The Prayer, Our father. &c.

Forsamuch as in the administration of the Sacraments of the Church, I doe well per­ceiue that both by the word of God, and by an auncient and solemne custome amongst ma­ny, it hath bene an vse to haue somewhat, for the better instruction of their auditories, read and expounded out of the bookes of holie scripture: and deliberating likewise with my selfe, what course I might best keepe at this present, as well to serue the offred opportuni­tie, as also to satisfie the publique commodity of you al chiefly: I could not determine vpō any one text of y ^e whole scripture to be ope­ned vnto you, more profitable for your lear­ning, more effectuall for exhortation, more [Page] applyable to our age, and more agreeable for this present occasion, then the sentence of S. Paul the Apostle, not very long, but of wō ­derfull force, taken out of the xi. chapter of his Epistle written to the Romanes. And to the ende you may receiue the same to your greater comfort, it behoueth you to yeeld ear­nest and heedefull attention, not with your bodily eares onely, but with the eares of your minde also, to these things which I shal vtter vnto you. Hearken ye therefore to the words of the Apostle euen as him selfe hath spoken them.

To the Romanes the 11. chapter.

The theame out of the xi. to the Romanes. I speake vnto you Gentiles in as much as I am the Apostle of the Gentiles, I wil mag­nifie mine office, if by any meanes [...] may pro­uoke them which be my fleshe, and may saue some of them, for if the casting away of them be the receyuing of the worlde, what shal the receyuing of them be, but life frō the dead? For if the first fruits be holy, the whole masse is holy also: And if the Roote be holy, the braunches will be holye also: And if some of the braunches be broken of, and thou be­yng a wilde Oliue tree, wast graffed in a­mongest them, and made partaker of the [Page] Roote and fatnesse of the true and naturall Oliue tree, boaste not thy selfe agaynst the braūches, for if thou do boaste, thou bearest not the roote, but the roote beareth thee. Thou wilt say then, The braunches are bro­ken of, that I may be engraffed in. Thou say­est well: for vnbeliefe sake they were broken of: and thou stoodest stedfast in faith. Be not high minded therefore, but feare, for if God spared not the natural braunches: Take heed lest it come to passe, that he spare not thee. Behold the kindnesse & rigor of God: vpon them which fel, rigor: but kindnesse towards thee, if thou perseuere in kindenesse: Or els thou shalt be hewen of, & they, if they con­tinue not still in vnbeliefe, shalbe engraffed in agayne. For God is of power to graffe thē in againe. For if thou were cut out of a natu­rall wilde Oliue tree, and contrary to nature were engraffed into the true Oliue tree, how much rather shall the braunches be graffed in agayne into their owne Oliue tree? For I woulde not haue you ignoraunt (brethren) of this mysterie, lest you should waxe proud in your owne conceytes, that blindnesse is partly happened vnto Israel, vntill the fulnes of the Gentiles be accomplished, and so all [Page] Israel shalbe saued, as it is written, There shall come out of Sion one that shall deliuer, and shall take away vngodlines from Iacob. &c.

The summa­rie effect of Paules dis­course c [...]m­preh [...]nded in few words.Dearely beloued, you haue heard what the Apostle of the Gentiles doth speake vnto vs Gentiles, you haue heard his discourse of the Iewes, of their vnbeliefe, and of their reiecti­on: you haue heard the doctrine, and compa­rison of S. Paul, touching the true Oliue tree, and the wylde Oliue tree: touching the natural branches, and the graftes: touching faith, and infidelitie: touching the mercie of God, and the seueritie of his iustice: touching the modestie, and constancie of the faithfull: touching the fulnes of the Gentiles: finally, touching the last calling home and reclay­ming of the Iewes. This is a very large theame as ye see, and full of plentiful matter, which for the difficultie, as it seemeth to sur­mount my weakenes to reach vnto, so requi­reth your more careful attention, that ye may duely conceiue the same: in the debating whereof it behoueth me neither to say to li­tle, neither is there any vtterāce of man els a­ble, for y ^e largenes of the matter exceeding al possibilitie, to speake sufficiently. Notwith­standing, sithence I haue presumed to enter [Page] vpon this enterprise being of it selfe of won­derful importance, albeit I may seeme to folter and faint, as oppressed with the heauie burden thereof, yet will I not retyre, but will proceede with affiaunce as well as I may, resting my selfe wholy vpon the grace of Christ: and will (by your pacience) speake, though not so much, as the cause requireth, yet as much as the goodnes of God will per­mit at this present.

The whole action of the sermon of Paul is deuided into two speciall partes: whereof the one concerneth the Iewes: the other apper­teineth properly to vs Gentiles. In the be­halfe of the Iewes, he lamenteth their fall, reproueth their vnbeliefe, giueth them vnto vs for an example to beholde the seuere rigor of Gods iustice, discouereth the cause of gods wrath: and being carefull for their safetie, doeth prouoke them to an holy emulation: Finally, prophesying as it were of their last reconcilement, doth encourage the seely out­casts with hope of recouery of Gods mercy againe. As concerning the Gentiles, he com­mendeth their faith: aduanceth the inestima­ble goodnes of God towardes them: calleth them backe to remembrance of their former [Page] miserie and despeired estate: reioyceth with them for their present felicitie: entirely re­questeth, and earnestly exhorteth them, that they swell not with pride [...] disswadeth from disdayneful triumphing vpō forlorne abiects to modestie of minde: mitigateth the hau­tie arrogancie of their hearts, with a most wholesome medicine: Finally, setting downe a perfect patterne of the Iewes calamitie, in maner of a president, holdeth them backe in a couenable feare: discloseth the wonderfull power, that almightie God vseth in disposing and translating his benefites, that by these meanes he may quallifie the insolencie of the Gentiles, and so reteine them meane whiles within the limites of modest sobrietie, vntill the fulnes of time being of all partes accom­plished: each nation aswell Iewes as Gen­tiles, through the most bless [...]d operation of grace, may be vnited & gathered tog [...]ther at the lēgth into one societie & partaking of one congregation. And this much concerning the two partes of Pauls sermon, as I tolde yon before.

The first is­ [...]ues of Gods promise.The maner and kinde of his instruction here, wherein hee resembleth the Church of God to an Oliue tree, is metaphoricall, and [Page] propheticall. Which Oliue tree consisteth of three partes: The Oliue tree consi­steth of three mem­bers: the roote, the stocke, & the braunches. Of the roote, of the stocke, and of the branches. Under the title of the Roote, he doeth note Abraham, and other holy Pa­triarches vnto vs, because in them appeared the first buddes and blossomes of Gods pro­mise. By the stocke or body of the tree, he re­presenteth vnto vs the Church scattered vp­on the face of the earth, a congregation ga­thered together, out of the whole nomber of the faithful, which at the first, budding in smal issues from out that holy roote, and so by li­tle and litle, encreasing in strength, and ob­teining a proportionable stature [...] doeth at the length through the plentifull fatnes of the bountiful roote, with outstretched compasse, spreade abroade it selfe into most beautifull branches and bowes. By which plaine de­monstration, we haue an apparant view pain­ted out, as it were, both of the old synagogue of the Iewes, and the new Church of the Gentiles. And because no man shall thinke that this Oliue tree is sprung vp at al aduen­tures, or planted by mans industrie: he cal­leth it by the name of an holy issue, out of a holy Roote. There is no man made husband­man or woodward of this Oliue t [...]ee, but al­mightie [Page] God him selfe alone: who with all possible diligence, attendeth to the addressing, and nourishing thereof, and will continually preserue the same. Howsoeuer this Oliue tree doeth alter the beautie of his blossomes, or change the hewe of his leaues, yet endu­reth it still vnremoueable, nor is at any time [...]ut cleane away. In like maner fareth it with the Church of God: The Church how it stan­deth and groweth. which being wholy esta­blished vpon the eternal foundation of Gods most sacred promise, standeth as it were in a certaine eternitie vnuanquishable, and so shal continue permanent beyond all ages, though the members and branches thereof, remaine not alwayes in one estate, and although it happen many times, that the first issues be­come the last, and contrariwise, the last made first: the naturall buddes yeeld place to the sauage slippes, the proper and olde growen branches are cut of, and new taken in: and so by wonderfull enterchange, some growe, some stand at a staye, some encrease, and some starue quite away, as we see now and then come to passe in husbandry and gardening, whereas plantes and trees are many times pruned of vnfruitefull sproutes, sometimes dispoyled altogether of bowes, and the stoc [...] [Page] newly engraffed, to the end the trees may be­come more fruitfull. After the same maner that heauenly gardiner, woodward, or plant setter doeth many times prune this litle O­liue tree of his Church, but neuer plucketh it vp by the rootes (as Augustine doeth witnes) cutting of eftsoones wyndshaken bowes and starued branches, Augustin. putat, non amputat. that new plantes may pro­sper the better. So that according to the sai­yng of the same Augustine, many rauening wolues possesse the Church within, whiles many sheepe in the meane space stande with­out the doores. Which thing can be verified by no one example more aptly, then by this comparison of the Iewes and Gentiles. Of whom let vs heare what the Apostle spea­keth.

I speake (saith he) vnto you Gentiles, in as much as I am an Apostle of the Gentiles, I will magnifie mine office, &c. Forasmuch as in debating of any matter in question what­soeuer, two things are chiefely to bee noted, To wit, The person that speaketh, and the matter that is spoken of: we will by Gods assistance prosecute them both at this present. Let vs first therefore consider the person of him that speaketh: then, as order of teaching [Page] requireth, the cause whereof he disputeth. As to [...]ching the cause here debated, as no reaso­nable man can make any iust quarrel to doubt vpon, so ought not the famous & welknowen authoritie of the person be defrauded of anie his due estimation: The authori­tie of the person that speaketh. for what authoritie can be of more force to purchase credite, or to pro­cure aduancement to the function, then the name of an Apostle? And amongst the Apo­stles them selues also, what one ought to be more entire, and of more credite amongst the Gentiles, then the Apostle Paul? Who if being sent by mans ordinance had come vnto vs, ought yet to be friendly enterteined for his courtesie, so lōg as he teacheth the syncere trueth. I wil magni­ [...]ie mine of­fice. Rom. 11. But whereas now he is by an especi­all calling peculiarly assigned, not from men, nor by men, but by Christ Iesu him selfe, an Apostle to instruct vs Gentiles: howe much more behoueth vs Gentiles his scholers, to attend our owne proper scholemaster and peculiar Apostle, in as much as he was espe­cially called and chosen for this only purpose, as he witnesseth of him selfe, that we shoulde with all faithfull chearefulnes of minde em­brace his doctrine? Wherefore proceede on in Gods name, my deare beloued brethren: be [Page] not ashamed of your owne scholemaster, s [...] ­thence himselfe shameth so litle to acknow­ledge vs his scholers, as that accompting the same his greatest glory, therein aduanceth his office so much the more, because hee hath obteined this title to be called an Apostle of the Gentiles: and therefore saith, that hee magnifieth his ministery. Which title not­withstanding hee boasteth not of vpon anie vaineglorious ostentation, but compelled hereunto through necessitie of circumstances only to magnifie his functiō. Neither is this any strange or new kind of doctrine: for y ^e ne­cessary order of teaching so requireth often­times, for the more credite of the doctrine that is taught, to extoll and aduance aswel the of­fice of the teacher, as also the authoritie of the office: Galat. 5. Euen as in an other Epistle written to the Galathians we reade, how hee was en­forced to mainteine his countenance again [...]t his aduersaries with this only Target and cognizance of his Apostleship. Behold (saith he) I Paul speake vnto you, If you be circum­cised, Christ doeth profite you nothing at al. Neither doeth the Apostle differ much in this place, from that figuratiue phrase of speache: to the end that hauing weightie matters [...]o [Page] debate with vs Gentiles, he might winne so much the more estimation thereby to beauti­fie the aucthoritie of his function. I speake (sayth he) vnto you Gentiles, I will magnifie mine office, &c.

You haue heard nowe of the person of the teacher, and of his lawfull aucthoritie: It fo­loweth to make manifest vnto you the sub­stantiall and material part of all whatsoeuer is here debated in this whole xi. chapter. An expositiō of the mat­ters here treated vpō. And the same may be diuided into three common places or parts chiefely.

The first part concer­ning the Iewes and Gentiles.The first whereof doth concerne the trea­tie of the casting away of the Iewes, and r [...] ­ceyuing of the Gentiles. In the first member whereof, which toucheth the Iewes, the se­uere Iustice of God is noted vnto vs: in that other, that hath relation to the Gentiles, the vnspeakeable mercy and goodnesse of God is disclosed vnto vs.

The second part concer­ning the re­iection of the one, and re­ceyuing of the other.In the seconde parte, the cause why they were reiected, and those other admitted, is set downe vnto vs.

In the thirde place the Apostle doth fore­shew, and by way of mysterie, The third part touchīg the recōcile­ment of the Iewes in the ende. as it were, pro­phecie of the reconcilement of the Iewes that shoulde ensue, and the full accomplish­ment [Page] of the Gentiles.

As concerning the reconcilement of the Iewes, we wil discourse vpon, in fit place for the same hereafter. In the meane space, tou­ching that part that apperteineth to the ca­s [...]ing away of the Iewish nation, as many things are conteyned therein worthy not to be negligently ouerpassed, so this one caution ought diligently to be marked: That no such thought enter into any our minds, as though the Iewes are so altogether forsaken of god, and dispoyled of ghostly consolation, as that no sparkle of mercie is reserued in store for them to hope vpon: Neither that the whole stocke of that Nation is so altogether sup­planted, that no remnant of all the roote ther­of, hath any droppe of moysture layed vp for them in the fountaine of Gods free election. For both those opinions are vtterly refuted by the Apostle: the one in the beginning of the Chapter: that o [...]her in the end thereof, as appeareth by y ^e very entrey of y ^e same chapter.

I say then: hath God cast away his peo­ple? To the Rom. 11. chapter. God forbid, for I am also an Israelite, of the seede of Abraham, of the tribe of Ben­iamin. God hath not forsaken his people, whome he hath foreknowen [...] &c. as though [Page] he would say, Albeit God hath estranged t [...] greater part of his people from himselfe, yet hath he not so vtterly extinguished the whole nation, as though hee had reserued to himself no couenable nomber of all the remnant of that seede, like as we reade what happened to Elias, who lamenting that he alone was left, of all the true worshippers of God, was answered, that there remained yet seuē thou­sand men, that had not bowed the knee to the Idole Baal.

Reiection of the Iewes.And therefore concerning the multitude of them that fell away, as many thinges ar [...] worthy to be noted (as I sayde before) in the reiection of them: so this one thing chiefely a­mōgst y ^e rest, ought heedefully to be marked, according as the Apostle him selfe here no­teth: To wit, that this their blindnesse hap­pened not vnto them by happe hazarde, by chaunce, and vnawares, as though God by his diuine prouidence did not foresee the same before hande, and ordeyne the whole course of this action before, by the vnchaungeable decree of his incomprehensible wisedome: s [...] otherwise, how could the Lorde him selfe [...] farre distaunce of tyme prophecie before [...] the mouthes of the Prophet Esaie, & his se [...] ­ [...]ant [Page] Dauid, Esay .6. Psalm 68. That their eyes should be blin­ded, lest they should see: their backes should be made crooked, lest they should yeeld: their eares shoulde be stopped, lest they shoulde heare: if he had not foreseene the same at the first [...] or howe coulde he foresee it, vnlesse he had likewise decreed it: But nowe forasmuch as God and nature do bring nothing to passe vnaduisedly, by howe much the more grie­uously y ^e Iewes were ouercharged with the seuere rigor of Gods Iustice (for what could be more heauye, then to be razed out of the booke of life?) so much the more haynous must the canker be, that prouoked this so sharpe and bitter corryzyue: which cankred contagion that wrought their perdition, is most expressely declared by these wo [...]rdes of S. Paul, for their vnbeliefe (sayth he:) wher­by all men may easily coniecture, how horri­ble an infectiō this fretting fistula, vnbeliefe, is adiudged in the sight of God.

