AMongst the effects of true godlinesse, this ought by good right to be placed in the first place, as being chiefe, or to speake plainely, the onely duetie of chri­stians, forasmuch as vnder it, it compre­hendeth all the rest: that is in summe, that we be in such sort inforced with the zeale of Gods house, that when we shall see his holie and sacred name dishonou­red and blasphemed by worldlie and pro­fane men, and our poore neighbors for­saking the ensigne of their soueraigne Lord & maister, forsaking their fellowes, and taking part with the enimie of their saluation, we be thereby more moued and touched to the quicke, then by anie thing that can befall vs. By this mo­uing or touching I meane chiefly two [Page] things: the first is, that being displeased and grieued when we see such offences as redound to the dishonor of God, and to the destruction and vtter ruine of our poore neighbors, we humble our selues in the presence of our God, renting, not our garments, but our hurt, with wee­ping, fasting, mourning, and feruent prayers to the Lord, that it may please him to set vp on foot againe those of his elect which are fallen through infirmity, and to strengthen those other whom hee hath preserued by his goodnes, giuing them grace to persist constantlie euen vntill the end, in the profession of his ho­lie name. The second is, that euerie man according to his vocation doe faithfullie employ the gifts and graces which hee hath receyued at the hands of God, to the maintenance of his glorie, and to pro­cure and further so much as in him lieth, the saluation of his neighbors.

And surely so it is, that the most faithfull seruants of God haue alwaies done this: yea euen at this day also ma­nie good men doe it, whom the Lord hath preserued through his grace from the rage of this last tempest: which doe not [Page] onely wéepe & mourne, being extreamly grieued and vexed, to see the ruines and desolations of the poore Churches in Fraunce, and to see the precious name of the Lord blasphemed and dishonoured by the most straunge kind of reuolting that euer was seene in the Church: but ouer and besides this, they strengthen them selues euerie man according to his abilitie to repaire the breaches, and to doe what in them lyeth, that this euill may goe no further. Now as for me, I haue obtained this honour through the mercie of God, that I should be of the number of those which being dedicated and consecrated to his seruice, haue not onely their harts wounded and pearced through with the beholding of such dis­orders and confusions, which are as it were a deluge or inundation of euils, wherewith the whole earth in a maner is couered: but also desire for their part to procure some wholesome remedies for these maladies.

And therefore I determined to write some briefe admonition, which I meant to direct to those whom God had particu­larlie committed to me: and not to pub­lish [Page] the same, directing it to all Chur­ches in generall. Which was not for want of good will toward my brethren in the Lord, and toward all the Chur­ches of Iesus Christ: but knowing mine owne infirmitie and insufficiencie, I ne­uer durst haue interprised it without the prouocation or rather iniunction of my brethren and companions in the Lords worke, which haue charged mee with this, what reasons soeuer I could allege for mine excuse. Which thing I meant to set downe by way of preface, that the causes which induced mee to write this admonition might be made known. The which I addresse vnto all those in gene­rall, who hauing sometimes made open profession of religion, haue now forsaken the same: alwaies prouided that there remaine in them as yet some remnant of true godlines, of good conscience, and of the feare of God, and some hope of con­uersion. And this belongeth principally to you Frenchmen, who heretofore haue taken part with true and pure religion, making protestation before God and his Angels, that you would liue and dye in it, and haue so forsaken the impieties, [Page] superstition and idolatries of poperie, that you did solemnly promise neuer to returne to the same againe, yea though you should loose not onely your goods, honours, and other temporall commodi­ties, but also your liues. Notwithstan­ding the onely feare least you should loose these things, and the vaine imagination least you should suffer some discmomo­ditie by following Iesus Christ, made you breake your vow and promise to God, and hath drawne you aside verie quickly out of the right way of his truth, yea euen to the great dishonour of his maiestie, to the offence of his Church, and to your owne vtter destruction, vn­lesse you repent. To you it is, I say, that I direct this my worke particularlie, that I may louingly and brotherlie con­ferre with you, touching the offence which you haue committed: beseeching you in the name of the liuing God, that you would find some spare time to reade it, pondering together with me the rea­sons which shall be therein set downe be­fore your eyes, out of the word of God. And that not onelie to the end you may approue the same (as all those will not sticke to doe, which will not flatter them [Page] selues, nor stubbornlie withstand the trueth of God) but aboue all that hauing approued the same, there may be in you an holie resolution, accompanied with the effect thereof: that is in summe, that you may with speede repaire by a true and readie conuersion that fault which you haue committed. Which being well considered and weighed, as it ought, to­gether with the circumstances thereof, you shall full well know, and shall be in­forced to graunt, that it is nothing so small and light as the enimies of your saluatiō would make you belieue, name­ly the diuel, the flesh, and the worlde, which indeuour moreouer to cast you in­to a déepe sléepe, and so to besot you, that you may not anie longer haue anie fee­ling of your faults, but may more and more plunge your selues in filth & mire, that you may there continue, and finally become Antechrists, a people without God and without religion, that is to say, being wholie become slaues to Sathan, as is befallen to more people in our countrie of Fraunce, then were to be wished, through the iust iudgement of God. Fur­thermore, when you shall well perceiue [Page] the greatnes and hugenes of your fall, it must needes come to passe that you shall see the horrible & fearefull iudgements and vengeance, which the Lord bringeth vpon all those, who through their slack­nesse an disloyaltie, haue beene the cause that his holie name hath béene profaned, and their neighbors offended. Which knowledge may serue to bring you to a true deiection and humilitie before the maiestie of God: not that you may faint and sinke down vnder your burden, and so fall into despaire, through the conside­ration of your transgressions, and by the sight of Gods iustice: but rather that being by this meanes humbled in the presence of God, you may be the better brought to draw neare vnto him: or ra­ther to speake more properly, to prouoke him to draw nearer to you: according to that which the Prophet saith, that The Lord is nigh vnto those that are com­fortles, beaten downe, and broken in hart, and saueth them that be of a con­trite spirite, euen through the feeling of their sinnes and iniquities: so that a man may truelie say, that such humilitie is as it were the first gate or dore to enter in [Page] vnto the throne of the grace and mercie of God: who is in such sort iust to punish sinners in his wrath, euen those which are obstinate, and which harden their harts when they heare his voice, and abuse his patience, that he is also readie to show mercie, he is pitifull, gentle, and merciful to all those which being conuict in their conscience, and hauing accused themselues before God, returne vnto him without faining, throwing them selues as it were into the armes of his most bountifull father, to secke for grace at his hands.

These are (my brethren) the prin­cipall points which I mean, by the grace of God, to laie open vnto you in this my present writing: that is, a briefe collecti­on of that which you must doe, that you may escape the iust wrath and indigna­tion of the Lord, and bee reconciled to him. This is that which I require at your hands, for the glorie of God, and for your owne benefit and saluation: this is that which all your brethren & mem­bers (whom God hath preserued) desire and craue daylie at the hands of God with gronings, sighes, and most feruent [Page] praiers. This is that which the Angels of heauen looke for at your handes, that they may reioyce and praise God for your conuersion: Briefly, this is that whereunto you are called and inuited by the goodnesse and clemencie of our hea­uenlie father, who stretcheth out his armes vnto you, to imbrace you as his children. Wherfore it standeth you vp­pon to looke to it: for the case so standeth that you must now either honour or dis­honour God, you must either be saued, or else condemned?

Now forasmuch as my desire is to help & comfort you therein, I wil take paine, through Gods help, to make these things more plaine, & somewhat more largely & in order to deduct them. First of al then, if you be desirous to come to the true knowledge of your fault that you may detest the same, & obtaine pardon for it at the handes of God, you must beware that you weigh it not in a false ballance, such as is that of Satans, the flesh, & the world, y^e sworne enimies of our saluatiō: for these shal not be your iudges at y^e last day: but you must peyze thē in the seales of the wil of God, which is declared vnto [Page] vs in his word: for that is the onlie most certaine, and most perfect rule whereto all our actions must be referred, & wher­with they must al be hedged in, and ac­cording to the which alone men shal bée iudged of the Lord.

I know full well that all those which haue forgotten themselues in this case, forsaking the profession of true religion, that they may raunge themselues vnder y^e banner Antichrist, must not be placed in one & the same ranke. For one sort is so fallen that they are as it were out of all hope euer to be able to rise againe, of which sort are that heape and rabble of hypocrites, which had intruded them­selues into the Church of God, making a show y^t they would folow Iesus Christ, and make profession of his Gospell: not­withstanding, forasmuch as they neuer had anie sparkle of true godlines, ney­ther anie will to renounce their concu­piscences, and the vanities of this world, that they might dedicate & cōsecrate thē ­selues to God, to follow Iesus Christ, & to reforme their life according to the do­ctrine of his Gospel, it is come to passe y^t their hypocrisie is discouered: for séeing [Page] they could not (so long as they professed religion) giue their lustes the bridle, and run into al filthinesse, dissolutenes, and infamous facts: giue ouer themselues to their delights and filthy pleasure, satisfie their ambitiō & couetousnes, enioy their ease, delicates, & cōmodities of this life, take their pastime, and so liue in such rest according to y^e flesh, y^t they might not bée disquieted or troubled any maner of way Briefly, seing they coulde not serue two maisters which were quite cōtrary y^e one to y^e other, y^t is to say, God & the Diuell, they forsook God & gaue thēselues to fol­low y^e world, which is as it were y^e diuels bawd: other some staid not til they might be tried by the fan of persecutions, & so to go out of the church, but they reuolted of their own accord at sundry times, & vpon diuers occasiōs, either because they could not abide to be reproued for their faults & offēces, or els bicause they wold not sub­mit their neck to y^e yoke of Iesus Christ, & range thēselues according to the order of the church as others did, or els bicause they could not addict thēselues to the af­faires of y^e world as hath bin said. This was the cause why they stūbled at y^e first [Page] stumbling stone whereon they light in the way, nay rather they went purpose­ly to séeke the same. Othersome haue ta­kē occasiō at the crosse & persecutiō. And albeit the most part of these men make a shew y^t they approue our religion, & yet to the end they may be counted good Ca­tholikes, are more superstitious, and ad­dicted to ceremonies then others, yet so it is that they be very Epicures & Atheists, which in their harts deride al religion. As for this sort of men, we may rather desire it than euer hope for it, y^t they wil euer be brought to a true knowledge of their offence, that they may turne vnto y^e Lord: For the Prince of darknesse hath stricken thē with such blindnes, through the iust iudgement of God, that they are in greater darknes of beastly ignorance, as touching the knowledge of their fault, then they were before they came to the knowledge of the trueth. And it fa­reth with them as with him that in a dark night cōmeth to put out a candle or light wherewith he was inlightened a while, for afterward his eies dazel more, & he is in worse case than before hee had that light. Therfore no maruaile if these [Page] men be so turned out of the right way, that they cannot returne into the same againe. For as the Apostle saith, If those which haue once bin illuminated, and haue tasted of the heauēly gift, & haue bin made partakers of the holy ghost, and haue tasted of the good worde of God, and of the powers of the world to come: If these I saie, fall away, it is impossible that they should be renued to repentance: seing they crucifie the son of God afresh, so much as in them lieth, and make a mocke of him. Now then forasmuch as these men are hardened in their wickednesse, & so consequently in­curable, it were but lost labour to write to them, & to exhort thē to acknowledge and amēd their fault, wherfore my mea­ning is not to apply my selfe to them in this my writing, saue only to denounce against thē the sentence of y^e holy ghost, speaking by the Apostle to the Hebrues, that is, that séeing they haue sinned wil­lingly after they knew y^e truth, that is to say, séeing that being altogether estran­ged and cut off from the Church of Iesus Christ, they take pleasure in iniquitie, & contrary to the testimony of their owne [Page] conscience doe malitiouslie resist the knowen truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne for them, but a fearfull looking for iudgement, and a consuming fire which shal deuour the aduersaries. And this is y^t which we both can & will saie, touching these men at this time.

But as for you my brethren to whō I now speak, God wil not haue me to rec­kō you amōgst those mē: for if it were so, then would not I take so much pains as to write to you. But as I know y^t in the more part of you there was more frailty thā malice & hatred against the trueth, so likewise I haue a good hope, y^t after the lord through his goodnes hath beheld you with y^e same eie wherwith he beheld S. Peter, he will make you come out of the house of that wicked Priest Caiphas, where Antichrist & his ministers pursue Iesus Christ to death, & spit in his face with mockes, railinges and blasphemies most horrible: I hope also that after you haue wept bitterlie for your fault, you shal be reconciled to God, and receiued to mercie. Notwithstāding it is verie ne­cessarie y^t you be awaked vp & thorowly touched, least you lye sléeping in your [Page] sinne, and so flatter your selues, whe­ther by excusing or lessening your fault, or by féeding your selues with I cannot tel what vaine hope, and so fall finallie into the same hardnesse and obstinacie whereinto manie are fallen: who when they first began to fal awaie, made none account alwaies to continue in y^e filthie sinke: but did hope, yea & persuade them­selues to come out thence in time: not­withstāding they haue suffred thēselues to be lulled fast asléep by y^e world in y^e bed of their tender & delicate flesh, they driue off frō daie to daie, waiting for some gol­den world wherein the Gospel of Iesus Christ might be preached without con­tradiction, and the profession of religion should no longer bring with it the crosse & afflictions. But what? They sée that in stéede of hauing an ende, these affli­ctions continue, naie are redoubled con­trarie to their hope: forasmuch as they neuer as yet learned this lesson which Iesus Christ teacheth all those which wil followe him, that is,Mat. 16 that they for­sake thēselues, and take vp their crosse, that they maye beare it during their whole life, and that being thus prepared [Page] they follow him. Forasmuch thē as these men see thēselues deceiued by their vain hope, and that they neuer tooke any time to bethinke themselues and to ponder their fault, and to marke and consider the iudgements of God vpon those that are so slacke and disloiall as to flie from their ensigne, at suche time as they are to enter the battaile: they are resolued to forsake all, and to lie tumbling in their filth, that they may perish miserably, yea eternally, rather than they will suffer e­uen a little with Iesus Christ, that they may raigne and be glorified with him eternally. And now my brethren to the ende you may make your profite of their follie, and that by other mens harmes you may learne to be wise, you must beware that you take not y^e same way which they haue taken: but cōtrari­wise enter you rather into your selues, and examine your conscience through­ly without flatterie, giuing the same iudgement of your fault, and pronoun­cing the same sentence of condēnation a­gainst your own selues, which you som­times gaue vpō these which had vsed the like slacknes & disloialty, to the end that [Page] iudging your selues you may not bée iudged of the Lord, as saith the Apostle. And that you may the better do this, you must rather hearken to the voice of God, and to the witnesse of your owne consci­ence which accuseth you, then to the en­chaunting voice of that olde Serpent, who to the ende he may seduce you (as he hath alreadie made too great a begin­ning) ceaseth not to whisper into the eare of your conscience, that which he some­times said to our first parents: and hath God said, you shall not eate of euerie tree of the Garden, &c. And if he can­not bring his matters so about that hee can take from you all feeling of your of­fence, and all perceiuing and vnderstan­ding of the iudgement and vengeance of God, he wil suggest vnto you by the flesh and the world diuers excuses wherewith you may cloake and lessen the same, ma­king you beléeue (if possibly he can) that it is not so horrible as men say it is: or els he will giue you his accustomed cuppe of slumbering, besméered with some hope to returne to God againe, when the ty­ranny is ouerpast: but he will beware that he do not tel you, that all that which [Page] he doth, tendeth to draw you awaie by little & little from the obedience of God your father, that he maie hale you to e­ternall destruction: but on the contrarie he wil perswade you, if he can, that here­by you prouide for your good, and com­fort. Notwithstanding you know that he is a lier and disceiuer: for when he went about to blind the eies of our first parēts, he told them: your eies shalbe opened: and when he sought to make them deuils like to himselfe, he said vnto them, you shal be Gods: and intending to make them subiect to the first and second death, he promised them immortalitie and life, saying: you shall not die. Beware then how you giue eare to his deceitfull and wicked counsels, to the inticements and inchauntments of this inchaunter, who is an enimie to your saluation: but rather hearken to the voice of that So­ueraigne Phisition who will not onelie make you feele and knowe your griefe, the daunger wherein you are, and the meanes whereby you maie prouide for your curing: but will also heale you him selfe, if your selues be not a stop and hin­derance to it.

