Commentary Upon Micah

THe word or message of the euerlyuyng Iouah (y ^t is) of him which now s, that hath been, that shall be. By whom also all things have their being: for so much containeth that hye name of God, which we do for the most part translate (lord) throughout the Bible, because the Jews not daring to pronounce it, neither by any other word being able to express so much of God, doth place in the stead thereof Adonai, which doth sygnyfy Lord. Which I do note to this ende to admonysh the reader to avoid such cauillacions as the enemies of the gospel have here to fore stirred about thee Lord, and our Lord, and to teache the ignorant to have a deep consideracion of the magesty of this Lord, which is, which hath been, and which shall be, by whom all creatures have their being so oft as they do hear the Lord named and so cal them to the reverence of the name of God, so longe bi us Christians contempned, despised, and vyllanously blasphemed, with usual oaths and abhominable perjury. Whereas the Jews dare not speak nor write this great name with meruelous obseruacaons & much reverence, to our great shame I do speak it, which do toss like a ten's ball without all fear and reverence the name of our Lord God frō mouth to mouth, accountinge him unmeet for all good company, especyallye for a kings court which will not take the name of god in vain at eueri other word

Oh ye blasphemers must this be the first entrye into your Courts and company, to shake of the fear of God. So despitefullye to break his hollye precept and commandment? so contumelyouslye to abuse his holy name, great before all creatures, high before the angels, and terrible to the devils. Learn some other couretynge before this Lord in his dreadful majesty come down amongst you. You can talk reuerentlye of the kings Maiestye, his highness, his hanorable counsel, my Lord's grace, my Lord Bishops grace and my ladyes grace, & is there nothing left for the Lord of all Lord's, the king of all kings, but God's blood, God's wounds, God's passiō, blasphemyng outrageously both God the father & his son Christ (who for to save us, shed his blood, suffered these wounds and bitter passion) Is neither God, who created thee? nor Jesus Christ, who redeemed thee, of no more reputacion? Is this right courtyng? to set so light by thy creation? thy redemption, thy salvation? Then cursed be courtyng, woe worth the wicked company.

Here all people, hearken thou earth, and all that therein is. The Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord frō his holy temple.

Loo, no kings course is excepted, but all people must do reverence unto this Lord, all knees must bow before his magesty. The heaven is his seat, the earth is his foot stool. The king in his pryuy chamber hath this Lord a witness of his dooynges. The Lord's of the priuay counsel, cannot shut forth of the counsel chamber, this unreprovable witness. No Kynge, no Courte, no Emperor, no Poope, Prelate shall woorcke so pryuelye, but this Lord shall espy and se, shall both witness and judge all their doings.

Let us therefore tremble and diligently give ear when the Lord speaketh, and with fear and reverence humble our selves to his name. Desiringe as his son taught us, his name too be sanctified, hallowed, renowned, reuerēsed and magnified, and waitinge most obedientlie whiles his holy will be fulfilled.

Moses doth cal heaven and earth to witness against us, as doth our Prophet Micah. Deuternomi. iiii. xxx. and xxxii. So doth Isaiah also in his first Chapter, teaching us that the heavens, that is to say: the heavenly spyrytes and angels, the earth, that is too say: all men create upon thee earth: shallbeare witness at the great and terrible time of God his last Iudgemente, withal true preachers and Prophets, against our sinful stubbernes, which will not repent, being so often admonished. Yea the euerliuinge and everlasting Lord in his dreadefull Magestye cometh as an unreprovable witness too aduenge the contempt of his hollye name, and all other abominations, as this our watch man warneth, will we not yet stoop? abate our Pryde, pluck down our high courtlie lokes, halte coūtenaunces, and leave our bleather blown brags, set forth with shamlesse oaths, too the contempt of God his holy name, and that bitter passion which Christ our savior, suffered for us.

Well, the Lord is higher then all, and he will shortly come down from his holly temple. Then woe to the ex •• n of pride, the blasphemers of his name. Woe to the ambitious Tiraunts and covetous caitifes.

Woe to the drunken in their lusts, either hear in England, or elles where, for there is one God which hateth sin ever sense he made man, and one sprite which hath by the holy word uttered sin, rebuked it, and foughten against it from the beginning, one Lord, which shall be booth witness and judge over all flesh, which shall come sodaynelye upon the wicked, strongelye, and myghtely, like an hail storm, like a whyrle wind, or like a sooden flood of waters fallynge upon a great plain Isaiah. xxvii.

For loo God shall come forth of his place, he shall come down and walcke upon the high places of the earth. And the hills shall melte under his feet, the valaies shall cleave in sonder, evē as the wax melteth against the fire and as the waters which fall down with violence.

Oure Prophet Micah doth paint the coming of the Lord to judgment booth with the Jews and also with the hole world with most euydent similitudes of coming down and walking, which can be applied unto God, who fylleth all places but only bi borrowed speech as Moses did say. Gen. iii. God did walk in Paradyse at the euentyde because he did then open his Magestye most presentlye unto Adam, howbeit upon our savior Christ whom we believe bodilye too be in one place, not in all: according to the saying of the angel unto the women. He is not hear after his resurreccyon, but the men of Galilee stood and beheld his human body, go up into the heavens, and the angels said again unto them: ye mē of Galilee, this same Jesus shall come again, as ye have seen him go up in to the heavens. Acts. i. and God hath appointed a day, saith Paul: when he will judge the world with righteousness, by this man whom he hath raised from death. Act. xvii. The which day and time of the Lord's coming seemeth here to be chiefly and pryncypallye described, though the destruccyon of the Jews be therewyth insumate, for thus doth Christ him self cople both together .xxiiii. of Matthew and David in the .xvii. Psalm doth adjoin the day of his particular deliverance to this day of the Lord's cōminge, saying: the Lord hath heard my voice from his holy temple. The earth was moved and trembled, and the foundacyons of the Mountaynes were troubled, & shaken. The smoke did come forth in his wrath and the fire did flame from his face, so that cools were kindled therewith, he bowed down the heavens & came down and darkness under his fete.

Of this day and of these high places whereupon the Lord shall walk, speaketh Isaiah the Prophet. In that day the Lord alone shall be exalted for it shall come upon all the high and proud, upon all them that ar arrogant, and they shall be brought low, and up on all the high Ceder trees of Lybanus, and vpō all the Okes of Basan, & upon all the high hills, and upon every high tower, the pride of mē shall be brought down, and their high lokes be brought low saith Isaiah, which is the meaning of our Prophet.

And the hills shall melt.

For our God is a consuminge fire and who is able to abide the heat of his heavy displeasure? and as Isaiah saith the Lord shall come in fire, and his Chariot shall be like a whyrle wind, to utter forth his fury with great rage, & his rebuke in the flame of fire. For in the fire and the sword shall the Lord Judge all flesh. Isaiah. lxvi.

Now, where the proud world doth think y ^t the lord liveth in the heavens, not seeing, nether regardīg their doings vpō earth, our Prophet rebuketh that gross opinion, and telleth thē that as he did come terrible down upon the mount Sinai when he did give the law of the .x. commandments. So will he come with fire, to make their hearts to melte, when he will ask accounts of the keeping and fulfillynge of these holy commandments. The which fearful communication and threatening may worthily cause us in these latter days, upon whom the end of the world is come, to quake and tremble, considering our careless life, which do all things so wilfullye and wickedlye as though either there were no God at all, or no day appointed to make answer for our doings. But the Lord will come speedily from his holy temple.

For the wickedness of Jacob, all this and for the sin of the house of Israel.

After the Prophet have threatened utter destruccyon of the .ii. kingdoms Samaria & Ierusalē, set forth by open similitude of the mountains melting, y ^e valleys cleaving in sondre, like as wax doth before the fyrye flame, he showeth the cause of the ruin of thē both & of y ^e great wrath of God, & as all prophecies be general being given by one spirit, which seeth to the end evermore stryuyng against the syn of all nations. So doth the spirit teach us that the only cause of God's wrath in all ages, and all places, is the sin and wickedness of the world, for the which he said once: It repenteth me that I made man. Genesis .vi. For sin God destroyed the whole world, which he had made, both man and beast, save only a seed reserved in the Ark, to preach his justice, & his mercy, in a new world, renewed by his spirit. For the proud sinful words of the old Giantes, did the great plage of the confusion of languages come up on the world, which we do feel unto this day, so that one man unto another being of a strange nation, is made as it were a dumb and speecheles beast. For syn were the .v. cytyes brente with fire. For sin wer the old Giants Og king of Basan, and the monstrous seed of Suachim destroyed. For sin the Canaanites, the Heuites, the Hethites, the Jebusites, and to be short after them who were placed in their Countries, the chosen Israelites being in noumber like the sand of the sea, were myserably wasted, destroyed, and consumed. The .iiii. pryncipall Monarchies which Daniel descrybeth, be all beaten down for sin. And the .x. little horns or kingdoms also, hath been everyone of them, ofter then once changed and translated. Finally all realms countries, towns and cities, shall for sin have the like ruin and destruction. Some sooner and sorar, to cause the rest to repent, and at the length all because the reward of sin is destrucciō by the mighty Lord his unchangeable ordinance. So sore a thing is sin in the sight of God, that who so ever sinneth, deserveth death. This was the old learning which the Lord taught Adam in Paradise, which all the seed of Adam feeleth and tasteth continually, and yet can neither see nor avoid the cause of their destruction, but as Media did say: Even seeing, wittyng, and willing we do perish.

Who was the cause of sin to Jacob? was it not Samaria? and who of the hie places of Judah? was it not Jerusalem?

Thys sentence cannot stand as it is commonly translate, what is the syn? because the interogatiue in the Hebrew is the Masculine gēder, & therefore must be referred to the author of the sin, and hye places, whereunto the answer also serveth that Samaria and Jerusalem, that is to say: the chief cities and kings courts are the causes of all wickedness & Idolatrous abomination. Even so so said Elias to king Ahab: Thou and thy fathers house hath troubled Israel which have forsaken the commandments of God, and followed Balaam. For like as the king and court is, such are the people, as the experience of all ages playnelye teacheth. For the people always by flattering and counterfaityng kings and princes, doth imitate & follow their manners & condiciōs. And this is nothing unnatural, that the body and inferior members should follow the qualities & disposicion of the head, but rather impossible that it should be inclined any other ways. Here is to be noted for the variety of trāslacion, of this text that it is a defective sentence, and by sundry interpreters is diuerstye supplied like as many mo are in the old testament. For the Hebrew tongue in sētēces of vehemencye, and also of great haste doth leave out certain words easy to be understand. itti mi, who with me, ha shalam, how peace, such eclypsed phrasies have we in the English tongue, as howe now? horsse, horsse. Samaria was the kings of Israel's seat, as we read .iii. Kyng .xvi. Amry king of Israel bought the hyl Thamor of Themer, and buylte it for his palace, where as the kings wer named before to reign in Thyrsa, as appeareth in the same chapter.

This Samaria is much blamed in scripture, because of the gold̄ calves which Jeroboam set up, & all the kings of Israel in this city chiefly maintained after him. And Jerusalem is annexed as her sister by birth, being both of one people, brought forth of Egypt, and also like of condiciō in all kind of abominations, as the third chapter of Ieremye, and xxiii. of Ezekiel doth at large under y ^e names of Ahola and Aholiba declare. Wher as Ierusalē is accounted much more wicked, because she could not beware by her systers fall, but increased her abominations, and therefore much more greuouslye to be judged and condemned.

In what case then are we living in these evil days, in our great cities, courts, and kings houses, which have not the terrible example of one of thē only, but of infinite other set before our eyes. We do read of the wicked kings in Jerusalem Ahaz and Manasseh, which did not only exceed in wickedness the kings of Israel and princes of Samaria, but they are charged y ^t they far pass the wickedness of that people which the Lord did drive forth before them for their sins. And abominations the wicked Cananees, where the kings and Prynces were so evil, the people could not be good, therefore did come upon them horrible destruccyon at the ende. What shall we say in these perilous times wherein all men complaineth, religion to be neglected, charity to be clean quenched, all good manners & orders perverted and corrupted, covetousness so depelye grounded, and riot so rooted in their hearts, which have authorytye over us, that these poisons are spread like smyttinge lepryes, from the head to the hole body even to the souls of the feet and lowest menbers.

Repente (we say) O you princes & judges of the earth, remember these examples of old, consider that all is laid upon your backs, for you must answer for the sins of the people, even you I say, which should be as it wer earthly gods unto the people, to minister all goodness. Become not devils the authors of evil and wickedness, have often in mind the godli sayings of the boke of wisdom, that power is given unto you of the Lord, & authoriti frō the highest, which shall examine your works & shall search your very thoughts, because that you being the ministers of his kingdom, have not used righte judgment, nor kept y ^e law of righteousness, nether have you walked after the will of God.

Horribly therefore and spedelye shall he appear unto you, for a moste strait judgment shall be to them in authority. Unto the small mercy shall be shown, but the mighty shall be mightily tormented. &c as in. Sapi. vi.

Repente we cry again O ye lords of the earth of your former negligens in religion. Lay down your covetous ambition, cease from riot and your lascivious wantonness. Awaye with your stinkinge fornycacyon. Let go your oppression and extorsion.

Sease to do evil. Learn to do good. Least you do perish with these .ii. cities afore named Samaria & Ierusalē. The pore people your subjects must needs follow your example, if you do unfeignedly reap̄t as did y ^e kīgs & princes of Nineveh. Lyke as they cannot eskape unpunished if you do sink in sin with the princes of Sodō. But oh, where be y ^e exāpls & proclamaciōs of the kings & princes of Nineveh, which admonished of their sins by Jonah only, proclaimed a fast for young & old, mā & beast, commanding most straitly y ^t they should cry unto the Lord with all their might, & every man torn frō his evil way, & frō the wickedness, wherein he was practiced. That God might repent of his word & turn awa his wrath. But you contrariwise, not repenting, but forgetting how you have offended God with your old idolatry, do abuse his light, now sent amōgs you, to the satitfying of your lusts, & to condēnaciō of your own souls, cause god his holy word, & y ^e preachers thereof to serve your couetusnes. You do make proclamaciōs daily I do grant against the covetous dealings of your inferior members & subjects: but be sure, y ^e body cannot be delivered of this disease except y ^e head be first pourged. Wherefore be warned in time by the prophets and preachers, for if we still both head & foot, continue in evil, we must loke to gether to perish w ^t the wicked world before us.

I will lay Samaria in forowes to plant vines, I will cast down her stones into the valei & raise her foundacyons.

Lo, utter destrucciō is threatened to this cytye for the wickedness of the inhabitants. And it was performed which y ^e prophet speaketh by Shalmaneser, San herib, Phul, & Theglathphelaser, as appeareth in y ^e .iiii. boke of the kings the xvii. & .xviii. chap. And shall our polluted Samaritās of Londō escape unpunished, the Jews could not medle w ^t the Samaritās w ^t out polluciō, neither cā y ^e faithful come to London but they are contaminate. Their eyes with filthy sightes, are full of adultery, their ears with wicked tales & blasphemies, ar obturate & made deaf, their minds w ^t infinite errors occupied, with y ^e diversity of diuilish delucions demēted, that neither Samaria, neither Sodō itself, hath deserved before god & mā any sorar, or more extreme punishment. God is there none amōgs thē, nether yet erthly king, as appeareth by their laws cōtēpned, no love amongst mē, no shame fastnes amongst women, no faith, no fear, no trust, no cōfidēce, no master content with one office and calling, no servant for love, doth show obedience.

In shadow and outward show, have banished Idolatry, and changed their religion, yet do they serve the devil still as much as ever they did in all kind of abhominaciō. Therefore shall this English Samaria be wasted and destroyed, because from this sea all sinful poodles of England doth flow & spread abroad.

And all the graven images of Samaria shall be broken in pieces, the gifts and offerings shall be brent with fire, and all her temples shall I make desolate, for she hath gathered all of the hire of an harlot, and to the hire of the harlot, they shall be returned.

The graven Images, the gold̄ calves, & what so ever the Assyryans foūdin Samaria, they spoiled and waisted it, they destroyed their towns & temples as is touched .iiii. Kynges .xvii. They did take away their golden calves. Hosea .viii. whereby the lying Lord would utter the weakness of those feigned gods which could not help them selves, and the foolyshnes of all men which will worship such broken cesterns that can hold no water. Yea, their foolyshnes & shameless abomination is much more uttered in that the Prophet saith that Samaria had gathered all this of the hire of the harlot: charging thē as doth Ezekiel .xvi. Chap. that where unto all common whores, there is givē rewards. Israel lokinge for no reward of her Idols, with whom she hath ren of whoringe, hath contrariwise made thē riche with her gifts and rewards. But as goods evil gotten must needs be evil spente (according to the common Proverb) so now cometh it to pass, that these rich Jewels gold and silver offered Idols in Samaria, are carried into Babylon to be dedicate to their Idols again, or elsse are ready to be converted upon such harlottes as communelye followeth such garrisons of orderles sowgioures and by the curse of god and most heavy temptation (as we do se in our time) that which was gotten by spiritual fornicacion is spent in beastly and bodily whoredom.

Wherefore I shall mourn and yel, I shall go spoiled & naked, I must murne like the dragons, & wayle like the Estriches.

The Prophet brasteth forth with tears, with sighing, sobbing, yelling, and criyng, to lament the state of these miserable times, which he did see and behold to hang over the heads of his people. So doth Christ our Savior seeing Jerusalem, wept over it. So doth Isaiah. So doth Jeremiah, and all true prophets and preachers lament and bewail the miseries, which needs must follow the synneful stubbernes of the wicked. Thus always, the wicked world greueth the holy spirit of God, in these holy men: but never will they mourn for their own sins, unless it be so as our prophet may be right well understand, that afflyccion, danger, and distress, do give them understanding, as in their fearful famine, when the delycate women, were fain to eat their own tender babes, to eat rates, horsse heads, the very dounge of Asses when their king was carried captive, and his eyes put forth, when the bewtye of their fair women was wythered with waylyng, with heat and burning of the weather, when the playtynge of their hair was turned into baldness, and all their strong men slain in battle. Then as Isaiah saith: their gates shall mourn and the city being spoiled, shall sit upon the earth. Isaiah. iii. Thus may it be very aptly understand, either of the Prophet or of the people.

Of this spoil and nakedness Moses by the mouthe of God, did Prophecye. Deuterno. xxix. Because they have forsaken the covenant of God, which he hath made with their fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egyptte, shall their lande lie spoiled and wasted. Agayne. Hos. cha. iii. A long time saith he, shall the children of Israel sit without king, without Prince, without sacrifice, without altar, Ephot, & Ieraphim.

