Davids Harp

The first verse.

THis first verse cōtayneth three striges of dauids harp, which are theyse, faith, confession of the faith, whereby are understand all good works, and persecucion. These three therefore will I now, thorough the help of God's spirit, set in tune by right order.

The seconde verse.

The fourth strynge.

NO marvel in deed though our Mynstrell David saith, that he was sore troubled for speaking. For he syngethe a very homely song little pleasant and sweet to the ears of beastlyke, carnal & flesshely men. Who can abide to be called a liare, yea & that w ^t out ony reverence taken? yet he shameth not to speak universally, & to say that every man is a liar, without excepcion. Surely me think that David wanteth here y ^e chief point of a Mynstrell & of a syngyng mā, which is to lie & flatter, or at the lease to fasshon his song according unto the audience, & w ^t his singing to please so many as hear him. Is David now become a man of so lie tle experience, that he thinketh the holy Pharisees, the wise Scribes, the learned Bishops, the devout Prestes, the godly rulars of y ^e temple. &c. could be contented to be called liars, which would be noted though row out all the world to be y ^e prīci pall teachers of all verite & truth, & alone to have y ^e key of knowledge Undoubtedly David kept sheep to longe for to be a Mynstrell to such delycate & soft religious parsons. But David was a good plain, sīple, & homely man brought up in y ^• countre, & endued w ^t that spirit, wherewith S. Paul was, whan he said, If I did please mē, I should not be the servant of Christ •… . For evē as John̄ Baptist, whan he saw many of y ^e Pharisees & Sadducees cō myng unto his baptism, called thē the generaciō of vipers for all their glysteryng hypocrysy & feigned holiness, & as Christ called y ^• Scribes & Pharisees blind gydes, straining out a gnat but swalowing up a ca mel, painted sepulchers, outward lie in apperaunce righteous before mē, but inwardly full of hypocrisy & iniquity, & as S. Paul called Ana nias y ^e high priest a painted wall, because more like a bocher than a Bishop, he commanded them that stood about him to smyte Paul on the mouth contrary to all equite & justice, whan he should have pour ged himself before the council of the Articles laid against him, evē so David can none otherwise but call him y ^t is a liar, a lyare in deed. He cannot bear fire in one hand & water in the other. He can not play placebo. He is none of those, that say all is well, when altogether is stark naught. He is no dissembler, his heart & his tongue goeth together. He is as plain as a pack staff. For as the truth is, so speaketh he, having respect neither to the parson nor to the time. He seakethe the glory of God, & not to satisfy the vain fantasy of man. He had rather suffer great rebuke, moche trouble, extreme persecuciō, yea very death, than that God's glory should in ony parte be obscured thorough his faynynge flattery. God send us fewer gnathos & mo David's. But let us return to our song.

I said being as it were in a traunse, saith he, every man is a lie are. Before David confesseth that enery man is a lyare, it is to be noted that he saith, he was in a traūs that is to say, in a dāpe, a stupour, abasshement, & sudden preuacion of sense or fealyng, as whan a man is so rapte into another kind or state that he forgetteth himselfe, or seemeth to be in another world, as they use to say. For all this doth the greek word Ecstasis sound. A like thing we read of S. Paul in the seconde Epistle to the Corinthians.

It is necessary in deed, y ^• David should be in this Ecstasy & traūce that is, that he should be transformed into another man, renewed by the holy ghost, illumined w ^t divine knowledge, lyfted up to y ^• cōtēplac •… on of heavenly things, & have his mind wholly rapte & plucked frō carnali te unto spiritual & ghostly matters, or elles could he never have confessed this infallible truth, that every man is a lyare. For a natural man doth not perceive those things that pertain unto y ^• spirit of God. For they are folyshnes unto him, neither cā he understand thē, because they be spiritually iud ged. Howe can a man speak good things, whā he him self is evil? Can blessing & cursyng come both out of one mouth? Doth a foūtayn send for the at one place sweet water & bitter also? Can a fygge tree •… ear Olyue berys, either a vine bear figs? Of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. He that is of the earth, is earthly, and speaketh of the earth, but he whom god hath sent, speaketh the words of God. Every man speaketh, as he is. The children of truth, speak truth, & the sons of a lying seed speak lies & falsehood. Now is dauid no moresuch a man, as of nature is a lyare, butte he is regenerate, & borne anewe of y ^e holy ghost, & is no moreof y ^t false & lying seed, which de ceyueth according to the nature, ingeny & proper •… e of Satā, which is a lyare, & the father of all lying, & therefore confessethe he now another tale, than he would have done before his regeneraciō & new birth He would before have glorified in himself, in his flesh, in his blood, in his strength, wisdom, polecy, riches, holiness, good works, and all that ever he did, (for that is the na ture of all flesh) and have fought mā fully against them that condemn the Hypocrisy, feigned holiness, iniquity & unrighteousness of the flesh but now being nourtered in the discipline of God's truth, he freely grauntethe every man of his own nature to be nothing but a lyare which thing S. Paul also affirmeth in his Epistle to the Romans.

Hereof may we learn what we are of our selves, howe blind and vnapte of our own nature to aspire, breath, or come to ony point of true godliness & godly truth w ^t out the inspiraciō of God's spirit. It is not without a cause said of God, My spirit shall not dwell forever in man, for he is flesh, If we be left unto our selves, than are we nothing but liars, that is to say beastlyke, wicked, foolish, ungodly, thinking all abomination, breathynge all noughtynes, speaking all wickedness, doing all mischefe, & even such without faynynge as we were leafte of our first father Adam after the trāsgressiō of God's precept, that is to say, naked, void of all goodness, replete with all evil. Therefore before we can sa uour aright ony godliness, & work y ^t which is accceptable in the sight of God, & healthful to our souls, we must be in this trance, into the which David was cast, we must be trāsformed into another nature, & lyfted up unto the contemplacion of divine & celestial things. But this can not come to pass of our own strengths, which are liars of our selves, & not able to think a good thought, but by the help of gods spirit, which workethe in us both the will & the deed. For Christ saith, no mā can come unto me, except my father drawethe him, & I shall reyse him up at the last day. It is writ̄ in the Prophettes, Al shall be taught of God. Everyone therefore that hath heard of the father, & hath learned, cometh unto me. I gain, without me ye can do no thing. Whan Peter confessed Christ to be the son of the living God, he said unto him: Blyssed art thou Simon the son of Jonah, for flesh & blood hath not openned that unto the, but my father which is in heaven.

Here se we that flesh & blood, y ^• is, all that ever we have of our selves, & of our forfather sinful Adā, cā not: attain unto the intelligence of the divine mysteries, & vnderstādynge of God's truth, except we be drawn of the father by his holy spirit. Now that we may therefore come unto this true knowledge of God, & of his truth, let us pray with that spouse. Drawe me after y ^• so shall we ron in y ^e sweet sauourof thine oyntmētes. So shall we be su re not only to become new mē, but all so w ^t a free & wylling heart grant w ^t David that every man is a lyare.

Every man is a lyare, saith he. This is to be understand before he be regenerate & borne anew by the seconde birth, not in Adam, but in Christ. For so many as have put of the old man Adam, & put on y ^• new mā Christ, so many are no more mē if we have respect unto their spiri tuall regeneracion, but God's, as y ^• holy scripture saithe ye are gods & all of you are the sons of y ^• most hygheste. But all that have not on the Lord Jesus Christ, remain still liars, & all that ever they do or speak w ^t out Christ & his most holy word, is nothing but a very lie, and mere fancy, a mad dotage, seemeth it never so true in y ^e iuge ment of carnal reason. And this false & lying corrupcion cometh not of God (for God is not the Author of sin, nor one that wylony vnrigh teousnes, neither tempteth he ony man unto evil, as s. James saith) but of Satan the mortal enemy of mankind, which lying full craftily unto Eve, & sowyng this seed in her, & she in Adā, & Adam in all his posterite, brought us into this damnable & false lying state, so that by nature, as S. Paul saith. We are all borne the sons of wrath, & all that ever we do of our selves w ^t out the spirit of God, is lying, false, wicked, unfaithful, & detestable be fore God, as Christ testifieth, That which is borne of flesh, is flesh. Also S. Paul, All that is not grounded on faith, is sin.