First of all then my brethren, I moste earnestlie beseech, and beseech you a­gaine in the name of this great God and father of mercy, that you will earnestlie consider how many waies your fault de­serueth condemnation before God. You know that the most vile vice and that which both most of all deserue to bee pu­nished by all lawes both diuine and hu­maine, is this, to wit, if a childe do so de­generate that he withdraw himself from submitting himselfe to a good father and mother, yea denyeth them to be his pa­rents, and doth become a seruaunt and slaue to a straunger that is euen their verie deadly enimie, and in whose house he shall be constrayned to heare a thou­sand speeches tending to their dishonor and reproche: or if a subiect bee so vn­thankefull, vnfaithfull, disloyall, and tre­cherous to his natural Prince (at whose handes he had receiued manie benefites and great honour) as to reuolt from his obedience, and to band himselfe with his mortall enimie which maketh open war against him. And yet you haue dealt thus. For the Lorde had sometimes [Page] graunted you such fauour as to drawe you out of Sathans family (whose slaues you were by nature) that he might adopt you in his sonne Iesus Christ, that hée might make you sit at his own table, and traine you vp as his owne children, and make you inheritours of his kingdome, but you are departed out of his house, and hauing denyed him to bee your fa­ther, you haue quite forsaken him, that you might become slaues to Sathan, in whose Synagoge your eares shall bée polluted with infinite and horrible blas­phemies against the Maiestie of God. You had a good mother, which is the Church of Iesus Christ, which had con­ceiued you in her wombe by the incor­ruptible séede of the word of God, which had brought you forth not without great panges and thrals of afflictions and persecutions, had giuen you sucke with her two breasts which are the olde and new testament, and which had brought you vp and noursed you with great care, bearing your infirmities, and couering and wiping awaie your filth: and in lieu of all this you haue forsaken her, denying her to be your mother, and haue euen as [Page] it were throwne your selues into the armes of a straunge strumpet, or rather of that great whore of Babilon, which in stéed of giuing you good and wholesome nourishment, giueth you to drinke the poison of her vncleannes and abhomina­ble whoredomes, that your soules maie thereby be infected and destroied: and she ceaseth not to make deadlie war against your chast mother the spouse of Iesus Christ, and to murther all her children. Furthermore, you had a good king and Soueraigne Lord euen Iesus Christ the eternal sonne of God, who loued you so dearelie that he gaue himselfe vp to death for your sakes which were his eni­mies, who had deliuered you from the tirannie and slauerie of the deuill, who had redéemed you, not with gold or siluer or anie other corruptible thing, but by his own pretious bloud, which he shedde for you: and not onelie so, but had ouer and besides graunted you so great honor as to make you his fellowes, that hee might make you partakers of his gra­ces, of his glorie, and of his celestial king­dome: and yet for all this, as soone as hee summoned you to the combate of the [Page] crosse, that he might make you go the selfe same way which he had gone before you, to the ende that after the victorie hée might giue you the crowne of glorie and immortalitie: you turned your backes and forsooke him, yea you renounced him (if not al, at least the greater part of you) by the most execrable abiuration which that infernall Dragon did euer spue out of his stinking mouth against the Ma­iestie of God: and that which more is, you haue inrolled your selues vnder the captaine of all impietie, which is Anti­christ of Rome, the sworne enimie of the sonne of God and of your saluation. Sée what an heape of backslidinges, disloy­alties, and most vile vnthankefulnes here is. But now I do wel perceiue that those which will not giue glorie to God, nor giue eare to his worde, but take counsell of Sathan, to confirme them­selues in their errour, will not bee vn­prouided of replies, and will not bee ashamed (some such there bee) to séeke to couer or lessē their fault, alleadging that olde saying of time seruers and of cer­taine backsliders, which knowe ful wel, yea in their hearts condemne the abuses, [Page] impieties, superstitions, and Idolatries of Poperie, and are constrained to con­fesse the truth, to wit, that that is the verye true religion which we professe through the grace of God. Notwithstan­ding because they are afraid to beare the blows, they will not march on vnder the banner of Iesus Christ: but to the end they maye applye themselues to the worlde, they follow the banner of An­tichrist. Moreouer if a man come to ad­monish them and to tell them their due­tie, they replye, that albeit they serue the deuill with their bodies, yet they cease not to be Christians, and children of God, forasmuch as they reserue him the chiefe, which is the Spirite, where­with they serue and honour him: and though they haue forsaken the church of Iesus Christ, and are fallen from their profession of the Gospell, and haue re­nounced religion, yet was not this in heart, and with affection, but onely in word. But all these allegations are so féeble, and these replies are so friuelous, that they deserue none answere at all. And I am verie certaine that the moste [Page] part of you my brethren, haue sometimes reiected them, as not worthie to be re­ceiued, and of none importaunce, when they would haue paied you with such monie, yea I am sure you laugh at them euen at this time in your owne hearts: and that for good cause. For where can you finde that the Lord hath permit­ted vs to make such a partition between our soule and bodie, as with the one to serue God, and the deuill with the other? Is not the Lord the creatour and sauiour aswell of the one as of the other? Wil not he be glorified in both? We knowe that the Apostle will haue vs to offer not onelie our spirites, but also our bodies to the Lord in Sacrifice, that is, that we consecrate and dedicate our selues to the seruice of God, both in soule and bodie. And that which more is, our bodies are called by the Apostle the Temples of God, and must be made partakers of his glorie aswel as our selues: euen then when we shall be fashioned according to the glorious bodie of the Sonne of God. It foloweth then that we must not serue the deuill therwith, polluting them with superstitions & Idolatries, but we must [Page] kéepe them in al purenes and holines for the seruice of our god. For what husband is he that is so foolish which would take such an answere for paimēt at his wiues hand, and that would suffer her to make such a partition? If a woman were so im­pudent and shameles as to speake to her husband on this wise: my husband, I prostitute my bodie indéed to such & such, and make it common euerie daie in the brothelhouse: but I reserue y^e better part for you, and thats mine heart, wherwith I loue you, serue and honor you. I praie you, should not such a woman deserue to be cast off, of her husband as a mocker, or rather as a common, vile, and detestable harlot? It is most certain that she should. What will the Lord then do, who is ie­lous ouer his glorie and our saluation, who hath espoused vs to himselfe, that keeping our faith and promise made to him, wee maie bee pure and chast in bo­die and mind? What will he do, (I say) if wee pollute our bodies in Idolatrie, which is spirituall whoredome? Wher­fore we see that this is a vaine excuse: for indeede if this partition coulde haue beene made with a good conscience, [Page] that is to saye, to prostrate the bodie be­fore Idols, and to keepe the heart for God, thinke wee that Daniell and the three Hebrue children would not rather haue vsed this opportunitie, then to haue exposed their life to so great dangers, sée­ing there was nothing required at their hands saue onely an outward kinde of worship. But what shall we say of so manie martyrs, whose memorie is fresh as yet? Who would rather shed the last drop of their bloud, or bee burnt aliue with soft fire, then once to bowe their knée before Baal, howe little soeuer it were? Why did they it not for safegard of their life to preserue it from so cruell tor­ments, and from the fire? Because they feared eternall torments, and the fire of Gods wrath, who abhorreth such Ido­latrie, what protestation soeuer wee make, that wee keepe our heart whole and pure for him, for he will haue both the one and the other. Now it may ap­peare by that, what account we ought to make of that other replye, which manye amongst you haue in their mouth, when a man studieth to set before their eies the filthines of their fault. If I tel you that [Page] you haue abiured and forsworne christi­an religion, and receiued and allowed al the abhominations of the great whore: also that you haue denyed the sonne of God, and acknowledged this Idole of Antichrist, putting him as it were in his place, you wil say that you did it not with your heart & affection, but onely in word, to content men, and you thinke that you may escape by this goodly distinction. But the Lord wil not iudge you after your subtilties & sophistrie, which shal vanish away like smoake, when we shall appeare before the throne of his Maiestie. He hath not said, Hee which shall confesse me with the heart and af­fection, him wil I confesse before my fa­ther in heauen, and before his Angels: & he which shall deny me with the heart, him wil I also denie: but hee speaketh of confessing and acknowledging those which shal confesse him before men, and of reiecting and denying those which shal haue denyed and renounced him before men: And what is it to confesse Iesus Christ before men? It is to make open profession of his Gospel, to make frée cō ­fession of his truth, yea to feele it with [Page] our bloud, if neede bee, after the example of this cloude of martyres, which shall stand vp in iudgment against you at the great daie. On the other side, what is it to denie Iesus Christ before men? is it not to do euen as you haue done? And to do that which you do as yet dailie.

But least you thinke that I charge you to sore, and without cause, I beseech you consider with an equall and quiet mind, what this cursed and detestable abiura­tion which you haue made, importeth: the which I cannot read without an in­ward trembling: especiallie when I be­hold the cursed and miserable estate of so manie silie soules, which by this meanes are caught in Sathans net, wherein they continue intangled vntill such time as they be vnited again with the Church of Iesus Christ. But admit there be some few among you, which haue exempted themselues from making the foresaid ab­iuration, yet you cease not to denie Ie­sus Christ to be your sole Sauiour, to tread his bloud vnder your féete, and to renounce the merit of his death and pas­sion, when by your presence & assistance you approue that abhomination of the [Page] masse, which is the seale, and detestable sacrament of this abiuration, and re­nouncing of the sonne of God, and as it were a poisoned heape of all the impie­ties of popish doctrine.

But for the better explaning of al this, let vs consider the thinges more distinct­lie: not that I purpose to rippe vp all the pointes that are comprised in this good­lie fourme of confession and abiurati­on, and to refute them by reasons and plaine testimonies of Scripture: for then I should make a great volume touching that matter alone: which should be a su­perfluous thing, seeing I should then hā ­dle and do againe that which hath bene alreadie done most excellentlie by manie excellent seruants of God in our time: & speciallie by him who made not long a­goe, the answer to the profession of faith, published against those of the reformed church, by the Archbishop & Munkes of Bourdeaux, in which answere framed according to y^e word of god, he doth plain­lie & amplie depaint & point out all the a­buses, impieties, superstitiōs & idolatries of poperie, which are gathered into their formes of abiuration, so that they are [Page] made knowne to al euen, to litle childrē, vnlesse they be such as be blinded by the prince of darkenes. Furthermore I haue not interprised here to dispute against those, which admit no reasō, nor no word of God, but only custome, the traditions of the fathers, their opiniōs, their dreams & toyes, the lawes, ordinances, statutes and tyrānous decrées of their Antichrist: for this were but lost labour. And surely, I do not write properly to those men: but vnto you my brethren do I speak: to you I say, which know these abuses by the word of God, which haue condem­ned and detested thē, & which are conuict in your own conscience, that al y^e pointes of doctrine contained in this abiuration, are as manye horrible blasphemies a­gainst Iesus Christ, and the doctrine of his Gospell: except the Nicene créed, the which these coseners haue set in the ve­ry beginning of this goodlye confession, which they haue made, to bleare the eies of the simple fooles, as if their doctrine were conformable to this creede, and as if we did reiect and reproue the same: whereas contrariwise it is we that re­ceiue it, confesse, and approue it in all [Page] points and throughout, as being groun­ded vpon the word of God: and on the other side they so pronounce it with their mouth in their execrable masse, that they reiect the most part of those pointes that are contained in it, and in the Apostles créede: as wee coulde depaint out before their eies, and make them touch with their finger, if they had eies to see, eares to heare, and an heart to vnderstand that which shoulde bee set before them out of the word of God. Forasmuch then as you are not ignoraunt of these thinges which you haue learned out of the word of God, it shall bee inough for mee to touch them superficially, to put you in minde thereof, and by this meanes to represent vnto you in some sort, the fil­thines, fowlenes, and deformitie of your fal, to the end you may be ashamed ther­of, and confounded in your selues, yea so grieued, that God maye bee glorified in your conuersion.

Firste of all, consider I praye you howe manye impyeties and horrible blasphemies are comprised in the se­cond article which foloweth immediatly after y^e recitall of the Nicene Créed. You [Page] haue thereby protested to receiue and al­low, al the abuses, errours, superstitions, idolatries, and abhominations of the Church of Rome, and to renounce the truth of God, which hath beene taught you out of his word: for you receiue the holie Scripture vpon such condition, that it shall not be interpreted according to the Analogie of faith (as S. Paule cōmandeth) y^t is, that it shal not be inter­preted according to the Scripture it self,Rom. 12. conferring one place with an other, that there maie such sense be gathered thence as shalbe agréeable to the groundes and articles of the christian faith: but accor­ding to the sense & interpretation, which it shal please them to giue it, which false­ly taking to themselues the right and au­thoritie to interprete, do ordinarilie and most manifestlie corrupt and peruerte y^e same for maintenance of their dreames & inuentions. So that by this one onlie ar­ticle you haue promised to condemne (as being false) al the true and pure doctrine of your saluatiō which you haue learned out of the word of God, interpreted by y^e word of God himselfe: & on y^e other side to approue all the corruptions, lies, and [Page] falshoode of the leauen of the Pharisies, which is in the doctrine of Antichrist, And what shal we call this, but to turne light to darknesse, to reiect Iesus Christ as a lier, and to embrace Antichrist as being true? Surely by agréeing to this one onelie article, you haue (so much as in you laie) giuen as great aduantage to the enimies of the Gospell, as if a man should deliuer vp into the handes of his aduersarie, all his papers, rightes, and instrumentes giuing him leaue to turne them all to his most aduantage, yea to interprete the lawes as he list, and to pronounce such sentence as he shal think good, as if he were both iudge & plaintiffe. And surely there is no errour so absurd, no abuse so grosse, no impietie so abho­minable, which Antichrist and his mini­sters doe not maintaine by this meanes against the trueth of God: for when a man shall alleadge plaine places of scrip­ture in defence of the trueth, and to re­fute falshood: and that the matter shall be made so plain and so euident of it self, that they cannot tell what to answeare on the contrarie, this shal be their last re­fuge: to wit, that our holie mother the [Page] church vnderstandeth these places other­wise: and that the Scripture admitteth none other sense and interpretation, no yet any other authority, saue that which it pleaseth our holie father the Pope to bestow vpon it. Thus wil they argue: so that by making you allow and approue this article, there resteth no more now, but that they may fréely triūph ouer Ie­sus Christ, and his doctrine, in so much that it was not néedful to specifie the rest which follow: the proofe whereof depen­deth vpon the graunting of this alone. Notwithstanding séeing that to the ende they might more strictly binde you vnto them they make a recital of the principal heads of their false doctrine examine thē al one after another, and you shal ful wel know what reprehension your back sliding deserueth.