But first we must open vnto you, the na­ture an [...] substaunce of this vnbeliefe. Unbe­liefe is a thing mearely opposite and aduer­sary to beliefe: by which contraposition you may easily perceyue the right nature or defi­nition of vnbeliefe. For if faith or beliefe be a [Page] certaine infallible knowledge of Ies. Chri [...] the Sonne of God ensealed in our hearte [...], What Fayth is. whereby we doe embrace him as gyuen [...] to vs from God the Father, for vs to r [...] ­pose our whole affyaunce in the same, it is euident then by the same reason, in wh [...] sorte we ought to iudge of vnbeliefe. [...] whosoeuer hath ascribed the confidence of his saluation, and free remyssion of hys synnes to any other person then vnto Ie­sus Christ, or to any other creature the [...] to the fayth which ought to be in Christ I [...]su: the same may well be called an vnb [...]lieuing person. Vnbeliefe, & the manifold difference of the same. Moreouer, as there be m [...]nie degrees amongst the faythfull: and lik [...] as the fayth of some persons is more abun [...]daunt and plentyfull, in some others scarse rype [...] and lesse fruitefull, in manie skarse any blossome or yssue at all appearing: s [...] is the manifolde varietie of vnbeliefe [...] like [...]wise expressed in the Scriptures, after ma [...]ie and sundrye sortes. For there is a cer­tayne vnbeliefe, vnder the which, as vnder certayne embers some sparkle of fayth is raked vp, be it neuer so small: which is sig­nified in that sentence of Scripture, where it is sayde: I do beleeue Lorde, Lorde help [...] [Page] thou my vnbeliefe. There is an other kinde of vnbeliefe, which although be as yet o­uerspread with a certayne darkened myste of foggy Ignoraunce, and is tost to and fro, with many wandering cloudes & doubt­full vapoures, yet because it peepeth nowe and then abroade, because it glyttereth and shyneth somewhat, and endeuoureth by all meanes possible to expresse his o [...]yent and bryght beames, it seemeth not to rest in des­payred estate. There is yet also an other ki [...]d of vnbeliefe, which the Lorde doth reproue, but forsaketh not [...] as was that, whereof me [...] ­tion is [...]ade in the Gospel, And he rebuked their vnbeliefe. Thomas Didymus belie­ued not the Disciples, when they tolde him that the Lorde was rysen againe. A great vn­beliefe, but not shaken of yet: There is also [...], That is, s [...]al fay [...]h and there is [...]. No faith. And it happeneth oftē times that the one is named, y [...] and reproched of the other. The disciples thēselues also were sometimes worthily re­buked for their vnbeliefe, to whom was said, O ye vnfaithful & peruerse generatiō. Matth. Peter was once yelden ouer to the v [...]ry [...]inke of drow [...]ing for none other cause, but for his vnbeliefe sake: yet our Lorde stretching out [Page] his hand afterwards saued him. This was a daungerous vnbeliefe. But that other exam­ple, not of his distrust onely, but of his faith­lesse reuolting, was farre more peryll [...]us, when the same Peter not once or twise only, but three tymes in one nyght, did not onely not acknowledge, but also forsware his Lord and master: yet was he not therefore depry­ued from his Apostleshippe. And it is not to be doubted, but that many persones doe en­trude vpon the possession of Christian Title, which can gloriously vaunte of Christ with their tongues, but denye him vtterly in their deeds, beleeuing nothing lesse in their hearts stedfastly, then that whereof they carrye an outwarde resemblaunce in their talke co [...] ­ragiously. And because this Serpigo resteth within those persones, and crauleth to no further infection of the cōgregation, they are not therfore barred from partaking the Sa­cramentes of this Church, which we [...]all the visible Church. And what shalbe sayd of thē, who many times doe accuse them selues of their owne vnbeliefe, beyng valiannt souldi­ours neuerthelesse in the campe of Christian faith: when as on the contrary part, manie other doe firmely beleeue them selues [...] [...]e [Page] meare straungers to infidelitie, whose fayth if it should be placed in the face of the enemy, wil of very cowardize forthwith flee y ^e fielde?

And albeit al these examples of vnbeliefe, whereof I haue made mencion, may iustly be reproued as blame worthy, & voyd of al color of defence, yet may they be borne withal after a sort. But this kind of infidelitie of al others is most horrible & execrable, when as men do rushe headlong into such obstinate resistance, that they wil not only not acquaint thēselues with the trueth, being layd open before their eyes, but will wittingly shut vp their senses from the beholding thereof, because they will not see it, & wil spourne thereat not in words and profession only, but wil cruelly persecute the same also w ^t al maner of outrage, slaugh­ter & blood, blasphemies & most despiteful ex­ecrations. And this is that vnbeliefe, which being more noysome then any pestilēt botch, may rightly & properly be called the Iewish Infidelitie, & seemeth after a certaine maner their inheritable disease, who are after a cer­taine sort, from their mothers wombe, natu­rally caried through peruerse frowardnes, in­to all malitious hatred, & contempt of Christ, & his Christiās. And for this cause especially, [Page] I suppose it came to passe, that wheras God so many hundred yeres before, had cōtinually pardoned their wōderful & manifold wicked­nes & impietie, & after his wonted maner, had from time to time endured, & winked at their horrible rebel [...]iō & idolatrie, he could now no longer forbeare their abominable crueltie, cō ­mitted against his welbe loued sonne, whome they trayterously murthered and hanged on tree, but must needes auenge him vpon the whole nation, and roote out the remnant of the whole race altogether. And not without great cause: for how could it els be, after y ^t he was once reueyled vnto thē, for whose cause only al that cōmon wealth of the Iewes was instituted & erected? What cause remayned then, that the Iewishe synagogue should be of any longer continuance? or to what purpose might it serue afterwards? what? That they might perseuere still in sacrificing y ^e blood of goates and lambes to the Lorde? And where should this be done? in one family only? But God is not delighted with such sacrifices, nor dwelleth he in Temples made by men, but euen in the very hearts of men: he taketh no pleasure in externall pompe, and outwarde obser [...]aunces, nor gorgeous garnishinges of [Page] the body the vouchsafeth those worshippers, which doe worship him in Spirite & trueth. Ioan. 4. These olde motheaten shadowes had their tyme, and not their time onely, but their law­full vse also: that so vnder shadowes, types, and figures, they might prefigure the certein­tie, and trueth of thinges to come. But after that he was once manifested, who was the true holie of holie ones, who was the true and liuely Temple of God, who shoulde dis­playe vnto the worlde, the true ryghteous­ [...]esse, who shoulde be of power to gyue euer­lasting saluation, and shoulde be Lorde and King of all Nations: what needed then a­ny further shadowes? or howe coulde the Lorde endure their blyndenesse any longer, when as after the comming of their Lorde, they not onely ceased not to abuse the sha­dowes of the Lawe, Why the earthly Ieru­salem was abolished. to other purposes then they were ordeyned for [...] but also of a vayne and false perswasion, to the pernicious ex­ample of other nations, yea, not without the manifest perill of the vtter ouerthrowe of the whole worlde, dyd likewise teache, that true ryghteousnesse ought to be ascri­bed to the outward obseruances of those sha­dows and ceremonies? The which thing the [Page] mercy of God seemeth not only to haue for [...] ­seene, but adiudged also by no meanes toler [...] ­ble: for otherwise it might haue cōe to passe, y ^t the safetie of the Iewes might haue byn an estoppell to the receauing of the Gentiles, & so haue procured their vncouerable destructi­on, through false opinion of the doctrine of righteousnes perdie. But sithence there was none other meane or way for the Gentiles, to haue due accesse to true righteousnes, but by cutting down that carnall thicket of cer [...]mo­niall brambles & blooddy bryars, hereupon [...] pleased Almighty God, to dispose [...] the enter­chaunges & alterations of tymes, acco [...]ing to his vnsearcheable counsel: The casting aw [...]y of the Iewes made the recōc [...]le­ment of the Gentiles. That so the de­caye of the Iewes might be the riches of the Gentiles: & the casting away of that froward generation, might be the reconcilement of the whole world. And thus much by the way of the cutting away of the Israelites ī which albeit redounded to our inestimable benefite, may not therfore prouoke vs to swell, and [...] pu [...]t vp with pride: whereof S. Paul doeth wisely forewarne vs to be well aduised.

And if some of the braunches were bro­ken of (sayeth he) and thou beyng a wylde Oliue tree wast engraffed in amongst them, [Page] and made partaker of the Roote and fatnes of the true naturall Oliue tree, boast not thy selfe against the branches. &c. First whereas hee alludeth and resembleth the cutting a­way of certein of the Iewes to certein bran­ches of the true naturall Oliue tree, it ap­peareth hereby sufficiently, that this casting away apperteined not to the whole nation of the Iewes, but to some portion of them one­ly: for there remained as then many of the same kindred, amongst whom was S. Paul him selfe, & the other Apostles, besides a ve­ry great portion of the remnant of the same people, which did folow Christ, & did acknowledge him with all their faith. Againe the ve­ry first yssues of our Christian faith sprang out of that stocke, from whence we Gentiles must needs confesse to haue receiued the ve­ry entry and fundation therof. It appeareth therefore that this was not a general reiecti­on, neither that the whole race was drawen all together into the same gulfe of perdition, but a portion onely, and the same Paul tear­meth them to haue bene cut of. Cut of. And where­fore chose he to say that they were cut of, ra­ther then that they did fall away, namely sith it is out of all question that the Iewes deca [...] [Page] proceeded from their owne default, an [...] through vnbeliefe? what moued the Apostle then to vse this figuratiue phrase of speach of cutting of rather, Ex [...]ndi, to be cut of. Excidere, to [...] from. saying that they were cut of, and fell not away of their owne ac­cord, that they were pluckt away, not that they brake of? forsoothe, because it is not al one to be cut of, and to fall from. The things that are cut of can not choose but fall away, but the things that fall away, are not alwaies to be sayde to be cut of properly. What is ment therfore by this word cutting of? For­sooth nothing els, but to make vs conceiue, that the heauenly and vnsearchable hande of almightie God dyd ouerthrowe this buyl­ding: euen the selfe same [...]hande, which with woonderfull workemanshippe doeth plant, prune, bynde vp, vnderprop, adorne, order, and beautifie this Oliue tree of his Church, not after the proportion of mans imagination, but after the direction of his owne determination and vnpenitrable wis­dome. For, as a naturall Oliue tree and other like trees, the buddes, yssues, twigges, and braunches beeing either cut of or newly engraffed, worke not that of their owne power, but receiue the same [Page] by the aide and industrie of man: Euen so in administring the functions of the Church, if we seeke for the original cause of the worke­man, by whose conduct, all inferiour causes are enduced to obserue their due order and course: the same must be adiudged to pro­ceede from the force and efficacie of the vn­measurable election of the heauenly worke­man onely, who by wonderfull dispensati­on, maketh choyse where him liketh, and refuseth whome him lusteth, according to the testimonie of the Scripture: Exod. 33. I will take compassion on whome I wil take com­passion, and I will shew mercie to whome I will shew mercie. Whereunto accordeth Saint Paul speaking after the same maner: It is neither the willer, nor the runner, but God that taketh compassion. Rom. 9. Where for­tune, and chance, may go play them perdie: no endeuours of man can auayle, much lesse can mens merites or deseruings be of anie force, neither can ought els beare palme here, but the only election of almightie God. The nature and propertie of which elec­tion, we maye learne els where out of the same Paul: The remnaunt (sayeth hee) are saued through the election of gra [...]e, [Page] which grace can not be said to be grace at all, if mans merites haue preeminence before it [...] for that which is giuen according to the pro­portion of deseruings, and not according to grace, seemeth in Augustines iudgement, Augustine in his 1. booke of Retracta. Cap. 13. a reward rather of dutie, then a free gift of pro­mise. But a question may bee moued here perhappes, whether the Gentiles were not engraffed for their faiths sake? and whether the Iewes were not supplanted from the true Oliue for their vnbeliefe? which enterchan­ged dispensation, what els doeth it explane vnto vs, then a manifest demonstration as wel of the meritorious desert, as wel of faith, as of vnbeliefe?

The causes why the Gentiles were re­ceiued and the Iewes re­iected.The answere hereunto, first as concerning the faith of the Gentiles, and the infidelitie of the Iewes. I confesse in deede that these may seeme to carrie some shewe in the eyes, and iudgement of some to be deemed the very o­riginall causes of the free acceptation of the Gent [...]les, and likewise of the repulse of the Iewes. But for all this we heare not yet, what were the causes of the faith of the one, and of the vnbeliefe of the other. And there­fore if we will enter into a deepe and more especiall enquirie after the principall causes [Page] of this action, truely we shal neuer find them els where, then in the hidden and secret closet of Gods election. For be it so admitted, that the Gentiles were for this cause engraffed into the true Oliue tree, because they did be­leeue, yet if question be moued, from whence their faith proceeded first, it may well be an­swered, not from any their merites truely, neither in respect of any their own worthines more, then as the impes which do issue out of the naturall wylde Oliue tree, can boast of a­ny their excellencie, wherefore they ought to be transplanted into the fatnes of the true O­liue tree. The like answere in senseable wise may suffice touching the Iewes, when as if the cause of their dismembring from their true naturall Oliue tree be enquired: I an­swere, For their vnbeliefe vndoubtedly: And yet this answere doth not satisfie the purpor [...] of Pauls disputation. For sithence faith is an especiall gift of God, issuing from out the only mercie and grace of God, and not from mans free choise, the question reboundeth backe againe from whence it began. What was the cause then why the natural branches were so bereft of this singular gift after the reueiling of their Meschias? whether because [Page] the barren vnfruitefull wylde Oliue tree did furmount the true Oliue in excellencie of fatnes? to wit, in integritie of life and merits? surely I thinke not so. Wherefore then were the Iewes forsaken, and the Gentiles recei­ued? S. Paul maketh this answere. First, that this repulse reached not to al the Israe­lites in generall. Then, as concerning the remnant whatsoeuer worke was wrought in them, was not administred without the sin­gular counsell and foreknowledge of God: The fore­knowledge and decree of God in ca­sting away the Iewes. which foreknowledge doth euidently appeare by the continuall discourse of the Prophets & Psalmes: where the holy ghost foretelleth many hūdreth yeres before, of y ^e wilful blynd­nes of the Iewes. This counsaile of God is made notably discernable vnto vs by the se­quel, and finall cause, the Apostle not only te­stifying most euidently, that God was y ^e wor­ker of their blindnes, but also rendring the reason that enduced God thereunto: where disputing at large of the rufull ruine of the Iewes, and searching for the cause thereof: What then? (saith he) did they therefore of­fend, because they shoulde bee cast-away? Which were as much to say, as though God should be delited in their destructiō, God for­bid. [Page] Nay rather, y ^• by their fal saluatiō should happen to the Gentiles: & that by their vn­beliefe the Gentiles might obteine mercie.

But question wilbe moued here againe, Obiection. whether it were not as easy for almighty god to haue giuē mercy to thē both, if it had plea­sed him [...] Marke what the Apostle saith here­unto: Answere to the obiecti­on. Nay rather, for this cause only God did shut vp al vnder vnbelief, that he might haue mercy on al. For as it pleased almighty god to exercise his long & seuere rigor in old time against the heathenish castawayes, and wret­ched abiects the Gentiles, vntill at length, w ^t his mercifull kindnes vnlooked for, he had shaken of from their eyes, the foggy skales of darkened errour, and after their long infi­delitie, allured them at the last [...] to the blessed knowledge of his sacred Gospel: euen the very same may we perceiue to haue happe­ned to the nation of the Israelites, by contra­rie enterchange of persons and times: that so, those which sometimes were y ^e first, should now become the last, and those which by so long continuance of inheritably discending race, did lawfully enioye the interest of the true Oliue tree, as the true naturall of­springs thereof, beeing now cut cleane away [Page] from their holy roote, must be constrayned to forsake their standing, and yeelde place to o­thers, and may learne now at the length to indure the grieuous stormes and cruel tem­pests of Gods iust vengeāce, which the Gen­tiles before them had long time experimēted to their great dolor & sorowe, vntil at length hauing subdued their disdaynefull pride, and tamed the naturall stiffeneckednes of their hearts, they may obteine the selfe same mer­cie together with the Gentiles, not for anie their deserts, but through the free mercy and bountie of almightie God only, and so be re­stored at length to the auncient inheritance o [...] their first possessed roote. And this is it, tha [...] S. Paul seemeth here to prophesie in this mystical Oracle, and most comfortable me [...]sage, concerning the reclayming of y ^e Iewes to come.