Wherein is to be marked that the fall and destruction of all cities & coūtries are for seen to the spirit of God, and the cause of their ruyne is only sin and wickedness, even the forsakynge of the Lord.

This it is which shall make the proud Dragons which fometh forth fire frō their mouths to yel and cry at the end, for the misery which shall come upon them. This shall cause the great Estriches to groan and mourn for very distress and anguish. Fynallye, this sin shall cause all the earth to shake & quake, to yell and wayle, when the word of god shall be poured forth upon it.

O Lord be merciful unto us, for our sins sake do we fele at this day thy heavy dyspleasure, too rage and rain through our hole realm, and especially at this present, upon thy house of Suffolk, once beautifyed by thy glorious Gospel but now by our unworthiness spoiled naked and byryued of the crown of glory of thy chosen vessels, the hope, honor, and comeliness of that house. O Lord why doth not the wicked perish which knoweth not the nor careth for thy commaundmēts? But the iudgmente beginneth at thine household children, the heard hearted Estriches and deuourynge Dragones shall yel and mourn in the ende.

The proud tirauntes are lykened to Dragons Ezekiel .xxxii. Job. xl. For the Dragons howe they die pressed to death by the huge Elephante Plinius declareth. Lib. viii. Cap. xi. The Estryches ar described. Lib. x. Cap. i. Strabo. Liber. xvi.

Because her woūdes ar in curable: For to Iehuda is it now come: it is come too the gates of my people even to Jerusalem,

Lo, this is the cause worthy of much moureninge, weepinge, and wailinge (saithe our Prophets) because Iehuda hath sinned, and as Isaiah saith from the head to the foot, there is nothing but swelling soores, stripes and wonds, no place left where they may be plagued any more. The wrath of the Lord is so soore kindled, that he hath given thē up to their own sinful lusts & therefore worthily hath also brought vpō thē miserable plagues, the fire of his vengaunce can not be quenshed but still the Idolatrous people of Samaria too the chosen kingdom, it rageth from Iehuda even to Jerusalem that holy city, whereunto the perpetual priesthood and kingdom unto the coming of Messiah was promised, so y ^t as Isaiah lamenteth the cities round about Jerusalem being destroyed. Jerusalem was left alone like a watch house in the vineyard or the cottage in the garden of Cucummers, and clear without any sucoure obsessed & besieged by Rabsace as appeareth .iiii. kings .xviii. Here by now England and all those people whom God hath specially called in these our times by the light of his Gospel hath great cause too tremble and fear God his secrete judgment, considering y ^t we have not so many promises as had Jerusalem and their fall was for their unthankfulness and forgetfulness of their duties towards god, as appeareth by our Prophet. What shall we thē loke for: like fall with y ^e Germans. Nay, much worse & much sorar because we will not yet be warned.

Do not declare this in Gath: neither weep you nor wayl you there, in the houses of Sephratumble thyself in the dust.

A like lamentacion maketh David for the death of Saull and Ionathas ii. kings .ii. show not this thing in Gath nor Askalon saithe he, leste the vncircūcised Philistines do reioise at y ^e fall of Israel, Wherein is declared the cause y ^t in Gathe named a city of the Phelistines, whence y ^e great enemy Goliath did come the fall of god his people should not be know̄ least the vncircūcised should say where is their God. As the great Turck & the proud Pope with their adherents do not stick at this day to sai of the Germans that they were in an evil way else should not god have givē thē to their enemies. O let us beware lest y ^e name of God or his holy doctrine be by our wicked sinfulness at any time so hainouslye blasphemed. But as for Ophir which is hear called Aphra (for the hebrew allusion with Aphar which signifieth dust) which was in the tribe of Benjamin one of the high cities of Judah the prophet byddeth it after the custom of mourners to mourn in dust & ashes. So ought we in our own cōgregacions amōgs our selves, bewail our miseries, & the miseries of our brethrē, & thus judging our selves, we shall not be with the wicked condemned, but by our unfeigned reap̄taūce, cause God to show his mercy vpō us, as did the Ninevites reap̄ting in ashes & sackloth at the preaching of Jonah. But O merciful god what flintish harts have we? The enemies of Christ do laugh & reioise at these our miseries. Yet we cā not bewail thē. The proud papists cā say they are plagued for their sins, yet will we not espy them. They do say (I do fear me ouertrulye) that we neither do fast nor pray but cause the Gospel to serve our foolish fantasyes, and therefore doth God send these plages upon us, that we may be made new vessels apt and mete to these spiritual works, thereby to put away thy wrath so sore kindled against us, and to stop the mouths of our enemies.

Get the hence Sapphire w ^t thine enhabitaunce, thou haddest thy name of beauty, but thou art naked with shame. And zaenā which had the name of going forward, shall not go forth to bewail Bethhazell, the ennemye shall take from you through his long seige. For the citizens of Maroth hath sorowed for their riches sake, because that evil is come frō the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem. Yoke thi chariote with thi Dromedaries and swift running Camels, O Lakis, for thou wast the first beginning of the sin of Israel the daughter of Zion, for in the was found the wickedness of Israel.

The Prophet doth rehearse the chief cities whence Jerusalem should have had help and succoure, and setteth before her eyes the extreme misery whereunto she was brought by sin. The bewtiful Sapphire was smitten with shame. zaenan which was not alway ready before time to go forth against the enemy, and thereof had the name, dare not now go forth to lament her neighbors of Bethhaezel: no, the ennemye hath takē from them both men, money, and all municions by theyre longe siege against them. The rich cytye of Maroth also doth mourn for her riches, where she hoped for the good blessing of God which is here named, Tob, and doth signify all goodness. The contrary even the curs & wrath of God threatened in the law, did pierce to the ports & gates of Ierusalē. Now Lakis which is named y ^e .x. of Joshua to be y ^e kings seat which is laid also to y ^e princely trybe of Judah. Joshua the .xv. is commanded by our Prophet to fly away in chariots and to be carried with most swyfte beasts for so doth all the Hebrew commentaries agree that, Rekes, doth signify. Thoughe some do translate mules, some Camels, some Dromedaries, and some doth say it is the name of a beast vnknowē to us. The meaning of the Prophet is to utter in how great fear they shall be before the enemy. And as the Prophet speaketh it was fulfilled the .xiiii. yere of the reign of king Esechias, when Senaherib did take all the strong fenced cities of Judah, and being in the city of Lakis, Hezekiah sent Messengers to desire him too depart and appoint what tribute he would, iiii, kings .xviii. The Prophet doth further utter the cause of this terrible fear, frō which they should fly, saying: y ^t this Lakis was the first fountain of the Idolatry, brought from Samaria to Jerusalem, which ought therefore chiefly to tremble, because it was the first and chief cause of God his wrath thus kyndled. Let all them learn hereby to repent which are the authors of evil unto other, for when the almighty shall shake his sword it shall be to late to seek for help at horses and Chariots.

The common fame goeth that in Boston in Lincoln shere there, was seen a sword hanging in the air, but we need no feigned matters: we do feal the fierce wrath of God and his sore swerd in this sodē death & murren of mē, which might cause us to repent, if we wer not indurate & givē over to our own lusts. Our beauty is shent, our forward men are spente, our riches is consumed. Cā we help this with the frendshyp of foran nations? can we resist the wrath of God by our pollycyes? especyallye ioynyng hands with papists, the friends of Antechriste by profession, and our auncyente enemies.

Therefore shall thou send gifts to Moresheth which is in Gath, and the house of Akrib shall lie unto the kings of Israel. Yet again will I bring an heir unto the thou city of Maresha unto Adullā shall come the glory of Israel. Make thyself bald & be shaven, for delicate & daintye childrē enlarge thi baldness & nakedness like the Egle because thei are gone into captivity from the.

Moresheth & Maresha are .ii. divers cities of diverse con̄tries & in the Hebrew playnelye dystyncte by letters and vow elles. Moresheth, Bathe was a cytye of Palastine which David brought in subieccion and made tributarye. The which our Prophet doth now say, shall make Jerusalem trybutary in contrary condycion, and Lykewyse Aksib was a citi of Judah, Joshua .xv. whose citizens were like the lying and deceivable waters giving no refreshinge to them which sought relief at their hands.

Maresha was in the trybe of Judah, The prophet b • the mouth of god, threateneth to bring in a new heir and owner to Maresha the cytye, wherein he was borne, to give them knowledge, and to bring into remembrance the benefyte of old, when God brought them forth of Egypt, did drive forth the Cananees, and set them as heirs and owners in their land. The which work of God they nothing regarding, but couetyng the spoil one of another, every man taking house and land from his own brother, as followeth in the second chapter, by worthy punyshmente and just recompense, God bringeth and setteth in their place new heirs and owners. And unto Adullam, which was a cytye night to Ierusalē, shall come this heir, this owner, & new possessioner, whō all Israel shall hold as their lord, & count as their king. Wherefore he is here called their glory, the glory of Israel, which was fulfilled in the king of Assur. Sanherib which did come and conquer all the cities of Jewry, save only Jerusalem, which was left like a cotage in the field when the harvest was ended, as Isaiah saith: where the Prophet biddeth the whole land of Jury, so make it self bald, & shave of the hear, for the loss of her children. He setteth forth the great heaviness and murnyng which should follow this destruction. Lyke as Ezekiel xxvii. Let them sprynckle their hands with dust and ashes, and shave them whiles they be bald. Also, Jeremiah .xvi. of the contrary where there shall be no murnyng. They shall die great and small together, they shall not be buried nor lamented, neither shall any cut them self or any baldness be made for them. Job is named to have been shaven in his great sorrow in the first chap.

This similitude of y ^e Egle is brought in to amplify and set forth their spoil and destruction, for as the Egle in extreme age, doth cast all her fair feathers and loseth them. So Israel naked and spoiled, bald and barren of all ornaments, shall mourn and lament, the which symylytude of the Egle, may represente also to the spiritual man, the renuynge of the spiritual Israel, which cannot be any other way, but by the mortifyfiyng of the carnal Israel. Whereunto the Prophets as unto their chief mark (though darkly for the time) doth apply their prophecies. Of this renewing of the Egle, besides the profane writers, we read Psa. ciii. Esa. xl. of the renewyng and restoring of the spiritual Israel. Isaiah. lx. Ambrose doth at large set forth this similitude, and apply it to the renewing of the faithful, in a Sermon made principally for the same purpose. Now to appyly this prophecy to our time and manners. What if we be likewise compelled to please with gifts our enemies? what if we being disepossed, other do invade our possessions? Whō can we blame, but our own wickedness? which being so oft warned, wilfullye do ren forward to provoke the wrath of God upon us. This sore plage of this sudden death, send among us (unless we do shortly repent and amend our evil lives) seemeth to be the weakenyng and rootyng out of us against the coming of some foreign enemies. For thus God useth first to warn by his word, then by some fatherly correc • ion. After when the people doth wax stubborn against his word, and cruel amongst themselves, he giveth them up to the cruelty of their enemies, which causeth baldness, nakedness, and all myseries. Therefore let us pray with David that we fall into the hand of God, rather then into the hands of men.

The second Chapter.

WO to them that imagine vanity and work wickedness upon their beds and early in the morning will do the same, because that power is in their hands. They couetted fields, and have goten them by extorcion: houses have they desired and taken them away. They have by violence oppressed the man and his house, the man and his herytage.

Oure Prophet here to fore hath chiefly rebuked the people for their Idolatry and unthankfulness towards god. Now when he cometh to touch their gross covetousness against their brethren, he is compelled to cry, woe worth them that thus wickedly lying upon their soft beds where they should thank God for his benefits, and pytye their brethren which have not the like: doth clean contrary imagine only, lying vpō their beds in the night season, howe they may work wyckedly against their poor brethren, and in the morning do speedelye perform their wicked dyuyses. Thys is so plain it needeth no expositour, the Prophet telleth them what they imagine, only how they may get their neighbors house and living. We all grant this is plain, we say all y ^e this is true, & we do confess an everlasting woe and curse shall come upon such covetous caytyfes, but which of us careth for it. The poor man saith this curs belongeth not to him. The Lord's and riche men they care but for the time. The Bishops and priests do loke over as the devil doth loke over Lincoln (as is the common proverb of that country) or else durst they never practice for purchasyng other men's lands and houses to make their wifes ladies, and their sons Lord's. Yet can I praise the Bishops of the Popish church for their clenly cōuetaūce of their matters, in regard of our protestauntes, which thus openlie shame their profession. Will you yet be a church all alone, O English Bishops and and priests, will you neither follow Christ nor his Apostles, neither the Bishoppe of Rome and his Bishops. At you wiser then the one sort or will you be worse then the other? What shall Isai? You do know enough What shall I heap scripture and reasons against you? repent or elsse with the Prophet we must all cry woe, woe, against you, it is youre ambycyon and covetousness that maketh our Lord's heads and governors to do so evil, you cannot worthelye rebuke them being evil yourselves. Therefore our alder Master Christ coming to reform the world, beginneth with the Scribes and Pharisees, the Bishops and thee priests, and though̄dereth woe against them. Sayinge the Scribes and Pharisees set in Moses seat whatsoever they commanded you, that look you observe & keep, but do not according to their works for they speak but thei do not. Woe therefore unto you saith Christ, which shut the kingdom of heaven unto men, neither enterynge youre selves, neither sufferinge them that would enter.

Marcke for thee love of youre own souls, howe like you be to these Pharisees, they did set in Moses seat and did teache and preach the law of God, as you do sometimes. But because they did love the worldly kingdom and Lordeshyp more then the kyngdō of heavē, as Christ here chargeth thē, that they will be great and be called Lord's and masters: by this lewd example, they shut the kingdom of heaven that neither they nor other blinded by their ambycyon, & led astraye by their evil example cold enter therein.

Woo unto you Scribes and Pharisees, saith he, you Hypocrytes which do devour the houses of the wyddowes under the pretence of longe prayer, therefore shall you be more greuouslye punished. You know that the goods of your sees and churches, althose lands and rentes which you receive in youre Dioces are the goods of the poor wedowes and fatherless. And he that defrawdeth the pore is a Murderer. How dare you then devour this to purchase lands for youre wife and chyldrene? But you do it under the pretence of the Gospel, as they did under the pretence of prayer, therefore doth Christ call you Hipocrites which under so holy a clooke dare cover your wickedness, and he saith forther youre damnacyon shall be greater.

Shall we goo forther and say: Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, which labor so busylye with flearyng and flattering, with threatnynge and prysonnynge to gather moo into your feloweshyppe too wear youre gaye gear, too take youre vain titles with you, that when they have stepte forward too one peace of your supersticyon, they become more soorar defenders of youre fondenesse then you were before them. Shall we say? Woe unto you Scrybes and Pharyseis which strive for the gaye golden garments too be used at the Lord's supper and for setting of the altar in the quyere and for round Cakes, and for the people too gape and take them in their mouths like Babes.

But for the godly ministracion of this holy supper, and for the church and faithful congregation of Christ scattered a broad with Popyshe Boores, devoured with covetous and greadye Wolves, Bears, and Lions, and trodē under the foot with stinkinge Goats, you do care nothing. I will goo no further but in the name of this youre head Bishoppe, whom you profess to follow: I warn you to repent, least this woo and curse come upon you, and for your causes upon us all. You are the salt of the earth, if the salt be unsavory what can be seasoned therewyth. I trust verily there is some good amongst you that be Bishops and Priests, but in this point ar you all, that I know, fowllye faultye, that wyncke at your fellow Bishops and fellow priests both in purchasing of Lands, gatherynge of riches, and other abhominatyons. Awaye with covetousness the root of all evils. Awaye with your Lordlines which maketh you unlike Peter, and take unto you larges for your gold n Miter, and mekenes for youre rotehet. Bewyse as Serpents but simple as Doves. So wicked Ahab oppressing Naboth, and his companions, be they Noble men, be they pen men, whereof this world is full. I do cry with Isaiah the Prophet: woo unto you which do i • ine house to house and field to field Isaiah .v. and with the Prophet Ieremye, woo unto him that buyldeth his house in vnrightuousnes, and his parlers not in Judgment, and with the Apostle James. Go to now you rich men, weep and howl vpō the miseries which shall come upon you. &c. Ia. v. Know this old saying to be most true. Every rich man either is wicked, or heir to the wicked. There be many secret imaginacions and privy practyses, wherewith both Bishops and other might here worthelye be charged, but this do I write secretly to admonyshe that they may be moved to reap̄taunce not openly to publish any pryuy secrete seeing their open crimes asketh speedy vengaunce.

Wherefore take heed all ye that imagyne vanity and myckednes in youre secrete chambers, thinking to begyle both God and man by your wily wits. God which made the eye, doth he not see? He which made y ^e hert, hath he not understanding? Is any night so dark▪ that he cannot se therein? na • , • yght is no night, darkness is light before him. Therefore woe shall be unto you and your shame shall never cease, when he bringeth into light youre pryuye practyses your crafty conueiaunce, youre subtle inuenciōs, your syne wits spent in vain and unprofitable ymaginaciōs. Ther is nothing done so closely in secrete, but it shall be revealed openly, be you suit, for Christ our aldermaster speaketh it. The rich nygard imagening vainly to build mo barns and stoare houses, and so to rest in the strength of his own labors, had this answer from the lord: O thou fool how vaynely dost thou ymagyne, this night whiles thou doest ymagyne thus lying upon thy bed, shall they take thy soul from thee.

