my people 11 And they shall not teache euery man his neyghbour and euery man hys brother saying Knowe the Lord for they shall al know mee from the least to the greatest of them 12 For I wyll bee mercyfull to their vnryghteousnesse and I wyll no more remember their sinnes and their iniquities Beholde this is the newe Testament this is the seconde Couenant of mercy not written in Tables of stone as the first Couenant of iustice was but in the fleshely Tables of our hartes by the spirite of god Of this Couenant Sara was a lyuely fygure when shee brought forth Isaac not by course of nature or Carnall deuyse as Ismael was begotten but by the power of GOD accordyng to hys promyse For by the doctrine of this couenant the children of God are borne vnto libertie through faith For to those that receiue Iesus Christ he giueth this dignitie that they should be the sonnes of God euē to those that beleeue in his name which are not borne of blood nor of the will of the fleshe nor of the will of man but of god And this is that lawe that commeth out of Sion that word that proceedeth out of Hierusalem which proclaimeth libertie freedome from Sion to all them that embrace Christ by faith The same godly matrone Sara being the mother of the faithfull is also a figure of the true Church of god which is no earthly Citie flourishyng in worldly dignity but is altogether heauenly and spirituall Hierusalem that is aboue is the mother of vs all For although a great number of children be dispersed ouer al the worlde yet is shee heauenly because shee hath her beginnyng of the heauenly grace and dwelleth aboue by Fayth and those her Children which are in the worlde are but Pilgrymes and straungers on the earth for their conuersation and dwelling theyr Franchise and libertie is in heauen from whence they looke for a Sauiour The word of promise and couenant of mercie is that incorruptible seede by which she conceiueth children heires vnto God In the same she hath milke for hir infantes and stronger meate for them of ryper age shee cherisheth and bryngeth them vp vntyll they come of yeeres apt to enioye their Fathers inheritance perfourming all offices and duetyes of a most kynd and naturall mother And therefore it is truely said hee shall not haue GOD to his Father that refuseth the Churche to bee his mother And here wee must note that there is but one true Churche namelye Heauenly Hierusalem the mother of vs all that are Gods Children and therefore all Heretikes and Scismatykes that bee not Chyldren of thys one mother are excluded from beyng Chyldren of god Here also wee see that the Churche is Catholike or Uniuersall and howe shee is Catholike or Uniuersall not in respecte of euerie great multitude that challengeth her to bee theyr mother but shee is the mother of all the faythfull of all the free borne Children of God that are borne accordyng to the promyse accordyng to the Couenant of Gods mercie and not of the wyll or workes merites or worchynesse of man but of the spirit of God. The thyrde condition she is heauenly shee is from aboue shee is not bounde to any place vpon the earth No she hath forsaken earthly Hierusalem to dwell in heauen And thinke you she wil forsake heauen to come downe and dwel in Rome No no all the inchanters and Sorcerers of Aegipt and Babilon cannot drawe her down from Heauen too place her seate at Rome If wee wil be Children of the freewoman wee muste looke vp intoo Heauen by Fayth where our Mother dwelleth and not too any place on earth neyther too Hierusalem in Iuda nor to Rome in Italy nor to Constantinople in Thracia nor to Alexandria in Aegypt nor to Antiochia in Syria but to Ierusalem in Heauen for she is the Mother of vs al that are the Children of god We learne here that if we be true children of Hierusalem that is aboue what manner lyfe and conuersation becōmeth vs namely such as our Mother is yea and our Father also heauenly Godly Spirituall Besides thys in that Hierusalem is aboue wee see howe madde the furie and rage of Tyraants is that thinke by persecutyng her Children which are straungers on earthe they can destroye and vanquishe her that is in Heauen whereas when they haue done the vttermost that their rage leadeth thē vnto that is to kyll their bodies they do but send home the Children to theyr Mother who as long as shee is great with Childe by the seede of the Gospell shee still traueleth in birth in bryngeth foorth men Chyldren which vnder their Prince and eldest Brother the Sonne of GOD shall treade downe that Dragons head that persecuteth the mother and the Children vntill hee bee caught by the heeles and throwne into the bottomlesse lake that burneth with fyer and brymston The fourthe condition of the Church is that she is free and therfore bringeth forth Children vntoo freedome Shee is free in that she is redeemed and bought out of bondage by the blood of the Sonne of God that she might be holy and vnspotted before hym not hauyng her owne ryghteousnesse wherewith she is adorned but the garment washed in the blood of Christ which is the