Be vvise, and be vvarned.
[...]S vnto A Christian there can be nothing more commodious, more comfortable, nor more beneficial, [...]n the exercise & know [...] [...] of the scripturs, be [...] [...] of God, the very food [...] the soule? Euen so [...], the great loue of god, [...] [...]ower of the same God [...] [...]eyther the inestimable [...] by him, can eyther be k [...] [...] [...]n, nor yet man knowe bi [...] [...] [...]nce to so gracious and me. [...] and sauiour. Whereby to r [...] [...] all possible thankes and [...] apperteineth, and againe as [...] scriptures and holy word sheveth him selfe, a God of mercy, redy to supporte, ayde and assist, help & comforte, and in all perrils and distresse to haue a care to defend those yt feare him. So is he ther likewise found a seuear & terrible Iudge to punish, destroye, condemne and bring to death all such, as the which being obstinate and wilfully ignoraunt of his worde and gospell, muste [Page] néeds be desperately carelesse of his wil, of which both in the same scriptures are plenty of examples for our inst [...]uction and learning. And as by the [...]es we fynde the law to condem [...] [...]? so fynde we ther the gosp [...] [...] [...]he promes of mercye: [...] [...]epent and acknowled [...] [...] [...]e preaching of the law, [...] selues to be scollers, [...] and fulfil the law, whic [...] [...] law, is a fast fayth in [...] coupled with our prose [...] [...] [...] tyng our selues to lea [...] [...], and to learne to beleue [...] is promised them, we fy [...] [...] [...]res the stories & liues of [...] [...]oth what chanced them: & by [...] [...]es theyr scole master taught [...] [...]ade them perfect: and how he try [...] [...]rue from the false. Wherfore the scriptures are by al means so requisite and necessary, as of necessitie they are to bée [...]sed with all reuerence, not alone of the l [...]arned but also of other sortes & degrées of people of what estate or calling so euer, be they riche, be they poore, be they olde, be they yong, for as Fulgentius sayth in the scriptures, there is sufficient and aboundance [Page] for men to eate, and for children to suck, yea whatsoeuer is mete for all ages, which wordes of Fulgentius as they be true, so ought all men to giue credit to the same and to beleue them, specially and chiefly bycause he buildeth vpon so substantial, so sure and infallible foundation, the worde of God: for this commaundement gaue Moyses in the name of the Lord, to the hole congregation of Israell.Deut. 31. Sée that thou reade this lawe before all Israell, in theyr eares, bothe men, wemen & children, and strangers that are with in thy gates, to what purpose, it followeth, yt they may hear, learne, and feare the Lord theyr God, & be diligent to keepe his law: lo hear is the cause: but hear is no exceptiō of person, hear are none exempted, but al must hear, men wemen and children, for there is sufficient for al ages. And yet further, Christ sayth, come vnto mée all yée that labor and are laden and I will refreshe you: but hear agayn none are forbiddē: Wherfore my brethern, euen as foorth of a wel, by gods prouidence we do with materiall buckettes draw water for the necessary vse of our naturall bodies, so likewise as good scollers, let vs obedyently [Page] follow the swéete and profitable councell giuen vs by Christ, pronounced by the mouth of his beloued Apostel: Search the scriptures saith he,Iohn. 5. for in thē ye haue eternall life: and from thence, euen from the scriptures, we must with the buckettes of willing harts & minds, draw out of the word of god, which is the fountayne and spring of spirituall felicitie, from thence I say, we must draw the swéete water of life, which plentifully floweth from the rock Christ, to refresh our thursty soules, for the scriptures doo cause that in the mind of man may shine assured knowledge of God, in the soule holines, and in al the powers obedience, to be performed according to the presisenes of the word. The scriptures is as a salue, wherewith our soules are healed. It is thy word that preserueth them that put theyr trust in thee,Wisedom. 16. so that in ye scriptures which is the onely and holy worde of God. Wee fynde the very plat, forme, and ready broade beaten pathe way, that leadeth to the vnderstanding and knowledge of that inestimable treasure and Iuel Iesu Christ, whose death, hath fully wrought the perfection of eternal saluation,Roma. 10 to as many as beleue, as sayth [Page] Saint Paule, if thou knoweledge with thy mouth & beleue with thy harte that God raised Iesus from death: thou shalt be safe. For the beleue of the hart iustifieth, but as iustification commeth thorough faith, so cometh faith by hearing: so that without the Scriptures of God, there is no knowledge of him. For the ignorance of the scriptures is the ignorance of Christ, and not to know Christ, is to be in darknes, for without ye knowledge of god, ther is no saluation, for he that beleueth on the Sonne hath euerlasting lyfe: and he that beleeueth not the sonne, shall not see lyfe, but the wrath of God abydeth on him. And how shall wée beleue on him that we knowe not? And how shal we know him but by the scriptures? for in them is hée perfectly séene and knowne. Gods worde and the holy ghost are the glasse wherein Christ will be beholden: and with this beholding we must be content vntill him selfe come to iudgement, for afterwards we shall enioye the fight of him for euer.
