THe lyfe wee haue at thys present, is the gift of God, in whom we lyue, moue and are, and therefore he is cal­led Iehoua. For the which lyfe as we should be thankfull, so we may not in any wyse vse it after our own fantasy, but to the ende for the which it is geuē and lent vs, that is, to the setting forth of Gods praise and glory by repen­taunce, cōuersion, and obedience to his good wyl and holy lawes whereunto hys long suffering doth (as it were) euen draw vs if our harts by impenitency were not hard euen. And therfore our life in y ^e scripture is called a wal­king, for that as the body dayly [Page] drawech more and more neare hys ende, that is the earth: euen so our soule draweth dayly more and more neare vnto death, that is, saluation or damnation, hea­uen or hell.

Of which thing, in that wee are most careles and very fooles (for we alas, are the same to day we were yesterday, and not bet­ter or nearer to God, hut rather nearer to hell, Sathan, and per­dition, beyng couetous, idle, car­nal, secure. negligent, proud. &c.) I thinke my labour cannot bee better bestowed, then with the Baptist, Christ Iesus, and hys Apostels, to harpe on this string which of all other is most neces­sary, and that in these daies most speciallye. What stryng is that, sayth one? Forsoth brother the string of Repentance, the which [Page] Christ our Sauiour did vse first in his ministery, and as his Mi­nister at this present I wil vse vnto you al: Repent, for the kingdome Math. 4. of heauen is at hand.

This sentence thus pronounced & preached by our Sauiour Ie­sus Christ, as it doth cōmaūd vs to repent, so to the doing of the same it showeth vs a sufficient cause to styrre vs vp thereunto, namely for that the kingdome of heauen (which is a kingdome of all ioy, peace, ritches, power, and pleasure) is at hand, to all such as do so, that is, as do repent. So that the meaning hereof is, as though our sauiour might thus speake presently: Syrs, for that I see you all walking the wrong way, euen to Sathan & vnto hel fyre, by folowing the kingdome of Sathan which now is colou­red [Page] vnder the vaine pleasures of this life, & foolishnes of the flesh most subtelly, to your vtter vndo­ing and destruction: behold anō ma [...]ke well what I say vnto you The kingdom of heauen, that is, an other maner of ioy and felicitie, honour and ritches, power and pleasure then you now perceyue or enioy, is euen at hand, and at your backes, as if you wyll turne againe, that is, repent you, you shall most truly and pleasauntly feele, see, & inherit. Turne again therfore I say, that is, Repent, for this ioy I speake of, euē the king­dome of heauen is at hand.

Here we may note first the cor­ruption of our nature in that to this cōmaundement, Repent you, he addeth a cause, for the kingdom of heauen is at hand, For by reason of the corruption and sturdines [Page] of our nature. God vnto all his commaundements commonly ei­thrr addeth some promise to pro­uoke vs to obedience, or els some such sufficient cause as cannot but tickle vs vp to harty inbou­ryng for the doing of the same: as here to the commaundement of doing penance he addeth this aetiologe or cause, saying: For the kingdome of heanen is at hand.

Againe, in that he ioyneth to the commaundement the cause, saying: For the kingdome of heauen is at haud, we may learne that of the kiugdome of heauen, none (to whō the ministery. of preaching doth appertain) can be partaker, but such as repent & do penance. Therfore dearely beloued, if you regard the kingdome of heauen, in that you cānot enter therin except you repent, I besech you all [Page] of euery estate, as you wold your own weale, to repent and do pe­nance. The which thing that ye may do, I wyll do my best now to helpe you by Gods grace.

But first, because we cānot wel tell what repentance is, through ignorance and for lacke of know­ledge and false teaching: I wyll (to begin withal) shew you what repentance is. Repentance or penante is no English woord, but we borow it of the Latinistes, to whom penance is a forethinking in Englysh, in Greeke a beyng wyse afterwardes, in Hebrew a conuersion or turning, the which conuersion or turning, in that it cannot be true & harty, vnto God especially, without some good hope or trust of pardon for that which is already done and past, I may well in thys sort define it [Page] namely, that penance is a sorow­ing or forethinking of our sinnes past, an earnest purpose to a­mend, or turning to God with a trust of pardon.

This definition may be diui­ded into three partes: First a so­rowing for our syns: Secondly a trust of pardon, which other­wise may be called a perswasion of Gods mercy by the merites of Christ for the forgeuenes of our syns: And thirdly, a purpose to amend, or conuersion to a new life The which third or last part can­not be called properly a part, for it is but an effect of penance, as towardes the end ye shall see by Gods grace. But least suche as seeke for occasion to speake euyll, should haue any occasion, though they tary not out the end of thys Sermon: I therefore diuide pe­nauce [Page] into the three foresayde partes: of sorrowing for our syn of good hope or trust of pardon, and of a new life. Thus you now see what penance is: a sorowing for syn, a purpose to amend, with a good hope or trust of pardon.

This penance not onely diffe­reth from that which men com­monly haue taken to be penance, in saying & doing our enioyned Lady Psalters, seuen Psalmes, fastynges, pylgrimages, almes deedes, and such like things but also from that which the more learned haue declared to consist of three partes, namely Contriti­on, Confession, & Satisfaction.

Contrition they cal a iust & a ful sorow for their sin. For this word iust & ful, in one of the differences betwene contritiō and attrition.

Confession they cal a numbring [Page] of al their sins in the eare of their ghostly father; for as (say they) a Iudge cannot absolue without knowledge of y ^e cause or matter, so cannot the Priest or ghostly fa­ther absolue from other synnes, then those which he doth heare.

Satisfaction they calamendes making vnto God for their syns by their vndue workes, opera in­debita, woorkes more then they neede to do, as they terme them. This is their penāce which they preach, write, & alow. But how true this geare is, how it agree­eth with Gods woord, how it is to be alowed, taught, preached, and writtē, let vs a litle consider. If a man repent not vntil he haue a iust and full sorrowing for his syns (dearely beloued) when shal he repent? For in asmuch as hell fire, & the punishment of the De­uils, [Page] is a iust punishment for syn: In as much as in all syn there is a contempt of God, which is all goodnes, and therefore there is acontempt deserte or all ylnes: alas who can beare or feele this iust sorowe, this full sorow for our syns, this their contricion, which they do so discern frō their attrition? Shal not man by this doctrine rather dispaire, then come by repentāce? If a mā repent not vntil he haue made confession of all his syns in the eare of his ghostly father: if a man cannot haue absolution of his syns vntil his sins be told by tale and number in the Priestes eare (in that, as Dauid sa [...]h non can vnderstand, much lesse. then vtter all his syns, Delicta quis in­telliget: who can vnderstand his sins in that Dauid of him selfe com­plaineth els where, how that his [Page] syns are ouerflowed his head, & as a heauy burthen doo oppresse him, alas shal not a man by this doctrine be vtterly driuē from repentāce? Though they haue gon about somthing to make plaister for their sores, of confession or at­trition to aswage this geare, bid­ding a man to hope wel of his cō trition, though it be not so full as is required, and of his confession though he haue not numbred all his syns, if so be y ^e hee do so much as in him lyeth: dearely beloued in that there is none but y ^• herein he is gilty (for who doth as much as he may) trow ye that this plaister is not lyke salt for sore eyes? Yes vndoutedly, when they haue done al they can for y ^e appeasing of consciēces in these points, this is the summe that we yet should hope wel, but yet so hope, that we [Page] must hand in a māmering & dou­ting, whether our syns be forge­uen. For to beleue remissionē pecca tornm, that is, to be certain of for geuenes of synnes, as our Crede teacheth vs, they count it a pre­sumption. Oh abomination, and that not onely herein, but in all their penance as they paynt it.

As concerning Satisfaction by their opera indebita, vndne works that is, by such workes as they neede not to do, but of their own voluntarines & wylfulnes (wyl­fulnes in deede, who seeth not monsterous abhomination, blas­phemy, and euen open fighting a­gaynst God? For if satisfction cān be done by man, then Christ died in vaine for him that so satisfieth, & so raigneth he in vaine, so is he a Bishop & a Priest in vain. Gods law requireth loue to God Deut 6. 2 [Page] with all our hart, soule, power, Math. 22, Mark. 20 L [...]ke. 10. might, & strength, to that ther is nothing can be done to [...]dward which is not conteined in this cō ­maūdement: nothing can ve don ouer & aboue this. Againe, christ Iohn. 3. requireth to manwarde, that wee should loue one another, as he loued vs. And trow we y ^e we can do any good thing to our neighborwar [...] whych is not herein comprised?

Yea, let them tel me when they do any thing so in the loue of god & their neighbour, but that they had nede to cry, Remitte nobis de­bita nostra: Forgeue vs our syns. So Math. 6. far are we of frō satisfying. Doth not Christ say: VVhen you haue L [...]ke. 17. done althings that I haue commaun­ded you, say that you be but vnprofi­table feruantes? Put nothing to my Aoc. 22. Deu. 4. 1. word saith God. Yes workes of supererogation (yea superabomi­nation) [Page] say they. VVhat soeuer thinges are true (sayth the Apostle saint Paul) whatsoeuer thinges are honest, whatsoeuer thinges are iust, whatsoeuer things are pure, whatsoe­uer thinges pertaine to loue, whatsoe­uer thinges are of good report, if there be any vertue, or if ther be any praise, haue you them in your minde, and do them, and the God of peace shalbe with you. I wene this wel looked on, wyl pull vs from popish satis­factory workes, which do deface Christes treasures & satisfaction.

In heauen and in earth was there none found that could satisfie Gods anger for our sinnes, or get heauē for man, but onely the sonne of God Iesus Christ, the Lyon of the tribe of Iuda, who by hys bloud hath wrought the worke of satisfactiō, and alonely is worthy all honour, glory, and [Page] praise, for hee hath opened the booke with the seuen seales.

Dearely beloued, therefore ab­horre this abomination, euen to thinke that there is any other sa­tisfaction to Godward for synne, then Christes bloud onely. Blas­phem it is, and that horrible, to thinke otherwyse. The bloud of Christ purifieth (saith saint Iohn) from all synne, and therefore he is called the Lambe slaiue from the beginning of the world, because there was neuer syn forgeuen of God, nor shalbe from the begin­ning vnto the ende of the world, but only thorow Christs death: prate the Pope and his prelates as please them, wyth theyr par­dous, Purgatorie, Purgacious, Placeboes, Trentals, Dirigies, woorkes of supererogation, su­perabomination. &c.

[Page] I am he (saith y ^e Lord) which put­teth away thine offences, and that for Esay. 45. mine own sake, and wyl no more re­member thine iniquities. Put me in remembraunce (for we wil reason to­gether) and tel me what thou hast for thee, to make the righteous. Thy first father offended sore. &c. And thus writeth S. Iohn: If any man syn, we haue an Aduocate (saith he with 1. Iohn. 2. the father, euen Iesus Christ the righ­teous, and he is the propitation or sa­tisfaction for our syns. As in the. 4. chapter he sayth, that God hath sent his Sonne to be a propicia­tion or satisfaction for our syns, accordyng to that which Paule writeth, where he calleth Christ a mercyful and faythful Priest, to purge the peoples syns: So that Hebr. 2. blinde bussards & peruers Pa­pists they be which yet wil prate our merites or workes to satisfy [Page] for our syns in part or in whole, before Baptisme or after. For to omit the testimonies I brought out of Iohn & Paule, which the blynd cannot but se [...]: I pray you remember the text out of Esay, which euen now I rehearsed, being spoken to such as wer then y ^• people of God & had bene a long time, but yet were fallen into grenous syns after their adoption into the number of Gods childrē It is for myne own sake (saith God) that I put away thy syns. Where is your parting of the stake nowe? If it be for Gods owne sake, yf Christ be the propiciation, then recant, except you wyll become Idolaters, making your workes God and Christ. Say as Dauid teacheth: Not to vs Lord not to vs, but to [...]hy name be the glory.

And it is to be noted, that God [Page] doth cast in their teeth euen the syn of theyr first father, lest they should thinke that yet perchaūce, for the righteousnes & goodnes of their good fathers, their syns might be the sooner pardoned, & so God except their workes.

If they had taken satisfaction for that which is done to y ^e Con­gregation publikely by some no­table punishment, as in the pri­matiue Church was vsed to open offenders, sparkles whereof and some traces yet remaine, when such as haue synued in adultery go about the church with a Ta­per in their shiertes: Or if they had made satisfaction for restitu­tion to manward of such goodes as wrongfully are gotten, the which true penāce cānot be with out: Or if by satisfaction they had ment a new life to make amends [Page] to the Congregation thereby, as by their euyll lyfe they did offend the Congregatiō, in which sense the Apostle seemeth to take that which he writeth in. 2. Corin. 7. where the old Interpretour cal­leth Apologian, satisfactiō, which rather signifieth a defence or an­swering againe: If I say, they had taken satisfactiō any of these waies, then they had done well, so that the satisfaction to God had bene left al onely to Christ.

Againe, if they had made con­fession either for that which is to God priuatelye, eyther for that which is to the Congregation publikely, eyther for that which is a free consulation wyth some one learned in Gods booke & ap­pointed thereunto, as first it was vsed and I wish were now vsed amōgest vs, either for that which [Page] is a reconciliation of one to ano­ther, it had bene somthing: yea if they had made it for faith, bicause it is a true demonstratiō of faith, as in Paule we may see, when he calleth Christ the captaine of our confession, that is of one faith (& Rom. 1. so Confessours were called in the primatiue Church, such as man­fully did wttnes. their faith with the peril of their liues: if I say, they had taken it thus, then had they done rightwell.

And so Coutrition, if they had left out their [...]nblil dstinction betwene it & attrition by this word iust or full, making it a harty so­row for theyr synnes, then wee would neuer haue cryed out a­gainst them therfore. For we say penance hath three partes, Con­trition, if you vnderstand it for a harty sorowing for syn, Confes­sion, [Page] if you vuderstand it for faith of free pardon in Gods mercy by Iesus Christ. and Satisfaction, if you vnderstand it not to God­wardes) for that onely to Christ must bee left alone) but to mau­warde in restitution of goddes wrōgfully or fraudulently gottē, of name hindred by our slaūders and in newnes of lyfe: although, as I sayd before, and anou wyll shew more plainly by gods grace that thys last is no part of pe­nance in deede, but a plaine effect or fruit of true penance.

I might here being in exāples of their penauce, how perilous it is to be embraced: but let the ex­ample of their ground Sire Iu­das serue, in whom we see al the parts of their penāce, as they de­scribe it, & yet no withstāding he was dāned. He was sory inough [Page] as the effect shewed: he had their contricion fully, out of the which he confessed hys fault saying: I haue betrayed innocent bloud, and thervnto he made satisfaction, restoryng the money he had recey­ued. But yet all was but lost, he hanged vp himselfe, his bowels burst out, & he remaineth a child of perdition for euer. I would wish that this example of Iudas in whom ye see the parts of their penance, contrition, confession, & satisfaction, would moue them to penance, & to describe it a litle better, making hope or trust of Gods free mercy a peece thereof, or els with Iudas they wil marre all

Perchaunce these wordes, con­trition, confession, and satisfactiō were vsed as I haue expounded them at the first. But in that we see so much daunger and hurt by [Page] vsing them without expositions either let vs ioyne to them open expositions alwaies, or els let vs not vse them at all, but say as I write. that penānce is a harty so­row for our syns a good hope on trust of pardon through Christ, which is not without an earnest purpose to amend, or a new lyfe. This penance is the thing wher to all y ^e scripture calleth vs. This penance do I now cal you al vn­to: this must be continually in vs and not for a Lent season, as we haue thought: this must increase dayly more and more in vs: with out thys we cannot be saued.