righteousnesse of Sainctes Thus is shee a glorious mother and bringeth foorth Children that are made free from sinne and wickednesse to serue the Lorde GOD their father in holynesse and rlghteousnesse all the dayes of their lyfe By this that hath beene sayde it is manifest that the Church of Rome is not the Church of Christ for she is earthely glysteryng in Earthly glorye maynceyned by carnall strength and wysdome mainteyning the Doctrine of bondage and persecutyng the Gospell of lybertye Here also is decyded a great controuersye betweene the Papystes and vs whether the Catholyke Churche of Christe bee vysible yea or no. The Papystes stoutely mainteyne that the Catholike Churche is vysible that is apparant and open to bee seene to the eyes of all men and they thynke it the strongest reason they haue eyther too defende their Churche or to impugne ours that their Church hath alwayes beene and yet is vysible and in the open veywe of the world when our Church wythin these hundreth yeares was dryuen intoo Corners and not too bee spyede excepte it were in a fewe persecuted members The grounde they stande vppon is a wrong Interpretation of the saying of our Sauiour Chryste in the. 5. of Saincte Math. A City that is builded vpon an hill cannot be hidde But thys perteyneth nothing to the Cytie of Rome although it be builded not on one but vpon seuen hils For our Sauiour Christ as the whole contexte of his speach doth euydently declare speaketh not there of the Catholike Church but of hys Apostles that were appoynted to be the light of the world therfore must needs be seene were as a Cytie which is buylded on a hyll and therefore
most ioyfully and thankefully receyue the glad tydings of libertie That wee maye beware by the punishment of Hierusalem to refuse freedome offered least wee bee chrust into perpetuall bondage No Citie nor people in the worlde had greater priuiledges of honour then the Citie and people of Hierusalem And yet we see nowe how iustly Hierusalem is turned into Sinay freedome into bondage glory into shame that we should not stande vpon any prerogatiues or priuiledges as though any thing could exempt vs from the seueritie of Gods iudgement if wee reiect the grace of God when it is freely offered If Hierusalem escaped not punishment for all her dignitie what shall become of Sodome or Babilon which haue no prerogatiue of dignitie if they being called to libertie doo still continue in bondage And here we haue an example whereby to shape the Papistes an answere for all that they can bring to commende the dignitie of theyr Churche of Rome For the present time or that hath been these many hundreth yeres they can speake little good of her if they will speake the truth that all men doo see with their eyes in this age or may reade in stories of the former ages written by their owne Registers but they haue a great glory to bring forth the auncient commendation of fayth which the Scriptures and olde doctors doo ascribe vnto the Churche of Rome the godly conuersation of the Anrient Christian Romanes the multitude of Constant Martyrs which that Churche did yeelde in the space of two or three hundreth yeeres but all in vayne yea all to their greater shame except they can proue the same fayth conuersation and Christian constancie to remaine now in the Churche of Rome that was in those golden dayes of the primitiue Churche S. Paule in deede commendeth the fayth of the Romanes to be celebrated in all the world which place the Papistes thinke to make much for the dignitie of the See of Rome But let them shewe that the Pope and hys Churche of Rome doo nowe hold the same fayth whych S. Paule praysed in the Romanes of hys time or else it maketh nothing in the world for the Churche of Rome nowe but to her shame and reproche which is degenerated from that doctrine of libertie which of olde time was wont to be imbraced in those places The fayth of the Romanes of that time which S. Paule commended was this that a man is iustified by faythe without the deedes of the lawe Is this the doctrine of the Churche of Rome according to the true meaning of S. Paule and the whole discourse of his Epistle to the Romanes Do they not teache the contrarie directly that a man cannot be iustified by faith only without the workes of the lawe Wherfore seeing the Romanes that are nowe haue a contrarie faith to the Romanes of olde time there is no cause why they should claime the aunciēt prayse which haue not retained the auncient fayth And forasmuch as they are fallen from the grace of Christ to seeke ryghteousnes by their owne merits there is no reason why they shoulde haue the commendation of the fayth of the Gospell which haue submitted themselues to to the bondage of the Lawe And if Hierusalem that is nowe be turned into Agar and the earthly Sion into the barreyn Sinay because shee hath despised the promise of mercy redemption which the auncient Hierusalem and Moūt Sion in the tyme of the godly Parriarches and Prophetes most ioyfully receyued why shoulde Rome that is nowe wyth her seuen hylles