Nebuchadnezzar imagenynge vaynely of his own strength and power, was so punished and plagued for his vain imaginacion, that he did lose his reasō, wit, and understanding, and became a brute beast, eating grass in the field for the space of .vii. years. And if so be that these men imagenyng vain things only were thus entreated: howe shall wicked Haman and his fellows eskape? imagenyng myschiefe against the chosen of God. Howe shall stought Nymrothe avoid punyshment, which buyldeth his palaces with the spoil of his brethrē. Wher shall become the Cainites which imagine how to get the blood of their brethren. As for the imaginacion of Jezebel, to optayn the vineyard, the enheritaunce of Nabothe, it is no strange thing in these latter days but a common practice, and a polytyke inuencion for the kings advantage. For our wyttes far passeth our predecessers in the imaginacion of mischief, as one day therein always teacheth another. And the scolers of this scoole can ever find somewhat to encreace and augment the wickedness of their masters. As we have seen most euydentlye in the popish church, howe Pope after Pope did enlarge the inuencyons of Antechriste with new and strange deuyses so longe, whiles the ground of Christ's religion clean forgotten, the Champyons and Captains of that wicked court and company, did affirm and contend that all Chrysten Relygyon did stand and consyste wholly upon Ceremonies, the imaginacions of the Idle brayns of Popes and prelates) even so holelye and fully as the goods and substance of the rich Marchaunt standeth upon farthings, so that like as by taking away farthing after farthynge from the rich man, all his substance is at length consumed even so (saith Stephan Gardinet of late a stout Prelate, of his devilish Sophistry in y ^e very latter ende of his boke standeth our religion upon the Mass and heap of Ceremonies which by division contempned, the subtance of our religion by prodygal children is wasted and consumed,

But praised be the Lord God these vain imageners, are put to silence, and confounded hear in England, & who so lyste to read of their vain imaginacions, No man hath more clearly uttered, nor more playnelye painted them in their own colors then out contry man of worthy memory William Tindal in his boke of the practice of prelates. So that I thought it not so mete much to medle with their inuencyons in this treatise as to rebuke the vices of our time and the vain imaginacyons of the carnal Gospellers which would fain serve both God and Mammon, which will make their, belly their God, & say they serve the Lord which would seme to be enemies to Popyshe religion, but they are adversaries to Christ his truth and Gospel, and do more harm thereunto by evil and lascivious liberti of the flesh by covetousness and other crimes, open to the eyes of all the world, thē the other did by cruel persecucyon, and all the crafty imagynatyon of the crafty court of Rome.

Therefore cometh this woo upon us now living, because we do imagine how to maintain by pour our wicked deuyses and iustyfye our evil doings. We can imagine laws to maintain our adulterye. We can make diuorsmentes for very sklenderlye approved causes. We can color our couetusnes with the cloke of religion. Brifly we can establish all our vain imaginacion by laws of our own making, that no mā shall dare be so bold as once to 〈◊〉 against them, though they be contrary to god his own laws. For where God hath commanded in. the .xxii. of Exodus y ^t thou shall not hurt the widow and the fatherless, and if you do hurt or hinder thē by any means either in Londes, in goods, in Cattayle. For the Hebrew word is general of all manner of hurtynge or hynderyng of them. If thou do hurt or hynder them saith the Lord, and they do cry unto me. I will hear their cry, and my wrath shall be kyndled against you, and I will sleye you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows & your children fatherless wards. Let us compare our crafty imaginations and wrong wraisting of laws to this commandment and see howe we shall avoid the woo and curse for the breaking af the same.

We do imagine a law how to spoil the poor widow, first plagued of God, with the want of her husband, with fartherlosse of the lack of her eldest child (which should be her singular comfort in the stead of his father) soulde from Chapman to Chapmanne, and to Chapmanne again like an Ox or an Ass or some bond slave. To be brought up in drogerye or handled like a ward for both is one thing by common Prouerb, and at length against his will, which is the moste misery of all, and far from the law of nature, contrary to the law of God and too all good polytyke law of free cytyes, compel him too Marrye whom he hateth either for her own vntowardenes, for such are appointed forwards (for the most part) as no other man would gladly chose? ether cannot love for the extremytye of her Parentes. For no violence can bring love, but free and coragyous stomachs, hate compulsion and setteth much by choice and lybertye, Especyallye hear where upon hangeth the comforthe or care of the hoole life, and either furtherance or hinderance from the endelesse felicity.

But behold what becometh of our imaginacions. We heap the cursses and woe threatened against us, upon our heads, and causeth such widows to mourn and cry unto God for their miseries, we do make these fatherless, these wards, whereof we have a careful charge by the mouthe of God in many places of scripture: too blaspheme God and man in thee anguish of their hearts by our covetous cruelty: Cursyngethe time of theyre birth, theyre Parents, their Lands and Land Lord's

We cople them too our Doughters too cause continual Adulterye in booth partes. Who being thus married with thee Deuylles Marryage, seeketh for deuorcement when they are forth of bondage, which as it may in some cases be permytted, so for to be made common and usual, shall be the greatest plage that come to any common wealth. And these men having their minds occupied only in strange love, can never be apt instruments for any such service as might be for the glory of God, for the kings honor, for common tranquillyty, either in war, or in peace, but unprofitable to all purposes, as experience proveth, and the plage of God compelleth us to pronounce.

Yt wer to long and tedious to touch the tenth part of your vain imaginacions for the fyllyng of your pursses, either in this court of the wards, or in the courts of augmentacions, and impossyble for any man to utter them in the other courts, neither am I very skylfull of them or in them, thanked be the Lord: but the evil effects of them, the pyllyng and the pollyng, the extorcion and the brybery, every poor mā of the country feeleth and crieth out there upon, therefore am I compelled to touch it, in hope that God will give you hearts to amende these things, in whose hands the power resteth.

Wyl you be loved of your subjects? Wyll you have no vproates nor commotion of youre commoners? Thē let them see some cause or love in you, for forced violence and love which cometh by cōpulsio • , cannot be longe lastynge, The vain imaginations or the late vpskips of England too make the people peasaunts and slaves, is not the right path way to quyetnes. For even now the commons are so base and pore that they cry out of the evil abuse and openly against the Justices of the bench. And what will follow trow you? in your subtle imagions & fine wits, O ye vpskippes the devourers of the people, and destroyers of all public weal, which by wards, by Symonye, by lease mongynge and like Marchaundyse, make waste this hoole realm, before your time most welthye. O no • le counsaloures, se to the safety of yourselves & youre subjects in time. The Lord our God hath oft shaken his rod, Let us all repent of all vain imaginacions against his holy laws. Especyally he to the fatherless as fathers, & to the widows as their husbādes, and you shall be the obedyente children of the highest, and he shall tender you more then your own mother, as it is promised in the .iiii. of Ecclesiasticus after the which rule I do wish our courts of wards to be reformed, to y ^e glory of god the salvation of your souls, the profit of the common weal.

Now for the subtle ymagynacyons of the other courts. I do say no more, but if you will suffer all youre spiritual men (as they be called) too have their first fruits, therewyth too keep hospitality & maintain y ^e pore whereof this profit ariseth. You shall drive thē home to their benefices, and cease much slander, which before your commons, they do seme worthily to lay vpō your backs. They do come now once or twice in ii. or iii. years to their Paryshe and say, O good people we would fain keep houses amongst you according to our duties: but the kings Offycers have so much of us that we can not recover it this .iii. years at the soonesse. And I wote not what Deuyll is occasion thereof, they take such a custom in this space y ^t they never keep good hospitality after.

If you will also reform the wrong & improper usage of the impropryatyons, first given to the cleargye, for teaching of the people and releyfe of thee poor: but sense that time aultered by subtyll deuyses too the monastaries and Abbayes, and now come into the kings hands, some men can tell howe. If you will restore these and such like to their former uses, and leave such vain imaginacions as hath led you too abuse thē, you shall win the people's herts, seeing such chāges & reformacyons which hitherto suspecteth all suppression of Abbaies, of idols, of Colleges, of Chauntryes, of hospitalles, and all reformacyon of religion, to be made only for your own private profytes and purposes, which their suspycyon and fond ymaginacyon (as you do accompt it) can no other ways be wiped away, be you sure, but by the departynge from such things wherein they do see you take unlawful gains, whereof parte are here named. The spoil of the fatherless, and the spoil of the pore, in the goods of the church.

But this gear is against the kings profytte and yours, O my Lord's, shall some vain ymagynours twytle in youre ears?

Oh what shall the kings Magetye gain if he wynne the whole world and do lose his own soul by maintaining against justice, against good conscience, against God his holy will, your vain ymaginacions, myscheuous marchandyse and Symoniacall sales of youre gayneful chaffer. Our Prophet doth threaten the endless woe of everlasting damnation against all vain ymageners, which having power in their hands, do hast to perform their wicked deuyses. For this is the sense and meaning, this is the true understanding of the latten, and of the first verse where the Hebrew hath, El, & diverse have translate the same God, and hath thereby encumbered themselves with dyuersity of interpretacions. But as it is taken by the best learned in the Hebrew tongue, it sygnyfyeth here in this place power, like as. Gene. xxi and Prouerb. iii. So that the prophet speaketh of thē which have authority and power in their hands. Neither is the spirit of God afraid of them anymore thē of other. Searche your own consciences therefore you that have this power in yuur hands, for all eniuries, violence, oppression, yea of every vain thought and Imagynacyon, you shall give a full strayte answer, and the mighty shall be myghtelye tormented. The Lord knoweth the thoughts and imaginacion of man, that they are but vain, and he taketh the wise in their own wylynes.

Therefore thus saith the Lord: lo, I do imagyne evil against this family, whence you shall not pluck forth your necks, neither shall you goo vpryghte, because this time is evil. At that day shall the mourner make his parable upon you, and mourn lamentably, saying: we are sore waysted and destroyed, the porciō of my people god will change. How shall he take that is mine? our lands shall be restored, the enemy shall deuyde it.

Because that these men of power did abuse their power against their inferior members, imagenyng myschyefe upon their beds. Lo the Lord of all power will shorten their horns, and lessen their strength. He will set his thoughts against their thoughts, his deuyses shall stand. He will lay a yoke upon their necks which shall cause them to stope and lay down these haute and high looks, wherewith they ouerloke every pore man whom they would oppress, but beware you proud of the earth which huffe up youre noses into the wind after the srensh guise, you shall be fain to hange down your heads for the shame and misery which the Lord shall worthelye bring upon you. You have dyspised the pore, spoiled them of home and harboure, brought them into bondage, made them youre slaves and Pesauntes, have killed and slain them. You must by the just and righteous judge have the like unto you measured. The Lord doth even now begin to bring his yoke upon your necks which might cause you to stope with flying away with your fine Phisik with all your inuenciō, you cannot avoid it, he suffereth you yet to live & behold it in others that he may provoke you to reap̄tance but the time is at hand if you do not reap̄t whē ether w ^t this or other plage more grievous you shall be wholly destroyed. Thē shall y ^e false prophets which have flatred you in your wickedness make lamētaciō & cry out for your destrucciō which suddenly shall come vpō you. Their idle brains shall muse and meruel how this land promised to be yours, should be take with the enemy? Yea after they shall be taken together with you by the enemy, they shall promise you to be restored as did Hanamah. Hiere. xxviii. sayeinge: I have broken the yocke of the king of Babylon. But at lenghte he shall se his hope all vain whiles the enemy divideth the lande as it was divided too the Lutheans and Babylonians. iiii, kings xvii. read the latter end of the .xxxiii. of Ezekiel for the declaracyon of this Texte, howe shall he take that is mine?

Therefore shall there be none which shall deuyde the lotte by line unto the, in the congregacicion of the Lord.

Because you have imagined mischefe against other by covetousness, extorsion, violence oppressiō, have wrought & brought forward your wicked devises, therefore shall you be so spoiled, that you shall have no hope to have your possessions restored, but shall be utterly roted forth both of this cōgregaciō whō the lord hath with such miracles brought forth of Egypt fostered & cherished in wilderness & hitherto so wonderfullye guided and governed, and also with the rich gloten you shall be secluded from the holy company reastynge in Abraham's bosom. For the rotynge out of the .x. trybes so that other nacyons occupied their enherytaunce rede .iiii. kings xvii. For the other .ii. trybes we do know that they cōtynue scattered in all countries unto this day. What shall we now loke for, unless we do repent, whose syn in mumber doth far pass theirs, our iniquities are like the sand of the sea. Think we not that it is the same God which refused his chosen people for their sin?

Do not prophecy thus shall they say. Lette them not Prophecy least they be put to shame.

Thus hath the wicked world always resysted the spirit of God and labored to quench the sprytes, to stop the mouths of the Prophets, to put them to shame as they supposed. Therefore saith Jeremiah I am made a laughinge stock all the day longe. Ieremye .xx. They do all deryde me because now a longe space I have cried against their iniquity and told them of destruction, and the word of the lord was laid unto me as a rebuke and shame all the day longe. Therefore saith Isaiah. The people provoketh my wrath they are lying children, children which will not hear the law of the Lord, which do say unto the Prophets and seers: see not? and Prophecye not unto us things, that are light, but speak pleasant things unto us. Isaiah .xxx.

Thus the unkind people doth alwai hate the truth, and rather then they will depart from their beastly lusts, wherein they wallow like swine, they will desire Christ him self to depart with the Gaderines and Satazens. This is the condempnacion of the world, that light is come into the world, and men love rather darkness then light. Therefore are they given over into minds reprobate to do things uncomely filled with all vnrightuousnes, whoredom, craft, and covetousness. Romaines .i.

Thys is the heavy temptation from the which we ought too desire our heavenly father at this present too deliver us, for even now wickedness hath so gotten the Masterie, and Flatterers are had in such estimation, that our tender and delycate ears can not abide the truth of gods spirit to scrape them.

But with contencion, sedition, and I wot not what else shall the true Preacher be charged to stop his mouthe if it be possyble. But there is one even the father of sprites which alone can either open or stop the mouths of the spirits. Ther was one Phassur in the time of Jeremiah the Prophet which with strokes and imprisonmente would have bette down his spyryt. We have had like Phassurs in our time, mo thē one, whereof some of them hath been plagued with Phassur, let the rest be warned. For it is not • e • tmye nor Latimer, nor Leauer, nor Hoper, nor Beacon, nor Horne that speaketh unto them, but the spirit of God which alway by such weak vessels doth so utter itself that when these are gone other cometh of their ashes. And if these should not speak, the very stones should cry out against our wickedness. For Ieremye would have holden his peace when he was so evil handled, but he said that the fire of this spirit was in his heart, and with in his bonds that he was weried with holdynge it in and cold refrayn no longer. Then setteth he forth the fear of men against him, but streyghte he addeth these comfortable words.

The Lord is with me like a strong Giaunte and therefore shall they fall head long which persecute me, and they shall not prevail against me, but shall be put to shame, because they cannot prosper, but an everlasting shame shall come upon them which shall never be forgotten. O you English Phassurs fear and tremble for this is your judgment from the Lord of spyrytes. The shame you would lay upon the true preachers lasteth but an hour: no it is no shame but the greatest honor, you cā do thē. But your shame is everlasting.

The Hebrew Na • aph hych is here translate to Prophecye and to speak, is borrowed by Metapher from the rain which of many small drops doth grow to greaft abundance and maketh the earth fruteful in the ende. So doth the word of God, therefore saith Moses. Deuteronomi .xxxii. my doctrine shall drop down like the rain.

O thou that art called the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the Lord shortened, are not these his works, ar not mi words good to him that walketh upright?

Thou that will be called by the name of the chosē people, though thou be not so, thou oughtest to know the power of God, thou should think that the same spirit which hath drawn forth the sword against the old world, the same spirit which hath foughten with Pharaoh, and drowned his army, which hath for their sins driven forth the Cananees before thee, and hath not spared the kings Saul and Jeroboam, the same spirit hath not his arm shortened that for lack of power, it should be afraid of the face of any man, to keep silence at commandment, no, thou knowest that these wonders afore rehearsed, and the terrible plages now threatened, are the works of the almighty. Why then wilt thou suffer thy flatterers still to bolster the up in thy wickedness, and bid the proceed in thine own imaginacions, saying: that God is merciful, he will not stryke. Surely the lord is merciful, and his words are comfortable, but as the Prophet telleth the, if thou walk upright. So doth Moses in the giving of the promises, at the first add this condition. If thou wilt hear the word of the Lord, keep it, and do it, thou shalt have all the blessings promised. But if thou wilt not hear the word of the Lord to fulfill all his commandments, the cursses wryten in the law shall come upon the. Deue. xxviii. Wherefore neither the Jews in their time, neither we in our time may boast of the promises, unless in walking uprightly we will fulfil our conditions and couenantes.

And already my people is risen against me like an enemy, they do rente of the coat and cloke one of another: Even from him which walketh careless by the way, as though he were eskaped from battle. The wives of my people have you driven from their houses full of pleasures, and from their children, have you taken my glory forever.

O Lord was this the fall of Israel? because they did stand against God's commandment, openly to defend their wicked ways? When Naboth was killed, Jezebel did drive out the pore widow. Yea as the Hebrew seemeth to sound whē one against other, & one frō another. Mimul. did snatch, sctatch take & reno the pore bribing frō the rich, the rich pilling & polling the poor unto the bare skin. Whē the straūger & travailing mā was spoiled & robbed as though he had been takē prisoner in battle. The thieves by the hye ways, & the Sherifes & judges had part of the spoil, whē their princes wer become lions, & learned to ra •• ne for their pray: to devour mē, & had learned to make widows as Ezekiel speaketh of Jehoiakim. Eze. xix. if these crimes wer the cause of the utter destrucciō of the chosen kingdō (as the prophet vt the mouth of god here uttereth) what cā we loke for which have filled the measure of wickedness so full: y ^e we may evē now feel it ren oner into our own bosoms: but onli by y ^e just iugemēt of god to suffer the like at our enemies hands, y ^t we have done to our brethrē & neighbors. And here might occasiō serve to charge out relm w ^t the sore hādlīg of widows & fatherless childrē, bi our wicked laws of wards, & our sore laws of felonies, whereby y ^e poor widow & innocent childrē ar spoiled, but I have touched it before, & we cā loke for none other thing thē the Lord threateneth, if we do not reap̄t which is as we do rede Exo. xxii. y ^t he will make our wives widows, & our childrē fatherless, let us beware therefore how we do drive forth of their lands & houses y ^e poor desolate widows, & cause their children by our cruel dealing, to blaspheme God, and curse their parents, against God his commandment, and therefore against his glory and honor,

The last sentence. From their children have they taken my glory forever, is by diverse interpreters understand of the adultery wherewith the children wer diffamed, accounted as Bastards, other because y ^t the childrē robbed of their parents had now none to bring thē up to y ^e glory of god. And some because thei had not their parents whō they might honor in gods stead unto his glory. Munsterus also in his anotiōs bringeth a very good interpretaciō, which doth answer to the word forever, where the Lord had create mā to be immortal, which work was for don by sin, it pleased the lord god by perpetual procreacion to recover mankind frō destrucciō & so to preserve y ^e world by this lawful procreaciō of chyldrē, to the accōplishing of his glorious works in his church, this thing is ment by y ^e saving of the womā by the bringing forth of childrē in y ^e second chap. of the first epistle to Timothy. and in the .cxxvii. Psalm this which Micah calleth the glory of the Lord, David doth call it the enheritaunce of the Lord, and Christ confyrmeth it saying: that his kingdom is of such, and that their angels doth always sethe face of his father. Wherefore whether they be slain by Herodes solgiers, or by English murderers, whether they be made odious by ours or they stinking whoredom, whether the glory of God be taken from the children by the court of wards or other cruelty, better were it for that man, by whom they be hurt, be it king or Caiser, not only to have forsaken all worlolye glory, but to have a millstone tied about his neck & to have been cast into the botom of y ^e sea, if adultery, if oppressiō, if tirānye, if extorsion, finallye, if any kind of vice do reign unpunished in any kingdom of the chief heads and magestrates, must be charged therewith, which as Paul saithe doth not only the like, but are fautors and favorers to thē which do so wickedly, which thing the spirit of the Lord is not shortened to see, to show, & sharply to punish.

