day so within the compasse of sixe thousand yeares he will gather his Church by the ministerie of his word and the seuenth kéepe holy his euerlasting Sabboth Againe that Henoch and Elias the one in generation the other in computation in yeares being the seuenth from Adam the first in not tasting of temporall death as y e other sixe fathers before him was a figure of the last day the second being taken vp in a fierie chariote did prefigure the ascention of the elect méeting their Redéemer in the cloudes Hereupon they conclude that the world shall not stand aboue sixe thousand yeares And to prooue it shall not stand so long they alleage the saying of our Sauiour Christ that for the elects sake the dayes of our affliction shalbe shortened againe where the Angel Vriell answered Esdras about thrée thousand and fiue hundred yeares after the creation of the worlde that the time past was much more then the time to come and where it was prescribed in the lawe that about the euening of the sixt day the Sabboth should beginne And as the Israelites were deliuered from bandage by Moses in the sixt yéere so shall the Christians be deliuered from their wearisom bondage of this wicked world by Christ in the sixe age Then come they to ayme at a certaine yeare comparing the time frō the birth of our Sauiour Christ vnto his passion being thrée thirtie yeares with the time that Luther and other godly men beganne to preach the Gospell till the great persecution of the members of Christ in Germany by the Pope and Charles the fift being the like quantitie of yeares And the time from his passion vntill the destruction of Ierusalem a figure of the end of the world being fortie yeares with the time from the said persecution till the yeare of grace 1588. the like quantitie of fortie yeares They note moreouer that in euerie 7. and 9. yeare of mans life called Climacterian yeares doe happen great alterations and dangers diuers famous men haue ended their liues in the same as Luther Melancthon Munster Peter Martyr with diuers others so haue there happened in euery seuenth age of the world great alterations and changes and in the saide yeare 1588. the age of the world being deuided by seuen maketh iust seuen times nine or nine times seuen Againe after seuen times seuen was alwayes the yeare of Iubile hereunto agreeth an old Prophecie recited by Melancthon and translated out of Germanicall rime into Latin by Cyprian and after Englished as followeth When after Christs birth there be expired Of hundreths 15. yeares eightie and eight Then commeth the time of dangers to be feared And all mankinde with dangers it shall fright For if the world in that yeare doo not fall If sea and land then perish ne decay Yet Empires all and kingdoms alter shall And man to ease himselfe shall finde no way But leauing these learned men with their learned coniectures whose iudgements are yet more tollerable then those mockers which S. Peter speaketh of who shall come in the latter dayes and say where is the promise of his comming for since the fathers died all things continue in the same estate wherein they were at the beginning and let vs content our selues with the words of our sauiour Christ of that day and houre knoweth no man no not the Angels in heauē nor yet the sonne himselfe saue the father onely the day of the Lord wil come as a théef in the night as it was in the daies of Noe and Lot so shall it be in the day when the son of man will come they eate dranke married and were married and the floud and the fire came and destroied them all Yet our louing Redéemer of a singular affection to comfort his poore afflicted members hath forewarned vs of certaine signes and tokens which should appeare before his comming by the course whereof we may easily coniecture the euents following as the comming of Antichrist and his false prophets rumors of warres hungers and pestilence persecutions troubles abounding of wickednesse eclips of Sunne and Moone and the vniuersall preaching of the Gospell and left vs an example of the figge trée which beginning to bud doe manifestly shew that summer is neare And as beholding a man whose eyes waxe dim his eares deafe his head bald his face wrinckled his haire white and hoarie his backe crooked his legges twofold vnder him his tongue to falter his téeth to fall out of his head his bloud to be cold and his bodie féeble and sickely which are all incident to humaine nature they be euident tokens to shew that the ende of his naturall life is at hand Euen so when we sée these signes aforesaid come to passe they doe most certainely premonish and forewarne all the people vpon the earth whom the endes of the worlde are come vpon that the day of the Lord is not farre behind That Antichrist is reuealed and all these signes and