Of this salse and lying seed was Cain, which s •… ewe his brother Ab •… with innumerable mo of y ^e old Te stament, even so many as attempted ony thing at all contrary to God des most holy will, as banyshyng God's word, shedding innocent blood, kyllynge the true Prophettes of God, setting up strange wor shyppynges of new Idols, proclamynge other gods, thā the one and alone God of Israel. &c. In the New Testament also there ware many li ars, as Bishops, head priests, pre stes, masters of the Tēple, Lawers Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees with an innumerable company of Jews, which all resisted Christ, condemned his preaching, obscured the glory of his miracles, hyndred y ^• honor of God, belied the verite of God's word, slandered the gospel, blasphemed Christ & his Apostles, never ceasyng until they had brought both him and his unto their final destruction as they thought. After thē did there arise a great swarm of pestilente liars, as Heretykes, Schismatykes, & false Christians. Of this number was Ebion, Marcion, and Cherinthus, which denied Christ to be God frō everlasting against whom S. John̄ did write his Gospel: Catarus & Novatus, which affirmed, that they which did fall after Baptism ought not to be received again, neither can they obtain remission of their sins: Eutiches, which denied Christ to be both God & man: Montanus Marcion, & Manicheus which condemned both marriages & meats, as things impure: Arius, Pelagius, Artemō, Sabellius, Paulus Samosetanus, with other innumerable, which did sow much diuisiō in the church of Christ, & brought in many pestilent & detestable heresis. All theyse ware liars, because they were w ^t out the spirit of god, and invented sects & opinions of their own brains without y ^• authority of God's word, so easy a thing is it for men to err, to deceive & to be deceived, whan they lean not to y ^e holy scriptures, but to their own judgments and fantasies.

And would God that all lying were only found in them, whom I have rehearsed hitherto, thā were it well with Christ's church. But who that ever lived, Christ alone except, hath not shown himself in some point to be a man, that is to say, a liar? Peter confessed christ to be the son of the living God, & therefore was he called blessed, and promised that against that confession of his faith, hell gates should not prevail, yet whē he afterward denied Christ and forswear him, he shown himself to be a man, that is, a very lyare, so feeble and of no strength are we, if we be not endew ed with valeaunce, might, & power from above. I here freely confess, y ^t next unto the holy scriptures, I owe the chief & principal honor to the writings of the Catholyke Doctors, to whom I cleave as vn to an holy Ancker, whom I follow as great lyghtes to show me howe I may walk in y ^e way of truth, whom I reverence as my most faithful teachers, yet dare I not approve & allow them in all things, because in some points they have shown thenselves men, & have manifestly erred against the open truth of God's word, as it is not unknown to them, that be diligent lie exercised in the reading of their works. And for an example I will here rehearse. ii. or. iii. not to their re proche, but to admonysshe all men, what we are of our selves & that no man should be sworn & wholly addicte to the doctrine & teaching of ony man, be he never so holy & learned, except it agreeth with the holy Scriptures.

Origē was undoubted a famo{us} Doctor, & did write very excellent lie of diverse matters concerning y ^e purite of christen religion, yet shown he himself to be a man & very lyare, whan he feigned that the pay nes of the dyuels & of the damned should cease in time to come, & that they should be saved.

Tertullian was a man of great learning, & did write many things very godly, yet did he err, whē he condemned the second marriages in a christen mā. He maketh his argu meant on this manner: Thou mayste not mary the wife of thy brother being dead. He that maryeth a wy dowe left of a christen man, maryeth the wife of his brother being dead. Ergo he doth not well. This & certain other things he writeth not very godly, shewynge him self to be a very mā, that is to say a lyare.

Cypriane was an excellent clar ke, and died for the faith of Christ leaving many godly works behind him, yet did the ancient fathers of Christ's church condemn this his opinion, that they, which were baptized of Heretykes, ought to be baptized again.

I pass over many other ecclesiastical writers, which want not their errors, neither have they in all points so circumspectely writ ten, but that their faults may easily be perceived of them, that have whole, true, good & pure iudgemen tes in the holy scripture. For they have declared thē selves not in few things to be men & liars, therefore are they to be believed no further, than the word of God mayntayneth them. That which they have written well, let us receive & give God thanks for it, confessing that it came to pass by the instincte of his most holy Spirit, & not by their own polecy, wit, reason, eloquence & learning. But y ^• wherein they have erred, let us charitably •… enterpret, take it into y ^• best parte, & cover their faults, consythering that they were men, & both might and deed err, as S. Agustine withe other dydboth confess, grant and write of them selves.

And this I desire all men that be ghostely learned, & walk after y ^• order of charity to vnderstond also of all my works, which I have hy thereto written, or shall here after, if the will of God so be, & to believe them no further thā the holy scripture testify that they be true.

For I am a man and a lyarre of myself, and therefore may I err so well as mannye learnedde and ancient Doctors have done before me. Let God alone be true, & every man a lyare. Let the spirit of charity and not of cōtencion reign among us. If we err, let us charitably monysshe one another, bear one with another, instruct one ano there, & not streightwayes furiously condemn what so ever at the first blush lyketh not our carnal judge mentes, no nor yet at every lytyll fault be ready to caste the ignorant offenders into preson, chenes, stocks & fire. If ony man doth not of •… end w ^t his tongue, saith S. James he is a perfect man. Let us follow the long sufferance of God, which •… aciētly abideth our amendment. If God had takē away Paul out of this life, whan so tyraūtlyke he •… ersecuted the Chyrche of Christ, •… aule had never be made of a wolf a lamb, of a persecutoure an Apostle, of a blasphemer a true precher, of an Heretyke ketcher, a faithful Evangelist. They that are strong ought to bear the weakness of thē that be infirm & weak and not to stonde in their own conceits. They ought so to order thē selves, that they should please their neygh bour unto his wealth & edifienge. For Christ pleased not him self. Wherefore we ought to receive one another, even as Christ hath recea ued us unto the glory of God, and to bear one another's burdē, seeing that we be all menbers of one body, & have one head, which is Jesus Christ.

Besydes these aforsayd, the ungodly Bishop of Rome & all his wic ked kygedome are liars, & all their decrees, acts, laws, constituciōs, councils. &c. that sight with god des word, are lies, & very mad •… an tafies, by no means to be believed of ony faithful heart.

Agayne all Hypocrites, Sacramentaries, Anabaptists, & all authors of false sects, are liars. To conclude, so many as dissente from God & his most blessed word, are liars, whither it be in doctrine, tea chyng, living, manners, conversation or otherwise.

Thus se we what we are of our selves, evē very liars, & into what great captivity we be thrown though row Adā, & that we cannot by our own strengths be delivered from this bondage, but only by the spirit of him, which saith. If y ^e son ma keth you free, thā are ye free in deed. For where the spirit of the LORDE is, there is liberty. Therefore that we may have that vnccion & an noyntyng in us, I mean the holy Ghost, y ^• may teache us all truth, we must with continual prayers resort unto our heavenly father: which undoubtedly will give a good spirit, to so many as ask it of him. For he is a beneficial Lord sufficiently rytch for so many as call on him in spirit, and truth, as it followeth.

The third verse.

The fyfte strynge.

AFter that our Mynstrell David hath diligently pondered with hiselfe, what he is of his own nature, even a very lyare, and one that is replete with all sin & iniquity, thynkyng, breathynge, speaking and doing all that ever is naught & unthankfull in the sight of God, & whan on the othersyde he hath again considered howe that God of his mere marcy, free bounte & unspeakable goodness hath deliue red him frō all these greuo us enor mities without his merits or deser tes, he beginneth now to delight no more in carnal & trāsitory thin ges, but in spiritual and heavenly things, & weyeth, pondereth, & con siderethe howe he may show him self thankful again unto God for y ^e innumerable benefits, which he hath received at y ^• hand of God. What shall I give agen, saith he, unto the LORDE for all those things, that he hath givē me? O kind & thankful heart, far estranged from all ingratitude & vnthāke fullness. He knowethe full well, that to recompense & make God amends for y ^• kindness that he hath shown unto him, it lieth not in his power, notwithstanding he desireth very greatly to do somewhat, whereby he may show his thankful heart again toward God. For he confess seth that all that ever he hath being good, he received it of God, as S. Paul saith: What hast thou, y ^• thou hast not receued? If thou hast received it, why dost thou rejoice as though y ^u haddest not receued it? S. James also saith: Every good & perfect gift is from above, come mynge down from the Father of lyghtes.

