A Sermon preached at the Christening of a certain jew, at London, by john Fox. Containing an exposition of the xi Chapter of S. Paul to the Romans.  
Translated out of Latin into English by james Bell.  
Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker, Printer to the Queen's Majesty, at the sign of the Tiger's head in Pater Noster row.  
ANNO. 1578.   

¶ The Contents of this present book.  
Wherein be discoursed and discussed the principal grounds and foundations of our Christian faith, of the true & sincere church, of Christ our Messiah, of the infinite glori● and majesty of his kingdom, with a refutation of the obstinate jews, and lastly touching the final conversion of the same.  
Also to the later end of this Sermon is joined the confession of Nathaniel this baptised jew, written first by himself in the Spanish tongue, and now translated into English for the more benefit of the godly Reader.   

¶ To the Right honourable Sir Francis Walsingham Knight, principal Secretary to her Majesty, and one of her highness most honourable prime council, Io. Fox wisheth all felicity in our Saviour jesus Christ.  
PResuming n●t so much upon mine own head, as advised, or rather enforced by request, counsel, and persuasion of one la●e●●● most ●●unden servant to your honour (whose● name for divers respects I conceal) a●● therefore bold to adventure the offer of this small work to your honourable goodness: humbly beseeching the same, not only to accept it well in worth, but also, if any such thing occur in this m● simple travail which may pleasure or profite●●on, to ●éelde all thanks to the Lord: if otherwise, to let the fault only rest upon me. Albeit notwithstanding other causes also were not wanting, to admonish me of my dutiful office in this behalf. First your manifold and grateful benefits upon me bestowed: which as of your part well may beseem your honourable benignity, so of my part very little have been deserved.  
Furthermore, remembering with myself, at what time this sermon was first preached, and you so earnestly required the sand matter again to be repeated in your chamber being sick: certes this zealous desi●e of your so Christian affection, requireth no less of duty, than the whole tractation hereof, whatsoever it be, being now published in print, & with some more diligence revised, to be wholly entitled to your name.  
Over and beside, an other cause here also falls in, of my part not to be unremembered. For if your bountiful and courteous beneficence never of me provoked, less deserved, so liberally hath refreshed my poo●e weak health, with the wholesome fruit of your French grape, little could I do, and unkind were I, if I would not remember you again with some part of recompense, in requiting the wholesome fruit of your plentiful vineyard, with some branch of this gladsome and evangelical Olive tree: not as in equality of sufficient recompense to satis●●e your deserts: but as testifying to you a mind not ingrateful, nor unmindful, what he would do, if greater ability would serve.  
To your good honour, both yours, and to the right worshipful Lady your wi●e, to the young little plants of your domestical Olive sitting about your table, & to your good household I wish the grace of Christ long to keep y●u, his mercy to nourish you, his counsel to direct you, his peace to comfort you, his gifts to e●cre●se you, to the profit both of the Church and common wealth. Lond. A●●o. 1578.  
Yours in Christ jesus, john Fox.   

The Preface to the Christian Reader, containing godly exhortation.  
FOrasmuch as the sum, & absolute perfection of all our righteousness, consists in the only faith and knowledge of jesus Christ, without whom all human power, and puissance is uneffectual: without whom, no provident policy prevaileth: ne yet any force, or activity of natural operation can bring any thing to pass: no honourable ornament of virtue, no excellency of exquisite learning, is available: according to the testimony of the Lord himself, Without me you can do nothing: what aught we● silly mortal wretches regard more entirely, then that by due proceeding; in daily renewed increases of this same faith, we not only cleave fast to this jesus Christ, the assured & undoubted chieftain & Prince of life? And conveying him into the very entrails of our souls, we thoroughly possess him, as fast enclosed in a certain holy Oratory: but also endeavour by all means possibly, to be most nearly joined unto him, to be incorporate wholly in him, & made members of his own body? For performance whereof behoveth us, above all other, to be guided by his conduct and counsel chiefly. Search the Scriptures (saith he) for they bear witness of me. Which saying S. Peter the Apostle doth verify, advertising us of the same faith: And we have (sayeth he) a more s●re word of the Prophets, whereunto while ye take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, you do well, until the dawn of the day appear●, & the day star arise in your hearts. Yea, the Lord himself in an other place sendeth us back to the scholing of the Law and the Prophets, as unto infallible precepts, and rules of pure and true doctrine. And albeit I may not deny that testimony of S. Paul to be most true, where he saith, That faith is a gift of God, issuing from his free mercy & bounty: yet doth he not: thereby meanewhyles exclude other lawful and ordinary means, taught for the better attainment thereof. As where he sayeth, Faith cometh by hearing, & hearing by the word of God. So that their error is so much the more blameworthy, 
Fides implicita.  who contented with that intricate, and confused faith (as they term it) be of opinion, that to the rude & unlettered people, sufficeth enough to believe those things only, that all other men do believe. But this common faith seemed not sufficient to the ancient fathers, in that purer age of the primitive & Apostolic Church: who though mistrusted not the lessons & instructions of the Apostles, yet were they also in this respect adjudged praiseworthy, because they did confer the doctrine, which they received of the Apostles, with the books of the Law, and the prophets: which observation of the elders was of no small importance, to procure credit to the establishment of faith. But the state of Christianity is now come (I know not to what pass) that this Christian faith, which behoved to be most deeply engraven in the hearts of every of us, is either not so well garnished in many of us, as it aught to be: in others very faint and feeble: and in some others scarce any resemblance at all appearing, which slender portion and sparkle of faith, be it never so small, as is not altogether to be rejected, so neither is this wonderful sluggishness, and reckless security of the men in our age, in any respect tolerable: of whom some overgreedily busied in worldly affairs, some feeding their fancies upon fond delights, do either make no estimate at all, of that inestimable jewel of faith, which only enricheth to the inheritance of eternal life, or at the lest, are not so diligent searchers of the same, as they aught to be. To climb unto honour, what attempts and toil do some undertake? how filthily do others turmoil themselves, in raking riches together? how dayntily some men besmear themselves in perfumes, and pleasures? who because they know, they can not live here for ever, & do determine to live godly never, yield themselves wholly to live delicately & wanton. To be advanced in Court, to aspire to prelacy and ecclesiastical dignity, & to be a magistrate over the multitude, who doth not account it matter most honourable? who adjudgeth not that man to be most fortunate, that by hook or crook hath cratcht wonderful possessions together? who thinketh not that man to be most happy, that liveth most pleasurably? And what shall I say of those arts & sciences, which procure gainful lucre, & estimation of the world? wherein whiles we sweat and swink all our lives long, scarce one minute can be spared, no thought employed to the things which lead unto Christ. I speak not of them, who seem to savour of no sap of religion, nor are endued with one drop of faith: who resembling rather Diagoristes' and Protagoristes, than Christians, are so utterly fallen from Christianisme, to Atheism, that, measuring this life with the present pleasures thereof, they do believe nothing holy, good, or worthy to be embraced, but those plausible works & objects of nature, wherewith our eyes & senses are delighted most. There is also an other crew & company, not much unlike to these other, who perceiving Christian religion assaulted, racked, and rend in sunder (as they say) with sects, schisms and contrarieties of opinions, do persuade themselves that religion to be best, that will acquaint itself with no religion at all.  
What shall I say of them, whereof the number is exceeding great, who with full mouth do profess true religion itself, and will not deny, but that they do believe in jesus Christ: but being demanded, wherefore they do believe in him: what the will of God the father in Christ is: what Grace is: what & how great promises are laid up in store for us in Christ: how glorious the Majesty & royalty of Christ's kingdom is: how inestimable the glory of his riches be: what is the breadth, the length, the depth & the height thereof: how wonderful the love of his knowledge is: how great the force & power of faith is: and upon what principal pillars & foundations it is builded, they can tender scarce any reason at all. For as much therefore as the infallible certainty, & true understanding of these things can be attained unto rightly, from no where else, then from the holy closerts of sacred Scriptures: it shallbe very requisite and needful, that every of us employ all our senses & powers of the mind, continually exercised in the same. For howsoever Christian divinity is tossed, and turmoiled to & fro, with innumerable intricate entangled and wandering questions, yet remaineth faith one self same nevertheless both pure & simple: and as it is but one, so aught all men necessarily be endued therewith wholly That is to say, that we all know Christ, that we repose all our anchorhold of affiance in Christ, & that we imprint Christ in the bowels of our soul, as we are commanded by the mouth of God the father, seeing there is no name besides this name given under heaven, in whom the treasure & hope of man's felicity may safely shroud itself. Let Princes therefore learn to know this Christ: Let subjects attend upon him: let ancient fathers take hold of him: Let young men embrace him: Let the rich enlarge their treasury with this precious jewel: & let the poor seek their relief to be refreshed by him: who in deed can else where by no means be found more easily, then in the very sacred wellspringes of the prophetical Scriptures: notwithstanding who so is desirous to procure this joyful jewel, must first of necessity make earnest and diligent search therefore. For this precious pearl is not allotted to any, but unto them, that will search for it: nor doth this heavenvly Manna feed any, but the hungry. The soul must be very thirsty, that must taste of this liquor that gusheth from out the conduit pipes of eternal life. This gate is not opened to the lazy & slothful drone, but unto him that will knock. Knock (saith he) and it shallbe opened unto you. Seek, and you shall find. All people without exception are granted free access to the treasury of this kingdom: It is laid open for all estates, but all catch it not, except such as scratch and offer force for it: for what (I beseech you) is more forcible than faith? what more mighty, if it be true faith, if it be lively faith, yea if it be true Christian faith? as that which displaying banner under his captain Christ, doth fight in heaven, and combat in the air, against the princes and powers of the air, against spiritual wickednesses from above: doth keep continual wars against infinite hazards in the earth, and in hell against Beelzebub, against the furies & gates of the hells, yea against death fighteth for eternal life, against the Law for righteousness, and against horror of conscience for freedom and peace.  
Therefore considering this faith is of such power and efficacy, yea so necessary to be frequented in all the actions of man's life: what remaineth from henceforth, but that all and every of us, cry out unto the same Christ, and beseech him to impart unto us, the true knowledge and understanding of himself, to enlighten the glimmering sight of our dazzled fleshly eyes, with the most bright and orient beams of this gladsome says, and that he will vouchsafe at length, to bring that to pass in us, that he used sometimes with his Apostles, when as he discovered unto them upon the way, as they travailed, the holy Scriptures? For so we read, And he, began at Moses, and at all the Prophets, and interpreted unto them in all the scriptures, the things which were written of him. 
Luke .24.  And immediately after, Then opened he their understanding, that they might know the Scriptures, & said unto them, Thus it is written. Whereby appeareth plainly, the duty and office that is required in the expositors of the holy Scriptures: To wit, that omitting all superfluous circumlocutions, and unprofitable quiddities of questions, they instruct the people in those principles, & rules of the Scriptures chiefly, which avail most to the nourishment and increase of faith. In which kind of argument, forasmuch as in this sermon behoved me to frame my simple skill, according to the estate of the present matter, and opportunity of time, and that it seemed good to my friends, to have this little treatise published in print, to the view of the common people, as not altogether unworthy the reading: I have yielded to their request, that it might be imprinted: And although my meaning was at the first, to have the same directed to the behoof of the jews chiefly, yet (I trust) it will not be altogether unprofitable to the Christian readers. First, because it may so be, yea I fear me, may also justly be feared, jest amongst the number of them, which say that they believe in Christ, some happily will be found, in whose lips only this faith rolleth at large, and hath not yet pierced any deeper, nor taken root in their hearts, nor are as yet so sufficiently learned, as (if matter come to trial and proof) they can tender a true and undoubted reason of this their faith. Moreover, admit that a man stand assured and steadfast in the certainty of his faith, yet what faith is there so sure, constant and vnuanqui●●able, but may be made more stable and perfect? For if S. Paul did see sometime as in a dark riddle: if the Apostles (notwithstanding so many miracles wrought in their sight) needed yet the interpretation of Scriptures: if those which received the word by the preaching of Paul, 
Act .17.  did nevertheless confer his doctrine with the Scriptures, to see, whether they agreed togethers as is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles: what should let us to do the like? that by this means, we also might increase daily, from faith to faith. Finally for as much as our ancient & deadly enemy doth not more cruelly malign, nor more outrageously assail any one thing, so much, as this our faith in Christ: surely I judge this above all other most requisite, that every of us have especial regard, to be (as much as is possible) armed and guarded with this target of faith, that we may courageously encounter all attempts and assaults of the devil: whereunto how available this little Sermon will be, I know not: that let Christ our Lord himself see unto, and give his merciful aid therein. I for my slender capacity, have performed what I was able, and as much as the Lord granted me: whom I most hearty beseech, to bless and increase thy holy studies (godly Reader) and to direct the same to the honour & glory of his name. Amen.   

