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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	faith_n	good_a	justify_v	61,674	5	9.1442	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06193	The mysterie of mankind, made into a manual, or The Protestants portuize reduced into explication application, inuocation, tending to illumination, sanctification, deuotion, being the summe of seuen sermons, preached at S. Michaels in Cornehill, London. By William Loe, Doctor of Diuinity, chaplaine to his sacred Maiesty, and pastor elect, and allowed by authority of superiours of the English Church at Hamborough in Saxonie.	Loe, William, d. 1645.	1619 (1619)	STC 16689; ESTC S105401	92,048	356

to approach neere vnto God and the full perswasion of faith to die in that so wee may goe on from faith to faith vntill wee haue our perfect blisse in Christ for euer Albeit our condition be that wee liue in these last and worst times as Lot in Sodome and as Abraham in Vr of the Chaldes yet hauing the rocke of our faith in Heauen the Father determining the word directing the holy Ghost mouing and these 3. are one hauing the records of our faith on earth the Spirit witnessing to our Spirite that wee are the sonnes of God the water of Baptisme the seale of our Redemption in Christ the bloud of the holy Martyres as the signes of the power of faith in weakenesse and these three a●gree in one wee may bid defiance to the Diuell and quiet our conscience in Christ for euermore Concluding that wee can be iustified no other way in the sight of God but onely by this holy faith in the bloud of Iesus but beeing there by onceiustified wee are in direct order towardes God wee are through the gate and in the happie way that leadeth to Abrahams bosom euen eternall life For God can direct vs in the best way vnto himself that leadeth to euerlasti●g felicitie in turning vs from ●ur euill wayes and retur●ing vs to himselfe by re●entance and so on to good workes the assurance to our ●elues of our election in CHRIST from good workes to Gods mercy and ●rom thence to glory where●nto this faith teacheth vs ●hat CHRIST is already ●ntered and whether hee ●ill vndoubtedly bring all ●hat loue him that looke ●nd long for his comming ● consummate and perfect ●is our holy seruice in the Heauens where is the fulnes ●f ioy and happinesse in the presence of God for euermore O Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeleefe and encrease my Christian faith WOnderfull art thou O Lord God in thy manifold works maruellous in thy Almighty power and vnsearchable in thy diuine secretes The goodly frame of heauen and of earth shew shy power the disposition of all things therein tell of thy great wisedome and the passages of so many millions of particulars point out this gracious prouidence in all and yet the workes of thy mercies surpasseth all this For which O heauenly Father wee magnifie and praise thy name and multiplie our thankefulnesse vnto the in Iesus Christ from day to day For it hath pleased thee good Father to elect vnto thy selfe and to call ●ut of this Worlde out of this world I say beeing ● sincke of sinnefulnesse a deepe ●den of despayre an Asphatites of ●ll filthinesse a dead sea of sensu●lity the vale of the children of Hinnon a Babylon of beast linesse a Sodome of sorrow a Gomorrah of vngodlinesse a Seboim of security an Adamah of Adulterie and a world of wickednesse to chose I say one of this route a remnant of people to bee thy beloued Spouse and wife of the Lambe to bee a royall Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people the loue of Christ all faire vndefiled and without spotte the onely Doue to bee like an Orchard inclosed a well sealed vp a fountaine of liuing water a Paradise of all pretious delectable and desirable fruites and to be the mysticall body of Christ which hee doth quicken with his owne spirite And these heauenly Father thou hast sealed with thine owne fignet dignified with thine owne fauours and as it were di●sied by thine effectuall and sauing grace in giuing them the holy faith of thy Christ and our Iesus thine onely sonne and our Sauior to purifie their hearts to purge their consciences from dead workes to serue thee the Father of light and life and so to be blessed by thee with light and life euerlasting O Lord now behold mee poore silly wretch that lyes here beneath in this miserable world creeping in the dust and crawling in mine owne infirmities My soule cleaueth vnto the ground my belly vnto the earth I haue nothing in mee but sinne sensuality a●d shame Blind I am in mine owne vnderstanding for I know thee not obstinat in my will for I little ● regarde thy Counsels corrupted in mine affections for I haue no minde vnto thee My parents were of this world I am borne in the world and the world is all my silly selfe looketh after I cannot attaine to so