On this manner ought we to pōder with our selves the inestima ble benefits & great gifts of God toward us. Fyrst that he made us not like to brute beasts, but like unto his own image, neither did he place us in hell, or in some other dolorous & sorowefull place, but in joyful Paradise, where all kind of pleasures did abound. He endued us with wit, reason, discrecion, pru dence, wisdom, knowledge & with all other things, that should move us unto godliness & virtue, setting us at our own liberty to do what so ever we would, only he gave us a commandment to abstain from the tree of life, & told us like a mer cifull father before, that whan so ever we did taste of y ^t , we should die the death. Notwithstondynge this his most gentle premonicion thorough y ^• subtilite of Satā, we brake his most godly precept, & throw our selves into y ^e death, whereof he told us before, so that no we of all earthly creatures we ware become most miserable. Yet behold agen the great goodness of God toward us, whā we had worthily deserved to be damned for evermore, he did not, as he handled the Aungelles, straightways cast us ito hell fire, but marcyfully sent us into this world, that we might here repent, deplore, lament, & bewail our sinful & abhominable offense, that by this means thorough the divine pro uidence we might afterward be re stored to our old innocence & be sa ued. Neither sent he us hither as into a salt, bar̄, & desolate place, or wyld forest, but rather into such a kingdom, as florysheth with all kinds of riches, treasures, pleasures, & most goodly possessions, so that we can desire nothing, but y ^t we have it here ready at hand. He hath garnysshed the earth w ^t grene grass, sweet herbs & most pleasant flowers. He hath given us all kinds of grayne to sow in the earth for our sustenance. He sendeth us rain & temperate heat in convenient time for y ^e fortunate increase thereof. He hath planted us trees, & garnysshed thē in time of the year withe most goodly grene leaves & fruits to serve our necessary businesses, for diverse causes. And as he hath replenyshed the earth with all kinds of beasts, so hath he stuffed the sea & other waters with inumerable sortes of fysshes. And of all these things with many other mo hath he made us Lord's, rulars, go uernours, owners. Neither do the his kyndenes here cease concerning temporal things. For he hath also set over us as a most beautiful roof & goodly seelynge, the firmamēt or air, which in the day time showeth us light thorough the clerenes thereof, wherein for our great cō solacion & comfort, he hath also set a goodly great light, which we call the son, by the virtue & operaciō whereof, y ^e erth brigeth forth her fru ites in due season, yeldyng them to us both rype, apt & mete for our use, whan convenient time requireth. For the night time again, because we should not be dismayde thorough the great darkness, where with y ^e earth is than overwhelmed seeing it is a time appointed not to labor but unto rest, not unto trouble, but unto quietness, not vn to watchynge, but unto slepynge, God hath most gorgiously garnisshed the firmament withe a goodly great light, called the moon, & w ^t innumerable Stars mo for our great joy, pleasure & comfort, so y ^t no gardē, be it never so plesaūtly refer ted & stuffed full of herbs most amiable in aspecte, may be compared unto it. And all these things hath God wrought and done not for his own sake, but for ours, not for his own wealth & felicite, but for our profit and commodite.

Hytherto have I spoken of his temporal gifts, which though they seme to be much precious, as they are in deed, yet are they nothing to be compared unto those that fol low. For look howe much the spirit excelleth the body, so much do these gifts excel the other being incōparable, & not able by ony mea nes to be recōpēsed of ony creature neither in heaven nor in earth.

Fyrst what an exceeding gentle nes of God was this, whā we were worthily condemned for our offense, & had no hope of health, to promise us streightwayes, because we should despair, y ^t his only begotten son the highest treasure that he had, should come down from his right hand, be conceived by y ^• holy ghost, take very flesh & be borne of y ^• most pure virgin Mary, yea and y ^t without the seed of ony man, reconcyle us to his favor, make an attonemēt for us, purchased grace, mercy, & remission of our sins, offer his most blessed body a sweet smellyng sacrifice for our iniquity, sufferhis most precious blood to be shed for the purgacion & clensynge of our sins, & become a perfect & full satisfaccion for all the sins of his people, that is, of so many as reap̄t, believe in him, and lead a godly and innocent life. This promised God the father oftentimes, & according to his promise at his time, predefined and tofore appointed he most faithfully performed it unto y ^• perpetual joy & comfort of all true Christians. But in the mean season howe great sees of kindness did he opē unto us? After that he had set us in this world, howe did he prosper us in all things, that we went about? How did he give us y ^• victory of our enemies? Howe wonderfully did he deliver us from our cruel enemy Pharaoh? How maruelously preserved he us whē he made the red see to give place unto us? How favorably dealt he with us, when he gave us meat frō heaven and water out of the hard rock? What a londe did he give us flowynge with milk & honye. And because we should live an honest and godly life before him, did not he give us his most holy law, yea & that not only 〈◊〉 tables of stone, but also written in our hearts by y ^e holy Ghoste? What goodly ceremonies also received we of him, which were mysteries, figures types, clouds & shadows of good thi ges to come, even of Christ, of his most holy passion, glorious resurrection. &c. All these things ware great consolacion to the true, spiritual, & christen men, in as much as they preched Christ unto thē, which according unto their faith whole lie fixed on y ^e promise of God, came at the time appointed ito this miserable world toke flesh of the most glorious virginne Mary, became like to us in all things, syn alone except, preached unto us the will of his heavenly father, wrought mi racles, suffered & died for our sins, & on the third day rose again for our justification. Certain day es after he ascended into Heaven, where he now sytteth on y ^e right hand of god the father almyghty, being there not idle, for he incessauntly prayeth for us, being our mediatoure & advocate, apeasynge daily the fathers wrath & purchasynge for us all good things. And at the latter day, he shall come agē to judge both the quick and the dead, both the faithful & unfaithful, both the sheep & the goats, & than shall he take us both body and soul enunied together withe him into eternal glory, where we shall remain with him for evermore.

If ony man desyrethe to know more of the benefits of god, and of his immeasurable kyndenes toward us, let hī resort unto y ^e Pathwaye of prayer, & read, where I entreat of thanks giving from the xlii. Chap. unto the xlix. & there shall he se this matter entreted of at large.

If we did consider on this wise the inestimable benefits of god to ward us, undoubtedly we would leave our vnthanckefulnes, & say with David, what shall I give again unto the Lord, for all those things, that he hath given me? But let us se what our Mynstrell intendeth to give agen unto god, that we may follow him and do so likewise.

The fourth verse.

The syxte strynge.

HEre David expresseth two thī ges, y ^t he intendeth to do. One is to take the cup of health. The other to caull on the name of the LORDE. These are two things, wherein God very much delighteth. Fyrst he saith, he will take y ^e cup of health, whereby is understand af fliccion, trouble, persecucion, morti ficacion of old Adam, kyllynge of carnal affects, slayenge of fleshly lusts, bearing of the cross, and at the last death, as it appeareth by y ^e words of Christ to the sonnes of Ze bedeus: Can ye drink, saith he, of the cup that I shall drink? Also to his father, Let this cup depart from me, whereby he understandeth his passion & death. To recompense partly y ^e kyndenes of God, David saith, that he will mortify the ra gīg lusts of his own flesh, y ^t fight against the spirit, & never leave until he hath made y ^e body subject to the soul, that in all points it may be obediente to the law and will of God. For this is an high & acceptable sacrifice to God as David witnesseth ī another place, a sacrifice to God is a troubled spirit, a contrite & humble heart God will not despise. S. Paul also saith, I beseech you brothers by the tender mercies of God, that you give your bodies a sacrifice, y ^t is quick, holy & acceptable to God, which is youre reasonable serving of God. And God himself saith by y ^e Prophet, unto whom shall I look, but unto the humble & broken in spirit, & unto him y ^t fearethe my words?