tokens past alreadie all christendome haue felt the smart therof and our present age can witnesse So many authours of sects and brochers of deuilish heresies were neuer heard of before in any age from the beginning who hath not either felt or heard what rumors of wars vprores and blood shed in all lands For hunger and famine Samaria Ierusalem and Sanxurie with a number of other places where through extremitie they haue béene driuen to eate not onely venemous beasts and their owne ordure but also their owne children can testifie Again who hath not read or hard what wonderful strange eclips of sun moone terrible blazing stars glistering comets dreadful coniunctiōs of planets strange flashing of fire in the elements alteration of the heauens resembling as it were the coūtenance of the angry Iudge What raging swelling of the floods feareful trembling quaking of y e earth horrible tempests vehemēt winds vnseasonable wether what lothsome monsters other prodigious sights contrary to y e course of nature so as it seemes that al y e creatures of God are angry and threaten our destruction All which no doubt are Gods Heralds of armes to shew vnto the world that himself is not farre behind Againe the vniuersall preaching of the Gospell in spight of Antichrist and his cursed crew so as no Nation can iustly excuse it self and say they haue not heard the sound thereof And yet notwithstanding such grieuous abounding of all wickednes that if the Lord should not come quickly no flesh should be saued againe the earth it selfe waxeth weake and féeble for age therefore not so fruitfull as in times past plants and herbes haue lesse vertue Againe the yeares doe change their natural course euery yeare bringeth foorth new tidings euery liuing creature liueth shorter time then heretofore this is called aetas decrepita and therefore euen by course of nature it must néedes be that the day of the Lord is at
⧠A Summons for Sleepers Wherein most grieuous and notorious offenders are cited to bring forth true frutes of repentance before the day of the Lord now at hand Hereunto is annexed A Patterne for Pastors deciphering briefly the dueties pertaining to that function by Leonard Wright Newly reprinted corrected and amended Woe be to the inhabitants of the Earth and the Sea for the diuel is come downe vnto you whose wrath is great because hee knoweth that his time is but short Apoc. 12.12 Be sober and watch c. 1. Pet. 5.8 Happie are those seruants which the Lord when he commeth shall find waking Luke 12.37 1589. The Epistle to the Reader TO feede thy fancie with friuolous fables gentle Reader as to tell thee of drowsie Endimion who desired of Iupiter to sleepe perpetuall or Epimenides who in seeking his fathers sheepe tooke a nappe of fortie and seuen yeares long or those seuen supposed Saintes whom the golden Legend reporteth to haue slept two hundreth yeares and odde is no part of my purpose But rather as one in griefe of conscience for the zeale of my God what in me lyeth to wake and stirre vp those wicked and sinfull sluggards whom the cursed serpent in Paradice aboue fiue thousand fiue hundreth sixtie and two yeares past applying not the sinne of the sea calfe to their heades but that inchaunted apple of perdition to their hartes hath so venoumously infected with contagious poyson of iniquitie and lulled so soundly a sleepe in the carelesse cradle of securitie that neither the golden belles of Aaron the thundring trumpe of Esay the well tuned Cimbals of Dauid the pleasant harmonie of the Euangelists nor the sweete comfortable pipe of Christ himselfe could once as yet allure them to repentance and amendment of life trusting that God by this my plaine rough Summons penned without feare or flatterie shall now in the dawning of the day ring such a peale at the dore of their conscience as shall either moue them at length to loue him in his mercies prouoke them to feare him in his iustice or leaue them vnexcusable in the day of vengeance But of all the sinfull crue of napping sleepers in generall is lately reuealed vnto vs one notable and pestiferous sect especiall most odious to God grieuous to his Church dangerous to the State and noysom to the common wealth of whom the holy Ghost by the penne of the Apostles hath most louingly forewarned vs decyphering them in their colours with titles correspondent to their manners as couetous bosters disdainefull mockers false accusers murmuring complainers dissembling hipocrites Authors of sectes and despisers of authoritie hauing a similitude of godlinesse but haue denyed the power thereof in whom Sathan hath transformed himselfe into an angel of light whose restlesse rage doth manifestly shew the ruine of his kingdom at hand These vnder a colour and shadow of religion are so vehemently set