much at to know my selfe how then shuld I know and discerne thinges aboue my selfe much lesse vnderstand the things that appertaine vnto thee O Father and to the glory of thy Kingdome Euery good and perfect gift commeth feom thee who art the Father of lights O bowe downe thy goodnesse then vnto mee most mercifull Father and extend thy bounty vnto me poore wretch that most humbly desires thy grace and fauour that thou wouldest bee pleased to giue mee a portion and measure of thy blessings in the faith and fauour of thy sonne Grant vnto mee faith O Lord without the which I cannot please thee without the which I cannot hope for any good nor haue any euidence of these things which are not yet euident without the which I cannot come to Christ nor doe any good works nor bee raysed from sinne nor know thee O God nor resist the Diuell nor ouercome the world nor be iustified nor bee saued O blessed Father grant this mercy vnto mee without the which I desire not to be without which I cannot bee but a Cimmerian wretch a stranger vnto thee an Atheist a profane person an Infidell a cast away and a Firebrand of Hell What prayse can bee to thee O Lord in the deepe in the land of obliuion in the place of the damned Shall the dead praise thee shall the bottomlesse pitte celebrate thee shall the damned sing vnto thee no no The beleeuing the repenting the sorrowfull soule for sinne whome thou shalt shine vpon with the light of thy countenance in the faith of Christ that soule O God that soule shall euer bee magnifying thy mercies extolling thy goodnesse and celebrating thy greatnesse fro age to age What euer I doe what euer I thinke what euer I say without it hee seasoned with this grace of faith it is sinne O blessed plant of Paradise O heauenly Iewell of incomparable valuation Deare Father bestowe this blessing vpon me shut not vp my life with vnbeleeuers which shall neuer see thy face but rectifie me in al parts to the right vse of the sacred meanes of obtayning this fauour of faith It commeth by hearing of thy Word O sanctifie mee throughout that I may attentiuely hearken what the Lord will say For hee will speake peace vnto my soule and loue to his Saintes that they returne not to folly O holy Lord Looke backe vpon mine humbled Suite signe my petition for thy tender mercies sake in Christ. So shall my Sacrifices bee alwayes acceptable vnto thee as Abels my conuersation holy as Enochs my preaching powerfull as Noahs my offeringes delectable as Abrahams so shall I contemne

the Rose of the field and the Lillie of the vallies Moses of old posed the whole world with this question Enquire of the dayes of olde which were before thee and frō the day that God created man vpon the earth yea euen from the height aboue to the depth beneath if euer the like thing were knowne That a people should heare the voyce of the Lord speaking out of the middest of the fire But now we may pose Moses say O Moses then God spake by an Angell out of the middest of the fire but now O man of God was euer the like as this heard That God himself in the nature of man should sit amidst his disciples and teach the. This is that the spirit of God so magnifieth That at sundry times and in diuers manner God spake heretofore in his Prophets but in these last dayes by his only Sonne And if the word deliuered by an Angell was stedfast what shall become of them that refuse and neglect the Sonne of God now speaking vnto them O most ingratefull and brutish are the sonnes of men who seeke not to vnderstand this mysterie so anciently prophesied of so fully performed and so manifestly declared Me thinkes I heare all other creatures of heauen and earth say Oh that God had vouchsafed vs such a blessing such a tie such a fauour for then had wee had beene most happy The quires of Angels say Oh that God had ordayned to vs so vnspeakeable a fauour as to haue beene vnited to our nature But Christ tooke not vpon him the nature of Angels but tooke vpon him the nature of children that being tempted himselfe and suffering hee might succour them that suffer and are tempted Who would not then in consideration hereof giue himselfe a whole burnt offering vnto his God and consecrate his whole life if the terme thereof were euen from the first Adam vnto the ende of the world as a votiue seruice vnto the glory of this God Oh vncircumcised hearts and eares of those who neither care to heare nor to vnderstand this blessed mysterie For if they would diligently seeke they should find that God would manifest himselfe vnto them euen in their indiuiduall flesh by the sanctifying power of his holy Spirit and by pertaking of his diuine nature whereby they should see with open face as in a mirrour the glory of the Lord and be changed into the same image from glory to glory euen as the spirit of the Lord. In no wise shold they be as those wretches in whose