If by th [...] scriptures then we receyue suche vnspeakable benefite, euen the sauetie of soule and body: if no Christian can comfort him selfe in God & Christe [Page] without the knowledge of them. And therefore of meere necessitie must nedes be acquainted with thē, and know howe to vse them as a chief sauegarde and defence for him against the malice of the enemie Sathan, who seldome leaueth vnassaulted by one meanes or other the famely of the faithfull. What haue wée then to thinke or iudge of them that by their pollicies practise to disarme vs, & to leaue as it were naked and weaponle [...], to be a pray vnto our so hateful and auncient an enemie sathan the Deuill, of whose continuall endeuoure to anoy vs, the stories of all tymes do enstruct & teache vs. For in likewise as he set him selfe agaynst our first parents, and that by taking gods word out of their harts, so employeth he him selfe wholy wt like endeuour at all times yt th [...] word being preached, may be taken frō gods people: and being greedely desirous to haue our neckes vnder his yoke, as Peter witnesseth, goeth about leke a roaring lyon seeking whom he may deuoure. For in lyke manner as Iapheth by Ipocrisie & superstition, and Cayne by crueltie persecuted the true church, vsurping vnto them selues the tytle of the church, and [Page] changed the true woorshippinge of God into heathenish Ipocrisie and superstition: and as the enuious Philistines stopped the welles of Abraham, filling thē with earth, to put the memorial of them out of mynd, that they might challenge the ground. Euen so at all times hathe ben, and dayly are like practises by men estranged from God, and to make hym vnknowen vnto vs by shadewinge his gospell from vs, hyding & couering the same with monsterous cloudes of corrupt doctrine, to robbe and spoyle vs of the gospell which is the very ground of our faith in Iesus Christe, alluring and forcing vs to set our affections vpon the inuentions, deuyces, dreames and traditions of men, to bring vs to vtter confusion, but woo vnto them (saieth the Prophet) that call euill good, and good euill,Esai. v. which make darknes light, & light darknes, the wrath of the Lorde is kindle [...] against them, and their karkases shal ly in the open streates like myer: but thus it wilbe that Christ his kingdome shall alwayes haue enemies, according to the fyrst promys: The seede of the Serpent shal lye in w [...]ite for the séede of the woman: and true this is, the storie of the [Page] church from thenceforth that the séede was promised vnto this present day, teacheth vs, for where so euer is an Abell, there is also some a Cain: where soeuer is an Isaac ther is also an Ismael: wher is a Iacob, there is also some Esau or other: where is a Dauid, there is also a Saul: where is a Christe, there is also a Iudas: and whereas is a Paule, ther is some Nero. And wée muste not looke to haue it otherwyse, for Sathan lyeth alwayes in wayte for Christ his churche, which he endeuoureth, eyther vtterly to abolishe, or els to defile it with wicked doctrine and manners. But now behold I pray you, a pleasant Allegory, for here shal ye haue the state and Image of the church as it were paynted out: The sea is the world, the Ship is the church, the deuill is the winde, the Disciples are ye godly companie of beléeuers, Christe is the truth, and the gospell is fayth. And firste note, that before Christe with his Disciples entered into the Ship: the sea was calme, which is to be vnderstand, the world slept soundly in his own sins: but as soone as Christe entered into the ship, there arose a mighty tempest, in so much as ye ship séemed to be ouerwhelmed: [Page] but what ensued, Christ ther who could comaund the sea and wyndes: and heare wee maye learne, that out of this little ship (that is to say the church) ther is no sauegard, but yit it behoueth vs to looke wel about vs heere, that wee take not our enemies ship for the true ship, for they haue subtelly wrought to deceyue vs. The enemies Ship is better decked and garnished outwardly and of greater receyte within, but the trwe ship hath her decking inwardly, & hath a much more stately master, namely the holy ghost: all ye maryne [...]s that it hath, are godly: it hath the worde of god and the sacraments in right vse & obedience to the ministery, and with these treasures this ship holdeth it selfe contented in so great waues and boisterous billows. For ye must know that this ship saileth not in the calme sea, but is tossed with ye waues and sourges, whiche dryues and tosses it hither and thither: which thing to be moste true the storie of the worlde sheweth, when god had made the world, he put his ship in the middest of it. And by and by the deuill the enemy of Gods sonne tossed it with stormes, which frō thence forth was miserably turmoyled [Page] vnto the tyme of Noe. And after Noe to Abrahams tyme, from Abrahams too Moyses: and from thence to Christ his time: who to the intent to saue the ship, came into the worlde, yet s [...]aced not the wau [...]s therof as then.