Agayne he confessethe here that he will not only mortify his carnal lusts, that he may be truly spiritual, but he will also patiently suf fer, whatsoever cross, that is, trou ble, persecucion and affliccion God layeth upon him, yea though it be very death. His heart is now so en flamed w ^t the love of God for the be nefites that he hath shown unto him, that he recositeth not only all that he hath, but also his very lyte to vile & of to small a price to give again for the glory of God, that he may at the least in some parte show himself thankful unto so bounteous & gentle a Lord, as S. Paul saith, The holy Ghost wytnessethe & layth, y ^• bonds & troubles abide me in every City. But I care not for it, neither is my life dere unto me, so that I may fynish my course with joy, & the office that I have re ceaued of the LORD Jesus to testify y ^• gospel of y ^e grace of God. For I am not only ready to be bound, but also to die for y ^e name of y ^e LORDE Jesus.

It is not without a cause, that he calleth affliccion, trouble, or per secucion, the cup of health or salua cion, for it brigeth i deed health & s •… l uaciō to a true Christian man. And though the cross be bitter to y ^e flesh yet is it sweet and healthful to the spirit. And y ^• more y ^• body be depres sed & made low, y ^• more is y ^• spirit ex alied & made high, as s. Paul saith though our outward mā be brokē, yet y ^• iward is renewed day by day. Agen, we are not detters to y ^• flesh, y ^• we should live after y ^• flesh, For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. But if ye mortifi y ^• deeds of y ^e body in y ^• spirit, ye shall live. For they that are lead with y ^• spirit of god, are the sons of GOD. Therefore saith Christ, If ony man will come after me, let him deny & forsake hī self, & take his cross daily & follow me. For by many tribulaciōs must we enter into y ^• kingdom of god. And all y ^• will live godly in Christ Jesus, must suffer persecucion. It was necessary, saith the scripture, that Christ should first suffer, and so rise again, & enter into glory.

But for as much as it is an hard thing for a mā of his own strength patiently to bear the Cross, and to suffer rebuke, slander, ignominy, blasphemy, evil reports, empresōment loss of goods, yea & percuaūse very death for God's truth and y ^• glory of his word, seeing y ^t though the spirit be redye, yet the flesh is weak, therefore David saith, He will call on the name of the Lord. Wherefore? Verily for strength, that he may be able to bear the cross y ^• is laid upon his back, y ^• he swerve not whan persecucion cometh, and so slander y ^• truth, which so bold lie he professed before. For without the assistance of God's spirit no man is able to abide in the time of persecucion, seemeth he never so valeaunt a soldier at other times, as we may se in y ^• Apostles of Christ which before their master was in onye danger, promised that they would never forsake hi, but stick unto him even unto the very death, yet whan they came to the bronte, well was he that could run away fastest, in so much that he, which be fore craked most, & shown himselfe boldest of all the other, I mean Pe ter, did not only flee away from his master, but also shamefully denied him unto a poor maid, & sware y ^t he never knew him, so impotente, weak, frail, & full of all imbecilite is man, if he be left unto himself, & not endued with strength from above. Therefore our Mynstrel Da uid, king & Prophet, not crakyng of his own strēgthes, nor boasting of his own free will without the help of God's spirit, saith that he will call on the name of y ^• Lord for strength & valeaunce, y ^t he may manfully abide in the time of persecucion, confess the truth of God des word, & publysshe his glory before all mē, yea though a thousand deaths should follow. It is very profitable for adflicte & troubled cō sciences to caull on the name of the Lord. For as Solomon saith, the name of the LORDE is a mighty toure, & very strong Bulwark, vn to that doth the righteous mā fly, & he shall be exalted & find socoure. Blissed is that man, which putteth his trust ī the name of the LORDE, & regardeth not vanities & false ymaginacions. Call on me, saith God, in the day of thy trouble, and I will deliver the, and thou shalt honor me.

Thus se we partly how David goeth about to show himselfe thanke full again unto God for the inesti mable benefits, that he hath givē him. He will mortify his carnal af fectes, & patiently suffer what so ever cross, persecuciō, trouble or affliccion be laid upon his back for God's truths sake. And that he may be the more able to do theyse things, he will caull on the name of the LORDE. All these be very acceptable things in y ^• sight of god. And God thyncketh his benefits well bestowed, where such gifts be givē again unto him, proceeding from a gentle & thankful heart.

Now we being no less bound unto God for his gentleness thā Da uid was, ought to show our selves no less thankful again to him, thē David did, or else are we much unworthy this inestimable beneficence of God. We ought therefore to provide y ^• no sin reign in this our mortal body, but that we mor tifye our earthly members, whoredom, fornicacion, uncleanness, wan tonnes, evil concupiscence & covetousness, which is the worshypping of Idolles, for the which the wrath of God is wont to come upon the children of vnbeleue. All wrath, indignation, maiyce, cursed speaking filthy cōmunicacion, lying ought we to lay aside, & put upon us ten der mercy, gentylnes, honest behavior, mekenes, softenes, goodness, charity, peace, joy, faith, tēperaūce, with all the other fruits of y ^• spirit. For they y ^• are of Christ, have crucified the flesh, with the lusts & concupiscenses thereof, yea they are dead to the world, and their life is hyd with Christ in God.

Moreover we must be contented to take the cup of health at y ^• LORDES hand, & patiently suffer whatsoever cross he layeth upon us, yea & praise him in the mids of our trouble, recountynge our selves so moche the more blessed, seeing that it is given unto us not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for y ^• glory of his name, being thoroughly persuaded, that if we suffer wyths Christ, we shall reign with him. For many are the troubles of the righteous in this world, but from thē all shall the LORDE deliver thē, if none otherwise, yet at y ^• least by death, which is the next way unto the very true life.

And because it is hard for y ^e fl •… sh to away with the cross (which seeketh glory, wealth, ease, riches, ho nour, & not ignominy, scasenes, dis quietness, poverty, shame & opprobry) therefore must we fly with fervent and continual prayers unto God & unto his most holy name, y ^• we may have strength sent us frō above, to do these things aforsayd that by no means we be found ingrate, vnthanckefull & unworthy y ^e great & immeasurable kyndenesse, which God hath shown unto us. So shall God not only not take away his gifts from us, but also en crease them daily more & more, as the Scripture saith, to everyone that hath, it shall be given, and he shall have abundance. But who so hath not, from him shall be taken a way, even that he hath also.

But let us hear more of our Mynstrelles song.

The fyfte verse.

The syxte verse.

The nynte strynge.

BEcause no man, be he never so holy, good and perfect, should think that thorough his own holiness, goodness & perfeccion, he had deserved that his death should be dere, precious, and of great valor in the Lord's sight, or else because that he had suffered many great tor mentes for the glory of God, yea & perchaunse very death, & so by that means recounte himself worthy by his own deserts of the life eternal: our Mynstrell David in this verse of his song, not unto the derogacion of the saints honor, which are not to be defrauded of their praise, but unto the promocion & setting forth of God's glory, syngeth here, howe it commethe to pass, that the death of Saints, that is, of the faithful, is so precious i the sight of y ^e Lord. The cause is this, saith he, because God hath broken their bonds. For what is man, that he may appear righteous in y ^e sight of God, before whom a child of one day old is not pure, nor the stars in the Eliment, nor nor yet the Aungelles in heaven. There is no man good, but God alone. All our righteousnesses are as a clothe polluted with menstrue. Who is able to say, my heart is pure & I am clean without sin? The most righteous man in the world may pray on this manner with David, Lord enter not into judge meant with thy servant, for none y ^• liveth, shall be found righteous in thy sight. Is it ony marvel, whē of our selves we are not able to thike a good thought, moche less to work ony good deed by our own power, before we be regēerate, bor ne a new, and made other men by Christ's Spirit.