Search therfore your harts al, al swearers, blasphemers, hers, flatterers, baudy or idle talkers, iesters, bribers, couetous, per­sons, droukards, gluttons, who [...] mongers, theeues, murtherers, [Page] slaunderers, idle liuers, negligēt in their vocation. &c. All such and all other as lamēt not their syns, as hope not in Gods mercye for pardon, & purpose not hartely to amende, to leaue their swearing, dronkennes, whoredome, coue­tousnes, idlenes. &c. all such, I say, shal not nor cannot enter into Gods kingdome, but hell fire is prepared for them, weeping and gnashing of teeth, whereunto, a­las, I feare me, very many wyll needes go, in that very many wil be as they haue bene, let vs euen to the wearing of our toung to the stumps, preach and pray ne­uer so much to the contrary, and that euen in the bowels of Iesus Christ, as now I besech you all, all, all, and euery mothers childe, to repent and lament your synne, to trust in Gods mercy, and to [Page] amende your lyues.

Now me thinkes ye are some­what astonied: wherby I gather that presently you desire this re­pentāce, that is, this sorow, good hope, and newnes of lyfe. The which that you may the rather attaine and get to your comforts as I haue gone about to bee a meane to stir vp in you (by Gods grace) this desire of repentance, so through the same grace of God wyl I go about now to shew you how you may haue your desire in this behalfe.

And first concerning this part, namely sorow for your syns, and harty lamenting of the same: For this if you desire the hauing of it you must beware y ^• you thinke not that of your selues or of your own freewyl, by any meanes you can get it. You maye easelye de­ceiue [Page] your selues and mock your selues, thincking more of your selues then is seemely. All good thinges, and not peeces of good thinges, but al good things, saith S. Iames, come from God the Iames. 1. father of light. If therefore pe­nance be good (as it is good) then the partes of it be good. Frō God therfore do they come, and not of our free wyll. It is the Lord that mortifieth, that bringeth down, 1. Reg. 2. that humbleth, saith the scriptur in sundry places, After thou haddest stricken my thigh (saith Ieremy) I was ashamed. Loe he sayth, after Iere. 31. thou hadst stricken me: and therfore praieth he, euen in the last words almost he writen: Turne vs Lord and we shall be turned. The which thing Dauid vseth verye often. Lamen. 5 Wherfore first of al, if thou wouldest haue this part of penance, as [Page] for the whole, because it is Gods gift, so for this part go thou vn­to Acte. 11. 2. Tim. 2. God, & make some litle praier, as thou canst, vnto his mercy for the same, in this or like sort.

Mercifull father of our Saui­our Iesus Christ, bicause I haue synned and done wickedly, & tho­row thy goodnes haue receiued a desire of repentance, wherto this thy long sufferaunce doth draw my hard hart. I beseche thee for thy mercies sake in CHRIST, to worke the same repentance in me and by thy spirit, power, & grace so to humble, mortify, and teare my concsience for my syns to sal­uatiō, that in thy good time thou mayest comfort and quicken me again through Iesus Christ thy dearely beloued Sonne. Amen.

After this sort I say, or other­wyse, as thou thinckest good, if [Page] thou wilt haue this first part contrition or sorow for thy sins, do y ^e beg it of God thorow Christ. And when thou hast asked it, as I haue laboured to driue thee from trusting in thy selfe, so now I go about to moue thee from flatte­ring of thy self, from sluggishnes and negligence, to be diligent to vse these meanes folowing.

Unto prayer, which I would thou shouldest fyrst vse as thou canst, secondly get thee Gods law as a glas to toote in, for in it and by it commeth the true know­ledge of synne, without whych knowledge there can bee no sor­row. For how can a man sorow for his synnes, which knoweth not hys synnes? As when a man is sycke, the fyrst step to health, is to know his sycknes: euen so to saluation, the first step is to [Page] know thy damnation due for thy synnes.

The law of God therfore must be gotten and wel tooted in, that is, we must looke in it spiritually, & not corporally or carnally, as y ^e outward word or letter doth de­clare and vtter: and so our Saui­our teacheth vs in Mathew, ex­pounding the sixt & seuenth com­maūdements, not onely after the outward deede, but also after the hart, making there the anger of the hart, a kynde of murther, lust­ing after an other mans wyfe, a kinde of adultery,

And this is one of the differen­ces betwene Gods law and mās lawe, that of this (mans law I meane I am not contemnable, so long as I obserue outwardli the same. But gods law goeth to the roote & to the hart, condemning [Page] me for the inwarde motion, all­though outwardlye I lyue most holyly. As for example: If I kil no mā, though in my hart I hate mans law condemneth me not: but otherwyse doth Gods lawe. And why? for it seeth the foun­tain whence the euil doth spring. If hatred were taken out of the hart, then loftynes in lookes, de­traction in toūg, and murther by hand could neuer ensue. If lust­ing wer out of the hart, curiosity in countenaunce, wantonnes in wordes, baudy boldnes in body would not appeare,

In that therfore this outward euyll springes out of the inward corruption: seyng Gods law also is a law of liberty, as sayth saynt Iame. 2. Iames: and spirituall, as saith s. Paule: perfectly & spiritually it Roma. 7. is to be vnderstand, if we wyll [Page] truly come to the knowledge of our syns. For of this inward cor­ruption, reason knoweth but litle or nothing. I had not knowen Rom. 7. (sayth Paul) that lusting (which to reason, and to them which are guided only by reasō, is thought but a triste) I had not knowen sayth he, this lusting to haue ben syn, if the lawe had not sayd, Non concupisces, Thou shalt not lust.

To the knowledge therefore of our syn (without which we can­not repent or be sory for our syn) let vs secondly get vs Gods law as a glasse to toote in: and that not onely literally, outwardly, or partly, but also spiritually, in­wardly, and throughly. Let vs consider the hart, and so shal we see the foule spots we are stayned withal, at lest inwardly, wherby we the rather may be mooued to [Page] harty sorow and sighing. For as s. Austen saith, it is a glasse which feareth no body: but euen looke what a one thou art, so it payn­teth thee out.

In the law we see it is a foule spot, not to loue the lord our God withal) all I say) our hart, soule, power, might and strength and that continually.

In the law it is a foule spot, not onely to make to our selues anye grauen Image or similitude, to bowe thereto. &c. but also not to frame our selues wholy after the image whereto we are made, not to bow to it, to worship it.

In the law we see that it is a foule spot, not onely to take Gods name in vayne, but also not ear­nestly, hartely, and euen continu­ally to call vpon his name onely, to geue thankes vnto him, to be­leue, [Page] to publish, and lyue his holy word.

In Gods lawe we see it is a foule spot to our soules, not onely to bee an open prophaner of the Saboth day, but also not to rest from our own wordes & works, that the Lord might both speake and worke in vs and by vs, not to heare his holy word, not to communicate his Sacraments, not to geue occasion to others to holynes by our example in godly workes and reuerent esteming of the ministery of his word.

In Gods law we see it a foule spot to our soules, not onely to be an opē disobeyer of our Parents Magistrates, Maisters, & such as be in any autority ouer vs, but also not to honour such euen in our harts, not to giue thankes to God for them, not to pray for thē [Page] to ayde, to helpe, or relieue thē, to heare with theyr infirmities. &c. In Gods law we see it is a foule spot in our soules, not onely to be a manqueller in hatred, malyce, proud lokes, brags, backbiting, rayling, or bodily slaughter: but also not to loue our neyghbours, yea our ennemies, euen in our harts, & to declare the same in all our [...]estures, wordes, & workes.

In Gods lawe we see it a foule spot to our soules, not only to be a whore monger in lusting in our harts, in wanton looking, in vn­cleane and wanton talking, in ac­tual doing vnhonestly with our neighbours wyfe, daughter, ser­uant. &c. but also not to be chaste, sober, temperate in hart, lookes, tong, apparel, deedes, & to helpe others therunto accordyngly. &c.

In gods law we see it is a foule [Page] spot to our soules, not onelye in hart to couet, in looke or word to flatter, lye, colour. &c. in deede to take away any thing which per­tayneth to another: but also in hart, countenance, word & deede, not to keepe, saue, & defend that which pertayneth to thy neygh­bour, as thou woldest thine own

In Gods law we may see it a foule spot, not onely to lie or bear false wytnes against anye man, but also not to haue as great care ouer thy neighbours name, as ouer thine own.

Synne in Gods law it is we may see and a foule spot, not one­ly to consent to euil lust, or carnal desires, but euen the very natu­rall or carnall lustes and desyres themselues for so I may cal thē, nature it selfe being now so cor­rupted are sin, and selfe loue, and [Page] many such lyke. By reason wher­of I trow there is none that tooteth well herein, but though he be blameles to the world, and faire to the shew, yet certainly in­wardly his face is foule arayed, and so shamefull, saucy, maungy, pocky and scabbed, that he cānot but be sory at the contemplation thereof, & that so much more, by how much he continueth to loke in this glasse accordingly.

And thus much concerning the secōd meane to the stirring vp of sorow for our sin, that next vnto prayer, we should toote in Gods law spiritually. The which too­ting if we vse with prayer as I sayd let vs not doubt but at the length Gods spirite wyl woorke as now to such as beleue, for to the vnbeleuers al is in vain, ther eyes are stark blynd, they can see [Page] nothing) to such as beleue (I say) I trust somthing is done euen al ready. But if neyther by prayer nor by tooting in Gods law spi­ritually, as yet thy hard vnbele­uing hart feeleth no sorrow nor lamentyng for thy syn, thirdly, looke vpon the tag tyed to Gods law: for as to mans law there is a tag tyed, that is a penalty, so is ther to Gods law a tag tyed, that is a penaltie, and that no small one, but such a great one as cānot but make vs to cast our currysh tayles betwene our legs, if wee beleue it, for all is in vayne if we be faythles, not to beleue before we feele.

This tag is Gods malediction or curse. Maledictus omnis (saith it) qui non permanet in omnibus quae scripta sūt in libro legis, vt faeiat [...]am, [...]oe, accursed (sayth he is all, no [Page] exception, all, sayth God, which continueth not in al thinges (for he that is gilty of one, is gilty of the whole, sayth s. Iames:) in all thinges therfore, (saith the holy Ghost) which are written in the booke of the law to do them. He sayth not to heare them, to talke of them, to dispute of them, but to do them.

Who is he now that doth these? Rara auis, fewe such Byrdes, yea none at al. For al are gone out of the way, though not outwardly by word or dede, yet inwardly at the least by default and wanting of that which is required: so that a childe of one nightes age is not pure, but (by reason of byrth syn in daunger of Gods malediction: much more then we, which alas haue droonken in iniquitie as it were water, as Iob sayth, But Iob. 15. [Page] yet alas we quake not,

Tell me now, good brother, why dooyou so lyghtly consider Gods curse, that for your synnes past you are so careles as though you had made a couenaunt wyth death and damnatiō, as the wic­ked did in Esayes time? What is Gods cursse? At the Popes curse with booke, bel & candle, oh how trembled we, which heard it but onely though the same was not directed vnto vs, but vnto others For this Gods curse which is in comparable more sel and impor­table, and is directed to vs, yea hanging ouer vs all by reason of our syns, alas, how careles are we? Oh faithles hard harts. Oh I [...]zab [...]ls gestes, rocked and laid a sleepe in her bed. Oh wicked Apo [...]. [...]. wretches, which being com into the depth of syn, do contemne the [Page] same. O sorrowles synners and shame les shrinking harlots.

Is not the anger of a Kyng death? and is the anger of the Kyng of all kinges a matter to be so lyghtely regarded as we do regard it, which for our synnes are so retchles, that we slug and sleepe it out? As waxe melteth a way at the heate of the fire (saith Dauid) so do the wicked perish at the face or countenance of the Lord. If, dearely beloued, hys face be so terrible & intollerable for sinners and the wicked, what trow we his hand is? At the face or appearing of Gods anger, the earth trembleth: but wee earth, earth, yea stones, yron, flyntes, tremble nothing at all. If we wil not tremble in hearing, wo vnto vs, for then shal we be crashed in peeces in feeling, If a Lion rore [Page] the beastes quake: but wee are worse then beastes, which quake nothing at the roring of the Liō I meane the Lord of hostes. And why? because the curse of God, 2. Tim. 2. hardnes of hart is already fallen vpon vs, or els we could not but lament and tremble for our syns. if not for the shame and foulnes therof, yet at the least, for the ma­lediction and curse of God, which hangeth ouer vs for our synnes.

Lord be mercyfull vnto vs for thy Christs sake and spare vs, in thyne anger remember thy mer­cy towardes vs. Amen.

And thus much for the thyrd thing, to the mouing of vs to so­row for our syns, that is, for the tag tyed to Gods law. I meant for the malediction and curse of God. But if our harts be so hard that thorow these we yet fele not [Page] harty sorow for our syns, let vs fourthly set before vs examples past and present, old & new, that therby the holy spirite may be ef­fectual to worke in his time thys worke of sorowing for our syn.

Looke vpon Gods anger for syn in Adam and Eue, for eating a peece of an apple. Wer not they the dearest creatures of God, cast out of Paradise? Were not they subiect to mortalitye, trauail, la­bour. &c? Was not the earth ac­cursed for their syns? Do not we all, men in labour, women in tra­ueling with child, & all in death, mortality & miserye, euen in this life feele the same? And was God so angry for their syn, and he be­ing the same God, wyl he say no­thing to vs for ours (alas) much more horrible then the eatyng once of one peece of an apple?

[Page] In the tyme of Noe and Lot Gene. 6. Genes. 19. God destroyed the whole world with water, and the cities of So doma and Gomorrha. Seboim & Adamah with [...]ire and brimstone from heauen for their sins, namely for their whooredomes, pryde ydlenes, vnmercyfulnes to the poore, tirāny. &c. In which wrath of God euen the very Babes, Birdes, foules, fishes, heroes, trees, and gras perished: & think we that nothing wil be spoken to vs, much worse & more abomi­nable then they? For al men may see if they wyll, that the whore­domes, pryde, vnmercifulnes, ty­ranny. &c. of England, far passeth in this age, any age y ^t euer was before. Lots wife looking backe, Genes. 9 was turned into a salt stone: and wyl our looking backe again, yea our runing backe againe to our [Page] wickednes do vs no hurt, If we wer not already more blnid then beetels, we would blush. Pharae his hart was hardened so that no myracle coulde conuert him: if ours were anye thing soft, wee would begyn to sob.

Of sixe hundred thousand men Iosua & Caleb. alonely but twaine entred into the land of promise, bicause they had ten times sinned against the Lord, as he him selfe sayth: and Num. 14. trow we that God wil not swear in his wrath, that we shall neuer enter into his rest, whych haue synned so many ten times as we haue toes & fingers, yea heares of our heades and beardes (I feare me) and yet we passe not.

The man that sware, & he that Leuit. 24, Num. 15. gathered styckes on the Saboth day, were stoned to death: but we think our swearing is no syn, [Page] our bidding, rioting, yea whore­hunting on the Saboth day pleaseth god, or els we would some­thing 1. Reg. 5. amend our maners.

Helias negligence in correcting his sonnes, nypped his necke in two: but ours which pamper vp our children lyke puppets, wyll put vs to no plounge. Helias sonnes for disobeying their Fa­thers admonition, brought ouer them Gods vengeance: and will our stubburnes do nothing.