But what is the cause that the world cannot abyde this little ship? truely because the church reproueth the workes of the world, blam [...]th the worldly [...]yse men of folly, condemneth the righteous men as gilty of sinne, aduaunceth not rich men but pronounceth them vnhappy and wretched, onles true godlynesse be the gouernour and ruler of theyr ryches. And this ye Christ promised whē he said, the holy ghost shal reproue ye world of sin, of righteousnes and of iudgment.
But if a questiō might be now asked, what had Abel offend [...]d Cain who horribly murdered him? Iohn aunswereth: Abels woorkes were good and his Brothers euill. What had Noe done? wherin had Ieremy offended? what and wher in had Esai trāsgressed? and what Christ in whō was no sinne? to be short, wher-had the Apostles or all the Martyrs frō the beginning of the world to this daye offended? onles bicause they would haue [Page] brought the world back from sinne, frō darkenes to light, that men might liue godly, honestly, & vprightly in the world according to the word: but this is the rewarde that the world is wont to requit his benefactors with all, but as the vertues of childr [...]n haue very large promises of good successe in this lyfe. So the vices in children, w [...]iche fight against these vertues haue threatnings of most greeuous and extreame punishments, which also extend them selues euen vnto their posteritie, for the ofspringe (for the most parte) receyue their vyces of their auncetry as it were by inheritāce: whose er [...]ours are to be detested, bicause their trau [...]l tendeth to dep [...]iue vs of the worde of God: wherein they declare and shewe themselues manifestlye to be the children of their father the Diuell: and therefore cons [...]quently, as muche as in them is, are his instrumentes to hinder the saluation of man: wherefore according to the olde prouerbe, what is bredd in the bone will neuer oute of t [...]e flesh. And what nature hath giuen, is not easely to be remoued: & threfore such fath [...]r such children: The posteritie of Caine will shew the propertie of theyr predecessor: [Page] it is againe nature and kynde for thē to spare or saue that which they can destroy and make hauock of. The broode of Caine will nedes be knowne by their bloudy recognisance, the diuel that king of darknesse, and his beloued Antichrist the Pope, continually per [...]ecute & bende all their force to this end, that they may extinguish the true religion of Christ.
Their delight is in bloud: They practise to spoyle the ship, but al will not helpe nor preuayle:Esai. i. for as Ieremy sayd, they shall fight against thee, but they shal not be able to ouercome thee, for I am with thee sayth the Lord to defende thee And ye shall see mee in ioye when they shall be confounded: be then of good chéere: pluck vp your harts, and be mery ye mariners that sayle in Christ his ship, for it cannot be destroyed. For God (as hee is able to bring to passe that of the stones there shall ryse vp children vnto Abraham) euen so hath hee by his wonderfull prouidence appoynted the bloud of the martyrs to be the séede of the gospel: yea and of the ashes of those whom through tyrannie the fyers haue consumed, God hath raysed great nombers now liuing, whom he hath ordayned and appoynted [Page] for the furnature of his ship, to the great glory of our God: the colo [...]t of his flock. And wherof to ye great prayse of his name be it spoken, we his people of Ingland, haue had the experience, and euen at this day, to our consolation and comfort, the Lord of his mercy so cōtinue it, & make vs thankefull to him for the same. For greate is the loue that God hathe to hys church, yet nothing do these miracles of our mightie God moue the hartes of his enemies, whose eyes are so blynde that they sée not, and theyr harts so hardened that they vnderstand not: but euen stil at those dayes procéede & go forward with their Cain like charitie, according to the rule of the romish Antechristian church: the Sucksessors of Cain: For how rage the Heathen now? how fret they? howe fume they? how lay they theyr heads together to conspyre against the Lord and his anoynted. Alasse, who seeth not howe cruelly they euen now persecute Christ in his members: onely to suppresse and tred vnder foote the glorious gospell of Christ Iesu. What beseeging of holdes and fortes: What racyng of walles: What destruction and sackyng of Cities & townes: What spoyling of Countreys: [Page] What drowning: what hanging: what burning and outrageous & horyble dealing with gods deadlyngs: What blooddy and monsterous murderyng of the poore innocents: sparyng no degree, nor age: but frō the no [...]lest to the meanest: Man, Woman, Childe. From the gray headded to the tenderest of yeares: yea, euen to the very babe sucking at his mothers brest,Psal. 76 geuing the dead bodyes of gods seruauntes to the fowles of the eyre, to be deuowred: & the flesh of gods saynts, to the beastes of the lande: she [...]ng theyr blood as water on euery side. They go beyond Herod, who went but to far: but these theyr workes declare them, and shew of what spirit they are, & that they be euen of that broode of turmagawnts and hell hounds that the prophet in the person of Christ speaketh of:Micheas. 