flesh Sathan and not God is manifested who are indeed incarnate diuels as the prouerb is whom Sathan hath so sifted to the bran and winnowed to the chaffe that no remainder of any godlinesse or goodnesse is leaft in them in whom Sathan is Totus in toto totus in qualibet parte as Aquinas saith of the soule Their imagination euill their minde ill their meaning ill their will obstinate their vnderstanding darkned their eares itching after vanities their eyes adulterous which cannot choose but sinne their mouth blasphemous their an open graue of fulsome slanders their hands rough and cruell their feete swift to shed bloud their whole body a cage of vncleane birdes their life and conuersation a stye of stinking swines flesh an Acheldema of oppression a Caluarie of dead spoyles their ende a puddle of loathsome impieties But those that secke God doe vnderstand this mysterie and shew forth this manifestation in themselues hauing lift vp their heads as gates their minds as dores and the king of glory is come in vnto them and is manifested in them by their faith in Christ by their good workes among men by all the fruites of his gra●ious spirit and by their ioyfull departure hence being assured of a farre better rest and happinesse in their maisters kingdome The custome of the Aethiopian Church which liue vnder Prester Iohn is to obserue the feast of the Epiphany as their chiefe and principall festiuitie at which time God shewed himselfe both to Iew and Gentile in this manifestation by a starre Thereby acknowledging and that most truly that this blessing is the beginning and fountaine of all other blessing in Christianitie whatsoeuer and ought most sollemnly to bee obserued and most diligently to be considered especially of vs that were Gentiles Goe foorth therefore yee daughters of Sion euen all religious and denoute soules and behould King Solomon your Christ with the crowne wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals and in the day of the gladnesse of his heart Go foorth I say from out the fashions and fancies of this world both with readinesse and resolution as men do to meete their new king If you be malefactors he will pardon you vpon repentant reconciliatiō throgh Christ Iesus and will receiue you to fauour If you bee already his seruants and citizens of the citie of God goe foorth to meete him with your presents of good workes and holinesse as your homages of fealtie If you be friends and allyance as are all deuout Soules doe that often which hee hath bidde you doe in remembrance of him that is offer the sacrifice of thankefulnesse receiue the cup of saluation call vpon the name of the Lord that so you may shew the Lords death all your life long vntill his comming againe So shall your eyes b● opened that you shall not onely vnderstand this Great mysterie of Gods manifestation in the flesh but also see it Iustified in the Spirit Oh blessed Emanuell encrease our faith O Eternall and most mightie Iehouah Elohim whose seate is in heauen whose footestoole is in earth whose chariots are the clouds whose might is in the great waters whose power is euery where whose displayed glory is in heauen where angels are they attendants and where all the blessed dominations and thrones doe thee dayly homage where the innumerable company of elected Saints doe vncessantly prayse thee where thine habitation is light that none can approach vnto thy cloathing Maiestie and honor thy wisdome incomprehensible thy mercy vnspeakeable and thy iudgements past finding out Looke downe looke downe most mercifull Father in Christ from thine holy place the seate of mercie vpon me a most miserable distressed wretch O hearken thou to my prayers which I sinfull soule powre out from an vnfained heart Open vnto my soule this great mysterie of thy manifestation in our flesh that I may know and comprehend with all Saints the height length breadte and depth of the vnsearchable riches of thy grace in Christ Iesus our Lord. For thou diddest so loue the world that thou gauest thine onely begotten Sonne that who so beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life This diuine loue of thine is incomprehensible this gift inestimable this deliuerance vnutterable and this felicitie incomparable My heart burneth with in me and the sparkes of deuotiō arise from the center