Whereby it may easily appeare, how that there is no one thing, in all the actions of mans life, so plausible, whereby man may bee puffed vp to stand to much in his owne con­ceite, or disdainefully treade downe the infir­mitie of his weake brethren, whether he haue regarde to the lenitie of Gods free mercy, or attentiuely beholde the seueritie of his iustice. [Page] For so y ^e Apostle hath here set them out both vnto vs, to be diligently considered. Behold (saith he) the mercie, & wrath of God: The seueri­tie & boun­tie of God. wrath, towardes them that fell: but towards thee that doest persist in faith, mercy. &c. And thus doeth the Apostle right well aduertise vs: but that we for our part may bee able to comprehend them both, the especial assistance of God had need to enlighten our vnderstan­ding: for there are no finall nomber of peo­ple, whose senses, either through ignorance, or els through negligence, are dazeled and darkened in the right comprehending therof. Amongst the which ignorant sort of people, first may the Iewes be rightly placed, who being deluded with a preposterous opinion of sinister iudgement, The prepo­sterous opi­nion of many touching the seueritie and bountie of God. do interprete this bountie of God to be there, from whence they ought haue feared his terrible indignatiō. Second­ly, amongst the negligent nomber may be re­koned the Gentiles, of whom many are ouer slowe, and sluggish to enter into due consi­deration of Gods goodnes, but quicksighted enough, to pearce into his wrathful seueritie. Of those two sortes of people, I do purpose by Gods assistance to discourse somewhat, so farre as y ^e time wil permit, to the end I may [Page] profit them both, if it bee possible, or at least offer inconuenience to neither of them, as I trust.

And first, I can neuer woonder sufficient­ly enough at the Iewes, for that many yeres and ages enduring y ^t sharpe & seuere scourge of Gods dreadfull displeasure, they could not­withstanding haue neuer any feeling of their owne calamitie, nor perseuerance of the hea­uie clogge of Gods grieuous vengeance, ne yet any affection to be disbourdened of their infidelitie, sweetely beguiling them selues, with a glauering shew of a false shadow, flat­tering them selues likewise, with a fantasti­call hope of a terrene kingdome, whereof they had neuer any one word promised by God, and awayting for the comming of such a Messhias, whom neuer any of y ^e Prophets knew. Finally so farre forth preuailed the de­ceite of this error to confound the sensible part of their vnderstanding minde, that being otherwise a people most abhorred of God, & men, they would neuerthelesse most arro­gantly vaunt them selues to bee more estee­med, and more precious in the sight of God, then all other nations, people and tongues: and that they were his only darlings, and [Page] therefore could not by any meanes be defrau­ded of the power of his promise, nor be seque­stred from the true Oliue tree, whereof they were the naturall branches, wallowing con­tinually in a most filthy puddle of pestilent error, not much vnlike to the Romish Sy­nagogue in this our age, whose senses seeme to be tippled with the same dolldreanche: which kinde of people being of all other nati­ons most needie of the mercy of God, it is a wonder notwithstanding, to see how trimly they play wylye beguilie with themselues in the dispensation of pardons, whereof they falsely chalenge to themselues chief steward­ship vnder the title of the Church, and inheri­table succession of Peters chayre, The i [...]h [...]ri­table succes­sion of Saint Peter. which they haue established at Rome for euer and euer: persuading to themselues to haue obteyned the sole and singular prerogatiue of all eccle­siasticall superioritie, such as can neuer be a­bolished by any continuance of consuming time, but must remaine inuiolable world [...] w ^tout end, nor can euer be dissolued by breach of succession, nor at any time be destitute & voyd of y ^e fauour of God. But if you demaund of thē y ^t cause of this so inestimable a blessing, what wil thei answere? forsooth: hath not god [Page] (say they) promised, that he wil neuer forsake his Church? what then? Haue not the keyes lyneally descended vnto vs from blessed S. Peter, euer hitherto, being the chiefe head of the Apostles, which the Lord hath promised shal neuer be taken away? Is there any more yet? what? is it possible for Gods trueth it selfe to defraude the credite of his couenant, whereunto he hath bound him selfe with a most sacred othe?

Uery well now. And whereupon doth the blinde arrogancie of the Iewish Nation magnifie their race? do we not deriue our pe­tigree (say they) lyneally from our most holy father Abraham? Are we not borne, and na­med Israelites, by the name of our great graundsier Israel, the Patriarch? did not the Lord credite vs only with the safe custodie of the Arke of his couenant? Haue not we a promise from God by the mouth of his Pro­phets, of a Messhias and Sauiour to come? Hath not god prepared an euerlasting throne for the kingdom of our Messhias? Is not he of power to make his couenant inuiolable, that with so many othes hath ratified y ^e same? Nor will hee not perfourme the othes which he hath made? Surely I wil not much gain­say, [Page] that it is in deede no final matter, wherof eche partie debateth so largely of the promi­ses of almightie God. Yet all this notwith­standing, all things depend not so alwayes vpon Gods promises made, but due conside­ration ought also be had of the minde and in­tent of him that maketh the promise in the scriptures: and the same well weighed and compared with the due circumstances and o­ther places of the scripture, if we will be ac­compted true and syncere interpretoures of Gods holy scriptures: that is to say, It be­houeth vs duely and orderly to define and di­spose all and euery thing apart by it selfe, not those thinges onely which are promised, but must withall respect the persons, the place, the cause and consideration, and al other cir­cumstances of the promises. And therefore albeit we do graunt vnto them that all those promises are true, whereupon they bragge so much, touching the succession of the Patri­arches and Apostles, yet shall they neuer be able to winne this at our handes, To wit, that this ordinarie discent according to the lawe of the flesh, is a sufficient fundation to buyld the Church of God vpon. Succession i [...] the Church In the which if we behold nothing els besides the outward [Page] [...]ourme of succession only, who can be so pore-blinde, as not to be able to discerne the mani­fol [...]e alterations of orders, and obseruances, which the Lord from time to time hath chan­ged and disposed, contrary to the first consti­tutions: As for example, when as God in stead of Cain, Esau, Ismael, Saul, to whom of right apperteineth the ordinary succession & discent of the Priesthode, of the birthright, & inheritance of the kingdome, he made espe­cial choyse of Abel, Isaac, Iacob, & Dauid, who had no interest at all in the right of suc­cession. In like maner forsaking the Iewes, he accepted the Gentiles contrary to all or­der. Neither is it so much material to know where, or by what meanes, the [...] Church of Christians sprang vp at the first: so that it holde fast the synceritie of the p [...]re word, of vnde [...]iled faith, Iames .1. Ephe 5. and the due administration of the Sacraments, by which three thing [...]s the Church is preserued and sanctified.

As concerning the promises of God ther­fore, this is vndoubtedly to be holden, that the promises be in their owne nature simply true: yet in such wise true notwithstanding, as God hath not alwayes chained them to time, place or persons of men: which albeit were [Page] tyed fast to place and persons, yet are the proude and high mynded shaken of, the pro­mises remayning still in their force. Euen so the Iewes, although they prescribe vpon a promised place in Sion, Psalme 132: Here will I buylde my Tabernacle, because I haue chosen it. Esay .31. Againe in the Prophet Esay. This is my fornace, this is my fire. &c. And al­though they haue also a promise of the per­sons, when as the blessing is promised to A­braham, and to his seede for euer, yet this withstandeth nothing at all, but that rebelles are punished by God, the Temple consumed by fire, the altar throwen downe, and the citie put to the sacke and destroyed. And yet the meane whiles almightie God cōtinueth st [...]d­fast in his promise neuerthelesse, but by a far other meane, then mans capacitie is able to conceiue. Whereupon that holy and melo­dious Psalmist, not without great reason, doeth crye out in a certaine place of his my­sticall Sonets in this wise: Psal. 117 And it is mar­ueilous in our eyes. Euen so do I iudge con­uenient to esteeme of the counterfaite suc­cession of the Apostolique and Romish See, which if our prelates enforce so narrowly to be straighted to the limits of place & persons, [Page] they must needes bewray their double errour therein, being not only absurdely iniurious to holy scriptures, but fōdly careles in breaking y ^e rules of Logick. For in their arguing, they do cōmonly thrust more into the conclusion, then in their former propositions. As if a man would frame an argument after this maner: The perpetuitie of the promised succession is graunted to Peter and his successours. The Romish Prelats do succede in Peters chaire or place. Ergo: The Romish Prelates are y ^e onely successours of Peter: the only vniuer­sall Bishops: the only Princes of y ^e Church: whose faith can neuer faint.

But we haue sufficiently enough discoue­red the maskings & iuglings of this Romish counterfaite els where. And therefore lest we roaue too much abroad from the marke, Extra oleas. and wander from the Oliues (as y ^e prouerbe saith) we wil returne againe to Pauls Oliue tree, & the braunches of the same: whereupon wee promised before to discourse. Of the which braunches, how some were broken of, and some others engrafted againe into the true Oliue tree, we haue alreadie opened some­what vnto you out of the Apostle. And not onely out of the Apostle this is opened, [Page] but the same was also set downe at large long time before the Apostle, by the prophet Esay: out of which place of Esay, it seemeth that the Apostle tooke occasion of all this discourse. Let vs Gentiles therefore marke wel what Esay doth prophecie of the Iewes. Let the Iewes also attend to the preaching of their owne Prophete, who agreeth herein altogether with our Apostle touching the Iewes. Esay. cap. 10. Behold (sayth he) the Lord of hostes shall breake downe the bowe with power, & shall hewe downe the proude, and the hygh minded shall he fell downe. And there shall aryse an yssue out of the roote of lesse. &c. And lest the Iewes may cauill, that these speaches do nothing concerne them, let them harken agayne to the same Prophet, not only prophecying of them, but also poynting vnto the Iewes with the finger as it were the 17 chapter: Esay. cap. 17. And in that daye it shall come to passe, that the glory of Iacob shall be made very thynne, and the fatnesse of his flesh shall waxe leane. And immediatly after. Some ga­thering in deede shall be left in it. Euen as in the shaking of an Oliue tree, whereupon re­mayneth two o [...] three berries in the toppe of the vppermost rowe, & foure or fiue in the [Page] broade fruitfull braunches thereof sayth the Lorde God of Israel, &c. And agayne in an other place: Esay. cap. 24. For it shall come to passe in the middes of the land, euen in the middes of the people, as the shaking of an Oliue tree. And as the grapes are, when the wyne haruest is finished. And yet agayne much more plainely in the 63. Chapter: Esay. cap. 63. Thus sayeth the Lord: Lyke as when sweete iuyce is founde in the cluster, and one sayeth, Lose it not, for there is blessing in it. Euen so wyll I doe for my ser­uauntes sake, that I may not destroye them all, &c.

Nowe for as much as these thinges are so playne and so manifest, that they may be easily felt and handeled as it were with the fyngers: what answere doest thou make thou frowarde nation of the Iewes? what canst thou bryng? what canst thou alleadge, if not to defend, yet to colour at the lest thy obstinate stubbornesse? Hast thou any Scri­ptures? No surely. For nothyng maketh more agaynst thee, not onely with open mouth exclayming euen to thy teeth, against thy blundered blyndenesse, wherewich thou hast bene so long ouerwhelmed, but also haue long sithence by manifest tokens fore­tolde [Page] howe the same shoulde come to passe. Wylt thou vouche the promises and co­uenauntes which God made vnto thee of olde? And what other thing dyd he pro­myse thee at any tyme, then the same which thou doest so disdaynefully pursue? Neyther yet cease you to runne onwarde, styll ga­ping after, I know not after what Messhias to come. What? Hath he not yet bene suffi­ciently ynough looked for by your progeni­tours, who wayted for his comming by the space of two thousand yeres before he came? Goe ye to then: how long wyll ye yet conti­nue gazing, seeyng these thinges are past alreadie? Howe long will yee yeelde yo [...] selues a mockery not to God onely, bu [...] a Iesting stocke also to all other nations of the worlde? sythence all people and tongues do so playnely conceiue, that all thinges are long sythence accomplished in the person of Christ Iesu, whatsoeuer al your prophets did prophecie of the Messhias: And sithence the whole discourse of the holy scriptures doeth so manifestly teache also, that there is none o­ther Christ, but y ^e same that the whole world doth confesse and worshippe?

But this one thīg perhaps doth raise vp your [Page] crestes, The vayne bragge of the Iewes standing vpō the nobilitie of their of­spring. and puffe you vp with pryde, because you doe conueye vnto your selues so long a discent of your genealogies and kinred from so famous Auncestoures: because ye fetche your petigree and families from Abraham, and the holy Patriarches, and in that respect you do reprochefully disdayne all other nati­ons, as though God had created them to no purpose at all. But let vs see by what reason, with what conscience you are enduced heere­vnto. If you iudge this a matter of so great importaunce, that ye can rehearse in a long [...]eadroll of names, your Generations discen­ded out of the loynes of Abraham: what? And can not Ismael, Esau, Saul, can not Dathan and Abyron, and all that other rascall rabble of Hebrews, who made insurrection agaynst Moses: finally, can not many wicked kinges amongst you, false prophets, horrible church robbers, & Idolaters euen amiddes amongst you, vaunte vpon the selfe same race and pa­rentage, whereupon you braue your selues so gloriously? Whereupon appeareth playn­ly, that this outwarde discent of blood, and fleshly progenie, doth not auayle so much for your challenge: but that there is some other thing that maketh a kindly generation, and [Page] the true ofspring of Abraham, in the sight of God. Moreouer if it may be lawfull to glory in the auncient stocke, what may be thought of Christ him selfe, whom we do worshippe? in whome if ye require who was his father, he came not in deed from man, but discended from God. But if you demaunde of his mo­ther: he is on the mothers side a Iewe borne, according to the flesh, the sonne of Abraham, an yssue of the same seed that you are, whose children you challenge your selfe to be ac­cording to the fleshe. And wherefore then do you so cruelly detest him? Why do your bre­thren so hatefully enuie and maligne your naturall brother? And beeyng Iewes borne your selues, why do you so vylanously perse­cute your naturall kinseman, beyng likewise a Iewe borne, and why haue you slayne him so cruelly?

And what hath he committed at any time, The Iewes cā render no cause of their cruel mur­dering of Christ. worthy of this so monstruous rancor & can­kered despite? Was it because he did professe him selfe to be the Sonne of God? Albeit he did neuer speake any thing in his owne com­mendation without singular modestie, ney­ther boasted in his speach further of him self, then that he was the sonne of man: yet if this [Page] same he, were not the very true vndoubte [...] sonne of God, do ye then nominate some one man vpon [...]arth, whom you may iustifie was his father, and condemne the whole historie of the new Testament to be lyes, if you can. What trow you, would his Apostles, & other his disciples, being dayly and hourly conuer­sant with him self, his mother, & his mothers husband, so throughly accōpanied, & acquain­ted with all the actions of his life, haue bin so wilfully, and foolishly blinded, as to giue such credite vnto him, & to beleeue in him? would they haue setled the whole affyaunce of their saluation in him? would they so couragiously haue vndertaken so many perilous hazardes of life? Testimony of the A [...]o­stles. would they so constantly haue yelded their carkasses to all maner of horrible tor­tures, not in woordes onely, but with losse of lyfe also, ratifiyng and test [...]fiyng the thing, whi [...]h they knewe to be in him most assured, and that with effusion of their blood, if they had seene nought else in him beyond the na­turall substance of man, and not rather con­ceyuing throughly in him a secrete diuinitie, The Diuine miracles of Christ. that was hydden vnder the veyle of the fleshe bodily? But if these thinges shall be but of small credit with you, what wil you answere [Page] to those so greate and manifolde tokens of wonderful vertue, to such supernaturall and prodigious wonders of his? what say ye to so great force of his diuine operation, to so great power of his miracles, not wrought by him alone, but by his Apostles also through the vertue of his name onely, Miracles in the name of Christ by his Apostles. yea, and long sythence nowe and then openly wrought in his Church, through the effectuall operati­on of his glorious name? What will you say to his so great maiestie in worde, innocencie of life, certeintie in prophecying? And besides al these, his marueilous signes & tokens ex­pressed in his own person? What wil you say to that his incomprehensible glorious resur­rection, his vnspeakeable ascension into the heauens: lastly, to those his most gracious gifts of the holy Ghost powred vpon vs from the heauens? What can you answere, I saye, that all these so manifolde, so wonderfull, yea so heauenly graces myght import els, then that there was in him a certayne superexcel­lent Diuinitie, beyond all measure surmoun­ting all reache, and capacitie of mans vnder­standing?