on fire to shake off the yoke of obedience and seeke innouation as nothing is thought tollerable but what they like and what they allow must onely stand for law whereby the church is torne in peeces authoritie contemned vice aduanced vertue neglected and all men in opinion wonderfully distracted Looke where they do loath euerie mite is made a monster euerie gnat a cammell and euerie trifle a trespasse which must be curiously ripped vp and made open to the view of the world But where they like mountaines are no moates nor beames no blemishes loue must couer the multitude of sinnes and all thinges smothered vp with a shew of holinesse Their pretence as their Captaine saith is to marre the Prelate the auncient graue Pastors reuerend Fathers and chiefe pillers of our Church the middle corde of that threefold cable the onely anker staffe and stay of our common wealth much like those rauening wolues which by no meanes would enter league with the poore sheepe vnlesse their Mastiffes whom they feared were deliuered vnto them but dangerous was that peace and simple were those sheepe to yeelde their dogges to such as sought to pray vpon their carkasse They resemble in diuers points that notable and presumpteous crue Iack Straw and his fellowes who being diuelishly incensed with mutation pretending a cause of libertie stirred vp such trouble ciuil discention in this land as nothing could appease vnlesse the king would graunt to put downe all the nobles and prelates reseruing onely a few to be of his counsell and the rascall rable of begging Friers to liue of the peoples deuotion much like the prelacie which these new deuising church-founders are now so desirous to haue established who must be no Bishops to beare the state and title of honor but superintendents to controll Princes no beneficed men and why because it bringeth a charge as frutes tenthes and subsidies to her Maiesties cofers hospitalitie to their neighbors and generall reliefe to the poore but must liue popularly with their feete vnder other mens tables and their tongues tyed to other mens purses But Iack Straw was taught to know how horrible a thing it was once to lift vp either hand tongue or hart against the Lordes annointed or doe his Prophets any harme by sheathing the Maior of London his dagger in his bosom So woulde these be learned to vnderstand that the word of God doth teach and our English lawes command obediently to honour the Prince and reuerence the Prelate To conclude gentle Reader I craue only thy friendly censor without partialitie not forgetting the good Hermit who hauing three of his friendes come to visit him for want of better dainties to entertaine them bestowed on euerie of them an olde apple halfe putrified with spots The first friend to shew his affection deuoured his apple hartely sound and rotten together as it was The second more nice then wise because his was spotted in part disdainefully threw away the whole The third making choice of the best reiected onely the rest So doe I wish thee not with the first friend to deuoure the badde with the good neither with the second to cast away that is good because of some bad but with the third to accept and vse that is wholesom and refuse that is lothsom Vale in Christo. Leonard VVright A Summons for Sleepers AFter that the Apostle Saint Paule had taught the Romanes many notable lessons and rules touching the doctrine of christian faith charitie and obedience to Magistrates In going on to exhort and perswade them to repentance and amendment of life hee taketh occasion to speake of time of sléepe of light and of darkenesse And that considering the season saith he that it is now time that we should wake from sleepe for now is our saluation nearer then when we belieued The night is past and the day is at hand let vs therefore cast away the workes of darkenesse and put on the armour of light c. This worde dormire to sléepe in some places of the holy
and rage without al measure much like new wine which without some vent is lyke to breake the caske as though Gods spirite inforced man to passe the bounds of Christian modestie These like euill birds that beray their owne neast or hatefull snatching curres neuer cease barking and rayling in open audience at their fellow ministers yea and such as their faultes and blemishes beeing rightly waighed are fewer in number and lyghter in waight than theyr owne whose innocent liues are able to confute theyr viperous slaunders vtterly despising all those in whom they see any infirmitie of man as though themselues were some airie spirites Especially such as they perceiue more pleasant and sociable of nature or more delighted in mirth and honest pastime for their health and recreation than agréeth with their owne Stoicall disposition or if his