scriptures call those the Worlde whom God hath thus called out of the world because for their sakes onely this world was made and this world is as yet preserued and all things continue as from the beginning But when God hath his full number of these his chosen people out of the world then this world shall haue an end and there shall bee a new Heauen and a new earth wherein shal dwell righteousnesse To these his redeemed people in the world God made his promises both of the promulgation extension and augmentation of this Kingdome of Iesus Christ his Sonne First that the extention thereof should be as large as is the expansion of the Heauens and so great that it should encircle and surround the earth Secondly that the dominion thereof should bee from sea to sea And from the riuers vnto the end of the world The kings of Tharsis and of the ●sles should bring presents yea all Kings should fall downe before him at nations should serue him Thirdly that Christ should ●edeeme vs to God by his bloud ●ut of euery kindred and tongue and people and Nation Fourthly that there should ●ee so great a multitude of beleeuers of all Nations Kindreds people and tongues which stand before the throne and before the ●ambe that no man should bee ●ble to number them The performance of which ●rophesies and promises God shewed most power●●lly in the very commencement of this conquest of faith ●or Peter conuerred in one ●ermon three thousand and 〈◊〉 another Sermon fiue thou●and soules that beleeued and ●●●●rned to God from their in●quities So mightily yea so ●uddenly grew the word of God and preuayled yea 〈◊〉 is ttuely obserued both by Suetonius in the life of Nero and by Tacitus in the first booke of his Historie beeing enemies to Christ Christians and also by Tertullian a friend to Christians in his Apologeticall exhortation to the Gentiles that the multitude of beleeuers was so great in the Prim●tiue Church euen amidst those furious bloudy butcheries and wofull persecutions that their strength and puissan●e if they should haue waged warre was oft times a feare and terror euen to the ve●ry persecuting Emperours themselues This was exceeding strange that a World of people so dissonan● so dissolute so aliant so repug●nant to God and to goodnesse should become so plyable so flexible so obediēt 〈◊〉 submit and subiect them●●lues to the yoke of Gods ce●●estiall direction And albeit this very acte ●f beleeuing may seeme very ●aruellous vnto vs in it selfe ●et the strange means where●y this victorious conquest was wrought by Christ in ●educing the world to the act ●f faith was indeed incompa●ably wonderfull and aboue mans capacitie to conceiue For Christ Iesus the Sonne of God when hee made this conquest of the World by faith did not proclaym to the world as king Cyrus did whē he intented his conquests great pay worldly promotions magnificent titles and honourable entertainements for his voluntaries and Followers neither did Christ proffer as the diuell did All this will I 〈◊〉 thee shewing all the king●omes of the world if thou wilt fall downe and worshi● me nor as the licentious Turk doth grants libertie of wiueving to what number of women men will of thriuing by what callusions and deuises men can so they doe no violence to all that embrace his Mahumetanisme nor yet as the most Turkish Pope vseth who grants pardons and indulgences from all kinde of punishments to all his Peccadilloes whatsoeuer For then Christ doubtlesse might haue had followers on a sudden more then enough But behold and consider the iniunctions motions and perswasions that Christ vsed to moue the world to beleeue and then tell me Beloued in our Lord if this be not a secret and hidden Mysterie The very first mandate that Christ ienioyned to those that meant to follow him was Re●●nt yee that is Bee of another ●inde and leade another life 〈◊〉 you haue done hereto●●re Become new creatures ●●at is leaue off to doe euill 〈◊〉 learne to do good This was no lesson for the ●●lfe louers of the world to ●●arne and of these there is an ●●finite number By this doctrine Christ ●●ight lose all the nice of the world and all that were wed●ed to their owne selfe li●ings Another iniunction was ●n the world if you will bee mine you shall haue augariation and your hearts shall bee pierced ●hrough with many sorrowes This was no coppie to bee taken out by the effeminate delitious and delicate persons of the world A third was You shall bee hated of all men for my names sake saith Christ. This was no condition to obligue faint and false hearted cowards of the world A fourth was He that loues his life shall lose it This was not the way to winne a worldling notwithstanding all these and other such like more conditions and entertainments euen to exquisite torments ye● I say what euer could be sayd or done to the contrary by the infidell party in all the bloud and but chery of Gods Saints behold yee the power of God in this wonderfull conquest of the world by faith For a Centurion beleeue● euen to life albeit Christ is absent from doing any act speakes this in the words of a beleeuer Say the word onely O Lord and my seruant liueth A Canaanitish woman beleeues to health if she might eate but the crums th●● fall ●●om the table or touch but ●he hemme of Christ his ve●ure The good theefe beleeues 〈◊〉 saluation in Christ Iesus ●hom he beheld fastened to ●●rosse laden with disgrace●●●l reproches