Saules malyce to Dauid, A­cabs 3. Regu. 21. 22. displeasure against Naboth brought their bloud to the groūd for Dogs to eate, yea their chil­dren were hanged vp and slaine 4. Reg. 21. 4. Reg. 10. for this geare: but we continue in malice, enuye and murther, as though wee were able to wage warre with the Lord.

Dauids adultery with Bethsa [Page] be was visited on the child born, on Dauids daughter defiled by her brother, and on his children one staying an other his wiues defiled by his own sonne, on him selfe driuen out of his Realme in his old age, and otherwyse also, although he must hartely repen­ted his synne: but we are more dere vnto God thē Dauid, which yet was a man after Gods own hart, or els wee coulde not but tr [...]ble, and begyn to repent.

The ritch gluttons gay paunch fylling: what did it? It brought him to hel: & haue we a plackard that God wyl do nothing to vs?

Achams subtyl theft prouoked Gods anger aganist all Israell: and one subtiltie, yea open extor­tion is so fyne and politicke, that God cannot espy it.

Eiezi his couetousnes, brought [Page] it not the leprosy vpon him, & on all his see [...]e? Iudas also hanged himselfe But the couetousnes of England is of an other cloth and colour. Wel, if it were so the same Tayler wyll cut it accordingly.

Anania and Saphira by lying, linked to them sodaine death: but ours now prolongeth out life the longer, to last in eternall death.

The false witnesses of the two Iudges against Susanna, lygh­ted on their owne pates, and so wyll ours do at length,

But what go I about to auouch auncient examples, where dayly experience doth teach. The sweat the other yeare, the stormes the winter folowing, wyll vs to way them in the same ballances. The hanging and killing of men them selues, which are (alas) to ryfe in all places, require vs to register [Page] them in the same roles. At the least in Children, Infantes, and such lyke, which yet cannot vtter syn by word or dede, we see Gods anger against synne in punishing them by syckenes, death, my shape or otherwise, so plainly that we cannot but grone and groont a­gayne, in that: we haue [...]ushed out this geare more aboundant­ly in word and deede.

And here with me a litle looke on Gods anger, yet so fresh, that we cannot but smell it, although we stop our noses neuer so much I pray God we smell it not more fresh hereafter, I mene it forsoth (for I know you looke for it) in out deare late soueraygne Lord the kings Maiesty. You al know he was but a child in yeares: de­filed he was not with notorious offences. Defiled quoth he? nay [Page] rather adorned wyth so manye goodly giftes & wonderfull qua­lities, as neuer Prince was from the begynning of the worlde, Should I speake of hys wyse­dome, of hys ripenes in iudge­ment, of his learning, of his god­ly zeale, heroycall hart, fatherly care for hys Commons, nurcely solicitude for religion? &c. Nay so many thinges are to be spoken in commendation of Gods exceding graces in this child, that as Sa­lust writeth of Carthage, I had rather speake nothing, then to little, in that to much is to lyttle, this gift God gaue vnto vs English men before all nations vnder the sunne, & that of his exceding loue towardes vs. But alas and welaway: for our vnthankfulnes sake, for our sins sake, for our car­nality and prophane liuing, Gods [Page] anger hath touched not onely the body, but also the minde of our Kyng by a long sycknes, and at length hath taken him away by death, death, cruell death, feare­full death.

Oh, if Gods iudgemēt be begun on him, which as he was the che­fest, so I thinke the holyest, and godlyeft in the Realme of Eng­land, (alas) what wil it be on vs, whose syns are ouergrowen so our heades, that they are climed vp into heauen. I pray you my good brethren, know that Gods anger for our syn towardes vs, cannot but be great, yea to fell, in that we see it was so great, that our good King could not beare it What followed to Iewry after the death of Iosias? God saue England, & geue vs repentances my hart wil not suffer me to cary [Page] longer herein. I trow thys wyll thrust out some teares of repeutance.

If therefore to praier for Gods feare, the tooting in Gods glas, & the tag therto wyl not burst open thy blockish hart, yet, I trow the tos [...]ing to and fro of these ex­amples, and specially of oue late Kyng, and this troublesome time wyll tumble some teares our of thyne hart, if thou styll pray for gods spirit accordingly. For who art thou (thinke alwayes wyth thy selfe) that God should spare thee more then them whose examples y ^u hast heard? What friends hast thou? Were not of these Kings, Prophets, Apostels, lear­ned, and come of holy stockes? I deceiue my selfe (think thou with thy selfe) if I beleue that God be­ing the same God y ^• he was, wyl [Page] spare me, whose wickednes is no sesse, but much more then some of theirs. He hateth synne now as much as euer he did. The longer he spareth, the greater vengeance [...]il fal: the deper he draweth his dow, the sorer wil y ^e shaft pearce.

But if yet thy hart be so harde­ned that all this geare wyll not moue thee, surely thou art in a very euil estate, and remedy now know I none. What said I none know I none: Yes, there is one which is suresby, as they say, to serue, if any thyng wyl serue. You looke to know what this is. For­soth the passion and death of Ie­sus Chri [...] You know the cause why Christ became man and suf­fered as he suffered, was the sins of his people, that he might saue them frō the same. Consider the greatnes of the sore, I mean syn [Page] by the greatnes of the Surgion and of the salue, Who was the Surgion: No Angel, no Saint, no Archangel, no power, no crea­ture in heauen nor in earth, but onely he by whom althings wer made, all thinges are ruled also euen Gods own dearling & onely beloued sonne, becomming man.

Oh what a great thing is thys that could not be done by the An­gels, Archāgels, Potestates, po­wers, or al the creatures of God, without his own sonne, who yet must needes be thrust out of hea­uen, as a man would say, to take our nature & become man: Here haue ye the Surgion: great was the cure that thys mighty Lord tooke in hand.

Now, what was the salue. For soth deare geare, & of many com­positions: I cannot recite al, but [Page] rather must leaue it to your harty con [...]idetations. Three and thirty yeares was he curyng our sore. He sought it earnestly by fasting, watching, praying. &c. The same night that he was betrayed, I reade how busy he was about a plaster in the garden, when he li­ing s [...]at on the ground, praying with teares, & that of bloud not a few, but so manye as dyd flow down on the ground againe, cri­ing on this sort: Father? saith he) if it be possible, let this cup depart fr [...] me, that is, if it be possyble that els the syns of mankinde can be taken a way, graunt that it may be so. Thou heardest Moises cri­yng for the idolaters: Thou hear dest Lot for the Zoarites: Sa­muel. Dauid, and many other for the Israelites, and deare, father, I onely am thine own so [...]ne, as [Page] thou hast said, in whom thou art well pleased, wylt thou not heare me? I haue by the space of three & thirty yeres done alwayes thy wyl: I haue so humbled my selfe that I would become an abiect a mongest men to obey thee. Ther­fore, deare father, if it be possible, graunt my request, saue mākind now without any further labour salues, or plasters, But yet (sayth he) not as I wyll, but as thou wylt.

But sir, what herd he? Though he swet bloud & water in making his plaster for our sore of syn, yet it framed not. Twyse he cryed without comfort: yea though to comfort him God sent an Angel, we yet know y ^• this plaster was not allowed for sufficient, vntyll hereunto Christ Iesus was be­trayed, forsaken of all his Disci­ples, for worne of his dearly be­loued [Page] bound lyke a theefe, belyed on, buffered, whipped, scourged, crowned with thornes, derided, crucified, racked, nayled, hanged vp betwene two theeues, cursed and rayled vpon, mocked in mise­ry, and had geuen vp the ghost: then bowed dowue the head of Christ, that is, God the Father, which is the head of Christ, then alowed he the plaster to be sufficient & good for the healing of our sore, which is syn. Now would God abide our breth, because the stinck, that is, damuation or gil­tynes was taken away by the sweete sauer of the breth of thys Lam [...]e, thus offered once for al.

So that here, dearely beloued we as in a glasse may see, to the broosyng of our blockyshe hard hartes, Gods great iudgement and anger agaynst synne. The [Page] Lord of Lords, y ^e King of Kings Gene. 6. Genes. 19. the brightnes of Gods glory, the sonne of God, the dearling of his Father, in whom he is wel plea­sed, hāgeth betwene two theues, crying for thee & me, and for vs al: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Oh hard harts that we haue, which make tuts for syn. Looke on this: toote in the very hart of Christ p [...]arced with a speare; wherein thou maiest see and reade Gods horrible anger for synne. Woe to thy hard hart that pearred it.

And thus much for the first part of repentaunce, I meane for the meanes of working contricion. First vse prayer: then looke on Gods law: thirdly, see his curse: Genes. 19 fourthly set examples of his an­ger before thee: and last of all set before thee the death of Christ. [Page] From this and prayer cease not, tyl thou fecle some harty sorrow for thy syn. The which whē thou feelest, then labour for the other part, that is, fayth on this sort.

As first in contrition I wylled shee not to trust to thy free wyll for the assayning of it, so doo I Iosua & Caleb. wyll thee in thys. Fayth is so far from the reach of mans free wyl, that to reason it is plaine foolish­nes. Therfore thou must first go Num. 14. to God, whose gyft it is: thou must I say, get thee to the father of mercy whose worke it is, that as he hath brought thee downe by contrition and humbled thee, so he would geue thee fayth, raise thee vp, and exalt thee.

On this maner therefore, with Leuit. 24, Num. 15. the Apostles and the pore man in the Gospell that cryed: Lord en­crease our fayth: Lord helpe my vn­beliefe, [Page] pray thou and say: O mercyfull God and deare Father of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ, in whom as thou art wel pleased, so hast thou commaūded Tim. 2. vs to heare him, for asmuch as he often byddeth vs to aske of thee, and thereto promiseth that thou wylt heare vs and graūt vs that which in his name we shall aske of ther: loe gracious Father, I am bold to beg of thy mercy tho­row thy sonne Iesus Christ, one sparckle of true faith and certaine perswasiō of thy goodnes & loue towardes me in Christ, where­through I beyng assured of the pardon of al my syns, by the mer­cies of Christ, thy sonne, may be thankfull to thee, loue thee and serue thee in holynes and righ­teousnes al the daies of my lyte.

On this sort I say, or otherwise [Page] as God shalmoue thee, pray thou first of all, & looke for thy request at Gods hand without any doubting, though forthwith thou fee­lest not y ^e same: for oftentimes we haue thynges of God geuen vs long before we feele them as we would do. Now vnto this praier vse thou these meanes folowing.

After praier for faith, which I would should bee first: secondly, because the same springeth out of the hearing, not of Masses, Mattins, Cannons, Councels, Doct­tors, Decrees, but out of the hea­ring of Gods woord: get thee Gods woord, but not that part which serueth spetially to contri­tion, that is the law: but y ^• other part, which serueth specially to consolation and certain perswa­sion of Gods loue towards thee, that is, the Gospel or publication [Page] of Gods mercy in Christ, I mean the free promises,

But here thou must know, that there is two kindes of promises: one, which are property of the law, an other which are properly of y ^e Gospell. In the promises of the law we may in deede behold Gods mercy, but so that it hang­eth vpon the cōdition rfour wor­thynes, as if thou loue the Lord with all thy hart. &c. thou shalt finde mercy. This kinde of pro­mises, though it declare vnto vs Gods loue, whych promyseth where he needeth not, yet vnto him that feeleth not christ, which is the ende of the law, they are so far from comforting, that vtterly with the law they bring man to great dispaire: so greatly we are corrupt, for none so loueth God as he ought to doo. From these [Page] therfore get thee to the other promises of the Gospel, in which we may see such plenty and franke li­deralitie of Gods goodnes, that we cannot but be much comfor­ted, though we haue very deepe­ly synned.

For these promises of the Gos­pel do not hang on the condition of our worthines, as the promi­ses of the law do: but they de­pend and hang on Gods truth, that as God is true, so they can­not but be performed to all them which lay hold on them by fayth, I had almost sayd, which cast them not away by vnbeliefe:

Marke in them therefore two things, namely, that as wel they are free promises without any condition of our worthines, as also that they are vniuersal, offered to all, al (I say) which are not so [Page] stubburne as to keepe styll theyr handes whereby they should re­ceiue this almes in their bosoms 1. Reg. [...]. by vnbeliefe. As concerning Infantes and children, you know I now speake not, but concerning such as be of yeares of discretiou And now you looke that I shuld geue you a fast of these promises which are both free & vniuersall excepting none but such as excepe themselues. Well, you shall haue one or two for a say.

In the third of Iohn sayth our 3. Reg [...]. 21. 2 [...]. Sauiour: So God the Father loued rhe world, that he would geue his dear lyng, his own onely sonne, that all that beleue in him should not perish 4. Reg. [...]. 4. Reg. 10. but haue euerlasting lyfe. Loe syr, he saith not that some might haue life: but all, sayth he. And what al: Al that loue hym with al their harts: al that haue lyued a god­ly [Page] life Nay al that beleue in him Although thou hast liued a most wicked and horrible lyfe, if now thou beleue in him, thou shalt be saued. Is not this sweete geare?

Againe sayth Christ: Come vn­to me al ye that labour and are laden, and I wyll refresh you, Let vs a lit­tle looke on this letter: Come vn to me. Who should come? Lords, Priestes, Holy men, Moonkes, Friers? Yea Coblers, Tinkers, whores, theeues, murtherers al­so, if they lament their synnes. Come vnto me (saith he) all ye that labour and are laden, that is, which are afrayd of your synnes, And what wylt thou do Lord? And I wyll refresh you, sayth he.

Oh what a thing is thys: And I wyll refresh you. Wot you who spake this? He that neuer told lye: He is the trueth, there was [Page] neuer guile found in his mouth: and now wyll hee be vntrue to thee good brother, which art sory for thy greeuous syns: no forsoth Heauen and earth shal passe & pe­rish, but his word shal neuer faile

Saint Paule sayth? God would haue all men saued, Loe, he excep­teth none. And to Titus: The grace of God bringeth saluation to all men. As from Adam all haue re­ceiued synne to damnation: so by Christ all haue grace offred to saluation, if they reiect not the same. I speake not now of infantes, I say: nor I neede not to enter in­to the matter of predes [...]inatiō. In preaching of repē [...]auce, I would gather wher I could with Christ

As surely as I lyue (sayth God) I wyll not the death of a synner. Are y ^• a synner? Yea. Lo, God swea­reth he wyll not thy death. How [Page] canst thou now perish? Consider with thy selfe what profit thou shouldest haue to beleue thys to be true to others, if not to thy self also. Sathan doth so. Rather cō ­sider with Peter, that the pro­mise of saluation pertayneth not onely to them which are nye, that is to such as are fallen a litle: but also to all whom the Lord hath called, be they neuer so farre of.

Loe, now by me the Lorde cal­leth thee thou man thou woman that art very far of. The promise therfore pertaineth to thee: nedes must thou be saued, except thou with Sathan say, God is false: and yet if thou do so, God is faith ful, and cannot deny him selfe: as thou shalt feele by his plagues in hell, for so dishonouring God, to think that he is not true. Wyl he be found false now? The matter [Page] hangeth not on thy worthynes, but it hangeth on Gods truth. Clap hold on it, and I warrant thee Christ is the propitiatiō for our syns, yea, for the syns of the whole world: beleue this man, I know thou beleued it: say there­fore in thy hart styl, Domine adau­ge mihi sidē: Lord increase my faith: Lord help my vnbeliefe. Blessed are they which see not (by reasō) this geare, but yet beleue. Hope man, past all hope, as Abraham did.