3. ye hate the good & loue the euil: ye pluck of mens skinnes and fleshe from theyr bones, ye eate the fleshe of my people, & fley of theyr skinnes: ye breake theyr bones: ye chop them in peces as it were into a Cauldron. Is this according to the commaundement, (thou shalt not kyll) how agréeth this dealinge wyth the ex [...]resse wyl and commaundement of god: [Page] loue thy n [...]ighbor as thy selfe:Rom. 13 loue huryteth not his neighbor, & therfore is loue the fulfylling of the law. But oh ye bloody broode, how fulfyl you the law: wha [...] is loue become wyth you: for they that loue, be mercifull: and they that be mercyfull, do loue: so the fountayne sh [...]weth the water, & the water the fountaie: for loue & merry are vnseperable: Doth loue consist in cutting of throtes, and murdering of innocents? doth loue consyst in m [...]king spoyle and hauock of thē people of God? Oh gredy deuowring wolues: Oh blood thersty tyrantes: O [...] bottomles bellyes, who dayely em [...] yng your selues with, and go [...]lpyng in the blood of gods sayntes,Psal. 7 [...] a [...]e neuer full nor satesfyed but the ryght hande of the most highest shall change all. Wherfore oh thou chosen flock of thy shepherd Christ Iesu, dismay not, discourage not, faynt not, murmor not, grudge not, repyne not, neyther refuse to bear a lyttle peece of afflyction wt thy master Christ, who of loue to ease thée, dyd himself [...]ear the great and heauy burthen, think no [...] much that thou being gyltie by meanes of thy manyfolde sinnes and forgetfulnes of thy dutie to thy master Christ Iesu, [Page] do suffer some louing correction. And fele the fauorable hand of thy heauenly father: when he being gyltlesse did bear the burthen of thy sinne, & of the sinnes of the hole world in his body vppon the crosse: but pluck vp thy hart oh Israel, thou chosen generation & peculyer people beloued of God: and comfort thy self in him, knowing that the crosse which is affliction of the body, grefe of mynde, losse of goods and frends, hunger, thyrst, nakednes, imprisonment and death, is naturally incident vnto the churche of God and members of Iesu Christ.
3. Reg.For had not Iacob great gref of mynd, for the losse of his sonne Ioseph: and Ioseph likewise suffred affliction of the body in prison:Luke. 16 Lazarus felte hunger and the payne of his byles, at the rich mans gates: Micheas was buffeted, and fedde with bread & water: Iobe lost his goods, his children,Iob. 1. his house: the Profet Esay was cutte in péeces with a sawe: Ieremi was stoned to death: Iohn Baptist was cast into prison and beheaded: Iames the brother of Iohn was slain with ye sword: and did not Christ him selfe Suffer the most shamefull death of the Crosse: the seruant therfore is not greater then his [Page] master: if they haue persecuted mée,Iohn. 15. Iohn. 16 so will they persecute you. The time will come that whosoeuer killeth you, will thinke he doth God good seruis. In the world ye shall haue tribulation: and hée that taketh not vp his Crosse and followeth after mée, is not méete for mée, for we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of god:Act. 14. ye shalbe hated of al men for my names sake, but he that indureth to the ende, shalbe saued. Now seing that greate are the benefites that bearing of the Crosse bringeth, doubte not, neyther feare thou to take vppe thy Crosse by the which thou goest to a kingdom, for suffering of affliction for Christ his sake, maketh aptnes to comprehend heauenly thinges.Math. 5. Blessed are they that suffer persecution, for righteousnes, for theyrs is the kingdom of heauen.Gala. 6 Wherfore be euen of Paules mynde, and say, God forbid that I should reioyce but in the Crosse of our lord Iesus Christ, for surely no man feleth, ye Passiō of Christ so much in his law, as hée vnto whom it chanceth to suffer the like thinges, for in the Crosse is ayde agaynst the enemy, in the Crosse is strēgth of mind, in ye Crosse is ioy of spirit, and the Crosse and afflictiō [Page] of the Godly, procedeth of the fatherly loue, of the heauenly father towardes his children, whom he chastiseth (in this world only) therby putting vs in remē brance of our sinnes, yet not that by our Crosse we make satisfaction therfore: for that hath Christ him selfe done vpon the Crosse once for all. But that