and scoffings forlorne and forsaken of the ●hole world strugling in his 〈◊〉 dolours gasping gaping 〈◊〉 weltring in his owne ●oud Oh wonderfull power 〈◊〉 faith Oh maruellous work ●f God! Is there any reason 〈◊〉 bee yeelded hereof Are ●●ere any causes of this so rare 〈◊〉 maruellous a change in the ●eart and resolution of man ●o surely Mans reason in this ●ynt is but as a beast as Iere●ie sayth But Almightie ●od hath his reasons for it ●ost preg●ant most pow●●full For this beleeuing in ●hrist being an act of the vnderstanding assenting to Gods diuine truth at the commandement of the will so moued by the grace and spirit of God sheweth that it is the power onely and spirit of God that inclineth our hearts to beleeue as the first mouing cause thereof This was the reason why Lydia the Thyatirian hearkned to Paules preaching which many other did not that heard the word notwithstanding as well as she For the Text saith God opened the heart of Lydia that she attended the the words of Paule that is to say She attended not vntill God openeth her heart The inuisible finger of God being as you see a golden key to vnlocke our steely hearts that may see perceiue and be moued to seeke after God for our saluation And this is the reason why ●he

Scripture calleth this cause The spirit of faith or the spirite ●f beleeuing Gods second cause of our ●eleeuing is his blessed and ●oly word read and preached 〈◊〉 the ordinarie means of our ●ith which worketh vpon ●wo forcible and perswasiue ●enses the eye and the eare ●he one for the reader of the word the other for the hearer of the word preached or read For the eare God hath ordayned a voyce to call vpon ●s by the paynes of preaching For the eye his sacred word is written or printed that it may be read and vnderstood of vs and our children and this is the cause of our beleeuing which is called The word of Faith Aske a Christian then why he beleeues the Trinitie in Vnitie and Vnitie in Trinitie his answer is because the Scripture records it there is the word of faith but reply vpon him and aske him why he beleeues the scriptures his reason is without reason in himselfe for he saith The finger of God is there If you vrge and say Why doest thou beleeue and I do not I heare the word as well as thee Saint Paule will answer with an out crie O depth That is a matter of amazement not of argument saith S. Ambrose But what might be the cause that stayeth and vpholds the hearts of the sonnes of men along the misery of this life in this word of beleeuing Surely eternall life the saluation of our soules the last article of our Christian faith is the finall cause and anchor-holde of out beleeuing in Christ Iesus For the hope whereof the holy ones of God purge thēselues both in soule and body that they may be accepta●le vnto God through Iesus Christ our Lord. And there●ore S. Peter calleth eternall ●ife the end of our beleeuing ●uen the assured glorification ●f soule and body which by ●aith wee expect in the other world In respect whereof also it is that this faith goeth not alone like some bankrupt but is royally attended with a troupe of good works semblable to the causes thereof For the spirit of faith is not barren but is in continuall motion in stirring and quickning vp the harts of gods children euery day to goodnes Neither is the word of faith verball onely But liuely and mightie in operation and sharper then any two edged sword enters throgh euen to the diuiding of the soule and the spirit and of the ioynts and the ma●row and is a discerner of the thought and the intents of the heart The people of God therefore whose hearts are thus powerfully moued by the spirit of faith to beleeue and thus effectually counselled by the word of faith to liue well endeauour nothing else but that their liuing may be answerable to their beleeuing that so their soules might bee saued For this sacred faith of Christ first of all purifieth the heart now if the fountaine be cleare and cleane the whole streame that issueth thence will be cleane also Secondly this faith of Christ worketh by loue and bringeth foorth good workes I should euer therefore distrust that I neuer was a true beleeuer vnlesse I felt my heart sanctified by grace and my and working the deedes of haritie This doubtlesse was ●he faith of the primitiue ●orld while the bloud of Christ was yet warme in the ●earts of those beleeuers Witnes all those Churches ●olledges Hospitalls En●owments Rents Reuenews ●ands Liuings Pensions and ●●l other such donations and ●onsecrations appropriated ●nd giuen to the maintenance of religion and learning to ●he succour of the poore and ●o the perpetuating of Gods worship here on earth vntill ●he second comming of Christ. For the people then liued and beleeued as men knowing that the faith of Christ is not fruitlesse and that by the fruites therof they are assured of their