A Sermon of the true and gladsome Olive tree, mentioned in the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans, chap. xi. preached at London by a faithful Minister of God, john Fox, at the christening of a certain jew, translated out of Latin into English.  
FIrst, as duty requireth, I do yield most humble thanks to our Lord and Saviour Christ jesus, whom it hath pleased of his unsearchable mercy and bountiful love towards us, to minister so notable an occasion of our assembly, this present day, & place: and so fruitful an argument for me to impart unto you all. Secondly, I do no less hearty thank, then worthily commend in the Lord, all you that are present, who, according to your accustomed manner, are so willingly and joyfully gathered together, induced hereunto, not through any vain delight of fond novelty, but of a seryons, and studious zeal of godliness, not as gazers of frivolous fantastical fables, but as willing witnesses of this great and inestimable benefit of almighty God. Lastly, I do from the bottom of my heart rejoice in the behalf of this person, for whose cause we are as now met here together, who being transported from out the uttermost parts of Barbary into England, and conversant amongst us, by the space of six whole years, renouncing now at the last the natural contumacy of his native country, doth with so earnest bend affection of voluntary will, cheerfully desire to become a member of jesus Christ, and to be made partaker of his holy congregation through faith, and Baptism. And withal I most humbly beseech Almighty God, that he will not only vouchsafe his gracious increase to this glorious work begun with this Israelite stranger, but also to allure the whole remnant of the circumcised Race, by this his example, to be desirous of the same communion: So that at the length, all nations, as well jews, as Gentiles, embracing the faith, and Sacraments of Christ jesus, acknowledging one shepherd, united together in one sheepfold, may with one voice, one soul, and one general agreement, glorify the only begotten son our saviour jesus Christ, & be glorified again of him. And that it may please him of his singular clemency to grant the same, as also to bless these our days with quiet calm, and joyful tranquillity, which we do now enjoy under the government of our most gracious Sovereign, and her most honourable Magistrates, I beseech you of your charity, to join with me in heart and mind unto the eternal God father of us all, with the same prayer which his only begotten son taught us in the Gospel.  

The Prayer, Our father. etc.  
Forsamuch as in the administration of the Sacraments of the Church, I do well perceive that both by the word of God, and by an ancient and solemn custom amongst many, it hath been an use to have somewhat, for the better instruction of their auditories, read and expounded out of the books of holy scripture: and deliberating likewise with myself, what course I might best keep at this present, as well to serve the offered opportunity, as also to satisfy the public commodity of you all chief: I could not determine upon any one text of the whole scripture to be opened unto you, more profitable for your learning, more effectual for exhortation, more appliable to our age, and more agreeable for this present occasion, than the sentence of S. Paul the Apostle, not very long, but of wonderful force, taken out of the xi. chapter of his Epistle written to the Romans. And to the end you may receive the same to your greater comfort, it behoveth you to yield earnest and heedful attention, not with your bodily ears only, but with the ears of your mind also, to these things which I shall utter unto you. Hearken you therefore to the words of the Apostle even as himself hath spoken them.   

To the Romans the 11. chapter.  

The theme out of the xi. to the Romans.  I speak unto you Gentiles in as much as I am the Apostle of the Gentiles, I will magnify mine office, if by any meanes● may provoke them which be my flesh, and may save some of them, for if the casting away of them be the receiving of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the first fruits be holy, the whole mass is holy also: And if the Root be holy, the branches will be holy also: And if some of the branches be broken of, and thou being a wild Olive tree, wast graffed in amongst them, and made partaker of the Root and fatness of the true and natural Olive tree, boast not thyself against the branches, for if thou do boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root beareth thee. Thou will't say then, The branches are broken of, that I may be engrafted in. Thou sayest well: for unbelief sake they were broken of: and thou stoodst steadfast in faith. Be not high minded therefore, but fear, for if God spared not the natural branches: Take heed jest it come to pass, that he spare not thee. Behold the kindness & rigour of God: upon them which fell, rigour: but kindness towards thee, if thou persevere in kindness: Or else thou shalt be hewn of, & they, if they continued not still in unbelief, shallbe engrafted in again. For God is of power to graff them in again. For if thou were cut out of a natural wild Olive tree, and contrary to nature were engrafted into the true Olive tree, how much rather shall the branches be graffed in again into their own Olive tree? For I would not have you ignorant (brethren) of this mystery, jest you should wax proud in your own conceits, that blindness is partly happened unto Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be accomplished, and so all Israel shallbe saved, as it is written, There shall come out of Zion one that shall deliver, and shall take away ungodliness from jacob. etc.  

The summary effect of Paul's discourse comprehended in few words.  dearly beloved, you have herded what the Apostle of the Gentiles doth speak unto us Gentiles, you have herded his discourse of the jews, of their unbelief, and of their rejection: you have herded the doctrine, and comparison of S. Paul, touching the true Olive tree, and the wild Olive tree: touching the natural branches, and the grafts: touching faith, and infidelity: touching the mercy of God, and the severity of his justice: touching the modesty, and constancy of the faithful: touching the fullness of the Gentiles: finally, touching the last calling home and reclaiming of the jews. This is a very large theme as you see, and full of plentiful matter, which for the difficulty, as it seemeth to surmount my weakness to reach unto, so requireth your more careful attention, that you may duly conceive the same: in the debating whereof it behoveth me neither to say to little, neither is there any utterance of man else able, for the largeness of the matter exceeding all possibility, to speak sufficiently. Notwithstanding, sithence I have presumed to enter upon this enterprise being of itself of wondered importance, albeit I may seem to folter and faint, as oppressed with the heavy burden thereof, yet will I not retire, but will proceed with affiance as well as I may, resting myself wholly upon the grace of Christ: and will (by your patience) speak, though not so much, as the cause requireth, yet as much as the goodness of God will permit at this present.  
The whole action of the sermon of Paul is divided into two special parts: whereof the one concerneth the jews: the other appertaineth properly to us Gentiles. In the behalf of the jews, he lamenteth their fall, reproveth their unbelief, giveth them unto us for an example to behold the severe rigour of God's justice, discovereth the cause of god's wrath: and being careful for their safety, doth provoke them to an holy emulation: Finally, prophesying as it were of their last reconcilement, doth encourage the silly outcasts with hope of recovery of God's mercy again. As concerning the Gentiles, he commends their faith: advanceth the inestimable goodness of God towards them: calleth them back to remembrance of their former misery and despeired estate: rejoiceth with them for their present felicity: entirely requesteth, and earnestly exhorteth them, that they swell not with pride● dissuadeth from disdayneful triumphing upon forlorn abjects to modesty of mind: mitigateth the haughty arrogancy of their hearts, with a most wholesome medicine: Finally, setting down a perfect pattern of the jews calamity, in manner of a precedent, holdeth them back in a covenable fear: discloseth the wonderful power, that almighty God useth in disposing and translating his benefits, that by these means he may qualify the insolency of the Gentiles, and so retain them mean while within the limits of modest sobriety, until the fullness of time being of all parts accomplished: each nation aswell jews as Gentiles, through the most blessed operation of grace, may be united & gathered together at the length into one society & partaking of one congregation. And this much concerning the two parts of Paul's sermon, as I told yond before.  

The first issue's of God's promise.  The manner and kind of his instruction here, wherein he resembleth the Church of God to an Olive tree, is metaphorical, and prophetical. Which Olive tree consists of three parts: 
The Olive tree consists of three members: the root, the stock, & the branches.  Of the root, of the stock, and of the branches. Under the title of the Root, he doth note Abraham, and other holy patriarchs unto us, because in them appeared the first buds and blossoms of God's promise. By the stock or body of the tree, he representeth unto us the Church scattered upon the face of the earth, a congregation gathered together, out of the whole number of the faithful, which at the first, budding in small issues from out that holy root, and so by little and little, increasing in strength, and obtaining a proportionable statured doth at the length through the plentiful fatness of the bountiful root, with outstretched compass, spread abroad itself into most beautiful branches and bows. By which plain demonstration, we have an apparent view painted out, as it were, both of the old synagogue of the jews, and the new Church of the Gentiles. And because no man shall think that this Olive tree is sprung up at all adventures, or planted by man's industry: he calleth it by the name of an holy issue, out of a holy Root. There is no man made husbandman or woodward of this Olive t●ee, but almighty God himself alone: who with all possible diligence, attendeth to the addressing, and nourishing thereof, and will continually preserve the same. Howsoever this Olive tree doth altar the beauty of his blossoms, or change the hew of his leaves, yet endureth it still unremovable, nor is at any time ●ut clean away. In like manner fareth it with the Church of God: 
The Church how it standeth and groweth.  which being wholly established upon the eternal foundation of Gods most sacred promise, standeth as it were in a certain eternity unvanquishable, and so shall continued permanent beyond all ages, though the members and branches thereof, remain not always in one estate, and although it happen many times, that the first issues become the last, and contrariwise, the last made first: the natural buds yield place to the savage slips, the proper and old grown branches are cut of, and new taken in: and so by wonderful interchange, some grow, some stand at a stay, some increase, and some starve quite away, as we see now and then come to pass in husbandry and gardening, whereas plants and trees are many times pruned of unfruitful sprouts, sometimes despoiled altogether of bows, and the stoc●● newly engrafted, to the end the trees may become more fruitful. After the same manner that heavenly gardener, woodward, or plant setter doth many times prune this little Olive tree of his Church, but never plucketh it up by the roots (as Augustine doth witness) cutting of eftsoons wyndshaken bows and starved branches, 
Augustin. putat, non amputat.  that new plants may prospero the better. So that according to the saying of the same Augustine, many ravening wolves possess the Church within, while many sheep in the mean space stand without the doors. Which thing can be verified by no one example more aptly, then by this comparison of the jews and Gentiles. Of whom let us hear what the Apostle speaketh.  
I speak (says he) unto you Gentiles, in as much as I am an Apostle of the Gentiles, I will magnify mine office, etc. Forasmuch as in debating of any matter in question whatsoever, two things are chiefly to be noted, To wit, The person that speaketh, and the matter that is spoken of: we will by God's assistance prosecute them both at this present. Let us first therefore consider the person of him that speaketh: then, as order of teaching requireth, the cause whereof he disputeth. As touching the cause here debated, as no reasonable man can make any just quarrel to doubt upon, so aught not the famous & welknowen authority of the person be defrauded of any his due estimation: 
The authority of the person that speaketh.  for what authority can be of more force to purchase credit, or to procure advancement to the function, than the name of an Apostle? And amongst the Apostles themselves also, what one aught to be more entire, and of more credit amongst the Gentiles, than the Apostle Paul? Who if being sent by man's ordinance had come unto us, aught yet to be friendly entertained for his courtesy, so long as he teacheth the sincere truth. 