The third is no lesse pernicious thā y^e second. For it foloweth vpō it as a gene­ral consequence, drawing after it al the special consequences & cōclusions, which they make touching their inuentions, & humane traditiōs, wherby they haue corrupted & peruerted y^e pure seruice of God aswel in regard of the doctrine, as of the [Page] ceremonies, which they coulde neuer maintain & defend, were it not that their false gloses & interpretations which they giue vpon the scriptures did help them. Wherefore seing you haue graunted thē this, that it belongeth to them to giue the Scripture such sense and interpreta­tion as shal séeme best to them, it fol­loweth therevpon, that you do likewise graunt to them, that al the abuses, al the dreames, and toies, al the ceremonies & obseruations which Satā hath brought in into y^e church, wherof some are altoge­ther foolish, friuolous, & ridiculous, and o­ther superstitious coupled together with impiety & idolatry, without hauing any ground in the scripture, yea being direct­ly contrary to the same for the most part, and by the which also y^e puritie and sim­plicity of Christiā religion hath bin tur­ned into a kind of Iudaism & Paganism: you graunt to them, I say, that al these bables, al this filth & abhominations are good and holie, as being parcels of the ser­uice of God, being established in y^e church by our Lord Iesus Christ & his Apostles: as also these lyers haue bin so shamelesse as to cal al these filthy and stinking [Page] dregs, which haue infected the Church: traditions, obseruations, and ordinan­ces of the Apostles. But you know full wel that they agrée aswell with the do­ctrine of Christ & his Apostles, as dark­nes with light, and falshood with truth. For where can they finde that Iesus Christ or his Apostles did ordain y^e masse together with the furniture & trappings thereof which are full of foolishe toies? Wher can they finde that filth, where­with they haue corrupted holie baptism, as creame, salt, spittle, coniured water, lights and such like thinges? Where cā they finde the baptizing of Belles, holie water, Processions, Praier for the dead, and a thousand such bables, toies, & tri­fles as were too long to rehearse? But chieflie an infinite number of errors con­tained in the masse, and in al the rest of their booke of ceremonies? Of which sort is that execrable idolatrie which they cō ­mit in worshipping a morsell of Bread, the inuocation and intercession of saints the adoring and worshipping of the ima­ges, and reliques of dead Saints, the fire of Purgatorie, the Popes pardons & in­dulgences, and such like impieties con­demned [Page] by the worde of God. And yet for al this like séelie soules you haue mi­serablie bound your selues to receiue and approue al these thinges. O eternal God is it possible that you should haue bin so vndiscrete? Is it possible that you should continue so blockish as to haue no re­morse of conscience in you.

But let vs procéede: you haue béene taught out of the word of God that Ie­sus Christ hath for the continuall vse of his Church instituted onelie two Sacra­ments, to wit, Baptisme, and the holie Supper, to represent vnto vs the holie mysteries of our saluatiō, that is to saie, our regeneration, and the spirituall life which we drawe from Iesus Christ our head, in as much as wée are most strictly vnited and coupled together with him: and to seale vp in our heartes the promi­ses of saluation and eternal life, which are there made vnto vs by the Lorde. You know moreouer, that the Church of God must content it self with these two, not onelie because they are sufficient to represent vnto vs all the benefites of Ie­sus Christ, and to assure vs of his grace & fauour, but also because it is not law­ful [Page] for mortal mā, no not for y^e verie An­gels to ordaine any sacramēts, or to esta­blish any thing in y^e seruice of God: foras­much as this right belōgeth to god alone. Notw^tstanding mark what you confesse by the fourth article of this tyrānous ab­iuration: you ackowledge y^t there bee 7. sacramēts in the law of grace, instituted by Iesus Christ: which is most false. We confesse indéed y^t that which they cal Cō ­firmation (which is nothing els but a re­ceuing of such as are instructed & catechi­sed in y^e church catechisms into y^e church, y^t is to say, of those which hauing bin ca­techised and instructed in the doctrine of Christ, were receiued into y^e felowship of the faithful with praier to recōmend thē to God) is an holy thing, which hath bin practised in the Primitiue Church, euen in the Apostles time: also we do not de­ny but that repentāce (which is nothing else but y^e acknowledging of our faults & the misliking of y^e same, & the amēdment of our life) is a good & wholsome thing, or­dained & cōmanded of God: we confesse also y^t that which they cal the order of Priesthoode (y^t is to say, the laying on of hands, which was vsed in the Church in [Page] old time, & which is vsed at this daye in many reformed Churches, when Pa­stors, Elders, Deacons, & other ecclesia­stical persons are to be admitted vnto the publike charges of y^e church) we confesse, I say, that this is a laudable & holy cere­monie, ordained & practised by the Apo­stles. As for marriage we know also y^t it is an holie institution of the Lord, & that the custome of blessing the same in the Church is Christian. We graunt I say, that al these things are good and holy, & are grounded vppon the worde of God: but we deny them to be Sacramentes. First of al because Iesus Christ hath not instituted them to be suche: and second­lie because they haue not those thinges that are required necessarily in true Sa­craments: for then they must haue been ordayned by Iesus Christ to continue in the Church vntill the consummation of the worlde: and for the vse of the whole Churche in generall, and of eue­rie member thereof in particular. Fur­thermore, there shoulde haue beene vi­sible signes to represent the inuisible graces of God, and the promises of sal­uation and eternal life, which things we [Page] sée to be in baptisme and in the holie sup­per onelie. As for extreame vnction as they cal it, we doe not denie but that the oile wherewith the Apostles did annoint the sicke, was an outward signe which did represent the grace of God, euen in that time of the said Apostles who had y^e gift of healing: but this Sacrament la­sted but for a time, and had an ende toge­ther with the gift of healing & working miracles. We conclude then that there be but two Sacraments in the Church of Christ, and that the other fiue were inuented by men. And yet you confesse that al that was instituted by Christ Ie­sus: & that which is worse, you auouch an horrible blasphemie, whē you graunt that the Sacraments conferre grace: for by this you attribute not onelie to the true Sacramentes, but also to mens in­uentions, that which belongeth to the holie Ghost, who alone conferreth the grace signified by them, and that to the true faithfull alone. And the Sacramēts (as also the word) are onelie instrumēts which he vseth to this end: so that we re­ceiue by them nothing appertaining to our saluation, vnlesse the spirite of God [Page] worke inwardly in vs, and vnlesse wée haue a true and liuely faith.

You haue also learned by the same word of God that the said Sacramentes must be ministred with the same puritie & simplicity wherwith they were institu­ted by our soueraigne Doctor & maister Iesus Christ,Deut 4. & 12. Pro. 30. Apo. 22. and that it is an intollera­ble boldnes to adde any thing therto, and detestable sacrilege to take any thing, therfrō, how litle soeuer it be: forasmuch as this were to séek to be more wise than he who is the eternal wisedome of the fa­ther. And yet neuerthelesse you approue by the first article all those ceremo­nies which these men haue annexed to the administration of the Sacraments, which they haue wickedly and vngodli­ly profaned and polluted. Also you allow al those things which they vse in the ad­ministration thereof, which they them­selues haue inuented and ordained how foolishe, superstitious and wicked soeuer they be: as you know that y^e more part of thē do rather resēble iuglers trickes and toies, or the superstitious & prophane fa­shiōs of y^e heathen, then the simplicity & grauity of Christiās. Moreouer, you ap­proue [Page] by y^e same article two horrible sa­crileges which amongest others they cō ­mit in y^e administratiō of y^e sacramēts, to wit, y^t they separate those thinges which God hath coupled togither, y^t is, the prea­ching of the worde, which is as it were y^e soul of the sacraments: and thē they rent in péeces the holie Supper of the Lord, if that which they cal their Communiō, cā be the true supper: for they excōmunicat the simple people frō one essential part of the supper, namelie frō the cup, contrarie to the expresse commandement of Iesus Christ, who saith, Drinke ye all of this. And it is said in another of y^e Euāgelists, that all of them dranke thereof.Mat. 26. Mar. 14. Consider then with what conscience you could as­sent to such falshoods and iniquities.

But this is not al: come to that which followeth afterwarde, & consider I praie you how many pernicious errors, & hor­rible blasphemies are contained in y^e sixt and seuenth articles. First of al you haue béene taught by the woorde of God that all hope of our saluation resteth in the onlie oblation which Iesus Christ made of his bodie vppon the crosse to appease the wrath of God towarde his elect, [Page] & that this sacrifice of the sonne of God was once so offered,Heb. 7. & 9. as saith the Apo­stle, that it neither can nor ought to bée reiterated, béeing most intire and perfect and therefore most sufficient to reconcile vs to God. Notwithstanding you re­nounce this, or at least seeme to make it imperfect and insufficient, when you ac­knowledge that the masse is a propitia­torie sacrifice for the quick and the dead, that is to saie, that it is of suche power as to purchase Gods fauour, to appease his wrath, and to make satisfaction for sinnes, and in summe to redeem and saue vs: so that you put the masse an execra­ble idol in place of Iesus Christ, spoiling him of the honor which to him belōgeth, which is to be our sole & soueraign priest, and onlie propitiatory sacrifice which a­lone hath this vertue to appease the Fa­ther, & to make him become fauorable to vs. Furthermore you auouch an horri­ble blasphemie against the manhood of Iesus Christ, when you confesse this goodly doctrine of their transubstantiati­on. And surely this errour is of such im­portance, that it bringeth w^c it an infinit number of other errours, and spoyleth [Page] vs of al hope of saluation, if we receiue it. For if Iesus Christ were not verie man, he shoulde not haue truelie died for vs, and so haue satisfied Gods iudge­ment for the sinnes of men, and so con­sequently we should as yet remaine in death. But now he should not haue bin verie man like to vs in al thinges except sinne,H [...]b. 2. & 4. as saith the Apostle, if his body had béene inuisible as some ghost, vnder a morcell of bread at such time as hee or­dained his Supper together with his A­postles: and if the Bread and Wine were transubstantiated into his bodie and into his blood, by whispering cer­taine woordes, which they call Sacra­mental woordes (which is a kinde of charme) so that hee was there fleshe and bone, as thicke and as great as when hée was vpon the true trée of the crosse, as these men most impudently affirme: it should folow that the wicked ones & vn­beleuing of y^e world coulde receiue Iesus Christ, & that he should be in dāger to be gnawn of vermin, not to speak of a thou­sand other errors & dānable absurdities which should require too long time if I should stande to rip thē vp. Also if Iesus [Page] Christ should euery day come down be­twéene the Priests hands, that which is cōtained in y^e articles of our faith should not be true, that he is ascēded into heauē, where he shal be (as touching his huma­nity) vntil he come at y^e last day to iudge both y^e quick & the dead: as is cōfirmed by S. Peter, who saith that the heauens must containe him, Act. 3. vntil the restoring of al things, &c. Furthermore if he wer at one time in an infinite number of pla­ces as touching his humanitye, his hu­mane nature shuld be cōuerted into y^e di­uine nature which alone is infinite. To be short, if y^e doctrine of y^e papists touching the māhood of Iesus Christ were true, thē were he not very man, & so consequently not our mediator. And if this were so, thē sholud it folow that we should be as yet vnder the curse of God. Marke thē what you haue done. But ouer and besides cō ­sider, that by allowing that doctrine of transubstantiation, you make your selfe as guilty of that cursed idolatry which is committed in worshipping a morsell of paste or bread, as if it were the sonne of God. I omit to speake of another errour which issueth out of their transubstātia­tion [Page] wherof they make mention about y^e end of the seuenth article: where they say that vnder both kindes is wholly con­tayned the body of Iesus Christ. They had forgotten to saie the blood, that they might thereby continue their concomitā ­cy or accompanying of both kinds vnder one, which they haue forged in their own brain, to y^e end they might maintain this sacrilege, in y^t they haue robbed y^e simple people of the vse of the cup. But there is not in al that so much as one sparkle of truth, and yet you allow all these iniqui­ties by this cursed abiuration.

As for Purgatorie which you confesse in the eight article, doe you not perceiue what violence you offer to the sonne of God,Iohn 1. 1. Ioh. 1. 1. Ioh. 2. Heb. 1. and what iniurie you offer to your selues? You know that Iesus Christ is that Lambe of God which taketh awaie the sinnes of the world: that his bloud cleanseth vs from all sinne: that he is the attonement or propitiaton for our sins, & that he hmselfe hath purged them, &c. Lo it is he which is our true Purgato­rie. And yet you cōfesse another, making of none effect, so much as in you lieth, the vertue of y^e precious blood of this vnspot­ted [Page] lambe, and renouncing the true pur­gation of your sinnes.

Furthermore,Mat. 4. Ioh. 14. Ioh. 15. 1. tim 2. 1. Ioh. 2. know you not y^t there is one onelie God whom we must worship and reuerence, to whom we must pray, & vppon whom we must call, and that in y^e name and mediation of Iesus Christ a­lone who is our onelie mediatour, aduo­cate and intercessour? And yet consider what confession you haue made in the ninth Article contrarie to your owne conscience: that is, that you must wor­ship, praie vnto, and call vpon Saintes: which is manifest idolatry, forasmuch as inuocatiō is a kind of worshipping. And furthermore you auouch that the saints are our aduocates & intercessors, which is to robbe Iesus Christ of that ho­nour which belongeth to him alone. But you doe woorse then this comes too, when you confesse that you must woor­shippe or reuerence the reliques of the saide Saintes: vnder which woordes they comprehende not onelie the bones and reliques of dead Saintes, but al­so the stinking and rotten carkaises of manie, whose soules it maie be are tor­mented in Hell, as saieth an auncient [Page] Doctor? and not onely the bones of men, but also of beasts, which these deceiuers make the poore blockish people worship, that they may thereby get money. And is it possible thē that you should be come to such blockishnes?

But what wil you say to that which they make you confesse by the tenth arti­cle? that men must not onlie haue images of Iesus Christ, of the virgin Marie, and of al the other saints, but also that they must worship and honor thē. Know you not that this is contrarie to the expresse commandement of the Lorde? and that such honour and worship is abhomina­ble idolatrie?Exod. 20. Moreouer, haue you so slenderly profited in the knowledge of God, and of his holy truth, that you haue not learned to abhor and detest that cur­sed and damnable merchaundize which the Pope maketh of his pardons and in­dulgēces, which he selleth for good roūd summes of readie money, to the greate dishonour of the sonne of God, to the contempt of his precious bloud, and to the hurte of poore soules? Haue you euer read eyther in the olde or newe Testament, that the bloud and [Page] merites of Saintes ought to be coupled with the bloud and merit of Iesus Christ thereby to race out sinnes, and to satis­fie Gods iustice. Haue you euer read that Iesus Christ hath commaunded that of such a mingle mangle should be made a treasure which should be at the disposing of that Antichrist of Rome, to bestow it vpon whom soeuer he will, or rather to sell it to those, that woulde buye it, and that such pardons shoulde bee profitable for all Christians, that is to say, such as should be able to saue them from sinne and from eternall death. And yet they are so impudent as to saye so, yea to af­firme that Iesus Christ is the authour of such abhominations, & that hath he left them to the church, that is according to their interpretation, to the Pope, that he might be the kéeper and steward there­of. And yet you haue bene so blinde as to graunt such an impietie by the eleuenth article. O immortal God, who would e­uer haue looked for anie such thinge at your hands.

