calling for helpe cryeth as one helpeles My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And where as he had sayd that who so beleued in him should not see death for euer yet he himself both suffered death and was buryed in the sepulcher Here if we were led by humayne reason we should with Cleophas and his companion say Wee hoped that he had bene the redemer of Israell whiche should haue saued vs all but now he himself is dead Howe shal a dead man saue vs and how can he which is slain haue an euerlasting kingdom You see howe this name Pele was not without special cause geuen to this child whō it doth by that name of sauiour represēt For so he is in deed the true sauior redemer which deliuereth vs from all our sinnes and miseries And so it pleased him by hys pouerty to blesse vs with spirituall riches by the tauntes and checkes which he suffred to deliuer vs from euerlasting shame by his crosse to bring vs to eternall honour and glory by his weaknesse to giue vs eternall strength and by his death to giue vs a flourishyng lyfe and to abolish our death by dying hymselfe All these he hath done and daily doth in vs when he maketh vs like himself that is to say weake in body but strong in spirite base lowe and contemptible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very ofscouringes before the world but the vessels and instruments of glory in the sight of god And thus he suffereth vs to dye that the Infidels may thinke there is no difference betwene a Christian and no Christian as Turke or iewe But yet our death is precious in the sight of the lord neither doth he suffer vs to abide in death All these things are great meruelous wonderful and far passing our reason and vnderstāding yea far exceding all the strength power effect working of our nature An other name is Ioetz that is councel For though this Pele doth lead and gouerne vs thus wonderfully by his crosse ignominy maketh vs glorious yet are we ignorant rude fayntharted fearfull and therfore is it necessary that he merueilously prouide for coūsail and help vs For it is not in our power and strēgth to endure and stand in trouble and persecutiō But what counsel geueth he verely cleane contrary to the world The world willeth vs to beware flie and eschue the cros affliction to reuenge our selues But Christ casteth hys seruantes into trouble and vexations and therein trieth them as gold is tryed in the fire furnace But yet so that he comforteth them alwayes most louingly as it appereth in Ioh. where he saith vnto the Apostles Be of good chere I haue ouercome the world And a little before he sayth Ye shall weep and lament the world shall reioyce ye shall sorrow but your sorrow shal be turned to ioy and your ioy shal no man take from you What els I pray you is the whole sacred scripture but a plentifull and rich Pharmacopole whence wee may fetch present help and most fruitfull and sound comfort for all sicknes calamities and euils as Paule witnesseth saying what soeuer things be writtē afore tyme are written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might haue hope For hee whiche speaketh in the scriptures is almighty and both can will help vs alway His word is not spoke in vayne but al things are done which he hath promised Yea the holy ghost himselfe whiche is the spirit of truth is our comfort and help For thus we read in the book of wisdome O Lord neyther herbe nor plaister healed thē but thy word which healeth all things hath made vs safe And Ionathas the high priest saith vnto the Spartanes We Iewes stand no nede of the societie and friendship of the Gentiles hauing the holy bookes which are in our hands for our cōfort And now I pray you what trouble what affliction what calamity or what dāger in al this world cā be so great how great so euer it be against which the word of god that most holesome and holy gospel cannot minister giue most holesom plētiful perfect sound consolation and comfort seeyng that it promiseth not only corporal but heauenly help And the promises therof are by Christ confirmed established and sure yea and Amen If you read better read all the workes of the Heathen philosophers you shal find nothing in them and yet their whole study trauel was to find some comfort against death wherin you may take true cōfort All their arte al their knowledge all their wisdom and all the remedies that euer they found are nothing if thei be compared but with these two comfortable sentences in Mat. The first is Feare not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soule Here you see the immortalitie of the soule of which the Ethnikes speake euen as blynde men of coulors But the words folowing which is the second are not vttred by any philosopher but by Christ himself the euerlasting truth and very true lyfe Euery one sayth he that beleueth in the sonne of God hath euerlastyng lyfe and I wil raise him vp in the last day Here you haue the resurrection or rising againe of the flesh of which the Gentils and the whole world with all their wisdome had no knowledge Go to then if any be in the agony of death or assailed with the tempests of persecution afflictiō either els vexed pinched with the bitter dolors terrors of conscience for his sinnes as soone as he shal lay hold on these two sentences by faith lay them vp in his hart he shall find comfort haue true and plenteous consolation For he hath forgiuenes of his sins sure hope of euerlasting life nay rather he hath life alredy because he is in Christ Christ in hym This in dede is true counsell For all mens counsels consolations are vaine momentany cannot help deliuer vs in extremity peril danger but the counsel of the lord doth abide continue for euer God the father commaunds vs to heare this counsailor saying Heare him The 70. interpreters haue expounded this word Ioetz the angel of the great counsail beautifiyng Christ with the notable and apt epitheton giuing him the proper title For Christ is the legate angel of the great counsail of the triple vnitie and most holy trinity and is also the eternal wisdom of the father The third epitheton or name of the child is El it signifieth strēgth fortitude or God as the 70. interpreters haue translated it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the mighty god This name conteineth a singuler cōfort For it telleth vs that Christ doth not only prouide for vs by the word of his gospel but also is presēt with vs doth mightily help vs faithfully perform to vs those
signifie that long after the captiuitye of Babilon whē there was none of the stock of Dauid to sit on the kings throne that thē Mary Christ out of Mary should spring as out of a dry stock as Ierom saith Now this prophesy must needes haue bene fulfilled therfore must the house of Dauid before the byrth of Christ be depriued of all kingly glory and be contemned and counted as it were an old vnprofitable withered balke which came to passe in those 129. yeares in which after Ianus Hircanus Asmonay that is to say Iudas with his kinsfolke nephews and posteritie executed the office both of the spirituall and secular power In those yeares the house and stock of Dauid came to such pouerty and contēpt that it was thought a thing vnpossible that so great a king should come out of that so dry a roote being now so long withered dead For when the trib of Iesse was most cōtemned then was Siloh Christ borne in the vile and abiect Bethleē the Citie of Dauid And therfore the Iewes whē Antiochus beganne to vex them and when the Machabees tooke vpon them the priestly and kingly dignity might easely haue coniectured and by euident signes haue sene that the tyme was now at hand in which Siloh should come Moreouer there is no cause why that short time of the Machabees raigne should trouble vs neither is it much to the purpose for though they were not at all of the tribe of Iuda yet did they gouerne in the place of the tribe of Iuda and Dauid and prouided for the tribe of Iuda defended and preserued that tribe and Beniamin togither with the priesthode and their religion euen vnto the tyme wherin Siloh came For the tribe of Iuda had neither kinges nor princes neither of them selues nor of their stock and kindred neither yet any of their affinitie that bore rule but it was altogether vnder the subiection of others Iuda and Beniamin returned from Babilon the tribe of Leui was mixed with these tribes as the minister of the lord And after this sort Iuda obteyned and had rule of the politick gouernment ¶ Anna. You haue satisfied and resolued me in that doubt of the Machabees ☞ Vrb. The parentes of Christ being of the stock of Dauid were remoued from the gouernment not long before the byrth of Christ like it was so to be Gods will that before that tyme both those principalities of the Iewes to wit both the spirituall and temporall dignity of the Priests and Princes should come to one tribe or person seing Siloh was at hand who being the annoynted of the Lord should be both a priest and king in Israell and should purchase vs the blessing and him selfe raigne for euer ¶ Anna. Might not the Iewes here say that Siloh nether is nor signifieth that promised Messias and so wrast this promise from vs deride it For they perchaūce wil alledge that there is another kind of prince of passing great prosperitie specified and foretold here in this place so wilfull vnflexible and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is stifnecked be they when the are vrged and conuinced with the vnuincible Scriptures ☞ Vrb. They cannot alledge any thing that hath any shew or face of truth so plaine apparaunt and forsable is this prophesy with the falling out or fulfilling of it neither doth it agree with any other nor can be applied to any other but onely to Christ For Christ began his kingdome after the same forme and manner in all thinges as the prophet foretold yea and euen about that time that the scepter was taken from Iuda And now since that time the Iewes for this 1576. yeres and more haue had nether prince nor prophet and as well that secular as ecclesiastical gouernment hath his end Besides these their owne Maister and Doctor Schlomo whome they cannot gaynsay affirmeth that Siloh in this place is and fignifieth Messias And you knowe that Thargum hath Messias in steade of Siloh What soeuer therfore the Iewes heare obiect it is nothing at all but their foolish hasting doltish obstinacy egregious impudency and malicious peruersnes ¶ Anna. But how can you gather the state and condition of Christes kingdome out of this word Siloh ☞ Vrb. Well and easily if you diligently consider these wordes that follow And the people shall bee gathered to him or to him shall the Gentiles flow in for so is it nerer the Hebrew text For by these wordes we learne that Christes kingdome is a spiritual kingdome For to him shall many nations conuert or come and flow into him and obey him and that not by compultion of sword or armour but willingly and gladly Other of the Iewish kinges haue borne the secular sword and with it haue subdued and bridled men and that both in their owne kingdoms and countries and also oftentimes in their borders adioyning and yet is there not one of them now remaining but in order they haue all ended their dayes But this Siloh ruleth and holdeth the scepter not for a short time as the other kinges of the Iewes did but for euer that is to say he raygneth for euer and his kingdome extendeth and spreadeth it selfe not ouer one onely part of the world not into Iuda onely but ouer all the earth And this he doth not by dint of sword nor with puissaunt armies of souldiers but onely by his word for his kingdome is a maruelous and spirituall kingdome where the subiects come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is with lusty courage willingly chearfully redily of their own accord with great ioy of hart submit themselues to this king Wherfore in subduing them to him he neadeth neither sword nor weapon For as sone as he speaketh but his word which of all thinges is most sweete and pleasaunt straightway they which be his heare his voyce and willingly gladly follow him For he entreateth all that be his courteously and gently and ruleth not imperiously and tyran lyke but offereth himselfe most gently seruisably and redily to helpe ease and deliuer all men And this his spirituall kingdome doth Moses famously with figuratiue speaches paint out as both what the order of it should be and how it shal be gouerned saying He shall binde his asses fole vnto the vine and his asses colt vnto the best vine in wine shall he wash his garment and his cloke in the bloud of grapes his eyes shal be red with wine and his teeth white with milke All these wordes haue a misticall sense and speake of the administration of the word and gospell because our Messias through the holy spirite ruleth his kingdome by his word in which he speaketh such thinges of Gods great loue toward vs which geueth vs his sonne to deliuer vs from all misery and calamity both of body soule as are most acceptable comfortable and pleasant to the eare which as soone as man doth heare he greatly reioyseth and runneth to Christ
other like Of this strange vnctiō of his which is proper to himselfe the Prophet Esay and Christ himselfe in Luke sayth thus in these wordes The spirit of the Lord is vpon me therfore he hath annointed me Here he speaketh not of a corporall vnction or of baulm where with all they accustomably annointed themselues on their heads hands iointes in their mirth and bankets and wherwith they consecrated their kinges and priestes Christ would not haue vs thinke that he was annointed with such a corporal vnction For he sayth The spirit of the Lord is vpon me He speaketh therefore of the vnction of the holy ghost with which he was anointed to be an holy and euerlasting priest and kyng which the 45. Psalm noteth in these wordes Thy God hath annointed thee with the oyle of gladnes aboue thy fellowes That is God hath consecrated and annoynted thee a priest and king not with earthly baulme for thy kingdome is not of this world but with the spirituall oyle of gladnesse that is with the holy ghost by which likewyse all men beleuing in Christ are consecrated and ordered for spiritual kings and priests and are made partakers of this oyle of gladnesse but yet mesurably As for Christ he was annointed without measure more aboūdantly plētifully liberally infinitely then all Christians in the world For we receiue the spirite but after a measure one beyng beautified with one gift and another with another euery one enioying his owne particularly and no man all vniuersally But the spirite of God was giuen to Iesus without measure He is ful of grace and truth and of his fulnesse haue all we receyued And here it appeareth that Iesus is not a common 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 annointed But that chiefe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ or Messias which was promised in the scriptures should come into the world and all to bewater and replenishe it with his grace As the Prophete Daniel prophesied Seuenty weekes are determined vpon thy people and vpō thy holy citie to finish the wickednes and to seale vp the sinnes and to reconcile the iniquitie and to bring in euerlasting righteousnes to seale vp the vision and prophesie and to annoint the most holy And a little after he calleth Christ by his proper name saying After 62. wekes Christ shall be slayne c. But of this prophesie God willing I will speake more at large in another place Thus also may you read in the Gospell where whē Iohn Baptist had shewed Christ to Andrew the Apostle and had said Behold the lamb of God Andrew sayd to his brother Simon We haue found the Messias And by by Phillip in the same place sayth to Nathaniel We haue found him of whom Moses did write in the law and the Prophets And Nathaniel sayd vnto Christ Rabby thou art the sonne of God thou art the king of Israel This Messias did all Israel carefully watchfully and hartily desire and waite for For they had heard so much of Messias in the scriptures that they had conceiued a good and certayn hope and doubted not but that at his commyng they should be deliuered from those perils calamities discommodities and violences which they suffred and from all other iniuries and euils which either publikely or priuately vexed them And they hoped also that al things should after the comming of Messias goe well with them so that they all theirs should haue a most happy and prosperous state euen a world of wealth and a flowing sea of all felicitie As it may euidently be gathered of the womans wordes of Samaria in the gospel of Iohn which sayd to Christ I know Messias shal come which is called Christ When he is come he will tell vs all things Iesus sayd vnto her I that speake vnto thee am he Consider now here with your selfe how great true pure and precious comfort we may take of these two names of Christ Iesus signifieth saluation or a sauior or els importeth the same that the worde God doth And Christ or Messias is as much to say as annoynted For there is vnderstood in this name the vnction of grace and mercy which God promised vnto vs in his sonne And now what would we more what can we wish more or what need we more nay what is there that we haue not if we be once annointed with this oyntment For if we constantly beleue and be thorowly perswaded that God hath giuen vs Christ to be our priest and our king to the ende he may be our saluation consolation iustification and redemption then vndoubtedly it must be as we beleue Because he hath firmly promised that he will do it if we beleue it He cannot lye or deceyue vs because he is the very truth it self Wherfore if we wil stedfastly and faithfully beleue those things which he hath promised by that faith shal we be iustified and saued ¶ Anna. O good God what exceding comfort do we conceyue and what great ioy and pleasure haue we in hearing these words God our gracious father vouchsafe to giue vs a true and constant faith least we reape no fruit of this his infinite offred grace and fauour ☞ Vrb. Amen ¶ Anna. I pray you take paynes to recite the other names which are giuē to Christ in the scriptures For I feele my hart refreshed and filled with a maruelous and vncredible kynd of comfort sweetenes and pleasure which riseth of these two names and my fayth is wel increased and confirmed with a good knowledge which I haue here gotten of Christ ☞ Vrb. It were a tedious thing to explicate them all one by one and agayne they offer themselues to be opened in their due places in the prophesies which are of Christ yet will I not sticke briefly to recite thē here without further exposition of them Christ is called A king in Zachary 9.9 An euerlasting Priest Psal 110.4 A propitiatory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 3. A reconciliation Hebr. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reconciliation for the sinnes of the world 1. Iohn 2.28 A deliuerer and redemer Esay 48.20 and 60. 16. Mat. 20.28.1 Cor. 1.30 A redemption 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 1.68 Our mediator 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Tim. 2.5 Our aduocate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Iohn 2.1 A sacrifice and offering for sin both in committing omitting any thing against Gods commandement Esay 53.10 An offring and a sacrifice of a sweete smelling sauour to God for vs Eph. 5.2 The lamb of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world Iohn 1.36 Our righteousnes knowledge sanctification and redemption 1. Cor. 1.30 The light of the world Iohn 12.46 Our maister Iohn 13.13 The seruaunt of God that is obedient to the commaundement of God for vs Esay 42.1 The way truth and our life Iohn 14.6 Our resurrection Iohn 11.25 The beginning the first borne of the dead Col. 1.18 The first begotten amongest many brethren
God hath shewed the king what shall come to passe hereafter In this prophesie is the tyme prefigured in which Messias would come and begin his kingdome by his Gospell and holy spirit First in an humble base habite but afterward at his latter comming in glory and power S. Hierome vpon this text sayth that in the end of these kingdomes a stone that is our lord and sauiour Christ was cut frō the mountaine without hands that is he was borne of the virgin Mary without the seed of man Wherefore it is manifest that Messias in his former comming in great humilitie would not come in the flesh and begin his kingdome before the last Monarchy which is the Romains Empery For Daniel sayth in the dayes of those kingdoms that is whē the three first Monarchies be ended and the fourth last that is the Romaine Monarchy doth florish and rule the roste and when it is tossed and troubled with tumults then shall the kingdome of Christ be erected and begunne and it shall destroy the Romish empire But it is to wit Christes kingdom shal abide for euer All other kingdomes of the world haue their borders limited and their dayes numbred which beyng expired the kingdoms decay and come to naught But that great and mighty kingdome of Christ shall haue no end it shall neuer be dissolued but shall abide for euer and euer neither shall it be in a part or corner of the world as in Europe Affrike or Asia but in the whole world As Daniel witnesseth where he speaketh of the image that Nabuchadonizer saw saying Thou beheldest it till a stone was cutte of the mountayne without handes which smote the Image vpon his feete that were of iron and clay and brake them to pieces Then was the iron the clay the brasse the siluer and the gold broken altogether and became like the chaffe of the sommer flowers and the wynde caried them away that no place was found for them and the stone that smote the Image became a great mountayne and filled the whole earth This stone is Christ to whom is giuen all power as wel in heauen as in earth that he may rule with power in euery place And Daniel saith agayne in the 7. chapiter where the foure Monarchies are vnderstood by foure beasts that Christ should come and beare rule in the tyme of the fourth Monarchy that is when the Romaynes should rule Let vs now gather by the seuenty wekes in the 9. chapter whē the tyme should come and how long they had to looke for Messias and whē he should begin to rule By this reuelation of Daniel the Iewes are plainly and mightely conuinced that Christ according to the Prophets foretelling is alredy come on thousand and fiue hundred yeres ago For first the angel sayth in the 9. chapter out of which I recited the wordes of the prophesie before that there were seuenty wekes determined and appointed for the people of the Iewes and the holy city Ierusalem after which 70. wekes the people and priesthood of the Iewes should cease And the whole state of the kingdō should be destroyed For after that time appointed God determined that al Ierusalem shold be ouerthrown that the Iewes shold be partly blinded and partly destroyed We must also vnderstād that the angel speaketh not here of such wekes as consisteth on seuen dayes For so seuenty wekes woulde scarce make two yere But he speaketh of such wekes as seuen yeare do make but one weke and so seuentie wekes do make foure hundreth and ninety yeres For so the scripture speaketh in other places And the same phrase and maner of speaking is vsed in Leuiticus And so also al men indued with the spirit of prophesiyng haue hitherto continually vnderstood it Note diligently by the wordes of the prophet how great things should happen in the dayes of Messias how wonderful the power of his kingdom should be These are the wordes of the prophet To finish the wickednes and to seale vp the sinnes and to reconcile the iniquity and to bring in euerlasting righteousnes and to seale vp the visiō and prophesie There had bene Moses and many other doctors of the law who had taught commaunded them to do thinges honest godly and forbiddē things that were euill and wicked but none of them all did any thing preuaile For sinne once reueiled by the law became greater and more sinfull For nature without grace though she be neuer so much admonished or instructed vnto honesty and godlines though she be neuer so much moued pricked forward vnto pietie and obedience towards God will yet for all that play her wonted prankes and run her old race followyng her fansie goyng on as she was wont Nay thenceforth after such admonition she becommeth worse and worse more vnhappy wicked more inflamed by heat of lust to offend So then sinne remayned and could not be taken away but as Paule witnesseth to the Galathians our offences afterward became greater heauier and more more without ceasing And therfore was it nedefull that Messias him selfe should come and mend this matter bring helpe with him otherwise our case had bene worse worse and we had fallen into greater and greater euils As Paul preached in the Actes saying Be it knowen vnto you therfore men and brethren that through this man is preached vnto you the forgeuenes of sinnes And from all things from which ye could not be iustified by the law of Moyses by him euery one that beleueth is iustified For Christ was therfore sent from the father made man that he might satisfy for the sinnes of all men obtain for vs the holy ghost and eternall lyfe and so indue vs with perfect righteousnes which before God is auaylable to wit with the christian fayth of which the law and the prophetes foretold many thinges And so it was meete that the visions and prophesies should be fulfilled that is it was conuenient that those things should come to passe which the Sears or Prophetes which were inspyred and illuminated by the holy Ghost had seen and foretold of Messias For all the Prophets and euen the law it self prophesied vntil Iohn And the holyest of holy or most holy shal be annoynted at that tyme This is Christ the Lord and king of all holynes who was sanctyfied by the holy Spirit far aboue his fellowes and was called by God his heauēly father in his baptisme his wel beloued sonne He onely is to be heard as the true Preacher Lord Master of all the Prophets His word is to be imbrased To him only with tooth and nayl must we cleaue And vpon him only must we beleeue Seing then Christ was to be looked for within seuenty weekes that is within 490. yeares at which time he should begin his kingdome We must here search where and when these seuenty weekes should begin and then we may
created that God by the sonne made the world Whereupon the Hebrew tonge called him Amon because he was and wrought with his father as a most witty and excellent workeman in framing the heauens and earth and by this eternall wisdom the father created all things But this wisdome was neither made nor created because it is not a creature but the creator himselfe and yet begotten of the father from euerlasting And he greatly delighteth to be with mē Which thing he plainely declared in that great worke of his sauyng and holy humanitie which he tooke vpon him for vs This wonderfull great grace and saluation S. Paule calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Loue towardes man because the sonne of God although he stoode no neede of vs loueth vs with such an ardent zeale that for our sake he vouchsafed to become man and was like to vs in all things except sinne from which he was pure He truly tooke vpon him our nature that he might be in vs and we haue euerlasting lyfe in him But I need not bring many proofes and testimonies for the confirming of the euerlasting natiuitie of Christ For where so euer the Scripture intreateth of Christes true Godhead there doth it also firmely and without questiō proue his natiuitie to haue bene without beginning For if he be God and yet not the father as the scriptures do plainly notablely and distinctly make difference of the persons by their properties in Diety then is he another person and not God the father and yet no new nor strange god For seeing that there is but one eternall God it cannot be sayd that God the Sonne is yonger then God the Father as naturally it is amongst creatures that the begetter should bee before the thing begotten God cannot be comprehended in time but is euerlasting and immutable and therfore the sonne in eternity must be like the father So that it cānot be sayd there was a time in which the sonne lyued not and was afterward made It may be thus said of creatures but not of the eternall word which was before all beginning and was with God and the same word was God and all things were made by it Therfore Christ is the only begotten sonne of God as God begotten before all time the naturall sonne of God because he hath the same nature which the father hath who begot him as Hilary saith We may make similies not agreeing in deed in euery point to so great a mistery yet such as wherby we may after a sort vnderstand these great mysteries as far forth as mans mynde can conceiue of them Well then to make a simile to expresse Christes eternitie with the father If this visible and corporall sunne in the firmament had bene without beginning then the bright and beautifull light of the sunne or the sunne beame which commeth and issueth out of the sunne into the whole world had likewise also bene without beginnyng as wel as the sunne and yet the sunne should not procede from the beame but the beame from the sunne and the sunne neuer the more should not haue bene before the beame but both together at one instant and from euerlasting ¶ Anna. I pray you geue me some testimonies out of the Scriptures for the godhead of Christ ☞ Vrb. When Moses that worthy prophet by the holy spirit beginneth his book and speaketh of the creation of all thinges he maketh mention of the sonne of God and calleth him the word In the beginning saith he God created heauē and earth And God sayd let there be light and there was light and God saw the light that it was good In these wordes we may first see the person of the father where Moyses sayth God created God spake And afterward we may also see the person of the sonne For he is not onely God but he speaketh the word which worde was with God in the beginnyng and is the second person in the godhead And seing that God by that speaking or worde created all thinges it followeth necessarily that the worde which he spoke was before all creatures that it was also god And the word could not be a creature seeing God by the word in the beginning made and created all things In asmuch then as the word was not a creature and seeing it was with God the father before all time and al creatures when as yet there was no creature made it followeth of necessity that the word is eternall and true god For what thing so euer is neither creature nor contayned in time nor hath beginning that must needes be true God seeing that between God the creator and the creature there is no mean but what so euer hath any beeing is ether vncreated or created either the creator or creature If therfore the word which God spake be no creature for by the word al creatures were made so the word was the maker of all things made it followeth that this word must needes be true and eternall God. And this word is the sonne of God which in tyme became man as Iohn sayth The worde was made flesh that is true and naturall man And the euangelist Iohn beginneth his gospell which this text of Moses where he saith thus of the blessed dietie of Iesus Christ In the beginning was the worde and the worde was with God and that worde was god The same was in the beginning with God all thinges were made by it and without it was made nothing that was made This testimony proueth euidently and strongly that Christ is true and natural God for that word is very Christ which in tyme was made flesh ¶ Anna. I pray you husband do so much as expoūd these wordes more plainly for they farre exceede my simple wit and capacitie ☞ Vrb. Nay not this article only but all the articles of our christian fayth farre passe and exceede mans wit and reason But if you can subdue your reason to fayth you shall easily perceiue and vnderstand them all For it is not in this respect in spirituall things as in worldly matters we first perceiue know a thing in our owne reason before we beleue it But in the mysteries of the sacred worde the vnderstanding of these articles proceede of faith we must beleue before we see the reason According to that of Esay If ye beleeue not surely ye shall not be established But let vs interprete and expound these wordes In the beginning that is when the creatures which before were nothing tooke their beginning to be something For before that beginning of the creatures there was no beginning For as then there was nothing but god alone who had no beginning but was from euerlasting The word was in the beginning Do thou marke He saith not the worde begun in the beginning but he saith when all things did begin the word was alredy before with god The substance or essence of the word tooke
moueth sedition bloudshed warre strife brauling grudging debate hatred He neuer slepeth he is alwayes watching he daily traueleth laboureth very sedulously and all to this ende that he may hurt man bryng him into some misery destructiō of body soul name goods He stirreth vp most cruel persecutiōs sharp stormes and poisonfull hatred against the godly To be short what euil calamity wickednes abhominations diuelishnes is done in al the earth he is the causer therof and to speake at a word he hindereth as much as in him lieth the gospel kingdom of Christ and laboreth both day night with all his might with hand and foote with tooth nayle that the territories therof be not augmēted enlarged But al his force studies and practises shall be frustrate For we haue on our side with vs the angels the good spirits of god which repugn and resist Satan Yea we haue Christ himself with vs who is a fiery brasen wall about al that faithful that the euil spirits do thē no harme nor iniury but that they may be in safety and with out danger Satan is an horrible enemy in deede so forceable that vnles god by his holy angels hindered and destroied his deuises withstood and resisted his assaults there should be no family in the whole world in which he should not euery day cause worke wickednes slaughter calamity tumultes sorrow debates mourning all kind of mischief nay rather he would disturbe destroy dissolue ouerthrow and make a confusion hauocke of the whole world he is an euerlasting irreconcilible bloudy deadly sworn enemy to al the godly And he maketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bellum continual war without any truce vpon the godly euen to the last day And therfore we must both morning euening euery day giue thanks to God because that of his fatherly mercy towards vs he doth so wondrously so mightily and so gloriously defend and kepe vs from so cruell horrible mischieuous mighty and noisome enemies ¶ Anna. We ought so to do in dede And I wil do it with all my hart with all diligence as my duty is For we are bound to be thankfull to our good father God almighty because he hath in such great dangers so carefully prouided for vs preserued vs from all enemies and euils For we haue often seene how these wicked sprites lay wait for vs and seke by al meanes to endamage vndo and destroy vs But God hath opēly frustrated all their assaults And now I pray you recite expound the prophesies of the mystery of our fayth to wit of the death resurrection and kingdome of Christ which we haue now in hand ☞ Vrb. I wil first begin to recite the testimonies of the Psalmes as I haue done before For of al the prophets Dauid is the floure for he prophesieth much plainly euidently of Christ who should be born of his familie or tribe according to his humanity of all his workes mysteries You haue heard before how the kingdom of Christ was described in the 2. Psal. where God the father did not onely constitute his sonne king ouer the Iewes but also gaue him the Gentils of the whole world for his inheritance Wherupon it followeth that Christ should not abide in death although he died as true mā of the seed of Dauid For it was requisite that accordyng to the decree and statute of God the father he should be king ouer the whole world Which thing could not haue bene in any corporall worldly maner as the Iewes dreamed that Messias should rule haue in this world a great corporall kingdom And therfore it was necessary that the state and condicion of Christes kingdome should be altogether of another sort then the kingdomes of this brickle frail life are Christs kingdom was to be euerlasting he which is in that kingdō shal for euer haue euerlasting righteousnes peace safety life felicity eternal saluation And therfore he endeth the psal with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conclusiue exclamation Blessed are all they which trust in the lord But he speaketh not of a tēporal blessing here in this world For the king himself and his chief nobles his welbeloued prophets and apostles had no great plenty here of worldly welth and pleasure of this life but were miserably afflicted and always subiect to many grieuous perils calamities In the 3. Psal. Dauid saith I take my rest and sleepe I rise agayne for the lord sustaineth me The old church a thousand yeres ago vnderstood this prophesie of the true death and resurrection of Christ as appeareth by Arnobius And againe Dauid saith O giue saluatiō vnto Israel out of Sion when the lord turneth the captiuitie of his people then Iacob shal reioyce and Israel shal be glad Here Dauid in sprite desireth and godly and feruently prayeth Messias who onely is called in the holy scriptures the true sauiour and redeemer seeing both the Iewes and Gentiles by him are deliuered from all euils and perils that they may through him and in him enioy euerlasting blessednes S. Augustine also taketh these wordes to bee ment of Christ And take this wife for an infallible rule for you in the scripture that in so much as there is but one onely deliuerer giuen of God vnto men by whom they may be iustified and saued that Christ is truely properly certainly ment signified and vnderstood in all those and such places where there is mention made eyther of saluation sauiour redeemer or deliuerer whether it be spoken in figures or playne and manifest wordes For seyng Israel and Iacob that is the catholike church beyng congregated of the Iewes Gentils should be glad reioyce in Christ they must liue in peace and security That cannot be vnles such troubles be taken away the conscience be comforted death abolished These words therfore importe and plainly shew that our redemer out of Sion or as it is in Thargum our redemption saluation which is Christ himself shal take away destroy all those things that trouble afflict that godly to wit an euil conscience tribulation sinne persecution and all kind of vexation death it self c. For of necessity he must lead captiuity captiue that is he must ouercome Satan who hath vs in captiuity and he must deliuer vs from his tiranny Christ in the Psalmes sayth My flesh also doth rest in hope For thou wilt not leaue my soule in hel or in the graue neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruptō Thou wilt shew me the path of life In thy presence is the fulnes of ioy at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore We can haue no surer nor better expounders of the prophets then the Apostles and Euangelistes And Peter and Paul haue expounded this prophesie to be ment of Christ saying that he should