election past and of their perfection by Christ to come that their good deedes should follow them where nothing else ●ould and that according to the proportion of their workes wrought in earth by grace in Christ they should through the mercie of God and not of merit bee allotted a portion of happines hereafter in the heauens And therefore vnderstanding their weldoing here to be necessarie to their well being for euer they studyed nothing else but to goe on in that race of goodnesse that they might attaine at the last the blessed end thereof euen the reward of mercy promised vnto them by the word of faith written vnto them in the bloud of our faith sealed assured vnto thē by the death of our faith stirred vp moued herevnto by the spirit of faith Christs vicegerent on earth whose they were encouraged thereunto by the bloud of so ●any faithfull beleeuers that ●yed for the faith of Christ ●nd continue therein vnto ●heir liues end by the exube●ant and abundant riches of Gods mercy in Christ Iesus their Ruler and Redeemer O Blessed Paule faithfull and beleeuing was the world when as yet the bloud of Christ was warme in me●s hearts and when the faithfull beleeuers inflamed with the loue of God and ouerioyed with the glad tydings of the Gospell thus bespake Gods seruants that preached th● faith vnto them Blessed in th● Lord will our goods pleas●●● you Behold we lay them dow● at your feete will our eyes 〈◊〉 you good Take ought of ou●● that is neere and deere vnto 〈◊〉 euen our right eyes Will our liues steede you Wee esteeme the● not for the testimonie of the fait● of Iesus Christ as for all manner of tribulations that can happen for Iesus Christ sake We accompt them not worthy 〈◊〉 the glory that shall bee receiued A blessed and beautifull ●ace of time it was O Paule when the prime beleeuing Christians had no other fault ●ound in them no not by ●heir verie enemies as Plinius ●ecundus an heathen testifieth 〈◊〉 Traian the Emperour but his was all hee could certifie ●gainst them to the state that ●hey oft times assembled ●emselues together before ●ay in the caues and holes of the earth to sing Psalmes ●nd prayses to the Lord of ●ife Christ Iesus which seruice for feare of persecution they durst not performe publikely O then was the time ho●y Paule that faith wrought ●y Gods loue and not by selfe loue by good workes and not by goodly wordes what time the beleeuing Christians were knowne not ●o bee of the tribe of Naphta●● giuing goodly wordes but of the tribe of Ioseph beeing fruitfull boughes euen fruitfull boughes by a Well whose branches run ouer the wall When Placilla the wife of Theodosius a beleeuing Empresse would resort vnto the Almes houses and Hospital●s of the poore to see them succoured and releeued and when her nice Gentlewomen that wayted o● her would dehort and disswade her not to debase her selfe to come into such meane places and neere such nastie people shee with teares in her eyes would re●ply and say O I wou●d not doe thi● and this onely

but so and s● yea much more for the loue ● beare to my Sauiour Christ an● to his blessed members 〈◊〉 meane soeuer they bee for I 〈◊〉 him my selfe and all I haue 〈◊〉 thousand wayes O sacred Paule that was ●etime when men beleeued ●nd loued God so sweetely ●●at they would not bee allu●ed by the enticements of the ●orld to fall from the faith ●f Christ as did couetous 〈◊〉 ●mas they beleeued and lo●ed him so wisely that they ●ould not bee deceiued with ●he vanitie of wretchednesse 〈◊〉 fayle in their sacred seruic● 〈◊〉 did prowd hearted Diotre●●●●es that loued the prehemi●ence they beleeued and lo●ed God so resolutely that ●●ey could neuer bee vtterly ●an quished either by sinne ●eath or Sathan as many mil●●ons of vnbeleeuing and ●isbeleeuing Christians are But O blessed God of hea●ē earth how is the case in ●ese ourdaies altered For the ●iuell hauing heretofore ray●d vp diuers heresies and ●hismes in all ages to hinder peach and vtterly to ouerthrow this sacred acte of beleeuing and true seruice of God as first against the faith of Gods creating the world he raysed vp the Marcionites Carpocrations and Nicolaita●● against the word of grace and redemption of man by Christ he stirred vp the Ebionites Gnostiques Ar● rian and Sabellians and against the assurance of glory for his Saints hee enraged the auncient Cathari Pepusians and Anabaptists and many other such like damnable miscreants against all the articles of our Christian faith but now in this dotage of the world he like cursed Caligula that monster of men wisheth this holy people that beleeue in Christ had but one head that hee might strike it off at once euen with this one blow and hellish blast ●here is no God to the vtter ●olishing of all the ground ●orke of our Christ●an faith Oh that the diuell could but ●ish this onely as hee desired ●nce to sift and winnow ●eter But it is a