ruler and a delyuerer by the hand of the Aungel â–ª c. Nowe bycause he acknowledged Moses to be a ruler and delyuerer of the people of God thys one thing might haue bene sufficient proofe ynough agaynst his aduersaryes which complayned on him as hauing spoken blasphemie agaynst Moses We haue here chiefely to consider howe God maketh him the ruler and deliuerer of hys people who was already hated of the Egyptians refused of hys bretherne the Israelites and had a long time bene in banishment By which example we learne that we should not iudge neyther of our owne case nor other mennes according to the iudgement of the worlde where oftentimes it falleth out that they are in greatest fauour with God whome the worlde contemptuously abhorreth and disdayneth For thys is Gods propertie to choose the humble and base and by them to confounde the pryde of the worlde And we reade in the hundred and .xiij. Psalme how God taketh vp the simple out of the dust and lyfteth the poore out of the mire that he may set him with the Princes euen with the princes of his people Wherevnto that that the holy Uirgin singeth is lyke He hath put downe the mightie from their seate hath exalted the humble and meeke Examples hereof we haue not onely in Moses but also in dyuers others So God of an Assekeeper made Saule a king and Dauid he tooke from the sheepefolde and set hym vp in a Princely throne Wherevnto may also be referred that that was done in the Apostles who being for the more part Fyshermen and of no authoritie in the worlde were aduaunced so high that they might be called conquerors of the whole world which by preaching of the worde they brought to the obeysance of Christ within fewe yeres Here may they that are despysed and wythout glory receyue comfort Also they that be aloft and in hyghe degree may learne to be humble least presumption as Salomon sayth go before destruction Furthermore let vs see in what respect Moses is called the delyuerer of the people For thys is not so to be vnderstanded as though he dyd anye thing of his owne priuate power or authority For Steuen plainly testifieth that he was sent to be a delyuerer by the hande of the Aungell which appeared to him in the bushe that is that he did all that belonged to the delyuerie of the people by the appoyntment and commaundement of Iesus Christ whome in the last sermon we declared to be the Aungell It is manifest therefore that Moses was but a Minister and that all the glorye of their delyuerie is due onely to christ After which sense all the places of Scripture must be taken and expounded wherein anye thing peculyer vnto God is attributed to â—â—n â–ª For that is after none other sort but by the waye of Ministerie which they take in hande at the commaundement of god So it is sayde the Ministers plant buylde wynne men vnto God remyt sinnes and keepe them vnremitted not bicause they doe these thinges of their owne power and at their pleasure but bicause God doth vouchsafe to vse their ministerie in bringing them to passe who also euen wythout them at his pleasure is able to rule and gouerne all things But bicause he sayde Moses was made the Ruler and deliuerer of the people of God he sheweth howe he vsed his office He brought them forth shewing wonders and signes in Aegypt and in the redde sea â–ª and in the wyldernesse fortie yeares So that Steuen acknowledgeth in Moses no bare name of a delyuerer onely but wyllingly confesseth that he faythfully discharged and fulfilled his office And bicause he would seeme to conceale nothing that made for hys glory he maketh mention of the signes and woonders which God wrought by him These woonders and signes be deuided into three sortes and are diligently set out in Moses wrytings The first sort of them is those that were done in Egypt amongst which those are first to be placed which he wrought to purchase a credite to his vocation such as was the turning of his rodde into a Serpent which Serpent did eate by the Sorcerers roddes which they by enchauntment had transformed into Serpents Then followed the ten horrible and prodigious plagues wherewith God marueylously afflicted Pharao and the Egyptians For all the Egyptians waters were turned into bloud and were made not onely vnfyt for any vse but also vpbrayded the Egyptians with their bloudy tyranny and babeslaughter Then were there Frogges sent which not onely in their fieldes but also crawling in their houses with their troublesome â—oyse vexed their guiltie consciences After them followed Lyce more troublesome than the Frogges bicause they stacke fast vnto their bodyes eating into their fleshe By and by after that came dyuers swarmes of flyes by heapes vexing both men and beastes And bicause thys might perhaps seeme but â—â—eaâ—ytings and tryfles they had yet more grieuous than thys sent among them â–ª For an horrible and contagyous rotte of murhen kylled vp their cattle both small and great In the mennes bodyes rose filthy botches and sores vgly running Monstrous hayle destroyed their whole yeares crop and increase And that the hayle touched not or sproong afterwarde out of the grounde againe the Caterpyllers deuoured lying in their fieldes as thicke as bayle And bycause wyttingly and wyllingly they persisted in their blinde and wilful ignorance of God he sent among them fearefull and feeleable darkenesse And at length by an Aungell that strake them all Egypt was fylled with the slaughter of all their first borne so that no house was voyde of this horrible calamitie and mourning The consideration of all which teacheth vs howe easie it is vnto God to keepe downe and vanquishe most mightie Tyraunts For he is in deede the Lorde of hostes which vseth to send forth as well the good Aungels as badde yea and all the creatures of the world against his enimies And there is no creature so vyle or weake which is not able ynough to vexe yea and to kill man if it please God to arme it therevnto By his iustice and iudgement it came to passe that Pharao was so troubled with Frogges and so vexed with swarmes of Lice and Flies who not long before had prowdely reâ—ected 〈◊〉 God of the Hebrues So by Mice he reuenged the wicked contempt of his name amonge the Philistines when they had gotten the Arke of God into their handes which was a sacrament and signe of his presence And we reade how Antiochus Sylla Herode and diuers other were eaten vp of Lice and vermine that bredde of their owne fleshe Let vs therefore humble our selues in the sight of God and not like mad men suffer our selues to be bewitched with the vaine hope and confidence of things temporall The seconde sorte of myracles wrought by Moyses were those which came to passe in the red sea For when the Israelites were inclosed with the chariots
bicause all things are written for our instruction we must applie the example of Abraham not onely to this present cause but also to our selues and there shall no little profite ensue vnto vs if we well consyder the calling of God and the fayth or obedience of Abraham In the calling of God whereby Abraham came out of Vr in Chaldaea into the land of Chanaan are two things principally to be considered The first is that he was called without any merite or desert of his before going For Iehosuah in his .xxiiij. Chapter testifieth that he dwelt among Idolaters and worshipped straunge Gods. Yea Epiphanius by report of auncient writers sayth that Thares Abrahams father was the first that made ymages of claye and that therfore he was punished of God with the death of Haran his sonne who was the first among the auncient fathers that of naturall death died before his father Neyther coulde he be commended bicause he was circumcised or was in the time of the Temple whereof the one was built many yeares after the other was a signe of the couenaunt made with him whereas the righteousnesse of fayth which he had alreadye attayned was sealed and confirmed The seconde is howe all this calling dependeth vpon the bare worde of god For he is commaunded to forsake his countrie and kindred and seeth nothing that might cause him to looke or hope for any better state or coÌ„dicion For God promised him neither trustier friendes nor fruitfuller countrie but speaking directly sayth Come into the lande which I shall shewe thee These things are worthy to be diligently obserued For first they teach vs that we are called to saluation and to the heauenly countrie whereof the lande of Chanaan was sometime a figure through the meere grace of God without respect of any our workes or deserts in this matter For what had we deserued seeing we were chosen in Christ before the world was made Or what can they bragge of that haue nothing but that they haue receyued And surely if we consider the disposition of our nature it shall appeare that we are no more mindefull of the heauenly Countrie before we be called and drawen than Abraham was of the land of Chanaan whose name he had not heard of yea when the Lord calleth vs we prooue the vntowarde nature of the fleshe stryueth agaynst Gods calling which we can neuer be able to ouercome except we be holpen by the effectuous drawing of the holye spirite Furthermore we are taught that our vocation which offereth vs saluation dependeth vpon the onely worde of God and therefore can not be taken holde of by fleshlye sense or mannes reason but by fayth onely which also is the gift of God For the naturall man perceyueth not the things belonging to the spirit of God. And God hath prepared such things for them that loue him as neyther eye hath seene nor eare hearde nor yet hath entred into the heart of man And here the power of fayth marueylously declareth it selfe which only taketh holde of the promises of God and most surely embraceth those things that farre exceede all sense and capacitie of mannes reason Therfore Paule calleth it a sure confidence of things which are hoped for and a certeyntie of things which are not seene These things ought well to be considered of them who thinke the doctrine of the iustification of fayth so light a matter as though it appoynted to easie a waye vnto saluation and so mainteyned the securitie and licentiousnesse of the fleshe For how can that be iudged a light and easie matter that surmounteth and passeth all the powers of man Or shal we account it a matter of greater weyght before God that men doe of their owne power than that that cannot be done without the power of the holy ghost Let vs compare fayth with all the workes of all the Monkes that euer were and yet shall we finde more yea and perfiter workes among the Philosophers of the Gentyles but fayth shall we be able to shewe in none but in him that is borne agayne of the word of God through the holy spirite Therefore our saluation and iustification is iustly ascribed to the greatest and exellentest thing that any man liuing can haue vpon the earth Nowe the beliefe and obedience of Abraham following the calling of God is very woonderfull There were diuers thinges which myght haue lette and hindred hi m. For to let passe all other great is the force of our natiue soyle and countrie and draweth men as the Poet sayth with a great desire and lyking and still maketh them mindefull thereof And it is no small authoritie that kinsefolke and allyaunce be of whome we then most vehemently loue when we be ready to forgo them The age also and infirmitie of his father myght haue stayed him whereof he dyed before he came to the borders of the Countrie promised And it is also likely that Abraham was in great honor in his countrie such as he coulde not easily hope for in a forreyne lande among straungers But none of all these things coulde withholde that godly brest but that without delaye he woulde followe the vocation of God wythout any curious enquirie of the condicion and state of the Countrie This is that obedience of fayth so oftentimes commended of Paule and which he sayth is the ende of the lawe This doth Christ require of vs where he commaundeth vs to forsake father mother sister brother wife children and our selues if we will be his Disciples And the accomplishment hereof is so difficult a thing that it is vndoubtedly impossible for vs to performe it except we be regenerate and borne againe of the holy spirite as Christ teacheth disputing with Nichodemus Therefore let them that desire to be called Christians examine themselues after this rule least whyle they rashly bragge thereof they become lyke foolishe buylders who go about to set vp some great building before they haue cast the charges thereof Let this consideration awake vs incessantly to make our feruent prayers for the increase of fayth that after the losse of all these worldlye goodes we maye come to the inheritaunce of the heauenly Countrie with Iesus Christ our sauiour to whome be prayse honor power and glorye for euer Amen The .xliiij. Homelie AND he gaue him none inheritaunce therin no not so much as one foote and promised that he woulde giue it him to possesse and to his â—eede after whereas yet he had no sonne God sayde on this wyfe thy seede shall be a soiourner in a straunge land and they shall make them bonde and intreate them euill fower hundred yeares And the Nation whome they shall serue I will iudge sayth the Lorde And after that they shall come forth and serue me in this place BIcause Steuen was accused as a publike enimie of Gods glory and all religion by reason of his doctrine of abrogation of the lawe and ceremonies
alone conteyneth more in it than any manne is able to perfourme And if thou haue to speake vnto Christians what canst thou deuise more amiable than the name of brother or more honourable than the name of Christian wherby both the Priestly dignitie and Princely maiestie whervnto Christ hath aduaunced vs is expressed But nowe a dayes the worlde is come to such foolishnesse that they are iudged rude and rusticall that stuffe not their orations and writings with counterfeyted and most pâ—euish and ridiculous tytles whereby they make men already not well in their wits starke staring madde How much better did Augustus Caesar who thought this name Dominus or Lorde more honorable than sitting for a mortall man as he was Secondly we are taught what maner of men they shoulde be that will heare the worde of God worthily and to their profyte and vtilitie First they must be Israelites which in the wrastling of temptations must take fast holde of the worde of God and not suffer it by anye aduersitie to be taken from them Therefore is fayth required whereby the Apostle witnesseth we ouercome Then must they be such as feare God and tremble with great reuerence at his worde as the Lorde admonisheth by his Prophet Esay 66. For it cannot be that any can obey the worde of God but he that hath learned to thinke well of it For the which cause when Moses came to talke with God he was commaunded to put of his shooes that is to say all beastly and fleshly affections whereby the maiestie of God vseth to be driuen awaye Nowe seeing there be so fewe such hearers in these dayes for that cause we see the worde of God is so much preached in vaine But to returne vnto Paule he addeth to his beginning the narration of an hystorie wherein the fyrst part of his Oration is ended And he taketh the beginning of his narration of the fathers therby declaring that he preached neyther newe God nor newe fayth but the same by the which the fathers in time past were saued For he affirmeth that they had in deede many singuler giftes but yet nothing but that God of his grace gaue them who woulde haue the Sauiour that he promised borne of their posteritie But bicause they which trust in their owne worthinesse can hardly acknowledge the grace of God Paule vseth a diligent rehearsall of Gods benefyts which both maintaineth the grace of god against the boasters of their merits and also contayneth manifest examples of our whole redemption Wherefore it shall not be from Paules purpose if we runne them all ouer and expende such poyntes as serue for our instruction First he toucheth the fountaine of all goodnesse which is free election The God of this people sayeth he chose our fathers He calleth him the God of the people of the Iewes not after the maner of the gentiles which appoynted to euery Nation their peculiar God but bicause that God which was the Lorde and gouernor of all Nations chose vnto him the people of Iewes before all other by whom he would be knowne vnto all the world That this election or choyse was of his free mercie the Scripture teacheth in euery place Uerily Iosue testifyeth that Abraham serued straunge Gods before he was called And Moses doth many times inculcate this election that they might vnderstande whome to thanke for all those benefytes that they had receyued And hereto belong the things which we read in Ezechiel 16. and Amos. 3. and they take from the Iewes all occasion of glorying Hereby also appeareth that our saluation and whatsoeuer we haue that good is ought to be referred vnto the grace of God whereby he did vouchsafe to choose vs also before the foundations of the worlde were layde Dauid therefore doth well saye Blessed is the man whome thou hast chosen And if we haue no goodnesse of our selues but are chosen of God what madnesse is it I pray you to attribute saluation to our merites or works which vnlesse free election go before cannot please God. Secondly he alleageth the glory and notable deliuerye of this people out of Egypt For when they were Pilgrimes and straungers in Egypt God did marueylously exalt them fyrst by Ioseph who being made ruler of Egypt obtained fauour for them of the king of that Countrie After that being oppressed with tyrannie he brought them out of the house of bondage into libertie wiâ—h an high or mighty arme that is to saye by myracles and wonders with great power And that this was a free benefyte and goodnesse appeareth in this that they were pilgrimes and men most abiect For what coulde such deserue To saye nothing in the meane season howe they were polluted and defyled with the superstition of Egypt whereby they deserued rather to be kept in bondage still than to be sette at libertie These things containe in them a fygure of our common redemption much agreeing with this present argument For it is manifest we are all pilgrimes vpon the earth and haue here no continuall dwelling place Such therefore as we who deserued no possession vpon earth hath God lift vppe into heauen yea he hath witsafe to take as his children He also hath deliuered vs being oppressed with the deadly tyrannie of the deuill with his highe arme that is to saye by his sonne whome Esaye the Prophete cap. 53. calleth the arme of the Lorde Thirdly he sayth God suffered their maners fourtie yeares in the wildernesse Herein is noted a marueylous and more than fatherly bearing and tendernesse such as no mortall man woulde vse towarde his only sonne or seruaunt most profytable vnto him This thing well appeareth if we read the storie of Moses Howe often reade we they murmured against Moses howe often rose they sediciously against him howe often went they about to murther him But to let passe the thinges they did against Moses what did they not commit against God himselfe They forgate his commaundements and made a Calfe and chaunged the glory of God immortall into the similitude of an Oxe that eateth haye How often preferred they the seruitude of Egypt before the benefyte of their glorious deliuery how often did they tempt the will and power of God yet God bare with their incurable malice although they daily deserued with newe punishments to be destroyed This might seeme a wonderfull meekenesse of God if we daylye founde not the like For what daye or houre passeth in the which we prouoke not the iudgement of God against vs eyther in wordes deedes or thoughts and wicked desires Yet the Lorde spareth vs as though he had not thunderboltes and diuers other weapons at hande wherewith to punishe and strike vs. For he knoweth whereof we be made to vse the wordes of the Prophet and remembreth that we are but dust Yet least any man might thinke he maye hereby sinne without checke let vs note that this lenitie of God serued but hereto
one kinde of hearers but such as seemed greatly to differ both in vocation conuersation nature yet did not they thinke it good for this cause to chaunge or omit any thing in the doctrine of the gospel being wholy busted to bring many men vnto Christ by duly orderly dealing of his word And vnto this doctrine of the word they ioyned the vse of the sacraments and those whome they perceyued to beleue they tooke into the societie of the Church by baptisme with all their family and deliuered to them the sacrament of thankesgiuing in such sort as Christ prescribed the often receyuing whereof sealed to them the benefite of their redemption and a thankefull commemoration of the Lordes death is therein celebrated and the whole bodye of the Church is the more surely knitte togither with the bande of loue and charitie And by these meanes within the space of eyght and twentie yeares it is euident the whole worlde was brought vnto the obeysaunce of Christ and that by the ministerie of such as were neyther of noble stocke dignitie in calling nor of any estimation in learning Therefore this was the verie working of God from aboue wherein wee haue to reuerence his power and to embrace his goodnesse which so graciously prouided for the worlde liuing oppressed vnder the tyrannie of the deuill This booke setteth forth most diligently the exercises of the Primitiue Church Great sinners and notorious wicked men such as not long before had wickedly enterprysed to shed the bloud of the only begotten sonne of God embraced the doctrine of the gospell And the same being brought to the consideration of their sinnes openly confessed them and trusting in the onely mercie of God through Christ obteyned fauor and forgiuenesse From thenceforth forsaking their former sinfulnesse and taking a better waye and trade of lyfe they forsooke their companie by whome before they were polluted And to their Godlye life they ioyned prayers wherein they were feruently occupied both in consideration of their owne infirmitie and by reason of dayly perilles and incombraunces as many examples declare And for that they woulde haue neyther doctrine nor the wholesome frequenting of the Sacramentes to cease they had a speciall regarde that there might be Ministers and Elders euerywhere appoynted whome they placed in euery Citie and with great diligence kept in dooing their dutye And at length least the profession of Christ might seeme to consist onely in vaine contemplation there sprang and grewe among them such feruent loue and liberalitie that we may in these dayes sooner woonder at the same than follow it For eche Church and congregation faythfully made prouision for their poore and those Churches that were of best habilitie and ryches relieued the want and pouertie of others further of sending to them such collections of money as they had made and gathered for them Well remembring vndoubtedlye our Sauiour Christ which being readie to leaue the earth appointed the poore in his place promising to accept whatsoeuer benefite bestowed vpon them as done vnto his owneselfe And where being occupyed in such Godlye exercyses all men ought to haue made much of them and loued them they yet founde on euery syde most grieuous enimyes The Iewes Scribes and Phariseyes and Philosophers of the Gentyles gainsayde them whereby they were enforced to haue perpetuall conflicts with those that had the chiefe commendation for wisedome and learning as well amonge the Iewes as the Gentyles Moreouer euen out of the Church it selfe arose false brethren who both through their lewde conuersation hindred the growth of the Church now springing and offended very manye with their craftie and deceyueable enterpryses such as Ananias was among the Iewes and Simon Magus amonge the Samaritanes And certaine wicked persons giuen vnto vnlawfull sciences muche troubled the Apostles and the other godly Bariesu or Elymas the Sorcerer in Cyprus a mayde possessed with a prophecying spirite at Philippi and certaine exorcistes or coniuring Iewes at Ephesus And when the deuill perceyued he coulde nothing preuaile by any of these instrumentes he began to styrre vp the Magistrates and Rulers by them to keepe vnder the towarde croppe of the true and healthfull fayth And this thing the Iewes first began to bring Christes religion the more in suspicion seeing that Nation where it first sprang receyued not the same Herevppon the Apostles were called before councelles at Hierusalem were commaunded to silence were beaten with roddes and so being further threatned were lette go againe At length Stephen was stoned the godlye driuen out of the Citie and persecution raunged in euery place neyther were the Apostles themselues spared For Herod beheaded Iames and thought for the Iewes pleasure to haue serued Peter likewise if God had not after a myraculous sorte deliuered him out of the present daunger hee was in And the Iewes were not content themselues to reiecte Christ as none of their king and sauiour but also they would not haue him to reigne among the Gentyles Wherefore they mooued and procured vprores agaynst the Apostles in all places as appeareth by the adoe that happened at Antioche Iconium Lystrae Corinth Thessalonica and many other places And finally they brought to passe that the Apostles and professors of the Christian fayth were reported to bee guyltie not onely in matters of religion but also to haue â—oldelye transgressed and broken the Romayne lawes and to haue troubled and distourbed the whole worlde Wherevppon the matter went so farre that the Romaine Emperours also whose power at that tyme stretched ouer all the worlde drewe their sworde agaynst the Christians But among all these so great and many daungers and in so craftie and most cruell attempts of the enimies there appeared a marueylous constancie of the Apostles and other beleeuers whereby they both truely and plainely protested their fayth in Christ and boldly defended and mainteyned the doctrine of truth and neyther by flattrie or threats coulde be brought to forsake the standing wherein God had placed them Therfore our faythfull God did not fayle them in so Godly a constancie but declared by many and euident tokens that he had a care of his Church For being in bandes and prison he deliuered them out of the same by the ministerie and seruice of Aungelles he comforteth them with ioyfull â—ightes and visions he armeth them with the spirite of constancie he giueth them a mouth and tongue which none of the enimies was able to resist he confirmeth the doctrine and faith of his people with myracles he effectually draweth the mindes of men to beleeue them and to be short he causeth the doctrine of the Gospell dispite of the worlde and Prince thereof through fire and sworde luckily to spreade ouer the whole face of the earth In these things is conteyned a perfite and an absolute paterne of a Church wherevnto all things written any where else in the scriptures touching the Church maye bee referred This fourme or frame of a Church it is euident that
much vppon but study to please God onely 818 Mannes power is nothing agaynst God. 875 Manne must haue a regarde of hys dignitie 481 Mannes corruption may be knowen by the faultines in the Sainctes Pag. 26 Menne of three sortes burningâ— in hatred agaynst the truth 208 Mannes infirmitie set forth in the example of Ananias 402 Mannes redemption figured 566 Mannes traditions can not saue vs. Pag. 353 Mannes counsell or deuyse can not quayle Christes kingdome 30 Mannes traditions and godly intentions are daungerous to bee thrust into the Church 21 Mannes origene and beginning teacheth vs to worshippe one God. Pag. 358 Manne for hys behoofe may eate all meates created of God. 406 Mannes naturall dulnes 437 Menne of base degree and rascalles called in this world embrace and receyue the Gospel 624 Menne are all sinners 543 Manne destitute of the knowledge of God soone corrupted 837 Maynteyners of free will confuted Pag. 790 Maynteyners of Popish merites coÌ„futed 428 Manaes a noble man and a Courtier 509 Manasses a wicked Idolater 340 Mary the moother of Christe committed to the tuicion of Iohn Pag. 46 Mary the virgin mother of Chryste Pag. ibidem Mariages with the wicked prosper euill 828 Maryners vnbeleefe and falsehoode Pag. 880 Martyres punishmentes muste bee weighed by Sainct Steuens Example 351 Mathew had a wyfe as appeareth by the house hee kept 45 Matthias chosen to bee an Apostle Pag. 72 Matthie the Apostle hys election Pag. 66 Matthie chosen into the rowme of Iudas 44 Matthias auctoritie of vocation 58 M ante E Meanes ordeyned of God must not bee rashly neglected 814 Meane and indifferent things when they cease to be indifferent 616 Meanes lawfully vsed 882 Meanes vnlawfull must none bee vsed to come by commoditie 870 Meates choyse or difference 434 and 435 Mercie of God towarde Synners Pag. 790 Mercy in what sence it is vsed of S. Paule 540 Merites of men how muche is to bee attributed to them 429 M ante I Ministery of Christe comprehended in two wordes 6 Ministers are not polluted by mariage 765 Ministers to be taken into the church what manner of men they shoulde bee 63 Ministery outward is profitable too be duely administred 399 Ministery of the woorde to bee profitable proued by Examples Pag. 400 Ministery Ecclesiasticall commended 429 Ministery Ecclesiasticalles partes Pag. 279 Ministery Ecclesiasticalles reason Pag. 508 Ministeries dignitie 179 Minister of Christes woorde be hee neuer so sclender and base must not bee contempned 397 Minister of the Churche muste bee apt and fit to teache 63.64 Minister of the Church muste haue a sounde and sure knowledge of Christ. 64 Ministers ought to bee suche as are lyke too perseuer and contyneue Pag. ibid. Minister what thinges is requisite for him ibid. Ministers are ordeyned of GOD. Pag. 750 Ministers must bee desirous of humilitie and agreement 91 Ministers where they must preache Christ his name 403 Ministers of the Church are a benefite of God. 49 Ministers of Christ must bee at vnitie 147 Ministers of the Church are Apostles 70 Ministers of the Churche muste bee admitted to the ouersight of ecclesiasticall goods ibid. Ministers of the Church muste not bee money gatherers 756 Ministers of the Churche whether they may take stypend and wages Pag. 679 Ministers muste further and procure the Saluation of all menne Pag. 740 Ministers of the Gospell muste obeye Goâ—des commaundementes Pag. 19 Ministers must bee lawfully elected Pag. 66 Ministers must be referred and leaft vnto God. 68 Ministers of the Gospell are neyther robbers of goods honor nor blasphemers 727 Ministers what armour they muste do on agaynst the assaultes of this world 211 Ministers haue neede of Gods holy spirit 19 Ministers dutie consisteth chiefly in teaching 64 Ministers vnmeete muste not beâ—â—â—ken into the Church 〈…〉 Ministers 〈…〉 tyll they 〈◊〉 lawfully called 58 Ministers who bee lawfull and who vnlawfull 510 Ministers muste speake and not holde their peace 683 Ministers must not ouer hastely forsake the Church 683 Ministers muste doo their dutie although they profit lyttle 746 Ministers howe they are not culpable of other meâ—nes faultes Pag. 682 Ministers must fight but with scriptures 703 Ministers must be from the crime of sedition 825 Ministers muste haue knowledge in Gods will that will teache other the same 794 Ministers must haue an earnest care to their churches 150 Ministers muste haue a speciall care for their owne Nacion and Country after the Apostle Paules ensample 795 Ministers maye sometymes secke to escape by flying 411 Ministers are not blameable for beating downe superstitioÌ„ and aâ—â—iance in woorkes 896 Ministers must praye for the saluation of the people 793 Ministers what they must teache Pag. 794 Ministers howe vehemently they must rebuke those that deface the glory of God by seeking filthy lucre 373 Ministers muste not seditiously disturbe euerye common weales Pag. 823 Ministers must be stout yet gentle to be spoken too 405 Ministers admonished of their dutie by Paules example 402 Ministers are men and therfore subiect to mans infirmitie 55 Ministers must reproue as well secrete as manifest faultes committed agaynst the truth 230 Ministers faithfull haue diuerse and sundry chaunces folowing them as may be seene in Paule 410. Ministers at variaunce must not offend vs. 612.613 Ministers in the Churche that haue bene couetouse what they haue don Pag. 7â—6 Ministers true praise what it is 474 Ministers described that are false ibideÌ„ Ministers lawfully called a behofefull thing 753. Ministers of the church whence they haue their auctoritie 330. Ministers of the woorde must paint out false teachers in theyr colours and note them by theyr names 136 Ministers muste accuse notorious wyckednes with bold speech 109 Ministers faults must make no man 〈◊〉 bâ—cke 55. Ministers ought lawâ—â—lly to be called 789 Ministers of the woord must bee zelous 375. Ministers how much we are bounde vnto them 895 Ministers may lawfully declare vnto theyr churches what the enemies entend against Christ and his flock Pag. 215. Ministers haue neede of good bringing vp 14. Ministers muste boldly rebuke men Pag. 204. Ministers must be innocent harmeles 838. Ministers must be kindly and thankfully vsed 441. Minisâ—ers must not be so cleued vnto that if god take theÌ„ away we must thinke religion shall quayle 387. Ministers how they should be ordeyned 282. Ministers must haue a regarde who heareth them 678 Miracle of the Apostles 239. Miracle of the lame man healed 565. Miracle of the tounges what it ment Pag. 80. Miracle of the redde Sea. 332. Miracles of the Apostles were the woorkes of Christ. 161 Miracles of Christ and the Apostles were perfect 155. Miracles why Christ wrought 157. Miracles of Moses in Egypte 517. New miracles must not be deuised Pag. 563. Miracles of Moses in the wildernes Pag. 332. Miracles done by Philip. 361. Miracles repugnant to gods woord no miracles 563 Miracles which be true 139. Miracles taught by the Apostles do serue for two endes the cause efficient of
more Pag. 85 8. Those which hee knowe before those also dyd hee predestinate Pag. 554 8. The spirit of adoption by whom wee crye Abba father 538 8. Neyther death nor lyfe can seperate vs from the loue of GOD. Pag. 328 9. It is not of the will or industrie of man but of the mercie of God. Pag. 135 10. With the harte man beleeueth vnto righteousnes and with the mouth confesseth vnto saluation Pag. 86 10. Whosoeuer shall call on the name of the Lorde shal be safe 665 10. How shall they call on him on whome they haue not beleeued Pag. 509.665 10. How shall they beleeue without a Preacher 509.665.49 10. Howe shall they preache without they be sent 49.510.58 10. Hearing commeth by the worde of God. 625 11. The giftes of God are without repentance 29 11. For if God spared not the naturall braunches 547 11. O the deepenesse of the ryches c. 29.111 12. He that doth mercifully let hym doe it cheerefully 147 12. In gyuing honour â–ª go one before an other 293 12. Reioyce with them that doe reioyce and weepe with them that weepe 491 13. Princes are not fearefull to them that doe well but to them that do euill 321 14. I knowe and am perswaded by the Lorde Iesus that there is nothing common of itself 603 15. Whatsoeuer thinges haue beene written afore time were written for our learning 3 16. The mysterye kept secret since the worlde begonne 674 1. COrinth 1. Wee preach Christ crucified vnto the Iewes a stumbling blocke and to the Gentyles foolishnesse 664 1. But vnto them which are called both of the Iewes and Gentiles we preach Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God. Pag. 538 2. The naturall manne perceyueth not the thinges of the spirite of God. 308.554 3. Paule fed the Corinthians with mylke 680 3. We are the Ministers of God by whome you haue beleeued 566 4. disposers of the secrets of God. Pag. 9 4. What hast thou that thou hast not receyued 308.270 4. In Christ Iesu through the Gospell haue I begotten you Pag. 509 6. Whoremongers and adulterers shall not inherite the kingdome of God. 181 9. Woe vnto mee if I preach not the Gospell 212 10. Ye cannot bee pertakers of the Lordes table 602 10. God is faythfull and will not suffer vs to bee tempted aboue our strength 578 11. There must bee sectes that they which are tryed among you might be knowne 590 13. Nowe we see in a glasse euen in a darcke speaking but then shal we see face to face 175 14. The spirites of the Prophetes are subiect to the Prophets 70 15. This corruptible must put on incorruption 541 15. O death where is thy sting 23 â— COrinth 1. All the promyses of God in hym are yea â–ª 537 1. As the afflictions of Christ are plenteous in vs c. 637 3. Of our selues wee are not sufficient to thinke c. 620.320 â–ª 5. Wee are messengers in the roome of Christ. 71 5. Euery man shall receyue according as hee hath done in bodye Pag. 175.675 5. God hath made him to bee sinne for vs whiche knewe no synne Pag. 535 9. GOD loueth a cherefull gyuer Pag. 485 1. GAlath 1. I maruell that you are so soone turned froÌ„ Christ Pag. 589 1. If an Angell from heauen preach any other Gospell 607 3. This onely woulde I learne of you whether you receyued the spirite by the deedes of the Law. Pag. 184 3. Though it bee but a mans Testament yet if it bee proued no man c. 186 3. Hee sayeth not to the seedes as of many but to thy seede as of one ibidem 3. The Lawe is our Schoolemayster vnto Christ. 334 3. There is neyther bonde nor free neyther Male nor Female 293. and 656 4. Bycause you are Sonnes God hath sent the spirite of his son c. Pag. 85 4. When the full tyme was come GOD sente hys Sonne c. Pag. 448 5. If you byte and deuoure one another 146. â—24 5. Would GOD they were cut off which trouble you 606 5. I testifie to euery man whiche is circumcised 589 EPhesi 1. Accordinge as hee had chosen vs in him before the fouÌ„dacions of the world were layd Pag. 294.525.202 1. Christ worketh all thinges in vs. Pag. 201 1. God hath made Christ sit on his right hande in heauenly places Pag. 36 4. Christ is ascended vp aboue all heauens to fulfyll all things 38. and 51 4. When hee went vp on hyâ— hee ledde captiuity captiue 37 4. Hee gaue some Apostles some Prophetes c. 10 6. Watch with all instancie and supplication 205 PHilipp â— In the name of Iesus euery knee should bowe 309 2. God woorketh in vs both to wil and to doe of good will. 270. and â—54 3. Our conuersation is in heauen Pag. 37 4. I can doe all thinges thoroughe Christ. 169 COlos 2. Hee hath spoyled al principalitie and rule and made a shewe of them openly 37 3. Filthie communication 15 THessalon 2. How they kylled the Lord Iesus 556 4. The Lorde himselfe shall descend from heauen in a showte and in the voyce of the Archangell 35 5. Reioyce euer praye continually 115 5. Examine all thinges holde faste that is good 655 1. TImoth 2. One Mediatoure Pag. 107 2. God would haue all men to come too the knoweledge of the truth 561.655 3. A Bishop must bee the husband of one wyfe 765 4. Meates are Sanctifyed by the woorde of GOD and prayer Pag. 147 5. Bee not partaker of other mens sinnes 15 6. Wee brought nothinge into this worlde and it is certayne wee maye carry naught awaye c. Pag. 299 2. TImoth 2. To deuide the word of Truth rightly and dulye Pag. 680 3. Applye thy reading 15 3. Thou hast perceyued my Doctrine 578.592 3. All scripture is gyuen by inspiration of God. 5â—2 4. Bee instant in season and out of season 351 HEbreor 1. Aungels are ministring spirits 246 2. Hee tooke not on him the Aungels but the seede of Abraham 105.178 4. Wee haue not an hyghe Priest that can not bee touched with the feelinge of oure infirmities Pag. 107 4. The woorde of God is a twoo edged sworde 660 9. Christ came to be an hyghe priest of good things to come 37 10. The bloud of Oxen and Gotes can not â—â—ke away sinnes 545 11. Faith is the grounde of thinges that are hopeâ— for 295 11. Without â—â—ith it is impossible to please God. 47.341.665 11. By fayth Moyses when he was great refused to bee called the Sâ—nne of Pharaos Daughter Pag. 320 13. Forget not to doe good and to distribute 139 13. Remember theÌ„ that are in bonds euen as if you were bound with them 491 IAmes 4â— The friendship of thys world is enimitie with GOD. Pag. 26 1. 〈◊〉 â–ª Christe was ordâ—yned before the worlde was made Pag. 109 4. The tyme is come that iudgement muste beginne at the house of God â–ª 269 5. God resisteth the proude 506 2. PEâ—r 3.