briefe they are true Israelites in whō there is no deceit or fraude because Christ their king blesseth and gouerneth them by his holy spirite and renueth regenerateth them maketh them which were bloud-thirsty and enuious very myld men and patient sufferers of all harmes that happen so that beyng hurt they hurt not agayne nay they wish well vnto their enemies they blesse them that curse them and doe good to them that hurt them Forasmuch then as appertayneth vnto themselues they neede no swords but only for the infidels and wicked which must be ruled restrayned by the sword and by force least that the godly and good liuers be oppressed hurt by them As Esay sayth of the kingdom of Christ They shall do no hurt neither do any iniury in my holy hill because the earth shal be filled with the knowledge of God euen as the sea with flowing waters And Micheas prophecieth of the peace which shall be in the kingdom of Christ saying But they shall sit euery man vnder his vine and vnder his fig tree and none shall make them afrayde And Hose sayth I will make a couenaunt for them in that day that is when Messias shall rule with the wild beastes and with the foules of the heauen and with that that creepeth vpon the earth and I will breake the bow and the sword and the battail out of the earth and will make thē to sleep safely And Zachary saith I will cut of the chariots from Ephraim and the horse from Ierusalem the bowe of the battail shall be broken and he shall speake peace vnto the heathen These things are not to be vnderstood corporally and grosly as the blinded Iewes and Chiliastes did dreame but spiritually of the heauenly peace in the spirituall kingdom of Christ If therfore the Gentiles through all the world according to this prophesie ought to run vnto the Lord into the church or christian religion and receiue the doctrine therof and be partakers of that true peace it was needefull that Christ should rise agayne that he might erect restore and establish that great kingdom which consisteth of the Iewes and Gentils For as yet the Gentils when he dyed knew not who he was Nay the very Iewes themselues could not abide this their king wherupon the prophet warneth euen the Iewes in the ende of his prophesie saying O house of Iacob come ye and let vs walke in the light of the lord that is in his gospell in the fayth of Christ And Esay comforteth the people of the Iewes prophesieng vnto them that although the Iewes should suffer a great destruction and haue a miserable fall yet many of the Israelites should escape all those euils obtaine that euerlasting ioy and incomparable comfort which God promised saying In that day shall the bud of the Lord be beautifull and glorious and the fruite of the earth shall be excellent and pleasaunt for them that are escaped of Israel Then he that shal be lost in Sion and he that shall remayne in Ierusalem shal be called holy and euery one shall be written among the liuyng in Ierusalem when the Lord shall wash the filthines of the daughter of Sion and purge the bloud of Ierusalem out of the midst therof by the spirit of burning In these wordes the prophet foretelleth how glorious and honorable this kingdome of Messias should be And he speaketh properly of the tymes of the new Testament wherein Christ adourned hys kyngdome his Church with beauty aboue measure and with all the giftes of the holy ghost For he washeth cleanseth and sanctifieth his daughter Sion that is the church with holy baptisme by his bloude Hee mortifieth the olde Adam by the spirite of iudgement and of fire And seeing that the churche her selfe must fight here in the fleshe against most wicked and vile enemies and seing that she is here on earth in great daunger Christ her almighty king doth promise her comfort defence ayde and helpe in all aduersities and calamities that she may bee safe vnder the protection of the most high For hee shall be a cloude for his church in the day tyme and a fire lightnyng it in the night as hee visibly deliuered his people out of the house of bondage as we read in Exodus where it is sayd And the Lord went before them by day in a piller of a cloude to leade them the way and by night in a piller of fire to geue them light that they might goe both by day and by night hee tooke not away the piller of the cloud by day nor the piller of fire by night frō before the people Note here that the prophet calleth our Lord Christ the budde or blossom of God and the fruit of the earth because Christ is the sonne of God naturally and also the true sonne of man to wit of the perpetuall and pure Virgin Mary of the tribe of Dauid He is called the fruite of the earth because he tooke his holy humanitie of the daughter of Adam which Adam was made of earth This prophesie the Iewes vnderstood both in Babilon and afterward also of Christ For Thargum Ionathan sayth At this tyme the Messias of the lord shal be our ioy and glory ¶ Anna. Cleophas and his companion by this prophesie might easily haue vnderstood that Israel should not quite perish because Christ died For if it was meet that he should bee the fruite of the earth that is to say naturall man what meruaile is it then if he died But in that he was the budde of the Lord it was not possible that he should abide in death For then should God himselfe haue remayned in death which thing is vnpossible Wherfore he was able both to raise vp and deliuer hymself and other from death Moreouer seyng that not all which were in Ierusalem and in Sion but the remnant only should be holy and numbred amongest the elect it must needes be that there were some wicked men in Ierusalem and so consequently enemies to Christ For holines and wickednes cannot agree What maruayle was it then that these prophayne and wicked bishops and princes deliuered Christ to death But yet for all that he was able to deliuer Israell yea death it selfe was the way and meane whereby God had determined to saue Israel as the Prophetes haue sayde and yet not by force armour and the sworde as the Iewes dreamed but euen by his holinesse as it seemed good vnto the Lorde But it appeareth in Luke that those good disciples as then neither knew nor vnderstood the person and ministery of Messias to wit that he both could and should by death destroy death ☞ Vrbanus You say well and therfore doth Christ call them fooles and slow of hart to beleue and vnderstand all thinges which the prophet spake of Messias But marke what Esay sayth of Christ First he giueth Christ this worthy warriours name calling him Maher
been before him and raigned in the seat of Dauid For Ieremy saith that he shall execute iustice and iudgement in the earth through the whol world cōdemne destroy the wicked make them which were vniust and sinful very pure righteous For his kingdome is a kingdome of true iustice and innocency And Iuda Israel that is both those people shall haue help of him not that the x. tribes shold returne out of Assiria into Samaria and there haue a king of their own and set vp a corporall kingdome as Iudah had before time in Ierusalem when they liued vnder Dauid and Salomon with peace and quyetnes but that they shold haue a spiritual help through Christ who should deliuer them from sinne and death that so they might dwel boldly and safely that is that they might haue their consciences quyeted appeased and mery as men which now by faith in Christ haue their sinnes forgeuen are at peace with God through Christ So that they need not dread nor feare death or any other euill because that this wise king the most pure and florishing blossome of righteousnes is made the righteousnes of all Christians that all faithfull beleeuers the spirituall Israell consisting both of the Iewes and Gentils may through faith receiue the holy Ghost which testifyeth in their harts that they are the children of God heyres of God and coheires with Iesus Christ and so with bouldnes of siprite say with Paul We are perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Is not this a famous help and a strong and firme fortresse for the godly that they can say we know that we are translated from death vnto life That is the holy spirite hath taught vs by the word and heauenly vnction that Christ hath freed vs both from sinne and death and that we by him after death shall rise from death and liue for euer This is that hope of Israell which neither Gentil nor Infidel hath Now marke what noble and miraculous works of diuinity which none could doe but very God him selfe the prophet ascrybeth to this sonne of Dauid He sayth He shall execute and set vp iustice and iudgement in the earth And he shall iustify others Ergo he must not only outwardly but also inwardly purge the hart and forgeue sinne And this is only the worke of god For it is he onely that can change a wicked and malicious hart and it is he which can illuminate and regenerate vs and none but he And agayn if he can forgeue sinnes he can also abolish death which is the reward or stipend of sinne and the sting of death If then he could ouercom death and make vs righteous and geue vs euerlasting life he is true God which can only in deed deliuer vs from our sinnes and eternall death and geue and preserue true tranquility and peace If then Iudah and Israell that is the hole church of the godly shall be delyuered from their sinne and death then must it needes follow that they shall liue with Christ for euer Here then in this prophecy if we marke it wel we may see that Christ should dye as the naturall sonne of Dauid but not abide in death but that he should iustify and saue Iudah and Israel that is to say his people the godly and faithful And for this cause should he first rise again from death that he might rayse his Israelites that is his faithful from death and that he might purchase for them and geue them eternal life securitie for euer For if he should haue geuē them peace but for a time he should not truely and in deede haue delyuered them neither were it a true tranquility and peace Wherfore it was necessary that that peace and saluation which he should geue his elect should continue for euer and euer Thus then in this short prophecy haue we this eternall king together with his death resurrection and euerlasting kingdome expresly and soundly descrybed And so doth Ieremy again teach vs in the 33. chapter calling the gospel the voyce of ioy which God speaketh to Israel and Iuda For the law only sheweth Gods wrath and punishment but the gospel that new couenant promyseth meere grace and redemption And then he prophesieth how the helpe and redēption which this king bringeth shal extend it selfe to all people farre and nere The people of God in tyme past soong and spake of the great benefits of god how he brought them forth out of the land of Egipt and deliuered them by many marueilous miracles but when Christ that sonne of Dauid shall come then shall they gloriously triumph and tell of farre greater good gifts of God to wit how Christ hath brought and deliuered vs out of the hellish black Egipt and kingdome of sin death and euerlasting damnation and gathered not onely the Israelites after the flesh but all his elected children in all the world out of all nations into this Church of the godly which thing hath ben done euer since the Apostles time euen to this daye For wee which beleue in Christ haue a more excellent and notable captaine then Moses and Iosua Wee haue Iesus Christ for our captayn who hath deliuered vs out of the bondage and howse of the spirituall Pharao to wit from the captiuitie of Sathan This eternall redemption doth euery day renew in vs the remembraunce of our god so that we say the Lord liueth who hath deliuered vs from sin death and Sathan hath brought vs from all errors to the true knowledge of the Gospell This is a spirituall deliueraunce and bringing out of Egipt and a spirituall kingdome where in wee see Iudaisme should once cease Christianisme by Christ our king be set vp through all the world and therefore it was conuenient that he should rise agayne that he might erect this kingdome vpon earth and conserue it for euer To which sence the prophet speaketh saying Therfore behold the day is come sayth the Lord that they shall no more say the Lord liueth which brought vp the children of Israell out of the land of Egipt but the Lord liueth which brought vp and led the seed of the house of Israell out of the north country and from all countryes where I had scattered them and they shall dwell in their owne land Here we must note that all temporall deliuerances which the Iewes had here vpon earth from the hands of earthly tyrants and the gentiles were but figurs of the true and euerlasting deliuerance which we haue by our Messias Christ of which in this place to speake is not to our purpose The prophets for most part set downe such circumstances in their writings that we may well gather they had a farther respect then
commaundements and word of God. Is not this promise full of comfort where he sayth I will heale Israells backsliding that is he will pardon all their offences and neuer be angry with them any more for their sinns In which promise Christ the throne of grace is included and comprehended For these determinations of God is that he will forgeue sin to no man that he wil loue no man and that he wil receaue none vnto grace by any other meanes but by his deerely beloued sonn who is become our onely redeemer mediator recōciler bishop priest propiciatory or throne of grace as Paule affirmeth saying We are accepted in his beloued by whome we haue redemption through his bloud euen the forgeuenes of sinns according to his rich grace It is manifest therfore by the firme foūdation of the apostles doctrine that Hoseas here speaketh of Christ although he name him not seing that there is no other reconciler which can turne the wrath of God from vs but onely Iesus Christ Wherefore I haue often sayd that where the Lord promiseth his grace redemption forgeuenes of sinns righteousnes lyfe and health that there is Iesus Christ promised by whose death and pretious bloud we are reconciled to God the father and receaue forgeuenes remission of our sinns true righteousnes and lyfe euerlasting There followeth in the text more promises but expressed in figuratiue wordes For he taketh a similitude of the dew of roses of Libanō and of the oliue tree which wordes import nothing els but the great felicitie of Israell or christifidelians after that they beleue and are receaued in the grace of God and obtaine forgeuenes of their sinns Is it not an exceeding great felicitie to obtaine forgeuenes of our sinns to be counted righteous before God and to receaue the holy ghost with all his gifts and by the same to be healed vp in fayth Which is the receauing of that great pretious and heauenly earnest peny that is the spirite of God the father and the son which doth assure vs that we be the children of God and so his heyres and coheyres with Iesus Christ what I pray you can he want which hath the Lorde for his inheritance This prophesy chefely taketh place in the tyme of Christ when the gospell brought forth fruite throughout the whole world and christs heauēly kingdome was builded in euery place that Christ the king of glory be imbrased for our God and sauiour through fayth by which we are made the children of God and shall prayse him for euer together with his holy angells to whome we shall be like in the world to come in the resurrectiō of the dead the glory whereof exceedeth all that the hartes of earthly creatures can conceaue but it is now hid For we are as yet but blessed in hope but when our king the prince of glory shall come in his maiestye to iudgement then shall our felicitie be made manifest To be short the Lord shall be the defence bulwark comfort helpe solace and sound felicitye of Israel But the Prophet speaketh of a greater defence comfort helpe and benefit thē this world hath or can vnderstand The kingdome therfore of Christ is a kingdome of blessing wherin we inioy aboūdance of all goodnes The prophets prophesied that this deliueraunce helpe comfort and kingdome should be a continuall and spirituall not a tēporall kingdome which aboundeth in fraile vayne and transitory welth of this world as the carnall Iewes dreame and imagine ¶ Anna. What I pray you doth Iohell the prophet prophecy of Christ ☞ Vrba Ioell in his 2. chapiter prophesieth that the kingdome of Christ shall be illuminated and beutified with the rich knowledge of God and that it shall receaue the holy ghost with all his gifts and that espetially in the mount Sion to wit in the catholicke church where shall be true deliueraunce helpe and redemption from sinn and death and that afterwarde there shall be no more respect of persons betwene the Iewes and Gentiles but whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord Messias shall be freely deliuered from all his sins These are the wordes of the prophesye Ye shall also know that I am in the middest of Israell and that I am the Lord your God and none other and my people shall neuer be ashamed And afterward as Peter cited this prophecy on whitsonday in his sermon at Ierusalem In those dayes that is in the tyme of Messias I will powre out my spirit vpon all flesh And your sons and daughters shall prophesy your ould men shall dreame dreames and your young men shall see visiōs and also vpon the seruants and vpon the maydens in those dayes will I power my spirite and I will shew wonders in the heauens and in the earth bloud and fier and pillers of smoke The sun shal be turned into darknes and the moon into bloud before the great and terrible day of the Lorde come But who so euer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued For in mount Sion and in Ierusalem shall be deliueraunce as the Lord hath sayd and in the remnant whome the Lord shall call This prophesy tooke place in Christs time for Israell had then experience in deed that god was with thē in mans flesh And the holy ghost was then much more gloriously royally and aboundātly geuē them thē before the natiuitie passiō resurrectiō of Messias For before they were but few which had the spirit of prophesying but when Iesus Christ was ascended vnto the right hand of his father then the holy ghost withall his giftes was wonderfully and richly geuē vnto many as the hebrew word Eschpoch declareth which signifieth to poure out The holy ghost was visibly poured vpon faythfull Christians when they were baptised and the Church in all places had his teachers who had the spirite of prophesying And the knowledge of Christ is now spread abroad and dispersed throughout the whole world But where the prophet speaketh of Sion and Ierusalem it must be vnderstood of the church of faythfull Christians wherein Christ hath his habitation as in his owne kingdome Who so euer will be saued from sinne death and tyranny of Sathan he must beleue in Christ call vpon Christ and be brought into the church of christ for without that Church is neither health nor forgeuenes of sins Neither is there any cause why any sinner should respect this or the citie aboue other as the Iewes did earthly Sion Ierusalem seeing Ioell sayth that the Lord would poure out his spirite vpō all flesh not only vpon the Iewes in Ierusalem or in the land of Canaan but euery where through the whole worlde where the Gospel is beleued It followeth therfore that whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of god shall be safe and not the Iewes onely which serued and called vpō God at Ierusalem for then was that time come of which Christ sayth in Iohn that the heauenly father requireth
of Israell should come after the captiuity of Babylon as we haue sayd before out of the 9. chap. of Danyel And that your Iudaisme should then haue an end and that that earthly kingdome of Iuda should be an eternal and heauēly kingdome Goim that is the Gentils should also come out of all the parts of the earth and be partakers with true Israell of all Gods blessings promised in Messias Wherfore Abdias must be vnderstood here to speak of this spirituall possession which is that Messias And the Apostles and true beleeuers shal through the gospel bring all nations vnder the sweet yoke and obedience of the christen faith that they may acknowledge Christ for their only and euerlasting king and confes the Apostles of Christ with all faithfull Christians conuerted by the Apostles to be the Church their spiritual mother and glorious Citie of God to whom they doe readely and willingly yeeld them selues and obay as you haue heard out of Amos. Now I will expound the prophesy and then shall you more easely vnderstand it Mount Siō you know is the Church of Christ it is also a holy hill because the Lord dwelleth in it and Christ the holyest of all holy consecrateth and sanctifieth it by his word and spirite to be his holy habitatiō for euer as Esay sayth when you reade this hebrew word Kodesch it signifieth the holynes For true holines righteousnes is no where but in this holy mount the Church of Christ Many do reade Kodosch and then it signifieth holy as we haue spoke before The house of Iacob is called the scripture the house of Dauid the tribe of Iuda which alwayes taryed with the house of Dauid And when it is called Iudah and the house of Iacob and Ierusalem and the house of Dauid it is for the most part all one And this was a figure of the great kingdome of Christ Iesus And therefore the Archangell Gabryell in Luke calleth Christes kingdome the house of Iacob the trone of Dauid in which Christ shall rule for euer For the spirituall kingdome of Christ begun in Sion the earthly kingdome of Dauid and from thence spred it selfe through out the whole world when the Apostles according to Gods commandement begun to preach the gospel of christ to all creatures and in the name of Christ preached repentaunce and remission of sinns amongest all nations beginning at Ierusalē as Luke witnesseth Note also how God promised the Patriarkes Abraham Isaac and Iacob seed of their owne flesh and bloud in which all the earth should be blessed that is should be freed and deliuered from the euerlasting cursse of sinn from death and from the bondes o Sathan and be made the children of God who should raigne together with the same seede Christ in the kingdome of innocēcy lyfe and saluation for euer and euer This was a great promise and therefore doth the scripture in euery place make mention of these patriarkes For when this seed was promised them and whē god promised that their childrē should be in number as the sand of the sea then was Christ the eternall king and his eternall kingdome promised them and vs And therfore is this kingdome of Christs also called the house of Iacob the seate or trone of Dauid that is the Church of Christ The house of Ioseph in the scriptures is the very same that the other 10. tribes of Israell be which fell away from the house of Dauid and chose vnto themselues a king of their owne This kingdome seperated by it selfe is called Samaria of that head and Metrapolitaine citie It is called also Ephraim because of Ieroboham which was of the tribe of Ephraim and it is also called Ioseph or the house of Ioseph because Ioseph was the father of Ephraim The house of Esau is the kingdome of the Edomits which tooke their beginning of Esau and had their dwelling in mount Seiar ny to the great desart which lyeth from Ierusalem Southwardes The Southrē menare they which dwelt in the tribe of Iuda Those which dwelt in the champion coūtries are Lidda Emaus as Saint Heirome saith Those v. Citties Gaza Ascalon Azotus Accaron and Geth which lye westward be the Phelistians Ephraim is a country of Samaria wherin dwelt the tribe of Ephraim who was the son of Ioseph Beniamin is a peculier and propper tribe of the Iews but it is counted in the kingdome of Iudah Saint Herome sayth that Gallaad is Arabia The citye Zarphad was betwen Tier and Sidon wherof Iosephus speaketh Siphrad was a citye in the land of Babilon This therefore is the meaning of the prophets he prophecied of the captiuitie of his people and how Edome should be layed wast but now he comforteth the Iewes least they should haue ben discouraged as if therehad bin no hope for Siō in the captiuitie of Babilon as if Messias should not haue come And he promiseth also vnto the Iewes deliueraunce that they should come agayne into Sion though they yet layed wasted by the Babilonians and Edomits For he saith the Lord will bring deliuerance helpe and redemption vnto Sion which came so to pas in deed For hard after that the Iewes came from Babilon and that the citie of Ierusalem with the temple and deuine seruice was restored came Messias our true Sauiour and deliuerer into Sion The Lorde had often times before helped the mount Sion and the Citye Ierusalem but they were not the true helpe or sure saluation which Messias in his owne person should bring But when the king of Israell borne of the tribe of Dauid was come into Sion thē came there also with him all felicitye saluation and aboundance of all good thinges For he began by his word and spirite to call back and redeeme his people from that spirituall captiuity which they suffered vnder Sathan and other false teachers He fulfilled the prophets and obtained a true and euerlasting deliuerance vnto his people by his blessed death and glorious resurrection This was that true Pletho that is redemptiō all other deliuerāces were but only figures of this deliueraunce Reade the acts of the Apostles and note how saluation by the gospell begunne in Sion and thus spread forth it selfe through the whole world Peter redeemed and conuerted 3000. men at on sermon and from that time forth the Lorde mightely increased the kingdome of Christ as luke witnesseth saying the Lord added daily to the congregation such as should be saued This saluation was shewed forth with such powre of the holy spirite that the remnant of Israell the Apostles and their fellow laborers being the true house of Iacob and Ioseph were a flame of fier which lyke straw burnt and consumed the house of Esau that is the Edomits who before were mortall enemies to the house of Iacob Ioseph so that many of the Edomits were in deed won to the gospell and the wickednes and hatred of their Father
though the Deuill torment them with griefes and feare them with death hell and Gods iudgementes yet shall they finde in this sermon such so great and so sweete promises of god in christ that there is no soul so fearefull though most fearful no fayth so weake though most weake nor any man so ignorant doubtfull and hartlesse though he be most ignorant doubtfull hartlesse but that he may in this sermō gather such hart receaue such hope and growe vnto such knowledge strength and stabilitie that if he will but come and either heare it or reade it he shall returne as did Cleophas leape lyke an hart walke lyke a Lyon stand lyke a rocke which cannot be moued with any surging sea of temptatiō For that learned byshop of Germany doctor Vrbane Regius hath here so displayed Christ with the kingdome of Christ the mercies of god in christ that if any sad Cleophas doe but couet to come to Emaus the bright morning of the knowledge of Christ his kingdome and will bring but so much good seede with him by gods grace as that he hath a desire to know Christ to heare Christ to enioy Christ and to reason and reade of Christ for this is fayth yea though he be heauy and sorrowfull and come weeping yet shall he in this booke so meete with Christ and heare such a sermon of Christ that it will last him and not leaue him vntill he come to the trew Emaus in deede the bright knowledge of Christ and there shall his blind eyes be opened and he shall see know acknowledge Christ to be his sauiour and shall returne a right Cleophas in deede and bring such showes of fayth hope and peace of conscience with him that Nimrods net shall be broken the pray mans soule shall be deliuered the feare of death and desperation shal be abandoned And of this you may fetch if you will aprobatum est out of the gospell of Saint Luke For he maketh mention of this sermon and sheweth both when where why to whome out of what Christ made it what effect it had in it Thirdly whereas I sayd we are by nature vnperceiuing Ethiopians which reading the Prophets vnderstād not the Prophets this little booke wil well serue vs for a Phillip a sound interpreter of the prophets For it doth so drawe the vale and curtayne of the letter that it manifestly sheweth the precious perle Christ hidden vnder the letter and it so plainely discouereth the field of the olde testamēt that it leadeth vs by the hand to our Iesus that great treasure hidden in the law and the prophets Yea it doth so playnly proue Christ to be Christ that both the ignorant Gentiles and obstinate Iewes may know and acknowledge Christ to be Iesus the sauiour of the world But because we are subiect to many enymies crosses and temptations and so haue neede of comfort and because also when we both haue heare and reade of comfort we be as Thomas was hard receauers of Comfort I thinke it needefull that for the better obtayning of comfort we vse two thinges in the reading of good bookes and the holy scriptures the cornu copia of all comfort The first is that before we read we pray For as of ourselues we are haue nothing so to faythfull prayers is made a promise of all thinges The second is that in all our priuate reading we apply the worde to our selues take that which is there spoken and reade to be spoken to vs or him that readeth it for els shall we neither haue our lyues mended nor our soules comforted by the worde and then the word leeseth his fruitfull effect But if when wee see and heare Ephraim Ierusalē Iuda or the scribes pharises threatened reproued for their sinnes we will in place of them put in our owne selues and names and know it to be spoken to vs as it is in deed if we be lyke thē then no doubt we shall read to our amendement Againe if when we see promises made and comfort geuen and forgeuenes graunted to Iuda Ierusalem and Sion or the Church we will in place of them suppose or put in our owne names and persons and both beleue and know that those promises forgeuenes and those comforts are made set downe and geuen vs and euery one of vs that heare or read them as they are in deede yf we beleue them then shall we finde in this sermon and other holy scriptures such salue for our sores and such comfort for our hartes that sinne shall be subdued dispayre shall be remoued and our heauy hartes shall be comforted And here I will passe ouer the iust prayses which this booke deserueth both in excellēcy of the matter as god hath geuen it in laudablenes of the maner as Vrbane hath hādled it For in that it containeth the prophecyes of Christ and the promises of God true saluatiō vnto all that beleue a wine a man would thinke vēdible enough amongest the depraued and dead sonnes of Adam it doth sufficiently approue and promote it selfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Onely this I thinke meete that before I end I put you in remembraunce that we are all by nature wicked and the childrē of wrath and death and must without the knowledge of those thinges which are set downe in this booke dye as we be and be as we dye euen without Christ firebrandes of hell But now to returne where I began I beseech you honorable and worshipfull Citizens that as you haue heard my dedication was not without cause so now ye will graunt me a petition or two which doe not exceede reason The first is that God hauing his dew prayse for all his goodnes ye would both pardon this my bouldnes and also vouchsafe my simple labors about the heauenly worde no worse entertainement and protection then ye vse to shew to your earthly peuples Secōdly that if ye reape any profit by this worke ye would geue deserued prayse to two learned and well lyued doctors of this church namely M. Barnard Gilpin of the North and M. Iohn Fox of the South Whereof this godly and painefull father moued me to translate it and the other great Moecenas hath brought vp me poore sinner to this little I haue and many other learned men to the Churches commoditye And lastly I beseech you in the Lord that you will take pity vpon your wiues your children your selues and your soules to wit that you will by hearing beleuing practising the word seeke to be safe from Sathan that seeketh to sifte you Furnish your selues and your familyes I pray you with spirituall armour Geue your inward man but euery moneth one of these articles for his repast and let it be well digested Let the spirite once rule ouer the flesh and let Christes spouse the soule now at the last be as well bewtified as the Deuills cōcubine
the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eschew euill and doe good Recte iudicate qui iudicatis terram Iudge and gouerne well and rightly ye that be magistrats least the Lord remoue your candlestick Hādle not O ye rich men those that falle into your lappes with rigor and extremitye and geue not your selues ye poore men to sinister double dealing Delight not I beseech you ye mē in the multitude of your riches nor ye women in the furniture of your houses watch ye which haue charge in your callinges and keepe your selues cleare from the bloud of your families Let not your wyues children and bodyes so haue their willes and pleasure that your soules which must aunswere for it suffer woe and payne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O laye hould lay hold vpō discipline and put away pride couetousnes lying swearing and cursed dealing from among you And all these shall you quickely and easely doe if you will pray hartely if you will reade the word diligently and if you will apply it wisely Which the Lord Iesus that dyed for you worke in you And the blessed Lord God which hath caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning graunt that we may all in such wise heare thē read marke learne and inwardly disgest them that sinne and distrust may be remoued from vs and we may in all our extremities be comforted and euer hold fast the blessed hope of euerlasting lyfe which he hath geuē vs in our Sauiour Iesus Christ who euer preserue you and his whole Church Amen Your honors in the Lord W. Hilton Scholemaister at S. Anthonyes ⧠A briefe ingresse to the Christian Reader AMongst all sortes of studies and labors belonging to the lyfe of man as there is none comparable to the searching of holy scriptures so in reading thereof diligent regard ought to be had First with what minde and to what end a man readeth them Secondly in what sence and after what meaning he vnderstandeth them Touching the first as the scriptures and word of God of his nature is holy so is it requisite no man to resort thereunto otherwise then with an holy minde nor to read them but to a blessed purpose That is to profite in a spirituall intelligence to learne the true will and worshippe of God in his word to encrease in fayth and to search out the kingdome of lyfe This done the second consideration is to be had for the true sence and right vnderstāding of the same Some there be and that not a few who entering the studye of the sacred scriptures haue not all peraduēture the right meaning of the holy ghost therein conteined The good Enuch in the Actes of the Apostles was well occupied in his kouche reading the propheticall scriptures yet he vnderstode not what he red before an expositor was sent him Thapostles themselues had the scriptures and red them yet how farre from the meaning thereof were they before their senses were opened So the Iewes and Saracens to this day doe haunt the scriptures but for lacke of trew vnderstanding in what blindenes do they yet remaine They which in reading the misticall scriptures do see nothing els but the literall sence and outward history therof though they thinke to see something yet in very deed see nothing Albeit I denay not but in the externe letter and historye of the ould testament there is a certen veritie of thinges so doon as in the letter is specified yet vnder the same letter and historicall truth lyeth an other more secret and misticall truth which must be opened For as the scriptures of the former testament were written most by the prophets so haue they no doubt a propheticall meaning And as all the scriptures were inspired by the holy spirite of God so carye they a spirituall vnderstanding secretly couered vnder the visible letter As for example the eating of the Apple and casting out of paradise the slaughter of Abell by his brother Caine The floud and Arke of Noah the promised blessing in the seede of Abraham The vnknowen generation of Melchisddech both king and priest The sonne of Abraham geuen and borne by promise with the inheritaunce cast vpon him The whole discourse story of Ioseph The tipicall lambe with his bloud sprinckled and bones vnbroken The passage through the red sea The hard rocke gushing out in water springes Manna The brasen serpent The whole course and lyfe of Moses The land of promise The workes and death of Sampson The victorie of Gedeon The kingdome of Dauid The tabernacle and temple of Salomon with the propitiatory and the Arke The rapting vp of Elias The casting vp of Ionas Yea the geuing also of the lawe it selfe in outward tables vpon the penticoste day that is fifty dayes after the deliueraunce These I say with a number such other thinges moe which from time to time happened amongest that people although in fact and historye they beare a truth in deed yet notwithstanding vnder the same historicall truth as vnder a vaile or curten lyeth hid other matter of higher misteries and greater priuities which if they be well discussed shal rapt a mans minde into more perfect knowledge of spirituall contemplation According as we read to happen to S. Austen by hearing Ambrose expounding the miseries conteined in the oulde testament So that the propheticall Scriptures may well be resembled in a maner to the person of their owne maister that is to Christ himselfe Who being here in earth if a man looke onely vpon his outward shape his humble poore estate in this world his quiet and simple demaynour his paynefull trauailes the manifold afflictions and tentations of his werisome lyfe his sharpe crosse and reprochfull death and looke no further he shall see no great matte in him But draw this curtaine of flesh a little and with a further insight vew well what lyeth within and ther shall appeare an other manner of matter There shalt thou behold the glory of the kingdome of God the admirable wisedome and omnipotent power of the Father the conquest of Sathā hell and the whole world with all the pride thereof and the fulnes of the deitie there corporally dwelling as S. Paul himselfe both did see and testifie In much lyke sort the scriptures writtē and inspired by God if they be sought for no further but for the literall meaning only or outward precepts of lyfe they little auaile to saluation But if the misticall tipes and manifest oracles of the law Psalmes and prophets be thorowly opened what light what lyfe what knowledge geue they without which I see not how the fayth of a Christian man can stand sound and sure And therfore the Lord himselfe whē he would geue fayth to his disciples either opened the scriptures vnto thē or els opened their eyes to vnderstand the scriptures And therefore Doct. Vrbanus Regius thauthor of this treatise is well worthy of thankes and commendation for this his labor in opening to vs such
seed and trusteth not in him with all his hart he perysheth he is vndone he is ordayned to damnation he is the bondslaue of Sathan how great so euer he be both in body and soule But he that layth hold of this seed here promised by faith he escapeth the tyranny of Sathan and is delyuered from death and eternal damnatiō with him al things go wel because he shal be the Sonne of God partaker of euerlasting saluation and heir of life which lasteth for euer Here must we diligently mark that God doth promise help deliueraunce and sure victory of Sathan death and sinne but not without our Mediator not for our own sakes not by our own strength not for our own vertues not by our own wisdom not by our own skil not for our deserts or worthines By or for what then Not by or for any other thing but only this seed of the womā that is Christ alone our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mediator To this word or holy promise must we trust which if we doe there is no doubt but that God by Christ wil delyuer vs out of the power of Sathan Which thing the holy Ghost doth fully witnes by many testimonies in the new Testament where he saith that Christ is our Priest our high Priest our Righteousnes our Mediator our Redeemer our Life our way our Light our Truth our Sauyour and the Conqueror of the Prince of the world And one that hath geuen vs again a great deal more fully and absolutely those thinges which we lost in Adam then before we had them And this doth Paul very notably set forth to the Romans where making an Antithesis betwixt Adam Christ Sinne and Grace he saith But yet the gift is not so as is the offence for if by one mannes offence many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Iesus Christ hath aboūded to many The Latine text hath Insidiaberis calcaneo eius that is Thou shalt lay wayt to sting his heele as the seuenty Translators did translate it But the Hebrue text hath it Veathath teschu phennu akeb that is Thou shalt rent or bruise his heele The holy Ghost doth vse in both the places in the Hebrue tongue only this word scoph But Rabbi Salomon geueth this note In as much saith he as this word which is here vsed is twise set down in this promise it is as much to say as with hissing to assail or to hisse as doth an Adder which hissingly assayleth a man and puffingly bloweth vpon him and hath not yet stinged him And this interpretation hath a very good sence here very fit and agreeing with this place For although that old Serpent be most cruel and enuyous against vs and although he hate vs stil most deadly and striue against vs and tempt vs euery way yet hath he not power at his plesure to hurt vs as he would For it is but only with vain hissing that he assayleth Christ and his Church And the enmity which is betwixt that old Serpent that vnclean Spirit and Christ and Christians both hath and will shew it self by many and plain signes and persecutions For that sinful Serpent hissed vpon Christ when he was made man very bitterly and enuiously and he prickt and hurt his heel greeuously at what time the Iewes being set on fire with a most deuilish enuy hatred cruelty and spitefulnes rushed like mad men vpō Christ and first horribly and intollerably beat him and then nayled him to the crosse and lastly most shamefully killed him Yet was this foul Serpent so far from extinguishing and ouercomming Christ that by that very means wherby he wēt about to hurt him he ouerthrew him self and destroyed his own kingdome and power For then he lost all the right and abilitie which he had either to trouble appeach or accuse the true beleeuers in Christ And though he as his nature is sting and hisse at all the Children of Adam and miserably vexe greeue and torment them with temptations lyes heresies persecutions sinnes and death it self Yet all that he can doe against the godly though he be neuer so enuyous and wicked is nothing els but hissing yea he is so far from hurting or harming them that he greatly euen profiteth them when he killeth them and thinketh to hurt them For by that hissing wherwith he assayled the Seed of the woman he bringeth mankind out of this miserable and wretched world into most happy and euerlasting blessednes And the womans Seed that is to say Christ who himself also vnder the shape of a Serpent was lifted vp in the wildernes doth in the mean time break his head beat it all to pouder Who so euer doth behold this Christ with holy eyes putteth all his hope trust in him Sathan with all his poysened hissing and byting can neuer a whit hurt him in that appertayneth to the health of his soule He may in deed tosse vs with temptations and puffe vpon vs with his poisonful hissing and throw vs into the puddle of sinne But Christ is redy at hand to help vs and to heale the wounds which we receue of the Serpents biting He forgeueth vs our sinnes and strengthneth vs with his holy spirit that Sinne hath not henceforth dominion ouer vs and he restoreth vs again to life that by this temporall death we enter not into euerlasting death but sleep in Christ which is our life in whom both in body and soul we shal liue for euer So that both truely and godly it may and ought be sayd that the Gentils and the vnbeleeuing only be they that dye and not the faithful in Christ This is most certain and sure Christ by his desert hath wrought this thing in vs and is the Author of this great and wonderfull benefit Sathan can doe vs no harme he cannot any way hurt our soules but shal be thrown as subiect vnder our feet For Christ hath ouercome that our enemie bereft him of his pray and daunted all his force This victory which Christ hath got of Sathā and obtayned in his manhode for mannes saluation doth Paul set forth in the Epistle to the Hebrewes where he saith For asmuch then as the children were partakers of flesh and bloud that is for asmuch as men did spring of Adam He that is Christ also himself likewise toke part with them that he might destroy through death him that had the power of death that is the Deuil and that he might delyuer all them which for feare of death were all their life time subiect to bondage For he in no sort toke the Angels but he took the seed of Abraham And thus that cōfortable promise which was made to Adam was the Gospell and onely comfort of Adā and all the holy Fathers vnto Noe and Abrahā This promise the Fathers beleued and by this promise were they iustified saued For all their trust