gifts in preaching doe not altogether satisfie their fantasticall humors and his doctrine applied to the seditious vaine though the man be neuer so honest in life and conuersation nor so carefull and diligent in discharging his duetie according to his talent yet in the eies of these vehement accusers he is but a dumbe dogge salt without sauour a bell without a clapper and a feeder without food the children say they doe crie for meate but he hath none neither for himselfe nor them except they will haue whole loues as though he could do nothing but cast the Bible at their heads Such a wise reason made that late sprung vp heretique Browne a brother of theirs when he compared God to man that loued potage well that as a man might be glutted with too many potage so might God with one praier often sayde Thus they accuse without truth iudge without authoritie and condemne without triall whereby the poore Ministers of the Church who of a good conscience doe keepe themselues within compasse of order and indeuour to continue the people in due obedience to the same are despised defaced and shaked vp in open audience as though they were most grieuous and notorious offenders yea Iesabel was neuer more madde against the true Prophets Herod against the innocents nor the Scribes and Pharesies against Christ himselfe than these seuere censors are agaynst their poore brethren to bring them into hatred and discredite amongst the people to the end that by one meanes or other they might hitch them out of their liuings and enioy it themselues Yea such is the miserie of our daies when youth are so fantasticall to inuent and age so senslesse to credite that the one is brought into fooles paradice and the other into open dotage béeing thought a thing séemely and tollerable for a young scholler of small learning and lesse wit before hée be either ripe in knowledge gouerned in life or reformed in manners to pricke vp into the Pulpet blushing like a blacke dogge to controll discredite and deface the ancient graue Bishoppes and reuerend learned Fathers of the land much like as a proud beardlesse Boie should sit in a chaire with a rod in his hand teaching and Saint Augustine and Chrisostome to say their lessons In whose iudgement they are but lasie loiterers dumbe dogges Popish doctors men pleasers and theyr Churches no better than dennes of théeues béeing growne so farre past shame and voide of all humanitie that now they fall from reasoning to plaine round rayling scoffing iearing deriding and threatning of buffets with bent fists insomuch as no state or degrée can scape their venemous tongues They looke like Lions léere like Foxes hisse like Adders barke like dogges and if they durst they would bite like Tygars so malitiously measuring other mens doings by the crooked line of their owne imaginations that I think if wise Salomon and learned Paul were here in these daies the one would bee taken for a foole the other for a mad man Dumbe dog is a great word in their mouths that sermon where dumbe dog is left out is not worth a pinne it fits not their fancie for why their whole felicitie is in barking and snatching yea rather than cease for want of other they would barke at the Moone and seauen Starres They are much like the dogge that Cicero speaketh of that being set in Capitolio a tower in Rome to fraie théeues left the theeues and fell a barking at true men whose doctrine and example of life tends onely to this end to driue the Quéenes subiectes to a lothsomnesse and misliking of the present gouernment and order established to discredit her Maiesties supremacie to deface her Ministers and contemne her lawes to surfet the Church with Schismes and infect the common wealth with factions And if wisdome in time doe not preuent it then folly in trial wil surely repent it To vse the laudable ceremonies of the Church they make it an hainous offence but in disobeying the Princes lawes backbiting their superiours slaundering their brethren disquieting the Church abusing the office of godly preaching by their vaine seditious pratling they make no offence at all They séeme very diligent and studious but it is rather for nouelties and varietie to make an eloquent show that by the persuasible words of mans wisedome they may delight itching eares than for sound doctrine to conuert sinfull heartes they vse cunning persuasions with faire golden phrases but as Absolon did to steale away the heartes of the people from Dauid they proclaime publik fastings but as Iesabel dyd to kill Naboth For vnder colour of reformation they séeke to rob God of his honour the Prince of her due and the Clergie of their liuings being as is supposed instruments of some others who by their meanes séeke to make the Church a mark to shoote at and a carkasse to praie