downe by the LORDE in his woorde to haue Iustification without measure because of their numbered vertues suche I saye haue loste that they sought for nor could atteyne to that they would to saye deliuerance from their Spirituall Enemies and to be accompted iust before the Lorde the Apostle so witnesseth saying Israell which followed the Lawe of righteousnesse coulde not atteyne to the Lawe of Righteousnesse because they sought it not by Fayth but as it were by the workes of the Lawe for they haue stombled at the stombling stoane that is they are offended at the Christe which GOD hath set to be the Righteousnesse for his people and refusinge him and his merites they rest vppon the shyuering staffe of their imagined holynesse But the Gentilles sayth Paule which folowed not righteousnes haue atteined vnto righteousnes euen the righteousnes that is of faith that is to say the true righteousnes which cānot be bought by desert but is atteined by faith in the promise of god Here let our enemies the papists wey well with them selues how far they are frō the sense of truth If the holy fathers accepted with God in great fauor receiued not otherwise thē by his mercies his promised christ in him their saluation ful deliuerance also if they séeking him vnfeynedly with sinceritie of harte came so far short of merit the had not the exhibiting mercy preuented his prouoked iustice the same our fathers had perishe How then can they or man or angell for thē obteine for vs saluation or remission of our sinnes by any merit that can procéede frō a creature or creaturs The merits of the papistes are eyther the weight of their Massing Sacrifyces the bloud of Martyres the absolute power of theyr Pope or that which they thinke neuer fayleth the good workes of men men As for the meritte of their masse out of all question it meriteth neyther pardon with God the father nor place in the church of christ his sonne But it being vsed doth derogate as much as it may the Power of Christ whiche alone of God is set vp to for his church in Dauids house and arrogateth the honor of Christ and his office to that abhonable Idoll But beloued children of God geue attentiue eare to the Apostolicall wordes written to the Hebrues and thou shalt plainely perceiue by the power of Gods spirite that the one oblation of christes naturall body on the crosse in his death hath for euer not onely taken away from vs the wrath of God reward of sin but hath therewith abrogated the solempne sacrifices cōmaunded by himselfe in his written word and also hath taken away for all times to come all power from any man or angell to set vp any other sacrifice or oblation propitiatory in place thereof wherefore he sayth by the will of God by the sacrifice of Christ ordeyned of God we are sanctified euen by the Offering of the bodye of Iesus Christ once made Vers 11 And in the same place hée denyeth that the Sacrifyces commaunded of GOD can longer preuayle because that the true Sacrifyce Christ Iesus is alreadye Offered of which and whom they were Fygures Vers 12 And also denyeth that this Christ is any more to be Offered but playnely affyrmeth hym after that his once Oblation to fitte for euer at the Ryght hande of the Father and shall not thence come till his enemies be made his footstole And that all men might be Satisfyed he addeth a reasō wherefore saying for wyth one Offering hath he consecrated for euer those that are Sanctifyed And moreouer he calleth the Holy Ghost for witnesse of the same as in the 15. and 16. verses following and so concludeth vp his Assertion That since Christ Iesus hath thus redéemed vs there is no more Offering for sinne of one or other but in place thereof there is sayth hée set vppe to and for vs an entering into lyfe by a more beautifull manner which hée there calleth a newe and liuing way prepared for vs through the person Christ which is our hye Priest who requireth not sacrifice of vs Vers 23 but an approching hart made pure in conscience and body from sinne by fayth c. Therefore away wyth your Popishe trash your masking masses can no longer shaddowe the trueth Further I pray you whether doth God at any time accept the man for the Sacrifyce or the Sacrifyce for the man I trow the Text sayth that God regarded not Cayn or his Sacrifyce and contrarily he accepted Habell and his Oblation which sturred vp Cayn his wrath to kill his Brother Habell Here it is plaine God respecteth first the man and then his sacrifice if the man be not acceptable his sacrifyce is abhominable as in the Prophet Esay the Lord reproueth the Iewes for their paynefull seruing in will worshippe and sayth he abhorreth their deuises and will not turne towards them with fauor though their sacrifices be costly because they are sinful that offer them And the people for whom they are offred are the children of sinne their handes are full of bloud yea they geue to God that which he asketh not and therefore dislyking vtterly thereof he sayth who required this at your handes And there teacheth them to amend from their Wicked wayes to washe them from their sinnes so will he accept them and their Oblations Christ himselfe also doth nothing more pacifie the Fathers wrath in his most holy sacrifyce then in respecte that according to the Fathers wyll he hath yéelded himselfe for an Oblation as he was of him appoynted by his written woorde saying a body hast thou ordeyned me and loe I