All which things being approued with the testimonie of so many witnesses, viewed and [Page] beholden with so many eyes, practised by the dayly experience of so many Iewes, ensea­led with so many handes and wrytings, pu­blished to vs Gentiles by manifold reportes of so many your Rabbynes and great Doc­tours of your own natiō, if all these things I say, shal yet seeme to you but colourable, fay­ned and vnworthy of credit: why do ye not w ^t as good reason condemne for false lyars, all, and euery your owne prophets, Patriarches, your owne Lawe, yea and the Psalmes also, and rase them out of remembraunce, because they did many hundred yeres before most ex­pressely foreshewe and prognosticate euident­ly, that all those thinges ingenerall shoulde come to passe, euen in the same maner and or­der, as they haue bene already accomplished? Amongst whome let Esay the Prophete be adiudged a lyar, because in the name of this Christ he promiseth health to the blynde, Esay. cap. 35. Cap. 43. Cap. 61. Cap. 9. Cap. 42. to the lame, to the halte, and to the maymed: be­cause he comforteth the Ostriches and vene­mous beastes of the fielde with prayse & glo­rie that shoulde happen vnto them, because he prophecyeth hope of freedome to them that were in chaynes, to prysoners libertie, plenty and fulnesse to the needy and hungry: light to [Page] them that sitte in the shadowe of death: boun­tifull fruite fulnesse to fields that were other­wise by nature barren, and through want of Tyllage ouerspread with bryars and br [...]m­bles, vncomely, yea & filthy by reason of their huge desolation: to ouerflowing ryuers, dry­nes and emptines: finally, to the Iewes them selues extreme blindnes.

Let the Prophet Osee be accompted a ly­ar also, Ose. cap. 1. [...]. who prophecyeth likewise that a peo­ple which was not a people, should be called, and obteine mercy, through the inestimable blessing of that heauenly Iewel. Let Ionas the Prophete be adiudged a lyar also, Ionas. yea and that Elias likewise, Elias. that was aduaunced into heauen in the fiery charryote: the first of which two did prefigure Christs glorious ri­sing againe the thirde day after his death, the other of his ineffable ascension into the hea­uens, the fourtieth day after his passion: also of the comfortable consolation and sending of the holy Ghost, by the letting downe of the cloake from out his triumphaunt charryote, the fiftie daye called Pentecost. Besides all these moreouer, let Iohn Baptist the Pro­phet, Iohn Baptist. yea more then a prophet, be condemned for a lyar, who did not in word only acknow­ledge [Page] him, but poynting towardes him with the finger, pronounced boldely, That he w [...] the very Lambe of God, that shoulde take a­way the sinnes of the world. Finally, let all y ^e whole authoritie of the Propheticall Scrip­tures be cancelled for vntrueth, because the greater parte thereof doeth nothing els, but foreshew, and make reporte, that all those things should come to passe, which the Euan­gelicall historie doth expressely pronounce to be already accomplished.

Briefly, if as yet your eyes be withholden with so grosse amazed obscuritie, that the things which are more resplendisant then the Sunne in midday, and so throughly knowen in all the partes of the worlde, do so farre e [...] ­ceede the common capacitie of your blunde­red senses, and seeme so incredible vnto you, that ye can by no meanes comprehend them, nor will suffer so many notable testimonies of Christes resurrection preuayle to worke so much creditte in your heartes, as ye may beleeue in our Lorde Iesu Christ risen from the dead as well as we: why doe ye not pr [...] ­duce then his buryed carkasse, if you can? or at the least, bring foorth some rame, or frag­mēt of his precious body, be it neuer so smal? [Page] Or if you thinke I demaunde an impossible request of you, howe happeneth that none of all your progenitours could shew the same? But if neyther you, nor any of all your aun­cestours were able to doe this, why do ye not then ioyne together with vs, and worshippe him that is rysen agayne? Why doe ye not honour and magnifie his name, who reigneth in eternitie, sitting in the heauens at the right hande of God the Father? Whereunto if loue of religion can not induce you, let na­turall reason yet obteine so farre foorth with you, to graunt that, which no reason can de­ny? Wherat make ye stay? is not my request reasonable? doe I not giue you wholsome counsell? And lest that which I haue spoken, runne in at one eare with you, and out of the other, taking no roote in your hearts: I will for your better remembrance repete once a­gaīne the words that I haue spoken.

If he, whome ye haue slayne, be not the ve­ry sonne of God, if ye beleeue verily, that he, whome ye deryde, and skorne at with that your reprochefull and despitefull name, Talui, Talui in He­brew, is as much as ha [...] ­ged or cruci­fied. Cant 4 [...] were but a very naturall man, why do ye not th [...]refore restore his deade body vnto vs? or why do not your souldiours and hired [Page] watchemen yeelde his corpes agayne, for the garding whereof they receyued from you so speciall a charge? If they can not, what els emporteth the graue beyng founde emptie? What els signified the horror and amase [...] ­nesse of your armed watchemen, who beyng terrifyed with straungenesse of fearefull sightes fledde awaye so tymorously, but that ye may be enforced wyll ye, nyll ye, to con­fesse this Christ Iesu to be very Messchias, who hauyng entred vpon the possession of the kingdome of Dauid, Esay. 9. as in the ryght of his owne peculiar inheritaunce, raygneth nowe in all eternitie, and hauing vanqui­shed all power of death, sytteth nowe try­umphantly vpon the throne of his Father Dauid, to order and establishe his Fathers kingdome, with iudgement and Iustice from henceforth euen for euer and euer? I would fayne learne nowe, what that your obsti­nate rebellion is able once to mutter a­gaynst this? First, where no mistrust of pe­rill is feared, there is no garde vsually charged: And what suspicion of daunger might your forefathers cōceaue of him after they had murthered him? Debate the matter with your selues somewhat more substanti­ally, [Page] why any such feare might growe in the dead body of this one seely person more then in [...]ny other. But I will not vrge you any more herein: only in this point I would faine be resolued. Howe happened that the sepul­chre beyng so strōgly couered with a stone of so huge weight, so firmely ensealed with the seale of the high Prieste, so strayghtly fenced w ^t the force of armed knights, was so shortly founde emptie? You will say, That his disci­ples crept thyther priuily, and stale away the body of Iesu perdie, whiles your souldiours were snorting in a deepe and sound slumber. Well then. And who I praye you sawe the disciples the meane time whiles your watch­men slept so soundly? If their eye lyddes were ouerladen with such a deade slumber, that they coulde not perceyue this: with what face shame you to affirme, that your watchemen sawe them no [...]? If they did see them, howe chaunced that beyng harnessed, they withstood not such seely vnarmed wret­ches? And why dyd not your forefathers lay this thefte to the Disciples charge, synce they saw them dayly preaching in the Tem­ple afterwards? O monstruous cankered ly­ars: as though the stone wherwith it was co­uered, [Page] were not of greater quantitie, the [...] could be remoued by a few? or by any meanes might be rolled away without perceiuerāc [...] of your souldiours? Wel yet, howe happened that these seely caytiue petyt theeues fled no [...] away immediatly after they had committed this robbery? Howe durst they be dayly con­uersant amongst men [...] and preache openly in your Temple? Nay rather to tell you the trueth simplie: with what better or more pro­bable argument could the worlde haue bene induced to beleeue, y ^t Christ was risen againe to y ^e sure establishment of their faith, then this your wicked curious diligence, which your forefathers so carefully employed in wat­ching the Sepulchre?

Forasmuch therfore as al these things are so most assured, so manifest, so vnreproueable, approued with so many witnesses & proph [...]ts, ratified w ^t so many reasons & euidēt proofes, discouered by y ^e euidēt testimony not only of Angels, but established also w ^t the heauēly O­racle of y ^e holy ghost him selfe, embraced & be­leeued by the faith of all nations of y ^e world, what one probabilitie cā al your generatiō of Hebrews alleadge for colour to the cōtrary? If ye perceiue therefore that this is the ver [...] [Page] true Messhias, why doe ye not relent at the last, & forsake & abandone your stifnecked re­bellion, & ioyne with vs in professiō? If as yet ye do not acknowledge him, declare the cause then that breedeth this misliking in you, and troubleth your consciences. Is it because he liued in poore & beggarly estate amongst the impouerished, & them y ^t were worth nothing? But your prophet Zacharie lōg before he was reuealed, reported that he should be euē such a one: Zach. 9. Beholde (saith he) thy king cōmeth vn­to thee righteous & iust, a sauior, he is poore, & riding vpō an asse, &c. And it behoued true­ly, that he which should come to ouerthrow y ^e high minded & riche of this world, & to enrich y ^e poore, should be him selfe embased & poore.

What els then? is it because he was seene to walke in base and simple apparell, and was despised amongst you? Euen such a one doth the prophete Esay paynte out vnto vs in his 53. chapter: Esay. 53. We beheld him (sayth he) and he had neyther fourme nor beautie, we helde him despised, & esteemed him for an outcast of men. You haue seene him now of no repu­tation, an abiect, the poorest of men, whome your hautines did disdaine. Mark now vnder this vile & contemptible basenes, more then a [Page] kingly royaltie, whereunto you ought all t [...] prostrate your selues, Esay. cap. 53. & do honor vnto. Surely he hath borne our infirmities, & carried our sorowes, he was taken out of prison, & from Iudgemēt, & who shal declare his age? by the knowledge of him selfe, my seruaunt shall iustifie many: for he shall beare their iniqui­ties. The will of the Lorde shall prosper in his hands, and he shal deuide the spoyle with the strong. The kings shal shut their mouthes at him. You haue nowe therfore heard, how he shoulde be poore and deformed, according to the outwarde shewe of the fleshe, euen such a one as our Gospel hath described him. And briefely to be playne, if he had not thus bene poore, & reiected from amongst you, he could not haue bene the ryght Messhias in deede. Uerily such a one he seemed to you once, whē it was, according to the outward countenāce of the flesh, before he had obteined the power of the kingdome vpon the crosse: But hauing then forthwith receiued y ^• throne of his king­dome, in what triūphant maiestie he sitteth & reigneth now in heauen, let y ^e mystical Psal­mist Dauid make report, who in spirite fore­saw him, sitting at the right hād of the Lord. Let their witnes be heard also, who were be­holders [Page] of the whole action of his ascēsion, & with their bodily eyes sawe the same whome Dauid beheld in spirit, euen with their carnal eyes I say gazing vpon him, whiles yet hee was lifted vp in their sight into heauen, and did perfectly discerne him also sitting at the right hand of the maiestie. Let them also re­cord the same, whose inward feeling & minds of the soule he doeth inlighten with heauenly effectual operation, and vouchsafeth daily to enterparten him selfe vnto. And I would to God it might please the same to open your eyes also, that once at the length you might throughly enioye the inestimable glory, and vnspeakeable maiestie of his euerlasting kingdome. In the meane space, ye may ea­sily conceiue a taste and feeling as it were of the trueth, by groping the shadowes and pre­figured tokens of the scriptures, except ye had rather wilfully and wittingly shut fast your eyes from so manifest demonstration of infallible certainetie.

First, what one thing was of more royal­tie, then the kingdome of Dauid? And yet what one thing was more entangled and streighted, whiles as yet like a seely moath he kept his fathers sheepe? whiles he was tossed [Page] in turmoyle with most cruel persecution? At what time Ioseph being circumuented by the iniurie of his brethren, became carraine leane in a lothesome dungeon: when as A­braham was commanded to abandone his na­tiue countrey, and to become a banished out­cast from his kindred and his fathers house: whiles Iacob was constrayned to redouble his seruice vnder his v [...]ckle Laban: what time Moyses was by Gods calling transla­ted from an exiled outlawe to be a guide and leader of y ^• Israelites: from how great base­nes and miserie were all these aduaunced to wonderfull estimation and dignitie? And what was the meaning of the holy ghost els, then vnder the shadowes and figures of those persons, to represent vnto vs y ^e very patterne and image of the sonne of God? And yet if you duely consider the estate of Christes out­ward basenes, what wanted he at any time, to the necessary furniture of his liuelihode, not­withstanding this shew of extreme penurie? Nay what want at all could molest him, who with a very fewe crustes could feede so great a crewe of thousandes in so deserte a wilder­nes? Or how could he be termed poore, at whose becke and word of mouth, heauen and [Page] earth did obey, the seas and windes, life and death, finally all the degrees of creation were subiect vnto?

But that writing and title called by the name of a Nazarite doth encumber you per­haps: Iesus Naza­re [...]us. because it behoued that Messhias should be borne in Bethleem the citie of Dauid. If he were not borne in Bethleem, I report me to the Chronicles & Records of the time of his birth, and the circumstances thereof. Let the testimonies of the angels, shepheards, wise men, his owne mother, Ioseph, and all the Euangelistes bee examined. Moreouer, what emported that horrible slaughter of all the suckling Babes of Bethleem, only by the cruel proclamation of Herode, without any molestation of the infants of Nazareth: vnlesse Herode the king had bene throughly perswaded, that aboue that instant of tyme, wherein Christ was borne, the same verie king of the Iewes was then borne in the citie of Bethleem? What els is it then that trou­bleth you? because he dyed the death? The death of Christ. What do I heare? what? Haue you alwayes awai­ted for a Messhias that coulde not bee bereft of life? How then should this Messhias de­liuer Iacob his people from their iniquities, [Page] when as no remission of sinnes coulde bee without slaughter & blood, according to the infallible testimonies, and continual sacrifi­ces of your owne lawe? Briefely, if it were not requisite that Messhias shoulde dye the death, then did all the Prophets lye, Zachary, Daniel, Dauid, Esay, did lye: which haue not only made mencion of his death, but haue most learnedly also set downe the cause of his death. For this we reade in Daniel, Daniel. ca. 9. That wickednes (saith he) may finish, and sinnes be sealed vp, iniquitie reconciled, and euer­lasting righteousnes may be brought in. And proceeding a litle further in the same Chap­ter, doth expressely declare that Christ ought to be slaine. In like maner the Prophet E­say: Esay. ca. 53. If he shall make his soule an offring for sinne, sayth he. The very same thing doeth Moyses also prefigure vnto vs vnder certaine ceremonies of sacrifices, types and figures not altogether obscure. What say you to E­saye the Prophet: who doeth not only disco­uer the cause, but the maner also of his death, his spittings, scourging, wounds, plagues, buffetings and reproches? What say you to Zacharie, who mencioneth the pearcing of his side with a speare? What say you to Dauid, [Page] who describeth the nayling of his hands and feete, the sponge full of vineger, the rending his flesh from the bones, the casting lots for his garment? What say you to Moyses also, who vnder y ^e title of the Brasen serpent, doth prognosticate his lifting vp on the Crosse?