Aryse get you hence. Thys is not youre rest, because youre land is polluted, therefore shall it destroy you with detestable destruction.

Lostyl continually the Prophet beateth into our ears, that syn must needs have destruction following, that is the reward of sin from the beginning, in so much that this same land of Jury which was promised to be their herytage forever, was spoiled, waysted and destroyed, after that it was with Idolatry polluted, and as Moses threatened. Leuiti. xviii. the same land should vomyte them like as it did the Canaanites, saying: Beware that the lande do not like wise vomit you sorthe again if you do the like wickedness, as it did vomyte forth the people before you.

Wherefore like as the Prophets of all ages, when they did see syn reign unpunished, did cry out against the governors, pronouncing these and such like sharp sentences against them. So may the Prophets and preachers of our times, holdlye by the same spirit pronounce and publysh like destrucciō and ruin to ours here in England, especially seeing our country contaminax with covetousness and polluted w ^t glotoni, lechery & all kind of filthiness doth bring forth new kinds of disseases to other contries & old phisiciōs vnknowē. Here appeareth y ^e Paul writeth to the Roma. that this creature subject unto our vanities against her will mourneth & groaneth to be delivered frō this corruptible seruitute and seemeth thus to say unto us: O my children, whose wickedness with much werines I have thus long borne & sustained, I must needs a • the length ease myself of so unprofitable a burdē. For your sins am I strikē with steriliti & barānes you do dig so depe in my bowels by your greedy covetousness y ^t I must needs breathe forth sulphuzeal ephalations & poysened breathynges to destroi such a serpentine generation, which toileth & travaileth so carefullye to kill me youre mother, youe selfs and your brethren.

If a man walk vaynelye and with opē lies lying unto you do sai: I will Propheci unto you for wine and drunk̄nes he shall be a Prophet unto this people.

As though he should say: oh it is a very hard and unpleasant thing for the people to hear their vices reprehended and destrucciō for syn prophesied. Therefore can thei not bear the true prophets, they cannot away w ^t thē: but as Ahab answered unto king Jehoshaphat askinge for someone prophet of the Lord after that .iiii. C. false prophets had prophesied plesaūt things, Ther is one mā yet left one live but I do hate him because he doth not propheci unto me good: but evil, but what followeth this refusing of the true prophet and choosing of y ^e false. The Lord sendeth a strong elusion & causeth Ahab to perish by the counsel of y ^e wicked & lying prohets which would not be saved by the council of the good and true prophets read the chapter & see the judgment of god against thē which do refuse true prophets. Agayne of the Prophets which follow wyne & drunk̄ship. They have erred, for wyne & gone astray for drunk̄nes the preiste & the prophet hath both erred for strong drink, they ar swallowed up of the wine they have erred in vision and fallen in judgment. So doth all that seeketh gain voluptuousness & pleasures, they ought not to be trusted they ar lying prophets yet are they only of y ^e blind world magnified & received, mi lords will have none other to their chaplēs for with a fat prebēd such may be choked y ^t thei will follow mi lord in all his fōd ways and allow all his wicked counsels, but that Micah that telleth y ^e truth he is thrust forth of the doors he is of a furious sprit, mylord hateth him as unmeet for his house & all good company.

I will gather the together O Jacob, I will gather the wholly. I will gather and join together the remnaunte of Israel, I will put them together like the sheep of Bozra, and like as the flock gathered in the fold. They shall hurl together for the great multitude. The spoyler is gone before them, they have spoiled & passed the gate, they have gone forth thereby, & their king hath gone for the before them, and the Lord as their captain,

Such a glorious Prophecye doth the false prophets bring forth to king Ahab Go up to Ramoth say they, and the Lord will give it into thy hands. Agayne zedechia made him horns of iron and said thus saith the Lord with these shall thou toss and fold Siria whiles y ^u have destroyed it. So doth this glorious sentence appere to be brought in of our prophet as a flattering illusion of y ^e false prophet, whereby thei did keep the people still in the contempt of god & the true prophets, promisyng thē lybertye and tryumphe over their enemies, notwithstanding their enormities and great wickedness. Such flatterers we have in all ages.

Therefore take hede (O England) then that thus tell the 〈…〉 the in thy wickedness with • air promises, they do deceive the, and do seek benefyces and Bishopprickes, that they may fil their bellies with wyne and strong dryn •• 〈◊〉 as the Prophet said before. I do know that this text is for the most part understand as a Prophecye of the coming of Christ, and it may well so be, but I had rather so to expound the prophets, that they might seme to hange together by comelye order, then to tear them in peaces. Bozra was a cytye full of people, full of sheep and catall, whereunto the falls Prophets therefore doth likē their felicity.

The iii. Chapter.

Vt I said hear I pray B you O Princes of Jacob & dukes of y ^e house of Israel. Doth it not pertein unto you to know judgment? you do hate y ^e good & love y ^e eul, you do flee of y ^e skin of their backs and y ^e flesh of their bones. You have devoured thee flesh of my people & plucked their skin from of them, and have broken their bones & crushed thē in peaces, as in a pot, & like the flesh in the midst of the Chaldren.

Princes ought to know judgment, thei ought to be wise mē fearing god, yea standing in gods stead to the people, having y ^e truth within thē y ^t thei need not to seek it at their chaplēs. They ought to be mē which hateth avarice, Exo. xviii. for thei execute the judgment of the lord. Deu. i. & whatsoever thei shall judge, shall redound & be required vpo thē .ii. Cori. xix. but you do think you mailiue as you list O princes & dukes of our wicked time, you do not think y ^t you have takē an office whereof you must give answer. But y ^t you have attained to such honors that ye should be accounted as earthly gods, that no man should be so beard ye as to talk of your doings, and dare follow the Pope in making such proclamations, though they be such in very dead as our Prophet hear paynteth which ar so plain they need no interpretation. Therefore I do say with the Prophet Isaiah, hear O ye deaf men, and sharp̄ your sights to se O ye blind. But who is so blind as my servant? or so deaf as my messengers whom I sent unto them? For who is so blind as my people and they that have the rule of thē. They ar like as if thou vnderstodest much and keep nothing, or if one herd well but wer not obedient. The Lord be merciful unto thē for his righteousness sake y ^t his word might be magnified & praised. They do boast to know the word: but beware the servant which knoweth & doth not, shall be beaten with many stripes.

You do flee of y ^e skī of their backs If you do read y ^e .xxxiiii. of Ezekiel you shall se the difference betwyxt these evil pastors & shepherds which fead thē selves with y ^e spoil of y ^e sheep, & y ^e good sheperd which cherysheth his sheep. Now where our prophet saith that the Prynces do hate y ^e good mē and love the evil: it is the experience of all ages for dicers, dancers, flatterers and such like ar received into their pryuyc hambers when true Preachers are prysoned. And if it chance that a noble man have one honest man in his house, he is a sheep amongst Wolves, deluded and decyded by my Lord's own minions and moste sage counsaylers, at the length, either banished, or put to silence, because the whole course of his life, conversation, and cōmunicacion, is contrary to theirs, and unprofitable for their purposes.

Then shall they cry unto the Lord, and he will not hear them, but will hide his face from them at that time, like as they have don evil in their wicked works. Thus saith the Lord of the prophets, which do seduce the people, thus the Lord saith against them: Whē they have anything to byte upon, then they preach that all shall be well, but if a man put not sonthing in their mouths they preach of wat against him, Therefore your visiō shall be turned to night, and your prophesying to darkness. The sun shall go down over these Prophets, and the day shall be dark unto them. Then shall the vision seers be ashamed, and the sothsayers confounded, yea they shall be fain all the pack of them to stop their mouths, for thei have not gods word.

Lyke as the princes, Judges and governors hath been turned from God's, to minister goodness unto Tyrants, working all wickedness. So shall God himself bring upon their heads heavy destruction. And as the book of wisdome saith: these mighty men shall have more terrible torment. Then thought they cry unto the Lord, he will not hear them, but hyde his face frō them, like as they have turned their faces frō the poor, & rather regarded Hawkes and Hounds dice and cards, dancing and tossinge of balls like babes, then the pyteous cōplaintes of their poor menbers made of the same molde, & boughte with one price with them. And as for their chaplaynes which do chop with thē their benefices, & giveth an whole years rent or thei enter, or greater gain peradventure, & so long as my lord & they can agree of couenaūts, or that my lord will get them mo promociōs, they will tell my lord, he may hawk, he may hunt, he may bowle, he may play at the bal, & what he will, so he do stop their mouths with somewhat all is well, & it please youre grace: but against their poor brethren, which have nothing to give them, they are cruel and devouring wolves. They pole their parishners, they pyl their tenauntes, they send polling proctors, & are most ready by all means to trouble the poor's to move war against him, both w ^t their good word to my lord, if need be, & other pretipractise. To these wicked hipocrits shall come darkness, angwish, sorrow, heuynes, all the woos and cursses, all the plages spokē of in the scriptures. Thys great misery is meant bi night & darkness as we may perceive. Here note also the terrible sentence of God, his sincere justice against the wicked, which shall cry unto god, and shall not be herd, where always he heareth the good before they do cry, Isaiah .lxv. he rejecteth the wicked with their sacrifie. Isaiah .lxvi.

But I am full of the power of the spirit of god, full of judgment and strength, to show unto Jacob his iniquity, and to Israel his syn. Here this I beseech you O princes of the house of Jacob and dukes of the house of Israel which do make judgment abhominable, & do pervert all equity, building Zion in blood, & Jerusalem in wickedness. Her princes did judge for reward, & her priests did preach for wagyes, & her prophets did prophecy for money, & still made the Lord their staff, saying: is not the lord in y ^e mids of us? there shall come none evil vpō us. Therefore for your cause Zion shall be plowed like the field, & Jerusalem shall be an heap of stones, & the hill of the temple, shall be an hie wood.

Mark the mighty power of god his holy sprit, o princes, he causeth y ^e prophets to speak, or else thei do remain spechles, Ieremye saith: I cannot speak because I am a child. But what answereth the Lord: say not so Jeremiah that thou art a child, for thou shalt go to all that I shall send the, and shall speak all that I shall command the Fear not before their faces, for I am with the to deliver the saith the Lord, ye do set thē over the people saith y ^e Lord, & over kingdoms to root up and to destroy, too waste and scatter, to build and too plant. I shall cause the not too fear their faces, for I have made the like a walled cytye, an iron pyller, and a brazen wall to the kings of Judah to the Prynces and priests, and to all the people of the lande, they shall fight against the, but they shall not prevail for I am with the saith Lord to deliver the. O why are you faynte hearted, which have the like Offyce, what can be said more to encorage you? Whye dare you not cry against the wickedness of our time, as the prophets did in their time. Dothe not our iusticiaries and judges peruerte justice, and make their judgments abominable? Is there no rewards in the hands of our Prynces? are all these fair houses about Londō or elsse where got̄ with good cōscyence and builded without blood? Nay sure lie, for one of youre great builders did write worthelye upon his walls a confession for all his fellows. No man waxeth rich but by the discommoditie of others, but you are but hyrelynges, preaching for wages and can espy no faults. Yet dare you say for these ramping Lions: have not they banished the Popish religion? is not God amongst us? have not they set forth the Bible? ar not they Gospellers? Yes to their open shame doutlesse, for heretofore, there was some pretence of religion, some colorable cloke of virtue and honestye, that is shaken of I do grant, and not so much left as fyg leaves to cover their shame, howe can God be among this people? amongst whom the Deuyll raygneth and rageth by covetous ambition, whoredom, exhortation, contempt of true religion and all • u • ill governance. They have set forth the Bible that all men may se how far thei do swerve in life frō God his hollye word. They are called Gospellers in spyte (as I do take it) of the holy Gospel. For the holy Gospel of God is slandered and evil spoken of, booth of our Papists in EngLande and in other nations, so far as our English gospellyng is known. Because in the beginning thereof all things wer compelled to serve their covetousness and lascivious lybertye and so it is still continued. True religion is sought of nobody, private gain which ariseth of the great possessions of the spoiled kingdom, is sought of everybody and how perilous a thing it is to bring such cursed spoil into out houses, read the .vii. of Joshua of Achan the son of Charmy, and repent with the Niniuits both king, which shall answer for all these iniquytyes, and Dukes, Earls, Barons, Bishops, which do turn to your private commodityes things dedicate to publyke uses. Repente I say lest with Jerusalem your houses be turned into heaps of stones. Ieremi .xxvi. hath the same saying forth of our prophet and our savior in .xix. of Luke.

The .iiii. Chapter.

BVt it shall come in the last days that the hill of the house of the lord shall be prepared in the top of the mountains, and it shall be taysed above all their tops, and the people shall flowe unto it. Much people shall go and say: let us goo up into the hill of the Lord, & to the house of the God of Jacob, and he shall teache us of his ways, and we shall walk in his paths, for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Ierusalē, and he shall judge many naciōs, and correct strong and mighty people for a long time. And they shall break their swerds into shares and their spears into syckles. And one nation shall not lift a sword against another, neither shall thei lern y ^e feats of war ani more, but eueri mā shall sit under his vine, & under his fygtree, & no man shall a fraye him, for the mouth of y ^e lord hath spoken it.

Isaiah the Prophet in his second chap. hath his same Prophecye the which of all our interpretours and of the Jews also is understand to be of their Messiah, and Christ our savior but after a sondrye sort. For we do take it that the Prophet in his time, seeing in the earthly Jerusalem religion neglected, judgment perverted, and justice banished, did caste up the eyes of his spirit into that great and high hyl, whereof John speaketh in the .xxi. of his reuelacion and did see the house of the Lord, the spouse of the Lamb, the great city, the holy Jerusalem coming down from heaven, having the clearness of God and all manner of virtues, and all kind of knowledge, which is mente by those manifold stones there named. So that all the people which shall be saved shall come thereunto, shall walk in the light thereof, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory unto it. Nothing polluted or defiled shall enter into it. Apoca. xxi. Thus seemeth Saynte John to utter in other words the same Prophecy which Micah and Isaiah did speak long before. Even as the sprite of our heavenlye father for the comfort of the elect should thus speak unto us. Be of good comfort my children though you se mi word despised, my little flock scattered, my pore oppressed, it shall not be alway thus. I have appointed a time. when I will have the mastrye, when I will raise up the hill of my house (my chosen I do mean) above all hylles above all the high and glorious things in the world, that the Heathen shall flowe unto it. The which thing was fulfilled partly when it pleased him at the time appointed to send his son so to be exalted that he should draw althinges unto him. When he commanded all his to be of good courage, for he had overcome the world, when he spoeyled the Prynces and powers, and put them to utterance tryumphynge over them by him self. Collo. ii. That this hill of y ^e Lord's house might be exalted. Christ gave him self for it, that he might sanctify it, that he might make it for himself a glorious congregation, without spot or wrynkle, against the which house, because it standeth of a sure rock the gates of hell can not prevail, neither death nor life, nor angels nor rule, nor power, shall be able to drive this spiritual house forth of gods favor, no the Deuyls dare lay nothing too the charge of this church and house of the faithful. For the Lord even the God of Jacob dwelleth in it and who dare stand against it. Thus lo the true temple of God and the house wherein the holy ghost dwelleth, which ar we, so many as do belief .i. Cor. iii. at the coming of our sauyoure Christ was exalted, & set above all the high mountains great glory, pomp, & pride of this world. The which glory being published by Christ, and his Apostles it brought forth fruit throughoute the hole world in Asia, Africa, and Europa.

Then began they to clyme up unto the hill of God, that is to the hill of knowledge to be taught in the ways of the Lord and to walk in his paths as our Prophet doth declare him self. When the gospel did first come forth of Zion and the gracious word and will of the Lord did spring from Jerusalem. Then they come from the East to the West to seek this glory, to sit and rest in the bosom of faithful Abraham in this glorious Jerusalem.

Thys is the reaste that followeth where all shall be so quiet that they shall break their sweardes into Mattockes and theyre spears into scythes never to strive nor fight in this holy hill of the heavenly Jerusalem. Wherunto we must lift up the eyes of our spyrytes contynuallye stryuinge to mortify the flesh which can not enter therein, because it is polluted.

Thys reaste is only begun in thee spiritual man in this life, and can not be made perfect tyil the last ennemye be overcome, which is death. This is our belief grounded upon scripture of this glorious raising up of the hill of the house of the lord. Now the Jews doth stycke to the outward letter and naked words, both in this and many other texts touching the restitution of their temple and kingdom. And surely as the Lord God seeth from the beginning of all his works to the ende of the same: and his gifts are without repentance, and the spirit of God doth promise great things to that nacyon, because their fathers were the root, and theirs was the adoptyon, glory and testament to them was the law given the ceremonies and the promises of thē was christ concerning the flesh. And so may •• t be by the secrete work of god that by this clear light of the gospel, so wonder fully spread amōges us in these last days they shall confess their great crimes and grievous offenses of Christ refused, and their blasphemies against the son of God, and so God in them be glorified amongst all nations which, shall hear the mercies of the Lord towards them, what promises they have, if they do repent, read .xxx. of Deut. and of their return in the last days. Ose. iii. S. Paul also seemeth to delate this matter. Ro. xi. askynge for what purpose they did fall, and answereth, God forbid that they all did so fall, that they should all perish. But by their fall salvation did come to the Gentyles, for this purpose to provoke them (even the Jews) to follow the same, and farther saith Paul: if their fall were the riches of the world and their decay the riches of the Gentyls, how much more the fullness of thē. And if the casting away of the Jews were the reconcilyng of the world, what shall be the receiuinge of them, but life brought from the dead? Agayne I will not have you ignorant of this mystery (saith Paul) that ye be not hye minded among yourselves, that blindness hath chanced to Israel. But in parse whiles that the fullness of the Gentyls should enter, and then all Israel should be saved again. By the Gospel they ar enemies for you, but by the eleccion thei are be loved for theyre fathers. For the gifts and calling of God are such that he cannot repent of them. For like as you wer sometimes not believing, but now have obtained mercy by their misbeleife: so are they now made myscreantes, because you have obtained mercy that they might obtain mercy also. For God hath for this purpose shut all under sin that he might have mercy upon all. The Jews are chanced in errors and kept in excyle, so that they are talked of & taken as abjects through out the hole world. We do account them and their doings, to be fygures of us and our doings, and they • es always holy for their fathers as Paul saith. And in what blyndenes? in what and howe gross darkness of errors under our abhominable desolacion, this longe time have we, which account our selves the spiritual Judah, been shut up, whiles the justice, which is by faith in Christ hath been forgotten, the justice of works set in place, new sects founded, new religion invented, open blasphemies against the open word of God with swerd & fire maintained & filthy fornicatyon allowed, shameless swearing permytted and such abhominable Idolatry erected as before this time of Antechriste the like was never imagined.