And as towchyng the affliccion and trouble, that we suffer in this world, seme it to the flesh never so great, painful and intolerable, yet can it not be compared to y ^e glo ry, that shall be shown to us, as S. Paul saith. Notwitstandynge if we suffer with Christ, we shall also reign with Christ, yea & be glorifi ed with him, not that we of our selves have deserved so great glory, but because God hath so promised which cannot lie, but is faithful in all his words, & leaveth no good deed unrewarded, that is done in Christ, yea and that for his promise sake thorough his immeasurable mercy poured forth plenteously in the most precio{us} blood of Christ Jesus. Now seeing y ^e not we only but also all y ^e ever we do of our selves is vn pure & unclean in the sight of god, until both we & all our deeds be pu rified by the divine spirit, therefore before we can bring forth ony thing that may be approved and accepted before God, we must be de lyuered from that most miserable captivity, whereunto we ware caste of Satan thorough the sin of Adam. Our bonds must be broken, we must be set at liberty from the power of Satan, syn, death, hell. &c. This thing once done, thā what so ever we do in Christ and in our new regeneracion, must needs be allowed before God, & received as an acceptable Sacrifice. Yea whither we live or die, both our life & our death is right dere and precious in y ^• sight of the Lord. But let us return unto our song.

Although it be true, & nothing more true, y ^t God of his own mere mercy & free goodness & undeserved benignite saved us whan we ware so utterly lost, that by no means we could seek ony parte of our own salvation, nor recover by our own strength & power ony thing at all that we before had lost in Adam, so that both our creācion, eleccion, re demcion, salvation, justification, & glorificacion cometh only of him thorough his most entierly beloved son, our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. Yet do these his benefits only belong unto thē, that are his faithful servants, & the sons of his handemayd, as David saith here: O Lord because I am thy ser uaunte, yea thy servant in deed, & the son of thy handmayde, thou hast broken my bonds. We se here that David confessethe, that God brake his bonds, but he addeth also, that he therefore is his servant, yea his unfeigned seruaūte & y ^• sonne of his handmayd. Whereby we may easily learn that the merciful been fites of God the father, which lyghe poured out in Christ's blood, pertain not unto all persons vniuersallye, but only unto those, that are his servants, yea & that not feigned, but true, hartye, loving and faithful, & the sons of his hand maid. God hath performed y ^e oath, saith y ^• good priest Zacharias father to S. John̄ baptist, which he sware unto Abraham our father, to give us, that we being without fear & delivered frō the power of our enemies, should serve him w ^t holiness & righteousness before him all the days of our life. We are delivered saith this good priest, from the power of our enemiesnot y ^• we should live wickedly & ungodly, but that we should serve our LORDE God, not in our own fleshly ymaginacions & blind good ententes, but in holiness & righteousness, yea & that not a day or two, but all the days of our life. God hath not called us, saith S. Paul, unto uncleanness, but unto sanctificacion. God hath blessed you, saith the scripture, by his son Jesus, that everyone of you should turn from his wicked nes. God hath broken our bonds, that we should be his faithful ser uauntes & the sons of his hand maid, as David saith. Now what is it to be the servant of God? Ue rely to do those things that we be commanded of God. In considera cion whereof S. Paul & the other Apostles ī all their Epistles call thē selves the servants of God, because unto the vttermoost of their power they ever fulfilled those thī ges that were enjoined thē of god. For it becometh a servant to fulfill his masters cōmaundemente, & not to work after his own fancy, so may he be bold to appere in his masters sight, whan so ever he be called, & to ask that which his master hath promised him. In like mā ner if we will be counted & so proved the servants of God unfeignedly, we must earnestelye consider every mā according to his cal lynge, what God hath commanded us in his holy law, and that we must labor unto the vttermoost of our power for to fulfyl, or else we are no true servants of God. For by no means may we leave y ^e will of God vnfylled, & practice things of our own imaginacion. If ony man loveth me, saith Christ, he will keep my word & my father shall love him, & we will come unto him and dwell with him. He that hath my cō maundemētes & keepeth them, he it is that louethe me. For not every one that saith unto me, Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of he uē, but he that doth the will of my father, which is in heaven.

But it is to be noted, that David doth not only name himself y ^• servant of god, but he doubleth it & saith, yea the servant of God in deed. As though he should say, god hath done much for me, he hath bro ken my bonds, he hath delivered me out of captivity, & set me agen at liberty, therefore will I be his ser uaūt, yea & that not fain •… dly, but his seruauut in deed, doing what so ever he commaundethe me, yea though it should cost me my life. So it becometh us not only to pro fesse our selves to be the servants of God and christen men by mouth, but also to express it in very deed, seeing that not the hearers but the doers of the law shall be justified be fore God.

O LORDE GOD be merciful to us, howe many be there now a days, that caull themselves y ^e ser uauntes of God & gospellers, & yet are nothing less in their deeds? They crake much of faith, but they bring not forth y ^• fruits of faith They talk much of the gospel, but they live no part of y ^e gospel. They read the holy scriptures, but they fashon their lives nothing theraf ter. They call Christ their savior, yet walk they nothing worthy his kyndenes. They think thē selves the sons of light, but they exercise the works of darkness. Oh that they were God's servants in deed, fervent gospellers, earneste practicers of faith, true followers of the holy Scriptures, to conclude, both lovers and lyuers of Christ's gospel, than well were it with Chri stes church. But alas their living is so dissolute, & their manners so wicked and ungodly, that we may well say, as S. Paul wrytethe: They profess that they know god, but they deny hi with their acts, seeing they are abhominable, disobedient and vnapte to all good wor kes.

Moreover David callethe him self here not only the true & faith full servant of God, but also the son of God's handmayd. Who is this handmayd of God? Verily the universal congregation of Christ, which from the beginning of the world hath served God & believed in him, whose son everyone is, y ^t believeth in God. For he is begot̄ of God, the son of god by faith to that congregation, whose member he is made, & that congregation by preaching begetteth him to God, that believeth the word of god. So that as the congregation is a mother by begettynge and winning other to the faith, so is he that believeth, & is begot̄ unto the faith, the son of the congregation, as s. Paul writeth to the Galatians, My little children, of whom I tra uayle in birth again, or w ^t whom I am again with child, until Christ be fasshyoned in you.

Also to the Corinthians, althoghe ye have many masters ī Christ, yet have ye not many fathers. For I begat you in Christ Jesus by the gos pell. He also writing to Timothy, calleth him his natural son in 〈◊〉 faith. Agayne Zion signifyeng y ^• Church of Christ, saith by the Pro phet, who hath begot̄ me these? Al so ī another place: the desolate hath mo children, than y ^• married wife.

Thus se we, that we must both be the true servants of God, and also the sons of the handmayd of god, Christ's church, if we will en joy the benefits, that lie bent out in Christ. And verily it is not without a cause required of us, not only that we should be the faithful servants of god, but also the sons of his handemayd For many in times past, nether want there at this day, have boasted valeauntly that they were the servants of God, yea & would seme of a fervent zeal to die for the glory of god, yet in as much as they were not the sons also of gods handmayde, they were not the servants of god in deed, but dissemblers & Hypocrites. Of this sort were all the old Heretics, Scismatikes, & false Christians in times past, which sowed dissensi on in Christ's church, and divided them selves from the holy catholic church, which is the fellowshyp of saints, by teaching strange doctrine, & mayntenynge erroneous opinions contrary to the doctrine of the holy scripture, & the teaching of the true godly fathers. Of this sort also at this time are the An •… baptistes, Sacramētaries & other Phanaticall & frentyke Spirites which have vain visions invented of their own brains, sow cockel among the good wheat, in the Lord's field, bring in strange sects inuente new opinions, make dissēcion in Christ's church, allure mē from the old & true christen faith, corrupt the scriptures, teache doctrine contrary to the vain of god des word, trouble the common weal of Christendom. &c. All these in as much as they have divided & cut of them selves from the church of Christ, which is the hand maid of god, pertain not unto god, nether have they any parte of gods mercy though they boast & crake never so much, that they be the servants of god, yea though they give their bodies to be plucked asunder with wild horses for y ^e glory of god For w ^t out the church of Christ, there is no health nor saluaciō, but altogether death & damnation. But I would have men wise in knowing this church of Christ, unless they err & maintain an whore in stead of a spouse, an unchaste harlotte for a true wife, a filthy strompette for a faithful yokefellow, a disobedient Synagogue for a christen congregation. We have in times past taken the Bishop of Rome, & his painted carnal Idolles, I would have said, his sayncted Cardinals, Pa triarches, Legates, Archbysshops, Bysshops, Prestes, Monckes, Friars, Canons, Heremites, Anacho rites, & other of the spiritualte, as they call thē, only to be the church & have thought that by no means we might depart from them and their doctrine, except they would be damned, in what so ever case they stood, were they on God's side, or contrary, taught they according to gods word or otherwise. For once to hyske against them, was co •… ted to cut the cote of Christ y ^• had never a seme, to subvert and tople down the chair of Peter & Paul the chief Apostles, to defile, to tear & to tread under foot the authority of the church Christ's spouse, yea & to make short tale, to caull out of hell the heresies that were buried and laid to sleep.