And thus much for a taste of these promises, which are euery wher, not onely in the new testa­ment, but also in the old. Reade the last ende of Leuiticus. 26. The Prophet Esay. 30. where he saith: God tarieth looking for thee to shew thee mer [...]y. Also the. 40. and so fourth to the. 60. Reade also the 2. Regum, 24. Psal, 33. Ioel, 2. &c.

[Page] How be it, if this geare wyl not serue, if yet thou feelest no fayth, no certaine perswasion of Gods loue: then vnto prayer and dili­gent considering of the free and vniuersal promises of the Gospel thirdly set before thee those be­nefites which God hath [...]ofore geuen thee, & presently geueth thee Consider how he hath made thee a man or a woman, which might haue made thee a Toade, a Dog And why did he this? Uerely be­cause he loued thee. And trowest thou, that if he loued thee when thou wast not, to make thee such a one as he most graciously hath made thee: wyll he not now loue thee being hys handy woorke? Doth he hate any thing that he made? Is there vnablenes with him. Doth he loue for a day, and so farewel: No forsoth, he loueth [Page] to the end, his mercy endureth for euer. Say therfore with Iob Operi manum tuarum, porrige dex­teram, that is, To the woorke of thy handes put thy helping hand.

Againe, hath he not made thee a Christian man or womā, wher if he would, he might haue made thee a Turke or Payn [...]? Thys thou knowest he did of loue. And doest thou thinke his loue is les­soned if thou lament thy synne? Is his hand shortened for hel­ping thee? Can a woman forget the chylde of her wombe? and though she should do it, yet wyll not I forget thee, saith the Lord He hath geuen thee lyms, to see, heare, go &c He hath geuen thee [...], r [...]ason, discretion. &c. Hee hath long spared thee and borne with thee when thou neuer pur­posedst to repent, and now then [Page] repenting, wyll he not geue thee mercy? Wherefore doth he geue thee to lyue at thys present to heare me to speake this, and me to speake this, but of loue to vs all? Oh therfore let vs pray him, that he would adde to this, that we might beleue these loue to­kens that hee loueth vs, and in deede he wyll do it. Lord open our eyes, in thy giftes to see thy gratious goodnes, Amen.

But to cary in this I wyll not. Let euery man consider Gods benefites past and present, publyke and priuate, spiritual and corpo­rall, to the confirming of hys fayth concerning the promises of the Gospell for the pardon of hys synnes. I wyll now go about to shew you a fourth meane to con­firme your fayth in thys geare, euen by examples. Of these ther [Page] are in the scriptures very many, as also dayly experienc [...] both di­uersly teach the same, if we were diligent to obserue things accor­dingly: wherfore I wyl be more briefe herein, hauyng respect to time, which stealeth fast away.

Adam in Paradise transgressed greuously, as the painfull punish­ment which we al as yet do feele proueth, if nothing els. Though by reason of hys syn he displeased God sore, and ran away from God, (for he would haue hid him selfe, yea hee would haue made God the caus [...] of his syn in that he gaue him such a [...]ate, [...]o farre was he from asking mercy) yet all [...]hys notwithstanding, God turned his f [...]ar [...] wrath neyther vpon him nor Eue, which also re­quired not mercy, but vpon the the serpent Sathan: promising [Page] vnto them a seene Iesus Christ by whom they at the length shuld [...]e deliuered. In token whereof, though they were cast out of Pa­radise for their nurture, so serue in sorow which would not serue in ioy; yet he made them apparel to couer their bodies, a visible Sacrament and token of his in­uisible loue and grace concerning their soules. If God was so mer­ciful to Adam which so fore brake his cōmaundement, & rather bla­med God then asked mercy, trow est thou, oh man, that he wyll not be merciful to thee, which blamest thy selfe, and desirest pardon?

To Cain he offered mercy, if he would haue asked it. VVhat ha [...]t thou done, sayth God? The voice of thy brothers bloud cryeth vnto me out of the earth. Oh mercifu [...] Lord (should Cain haue sayd) I con­fesse [Page] it▪ But alas, he dyd not so, and therfore said God: Now, that is, in that thou desyrest not mer­cy, now, I say, be thou accursed. &c. Loto the reprobate he offered mercy, and will he denye it thee which art his child. Gene 9 Genes▪ [...]9

Noah, did not he syn and was dronke? Good Lot also both in Sodome dissembled a little with the Angels, prolonging the time, and out of Sodom he fell verye Genes. [...]9 foule: as did Iudas, and the Patriarches against Ioseph, but yet I weene they foūd mercy. Moy­ses, Myriam, Aaron, though they stumbled a litle, yet receaued they mercy: yea the people in the wyl­dernes often synned & displeased God, so that he was purposed to haue destroyed them. Let me a­lone, sayth he to Moyses, that I may destroy them: but Moyses [Page] dyd not let him alone, for he prai­ed styll for them, and therefore God spared them. If the people were spared through Moyses prayer, they not praying with hym, but rather woorshipping their golden calse, eatyng, drin­king, & making [...]olly good there, Iosua & Caleb. why shouldest thou doubt whe­ther God wil be merciful to thee? hauing, as in dede thou hast, one much better then Moses to pray Num. 14. for thee and with thee, euen Ie­sus Christ, who sytteth on the [...]ight hand of his father, & pray­eth for vs, being no lesse faythful in his fathers house the Church then Moyses was in the Syna­goge. Dauid y ^• good Kyng, had a foule foyle when he cōmitted Leuit. 24, Num. 15. whordome with his faythful ser­uants wife Bethsabe: wherunto he added also a mischeuous murther, [Page] causing her husbād his most faithful soldiour Ury to be slaine, w ^t an honest company o [...] his most valiant men of war, & that with the sweard of the v [...]circumcised. Tim. 2.

In this his syn, though a great while he lay a sleepe (as many do nowe a dayes, God geue them good waking) thinking y ^• by the sacrifices he offered all was wel, God was content: yea at length when the Prophet by aparable had opened the poke, & brought him in remembrance of his own synne in such sort, that he gaue iudgement against himself: then quaked he, his sacri [...]ices had no more taken away his syns, then our syr Iohns [...]rentals and wag ging of his fi [...]gers ouer y ^e heads of such as lye asleepe in their sins (out of the which when they are awaked, they wyl wel see that it [Page] is neyther Masse nor Mattins [...] bless [...]ng nor crossyng wyll serue) [...]en I say, he cryed out saying: Peccaui Domino, I haue synned layth he against my Lord & good God which hath don so much for me. I caused in deede Ury to bee killed. I haue synned, I haue sin­ned. What shal I do? I haue sin­ned and am worthy of eternall damnation. But what saith God by his Prophet: Dominus (sayth he) transtulit peccatum tuū, non mo­rieris: The Lord hath taken away thy syns, thou shalt not dye. Oh good God, he ayd but Peccaui, I haue synned out yet from his hart and not from the lyps onely, as Pha­rao and Saule did, & incontinētly he he [...]reth: Thou shalt not dye, the Lord hath taken away thy fyns, or rather hath layd thē vpon an other, yea translated thē vpon the [Page] back of his sonne Iesus Christ, who bare them, & not only them, but thine & myne also, if that we wyl now cry but from our harts, Peccauimus, we haue sinned good Lord, we haue done wyckedly, enter not into iudgement wyth vs, but be mercyful vnto vs after thy great mercy, and according to the multitude of thy compassions do away our iniquities &c. [...]or in deede God is not the God of Da­uid onely: Idem deus omnium, he is the God of all. So that Qui­cuuque inuocauerit nomen domini, saluus erit: He or she whosoeuer they be that call vpon the name of the Lord, shalbe saued. In confirmation whereof this history is wrytten, as are also the other which I haue recited, and many mo which I myght recite: As of Manasses y ^• wicked king; which [Page] slew Esay y ^e Prophet, & wrought very much wyckednes; yet the Lord shewed mercy vpon hym beyng in pryson, as his prayer doth teach vs. Nabuchodonozer though for a tyme he bare Gods anger, yet at the length he found mercy. The City of Niniue also found fauour with God, as dyd many other, which I wyll omyt for times sake, & will bring forth one or two out of the new Testa­ment, that we may see God to be the same God in the newe testa­ment, that he was in the old.

I myght tell you of many, if I should speake of the lunatike such as were possessed wyth deuyls. lame, blynde, dumme, deafe, le­pers, &c. but time wyll not suffice me: one or two therefore shall serue. Mary Magdalen had .vii. deuils, but yet they were cast out [Page] of her, & of al others she was the first that Christ appeared vnto after his resurre [...]ton. Thomas 1. Reg. [...]. would not beleue Christes resur­rection, though many tolde hym which had sene and felt hym: by reason whero [...] a man might haue thought that his synnes would haue cast hym away. Except I should see and feele (sayth he) I wyll not beleue. Ah wylfull Thomas: I wyll not, sayth he. But Christ appeared vnto him, & would not leese him, as hee wyll not do thee 3. Reg [...], 21, 22. good brother, if that wyth Tho­mas y ^u wylt keepe company wyth the Disciples as Thomas dyd. Peters fal was ougly, he accursed 4. Reg. 21▪ 4. R [...]g. [...]. hym selfe if euer he knew Christ and that for feare of a gyrle, and thys not once, but euen three dyuers tymes, and that in the hearyng of Christ hys Mayster: [Page] but yet the third time Christ loo­ked backe, & cast on hym his eye of grace, so that he went out and wept vitterly: and after Christes resurrectiō not onely did the An­gels wyl the woman to tel Peter that Christ was risen, but Christ himselfe appeared vnto hym se­uerally: such a good Lord is he.

The theefe hanging on y ^e crosse sayd but this: Lord when thou cō ­mest into thy kingdome remember me, & what answer had he? This day sayth Christ, shalt thou be with me in Paradise, What a comfort is this, in that he is now the same Christ to thee & me and vs all, if we wyll run vnto hym: for he is the same Christ to day & to mor­row vntyl he come to iudgement Then in deede he wyll be inexo­rable: but now is he more ready to geue then thou to aske. If thou [Page] cry, he heareth thee, yea before thou cry. Cry therefore, be bold man, he is not parciall. Call, saith he, and I wyll heare thee: Aske Esay. 3 [...]. and thou shalt haue. Seeke and Math. 7. thou shalt find, though not at the first, yet at the length. If he tary a white, it is but to try thee. Nam Hebr. 10. veniens veniet, & non tardabit. He is comming and wyll not be long.

Thus haue you foure meanes which you must vse to the attay­ning of fayth or certaine perswa­siō of Gods mercy towards you, which is the secoud part of pe­nāce, namely prayer, the free & v­niuersal promises of Gods grace the recordation of the benefites of God past & present, the exam­ples of Gods mercy. Which al­though thei might suffice, yet wil I put one mo [...] to them, which al­onely of it selfe is ful sufficient, I [Page] meane the death of the sonne of God Iesus Christ, which if thou set before the eyes of thy minde, it wyll confirme thy plackard, for it is the great seale of England, as they say, yea of all the world, for the coufirmation of al patents & perpetui [...]ies of the euerlasting lyfe whereunto we are all called.

If I thought these which I haue before recited, were not suf­ficient to confirme your fayth of Gods loue towardes such as doo repent, I would tary longer here in. But because both I haue ben long, and also I trust you haue some exercise of conscience in this dayly (or els you are to blame) I wyll but touch and go. Consider wyth your selues what we are, mysers, wretches, and enemies to God. Cousider what God is, euen hee whych hath all power, [Page] Maiesty, might, glory, ritches. &c perfectly of himselfe & nedeth no thing, but hath althinges. Consider what Christ is: concernyng his god head coequal with his father, euen he by whom althinges wer made, are ruled & gouerned: concerning his manhod the only dearlyng of his father, in whō is all his ioy. Now syr, what a loue is this that this God which nee­deth nothing, would geue wholy his own selfe to thee his enemy, wreaking his wrath vpon hym selfe in this his sonne, as a man maye say, to speare thee, to saue thee, to wyn thee, to buy thee, to haue thee, to enioy thee for euer. Because thy synne had separated the [...] from hym, to the ende thou mightest come e [...]tsones into his company agayne, and therein re­maine, he himselfe became, as a [Page] man would say, a synner, or ra­ther syn it selfe, euen a maledictiō or curse: that we synners, we ac­cur [...]ed by our syn, myght by hys oblation or offering for our syns, by hys curse, be delyuered from synne and from malediction. For by syn he destroyed synne, kylling death, Satan, & syn by rheir own weapons and that for thee & me (man) it we cast it not away by vnbeliefe. Oh wonderfull loue of God. Who euer heard of such a loue, the Father of heauen for vs hys ennemies to geue hys owne deare sonne Iesus Christ, and that not onely to be our brother, to dwel among vs, but also to the death of the crosse for vs? Oh wonderful loue of Christ to vs al, that was content and wylling to work this feate for vs. Was ther any loue lyke to this loue?

[Page] God in deede hath commended his charitie & loue to vs herein, that when we wer very enemies vnto him, he wold geue his own sonne for vs. That we being men might become, as you would say, Gods, God would become man That we being mortal might be come immortal, y ^• immortal God would become mortal man. That we earthlye wretches myght be Citizens of heauen, the Lord of heauen would become, as a man would say, earthly, That we be­ing accursed myght bee blessed God would bee accursed. That wee by our father Adam beyng brought out of Paradise into the puddle of all paine, myght be redeemed and brought into Pa­radise [...]gaine, God would be our father, and an Adam thereunto. That we hauing nothing might [Page] haue all things, God hauyng all thynges would haue nothyng. That we being vassails & slaues to all, euen to Sathan the feend, might be Lordes of all, & of Sa­than, the Lord of all would be­come a vassal and a [...]laue to vs al, and in daunger of Sathan. Oh loue imcomprehensible. Who can otherwise thinke now, but if the gracions good Lord disdayned not to geue hys owne sonne, hys owne hartes ioy for vs his very ennemies, before we thought to beg any such thing at his hands, yea before we were: who I say, can thinke otherwyse, but that with him he wyl geue vs al good thinges? If when we hated him & [...]led away from him, he sent his sonne to seeke vs, who can thinke otherwise, then that now we lo­uing him, and lamenting because [Page] we loue him no more, but that he wyl for euer loue vs? He that ge­ueth the more to his enemies, wil not he geue the lesse trow you to his friends? God hath geuen his own sonne, then which thing no­thing is greater to vs hys ene­mies: & we now being becom his friendes, wyll he deny vs fayth & pardon of our sins, which though they be great yet in comparison they are nothing at al? Christ Iesus would geue his own selfe for vs, when we willed it not, & wyll he now deny vs faith if we wyll it? This wyl is hys earnest, that he hath giuen vs truly to looke in deede for the thing wylled. And looke thou for it in deede, for as he hath geuen thee to wyl, so wil he geue thee to do.

Iesus Christ gaue his lyfe for our euyls, & by his death delyue­red [Page] vs: Oh then, in that he liueth now and cannot dye, wyll he for­sake vs▪ His hart bloud was not to deare for vs when we asked it not: what can then bee now to deare for vs asking it? Is he a chaungeling? Is he inutable as mā is? Can he repent him of his gif [...]es? Dyd he not foresee our falles: Payd not he therefore the price? Because he saw we should fal sore, therefore would he suffer sore. Yea if his suffering had not bene inough, he would yet once more come again. God the father I am sure, if y ^e death of his sonne incarnate would not serue, wold himselfe & the holy ghost also be­com incarnate & dye for vs. This death of Christ therfore looke on as the very pledge of Gods loue towards thee, whosoeuer thou art, how deepe soeuer thou hast [Page] sinned. See Gods hands are nailed they cannot strike thee, hys feete also he cannot run trō thee, his armes are wyde open to em­brace thee, his head hangs down so kysse thee, his very hart is opē, so that therin see, to [...]te, looke, spy Gene. 9 Genes. 19 pe [...]pe, and thou shalt see nothing therin but loue, loue, loue, loue to thee: hyde thee therfore, lay thy head there with the Euangelist.