vppon to the spoile ouerthrow and vtter confusion of Church learning religion and all Deuisers and fanciers were neuer good either for Church or common wealth So Iudas vnder a pretence of holinesse desired to haue the ointment solde for a greate summe to relieue the poore withall but his purpose was to get the money into his owne bagge so was it pretended that the lands of Abbies Colleges and Chantries should haue bin imployed to the inriching of the king maintaining of schooles and reléeuing the poore but they are put to maintaine pompe pride and superfluitie Faire words and wicked deeds deceiue both wise men and fooles Thus when vnder the name of a Sermon these greate builders haue tossed their fantasticall doctrine such as Peter neuer planted nor Paul neuer watered before the light beleeuing multitude with such an outward shew of holinesse that Ladie hypocrisie her selfe could not more fitly handle the matter spitting out their poison with cutting girdes disdainfull glikes and pretie biting nips against orders established Bishops Ministers Magistrats and all so farre as they dare Then like vnto the late rebels that rose in the North in the end of their traiterous proclamations to blind the multitude pray for the Quéene
like Symon Magus that walked with Phillip as a disciple yet wrought with mony like a worldling Achabs wife would neuer put on demure apparell but when she spake with the Prophets nor our dissembling Protestants bee neuer holy but at Sermon times They heare and desire like Saints but liue deserue like deuils they can looke and speake holily whereby they séeme glorious before men but their workes are naught and therefore odious in the sight of God whose outward behauior is much like cloudes without raine whereby God himselfe doth mocke such fruitles showes These hypocrites therefore are possessed with deuils thy sléep in sinne and it is high time to awake them Though the obseruing of the Sabboth day touching bodily rest do belong to the Ceremonial lawe and shadowes which had an end in Christ being therefore altered from Saterday do Sonday yet as the Iewes did celebrate theirs in remembrance of the creation of the world so ought wee to obserue and kéepe our Sabboth in remembrance of the resurrection of Christ and as a figure to confirme our hope in the resurrection of our owne bodies and our spirituall rest in glorie to come as also for a comely and decent order to bee vsed in the Church that in resting from bodily work we may charitably assemble together to the end the Lord by the preaching of his word may bring forth his worke in vs to his owne glorie and our saluation but our Sabboth in many places is so vilely abused as though it had bene rather ordained to serue Bacchus and Venus the people beeing growen so carelesse negligent and licentious to feast when they should fast play when they should pray and laugh when they should wéep for their sins as though there were neither God nor deuill heauen nor hell As euerie honest nature hath affection good will to his natiue soile and place of birth so ought euery good Christian to haue a godly desire to the soile of his regeneration place of his new birth by Baptisme which is the temple of God the schoole of Christ nurse of Christianitie to make open confession of his sinnes and rehearsal of his faith to intreate for pardon pray for things necessary giue thankes for benefites past to celebrate the Sacramentes to heare and learne his duty and right way to saluation to beléeue truly liue honestly and walke vprightly If the ground yeeld not sappe to the tree it will soone seare and wither away if the lampe be not fed with oyle it must needes goe out if any liuing thing bee kept from nourishing it cannot liue euen so if the faith of a Christian doe not receiue continual sap and moistnes of the heauenly word fed with the oyle of swéet promises in Christ and nourished with the wholesome bread of life it cannot continue but consume and die The séede of the Gospel must stil be sowne in our harts or we cannot reape the haruest of eternal life where prophesie faileth the people perish When the Lord of a manor appointeth his tenants a day to come to his Court the rolles are laide open the Stuard is ready prepared to giue the charge the tenants are dutiful to come attentiue to heare and diligent to execute their Lordes will and if any shall chaunce to be absent or come after the charge be giuen no doubt the Lord wil be very angry and set a fine vpon his head euen so the Lord of all Lords of whom and at whose will we haue receiued and do hold all that euer we haue doth euery Sabboth day kéepe his court at his temple Church or house of praier his rolles the sacred Bible is layd open the Stuard or Minister is ready to giue the charge and tel euery man