I will magnify mine office. Rom. 11.  But whereas now he is by an especial calling peculiarly assigned, not from men, nor by men, but by Christ jesus himself, an Apostle to instruct us Gentiles: how much more behoveth us Gentiles his scholars, to attend our own proper schoolmaster and peculiar Apostle, in as much as he was especially called and choose for this only purpose, as he witnesseth of himself, that we should with all faithful cheerfulness of mind embrace his doctrine? Wherefore proceed on in God's name, my dear beloved brethren: be not ashamed of your own schoolmaster, since himself shameth so little to acknowledge us his scholars, as that accounting the same his greatest glory, therein advanceth his office so much the more, because he hath obtained this title to be called an Apostle of the Gentiles: and therefore says, that he magnifieth his ministry. Which title notwithstanding he boasteth not of upon any vainglorious ostentation, but compelled hereunto through necessity of circumstances only to magnify his function. Neither is this any strange or new kind of doctrine: for the necessary order of teaching so requireth oftentimes, for the more credit of the doctrine that is taught, to extol and advance aswell the office of the teacher, as also the authority of the office: 
Galat. 5.  Even as in an other Epistle written to the Galathians we read, how he was enforced to maintain his countenance against his adversaries with this only Target and cognizance of his Apostleship. Behold (says he) I Paul speak unto you, If you be circumcised, Christ doth profit you nothing at al. Neither doth the Apostle differ much in this place, from that figurative phrase of speech: to the end that having weighty matters ●o debate with us Gentiles, he might win so much the more estimation thereby to beautify the authority of his function. I speak (saith he) unto you Gentiles, I will magnify mine office, etc.  
You have herded now of the person of the teacher, and of his lawful authority: It followeth to make manifest unto you the substantial and material part of all whatsoever is here debated in this whole xi. chapter. 
An exposition of the matters here treated upon.  And the same may be divided into three common places or parts chiefly.  

The first part concerning the jews and Gentiles.  The first whereof doth concern the treaty of the casting away of the jews, and r●ceyuing of the Gentiles. In the first member whereof, which toucheth the jews, the severe justice of God is noted unto us: in that other, that hath relation to the Gentiles, the unspeakable mercy and goodness of God is disclosed unto us.  

The second part concerning the rejection of the one, and receiving of the other.  In the second part, the cause why they were rejected, and those other admitted, is set down unto us.  
In the third place the Apostle doth foreshow, and by way of mystery, 
The third part touching the reconcilement of the jews in the end.  as it were, prophecy of the reconcilement of the jews that should ensue, and the full accomplishment of the Gentiles.  
As concerning the reconcilement of the jews, we will discourse upon, in fit place for the same hereafter. In the mean space, touching that part that appertaineth to the cas●ing away of the jewish nation, as many things are contained therein worthy not to be negligently overpassed, so this one caution aught diligently to be marked: That no such thought enter into any our minds, as though the jews are so altogether forsaken of god, and despoiled of ghostly consolation, as that no sparkle of mercy is reserved in store for them to hope upon: Neither that the whole stock of that Nation is so altogether supplanted, that no remnant of all the root thereof, hath any drop of moisture laid up for them in the fountain of God's free election. For both those opinions are utterly refuted by the Apostle: the one in the beginning of the Chapter: that o●her in the end thereof, as appeareth by the very entry of the same chapter.  
I say then: hath God cast away his people? 
To the Rom. 11. chapter.  God forbidden, for I am also an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not forsaken his people, whom he hath foreknowen● etc. as though he would say, Albeit God hath estranged t●● greater part of his people from himself, yet hath he not so utterly extinguished the whole nation, as though he had reserved to himself no covenable number of all the remnant of that seed, like as we read what happened to Elias, who lamenting that he alone was left, of all the true worshippers of God, was answered, that there remained yet seven thousand men, that had not bowed the knee to the Idol Baal.  

Rejection of the jews.  And therefore concerning the multitude of them that fallen away, as many things ar● worthy to be noted (as I said before) in the rejection of them: so this one thing chiefly amongst the rest, aught heedefully to be marked, according as the Apostle himself here noteth: To wit, that this their blindness happened not unto them by hap hazard, by chance, and unawares, as though God by his divine providence did not foresee the same before hand, and ordain the whole course of this action before, by the unchangeable decree of his incomprehensible wisdom: s● otherwise, how could the Lord himself 〈◊〉 far distance of time prophecy before 〈◊〉 the mouths of the Prophet isaiah, & his se●●ant David, 
Esay .6. Psalm 68  That their eyes should be blinded, jest they should see: their backs should be made crooked, jest they should yield: their ears should be stopped, jest they should hear: if he had not foreseen the same at the first● or how could he foresee it, unless he had likewise decreed it: But now forasmuch as God and nature do bring nothing to pass unadvisedly, by how much the more grievously the jews were overcharged with the severe rigour of God's justice (for what could be more heavy, then to be razed out of the book of life?) so much the more heinous must the canker be, that provoked this so sharp and bitter corryzyve: which cankered contagion that wrought their perdition, is most expressly declared by these words of S. Paul, for their unbelief (saith he:) whereby all men may easily conjecture, how horrible an infection this fretting fistula, unbelief, is adjudged in the sight of God.  
But first we must open unto you, the nature an● substance of this unbelief. Unbelief is a thing merely opposite and adversary to belief: by which contraposition you may easily perceive the right nature or definition of unbelief. For if faith or belief be a certain infallible knowledge of jes. Chri●● the Son of God ensealed in our hearte●, 
What Faith is.  whereby we do embrace him as given 〈◊〉 to us from God the Father, for us to r●pose our whole affiance in the same, it is evident then by the same reason, in wh●● sort we aught to judge of unbelief. 〈◊〉 whosoever hath ascribed the confidence of his salvation, and free remission of his sins to any other person then unto jesus Christ, or to any other creature the● to the faith which aught to be in Christ I●●su: the same may well be called an vnb●●lieuing person. 
Unbelief, & the manifold difference of the same.  Moreover, as there be m●●nie degrees amongst the faithful: and like as the faith of some people is more abun●daunt and plentiful, in some others scarce rypel and less fruitful, in many scarce any blossom or issue at all appearing: s● is the manifold variety of vnbeliefe● likewise expressed in the Scriptures, after ma●●●ie and sundry sorts. For there is a certain unbelief, under the which, as under certain embers some sparkle of faith is raked up, be it never so small: which is signified in that sentence of Scripture, where it is said: I do believe Lord, Lord help● thou my unbelief. There is an other kind of unbelief, which although be as yet overspread with a certain darkened mist of foggy Ignorance, and is tossed to and fro, with many wandering clouds & doubtful vapours, yet because it peepeth now and then abroad, because it glyttereth and shineth somewhat, and endeavoureth by all means possible to express his orient and bright beams, it seemeth not to rest in despaired estate. There is yet also an other ki●d of unbelief, which the Lord doth reprove, but forsaketh not● as was that, whereof mention is ●ade in the Gospel, And he rebuked their unbelief. Thomas Didymus believed not the Disciples, when they told him that the Lord was risen again. A great unbelief, but not shaken of yet: There is also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 
That is, seal faith  and there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. 
No faith.  And it happeneth often times that the one is named, y●● and reproached of the other. The disciples themselves also were sometimes worthily rebuked for their unbelief, to whom was said, O you unfaithful & perverse generation. 
Matth.  Peter was once yelden over to the v●ry ●●inke of drow●ing for none other cause, but for his unbelief sake: yet our Lord stretching out his hand afterwards saved him. This was a dangerous unbelief. But that other example, not of his distrust only, but of his faithless revolting, was far more peryll●us, when the same Peter not once or twice only, but three times in one night, did not only not acknowledge, but also forswore his Lord and master: yet was he not therefore deprived from his Apostleship. And it is not to be doubted, but that many persons do intrude upon the possession of Christian Title, which can gloriously vaunt of Christ with their tongues, but deny him utterly in their deeds, believing nothing less in their hearts steadfastly, then that whereof they carry an outward resemblance in their talk co●ragiously. And because this Serpigo rests within those persons, and crauleth to no further infection of the congregation, they are not therefore barred from partaking the Sacraments of this Church, which we ●all the visible Church. And what shallbe said of them, who many times do accuse themselves of their own unbelief, being valiannt soldiers nevertheless in the camp of Christian faith: when as on the contrary part, many other do firmly believe themselves ●●●e mere strangers to infidelity, whose faith if it should be placed in the face of the enemy, will of very cowardice forthwith flee the field?  
And albeit all these examples of unbelief, whereof I have made mention, may justly be reproved as blame worthy, & void of all colour of defence, yet may they be born withal after a sort. But this kind of infidelity of all others is most horrible & execrable, when as men do rush headlong into such obstinate resistance, that they will not only not acquaint themselves with the truth, being laid open before their eyes, but will wittingly shut up their senses from the beholding thereof, because they will not see it, & will spourne thereat not in words and profession only, but will cruelly persecute the same also with all manner of outrage, slaughter & blood, blasphemies & most despiteful execrations. And this is that unbelief, which being more noisome than any pestilent botch, may rightly & properly be called the jewish Infidelity, & seemeth after a certain manner their inheritable disease, who are after a certain sort, from their mother's womb, naturally carried through perverse frowardness, into all malicious hatred, & contempt of Christ, & his Christians. And for this cause especially, I suppose it came to pass, that whereas God so many hundred years before, had continually pardoned their wondered & manifold wickedness & impiety, & after his wont manner, had from time to time endured, & winked at their horrible rebellion & idolatry, he could now no longer forbear their abominable cruelty, committed against his welbe loved son, whom they traitorously murdered and hanged on tree, but must needs avenge him upon the whole nation, and root out the remnant of the whole race altogether. And not without great cause: for how could it else be, after that he was once revealed unto them, for whose cause only all that common wealth of the jews was instituted & erected? What cause remained then, that the jewish synagogue should be of any longer continuance? or to what purpose might it serve afterwards? what? That they might persevere still in sacrificing the blood of goats and lambs to the Lord? And where should this be done? in one family only? But God is not delighted with such sacrifices, nor dwelleth he in Temples made by men, but even in the very hearts of men: he taketh no pleasure in external pomp, and outward obser●aunces, nor gorgeous garnishinge of the body the vouchsafeth those worshippers, which do worship him in Spirit & truth. 
joan. 4.  These old moth-eaten shadows had their time, and not their time only, but their lawful use also: that so under shadows, types, and figures, they might prefigure the certainty, and truth of things to come. But after that he was once manifested, who was the true holy of holy one's, who was the true and lively Temple of God, who should display unto the world, the true ryghteous●esse, who should be of power to give everlasting salvation, and should be Lord and King of all Nations: what needed then any further shadows? or how could the Lord endure their blindness any longer, when as after the coming of their Lord, they not only ceased not to abuse the shadows of the Law, 
Why the earthly jerusalem was abolished.  to other purposes than they were ordained for● but also of a vain and false persuasion, to the pernicious example of other nations, yea, not without the manifest peril of the utter overthrow of the whole world, did likewise teach, that true righteousness aught to be ascribed to the outward observances of those shadows and ceremonies? The which thing the mercy of God seemeth not only to have foreseen, but adjudged also by no means tolerable: for otherwise it might have come to pass, that the safety of the jews might have been an estoppel to the receiving of the Gentiles, & so have procured their uncoverable destruction, through false opinion of the doctrine of righteousness perdie. But sithence there was none other mean or way for the Gentiles, to have due access to true righteousness, but by cutting down that carnal thicket of ceremonial brambles & bloody briars, hereupon ● pleased Almighty God, to dispose● the enterchaunges & alterations of times, acco●●ing to his unsearchable counsel: 
The casting aw●y of the jews made the reconcilement of the Gentiles.  That so the decay of the jews might be the riches of the Gentiles: & the casting away of that froward generation, might be the reconcilement of the whole world. And thus much by the way of the cutting away of the Israelites in which albeit redounded to our inestimable benefit, may not therefore provoke us to swell, and 〈◊〉 pu●t up with pride: whereof S. Paul doth wisely forewarn us to be well advised.  