And that which worse is, you do not onely approue this cursed tyrannie of Antichrist, confessing by the twelfth ar­ticle [Page] that the great whore of Babilon (which they falselie call the holie Catho­tholike and Apostolike Church) is the mother and mistresse of all other Chur­ches, but you do also withdraw your selues from the obedience and subiection which you owe vnto the onlie, and high Bishop of our soules, which is Iesus Christ, that you maie become slaues and seruants to the tyrannous lordship of the Bishop of Rome, (yea binding your selues with promise and oth therto) who calleth himselfe most impudentlie the successour of Peter. But you know y^t the life and doctrine of thone and other, doe plainelie shew that there is as great dif­ference betwéene S. Peter and the pope of Rome, as betwéene an Angell of God, and an angell of Sathan. Which were quickly proued, if it were néedfull to en­ter anie farther into this matter: as also that which he saith of this holie Apostle, calling him Prince or chiefe of the Apo­stles, to the end he maie establish his own tyranous primacie. But you know that this is a faire flat lye: for he cannot finde so much as one sillable in the whole scripture, whereby he can proue y^e Iesus [Page] Christ appointed Peter to be prince and chiefe ouer his other Apostles much lesse that this holie Apostle did euer exercise anie lordship ouer his companions: but rather we see that all of them did faith­fully exercise their ministerie there wher God called them, with equall athoritie, without anie pretence of primacie or su­perioritie of one ouer another. But ad­mit we should graunt the Pope that, yet he must proue manie other thinges before he can make this conclusion, that he is therefore chiefe of all Bishops, and head of the Church. Which hee shall neuer be able to do out of the word of God. You are not ignorant how vntru­ly this cursed creature calleth himselfe the vicar of Iesus Christ: who ceaseth not to persecute him in his members with desperate rage: yea who hath cor­rupted, peruerted, and falsifyed the doc­trine of the Gospell: who oppresseth the Church of Iesus Christ, constray­ning her with might and main to forsake and renounce her true spouse, to commit fornication with Satan in all maner of pollutions, profanations, & abhominable idolatries, that he may hale her headlong [Page] with him to hell. You know that hee is the man of sinne, the sonne of perdition, which sitteth in the temple of God, set­ting himselfe against God, and making himselfe to be worshipped as God: yea boasting and vanting himselfe forth as God: you know that he is in summe ve­rie Antichrist, that is, a sworne enimye of Iesus Christ and his doctrine. To bee briefe, you knowe that hee is the verie lieutenant and vicar of that murtherer of bodies and soules, which is the deuill: whose commandements and ordinances he executeth most exactly against the poore faithfull children of God: and yet you are so besotted that you confesse him to be the vicar of Iesus Christ. O what blindnes is this? And what brutish bloc­kishnes.

Finally, to the ende you might leaue nothing vndone which might appertain to a full and perfect renouncing of chri­stian religion, of the fellowship of Iesus Christ and of his church, and to a full ap­probation and acknowledging of all im­pieties and abhominations which are in the kingdome of Antichrist, you promise and vow to keepe intirely and inuiola­blie [Page] euen vntill your last breat all that which hath bene determined and con­cluded by their Canons, decrees, and councels, and principally all the tyran­nous and wicked decrées and ordinan­ces of the councell of Trent: wherein the pure and true doctrine of Iesus Christ hath bene accursed and condemned as false and erronious: and contrariwise wherein all the impieties and abhomi­nations of Antichrtst haue beene confir­med and ratified: and all this without a­nie hearing of the matter, and without a­nie deciding of anie by the word of God: but onely vpon a certaine absolute and tyrannous authoritie, as appeareth by the articles of the said Councell. This is in summe that euill and offence which you haue committed against God and your owne saluation by this wicked and diuelish confession and abiuration: there is some difference betwéene that which was imprinted at Lyons, which I haue followed, and that which is imprinted at Paris: first in that the order of the secōde and third articles is chaunged: and also in that which is imprinted at Paris, there be two other errors, the one touch­ing [Page] frée will, and the other touching iustification by workes: vpon refutation whereof, I wil not stand anie longer, be­ing well assured that you condemne thē, aswel as all the rest. And therefore you are so much the more blame worthie in that you auouch them contrarie to your owne conscience. Consider then my bre­thren into what a danger of destruction you haue throwen your selues headlong, and how shameful, cowardly, and vile your renouncing whereby you haue re­nounced y^e doctrine of the gospel, is, so to returne to those corruptions which you had before cast vp, and to welter againe in that filthie mire from which you were once washed. Open your eies, and behold how great the foulenes and filthi­nes of your fault is. Surely the more I consider the same, together with all the circumstances thereof, the more damna­ble do I find it to be both before God and also before men: for it cōprehendeth in it an infinite number of y^e most monstrous crimes y^t coulde be committed against y^e maiestie of God. You may iudge of it as you shal think good, but it is so: you know how greatly wee are bound to loue him, [Page] who hath so dearly loued vs that he hath (as one would saie) forgotten himself, to saue vs, and to bring vs from that cursed and miserable estate wherein wee stood through our owne fault. Hee hath not spared his onlie and welbeloued sonne, but hath deliuered him vp to death, yea euen to the death of the crosse, for vs that were his enimies: the sonne also for his part, who would haue thought it no rob­berie to make himselfe equall with God, (as saith the Apostle) did notwithstan­ding abase himself ful low that he might lift vs vp on high,Phi. 2. he became poore to in­rich vs, he couered himselfe with our confusion and shame that he might make vs partakers of his glorie, hee became mortall, that we might haue immortali­tie: to be short, he put himselfe in our place, he presented him selfe giltie before Gods iudgement seate, and descended into hell that he might bring vs thence and exalte vs to the heauenlye inheri­taunce. Nowe then ought not this infinite bountie, this incomparable loue, this incomprehensible fauour, this deapth of compassions and mercies, in­flame vs with a mutual loue toward our [Page] good God, and toward his sonne Iesus Christ. And what doth this loue import, saue onely that being dedicated and con­secrated to his seruice, we should glorifie him in all and through all thinges, pre­ferring his honour and glorie, the sancti­fying of his name, the aduauncement of his kingdome, the feare, the reuerence, and the obedience which wee owe vnto him, before all thinges that are pleasant to the eye, good, precious, and excellent in this world, yea euen before our verie life it selfe. But marke I pray you how you haue done your duetie in this point. You haue preferred the loue of the world and of your selues before the loue of god: you haue dishonoured and defamed the Lord (so much as in you lyeth) a thou­sand thousand waies. For ouer and be­sides that you haue infringed and bro­ken his couenant, you haue denyed him to be your God and father, you haue ab­iured his holy and sacred truth, you haue allowed and receiued in stéede of it that which is falsehood, you haue denyed the sonne of God, and taken Antichrist for your head, you haue polluted your bodies (which he had chosen to be his temple) [Page] by abhominable idolatry, you haue made the holy ghost, and the holy Angels hea­uie and sorrowful, and grieued the whole Church of God, which is ashamed and confounded by reason of your backsli­ding, and euen sobbeth and lamenteth for the same: besides all these euils, I saye, there is this also, that is, that nowe you open the mouth of the vnbe­leeuing to blaspheme (more then euer heretofore) the holie and pretious name of God whereon you sometimes called. Knowe you not with what floutes, scoffes, and scornes worldly and profane men were wont vnreuerently to speake of Christian religion, euen then when they had but small occasion? But nowe how great occasion do you minister vn­to them by your backsliding? Will not they say that the religion whereof you made profession, is not so good, so true, nor so well grounded vpon the word of God, as you haue professed? Will not they speake euill of the doctrine of the Gospell, yea and of Iesus Christe him selfe, as if you had beene deceiued by him? Sathan, Antichriste, and all his ministers, as the Priestes, [Page] munkes, and al that rabble which fight for their bellies against the truth of god, al these I saye will make bone fires for ioy, will laugh with wide open mouth, will triumph, and depresse the true doc­trine of Iesus Christ, and extoll their er­rours, superstitions, and idolatries.

In like maner you are the cause that the Lord shal be blasphemed and disfa­med, that religion shall bee despised and not regarded, that the doctrine of Iesus Christ shal be mocked and scorned, and that the enimies shal set vp their hornes on high, and triumph concerning the vic­torie which they thinke they haue got­ten.

And that which more is, you let and hinder so much as in you lyeth, the king­dome of Iesus Christ: for if you woulde haue done your duetie, and haue con­stantlye persisted in the profession and confession of the Gospel, if you had pre­ferred (as you ought) the honor and glo­rie of God, and your owne saluation, be­fore your goods, pleasures, and commodi­ties, before the honour of the worlde, of your selues, and of your neighbours, and before your owne life, many should haue [Page] bene wel edified thereby, whereas nowe they are greatlie offended and grieued by your fall: those that are straungers from the knowledge of Iesus Christe, would haue bene brought nigh vnto him to tast of the doctrine of the gospel, if you would haue stood to the defense thereof, though it had bin with losse of your goods and liues: as in times past the holie mar­tyres wan more soules to Iesus Christ by their inuincible constancie, then by their doctrine and instruction. But nowe those that neuer tasted of the same, will more loath it then euer, seing you make lesse account of it then Esau did of his Birthright, who sold it for one messe of pottage. Those which began to discouer the abuses, superstitions, and idolatries, of poperie, and to haue some smel of the Gospel, would haue gone forward, and would haue bene confirmed by your per­seuerance: but now seing you forsake y^e which they begā to loue, they wil also be out of liking w^t the same: & on the other side, seeing y^t you receiue againe y^e which they begā to disdaine, y^t shal cōfirme thē in their false opiniōs, or make thē becom athists. You know that in the church of [Page] God there be manie which make profes­sion of Christian religion, and yet there is in them great infirmitie, whereof Ie­sus Christ will haue vs to haue regarde that we do not offend them: these would haue beene fortified and strengthned by your good example: but when y^e poore simple people which had but slenderlye profited and which had béene but simplye instructed, saw that manie of you which had attained to so great honour as to bée called to publike charges of the Church, or which were otherwise mē of accoūt, & such as were had in great reputation a­mongst others, & which were reputed as torches and lanternes to giue light to o­thers: I say when the poore simple peo­ple which were but weake, saw you ge­nerally turne your backes so cowardlye, surely it was vnto them marueilous of­fensiue, & a very great discouragement: so that a great many did yéeld when they were tried, and fel through your occasiō. And surely it is no thankes to you that all of them did not the like: for surelye I will speake this to your shame, that ma­ny amongst you haue bene so miserable and cursed, as to be Sathans to others, [Page] tempting and pricking them forward to do as you did: O cursed wretches, was it not inough for you to destroy your selues vnlesse you must also become giltie of the destruction and ruine of your poore brethren? And now assuredly you are such, if you and they die in this estate.

You oppose your selues yet after another sort against the aduauncement of Gods glorie, and of the kingdome of his sonne Iesus Christ, yea you hinder it so much as in you lyeth: for you haue done what you can to spoyle the the poore church of Iesus Christ of Pastors: forasmuch as you do not only gréeue them, but also dis­honour and disfame them: so that they must néeds be ashamed & confounded by meanes of you. For séeing you do so mi­serably and cowardly reuolt from Chri­stian religion, and renounce the truth of god which they haue preached vnto you, do you not secretly or rather openly de­clare y^t you count thē as false prophets & seducers, which haue deceiued you, & fed you with lyes? Now God is witnes, & your owne conscience doth reproue you of the contrarie. But notwithstanding séeing their hope to bee frustrate, & that [Page] they are so simply rewarded at your hāds for their paines, yea y^t they haue euil re­paied vnto thē for good, shal not this dis­courage them from imploying thēselues hereafter about the worke of your salua­tion? Assuredly, if they had not greater regard to the glory of God, then to your vnthankfulnes, & if they were not more desirous of your saluation then you your selues, they would quite giue ouer all: & it may be there will be some that will do so indéed: & also many young men which would haue dedicated themselues to the studie of diuinitie, that they might serue in the ministrie, will begin to loath the same through your fault. So that it is to be feared that it will come to passe that there will very few be found which will till and sow in such euill ground wherof they shall reape so small fruites. And what can we expect from y^t but beastly & brutish ignorāce, such as was sometimes and is as yet in poperie: corruption of y^e pure seruice of God, and finally miserable desolation? Now the Lord wil not leaue of to finish his worke, and to send labou­rers into his haruest, when hee shall sée time. Yet so it is that you shall neuer­thelesse [Page] be alwaies giltie of the foresaide euils, in as much as they be fruites and effects of your cowardlines and vnthāk­fulnes, howsoeuer the Lorde do turne them to some other end, by his infinite goodnes.

You sée then howe manye monstrous crimes are coupled with your fault & fal: but yet this is not al, for there be an in­finite number of other sins that depende thereupon: whereof I touch only y^e most notorious, and that without vsing anye great discourses and amplifications (as néed doth require) that I may paint out the same vnto you: for I content my self with setting thē down only, for auoiding prolixitie. Notwithstanding it standeth you vpon to thinke vpon them, and to weigh thē wel, y^t you may be brought to detest thē: otherwise they shal be ordered before your face in y^e great day of y^e Lord. Consider then I pray you y^e ouer and be­sides that which hath bene touched here­tofore, you haue committed and do com­mit such an euill as is no smal one: for by your backslyding you condemne not only those which stand as yet at this day through the grace of God in the pro­fession [Page] & confession of the Gospell, as if they were fooles and senseles, or els mad men, but you doe also condemne all those which are dead in our Lord: and princi­pally a great number of the faithfull ser­uants of God and of holy martyres, who haue sealed with their owne bloud that doctrine which you haue abiured, and which did choose rather to loose their goods, honours, and other commodities of this life: to be banished and chased frō their owne houses, to be depriued of their fathers, mothers, wiues, children kins­folke & frends: to be cast in prisō amongst serpents and toades: to be bound & chai­ned, beaten, railed vpon, racked and tor­mented by tormentors, and to suffer all manner cruelties and torments: yea they chose rather to die the most cruel deaths y^t could be inuented, then to pollute them selues in y^e superstitions & idolatries of poperie, which you allowe now by your reuolting, & do miserably defile both your soules, & also your bodies. You condemne all those I saye, as if they had bene vn­discréete men, or some wicked heretikes: & on y^e contrarie you iustify y^e carnal and tyrānous barbarisme of tyrants & perse­cutors, [Page] of vniust iudges, and cruel tormē ­tors who haue murthered and put them to death. And yet your owne conscience telleth you that they suffered for righte­ousnes sake, and gaue their liues for the name of Iesus Christ: and that they are therefore blessed, as Iesus Christ pro­nounceth them to be. On the other side, that those which put them to death are accursed, vnhappie, and detestable, yea very instrumentes of Satan, for whom there is prepared an horrible iudgement, y^e vengeance of God, which they shal not escape, howsoeuer it be long a comming. Therefore you are so muche the more without excuse before God, séeing that you condemne those whom you know to be iust and innocēt, and approue and iu­stifie those whom you know to bee wic­ked and vngodly. He which condemneth the iust, and iustifieth the wicked, they are both alike abhominable before the Lorde, saith Salomon. If you saie that you intende no such thing: you saie no­thing touching this matter which I doe not willingly beleeue: but I aunswere also, that the Lorde doth not iudge men according to their intentions, if they bée [Page] not ruled according to his worde. Know you then that that which you haue done and do as yet, so long as you continue re­uolts, maketh you guiltie of al the inno­cent blood which hath bin shed vntil this day by the executioners and Souldiers of Satan and of Antichrist, and of al the iniuries and outrages which the ene­mies of GOD and of his trueth haue committed, and doe as yet committe dailie against the poore members of Ie­sus Christ: who cannot but count you his enemies so long as you are on their side which make warre against him.

What answere will you make to all these points, when you shal appeare be­fore the iudgement seat of God? What excuses will you make? It maie be you wil say, that that which you did was not done with a glad heart, and of set pur­pose, as if you did approue Poperie, and that you did intend to liue and die in it, or as if you did condemne that Religion which onlie you acknowledge to be good, holie and approued of God, wherevnto also you desire to returne in time, by the grace of GOD, but that you did it one­lie [Page] to escape the violence of this outrage which came vpon you vnawares. That is as much as if you should saie, that you were cōstrained somwhat to fashiō your selues after y^e world, to beare off y^e blows & to saue your goodes and honours, your selues, your wiues, & children &c. Other­some will make manie excuses, saying: I had a charge and familie, I knowe no waie nor meanes how to escape out of y^e realme, I know not whither to go to get my liuing, & to prouide for the necessities of these y^t are mine: the time which was troublesome, the instance and importu­natnesse of my kinsfolkes & friendes, the teares of my wife, y^e cries of my childrē, & other trials did so shake me, that in fine I was glad to yéeld: & moreouer they wil not forget to alleage the infirmity of mā, the example of Dauid, of S. Peter and o­thers, as we are naturallie verie eloquēt and copious, to excuse our faultes. But if wee must come once to peize them & to weigh thē throughlie, y^t we may condēne them & humble our selues in the presence of God, thē wee are as dumbe as fishes, and wée cannot in anie case abide y^e ano­ther man shoulde depaint and liuelie [Page] represent them vnto vs, y^t by this means we maie be brought into the knowledge of them, and so to detest them. But and if we be reproued for them, we doe either flatly denie them, if anie waie we can, or at least we séeke to couer them and to les­sen them by all meanes possible. And whence commeth that? Surelie from our corruption, and from the loue of our selues, which Satan knoweth full well how to vse, that he maie thereby bleare our vnderstanding, or els strike vs stark blinde, to the ende we maie not sée the e­uil fauourednesse and filthinesse of our faultes, and that we maie not perceiue the danger wherein we are, nor séek anie waie or meanes to escape thence.