Where is the promise of his comming 66â— 1. IOan 2. Let the same abyde in you which you heard from the beginning 129.588 3. Now are we the sonnes of God and yet it doth not appeare what wee shall bee 540 4. Greater is he that is in you then hee that is in the world 353 4. Here in is loue not that wee loued God. 531 APocaly 3. The Epistle to those of Laodicca 660 14. Blessed are the dead whiche dye in the Lord. 313 20. The Sea shall gyue vp hir dead which are in hir 313 21. There shal bee new Heauens and a newe earth 175 22. Woorship God. 260 FINIS The first chapiter vpon the Actes of the Apostles The first Homelie IN the former treatise deare THEOPHILVS we haue spoken of all that IESVS began to doe and teach vntill the daye in which hee was taken vp after that hee through the holye Ghost had giuen commaundements vnto the Apostles whom he had chosen GReat is the prayse of Hystorie though but prophane for that the wysest men haue called hir the witnesse of tymes the light of truth the life of remembrance the Maystresse of lyfe and the Messenger of Antiquitie yet certaine it is that these titles may be applyed to no Hystorie more deseruedly and truely than to the Hystorie contayned in the Bookes of the olde and newe Testament which the holy Ghost hath deliuered vnto the Church For this Hystorie bringeth vs an exact an infallible account of the tymes from the first beginning of the worlde vnto the birth of Iesus Christ which account with other wryters is founde vncertayne and deceytfull This Hystorie is not onely the light but also the touchstone whereby the writinges and credite of all other Hystoriographers ought to be tryed This Hystorie conserueth vs the memorie of things done in very deede and which in very deede appertayne to our â—aluation And those things which lye hidden in the â—ecrete closets of reuerend antiquitie she most truely reporteth vnto vs and maystresse of life shee onely and none other ought to be called For she layeth before vs the examples not onely of vices and vertues and the chaungeable occurrences of the worlde by the which we may learne how to â—rame this present life but taking hir flight yet higher she giueth preceptes of eternall saluation of the soule shee reuealeth the holy will of God shee layeth before vs presidents of Gods promises and threates shee describeth the iudgement of God against the disobedient and declareth his protection and tuition wherewith hee defendeth those that worship him And to conclude shee setteth before vs to beholde as in a glasse all the nature and propertie of God that euery man may see what an one he vouchsafeth 〈◊〉 be â—o vs what maner of ones he requireth vs againe to be towardes him Which things vnlesse we imprint in our mindes we traueyle in all other hystories but in vaine which may delight vs with vaine ioye but are not able to enflame our mindes with the loue of true vertue and holy religion But amongst the volumes of holy Scripture that make mention and report of things done I thinke there is none extant the reading and knowledge whereof is eyther more profitable or necessarye than this which is entituled the Actes of the Apostles For to say nothing of Luke the Author hereof whose prayse is in the Gospell which was present almost at all the things done for the holy scripture inspired of God needeth not the authoritie or prayse of man such is the dignitie and maiestie of the things comprised in this Booke that if the same be not able to allure mooue any man to esteeme and loue the woorke in vayne shalt thou go about by humane reason to perswade him Amongst the which thinges we will intreate presently of those which containe the argument summe of the whole narration or discourse And first of all Luke descrybeth the beginning proceeding and successe of that kingdome which Christ hath in thys worlde whereof appeareth in the Prophets many things foreshewed and tolde For Dauid testifieth that Christ is declared a King by God his Father whose inheritaunce sayth hee are all the Nations of the earth and who also shall rule the Islandes Zacharie prophecieth that the boundes of hys kingdome should stretch from sea to sea In Daniel it is called the Mountayne that shoulde fill the worlde wherevnto all the thinges are to be referred written in other Prophetes by these wordes In the latter dayes it will be that the hill where the house of the Lord is buylded shall be the chiefe among hilles and exalted aboue all little hilles I passe ouer diuers things for prolixitie which might be alleaged to this purpose But if thou wouldest search these thinges in the Hystorie of Iesu Christ written by the Euaungelistes thou shouldest finde little or nothing answerable to such honorable Oracles For they describe Christ to be lowly poore and subiect to the iniuries and reproches of euery man and who after an infinite sort of calamities abode most shamefull death on the crosse Further they shewe the borders of his kingdome to haue bene very narrow and straite for that the misteries of the same were vnderstanded but of very few But if thou wilt pervse this Booke by by whatsoeuer the Prophets haue prophecied of the same shall appeare to be most true For he that seemed despised and a man of no estimation by his glorious ascention into heauen hath triumphed ouer the Deuill and all his enimies sitteth on the right hande of hys father from thence sendeth the holy Ghost before promysed to his Apostles wherewith they being inflamed beginne to preache Christ and not content within the borders of Iurie are dispersed amonge the Gentiles and amongst them by the playne and simple preaching of the Gospell spredde the kingdome of Christ both farre and neare so that Christ stretcheth his kingdome from sea to sea and the Islandes of the sea beginne to acknowledge him to be theyr King and by the ministerye of the Apostles it commeth to passe that all nations and people flocke vnto this Mountayne exalted aboue all Mountaynes yea reigning in heauen which thing Christ a few dayes before his death prophecied should come to passe in these wordes When I shall be lyft vp from the earth I will drawe all people vnto mee And this is so euident an argument of the kingdome of Christ and of his power that there can be none more euident For no Prince were he neuer so mightie coulde so quickly chaunge the fashion of the whole world as the Apostles in few yeres did being but abiects and contemned persons and by the spirit of Christ woorking in them graffed in the hartes of men a newe and before that time vnknowne desire of fayth and christian religion Except therfore this Booke were extant the truth of the kingdome of Christ and the maiestie therof should appeare eyther
of the Princes beleeue in him or of the Phariseyes But this people that know not the lawe are accursed Let vs therefore consider the counsell of God which as Paule sayth vseth to choose the foolish contemned and vile things and of no reputation in the worlde to confounde all wisedome power and authoritie of the worlde And thus doth he not without cause For hereby it appeareth that we ought to glory or reioyce in nothing but in God alone Let others obiect vnto vs Emperours Kings Bishops Cardinals Councels and Uniuersities Doctors in Scarlot and our Maisters illuminate and whatsoeuer else in the worlde is glorious by pretence of wisedome and holynesse and on the other side let them scorne and mocke the miserable and despised state of them in this worlde which haue professed the Gospell and we will aunswere with Iesus Christ our sauiour and doctor Wee thanke thee O father Lorde of heauen and earth bicause thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent and reuealed them to the little ones euen so father was it thy good will and pleasure But Luke writeth that there were women also in the company of the Apostles which some thinke were they only that came with Christ when he came last out of Galiley to Hierusalem But as I will not denie but some of that number might abide with the Apostles so I thinke this place may be very well vnderstanded of the Apostles Wyues For the Gospell plainely expresseth that Peter had a wyfe And if we affirme the same of Mathewe we doe it not in vaine seeing it plainly appeareth he both had a dwelling of his owne and also kept a familie and housholde And Paule manifestlye testifyeth that the Apostles led about their Wiues when they preached the Gospell Although I am not ignorant how the maintayners of vnchaste singlenesse expounde that place of certaine faithfull women that followed the Apostles But the pieuish men perceyue not what iniurie they doe vnto the Apostles whyle they thus saye For what excuse is left for the Apostles if they leaue their owne Wyues and carie about other mens God defende therefore that we shoulde thinke such absurditie pieuishnesse and dishonestie in the most holy Legates and Ambassadors of Iesus Christ. I surelye beleeue that the Apostles Wiues came from Galiley with their husbande 's the Apostles for whom it was not lawfull to depart from the Citie vntill this present daye For where they were ordayned to take part with the Apostles of all their traueyles and daungers it was requisite that they shoulde be prepared and strengthned with some speciall gift of the holy ghost They that contend and affirme that single lyfe is of necessitie to be enioined vnto persons ecclesiasticall are more foolish than whom we neede much to confute in so great light of the Gospell considering as it is playne vnto all men that wedlocke is honorable in all persons and the bed vndefiled Amongest these women also was the holy Uirgin the mother of Iesus Christ and certaine brethren of Christes whom according to the custome of the Hebrew tongue wee vnderstande to haue bene his kinsmen Christ a little before his death had committed the tuition of hir to Iohn the belooued Disciple which tooke the charge of hir vpon him most faithfully kept hir And here is the last place that the Scriptures make any more mention of hir Nicephorus writeth that she dyed in the daies of Claudius the Emperour when she had liued fiftie and nyne yeares Eusebius in his Chronicles sayth she was assumpted or taken vp into heauen but he confesseth this to be an vncertaine doctrine or tradition bicause he addeth as some write it was reuealed vnto them In the dayes afterwarde sprang vp certaine Monkes who were not ashamed to fayne a whole storie of hir Assumption whereof the olde writers knew nothing as appeareth by Epiphanius writing against the heretikes called Antidicomarianitae If some seeme to haue erred let them seeke the steppes of the Scripture and they shall finde neyther the death of Mary neyther whether she died or died not neyther whether she were buried or not buried And a little way after I saye not that she remained still on lyue neyther affirme I that she dyed For the Scripture passeth the mynde of man and leaueth the matter in suspence bycause of that precious and most excellent vessell least any man might suspect any carnall things of hir To the which I adde that it seemeth incredible the holy ghost would haue so marueylous an Assumption concealed if there had bene any seeing he caused the translation of Enoch and Ely so diligently to be written The things that after Christs ascention happened to hir he would should vtterly be forgotten least they might giue any occasion of superstition which he knewe would growe about the worshipping of hir And surely it is marueyle the holy ghost would haue the things that concerned his mother to be kept in silence and the doings and doctrine of the Apostles to be written with such diligence But we are hereby admonished that we should not be so occupied about the supersticious worshipping of them that had bene men as about the doctrine of the Apostles In the meane season it shall profite vs to marke howe Christ Iesus appoynted to his beloued mother and deere kinsfolke so weake a succour and safegarde For if we consider the Apostles after the iudgement of the worlde they had no power no riches no authoritie no armour whereby to defende that most holy vessell of the grace and glory of God against the assaultes of the world Why therefore doth he not rather commende hir to the trust of some mightie Prince whose mynde and will he myght easily encline to take the charge of hir But he that hath mens harts in his rule needeth no fleshlye succors for the defence of his beloued Therfore the charge that Iohn had of hir was sufficient for the blessed Uirgin Let vs also learne to put all our trust not in mans helpe but in the protection of the most highest neyther let vs be discouraged if being forsaken of great personages wee haue none to fauour vs but only such as are strengthlesse and whose selues haue neede of Patrones and defenders and are subiect to all mens iniuries For it behooueth vs to saye with Dauid The Lorde is my light and my saluation whom then shall I feare The Lorde is the strength of my lyfe of whome then shall I be afrayde The Lorde is on my side I will not feare what man doth vnto mee Last of all the Euangelist declareth what the Apostles did whyle the sending of the holye ghost was deferred For if we number the dayes we shall finde it tenne dayes after Christes ascention before the holye ghost was giuen For Christ was fourtie dayes still conuersant with his Disciples and prooued the veritie of his resurrection by manye argumentes And the fiftye daye after the feast of
they fell out For as the Euangelistes write when Iudas sawe Christ deliuered vnto Pylate being stricken with repentaunce of his wicked fact he returneth to the Priests confesseth his offence and rendreth back the money which was the rewarde of his wicked treason But being mocked of them disdainefullye and reiected he hurleth the money downe in the temple and getting him from thence throtleth himselfe with an halter The Priestes bicause they coulde neyther with honestye let the money lye scattered in the Church nor durst put it among the treasure of the Church knowing it to be the pryce of bloude they buye with it a Potters fielde to burye straungers in hereby meaning cleane to wype out the wickednesse whereof they were not long before autors Howbeit by this meanes they purchase to themselues the perpetuall shame of so wicked an acte whyle by Gods prouidence it commeth to passe that the fielde called after the name of the money that was the pryce of bloud beareth perpetuall witnesse of their wicked offence This fielde Peter sayth Iudas himselfe tooke possession of both bicause it was bought with his money and for that the greatest part of so slaunderous a memory belonged vnto Iudas Furthermore in these things let vs marke first in Iudas the sorrowes of a boyling conscience which is playne were most cruell and more intollerable than the paynes of hell bicause they were able not only to make him set naught by his money but also being otherwise a most couetous caytife made him hate the same and brought him to the confession of his fault which Christ at his supper aduertised him of in vaine and made him weary of this present life Adde herevnto his horrible kind of death He knitteth the halter about his owne necke he is his owne hangman and dispatcheth himselfe out of life And for a more aggrauation of his cruell death he brast a sunder in the middest and all his intralles gushed out For he well deserued to haue his intralles poured forth which feared not to sell Christ the onely Autor of true lyfe for filthye lucre And yet the rigor of Gods iudgement here ended not but the remembrance of so heynous an offence endureth for euer So it commeth to passe that the vnhappy childe of perdicion neyther enioyeth his lyfe long nor yet the money which he helde dearer than his lyfe Let them set the eyes of their minde vpon this glasse whosoeuer vse for filthy lucre sake and for priuate gaine to betraye Christ to denye the truth and shamefullye to mocke the Church of christ Let whosoeuer lyueth by bloude well weye these things and such as thinke it a most worthye commendation to bee enriched by wages for their warring and testifie their welth by gorgeous building by trimming their sarmes by costly housholde stuffe by braue apparell and sumptuousnesse in all their doings For what doe these else but openly bewraye themselues to be bloudthirsty and leaue after them the monuments of a lyfe led in cruelty But whereas some poyntes pertaining to this matter remaine to be spoken in the things that followe Let the vnhappye ende of Iudas warne vs to mortifie slaughter our sinnes with the syncere feare of God that we may imbrace Iesus Christ with sure fayth to whome be blessing honour power and glory for euer Amen The eyght Homelie FOR it is written in the booke of Psalmes His habitation be voyde no man be dwelling therein And his Byshopricke let another take Wherfore of these men which haue companied with vs all the time that the Lord Iesus had all his conuersation among vs beginning at the baptisme of Iohn vnto that same day that he was taken vp from vs must one be ordayned to be a witnesse with vs of his resurrection BIcause our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ woulde haue his Apostles witnesses of our redemptiō which he hath purchased vnto vs by his merite it shal not be superfluous to consider the more diligently the things that are sayde of their calling ordering For except we well knowe these things their authoritie shall be of no such weyght with vs as it ought to be Which thing is the chiefe cause that their vocation whom Iesus Christ chose while he was here on earth is written with such diligence by the Apostles that no man can doubt but they were ordayned by god But bicause the authoritie of Matthie shoulde not seeme the lesse which after Christes ascention succeeded in the place of Iudas was numbred with the Colledge of the Apostles Luke therfore so describeth his election that it may appeare he was no lesse appoynted to the administration of this office by Christ than the other Apostles For he neither ran of his owne head nor Peter which propounded this matter to the congregation to be consulted of doth any thing of his priuate authoritie but falling to prayer with the residue of the Church leaueth al the matter to the ordering of God as in the next Homely shal be declared By which example wee learne that Ministers must wayte till they be lawfully called neyther that anye man must be permitted eyther to thrust himselfe or any other into the Ministery ouer hastily and vnaduisedly For in the Prophete they are grieuously reprehended which runne of their owne heade not being lawfully called of the Lorde And Paule sayth How shall they preach except they be sent Yet Paule was not ignorant that there were many that preached not sent of the Lord whom in some place hee calleth false brethren ▪ which crept in being not lawfully ordayned but he affirmeth that such can not discharge their office duely yea Christ himselfe tooke not vppon him the office of teaching before he was solemnely declared by God the Father to be the teacher of all the worlde whereof the Autor of the Epistle to the Hebrewes maketh mention Which order if it be not obserued neyther can the people take them for Gods Ministers of whose calling they are vncertaine neyther can the Ministers vse themselues in their office with such credite and constancye as becommeth them For with what weapons shall they arme themselues against the threates of the world the attemptes of tyrants perils on euery side which knowing in their conscience how vniustlye they haue vsurped can conceyue in their mindes no hope of Gods ayde or assistaunce But let vs returne to Peter who in the beginning of his Oration as wee sayde yesterday taketh away the offence that might ryse of Iudas fall by referring or sending them to the decree of Gods prouidence which the holy ghost many yeres past gone reuealed to vs by Dauid And bicause he had made mention of the holy scripture now he bringeth forth certaine testimonies of the same And omitting the testimonies wherein Iudas transgression which before was sufficiently declared was prophecied he rehearseth onely those that are extant of his horrible punishment And he ioyneth two testimonies togither wherof the first
denie it For whosoeuer hath any taste of the doctrine of the gospell shall confesse that the preaching therof beateth downe the same Neyther doth the spirite of Christ by outwarde worde onely oppugne the same but it also consecrateth the minds vnto God that they which a little while ago were the bondslaues of sinne are now become the Temples of the liuing god In the meane season we denie not but there are many which abuse the colour of the gospell to sow dissention and to plant libertie But ought the gospell to be charged therewith I pray you what wise man condemneth the Magistrate bicause diuers vnder the colour thereof haue become Tyrauntes and oppressors of the libertie of their Countrie Why doe we not rather marke the vse of the Magistrate which is appointed for that ende that the lust of priuate persons should be restrayned and violence and tyrannie be brideled Euen so let vs confesse that the right vse of the Gospell and effect of the holye ghost is onely to set vp true concorde and holly honestie of life Nay if we shall confesse the truth there is none other concorde acceptable before God than that which is amonge the faythfull in Iesus Christ which are borne againe of the worde and spirite of god Neyther can there be any other true holinesse and innocencie than that whereof Christes spirite is the Author For that holinesse which men counterfaite without his spirite is hippocriticall and is not able to abide the iudgement of God as straunge from the righteousnesse of Christ which vseth to supplie all the defectes and wantes of the faythfull Now to these aforesayde poyntes Luke ioyneth the maner of his sending which was visible both bicause the Apostles might conceyue through presence of the spirite the greater confidence and boldnesse to go about their office and also for our cause that it might appeare how Iesus Christ neuer forsaketh his Church but defendeth it by his inuisible grace which he declared by the sending of his holy spirit For hereto serueth that notable promise I will not leaue you comfortlesse And againe Beholde I am with you vntill the ende of the worlde But touching the maner howe this thing was here done three things remaine to be discussed First there was sodainly a noyse from heauen And it is not without a mysterie that these things come to passe sodainly or vnlooked for For this is alwayes Gods vsage that he then most truely performeth his promises when we least looke for them yea when there is no more helpe remayning in man So he performeth his promise in deliuering his people out of the bondage of Egypt foure hundred yeares after the Israelites were bereft of all libertie and were constrayned to beholde most horrible examples of Tyrannie in their newe borne babes and haue nothing safely to trust vnto So in this place he sendeth the holy ghost now sodainely when they least thought of it whose comming he had deferred now a .xj. daies long We are taught by these examples paciently to wayte for the promises of god For where God is truth it selfe he cannot deceiue And forasmuch as he is our Lord we his seruaunts it becommeth vs to attende his leysure and not to prescribe him any time Tarie thou the Lordes leysure sayth Dauid be stronge and he shall comfort thine heart and put thou thy trust in the Lorde And the Prophete sayth If he tarie yet wayte thou for him For in verie deede he will come and not be slacke And such a noyse and sounde came from heauen bicause wee might knowe that the holye Apostles endued with an heauenly and diuine spirite were become preachers of an heauenly and diuine doctrine and not mans the aucthoritie and credite whereof might be called in doubt This serueth to confute the foolishnesse of such as with the ritche glutton require teachers to come from an other worlde from heauen or from hell And whatsouer thinges are sayde of mans saluation and dutie they reiect with this scoffe saying there was yet neuer none that came eyther from heauen or hell to tell vs what is there to do So they disclose how theyr wicked mindes are voyde of all religion For onlesse these wicked men had vtterly put away all shamefastnesse they would know that the sonne of God came downe from heauen into fleshe and rose againe from death and most faythfully declared vnto vs the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen They would know that the holy ghost came downe from heauen and spake these things by the Apostles which they haue taught vs touching the meane of our saluation and what our dutie is But he that would require any newe kinde of learning yea though an Aungell brought it from heauen he ought not to be beleeued but accursed Secondly a certaine blast or violent winde russhing in filled all the house where the Apostles dwelt And that the spirite is signifyed by blast or winde it is no doubt bicause the very name of spirite is a borrowed speache and the diuine power is so called for that it pierceth and by his power conserueth all things And the Hebrues vse this worde Ruach which is as well vsed for the winde as for the spirite Christ woulde in this place therefore vse the token of winde to set before our eyes as it were the strength and efficacie of the holy spirite which is incomprehensible to mans capacitie and can be attayned to by no power of man It is better to here himselfe interpretate the same thing For reasoning with Nicodemus of the operation of his spirite by the which they that beleeue are borne againe he sayth The winde bloweth where it will and thou hearest the noyse thereof but knowest not whence it commeth nor whither it goeth For as the wit of man coulde not hitherto shewe vs for a certayntie the causes and begynnynges of the wynde although they haue long and much searched for the same so the operation of the holy spirite farre passeth the capacitie of man although we effectuallye feele the same in our hartes And euen as the blowyng of windes can not be let by any deuice or force of men so the spirite of Christ which worketh by the gospell feareth not the strength of men nor is not hindred therby to shew his power where and when he wyll Yea foolishe and ridiculous is the endeuour of them whosoeuer wyll striue with God to bryng the spirite and worde of God to their bent wyl holde them within boundes of them appoynted Examples hereof we haue euery where but the Apostles examples of right ought to haue the first place They were commaunded of the Lorde that they should fyll all the world with their preachyng This seemed a thing impossible to be done by simple vnlearned men despised persons Yea as many as were counted eyther of power or wisdome in the worlde withstoode them Yet the spirite of Christe by the ministerie of the
them when he sayth that he shall be saued that calleth vpon the name of the Lord. Where we may note a double consolation First it is an vniuersall promise which promiseth saluation to all them that call vpon the name of the lord Ergo here is a doore of saluation opened to all men from entring into which we are not kept backe neyther by pouerty nor infamy of the world â—â—yther by diseases nor cruell torments neyther by sexe nor age neyther by difference of nation or kindred Nay we cannot be put by neyther by sinne nor death bicause in Christ we haue expiation of all our sinnes and he hath ouercome death and the gates of hell Furthermore saluation is absolutely promised so that we see they haue all things necessary to saluation that call vpon the name of the Lorde Wherevpon we gather that they which feele no taste nor comfort of saluation by their prayers call not vpon the name of the Lorde that is they are destitute of faith in Christe which fayth will not suffer our prayers to be made in vaine And this is the only way of saluation which the holy scriptures teach vs euerywhere And Peter thought to make mention hereof in this place to thintent the Iewes might vnderstand how they could none other wayes be deliuered from the imminent daungers and the horrible iudgement of God but by casting away all trust in their owne workes and righteousnesse and turning vnto the throne of grace by the fayth that is in Iesus Christe The same must we also in these dayes marke and consider Whatsoeuer troubles or calamities the Lorde or his Apostles foretolde shoulde happen in the later dayes they vrge and assault vs on euerye side The wysest and greatest men consult in euery place how to get a waye and remedye to bee saued And the vnhappy successe of things in these dayes teache vs howe vayne all counsayles be that proceede of mans deuyse Let vs therefore holde this waye which as it is the most simplest and playnest and deliuereth vs from many cares and troubles so is it infallible and certaine bicause it stayeth and resteth vpon the promise of God which no force of the worlde can ouerturne Wherfore let vs acknowledge our sinnes and in them let vs seeke the causes of the euils which we suffer Let vs vse the acknowledging of our sinne to beate downe the affiaunce in our owne righteousnesse And then turning vnto God let vs call vppon his holye name who surely will heare vs and deliuer vs for his names sake in Iesus Christ to whome be blessing honor power and glory for euer Amen The .xiiij. Homelie YE men of Israell heare these wordes Iesus of Nazareth a man approued of God among you with myracles woonders and signes which God did by him in the middest of you as yee your selues knowe him haue you taken by the handes of vnrighteous persons after hee was deliuered by the determinate counsell and foreknowledge of God and haue crucified and slaine him whom God hath raysed vp and loosed the sorowes of death bycause it was impossible that he shoulde be holden of it WE haue hearde the first part of Peters Sermon alreadye wherein he cleareth the Apostles from the crime of drunkennesse and teacheth how they were endued with the holy ghost He vseth in the place of demonstration the testimony of the Prophet Ioël which he so rehearseth that therewith he declareth the horrible punishmentes remayning for the contemners of the Gospell and teacheth the onely way of remedye and escape to be the fayth in Iesus Christe which things bicause they were sufficient to feare them that were not altogither incurable the Apostle passeth to the other parte where he preacheth Christ whome of late we sayde was the chiefe marke that the Apostles shotte at in all their doctrine And least his preaching might be in vayne he so proposeth the matter that he stirreth vp their mindes with the conscience of their sinnes to the ende that being feared therwith they might with the more feruent fayth and greedinesse embrace Iesus Christ in whom they heard saluation was preached And his chiefe studye is to be short and playne least any man might thinke the knowledge of Christ and the way of saluation contayned therein to be lyke the dreames of the Philosophers which neyther can be explicated in infinite volumes nor be discussed by any disputations nor fully be comprehended of anye man For he compriseth the chiefe articles of our fayth in fewe woordes which whosoeuer vnderstandeth he hath both attayned to the knowledge of Christ and to all the waye of saluation For first he descrybeth the person of Christ and teacheth vs what he is and howe we should knowe him Secondly he intreateth of the passion and death of christ Thirdly he declareth his resurrection Of these three we meane to saye so much as his spirite shall giue vs grace In speaking of Christes person he handleth all things prudently and circumspectly least they that were as yet weake might take occasion of offence For when he had gotten them to be attent by a short kinde of exhortation he bringeth them by little and little to the knowledge of Christ saying Iesus of Nazareth a man approoued of God amongest you by myracles signes and woonders which God wrought by him in the middest of you as ye your selues know â–ª c. In the which words he pronounceth of Christ two things First that he was a man for he calleth him one of Nazareth which name he had of Nazareth a Citie of Galiley where he was brought vp as appeareth by the storie of the Gospel But bicause this seemed not sure and strong ynough he calleth him Virum that is to say a man which name agreeth to none but him that is a very man in deede And Christ is truly called a man bicause as Paule saith he taketh on him no Angels nature or other heuenly essence but the sede of Abraham Furthermore least any man might take him for some common person he maketh a difference betweene him and other adding approoued of God amongest you with myracles c. And although he purposed to teache the diuinitie of Christ yet he prudently as yet dissembleth the name of God which would haue seemed very straunge in the eares of the Iewes He woulde haue them by his deedes to learne that he was very God whome hitherto they thought to be onely but a rascall and common person It is as much as if he should saye I preach vnto you Iesus of Nazareth which many of you iudge to be but a man only But you ought to consider that God hath openly shewed in him many declarations of a diuine nature the ende of all which was to commend him vnto you and to teache you that he was that long wayted for sauiour of mankinde which in tyme past he promised you And the workes of Christ whereof God commended him he adorneth with three titles First he calleth
them powers or vertues least he might seeme to haue any affinitie with Iuglers For the things which the Euangelistes write of him he did verilye and in deede and of his owne power as Luke plainely testifieth where he sayeth vertue or power went from him whereby the sicke were healed And himselfe sayth in another place power or vertue went from him when he healed the woman that was sicke of the bloudy fluxe Then he calleth Christes workes woonders bicause they exceeded the common course of nature and drewe the mindes of the beholders into an admiration and amazednesse But bicause the things whose causes we know not are oftentimes taken for woonders when in deede they portende nothing at length he calleth the thinges that Christ did signes For the workes of Christ had a certaine ende which was to beare witnesse of his Godheade and of his office For by them he was knowne to be both the sonne of God and also he that was promised to be the redeemer of the worlde For the which cause he sent the disciples of Iohn to the consideration of his works And oftentimes he inculcateth his workes to the Iewes and vpbraydeth them so that the fault of their incredulitie is the greater The works sayth he that the father hath giuen me to finishe the same workes that I doe beare witnesse of me that the father hath sent me Againe If I doe not the workes of my father beleue me not But if I doe and ye beleeue not mee beleeue the workes that ye may knowe and beleeue that the father is in me and I in him And againe If I had not done among them the woorkes which none other man did they should haue had no sinne Therfore Peter doth very wel to call the workes of Christ signes He sayth these signes were done amongest them and he calleth none other to witnesse the same but themselues to whome he preached which did see them And so he quippeth their greate waywardnesse and ingratitude which coulde not be mollified and ouercome with so many and so great benefites of Christ being so marueylous and woonderfull He also goeth about by the consideration hereof to bring them to the knowledge of Christes diuinitie wherof not long after he discourseth more largely For although he here say that God did these things by Christ yet it derogateth nothing from the power and diuinitie of Christ whereas he confesseth these workes are giuen him of the father and that the father and he be all one In these things we are taught the true knowledge of Iesus Christe He is very God and man in one vnseparable person Uerye God from euerlasting begotten of the father Man made of a woman when in the tyme appoynted he came into the worlde to be the redeemer of mankinde And we must well marke the difference of the natures to saye the diuine and humaine which neyther deuyde the vnitie of person nor by reason of the vnitie are confounded among themselues For the properties of bothe the natures remayne inuiolable whole and sounde according as the Euangelists teach vs in euery place For euen Christ himselfe which touching his diuinitie is all one with the father speaking of his manhoode confesseth his father to be greater than he And Christ in his humanitie or manhoode dyeth who in his diuinitie or godheade is subiect neyther to death ne yet to any other corruption Such an one doth the holy scripture teach vs euery where that Christe is For whome the Prophetes call the ofspring and sonne of Dauid the same they vse also to call the father of eternitie our Lorde and our god And whome they prophecie shoulde be borne in Bethlehem his progresse and outgoing they confesse to haue beene from the beginning and from euerlasting Yea the Lorde himselfe speaking of Christ sayth Aryse O thou sworde vpon my shepehearde and vppon the man which is my fellow or as some interprete it my coequall In the which words the two natures of Christ are more cleerely to be seene than the day For God calleth him Virum that is a very man and also testifieth that he is his coequall Manye other testimonies might be brought to this purpose if neede so were which they that reade the scriptures maye euerye where see On these things rest the first articles of our fayth and beliefe in christ For we protest that we beleeue in the onely begotten sonne of God our Lorde Iesus Christ which was conceyued by the holy ghost borne of the virgin Marie and so foorth To the declaration whereof all those things serue that are written in the Euangelistes concerning the mysterye of his incarnation See Luke 1. 2. Iohn 1. Math. 1. It shall be profitable for vs to holde fast the knowledge of both natures in Christ bicause that vppon these dependeth the office of Christ and the certaintie of our saluation For where it is manifest that he is both God and man we certainly beleeue that he is a mediatour betweene God and man bicause such ought to be the condition of a sequester or mediatour that he may be accepted of both the parties at variance But the infirmity of man was not able to abyde the rigour and maiestie of Gods iustice no more than the iustice of God alloweth mans righteousnesse which is nothing Therefore Iesus Christ was founde out who being the sonne of God of the same eternitie and substance with God was made man and ioyned both the natures so togither in one person that by his meane we haue a peace renued with God and a free entrance prepared to the throne of grace His merite the father can not deny bicause he is both his beloued sonne and also free himselfe from all sinne and wickednesse To him also maye we safelye trust considering he hath experience of our infirmities and knoweth howe to haue compassion on vs Wherevnto Paule had a respect saying We haue not an high Priest which cannot haue compassion on our infirmities but was in all poyntes tempted lyke as we are but yet without sinne Agayne Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of fleshe and bloude he himselfe also lykewise tooke part with them that through death he myght vanquishe him that had Lordship ouer death that is to say the deuill and that he myght deliuer them which through feare of death were all theyr lyfe time subdued vnto bondage For he in no place taketh on him the Angels but the seede of Abraham taketh he on him Wherefore in all things it became him to be made lyke vnto his brethren that he might be mercifull and a faithfull high Priest in things concerning God for to purge the peoples sinnes For in that it came to passe that he himselfe was tempted he is able to succour thē also that are tempted The consideration of these things might teach men how they dote which leaue this only mediatour Iesus Christ and turne
them vnto creatures and thinke their causes must be relieued by intercession of Saintes In which doyng they plainly testifie that they are voyde of the knowledge of Christe forasmuch as they are ignoraunt of his office and of the causes for the which he being God from euerlasting would take verye manhoode into the vnitie of his person He surely sayth in the Gospell No man commeth to the father but by me And Paule as he acknowledgeth one God so he testifieth that there is but one mediatour betweene God and man that is Iesus Christ. But bicause we shall otherwheres haue occasion to speake more largely of these things let these fewe suffice for this present And let vs take it for a great comfort that we see his Godheade whome we reioyce in as our sauiour and redeemer and after whose name we be called Christians prooued by so many argumentes Let vs now returne to Peters sermon and to the explication thereof Secondarilye he setteth forth the passion and death of Christ in suche sort that he laboureth to bring them in feare considering howe heynous a matter they had committed For he sayth This Iesus haue you taken by the handes of vnrighteous persons after he was deliuered by the determinate counsell and foreknowledge of God and haue crucyfied and slayne him Three things are here affirmed concerning the death of christ First he accuseth all the people of so horrible a murther You sayth he haue crucified him and slayne him Yet Peter was not ignoraunt that the souldiours hong him on the crosse with their owne handes And yet truly doth he lay this crime to all the peoples charge bicause they did not only consent to his death but also required with importunate and sedicious clamour to haue him crucified and with their importunacie ouercame Pylate which long withstoode them as the Euangelists teach vs. By this example of Peter we are taught howe to beginne the preaching of the Gospell verily with the rebuking of sinne the which must be detected published and accused For except men acknowledge their sinnes they will not care much for Christ so long as they thinke they haue no great neede of him For it fareth in this matter as in the diseases of the bodye They that eyther perceyue not their sickenesse or else go about to hide it care not for Phisicke neyther will they receyue the Phisition though he offer himselfe So whosoeuer feele no conscience of their sinnes or thinke their sinnes may be dissembled or purged by their owne satisfactions they neyther seeke Christ greatly themselues nor worthily receyue him shewing himselfe to them in his Gospell but standing rather vpon the affiance of their owne righteousnesse feare not to withstande him Whereof we haue manye examples in the Phariseys For the which cause Christ professeth he is the Phisition of those that be sicke and that he came not to saue the righteous but to call sinners to repentance And speaking of the holy ghost amongst his properties he first reckeneth that he shall reprooue the worlde of sinne Agayne when he commendeth the preaching of the Gospell to his Apostles he will first haue repentance to be taught next after which he will haue remission of sinnes to be ioyned Therefore Peter doth not without a cause proceede in this order that speaking of the death of Christ he first prooueth his hearers to be guiltie and to be the auctors thereof And so were it necessary to haue Christes death preached in these dayes that all men myght vnderstande the sonne of God dyed for their sinnes and that they were the auctors thereof For thus it shall come to passe that men shall learne to be sorye in their heart for their sinnes and shall embrace the saluation offered them in Christe with the more feruencye of fayth But least Peter might seeme to accuse the Comminaltie only he addeth another thing whereby the heades and chiefe are accused to be the ringleaders of so heynous a deede For you sayeth he haue taken him by the handes of vnrighteous and slayne him But who are those wicked and vnrighteous The first among them is Iudas sometime a disciple of Christ and an Apostle but afterward a capitayne to them that tooke Iesus The next to him are the high Bishops with all the Colledge of Scribes and Priestes who brybed Iudas with money and hyred him to doe so outragious a mischiefe In the same number may Pylate be reckoned which sitting in iudgement as Lieutenant to the Emperour pronounced sentence of death vpon him And Herode is not altogither faultlesse who when he myght haue set him at libertie being sent vnto him thought it better when he had mocked him to sende him backe agayne All these Peter comprehendeth vnder the name of vnrighteous whose power and authoritie was greatest in the Citie of Hierusalem Howe daungerous a matter it was thus to saye he shall easily perceyue that diligentlye considereth the state and degree of these persons It is an heynous offence to saye the sentence of the Iudge condemning the guiltie is vniust and vnrighteous Yet Peter boldly sayth so in a most populous Citie where the remembraunce of Christ whome he so highly commendeth was yet very freshe Here therefore as in a glasse we maye beholde howe stoute and bolde defenders of Christ the holy ghoste maketh them whome he doth vouchsafe to inspire with his spirite We are also taught what libertie and freedome of speach ought to be in the ministers of the worde to accuse publike offences and how little they are to be regarded who require I can not tell what maner of modestie in the ministers For we neede not thus to extenuate sinne which otherwyse of it selfe as Dauid sayeth vseth to flatter vs Nor wee must haue no respect of persons seeing the person or the auctor can not excuse sinne yea howe much more of authoritie the offender is so much more hurtfull is the offence Besides the minister is a publike person to whose office and charge it is manifest all men are subiect For Christ hath made him a stewarde of his housholde wherein are riche poore Nobles and Commons Magistrates and subiects And that the Lord saith to Hieremie is spoken to all ministers Beholde this daye doe I make thee a strong fensed towne an yron piller and a brasen wall against the whole lande against the kings and mighty men of Iuda against the priests and people of the lande Therefore whosoeuer haue taken vppon them the office of teaching in the Church let them regarde no reasons of the worlde nor of the flesh wherby to be made afrayde but let them rather followe the examples of Iesus Christ the Prophetes and the Apostles all which it is plaine vsed the like libertie in reprehending of sinne that Peter vseth in this place And whereas the things he spake of Christes death myght giue occasion of much offence as though he had bene oppressed by the
