from reasonable creatures to vnreasonable monsters because they would haue some colour for their impietie they translated their Idols to be signes in heauen But now when the light of the word of life once shined in the world they perceiued their owne follies renounced their olde errours and receiued the wholesome doctrine of the onely true and eternall God for as the Lyons runne at the sight of a fire brand as the Cockatrise flyeth when shee sauoureth the Weasill and the clouds flie away when the Northeren winde bloweth so these subtilties of Sathan being once discouered thorough the simplicitie of the Scriptures they fall againe into the brest of the first Author and I would to God they were for euer buried in his bottomles kingdome Also that which we finde in the word of God concerning the creation the floud the replenishing of the earth the beginning or confusion of tongues the destruction of Sodom and Gomorhe the deliuerie of the Isralites from Egypt the myracles of Moses and Aaron the ouerthrow of the Cananites whome they call Phoenicians the building of Salomons Temple the scattering of the Tribes of Israell the birth of Christ the darkenesse at his death and the preaching of the Apostles they haue corrupted with fond additions wilfull deuises intollerable blasphemies ignorant relations wicked substractions and accursed deprauations which if I should follow I might make a large volume onely thus much I will be bolde to say that all the wisedom of the Gentiles was nothing but the doctrine of Deuils that all the world before the comming of Christ was without the true knowledge of God the Iewes onely excepted The learned haue noted these fower as the generall heads of auncient impietie the first is Barbarisme wherin men liued vnder no guide preserued no peace followed no commendable kinde of life but euerie one did that which pleased him to the disgrace of mankind refusing onely that which was good and altogether embracing that which was accursed Then one satisfied another with bloudy reuenge making no more accompt of the life of a man thē the bloud of a beast then they mingled themselues like brutish creatures in generation brother with sister father with daughter and mother with her sonne then their strength was their lawe their desire was their counsellour their affections pleaded their will gaue iudgement their mallice was the meanes to execute their crueltie The second head or fountaine of falsehoode among the Gentiles is called Schythisme because it was first practised among the Scythians a barbarous and cruell people differing in nothing from the former saue onely because they had one gouernour or ruler to whom they were subiect being at his commandement to execute right or wrong to saue or kil keeping peace with none but manie times setting the children to drinke the bloud of their owne parents and the parents to eate the flesh of their owne children The third kind of falsehoode which raigned among the Gentiles for want of the word of God is called Hellenisme which consisteth in the worship of Idols this began among the Grecians who are called in their owne tongue Hellenes and therefore was the superstition called Hellenisme this detestable canker so preuailed that not onely the Grecians Babilonians Egyptians Sirians Phaenicians Phrygians and manie other nations were infected therewith but the Israelites the people of God were poysoned therewith which in the ende was their vtter subuersion and this hath raigned a long time in the Church of Rome and in all those kingdomes where she could plant her chaire which all the godly doe perceiue will be her euerlasting destruction But this Hellenisme preuailed mightilie for the space of two thousand yeares vnder which time sprang vp all the sects of the Philosophers as the Pythagoreans which taught that men might not sacrifice to the gods that the soules of men departed do go into other men and also into bruite beasts that whatsoeuer was aboue the Moone was immortal◠with such like fantasies and in the ende this Phythagoras would be called a God Next vnto him arose the Platonistes who affirmed that the world was created of the Angels and little goddes that of one God there came many other goddes that all women ought to bee common and that no man ought to haue a wife peculiar to himselfe in a wel ordered common-wealth After these succeeded the Stoickes who affirmed this world to be God that all flesh shall perish and that the soules departed from one into another Then also began the Epicures to growe like Serpents borne onely to destroy other they would haue all things to ende in pleasure that there is no God or prouidence that none are blessed but in this present life And thus your Ho. may perceiue how miserable were those dayes when men ranne headlong into so great extreamities that their profession of wisedome was the