finde inclosed and depending vpon it Repentance which is the first part of a Christian mannes life as Christ him selfe teacheth vs For if all people in this seede be blessed It necessarily followeth that al nations that is to say all men which sprong of Adam are without it accursed and abhominable before god And this is so onely because of sinne It is needful therfore that first of all there should be in vs repentance For in sinne are we conceiued and born And by one man sinne entered into the world and death by sinne And so death went ouer all men forasmuch as all men haue sinned and by the offence of one the fault came on all men to condemnation This fault is originall sinne which to vs the children and posterity of Adam commeth of naturall infirmitie successiuely and dwelleth in vs all and commeth with vs in our first carnal birth by which all our nature is corrupted defyled deformed depraued and made offensiue So that we by nature originally are naturally wicked and ignorant both of God and our selues we beleeue not God we trust not God we seek not after God and we neither dread Gods thretnings nor regard his commaundements And finally we by nature neither feare nor loue god For by sinne our nature is wholy blinded depraued and corrupted And therfore the holy Scripture calleth this nature the natural man that is to say flesh not yet regenerate And it sayth That the Lust and imagination of mans hart is euil euen frō his youth vp And the Apostle saith the same in these words In Adam all men dyed And in the Epistle to the Ephesians he saith That by nature we be the children of wrath And to the Romanes he saith G. The naturall man is fleshly and sauoreth the things of the flesh And the affections of the flesh are death and enmity against God. And to the Ephesians he saith We were dead in sinne And in the same Epistle descrybing at large the cursednes miseries and calamities of the carnal man he sayth We liue in this world by nature al ignorant without hope and with out God and walk in the vanity of our mindes hauing our sences and minds darkned and alyenated from the life of God c. And in the first Epistle to the Thessalonians he saith The Gentils know not God. And the Psalmist saith Euery man is a lyar And Ieremy saieth The hart is deceitful and wicked aboue al things and iuscrutable And Paul to the Corinthians sayth The naturall man perceiueth not those things that be of the Spirit of God for they be foolishnes vnto him nether can he vnderstand them Thus then the whol nature of man is by the first sinne of Adam disobedient infected bestained corrupted depraued and in the very first natiuity defiled Further when man is grown vp to age and beginneth to haue iudgement of things in continuance of time by the force and inclination of this original sinne he rouleth or desireth to roul him self in all kind of voluptuous pleasure in euery foul sink of sinne in euery durty puddle of detestable actes and in all kind of vncleannes as we see with our eyes But now where so euer sinne is there by and by followeth the curse and all kind of misery calamity daunger and siknes And to be breef death it self as it is sayd in Genesis Thou art dust and vnto dust thou shalt return And again Whensoeuer thou shalt eat of the tree of knowledge of good and euil thou shalt dye the death And S. Paul to the Romanes sayth The wages of sinne is death Thus then we learn first by this promise to acknowledge our misery calamity and cursednes and the wrath and iudgement of god Which thing is more largely spoken of in other places of Scripture By Gods law is required of vs perfect obedience sincere purity true godlynes and perfect loue of Religion with true feare and knowledge of God as also that we should perfectly loue him put our whole trust in him prayse him and glorifie him and also that we should loue imbrace and help our neighbour and doe what we can for him To be short it is required of vs that we loue him as our self Such ought we to haue been and so pure were we created But now we bear the Image of our earthly Father Adam and are by his horrible fal infected with originall sinne and so naturally we are vngodly and sinners and without the knowledge and fear of God and nether beleeue nor loue God. Moreouer we set our selues against our neighbor and loue him not as we ought For when we be offended but euen lightly we hate him deadly Thus are we ful of enuy and gilty of all kind of wickednes Wherfore seeing by nature we be voyd of al such vertues as the law of God requyreth in vs as that we should fear God beleeue God loue God glorify God and also faithfully and intierly loue our neighbour And seeing we thus obay not the law as we ought the law of God doth pronounce a most terrible sentence against vs saying Cursed is euery man that contynueth not in all thinges which are written in the book of the law to doe them And again Cursed be all they that doe erre from thy commaundements Also if you will enter into life euerlasting keep the commaūdements But who either keepeth or euer hath kept the commaundements or done that which the law requireth Bring me but one if you can of all the Children of Adam which of his own naturall strength could euer keep but the first commaundement doe the best he could Nay you shal neuer of them all be able to bring me one For in deed none euer did it Nay we all doe the contrary for such as the tree is such is the fruit And how pleasant and prety the fruit of the flesh is that is to say of the natural or carnal man if it please you you may see in the Epistle to the Galathians where Paul by the way hath set down though not all yet a few of the works of the flesh as Adultery Fornicatiō Vncleānes Wantonnes Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Debate Emulations c. And he addeth they which doe such thinges shall not inherite the kingdome of God. The law therfore of God doth wound hold captiue greeuously oppresse and accuse all the children of Adam of impiety and it layeth to our charge that foul offence of rebellion against Gods maiesty and it conuicteth vs to be an vngracious kind of creatures ful of professed malice and wickednes and subiect to eternall damnation vngodly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnfaithfull passing wicked worldlings and contemners of God man and this law exacteth at our hand perfect obedience sinceere godlynes strait vprightnes and a pure innocency of life according to the commandement of God. Seeing then the law of God doth
concludeth and mightely affirmeth that we must couet this seed saying The promise that he should be the heyr of the world was not geuen to Abraham or to his seed through the law but through the righteousnes of faith For if they which are of the Law be heires faith is made void and the promise of none effect For the law causeth wrath for where no law is there is no transgression therefore is the heritage giuen by fayth that it might come by grace and the promise might be sure to all the seede not to that only which is of the law but also to that which is of the fayth of Abraham Secondly in this mere promise the great and infinite grace of God doth appeare For our desert or worthynes did not deserue that God should vouchsafe to be made man of the seed of Abrahā but it was the meere grace and mercy of god Of his meere grace he promysed Christ and of his meere grace he performed his promise by sending of Christ the law and the workes of the law neuer deserued it For you see here that God promised this blessing to the Patriarch Abraham 430. yeares before the law was giuen to Moses which he did least man should attribute some thing in the worke of lyfe and saluation to him selfe and so glory in his owne merites for grace is not mingled with works it is without all our deseruing and before all our good workes Thirdly for as much as God would lay the cause of his blessing and grace which we receaue vpon Christ through him wil onely blesse whome he doth blesse It necessarily followeth that without Christ there is neither blessing righteousnes lyfe nor health and that all that are without Christ be accursed because they remaine in sinne death and damnation We may well thinke there was some weightye cause that moued our gratious immortall high God to speake a thing of such weight a thing which is so full of cōsolation where in he bindeth himself with an oth that he would through this seede geue vs his blessing and life euerlasting Ought not I pray you the whole company of Angels with all kinde of men all sorts of creatures both in heauen and earth with great reuerence holines pietye and with vnspeakeable and infinite ioye heare their Lord God speaking these wordes and promising such precious giftes Paule sayth God willing more aboundantly to shew vnto the heires of promise the stablenes of his counsaile bound him selfe with an oth And do you not here see that he both promiseth and also sweareth but if then any could obtayne this blessing that is life and saluatiō without Christ why hath God promised the blessing in Christ so earnestly yea and that with an oth Wherfore I see not why any should thinke he can beleue in God and yet is not in the Christian faith No in deede there is no trew faith but the Christiā fayth All other opiniōs be errors God will take none for his vnlesse he be in this seede Christ that is if he be not a Christian if he beleue not in Christ Nether in deede shall we euer any where finde the fauour of God true innocencye righteousnes satisfaction for our sinnes helpe counsaile life and saluation but only in this Christ The Fathers beleued in him before he was made man and were saued In him also beleue wee and are saued And in this promise also is proued the humain birth death resurrection and eternall kingdome of Christ which all belong to this blessing in which all happines is promised For this benediction in the seede of Abraham is libertie and absolution from sinne and deliuerance from death and euerlasting damnation and on the other side it is pure innocencye righteousnes fulfilling of the lawe and renuing of the image of God in vs with securitye ioy peace and life euerlasting What more can you desire In this Christ is all righteousnes included and all kinde of cursednes excluded And therefore the Apostles diligētly vrge this promise and euery foote recite and repeate it But the deliuerance from this curse is marueilously wrought to wit by the infamy and slaunder of the crosse For so sayth Paule Christ redeemed vs from the curse of the law whē he was made a curse for vs. This was done on good fridaye when he hong on the crosse before the Iewes and the gentiles as if he had bene forsaken of God and all his creatures He bore our sinnes in his body vpon the tree of the crosse that we being deliuered from sinne might liue in righteousnes For it is written in Deut. in Ebrew that holy tongue The curse of God is on him that is hanged For so doth the Ebrew word signifye The 70 interpreters did translate it He is accursed that hangeth on tree that is He is a stumbling blocke to the Iewes and folishnes to the Gentiles but euen this Christ to the Iewes and also to the Gentiles which are called is the power and wisedome of God. Nothing appeareth more foolish and fond vnto naturall reason then that it is sayd god would in mans nature suffer this shame but so it seemeth good to God as Paule witnesseth For seing by wisedome we know not God in the wisdome of God it pleased God by the foolishnes of preaching to saue them that beleue If the mightiest God so abased him selfe for vs most vnthankful sinners that he vouchsafed to descend into the lowest partes of the earth and to suffer the greatest shame that could be for vs consider and way I pray you how greuous hainous great and monsterous our sinnes are and how patiently moderatly and in good part we ought to take the affliction and crosse which is layd vppon vs for them seing through Christ the cursse is to vs now turned into a blessing This seede Christ which was first promised to Adam and then to Abraham did God oftē renew afterward to other also of the fathers after Abraham For he promised it to Isaak and then to Iacob and the promise of Christ was againe renued in the 49. of Genn to the Patriark Iacob who a little before his death did thus prophecy of Christ The scepter shall not be taken from Iuda nor a law geuer from his feete till Siloch or he that must be sent come And he shall be the expectation of the Gentiles and the people shal be gathered vnto him In this promise is notably and playnely declared and described the tyme when Christ should be looked for as also what his state and condition should be or what a kinde of kingdome he should haue ¶ Anna. I pray you teach me playnely to vnderstād this promise made to Iacob ☞ Vrb. This worde Schebet or scepter signifieth as you know princely or kingly power or gouermēt The Caldes bible vseth this worde Schultan that is empire or power God did so ordayne among the Iewes
by what meanes it pleased God to redeeme the captiue worlde and to reconcile it to him by Messias his only begotten sonne We read in the booke of Numbers which is the 4. booke of Moses that Moses by the commaundement of God erected in the wildernes a brasen serpent which when the children of Israel should behold they should be restored to their former health although they were stinged with the deadly woundes of the firy serpentes and should not die of the poyson and stinges And so was it meete that the sonne of man as Christ sayth should be lifted vp that all they which beleue in him should not die but haue euerlasting life In this figure of the serpent the crosse and wholesome deth of Christ together with the fruit and vse of the same that is to say our deliuerance from death is very well and fruitfully prefigured ¶ Anna. By this figure also Cleophas and his felow might haue coniectured and seen that Messias should die and afterward rise agayne to euerlasting lyfe ☞ Vrb. They needed not in deede haue bin so pensife neither yet haue wauered doubted or bin so offended about Messias as they wer if thei had wel known Gods purpose and predestinated ministery of Christ Neuertheles they had plainer and liuelier prophesies of Christ in the Prophets then these out of which they might more certainly and euidently haue gathered the death and resurrection of Christ ¶ Anna I pray you go through and explicate to me the rest of the prophecies which Moses hath of Christ ☞ Vrbane Saint Peter in the third of the Actes reciteth out of Deuteronomie 18. a famous prophesie of Christ and worthy to be remembred where Moses sayth thus to the people The Lord thy God wil raise vp vnto thee a Prophet like vnto me from among you euē of thy brethren vnto him shall you harken and who so euer will not hearken vnto my woordes which hee shall speake in my name I will require it of him sayth the lord It is euident and certaine that in this text Christ is that prophet of whō Moses here maketh mentiō For the holy ghost himself doth apply it to Christ speaking by S. Peter And the multitude which was refreshed with meate speaketh after this sorte of that excellent prophet in Iohn where the Greeke text is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say This verily and without all doubt is the selfe same prophet which is to come into the world according to the prophesies of the prophets Luke also saith A great prophet is raysed vp amongst vs and God hath visited his people And here is to be noted that Christ should first be a true man and consequently be partaker of death And then he saith A Prophet like to me of your bretheren Secondly ye see that Christ also should be a doctor should bring into the world the word of God his Father the word of life the holy sauing Gospell Here you see he speaketh spiritually of the kingdō of Christ And thirdly is to be noted that he which doth disdayn to heare this word of life and wil not beleeue it shall bring vpon him self the iudgement and wrath of God And that God for that mans vnbeleef will visite him in his indignation and will plague him with horrible punishments Of this is Paul a witnes to the Thessalonians where he saith When the Lord Iesus shall shew himselfe from heauen with his mighty Angels in flaming fire rendring vengeance vnto them that do not know God and which obey not the gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ which shal be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he shal come to be glorified in his saints and to be made maruelous to all thē that beleue And Peter also in the Acts when he hath recited the wordes of the prophesie addeth these wordes It shall be that euery persō which shall not heare that prophet shal be destroyed out from the people The Latine translation in Deut. sayth it thus If any man will refuse to heare the wordes of this prophet God will be reuenged of him By which wordes we see that there must be a Iudgemēt By all which it followeth that Christ should not remayne in death but rise agayne to lyfe ¶ Anna. What is there written of Christ in the other prophets as in Samuel Dauid Esay Ieremy and Ezechiel c. ☜ Vrb. They prophesie sufficiently of all thinges which is nedeful for vs to know As of the genealogy or stocke of Christ according to the flesh Of the city where he should be borne Of the pure virgin Mary his blessed mother Of the manner and circumstances of his conception and natiuitie Of his name which should be giuen him Of his firster and poore comming into the world Of his condicion and lowly lyfe which should be void of all worldly ostentation and when that commyng of his should be Of his double birth wherof one was Eternall of his Father and of his true Godhead the other temporall of the vndefiled Virgine Mary which neuer knew man. Of his flight into Egypt Of his office that is to say that he should be our King. Priest Doctor Reconciler Mediator Shepeherd Redemer Deliuerer and Iudge of the world Of his miracles Of his shamefull and reprochfull but vnto vs most wholsome and happy death Of his descending into hell Of his glorious resurrectiō and of the causes and vnspeakable commodities therof Of his passion and resurrection that is to say of his maruelous victory wherin he ouercame destroied therfore Mathew calleth Christ the sonne of Dauid the sonne of Abraham Heare you see that Christ came of the tribe of Iuda and Mathew reckeneth vp some of Christes ancetors or progenitors from Abraham to Ioseph which was Maries husband and of the house and line of Dauid So that we may plainly see that God stood to his promise and very faithfully performed that which he had promised to Abraham and Dauid in sending that blessed seed Christ ¶ Anna. I know that Mathew wrighteth a Cataloge of Christ was not the sonne of Ioseph but seeyng Christ was not the sonne of Ioseph but onely of Mary the pure virgin which neuer knew man being conceaued by the operation and vertue of the holy Ghost without mans seede not after the cōmon and naturall order of mans conception as the text in playn words doth testifie saying of whom that is of the which Mary was borne Iesus I do not yet vnderstand how Christ can come of the stocke and linage of Abraham and so of Dauid For what I pray you doth Iosephs kinne or family make to Christs byrth seing Christ was not the sonne of Ioseph In deede if S. Mathew had recited Maries ancetors and progenitors from Abraham to Marye so it might haue appeared very euidently and playnely that the promise had ben fulfilled
nor no tyme to come as the creature hath and therefore Christ speaketh of his deuine and eternall nature in that one word or syllable of the present tyme saying I am For in deed eternitie is for euer and hath neyther former nor latter tyme beginning nor ending The vacabond and vnbeleuing Iewes supposed iudged that he was no more but bare man and such a one as Abraham or Elias was neither could they abide to heare the mysteries of Christes wordes or giue credite to them They dreamingly thought it could not be possible that he should haue seene Abraham seyng it was ful two thousand yeares and more betwixt Abrahams departure out of the world and Christs comming in the flesh into the world neither did they know or vnderstande the scriptures which teache and foreshew that Messias should not only be borne in Bethleem in tyme but also that his forth going was before all tyme as Paul testifieth to the Hebrues saying Iesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same also euen for euer Here then if you will well waigh this prophesie you maie see in it both the death and resurrection of Christ which necessarily is to be required that hee might raigne and rule eternally and spiritually For in as much as it was determined that he should be borne of the stocke of Dauid a perfect and very natural man in the citie of Bethleem it was not to be thought strāge though he should dye as well as Dauid Salomon other men did What meruail is it I pray you to see a naturall man die certainly the corporal or vitall life can not alway indure Neuerthelesse for all that in as much as he should be the true and chiefe Lord of Israel it can not be that he should be subiect to death or that death should vanquish or deteyne him but that of necessity he must rise agayne from death liue for euer And therfore is he compelled by temporall death to leaue his mortall lyfe for how can mortall man come to immortalitie least first he put of his mortall body which can not be done but by corporal death And thus it behoued him to change this frayle corporal and corruptible lyfe into a spirituall inuisible immortall and incorruptible lyfe that he might become the true and euerlasting Lord of all the Israelites as well of those that before had bene as of those that thē were and afterward at any tyme should be and that he might also begin his true eternall and spirituall kingdome the administration whereof is not after the maner of men nor yet consisteth in worldly matters And therefore Iohn sayth Verily verily I say vnto you except the wheat corne fall into the ground and die it abideth alone but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit ¶ Anna. O good Lord though it be not seene and known of fleshly eyes yet how full of sweete comfort and consolation how full of marueilous maiesticall deuine wisdom and deep mysteries is the sacred scriptures O how great and vnspeakable wisdome and knowledge lyeth hid vnder the letter how truly sayd Dauid O how sweete are thy promises vnto my throte yea sweeter then hony vnto my mouth By thy Commandements haue I gotten vnderstanding therfore I hate all wicked wayes Thy worde is a lanterne vnto my feete and a light vnto my paths O I say what a tresure of knowledge wisdome what precious pearles of euerlasting lyfe lye hid in the wordes of God how doth it flow with vnderstanding most aboundantly and intelligence farre passing mans capacitie what sound present and aboundant comfort may a godly man cōceiue of this holy worde If these two disciples after this sort had known the person of Christ in this prophesie of Micheas they had not bene so offended at his death but had vnderstood and receiued comfort Because God had so ordeyned prouided all these things to come to passe and had so determined that the crosse of Christ should be the glory and triumphant victory of all true Christians But in as much as you haue shewed me the scriptures concernyng the place of his birth Say also I pray you what is written of his Mother ¶ Of the Virgin Mary the Mother of Christ and of Christes conception Vrbane WHen Pekah the king of the ten tribes which fell away in Israell and Rezin the king of Syria made warre vpon Achas the fifteenth king of Iuda murthered and spoyled the inhabitantes of the country purposing and determining to remoue Achas place an other in his kingdome then the holy ghost while these two kings with detrunēt and bloodshed had all to defaced the land of Iuda prophesied by the Prophet Esay Of the blessed Virgine Mary that she should beare the child Christ And although those kings were very cruell vpon Achas and were both mightily and maruelous bloudily bent against him yet did not God for all that suffer them to preuayle against him and his poore tribe of Iuda because he would faithfully perform and pay that which he had promised to Dauid euen that Messias should come of his house and lynage He comforteth therfore Achas the king in this perill purposing to quicken and confirme his faith by this miracle to the ende he should not feare his enemies For God promised that he himselfe would ayde him But Achas was an Idolater and an hypocrite neither did he receyue that for a signe of Gods helpe Wherfore God reiected that wicked king and yet neuerthelesse published the myracle and gaue the signe to the house of Dauid which was the signe of true helpe and deliuerance from the horrible and euerlasting calamity and misery wherin all we were wrapped euen death damnation and the tiranny of Sathan These be the wordes of the prophet Behold Haalmah or a Virgin shall conceiue and beare a sonne and his name shall be called Emanuel or Immanuel Loe here you see that he prophesieth of the Virgin Mary and her sonne Christ our Sauiour And here the holy ghost telleth vs that Messias should not be borne after the maner of all the other sonnes of Adam of the seed of man but onely of the pure and vndefiled virgin Mary And therfore his birth is not as ours is vncleane defiled and infected but holy pure and free from all blemish of sinne Because he is that blessed seed of Abraham by which onely and by no other all we wretched children of Adam conceiued and borne in sinne must be clensed blessed sanctified iustified frō all the filthines of our sinnes Moreouer the wordes of this prophesie do plainly paynt out the maner of his conception signifiyng that he was not conceyued of mans seede but that Mary onely by the vertue of the holy ghost conceiued For here is promised that a child should be borne and yet the mother remayne a pure virgin And yet here is no mention of any father because it might bee a famous signe and miracle
The Archangell Gabriel did rightly expound this prophesie in Luke For after he had saluted Mary he sayd Loe thou shalt conceiue in thy wōbe and beare a sonne and shalt call his name Iesus He shal be great and shal be called the sonne of the highest And whē Mary doubtfull of these things asked how that could be seyng she had not known a man the Angell by and by answered and opened vnto her a singuler strange and supernaturall way of conception saying The holy ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the highest shall ouershadow thee Therfore also that holy thing that shal be borne of thee shal be called the sonne of God. ¶ Anna. This by the gift and grace of God I beleue constantly Neyther do I doubt but that Christ was borne of a pure and chaste virgin seyng the holy ghost himselfe doth beare witnes of the same And S Math. alledgeth this place out of the seuēth chapter of Esay interpreteth this Ebrue word Haalmah Virgin which interpreter we both ought and may certaynely beleue But whereas that faithles and obstinate people the Iewes enemies to Christ exclaime saying that Haalmah doth not signify a virgin but a maid or yong woman alredy maried to a man and whereas they contemne the virginitie of Mary and falsly accuse it as fayned and seyng they also wrast this prophesie other wayes then to Mary according as our frend Rabbi Antonius Margarita tolde vs I pray you let me heare how these false Iewes may be refuted and conuinced out of the old testament For they deny the autoritie testimony of the new ☞ Vrb. The Iewes as vtter enemies to the puritie of the gospell obiect in deed many thinges agaynst this prophesy but al without ground and reason But that you may better vnderstand the meaning of this prophesie I will first expound vnto you certaine Hebrue wordes and cleare the controuersie in some principall pointes wherof the ground of the controuersie doth depend The Iewes haue three wordes which signify maydes the first is Naerah which signifieth a yong woman mayd or no mayd For as Rabbi Lizhak Nathan testifieth the true signification of this word is generally Youth The second word is Bthulah which as the same Rabbi sayth signifieth a pure shamefast virgin The third worde is Haalmah which in this place the prophet vseth of Mary as most proper and fit for the purpose For it signifieth a virgine whose virginitie is pure and vntouched but ripe marigeable and able to beare children And it is worthy the obseruatiō that this worde is neuer taken in holy scripture for a yong woman that hath knowen a man This also is as well worth noting that Haalmah doth not signifie generally euery mayd which is pure and vntouched but as S. Hierome noteth a virgin close kept in whom the parents diligently carefully and watchfully retayne and kepe in at home This may be gathered of the worde Schoresth For Alam signifieth to hide couer keepe out of sight And so is Mary called haalmah not onely because she was a pure and vndefiled virgin but because the yōg mayd which is diligently and vigilantly kept vp of her parents is for the most part godly and holily brought vp vertuously instructed And the Prophet could not haue vsed a worde more to the purpose and fitter for this place thē this word Haalmah which most properly agreeth with Mary For Bthulah signifieth indifferently any mayde as well yonger as older whether she be fit for child bearing or not There be many maydes well striken in age of threescore or threescore and ten yeres old and so vnfit for to beare children but the prophet would here declare and set forth a virgin both yong marigeable and fruitfull Secondly the Iewes all without reason standing vpō no ground but only desirous to make braule being in hart obstinately impudently and wilfully blynded and hardened cauill and falsly say that haalmah signifieth a yong woman which in mariage hath already known a man But they may be conuinced and proued liers out of the olde testament In which haalmah neuer signifieth a yong womā that hath had the company of man but only a pure chast and vndefiled virgin As in Genesis Rebecka when she was not yet maried to Isaac is called haalmah And as then certainly she had neuer known man but was a pure chast virgin as the wordes of the text and history manifestly and without question do proue and conuince The text in Exodus vseth the same worde in the same sence speaking of Meriam Moises his sister so doth it in the 67. psalme and in the Canticles 1. and in many other places which were both laborious to recite yet not greatly needfull in so playne a matter But the Iewes alledge an other thing to wit that this prophesie imported and was ment of king Achas his sonne Ezekia they say that he was giuen to the house of Dauid as a signe by which they might know that they should be once deliuered from those two kings Rezin and Pekah ¶ Anna. They that faithfully beleue the Gospell be not troubled with this obiection at all Yet am I desirous to heare how it is refuted ☞ Vrb. The text in the 4. of the kings and 16. chap. wipeth away this obiection And I meruayle much at the shameles impudency and malipertnes of the Iewes in this place that they be not afrayd so grosly and manifestly to lye The history of the holy scripture testifieth plainly that king Achas raigned in Iuda but 16. yeres In which tyme this was prophesied as appeareth in that 7. of Esay After Achas was Hiskia placed on his father Achas his trone to gouern the people And he begā to raigne when he was 25. yeares of age Now conferre these together you shall see that this prophesy could not be fulfilled in Hiskia For he was .9 yeres old when his father began his raigne And so it appeareth plainly that Hiskia of whom they falsly affirm this prophesie to be geuen was at least 9. yeares of age when this prophesie was published How now I pray you can this prophesie then be either spoken or thought of Hiskia What nede many wordes The Iewes be blinded and their hartes are hardened neither haue they any knowledge or vnderstanding of the holy Scriptures God be mercifull vnto them Amen Thus haue you heard that the mother of Christ was a pure and vndefiled virgin and that this conception was not after the maner of other men by carnall copulation but by a new strange and marueilous maner euen by the holy ghost and yet the virginitie of his mother pure and perfect And so the prophet Daniel beholding her with spirituall eyes sayth in the vision of the 4. monarchies that he saw a stone cutte of a mountayne without hand Which wordes the holy church euer yet to this day interpreted of Christ and his blessed mother the
of the priests asked Peter and Iohn in the Actes by what power and in what name they helped the lame man Peter answered by the name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth For in deede there is none other name vnder heauen giuen vnto men in which we can or must be saued ¶ Anna. Is not the high priest in Zachary also called Iesus how commeth that to passe or how can this so deuine and glorious a name be giuen to him ☞ Vrb. The high priest in that place is only a figure of Christ and therefore hath he this name giuen him For Iosua the sonne of Nun is called Iosua because he was a figure of Iehoscuah Iesus And although God gaue the people of Iuda many benefites and commodities and increased them maruelously by these mens meanes yet were they all but only temporall and terrestriall giftes which they receyued of God by theyr handes and very trifles in deed in comparison of the great giftes and benefits helth and helpe which God through Iesus Christ hath now giuen not to one people only but to all the world For Christ deliuereth vs from eternall misery from sinne from death and from euerlasting damnatiō and giueth vs innocency helth lyfe and eternall saluation This name therfore filleth heauen and earth with vnspeakeable ioy because by this name commeth true and present helpe in all troubles and certain saluation from all calamities As Peter sayth in the Acts. To him giue all the Prophets witnesse that through his name all that beleue shall receyue remission of sinnes To conclude this in deede is true helpe true lyfe and true liberty What I pray you is the ayde helpe of all the world and worldly creatures in comparison of this can they deliuer a mā frō any sinne can they giue any mā eternall lyfe can they saue ones lyfe or rayse one frō deth or deliuer one from the deuill a fig they can But our Christ only is he that can helpe the world neither can he only but also will doth that which he can Wherfore he only and none other is that true Iesus which both in body and soule and in lyfe and death helpeth aydeth deliuereth and with eternall lyfe blesseth all that beleue in him This true helpe and helth and this holy name full of all comfort consolation was oftentimes foretold of by the prophets As in Iere. the 7. where Israel confesseth that there is no helpe any where but with god And there amongst other he sayth Truely in the Lord our God is the health of Israel In the holy tongue it is Theschath that is thy sauiour helpe or health Thus haue you heard that life is promised to the worlde in no other but only in Iesus Christ as Peter saith in the Acts. Wherfore it may be supposed that where so euer mention is made in the Scriptures after this sort of the ayde helpe or saluation of God that there Christ is to be vnderstood Christ also in Esay comforteth his church and promiseth her the seruice and ministery of the Gentiles and kings and amongst other he hath these wordes Thou shalt sucke the milke of the Gentiles and shalt sucke the brestes of Kings thou shalt know that I the lord am thy sauiour and thy redemer the mighty one of Iacob What other redemer doe we here vnderstand but Iesus Christ whō al the godly know and beleue to be promised giuen of God to redeme and deliuer the world Also in the 43. of Esay it is said I am the Lord thy God the holy one of Israel thy sauiour In both these places the name of Christ Meschiah is vsed which commeth of the Hebrue word Iascha that is saued And in the 45. of Esay it is said Israel shal be saued in the Lord with an euerlasting saluation you shal not be ashamed nor confounded world without ende And here the word Thescuah in Hebrue is vsed And that which is sayd here is in deed fulfilled in the true and spirituall Israel that is in the Catholike church of Christ which findeth euerlasting lyfe health helpe in Christ Iesu Wheresoeuer also we finde in the Psalmes Ieschuath cha which signifieth thy sauior or saluation there Augustine alwayes vnderstandeth Christ our alone sauiour as in the Psalm 119. and in many other which for multitude I cannot recite For we see thē euery where Rabbi Ishak Nathan hath gathered a great many of them together in his Perusch Aleph and Beth which you may read if you will. But here I would not haue you ignorant that some men thinke Iehoschuah and Iesus not to bee both one For they say that Iesus is deriued of the Hebrue word Iesch which as Capnio interpreteth it signifieth is or els of the true and proper name of God Iehouah which signifieth such a one as hath not or borroweth not his beyng of any other but is of himselfe as Christ saith to the stubborne Iewes in Iohn Before Abraham was I am Wherby is proued that Christ is truly and properly so called and els no man For God calleth himselfe I am that I am where telling Moses what is his name he sayth I am that I am Thus shalt thou say to the childrē of Israel I am hath sent me vnto you Hereupō some suppose this name Iesus to be the very name of God Tetragrammaton which in the holy tonge is written with foure letters namely Iod hoe uof hoe In stead of which name the Iewes for religion and reuerence sake vse this word Edonai Now if we put in this letter schin with these fower letters they wil make the word Ieheschu or Iesu which properly signifieth God himself or the deuine essence For God promised in his prophets that he himselfe would come and saue vs And we in our true and vndoubted Catholike faith beleue that Christ is true and natural God which both made and preserueth all things c. Wherefore this holy and royall name Iesus is giuen only to him By which the Angel Gabriel said he should be called whē as yet he was not conceiued by the holy ghost This most holy name was giuen him openly when he was circumcised neither hath it ought it or iustly can it be giuen to any other but onely to our true Messias For the scripture witnesseth that he is very God in mans nature Paul to the Phil. sayth f. Christ had a name aboue all names And what name can that be but onely the name of God and thus much of his former name Iesus Now the other of the two names which in the scriptures be commonly giuen to Christ is Messias which word signifieth annointed and belōgeth to a king For in the law the kings were annointed as well as priests Yet was not Christ annointed after the maner of other kings but after a strange and peculiar maner so that he is a Messias peerlesse to whom there is not an