And if some of the branches were broken of (sayeth he) and thou being a wild Olive tree waste engrafted in amongst them, and made partaker of the Root and fatness of the true natural Olive tree, boast not thyself against the branches. etc. First whereas he alludeth and resembleth the cutting away of certain of the jews to certain branches of the true natural Olive tree, it appeareth hereby sufficiently, that this casting away appertained not to the whole nation of the jews, but to some portion of them only: for there remained as then many of the same kindred, amongst whom was S. Paul himself, & the other Apostles, besides a very great portion of the remnant of the same people, which did follow Christ, & did acknowledge him with all their faith. Again the very first issues of our Christian faith sprung out of that stock, from whence we Gentiles must needs confess to have received the very entry and foundation thereof. It appeareth therefore that this was not a general rejection, neither that the whole race was drawn all together into the same gulf of perdition, but a portion only, and the same Paul termeth them to have been cut of. 
Cut of.  And wherefore chose he to say that they were cut of, rather than that they did fall away, namely sith it is out of all question that the jews deca● proceeded from their own default, an● through unbelief? what moved the Apostle then to use this figurative phrase of speech of cutting of rather, 

Ex●●ndi, to be cut of.  
Excidere, to 〈◊〉 from.   saying that they were cut of, and fallen not away of their own accord, that they were plucked away, not that they broke of? forsooth, because it is not all one to be cut of, and to fall from. The things that are cut of can not choose but fall away, but the things that fall away, are not always to be said to be cut of properly. What is meant therefore by this word cutting of? Forsooth nothing else, but to make us conceive, that the heavenly and unsearchable hand of almighty God did overthrow this building: even the self same●hande, which with wonderful workmanship doth plant, prune, bind up, underprop, adorn, order, and beautify this Olive tree of his Church, not after the proportion of man's imagination, but after the direction of his own determination and unpenitrable wisdom. For, as a natural Olive tree and other like trees, the buds, issues, twigs, and branches being either cut of or newly engrafted, work not that of their own power, but receive the same by the aid and industry of man: Even so in administering the functions of the Church, if we seek for the original cause of the workman, by whose conduct, all inferior causes are induced to observe their due order and course: the same must be adjudged to proceed from the force and efficacy of the unmeasurable election of the heavenly workman only, who by wonderful dispensation, maketh choice where him liketh, and refuseth whom him lusteth, according to the testimony of the Scripture: 
Exod. 33.  I will take compassion on whom I will take compassion, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy. Whereunto accordeth Saint Paul speaking after the same manner: It is neither the willer, nor the runner, but God that taketh compassion. 
Rom. 9  Where fortune, and chance, may go play them perdie: no endeavours of man can avail, much less can men's merits or deservings be of any force, neither can aught else bear palm here, but the only election of almighty God. The nature and property of which election, we may learn else where out of the same Paul: The remnant (sayeth he) are saved through the election of gra●e, which grace can not be said to be grace at all, if man's merits have pre-eminence before it● for that which is given according to the proportion of deservings, and not according to grace, seemeth in Augustine's judgement, 
Augustine in his 1. book of Retracta. Cap. 13.  a reward rather of duty, than a free gift of promise. But a question may be moved here perhaps, whether the Gentiles were not engrafted for their faith's sake? and whether the jews were not supplanted from the true Olive for their unbelief? which interchanged dispensation, what else doth it explain unto us, than a manifest demonstration as well of the meritorious desert, as well of faith, as of unbelief?  

The causes why the Gentiles were received and the jews rejected.  The answer hereunto, first as concerning the faith of the Gentiles, and the infidelity of the jews. I confess in deed that these may seem to carry some show in the eyes, and judgement of some to be deemed the very original causes of the free acceptation of the Gentiles, and likewise of the repulse of the jews. But for all this we hear not yet, what were the causes of the faith of the one, and of the unbelief of the other. And therefore if we will enter into a deep and more especial inquiry after the principal causes of this action, truly we shall never found them else where, then in the hidden and secret closet of God's election. For be it so admitted, that the Gentiles were for this cause engrafted into the true Olive tree, because they did believe, yet if question be moved, from whence their faith proceeded first, it may well be answered, not from any their merits truly, neither in respect of any their own worthiness more, then as the imps which do issue out of the natural wild Olive tree, can boast of any their excellency, wherefore they aught to be transplanted into the fatness of the true Olive tree. The like answer in sensible wise may suffice touching the jews, when as if the cause of their dismembering from their true natural Olive tree be inquired: I answer, For their unbelief undoubtedly: And yet this answer doth not satisfy the purpor● of Paul's disputation. For sithence faith is an especial gift of God, issuing from out the only mercy and grace of God, and not from man's free choice, the question reboundeth back again from whence it began. What was the cause then why the natural branches were so bereft of this singular gift after the revealing of their Meschias? whether because the barren unfruitful wild Olive tree did furmount the true Olive in excellency of fatness? to wit, in integrity of life and merits? surely I think not so. Wherefore then were the jews forsaken, and the Gentiles received? S. Paul maketh this answer. First, that this repulse reached not to all the Israelites in general. Then, as concerning the remnant whatsoever work was wrought in them, was not administered without the singular counsel and foreknowledge of God: 
The foreknowledge and decree of God in casting away the jews.  which foreknowledge doth evidently appear by the continual discourse of the Prophets & Psalms: where the holy ghost foretelleth many hundredth years before, of the wilful blindness of the jews. This counsel of God is made notably discernible unto us by the sequel, and final cause, the Apostle not only testifying most evidently, that God was the worker of their blindness, but also rendering the reason that induced God thereunto: where disputing at large of the rueful ruin of the jews, and searching for the cause thereof: What then? (says he) did they therefore offend, because they should be castaway? Which were as much to say, as though God should be delighted in their destruction, God forbidden. Nay rather, that by their fall salvation should happen to the Gentiles: & that by their unbelief the Gentiles might obtain mercy.  
But question willbe moved here again, 
Objection.  whether it were not as easy for almighty god to have given mercy to them both, if it had pleased him● Mark what the Apostle says hereunto: 
Answer to the objection.  Nay rather, for this cause only God did shut up all under unbelief, that he might have mercy on al. For as it pleased almighty god to exercise his long & severe rigour in old time against the heathenish castaways, and wretched abjects the Gentiles, until at length, with his merciful kindness unlooked for, he had shaken of from their eyes, the foggy scales of darkened error, and after their long infidelity, alured them at the last● to the blessed knowledge of his sacred Gospel: even the very same may we perceive to have happened to the nation of the Israelites, by contrary interchange of people and times: that so, those which sometimes were the first, should now become the last, and those which by so long continuance of inheritably descending race, did lawfully enjoy the interest of the true Olive tree, as the true natural offsprings thereof, being now cut clean away from their holy root, must be constrained to forsake their standing, and yield place to others, and may learn now at the length to endure the grievous storms and cruel tempests of Gods just vengeance, which the Gentiles before them had long time experimented to their great dolour & sorrow, until at length having subdued their disdainful pride, and tamed the natural stiffeneckednes of their hearts, they may obtain the self same mercy together with the Gentiles, not for any their deserts, but through the free mercy and bounty of almighty God only, and so be restored at length to the ancient inheritance o● their first possessed root. And this is it, tha● S. Paul seemeth here to prophesy in this mystical Oracle, and most comfortable me●●sage, concerning the reclaiming of the jews to come.  
Whereby it may easily appear, how that there is no one thing, in all the actions of man's life, so plausible, whereby man may be puffed up to stand to much in his own conceit, or disdainfully tread down the infirmity of his weak brethren, whether he have regard to the lenity of God's free mercy, or attentively behold the severity of his justice. For so the Apostle hath here set them out both unto us, to be diligently considered. Behold (says he) the mercy, & wrath of God: 
The severity & bounty of God.  wrath, towards them that fallen: but towards thee that dost persist in faith, mercy. etc. And thus doth the Apostle right well advertise us: but that we for our part may be able to comprehend them both, the especial assistance of God had need to enlighten our understanding: for there are no final number of people, whose senses, either through ignorance, or else through negligence, are dazzled and darkened in the right comprehending thereof. Among the which ignorant sort of people, first may the jews be rightly placed, who being deluded with a preposterous opinion of sinister judgement, 
The preposterous opinion of many touching the severity and bounty of God.  do interpret this bounty of God to be there, from whence they aught have feared his terrible indignation. Secondly, amongst the negligent number may be reckoned the Gentiles, of whom many are over slow, and sluggish to enter into due consideration of God's goodness, but quicksighted enough, to pierce into his wrathful severity. Of those two sorts of people, I do purpose by God's assistance to discourse somewhat, so far as the time will permit, to the end I may profit them both, if it be possible, or at lest offer inconvenience to neither of them, as I trust.  
And first, I can never wonder sufficiently enough at the jews, for that many years and ages enduring that sharp & severe scourge of God's dreadful displeasure, they could notwithstanding have never any feeling of their own calamity, nor perseverance of the heavy clog of God's grievous vengeance, ne yet any affection to be disbourdened of their infidelity, sweetly beguiling themselves, with a glavering show of a false shadow, flattering themselves likewise, with a fantastical hope of a terrene kingdom, whereof they had never any one word promised by God, and awaiting for the coming of such a messias, whom never any of the Prophets known. Finally so far forth prevailed the deceit of this error to confounded the sensible part of their understanding mind, that being otherwise a people most abhorred of God, & men, they would nevertheless most arrogantly vaunt themselves to be more esteemed, and more precious in the sight of God, than all other nations, people and tongues: and that they were his only darlings, and therefore could not by any means be defrauded of the power of his promise, nor be sequestered from the true Olive tree, whereof they were the natural branches, wallowing continually in a most filthy puddle of pestilent error, not much unlike to the Romish Synagogue in this our age, whose senses seem to be tippled with the same dolldreanche: which kind of people being of all other nations most needy of the mercy of God, it is a wonder notwithstanding, to see how trimly they play wily beguilie with themselves in the dispensation of pardons, whereof they falsely challenge to themselves chief stewardship under the title of the Church, and inheritable succession of Peter's chair, 
The inheritable succession of Saint Peter.  which they have established at Rome for ever and ever: persuading to themselves to have obtained the sole and singular prerogative of all ecclesiastical superiority, such as can never be abolished by any continuance of consuming time, but must remain inviolable world● without end, nor can ever be dissolved by breach of succession, nor at any time be destitute & void of the favour of God. But if you demand of them that cause of this so inestimable a blessing, what will they answer? forsooth: hath not god (say they) promised, that he will never forsake his Church? what then? Have not the keys lyneally descended unto us from blessed S. Peter, ever hitherto, being the chief head of the Apostles, which the Lord hath promised shall never be taken away? Is there any more yet? what? is it possible for God's truth itself to defraud the credit of his covenant, whereunto he hath bond himself with a most sacred oath?  
Very well now. And whereupon doth the blind arrogancy of the jewish Nation magnify their race? do we not derive our pedigree (say they) lyneally from our most holy father Abraham? Are we not born, and named Israelites, by the name of our great grandsire Israel, the Patriarch? did not the Lord credit us only with the safe custody of the Ark of his covenant? Have not we a promise from God by the mouth of his Prophets, of a messias and Saviour to come? Hath not god prepared an everlasting throne for the kingdom of our messias? Is not he of power to make his covenant inviolable, that with so many oaths hath ratified the same? Nor will he not perform the oaths which he hath made? Surely I will not much gainsay, that it is in deed no final matter, whereof each party debateth so largely of the promises of almighty God. Yet all this notwithstanding, all things depend not so always upon God's promises made, but due consideration aught also be had of the mind and intent of him that maketh the promise in the scriptures: and the same well weighed and compared with the due circumstances and other places of the scripture, if we will be accounted true and sincere interpretoures of Gods holy scriptures: that is to say, It behoveth us duly and orderly to define and dispose all and every thing apart by itself, not those things only which are promised, but must withal respect the people, the place, the cause and consideration, and all other circumstances of the promises. And therefore albeit we do grant unto them that all those promises are true, whereupon they brag so much, touching the succession of the patriarchs and Apostles, yet shall they never be able to win this at our hands, To wit, that this ordinary descent according to the law of the flesh, is a sufficient foundation to build the Church of God upon. 