am here to doe thy wyll Let the Pope and his Clergye as Christ here doth shew vs the heauenly God or Father his holy written will for their accepted persones in Sacrifysing for the Quicke and Deade and for suche their fayned propitiatorie Sacrifyces and we will not shame for losse of credit to subcribe vnto them But this they can not and therefore they hate the scriptures and would not that wée shoulde Studye in them Because they knowe that there by their Idolatrye is bewrayed and their Trecherie made knowen and that both they and their Sacrifyces are wyth Cayn odious in Gods sight Oh that therefore we coulde wyth our Zachary retourne the Phrase of Popishe speache to the Forge that fyrst framed the same and coulde acknowledge our Saluatson to consist in Gods mercye alone by the meritte of his Sonne Christ in that his Sacrifyce in his naturall Bodye Crucifyed on the crosse once for al al ages By the which sayth the Apostle Peter wée are deliuered from Sinne to liue in righteousnesse for by the b strypes of Iesus Christes Death wée are made whole The bloud of Sayntes is their other Imagined meritte for mennes Saluations and Gods fauour But good reader of Sayntes the Apostles are chiefe and hath not Christ taught
among the wicked of the earth hath taken them and according to his good will being before the foundation of the worlde was layde hath chosen them to be his people This is the minde of our Prophet saying To giue knowledge c. If we should aske of the Papistes whereby we apprehend Saluation they will say to vs partly by christ and partly by the worthinesse of mans workes Such blasphemies they bray out of their helly hartes But deare reader be not deceiued by their delusions lend thy selfe some leasure to take view for thy wealth of that which here is sayd Were it that saluation could be atteyned by the workes of the law as true it is the law of-God sayth he that doth fulfill the law shall lyue by the law yet are there two absolute reasones ouerthrowing all meritte in man what or whosoeuer by the Lawe The firste is the impossibilytie that is men to perfourme the law The other is the frayltie of man which fulfylling if he could yet can not alwayes stand frée from transgressing the Law of god And at what time he falleth his righteousnes tombleth downe with himselfe in to the dyche and so frustrate is his vaine trust before reposed in his owne holines For the first he that shall by the works of the Lawe become iust before God must in hearte be pure from Sinne for as out of a filthy puddle can naturally come no swéete water so out of a wicked hart can procéede no pure action nor is God pacified from wrath by any worke which procéedeth from a sinfull and a corrupted conscience Search seeke from east to west north south among the sonnes of men behold no where shalt thou find a man whose hart is pure from sinne Nay whose harte is not altogether a lump of that Massie poison so that if God should loke strayghtly vpon him his holinesse should not be able to abyde the tryall of the lord Finally the wisedome of the fleshe is death and is at set battle in enimytie wyth God for it is not subiect to the Spirite nor the Law of God neyther in deede can be So that I conclude with Paule that they which be in the flesh and that is euery Popishe iusticiarie cannot please god Wherfore since the founteine of mans harte is corrupt and poysoned what pleasant action can proceede from his conduites But ye will say the regenerate man meriteth Yet Paule sayth to the man regenerate what hast thou that thou hast not receiued I suppose Paule was regenerate when he wrot his Epistle to the Romanes and yet he of himselfe sayth that his hart is combred wyth the Canker of sinne So that he dare not boast of meritte but rather cryeth out for woe agaynst that guylt of his Regenerate fleshe saying I sée another Lawe in my members rebelling agaynst the Lawe of my mind and leading me Captiue into the Lawe of Sinne that is in my members Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodye of this death I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lorde His desert here he confesseth to be suche that were it not God through Christ our Lorde he caried nothing with him but a body he meaneth soule and body deseruing by meritte euerlasting death And of his impossibilitie to perfourme the act of Iustification by workes he in that place a little before sheweth saying for I know that in me that is in my fleshe dwelleth no good thing for to will is present wyth me but I finde not meanes to perfourme that which is good for I doe not that good thing that I would but the euill that I would not that doe I. If in the best sort of men and most perfect Sinne hath such power how shall the Papistes the ofscourings of the Church boast of their worthinees Nay neyther we or our Fathers are able to fulfyll the law and therefore God sent his sonne in the similitude of sinful flesh and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh that the righteousnesse of the lawe should be fulfilled in vs that is to say by christ imputed to vs which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And that no man should bost of his workes being regenerate he more telleth vs that God the father which raised vp his son christ from death shall also quicken our mortal bodies not for any worthines in vs but because of his owne gift euē bicause his spirit dwelleth in vs