For that same word in that holy tonge is vsed also actiuely in this same signification in which the Latine translator doth here vse it calling it a Sauiour or deliuerer And the 70. Translators do nothing differ from our interpreter For they vse in this place this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth sauing The Iewes also before the comming of Messias at Babylon vnderstood this word actiuely For their Thargum hath it thus sakai vporik which is to say innocent a deliuerer or sauior The prophet also calleth him Poore the Hebrue word is Eny which signifieth carefull contrite in hart sory tormented hūbled and one of a lowly humble mind in whom is no hautines no cruelty no pride no swelling But one in whom is all meekenes lowlines humility and myldnes and one whose good will toward others is such that he is much troubled and greued at their hurtes and misfortunes Wherupon S. Mathew alledging this prophesie vseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is meeke And of this his meekenes and humblenes he gaue some testimony when he rode to Ierusalem vpon an asse And yet for all this the highest and chiefest estates of Ierusalem did so tirannically hate him that as enuious bloudsuckers they sought all occasions they could to kil him But Christ nothing moued with their enuy and as it were not regarding his death which he knew certaynly the princes of Ierusalem with the Pharises and Scribes went about did this present daunger of his lyfe not regarded euen from his very hart bewayle both the blindnes of the men and the calamity and destruction of the city yea they were the greatest things that troubled him For his bitter teares sufficiently witnessed both his griefe for them good wil towards them This his heauenly hart which appeared so mild and so pitifull toward his neighbor was farre from all ostentation For he nothing esteemed riches worldly traine pompe and vanitie as appeareth by the whole course of his lyfe which he led here in lowlines pouerty trouble grief danger and grieuous sorow and he himselfe is witnes of this where he saith The Foxes haue dennes but the sonne of man hath not where on to lay his head But this his humble entring into the city all without ostentation doth plainly inough argue his humilitie pouerty Zachary saith not that he rode to Ierusalem like an armed emperour reioicing triumphing in scarlet in purple glistring robes and in cloth of gold vpō a lusty palfrey magnifically sadled princely trapped with a great troupe and gard that he might amase men The prophet sayth not that Christ came so But he saith he sate vpō an asse a beast which is vile poore contemptible and ridiculous And in that his so doing he shewed a very great lowlines humility modesty and meekenes yea such that no man neede be afrayd of him This was fulfilled vpon Palme sonday when Christ sent his disciples to fetch an asse with her colt from Bethfage vnto mount Oliuet and came into the city vpon her as the euangelist Mathew saith witnessing of the fulfilling of this prophesie It foloweth in the prophet And I will cutte of the chariots from Ephraim and the horse from Ierusalem Here the prophet sheweth the nature and condiciō of Christ his kingdome For seyng he had called Christ a kyng which should come vnto his people he must also haue a kingdom But marke what and what maner of one his kingdome is It is not an earthly or a worldly kingdom neither is it ruled or gouerned and mainteined by hostes of men munition or mans power and strength nor by any such means as earthly kingdoms are ruled and gouerned And therfore he saith that he wil take away and destroy their chariots horses bowes Which kind of munition in this world princes vse eyther to establishe their kingdomes or to repulse the force and violence of their enemies which either seeke the vpper hand or els to increase and inlarge the territories of their owne dominions Esay also describeth the kingdom of Christ much after this sort saying The law shall go forth of Sion and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem and he shall iudge among the nations and rebuke many people they shal breake their swordes also into mattocks and their speares into sithes nation shall not lift vp a sword against nation neither shall they learne to fight any more By Ephraim Zachary vnderstandeth the ten tribes of Israel which beyng vnder Roboam fell away from the house of Dauid to Ieroboam set vp a kingdom of their owne Whereby the Prophet meaneth that whē Christ should come these two kingdomes Iuda and Israel should not continue any longer deuided but bee made one vnder the true king Christ Which thing came then to passe when Christ his Apostles preached in Galily and in all those countries euen to Ierusalem when Christ the true prince in Israel gathered together into the vnitie of the Christian fayth all his people by preaching of his Gospel It followeth And he shal speake or he wil teach peace c. That is Christ will not establish or preserue his kingdome with armour because he is called the kyng of peace He shal raign gouerne his kingdom not as the world doth but spiritually by his word in which the very true peace safety tranquillity health and chiefe felicity is preached and deliuered not to the Iewes alone but to all the whole world euen the Gentiles also This peace doth farre and infinitely excell the peace of this world For it is a most perfect peace with God our most mighty lord He which is at peace with God to wit with whom God is well pleased and to whom God is fauourable mercifull and gratious that man may stoutly stand without feare He is out of danger he sayleth in safety he as one sitting on an high rock or a sure and inuincible tower may looke and laugh at his enemies below and he both may ought hartily to reioyce and be mery in the lord And such now be we for we haue peace with God or towards God through Christ our onely mediator and aduocate As Paul witnesseth to the Rom. saying We were reconciled vnto God by the death of his sonne Christ is our peace which hath made of both one and hath broken the stop of the partition wall in abrogating through his flesh the hatred that is the law of commaundementes which standeth in ordinances for to make of twaine one new man in himselfe so making peace And that he might reconcile both vnto God in one body by his crosse and slay hatred therby and came and preached peace to you which were a farre of and to them that were nere for thorough him we both haue an entrance vnto the father by one spirite Esay also hath delectably and pleasauntly prophesied that Christ and his Apostles should be the ioyfull messengers of that
to then I pray you tel me what the prophets haue said of the two fold natiuity of Christ to wit of his eternall and temporall birth and also of his deuine nature ¶ Of the twofold birth of Christ the one of the father eternall and of his true deuine nature and the other temporall and of his mother Mary a perpetuall pure virgin Vrbanus I Doubt not but that you remember the prophesie of Michea concerning the temporall and eternall natiuitie of Messias which we fully declared before And therfore I thinke it needlesse here to repete it agayne There you heard that Christ is not onely a true man but also very God and that the deuine and humaine nature in Christ are vnited in vnity of person Of the which vnitie of person the godly man Athanasius in his Creede which he drew out of the holy scripture writeth very godly and well And as he confesseth in his Creede so with him the whole Catholike church doth now thinke and beleue ¶ Anna. I pray you recite Athanasius wordes touching the person of Christ That I may confirme my beliefe in this waighty article of my faith and therein thinke and beleue godly and rightly ☞ Vrb. These be Athanasius wordes of the sonne in his godhead according to his deuine nature substance There is one person saith he of the father an other of the sonne and another of the holy ghost but the godhead of the father of the sonne and of the holy ghost is all one the glory equall the maiesty coeternal The father vncreate the sonne vncreate and the holy ghost vncreate The father incomprehensible the sonne incomprehensible and the holy ghost incomprehensible The father eternall the sonne eternall and the holy ghost eternall yet they are not three eternals but one eternall As also there be not three incomprehensibles nor three vncreated but one vncreated and one incomprehensible So likewise the father is almighty the sonne almighty and the holy ghost almighty and yet they are not three almighties but one almighty So the father is God the sonne is God and the holy ghost is God and yet are they not three Gods but one god So likewise the father is lord the sonne is lord and the holy ghost is lord and yet not three lordes but one lord For like as we be compelled by christian veritie to acknowledge euery person by himselfe to be God and Lord so are we forbidden by the Catholike religion to say there be three gods or three lordes The father is made of none neither created nor begotten The sonne is of the father alone not made nor created but begottē The holy ghost is of the father and of the sonne neither made nor created nor begottē but proceding So there is one father not three fathers one sonne not three sonnes one holy ghost not three holy ghosts And in this trinity none is afore or after other none is greater nor lesse then other But the three persons be coeternal together and coequal So that in all thinges as is aforesaid the vnitie in Trinitie and the Trinitie in vnitie is to be worshipped He therefore that will be saued must thus thinke of the Trinitie Furthermore it is necessary to euerlasting saluation that he also beleue rightly in the incarnation of our lord Iesus Christ For the right faith is that we beleue and confesse that our lord Iesus Christ the sonne of God is God and man God of the substaunce of the father begotten before all worlds and man of the substaunce of his mother borne in the world perfect God and perfect man of a reasonable soule humaine flesh subsisting Equall to the father as touching his Godhead and inferior to his father as touching his manhood Who although he be God and man yet he is not two but one Christ One not by conuersion of the godhead into flesh but by taking of the manhood vnto god One altogether not by confusion of substance but by vnitie of person For as the reasonable soule and fleshe is one man so God and man is one Christ You must thus vnderstand this These two natures God and man in their owne substaunce do not perish decay or chaunge but both of them continue whole and perfect in Christ which is but one person and not two So you heare that Christ the naturall sonne of God is alwayes continuing in the father with the father and begotten from euerlasting of the father whose eternall generation can neither be comprehended with reason nor expressed with wordes but is incomprehensible and cannot with mans tonge be vttered as the Prophet Esay saith Who shal declare his age Which words the old and godly doctors as Cyrillus and other moe vnderstoode to be spoken of the eternall natiuitie of Christ And the Nicene and Constātinopolitane counsaile taught vs out of the scriptures to thinke beleue of Christ after the same maner saying We beleue in one lord Iesus Christ the only begottē sonne of God that is of the substaunce of the father begotten of his father before all worldes God of God light of light very God of very God begotten not made being of one substaunce with the father by whom all thinges were made who for vs men for our saluation came down from heauen and was incarnate by the holy ghost of the virgin Mary and was made man. Now marke what the perpetuall and firme foundation and vndoubted truth of holy Scripture sayth concerning the euerlasting natiuitie of Christ Salomon in his Prouerbs saith thus of Christes natiuitie The Lord hath possessed me in the beginning of his way I was before his workes of olde I was set vp from euerlasting from the beginning and before the earth Whē there was no depth was I begotten when there were no fountaynes abounding with water before the mountains were setled and before the hils was I begotten He had not yet made the earth nor the open places nor the height of the dust in the world When he prepared the heauens I was there when he set the compasse vpon the deepe when he established the cloudes aboue when he confirmed the fountaynes of the depth when he gaue his decree to the sea that the waters should not pas his commaundement when he appointed the foundation of the earth then was I with him as a nourisher and I was alway his delight reioysing alway before him and tooke my solace in the compasse of his earth and my delight is with the children of men The old and sound writers as Cyril and Cyprian vnderstood this of Christ saying that Christ was the euerlasting worde and the pure wisdome of God the father by which he made all things both in heauen and earth Like as S. Augustine sayth in his exposition vpon this Psalme O Lorde how manifold are thy workes in wisdome hast thou made them all And Paule calleth Christ the righteousnes and wisdom of God. And sayth that by Christ all things were
not then his beginning or began not whē other creatures began but it was then there present when al things were made all things had their beginning by the word And the word was with God without god there was nothing therefore of necessity it must nedes follow that the worde was with god Note diligently that Iohn saith well and plainly The worde was with God. For he doth there plainely and distinctly seperate the person of the word or of God the sonne from the person of God the father If any thing was with god before the beginning of creatures then was he not alone But what I pray you was with God the worde was with God but something to be with God is not God to be alone Therfore of necessitie must that word be another person thē that God is with whom it was in the beginning It followeth And God was the worde You know that God sayth thus in Deut. Heare O Israel the Lorde our God is Lord onely or is one God. If therefore he be one God it followeth that God himselfe is essentially that same word which was in the beginning before all creatures wherby you see that this word in essence is God himselfe or that God himself is the word And and thus you see here the true and naturall godhead of Christ For Christ is the worde And againe in the 8. of Iohn where the Iewes said vnto Christ who art thou He answered saying Verily euē the same that I said vnto you frō the beginning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. This was in the beginning with God Do you not here see how that in the beginning the word was with God God was that word These wordes do plainly and clerely proue that there is one only nature of gods essēce But not one only person yet neuertheles that persō is true God without beginning without ending All things were made by it These wordes do sufficiently proue that the same word Christ is God and the maker of all things which are both in heauē in earth If all creatures were made by him then without all doubt he himself was not made neither is to be accoūted in the number of things made all which had their beginning and substance of the word It followeth Without it was nothing made that was made as Hierom readeth this text If then without hym nothing was made how could he be created or made without whom nothing was made By all these it is plain manifest that this word is true God yet not of himself but of the father and yet not in time but before all tyme frō euerlasting for euermore without al other creatures Seing therfore that this eternal word the true natural sonne of God tooke vpon him mās nature and the same is Iesus Christ of Nazareth then Christ is true god These out of all doubt are most strong sound inuincible arguments and vndoubted proofes of Christs diuinity against Sabellius Arrius Eunomius Martion Manicheus Valentinus Eutiches Nestorius Appolinares other blinded bewitched heretikes which are autors of horrible heresies who while they wil opē intreat or speake of such great high matters which far passe mans capacitie not by the ground certainty of God his word but by the fantasticall folish erronious speculations and opinions of their owne braynes haue fallen into horrible detestable errors heresies It is therfore necessary that we in no wise admit take reason for our guide or ground in this matter but only folow the word of God with tooth and naile sticke to it by faith fully perswade our selues that that is most true and by it speak iudge al we iudge But if we wil refuse neglect the word take vpō vs by the sharpenes of our owne wit reason to vnderstand these articles and by our sences perceiue comprehend measure them then shal we fal from error to error vntil we be quite gone from the truth Well let vs heare more testimonies concerning the godhed of Christ The 45. psalm describeth the deuinitie humanity spiritual kingdom of Christ his promise made to his spouse the Church notably in these wordes Thy throne O God or thy seat is for euer and euer The scepter of thy kingdome is a scepter of righteousnes thou louest righteousnes hatest wickednes because God euen thy God hath annointed thee with oile of gladnes aboue thy fellowes The prophet here calleth Christ true god And this verse doth S. Paul recite to the Hebrues where he proueth the godhead of Christ You heare also that Iesus is mā whom God annointed more plenteously then his fellowes that is indued hym with his holy spirit blessed him with many more richer blessings then his fellowes to wit then the beleuers in Christ This must be vnderstood of his manhood for he was annointed according to his manhood vnto the euerlasting kingdom priesthoode by the holy ghost Christ according to his humanity hath fellowes whō in the psal he calleth brethren And Paul to the Rom. calleth Christ the first borne amongst many brethrē But he hath no fellow according to his godhead but is the only begotten eternal sonne of God. His rod or scepter is the gospell with it he raigneth ruleth that is with the rod of direction streight scepter of eternal true righteousnes which commeth by the gospell that is faith in Christ by which also we receiue the holy spirit which bringeth vs the right way not by the biewais and wrong pathes of mans doctrine but by the straite compendious and most faithfull pathe vnto lyfe true felicitie and God himselfe ¶ Anna. May not the Iewes here obiect that the godhead of Christ can not be fully sufficiently proued by this psalme seing that this word Elohim accordyng to the Analogie of that holy tonge doth not onely signifie God but may be attributed also to Angels Iudges ☞ Vrb. I confesse that this worde Eloha may sometimes be attributed vnto creatures but in this psalme all the circumstances do truly manifestly proue that Elohim betokeneth here only the true natural eternal God because he saith Lord thy seat or throne or thy kingly seat Do you marke how he speaketh here of a seate This euerlasting kingdom or empire or this kingly seat cannot belong vnto any creature but only vnto the true God who in many places of the scripture sayth I am the Lord. Therfore Elohim here doth signify that true euerlasting God which hath an eternall seat And in this place the godhead of Christ is most euidently truly proued against those stifnecked Iewes who are compelled will they nill they to confesse that this psalm speaketh of Christ Paul also proueth the godhead of Christ by the 2. psal Where the father sayth vnto the sonne Thou art my sonne this day
haue I begotten thee And although all the godly be called in the scriptures sonnes of God yet Christ in this place is the sonne of God after an other sort We are the sonnes of God by grace by the washing of the new birth or the lauer of regeneration but Christ is the true natural sonne of God begotten of the substance of the father before al worlds from eternitie And Paul speaking of this prerogatiue saith Vnto which of the Angels sayd he at any tyme thou art my sonne If he speake not these wordes vnto any Angels much lesse spake he them to any mā God created the Angels he created vs also and by his word and spirit he hath begot vs a new by this new birth we are become the childrē of grace but vnto Christ he saith this day haue I begotten thee Saint Augustine in his commentaries vpon the 2. psal saith that this word this day doth signify declare the euerlasting birth of the sonne And although this day set downe there in the prophesie may be thought to signify the tyme when Christ was borne according to hys manhood yet because this day signifieth a presence for in eternitie nothing is so past as though now it were not neither is any thing to come as though it had not alredy bene For what so euer is frō euerlasting is always it is vnderstood deuinely according to this saying this day haue I begotten thee wherby our true and catholike faith setteth forth vnto vs the euerlasting generation of the power wisdom of God which is the only begotten sonne of god And diuers other godly holy doctors as Arnobius Hillarius Cyrillus Chrysostomus and many mo vnderstand this verse thus S. Paul also to the Hebr. reciteth the wordes which are in the 2. booke of the Kings where God the father sayth thus of Christ I wil be his father he shal be my sonne This cannot be properly spoke of Salomon because God had promised Dauid a sonne or seed which shold spring out of his own loines And the circūstances of the places do plainly proue that this was spokē of Christ But Paul by these wordes goeth about to proue that Christ is a sonne far aboue differing frō other sons that God said this to no angell much lesse to Salomon How then can this otherwise be but that Christ must nedes be the natural sonne of God For the adoption calling of vs children which beleue in Christ is only geuen vs by grace as Iohn saith As many as receiued him that is Christ to them he gaue power to be the sonnes of God to wit to such as beleued in his name And Paule also citeth this verse worship him all you gods or angels out of the psalms These are his wordes And again when he that is his father bringeth in his first begotten sonne into the world he saith let all the angels of God honor him This verse speaketh of the kingdom of Christ which is aboue all things both in heauē and earth which kingdom is prepared by the gospell by which Christ is made known to the world the world is become his inheritance which heritage the father promised to giue him in the 2. psalm And although the cōdition of angels amongst all creatures is of all other most noble yet are they cōmaunded to adore this king Christ But to be adored is that honor which is onely due vnto God not vnto any other For seke the scriptures you shal find that the angels neuer adored any but God alone Paul also to the Hebr. proueth the godhed of Christ out of the 10. psal saying And thou lord in the beginning hast established the earth and the heauens are the workes of thine handes They shal perish but thou doest remaine and they shal waxe old as doth a garment and as a vesture shalt thou change or fold them vp they shal be changed but thou art the same and thy yeares shal not faile The holy ghost teacheth vs here as you may see by his minister Paul that this psalm in this place speketh of Christ as may be gathered both out of the argument and whole tract of the psalm to wit how that king whom the apostles had preached through all the world should be feared of all kings kingdoms of the world and that he is God himself who framed foūded both heauen and earth And although the creatures change and perish yet this God abideth stil in himself and is immutable and eternall but we shall fynde all these things in Christ And therfore vndoubtedly he is that true God which is both preached and feared thorow the whole world The names also of God by which the Scriptures speake of God giue vs if we marke them well a most firme and strong argument to proue the deuinity of Christ S. Hierom vnto Marcella hath noted names by which the scriptures cal god The first is El that is mighty the 2. Elohim the 3. Elohe that is God the 4. Zebaoth which the 70. interpreters translated into Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the learned doctor Rabbi Aquila doth trāslate it of Hostes The scripture vseth alwayes to adde this maiestical name Iehoua Edonai that is lord or god Edonai Zebaoth the lord of hostes 5 Elion that is the most hie 6. Eheieh Escher Eheieh Exodi that is I am that I am the 7. Edonai that is lord 8. Iah 9. Iehouah These two last names do only signify God in his holy eternal vnchangeable essence The x. name is Schaddai that is strong by himself or of himself sufficient able to do al things as s Hierom expoundeth it And God calleth himselfe so in Gen. saying Eni El Schaddai which S. Hierome translated into latin thus I the lord all sufficient But the 70. interpreters vse for Schaddai 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is god And this translation is true thogh Schaddai in dede signifieth almighty not properly god yet seing none is almighty but only god their translation is good Now marke what god saith in Esa. I am sayth he the lord or Iehouah this is my name and my glory I will not giue to another that is I am the true god This name and honor is only due to me this doth belong to me alone to no creature But if now this excellent hie name Iehouah may be proued by the prophets to be giuē properly to Christ then by an infallible argument good consequent is Christ proued to be true god For it is sure manifest that this name Iehouah is the proper essential name of god signifieth nothing but one true God in his holy essence maiesty which none of the other x. names doth but only this name Iehouah and Iah which Iah in my iudgement signifieth the same that Iehouah doth for they spring both out of one roote ¶ Anna.
I pray you what is the root of this word Iehouah whence hath it this wonderful signification Vrb. Iehouah cōmeth of this word Hoiah or Houah Houeh which words in the Hebrue tong hath the same signification that our is hath in english is spoken of nothing vnles it haue a substance or be somthing You know that when god would send Moses into Egypt to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt into the land of Canaan Moses speaketh vnto god saying Behold when I shall come vnto the childrē of Israel shal say to thē the God of your fathers hath sent me vnto you If they say vnto me what is his name there god answered vnto Moses saying Eheieh Escher Eheieh that is I am that I am and he sayd thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel Eheieh sent me vnto you that is I am hath sent me vnto you Here you see whēce this name Iehouah is deriued to wit from Eheieh And it is in the Hebrue tong Tetragramaton which is a word of 4. letters after the writing of the Hebrue to wit these Iod hoe uau hoe and it signifieth being or he which is For god alone if you speak properly is such that he hath or boroweth his being of none other Al creatures are something haue a substance but they haue it not of them selues but of God the almighty creator Eheieh He geueth all creatures and things their beings he nourisheth fedeth comforteth and kepeth al things And therfore Rabbi Dauid Renchi saith the scripture calleth almighty God Iah because he is the maker of the world and the cause of the worldes being But I will now recite certaine places where the scripture calleth Christ Iehouah that is god and thē you shal know why Christ said in Ioh. to the Iewes Verily verily I say vnto you before Abraham was I am Here he calleth himselfe by that name Eheieh by which God called himself whē he talked with Moises in the 3. of Exodus Dauid in the 23. psal calleth Christ the lord of Zeaboth in Hebrue it is Iehoua Zeaboth that is the God of hosts or almighty As s Hierom writeth vpon the 2. of Zach. That the 70. interpreters translated it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is almighty And the church doubteth not that the 24. psal was made of Christ that Christ is there called the lord of Zebaoth If therfore this name be geuē to the alone true natural God to none other then is this testimony vndoubted most true that Christ is true and natural god Neither can the Iewes though they be neuer so stifnecked hard harted alledge any thing here to the contrary Christ saith in the 2. of Zach. Iehouah Zebaoth the Lord of hostes hath sent me vnto the nations Here Christ himself whom God the father sent into the world that he should not only cal the Iewes but also the Gentils by the gospel vnto his euerlasting kingdom geue thē euerlasting saluation speaketh calleth hymselfe Iehouah Zebaoth which wordes signify almighty God alone And again Zach. saith and the lord my God or Iehouah shal come all the saintes with him or with thee This also is spoken of Christ of his latter comming to iudgement as s Hierom saith And the church vnderstandeth this place so vnto this day to wit that Christ our lord Iehouah shal come with his angels as it is written in Math. in these words When the sonne of man shal come in his glory al the holy angels with him then shal he sit vpon the throne of his glory Zach. sayth and who so wil not come vp of al the families of the earth vnto Ierusalem to worship the king the lord of hostes euē vpon them shall come no rayne The Prophet speaketh this of thē that wil not beleue in Christ nor acknowledge worship him in the church for their king lord god And he saith that he wil punish them with a heuy and horrible plague to wit he will take away from thē the dew of his holy word which happened to the Iewes that so they might wither decay and perish When I see a Iew heare him opening expoūding the scriptures O good God what misery what horrible ignorance do I heare see surely mans tong can not vtter the miserable darkenes that their harts are wrapped in the vncurable hardnes of hart lamentable captiuity of their errors in which Satan mightily holdeth thē You haue in this prophet diuers places moe in which Christ is called true God by the name of Iehouah Dauid also speaketh thus of the ascensiō of Christ God is gone vp with triumph euen the lord or Iehouah with the sound of the trumpet Are not these most plaine sure testimonies of the godhed of Christ And againe he saith Prepare the way for him that rideth vpō the heauens as it were vpon an horse his name is the lord or Iah reioyce ye before him or exalt him that rideth vpō the heauens in his name Iah reioice before him In this psalm Dauid speaketh again of Christ which place the holy ghost by s Paul to the Ephes expoundeth of Christ And here again is the essential name of God set down in this psalm· For the Hebrue words are these Solu Iorocheb Baeraboth be Iah Schmo And here as you see is set down the right name of God Iah which hath the same signification that Iehouah hath that is God. And Esay saith The lord or king Iehouah is our iudge Iehouah is our law giuer Iehouah the lord is our king he wil saue vs. Here Christ is three times called God which is not so plain in the common translation For in the common trāslation Iehouah is translated lord which word is general common to al those which haue power rule or gouernment of any others But Iehouah is the proper name of God alone neither is it general or cōmon to others as this word dominus is with the Latines The prophet prophesied of the state condition of the christian church to wit how it should haue great peace tranquilitie quietnes vnder our lord Christ And he addeth this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because the church shall haue god himself to be her iudge law giuer king who also wil be our help aide He is our iudge not to cōdemn vs but help vs saue vs frō the vngodly whose iudge he also is after another sort As is described in the 2. psal saying Lay hold on discipline or kisse the sonne least he be angry ye perish in the way when his wrath shall sodenly burne Thē shal his iudgemēt wrath waxe hote only against the vnbeleuing vngodly but whē he speketh of vs that beleue in Christ he saith Blessed are al they that trust in him He is our law giuer but far differyng frō Moses
Who gaue the law of god to the Iewes in tables of stone but could not make his people by the law righteous For he could not giue power strength to do perform the law But our law giuer both teacheth vs what is right holy also giueth vs a new hart his holy spirit as he promiseth by Ezec. The finger of god writeth his law in our harts that we may with ioy and pleasure do the will of the lord He is also our king for he ruleth vs in spirit truth defendeth vs And his holy spirit cōforteth vs as Esa. saith Feare not for thou shalt not be ashamed neither shalt thou be confounded For thou shalt not be put to shame For he that made thee is thy husband vvhose name is the lord of hostes thy redemer the holy one of Israel shall be called the God of the vvhole vvorld He speaketh this of Christ his church Paul saith to the Ephes Christ is the husband of the church And here again he calleth him Iehouah Zebaoth that is God almighty And afterward he calleth him by another of the names of God Elohe which also signifieth god And this prophesy is fulfilled euē frō the apostles time vnto this day is now also daily in fulfilling For al the godly beleuers in Christ Iesu do in one spirit faith confesse through the whole world that Iesus of Nazareth is our lord Christ very true God to be lauded and praised for euer Amen The scripture is full of these testimonies of that name of Iehouah Let vs therfore heare more Esay saith This is our God we haue waited for him he wil saue vs this is the lord Iehouah we haue waited for him we wil reioice and be ioyful in his saluation This prophesy doth properly appertain to Messias He shal destroy death for euer then shal the church in the time of the new testamēt say Iesus of Nazareth is our God who onely wil bring vs helth saluatiō For now this doctrine or preching to wit that Christ Iesus came into the world to saue sinners is spred abrode through the whole world And Pet. saith We beleue through the grace of the lord Iesus Christ to be saued euē as our fathers did beleue And Esa. saith Be ye strong feare not behold your God cōmeth with vēgeance euen God with a recōpence he wil come and saue you This prophesie speaketh also of Christ Wherupō Cypr. citeth it against the Iues. For the prophet by by reciteth those miracles which Messias should work here vpō earth And the holy ghost here cōmandeth al the preachers to cōfort the poore in spirit to wit all those which truly repēt are hartily sory for their sinnes which are amazed striken doun quake at the wrath iudgement of god And he biddeth them preach vnto thē diligently the gospel the glad tidings of the lord saying that god himself doth come to take vengeāce of his enemies to deliuer vs frō the tirāny of our sinnes As it came to passe in the fulnes of tyme when the only begotten sonne of god came into this earth vnto vs in his own person tooke vpon him mans nature suffred death for our sins vpō the crosse rose again frō death and therby satisfied for our trespasses deliuered vs from our sinnes death This was done by none other but by Iesus Christ of Nazareth the true son of God who at the time appointed became man therfore he is called by this most worthy comfortable name by which the prophets called him lōg before And the angel in Math. nameth him Ieschuah or Iesus It is also worthy noting full of comfort that where these prophets speake of the helpe by which we are deliuered frō our sinnes there they vse the very root or Schoresch from whēce this most cōfortable name Iesus is deriued As Esa. in the 25. saith the prophet Ioschienu and in the 35. he saith Ioschaechem And these wordes come of Ioscha and Hoschia which is deliuered to help to redeme Iere. fore-speaketh of Christes kingdom calleth him the true brāch of Dauid And he addeth he shal be called Iehouah of our righteousnes that is the name by which they cal him our iust God. The doctors of the Iewes thēselues as Rabbi Kimchi other confesse that the prophet speaketh here of Christ of his kingdom And Thargū saith Akemle Dauid Meschiah de Zadika ia that is I wil raise vp or bring forth a Messias for Dauid which is Christ the righteous Here God promised to Dauid long after the death of Dauid a stock or branch of righteousnes which shold set vp true rightousnes This branch is Christ And there he telleth what his name should be he calleth him by the name of god For he setteth down that holy name Iehouah This testimony doth conuince the wicked Iues damned Arrians of a diuelish heresy And it soundly declareth that Christ is not onely true man borne of the stock of Dauid after the flesh but also the only true and natural god ¶ An. I remember that you were wont oftentimes to say that amongst the briefe short sentences of the holy scripture you neuer had more redy perfect help comfort by any then by these words Our righteous God or Christ the God of our righteousnes You say that this sentence is your most precious iuel which ye would not change with many millions of worlds if there were so many worldes For you say it is the pith of the whole gospel Wherfore I pray you good husband expound and open me the same with al diligence that I may also be partaker of that rich treasure and precious iuell For all thinges ought to be common betwene vs seing that which is yours is also myne ☞ Vrb. Why might I not say with Paul. Those thinges that were vātage vnto me the same I counted losse for Christes sake yea doubtles I thinke all things but losse for the excellent knovvledge sake of Christ Iesus my lord For vvhō I haue accounted all thinges losse and do iudge thē to be dong that I might vvin Christ might be found in him that is not hauing mine ovvn righteousnes vvhich is of the lavve but that vvhich is thorovv the faith of Christ euen the righteousnes vvhich is of God thorovv faith that I may knovv him the vertue of his resurrection I haue had no afflictiō no grief no wound of hart though it were very bitter in which this saying of Ier. did could not comfort refresh me For what storme of temptation soeuer assaileth me what tēpest of affliction soeuer riseth rageth vpon me when my sins vexe me when the horrors of death shake me and when the paines of the euerlasting lake be present before me appeare in my mind by by I