This is the clyft of the rocke Genes. 19 wherein Helias stoode. This is the pillow of down for all akyng heades. Anoynt thy head wyth this oyle: let this oyntment en­baulme thy head, & wash thy face Tary thou here, & cock sure thou art, I warrant thee. Say with Paul: what can separate me from the loue of God? Can death, can pouerty, sycknes, hunger, or any misery perswade thee now, that God lo­ueth thee not? Nay, nothing can [Page] separate thee from the loue wher wyth God hath loued thee in Christ Iesus: whom he ioueth, he loueth to y ^e end. So that [...]ow Leuit. 24, where aboundaunce of syn hath [...]en in thee, the more is the abou­dance of grace. But to what end▪ Forsoth that as syn hath raigued to death, as the [...] sees [...], to the kyl­ling of Gods sonne, so now grace must raigne to lyfe, to the honou­ring of Gods sonne, who is now a lyue, and cannot dye any more.

So that they which by [...]ayth feele this, cānot any more dye to God, [...]t: o syn, whereto they are dead and buried with Christ. As Christ therefore liueth, so do they and that to God, to righteous [...]s and holynes. The life which they lyue, is In fide filii bei, in the faith of the sonne of God, Wherby you see that now I am slipt into that which I made the third part of [Page] penance, namely newnes of lyfe, which I could not so haue done, if that it were a part of it selfe in deede, as it is au effect or fruit of the second part, that is, of fayth T [...]. [...]. or trust in Gods mercy. For hee that beleueth, that is, is certain­ly perswaded synne to be such a thing, that it is the cause of al misery, and of it selfso greatly ange­reth God, that in heauen nor in earth nothing could appease his wrath, saue alonely the death and precious bloud sheddyng of the sonne of God, in whom is all the delight and pleasure of the father he I say, that is perswaded thus of syn, the same cānot but in hart abhor & quake to do or say, yea to thinke any thing willingly which Gods law teacheth him to be syn.

Agayne, he that beleueth, that is, is certainly perswaded Gods loue to be so much to wards him, [Page] that where through syn he was lost & made a firebrād of hell, the eternal father of mercy, which is the omnisufficient God, & nedeth nothing to vs or of anithing that we can do to deliuer vs out of hel and to bring vs into heauen, dyd send euen hys owne most deare sonne out of hys bosome, out of heauen into hel, as a man would say to bring vs, as I sayd, from thēce into his own bosom & mer­cy, we being hys very enemies: he, I say that is thus perswaded of Gods loue towards hym, & of the price of his redemptiō, by the deare bloud of the Lambe imaculate Iesus Christ, the same man cannot but loue God againe, & of loue do that, & hartely desire to do better, the which myght please God. Trow you that such a one, knowing this geare by faith, wil willingly walter & wallow in his [Page] wilful lusts, pleasures & fātasies Wyll such a one as knoweth by faith Christ Iesus i [...] haue geuen his bloud to wash hym from hys syns, play the Sow to walter in his puddle of filthy syn & vyce a­gaine? Nay rather then he wil be defiled again [...] ▪ by wilful synning he wil wash often the feete of his affections, watching ouer y ^• vice styll sticking in hym, which as a spring continuallye sendeth out poison inough to drown & defile him, if the sweete water of Chri­stes passiō in Gods syght did not wash it, & his bloud satisfy the ri­gour of Gods iustice due for the same. Thys bloud of Christ shed for our sins, is so deare in y ^e sight of him that beleueth, that he wy [...]l abhorre in his hart to stampe it & tread it vnder his feete. He knoweth now by his beliefe that it is to much that he therto hee hath [Page] set to little by it, and is ashamed therof, Therefore for the residue of hys lyfe he purposeth to take better beede to himselfe then be­fore he did. Because he seeth by hys faith y ^e greuousnes of Gods anger, y ^e foulnes of syn, the greatnes of Gods mercy, & of Christes loue towardes him, he wyll now be heedye to pray to God to geue hym his grace accordingly, that as with his eyes, toung, handes feete. &c. he hath displeased God, doing his own wyl: euen so now with the same eyes, toung, eares handes, feete. &c. he may displease his own selfe, and do Gods wyll. Willingly wyll hee not doo that which myght renue the death of the sonne of God He knoweth he hath to much synne vnwyllingly in him, so that thereto he wyl not adde willing offences.

This willing & witting offending [Page] & synning, whosoeuer doth flatter him selfe therin, doth eui­dently demōstrate & shew that he neuer yet in dede tasted of Christ truly. He was neuer truly per­swaded or beloued how soule a thing sin is, how greuous a thing Gods anger is, how ioyfull and precious a thyng Gods mercy in Christ is, how exeeding broade, wyde, hye & d [...]eepe Christes loue is, Perchance he can write prate, talke & preach of this geare: but yet he in part by faith neuer felt this geare. For if he did once feele this geare in dede, then would he be so far from continuing in syn willingly & wittingly, that wholy and hartely he would geue ouer himself to that which is contra­ry I mean to a new lyfe, renuing Reg. [...] his youth euen as the Egle doth

For as we being in y ^e seruitude of syn, demōstrate our seruice by [Page] geuing ouer our members to the obeying of syn from iniquitie to iniquity: euen so we being made free from synne by faith in Iesus Christ, & endued with Gods spi­rite, a spirit of liberty, must nedes demonstrate this fredom & liberty by geuing ouer our members to the obedience of the spir it: by the which we are lead & guided from vertue to vertue, & all kynde of holynes. As the vnbeleuers declare their vnbeliefe by the wor­king of the euil spirit in them out wardly the fruits of y ^•, [...]esh: euen so the beleuers declare their faith by the working of Gods good spirit in them outwardly the fruits of the spirit. For as the deuyll is not dead in those which are hys but worketh styll to their damna­tion: so is not God dead in them which be his, but worketh styl to their saluation. The which wor­king [Page] is not the cause of the one or the other being in any, but onely a demonstration, a signe, a fruit of the same: as the Apple is not Esay. 3u. the cause of the Appletree, but a Math. 7. fruite of it.

Thus then you see briefly that newnes of lyfe is not in deede a Hebr. 10. part of penance, but a fruit of it, a demonstration of the iustifying faith, a signe of Gods good spirit possessing the hart of the penitēt: as the old lyfe is a fruit of impe­nitencie, a demonstration of a lip faith or vnbeliefe, a signe of Sa­thans spirit possessing the hart of the impenitent, which al those be that be not penitent. For meane I know none. He that is not penitent, the same is impenitent: he that is not gouerned by Gods spirit, the same is gouerned by Sa­thans spirit. For al that the Christes are gouerned with the spirit [Page] of Christ, which spirite hath his fruites. Al other y ^• be not Christs are the deuils. He that gathereth Num▪ 14 not [...] Christ, scattereth abroad.

Therfore dearly beloued, I be­fech you to consider this grace, & deceiue not yourselues. If you be not Christes, then pertain you to the deuil, of which thing y ^e fruits of the fleshe doth assure you, as whordom, adultecy, vncleannes, wantōnes, idolatry, witchcraft, enuy strife, contention, wrath, se­dition, murther, dronkēnes, glut tony, blasphemy, slothfulnes, idlenes, baudy talking, sc [...]ādering, &c If these apples grow out of the appletrees of your haries, surely surely the deuel is at Inne with you, you are his birdes: whom when hee hath well fed, he wyll broth you & eate you, chaw you and champ you worlde wythout end in eternall wo and mysery. [Page] But I am otherwyse perswaded of you al. I trust you be al Christ Iesus hys people and chyldren yea brethren by fayth.

As ye see your sins in Gods law and tremble, sigh, sorow and sob for the same, euen so you see hys great mercies in his Gospell and free promises, & therfore ar glad, mery & ioyfull, for that you are accepted into Gods fauour, haue your sins pardoned, & are endued with the good spirit of God, euen the seale & signe manuell of your election in Christ before the be­ginuing of the world. The which spirit, for that he is the spirit of life geuen to you to worke in you, with you, & by you here in thys life, sāctification & holynes, wher unto you are called that ye might be holy, euen as your heauenly father is holy: I besech you all by admonition and warning of you [Page] that you would styr vp the giftes of God geuen to you generally & particularly, to y ^e edifying of his Church: that is, I pray you that you would not molest the good spirit of God by rebelling against it when it prouoketh and calleth you to go on forwards, that the which is holy, might yet be more holy, hee which is ryghteous, myght be more righteous, as the euil spirit moueth and stirreth vp the filthye to be yet more filthy, y ^e couetous to be more couetons, the wicked to be more wycked.

Decclare you now your repen­tance by woorkes of repentance Bryng fouth frutis, and worthy fruites, Let your sorowing for your euyls demonstratine it selfe departing frō the euyls you haue vsed, Let your certainty of par­don of your syns through Christ and your ioyin him be demōstra­ted [Page] by pursuing of y ^e good things which Gods word teacheth you. You are nowe in Christ Jesus Gods workmanship, to do good workes which God hath prepa­red for you to walke in. For the grace of God that bringeth salua­tion vnto all men, hath appeared & teacheth vs that we should de­ny vngodlynes & worldly lustes and that we should lyue soberly, righteously, & godly in this pre­sent world, looking for that bles­sed hope & glorious appearing of the mighty God, & of our sauiour Iesus Christ, whych gaue him selfe for vs, to redeme vs from all vnrighteousnes, & to purge vs a peculiar people vnto himself, fer­uently geuē vnto good works. A­gaine Titus. 3. for we our selues also wer in times past vnwise, diso­bedient, deceiued, seruing iustes & diuers pleasures, liuing in ma­liciousnes [Page] and enuy, full of hate & hating one another. But after, that the kindnes and loue of God our Sauiour to manward appeared, not by y ^e deedes of righteous­nes which we wrought, but of his mercy he saued vs by the foū ­ [...]aine of the new birth, & with the renning of the holy Ghost, which he shed on vs abnudantly thorow Iesus Christ our Sauiour, that wee once iustified by his grace, should be heires of eternall lyfe through hope. This is a true saying. But I wyll make an end, for I am to tedious,

Dearely beloued, repent your syns, that is, be sory for y ^• which is past, beleue in Gods mercy for pardon, how deepely soeuer you haue sinued, & both purpuse & ear nestly pernse a new life, bringing forth worthy & true fruites of repentance. As you haue geuē ouer [Page] your members from syn so syn, to serue the deuyll, your tounges to sweare, to lie, to slaiter, to scold, to iest, to scost, to baudy talk, to vain ianglyng, to boasting. &c. your handes to picking, groping, ydle­nes, fighting. &c your feete to skipping, going to euil, to daūsing. &c your eares to heare fables, lyes, fanities & euil things. &c: so now geue ouer your members to god­lynes, your toūgs to speake, your eares to heare, your eyes to see, your mouthes to last your hands to worke, your feete to go about such thiuges as maye make to gods glory, sobrie [...]y of life, & loue to your brethrē, & that daily more and more diligently: for in a stay to stand you cannot, either better or worse you are to day then you wer yesterday. But better I trust you be & wil be, if you marke wel my theme, y ^t is, Repent you. The [Page] which thing that you would do, as before. I haue hūbly besought yon: euē so now yet once more I do agayn besech you, & that for y ^e tender mercies of God in Christ Iesus our Lord, Repent you, re­pent you, for the kingdom of heauen (y ^t is, a kingdom ful o [...]al ritches, pleasures, myrth, beauty, swete­nes, & eternall felicitie) is at hand. The eye hath not sene the like, y ^e eare, hath not heard y ^e like, y ^e hart of man cannot conceiue the trea­sures & pleasures of this kingdō, which now is at hand to such as repent, that is, to such as are sory for theyr sins, beleue Gods mercy through Christ, & earnestly pur­pose to leade a new life. The God of mercy through Christ his sōne graunt vs his holy spirit, & work in our hartes this sorow, fayth, & new life, which through his grace I haue spoken of, both now & for euer.

Amen.

THere are two Sacramentes Two Sa­cramentes in christes church. in Christes Church: the one of initiation, that is, where­with we be enraled as it were, in to the houshold & family of God, which Sacrament we call Bap­tisme: the other wherwith we be conserued, fed, kept & nourished, to continue in the same Familye, which is called the Lords supper or the body and bloud of our Sa­uiour Iesus Christ, broken for our syns, and shed for our traus­gressions.

Of the former Sacrament, that is, of Baptisme, to speake now I am not purposed, because occasiō and tyme serue not so therto. Of the second therfore wyl I speake [Page] somthing by Gods grace, if that Baptisme is in place of circum­cision, first you remēber this, that Bap­tisme in Christs Church now si­then Christes death, is come in place of Circumcisiō, which was in the same church afore Christs comming. Whereby we may see Christian mens chu­drē ought to be bap­rised that Christian Parents seéme to bee no losse bound to offer theyr Infants and Sabes to be bapti­sed, that they may be takē and ac­cōpted of vs as mēbers of Chri­stes mistical body, wherunto thei are receiued and sealed: then wer the Hebrues their children to be taken as pertayning to the coue naunt & league with God wher­in they were enroled, alonely the circumstance of the eight day, not necessarye to be obserued being now abrogated.

But to come agayne, of the Galat, 4. Lords Supper I am purposed [Page] presently to speake, through the helpe of God, because we are as­sembled in Christ (I hope) to ce­lebrate the same. Now that the things which I shall speake may be better obserued and caryed a­way of you, I wyl tell you how & in what sort I wyll speake of it. Three thynges would I haue marked, as the principals and scopes wherto I wyl referre al y ^t I shal at this time speake therof. They be these: Who, what, and wherefore. That is, (to make it more plaine) who dyd institute this thing which we are about to celebrate, this is the first. The second is, what y ^• thing is which is instituted. And the last is, wherfore and to what end it was instituted: whereby we shall be taught how to vse it.

For the fyrst, who did institute [Page] thys Sacrament and Supper: who dyd institute this Sacrament, you all do know that things are more esteemed sometyme for the dignity and authority of the per­son: sometime for the wisedom of the person, sometyme for the po­wer and magnificence of the per­sou, and sometime for the tender loue and kyndnes of the person. If neede were I could by exam­ples set forth euery one of these, but I hope it is not necessarye. Now then, how can the thyng which we be about to celebrate, but be estemed of euery one highlye, in that the Auth or of it doth want no dignity, no authority, no wysedome, no power, no magni­ficence, no holmes, no tender loue and kindnes, but hath al dignity authority, wisdome, power mag­nificence, holynes, tender lone, mercy, glory, and all that can be [Page] wished absolutely? He is God e­teruall, coequall, and substantiall wyth the Father & with the holy Ghost, the image of the substance of God, the wysedome of the Fa­ther, the brightnes of hys glory, by whom all things were made, are ruled and gouerned. He is the Kyng of all Kyngs, and the Lord of all Lords, He is the Messias of the world, our most deare and lo­uing brother, Sauiour, Media­tour, Aduocate, Intercessor, Husbaud, Priest. So that the thyng which commeth from hym, cānot but be estemed, loued, and embraced, if dignity, authority, wisdom power, glory, goodnes, & mercy lyke vs. Yea, if auy thing that can be wyshed lyke vs, theu cannot thys whych our Lord dyd insti­tute, but like vs, and that so much the more, by how much it is oue [Page] of the last things which he did institute & commaunde. God open our eyes to see these thynges ac­cordingly: so shall we come with more reuerence to thys Table of the Lord, which thing he graunt for hys mercies sake, Amen. And thus much for the fyrst, who dyd institute thys Sacrament.