Succession i● the Church  In the which if we behold nothing else besides the outward form of succession only, who can be so purblind, as not to be able to discern the manifold alterations of orders, and observances, which the Lord from time to time hath changed and disposed, contrary to the first constitutions: As for example, when as God in stead of Cain, Esau, Ishmael, Saul, to whom of right appertaineth the ordinary succession & descent of the priesthood, of the birthright, & inheritance of the kingdom, he made especial choice of Abel, Isaac, jacob, & David, who had no interest at all in the right of succession. In like manner forsaking the jews, he accepted the Gentiles contrary to all order. Neither is it so much material to know where, or by what means, the● Church of Christians sprung up at the first: so that it hold fast the sincerity of the p●re word, of undefiled faith, 
james .1.  
Ephe 5.  and the due administration of the Sacraments, by which three things the Church is preserved and sanctified.  
As concerning the promises of God therefore, this is undoubtedly to be held, that the promises be in their own nature simply true: yet in such wise true notwithstanding, as God hath not always chained them to time, place or people of men: which albeit were tied fast to place and people, yet are the proud and high minded shaken of, the promises remaining still in their force. Even so the jews, although they prescribe upon a promised place in Zion, Psalm 132: Here will I build my Tabernacle, because I have choose it. 
Esay .31.  Again in the Prophet Esay. This is my furnace, this is my fire. etc. And although they have also a promise of the people, when as the blessing is promised to Abraham, and to his seed for ever, yet this withstandeth nothing at all, but that rebels are punished by God, the Temple consumed by fire, the altar thrown down, and the city put to the sack and destroyed. And yet the mean while almighty God continueth steadfast in his promise nevertheless, but by a far other mean, than man's capacity is able to conceive. Whereupon that holy and melodious Psalmist, not without great reason, doth cry out in a certain place of his mystical Sonnets in this wise: 
Psal. 117  And it is marvelous in our eyes. Even so do I judge convenient to esteem of the counterfeit succession of the Apostolic and Romish See, which if our prelate's enforce so narrowly to be straighted to the limits of place & people, they must needs bewray their double error therein, being not only absurdely injurious to holy scriptures, but fond careless in breaking the rules of Logic. For in their arguing, they do commonly thrust more into the conclusion, then in their former propositions. As if a man would frame an argument after this manner: The perpetuity of the promised succession is granted to Peter and his successors. The Romish Prelates do succeed in Peter's chair or place. Ergo: The Romish Prelates are the only successors of Peter: the only universal Bishops: the only Princes of the Church: whose faith can never faint.  
But we have sufficiently enough discovered the maskings & jugglings of this Romish counterfeit else where. And therefore jest we rove too much abroad from the mark, 
Extra oleas.  and wander from the Olives (as the proverb says) we will return again to Paul's Olive tree, & the branches of the same: whereupon we promised before to discourse. Of the which branches, how some were broken of, and some others engrafted again into the true Olive tree, we have already opened somewhat unto you out of the Apostle. And not only out of the Apostle this is opened, but the same was also set down at large long time before the Apostle, by the prophet Esay: out of which place of Esay, it seemeth that the Apostle took occasion of all this discourse. Let us Gentiles therefore mark well what Esay doth prophecy of the jews. Let the jews also attend to the preaching of their own Prophet, who agreeth herein altogether with our Apostle touching the jews. 
Esay. cap. 10.  Behold (saith he) the Lord of hosts shall break down the bow with power, & shall hew down the proud, and the high minded shall he fallen down. And there shall arise an issue out of the root of less. etc. And jest the jews may cavil, that these speeches do nothing concern them, let them hearken again to the same Prophet, not only prophesying of them, but also pointing unto the jews with the finger as it were the 17 chapter: 
Esay. cap. 17.  And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of jacob shall be made very thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. And immediately after. Some gathering in deed shall be left in it. Even as in the shaking of an Olive tree, whereupon remaineth two o● three berries in the top of the uppermost row, & four or five in the broad fruitful branches thereof saith the Lord God of Israel, etc. And again in an other place: 
Esay. cap. 24.  For it shall come to pass in the mids of the land, even in the mids of the people, as the shaking of an Olive tree. And as the grapes are, when the wine harvest is finished. And yet again much more plainly in the 63. Chapter: 
Esay. cap. 63.  Thus sayeth the Lord: Like as when sweet juice is found in the cluster, and one sayeth, Loose it not, for there is blessing in it. Even so will I do for my servants sake, that I may not destroy them all, etc.  
Now for as much as these things are so plain and so manifest, that they may be easily felt and handled as it were with the fingers: what answer dost thou make thou froward nation of the jews? what canst thou bring? what canst thou allege, if not to defend, yet to colour at the jest thy obstinate stubborness? Hast thou any Scriptures? Not surely. For nothing maketh more against thee, not only with open mouth exclaiming even to thy teeth, against thy blundered blindness, wherewich thou hast been so long overwhelmed, but also have long sithence by manifest tokens foretold how the same should come to pass. Wilt thou vouch the promises and covenants which God made unto thee of old? And what other thing did he promise thee at any time, than the same which thou dost so disdaynefully pursue? Neither yet cease you to run onward, still gaping after, I know not after what messias to come. What? Hath he not yet been sufficiently enough looked for by your progenitors, who waited for his coming by the space of two thousand years before he came? Go you to then: how long will you yet continued gazing, seeing these things are passed already? How long will ye yield yo●● selves a mockery not to God only, bu● a jesting stock also to all other nations of the world? sithence all people and tongues do so plainly conceive, that all things are long sithence accomplished in the person of Christ jesus, whatsoever all your prophets did prophecy of the messias: And sithence the whole discourse of the holy scriptures doth so manifestly teach also, that there is none other Christ, but the same that the whole world doth confess and worship?  
But this one thing perhaps doth raise up your crests, 
The vain brag of the jews standing upon the nobility of their offspring.  and puff you up with pride, because you do convey unto yourselves so long a descent of your genealogies and kindred from so famous Ancestors: because you fetch your pedigree and families from Abraham, and the holy patriarchs, and in that respect you do reprochefully disdain all other nations, as though God had created them to no purpose at all. But let us see by what reason, with what conscience you are induced hereunto. If you judge this a matter of so great importance, that you can rehearse in a long bead-roll of names, your Generations descended out of the loins of Abraham: what? And can not Ishmael, Esau, Saul, can not Dathan and Abyron, and all that other rascal rabble of Hebrews, who made insurrection against Moses: finally, can not many wicked kings amongst you, false prophets, horrible church robbers, & Idolaters even amiddes amongst you, vaunt upon the self same race and parentage, whereupon you brave yourselves so gloriously? Whereupon appeareth plainly, that this outward descent of blood, and fleshly progeny, doth not avail so much for your challenge: but that there is some other thing that maketh a kindly generation, and the true offspring of Abraham, in the sight of God. Moreover if it may be lawful to glory in the ancient stock, what may be thought of Christ himself, whom we do worship? in whom if you require who was his father, he came not in deed from man, but descended from God. But if you demand of his mother: he is on the mother's side a jew born, according to the flesh, the son of Abraham, an issue of the same seed that you are, whose children you challenge yourself to be according to the flesh. And wherefore then do you so cruelly detest him? Why do your brethren so hatefully envy and malign your natural brother? And being jews born yourselves, why do you so vylanously persecute your natural kinsman, being likewise a jew born, and why have you slain him so cruelly?  
And what hath he committed at any time, 
The jews can tender no cause of their cruel murdering of Christ.  worthy of this so monstrous rancour & cankered despite? Was it because he did profess himself to be the Son of God? Albeit he did never speak any thing in his own commendation without singular modesty, neither boasted in his speech further of himself, then that he was the son of man: yet if this same he, were not the very true undoubted son of God, do you then nominate some one man upon ●arth, whom you may justify was his father, and condemn the whole history of the new Testament to be lies, if you can. What trow you, would his Apostles, & other his disciples, being daily and hourly conversant with himself, his mother, & his mother's husband, so thoroughly accompanied, & acquainted with all the actions of his life, have been so wilfully, and foolishly blinded, as to give such credit unto him, & to believe in him? would they have settled the whole affiance of their salvation in him? would they so courageously have undertaken so many perilous hazards of life? 
Testimony of the Apostles.  would they so constantly have yielded their carcases to all manner of horrible tortures, not in words only, but with loss of life also, ratifying and test●fiyng the thing, whi●h they knew to be in him most assured, and that with effusion of their blood, if they had seen naught else in him beyond the natural substance of man, and not rather conceiving thoroughly in him a secret divinity, 
The Divine miracles of Christ.  that was hidden under the veil of the flesh bodily? But if these things shall be but of small credit with you, what will you answer to those so great and manifold tokens of wondered virtue, to such supernatural and prodigious wonders of his? what say you to so great force of his divine operation, to so great power of his miracles, not wrought by him alone, but by his Apostles also through the virtue of his name only, 
Miracles in the name of Christ by his Apostles.  yea, and long sithence now and then openly wrought in his Church, through the effectual operation of his glorious name? What will you say to his so great majesty in word, innocency of life, certainty in prophesying? And besides all these, his marvelous signs & tokens expressed in his own person? What will you say to that his incomprehensible glorious resurrection, his unspeakable ascension into the heavens: lastly, to those his most gracious gifts of the holy Ghost powered upon us from the heavens? What can you answer, I say, that all these so manifold, so wonderful, yea so heavenly graces might import else, then that there was in him a certain superexcellent Divinity, beyond all measure surmounting all reach, and capacity of man's understanding?  
All which things being approved with the testimony of so many witnesses, viewed and beholden with so many eyes, practised by the daily experience of so many jews, ensealed with so many hands and writings, published to us Gentiles by manifold reports of so many your rabbins and great Doctors of your own nation, if all these things I say, shall yet seem to you but colourable, feigned and unworthy of credit: why do you not with as good reason condemn for false liars, all, and every your own prophets, patriarchs, your own Law, yea and the Psalms also, and raze them out of remembrance, because they did many hundred years before most expressly foreshow and prognosticate evidently, that all those things in general should come to pass, even in the same manner and order, as they have been already accomplished? Among whom let Esay the Prophet be adjudged a liar, because in the name of this Christ he promises health to the blind, 
Esay. cap. 35.  
Cap. 43.  
Cap. 61.  
Cap. 9  
Cap. 42.  to the lame, to the halt, and to the maimed: because he comforteth the Ostriches and venomous beasts of the field with praise & glory that should happen unto them, because he prophesieth hope of freedom to them that were in chains, to prisoners liberty, plenty and fullness to the needy and hungry: light to them that sit in the shadow of death: bountiful fruit fullness to fields that were otherwise by nature barren, and through want of tillage overspread with briars and brambles, uncomely, yea & filthy by reason of their huge desolation: to overflowing rivers, dryness and emptiness: finally, to the jews themselves extreme blindness.  