cōfession of folly for al their light of lerning they groped in a Cimmerian darknes being shadowed with ignorance like the Countrie Odessae in Greece which by reason of mightie hils therto adioyning neuer felt the beames of the Sun The fourth head or fountaine of vngodlinesse is called Samaritanisme of the Samarians which mingled themselues with the profession of the Iewes and receiued some parte of the Bible yet like the Anabaptistes of our daies without any difference or conscience kept companie with Iewes and Gentiles Of these came many accursed sects from whom sprang many detestable opinions and thus the world laboured with damnable deuises while the Deuill laughed at their dayly destruction whereby this is euident that Philosophie or Paganisme is the corruption of our Religion But some peraduenture will obiect vnto me that they had very excellent and worthie men who Crowned their Countrie and kindred with endlesse memorie Mutius left his right hand on the Altar Empedocles willingly cast himselfe into the burning flames of the mountaine Aetna one of the builders of Carthage to auoide a second marriage cast her selfe into the burning graue Regulus being freed from the Carthaginians chused rather to suffer death himselfe in most cruel torments then to discharge their prisoners at Rome Menocaeus seeing his Cittie of the Thebes besieged by the Grecians which they threatned to destroie except one of them would giue himselfe for all did ascend to the wall of the Citie and there pearcing his body with a sword fell downe dead among his enemies wherewith they contented departed Alcestis the wife of Perilaus seeing as she supposed the fiendes come for her husband who lay sicke slew her selfe bidding them to take her shaddow and spare her husbands life To speake nothing of Lucretia Dyrachia Aria Cyane and many others only let this suffice Eleates being asked of Dionisius the tyraunt what was better then Philosophie answered death whereupon hee was commaunded to be scourged to death which for the defence of his speach and contempt of death he most patiently endured Yet Tertullian a Christian father speaking of such like actions hath these wordes O lawfull commendation because humaine to whome neither wilfull presumption nor desperate perswasion is imputed to whome it is permitted to die in contempt of death and all manner of crueltie to whome is giuen more libertie to suffer for his countrie kingdome or friends then for God Who is hee that cannot with one eye espie the meaning of this father Improuing this kinde of death as presumption or desperation which may neuer haue any harbour in the hearts of the faithfull what shall wee then say of all these worthie persons Surely whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne and without faith it is impossible to please God We must not regard what man doth but what God commaundeth as the Emperour Constantine once said it is not death but the cause of death that deserueth commendation as Agesilaus the best Grecian Prince that euer was was wont to say The purest Adamant is not worne with yron nor wasted with fire yet a little Goates bloud will consume it euen so if one man could suffer al the tryals in the world and abide many thousand deathes by fire and torture yet it shall no whit profit him except the bloud of Iesus Christ loose the fetters of sin and breake the chaines of the Deuill now the mercies of God in Christ are not communicated to any but to such as know them and who can know them without the word of God This is the fountaine of water of life and all other are but poysoned puddles stinking more filthyly in the presence of God then the Lake of Camarina in the nostrels of men They reporte that in Sycilia there are two springs whereof one will make a fruitfull woman barren the other a barren woman fruitfull if this were so I thinke all the world would haue recourse vnto it Yet in this word of God there is a greater commoditie declared vnto vs for here wee learne the true cause of barrennesse which being knowne the disease is the more easily remoued here wee learne the meanes whereby it is cured as in Rebecca Annah Elizabeth and others which might as easily bee practised as true Religion vnfainedly professed Moreouer they tell vs that in Epirus at the foote of the hill Tomarus there is a holy Well which of it selfe will kindle a Torch being put vnto it quench it being brought burning therto graunt this to be true it will represent vnto vs the nature of this holy Wel the word of God which with the water of our Baptisme doth fire our hearts by the holy Ghost but comming vnto it burning in the heate of our owne lust quencheth the flame of our owne concupiscence Also wee finde in Varro that there are two