is in Christ alone whome whosoeuer despiseth he cannot attayne vnto life as Christ sayth No man commeth vnto the father but by me Last of al he addeth Thou shalt make me full of ioy with thy countenance By these wordes is expressed the condicion of an heauenlye and eternall life which is of a farre other sort than the life we haue here on earth For this life as was aforesayde is full of traueyle sorrowe care and trouble The eternall life is full of mirth and ioye For there God will wipe all teares from the eyes of hys faithfull And there shall bee no more death neyther sorow neyther crying neyther shall there be any more paine And these being taken awaye there can remaine nothing but ioye Therefore Christ sayth he will say to the faithfull seruant enter into the ioy of thy Lord. This ioye in an other place Christ calleth the glorye which he testifieth he had with his father before the worlde was made Christes humanitie was taken vp to be partaker of that ioye and mirth in that kingdome which in his godhead he possessed from euerlasting For so we read it was promised long agone God saying sit thou on my right hande vntill I make thine enimies thy footestoole In these wordes are conteined an article of our faith where we confesse Christ is ascended into heauen sitteth vpon the right hande of his father omnipotent In the meane while we that by faith are graffed in Christ and made his members must beleeue that these things appertaine to vs likewise For it can not be that the members can be pulled from their head And Christ promiseth Where I am there shall my minister be also And declaring this promise otherwheres in moe wordes he sayth In my fathers house are manye dwellinges If it were not so I woulde haue tolde you I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you I will come againe and receyue you euen vnto my selfe that where I am there may yee be also Yea being ready to go to his death when he had made and disposed of his will as by waye of a testament he sayth Father I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me where I am that they may see my glory which thou hast giuen mee Which thinges for that they shoulde not be vnderstanded only of the Apostles he plainly testifieth that he prayeth not for them alone but also for all those which shoulde beleeue in him through their teaching Therefore it is no doubt but we also shall be filled with ioye in that eternall and heauenly life which shall follow the resurrection of our bodies Here must we not omit to marke how he sayth and sheweth the cause efficient of this ioy is the face of god Which we must vnderstande to be the fauourable and mercifull countenance of God wherewith he looketh chearefully vpon vs for Christes sake so that there appeareth no token of the olde anger which we deserued by sinne For as the cherefull countenance of a king is life as Salomon sayth and by hys looking well about him all euill is driuen away So in the looke of God all fulnesse of ioye is to be had for them that beleeue wherevnto me seemeth Christ had a respect saying Blessed be the cleane in heart for they shall see God. And therefore the godly pray Shew vs the light of thy countenaunce and wee shall be safe Hereof maye we gather howe great miserie they shall be in which being secluded from the face of God shall be throwen into vtter darkenesse And thus hitherto hath the Prophete in fewe wordes described all true godlynesse and true felicitie Let vs learne to set God before our eyes to reuerence him obediently and to trust in him onelye Of this endeuour shall spring true ioye and we shall haue euery daye newe occasions to set forth Gods goodnesse and when we depart this life we shall rest in glad hope And after that shall followe a blessed resurrection wherein the soules shall be restored to the body and being taken into that true life we shall be filled with all ioye before the face of God with Iesus Christ our brother and co-heyre to whome be blessing honour power and glory for euer Amen The .xvj. Homelie YE men and brethren let me freely speake vnto you of the Patriarch Dauid for hee is both deade and buried and his sepulchre remayneth with vs vnto this daye Therefore seeing he was a Prophet and knew that God had sworne with an othe to him that Christ as concerning the fleshe shoulde come of the fruite of his loynes and sit vpon his seate he knowing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ that his soule sâ—oulde not bee left in hell neyther his fleshe shoulde see corruption This Iesus hath God raysed vp whereof we all are witnesses Sythence nowe that he by the right hande of God is exalted he hath receyued of the father the promise of the holye ghost he hath shed foorth this gift which you now see and heare For Dauid is not ascended into heauen but hee sayth The Lorde sayde vnto my Lorde sit thou on my right hande vntill I make thy foes thy footestoole So therefore let all the house of Israell knowe for a suretie that God hath made that same Iesus whome ye haue crucified Lorde and Christ. BIcause the whole order of our saluation is accomplished as it were in the resurrection of our bodies therefore the scripture is greatlye occupied in proouing the same which was the cause that Peter argued so diligently of Christes resurrection wherevpon it is manifest that our resurrection dependeth For he is not contented simply and plainely to preache the same but describeth all the order and maner thereof out of the â–ª xvj Psalme the authoritie whereof he vseth to prooue the same resurrection to the intreaty whereof this present place also serueth For first preuenting the obiection of his aduersaries by a preoccupation he prooueth that this Psalme ought to be expounded of christ Then commeth he backe againe to Christ and teacheth vs that whatsoeuer was prophecied by Dauid is fulfilled in him And at length he concludeth his sermon with a graue obtestation and beseeching of them About the testimonie of the Psalme Peter doth two things First he teacheth them that it cannot be expounded of Dauid by any meanes Then he prooueth that Dauid prophecieth of christ And bicause the authoritie of Dauid was verye great with the Iewes he mollifieth the mindes of his hearers with a proper preface leaâ—t they might thinke he spake any thing contemptuouslye of Dauid yea he citeth themselues as witnesses of the things that he meaneth to saye Let me sayth he speake of the Patriarch Dauid to you who I knowe are not ignorant in Dauids matters and are earnest studentes of his prophecies And bicause many would thinke that he spake these
by an euerlasting Testament that I may be God vnto thee and vnto thy seede after thee c. Whereof we gather that the infants of those that beleeue whome we cannot exclude from the name of seede are as well contayned within the couenant of saluation as are the elders and fathers For the obiection of those that say the wordes of God are only to be vnderstanded of that posteritie of Abraham which when it was of age was able to professe their fayth is nor ought to be of no authoritie For it is euident that Isaac and Iacob were included in the couenant before they were borne as maye be seene Genes 17.25 Rom. 9. And Paule doubteth not to call those children holye which haue but one parent faithfull and a beleeuer Christ also plainly teacheth vs that the kingdome of God belongeth vnto children Here the Papistes and Anabaptistes errors are confuted whereof the one deny saluation and the fruition of God to children that die without baptisme and the other keepe children from baptisme whome Christ commaundeth to be brought vnto him Then next declaring the promise of saluation he maketh mention also of Gods vocation and calling least any man might thinke the children of God were eyther borne of the fleshe or of the merite of their owne free will and strength for the children of the fleshe bee not the children of God but the children of the promise And it is not in mannes will or cunning but in the mercy of God. Saluation is set before vs in Iesus Christ and as the parable of the Gospell saith the time of mariage approcheth and all things are ready But it is needefull that men shoulde be called and bidden that they may come vnto the feast Therfore God sendeth forth the preachers of of his Gospell whose voyce is gone throughout the worlde many yeares since Howbeit bicause they can doe nothing in the mindes of men it is needefull they shoulde be drawne by God and by the operation of his spirite according to that saying of Christ No man commeth vnto mee except my father drawe him And God according to his free and holy will worketh and the winde bloweth where it will. By the which it is manifest that our saluation dependeth vpon the meere fauour of God which calleth whome he will draweth whome he will and maketh them like to the ymage of his sonne In the meane season it is our dutie being called to aunswere being drawne not to pull backe and being subiect to the Gospell through the obedience of fayth to make sure our vocation and election as the Apostle teacheth This maye suffice for this time touching Peters counsayle of saluation who sheweth them what waye to take whose consciences are feared with the consideration of their sinnes The residue behind remaining shal be intreated of in the next sermon Let vs folow the holy ghosts counsell which spake by the mouth of Peter Let vs repent vs truely let vs seeke whatsoeuer things belong to our saluation in Christ let vs giue our selues wholy to him and freely professe him Let vs not breake our promise made to him in baptisme but let vs liue a life worthye the name of Christ and then we shall liue hereafter with him in heauen to whome be blessing honour power and glory for euer Amen The .xviij. Homelie AND with many other wordes bare he witnesse and exhorted them saying saue your selfe from this vntowarde generation Then they that gladly receyued his preaching were baptized and the same daye there were added vnto them about three thousande soules And they continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowshippe and in breaking of breade and in prayers And feare came ouer euery soule And many woonders and signes were shewed by the Apostles THe Apostle Peter so ordred his fyrst Sermon of the Gospell that he earnestlye vpbrayded his hearers with the grieuous and heynous offence that they committed against the sonne of god But after they were ouercome with the conscience of their sinne and sought counsayle howe to be saued he gaue them both friendly and faithfull counsayle shewing them that way of saluation that all men in these dayes that are desirous to be saued must likewise take For he prescribed them to repent and sendeth them to Christ to be consecrated to him by externe and publike baptisme that in his name they might obtayne remission of their sinnes and the gift of the holy ghost But bicause there were a greaâ— many whose authoritie might pull them from the way of saluation or at the leastwise greatly hinder them he warneth them also of those persons which is the first thing in this sermon wherevnto afterwarde Luke ioyneth the effect and fruite that followed of the Apostles counsayle with an elegant president of the auncient and primitiue Church all which are very worthy to be diligently considered Of Peter thus sayth the Euangelist with many other woordes bare hee witnesse and exhorted them saying Saue your selues from this vntowarde generation The admonition going before might haue seemed sufficient and verily it comprehendeth all the order of true saluation But bicause it might seeme an harde and weightie matter to forsake and cast away the auncient religion of their forefathers and to embrace a new hauing the example of many against them it was necessary to vse other admonitions wherein he sheweth that Peter vsed great earnestnesse and passing vehemency For he did not simply monishe them only but also vsed many obtestations and exhortations And this was the summe and ende of them all To saue themselues from that vntowarde generation By this worde sauing he admonished them that their saluation is in perill which they coulde not attaine to except they woulde seperate themselues from such as they were First let vs see of whome he speaketh For although it might seeme he spake of the whole nation of the Iewes which was guiltie of Christes bloudshed and was polluted with the greatest crime that coulde be yet chiefelye was this name due to the Priestes and Scribes who as it is euident were the chiefe authors of all the calamities that were amonge that people They were puft vp with the pryde of their gorgeous and holy titles and styles For besides that they chalenged the common name of the children of Abraham they thought also they only had the knowledge of the lawe and they were taken of euery man as guides of the blinde lightes to them that walked in darkenesse instructors of the vnwise and teachers of the vnlearned as appeareth by Paules wordes But Peter with great plainnesse calleth them a naughtie peruerse and vntowarde generation following the example of Iohn Baptist and Christ who before that had greeted them by the same names For Iohn called them the generation of vipers And Christ plainely called them a naughtye and adulterous generation Let no man impute this to euill speaking or rayling a thing farre vnfit and vnseemely for the holy
of the people and sheweth that the myracle done on the lame man was to be attributed neither to the power nor holynesse of men Nowe let vs see the seconde part wherein he maketh God the author of the myracle and teacheth them to haue a respecte vnto Christ Iesus in whose name it was done And bicause this is the chiefe poynt of all the sermon he handleth the same verye industriously and in apt order First he propoundeth the summe of the whole matter in fewe wordes Next he telleth them of their cruell wickednesse committed against the sonne of god Then at last returning to the purpose he declareth plainely all the whole meaning of the myracle The summe of all the matter is The God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob the God of our fathers hath glorified his sonne Iesus He comprehendeth in these wordes both how God is the author of the myracle and also howe the finall cause of the same was the glorifying of Iesus Christ the sonne of god And as at the first he shewed nothing was to be attributed to the power or holynesse of man so nowe he teacheth that all is to be referred to God the only author and to the glory or setting forth of his sonne Where we haue two things to obserue First howe in speaking of God he calleth him the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob and to be short the God of the fathers which title or style God himselfe vseth often in the olde Testament And this is a great token of Gods loue whereby he declareth to vs his goodnesse The Princes of this worlde take to them names of the people and Nations that they haue vanquished and ouerrunne and thinke it a great glorye to be called Parthians Gothickes Almanickes Africanes and Numidians But what other thing doe men learne by these styles but that they haue destroyed this people and spoiled their countries with fire and sworde God dealeth farre otherwise which will be named after those men whome of fauour deseruing no such thing he hath bounde vnto him by an euerlasting couenant and of whome he looketh neyther for great spoyle nor any profyte but such as himselfe bringeth forth in them Yet Peter herein had respect to an higher matter and giueth those tytles to God which he thought were chiefely agreeing with the present matter in hande For first where he nameth the fathers he admonisheth them of the promises which God in times past made to the fathers concerning christ For to Abraham it was sayde I will be thy God and the God of thy seede after thee In thy seede shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed Which promise we reade was repeated afterwarde in Isaac and Iacob To speake nothing of Dauid and the Prophetes which are busilye occupied in setting forth the same promises It was profitable yea necessary that those promises shoulde be repeated bicause the Iewes a little before had denyed them all in the presence of Pylate saying they had nor looke for none other king but Caesar as hereafter we shall heare Therefore bicause they shoulde not thinke themselues vtterly fallen from the couenant and promises and premised to be past all hope of saluation Peter sheweth them that the same God liued and reigned yet still which in time past made the couenaunt with the fathers and had not forsaken Abraham Isaac and Iacob but euen as in the beginning so nowe also he woulde be called their God so that they woulde turne vnto him Furthermore to auoide the suspicion wherwith the Apostles were charged this title and style of God serued very much For many suspected that they preached a newe God a newe faith a new religion hitherto vnknowne to the fathers for the which cause many would not heare them many thought them worthy death according to the law of Moyses But Peter vsing this title of God so openly protesteth as it were that he acknowledgeth none other God than he which shewed himselfe in times past to the fathers nor preacheth none other faith or religion than that whereby the father 's pleased God and were saued To conclude he teacheth them what fathers the Iewes ought to marke and followe in faith and religion They gloried in certaine fathers of a later time such as after Moyses and the Prophetes came in and were the authors of manifolde superstition Whose traditions they obserued so straightly that they had rather breake the lawes of God than chaunge or leaue vndone any iote or poynt of them which thing Christ many times layde to their charge Neyther did any thing more set them against Christ and his Apostles than for that they did by their doctrine impugne the ordinances of the elders Therefore Peter maketh mention of Abraham Isaac and Iacob to declare that all fathers are not to be followed in religion For as God alone is the father of all men and Iesus Christ alone the maister of all men whom the father hath appointed to be the teacher of all the worlde so must we onely follow their steppes whose fayth and religion we knowe pleased God and of whose faith and integritie God doth vouchsafe to beare witnesse In the number of whome Abraham is the chiefe whome the Scripture therefore calleth a father of the beleeuing and of many Nations bicause as manye as embrace the faith of Iesus Christ which was imputed to him for righteousnesse appertaine vnto him Unto the same Abraham Christ beareth witnesse where he sayth he reioyced to see his daye and sayth as many as shall come from the East and West into the Church of God shall sit downe with him in the kingdome of heauen Hereof let the men of our age learne what vanitie it is to bragge of those younger sort of fathers which haue deuised or followed a newe trade of saluation besides christ Except we become the children of Abraham by faith in Christ we can be defended by no helpe or authoritie of others no though they were kings and Emperors Secondly let vs marke howe he sayth The God of our fathers glorified his sonne Iesus Yet he speaketh of the myracle done vpon the lame man the ende whereof he vttereth in these wordes we are here taught that the glorifying of Iesus Christ the sonne of God is the marke and ende of all the myracles of the new Testament wherevnto al they also which glorie in their myracles ought to haue respect The Euangelist by expresse wordes vttreth this ende saying Manye other signes did Iesus which are not written in this booke These are written that ye might beleue that Iesus is that Christ the sonne of God. And Christ himselfe speaking of the power of working myracles and of the iudgement giuen to him of his father teacheth this to be the ende therof that all men might honour the sonne as they honour the father And reasoning with his Disciples of Lazarus sickenesse he sayeth This infirmitie is not to death but for the
was the author of this myracle and to shew all the vse therof Yet first he preacheth the resurrection of Christ both for that the reason of our saluation purchased by Christ consisteth in it and also for that it commodiously doth away the offence or slaunder of the crosse You sayth he killed the authour of lyfe but God hath raysed him from death whereof wee are witnesses It was needefull that these things shoulde be ioyned to the premisses least anye man might thinke the wicked had ouer much power permitted them For these things teach that their crueltie and iniquitie coulde derogate nothing from Christ as who being raysed from death doth nowe liue and raigne in heauen Herof we may take a generall comfort For as the crueltie and tirannie of the Iewes could nothing hinder or let Christ so whosoeuer doth imitate the Iewes impietie and tirannie cannot hurt the members of christ In deede the Princes of the worlde ioyne togither and desire to ouerthrowe the kingdome of christ But the Lord from high laugheth at their deuises whose counsayle shall stande for euer Looke the Psalmes .ij. and .xxxiij. Let no man therefore be afrayde of men who though they rage neuer so much haue no power but on our goods and body which otherwise is mortall and shall perishe Yea neyther haue they power theron farther than God permitteth who hath all the heares of our heade numbred But the soule being out of all daunger and hazarde trusteth in Christ hir redeemer and shall neuer be deceyued of hir hope But let vs see how Peter setteth forth the order of the myracle His name through the faith of his name hath made this man whole whome you see and knowe It seemeth a darke kinde of speache except a man marke the order of the wordes And it deceyueth manye bicause they thinke nomen this worde name is put in the accusatiue case whereas all the order of construction plainly prooueth it to be the nominatiue Thus must it be set in order and construed The name of Iesus Christ hath strengthned and made whole this man whome ye see present and that through the beliefe which hee hath in the name of Christ. And for the more playne vnderstanding he addeth by waye of exposition The faith which is by him hath giuen to him this health in the presence of you all The sense of all togither is that Iesus Christ through his name that is by his vertue power and merite hath giuen helth and safetie to this lame man bicause he hath beleeued in him He repeateth the name of Christ and faith of Christ the oftner to the intent the glory of Christ might seeme the greater in setting forth whereof the Apostles thought they had neuer done ynough as appeareth euerye where in their writings and sermons These wordes surely are not lightlye to be passed ouer For where we sayde that in this lame man was set forth to vs a figure of all mankinde in the healing of him we may beholde all the order of our saluation Here therefore is declared who is the true author of our saluation then the meane whereby we receyue saluation and the ende wherevnto all these things serue and tende As concerning the author of saluation Peter alleageth the name of Iesus Christ whome a little before he called the author and Lorde of life That this worde name is taken for power rule or merite it is more euident than needeth with many wordes to be declared And where at first he excluded all power and holynesse of men from this businesse and nowe maketh mention of Christ onely by whose meane and power all this matter is brought to passe it easily appeareth that the origen and beginning of our saluation is to be referred to Christ only For by his merite we are deliuered from sinne and redeemed from death and the tirannie of the deuill And himselfe in the Prophete testifyeth there is none other redeemer but he only But we shall haue occasion to speake more hereof in the fourth Chapter where Peter testifieth there is none other name vnder heauen giuen vnto man by the which he may be saued c. Howbeit it is not ynoughe to knowe that all saluation is contayned in Christ vnlesse we vnderstande howe to attaine and take holde of the saluation in him But Peter sheweth that also where he sayeth this man was made sounde and whole by faith that is bicause of his fayth in the name of Iesus Christ. Againe The faith which is by him hath giuen to him this health Therefore we take holde of saluation by faith and beside fayth there is nothing in vs whereby to take holde of it bicause wee bee graffed in Christe none other waye than by fayth Hee that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude dwelleth in mee and I in him For where he is departed from vs in bodye and dwelleth in vs by his Spirite and liueth and reygneth in vs by his Spirite it is onelye a worke of fayth whereby we apprehende him and the saluation in him For the which cause oftentimes fayth is sayd to saue and to iustifie So Christ sayth to the woman which was sicke of the bloudy fluxe Thy fayth hath made thee whole And he promiseth saluation to Marie Magdalen by the same wordes Christ onely in deede saueth and iustifyeth For in him is life and he is made vnto vs of God the father wisedome righteousnesse satisfaction sanctification and redemption But bicause faith grafteth vs in Christ and maketh vs partakers of the goodnesse that is in him therfore saluation and iustification is not without a cause attributed thereto Marke now the definition of faith which Peter compriseth in these wordes where he sayth The fayth of hys name and the fayth that is by him For by these wordes he declareth that he speaketh of such a faith as stayeth vpon Christ and which acknowledgeth and beleeueth Christ to be such an one as he is described in name to be The name of the sonne of God incarnate is Iesus Christ. He receyued the name of IESVS of the Aungell before he was borne but in his Circumcision he tooke it againe after the solemne vsage of the people of Iewes which signifyeth a sauiour or Redeemer as sayeth the Aungell Thou shalt call his name IESVS for he shall saue his people from their sinnes This worde Christ with the Latines is asmuch to saye as annoynted and signifyeth the maner of our saluation and redemption For Kings and Priests in the old time were annointed and for that cause were called Meschijm and Christi that is to saye annointed So it behooued the Sauiour that was promised shoulde be called bicause he is that true King whome God hath set ouer his holy hill of Sion and whose kingdome is stretched ouer all the world See the Psalmes ij lxxij Zach. 9. For he like a faithfull king hath deliuered his people from the tyrannye of the deuill he ruleth
in vaine will he be mooued with other argumentes Here we haue to consider the state of the later daye which Peter expresseth in two wordes First he calleth it a daye of refreshing by a figure called Synecdoche This perteineth only to the godly which then shall feele refreshing and be deliuered from all griefe and sorrowe Then shall God wype away all teares from their eyes And there shall be no more death neyther sorrow neyther crying c. Then also shall they be enriched with those goodes which neyther eye hath seene nor eare hearde nor can be comprehended by any reason of man. Then as many as liued in the worlde and suffered all kinde of griefes in the flesh paciently shall as Iobe sayth see God in their flesh For the which cause Christ biddeth vs lift vp our heades when we see the signes going before the later daye for then our redemption draweth neare For the sight of Christ our Iudge can not be terrible to the godlye forasmuch as they vnderstand that he is their Sauiour and aduocate And this is that great benefit that we haue by faith and none otherwaies For faith only maketh vs bolde and sure of saluation at the comming of christ Then shall they finde no helpe in riches in honors nor friendship of the world which while they liued on earth despised this fayth in christ Therfore it behooueth vs to be armed with this hope against all the temptations of this worlde when we be in aduersitie and so shall we neuer be remooued from the waye of saluation Then he calleth it a day of restitution for then shall there be a restitution of al things a perfite and immutable state of creatures Which many looke for in vaine as long as they liue in this world For this world is full of confusion and breedeth new troubles euery day wherwith the kingdome of Christ sometime hath bene so assaulted that it might seeme vtterly to haue quayled But in the later day this kingdome shall be so set vp as the Prophetes haue prophecied For when all the power of our aduersaries shall be brought vnder Christes feete there shall be nothing more to trouble the faithfull and then shall be that ioyfull and peaceable state of all thinges that the Prophetes many times make mention of At that daye shall the bodies be restored againe howsoeuer they haue perished For the sea shall giue vp hir deade and so shall death and hell There shall be restored a ioyfull and blessed condicion of the worlde And this engine and frame of the world that now groneth vnder the burthen of corruption shal be deliuered and made such as it was before it was accursed for the sinne of man For there shall bee newe heauens and a newe earth wherein righteousnesse shall dwell Euery man shall receyue in his bodye according as he hath done whether it be well or euill Yea and Christ himselfe when he hath put downe all rule and all things be subdued vnto him shall be subiect vnto him that put all things vnder him and shal deliuer vp the kingdome to God the father that God may be all in all To conclude then shal be such a restitution of all things as we can now neyther vtter by woordes nor comprehende by reason for nowe our knowledge is vnperfite and our propheciyng vnperfite but when that which is perfite is come then that which is vnperfite shall be done awaye Nowe we see in a glasse euen in a darcke speaking but then shall wee see face to face In the meane while the consideration hereof serueth to our instruction that we being borne vp with the hope ofthis restitution may paciently suffer whatsoeuer aduersitie and miserie and so order our conuersation oflife by fayth in Christ that that great daye of the Lord may bring vnto vs also comfort and refreshing among other that be godly And so many it seemeth a marueyle that the Lord deferreth his comming so long And perhaps the Iewes might mooue some question hereof For where we measure God after the propertie of our flesh we cannot choose but marueyle at Gods tariaunce and deferring of iudgement But Peter aunswereth such questions where he sayth that Christ must remaine in the heauens or reigne in heauen vntill all things be restored and fulfilled that the Prophetes haue prophecied He hath on the earth fulfilled the affaires of our redemption But there remained as yet certaine things to be done long before decreed by God and foreshewed For it behooued the Gospell shoulde be preached in all the world and that the Gentiles should be brought into the fellowship of the Church as all the Prophetes by one consent testifie There remayned the mysterie of Antichrist through whose tyrannie it was needefull the Church shoulde be tried and the number of Christes martyrs fulfilled Christ therefore hath giuen a place to these things by his going into heauen hauing receyued all power in heauen and in earth Let no man therefore thinke he is vnmindefull eyther of vs or of his dutie bicause he deferreth his comming and daye of iudgement For he knoweth what he hath to doe in all thinges Let it comfort vs that we knowe he reigneth in heauen There let vs seeke him with mindes lift vp by faith without any care ofhis corporall presence in earth vntill that great daye come when like a lightning he shall appeare vnto vs sodenly Woulde to God they would diligently examine Peters wordes which now a dayes bicause they woulde ratifie a bodily presence of Christ in the earth saye that his humaine nature by reason of the coniunction it hath with the godly is so extended and so pierceth through all places that it cannot be circumscribed or conteyned neyther within time nor place Let them therfore looke what aunswere to make to Peter who appointeth to him both a time and a place Yea he affirmeth it is so appoynted of God that he should be taken into heauen and shoulde sit there vntill that last day came when he shall returne to be a iudge and to bestowe fully vpon the godlye the restitution long agone promised I knowe they iumble heauen and earth togither and by this worde heauen vnderstande the heauenlye glorye and conuersation that he is in here on earth But as this glose cannot be prooued by scripture so was it vtterly vnknowne to the learned antiquitie and therefore it needeth no great confutation Therefore leauing their quiddities let vs learne of this thirde part of the sermon that in our sinnes we despaire not of Gods grace but through repentance and true faith let vs returne vnto God and so let vs prepare our selues that that daye on vs also may shine happie and ioyfull when Iesus Christ shall come to deliuer those that be his and to condemne the wicked to whome be praise honour power and glory for euer Amen The .xxiiij. Homelie Moyses truly sayde vnto the fathers
out of Paule we declared Christ blesseth vs as he is a priest For it was the Priestes office to blesse the people as Moyses teacheth Numer 6. Although there is great difference betweene them Christ for they were ministers only of the figure and shadowe Christ doth not only wishe vs good but also giueth it and in him God blesseth vs with all spirituall blessing as Paule teacheth Ephe. 1. But Peter addeth the maner also of this blessing saying whyle he turneth euery man from his wickednesse For where of sinnnes the curse springeth there can be no place for blessing afore sinne be taken awaye Nowe Christ taketh them awaye yea he hath long sithence clensed them by the merite of his death for which cause the Baptist calleth him the lambe of God that taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde He taketh not sinne away fo◠one time only but conuerteth all them frō their sinnes that beleeue in him For where he giueth them his spirite they be regenerated and renewed by him so that they which before were giuen to the bondage of sinne doe cast of the yoake of sinne and liue vnto God and beginne to serue him in studie of innocencie and charitie Whereby we gather that they are greatly deceyued which imagine Christ to be a patrone of carnall libertie and saye that by preaching of him we plant carelesse lyfe in the mindes of men Certainlye Christ came into the worlde to destroye the workes of the deuill But among these workes sinne hath the chiefe place as there is none that can denie Nay rather if we will confesse the truth there can be in vs no true turning from sinne but such as Christ is author of through his spirite according to that saying of Ieremie Conuert thou me and I shall be conuerted Agayne Turne thou vs vnto thee O Lord and so shall we be turned Furthermore before we make an ende we haue to be obserued that the Iewes abounding in so many prerogatiues dignities as both here and else where are declared in the .ix. to the Romaines receiued no cōmodity by any of them all but were forsaken of God for that through stubborne incredulitie they contemned Christ and despised the preaching of the gospell whereof Paule intreateth at large Rom. 11. Therfore all externe things are but vaine except we embrace Christ with true fayth who onely conuerteth vs from sinnes purgeth our sinnes reconcileth vs to God and maketh vs inheritors of the kingdome of heauen This Christ hath Peter in his sermon taught them and sheweth them that in him the treasure of saluation is opened vnto them notwithstanding it might seeme they were fallen from saluation and the grace of god Let vs therfore thinke these things spoken also vnto vs and labour to become the true members of Christ and to be quickened with his spirite that hereafter we may raigne with him in heauen to whome be prayse honour glory and power for euer Amen The fourth chapiter vpon the Actes of the Apostles The .xxvj. Homelie AS they spake vnto the people the Priestes and the Rulers of the Temple and the Saduceys came vpon them taking it grieuously that they taught the people and preached in Iesus the resurrection from death And they laide handes vpon them and put them in holde vntill the next day for it was now euentyde Howbeit many of them which hearde the wordes beleeued and the number of the men was about fiue thousande HItherto Luke hath described the beginning and successe of the primitiue church There haue we seene what the doctrine of the Apostles was which they deliuered vnto the Church also what the studies and exercises of the primitiue Church were Nowe herevnto is most commodiously adioyned how the worlde receyued this doctrine where we shall see howe the very same thing fell out that Christ before that shewed his Apostles of For in Iohn he sayth The seruant is not greater than his Maister If they haue persecuted me they will persecute you also If they haue kept my saying they will keepe yours Againe They shall deliuer you vp to the Councels and shall scourge you in their sinagoges And these things they whom God had hitherto kept safe from the furie of their enimies vntill the beginning of his Church myght be stablished and settled a little surer beginne nowe to finde true But nowe most fierce enimies sodenlye rushe in vppon them they take and cast them into prison they bring them to examination before the Counsayle and at length being vexed with long disceptation and reasoning they dismisse them with grieuous threates We must in all this narration marke this one thing chiefely aboue all other which shall serue much for our consolation and instruction that is not to be offended at the attempts of the wicked wherewith in these dayes they oppugne the doctrine of Christ and his Church For this worlde whose propertie it is to hate and persecute the light of the truth bicause it bewrayeth their naughtie doings vseth of olde thus for to doe Here it behooueth vs to be armed with the constancie of the primitiue Church that we leaue not our place when we are assaulted but that we wayte for an happie ende and successe of such temptation with a stronge and inuincible fayth which God graunteth vnto them whome he seeth tried and made the better vnder the crosse But bicause we shall haue occasion oftentimes to speake of these things let it suffice vs to haue touched this little hereof least we lose the marke whereto all these things must be directed Nowe we shall discusse euery part and circumstance of the things that Luke hath sayde He describeth who were the Apostles enimies and authors of their persecution what craftes and deceite they vsed what cloke they had for their wicked and vniust enterprise howe violently they layde handes on the Apostles and howe vaine their attempt was bicause through their furie the number of the faythfull were rather increased than diminished Among the enimies of the Apostles there are three kindes of men rehearced The first are Priestes whome by the circumstaunces we may easilye gather were the ringleaders and beginners of all this businesse Howbeit it had bene their partes rather to haue taken vppon them the defence of the truth and to haue preached Christ vnto the people of whome Moyses and the Prophetes bare witnesse After these followeth the Ruler of the Temple who by all likelyhoode was some Capitaine of the Romaine souldiors For where the Temple stoode in the most impregnable place of the Citie and was well fenced with munition I suppose the Romaynes gaue the Presidentes of Iurie a speciall charge thereof least the Iewes vnder colour of religion and holy assemblies shoulde mooue any insurrection or sedition And vndoubtedly the Capitaine of the Temple brought with him his garde or souldiors which alwayes attended on his seruice were at his commaundement There was a thirde kinde of men
for their faithfull endeuour and godlynesse and not to be offended if the like also fall out vpon vs. But least we shoulde haue any iust occasion to be offended the Euangelist teacheth vs how little the wicked with all their tyrannie preuayled against Christ and his Church Many sayth he of them that heard the words beleeued and the number of the men was about fiue thousande What shoulde we here first saye or marueyle at O brethren The vnspeakable power of God or the woonderfull constancie and boldenesse of the faythfull of that time Here appeareth the inuincible power of Christ which doth not only scatter the counsell of his enimies but also turneth it vpside downe which Dauid once prophecied he should doe They go about to stoppe the course of the Gospell and by feare to pull men from the Church of Christ. But they are so deceyued that rather maye be perceyued a marueylous fruite of the Gospell and newe scholers are added vnto the Church of Christ. This is the perpetuall condicion of the Church that by persecutions it encreaseth The same came to passe longe agone in Babylon what time the kinges of Assiria and Persia did set forth God and his religion Under the Romaine Emperours the whoter the persecution was the more there were that thought it a goodlye matter to confesse Christ with their bloude This is it that Dauid sayth Christ shall reigne or beare rule in the middle of his enimies Let vs followe the boldenesse of the primitiue Church and not be feared with the crosse or rage of persecutors They shewe crueltie but vppon our bodies and that no further than God permitteth but vppon our soule they haue no power at all They binde the Preachers of the worde and the faithfull hearers but the worde of God cannot be bounde For the spirite of the Lorde bloweth not where the worlde will but where it selfe will. Further he is greater that worketh in vs than he that so rageth in the worlde Christ worketh in vs through whose comfort we are able to doe all things He is a strong and faithfull shepeherde which will not suffer his sheepe to be taken from him He hath prepared for vs a place in heauen to the which it becommeth vs by the crosse and all maner of tribulations to come that we may liue with him and reigne in the house of his father To whome be prayse honour power and glory for euer Amen The .xxvij. Homelie AND it came to passe on the morowe that their Rulers and Elders and Scribes and Annas the chiefe priest and Caiphas and Iohn and Alexander and as many as were of the kinred of the high priestes gathered togither at Ierusalem And when they had set them before them they asked By what power or in what name haue you done this Then Peter full of the holye ghost sayde vnto them you Rulers of the people and Elders of Israel if we this daye be examined of the good deede that we haue done to the sicke man by what meanes he is made whole Be it knowen vnto you all and to all the people of Israell that by the name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth whome you crucified whome God raysed vp againe from death euen by him doth this man stande here present before you whole This is the stone which was cast awaye of you builders which is become the chiefe of the corner Neyther is there saluation in any other For amonge men vnder heauen there is giuen none other name wherein we must be saued ALthough our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ according to his promises neuer fayleth those which embrace him with true fayth yet hee chiefly succoureth them when they are persecuted of their enimies and finde no helpe in man wherevnto to leane And then he comforteth them not onely with his spirite but also sheweth them what to doe and to saye This present hystorie giueth vs an example hereof whyle the wyse men and of greatest power in the world after the worlds iudgement be ouercome and shamefully confounded by Christes Apostles being but vnlearned men and of no estimation We haue seene howe the Apostles were had to prison bicause they tooke vpon them the office of preaching and taught howe Christ was risen from death being not licensed thereto of the Bishops But now Luke declareth how they handled Christes cause before the counsell at Ierusalem which place as well for many other skilles as for this chiefely is notable bicause it containeth the craftynesse of the enimies of truth and an example of a counsell of Bishops assembled against the truth He beginneth with the benche of the Iudges which he painteth out with a diligent rehearsall of all them that were gathered togither not only bicause we should vnderstande who and what maner of men were assembled but also that we might perceyue howe the enimies of truth trust more in the authoritie and power of men than in any thing else It came to passe sayde he that their Rulers and Elders and Scribes of Hierusalem c. Whatsoeuer was of any excellencie or authoritie among the Iewes he comprehendeth in three degrees They are Rulers to whome the Romaines had committed the gouernaunce of such thinges as chiefely concerned the constitutions and rules of Iurie wherein they differed from others The Elders were the state of the Senators as appeareth by other places of the Scripture The Scribes are they which attributed to themselues the knowledge of the lawe and the Scriptures and who had the keeping of the publike writings and recordes And not contented to haue rehearsed these degrees he reciteth also the names of certaine other of most authoritie amongest them that is to saye Annas who seemeth here to be the high Priest not bicause he was then Bishop for the hystories report that Caiphas was this yeare Bishop but bicause he had bene Bishop before then Caiphas Iohn and Alexander wherevnto afterwarde he ioyneth all those that were of the high Priests kinred Now if you consider well this bench you shall perceiue there was nothing at that present of greater honour For they whose power was of most authoritie with the Romaine Presidentes were all assembled togither They also were there to whome the publike administration of the Church was committed And they whose name and fame for learning and doctrine was greatest among the people were there But herein stoode the chiefe poynt of all others that these degrees of men were instituted of God and commended for the succession of about a thousande and fiue hundred yeares if we count from the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt or from the time that Aaron was Byshop vntill the dayes of Christ and his Apostles And in deede they might call themselues the successors of Aaron Eleazar Abiathar Iehosuah and others to whome there is no small prayse attributed in the Scriptures With these men are the Apostles coped yea they are brought before them