Let the Prophet Osee be accounted a liar also, 
Ose. cap. 1. ●.  who prophesieth likewise that a people which was not a people, should be called, and obtain mercy, through the inestimable blessing of that heavenly jewel. Let jonas the Prophet be adjudged a liar also, 
jonas.  yea and that Elias likewise, 
Elias.  that was advanced into heaven in the fiery charryote: the first of which two did prefigure Christ's glorious rising again the third day after his death, the other of his ineffable ascension into the heavens, the fortieth day after his passion: also of the comfortable consolation and sending of the holy Ghost, by the letting down of the cloak from out his triumphant charryote, the fifty day called Pentecost. Besides all these moreover, let john Baptist the Prophet, 
john Baptist.  yea more than a prophet, be condemned for a liar, who did not in word only acknowledge him, but pointing towards him with the finger, pronounced boldly, That he w●● the very Lamb of God, that should take away the sins of the world. Finally, let all the whole authority of the Prophetical Scriptures be canceled for untruth, because the greater part thereof doth nothing else, but foreshow, and make report, that all those things should come to pass, which the evangelical history doth expressly pronounce to be already accomplished.  
Briefly, if as yet your eyes be withholden with so gross amazed obscurity, that the things which are more resplendisant than the Sun in midday, and so thoroughly known in all the parts of the world, do so far e●ceede the common capacity of your blundered senses, and seem so incredible unto you, that you can by no means comprehend them, nor will suffer so many notable testimonies of Christ's resurrection prevail to work so much credit in your hearts, as you may believe in our Lord jesus Christ risen from the dead as well as we: why do you not produce then his buried carcase, if you can? or at the lest, bring forth some rame, or fragment of his precious body, be it never so small? Or if you think I demand an impossible request of you, how happeneth that none of all your progenitors could show the same? But if neither you, nor any of all your ancestors were able to do this, why do you not then join together with us, and worship him that is risen again? Why do you not honour and magnify his name, who reigneth in eternity, sitting in the heavens at the right hand of God the Father? Whereunto if love of religion can not induce you, let natural reason yet obtain so far forth with you, to grant that, which no reason can deny? Whereat make you stay? is not my request reasonable? do I not give you wholesome counsel? And jest that which I have spoken, run in at one ear with you, and out of the other, taking no root in your hearts: I will for your better remembrance repeat once againne the words that I have spoken.  
If he, whom you have slain, be not the very son of God, if you believe verily, that he, whom you deride, and scorn at with that your reproachful and despiteful name, Talui, 
Talui in Hebrew, is as much as ha●ged or crucified. Cant 4●  were but a very natural man, why do you not therefore restore his dead body unto us? or why do not your soldiers and hired watchmen yield his corpses again, for the guarding whereof they received from you so special a charge? If they can not, what else emporteth the grave being found empty? What else signified the horror and amazedness of your armed watchmen, who being terrified with strangeness of fearful sights fled away so tymorously, but that you may be enforced will you, nill you, to confess this Christ jesus to be very Messchias, who having entered upon the possession of the kingdom of David, 
Esay. 9  as in the right of his own peculiar inheritance, reigneth now in all eternity, and having vanquished all power of death, sitteth now triumphantly upon the throne of his Father David, to order and establish his Father's kingdom, with judgement and justice from henceforth even for ever and ever? I would fain learn now, what that your obstinate rebellion is able once to mutter against this? First, where no mistrust of peril is feared, there is no guard usually charged: And what suspicion of danger might your forefathers conceive of him after they had murdered him? Debate the matter with yourselves somewhat more substantially, why any such fear might grow in the dead body of this one silly person more than in ●ny other. But I will not urge you any more herein: only in this point I would feign be resolved. How happened that the sepulchre being so strongly covered with a stone of so huge weight, so firmly ensealed with the seal of the high Priest, so straightly fenced with the force of armed knights, was so shortly found empty? You will say, That his disciples crept thither privily, and stolen away the body of jesus perdie, while your soldiers were snorting in a deep and sound slumber. Well then. And who I pray you saw the disciples the mean time while your watchmen slept so sound? If their eye lyddes were overladen with such a dead slumber, that they could not perceive this: with what face shame you to affirm, that your watchmen saw them no●? If they did see them, how chanced that being harnessed, they withstood not such silly unarmed wretches? And why did not your forefathers lay this theft to the Disciples charge, since they see them daily preaching in the Temple afterwards? O monstrous cankered liars: as though the stone wherewith it was covered, were not of greater quantity, the● could be removed by a few? or by any means might be rolled away without perceiverance of your soldiers? Well yet, how happened that these silly caitiff petyt thieves fled no● away immediately after they had committed this robbery? How dared they be daily conversant amongst men● and preach openly in your Temple? Nay rather to tell you the truth simply: with what better or more probable argument could the world have been induced to believe, that Christ was risen again to the sure establishment of their faith, than this your wicked curious diligence, which your forefathers so carefully employed in watching the Sepulchre?  
Forasmuch therefore as all these things are so most assured, so manifest, so unreprovable, approved with so many witnesses & prophet's, ratified with so many reasons & evident proofs, discovered by the evident testimony not only of Angels, but established also with the heavenvly Oracle of the holy ghost himself, embraced & believed by the faith of all nations of the world, what one probability can all your generation of Hebrews allege for colour to the contrary? If you perceive therefore that this is the ver● true messias, why do you not relent at the last, & forsake & abandon your stiff-necked rebellion, & join with us in profession? If as yet you do not acknowledge him, declare the cause then that breeds this misliking in you, and troubleth your consciences. Is it because he lived in poor & beggarly estate amongst the impoverished, & them that were worth nothing? But your prophet Zacharie long before he was revealed, reported that he should be even such a one: 
Zach. 9  Behold (says he) thy king cometh unto thee righteous & just, a saviour, he is poor, & riding upon an ass, etc. And it behoved truly, that he which should come to overthrow the high minded & rich of this world, & to enrich the poor, should be himself embased & poor.  
What else then? is it because he was seen to walk in base and simple apparel, and was despised amongst you? Even such a one doth the prophet Esay paint out unto us in his 53. chapter: 
Esay. 53.  We beheld him (saith he) and he had neither form nor beauty, we held him despised, & esteemed him for an outcast of men. You have seen him now of no reputation, an abject, the poorest of men, whom your haughtiness did disdain. Mark now under this vile & contemptible baseness, more than a kingly royalty, whereunto you aught all t● prostrate yourselves, 
Esay. cap. 53.  & do honour unto. Surely he hath born our infirmities, & carried our sorrows, he was taken out of prison, & from judgement, & who shall declare his age? by the knowledge of himself, my servant shall justify many: for he shall bear their iniquities. The will of the Lord shall prospero in his hands, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong. The kings shall shut their mouths at him. You have now therefore herded, how he should be poor and deformed, according to the outward show of the flesh, even such a one as our Gospel hath described him. And briefly to be plain, if he had not thus been poor, & rejected from amongst you, he could not have been the right messias in deed. verily such a one he seemed to you once, when it was, according to the outward countenance of the flesh, before he had obtained the power of the kingdom upon the cross: But having then forthwith received the throne of his kingdom, in what triumphant majesty he sitteth & reigneth now in heaven, let the mystical Psalmist David make report, who in spirit foresaw him, sitting at the right hand of the Lord Let their witness be herded also, who were beholders of the whole action of his ascension, & with their bodily eyes saw the same whom David beheld in spirit, even with their carnal eyes I say gazing upon him, while yet he was lifted up in their sight into heaven, and did perfectly discern him also sitting at the right hand of the majesty. Let them also record the same, whose inward feeling & minds of the soul he doth enlighten with heavenly effectual operation, and vouchsafeth daily to enterparten himself unto. And I would to God it might please the same to open your eyes also, that once at the length you might thoroughly enjoy the inestimable glory, and unspeakable majesty of his everlasting kingdom. In the mean space, you may easily conceive a taste and feeling as it were of the truth, by groping the shadows and prefigured tokens of the scriptures, except you had rather wilfully and wittingly shut fast your eyes from so manifest demonstration of infallible certainty.  
First, what one thing was of more royalty, than the kingdom of David? And yet what one thing was more entangled and streighted, while as yet like a silly moth he kept his father's sheep? while he was tossed in turmoil with most cruel persecution? At what time joseph being circumvented by the injury of his brethren, become carrion lean in a loathsome dungeon: when as Abraham was commanded to abandon his native country, and to become a banished outcast from his kindred and his father's house: while jacob was constrained to redouble his service under his uncle Laban: what time Moses was by Gods calling translated from an exiled outlaw to be a guide and leader of the Israelites: from how great baseness and misery were all these advanced to wonderful estimation and dignity? And what was the meaning of the holy ghost else, then under the shadows and figures of those people, to represent unto us the very pattern and image of the son of God? And yet if you duly consider the estate of Christ's outward baseness, what wanted he at any time, to the necessary furniture of his livelihood, notwithstanding this show of extreme penury? Nay what want at all could molest him, who with a very few crusts could feed so great a crew of thousands in so desert a wilderness? Or how could he be termed poor, at whose beck and word of mouth, heaven and earth did obey, the seas and winds, life and death, finally all the degrees of creation were subject unto?  
But that writing and title called by the name of a Nazarite doth encumber you perhaps: 
jesus Nazare●us.  because it behoved that messias should be born in Bethleem the city of David. If he were not born in Bethleem, I report me to the Chronicles & Records of the time of his birth, and the circumstances thereof. Let the testimonies of the angels, shepherds, wise men, his own mother, joseph, and all the Evangelists be examined. Moreover, what imported that horrible slaughter of all the suckling Babes of Bethleem, only by the cruel proclamation of Herode, without any molestation of the infants of Nazareth: unless Herode the king had been thoroughly persuaded, that above that instant of time, wherein Christ was born, the same very king of the jews was then born in the city of Bethleem? What else is it then that troubleth you? because he died the death? 
The death of Christ.  What do I hear? what? Have you always awaited for a messias that could not be bereft of life? How then should this messias deliver jacob his people from their iniquities, when as no remission of sins could be without slaughter & blood, according to the infallible testimonies, and continual sacrifices of your own law? Briefly, if it were not requisite that messias should dye the death, than did all the Prophet's lie, Zachary, Daniel, David, Esay, did lie: which have not only made mention of his death, but have most learnedly also set down the cause of his death. For this we read in Daniel, 
Daniel. ca 9  That wickedness (says he) may finish, and sins be sealed up, iniquity reconciled, and everlasting righteousness may be brought in. And proceeding a little further in the same Chapter, doth expressly declare that Christ aught to be slain. In like manner the Prophet Esay: 
Esay. ca 53.  If he shall make his soul an offering for sin, saith he. The very same thing doth Moses also prefigure unto us under certain ceremonies of sacrifices, types and figures not altogether obscure. What say you to Isaiah the Prophet: who doth not only discover the cause, but the manner also of his death, his spitting, scourging, wounds, plagues, buffetings and reproaches? What say you to Zacharie, who mentioneth the piercing of his side with a spear? What say you to David, who describeth the nailing of his hands and feet, the sponge full of vinegar, the rending his flesh from the bones, the casting lots for his garment? What say you to Moses also, who under the title of the Brazen serpent, doth prognosticate his lifting up on the Cross?  
But here again some froward person amongst you will murmur again in this wise. 
The jews objection answered.  In what sort can Christ be said in the scriptures to be everlasting, if he must of necessity be slain? This scruple no man can more effectually unloose, than the Prophet David in his mystical Psalm: 
Psal. 1●.  Thou shalt not leave my soul (says he) in the grave, nor suffer thy holy one to see corruption. Where you hear his soul laid in the grave, you must understand that to be spoken of his death and burial. Again, when you hear, that he is risen again from his sepulchre, you must interpret the same of his infinite eternity, & unperishable freedom, exempt from all manner of corruption. Whereby appeareth notably discerneable unto you, each condition in one self person: That is to say: That he is both a mortal man, and an eternal God. In the one whereof the infirmity of his manhood is palpable: in the other the glory of his resurrection is most evidently provable. What? And do you expect yet an other everlasting messias besides this? 