The stynkinge breathe of man so soon as him lyked to blow forth a God into a cake, and name it Christ god and man, with other more deuelyshe delusions then ever had the Jews. Howe be it all this booth their sinful blindness and ours, doth serve too the magnyfyinge of the Magestye, mercy, and power of the euerlyuynge Lord which worketh all for him self even the wicked against the evil day. Because thee goodness of him is such that he will tourne the stubbornness of the Jews hitherto and our longe contynued blindness under Antychriste to his glory, too the auauncemente of constancye in mercy and truth too the great beautifyinge and glorious setting forth of the salvation of his chosen, according too the sayeinge of Saynte Paul. All things together are aid and helps too them that be of purpose called. Romaines .viii. The incrudelytye of the Jews cannot make the Faythe and promise of God void & of none effect. But rather our injustice doth commend his justice, and our untruth causeth his truth to excel unto his glory, that he may be found true and almen liars, and he over comes when he is judged.

Then as the fall of the Jews must needs be confessed by Paul's doctrine, too be that they may attain mercy, and God to be so gloryfyed, so may we look for the fulfilling of such Prophecyes as appertaineth too that purpose at the time appointed which is in these last days when God will have hoole Israel saved. When he will have one fold and one flock, read the Prophecyes of the restorynge again of the Jews. Isaiah .xi.lxvi. Chapters. zacharye .ii. Chapter. Osee .iii. Chapter. Diete xxii.xxxii.xxxiii Chapters. Ezekiel .xx.xxxiiii.xxxvii. Amos .ix. And you shall perceive that God will be yet much more amongst booth Jews and Gentyles gloryfyed.

For all Prophecyes be not wholye ended, fulfilled, and therefore are they dark unto us because the appointed time is not come which shall bring light unto them, save as I said before before that in the spiritual Israel they may after a sort be verified but so that the Israel both by promise and by seed ought not frō such plain promises to thē made for to be secluded. But because I would not be the author of any new doctrine I do submyt my judgment herein and in all that I do write to them that do sit and ar able to give judgment. Onlye I would have us to think that the Jews had the oracles, the promises, the testament, the Prophets, & Christ our sauyoure touching the flesh. They are the rote, the true and natural Olyue. We are wild and be but grafted in them. They are reject and blinded a longe time. So have we been also. They are banished from their contry, we live banished also from our natural country.

And shall it not be a comfort unto us, seeing all chanceth unto them in figure to see them restored, the hoope of our restorynge unto our heavenly country? Shall it not make much for the glory of God, to perform his promise with the largesse, now when all things seemeth booth unto them and unto us pass all hope and desperate? Shall it not commend and set forth the mercy of God which so long time hath suffered and sustained sinners? Shall it not gr • atlye enlarge the kingdom of Christ too have gathered this scattered flock of the Jews into his foulde? Shall not this consyderacyon, give us occasion too praise and magnyfye this glorious kingdom? too humble our selves before the mighty worckinge hand of God whose only woorcke it is booth in them and in us, too elect and choose, too reject and refuse, to illumynate, to excreate, to caste down, too raise up again.

Shall not this much move us charytablye too deal with them, too use all loving means that may be to wyn them to the favor of God again? And the rather may we do this with good hope of theyre salvation, because they do live in such fear of God. For the moste parte of them as far as I can learn, as the like is not to be sound among us Christians.

Euerye man, woman and child amongst them is mydste perfect in thee letter of the law, and old Testament. They abhor all Idolles and Idolatry. They reverence the high name of God so wonderfulli, as we blaspheme it light tie. Thoughe the vale hange yet before theyre eyes in the reading of the law, howebeit this do I say to them and all other which shall vouchsafe too read these rude and plain commentaryes, that as I have conceived a hope by the scriptures of the rayesynge again of the Jews too be a figure & example of our resurreccyon. So me think it may be hear judged against the Jews by the words of our Prophet, that temple and kingdom, governance, beatynge down of enemies, and promised tranquility, must be only by the word of God, and therefore spirytual, not carnal, as they imagine, but much better then they can yet behold, for first saith our Prophet.

In the last days the house of the Lord shall be prepared in the top of the mountains above all mountains.

And strayghtwaies he declareth howe that shall come to pass.

Muche people saith he shall say: let us go up into the hill of y ^e lord and he shall teach us of his ways & we will walk in his paths, for the law shall goo forth of Zion.

And straight adioineth unto this word and Doctryne of the Lord the judgment and correction which are the chief points of the regymente and kingdom and streyghte after the reast and quyetnes from all forran enemies, which things following so evidently, seemeth altogether to hang of the word of God, and therefore shall not be carnal but spiritual and eternal even such joy reast and peace as Christ promised unto his Disciples such as the world can not give. When this shall be fulfilled our Prophet uttereth in the last day saith he: which last days are always spoken of the time of our Christ the Messiah promised. For the Jews do reckon [unspec i.] vi. ages or times of most worthy reputacyon. Fyrste from the creation of the world unto the flud. M.cccccc.lv. years. Then from the flood unto the deliverance of the chyldrene of Israel forth [unspec ii.] of Egypt, ccccccc.xc.m. years.

Frome the deliverance of Israel [unspec iii.] unto the glorious buyledynge of the first temple bi Solomon. cccc.lxxx, years

[unspec iiii.] From the buildinge of the temple unto the Babilonical captivity. ccccxix, years

[unspec v.] From the Babilonicall captivity to the coming of Christ the true Messiah. cccccc.xxiii.

Frō Christ all these latter days of his reign by the Gospel. M.d.Li. years which is the last.

Into the which last time of Christ all prophecies, all histories the Prophets them selves do loke and behold. Therefore saith Christ your father Abrahā did desire to see my day, he did see it and rejoiced. Again, blessed ar your eyes, which have seen that which many have desired to see and cold not. Therefore saith Simeon, now let thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy saluaciō. And aiust cause why these last times should be looked for and made the marcke too shoot at and ende of all prophecy. For streght after y ^e fall of Adā, these times were promised. Thys was she second Adam the seed of the womā in whom the world again should be blessed. Thys time was prefygured in the fludde. This Christ should deliver frō the hellye Pharaoh. Thys is the true Solomon and king of peace, buyldeynge him a temple without spot. Prophecye his delyuereth from Babylonycall bondage of Antechriste, and all adversary powers, so that there was no further to be looked for but this time before the law Melchisedeke without father and mother did prefigure this. In the law all ceremonies wer but shadows, & Christ was the body in whō all prophecies wer fulfilled & all shadows ceased. So that these times of Christ may worthelye be called the last times and as Paul calleth it to the Galatians and Ephesyans the fullness of time, wherein all things were fulfilled. The last times also may they be called, because they are most near to the coming of christ unto judgment, which shall be the last day of all flesh, the last day of this heaven and this earth, as John speaketh, Neither may we think much that they were called the last days, and the last times in the time of Christ and his Apostles and yet thus longe are continued. For as Saynte Peter answereth to this foolish doubt wherewith the fleshly are deluded. One day with the Lord is as it wer a thousand yere, and a thousand yere as it were one day. And the Lord is not slow in coming as the unwise do think him. But paciente towards us, not willing any to perish but to receive all to repentance.

For all people shall walk everyone in the name of their God, and we will walk in the name of our god, forever and ever.

This seemeth to be spoken of the prophet, for a confirmation, and an assurance to have this great promise fulfilled, because all nations set up some kind of religin, and have some gods to whom they credit, whom they do obey and follow, Yea, the wicked world drowned in Idolatri and all abominations, Imagyned of their own mad brains everyone to have his several GOD. All theirs are but feigned gods (saith he) nay, they are deuylles and no gods. But ours is the living GOD the lord which hath made heaven and earth, and wrought all the wonders both in heaven and earth, we may boldelye believe him, walcke and go forward in the power of his name forever, how impossible so ever his promises do seme to the flesh, he is able to perform thē. Though he do long deffer thē to try our faith, and to show his power whereunto nothing is impossible, he lasteth forever, therefore we may never end our hope and trust of that thing he promyseth.

In that day saith the Lord: I will gather her which halteth, and is caste away, her whō I have punished, and I will make thee halt to have a successyon and the outecaste to be a strong people, and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion, from hence forth forever. And thou O tower of the flock, the tower of the daughter of Zion, to thee shall come, to thee shall come I say the first kingdom, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

In that day in the last days in the time of Messiah, for so doth all interpreters take it. I will gather you saith youre God though I have chastened you, cast you away, and made you lame. I will not fail to make you a strong people again, and give you a posterytye and succession without any ende and without all noumber. For I myself will be your king in the mount Zion forever. Thus doth the Prophet continue in the confyrmacion of these great promises so dark unto the flesh that with much business it can hardly be persuaded in the promises of heavenly and spiritual works.

By the word haltynge, our Prophet would insinuate and bring into memory how that Israel haltyng from god and clynshynge after Idols, as Elyas chargeth them .iii. Reg. xxviii. had so provoked him to anger that he had worthily made them halt and lame, that is to say, had grievously afflycted and skourged them for so is the same word of haltynge used for grievous afflyccion. Psalm. xxv. xxviii. and this Prophecye is red also. Esa. xxxv. how the lame shall leap and skyp for joy.

And the Lord shall reign.

Tyrantes shall reign no longer, but the Lord shall reign which teacheth us still that this new restored kingdom shall be spiritual, for all men are flesh, and all their kingdoms c • rnal, the kingdoms of all men have an ende, but this hath none ende, therefore is this the kingdom of God, the kingdom of the son of God, which God the father did give him that he should occupy the seat of David his Father and reign in the house of Jacob forever & of his kingdom there should be none ende as the aungel did say to the blessed Virgin. Hear may the Jews by this place learn that their king whom they do look for to be man of the seed of David shall also be God, for here he is called Jehovah by the high name of God, and his kingdom named everlasting, which only can be the kingdom of God and not man. All this we do see fulfilled in our Christ and his spyrytuall kingdom, so many as do believe Christ to be God and mā, and do feale howe by his spirit he beginneth to reign in the hearts of his chosen.

The last verse is so vehementelye brought forth by the Prophet to confyrme this promise that every word in it is twice doubled. That which he calleth the tower of the flock, because the people was gathered thither thryse by the yere as the flock is gathered into a fold he calleth it again the tower of the daughter of Zion, and twice he saith shall come that the Jews should not despair though they do se the time prolonged and defferred.

That which he called the first kingdom he calleth it again the kyngedom of the daughter of Zion, promising them that the religion, noble courage and justice, the glory and wisdom of Salomō, or whatsoever was praise worthy in the beginning: that same shall most fully be restored in this reign of Messiah, Isaiah hath the like in the ende of his first Chapter. I shall restore thy judges as in the beginning and the counselors as at the first.

Now why dost thou cry with such loud voice, is there no king in the? are thy counsaloures perished? Because sorrow is come upon the as upon the womanne that trauayleth.

As though he should say I do know my words will grieve the so much more as all things seemeth unto the flesh desperate. Thou dooste lack thy noble captaynes and counsaloures unto whō thou haste trusted, the which heretofore hath delivered the. And because thou hast made flesh thy arm trustinge to much to thy kings and counsaloures, and further haste exalted thyself (which art but dust and ashes) as though thou haddeste power of thine own without me, and therefore are these sorrows come upon the, even the sore pangs and throws of trauaylyng women.

Lamente, and sorrow O Doughter of Zion, like the womanne trauayelynge for thou shalt now goo forth of the city, thou shalt dwell in the field Thou shalt goo to Babylon. But thence shalt thou be delivered: There shall the Lord redeem the from the hands of thine enemies.

Thou must I say to beat down this vain confydence and hoope thou haste besides me befoore chastened, but be sure thou shalt be delivered in the ende. Thus saith the Prophet O see of the same deliverance.

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Along time thou shalt look for me, and not be coupled to any housband, nether yet ten of whoreyng, and I will look for the, thou shalt be without king, without Prince and priest, and after return and seek the Lord thy God, and David thy king, and fear the Lord for thy good in the last days.

And now shall many nacyons of the Heythen be gathered against the, saying: she is polluted, our eyes shall behold Zion, and have their desire upon her, but they have not known the thoughts of the Lord, nor understand his counsel: For he hath gathered them as a handful into the barn. Aryse and threshe thou daughter of Zion, for I will make the horns of yrō, and hooffes of brass, and thou shalt break in pieces much people. And I shall dedycate unto the Lord their spoil and their riches to the Lord of all the earth.

The Prophet gothe forth to declare the state of the Jews in the days of Messiah, for of that time all do take it. Now because y ^e time is not come wherein the Jews shall receive our Christ, as their Messiah, their God and their king, I do judge it unmeet for any man unless he have some specyall Reuelacyon to wade any farther then the opē word of God in the secrete works, which then shall be shown, nether may it be accounted as a great • aulte to any of us if we do clearlye confess our selves ignorant, what or howe many nacyons shall be gathered against Israel or howe they shall be destroyed, but rather a great presumptyon if we should rashlye to take upon us the clear light of such secrete misteryes.

Like as of the other part I suppose the rash iudgmente of some which do say that the Jews are so dampened and all together cast away, that they cannot be restored, as it appeareth euydentelye too be pronounced against the scriptures, so ought it not to be allowed but brotherlye to be reproved. As for those enemies of theirs which rejoiceth at this longe captivity, and maketh them a • estynge stock and a by word the Lord sweareth. Ezekiel .xxxvi. that they shall suffer shame and • ewyl sanctify his high name which was polluted amongst the Gentiles, and they shall know that he is God.

In the .xxxvii of Ezekiel God promyseth the restorynge of the Jews by the raysynge of dead bones, where in • e breatheth the spyryt and life which is the receiuinge of them, whereunto Paul alludeth Roma. xi. saying what shall be their receiving but life from the dead? Ezekiel. xxxviii.xxxix. is this Prophecye of Micah at the full, set forth who so shall have the Reuelacyon of the spryte for to see this wondrous woorckes, as for us to whom it is not fully opened we do pray that too the glory of God and the renown of his high name, it may in the due time be revealed. Cryinge in the mean season against our blindness, as did Paul writing upon the same high mystery. O the profounde deepness of the riches, wisdom and knowledge, of God, howe unsearchable are thy ways and incōprehensyble thy judgments. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counsel giver. Unto us it shall be enough whiles that time do try the truth further too consider the enemies of Israel all most tryumphynge over it suddenly by the mighty hand of God, destroyed such as Pharaoh, Samherib, Rabsace, Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus, Herod.

And our enemies which are the spiritual Israel, wonderfullye vanquished and by Christ and his word put too confusion The Romish Antichrist with his Idols, his Cardynalles, his Bishops, his shauelynges, Monks, Canons, Friars, his Priests, regulars, and irregulers, out of all the rules and orders of honestye, which Heathen company were entered our lands, were gathered against us. Countynge us polluted Heretics worthy too satysfye their bluddy eyes wish our deaths hanging and burning. But they did not know the thoughts of the Lord that he suffered them too rage that he might be glorified in the ende, when they should be threshen to powder giving his faithful such power that they should tread down all the power of their adversary like chaff, to give God the glory of this spoil, and too knowledge this too be his woorcke to the glory of his name. God grant that we unto whom God hath given this tryumphe, be not forgetful to pay our vows unto our Lord. The Prophet voweth in the person of us too dedycate, and to give him not only the calves of our lips but the riches, and spoil to be a moment and as he calleth it Anathema a thing so separate unto the Lord that no man may touch it, much less convert it to any private use. Neither is this the vow of our Prophet only but a plain commandment of God. Deuter. vii. Thou shalt brene with fire their graven Images. Thou shalt not covet their silver & gold whereof they are made, nether shalt thou take any thing of them unto the, least thou offend because that it is the abhominacyon of the Lord thy God, nether shalt thou bring any thing of the Idol in to thy house, lease thou be accursed like as it is. Thou shalt abhor it as fylthynes because it is Anathema and accursed. So was Iherico and Amelech, Anathematysed if I may be suffered so too speak. And Achan was stoned for touching of the one, Saul was put from his kingdom for having of the other. God grant the noble houses of England to suffer no like damnage for the turnynge too their private uses such spoils as they have gotten of these their spiritual enemies. I dare say nothing but this only that all men can easylye judge that if the Idols found in that Babylon had been brente with all their Jewels unto them offered, and the lands and possessyons put to the maintenance of true religion. To the fyndyng of the pore, to the setting forth of godly learning and virtue, which was abused in superstition & Hipocrisy: we might have hoped for our zeal to godward, to have had his mercy, and for our godli pollici to have seen a star: shing region. Where now that covetousness that foul beast, blotteth and spotteth, all our doings in the sight of God and man, we do fear the clean contrary. God grant us eyes to se & hearts to repent for the glory of that name & that truths sake, which we do profess.

Now shalt thou be compassed with garisōs, thou daughter of garysons, he hath laid seyge against us, with a staff will thei strike the cheke of the judge of Israel.

After the Prophet have ended his wonderful prophecy of y ^e last days, that he may the better be believed. He telleth them things which many of thē should see with their eyes. Now saith he, even now is it at hand that Jerusalem full of people and garysons of sougiers, shall be obsessed and beseyged with many sougyers. And if did come so to pass in the days of Ezechyas, when Seneheryb sent his army to Jerusalem, which did beseyge it and brought great famine up on them, not wythstandyng there was destroyed of that great army and garyson, by the angel of God. C, lxxxv. thousand in one night. Agayne within a few years after, Pharaoh brought an army forth of Egypt, and did smite and stay their good king Josiah and righteous Judge of Judah. Lyke as also the last king of Israel. O see was slain in the days of Hezekiah, under whom our Prophet lived, and did write this prophecy, and the chief cyty of Israel Samaria, was destroyed the same time. And not very many years after, the cyty of Jerusalem was besyeged by Nebuchadnezzar, Joakim was taken prysoner, and zedekiah set in his place, who caused Jerusalem to be again beseyged and destroyed, and him self had his eyes put forth, and so was carried prysoner. Of the which zedechias, they do for the most part expound this 〈◊〉 of their chief Judge stryken upon the cheek. And some doth say that it is a prophecy of Christ which should be stryken upon the chycke before the hye Priests. But to cause it to agree with that which goeth before and followeth. Hear seemeth to be set forth a prophecy what shall come upon Jerusalem, even great misery, and things unto the flesh desperate, and times past all hope to the judgment of man. How be it to the almyghty power of the euerlyuyng Lord, unto whom all godly Prophets and preachers always provoketh all things that he pleaseth are most easy to be fulfilled. The Lord is most near when he seemeth far away. The Lord is most strong, when man is moste weak.