streames in Boeotia whereof if sheepe drinke the one burneth their coulour in Russet and the other maketh them while againe if this be possible as al things are possible to the creatour of the world what maruaile though we are regenerated not new couloured by the immortall seede of his heauenly word Which are his sheepe and the corruptions of our nature so washed in the same that our garments of righteousnesse are as white as snow in his presence Solinus telleth that at the Cittie Debris among the Garamantes there is a spring which at the rysing of the sunne congealeth to Yce but at the setting thereof resolueth to water againe which is contrarie to all the world beside freezing with heate and thawing with colde yet we may make this vse thereof that it is no wonder to see our heauenly Well to worke these contraries to be the sauour of life vnto life or else the sauour of death vnto death that vnto some it is a two edged sword to giue them mortall wounds vnto other a broad Target to defend them from danger that it wrought so effectually in the daies of persecution when it was oppressed in darkenesse but now freezeth and hardneth in these daies of peace when the sunne of prosperitie shineth to all Surely as the Albeste stone once set on fire can neuer be quenched so if we could but once burn in loue vnfainedly with the Gospel our profession should not be so luke warme nor our deuotiō so smal in the cause of religiō And thus I haue bene bold with your Ho. to proue my first assertion wherein if I haue beene too long let me craue pardon and I will promise greater breuitie in my seconde proposition which is this that Poperie is a confusion of Heathenisme Heresie and Christianitie And that I may methodically proceede I will begin at their highest degree and so in order lightly touch so many things as may certifie your Ho. of the truth of their Religion Numa appointed one to bee a high Priest at whose iudgement all temporall and spirituall thinges were administred the same is retained in the Church of Rome for the Pope
said euen as a man striueth to be deliuered in the pangs of death so he from his tribulation Iob that mirrour of patiēce did so delight in his suffrings that in one place he seemeth to accuse God himselfe to adde to his transgressions that is to make his sins seem greather then they were and how doth hee desire to plead with God about his affliction cursed the day and houre of his death Our sauiour would neuer haue warned vs that in the world we should haue sorrowe and lamentation had he not knowne that the smart of our sufferings would thrust foorth abundance of teares through the vehemency of the paynes and presently hee addeth a secret comparison between a woman in trauail a christian in persecution so that as the one hath most vehement sorrowes and pitifull lamentations so also may the other infinite testimonyes might bee brought for the proofe of this to teach vs that God his children are made of fleshe as well as of spirite and the fleshe is weake though the spirite bee willing therefore wee may feare and cry vnder the burthen of our paines that our afflictions are bitter vnto vs and that the hand of the Lord is grieuous vppon vs. Againe for the comfort of the godly I speake this that if any haue grieuously complained of their sufferings let them impute it to the sharpnes of their paines and the weaknes of their natures wee see this Naomi calleth bitternes vnto her such as shee woulde not willinglye take except it were for the phisicke of her soule and nowe almost ten yeares space this griefe hath growen vppon her so that it may seeme of all others shee was most grieued for now she vttereth her minde as freshlye as if the potion were yet vndigested in the stomacke Be comforted therefore my sorrowfull brethren and sisters you see you are not alone in this miserie for Dauid Iob Naomi Annah Nehemiah and many other are as farre indebted to the Lord in this pointe as euer was any striue to suppresse it by prayer and quench it by singing of psalms neither let vs iudge but charitably of those which in this case are troubled bee it for the losse of their children the death of their husbands the decay of their wealth or the lacke and want of their health If they seme impatient and weaker then our selues let vs beare parte of their burthens vppon our christian comforts that they with vs we with thē like seling members of the same infirmities may sustaine our crosses by our mutuall supplications and obtaine our deliuerance by the bloud of Christ I went out ful In these words she amplifieth her former complaint by this comparison of a full vessell and an empty shewing that as the fullest vessell is the soundest the emptiest good for nothing so it fareth with her when she looketh vpon her former life when shee went