Now to the second, what the 2 what the Sacramēt is. Sacrament is. If we shall aske our eies, our nose, our mouth, our taste, our handes, and the reason of man, they wyll all make a con­sonant answer, that it is bread & wyne. And verelye herein they speake the truth and lye not, as by many thyngs may be proued, although the Papists prate their pleasure to the coutrary.

And here, my dearely beloued, I thynke I shal not be either te­dious or vnprofitable vnto you, if [Page] that I tary a litle in shewing this verity, that the substance of bread and wine remaine in the Sacra­ment after the wordes of conse­cration (as they call them) be spo­ken. Wherby we may learne how shameles beastes they be, whych Upon trā substanti­ation all popery al­most is buylded. would enforce men to beleue trā ­substātiation, which is an errour wherupon in a maner dependeth all popery. For it is the stay of theyr Priesthood, whych is ney­ther after the order of Aaron, nor after the order of Melchisedech, but after the order of Baal, whych thing is somthyng seene by theyr number. For the false prophets & Priestes of Baal were alwayes many moe in number, when the wycked were in authority, then the true Priestes and Prophetes of the Lord, as the holy histories of the Bible do teach. Reade the [Page] third of the Kings the. 18, chap.

That in the supper of the Lord The Sa­crament of the popysh Masse is not the crament of christes body. or in the Sacrament of Christes body (which the Papists call the sacramēt of the Aulter, as though that were Christes Sacrament, which thing they cā neuer proue: For it being peruerted & vsed to a contrary ende, as of sacrifieyng propitiatorily for the syns of the quicke and of the dead, of idolatry by adorning or worshipping it by godly honor. &c. is no more Chri­stes Sacrament, but an horrible prophanation of it, and therefore as Christ called Gods Temple, which was, called au house of prayer, for the abusing and pro­phanyng of it by the Priestes, a den of the eues: so this which the Papists call the sacrament of the Aultar, full truly may we call au abominable Idol: And therfore [Page] I would all men shoulde knowe that the sacrament of the Aultar as the Papistes now do abuse it, omittyng certayne substantiall poyntes of the Lords iustitution and putting in the steede thereof their own dregs and dreaues, is not the sacrament of Christs bo­dy, nor the Lords supper: wher­of when we speake reuerently as our duty is, we would not that men should thinke we speake it of the popish Masse: (that I say in the Supper of the Lord, or in the sacrament of Christs body there remaineth the substance of bread and wine, as our senses and rea­son to teach, these many thinges also do teach the same.

First the holy Christ doth plain­ly tell vs, by calling it often bread The first reason a­gainst trā ­substantia­tion. aftrr the wordes of consecrati­on, as 1. Cornith. 10. Is not the bread [Page] which we breake a partakyng of the body of Christ, sayth Paule? Loe, plainly he saith: the bread which we breake, not onely calling it bread, but addyng thereto breakyng, which cannot be attributed ey­ther to Christes body, whereof no bone was brokē, either to any accident, but must needes be of a substance, which substance if it be not Christes body, cannot be but bread. As in the .xi. chapter foure times he plainly calleth it: He that eateth of this bread: He that receiueth this bread. &c, And in the Actes of the Apostels we reade, how that (in speaking of the Communion) they met together to breake bread. &c So that it is playne that the sub­stauce of bread and wyne doo re­mayne in the Supper after the wordes of consecration: as also may appeare playnly by Christs [Page] own wordes, which calleth that which he gaue them in the Cup, wyne or the fruit of the vyne, as both Mathew and Matke doo write. Wherby we set that there is no transubstantiation of the wyne, and therfore may we also see, that there is no transubstan­tiation of the bread.

As for the Panistes cauillyng, An aun­swer to the Papistes cauill for y ^e foresayd reason. Math. 26 Exod. 7. how that it hath y ^e name of bread because it was bread, as Symon the leper was called stylle prous, though hee was healed: or as Moses rod, beyng turned into a serpent, was called a Rod styll, it proueth nothing. For there was in the one a playne sight, and the senses certified that Simō was no leper: and in the other playne mention that the rod was turned into a Serpent. But concernyng the Sacrament, neyther the sen­ses [Page] see any other thiug thē bread, neither is ther auy mentiō made of turning. And therefore theyr [...]auill is plainlye seene to be but a cauyll and of no force. But to come a gaine to bryng moe rea­sons against Transubstantiatiē:

Secondly, that the substance of The [...]cōd reason a­gainst trā ­substan. Math. 19 Mark. 14 Luke. 22. 1. Cori. 11. bread remaineth stil, the very text doth teach. For the Euangelists and the Apostle Saint Paule do wytnes, that Christ gaue that to his Disciples, and called it hys body whych hee tooke, on which he gaue thankes, and whych he brake: but he tooke bread, gaue thankes on bread, & broke bread Ergo he gane bread, & called bred hys body, as he called the cup the new testament. So that it folow­eth by this, that there is no tran­substantiation. And thys reason I my selfe haue promised in wri­ting [Page] to proue by the authority of the Fathers, namely Ireneus, Ter­tullian, Orgine, Ciprin, Epiphani­us, Hierommus, Augustinus, Theo­dorete, Cirill, Bede, it so be I may haue the vse of my bookes, The third reason a­gainst trā ­substanti­acion.

Thirdly, that in the Sacrament there is no transub stantiation of the bread, by this reason I doo proue: Lyke as by our Sauiour Christ the spirit of truth spake of the bread, This is my body, so saith the sa [...] spirit of truth of the same bread: That we many are one body 1. Cor. 10. and one bread. &c. So that as it appeareth the Sacrament not to be the Church by transubstantiati­on, euen so is it not Christes na­tural body by trausubstanciation

Fourthly, I proue that there is The iiij. reason a­gainst tr [...] ­substanti­ation. no transubstantiation by Luke & Paules wordes spoken ouer the Cup. For no Lesse are they effi [...] tuall [Page] to transubstantiate the cup, then their wordes spoken of the bread are operatorius & myghty to transubstātiate the bread. For as they say of the bread, Thys is my body, so say they of the Cup, This cup is the new testament: which thing is absurde to be spoken or thought, either of the cup or of the thing in the cup by transubstanti ation. Yea rather in saying these wordes, This cup is the new Testa­ment, we are taught by their cou­pling thys word Cup to the de­monstratiue This, how we should in these wordes, This is my body know that this word This doth there demonstrate bread.

Fiftly, that the substaunce of bread remaineth in the Sacra­mēt, The fyft reason. as y ^e reasons before brought forth do proue, so doth the defi­nition of a Sacrament. For the [Page] Fathers do affirme it to consist of Ireneus Augusti­nus. Chryso­stomus. an earthly thyng and of an hea­uenly thing, of the woord and of the element, of sensible thinges and of thinges which be percey­ued by the mynde. But transub­stantiatiō taketh cleane away the earthly thing, the element, the sensible thing, and so maketh it no Sacrament. And therfore the definition of a Sacramētful wel teacheth, that bread which is the earthly thing, the sensible thyng, and the element, remayneth styl, as Saynt Augustine sayth: The word commeth to the Element, (he saith not, taketh away the E­lement,) and so it is made a Sa­crament. The syxt reason a­gainst trā ­substantia­tion.

Sixtly, the nature, and proper­tion of a Sacramēt teacheth this also which I haue affirmed. For as Cipriane writeth that Sacra­mentes [Page] beare the names of the [...]ipriax in Ser­mone de Chrys­mat. Augusti­nus ad Bonifa­cium. thynges which they signifye: so doth saynt Augustine teach that if Sacramentes haue not some signification with the things wher­ofthey be Sacraments, then are they no sacraments. Now, in the Lordes supper this similitude is first in nourishing, that as bread nourisheth the body: so Christes body broken feedeth y ^e soule. Se­cōdly in bringing together many into our, that as in the sacrament many graynes of corne are made on bread, many grapes ar made one liquour and wine: so the mul­titude which worthelye receiue the Sacrament, are made one body with Christ and hys Church. Last of all, in one vnlykelr lykely­nes or similitude: that as bread eaten turneth into our nature: so we rightly eating the sacrament [Page] by faith, turne into the nature of Christ. So that it is playne to them that wyll see, that to take the substance of bread away, is cleane against the nature and property of a sacrament.

I wil speake nothing how that this their doctrine of transubsta­tiation, beside the manyfold ab­surdities it hath in it (whych to rehearse I omyt,) it vtterly ouerthroweth the vse of the Sa­crament, and is cleane contrary to the end wherefore it was instituted, and so is no longer a scra­ment, but an Idole, & is the cause of much Idolatry, conuerting the peoples harts from an heauenly conuersation to an earthly, and turning the Communion into a priuate action, and a matter of gasyng and piping of adoring & worshipping the worke of mens [Page] handes for the liuing God, which dwelleth not in▪ Temples made with mens handes, much lesse ly­eth he in pixes and chests, whose true worship is in spirit & verity, which God graunt vs all to ren­der vnto him continually. Amen. The, vij. [...]

The Sacrament of Baptisme doth also teach vs, that as y ^e sub­staunce of the water remayneth there: so in the Lords supper re­maineth the substaunce of bread after cōsecration. For as by Bap­tisme we ar engraffed into Christ so by the Supper we ar fed with Christ. These two sacramentes the Apostle gladly coupleth toge­ther. 1. Corinth. 10. and. 1. Corint. 12. VVear baptsed into one body (saith he) and haue dronke all of one spirit, meaning it by the Cup, as Chry­sostome and other great learned men do wel interprete it. As ther­fore [Page] in Baptisme is geuen vnto vs the holy Ghost, and pardon of our syns, whych yet [...]ye not lur­king in the water: so in y ^e, Lords supper is geuen vnto vs the com­munion of Christes body & bloud that is, grace, forgeuenes of syns innocency, lyfe, immortality, with out any transubstantiation or in­cluding of the same in the bread. By Baptisme the old man is put of, and the new man put on, yea Christ is put on, but without trā ­substantiating Calat, 3. the water. And euen so it is in the Lords supper. Wee vp sayth spirituallye in our soules do feede ou Christee body broken: doo eate hys flesh and drynke hys bloud: doo dwell in hym and he in vs, but wythout trausubstantiation.

As for the tauill they make that An aun­swer to the Papistes cauill for y ^• foresayd reason. wee are baptised into one [...]ody, [Page] meaning therby y ^e mystical body, & not the natural body of Christ, wherby they would enforce that we are fed with the natural body of Christ, but we are not ingraf­fed into it, but into the mysticall body, and so put away the reason aforesayde: as for thys cauill, I say, we may soone auoyde it, if so he that we wyl consider how that Christ whych is the head of the mysticall body, is not seperate frō the body, and therefore to be en­graffed to the mystical body, is to be engraffed into the natural bo­dy of Christ, to bee a member of his flesh, and bone of his bones as Pope Leo ful wel doth witnes in saying, that Corpus regenerati fit caro crucifixi: The body (sayth he) of the regenerate is made the flesh of Christ crucified. And here to I could adde some reasons for [Page] the excellēcy of Baptisme. I trow it be more to be begotten, then to be nourished. As for the excellent myracle of the pa [...]efaction of the Trinifie, and the descendyng of the holy Ghost in Baptisme in a visible forme, the lyke whereto was not seene in the Lordes sup­per, I wyl omyt to speake of fur­ther then that I would you shuld know how it were no mastery to set forth the excellency of this sa­crament, as well as of the supper.

It is a playne sygne of Anti­christ, The .viij. reason. to denye the substaunce of bread & wyne to be in the Lords supper after consecration. For in so doing and graunting transub­stantiation, the propertye of the humane nature of Christ is deny­ed. For it is not of the humane nature, but of the deuine nature to be in many places at once. As [Page] Didimus de spiritu sācto doth proue there by the diuinity of the holy Ghost. Now graunt transubstan­tiation, and then Christes natu­ral body must needes be in many places, which is nothyng els but to confound the two natures in Christ, or to denye Christes hu­mane nature, whych is the selie same that saint Iohn saith, to de­nye Christ to be come in the flesh And this who so doth, by the te­stimony of saynt Iohn in an An­tichrist in his so doing, whatsoe­uer otherwise he do prate. Reade saynt Augustine in hys Epistle to Dardanus, and his .l. and .xxx. trea­tise vpon S. Iohn, and easely you shall see how that Christes body must needes be in one place. Oportet in vno loco esse: but hys truth is in all places.

If ther be no substance of bread The nidth reason. [Page] in the Sacrament, but transub­stantiation, then Christs body is receiued of the vngodly, and ea­ten with their teeth, which is not onely against saint Augustine, cal­ling this speech, except you eate the flesh of the sonne of man &c. a figu­ratiue spech: but also against the playne scriptures, which affirme them to dwell in Christ & Christ in them, and they to haue euerla­sting lyfe that eate hym, whych the wicked haue not, although they eate the sacrament. He that eateth of this bread (saith Christ (shal lyue for euermore. Therefore they eate not Christes body, but (as Paule sayth) they eate in iudge­ment and damnation, whych I trow be an other maner of thyng then Christes bodye. And thys doth saint Augustine affirme, say­ing: none do eate Christes body [Page] which is not in y ^e body of Christ, that is (as he expoundeth it) in whom Christ dwelleth not, and hee in Christ. Which thing the wicked do not, because they want fayth and the holy spirite, whych be the meanes whereby Christ is receyued.

To the thinges which I haue brought herefoorth to improue transubstantiation, I could bring in the fathers to confyrme the same, which succeded continual­lye many hundreth yeares after Christ. Also I could shewe that transubstantiation is but a new doctrine, not established, before Sathan (whych was tyed for a thousand yeares) was letten lose. Also I could shew that euer he­therto synce it was established, in all times it hath bene resisted and spoken against. Yea, before thys [Page] doctrine the church was nothing so endowed with goodes, lands, and possessions, as it hath beene synce. It hath brought no small gayne, no small honour, no small ease t the Cleargy, and therefore no maruel though they striue and fyght for it. It is their Maozim, it is their Helena, God destroy it with the breath of hys mouth, as shortly he wylfor his names sake Amen.

If tyme would serue, I could & would here tell you of the absur­dities whych come by thys doc­trine, but for tymes sake I must omyt it. Onely for Gods sake see this, that thys their doctrine of transubstantiation is an vntruth, already I haue proued, & for­get not that it is y ^e whole stay of all Popery, and the piller of their Priesthood: whereby Christes [Page] Priesthood, Sacrifice, Ministe­ry and truth is letted, yea peruer­ted and vtterly ouerthrown, God our Father, in the bloud of hys sonne Christ, open the eyes and myndes of all our Magistrates, and all other that beare the name of Christ, to see it in time, to Gods glorye and their own saluation. Amen.