Comptrollers espie any thing in these mennes conuersation Naye such as these sate highest among them Yet are the Apostles who hitherto had hurt no man but profited a great many cyted examined and commaunded to prison So in these dayes where men burne in hatred of the truth all men may freely be naught But to preache Christ and to call mennes mindes through his doctrine from superstition and ydolatrie that is an heynous matter I warrant you This is the olde corruption of the worlde which neuer is afrayde of punishment for sinne but abhorreth and hateth them most which endeuour to bring them to God. After Peter had reprehended their vniust proceeding he answereth their question more apparantly and testifyeth that Iesus Christ is the only author of the myracle Be it knowne sayth he to you all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth whome you crucified whome God raysed agayne from death euen by him doth this man stande here present before you whole He repeateth the same here againe that he sayde in the Church For he so ascribeth to Christ only the glorye of the myracle that therewith also he casteth in their teeth their wickednesse committed against the sonne of god He maketh mention also of Christes resurrection to shewe them that they stroue against him in vaine seeing he whome they thought to haue made out of the waye had ouercomme death and nowe liued in glory Peters example is to be well marked for thereby we are taught howe to deale with the professed enimies of the truth He giueth them such honor as God doth vouchsafe to giue vnto Iudges as euen nowe was declared Yet he abstaineth from all kinde of vile flatterie yea rather he freely and frankly vttereth those thinges which make for the setting forth of Christes truth and glorie For both he telleth them of their wicked deede and sheweth them that he whome they persecuted liueth and reigneth This waye must we also take least eyther we suffer our tongue to runne at ryot or else for cowardly feare or fauour dissemble the truth For as it is not meete we should followe the children of this worlde in euill speaking so the enimies of the truth are not worthy to haue their tyrannie and wickednesse spared We haue other examples of this kinde both in the Prophetes and in the Apostles But it shall be best to followe the prompting of the holy spirite which neuer fayleth them that are zealous towarde Christ. Howbeit where the Apostles were chiefely appointed to preach Christ vnto the worlde here Peter also forgetteth not his dutie but taking occasion of the premisses teacheth in fewe wordes that all our saluation is conteyned in Christ alone But this seemed a great stumbling blocke bicause Iesus Christ was condemned by them which had power in the Church by Gods appoyntment to teache and administer euery thing Therfore he first remooueth this blocke out of the waye alleaging the wordes of Dauid out of the Cxviij Psalme which wordes Christ also vsed as we reade in the Gospell For Dauid who was a figure of Christ speaking of himselfe sayth The same stone which the builders refused is become the heade stone in the corner Which wordes Peter expressely expounding of Christ and the Priestes of the Iewes sayth This is the stone which was cast away of you builders which is become the chiefe of the corner The sense of the wordes is this I knowe that both you and also other marueyle greatly why we ascribe so great prayse and glory vnto Christ and say that he liueth and raigneth and is risen againe from death whom you by shamefull death would haue made out of the waye But this ought to offende no man Nay rather ye maye learne that he is the same Iesus whome the Prophetes long before sayde shoulde come haue you forgotten that saying of Dauid which teacheth vs that so God had appointed that the Messias shoulde be reiected of them which ought to haue builded vp Gods Church and to bring all men vnto him you your selues are those builders For vnto you was committed the office of teaching and the whole ordring of religion You haue reiected Iesus and would giue him no place in the Church of god Him hath God raised from death and made him the head of the corner that is a Lord and a sauiour and the ruler of his Churche And hath so inclosed in him only all saluation that without him the same is no where else to be founde For among men vnder heauen there is none other name giuen wherein we can be saued Peter therefore so preacheth Iesus to be a sauiour that he therewith denieth all hope of saluation to them which disdaine to embrace him Here are three things to be considered the consideration whereof is no lesse profitable than necessary The first is howe the holy ghost foresheweth that Christ should be refused of those which by Goddes appoyntment were the chiefe among the people This reprooueth the wicked pride of the Bishops of Rome which say they cannot erre For although it were manifest they were appointed of God yet that they cannot erre shoulde neuer be graunted them seeing they which were ordeyned by God haue so often erred But while they saye they cannot erre they bewray their follie whereas now their errors are open not onely to Barbours and bleare eyed as is in the Prouerbe but also to boyes and children Clement the seauenth being Pope confessed this grosse ignorance or rather impudent lust of theirs to lye For where at his table two Monks as their maner is were disputing whether the Pope could erre or no after many words to fro they agreed he might erre as he was a man but as he was Pope Christes vicar on earth he could by no means erre Clement offended with this most impudent more than slauelike flatterie sayd to the Monke with angrie moode nay I confesse that euen as I am Pope I both may and often doe erre For whyle I bestowe benefices and other ecclesiasticall dignities as I suppose vpon good godly persons I find at length they be very knaues worthy of no honor Let them listen to this oracle of their Caiphas which now a dayes haue the Popes in such admiration that they thinke it an heinous matter to swarue one nailes bredth from their decrees Furthermore this place teacheth vs not to be offended when we see Christ reiected of the states of the world of those which some men take for the pillers henges heads of the church This is the auncient guise of the world which vseth to preferre darcknesse before light which thing Esaias complaineth of when in declaring of the mysteries of Christ he saith there were but few that would beleeue him truly acknowledge the power of the Lorde And Christ testifieth that these mysteries are reuealed to little ones hidden from the wise of this world Yea
prayers of the congregation Watch sayth he with all instancie and prayer for all the Sainctes and for me that vtteraunce may be giuen vnto me that I may open my mouth freely to vtter the secretes of my Gospell whereof I am a messenger in bondes that therein I may speake freely as I ought to speake Therefore let the Ministers neuer suffer this boldnesse to be taken from theâ— for the which they see the Apostle is so carefull Next we must diligently consider how he writeth the lame man which was healed stoode with the Apostles when they pleaded their cause and therefore was in daunger with them This teacheth vs the slate and condicion of the godly in this worlde Assoone as they haue receyued the benefite of saluation in Christ they are vnder the perill and threates of the wicked So Lazarus raised againe by Christ was by and by in great hazarde bicause the Clergie of the Iewes sought to make both Christ and him out of the waye For as the wicked seeke to haue the glory of Christ extinguished so can they not abide them by whome the same is set forth and declared This is diligently to be obserued least while Christ offreth vs eternall saluation we promise our selues the felicitie and friendship of this world and being brought into a fooles paradyse when tribulation afterwarde coÌ„meth we fall away from him as we see many doe in these dayes with the daunger of their saluation Also this lame man is an example of a Christian thankfulnesse and courage bicause he forsaketh not his benefactors in their perils but to his power standeth with them and helpeth them Yet there were diuers reasons wherewith he might haue excused himselfe and haue obtayned pardon of the Rulers for the benefite which he receiued of the Apostles Yet we reade he vsed none of these things His example reprooueth such as are glad to receyue the benefite of Christes saluation but will abide neyther perill nor tribulation with him Of whose number they also are which are contented to haue all our saluation in Christ preached but will not haue those thinges ioyned therewith which Christ pronounceth against Antichristes and deceyuers bicause they see many in the world are offended therewith To whome also they are lyke which greedily embrace the doctrine of saluation preached by the ministers and reioyce that they are deliuered out of the entanglinges and caltroppes of errour But when they see the worlde rageth and stormeth against the Ministers they denie them all helpe and succour yea they shunne the sight of them least they might seeme to holde with them The worlde in these dayes is full of such men and they may goe for the best which openly rayle not at the ministers when they be in daunger and giue them not vineger to drinke as they hang vpon the crosse But let them remeÌ„ber Christ cannot be deuided but that we must altogither be without him or else receyue him in such sort as he is giuen vs of his father The Scriptures set him forth crucifyed and teach vs that by the crosse he is entred into the glory of the father We must embrace him in such sort and come by the same way into the glory of heauen He calleth those that be his to the bearing of the crosse and promiseth them no better condicion nor being in the worlde than that which he tasted and founde in the worlde He cannot abyde those disciples and seruantes which are ashamed of him before this naughtie adulterous and wicked worlde Let vs therefore after the example of this lame man be armed with a Christian stowtenesse and saye euery one with Paule I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ for it is the power of God vnto saluation to all that beleeue in him Nowe let vs come to the seconde part of this place wherein is conteyned what the Counsell decreed against the Apostles For when they had commaunded them â—o go aside they begin to consult among themselues where maye be seene a marueylous perturbation and confusion of mindes in them First what shall we doe say they to these men O foolish and preposterous question Were they ignorant that Innocents ought to be set at libertie and those to be rewarded which had done good But this way they bewray their pretensed malice seeking some meanes howe to vse crueltie against well doers and those that were guyltlesse But going yet further they more and more vtter their selues in that they confesse the truth of the myracle saying A manifest signe is wrought by them and it is knowne to all the inhabiters of Hierusalem and we cannot deny it They are therefore wicked bicause they yet conspire togither against Christ the author of the myracle They confesse also what chiefely vrgeth and offendeth them For they make no mention neyther of God nor of Christ but are only grieued that the matter is so knowne and spredde abrode among the people Therefore they had more regarde of the people than of God as who altogither depended vpon the estimation of the ignorant and superstitious multitude and had no care for the glorie of God which thing Christ in one place sayth was the chiefe cause of their incurable vnbeliefe At length they conclude what they will doe The thing that was done coulde not be vndone But perceyuing the daunger like to ensue by the peoples falling awaye from them they thinke it good that the matter be noysed no further abrode So with obliuion and forgetfulnesse they thinke to burie all memorie and remembraunce of christ And this they labour to bring to passe by threates and tyrannie when they see they haue no reason therefore Let vs threaten them saye they that they henceforth speake to no man in this name And so they send for the Apostles with great grauity of words publish that godly decree of their sacred oecumenicall counsel What shal we here first either marueyle at or detest O brethren Their impudencie wicked tyrannie or their dulheadnesse and follye They openly confesse that they cannot denie the myracle and yet they woulde haue it kept close And that that was in euery bodies mouth they forbidde the Apostles to speake of Furthermore they take vpon them to wrastle with Christ whome they coulde not keepe in his graue when he was deade and buried with a garrison of armed men and authoritie of the Romaine president which sealed the grauestone with his signet And nowe he is on liue and in his reigne the blockheaded Disardes thinke with vaine bragges and threates to suppresse and extinguishe his glorie Let vs here consider wherevnto obstinate impietie of minde and hatred once conceyued against the truth bringeth men They are not able to cease from striuing against Gods counsayle and ordinaunce no not when they perceiue themselues guiltie in their owne consciences For surely there is no peace with the wicked as the Prophet sayth And their mindes
he hath created which hath respect vnto things voyde of lyfe and seeth them gouerned The seconde part contayneth the narration wherein they shewe vnto God the attemptes of their enimies and the present daungers that they be in not that they thinke God is ignorant of them but for that they would somewhat ease their mindes of care and griefe by laying their complaints before Gods eyes which thing was the chiefe cause of these complaintes which the Saintes vsed to intermeddle among their prayers Here maye we perceyue the goodnesse of God whose eares be so easily opened to our complaintes and heareth vs so mercifully when we complaine of our miseries and distresse They take the beginning of their narration out of the seconde Psalme where Dauid inspired by the holy ghost described the kingdome of Christ and also the wicked enterprises of the worlde which fight against his kingdome The sense of all their sayinge is thus Wee finde it nowe true O God that thou once didst prophecie by the mouth of thy seruant Dauid For truly in this Citie of Ierusalem which in times past was called both holy and the seate of righteousnesse Herode and Pylate haue conspired togither against thy sonne the souldiers also of the Gentyles haue gathered themselues togither and the people of Israel which ought to haue serued thee c. And it is not for naught that they recyte this olde prophecie For hereby they declare that there is no straunge and vnwoonted thing come to passe and that therefore no man ought to be offended with the wicked attemptes of Christes enimies We are taught by their example howe we also shoulde call to remembrance the prophecies of the scripture when we be tossed with the tempests of persecution and specially those where Christ testifyeth there shall be perpetuall enmitie betweene the worlde and those that be his If you were of the worlde sayeth he the worlde woulde loue his owne But nowe haue I chosen you out of the worlde and therefore the worlde hateth you And Paule sayth Persecution shall followe all them that will liue godly in Christ Iesus Wherevnto chiefely belongeth that which God prophecied in the first beginning of the worlde that there shoulde be perpetuall enmitie betweene the Serpent and the seede of the woman that is betweene the deuill the Prince of this worlde and Christ who also includeth the Church which is his body The consideration of these things maketh vs not to be offended at persecutions forasmuch as we see it is so ordeyned of God that the godly shall be tryed as it were by fire with the rage and furie of the world Herevnto appertaineth that saying of Peter Dearely beloued marueyle not that you are prooued by fire which thing is to trie you as though some straunge thing happened vnto you but reioyce in as much as yee are partakers of Christes passions c. But it behooueth vs somewhat more diligentlye to marke howe the holye ghost speaketh of the enterprises of Christes enimies both by Dauid and also by the congregation of the faithfull First he describeth their enterprises saying they rage they ymagine they stande vp and take counsayle togyther These things expresse an ardent and earnest hatred against Christ and his kingdome which they seeke by all meanes to ouerthrow And he trimly describeth the maners and condicions of them For where he numbreth Nations People and Kinges among the enimies of Christ he attributeth to each of them their peculyar properties The vnbeleeuing Gentiles rage as who are ledde rather with furiousnesse of affections than with counsayle The people whereby is vnderstanded the communaltie ymagine or speake thyngs that be vayne whyle amonges their Cuppes commonly they talke of ouerthrowing the kingdome of christ But Kings and Princes tossed with the care of their kingdomes ryse vp ioyne togyther and openly take counsayle by what force and polycie Christ may be oppressed And yet he sayth they altogyther take in hande and muse vpon things that are but vayne For what are mortall men whose thoughtes and cogitations are but vaine able to doe against the Lorde They are conceyued with vexation they traueyle with vanitie and bring forth lying And God whose counsayle endureth for euer doth easily bring the counsayle of the heathen to naught Hereto belongeth the saying of the godly in the Prophet Breake downe ô you people and you shall be broken downe Muster you and you shall be broken downe Prepare you to battaile and you shall be torne in peeces take your counsayle togither yet must your counsaile come to naught goe in hande wyth all yet shall it not prosper for the Lorde is with vs. They that reade the Scriptures and stories of the Church may see euerywhere examples hereof so that it needeth not greatlye to make rehearsall of the same yet is that one example of Iulian the Apostata or runnagate most notable who burning in hatred against Christ ready to giue vp his ghost was constrayned to say Thou hast the victorie ô Galylean thou hast the victorie So that a certaine Christian very wittilye aunswered a wicked Sophister asking him what the Carpentare of Galyley did that he was making a Coffin or Beere to beare Iulian to his Graue vpon Afterwarde he sheweth against whome these enterprises are made They came togither against the Lorde and against his annoynted It myght haue seemed a light matter to contende or striue wyth Christ by reason of his humble and lowly porte of mannes nature which he tooke on him But they are not Christes enimies onely but also enimies of god For as hee which disdayneth to acknowledge the Kinges onely sonne to be the heyre and King of the Realme and is a procurer of sedition against him is worthily iudged to make warre against the king so he that will not acknowledge the sonne God to be our king and sauiour may well be sayde to be the enimie of God who hath giuen to him only all the power of his kingdome and all the glory of mans redemption that all men might honor the sonne euen as they honor the Father Neyther can God be acknowledged and honoured otherwyse than in his sonne Wherefore of consequence they neyther acknowledge nor honour God which doe not acknowledge and honour his sonne And if they rebell and mooue warre against the sonne of God then like the wicked Gyaunts they may be iudged to make warre against God also This did Iohn the Baptist well perceyue when he sayde The Father loueth the Sonne and hath gyuen all things into his hande He that beleeueth in the Sonne hath lyfe euerlasting He that beleeueth not the Sonne shall not see lyfe but the wrath of God abydeth vppon him And who can doubt but he is the enimie of God that prouoketh againâ—â— himselfe the irreuocable wrath of God These things serue both for our instruction that we defyle not our selues wyth lyke impietie and also for our comforte
morning the Bishops come togither and call an assembly or counsell consulting which waye they maye quench the fire of the Gospell But the Lorde from aboue laughing at them and meaning to make all the worlde laugh at them by the helpe of one Aungell deliuereth the Apostles out of prison and marueylously eludeth the counsell of their enimies who thought themselues craftie and wyly ynough But bicause it seemed good to the holy ghost to describe all the partes of this hystorie we also must thinke no studie or diligence to much to search them out bicause we maye receyue much profite by our traueyle therein First therefore let vs consider the Counsell to the which we sayd they busily addressed and hyed themselues the circumstaunces whereof beyng considered we shall perceyue all things declaring a shew and countenance of a lawfull Counsayle The chiefe in the Counsayle is the high Priest who in these cases was appoynted of God to haue the highest authoritie and who by Goddes apoyntment was most to be obeyed For sentence of death was long ago giuen against them which durst obstinately despise the Priestes saying To him be adioyned the other Priestes least anye man might thinke the Bishop did any thing of his priuate affection And least any man also might suspect the whole order of Priests the Elders were also called the institution of which order was long before appoynted of God and represented the forme of the whole Church Furthermore they take vnto them the Capitaine of the Temple with the other publike Officers that bicause they woulde seeme to doe nothing against the common weale These things being thus ordeyned what letteth nowe that this should not be a Counsell lawfully gathered togither Surely touching outwarde appearance you can easily require none other thing But if a man regarde the ende of all this doing it shall appeare they were not gathered togither by the holy ghost but by the instigation of Satan and that therefore no good or godly person ought to obey or submit himselfe to them For they assembled togither to oppresse the truth and they go about to ouerthrowe the kingdome of Christ by conspiracie Thys place teacheth vs to iudge of counsayles which are now a daies in euery mans mouth bicause manye suppose controuersies of religion can not be decyded wythout a generall counsayle Touching whose opinion as I will not nowe dispute so it seemeth to me it would be very profitable if such a free and generall counsell might be obteyned wherein all controuersies might be concluded by the onely worde of God such as was the Synode of the Apostles whereof shall be spoken in the .xv. chapter and such as we knowe those olde counsayles were of Nicaea Constantinople Ephesus and Chalcedon and such other as the godly Emperours by their authoritie gouerned and ruled least the ambition of Byshops might kindle more cōtention But whether we may hope for any such like in these dayes I can not easily tell bicause I see none of the contrary parte contented to forsake their possession of the Church wrongfully vsurped nor wylling to submyt themselues to the iudgement of others Agayne if we consider what counsels haue beene these many yeres since the Bishops of Rome gate the supremacie ouer the Church no man that is in hys right wits can looke for any goodnesse to come of them bicause they obserue not so much as any outwarde shewe of a lawfull counsayle For to beginne with the chiefe poynt Their counsayles vse to be summoned and called by the Byshops of Rome whose supremacie is not ordeyned of God and is most contrarie to the glorie of christ They also will be the chiefe rulers Presidents and Iudges of the counsell which ought rather to pleate their cause and to gyue an account of their stewardship which many yeres now hath bene requyred of them They haue Bishops sytting which them not such as Paule requyreth but such as the God on earth vseth to create from whome if a man take their pieuishe and stage play apparell and vayne names and tytles they shall haue nothing left that representeth any show of Byshoply duetie or dignitie And they onely haue authoritie to gyue sentence which are not worthy the lowest rowme in the Church but are by Gods sentence long since excommunicated For the Prophet affirmeth that the Chanaanites that is to say sellers of holye thinges shall haue no place in the Lordes house And such as they did Christ long since dryue out of the Iewish temple And Christ sayth in his reuelation that Infidels Murtherers Whoremongers Wytches Idolaters and all lyers haue their place prepared in the lake burning with fyre and Brymstone And who I pray you is so impudent that will denie but a many of them are polluted with these vyces which yet haue onely the power and authoritie to iudge matters of religion And although they vse to call Emperours kings and princes to their counsayle it skilleth not bicause it is euident they haue all sworne obedience to the Pope and are not accounted for Catholikes onlesse they giue vp themselues wholy to the Sea of Rome Wherfore thys outward shewe representeth no lawfull counsayle but with a vayne visure beguyleth the simple and vnwarie And if a man marke the ende wherevnto they referre all thing it shall appeare more plainely that they seeke onely the oppressing of the truth and the ghospell than needeth with many words to be declared For this doth the bloud of the Martyrs of Christ testifie which they haue shed and most greedily thirst after The warres whereof they haue bene the first authors agaynst the mainteyners of the true fayth doe prooue the same They confesse the same in their Bulles wherby they summon and call counsellers For they so burne in hatred of the truth that where they are wholy couered with hypocrisie and furnished at all points to cloke and dyssemble all things yet can they herein little or nothing dissemble their great hatred but openly professe that which they long ago haue conceyued against the Ghospell Therefore let them that desyre the ouerthrowe of Christes church and kingdome and will wittingly perishe submit matters of fayth and religion to their iudgement But whosoeuer hath a care of his owne saluation of the glorie of Christ and safetie of the Church let him vnderstande that this saying of Dauid chiefly belongeth to this place Blessed is that man that hath not walked in the counsell of the vngodly nor stande in the way of sinners and hath not sitte in the seate of the scornefull But let vs let passe these matters and come to the priestes and Elders who hauing consulted about the Apostles sende their seruaunts to the prison to bring them before the counsell And here the Lorde agaynst whom they stroue doth marueylously mocke and deryde them For the seruaunts finde the Apostles deliuered out of prison They returne to their maysters and so declare the matter that they
heare the Apostles aunswere very Apostolike and venerable by reason of the grauitie thereof which may be deuided into three partes First they put awaye the crime of disobedience Secondly they aunswere the other two obiections briefely And last of all they declare the whole matter of Christs kingdome if happily they might winne any of them vnto the same The fault of disobedience they excuse briefely not denying they were forbidden to preache but replying that they ought to obey God more than men Which sentence they before also so propounded that they made the Priestes themselues Iudges thereof bicause all men endued with common reason and vnderstanding might easilye perceyue the authoritie and truth thereof But forasmuch as they perceyue the Priestes growne to such impudencie that they sticke not to preferre their owne authoritie before Gods they boldlye and plainely repeate the same agayne In these wordes we may learne the true trade of obedience For they deny not that men must be obeyed to whome God hath giuen rule ouer vs such as be our parentes teachers Officers maisters and Lords but that we must obey God more than them They therefore appoynt certaine boundes and limittes of obedience within the compasse whereof they must walke which shall prescribe others what to doe For parentes haue left them their authoritie ouer their children Magistrates haue their power reserued by doctrine of the Gospell ouer their subiectes And that authoritie which God hath giuen to the Ministers of his worde must not be broken or violated And Peter in another place commaundeth seruants to obey their maisters though they be vnreasonable and waywarde The lyke reason is also of persons maried and of all others whome God hath made superiours ouer other But if they beginne to abuse their power and dignitie and will take vpon them to commaunde things contrary to the lawes of God and to the dutie that we owe him we must then run vnto the rule of Peter not suffer the authoritie of man and counterfayte shewe of Gods institution to preiudice or derogate any thing from Gods commaundement For assoone as they beginne to passe their boundes and to resist God they are but meere men and not to be accounted as the ministers of god But bicause we haue spoken hereof before let these fewe wordes suffice for this time Secondly they aunswere the other two crimes in one saying The God of our fathers hath raysed vp agayne Iesus whome yee slewe and hanged on tree In fewe wordes they dispatch two things The first is the God of our fathers hath raysed vp Iesus that is to saye we preache that Iesus and sauiour which we haue not imagined of our owne heade but which the God of our fathers once promised yea whome he from euerlasting ordeyned to be the sauiour of the world Therfore no man ought to accuse our doctrine eyther as new or false And I see none other cause why they make mention of the fathers but for that they woulde put them in minde of the promises reuealed to the fathers concerning christ Where by the waye may be perceyued the antiquitie and infallible certaintie of the Christian fayth and religion And we maye vse the same argument in these dayes against them which accuse our doctrine of newnesse and falshoode For why is it called new which preacheth Christ that was promised from the beginning of the world Why is it called false which sheweth vs saluation in him that is the way the light and the truth The seconde is where he speaketh of Iesus saying whom ye slewe and hanged on tree As though he should say we go not about to bring vpon you the blode of Christ nor to charge you with his death For you your selues were the authors principalles of that heynous deede you condemned him by your consents delyuered him to Pylate you required him to be put to death when Pylate iudged him to be let loose It was you that sayd His bloud be vpon vs vpon our children These things al men know bicause they were openly done And though we would holde our peace yet the thing it selfe cryeth out and will not be kept hid c. We learne by the Apostles example with what constancie and libertie we must cope with the professed enimies of the truth It behooueth vs boldly to defend the quarrel of the truth We must also freely reprooue their wickednes that they thinke not men be afraid of them For such is the nature of wicked Bishops that the more they be feared the more fierce they waxe bicause they think their craft is not yet espied But if a man withstand them to their face then their combe is cut Hence springeth that constancie of the prophets wherby they withstoode most mightie princes For this cause Christ which was the myldest of all other men seemeth to thunder when he hath to doe with the Scribes Phariseis whom he knew to be altogither incurable Therfore their modestie is preposterous that now a dayes flatter Popes Bisshops who in deede are greater enimies of the truth worse than the Iewishe Priests Howbeit least they might seeme to neglect them which perhaps might be woonne they briefly set forth the whole hystory of Christ and of our saluation and confirme the same with most sure testimonies which is the thirde part of this Apologie or defence For they say Him hath God lift vp with his right hand to be a ruler and a Sauiour for to giue repentance vnto Israel and forgiuenesse of sinnes And we be witnesses or recordes hereof c. In these wordes both Christ himselfe and the maner and meane whereby he giueth vs saluation is described And they saye Christ is not onely a sauiour but the Prince of saluation exalted by the right hande and power of god In the Scriptures mention is oftentimes made howe Christ is a King and Prince chiefely in the Psalmes and sermons of the Prophetes For herevnto belong the things reade in the Psalmes ij xlv.lxxxix.cx c. Mich. 5. And the Aungell Gabriel seemeth to haue alluded herevnto where he sayth he shall sit in the chaire of Dauid his father and of his kingdome shall be none end Thus the holy ghost teacheth vs that Christ is not only the minister of our saluation but is the author which by his owne power hath deliuered vs from the tyrannie of the deuill also that he is so mightie a sauiour that no man is able to resist him Neither did he by force take vnto him that honor but when he had most lowly humbled himselfe that name was giuen vnto him that is aboue all names in the which euery knee shoulde bowe c. This serueth for our comfort in temptations For where Christ is a mightie king whome the right hande of God hath exalted and to whome all power is giuen in heauen and in earth it shall be an easie matter for him to defende vs neyther
accuse that religion of falsehood whose professours they see exercised with persecutions and aduersities Wherefore it is not so profitable as necessary that we be well instructed agaynst all occasions of offences Which thing is the cause that the holye ghost would haue Luke so diligently wryte the afflictions of the primitiue Church Wherein chiefely is to be obserued what hath alwayes beene the state of Christes Church in this worlde and howe through the present and faythfull ayde of the Lorde it hath in times past beene preserued in greatest tribulations that we neyther be offended at the calamities of our daies as vnwonted nor dispayre of Gods helpe and preseruation of hys Church Thys present hystory sheweth vs examples of both these things the conclusion whereof the Euangelist nowe discribeth and first he telleth what the coniured enimies of Christ did and afterwarde what the Apostles dyd Concerning Christes enimies gathered togyther in the counsell Luke wryteth thus They agreed vnto Gamaliel and when they had called the Apostles they bet them and commaunded them they should not speake in the name of Iesu and let them go He sayth they obeyed Gamaliel his saying when yet they did two things which he counselled them not to doe For they bette the Apostles with roddes and renewed their first decree whereby they go about to prohibite the preaching of the Gospell Yet they herein obey Gamaliel that they put not the seruauntes of Christ to death as they had minded to doe yet could they not refrayne but beat innocent men with whippes and roddes Therefore it must needes be that they were in a verie great rage which when matters seemed done and past was not yet quenched But this is the verie propertie of the persecutours of Christ that when they seeme pleased and appeased yet secretly foster hatred and furie in their mindes and seldome will let any of Christs ministers passe without some marke of ignominie or open punishment least they might seeme vniustly to haue risen against them and for that they would put those that followe them in feare So Pylate although he iudged Christ to be innocent yet would he not let him go before he had scourged him It is yet verie comfortable that the Lorde so brydeled their rage by the onely perswasion of Gamaliel that they durst not put the guyltlesse to death whereof we gather that the wicked can not alwayes doe what they liste but are ruled euen against their willes with the raynes of Gods prouidence There are in this example diuers other thinges the obseruation whereof is also verie profitable for vs in these dayes And first we are taught that it is no straunge and vnwoonted thing though the godly and holy worshippers of Christ in these dayes be subiect to the will and pleasure of the vngodly and suffer afflictions For Christ hymselfe gaue vs warning hereof long agoe tolde vs that a time would come that whosoeuer kylled anye of his people should thinke he dyd God seruice He calleth those that be his to the crosse and by his owne example teacheth vs that we should not hoâ—e for any better state or condition than he suffered The Apostles nowe feele the same and are not offended thereat but rather oftentimes admonishe vs that we be not offended as at any straunge thing if at any tyme we be tryed by fyre See the first of Peter the fourth Chapter It shall be profitable for vs diligently to consyder and thinke vpon the same For in so doing it shall come to passe that we shall neyther vse our selues insolently in prosperity nor yet be discouraged in aduersitie bicause we haue foreseene them both Secondly it is worthy of consideration that the Apostles the elect instruments of Christ in a verie good and holy quarrell which to defend they take vpon them according to Christs commaundement are ignominiouslye beaten Whereof we plainly gather how foule and shamefull an error they are in which iudge afflictions to be a token and argument of a naughtye and vnrighteous cause of whose number are they which now a dayes charge vs as causers of all kinde of miseries and calamities whereby it appeareth say they how we erre in our beliefe and religion But herby it appeareth howe destitute they be of wytte and reason for that they perceaue not those thinges wherein the verie Ethnike Poets gaue a better iudgement For it is well knowne what Naso sayth I wyshe he may misse of successe That of the effect the deede doth gesse For if these mens iudgements preuayle we shall finde fewe or none of the true worshippers of God but they deserue likewise to be condemned bicause a blinde man may see many of them not onely molested with many persecutions but also slayne by the handes of most cruell enimies And that we should hope for no better Christes worde where he aduertiseth vs of the state of the latter dayes aboundantly teacheth vs Wherfore whosoeuer iudgeth of religion according to the falling out and successe of thys worlde may be iudged lyke to the Iewes Souldiours which gaue Christ hanging on the crosse Uineger to drinke and sayd If he be the king of Israel let him nowe come downe from the crosse and we will beleeue him Hee trusted in God let him delyuer him if he will haue him for he sayde he was the sonne of God. And surely what more tarte and eger Uineger can there be than such vpbraydings whereby both the glory of God and the certaintie and truth of his worde is called in question And yet we may not thinke that God hath no care nor prouidence of the worlde when we see the true and holy seruaunts of God afflicted For to say nothing of his secrete iudgementes there are infinite other causes wherefore God suffreth these things so to come to passe For thys wayes God sometime pulleth downe the secret corruption and haultinesse of our flesh which vnlesse it were tamed would burst forth to the great inconuenience and dammage of his people And we may not reply and say that God many times vseth to humble bring downe those that otherwyse are lowly ynough and neuer shewed any great signe of fiercenesse or pride For God knoweth the naughtinesse of mans inclination and wherof we haue neede better and surelier than we can perceaue Therfore he chastiseth vs in time and some whyle preuenteth our naughtinesse before it waxe strong and make vs incurable and to be condemned with the worlde Furthermore he tryeth our fayth by this meanes not that he is ignoraunt of any thing but that both we may be an example to others and also prooue what infirmitie as yet remayneth in vs and howe much we haue neede of the helpe and grace of god Beside this he wyll hereby shewe vnto the worlde howe sinne displeaseth him seeing he so seuerely correcteth the small faultes of his electes yea their secret and hidden naughtinesse And herevnto had Peter a respect where he sayth
thinke we will come to passe if the corrupt affections of the fleshe be taken to counsayle or if iudgementes be rashly and vnaduisedly giuen The example of Nicholas teacheth vs further what a care and consideration they ought to haue which thinke they stande sure least perhaps they fall For as of nature we be proue to all kinde of vice so the deuill our common enimie is not ydle but walk eth still vp and downe like a roring Lion seeking whome hee maye deuoure Neyther ought they to promise them selfe securitie and safety which haue before their eyes the falles of so many holy men and knowe that euen the iust man falleth seauen times in a daye To conclude they are reproued by this example which vaunt themselues in the bare name of Predecessors and succession manifestly offending agaynst the lawes of god We see the Nicholaites which seeme to haue bene the beginners of the heretikes called Gnostici the wickedst kinde of people that euer the worlde brought forth had this Nicholas for their author whome the primitiue Church thought not onely worthy to be of the number of the faythfull but as farre passing others chose him to be one of the Deacons Paule sayeth that Antichrist shall sit in the very Church And Christ out of the Prophetes teacheth vs that abhomination shall occupie the holy place It is therefore foolishnesse to brag of succession and holynesse of order and not to endeuour to aunswere our vocation But let vs rrturne to the Deacons whom we sayde were euen now elected and let vs see what was furthermore done For they enter not by and by into their office but are first confirmed by common authoritie And first they are set before the Apostles as vnto whom belonged chiefely both the charge of the whole Church and care of the poore Wherby those new Deacons were taught that they ought so to behaue themselues in their office that they might be able to giue an accompt to the Apostles whose seueritie in these affayres not long before appeared in the examples of Ananias and Sapphira By thys example the men of our dayes be reprooued which thinke it meete that Ministers of the worde and congregation should be vtterly debarred from the viewe and ouersight of publike goods and that it is vnfit they should talke of the distribution and distributors of Ecclesiasticall goodes Howbeit it is euident that they ought not to neglect the care of the poore whome Christ hath put in charge with his whole church For with what reason shall they neglect one peece which are bounde to see to the whole Therefore these men must eyther denie that the poore belong to the Church or else they must needes let the Ministers haue a care and ouersight of them And howe can they denie but the poore are a part of the Church seeing Christ so tendereth them that he taketh whatsoeuer is done to them as done to hymselfe But it is playne what these men of oures hunt for verilie euen this that without all restraynt and feare of discipline and comptrolment they may make hauock of the Church goodes at their pleasure which goodes were appoynted for the reliefe of the poore Therefore whosoeuer wyll faythfully and with commendation liue in the ministerie must not stowpe or yeelde to this their tyrannie Secondarily Luke maketh mention of prayers These the Church with one consent powred forth for the Deacons newly chosen that they might obteyne for them the giftes of the holy ghost whereof they knewe they had most neede They commend vnto vs by their example the studie and care of religion which as in all other things so in those things which belong to the publike administration of the church it is chiefely to be regarded And they are not vnworthily iudged wicked which contemptuouslye neglect prayers eyther priuate or publike Furthermore we are taught that we should pray earnestly for all them which are in any publike office For as such men labour not for themselues onely but are carefull and vigilaunt for the weale publike so if they offend in any thing commonly it is the occasion of some publike euill Therefore we see howe the Church not long before made their publike and common prayers for the Apostles And Paule commendeth himselfe to the publike prayers of the congregations that he may preache the worde of saluation freely and wyth open mouth He commaundeth the christians to pray for magistrates and all other in authoritie that they that are not able in other things at leastwise with their prayers myght helpe and promote the publike weale Which was a thing so obserued in the primitiue Churche as Ecclesiasticall wryters testifie that the christians daylie prayed vnto God for the Romaine Emperours being yet infidels And surely it is an argument both of an vnthankefull and blockishe minde to haue no care of them to whom the weale publike is committed The thirde thing in their election was the imposition of handes which was partly a signe of their consecration and partly of their commission For as the priestes in times past vsed to laye their handes vpon the sacrifices thereby declaring they were consecrated vnto God so did the Apostles vse to lay handes vpon the Ministers of the Church to the ende they might knowe they were consecrated vnto God and be the more assured of their vocation And it was not a little needefull for them to be admonished hereof by a publike ceremonie For except a man certainely vnderstande that he is called and ordayned of God he shall doe his dutie no longer than he seeth all things proceede prosperously For if aduersity begin once to thunder bicause he is vpholden with no hope of Gods helpe he shall dishonestly forsake his tackle and standing In the meane whyle let vs diligently obserue that they ioyne prayers to the imposition of handes For hereby the declare that the grace of the holy ghost is not tyed to the outwarde signe but that it commeth from God and is to be obteyned by godly prayer And this is the most sincere way of making Ministers and Deacons of the Church which it is euydent the primitiue church vsed many yeares With the which if a man would compare the things that the Papistes obserue he shall see the auncient simplicitie vtterly worne out and all the thinges which belong to the true worship of God and which should admonishe men of their dueties with most vayne and colde ceremonies all to be blotted and blurred But least any man might thinke this ordeining of Deacons and so diligent a correction of this errour had beene superfluous or vnprofitable Luke sheweth that great vtilitie ensued therof For the word of God increased both for that it spread farther vnto others and also for that it did bring forth more fruite in the mindes of them which before had hearde and receyued it Then agayne the number of the faythfull whome the chiefe Byshops and priestes desyred not onely to
of Iesus Christ his sonne who in times past hauing suffered all kinde of iniuries at our handes and yet dayly suffreth cannot yet forget his loue and liberalitie but acknowledgeth vs for hys brethren and doth good euen to them that haue deserued a thousand deaths and crosses Let vs imitate this condicion of God the father if we will be called and taken for his children Yet is there no cause why their sinnes shoulde not be reprooued and accused who we see haue done and doe many things out of square Nor we may not so pardon them who haue iniuried vs that through our to much bearing they become the worse but we must thinke this the chiefe poynt of charitie if we can by anye meane call them from sinne and destruction which as yet be voyde of godlynesse But let vs consider the seconde part of this place where Iacob and all his familie and kindred commeth downe into Egypt Here it appeereth none remayned in the countrie of Chanaan that were of the number of Goddes people but they were all outlawes and preserued there without any ceremonies or rytes of the law by the meere grace of god And it is not wythout a cause that Steuen so diligently reckoneth the number of soules For the consideration hereof setteth before our eyes the ineffable and inuincible power of God which was able within two hundred and tenne yeares to make so small a company so innumerable For as Moyses testifieth when they went out of Egypt there were mounstred .vj. hundred thousand three fiue hundred and fiftie fighting men of the Israelites With the which thing if we compare the tragicall attempts of Pharao which euery way went about to destroy and roote out this people it shall easily appeare that the promise of God made sometime to Abraham Genes 15. 17. coulde no wayes be hindered by any power or deuyse of man This ought to be obserued for the instruction and comfort of vs all that we feare not the threates and enterprises of the worlde seeing it appeareth the force thereof agaynst God is altogither vayne Let vs compare this to Christ and his Church God promised him a kingdome which he possesseth and shall for euer possesse despyte of his enimies He promised also that his Church shoulde be enlarged which thing we see is fulfilled although one Pharao alone hath not sought the ouerthrowe thereof Let euery body marke this in their temptations that they suffer not their fayth to be ouerthrowne seeing as Paule sayeth there is nothing that can seperate vs from the loue of God. In the later part of this diuision Steuen sheweth how the father 's died in Egypt and were afterwarde caryed to Sichem And Moyses wryteth plainely of Iacob that his corps was caryed into Chanaan And the Scripture lykewise sheweth that the Israelites brought Iosephes bones out of Egypt as he gaue commaundement Concerning the other Patriarches although Moyses write nothing yet it is credible that their bones were also brought by their posteritie bicause Steuen affirmeth it so boldly before them who he knewe were diligent markers of his wordes Furthermore that the writers haue erred in the name of Abraham it is more plaine than needeth long declaration See at the least what is written touching this field which Iacob bought of the sonnes of Hemor Genes 33. and Iosua 24. He sayth the Patriarches dyed in Egypt for that it may appeere they dyed in that religion which consisted in no ceremonies but in the onely fayth which embraced the promyses of god Wherof may be gathered that they were iustifyed and saued by fayth through the meere grace of God and not by the lawe ceremoniall In the meane season we are taught that the faithfull dye godlily in what place so euer it be and that they are not to be thought miserable which dye in exyle out of their countrie For where this life wheresoeuer it is ledde is but a Pilgrimage and our countrie or Citie is permanent and abyding in heauen he cannot dye in banishment which hauing ended the race of his pilgrimage is taken into the hauen of the heauenly countrie For the Aungell calleth them blessed which die in the Lorde And Christ testifieth that they which beleeue in him passe from death vnto lyfe Furthermore God is present euerywhere with his that are ready to die And in the later daye the earth the sea and all the parts of the world shall render agayne all those that euer they made awaye and consumed Therefore pieuishe and foolishe is the superstition of those which measure beatitude or blisse by holynesse of places and thinke it a great matter in what place a bodye is buried whereas it is playne that all the earth is the Lordes whose power and grace can be included and bounde to no place And let not these men obiect to mee the Patriarches which wylled their bones to be caried out of Egypt into the lande of Chanaan For they did not that to th ende to shewe they had any hope of saluation in the place of buriall but this was a worke of fayth which no feare of death coulde driue from them And for that they woulde testifie to all menne that they firmelye beleeued the promises of God which he had made vnto them touching their posteritie to be possessors and inhabiters of the land and would allure their ofspring to loue the same therfore they would there be buried so that euen at the poynt of death it may be sayde they had an hope and beliefe in the same And that good cause thus to doe appeereth by the condicions and behauiour of their posteritie who being deliuered out of Egypt by the singular myracles and woonders of God had yet an eye still vnto the same and despised the Countrie where their fathers were buried What woulde they therefore haue done if their fathers had appoynted their Sepulture in Egypt Therefore the example of these Patriarches nothing helpe their superstition which thinke so great an hope of mannes saluation and glory in the buriall place Let vs rather marke the poynt of thys diuision of Steuens whole oration and leauing the obseruation of ceremonies let vs keepe fast our hope and fayth that we may fitte with the holye Patriarches in the kingdome of heauen as Iesus Christ hath promised vs to whome be prayse honor power and glory for euer Amen The .xlvij. Homelie BVT when the tyme of the promise drewe nigh which God had sworne to Abraham the people grewe and multiplied in Aegypt till an other king arose which knewe not of Ioseph The same delt subtilly with our kynred and euyll intreated our fathers and made them cast out their yong chyldren that they should not remayne alyue The same tyme was Moyses borne and was acceptable vnto God and nourished vp in his fathers house three Moneths When he was cast out Pharaos daughter tooke him vp and brought him vp for hir owne sonne And Moses was learned in