run hither in this iuel I find that only heroical helper which both wil can deliuer me frō al perils dangers For he is that true God Iehouah He became also true man that he might beare my offences die for my sins giue himselfe all that euer he had for me When my consciēce beginneth to dispaire saith how wilt thou stand before God how wilt thou escape euerlasting death thou art a sinner the stipend wages of a sinner is nothing els but wrath ire affliction tormēt both in this life in the life to come When I am thus I say shaken with these forceable violent tēptations I run to this saying my iuel sacredanker This saying is my sword my complet harnes my chief armour my strōg tower of defēce then I burst forth into these words say I cōfes it is true ah alas it is to to true that I am a miserable sinner as far as belōgeth to my self my own person therfore haue I deserued very sharp punishment but God promised to send vs sinners a bud of righteousnes but of the stocke of Dauid that he should be God and also our righteousnes And he hath long since performed this his promise made vnto sinners in that he gaue and sent his sonne to vs that he might be our righteousnes which wordes Paul vseth respecting only this posy Wherfore although I know my selfe most guilty of many diuers hainous heauy sinnes yet wil I not discourage my self or dispaire For in sacred baptisme I haue put on Christ our saluation giuen of god by whom he hath both promised and geuen vnto vs euerlasting life That Christ out of all doubt is holy enough And seing he is mine although I be neuer so loden with sinne yet for all that in as much as I haue repented do repent me hartily of my sinne and seing that I do lament that euer I sinned I haue sufficient to answer my sinnes to wit that euerlasting righteousnes euen Christ himself with his passion resurrection which is freely giuē me of God. Him may I set forth to answer the heuy and grieuous wrath of God behind him as a true propitiatory may I hyde and shroud my selfe and so be remaine vntouched eyther of sinne death or Satan For the innocency righteousnes of Christ is infinite euerlasting inuincible yea it is more mighty then all the sinne of man and able to answer for al sinne if there were a thousand mo worlds of sinne His life was such so proper so passing forceable and mighty that it got the victory ouer death sinne and hell To be brief no tong can tell nor hart thinke what treasure what riches what wealth it is to vs that Christ the true naturall sonne of God is become our righteousnes If he had bene righteous and holy for himself alone then had it profited vs nothing But now seing he needed not be righteous for himselfe but is become righteous for vs who I pray you if we beleue this faithfully if we persuade our selues herein certainly cā hurt vs who can make vs afraid or what can make vs dispaire nay may not we with Paul holily triumph glory say If God be with vs or on our side who can be against vs who spared not his own sonne but gaue him for vs all to death how shal he not with him geue vs all things also who shal lay any thing to the charge of gods chosen it is God that iustifieth who shal condēn it is Christ which is dead for vs yea or rather which is risen agayne who is also at the right hand of God and maketh request also for vs Who shall separate vs frō the loue of Christ Behold how full of hart how proud in holines and how couragious this sentence made s Paule Lo what strength what stomacke it ministreth vnto him in so much that he feared himself nothing but stood stoutly vndiscouraged with any euill or temptation may not we thē likewise recreate solace our selues therin If Christ be our righteousnes as he is in deede then must nedes all our sinnes be forgeuen vs then God himself accounteth vs righteous for Christes sake For before this righteousnes of his can no sin remain but must nedes be quēched out euen as a litle spark of fire is put out in the great sea And if our sinnes be blotted out then is death also so choked that the death of the godly is but a slepe a redy way vnto immortallity then hath Satan no more power ouer vs but we being clothed with the righteousnes of Christ are become the sonnes of God and shal with Christ inherite euerlasting lyfe Chrisostome saith vpon Iohn 2. Who so euer hath Christ hath all welth and treasure For he hath perfect holines which he may set against the law iudgemēt of God true life to set against death euerlasting saluation against damnation As Paul sayth Christ is the ende or fulfilling of the law for righteousnesse vnto euery one that beleueth who so beleueth in him is righteous Paul tooke such a holy pride and trust in these wordes of Iere. that he was not afraid to iest at death sinne the deuil saying O death where is thy sting O graue or hell where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law But thankes be vnto God which hath giuen vs victory through our Lord Iesus Christ Lo Christ as you see is our righteousnes his righteousnes and victory ouer sinne death and hel is giuen vnto vs that it may be our own that we may chalenge it by right for our owne O would to God that all which doe professe the name of Christ did thorowly vnderstand and beleue this ¶ Anna. O how happy were we if these so excellent and precious words of God were so depely printed in our mindes that we could surely ground them in our hartes This saying hereafter shall also be my iuell And God graunt me faith that I may euer kepe it in my hart Amē But why do you translate these wordes Edonai zid kennu the lord of our righteousnes or the lord our righteousnes and not rather our righteous God as the common translation hath it ☞ Vrb. Some do read it our righteous God but seing S. Hierom readeth it out of the Hebrue the God of our righteousnes I had rather folow him For so is it fuller hath more force to make vs know Christ and to comfort vs And so hath the holy ghost by s Paul translated it saying Christ of God is made vnto vs wisdom righteousnes and sanctification redemptiō He that reioiceth let him reioyce in the Lord. Christ is also called God in other places as in Esay where the prophet calleth Christ El whereof commeth
Emanuel or Immanuel Which words the holy ghost expoundeth in Math. God with vs. For El signifieth God although it doth properly signify strong yet in Esa. it signifieth the true natural God who of himself is strōgest of al yea very strēgth it self The 70. interpreters trāslated it the mighty god Christ is also called God in Zach. who sayth And he shewed me Iehouah the high priest standing before the angel of the lord and Sathan stood at his right hand to resist him And the lord said vnto Satan the Lord reproue thee This angel and Iehouah or God is the onely begotten sonne of God who appeared to the prophet in the forme of an angel is often called an angel as Esa. The angel of the great counsel For he was sent into the world by the euerlasting counsell of the holy trinity This angel Christ is here called by the proper name of our true natural God that is Edonais or Iehouah And thus you see by these playne and manifest wordes that Christ is very true and naturall god I might bring more places out of holy scripture like vnto these where Christ is playnely and simply called God but you shall fynde them in reading your selfe There are also many testimonies by which the godhed of Christ is plainly declared although this name God be not alwais expresly set down For the circumstāces do mightily proue that euen he of whom the scripture in that place speaketh is true God as God saith in Esay I euen I am the Lord and beside me there is no sauior Here God himselfe saith that there is none other Moschiam deliuerer or sauiour but only he And this name Sauiour both in the old new testament is alwais attributed only vnto Christ It followeth therfore that Christ is true God or Iehouah And this testimony proueth the godhead of Christ as well as if in plain manifest wordes he had bene called god For when we write or speak of the prince of any country or prouince then it is all one whether we say here standeth the right lord heyre gouernour of this country or here standeth he to whom this land or prouince belongeth or to whom this region is subiect by the commaundement of god If therfore the whole country or dukedom belong to none other but to the ruler therof only then is the meaning of both the sentēces one If there be none other sauiour but only God and yet Christ is our alone sauiour as the scripture saith he is then must it nedes follow that Christ is God. The scripture also saith in Ieremy Cursed be the mā that trusteth in man. And Paul saith He that beleueth in him that is Christ shall not be ashamed or cōfounded And Iohn saith He that beleueth in Christ shall not be condemned All the whole Gospell requireth fayth in Christ Faith is a worke of the first commaundement which is due to none but only to the sole true god If therfore we must beleue in Christ as we daily say when we repeat the christian creede I beleue in Christ our lord c. It followeth that he is true god For if he had not bene true God the scripture would neuer haue cōmaunded vs to honor him as God But seing that the scripture cōmaundeth vs to honor him as god it must nedes be that he is God. As Ioh. saith The father hath committed all iudgement vnto the sonne because that al men should honour the sonne as they honour the father But the father is honoured in fayth loue feare hope and inuocation For we beleue in him loue hym feare him put our whole trust in him call vpon him and such like This is the honor due to God only But the sonne must be honored after the same maner and therefore he is very god Many such reasons may be gathered as we read in Hilary Ambrose Augustine but specially in Cyril in those 14. famous bokes which he intituled the treasure against the Arrians There is also a testimony of Christes godhed in the 11. of Esay where the Hebrue text is thus The nations shal seeke vnto it or shall make inquisition after it that is Christ The 70. interpreters haue thus translated it the Gentils shal trust in him that is in Christ He speaketh here of the root Isai or Iesse that is Christ which thing must nedes be confessed because none can deny it If then the Gentils must put their trust in him and yet must we trust in none but the true God because none but he can or wil saue vs it followeth by a consequent that Christ is very god The Euangelist S. Iohn is ful of such arguments wherby the godhead of Christ may be proued by his diuine workes Like as the father raiseth vp the dead and quickeneth thē so the sonne quickeneth whom he wil. Wherby it is playne that the sonne is god For to raise vp the dead to life is a worke of an infinite power which none can do vnlesse he be true god But seing that Christ raiseth vp the dead to life by his own power as wel as the father it followeth that he is true god It is also said in Iohn What so euer thing the father doth the same doth the sonne also Wherby is proued that the father the sonne are both of one essence nature and power Therefore the sonne is true God and doth as wel create as the father And in the same chap. As the father hath life in himself so likewise hath he giuen to the sonne to haue life in himself We creatures haue life but not of our selues For it is giuē vs of God by grace But the heauenly father hath life in himself so that he himself is essentially life it selfe neyther hath he taken it of another neither gaue he life so vnto the sonne as he geueth it vnto creatures as thogh he had not had it before or as though he had ben without it and afterward receiued it of his father as other creatures do nay there was no such giuing For the son in his godhed hath not his life after that sort but the father begot him from euerlasting of his own substance essence And thus the father borowed his substaunce of none And whatsoeuer the sonne is or hath the same he is hath of the father The father who is very lyfe in himselfe begot the sonne who also in like maner is very life in himself as s August saith And Christ is the very sonne of God therefore true god And so saith Christ in Ioh. I am the resurrection and the life Wherby it foloweth that Christ is true god For he is life in deed and maketh the dead to liue which thing is not the work of a creature but only of god And Christ sayth in the x. of Iohn I haue power to lay downe my life and haue power to take it againe
Which thing he did on Easter day when by his owne proper power and might he rose from the dead This is the worke of God and he attributeth and taketh it to himself For he saith I haue power c. We also shall rise againe but we haue no power to rayse vp our selues as Christ raiseth himself but he through his owne proper strength and vertue doth rayse vs vp Christ also is omnipotent but none but God is omnipotent therfore Christ is god Paul proueth his almighty power to the Phil. where he sayth Christ shall chaunge our vile body that it may be fashioned lyke vnto his glorious body according to the working wherby he is able euen to subdue all thinges to himselfe Therefore must he nedes be almighty so of necessity true god God saith in Zachary I wil poure vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitantes of Ierusalem the spirite of grace and of compassion and they shal loke vpon me whō they haue perced Here God speaketh For to giue the holy ghost is the very office of god And the same onely Lord God saith He was nailed on the crosse and pierced through the side And did not the very same happen vnto Christ hanging vpon the crosse Iohn saith One of the souldiers with a speare pierced his side forthwith came there out bloud and water Seyng that God and man is one person in Christ therefore doth the Scripture because of the vnitie of person vse this phrase or maner of speaking as Paule sayth to the Corinthiās They would not haue crucified Christ the Lorde of glory For the person of Christ is not to bee deuided or sundered Wee must not say man Christ suffered for vs man Christ was slayne for vs but God and man that one person the Lord of glory and maiesty was crucified and dyed for vs. The Godhead or deuinitie of Christ is euery foote in the new Testament proued and confirmed out of the ground of the olde Testament Paule in the Actes sayth Take heede therefore vnto your selues and to al the flocke whereof the holy ghost hath made you ouerseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his owne bloud Bede sayth in his Commentaries on these wordes Paule is not afrayde to call it the bloud of God for the vnitie which is in the two natures of our Lord Iesus Christ Wherefore he is called also the sonne of man which is in heauen Let therefore that Nestorian heretike cease to seperate the sonne of man from the sonne of god and let him not make to hymselfe two Christes Iohn Baptist sayth thus concerning Christ I saw and bare recorde that he is the sonne of God. Let vs note here that which Cyrill noteth vpon Iohn to wit that the Greeke article doth declare the person Christ to be the very sonne of God after a peculiar sorte We are the children of God adopted by grace but Christ is the onely true and naturall sonne of God begotten of the substaunce of the father who was prefigured and set downe in the types of Moyses lawe who also was prophesied of by the Prophetes God so loued the worlde that he hath giuen his onely begotten son that whosoeuer beleueth in him should not perishe but haue euerlasting lyfe Saint Cyril sayth vpon these wordes He giueth forth in these wordes that he is true God by nature For it must needes be that the onely begotten sonne of God beyng like to the father must also be God who hath not onely the externall honour of childhoode as we haue but is in deede the very same which he is sayd to bee Christ also in Ioh. sayd vnto the Iewes None is able to take thē my shepe out of my fathers handes I and my father are one for which saying the Iewes being about to stone him sayde Thou being a man makest thy self a God. Here the Iewes plainly vnderstood that when Christ called God his father and when he said I the father are one that then he called himself true God and the naturall sonne of God who is like to his father as s Augustine sayth vpon these words And Thomas simply calleth Christ God saying Thou art my lord and my God. Here again s. Cyril admonisheth vs to note these wordes well as they were writtē in the Greke tong in which the new testament was writtē The Greke is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Both the wordes lord and God haue their proper articles Wherupon it may easily be gathered vnderstood that Christ is not called lord or God as the angels and men in office authority are called gods but after another proper peculiar sort for he is the true and natural god But it would be long to repeate all that is in Iohn concerning this matter And this I tel you that all the gospel of Iohn almost euery chap and verse is nothing els but a testimony of Christes Godhed Wherfore my councel is that you highly esteme Ioh. gospell that you hartily loue it and that with all diligence you read it and read it again Paul saith that god had promised his gospel afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his sonne Iesus Christ our lord And here after a peculiar sort he calleth Christ the sonne of God euen his natural sonne And he sayth that Christ concerning the flesh came of the ancient fathers who is God ouer all blessed for euer Amen We looke for that blessed hope appearing of the glory of the mighty God and of our sauiour Iesus Christ And to the Phil. he saith Christ being in the forme of God thought it no robbery to be equal with god but he made himselfe of no reputation toke vnto him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a mā And to the Col. In Christ dwelleth the fulnes of the godhead bodely That is as Theophilact expoūdeth it substantially or essentially so that God and man are one persō and not two sonnes of god but one sonne of God one Christ And Ioh. saith We are in him that is true that is in his sonne Iesus Christ This same is very God eternal lyfe There are many mo testimonies of Christes true godhead But seing it would be great trouble and also aske long tyme to speake of them al I pray you at this tyme be content with these ¶ Anna. You haue alledged sufficient testimonies concerning Christes diuinity I haue oftentymes heard you in many and long sermons thorowly ground and proue it but you haue neuer done you make no end if you once beginne and haue occasion and opportunity to speake of this doctrine and article ☞ Vrb. Some mē litle conuersant in heauēly things perhaps wil thinke that I haue spoken many needles wordes laboured long about a little But take you good hede my wife that
you haue no such cogitation thinke not this a light matter heare it not so that it go in at the one eare and run out at the other but learne it perfectly digest it inwardly For the godhed of Christ Iesus is the most high necessariest article to be known in all deuinitie which the deuil the wicked spirit the father of lies hath gone about in his mēbers to take frō vs to destroy euer since the apostles time He assaied it by that wicked vngodly heretike Cerinthus in Iohn the Euangelists dais and afterward by other of his ministers the bewitched blind enemies of pietie as Arrius Euzoius Achilla Eunomius Paulus Samosaten he doth now assaile it by that folish and fanaticall sect of Anabaptists Marke therefore obserue diligently this that no man can be iustified saued vnlesse he beleue that God himself became man that the euerlasting word which was with God his natural sonne tooke mans nature vpon him at the tyme appointed and is not a creature but true God the almighty creator He which doth not beleue this must needes die perish in his sinnes eternally For he hath not the true lyfe to wit this euerlasting word the sonne of God without which there is no true life For in him only is life If Iesus Christ were only man and not God so that the manhood of Christ were only a person of himself without God thē could he not deliuer vs frō sinne death hell though he himself were neuer so holy free from sinne neither had the prophesies bene fulfilled which witnes thogh in hidden misteries and figures yet in sure vnfallible proper fit plaine manifest wordes that God himself should become man But behold here I pray you the crafty subtleties and deceites of that wicked and diuelish seducer Satan who because he knew that God could not be found without this humanity of Christ but only in the humain nature of Christ els not goeth about to seduce and wrap men in this error that they should not beleue Christ to be true God to the end that poore sinners should seke God without Christ and so neuer finde He which is in this error and is seduced by this misbelief thinking Christ to be only man and not true God he hath no Christ he hath no sauiour he hath no deliuerer no redemer no lyfe and to be brief no god For he faineth to himselfe a Christ which is no Christ who can neither help him nor deliuer him he seketh god without Christ where he will not be foūd Wherupon it followeth that such a man which thus seeketh God cannot escape euerlasting damnation And this Satan chiefly trauaileth this he endeuoreth at this marke doth he altogether shoot that by that means he may cast vs into euerlasting perdition and destroy vs Loke therfore vnto your selfe the world draweth to an ende these be the last daies the dissolution of al things is euen at hand and Satan seeth that his iudgement condēnation is very nigh therfore he bestirreth him he findeth all meanes he may he deuiseth all wayes he can and he vseth all the force he hath to hurt Christ and Christians yea he goeth about by his force erroneous doctrine to seduce all that are baptized in Christ and to entise them from Christ to bring thē into vtter dāger of their soules Of all thinges he cannot abide the sound and pure doctrine of Christ And therfore it stādeth vs vpon to watch and daily and hourely to exercise prayer and reading of the holy scriptures ¶ Anna. All laud glory be vnto God for euer Now I see by the grace and goodnes of God how much it auaileth vs wel thorowly to know this article and to print it in our hartes I wil do my diligence to make our children perfit therin O good God how much lyeth vpon this article and what a iuell is it truly to beleue the godhed of Christ It were better to forsweare and deny al the creatures in heauen earth yea it were better to die a 1000 ▪ deaths then once to doubt but euen one iot of the godhed of Christ But go to and proue that other natiuity of Christ which was temporall in that he was true man and borne of Mary who remayned a pure virgin after his birth ☞ Vrb. You haue alredy before heard somewhat of Christes temporal natiuitie where we spake of the tribe of which Christ should come and of Mary the blessed mother of god And I expounded the 17. chap. of Esay where it is sayd that Iesus the sonne of Mary shold be called Immanuel that is God with vs as also the prophesie of Mich. Now we haue more of this natiuitie in the 9. of Esa. The wordes are these For vnto vs a childe is borne and vnto vs a sonne is giuen and the gouernment is vpon his shoulder and he shall call his name wonderfull counsailor the mighty God the euerlasting father the prince of peace the increase of his gouernmēt and peace shall haue none ende hee shall fit vppon the throne of Dauid and vpon his kingdome to order it and to establish it with iudgement and with iustice frō hence forth euen for euer the zeale of the lord of hostes wil performe this In this prophesy of Christ is set forth both his temporall natiuitie ministery kingdome and also the order of the whole gouernment of his kingdom First he sayth vnto vs a child is borne and vnto vs a sonne is giuen that we may know that this birth of Christ with all that Christ is hath or doth thorough the fatherly good will of God is oures and done for the health commodity saluation and vse of vs poore sinners which are borne in this world of the flesh sinfull and vngodly children of wrath and miserable offenders euen from our mothers wombe and therefore most worthy of euerlasting damnation But here is borne such a sonne whose natiuitie is holy and pure full of blessednesse and saluation and he is borne for our sakes to wit that he may helpe vs and bring vs health and all true happinesse and that by hym we may be cleansed new borne iustified and preserued from the spottes and filthy staynes which we had in our first natiuitie of Adam Like as the church in Germany hath nowe a great while song on Christmas day Ein kindelein so lobelich ist vns geborn heute von eyner Iunckfrawen seuberlich zu trost vns armen leuten were vns das kindelein nicht geborn so weren wir alzumal ver lorn das heil ist vnser alle Eia du sysser Iesu Christ das du mensch geborn bist behijt vns fijt der helle c. That is a child most highly to be praised yet neuer as he deserueth is this day borne of an vnspotted virgin for the comfort of vs miserable men where as if
things which in his word he hath promised vs For he geueth vs the holy ghost who giueth vs faith confirmeth vs with his word that we may depēd vpō him cōstantly cleaue to him as to a most strong rock so in all aduersities calamities stande stedfast vnmoueable against the assaults iniuries of our enemies so the at the last we may ouercome them vanquish them with the Psalmist reioyce say the lord our God is my strength And with Paul to the Phil. I am able to do al things through the helpe of Christ which strengthneth me The fourth name is Gibbor that is the lord or giant In the former names we are taught what maner and meane Christ vseth and how he handeleth vs when he wil bring vs to his kingdome First of all he handleth vs straightly mortifieth our olde Adam which seemeth vnpleasant to the flesh worketh al things so by contrarieties that our reason is confounded and knoweth not how to vnwynd it selfe Secondly he comforteth vs by his gospel Thirdly he is present with vs in all his might and strength deliuereth vs out of al extremities and perill But this 4. name telleth vs how Christ vseth and handleth his and our enemies Christ is called in the scriptures Gibbor that is lord or giant for his inuincible might and power For seyng he is king and will gouerne his kingdome peaceably he must nedes suppresse and vanquish the enemies of his kingdome that christians may liue safely without feare and hurt but he cannot beat down and breake the force of his enemies without great power seyng Satan with the world and sinne with death are most horrible vgly strong and outrageous enemies Death is stronger then the whole world And Satan as Iob witnesseth is of such might strength that al men in the world are not to be compared to him He is the prince of all the children of pride and disdaine And he is that strong mā armed that kepeth his palace so that all that he possesseth is in peace But Christ is much stronger who ouercommeth the euil spirite and deliuereth vs from all power of darknes wherof Dauid saith He reioiceth like a mighty man or giant to run his course Christ hath ouercome death the deuil now alone the lord of all things is with great triumph rightly honored by these titles He is lord to whō euery knee doth bow and lord ouer the quicke and the dead And Iohn saith Christ the sonne of God appeared that he might loose the workes of the deuil And Paul to the Col. saith He hath spoiled the principalities power hath made a shew of thē openly and hath triumphed ouer thē in the same crosse He is called in Esay Maher schalal that is make hast to pray As if one should say a quicke spoiler Hashbaz that is make hast to spoile or a spedy spoil We were the miserable seruants of the deuill sold vnder sinne and he held vs vnder his tiranny molested vs at his pleasure will. Thē came the mighty giant our lord Christ a lion of the tribe of Iuda fought with that prince of darknes which had rule ouer death got the victory and by his death destroyed the power of the enemy set vs being deliuered out of his tiranny at liberty according to that of Iohn If the sonne shall make you free you shal be free in deed The 5. name is Abiad that is a father for euer or always and euermore a father world without end By this name we feele and perceiue the mercy clemency pity grace of this child toward vs Because he will not be such a king amongst vs his poore people as at whose maiesty the godly shold be amased feare quake trēble but he loueth vs fatherly he embraceth vs louingly he wil norish defēd cherish vs singularly And as a godly louing father is by the instinct of nature wel affected to his welbeloued son as he is careful ouer his child alwais thinking how to prouide for him honestly how to bring him vp vertuously how to instruct frame tech chastē gouern rule defēd him fatherly make him apt fit for his heritage So doth Christ in his kingdom with vs Here is nothing but natural loue fatherly affectiō toward vs nothing but a vehement loue nothing but a care and desire to do vs good nothing but infinite beneuolence towards vs. But in this simile there is great difference betwene a worldly father Christ our father For we haue much greater better and fatherly gifts of Christ thē any beloued sonne hath of his earthly father though he be a most louyng intreater of his children The earthly father which is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in deede loueth his children careth for them fostereth them cherisheth them fedeth them and bringeth them wel vp yet this care regard good will and diligence of earthly parents is temporal and cannot continue abide for euer And it happeneth oftentimes that when the children stande most need of their parents helpe or counsaile then are theyr fathers constrained to leaue them and dye But Christ is always our perpetual euerlasting eternal father for he suffred once for vs his childrē now he suffreth no more And he neither can nor wil leaue vs without helpe he both can wil maintaine feed care for kepe and defend vs here for euer God prepareth vs here for his own inheritance that after this temporall lyfe we may liue with him for euer And hereunto accordeth very well the translation of the 70. interpreters who cal this word Abiad father of the world to come or of the lyfe that shall be to the ende they may thereby signify the mystical resurrection into lyfe euerlasting of all that beleue in Christ At which tyme shal be plainly opened and reueled in what honor and dignity the godly shal be and how derely Christ hath loued them how he hath embraced them and what care he had ouer thē Let therfore euery godly mā kepe this title of Christ in his mynd whē death approcheth he shal find therby a singuler comfort For then he knoweth that Christ is not only here but shal be for euer a most louing father Which thing Paule knew very well and was thereof throughly persuaded yea he had so grounded it in hys hart that euē in death he was of good courage saying Christ is to me life and death is to me aduauntage I desire to be loosed and to be with Christ Why then do we not desire to be dissolued why then are we not desirous to die how happeneth it that we feare death truly because we do not firmly and constantly beleue the scriptures because our faith is weake little And because we let not this heauenly and deuine comfort of Gods
bringeth vs vnto God reconcileth vs vnto God as a Mediator maketh intercession for vs vnto God that we may with a sure trust ioy of hart make our prayers vnto the father in the name of our eternall high priest Christ As Paul sayth For there is one God one mediator betwene God man which is the man Christ Iesus who gaue himselfe a raunsome for all men And Iohn saith My babes these things write I vnto you that you sin not if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust he is the reconciliation for our sins not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world And Paul saith Through Christ we both haue an entrāce to the father by one spirit And again by whō we haue boldnes enterance with confidēce by fayth in him Christ also saith Verily verily I say vnto you whatsoeuer you shal aske the father in my name he will giue it you So Paule maketh his prayer through Christ as our high priest by whom for whom only we our praiers are acceptable vnto God the father As it is said to the Hebr. By Iesus Christ we offer the sacrifice of prayse alwais to God that is the fruit of the lips which confesse his name Furthermore it is worthy marking that where the prophets do promise to the people of God deliuerāce from sin death al other euils that there Iesus Christ is promised For we see this is the purpose of God that he wil not helpe any deliuer any nor be gracious to any but only for Iesus Christes sake As Peter sayth in the Acts. We haue saluatiō in none but in Iesus Christ For among men there is giuē none other name vnder heauen wherby we must be saued Now looke on the prophesie For both the name worke of Christ is liuely described in it He is called Iehoschua or Ieschua that is a sauiour who must deliuer helpe saue Which worde we find written in the prophets sometime with moe sometyme with fewer letters but yet significatiuely plainly set downe Dauid saith All the endes of the earth haue haue sene Iescuah the saluation or sauiour of our god And in the 119. he calleth him often Teschuatecha that is a deliuerer or a sauiour It followeth My soule fainteth for thy saluation In all these places the prophet sheweth how hartily he desireth Christ how earnestly he loketh for Christes cōming as S. Augustine saith vpon this Psal. And here you see that Christ the onely sauior was euer euen from the beginning of the world the only hope trust as well of the fathers elected in Christ in the old testament as he is now our god our hope our comfort in the new testament For no man can attaine saluation vnlesse he beleue in Christ and be a christian Esa. saith My righteous one or my righteousnes is nere my saluation goeth forth My saluation shall be for euer my righteousnesse shal not be abolished Here this name Ieschua or Iesus is often repeated for the prophet speaketh in this text of Christ And againe he saith The lord hath made bare his holy arme in the sight of all the Gentils all the ends of the earth shall see the saluation of our god And again I euē I am the lord beside me there is no moschia that is sauiour There be many such testimonies as these in Esay 33.46.66 in many other places He is called in the 54. of Esa. a redemer For he that made thee is thine husband or he shal rule ouer thee which was thy maker His name is the lord of hostes or Iehouah Zebaoth And thy redeemer the holy one of Israel shall be called God of the whole earth Here this word Goel is vsed which signifieth a sauior or deliuerer which epitheton in the scriptures is alwais attributed vnto Christ And Es saith The redemer shal come vnto Sion vnto thē that turne frō iniquity in Iacob saith the Lord. S. Paul to the Rom. citeth this text of Christ our only deliuerer in Sion And therfore Ose saith thus I wil redeme them frō the power of the graue I wil deliuer them frō death O death I wil be thy death O graue I wil be thy destruction Death where is thy sting hell where is thy victory But we wil speake more hereof in another place And yet mark here by the way that this word Goel or redemer in the prophets signifieth not only man but also very god And therfore is he much more mighty then sinne death and hel and he both wil can saue deliuer vs And thus vpō such a sure and sound foundatiō as you see is our catholike faith grounded Now note the doctrine of the Apostles grounded and stayed vpon these testimonies of scripture in the new testament Paul saith Christ is our redemption Christ gaue himselfe for our sinnes that he might deliuer vs from this present euil world We haue redemption by the bloud of Christ Christ deliuereth vs frō the wrath to come We loke for that blessed hope appearing of the glory of the mighty god of our sauior Iesus Christ Vnto you is born this day in the city of Dauid a sauiour which is Christ the lord The new testamēt is ful of such sentences Againe the Psalmist witnesseth that Christ is our shepeherd that we be his shepe that he carefully kepeth preserueth vs fedeth vs in his pleasaunt pastures vnto euerlasting life And he speakes only of Christ saieng Come let vs worship and fall downe and kneele before the lord our maker For he is our God we are the people of hys pasture the sheep of his hād And the 100. Psa saith thus Know ye that euē the lord is god he hath made vs and not we our selues we are his people and shepe of his pasture Esa. saith He shal feed his flock like a sheepeherd he shal gather the lambes with his arme and cary them in his bosome shal guide thē with yong And Christ in Ioh. calleth himself that good shepeheard which giueth his life for the sheepe he promiseth them eternal life saying No man shall plucke them out of my hand And Luke saith He is a faithful shepeheard which seketh the lost shepe when he findeth it he laieth it on his shoulders with ioy bringeth it home Iere. saith He that scattered Israel wil gather him will kepe him as a shepeheard doth his flocke For the lord hath redemed Iacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that is stronger then he This is not to be vnderstood of the carnal but euen of the spirituall Israell whether they be Iewes or Gentiles And Zach. sayth Arise O sword vpō my shepeherd vpon the man that is my felow
slepe in Iesus will God bring with him And to Tim. he sayth Christ came into this worlde to saue sinners And againe There is one God and one mediator betwene GOD and man which is the man Iesus Christ who gaue himselfe for a ransome for all men And againe God saued vs and called vs with an holy callyng not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen vs through Christ Iesus before the world was but is now made manifest by the appearing of our sauiour Iesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality vnto lyght through the gospel And to Titus he saith For the grace of God that bringeth saluation vnto all men hath appeared and teacheth vs that we should deny vngodlinesse worldly lustes that we should liue soberly and righteously and godly in this present world loking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the mighty God of our sauiour Iesus Christ who gaue himselfe for vs that he might redeme vs from all iniquity and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe zelous of good works And to the Hebr. he sayeth Forasmuch then as the children were partakers of flesh and bloud he also himself likewise tooke part with thē that he might destroy through death him that had the power of death that is the deuil and that he might deliuer all them which for feare of death were all their life tyme subiect to bondage For he in no sort tooke the angels but he tooke the seed of Abraham Wherfore in all things it became him to be made like vnto his brethren that he might be mercifull and a faythfull high priest in things concerning God that he might make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people For in that he suffred and was tempted he is able to succour all them that be tempted In the same place the Apostle sayth that Christ by the grace of God tasted of death for all men Read the whole epistle to the Hebr. but especially the 5. 7. 8. 9. 10. chap. concerning Christes priesthood and sacrifice for it is in deede a most worthy and precious treasure Peter sayth Blessed be God euen the father of our lord Iesus Christ which according to his aboundaunt mercy hath begotten vs agayne vnto a liuely hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead And it followeth You are not redemed with corruptible things as with siluer and gold from your vayne conuersation receiued by the traditions of the fathers but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a lambe vndefiled and without spot which was lord before the foundation of the world but was declared in the last tymes for your sakes which by his meanes doe beleue in God that raysed him from the dead and gaue him glory that your faith hope might be in God. And agayne Christ himselfe bare our sinnes in his body on the tree that we being deliuered from sinne should liue in righteousnesse Christ also hath once suffred for sins the iust for the vniust that he might bring vs to god And Ioh. saith The bloud of Iesus Christ the sonne of God clenseth vs from all sinne And againe We haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust and he is the reconciliatiō for our sinnes ▪ and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole world It followeth Your sinnes are forgiuen you for his names sake And againe For this purpose appeared the sonne of God that he might loose the workes of the deuill And again In this appeared the loue of God toward vs because God sent his only begotten sonne into the world that we might liue through him Herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs and sent his sonne to be a recōciliation for our sinnes To be briefe this is the pithe of all the Apostles preaching And this is the summe of their doctrine that we obtaine forgiuenesse of all our sinnes and euerlasting lyfe by none other but only by Iesus Christ and by no other worke but by his most precious death and victorious resurrection Therfore Peter with great boldnes instructing the Iewes concerning Christ comprehendeth all the whole matter briefly in few wordes in the 4. chap. of the Acts where he sayth You haue crucified Christ whom God raysed frō the dead This is the stone which was cast aside of you builders which is become the head of the corner neither is there saluation in any other For among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen wherby we must be saued And Paul to the Cor. saith Christ died for our sinnes according to the scripture and was buried and rose agayne the third day according to the scriptures And if Christ be not raised agayne then is our preaching vayne and your fayth vayne Ye are yet in your sinnes and so they which are a sleepe in Christ are perished If in this life onely we haue hope in Christ we are of all men the most miserable But now is Christ risen from the dead and was made the first fruits of them that slept For since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead For as in Adam all die euen so in Christ shall all be made alyue S. Augustine hath a learned and worthy saying namely that one resurrection of Iesus Christ saith he hath giuen vs two resurrections to wit one spiritual from our sinnes and the other corporal For when as Christ rayseth vs vp from the spirituall death of sinne by his holy Gospell and lighteneth our hartes with the knowledge of Gods grace and our sinnes When he pardoneth our sinnes and whē he giueth vs the holy ghost then do we rise from our wickednesse and are counted righteous in the sight of god This resurrection is here in earth by fayth in Christ which we receyue whē we heare his word in the holy gospell As Christ sayth in Iohn Verily verily I say vnto you the houre shal come and now is when the deade shall heare the voyce of the sonne of God and they that heare shal liue Which words are spoken of the rising from our sinnes as S. Augustine expoundeth them The other resurrection which Christ hath deserued wrought or obtayned for vs by his resurrection is that resurrection of the body which shal be in the last day Of which Iohn sayth thus The houre shall come in the which all that are in the graues shall heare his voyce And they shall come forth that haue done good vnto the resurrection of lyfe but they that haue done euill vnto the resurrection of condemnation And Paul saith to the Thes If we beleue that Iesus is dead is risen euen so them which slepe in Iesus will God bring with hym For this say we vnto you by the worde of the Lord that we which
