y e names of our fathers The Church of Thessalonica whose foundation was surely built by S. Paule himselfe for which he was so careful vnto which he wrate special letters to commende their increase in godlinesse and their stedfastnesse in the Gospel is forsaken and laide wast If the worke which the spirite of God wrought by the Apostle be decayed whose work may we thinke shal stande Ieremie spake vnto the people of the Jewes saying Trust not in lying wordes saying the Temple of the Lorde the temple of the Lord this is the temple of the Lord. That temple GOD himselfe commaunded to be built the forme and fashion thereof God himselfe deuised and appointed therein he placed his Tabernacle and sette vp his mercie seate therein he shewed foorth his maiestie and the glorie of his countenaunce Yet al this notwithstanding God saide by the prophet trust not in these wordes they be lying words and wil deceiue you As the Prophet spake of the temple at Ierusalem so may it be sayde of any other church throughout the worlde So may it be saide of the Churche of Rome Wée may say trust not in lying wordes saying the church of Rome the Church of Rome Say not thus with your selues the Church of Rome is built vpon a rocke so surely that it can not be moued or that no winde can shake it say not the faith of that Church can neuer faile These be lying wordes trust not in them for Christ neuer spake any such thing of y e church of Rome It neuer had promise of more special priuiledge than was giuen to the Church at Thessalonica Reade the Scriptures beholde the words of our Sauiour and consider them yen shal finde no spéech made of the Church of Rome nor any promise nor péece of promise wherein he bindeth himselfe more to y e church of Rome than he hath done to other churches or to this of Thessalonica Thessalonica was beautiful in the sight of God the Lorde of hostes had pitched his tentes rounde about her the name of the most bolie was placed in the middest of her shée enioyed like spirituall peace and prosperitie as did the Ierusalem of the almightie she was as a Citie fenced within it selfe but the Lord hath taken away the light of his countenaunce from her shée hath forsaken the waies of righteousnesse she hath left off to serue the Lorde and is become the place which the Lorde hath forsaken there is scarce anie remnant left there of those which call vppon the name of our saluation and loue the Lorde Iesus with an vnfained heart This is the Lordes doing and it is marueilous in our eyes And is his hande shortned that he cannot or is his zeale abated that he wil not in like seueritie deale with such as forsake him If he spared not the natural braunches if Ierusalem were ouerthrowne because of her iniquities it cannot be that hee wil spare other places that doe the like but that they shal also be cut off This is it that our Sauiour hath saide in the Gospel by S. Mathewe Therefore say I vnto you the kingdome of God shal be taken from you and shal be giuen to a nation which shal bring foorth the fruites thereof Such terrible dreadful examples hath God layde before our eyes to kéepe vs in his feare and in aâ—…e of his iudgements V. 2. Grace be with you and peace from GOD our Father and from the Lorde Iesus Christ. This is the salutation of Paule in al his Epistles to say I wish that the blessing and fanour and loue of God may light vppon you But for the better consideration hereof that we may know how earnestly we ought to pray vnto God for this grace and peace which the Apostle wisheth to the Churches let vs looke into our selues and sée how miserable we are if wee be left voyde of this grace and if God take his holy spirite away from vs. By nature what are we other than the bonde slaues of sinne We are not able to lift vp our eyes into heauen nor to beléeue in GOD nor to praise him nor to cal vppon his name We are not sufficient of our selues to thinke anie thing as of our selues Vnlesse hee open our lippes wee cannot shewe foorth his prayse Vnlesse hée heale our deafenesse we cannot giue care to his worde Vnlesse he giue vs vnderstanding heartes wee cannot take â—…owledge of his wil. Destruction and vnhappinesse sayth the Prophet Dauid are in their wayes and the way of peace haue they not knowne there is no feare of God before their eyes speaking of such as had not receyued the fauour and grace of God to guide and direct them And by the Prophet Malachie God vttereth his displeasure against them saying I haue no pleasure in you sayeth the Lorde of hostes neither wil I accept an offring at your handes Therefore the Apostle prayeth that they may receiue such measure of Gods grace as may quench in them the fierie dartes of the wicked and enhable them to holde fast that worthie thing that is committed vnto them and may kéepe them holic and vndefiled against the glorious comming of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. V. 3. Wee ought to thanke God alwayes for you bretheren as it is meete because that your faith groweth exceedingly and the loue of euerie one of you towardes another aboundeth 4. So that we our selues reioice of you in the church of God because of your patience and fayth in al your persecutions and tribulations that ye suffer God hath wrought this good worke of faith and loue and pacience in your hearts he wil make it prosper and encrease It is he which hath put this fire in you and he wil make it burne Hee hath layde his leauine in the dough or meale of your heart and wil make it heauie and worke vntill al be leauined Hée wil make you abounde more and more and wil bring to a good ende the thing he hath begonne Your faith groweth exceedingly This is the wil of God that we ware and encrease in al holinesse Hereby we know whether we be of God or no. We may not stand at a stay but must be renewed One sayth in via virtutis qui noÌ„ proficit deficit Whosoeuer mendeth not him self in the practise of vertue he groweth worse God hath placed vs in a race to run we must so run that we may attaine the price We are graffes of y e Lords planting we must grow to the heigh and breadth of a trée and bring foorth fruit We are pilgrimes and strangers and passe by the wildernesse of this world into our heauenly resting place wee may not stay by the way but must remoue our tentes and continually march on forwarde vntill that day come when wee shall enter into the lande of promise So that we our selues reioyce of you in the Church of God c. Your faith is not onelie true and pure but setled and
commanded to write vnto the Angel of the church of the Smyrnians These things saith hee which is first and last which was dead and is aliue I knowe the blasphemie of them which saie they are Iews and are not but are the Synagogue of Satan They reuile you and speake al maner of euill against you for my names sake They charge you with teaching false doctrine and saie you haue departed from the Church that they are the séede of Abraham the children of promise the true worshippers of God and which walke in the steppes of their forefathers But their boast heereof is vaine It profiteth them nothing that Abraham was their father that the couenant was made with them that they were circumcised that a lawe was giuen vnto them Let them not trust in their fathers let them not trust in lying words and saie the temple of the Lorde the temple of the Lord this is the temple of the Lorde If they were Abrahams children they woulde doe the workes of Abraham If God were their father then would they loue Christ his sonne and séeke to set foorth his glorie If they were of the shéepefolde of God they woulde heare his voice They are of their father the Diuel and the lusts of their father they wil doe They are in name the seruants of Christ but serue Antichrist they call themselues Iewes but are the Synagogue of Satan For saith the Apostle he is not a Iew which is one outward neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but hee is a Iew which is one within and the circumcision is of the heart in the spirite not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Of those which are such Leo saith Ecclesiae nomine armamini contra Ecclesiam dimicatis Yee arme your selues with the name of the Church and yet ye fight against the Church And Chrysostome saith The name onely of Christ doth not make a Christian but he must also haue the trueth of Christ for there are manie which walke in the name of Christ but fewe which walke in his truth It is therefore manifest as Lyra saith That the Church is not among men by reason of anie Ecclesiasticall or secular authoritie or dignitie because manie princes and high priests and others of the inferiour sorte haue forsaken the faith Though they pretend shew of holines though they drawe to themselues credite by long continuance though their numbers be great and they consent togither yet if they haue forsaken the faith if they holde not the truth of Christ if they fight against and persecute the Church if their circumcision be not the circumcision of the heart and in the spirit if they heare not the voice of y e shéepheard if they loue not Christ Iesus the sonne of God and set not foorth his glorie if they séeke to stop the course of the gospell if they séeke to get name among men if they resist Moses and Aaron they haue onelie a painted visard and carrie onelie an emptie name of the Church they call themselues so and are not But the Church of God is in God the father and in the Lorde Iesus Christ it is the companie of the faithful whom God hath gathered togither in Christ by his worde and by the holy ghost to honour him as he himselfe hath appointed This Church heareth the voice of the shephearde It wil not followe a stranger but flyeth from him for it knoweth not the voyce of straungers Of this Church Saint Iherome sayth Ecclesia Christi in toto orbe ecclesias possidens spiritus vnitate coniuncta est habet vrbes legis prophetarum euangelij Apostolorum Non est egressa de finibus suis â—…d est de Scripturis The Church of Christ which containeth the churches through al the world is ioyned togither in the vnitie of the spirite and hath the cities of the Law of the Prophets of the gospel and of the Apostles This church goeth not forth or beyonde hir boundes that is the holy Scriptures It is the piller of the truth the bodie the fulnesse and the spouse of Christ it is the vine the house the citie and the kingdome of God They which dwel in it are no more straungers and forreiners but Citizens with the Saints and of the hoshould of God and are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophetes Iesus Christ himselfe being the heade corner stone in whome all the building coupled togither groweth vnto an holy temple in the Lord. This Church Christ loued and gaue himselfe for it that he might sanctifie it and cleanse it by the washing of water through the worde that hee might make it vnto himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrincle or any such thing but that it should bee holy and without blame Such a Church was the Church of God at Thessalonica such a Church are they who so euer in any place of the worlde feare the Lord and cal vppon his name Their names are written in the booke of life they haue receiued the spirite of adoption by which they trie Abba Father they growe from grace to grace and abounde more and more in knowledge and in iudgement they cast away the workes of darkenesse and put on the armour of light they are made absolute and perfect vnto al good works they are euermore coÌ„forted in the mercies of God both by the holy scriptures wherein God declareth his gracious goodnesse towardes them and by the sacramentes which are left vnto the Church to be witnesses assured pledges for performance of the promise of Gods good will and fauour towardes them Grace be with you and peace c. God giue you the forgiuenesse of your sins and the peace and comfort of your conscience God let al his blâ—…ssings fal vpon you that you may sée the riches the treasures of his mercy that you may be filled with al fulnesse in the spirite that you may beholde the glorie of the kingdome of God and those thinges may bie reuealed vnto you by his spirit which he hath prepared for them that loue him Without this grace you can doe nothing you can neyther féele the burthen of your sinnes nor séeke to be eased of theÌ„ nor perceiue when they are forgiuen you cannot rent your heart and set apart from you the vanities and lustes of the flesh which doeth euermore fight against the soule you cannot discerne the worde of God and by it enter the way to euerlasting life you cannot abhorre that which is euil and cleauâ—… vnto that which is good without the grace of God you cannot continue stedfast constant in faith and in hope of the mercies of God through our sauiour Iesus Christ. 2 We giue thankes to God alwaies for you al making mention of you in our prayers 3 Without ceasing remembring your effectual faith and diligent loue and the patience of your hope in our
you enlarged your selues toward me and tooke me in When I was in prison you came to me and feared no man you were not ashamed of my bonds you were readie to loose your owne liues to saue me This is spoken of to your great praise And howe you turned to God from idols to serue the liuing and true God Here are set downe in fewe words the summe and parts of Christian religion The first is to forsake at â—…ols to turne from them then to turne vnto God and to put alout trust in 〈◊〉 to serue the liuing and true God The â—…nice of God and idols can not stand togither No man can turne vnto God that turneth not from idols This is a wonderfull effect of the gospell to forsake idols and serue God to leaue customes and the vsage of forefathers and giue eare to the trueth To loue from the heart that which thou diddest sometimes hate and to detest from the heart that which thou didbest sometimes loue is strange and wonderfull But to doe this for Christ which was borne of poore Marie whom the wise and learned and mightie men of this worlde despised which was crucified and hanged betwene two théeues whome they scorned vpon the Crosse to follow or beléeue or put trust in him to cal him the power and the wisedome of God to confesse him to be in whome al Israel shall be blessed and in whom all the worlde shal be saued to giue bodie or life for his sake is a straÌ„ge miracle No King no Prince no lawe no wisedome of man can worke this and bring it to passe This is the Lordes doing and it is maruelous in our eies And this doeth he in those onelie which receiue the word of the gospel with ioy of the holie ghost And to looke for his sonne from heauen whome he raised c. The holie Scriptures do not onlie teach vs to turne vnto God but also what it is that god giueth vnto al them which séeke him euen that they be deliuered from the wrath to come and for whose sake he deliuereth vs for Jesus his sonne whome he raised from the dead Therefore he telleth them howsoeuer they be reiected or despised as foolish among men if they continue in the things which they haue learned they shall be wise vnto saluation That therefore they lift vp their heads and looke for their redéemer That they saie thy kingdome come and Come Lord Jesus because he is appointed by God to be the Judge of the quicke and the dead and hée shal come in the glorie of his father and deliuereth from the wrath to come al those that trust in him For among men there is none other name giuen vnder heauen whereby wée must be saued This is the depth of al knowledge and the comfort which passeth al vnderstanding that against al temptations and afflictions which oppresse our conscience or bere and trouble our bodies we maie growe strong by faith in the sonne of God Christ Jesus and assertaine our selues of his comming from heauen for our delinerance CHAP. 2. FOr you your selues know brethren that our entrance vnto you was not in vaine HE taketh witnesse of them of his diligence and paines taken in the fulfilling of his ministery séeing it hath so good successe among them that they by the preaching of the gospell haue forsaken superstition and are turned vnto and do now serue the true and liuing God and do bâ—…leeue for giuenes of their sinnes and deliuerance from the wrath to come by Jesus Christ. It is a great and deadly smart to the faithfull seruant of God to sée the people wilfull and to despise the word of their saluation Hereof Esaie complaineth I haue spred out my handes al the daie long to a rebellious people which walked in a waie that was not good euen after their owne imaginations They stopped their eares and woulde not heare nor be reclaimed nor returne that they might be saued And Ieremie O that my head were full of water and mine eies a fountaine of teares that I might weepe daie and night for the staine of the daughter of my people for they be adulterers and an assemblie of rebels Sword and destruction commeth vppon them and they will not sée Oh that they woulde giue eare and repent in time Againe My people is foolish they haue not knowen mee they are foolish children and haue no vnderstanding they are wise to doe euill but to doe well they haue no knowledge Dauid crieth out O yee sonnes of men howe long wil yee loue vanitie and seeke after lies Why forsake you the truth of GOD and haue no regarde to his mercie So our Sauior mourneth ouer Ierusalem O Ierusalem Ierusalem which killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent to thee howe often woulde I haue gathered thy children together as the henne her broode vnder her wings and yee woulde not how carefully and tenderly haue I sought for thy saluation how often haue I called vpon thée sent vnto thée my seruantes and powred out my blessings before thine eies So bitter and mourneful a thing is it to al those that séeke the glorie of God to see no fruite followe of their labours to sée the people continue ignorant and wilfull and to séeke their owne destruction Therefore they turne themselues vnto GOD which is the father of lights and God of all comforte in whose hand are the hearts of the people that his worde maie haue frée passage and be glorified that God will open vnto them the doore of vtterance to speak the mysterie of Christ and publish the secret of the gospell boldlie that he will giue power to his worde declared by them and assist them with his holie spirite that hée will open the eies of the people that they maie sée and turne their heartes that they maie be conuerted So did Dauid make his praier Open thou my lippes O Lord and my mouth shal shewe foorth thy praise Albeit my month is simple and rude and barbarous yet if thou wilt it maie bée an instrument to declare thy glorie Then shall I teach thy waies vnto the wicked and sinners shall be conuerted vnto thee Be fauourable vnto Sion builde the wales of Ierusalem Thus doe they lift vp their handes and call vnto GOD that he would send downe his light into the hearts of the people that what they heare they heare not in vaine but maie receiue it and vnderstande it and kéepe it For vnlesse GOD direct the heart and make it fit to receiue instruction the preacher though he be neuer so desirous to doe good doth labor in vaine God one lic disposeth the waies of men it is hée which trieth the corne from the chasse hée knoweth whome he will bring to he of his folde make to heare his voice Manie times he blesseth his word with great encrease among them which at the first despise it and intreate cruelly the preachers and messengers thereof
water of Tyber and Tyber is a riuer that runneth by Rome Ioachimus Abbas sayeth Antichrist is long since borne at Rome and shal be aduaunced in the Apostolique sée He is borne and sheweth himselfe not at Babylon not at Constantinople but at Rome These be plaine spéeches If any man doubt this let him reade their bookes they be extant abroade Antichrist shal sit in Peters chaire and Rome shal be the seate of his kingdome I haue tolde you he shal come when the state and maiestie of the Empire shal bee weakened Antichrist shal possesse the Emperours landes and beare the sword and weare his crownâ—… and shal make the Emperour fal downe and worship him and kisse his féete Hath there euer béene any such Bishop in the worlde Hath there I say euer béene anie such If euer there were any such Saint Paule sayth the same is Antichrist I tolde you the worlde shal fal downe and reuerence him and shal séeke life and salnation at his hands Iohn sayth they shal crie Oh who is like the beast who is like our holie father who is so wise so learned so holie they shal followe him whither soeuer hée wil leade them they shal eate what so euer he wil giue them And they which shal doe thus are such as haue no féeling no care no loue to the trueth of God Therefore God forsaketh them and leaueth them to follow liâ—…s I tolde you he shal preuaile by falshoode and by fained myracles by Bulles by Pardâ—…ns by Purgatories and by such other deuises and shifts of Sathan I tolde you he shal be contrarie to Christ in Sacramentes in sacrifice in prayers in life in doctrine in religion in the whole forme and order of the Church He shal shutte that Christ hath opened He shal open that Christ hath shutte He shal curse that Christ hath blessed and blesse that Christ hath cursed No man shal be accounted faithful no man catholike no man the sonne of the Church no man may be saued without him Such credite and countenaunce shal he beare I tolde you he shal be confounded and beaten downe by the force and power of Gods mightie worde His worde is omnipotent It shal disclose the workes of darkenesse it shal hewe downe Idolatrie Superstition and the whole kingdome of Antichrist as our eyes doe sée this day Blessed be God the father of our Lorde Iesus Christ his mightie hand hath wrought these thinges Hee hath triumphed the name of his Christ he wil blesse the thinges he hath begunne He wil ouerthrowe the whole power of Antichrist by his presence and by the glorie of his comming Then shal it appeare who is the successour of Peter who is the true vicar of Christ and who is Antichrist V. 13. But wee ought to giue thankes alwayes to God for you brethren beloued of the Lorde because that God hath from the beginning chosen you to saluation through sanctification of the spirite and the faith of trueth 14. Whereunto hee called you by our Gospel to obtaine the glorie of our Lord Iesus Christ. God hath chosen you froÌ„ the beginning his election is sure for euen The Lorde knoweth who are his You shal not be deceiued with the power and suttletie of Antichrist you shal not sal from grace you shal not perish This is the comfort which abydeth with the faithful when they beholde the fal of the wicked When they sée them for sake the trueth and delight in fables When they sée them returne to their vomit and to wallowe againe in the myer When we sée these thinges in other we must say alas they are examples for mée and they are lamentable examples Let him that standeeh take héede that he fal not But God hath loued me and hath chosen me to saluation His mercie shal goe before mée and his mercie shal follow in me His mercie shal guide my féete and stay me from falling If I stay by my selfe I stay by nothing I must néedes come to grounde Although al the worlde shoulde be drowned with the waues of vngodlinesse yet wil I holde by the boate of his mercie which shal safely preserue me If al the world be set on fire with the flame of wickednesse yet wil I créepe into the bosome of the protection of my Lorde so shal no flame hurt me He hath loued me he hath chosen me he wil kéepe mée Neither the example nor the companie of others nor the entising of the diuel nor mine owne sensual imaginations nor sworde nor fire is able to separate me from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lorde This is the comfort of the faithful So shal they wash their hands in the bloud of the Lambe Therefore saieth Paule you are my children I haue begotten you in Christ God hath giuen you vnto mee he hath made the Gospel which is come vnto you by my ministerie fruiteful in you I ought to giue God thankes alwayes for you Whatsoeuer falleth vpon others although others fal and perish although they forsake Christ and followe after Antichrist yet God hath loued you and giuen his sonne for you he hath chosen you and prepared you to saluation hath written your names in the booke of life But howe may we knowe that God hath chosen vs howe may we sée this election or howe may we feele it the Apostle saith Thorough sanctification and the faith of trueth these are tokens of Gods election Haue you receiued the gospel it is the light of the world it teacheth vs to knowe that God is God and that wee are his people The credite you giue to the Gospel is a witnesse of your election We beléeue what soeuer God speaketh because it is the worde of God For his word is trueth We beléeue that Christ is the lambe of God that he hath taken away the sinnes of the world because it is the word of God We beléeue that the bloud of Iesus Christ cleanseth vs from al sin because it is the word of God We beléeue Christ came to saue sinners Because it is the worde of God We beléeue God wil deferre his wrath and will shews mercie for himselfe for his owne names sake because it is the worde of God We beléeue they that trust in the Lorde shal not be confounded because it is the worde of God We beléeue we are saued by grace through faith and that not of our selues it is the gift of God not of workes least any man should boast because it is the word of God We beléeue without faith it is impossible to please God and againe that faith commeth by hearing and again that it is the gift of God because it is the word of God It is the trueth We beléeue that Antichrist shal be confounded and bereft of al his glorie because the worde of the Lord hath spoken it His word is righteousnes and truth We wil alwaies beléeue that is true therfore we cannot but
An Exposition vpon the two Epistles of the Apostle S. Paul to the Thessalonians By the reuerend Father IOHN IEVVEL late Bishop of SARISBVRIE Whereunto is adioined a very necessarie table of the principal matters contained in this Exposition AT LONDON Printed by Ralfe Newberie Anno salutis 1584. Cum privilegio regia maiestati◅ TO THE RIGHT honorable Sir Francis VValsingham Knight principal Secretarie to the Queenes Maiestie and one of her H◅nesse most honorable i◅ie Counsel IT is now some long tyme sithēce that learned reuerende father bishoppe Iewel deliuered vnto the people of his charge the Exposition vpon the epistles of S. Paul to the Thessalonians when manie his hearers thought it worthie to be made common and besought him earnestly euen as since his blessed departure out of this life they haue often required me to publish the same It is very likely that he would if he had liued haue perused these his trauailes and some others haue drawne them to the vse benefite of the Church and rather haue spent his time in setting forth matters profitable for al mē to vnderstand towards the attainement of saluation than in folowing their humour anie longer whom neither the weaknesse of their owne cause nor the force of the truth nor the defence thereof by so waighty autorities of the holy Scriptures of the ancient catholike fathers and of general councels could content or perswade them to forsake the waie of contention whereunto they were entred and of troubling the Church of God with their writings against the truth This his purpose hee partlie declared in giuing his last answeare to a booke written by Maister Harding entituled A detection of sundrie foule errours c. For answere whereof he thought not good to charge with number of bookes or to encomber the world with needelesse labours but onelie by a shorte augmentation of his former defence of the Apologie of the Church of England to discharge Master Hardings quarels For reason whereof he saith I cannot imagine that anie my poore labours shall be able to end these quarels For a contentious man will neuer lacke wordes I haue endeuoured for my simple parte to say so much as to a reasonable man maie seeme sufficient If any thing be left vnanswered either it was nothing or nothing worth Wherein hee was of like minde vnto that famous learned man Maister Bucer who speaking of the new and fresh supplie that is made among the aduersaries of our Christian religion said thus Veteribus respondimus novos quotidie legimus nihil adferunt novi quid ergo faciemus Aunswere hath beene made by vs to their olde Writers wee reade their newe Writers which come foorth dailie which yet bring no newe matter or proofes with them What then shall wee doe What else but as he giueth counsaile laie downe al affection and fauour of parties and peruse that hath beene saide in matter of controuersie on both sides and iudge iustly of that is alleadged and with feare and reuerence be careful of our own saluation For after the trueth is once found out whosoeuer seeketh farther seeketh not for the truth but for errour The Apostle willeth Titus to staie foolish questions and genealogies contentions and brawlings about the law for they are vnprofitable and vaine And also to reiect him that is an heretique after once or twice admonition In like cafe he said vnto Timothie If anie man teach otherwise and consenteth not to the wholsome words of our Lord Iesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godlines hee is puft vp and knoweth nothing but doateth about questiōs strife of words whereof commeth enuie strife railings euil surmisings froward disputations of mē of corrupt minds destitute of the truth which thinke that gaine is godlinesse from such separate thy selfe Now bicause he himself had some good liking to publish this exposition and the matter thereof is so fit for our time as nothing maie be more and there is not as I can learne anie interpretor vpon these epistles in the english tongue and his Sermons vpon them were the last fruits and trauailes hee bestowed in the cathedrall Church of Sarum I made choice of it amōg manie other excellent monumēts of his paines taken in the Church of God gaue my best diligence to peruse his notes thereupon and to draw them to some such perfection as might carrie to the Reader the whole waight of his matter without anie diminution euen as fully as he declared it so far foorth as the notes which remaine vnder his owne hand might direct me The which I most humblie commend to the fauourable protection of your Honor whom I beseech so to accept my simple indeuor herein as I haue beene careful to answere your Honors commandement in giuing foorth some part of his laboures to light In this discourse as there are manie good things fruitfully declared the vse and practise whereof is common to your Honour with al Christians so are there two matters the one of Vsurie the other of Antichrist that is of the bane and poison of the common wealth and of the infectiō and decaie of the Church wherein he bestowed more paines to open them and make them manifest that all men might know and abhorre them and beware of them What hath beene wrought by these two mischiefes to the vndoing in conscience substance and to the vtter destruction of the soules and bodies of manie thousand subiects of this realme within these late yeares it is to the griefe of all good men too wel knowne If therefore in the duetie of a good Bishop he standing in his watch hath discried these enimies to al ciuil and christian estates and if now so many yeares after his entrāce into rest by these means he cal vpon your good Honor to step forth in fresh courage into the battaile of the Lorde of hostes and to vse and employ the great giftes of wisedome and aucthoritie which God hath bestowed vppon you and to excite and stir vp others the worthie and notable captaines set ouer the people to be a fenced wal betwene them and these so perillous monsters and dangerous enimies what remaineth but that your Honour put to your hande and doe that for the comfort of Gods people which besides hir excellent Maiestie and hir honorable Counsaile no other can do in giuing life to al such lawes which haue beene deuised by men of great godlinesse and experience and haue beene confirmed by high authoritie to the suppression of Vsurie and to the setting foorth of Gods glorie The God of glory and of power who hath called your Honour to his seruice in high place strengthen you to doe his wil and grant you many and prosperous daies to the comfort of his Church and his common weale Your Honours most humble to commaunde IOHN GARBRAND A TABLE CONTAINING THE principal matters in this exposition A ANtichrist contrarie to Christ. 283 Antichrist his comming foretolde 281 Antichrist