Now sure I am that there is no one of you that is come so farre, as that hee wil go about to denie so manifest a fault as yours is, that is to holde and auouche that he hath not offended, for such a one should shew himselfe to be too desperatly hardned, blinded by Satan, & a sworne enemie to his owne saluation. But we maie wel presume and beléeue that sun­drie which haue not as yet forsaken the world, neither are gone farre in renoun­cing [Page] themselues, wil haue these and the like excuses readie to alleage: which are euen as manie pillowes or cushions which Satan, the fleshe, and the worlde laie vnder your elbowes, that they may lull and rocke fast asléepe your poore con­sciences, For when al your excuses shal be wel weighed and considered, it maie be they shal haue some colour, and be of some importance with men, which are naturallie moued with such affections & humane passions which corrupt their iudgement: but when they shall be exa­mined according to the worde of God, which peyzeth al thinges aright, then they shal come short, and shal be of none importance. You wil saie then first of al that you did not this voluntarilie, and of purposed malice. I graunt you that, and yet God woulde not haue anie to come euen so farre. But would you haue done it if you had not had a will to doe it? your wil could not be so driuen and enforced, but that you might haue auoided such a mischiefe and inconuenience, if you had had a true zeale of the glorie of God, and an earnest desire of your own saluation, an holie affection to edifie your poore [Page] neighbours, and a right and good consci­ence. Nowe you are so conuict in your selues, that these things haue bin so smal & slēder in you, that they haue bin weigh­ed downe with the weight of your affecti­ons, wherto you haue yelded your selues yea euen with a straunge kind of reuol­ting: for what maner violence was this which you alleage for your excuse? Haue you resisted vnto bloud? Haue you béene bound with chaines and cast into filthie dungeons? Haue you bin racked by tor­ments, or iudged to be burnt quicke? And albeit God had laide all these trials vpon you, & that he would haue bin glorified in your patience & constancie, what had bin your dutie to haue done then? ought yée to haue fallē back? ought you to haue re­fused to haue drunk of y^e cup of the son of God? to haue borne y^e yoke of his order, & to haue bin associated vnto such a goodly & honorable cōpanie of martirs, whose me­morial doth and shal remain for euer, not only honorable, but also blessed & holy, in y^e church of God, & who euē now reign & triumph w^t Iesus Christ, being crow­ned with glory, & eternal immortalitie. If I saie, god had brought such sharp tri­als [Page] vpō you as he brought vpō thē, y^t you might beare witnes of his holie truth, & it had so fallē out y^t you had done then as now you haue done, for y^e auoiding of tormēts, & so cruel death: you might by good right haue bin counted reuolts, disloyal & traitors to y^e son of God, neither shoulde you haue deserued to beare the name of Christiās. How vile thē, how shameful, & howe dānable is your cowardlines and backsliding, seeing you should only haue bin depriued for a time of some temporal cōmodities? you haue made more accoūt of a litle pelfe, thē of the glorie of God, of heauēly treasures, and of your own sal­uation. You haue bin afraid to loose your goods, and haue no whit feared to loose Gods fauor, & to incurre his wrath & dis­pleasure. You haue quaked & trēbled at the friuolous woordes of men which are nought but worms of y^e earth, when they threatned you with y^e cōfiscation of goods & haue not trēbled at the terrible threat­nings of the iudgements of God, neither haue you feared the fire of his wrath and curse more than your goods and your selues. But I praie you what letted you to saue, if not all your goodes, yet the [Page] most part of them, séeing you had suche leisure and time to bethinke your selues, and to set your thinges in order? Surely you cannot say that you were taken at vnawares as by some sodaine clappe of lightning: For if you woulde haue ope­ned your eies you might haue séene long before a cloude arising, which did threa­ten to Fraunce some great tempest. You were oftentimes aduertised by your Pa­stors that the vnthankfulnesse of men, the contempt of the graces of God, the simple reformation which was to be séen in manie, the coldnesse of zeale and loue, too too great libertie which euerie man gaue himselfe to liue as he list, shaking off the yoke of Ecclesiasticall discipline, and not regarding anie admonitions whatsoeuer, which were giuen & made in the name of God: you haue I saie bin often told that all these thinges woulde without al doubt prouoke the Lorde to wrath, and would bring vppon vs some great calamities. This was done to the ende euerie man might humble himselfe and preuent the wrath of God, by true repentance and amendement: this was to the ende euerie man might be readie, [Page] and might make prouision for patience, strength, constancie, faith, hope, and for other suche spirituall furniture,Ephe. 6. whereof the Apostle speaketh: this was in summe to the ende we might prepare our selues for the battel, & that we might begge of God those thinges which wee had not of our selues. And without all doubt he would haue giuen vs it, if euery man had béene readie and willing to doe his dutie. But what? we haue done quite contrarie (we haue kept our old course, & haue become rather woorse than better: we haue counted thē busie & importunate felowes which threatned vs with y^e iudg­ments of God: we counted thē too bitter and sharp which fought our saluation by telling vs the trueth we would haue had them to haue preached as we wold haue them, we had itching eares, & we woulde haue had them fedde with some vanitie of mans eloquence, for wee loathed the plainnesse of the word of God. To make short, there were in vs so manie wantes, that in steade of preuenting the wrath of God, wee did more inflame the same: in­stead of preparing & fortifying our selues that wée might indure this assaulte, [Page] we became rechlesse and carelesse, and at length so white liuered, so cowardly and faint hearted, that the more part béeing terrified with the verie sounde of the trumpe, did yéelde themselues to the e­nemie without making anie resistance. O what a shame was this? Thē is your backsliding so much the more to be cōdē ­ned, seing you haue despised the admoni­tiōs wherwith your eares were beatē so long before. And y^e which more is, this tē ­pest came not at a sodain or at vnawares as that of the Massacre, but lumbered a long time in the ayre before y^e clap came. And he whom you had greatest cause to feare (as touching men) séemeth to haue bin raised vp of God to admonish you of that which you were to doe; which was done by edictes and declarations sent a­broade one after another: as if he would haue said, My friendes, set your thinges in order, and kéepe your selues frō that euil which is threatned vnto you. But you haue neglected all that, whether it were because you were drunken with some vaine hope which deceiued you, or whether it were because you were resol­ued rather to sit vppon your own dung­hils, [Page] and to abide by your garlicke and onions of Egypt, then to followe Iesus Christ anie more through the desertes, and anie longer to beare his crosse. which you loathed at length. Which appeareth by this, in that in stéed of preparing your selues to newe afflictions, and of follow­ing Iesus Christ, euen to the ende, as al those ought to doe which are his true Disciples, and desire to attaine to the re­ward of the high calling: in stéed therof, I saie you haue promised to your selues some rest and ease of the flesh: but you were deceiued, as al those shal be which so cast their accountes without their ho­stesse. This was then your ouerthrow.

Now I doubt not but that manie cā say in trueth y^t they had many lets, and were assailed by grieuous tēptations, seeing they were charged w^t a family, & destitute of means. To be short, it may be, y^t many other poore mē had manie lets & hinderā ­ces: & for this cause they are rather to bee pitied, yet so it is y^t they are not excusable before god for al this: & they must al yeld thēselues as guiltie: for howsoeuer it be, whē it pleaseth y^e Lord to cal vs, we must folow him w^tout looking back, & without [Page] looking vpon the hardnesse of the waie by the which wee must goe. The Israelites could not see with the eies of the fleshe, howe the Lord did deliuer them out of y^e tyrannie and slauery of Egypt, how they escaped out of that distresse wherein they saw thēselues, hauing the mountains on the right hande & on the left, & hauing the read sea before them, and the hoast of the Egyptians behinde them: also how the Lorde prouided for their necessities in y^e desert, & how he brought them into y^e pro­mised land: they saw none of these things I saie, notwithstanding they followed y^e calling of the Lorde, referring the euents and issues of al things to his prouidence: which fel out wel w^c thē. And thus ought those to haue done which alleage for their excuse y^e foresaid straites: y^t is, they shold haue shut their eies against al y^t which flesh & blood coulde set before thē to turne them awaie, and they should haue giuen vp thēselues to the prouidēce of this hea­uenlie father, who feedeth the foules of y^e aire, & who knoweth wel y^e meanes how to prouide bread for his childrē, which fo­low his calling, & not onelie the meanes, but hath also a will to doe it, as hee hath [Page] promised. And indeede, euen then, when we see nothing, which waye soeuer wee turne our eies, but matter of dispaire, thē principally doth our faith shewe it selfe, when notwithstanding al lets & hinderā ­ces we trust in God, & hope contrarie to hope, after the example of Abrahā. So y^t al excuses which these men can alleage to y^e Lord, cannot any way iustifie them. But & if the hinderances were such, that they had no way nor means to escape out certain it is that this was an euident ar­gument y^t the Lord called them to beare witnes of his truth: & therfore ought they rather to haue died the death thā to haue denied the sonne of God so shamefully. To make short, it behooued thē either to flie, or els to suffer, seing the Lord refer­red it to their choice, and called them to doe either the one or the other.

Now if these mē be without excuse (as they be indeede) howe muche more those which cānot so excuse themselues, if they wil speake trueth? And yet were there a­ny y^t shewed thēselues so slack & so faint harted, & more redy to come to parle, & fi­nally to yeld thēselues to y^e enimy. Those to whom God had giuen more means to [Page] resist and stand stedfast, those that might quicklie haue escaped the danger, & euen haue cōforted their poore brethren, by in­couraging them, & reaching them out the hād, to draw them out of the mire & filth: those are they, I saie, which haue shewed themselues most cowardlie & cold, either because they had more to loose (I meane more myre & earth, and lesse godlinesse & feare of God) or els because it grieued them to forgoe their pleasures and cōmo­dities, to incurre feare, to indure the dis­cōmodities & disturbāces of banishment & such like things. They could wel finde in their hearts to goe into paradise by y^t large & wide way & gate: but Iesus christ saith y^t this is the waie that leadeth to destruction, & y^t the narrow waie & strait gate leade to eternall life. So that these men are the more guilty before God, the lesse excuse they haue. But furthermore you wil obiect y^t I am too rigorous, and y^t I haue no regarde to mans infirmitie, & that there is none so good but he doth of­fend &c. I answere, that your fault can­not be sufficientlie exaggerate, it is so monstrous and scandalous: and it is most necessarie y^t you be brought to y^e sight of [Page] your maladie and miserie, that you maie be cured. And as for the infirmitie of our flesh, I know (I praise God) y^t it is grea­ter than I can expresse, the Lord know­eth it better than we, and he taketh pitie and compassion thereon, but yet for al y^t he wil not take our excuses, which wée alleage, for paiment: for it ariseth from a corrupt fountaine, that is, from sinne, yea it is sinne in it selfe: and principallie hee condemneth it when wee nourish it, cherish it, and entertaine it in our selues, when wee take pleasure and flatter our selues in it, & when we wil make a buck­ler of it to couer and defend our faultes: we ought rather, whē we procéed against our selues to begin here, that is, first of al to condemne our infirmitie, as beeing a fruite of our corruption, and afterward our sluggishnes and slacknesse in that we despise the means which God setteth be­fore vs to strengthen our selues with al in the power of his spirite. If during the time of your prosperitie (at which time the Lorde graunted you grace to take some rest, or at least to take some breath) you had wel known your infir­mity, and y^t this knowledge ingendering [Page] in you a distrustfulnesse of your selues, had stirred you vp to craue help at Gods handes euen the strength of his spirite, you should not haue fallen into this in­conuenience.

If you saie that the loue of your fa­thers, mothers, wiues, and children, their prouocations, their cries & their teares, the desire of their good and commoditie, and the feare you had to leaue them opē to all manner perils and dangers, or to suffer and indure anie harme: if you al­leage, I saie, that al these thinges were of great force to make you stagger and to abate your courage: I graunt that these are great trials, namely to those that haue a tender heart, and that a man must be furnished with singular strength from aboue, that he may be able to ouer­come al those things: I saie moreouer, y^t this humane & natural affectiō is lauda­ble, & approued of God, whē it is wel ru­led: for he that careth not for those y^t be­long vnto him, is worse than an Infidel, saith the Apostle:1. Tim. 5 but I saie therwith­all that this affection hath not onelie béene disordered in you,Deut. 6. Mat. 24. but also strāgely disordered & vnbrideled. For you know [Page] what that meaneth which the Lord re­quireth at our handes, that we loue him with all our heart, strength, thought, and vnderstanding: that is to say, that there be nothing in the world neither without nor within vs, that may be able to turne vs aside, how little soeuer, from the in­tire and perfect loue which we owe vn­to our God and father: moreouer that we loue nothing in this world, of all that which we can and ought to loue, no not our selues, but onely in him, and for his sake, or to speake plainely, that there bee nothing which we loue properlie, but him alone. You know also what Iesus Christ saith, that if we preferre the loue of our fathers, mothers, wiues, children, brethren, sisters, and of our owne life be­fore the loue which we owe vnto him, yea if we hate not all these thinges for the loue of him, we can not bee his disci­ples, and we are not worthie of him.

This was then a marueilous excessiue and disordered affection that carried you away so farre, as to make you forget the loue of your God and father, and of your sauiour and redéemer Iesus Christ. Fur­thermore, I aske you this question, what [Page] greater good and commoditie, yea what greater honour you could desire and pro­cure for your wiues and children, then to shew them an example of true godli­nes and of the feare of God, of patience and Christian constancie? To carry thē with you (if néed had beene) into some place of safetie, where God might be cal­led vpon, serued and honored? And there to learne in good time to beare the crosse of Iesus Christ, that they might haue this honor together with you, namely to weare the liuerie and coller of his order, that you might together be partakers of this blessing of the sonne of God.Ma [...]. 5. Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake, for theirs is the king­dome of heauen: and of that whereof S. Paule speaketh that if wee suffer with him we shall raigne with him and shall be glorified with him: furthermore, how could you better saue them from danger, and prouide for their safetie and your owne, then to bring them to this stronge dungeon of the house of God, that is in­to the church, which is without rifts and frée from vndermining, and which is founded vpon a rocke, and garded by the [Page] celestial armies, which lye incamped round about,Mat. 16. Psal. 34. Ps. 125. being couered and inuiro­ned on euery side with the fauour of the almightie, being garded, fortified, and defended by the inuincible force of the spirit of God.