But here againe some froward person a­mongst you will murmure againe in this wise. The Iewes obiection answered. In what sort can Christ be said in the scriptures to be euerlasting, if he must of ne­cessitie be slaine? This scrupule no man can more effectually vnloose, then the Prophet Dauid in his mysticall Psalme: Psal. 1 [...]. Thou shalt not leaue my soule (saith he) in the graue, nor suffer thy holy one to see corruption. Where you heare his soule layed in the graue, you must vnderstand that to be spokē of his death and buriall. Againe, when you heare, that he is risen againe from his sepulchre, you must interprete the same of his infinite eternitie, & vnperishable freedome, exempt from all ma­ner of corruption. Whereby appeareth no­tably discerneable vnto you, eche condicion in one selfe person: That is to say: That he is both a mortall man, and an eternall God. In the one wherof the infirmitie of his manhode is palpable: in the other the glory of his re­surrection [Page] is most euidētly prouable. What? And do ye expect yet an other euerlasting Messhias besides this? Messias whē he commeth must not bee receiued of the Iewes. What a phantasie is this? As though when the true Messhias is come, he may obtaine any courteous enter­tainement amongst you? Truely none at all [...] For euen so say the Prophets of your owne nation. Or els what meaneth that saying of Dauid, that ye reade in the Psalme? The stone which the builders refused, the same is made the head of the corner. And who bee they that are called the buylders, but euen your selues the Iewes? The Iewes looke for their Messias in vain: who, when so euer the true Messias com­meth, wil not receiue him. And if he be a false Messi­as, he seru [...]th them to no purpose. What is this stone, but Messhias? whom if ye will so long gape after, vntil you finde your selues plyable to embrace and honour him, it wil come to passe, that your long lingring wilbe prolōged beyond all compasse of time: because accor­ding to the saying of your owne. Prophets, you wil neuer dutifully allowe of the cōming of the true Messhias, but that ye wil continu­ally remaine in an vncertaine expectation of some other. For if he be accepted by the gene­ral consent of you al w ^tout exceptiō, surely he can not possibly be y ^e true Messhias. Againe, if he be refused from amongst you, how long wil you hang in suspense of his comming?

[Page]Euen in like maner your forefathers did looke for a Messhias to come long before the birth of Christ almost two thousand yeres: but after that he was come in deed, & that the Lord of Lords, Malac. 3. whō they sought, was entred into his temple, & the angel of the promised testament whom they wished for, was amid [...] amongst them, yet did not his owne re­ceiue him. What maner o [...] Messias do the Iewes looke for. And why so? because they iudged that he would come after an other sort, thei [...] the Prophets had foretold them. For y ^e Pro­phets did describe his comming to be poore, simple & beggerly: but these lustie gallants do gaze for a certaine trimme earthly Empe­rour awayted vpō with some famous troupe of princely gard. The Prophets did promise a seely meeke lambe, whose voice should not be heard to bleat in the streetes. These cou­ragious champions attend for some Lyon & victorious Monarch. They did foreshew that he should be slaine, tormented and hanged on tree, who should not auenge him of y ^e iniuries of his people w ^t displaied bāner of bloody bat­tel, but w ^t sheading of his own precious blood should redeeme y ^e sinnes & wicked transgres­sions of his people, should not w ^t violē [...] rush vpon y ^e crowne of y ^e Empire, nor with force of [Page] armes deliuer his people from the thraldom of Cesar, but should restore freedome to his nation from the bondage of sinne, and the ty­rannie of death, and the deuil, with all the p [...] ­testates and principalities thereof: and so e­stablish to him selfe a kingdome, not transito­rie and earthly in this world, but heauenly & endlesse for euer and euer. On the contrarie part, these felowes stroking themselues with a fantasticall opinion of worldly pompe, and measuring all things according to the glori­ous glitering shew of some terrestrial domi­nion, do yet fondly beleeue, that some other puissant & victorious conquerour shall come in some notably aduanced maner. Whereup­on being worthily deluded of their owne fri­uolous fonde expectation, they can neither truely acknowledge their owne heauenly Messhias: nor did accept of him when he was come. Neither was it any maruell if they could not finde in their hearts to entertaine him being in this beggerly plight: when as their owne Prophets did long before pro­nounce, that the Messhias should be persecu­ted with none so sauage and vnmerciful en [...] ­mie [...], as the people of his owne linage: and did also vnder most manifest oracles, and ap­parant [Page] veiles of shadowish signes prognosti­cate that he should be slaine through the trea­cherous treason of his owne people.

After the same sort was the blood of Abel spilt by the embrued hand of his bloodie bro­ther Cain: Gene. 4. Ioseph entrapped and solde by the smister practise and procurement of his brother Iudah: Gene. 37. The lambe of the passeouer slaine and deuoured peecemeale in the houses of them, which were deliuered by the blood of the same: Exod. 12. So was Moyses oftentimes con­temptuously entreated, Exod 32. and disdainefully rai­led vpon amongst his owne kinsfolkes: Numer. 16. King Dauid cruelly assaulted not of Saul onely, 1. Reg. 18.19 but (which is more horrible) of the folke of his owne familie, of his neighbours, citizens and subiects. What els doeth the seueral ca­lamities of all these purport, then that Mes­shias should be slaine by the butcherie of his owne people? What doeth that stone of of­fence mencioned in Esay, Esay. 8. and that Rocke to fall vpon to both houses of Israel, and as a snare and a net to the inhabitants of Ierusa­lem signifie other, then that the Lord him self should suffer death by the murtherous prac­tise of his owne nation? Otherwise why is he called a rocke to fall vpon and stone of [Page] offence, if there were nothing in him where­upon the aduersaries might stumble at? And to passe ouer other sharpe and horrible pro­phesies vttered directly against this vipe­rous generation by the mouth of their owne Prophets in the booke of Deuteronomie the xxxi. and xxxii. Chapters, so likewise in the 65. and 66. of Esay, and many others besides of their owne Prophets, peruse who listeth the bookes of Malachie and Zacharie with diligence and heedefulnes, Mala. 1.3.4. what doeth Mala­chie els in all that his preaching almost, then explane the order, and maner of Christs pas­sion, yea, and that so liuely, that scarse anie porcion seemeth ouerskipped, that may seeme to apperteine to the summe and argument of al that whole Tragedie? Zach. 9. Not their king him selfe riding vpon an Asse, not the breaking of the bowe of battel, and preaching peace vnto the Gentiles: not the loosing of prisoners out of the pit, wherein was no water, whose outstretched power extendeth from sea to sea, from the floods to the vttermost parts of the earth, raysing vp the children of Israel aboue the children of Greece: not the thirtie siluerlings of the traytour Iudas for the which he solde Christ: not the woundes of [Page] his pearced bodie: not the print of the nailes in his handes and feete: not the scattering of the disciples the Shepheard beeing striken: not the citie seuered into three factions, wher­of the thirde part onely remained sound and serued the Lord, yet so that the same was brought to triall by fyre: not the destructi­on of Ierusalem by the assault of the Gen­tiles: not the ouerthrowe and subuersion of their houses: not the deflowring of their virgines: not the breaking in sunder the veyle of the Temple vnder the figure of the mount Oliuete: not the darkened Ec­clipse of the Sunne the same daye in the which Christ suffered his passion: Cap. 14. And there shall bee a day (sayeth he,) it is wel knowne to the Lorde, neither daye nor night, but about the euening tyme it shall bee light: And it shal come to passe in the same day, that the waters of life shall go out from Ie­rusalem, and the halfe of them towarde the East sea, and halfe of them towardes the vttermost sea, and shall be both in win­ter and sommer. And immediatly in the same Chapter, prophesying of our Saui­our Iesu Christ hanging vpon the Crosse: [Page] And that which shalbe there aboue the bry­dles of the horses shalbe called holy vnto the Lord, and the pottes in the Lords house shal­be like the bowles before the Altar. &c.

What answere wil you make now to these so notable and manifest testimonies? and whereupon dependeth the hope of that you looke for, or in what pointes doeth it chiefely consist? Will ye flee backe againe to your rotten wormeaten poesies? we are the seede of Abraham, and were neuer subiect to anie other: well we may wander, but we can ne­uer perish. The holy Patriarches are our progenitours: we are the yssue of an holy roote: we haue a God in whome we do be­leeue: we haue the lawe wherein we are in­structed, the temple, the priesthode: the sacri­fices and ceremonies are committed vnto our safe keeping, we haue also Prophets, and promises of the Prophets, wherein we put our confidence. Nay rather you were once in­uested in al these, but now through your tray­terous trecherie you are berest, and despoyled of them all. You had sometime Abraham vn­to your father, vpon whom you so gloriously vaunt your selues. Euen so had Esau, Isma­el, and Saul also as well as yt. And euen [Page] this selfe same so noble a gentleman whome you accompt for your father, if he were pre­sent now in these our daies, or had liued then also when Christ was conuersant vpon the earth, and had seene all those your franticke outragies, and trayterous deuises, conceiued of such despitefull rancor, and canckred ma­lice: if he had beholden your reprochfull tauntes, contum [...]li [...]us mockeries, and fu­rious madnes, yo [...] [...]xecrable iniuries, and horrible tyrannies prouoked by no desert of his: your vnquenchable malicious crueltie, in deriding, scorning, and murthering that most milde sonne of God Christ Iesu, the most puissant and mightie Lord of glory, ha­uing in all respects so bountifully deserued of you: and had bene present at that vnspeak­able madde outrage, and exclamation when ye cryed out, Crucifie him, Crucifie him: his blood be vpon vs and our children: we haue none other king but Cesar. Moreouer if he had seene your vnappeaceable disorder with­out all remorse of mercie in persecuting his disciples: Christen mens chil­dren here in Engl [...]nde crucified by the Iewes Anno. 11 [...]9. & anno. 114 [...] at Norwiche. &c. your intolerable Scorpionlike sauagenes, so furiously boyling against the innocent infants of the Christian Gentiles: and the rest of your haynous abominations, [Page] insatiable butcheries, treasons, frensies, and madnes: If I say, this most godly and mild Patriarche Abraham were aliue, to heare, and beholde the same, with the same eyes wherewith long sithence hee behelde the day of Christ Iesu, and reioysed, woulde he euer haue accompted you for his sonnes? or e­uer haue acknowledged such impes to haue proceeded out of his loynes? Nay rather, who can dout of this, that he would haue a­greed with Iohn Baptist rather, and cryed out with open mouth against you, O ye ge­neration of vipers, and children of the deuil: I do vtterly det [...]st you, and your poysoned deedes, and imaginations.

But ye do beleeue in God, whome onely you doe worshippe and honour: so doe the Turkes, Sarracenes, Moores, and Scy­thians as well as ye. And where is there a­nie one nation vnder the coape of heauen, so sauage and beastly, that doeth not professe, cō ­fesse, and worship one God onely? And what is this to the purpose? Albeit ye esteeme neuer so much of that your worshipping the great God, if yet in meane whiles ye per­secute his messengers and Ambassadours whome hee sendeth, if you kill his Prophets, [Page] if ye murther his Apostles, Martyrs, and Preachers: Finally if you put to the most slaunderous death of the Crosse the deare entierly beloued and onely begotten sonne of God him selfe, being tormented with all kynde of horrible tortures, to the vnspeake­able reproche of the same your owne God, with what shamelesse visage can you bragge that God to be your father, whose sonne you haue so shamefully crucified? Yea, what were this to the purpose, or what might it a­uayle you, to seeme to your selues that the same God is your father, if he do not re­knowledge you for his children? Take this for an vndouted trueth, that no kinde of peo­ple can bee adiudged to bee the people of the liuing God, but in respect of his deare sonne Christ Iesu. Which if your blunde­red senses can not comprehend as yet: what meane those woordes of Osee I beseeche you? and of whome were they spoken? For yee bee not my people, therefore will I not bee yours. Osee .1. And it shall come to passe in the place where it was sayde vnto them, you are not my people, it shall bee sayde vnto them, you are the sonnes of the li­uing God. You doe persist still obstinately [Page] in the opinion of Gods Lawe, and quite con­trarie to the Lawe of God, without all lawe, equitie and conscience, hanged and racked vp­on tree the very same person of whome the whole Lawe did prophesie before, notwith­standing so many strange and woonderfull miracles wrought by him, so many brotherly benefites employed vpon you: yea, finding al­so no maner of cause worthy of death in him: You [...]o vaunt your selues lustily in speach of the circumcision of your fores kinnes, and your vncircumcised hearts ouerflowe with spyderlike poyson: The prepo­sterous reli­gion & cruel malice of the I [...]wes. you bragge of keeping the Sabboth daye whiles you take your bo­dily repast onely: but the right vse of the Sabboth of the Lorde is to haue a quiet minde, free from all iarre of enuie and ma­lice. This Sabboth you do prophane con­tinually, but then chiefely most wickedly, when ye murthered the Lord him selfe, nei­ther seeme as yet satisfied therewith, nor ye will relent any iote at al from your ca [...]ckred con [...]umacie: you professe in wordes the let­ter of the lawe, but vtterly disclayme from the spirituall meaning of the lawe in your deedes. You crye [...]ut, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord: and yet you [Page] abhorre the Church of Christ, being the true Temple of the Lorde: you challenge to your selues a wonderful hautie prerogatiue of the blood offrings, of the Priesthoode, of the Sa­crifices and ceremonies of the Law, which in deede carry a certaine gallaunt resemblance of true religion.

But these outwarde shadowes and cere­monies had their tyme and place long agoe, and were not instituted to the ende they should continue irreuocable, but for a season, to represent as it were a superficiall viewe vnto vs of more excellent thinges. Euen as the kingly Throne of Dauid, and all that po­litique gouer [...]ement of the Israelites dyd prefigure nothing els vnto vs, but the euer­lasting kingdome of Christ, and were as cer­taine principles, wherewith the mindes of the beholders might be raysed vp to a more deep consideration of farre highe mysteries: in so much that the very same, which was but fi­gured in king Dauid, we playnly perceiue to haue bene expressely discouered in the king of the newe Ierusalem, which is the Church of Christ. The same which was prefigured in Abel, in Noah, in Abraham, Melchisedech, Ioseph, Moyses, Aaron, Iosuah, Sampson, [Page] Dauid, Elias, Ionas, Iesu the great Priest, [...]he ende of [...]he Law & of [...]he prophets [...]nd types, is Christ. in the Paschall Lambe, in the brasen Ser­pent, in the Rocke, in Manna, in the feast of Pentecoste: briefely whatsoeuer exercises were practized in shadowes, types & figures, we do vnfainedly acknowledge to haue met, cōcurred, & byn accōplished in one body. And this body truely is Christ Iesu, who is also y ^e ende & consummation of al the whole Lawe. In like maner the sacrifices and ceremonies, trimminges and deckings of the olde Law, conteined in them selues no sounde nor per­manent matter, but were shadowes and fore­runners of more excellent graces. For what is he so poreblinde in this our age, that know­eth not, that God doth not dwel in Temples made by mens handes? that consciences are not cleāsed from sinnes with the blood of goats & of bulles? But these bloody offrings obteined a certaine resemblance only of the true purging of sinnes. What doth the com­mandement of the prophete emply, when in your Passeouer he charged a lambe of a yere olde, cleane & vndefiled to be slayne by fami­lies & tribes? Can your senses be so blockishe to thinke, that so great & effectuall operation lurketh in the blood of beasts, as may auayle [Page] to deliuer you from cruel thraldome, & trans­late you to the lande of promise flowing with milke & hony, if there were no cornell of dee­per mysterie enclosed within the outwarde shell of the letter?

It remayneth nowe, The promi­ses cōteyned in the Pro­phets. that we treate of the promises of the Prophetes, whereupon you boaste so much, and rayse all your building, which onely thing of all others, doeth vn­ioynte and shyuer in pieces all the strong bulwarkes of your vnbeliefe, euen to the very bottome of the foundation. And to the ende I may make this appeare more eui­dently, I wyll combate a crashe with you in your owne castle, whereunto I will vse none other furniture, but your owne wea­pons, I meane the very words and knowen sentences of your owne prophets. And I wil so deale with you in this cōflict by the ayde & assistāce of God, as not heaping together out of all the Prophets in generall their whole armorie of proofe that I know, for that were vnmeasurable. But I wil chuse rather out of certaine of thē, not a multitude, to surcharge you w ^t nomber, but certaine especial testimo­nies, w ^t the which as w ^t choise shot & powder, I wil so batter y ^• bulwarks of your blūdered [Page] vnbeliefe, that you shall not be able by any meanes possible to delude the matter with caffling, nor escape by denyall, nor with any subtile legerdemayne of litterall exposition, cast a myste before mine eyes, nor vntwyne your selues out of the meashe by any crooked conueyaunce, as you are wont to do, though ye would neuer so fayne, but either you shall be peruinced willingly to come to reason, or els against your willes to be confoūded alto­gether with the manifest light of the trueth.