Lorde Iesus Christ in the sight of God euen our Father 4 Knowing beloued brethren that ye are elect of God 5 For our Gospel was not vnto you in word onely but also in power and in the holy ghost and in much assuraunce as ye know after what maner we were among you for your sakes We giue thankes c. Paule teacheth what is the office of a good minister He must euer carrie in remeÌ„brance y e estate of the congregation ouer which the Lord hath placed him He must giue thankes to God in their behalfe and pray for them that God will blesse that which he hath begunne and conâ—…rme them vnto the end that they may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ that he will behold them from aboue and blesse his inheritaunce and guide the shéepe of his pasture Your effectual faith Faith is not idle it worketh and is forcible it breaketh out like fire it is alwayes fruitefull through loue Faith without workes is no faith it is dead and bringeeh death And diligent loue Loue is paineful and ful of trainaile it thinketh not euil it seeketh not hir owne things it is bountiful This loue had the Thessalonians to the saints of God which suffered affliction in all places for the Gospels sake Many were spoyled of their goods cast out of their houses and banished from their countrey Euen as at this day for the like cause manie of our brethren the good seruantes of God are driuen into banishment cast into prisons put to the sworde or consumed in fire in those places where the God of this worlde hath so blinded their eyes that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should not shine vnto them It is high time in such cases for charitie to shew hir self She can not dissemble nor despise the teares of hir brother It sheweth foorth as the morning light it taketh from hir selfe to relieue them which are in neede It dealeth bread to the hungrie and bringeth the poore that wander vnto hir house and couereth the naked and hideth not hir face from hir owne flesh Vnto them that haue this loue the Lorde giueth his blessing Blessed is hee that considereth the poore and needy the Lord shal deliuer him in the time of trouble And Christ saith Blessed are the merciful for they shal finde mercie And the patience of your hope How many are the troubles which the children of God suffer in this life let vs beholde the times which were before vs. Abel was innocent and iust yet was he slaine by the hands of his brother and without a cause The Prophet Dauid saieth of the Prophetes and holy men of God and the same words saith the Apostle of the Church of Christ vnder the Gospel For thy sake are we killed al the day long we are counted as sheepe for the slaughter Ieremie sayeth Thy worde is vnto them as a reproch and againe For thy sake I haue suffred rebuke What vilanies were wrought against our sauiour Christ They reproched him in spéeches brought false accusations and false witnesse against him and killed the innocent in whose mouth there was found no guile WheÌ„ S. Paul appealed to the witnesse of Timothie who did fully know his doctrine maner of liuing purpose faith long suffering loue and patience and that he knewe also the persecutions and afflictions which came vnto him and which he suffered at Antiochia IconiuÌ„ and at Lystra after he had thus remeÌ„bred his persecutions his owne innocencie he saith Al that wil liue godly in Christ Iesus shal suffer persecution What then hath the godly to leane vnto but hope the prophet Dauid therfore said Though I should walke through the vallie of the shadowe of death I wil feare no euil for thou art with mee Therefore saide Iob though hee flaie me yet wil I trust in him For he that putteth his trust in the Lorde shal neuer be confounded In this hope spake S. Paule Christ is to me both in life death aduantage Againe Whether we liue or die we are the Lords And againe God forbid that I shoule reioyce but in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ. And to y e Romans he saith There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus This is the foundation of faith euen a strong rocke which shal continue for euer Neither tribulatioÌ„ nor anguish nor persecutioÌ„ nor famine nor any danger can remoue the faithful from his hope But the wicked and vnstable fal from their hope and their fal is miserable They haue hard the worde of God that teacheth vnto saluation but did not regard it they haue forgotten the workes of the Lorde and receiued his grace in vaine For when they haue heard the worde the Diueâ—… commeth taketh away the word out of their heartes least they should beléeue and be saued And the end of these men is worse than the beginning It was not so with the Thessalonians They receiued the worde of God willingly and it was fruitful in them so that thereby they increased in faith in loue and in hope Their faith the Apostle calleth forcible or â—…ffectual their loue diligent painful their hope mightie through patience whereby they ouercome al maner of dangers reioyceth on their behalfe because he found so great successe of his trauaile in the Gospel amongst them Knowing that you are elect of God You were blind y e children of wrath without vnderstanding without God without hope But God hath had mercy vpoÌ„ you hath giueÌ„ you grace to know your calling Herein it appeareth y t you are the chosen of God and of the flocke of Christ. My sheepe saith he heare my voice and I knowe them and they followe me and I giue vnto them eternal life and they shal neuer perish neither shal anie plucke them out of mine hande For our Gospel was not vnto you in worde only but also in power and in the holy ghost and in much assuraunce That you haue yéelded obedience vnto the worde and that my ministerie hath béene effectual amongst you it commeth not of any power in your selues or in me it is the worke of God He hath blessed my ministery he hath blessed your hearts It is the gift of God least any man shoulde boast thereof Hereof he speaketh to the Corinthians Who is Paule then and who is Apollos but the ministers by whome yee beleeued and as the Lorde gaue to euerie man I haue planted Apollos watered but God gaue the increase It is he which hath the key of Dauid which openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth Without him we can do nothing He guideth vs and al our couÌ„sailes and leadeth vs into al trueth No man can come vnto mee sayth Christ except the father which hath sent me drawe him And by y e Prophet Ezechiel God saith I wil giue you a new heart
and a new spirite wil I put within you I will put my spirite within you and will cause you to walke in my statutes and you shall keepe my iudgements and doe them And by the Prophet leremie I wil put my lawe in their inward parts and write it in their hearts Therefore Dauid maketh his praier Teach me O Lord giue me vnderstanding and I will keepe thy law The words of the Preacher enter in at the â—…are The spirite of God conueyeth them into the heart Augustine saith Auditur euangelium Auditur credunt quidam non credunt qui credunt intus a patre audiunt discunt qui non credunt foris audiunt intus non audiunt neque discunt Hoc est illâ—… datâ—…r vt credant illis non datur The Gospesis declared Some there are which beleeue some there are which beleeue not They which beleeue heare it inwardly by the father and so learne it They which beleeue not heare it onlie with their outward sense and not with inward feeling and therefore learne it not As much to saie to them it is giuen to beleeue to the other it is not giuen In the Actes of the Apostles Lydia a woman of the Citie of the Thiatirians heard the preaching of the Apostle Paul But it is saide Whose heart the Lord oponed that shee attended vnto the things that Paul spake The people which said vnto Peter and the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall we do did heare al the wordes of Peter but they had another teacher that gaue force vnto the worde and made it fruitefull in them and therefore it is said They were pricked in their hearts This also appeared in the Disciples which walked towards Emaus they heard Christ open the Scriptures vnto them they reasoned with him yet vntill their eles were opened they knew him not His worde crept into their eares but it was the spirite of God which wrought within them which inflamed their hearts and made them to knowe him Thus God blesseth his word and maketh it yéeld fruit in such measure as his wisedome hath appointed His blessing appeareth greater when many are conuerted yet is his word al one and the power thereof no whit shorter when it is vtterly refused or receiued but of few Surely saith God as the raine commeth downe and the snow from heauen and returneth not thither but watereth the earth maketh it-fruitfull that it maie giue seede to the sower and bread to him that eateth so shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth It shal not returne vnto me voide but it shall accomplish that which I wil and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it It is the word of the liuing God which is blessed for euer And blessed is that hart which can receiue it which GOD instructeth and to which he giueth knowledge of his worde which doth so learne it that he is assured of the truth thereof and nothing doubteth but it is indéede the worde of life which saieth thereof this is the waie in which if I walke I shall certainely go forward to the Citie of my GOD this is the truth if I hearken vnto it I shall neuer be dereiued Whosoeuer findeth himselfe indued with this grace he doth as plainely and evidently iudge of the wordes of God and trie out the trueth thereof from the deuises and doctrines of men as a man of cléere eie sight is ahle to iudge of colours and to knowe one colâ—…ur from an other Yea in this is the knowledge of that more certain because colour doth fade and alter and manie times one colour thereby waxeth like an other but the truth of GOD doth neuer alter it continueth one throughal ages it is the word of euerlasting life Heauen and earth shall perish but one title thereof shall not be lost The truth of God shall be established for euer The humble shall heare it and be glad As ye knowe after what maner wee were among you for your sakes You knowe howe I behaued my selfe after what maner I haue liued among you You knowe my first comming and entrie vnto you You knowe what doctrine I haue taught and what hath béene my conuersation of life I neuer deceiued any nor offered wrong vnto the simplest I sought not you nor yours but those things which are Iesus I haue liued by the labor of my hands in watchings in hunger in colde and nakednesse God hath ordained that they which teach the gospel should liue by the gospel Who séedeth a â—…lacke and eateth not of the milke of the flocke But I haue not vsed this libertie For I haue a great care least by anie meanes I should offend you Yet would I neuer flatter anie in that thing they had done amisse I neuer spared to rebuke ill If I should feare or séeke to please men I were not the seruant of Christ. I séeke not mine owne glorie but the glorie of him that sent me who also hath made me a minister of his gospel I haue forsaken al things my goods and life my flesh and my bodie and am daily in perils compassed daily by persecution séedeath death daily before mine eies for the loue I be are to you and for the care I haue of the Church You are the Lords shéepe I am your shaepeheard you are the house of God I am your builder you are Gods orchard I am your ouerséer and workeman I shall giue an attâ—…mpt for your soules You know how â—…ly I haue loued you in thâ—… Lord. Your griese hath béene my griese your ioie hath béene my ioie I haue praied for you daie and night and haue giuen thanks to God for you and reioâ—…ced in your behalfe What is more deare to a man than life yet haue I desired to yeeld vp my life that you might liue I haue béene readie to suffer death if thereby I might doe you good These things you cannot but remember your conscience beareth mée witnesse that I haue thus liued among you for your sake V. 6. And ye become followers of vs and of the Lord and receiued the word in much affliction with ioie of the holie ghost He commendeth the godlie for the practise of that which they haue learned and séene in him in that they haue receiued the gospel and framed their liues accordingly and haue continued stedfast in the same in the middes of persecution Herein he doth not onlie laie out himselfe and the other Apostles for an example but telleth them that this waie is also â—…roden out by our Lorde himselfe Who as he is the waie and the light that lightneth euerie man which commeth into the worloe so did he heare his crosse and did laie downe his life for his shéepe Therefore he saide to his Disciples The disciple is not aboue his Maister nor the seruant aboue his Lorde It is enough for the Disciple to be as his Maister is and the seruant as his
Lorde If they haue called the maister of the house Beelzebub how much more them of his housholde But this is reckoned vnto them for happipinesse Blessed are you when men reuile you and persecute you and saie al manner of euil against you for my sake falsely Reioice and be glad for great is your reward in Heauen For so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you They slue them drowned them hewed them with swords and cut them in péeces with sawes If anie man saith our Sauiour wil folow me let him forsake himselfe and take vp his crosse and follow mee So farre must the children of God be from the loue of this worlde in such sorte must he forsake his owne life and endure affliction that wil come vnto Christ. In the olde lawe the Priests went on and carried the Arke before and the people came after In token that they should giue good example and the people shoulde follow them The Priest was appointed to be a shril trumpet sounding in the eares of the people and the people were commanded to prepare them selues for the battel of the Lord of hostes Therefore saieth S. Paul so haue I followed the Lord and so haue you folowed me and receiued the word not in affliction onelie but in much Affliction Where he much describeth the vnmercifull hearts and tyrannous hate of the wicked against al those that followe the lamb and receiue the word of God with gladnes No torment so cruel no deuise so strange no maner of death so horrible which hath not beene or which is not laide vpon them Their babies be cast into prisons they are stript out of their houses and spoiled of their goodes Thus doe the enimies of God worke tyrannie and much affliction vnto the godlie They consume their bodies in fire shed their bloud without measure throw out their bones and scatter them vppon the face of the earth and this doe they not as against murtherers robbers adulterers or such like but â—…nelie because they receiue the word and beare a loue to the trueth and cannot denie the power thereof With ioy of the holie ghost This is that which passeth al naturall sense and wisedome Manie séeme to take in good part and abide patiently afflictions losse of goods imprisonment and losse of life But no man can reioice in the suffring of these things but the child of god no man but whoÌ„ Christ hath choseÌ„ out of y e world but whose name is written in the booke of life but he in whom y e spirit beareth witnes with his spirit that he is the child of God He knoweth that through manie tribulations he must enter intorest He knoweth the wicked could haue no power ouer him â—…nlesse it were giuen them from aboue he knoweth that al is done for the best to them that loue God and that God could dispose meanes if it were so â—…dient to bring to naught all the deuises of the vngodlie When the â—…ernantes of God were rast into the hote burning fornace bicause they woulde not worship the golden Image that the â—…ing Nabuchodonosor had set vp who would haue thought that the fire could not burne Dâ—… that their bodies shoulde not haue béene consumedâ—… yet did God in the middest of the fire preferâ—… them so that not one haire of their head was burnt neither were their coats changed nor anie smel of fire came vpon them Let vs neuer forget this notable example of Gods power to deliuer his seruants that we may euer be earnest and carefull to professe our faith in him to â—…riue vnto the death for the setting foorth of his glorie It â—…areth euen so with the children of God in the persecution of this world troubles miseries and aduerâ—…tie compasse them as the â—…rie â—…nace compassed those thrée men of God But God couereth them with his mercie as with a cloude that nothing shal hurt them I say not al that stande in likâ—… defence shal in like sort be so preserued that their bodies â—…al not be peirced For God suffereth the wicked to destroy and kil his seruauntes and to consume their bodies to dust and ashes Yet are his seruauntes warned not to feare them When the Apostles were beaten because they had spoken in the name of Iesus They departed from the counsel reioycing that they were counted worthie to suffer rebuke for his name We reioyce saith Saint Paule in â—…bulations knowing that tribulation bringeth foorth patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the loue of God is shed abroade in our heartes by the holy ghost which is giuen vnto vs. The comfort which is giuen in this case to the godlie is hidden within them For to him that ouer commeth shal be giuen a white stone and in the stone a newe name written which no man knoweth sauing he that receyueth it The afflictions of this present time are not worthie the glorie which shal be shewed vnto vs. When our saniour did sée the time of his passion drawe neare he saide to his Disciples You are they which haue continued with me in my temptations Therefore I appoint to you a kingdome as my father hath appointed vnto me that yee may eate and drinke at my table in my kingdome and sit on seates and iudge the twelue tribes of Israel And in his sermon vpon the mountaine he saith Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake for theirs is the kingdome of Heauen The case shal be altered It shal be betwéene them and their persecuters as it was betwéene Lazarus and the Rich man When the wicked and cruel tyrantes shal sée them in the presence of the throne of God because they came out of great tribulatioÌ„ haue washed their long robes and haue made them white in y e bloud of the lambe the god of Abraham shal say vnto the wicked sons remember that you in your life time receiued your pleasures like wise these men paines now therfore are they câ—…orted you tormented They are taken out of affliction into rest from their bondes into libertie out of prison into a kingdome out of miserie vnto glory from life vnto death The promise of this comfort is often renewed The prophet Dauid saith They y t sowe in teares shal reape in ioy Our sauiour telleth his Disciples Ye shal weepe and lament and the world shal reioyce and you shal forrowe but your sorrowe shal be turned to ioy S. Iohn heard a voice from heauen saying Blessed be the dead which hereafter dy in y e Lórd Euen so saith the spirite for they rest froÌ„ their labours and their workes follow them He is commanded to write vnto y e Angel of the Church of the Smyrnians Feare none of those things which thou shalt suffer Bohold it shal come to passe that the diuel shal cast some of you into prison that you may be tried
fondly or peeuishly saith Erasmus It would be ouer long to declare vnto you the foolish or rather blasphemous applying of the Scriptures to approoue their gestures at masse the soueraintie and chieftie that they chalenge One of their Bishops in y e late counsel as Trent saide of Paulus 3. then Pope Papa lux venit in mundum the Pope which is the light is come into the world Which are the words of the Euangelist declaring the Godhead of Christ. By these few it may appeare how vniustly they charge vs with corrupting the word of God And howe truely this fault is to be laid 〈◊〉 to them which either abridge the sense of the Scripture or reach it further than it yéeldeth or vtterlie refuse to stande to the authoritie thereof and in no case can like that the people of God shoulde reade the Scriptures and haue adiudged them heretiques and consumed their bodies in the fire which haue defended in spéech and sought to maintaine the doctrine of truth set down in y e holy scriptures The Apostle saith He was allowed of God They that enter into the ministerie must be allowed not of men onelie but of God Therefore whosoeuer taketh that charge ouer the people must looke narrowly into himselfe sée whether his calling be of God If be haue not a testimony that God hath called him inwardly al other outward calling is to smal purpose God is a righteous iudge He will saie to the conscience and to the heart of such a one friend how camest thou in hither without thy wedding garment Who brought thée in Giue an account of thy stewardship thine account is great And because some are this date to be admitted into this office let vs praie vnto God for them that god wil alow them that he wil giue them hearts to conceiue and tongues to speak the trueth of God that they maie be the seruants of Christ and disposers of the mysteries of God that they maie be the salt of the earth and the light of the world that they maie laie out the Lords money to his aduantage and so it maie be said vnto them Thou hast beene faithfull in little I will make thee ruler ouer much enter into thy maisters ioie V. 5 Neither yet did we vse flattring words as you know nor coloured couetousnesse God is record 6 Neither sought we praise of men neither of you nor of others The seruant and messenger of God must so speake as God speaketh God speaketh déeply and to the heart He launceth the spirit and woundeth the inward parts He biddeth Esaie them the people their transgressions and the house of Iacob their sinnes God himselfe saith I visite the sinne of the fathers vpon their children vnto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me Againe he saith If yee shall despise my ordinances either if your soule abhorre my lawes so that yee will not doe al my commandements I wil set my face against you and you shal fall before your enimies and they that hate you shal raigne ouer you But vnto those that repent them of their sins and turne 〈◊〉 to him God saith Turne vnto me ye shal be â—…aued Againe Thou disobedient Israel returne saith the Lord and I wil not let my wrath fall vpon you So must the minister of God he must â—…hew foorth the mercie of God not hide his iudgements He hath the Lords busines in band he maie not do it negligently A flatterer maketh it his greatest care to please men hée séeketh their fauor he feareth to displease and dareth not speake that that will be euill taken When he séeth a theefe he runneth with him is partaker with the adulterers he soweth pillowes vnder the armes of sinners Whosoeuer saith nay his nay is readie if any saie yea he is ready to say yea he chaÌ„geth often as y e weatherecock he dareth not striue against y e stream his hart is at the wil of others he séeketh some gaine he séeketh his owne glorie and not the glorie of God They which are such are called in the Scriptures hirelings dumbe dogs that cannot barhe They denie God betraie his truth and deceiue the people They locke â—…ppe the truth in lies Of such the spirit of god saith Woe vnto them that haue a double heart and to the wicked lippes And A double minded man is inconstant in al his waies And He that is not with me is against me And He that gathereth not with me scattereth And How long halt yee betweene two opinions if the Lorde be God follow him but if Baal be hee then goe after him And againe What communion hath light with darknesse and what concord hath Christ with Belial Cursed is he which â—…attereth the people and is vnfaithfull in the Lordes worke Nothing is so requisite in the steward of God as that he be found faithful and that he speake those things whereunto the Lord hath sent him boldly That they kéepe not backe the message giuen them of God nor feare to doe their errand for anie malice of men Who is it saith Saint Peter that wil harme you if you follow that which is good notwithstanding Blessed are yee if yee suffer for righteousnesse sake yea feare not their feare neither be troubled If the Apostle speake this comfort to all Christians which haue a care to serue God and thereby erhorteth them to stedfastnes and to sanctifie the Lord in their bearts and to â—…e readie to giue an account of their faith and of the hope that is in them howe much more ought â—…reachers and they which are appointed to the ministerie lay aside al feare and flatterie of men Woe vnto them that goe downe into Aegypt for help The Aergyptians are men and not God and their horses flesh and not spirite and when the Lorde shall stretch out his hand the helper shal fal and hee that is holpen shal fail and they shal altogether faile Christ â—…leth his diâ—…iples they are salt and they are light Salt must néedes be sharpe to a rotten wound Light must néeds be painful to a 〈◊〉 A good Phâ—…ution must néeds trouble and disguiet his sicke patient before hée can heale his disease and a good surgion must néeds trouble and rip vp â—…tered woundes We are Sur â—…eous we are â—…tions The worde of God is committed vnto vs that by vs it miâ—… be applied to season the earth and that the light ther of shonlâ—… shine foorth in al the worâ—… Crâ—…put aloud lift vp â—…hy voice as a trumpet If the trumpet giue an vncertaine sound who waâ—… prepare himselfe to the battel When God had called â—…eremie to the office of a Prophet said Thou shalt go to al that I shall send thee and whatsoeuer I commaund thee shalt thou speake he said further Feare not their faces least I destroy thee before them For beholde this daie I haue made
thee a defenced citie and an iron piller and walles of brasse against the whole land Thou shalt not bend thou shalt not yéeld Thou shalt be a consuming fire they shal be stubble before thée Likewise saith God to Abraham Feare not Abraham I am thy buckler and thine exceeding great reward When Moâ—…es sought to refose the message thâ—…ught himselfe ouer simple to goe vnto Pharao God answered Certainely I wil be with thee â—…nd after he saith I haue made thee Pharaâ—… God he shal tremble and quake at thy voice So saith Christ What I tell you in darkenesse that speake you in light and what yee he 〈◊〉 the care that preach yee on the houses And â—…are ye not them which kill the bodie but are not able to kill the soule but rather fearâ—… him which is able to destroy both soule and bodie in hell The consideration hereof euer mooued the Prophets and Apostles to warrant their sayings with authoritie from God and to set apart al feare when they spake in his name When Ahab reprooued Elias Art thou hee that troubleth Israel He answered I haue not â—…ubled Israel but thou thy fathers house in that yee haue forsaken the commandements of the Lorde and thou hast followed Baalim The Prophet Esaie is bolde with the Princes of Iuda and Ierusalem and saith Heare the word of the Lorde O Prince of Sodome hearken vnto the law of our God O people of Gomorrha Iohn the Baptist nothing feared to tell Herod a mightie Prince It is not lawfull for thee to haue her to wife If Balaac woulde giue mee his house ful of filuer and golde saieth Balaam I cannot passe the commandement of the Lord to do good or bad of mine owne minde What the Lord shall commaund that same will I speake Moses was bid to tell Pharao The Lord God of the Hebrewes hath sent me vnto thee Christ calleth Iames and Iohn the sonnes of Zebedeus Boanerges which is the sonnes of thunder bicause they shoulde not flatter but raise tempest and lighten and thunder in the eares and hearts of their hearers Saint Paul saith I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ for it is the power of God vnto saluation to euerie one that beleeueth It is the worde of God and shall endure for euer He hath not giuen vs the spirit of feare to flatter but the spirite of might and of power to speake roughly and couragiously where occasion so requireth And therefore saith If I would please men I were not the seruaunt of Christ. But I preach Gods doctrine and not the doctrine of men I séeke to please God and not men The Pharises sought to please men and to deceiue the people They taught them to walk in the waies of their forefathers to beléetie as they beléeued to doe as they had done They flattered them and saide you are the Church of God you are Gods people you are the sonnes of Abraham you can not erre you can not be deceiued They that in this sorte flatter the people and deceiue them they serue not Iesus Christ but their bellie and through flatterie and faire spéech seduce the hearts of the simple Nor coloured couetousnesse The Scribes the Pbarises deuoured vp widowes houses vnder pretense of their long praiers they praied and made mony of their praiers they gaue almes and made monie of their almes giuing they fasted and made monie of their fasting This did the Scribes the Pharises their doings continue stil they be dead their name is takeÌ„ away but their prosessioÌ„ abideth As they made gains of their praiers alms fasting so do some now make great gaines war rich vnder pretence of holines They haue brought in a professioÌ„ of wilful chastity forbiddeÌ„ mariage in some whole estate of men No doubt â—…astitie is a holy thing But they haue giuen licence for money to such as would to forsake their vowe of chastity They haue forbidden to eate certaine meates vppon certaine dayes God left meates as frée to the choise of euery man as he left his sunne to shine fréely to the vse of al men And they make frée libertie for money to eate what euerie man liketh They make money of Purgatorie money of pardons and money of their Masses They make money of Peter and of Paule of the Apostles and Martyrs and of Christ himselfe These are they of whom Saint Peter speaketh Through couetousnesse shal they with fained wordes make marchaundise of you One sayth of them Curia Romana non captat ouem sine lana The court of Rome careth not for that sheepe that hath no fleece I wil not lay foorth at large how they doâ—… al thinges for couetousnes I haue no pleasure in speaking it God graunt vs so to deliuer the gospel aright that we vse not the trueth of God for a cloake of couetousnesse Neither sought wee praise of men neither of you nor of others This is an other hinderaunce of the course of the Gospel when the ministers thereof loue the praise of men more than the praise of God Howe can ye beleeue sayth Christ which receiue honour one of an other and seeke not the honour that commeth of God alone how farre the Apostle was from this ambition it appeared For he was reuiled and euil spoken of and counted the filth and outcast of the world V. 7. When we might haue beene chargeable as the Apostles of Christ but we were gentle among you euen as a nourse cherisheth her childrem 8. Thus being affectioned to you our good wil was to haue dealt vnto you not the Gospel of God onelie but also our owne soules because ye were deare vnto vs. 9. For ye remember brethren our labour and trauaile for wee laboured day and night because wee woulde not be chargeable vnto any of you and preached vnto you the Gospel of God 10. You are witnesses and GOD howe holilie and iustlie and vnblameablie wee behaued our selues among you that beleeue I might haue required meate and drinke other thinges necessarie at your hands For who féedeth a flocke and eateth not of the milke of the flocke who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruite thereof who goeth a warfare at any time of his owne cost who mousleth the mouth of the ore that treadeth out corne we plant the vineyarde of the Lorde of hoastes Wee féede Christes flocke We goe to warfare and stande in the watch defence of your safetie We are the poore oxen that treade out the corne which wil féede you to saluation We are your seruaunts we labour to doe you good we are ordained to minister in the Church of God It were great reason wee should reape your carnall thinges which haue sowen to you spiritual thinges The workeman is woorthie his wages Yet taught I the Gospel fréely and without rewarde and was readie to giue my bloud my life and my soule out of my bodie for