To be briefe, what better thing could you do for those that are of your bloud, and for your own soules, then to further and procure the saluation, the life, and the eternall felicitie of you all? But you haue taken a cleane contrarie course, for you haue procured their perdition, their dishonour and eternall confusion toge­ther with your owne, and haue drawen them and your selues into farre greater danger, then if with your owne handes you had deliuered them vp to the moste cruel & bloudie cutthroates of the world, or els if you had committed them to the mercie of Lyons, Tygers, and Beares, or of other bruit beastes which are mer­cilesse. For first of al, of what benefites, fauours & blessings of God haue you de­priued your selues together, seing you haue cut your selues off frō y^e church of Iesus Christ, & from the communion of saints w^tout which there is no blessednes [Page] felicitie, saluation, neither anie life whatsoeuer, but all vnhappines, cursednes, death, ruine and destruction, What due­tie haue you done to edifie them, when you shewed them the example of your cowardlines, trecherie, and disloialtie? What account will they make to come to Christian religion, séeing you make so small account thereof? What reuerence will thy giue to Iesus Christ and his doctrine, seeing you renounce the same so cowardlie? To be briefe, what constan­cie and stabilitie can be expected at their handes, if they become members of the Church of God, séeing you haue so offen­ded them and made them to stumble by your apostasie? In summe then, so farre of is it that you haue procured their good and commoditie, in doing that which you haue done, that on the contrary you haue purchased them the greatest euill and curse that could befall them: for you haue drawen them with you to the way of destruction, yea you haue euen thrust them into hell there to abide for euer, if God bee not mercifull to them and you. Furthermore, what honour haue you procured them in teaching them by your [Page] example, and it may bee, by leading and carying them your selues into the bro­thelhouse to commit whoredome with Idols? Had not this béene greater ho­nour to haue continued in the house of the Lord, to haue sit at the table with the sonne of God, to haue dronke of his cup, and to haue eaten the bread of Aungels with the Saintes, then to be in the infa­mous house of this great whore, to sitte with her ruffians and baudes, to receiue at her execrable handes the cup of her filthines and vncleannes, which the A­postle calleth the cup of deuils? Moreo­uer, into what danger haue you brought both them and also your selues? Those to whom God hath giuen eies to sée, sée by the accomplishment of the signes that were foretold by the spirit of God, that Antichrist doth now put in practise his last indeuours, séeing the measure of his impieties and abhominations is growen vp to the full: as he doth plainely declare in these last times, by that outragious violence which he vseth nowe as if hee were mad, foming out his rage more fu­riously then euer against the Church of Iesus Christ. And therfore they conclude [Page] by the word of God, that the Lord will not be long, neither wil he deferre to dis­play his fearefull iudgements vpon this cursed Babilon. For which cause the spi­rit of God exhorteth vs to come thence, saying: Come out of her my people, that you be not partakers of her sinnes, and that you be not punished with her: for her sinnes are come vp to heauen, and God hath remembred her iniquities &c.

Lo here then a trumpet from heauen which soundeth and warneth you that the eternall will send out his thunder and lightning vpon Babilon: and yet you are so vndiscréet as to runne into her together with your wiues and children, there to saue your selues. If you sée an house on fire, or some lightning frō hea­uen fall vpon it, wil you be so foolish and mad as to run into it there to saue your selues and your young children, and that which is deare & pretious vnto you? And yet you haue done thus, séeking for life in the middest of death, for happines amidst cursednes, and for saluation there where there is nothing but ruine and destruc­tion. And moreouer, you thinke your selues verie wise and discreet in [Page] that you haue gotten you such a couert whiles the haile doth fall vpon y^e heads of others. But alas, this is a poore and daungerous couerture, which will at last fall vpon your heades, vpon your goods, vpon your wiues and children, if you come not thence with more speed.

You wil say, that that is your desire, & that you are not entred into it with a­nie purpose that you wil continue there alwaies, & that you hope to returne to y^e church, all this do I beléeue: but first of al I answere you, that you must not thus dallie with God, & that it hath fallen out euil with many which haue thus dallied, and that by the iust iudgement of God, who will not suffer those which mocke him to escape scotfrée, as mē do. For you shall very hardly find one of an hundred (of those which did sometimes reuolt frō true religiō) which hath made his accoūt to continue still in that filthy puddle, and which hath not fed himselfe with some vaine hope to return to the church again, whē y^e euil time should be ouer. But yet it came to passe y^e Satan taking occasion hereat, hath by litle & litle extinguished y^e smal zeale, & choked y^e little quantitie of [Page] good séed of godlines and of the feare of God which was in them, that he might more and more tread them down in the sinke, out of the which they could neuer afterward arise by any force, or leasure. I saie nothing but that which you your selues know ful well, and the experience whereof you haue séene in manie. And how commeth this to passe, if not by the iust vengeance of God, who depriueth those of his graces, which make them­selues vnworthie thereof through their vnthankfulnes, and deliuereth those vp into the power of Sathan which abuse his mercy? The Lord is not bound to re­ceiue to mercie those that are mockers and contemners of his grace, that hee should graunt it them so often as it shall please them to accept it, after that it hath bene offered them sundrie times, and that they shall haue reiected and dispised the same, yea after that they shall haue troade it vnder their féet, and put it a­way from them with their haggish notes delighting more in filth, then in this in­estimable treasure and this great and precious pearle: for buying whereof the good husbandmen and true marchantes [Page] of the Lord sell all that they haue: as Ie­sus Christ teacheth vs by those two pa­rables which are in the Gospell.Mat. 13. It is thē a iust thing with the lord to punish such mockers and profane men, and that di­uers waies: for to some hee denyeth the blessing of his grace, whereof they made lesse account then of a messe of pottage, howsoeuer they come to séeke it with wéeping and howling, as did that pro­fane Esau. They shall crye after me, saith the Lord by Ieremie, but I wil not heare them. O then some there be whom in his iust iudgement he suffereth to be­come so hardned in their euil, and to fal into such brutish blockishnes, that being without féeling, and not seing the déepe gulph of that wretchednes into which they are fallen, they knowe not what néede they haue of the grace of God that they may be deliuered thence: whereby it cōmeth to passe that they neuer craue it at Gods handes, but dye like brute beasts. There be yet some others which are sorer stricken with this lightning of Gods iudgment: y^t is, those whom Satā hath cast into such despaire, that in stéede of comming to god to craue mercy at his [Page] handes, they fly from him, they hate him, they blaspheme him, & they despise him: they are miserably vexed and tormented with remorse of their conscience, which is as a worme which gnaweth thē with­out ende and without ceasing: or rather like the infernall furies which pursue them, which torment them, which hale them, tosse them too and fro a thousande waies, not suffering them to take anye ease or rest: to make short, the rest of their miserable life which they lead as it were in despight of God and of nature, is no­thing els but a very beginning of hel, and an hydious image of that cursed and more then miserable condition wherein the dāned are and shalbe for euer. Thus fared it with Iudas, with Iulian the A­postata, and with others. I would faine set before your eies that which in our time befell a certaine Apostata called Spira, where you might sée that verified which hath bene said, for in him we haue an example of the terrible and fearefull iudgement of God against those which do so dally and trifle with his maiestie, renouncing the profession of his Gospell, for the auoyding of persecutions: and [Page] which run after the world for a time, ho­ping shortly after to returne to the right way againe. But for the auoiding of pro­lixitie I send you to the historie which is common, beseeching you to read it and to meditate vpon it diligently, not that you may do as this miserable wretch did, but that you may learne what punishment your fault deserueth which is al one w^t his: for he had the same knowlege which you haue, he at the beginning of his re­uolting did alleadge the same excuses, and made the very same protestations, that in time he would returne: But to the ende the Lord might auenge himselfe of so great backsliding, he would not giue him grace so to do: for after that Sathan had once taken possession of him, hee set before his eies the greatnes and mon­strousnes of his sinne, together with such an hidious and fearefull representation of the iudgment of god, that he despaired, and ended his life so miserably, and with such an euident testimonie of the iust furye and indignation of God a­gaynst Apostacye, that it is a thinge vnpossible to see such a spectakle without great terrour and feare. Now [Page] the Lord doth not shew like iudgments in this world against al reuolts: that is true, yet so it is that the iust punishment which he executeth vpō some one in this world, sheweth how detestable a thing y^e renouncing of the gospel is to him. And if he deferre his iust vengeance and doth not execute the same vpon some certain, yet they shal not escape scotfrée, and their punishment shall bee no whit the lighter therefore: but on the contrarie their con­demnation shall bee so much the more gréeuous because they haue abused the patience of God.

Rom. 2.Now true it is, my brethren, that I count you not amongst these, as I haue alreadie protested: but so it is, y^t you are entred into the self same way which these are entred, and are in like danger, if God do not graunt you grace to retire thence by ready & true repentance. It remaineth then y^t you awake & that throughly at y^e sounde of this trumpet which the Lorde causeth to sound in your eares, who graunteth vnto you such grace as to ad­uertise and exhor you to turne to him. He graunteth you sometime to bethinke your selues & doth now set before you y^e [Page] meanes of reconciliation because he will not loose you: take héed you despise them not:Ps. 95. and seing you heare his voice this day hardē not your hearts: he calleth you with armes displaied, and offereth you his grace, beware you despise it not vn­thankfully, for feare least it be afterward denied you, for a iust punishment of your vnthankfulnes: the meanes to attaine to this grace is, that you haue true repen­tance and true faith: repentance to hum­ble you, and to throw you downe euen to hell by a liuely féeling and knowledge of your offence, and by a true apprehending of the iust iudgment of God: faith to lifte you vp & to set you on foot again in hope, by a right apprehension and acceptation of the clemencie and mercy of God. This is then the course which you must ob­serue: first of al examine & poys the fault which you haue cōmitted, together with all the circumstances thereof, not flatte­ring your selues any maner of way, and you shall be constrained to confesse that it is as yet greater and more monstrous. more foule and vile before God then I am able to expresse and set forth: knowe and acknowledge therein your back­sliding, [Page] cowardlines, trecherie, disloyalty and vnthankfulnes most detestable: con­sider what dishonor, what iniurie, what outrage you haue done to God your fa­ther, to Iesus Christe your Sauiour, to your selues, your wiues, your children, and to all the whole Church. Those which said they were Gods deare chil­dren, haue forsaken and denyed him: his couenant is broken: Iesus Christ is re­nounced before mē, euen by those whom he had redéemed with the price of his bloud, and by those which had sworne faith and allegiance to him: the doctrine of his Gospel is cast of and condēned as false, and the impieties and abhomina­tions of Antichrist are receiued and ap­proued as true and holy and that by a de­testable confession and abiuration: the Lord is dishonored and blasphemed, his holy name is polluted and profaned by y^e sacrilegious mouth of profane persons & infidels: religion is contenmed and there is none account made of it: the kingdome of Iesus Christ is hindered & kept back: your poore neighbours are offended the simple sort is discouraged, by your euill example they are fallē and run headlong [Page] into the same destruction whereinto you are fallen: your poore Pastours are con­founded and ashamed, and consequently discouraged by you from returning to till the Lordes field: lo the poore church is forsaken of those which saide they were her children, and a cruel and murdering harlot is receiued and acknowledged for the true mother. Lo your true mother is forsaken, grieued, abashed, and ashamed to see the shamefull backslyding of her children: she wéepes and wailes by reasō of their destruction: the Temple of God it is polluted, the holy Ghost is made sad therewith, and the holy Angels mourne and lament for it: briefely lo here a most detestable and abhominable Apostacie, which comprehendeth so great a number of so grieuous and horrible crimes, as that the only rehearsall thereof is suffici­ent to make the hayres of a Christian mans head, that feareth God, to stande vpright. Thus then must you poys your fault, that it maye seeme to you so blacke, so foule, and so ougly, as that it may make you ashamed in the presence of God and of his Church.

Consider on the other side huw much wood and matter you haue ministred to set on fire the wrath of God against you. [...] 5. You know that the scripture saith of the wrath and indignation of the Lord, that it is a consuming fire which spoileth, de­stroyeth and deuoureth all that where­with it méeteth: You know that he is an enimie to sinne, and that his iustice re­quireth that all that be punished which is contrarie to his law, Marke how ma­ny crimes and monstrous sinnes are cō ­prised in your offence: is not the smallest of them sufficient to prouoke him to wrath? Know you not that one onely sin hath sometimes so prouoked the Lord to wrath, that to punish the same hee hath caused the earth to open and to swallow vp those also that haue committed it? that he hath made fire come down from heauē to cōsume those which were gilty therof,Num. 16. Num. 21. y^t he hath sent serpents in the wil­dernes the plague, y^e sword, & the destroi­er, & other scourges to punish the mur­murings,Num. 14. y^e vnthankfulnes, & other sins of his people? The holy historie decla­reth what iudgmēts & vengeance y^e Lord hath sundry times & vpō diuers occasiōs [Page] vsed against the Israelites. Sometimes they were visited by y^e plague, somtimes by famine, sometimes by warre. The lord hath raised vp diuers enemies to ex­ecute his iudgements vpon them.

They haue oftentimes had vpon thē y^e armie of the Philistines, oftentimes the Moabits, oftentimes y^e Ammonites & o­ther enemies. Shortlie after y^e Syrians, the Babylonians, Antiochus, & finallie, y^e Romaines. They were oftentimes o­uercome & discomforted, brought vnder subiection & led into captiuitie, & in fine, quite discōfited & destroied by y^e Romane empire. To be short, y^e Lorde did displaie the seueritie of his iudgementes vppon this people in such sort, that there is not at this daie anie nation vnder the [...]oape of heauen more miserable: which hath continued euer sithēce that fearful iudge­ment of God which was executed vppon this people in the sacking and destruction of Ierusalem: so that the verie markes of the wrath of God do continue so déep­lie engrauen in all this miserable race, that those which perceiue them not, haue none eies to see withall. And wher­fore came all this vppon them? Euen [Page] because they had treacherously broken y^e couenant of the Lord, because they had forsaken his pure worship to run after the idols & superstitions of the Gentiles, because they had vnthankefully despised his graces & singular fauor which he had graunted them of his own liberalitie, be­cause they had reiected y^e saluation which was sent vnto them: and finallie because they had put to death the Lord of glory, who came to saue them. You wil saie that you are not culpable of such crimes: and this is our vndoing, when in steede of profiting by the examples of the iudg­mentes of God which are proposed vn­to vs in the scriptures, we poste them o­uer vnto others. But the spirite of God iudgeth otherwise touching them,1. Cor. 10. when he saith by Saint Paul, that these iudge­mentes which came vpon the people of the Iewes, were examples for vs: and that these thinges are written to put vs in minde, vpon whō the ends of y^e worlde are come. But what is the most mon­strous crime that euer the Iewes did cō ­mit, and for the which they are set before the eies of the whole worlde for a specta­cle of the iust wrath and anger of God? [Page] euen because they had crucified the Lord of glorie. And now the spirite of GOD speaking by the Apostle to the Hebrues calleth this which you haue done,Heb. 6 and do as yet contrarie to your owne consci­ence, the crucifying of the Sonne of God afreshe, and the setting of him to bee reproched. Then I praie you what punishment doth your fault deserue? call to mind the threatninges which are con­tained in the Scripture against suche backslidinges and trecheries, against such vnthankfulnesse, against such pollu­tions and profanings of y^e name of God, against such despising of his graces, a­gainst suche Apostasies, abiurations and renouncinges of the sonne of God, and of the doctrine of his Gospell: to bee short, against such offences as y^t of yours is. You know that the Lord calleth him­selfe a ielous God, to shew that he can­not abide suche iniurie to be done to his maiestie. Wherefore he doth also threatē that hee wil visite the iniquitie of the fa­thers vppon the children vntill the third and fourth generation of those that hate him.Ex. 20. Now I haue alreadie shewed you that after you had forsaken his side, that [Page] you might associate your selues with his enemies, hée cannot take you for anie o­ther but for haters of him, so long as you continue with them. And furthermore, this is to hate the Lord, when a mā clea­ueth to impieties and idolatries whereby he is dishonoured.