we should therby mortifie our selues, our fleshlye members, and being gentely corrected for our sins, should turne vnto our God and repent and not be damned with the worlde, but become pure vessels, being therfore exercised, with the Crosse. Let vs séeke comforte at the fatherly mercy of our God through Iesus Christ who graūt vs grace to glorify him with true patience vnder the Crosse: and this order is in the Crosse saluatiō, wherof to make vs partakers, and therby to try our patience,Math. 10 behold sayth he, I send you foorth as shepe amongest wolues, and yet not that he therfore leaueth you destitute of helpe. For the Lorde hath such care for you,Psal. 62 Psal. 91. that he preserueth the soules of such as be in aduersitie, yea, I am with him in his trouble sayth hee. And I deliuer him and bring him to honor. Striue therfore for the truth vnto the death,Sirac. 4 & God shall [Page] fighte for thée agaynst thine enimies: yea as a father pittieth his owne children,Psal 103 euen so the Lord is merciful to those that feare him▪ he loseth the prisoners,Psa. 146 geueth sight to the blynd, helpeth them that are fallen, and defendeth the fatherlesse and widdow. And Ioseph being in Egipt,Act. 7. did not God deliuer him oute of all his trobles: Peter likewise being in prison,Act. 12. his chaynes by the prouidence of God fell from him and he was gyded foorth by the Angel of the Lorde.Act. 5. The Apostles of the Lord being imprysoned were deliuered by night by ye Angel of god, who opened the dores and brought them foorth: Peter and other Apostles being in daunger of death were deliuered by the power of god, through the words of Gamaliel:Luke. 12 for to those that séeke after the kingdome of God, al things néedful shalbe ministred, cast therfore your care vpon him for hee careth for you.1. Pe. 5. And let them that be trobled according to the will of God, cōmit their soules vnto him with weldoi [...]g, as vnto a faythful creator. For whyle wée liue: the Lord protecteth vs and if we dy with him, we shal also liue with him.2. Ti. 2. Let patience therfore in all extremities take place, for patiēce enioieth peace of mind, [Page] patience in aduersitie maketh frendship with Christ: the patient man, euery man prayseth and worthely, for he is like vnto Christ, whose life was ye true pattern of patience, the more aduersitie suffered with patience, the greater peace is enioyed: patience is a token of wisdom, and a patiente man is better then one stronge.Pro. 14. Pro. 16. And he that can rule him selfe, is more worthy then hée that winneth a Citie.Psal. 27 Heb. 10. Tary the Lordes leysure, be strōg and he shal comforte thine hart, ye haue néede of patience, that after ye haue don the wil of God, ye might receyue ye promes,Phi. 4. Heb. 12. and bicause he that is patient hath much vnderstanding, let vs runne with patience the race that is set before vs, for whether pouertie or banishment, imprisonment or shame, sicknesse or losse of parentes, or children, or any other lyke do moue vs, we must thinke that none of these thinges doe happen but by the will and prouidence of God. And that he doth nothing but by most iust order (for why) our innumerable and dayly offences deserue to be chastised more sharplye and with more greuouse correction, thē such as the merciful goodnes of the Lord layeth vpon vs: wherefore seing patience is [Page] so profitable, and bryngeth so singuler commodities, and being so great a vertue when a mans mynde is not moued nor broken in aduersitie. God graunt vs therfore to be so moued to ye study of patience, and that by the authoritie of Gods worde, that being exercysed & tryed therby, we may constantly perceuer and cō tinue in ye course of Godly lyfe, throughout all kynde of aduersities, & after our longe continuance be saued.
But now a little to returne againe to the words that went before: I send you foorth as shéepe among wolues: wherby is easely deserued, who be the shepe, who be the wolus. The shepe deuour not, but are deuoured: the wolues are not deuoured, but they deuour the shéepe. So the Church of Christ is knowne from the Church of Antechrist by this difference, the church of God is persecuted, and the church of ye Deuil persecuteth: of which church of the Deuil, that Antichrist the Pope is the cheife Champion: the ringleader of false Profets, ye ouerthrower of true godlines, who neither teacheth, nor reproueth by the worde, but feareth the godly with crueltie: not only by striking, but also imprisoning them that withstād [Page] him. And persecuteth to the death ye Profets of the Lord, for theyr preaching of the truth and constancie, so that we may sée that the crosse of the godly procedeth of the loue of God towardes them, and is to theyr comforte in Christ Iesu, euen to life euerlasting.