your sakes What coulde you aske of me moreâ—… what greater gift coulde I bestowe vppon you V. 11. And ye know how that we exhorted you and comforted and besought euerie one of you as a father his children 12. That ye would walke worthie of God who hath called you to his kingdome and glorie I tooke care of you as of mine owne soule and dealt with you by alwayes of comfort and erhortation that you would take héede vnto your selues and your calling I did put you in minde that you were placed in the middest of the vnfaithfull people which knewe not God and that they watched you and your doing that their eye was vpon your housholde your wiues your seruauntes and your children vpon your selues and your words to espie if they might finde any occasion to speake euil of you I did beséech you by the glorious comming of our Lorde and sauiour Jesus Christ that the name of God might not be il spoken of through you You can not denie this You must néedes confesse you haue thus béene taught Ignorance can not be your excuse What remaineth then but that you performe it For the seruaunt that knoweth his maisters wil and doth it not shal be beaten with many stripes As a father his children What maner care is it that the father taketh of his children Many men are fathers of children but what man taketh the care he ought to take for them pastours or teachers of the people should be affected towardes their people as fathers are to their natural children Let such as are fathers and haue children knowe in what sort they must be careful Your children are a good blessing of God they bée members of the bodie of Christ the sonnes of God The kingdome of heauen belongeth to them God hath appointed his Angels to guide and leade them and to â—…ield them from euil and their Angels be in the presence of God and doe beholde the face of their father which is in heauen They be fresh plantes of the Church Who knoweth what necessarie instruments they may be in the common wealth and in the house of God It is not ynough to féede them and to nourish theyr bodies with necessarie sustenaunce For this do the heathen that knowe not God and the sauage and brute beastes and the birdes which haue no vnderstanding They bréede vp their young ones and are tender and paineful to prouide for them The asse though she be dul the Beare and Lion though they be wilde and cruel yet séeke they farre and néere to get wherewith to helpe their young Therefore if there be anie or can bee any which doeth forsake and leaue his owne he is more beastly than the foolish Asse and more vnnatural than most cruel Beares and Lions and Tigres But in this part men are for the most part ouer careful For this cause many build their houses with bloud and séeke possessions by iniquitie they ioyne house to house and fielde to fielde and wil dwel alone vpon the earth they oppresse the poore and néedie and doe wrong to the widowe and the fatherlesse they make money their God and spoyle one an other and al to prouide for their children This is the couer and cloake for al their misthiefe they may not leaue their children vnprouided Unhappie are the fathers which in this sort care for their children by the ruine spoyle of the néedy and innocent and so breake the commandement of God because their portion shal be with the wicked in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone And vnhappie are their children because they are partakers of their fathers wickednesse and therefore shal also be partakers of punishment with them The Prophet Dauid sayth I haue seene the wicked strong and spreading himselfe like a greene Bay tree Yet hee passed away and loe he was gone and I sought him but hee could not be found His roote was déepe his stocke strong his braunches broade he spread ouer and shadowed the whole countrey yet he passed away He departed his sonnes died his house soone decayed and his name was in little time quite forgotten Oh howe much better then is it to furnish the mindes of your children and to instruct them in godlinesse to teach them to knowe God to leade their life vertuously and to rebuke them and correct them for dealing il The beginning of wisedome is the feare of God Let them then learne what that good and acceptable wil of God is Shewe them the way in which they should walke that they goe neither to the right hande nor to the left The worde of God is pure and giueth vnderstanding to the simple it is a light to their footesteps it teacheth those that are young to amende their wayes When Christ came into Ierusalem the young children receiued him They cryed Ozanna to the sonne of Dauid Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lorde Christ giâ—…eth witnesse of them By the mouth of babes and sucklinges hast thou set foorth thy praise The wordes of the little and simple children were able to confounde the wisedome of the Pharise is Thus were they taught from their cradle so careful were their godly parents for them Contrariwise they can not haue any wisedome that despise the lawe of the Lord. They become blinde and wicked abhominable in al their waies They haue no sense nor féeling of the wil of God They cannot know light froÌ„ darkenesse nor God from Belial Such were the little children that mocked the Prophet Elizeus and said to him Come vp thou baulde head come vp thou bauld head Their bringing vp was no better Their wicked fathers had taught theÌ„ nothing elâ—… but waÌ„tonnes But the wrath of God fel vppon them and there were destroyed by two Beares two and fortie of them An other care which a father ought to haue of his children is to leade them vp in the studie of vertue and of godly life Blessed are the pure in heart for they shal see God They which kéepe not this way are the children of wrath Herein standeth the whole profession of a Christian life For God hath not called vs to vncleanesse but vnto holinesse This is the wil of God and this is our promise made vnto him that wee serue him in holynesse and righteousnesse al the dayes of our life that we encrease in vertue and growe from grace to grace A good and louing father which sendeth his sonne to a daungerous iourney either by sea or lande first instructeth him with aduise and telleth him in what sort hée shal auoyde perils Take héede sayth he the way is perilous which thou must passe The sea is terrible The waues rise vp as high as heauen and by and by thou shalt sée a pit as lowe as hel The sandes may swallowe thée the rockes may destroy thée Thou shalt passe by huge mountaines and through wildernesse where théeues wil assault thée Thy heart wil quake
a pullie and binde great weights of leade at their héeles to rent them and teare their bodies asunder Some they haue tied vnto great péeces of timber and haue put fire at the soales of their féete They haue opened their mouthes and made them drawe in Lawne into their bodie A thing most cruel and yet which they haue practised the maner whereof hath béene thus reported They laie it so farre in the mouth that a mans breath easily draweth it into his bodie and so it is conueighed into the stomacke When it is wel setled then commeth the tormentour and taketh the Lawne by the other ende and rasheth it sodainelie with such a force as it séemeth he doth plucke out the verie heart and entrailes such a rare strange kinde of crueltie as is not practised vpon most notorious rebels and traitors As for death 40 or 50 at one time haue béene heaped together and burnt in one fire They haue set vpon the seruauntes of God and compassed the Church where they haue assembled togither to pray vnto God and murthered them in their innocencie whiles they lifted vp pure handes vnto God The French king by the counfaile of such as hate the Gospel of Christ sent his cruel souldiers and murthered his subiects at Valois He ouerthrew their houses burnt their Towne destroyed man woman and childe spoyled their corne and turned their trées vpside downe He wasted defaced vnpeopled it not for that they were théeues or rehels but because they beléeued in the name of Christ. Consider how many are murthered in Flaunders and in the kingdome of Fraunce They are not so farre from vs as Iudea from Thessalonica They ioyne next vnto vs. God is blessed in his saints and holy in al his workes no crueltie is able to quench his truth There is no counsel which shal preuaile against the Lord. He giueth increase and placeth children in fréede of their fathers The more are slaine by the enemies the more spring up by the working of his spirite The more are hewne downe the more multiplie We may not be strangers in this case It beboueth vs to consider the afflictions of our brethren They belong vnto vs We must pray to God for them that he wil put an ende to their misenies otherwise wee haue not the spirite of God we beare no loue nor care for his bause Of your countrey men This was the greatest and beauiest part of their troubles For what a heartes griefe is it to the father if his sonne rise vp against him or to the sonne to sée his father readie to betray him and to seeke his bloud Where this is done he will say O father I am thy sonne alas what haue I done to haue thy displeasure death is bitter but thy displeasure is more bitter than death It were a cruel thing that any man should kil an other what is it then if thou shouldest kil thine own child yet if thou be so bent take my life and spare my conscience spare my soule that I may deliuer it vp into his handes that hath giuen it me I would be obedient vnto thée thou art my father but I may not disobey God He is the father of fathers He hath saide He that loueth father or mother more than me he is not worthy of me It is a miserable case when persecution groweth so hot y â— the child is driuen to forsake his father or the father his child yet so doth the world blind many Satan so possesseth their harts y â— he turneth their loue into hatred and shutteth their senses and thoaketh and dammeth vp the springes of nature They become so blind and so unsensible that they neither féele their owne fleshe nor know their owne bloud They thinke in so doing they doe God good seruice They are enemies to the truth They are y e enemies of the crosse of Christ their end is destruction And forbid vs to preach vnto the gentiles that they might bee saued This is the ende whereunto the Gospel is giuen that the people should be saued S. Paule sayth God wil that al men shal bee saued and come to the knowledge of the truth Therefore our Saniour appointed his Apostles to this office of preaching his word saying Go and preach the gospel vnto al nations Goe vnto the lost sheepe of Israel He sayth It is not the wil of my father that one of these little ones should perish Whosoeuer beleeueth and shal bee baptised shal be saued S. Iames exhorteth the faithful Receiue with meekenesse the worde that is graffed in you which is able to saue your soules By it we heare the swéete voyce of our Sauiour Come vnto mee all ye that trauaile and be heauily loaden and I wil refrosh you By it we heare the merciful calling of God Turne vnto mee and ye shal be saued By it we are warned to depart from the companie of such as are enemies to the truth and to haue no fellowshippe with the vnfruitful workes of darkenesse Saue your selues sayth S. Peter from this frowarde generation By it we are taught to beléeue that Jesus Christ is the sonne of GOD that â—…is name is Jesus because he shal saue his people from their sinnes and that there is not salnation in any other besides him For faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God This is therefore the dutie of the preacher to preach vnto the people that so they may be saued that they may knowe the wayes of GOD that they may repent them of their sinnes and be renewed vnto godlinesse Who would thinke there were any that would hinder the course of the Gospelâ—… or forbid to preach it unto the people The Apoâ—…e here layeth that fault to the Jewes That they forbid him to preach to the Gentiles The same fault Christ founde in the Scribes and Pharises Woe be to you interpreters of the lawe for ye haue taken away the keye of knowledge ye entred not in your selues and them that came in ye forbad Sâ—… there haue béene alwaies and such there are now O say they why should y â— people know these thinges what should they meddle with the scriptures let them do their businesse and apply their occupations It is not reason not fit that euery one should be learned When they thinke they know somewhat they become proud and denise heresies and maintaine them as if God had not left them to enstruct the people or as if the holy scriptures and not the malice at Sâ—…tan were the cause of heresies But God hath said Gather the people together men 〈◊〉 women and children and thy stranger that is within thy gates that they may heare and that they may learne and feare the Lord your God and keepe and obserue all the words of this law The Prophet Dauid thought it méete y e people shold know the scriptures therefore said Blessed is that man whose delight is in the law of
the Lord and in that lawe doeth exercise himselfe day and night And againe Wherewith shal a yong man redresse his waies In keeping thy words When Christ himselfe came first into the world to plant his Church he vourhsafed the poore and simple the knowledge of his trueth and the wed it first vnto them The first that had tidings of his birth were not Scribes and Pharises out a company of poore shéepheards The first that receiued his gospel taught it in the world were not doctors or learned men barâ—…rs tol-gatherers of base condition The first that met him with triumph at Ierusalem and sang Ozanna were not Bishoppes and priests but babes and infants They that followed him most and beléeued were not the greatest men of power and policy but such as the Pharises termed a cursed people which knew not the law The first that told the Apoâ—…les the resurrection of Christ were not the sagest and wisest men but two or thrée séelie women The first that were â—…nuerted to the faith after his resurrection were not any of the great learned or other wise estéemed known among the people but about 3000. poore séely simple men so base so out of knowledge that not one of their names could euer be knowne Why should any man resist the wisedom of God and denie the people the breade whereon they should féed the light by which they maie safelie walke the hearing and reading of the word by which they may be turned to GOD from idols to serue the liuing and true God they haue cruel hearts and are enimies to the glorie of God and to the saluation of his people which in such sorte denie them the knowledge of the Scriptures To fulfil their sinnes alwaies They haue resused the word of reconciliation they are not contented that they haue stoned the prophets killed them that were sent to the but they yet resist the holie Gospel deuise meanes to kéepe al others from the comforte thereof This is a token of Gods heauie displeasure vpon them that they repent not of their former â—…uils but grow worse and worse When the Scribes Pharises séemed to â—…ike the crueltie of their fathers said if they had béen in their daies they would not haue béen partners with them in the vloud of the prophets our sauiour maketh their hipocrisie knowne that herein they should be like to their fathers for they shoulde kil and crucifie the prophets and wise meÌ„ and scourge them in their sinagogues persecute them from citie to city said to them Fulfil ye also the measure of your fathers The cause of this indgement of God in giuing ouer the wicâ—…ed to increase the heape of their sins the Apostle setteth down to y e Romanes As they regarded not to know God so God deliuered theÌ„ vp vnto a reprobat mind to do those things which are not conuenieÌ„t For so he somtimes punisheth our sins suffereth the wicked to heape sin vpon sin y e so their daÌ„nation may be y e greater For the wrath of God is come on them to the vtmost Though GOD he patient and long suffring because he would haue all men come to repentance yet in whom his mercie taketh no place to worke their amendment vpon them he poureth out his wrath and indignation to the utmost He meaneth not that al the whole nation of the Jewes were so caâ—… out of the fauour of GOD that neuer anie of them shall be saued for in an other place he faith Hath God cast away his people God forbid For I my selfe am an Israelite of the seede of Abraham of the tribe of Beniamin God hath not cast away his people which he knew before But miserable shall be their end and a terrible damnation shall they haue whosoeuer withstand the truth of God and to the rest of their wickednesse ioine such a hatred and dispitefull contempt of the poore and simple sort of the people that they kéepe them from the wholesome wordes of doctrine and forbid such as are willing to preach vnto them This is their condemnation that light came into the world and they loued darkenesse better than light They persecute vs saith Saint Paule and forbid vs to preach vnto the Gentiles that they might be saued to fulfil their sinnes alwaies for the wrath or God is come on them to the vtmost V. 17 Forasmuch brethren as wee were kept from you for a season concerning sight but not in heart we enforced the more to see your face with great desire 18 Therefore wee would haue come vnto you I Paul at least once or twice but Sathan hindred vs. He tolde them before how dearely and tenderly he loued them exhorting comforting and be séeching euerie of them as a father his children He taketh care least by anie meanes they should doubt of his great good wil to ward them And therefore doeth both witnesse the same and shew them through what cause hée hath staied from them Such a zeale and care had he ouer the people O in what case then are they that are carlesse and make no regard of the people of God which hunt after manie liuings and bend not themselues to do good which serue their owne bellie and séeke to be rich and eate vp the people of God as if they were breade They cannot say they haue a desire to sée the face of their flocke and that their heart is with them Howsoeuer they finde time for other matters they can neuer take time to know their shéepe and to doe the worke of their ministerie among them They care not for them they thinke not of them They plant not they water not they watch not they giue no warning of the daungers at hand they teach them not to denie ungodlinesse and worldlie lusts and to liue soberly and righteously and godlie in this present world It were happy if al such were remoued out of the Church of GOD. They destroie the soules of manie and leade them to destruction by their negligence What accompt shall they giue vnto GOD for the soules of their â—…rethren where shall they stand or what will they saie when he shall bidde them make a straite accompt of their stewardship this is the practise of Sathan He vseth al meanes to snare vs and withdraw vs from that blessed hope Sometimes he letteth the encrease of the Gospell by raising vp tumultes and disquieting the Church of God and stirring the hearts of such as are in auâ—…tie to perfecute by al meanes the teachers of the Gospell of Christ. Againe when God giueth peace and quietnesse to his Church he leadeth the ouerséers of the people to a forgetfulnesse of their duetie to séeke the pleasures and delights of this life and to haue no regard of the worke of the Lord. Such occasions the Diuel seeketh to hinder our saluation and to withstand the truth and glorie of God V. 19 For what is our hope or ioy
or crown of reioicing are not euen you it in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ at his comming 20 Yea ye are our glorie and ioie The greatest comfort to him that laboreth is to sée that his labour commeth to good effect and worketh that which he purposed â—…e hath before ayprooued his diligence and wed the mercie of God in making his word fruitfull by opening their hearts that it might sincke into them and take roote in them Therefore now he erhorteth them to continue stodfast that so he may present them vnto God and be partaker with them of euerlasting glorie This ought to be the care of al such which are ministers they should séeke aboue al things to bring the people to such perfection of vnderstanding and to such godlinesse of life that they may reioice in their behalfe and so chéerfully waite for the comming of our Lord Jesus Christ. CHAP. 3. WHerefore since wee could no longer forbeare wee thought it good to remaine at Athens alone 2 And haue sent Timotheus our brother and Minister of God and our labour fellow in the Gospel of Christ to stablish you and to comfort you touching your faith I Knowe your faith in Christ Jesus is manie waies assaulted The enuious man will take al occasions to sowe darnel among the Lordes corne He wil séeke to take awaie the good séede that is sowed in your heartes You are deare vnto mée Your woundes are my wounds and your griefe my griefe Therfore since I my selfe am hindred that I can not come vnto you to be with you in your afflictions I send vnto you my fellow labourer in the Gospel I haue but one with me whome I loue tenderly and trust him as mine owne soule him I send vnto you I leaue my selfe destitute and without a companion among the Infidels here at Athens in a citie much giuen to idolatrie and which can not abide the name of Christ. Thus haue I burthened my selfe to reléeue you and taken from my selfe to comforte you I haue béene carelesse of my selfe and carefull for you and for the Church of God which is among you The Apostle had sent Timothie to other places to the Corinthians and to the Philippians He alwaies found him constant in faith and zealous to do good vnto the Saints And now commendeth him to this congregation and calleth him brother a minister of God and his labour fellow that so they might conceiue of his great care for them which sent so worthie a maÌ„ vnto them and also that they would estéeme him and haue him in reputation to hearken vnto Timothie and to do in al things as he should direct them Such as S. Paul nameth Timothie should al they be which are sent vnto the people They must holde the faith of Christ vnfainedly and professe it boldly they must be called and allowed of God to his seruice and must not be idle but paineful and labouring to builde vp the house of God and to gather in his haruest that they may truely be called the ministers of GOD and labourers in the Gospel They that are called to this seruice must not thinke it ynough that they serue God as men of other trades doe For princes and al sortes of people owe seruice and homage vnto God to serue him in holinesse righteousnesse al the dayes of their life This seruice of godly conuersation and obedience must ministers also most carefully performe But the especial seruice which belongeth to their calling is to carrie the arke of the couenaunt before their people to doe their message truely when they are sent To teach to instruct to erbort to comfort to rebuke in season and out of season to plant to wéede to graffe to shrid to holde vp their handes and to pray for the people To doe this seruice for kings for subiectes for rich for poore for the wise for the simple for the godly and for the wicked to establish them and comfort them touching their faiâ—…h Paul callâ—…th himselfe often The seruant of God the seruant of our Lord Iesus Christ. He reioyceth in this seruice and reckoneth it in part of his glorie If we consider the paines and trauailes which he tooke we shal knowe what diligence al others that are called to the same seruice ought to shewe Thus he writeth of himselfe I am debter both to the Graecians to the Barbarians both to the wise men and to the vnwise Therefore as much as lyeth in mee I am readie to preach the Gospel to you also that are at Rome Againe Though I bee free from all men yet haue I made my selfe seruaunt vnto al men that I might winne the more And vnto the Iewes I became as a Iewe that I may winne the Iewes to them that are vnder the lawe as though I were vnder the lawe that I may winne them that are vnder the lawe I am made all thinges to all men that I might by all meanes saue some Againe Wee preach not our selues but Iesus Christ the Lorde and our selues your seruauntes for Iesus sake Againe Wee are reuiled and yet wee blesse we are persecuted and yet suffer it I serve not my selfe sayeth hée but GOD. I serve not to séeke mine owne affections but in set smith his glorie Thus in his owne example he teacheth vs that in the seruice of the Church of God we must indure al paines and 〈◊〉 refuse to followe our calling for anie reprothe or shame or vilanie which may be wrought against vs by men V. 3. That no man should bee mooued with these afflictions for yee your selues knowe that wee are appointed therevnto Thinke not that you shal enioy the pleasures of this worlde if you he the faithful seruauntes of Christ. Christ shed his bloud for thée that thou shouldest not refuse to giue thy bloude for him Drinke the cup of bitter gal whereof Christ beganne to thée And carie thy crosse that thou mayest followe him If thou be ashamed of the crosse thou art ashamed of Christ if thou be ashamed of Christ hee wil be ashamed of thée before his father in heauen The crosse can not hurt thée for Christ hath sanctified it in his bloude Beholde not the sworde which striketh thée but thinke on the crowne of glorie which thou shalt receiue Gold is clearer after it hath béene put into the fire Be thou gold and the firie persecution shal not hurt thée Let not the feare of death put out thy faith Trust in the Lorde be strong and he shal stablish thy heart Bée roofed and built in Christ and stablished in the faith Then shall thy heart reâ—…oyce and no man shal take thy ioie from thée V. 4. For verily when wee were with you wee tolde you before that wee shoulde suffer tribulations euen as it came to passe and yee knewe it God giueth vs warning to be readie to suffer afflictions for his name My sonne if thou wilt come into the seruice of God stande
to doe as others doe It is a small matter to looke vp and holde vp thy hands at the sacring If it be an offence thou shalt be excused because thou arte forced to doe it by authoritie GOD is mercifull he will forgiue thée Thus and thus doth Sathan â—…empt vs and sifteth vs to leade vs from our stedfastnesse These deuises he practised of latedaies before our eies with manie constant professours of Christian religion but through the mightie power of GOD they quenched all his fierie dartes and through manie tribulations entred into glorie Thankes be to God which doth make vs able through his grace not onelie to beléeue in him but also to suffer for his sake He is faithfull and will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue that we are able but will euen giue the issue with the temptation that we maie be able to beare it He hath bidden vs call vppon him in the daie of trouble and he will deliuer vs. Commit thy waie vnto the Lorde and trust in him saith the Prophet and hee shal bring it to passe I haue set the Lord alwaies before mee for he is at my right hand therefore I shall not slide And againe The Lord is with mee Therefore I wil not feare what man can doe vnto mee It is better to trust in the Lord than to haue confidence in princes When our sauiour foretold his Disciples of the troubles to come he also maketh comforte to them of the strength and the helpe which they shall receiue of GOD saying When they deliuer you vp take no thought how or what yee shall speake for it shall bee giuen you in that houre what yee shall saie he telleth them by whom they shall be persecuted Yee shall be betrayed also of your parents and of your brethren and kinsemen and friends And in what sorte They shall laie handes on you and persecute you and deliuer you to the Synagogues and into prisons and bring you before Kings and Rulers And for what cause For my names sake Then what the godlie in this case must doe Feare them not Hee that endureth to the ende shall be saued Last of all hée promiseth to be with them and to strengthen them This shal turne to you for a Testimoniall Laie it vp therefore in your heartes that you premeditate not what yee shall aunswere For I wil giue you a mouth and wisedome whereagainst al your aduersaries shal not be able to speake nor resist Thus were the things spoken of long béefore which we haue séene lately done Whosoeuer will sette downe the storie thereof nowe they are passed muste néedes declare it in the manner as it was forespoken Their owne kinsfolkes and friendes betrayed many and brought them to the Bishoppes who deliuered them into prisons for the name of Christ and for the loue of his truth The blessed witnesses or martyres of God feared not but endured Manie were simple yong men yong maidens men and women of great age labouring men and men of occupations Yet God gaue them such a mouth and such wisedome as al their aduersaries were not able to speake against it nor resist it Who readeth that Scripture diligently and considereth this storie of our time aduisedly can not but confesse that the light of Gods Gospell is come among vs and that we are they vpon whom the latter ende of the world is come and in whome he doth shew foorth the great might of his power Therefore such temptations as Sathan vseth can not make the name of GOD fal from his ancker holde His hope is safely laid vp in his breast Hée knoweth in whome hée putteth his trust and therefore saieth I presume not of knowledge I estéeme not to know anie thing saue Christ Iesus and him crucified I beléeue not in my fathers I reuerence them and loue them but I beléeue onelie in GOD. I feare not the sworde I feare not what man can doe vnto me but I feare him that can kill my bodie and soule It is better for me to abide the fire and lose my life that I may liue for euer than to denie GOD for safegarde of my life and be caste into hell fire If there be so manie partakers of their errours and so fewe that cleaue to the trueth the multitude of them shall not saue mée and it is no triall of Gods trueth whether it be receiued of many or of fews Cardinalles and Bishoppes and doâ—…ours may be wise and learned So were Annas and Caiaphas the high priests and Scribes and Pharises which did put to death the Lord of glorie I dare not doe ill bicause other men do it I may not tempt God My conscience is truely assured by Gods worde what is idolatrie and the dishonour of God If I should come into the Church and make such shew as you aduise me and be partaker with Idolaters I should doe hurt to others in mine ill example I should do against mine owne conscience which would be a heauie witnesse against mée both whiles I liue in this world and in the dreadfull daie of iudgement V. 11. Now God himselfe euen our father and our Lord Iesus Christ guide our iourney vnto you 12. And the Lord increase you and make you abound in loue one toward an other and toward al men euen as wee doe toward you 13 To make your heartes stable and vnblamable in holinesse before God euen our father at the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ with his Saints I haue planted you you are my children whom I haue begotten in Christ. I loue you and haue care ouer you I haue an ercéeding desire to sée your face But Sathan hath withstoode my purpose and found meanes to kéepe me from you I commit my voyage to God if it please him that I may come vnto you to reioice with you and comfort you He knoweth what is good for me and what is profitable for you The cause is his owne Hée will doe all things to his glorie Hée will treade Sathan vnder our féete We can not purpose and dispose of our selues I know that the way of man is not in him selfe neyther is it in man to walke and to direct his steps The Lord increase you in al godlinesse that you may abound more and more euen as you haue heard of vs how you ought to walk You are but a little flocke God increase your number and make all them partakers of his kingdome with you which heare of your faith and conuersation in Christ. To make your hearts stable and vnblameable That nothing moue you or trouble youâ—… that your hearts and consciences be quiet that you may stand vpright and shewe your lelues in great confidence before his iudgement seate that when you shal sée Gods haud stretched out his plagues prepared against the wicked you be not afraid This is the hauen of rest whereto no man commeth but he that hath a quiet conscience this is the tabernacle