And to beginne first with the prophete E­say, what answere can all the ofspring of the Hebrewes make to these woordes written in the ninth chapter of his prophecie? [...]say. 9. For the yoke of their burden, and the staffe of their shoulder, and the rodde of their oppressour hast thou broken, as in the daye of Mydian. You haue heard a very honorable promise of the Prophet, wherein he pron [...] ̄ceth a wōder­full triumphaunt victorie to all them that walke in the night of darkenesse, and in the shadowe of death, prophecying likewise, that it will come to passe, that the chaynes of cru­ell captiuitie beyng crackt asunder, & yoke of seruile bondage being crusht in pieces, they shall once at the length enioye most happie [Page] calme of gladsome freedome. Well then. To whom was this promise made? to the Iewes alone? is he not also the God of the Gentils? Then by what meanes shall this victorie be obtained? by any forreine power, or warlike broile? No. The Prophete doth vtterly deny that, pronouncing these wordes foorthwith: Because euery spoyle (sayth he) of the warry­our that is with noyse, and with tumbling of garmentes in blood, shall be abolished with burning and consuming fire, euen as in the victorie that Gedeon obteyned agaynst the Madianites, the conquest was atchieued by the onely hande of God, and the presence of Gedeon, mans force & power litle auayling thereunto. In like maner the prophet by like comparison perswadeth vs to beleeue, that this victorie and freedome must be purcha­sed by the onely blessing of God, and not by a­ny force or policie of man: and that this bles­sing of God is sufficiently effectual of it selfe, without all force of bloody battel, to establish assured and v [...]doubted peace and euerlasting freedome to all creatures. Go ye to nowe, let me this demaunde of you, when, and from whence this so great blessednes shal happen? The Prophet him selfe maketh answere, By [Page] the byrth of a childe (sayth he) and by gyuing a sonne vnto vs. For vnto vs a childe is borne (sayth he) & vnto vs a sonne is giuen, & the Iudgement is vpon his shoulders. &c. Such is the excellent dignitie of the sonne, so great is the maiestie of his nature, procee­ding from so notable a father, that he needeth none other ayde in the worlde, to the attaine­ment of absolute perfection of most blessed fe­licitie. For what can be of more excellent ef­fectuall operation to the through cleansing awaye of all filthie contagion of corrupt na­ture, or more presently auaylable to remoue all matter of brabble and contention, then to receyue the very sonne of God him selfe into the felowshippe of this our mortall nature, beeyng a Prince of so great and superexcel­lent Maiestie, The place of Esay. cap 9. expounded. as that he may not seeme to be borne an inheritour of a kingdome, to rule as a king, but that the kingdome may seeme rather to spryng vp and be erected toge­ther with his byrth? For so he sayeth, The gouernment is layd vpon his shoulders, not purchased by any his industrie or trauayle, but layde vpon his backe, euen from his first entry into this worlde, and growyng vp together with him, euen from his very [Page] swathling clo [...]tes. And the same beyng so great an authoritie or principalitie, ray­sed vp by so much aboue the compasse of all earthly empires, by howe much he obtay­ned to be aduaunced and called by a more excellent tytle and name aboue all the prin­ces of the worlde. And nowe if you be de­sirous to knowe the name of this famous Prince, the Prophete him selfe will forth­with declare vnto you: A childe is borne vnto vs. &c. Esay . [...] His name (sayth he) shalbe called Wonderfull, a Counseller, The mightie God, The euerlasting Father, The Prince of peace, The increase of his gouern­ment and peace shall haue none ende. &c. Where you see mention made of the king­dome of peace and patience, you may ea­sily discerne, not a kingdome onely, but a distincte maner of kingly preeminence, far vnlike to an earthly or worldly gouern­ment. Nowe hearken where the place and nation is, ouer which this King must ex­ercise his dominion. Hee shall sitte vpon the Throne of Dauid, and vpon his king­dome, to order and establyshe it with Iudgement and with Iustice. Behold here vnder these Tytles, Iudgement and Iu­stice, is excluded all blooddye tyrannie. [Page] And nowe listen to the perpetuitie of thi [...] kingdome, From henceforth (sayth he) euen for euer and euer.

Was euer man so froward of iudgement, as to wreste and racke this place of the Pro­phet, of releasing the yoke of the burdens, of breaking the rodde of the oppressour, to any other purpose appliable (though he endeuor to the contrary neuer so much) then to the very comming of Christ Iesu the sonne of God, in whome we do beleeue, who was sent of God the father, & giuē vnto vs for an euer­lasting king? For where is it possible to find a king yssuing from out so notable a paren­tage, and of such an vndefiled life, who by dy­ing the death could crush in pieces the tyran­nie of death, and after he had tasted the death coulde of his owne power reuiue, and rayse him selfe vp, to the glorious maiestie of euer­lasting kingdome, this one Meschias onely except, before whom all nations of y ^e earth do & shal bowe the knee? Wel nowe. And what buzzing will those Thal [...]de glosers keepe in the glose, or what exposition wil they fetch out of their Thargum? Wil they referre this intolerable yoke of thraldome vnto their ser­uitude endured in the time of Sennacher [...]? [Page] He woulde in deede haue charged the shoul­ders of the Iewes with this yoke of burden & rod of oppressour, but he neuer pinched thē so much therewith. Will they interprete the same of the captiuitie of Babylon? Neyther will this hang together by any meanes. For albeit it pleased that mighty king of Babylon Cyrus of his bountiful mercy, to graunt free passage to y ^e Israelites, to returne into their owne countrey: yet was not he able to vn­loose this propheticall yoke, and establishe a peace that coulde neuer be dissolued, for that he was not onely a meere straunger, but also voyde of all colour to clayme the throne of his father Dauid, by any maner of descent from him.

Moreouer, whereas the prophet Esay doth note here especially, The Iewes in their owne exposition contrarie to themselues. the vtter taking away of all occasions of warlike furie from amongst worldly men, and of restoring a kingdome of peace, and the same also to be endurable be­yonde all ages: who doth not see, that by no shyft of forged circumstaunce, these sayinges may be translated to your fleshly bondage, syth your selues also (which do beleeue and expect for an end of this brittle life, & a rysing againe at the last day as well as we) neither [Page] wil ne can deny, but that all maner things in this worlde, either priuate or publique, must haue an end? Then if this be true, howe dare yee mortall men flatter your selues with a possession of an immortall kingdome in this worlde? For that which is immortall, is not limited within any compasse of time. Againe, by what argument can ye perswade, that the thing which is euerlasting, may haue a last day and determined end of time? Forasmuch therefore as this kingdome of Meschias and Dauid, The kingdō of Me [...]sias howe it is e­uerlasting, & the peace thereof to haue no end. is pronounced by the mouthe of the prophets, to be an euerlasting throne, and the peace thereof without all ende: you must of necessitie yeeld vnto vs, that this peace apper­teineth not to the external trāquillitie of this earthly & terrestriall policie, but to the quiete calme, & peaceable rest of inward conscience & soule, in the sight of almighty God: which peace began thē to appeare, whē as this child was borne: of whome the Angels of heauen did certifie the shepherds in their melodious song: Glory be to God on high, and in earth peace, and vnto men a good will. Otherwise how wil this reason of yours agree in it selfe, or accorde with the Prophetes? For if you a­w [...]yt as yet for the cōming of some warlike [Page] couragious Champion, who hauing subdued the Empire of the Gentiles, may with fyre and sword force a recouerie of your countrey, what shall become of this burning and de­uouring with fire, all warlike force and tum­bling of garmentes in blood? Where is that Meschias, of whom Esay maketh mention, Zachar. 9. Esay .42. which shall proclayme peace, not warre, to the Gentiles? Where is that Prince, whose voyce shall not he heard to make any noyse in the streetes? Where is he, that shall not bruyse the broken rod? and shall conuert the weapōs of steele into ashes? On y ^e other side: if ye awayte for a peaceable king, such a one, as the Prophetes do describe, what conquest then shall there be of Gentiles and nations? Ponder these things in your minds wel, and aduisedly, & see how these matters being con­trary and repugnant eche to other, they may be framed to agree together.

There be an infinite nomber of the lyke prophecies in Esay, The manifest prophecies of Esay of Christ. concerning the Meschi­as that shoulde be slayne for the sy [...]nes of the people and reiected of you: of his long lasting seede, Cap. 53. and vnspeakeable generati­on: of the casting away of your whole race, and engraffing the Gentiles in your place: Cap. 65. [Page] of blinding the eyes of them that did see: Esay 6. of the booke deliuered to the ignoraunt and vnlettered: Cap. 35. Cap. 43. Cap. 49. Cap. 65. of healing the blind and the lame: of Ostryches and Dragons glorifiyng God: of floodes to be translated into the wilder­nesse: of the saluation of God to be proclay­med from Sion to the vttermost partes of the worlde: of the small portion of Iewes that shalbe saued: Finally of the rooting out of your nation, together with the exchaunge of your name also. And you shall leaue your name (sayeth he) as a curse vnto my chosen: for the Lorde shall slaye you, and call his ser­uauntes by an other name. And agayne, My seruaunts shal drinke, and you shalbe thirsty: Beholde, my seruauntes shall reioyce, and you shalbe ashamed. I am not very inquisi­tiue here to learne, with what iuggling after your woonted guise and determined malice, ye wyll corrupt and depraue those places, as you doe all other for the most parte. Nay ra­ther I wyl gyue you ful scope to wreathe & wrest them with whatsoeuer crabbed cauilla­tions ye can suggest, & after whatsoeuer sen­suall interpretation ye can deuise: yet shal ye neuer preuayle so farre forth against the ma­nifest trueth, but that shee wyll be able to [Page] stoppe your mouth, and cōuince your shame­lesse impudencie, considering that the very orderly course of naturall causes, wyll not permit these sayings to be tossed and tumbled els where, then into the person of Christ Ie­su, whome you haue crucified.

I will passe ouer Esay, after I haue cyted one onely place out of the xl. chapter of his prophecie, speaking in this wise: Esay. cap. 4 [...]. Comfort ye, comfort your selues, my people, will your Lorde God say. Speake cōfortably to Ierusa­lem, and cry vnto her, that her warfare is ac­complished, and her iniquitie is pardoned, for shee hath receyued at the Lordes handes double for her sinnes. &c.

What is this to vs, will ye say? I will tell you, if you will vouchsafe to yeelde your dili­gent consideration thereunto, & compare the same with the rest that doth ensue in the pro­phet. A voyce (sayth he) cryeth in the wilder­nes, Prepare ye the way of the Lorde: make straight in the desert a pathe for your God. &c. What can be more cleare thē the bright­nes of this prophecie? what sentence more manifest? what more fruitful consolation? Wherein as many thinges seeme worthy to be remembred, so three things chiefely are to [Page] be noted therein. Namely, The sinnes of the people The sinnes and wickednesse of the people, in the first place: The wrath and vengeaunce of Almyghtie God, in the seconde place: The stroke of Gods se­uere iustice. in the thirde and last place, a most sweete and comfortable con­solation, The conso­lation of gr [...]ce. after many bitter and grieuous pu­nishmentes. In the parte that treateth of sinnes, the obstinate and vnuanquishable re­bellion of the Iewes agaynst God and his Lawes: In the seconde parte, where the wrath of God is spoken of, the Iustice of God may be discerned, which will not suffer the wickednes of his people to escape long vnpunished. The cōfortable consolation pro­ceedeth wholly from his louing kindnes an [...] gracious mercy: whereupon the trumpe of those sweete and amiable promises is hear­kened vnto: wherewith the soueraigne boun­tie of God qualifiyng the fretting corrosiue of his former displeasure, with milde & medi­cinable salue, doeth make an infallible coue­naunt with them, that after they haue once passed ouer many vexations, aduersities and streightes, wherewith they were long tyme turmoyled & vexed, they should from thence­forth neuer feele so sharpe a scourge in reuē ­ging their sinnes. And hereof commeth this [Page] most delicate voyce ful of all spiritual cōfort, which the Lord him selfe pronoūceth here by the mouth of his prophet, speaking cōfortably to Ierusalem, Esay .40. Thy warfare is accōplished, & thine iniquities are pardoned, for thou hast receyued at the Lords hands double for thy sinnes, &c. The place of Esay .40. pa­raphrastical­ly expoūded. As if this were the natural sense and meaning of the wordes: whereas I haue hitherto shewed my selfe a seuere Iudge a­gainst you in scourging your vngodlinesse with cruel plagues, this did I, euē according to the desert of your owne deedes. In your miserable & cōtinual calamitie, in your mani­fold bondage & captiuitie y ^t you haue endured first vnder y ^e Egyptians, then vnder the Assy­rians, next vnder the Syrians, & lastly vnder king Herode the stranger, you haue hitherto felt y ^e smart of Gods iustice. But now it hath pleased y ^e Lorde to alter his determinatiō cō ­ceiued against you, not to whet y ^e edge of his rigorous vēgeāce any more to your destruc­tion, not to deliuer you as vassals & bōdslaues to your enemies, but enterchāging mercy for wrath, to imbrace you w ^t al lenitie, & make an ende of your sorowes & warfare: so that frō hēceforth you shal not need to feare any more inuasion of cruell enemies, any leading away [Page] into direfull captiuitie, any dreadfull punish­ment of your haynous impietie. For the time shall come, when the Lorde wyll no more rewarde your iniquities with horrible scour­ges and plagues, but of his inestimable cle­mencie shall couche you within the blessed bowels of his bottomlesse mercy. And if you be desirous to knowe the time wherein these glad tidings shalbe performed amongst you, take this for a signe and token, wherby you may discerne the time, whereof I doe foretel you. A voyce cry­ing in the wildernes. Esay .40. A voyce shalbe heard crying in the wi­dernes, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a pathe for your God. Euery valley shall be exalted, & euery moun­taine and hill shalbe made lowe. &c. And the voyce proceeding yet forwarde, and demaun­ding what he should cry: Saye vnto the cities of Iudah (sayth he) Behold your God, behold the Lord God wil come with power, and his arme shall rule for him, and his rewarde is with him. &c. Whē the sound of this trumpe out of the huge desert wildernes shal pearce into your eares and be seene with your eyes, this shalbe a signe for you to knowe, that he is not farre from the gates, that shall re­deeme you from your captiuitie.

[Page]I haue disclosed vnto you the meaning & sense of the Prophet, if I bee not deceiued: wherein two especiall notes are to be consi­dered: namely the punishment of sinne, and the voyce of a cryer in the wildernes. Both which notes, who doeth not easily perceiue to haue bene accomplished in the persons of Christ Iesu, & of Iohn Baptist? yea, and so accomplished in them, as no gappe nor star­ting hole may possibly be found for you to es­cape, but that this place must be of necessitie applied to Christ our anoynted king and Sa­uiour. For what els imported the voyce of Iohn Baptist crying in the wildernes, but to prepare a waye ready for the comming of the Lord? And what els hath the whole doctrine of the new Testament taught and dayly doth teache vs also, but an euerlasting forgiuenes of sinnes, in the maner of a continuall vacati­on from the terme of the lawe? for as long as the law and Gods iustice did combate against sinnes, the warfare could neuer be broken vp: The warre betweene Gods iustice, and y ^• sinnes of man. but the enemie being once subdued, and the dominion of the law brought into captiuitie, our warfare must needes be at an end. For assone as the sinner beginneth to be no lōger vnder the Law, but vnder grace, nor findeth [Page] any aduersary to w ^tstand him, but hath caught the victorie into his owne hands once, The ende of our warfare by the Pro­phete, Esai. cap. 40. what remayneth but he may ioyously triumph and keepe holy day, being now deliuered from all feare of further controlment.