But the enemies of Christ his Crosse and rable of reprobates voyde of theyr crosse? Nay truly: for the Scriptures make mention that God leaueth not his enemyes vntouched, as for example. Caine for his bloody facte, was not leaft vnpunished, but Abels blood crying vengance in the eares of God. Cain was banished oute of gods fight and made a vagabond and a renegate vppon the earth. The Amorites being enemies to Iosua the chosen Seruant of God,Iosua 10 were in the féeld destroyed by the mightie power of God with stones from heauen, and f [...]ue of theyr Kings deliuered into ye hands of Iosua & wer hāged.Iudi. 13. Holofernus a mightie Prince and enemy to God, was by the prouidence of God conquered by the hands of women. Pharo pursuing Israell,Exo. 14. the sea being to them a sauegard, was to Pharo and his hole armye an ouerthrow and present destruction. Herod [Page] an enemy to the people of God, being in his chéefe pompe,Act. 12. was for his arrogancye eaten wyth woormes, and gaue vp ye ghost, with infinite numbers of like storyes which I might aledge, but for breuety I let them passe. But now if God haue thus shewed him selfe so mightie & righteous a Iudge: if hée haue thus bent his irefull countenance against his enemies, and so terribly poured doune his wrath vpon them, in those days: suppose you he hath forgotten him selfe, or think you that he will leaue you vntouched, oh you Arch enemies of our tyme: doo you imagen that he is eyther blynde and seeth not your tirannie and bloodye butcherly behauiour: or that he is death and heareth not the lamētable gronings and outcryes of them that innocently haue yelded theyr lyues to the slaughter: oh no? deceyue not your selues, for if the blood of Abel cryed vengance in the ears of God, for the cruell dealing of his brother Cain, & was herd. Thinke you that the aboundance of blood of so many thousandes of gods children which yee haue spilt, wil not by God be required at your handes: [...]es, bée assured, the Lorde him selfe wilbe reuenged vpon you. The [Page] poure and force of our God is not decayed, neyther his arme shortened, but he is euen now the same God that he thē was. Wherfore let this be known vnto you, and wherof be you moste wel assured, yt the lenger that the mightie God withholdeth and deferreth his comming, so with the more vehemency and fury, and the whotter shall his wrathe be kindled agaynst you: & with the more greuouse plagues shall he vexe and punish you, when he shall appoynt the tyme of hys comming. And as the affliction & crosse of the godly, proceedeth from God to thē of loue, to theyr comforte and consolation? So shall your punishment procéede of gods wrath and sore displeasure to punish you as his enemyes & aduersaries, to your confusion and vtter destruction. The quarell is his owne, and he himself will reuenge it, when the burthen wil-bée to heauy,Luke. for you to beare, that now glory and tryumphe in your gredy desire of blood. Shall not God auenge his elect: which cry day and night vnto him: Yes he will auenge them, and when he commeth, he cōmeth speedely. And who may abyde in his sight when he is angry, saith Dauid.Psal. 76 For euen as vpon the sodayne he [Page] sente downe fyre from Heauen:4. Reg. 1 which consumed the Captaynes & theyr bends, so hath he his plagues prepared for you, and shall crushe you and break in péeces with an Iron Rod, or Septer, euen lyke an earthen vessel, and make you as duste to trample on. His wrath shalbe shortly kyndled agaynst you:Esai. 3. How wel hath the Prophet of God found you out. For both your wordes and councels sayth hee, are agaynst the lord, ye prouoke the maiesty of god to anger. Wo be vnto your souls, for they shalbe heauely rewarded,Esai. 14 & bycause ye haue wasted your land and destroied your people, ye shalbe swept out with the béesom of destruction, saith the lord of hostes. For the generation of the wicked shalbe without honour.Esai. 26 The malicious Tirantes when they dy are neyther in life, nor in the resurrection: For thou visitest them and rootest them oute, and destroiest all the memorial of them. I will stretch out my hand and destroye the destroier saith ye Lord: A great vengance wil I take vpon them, and punish them cruelly that they may know howe that I am the Lord which haue au [...]nged mee of them. Behold I come shortly,Reue. 22 and my reward with me, to geue euery man [Page] according as his déeds shalbe. And to cō clude,Reue. 21 the abhominable murderers shall haue theyr part in the lake that burneth with fyre and Brimstone: And the Author of this saying is worthy of credit.