abstaine from fornacation 4. That euerie one of you shoulde knowe howe to possesse his vessel in holinesse and honour God requireth true and vnfained holinesse Wash you sayth the Prophet Esay make you cleane take away the euill of your workes from before mine eyes cease to doe ill This is the commaundement of God that so wee should be partakers of his heauenlie nature As hee which hath called you is holy so be ye holie in al manner of conuersation sayth Saint Peter Abstaine from fornication Nothing so much hindreth true holinesse as fornication vncleannesse wantonnesse and such like Euery sinne that a man doth is without the bodie but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his owne bodie God is the auenger of such He wil iudge the adulterers and fornicatours Be not deceiued Neither fornicatours nor adulterers nor wantons nor buggerers shal inherite the kingdome of heauen Knowe to possesse his vessel That is his bodie And the bodie is the temple of the holy ghost as he saith to the Corinthians And therefore glorifie God in your bodie and in your spirite for they are Gods In this bodie we shal rise out of our graue and appeare before the iudgement seate of God in this bodie wee shal sit vpon the twelue seates and iudge the twelue tribes God shal crowne it with glorie and honour Kéepe this vessel cleane it is precious keepe it in honour keepe it in holines Make not the member of Christ a member of the diuel Shame not your bodies shame not your selues V. 5. And not in the lust of concupiscence euen as the Gentiles which know not God Giue not your selues ouer to filthie affections as the horse and mule which haue no vnderstanding and as the Gentiles which haue no feare of Gods iudgement Their heart and minde is vncleane They know not God they knowe not themselues They knowe not the difference of this life and of the life to come Therefore they knowe not sin or if they know it they refraine it not but follow the lustes of their corrupt nature and giue themselues to wantonnesse to worke al vncleannesse euen with gréedinesse Thus the Apostle setteth downe what is the fruite of ignoraunce and whereto a man groweth that knoweth not God That deuotion therefore which some say is the daughter of ignorance hath no likenesse with true holinesse For this is life eternal saith Christ that they know thee to be the onely very God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. V. 6. That no man oppresse or defraude his brother in any matter for the Lorde is an auenger of al such thinges as we haue also told you before time and testified Let no man defraude his brother neither by false weight nor by false measure nor by lying words Let your measures weights wordes be true let your gaines be iust true that God may blesse them His blessing will make you rich and whatsoeuer he blesseth not shal wast consume and do you no good Doe vnto others as you would they should do vnto you This is true dealing and vpright If thou speake more than is true if thou take more than thy ware is worth thy conscience knoweth it is none of thine God will destroy al the workers of iniquitie He that delighteth in sin hateth his owne soule The mouth that accustometh to lie slayeth the soule Defraud not thy brother he is thy brother whether he be rich or poore he is thy brother and the sonne of God Wilt thou do wrong to thy brother wilt thou oppresse the son of God and y e euen in y e sight of god God is his father he wil not leaue it vnpunished in thée If he be simple and vnskilful abuse not his simplicitie God is the God of righteousnes Deale iustly that thine owne conscience accuse thée not Teach not thy sonnes nor thy seruauntes to deceiue others and to gaine by wickednesse After they haue learned of thée to deceiue others they wil deceiue thée also Iob prayed daily for his children Be thou also careful that thy children and seruauntes deceiue no man nor hurt any Their sinnes shal be layd to thy charge Why askest thou of God that hée wil féede thée giue thée thy daily bread waitest not vpon his wil but séedest vpoÌ„ the bread of iniquitie This meate wil not nourish thée this wealth wil not stande by thée for God wil not prosper it The wise man saith The bread of deceite is sweete to a man but afterwarde his mouth shal be filled with grauel I gotten goods haue an il end God hath said by the prophet Aggeus Yee haue sowen much but you haue brought in little Ye brought it home I did blowe vpon it We haue examples hereof daily We haue séene great heapes of wealth sodainely blowne away and consumed to nothing great houses decayed and the hope of the wicked quite ouertâ—…ne Here wil I speake somewhat of the vnhappie trade of â—…surie because therin standeth the most miserable and shameful deceiuing of the brethren I wil not speake al that may be said for it would be too long and ouer wearisome I will haue regard of that shal be agréeable and profitable and behooueful for you to heare And that you may the better consider hereof and sée the whole matter of Vsurie I will shewe you first what Vsurie is then whence it springeth what are the causes of Vsarie thirdly what commeth of it what hurt it worketh to the common wealth and I will laie soorth such reasons as may make any good man abhorre it Then I wil declare what the holie fathers and the Apostles and Martyres and Christ and God himselfe haue thought and spoken of vsurie Manie simple men â—…nowe not what is Vsurie nor neuer heard of the name of it The world were happie if no man knew it For euil things do lesse harm when they be most vnknown 〈◊〉 and plagues are not knowen but with great miserie But that you maie learne to knowe it and the more to aâ—…horre horre it this it is Vsurie is a kinde of lending of money or corne or olle or wine or of anie other thing wherein vpon couenant and bargaine we rereiue againe the whole principall which we delivred and somewhat more for the vse and occupying of the same As if I lend 100. pounds and for it couenant to receiue 105. li. or anie other sum greater than was the sum which I did lend This is that which we call Vsurie Such a kind of bargaining as no good man or godlie man euer vsed Such a kinde of bargaining as all men that euer feared Gods iudgement haue alwaies abhorred and condemned It is filthie gaines and a worke of darkenesse It is a monster in nature the ouerthrow of mightie kingdoms the destruction of flourishing states the decay of wealthy Cities the plagues of the world and the misery of the people It is thest it is the murthering of our Brethren it
that taketh vsurie killeth without a sword These be holy Fathers and worthie of credite they shewe vs that Vsurie is as badde as to kill and murther a man wilfully Chrysostome likewise In his sensibilibus pecunys prohibuit ne quis vsuram acciperet c. God hath forbidden that no man shall take Vsurie in this sensible or common monie Why because either of them is much hindered Hee that oweth money is made poorer and he that lendeth it by this kinde of enriching himselfe encreaseth the number of his sinnes Againe he saith Sicut fermentum modicum quod mittitur in multam farinam totam consper sionem corrumpit c. Euen as a little leauen leaueneth the whole lump of dowe euen so Vsurie when it commeth into anie mans house draweth all his substance and chaungeth it into debt He that is an Vsurer wisheth that al others may lacke and come to him and borow of him that al others may lose so that he may haue gaine Therefore our olde forefathers so much abhorred this trade that they thought an Vsurer vnworthie to liue in the companie of Christian men they did excommunicate him They suffered not an Vsurer to be a witnes in matters of Lawe They suffered him not to make a testament and to bestow his goods by wil. When an vsurer died they would not suffer him to be buried in places appointed for y e burial of christians So highly did they mislike this vnmerciful spoyling and deceiuing our brethren But what speake I of the auntient fathers of the Church there was neuer any religion nor sect nor state nor degrée nor profession of meÌ„ but they haue disliked it Philosophers Gréekes Latins Lawiers Diuines Catholiques Heretiques al tongues and nations haue euer thought an Vsurer as daungerous as a theefe The verie sense of nature proueth it to be so If the stones coulde speake they would say as much Therefore our sauiour saith Doe good and lende looking for nothing againe Hée sayeth not lende and looke not for your principal againe But looke for no gaine thereby looke not to receiue more than thine owne for the vse and occupying of it Defraud not another thou wouldest not an other shoulde defraude thée Dppresse him not haue pitie on his wife and children thou wouldest not haue thy wife and children vndoone In Leuiticus God sayth If thy brother be impouerished and fallen in decay thou shalt take no Vsurie of him nor vantage but thou shalt feare thy GOD that thy brother may liue with thee GOD saith thou shalt take no Vsurie And hee hath power and authoritie to commaunde And in Exodus If thou lende money to my people to the poore with thee thou shalt not bee as an Vsurer vnto him yee shal not oppresse him with Vsurie Shewe them mercie for my sake they are my people I can enrich him I can impouerish thée I set vp and throwe downe whome I will When thy neighbour néedeth thy helpe and séeketh comfort at thy handes afflict him not as an enemie oppresse him not like a tyrant Ezechiel the Prophet setteth downe the wrath of God against Vsurers He that hath giuen foorth his money vpon Vsurie or hath taken increase shal he liue he shal not liue saith the Lorde He shal perish in his owne sinne his bloud shal be vppon his heade Therefore when he reckoneth the offences of Ierufalem and declareth the heauie plagues that are prepared against that wicked Citie he saith Thou hast taken Vsurie and encrease and thou hast defrauded thy neighbours by extortion and hast forgotten me sayeth the Lorde God Beholde therefore I haue smitten mine handes vpon the couetousnesse that thou hast vsed Thou hast doone iniurie to my people that thou mightest make thine owne gaine Thy wrongs and oppressions doone by Vsurie rise vp into heauen therefore I wil gather thée and blow the fire of my wrath vpon thée sayth the Lorde Thus hath GOD spoken euen the Lorde of heauen and earth which can scatter thy gold in the winde and blowe it to nothing Thus hee speaketh to thée that hearest and readest his worde which knowest that his wil is thou shouldest not lende thy money to Vsurie Thou doest oppresse saith he WhoÌ„ thy brother for whome Christ vouchsafed to shed his bloude And what brother him that was poore which came to thée for néede to séeke thy helpe Howe wickedly closely falsely craftily deceitefully like an hippocrite vnder colour to doe him good Wherewith with thy money thy gold and siluer which God hath giuen thée to relieue the poore and néedie withal God hath saide thou shalt not take Vsurie and what art thou that despisest the voyce of the Lorde whose words wilt thou heare that wilt not heare the words of God remember the wordes you can not forget them Thou shalt not take Vsurie of thy brother he is poore and fallen in decay thou shalt not be an vsurer vnto him thou shalt not oppresse him with vsurie For it is crueltie and abhomination in the sight of God therefore wil God powre â—…ut his wrath and consume the Vsurer hee shal not enter into the Tabernarie of the highest he shal haue no part in the kingdome of Christ and of God but shal be cast into the vtward darkenesse But some wil say al kindes of Vsurie are not forbidden There may bee cases where Vsurie may stande with reason and equitie And herein they say so much as by witte may bee deuised to paint out a foule and vglie Idol and to shadowe themselues in manifest and open wickednesse What so euer God saieth yet this or this kinde of Vsurie say they which is doone in this or this sort is not forbidden It profiteth the common wealth it relieueth great numbers The poore should otherwise perish no man woulde lende them By like good reason there are some that defende theft and murther they say there may be some case where it is laweful to kil or to steale for God willed the Hebrewes to rob the Aegyptians and Abraham to kil his owne sonne Isaac In these cases their robberie and the killing of his sonne were laweful So say they Euen so by like reason doe some of our Countreymen maintaine Concubines Curtizans and Brothel houses and stand in defence of open Stewes They are say they for the benefite of the Countrey they kéepe men from more daungerous inconuenience take them away it wil be worse Although God say There shal be no whore of the daughters of Israel neither shall there be a whore keeper of the sonnes of Israel yet these men say al maner of whoredome is not forbidden In these and these cases it is not amisse to allowe it God sayde to Saul Goe and strike Amalek and destroy ye al that pertaineth to them and haue no compassion on them but slaie both man and woman both infant suckling both oxe and sheepe both camel and asse So strait and precise was Gods commaundement Foorth marcheth
vnto the resurrection of life but they that haue doone euill vnto the resurrection of condemnation And againe I am the resurrection and the life hee that beleeueth in mee though hee were dead shal liue and whosoeuer liueth and beleeueth in me shall neuer die For if wee beleeue that Iesus is dead and is risen that he was deliuered to death for our sinnes and is risen againe for our iustification if we beléeue that he is ascended vp into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of GOD his father he will also raise vp our mortall bodies and bring vs with him Nowe Christ is risen from the dead and was made the firste fruites of them that sleepe He is our head wée are his bodie Wee are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone Hée hath giuen vs his Spirite to dwell in vs. But if anie man hath not the Spirite of Christ the same is not his Christ our head liueth His bodie then can not he dead Where I am sayeth he there shall also my seruaunt be Wherefore if we be dead with Christ we beleeue that wee shal liue also with him What then shal become of the infidelles which haue no faith which haue not the spirit of God Shal not they rise againe Yes verily They shal rise but not with Christ. They shal not rise the resurrection of the iust Some shal rise vnto life some vnto death some to saluation others to damnation some to glory others to shame Wee must al appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ that euerie man may receiue the thinges which are doone in his bodie according to that he hath doone whether it be good or euil The wicked shal rise vp again with their bodies and their portion shal be with the Diuel and his Angels they shal come foorth of their graues to the resurrection of condemnation their bodie and soule shal be cast into hel fire Their worme shal neuer die their fire shal not be quenched It had béen better for them they had neuer béene borne V. 15. For this say we vnto you by the word of the Lord that we which liue and are remaining in the comming of the Lorde shal not preuent them that sleepe 16. For the Lorde himselfe shal descende from heauen with a shout and with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shal rise first This that we declare vnto you is not of our selues It is the truth of God it shal stand good be found true for euer God wil raise our bodies out of the graue 〈◊〉 restore theÌ„ from death to life You may not reason howe or in what order this shal be doone or who shal be the first or the seconde or the third that shal rise vp in the resurrection Such questions are unfit and not to be moued We shal al be chaunged in a moment in the twinckling of an eye At that houre some shalve aliue and some shal be dead For he shal come to iudge both the quicke and the dead We that are remaining in the comming of the Lorde shal not preuent them that sleepe Neither is their part better in the resurrection that shal then be founde aliue nor their part worse that haue béene dead manis yeares before For they which were dead shal as soone be partakers of the glory of the sonnes of God as the other Touching the state of men that shal liue in the end of the world Christ sayth As the daies of Noe so likewise shal the comming of the sonne of man be I doubt not but you remeÌ„ber the storie what dreadful plague of rain tempest fel when al the world was drowned and destroyd with water Vice and vngodlines encreased and al flesh had corrupt his way vpon earth They had no shame there was no feare of God before their eyes Gods wrath was kindled against them He sent Noah a preacher of righteousnes to reforme them to tel them of the destructioÌ„ at hand that they might repent and be saued But they regarded it not They laught Noah to scorne grewe desperate and continued in sinne Sodenly al the fountaines of the great déepe were broken vp the windowes of heauen were opened As they were eating drinking buying selling building purchasing stirring and trauailing as they were in the middest of their ioyes trauailes and pleasures the raine came vpon them and the flouds grewe so great that it destroyed the whole worlde except Noah and a fewe of his companie Their landes their goods Cities Castles nor any other their pleasure or wealth could saue them so shal it be in the comming of Christ. As it was in the daies of Lot and as it betel to Sodome and Gomortha they liued and increased in filthinesse Their heartes were blind and regarded no counsel Their bodies were filthie their soules their liues their houses cities were ful of filthinesse The Angel of God departed from them Loth went out from among them and fire came downe from heauen and consumed them to ashes and caried them downe quick into hel There was no father left to lament his child no child left to lament his father So shal it be at the comming of Christ. He shal come as a théefe sodenly when no man looketh for his comming he shal come at such season when mens harts wil be asléepe and thinke not of him S. Peter sayeth There shal come in the last dayes mockers which will walke after their lustes and say where is the promise of his comming for since the fathers dyed al things continue alike from the beginning of the creation They skorne the threatninges of Gods indgement When shal the world come to an ende We haue winter and sommer raine snow day and night as before The sonne kéepeth his course the fioudes runne the frâ—… beare fruit al things are as they haue béene O sayth Peter know this that god hath made the heauen and earth and al the furniture in them They are his creatures he doth holde theÌ„ vp and preserue them by the power of his word When God shal withdrawe his word they shal decay and haue an ende As for our Lorde he shal come and not tarie at his comming heauen shal depart away as a scrol that is rold the element shal melt with heat and the earth with the works that are therin shal be burnt vp and consumed before his face Deceiue not your selues with lying wordes For when you say peace peace and al thinges are safe then shal sodaine destruction come vpon you Then two men shal be in the fieldes the one shal bee receiued and the other refused Two women shal be grinding at the mil the one shall be receiued and the other refused So shal also the comming of the sonne of man â—…ée The number of the faithful that shal remain at his comming shal not be many So sayth Christ When the sonne
of man commeth shal he finde faith on the earth S. Iohn prophecying of that day sayth The sunne was as blacke as sackecloath of hayre and the Moone was like bloud The beautie of the Church shal be defaced the light of the Gospel shal be put out Then shal few be left of those that shal behold the glory of God These shal giue witnesse vnto the truth And albeit they be but few yet are they ynough to condemne the vngodlinesse of the wicked We shal not go in rowtes for we shal be but few we shal then be in the bodie and liue in this world and looke vp and sée these things yet when the Lord shal come we shal not preuent them that sléepe Although we liue and they were dead yet shal they be as readie as we Why For the Lord himselfe shal descend with a shout c. Here is laide before vs the true maner of the terrible iudgement of God For our better vnderstanding let vs compare heauen with earth and the iudgement of God with the iudgement of men The Judges sitte on high accōpanied with noble men and Justices attended on with Constables and baylifes and the state presence of the countrey the théefe is brought foorth piniond and bound in chaines and fetters The poore wretch standeth in great feare his conscience accuseth him and sayth thou didst steale thou art worthie to die The boyce of the Judge is as a blast of thunder the face of the Judge terrible to him as hel fire But the innocent that is wrongfully imprisoned and hath not offended he séeth himselfe cleare his conscience ercuseth him and therefore reioyceth at the comming of the Judges He thought it long before they came These saith he wil strike off my shackles and set me at libertie Their voice vnto him is as the voyce of life he beholdeth them and they are as the angels of God Such shal bee the shewe and sight of the sonne of GOD he shal come downe with maiestie from heauen the Trumpet of God shal sounde and be hearde from the one ende of the heauen to the other and whosoeuer shal heare it shal quake for feare Then shal he be the iudge ouer al flesh Then be shal shew him selfe to be King of Kings and Lorde of Lords Then shal he not come in humilitie méeke nesse and mercy but with dread and terrour of iudgement and iustice Not with twelue poore Apostles but with twelue thousande Angels to attende vpon him Not in the preaching of the Gospel calling sinners to repentance but in the sounde of a Trumpet wherewith al the corners of the earth shal be amazed Then shal he not say come vnto mee al ye that trauaile and be loaden and I wil refresh you I am sent to the lost Shéepe of Israel He shal not say Father forgiue them for they knowe not what they do But you haue béene ashamed of me and of my worde before men therefore now wil I be ashamed of you before my heauenly father Then shal they that despired y e word of God know what they despised and the blasphemers shal reape the fruit of their blasphemie Then the carelesse Sheaphearde which hath not fed the Lords shéepe but neglected them and left them at al aduentures which hath betrayed his flocke and giuen them to bee a praie vnto the Woolfe shal receiue a iust rewarde for his treason Then the adulterer oppressour and Vsnrer shal haue their life layde open before them Then shal euerie eye sée him They shal see him whome they pearced through they shal sée his woundes which they did not regarde They shal sée his Sworde readie drawen to slaie all his enemies and shal fal downe for feare of him that sitteth vpon the throne and of the Lambe But the harts of the righteous shal reioyce They shal lift vp their heades and sée him in whome they haue trusted Then they shal say this is the day which the Lorde hath made let vs reioice and be glad in it Come let vs reioice vnto the Lord let vs come before his face with praise lette vs sing lowde vnto him with Psalmes Such shal be the state and countenaunce and honour and maiestie of our God when he shal come downe from heauen for our deliueraunce And the dead in Christ shal rise first The earth shal open yéelde foorth her dead bodies that so they may be ready with vs that remain to go before the presence of our iudge Which are dead in Christ. Who are they They whom he chose out of this world and which haue chosen God for their portion whome God hath sealed vnto the day of redemption Which haue saide Christ is to me both in life death aduantage And I liue not I now but Christ liueth in me And againe whether we liue or bie we are the Lords Which say I haue boūd my selfe to serue the Lord all the daies of my life They are dead in Christ which commend them selues wholie vnto him and say O Lord in thée haue I trusted let mée neuer be confounded I desire to be losed and to be with Christ. Into thy handes O Lord I commend my spirite thou hast redéemed mée O Lord of truth To be shorte whosoeuer liueth in the Lord he dieth in the Lord. He in whom Christ liueth which hath a tast and féeling of Christ in his heart he that reioiceth in Christ and looketh for that blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the mightie God and of our sauiour Jesus Christ he is a shéepe of his pasture he is a member of his bodie he is the apple of his eie he liueth and dieth in Christ. Blessed is he that so liueth and so dieth for he shall rise with Christ in the resurrestion of the righteous and shal haue his part in the land of the liuing V. 17. Then shal we which liue and remaine be caught vp with them also in the cloudes to meete the Lord in the aire and so shal wee euer be with the Lord. 18. Wherefore comfort your selues one another with these wordes We which shall sée al these things shal also be caught vp our selues But here you must note that Paul speaketh not this of his owne person and of them that liued in his time as if they should continue aliue vntil the ende or that the world should haue an ende before they should die but he sheweth what shal be the state of such whosoeuer shal then remaine aliue And againe marke that he saith not we which liue and remaine shall die soorthwith or our bodies shall be turned into dust and so our soules alone go to méete the Lorde but whether we be standing or sitting doing well or ill occupied Wee shall be caught vp For the Trumpet shall sodainely blow and then the dead shall rise and we shall be changed So saith Saint Paul Behold I shew you a secrete thing we shal not al sleepe but wee shal
al be changed In a moment in y e twinkling of an eie shal they that are dead arise and we shall be changed This our mortall bodie shall be changed and shal put on immortalitie this corruptible bodie shal be changed and put on incorruption Christ wil change our earthly bodies to the likenesse of his glorious heauenly bodie Then shall our flesh be pure and heauenly and spirituall and we shall be able to behold the glorie of God Then shall be brought to passe the saying that is written death is swalowed vp into victorie O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victorie To meete the Lord in the aire c. This is a comfortable end of al troubles and persecutions which the godlie suffer in this life that they be receiued into the glorie of God and that both their bodie and soule doth liue with him and enioy his presence for euer Then shall they eate of the trée of life which is in the middest of the paradise of GOD. They shal hunger no more nor thirst any more neither shal the sunne light on them nor anie heate God shal wipe away al teares from their eies Then shal they féele those ioies which eie hath not séene nor eare hath heard nor hath entred into the heart of man Such an end shal they haue whosoeuer feare the Lord. Comfort your selues one another with these wordes You sée the turmoiles and troubles of the world what vexations and afflictions Sathan raiseth vp against al those that will liue godlie Open and notorious sinners are â—…borne Theft adulterie vsurie extortion wilfull murther rebellion treason are many times pardoned and vnpunished but true religion which is the turning from idols to serue the true and liuing God and faith in Jesus Christ that by him we shall be deliuered from the wrath to come findeth feâ—…e friends and seldome escapeth without strange and most cruel tormeÌ„ts What is this but to crucifie the Lord of glory and to set Barrabas a murtherer at libertie Dauid saith The Kings of the earth band themselues and the Princes are assembled together against the Lord and against his annointed They séeke to spoile the vine of the Lord and to destroy his little flocke They vse al meanes to put out the light of the Gospel But be you of good chéere coÌ„tinue you stedfast in the truth your redemption is euen at hand You shal be caught vp in the cloudes to méete the Lord and so shall abide with him for euer Let euerie neighbour comfort his neighbour and euery father his childe let vs al one comfort an other with these words CHAP. 5. BVt of times and seasons brethren you haue no neede that I write vnto you 2 For yee your selues know perfectly that the daie of the Lord shal come as a theefe in the night 3 For when they shal say peace and safetie then shal come vpon them sodaine destruction as the trauaile vpon a woman with child and they shal not escape WHen the Disciples came vnto Christ a part and saide Tel vs when these things shall be and what signe shal be of thy comming and of the ende of the world hee answered Take heede least anie man deceiue you It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father hath put in his owne power For of that daie and houre knoweth no man no not the Angels which are in heauen neither the sonne himselfe saue the Father vere not your spirite in vaine Séeke not for that you may not knowe you shall not be able to finde it Therefore saith Paul I néede not write of times and seasons in which these things shall be done Your selues haue béene taught the word of God you haue learned what his wil is you know the day of the Lord shal come vpon you as a théefe And how commeth a théefe not in the day time not when a man hath company about him not when he is watched but in the night in the darkenesse when al light is out when the good man of the house taketh his rest when the seruants are asléepe Euen so when the light of the truth is taken away when the hart of the goodman of the house is at rest and his eies are darkened that they cannot sée and al his senses drowned in worldlie pleasures when we care for nothing and think of nothing when we say peace and safety then wil the sonne of man come to iudgement then shal destruction sodainly fal vpon vs. Therfore let vs be readie for in the houre that we think not wil the sonne of man come Marke that Paul saith yée haue no néede that I write vnto you of times and seasons that our sauior saith it is not for you to know the times or the seasons What may we think then of them that write bookes almanackes and say such a yeare and at such a time Christ shal come and with these spéeches fray and mocke the world Paul was the Apostle of Christ an elect vessel of the holie ghost he said I haue no néed to write of it you cannot know it What néede is there nowe that such bookes and pamphlets should be written why should the world be troubled with such vanities Spare me your patience and giue me leaue a little to deale with these wisards Tell mee thou that doest measure and beholde the compasse of heauen and markest the coniunoions and oppositions and aspects of the starres and by that wisedome canst foretel the things that shalbe done hereafter where learnest thou this skil how commest thou by this déepe knowledge Paul was taken vp into the third héaueÌ„ heard words which cannot be spoken which are not lawful for man to vtter yet he knew not this secret nor might not know it What art thou then art thou greater than the Apostle of Christ hast thou béene taken vp into some place higher than the third heauen hast thou heard such words as are not lawfull to vtter if it be so why doest thou vtter them wilt thou take that vpon thée which the holie Apostle dareth not arte thou of Gods priuie counsel the angels and archangels know not hereof and shal we thinke that thou knowest it Art thou wiser than an Angel Consider thy selfe thou art a miserable man thy breath fadeth as the smoake Thou art nothing but dust and ashes thou canst not attaine to the knowledge hereof And what is that which thou boastest the knowledge of that terrible daie when all flesh shall appeare before the Judge Euen of that time which God hath put in his owne power O vaine man thou knowest not thine owne â—…aie thou knowest not when thy soule shall be taken from thée By what helpes and meanes camest thou vnto this knowledge by reading the writings of the Apostles by reading the Gospell of Christ or anie parte of the word of GOD No GOD wote thou hast no great skill in this learning Thou hast