Wherefore this threatning appertai­neth to you, as doth that also which he v­seth against those that take his name in vaine, saying, that hee will not holde them guiltlesse.Exo. 20. And haue not you taken his name in vaine when you became vn­faithfull and periured persons breaking & violating the faith and promise which you had made to him? Doe not you as yet take his name in vaine, when you, through your reuolting are the cause that it is polluted, dishonoured and blasphe­med by the wicked once? Moreouer, con­sider I praie you a litle what the threat­ning importeth which the sonne of God vseth against those which shall forsake him, & ioyne thēselues with his enimies: which shal be ashamed of him and of his Gospel: which shal renounce him before men, which shal séek to saue their life, by renouncing y^e truth.Mat. 12. He that is not with [Page] me, saith he, is against me, and hee that gathereth not with mee scattereth a­broad. And what is it to be against Ie­sus Christ and to scatter abroade, but to be counted his enemies. And what inter­tainment can you looke for at his handes at that last daie, and howe miserable shal your estate bee, if hee account you such? Furthermore what meaneth that threatening which hée pronounceth a­gainst those which shall bee ashamed of him & of his wordes, saying that he will also bee ashamed of them: when hee shall come in the glorie of his Father with the holy Angels? Surelie the mea­ning thereof is, that hee wil not account them his, but will reiect those which shall shew themselues so vnthankfull as to be ashamed of the son of God,Mar. 8. who was not ashamed of our poore and mise­rable nature, but hath done vs so greate honor as to ioyne & couple himselfe with vs, honoring vs with this title of brethrē that hee might vnite and knit vs w^t God his father. Moreouer, consider what that denying and renoūcing which he threat­neth to those shall haue denied and re­nounced him before men, doth im­port [Page] when he saith, that he wil denie thē before God his father, and holie Angels: which is confirmed by Saint Paul, who saith,Mat. 10. that If wee denie him hee will denie vs also. You are not ignoraunt that this is euen the extreamest woe and curse, to bee denied and reiected of the sonne of God. Marke also what a curse hee pronounceth against those that giue offence, when hée saith: Woe bee to him by whom offences come: Luke 17. Mat. 18. it were better for him that hee were cast into the sea, and that hee had a mil­stone hanged about his neck. And in­déede, what punishment thinke you bee deserueth who by his euill example shal bee the cause of the destruction of his poore brother, for whom the sonne of God did shedde his precious bloud?Rom. 14. Set before you the threatninges which are denounced against those that pollute the temple of God,1. Cor. 3. Eph. 4. which make sad the spirite of God, the holie Angels, and all the whole Churche. Remember that which you once learned,Luke 12. that the ser­uant which knoweth his maisters will and doth it not shalbe punished dou­ble: and that it shalbe easier for those [Page] of Sodom and Gomorrha at the last daie, Mat. 12. then for those that haue despised the day of their visitation. To be brief, iudge you what paine and punishment he deserueth, who putteth in place of Ie­sus Christ, y^e execrable idol of Antichrist, abiuring the trueth of the one, and ap­prouing the falshood of the other. Final­lie, feare least you be inwrapped in that fearefull iudgement which the sonne of God denoūceth against that cursed Ba­bylō,Apoc. 18. into whose bosom you haue thrown your selues: and returne into Noahs arke again, if you will escape the floud of the wrath of God, which threatneth the whole earth.Heb. 10. It is a fearful thing saieth the Apostle, to fal into the hands of the liuing God. The temporal iudgements which y^e Lord did execute vpon Sodome and Gomorrha vpō the Iewes & others, and which he executeth dailie vpō his e­nemies, are in very deed terrible & fear­full, and make mens haire stand vpright when they heare of them. But this is nothing in comparison of the fearefull iudgement which must bee executed a­gainst y^e wicked after this life:Es. [...]4. 2. Cor. 2. for as y^e eie hath not seene, the eare hath not hearde, [Page] and mans heart hath not conceiued, nor comprised the good things which y^e Lord hath prepared for these which loue & ho­nour him: so likewise on the contrary we may saie & that truelie, that the paines, the anguishes, y^e eternal torments which are prepared for the dāned in hel cannot be comprehēded by mans vnderstāding. For if we could comprehend thē, the on­lie thinking therupon should cause in vs an intollerable astonishmēt & feare. The holy scripture doth sometimes represent them vnto vs by vtter darknes, by y^e pri­son, by eternal bands, by wéeping & gna­shing of téeth,Mat. 12. 1. Pet. 3. Apoc. 20. Mat. 13. Es. 66. Mat. 9. mat. 19. mar. 9. by the worme that gnaw­eth without ceassing, & which neuer dy­eth, and by fire that neuer is quenched: not that there is any proportion betwéen the eternall tormentes, and the most ex­treme dolours and distresses y^t a man can imagine in all these thinges: but to y^e end it may apply it selfe to our dulnes, and giue vs some vnderstāding of those infi­nite and vnspeakeable paynes, which the damned shal suffer, it describeth them vn­to vs by similitudes taken from thinges which are terrible and fearful. Now this is not to the ende we maie be put in anie [Page] vaine feare, as litle children are made a­fraid with scarrebugs, but that we maie be throughlie afraid indéede of the iudge­ments of God: that we maie walke be­fore him in feare: y^t we maie hate sinne which inflameth Gods wrath against men: and that it may make vs séek peace and reconciliation with God when wee haue offended him. This is i [...] also y^e ende for which (my brethren) I put you in mind of these things, forasmuch as I de­sire your cōuersion and saluation. What must you do thē? you must set before your eies the greatnes, y^e foulenes, the filthi­nes, and deformitie of your fault, y^t you maie be confoūded and ashamed in your selues that you haue shewed your selues so cowardlie and so vnthankful towarde so good a father: that you maie be beaten downe with terrour and trembling, and with feare of y^e iudgement of God which you haue deserued:1. Cor. 11. that you maie iudge and condemne your selues, that you bee not iudged and condemned of the Lorde: to make short, that you maie come like poore offenders with ropes about your necks, to craue pardon at Gods handes, casting downe your selues at his féete by [Page] true humilitie, yea euen plunging your selues (as men say) in the déep dungeons of hell.

Marke héere where your conuersi­on must beginne, to witte, at true repen­taunce, if you desire to bee receyued into fauour: for an ancient father saith, Hell is the waie to come to heauen: that is to saie, that such casting downe and hum­bling of poore sinners, confessing and de­testing their faultes, accusing and con­demning themselues, and which think themselues worthie to bée drowned in the déepe pitte of Hell, is the true pre­paration and disposition to receiue the grace of GOD. For hée which hum­bleth him selfe shall bee exalted. The Lorde is nigh to heartes that are de­solate,Mat. 23. Luke 14.4. Pet. 5. Psal. 34. contrite and humble. Hee saueth those that are broken in spi­rite, &c.

Afterwarde, being prepared by suche a compunction and contrition of heart proceeding from a right knowledge and displeasure conceyued of, and for your sinne, and therewithall from a true knowledge of the iust iudgemēts of God, you must come out of this depth by the [Page] meanes of faith: which shall comforte your broken heartes: and will assure your fearefull consciences, and wil com­fort your desolate soules: it will teache you that the Lord wils not the death of a sinner, Ez. 18. but rather that he bee con­uerted and liue: also that hee hath promised to poore and miserable sin­ners which shall turne from their wic­ked wayes, that hee will cast all their sinnes into the bottome of the Sea, so that they shall neuer bee anie more re­membred. Turne you, turne you, Mich. 7 Ez.. 18.33. from your wicked waies: why will you die you house of Israell? sayth the Lorde. Returne then, and repent of al your transgressions, and your iniqui­tie shall not be imputed and laid to your charge. ‘Turne you vnto mee with all,Io. 2. your whole hearte with fasting, wée­ping, and mourning. Rent your hearts, and not your garmentes & turne to the Lorde your God, for he is gentle & merci­full, slowe to wrath and of greate pitie, and suche a one as is sorie for your af­flictions.Es. 1. Though your sinnes were, as redde as scarlet, yet shall they be as white as snowe: and though they [Page] were as purple, yet shal they be made as white as wooll.’ But who is hee that shall make them white? Faith shall teache you that it is the bloud of the sonne of GOD which cleanseth you from all sinne: that it is he who died for our sinnes, and rose againe for our iusti­fication. The fault which you haue com­mitted is great and monstrous, and de­serueth great and grieuous condemna­tion, as you haue alreadie hearde, and as the trueth is: but yet not so greate but that you maie haue forgiuenesse of the same, vnlesse you through your ob­stinacie and want of repentāce do make it irremissible.

The Lorde is iust, yea and a se­uere punisher of the offences of all those which doe obstinatelie perseuere there­in,Psal. 103. Ezech. 18.33. and which will not giue place to his admonitions: but yet hee is also full of compassion and pitie towarde poore sinners which acknowledge their faultes, which humble themselues be­fore him,Ioh. 1. which with weeping teares, sighes and feruent praiers aske pardon at his handes. If wee confesse our sinnes saieth Saint Iohn, the Lorde [Page] is faithfull to forgiue vs them. Hee which confesseth and acknowledgeth his trespasses, and forsaketh them,Prou. 28. shall obtaine mercie, saieth Salomon. I graunt your sinne is great: but yet Gods mercie is greater.Rom. 5. Heb. 4. Where sinne hath abounded, saieth the Apostle, there grace hath abounded much more. Let vs drawe néere then with assurance to the throane of grace, that wee maie obtaine mercie, and finde grace to bee holpen in due time. This is the exhortation which the spirite of God maketh vnto you, speaking by the Apostle to the Hebrues, that hee maie take from you all distrust of reconciliation and of grace. There bee examples in the Scriptures which will well fitte your purpose for this matter: as that of Dauid, that of Ma­nasses, and that of Peter. Which I praie you reade and meditate vppon them diligentlie, not to the ende you maie flatter and bring your selues fast on sleepe in the infirmitie of your fleshe, and that you maie thereby couer, excuse, and lessen your sinne, as manie doe to their iudgement and condemnation: for such exāples are not set before vs to this [Page] ende, but rather to y^e end you may strēg­then and arme your selues against the temptations of Satan, who, if he sée that God toucheth your hearts with anie re­pentance, wil do what he can to cast you headlong into dispaire: moreouer, it is to the end you maie come to y^e throne of the grace of God by the self same waie, & may enter in by the verie same gate wherby they came & entred in thither. And what waie & gate is this? it is true repentance, and a true & liuelie faith, accompanied with true amendement without which all the rest is as nothing.

Marke what Dauid did. So soone as he was tolde of his fault by the Prophet Nathan, hee sought no starting holes or friuolous excuses to cloake or couer the same anie manner of waie, but on y^e contrarie hee confesseth it, and doeth fréelie acknowledge it: he himselfe con­demneth it, and accuseth himselfe be­fore God: he doth wonderfullie humble himselfe with wéeping, sobbing, sighing, night and daie. And as he was not asha­med to committe the sinne, no more was he ashamed to confesse and acknow­ledge the same openlie, and as it [Page] were to make an honourable amendes for the same before the whole Churche that was in his time, and that was to come afterwarde. For the Psalmes which hee made are as it were a pub­like confession: to be briefe, hee shew­eth all tokens and testimonies of a true penitent heart, which was contrite and humbled through the feeling of sinne, and by the knowledge of the wrath of GOD, which beateth him downe euen to the depth, afterwarde hee riseth a­gaine by the meanes of faith, which set­teth before him the greatnesse and y^e mul­titude of the compassions and mercies of this most mercifull father: to whom he maketh recourse with feruent praier to craue pardon and mercie. Which thing hee doth with certaine perswasi­on and assuraunce that the Lord would receyue him to mercie, as hee did through his grace. Marke then what manner repentaunce and faith that of Dauids was, and what was the fruite thereof. Nowe all this was acompani­ed with a readie amendement: for af­ter that the Prophete was humbled before the Lorde, after that hee had [Page] craued pardon, and after that hee per­ceiued that the wrath of GOD con­ceiued against him was appeased, and that his conscience was at rest, what doeth hee? Doeth hee lye wallowing still in his filthe? Doeth hee driue off to amende him selfe, and to re­paire his fault vntill suche time as hee might commodiouslie doe it without a­nie lette or hinderaunce of other busi­nesse? Not so, but hee resolueth out of hande to walke all the rest of his life in the feare and obedience of the Lorde, consecrating him selfe whollie to his seruice.

Thus did Manasses king of Iuda: for after that hee was tolde of his faultes and iniquities, not by some Pro­phet, but euen by the Lord himselfe, who because he would not loose him,1. Chr. 33. spake to him with his fatherlie rodde, deliuering him vp into the handes of the Assyri­ans, which bounde him with mani­cles, and chaines, and carried him to Babylon.

After that hee was thus visited by the Lorde, it is said that he humbled himself before him, that is to saie, that hee [Page] acknowledged and confessed his faultes with griefe and sorrow, when he percei­ued the wrath of God which he had de­serued. It is said further, that hee prai­ed vnto the Lord, that is, he had recourse vnto his grace and mercie, with full con­fidence and assurance that he should ob­taine it. As indéed the Lord was merci­full vnto him: for it is said that hee heard his prayer, he receiued him into fauour againe, and made him returne to Ieru­salem that he might establish him again in his kingdome. Hereupon insued a rea­die chaunge and amendment: for he tooke away the strange gods and idols that were in the house of the Lord: he broke downe all the altars which he had built contrarie to his commandement: hee ree­dified the true altar of the lord, and offe­red thereon peace offerings, and sacrifi­ces of praise. Also he gaue commaunde­mēt throughout al Iuda that they should serue the Lord the God of Israel: to bee short he made such and so readie an a­mendment of all his faultes, that he did indéede declare that there was no feig­ning nor hipocrisie in his repentance and in his faith, but that it was pure, intire, [Page] and sincere. Such was his reuersiō: such was that of Sainct Peter. True it is indéede, that there is not so ample men­tion made of it in the Gospell, as of that of Dauid, and that of Manasses: for it is onely said that after that Sainct Peter had denyed his maister, and that Iesus Christ had beheld him, the Cocke cruel then was he so well awaked and touch­ed at the quicke,Mat. 26. Mat. 14. Luk. 22. that he rushed out of the Priestes house, and wept bitterly. Now that which followed thereupon, sheweth plainely that his fault was forgiuen. For Iesus Christ tooke him afterward for his disciple, and continued him in his office of an Apostle. Then wee maye conclude that this faith and repentance was true and intire: for that his bitter wéeping shewed that he was throughly touched with his fault, and that he was extreemely grieued at it, not onely be­cause he saw the punishment which hée had deserued if God would haue hand­led him sharpely and seuerely, but prin­cipally by reason of his too monstrous vnthankfulnes, backsliding, and disloy­altie which made him ashamed before God and men. If then his repentance [Page] were true and intire, whereby hee was beaten downe euen to hell, we may well say that his faith was of the selfe same stampe, and that this looke which the Lord gaue him was of marueilous force and efficacie: séeing that being fallen so farre, and hauing committed such an horrible sinne, that (as they say) he was not sufficient inough to punish it: yet was he not swallowed vp with dispaire, but he was raised vp out of that dunge­on of destruction, euen by apprehending a greater depth then that was: that is the infinite depth of the riches of the grace and mercie of God, whereunto he had recourse, with full assurance that this most bountifull and mercifull fa­ther woulde take pittye and compassion on him. You see then the repentaunce and the excellent faith of this holy Apo­stle: and also how hee sealeth and con­firmeth all by a sodaine and true amend­ment: for immediately after that he saw the breaknecke of destruction, and the wofull and miserable estate whereinto he was fallen, hee came thence without delay, and then went to seeke his bre­thren [Page] and companions, that is, he came within the lists of the Church again how small soeuer it were at that time, and in how poore and miserable estate soeuer it was according to the world, so that the poore faithfull could looke for nothing but for the crosse, tribulations, and persecuti­ons, considering the sharpe intertain­ment which the soueraigne maister and head of the Church had and found.