Now to returne to the second matter what the Sacrament is, you see that to the senses and reason of man it is bread and wyne. which is most true, as by the scriptures and other wyse I haue all­readye proued, and therefore a­way with transubstantiation,

But here lest we should make it no Sacrament, for a sacrament consisteth of twoo thynges, & lest a man should by thys gather; [...] we make it none other thyng [...] [Page] bare bread and a naked signe, and so rayle at their pleasure on vs, saying: How can a man be giltre of the body and bloud of Christ by vnworthy receiuing of it, if it bee but bare bread, and so forth? For thys purpose I wyll nowe speake a little more hereabout, by gods grace, to stop their mouthes and to styre vp your good harts more to the worthy estimation & perception of this holy mysterye. When a louing friend geueth to thee a thing, or sendeth to thee a token (as for an example a nap­kyn, or such like) I thinke thou doest not as thou shouldest doo, if that with the thyng thou consi­derest not the mynde of thy friend that sendeth or geueth the thing, and according the runto, estemest and receyuest it: And so of thys bread thinke I, that if thou doo [Page] not rather consider the mynde of thy louer Christ, then the thyng which thou seest: yea if thou doo not altogether consider Christes mynde, thon dealest vnhonestly & strumpetlike with hym. For it is the propertye of strumpets to consider the thynges geuen and sent them, rather then the loue & mynde of the geuer and sender: whereas the true louers do not consider in any poynt the thinges geuen or sent, but the mind of the party. So wee, if we bee true lo­uers of Christ, must not consider barely the outward thyng which we see, and our senses perceyue, but rather altogether we must & should see and consider the minde of Christ, and therafter and accor­ding to it, to esteme the sacramēt.

But how shall we knowe the mynde of Chryst? For sooth as a [Page] mans mynde is best knowen by his word: so by Christes woord shall we know his mynde. How his wordes be manifest and most playne: This (sayth he) is my dody: therefore accordingly should we esteeme, take, and receiue it. If he had spoken nothing, or if he had spoken doubtfully, then might we haue bene in some doubt. But in that he speaketh so plainly, say­ing, This is my body; who can, maye, or dare bee so bold as to doubt of it? He is the truth and cannot lye, he is omnipotent and can do all thinges: therefore it is his body. This I beleue, this I confesse, and pray you all hartely to beware of these and such lyke wordes, that it is but a sygne or a figure of his body: Except you wil discern betwixt signes which fignify ouely, and sygnes whych [Page] also doo represent, confirme and seale vp (or as a mā may say) geue wyth their signification. As for an example: An Iuye bush is a sygne of wine to be sold: the bud­dyng of Aarous rod dyd sygnifye Aarons Priesthood alowed of the Lord: the reseruation of Moses rod dyd signifye the rebellion of the children of Israel: the stones takē out of Iordane, Gedeons fleese of wool. &c. such as these, be signe significatiue, and shewe no gyft, But in the other sygnes, whych some call exhibitiue, is there not onely a signification of the thyng but also a declaration of a gyft, yea in a certayne maner a geuing also. As Baptisme signifieth not onely the clensing of the cōscience from syn by the merites of Chri­stes bloud, but also is a very clen­syng from synne. And therfore it [Page] was sayd to Paule that he should aryse and wash away hys syns, & not that he should aryse and take onely a sygne of washyng away hys syns. In the Lordes supper the bread is called a partaking of the Lordes body, and not onely a bare signe of the Lordes body.

This I speake not as though the elements of these sacraments were trausubstantiate) whych I haue already impugned either as though Christes body wér in the bread or wyne, eyther were [...]yed to the elementes, otherwyse then sacramentally and spiritually, ey­ther that the bread and wine may not and must not be called sacra­mentall and externall signes: but that they myght be discerned frō significatiue and bare signes one­ly, and be taken for signes exhibi­tiue and representatiue.

[Page] By thys meanes a Christian comcience wil call and esteme the bread of the Lord as the body of Christ. For it wyll neuer esteeme the Sacraments of Christ after their exteriour appearance, but after the words of Christ. Wher­of it commeth that the Fathers, as Chrysostome and others doo speake with so ful a mouth when they speake of the Sacrament, for their respect was to Christes woordes, If the Schoolemen which folowed them, had had the same spirit whych they had, then would they neuer haue consented to transubstantiation. For wyth great admiration some of the Fa­thers doo say, that the bread is chaunged or turned into the body of Christ and the wyne into hys bloud: meaning it of amutation or chaunge not corporal, but spi­rituall, [Page] figuratiue, sacramental, or mysticall. For now it is no cōmon bread nor common wyne, beyng ordayned to serue for the foods of the soule. The scolemen haue vn­derstood it as the Papistes nowe preach of a substautial chaūging, as though it were no great my­racle that common bread should now be assumed into that dignity that it should bee called Christes body, and serue for a celestial food and be made a Sacrament of hys body and bloud.

As before therfore I haue spo­ken, Christes presence in the supper, I would with that this Sa­crament should be esteemed & cal­led of vs Christiā men, after Christes wordes, namely Christes bo­dy, and the wyne Christes bloud, rather then otherwy e. Not that I meane any other presence of Christes body. then a presence of [Page] grace, a presence to fayth, a pre­sence spiritually, & not corporal­ly, really, naturally, and carnally, as the Papistes do meane. For in such sort Christes body is one­ly in heauen on the right hand of God the father almightye, whe­ther our faith in the vse of the Sacrament asceudeth and receyueth whole Christ accordingly.

Yea, but one wyl say, that to cal An obiec­tion, the Sacrament on that sort, is to geue an occasion of idolatry to the people, which wyll take the Sa­crament which thei see, simply for Christes body, as by experience we are well taught, and therfore it were better to call it bread, and so lesse harme should be, especial­ly in this age.

In this obiection I aunswer, that in dede great idolatry is cō ­mitted [...]n answer to and about this Sacra­ment, [Page] and therfore men ought, as much as they can, to auoyd from occasioning or contirming it. But in as much as the holy Ghost is wyser then man, & had foresight of the euils that might be, and yet notwithstanding doth cal it Christes body: I thinke we should do euyl, if we should take vpon vs to reforme his speech. If Ministers did their duties in Catechisyng & preaching, then doubtles to call the Sacrament Christes body, & to esteme it accordingly, cold not geue occasion to idolatry, and cō ­tirme it: Therfore wo vnto them that preach not.

There be two euyls about the Sacraments, which to auoid the holy Ghost hath taught vs. For lest we should wyth the Papists thinke Christes bodye present in or with the bread really, natural­ly, [Page] and corporally to bee receyued with out bodelye mouth (where ther is no other presence of Chri­stes body then spirituall, and to the fayth) in many places he kee­peth styll the name of bread, as in the epistle to the Corinthians the tenth and eleuenth chapters. And lest we should make to lyght of it, making it but a bare sygne, & no better then common bread, the holy Ghost calleth it Christes bo­dy whose speech I wish we wold follow, and that not onely as wel to auoyd the euyl which is now a daies most to be feared cōcerning the Sacrament, I meane of con­temnyng it, as also for that no faythfull man cōmeth to the Sa­crament to receyue bread simply, but rather, yea altogether to com­municate with Christs body and bloud. For els to eate and drinke [Page] (as Paule sayth) they haue hou­ses of their own. The contempt of the Sacrament in the dayes of Kyng Edward hath caused these plagues vpon vs presentlye, the Lord be mercyful vnto vs, Amen. And thus much for the obiection of easlyng the Sacrament by the name of Christes body.

Why (sayth one) to call the Sa­crament An other obiection of Christs presence in the Sacrament. Christes bodye, and to make none other presence then by grace or spiritualy to faith, which is of things hoped for, & of things which to the bodely senses do not appeare, is to make no presence at all, or to make hym none other­wyse present, then he is in hys woord when it is preached, and therefore what neede wee to re­ceiue the Sacrament, in as much as by thys doctrine, a man may receiue hym dayly in the fi [...]d as [Page] wel & as much as in the church, in the celebration and vse of the Sacrament.

To this obiection I first aun­swer, that in deede neyther the scripture nor Christian faith wyl geue vs leaue to make any car­nall, reall, naturall, corporall, or any such grosse presence of Chri­stes naturall body in the Sacra­ment For it is in heauen, and the heauens must haue it (as sayth Peter) tyll Christes commyng to iudgement, except we would de­ny the humanity of Christ, & the veritye of mans nature in hym. The presence therfore which we beleue and confesse, is such a pre­sence as reason knoweth not, & the world cannot learne, nor any that looketh in this matter with our eyes, or heareth with other eares, then wyththe eares and [Page] eyes of the spirite and of fayth. Whych fayth though it bee of thinges hoped for, & so of things absent to the corporall senses, yet this absence is not an absence in deede, but to reason and the old man, the nature of fayth being a possession of thynges hoped for. Therfore to graunt a presence to fayth, is not to make no presence at all but to such as knowe not fayth. And thys the Fathers taught, affirmyng Chryst to bee present by grace, and therefore not onely a signification, but also an exhibition and geuyng of the grace of Christes body, that is, of lyfe and of the seede of immorta­litie, as Cypriane wryteth. We eate lyfe and drinke lyfe sayth S. Augustine. [...]efecle a presence of y ^e Lord by grace or in grace sayth Chrysostome. We receiue the ce­lestial [Page] foode that commeth from Athana­sius. aboue, sayth Athanasius. We re­ceyue the property of the natural cōiunction and knitting together sayth Hylerius. We perceyue the Hylarius nature of flesh, the blessyng that geuethlyfe in bread and wyne, sayth Cyrillus. And els where he Cyrillus. sayth, that wyth the bread and wyne we eate the vertue of Chri­stes proper flesh, lyfe, grace, and the property of the body of the onely begotten Sonne of God, which thyng behimselfe expoun­deth to be life. Basilius saith, that we by the Sacrament receiue the Basilius. mystical Aduent of Christ, grace; and the very vertue of his very nature. Ambrose sayth, that we Ambro­sius. Epipha­nius. Hieroni­mus. receiue the Sacrament of y ^e true body. Epiphanius sayth, wee re­ceiue the body or grace. And Hie­rome sayth, that wee receiue spiri­tuall [Page] flesh, which he calleth other flesh then that which was cruci­fied. Chrysostome sayth, that we receiue in [...]uence of grace, & the Chryso­stomus. grace of the holy Ghost. Saynt Augustine sayth, that we receyue grare and veritye, the innisible Augusti­nus. grace and holynes of the mem­bers of Christes body. All the which layings of the Fathers do confirme this our fayth and doc­trine of the Sacrament, we graū ting in all thynges herein vnto them, and they in lyke maner vn­to vs. And therefore the lying lyps which both be lye the Doc­tours as though they graunted a carnall & a re [...] presence of Chri­stes holy naturally and corporal­ly after the Papistes declaration and meaning: and which belye vs also, as though we d [...]yed all presence of Christ, and so made it [Page] but a bare signe. These lying lips the Lord wyll destroy if they re­pent not, and with vs beleue and teach the truth, that the Sacra­ment is a food of the soule a mat­ter of fayth, and therfore spiritu­ally and by sayth to bee talked of and vederstanded, whych fayth they want, and therfore they erre so grossely in that they woulde haue such a presence of Christ as is contrary to all the scriptures, & to our Christian religion: wher­by commeth no such commoditie to the receiuer, as by the spiritual presence which we teach, and ac­cording to Gods word do affirm.

For we teach these benefites to be had by the worthy receiuing of this Sacrament, namely that we abyde in Christ and Christ in vs. Agayne, that we attayne by it a celestiall lyfe, or a lyfe wyth [Page] God: more ouer that by fayth and in spirite wee receiue not onelye Christes body and vioud, but al­so whole Christ God and man. Besydes these we graunt that by the worthy receiuing of this Sacrament, we receiue remission of our syns, and confirmation of the newe Testament. Last of all by worthy receiuing, we get an in­crease of incorporation w ^t Christ and amongest our selues whych bee hys members: then whych thinges what more can be desi­red? Alas, that men consider no­thing at all how that the coup­lyng of Christes body and bloud to the Sacrament, is a spirituall thing, and therfore there needes no such carnall presence as the Papistes imagine. Who wyll de­uye a mans wyfe to bee with her husband one body and flesh, al­though [Page] he be at London, and she at Yorke? But the Papistes are carnall men, guided by carnall reason onely, or els would they know how that the holye Ghost because of our infirmitye vseth metaphorically the wordes of a­biding, dwelling, eating & drink­ing of Christ, that the vnspeake­able coniunction of Christ wyth vs might somthing be knowen. God open their eyes to see it. And thus much for this.

Now to that part of the obiec­tion which sayth, that we teache Christ to be none otherwyse pre­sent in the Sacrament then in his word, I would that the ob­iectors would wel consider what a presēce of Christ is in his word. I remember that sayut Augustine writeth how that Christes body is receiued sometime visibly, and [Page] sometime inuisibly. The visible receypt hee calleth that whych is by the Sacrament: the inuisible receypt hee calleth that which by the exercise of our fayth with ourselues we receiue. And S. Hierom in the third booke vpon Ecclesia­stes, affirmeth that we are fed w ^t the body of Christ, and we drinke his bloud not onely in mysterye, but also in knowledge of bolye scripture. Wherein he playnlye sheweth that the same meate is offered in the words of the scrip­tures, which is offered in the sa­crament, so that no lesse is Chri­stes bodye and bloud offered by the scriptures, then by the Sa­cramentes. Upon the 147. Psalme he writeth also, that though these wordes, He that careth my flesh, and drinketh my bloud, may be vn­derstand in mistery, yet he saith it [Page] is more true to take Christes bo­dy and his bloud for the word of the scriptures, and the doctrine of God. Yea vpon y ^e same Psalme he sayth playnly, that Christes flesh & bloud is poured into our eares by hearing the word, and therefore great is the perill if we yeld to other cogitations whilest we hear it. And therfore, I trow, S. Augustine saith, that it is no les peryll to heare Gods word neg­ligently, then so to vse the sacra­ment. But hereof may no man gather, that therefore it needeth not to receiue the Sacrament, or to affirme that a man maye as much by himselfe, mediating the word in the field, receiue Christs body, as in the Church in y ^e right vse of the Sacrament. For Christ ordayneth nothing in vayne or superfluously, he ordayneth no­thing [Page] wherof we haue not nede. Although his authoritye is such that without anye questonyng hys ordinances are to be obeyed.

Agayne, though in the fielde a man may receiue Christes body by faith in the meditation of the word, yet deny I that a mā doth ordinarely receyue Christes bo­dy by y ^e onely meditation of Chri­stes death, or hearing of hys word, with so much sight and by such sensible assurance) whereof God knoweth our infirmity hath no small neede) as by the receipt of the sacrament, not that Christ is not so muche present in hys woord preached, as he is in or with his sacrament: but because there are in the perception of the Sacrament more wyndowes o­pen for Christ to enter into vs, then by hys woord preached or [Page] heard. For there, I meane in the word, he har [...] an entraunce into out harts but onely by the eares, through the voyce and sound of the wordes: but here in the Sa­crament he hath an enterance by all our senses, by our eyes, by our nose, by our taste, & by our hand­ling also. And therefore the Sa­crament full well may be called, seeable, sensible, tastable, & touch­able wordes. As therfore when many windowes be opened in an house the more lyght may come in, then when ther is but one opened: euen so by the perception of the Sacraments a chrystian mās conscience hath more helpe to receiue Christ, then simply by the word preached, heard or medita­ted. And therfore he thinketh the Apostle ful wel calleth the sacra­mentes obsignations or sealings [Page] of Gods promise. Reade Roma. the. 4. of Circumcision. And thus much for the aunswer to the ob­iectiōn aforesayd.