it from Manilius Maternus Albumazar or Haly. What is Manilius Maternus Albumazar and Haly What are they but Heathens Painims and Jnsidels Were they not voide of all knowledge of God were they not the enimies of the crosse of Christ these neuer beléeued in God howe could they then know that day when he would iudge the world Let thy common reason reforme thée Can Saturne and Mars knowe this when the Angels of God cannot knowe it To what end write they thus to giue a token of their knowledge nay hereby they proclaime and publish their sollie and want of knowledge These two hundred yeares there haue euer béene some which haue aduentured to tell such newes and to saie in this yeare or that yeare you shal haue doomes daie Such a daie will Christ come to iudgement and the world shall haue an end They haue appointed many such yeares and daies and houres The yeares be gone the daies be past the houres be slipt away but the world abideth and giueth witnesse of their follie But the meaning of these men is good Hereby they moue the people to repentance For when men thinke the ende of the world is at hand they wil beare the lesse affection of the things of this world This is not the waie to teach repentance and amendment of life The people may not be taught by lies fables If this had béen good for theÌ„ God himselfe would haue vsed it God graunt them grace to repent which thus presume of knowledge and reach so high and yet know nothing Let vs yet reason further with them How haue they this knowledge of certaintie or by coniecture if of certaintie then it must néedes be so it cannot faile nothing can let it But you wil say it is a coniecture it may so bée and it is likely for such a day shal be a Coniunction of Saturne and Mars in a fierie house and therefore al things shal be consumed with fire Alas what hath Saturne or Mars to doe with the day of the Lorde They are but creatures they are no Goddes They are starres made to giue vs light why should they leade vs into darkenesse in the day of the Lorde they shal be melted and perish with fire Why then trouble they the worlde with such vanities and set those thinges downe for trueth whereof they haue no certaintie but onely a gesse and coniecture And what time chose they to cast abroade these newes the same in which the Gospel through the mercie of God is wel knowen of most men Euen nowe tel they these tales when all men knowe that Christ sayeth the Angels in heauen knowe not of that day and houre The Angelles beholde the face of God and stand in his presence yet know they not the day of the Lorde This is a secret which God reuealeth not vnto any Children can reprooue this follie in them and say Mitte arcana dei caelúmque inquirere quid sit Seeke not to knowe the secretes of God nor what manner thing the heauen is Know thy self that thou art but a mortal man crawling on the grounde like a worme Hée that wil stare vpon the sunne may be blinde and loose his eyes God hath giuen thée knowledge in measure thou canst not knowe as much as thou wouldest Knowe that is fit for thée to knowe and speake that is laweful to be spoken Thinke of the commaundementes of God to followe them Search not into his workes to be curious in them For he that is curious in searching the maiestie of God shal be oppressed and confounded by his glorie Thus much we may wel knowe that the Lorde wil come that al fleshe shal appeare before him that the worlde the heauen the earth the sunne and the moone shal haue an ende that the day of the Lorde shall come sodainely as a Théefe in the night This warning GOD hath giuen vs that we shoulde not be taken vnwares but that wee repent and stande in readinesse and watch and pray that wee may bee caught vp into the cloudes to méete our redéemer V. 4. But you brethren are not in darkenesse that that day shoulde come on you as it were a theese 5 Yee are al the children of light and the children of the day wee are not of the night neither of darkenesse 6 Therefore let vs not sleepe as doe other but let vs watch and be sober 7 For they that sleepe sleepe in the night and they that be drunken are drunken in the night 8 But let vs which are of the day be sober putting on the breaste-plate of Faith and Loue and the hope of saluation for an helmet 9 For God hath not appointed vs vnto wrath but to obtaine saluation by the meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ. 10 Which dyed for vs that whether wee wake or sleepe wee should liue togither with him Your conuersation is in heauen from whence you looke for the sauiour euen the Lorde Iesus Christ. Ye were once darkenesse but nowe you are light in the Lorde walke as children of light approouing that which is pleasing to y e Lord. That day shal be dreadful and come sodainely vpon the wicked but to you it shal not séeme sodaine which feare the Lorde and put your trust in him and take al care to be in readines at his comming Arme your selues strongly the enemie séeketh to ouerthrowe you Your enemie is the Deuill with al his force Your strength standeth not in your owne prowes or manhoode but in the mightie power of God put on therefore the breast-plate of faith and loue he that beléeueth shal be saued he that abydeth in loue abideth in God whosoeuer putteth his trust in him shal not be confounded Here I may take occasion to say somewhat of the troubles of warre howe Sathan séeketh by it to disquiet the Church of God Who hath not hearde what force is this day raised in this realme who hath not hearde of it but let it not trouble you God wil turne al to his glory I loue not to speak of such things Yet somewhat I must speake thereof the time enforceth me This is the first disturbance and breach of that blessed peace in which God hath so long and so quietly preserued this realme since the time that hir Maiestie came to the Crowne It giueth great occasion to the enemie to breake in vppon vs it is the spoyling of our Countrey The barbarous souldiours rush into mens houses and take out what they list They drawe their sworde bende their force ioyne themselues to warre against the Lord and against his annointed They haue â—…orne and defaced burnt in fire the holy Bible the Gospel of our saluation and woulde set vp the loathsome seruice of the Masse What hath the worde of God offended why should it be torne in péeces why shoulde it be burnt what worde is in it which is not the worde of life it is the power of God vnto saluation to them that beléeue And
where should the worde of God haue place where should it be hearde but in the Church of God O cursed handes that so dispitefully rent it Woe woorth that vnhappie fire that burnt it As for the Masse woulde God they that so much desire it knewe what it is Woulde God they knewe howe the people of God are mocked by it and howe the precious bloud of our sauiour Jesus Christ is blasphemed by it would God they knewe howe gréeuoustie God is offended with them in this thing wherein they thinke they please him so highlie But the Masse and Gods worde can not dwel in one house together the one is so contrarie to the other God forgiue it them and lay it not to their charge For they knowe not what they doe They are drawn on to work the things which others haue most wickedly deuised There is no doubt but God wil confound their enterprise For this is his owne cause this quarrel is pickt against his Church and against the knowledge and setting foorth of his Gospel and therefore against the setting foorth of his glorie Onely let vs lift vp pure handes into heauen cal for helpe from aboue Let vs say vnto him Rise vp for our succour redeme vs for thy mercie sake Let vs say They haue cast thy sanctuarie into the fire and rased it to the grounde and haue destroyed the dwelling place of thy name Arise oh God maintaine thine owne cause remember thy daily reproch by the foolishe man Let vs say saue oh Lorde Quéene ELIZABETH thy seruaunt establish that good thing which thou hast begunne open the eyes of al people that they may sée thy sauing health and inioy it through hearing thy Gospel which thou hast made knowen vnto vs saue thy people which trusteth in thée and breake the cordes of the wicked in sunder Let vs comfort our selues with these wordes that God hath not appointed vs to wrath but to obtaine saluation by the meanes of our Lorde Jesus Christ. Hée hath ouercome the worlde let vs be of good théere And let vs walke as the children of light let vs walke honestlie as in the day Then whether we wake or sléepe whether wee liue or die we shal liue together with him V. 11. Wherefore exhort one an other and edifie one another euen as ye doe This is the bonde of true loue and Christian friendship that euerie man be careful of his brother as of himselfe that euerie man â—…hort and teach the thinges that are good and rebuke others in il that euerie man séeke to bring home the lost shéepe and to restore him to his maister Therefore Christ sayth If thy brother trespasse against thee goe and tel him his faults betweene him and thee alone if he heare thee thou hast wonne thy brother For what knowest thou whether thou shalt saue thy brother Brethren sayth Saint Iames If any of you hath erred from the trueth and some man hath conuerted him let him knowe that he which hath conuerted the sinner from going aftray out of his way shall saue a soule from death and shall hide a multitude of sinnes Therefore sayeth the Apostle Exhort one an other and edifie one an other Let the father exhort his scnne oh son walke vprightly before God liue honestlie and vertuously in the sight of al men doe those thinges that are good thou art the childe of God be holie in spirite and holy in bodie because he is holie Say to the adulterer oh brother bée not deceiued Whosoeuer is an adulterer hath no inheritaunce in the kingdome of Christ and of God God hath sayde of them that are such they shal not enter into my rest Say to the swearer oh take not y e name of God in vaine for GOD wil not holde him giltlesse that taketh his name in vaine He that sweareth and nameth God continually shal not bee faultlesse A man that vseth much swearing shal be silled with wickednesse and the plague shal neuer go from his house nor from his cattel nor from his corne nor from his seruauntes nor from his children nor from himselfe His house shal be ful of plagues Say to the Vsurer oh heare the voyce of the Lord thus sayth the Lord before whom thon shalt stande to giue an account of those things which thou hast done in this life Thou shalt not giue thy money to Vsurie Hee that careth not for these wordes but doeth otherwise shal not scape vnpunished Say to the rich man oh put not your trust in riches Lay vp your treasure in heauen lay it vp in the bosome of the poore and it shal make intercession for thée Put thy trust in the liuing God which giueth vs abundantly all things to inioie Thy house thy lande thy money thy golde and siluer shall not continue thou shalt go the shalt of all flesh and thy riches shall not be able to deliuer thée in the daie of wrath Saie to the learned man to the wise man and to the man whom God hath endued with worldly power what hast thou that thou hast not receiued be not high minded It is the gift of God It is not thine Thou shalt giue a reckoning of all that thou hast receiued Abuse it not to the dishonour of God It is of charitie that I speake vnto thée Thou art my brother God hath a care ouer thée it is his will that one of vs should exhort an other Oh why should thy life giue offence to anie man why shoulde y e name of God be il spoken of through thee He hath made thée to bée a vessell of honour thou belongest to his folde why shouldest thou be lost and perish in thy wilfulnesse V. 12 Nowe wee beseech you brethren that yee knowe them which labour among you and are ouer you in the Lord and admonish you 13 That yee haue them in singular loue for their workes sake be at peace among your selues They which exhort you and warne you and are ouer you in the Lord they be shéepeheards and husbandmen and watchmen for you They féede the Lordes flocke plough the Lordes ground and watch the tower of the God of hosts You are Gods shéepe ye must be fedde else you cannot liue You are a field you must be ploughed else you will be ouergrowen with brambles and stand vnfruitful and lie waste You are the Lordes tower you must be watched else the enimie will breake in vpon you and so you shoulde bée destroyed They labour and trauell in your behalfe they must giue an account for your soules they are ambassadors sent from God they come to tel you the truth they preach not themselues but Christ Jesus they speake to you in the name of the Lord. Although you reckon them fooles vnlearned and simple they are the messengers of the great King euen of him that is Lord ouer all Saint Paul saith It pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleeue The heauenly
treasure is brought to you in poore broken earthie vessels The vessels are simple but the treasure is heauenly The messenger is weake but his word is the word of life which can cast downe euerie high thing that is exalted against the glorie of God Whatsoeuer they â—…éeme to you they are the eies of the Church and the mouth of God Christ saith vnto them whome he appointeth to this ministerie As my father sendeth mee so sende I you They haue the same commission be they neuer so poore He that heareth you heareth mee and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me saith Christ. Some there are that thus say O that I might heare Christ or Peter or Paule I would verily beléeue what they should preach This is fondnesse and curious vanitie For whensoeuer thou doest heare the minister of GOD breake vnto thée the word of life and teaching thée the trueth of the Gospell thou hearest Paule and Peter and Christ himselfe If thou despisest the word of God spoken vnto thée by him and the grace which God offereth thée by him thou despisest Christ him selfe and heapest vp the heauie displeasure of God against thée God wil giue thée ouer into a reprobate minde thou shalt haue eies yet shalt not sée thou shalt haue eares yet shalt not heare thou shalt die in thy sinne It shall be easier for Sodome at that daie than for thée Therefore acknowledge them giue credit to their message they watch and take paines for you What shal we say of them that labour not that doe neither teach nor exhorte nor reprooue nor correct that haue no care to doe their message and no regarde to the people What may I say of such God himselfe saith They are dumbe dogges and can not barke they lie and sleepe and delight in sleeping they all looke to their owne waie and to their owne aduantage and euerie one for his owne purpose Christ calleth them théeues and robbers They are vnsauerie salte profitable for nothing but to be cast foorth and troden vnder féete of men Woe is vnto me saith Paul if I preach not the gospel Wo to the seruant that wrappeth his talent in a napkin and increaseth not his maisters gaine God graunt such idle and slouthfull ministers grace to knowe their office and to doe it If not God giue the people grace to know them and shunne them and to flée from them That ye haue them in singular loue for their workes sake He telleth Timoâ—…hie The elders that rule well are worthie of double honour specially they which labour in the worde and doctrine Reuerence them and loue them Loue them for your owne sakes you haue life and comforte by them Honour them for their office sake They are your fathers they haue begotten you in Christ they carrie the keyes of the kingdome of heauen They are the Stewards of Gods house and the disposers of his mysteries Honor them and loue them for Gods sake He hath sent them and hath put his word in their mouth He hath said to them go ye into all the world preach the gospell vnto euerie nation Goe speake to the heart of Hierusalem that they may féele the waight of thy wordes and repent Loue them therefore For they loue you in Christ and are readie to giue their liues for your sake The Galathians so reuerenced and loued Saint Paule that he saieth Yee receiued me as an Angel of God For I beare you record that if it had beene possible you would haue plucked out your eies and haue giuen them me Be at peace among your selues You are the sonnes of God God is the God of peace Discorde contention and vnquietnesse are fit for the children of Sathan Liue in godly vnitie as becommeth the children of peace V. 14. We desire you brethren that yee admonish them that are vnruly comforte the feeble minded beare with the weake be patient toward all men 15. See that none recompence euill for euill vnto anie man but euer folow that which is good both towards your selues and towards al men There are some which walke among you inordinately they breake the bond of peace they sowe diuisions and discord betwéene the brethren they draw disciples after them and disquiet the Church of God they commaunde that hath béene forbidden by God and forbid that God hath commaunded Warne them that are such saie vnto them as did Saint Paul to the Corinthians We haue no such custome neither hath the Church of God Woe to him by whome offence commeth Say vnto them as Iosuah said to Achan In as much as thou hast troubled vs therefore God will trouble thee this daie After this sorte admonish them and laie open their wilfulnesse and blasphemie before their eies that they may sée the blindnesse of their heartes and in what sorte their life is disordered and so repent and be saued But what greater disorder can there be than that of theirs who haue this daie assembled them selues in force and in armour which haue lifted vp their sword against their soueraigne and disturbed the peace of this realme and haue misted the people and sought â—…o ouerthrow the Church of God Let vs admonish them if we may speake with anie that are so ill disposed and shew them the danger that hangeth ouer their heads Let vs saie to them thou hast done wickedly in the sight of God thou hast resisted the ordinaÌ„ce of God bicause thou hast resisted the power which hee hath ordained thou hast stricken with the sword therfore thou shalt perish by the sword thou hast disquieted the Israel of God therefore God shall disquiet thée Such rebels are vnruly They rise vp against their Prince as did Dathan and Abiram against Moses they aduance themselues against God as did Lucifer therefore shall they be cast downe aliue into hetl Comfort the feeble minded and those that be heauy in hart which suffer imprisonment and liue in pouertie and are gréeued and cannot help themselues Saie vnto them as Saint Iames Blessed is the man that endâ—…reth temptation for when he is tried he shal receiue the crowne of life which the Lord hath promised them that loue him Saie vnto them as Saint Peter this is thank woâ—…hie if a man for conscience toward god indure griefe suffring wrongfully Comfort them with the words of the Prophet They that sow in teares shall reape in ioie Comfort them with the wordes of Christ Blessed are ye which weepe now for ye shall laugh See that none recompence euil for euill to anie man Though you suffer manie things at the handes of the wicked yet you may not be followers of that euill which is in them Auenge not your selues but giue place vnto wrath for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enimie hunger feede him if he thirst giue him drinke Herein shall it appeare if
might be saned in the middest of burning fire yet y e thrée seruauntes of God walked in the fire safelie and came safe foorth againe We knowe sayth the Apostle that all thinges worke together for the best vnto them that loue God The Apostles reioyced in their persecution that they were counted woorthie to suffer rebuke for Christes sake And Paule speaking of this perfection in the godly sayeth We reioyce vnder the hope of the glorie of God And not so onlie but also we reioyce in tribulations Who hath not heard of the patience of Iob his heardes of Cattel were driuen away his houses consumed with fire his children slaine his body stricken with a scurfe or manginesse his wife loathed him and his friendes for sooke him What did Iob in all these miseries what thought hée or what spake he let his patience in suffering his wordes of thankesgiuing teach vs howe to beare aduersitie The Lorde sayeth he hath giuen and the Lorde hath taken it blessed bee the name of the Lorde Againe Though he slay me yet wil I trust in him Who is able to expresse the manly comfort of his heart which said I wil trust in him though he kill me He is my God I am his creature His wil be doone I wil alwayes giue him thankes and praise his holie name By these we are learned to giue thanks in pouertie in afflictions in miserie and in al things though they are heauy and greeuous vnto vs. What are we then that are neither thankful for riches nor for health nor for our pleasures nor in the aboundance of al things yea which abuse the good giftes of GOD to dishonour God who hath giuen them vnto vs the earth is the Lords and al that therein is the world they that dwel therin He openeth his hand and filleth al thinges liuing with his good blessing Let vs looke vp into the heauens there is God the Father of lightes from whom euerie good and perfect gift commeth there is our redeemer Iesus Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge-When we turne in our beddes when we sée our fare and the furniture of our â—…able when we sée our seruants and children about vs when we sée our money and houses and lands let vs thinke with our selues how many good men faithful seruants of God lack the same and haue not receiued these blessinges in such measure as we In al these thinges God speaketh to vs and sayth I haue giuen them thée thou hast them at my handes vse them well and be not vnthankful If I would stande herein and declare what rauses we haue to giue thankes vnto God I shoulde neuer make an ende There is no beast on the grounde no fish in the Sea no bird in the ayre no starre in the heauens no leafe of the trée no corne of the field no sande on the shoare no droppe of water no sparckle of fire but GOD hath created them all for the sonnes of men So much are wée bound alwayes to giue thankes to God and to say as the Prophet O Lorde our Lorde howe excellent is thy name in all the worlde Let vs confesse before the Lorde his louing kindnesse and his woonderful workes before the sonnes of men But who is able to render thankes sufficient to God for that he giueth vs y e knowledge of his Gospel and maketh vs know the secrets of his wil this is a great blessing and farre aboue al the other comforts of this life They that haue not this are in darkenesse and in the shadowe of death To be short euen in death we haue to praise God we must say I thanke thée O God for thou hast deliuered him froÌ„ the bodyof this death thou hast translated him vnto thy selfe that so he may remaine with thée in thy glorie Thus whither soeuer ye turne what state or part of life or death soeuer ye coÌ„sider whether it be trouble or peace things present or things to come heaueÌ„ or earth life or death you shall alwaies finde causes to be thankefull V. 19. Quench not the spirite Hée meaneth by the spirite the giftes and graces of the spirite The spirite of God is the spirit of wisedome and the spirite of truth No man sayeth S. Paule can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost Againe The spirite helpeth our infirmities and againe The same spirite beareth witnesse with our spirite that we are the children of God It is he that leadeth vs into all trueth that openeth our hearts to vnderstanding and guideth our féete into the waie of peace O saith he despise not the wisedome of the spirite refuse not his help but seek it that you may be strengthened comforte your selues in his testimony of your adoption quench not the light he hath kindled in your hearts disdaine not his leading abuse not his mercy abuse not the time of your visitation let not so great mercie of God be bestowed on you in vaine fulfil not your own willes abstaine from fleshly lusts walke in the spirite desire the best gifts and let euerie man as he hath receiued the gift so minister the same to another as good disposers of the manifold grace of God V. 20 Despise not prophecying Prophecie is the preaching and expounding of the word of God and he is called a Prophet and doth prophecie that openeth vnto vs the wil of God This is not meant of fond and vain and lying prophecies as were those of Merline and such like which tell you tales of lions and beares and goates of the sunne of the moone and manie strange deuises Such prophecies must be despised they are workes of darkenesse and forged by the Diuell to make vproares and to beguile the people But despise not prophecying That is despise not to heare the word of GOD turns not awaie thine eare from vnderstanding God giueth power to his word that it may worke according to his good pleasure It will let thée sée the weakenesse of thine errour and settle thée in the waie wherein thou shouldest walke If it had béene dangerous for the people to heare the preaching of the Gospell hée would not haue sent his Apostles into all the worlde If Lidia shoulde not haue liked to heare Paule prophecie howe might she haue knowne GOD If those great numbers which heard Peter and were connerted had despised prophecying and woulde not haue heard him open the Gâ—…pell vnto them they had neuer considered the great mercie of GOD nor sought to be instructed in their saluation Faith commeth by hearing This hath béene the meanes by which Christ hath giuen knowledge to Kings Princes and al nations It hath pleased God saith Saint Paul by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleeue Despise not then to come to the Church of God to praie in the congregation of the faithful to heare the Scriptures of God read and erpounded it is