Therefore straight ways in the next verse following our Prophet adjoineth howe that in times most terrible when they should be paste all hope, their lande with continual wars all wasted, their kings captived. Foreign nacyons bearing rule over them. And that same time the Romaine tyraunte Augustus Caiser demaundynge a sore trybute upon them: Forthe of a little vyllage not worthy to bear any vewe in the musters and assembles of the people, should come forth a captain contrary too man's iudgmente, which should govern Israel in the strength of the Lord and the high and mighty name of God. So that no power of man shall be able to resyste him: as is most evidently proved in y ^t he hath enlarged his kingdom and spread his name through out the hole world, magry all tyraunts, all persecutors, all his enemies, and hath contynued it this .M.d.li. years beating down w ^t the breath of his mouth without sword or weapon all his adversaries, and at this day moste gloryouslye tryumphynge over them.

And thou Bethlehem Euphrata though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, forth of the shall come unto me he that shall be the ruler in Israel, and his coming forth from old, from everlasting. Therefore he will give them unto other unto the time y ^t she which shall bear, have borne and the relydue of the brethrene shall return too the children of Israel. And he shall stand and govern in the strength of the Lord, and the high name of the Lord his God.

O wonderful blindness of the Jews, which do not understand or not regard this plain prophecy of Christ, princypally spoken for their comfort. O more wonderful madness of the Anabaptists which willfully refuseth the knowledge & true understanding hereof turning thē to the folye of their own brains. The Jewish Priests and Scribes do bring in this Prophecye to king Herod at the first when he demanded where their Messiah, whom we call Christ should be borne in Bethlehem Judah, they do answer, for thus was it prophesied that thou Bethlehem, though thou be little. &c. Forth of the shall come a captain.

The wise Magis so wonderfully by the spirit of God called from far countries forth of forayne and Heythen nations, brought bi a stai to Jerusalem, to teache them there of their own king, doth follow the sta • standing over this place where this Prophet apointeth his natiuitye. There they do find him and worship him as God and king in this little vyllage Bethlehem.

At his birth first of all the Angels appeared unto the poor shepeherds to utter unto the world that this kingdom is not of the proud, but for the poor, humble and meek, unto whom Messiah is sent. Isaiah .lxi. and they se a wonderful light, and hear a voice saying: that their Messiah was borne in the cyty of David which is also named Bethlehem, in the same chapter the first of Luke, because David was there born i. Samuel .xvi. and anointed king. In the same Chapter Simeon the Prophet which had promise made by the spirit, that he should not se death before that he should, se this Messiah, confesseth that this is the light of the Hethē, and the glory of the people Israel.

Anna the Prophetyse which night & day served in the temple with praying and fasting, professed this to be the redeemer of Israel.

Yea the voice of God from heaven in the presence of many people, doth confyrme all this, saying: this is my well-beloved son in whom I am well pleased, hear you him.

The miracles without number both in his life time when he cured all dyseases both of body and soul. When he caused the winds to cease, the seas to obey, and death to give place, and in his death, when he caused the heavens to shet, the earth to shake, the sun to loose his light. And after his death also when he caused the hells to open, the graves to give again their prysonats. What will you have more?

Hys most enemies the Scrybes and Pharyseis could not say in conscience, but that all these wonders were done by the fyngar of God, and the sougiours with their captain which kept him at his death, was compelled to cry. Truelye this is the very son of God. Math. xxvii.

Yea the very devils were driven to confess him to be Jesus the son of God Math. viii. Mark .v. Luke .viii and yet some which do bear his name called Christians, and some twice christened, as they cal it, dare deny unto him this glory. O blasphemy intolerable, yea all the power of Satan and all the gates of hell have not been able to beat down the church built upon this confession as Christ out savior promised Math. xvi. though contynuallye this M.D. and .Li. years they have with the swerd hanging and burning moste despitefully stryuen against it, and yet these blind beasts dare attempt such folly. Yea, though the Jews, though the Turks, though the Aryans, and the Anababtistes, and all the lying rabble of the devils sougiers labor and strive all that in them lieth to hinder and stop the kingdom of this child borne in despised Bethlehem as he is man, but coming forth from old, from everlasting as he is god. Yet lo it is now dilated and spread a longe time through the whole world, and at this present moste gloryously spreadeth and triumpheth over all. Embrace therefore the son least he be angry, and you do perish forth of the way, all you raging people and vain imaginers against our Christ. Y • you gather you and set you against this Messiah the euerlyuing lord, will laugh you to scorn. For he hath anointed him king upon Zion his holy temple. He writeth it in his everlasting decree. He calleth him his son, he giveth him power over all people to rule them with the iron scepter, and so following of the kingdom of Christ. Psal. ii.

Agaynst the adversaries therefore of this kingdom which are the Antychristes, whereof we are so oft warned in the scriptures. Suffer me I pray you to make a short digression, not for any sotie arguments that I will bring against them, for that is contrary both to my purpose and profession. But for my zeal sake simply to utter the words of truth, if by that way we may win but any one of thē. It is not said for nought by the holy Apostle. Heb. iiii. The word of god is lyuelye and mighty in operacion: sharper then any two edged sword. Therefore will I use the sword of God his holy scriptures to cut of their errors, desyryng our heavenly father, will houte whom no man can come unto Christ, to draw some of these blinded, and lost sheep home again to his son Christ their only shepperde, and to his fold &, holy fellowship of the faithful, living in Christian vnytye to the glory of his name and the delatinge and enlargynge of his glorious kingdom.

There be .ii. sortes of the adversaries of this kingdom, the one denieth him to be God, the other to be mā, wherefor I will declare, and prove by open scriptures.

The .vi. Chapter.

HEare now what the ever living Lord saith: Arise and contend with the mountains, & let the hyls hear thy voice. Hear O ye hyls the judgment of the lord, by whom all things have their being: and you strong foundacions of the earth, give ear, for the lord hath a quarrel with his people, and with Israel, he will try him self. My people what have I done to you? or what grievous thing have I appointed the? answer unto me. Because I have brought the forth of the land of Egypt, and from the house of bondage, I have redeemed thee, and I have sent Moses, Aarō and Miriam before the. O my people, remember I pray the what counsel Balake the king of Moab did begin, and what Bileam the son of Be or did answer him from Siftim unto Gilgal, that thou myghtest know the righteousness of the lord.

After the sore threatenynges of the Gentyls the prophet returneth to reprove Israel, the elect & chosē people of ingratitude and unthankfulness, calling as it were heaven and earth to witness, as in the first chapter, and Isaiah .i. And first he saith: Geue good ear for you shall hear the euerlyuyng Lord the almighty, by whom all things were create and do consist, speak playnelye unto you, content to humble him self so low as to opē his quarrel, to utter the causes of his wrath, and to try himself in your own consciences to be faultles.

The Prophets of all ages, they are here commanded to contend and strive with the mountains and mighty mē of the world, so is it their great labor, peril & danger to cause thē by any means to here the word of God. Therefore was it said in the last verse of the fyft chap. I will be aduenged in my wrath, & in my fury vpō the people that hath not herd. So that to hearken to the voice of God is better thē any sacrifice. Therefore is hear so oft bet into the Jews heads, Here what y ^e lord saith. Let the hills here hear O ye mountains, thus y ^e prophet warneth as it were a Bedle or Cryar of the common place to keep silence, and to give dylygent hearkening to the voice of the almyghty. He warneth the earth and all that therein is, even the very foundacions thereof to give good ear. Shall man then be deaf and stop his ears? The Lord calleth the heavens, and thei obey. The earth from nothing, and straight it was present. The raging seas and rough floods, do hearken to his commandment. Dare man deny to hear his Lord, by whom he liveth and hath his being? shall he be brutysh and without understanding, when all brute beasts are obedyent to the lords commaundmente? Dyd not Balaam's Ass both speak and understanded whē the Lord called and commanded?

O mā, wilt thou not hear him without whom thou art not? Doest thou not fear to fall again into dust and ashes, when thou art at his voice so dull & insensible? Or cā thou forget his benefits by whom thou hast thy being? Yea this Lord calleth the things that be not, as though they wer already He maketh the dead hodies to hark̄ to his voice. Howe dare thou O mā, turn away & not give care, seeing the breath of thy body is in his hand? He sleieth and giveth life.

See howe the Lord doth humble him self to thine infirmyty and weakness. He is content not only too speak unto thee which art but dust and ashes, full of syn, but to show his quarrel and as it were too pleate his cause with us, that he might be found true and all men liars, and therefore justified in his words and overcome when he is judged. Let all men therefore tremble before his face and cry unto God, to give them ears that can hear, & eyes that can se & thē say w ^t David I will hear what the Lord speaketh.

The Lord calleth into their remembrance, & therewith their benefits of old their deliverance, How he plagued the Egiptiās & preserved thē, How he made thē passage through the red sea, & drowned their enemies, How he fed them with Manna from heaven, not suffering their garments too be old, nor their shoes torn for y ^e space of .xl. years in the wilderness: he giveth thē the good meek and loving captain Moses to guide them, Aaron to preach his will unto them and to pray for them. Miriam a Prophetisse, a comfort too the womenne in their longe iournye Exo. die through out.

And when king Balacke had counsel to hire Bilham to accursse the saith the Lord, I did turn thy curs into blessing, who being thus disappointed did take new Counsel of Bilham too entice the people by flatterye too Idolatry and fornication, thereby to provoke my wrath against thee, wherefore I plagued the until I had slain .xxiiii. thousand. When Pinhas the Priest stirred with the zeal of my glory slew Duke zambrye the captain of the tribe of Simeon, and Cospye the daughter of Sur, the chief Prince of the Madianits & through y ^e zealous enterprise, caused mi wrath to cease. Nu. xxii.xxiii.xxiiii.xxv

In Sittam did I stay Balacke, and Bilham. I caused Moses too destroy the Midianites without mercy, and did give unto you their godes cattayle and substance. Numeri .xxxi. In Gilgal I did take away the reproach of Egypt from you. I caused you to be cyrcumcysed and did give you of the fruits of the promised lande. Joshua. v. Al this did I for the, that thou myghteste know my ryghtuousnesse, that I would keep my promise, notwyth standing this manifold wickedness. The like rebuke of their ingratitude maiste thou read Isaiah .i. Eze. xx. Now if we would hereby in our wicked time learn to behold the in estimable goodness of God toward us, and our unthankfulness against so loving a Lord: We might fully perceive and see most euydently the wonderful mercies of our heavenly father, calling us to repentance which hath not only given us bodily benefits as he did unto Israel, but he hath delivered us from the helly Pharaoh, from the curses of Antichrist, from the sea of errors and erronions opinions, and caused us to eat the heavenly Manna, the flesh of his own son, thereby to give us life everlasting. O the unspeakable goodness of our heavenly father, and woe to our sturdy stomachs stifled in evil.

With what acceptable thing shall I present the Lord? Shall I bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with brent offerings, with calves of one year old? Hathe the lord his pleasure in M. of rams either his delight in .x. M. streams of oil? Or shall I give my first borne for mine iniquity, evē the fruit of my womb, for the syn of my soul? I will tell the mā what is good and what the Lord requireth of the: evē to do judgment, to love mercy, and to walk reverently before thy God.

Because y ^t here is so just occasion offered to declare what is y ^e true worship of god, & which is the false and untrue. I desire thee gentle reader to suffer me somthyng to declare this dout, because it hath troubled the consciences of many in all worlds. And also that it may be a testimony & witness unto y ^e worlds ende of our conscience towards God & his true worship, which have wryttē or spoken against the false worship of the Romish Antichrist. Wherein first I pray thee to mark & consider how the conscience strykē with the fear of gods judgments seeketh some stay, & evermore would have succor against his heavy indignation, but unless it be quieted & settled bi y ^e truth of God his holy word, it reneweth astray frō god more & more. & at length followeth fond imaginaciōs. As the Hethen before the law given, did stay their children to please God as they ymagened. Wherefore the Lord did drive thē forth of their contries, and did give them to Israel in possession and warned thē of heythrush abominations.

The Jews after the law of Moses was given, not understanding the end of their Ceremonies, did heap up infynyte sacrifices. Unto whō God saith dy Isaiah: he y ^t offereth unto me an Ox is like him that stayeth a mā, and he that kylleth a beast as he that brayneth a dog. And he that Offereth sacrifice as he that Offereth swynes flesh, he that remembereth incense as he that offereth unto an Idolle. These things have they chosē in their ways & in their abominations their soul is delyted.

Oure Papists not understanding, or rather not regardinge what our master Christ had taught us. Mat. xv. that in vain we do worship God teaching the Doctrynes, the Preceptes of men. Hadde set up a new holiness, even their hoole religion in outewarde Ceremonies of days and times, of candelles and Belles, of towchynge and of handling, of blowynge and kyssyng, creapynge, knealynge and knockynge, of gyrdles and garments, of giving to their Idolles and altars fine ornaments, of building of Chapels, chauntryes and Abbayes, of gaddinge to Walsingham, to Canterbury, to Compostella, to Jerusalem, to fetch James shells, Walsingham Kynges, Becketes Broches, and pardon Beads, where upon must be said I wote not howe many lady Psalters. And always ten Ave Mary's to one Pasternoster, or elsse all was marred, and infinite other mad inuencyons of man's idle brain. By the which maddynge of man's head in all ages, which I have but lyghtelye touched, we may perceive that no teste can be found for man's soul in our own inuencions. But the farther man wadeth in his fond intents and fantastical imaginacion, the farther he slydeth from God, unsure that he hath done anything acceptable in the sight of God. Therefore must we which are servants and creatures, learning our own weakness by y ^e fall of others, turn to our master, lord and creator, to know what his word commandeth in y ^e agony of conscience & considering that the turnīg frō the creator to creatures hath been the ground of all Idolatry, every mā choosing to himself the Idol of his own heart. Some the son some the Moon, some the .vii. stars, some Saturn, some Jupiter, some Mars some Venus, some Marcurye, And dotinge farther, some have worshipped Calfes, some Cockes, some Serpents, some Dogs, some Asses, some Gotes, And in our Popyshe wickedness we our selves, have worshipped stocks & stones, and given divine honors almost to all manner of creatures, a vile wafer cake did we honor as our God in deed, and when that was lift up betwyxte the Priests fingers, we said we did se our maker, and knocked and kneeled, crowched and kyssed without all measure. And the Priest when he did eat it, thought he did receive his maker, and made so many fond gestures ioyened with infinite superstitions that thereby we may marcke, if we have nothing elsse too lead us that the fayened and false worship of God hath no ende not stay, can never tell where too consyste, doth alway disquiet and never satysfye nor quiet the conscience. Therefore for the love of our own souls, of the quiettinge of our own conscience, let us vnfainedlye repent of all our falsed gods and feigned worship of God, and knowledge that there is but one God which brought the children of Israel forth of Egypt from the house of bondage, and hath delivered us the spiritual Israel from the Egypt of sin end errors from the bondage of the devil, Deathe and hell, and brought us into the lybertye of his children, by the death of his own son. And by his holy spirit poured into our hearts doth teache us to cry father father.

Let us knowledge (I say) that this Lord our God is but one God, whom we must love with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, him must we fear, and him only must we worship and in his name only may we swear. By the which words we may learn that there • is but one God only, who only ought to be worshipped, feared, loved, trusted and hooped upon, which the words of swearing in his name importeth.

Thys our God then whose worship we do teache is that almighty power, which made heaven and earth by his word and by the same through his spirit doth govern all creatures therein. Sauing Israel, and drowning Pharaoh. Sauyng his chosen of free mercy and grace, and condempnynge the wicked hypocrites by just judgment. Thys our God is a spyrite, as Christ our aldermaster teacheth us, & they which worship him, must worship in spirit and truth. John .iiii. And seeing he is a spirit, pure from bodily corrupcion, and therefore having no need of our bodily service. Hys true worship cannot consist in bodily exercise which lasteth but the time it is in doing, but in the inward holiness of the heart which evermore increaseth & spryngeth forth into life everlasting. Such a worship therefore our Prophet teacheth, which ariseth and springeth forth of the secret reverence and fear of God, his sacrate magesty, which is not seruyse, but child like, whereby we are not only affrayed to dysplease God our father, but also prompt and ready, like obediente children to express in our living, Judgment and merci, the two special properties & greatest show of his image which appeareth unto his creatures.

Therefore is this fear called the beginning of wisdom, and the spirit of fear. Esaa .ix. beginneth the work which the other sprytes of wisdom & understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and true holiness and accomplisheth & fulfilleth. So that this spirit of fear doth go before in all the hearts of them which God doth choose to worship him in spirit and truth, making them afraid to do homage and worship to any thing save their Lord God only, either any otherwise then he requireth and commandeth. Afraied evermore to do anything wherein they do not know his open pleasure. Thys fear was in Cornelius before he had the perfect knowledge of God, and in the men of Israel unto whom Peter did say. O brethren and children of Abraham and thei amongst you which feareth God, unto you is the word of salvation sent, & in y ^e Psas. ciii. Evē as the father hath mercy of his children, so hath the Lord mercy of them that fear him, and the merci of the Lord is for evermore upon them which fear him.