Now to returne from whence we came, namely to the conside­ration of the second thing what the Sacrament is: I haue told you that it is not simply bread & wyne, but rather Christes body, so called of Christ, and so to be cal­led and estemed of vs. But here let vs marke what body & what bloud Christ called it. The Pa­pistes styll babble. Thys is my Christes presence in the supper, body: This is my bloud, but what body it is, what bloud it is, they shewe not. Looke therefore my dearly beloued, on Christes own woordes, and you shall see that Christ calleth it his body broken▪ and hys bloud shed. Marke, I say, that Christ calleth it his bo­dy [Page] which is broken, hys bloud which is shed presently, and not which was broken or shalbe bro­ken, which was shed or shall be shed, as the Greeke textes doo plainl [...] shew: therby teachyng vs that as God woulde haue the Passeouer called, not which was the Passeourr, or whych shall be the Passeouer, but playnlye the Passeouer, to the end that in the vse of it, the passyng ouer of the striking Angell should be set be­fore their eyes as present: so in the celebration of the Lords sup­per the verye Passion of Christ should bee as present, beholde a with the eyes of fayth. For which end Christ our Sauiour did spe­cially institute this Supper, say­ing: Do ye this in remembrance of me, or as Paule sayth: Shew you thr Lordes death tyll he come.

[Page] The Supper of the Lord then is not simply Christes body and bloud, but Christes body broken and hys bloud shed. Wherefore broken? Wherfore shed? Forseth that tencheth Christ himselfe say­ing: Broken for you, Shed for your syns, and for the syns of many. Here now then we haue occasion in the vse of the Sacrament to call to mynd the greatnes and greuous­nes of syn, which could not be ta­ken away by any other meanes then by the sheding of the most precious bloud, and breaking of the most pure bodye of the onely begotten Sonne of God Iesus Christ, by whom all things were made, all thinges are ruled & go­uerned. &c. Who considering this geare shall not be touched to re­pent? Who in receipt of this Sa­crament, thinking that Christ [Page] sayth to him: Take, eate, this is my body wyich is broken for thee: This is my bloud which is shed for thy syns, can but tremble at the gree­vousnes of his sins, for the which such a price was payd? If there were no plague at al els to ad­monish man of syn, how greuous a thing it is in Gods sight, surely that one were enough. But, alas, how are our hartes bewitched through Sathans subtilties & the custome of syn, that we make syn a thing of nothing. God open our eyes in tyme, and geue vs re­pentance, which we see this Sa­crament doth, as it were, enforce vs vnto in the reuerence and true vse of the same.

Againe, in hearing that thys which we take and eate is Chri­stes body broken for our syns, & his bloud shed for our iniquities, [Page] me are occasioned to call to mynd the infinite greatnes of Gods mercy and truth, and of Christes loue towardes vs. For what a mercy is this, that God would for man, beyng lost through hys wylfull sinnes, be content, yea de­sirous to geue hys owne onelye sonne, The image of his substaunce, the brightnes of his glory, being in his own bosome, to be made man for vs, that we mē by him might be, as it were, made Gods? What a mercy is this, that God the Fa­ther should so tender vs, that hee would make this hys sonne, be­ing coequal with him in diuinity, a mortall man for vs, that we might be made immortal by him What a kindnes is thys, that the almighty Lord should send to vs his enemies, hys deare darlyng to be made poore, that we by him [Page] might be made ritch? What bo­wels of compassiō was this, that the omnipotent Creator of hea­uen and earth would delyuer his own onely beloued sonne for vs creatures, to be not onely flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bones, that we myght by hym through the holy Ghost be made one with him, and so wyth the Father by communicatyng the merites of his flesh, that is righteousnes, holynes, innocency, and immorta­lity: but also to be a stayne sacri­fice for our syns, to satisfy his iu­stice, to conuert or turue death in to lyfe, our syn into righteousnes, hell into heauen, misery into fe­licitye for vs? What a mercy is this, that God wyll rayse vp this his sonne Christ, not onely to: iu­stify and regenerate vs, but also in his person to demōstrate vnto [Page] vs our state which we shall haue▪ for in hys comming we shall be lyke vnto hym. Oh wonderfull mercy of God, whych would as­sume this his Christ, euen in hu­mane body into the heauens, to take and keepe ther possession for vs, to leade our captiuity captiue, to appeare before hym alwayes praying for vs, to make y ^e throne of Iustice a throne of mercy, the seate of glory a seate of grace, so that with boldnes we may come and appeare before God to aske and finde grace in tyme conueni­ent. Againe, what a verity and constant truth in God is thys, that he would, accordyng to hys promise made fyrst to Adam, and so to Abraham and others in his time, accomplish it by sending his sonne so graciously? Who would doubt hereafter of any thing that [Page] he hath promised? And as for Christes loue, oh whose hart can be able to thinke of it any thing as it deserueth? He beyng God wold become mā: he beyng ritch would become poore: he beyng Lord of all the world, became a seruaunt to vs all: he being im­mortall, would become mortall, myserable, and fast of all Gods curses, yea euen of hell it seife for vs. His bloud was nothyng to deare, hys lyfe he nothing consi­dered to bryng vs from death to lyfe. But thys hys loue needeth more harty waying, then many wordes speaking, and therefore I omit and leaue it to your con­siderations. So that in the recei­uing of this supper, as I would you wold tremble at Gods wrath for syn, so would I haue you to couple to that terrour and feare, [Page] true fayth, by which ye myght be assured lye perswaded of Gods mercy towardes you, & Christes loue, though al thinges els prea­ched the contrary.

Do euery of you surely thinke when you heare these wordes. Take, eate, this is my body broken for your synnes: Drinke, this is my bloud shed for your syns, that God the eternal father embracing you, Christ calleth and cleppeth you most louingly, makyng himselfe one with you, and you one wyth hym, and one wyth another a­mongest your selues: You ought no lesse to be certayne now that God loueth you, pardoneth your syns, and that Christ is all yours, then if you dyd heare an Angell out of heauen speakyng so vnto you. And therefore reioyce and be glad, and make thys Supper [Page] Eutharichiam, a thankes geuing, as the Fathers named it. Be no lesse certaine that Christ and you now are all one, then you are certayne the bread and wyne is one wyth your nature and substaunce, af­ter you haue eaten and dronken it. Howbeit in thys it differeth, that you by fayth are, as it were, chaunged into Christ, and not Christ into you, as the bread is: for by fayth he dwelleth in vs & we in hym. God geue vs fayth in the vse of this Sacrament to receyue Christ, as he geueth vs handes to receiue the element, symbole, and visible Sacrament, God graunt vs not to prepare our teeth and belly (as S, Augu­stine sayth) but rather of his mer­cy he prepare and geue vs true and lyuely fayth to vse thys and all other his ordinances to his [Page] glory & our comfortes. He sweepe the houses of our hartes, & make them cleane, that they may be a woorthy harborough and lod­ging for the Lord. Amen.

Now let vs come and looke on wherfore the Sacrament was instituted. the third and last thing, namely wherefore the Lord did institute this Sacrament. Our nature is very obliuious of God and of all his benefites. And agayne, it is very full of dubitation and doub­ting of Gods loue & of his kynd­nes. Therefore to the end these two thinges might be something reformed and holpen in vs, the Lord hath institute this Sacra­ment: I meane that wee myght haue in memory the principal be­nefites of all benefites, that is, Christes death, & that we might be on all partes assured of com­munion with Christ, of all kynd­nes [Page] the greatest that euer God dyd geue vnto man. The former to be the end wherfore Christ did institute this Sacrament, he him selfe doth teache vs, saying: Do ye this in remembraunce of me. The latter the Apostle doth uo iesse set forth in saying: The bread whih we brake, is it not the parta­king or communion of the body of Christ? Is not the cup of blessyng which we blesse, the partaking or cō ­munion of the bloud of Christ? So that it appeareth the end where­fore this Sacrament was insti­tuted, was and is for the refor­macion and helpe of our obliuion of that which wee should neuer forget, and of our dubitation of that wherof we ought to be most certayne.

Concerning the former, namely of the memory of Christes deare [Page] what cōmodity it bringeth with it, I wyl purposely for times sake omit. Onely a lirle wyll I speake of the commodities cōming vnto vs by the partaking and commu­nion we haue with Christ, First it teacheth vs that no man can cō municate wyth Chryst, but the same must needes communicate with Gods grace & fauour, wher thorow syns are forgeuen. Ther fore this cōmoditye cōmeth here­thorow, namely that we should ve certaine of the remission & par­don of our synnes. The which thing we may also perceue by the cup, in that it is called the cup of the new Testament: to whych Testament is properly attributed on Gods behalfe obliuion or re­mission of our syns. First I say therefore the supper is instituted to this ende, that he which wor­thely [Page] receiueth, should be certaine of the remission & pardon of hys syns and iniquities, how many and great soeuer they be. Now great a benefit this is, onely they know which haue felt the burthē of syn, which of all heauy thinges is the most heauye. Agayne, no man can cōmunicate with Chri­stes body and bloud, but the same must communicate with his spi­rite for Christes body is no dead carcase. Now he that cōmunicateth with Christes spirit, cōmu­nicateth as with holynes, righ­teousnes, innocency, & immortali­tie, and wyth all the merites of Christes body: so doth he with God and all his glory, & with the Church, & all the good that euer it or any member of it had, hath, or shall haue: This is the cōmu­nion of Sainctus which we beleue ☞ Note though I apply thys thus: yet I woulde not y ^t any men shuld think that cōmu­nionē sāc­torum in the Creede is not set foorth there for the bet­ter explica­tion of that which pre­ceedeth it, namelye. what y ^e ho­ly catholike Church i [...] [Page] in our Creede, which hath way­ting on it remission of synnes, re­surrection of the flesh, and lyfe e­nerlasting.

To the end that we should be most assured and certayne of all these, Christ our Sauiour did in­stitute this his Supper, & ther­fore would haue vs to vse it. So that there is no man, I trow, which seeth not great cause of ge­uing thankes to God for this ho­ly Sacrament of the Lord, wher­by if we worthely receine it, we ought to be certayne that all our syns what soeuer they be, are pardoned clearly: that we are rege­nerate and borne agayne into a liuely hope, into an inheritaunce immortall, vnderiled, and which can neuer wither away: that bee are in the fellow shyp of God the Father, the Sonne, and the holy [Page] Ghost: that we are Gods Ten­ples, at one with God, and God at one with vs: that we are mē ­bers of Christes Church and fe­lowes with the Sainctes in all felicity: that we are certayne of immortalitie in soule and body, & so of eternall lyfe, then whych thyng what can be more demaunded? Christ is ours, and we are Christes, he dwelleth in vs, and we in him. Oh happy eyes that see these things, and most happy hartes that feele them. My deare brethren, let vs pray vnto y ^e Lord to open our eyes to see these wō ­derfull thinges, to geue vs fayth to feele them. Surely we ought no lesse to bee assured of them now in the worthy receiuyng of this Sacrament, then we are as­sured of the exteriour symboles and Sacramentes. If an Angell [Page] from heauen should come and tell you these things, then would you reioyce & be glad: And my deare hartes in the Lord, I euen now, though most vnwyrthy, am sent of the Lord to tel you no lesse, but that you worthely receiuing this Sacrament, shall receiue remissi­on of all your syns, or rather cer­tainety that they are remitted, and that you are euen now Gods dar­linges, Temples, and fellow in­heritours of al the good that euer he hath, Wherefore see that you geue thankes vnto the Lorde for this his great goodnes, & prayse hys name for euer.

Oh, sayth one, I cold be glad An obiec­tion of [...]n­worthy re­ceiuyng. in very deede, and geue thankes from my very hart, if that I dyd worthely receiue thys sacrament But (alas) I am a very greuous synner, & I feele in my selfe very [Page] little repentance and fayth, and therefore I am a frayde that I am vnworthy.

To the answering of thys ob­iection The aun­swar. I thinke it necessarye to speake somthing of the worthy receiuing in this Sacrament, in as great breuity and playnes as I can. The Apostle wylleth al men to proue and examine themselues before they eate of the bread, and drinke of the cup: for they that eate and drinke vnworthely, eate and drinke damnation. There­fore this probacion and examination is necessary. If men wyll try their golde and syluer, whether they be coper or no, is it not more necessary [...] that men should trye their consciences? Nowe howe this should be, the Papists teach amysse in sendyng vs to their au­riculer confession, which is impos [Page] sible. The true probacion and tryall of a Christian con [...]cience consisteth altogether in faith and repentance. Faith hath respect to the doctrine and articles of our beliefe, repentance hath respect to maners & conuersation. Con­cerning the former, I meane of faith, we may see the Apostle tea­cheth vs. 2. Corint 11. Concerning the latter for our conuersation, those syns which are called com­monly mortall or deadly are to be remoued. These syns are discer­ned from other syns by the Apo­stle, Rom. 6. in saying: Let not syn raygne and beare aswynge in your mortall bodies. For truly then wee synne deadly, when we geue ouer to synne, and let it haue the bridle at his liberty, when we striue not agaynstie, but allow it and con­sent to it. How be it, if we striue [Page] against it, if it displease vs, then trulye though synne be in vs (for we ought to obey God without all resistaunce or vnwillyngnes) yet our syns be not of those syns which seperate vs from God, but for Christes sake shall not be im­puted vnto vs beleuing.

Therfore my dearely beloued, if that your synnes doo now dis­please you, if you purpose vnfay­nedly to be enemies to iyn in your selues and in others, as you may, during your whole lyfe, if you hope in Christ for pardon, if you beleue according to the holy scriptures and articles of the Christiā fayth set forth in your Creede, if I say, you nowe trust in Gods mercy through Christes merites, if you repent, and earnestly pur­pose vefore God to amende your lyfe, and to geue ouer yourselues [Page] to serue the Lord in holynes and righteousnes al the daies of your life, although before this present you haue most greuously synned. I publish vnto you that you are worthy gestes for this table, you shall be welcome to Christ, your syns shall be pardoned, you shall be endned with hys spirit, and so with communion with hym and the Father, & the whole Church of God, Christ wyll dwell in you, & you shall dwell in hym for euer­more. Wherefore behaue your selues accordinglye wyth ioyful­nes and thankes geuing. Do you nowe appeare before the Lord: make cleane your houses, & open the dores of your hartes by re­pentance and faith, that the Lord of hostes, the kyng of glory may enter in: and for euer hereafter beware of all suche thynges as [Page] myght displease the eyes of hys Maiesty. Flie from syn as from a Toade, come away from pope­ry and all Antichristian religion, be diligent in your vocations, be diligent & earnest in prayer, har­ken to the voyce of God in hys word with reuerence, lyue wor­thys your profession. Let your lyght in your lyfe so shine, that men may see your good workes, and glorify your father which is in heauen. As you haue beene darkenes, & followed the works of darknes, so now henceforth be light in the Lord, & haue society with the workes of light. Now hath God renue [...] hys couenaunt with you, in Gods sight now are you as cleane, and healed frō all your sores of synnes. Go your wayes, syn no more, lest a worse thing happen vnto you. See that [Page] your house beyng new swept, be furnished with godlines and vertue, and beware of idlenes, lest the deuil come with seuen spirits worse then himselfe, and so take his lodging, and then your latter end wyll be worse then the first.

God our Father, for the tender mercy and merites of hys soune, be mercyful vnto vs, forgeue vs al our syns, and geue vs his holy spirit, to purge, cleanse, & sanetify vs, that we may bee holye in hys sight through Christ, & that we now may be made ready & wor­thy to receiue thys holy Sacra­ment, with the fruits of the same to the full reioyning & strengthe­ning of our harts in the Lord. To whom be all honour & glory, world without ende.

Amen.

To God be all praise for euer.