the sacrament of our redemption Is this that which Paule receiued of the Lord and deliuered vnto the Church Is this the shewing foorth of the Lordes death vntill hée come They woulde haue the Popes auctoritie restored What is the Pope they saie hée is the successour of Peter What doth the Pope as Peter did or what did Peter as the Pope doth He is a mortall man And cursed are they of God that put their trust in man He feedeth not the flocke he teacheth not the simple hée strengtheneth not the weake I wil saie no more GOD make him a seruant of Christ and a faithful disposer of the mysteries of God They are offended at the mariage of the ministers of the Church Yet Gratian their great maister sayeth Copula sacerdotalis nec legali nec Euangelica nec Apostolica authoritate prohibetur The marriage of Priestes is not forbidden by any authoritie either of the lawe or of the Gospel or of the Apostles The holie fathers that liued in the Apostles time and shortly after report that Peter and al the other Apostles excepting only Iohn were maried and had wiues the Prophet Esay was married and yet he sawe the Lord sitting vpon an high throne Moses was marryed and yet saw God face to face Wil they reforme the Prophetes and the Apostles Wil they account that to be vnholie which the Apostle calleth honorable in al men Ignatius the scholer of Saint Iohn saide I wish to be found meete for God as was Peter and Paule and the other Apostles that were married They paint their banner with the Crosse and fiue woundes Why bring they those armes against vs Doe not we beleeue the crosse of Christ doe not wée reioyce and comforte our heartes by the remembraunce of his woundes doe not wée reade and she we foorth to the people the storie of his passion GOD knoweth it and you can beare vs witnesse and they can not denie it that we make this worke of our redemption wrought by the passion of our sauiour Christ the chiefe and principall rocke and foundation of our faith Therefore say wee with the Apostle GOD forbidde that we should reioyce in anie thing but in the Crosse of our Lorde Iesus Christ. Nay rather they are become our enemies because wée beléeue in Iesus Christ crucified Because we say as Gods worde teacheth that Iesus Christ is the onely aduocate to the Father for our sinnes and that hee hath with one offering consecrated for euer them that are sanctified and that the bloud of Iesus Christ his sonne cleanseth vs from al sinne For this cause are they become our enemies Let vs nothing feare their treacheries and attemptes let vs kéepe that is good and holde it fast vntil death Nowe we haue tasted the word of God and haue receiued the comfort of the Gospel let vs not despise it nor be wearie of it Let vs pray vnto God that he establish the loue of his trueth in vs and that he wil open the eyes of their heartes and bring them to bee partakers of those mercies which yet through ignoranâ—…ce they haue despised V. 22. Abstaine from al appearaunce of euil Kéepe your selues not onely from doing those thinges which are euil but also from al appearaunce of euil Offende not the conscience of thy brother that he may haue no occasion to thinke euill of thée Commit not adulterie and withdrawe thy selfe from the companie of such vnthriftie and light and suspected persons Bée not like to them that are such Laie not out thy money to Usurie nor doe anie thing whereby others may thinke so of thée Beware of vncharitable conueyaâ—…ce of thy money Be not Idolaters And leaue off to doe anie thing that maie bring you into suspition of Idolatrie Giue not that honour vnto anye creature which is proper to GOD. Haue no felloweshippe with their workes beare no appearaunce of liking their euill Goe not as they goe liue not as they liue Saint Paule reprâ—…ueth the Galathians Yee obserue dayes and monethes and times and yeare I am in feare of you least I haue bestowed on you labour in vaine So doeth hee the Colossians also If yee bee dead with Christe from the ordinaunces of the worlde why as though yee liued in the worlde are ye burdened with traditions as touch not taste not handle not So doe the Idolaters you shoulde not bee like vnto them They are the children of darkenesse you are the sonnes of light They wil not be like vnto you and forsake their false Gods Why should you become like vnto them and forsake the God that made the heauens and the earth You can not make them ashamed of their errors and imbrace the trueth Why then should you betray the trueth and be partakers with them in error The Christians in olde time beganne to weare Garlandes made of Bay What harme might be in that What is a Garlande but a furniture for the heade What is Bay but a litle trée or bush Yet the Fathers that liued with them to teach them sayde it was not lawful not for y e the thing it self was il of it selfe but for that they would not séeme to followe Idolaters It had some appearance of euill It was a ceremonie and solemne fashion among the heathen they woulde not be imboldened and it would offende the heartes of manie of the faithfull to see Christians followe the fashion of the Heathen When king Antiochus sent vnto Hierusalem and to the Cities of Iuda that they should followe the straunge lawes of the Countrey many chose rather to die than to bee defiled with vncleane thinges and to breake the holie couenaunt which God had giuen them Darius made a decrée whosoeuer should aske a petition of any God or man for thirtie dayes saue of the King he should be cast into the denne of Lions Daniel would not be kept so long from the seruice of God Hee would not dissemble he would not hide his zeale nor shewe anie appearaunce of it He prayed and praysed God as he did before and opened his chamber windowes that it might bée séene Policarpus might haue saued his life if he woulde haue dissembled He would not he coulde not He sawe it woulde haue béene an appearaunce of euil and a discourage vnto the brethren therefore spake boldly Christianus sum I am a Christian. And béeing required to speake il of Christ saide Octoginta sex annos seruio ei nihil me laesit vnquaÌ„ quomodo possum maledicere ei blasphemare regem meum qui salutem mihi dedit I haue serued Christ these fourescore and sixe yeares and he did neuer anie thing hurt mee howe may I speake il and blaspheme my king which hath giuen me saluation This is my faith Christ is my God this is my religion I am not ashamed to suffer death rather than I wil denie him who suffered death in his owne bodie to sauâ—… mée It is good sayth
me I wrestle not with flesh and bloud but with the prince and power of darkenesse My enimies are strong they are the enimies of the crosse of Christ I am weake and of no resistance Our sufficiencie is of him Without him we can do nothing Praie for me that hée will put his word into my mouth that I may be a vessel of his glorie to preach foorth the glad tydings of his Gospell that I maie be a faithfull minister of the new Testament that I may disclose the mysterie of our redeÌ„ption that his holie spirit will assist me and make my trauels fruitfull V. 26. Greete al the brethren with an holie kisse 27 I charge you in the Lord that this Epistle be read vnto al the brethren the Saints Salute one another in token of true and vnfained loue And withholde not this Epistle from anie of the brethren It is written for their sakes Let them heare it that they maie take comforte by it How agréeth Paul in this charge with them that in no case would haue the people reade the Scriptures That saie Ignorance is the mother of deuotion It is the word of God the father why should not the people of God vnderstand it It is the water that springeth out to euerlasting life why should the people of God be driuen away and not suffered to drinke thereof It is the light of the worlde why should the people be hoodwinckt and kept that they should not looke vp and sée it Why should they sit and perish in the darkenesse of death It is the will of God that al the people should know him from the least to the greatest among them Saint Paule saith Whatsoeuer things are written aforetime are written for our learning that wee through patience and comforte of the Scriptures might haue hope Christ saieth This is life eternall to know thee to be the onelie very God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Let vs not forget these words of Paul I charge you in the Lord by his death by his crosse by his bloud by the daie of his appearance that this epistle be read to the learned and vnlearned to the wise and simple to the Maisters and to the seruants to al our brethren to all the sonnes of God V. 28 The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you Amen God open your eies that you maie behold the waie of righteousnesse and direct you that you may walke in it Through his grace you haue receiued the word and it hath bene fruitfull in you and by the same grace you shall continue in it euer His grace and blessing and mercie be with you al. AMEN FINIS ¶ The Second Epistle of the Apostle Saint Paul to the Thessalonians CHAP. I. PAule and Syluanus and Timotheus vnto the Church of the Thessalonians which is in God our father and in our Lord Iesus Christ. IN the former Epistle hée wrote somewhat touching the latter day and the comming of our Lord to iudgement and saide that that daie shall come as a théefe in the night and therefore arborted them to watch and praie and to prepare themselues to be in a readinesse The false Apostles did fondly and malitiously mistake his wordes and deuised meanes thereby to disquiet the mindes of the faithfull and to trouble the Church of God Thus could the Prince of darkenesse the olde Serpent and deceiuing spirite turne the truth of God into occasion of slander In the meane while the Apostle was farre off from them at Athens But when he heard of their case hée sent vnto them this other Epistle wherein hée declareth more plainely that matter which before séemed doubtfull and séeketh to satisfie their hearts and to remooue them from that errour which they had conceiued In discourse hereof he taketh occasion to speake of Antichrist of whome wée heare much and haue had warning often Hée telleth vs that he shall come in working of signes and wonders that he is the man of sinne which shal thrust himselfe into the place of Christ. Hée sheweth who is Antichrist and how we may know him what things hée shall doe what credite he shall haue in the worlde and by what power hée shall be ouerthrowne and confounded After this he speaketh of idlenesse and of bodily labour and requireth euerie man to liue in the sweate of their browes and in painefull trauel as God hath ordeined Other comfortable and necessarie doctrine is delâ—…uered in this epistle as wil appeare The whole matter of the epistle is so fit for these dayes in which we liue as if it were purposely written for vs. For we liue in the later age of the worlde and it cannot be but the end of al thinges is at hande and that the glorious appearing of our Lorde shal bâ—… shortly Paule and Syluanus and Timotheus This Epistle was sent not onely from Paule but also from Timothie and Syluanus These thrée were al guided by one â—…pirite and had al one like care for the Church of GOD. Therefore he writeth thus Paule and Syluanus and Timotheus the seruauntes of God chosen from our mothers wombe and appointed to publishe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to carie his name before Kinges and Princes and especially I Paule which am your father and hauâ—… begotten you in Christ which was sometimes a blasphemer and did persecute the faithful whom it pleased GOD to make a chosen vessel for himselfe which am also hated of my brethren and kinsmen after the fleshe for the Gospels sake and which am readie to giue my life for your behalfe Vnto the Church of the Thessalonians which is in God our father c. You are sayth he the beloued of God you are his people and he hath assured his mercie vnto you you haue the promise and the earnest of the life to come Here let vs marke the state of that countrie as it was then and compare it with it selfe as it is now Then it was the church of God for otherwise S. Paule would not so haue called it according to the grace of God giuen vnto him he layde the foundation he planted and watred their hearts and God gaue the increase So that they receiued the worde in much aâ—…tion and the worde of the Gospel sounded from them not only in Macedonia Achaia but their faith towardes God was spread also abroade in al quarters In such sort were they a Vessel sanoified vnto honour ful of blessing and ful of the mercie and grace of God But what is become of that countrey In what case standeth the church of Thessalonica at this day It is now the Sinagogue of Sathan vnder the tyrannie of the Turke and such as are enemies of the crosse of Christ. Such a change hath the right hande of the Lord wrought in that place which hath sometimes béene his holie Tabernacle I thought good to marke this that we might vnderstand how vaine a thing it is to put confidence in cities or churches or in
constant For you continued stedfast in the middest of persecution you haue béene tormented and iuffred afflictions in your bodie by the handes of tyrauntes yet could they neuer remoue you from your faith in our sauiour Iesus Christ nor from your obedience to the wil of God You knowe that al which wil liue godly in Christ Iesus shal suffer persecution Yet are you comforted and say as the prophet Dauid The Lord is with me therefore I wil not feare what man can doe vnto me You cannot forget who it is that saide Whosoeuer shal confesse me before men him wil I confesse also before my father which is in heauen But whosoeuer shal denie mee I wil also denie him before my father which is in heauen He that loseth his life for my sake shal finde it He that endureth vnto the ende he shal be saued And â—…gnien Blessed shal ye be wheÌ„ men reuite you and persecute you and saie al maner of euill against you for my sake falsely Reioice and be glad for great is your reward in heauen For so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you V. 5 Which is a manifest token of the righâ—…eous iudgement of God that ye may be counted worthie of the kingdome of God for the which ye also suffer 6 For it is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you 7 And to you which are troubled rest with vs when the Lord Iesus shal shew himself from heauen with his mightie Angels 8 In flaming fire rendring vengeance vnto them that doe not knowe and which obey not the gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ. 9 Which shal be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glorie of his power 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be made maruelous in al them that beleeue because our testimonie towards you was beleeued in that daie Many are the troubles which the righteous men do suffer but the Lord wil deliuer them After-Paul and Barnabaâ—… had preached the glaâ—… tidings of the gospel they confirmed the diâ—…ples hearts and exhorted them to conâ—…inue in the faith and said that we must through manie afflictions enter into the kingdom of God We must not therefore be afraid for anie terror of them which trouble vs for righteousnes sake but rather looking ouer and beyond them we must reioice and giue thankes to God who hath made vs worthie not onelie to beléeue in him but also to suffer for his sake For wee know that if our earthlie house of this tabernacle be destroied we haue a building giuen of God an house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens These persecutions and tribulations which you suffer are a manifest token saith the Apostle of Gods loue towards you For whom the Lord loueth he chastneth and he scourgeth euerie son that he receiueth The Prophets and Apostles and Martires which were not onlie reuiled and scourged but beheaded cut in péeces drowned in the waters consumed in the the fire or by anie other deâ—…ises of tyrants cruelly put to death did by this waie receiue the manifest token of their happie and blessed estate and by this way did enter into the kingdome of God Athanasius an antient father teckâ—…neth the suffering of persecution to be a special note of a Christian mâ—… saying Cadâ—… ChristianoruÌ„ proprium est câ—…dere auâ—… christionos Pilati Caiphae officia sunt It is the part of Christians to be persecuted but to persecute the Christians it is the verie office of Pilate and Caâ—…aphas The Lord is not vniust but al his workes are righteousnesse truth Their little short tribulation in this life prepareth an eternall excéeding weight of glory vnto his seruants Though they sow in teares they shal reape in ioâ—…e They shal be taken vp into heauen and shal sée God face to face and shal be crowned with glorie and honour As for the vngodlie it is not so with them they may flourish for a time and haue great power and authoritie in this worlde but the lamb shal ouercome them and their â—…nd shalbe according to their works Dauid saith Vpon the vngodly he shall raine snares fire and brimstone storme and tempest this shal be their portion to drinke When the Lorde Iesus shall shewe him selfe from heauen There are many which are ashamed of Christ and of his word in the presence of such as are enimies to the Crosse of Christ and haue countenance and auctoritie in this worlde But a time shall come when Christ will shewe himselfe from heauen accompanied with his holie Angels Then will â—…e also be ashamed of them and put them from his presence then will he render bengeauncâ—… to them that haue hated his trueth they shall then know whose members they haue killed and whose word and gospel it was which they so despitefully reproched Then the sâ—…ake of their torments shall ascend euermore and they shall haue no rest daie nor night In this maner shal God triumph in victorie ouer the wicked by iudging them to euerlasting destruction and wil shew himselfe wonderful in giuing rest and ioie and glorie and euerlasting blessednesse to all those which loue his trueth and beléeue in him V. 11 Wherefore wee also praie alwaies for you that our God maie make you worthie of this calling and fulfil al the good pleasure of his goodnesse and the worke of faith with power 12 That the name of our Lord Iesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Iesus Christ. God blesse that good thing which he hath begun in you and kéepe you stedfast in the truth that you looke not backe nowe after you haue put your hand to the plough and that you giue no place to their dangerous and subtle persuasions who persecute you take héede to your selues and beware that you put not the word of God from you He hath shewed you his goodnesse and mercie in that he hath deliuered you â—…rom the power of darkenesse and hath tranâ—… you into the kingdome of his deare son I make my praier to God without ceasing for you alwaies that he wil make you worthie of this â—…eauenly calling and that he will euer more more fil you with the riches and abunâ—…nce of his goodnes and mercie that through him you may be made perfect in al good works CHAP. 2. NOwe I beseech you brethren by the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ and by our assembling vnto him 2 That yee be not sodainely mooued from your mind nor troubled neither by spirite nor by word nor by letter as it were from vs as though the daie of Christ were at hand YOu are the children of those fathers which haue fallen from their stedfastnesse and haue béene led into errour beware least you also be carried away with euery blast of
called you I coulde speake such thinges wherewith you woulde be better pleased but your case is such it requireth rather frâ—… and planie and â—…arpe reprehension whereby you may be brought to consider and amend your errours than faire and smoothed spéech which might hould you stil in your follie Séeke therefore the kingdome of GOD and the glorie thereof and seeke not your selues Weigh trueth and falsâ—…de in an indifferent ballaunce so shâ—…l the heauier weight of the one soone bewray the lightnesse of the other What thing in the worlde so Massie and so weightie as is the trueth Harden not your heartes as did your Fathers in the Wildernesse It is no sinne to yéelde vnto GOD it is no shame to lay a part al affection and to chaunge your minde to the denial of al vngodlinesse and imbracing of true holinesse The wise man sayth There is a shame that bringeth sinne and a shame that bringeth worshippe and fauour In this sort it is likely the Apostle would haue spoken if néede had so required But nowe seeing them forcibly assaulted and that yet they striued with such good courage against the perswasions of the wicked he commendeth their stedfastnesse and exhorteth them by these wordes not to yéelde vnto their persecutours nor to goe from their faith in Christ Iesus Neither by spirite that is by reuelation of the spirite The spirite of God wrought mightily and bestowed sundrie and great giftes vppon men Christ sayde to his Disciples When they deliuer you vp take yee no thought howe or what ye shal speake for it shal bee giuen you in that same houre what yee shall speake For it is not ye that speake but the spirite of your father which speaketh in you And againe saith he I wil pray the father and he shal giue you an other comforter that hee may bide with you for euer The spirite of trueth whome the worlde can not receiue because the worlde feeth him not neither knoweth him but yee knowe him for he dwelleth with you and shal bee in you The holie Ghost shal be with you to assist you to teach you al thinges to direct your counsels to leade you into al trueth and to preserue you from al errour Nowe as the spirite of God was among the faithful and distributed to euerie man seueral giftes as it séemed best to profit withal so did the spirite of Satan waite vpon the wicked and possessed their hearts and bodies and caused them to imagine and to doe those thinges which were vnséemely He vsed them as instrumentes to disquiet the Church of God and to cast into it the séede of error of vntrueth and dissention Of such spirites Saint Iohn giueth warning saying beleeue not euerie spirite but trie the spirites whether they are of God for many false Prophets are gone into the worlde At what time Achab would not beléeue the aunswere which the Prophet Micheas made him there came foorth a spirite and stoode before the Lorde and sayde I wil go out and be a false spirite in the mouth of al his prophetes This spirite euer walketh vp and downe séeking whome hee may deuour and blindeth the mindes of many that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ may not shine vnto them Take héere that you be not deceiued by any such which shal séeke to abuse you by pretence of reuelation Though they shal take vpon them to tel you of the day or houre of the comming of our Lord beloeue them not for the false spirite is in the mouth of such prophetes Nor by worde or if anie shal report and goe about to perswade you that I haue so spoken or taught in the congregations or will boldely countenaunce out suche matter and tell you saring I was present I hearde his wordes and remember them this was the doctrine which Paule preached refuse him that is such a one for hee bringeth not the trueth vnto you but deceiueth you with lying and vaine fables Nor by letter as it were from vs. Againe it may bee they which lie in waite to destroye you for their better way wil counterfaite letters and sende them vnto you in my name This is a token in them that they bée past shame bee not you carried away by anie such pretence from that which wee haue preached vnto you Wée haue not taught you that the day of Christ is at hande Oh then be not so soone remooued away vnto an other Gospel by them which trouble you and intende to peruert the Gospel of Christ. Manie such sâ—…eightes and false deuises haue béene vsed by deceiuing spirites to blind the eyes of the simple There haue béene some which haue â—…etie abroade their owne fantasies vnder the names of Adam the first man that GOD created vppon the face of the earth and of Cain and Seth. Others haue called their owne dreames the Gospel of Thomas and of Bartholemewe and of Barnabee and of the Apostles of Christ. Saint August sayth of the Manichees Manichaeilegunt seripturas Apocryphas nescto à quibus sutoribus fabularum sub nomiâ—…e Apostolorum Scripâ—…as The Manichees â—…ead secret hidden Scriptures written I know not by what coblers of fables vnder the name of the Apostles Such writings were neuer written by them whose name they brare but were wickedly and falsely counterfaited vnder their names by sundrie heretiques This is that whereof our sauiour gaue vs warning Take heede that no man deceiue you for many shal come in my name saying I am Christ and shal deceiue many Againe he sayeth If any shal say vnto you lâ—…e here is Christ or there belecue it not for there shal arise false Christes and false Prophetes Into what shape can not he transforme himselfe in whose name wil not hée crastilie sette foorth his errours which dareth falfelie sette him selfe in the place of the â—…onne of GOD This hath euermore béene the practise of that olde Serpent to chaunge himselfe into the likenesse of an Angel of light and vnder the credite of holie men to deceiue the worlde with vnholy and vnwholesome thinges Since the time that the Church of God hath departed from hir first faith and would no longer be guided by the voyce of the Gospel what and howe great forgeries haue there béene wrought What Epistles and Canons and decretals haue béene deuised to maintaine seueral partes of false religion and published vnder the name of Clemens Cletus Anacletus and of others whereof these holie fathers neuer thought Thus haue they cioked themselues vnder the couert of the Apostles of the fathers of the primitiue church and haue thought to winne credite in the worlde by false shewe of antiquitie It is certaine that the sonne of man shal come with his holie Angels and shal rewarde euerie man according to that he hath doone in this life Then will he giue sentence against the wicked and wil place the faithful at his right hande In that day the heauens shal passe
away with a great noyse and the elementes shal melt with feruent heate the earth also and the workes that are therein shal be vtterly burned In that day we which liue and remaine shal be caught vp together with them that are dead in Christ in the cloudes to meete the Lord in the aire But of that daie and houre knoweth no man no not the Angelles of heauen but my father onelie saith our sauiour Christ. Now it remaineth that we sée by occasion of this practise of the false Prophets or false Apostles of whome Saint Paul héere warneth the Thessalonians howe the wicked abuse the holie Scriptures and vnderstand them contrarie to their meaning Saint Peter saide The daie of the Lord will come as a theefe in the night euen as Paule had written vnto this people as also it is spoken in the wordes of Christ They â—…all see the sonne of man come in the cloudes with power and great glorie The false Apostles vse the same wordes and wrest them to euill purpose and take vppon them to iudge of the end of the worlde and at what time the comming of Christ should be Christ saide Destroie this temple and in three daies I will raise it vp againe There arose certaine that did beare false witnesse against him saying we heard him saie hée would destroy this temple made with hands Then remembred that Temple was fortie and fire yeares a building and thought it impossible that he could reare it in three daies They tooke his wordes otherwise than bée meant They thought of the materiall temple of stone in Hierusalem and he spake of the temple of his bodie Againe Christ saith Thou arte Peter and vppon this rocke will I builde my Church These are the wordes of Christ spoken vnto Peter after he had witnessed of him that hée is Christ the sonne of the liuing God Héereof they say Peter is the rocke and the Bishop of Rome is Peters successor he is the rocke vpon which the church is builded and shall stand stedfast for euer But they vnderstand the wordes contrarie to the meaning For alas who would conceiue that God would build his Church vpon a man or vpon any creature Christ only is that rock whereupon his church is setled Other foundation can no man lay thaÌ„ that is laide which is Iesus Christ. Therefore Chrysostome expoundeth those wordes Super hanc Petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam id est super fidem atque confessionem I will builde my Church vpon this rocke that is vpon this faith and confession Likewise Saint Augustine Super hanc petram quam consessus es c. Vpon this rocke which thou hast confessed vppon this rocke which thou hast knowen saying thou arte Christ the sonne of the liuing God will I build my Church That is I will build my Church vpon my selfe which am the sonne of the liuing God I will not build my selfe vppon thee but I wil thee vpon me Christ saith Except a man be borne againe hee can not see the kingdome of God These words are most true For by our owne nature we be the vessels of Gods wrath and the children of danmation Vnlesse we be regenerate and borne a new of water and of the holie ghost we cannot be saued Yet Nicodemus a wise man a Pharisée and a ruler of the Iewes mistooke this speech it séemed strange vnto him how a man might be borne when he is olde Can he enter saith he the second time into his mothers wombe and be borne how can these things be Iesus aunswered and said vnto him arte thou a maister of Israel and knowest not these things This newe birth must be from aboue euen by the working of the holie ghost Againe Christ saieth Excepte yee â—…ate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud you haue no life in you The Iewes heard him but mistooke his words They did not vnderstand his meaning Therefore they said This is an hard saying who can abide the hearing of it They reasoned among theÌ„selues how it might be that either he could giue theÌ„ his flesh to eate or that thâ—…y could take his â—…esh and eate it or take his bloud to drinke it but when Iesus knewe that his Disciples murmured at it hee saide vnto them Doth this offend you It is the spirite that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing Hereof Augustine saith Acceperunt illud suulté c. They tooke the saying of Christ foolishly they thought of it carnally and imagined that the Lord would cut off fmall peeces from his bodie and giue it to them Therefore they saide This saying is hard They were hard and not the saying For if they had beene meeke and not hard they would haue said to themselues this is not spoken without some cause there is some mysterie hidden vnder his wordes And againe hée saith Spiritualiter intelligite quae loquutus sum Non hoc corpus c. Vnderstand those things spiritually which I haue spoken vnto You shall not eate with the mouth of your bodie this bodie that you see nor shall you drinke that bloud which they shall shed that shall crucifie me I haue commended vnto you some sacrament vnderstand it spiritually and it shal quicken you Thus we sée the true meaning of Christs words and after what grosse manner the Capernaites vnderstood them Let vs beware wée fall not into like errour Christ spake truely of his bodie when hée called it a Temple The Iewes destroyed it and in thrée daies he did raise it vp againe Mistake not his wordes be not deceiued It is true that he said Vpon this rocke will I build my Church Mistake him not Christ himselfe is the rocke and not Peter It is true that a man must be borne a new or else he cannot be saued Mistake not this hereby is meant not a bodily birth but a renuing of the soule of man It is truely said that Christs flesh is that bread that came froÌ„ heauen and giueth life to the worlde but mistake it not for this bread filleth not the bodie but the minde it requireth the hunger of the inner man Euen so is it true that the Apostle saith of the daie of the Lorde Take héede you mistake him not and fall into the errour of the false Apostles which take vpon the to appoint the time and houre when the son of man shall come vnto iudgement V. 3. Let no man deceiue you by anie meanes for that daie shall not come except there come a departing first and that that man of sinne be disclosed euen the sonne of perdition The Church of God hath euer béene vnder persecution and afflictions as may appeare by the stories of al ages but GOD hath not failed to comfort them and worke their deliuerance Israel was in great bondage vnder Pharao They were put to great stauerie to â—…hoppe strawe and to bake bricke c. Their male children were slaine before