discouraged to flie any more neyther could he haue auoyded the name of a deceyuer if nowe he woulde rather haue prouyded for his owne safegard than obeyed god So read we that Christ fledde when he knewe his howre was not yet come But when it was come he went to his death pacientlye and without feare Therefore whosoeuer is in any publike office or charge let them set this rule before them and let them not thinke they may leaue them whose mindes they see bent to persist in Gods vocation But if the malice of the people be such that they first forsake their dutie and dishonestly reiect their magistrates be they secular or preachers of the worde faythfully doing their dutie there is no cause but that they maye as Christ hath commaunded seeke their owne suretie by flying and spare themselues for better times and oportunitie Here the obedience of fayth tempered with the loue of God and our neyghbour shall be much profitable For this shall cause that we be not blinded and deceyued with priuate affections God graunt that we all being mindfull of his grace and good will maye diligently defende our vocation that being with right course come to the marke of blisse we maye liue in heauen with Iesus Christ our Lorde to whome be prayse honour power and glory for euer Amen The .xlix. Homelie AND when fourtie yeres were expyred there appeared to him in the wildernesse of Mount Sina an Aungell of the Lorde in a flame of fire in a bushe When Moyses sawe it he woondred at the sight And as he drewe neare to beholde the voyce of the Lorde came to him I am the God of thy fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob Moyses trembled and durst not beholde Then sayde the Lord to him Put of thy shooes from thy feete for the place where thou standest is holye grounde I haue perfitely seene the affliction of my people which is in Aegypt and I haue hearde their groning and am come downe to deliuer them And now come and I will sende thee into Aegypt BIcause Steuen was accused by his aduersaries that he had spoken wicked and blasphemous wordes agaynst Moyses and all the ceremonies of God giuen by Moyses therefore he comprehendeth in fewe wordes yet with sufficient exposition all the hystorie of Moyses partly to shewe that he thought reuerently of him and partlye to prooue that the saluation of manne ought to be attributed to no ceremonies bicause whatsoeuer good or excellent thing was in Moyses he had it through no desert of his but by the meere grace and fauour of god The principall scope and ende of all these thinges is to call the Iewes from the vayne affiaunce that they had in the Ceremonialles of the lawe and to trust in the onely grace of God through christ And to this ende he declared Moyses maner of birth his bringing vp and first conuersation among the Israelites shewing further howe vnworthie their fathers declared them selfe to be of such a deliuerer seeing they reiected him with the greatest ingratitude that could be in so much that he was fayne to liue like a banished man among the Madianites Nowe foloweth the solemne calling of Moyses wherby he was restored to his office agayne in the which that we may the more easily perceyue the tokens of Gods fauour we will consider euery poynt thereof in order First the time is noted when Moyses was called It was the fourtyeth yeare of his banishment in Madian which came to passe in the fowrescore yeare of his age Then he ioyneth the place where he was and his kinde of lyfe For he sayth he was in the wildernesse where he kept the sheepe of Iethro his father in lawe as may be seene Exod. 3. Nowe if we consider all the time of these fourtie yeares it shall appeare Moyses serued God without anye Temple or ceremonies of the lawe Bicause it is playne these things were instituted afterwarde And where he was in the meane while excluded from the company and common weale of the Iewes it remayneth that it must be the onely and meere grace of God that he was thus called In the meane season we haue diligently to consider howe that as soone as he would haue ioyned himselfe to the church of God he felt the griefe of long banishment and of a noble man came to be a keeper of sheepe For hereof may be gathered a generall rule teaching vs what we all may trust to when we forsake the worlde to be ioyned vnto the Church of god We fall into diuers afflictions bicause this worlde can neyther suffer that falling from it nor cannot abyde the light of the truth And as Moyses found Iethro to be his hoste and father in lawe but yet is made no more account of than to keepe sheepe so the godly with them that giue them houseroume and seeme greatlye to fauour their part liue yet but miserablye and as it were in contempt This is the greatest temptation of all other and which sometime more woundeth the heart than that that open enimies cruellye commit agaynst vs Therefore Christ warneth vs that we rashly take not vpon vs the profession of his name but that we first trie our selues whether we be able if neede so requyre to suffer banishment pouertie infamie persecution or such other lyke for his names sake And when these thinges come to passe let vs followe Moyses modestie and constaunt fayth which no doubt was sundry wayes tempted Yet he ouercommeth through that fayth which before caused him to preferre the rebuke of Christ before the riches of Egypt Let vs also by the same ouercome the assaultes of temptation and not be ashamed of the crosse of Christ which he for our sake hath first vouchedsafe to beare For so it shall come to passe that he will not be ashamed of vs when he shall come in the glory of the father to iudge the quicke and the deade Secondarily Steuen sheweth who called Moyses verily an Aungell of the Lorde which he sayth appeared to him in the desert Yet the same Aungell within a whyle after sayth I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob And againe afterwarde he sayth it wash e through whose working and power Moyses wrought signes and woonders in Egypt and which was guyde vnto the people by the way of the desert whom Paule the Apostle testifieth to haue bene Iesus Christ that promised sauior of the world Steuen therfore calleth this Iesus the Angell of the Lord not for that he acknowledged in him no greater thing or of no more excellencie than in an Aungell but as seeming to imitate Esay who on a time called him the Aungell or messenger of the great Counsell not in that he tooke on him a nature Angelicall which thing Paule to the Hebrewes 2. cap. expressely denieth but in that he was sent of God the father into the world and accomplished that
discerned from others For as the sacraments be no vulgare or common tokens of Christes benefites and Gods grace so is there also no small vtilitie in them in that they separate the people of God from the worlde and knit them togither with the outwarde bande of Christian communion Which is the cause that where Peter before woulde haue the beleeuers to be baptized he by and by teacheth them also that they should saue themselues from that froward Nation And Paule by a like argument teacheth that it is not meete that they that haue bene partakers at the Lordes table should be also partakers at the sacrifices of Idolles Here by the way is the error of them reprooued which accompt the confession of fayth among thinges indifferent and suppose that the faythfull are to bee discerned from the world by none outwarde signe or marke Here also is the dotage of the Anabaptistes to be discussed who where they see in this and such like places fayth go before Baptisme would prooue hereby that the baptisme of children is condemned Howbeit this place maketh mention but such as were of full age which before were farre of and straungers from the people of God whome it should haue bene vnlawfull to haue receyued into the communion of the church and sacramentes without a confession of their faythe least they myght haue seemed to haue caste pearles vnto dogges and hogges But the matter is of a farre other sorte in infantes who being borne of Christian parentes doe manifestly appertaine to the kingdome of god For God in the couenaunt promiseth to be the God of our seede And Christ sayeth that the kyngdome of God belongeth vnto children and plainely testifieth that they haue fayth Yea Paule affirmeth that the children borne either of father or mother onely that is a christian are holy Now returneth Luke vnto Simon that we may vnderstand what he did when he perceyued the people fell from him and betooke themselues earnestly vnto christ First Luke sayth that he beleeued This me thinketh is not to be vnderstanded as though he counterfeyted altogither For it appeareth hys mynde was touched with some feeling of fayth in that he ioyned himselfe to Phillip as an inseparable companion and woondered in beholding the miracles and singuler giftes of the holy spirite Howbeit bicause he denied not himselfe and endeuoured not to forsake the flesh which is the true beginning of christendome his fayth was but temporall and for a season as Christ calleth it and therefore when the heate of persecution came it coulde not abide Here appeareth the great power of Iesus Christ which so easily taketh away the great impediment and hinderaunce that Simon was to the course of the Gospell and so subdueth this great Iuggeler so furnished with the sleightes of Satan that he which a little before had called himselfe the great power of God did now adhere and cleaue to Phillip being a straunger and one of small accompt or estimation Herevnto also belongeth it that otherwheres Christ driueth out Satan with little or no adoe so that it euidently appeareth he is the conqueror of Satan and most valiaunt reuenger of mankynde Further this is a singuler prayse of the Gospell through whose playne and simple preaching the subtile and crafty wisdome both of the world and of the Deuil is so scornefully confounded After this Simon is also baptized and becommeth a continuall companion of Philip. The chiefe cause whereof may seeme to be for that hee desired also to haue like power to worke such myracles as the thinges following declare Here we be taught that there shall be alway in the church false bretherne which shal either craftily counterfeyt the faith or else hauing it for a certaine space fall from it agayne For the Gospell is compared vnto a nette wherein are drawne vp as well naughty as good fishe Let no man therefore be offended if he perceyue himself at any tyme deceyued by such seeing that Christ had Iudas in hys company and Paule oftentymes complayneth hymselfe of false brethren Those men are ouer peeuish and vnpacient which being deceyued by one or two dispise therfore all other without difference and wyll not vouchsafe to take any other for a true christian and brother We are further taught by the example of Simon that the grace of God is not tyed to the sacramentes forasmuche as Simon receyued the signe of grace without the fruite And Paule although he confesse that the olde fathers receyued the same sacramentes that we doe yet sayth they pleased not God bicause they were voyde of fayth And it auayled not Iudas although he sate at the Lordes table and receyued the breade at Christes owne hande It is therfore fayth only which grafteth vs into Christ and maketh vs partakers of the giftes of God which are shadowed and represented to vs by the sacramentes Now forasmuch as we haue seene marueylous effects of the holy spirite flourishing in the Church of Ierusalem Luke teacheth vs that among the Samaritanes also the holy ghost shewed the like power and efficacy least any man myght thynke that the Church of the Gentyles was inferiour to the Iewes church He sayth these giftes were administred by the Apostles to the ende that the vnitie of the church might the more strongly fasten among the people which heretofore were of diuers myndes and at variaunce and discention For howe great a diuision of mindes was betweene the Iewes and the Samaritanes appeareth both in the fourth of Iohn otherwheres And the Iewes of a certayne prowde preiudice vsed to much to despise the people of Samary Therefore God thought good to vse the ministery of the Apostles herein that it might manifestly appeare there was but one fayth of Christ in all churches and that all the faythfull were quickened but with one spirite so that there was no difference of Nation in Christ. Luke sayth that Peter and Iohn were sent from Ierusalem who comming to Samaria prayde for them that had professed Christ that the holye ghost might be giuen vnto them also The cause of this doyng was for that the holy Ghost was as yet come vpon none of them but were only baptised in the name of christ Which place is not so to be vnderstanded as though the faythfull of the Samaritanes were hitherto vtterly voyde of the holy ghost For where they had fayth which is the gift and effect of the holy ghost and were through baptisme planted in Christ they coulde not be vtterly voyde of those benefites of Christ which by the holy Ghost are sealed in vs Which are the washing away of sinnes regeneration mortifying of the olde man adoption or taking into the children of god And the whole scripture testifieth that these thinges come none otherwise vnto vs than by the operation of the holy ghost And these are the common giftes of the holy ghost without the which no man can truly be called a christian Wherfore
vtterly confounded the Iewes that were Christes greatest enimies and made them in a doubt of their religion In these thinges we haue a compendious abridgement of Paules docdoctrine which ought to be of great authoritie with vs. He confesseth otherwheres that he knoweth nothing but Iesus Christ. Therefore him whom he onely knew he thought best onely to preach He comprehendeth in few yea in two poyntes whatsoeuer is at large sayde of him both in the Prophetes and Apostles writings For first he teacheth that Iesus which was borne of the Uirgin Marie was the sonne of god So he hath herein comprised whatsoeuer belongeth to the knowledge of Christes person Wherein if we acknowledge not the humaine and diuine nature togither the reason of our saluation cannot stande safe and sure which all the Scripture sayth dependeth on Christ onely Paule acknowledgeth both these natures For howe can he but acknowledge his humaine nature which intreateth of him that was taken and crucifyed by the Iewes and who he knewe dyed and who elsewhere he testifyeth was borne of the Iewes concerning hys manhoode But where he sayth he is the sonne of God he cannot denie his diuinitie For what other thing should be borne of God than God So he taught that Iesus was both God and man God from euerlasting and in a tyme therevnto ordeyned made man as otherwhere he sheweth Furthermore he declared his office and sheweth that he was Christ that is the annoynted of god Kinges and Priestes in tyme past were annoynted according to an auncient and olde vsage And bicause the sauiour promised to mankinde must be both a King and a Priest therefore God woulde haue him called by the name of Messias or Christ that is to say annoynted The other poynt of Paules doctrine is that this Iesus which is true God and man was also that promised Sauiour of the worlde whome the ceremonies of the lawe did shadowe and the oracles of the Prophetes sayde was to come And this is that doctrine that deserueth onely to be called Apostolike For it agreeth with that confession that Peter being demaunded of Christ made in the name of all the Apostles saying Thou art Christ that sonne of the liuing god And thou hast the wordes of eternall life And thys is that fayth which is buylt vpon Christ that is the rocke which cannot swarue and agaynst which the gates of Hell cannot preuayle Therefore whosoeuer will be taken for the true worshipper of Christ and reioyce in the Apostolike faith let them constantly keepe this doctrine For it is plaine that Paule pronounced of this doctrine that if an Aungell from heauen preach any other Gospell than this he is to be helde accursed But did Paule superficially and by the way propose this doctrine No But bicause there were at Damascus schooles of the Iewes through whose dotages the knowledge of Iesus Christ was defaced he thought good to confute them and to confirme the true doctrine of Christ with authoritie of the scriptures For it is euident that the Iewes did acknowledge the auncient promises of the Messias But bicause they imagined he shoulde be an earthly Prince onely which shoulde restore that auncient kingdome of the Iewishe Nation and the maiestie thereof and deliuer them from the yoke of the Romane bondage they could neuer fynde in their heart to acknowledge Iesus whose comming to them was so poore his conuersation so humble and his death so reprochfull to be their Messias The errours of these men Paule stoutlye wythstandeth and affirmeth this Iesus to be the sonne of God and the Messias with such authoritie of Scripture and number of arguments that he greatly molested and shamed the best learned of them which hitherto vsed to deny the same Which thing commeth to passe to all them who thynke it a shame to yeelde vnto Chryst and to the truth This place teacheth vs howe the doctrine of the Gospell shoulde be preached wherein some be of this opinion that they thinke a playne and simple exposition of the mysteries of saluation is sufficient and that they which reprooue the tyrannie of Antichrist and his superstition laboure in vayne and are authors of intollerable discention And in deede a playne and simple teaching of our saluation woulde suffyse if there were not such as woulde obscure and deface it with errours and laboured to pull awaye the vnwarye from the right waye But where both there haue bene such and euerywhere at this daye be such the faythfull must be admonished that they giue no eare to them And this shall a man neuer be able to doe vnlesse he shewe how they are altogither deceyued Agayne where some are growne so impudent that they dare openly speake agaynst the truth they must be also openly confuted least by their boldnesse they cause the truth to come in suspicion We reade that both Christ and his Apostles vsed both these wayes whose example they ought of dutie to followe which will bee called and taken for Ministers of his Church which is the cause that Paule will haue such to be teachers as are able not onely to instruct the rawer sort in sounde doctrine but also to refell and conuince them that speake agaynst it And he sayth the Scriptures are giuen vs to that ende to confute the aduersaries thereof Which thing seemed of such importance to the holy ghost that he woulde haue the Apostles not only to reprooue the deceyuers in those dayes but also woulde haue vs warned of those which shoulde disturbe the Church in the later dayes With what right therefore can they which will haue no mannes impietie detected commaunde the Ministers to silence where such menne as these nowe a dayes beare swynge in the Church Nowe let vs see the effect or successe of this meeting togither All they sayth Luke that hearde him were amazed and sayde Is not this hee that made hauocke at Ierusalem of them c. Here he speaketh of the godlye hauing hereafter to intreate of the wicked attemptes of the vngodlye They compare Paules doing nowe wyth those thinges that were past and so they finde the greater cause to woonder Paule sayth in another place that they glorified God in him By which example we are by the waye taught that we so ought to reuerence the Saintes that we must yet giue all the glorie and prayse vnto God who hath vouchsafed so to endue them with hys grace Furthermore Paules ensample teacheth vs that no man shoulde be ashamed to forsake and improoue his knowne errors For although thys seeme to many men a signe of an inconstant and impudent mynde yet is it our dutie so to doe both for Gods cause and our neyghbors He commaundeth vs willingly to yeelde vnto the truth and to bring our neyghbour out of error Therfore it is the heynousest impietie impudencie in the world for a man stiffely to holde and continue in knowne errors and as God accuseth them by his
bloude of christ For he is our peace which hath made of both one and hath broken downe the wall that was a stoppe betweene vs. This Peter affirmeth with great grauity partly to make the hearers thinke well of him at whose saluation he enuied not after the maner of other Iewes and partly bicause they shoulde be the more diligent to heare those thinges which belonged to their saluation It shall be good to examine the wordes particulerly for our more comfort and instruction First by waye of an exclamation as we declared euen nowe he sayth of a truth or in dede I finde Which word declareth that he was before ignorant of this mysterie For being heretofore beguiled with the coÌ„mon errour of the Iewes and bewitched with the blind preiudice of the flesh he vsed to abhorre the Gentyles as menne prophane and abhominable before god But nowe by the heauenly vision the appearing of the Aungell and wordes of Cornelius he is taught another thing bicause he findeth in Cornelius words apparant tokens of a very Christian and regenerated mind Peters example teacheth vs that the Saintes sometime are ignoraunt of some things and therefore that we shoulde not beleeue the preiudice of our reason but that we shoulde diligently examine all thinges according to the rule of Gods worde Secondly he teacheth what he founde verily that God is no accepter of persons This word person declareth the outward shewe or appearance of man whereby he vseth eyther to be commended or contemned such as is Nobilitie high parentage riches honors Nation or Countrie basenesse of birth pouertie bondage and infinite such like The consideration whereof God commaundeth to be farre of from all Iudges bicause where these things take place there can be no vpright iudgement It can not be therefore that that thing is to be founde in God which he vseth to detest in men And surely the Scriptures euerywhere attribute this vnto God that he is mooued with no mannes kindred or stocke with no riches no pouertie no outwarde appearance no consideration of Countrie but sheweth himselfe iust and mercifull to all men alyke This thing is of great auayle in the cause of saluation For it serueth to our instruction that wee contemne no man by reason of these outwarde things forasmuch as it appeareth that God is not mooued herwith whose children we be and it comforteth men that are in affliction and of lowe degree when they heare that in Christ there is neyther bonde nor free Iewe nor Gentyle Scythian not Barbarous man nor woman rich nor poore See Galat. 3. Colos. 3. c. It maketh for the explication hereof that he streyght waye addeth what maner of men God accepteth in all kind of men least any man might thinke he gouerned things at all auentures For he addeth but in all people he that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him He comprehendeth in two poyntes the whole lyfe of man such as God requireth of them that honor him For he percloseth all religion vnder the feare of God forasmuch as it is manifest that this feare cannot be without the knowledge of God nor without fayth and obedience By this worde righteousnesse he vnderstandeth that excellent vertue that giueth to euery man that that is his which is the best gouernor of mans whole lyfe and springeth out of the fountaynes of Christian charitie But if thou compare the corrupt nature of man with these thinges thou shalt perceyue that these thinges are not founde but in those people that are regenerate and that they cannot be attayned to without the grace of God and fayth in christ For howe shoulde they that are aliauntes from Christ please God by their outwarde workes seeing he is that onely mediatour in whome the father is well pleased Therfore they are greatly deceyued which of these wordes of Peter thinke the merit of mans righteousnesse may be established forasmuch as the grace of God onely is the cause efficient of those things that are here so highly commended Their error also is to be confuted which abusing this place affirme that euerye man may be saued in the religion of hys Nation whether he be Iewe or Turke so that being illuminated with some reuerence of God he seeke to accomplishe this common ryghteousnesse But Peters meaning in this place is farre other who rather goeth about to prooue that the doctrine of the Gospell wherby saluation in Christ is preached appertayneth to all men indifferently But I praye you what needeth it to be pubâ—ished to all men if saluation may be had without Christ This kinde of people of all other is moste pernicious who vnder the pretence of christian modestie bicause they wil not seeme to boldly to condemne any man do plainly extenuate the merit of Christ yea they call in doubt the righteousnesse of god his goodnesse wisedome truth whatsoeuer vertues besides are in god For if any man may be saued without Christ then it appeereth saluation must depend vpon our free wil zeale Then came Christ into the world in vayn then was he incarnated suffred died in vaine then rose he from the dead ascended into heauen in vayne And he shall be conuinced of a lie in that he said No man coÌ„meth to the father but by me Peter also shall be reproued as a lyer who according as the spirit of Christ did prompt him sayde there was no other name vnder heauen giuen vnto men in which they could be saued Furthermore who I pray you shal say that god the father is eyther iust or wise or true or mercifull which without very great cause woulde put his sonne to such bitter sorrowes and afflictions Away therefore with these men which whyle they will seeme modest adnihilate the mysteries of our religion Let vs obserue the ende and marke of Peters words and leaue them to whome the light of the Gospell hath not yet shined to the iudgement of God who if they be saued must needes be saued through the merit of Christ vnlesse we will be contumelious both against Christ God. Let vs come to the seconde part of this Sermon which in these words conteyneth the proposition or declaration of the whole matter ye know the preaching that God sent vnto the children of Israel preaching peace by Iesu Christ which is Lorde ouer all things Which wordes seeme vnto me thus to signifie I woulde not haue you O brethren to looke for anye newe or straunge matter For I purpose to intreate of such a matter as is nowe in euery mannes mouth the report whereof is vndoubtedly come euen vnto you that is howe God sent his sonne Iesus Christ which is coeternall with him and Lorde of all things vnto the children of Israel being made man of the Uirgin Marie and by him hath preached peace vnto them In these wordes doth Peter comprehende all the mysteries of Christ Iesu and of his Gospell which shortly after he dilateth more
of the Lorde God is vpon mee for the Lorde hath annoynted mâ—e and sent me to preach good tydings vnto the poore that I might bynde vp the wounded hearts that I might preach deliueraunce to the captiue and open the pryson to them that are bounde to restore sight vnto the blinde and to declare the acceptable yeare of the Lorde He is sayde to be annoynted aboue hys fellowes bicause God hath not giuen vnto him his spirite by measure but so abundantly that we all receyue of his fulnesse For he came downe vpon him in the visible forme of a Doue when he was baptised of Iohn so that Iohn thereby knewe that he was that Sauiour that God did declare and manifest vnto mankinde See Iohn the first Chap. There be also other argumentes which prooue he passed all other annoynted of the olde Testament whether they were Kings or Priests For although they were called Christes or annointed yet had none of them power so to annoynt their subiectes that they coulde call them after their annointing Christians that is annoynted But this the sonne of God hath perfourmed who hath annoynted vs and made vs Kings and Priestes to God his father Also none of the annoynted in the olde Testament was worthye of diuine honour and worship None other hath reformed the whole worlde None hath bene had in such estimation amonge his scholers that after his Maisters death he coulde finde in his heart to die for his maisters namesake Moreouer no mannes kingdome or priesthoode hath endured from euer vnto this day And bicause they were mortall men they had neede of Uicares and successors to administer the office wherevnto they were called But the sonne of God being made the administrator of the euerlasting kingdome hath receyued all power in heauen and in earth And bicause he is present with hys Church he hath neede neyther of Uicar nor Successor The same is a king for euer after the order of Melchisedech For hee blesseth vs with all spirituall benediction He teacheth vs by the outwarde worde and inspiration of his holy spirite and he giueth vnto his Church some Apostles some Prophetes some Euangelistes some Pastours and Teachers The same hath with one offering that is to say with the price of his body and bloud purged the sinnes of all the world and hath made perfite for euer them that are sanctified Furthermore being gone vp into heauen he maketh intercession for vs and is a faythfull Bishop for vs in all those things that are to be done for vs with God. Therefore it is truly sayde of Peter that he is the annoynted of God that is to saye appoynted to be the King and Priest of his people Whervpon we gather that all they sinne agaynst the eternall decree of God which make to themselues any other patrones of saluation any other Sauiours of their soules any other Priestes or intercessours For in so doing they robbe the sonne of God of his honor which he constantly affirmeth in the Prophete he will giue to none other Agayne bicause it is manifest that he is annointed of God we must beleeue that his power is inuincible and that they neede not feare the force of the worlde or of hell which acknowledge this king But bicause we haue otherwheres intreated of this argument lette these fewe things for this tyme suffise Furthermore least any man might thinke that Iesus the sonne of God is delyted with a bare name and tytle after the maner of men Peter declareth that he hath and doth faithfully performe the office of a king and priest At this present he premyseth certayne generalities declaring his benefites tâ—â—arde vs meaning hereafter to intreate of the maner of our redemption as the Sermon following shall declare And first he sayeth he went about doyng good vnto all men This is the dutie of a faithfull king and Priest not onely to helpe them with ayde and counsell that seeke for it at his hande but also diligently to prouide and looke about who haue neede of a tutor and benefactor This the Euangelistes teache vs that Iesus Christ the sonne of God hath most faithfully performed For as for our saluation sake he came into the worlde so he caried the doctrine of saluation and myracles wherwith he confirmed the same ouer all Iury Galiley and remayned no long whyle anywhere but plainly confessed that he must preache to all men euerywhere And he did not onelye curteously receyue them that came to him but also friendly inuited and called to hym all that laboured and were heauy laden promising all them that would come vnto hym reast and refreshing And that which it appeareth he dyd in tymes passed the same he doth also at this daye while he spreadeth the preachyng of his Gospell wyde ouer that it enricheth lyke a shower of raine now one nation now an other with the seede of his heauenly word so that not without a cause it may be sayd now adayes also he goeth vp and downe bestowing his benefites on euery man For he faithfully teacheth them that be in errour he bringeth the deceyued and wandring Pilgrimes into the way he friendly correcteth the corrupted with vice he gently comforteth the afflicted consciences and with his righteousnesse and satisfaction defendeth them that are feared with the rigor of Gods iudgement Therefore great and hydeous is the ingratitude of them which abhorre such a benefactour as cruell and vnmercifull and vse to seeke helpe and counsell at others Yet is their iniquitie more horrible which wickedly reiect his word and will not witsafe to heare it and so cast from them that saluation which they ought to seeke and embrace with open armes and all kinde of diligence Both these vices are to common in our dayes the indignitie wherof if we woulde diligently expende we shoulde lesse marueyle at the causes of so many euils as on euery side compasse vs. The other benefite of Iesus Christ is sayth he that all they that were oppressed of the Deuill were healed by him This appertayneth peculiarlye to the office of a King whereof also mention is made Psal. 72. He shall kepe the simple folke by their right defende the children of the poore and punish the wrong dooer c. But bicause Christ was the author of our spirituall redemption Peter maketh mention of a spirituall Tyrant to saye of the Deuill who after he had made our first parentes guiltie of transgression by them brought in all kinde of calamitie and death it selfe into the world and by the permission of God so oppressed all mankinde wyth his exceeding tyrannie that he is thereof called the Prince of the worlde For he brought to passe by sinne that they whom God had created vnto lyfe fell into death that they whome God aboue all other Creatures had endued with reason sinned agaynst the lawe of nature that they which ought wholy to haue depended on the worde
his stripes are we healed We haue all gone astraye like sheepe euery one hath turned his owne way But the Lorde hath heaped togither vpon hm the iniquitie of vs all c. All this pertayned vnto the Priesthoode of Christ whome it behooued after thys sort as Paule sayth to enter into heauen not by the bloude of Oxen and Gotes but by his owne bloude and offring vp himselfe to put sinne to flight and to take awaye the sinnes of manye And of him it behooued our redemption should take beginning forasmuch as God being angry with vs bicause of our sinnes it was not lawfull for vs to come before his presence And this is that profitable consideration of Christes death if we thinke vpon the sacrifice of his body which he offred for our sinnes In the meane season let vs not thinke it in vayne that where Peter might haue made mention of his death only he sayth also he was sâ—ayne of the Iewes For herein he accuseth the great vnkindnesse of his Nation especially seeing a little before he had made so diligent a mention of Christes benefites Let vs therefore consider the continuall ingratitude of the worlde that we offende not in woondering at the afflictions and persecutions of the godly wherewith the doctrine of the Gospell is assaulted The seconde thing in the order of our redemption is the glorious resurrection of Christ of the which Peter entreateth the more diligentlye bicause it is the chiefe foundation of our religion For these sayings of Paule are well knowne If Christ bee not risen agayne our preaching is in vayne and your fayth is in vayne You bee yet in your sinnes and they are perished which are fallen a slepe in Christ. For that we might be sure of our saluation it was needefull that death which hitherto had power ouer vs by reason of sinne shoulde be vanquished and ouercome Which if it shoulde haue held Christ as fast as other men then no man could haue had any hope that his saluation had bene obteyned Wherefore as Christ before that had declared himselfe to be the Lord both of life and death by raysing agayne Lazarus and certayne others euen so when he had suffered death himselfe and had bene buryed the thirde daye lyke a valiaunt Conquerour hee burst in peeces the bandes of death and breaking open the gates of hell returned into lyfe agayne And this was an euident and infallible argument that both sinne and death was vanquished And for bicause the Iewes did denye and cauill at the resurrection of Christ and to that ende as Mathew sayth had brybed the souldiers with mony therefore Peter constantly nowe defendeth the same God sayth he raysed Iesus the third daye and shewed him openly not to all the people For they were vnworthy to whome Christ whome they deadly hated shoulde so familierly declare himselfe but vnto vs witnesses chosen of God before for the same intent which did eate and drinke with him after he arose from death And whereas he might haue alledged diuers other arguments of his true resurrection he is content with that whereby Christ himselfe declared chiefely the truth thereof that is howe he did once or twyse eate such meate as the disciples offered him in their sight This is a great gentlenesse and goodnesse of Christ who to confirme vs in his resurrection whose dulnesse he was well acquaynted with woulde abase himselfe so lowe as to eate meate also whereof his glorified body had no neede bicause no man hereafter should doubt but that he was risen agayne in the same true and naturall bodye which he went in vppon the earth before Whereby their improbitie and wickednesse is the greater which yet cease not scoffingly to deride the resurrection of the deade who bicause they are lyke vnto the Iewes shall also be iudged vnworthy to haue saluation by Christes resurrection Furthermore although Iesus Christ the sonne of God by his death and resurrection wherin may also be included his ascention into heauen hath accomplished our whole redemption and saluation and therewithall hath purged our sinne and taken awaye all the power of hell yet Peter ioyneth a thirde thing herevnto that is to say his last comming when he shall returne to iudge the quicke and the deade For in this article he declareth a very euident argument of Christes diuinitie of his kingdome For as it is the office of a king to giue iudgemeÌ„t euen so Christ by this argument proueth his godhead bicause he testifyeth that all iudgement is giuen him of his father The consideration of this article is very profytable necessary For if a man consider the course of thinges in this world he shall happen vpon many thinges which may perswade him that Iesus Christ taketh no care for this world For we see the true worshippers of Christ vexed with diuers afflictions to be in neede to toyle and traueile and to be in subiection to the wicked Agayne the wicked enioy all kinde of prosperitie and vse crueltie toward others without comptrolment Which thing of what force it is to kyll fayth the examples of the Prophetes declare whome we reade haue bene sometyme so mooued that they haue thought they haue had iust occasion to complayne of god And surely who should acknowledge Christ to be a king if he consider somtymes the vncertayne vnworthy varietie and alteracion of worldly things But here let vs remember that our king and reuenger Iesus Christ sleepeth not and that there shall be one day a daye of generall iudgement in which they that are aliue as wel as they that are dead must come before the iudgement seate of Christ to receiue in their bodies according as they haue done whether it he good or badde For as Paule teacheth vs when the Archangell soundeth the Trompe the dead shall rise agayne and they that be then alyue shall be chaunged in a moment And Peter confesseth that the Apostles were straightly commaunded to preache this article He commaunded vs sayth he that we shoulde preach vnto the people and testifie that it is he that was ordeyned of God to be the iudge both of the quicke and of the deade For to let passe that which was sayde erewhyle of the diuinitie and kingdome of Christ the consideration of this article serueth much both for the instruction of lyfe and comfort of the godlye For whereas we see diuers for this cause chieflye entysed to sinne bicause they haue perswaded themselues that death maketh an ende of all thinges and that there is no iudgement after this lyfe or else thinke lyttle thereof it can not be but a moste sharpe spurre vnto all vertue if a man consider how he shall once be called to iudgement before Christ how he shall there giue an account of all his sayings and doings Surely the thinking hereof doth most effectuously keepe vnder the affections of wanton fleshe and entycements of the worlde Agayne there can be no
he sayth the fame hereof was streyght waye published ouer all Iurie Here are two sortes of men vttering and bewraying themselues The first are the Apostles and brethren by which name I suppose the Ministers of the word and their fellowes are here ment Of these the Euaungelist sayeth but this one thing and no more that they hearde the Gentyles had receyued the word of God also Wherevpon may be gathered that although they yet vnderstoode not very well the mysterie of this matter yet being mindefull of Christian modestie they woulde not blame or accuse Peter ouer hastily whose credite and diligence they had by manye proofes tryed Whose modestie the holy ghost hath set before vs to imitate least in iudging other mennes doinges we be ledde with vnaduised zeale and so breake the rules of Christian charitie Here is also to be considered the phrase or maner of speaking where he sayth the Gentyles receyued the worde of God whereas he might haue sayd they receyued Christendome were made partakers of Christ his Church But this way he thought to saye somewhat more and to make a difference betweene the true Christianitie and counterfayte dissembling of some kinde of persons For they receyue the worde of God which acknowledge it to be the worde of God and therefore labor to be transfourmed into it and to become followers of god So Paule writeth that the Thessalonians receyued the word where he sayth when you receyued of vs the worde whereby you learned to knowe God you receyued it not as the worde of man but as it was in deede the worde of God. Agayne And you became followers of vs and of the Lord receyuing the worde with much affliction They that receyue the worde of God after this sort bring forth marueylous fruites by the same For denying themselues and mortifying the affections of the fleshe they forsake their olde vngodlynesse and as children of light followe innocencie For they know that God is light and that they which will haue fellowship with him must walke in the light And they which bragge of the Gospell had neede oftentimes to consider this thing least whyle they crye with open mouth that they haue receyued the word of God they accuse themselues of lying shewing forth no fruites agreeable to the worde But let vs come to the other kinde of men which were not so indifferent iudges of Peters singuler doing Luke sayth these were of the Circumcision But whereas the first sort also were circumcised and Iewes I suppose he meaneth not here the people of the Iewes onely but those rather which would be taken for Christians yet did cleaue to fast vnto Circumcision and the Ceremonies of the lawe as necessary vnto saluation These men sayth Luke ouer boldly reprehended Peters doing and openly contended with him And this they lay to his charge as a matter of life and death that he went in to men vncircumcised that is to Gentyles and Heathen men and did eate with them For thus doing they accuse him of breaking the traditions of the Elders and of custome the origine whereof we haue otherwheres declared to haue sproong of the law of God being ouer straitly strayned By this example we are taught howe hurtfull a thing it is once to be bletched with error and to continue long in the same For commonly a certaine frowarde feruencie to defende error is ioyned therevnto bicause such is the inclination of mannes nature that none will seeme to haue erred With which vyce these men were also blinded which woulde not admit the Gentyles into the congregation albeit it was manifest by the playne testimonie of God that they were admitted thereinto So great and so tough is the corruption of mannes nature and so inuincible is his stubbornnesse in the defence of errors once receiued And would God there were not at this day infinite examples of this kinde in those men who being the heades of the Church thinke it but a tryfle to defende those things which they knowe to be contrary to the expresse Oracles of Gods worde Furthermore this place teacheth vs that no man can so prosperously and godlily doe any thing that he shall satisfie all men For this rather is the state of the worlde that they that shoulde be commended are accused and blamed This the Scripture teacheth vs came to passe vnto Moses both amongst the Egyptians and the Israelites We reade howe the Prophetes had experience of the same who while they watched and laboured for all mennes saluation were called disturbers of the Realme enimies of their countrie and authors of all euill And it appeareth the worlde had none other iudgement of Iesus christ For one while he is accused for neglecting washing of the handes another while for being conuersant with sinners by by againe as a breaker of the Sabboth after that they crie out he is a Samaritane possessed of the deuill Therfore Peter now suffreth the same that his maister did where he was worthy of singuler prayse for bringing the kingdome of God so prosperously vnto the gentiles he is faine rather to abide the venymous bitings of slaunderers And they onely which are manifest enimies of Christ doe not thus vniustly controll him but they also which would be taken for Christians brethren yea the schollers take the fetula and rod against the Maister The consideration herof ought to make vs pacient if the like at any time do fal out vnto vs It also teacheth vs that we must labour rather to approoue our doings to God than to the worlde which many times is both vnkinde to his benefactours and for the moste part deceyued in his iudgement Againe let vs learne that it is a great offence dishonestly to defame and slaunder the well doinges of our brethren For they that so doe declare the Deuills disposition whome the Greekes therefore haue called Diabolum that is to saye Deuill bicause he vseth to slaunder misreport and misconstrue all our doing and sayings And they also breake the rules of charitie whose propertie it is alwayes to hope well of the brethren and rather to couer the multitude of sinnes than to disclose and open them But after the vniust accusation of these waywarde men â–ª followeth Peters Apologie or defence deuoyde of all bitternesse the only ende and scope whereof is to shewe that nothing is herein done â–ª of priuate diuise but all things by the commaundement of God who woulde haue the Gentyles to be receyued into the communion of Christ and his Church And bicause he sawe his aduersaries mindes greatly exasperated he frameth a diligent narration of all things done euen from the beginning and confirmeth the same with sounde argumentes The which narration before I touch the modestie of the Apostle is to be considered who thought good so humblye and carefully to excuse himselfe to those whome hauing so iust a cause as he had he might eyther haue set light and giuen