our body here is a natural body and to the fustentation therof we must if we wil liue eate drinke slepe disgest purge And the same body is weried and in the ende corrupteth and fadeth And therfore as sone as that soule departeth frō the body the corps beginneth to smell putrify so that no man can abide the stinke therof This is the dishonor which for sinne is laid vpon the body But in the last day the lord wil trāsfigure our body into such brightnes make it so beautiful that it shal be like the sunne so shal alway abide continue a firm sound immortal body without bodily meat fed of god for euer And therfore saith Paul pointing as it were to his body with his finger this corruptible body wherin I now stād sit walke speake this same body I say must put on incorruption this mortal must put on immortalitie When this corruptible body hath put on incorruption this mortal hath put on immortalitie then shall bee brought to passe the saying that is written Death is swalowed vp into victory ¶ Anna. Now I haue heard the fruit of Christes passion resurrection which I take to be this That what Satan in Adam our nature by sin had corrupted destroyed the Christ by his death resurrection hath recouered restored to wit he hath destroyed sin ouercome death giuen life that we which beleue in Christ may be deliuered from our sins freed from the tiranny of deth the diuel be made heires of euerlasting life Now shew me what maner of kingdom Christs kingdom is which is so magnifically set forth promised vnto vs in the law prophets and euangelists ☞ Vrb. The kingdom of Christ which is promised in the prophets is a spirituall kingdom not of this world it is a kingdom of euerlasting blessednes mercy truth righteousnes peace life wisdom light ioy security liberty euerlasting saluatiō in which Christ the king of glory being taken vp into heauen exalted at the right hand of god doth by the gospel the holy ghost in fayth raigne inuisibly gouern defend al that beleue in him euen in the midst of their cruel deadly enemies to wit the world Satan heretikes persecuters of the church sin death Moreouer he is our intercessor in heauen to god the father he forgiueth vs our sinnes he sēdeth his holy spirit into our hartes he renueth repayreth our corrupted depraued decaied nature and he restoreth in vs the most beutiful image of god which through sinne was blotted out destroyed in vs To be briefe he sanctifieth vs defendeth vs preserueth vs in all dangers euils and so he in this life euen vnto the day of iudgement gathereth vp into his kingdom which is the true catholike church of the godly the children of God dispersed throughout the whole world He ouercōmeth in them sinne death the prince of this world by this means he prepareth maketh thē redy for that great glorious day of our full perfect redemption And although the godly die in the mortal body yet will he raise thē all again at the last day and they shall liue with Christ for euer But vntil the day both the euil and the good the godly the vngodly shal be mixt dwel together and the vngodly wil colourably seeke to beare a face and outward shew of godlines wil also be taken in place for godly nay they will be the chiefe in this earth and sit as magistrates vaunt themselues to be the heads of the church as Annas and Caiphas did in Christes tyme yea they wil root out curse and vehemētly persecute the true godly to the vttermost For in deede the true church is so hidden in this world the some times in great temptations it cannot for a space see it selfe ¶ Anna. What meaneth the miserable people the Anabaptists what madnes moueth them to seeke to cōgregate a church heare in this world which shold be pure vnspotted vndefiled and without all blot and where in they wil haue no sinner seing that euē the godly offend fal in many things the greatest part of those which are called christiās are mere hypocrits very wicked mē ☞ Vrb. These miserable mē vnderstand not the scriptures And therefore they know not what is the true church what maner of church it is or what the state of the true church is in this world Christ only is he which at the last day shal purge the chaffe that is the vngodly frō the good wheat which is the godly christians In the meane time that godly are compelled here to dwel liue among the vngodly And yet shall they not haue any discōmōditie or losse therby if they learne not at thē to liue be vngodly The godly may bear publik offices haue such politike functions as the ciuile magistrate doth ordain so long as they be not cōmaunded compelled to do that that is contrary to the commaundement of God and his holy word yea they both may with a safe conscience also ought as far as belōgeth to the body tēporal goods vse al humane publike ordināces and cōtracts which make for that maintenāce of this life society If so be they may be suffred to kepe retaine the true doctrine of the sauing gospel liue as it cōmādeth ¶ Anna. Seing you haue alredy described the kingdom of Christ I pray you discouer me the kingdō of Satan ☞ Vrb. Sathans kingdom is quite contrary vnto the kingdom of Christ it is a kingdom of euerlasting perdicion of lies of death of sinne of ignorance of blindnes of darkenes of heauines of affliction of sorrowe and of continuall captiuity and damnation And this kingdom of condemnation beginneth in this worlde and hath in it all the vngodly which will not beleue and obey the Gospell in whom the euill spirit worketh and is effectual And therupon is called in Iohn the prince of this world the god of this world This spirit blindeth the mynds of that vnbeleuers so that they see not the most cleare light of the gospel of the clearenes of Iesus Christ which is the image and caracter of God. ¶ Anna. How doth Sathan raigne in this world ☞ Vrb He is the strong man armed in his house of whō Luke speaketh who kepeth the wicked in his hande and hath thē in his power driueth thē whether he will at his pleasure Paul saith he bindeth thē holdeth thē in strōg lies errors darknes bewitcheth their harts and casteth thē hedlong into al wickednes filthines vncleannes and moueth and inflameth thē to all vngodlines Satan is alwais an enemy and an aduersary vnto true christians in all their godly enterprises procedings He stirreth vp fals teachers and draweth many into horrible heresies He alwais maketh
dye and be buried but not corrupt and rotte as our sinfull flesh doth and that his blessed deuine soule should not be cast in hell or graue but be vnited againe to the body that he should rise agayne from death sit at the right hand of God giue vs euerlasting lyfe It was meet that he should be the first fruites of thē which were dead that by his glorious resurrection he might open vs the true gate vnto lyfe and make the way for vs by which we also must go to him But Peter and Iohn the other Apostles before Christs rising againe vnderstood not this although they had heard it oftentymes vntill they saw the lord aliue agayne Wherfore it is no wonder though Cleophas and his companion vnderstood it not Dauid saith O lord my God I cryed vnto thee and thou hast restored me O lord thou hast broght vp my soul out of the graue Thou hast reuiued me from them that go downe into the pitte Arnobius and Augustine vnderstande this prophesie of the death and resurrection of Christ And againe he sayth God shall deliuer my soule from the power of the graue for he will receiue me Selah The church vnderstādeth these wordes also to be ment of the death descending into hell and risyng agayne of Iesus Christ And in another place he sayeth Thou hast shewed me great troubles and aduersities but thou wilt returne reuiue me And wil come again take me vp frō the depth of the earth These wordes also doth Arnobius expound of the death of Christ of his descendyng into hel and of his resurrection And againe in the 86. Psal. Christ saith to God the father Thou hast deliuered my soule from the lowest graue S. Augustine and with him the whole church of Affrica vnderstand this to bee vndoubtedly ment of the descending of Christ into hell of his rising againe The 22. psalm doth more fully and plainly then any other describe the passion resurrectiō and euerlasting kingdom of Christ And there are the very same wordes in which Christ in his great agony his extreme necessitie called vnto his father vpon the crosse And that psalm describeth Christ his passion also setteth forth the fruite of his death resurrection saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All they which see me haue me in derision they make a mo nod their hed saying He trusted in the lord let him deliuer him let him saue him seyng he loueth him They perced my handes and my feet I may tel al my bones yet they behold and looke vpon me They part my garments amōg them and cast lottes vpon my vesture Behold how exactly how liuely how truly and how excellently the holy ghost foretold Christes passion vsing the very same wordes which the Iewes vsed when they mocked Christ hanging on the crosse And the Euangelists are witnesses that al these things happened in his passion which were fore told of it And they recite the very same words to the end they may proue that it was the good will both of God the father and the son that Christ suffered seing the holy ghost prophesied many yeres before that all these things should happen vnto Christ Yea the spirite foreshewed also that Christ by this his passion should enter into his glory be lord ouer al things As before ye haue heard in the 8. psalm But in this 22. psal he saith I will declare thy name vnto my brethren and in the middest of the congregation will I praise thee Do you see he shal first suffer his passiō but he shall not bide in his passion and death For euen thē shal he magnify his fathers name and make it famous and wel known through the whole world by this glorious and famous preaching of Gods mercies in that he spared not his owne onely sonne but gaue him for our sakes to the death of the crosse that we might therby obtaine the benefite of euerlasting lyfe For so it followeth in the psalm The poore shal eate and be satisfied they that seeke after the lord shal prayse him their harts shall liue for euer This eating and satisfieng of the poore is a spiritual satisfieng when the poore sinners eate the true bread of heauen that is when they heare the gospel of Christes humanity passion and resurrection and kepe it in their hartes by fayth For then are they fed by it vnto euerlasting life according to that of Iohn I am the liuing bread which came down from heauen if any man eate of this bread hee shall liue for euer Neither can mans cōscience be otherwise satisfied and set at quiet that it be not vexed and troubled by any other thing but onely by Christ apprehended by fayth It followeth All the endes of the world shall remember themselues and turne to the Lord and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee For the kingdome is the lordes and he ruleth among the nations This is when men by the preaching and doctrine of the Gospell are put in mynd of gods great benefites and are constrayned to acknowledge worship confesse glorify and call vpon Christ their lord who is appointed of God the father to be the head of all things and king ouer all nations of the whole world Here haue ye the kingdome of Christ which is the holy catholike church spread ouer the face of the whole earth And now in all things and places where that euill spirit the deuill before ruled by lying hauing seduced all people and led them into all kindes of errors and idolatry that they might be as Paul sayth without Christ without the worde without hope and without God in the world there I say in those partes shall Christ now be heard It followeth their seede shall serue him and the lord shal be preached from age to age But if Christ shal haue seede that is to say spirituall children borne by the gospell as well of the Iewes as Gentiles as you see by this text he must then can he not be ouercome by deth nor abide in the graue For how could he then regenerate and congregate the Gentiles together into the catholike fayth and rule such an empire which should fill the whole world whose dominion should not extende through one piece of the earth onely but thorough the whole circuit of the wide world and so cōtinue for euer world without end For whosoeuer beleueth in Christ shal be partaker of euerlasting lyfe Wheresoeuer therfore the prophets set down the kingdom of Christ saying that it shall haue continual peace health and felicitye there is set downe and in dede declared the deth and resurrection of Christ and all christian men For if Christ shal be a king and set vp and haue an heauenly and euerlasting kingdome it must needes follow that he should leaue this temporall mortall lyfe by death
and ascend into that euerlasting and glorious kingdō of heauen and so could not be kept in death He must also of necessity haue some people ouer whō he myght be Lord and king and whom he might rule gouern Wherefore his people also can not abide in death but must with their eternall king liue for euer I would haue you make much of this Psalme For I tell you this is a notable Psalm and most comfortable of al other psalmes Agayne in the 69. psalme the prophet doth plainly and manifestly speake of Christes passion the fruit therof saying thus in the person of Christ They haue hated me without a cause I restored that which I toke not The rebukes of them that rebuked thee are fallen vpon me They gaue me gall in my meate and in my thirst they gaue me vineger to drinke Here is set downe the ende of Christes passion and cause why he would suffer to wit that he might paye our debtes and beare our sinnes vpon the crosse He was our pledge and surety and when we coulde not performe and pay that which we ought he payed our debtes for vs If we should haue paid our debtes our selues that is if we should haue borne our owne sins we should al haue bene cast downe into the depe pit of hel and perished euerlastingly You heare it also in this place foretold how the tormentors should crucifie and handle him and how they should giue him gall and vineger to hasten his death or rather to increase his payne and tormentes Which thing plainely appeareth in the Gospell in Mathew Marke Luke and Iohn And Dauid prophesieth in the 41. psalme how Iudas should betray Christ saying My familiar frend whō I trusted which did eate of my bread hath lifted vp hys heele against me And Iohn citeth this prophesie where he speaketh of Iudas his treasō And in the same psalm hard after Christ requireth of his heauenly father that he might rise agayne and ascend into heauen and that after his resurrection he might be exalted vnto the right hand of his father saying Therfore lord haue mercy vpō me and raise me vp so shal I reward them Place me in thy sight for euer And in the 40. Psalme Dauid prophesieth of the destroying and abrogating of the Iewes sacrifice and he speaketh of the true sacrifice of Christ by which he reconciled God vnto vs and fulfilled all his fathers will and satisfied the law These are the wordes of the prophet in Christes person Sacrifices and burnt offrings thou didst not desire for thou hast prepared myne eares burnt offerings and sinne offrings hast thou not required Then said I that is Christ Loe I come For in the rolle of the booke that is in Moses and the prophetes It is writen of me I desired to do thy good wil O my god Yea thy law is within my hart I haue declared thy righteousnes in the great congregation And afterward he prayeth his father that he would not forsake hym in his crosse affliction saying Withdraw not thou thy tender mercy from me O Lord let thy mercy and thy truth alway preserue me for innumerable troubles haue compassed me And a little after he calleth our sinnes his sinnes Not for that he did euer sinne but because he tooke our offences vpon him that hee might purge them and suffer for them euen as if they had bene his owne And this verily is a wonderfull and vnspeakeable kind of mercy and goodnes These are his words My sinnes haue taken such hold me that I am not able to loke vp yea they are more in number then the heares of my head Therefore my harte hath fayled me O GOD let it please thee to deliuer me O Lorde make haste to helpe me And in the 118. Psalme Dauid prophecieth excellently and notably of Christ telling vs how the Iewes should reiect him and especially those amongest them which would be counted most lerned and holy to wit the Scribes and Pharises And yet neuertheles should he attaine to excellent honor and gather together both the Iewes and Gentiles into one spirituall building of the catholike church These be the wordes The stone which the builders refused is the head of the corner This was the lordes doyng and it is meruailous in our eyes this is the day which the Lord hath made let vs reioyce and be glad in it The Apostles and Euangelists do diligētly expound this prophesie and they cite it of Christ in many places saying that Christ alone is the rocke and corner stone on whom when we are builded by fayth we may strongly stande against all euils stormes and tempests that rise against vs The Iewes when they had sealed vp the graue stone thought that Christ had bene vtterly extinguished and the two disciples also which went to Emaus doubted the same but Peter thinketh and preacheth farre otherwise saying Let therfore the whole house of Israel know for a surety that God hath made him both Lord Christ This Iesus I say whom you haue crucified Agayne he sayth to these folish builders The God of our fathers hath raised vp Iesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree him hath God lift vp with his right hand to be a prince and a sauiour c. But now ye shall heare what worthy and notable things Dauid prophesieth of Christes glory in the 18. Psalme where Christ sayth Thou hast deliuered me frō the contentions of the people Thou hast made mee the head of the heathen A people whom I haue not knowen shall serue me Out of all doubt the spirit of God speaketh here especially of Christ against whom his owne proper people did kicke in that they would not haue hym to be their king And therfore are they forsaken and Christ is made the king and head of all nations in the world Which came to passe after the resurrection ascension of Christ where he was by the preaching teaching of the gospel published and preached through the whole worlde and became famous and was acknowledged for a king Dauid in the 21. psalme speaketh of the eternall and spirituall kingdom of Christ and of his great princely honour telleth how miserably his enemies should ende saying The king shall reioyce in thy strength O Lord yea how greatly shall he reioyce in thy saluation Thou hast giuen him his hartes desire and hast not denied hym the request of his lippes Selah For thou didst preuent him with liberall blessings and didst set a crowne of pure gold on his hed He asked life of thee and thou gauest him a long lyfe for euer and euer His glory is great in thy saluation dignity and honour hast thou layd vpon him For thou hast set him as blessinges for euer Thou hast made him glad with the ioy of thy countenaunce because the king trusted in the Lord in the mercy of the most high he shall
not slide Thine handes shall finde out all thine enemies and thy right hand shall finde out them that hate thee Thou shalt make them like a firy ouē in tyme of thine anger The lord shal destroy them in his wrath and the fire shall deuoure them Here agayne we see that Christ after he had humbled and debased himselfe should be exalted aboue all thinges as the true king of eternall blessednes and felicitie and that the enemies both of Christ and Christians should perish eternally Wherefore it is something strange that those two disciples were so offended at Christes suffring ¶ Anna. It is a strange thing in dede that they vnderstood not their owne prophets For seyng they were Iewes borne they should not haue bene ignoraunt of any of those thinges But peraduenture the carelesnesse and slouthfulnesse of the churchmen or priestes was the cause that the Iewes had so little knowledge of Messias and his kingdom I remember I haue heard you say that when Christ came into the sinagogue the Scribes and Pharises had layd aside the holy Scriptures and taught and vrged the doctrine and traditions of men What meruaile thē if the rude vnlearned people knew not the Scriptures seing they which boasted themselues to be the rulers of the church were blinded and vnderstood them not ☞ Vrban It is as you say for you see in Mathew how at that tyme those blynd guides set aside and despised the commaundements of God and preferred the doctrine and traditions of mē before the word of god Sathan hath alwais his false prophets among the children of God and he soweth spreadeth his errours in all places ¶ Anna. God the father kepe vs and destroy the deuises and assaults of that enemy But now go on and open the prophesies which be in the psalmes ☞ Vrb Dauid prophesieth in the 24. Psalme that Christ should be a most mighty and puissaunt prince in all the world And there he commaundeth that all worldly princes potentates should open the gates dores of glory vnto this most maiestical king and that they should on eche side go out of his way that he might haue a wide large way to walke in For he sayth he is the almighty God that most mighty puissant lord strōg in battail These are the prophets wordes Lift vp your heds you gates and be ye lift vp ye euerlasting doers and the king of glory shall come in Who is the king of glory The lord strong and mighty euen the Lord strong in battail Lift vp your heades ye gates and lift vp your selues ye euerlasting dores and the king of glory shal come in Who is the king of glory The Lord of hostes he is the king of glory Selah And againe he saith The lord doth remayne king for euer The lord shal giue strength vnto his people the lord shall blesse his people with peace This god shal rule for euer Iesus Christ and no other whose kingdom only shal remaine for euer Neither is his kingdō an earthly kingdome wherin Israel accordyng to the flesh raigneth in the lande of Canaan as the Iewes dreamed but it is an heauenly kingdome For Dauid sayth not here that the lord will giue his people cities fieldes grounds medowes vineyardes wealth riches but he sayth he wil giue them strength fortitude and power to wit the power of the holy ghost which is the spirite of strength and fortitude He sayth that he will blesse his children with peace and he blesseth them in deede with that true and eternall peace and enricheth and encreaseth them in all heauenly gifts The 72. Psalme also doth excellently prophesie of this heauenly kingdom of Christ shewyng what kind of kingdome it should be to wit a kingdom of righteousnes a kingdome in which should be perfect true holinesse without hypocrisie a kingdom of true peace wherin nothing is done contrary to law and equitie a kingdom wheras no man hath wrong but al things be wrought and done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by true iustice equalitie equitie and clemency a kingdom where all peace quietnes humanity and iust dealing florishe and a kingdom where the poore afflicted oppressed contemptible and wretched find present helpe comfort and consolation And further he sayth that this kingdom wherin true life dwelleth is so wyde that it extendeth it selfe not ouer Iuda onely but ouer the whole worlde For thus sayth Salomon Giue thy iudgementes to the King O GOD and thy righteousnesse to the kinges sonne Then shall he iudge thy people in righteousnesse and thy power with equitie The mountaynes and the hils shal bring peace to the people By iustice he shall iudge the poore of the people he shall saue the children of the needy and shall subdue the oppressour They shall feare thee as long as the sunne the Moone endureth from generation to generation Hee shall come downe like the rayne vpon the mowen grasse and as the showers that water the earth In his days shall the righteous florishe and aboundaunce of peace shal be so long as the Moone endureth His dominion shal be from sea to sea and from the ryuer vnto the endes of the lande They that dwell in the wildernesse shall kneele before him and hys enemies shal licke the dust The kings of Tharses and of the Iles shall bring presentes The kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring giftes yea all kinges shall worship him all nations shall serue him For he shall deliuer the poore when he cryeth the needy also and hym that hath no helper He shall bee mercifull to the poore and needy and shall preserue the soules of the poore he shall preserue and redeeme the soules from deceite and violence and deare shall their bloud be in his sight yea hee shal lyue and vnto him shal they giue of the gold of Sheba or Arabia they shal also pray for him continually daily blesse him His name shall be for euer His name shal endure as long as the sonne all nations shall blesse hym and be blessed in him It was nedefull that Christ should rise from death that this prophesie might be fulfilled that he might begin enlarge establish preserue this his most ample and wide kingdō for euer and euer And the holy ghost in the 45. Psalm also setteth forth Christ and his kingdom with wonderfull glorious wordes callyng Christ true god Which testimony Paule also citeth to the Hebrues saying O God thy throne is for euer and euer The scepter of thy kyngdome is a scepter of righteousnes thou hast loued righteousnes and hated iniquity Wherfore god euen thy God hath annointed thee with the oyle of gladnes aboue thy fellowes Read the whole Psalme for it doth excellently set forth Christ and his spirituall kingdome in which both sinne death and Sathan yea els whatsoeuer afflicteth and troubleth the godly are extinguished destroyed and ouercome in their places is giuen euerlasting lyfe Also in the 47.
vs what Christ is and what he doth for vs and howe much he profiteth vs He geueth vs also vnderstāding that we may be able to iudge what a holy lyfe is and what is vngodly and wicked and what is consonant and agreing to true religion and what is repugnant therunto He also helpeth vs by hys good redy and holsome counsayle that the godly may know how they ought to behaue themselues vnder the cros and suffer al things patiently valiantly yea he ministreth consolation to the sorrowful and afflicted he geueth vs also strength in tribulation and affliction that we may haue stedfast hartes and that we may valiantly ouercome all euils and aduersities hee geueth vnto euery one knowledge wisdome that the godly man in the kingdome of God may know how to vse hym self towards euery man whether he be strong or weak in fayth He geueth vs also the feare of God which is the beginning of true wisedom And by that we see that our god raigneth and gouerneth his people far otherwise then earthly kinges do For earthly emperours cannot see the inward parts of the hart and in the innerchamber of the brest those things whiche lye hid within whereby it commeth oftentimes to pas that they iudge some man good and honest by the eye and eare whiche is a very wicked man in hart But Christ our king beyng one which searcheth all mēs harts iudgeth truly as the history of the gospell witnesseth in Mathew where he hath to do with the pharisies and in that and diuers other places seeth their secret thoughts regardeth not that their false visor and shew of godlines But reproueth that fals shew of holines fained integrity And according to their deserts calleth them hypocrites But what kind of subiects I pray you hath this king and who be his people Verely their title cognisance which Christ himself did also beare in the 9. of Zacharye is here vpon earth pouerty affliction and misery Here you see a spirituall kingdom if it had ben a worldly kingdom thē should not the king haue ben a poore miserable wretched king but a rich honorable pompous magnificent and cherefull king his subiects also should haue ben mighty honorable and flowing in delights and commodities in this world but in thys kingdome all things are spirituall yet shall they not always be poore miserable and afflicted it is but for a tyme that they shal be here thus crossed followe their maister Christ in suffering affliction For as a kyng after hys trouble and persecution becommeth great and ascendeth to the highest step of honour so shall all the godly after theyr crosses here at the last day become glorious as the children of God. But in the meane tyme as Saint Paul saith we must dye vnto the world we must be afflicted persecuted and contemned in the worlde for our true lyfe is hid with Christ in god When Iesus Christ which is our lyfe shall appeare euen then we also shall appeare wyth him in glory In the meane tyme our ould and crooked Adam must here be chastned and kept vnder by the crosse of affliction For the flesh and ould Adam shall not inherite the kingdome of Christ Contrarily there must be erected in vs true holynes that is fayth in Christ seeing that God euen for Christes sake pardoneth our sinns and by grace in Christ iustifieth vs and taketh vs for righteous Neither is the rod or scepter of this our king earthly but heauenly namely his holy and saluing worde and holy ghost and with this rod before the last iudgement he smiteth the earth that is our ould Adam which is from the earth earthly He rebuketh smiteth and punisheth our wickednes that we being accused by the word of Christ may hate and flye sin and turne to better lyfe and afterward lyue godly and vertuously all the dayes of their lyfe He doth by his word also hurle downe all earthly and erronious opinions by which men are seduced He smiteth consumeth and killeth as Paule sayth Antechrist With the spirite of his mouth For as Gods kingdome here is not of this world euenso also his armor is not worldly but spirituall to wit righteousnes fayth and truth For we fight agaynst the power of hell and sathanicall army by fayth in Christ which is our righteousnes by prayer proceeding of fayth which God heareth as he hath promised But where the prophet speaketh of wolues lambs that is a figuratiue and darke speach For the prophet regardeth not these brute beastes but he geueth vs to vnderstand that the church should be congregated of sundry sortes of men and that those which before had bene at deadly fead and enmity amongst themselues should by the gospell become so great frendes meeke and secure that they should not one meane harme to an other This is the fruit of the preaching of the gospell to wit the wyld rude and sauage Gentiles with the cruell and swelling Pharises and the mighty potentates of this world are by the gospell mollified tamed humbled conuerted and brought into the church of Christ It followeth in the same chapter of Esay And in that day the roote of Ishai which shal stand vp for a signe vnto the people the nations shal seke vnto it and his rest shal be glorious And in the same day shal the lord stretch out his hand agayne the second time to possesse the remnaunt of his people which shal be left of Ashur and of Egypt and of Pathros and of Ethiopia of Elam and of Chimer of Hamath of the Iles of the sea And he shall set vp a signe to the nations assemble the dispersed of Israel gather the scattred of Iuda from the 4. corners of the world c. Here the prophet foretelleth how ample and large the kingdom of Christ shal be he sheweth vs what shall be the state of the tyme of the new Testament to wit that although the roote of Eshay which is Iesus Christ the sonne of Dauid be despised and refused of his own people yet should he be so glorious so mighty and so famous a king that all the people throughout the whole world should worship honor him For he shold be set vp for a signe or banner vpon which all men in battail fasten set their eyes This is a most comfortable ensigne which maketh the hart ioyful constant and bold and it is a signe of victory This signe is our king Iesus Christ lifted vp exalted vpon the crosse by which crosse Sathan is ouercome and our soules deliuered And as the Iewes in the desert did run vnto the brasen serpent which Moses set vp when they were deadly wounded of the serpēts euen so Christ is set vp before vs and vnto vs that all men may flie to him and with faith loke vpon him and stedfastly behold him and so be healed of that
pure free frō al sinne All mankind in deed is subiect to it But Christ paied the price of all our sinnes and in his owne person ouercame death and so destroyed it that henceforth it cannot vtterly vndo vs and deuour vs Because all we which beleue in Christ shall rise again by the vertue of Christes resurrectiō This also might haue comforted Cleophas and his companion haue certified them that Christ was a spirituall king which should not restore that corporall kingdome of Israel but redeme the true Israelites to wit the children of promise through the whole world from the kingdome of Satan and bring them into the heauenly and spiritual kingdom of euerlasting lyfe and immortalitie Esay in his 26. chapter hath a notable song of the kingdom of Christ of the church of the faithfull and of the fortitude and security therof where he sayth We haue a strong city saluation shall God set for walles bulwarks That is to say the walles and armour of it are the sauing helth and victory of Christ which are sure and inuincible fortresses Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which kepe the truth may enter in Here are the citizens of this city described to wit the righteous which beleue in Iesus Christ It followeth By assured purpose wilt thou preserue perfect peace because they trusted in thee This is spokē of the king which ruleth this heauenly city because he doth alwayes and in all places giue and maintayne true pleasant and perpetuall peace against Satan the world and the flesh This peace is in consciēce through faith in Iesus Christ A little after Esay doth prophesie of the resurrection of those dead which shal haue beleued in Messias and are citizens of that heauenly Ierusalem saying Thy dead men shall liue euen with my body shall they rise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust For thy dew is as the dew of herbes and the earth shal cast out the dead Come my people enter thou into my chambers and shut thy dores after thee Hide thy selfe for a very litle while vntill the indignation passe ouer for loe the Lord commeth out of his place to visite the iniquity of the inhabitauntes of the earth vpon them and the earth shall disclose her bloud and shall no more hide her slaine Now if the righteous which yet lye in the earth shall rise in theyr owne bodies then must it needes be that Christ should rise before who is the head kyng by whome they are iustified and deliuered from theyr sinnes and by whom they shall rise agayne The prophet therefore vndoubtedly speaketh here of the resurrection of Christ and christians and calleth the faythfull of Christ the lordes dead that is pertayning vnto the lord or which are the lordes of whome God will take an accompt and whome he will preserue and not leaue them in death but bring them to euerlasting lyfe For if God be theyrs and they Gods then out of all doubt can not they continue in death neither hath death totally swallowed them vp and cōsumed them but it hath for a short tyme separated their body and soule For God is not the God of the dead but of the liuyng The soule is with Christ and the body in the ground But at the last day the lord will purge and purifie theyr bodies and adorne them with infinit and vnspeakable glory Esay teacheth vs what maner of lyfe we shall haue after our death when he sayeth Awake and sing If the godly must sing and vndoubtedly they shall syng that euerlastyng Alleluya that is a thankesgiuyng because death is swalowed vp in the victory of Christ then out of doubt shall our lyfe after this temporall lyfe be a most happy and blessed lyfe and we shall haue continuall ioyes without any tast of payne or sorrowes perpetuall health without sickenesse eternall and true pleasures delightes and comfortes without any wearisomnesse or molestations After that day sicknesses shall trouble our bodies no more neyther shall olde age wither our bodies or decrease our strength but we shal alwayes haue a continual spring euerlasting pleasure and perpetuall beauty Therefore sayth the prophet Thy dewe shall be as the dewe of a greene medowe That is after your resurrection you shall not fade or decay but flourish alwayes and for euer and be as a fayre medow and greene garden which by her sweete dew comfortable buddes and pleasaunt delectation feedeth the eyes of all men But before this most ioyfull day of the resurrection of the faythfull we must suffer much affliction and heauinesse as Christ warneth vs in Iohn saying In the world ye shall haue affliction and bee made conformable vnto hys death This must be suffered paciently and moderately that be suffering we may be made lyke vnto Christ and so according to our portion be partakers of glory And so Paul sayth to the Philippians The thinges which were vauntage to me the same I counted losse for Christes sake that I might winne Christ and that I might knowe hym and the vertue of hys resurrection and the fellowship of his affliction and bee made conformable vnto his death if by any meanes I might attayne vnto the resurrection of the dead In the meane while we sit as it were shut vp vnknowen to the world in our parlor or closset of the holy church beleuing the doctrine of the sacred Gospell and confirmyng our fayth and hartes with the sweete promise of GOD in hys worde euen vnto the last iudgement that the wrath of GOD may passe ouer and that which ought to be iudged receiue iudgement Our afflictions here are not continuall but for a short tyme which compared vnto eternitie is not the twinckling of an eye And this tyme once finished the Lord will come to iudgement and giue vnto euery one accordyng to his workes Then shall the godly and guiltlesse Abel ryse from the dust of the earth and then shall not the earth any longer couer the bodye of the righteous but it shall giue them vp that together with their soules they may be glorified And the Prophet in his 27. chapiter prophesieng of Christes kingdome and the catholike church calleth it a vineyarde saying In that day sing of the vineyarde to wit the church of red wyne I the Lorde do keepe it and will water it euery moment least any assaile it I will keepe it day and night Hereafter Iacob shall take roote Israel shall flourish and growe and the worlde shall bee filled with fruite And in that day also shall the great trumpet be blowen and they shall come which perished in the land of Ashur and they which were chased into the land of Egypt and they shall worship the lord in the holy mount at Ierusalem This vineyarde is the church of the faythfull which is enclosed and hedged about with the worde of God adourned with the holy spirite and moystened and watered with the