Messiah when he cometh must not be received of the jews.  What a fantasy is this? As though when the true messias is come, he may obtain any courteous entertainment amongst you? Truly none at all● For even so say the Prophets of your own nation. Or else what means that saying of David, that you read in the Psalm? The stone which the builders refused, the same is made the head of the corner. And who be they that are called the builders, but even yourselves the jews? 
The jews look for their Messiah in vain: who, when so ever the true Messiah cometh, will not receive him. And if he be a false Messiah, he serveth them to no purpose.  What is this stone, but messias? whom if you will so long gape after, until you find yourselves pliable to embrace and honour him, it will come to pass, that your long lingering willbe prolonged beyond all compass of time: because according to the saying of your own. Prophets, you will never dutifully allow of the coming of the true messias, but that you will continually remain in an uncertain expectation of some other. For if he be accepted by the general consent of you all without exception, surely he can not possibly be the true messias. Again, if he be refused from amongst you, how long will you hung in suspense of his coming?  
Even in like manner your forefathers did look for a messias to come long before the birth of Christ almost two thousand years: but after that he was come in deed, & that the Lord of Lords, 
Malac. 3  whom they sought, was entered into his temple, & the angel of the promised testament whom they wished for, was amid● amongst them, yet did not his own receive him. 
What manner o● Messiah do the jews look for.  And why so? because they judged that he would come after an other sort, thei● the Prophets had foretold them. For the Prophets did describe his coming to be poor, simple & beggarly: but these lusty gallants do gaze for a certain trim earthly Emperor awaited upon with some famous troop of princely guard. The Prophets did promise' a silly meek lamb, whose voice should not be herded to bleat in the streets. These courageous champions attend for some Lion & victorious Monarch. They did foreshow that he should be slain, tormented and hanged on tree, who should not avenge him of the injuries of his people with displayed banner of bloody battle, but with shedding of his own precious blood should redeem the sins & wicked transgressions of his people, should not with v rush upon the crown of the Empire, nor with force of arms deliver his people from the thraldom of Cesar, but should restore freedom to his nation from the bondage of sin, and the tyranny of death, and the devil, with all the p●testates and principalities thereof: and so establish to himself a kingdom, not transitory and earthly in this world, but heavenly & endless for ever and ever. On the contrary part, these fellows stroking themselves with a fantastical opinion of worldly pomp, and measuring all things according to the glorious glitering show of some terrestrial dominion, do yet fond believe, that some other puissant & victorious conqueror shall come in some notably advanced manner. Whereupon being worthily deluded of their own frivolous fond expectation, they can neither truly acknowledge their own heavenly messias: nor did accept of him when he was come. Neither was it any marvel if they could not find in their hearts to entertain him being in this beggarly plight: when as their own Prophets did long before pronounce, that the messias should be persecuted with none so savage and unmerciful enemy's, as the people of his own lineage: and did also under most manifest oracles, and apparent veils of shadowish signs prognosticate that he should be slain through the treacherous treason of his own people.  
After the same sort was the blood of Abel spilled by the imbrued hand of his bloody brother Cain: 
Gene. 4.  joseph entrapped and sold by the smister practise and procurement of his brother judah: 
Gene. 37.  The lamb of the passover slain and devoured piecemeal in the houses of them, which were delivered by the blood of the same: 
Exod. 12.  So was Moses oftentimes contemptuously entreated, 
Exod 32.  and disdainfully railed upon amongst his own kinsfolks: 
Numer. 16.  King David cruelly assaulted not of Saul only, 
1. Reg. 18.19  but (which is more horrible) of the folk of his own family, of his neighbours, citizens and subjects. What else doth the several calamities of all these purport, then that messias should be slain by the butchery of his own people? What doth that stone of offence mentioned in Esay, 
Esay. 8.  and that Rock to fall upon to both houses of Israel, and as a snare and a net to the inhabitants of jerusalem signify other, then that the Lord himself should suffer death by the murderous practice of his own nation? Otherwise why is he called a rock to fall upon and stone of offence, if there were nothing in him whereupon the adversaries might stumble at? And to pass over other sharp and horrible prophecies uttered directly against this viperous generation by the mouth of their own Prophets in the book of Deuteronomie the xxxi. and xxxii. Chapters, so likewise in the 65. and 66. of Esay, and many others besides of their own Prophets, peruse who listeth the books of Malachi and Zacharie with diligence and heedefulnes, 
Mala. 1.3.4.  what doth Malachi else in all that his preaching almost, then explain the order, and manner of Christ's passion, yea, and that so lively, that scarce any portion seemeth overskipped, that may seem to appertain to the sum and argument of all that whole Tragedy? 
Zach. 9  Not their king himself riding upon an Ass, not the breaking of the bow of battle, and preaching peace unto the Gentiles: not the losing of prisoners out of the pit, wherein was no water, whose outstretched power extendeth from sea to sea, from the floods to the uttermost parts of the earth, raising up the children of Israel above the children of Greece: not the thirty silverlings of the traitor judas for the which he sold Christ: not the wounds of his pierced body: not the print of the nails in his hands and feet: not the scattering of the disciples the Shepherd being stricken: not the city severed into three factions, whereof the third part only remained sound and served the Lord, yet so that the same was brought to trial by fire: not the destruction of jerusalem by the assault of the Gentiles: not the overthrow and subversion of their houses: not the deflowering of their virgins: not the breaking in sunder the veil of the Temple under the figure of the mount Olivete: not the darkened Eclipse of the Sun the same day in the which Christ suffered his passion: 
Cap. 14.  And there shall be a day (sayeth he,) it is well known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but about the evening time it shall be light: And it shall come to pass in the same day, that the waters of life shall go out from jerusalem, and the half of them toward the East sea, and half of them towards the uttermost sea, and shall be both in winter and summer. And immediately in the same Chapter, prophesying of our Saviour jesus Christ hanging upon the Cross: And that which shallbe there above the bridles of the horses shallbe called holy unto the Lord, and the pots in the Lord's house shallbe like the bowls before the Altar. etc.  
What answer will you make now to these so notable and manifest testimonies? and whereupon dependeth the hope of that you look for, or in what points doth it chiefly consist? Will you flee back again to your rotten worm-eaten poesies? we are the seed of Abraham, and were never subject to any other: well we may wander, but we can never perish. The holy patriarchs are our progenitors: we are the issue of an holy root: we have a God in whom we do believe: we have the law wherein we are instructed, the temple, the priesthood: the sacrifices and ceremonies are committed unto our safe keeping, we have also Prophets, and promises of the Prophets, wherein we put our confidence. Nay rather you were once invested in all these, but now through your traitorous treachery you are bearest, and despoiled of them all. You had sometime Abraham unto your father, upon whom you so gloriously vaunt yourselves. Even so had Esau, Ishmael, and Saul also as well as it. And even this self same so noble a gentleman whom you account for your father, if he were present now in these our days, or had lived then also when Christ was conversant upon the earth, and had seen all those your frantic outrages, and traitorous devices, conceived of such despiteful rancour, and cankered malice: if he had beholden your reproachful taunts, contumelious mockeries, and furious madness, yo●●xecrable injuries, and horrible tyrannies provoked by no desert of his: your unquenchable malicious cruelty, in deriding, scorning, and murdering that most mild son of God Christ jesus, the most puissant and mighty Lord of glory, having in all respects so bountifully deserved of you: and had been present at that unspeakable mad outrage, and exclamation when you cried out, Crucify him, Crucify him: his blood be upon us and our children: we have none other king but Cesar. Moreover if he had seen your unappeaceable disorder without all remorse of mercy in persecuting his disciples: 
Christian men's children here in Engl●nde crucified by the jews Anno. 11●9. & anno. 114● at Norwiche. etc.  your intolerable Scorpionlike savageness, so furiously boiling against the innocent infants of the Christian Gentiles: and the rest of your heinous abominations, insatiable butcheries, treasons, frenzies, and madness: If I say, this most godly and mild patriarch Abraham were alive, to hear, and behold the same, with the same eyes wherewith long sithence he beheld the day of Christ jesus, and rejoiced, would he ever have accounted you for his sons? or ever have acknowledged such imps to have proceeded out of his loins? Nay rather, who can doubt of this, that he would have agreed with john Baptist rather, and cried out with open mouth against you, O you generation of vipers, and children of the devil: I do utterly detest you, and your poisoned deeds, and imaginations.  
But you do believe in God, whom only you do worship and honour: so do the Turks, Sarracenes, Moors, and Scythians as well as you. And where is there any one nation under the cope of heaven, so savage and beastly, that doth not profess, confess, and worship one God only? And what is this to the purpose? Albeit you esteem never so much of that your worshipping the great God, if yet in mean while you persecute his messengers and Ambassadors whom he sendeth, if you kill his Prophets, if you murder his Apostles, Martyrs, and Preachers: Finally if you put to the most slanderous death of the Cross the dear entirely beloved and only begotten son of God himself, being tormented with all kind of horrible tortures, to the unspeakable reproach of the same your own God, with what shameless visage can you brag that God to be your father, whose son you have so shamefully crucified? Yea, what were this to the purpose, or what might it avail you, to seem to yourselves that the same God is your father, if he do not reknowledge you for his children? Take this for an undoubted truth, that no kind of people can be adjudged to be the people of the living God, but in respect of his dear son Christ jesu. Which if your blundered senses can not comprehend as yet: what mean those words of Osee I beseech you? and of whom were they spoken? For ye be not my people, therefore will I not be yours. 
Osee .1.  And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said unto them, you are not my people, it shall be said unto them, you are the sons of the living God. You do persist still obstinately in the opinion of God's Law, and quite contrary to the Law of God, without all law, equity and conscience, hanged and racked upon tree the very same person of whom the whole Law did prophesy before, notwithstanding so many strange and wonderful miracles wrought by him, so many brotherly benefits employed upon you: yea, finding also no manner of cause worthy of death in him: You ●o vaunt yourselves lustily in speech of the circumcision of your foreskins, and your uncircumcised hearts overflow with spyderlike poison: 
The preposterous religion & cruel malice of the I●wes.  you brag of keeping the Sabbath day while you take your bodily repast only: but the right use of the Sabbath of the Lord is to have a quiet mind, free from all jar of envy and malice. This Sabbath you do profane continually, but then chiefly most wickedly, when you murdered the Lord himself, neither seem as yet satisfied therewith, nor you will relent any jot at all from your ca●ckred contumacy: you profess in words the letter of the law, but utterly disclaim from the spiritual meaning of the law in your deeds. You cry ●ut, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord: and yet you abhor the Church of Christ, being the true Temple of the Lord: you challenge to yourselves a wondered haughty prerogative of the blood offerings, of the Priesthood, of the Sacrifices and ceremonies of the Law, which in deed carry a certain gallant resemblance of true religion.  
But these outward shadows and ceremonies had their time and place long ago, and were not instituted to the end they should continued irrevocable, but for a season, to represent as it were a superficial view unto us of more excellent things. Even as the kingly Throne of David, and all that politic government of the Israelites did prefigure nothing else unto us, but the everlasting kingdom of Christ, and were as certain principles, wherewith the minds of the beholders might be raised up to a more deep consideration of far high mysteries: in so much that the very same, which was but figured in king David, we plainly perceive to have been expressly discovered in the king of the new jerusalem, which is the Church of Christ. The same which was prefigured in Abel, in Noah, in Abraham, Melchisedech, joseph, Moses, Aaron, josuah, Samson, David, Elias, jonas, jesus the great Priest, 
●he end of ●he Law & of ●he prophets ●nd types, is Christ.  in the paschal Lamb, in the brazen Serpent, in the Rock, in Manna, in the feast of Pentecoste: briefly whatsoever exercises were practised in shadows, types & figures, we do unfeignedly acknowledge to have met, concurred, & been accomplished in one body. And this body truly is Christ jesus, who is also the end & consummation of all the whole Law. In like manner the sacrifices and ceremonies, trimming and deckings of the old Law, contained in themselves no sound nor permanent matter, but were shadows and forerunners of more excellent graces. For what is he so purblind in this our age, that knoweth not, that God doth not dwell in Temples made by men's hands? that consciences are not cleansed from sins with the blood of goats & of bulls? But these bloody offerings obtained a certain resemblance only of the true purging of sins. What doth the commandment of the prophet amply, when in your Passeover he charged a lamb of a year old, clean & undefiled to be slain by families & tribes? Can your senses be so blockish to think, that so great & effectual operation lurketh in the blood of beasts, as may avail to deliver you from cruel thraldom, & translate you to the land of promise flowing with milk & honey, if there were no cornel of deeper mystery enclosed within the outward shell of the letter?  