called by the name of GOD. I will not tell you in mine owne wordes Vnlesse the Bishop himselfe so speake I will not tell you Marke then and witnesse of my indifferencie whilest I speake hereof that I followe not affection but deale vprightly Therefore I say againe vnlesse the Bishop himselfe suffer himselfe to be called by the name of GOD I will not so saie of him Then let vs sée what hée hath written of himselfe and what hée hath suffered others to write Pope Nicholas saith Constat summum pontificem à pio principe Constantino Deum appellari It is wel knowen that the Pope of the godlie Prince Constantine was called God And therefore Pope Pius in his Bull saieth Nemo audeat obedire No man dare obey hir or her will or commaundements or lawes vpon paine of our curse The Pope was well content to suffer Christopher Marcellus one of his Parasites in the Councel of Laterane to say vnto him Tu es alter deus in terris Thou arte an other God in earth The Pope is content in such sorte to haue a diuision of tenures made betwéene him and God as the Poet sometime flatteringly wrote Divinsuni imperium cum Iove Caesar habet The Emperour parteth his rule and holdeth halfe with Iupiter In the Extrauagants it is set down Dominus de us noster Papa Our Lord God the Pope Marke these words Our Lord God the Pope In them the Pope is called Lord and is called God Oh merciful Lord God which from thy heauens beholdest this vanitie how great is thy mercie in suffering this I deuise not this His owne bookes his owne doctors his owne decrées and decretals speake it and set it downe Credere dominum deum nostrum Papam non potuisse statuere prout statuit Hereticum censeretur To beleeue that our Lord God the Pope might not decree as hee decrecd it were a matter of Heresie It is so written there he hath heard it he hath séene it he knoweth it is so yet he suffereth it to goe abroad and thereby suffreth himselfe to be called God He hath burnt many Saints of God and holie men for no other cause but for the profession of the Gospell He hath in manie places burnt the holie Bible and such bookes as teach nothing but godlinesse Where did he euer burne what speake I of burning where may it appeare that euer he controlled any for so writing or called in such spéeches One of them séemeth to take shame of this shamelesse and blasphemous stile or title He séeketh friendly to temper and qualifie and take vp the matter Nec deus es nec homo quasi neuter es inter vtrumque Thou arte neither God nor man in a manner thou arte neither of both but rather a meane betweene both That is thou art not so high as God nor yet so base as man Whom then shal we imagine him to be Is he an Archangell or Angel or a spirite of the aire God giue him grace to sée his owne vanitie that hée maie knowe he is but a miserable and mortal man that hée maie knowe that a time shall come when his hipocrisie and dissimulation shall be disclosed GOD giue him grace to become godlie as becommeth the man of God That he maie indéed be the minister of Christ and a disposer of the secrets of God that hee may serue God in trueth in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of his life But you saie the Pope at this daie is not called GOD. Hée rather abaseth himselfe and writeth himselfe by a title of humilitie and is called so Servus servorum The seruant of seruants Be it so that he is so called and so written yet he is King of Kings and Lord of Lordes This seruant saieth I doe make holie the vnholie I doe iâ—…stifie the wicked I doe forgiue sinnes I open and no man shutteth This seruant can saie whosoeuer obeyeth not mée hée shall be rooted out This seruant maie dispence for anie commaundement of the olde and newe Testament This seruant hath Christs lieftenantship not onelie ouer things in heauen ouer things in earth and ouer things in hell but also ouer the Angelles both good and bad No man maie iudge this seruant For they saie Papa solutus est omni lege humana The Pope is exempted from all lawe of man And againe Nec totus clerus nec totus umndus potest Papam iudicare aut deponere Neither all the Cleargie nor all the whole world maie either iudge or depose the Pope Such a power this seruant of seruantes claimeth to himselfe What greater power maie be giuen vnto GOD What Angel what archangel euer had the like power And this power euen at this day Pope Pius chalengeth as proper to his seate That hée hath the authority which is due to Christ ouer his Church that no man may iudge him nor say he doth erre nor aske why he doth so He is inuested in the priuiledge of his Church and loseth no one iote of his dignitie It is yet good at this day which hath béene set downe Sacrilegij instar esset disputare de facto papae It is sinne as great as sacriledge or Church robbing to reason of anie the Popes doinges These be their owne wordes God knoweth before whom we stande this day they be their owne wordes and not mine Thus doth he sit in the temple of God shewing himselfe that hee is God And therefore may we say as sometime sayd Eusebius Hoc est argumentum eos odisse deum quod veâ—…nt seipsos appellari Deos. This is an euident token that they hate God because they wil haue themselues called by the name of God Or as Gregory who speaking of Antichrist saide Cùm sit damnatus homo nequaquà m spiritus Deum se esse mentitur Whereas he is a cursed man and not a spirite he faigneth himselfe by lying to be a God V. 5. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told ye these thinges Before I departed from you to goe farther to plant the Gospel in other churches I tolde you that Antichrist should come and that hee should oppresse and confounde the Church of Christ. Paule was chosen to be an Apostle The office of an Apostle was not to rest in any one certaine place but to passe from countrey to countrey from lande to lande and to fil al the world with knowledge of the Gospel and therein appeareth the difference betwéene an Apostle and a Bishop A Bishop had the charge of one certaine Church an Apostle had the charge ouer al the churches But Paule was not tyed to any one citie or Ilande or countrey He had authoritie to preach to al cities and countries to al landes and Ilandes from the east to the west So did Christ appoint his Apostles Goe ye into all the worlde and preach the Gospel vnto euerie creature They were not sent to Ierusalem
soule be subiect to mee Which shal say it is plaine that the church is one because in the vniuersal church there is one supreme heade that is the Pope Sybilla sayeth this king shal be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is shal haue a white heade and shal bée called by a name much like to Pontus In which two markes of his heade and name whom can we finde but a Bishoppe Who weareth solemnely a white myter of siluer and adourned with precious stones and in Latine is named pontifex Againe Ioachimus Abbas saieth he shal exalt himselfe aboue al that is called God for he onely shal bée called holy Lorde and most holy Pope So that for our direction we heare not only of a King of pride and his garde of priestes but we are learned that this king shal haue a white head and a name much like pontus that is shal be pontifex a Bishoppe Gregorie morcouer hath saide he shal cal himselfe or desire to be called an vniuersal priest and Ioachimus an Abbot hath tolde vs Antichrist shal be called â—…ly Lord and most holy Pope But where shal Antichrist bée resident In what place shal we séeke him for if we looke for him in one place and he be in an other we shal not finde him Where then is he stalled in what Citie in what Church Some saie in Babylon some in Syria some in Chaldea some in Hierusalem vpon mount Sion some in one place some in an other These are but gesses and beare no waight Paule telleth vs hée shall créepe into the Empire of Rome So saith the Apostle and so the fathers The Empire shall be made waste and then Antichrist shall come and inuade the Church But the Empire was great and wide it reached thed ouer a great part of the world It did containe England Fraunce Spaine Germanie Poland Denmarke Italie Illyricum Macedonia Thracia Graecia Asia Armenia Aegypt Mauritania and the rest of Affrica Al these were partes of the Empire of Rome In what part or in what Citie or in what Church of al these shall he sit Saint Iohn saieth The seauen heades are seauen mountaines on which the woman sitteth Antichrist shall sit in a Citie built vppon seauen hilles Where shall we find such a Citie in the whole worlde is it Hierusalem or Athens or Constantinople or Antioch Where wée finde a Citie so built that Citie is the place of Antichrist There is none but one The spirit of God cannot lie But which is that one Al writers as wel olde as new call that Citie Rome Rome is built vppon seauen hilles They be yet standing The names of the hilles are knowne to be these Palatinus Quirinalis Auentinus Caelius Viminalis Exquilius Ianicularis The Poet speaking of this Citie saith Septemque vna sibi muro circundedit arces And this one citie hath compassed in to it self with a wal seauen high places Therefore Plutarch calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of seauen hilles They haue vsed in Rome in their generall processions in gang wéeke to goe to these seauen hilles and to do some solemne péece of seruice at euery of them Rome is the Citie of seauen heades Rome is the Citie built vppon seauen hilles therefore the Citie which Iohn describeth and therefore it is the tabernacle and stal in which Antichrist shall sit Sybilla wrote two thousand yeares sithence That the greatest terrour and furie of his empire and the greatest woe that hee shall worke shall be by the bankes of Tyber And who is there that hath heard anie thing of the situation of Rome that doth not knowe it is built on the bankes of Tyber Irenaeus who liued welneare fiftéene hundred yeares agoe saith the name of Antichrist expressed by that number shall be Latinus that is he shall sit in a citie called Latium that is Rome Ioa. chimus Abbas saith Antichristus iam pridem natus est Romae altius extolletur in sede Apostolica Antichrist is long since borne in Rome and yet shal be aduanced higher in the Apostolike see Bernard saith Bestia illa de Apocalipsi cui datum est os loquens blasphemias bellum gerere cum sanctis Petri cathedram occupat tanquam leo paratus ad praedam The beast that is spoken of in the booke of Reuelations vnto which beast is giuen a mouth to speake blasphemies and to keepe warre against the Saintes of God is now gotten into Peters chaire as a Lion prepared to his praie These wordes are cleare as the sunne beames Saint Iohn saieth Antichrist shall sit in a Citie built vpon seauen hilles That Citie is the Citie of Rome Dame Sybilla saieth his greatest worke shal be by the bankes of Tyber That Citie so built is the Citie of Rome Ireneus saieth the name of Antichrist shall be Latinus this name belongeth to the Bishop of Rome Bernard saith the beast that is spoken of in the Reuelation is gotten into Peters chaire Iohn liued 1560. yeares since Sybilla 2000 Irenaeus about 1500 Ioachimus Abbas 300 Bernard liued about foure hundred yeares sithence and by the testimonie of all these Antichrist shall be a Bishop and placed at Rome You maruel at this howe it should be possible that Antichrist shoulde sit in Peters chaire you heare who hath said it and no wonder at al for he shal sit in the place of God in the holy place in the Church of Christ. So doth Augustine gather vpon the Apostles wordes Non enim templum alicuius idoli aut daemonis templum dei Apostolus diceret For the temple of an idol or of a diuel the Apostle would neuer call the temple of God And Hierome saith Antichristus sedebit in templo dei vel Hierosolymis vt quidam putant vel in Ecclesia vt verius arbitramur ostendens setanquam ipse sit Christus filius dei Antichrist shall sit in the temple of God either at Ierusalem as some imagine or in the church as we more truely thinke shewing himselfe as if he were Christ and the sonne of God Againe he saith of him Antichrist shall tread vnder his feete al approoued and true religion And Saint Hilarie saith Anne ambiguum est Antichristum in ijs esse sessurum Is there anie doubt but Antichrist shal sit in the same houses He shal sit in those houses and buildings with which you are in loue and which you honour And againe he saith Sub specie euangelicae pradicationis Christo contrarius erit vt dominus noster Iesus Christus denegetur quum praedicari creditur Hee shall be contrarie to Christ vnder the colour of preaching the gospel so that our Lord Iesus Christ shall then be denied when a man would thinke hee is preached Thus we wée haue séene who shall be Antichrist and in what Church hée shall be that he shall be a Bishoppe and shall be stalled or placed in Rome Now to returne againe to the wordes of the Apostle
passe The man of sinne is reuealed What a kingdome made he of purgatorie he shut out thence whom he listed and released such as were there at his pleasure He claimed power ouer the quick dead he sold the yeres the daiâ—…s and the monethes by rounde reckoning a hundred fiue hundred and a thousand and thousand thousands yeares of pardon Of which follie his owne Canonistes were ashamed One of them saith NaÌ„ quod dicitur Petro tibi dabâ—… claues c. Touching that Christ sayde vnto Peter Vnto thee wil I wiue the keies c. We must vnderstande this authority with a corne of salt other â—…ise it may be vnsauerie Therefore certaine of the Popes pardons that promise twentie thousand yeres are foolish and superstitious This was not giuen for nothing but solde for money Who had ought to giue had spéedy dispatch but poore soules that had nothing or no friendes to pay for them should lie still This was a wealthie kingdome But nowe where is purgatorie who regardeth it Who careth for it children scorne it in their stréets and knowe it is a â—…able Howe commeth this so to passe the wicked or lawelesse man is reuealed He was able to rule the whole world with a becke His word stood as the worde of God no Prince nor Emperour durst withstand it It was thought impossible that hee should â—…rre But nowe the worlde séeth his woâ—… deceiueable and vaine he erreth and hath liued in great errour Now fewe men wil beléeue him no Prince wil trust his word howsoeuer they whose eyes God hath not yet opened to sée the truth trust him in religion in worldly matters they wil not trust him How commeth this so to passe the man of sinne is reuealed What shall I saie more behold round about the worlde all places and euen Rome it selfe The poore massing Priest standeth a colde and can get no hire the Popes Palles lie a rotting his Bulles goe a begging his wares stand vpon his hand no wise man will buy them Why howe commeth this so to passe The man of sinne is reuealed all his deceit and treacherie is reuealed The Pope stirreth and striueth at this day al that he can He excommunicateth and curseth he sendeth out his bulles he bloweth vp seditions he bréeoeth treasons he raiseth subiects against their Princes he setteth Princes vpon their subiects he imprisoneth and murdereth the Saints of God he shaketh and enflameth the whole world in his quarrels But al in vaine Why so howe commeth this to passe there is no counsaile no wisedome no fire no sworde that shall preuaile against the Lorde The man of sinne and his errours are reuealed Men sée and know and detest the blindnesse wherein they were lead the people forsake him ouer and ouer the world Whom the Lord shall consume with the spirite of his mouth and shall abolish with the brightnesse of his comming 9 Euen him whose comming is by the effectual working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders 10 And in al deceiueablenesse of vnrighteousnesse among them that perish because that they receiued not the word of the trueth that they may be saued By the order of the Apostles wordes I shoulde nowe speake of the ouerthrow of Antichrist how and by what power he shall be confounded But because the two verses next following speake yet of the state of Antichrist by whose meanes he shal come and of what countenaunce he shall be and with whome he shall preuaile it shal be good we consider these things first and then shew how â—…e shall be destroyed When Christ came into the worlde hée came in the name of his father to saue the lost shéepe of the house of Israel and to gather the flocke that was scattered Antichrist shall come in the name of the Diuel to scatter and disperse and consume the stocke of Gods shéepe His comming shall be by the effectuall working of Sathan And what or who is Sathan he hath béene a murderer from the beginning through his enuie came death into the worlde hee is the Prince of this world the Prince of darkenesse the father of lies the spirite of pride which hath saide I will ascend aboue the height of the cloudes and I will be like the most high He shal worke and inflame the heart of Antichrist and fil it with his spirite and wickednesse and shall make him the man of sinne and the sonne of perdition full of vanitie and of pride and of vngodlinesse that he maie mocke the world and blind the hearts of the people His comming shall be by the working of Sathan yet he shall make shew as if he came in the name of Christ. He shall come with fatherly lóokes with holie countenance and shal set himselfe in the holy place but his whole indeuour shalbe to deface the kingdom of Christ which he shall practise to doe not by the leading of anie Angel or Archangel or by the power of God but by the effectuall working of Satan He shall alleage the Doctours and Fathers he shall alleage Peter and Paul the holy Apostles of Christ he shall alleage Christ and God himself as though his doings were warranted by them he shall saie I am the buttresse and pillar of the Church my word is the word of God he shal set vp masses and sacrifices of his owne he shall take awaie the word of God he shal teach the people to giue diuine honour to a weake creature But S. Paul in this place discloseth him and his doings and laieth them open to the eies of the faithfull He worketh not the worke of an Euangelist as did Peter or other the Apostles he taketh not power and auâ—…oritie either of God or of Christ but his comming is by the operation of Satan Therefore hee foresheweth Antichrist shal commaund to abstaine from meates He shall saie touch not taste not He shal also forbid to marrie He shal saie marriage is vnholie and vnlawful not conuenient nor méete for holie profession Who would not thinke it a holie thing to abstaine from meats and to chastise the bodie who would not think it a holie thing to abstaine from mariage and to thinke of those things which belong to God séeing holinesse and deuotion are a pleasaunt sacrifice to God but yet it is not al so Some shall speake lies through hipocrisie forbidding to marrie and commaunding to abstaine from meates They shal depart from the faith and giue heede to the spirites of errour and doctrines of Diuels He saith it is the Diuels gospel They are canons and rules of Antichrist Satan shal instruct him Satan shall bee the author and sounder of that religion With al power and signes and lying wonders and in al deceiueablenesse of vnrighteousnesse He shal néede to be of great power and force that shall incounter with God Therefore the Apostle saith he shal come with myracles and deuises of Satan Christ forefold that false Christs shall rise and false Prophets
and shall shew signes and wonders to deceiue if it were possible the verie elect Againe he saith Manie wil saie to me in that daie Lord Lord haue we not in thy name prophecied and by thy name cast out Diuels and by thy name done manie great workes and then wil I professe to them I neuer knew you depart from me ye that worke iniquitie These things shall Satan bring to passe vnder my name The Apostles wrought miracles thereby to confirme the Gospell which they preached As the Euangelist writeth The Lord wrought with them and confirmed the word with signes that followed And as the Apostle Saluation at the first began to be preached by the Lorde and was confirmed vnto vs by them that heard him God bearing witnesse thereto with signes and wonders and with diuers miracles and gifts of the holie ghost according to his wil. So shal Antichrist worke miracles to ouerthrowe the gospell As Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses so doe these also resist the truth men of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the faith But they shall preuaile no longer for their madnesse shall be knowne to all men as theirs also was Aaron cast foorth his rod before Pharao and his seruaÌ„ts and it was turned into a serpent And the charmers of Aegipt did in like maner with their enchauntments Aaron smote the water and al the water that was in the riuer was turned into bloud and the inchaunters of Aegipt did likewise with their sorceries And as Aaron caused frogges to come and couer the land so the sorcerers did likewise with their sorceries But the illusions of the magical Artes came to naught saith Salomon and it was a most shamefull reproch for boasting their knowledge So shall Antichrist come in working signes and lying wonders as did Iannes and Iambres to desace the gospell and glorie of God It is not saide he shal worke wonders but false lying wonders But howe can his myracles be false If false howe be they myracles If myracles how be they false They shal be false after two sortes some are called false myracles bicause they séeme to be myracles and are not Some are called false myracles because they are vsed falsly to mainetaine his falshoode Of the first sorte of false myracles we haue séene an infinite number in the daiâ—…s of our fathers in the kingdom of Antichrist Then was there appearance of spirits and visions of Angels our Ladie came swimming downe from heauen poore soules came créeping and crying out of purgatorie and ietted abroad and kept stations casting stakes of fire and beset highwaies and bemoned their cases the pains and torments were so bitter They sought for helpe and cried for good praiers they cried for Diriges they cried for Masses of Requiem for masses of Scala coeli for trentals of masses Hereof grew portsale of pardoÌ„s hereof grew the prouince of purgatorie the most gainfull countrie that euer was vnder y e citie of Rome But these myracles were no miracles at al. They were deuised by suttle varlets and lazie lordaines for a purpose to get money Oftentimes the spirite hath béene taken and laide in the stockes the Angel hath béene stript good Ladie hath béene caught the conueyance and the miracle hath appeared the engines and sleights and the cause and the manner of the working hath béene confessed In those daies Idols could goe on foote Roodes could speake Belles coulde ring alone Images could come downe and light their owne candles Dead stockes coulde sweat and bestirre themselues they could turne their â—…ies they coulde mooue their hands they coulde open their mouths they could set bones and knit sineâ—…es they coulde heale the sicke and raise vp the dead These myracles were conueyaunces and suttleties and indéed no miracles The trunks by which they did speake the strings and wiâ—…rs with which they mooued their faces and bands al the rest of their treacherie hath béene disclosed These be the miracles of which Paul speaketh Miracles in sight but indéede no miracles The other sort of false miracles is when such things as be in déede wrought and done are vntruelie applied by Antichrist to maintaine his falshoode God giueth recouerie to the diseased the deafe receiue their hearing the blind receiue their sight He asswageth the tempests and staieth the rage of fire that it continue not These things are done by the finger of God Antichrist draweth vs from so thinking of the mercie of God and telleth vs we haue other friends to whom we are beholding which haue done so and so for vs. It was this Saint saith he it was that Saint that tooke pitie of your case and wrought the remedie for you It was Apollonia it was Genouefa it was Sitha it was our Ladie Such a Saint is able to do much such a Saint can worke miracles Hereof grew inâ—…ocation of Saints Hereof it came to passe that ech Saint was assigned allotted to his sundry charge and seueral office apart Saint Blase for the choaking Saint Roch for the pestilence Antonie for the burning Valentine for the falling sickenesse Romane for madnesse Apollonia for the toothach Petronilla for agues and others for other purposes Wherein it was wisely foreseene that they were so limited and ordered least perhaps else any one might be ouer saucie and incroch vppon and trouble his fellowes It was also foreséene that al saintes shoulde not haue power to worke in al places Some wrought at Canterburie some at Walsingham some at Yorke some at Buxton some in one place some in another some in the townes some in the fieldes Euen as Hieremie saide among the Iewes According to the number of thy Cities were thy Gods Hereof grewe Pylgrimages and Worshipping of Images and kissing of Reliques Hereof grewe oblations and enritching of Abbies Euerie man had his peculiar Saint on whome he called Euerie countrey was ful of Chappels euerie Chappel ful of myracles and euerie myracle ful of lies These myracles are wrought by Anti-thriste They are his tooles wherewith he worketh they are his weapons wherewith hée preuayleth They are ful of lying full of deceitfulnesse and ful of wickednesse So shal Antichrist preuaile and rule ouer the worlde By these myracles he shal possesse the eares the eyes and the heartes of manie and shall drawe them after him He shall shadowe the Moone and darken the Sunne and make the thirde part of the starres of heauen to followe him Hée shal chaunge light into darkenesse and darkenesse into light Hée shal worke in al thinges at his pleasure If a man sée wel hee shal make him blinde This is a myracle Such as are whole he shal make sicke he shal infect them with leprosie which before were cleane This is a myracle He shal chaunge the sense and féeling of nature hée shal make the sonne hate the father and shal make the Father hate the sonne yea to séeke the death of his sonne This is a myracle Hee shal make the
shall set themselues against his holie will be they neuer so manie they shal be damned Let such marke wel what Ignatius who liued in the time of the Apostles hath saide Audivi quosdam dicentes si non invenero Evangelium in antiquis non credam Talibus autem ego dico quia mihi antiquit as Iesus Christus est cui non obeaire manifestus irremissibilis interitus est Ignaty epist. 5. ad Philadel I haue heard some which saie vnlesse I find the Gospell in them of olde time I wil not beleeue it But vnto such I saie that Iesus Christ is vnto me antiquitie Whome to disobey is manifest and vnpardonable destruction Let no man saie I hope I doe well my meaning is good I haue a desire to please GOD I beléeue well I doe my conscience If I doe aâ—…isse God will regard my simplicitie Let no man so saie Saint Augustine saith It is certain that a foolish faith not onelie doeth no good but also hurteth If thou beléeue not the truth thou dwellest in lying thou art the child of the Diuel which is a liar and the father thereof The mouth which speaketh lies slaieth the soule Thy faith is no faith it is but a wilful opinion it is but an errour for it is not according to the truth it is not built vppon the rocke it is not grounded on the word of God Change thine errour Faith is by hearing and hearing by the worde of GOD receiue the truth beléeue the truth and loue the truth Otherwise if thou refuse the breade of life and féede on poison if thou forsake the water of life and digge vnto thy selfe a Cesterne that wil holde no water thou shalt leade thy daies in wilfulnesse and shalt die in sinne thy bloud shall be vpon thine owne head Thou shalt not sâ—…e the glorie of God death and damnation shall be thy méede bycause thau hadst pleasure in wickednesse and diddest not giue thy heart to receiue and loue and beléeue the truth Nowe it remaineth that wée heare howe Antichrist shall be euerthrowen Wée haue séene his pompe and pride his might and power that hée ouerlooketh all the worlde bindeth all Kings and Princes and nations to kéepe his lawes and is himselfe exempted from all lawes of GOD or man So mightie and so maruailous is his power Who can declare it Hée is called of his owne side Stupor mundi The gaze stocke or wonder of the world Something lesse than God something more than man But being in all this estate in the middest of his Pontificalibus so fast mortized so high built vppe to the skies so surely shoared so strongly beset on euerie side hée shall be sodainely shaken downe and become the shame of the world How maie this be done being so mortized so built so shoared and so beset who shal shake him downe What power shall consume him shall it be the great power of Kings or of Emperours They shall giue their power and auctoritie to the beast and fight with the lamb that is against Christ. Shal it be the auctoritie of Bishoppes and Cardinalles and great Clearkes al they are lincked and ioined to him Shall it be by the wisedome and drift of Counsailours and men of lawe They be the féede men and sworne to him Shal it be the violence and conspiracie of the people They shall knéele downe to him and honour him and reuerence him as an Angell of God If neither the power of Doctours nor of Bishops nor Archbishops if not the power of Counsailors and men at lawe if not the power of the Kings and Princes of the worlde if not the power and commotion of the people if al these shal not abolishe him what power then is it wherewith he shall be consumed it shal be the power of God which shal be reuealed from aboue The Lorde shall consume him with the spirite of his mouth These wordes are diuersly taken Some â—…und them thus GOD shal appoint the great Angel Michael to set vppon Antichrist and he shal destroy him Others take these wordes to be spoken of the daie of iudgement and then this shal be fulfilled when Christ shall saie Departe from mee yee cursed into euerlasting fire that this is the spirit of the Lordes mouth wherewith hée shall be consumed But the Apostle speaketh of the preaâ—…hing of the gospel That God by his word which is mightie to doe al that whereunto hée appointeth it shal make his doings manifest and let al the world sée that he was not sent of God that he did neuer set foorth the glorie of God that hée hath not sought the saluation of the people that in matters of faith and in al his life he is aduersarie to Christ this is that breath that shal descrie his errours and vanities this is that spirite which shal consume the kingdome of Antichrist This ouerthrowe is alreadie begun as our eyes may beholde this day In like sort speaketh Esay the prophet He shal smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lippes shal he slaie the wicked Princes make their conquests by power and strength by fire and sworde and engines of warre but God shal beate downe his aduâ—…rsarie with the râ—…d of his mouth By the true preaching of his worde His worde is mightie it is his sword it is his mace it is the rod of his mouth it is the breath of his lippes It is of great force no strength shal withstand it it shal finite the earth it shal â—…ea the wicked S. Paule sayth We doe not warre after the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are mightie through God to cast downe holdes This sword hath hewne downe in many places the crueltie tyrannie simonie insatiable gréedinesse the errours ignoraunce darkenesse vanities hipocrisie superstition and idolatry which haue bin brought into the church and vsed by Antichrist These were the pillars and strength and glorie of his kingdome And here marke the Apostles spéech Hée saith not God shal coÌ„uert Antichrist or change his heart that he may be saued But he sayth Whom the Lord shal consume Gods word is almightie By his word he can do whatsoeuer pleaseth him He can make the deafe to heare the blind to sée He was able to cal the théefe vpon the crosse vnto repentance He was able to raise vp Lazarus out of his graue He is able of stones to raise vp children to Abraham He can throw downe euery high thing that is exalted against the glorie of GOD and wil bring kinges and Princes and the rulers of the earth to the obedience of Christ. But of Antichrist it is sayd The Lorde shal consume him Such is the hardnesse blindnesse of his heart he wil not receiue the loue of the truth he wil not beléeue the trueth of God that he might be saued Therefore destruction shal come vpon him Hereby we are taught what to thinke or hope of