Thus his diuine wisdome hath disposed the matter that both the action the cause of our true righteousnesse may not descende one steppe from the maiesty of his throne of grace Assure thy selfe therefore Christian reader that in man is no meritte vnlesse to death for Sinne which maketh al men culpable before god So it is his goodnesse to haue mercy vpon all Therfore if thou wilt atteyne to true righteousnesse it is by the lawe not of works but of fayth in Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all that beleue For the redemption is not in man regenerate or carnall but in christ who hath reconciled vs to the father in his bloud declareth our righteousnesse to come by the forgiuenes of our sinnes so preaching cōfusion shame to vs the glory to him selfe And albeit that fayth which saueth is called a worke yet is not the worke comming from the poure of man for it is the worke of God and his onely gift by the which we obteine christ in whom we haue plentifull redemption from all our sins Now let vs speak of the second branch that is of mans impossibility to stand alwayes fulfilling the law The Scripture saith cursed is euery man that continueth not in al things which are written in the law to doe them And againe when a righteous man tourneth away from his righteousnes and committeth iniury he shal euen die for the same If once departure from well doing demerit death and the iust falleth seauen times and since there is no flesh that sinneth not nor any be he neuer so pefect that alwaies continueth in well doing I aske where shall we finde the meriting man or who shall dare to present him before the Lorde the reuenger of sin Or yet what is he that can deliuer himselfe from the danger of Gods Curse due to his transgressions Vaine therefore and diuelish is the confidence in such Popish doctrine and pernicious is the euill which this opinion bringeth to the soule and great is the iniurie by it committed against christ Iesus the price of thy forgiuenes The man meritor thrusteth Christ Crucifyed vnder his féet setteth himselfe vp in his stead for his owne sauiour by his workes But cast thy accompt by scripturs audite at the foot of the same thou shalt find this debt apparant to such wastfull spenders of their Lordes treasure that such as haue sought
righteousnes by the works of the law haue lost the same this remaineth recorded for the iust that all which sought it by faith not by works haue atteined to true righteousnes in déede What then doth it profit good men to worke good works The good wors of holy men profite 2. waies First weighing their valoure wyth our dutie they cast downe our Peacoks tayle and Egles hearte béeing so farre shorte of that they should they call mans crye to vouche his state vnprofytable to his Lorde And so wyth crauinge Pardon for his sinnes fogetting his fewe déedes now past he hasteneth wyth humblenes to the degrées of encrease to walke and please God as he ought towards the throne of grace where he séeth by fayth himselfe drawne vp wyth courage to rest in Christ for lyfe since his spirite liueth in him Secondly they worke a most assured corroboration in our hartes whylest we consider of whom we haue suche grace Euen that our hartes of Adamant are changed to fleshye not fleshly harts into the same Gods holy spirit is put powred by the power of which we are cause to walke in his lawes and kepe his statutes Al which though we do not or can in such sort as we should yet because his holy finger hath written his sacred lawe in our hartes and put the sinne into our inward parts is himselfe become by his couenant in christ our god and hath chosen vs for his holy people for this cause I say he accepteth vs as iust though we be all sinners and our works are acceptable in his sight and are not wythout their rewarde yet of his mercye deuoyd of our merit thus through our infirmitie worketh he his owne praise So ende we the firste parte of this verse To giue knowledge c. The second pointe is to note whose sinnes are forgiuen and so consequenly what kinde of persons atteine truely and in déede to this saluation by his Prophets preached and this I note of this word To his people For albeit that Christ is of the father giuen to the whole world to be vnto them their sauiour and that there is no age or people vnto whō the death of christ is not sufficient to their saluation and is therfore by himselfe and the worde vouched the sauiour of the world yet are not al people by him saued nor any but suche as here be called his people Now haue we also to consider that neither all that call or chalenge to be his are so in déede For then should not the Infidell Saracene with the Turke onely be cōdēned because they refuse life which is only in christ Iesus to be foūd but also of that nomber which professe christ in shew and receiue the badge and seale of righteousnesse in Baptisme and in the dayes of their flesh inuocate christ as God and call the Father Lorde be furthermore accompted to be of the church and People of God of this multitude shall infinite walke the wandring path to eternall payne Not euery one that crieth Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of god c. These are for a time in but at no time are they of the church of god These eyther haue Satan to pull the séede out of their hartes least they should beleue and be saued or beleue with ioye for a season and in fierie triall vade and