causes then all the kingdomes empires powers honors wealthes and riches of this world to wit to destroy the workes of Sathan with the kingdome of sinne and death and to establish his kingdome of righteousnes and euerlasting life But carnall men do carnally expound the promises of the Lord vntill they receaue the holy ghost the true Doctour and teacher of the truth It is the spirite of God which at the last doth trulye open the eyes of the hart that the truth of God may be seene perceaued and vnderstode The Euangelists vse so to speake of the person of Christs as though we may take thē some tyme to speak of the Godhead and glory of Christ and sometyme of his humilitye submission affliction miserye and contemptible state in the eyes of the world euen as occasion and place serue You haue heard before how Esay prophesied that the onely begotten sonne of God Iesus Christ who was spoken of before by the prophets should come into this world euen in his own person But Esay now in this 35. chap. telleth what he should doe and performe at his cōming in the fleshe to wit that he should be our seruaunt And the Father calleth him his seruaunt in respect of his office because he is to helpe vs obediēt to his Father euen vnto the death the death of the crosse and because he humbleth himselfe beneath all men and is a very abiect and lowlye seruant to all men that thereby he may exalt all men The Prophet also sheweth that Christ after this his humilitye should be exalted vnto the most highest state of honor and glorye ¶ Anna. I pray you then tell me how shall Christ obay and how shall he rule ☞ Vrba Very wisely For he will so rule and gouerne the misterye which his Father committed vnto him that no man can euer sufficiently commende him For though it may seeme absurde and foolish vnto reason that Christ should promise to deliuer other mē from death whē he himselfe dyed and to bring all that beleeue into eternall glorye when he himselfe came to eternall shame and ignominye yet this was the best and fastest way to worke such a notable worke For how can the euerlasting wisedome of the Father doe anye thing that should not in euery respect be most excellently done And Iaskaet may be thus translated He will geue wisedome and vnderstanding or he will make men wise and skilfull For Christian beleuers teach true and perfect wisedome in the schoole of Christ which wisdome no worldling can vnderstād The children of this world by the wisedome of the flesh can search after and get nothing but the fraile and transitory goodes of this world But faythfull Christians are much wiser they vse this world and the treasures thereof as the stranger vseth his inery they after the true eternall treasures of their heuenly cuntrye But we must note that this seruice of Christ was not of long continuaunce and that after it should follow true and perfect glory with euerlasting honor And therfore sayth Esay he shal be exalted extolled hiely estemed And this thing shal be so that many may wonder and be offended at his great and extreame humilitie which thing hapned in the Iewes who abhorre and thinke it detestable great wickednes to say that Messias which is promised in the prophets should be constrained to suffer a most vile and ignominious death whereupon they call Christ Thalui that is hanged vp blaspheming him most horribly wickdly and detestably The cause why they are offended at the crosse of Christ is because they seeke in Messias the corporall goodes and temporall honors and dignities of this world They thinke it wickedly and impiously spoken to say that so great a king of Israell should hang among theues as though he himselfe had bene a most hainous and wicked offender But if so be that the sight of him should be so miserable so vncomely so vile so foule that he should not seeme in the eyes of the world to be the man that could deliuer others and bring them vnto honor and glory and this is the cause that he is the stone of offence how could his kingdome be worldly Worldly princes must so set forth their brauerye dignitye and maiestye that men may euen be amased to looke on them A worldly kingdome cannot stand vnlesse there be in it both power and reuerence where the prince is poore and dispised and oppressed by the violence or tyrannye of the enimies and doth neither in power nor riches excell his aduersaryes there must needes the kingdome come to ruine But this our king wil doe more by his humility then all the princes and kings in this earth can doe with all their pompe power and riches What will he then doe The prophet saith He wil sprinkle many nations This is an Hebrue phrase This word Iaseh doth properly signify to disparce abroad hether and thether euen as drops of water are sprinkled here and there This sprinkling therfore of the Gentils betokeneth nothing els in this place but to teach and preach gods word amongst them and this was fulfilled when the Apostles by the holy ghost instructed the gentils through the holy word opened vnto them this welspring of Gods grace in christ Iesus and dispersed the same euen as the fertil rayn which falleth in May that therby the fruit of Gods knowledge might grow and increase in al places they preuailed so much through the preaching of Gods word that euen mighty Emperors and Princes did worship adore and feare Christ Iesus and held their tongues and were astonyed And among the gentils and other places where before the scriptures were not known and the gospell not heard of there did they so teach the great misteries of the gospel that they were vnderstood Seeing then in Christ such great maruels and wonders are wrought to wit that God becommeth man humbleth him self very lowly and in his blessed and most innocent humanity I cal his humanity that humain nature which he tooke vpon him suffereth so great shame greef and calamity and that of his own people whom he had blessed with so great and infinite benefits both of body and soule and seeing he must by this his ignominious death be exalted vnto honor and so begin his spirituall kingdome but must first as the king therof labour vnder his crosse and suffer all kind of calamity and shame and yet by the self same crosse be in deed exalted to honor and crowned with eternall glory seeing I say these wonderful things which are contrary to mans reason are done in Christ and his kingdome the world wil not beleeue them when it shal heare them And this thing the prophet saw in spirite when he sayd who wil beleue our saying that is our preching or doctrine They are so great incredible that reason cannot be perswaded that such wonders either are or could be done How did
The prophet also confirmeth that cōfortable promise of Christ signifying that although to the carnall eye the Church seemeth very small and litle and as though God had forsaken it and that it were as a forlorn perished thing yet it should be great For god shal be her spouse Feare not for thou shalt not be ashamed neither shalt thou be cōfoūded for thou shalt not be put to shame yea thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth and shalt not remember the reproch of thy widdowhead any more for he that made thee is thine husband whose name is the Lord of hostes and thy redeemer the holy one of Israell shall be called the God of the whole world this is a spirituall mariage and we may haue great comfort in it S. Paule doth famously paint out and amplify this comfort in the epistle to the Ephesians And he calleth it a great mistery that God him selfe would in mans nature bespouse vs to him selfe and ioyne vs with him in the bond of mariage wherby now we learne that whatsoeuer is Gods is ours and what is ours the same doth God take away and lay them all vpon him selfe as they were his owne We haue sinnes and death with the euerlasting curse and damnatiō Christ hath righteousnes lyfe and saluation So then those euill hurtfull deadly thinges of ours doth he ouercome destroy and take from vs in stead thereof he freely geueth vs all these other good treasures of his Is not this I pray you an amiable and sweete mariage So then as an honest wife doth promise her selfe all happines of her husbands head whome she hath euer found faythfull and loyall and as of the other side the good husband entirely loueth cherisheth and delighteth in such a wife so standeth the case betweene God and vs. We may therfore be of good courage and reioyce alwayes in the Lord and not be dismaide in any extremitye either when sinne troubleth our consciences or when death terrifieth vs For we shall not be confounded we shall not be ashamed For he that defendeth vs both can and will redeeme vs from all euils And note in this place that he sayth our redeemer to wit Christe shall be called the God of the whole world or God in all the earth Heare we see the diuinitie of Christ and that men should acknowledge and worship Christ through the whole world as true and onely God. And note this also that the Church looketh lyke a forsaken and mourning woman whereupon we gather that her exceeding great ioy is here in hope but after this life her glory shall be made manifest If then she must be sorowful heare in the earth Christes kingdome is not a corporall or earthly kingdome for he sayth But for all this the Lord hath called thee being as a woman forsaken afflicted in spirit as a yong wife when thou wast refused sayth thy God. But for all this there is no daūger she shall not be vtterly forsakē The world counteth the church a forsaken and miserable people but God sayth in mine anger I hid my face from thee for a litle seasō but with euerlasting mercy haue I had compassiō on thee sayth the Lord thy redeemer Note how frendly and fayre the Lord speaketh to the Church comforting her and promising that her crosse and sorrow should not continue alwayes but her ioy and fame shall neuer haue end And so doth Paule comfort vs to the Romaines and Corinthians Esay addeth also a similitude wherin he sayth that God would shew his mercy vpon vs and how he would doe it As he promised grace vnto Noe saying that he would neuer after drowne the world with water and he gaue him the rainebow for a signe So also will he firmely constantly performe to vs his promised grace these be the prophets wordes For it is vnto me as the waters of Noe for as I haue sworn that the waters of Noe should no more goe ouer the earth so haue I sworne that I would not be angry with thee nor rebuke thee for the mountaines shall remoue and the hills shall fall downe but my mercy shall not depart from thee neither shall the couenaunt of my peace fall away sayth the Lord that hath compassion on thee Which is thus much to say Although thy aduersaries be strong yet shall they not be able to hurt or destroy thee They shall feare fall and vanish away but my grace and health shall not be remoued but remain for euer For I haue made a couenaunt of grace with thee O this is a comfortable worde that the Lord saith he will not be our Iudge but our mercifull Father And yet the afflictions of the church shall not onely be short but they shall serue to this end to increase and multiply the faythful The more the church is afflicted the more fruitfully it increaseth For the Lord doth with it as the quarriers or rough masons doe with the rough stones of bricke which they chop and hewe with their mallet now on this side thē of that striking of the knobbs that they may make them square and fit for the building so doth the crosse hew and cut the old man with his lusts and concupiscence and this is the cause that god suffereth his Church to be afflicted crossed persecuted to make it by crossing it a goodly fayre kingdome all of precious stones to wit Christians which are taught of God. For the Christian mans art and science is the gospell which reason hath not found nay it cannot conceaue it For the Gospel is not naturally ingrafted in our reason it is not borne with vs as the lawe is but the holy ghost by whome it is sent from heauen vnto the earth must teach vs by the preaching or ministery of the word In this kingdome shall be true peace with God through fayth in Christ that the Church in all kindes of afflictions may haue wherein to comforte her selfe and to pacify her conscience seeing God him selfe is her forgeuer And true godly workes of righteousnes in deede follow this peace as the wordes following doe import O thou afflicted tossed with tempests that hast no comfort behold I will lay thy stones with the carbunckle and lay thy foundations with Safires I will make thy windows of Emerauds and thy gates shining stones and all thy borders of pleasaūt stones and all thy Childrē shall be tought of the Lord and much peace shall be to thy Children In righteousnes shalt thou be established and be far from oppression For thou shalt not feare it and from feare for it shall not come neare thee Behold the enemy shall gather him selfe but without me whosoeuer shal gather him selfe in thee agaynst thee shall fall All these thinges are spiritually wrought in the harts and consciences of the godly and shall at last be fulfilled in the day of redemption The Iewes looke for a Ierusalem that should be builded
of perles Iemms and pretious stones and they expound this promise carnally of an earthly building but Esay speaketh in this place of a spiritual building and spirituall stones When we heare and belieue the Gospell then are we by the word and faith builded vpon that our precious corner stone rock Christ that we may be the holy Citie of God which he him selfe doth build and in in which he doth dwell He that is a stone and Citizen of this Citie he is in safety sin death and Sathan can not hurt him for God himselfe is there the ouerseer and maister mason Esay in many chapiters hath plainely set downe what Christ is and what his ministery is and sayth that Christs Church or kingdome is not an earthlye kingdome but a congregatiō of the faythfull in spirite which beleue the Gospell and hold and depend in this life of the word of God and not of the visible thinges of this world For ther is an other world and an other earth prepared for the Childrē of God wherin nothing dwelleth but righteousnes it selfe They seeke a city to come because in this world they haue no place of cōtinuaūce And least they should be offēded at the crose or faint in so great afflictiō and least in the heat of persecution and in the tossing tempests of temtation they should say with them selues we shall perish and be vndon he comforteth them with most sweete and fatherly promises saying that he will be with them in all their daungers and readely helpe them in all their miseries Seing then the kingdome of Christ is a hiddē kingdome of fayth vnder the crosse it is needfull that we lay good handfast hold of the word of God and with And therefore Esay doth counsayle and exhorte the Church of Christe that it should diligētly heare and in hart lay vp the worde of God in which great and infinite treasures to wit euerlasting righteousnes peace ioy health and lyfe are offered and freely geuen vs without our desert And these be his wordes O euery one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and ye that haue no siluer come bye and eate come I say bye wine milke without monye and siluer wherfore doe you lay out siluer and not for bread and yet labor without being satisfied Loe heare how sweetely God allureth and draweth vs to his word and heauenly treasures He calleth his word water euen water of that euerlasting and liuely fountaine of which Iohn speaking sayth that it quencheth eternall thirst and that it refresheth recreateth vs in all our drought and heate of persecution and affliction which is the true water of comfort and lyfe wherwith we repare and refresh our selues in all distresse both of body and soule He calleth it wine and also milke for that it giueth cōfort consolation as well to the old as to the yong to the weake as to the strong because it quickneth and refresheth the troubled conscience and because it nourisheth vs to euerlasting life and feedeth vs with liuely food Here he excludeth no man he sayth Whosoeuer hungreth and thirsteth for true righteousnes onely let him come as for mony and mony worth he hath no neede onely let him come This water this wine and this milke are most pleasaunt to all the poore in spirite as Christ sayth in Mathew The pharises and Iusticiaries sell righteousnes workes and spirituall comfort very deere But here in the word of God they are all geuen gratis Whosoeuer seeketh peace of conscience righteousnes other were then in the gospell they lay out their monye where there is no bread because gods promise is the bread by which we liue before god It followeth in the prophet Harken diligently vnto me and eate that which is good and let your soule delight in fatnes Encline your eares and come vnto me Here and your soule shall lyue and I will make an euerlasting couenaunt with you euen the sure mercies of Dauid Behold I gaue him for a witnes to the people for a prince and a Maister vnto the people Behold thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not and a nation that knew not thee shall run vnto thee because of the Lord thy God and the holy one of Israell For he hath glorified thee In these wordes Esayas doth teach what great and infinite fruite we reape of the word of God to wit euen lyfe it selfe In the word of God is contayned the pleasaunt consolation meate and drinke of the soule he that beleueth it hath lyfe and doth not tast of the eternall death It is the word of grace and truth whatsoeuer it promiseth is firme certaine and sure must needes come to pas And that he may better stirre vp our mindes and strengthen vs with greater comfort he calleth it the promise of grace in Christ and couenaunt with Dauid wherof you haue heard in the Psalmes This is that new testament the couenaunt of grace betwene God and all the faythfull which in true fayth apprehend and take hold of Christ the true Dauid frō which God shall neuer turne his face and mercye And although yea euen the true godly them selues be heare weake not altogether perfect yet for Christes sake into whome they are ingrafted in fayth there is no dānation to them If this couenaunt depended vpon our good workes so that onely we should thinke God to be attone with vs so long as we are iust and without sin before him then in deed the whole state of our saluation were vncertaine For no man at all in this flesh doth liue without sinn But our saluation hath a more sound and firme foundation euen the grace and truth of god Heare he promiseth forgeuenes of sinns of his meere grace and what of his grace he promiseth in faythfulnes he performeth Wherfore Paule hath a noble saying Righteousnes is by fayth that it might come by grace and the promise might be sure to all the seede not to that only which is of the law but also to that which is of the fayth of Abraham who is the Father of vs all It followeth in the prophet that he hath geuen the true Dauid euen Christ the sonne of Dauid for a witnes For he teacheth and preacheth the Gospell The prophet also sayth that God gaue him to be a Captayne Maister Emperor or law geuer to the gentiles which is is as much to say as Christ should be the Doctor and king of the gentiles which gentiles as the Gospell witnesseth shall see how obstinate rebellious and vnbeleuing a kinde of people the Iewes be which obstinatly refused their owne flesh bloud Iesus Christ the true Messias and vtterly and contemptiously reiected him whome aboue all men they ought to haue receaued and honored Paule sayth to the blinded Iewes It was necessary that the word of god should first haue bene spoken vnto you but seing ye put it
from you and iudge your selues vnworthy of euerlasting lyfe loe we turne to the Gentiles for so hath the Lord cōmaunded vs c. And agayne he sayd to the Iewes at Rome that would not beleue the Gospell Be it knowne therefore vnto you that this saluation of God is sent to the Gentiles and they shall heare it Esaias also doth plainely promise that Christ should be the redeemer of Sion that is to saye of such of the Iewes as be elect so that all shall not be condemned although thy be fallen into most greeuous horrible and long blindenes and God also promiseth that he will not take his word holy spirite frō the Churche For as Mathew sayth Christ shall tarry alway with vs So also sayth Esay And the redemer shall come to Sion and vnto them that turne frō iniquitie in Iacob sayth the lord And I will make this my couenaunt with them sayth the lord My spirite which is vpon thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of thy mouth of thy seede nor out of the mouth of the seede of thy seede sayth the Lord from henceforth and euen for euer ¶ Anna. Is this the prophecye which Paule reciteth in the 11. of the Romans where he cōforteth the Iewes saying that many of them shall be conuerted before the last day ☞ Vrb. It is the same and he speaketh mistically to the Gentiles that they should not vtterly contemne the remnaunt of the Iewes or dispaire of their saluation saying Partely obstinacy is come to Israell vntill the fulnes of the Gentiles be come in and so all Israell shal be saued As it is written The deliuerer shall come out of Siō and shall turne away the vngodlines from Iacob And this is my couenaūt to them whē I shall take away their sinns As concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sakes But as touching the election they are beloued for the Fathers sake Out of all these prophecies might Cleophas his felow haue drawne some comfort and knowne that Christes kingdome was spirituall But to go on marke how sweetly pleasaūtly gratiously Esayas prophecieth of the kingdome of Christ saying that it should by preaching be enlarged spred all abroad that there is no lyfe but only in the Church and that he which refuseth to be of this spirituall kingdome is damned The prophets vse very much figuratiue and borowed speches We must therefore be acquainted with their phrase of speaking These then be his wordes in the 60. Chapiter Arise O Ierusalem Be bright for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is rysen vpon thee This light is the gospel the glory of God and the gifts of the eternall treasures as wisedome security health and life It followeth For behold darknes shal couer the earth gros darknes the people But the Lord shal arise vpon thee and his glory shall be seen vpon thee And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light And kings at the brightnes of thy rising vp Lift vp thine eyes round about and behold all these are gathered and come to thee Thy sonnes that is to say the faithful in Christ shal come from far That is to say in all the parts of the wide world shal the gospel be taught and the people shal beleeue on Christ And thy daughters shal be nourished at thy side Then thou shalt see and shine thine hart shal be astonyed and enlarged because the multitude of the seas shal be conuerted vnto thee That is to say the Gentils that inhabite the Ilands and al the sea coastes And the riches of the Gentils shall come vnto thee This prophecy was then fulfilled whē the gentiles in Spayne Fraunce Italy Greece Asia Cilicia Affrica Egipt Cyprus Creet Rodes Liuonia Borus or Pruse Pomeriane lower Germany about the West sea Scotland England Ireland Island and in other countreis and places were conuerted by the preaching of the gospell The multitude of Camels shal couer thee That is the people of the East which abound in Cammels shall also come to the heauenly Ierusalem The Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah That is the people about the red Sea and they of Arabia shall beleeue in Christ All they of Sheba she l come they shal bring gold and incense and shew forth the prayses of the Lord. All the sheep of Kedar shal be gathered vnto thee The Rams of Nebayoth shal serue thee By Seba is ment the people on the right hand of the East By Kedar and Nebayoth those that be on the left hand He saith that these should serue the Church and gather them selues together to it and should preach and glorify Christ as our onely Sauyour They shall come vp to be accepted vpon mine Altar This is fulfilled when the preachers of the word of God conuert the people so that they mortify the old man and willingly submit them selues to the cros and so offer vp and sacrifice them selues to God through Christ our Altar And I will beutefie the house of my glory That is I will enrich and beutefy my church my spiritual Temple with all kind of gifts of the holy ghost It followeth who are these that fly like a cloud and as the doues to their windowes These words be figuratiuely spoken The cloudes be the Apostles who are very fruitfull For they bring the sweet shoures of the word of god And they were swift as the cloudes as doues for they did flye to all people in all parts of the world that they might preach to them the gospell It followeth Surely the Iles shall wayt for me and the ships of Tarshishe as at the beginning that they may bring thy sonnes from farre and their siluer and their gold with them vnto the name of the Lord thy God and to the holy one of Israel because he hath gloryfied thee And the sons of straungers shal build vp thy walles and their kings shal minister vnto thee That is men shal greedely and earnestly desire the gospel as the only comfort of their sad and troubled conscyences And they shall frankely lay out their substance and goods to help to set out and publish abroad the name of the Lord and to preserue and delyuer the miserable and afflicted men These children of strangers or strangers be the doctors of the gentils in the church such as Athanasius Nazianzenus Cyrillus Chrysostomus Augustine Hillary and others which builded the church by their wryting and preaching It followeth In my wrath I smote thee but in my mercy I had compassion on thee That is thou hast now some sinnes and it is necessary thou shouldest in this life be beaten and chastened with a fatherly rod and suffer affliction But this yet is a fatherly anger For all thy affliction shal be for thy profit and health that thou be not damned with this wicked world Vnder the
be named a Citye sought out and nōt forsaken In these wordes the prophet commaundeth that the word of the Gospell should be diligently painefully and continually tought in all places where men be to heare it The gates of the Church doe stand alway open all thinges are now ready there lacketh nothing but that you diligently vrge and beleue the doctrine of the word and that ye remoue take vp and sweepe away all thinges whatsoeuer hinder the crosse and increase of the Gospell that it may haue better successe Preach you Christ crucified and he shall by his spirite gather and draw all men vnto him To be short the Gospell ought to be published and preached through all the world Tell the daughter Sion that is you must declare to all the electe both Iewes and Gentiles that their Sauiour Christ Iesus is at hand and whatsoeuer he promiseth or enterpriseth for the sauing of his people that is to say the spiritual Sion the same he mightely performeth For the captiuitye wherein he was and the passion which he suffered is our redemption and saluation and his death is our lyfe And though Sion that is the Church be counted but base and vile in the eyes of the world yet shall it be glorious famous of great dignity before God and it shall haue this worthy name and title to be called the holy people of God whom God himself in mannes nature which hee tooke vpon him hath redeemed And although the world supposeth that God hath reiected and forsaken the church and that God himself is sore displeased with it because they see it in misery calamity and vnder the cros yet neuertheles shall it both be called and in deed be found that perfect citye of God which God in no case can forsake And here you see the articles of the creed I beleeue the holy Catholick church the communyon of saints For he that beleeueth in Christ is a citizen in this Citie and a saint in Christ which forgeueth our sinnes and sanctyfieth the church by his word and holy spirit Now then if you wil not haue this work of Christ our Sauiour to be fruitles it is necessary that the gospel should be preached in all the world and that there should be in all places faithful beleeuers in Christ and that the same beleeuers be delyuered from death to the end the church may be made this beutifull citie fayre dwelling or house of god which he cānot forsake Here also it is euydent that it behoued Christ to rise again from death to the end this citie might be builded in all the world and that the faithfull in Christ may be delyuered from all their calamities sinne death and damnation This did not Cleophas and his companion while they were on their way to Emaus vnderstād and that was the cause that they were so sad But let vs now goe to the 63. chapter of Esay in which the magnificall and glorious tryumph of Christ is descrybed to wit how by his cros bloudsheding he marueilously ouercame his and the churches enemies namely sinne death Sathan and the sinagogue of the vnbeleeuing Iewes and valiantly vanquished them by his own strength and vertue Esay in this chapter also vseth after his maner a figuratiue speech saying Who is this that commeth from Edom with red garments from Bosrah He is glorious in his apparrell and walketh in his great strength Here the prophet wondering at the passion of christ vseth an interrogatiue speech Edom signifyeth red ruddy or redly colored Bosrah signifyeth a vine branch from whence the clusters of grapes be gathered which are troaden and prest in the wine pres He calleth the Sinagogue of the Iewes Edom or red because they all bestayned and defyled them selues with the bloud of the prophets and Christ when they sayd his bloud be vpon vs and our children The prophet therfore saw in the spirite how that bloudy Sinagogue tormented afflicted Christ all be slubbered and berayd him in blod as we see the grape treders are besprinkled bestaind with the wine in the vintage He saw also in the same place by the spirit what Christ by his blodsheding hath wrought and done to wit how he hath by his own strength and vertue without the help and ayd of any other ouercome and vanquyshed his enemyes admirably tryumphed as a most fortunat and worthy warryar in his triumphes conquest and signes of victory worthy to be beholden of all men For when the Iewes thought verely he had been dispatched and deead in deed then rose he again from death and began his kingdome and declared him selfe to be a valyaunt vanquisher of sinne death and all the kingdome of darcknes and punished with the horrible plague of captiuity hardnes of hart and apostacy the Iewes in all the world whersoeuer they be for this horrible and cruel fact of sheding of innocent bloud Vnto this interrogatiō of the prophet doth the Messias answere saying I speake in righteousnes and am mighty to saue That is to say why marueilest thou what I am I am he whom God hath sent to teache righteousnes nay euen to help that is to say iustifye and saue of mine own hability But by and by the prophet addeth another interrogation If thou be the true Sauyour which shalt help and geue life in deede wherfore then is thy apparrell red and thy garmentes like his that treadeth in the wine pres How doth this agree and stand with thy promyses wherin thou takest vpon thee to help and saue vs To this Christ answereth I haue troaden the wine pres alone and of all people there was none with me for I will tread them in mine anger and tread them vnder foot in my wrath and their bloud shal be sprinkled vpon my garments and I wil stayn all my rayment For the day of vengeance is in my hart and the yeare of my redeemed is come and I looked and there was none to help and I wondered that there was none to vphold Therefore mine own harme helped me and my wrath it self sustayned me Therfore I wil tread down the people in my wrath and make them dronken in mine indignation and will bring down their strength to the earth In this answere of Christ we see how he would by his passion enter into his glory and thorowly delyuer vs for euer He sayth thou shalt not maruail to see my rayment red For this is the true and redyest way and meanes to saue the world God hath so ordayned it I haue troadē the wine pres alone that is to say I alone haue born the sinnes of the world vpon the crosse No man els was able to satisfy God for the sinnes of the world but I alone It was my bloud only that both could and ought to doe it and nothing els There was no other meanes nor way to saue you from your sins And in that my infirmity I shewed great strength and I
and his sayings The Iewes pretence was that they might vtterly extinguish Christ and put him out of remembrauce As for example when we abhorre any kind of fruite wee grub vp and destroy the tree root bole branches fruit and all so that it neuer bud or blossome again S. Ierome hath it thus Let vs throw wood vpon his bread Which words in the church were euer yet to thys day thus expounded let vs lay a cros vpon his body and crucifye him And Christ calleth his flesh meate and bread of life And afterward Christ speaketh after the property and condition of mans nature which for vs he tooke vpon him and sayth thou Lord art iust thou knowest they doe me wrong to thee I cōmit my cause And so he prayed in the garden at the mount Olyuet thy will be done O Father And his prayer was heard and he was obedient vnto his father and redemed vs For though they crucifyed him in his infirmity which willingly in the time of his stuardship he tooke vpon him for our sakes yet by the power of his Godhead he doth liue and sit at the right hand of God being Lord both of Iewes and Gentils and he beholdeth the dispersed and straying Iewes which know not how to repent wandering now aboue 1570 yeares as confounded distracted and blinded vagaboundes so that they be more odious and vile then dogs Ieremy in the 16. chapter prophesyeth of the calling of the gentils how they should beleue in Christ These be his words O Lord thou art my sort and my strength and my refuge in the day of affliction the Gentiles shall come vnto thee from the ends of the world and shall say surely our fathers haue inheryted lyes and vanities wherin there was no profite Before he sayd that Christ shold call the Gentils and should make them his spirituall kingdom these were his words Behold I wil send many Fishers saith the Lord and they shal fish them This was fulfilled in the Apostles amongst whom the most part were fishers of fishes but afterward were made fishers of men as we reade in Mathew where Christ calleth them saying Follow me and I wil make you fishers of men Here it appeareth that he went not about to erect a worldly kingdome for that requireth other manner of men then fishers In the 32. of Ier. there is an excellent cōfortable prophecy of Christ foretelling what kind of king kingdome he and his should be and how he should rule it In that place he cheefly threateneth to punish the salse prophets which did not preach the word of God purely and faithfully to the people saying Woe be vnto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheepe of my pasture sayth the Lord therfore thus saith the Lord God of Israel vnto the pastors that feed my people you haue scattered my flock and thrust them out and haue not visited them behold I wil visite you for the wickednes of your worke saith the Lord and I wil gather the remnant of my sheepe out of all countreis whether I had dryuen them and will bring them again to their folds and they shal grow and increase and I will set vp shepheards ouer them which shall feede them and they shall dread no more nor be afrayd neither shall any of them be lacking saith the Lord. ¶ Anna. What pastors be these that the prophet here threateneth ☞ Vrb. Vngodly kings that deal not wel with his people and false prophets and wicked teachers such as the scrybes and pharysees Here you see what negligent and vnfaithfull stewardes were in the house of the Lord and how miserably dangerously they neglected and seduced the poore people And yet neuerthelesse God calleth euen that people though they were few scattered thrust out and not looked to the flock of his pasture So in the time of papistry God had a little flock ouer which though the wicked shauelings had litle regard and care yet neuertheles God preserued his flock and his sheep and hath geuē thē good pastours But as for the wicked hirelinges he hath so visited thē with his rod that they are now confoūded openly before the face of the world wheras before they were taken to be good and holy shepheards And so did God the Iewes confound the pharisees and in their places amongest substitute the Apostles which he stirred vp to feed the people with the holesome food of the word of God they gathered from all quarters the remnant of Gods flock into the vnity of the christian faith ¶ Anna. When was this prophecy to be fulfilled ☞ Vrb. In the time of the new testament whē the true Messias should come of the stock of Dauid then did the end of the pharisaical tyranny draw on and the true preachers to wit the Apostles drew neare as it is specifyed in the words of Ieremy It followeth behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will rayse vnto Dauid a righteous branch and a king shall raign and prosper and shal execute iudgemēt and iustice in the earth In his dayes Iudah shall be saued and Israel shall dwel safely and this is the name wherby they shall call him the Lord our righteousnes That time or these dayes wherin so great thinges are promysed is the fulnes of the tyme whereof Paule speaketh to the Gal. When Christ himself shall come who was promised before in the law the prophets Ieremy in this place calleth Christ the blossome of Dauid meaning that he is true and naturall man of the stock and bloud of Dauid like as the Lord had promysed to Dauid This prophecy speaketh of Messias euen as the Iewes themselues doe testify For Ionathas saith in his Thargum Kemle Dauid Meschiah Deradikia that is I will rayse vp vnto Dauid that righteous Messias if therfore he be true man of the stock of Dauid what maruel is it if first he dyed and yet neuertheles he had power and ought to delyuer and iustify Israell and to redeem thēm frō all their miseries The greatest and extreemest calamity is to lye captiue in sinne and death and therfore was it meete that this king the sonne of Dauid should delyuer Iuda and Israel that is the twelue trybes of the Iewes with al true Israelites that is to say right beleeuers from sinne and death or els had they neuer been deliuered And here also it followeth that he should rise agayne frō death which thing was vnto him easy For he was not onely right natural man of the stock of Dauid but true and naturall God and therfore saith Ieremy his name shall be called Iehouah or Adonai that is God him self For the Iewes thēselues teach the scripture affirmeth that this word Iehouah can be rightly geuen to no creature but only to God him self of whom al creatures haue their beginning as you haue heard Wherfore it was meet that he should be a king far differing from those which had
and drinke but righteousnes and peace and ioy in the holy ghost The words of this prophesy be these heare the worde of the Lord ye gentiles and declare in the Iles a farre of and say he that scattereth Israell will gather him and will keepe him as a sheppard doth his flocke for the Lord hath redemed Iacob raūsomed him frō the hād of him that was strōger thē he Therfore they shal come reioyce in the light of Sion and shall run to the bountifulnes of the Lord euen for the wheate and for the wine and for the oyle and for the increase of sheepe and Bullocks and her soules shall be as a watered garden and they shall haue no more sorrow The Iewes vnderstand not this but suppose that it shall be carnally fulfilled But I haue oftē sayd that the prophets vse to speak figuratiuely of Christes kingdome and of the great vnspeakeable goodnes therof to wit of the word of god and the holy ghost with all his giftes fayth forgeuenes of sinns peace of conscience ioye in the spirite vnderstanding of the scriptures and comfort and hope out of Gods holy promises of all which both Iews and Gentills that beleue shall be partakers And these are the giftes of god by which he adorneth and maketh his kingdome that is the faythfull Christians fruitfull euen as a firtill garden or a greene orchard In this chapiter Ieremye doth comfort the weake in Israell that they should not dowt of the promised Messias but stedfastly beleue the lyke as he had promised a spiritual drliuerance to wit forgeuenes of sins for Messias hys sake so it should come to pas that he should take some peece of Israel for his people and that so the kingdom of Christ should continue and abyde for euer And the new testament tels vs that there is an euerlasting couenant of Gods grace cōfirmed vnto al fayth ful Christiās saying that our sines are pardoned for christes sake the god will be our mercifull father for euer He promiseth also that he will send the holy ghost into our hart to lighten vs with the knowledge of God and to purify our hartes by fayth in Christ that so we may haue the law of God not onely written in papers but euen engrauen in our hartes The law requireth fayth and feare of God with hope and loue towardes God and our neighbors but the hart of man is wicked euen from his youth vp and sustayned with originall sinn that he hath no vnderstanding no ioy no desire no good will to walke in the law of god But the spirite of Messias the finger of God will take away clens all these thinges will write that within our hartes with liuely letters which the law requireth to wit fayth in Christ by which we haue forgeuenes of our snnes and loue which is the fulfilling of the law Then shall all thinges happen well and we shall be in happy and blessed state For there be none in the kingdome of Christ but men instructed blessed by the holy ghost which both know them selues and God and are bent and redy to serue God from a cleane and a pure hart of a good conscience and an vnfayned fayth although they be very weake and compassed about with sin and often times stumble and therefore with all the Saintes they make their prayer saying O Lord forgeue vs our trspasses these are the wordes of the prophet Behold the day is come sayth the Lorde that I will make a new couenaunt with the house of Israell and with the house of Iuda not according to the couenāt which I made with their fathers when I tooke them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egipt the which my couenant they brak although I was a husband vnto them sayth the Lord but this shall be the couenaunt that I will make with the house of Israell After those dayes sayth the Lord I will put my law into their inward parts and write it in their hartes and I will be their God and they shall be my people And they shall teach no more euery man his neighbour and euery man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them vnto the greatest of them sayth the Lord for I will forgeue their iniquity and will remember there sinnes no more Thus sayth the Lord which geueth the sun for a light to the day and the courses of the moone and of the starres for a light to the night which breaketh the sea when the waues thereof rore his name is the Lord of hostes If these ordinaunces depart out of my sight sayth the Lord then shall the seede of Israell cease from being a nation before me for euer Thus sayth the Lord Yf the heauēs can be measured or the foundations of the earth be searched out beneth thē will I cast of all the seede of Israell for all that they haue done sayth the Lord. The apostle expoundeth this prophesye vnto vs in the Hebrue telling vs that it was fulfilled at the former comming of Christ into this world when Christ the mediator of the new testamēt executed his priestly office offering vp sacrifice for vs and was placed at the right hand of the trone of maiestye in heauen being the minister of the holy thinges and of the true tabernacle wrought by God and not by man The ould testament had then continued vnto the time appointed that is vnto Messias who was by the priesthood sacrifices and ceremonies prefigured But when the light or candle cam it was meete that the shaddow should geue place In the ould testament the law was written in tables of stone by it the false double dealing and curse of the people was manifested and reproued but not takē away For it was a killing letter which tould thē what was iust and what was to be done but it could not inwardly change and renew the hart of the ould carnall man to make them gladly and feruenly do those thinges which were of God but it led men to Messias who should circumcise their hartes with his spirite take away their sinnes and write the lawe in their hartes Outward circumcisiō sacrifices the bloud of beasts the leuiticall priesthoode the law of Moyses and other ceremonies had no such strēgth nor force that they could helpe or deliuer sinners And the faythfull Christians before the comming of Christ had experience of this in them selues They saw in deede that their deliueraunce from sin consisted not in ceremonies and that those ceremonies should not alway continue For no sinner had euer by such ceremonies obtayned redemption or helpe but they knew very well that God had promised a new testament and forgeuenes of sinnes by the bloud and sacrifice of Messias and that the spirite of Messias should imprint and fulfill the law in vs so that through our fayth we might both receaue a cleare