none other cause graunted to flie but for that they shoulde after such daunger escaped turne vnto doing their dutie againe and to bestowe all their life after in setting forth the glory of Christ. Howbeit Luke maketh a diligent mention also of the places where these men preached And first he nameth Phaenicia which is neare vnto Iurie famous by reason of the Cities and people therin and is accounted notable euen among the prophane writers After that he nameth Cyprus an Islande of great fame in the Poets writings which they say by reason aswell of the pleasantnesse of the soyle as of the dissolute maners of the inhabitants is consecrated vnto Venus And here appeareth partlye the great goodnesse of God which woulde vouchsafe to endue such people with the knowledge of his sonne and partly the woonderfull and inuincible power of the Gospell through the preaching whereof the boundes of Christes kingdome were in short time so enlarged that from the mayne land it passed ouer sea and beganne to come into the Islandes as was long before foretolde of the Prophetes See Psalme 72. Esay 60.66 c. He chiefely maketh mention of Antioch which was the moste famous Citie of all the Cities of Syria For as it was notable by reason of Seleucus the builder thereof and of great renowme bicause of their woonderfull glorie and ryches so as we shall herafter heare the first Church among the Gentyles was there assembled and flourished in such number that they which before were called onely but Disciples of Christ beganne nowe to be called by a more worthy name Christians This Citie hath had Bishops notable both in life and learning It hath also so abounded in Martyrs that scarce any other can be compared therewith It is therefore woonderfull and much to be obserued that God woulde haue so great a Citie conuerted by the ministerie of those men whose names be not extant For this onely is written of them that they were of Ciprus Cyrene Howbeit it might haue pleased God aswell to haue vsed the helpe of notable Apostles But by the vyle and contemned thinges of this worlde after his maner he woulde bring to passe a thing of most importance that we might knowe howe we ought to reioyce and glory in him and not in man. Now let vs see what they preached that layd the foundations of the Church at Antioch They preached sayth Luke the Lord Iesus He was then the argument theme of their doctrine whome Paule also saith he only acknowledgeth He maketh mention onely of Iesus Christ bicause in him is contayned whatsoeuer things make for our saluation For he is giuen vnto vs of God to be the authour of repentance and remission of sinnes to all mankind as hath bene declared in the fyft Chapter For as in him onely remission of sinnes is to be founde so that repentance that is made without fayth in Christ cannot please god We haue here therfore what to answere them which reprehende vs and scorne vs bicause in our Sermons we inculcate and often repeate Christ only Thus we doe following the example of the Apostles and we can not doe otherwyse forasmuch as we can fynde no saluation without Christ. Last of all Luke declareth a notable successe of the Gospell saying And a great number beleeued and turned vnto the Lorde He first declareth the cause efficient least any man might ascribe it vnto the ministerie of men For he sayth the hande of the Lorde was with them Whereby we gather that all successe of fayth and saluation dependeth vppon God and that nothing is to be attributed to man more than the outwarde ministerie This thing Paule declareth at large in his first Epistle to the Corinthians the thirde Chap. And it is good oftentimes to haue the same in remembrance both bicause Ministers shoulde not waxe to prowde and also for that they whome God hath illuminated with true faith might learne to be thankfull vnto him Also the Euangelist expresseth the proper ende of Christian faith which is that they which through ignorance or superstition or sinne haue turned from God might conuert and turne againe vnto him Therefore fayth is not occupied in vayne speculation but is a liuely knowledge of Iesus Christ which draweth whole man vnto the obedience of god And they are not to be taken for Christians which being drowned in superstition and sinne will not conuert vnto the Lorde Let vs therefore set before vs this marke that we turning by true faith vnto God may attayne to saluation in Iesus Christ our onely Sauiour to whome be prayse honor power and glory for euer Amen The .lxxx. Homelie Tydings of these things came vnto the eares of the congregation which was in Ierusalem And they sent forth Barnabas that he should go vnto Antioch which when he came and had seene the grace of God was glad and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would continually cleaue vnto the Lorde For he was a good man and full of the holye ghost and of fayth and much people was added vnto the Lorde Then departed Barnabas vnto Tharsus for to seeke Saule And when hee had founde him hee brought him vnto Antioch And it came to passe that a whole yere they had their conuersation with the cōgregation and taught much people insomuch that the Disciples of Antioche were the first that were called Christians BYcause God had appointed Iesus Christ his sonne to be the Sauiour of all the worlde therefore it was requisite that all nations should be brought vnto him by preaching of the Gospell as it appeareth by the Oracles of the Prophetes and by the commaundement of Christ where he bade the Apostles to go into all the world and to bring him Disciples out of all Nations And howe this thing beganne to come to passe Luke declareth in this chapter For although it be described before in the storie of Cornelius conuersion to the fayth of Christ yet bicause it might seeme he was called vpon some speciall fauor or priuiledge the conuersion of the notable citie of Antioch is ioyned therevnto in the which a Church of the Gentyles for many causes notable is gathered togither The beginners whereof were certayne men that came from Cyprus and Cyrene as was yesterday declared of small or no name yet whose names vndoubtedly are written before God in the booke of life These men comming into the Citie preached Iesus Christ onely vnto the Gentyles teaching them that he was sent from God the father to giue repentance and forgiuenesse of sinnes to them that beleeue in him And their godly enterprise wanted not a most prosperous successe For Gods power working most effectually by their ministery an innumerable sort of menne learned the fayth and turned vnto the Lorde Now vnto these premisses Luke ioyneth certaine things touching the confirming of the Church at Antioch And first he declareth the kindenesse of those of Ierusalem towardes this newe Church of Christ which
our dutie that we should not forget that we be made Kings and Priestes by Christ and that we should valiauntly maintayne the dignitie of our name It is the propertie of a King to be at his libertie and not to be in subiection vnder the rule of another Let vs therfore abide in the libertie wherevnto the sonne of God hath called vs and not suffer our selues to be oppressed hereafter with the seruitude of sinne which is the fylthiest and miserablest thing that can be It is the property of a King to vanquish and ouercome his enimies Let vs therefore subdue and vanquishe the moste cruell enimies of our saluation Satan the world and the fleshe with all the concupiscences therof It is the part of a king to cōmaunde and beare rule Let vs therfore rule our selues mightily ouercome al those things which leade vs crosse the way of saluation So let vs lykewise performe the dutie of Priests to teach to pray to consecrate and offer Wherefore it shall be our dutie to teach those that belong vnto vs both by word and example of lyfe as farre forth as the dutie of our calling bindeth vs It shall be our parts to pray both in secret and openly and to make intercession to God not onely for our owne necessities but also for our neyghbors It shall also be our duties to consecrate our selues for liuely sacrifyce vnto God and to offer to him euery day the bullockes of our lippes that is to say giuing of thankes which is the moste acceptable and thankefull sacrifyce that we can giue vnto him These thinges myght at large be drawne through the whole lyfe of man but it shall suffyse to giue the vnlearned an occasion to expende and consider better of them Whosoeuer perfourmeth these things is worthy to be called a Christian. And such it appeareth the Patriarches were in times past whome God in the hundreth and fyft Psalme calleth his annoynted that is to saye Christians Such it is credible those men of Antiochia were which first enioyed that name And if any will presumptuously bragge of the name they shall surely deceyue themselfe but God they cannot deceyue Let vs therefore diligently thinke of these thinges that remembring both our dignitie and dutie we may aunswere to so notable and excellent a name and being taken from this lyfe may raigne in heauen with Iesus Christ to whome be prayse honor power and glory for euer Amen The .lxxxj. Homelie IN those dayes came Prophetes from the Citie of Ierusalem vnto Antioch And there stoode vp one of them named Agabus and signified by the spirite that there should be great dearth throughout all the world which came to passe in the Emperour Claudius dayes Then the Disciples euerye man according to his abilitie purposed to sende succour vnto the brethren which dwelt in Iurie which thing they also did and sent it to the Elders by the handes of Barnabas and Saule ALthough our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ is alwaye present with his Church yet he suffereth it as he foretolde diuerslye and manye wayes to be troubled hauing aduersitie as it were by continuall enterchaunge still following prosperitie The principall cause wherof is partly for that he woulde brydle the lustynesse of our fleshe and partlye bicause he woulde teache vs that he is as well able to deliuer his people in aduersitie as to maintaine them in prosperitie We haue heretofore seene certayne notable examples hereof For the Gospell in the beginning being prosperouslye preached at Ierusalem brought a great number of Disciples vnto Christ shortly after riseth a tempest of persecution that driueth down the florishing of the Church flat to the grounde By and by againe when Saule was conuerted vnto Christ sodeinly the Church was quiet the doctrine of Christ being caried vnto the Gentyles gaue likelyhoode of great encrease seeing that at Antioch the noblest Citie in all Syria there was a Church of Gentyles assembled togither and were there first called after that noble name of Christians But beholde a great and straunge aduersitie following namely a dearth which as it troubled the whole worlde so it most miserablye afflicted the faythfull whose goodes were spent partlye in finding the poore of the Church and partly were taken from them in the rage of persecution The consideration herof is most profitable for vs for herby we may learne the lesse to be offended if the lyke aduersity betide vs in these dayes And of all other this present place is worthy to be diligently considered as well for the manifolde comfort as also the instruction which the holy ghost here setteth forth For it declareth the dearth that was in the Church and it setteth out the fatherly prouidence of God hauing a care for the same and also sheweth what way and counsayle the faythfull tooke seeing the publike calamitie like to ensue And of all these we meane orderly to intreate First we will speake of the dearth wherof prophane writers but chieflye Iosephus and Suetonius make mention This dearth no man will deny but was sent by the iudgement of God except such an one as will deny God to be the gouernor of the whole worlde For the Prophete witnesseth that there is no plague in a Citie without the Lordes doing And in the lawe among the punishmentes wherewith God reuenged the contempt of hys worde barrennesse of grounde and scarcitie of victuals ar◠chiefely reckoned See Leuiticus 26. Deuter. 28. And we must not thinke that anye thing commeth vnto man by fortune forasmuch as it appeareth that the care of Gods prouidence extendeth it selfe euen to the sparrowes flowres of the field It shall be good when such things come to passe to search the causes of Gods iudgements which can be founde no where sooner than in mennes conuersation And surely Luke seemeth to poynt as it were with his fynger the causes of this dearth where he writeth it was in the dayes of Claudius Caesar. For he therefore named the Prince of the world who had then all authoritie and rule in his hande that by him we might iudge of the whole state of the worlde and the condicions of those dayes For it appeareth that the vices of Princes first infect with their contagiousnesse the Nobilitie and then their corrupt example poysoneth the Comminaltie And euen prophane writers report that Claudius was in all poyntes a moste naughtye Prince For from his childehoode he was cumbred with diuers and continuall diseases so that being dulled and made lumpish both in bodye and spirit growing further in age he was thought vnable to discharge any office publike or priuate Insomuch that Antonia hys mother vsed to say he was a monster a worke of nature begunne but not fynished and when she woulde note any body of blockishnesse or dulnesse she would say he was more foole than hir sonne Claudius And his sister Liuulla hearing on a time that he should be chosen Emperour did openly and alowde
which being giuen to curious artes contrary to the prescript word of God dare prophecie of warres to come of plentie of sickenesses and such lyke things Whose boldenesse and impietie I haue before declared to be forbidden by the lawes of god See the fourth Homelie and also our Commentaries vpon Micheas homil 20. It remayneth that we declare what the Christians at Antioch did after the Prophete had thus admonished them Where chiefly appeareth their fayth which was the grounde of all their well doing For by their doings it may easily be gathered that they beleeued Agabus prophecie For they coulde not suspect him whome they sawe threatned but such things as the publike corruption of all states and degrees deserued This is the beginning of saluation when men can fynde in their heartes to beleeue the word of god This thing in time past put away the destruction which god threatned vnto the Niniuites Contrarywise it appeareth that diuers men haue bene the occasion of their owne vtter vndooing bicause they rather woulde with their hinderaunce and losse prooue the veritie of Gods worde than beleeue it And our Sauiour Christ teacheth this to be the onely cause of the destruction of Ierusalem that they knewe not the daye of their visitation So likewise he calleth that the time of grace when the father of heauen did vouchsafe to admonishe the Iewes of the wrath to come first by Iohn the Baptist then by his sonne and the Apostles and did exhort them to amendment of lyfe and a newe conuersation And if we list to apply these things to our dayes we shall be constrayned to confesse that this is the chiefe cause of our miseries in that there be so fewe which vse to beleeue the worde of God and to feare the predictions or warnings of punishment to come Moreouer after the people of Antiochia had beleeued Agabus thus prophecying they called to minde the state of their needye brethren and weighing with themselues diligently what a dearth was lyke to be at that time they prepared themselues to the deedes of Christian charity deuotion a thing not vsed of the children of this world For when they perceyue a dearth like to folow they apply themselfe to their gainful deuises they heap vp corne and hoorde in their Garners to make of a publike calamitie their priuate lucre and aduantage yea by these fellowes subtelties it commeth to passe that they which are in neede are the more distressed with penurie the dearth holdes the longer bicause they still greedily gape after more aduauntage But the Christians at Antioche did farre otherwise whome Christ did vouchsafe first to haue called after his own name For their chief care was howe to succour their poore and needye brethren And in this case they thinke their brethren the Iewes to haue most neede partly for that they knew their goodes were taken from them as Paule testifyeth Heb. 10. and partly for that they knewe they were bounde to them in that they had receyued from them the wholesome doctrine of the Gospell and knowledge of Christ their sauiour For being godly and wyse people they did easilye perceyue that it was not without the prouidence of God that they whose goodes as yet were not consumed shoulde for this ende be admonished of the dearth to ensue For after this sort they thought that god in this publike scarcitie did in their brethrens behalfe require this deede of charity of them This is a verye notable example of Christian gratitude whereby we are taught what dutie learners owe to their teachers seeing the Antiochians acknowledge themselues to be debters to all the Iewes bicause they had learned the truth of some of the Iewes For by common reason they vnderstande that saying of Paule to be most iust that it is but a small matter if they reape their temporall goodes which haue sowed them spirituall goodes But nowe a dayes we be moste vnkinde for hauing receyued great profite by the doctrine of the Gospell men enuye the teachers themselues a necessary liuing much more their other neighbours and countrie men Thus they declare they make no great account of the Gospell when they make so much a doe to paye the Ministers of the Gospell but their bare stipende and pension Howbeit Luke diligently declareth the order that the Antiochians tooke about this matter First euery man of the Disciples purposed to sende succour vnto the brethren which dwelt at Iurie And where hee declareth that thys was the purpose of euery one he sheweth it was a voluntary benefyte and not enforced Such ought they to be which will haue their charitie accepted of god For as Paule teacheth the Lorde looueth a cheerefull giuer It shall much make for the stirring vp of liberalitie in vs if we consider that the richer sort owe this seruice and dutie to the poore Which thing is the cause that Paule reasoning of this matter vseth so often this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifyeth the dutie of ministery and dispensation Whervnto is to be referred that saying of Christ admonishing vs to make vs friendes of the vniust Mammon which when we depart hence maye receyue vs into euerlasting Tabernacles These done he sayth they purposed to sende euery one according to his a bilitie For God did so moderate our Christian liberalitie that hee woulde no man shoulde be charged aboue his possibilitie For it is well knowne what Paule sayth if there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that hee hath not Not that other be set at libertie and you brought into combraunce but that there be egalnesse nowe at this time and that your abundance may succour their lacke And wee reade that the widdowe that cast but two Mytes into the Corban was praysed of Christ bicause she was able to giue no more And here is the niggishnesse of them greatlye reprooued which neglect the workes of liberalitie vnder pretence that they thinke it vniust to bestowe the goodes that they haue gotten with their labour and traueyle vpon other whereas God requireth nothing of them more than that they be able to spare Last of all they are very circumspect that their so godly and necessarye a deuise be not by craft and subtiltie hindred or disappoynted For when they had gathered this mony they committed it not at all aduentures to euery one to be caried but to Paule and Barnabas whose credit they had tryed diuers wayes And surely to let all this geare passe it appeareth in Paules writings what great truth he vsed in this behalfe and howe carefully hee procured the reliefe of his needye brethren in Iurie See .1 Corint 16. 2. Cor. 8. and .9 and Rom. 15. Moreouer they sende it to the Elders that it might duely be distributed according to their discretion We haue therfore in this place to learne what Christians haue to doe in times of publyke distresse
Apostle nowe maketh mention of them after he had begunne to speake of the resurrection But here are certaine thinges diligently to be obserued before we go from this place First we preach sayth he the promise made vnto the fathers Ergo the Apostles are Authors of no newe and straunge doctrine but teache that waye of saluation which was once promysed by God vnto the fathers For this cause Christ alleageth the testimonies of Moses and of the Prophets And Peter heretofore sayde that all the Prophets bare wytnesse of christ By these is prooued the worthinesse of our fayth the certaintie of our saluation gotten by Christ. Moreouer here appeareth the difference betweene vs and the fathers of the olde Testament That saluation was promised vnto them which is perfourmed to vs in christ They also looked for the fulfylling of that which we beleeue is fulfylled Furthermore they had certaine figures and tokens of their redemption to come whereby to exercise and feede their faith But God hath prepared for vs sacramentes and seales of our redemption and saluation which are accomplished and finished To conclude our eyes see and our eares heare that which the holye fathers in times past greatly desyred to see and heare As these things confirme our fayth so they ought to stirre vp our mindes to be thankfull that we seeme not ingratefull to despise the saluation giuen vs the hope and expectation whereof kept the fathers in times passed in all kinde of dutifulnesse in the middle of all their aduersities Furthermore the truth and infallible trust of Gods promises may herein be seene For he so perfourmeth the promises made to the fathers vnto their children that he rather would haue his sonne lyue poorely and not regarded in this world and at length to suffer shameful death than to breake his promise Where also other circumstaunces are to be considered of vs all which it appeareth to agree with the promises of God the Oracles of the Prophets For at the tyme promysed the sonne of God came to take fleshe vpon him when nowe the fourth Monarchie flourished and when the Scepter was taken from Iuda He was also borne of a woman hys mother yet remayning a Uirgin The place where he was borne was Bethleem foreshewed by the oracle of the Prophet The myracles wrought by him were such as Esay sayde should be done in his kingdome cap. 53. As touching his death and passion resurrection ascention what needeth to speake seeing that in them is fulfilled according to the letter all the things which are red Psal. 22.41.68 Is. 53.63 Of the effect of these thinges which God sometime promised by his Prophetes we spake before It is truely therefore sayde of Paule that God hath perfourmed whatsoeuer thinges were in times past promised to the fathers Here ought we to fet argumentes of consolation in our temptations that we doubt not of Gods promise in perfourming of his helpe and fauour who we heare hath so faythfully perfourmed those things which coulde not be perfourmed but by hys sonne sent into the worlde and into the darkenesse of death But let vs returne vnto Paule which confirmeth by the Oracles of the Prophets that which he spake of Christ with so great authoritie Amongst which the chiefe place is attributed to Dauid who in the fyrst Psalme which nowe a dayes is counted the seconde he sayth prophecied of christ And he bringeth one verse of the Psalme onely yet so as he calleth to their remembrance the whole Psalme which though some go about to expounde of Dauid yet in deede it contayneth a manifest prophecie of the kingdome of Christ forasmuch as diuers things therein can by no meanes be applied vnto Dauid For the Prophete by suggestion of the spirite sheweth that Christ shall haue many and cruel enimies desirous to ouerthrow his kingdome and to pull downe all his authoritie but their enterprises shall be in vaine bicause Christ shall ouercome them all The cause of all which he alleageth to be Gods decree saying Thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee Aske of me and I will giue thee the Gentyles for thine enheritance Paule expoundeth this place of Christes resurrection bicause that hereby God openly declared him to be his sonne euen when his wicked enimies chiefly conspired against him For not long before he hearde those blasphemous wordes If thou be the sonne of God come downe from the crosse If he be the king of Israel let him now come downe from the Crosse and we will beleeue him c. Yea being compassed about with the cruell terrors of death he cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And shortly after he was so closed in his graue that Pylate the Romane President in the Emperours name and authoritie sealed the graue stone with his ring set souldiours to watch it that he shoulde not ryse agayne who would then haue thought he had bene the sonne of God vpon whome the wicked had such authority But euen the same daye God begate him that is to say declared him to be his sonne whome yet otherwise he begate from euerlasting and yet nowe seemeth he to forsake him cast him of For when his wicked enimies sayd If thou be the sonne of God come downe from the crosse he would not haue him come downe but did that that was more in raysing him vppe againe from death so that by their owne wordes he condemned them for wicked and shewed in deede that Iesus Christ is his sonne We haue furthermore to consider that the holy ghost prooueth the kingdome of Christ and his diuine maiestie chiefly by his resurrection For Paule in another place speaking of Christ sayth who was declared to be the sonne of God with power according to the spirit that sanctifieth in that that he rose againe from death For when death was ouercome it appeared vnto all men that the Deuill also which was the Lorde of death was ouercome which victorie was not a worke of mannes power but of Gods maiestie This thing must also be extended vnto Christes members For where both he that sanctifyeth and he that is sanctifyed are all one our glory also which is due to the children of God shall appeare at length in our resurrection We crie now also Abba father and carye the pledge of saluation in our heartes which is the holye ghost and be euen now the children of God but yet it appeareth not what we shall be But we knowe that when Christ appeareth at the later daye wee shall be like vnto him This is the cause that Christ calleth that day the regeneration Math. 19. not bicause we are then fyrst made the children of God but for that they that seeme in this worlde to be forsaken of God enuyed shall at that day be declared to be the children of God See Wisedome 5 Let vs herewith comfort our selfe in aduersitie against the vniust iudgement that
come might be preuented And fyrst bicause they whose mindes through contention were mooued might happen to suspect Paule and Barnabas credite in this dealing they ioyne vnto them messengers of no small dignitie and estimation Againe least Silas and Iudas might not seeme by craft and subtiltie to be wonne and made on Paules side they commende and defende their authoritie by publike letters By which example we are taught that prudence and wisedome is chiefely to be vsed in publike affayres of the Church least vnaduised rashnesse maye preiudice a cause of it selfe otherwise both good and honest Here is to be considered the order of the Primitiue Church which the same Church was woont to vse in publike affayres The Apostles in deede with the Elders had the rule and ordering of all matters as they who had the ouersight of the Churche committed vnto them Yet they tooke not on them such rule and authoritie to exclude or shut out the people from the hearing of such things as appertayned indifferently vnto the whole Church Againe in the people was great consideration of modestie whereby it came to passe that euerye one gaue place vnto the truth and none of them prouoked eyther with 〈◊〉 or other peruerse affection would vnaduisedly stirre or make businesse Nowe where the ambition of Prelates hath disturbed and broken this order who contrary to the commaundement of Peter the Apostle haue chalenged vnto them a Lordship ouer the inheritance or Church of Christ the congregations are euery daye molested with newe contentions and there appeareth no ende eyther of errors or moste bitter debates But let vs see the letters of the Synode or Counsayle where a thing of most weight and importance is most briefely and plainely entreated For as truth is easily perceyued and voyde of all guile so it desireth no fetches nor affectate ornaments and deckings This Epistle or letter consisteth of fower partes all which for the more perspicuitie we will seuerally speake of The fyrst parte contayneth the superscription which nameth the authors of the Epistle and those to whome the same is written And they are all so named as a man may perceyue nothing is spoken of arrogancie or ambition Yet is there an order obserued wherof a man must haue regard in euery thing First are the Apostles placed bicause Christ appointed them to be teachers of the whole worlde and his witnesses and adourned them with such dignitie that they are called the salte of the earth and light of the worlde After that are the Elders named of whose office we haue spoken already before Last of all all the beleeuers are comprehended vnder the name of brethren Therefore these letters are written in the name of the whole Synode and Congregation And they are written vnto the brethren that dwelt at Antioch in Syria and Cilicia amongest whome schisme and troubles were raysed through the malice and craft of deceyuers We must marke the calling of one another brethren which appeareth to be a moste auncient vsage euen from the time of the Apostles There is two occasions of this name We are called brethren both bicause we haue all one father which is in heauen who hath prepared for vs one inheritaunce of hys kingdome and also for that Iesus Christ the sonne of God taketh vs for his brethren and doth vouchsafe to make vs coinheritours with him As therefore this name serueth much for the mainteyning of concorde among Christians so it bringeth a singular comfort in all kinde of temptations For it is impossible that Iesus Christ shoulde neglect them whom he hath once taken for his brethren and will haue to be heyres of his kingdome Woulde to God they woulde expende this name which now a dayes make such odious differences of Nations as though no dutie of Christian charitie were due vnto those which are borne out of our countrie Yet the Apostles acknowledge the Assyrians and Cilicians people farre distaunt from them and borne of the Gentyles to be their brethren What wickednesse is it therefore to thinke Christian menne whome Christ taketh for his brethren for the Countries sake to be straungers vnto vs Ought the inheritance of the earth to be greater than the inheritance of heauen In the seconde part they grauely controll the deceyuers and false Apostles euen as the weyght of the cause and daunger of saluation by them procured deserued And fyrst they confesse they went forth from them but so as they were no partakers with them And this they laye as a stopple against their vaine vauntes and bragging For they vsed to saye they came from Ierusalem and had learned their doctrine of the Apostles who taught the same learning at Ierusalem Therefore the Apostles denie not that they went forth from their Church but yet therefore they aduise not euery man to credite and receyue that they teach For it is commonly seene that deceyuers come forth of the Church as we haue elsewhere taught Therefore that vaine vanitie of tytles and succession whereby the Bishops of Rome defende their dignitie in these dayes while they alleage the authoritie of the Church of Rome and the Apostles their Predecessours is not sufficient We be not ignorant that the fayth of that Church was once such that Paule worthily commended the same Wee know also that there haue bene many Bishops in the same of notable godlynesse faith and learning of whome diuers haue bene crowned with martyrdome But what is all this to our Bishops now a dayes whose beliefe learning and conuersation is altogither different from those men They that will defende themselues by the authoritie of the Church should followe the steps of the Primitiue Church This done they declare what these deceyuers did They haue troubled you with wordes and cumbred your mindes They are therefore disturbers and not builders of the Church as Paule well obserued wryting to the Galathians I marueyle you are so soone turned vnto another Gospell which is nothing else but that there be some that trouble you Againe I woulde to God they were seperated from you that trouble you In these wordes is declared the effect of false doctrine which a man may espie in all them which ascribe not vnto Christ onely all the order and praise of our saluation First they trouble and make the hearers vncertaine of their saluation whiles they ouerthrowe fayth For it cannot be that they haue anye thinge stable and certaine that sticke to the workes of the lawe bicause the lawe exacteth a perfyte and an absolute obedience in all poyntes which is not in mannes power to perfourme Wherefore according to the saying of Paule as soone as saluation is declared to be in workes then faith is in vaine and the promyse of none effect And the false Apostles doe not onely trouble men this waye but also for that they be authors of schisme which must needes ensue as soone as saluation is not attributed to Christ onely For example we haue the Church
Lette vs I beseech you thinke hereof whome it hath pleased God these many yeares to let enioy the preaching of the Gospell and to let vs abounde in the quiet and peace thereof where a number beside feele great want therof and being famined would be glad of one little morsell of Euangelike consolation But let vs returne to Paule and his companions who though they be forbidden in one place to preach yet cease not from doing their duetie but passing through Misia come at length to Aeolis and to a Citie in the same Countrie called Troas earnestly seeking euerywhere occasion to preach And there Paule being admonished by oracle vnderstandeth he must go into Macedonia For there appeareth vnto him a Macedonian which vndoubtedly was nothing but an Aungell and desireth to haue his countrye holpen And here came diuers thinges very profytable for vs to consider First is the example of Paule whereby we are taught that we must not be slacke in doing our office and dutie although our enterprise succeede not at the fyrst or seconde attempt as we desire For we reade the like came to passe many times both to the Prophetes and the Apostles which followed their calling the more earnestlye the more impedimentes they perceyued were layde in their waye Let all men go forwarde after these mennes examples and God will assist their endeuours who vseth when he seeth time and place to giue occasion of onset and also prosperous successe Furthermore this place sheweth vs a singuler example of Gods goodnesse whereby it commeth to passe that God worketh our saluation when we least knowe or thinke of it For who among the Macedonians woulde you thinke thought eyther of Paule or of the waye of saluation who when he came had none but a fewe of women to followe him and heare him So by this meane is the saying of the Prophete fulfylled I am founde of them that sought me not and haue appeared to them that asked not after mee And that that Luke sayth came to passe here among them of Macedonia the same may be seene in all other that eyther haue attained or at this day do attayne vnto saluation For before this worlde was made Paule sayth we were elected in Christ. And our fyrst parent Adam when he was fallen in sinne and did not onely not seeke God but fled from him yet was he both sought of God and called and receyued the free promise of saluation Hereto appertayneth it that men in the Scriptures are compared vnto sâ—eepe which hauing once strayed from the flocke neuer returne vnlesse the shepeheard by his diligence fette them agayne But Christ is our shepehearde which vseth to seeke his sheepe in valleyes and mountaynes and when he hath founde him layeth him on his shoulder and bringeth him home And this care of God may not onely be perceyued in those thinges that concerne the saluation of our soules but also sheweth it selfe in the things seruing to the vse and maintenance of our bodies For as God feedeth our bodye bountifully in giuing vs a liuing out of the earth so hath he appoynted the Aungels to be our tutors and keepers which â—arie rounde about them that feare him and deliuer them But bicause we haue hereof intreated heretofore let this nowe suffyse Yet let vs marke the vse of his doctrine which consisteth chiefely in this poynt that we shoulde be thankefull vnto God and stryue in all kinde of aduersities to defende our calling by the inuincible hope and affiaunce of Gods ayde and succor Furthermore this example commendeth vnto vs the dignitie of the Gospell and the ministery thereof For fyrst this is a notable thing that Paule is called by an Aungell and by the Oracle of God to preache So Peter was admonished by a vision from heauen to preach vnto Cornelius and to the Gentyles and the spirite led Philip to teach the Aethiopian his saluation Therefore some menne doe very vainely to contemne the ministerie of man as a thing of small or none account and requyre to haue Aungels to teach them seeing Aungels sende vs vnto men to be taught Yea Paule will not haue vs to beleeue an Aungell if he teach anye thing disagreeing from the doctryne of the Apostles Also the wordes of the Aungell commende the dignitie of the Ministerie For he sayth Come into Macedonia and helpe vs. Yet is it in Gods power onely to helpe vs both in body and soule But bicause the worde of the Gospell is the power of saluation to all that beleeue it the Ministers thereof are therefore not without a cause sayd to helpe men and to saue them And for this cause Abdias prophecying of the kingdome of Christ calleth the Apostles Sauiours Therefore the temeritie and impietie of those which saye that the Gospell causeth troubles and disquietnesse is reprooued seeing it is euident that men cannot choose but perishe except they be called by the preaching of Christ into the way of saluation according to the saying of the Prophete The Nation and kingdome that serueth not thee shall perishe But what doth Paule when he heareth he is called of God into Macedonia to men vnknowne and into Europe another part of the worlde Doth he tryfle and make delayes bicause he was before once or twyse forbidden No yea he prepareth him to the voyage and frameth him altogither vnto Gods calling and at length with a strayght course commeth to Philippie a very notable Citie and state By which example we are taught that nothing is rashly to be taken in hand without Gods calling but when we are certaine thereof then wyth speede to doe that the Lorde commaundeth For he so little regardeth prolongers and delayers that he cannot abyde pretence of godlynesse if vnder colour therof we neglect our vocation as we are taught by the example of him which was not suffered to go burie his father after Christ had called him to the ministerye of the worde But this is the most commodious way to doe well if we haue a diligent regarde to the calling of God and followe the same faythfully and earnestly For they that trust their owne deuises and seeke after vanitie as Dauid sayth cannot choose but grieuouslye offende God graunt that we be all mindefull hereof and followe our vocation that after we haue on earth fulfylled our duetie we maye at length lyue in heauen with Iesus Christ our Sauiour to whome be prayse honour power and glorye for euer Amen The Cviij Homelie WE were in that Citie abiding certaine dayes and on the Sabboth dayes we went out of the Citie besides a riuer where men were wont to pray And we sate downe and spake vnto the women which resorted thither And a certaine woman named Lydia a seller of purple of the Citie of Thyaâ—ira which worshipped God gaue vs audience whose heart the Lorde opened that shee attended vnto the things that Paule spake When she was baptized and hir housholde she besought vs
Apostles doctrine For fyrst they shewe whence Paule fet his doctrine verily out of the wrytings of Moses and the Prophets which otherwheres he sayth were inspyred of God and in the which Christ witnesseth that the mysteries of eternall lyfe are conteyned Therefore out of the same also in these dayes must the doctrine taught in the congregation be taken Neyther must their impudencie be borne with which will not haue the controuersies of our dayes deuided by the Scriptures but alleage vnto vs the traditions and Canons as they call them of the Apostles and the fathers and the counsels as though they had left vs thinges of more imperfection and certaintie than the Apostles Further we are taught howe Paule handled the scriptures He opened them that is to saye by dyligent interpretation he picked out the true sense and meaning of them applyed the things therin conteyned to his present purpose Which he coulde no wayes more commodiouslye doe then by conference of places By this example of Paule is theyr errour confuted which saye it is sufficient to haue the scripture read ouer in the Church and wyll not suffer the same by exposition to be opened Therefore in these mennes iudgement Paule offended verie much yea Christ himselfe who as we may reade vsed the same order of teaching in the schoole at Nazareth But whosoeuer followeth the example of Christ can not offend And Paule doth much better which requireth such a teacher of the Church as can distribute and deale as it were the worde of truth iustly and duely and can apply it to the instruction and comfort of euery body Thirdely is declared the argument of Paules doctrine which conteyneth in it chiefely two poyntes setting them as it should seeme agaynst so many errours of the Iewes For fyrst they were offended at the crosse of Christ bicause they vnderstoode the oracles of the Prophetes according to the letter and ymagined that the kingdome of Christ should be temporall and looked for a Messias wythout a crosse Which errour may now a dayes also be perceyued in them which would haue the Gospell preached without the crosse and where they desyre to be saued by Christ will not suffer and be afflicted with him The other errour of the Iewes was that they denyed Iesus the sonne of Mary to be their Messias or Christ. Paule laboureth to put both these errours away going about to prooue by testimony of scriptures that God had from before the begynning of the world ordeyned this way for man to be saued by that is to say by the incarnation death and resurrection of his sonne Againe applying those things vnto Iesus the sonne of Marie which the Prophets in tymes past spake before of the Messias he euidently declareth that he ought to be acknowledged for the Messias and that none other ought to be looked for Nowe as Paule declared these things at large by testimonies of scriptures gathered out of all places so might they be by vs in ample wise prosecuted But bycause it appeareth easily by the sermons both of Paule and the other Apostles going before what places they for the most part vsed and they that vse to reade the scriptures fynde euerywhere such things as conteyne in them the knowledge of Christ we wyll of purpose be the shorter In the meane while we haue here two things to obserue Fyrst what ought to be preached in the Church Uerily euen Iesus Christ only whome Paule otherwheres confesseth onely that he knoweth and none other For where he alone is sufficient for vs in all things bicause he is giuen to vs of the father to be our Brydegrome Shephearde King and Priest head righteousnesse wisedome satisfaction sanctifycation and redemption he himselfe would haue men brought vnto him it is vnmeete to teach any thing not agreeable with him The seconde thinge is howe Christ should be preached To be euen such an one as the Scriptures declare him to be who dying for vs on the Aultar of the crosse purged our sinnes and by his glorious resurrection ouercame death who reigneth not in this worlde lyke vnto the kings here on earth but being taken vp into heauen comforteth vs by his spirite and through our afflictions and infyrmitie of the flesh triumpheth ouer all our aduersaries They that haue conceyued in their mindes Christ to be such an one can be offended at no worldly attempts but being voyde of care and merie laugh at all that the worlde goeth about against the Church Learne therefore hereby to iudge of the doctrine of these dayes and harken not vnto them which in the businesse of our saluation teach any more then Christ seing that Paule knewe him onely notwithstanding he was rapt vp into the thirde heauen Moreouer the successe declareth that Paules preaching was not in vaine For certaine of the Iewes beleeued yet but a fewe bicause nowe beganne the blindnesse of that nation Yet God keepeth and fulfylleth hys truth while he saueth certaine remnauntes out of the innumerable multitude And that they were vnfayned beleeuers appeareth by this that they openly ioyne themselues vnto Paule and Silas both for learning sake and also to protest openly their beliefe Yet a greater company of the Greekes beleeued whome he calleth religious bicause before this they had tasted a little of true religion which it is lyke they learned by being conuersaunt with the Iewes For although the incredulitie of that nation was past hope yet God would vse them being dispersed abroade in the worlde to bring the Gentyles from ydolatry vnto the worshipping of the true God and euerywhere to sowe certaine principles and grounds of pure religion touching the honouring and inuocating of one god With this company of the faithfull are numbred certaine noble and chiefe women that a manne maye see howe God hath a regarde of his elect in all states and degrees of persons This place teacheth vs that the Gospell is neuer preached in vaine as hath bene already oftentymes declared Here are also touched the dueties of them that truely beleeue ardent desyre of true doctrine and religion thankefulnesse towarde the teachers of saluation and playne and open profession of the true fayth For God will haue none of them to worship him that can dissemble and play on both handes God graunt that we also being illuminated with the light of true fayth may declare our fayth both in worde and deede and by the same maye come vnto the inheritaunce of the kingdome of heauen with the onely begotten sonne of God Iesus Christ to whome be prayse honour power and glorye for euer Amen The Cxiiij Homelie BVT the Iewes which beleeued not had indignation and tooke vnto them euill men which were vagabondes and gathered a company and set all the Citie on an roare and made assault vpon the house of Iason and sought to bring them out to the people And when they founde them not they drewe Iason and certayne brethren vnto the heades of