By this means have they these many hundred years not only seduced the simple and unlearned peo ple, butte also falsely vsurpedde the name of the Chyrche, calling them selves the mother holy chur che, being so rather in name thā in very deed. If they were faith full, & did continue in y ^e doctrine of the holy Scripture so were they

members of this church of Christ, if contrarywyse, than pertained they not unto this holy catholic church, but were corrupt & rotten members, h •… ynge nothing less thē partakers of this health and salvation, that is in this most pure & undefiled church.

This church of Christ, whom David calleth here, the handmayd of the LORDE, is the universal congregation of the faithful, which w ^t a sure & undoubted faith believe in Christ, acknoweledge him to be their head, confess him to be the son of the living God, grant unfeignedly that he came in y ^e flesh, hear the voice of their Sheppard cleave only to his word, fly y ^e voices of strangers, stycke unto him us to their alone treasure, & look for all good things at his hand only.

Unto this church pertain so many as from the beginning of the world until this time have vn faynedly believed in Christ, or shall believe unto y ^e very ende of y ^e world. Agaynste this church the gates of hell shall not prevail, seeing it is bylte on the rocks Christ For Chri •… himself hath promised, y ^t he will be with it by his holy spirit even unto the very cōsummaciō and end of the world.

Moreover Christ loved this chirch so well, that he gave himself for it to sanctify it, & cleansed it in the fo •… tayne of water, by y ^e word, to make it unto him self a glorious congre ciō having no spot or wryncle, nor ony such thing, but that it should be holy & without blame. This chir che is the spouse of Christ, and matron of heaven, the house of God, which is the congregation of the li uynge God, the pyller & ground of truth. This church is the mount Syō, the Cytye of the living god, the celestial Hierusalē, the company of innumerable aungelles, & the congregation of the first begotten, which are written in heaven. This church is the holy city, that new Jerusalem, which came down frō God out of heaven, prepared as a bryde garnysshed for her husbonde. This church is that love, that dere dearlynge, that dove, that fayreste among all women without spot or deformite, of whom we rede in y ^• Balades of Salomō. This church cā never err, seeing that it is ever governed with the spirit of Christ seeing also that it cleaveth only to the word of God, neither doth it hear y ^e voice of ony stranger, but only hear and follow the voice of her Sheppard, which is Christ. To know therefore this church of Christ from the Synagogue of Antichrist it is very easy, For the Chyrche of Christ leaneth with a sure faith to Christ alone the son of the living God, as an omnisufficient savior. The Synagogue of Antechriste although it confessethe Christ after a certain manner, yet it sekethe salvation also at the hands of other. The church of Christ followeth only the word of God, & according to that worketh in all things. The Synagogue of Antichrist followeth the voices of strangers, deuyseth new decrees, constitucions, laws ordinances &c. & unto them it stic keth maynly. The church of Christ practysethe those works, that ar •… commanded in the holy Scripture. The Synagogue of Antichrist worketh things of her own yma ginacion, not prescribed in the law of God. The church of Christ seeketh above all things the glory of god, & the health of her neighbor. The Synagogue of Antichrist seeketh her own pōpe, honor, glory & praise. The church of Christ is ready at all times to suffer persecuciō for God's truths sake. The Synagogue of Antichrist hateth y ^• cross, seeketh to live all in pleasure, to persecute so many as love god and his word. The church of Christ seaketh ever after heavenly things. The Synagogue of Antichrist hūtethe after temporal promocions, worldly honors, fleshly dignities, easy lyuin ges, carnal pleasures, galant pasti mes, sumptuous fare, gorgeous apparel. &c. The church of Christ spē death her goods upon the poor mē bers of Christ. The Synagogue of Antichrist bestoweth her goods af ter her own fansye, & not after the commandment of God. To conclude, The church of Christ is alto gyther godly & celestial. The syna goge of antechrist is altogether wic ked & earthly. Hereby do we learn which is the true church, & which is y ^e false, which is y ^e church of Christ & which is y ^e sinagoge of Antichrist

But it is not to be gone over w ^t a light foot, as they use to say, that David calleth this church of Christ the handemayde of God, neither is it without a cause. For as a true, faithful and diligent handmayde have her eyes always fyxed upon her mastres for to wait & se, what shall be her pleasure to command her to do, that she may do it with all redines & speed, evē so becometh it them of Christ's church diligent lyto wait upon their Lord God, & to mark what his most godly will, pleasure and commandment is that they should do. And this shall they assuredly know by searchynge the holy Scriptures. And as it becometh not an honest hand maid to leave the commandment of her mastres undone, and to busy herself about such things, as she her self thinketh best to be done of her own brain, evē so doth it not become them that profess them selves members of Christ's church to leave the commandments of God undone, & to fall in hand withe doing things of their own fancy & ymaginacion. For they that do so show them selves no handmaydes, but mastresses, nether are they obedient subjects unto God, but rather take upon them to be arrogāt superiors, & presumteous checkemates. Let them therefore that will be of Christ's church learn to be handmaydes & no mastresses, to be obedient subjects, & not arrogant superiors & presumpteous check mates, unless, while they follow their own fantasyes and dreams they fall from the church of Christ unto Antichrists Synagogue, as we may se in the Papists, Anabap tistes, Sacramentaries. &c.

Moreover we read that this church is not only called the hand maid of the LORDE, but also the spouse of Christ, yea & that not vn worthy. For as a good, honest, and faithful wife is obedient to her hus bond in all things, loveth hī pure lie, cleaveth unto him only, hath no pleasure to run after other men, delyghteth herself w ^t her husbōdes company alone, is glad to please him always, seeketh the accomplyshment of his will, & by no means will at tempt ony thing that should be displeasaunt to him: So likewise this church, which is the spouse of Christ, is obedient to her husbonde Christ in all things, loveth him w ^t an ernest, pure & unfeigned love, cle ueth to him only, hath no pleasure to run after other men, whereby she may be enticed from the love of her husbonde, delyghtethe only in him and in his word, sea •… eth the accōplyshment of his will, & showeth her self in all points conformable to his most divine will, being loath that ony thing should be commit ted on her behalf, that should be displeasaunt to him in ony point.

Let them therefore now take hede, that recoūte thē selves to be of this church, & will be called the spouse of Christ, that they cleave only to their husbonde Christ & his word, hear him alone, follow his voice delight only in his most holy law, seek the accomplysshment of his divine will, & by no means admytte nor hear the voice of ony straūger For as y ^e womā is an whore, though she bereth y ^e name of an honest wife never so moche, y ^e is not contented with her own husbonde, but followeth other men, ronnethe a whore huntynge after strange lovers, casting away the sincere & true love, that she ought to bear toward her husbonde: So likewise, if such as call thē selves the church & spouse of Christ, forsake their husbonde Christ, be not contented w ^t him & his word alone, but follow straūg doctrines, & run a whorehūtinge after new lawmakers, which teach things contrary to the will of this bridegroom, yea or else they themsel ues make laws, decrees, acts, con stitucions. &c. that fight withe th •… voice of this heavenly shepparde, Brydegrome and husbonde Christ Jesus, surely, surely let them believe me, they are not y ^• spouse of Christ, but filthy whores, unclean harlottes, stynckynge strompettes, abhominable adultresses, & stulyke Goshyppes, though they wear never so many triple crowns, carnal hat tes, glysterynge myters, forked cap pes. &c. upon their heads, & have never so many pilers, pollaxes, cross ses, crosser staves, & silver rods borne before them. For y ^e spouse of Christ only hereth the voice of her husbonde, followeth that, cleaveth to that, & by no means ronneth a whorehuntynge after strange lovers, neither carethe she for their voice, fair words, & flattering promises, seeing she knowethe full well, that no man can show things more necessary & profitable vn to her health & salvation, than her husbonde hath already done. Ther fore recounteth it she a very vain & mad thing to forsake this her true & alone husbond Jesus christ, & to follow strangers. I am gelous over you, saith S. Paul, w ^t a godly ielosye. For I have married you to one man, to bring a chaste virgins unto Christ.