foorth shee had plenty but now shee returneth in want then she was found but now broken then ioyfull but now sorrowful why should she be called pleasant or beautiful or by her old name seeing God hath humbled her whereas in times past hee vpheld her in prosperity but now hee hath cast her downe into aduersity Where wee first of all obserue the nature of worldly prosperity which to day is like a ful vessell but to morrowe like an emptye now it is greene anone it is withered now it groweth anone it is cut downe now like Nabuchadnezzar sitting vppon his throane with his counsellors and courtyers of estate about him but anone both Court and Countrey driue him to the companie of wilde beastes for as a little breache emptyeth the barrell so a lyttle trouble bringeth worldly welfare to wallow in the mire Therfore we read of none either king or country which had such a prosperous estate but it had one enimy or other to worke his woe if wee consider the raigne of Salomon where gold was innumerable and siluer as plentifull as stones yet it wanted not his miseries the people were punished by paiments to their prince the king was threatened which the losse of ten parts of his kingdome God stirred Hadud the Edomite against him where ended their peace Where is then y e roialty of Salomon was it not cast downe in one day his riches consumed his buildings burned his children captiuated his wisedome turned to idolatrie his posperitie decayed and al his honour ouerturned Oh that worldlings would consider their sickle estate and bee admonished of their iminent dangers the Lord putteth them into his balance finding them to light casteth them out Ieremy sayth they are but fatted sheepe kept for the day of slaughter now in the pasture and presently it the fire they are but aduanced to bee cast downe againe as the vessel is filled to bee emptied in due time the eares which are now full of corne in the field anon shall ly without on the dunghyll Babilon the queene of the world which ruled as yet was troden downe made a seruant Tyrus that crowned men with her wealth was consumed by warre for the Lord of hosts decreeth al this to staine the pride of glory to bring to contempt all that be mighty vpon the earth Weep weep O daughters of honor the days will come whē y e tēder shal not be regarded for your welth shal not al. ways endure the crowne abideth not from generation to generation your houses shall bee ouerturned your names forgotten your children impouerished your glory defaced your inheritance changed your welfare powred on the earth like water and your worship shall bee neuer repayred This haue God his dearest children felt and the greenest trees haue bene scorched which the fire of God his wrath for hee is not delighted in worldly brauery but hath buried great treasure in the sea which shall neuer bee found to keepe mankind kind from the ende of his purpose for this is their honour they get nothing but with much trauaile and in one houre loose labour life and wealth Secondly that which in our texte is the Lord hath humbled me in the hebrew is The Lord hath testified or witnessed against mee for by his iudgments hee humbleth vs as it ◠were producing witnesses to accuse vs of ous iniquityes as wee see in common iudgments all things passe by euidence if they be antient by witnes if it be late so the Lord when hee hath a quarrell against vs he first prooueth vs guilty by witnes of our sins and then punisheth vs for committing transgressions For this cause Moses commaundeth the book of the law to be laid vp in the side of the ark of the couenant for a witnes against the people so the Lord speaketh by Dauid Heare O my people and I will speake heare O Israel I will testifie vnto thee for I am thy God and after this hee reporteth his witnes against them first y t their sacrifices were corrupted
your pensioner hangbies and luke warme professors papisticall Atheistes which come to our Churches to sleepe and there dreame who being come vnto you make you beleeue that their dreames were the preachers sermons and you that are apt to beleeue lies beleeue liars But to come to the purpose you accuse vs for condemning good workes when we attribute no merites vnto them this we deny for the reason is like this None will become a papist but hee that hopeth to bee Pope so none will do good workes but hee that hopeth to bee saued or crowned by them If they graunt the latter then they must giue the former which I am assured many honest minded papistes would not bee though they might haue as much as the Popes father the Deuill offered Christ which was all the worlde Therefore as a papist is not a papist because hee woulde be a pope so good workes must not bee done that men might bee crowned by them Euery Catholike which beleeueth as the Church beleeueth must