consume to dust and ashes and turne to their erst conceiued death But saluation standeth at the end of the race happie is he that endureth to the end for he shall be safe Or els do they with the fayth in Christ and gospel of the sonne of God intermedle the cares of this world pleasures of the flesh which do choke the growth of the séede that no Wheate can come to ripenes for the Lordes barne they begin in the spirite but they end in the flesh These albeit they are bidden ghestes yet shall they not once tast of the Bridegromes supper For they being called dayly and the Lord with open armes euer readie to embrace them refuse to come therefore shall desolation deuoure them neither shall Ierusalem saue them or the Sinagoge of Sathan the Church of Rome deliuer them from the wéeping state and wofull paynes prepared for all hypocrites Where in stéed of popish piping and carnall delights shal be mourning and howling in perpetual chaines nayled fast to damnation his gaol And that because they neither heard or sought the Lord with integritie of soule or worshipped him els then with their owne inuentions hauing their harts a long estranged from his delite And albeit they were nourished vp in the bosome of his beloued spouse yet they are to him as Mice in the housholders barne whose purpose is to féede them fat and fill their young of the corne but not at any time to haue the presence of the Masters face For whom also the husband prepareth engins destroyers them to consume though for a time he permit them to their deuised pleasures Such shal be the end of al Papists carnall protestants fained hypocrites which séeke thē selues altogether and not the lord at all As daily those persons passe their time in such wicked lustes But of farre other nature are the true people of god As the other in the day of trial cannot be knowne of him for he shall say depart frō me I know ye not ye workers of iniquitie so the lords people are knowne to him by their name they are borne againe of the spirit They are sanctified by the holy Ghost They are graffed into Christ their vine They are predestinate to life Chosen to bee the f sonnes of god Called to the knowledge of the word of saluation and taught of god The spirit of the sonne is by the loue of the most louing father powred into their harts which causeth thē to crie to him Abba father Their stonie hartes hée mollifieth and turneth into hartes of flesh and into them for their direction and life he putteth his spirit by whose power through the woord sowne and taught he teacheth them his Lawes and geueth them grace to walke in his statutes Thus wrought by GOD they bring forth holy fruites They onely heare his voyce All straunge sound and charminge incantation they vtterly auoyd charme they c neuer so wisely They hunger after the truth and thirst the Lordes righteousnes They claspe their harts by fayth in Christ that through him alone they may apprehend the louing countenance of the heauenly Fathers face They lay their sinnes vppon his crosse and craue by comfortable cries in earnest and ardent prayer to be clothed with his righteousnes They euer confesse their many sinnes and assure them selues by fayth of his saluation They driue away terror and rest in the harbour of a quiet conscience and in most humble wise approche
them to saye forgeue O Lorde our sinnes Hath not the chiefe of them whose lyfe was angelical whose person to death was eftsoons assailed Paule I mean hath not he writtē doth not he therby yet speake that the merit of eternall life is Gods mercie not mans merit And yet speaking of the suffringes and bloud of martired saintes for the testimonie of God and his Gospel he acknowledgeth that the afflictions of them in this life are not worthy of the glory which shall be shewed to them in the triumphant kingdome of our heauenly father But their merit sayth hée is Gods loue who hath chosen them to bée his sonnes and hath sayth hée annexed them with Christ as heires of the inheritance Note well eternall life commeth not by the bloud and afflictions of martirs not by purchase of mens merits but by the inheritaunce geuen vs in Christ thorough Gods mercie Thus good reader thou séest that this popish post is rotten for age and want of heart what shal we saye of the third matter the Popes pardon Surely if neither his God the Masse nor his saintes bloud can helpe neither can his pardons any thing profite thée for they are all of one force haue all a like authoritie I néede not longer to stand in the confutation of such a wicked taile of the people that boasteth himselfe to bée the onely head of Gods church in earth controler in the heauens prince in Purgatorie and Master of Hell. Bée not offended that I call him that tayle of the people for the warrant is geuen me by the holy Ghost so to terme him The auncient and honorable man he is the head saith Esay and the Prophet that teacheth lies he is the tayle of the people The last of Popish merites are good workes which can not merit Gods mercie for either they precede or folow faith If they go before fayth they are sinne and therefore moue Gods furie rather then merite his mercie If they followe faith they then merite not that which of God is giuen before their birth but expresse by such fruite what well planted trée brought them forth But as no trée meriteth life by the Apple which hée beareth but fast setled in the ground liueth of the