This then was the way and gate wher­by Dauid, Manasses, and S. Peter had accesse vnto the throne of that grace and mercie of God. The verye selfe same thing is taught vs by the historie of the prodigall sonne, which Iesus Christ set­teth downe in the Gospel,Luk. 15. to shew vs on the one side how greatly they are blindes and voide of vnderstanding, which vpon any occasiō whatsoeuer forsake the house of their heauēly father, without y^t which there is nothing but méere hunger, po­uertie, miserie, wo and cursednes. On the other side this serueth to teach vs by what meanes we may come and bee receiued into fauour. This was then a foolish sonne, yea blinde and bewitched of Satan: who finding (it maye bee) his fa­thers [Page] gouernment and discipline too hard and austere, and being desirous to follow his foolish affections and disordered de­sires, doth withdraw himselfe from his said father, goeth out of his house, and runneth after his owne lustes: he falleth shortly after into a most pitious and mi­serable estate: he which refused to sit at his fathers table, doth now sit at table with hogges: he which disdained good and honorable intertainement, the ex­quisite and delicate meates & iunkates whereof he had sufficient, cannot now fill himselfe with the meat of hogges: hee which despised the goodly and pretious ornaments wherewith he was cloathed when he was in his fathers house, goeth now all tattered and torne like a begger: to make short, he which might haue bene in full good case, if he had would, is nowe accursed and brought to vtter destructi­on through his own folly, and consequēt­ly vnworthie euer to come within his fathers dores, and to haue so much as a good looke of him whom hee had so grie­uously offended. Lo here then a childe that was vtterly lost, depriued of al good­nes, honor and felicitie, and plunged as [Page] it were in a gulph of woe, shame, and re­proch. What remaineth then for him but to dispaire? And yet hee taketh not that course, but the quite contrarie: for he commeth to himselfe, hee perceiueth his wretchednes, he bewaileth his estate, hee is displeased with himselfe for his sinne, hee resolueth with him selfe to come and humble himselfe before his fa­ther whom he had offended, hee purpo­seth to craue pardon of him, assuring himselfe of his goodnes and mercie, fi­nallie he commeth out of that filth, and without anie more a doe to his father he comes, he confesseth and acknowledgeth his sinne to him, saying that he had sin­ned against heauen and against him, and he counteth himselfe vnworthy to be ta­ken for his sonne, and hauing none other meanes left but to flye to his mercie, he beseecheth him to take pitie and compas­sion vpon him, and to graunt him this grace that hee woulde receiue him into his house, if not as his childe, yet at least as one of his hyred seruauntes: acknow­ledging with Dauid that the condition of the poore porters of Gods house is farre more blessed and honourable thenPs. 84. [Page] that of the greatest monarches of the earth which are without the Church.

Thus did this poore prodigall chylde, that he might escape out of that wofull miserie into which he was fallen, and that hee might recouer that good, that honour, and that felicitye which hee had lost: as indeede all fell out so well, that hee findeth his father better disposed, more ready, and better inclyned to re­ceyue him (not as a seruant, but as a son) then he durst desire. In like manner you see that the true and only meanes to ob­tayne grace and mercye at the Lordes handes, is true repentaunce, a true faith, and true amendment.

Lo then, my brethren, what course you must obserue: lo here the way which you must follow: lo here the gate wher­by you must enter in vnto the Lorde to obtayne his fauour. But marke well the band and coniunction of these thynges which cannot be answered: for deceiue not your selues, vnlesse you a­mend your fault you may wel saye that you acknowledge it, y^t you are grieued at it, that you condemn it, & that you count [Page] it so grieuous and so monstrous, as that it deserueth a thousand deathes and a thousand hels, if there were so many, yet all this is nothing but meere hypocrisie and mocking of God and men. In like manner if you say that you haue a true and certaine assurance in the goodnes & mercy of God,Exod. 20. that he will take pitie vp­on you, and will giue you grace to re­turne to his Church: that also shalbe no­thing but a false and peruerse perswasi­on, and rather a carnall assurance and confidence then a true faith: to bee short, all that shal be nothing but a méere moc­kery of God, and an abusing of his pati­ence, and consequently a meanes to in­flame his anger so much y^e more against you, if there withal you shew not in ef­fect that you do truely repent, and that your faith is frée from al dissimulation, and hipocrisie. This effect is nothing els but a readie change & amendment wher­unto you are exhorted in the name of God. For execution wherof we need not here stand vpon particulars, you knowe my meaning wel inough. There remai­neth nothing for you to do but to haue a good and fréewil, proceeding from a true [Page] zeale of God, and from a feruent desire of your saluation, coupled with an holy af­fection to aduaunce the kingdome of Ie­sus Christ, and to edifie his church.

If the very same occasions which made you fall, do nowe present them­selues before your eies and keepe you from amending and redressing your of­fence, whether it be in regard of your af­faires, of your goods, of your commodi­ties, or whether it be in regard of your own persons and of your kinsmen, or be it in regard of your other circumstances: be you ful wel assured that is Sathans doing, whose drift it is to plunge you dée­per in the dunge and filth, and more and more to inwrap and intangle you in his nets, that you may not escape him. But giue no place to the subtilties and false perswasions of this enimie: resist him and hee will flye from you, saith y^e Apo­stle. He will set before you a thousand difficulties and impossibilities therby to astonish you, and to keepe you backe, if possiblie he can, that you maye not be resolued to enter into the waye of true conuersion: and if you enter the same he will lay a thousand disturban­ces [Page] and stumbling blockes in your waye to stop and stay you, and to make you retire: he will set before your eies the might, the meanes, and the multitude of your enimies, and the small meanes you haue, so that you cannot in long time es­cape out of this babilonish captiuitie: hée will set before you the crosse, the afflicti­ons, the sufferings, the persecutions, the pouertie, the contempt, the perils and daungers, whereunto those which follow Iesus Christ are dayly subiect. On the o­ther side he will promise you all rest, all assurance, all good thinges, the honors, pleasures, delightes and commodities of this life, if you will worship him and continue in his seruice. But you must make him the very same answere, and giue him the repulse after the selfe same sort as Iesus Christ did, that is by the word of God:Mat. 4. come behinde me Sathan, for it is written &c. You must then here take the Spirituall armoure of a Christian knight which the Spirite of God setteth downe vnto you by Sainct Paule,Eph. 6. that is amongst the rest, feruent and continuall prayers to the Lorde, the buckler of faith, and the sword of the spi­rit [Page] which is the word of God, to beate backe the firie darts of this wicked one: you must oppose against all that which hee shall purpose vnto you through the inticements of the flesh and the worlde, that which you sometimes learned in the Schoole of Christ. If then he laye stum­bling blockes crosse your way to kéepe you from returning to God, beware you stumble not at them, but strengthē your selues in the power of the Spirit of God, and leape ouer them, remembring that graue sentence of Iesus Christ, where­unto but a fewe haue regarde: Blessed is he, saith he, that is not offended at me: that is, which shall not be letted or hin­dered, by any occasion whatsoeuer, to come vnto me, You know full wel what we must conclude on the contrarie, that is, that he is vnhappye and more then vnhappy the which shall bee offended through him: for in very deede it were better for vs neuer to haue bene borne in this world, then to be separated from Ie­sus Christ.

As for that which Sathan can set before you touching the might, meanes, and multitude of your enimies thereby [Page] to make you astonished, and touching the féeblenes and infirmitie of the poore Church, and the small meanes it hath ac­cording to the world to helpe it selfe, that hereby he may discourage you: remem­ber that which is spoken so often in the Scripture,2. Tim. [...]. that the Lorde hée is a God of power and of hostes: remember that which Eliseus saith to his seruaunt: Those that are with vs are mo then those that are with them.Rom. 8. Strengthen your selues with that which Saincte Paule saith: If God bee with vs who can be against vs. His meaning is not y^t if god be on our side there shal not any lō ­ger be any enimies to make war against vs, but his meaning is, y^t if we haue God on our side, we may despise al y^e strength not only of mē, but also of Satā & of hell. And indéed what cā al y^e powers & forces of al y^e kings & potentates of the earth do if they be coupled together, and what are they able to do against y^e power of y^e most mighty? Surely they are nothing but a vapour of smoake that vanisheth away, and as waxe that melteth at the fire,Ps. 58. as saith y^e prophet. How is it then, wil some say, y^t the lord deferreth y^e deliuerance of [Page] his church so long? Because y^e time is not yet come: w^tout all doubt he will deliuer it, howsoeuer it be long first, and he will breake y^e head of his aduersaries in péeces euē as an earthen vessell,Psal. [...]. yea euen by his yron rodde. For seeing hée beginneth his iudgement at his own house, it is a most euident token that hee wil ende it with those that are rebellious against his Go­spel, and that their end shal be most mi­serable:1. Pet. 4. For they shal drinke the dregs of the Lords cuppe when he shall visit thē,1. Pet. 4. not in his gentlenes & benignity, as he dealeth with those that are his owne, but in his anger and in his wrath: not­withstanding this shal come to passe at y^e time which hée hath appointed & orday­ned. Wherfore it behoueth vs to watch, and in our patiēce to possesse our soules, and the Lorde shall shewe vs wonderful things.Luke 21.

But and if you bee terrified through y^e horrour of the crosse, of afflictions & per­secutions which are proposed vnto all those which wil be true disciples of y^e son of God, and desire to be made partakers of his celestial kingdome, call to minde y^t which you haue learned out of the worde [Page] of God: to wit, that the afflictions of the faithful are blessed with God, forasmuch as he hath sanctified them in the person of his sonne: also that they are honorable, forasmuch as by thē they are made par­takers of the sufferings of Iesus Christ, and are made like to his image,2. Pet. 4. Rom. 8. bearing & wearing his liuerie as knightes of his or­der: also that they are tokens & testimo­nies of the fauour & fatherly will of God, who chasteneth those whom he loueth, & scourgeth euerie childe whō he receiueth to himself:Pro. 3. Heb. 12. Apoc. 3. also that they be but light and of small continuance being compared w^t that weight of most excellēt glory, which they worke in vs: For if we suffer with Iesus Christ we shal raigne and be glo­rified with him,2. Cor. 4. saith the Apostle. And blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theirs is y^e kingdome of God saith Christ Iesus.2. Tim. 1. Mat. 5. Also y^e afflictions are not onlie profitable for the faithfull, but also necessarie, forasmuche as by them the Lorde correcteth that na­turall corruption & peruersenesse which doth incessantly driue vs to rebel against his holy commādements: they tame our flesh, and bridle it, for feare least it waxe [Page] wanton & goe astray: it teacheth vs how to know our selues, to forsake y^e world, to waxe out of loue with it, that we may so much the more desire to attain to eternal life: by this meanes we are prouoked to pray & earnestly to cal vpō God, & to put our trust in him: our faith & our patience are exercised, proued & fined: to be briefe, afflictions are a meane whereby y^e Lorde procureth and furthereth our saluatiō so manie waies, y^t those which flie from thē & which abhorre thē, shewe thēselues not only vnaduised, but also altogether blind & sworne enemies to their own good and saluation.

Furthermore,Rom. 8. like as afflictiōs (as also all thinges els whether prosperity or ad­uersity fal out to y^e good & saluatiō of those which loue & feare the Lorde: so likewise on y^e contrary we may say that al things turne to a curse to those which are out of Gods fauour. Wherefore this rest, this ease, these good thinges, these honors, and these temporall commodities which the world promiseth you, to hinder you from turning to God, ought not to preuaile w^t you: And surely if you suffer your selues to be made drunkē with such deceiuable [Page] allurements, it wil goe ill with you: for he which maketh you such faire promises hath no power to performe them: so that you shal be frustrate of your vaine hope, & shall become twise miserable. But put case you should enioy al these things pea­ceably, you should yet be more accursed: for they shalbe giuen you in the wrath of God, & the vse thereof shal be accursed to you so long as you continue separate frō Iesus Christ and his Church. Further­more, what profit shuld you reap by this to haue the full and whole fruition of all beautifull, precious, & excellent thinges y^t are in the worlde, if you loose your owne soules? and what wil you giue in recom­pence thereof saith Iesus Christ?Mat. 26. What is there in this world which we ought to count so deare & so precious as the eter­nal saluation of our soules? The sonne of God made so great account of it y^t to pur­chase the same for vs, he shedde his most precious bloode, & suffered a most cruell & a most horrible death: not only in his bo­dy, but also in his soule, forasmuch as he was put euen as in the presse of Gods wrath, and suffered the heauie burden of his iust iudgement for vs, so that he was [Page] in a manner oppressed with it, so that hée saide, My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me? We must thē néeds say y^t our saluation is a thing of great price, se­ing it cost the sonne of God so deare. Will you then shew your selues so vn­thankful towardes him as to contemne & treade vnder foote so precious & so ine­stimable a treasure? Wil you be so cru­el and so vncurteous to your selues as to depriue your selues therof for euer, to in­ioy transitorie cōmodities, and to escape certaine light and smal discommodities which are not woorth the naming?

What man is he so mad that wil stick to forgoe thrée or foure pence, to gaine a treasure of one thousande crownes? Or who is he that is so daintie as that hee cannot suffer a little pricke of a pinnes point, the paine wherof is gone in y^e tur­ning of a hand, that he maie be blessed & enioye perpetuall pleasures during his whole life? In like sort what man is hée that is so foolish as to hazarde the losse of all his goodes vpon hope to get one poore peny: or rather a thing of nothing what man is he that is so madde and voyde of reasō, who to enioy a quarter of an hours [Page] pleasure would binde him selfe to goe vp at the end thereof vpon a scaffolde, and there to haue his head cut off, or els to be tormented vpon a whéele. And what are al torments, yea euen the most cruel tor­mentes that a man can endure in this world, being compared with the eternall torments, as hath bin said.

For the honor of God therfore, my bre­thren, bethink your selues. Come out of y^e cursed Babylō, return to your fathers house, who is ready to receiue you as his children, & to kil the fat calf to the end to feast you & to make you good chéere, yea, to apparel you w^t the precious ornamēts of his son Iesus Christ, after that he hath forgiuen you al your offences. Take héed y^t you driue not off from day to day, abu­sing his patiēce, for feare least his wrath waxe hoater & hoater against you, & least he shut the gate of his grace against you, when, after you haue stopped your eares against his aduertisemēts you shal come to séek him in vain. folow him now seing he calleth you to him: hardē not your hart against y^e swéet voice of this most merciful father. You haue dishonored him by your falling away, honor him now, and giue [Page] him glory through your conuersion: you haue cowardly forsaken the banner of Iesus Christ, gather fresh strength and courage now, so that it may appeare that you gaue backe to thend you might leap better, and that you might fight more va­liantly then euer heretofore: you haue denyed and renounced him before men, and haue abiured the truth of the gospel: make now a quite contrarie abiuration and denyall: renounce Antichrist in the face of the whole world: abiure all his impieties and abhominations: cast vp al his filth and infections out of your sto­mach: you haue offended, dishonoured, and grieued the poore Church of Iesus Christ: edifie it now and repaire the ho­nour thereof: you haue made sad the ho­ly Ghost and all good men, and haue made glad Sathan and Antichrist to­gether with their ministers, do now the quite contrarie: make glad all those to whom you haue ministred matter of sor­row, and let all those be confounded and ashamed which reioyce at your fall, and which triumph ouer it: you are gone astray, and are againe entred into the way of destruction, whence the Lord had [Page] drawne you, returne now againe to the right way which you haue forsaken,Mat. 12. for feare least that wicked spirit which was gone out of your heart, returne againe, that he may enter in againe with seauen other spirites worse then himselfe, least after they haue gotten possession of you they make your last estate worse then your first: that is most cursed and most miserable. Now the father of all mercie vouchsafe in mercie to behold you: the high shepheard and bishop of your soules vouchsafe himselfe to looke out his wan­dering shéepe, and to bring it againe to his flocke. The spirit of strength and of wisedome vouchsafe to strengthen and prudently to direct you in all your acti­ons: that all this may redounde to his honour and glorie, to your good and sal­uation, and to the edification of his church, for the loue of his sonne Iesus Christ Amen.