not presently steppe into Peters chayre no more euery one that doth a good worke must by that ascend vp into heauen Good workes haue another vse then to iustifie Because the eye cannot smell shall it therefore bee puld out noe it was created to see and not to smell because good works iustifie not shal no man do them God forbid they were giuen to the faithfull for outwarde testimonies of fayth and of God his spirite that by them they they might assure themselues and others to be sanctified and elected not that they should helpe in their saluation As the tree dyeth without the barke and fire is nothing without heate so workes without faith and faith without workes is cursed and vnprofitable Therefore wee say let euery one that calleth on the name of Christ depart from iniquitie eschewe euill and do good feede the hungrie cloath the naked visite the sicke and imprisoned harbour the harbourles prouide for children and widdowes yea and builde Churches and Colledges for the maintenance of God his worship and learning Yet we say we are iustified by faith we haue peace with God through our Lorde Iesus Christ by whome we were brought to this grace through which we stand glorie vnder the hope of y e glorie of God for all the works in the world cannot satisfie for one sin because there is none other name vnder heauen by which wee may bee saued but onely by the name of Christ Out of this first wee gather the goodnesse of God which of his owne promise and owne mercie accepteth that little obedience of faith which wee offer vnto him What can we doe to the fulfilling of the lawe if we keept all and yet fayled in one we had lost all our labour but if we kept one point onely and faulted in the rest it were like to a man that was bounde to pay ten thousand pound and should offer a shilling but we keepe none and yet hee accepteth vs in the death of his Sonne that our righteousnesse might abound to euerlasting life Nowe the vse of the mercy of God is that hereby wee shoulde bee made more fearefull and carefull not to offende him not as some imagine that hereby is giuen the greater libertie to sinne because the Lorde speaketh peace vnto vs in his beloued Christ for this is as the prophet speaketh being escaped out of a ditch to fall into a snare and as a man which is drawne out of a riuer should cast himselfe into the sea But the regenerate must bee more affraide to offend the mercy of God then the vnregenerate at his threatning iudgementes They will not sinne because they loue God the other will abstayne feare of punishmente the promises of the Gospell terrifie them more then all the terrors of the lawe for they find a sweeter comfort in the presence of the spirite then to rest in all the gardens of pleasure when they finde accesse to the throne of grace through the blood of Christ and by him all their infirmities couered their petitions graunted their sinnes remitted they at peace with God like ioyfull men discharged from euerlasting imprisonment they walke in holines and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of their life Oh that these mercies would sinked deeper into our hard harts that the force of the cogitation of the blood of Christ might both soften and mollifie purge and cleanse them from wauering and doubting wantonnes and presumption and prepare our fallow groundes fit to receiue the Lords owne feed his euerlasting word which is able to saue our soules Secondly by this when he saith vnder whose winges thou art come to trust the dignitie of the faithfull is commended vnto vs for they liue vnder the wings of the Lord Which is a Metaphor or borrowed speech comparing him to a hen which couereth her chickens with her winges shewing vnto vs that then wee are in safetie when wee are couered with the winges of the Lord. This our sauiour noted when hee saide that hee woulde haue gathered the Cittie of Ierusalem as a henne gathereth her chickens This dignitie of the faithfull is by many such speeches manifested in the scripture wherein the Lorde sheweth vs the care hee hath for our safety when he calleth vs the apple of his eye He sheweth his loue when he calleth vs his childrē his brethren and spouse to teach vs our dueties he calleth vs the braunches of a vine which are good for nothing but to bring forth grapes euen so are the godly pleased with nothing which they doe saue onely the worshippe of God This consisteth in the holy fellowship which the faithfull haue with God which Dauid faith bringeth life for euermore with whome is a well of life and the fulnes of all ioy And in another place the Lord saith Behold I stand at the dore and knocke if any man open I will come in and suppe with him and he with me and Iohn saith He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ he hath both the father and the Son Here