iuyce that commeth from the roote so the faythful merite not Gods fauour which is their life by their works the fruites of their fayth but setled and grafted into Christ their foundation they doe receiue their common life from the same roote by the sappe his spirite which from him is sent and geuen to euery of them sufficiently to life eternall What shall we then not worke God forbid Alwayes do and continue in that which is good but cause not a good thing commaunded of GOD to become a pestilent euill to thy conscience Liue and walke in good workes which God hath prepared for thée but let them bée done to the same end which GOD hath directed to them Namely that the outward déede in them may expresse thy inward fayth in Christ our Lord. And further that the Church of GOD may bée profited by them But chiefely that by the same many mouthes séeing thy faythfull actes may bée prepared and stirred vp to glorifie thy Father which is in heauen This is the voice of holy scripture declaring the end of good works to be as we haue said but that they merit not Paule playnely sheweth to the Romanes for and to al in the person of Abraham saying if Abraham were iustified by workes he hath wherein to reioyce but not with god For what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnes Now to him that worketh the wages is not counted by fauour but by debt hut to him that worketh not vz. to merit thereby but beleueth in him that iustifieth the wicked his faith is counted for righteousnes Thus then we sée that the fathers with vs haue not merited Christ our onely felicitie but Gods mercie and loue surmounting as I may reuerently say his iustice in iust wrath hath not of dutie but by loue geuen and not sold to vs that beleue in him his Sonne Christ that we should not perish but by him being deliuered from our enemies should haue euerlasting life and power in him to serue him in this time of our mortall flesh in all holines vertuous exercises before him al the dayes of our life Moreouer I note that our Lord God will not haue vs to dwell in vncertainties for our saluation and therefore he sendeth vs to his written word where his promises couenant is by his owne spirit set downe to all flesh for the which cause Zacharie hath relation in this verse to the written promises and couenaunt And to the same sayth John also is the Gospell written to vs now that wee should by that written truth beléeue that Iesus is the Christ the sonne of God and that in beleuing we might haue life through his name As for the vnwritten verities of the Papistes as they are counterfet and forged of their owne brayne so can they bring no comfort to the conscience of the wounded man or satisfaction to the thirstie soule that laboureth to séeke the water of life which God doth geue to those that hunger thirst after the same For nothing els worke they but draw to hell all such as trust and are led by them But he that thirsteth after the water of life els where then in the written sacred scriptures can it not be found Séeke this water in the Scripture therfore good Reader and the Lord will make heauenly riuers to flowe out of thée wherewith thou shalt satisfie thine owne conscience in the same Christ fully and be able also to bring many other to the same saluation which the knowledge of the Lord by his spirite in the scriptures hath wrought in thée Last of all in this verse let vs marke diligently that not otherwise thē in christ Iesus God the father maketh vs partakers of his holy couenant Or yet by any other meanes are we kept within the compasse therof then by the cause it selfe which is Christ the Lord the Alpha and Omega of the same So voucheth the Apostle saying in thy séede which is Christ shal al nations be blessed The obseruations of the sixt verse are also comfortable and profitable Comfortable when we perceiue that our sinnes deserue the breach of Gods loue and extreme iudgement yet God in his mercie doth promise sweare to kéepe his word giuen to the fathers and to deliuer vs from the sayd iudgment as the Prophet in the text sayth and the oth which hee swere c. The profite hereof ensueth in the doctrine following In no case may we gather because God is sayd here to sweare that his word without an oth is doubtefull for the Scriptures euery where approue them absolutely Amen
stones with Carbuncle lay thy foundations with Saphire I wil make thy windows of Emraudes thy gates shining stones all thy borders of pleasant stones and all thy Children shal be taught of God and much peace shal be vnto thy Children in righteousnesse shalt thou be established and be farre from oppression for thou shalt not feare it and from feare for it shall not come nie thée Beholde the Enemye shall gather himselfe but wythout me whosoeuer shall gather hymselfe in thée agaynst thée shall fall Beholde I haue made the Smyth that bloweth the Coales in the Fyre and him that bringeth forth an Instrument for his worke and I haue Created the Destroyer to destroy but all the Weapons that are made agaynst thée shall not prosper And euery Tongue that shall aryse vp against thée in Iudgement thou shalt Condemne Thys is the Lordes Heritage and their ryghteousnesse is of mée sayth the LORDE Thus farre the Prophete speaketh to teache thée good Reader great cause of comfort and courage agaynst dispayre though England which is Gods church haue now many enemies risen vp against her her religion