his dutie and if any of his tenants or people be absent and refuse to come no doubt the Lorde himselfe will be angry or if they come after the charge when seruice or sermon is done they were as good not come at all Againe such a dutiful tenant as desire to stand in his Lordes fauour will nowe and then prepare and bring him a present such as he knoweth his Lord loueth but no present is more pretious in the sight of our heauenly Lord than the praiers thankes of an humble penitent hart and therefore he that will please him and stand in his fauor must often féde his appetite with such presents The Papists of a blind zeale in time of darknesse would not stick to rise vp at midnight to publike praier fast with bread and water suffer hunger and colde run some times an hundred mile bare footed and bare legged to séeke a dumbe image but our professed Protestants hauing the true light of the Gospell their praier and deuotion is faint colde as ise and their disobedience greater than their fathers ignorance When they come together it is rather of compulsion custome or fashion sake than of any godly zeale much like a sullen stubborn and froward seruant that when his maister calleth him commeth grudging with a sowre moiling countenance mumbling a dogs pater noster and with lesse reuerence than those thréehalfepeny seruants that Esop hired to heare him recite his fables The Apostle S. Paul saith that forasmuch as man is the image of Gods glory he ought not in time of prophesying or prayers to couer or dishonor his head and in another place At the name of Iesus euery knée shall bow and the Prophet Esay Al knées shal bow vnto me saith the Lord. The méetest gesture and séemliest behauior at praier and thanksgiuing is knéeling so praied Daniel Paul and Christ himselfe but our people are growen so stubborne wilfull and wayward that in stead of humilitie and reuerence they fall to kicke at their dutie thinke scorn to vncouer their heads in time of sermon or seruice for hurting their cappes Or to knéele at the name of Iesus for wresting their ioynts Or looke vp to heauen when they pray for wrinkling theyr ruffes These people are therfore possessed with deuils they sléepe in sinne and it is high time to awake them In times past he that had learned the seuen liberal artes as Grammer the key of knowledge Logike the rules of reason Rethorike the mother of eloquence Musicke the swéet recreation of wearied minds Astronomie the secret knowledge of nature and course of the heauens Arithmetike the arte of numbring Geometrie to worke by rule compasse waight and measure he had obtayned and gotten euen a worlde of wealth treasure But in these our wretched daeis the eight liberall science called Ars adulandi the golden art of flattery hath wonne the gole and sitteth in fortunes lap so that without skill in that arte though neuer so well séene in the rest a man shal hardly finde meanes to shift in the world Qui nescit simulare nescit viuere These flattering clawbacks students of brazen face colledge are no doubt a most dangerous
is nourished and gouerned doe dayly preach vnto vs The bewtie of the heauens the wholsomenesse of the ayre and the plentifulnesse of the earth do daily teach vs the pleasant valleies delightfull springs and rich mines of treasures do dayly instruct vs the goodly fruitfull trées medicinable hearbes and swéete fragrant floures more gloriously attyred then Salomon in all his royaltie doe dayly admonish vs aske the beasts of the fielde the fishes of the Sea and the foules of the ayre and they will tell thée and say we were all created and ordained for the vse and profite of man Yea our Sauiour Christ himself calleth daily vpon vs Yong man arise Damsell arise Lazarus come forth dead sinner awake but their eares are deafe their mindes obstinate and their senses without féeling Séeing thē that God hath knocked at the doore of our consciences by so many and sundrie meanes and of his mercy hath tarried waiting so long for amendement it cannot be but great vengeance must néeds follow Hainous sinnes doe call downe grieuous plagues euery kingdome deuided within it selfe saith our Sauiour Christ shall be desolate but England by sects factions heresies and schismes is deuided it it selfe the Lord of his mercy defend it from that which followeth If God so sharpely punished one sinne in Adam and the Angels what may we that haue committed such a multitude of sinnes looke for If we shall yéeld an account for euery idle worde what reckoning shall wee make for such horrible offences both in words and actions God is said to haue féete of leade but hands of yron hee commeth slowly but when he commeth he payeth home as one man smiting another the higher he lifteth vp his hand the greater is the stroke euen so the longer that God