reformation of the abuses and errours of the church of Rome They haue béene aduertised of them not only by the professours of the gospel but also many of themselues haue spoken for reformatioÌ„ of sundrie abuses They haue kept many counsailes and assemblies They haue promised redresse They haue sit in consultation many yeares What one thing haue they reformed sée looke ouer their aâ—…es and sessions They be abroad in print Hitherto they haue reformed nothing no not their pardons no not their srâ—…ws they haue hardned their heartes and set themselues against the highest Therefore shal the glorie of the Lord shew it selfe in their destruction With the breath of his lippes they shal be consumed and brought to nothing And shal abolish with the brightnesse of his comming The Lord shal come and shal make his enemies his footstoole Then the sunne shal be black as a sackcloth the moone shal be like blood There shal be an earthquake Kinges great men and rich men and euery bond man and frée man shal hide themselues in dennes they shal say to the hils and mountaines and rockes fal vpon vs hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe Then shal Antichrist be quite ouerthrowen Then his kingdome shal be vtterly abolished and haue an end Then it shal appeare who hath sought the glorie of Christ who hath followed the doctrine of the gospel and who hath done the true endeuor of a faithful shepheard theÌ„ it shal appeare who is the woolfe who scattereth spoileth the flocke S. Hierome sayth Circumdabit â—…um calix dextere domini c. The cuppe of the Lordes right hande which is the Lorde and sauiour shal compasse him about when hee shal staie him with the breath of his mouth and shal destroie him with the brightnes of his comming Then al the ignominie and shame which hee hath heaped vp vppon himselfe with thoughtes deedes and wordes shal fal vppon his glorie and pompe in so much that he shal be afterwarde as vile and contemned of al men as he was before reputed or highly esteemed of them This might suffise touching the ruine and fal of Antichrist Yet I wil adde to that hath béene spoken the maner of the sight and of the victorie and of the triumphe which shall followe The fight is doubtful and daungerous the victorie shal be glorious the triumph shal be ioyful Heare let vs cal to remembraunce the warres which tyrantes and vngodly princes haue made against the people of God and what hath followed Scuacherib the great king of the Assirians came vp against Ierusalem with horses chariots and infinite nuÌ„bers of pickt souldiers The whole countrey of Iewrie was in an agonie al the people were astonied with feare to sée so many enemies and themselues so fewe to sée the enemies so strong and themselues so weake They knewe not neither where to séeke aide nor how to escape the present danger Sodainly the Lord sent his Angel from heauen to relieue his people In one night he smote in the campe of the Assyrians an hundred foure score and fiue thousand which were al dead coarses The residue were scattered and ranne away stragling they knewe not where to hide their head King Senacherib went his way and returned And when he was in 〈◊〉 at home and woorshipping his God Nisroch in the temple Adramelech and Sharezer his sonnes slew him Remember the cruel warres which Nabuchodonozer King of Babilon made against Gods people He tooke their citie spoyled their Temple sacked Ierusalem and gaue the pray to his souldiers He tooke the Nobles and gentlemen and marchants and yeomen and led them captiues Some of them he tooke with him to Babilon and some he sold for money so great and so terrible was his victorie In the middest of al his pompe God bereft him of his wit and astonied him with deadly madnesse He was driuen from men and did eate grasse as the Oxen and his bodie was wet with the dewe of heauen til his hayres were growen as Eagles feathers his nayles like birds clawes He imagined that he was an Oxe that he had hoofe and horne and haire as Oxen. Hée therefore forsooke his palace his princely apparel and daintie fare and lay abroade and fed with beastes So did God auenge the cause of his people Who hath not heard of the war which Pharao had against the Israelites the battaile was strange and the victory sodaine The people of god was beset with dangers on euery side the wildernesse had shut them in Before their faces they saw the raging sea that they could not scape it behinde their backes they did beholds Pharao with his army march after theÌ„ if they went forward they must néedes be drowned if they retired they must néedes be slaine Their enemies were mightie and they were weake Sodainly God deuided the waters made the sea dry land so that the children of Israel went through the middest of the sea vpoÌ„ dry ground safely as through a medow Pharao followed after with his sword and speare to worke his fury Then the sea returned to his course and drowned the chariots horsemen and al the host of Pharao there remained not one of them aliue Their carkases lay afloat vpon the water and were cast in heapes vppon the shoare Such shal bee the ende of those that hate the Lorde So shal he make his name triumph ouer al the world Let vs imagine a battaile of two mightie princes both of great power and of great â—…ourage they méete togither in the fielde they ioyne battaile both sides encounter together either part is bent to beate downe the other what an horrour is it to heare the braying of Horses the sounde of trumpets the thunder of drummes the roaring of guns the clashing of swords the groning and mournful voice of them which are slaine and the crying trembling of the people nowe let vs by this make some resemblance of the battaile betwéene Christ and Antichrist betwéene Christ the sonne of God and Antichrist the sonne of the diuel Either of them is wel prepared They are both mightie and haue both of them souldiers and knightes to attende vpon them Antichrist shal come from the earth for al his glorie is vpon the earth his power shal be the power of Satan Christ shal come from the heauens aboue euen from the bosome of his father What cognisance shal they giue how by what difference shal their souldiers be discerned the ensigne of Christ shal be enerlasting truth the ensigne of Antichrist shalbe falshood and vanitie and al deceitfulnesse By these markes shal either be knowen With what souldiers shal they make their fielde they that shal follow Christ are poore and simple who haue forsaken themselues their goods and their liues and tremble at the worde of God The men of warre which fight with Antichrist and followe him shal bee
beléeue the word of God Faith knoweth no falshood it beholdeth the truth onely and not al truth but the truth of God It is not setled vpon vanities nor vpon errors Unlesse it be truth by the word of God whatsoeuer thou holdest in opinion is not to be called faith The Turke is setled in errors he perswadeth himselfe hee is rightly setled he calleth his opinions Faith and beléese Yet this is not faith because it is not the faith of truth it hath not the worde of GOD to assure it Therefore when men wil say beléeue our Masses beléeue our sacrifices beléeue our transubstantiations and our real presences beléeue vs what soeuer we say beléeue that we can not erre beléeue that you are in a good beléefe if you say you beléeue as the Church beléeueth though you knowe not how or what y e Church beléeueth They abuse and mocke the people of God There is no truth in this doctrine It neuer past out of the mouth of God God ordeined not Masses nor that the priest should offer sacrifice for the quicke and dead Therefore it is no matter of faith it is folly and vanity it is vngodlinesse it is errour it hath no substance He that receiueth such doctrine maketh much of a shadowe he can not hold it Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the worde of God The worde of God is trueth The Gospel is the worde of God and the power of God to saue them that beléeue The beliefe of the Gospel is laide vp in our heartes by the spirite of God He bringeth vs to the knowledge of the trueth This spirite beareth witnesse vnto our spirite that we are the sonnes of God This spirite teacheth vs to withdrawe our mindes from worldly cares to cal our doings to a reckoning to thinke of the dreadful day of iudgement to repent for our former sinnes and to serue GOD in holinesse and righteousnesse This spirite sheweth vs the mercy of God helpeth vs to pray and prayeth for vs is our comforter helpeth our inâ—…irmities and maketh vs knowe the things that are giuen vs of GOD. This did Dauid sée when he praied Create a cleane heart in mee oh God and renue a right spirit within mee My heart is sinfull my heart is foule renue it with thy spirite thy spirite in right he shall make my heart cleane Againe take not thy holie spirit from me I am thy seruant and the sonne of thy handmaiden turne thy farâ—… awaie from my sinnes beâ—…lde me and receiue me in thy mercie Restore me to the light of thy countenance Open thou my lippes and my mouth shal shew foorth thy praise stablish me with thy frée spirit This strength we gather in God by his spirite This comforteth vs in al temptations and â—…areth witnesse with our spirit that we be the children of God that God hath chosen vs and doth loue vs and hath prepared vs to saluation that wée are the â—…eires of his glorie that God will kéepe vs as the apple of his eiè that de wil defend vs and we shall not perish V. 15. Therefore brethren stand fast and keepe al the instructions which yee haue beene taught either by word or by our epistle God hath set you in a race Let no man hinder you let no man kéepe you from the goale Stand past and kéepe that doctrine which you haue 〈◊〉 I was present with you I taught you by 〈◊〉 of mouth when I was away from you I taught you by letters I am carefull for you I beare you in my heart and loue you 〈◊〉 Christ Jesus Hée hath giuen me charge euer you hee will require you at my handes I haue clensed and garnished your hearts by the word of trueth take héede take héede the wicked spirit come not and bring seaâ—… spirites worse than himselfe and enter in and â—…el with you and the end of you be worse than the beginning Remember Lots wife shée went not foorth straight into the maie appointed her but looked backe behind hir and she became a pillar of salt and so continueth vntill this daie A terrible example to those which haue set their hand to the plough and looke backe againe and haue made themselues vnworthie the kingdome of heauen God will forsake such and make their hearts hard as a stone You are the â—…ome of the Lordes fielde God hath blessed you growe then and be fruitfull vntill the haruest that you may be gathered into the Lordes barne You are the light of God which God himselfe hath kindled let no pâ—…ffe of wind put you out You are the house of God God hath built you vppon a rocke let no violence nor tempestuous-weather beate you downe I haue spoken to you I haue written to you I haue shewed you the whole counsaile of God The word which I spake to you is the verie worde of God I testitie before the Lord and call God to witnesse vnto my soule that it is the truth of God and not anie deuise of man You did beléeue it you receiued it not as the word of men but as it is indeede the word of God Become not now vnfaithful although you spie many infirmities in your teachers although you sée them fal into offences and ware couetous and giue euil example in their life and conuersation Although you sée the faith of manie shalten and that they haue put away from them a good conscience and turne backe from the loue of the gospell which they once séemed to professe and so are gone out from among you yet stande you vpright Hold fast y e doctrine which you haue receiued and continue in the things which you haue learned and be perswaded that they are able to make you wise vnto saluation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus Christ saith woe be to the worlde because of offences whosoeuer shal offend one of these litle ones which beléeue in mée it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his necke and that hée were drowned in the deapth of the sea And againe hee saith Blessed is he which is not offended in me Therefore worke your own saluation in trembling and in feare Blessed is he that abideth with Christ in temptations and continueth faithfull vnto the end V. 16. Nowe the same Iesus Christ our Lorde and our God euen the father which hath loued vs and hath giuen vs euerlasting consolation and good hope through grace 17 Comfort your hearts and stablish you in euerie worde and good worke After his exhortation that they would stand fast and continue faithfull vnto the ende hée turneth himselfe to God and praieth him to looke vppon them mercifully downe from heauen and to fulfill the worke begunne and to increase and multiplie his grace in them So ought al Preachers and seruantes of God to doe in their sermons For alas what are we what is our worde what is our labour without the assistance of God We are onelie the voice of a crier
in the wildernesse wée call vppon the people to prepare the waie of the Lorde and to make his paths straight wée giue warning that the Lord is euen at hand He that teacheth is nothing hée that planteth is nothing he that watereth is nothing our tongue is nothing our word is nothing our wit is nothing Peter is nothing Paul is nothing It is God which openeth the hearts of the people and maketh them tremble at his words It is God which giueth the increase and maketh his worde to be of force The Prophet saith The Lord gaue the worde great was the companie of Preachers It is the worke of GOD both to make his worde mightie and to make the people to receiue it and yéelde vnto it Hée giueth vs hearts to féele the comfort of his word and to yéeld our obedience in doing as the worde requireth For he is the father of lights from whom al giftes are powred downe vppon vs. Wée are the children of Adam wée are flesh and bloud and nothing but vile claie and ashes Our eies are dimme our senses dul and our hearts heauie Christ telleth vs truely Without me ye can do nothing neither heare the word nor beléeue it I marke your presence that you are manie gathered together this daie in this place Euerie man séemeth to stand with bent countenance and earnest lookes and desirous to learne And albeit I which speake am but a worme vnworthie to créepe vppon the earth yet the word which we haue heard is the word of God the word of comfort and the word of life But God knoweth in al this companie how manie haue eares to heare In the Acts of the Apostles when God opened their harts they vnderstoode the Scriptures Before they heard and knew not what they heard Paule preached Lydia a woman which solde purple heard him the Lord opened her heart that shée hearkned vnto Paul Then she vnderstoode his words and beléeued This comfort is of God who hath loued vs and hath giuen vs euerlasting consolation he wil giue you vnderstanding hearts and will stablish you in euerie word and good worke CHAP. 3. FVrthermore brethren praie for vs that the word of the Lord maie haue free passage and be glorified euen as it is with you PRaie for me that I may be a faithfull seruante doing the will of GOD from my heart that he will open my mouth boldly to publish the secret of the Gospell and to declare the riches and glorie of his kingdome For of my selfe I am nothing I haue not the key of Dauid I cannot giue light vnto the worâ—…e and am not able to open the hearts of the people That the word of God may haue free passage he saieth not praie for vs that my word may haue passage or that my name may be spoken of and glorified or that the people may beholde my doings and talke of me For we preach not our selues but Christ Iesus the Lorde and our selues your seruants for Christes sake I am but an vnprofitable seruant I am the poore Ore that treadeth out the wheate I am a poore crier to proclaime the will of the Lorde Praie you that the worde of the Lorde may haue frée passage that the Gospell of Christ may be glorified that the hearts of the people may be readie and gréedie to receiue it that the kingdome of Heauen suffer violence and the violent take it by force that the worde may so possesse the heartes of the people as fire hath passage through stubble that it may shine as the sunne beames ouer al the worlde that it may be knowne from Cast to Weast and from North to South In this forte pray that the worde may haue a glorious entraunce into you and also among other Héerein shall appeare the loue you haue to the Saintes and the zeale you beare to the house of God when you wish others to be partakers of his blessednesse with you when you séeke not your owne glorie but the building of the Church of Christ when you praie that GOD will be mercifull vnto otherâ—… as vnto you that a light may be giuen to them which sitte in darkenesse and in the shadow of death that they may knowe the time of their visitation Such a praier made Dauid God be merciful vnto vs and blesse vs and cause his fare to shine among vs that they may knowe thy waie vpon earth thy sauing health among al nations Let the people praise thée oh God let al the people praise thée Thus did Hieremie praie Turne thou vs vnto thee oh Lord and we shall be turned Giue vs a new heart and a new spirit encline our hearts vnto thy testimonies that wée may knowe and feare thy name So did Christ teach vs to praie Halowed be thy name among the infidels which knowe thée not let thy name be had in reuerence among al people Thy kingdome come thy will be done There is no other God but onelie thou let al the earth come and worship thée Euen so must we also pray that the word of God may haue frée passage and his name be glorified in al places V. 2. And that we may be deliuered from vnreasonable and il men for al men haue not faith 3. But the Lorde is faithfull which will stablishe you and keepe you from all euill 4. And wee are perswaded of you thorowe the Lorde that yee both doe and will doe the thinges which wee commaunde you 5. And the Lorde guide your heartes to the loue of GOD and the wayting for of Christ. From vnreasonable and euil men Which conspire against the Lorde and his annointed which blaspheme that good name that is called vpon vs. Such were Iannes and Iambres which resisted Moses in the time of the lawe Such were they in the time of the Prophets which saide The worde that thou hast spoken vnto vs in the name of the Lorde wee wil not heare it of thee But we wil doe whatsoeuer thing goeth out of our owne mouth as to burne incense to the Queene of Heauen as we haue done both we and our fathers our Kings and our Princes Such were in the time of the Gospel the Scribes and the Pharises Which made the commaundement of God of no authoritie by their tradition Which turned darknesse into light and light into darkenesse Such was Alexander the copper smith Such were others The whole Scriptures are ful of such They were false prophets false Apostics false brethren They cauled diâ—…sion in the church They went out to preach in the name of Christ but inwardly they were rauening woolues Such were in the dayes of our fathers and such there are in our dayes such Iannes and Iambres such idol worshippers such srorners of Gods word such scribes and Pharises such Alexanders such false prophets false Apostles and false brethren we haue more than a good many in our dayes They pretend the Gospel no man more In company of protestants
I can make no account of him He is not within Paules reckning The workman is worthie of his hire But what right hath hée to the hire which is not a workeman I might saith he haue receiued mainteinance at your handes but I tooke nothing that I might be an example for you to follow that none shoulde liue idlely but that They worke with quietnesse and eate their owne bread Idlenesse is the mother of all mischiefe An idle packe is as if he were alreadie dead His féete serue him not to trauaile his hands helpe him not to worke his eies serue him not to sée his estate his heart regardeth not the time and miserie of his age Beggerie falleth vpon him and gnaweth his bones but he feéleth it not For he is as if he were alreadie dead Salomon faith He that foloweth idlenesse hath no vnderstanding And againe He that followeth idlenesse shall be filled with pouertie He is vnprofitable to himselfe and vnto others His children shal begge at euerie doore Againe he saith The slouthfull wil not plough because of winter hee shall begge in sommer but haue nothing That is men that haue receiued encrease of Gods blessing by taking paines shall denie breade vnto such and vpbraide them for their idleuesse and so driue them to labour They will saie as it is deuised that the Ant said in like case to the Grashopper In the sommer thou diddest nothing but sing therefore thou maist sterue in the winter These extremities be great if a man wil weigh them aduisedly Yet Ecclesiasticus saith farther Idlenesse bringeth much euil It is an euil teacher He that doth nothing is ill occupied The minde of man is euer stirring and doing somewhat If it be not doing well it is doing ill Water is cleare and faire fresh comfortable yet if it stand still in a hole or be kept long in a vessel whence it hath no issue it wil rotte and smell and be vnwholesome Euen so it fareth with the sons of Adam if they haue nothing to doe no waie to bestowe their witte they will rotte and proue vnwholesome and deuise mischiefe al the daie long What is it that filleth the prisons and bringeth so manie to the gallowes and causeth so many parents to bewaile the vntimely death of their children but idlenesse when the poore wretches haue receiued their iudgement and come to the place of execution and stand on the ladder what counsaile giue they to young men and to children but to beware of idlenesse what is cause of such and so manie diseases in the bodie Aske the Phisitions and they will tell you idlenesse Whereof rise mutterings in Cities against Magistratrs whereof rise rebellions in kingdomes against Princes you can giue no greater cause thereof than idlenesse Beholde saith the Lorde this was the iniquitie of thy sister Sodome pride fulnesse of bread and abundance of idlenes This was it that called for fire downe from heauen and wasted so manie cities into ashes Christ saieth Of euerie idle word that men shal speake they shal giue an accompt thereof at the day of iudgement If we shal make accompt for our idle wordes what shall we doe for our idle handes for our idle féete for our idle bodie for our idle soule what accompt for al our idlenesse shall wée make at the daie of iudgement We warned you saith the Apostle that if anie would not work the same should not eatâ—… This is a hard saying yet saith Paule I my selfe haue kept it I haue fulfilled it in mine owne bodie He doth not saie if any be sicke or weake or impotent and can not worke but if anie be idle and froward and will not worke to such a one giue not to eate that so he maie sée the daunger of idlenesse and worke with his handes the thing which is good that he maie haue to giue him that needeth It is not lawfull to giue them the breade of the Church and the almes ordained for reliefe of the poore This bread they maie not eate But you will saie Kings and Counsailours Bishoppes Preachers and all other sorts of learned men neither plough nor sow nor hedge nor ditch nor vse such painefull labour of the body they sit at rest and liue idlely They that so thinke are deceiued The toile which princes take and the great cares wherwith they are occupied passe al other cares in the world Saint Paul calleth the office of a Bishop a good worke If a bishop or minister studie the Scriptures preach the gospel catechize the children and take a care of the soules of Gods people if he sowe the Lordes fielde féede the Lords flocke thresh the Lords corne and walke before the people carefully if he haue the care of the Churches and can say with the Apostle who is weake and I am not weake who is offended and I burne not any offence that is giuen to my brother is to mee as a fire or as a torment If he be instant in season and out of season if he do the worke of an Euangelist and make his ministerie fully knowen he shal finde himselfe occupyed and not be idle The maister of the shippe séemeth to bée idle to sit stil and to doe nothing He stirreth not the pumpe he driueth not the oares he soundeth not the déepe he rideth not the ropes he skaleth not the shrowdes hee runneth not hither and thither forewarde or backwarde vnder the hatches or aboue Hée sitteth stil holdeth his peace and looketh vpon the loade starre and in appearaunce doth nothing But his labour passeth all the rest Whithout his labor al the paines which the other Mariners take were lost Were it not for his labour the shippe woulde soone strike vpon rockes and be stayed in the sandes and they al should perish Euen so fareth it in the state of princes and of their counsaylors they séeme to doe nothing yet they doe al thinges which is for the peace and the wealth and the safegarde of al the people Be not wearie in wel doing many occasions to discourage you to doe wel The worlde is ful of lets but be you stedfast vnmoueable abundant alwaies in the worke of the Lord for as much as you know that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. Stand fast and kéepe the instructions which you haue béene taught Distribute to the necessitie of the saints Doe good vnto al men especially to them that be of the housholde of faith Liue not after the lusts of men in wantonnesse drunkennesse gluttonie and in abhominable idolatrie Though they speake euil of you because you runne not with theÌ„ vnto that same excesse of riot though the Diuel cast you into prison and there you haue tribulation be you faithful vnto death They that haue afflicted you shal giue an account to the righteous iudge and the afflictions which you suffer in this present time are not woorthie of the glorie which
hande is mightie his worke shal stande his word is forcible his hey is the key of Dauid it openeth and no man shutteth it shutteth and no man openeth God is departed from thy heart his spirite wil not dwel in a filthie soule there is no agréement betwéene God and Belial Thy soule is voyde of grace and of the feare of God What becommeth of thee in this case Whither doest thou goe into what miserie doest thou fal into the gulfe of death into the seate of pestilence and the power of Sathan and the snares of the Diuel into a reprobate minde Thy heart followeth him thy soule serueth him He is the father of al the children of disobedience and his children followe him Thou art filthie and increasest in filthinesse the feare of God is not before thée thou doest not acknowledge thy sinne because of the blindnesse of thy heart Wreake not thy selfe vppon thy neighbour that accused thée nor vppon the Iudge that pronounced sentence against thée The sentence is none of his this is not his worke he hath not iudged thée The hande of God is stretched foorth to thy punishment it is thine owne life and wickednesse which forceth indgement vppon thée The Iudge sitteth in the place of GOD in the seate of iustice hée can not blesse that GOD hath cursed hee must néedes doe right and eqâ—…ie Hee séeth the abhomination of thy life 〈◊〉 séeth the filthinesse which thou hast done in the house of God and therefore saieth In nomine Dei c. in the name of the liuing God and of Iesus Christ before whome I stande and before whome al flesh shall appeare by the authoritie of his word and by the power of the holie ghost I diuide thée from the felowshippe of the Gospell and declare that thou arte no more a member of the bodie of Christ thy name is put out of the booke of life thou hast no parte in the life to come thou arte not in Christ and Christ is departed from thée I deliuer thée to Sathan the Prince of darknesse Thy rewarde shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Thou shalt sterue and wither and not abide The grace of GOD is taken out of thy heart The face of the Lorde is vppon al them that doe euill they shall not taste of his mercie As for the Iudge and Minister which giueth sentence against thée hée mourneth and lamenteth for thée When he striketh thée hée striketh himselfe We are al one flesh and one bloud and al together make one bodie and are one an others members Therefore when he doth excommunicate thée from the brethren he cutteth off an arme from his owne bodie Ieremie dealt roughly with the people that offended God and threatned them that the enimie should come vpon them the sworde shoulde deuoure them and they shoulde be vtterly destroied yet he wished that he had a streame of teares that his hart might haue wherwith to mourne for their transgressions Dauid praieth that God will stretch foorth his hand vpoÌ„ the wicked Scatter them abroad by thy power and put them downe oh Lorde our shield Againe Let them be chaffe before the winde and let the Angel of the Lord scatter them And againe Let their table be a snare before them and their prosperitie their ruine Againe Let his praier be turned into sinne Aide him not heare him not when hée calleth vnto thée Yet he saith I saw the transgressours and was grieued because they kepte not thy word I pined away and consumed to death the griefe was so deadly vnto my soule Christ cried out woe vppon Corazin and Bethsaida vppon the Scribes and Pharises yet when he came nigh to Ierusalem he wept ouer it saying Oh if thou haddest euen nowe at the least in this thy daie known those things which belong vnto thy peace but nowe are they hidde from thee Thine enimies shall make thee euen with the grounde they shall not leaue in thee a stone vpon a stone because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation Euen such a sorrowe also had Saint Paule for those that offended God Who is weake and I am not weake who is offended and I burne not My bodie is shaken my heart is wounded for them such a care haue I for the church of God It is reported of Iohn the Euangelist that hée commended a yongman to the education of a certaine Bishop nigh to Ephesus and when he heard that he was fledde and followed the companie of such as were dissolute riotous and giuen ouer to al manner lewâ—…sse hée was carefull for him and sought him out And came to the place where he and ill companie were When the yongman knew him he was astonied and â—…ed awaie from him But the olde man followed him and cried Oh my child turne againe turne vnto me I am thy father I haue begotten thée in Christ Iesus I come not to hurt thée there is yet hope of saluation I will make answere vnto Christ for thée Fall to the ground holde vp thy hands aske mercie of God he is mercifull and will receiue thée At these wordes the yongman cast downe his weapons and trembled and wept bitterly and was conuerted When Dauid heard of the destruction of that wicked wight Absalon he wrong his hands and wept saying O my sonne Absalon my sonne my sonne Absalon woulde God I had died for thee oh Absolon my sonne my sonne Such a care such a loue and zeale hath a godlie minister ouer his people if he be a true pastor which hath taken his calling from God and hath due consideration of his charge He wéepeth for the sinnes of the people as did Ieremie he gusheth out into teares and consumeth awaie as Dauid bicause of the vngodlie he is wounded at heart and trembleth as Paul to sée them perish He séeketh for them calleth after them that they maie returne to him as did Iohn the Cuangelist and is willing to die for their sake if so be he might redéeme them as Dauid was for Absalon The people are his children he is their father Albeit they be wicked and filthie yet he presenteth himselfe before God for them and poureth foorth his praiers and saith sanctifie them oh Lorde sanctifie them with thy trueth thy word is truth Let their hearts sée the wrath to come and thy heauie displeasure which they haue deserued and hangeth ouer their heads They are thine saue them and let not satan preuaile against them Turne them oh Lorde and they shall be turned Giue them a newe heart and renew a cleane spirite in them that they may feare thée al the dayes of their life Turne away the captiuitie of their soules Bring them to the fellowshippe of the Gospel make them liuely stones méete for thy building builde vp the walles of Hierusalem So careful is a good minister for the people of his charge be they neuer so vngodly Yea the more they lack