Iere. 23.Next vnto Esay let vs annexe the testimo­nie of Ieremie, who after he had prophesied much of the returne of the Iewes from the captiuitie of Babylon, doeth encourage them againe at the last with this kinde of consola­tion: that from thenceforth they should neuer be caryed from their owne countrey into bon­dage againe, speaking thus in the xxiii. chap­ter of his prophesie. And I will gather the remnant of my sheepe out of all countreys, whither I shall driue them, and will bring them againe to their foldes, and they shall growe and encrease: And I will rayse vp shepheards ouer them which shal feed them: And they shall dread no more to be afraide: nor shall any of them be lacking saieth the Lord. Iere. 23. And immediatly after: Behold the dais come, saith the Lord, that I will raise vnto Dauid a righteous branche, and a king shall reigne and prosper, and shall execute iudge­ment and iustice in the earth. In his dayes Iu­dah shalbe saued, and Israel shall dwell in [Page] safetie. And this is the name whereby they shal cal him, The Lord our righteousnes. &c. And againe in the xxiiii. of his prophesie: Iere. 24. Like as these good figges, so will I knowe them that are caryed away captiue out of [...]udah to be good, whom I haue sent out of this place into the lande of the Chaldeans: for I will set mine eyes vpon them for good, and I wil bring them againe into this lande, and I will buylde them and not destroye them, and I will plant them, and not roote them out. &c. And againe in the xxxi. Chapter: Cap. 31. Behold, I will bring them from the North countrey, and gather them from the coastes of the worlde, with the blynde and the lame a­mongst them, with the woman with child, and her that is deliuered also: A great companie shall returne hither. And they shall come and reioyce in the height of Sion, and their soule shall be as a watered Garden, and they shall hunger no more: for I will forgiue their iniquities, and will remember their sinnes no more. And the seede of Israel shall not cease for not beeing a nation before me for euer. And the places shalbe buylt, & shalbe al holy vnto the Lord, neither shall they be pluckt vp nor destroyed [Page] any more for euer. And againe in his xxxii. Chapter, Cap. 32. Thus hath the Lord God of Israel spoken concerning the citie, whereof you say, it shall be deliuered into the hand of the king of Babel by the sword, by famine, & by pestilence, Beholde, I wil gather them out of all countreys, wherein I haue scattered them in mine anger, and will bring them againe into this place, and will cause them to dwel in safetie. And they shalbe my people, and I wil be their God. And I will giue them one heart and one way, that they may feare mee for euer. Cap 33. And proceeding forward in y ^e chap­ter ensuing, Because the people of Ierusalem did not submit them selues vnto the Chal­dees, but resisted them with force, therefore were their bulwarkes filled with dead bodies, But beholde, I wil giue it health and amen­dement, and I will cure them, and wil reueile vnto them aboundance of peace and trueth. And ther shalbe heard in this place of which you say that it shalbe desolate, euen in the streetes of Ierusalem that are desolate, and without any inhabitant, there shalbe the voyce of ioye and gladnes. Behold, the daies come, saieth the Lorde, that I will per­fourme that good thing, which I haue pro­mised [Page] vnto the house of Israel, and to the house of Iudah. In those dayes I wil cause the branch of righteousnes to grow vp vnto Da­uid, and he shal execute iudgement and righ­teousnes in the lande. In those dayes shal Iu­dah be saued, and Israel shall dwell in safetie. And this shall they call her, The Lord is our righteousnes: For thus saith the Lord, Da­uid shall neuer want a man to sit vpon the throne of the house of Israel. Neither shall the Priests and Leuites want a man before me to offer burnt offrings, & to do sacrifice continually. And afterwards againe in the l. chapter: Cap. 50 Thus saith the God of Israel, Be­hold, I wil visite the king of Babel & his lād, as I haue visited the king of Assur. And I wil bring Israel againe to his habitation, he shall be fed, and his soule shalbe satisfied in his due time, saith the Lord. In those dayes shal the iniquitie of Israel be sought for, and there shalbe none: and the sinnes of Iudah, and they shal not be found: for I wil be merciful vnto them whom I do reserue. &c.

Hereunto may be added the like testimo­nie of Baruch in his v. chapter: Baruch. [...]. Put of thy mourning garments, O Ierusalem, and thin [...] affliction, and decke thee with worship and [Page] honour, because euerlasting glory commeth vnto thee from God. Put on the garment of righteousnes that commeth from God, and set a crowne vpon thy head of the glory of the euerlasting: for God will declare thy brightnes vnto euery coūtrey vnder the hea­uens, and God will name thee by his name for euer. &c.

The mea­ning of the prophets speaking of the kingdom of Dauid, must ne [...]des be spiritually vnderstood.What can be of more efficacie, then the te­stimonies of the foresaid scriptures? in the which forasmuch as two things are set down chiefely to be noted, ye must yeeld to the one of them of very necessitie: either that this kingdome of Israel shal neuer decay againe, after their returne from y ^e Babylonical capti­uitie: which being construed after the carnal sense of the letter, is most false, as you maye plainely perceiue: or els, if the kingdome of Israel be ouerthrowen and haue an end, and so thē the Prophets to lye: which is the most absurde thing that may be spoken.

Whereby appeareth most euidently, that all those sayings wherein the Prophets haue foretolde of the royaltie of Dauids throne, and of the euerlasting glory therof, must haue a certaine mysticall and spirituall interpreta­tion. For you are not ignorant your selues [Page] of that which happened to that fleshly and worldly estate of this kingdom, and into how narowe streightes & extremities it was for­ced, when as your citie was besieged and ra­zed by y ^e Romanes, your Temple consumed with fire, and all things in the citie deuoured, and ransacked, euen to the rooting out of all your nation almost: So that the circum­stances of the times, being duly weighed, wil plainely conuince you, that these promises made touching the perpetuall establishment of the kingdome of Dauid, must be farre o­therwise vnderstoode, and that your selues either lye shamefully in the order of your ex­position, or els that your owne Prophets did prophesie contrary to y ^e trueth. Dilemma. Sith therfore one of these two must of necessitie be graun­ted, chuse which you wil, or els discouer some way how you may escape out of this Laby­rinth. First I suppose no man wil cōdemne y ^e Prophets for liers, for thei deliuered nothing vnto vs, but y ^t which by wonderful inspiratiō they receiued of y ^e holy ghost, yea, y ^e same also infallibly true, as approued frō time to time by the circumstances, and sequele of the time.

For they foresawe (as trueth was) being infourmed by the holy ghost, first, y ^e deliuery [Page] of the remnant of that nation in the trans­migration of Babylon: and it came to passe: they foresawe also, that this captiuitie should endure no lesse thē lxx yeres. This also came to passe. Finally, they foresawe that after the full expiration of this exile and banishment, a prince should come, and a sonne should be gi­uen in the fulnes of time, which should pos­sesse the throne of his father Dauid, and take vpon him the gouernement of the king­dome, and should establishe the same in a per­manent and vnperishable course of continu­ance, peace and tranquillitie for euer. And this also was perfourmed euen then accor­dingly, when as the sonne of God was borne in the citie of Dauid: Esay .9. that woonderful coun­sailour, the mightie God, the prince of peace: who albeit died once according to the flesh, & seemed to be vanquished, yet was he not hol­den of death aboue three dayes, but suruiued of his owne power, and liueth for euer and e­uer: and in dying hath obteyned an [...]ndlesse conquest of death, Iudg. 16. and triumpheth now (not much vnlike vnto Sampson) victoriously o­uer death, hath rent in sunder the yron gates of sinne, hath crusht the tyranny of the deuil in pieces, and purchased euerlasting life for [Page] his elect, not perishable by any assault of hau­tie aduersary, nor vanquishable by any power of worldly policie. For as to that, After the captiuitie of Babylon god promiseth perpetuall continuance vnto the Iewes. that the citie was put to the sacke by the puissant ar­mie of the Romanes, the Temple burnt and razed to the ground, all this nothing at al di­minisheth the credit of the Prophet touching the establishment of the glory of that throne, but rather confirmeth, and doeth argue it to be of much more estimation. The rebel Iewes, and trayterous murtherers of Christ were ouercome in battel: but Christ him self Prince of that kingdome with his Church could not be brought vnder subiectiō, neither shall at any time, but hath conquered, liueth, and triumpheth dayly. And although you can not yet conceiue this inuincible Maiestie of that euerlasting king, yet your Prophets saw it, yea, your father Abraham sawe it, and re­ioyced: Esay sawe it, witnessing the same with an othe: Esay .62. The Lord hath sworne by his right hand, and by the strength of his arme. Surely I wil no more giue thy corne to bee meate for thine enemies, & surely the sonnes of the strangers shall not drinke the wine for the which thou hast laboured: but they that haue gathered it shall eate thereof, and shall [Page] praise the Lord. And the gatherers thereof shall drinke it in the courtes of my Sanctua­rie. &c. Esay .60. Againe the same Esay speaking vn­to Ierusalem as though she were prisoner in Babylon: Whereas thou hast bene forsaken, so that no man went by thee, I wil make thee an eternall glorie, and a ioye from generati­on to generation. &c. Esay .54. Moreouer in the 54. Chapter: For a moment in mine anger I hid my face from thee for a litle season, but with euerlasting mercie haue I had compas­sion vpon thee, saith the Lord thy redeemer: for this is vnto me as in the waters of Noah, to whome as I haue sworne, that I would no more go ouer the earth with waters, so haue I sworne, that I would no more bee angrie with thee nor rebuke thee. For the moun­taines shall remoue, and the hilles shall fall downe, but my mercie shal not depart from thee, neither shall the couenant of my peace fal away, saieth the Lord, that hath compassi­on on thee. Esay .48. And againe in another place. Go ye out of Babel, flee ye from the Chaldeans with a voyce of ioy, tel and declare this, shew it forth to the endes of the earth. Saye ye, the Lord hath redeemed his seruaunt Iacob. And within a litle after: Esay .49. It is a small thing [Page] that thou shouldest be my seruant to rayse vp the tribes of Iacob, and to restore the deso­l [...]tion of Israel. I will giue thee also for a light to the Gentiles, that thou maiest be my sal­uation vnto the end of the worlde. Beholde, I haue grauen thee vpon the palme of my hande: thy walles are euer in my sight. Thy buylders make haste, thy destroyers and they that made thee waste, are departed from thee. &c.

Neither did Esay see these things alone: The other Prophets, Patriarches, and ho­ly ones also dyd awayte for the royall excel­lencie of this kingdome, before it was come. The Angels signified out of heauen that he was presently come, his miraculous works doe ratifie the same, his rysing againe at the feast of Easter confirmeth it, yea, the deuils them selues felt it, and dyd tremble for feare. The holie companie of Apostles, and Martyres doe confesse it: all tongues and Nations do speake of his glorie, bowe the knees, and worshippe him. Finally, the holie Ghost through woonderfull s [...] ­crete operation doeth daylye and hourely enlarge, and ensea [...]e the infallible assu­rance thereof in the hearts of the faythfull. [Page] Lastly you also, euen you that are Iewes, al­beit as yet it be not reueiled vnto you, shall knowe and acknowledge once at the length (I trust) the inestimable treasure and incom­parable riches of this kingdome, y ^e inuin [...]ible euerlasting power of this king, Daniel .2. who shall breake and ouerthrowe all other kingdomes of the worlde, and shall not possibly bee de­stroyed it selfe, neither shall haue anie ende, Daniel.2.

But as this greatnes of power is not car­ [...], nor can be discerned with [...]rnall eyes, [...]oeth it not wrestle with [...] [...]nd blood with carnall weapons. T [...] [...]on [...]est of this [...]nce do [...]th extend it self [...] a farre more [...]stre [...]thed vnmeasurablenes, creepeth not [...]ng the ground like a worme: but pear­ [...] the height of the heauens, doeth not pro­ [...]e men to bloody battel: but assaulteth [...]e Prince of this world, euen the deuill him selfe, and being aduaunced into heauen, hath throwen headlong out of heauen the aunci­ent Arche enemie and accuser of mankinde, yea, and slaine him with the sword of his Ma­iestie, hath remoued away wrath, hath blot­ted out the curse of the Lawe, hath cured the canker of sinne, hath troden death vnder his [Page] feete, hath taken into his owne gouernement the power of all iudgement, in so much that the Prophet Esay seemeth astonied, Esa. 63. amazed­ly wondring at the marueilous course of his incomprehensible power: who hauing van­quished incomparable enemies, doeth like­wise emparten his faithful seruants with ve­ry riche spoyles, not transitorie and soone va­nishing away, but enduring beyond all ages. Will ye yet heare more concerning y ^e power of this mightie Monarche? Listen then a while to the testimonie of the veritie it selfe in the Gospel. Iohn .6. This is the will of my father, that sent me, that euerie man which seeth the sonne, & beleeueth on him shal haue euerla­sting life. What can be more princely then this? And I will rayse him vp at the last day. What can be of more power? For as the fa­ther hath life in him selfe, so likewise hath hee giuen to the sonne to haue life in him selfe, & to giue life vnto him vnto whom he wil, and hath giuen him power also to execute iudge­ment. What can be more heauenly? Neither doeth the father iudge anie man, but hath giuen all the iudgement vnto the sonne. What can be more admirable? Iohn .5. Mat. vltime [...] Vnto whom all power is giuen in heauen and in earth. [Page] What can be required more? Moreouer that ye may be assured that the sonne of man is of power to forgiue sinnes vpon earth, beholde a signe wrought vpon the sicke of the palsey: Take vp thy bed and walke. Againe: As the liuing father hath sent me, euen so do I send yo: whosoeuer sinnes ye forgiue, shalbe for­giuen them. Besides all this, let vs heare what Peter speaketh of him: Actes .10. To him (saith he) all the Prophets do giue witnes that through his name all that beleeue in him, shall re­ceiue remission of sinnes. What can bee more marueilous? When the sonne of man shalbe exalted, I will drawe all thinges vnto my selfe. What can be more glorious?

Let vs adioyne herewith the t [...]stimonie of Saint Paul: Who hath reconciled all things in heauen and in earth: who vndertooke in his owne person all the hatred and enmitie betwixt God and men: who with a becke of his countenance reli [...]ueth the afflicted con­sciences humbled euen to hell gates, who doeth refreshe and comfort them with his spi­rite, healeth with a worde of his mouth, loo­seth them that are fettered with the chaynes of sinne, dischargeth from all feare of iudge­ment and death, acquiteth from the tyrannie [Page] of the deuil. What may bee comparable to the Maiestie of this Empire? and withall what can be more amiable then the same Ma­iestie, at the naming of whome all knees in heauen, earth, and hell, Phil [...]p. 2. Esa. 35.55.6 [...] do fall prostrate and worship? Yea, the deuils themselues do trem­ble and quake for feare, the dead arise againe, maladies are healed, prisoners are loosed, Mat. 11. the hungrie are fylled, the oppressed with labour are refreshed and disburdened, mour­ners, and such as pyne awaye with sorowe and anguish are recomforted, Esay .25.35 [...] death is sub­dued, teares are wyped awaye, sorowe and sadnes is turned into mirth and gladnes, Esay .9.40. enterchange is made from the lowest to the highest, mountaynes are throwen downe, hidden things are discouered, rough & crab­bed things are made plaine and streight, Mat. 20. the first become the last, and the last are made the first.