This moche have I spoken by the way concerning the church, y ^• all men may know the church of Christ, which is the handmayde of God, & the spouse of Christ, having nother spor nor wryncle, but altogether glorious, pure & undefiled, from the Synagogue of Antichrist, & be no more deceived w ^t outward appearaunces, glysterynge visars, and painted clokes, unless they go forth to worship, reverence & have in honor certain deceatfull shadows for y ^e self truth, as we have done in times paste. God make us all the servants of y ^e Lord's hand maid, and grant that we may so abide in the old catholic faith & in the doctrine of Christ's church, y ^• we may be blessed, & have our bonds broken, as it followeth.

O LORDE because I am thy servant, yea thy servant in deed, saith David, and the son of thy handemayde, thou haste broken my bonds. What bōdes are these, that God hath broken, & made us free frō them thorough Christ, setting us agen at liberty? Verily the bonds of Satan, sin, death, hell, desperacion, and the curse of the law.

Fyrst as concerning Satā, eve ry man knoweth, howe we were in captivity & bondage to him by the sin of our first father Adā which thorough his disobedience did caste us into the bonds of that infernal Prince, made us captive & thraull, so that by our own strength, power wit, polecy, & free will we could never have set our selves again at liberty. But God of his tender mercy & free goodness, whan we had caste our selves into this bondage, promised us deliverance, when he spake these words unto y ^• serpent: I will set emnite between the and an woman, between her seed & thy seed That self seed shall trede down thy head. And so many as believed them, were at that very instant de lyuered from the bonds of Satā. For what other thig is it to tread down the head of the serpent, thā to vanquish & subdue him, to make his power frustrate & of no strength yea and to set those agen at liberty, which before were his bond preso ners. Now although this promise were not straightways fulfilled, yet stood it in effect with y ^• faithful, & they so sone as they believed, were delivered out of captivity, set at liberty again, & made the sons of God, thorough the faith that they had i God's promise, which he made unto thē in his dearly beloved sonne Christ Jesus. But whan christ was once come, & had fulfilled this promise of his celestial father, than was Satan's power utterly adnihilated and made of no strength. His bōdes were broken, wherewith so miserably he did detayne & hold us, as S. John̄ testifieth, The sonne of god did appere for this purpose, even to dissolve, losen & break the works of the devil. So that now Satan hath no more power over us, except willingly we cast our selves again into his bonds, as S. James saith, resist the devil, & he shall fly from you. For although he goeth about like a roryng lyon, seakyng whom he may devour, yet cannot he devour, no nor yet so much as once byte or towche ony faithful man, except he will of a set purpose caste himself into that Dragons ravening teth to be rent & torn, the sonne of God hath set us at such liberty, & given us our ma numission so freely and plenteously.

Now seeing that Satan, which is our most utter enemy, is so vā quisshed & subdued, & we utterly de liuered from his captivity, that our bonds are brokē, wherewith he had us bound, it is to be thought that sin, death, hell, desperacion, and the curse of the law can work us ony evil, or that their power is so gret, that they are able to make us still captive and bond presoners?

As towchynge sin, to whom is it unknown, that as the power of Satā is vāquisshed by Christ, so in like manner is sin thorough him put to flyghte. He is that lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. He is that savior, which saveth his people from their sins. He is, yea he is that Lord in deed, which putteth away our iniquities, yea & that for his own sake, & will remember them no more. He came into y ^• world to save sinners. He being without all sin offered him self upon the altare of the cross, a swetesmellynge Sacri fice to God y ^• father for us, & made a sufficient satisfacciō for all our syn nes. Thorow his name all the Pro phetes bear witness, that so many as belue in him, shall receive remis sion of their sins. For there is no health in ony other, nether is there ony other name given unto men, whereby they might be saved, but only the name of Jesus Christ. He is that Bishop, which w ^t one oblation yea & that once for all, hath made them perfect forever more y ^t are sanctified. To be short, y ^e blood of Jesus Christ God's son maketh us clean from all sin. Thus se we y ^t by Christ, by Christ's death passion & blood the bonds of sin are broken, and we set again at liberty.

As for death, hell, & desperacion, what can they do? Are not they also overcome? Let us hear what y ^e Scripture saith, out of the power of death, saith the LORDE will I deliver them, & from death will I redeem thē. O death I will be thy death. O hell I will swallow the up. S. Paul also saith, Death is swallowed up into victory. Where is thy sting O death? Where is thy victory O hell? The sting of death is sin, & the power of syn is the law. But thanks be to god which hath given us the victory thorough our LORDE Jesus Christ. Agen, By death hath Christ put hī to flyght, that had lordshyppe over death, that is to say, the dyuel, that he might deliver them, which thorough the fere of death, were all their life time in danger of bondage. O sweet and comfortable sayenges. O thalone true and christen pleasu res.

As touching our last enemy, which is the curse of the law, are not we also made free from that by Christ? What saith the scripture? Christ hath redeemed us frō y ^• curse of the law, while he was made accursed for our sake. Agayne, Christ is y ^e perfect fulfyllyng of y ^e law to justification for everyone that beleuethe Also in another place, be it known unto you, ye men & brethrē that thorough this man Christ is pre ched to you the forgyuenesse of sins, & from all the things, whereby ye could not be justified by y ^e law of Moses, thorough him everyone that believeth is justified.

Thus se we, that our bōdes are broken thorough Christ, & we also set at liberty frō the danger of all our enemies, so that now there is no cō demnacion for thē that are engraffed in christ Jesus, which walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life thorough Christ Jesus hath made them free from the law of sin and death. Who will now lay ony thing to the charge of God's chosen? It is God that iustifyeth, who can than condemn? Hereof cometh it to pass, that after we be once delivered frō y ^e power of our enemies, have our bonds broken, & set at liberty thorough christ & Christ's passion, death & blood, by whom Satan is vanquisshed, sin put to flyght, death overcome, hell swallowed up, desperacion drivē out of place, the curse of the law utterly takē away, yea the law fulfilled, and heavē gates open for the faithful, all that ever we do in christ, is acceptable in the sight of God, taken to good worth, & moche made of, not for the dignity of the work it self, but because it is salted with y ^e dignity, holiness, righteousness, purite, & innocence of Christ, in whose name what so ever is done, smelleth swetely before GOD, so that both the thoghtes, words, deeds, life & death of y ^e Saints, that is, of the faithful, yea & all y ^e ever we do, is precious in the sight of y ^• Lord, as we herd before. For sure we are that all thin ges work to the best for them that love God, which are called of purpose. For those whom he knew before, hath he ordened also before, y ^t they should be like fashoned unto y ^• shape of his son, that he might be the first begot̄ among many bro thren. As for those, whom he hath ordyned before, them hath he called also, & whome he hath called thē hath he also made righteous, & whome he hath made righteous, them hath he glorified also. What shall we say than unto these things? If God be on our side, who can be against us? But let us se, what is to be ren dred, & given again unto God for these his inestimable benefits toward us miserable sinners?

The seventh verse.

The tente strynge.