But now my déere bretheren of Englād, as none of vs are worthy to be accōpted of the slocke of Christ his folde, that hath not wt compassion in his hart, ye perfect feeling of the misery of our persecuted bretheren our neighbours, and with a willing harte reléeue them to our poure and with gréefe of mynd in their behalf, doe humbly call vpon God to strengthen them with patience & constancy of fayth, that they may mekely and humbly submit them selues vnder the crosse, which it hath pleased God for their triall to lay vpon them. And wherof at his good pleasure hee will agayne discharge them and vnburthen them: So let vs agayne well knowe that all crosses and calamityes are as Sermondes from heauen for sin: and are layd vpon our neighbors for vs to take exsample and warning by: And preach as it were vnto vs, that we shoold faul [...] to the amendmente of our lyfe betime, least God caste vs of in his aunger. For although it hath pleased god to giue [Page] vnto vs the vse of his gospel, offring vnto vs therby soule health, which is receiued by fayth through hearing: yet is it not inough yt the same be taught & hard, onlesse it be also kept, & to kepe ye word, is to learn what is herd, to hold it, to bebeleue it, and to performe true obedyence to God through faith, as did our father Abraham. He hard the word, he held it, he beleued it, yea and yelded such obedience to it by fayth, yt he would at gods apoyntmente rather slaye his only begotten sonne, then break gods commaū dement. But wher is he among vs, that yeldeth this obediēce vnto god, we wilbe called Abrahams childrē, but we wil not treade in our fathers foote steps, would to God we had consideration of his promes to them that heare and obey it. For they are blessed saith hée, which is to say,Psal. 81. sette frée from wretchednes. Oh that my people would obey me, for if Israel wold walke in my wayes, I should soone put downe theyr enemyes, and turne myne hand agaynst theyr aduersaryes. Let vs not now so much trust to our prosperity, that according to the olde prouerb, wée set cock on hoope and be ouermuch careles, but in our prosperity let vs be afrai [...] [Page] to offend the maiestie of our louing Lord and God. Who as (thankes to him) hath hetherto? So he may henseforth carefully kepe vs from aduersitie and daunger of our enemies, for as no man better vnderstandeth the cōmodities of libertie & health, then he that hath some times felt the hardnes of imprisonment, and pains of sicknes? So haue we good cause to be myndfull of our late lamentable state, wherin we then lacking ye libertie of our consience: did tast of the lyke misery that our bretheren and neighbours about vs are now partakers of, which may nowe giue vs due consideration, to think with our selues how perillous and daūgerous a thing it would be for vs that haue professed our selues Christians, to bring our selues again [...]nder the Deuils yoke, and into the trappes of Tirantes that thyrst after our bloud, & which as they vndoubttedly think long for: so doth our wicked lyfe and conuersatyon, euen hasten the performaunce of their greedy desire: but leaste that our God being the sooner displeased, let loose the raynes to Tirantes, and our enemies, that he may therby reuenge our vnthankfulnes, let vs accordind to our profession as becometh christians, [Page] abandon ye causes that iustly procure his heauye and importable displeasure, and wrath agaynst vs, let vs put aaway our euill thoughtes oute of Gods sight: ceace from doing ill and violence,Esai. 1. learne to do righte, apply our selues to equitie, deliuer the oppressed, help the fatherlesse, to his righte, hear the widowes complaynt, detest our monstrous and lucifer lyke pryde, our detestable and horrible whordom, our greedy couetousnes, our bribery and extortion, our glottony and dronkennes, our lacke of truthe betwen man & man, in bying & selling:Sirach. 10. for through vnrighteouse dealing, wrōg blasphemy & deceyt, a Realm shalbe translated frō one kingdome to an other, & with these vices are we dangerously infected: And the church of god neuer being with out hir certeyn woundes for our Lord to powre his wine & oyle into. So lette vs vse the means yt god hath apoynted vs to stay his deserued wrath & plagues prepared for vs. Let vs dyligently, spedely, & continually with all possible reuerence & humblenes of hart, inuocate & cal vpon ye name of our god, making vnto him our harty supplication & prayers. The lack & dangerous necklecting wherof, as it is ye [Page] chéefe & only cause of al loosenes and vncleanes of life & cōuersation. So by continual and earnest repentance and often lifting vp our hartes vnto God through prayer being feruently made and faythfully vsed, is the life to be obteyned that pleaseth god, for praier is a salue for sin, and a preseruatyue for them ye prepare them selues to it: prayer is a quietnesse and sauegard of thē which are molested, prayer is a comforte to them who wyth gréefes are afflicted: prayer is a heauen to them that suffer shipwark: prayer in warre is an arming sword, and in peace a gardeyn of delightes: prayer is to men in bondage liberty, & in pouertie a treasure. To conclude, prayer is the readye path to the pleasant pasture of Paradice: when Pharo, did persecute the children of Israel by prayer, from his rage they were preserued: whē Dauid had greuously offended God, by