the Citie crying These that trouble the worlde are come hyther also whome Iason hath receyued priuilie And these all doe contrarie to the decrees of Caesar affirming an other king one Iesus And they troubled the people and the officers of the Citie when they heard these things And when they were sufficiently aunswered of Iason and of the other they let them go And the brethren immediatly sent away Paule Silas by night vnto Berrhoea which when they were come thyther entred into the Synagoge of the Iewes AS God ordeyned his sonne from euerlasting to be the sauiour of mankinde so he prophecyed in the beginning of the world that there should be perpetuall enmitie and contention betweene the Deuill and him when he sayde vnto the Serpent I will set enmitie betweene thee and the woman betweene thy seede and hir seede The same shall treade downe thy heade and thou shalt treade vpon hys heele Continuall examples of which prophecie this booke of the Apostles actes declareth vnto vs For wheresoeuer in the worlde the Apostles went about to erect and establishe the kingdome of Christ by the preaching of the Gospell there Satan by his instrumentes alwayes withstoode them This he did fyrst at Ierusalem by the Scribes Priests after that at Samaria by Simon the Sorcerer after that againe at Damascus by Areta king of Arabia in Cyprus by Elymas the Sorcerer at Antioch in Pisidia by the Iewes who after that of an obstinate purpose and implacable hatred followed Paule euerywhere by sea and by lande to hynder and stop the course of the gospell For these were his enimies at Lystra These withstoode him as he taught at Derba And nowe being called of God into Macedonia they trouble and molest him For by their meanes as this present place teacheth he is thrust out of Thessalonica where the gospell began prosperously to take roote The chiefe vse of all these things is that we must not be offended if the lyke come vpon these dayes but that we consyder that this alway is the state of the church in this worlde bicause the worlde delyghteth more in seruing the Prince thereof than in Christ. But let vs vewe this present place which marueylously serueth to instruct and comfort vs against the wicked assaultes of the Deuill and the worlde For fyrst it teacheth vs with what instruments the Deuill fought agaynst Paule at Thessalonica After that it describeth their properties and qualities and the good successe of all this Tragedie Among the instrumentes of the Deuill which he here thought good to vse are two kynde of men rehearsed The fyrst are the Iewes which Luke sayth had indignation at the Apostles But they were hypocrites which vsed the pretence of Gods lawe and zeale of auncient religion to cloke their obstinacie and vnbeliefe with where in deede they sought nothing but their priuate gaine and glorye as by their conspiracie may easily appeare For they tooke vnto them certaine vagabundes men of naughtie conditions whose companye they ought to haue shunned as a moste pestilent plague if they had loued truth and religion For thus are ydle and luskishe lubbers worthie to be called who when they haue spent their goodes in waste stande in the market place lyke publyke wares to be solde and are ready to commit all kinde of mischiefe so they may fynde a buyer This is a marueylous society and such as a man would neuer once suspect could be amonge professours of such vnlyke studyes but that the force of hatred once conceyued against the truth is so great that it vseth to ioyne men of most diuers conditions and natures in league togither Thus thou seest the Priestes Scribes and Phariseyes the Sadduceyes Iudas the Apostle the souldiours Herode and Pilate conspire togither against Christ all which otherwise were of diuers countreyes religion and profession This place teacheth vs who are the most earnest and chiefest enimies of the truth Uerily hypocrites which vnder a false pretence of religion seeke their owne aduauntage and such as being nusseled in ydlenesse and cannot away with pouertie are readie to sell their helpe about any thing For as the fyrst sort by the testimonie of Christ can not beleeue bicause they burne in desyre of priuate glorye so the other thinke there is most right where most meede is Therefore Satan vseth craftily to ioyne and consocyate these two sortes of men togither to the ende that these bolde and desperate dickes of Caria hyred and waged by hypocrites may with open violence bring that to passe which they cannot with their craftie and subtile inuentions This is the cause that nowe a dayes so manye Prelates are seene in kings Courtes that Byshops be of Princes counsels and that Monkes which bragge they are men deade vnto the worlde are seene flying in the fyeld among armed men For they can fynde themselues no more trustie defendoures than such as haue solde their soules and consciences and measure all truth and religion by gaine and lucre These things teach vs what kinde of men they shoulde most of all beware of which desyre to haue their Churches in safety In many places now a dayes Abbotes and Bishops craftily insynuate themselues and pretende a kinde of zeale But when they are once let in by and by they fynde men meete for their purpose and deuises which being brybed with golde dare forceably doe anye thing against the doctrine of Christ and they are founde to be most of all other voyde of al religion and righteousnesse which seemed before to beare greatest zeale vnto God. This the seconde part of this place teacheth vs which declareth their doings which hytherto pretended the zeale of godlynesse in their enterprise The fyrst thing that they doe they set all the Citie by their conspiracie in an vprore which was easie for them to doe by false rumours which they spredde both openly and priuily agaynst the Apostles as enymies of the publike weale That done they violently giue an assault to an other mans house meaning to haue brought forth the Apostles if they had found them there But what kinde of zeale is that that maketh men burst open dores and hale innocents vnto death Yet is there a more heynous matter than this For when they could not fynde them they sought for they bring and pull before the Iudges Iason the Apostles hoste a man for his hospitality worthy of singuler prayse and with him certaine of the brethren which beleeued in Christ and accuse them as Traytors vnto the Citie And they so frame their accusation that they intermeddle in euery worde most impudent lyes and slaunders These say they that trouble the worlde are come hyther also whome Iason hath receyued priuilye They call the Apostles which preach peace and mutuall looue troublers of the worlde whereas they themselues had nowe set all the Citie on a roare lyke seditious fellowes But bicause they knewe religion in pretence whereof they made this adooe was smally regarded
without the certaine aduise of Gods prouydence which I thinke was the most famous Citie that euer was For in antiquitie it passed many as which had to hyr king Cecrops about the time of Moses Afterwarde being renowmed by reason of the victories that she had achieued against the Persians shee did purchase vnto hir selfe immortall commendation for delyuering of Greece out of the handes of a barbarous people In happy pregnancie and sharpnesse of wytte she passed all other For hyr we haue to thanke for Socrates Plato Zenophon Crates and infinite others very famous by reason of their wisedome Which was the cause that in hir was founded a certaine vniuersitie and schoole as it were of the whole world wherevnto most noble men resorted from all partes of the worlde as vnto an onely sea and Castell of all wisedome And such was the fame of hir wisedome that the Romaines when they had ouercome all Asia thought their children could no where in the worlde be better infourmed in preceptes of wisedome and maners of lyuing then at Athens as the preface of Cicero to his sonne vppon the bookes of Offices and duties testifyeth And euen as in many other things so also in religion and honouring of the Gods she seemed to excell all others bicause in hir was to be seene the ymage of Minerua which was thought to haue comme downe from heauen and manye persons were at Athens whome they gloryed in and accounted as Goddes Into thys Citie did the Lorde sende Paule the Apostle to bring it by his ministerie vnto the obedience of fayth And that this was not attempted without good successe and profyte the ende well prooued This is a notable example both of the goodnesse of God and of the power of the gospell For who would not acknowledge the vnspeakeable grace of God when he heareth a Citie vtterly drowned in the darknesse of ydolatrie and humaine wisedome to be so fauourably regarded of god Againe who will not marueyle at the inuincible power of the gospell when he seeth the wisest men in the world confounded by the same and that by the ministerie of Paule which brought nothing with him but the pryntes of roddes and whippes and being driuen out of so many Cities was of no estimation in the worlde Therfore the hystorie of the conuersion of Athens is most worthy to be consydered the fyrst part whereof Luke rehearseth in this place declaring fyrst what Paule did there next howe his doctrine was receyued fyrst preached of most men in the Citie when he fyrst preached we will speake of eche of these things in order Paule abyding at Athens for the comming of Silas and Timotheus walked in the meane season rounde about the Citie consydering their maners and vsages in so much that he pretermytteth not the temples but goeth into them and veweth them as by his oracion hereafter shall appeare And perceyuing the greatest Citie that he had as yet seene so gyuen to Idolatrie and drowned therein waxeth feruent in the spirite mislyking that Gods religion was in such wise prophaned For God is offended with no sinne more then with ydolatrie And the mindes of the godly are most prouoked when they see the same bicause they holde nothing more deere â–ª then the glorie of the soueraigne god Hereof came it to passe that when Moses sawe the golden Calfe almost forgetting hymselfe he brake the Tables of the lawe and beateth the Calfe vnto powder and throweth it into the water to the intent the ydolaters might drinke and let downe their Calfe into their belly Elias incensed with lyke zeale kylled the priestes of Baal with his owne hande whome Iehu directly followed and is in holy scrypture commended therefore The scripture teacheth vs that Iosias with like zeale burned the bones of the ydolaters vpon their owne aultars that all men might perfytely see the indignitie of such wickednesse what shall we saye of the Prophetes which scarce vsed more force of wyt and eloquence in any thing then in speaking agaynst ydolatrie and ymages For then spared they neyther earnest nor game to blase and deface a thing most hatefull vnto god Their contumacie and stubbornesse therefore at thys daye is much to be marueyled and woondered at that will be taken for christians and gospellers and yet holde with ymages and fyght for them against the brethren that professe the fayth of Christ and by odious names call them whose zeale is commended by so many testimonies of scripture and examples of holy men fyghters against Images and Image breakers In the meane season Paules example teacheth vs that all they which will fruitefully and with commendation traueyle in Christes quarrell and in the kingdome of God haue neede to be indewed with zeale For where impietie is a verie obstinate and tough euill it can neuer be pulled vp without verie feruent zeale Let the example of Christ stirre vp in vs this zeale who seing his fathers house turned into a market place or fayre as one that had forgotten his accustomed myldenesse made a whyp of such cordes as were next his hande and draue these wicked marchauntes out of the Temple calling to the disciples mindes that saying of Dauid the zeale of thine house hath euen eaten me vp Here the consideration of the Lords prayer putteth vs in minde of our duetie the chiefe peticions wherof are that the name of God should be sanctifyed and that his kingdome should come But howe shall they with vnfayned mindes praye for these things whome no vnhallowing the name of God and ouerthrowing of his kingdome toucheth or mooueth Therefore these hollow hearted people which in handling of religion are neyther hote nor colde and contrarie to the saying of Elias halt on both sides gaping to get great praise while they be addict to no side but are a lyke friendly to all partes are not to be heard or regarded Such sometime were the people of Laodicia whom Christ threatneth he will spewe out of his mouth But to returne vnto Paule doth he fret disdaine within himselfe bicause of the ydolatry that he seeth Nay he mindeth how to reforme this great Citie being both a straunger of no name amongst them Forthwith therfore he reasoneth of true religion and beginneth to preach Iesus Christ. But I pray you how many things were there to haue kept him from this doing if he would haue yeelded to the reasons of the flesh For he mought this haue thought wilt thou be so bolde in so notable a citie to improoue that religion which is of so many yeres antiquity established with such prosperous successe glorious victories heretofore wilt thou haue to doe with men of such fyne wits and so in â—red with disputations hauing scarcely learned the principles of their Philosophie Knowest thou not howe odious and daungerous all alterations are but chiefly those wherof straungers forreyners are the authors whom common reason and sence forbiddeth to be curious in other mens
can not be in rest and safetie bicause the insatiable auarice of Priestes exacteth tribute of them fayning that their soules are tormented and purifyed in the fornace of Purgatorie Is there not an vnknowne God worshipped amonge vs the God Maozim as Daniel sayeth whome all our fathers knew not which eyther is made of bread or chaunged into breade Would God men woulde nowe a dayes expende these thinges and learne what a miserable case it is to want the lyght of truth For whoso lacketh this lyght are both ignorant themselues of all things in religion and lose their labor before God which neyther can nor will be worshipped with mans traditions Let vs therefore harken vnto Paule and the Apostles whome God ordeyned to teach the blinde worlde his true religion and worship Furthermore Paule so teacheth al these things in the second part of his sermon that therwith also he confuteth the errors of the gentiles wherof sprang those errors which yet bewitch the world In the meane while although he had to do with most subtile Philosophers and curious men yet he disputeth not subtilly of Gods essence or nature which God himselfe testifyeth Exo. 33. is inscrutable but describeth God by his works teaching what we ought to beleeue of him and how to worship him God sayth he that made the world and all things therin conteyned seeing that he is Lorde of heauen and earth c. It seemeth he speaketh this agaynst the Epicures which affirmed the world was from euerlasting or else that all things came togyther by concurrence and meeting of motes togither and that God had no care of worldly things But Paule sayth that God is the creator and lord of the world and layth this for an infallible grounde of hys doctryne such as no man will denie but he that is voide of common reason Herofhe gathereth that templary religion was but a vayne thing which was of such pryce and authoritie among the Grecians that they hated the Persians for none other cause more than for that they euerywhere burned the temples in Greece bicause they sawe they serued more for superstition than godlinesse Thus reasoneth Paule He that is Lord of all things must needes be euerywhere But god as he is creator of all things so is he Lorde of all Therefore he is present euerywhere and so by consequence dwelleth not in Churches which are builded with mens handes But that which is sayde agaynst the Gentyles which iudged that religion stoode in the bewty and furniture of Temples and vnto them tyed the maiestie power and grace of God the same maketh agaynst all those which glorying in the honour of the true God are yet drowned in the dotage of this errour When Salomon had bestowed great costes and treasure in building of a Temple at length he sayth vnto God Behold the heauen of heauens is not able to conteyne thee howe much lesse this Church which I haue builded And God himselfe in Esay cap. 66. sayth Heauen is my seate and the earth is my footestoole where therefore shall this house bee that you will builde for me Ieremie sharpely reprehendeth the Iewes trusting in the religion of their Temple Yea Christ sayeth that true worshippers are not tyed vnto certayne and peculiar places but sheweth vs that they worship God euerywhere in spirite and in truth Here therefore are all pilgrimages taken away in the whych foolish menne of an heathenish error suppose saluation chiefely to stande And yet for all this we vtterlye condemne not the vse of Churches For they serue for outward religion which is necessary for the profession of fayth and for the nourishing of concorde and vnitie whyle we resort thyther to heare the worde of God that is to saye common prayers and to haue the sacraments ministred Wherevnto Temples must be so ordered that we must thynke it vnlawfull to pollute them with any kinde of prophane vsages But Paule continueth on in describing of God saying that God hath neede of nothing Wherevpon he gathereth that he is not worshypped wyth handes and that religion consisteth not in outwarde obsequies and duties of men He prooueth the Antecedent in that he sayth he giueth life and breath vnto all men By this argument he impugneth the vaine affiance in priests in whome our Auncestours reposed the chiefe part of religion It seemeth Paule tooke his argument out of Gods wordes where he accuseth the Israelites that thought he was worshipped and pleased with sacrifyces For he sayth I will take no Bullocke out of thy house nor hee Goates out of thy foldes For all the beastes of the forrest are mine and so are the cattelles vppon a thousande hilles I knowe all the fowles vpon the mountaines and the wylde beastes of the fielde are in my sight If I be hungry I will not tell thee c. But by this argument it appeareth all popish religion is condemned For what else doe they in that religion but being deceyued by wicked superstition take from the poore commended to vs by Christ the duties which they offer to Saintes that haue no neede yea which knowe vs not Yea the most of their oblations serue for Idols voyde of all senses or for Priests that liue wantonly and in ryot In the meane season superstition hath taken so deepe roote that it is thought a lesse offence to kill a man and robbe him than to take a peece of a vayle from an Idoll or the aultar to clothe a poore bodye with O maners O times But some man maye saye If God be not worshipped by sacrifyces why did he appoynt them for the people by Moses and commaunde them Let vs consider there were two kindes of sacrifyces The one was expiatorie for sinnes so called not for that sinnes coulde be purged by the bloude of Oxen and Gotes for that Paule plainly denieth Heb. 10. but for that they prefygured Christ whome all the holy and godly men beleeued shoulde dye for the sinnes of the worlde at a time long before appoynted They taught vs also that we shoulde slaughter and mortifye all beastlye affections and bring a contrite heart before God which Dauid testifyeth is the acceptablest sacrifyce that God requireth Another kinde of them was gratulatorie or of thankes giuing for benefytes receyued Yet all these for the more part consisted in bloud bicause as yet the bloud of Christ was not shed wherwith only the father shoulde be appeased This bloude therefore being shed and the mysterie of our redemption accomplished there remayned no more sacrifyce expiatorie or propitiatorie for sinnes For Christ his merite is sufficient and there is no neede of other sacrifyce as the Epistle to the Hebrues at large teacheth vs Yet Christians want not sacrifyces but yet vnbloudy for since the bloude of Christ was shedde there is no more vse eyther of beastes bloude or mannes in the things pertayning to the ordinary honouring of God. For they make themselues
Therefore Dauid gathereth very probably thus The Lorde is my helper I will not feare what man can doe vnto me And bicause this promise is generall and appertayneth to all them that walke in the vocation of God all menne ought to applye it vnto themselues and in affiaunce hereof to beare out all the assaultes of the worlde couragiously The seconde reason is No man shall inuade thee that shall hurt thee He sayeth his enimies enterprises shall be in vaine This is a speciall promise which alwayes taketh not place For many times it commeth to passe that the godly are entangled in many troubles and grieuous daungers and we reade that Paule was layde hands on manye times yea after this he was taken and brought to Rome by sea and lande where he ended his life by the sworde And notwithstanding these things came so to passe yet abideth the truth of Gods fyrst promise sure and fast and god saueth those that be his from death and neuer fayleth them Wherefore we must walke and holde on in the vocation of god by fyre and sworde The thirde reason is that he sayth he hath much people in Corinth· By this he teacheth him that his labor shall not be in vaine bicause the word of god in the elect and predestinate to saluation vseth to be effectuall as is declared in the .xiiij. Chapter This is verye notable that God hath in so naughty a Citie so much people and more than Athens which thought hir selfe for vertue and wisedome to passe all other Cities Whereby we gather that they which are openly drowned in sinne are moste apt to receyue the kingdome of god than the Iusticiaries and holy ones that woulde seeme to all men to be iust and good For it fareth herein as in the sickenesses of the bodye For as they that are sicke of knowne diseases doe sooner seeke the Phisitions than they that are diseased with secret whereof they are ashamed and can after a sort hyde them so they that be notorious open sinners doe sooner receyue the doctrine of saluation than hypocrites which swollen with the confydence of their owne righteousnesse thinke they haue neede of none other For where these cannot denye but they are sinners they of necessitie are carefull howe to be saued and are compelled to seeke saluation in others than themselues Which is the cause that Publicanes and harlots are preferred before Phariseyes in the kingdome of god And Christ appointed the doctrine of saluation to beginne with the reprehension of sinners that laying aside the pryde of our owne righteousnesse we myght learne to flie vnto the grace of god In the meane season it ought much to comfort vs that the Lorde hath many heyres of eternall saluation in so vntowarde a Nation For hereby it appeareth that God is neuer without hys seauen thousande although all menne seeme wicked and naught 1. Reg. 19. For such is the certainetie of Goddes Election and Predestination that they are counted for Gods elect which are from euerlasting written in the booke of lyfe although they yet lye drowned in sinne Euen so Christ calleth them his sheepe which yet he had not called by outward preaching nor drawne by inwarde operation of his spirite but yet knewe they were gyuen him by his father before the foundations of the worlde were layde And this is a consolation of all other most effectuall that our sinnes cannot hynder Gods election For whome he hath predestinate those in tyme he calleth and draweth and maketh lyke vnto the ymage of his sonne and suffereth them not for any thing to be seperated from his loue Moreouer howe great the force of Gods comfort is appeareth by Paule which abode a whole yeare and sixe Moneths at Corinthe and there preached the worde of god Here the pacience of Paule and the truth and power of God which preserued his seruaunt so long in so wicked a Citie is diligently to be considered He aboade so long among these prowde and vnthankefull men as tyll he had brought those vnto God which he heard were his elected What fyercenesse and discourtesie they vsed in the meane season agaynst Paule may easily appeare by his Epistles This example of Paule reprooueth them that rashely leaue theyr Churches assoone as they see all things succeede not according to their desyre we are taught moreouer what a painefull thing it is to edifye and buylde the Church seing we heare that Paule laboured so long at Corinthe where he confesseth that he dyd but plant onely Yea his Epistles declare that there was neede afterwarde of contynuall traueyle and care Therefore the slouth of some Ministers is very detestable which suppose vehemencie of zeale in edyfying of the Church is but superfluous Let them all follow Paules industrie that by daylie exercise of fayth we may make sure our election and vocation and come to the inheritaunce of the kingdome of heauen with Iesus Christ our Lorde to whome be prayse honor power and glory for euer Amen The Cxxij Homelie WHEN Gallio was Ruler of the Countrie of Achaia the Iewes made insurrection with one accorde against Paule and brought him to the iudgement seate saying This fellow counselleth men to worship God contrarye to the lawe And when Paule was about nowe to open his mouth Gallio sayde to the Iewes If it were a matter of wrong or an euill deede ô yee Iewes reason woulde that I shoulde heare you But if it be a question of wordes or of names or of your lawe looke yee to it your selues for I wyll be no iudge of such matters and he draue them from the seate Then all the Greekes tooke Sosthenes the chiefe Ruler of the Synagoge and smote hym before the Iudges seate And Gallio cared for none of these things ALthough God sendeth out the Ministers of his worde as sheepe among Wolues yet he defendeth them with his fauour and protection so that the wicked enimyes of truth can not doe what they please against them This Paule found true both at Corinth specially and at manye other places besides For being in feare and trembling in the midst of many daungers almost swallowed vp of feare God preuenteth him with his comfort and promyseth him not onely safetie but also great successe and fruite of his labour and traueyle And that he promysed him he perfourmeth to the vttermost as this present place declareth For in a tumulte and vprore where the Iewes raued lyke madde men when all hope of mans helpe was past God by his secret power wonderfully saueth and delyuereth hym so that he taketh no harme And bycause this is a peculiar and very notable example of Gods ayde and assistaunce it shall not be vnprofytable to discusse euery circumstaunce of this hystorie And fyrst the begynners of thys trouble are here noted which are the Iewes of whome seing we haue often times intreated it needeth not that we say any more These men hauing hytherto bene quyet being kept
of a teacher in their Church For as it is needefull that a Minister of the worde haue the commendation of persons abrode that he fall not into the snare of the slaunderer so they may not be denyed the commendation of their vertue which haue declared their fayth by manifest arguments vnto the Church For they that promote such as these are to the ministerie deserue no small prayse in the kingdome of god Againe they are worthyly accounted wicked both against Christ and the church which of blinde affection keepe backe such as are worthy from the ministerie yet we must beware as Paule sayth that we admyt not euerie one rashely therevnto least we be partakers of other mennes sinnes And that we say of the Ministers of the church is to be obserued of all other in any maner of office or vocation that is to say that the worthy be set forwarde and the vnworthy repulsed and kept backe as much as in vs lyeth least whyle we commende naughtie packes we endammage and indaunger the whole common weale And as concerning Apollos he endeuored himselfe to aunswere the testimony and commendation of the brethren least they might seeme to haue thrust an vâ—meete Minister into an other peoples Church For he much profyted the brethren at Corinth which beleeued through the grace of god Now whether a man referre this worde grace to Apollos or to the Corinthians it commeth all to one sense For he teacheth thereby that nothing is to be attributed to mannes industrie but howe God is to be taken for the author of all goodnesse which did vouchsafe to giue such an increase whereof Paule disputeth at large in the fyrst Epistle to the Corinthians the thirde chapter And surely if the Corinthians had well considered this one thing they had neuer giuen place to those which afterwarde disturbed the Church with the factious names of Paules disciples Peters and Apollos But Luke declareth also the meane and waye howe Apollos thus profyted the brethren namely by open confuting of the Iewes and by proouing out of the scriptures that Iesus was Christ that is to say that sauiour of the worlde that was promised which place teacheth vs many things needefull to be obserued For fyrst we learne that not onely the Church hath neede to be instructed but also that the aduersaries should be confuted For they can not much profyte the church which doe not with all their endeuour go about to roote vp false doctrine euen as that tyllage can not be fruitfull which suffreth thornes and coccle to growe among it For this cause Ieremie is commaunded fyrst to weede and pull vp and then after that to builde plant And Paule appointeth such an one to be Byshop as is able to conuince the gainesayers and aduersaryes And that we say of false teachers which must needes be confuted the same is also to be vnderstanded of open and notorious naughtie packes which gyue occasion of offence vnto the weaker sort For the faythfull Minister must set on them also with the sworde of the spirite or else leaue his Church to be torne of the Woolues Therefore they are farre deceyued which woulde haue the gospell so preached nowe a dayes that men must speake neyther against impious doctrine nor vngodlynesse of maners We are furthermore admonished with what weapons church men must fyght verilie with Scriptures which Paule sayth are inspyred of God and profytable to teach improoue exhorte and amende 2. Timoth. 3. They are fowlely therfore deceyued that say the heretikes must not be conuinced by scriptures bicause they are to obscure and darke to conuince them by Wherefore they flye vnto counselles and to the determination of the church But therein they fare as if one should take from a souldyour going to the battayle his sworde of yron and giue him one of leade As though the authority of mans constitutions were greater than the holy ghost which speaketh in the scriptures Finally as we haue oftentimes aduertised here is repeated the ende of preaching the gospell which is to beleeue in Iesus Christ our Lord sauiour to whom be praise honour power and glory for euer Amen The .xix. chapiter vpon the Actes of the Apostles The Cxxv. Homelie IT fortuned whyle Apollos was at Corinth that Paule passed through the vpper coastes and came to Ephesus and founde certaine disciples and sayde vnto them haue you receyued the holy ghost since you beleeued And they sayde vnto hym no we haue not heard whether there be any holye ghost or no. And he sayde vnto them wherewith then were ye baptised And they sayde with Iohns baptisme Then sayde Paule Iohn verily baptised with the baptisme of repentaunce saying vnto the people that they shoulde beleeue on him which shoulde come after him that is on Christ Iesus When they heard this they were baptised in the name of the Lorde Iesus And when Paule layde his handes vpon them the holye ghost came on them and they spake with tongues and prophecyed and all the men were about twelue BYcause the Euaungelist Luke beganne to speake of the begynning of the Ephesian church in the chapiter going before he maketh an ende of that hystorie now in this chapiter declaring howe Paule returned to Ephesus according to his promise and there brought the church so happily begonne vnto a perfection But that the power of Gods grace declaring it selfe by preaching of the gospell may appeare the more before all things we haue to consider Ephesus the which writers report was the most famous Citie in all Asia For by reason it was of situation and fruitfulnesse of soyle so commodious for traffiquers it grewe to be passing riche Beside the fame of false religion which called gestes thither from all partes of the worlde For there was the Church of Diana the most sumptuous gorgeous thing that was builded in all the worlde bicause it appeareth that all Asia was occupied in the buylding thereof about a two hundred and twentie yeares togither so that it was worthyly accounted among the miracles of the worlde In this Citie therefore raigned ryot and superstition which commonly hath wayting 〈◊〉 hir as hir companions and handemaydes magicall and curious artes whereof we shall see when we come to the place that the Ephesians were most sâ—udious Yet Paule so conuerted this Citie within the space of two yeares that there was founded a most famous Church there vnto the which afterwarde Christ attributeth no small praise in his reuelation In this place we haue partly to consider the grace of God which Paule hereafter commendeth to the Ephesians by this their owne example as may be seene in his Epistle to them seconde chapiter and partly here appeareth the power of the ministerie of the gospell which neyther the authoritie of rooted superstition neyther pryde and glorie of the worlde could hynder but that Christes kingdome flourished where the same gospell was preached Moreouer Luke purposing to declare a storie
we learne that there must be a certayne place for doctrine to be taught in and howe the same must not wythout some great cause be forsaken For this is a thing verye profytable for the maintenance of true doctrine and keeping vnder of false teachers which priuilye vse to creepe in and to beguyle the vnwarye For the which cause Christ himselfe vsed moste times to teache in the Temple and in the open Synagoges bicause he woulde not by his example defend them which without a cause refuse to come vnto the Church or else sowe false doctrine in corners both which the Anabaptistes in our dayes ouerboldly vse to doe Secondly is declared the trade that Paule vsed in teaching He spake freely and boldly dissembling nothing And fyrst he disputed confuting the errors of the Iewes wherewith they confounded and obscured the way of saluation being of it selfe playne and simple Next he exhorted and counselled them to yeelde vnto a truth This is the best order of teaching wherin these two thinges are necessary to be obserued fyrst that the aduersaries arguments be confuted and that by effectuall reasons they be vrged to take holde of the truth and earnestlye to followe it For as truth can haue no place as long as lyes and errors beare rule so fruitelesse and vayne shall the knowledge of truth be vnlesse men earnestly embrace hir and labour as it were to be transformed into hir Therefore Paule commaundeth the Minister of the worde not onely to teach but also to exhort rebuke and to be instant in season and out of season And Christ woulde haue those that were bidden to the wedding of the heauenly kingdome to be compelled to come in Therefore fylthye is the error of them which saye a bare and literall treatie of the Scripture is sufficient in the Church and will not suffer those things to be openly discussed in them that serue for the instruction of all parties as though our saluation stoode onely in a naked and empty contemplation of things Thirdlye Luke sheweth the matter and argument of Paules doctrine where he sayth he spake of the kingdome of God. For so are the affayres of our redemption and saluation called the administrator and executor wherof the Prophetes long since declared that the Messias shoulde be But of this Messias the Iewes had conceyued not onely false but also very carnall and grosse opinions by reason they misvnderstoode the Oracles of the Prophetes For they dreamed the kingdome of the Messias shoulde be here vppon earth and hoped to enioy a golden worlde vnder him such as had bene sometime vnder Salomon With the which error the Apostles also being beguyled promised themselues notable dignities and promotions as maye easily be gathered by their contentions And they among the Iewes also whose mindes were more of their saluation than of this earthly kingdome did rather thinke it consisted in wearishe ceremonies than in the merite of christ Therefore Paule diligently declared the veritie of the kingdome of God shewing that it was spirituall not earthly and that it consisted not in the vaine obseruation of Ceremonies but in the merite of Christ and in fayth whereby we be graffed into him This doctrine of Paule is to be had both in his Sermons which Luke hath described in this booke also in his Epistles so that there needeth no long rehearsall therof Let vs marke how the Scriptures call our redemption and saluation the kingdome of god For hereby the ende thereof is declared which is that Satan being vanquished and the worlde ouercome God might beare rule ouer vs as our king as we desire in our prayer saying Let thy kingdome come Wherefore they are false Christians that glorye in the name of Christ and yet let the Deuill rule in them who can haue no communion or fellowshippe with Iesus Christ. Neyther can they be Christians which are out of the kingdome of God bicause Christ came into the worlde for no cause but to restore his kingdome But howe can they be in the kingdome of God which suffer themselfe to be ruled by the Deuilles spirite and obey him in all thinges But bicause Christ can neuer be preached anye where so luckilye but manye reprobates shall ryse agaynst his doctrine hee declareth howe Paule dealt with them but yet so as he fyrst sheweth what they did They hardened their heartes agaynst Paules doctrine This is the propertie of the wicked the more they are vrged with the worde of God the more they harden their heartes not that Gods worde is in the fault but their owne selues For where they haue not in them the seede of the children of God they cannot knowe his voyce and worde and therefore the more mightily the holy ghost worketh to bring them to order the more fyercelye vse they to resist him Examples we haue euerywhere in Caine Pharao Saule Iudas and diuers other wherevnto woulde God we had not euerye day freshe examples ioyned After induration it followeth that they wyll neyther beleeue nor obey Therefore they cast away the worde of God as vayne and nothing pertayning vnto them Besides a woorse property than all this namely rayling and slaundering whereby they go about to bring Christes doctrine and religion in suspicion and enuy amongest the people For they follow the Deuils propertie desiring to haue many partners and fellowes of his perdition And by these steps doth impietie climbe vp vntill she be so high that she falleth into destruction What doth Paule with these persons First he departeth frō them least he should either more inflame them or giue occasion of vnprofytable contention and thys doth he according to Christs commaundement which bade vs we should not cast pearles before Dogges and Hogges and commaunded vs to shake the dust of our feete from vs against open obstinates Then next he seperated those disciples from them which had receyued the sounde doctrine doing the duetie of a faithfull shephearde whose chiefe care is that the sounde sheepe be not infected with the contagiousnesse of the diseased And yet Paule is not to be called a Schismatike for his so dooing although they bare the name of the church and people of God from whom Paule seuered his disciples Yea it is necessarie that the good should auoyde the familiaritie and companye of the vngodly bicause both they bycome heard hearted by the meanes and many times also partakers of the vngodlyes punishment See Apoc. 18. Thirdely Paule teacheth daylie in the schoole of one Tyrannus with what maner of thing it was and howe it came to be so called maketh no great matter but it is lyke it was a publike place and commodious to preache in Let vs rather consider Paules diligence which could by no vntowardnesse of the wicked be pulled from his duetie but the more he seeth them rage the more busily he holdeth on in teaching Let all that are in office eyther of the common weale or of the ministerie
Trogyllion The day following we came to Miletum For Paule had determined to saile ouer by Ephesus bicause he would not spend the time in Asia for he hasted if it were possible to keepe at Ierusalem the feaste of Pentecoste AFter that the Apostle Paule had accomplished at Ephesus all things that appertained to the establishment of the same Church theâ— went hee on with the voyage that hee had before purposed to make in the which hee visited the Churches of Macedonia and Greece and confirmed them in the true faithe Wee haue seene there notable argumentes of the Apostles faythe and diligence when as Paule lette for no laboure or daunger eyther to gette Churches or to preserue those that were gotten At length hee came to Troas where fell oute certaine peculiare things in the describing whereof Luke is very diligent And first hee setteth out an ensample of Ecclesiasticall assemblie and next a myracle that God would haue wrought in that place bothe for the commendation and setting forthe of Paules Ministerie and for diuers causes else Hee describeth this Churche assemblie with all the circumstaunces thereof very diligently And beginning with the time he saythe they came togither on a Sabboth day which day as yet was muche celebrated bicause of the auncient custome Afterward when the Church began more and more to increase the next day following the Sabothe was appoynted for Goddes seruice and in remembraunce of Christes resurrection it was called the Lordes day By this place we learne that suche dayes as God hathe appoynted for seruice or religion ought not to bee neglected of Christian menne For they are not onely needefull bicause of outwarde woorshippe but also inwarde which cheefely consisteth in the studie of Goddes woorde and in the diligent meditation of his benefites the bodie and minde for the time beeing cleane separated from all prophane matters whiche thyng was the cause that GOD commaunded the breakers of the Sabothe to bee punished with deathe And the breaking of the Saboth is accoâ—â—ted of the Prophetes amongest the moste haynous sinnes and causes of the Captiuitie of Babylon so that it was not without a cause that Nehemias thought it is duetie to see that day kept so holy when the people retourned from their captiuitie Whereunto appertaineth also the example of Christ who as he oftentimes vppon the saboth day went into the Sinagoges so he diuers times disputed diligently of the right vsing of that day to deliuer it both from superstition â–ª and also from contempte Then he sheweth also the place where this companie or assemblie mette This was a loft or chambre in the priuate house of some one of the faithfull who appointed it for the Churche or Congregation bicause the Christians for good cause abhorred the Temples of the Idolaters and they had no publike place permitted them by reason the Romane Presidentes bare rule in euery place which either were no fauourers of Christian religion or else were open enimies thereof He sayth there were diuers candles lighted in the chamber to putte away the darkenesse of the nighte and for auoyding the suspition of dishonestie Therefore it is a peeuishe erroure of them which of a foolishe imitation make that a seruice of God which in times past serued for necessitie and thinke that God which is the light euerlasting is woorshipped with candles of tallowe or waxe and for the defense of their inuention vse both this place and the example of Moses lawe For heere is plainely expressed the night time when it is needefull for candles to bee lighted And for the same cause afterwarde the Christians vsed candles in their assemblies bicause they coulde not meete togyther but in the morning before day by reason of the lying awayte of their ennimies as appeareth by the Epistles of Plinius Secundus and may be gathered oute of the Churche wryters The which cause being taken awaye it is but foolishnesse to helpe the day lighte with artificiall lightes It is euident there was a farre other meaning of the Candlesticke in Leuiticus For as all the ceremonies of that Priesthoode were figures of things that Christ shoulde perfourme and were ordained only till the time of correction so the candlesticke also was a figure of Christ which is the true and eternall lighte of the worlde and which by the ministerie of the Gospell lighteneth his Churche for the which cause the Apostles and they which are theyr true and lawful successoures are called the light of the world In the meane season wee learne that it is necessary to haue certaine places for the outwarde woorshipping and for the Congregation to meete in suche as in the olde Testament the Temple and Sinagoges were and suche as after the Apostles times when the Churche began somewhat to be at rest the Oratories that were builded were In these places all things must serue for honestie and for religion and nothing must be suffered that declareth any superstition too much riotous cost or prophane contempt Thirdly he sheweth the cause of this meeting which was as he writeth to breake bread He meaneth the holy supper of the Lorde which in times past they called breaking of bread bicause the bread was broken therein according to Christes institution bothe for that wee shoulde confesse oure selfe sinners and guiltie of the death of Christ and also for that we should vnderstand that the merite of Christ was dealt among vs and pertained indifferently vnto all beleeuers It is very worthy to be obserued howe our forefathers in the time of the Apostles vsed to order and celebrate this Supper Firste of all Paule maketh a sermon as the things following declare bicause the supper was ended after Eutychus was raised Therfore when the sermon was ended they went to the supper and that in the open sight of the assemblie in a place and time appoynted for Gods seruice and after none other fashion than was appointed by christ For that they obserued the same manner and rites in all pointes both the woorde breaking of breade and the example of Paule declareth which reuoked the Corinthians so carefully to that forme of supper that Christ ordained Thus is it euident that Christ also vsed to teach before the supper and did ordaine nothing tending more to superstition than religion Therefore let the Papistes regarde with what argumentes or examples they defend their Masse wherin there is no word of God taught al things are don in a straÌ„ge tong the people haue nothing to muse or think on but wearish and peeuish gestures and stage playes to say nothing in the meane while of the impairing of Chrystes sacrifice of the derogation of his merit and how the faith religion of Christ is ouerthrowne euen vnto the foundations But so ought they to be seduced which had leauer folow the imagination of their own braine than the institution of Christ. Moreouer the manner that Paule vsed in his preaching pertaineth to the description of the assembly of