All which heauenly graces, albeit you mi­serable Hebrues wil not acknowledge, & most disdainfully do blaspheme in your synagogs, y ^e angel of y ^e euerlasting testament, hauing re­gard to y ^• part of him only, wherin he seemeth weake according to the vtter apparance & dis­pensation of the flesh by rea [...]on of his death [Page] and burial: The maiestie of Christs kingdome. yet we for our part beholding his heauenly diuinitie, vnseparably vnited toge­ther with the basenes of his humanitie, and comparing his miraculous life, death and re­surrection, yea, the whole course and actions of his life with the reportes of the Prophets: and being established in faith with infallible testimonies of the sacred scriptures, instruc­ted hereunto by y ^e guyding of the holy ghost, persuaded by the assured promises of the Pro­phets, and casting ankerholde in the assured hauen of his wonderfull miracles: do firme­ly beleeue, and with vnshaken faith confesse, that this is the very same Messhias whome you do yet expect and looke for. Finally, re­posing all our trust and affiaunce vpon his mightie power, garded with the inuincible protection of so great Maiestie, do with so va­liant forwardnes of minde, raise vp the vn­daunted courage of our hearts against all as­saultes and battrie of the worlde, against all stormes of fretting aduersitie, that now nei­ther the raging railing of your blasphemous mouth, nor fearful delusions of wyly Satan, not y ^e dreadful sight of hel gates, nor y ^e tyran­nous threatnings therof: not y ^e griesely coū ­tenaunce of gastful death, be it neuer so terri­ble, [Page] nor the cruel curse & continuall accusati­ons of the Lawe (which is more horrible then all the rest) can in any respect appall & ter­rifie our setled consciences. For why shoulde that person tremble or be amazed with the threatninges of the Lawe, whose Lorde and master Christ Iesu is Iudge and ruler ouer the Law? Why should he dread death, or the diuell him selfe procurer of death, or all the furious champions of the deuill, for the safetie of whose life, and assured raysing from death to life, y ^e very sōne of God Christ Iesu is become surety & pledge? who sitting at the right hande of the Father, Psal. 109. doeth keepe the keyes of death and hell, and therewith alone shutteth, and no man openeth, Apoc. 1. [...] setteth wyde open, and no man shutteth, restrayning and disposing al things in heauen and earth with an onely becke of his countenaunce.

And heereof ariseth that wonderfull con­stancie of our Martyrs and Apostles, The mighti [...] power of Christ in keeping his Church. in yeel­ding their bodies to tortures and death: here­of springeth that inuincible force of Christian faith: hereupon is grounded that vnpenetra­ble Rocke of Christes Church, which beyng so oft vndermined by your subtill pyoners, circumuented w ^t so many traiterous sleights [Page] and deuises, vexed with so many furious out­rages of Gentiles & Iewes, attempted with so many cruel crampes of the prince of dark­nes, assaulted with all kinde of torments and persecutions, could notwithstanding neuer hitherto be discomfited with any kind of bat­try, or shaken with engine, neither shalbe o­uerthrowen at any time, whiles the worlde doeth endure. The vnuanquishable continu­ance whereof if you woulde but indifferently without al partialitie ponder in your hearts, what els doth it argue then an heauenly an [...] vnspeakeable power of her captaine Christ Iesu? But as the power of this captaine is spiritual, so it is not discernable, but by spiri­tual insight, raysed vp (as I sayd before) not to striue against mankinde, but to subdue the tyranny of Sathan, The power of Christ is spirituall, set vp not agaīst man, but for man, to fight against y ^e spi­ritual opera­tion of Satā. the mighty prince of this world, and to despoyle & force him out of his kingdome. And this may euery sensible man easily conceaue, if he will enter into somwhat a more deepe consideration of his miraculous workes: so that this marueilous victorie of this triumphaunt conquerour, can by no ar­gument & proofe appeare more manifestly, then euen in this one ouerthrow of that aun­cient archenemie. For if that conquest be so [Page] much the more praise worthy, by howe much the force of the vāquished is more notorious, what ought we thē to iudge of him, who only and alone, vndertaking the challenge, not a­gainst mans power, Christes vi­ctorie, not a­gainst man, but for man. but in the behalfe and defence of mankinde rather, agaynst al those mightie & inuisible aduersaries of mankind, vnuanquisheable otherwise by any policie of men, against all those spiritual furies & inces­saunt accusers of mankind before the throne of God, against al those princes & potētates, and rulers of darkenes, against the poysoned dartes of death, agaynst the intolerable bur­den of sinne, agaynst the dreadfull curse of the Lawe, and wrath of Gods vengeaunce, agaynst the force and gates of hell, was able by his onely prowesse to treade downe, and triumphe ouer them all, without all ayde and helpe of man, yea and which is most to be marueiled at, without all strength, without al sleyght and policie of resistance, farre vnlike the warlike attemptes and martial affaires: where it commeth alwayes to passe, that the most notable and famous enterprises are ne­uer atchieued without huge troupes of cou­ragious souldiers, or subtill practize of poli­tique gouernours. For here beyond all reache [Page] of mans vnderstanding, I know not how mi­raculously this marueilous victorie was ob­teyned, without force of armes, industrie and policie, through the onely plaine & open con­duct of simple trueth. For what simplicitie can be greater, then to yeeld to the wil of the aduersarie in humilitie and patience? And what could be more voyde of hope to recoue­rie? The victorie of Christ by what meanes it was gottē. And yet by this meanes it came to passe, that pompous Pride through humilitie was brought into subiection: glory of riches con­founded by basenes of pouertie: hautie arro­gancie of the worlde suppressed with humble infirmitie: the curse of the Law rased out by vndefiled innocencie: sinnes forgiuen: the mouth of the enemie stopped vp, through meeke taciturnitie: victorie obteined by yeel­ding: finally, death by dying vanquished, and life euerlasting purchased.

And yet to confesse the trueth frankly and simply, this glorious conquest wanted not his singular dexteritie and artificiall policie, beyng neuerthelesse both heauenly, holy and atchieued by most vpright Iustice: not to the ende to betraye in snare, or seduce any good man from the right path of trueth, but to in­trappe that craftie enemie the Deuill onely. [Page] And that not without great cause. For what coulde be more agreeable with reason, The evylyne [...] of the olde serpent, takē in his owne snare. then the same olde wylie serpent (which had be­guiled mankind first with subtiltie and lyes) should be encountred againe with a certaine heauenly policie, (yet voyde of all colour of lying) and so entrapped and entangled with sleyghts & deceites of his owne forge, should be catcht in his owne pytfall, and bereft of his place? What could be more conuenient, then to strangle the most horrible deceyuer with his owne halter, and by most iust lawe to dis­fraunchise the most vniust intruder from his vniust possession?

Wherefore go to, what sayest thou nowe Sathan, Sathā kindly deluded by Christ our Sauiour. thou cursed imaginer and practizer of all mischiefe, alleadge somewhat at length if thou canst: what saist thou? Doest thou not see y ^t all thy practizes are discouered through that heauēly lyght? Doest thou not feele in­firmitie of the flesh, treading now vpon thine owne heade, whiles thou wast deuising mis­chief against infirmitie of weake flesh? Thou hadst swallowed downe a bayte, but art en­forced to cast y ^e same out againe of thy gorge. Thou diddest awayte for the destruction of mankinde, but withall didst accelerate his [Page] safetie. Thou didst enforce the innocēt to the death of the crosse, such was thy cankred ma­lice, or such rather was thy lewd folly. Thou didst vndermine the Sonne of God: wherein albeit thou didst scarse pynche him, yet hast thou slayne thy selfe thereby, & blessed vs for euer. For thou hast not fastened him vpō the crosse alone, but nayled all our sinnes also to­gether with him, which being now throughly cleāsed with that only sacrifice, hath deliuered vs from euerlasting tormentes, and recoyled them backe vpon thine owne head vnrecoue­rable for euermore. The brasen serpēt might haue bene a good president vnto thee, to haue made thee more warie & aduised, which, if it had not bin hāged on tree, could not haue hea­led the woūds of them y ^t were plagued. The valiāt Sampson being a type & figure of our Lord Iesu, might haue forewarned thee: and that mysticall immaculate Lambe, aboue all the rest: the sleying of the which was no lesse dreadfull to the enemie, then comfortable to the godly. Neither happeneth it otherwise to thee, Satan ouer­come and spoyled. & thine at this present. Thou didst ende­uoure to establishe thine empire, and art de­spoyled of thine empire. What? wast thou ig­norant, y ^t he whom thou didst assaile, was the [Page] sonne of God? Why then didst thou confesse him so to be? And if thou know it, with what shamelesse impudencie couldst thou attempt so execrable impietie? But he seemed weake in thine eye perdy, being clad with p [...]e beg­gerly basenes of the flesh: & thy meaning per­haps was to try, whether he could be slaine, & therefore thou didst rush vpon him so sterne­ly, and murthered him so horribly. Well, and why dydst thou not holde him fast, when thou hadst slayne him? Howe chaunced that he slypt out of thy pawes? and beeyng esca­ped, whyther went he from thee? and where doth he now remayne? O cruell cursed man­queller, doest thou not perceyue, into what streightes thy sauage bloodthirstinesse hath driuen thee at y ^e last? Doest thou not acknow­ledge y ^t the very same tree, and that That is, the crosse of cō ­tumelie. [...], which by the ministerie of thy chā ­pions, thou gauest to him for foode, is turned into thy poyson, & for vs into the bread of life? Doest thou not remember how y ^• famous & solēne feast day, Coloss. 2. wherein he did triūphe ouer death, when he spoiled principalities & pow­ers, and made a shewe of them openly, tri­umphing ouer them in his ovvne person, wherein thou thy selfe with thy mates dydst [Page] reioyce by the space of two dayes, was erec­ted to vs for a perpetuall monument of eter­nall ioye and freedome? At the very naming wher [...]of, the whole rabble of thy adherentes do tr [...]ble and quake for feare. Philip [...] 2 Doest thou not acknowledge now at the length, y ^• glori­ous name y ^t was gyuen him aboue al names, the power whereof thou doest feele now and then among, to thy great griefe? and where­unto all the furies of hell confederats of thy malice are compelled to yeelde maugre their teeth? Doth not this victorious conquerour by contrary enterchaunge of tymes, treade downe thy cowardise deseruedly, as saying thus, Ose. 13. Death where is thy sting? Death where is thy victorie? And what auaileth thee being altogether vanquished, aud brought into thralldome, to kicke against the conqueror, inciting & prouoking the Pharises & kings of the Gentiles, so furiously to rage agaynst the godly Martyres? Goe to, and what hast thou wonne by their imprisonmēts, chaynes, stoning to death, scourgings, tormētings by fiery enflamed plates, tortures and rackings, burning, broylinges and skorchinges, by all kindes of horror and crueltie, and by so many their slaughters? I will tell thee. Thou hast [Page] confirmed the faith of Christ, thou hast esta­blished & enlarged the kingdome of Christ, and hast heaped vpon thy selfe and thy broode double tormentes of vnquencheable flames. And heerein we are somewhat beho [...]ing to thee, for that through this deadly madnes, it commeth to passe, that throughout the whole worlde, the name of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesu Christ is magnified and renowmed, and also because thou ceasest not to lye in wayte against his heele dayly as yet: but he that is in heauen doeth skorne at thy malicious de­uises, he derydeth thy subtill sleyghtes, that hath skill to conuert thy despite and outrage to the benefit of his elect, and to the glorious encrease of their eternall felicitie.

But I returne to the prophets againe, out of euery of whome I do not purpose to sette downe all that they wryte touching my pur­pose: but I will giue you a taste of a fewe speciall sentences, taken out of an infinite nomber skatteringly here and there, and wil gather them together to f [...]t our present mat­ter: that ye shall neyther be able with shifte or cauillation whatsoeuer, to delude the ma­nifest proofes concerning Christ Iesu our Lord, vnlesse you disclaime wholy from your [Page] owne prophetes: nor yet allowe of your pr [...] ­phets, vnlesse you do admit withal our sauior Iesu Christ. Amongst whom, (because I wil not be long) to omit the notable prophecies of Ezechiel, very much auaylable to this our discourse, wherin he foretelleth of the returne of the dispersed Iewes, frō Babylon to their owne citie, and the seconde buylding vp of their temple, which from thenceforth shoul [...] stande vnshaken, and neuer peryshe any more, nor be molested by any inuasion of the enemie. For euen to that effect doth the pro­phete treate very largely, in the xxviii. of his prophecie, saying: Ezech. 28. And they shall dwell in their lād with all securitie, & they shal buyld houses, & shal plant vineyards, & shall inha­bit the land confidently, when I shal execute iudgement against all thē, that shal stand a­gainst them rounde about them. &c. And a­gaine in the 34. chapter thus he sayeth: Cap. 34. And they shalbe safe in their lande, & they shall no more be spoyled of the heathen, neither shall the beasts of the lande deuoure them, but they shall dwell confidently, and none shall make them afrayde. And I will rayse vp for them a plant of renowme. And they shall no more be consumed with hunger in [Page] the land, neyther beare the reproche of the Heathen any more, &c. And in his xxxvi. chapter, speaking to the mountaines of Is­rael: Ezech. 36. And I wyll bryng my people agayne, (sayeth he) vnto them: and you shall bee theyr inheritaunce, and they shall possesse you. Thou shalt not waste thy people from hencefoorth. And I wyll cause no more to heare in thee the shame of the Heathen any waye: neyther shalt thou beare the re­proche of the people any more. &c. And immediately in the chapter next ensuyng: Cap. 37. And they shall be no more two people, neyther be deuided any more from hence­foorth into kingdomes: neyther shall they be polluted any more with their Idolles, nor with any of their transgressions: But they shall dwell vpon their lande them selues, e­uen their sonnes, and their sonnes sonnes for euer. And my seruaunt Dauid shall be theyr Prince for euer. And I wyll make a couenaunt of peace with them, it shall be an euerlastyng couenaunt with them. And I wyll multyplye them, and wyll place my Sanctuarie among them for e­uermore. And in an other chapter a lyt­tle before: Cap. 36. And I wyll call for corne, and [Page] I will encrease it, and laye no famine vpon you. &c. Nowe considering and conferring with this, the great famine that not long af­ter ensued, the citie beeyng besieged by the Romanes, when as mothers were enforced through famine to slay their suckling babes, yea & the citie besides were almost starued & pyned vp with hunger, I can not see how that saying can be verified, vnlesse you vnderstand it, as hauing relation to the spirituall king­dome of Israel, and not to the carnall.

But to passe ouer these, because we shal not be able to stande vpon all their testimonyes spoken to this effect, (as I haue sayde be­fore) we wyll proceede to others. And first let vs consider the place taken out of the ix. chapter of Daniel his prophecie, because it fitteth this purpose more notably, then any other: where the heauenly Prophete doeth in fewe woordes comprehende the whole estate of your common weale, from your re­turne out of the Babylonicall captiuitie, e­uen to the vttermost poynt of your desolati­on, describing withal in the same chapter, the death of the Messhias, the ende and consum­mation of sinne, together with the vtter abo­lishment of the obseruances and sacrifices of [Page] the ceremonial Law, by such special markes & tokēs so euidētly, that it can by no meanes possible be gainsayde. Wherefore let vs with good aduise ponder the words of the prophet, & with no lesse diligēce, thē the matter requi­reth. For in this wise the Angel Gabriel doth cal vpon Daniel, whiles he was praying, and speaketh the wordes ensuing.

At the beginning of thy supplications, Dan. 9. (sayth he) the commandement came forth. And I am come to shewe thee, for thou art greatly beloued. Therefore vnderstande the matter, and consider the vision. Seuentie weekes are shortened, (or determined) vpon thy people, and vpon thy holy citie, to finish the wickednes, & to seale vp the sinnes, & to recōcile the iniquitie, & to bring in the righ­teousnes of the worlde to come, (or euerla­sting) & to seale vp the vision, & the prophet (or prophecie) & to annoynt the most holy, (or the holines of the sanctified.) And thou shalt knowe and vnderstand, that from the going foorthe of the commaundement, to bryng agayne the people, and to buylde Ie­rusalem, vnto Meschias the Prince, shalbe se­uen weekes, and three score and two weekes. And the streetes, and the wall (or trenches) [Page] shalbe buylt againe in the streights of times. And after three score and two weekes shall Meschias be slayne, (annoynted) & shal haue nothing, (shalbe bereft of his life.) And the people of the Prince that shall come, (com­ming) shall destroy the citie, and the Sanctu­arie, and the ende thereof shalbe in (with) a flood: and to the end of the battel the deso­lation shalbe determined (the ende of deso­lations.) And he shall confirme the couenāt with many for one weeke: & in the mids of the week shal cause to rest (cease) the sacrifice & oblation (Minha.) And vpon the wyng (or as some saye for the ouerspreading) of the abominations, there shalbe desolation, (he shal make it desolate) euen vntil the consum­mation determined (determined desolation) shalbe powred vpon the desolate.