yea though her owne skirtes doe carie suche as insult agaynst her she is Promised that theyr Weapons and the smith that framed them shal not prosper Their lybelling bookes which séeke to persecute her though they come from the house of counsell and séeme to procede from the seate of learnings iudgement yet shal this church of God be set a Iudge ouer their wearie trauels and toyling spite and shall condemne them Let that worthy Jewel of famous memory the holy confessor and Saint of and by Iesus Christ treasured vp in the Lapydarie of the heauens for the glory of our God let his excellent workes I say stand for an ample warrant hereto to this age to her posteritie for euer And let others whether at home or abroade looke for the same end of their molesting troubles which they cast into this our age and Church But thou wilt say why doth the Lord suffer so long our weake consciences to be troubled with these contending strifes What art thou O man that wilt dispute with God These troubles to vs yet in respect of the Schismes of old are but as an entring into the first moment of the day Waite thou the lords leysure and be still learne thy song framed by firme hope in truth which Micah hath taught the church of God alwayes in her trouble to sing thou shalt be relieued though thy enemies yet séeke to triumph ouer thée Reioyce not against me O my enemie saith the church there for though I fal I shal arise when I shal sit in darknes the Lord shall be a light vnto me I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him vntil he plead my cause and execute iudgement for me then wil he bring me forth to the light I shal sée his righteousnes Then she that is my enemie shall looke vpon it shame shall couer her which said vnto me Where is the Lord thy God my eyes shall behold her now shal she be troden downe as the myre of the stréets c. Thus much forth of the prophet Micah where thou maist learn to accuse thy self for thy sinne as Dauid did séeing the people afflicted not with Achab to charge the Lord or his profession Prophets whē troubles plagues arise in the church but to turne thy eyes into thy owne conscience sée the booke of thy iniquities there written to confesse before god man that thy sinne is the cause of such trouble plague brought into the church people by Satan his malice the pollicie of these his wicked impes Last of all discourage not at the romish scoffes taunting reproches nor yet despaire in the bottome of her darke dungeons sharpe persecutions for the lord wil comfort thée in them if thou rest vpon his laysure remaine constant in the end deliuering thée wil stampe thy enemie into dirt make thée beautiful in the sight of al men that thou maist serue him thy god thus deliuered frō feare in new holines deuoid of hypocrisie in iustice righteous dealing to with al men in the place of thy abode traffike els where amōgst men in earth And euer respect thy deliuerāce frō sinne regard thy state so that Satan eftsones pul thée not to thy former sinne which cōpelleth his erst bondage for the end of such as so fal is worse then the beginning And thus much for the first part of this Hymne in which I haue bene more prolixe then first I purposed but I trust that the profite which may rise vppon the attentiue reading of the matter simply set downe wil coūteruaile the tedious sight of so much blotted paper sith my willing trauayles hath forced me to dwell in comfortable spéech with the lesse learned some thing the longer because they of themselues can not conceiue such profitable matter as this our text doth exhibite to the serching eye assuredly perswaded that the better so godly learned will vouchsafe soueraigne Censure to this my vnpolished pen. And wherein I erre from the truth if by the same I may heare louingly therof as I hope I haue geuen no poyson to the Church so I wil be glad to reforme that and those thinges which godly reasons with learned truth shall require at my hands The Lord graunt continuance of his gospell in this Nation preseruation to her Maiestie with encrease of Gods knowledge and zeale to his holy name and to vs and his whole Church from all heresies Scismes and ciuill dissentions if it stand with his good wil and pleasure once full deliuerance that we may serue the Lord our god in sinceritie of hart and integritie of life in his sight by his holy spirite all the dayes of our life to whom by and with Christ our Lord to that deitie in the trinal vnitie be al praise power glory for euer Amen Vers 9 And thou child shalt be called the Prophet of the most high for thou shalt goe before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes As the sacred Priest before had declared Gods great benefites and faithfulnes in performing his louing promises to the redemption of his elect So now he returneth to this present action and vsing the person of an interpreter expoundeth the Oracle of God declaring his sonne this child to be the same preacher and Doctor which erst by the Prophet Malachy was promised to precede Christ By whose trauel in Doctrine the way should be prepared for the Lordes comming his and our Messias Which office this babe in his appoynted time executed right wel with sinceritie of hart ▪ sparing no person place time or people or omitted any occasiō when he might most aptly performe such his calling This Baptistes voyce was euer crying against the sinnes of all exhibiting the remedie