OUr Mynstrell David goethe forth to be like himself, y ^• is to say, to show that he is one of a very gentle & thankful nature, ready at all times unto the vttermoost of his power to recompense and make amends for ony point of kyndenes that is shown to hī, as we may se here. For after y ^• he hath song of the singular & incōparable benefi tes of god, which are shown not on lie to him, but also to all mankynd, I mean so many, as are the faithful people of God, believe in him, & live according to his divine will, and hath considered howe greatly both he & all the faithful are blessed of God thorough them in Christ Jesus, he now taketh an occasion to ponder with him self how he may show him self thankful again to God, as he did before in y ^• •… ourth & fyfte verse of this his song. For he desireth nothing to be more estranged from his manners, than ingratitude & unthankfulness. He thyncketh it no point of humanity to leave the beneficence and gentle liberalite of a mortal mā vnrecompensed to neglect therefore and nothing to regard the inestimable goodness & the infinite benefits of God, he recoūteth it an act highly to be detested and abhorred of ony christen heart. To show himself therefore thankful to God for his benignite, he is now full bent. But what will he give God again? What amends will he make him? In what things will he show 〈◊〉 self thankful again unto the LORDE▪ Wyll he give him mountains of gold? Wyl he bring him heaps of precious stones? Wyll he fetch him frankensence, and other sweet savors out of Araby? Wyll he offer unto him fat oxen, lusty hayffers, well lykynge sheep. &c. Na verily, for he knoweth full well, that GOD reiectethe all these things in many places of the holy Scripture, neither hath he ony need of David's goods, which hath both heaven and earth at his own plea sure, and all that is contained in them. David knowethe full well, y ^• his goods were given him of god that he should help his poor neigh bours with thē. What will he give God than? Verily the sacrifice of praise & of thanks giving. For this is that thing, which God de syreth so greatly, as he himself testifyethe, The Sacrifyce of praise, saith he, shall honor me. Agayne, offer to God the sacrifice of praise What so ever ye do, saith s. Paul, in word & deed, do all things in y ^• name of the LORDE Jesus, giving thanks to God and the father by him. Agayne, he merciful. Also in another place, Gyue thankes always for all things in the name of our LORDE Jesus Christ to God & the fa there. To the Hebrews also he wry teth on this manner: By him, he me neth Christ, do we offer the Sacrifice of praise alway to god, that is to say, the fruit of y ^• lips, that give glory to his name.

Thus se we howe acceptable a thing to god, the sacrifice of praise •… s. But what is it to offer the Sacrifyce of praise unto god? Verily to confess & vnsaynedly to grant that what so ever is nought, cometh of our selves, agen y ^• all that ever good is, cometh of God only as he saith by the Prophet, O Israel thy destruction commethe of thyself, but thy health and salvation cometh only of me. For this is the greatest praise y ^• we can give to God, for to knowledge him alone the author & gyuer of all goodness, & that all our righteousness, wisdom, holiness, sanctificacion, redēcion, virtue, deuocion, and all that ever good is, cometh of him alone, & not of our selves. This is that sa crifyce wherewith God is highly de lyghted. This is that oblaciō, that giveth so godly an odoure before god. This is that offryng, that ma keth God well pleased with him, y ^• doth offer it, in as much as by the oblation hereof he confessethe him self to be able to do no thing, that of the own dignity & righteousness thereof, may seme worthy to be accepted in the sight of god, and there fore giveth he all the glory, honor encomy, laud, praise & magnificēce to god alone, as the Prophet saith O Lord all glory be unto the, and to us shame & confusion. The saints thenselves also pray on this mā ner, Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give all the glory for thy mercy and truths sake. God himself also saith, I am the Lord, this is my name, I will give my glory to no other, nor my praise to graven Images. If God him self will not give away his glory & praise to other, certes we do him thā much injury, yfwe steal it frō him, and give it to ony other crea ture either in heaven or in earth. If we depely consider with our sel ues at all times the great kindness of God toward us, we shall vndoub tedly be moved to sing perpetual praises to his most blessed name, and continually to offer the sacrifice of thanks giving unto him.

But in as much as I have entre ted abundātly of thanks giving, and of the sacrifice of praise in my Pathway unto prayer, I will now cease to speak ony more of it at this time. Read from the li •… . unto the •… v. Chapter.

As towchynge the inuocacion of the Lord's name, whereof David agen maketh menciō in this place, I have spoken sufficiently of it in the fourth verse of this Psalm. Thou mayst therefore (most gentle Reader) if thou wilt, resort thither for this matter. I am loath to be te dious unto the. I will go forth and make an ende, although that which followeth, may also seme abundāt lie to be entreated of heretofore.

The eyght verse.

DAuid is ever one man. He had rather sing one song a thousand times, than he would once at tempt ony thing without the au thorite of God's word. He is at this point, that he will do nothing, ex cepte God's word bearethe him in it. He will not cleave to his own good intents, minds and zeles. He will worship God according to his word. He setteth before his eyes this commandment. That I command the, do that only to the Lord, neither put thou ony thing to it, nor yet pluck ought therfrō. Agayne, I command the to do y ^• , which is pleasant in the sight of the Lord thy God. Also in another place, Ye shall not do everyone of you, that which ye yourself think right & good. He can make no shyft to be diverse in the worshiping of God. He can inuente no new and strange honorynges of god, as the old Phareses did in times paste, and the Papists & Monckes have done sins y ^• time, but all in vain, as the Scriptures testify. He kepethe him self within the bonds of God's word, and as he said before that he would pay his vows, that is to say, do those things y ^• he had promised to his LORD God, keep his Commaundementes, follow & accomplysh his most godly will in all points unto the vttermooste of his power, and do the office of a true king, seek God's glory, promote his holy word, tenderly love his subjects, mayntayn virtue, and suppress vice: even so doth he now again. So that David knoweth not howe to recōpense in ony parte the goodness of GOD, but only by keeping his most holy commandments, & in giving him hattye and contiall thanks, which he also promisethe to do in this verse.

But seeing that I have entreated of the whole matter, that this very containeth, in the fyfte verse and seuenhte strynge heretofore, I will speak no more of it at this present, but only note this one thing that our Mynstrell saith, He will pay his vows in the courts of y ^• Lord's house, and in the middes of Ierusalē. By the courts of y ^• Lord's house, & by Jerusalem is none other thing signified, thā y ^• chirch of Christ, I mean the congregaciō of Saync •… es, that is to say, of the faithful, in whom God dwelleth by his holy Spirit, as S. Paul saith. The Temple of God is holy, which ye are. His meaning is this, loke where so ever the people of god is most gathered together, even there in the thyckest of them will he set forth the glory of God, as we read of the good Kynge Josiah. He will seek all means possible, that all things in his Realm shall be or dered according to y ^• law of God, & that no vice shall reign among his people, nether I dolatry, nor swearing, nor disobedience, nor whoredom, nor manslaughter, nor stealynge, nor bearing false witness, nor ony other vice, that is prohibited by the holy scripture. And that this thing may the more fortunately come to pass, David him self, in as much as he is king and excelleth all other in dignity, will all so far excel & pass all his subjects in virtue & godliness. He will be unto them an example & spectacle of all goodness. He will like unto as great light shine before his people in godly conversation. The boke of the law of the Lord shall never depart from him. He will read & meditate in it day & night. He will not steake to the corrupt judgments of other, nor be led w ^t the dotyng fansys of those pestilent flatterers, Truth will we, but he himself will look upon the scriptures of God with all diligence, & & evermore caull unto God for the assistance of his most holy spirit, that that sweet confortoure may both assist & comfort him in all his godly and virtuous enterpryses, & also lead him into all truth, & kno ledge of God's most holy will. To make an ende, come there life, or cometh there death, David is fully determned to stycke by God's word, & to seek his glory above all things yea and that not in corners and secret places, but openly, that all the world may evidently se that David is an earneste setter forth and an unfeigned promotoure of God's glory, and by that means be occasioned also with David to honor, worship, magnify, laude, and praise GOD with one mind and voice for evermore, as Christ saith: Let your light so shine before men, that they may se your good works, and glorify your father, which is in heaven, to whom with his only begotten s •… nne our LORDE and omnisufficient savior Jesus Christ, & the holy Ghoste that most sweet confor toure, be all honor, praise and glory forever and ever.