The cause is that they which do fear the Lord are always ready with heart and mind to do things pleasant unto him, and to abstain from the contrary. His displeasure do they fear like loving chyldrene. If their heavenly father be pleased they do rejoice, if he be offended they do cry for mercy, so that of him they do teast in prosperiti, of him they do hange in adversity, according to his own commandment by his chosen vessel David. Call upon me in the day of thy trouble and I shall deliver the, and thou shalt worship me. So that this inuocacion after some interpretoures is the true worship of God. And surely seeing Paul. Romaines .x affirmeth that who soever calleth upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. No man can deny but an eareneste calling upon God comprehendeth the true worship which God requireth and containeth in it perfect religion, because it hath faith the ground of all virtues, for howe can they call upon God which do not believe in him? Romans .x. And they which do call upon other creatures hath affiance trust and faith in those things, elsse would they never call upon them. Thys faith spryngynge of the first parte which was the fear and reverence of God his high Majesty, supplieth the seconde point of the worship of God which requireth a knowledge of God. For how can we believe in him whō we have not know̄. Rom. x. Hereby do we give glory and worship unto God, that is too say: we knowledge him too be true in all his promises. And because without faith it is impossible to please God, this faith maketh us suer that we do worship him as we should, and certifieth us that we be the chyldrene of God and that our woorckes are acceptable in his sight. Hereby did Abel in his sacrifice more truly worship God then did his brother Cain. Abraham also and his wife Sarai by faith were the true worshyppers of God and received the promise. Elizabeth also gave more glory and worship unto God in that she believed his promise, then did her husband zachary, who because he doubted was stricken dumb whiles the child was borne.

Shortelye too conclude, this faith is it that causeth true worship. For whatsoever cometh not of faith the fame is sin. And because faith cometh of the hearing of the word of God only & of no man's fancy, we may boldly pronounce that all such worship as is set up by man's imaginacion without the scriptures of God is without faith, and therefore synneful, & consequently abhominable in the sight of God, whether they be sacrifices before the law, or in the time of the law or Ceremonyes sense the law ceased.

The third and last parte of this worship standeth in unfeigned love toward our neighboure, without the which our Master Christ commandeth too lay down all sacrifice, before the alter, and first go & be reconciled. Mat. v. And without this he despiseth all sacrifice saying by his Prophet Ose I will have mercy and not sacrifice and the knoweledg of God, rather thē brent offerings. And by the Prophet Isaiah of them that hath not this love, your incense is abomination unto me. And when you shall lift up your hands, I shall turn away mine eyes, for youre hands are full of blood, which last words are more plainly understand by saint John saying: He that hateth his brother is a murderer, who for the vnclennesse of his hands hath no parte in the kingdom of God. And where as other which are not spotted with their neyghboures blood but are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb are the very temples of God wherein he will be worshipped, these bloody Cain • tes which loveth not their brethren, can be no temple for Christ, wherein he will dwell and reaste, but for the Devil and Antichrist. For this calleth God his Sabbath and reast pleasant unto him. Isaiah .xxviii. To refresh the wearye which he calleth also the refreshinge of his own self. Thus do we keep the acceptable holy day, and do the worship that he desireth when we show mercy, and comfort the poor and neadye. The which worship is so great, that he will ask accounts of none other thing at the day of judgment, but if we have clothed him, when we did see him naked, if we have fed him when he was hongry and so forth. Math. xxv. For because these deeds of mercy and love, doth presuppose, booth faith and fear of God. This love therefore must we bring to the true worshipping of God. And as our Prophet in few words doth comprehend all kind of worship, we must do judgment, love, mercy, and walcke humbly and reuerentlye before the Lord. Too do judgment may be well understand, to do as thou would be don to. What so ever thou judgest that thou would have done to the, that do thou unto other. To do mercy, is to forgive as thou would be forgiven, and this heart and mind must we bring to worship god, & to walk before him. For of this doth God make trial whether we do love him or no. If we do not love our brother whom we se, how can we love God whom we se not? Ihō .iiii. Then if we do bring unto God, as for his honor and worship sacrifices, offerings, or what so ever it be without the love of god, what do we but declare our selves detestable hypocrites, dissembling to love him, whō we do not love, to honor him, whom we dishonor, and to worship him, who by us is blasphemed. Therefore may we not think to please God with any sacrifice, or outward show of holiness, but we must walk humbly and obedyentlyee before the Lord, as Samuel answered king Saul .i. Kynges .xv. Behold, to obey is better then sacrifice, and to hark̄ is better then the fat of wethers.

Enok walked thus with God, and therefore was taken up into his presence. Noah humble and obedient, with faith, fear and reverence: walked before the Lord, and entered into his ark, when all the proud and dysobedyente world was drowned. Lothe walked obedyentlye, and durst not look back when he was taken from the Sodomites, where his wife stobernelye breaking the commandment was turned into a salt stone.

Abraham and Sarai may be examples howe we should walk humbly, and reuerentelye, and also faythfullye and obedyentlye before the Lord, which after promise or commandment, did not regard any thing, not so much as their own old barran bodies but only looked unto God, giving him this honor, worship and glory, that he was able to fulfil whatsoever he had spoken and promised. And which ought to be our glass, therein too see the works of God toward us. Israel so long as they did walk humbly, and obedyentlye before their Lord, and worshipped him after his word and commandments, fearing him with unfeigned and dissembling harts, harkenyng unto his word, and practiced their lives thereafter. He led them with his mighty arm through the red sea, fed them with Manna in the wilderness, destroyed many nations for them. But when they did swerve from his commandment, and would worship him after their own inuencyōs, he plagued them greuouslye, sent them drought, dearth, famine, pestilence, and the swerd of the Egyptians, Chaldees, and Romans.

Espicially when God the father sent his own son to cal them to his obedience, and to teach them that their slain sacrifice was of no force in it self, but only did sygnifye that by his blood and sacrifice of him, being as it wer an unspotted lamb, their iniquity should be forgiven, and the syn of their souls washed away, which was sygnified by his baptyme. They walking proundly not humbly, despised humble Christ, boasted them selves to be the children of Abraham, to be the true Israelytes, to have the oracles, to have the law written, to be observers and keepers of the law, to be the only worshyppers of god, to know his will, to be guydes unto the blind and all together: but Christ calleth the most holy amongst them, blind guydes, painted graves, feigned hypocrites, and false worshippers. And after he was refused and vyllanlouslye handled, God sendeth upon them worthy destruction, famine, hunger, pestilence, and the sword of the Romaines which did root them forth, & lay their lande desolate and scatter them abroad unto this day. So perilous a thing it is, not to walcke humbly before him, but to gad other ways from him, for the respect of any creature. For he only can do all, careth for all, knoweth all, like as he only hath create all unto him, therefore without declininge too any other must all honor and worship be givē. And as he hath saved all them which have thus walked before him with this faith, fear, and love too declare that there is one God, ever constant and unchangeable, so doth he now require the same worship that he did of them before us, which did neither consyste in holy causes, nor brente offerings, as the carnal heithen and gross Pharyses fancied and supposed, neither in such things wherewith worldly men are pleased, as gold, silver, precious stones, gaye ornaments, and rich gifts, cappynge, knelinge, curtesies, to be sought far of at Rome, Compostella, or at Jerusalem. But to worship him in y ^e house of hearts in the chamber of out breasts in the temple of our soul, wherein he hath chosen his mansion. Ther to worship him not with man's imaginacyon and chosen holiness, which he calleth vain worship, and abhorreth it. But in the worship which he appointeth and commandeth, that is as his son declareth in spirit and truth. By unfeigned reverence of god his sacrate magesty. By faithful trust in his vnfallyble promises. By love not counterfayte toward our neyghboures. Whych three frutful branches growing forth of the man new regenerate by the spirit of god, must needs bring forth many spiritual works as inuocacion, prayer, thankesgeuynge, fasting and mournynges for sins, alms, and all the works of mercy and pytye. Who so walketh in these works, he truly worshyppeth God, and hereby are the true and false worshyppers known in sonder, the true church and the chuche of Hypocrytes, because these works faith, fear and love, was not found in the old world, therefore was it drowned, because these three partes of the true woorshyppe was not found amongst the Jews, therefore wer they destroyed. Because these works of true worship were not found in the popish church, therefore is it subverted, and if they be not shortelye found in our refourmed churches, they shall with like shame be subverted and destroyed. Lette us walk humbly therefore before our Lord, and beware of of our fall. He doth not suffer his chosen, so longe time as he doth the reprobate.

The voice of the Lord doth cry unto the cytye. A wise man will fear thy name. Hear the rod, and who it is which hath appointed the certain time unto it. Is there yet in the house of the wicked treasure and the false measure? O abomination. Shall I iustyfye the wicked Ballaunce, and the satchell of deceytefull wayghtes?

Her rich men are replete with rauyne, and her enhabytauntes hath spoken lies, and had deceitful tongues in their mouths. Therefore will I make the sick, stryking the and making the desolate for thy sins, Thou shalt eat and not be satisfied for misery shall go thorough thee, thou shalt go unto thy wife, but she shall he barren, and that which she doth bring forth, shall I give unto the swerd. Thou shalt sow, and not reap, thou shalt tread the Olives, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with Oil, and tread the grapes, but thou shalt not drink thy wyne. Because thou haste kept the ordynance of Amry, and all y ^e abomynaciō of the house of Ahab, and hast walked in their counsels. Therefore will I give the unto desolacion, and all thy enhabytauntes to be hyssed and skorned and you shall bear the shame of my people.

The voice of the Lord.

The Lord crieth by his preachers, by his Prophets, by his Apostles, by his Messengers in all ages, and all times to call us to repentance. He warneth of his will and pleasure. He telleth which is true worship, and which is false. And as he saith by his Apostle Paul: Al the day long have I stretched forth my hands unto an unbelieving people, and a people that striveth against me. Rom. x. And by his own son he saith: Jerusalem Jerusalem, how oft would I have gathered the together, as the hen gathereth her chyckens under her wings, & thou wouldest not. Math. xxiii. Whych doth utter the fatherlye care of our God, always calling and crying vpō us. But who heareth his calling? who seeth his power? who feareth his name? Thusiah doth see it, saith our Prophet, that is to say, wisdom, or the wise man will be warned. For so doth the Hebrew interpreters expound it. And so it agreeth with y ^e course of God his workīg, at all times God calleth all. His sound of his voice goeth through the world, yet scātlicā there be one so wise to repent in y ^e warning of the .vii. cities. No mo wer found fearful of God his sore threatenynges but only Loth in the destruction of the hoole world, Noah was only found wise and obedyent. In Jerusalem how few wer found obedyent when the Prophets warned them to repent. In our world God grant someone wise & faithful mā may be found, which may pray for us, as Abrahā did for the Sodomites, and give warning of gods wrath hefore it fall upon our cities. Hear the rod, the rod of God his great vengeance is ready shaken against your cities. The time is determined for your punishment. Will you not yet be warned to lay away wickedness & repent of your evil ways? will you keep still your evil gotten goods and treasures heaped bi extorsion? How can your sins then • ee pardoned? My law commandeth for things wronglye taken to pay four foulde and five fold. Have you satisfied my law and least yourselves so great treasures?

Nay you are so far from such equyty that of restitucion, that you maineteyne still youre bryberye and extorsyon. You keep still in youre houses, youre lean and bare measures, your scant and false Bushelles too provoke my wrath and indygnatyon upon you. Your measure is scante of Corn and your chaffer, but it is full of my wrath and heavy dyspleasure.

Shall I iustyfye the wicked ballaunce? Or as the Hebrew stan • eth wickedness in the ballaunce. If I should leave this unpunished I should seam to iustyfye and alowe all the wickedness that you do use therein. Where contrariwise, I have commanded the too have just ballaunce and even wayghtes and true measures. Levi. xix. and in Deuteronomye .xxv. Thou art commanded not too have divers wayghtes a greater and a smaller, neither to have in thy house a bygge bushel and a small, but that thou shalt have a just and true wayghte, an even and true bushel that thou may live a longe time in the land which the lord thi God giveth the. Ther furthermore art thou taught, that I thy Lord God do abhor him that doth these things, and that I detest all unjust dealing as a thing abhominable, and so doth my servant Solomon teache the. Proverb .xx that double waightes and dysceitefull ballaunce abhominable before thy Lord God. Howe dareste thou then keep in thy house either any false measure or thereby any evil gotten treasure? Doste thou nothing regard me which have thy life & breath in my hand?

Art thou nothing moved by my manifold benefits? nothing afraid of my threatenings, repent, O repent and herken to my Prophets or elsse my rod is ready to scourge thy wickedness.

The time is determined by me the allmyghtye measurer of times, unless you do repent, O you wicked Marchaunts of London and and all other cities. But O wicked world I do know your devises. You do hide up your ware until it wax scāt. You do lessō your measures. You increase your prices, too make the pore your slaves, yet will ye be gospellers Can you worship me and youre wicked Mammon booth together? Canne you serve two Masters? Nay, you are to me defraudinge and oppressinge the poor as they that slay the childrene in the fathers sight. Thus do you worship me. O you covetous Marchaunts, building your houses in the blood of youre brethrene. There is no faith, no fear, nor love amongst you but youre riches are repleat wythrauine. The houses of your Lord's, of youre judges, of chancellers of youre treasurers, of youre receyuers, shortly of all our riches and wealthy are full of the spoil of the evil gotten goods and either open or pryuy theft & robbery. Can I then hold my peace & as it wer justify your doings? Especiall • seeing, lying, dissemblinge and disceat is so common that from the head too the foot never one is fautelesse there is not one righteous, no not one that I might have mercy. There is no truth no mercy, no knowledge of God in the earth, curssinge, lying, murder, theft and adulterye hath over run all together. The faithful are wasted forth of the earth. Every man telleth his brother a lie, with desceytefull lips and doble hearts. I will destroy a • their lying lips and these tunges that can tell these goodly tales & do think y ^t they at able to overcome all with their tunges. But for this oppressyon of the pore and for their mourninge I will now arise.

And I will make the sick strykinge the with famine, sterilite, barrenness, battayl, aptiuitie and bondage. Thou shalt eat and not be satisfied, which is the soorest famyn, the woman shall receive the seed, and bring forth no fruit, the foulest sterilitie, and if she do bring forth, the swerd shall devour thē. Thou shalt be in such bondage, that thou shalt toil & travail for other, & have no parte thyself, such affliccion, such misery, such calamitye shall be in y ^e myds of the, that thou shalt be wasted for thy sins.

Because thou hast kept y ^e ordynaūces of Amri and the abhominatyons of Ahab. &c.

Loo how peryllous a thing, and how great a plage it is to have wicked kings and princes to reign over us. For their authority doth not harm only whiles they live, and have their flatterers following and counterfaytyng their wickedness, but in the ages longe after thē and the posterity following their laws are alleged, their rites and customs renewed. So was idolatry always contynued in the .x. trybes frō their first king Ieroboā to king Amry, who built Samaria & to his son wicked Acab, who not only alleged the wickedness of his forefathers unto the people, but addeth moreover shamful extorcion & shedding of innocent blood, slaying Naboth for his vineyard, killing the prophets of y ^e lord. The other princes & people following their wicked abhominaciōs & naughty counsels, are here threatened to be wasted & destroyed. The people to be hyssed and skorned, & the princes worthily to bear the shame of the people of God, by thē seduced. zedechiah the last king over Judah may be a terrible example unto all kings, had first his sons slain in his own sight, then had his eyes worthily put forth by the Babiloniās, and so kept in live by daily delusion of the Chaldes to bear the shame of y ^e people of god. Yea they ar without mumber whō the Lord hath more greuosly by his justice thus plagued. As Nebuchadnezzar turned into a brute beast. As Adombezeche the king of the Cananees, & the .lxx other princes who had their fyngars & toes cut of, & so reserved to their shame to gather crōmes under the tables like dogs, besides the .xxx. kings whō Joshua hanged and destroyed, and innumerable other both in scriptures & profane histories rehearsed. Now therefore O Kynges and Princes understand and suffer yourselves to be taught and admonyshed, you that judge the earth.

Serue the Lord in fear in the governance of his people, and rejoice with trembling in the gifts god giveth you, for he will have an accounts how you do govern his people, and how you do order his creatures Embrace his poor Christ lovingly in his members, lest he be angry, and you do perish forth of the way. For when his anger is a little kindled, then happy are they that trust in him. Thē happy are they as the king & Prophet David doth teach you which hath not walked in the counsel of the wicked, which hath not stand in the way of the sinner, which hath not sytten in the seat of the scornful. But in the law of thee Lord hath had his delight, and in his law doth meditate day & night. For be shall be like a tree planted by the riuersyde, which shall bring forth his fruit in dew time. Hys leaf shall not fall, and his work shall prosper. Wher the wicked far contrary shall be like chaff driven with the wind. Therefore the wicked shall not stand in judgment nor the sinners in the company of the just. For the Lord knoweth the way of the ryghtuous, and the way of the wicked shall perish. The Lord is no acceptour of persons. But who so doth evil be it king, be it Emperor, he shall perish as is hear spoken.

The .vii. Chapter.

WO is me, for I am like the gleaners of Summer fruits, and as the branches after the wyne harvest. There is not a Cluster of grapes to eat, my soul desireth type fruit.

Thus doth our Prophet bewail the mesery of his people, he compareth the good amongst them him self, and the other to the gleaners and gatherers after harvest is ended, and all clean gathered into thy barns. And the best amōgs men to the wyne branches wythered, dried, and having nothing upon them, whereupon the desirous soul might be sasiate, Therefore he mourneth and waileth for the misery which of necessytie must follow so far spread iniquiti. And he showeth in the verse following, what fruit it is that he seeketh. What grapes they are his soul desireth (Biccurah the first ripe fruits) meaning the fore fathers fist borne & the former age Abraham. Isaac, Jacob, David. These doth Jeremiah cal Israel, whiles they walked in holiness the first fruits unto the lord. And hear our Prophet doth complain that all this good rype fruit is gathered and gone, and nothing left ungathered, but brambles and thorns which are fit for nothing but the fire even for the fire of God's wrath, which shall shortly be kyndled, and no creature shall be able to quench it, or to abide the heat thereof: For this our Prophet wayleth and crieth woe.

The good perisheth forth of the earth, neither is any ryghtuous upon earth. Al do lie in wayghte for blood. Every man hunteth his brother as with a net. They labor to make good the evil of their hands. The prince asketh, and the judge for reward, and the great mā speaketh the destruction of his own soul, and they draw wickedness as with a threfolde cable. The best amongst thē is like a briar & the righteous like a thorn of the hedge. The day of thy ouersears, the day of thy vysitaciō is come, now shall they be full of perplexitye.