appointed for the throne of Antichryst enioye the prayse of the auncyent Romanes and the Christian Churche that sometyme was a straunger in that place whom nowe shee persecuteth and condemneth their fayth for Heresie Shee cannot bee taken for the heauenly Hierusalem that professeth the seruyle doctrine and Religion of the earthly Hierusalem Neither can her children the Papists be taken for Citizens of the heauenly Hierusalem which thinke so great a part of religion to consist in going a Pilgrimage to the earthly Hierusalem The Apostle here vtterly reiecteth Hierusalem that is nowe and thrusteth her out of the lande of promyse into Arabia the desatte The Papistes make no accompte of Hierusalem that is aboue but all their delight is in Hierusalē that is on earthe so they shewe themselues right Agarens Ismaelites What a great matter is made in Poperie of Hierusalem that is now yea although it be in the hands of Turkes Paganes yet they so esteeme it that they thinke they should haue the greatest treasure in the world if they coulde get the possessiō of that citie out of the Paganes handes And for that purpose howe manye thousand men haue lost their liues in the enterprises that haue beene aduentured to gayne that place out of the Turkes Souldans dominions What an hygh poynt in Religion is it made of the Papistes to visite Hierusalem that is nowe yea it is a matter of so great importance that the vowe which one hath made to go on Pilgrimage to Hierusalem cannot be dispensed withal by any other inferiour person but euen by the Popes owne holynesse hymselfe Such a goodly matter it is to be a Citizen of the earthly Hierusalem But let the Papistes alone with theyr holy mother the earthly Hierusalem mount Sinay or Agar and let vs returne to the comparison of the Apostle which saith But Hierusalē which is aboue is free which is the mother of vs al wee heard before that there were two mothers in the familie of Abraham Agar and Sara the one begetting into bondage the oher vnto libertie wee harde also that these mothers doo signifie two Couenants or two Churches and that Agar signifieth the Couenant of Iustice or Hierusalem that is nowe the Churche of Hypocrites which abuse this couenant in seeking to be iustified therby which was giuē to direct vs to the couenant of mercy Now must we consider Sara the seconde mother which was a freewoman how she was a figure of the new couenant and of the heauenly Hierusalē that is the mother of all the Children of god The first couenant in Mount Sinay what it was namely the Couenant of righteousnesse we haue sufficiently declared alreadie The seconde Couenant of mercy is excellently well described by the Prophet Ieremie Chap. 31. alledged by the Apostle to the Hebrues Chap. 8. Beholde the dayes come sayeth the Lorde that I wyll accomplishe with the house of Israel and Iuda a newe Couenant 9. Not accordyng to the Couenant which I made wyth theyr Fathers in the daye when I tooke them by the hande to bryng them out of the lande of Egypt for they themselues abyde not in my Couenant and I regarded them not sayeth the Lorde 10. For this is the Couenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those dayes sayth the Lorde I wyll gyue my Lawes into their myndes and wryte them in theyr hartes And I wil be their God and they shal be
coulde not bee hydden exhorting them therefore to gyue good example of lyfe and doctrine bycause their place was such as their example could not bee secret but open and manifest and therfore eyther very profitable or very hurtfull But this place which euery man must confesse to bee vnderstood of the Catholyke Church doth most clearly declare that the Catholike Church neither is nor can be visible and subiecte too the eyes of any man but onely them that are indewed with the eyes of Fayth For hee sayth that Hierusalem is aboue shee is in Heauen euen shee that is the Catholyke and vniuersall Mother of vs all and therefore shee is not to be seene but by the eye of Fayth Let the Papists still glorie in their visible Church let them acknowledge none other Mother but their visible Church of Rome we will boldly defy them and the whoore their mother for the Heauenly and Spirituall Hierusalem that is aboue is the mother of vs all And thys the Apostle proueth by the Testimonie of Esaye taken out of the. 54. Chapter that the Church bryngeth foorth lawfull sonnes and heyres too God accordyng too the promyse euen of the gentiles For in as muche as the Galathians were Gentiles hee bringeth foorth the comfortable promyse made vntoo the Church of the Gentyles that although of long tyme shee were barreyne and had no husbande and therefore brought foorth no Children too GOD yet the tyme should come that God woulde ioyne her as a chaste virgyn in mariage vntoo Chryste and then shee shoulde bee more fruitfull and brynge forth moe Children vntoo God then euer dyd the Church of the Iewes when shee was the spouse of God so many hundred yeares all which time the other was barren desolate and had no husbande So brethren sayeth he we are after