with God true peace securitye euerlasting ioy true life and eternall saluatiō For if the sin of the Gentiles should not be taken away then in deede should neither death nor Sathans tyranny and kingdome be taken away neither could they haue any cōfort or hope But seing that Christ is their hope and comfort and that no vaine comfort for God himselfe speaketh it then surely must all heuines calamities and misery be taken away from the gentiles also which is nothing els but sin euill conscience death and euerlasting damnation And therfore must they also of necessitie rise from death and liue for euer with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen You see by the Epistle of S. Peter that the prophets haue respect vnto the health of the soules and therfore their whole indeuor is to preach true comfort seing the prophecie of Christ who brought vs from sin to righteousnes and innocencye and from death to life euerlasting as we finde he doth in deed Moreouer he hath deserued for vs the comforter the holy Ghost by whome he helpeth and comforteth vs vnder the crosse vntill we be called out of this fraile and miserable life and receaue the promised crowne of glory which in deede we posses in this earth though it be but yet in fayth and hope ¶ Anna. You alwayes haue sayd that Zachary is a prophet full of notable comforts Let vs therfore here what comfort he geueth vs by his promises ☞ Vrba He is in deede a comfortable prophet and the dayes wherein he liued required the same For he prophecied when the Iewes were euen at the point of returning out of the captiuitie of Babilon and when the Citie with the temple should be builded agayne The people at that time were yet faint harted fearefull and doubted that they should not be safe from their enemies and therfore he comforteth them and setteth Christ before their eyes as a louing Sauiour that so they might be of good cheare saying that Christ should spedely come and helpe his seruantes and spread his kingdome through the whole world and therfore was it needefull that Iuda and Ierusalem should be builded againe to the end they might receaue their owne king And the prophet speaketh as followeth Ierusalem shall be inhabited without the walles for the multitude of men and cattell therein For I sayth the Lord will be vnto her a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the midest of her Here he prophesieth of the spirituall Ierusalem to wit the church of Christ for the earthly Ierusalem had hir boundes and walles but the heauenly Ierusalem shal be so wide and large that it can not be compassed with any walles yea it shall be as wide as the world For it is the kingdome of Christ which by little and little without ceasing shall be increased vnto the last day and the true children of Abraham are as the God of Abraham promised euen as the sand of the sea and the starre in the firmament and the promised blessing shall come vpon all nations through the whole world that Christ maye be knowen and worshipped euery where for the true Lord god By the cattell vnderstand weakelinges and such as are ignoraunt in the knowledge of the scriptures and fayth these are led and fed in the pastures of Christ by those which are more strong and firme in fayth But he is a merueilous wall which is all fiery truly the Church of Christ in this place hath so great and comfortable a promise of Gods helpe as you shall scarsely finde in any other place of the scriptures For I wil be saith the Lord a wall of fire round about hir the Church of Christ You see that he speaketh here of the heauenly Citye wherein God himselfe will be the watchman keper wall defēder if their God be thus present with vs we haue iust cause to reioyce in the Lord seeing that wheresoeuer God himselfe watcheth defendeth and fighteth for vs there are we safe out of daunger of this world and Sathan and neede not feare them To be breefe the great humilititie of Christ Iesus in that he vouchsafed to become man being the true son of God and the sending of the holy ghost the true teacher of holsome doctrine in the Church of God whereby the church is still houlden and preserued in truth that it may stedfastly cleaue to God where as otherwise the whole world is blinded with errors caried away with lyes and miserably deceaueth it selfe these I say do sufficiētly declare how gloriously the Lord hath shewted himselfe in this spirituall Ierusalem Sathan the world and heretickes do not cease nor sleepe but bend themselues in all they may yea they striue with hand and foote to destroy Christ his church But although according to the flesh it be weake yet neuerthelesse it standeth and getteth the victory ouer all hir enemies So plentifully doth the Lord declare his glory in his spirituall citye the Church In the wordes following he setteth forth the helpe and comfort which we shall haue in Christ his kingdome saying He which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye How I pray you could a most louing and tender father speak more louingly or sweetely euen to his darling and derely beloued son if the Lord looke carefully to vs as men vse to looke to the apple of their eyes then surely can no hurt happen vnto vs in the kingdome of Christe neither neede we to feare any daunger A little after Zachary comforteth such Christiās as are vnder the crosse and by reason of the weakenes of the flesh are in feare and trouble euen as the Iewes were at that time saying Reioyce and be glad O daughter Sion for I come and will dwell in the middest of thee sayth the Lord and many nations shall be ioyned to the Lord in that day and shall be my people and I will dwell in the middest of thee and thou shalt know the Lord of hostes hath sent me vnto the. And the Lord shall inherit Iuda his portiō in the holy land and shall chuse Ierusalem agayne Let all flesh be still before the Lord for he is raised vp out of his holy place That is to say O Sion although thou be afflicted here in the earth yet be of good chere because thou shalt cōtinew For I my selfe do come and abide with thee Was not this fulfilled when god became man and at this day wheresoeuer Gods word is receaued there doth God dwell and that is the true Sion as Christ sayth in Iohn He that loueth mee keepeth my commaundementes and my Father will loue him and we will come vnto him and will dwell with him Surely this is the spirituall kingdome wherein god dwelleth with vs by the gospel and by fayth which the holy ghost worketh in vs as S. Paul sayth to the Ephe Christ dwelleth in our hartes by fayth And Esay telleth vs where God
dispaire not and fly and fall away in persecution He reproued the corporall Israell the Iewes before in the 11. chap. somewhat sharply where he sayd I wil not feed you But vnto some that is vnto the remnant he made promise to keep them saying The poore of the sheep that wayted vpon me knew that it was the word of the Lord. These remnantes and afflicted sheepe are now that true Israel vnto whome the Lordes promises of comfort are auaileable These are they which in this world are tossed with many and strange afflictions and yet are not ouercome or ouerwhelmed of euil but are deliuered from all their misery and are made euen stronger in persecution vnder the crosse That burden doth signify a prophesie which prophecieth of some greuous burdenous and heauy thing as is the crosse and persecution comming vpon the godly which to the weake flesh is burdensome and heauy And the prophet to the end he may better and liuelyer comfort them sendes his auditors vnto the first article of fayth to wit creation geuing vnto the Lord a notable and worthy title to the end the godly may in their trouble be strengthened in fayth and thinke thus truely the Lord in whose hands the hole world is who is most mighty in all necessitie and a deliuerer out of all dangers is with vs. He hath created all thinges and he feedeth and cherisheth all thinges Wherefore no creature can do any more vnto vs then that omnipotēt Lord and creator of all thinges geueth them leaue He calleth Ierusalem the cup of poyson Meaning the Apostles and primatiue church gathered together by the Apostles These were of no account so that the Iewes and Gentiles which were their enemies thought that they might easely destroy such a pore companye and thought that they were scarse an euening draught But what doth the Lord he putteth that small company into a cup which maketh these their persecutors stumble and when they thinke that they can drinke thē vp at one draught they are made so mad and foolish that they stumble fall lyke drunken men This thing was fulfilled when the Iewes and gentiles set themselues so ragingly agaynst the Apostles and their scollers that at the last they perished fell whereof some were conuerted by the gospell and of enemies became frendes fell to their saluation but some fell vtterly to their euerlasting destruction for their hatred and malice conceaued against the godly By and by after He calleth Ierusalem the heauy stone vnto all people For Ierusalem that is the Apostles and faythfull Christiās shall not be suppressed but their persecutors shall fall from me in grace that they also may become faythful Christiās and some in indignation that they may remaine obdurat work their owne destruction For how soeuer they afflict or destroy the Church of God casting it wittingly and willingly aside as an vnprofitable stone out of this world yet can they not take that cleane away but kill and destroy themselues while they go about to remoue that stone And these wordes following do witnes that he speaketh of afflictiō All the people of the earth shall be gathered together agaynst it Christ himselfe told this to his disciples before in Iohn saying The world hateth you if they haue persecuted me they will persecute you also And agayne Whosoeuer killeth you will thinke that he doth God seruice You shall weepe and lament and the world shall reioyce and in the world ye shall haue affliction But the Lord hath promised your deliueraunce saying Be of good cheare I haue ouercome the world In me ye shall haue peace and yoer sorrow shall be turned into ioy And in Iohn it is sayd My sheepe shall neuer perish neither shall any plucke them out of my hand my Father which gaue thē me is greater then all and none is able to take them out of my fathers handes I and my Father are one The same thing also doth Zach. here promise In that day sayth the Lord I will smite euery horse with stunishmēt that is all strength and power which riseth agaynst the Church of Christ shall be able to do nothing but they shall be confounded The world is still in armour agaynst the Church and they do all they can agaynst it and they haue bent all their force against it but all in vaine For where are now Nero and Domitian those mighty outragious enemies of the Church those gentiles which haue persecuted so many of the godly you see that which Zac. sayth here is and shall be daly fulfilled And note that the prophet here describeth the kingdome of Christ to be a kingdome which lyeth in this worlde vnder the crosse It is not therefore a worldly kingdome for then should it in the world be magnified and haue great wealth pompe power and maiestie and defend it selfe with strength of arme and armour as others do but the lord only is her fortitude tower fortresse and bulwarkes as it followeth I will open or set my eyes vpon Ierusalem that is I will keepe the Apostles and faythfull Christiās which shall be after them euen as a father still in my sight will I keepe them and I will be with them in all necessities I wil blind fatuate their persecutors so that all their coūsels agaynst the godly shall be quite frustrate The world shall shew all hir suttilty and power against the poore church of Christ but faythful Christians shal not take vp to thē corporal armour against their enemies but the Apostles and doctors shall cōfort thēselues and others vnder the crosse with the word of God and sweete promises of Christ Iesus our lord For Christ sake they shall both willingly and cherefully beare the crosse and they shall be content with it For the comforter the holy ghost doth conserue and comfort them by his word And this consolation of the Princes of Iuda that is of the doctors and teachers shall be of such effect that euen lyke vnto fier they shall with the wood burne and deuoure many which be about them and they shall conuert many persecutors and gentiles and bring them to the kingdome of Christ And although all nations set themselues against Ierusalem yet shall that heauenly Ierusalem the Church still abide where it is become most populous but he sayth in his place to signifie therby that he speaketh not of the corporall Ierusalem but of the Church which shall abide there where it is or wheresoeuer els it shall be in the whole world ¶ Anna. Wherefore doth Zach. make a difference in the wordes following betwixt Iudah and the house of Dauid and Ierusalem seeing they are the onely people of God to wit faythfull Christians ☞ Vrba He will there by teach vs that there is no difference nor respect of persons in the church but that all the faythfull Christians are all one in Christ Iesus as
Christ no cause of our sal Math. 11.6 Luke 2.34 Acts. 28.22 Rom. 9.31 Rom. 9.31 1. Pet. 2.4 Esay 11.1 The graces of the holy ghost Mat. 23.13 The title and cognisance of Christians Col. 3.4 We are crossed that our old Adam may be mortified We are crossed that our old Adam may be mortified Christes scepter with which he ruleth Christes scepter the word smiteth the earth the old Adam 1. Thes 2.8 Fayth is our righteousnes Esa. 11.6 The Wolues dwelleth with the lambes Esay 11.10 Christ our banner set vp for vs to loke on in the battalle of a troubled conscience The brasen serpent Gen. 49 The Gentils called to be the people of God. Christes burial a glorious rest Exo. 14.15 Ioh. 12.32 Ioh. 11.51 Esa. 12. Esay 12.53 Ioh. 4.14 Iohn 7.37 1. Cor. 15.57 Esa. 25.8 Christ victorious walles Perfect peace Esa. 26.19 Our resurrection Where the dead be vntil the last day Mat. 22.32 Our state in the world to come Ioh. 16.33 Phil. 3.7 Esa. 27 2◠The church gods vineyard Mat. 20.21 Math. 8.11 The great trumpe the Gospell The true deliuerance of Israel Esa. 13.14 Acts. 8.4 Rom. 5.1 Peace only in the church Esa. 35.1 Esay 52.11 Great comfort Esay 35.5 What that holy way is No way to God but faith Iohn 14.6 Faith the holy way to God and way but it to God. Euen the greatest sinner that is shall be safe if he go this way Who be the redemed Our state without Christ The ioy of christians is the true ioy Ioh. 16.22 Apoc. 21.4 Euen the godly are often sad as it were without faith Psal. 13.3 Esay 40.9 Esa. 40.11 Iho. 10.11 Wekelings Esay 43.20 What caused Christ to dye Good workes are not to be trusted in The regenerated and faithfull are true Iacobites Esay 44.3 Esa. 44 12. Esa. 49.7 1 Cor. 4.17 The godly in this life must be persecuted Rom. 8.36 Iohn 16.2 2. Co. 6.17 Luk. 11.24 Esay 44. The word the sacraments and the holy Ghost the welsprings by which our thirst is quenshed Lust 13.24 The godly are terrified with Gods iudgement and fere hel Euē the elected doubt sometime that God hath forsaken them will distroy them The temptations of the best and godliest A comfort for vs in our temptations Math. 7.9 God watcheth ouer vs to saue vs. He that stādeth in patience shall not fayie of helpe Sin a tyrāt ouer vs 2. Pet. 1. Esa. 50.6 The comfort of the Church by the examples of Abraham and Esay 51.3 A great comfort Esay 52.1 None mēbers of Sion but beleuers Math. 22.12 Phi. 3.20 Mens traditions lawes must not trouble vs Esa. 52.4 The pharisies and papists in this be alike Esay 52.5 Verse 6. Mat. 17.5 Ephe. 2.17 Verse 7. If you will bide and be Christes none shal hurt you Verse 8. Verse 9. Christ the arme of God. Esa. 52.13 and 53.1 Esa. 53.1 Rom. 11.32 Thes 2.16 What kind of kingdom Christ is Wherfore christ came How christ ruleth A note of worldlings and good christians Why the Iewes call christ Thalui What the sprinkling of the gentils is The strange working of god Euen the Apostles staggered douted whether Christ were Messias or no. Luke 13 33. 1. Cor. 2.14 Lu. 24.45 Christ a branch we by nature barren ground and vnfruitful Ioh. 18.8 Our nature is fouly corrupted The greeuousnes of sinne Horrible blasphemy to say good workes purge sinne 2. Pet. 2.1 A true comfort Monasteries to be abhored Esay 53.4 Ioh. 18.30 Mans reason Rom. 4.25 Psal. 14.3 1. Pet. 1.20 Our gospel God cānot condemne vs if we beleue How christ was in iudgement Rom. 6.9 Gal. 3 13. Christ became accursed for vs. The knowledge and vnderstanding of Christ the righteousnes of all Christians The righteousnes of fayth and how we are saued Acts. 7.52 Merites of munks and fryars helpe not in the work of iustification Hebr. 5.7 Gene. 17.16 O noble and cōfortable exchange Rom. 8.18 Rom. 8. 2. Cor. 4 A great and notable comfort The cause why we be tempted troubled The Christians art The beuty of the Church 2. Pet. 3.13 Apoc. 21.1 Heb. 13.14 Needfull to know the word and promises Esa. 55.1 A sweete exhortation Iohn 4.1 Math. 11. Who lay out their mony for nought Iohn 8.52 Psal. 87.4 Euen the godliest of all sometimes weake and offend Rom. 8.1 Rom. 4.16 Acts. 13.46 Act. 28.28 Esa. 59.20 Math 28.20 The Iews shall be come Christians before the last day Rom. 11.25 Esa. 60.1 A prophesie of Inglāds calling to the Gospel Esa. 60.6 Esa. 60.6 Esa. 60.7 Esa. 60.7 Esa. 60.8 Esa. 60.9 Esa. 6.10 A fatherly correction Esay 60.11 The church cannot be ouerthrowen Esa. 60.13 Esay 60.14 Esa. 60.17 A property of the godly Psal. 84.4 Christ forsaketh not his vtterly Our state in heauen Rom. 8 2. Pet. 2 13. Why and how we shal be glorifyed Esay 92 1◠1. Cor. 1.30 Psal. 37 39. The new name Comfort vnder the cros Rom. 5.10 Troble and vexation a signe that we be gods children Esa. 62.6 Esa. 62.8 The vngodly men haue no part of gods peace Esa. 62.10 The catholick church Edom. Christs bloud vpon the Iewes Christ alone trod the wine pres Collos 2. Mat. 12.21 The punishment of those christ-killers Esay 65.11 Esay 65.1 Esay 65.8 Esay 65 13 1. Tim. 4.8 Ioh. 6.27 The true bread and food Luk. 22.24 Rom. 14.17 Rom. 2.8 The name of a Iew odious Acts 11 25. There is no God but Christ Iesus our sauiour and he for our saluation died feare not therefore condēnation How our foremer troubles are forgot Our cōfort and blessing and first fruites of the spirite Esay 65.17 The earth a vale of misery 1 Cor. 15.28 2. Cor. 1.5 Psal 94.19 Ioh. 16.20 Christians ioyes 1. Cor. 2.9 Esa. 64.4 Our resurrection and state after this lyfe De ciuitate Dei. 2. ca. 12. Esay 66.18 Mar. 16 15. Christ our signe or bāner Rom. 15.15 The heauēly Ierusalem De ciuita Dei. ca. 12. Iere. 11.18 Esay 53.6 Ioh. 16.55 2. Cor. 13.4 Ier. 16.19 Ier. 16.16 Mat. 4.19 Ier. 20.1 Iere. 23.5 Gal. 4.4 Christ the blossom of Dauid Reg. 6.12 Rom. 8.38 Iohn 3.14 1. Cor. 15.56 Ier. 33.11 Egipt a figure of hell and Pharao of the deuill Ier. 23.7 Iere. 30.2 Osia 1.6 Iere. 30. chap. 5. Christ is called Christ Psal. 89.20 Luk. 1.68 Ier. 31.1 Rom. 14.17 Ier. 31.10 To haue a will to kepe Gods law and to loue it is not of the flesh ergo of God and a signe of election Iere. 31.31 Heb. 8.6 The law Outward circumcisiō and cerimones Ioh. 8.56 2. Cor. 3.3 The new leage of grace is firme and ure Ro. 11.29 Ioh. 1.17 No difference betwē the saluatiō of the Iewes and Gentiles Eze. 11.17 Captiuitie of Babilon If the hart desire to obserue keep Gods law it is a mery hart and it is a signe the thou art regenerated Moises law Deu. 10.16 Deu. 50.6 A descriptiō of the godly Ezec. 36.25 The sacrament of
glad of the bride so shall thy God reioyce ouer thee Here the prophet sayth a great part of men regard neither God nor Christ and yet shall the elect seeke for the spirituall and true Sion and waight for Christ their onely Sauiour But seing the Church lyeth open to Sathans persecutions and of him is afflicted and wasted it hath great neede to be comforted Therefore he sayth I will not keepe silence but I will teach Christ cōtinually vntill he come For Christ as Paule witnesseth is the onely righteousnes of Sion or of the spirituall Hierusalem And he is the onely saluation of the Church as the Euangelists and Apostls teach in euery place Esay therfore teacheth of none but Christ Iesus whome God sent vs to be our Sauiour that both Iewes and Gentiles might enioy and be partakers of this his benefite as it hath ben fulfilled in all places euer since thapostles tyme And this new name here spokē of is nothing els but that Gos people is now called the Church of the sonne of God and the true and heauenly Hierusalem which is the mother of all the elected saintes And heare behold how precious and deare a darling the Church is to God our good and faithfull father For the prophet calleth it a crowne of glory the worlde counted the godly as vngodly as fooles as doultes as outcasts and as of scouringes of all thinges euery man did scoffe mocke scorne and iniury thē at their pleasure But the Church hath here an other manner of name for it is called a beloued precious glorious crowne my delight is in her and a people that hath a god that will not forget them These be most cōfortable promises when we be vnder the crosse But they must be stedfastly beleued or els they little auailed For it is most certaine although in this world we be contemned and afflicted that God yet loueth vs so derely and wel that al the creatures of the world are compelled to serue helpe vs euen then when the world supposeth they must torment vs Yea the Angels in heauen care for cherish and defend vs and God himselfe beareth vs in his armes as doth the louing Father his onely beloued childe But now consider this great worke of the loue of God I meane the passion of Christ and that God became man for vs All these thinges he did for the Church to the end that hauing deliuered them by this meanes from all euills he might bring them to health lyfe euerlasting How could he declare and shew a more fatherly loue and good will to his Church thē he hath done in deliuering his onely begotten sonne vp vnto death for it that he might deliuer it when as yet it was his enemy Though this infirmitie sore temptation and cros of ours in this world appeare outwardly horrible and detestable yet in deede thy are nothing els but a Fatherly rod wherewith he correcteth amendeth and reformeth his derely beloued children As for the glory which in the day of redemption shall be reuealed vnto vs I wil now say nothing of it but thē it shal appeare how dearely God loueth his church And then shall it be seene that this temporall trouble which we Christians haue heare is a certaine signe of Gods great good will and true fatherly loue towardes vs Esay his wordes seeme to sound as though he spak of that earthly Ierusalem in the land of Canaā And the prophet beholding the Church with spirituall eyes is cōpelled to speake as if he spake of these earthly thinges because they were figures of the true and heauēly Ierusalem and land of righteousnes As Peter and Paul doe sufficiently witnesse prescribing vs a sure rule how to vnderstād the prophets aright when they speake of Christ and his kingdome the church Note also that Esay calleth the church such a crowne as is in the hand of the Lord or which is caried in the Lordes hand Whiche is as much to say as the Church is a spirituall kingdome which God himselfe doth gouerne and rule It is also a crowne of glory or a glorious crowne in the hand of the Lord because it doth not appeare glorious in the eyes of the world And wheras the prophet taketh his similitude of a mariage and of fayth geuen betwene man wife that is very comfortable For hereby we learne how dearely tenderly and inwardly God loueth vs what infinite treasures we shall receaue of him For we know that the bridgrome makes his bride partaker of all he hath It followeth I haue set watch men vpon thy walles O Ierusalem which all the day and all the night continually shall not cease Ye that are mindful of the Lord keep ye silēce geue him no rest till he repare and set vp Hierusalem the prayse of the world The watchmen are the faythfull preachers of Gods word which watch and take paines in the Church in prayer doctrine least Sathan that deadly enemy by his false prophets should deceaue ouercome thē And these prechers alwayes preach true repentaunce and the grace of God in Christ and they diligently by their exhortations and sermons teach vs the knowledge of god and our selues and to geue God thankes for all his vnspeakeable benefits It followeth The Lord hath sworne by his right hand and by his strong arme surely I will no more geue thy corne to be meate to thine enemies and surely the sonnes of the strangers shall not drinke thy wine for the which thou hast labored But they that haue gathered it shall eate it and prayse the Lord and the gatherers therof shal drinke it in the courtes of my sanctuary This is spoken and ment of the spirituall corne and wine And this is the meaning therof It cannot be but the worde which these preachers teach should take place after it shall follow and rise the fruite of fayth which appeareth not at all in the vngodly These courtes that he speaketh of is the congregatiō or Church of Christiās or the godly amongest whome the gospell is purely taught where mens consciences were pacified quieted mery and pleasaunt in the Lord when the inward man feeleth peace tranquilitie quietnes securitye felicity perfect pleasure in the worde of god None of the vngodly either feele or haue taste of this pleasure And least we should any thing doubt of this promise he bindeth it with an oth that we shall haue those things which he promiseth It foloweth in the text Go through go through the gates prepare you the way for the people Cast vp cast vp the way and gather out the stones and set vp a standerd for the people Behold the Lord hath proclaimed vnto the endes of the world Tell the daughter Sion Behold thy Sauiour commeth Behold his wagis is with him and his worke is before him and they shall call them the holy people the redeemer of the Lord And thou shalt
only to the deliueraunce out of the captiuitye of Babilon such lyke as appeareth in the 30. of Iere. Where God sayth write thee all the wordes that I haue spoken to thee in a booke For loe the day is come sayth the lord That I will bring agayne the captiuity of my people Israell and Iuda sayth the lord For I will restore them into the land that I gaue to their Fathers they shal possesse it This prophesy can not be vnderstood of the land of Canaan or of any earthly deliueraunce For Osias sayth that his wife bore him a daughter whose name was Loruhamah that is with out pity Whereby is meant that God would not any more haue mercy vpon the x. tribes as he had mercy vpon Iuda Bēiamin which two tribs he brought home out of the captiuitie of Babilon but he left the x. tribes in Assiria amongste the gentiles Wherefore without doubt Ieremy prophesieth of the spirituall bondage of the remnāt of the 12. tribes of Iuda God will turn away this spiritual bōdage wherein they were holden captiues all abroad in error vnbeleefe vnder Sathā bring thē forth into the land of truth righteousnes as it may be gathered by Ieremies wordes which here follow For in that day sayth the Lord of hostes I will breake his yoke from of thy neck and breake thy bondes and strangers shal no more serue them selues of him but they shall serue the Lord their God and Dauid their king whome I will raise vp vnto them Therfore feare not O my seruant Iacob sayth the lord Neither be affrayd O Israell for loe I will deliuer thee from a farre countrey and thy seed from the land of their captiuitie and Iacob shall turne agayne and shall be in rest and prosperitie and none shall make him affraid For I am with thee sayth the Lord to saue thee In deede the Iewes were vnder a figure corporally deliuered from the bondage in the which Nabucadonezer held them captiues but this deliuerance was but a trifell in respect of the spirituall deliueraunce wherewith Christ deliuered vs from Sathan Here the prophet speaketh manifestly of Christ as the Iews them selues confesse with vs And he calleth Christe Dauid the king of the Iewes For Dauid which was Salomōs father had in the Lord departed this world lōg before this prophesy But Christ many times in the scriptures is called Dauid because he was to come of the house and stock of Dauid after the flesh to this doth the Chaldes translatiō agree For Ionathan hath this text thus Veijschthameum limschicha bar Dauid malcehom that is they shall obay their king Messias the sonne of Dauid And so did the Iewes vnderstād this prophesy of Messias in the tyme of the captiuitie of Babilon whē they had the prophets and vnderstood the Scriptures Zachary singeth a notable song of this deliuerance vnder Christ the true Dauid where he doth plainely and notably expound this prophesy of Ieremy and other such lyke as be ment of the kingdome of Christe For when he vnderstood by the gift of the holy ghost that his sonn Iohn was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fore runner of Christ after whome Christe immediatly should follow and when he saw that plentifull time of grace and saluation in which all the promises of God concerning the redemption of Israell should be fulfilled he soung this most sweete and pleasant song Blessed be the Lord God of Israell for he hath visited and redeemed his people and hath raysed the horne of saluation vnto vs to wit a most certaine and sure kingdome in which there is true health and happines in the house of his seruaunt Dauid For many whiche bore this true Dauid Iesus Christ as God before had promise to Dauid was of the house of Dauid It followeth as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which were since the world began saying that he would send vs deliuerance from our enemies and from the handes of all that hate vs that he would shew mercy towardes our Fathers and rememeber his holy couenaunt and the oth which he sware to our Father Abraham Which was that he would graunt vnto vs that we being deliuered out of the handes of our enemies should serue him with out feare all the dayes of our lyfe in holynes righteousnes before him And thou babe shalt be called the prophet of the most hiest for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes and to geue knowledge of saluation vnto his people for the remission of their sinns through the tender mercy of our God wherby the day spring from on hye hath visited vs to geue light to them that sit in darknes and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace Here we see Christ Iesus is our king vnder whom the faythfull in Christ do sit sure safe without feare in fulnes of heauenly giftes in the spirituall kingdome when Christ hath made them at one with his father whē he shall be their king and god Who thē should they fear and tremble seing the horne of saluatiō is in the house of Dauid that is the kingdome of Christe the kingdome of blessednes in which neither sin death nor Sathā can hurt the faythfull beleuers with whom Christ is alwayes present and whome he doth euer support And this is the true redemption and that true helpe which all the true godly and elect haue gredely loked for from the beginning Ieremy prophesieth of Messias at large in the 31. saying at the same tyme sayth the Lord will I be the God of al the famelies of Israel they shal be my people The fulfilling of this prophecy begun in the appostles time when many of the kingdomes and generations of Israel beleued in Christ and became the people of god and it shall be fulfilled or finished when the fulnes of the gentiles shall be come in wheras those x. tribes were before this vtterly rooted out of the earth from the face of the Lord for your Idolatrye Ieremye prophesyeth of the hope of the Gentiles saying that it should so fall forth that Israell that is to say the remnant which the Lord had chosen should be deliuered from their captiuitie and that they shoulde come into Sion that is into the Catholicke Churche with spirituall songes that the gentills should heare it and speake of it and reioyce at the conuersation of the Iewes If this must thus come to passe then out of doubt must they needes come to Sion that is the church of Christ which is the spirituall kingdome of Christe wherin shall be great aboundance and plentiousnes of all good and precious thinges We must vnderstand by the corne wine and oyle and such lyke heauenly giftes which Christ by his spirite bestoweth on the Churche that it may be glad and reioyce in spirite For the kingdome of God is not earthly meate
the length the Lord will take compassion vpon them and call and conuert so many amongst them by the gospel as appartayn to the kingdome of Christ which knoweth who be his sheep and his sheep shall know their shepheard This prophecy is so playn that it needeth no long exposition The Iewes haue now these 1560. yeares since the comming of Iesus of Nazareth which time is those many dayes which the prophet speketh of bin dispersed abroad throughout the whol world and haue neither king nor prince of their own neither yet vntil this day know they Christ the true Messias or king And they are constrayned as afflicted and abiects and miserable men to liue here and there vnder straunge kings throughout the whol world Their temple and altar with their place of sacrifice are destroyed and so continue And they haue neither priest nor true diuine seruice God graunt that they may shortly be plentifully conuerted Amen The word of God can not lye or deceiue vs They shall seek the true God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob the father of our Lord Iesus Christ by Iesus of Nazareth the true Messias And after their long error at the last they shall be conuerted and brought into the way and shall seek after Iesus Christ the true king promised in Moyses and the prophets who was sent at the fulnes of time born of the house of Dauid and is placed at the right hand of the father and equall with him in power They shal also preach and set forth with vs his bounteous grace and liberality which he offereth and geueth vs in the gospel Anna. Hoseas saith that they shall come vnto Dauid in the last day Shall Dauid then rise again before the last day to be king ☞ Vrb. No forsoth You haue heard before in Ezechiel and in the psalme that Christ is called Dauid because he was born of Dauids stocke according to the flesh And he is in deed true Dauid as in this place S. Hierome noteth that is strong of hand For he onely by his own power vertue and strength delyuered his people frō the captiuity of the deuil and so the Iewes themselues vnderstood this prophecy to be meant of Christ the seed of Dauid of which thing their Thargum is witnes in which this text is read thus After this shall the children of Israell be conuerted and seeke the glory of their God and be obedient to Messias the sonne of Dauid that is to Christ their king ¶ Anna. If the matter stand so then truely are not the Iewes quite to be condemned and reiected seeing God hath promysed that he will be so gracious vnto them and conuert so great a number of them ☞ Vrb. I often speake and geue warning of this that christians doe not with such despight vpbrayd despice or spite so proudlye and contemptuouslye at the Iewes but let them call to minde and wey well the warning which S. Paul geueth to the Rom. Hose doth prophecy more of our resurrectiō by messias saying In their affliction they will seek me diligently saying Come and let vs returne to the Lord for he hath spoyled and he will heale vs He hath wounded vs and he will binde vs vp After two dayes will he reuiue vs and in the third day he will rayse vs vp and we shall liue in his sight Then shall we haue knowledge and indeuour our selues to know the lord His going forth is prepared as the morning and he shall come vnto vs as the rayn and as the latter rayn vnto the earth which maketh it fruitfull S. Ambrose and other holy doctor of the church doe vnderstand this prophecy to be meant of the resurrection of Christ and of our rising agayne For Messyas rose agayn frō death the third day And whē we haue borne our cros in this frayl and mortall life and are fully mortefyed vnto the world then will he rayse vs vp againe in the day of redemption and we shall euer be and liue with him as Paul saith to the Thessalonians For he is rysen again and hath appeared with the bright morning star as the true sonne of righteousnes which doth illuminate vs and make vs fruitfull with the ferrill rayn of his grace that we may bring forth the fruit of true repentance And Hoseas in his 13. chap prophesyeth very plainly of Christ his victory how that for our sakes profit he hath ouercome sinne death and hel saying I will redeeme thē frō the power of the graue I will delyuer thē from death O death I will be thy death O graue or hell I will be thy destruction This thing Christ fulfilled when for our sakes he died vpon the crosse and gloriously rose againe the 3. day by which he satisfied for our sinnes and ouercame death which had ouerthrowne vs redeemed vs frō the damnation of hel The sin with which mans nature was infected euen vnto euerlasting death was deadly or present poysō but now Christ by his death destroyeth sin and killeth death in which of right we should haue taried for euer Hose also in his 14. chapiter doth very cōfortably prophesy of Christ and his kingdome and telleth vs that in him is grace and forgeuenes of sinns in him is mere loue and fayth in him are true good workes and securitye and in him is great good will toward vs and the bud of God in vs For Iesus Christ is God in deede and our defender saying O Israell returne vnto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thy iniquitie Take vnto you wordes and turne to the Lord and say vnto him take away all iniquitie and receaue vs gratiously so will we render the calues of our lips Asshur shall not saue vs neither will we ride vpon horses neither will we say any more to the worke of our hands ye are our Gods for in thee the fatherles findeth mercy I will heare their rebellion I will loue them freely for my anger is turned away from him I will be as the dew vnto Israell he shall grow as the lily and fasten the rootes as the trees of Libanon His braunches shall spread and his beuty shall be as the olyue tree and his smell as Libanon They that dwell vnder his shadow shall returne they shall reuiue as the corne and florish as the vine the sent therof shall be as the wine of Libanon Ephraim shall say what haue I to do any more with Idolls I haue heard him and looked vpon him I am lyke a greene fir tree vpon me is thy fruite found In the beginning of the 14. chapiter Hoseas moneth the Israelites to repētaunce But seing that true repentaunce is the worke of the holy ghost in vs and not of the naturall man the holy ghost at the end addeth these notable promises that Israell by them might be stirred vp to beleue the grace which god promised so receaue the power of the holy ghost that he might obay the