Here may we se how the spirit of god is in his holy saints & prophets is vexed & troubled for our wickedness. Elias thus wayleth: I have lived long enough, O Lord, take away my soul, I am no better then my fathers. And the Lord calleth upon him, & he answereth again. I have been zealous & fervent for the lord of hosts, because the children of Israel have forsakē thy couenaūt. They have destroyed thine altars, slain thy prophets with the swerd, & I am left alone & they seek my soul to take it away. Isaiah saith: the just perisheth, & no man regardeth it, in his heart. The good & merciful are gathered to their graves, & no man understandeth. David crieth also: Save us O Lord, for the holy ones do fail & waste, y ^e faithful ar consumed frō amōgs the childrē of mē. Again, the lord looked down frō the heavens, upon the children of Adā, to se if there wer any y ^e did under stand, or that did seek the Lord. Al ar gone back together, thei ar abhominable, there is not one that doth good, no not one. Do you know nothing O you worckers of wickedness which do eat up my people as men do eat bread and calleth not upon God? In all these things that our Prophet and other holy writers doth charge you, O Princes judges and Magistrates, examyne your own conscience, and judge youre selves, that you be not judged and condemned with the wicked. You are here likened to Cain which did lie in wait for his brothers blood. You are likened to Nimroth huntinge your brethrene to catch them in youre nets. If you wer not such, we should not hear of such sudden tal and ruyne of noble houses. But whatsoever you do that must be well done saith our Prophet, so stoutlye will you defend your own doings too make evil good, and good evil as Isaiah saith and to cloke your wicked works, if you do fear any danger.

The Prince that beareth cheyfe rule and may do the most too hyde youre myscheyfe he must be won with gifts, and if he be such one as will receive thē he shall have whatsoever he will ask, the judge must have part of that which is given & the great rich man by this means bringeth forward his purpose to the destruccyon of his own soul. Whiles this threefold cable is thus linked. Therefore doth Isaiah threatening woo and destruccyon to them that thus draw iniquity with cables of vaniti and wickedness with carte roopes. Whyche counteth evil good, and good evil, which do iustifye the wicked for gifts And saith farther. Lyke as the flame of the fire doth devour the stuble: so shall the root of such be like the coles, and their bud be like the dust.

This similitudes of briers and thorns are brought in for this purpose to utter the stinginge and prickinge of wickedness. As briars and thrones do prycke all that handleth thē whiles thei do grow, and when they are hewn up they are good for nothing but to kindle a speadye fire. So saith our Prophet that the best and most righteous amongst them are noisome and harmful unto mē and fit fire brandes for the furi of God. This shall be known most plainly on less we do repent when the days of our visitacion cometh (which is at hand) when affliccion sorrow and carefulness and piety and doutfulnes shall come upon all flesh, as followeth.

Geue no credence to thy friend trust not thy brother keep the door of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son slandereth the father, the daughter riseth up against the mother, and the daughter in law against the mother in law.

Behold the sorrow ampietie and doubtfulness which followeth by just plage the worldly Tirauntes and evil doers. They do sting ano prycke every man that meddleth with them like thorns, they must of no necessytye therefore fear, dystrust, and be vndoutefull of every creature as Dionysius the Tiraunte and such like where of some not trustinge their own wifes were compelled to search their pryuye chambers nightelye, and theyre wyfes coffers, & credit therein barbarous and cruel sougioures. Other durst not trust their own daughters, but fearing all other creatures refused the help of theyre Chamberlaynes and other servants. Durste credyte no barboures to shave their beardes, but used the help of their Doughters whiles they were young to shave their beardes, but when their daughters did grow to more age and years wherein they were able to dyscerne their fathers doings, the fear of their own conscience like Canites for the cruelty they had shown to other, would not suffer thē to commit thē selves to their own flesh and blood, to their bowels which did come forth of their own bodies. But said within them selves as did cruel Cain. Eueri one that can find the opportunity will slay me, and so with their own hands they were compelled to swing of the hear of their own beards with brenninge coles. This is the great and grievous plage that the almighty threateneth to lay upon the wicked. To make him like a boylynge sea which can have no rest, whose floods doth rage to their own ruin, there is no peace nor rest too the wicked saithe the Lord God. This did appear in Cain after he had killed his brother as it was said before thinkinge by just iudgmente therefore that every man should slay him that should mete him. And because in our peryllous times there is so many Canites, it is no meruel though eueri man be afraid of his brother, no mā trusteth another, the noble feareth y ^e commons the commones trusteth not the nobility. These are the last days wherein iniquity doth abound, love is lost, charitye quenshed, faith and trust are driven forth of man's company. If there be any tokens of love shown, it is for some wicked purpose, either for the clokinge of some vice or the withdrawing-from virtue and godliness, such therefore we must alway suspect. And if thy brother the son of thy mother as Moses saithe, or thy son, or thy daughter, or thy wife that is in thy bosom, or thy friend whom thou loueste as thine own life be about to persuade the to the worship of strange gods or any such obhominacion, thou mayest not only not give credence unto them but to help to punish them Deu. xiii. If the Emperor should send his Interim into England or the Pope his decretals that all y ^e fayr promises that the wicked can imagine, defye them both and deteste their flatterye. If any Frenshe or Scottishe Lady should flatter for like purpose, she ought most horrible to be detested and abhorred remembering that Solomon by the flattering of his wifes, was brought to Idolatry. Sampson to his own destruction. And infinite other that have fall̄ some into one vice, some in another and ar length to shameful ends by the flatterye of feigned friends. Beware of flatterers therefore O kings and princes, for be sure when so ever you shall delight in them you shall not long continue without shame. The moste present poison to a Prince is flatterye. Beware I • aye therefore. For Judas when he flattereth most fair, is most ready too be traye his master. Joab when he kisseth Amasa and and Abner and showeth most frendshippe is ready to kill them.

Abimelech when he flattereth his .lxx brethrene is all ready through ambition appointed too destroy them. Dadila when she flattereth Sampson too know his strength hath the Philistines priuilye hid in her house. Absalom doth call to his feast by flattery and there slai his brother Ammon, and withdraweth the hearts of the people by flattery frō his father David, and at length dryueth him forth of his kingdom. Wherein appeareth the small trust to be had to the wicked worldlings and crafti flatterers, though they offer great friendship, though thei be our brethrē, though thei lie in our own bosōs. And hear may we set before our eyes who ar to be trusted in this wicked world so full of disceit and who are not. They only which do seek godliness and virtue and setteth much bi the truth of the word of God. for this truth is mightier then women, then wine, then the king, it overcometh all. It conquereth falshed, it condempneth flattery, it driveth away blindness, it causeth the blind to se, the young scoler to be wiser then the great Doctor, it trieth all, it espieth all, it judgeth, it condemneth all. To the author and giver of this truth be all glory forever.

Let us no longer trust to man therefore or make flesh our arm in this our wicked time wherein all are given to falsehood, to flatterye, to deceit, to covetous, to ambition, to lying, slaunderynge, to all evils and wickedness. But contraryewise say with our Prophet everyone of us both king and subject.

I will loke unto the Lord. I will trust unto God my savior, & my God will hear me.

Whether it be in the day of my visitacion whē adversity shall come vpō me, or in y ^e day of prosperity whē these flatterers shall follow me. I will regard nothing but the Lord I will trust to none but to God my savior. The Lord God is the measurer of mi trouble he can & will hear my cry & deliver me from all peril. Therefore will I cal unto the Lord with the holy king David. Psa. iii. O God how are mine enemies multiplied howe many doth rise up against me. Many doth say unto mi soul: his God shall not save him, but thou O God act the sheilde over me. My glory and the lifting up of my head. I will cry unto the Lord with my voice and he will hear from his holy hill.

O thou mine enemy reioise not against me that I am fall̄, I am risen up again, And though I should sit in darkness, the Lord is my lght. I will bear the displesure of the Lord, because I have sinned against him whiles y ^t heaueng my cause & do judgment for me. For he will bring me into light & I shall se his righteousness. Thē mine enemi shall behold & be ashamed which saith unto me: where is y ^e lord thy god? mine eyes shall behold her and now shall she be trodden under the foot like the mire of the stretes.

Three thnges are here to be observed in this humble confession of the sinner whether thou do understand it in the persō of a particular sinner, or in the parsō of the multitude of Israel led into captivity. Fyrst a consideracion and know ledgynge of the sins committed against God: and therefore patience to bear and to suffer what so ever the lord shall lay vpō their backs. Secondly where such as are chastened of the Lord are always of the wicked world despised, reviled and skorned vniustli, and without cause which doth augment their heaviness. Here is the aduenging thereof, and the judgment of their innocencye towards their enemies which do persecute them, committed unto God. Thirdlye here is full and perfect fayhte of God his favor in the middes of the afflyccions and hope of a comfortable ende of them to the glory of god to the confusion shame and destruction of all his enemies to be learned.

For the first David crieth: O Lord enter not thou into iudgemēte with thy servant, for in thy sight no living creature shall be justified. For the second part he dare be bold to say, judge me according to my ryghtuousnes, and the xxxv. Psa. thorough out for this purpose. For the third he saith. Though I do sit in darkness and in the shadow of death yet art thou with me. So fyrmelye persuaded of God his favor in the middes of the trouble are the elect of God, that they say alway with Paul, who shall separate us from the favor of God? shall affliccyon? shall anguish? shall persecucion, shall hunger? shall nakedness? shall peryl? danger or sword? Nay thou haste thus appointed, ordained, and therefore warned us longe before. That we should be slain every day for thy sake and counted like sheep ready to the slaughter, but in all this we do overcome, by him which hath loved us. And as Paul saith in another place, we do glory in our afflyccion, knoweinge that affliccion bringing patience, patience bringeth trial and hoope in the ende which is never shamed.

This lesson of comfort may every private person fealinge him self smitten for his sin, learn of our Prophet. But farther now he speaketh in the person of the Jews, and of the hole church chosen of God, and the like things for them may be marked besides the fall of the Chaldees, of Antichrist & of all Tirauntes persecutoures of the elect people which shall by the conqueste of Christ their head make all their enemies as their foot stole, to tread upon them like the mire of the streate as is here prophesied. Therefore must we bear pacientli a little while, and we shall satisfy our eyes with the sight of their fall by the just iudgmente of God and venginge our cause like as they have without cause unjustly triumphed over us, hated, oppressed and murdered us, deserving no such cruelty at their hands, for too the Lord longeth vengaunce. And he will perform it. Read the .v. Chapter of wisdom to the end. For the declaration of all this.

To note also the Phrases of light and darkness, light signifieth knowledge and comfort. Isaiah .ii.ix.xlii.xlix.lx.lxi. Matthew .iiii. Luke .ii. Darkness the contrary, persecution, blindness, sorrow. Isaiah .xiii. Lamentacions .v. Micah. iii. Psam .lxix. To se also and to behold the ennemye is to rejoice at the fall of him which the just do for the righteous judgment which God sendeth vpō the enemy. Psa. liiii, the wicked to satysfy their malicious minds.

In the day when the hedges shall be buylte, that day shall put away thy bondage, That day shall come from Assur and the walled cytyes and from the fortresses unto the flood, frō the sea unto the sea and to the mountain Hor,

The contrye of Jury was spoiled, wasted, and destroyed, as ye have heard by the Chaldees and by the Romaines, but like as in the .iiii. Chapter, so is hear promised a wonderful deliverance of y ^e Jews, & a miserable plage to come vpō their enemies. Ther is a day appointed y ^t thy waste places shall be built. Amos. ix. Ezekiel .xxxvii. A day when all tyranny cal exaction and tribute shall be taken away. Ezekiel .xxxviii. That day shall thy people which wer carried captive unto Babylon be brought from theyre strong fēced cities, fortes, castels & holds, wherein they wer kept prysonners home again to enhabit frō the strong cities to y ^e flud Iordā & frō y ^e red sea to y ^e great sea and so to the hill Carmel and the mountain called Hor. Isaiah saith of this gathering together Israel frō y ^e cast I will bring thy seed & frō the West I will gather the. I will say to the North, give and to the Southe hinder not, bring my sons from far and my Doughters from the ende of the earth.

And the lande shall be desolate for the enhabytauntes, because of the fruit of theyre imagynacyons.

Thoughe this sentence be hear spoken cheiflye of the enemies land, yet is it generallye true in all lands and cōtries. The Canances were waysted and destroyed therefore. The Jews thē self had their lande flowinge with mylcke and honye, so longe before promised to theyre fathers, made so desolate for the fruit of their own imaginacions that no man went thorough it. The Chaldees wer miserably wasted and brought to desolacyon by the Macedonians for the fruit of their labors? What shall I name the desolations of Sodom, Gomor and the other city, sor the destruction of the hoole world in the time of Noah. Do we not read. Genesis .vi. That God did se that the malice of man was great upon earth and all the imaginacion of his heart was only evil? and therefore he saith he will destroy from the face of the earth both man and beast, and Birde of the air. Shall we then walcke still in the fruit of our imaginacions? One sort in fleshly pleasures, deliting in wicked womenne, and mad marriages made for worldly purposes, imagininge howe to be gyle both God and man, as it wer. Another sort too make them self mighty men of great fame, riches and renown, imageninge howe to begile our young king and to pyll and poll his poor commons

The third and worst sort are the vnsauerye salt whereof Christ our master telleth, which should season other, but because they have lost their sauoure and saltenesse, they are fytte for nothing but the donge hill, and causeth other to stink by their shameless life before the face of God, not darringe to rebuke thē, or elsse not regarding them, whiles they do seek benefices and Bishopryckes, bi flattering of their Lord's and masters and blineding the pore commonnes their brethrene.

The .iiii. sort are of these scattered sheep of these despised commonners which runneth hear and there they wotte not where for relief and succor still wanderynge after their own imaginacion, and not hearkeninge too the word of God which byndeth them to obedience. Lo such are the fruits of our imaginacions in England this day. The governors despise their God, the subjects, their governors, the people, the priests, the priests neglect their charge over the stock. So now it is come so far that the boy moste commonly dare presume upon his better without order against honesty and all good discipline, O good Lord shall not our lande be desolate for such wild fig trees, bar̄ of all good fruts numbe, lame, and void of all virtuous studies & honest exercises.

Fede thy people with thy staf the flock of thine herytage which abideth alone in the woodde in the mids of Harmell let them be fed in Basan and Gilead as in the old time.

The Prophet seeing in spirit the glorious restorynge and deliverance of Israel, prayeth for them that the lord would vouchsafe to feed them in the stead of these evil pastoures which fedeth them selves knowing most assuredly that if the Lord will be their pastor, shepperde and feader, they shall lack nothing as David doth acknowledge Psalm .xxiii. confessing also with king David that his rod and his staff doth comfort his stock, therefore doth he say, feade thy people with thy rod. And David doth say: thy rod and thy staff they have comeforted me. The flock of his chosen heritage he nameth to abide alone in the mounetaynes, because they should come over Carmel and other mountains, like scattered sheep, one abiding and waytynge for another in that glorious restoringe, which in spirit he did foresee which should be like the glorious conquest in Basā & Gilead, whē they first entered y ^e promised lande, and Manasseh had these twayne in possessyon Joshua .xvii. And our prophet bringeth in y ^e answer of the Lord, fully persuaded that his petition was already granted.

Even like as in the day of thy deliverance forth of Egypt I will show unto him my wonders, The heathen shall be a shamed of their strength, they shall lay their hand upon their mouthe and their ears shall be deaf. They shall lyk dust like the serpent, and like the worms of the earth. They shall come quaking forth of their holes. They shall tremble before our Lord god. The shall they fear.

In such vehement Prophecies where y ^e prophets do seme ravished the change of parsons, is oft used, and therefore I have hitherto passed it as a thing which may easily be marked by him which with any diligence doth read them. In the first verse Israel is spokē unto both in the first and second persō, and in the last the prophet doth so speak of God, ravished by the servant spirit. And here is a plain promise of the restorynge again of Israel, with signs and wonders to the shame, confusion and condēnation of the wicked Heythen, as is more at large set forth. Ezechyel .xxxvi. xxxvii.xxxviii.xxxix. Ieremye .xxx.xxxi. Isaiah .lxiii.

The day of the deliverance forth of Egypt, was most wonderful with the plages sent upon Pharaoh, and the drownyng of him in the red sea with all his army, the standing of the waters like walls, the destruction of the cities without hands, and other great works, whereof the book of Exodus and Joshua are full.

The days of the spiritual deliueraūce from the helly Pharaoh, as they are wonderfully begone in our Savior Christ the true Messiah, so shall they be by him then most wonderfully fynyshed and ended, when all the power of the adversary shall be destroyied in y ^e end of the world, when the helly Pharaoh shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. John .xix

To lay the hand upon the mouth is a common phrase too keep silence for shame. Job. xxxviii. That the Serpente lycke the dust and eateth the earth, is the curse of God. Genesis in, and here it is given to the serpentes generation to fall down for fear and creep into holes like worms, Wherein appeareth the almighty power of God and the weak arm of the wicked. Therefore doth our prophet ende with these exclamacions. They shall tremble before our Lord God. Thee shall they fear O Lord. Agayne.

What God is like unto thee which doest pardon iniquity and pass over sin for the remnaunt of thine enherytaunce he hath not settled his wrath forever, but he hath pleasure in mercy. He will return and have mercy upon us. He will tread down our wickedness under his feet, and cast all our sins into the bottom of the seas, Thou wilt perform thy promise to Jacob, and thy mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

After our prophet hath received this comfortable answer from God, he rendereth thanks with an admiracion and comparyson of the ever living God, which hath wrought these wonders the false God's, which can do nothing. Wherein also he setteth forth the sinful weakness of man which can attain nothing but by pardon and mercy, according to the Psalm .xxxi. Blessed are they whose wickedness are forgivē and whose sins are covered. Agayne happy is that man whom the Lord hath not charged with syn. David also after the consyderacion of the great majesty of God maketh like comparyson, and asketh what god there is besides the lord. Psa. xvii. And Moses describeth the Lord by these properties. Exo. xxxiiii. saying: O Lord, Lord, merciful and gracious God, patient and aboundaunt in pytye and truth. Shewyng mercy unto thousands taking away iniquity wickedness and sin. &c.

So that God which in his substance is unsearchable by mercy, pytye and truth, showeth him self unto men. Wherein also is comprehended the promise of Messiah made unto the fathers, by whom this mercy and loving kindness should be shown, and with this he endeth, as doth the most part of the prophets, to teache us always to have confydence in God, though the promise do seem longe dyfferred, For he is the god that is true, he is faithful, he performeth with the largeste that he doth promsie, he is also merciful, he is pytyfull, full of loving kindness, which we do feale in that he did give his own son to be made man of the seed of Abraham for our sakes, howe can he but give us all things with him? To him therefore let us give all glory. Let us serve him with fear and tremblinge, walckynge before our God as our Prophet warneth, reuerentlye, doing judgment and loving mercy all the days of our life, so shall the woes and cursses threatened unto the wicked be turned away from us, and the blessings promised too the obedyente chyldrene be most aboundauntlie poured upon us. Graunte that we may this do to y ^e honor of thy name for thy son our Lord Jesus Christ his sake. So be it.