thousand pitties ●o see and behold how much ●e hath preuayled with mil●ions of thousands euen in the Christian world Else how ●urst so many damned mis●reants insult euen ouer God ●imselfe Let him make speede ●nd hasten his workes that wee may see it Yea that dare breath defiance and out face Gods ●udgments by denying them ●nd saying There is no plague this pro●hesying is but words this preaching is but winde and in the ende fall away from all that ●s called God as did Pharaoh saying Who is God that I should serue him and what is Iehouah that I should yeeld vnto him These are such against whom there is no law in England which is to bee feared will bee the prouoking of Gods iudgements vpon this our Land and state in particular wherein there is so much care taken and so many good laws made and that most worthily for the preseruation of the kings crowne and dignitie that whosoeuer speaketh against it is held a cursed Tray●or and that most iustly and is worthy to die an ignominious and cruell death and that most deseruedly yea particular and priuate mens cases their lands liuings titles pleas and wrongs are by good and wholesome lawes redressed yet there is no extant and positiue Law Statute or Ordinance against these impea●hers of this holy faith and against the open cursed and damnable Blasphem●rs de●ier● and defiers of the eternall God Oh England this is a worke worth the best intendments consultations and determinations both of thy Princes Peeres and people that such hellish roaring Boyes and such damned crues may not once bee named within the territories where thy renowned king is stiled the defendor of the faith For wee see that of such as make profession of faith the Oracle of faith telleth vs All haue not faith God sent Noah in the worlds infancie to preach this faith of the Messias Abraham in the worlds childhood had the signe of the couenant of this faith for the same purpose Dauid in the worlds youth beleeued and defended the same The Prophets in the worldes middle age guided the beleeuers vnto it Gods owne Sonne in his first comming preached it to the worlds old age his Apostles and Preachers to this our age the worlds dotage and all these found vnbeleeuers and missebeleeuers in all their times And last of all when Christ shall come againe to iudge the liuing and the dead Shall he finde faith on the earth In his first aduent hee had not as he himselfe affirmeth where to lay his head but when he commeth againe to iudgement hee will not haue where to set his foote if the world continue as it hath ●one along time eloyning ●rom Christs Church and ●poyling it of the meanes of ●he Gospells preaching those ●acred donations endowments which the faith of the ●ormer and better ages con●ecrated as the lands and re●enewes of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God heere on earth ●or the perpetuating of his ministerie and seruice No ●eloued these are the dayes of ●inne and wherein sinne a●oundeth because the loue of God in the world waxeth ●old These are the dayes where ●n such a faith is professed by ●any that is no where to bee ●eene by good workes but ●ard onely in some certaine ●oodly wordes such a faith ●s I told you before was the ●ith of Lucius learned Par●ot like and tunable to the eare hauing no semblance or qualitie of Gods spirit in it but onely this that not working by loue it is inuisible Africa was accounted in auncient time the mother of monstrous shapes but Europe Christian Europe is become the grandmother of many strange wonderments For as Saint Augustine sayth Hee that beleeueth not now seeing the world beleeueth is aprodigious and portentous amazement to himselfe And many there are who albeit they liue in the profession of this holy beleefe yet they profite not in it because they abuse the holy meanes thereof neither doe they practise the religious manner and methode of attaining vnto it For first● they abuse the meanes by comming ●reuerently and irreligiously ●ot as beleeuers to heare the Word of this faith prea●hed Elias Gods Prophet when ●ee comes where he heareth God hee couereth his face with his mantle in reuerence of Gods Maiestie For beleeuers the nearer they come to God the more modest they are Ezechiel hearing GOD speake vnto him wanting a vayle falles with his face to the earth making the earth his mantle to shew his reuerence and fea●e to Gods maiestie Peter seeing Christ comming towards him cryeth out Depart from mee for I am a sinnefull man as acknowledging he was not worthy to breath in the place where Christ was Abraham when hee talkes with God about Sodome sayth thus Let not my Lord bee angrie if I dust and ashes speake vnto him And the Syrophenician comming to receiue comfort from Christ stands behind him daring not to speake but entendeth onely to touch not his body nor his garment but euen the very hemme of his vesture and