tarrieth looking for amendment the greater will his punishment bée when it commeth If we will not glorifie his name in repenting and turning vnto him he will glorifie himselfe in reuenging and heaping plagues vpon vs. He is the God of iudgement and Lord of reuenge at whose word the very heauens doe tremble the earth doth quake the mountaines shake hée is a wise and righteous Iudge hee searcheth the very secrets of the heart and reines he wil not be mocked nor deceiued neither will excuses goe for payment in his sight hée is righteous and iust in al his dealings faithful and true of his promise his word is alwaies most certaine and sure yea and Amen that except we repent we shall all perish in our sins those that refuse his mercy so louingly offered shal surely féele his iustice To fall into sinne commeth of humaine weakenesse but to lye still and sléepe in sinne after so much teaching by his creatures his worde his writings his Preachers and his owne example is proper onely to the waywarde impes of Sathan Sodome and Gomorre Tire and Sidon the Niniuites and Quéene of the South shall rise vp at the last day and condemne this generation for if the doctrine and miracles which haue béene shewed amongst these had béene done amongst them they had long since repented in sackecloth and ashes Though I be earnest beare with me I touch not those that be good and say too little to such as bee naught I appeale to God who knoweth these things to bée true and to the worlde who cannot for shame denie them And if I haue said nothing but the truth then blame not me but go about your owne amendment for séeing that all flesh haue so corrupted the Lords way that such abhomination is wrought amongst men and the measure of iniquitie heaped so full it must néeds follow that the iudgements of God are not farre off No doubt his bow is readie bent the arrowes of his vengeance are drawne to the heade his fire is kindled and his wrath is gone out and readie to be powred vpon the contemners of his lawe and therefore high time to awake from sinne When Dauid killed Vrias committed adultery with his wife he slept in sin but being awaked by Nathā the prophet he repented earnestly when Mary Magdalen was possessed with seuen deuils she slept in sinne but being waked by hearing the sound of Chrstis Gospel she lamented pitifully whē Peter forsware his master he slept in sin but being wakened at the crowing of a little cocke he went out wept bitterly It is a common vsage in cities great townes to awake the people from sléep and giue them knowledge that night is welnigh gone the day at hand either by playing of waites ringing of bels sounding of trumpets or singing of Psalms and in country villages the Cocke is a necessarie bird for the same purpose euen so the Preachers of the word as Waites they haue played vnto you as trumpets they haue soūded out the word of life vnto you as Belles they haue rung out his heauenly will vnto you as Psalmistes they haue sung his wondrous workes vnto you and as Cocks they haue crowed and warned you to prepare your selues forasmuch as y e night or time of darkenesse is welnigh spent and the day of saluation at hand And as a litle after midnight the Cock doth crow a litle while and then ceaseth about thrée of the clocke somewhat longer and when it draweth neare day very long and thicke euen so in the time of king Henry the eight our English Cocks began to crow a litle and afterward in King Edwards daies somwhat longer but now in her Maiesties happie reigne they haue crowed aboue thirtie yeares together and now to warne you that the night is past and the day is euen at hand they crow thicke thicke and therfore it is time now or els neuer to awake from sin and cast away the déedes of darkenesse Whiles the husbandman slept the enemy came and sowed tares amongst the wheate while the foolish Virgins slept without Oile in their lampes the bridegrome came and shut them out from the wedding for as much therefore as we know not when the maister of the house will come let vs awake vp and watch least he finde vs sléeping beholde I come as a théefe sayth the Lord happie is hée that watcheth and kéepeth his garments of fayth and charitie lest he walke naked and men sée his filthinesse watch sayth the Apostle stande fast in fayth be strong continue in prayer and quit your selues like men for the time is at hand Some learned men by certaine coniectures haue painted out the time and season of the last iudgement alledging the Oracle of Elias y t the world should stand two thousand yeres before the law two thousand in the law and two thousand in the time of grace and out of saint Peter a thosand yeares with God is but as one day one day as a thousand yeares And as in sixe dayes the Lord made the world and rested the seuenth