is the comfort of the spirit that dwelleth in vs the assurance of faith which ouercommeth all the worlde the euidence of our saluation euen the confession of the Gospel with the mouth and the beleeuing in the hart the hearing of it when it is preached and praying in the assemblies of the faithfull for wheresoeuer are two or three gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them saith the Lord for he dwelleth among his saints the Arke is with his ministers the couenaunt or tabernacle of presence with them that feare him for euermore Oh who will not be drawne to be the member of Christes owne bodie the heauenly Temple for the holy Ghost to dwell in the sincere professor of true religion that they may haue both the Father and the Sonne Who will not open to the Lords knocking that hee may receyue the king of glorie for his guest
of spring and children of Bohaz which succeeded him first Hobed secondly Ishai and thirdely Dauid the king Of these parts and persons let vs briefly speake so much as serueth for the exposition of the Scripture and the satisfying of the tyme through the assistaunce and help of the spirite of God These are the generations Now that the holy Ghost had declared vnto vs this history of Ruth though briefly and in a fewe words yet in ample and large circumstances for the vnderstanding of his minde at the ende hereof hee annexeth the kindred of the personnes whome it chiefly concerneth that he might shew vnto vs that they were no meane or base persons for whom this history was compiled but such as descended of the noblest family in all y e world who were the appointed fathers of many kinges and that which is most of all the persons of whose seede our sauiour Iesus Christ tooke the beginning and substaunce of his humane nature And therefore in this place wee must declare the causes that moued the holy Ghost to be so careful in the rehearsing of the genealogies of the fathers for we must not imagine◠that hee mustereth not the names of those auncient persons to worke any wonder in our mindes at the recitall of them or that the scripture coulde haue beene perfecte without the seuerall generations therein described but wee must knowe that there were dyuers necessary and waighty causes by the iudgement of the auncientest and most approued wryters which moued the Spirite of God to intersert these genealogies First therefore according to the condition of all mankinde there is equally described the generations both of the godly and vngodly in the scriptures for this cause to shewe the multiplycation of mankinde of this sort are the generations of Adam Seth and Cain reported by Moses that hearing the number of mankinde so quickely multiplyed wee might the more earnestly giue prayse vnto God Agayne the genealogies of the sonnes of Noah are described vnto vs to shewe the replenishing of the earth the destruction of countryes and the restoring of the worlde But to come neerer vnto the matter wee must take this for a generall rule that the genealogies of the wicked are reported in the scripture for to shewe the blessing and loue of God vpon the godly and righteous men as for example the Lorde reckoneth vp the posterity of Ismaell the sonne of the bonde woman shewing vs howe great a people hee became and howe many Dukes or princes proceeded out of his loynes to shewe vnto vs the promise and couenant which hee made to his father Abraham that hee shoulde bee a great people was fulfilled and this serued to magnify and exalt the name of godly Abraham We read that the Lorde bestoweth a great genealogie vppon wicked Esau or Edom numbring or reckoning vp his sonnes and his sonnes sonnes his kingdome and the kinges of his seede that raigned after him for no other ende but to report and to manifest the blessing vppon godly Isaacke and Rebecca his parentes according to the oracle that hee gaue to his mother when shee demaunded and enquired the cause of the strugling or striuing in her wombe The like may bee saide of godlesse Cham for Noah his fathers sake of the sonnes of Iacob for Israels sake of Ephraim and Manasses for Iosephes sake By the which we gather and note this excellent doctrine that if the wicked haue any good it is for the sake of their godly and righteous parentes or frendes Wee see they should not haue so much as a name in the booke of God were it not for the cause of the righteous and godly we reade that when the Sodomites were ouercome in warre their people lead captiues and their goods spoyled by the company of Cedorlahomer then for Lots sake the Lord stirred vp Abraham and armed him with men and courage who wonne the victory recouered the spoyle brought backe the prisoners restored their goods and gaue them all libertie for godly Lots sake who was shortly after despised by them but they for their