humble prayer and penitent hart, gods wrath was appeased: by Moyses prayer, the fyry flyntes gaue water, the driry ayre gaue meate, ye couragious enemies gaue place to weakling Israelites when as they were oppressed, and almoste surprised with feare of pynching thyrst & want of dail [...] foode, & force [Page] of dreadfull armes, by Elyas prayer the drought marde fruitful groundes, and by the same mans prayer the barren soyle did fructifie, by Dauids prayer greate Golyaths courage was stoutly daunted, by Iudithes praier, fyrce Holofernus was by hyr beheaded: By prayer Daniel in Lyons den, from Lyons Iawes was preserued: Now séeing then that prayer is of such force as that it perceth the Heauens, and is a powring out of a faythful hart vnto God, wherin we craue and desire with earnest affection, eyther to be preserued from danger of discomoditie, spiritual or temporal: Eyther else to enioye some desired benifite, at Gods handes, belonging to body or soule: Or else a yelding of most hartie thanks, for some benefit already receiued. Lette vs continue in praier and watch in the same with thankes geuing, that through our prayer our most noble gratious & mercifull Princes Elizabeth, to whom God of his great goodnes, contrarye to the hye & expectation of hyr enemies, hath hetherto geuen a ioyful & prosperous Raigne: so he may likewise heape vpon hyr ye cō tinuance of many yeares to bée an olde mother in Israell, that as shée hath well [Page] begoon so she may zelously procéed in the setting foorth and aduancing the gospel, of God to his glory, the comfort and preseruation of hyr Realme and people, and the discomforting of gods & hir enemies: And that by praier our god may stil giue good sucksesse to the trauels of ye Quéene hyr maiesties moste honorable Councelors, illuminating theyr hartes with the spirit of wysdome, to force, preuent, and bryng to nought, the subtyll secret deuyces, and priuie conspyracies of Sathan, of Antechrist, and of all gods enemies, pretēded against the veritie of his word, as also that by our prayers, the Bishops and Pastors of gods Church, may haue a continuall care to féede his flock comitted to theyr chardge, with the bread of lyfe: and that Christ may be knowne to them to whome hee is yet a straunger, which is no rare matter in some places in England, the greater is the pittie: for ther must sinne needes raigne, bicause yt they being ignorant of Christ, vnbelefe doth possesse theyr harts. Moreouer that Iudges and Maiestrates through hatred of couetousenes may mayntayne cinceritie, and vpright dealing in iudgmente, that the cace rather then [...]he parson bée [Page] considered, for whosoeuer bearing offyce is led with rewards, he cannot see what is rightfull, for rewardes blynd the eyes of the wise. Also that good lawes being in force maye bée executed, that offenders may be punished and the gyl [...]l [...]sse defended, for where good lawes be made & not executed, their the common weale goeth to ruin. And moreouer, that by our praier euery subiect of what degre or calling so euer, may dutifully sh [...]w their obedyence vnto, and reuerencing our Prince as the minister and Liuetenant of God, that the Lord our God at the contemplation of our faythfull prayer, whose mercye excéedeth the hugenesse of sinne, and whose grace aboundeth aboue misdeede, may by the aboundance of his spirit by grace so work in our harts, yt we taking hede and being obedient to the same our heauenly father, and hauing a cheefe regard to the performing of our duties in the obseruation of his lawe and cōmaundementes, may by the good blessing of the same our God, quietly consente and rest in his truth, and haue the continuance of inward peace of contience, that wée may wear out our dayes in prosperitie, & our yeares in ples [...]er and ioy in this world, [Page] being a waste wildernes, frō which must passe into an other coūtrey, that we th [...]s hauing this care to accomplish gods wil, and with this olde yeare, to sh [...]ke & caste of & strip our selues of old Adams rags, and with the newe yeare to apparell our selues with the florishing and glittering garment of Iesus Christe, euen newnes of lyfe, and keepe it still on. Then shal we cōtinue in prosperity, & be beloued of god our onely stay & refuge who shall mightely protect and d [...]fend vs from the danger of his & our enemies: Then the Lord our god which giueth victory vnto kings, & which deliuered Dauid from the perrill of the sword,Psa. 144 shall saue and deliuer vs from the hands of strange childrē, whose right hād is a hand of iniquitie. So yt thē let the deuil roar, & all the deuels in hell breake loose: let Pope rage: lette all the Colledge of Cardenalls and Councels conspyer, let the blooddy Byshops breath out theyr trayterous mallyce, and hatefulnes of theyr hartes. Yea let the hole fraternetie of that fylthie generation & broode of Antechrist, deuise and imagine what they can or may: And all shalbe in vayn [...], for the workes of wickednes doe florish to be destroyed for euer: And the [Page] enemies of the Lord shal perish.Psa. 92. And all the workers of wickednes shal be scattered abrode, for there is no wisedome agaynst the Lorde our God, the creator of Heauen and Earth. To whom with his Christ and the holy Spirit, thrée persons and one God, be all praise, poure, & maiestie for euer, and euer. Amen.
¶Geue God the prayse.