Isaac Children of the promise Not only those that are the carnall seede of Abraham by Isaac but all those that take holde of the promyse of God by fayth For what prerogatiue of dignity had Isaac too bee the Sonne of God more then Ismaell bycause hee was the carnall leede of Abraham so was Ismaell Bycause hee was the firste begotten of Abraham that was hee not but Ismaell was nothyng then but the promyse of GOD made Isaac the Sonne of GOD and the same promyse extendeth too all nations of the worlde as largely and in as ample manner as too the carnall seede of Abraham Isaac or Iacob In thy seede shall all nations of the worlde bee blessed Therefore Brethren wee are after Isaac not by carnall generation but by spirituall regeneration Children of the promyse For the onely Pryuyledge that made Isaac the Sonne of GOD was the promyse of GOD and that also maketh vs the sonnes of god What made Iacob too bee preferred before Esaw who was the Sonne of Abraham and the Sonne of Isaac yet Iacob was loued and Esaw was hated Whereby I saye was Iacob preferred to bee the heyre of Isaac his Father but by the election of GOD It is therefore of the election grace mercy and promyse of GOD that any man is aduanced to this honour to bee the Sonne of GOD and not of any meryte dignity or worthynesse of a man. But euen as then hee that was borne after the fleshe persecuted hym that was borne after the Spirit euen so is it nowe By these woordes the Apostle comforteth the Galathians and all other that were true Children of the Church and armeth them to patience assuryng them that of the Hypocryticall Churche of meritmongers they should looke for nothyng else but persecution For it is no marueyle if those proude sclaues the Chyldren of the Earthelye Hierusalem dyd vntoo the Sonnes of the Heauenly Hierusalem as Ismaell theyr Father dyd to Isaac the true heyre boastyng of hys byrth righte For suche is the swellyng pryde of that slauysh generation that although they bee altogether bondemen and thrall vnto perpetuall distruction yet doo they moste arrogantly contemne and despyse all other that professe not the same waye of Iustification that they doo Therefore our Sauiour Christe telleth a parable agaynste them that trusted in them selues that they were ryghteous and desprsed other For they that be once so proude as to iustifie them selues they will also contemne and despyse others Of this contempte aryseth their cruell mynde whereby they doo also persecute them Thus the false Apostles that preached iustification partly by Christe and partly by obseruation of the Lawe raysed persecution agaynst the true Apostles that taught iustification by grace of Christe only embraced by Faith alone without the deeds of the law and al them that receyued the same moste coÌ„fortable doctrine And their successours the Papistes are nothyng behynde for they neuer cease to the vttermost of their power too persecute and afflicte the true Children of promyse with all kynde of tormentes that they can deuyse to maynteyne the proude perswasion of their owne righteousnesse and too deface the glorye of the moâ—te free and plentyfull Redemption of Christe But for as much as the Apostle here sayeth that hee that was borne after the fleshe persecuted hym that was borne after the spirite wee haue to see what kynde of persecution this was by which Ismael persecuted Isaac For in al the story of Ismael there is no mention of persecution but onely in the 21. Chapter of Genesis where it is written that at such time as Abraham made a great feast at the weaninge of his sonne Isaac and there was great ioye and reioycing on euery syde for Isaac that was Abrahams sonne by Sara according to the promyse of GOD Ismael which was then in the house a prowde Ladde of syxteene or seuenteene yeares olde scorned and mocked his younge Brother Isaac This derysion and skorninge the Apostle compteth for persecution and not without great cause for it shewed the prowde stomacke of Ismael that contemned and dispised hym whom GOD had chosen secondlye it declared his inwarde hatred and cruell minde that hee bare against his Brother whom he so contumelyoustye deryded workynge hym all the spighte and villanye that hee could and durst And chiefely it deserued to bee called persecution because he scorned and mocked the grace and election of god Wherefore though hee dyd not persecute hym with the Sword which he coulde not yet hee persecuted him with his scornefull reproches which is worse because he contemned and trode vnder his feete the promise of GOD whereof Isaac was made an heyre by the mercy and grace of god And verely there ought no persecution to be so greeuous vnto vs as when wee se the grace of GOD vpon which our vocation is grounded to be trodden vnder foote and defaced with the prowde tauntes scornes of the vngodly yea it is the fountayne and beginninge of all persecutions when the wicked doe hate and despise the grace of GOD in his chosen as appeareth moste playnly in the story of Caine and Abel yea our Sauiour Christe hymselfe no doubte was