wickednes were burned in brimstone when righteous Lot was deliuered from them If Ioseph had not beene they had had no corne in Egipt If Moses had not beene the Lord had often destroyed the Israelites while they wandered and wauered in the wildernes For Iacobs sake the Lord increased the flocks of Laban For Iosephs sake he blessed the affaires of Potiphar for Paules sake he saued all them that suffered shipwracke at Myletum Euen so also he blessed the house of Obed-edomi because the arke was kept therein and at this day giueth greatest peace to those Countreys where his Gospell is promoted Let the atheists thinke if there were none that feared God they should quickly be condemned let the drunkards know if there were not some temperate persons their bodies should be quickly consumed let the couetous wretches assure themselues if there were not some liberall men their owne goods would turne to their death let the profaners of sabbaoths remember that if there were not some sanctifiers thereof their delightfull vanities would long agoe haue wrought their sorrowfull destinies let the contentious plaintifes be certified that if there were not some peaceable Christians among them their wealth had long agoe beene wasted for the prayers of the faithfull are like the walled Cities against the rage of enemies to keepe the vengeance of the Lord from falling vpon vs as the bloud of the Lamb spotted vpon the posts of the Israelites houses caused the angell to passe by them when all the first bornè in Egipt were slaine euen so the bloud of the lambe of God which is shead in the hearts of the godly maketh his messengers of death to depart from our countrey and kingdome If there were not a remnaunt among vs that are in league with the Lord that dayly are the hearers of his word the beseechers for his mercy and as the ambassadours of peace to disswade him from punishing our contempt of his word with condemnation our abuse of his creatures into pining famine our wantonnes in peace into lamentable warres our riotous liues into forraine captiuitye and our pampered bodyes to the slaughter of the sword You euen you that blaspheme the name of God if there were not a number that reprooue your abhominations the heauens would raigne downe stones to reuenge your accursed tongues you euen you that spend the Sabbaoths in dauncing and playing if there were not a company that refraine your pollutions you had beene cut off from your pleasure with some fearefull death before you had passed thus many dayes of securitie you euen you that thinke the preaching of the Gospell like the voyce of one that singeth whereunto you owe no more obedience then eare-seruice if there were not a remnant that heard the word of power which they beleeue is able to saue their soules you had beene many yeares since suffering the reward
that his promise which he had made vnto Adam should be perfourmed in his posteritie which was for the comming of Christ This promise was renewed vnto Abraham vnto Izaak and vnto Iacob and most plainely vnto Iudah the third sonne of Iacob who was the father and graundfather of this Pharez that the Scepter shall not depart from Iudah nor the lawgiuer from betweene his feete vntill Shiloh come and the people shall be gathered vnto him and againe vnto Dauid he swore that the fruite of his body should sit vpon his Throne both which promises or prophesies respect the comming and the raigne of Christ By this then we first of all gather the scope of the whole scripture namely that aboue all other it respecteth Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the world the Prince of peace the mightye King and the great Counsellour For this cause he himselfe speaketh to the Iewes Search the Scriptures for in them you thinke to haue eternall life and they are they that testifye of me Agayne Iohn speaketh in the end of his Gospell that the Scripture was written that we might beleeue in Christ And we reade that Apollo did mightely confound the Iewes proouing by the Scriptures that Iesus was Christ But most euident and playne is that of the Disciples going to Emaus and Iesus ouertaking them by the way it is sayd that hee began at Moses and all the Prophets shewing them that Christ ought so to suffer and that redemption and remission of sinnes might be preached in his name to all the world By the which it is most easye to be gathered and doeth necessarily follow that the summe drift and scope of the Scripture dependeth vpon Christ First because all the godlie that are named therein were eyther his Fathers according to the flesh or else the singuler types prefiguring his person such was Melchizedeck Ioseph Moses all the Iudges Samuell and the Prophets which although they were not of his naturall linage Melchizedeck excepted yet they did most liuely