should see him no more they would followe his example and diligently kepe the doctrine he had taught them that they would carefully watche for the sauegarde of the Churche and stoutly resist those heretickes whereof a numbre very noysome and hurtfull would follow He exhorteth them the rather by his example and vrgeth them the more earnestly bicause that as he was in his owne conscience not culpable so he communed with them to whome his credite and diligence was well knowne And in the beginning he comprehendeth brefely bothe the example of his owne life and the summe of his doctrine Concerning his liuing he sayth thus Yee knowe from the first day I came into Asia after what manner I haue beene with you at all seasons seruing the Lorde with all humblenesse of minde and with many teares and temptations which happened to mee by the laying await of the Iewes As he calleth them to witnesses so he alleageth all the time of his conuersation among them least any mighte thinke hee had counterfaited godlinesse for a small seasone as a great many vse to doe who when they haue craftily crope and gotte within men through their pretence of vertuousnesse at lengthe moste shamefully bewray their cloked naughtinesse For the wicked can not long counterfet godlinesse But bicause Paule had wholely addicted himselfe vnto Christ and to his religion therefore he alwayes obserued one tenor of conuersation and one like studie and trauaile in the Ministerie Of this studie and trauaile is it to be vnderstanded where it is sayde he serued the Lorde wherein he maketh mention of three things specially humblenesse of minde teares which the earnest desyre of all mennes saluation caused him to shed and greeuous temptations which yet could neuer plucke him from doing his office and duetie By these lette the Ministers of Churches learne what manner of men they ought to be in the Ministerie of the Churche And firste lette them laboure for Humilitie that they ascribe not to them selues impudently any Diuinitie or Godheade which is the propertie of Antichriste or contempne any persone in comparison of themselues and so arrogantly seeke rule and Lordshippe ouer their fellowe Ministers which thing Peter warneth them of in his first Epistle and fifthe Chapter For it becommeth them that will bee Christes Ministers to followe Christes ensample who as hee derogateth nothing from the glory of his Father so hee neuer disdained any persone in so muche that hee liued very familiarely with Publicanes and sinners and did witsafe to washe hys Disciples feete so leauing it to them as an Example of Humilitie teaching them that they shoulde refuse no kinde of duetifulnesse one towardes an other Unto Humilitie must bee ioyned a desire to profite all menne whiche Ministers muste seeke with all diligence yea euen with teares For hereof we haue an ensample in Christe who as Mathewe wryteth in the ninthe Chapter was moued euen from the bottome of the heart when he sawe the Iewes go astray like sheepe lacking a Shephearde And in an other place we read he wepte when hee behelde Ierusalem that vnkinde and bloudy Citie knowing that for their greeuous wickednesse and irrepentant mindes they should shortly come to destruction The like affection of Charitie we see in Moses who chose rather to bee wyped oute of the Booke of life than to see the destruction of his Countrymen Samuel the Prophete had the like in him also who hearing that God hadde forsaken Saule tooke suche a care of heart therefore that he ceased not mourning till God reprehended him for it 1. Sam. 15. and â–ª 16. And that Paule proudely bragged not of this affection bothe his faithfull and continuall diligence to sette foorthe the publike saluation proueth and also this that for the Iewes sake which were hys mortall ennemyes hee wished to be accursed And surely as many as well vnderstande the reason of their Ministerie cannot wante thys affection for where they heare that menne are borne againe by their Ministerie they take them for theyr Children whome they bryng vnto GOD and they vse to embrace them with a Fatherly affection which if any man wante doubtlesse hee aboundantly declareth that hee vnderstandeth not the dignitie of hys Ministerie But there muste bee also ioyned heereunto a thirde thing that they fall not in the time of temptation or being ouercomen with feare forsake not their Churches when persecution ariseth For Christ saithe that this is the propretie of hirelings Yea lette them thincke that their Faithe and constancie is then cheefely required when they see bothe them selues and their sheepe most of all tempted And if a manne woulde compare those that nowe a dayes will bee called Successoures of the Apostles wyth this Example of Paule it shall easely appeare howe little or nothyng of Paules heart and minde is in them bicause in pride they exceede all barbarous Princes they fill the world full of warres they haue no pitie of the sheepe that goe astray but are only careful how to prouide for them and theirs with the common losse and detriment of other men But lette vs retourne vnto Paule who rendering an accompte of hys Doctrine setteth out a perfecte patterne of the same not onely to the Ephesians and those of Asia but to all Ministers for all tymes and all places And fyrste he sayth he didde all things among them of good purpose and intente I kepte backe nothyng that was profitable vnto you but shewed you it c. The sense is that hee kepte from them nothyng that was necessarie for them to knowe The same is required of all Ministers to teache the doctrine of saluation perfectly and to keepe backe nothyng for the worldes pleasure Yea the more the worlde rageth the more muste the trumpe of the worde sounde that they suffer not the truthe to bee oppressed and ouercome with the fury of the worlde Heere is reproued the errour of them whych thinke it good to yeelde somewhat to the enimyes of truthe that they bee not the more incensed by playnenesse of teaching as thoughe they became not the fiercer throughe the slothe of Ministers whyle they thynke men feare them and the Ministers distruste their grounde and quarell It is heere chiefly to bee noted that the Apostles teache all thinges fully and perfectly that concerne the saluation of man so that there needeth no additions or patches to supply or make vp their doctrine For it is euident that Chryst concealeth nothing from them prouing by this argument that he tooke them for his friendes bycause he reuealed all thinges vnto them that he receyued of his father He promised them his spirite to prompt them and put them in remembraunce of all things which we haue seene before they receyued Therefore the doctrine of the Apostles is full and perfecte whereby they taughte Iesus Chryste onely vnto the Churche as their Epistles and Sermons aboundantly declare Therefore they do great iniurie
of God it teacheth vs that we be reconciled to God the father through his sonne Iesus Chryste Hereby it appeareth what great vngodlynesse theirs is which wickedly disdaine and contemne the Gospell They be like vnto sedicious people which thinke it not inough to moue and stirre sedition agaynst the Magistrates but wil also scornfully deride the grace which is offred them of the Magistrates and fowly intreate the messangers sent vnto them with the same For it is euident that all we are gyltie of sedition against God haue deserued destruction But God pardoneth al our oâ—fences for the merite of his sonne and declareth that grace and fauor to vs by his Gospell Whiche whosoeuer refuse verily they declare themselues to be vtterly inexcusable and vnworthy of pardon hereafter Again speaking of the ministery he vseth this word testifying wherby we haue oftentimes declared is vnderstanded a playn free earnest kinde of preaching For the Gospell is not a bare and simple narration of a thing done but a testimonie of Iesus Chryst. And Chryste him selfe calleth his Apostles witnesses They earnestly therefore preached Chryst yea they testified not onely in words and deedes but also by their lyfe and bloud that Chryst was the sauiour of the worlde for the which cause they are commonly called Martyrs That we say the Apostles did the same muste all christians do likewise For Christ wil haue vs to confesse him before this worlde and acknowledgeth none for his seruants which are ashamed of him his gospell before this adulterous naughty generation But concerâ—ing Paule bicause he would haue his exhortation to haue the more authoritie with theÌ„ he repeateth in a short recapitulation to what ende he spake those things which he had heretofore said he maketh meÌ„tion again of his departure not that only but also he plainly testifieth that they shall see him no more hereafter saying And now behold I am sure that hencefoorth al you through whoÌ„ I haue gone preaching the kingdom of God shal see my face no more Here he doth as pareÌ„ts vse to do being redy to depart this life which in their admonitioÌ„s ofteÌ„times vse the like therby meaning to leaue the sharper stings in the harts of their childreÌ„ Paules intent purpose is worthy of al praise diligeÌ„t obseruation whose maruelous bold constaÌ„ce appereth in these few words For althogh he knoweth that this is the last meting he shold haue with theÌ„ therfore loketh for nothing but death yet he doth not with womanly weping bewaile his departure nor vttreth any tokeÌ„ of sadnes or priuat sorow but is only carefull for the welth of their churches only desireth theÌ„ to be careful for the same Which example teacheth vs what minds we should haue in the consideration of death or else when death approcheth is at hand We must in such case beware of this womaÌ„nish pulinesse wherwith many so bewaile their state condition as though God had apointed theÌ„ only to dye are with such sorow care pulled froÌ„ their kinsfolke friends as though there remained none in the world through whose care prouideÌ„ce they might liue in safetie wheÌ„ they were gone Howbeit they ought rather to remeÌ„ber that this is the way of al flesh as Iosua Dauid testifie What iniurie then receyue we if we do but as al others do As touching our freÌ„ds wiues children neither do we lose them by death but either we send theÌ„ afore beeing our selues shortly after redy to folow or els we go before theÌ„ to that place whither they must folow where Christ hath prepared vs a countrey where the faithful of al natioÌ„s shal sit with Abraham Isaac Iacob And the tutor patrone of those we leaue behind vs is God whoÌ„ the scriptures call the defender of the straÌ„gers and widows the father of the fatherlesse Therfore they must be coÌ„mitted to his charge we must takewith stedfast faith that way which leadeth to heueÌ„ through the merite of Chryst. Last of all Paule vseth a most weighty protestatioÌ„ wherin he layeth the fault of their perdition on their owne heads if they neglect the Churches committed to their charge and suffer them to stray from the fayth I take you sayth he to recorde this day that I am pure from the bloud of all men The reason is for that I haue spared no labour but haue shewed you al the councell of God. Undoutedly he had a respect vnto the words of God red in Eze. 3. .33 Where the bloud of those that perish is imputed to the minister if he do not expresly giue them warning but him self is free froÌ„ al fault if he do his duetie faithfully And bycause Paule so did as one not culpable in his owne conscience thus he speaketh Also he seemeth to follow the example of singular men such as Moses Iosua were who we read vsed not much vnlike protestations a little before their death Paules example teacheth vs that they are excused before God which do their dutie although they little or nothing preuayle among the people committed to their charge For they are gyltie of destruction that continue in incurablenesse And this doctrine is not to be applied onely to the Ministers but also vnto all degrees of men And that it ought to haue place in the Magistrates the example of Iosias declareth whome the holy Ghoste maruellously commendeth although he had many in his kingdome yea in his Courte that were not very sounde and many playne incurable and wicked as the Sermons of Sophonias the Prophete testifie The lyke reason is to be made of Parents For oftentimes it commeth to passe that godly fathers haue children that go out of kinde and yet the childrens wickednesse is not preiudiciall to the fathers if they fayle not of their duetie in seeing to their children Wee haue ensamples in the sonnes of Iacob the Patriarche of Dauid and of diuers like But if Magistrates and parents forget their duetie and with ouermuche tendernesse or euill example infect those that are committed to their charge then the seueritie of Gods iudgement will fall vpon them as we see in the Scripture by the example of Heli. Heere haste thou what to aunswere to suche that thinke it good to cease where no hope of profyte is This is nowe obiected both agaynst Magistrates and Ministers and with this argument the sluggish vse to flatter themselues But do thou thinke that thy soule is also in danger which thou canst deliuer none other wayes than by faythful diligence and if thou deliuer hir then thinke not that thou haste laboured in vayne It appereth also by this place what a miserable condition they are in who where their predecessors haue wel discharged their duetie before they eyther like sluggardes giue ouer or else with their naughtinesse corrupte that that other before them haue well ordered For they are altogither gyltie
vnder foote it is impossible for common weales long to endure Moreouer the example of the Captaine teacheth vs what remaineth for them which to get the good will of men vse to giue hastie iudgement Uerily euen feare shameful trembling and a foule confusion of all things Therefore whosoeuer beare office let them be mindfull of these things and administer iudgement with deliberation and aduise And let the godly comfort themselues in that they see wicked persecutors may be so easily feared with the power of Christ to whome be praise honor power and glory for euer Amen The .xxiij. Chapiter vpon the Actes of the Apostles The Cxlvij Homelie PAule behelde the Counsell and sayde Men and brethren I haue liued in all good conscience before God vntill this day And the high priest Ananias commaunded them that stoode by to smite him on the mouthe Then sayd Paule vnto him God shall smite thee thou painted wall Sittest thou and iudgest me after the Lawe and commaundest me to be smitten contrarie to the Lawe And they that stoode by sayd reuilest thou Gods high priest I wist not brethren that he was the high priest For it is wrytten thou shalt not cursse the ruler of thy people AS Christ oure Sauiour appointed Paule to be a chosen and called vessell for him selfe so by his Example he teacheth vs al what fauor his faithfull are like to finde in this worlde and what their duetie is in suffering aduersitie For assoone as Paule had once professed Christ hee founde them his greeuousest ennimies for whose saluation hee was continually banished Uerily euen the Iewes for whose sake hee wished to be accursed And their rage burst out so farre that they inflamed against him the Romane Captaines whome otherwise they hated worse than a tode This is the state that all the godly are in to proue their familiars and entierest acquaintaunce most ennimies vnto them whose hatred many times so burneth that they are not ashamed to aske helpe of forreine ennimies against their Christian brethren But Paules constant and fearlesse courage defendes himselfe and his cause against all the assaultes of his aduersaries with the only word and commaundemeÌ„t of God whose Example it is fitte that we also folowe â–ª when like aduersitie vrgeth vs. Furthermore this is châ—eâ—ely 〈◊〉 be maruelled at 〈…〉 â—onsolation that in all this ad◠〈◊〉 businesse Paul 〈◊〉 more 〈…〉 the captain being but an heathen a man of warre than in the 〈…〉 of hi◠〈…〉 which claimed vnto the 〈◊〉 the fame of al godlinesse 〈…〉 For the captain forbiddeth them to vse any violence and â—â—liuereth Paul being in hazard of his life out of their furious hands Again he permitteth him to alleage the lawe for him selfe and to enioy the 〈…〉 maine priuiledges At lengthe when perceiued that this matter cheefely concerned religion thinking it belonged no longer to his hearing and determination he 〈…〉 in the profession thereof For assembling 〈…〉 and Sâ—â—iues hee being â— Paulâ— out vnto them to haue his 〈…〉 tried and examined by lawe â–ª And this was prudenâ—ly done and not vniustly in as much as he was an Ethâ—icke but as we saide yesterday he is he 〈◊〉 bicause he hath a 〈◊〉 hope in the holinesse of the counsel than â—t deâ—â—â—ueth This thing the sequele folowing aboundantly declareth which sheweth howe these Priestes ioyned all kinde of impudent aâ—daâ—iâ—â—e and hipocrisâ—e togither But let vs examine euery 〈…〉 in order Lukâ— beginning with Paule teacheth howe hee behaued himselfe in the Counsell And first noting his countenance and gesture of body 〈…〉 he behelde all the beâ—che earnestly This was an argument of aâ—â—resent and constante minde wherewith it behoueth them cheefely to be armed â–ª which defend the quarell of truthe least being ouercome with feare they falsely forsake the same and incourage the wicked eâ—â—imies of Christe which commonly take heart and boldnesse vnto them of the cowardlyneâ—se of the godly In the meane season heere appeareth the veritie of Christes promisses Hee promiseth his spirite for an Adâ—ocate to those that be his which shall both comfort them and â—eache them if at any time they bee compelled to giue an accoumpte of their faithe beâ—fore any Magistrate or Counsell Therefore beeing mindefull of his promisse hee forsaketh not his Apostle in so greate and daungerous an enterprise but armeth him with inuincible courage of minde But for as muche as these promisses are generall it beehoueth vs also to take comfort of the same Then Paule beginneth his Oration and boldly pronounceth of his innocencie I sayth he haue liued in all good conscience before God vnâ—â—ll this day Which woordes are not so to be vnderstanded as though he gâ—oried that hee were cleare of all sinne and able to stande vppon his owne righteousnesse before the iudgement seate of God but hee respecteth the present matter for hys aduersaries â—â—â—used hym of hys shamefull falling from auncient Religion of impietie againste God and that like a publike ennemie hee had wickedly violated the Lawe and the Temple â–ª and all the Leuiticall seruice and had gone aboute to bring the vncleane Gentiles into the societie of Goddes people Therefore bicause none shoulde bee preuented with these wrongfull suspiâ—ions and denie hym their hearing hee cleareth him selfe in the beginning of any fault herein committed saying Hee hathe doone all things of a good conscience as touching the Office of hys Apostleshippe in so much that he was â—ble to call GOD to witnesse of hys integritie and vpryghtnesse Otherwise he confesseth him selfe euery where to be a sinner and to haue neede of Christes merite and fauoure So many times holy men in their priuate matters â–ª vse to alleage their innocencie against suche as slaunder them which notwithstanding in the sight of God humbly coÌ„fesseth them selues to be vncleane sinners wherof we haue examples in Moses Dauid and infinite others This beginning of Paules oration teacheth vs that in matters of religion we muste cheefely haue regarde vnto our conscience that nothing be done through craft or dissimulation For where we haue heerein to doe with God which searcheth the heartes and raines there is no place for subtiltie and craftie conueyance And it shall be lawfull for vs to reioyce in the integritie of our conscience if we order our religion according to the worde of God and walke diligently in his calling and not after our owne deuise and pleasure Which thing if we endeuor to doe God will mercifully pardon those daily slips of life which we coÌ„mit through the infirmitie of the fleshe bicause we turne vnto Christ and daily repent vs in him Moreouer when Paule had begoon his Oration Ananias which was president of the Counsel commaunded to smite him on the mouth either for that he begon to declare his matter before he was demaunded or else for that by so bolde a defending of his innocencie he seemed to accuse them of vnrighteousnesse and iniquitie or else for that he left out those
bee prayse honoure power and glory for euer Amen The .xxviij. Chapter vpon the Actes of the Apostles The Clxxj. Homelie ANd when they were escaped they knew that the Isle was called Milete and the straungers shewed vs no little kindnesse for they kindled a fire and receyued vs euery one bicause of the present rayne and of the colde And when Paule had gathered a bundle of stickes and layde them on the fire there came a Viper out of the heat and caught him by the hand When the straungers saw the beast hang on his hande they sayde among them selues No doubt this man is a Murtherer whom though he haue escaped the Sea yet vengeaunce suffereth not to lyue And he shooke off the Viper into the fire and felt no harme Howbeit they wayted wheÌ„ he should haue swollen or fallen downe deade sodenly But after they had looked a great while and sawe no harme came to him they chaunged their mynde and sayde that he was a God. IT hath bene declared hitherto howe God had a care of Paule and hys Companions as he promysed him in the middest of the daungers and tempestes of the sea It foloweth how he deliuered them afterwarde froÌ„ drowning and howe he ministred an occasion to Paule to preach the Gospell firste to those of Melite and then vnto the Romanes Whereby we are taught that Gods works are perfit and though we be tryed euery day with new daungers that yet we must not cast away al hope but looke euery day for newe benefites at Gods handes which vseth to temper aduersitie with prosperitie and to rayse vp discouraged mindes with effectuous consolation It shall be profitable to consider euery thing in the order wherin it is described First Luke declared into what Iland they were cast alande how they of the Iland receiued them The Iland was Melite which now a days is called Malta the place where the knightes of S. Iohns order haue their residence lying betweene Sicilia and Aphica Luke commendeth the singular humanitie of the people of Malta â–ª which receiued them shewed them al kind of plesure according as the time place required Thus herâ— is set forth a notable example of loue hospitalitie for vs to folow For without doubt these wrackwights were vnknowen vnto the people of Malta and there was no hope of recompence to be loked for at their hands whoÌ„ they sawe spoyled of all their goodes Yet bycause thâ—y see they 〈…〉 â—yâ—erie and haue neede of their helpe they shewe them this â—â—rtesie And this is that thing that Chryste teacheth vs in the Parable of the Samaritane Thus it behoueth vs all to do without any respect of persons or hope of rewarde to come to be louing and charitable vnto those whom God sâ—ndeth vnto vs to be succoured and helped And chiefly we musâ— râ—member to be harberous vnto straungers both for that they haue neede of mâ—ny things and also for that the Apostle witnesseth that suche doing hath â—eâ— to the great commoditie of many who sometimes haue receyued â–ª Angels into their houses in likenesse of men But this is a farre more excellent and profitable thing that they which vouchsafe to take straungers into theiâ— houses make much of Chryst and receiue him in them And surely God vseth to recompence suche curtesie and benefites with temporall rewardes also For when the Sodomites were ouercome in battell by their enimies and carried away as a bootie and pray they were deliuered agayne by Abraham for Lot his sake And not long after we shall heare how the people of Malta were by this occasion illuminated and lightned with the doctrine of the Gospel bicause they so curteously intertayned these shipwracked persons I will now say nothing of our Predecessours who by reason of their hospitalitie in Heluetia did purchase themselues singular prayse with all Nations whose steppes if we follow we shall also get vnto our selues no small vtilitie and commendation Here also let them seeke comfort which suffer banishment for religions sake For he that was able to get vnto Paule and the other wrackwights the good wils of the men of Malta the same is able also to get vs fâ—â—ends in euery place bicause he hath the hartes oâ— alâ— men in his hande and all the worlde obeyeth his commaundement Therfore thâ—â— promise of Chryste which hath promised a tennefolde rewarde to those which haue forsaken either house either brethren and sisters either landes either friends for his sake and the Gospels shall euery where be fulfilled But God would not haue Paule long to be vnknowen among the people of Malta but strayghtway renowmed him with a singular miracle wherby he confirmed his Apostleship and offred him a notable occasion of preaching It shall be good to conâ—â—der â—ueâ—y circumstaunce hereof Amongest the which Paule first as it is written â–ª gathered dry stickes togither And here let vs consider how Paule is busied inâ—eruâ—â—e occupations who being wâ—â—ried with his bondes and with the late daunger of tempest and shipwracke had yet occasion inough to haue taken his ease and reste But he wel knew that inpublike 〈…〉 to seeke his owne quietnesse but that all men one with an other 〈◊〉 bound as much as in them lyeth one to helpe an other Therefore by his example the lâ—â—y â—â—bbers of Pâ—nâ—lope are reproued who beâ—ing profitable neither for them selues 〈◊〉 for others seeke to 〈…〉 of other mens laâ—ours Which though they glâ—ry in the 〈◊〉 and progeny of Paule yet show they so little of Paule◠〈…〉 doctâ—â—ne or in their 〈…〉 it is 〈◊〉 howe they can abide 〈…〉 whom they 〈◊〉 so 〈…〉 â—â—per which bâ— all 〈…〉 Paule 〈◊〉 by the hande This verily was a straunge and sodayne hazarde of life wherewith both Paule mighte greatly haue bene put in feare and also gaue occasioÌ„ to the people of Malta to haue a very euil opinion of him For streight wayes they iudge he was some manqueller or murtherer whom the vengeance of God dyd persecute and whom he purposed to punish with some straunge and rare example although he escaped out of shipwracke For the Gentiles fayne that the goddesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we cal Vltione or vengeance is assistaunt with Iupiter punisheth men for their offences being taught euen by the law and lore of nature that God vseth to punishe sinnes And where murther hath bene counted euen from the beginning of the worlde the moste haynous sinne of all others they accused Paule of murther rather than of any other coÌ„mon sinne on whom they thought was shewed so rare and straunge an example Let christian men here be ashamed of their crueltie which followe and frequent warres for wages sake and thinke it a commendable thing to shed innocent bloud wheras we haue beside the lawe of nature the oracles of God which teach vs that as many as hired with money shed bloud and affirme that landes polluted with murther can be purged none
not declare ending in this place his hystorie according to the instincte of the holy spirite which would not haue the Church ouercharged with too many writings or bokes and therfore he hath writen onely those things which may suffise for the instruction of our fayth and life Howebeit out of Paules owne Epistles may some coniectures be taken wherby it is declared what he afterwarde did For in his seconde Epistle to Timothe and fourth Chapter he expresseth playnly that he pleated his cause before the Emperour saying he was deliuered through the benefite of God when he was redy to be offred And writing to the Philippians among other things he sayth I hope shortely to sende Timotheus vnto you assone as I shall see howe my matters will go and I truste in the Lorde that I my selfe also shall shortly come And writing to Philemon the Colossian he sayth Moreouer prepare me a place to lodge in for I trust that through the helpe of your prayers I shall be giuen vnto you Agayne in the .xiij. to the Hebrues he sayth Pray for vs and this I desire you the more instantly to do that I may the soner be restored vnto you Knowe yee that brother Timothe is deliuered with whome if he come shortly I will see you Yet before he was led prisoner to Rome he was minded to go into Spayne as the Epistle to the Romanes in the .xv. Chapter declareth Of the which thinges men gather not altogither without a cause that he was set at libertie and so returned through Grece and Asia the lesseâ— into Syria and when he had saluted the Easte Churches wente through Italie and Fraunce into Spayne Thus according to the opinion of these men he preached the Gospell ten yeres after he was set at libertie and at length beeing called backe to Rome agayne in the laste yere of Nero loste his heade and receiued the crowne of Martyrdome when he had preached Chryste vnto the moste parte of the worlde seuen and thirtie yeres long togither But bycause our saluation dependeth not on suche poyntes as these I will not contende herein ouer muche with any man And â—e thinketh they deserue not very much of Christian fayth and Religion which laboure in searching foorth those thinges which the holy Scriptures haue passed ouer in silence â–ª For in so doing bothe the Scriptures are more negligently handled and the supersticious haue occasion giuen them to be occupied in doubtfull and vnprofitable questions neglecting the doctrine of the Apostles and so being bewitched with fables do greeuously â—ire in matteâ—s of faith and saluation â–ª And surely as God would haue Moses sepulchre or buriall place in times paste vnknowen and the holy Ghost hath left fewe things in memorie in the olde Testament touching the martyrdomes of the Prophetes so in this present Treatise Luke hath described thâ—â—â—de but of two persons onely namely of Stephen and 〈◊〉 the Apostle beeing contented to say this onely of the residue that they moste constantly preached and confessed Chryst in all kindes of aduersitie â—o commending vnto vs the studie of the Apostles doctrine which maketh men followers of the Apostles and partakers with them of the heauenly inheritaunce Wherefore wee also in this place muste principally obserue and followe â–ª that feruent and continuall trauayle of Paule in setting foorth the glory of Chryste And wee muste not bee offended at his â—â—de â–ª For hereby Chryste maketh those that worshippe him lyke vnto him selfe in this worlde to the ende that hereafter they may bee partakers with him in heauen of his glory and kingdome Hitherto we haue expounded this booke according to the grace of God giuen vnto vs We haue seene therin the forme fayth and doctryne of the primatiue Church which we also must keepe and obserue in these dayes if we will be coumpted to be of Christe his Churche For we must giue no eare vnto those which say that many things are necessarily required about religion and the way of saluation that the primatiue Churche lacked Whose rashnesse or rather impudencie I know not whether a man may more maruell at For heerein they accuse the Apostles either of negligence or of vntrustnesse and feare not to prefer themselues before those whose examples the holy Ghost hathe set forthe to all men that will be counted the members of Christ and attaine to saluation in him to folowe And who will thinke that they which continued whole eight and twentie yeeres in the faithe and religion taughte by the Apostles lacked any of those things without the which saluation could not be obtained But if they were saued without those things which certaine bolde superstitious persons afterwardes brought in who will then deny vs saluation which folowe their steppes No man I thinke but hee that is led with the madnesse and frensie of the Manichees will accuse all this boke of falshode We haue seene also the state that the church is in in this world being molested with continuall tribulations whiles bothe open ennimies and false brethren vexe and disquiet the same Wee haue seene the vnworthy case that the Ministers are in and howe slenderly the world requiteth them Wee haue seene also the mighty hand and power of Iesus Christe whereby he faithfully defendeth his Churche in the middest of the waues of persecutions and by the crosse of his seruauntes moste gloriously triumpheth ouer the world and Prince therof Let vs therfore diligently vse these things to the instruction and confirmation of oure faithe that being strong in the same and ouercomming al dangers according to the example of the Apostles and primatiue Churche we may come to the inheritaunce of the kingdome of heauen prepared for vs from euerlasting â–ª 〈◊〉 Iesus Christe our King and Priest To whome be prayse honoure power and glorye for euer Amen FINIS I fought be said amisse remember man it spake If well do thou alone O Christ the glory take Deut. 6. Psal. 78. Math. 23. Math. 15. They began in the dayes of Ioannes Hircanus high Bishop of the Iewes about an hundred and thirtie yeares before Christ was borne Prou. 21. Galat. 1. Actes 20. Math. 15. Math. 15. 1. Cor. 7. Math. 16. Actes 17. 1. Thes. 12. Math. 11. Luc. 10. Psal. 119. Psal. 148. Psal. 47. Psal. 8. Math. 21. Math. 22. Marc. 12. Luc. 20. Iohn 5. Rom. 15. 1. Tim. 2. Actes 10. Rom. 2. Math. 5. Mar. 4. Luc. 8. Math. 19. Math. 11.13 Marc. 4. Esay 58. Psal. 150. Numer 11. Marc. 10. Psal. 32. Math. 2. Luc. 2. Math. 14.15 Luc. 5. Math. 9.20 Math. 8. Luc. 5. Math. 21. Mar. 12. Luc. 20. Math. 26. Marc. 14. Luc. 22. Iohn 18. Math. 27. Iohn 6. Colos. 3. ix. Homely vpon the Epistle to the Colossians In his Apologie toward the ende Matth. 7. Luc. 12. Rom. 11. Math. 5. Iohn 10. Psal. 110. Psal. 2. 1. Iohn 4. Apolog. 2. Tim. 2. Math. 24. Marc. 13. The commeÌ„dation of the holy History or Scripture The commeÌ„datioÌ„ and argument of
things which can not be attayned too nor perceyued by mans reason it becommeth vs with Paule to marueyle with godly confession of our ignorance and to crie out O the depth of the riches and of the wisedome of God how vnsearchable be his iudgementes and his wayes vnfindeable for who hath knowne the minde of the Lorde or who hath bene a counsell with him or who hath first giuen to him and it shall be giuen to him againe For of him and by him and in him c. Nowe let vs see the other part of Christes aunswere wherein he repeateth such thinges of his kingdome as serue for this present purpose Hee so handleth this matter as I sayde before that he both marueylously comforteth the Disciples and admonisheth them of their dutie For he sayth You shall receyue power when the holy ghost shall come vpon you and you shall be witnesses to me not only in Hierusalem but in all Iurie and Samarie and vnto the worldes ende First he repeateth the promyse of the holy ghost wherwith he comforteth the Disciples and describeth the state of his kingdome I woulde not sayth he haue you abashed where you heare you are appointed to the setting forth of my kingdome among the Gentyles For this thing will not bee compassed by mans strength which I perceyue in you to be very small and little regarded Here needeth heauenlye and diuine strength from aboue which I haue often promised you shal not want and now againe I promise you the same For the holy ghost shall come vpon you which shall giue you courage and strength that shall make you able to fulfill your office We are here admonished that Christes kingdome as hee confessed before Pylate is not of this worlde or earthly but spirituall neyther consisteth in the power honour glory triumphes riches and pleasures of this world but in righteousnesse peace and ioy in the holye ghost Wherevpon we gather further that it is not set foorth and defended with carnall weapons and strength of Princes of this worlde but with preaching of the worde wherwith the spirite of God worketh effectuously in the harts of men This teacheth the wordes of Paule where he sayth Though we walke in the fleshe yet warre we not after the flesh For the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty in God to cast downe strong holdes wherewith we ouerthrowe counsayles and euery high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God bring into captiuity all imagination to the obedience of Christ. c. Therfore they labour in vaine which go about by mans counsell leagues fight fauour and amitie of Princes and such lyke meanes to set vp the kingdome of god For Christes kingdome is in the mindes of men which by no mans strength can be forced but with the power and operation of the holye ghost It becommeth both Kings and Princes to be the nurses and maintayners of the Church as Esay sayth but they shall neuer with outwarde power and strength set forth the kingdome of christ And the examples of all ages plainely teach vs that whatsoeuer man went about by his counsell and strength that way to bring it to passe neuer happily succeeded Moreouer he expressely teacheth what the Apostles haue to doe in their office in this kingdome You shall be my witnesses sayth hee This shall bee your kingdome your office your dignitie to beare witnesse of my doctrine life myracles passion death buriall resurrection from death and ascention into heauen and briefly of all the things which I haue done and suffred for mans saluation Neyther shall you expounde the hystorie of things by mee done onelye but declare the ende and vse of them that all nations maye acknowledge mee their onelye teacher sauiour and redeemer Christ thought good in this place to vse this worde witnesse as also in Iohn the .xv. to admonish as well the Apostles as the hearers of their dutie For the Apostles and their successors learne by the dutie of a witnesse how to preache the Gospell of Iesus christ In a witnesse the looue of truth is chiefly required and a lying witnesse God hateth Againe it is the part of a witnesse to speake nothing but that he knoweth which he hath so certainly seene and heard that he doubteth nothing of the truth of them Further he must haue no corrupt affections least of hatred feare or fauour he put to hyde or conceale any thing but plainly confesse the thing he knoweth Such witnesses we reade that the Apostles were For whatsoeuer they heard Christ teach or sawe him doe they truely preached it neyther feared they the threates of their enimies as appeareth in all hystories Neyther confirmed they their witnesse of Christ with words onely but with their life with death and with their bloud It becommeth the Ministers of the worde to imitate their truth and constancy who if for fauour of man or feare of daunger they chaunge or at least dissemble any thing in the quarrell of Christ they pollute themselues with an horrible crime and are in daunger of Christes sentence Whosoeuer is ashamed of me in this naughty and adulterous world him will I also be ashamed of when I come wirh the holy angels in the glory of my father Againe the hearers of the Apostles and Apostolicall doctrine are here admonished what an heynous offence it is not to beleeue the holye gospell or to gainesay it For it is not a simple preaching of Christ or an hystoricall and bare narration but a testimonie which the Apostles as sworne witnesses brought into the worlde by the very sonne of God gaue not only before the common people but also before the Bishoppes and Priestes Kinges and their Counsell But he that in the lawe giueth no credite to sworne witnesses and openly denieth their testimony bringeth himselfe in daunger of lyfe What shall we saye then of those â–ª which feare not to speake against the Apostles being Christes witnesses For they accuse not only the Apostles of lying but also Christ himselfe as much as in them lyeth yea they woulde cause God the father to be suspected as though he would bring forth false witnesses and obtaine his sonnes cause with suborned witnesses This sawe that beloued Disciple of Christ when he sayth If we receyue the witnesse of men the witnesse of God is greater For this is the witnesse of God which he bare of his sonne He that beleeueth the sonne of God hath the witnesse in himselfe He that beleeueth not God maketh him a lyer bicause hee beleeueth not the witnesse that God beareth of his sonne c. These things if we consider brethren we shall finde the chiefe cause of the euils of these daies For where we take it for a ieast and pastime to call in question and doubt the things written by the Apostles of Iesus Christ yea many wickedly deny them and persecute that testimony of Iesus Christ with fire and sworde
it can not be but God must be angry with the world and therfore it floweth with all kinde of euill For Iohn the Baptist sayth The father loueth the sonne and hath giuen all things into his handes Hee that beleeueth the sonne hath lyfe euerlasting He that beleeueth not the sonne shall not see lyfe but the wrath of God remayneth vpon him Last of all Christ describeth the boundes of his kingdome which they thought extended not beyond Iurie For where he sayth the Apostles should be his witnesses to th ende of the worlde he plainely declareth that his kingdome stretcheth to all nations of the worlde He manifestly and by name rehearseth certaine places that not without a cause For where the Citie of Hierusalem by reason of their great and horrible offence committed agaynst the sonne of God seemed vnworthy the wholesome testimonye of the grace of the Gospell it behooued to name hir also that they might knowe how the beginning of preaching the Gospell should be there where iniquitie most abounded Againe where the Iewes of an olde and ingenerate hatred could not brooke the Samaritanes therfore he maketh expresse mention of Samaria least the Apostles folowing the common opinion of the Iewes should think they ought not to come at them Now how needefull it was to comprehend all other Nations within the boundes of Christes kingdome the example of Peter sufficiently prooueth who when the countrie of Samaria had receiued Christ abstayned from companying with other Nations vntill hee was instructed by a vision from heauen Howbeit Christ appointeth none other limits of his kingdome in this place than the holye ghost long before had described by the Prophetes For it is knowne what is contayned in the Psalmes whereof I made mention before Moreouer Zacharie speaking of Christ in the ninth Chapter His kingdome shall reach from sea to sea and from the riuer vnto the worldes ende But that saying is most euident of all other that Esay hath in the .xlix. Chapter It is but a small thing that thou art my seruant to set vp the kinredes of Iacob and to restore the destruction of Israel for I haue made thee the light of the Gentyles that thou mayst be my helth vnto the ende of the worlde There are diuers other testimonies as is to be seene euerye where of them that reade the Prophetes This is full of all comfort that we see Iesus Christ is the common Sauiour of all Nations in whome as Paule and Peter sayth there is neyther Iewe nor Gentyle Barbarous nor Scythian bonde nor free man nor woman but in euery nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him They also are here admonished of their office and dutie whom Christ hath appointed to be Preachers of the Gospell that they seeke not the saluation of one nation onely but that as much as in them is they sowe the knowledge of Christ Iesu and of saluation as well by teaching as writing as we reade the Apostles did thorowout the whole worlde And it belongeth to all men to imbrace Christes goodnesse which so liberally offreth vnto al the saluation purchased by his bloud Let vs receiue therfore with thankfull mindes this kingdome of saluation that hereafter we maye reigne with Christ in heauen to whom be blessing honour glory and power for euer Amen The fift Homelie AND when he had spoken these things whyle they behelde he was taken vp on high and a Clowde receyued him vp out of their sightes And whyle they looked stedfastly vp towarde heauen as he went beholde two men stoode by them in white apparell which also sayd ye men of Galiley why stand you gasing vp into heauen This same Iesus which is taken vp from you into heauen shall so come euen as you haue seene him go into heauen BIcause LVKE mooued by the holy ghost purposeth to intreat of the Actes of the Apostles he beginneth very aptly to tell of those things which our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ now being readye to leaue the earth did with the Apostles For thereby it may euidently be gathered that the Apostles did nothing of their priuate authoritie or vnaduisedly but that they were executors of the things enioyned them by Christ and therfore their doctrine was not to be taken for mans doctrine but to be acknowledged and receyued as Christes Nowe at length followeth Christes departure from earth into heauen which Luke describeth with great diligence and wee ought to consider the same with as much earnestnesse bicause in the description therof two notable articles of our Christian faith are comprehended in the which the chiefe hope of all Christians is grounded That is to say Christes ascention into heauen and his returne which shall be in the ende of the worlde when he shall come in the clowdes to iudge both the quicke and the deade It shall behooue vs to consider euery thing in such order as Luke describeth it In this place he briefly dispatcheth the hystory of Christes ascention For when hee had thus sayde sayth he he was taken vp on high they looking on and a clowde receyued him out of their sight The cause of this breuitie maye seeme to be both for that afterwarde he reporteth the sayinges of the Aungels which more expressely declare all the matter and also for that himself about the ende of his Gospell had more at large set forth the same For there he sayth Iesus ledde his Disciples forth into Bethany and lyfting vp his handes on high he blessed them And it chaunced that as hee blessed them hee was taken from them and caried into heauen To the which let vs ioyne the things that are written in this wise The Lord after he had talked with them was taken vp into heauen is set downe on the right hand of God. The summe of all is that Iesus Christ which hytherto liued on the earth hath taken his body out of this worlde and hath placed it on the right hande of God his father according to the saying of Dauid The Lorde sayde vnto my Lorde sit thou on my right hande vntill I make thyne enimies thy footestoole Although such is the playnesse of this Hystorie that it is put euen in the same wordes almost in the articles of our Christian faith or Apostles Creede wherein our forefathers would all things should be so plaine that it shoulde be perceyued and vnderstanded of verye children yet let vs discusse diligently euery circumstaunce thereof for their sakes which in these dayes dare extenuate the same while of his ascention they make but a disparition or vanishing out of sight and leaue vs nothing but a vaine and bare fantasie or imagination therof which men are gone so farre that they appoint a locall and substantiall presence of Christes body in the breade of the Lorde But being led and bewitched with the desire of contention they marke not how they leaue him no place in