represent him Moses and the Iudges in this that as they deliuered the people from earthlye captiuitie so should hee redeeme them from euerlasting calamitye Samuell and the Prophets in this that as they instructed the Iewes in the lawe of the Lord which was giuen by Moses so Christ shoulde put his lawe in the inwarde partes of the Churche and teache them the Gospell of trueth theyr redemption wrought by himselfe the lawe of righteousnesse the words of eternall life Aaron and his fellowes in this that as they sacrificed for the sinnes of the people with bullocks and beasts and sprinckled the bloud with hysop for their outward cleansing so Christ sacrificeth his owne bodye and cleanseth from sinne thorough the sprinkling of his owne bloud Dauid and the Kings in this that as they ruled the people by theyr temporall lawes conquering theyr enemies and giuing them rest and worldly honour so Christ doeth raigne with the spirituall lawe of his word triumphing ouer hell death and sathan leading captiuitie captiue ascending vp on high receyuing gifts for men deliuering his Church from theyr aduersarye the Deuill bestowing vppon them spirituall peace and libertye giuing them the honours of hys Ministerie Word and Sacraments in this life present and Crownes of glory in the life to come Thus if wee looke vpon the Iudges they shewe vs our redemption If wee looke vppon the Kings they shewe vs our saluation If wee looke vppon the Prophets they shewe vs our instruction If wee looke vppon the Priests they shewe vs our reconciliation and if wee looke vppon the very names of the fathers of Christ which are described in the old Testament they teach vs that our names are also described in heauen and this is the profit we reape by the generation or genealogie of the faithfull to confirme vnto vs the true humanitie of our Sauiour So that heerein most liuely appeareth the dignitie of the Scriptures and the maiesty of Christ one mutually looking on another as the sunne doeth the starres and the starres the sunne for as the excellencie of the sunne appeareth by the glory of the starres to whome it giueth light so the maiesty of Christ is manifest by the scriptures to whome he giueth credit On the other side as the glory of the starres is magnified because it is the light of the sunne so the credit of the scriptures is exalted because they concerne the Sonne of God If the doings of earthly men be but paynted in some pamphlets tragedies or bookes of Chronicles we accompt them famous because their actions are commended in print what shall we then say of the Sonne of God whose workes excell the worthiest enterprises of all the world togither and are recorded by the holy Ghost the eternall God of trueth thoroughout all the sacred bookes of his eternall word farre aboue the credit of worldly commendations is not his maiesty incomparable Do we buy the bookes of earthly mens deuises to reade the fayned and doubtfull aduentures of Princes long since in their graues and shall we suffer this booke of the heauenly stratagemes of our Sauiour lye asleepe in the shops Compare their worthines togither you shall finde the difference as great as is betweene the light of the sunne and a little rotten wood glistering in the darke They ouercame some worldly Princes but he ouercame the Prince of the whole world they thorough a multitude of earthly souldiours but he thorough himselfe alone an infinite number of infernall powers they inuented politique lawes for their peaceable gouernment but he giueth spirituall precepts and ruleth by them the hearts of men himselfe they had the heads of many noble persons vncouered at their presence but he hath the tongues and knees of all them in heauen in earth and vnder the earth bowing vnto him yea the Angels do him reuerence for he is their head they prepared names of Ships to cut the seas but he could commaund the waters to beare him vp when he walked vpon them they had their glory in gold siluer pretious stones and soft apparell but he being on earth had his countenance like the brightnes of the sun his garments as white as the light they could digge in the earth to find treasures for their maintainance but he commanded the fishes of the sea to render him his want they were able vpon infinite charges to keepe great families but he without any charge fed fiue thousand men besides women children with a few barley loaues two fishes and caused much more to be taken vp then at the first was deuided among them finally they were able to destroie the bodies of men but he is able to destroy both body and soule they shewed themselues in outward glorie but he shall shew himselfe in flaming fire to render vengeance to all them that haue not obeyed his Gospell Therefore here must wee learne the maiestie of Christ euen in the Scriptures