It remaineth now, 
The promises contained in the Prophets.  that we treat of the promises of the Prophets, whereupon you boast so much, and raise all your building, which only thing of all others, doth unjointe and shiver in pieces all the strong bulwarks of your unbelief, even to the very bottom of the foundation. And to the end I may make this appear more evidently, I will combat a crash with you in your own castle, whereunto I will use none other furniture, but your own weapons, I mean the very words and known sentences of your own prophets. And I will so deal with you in this conflict by the aid & assistance of God, as not heaping together out of all the Prophets in general their whole armory of proof that I know, for that were unmeasurable. But I will choose rather out of certain of them, not a multitude, to surcharge you with number, but certain especial testimonies, with the which as with choice shot & powder, I will so batter the bulwarks of your blundered unbelief, that you shall not be able by any means possible to delude the matter with caffling, nor escape by denial, nor with any subtle legerdemain of literal exposition, cast a mist before mine eyes, nor untwine yourselves out of the meashe by any crooked conveyance, as you are wont to do, though you would never so fain, but either you shall be pervinced willingly to come to reason, or else against your wills to be confounded altogether with the manifest light of the truth.  
And to begin first with the prophet Esay, what answer can all the offspring of the Hebrews make to these words written in the ninth chapter of his prophecy? 
●say. 9  For the yoke of their burden, and the staff of their shoulder, and the rod of their oppressor hast thou broken, as in the day of Mydian. You have herded a very honourable promise of the Prophet, wherein he pron●●̄ceth a wonderful triumphant victory to all them that walk in the night of darkness, and in the shadow of death, prophesying likewise, that it will come to pass, that the chains of cruel captivity being cracked asunder, & yoke of servile bondage being crushed in pieces, they shall once at the length enjoy most happy calm of gladsome freedom. Well then. To whom was this promise made? to the jews alone? is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Then by what means shall this victory be obtained? by any foreign power, or warlike broil? No. The Prophet doth utterly deny that, pronouncing these words forthwith: Because every spoil (saith he) of the warrior that is with noise, and with tumbling of garments in blood, shall be abolished with burning and consuming fire, even as in the victory that Gedeon obtained against the Madianites, the conquest was achieved by the only hand of God, and the presence of Gedeon, man's force & power little availing thereunto. In like manner the prophet by like comparison persuadeth us to believe, that this victory and freedom must be purchased by the only blessing of God, and not by any force or policy of man: and that this blessing of God is sufficiently effectual of itself, without all force of bloody battle, to establish assured and undoubted peace and everlasting freedom to all creatures. Go you to now, let me this demand of you, when, and from whence this so great blessedness shall happen? The Prophet himself maketh answer, By the birth of a child (saith he) and by giving a son unto us. For unto us a child is born (saith he) & unto us a son is given, & the judgement is upon his shoulders. etc. Such is the excellent dignity of the son, so great is the majesty of his nature, proceeding from so notable a father, that he needeth none other aid in the world, to the attainment of absolute perfection of most blessed felicity. For what can be of more excellent effectual operation to the through cleansing away of all filthy contagion of corrupt nature, or more presently available to remove all matter of brabble and contention, then to receive the very son of God himself into the fellowship of this our mortal nature, being a Prince of so great and superexcellent Majesty, 
The place of Esay. cap 9 expounded.  as that he may not seem to be born an inheritor of a kingdom, to rule as a king, but that the kingdom may seem rather to spring up and be erected together with his birth? For so he sayeth, The government is laid upon his shoulders, not purchased by any his industry or travail, but laid upon his back, even from his first entry into this world, and growing up together with him, even from his very swaddling clo●tes. And the same being so great an authority or principality, raised up by so much above the compass of all earthly empires, by how much he obtained to be advanced and called by a more excellent title and name above all the princes of the world. And now if you be desirous to know the name of this famous Prince, the Prophet himself will forthwith declare unto you: 
A child is born unto us. etc. Esay. ●  His name (saith he) shallbe called Wonderful, a Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace, The increase of his government and peace shall have none end. etc. Where you see mention made of the kingdom of peace and patience, you may easily discern, not a kingdom only, but a distinct manner of kingly pre-eminence, far unlike to an earthly or worldly government. Now hearken where the place and nation is, over which this King must exercise his dominion. He shall sit upon the Throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order and establish it with judgement and with justice. Behold here under these Titles, judgement and justice, is excluded all bloody tyranny. And now listen to the perpetuity of thi● kingdom, From henceforth (saith he) even for ever and ever.  
Was ever man so froward of judgement, as to wrest and rack this place of the Prophet, of releasing the yoke of the burdens, of breaking the rod of the oppressor, to any other purpose appliable (though he endeavour to the contrary never so much) then to the very coming of Christ jesus the son of God, in whom we do believe, who was sent of God the father, & given unto us for an everlasting king? For where is it possible to found a king issuing from out so notable a parentage, and of such an undefiled life, who by dying the death could crush in pieces the tyranny of death, and after he had tasted the death could of his own power revive, and raise himself up, to the glorious majesty of everlasting kingdom, this one Meschias only except, before whom all nations of the earth do & shall bow the knee? Well now. And what buzzing will those Thal●●de glosers keep in the gloze, or what exposition will they fetch out of their Thargum? Will they refer this intolerable yoke of thraldom unto their servitude endured in the time of Sennacher●●? He would in deed have charged the shoulders of the jews with this yoke of burden & rod of oppressor, but he never pinched them so much therewith. Will they interpret the same of the captivity of Babylon? Neither will this hung together by any means. For albeit it pleased that mighty king of Babylon Cyrus of his bountiful mercy, to grant free passage to the Israelites, to return into their own country: yet was not he able to unloose this prophetical yoke, and establish a peace that could never be dissolved, for that he was not only a mere stranger, but also void of all colour to claim the throne of his father David, by any manner of descent from him.  
Moreover, whereas the prophet Esay doth note here especially, 
The jews in their own exposition contrary to themselves.  the utter taking away of all occasions of warlike fury from amongst worldly men, and of restoring a kingdom of peace, and the same also to be endurable beyond all ages: who doth not see, that by no shift of forged circumstance, these sayings may be translated to your fleshly bondage, sith yourselves also (which do believe and expect for an end of this brittle life, & a rising again at the last day as well as we) neither will ne can deny, but that all manner things in this world, either private or public, must have an end? Then if this be true, how dare ye mortal men flatter yourselves with a possession of an immortal kingdom in this world? For that which is immortal, is not limited within any compass of time. Again, by what argument can you persuade, that the thing which is everlasting, may have a last day and determined end of time? Forasmuch therefore as this kingdom of Meschias and David, 
The kingdom of Me●sias how it is everlasting, & the peace thereof to have no end.  is pronounced by the mouth of the prophets, to be an everlasting throne, and the peace thereof without all end: you must of necessity yield unto us, that this peace appertaineth not to the external tranquillity of this earthly & terrestrial policy, but to the quiet calm, & peaceable rest of inward conscience & soul, in the sight of almighty God: which peace began them to appear, when as this child was born: of whom the Angels of heaven did certify the shepherds in their melodious song: Glory be to God on high, and in earth peace, and unto men a good will. Otherwise how will this reason of yours agreed in itself, or accord with the Prophets? For if you aw●yt as yet for the coming of some warlike courageous Champion, who having subdued the Empire of the Gentiles, may with fire and sword force a recovery of your country, what shall become of this burning and devouring with fire, all warlike force and tumbling of garments in blood? Where is that Meschias, of whom Esay maketh mention, 
Zachar. 9 Esay .42.  which shall proclaim peace, not war, to the Gentiles? Where is that Prince, whose voice shall not he herded to make any noise in the streets? Where is he, that shall not bruise the broken rod? and shall convert the weapons of steel into ashes? On the other side: if you await for a peaceable king, such a one, as the Prophets do describe, what conquest then shall there be of Gentiles and nations? Ponder these things in your minds well, and advisedly, & see how these matters being contrary and repugnant each to other, they may be framed to agreed together.  
There be an infinite number of the like prophecies in Esay, 
The manifest prophecies of Esay of Christ.  concerning the Meschias that should be slain for the sydnes of the people and rejected of you: of his long lasting seed, 
Cap. 53.  and unspeakable generation: of the casting away of your whole race, and engraffing the Gentiles in your place: 
Cap. 65.  of blinding the eyes of them that did see: 
Esay 6.  of the book delivered to the ignorant and unlettered: 
Cap. 35. Cap. 43. Cap. 49. Cap. 65.  of healing the blind and the lame: of Ostryches and Dragons glorifying God: of floods to be translated into the wilderness: of the salvation of God to be proclaimed from Zion to the uttermost parts of the world: of the small portion of jews that shallbe saved: Finally of the rooting out of your nation, together with the exchange of your name also. And you shall leave your name (sayeth he) as a curse unto my choose: for the Lord shall slay you, and call his servants by an other name. And again, My servants shall drink, and you shallbe thirsty: Behold, my servants shall rejoice, and you shallbe ashamed. I am not very inquisitive here to learn, with what juggling after your wonted guise and determined malice, you will corrupt and deprave those places, as you do all other for the most part. Nay rather I will give you full scope to wreath & wrist them with whatsoever crabbed cavillations you can suggest, & after whatsoever sensual interpretation you can devise: yet shall you never prevail so far forth against the manifest truth, but that she will be able to stop your mouth, and convince your shameless impudency, considering that the very orderly course of natural causes, will not permit these sayings to be tossed and tumbled else where, then into the person of Christ jesus, whom you have crucified.  
I will pass over Esay, after I have cited one only place out of the xl. chapter of his prophecy, speaking in this wise: 
Esay. cap. 4●.  Comfort you, comfort yourselves, my people, will your Lord God say. Speak comfortably to jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, and her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received at the lords hands double for her sins. etc.  
What is this to us, will you say? I will tell you, if you will vouchsafe to yield your diligent consideration thereunto, & compare the same with the rest that doth ensue in the prophet. A voice (saith he) crieth in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord: make strait in the desert a path for your God. etc. What can be more clear than the brightness of this prophecy? what sentence more manifest? what more fruitful consolation? Wherein as many things seem worthy to be remembered, so three things chiefly are to be noted therein. Namely, 
1 The sins of the people  The sins and wickedness of the people, in the first place: The wrath and vengeance of almighty God, in the second place: 
2 The stroke of God's severe justice.  in the third and last place, a most sweet and comfortable consolation, 
3 The consolation of gr●ce.  after many bitter and grievous punishments. In the part that treateth of sins, the obstinate and unvanquishable rebellion of the jews against God and his Laws: In the second part, where the wrath of God is spoken of, the justice of God may be discerned, which will not suffer the wickedness of his people to escape long unpunished. The comfortable consolation proceedeth wholly from his loving kindness an● gracious mercy: whereupon the trump of those sweet and amiable promises is harkened unto: wherewith the sovereign bounty of God qualifying the fretting corrosive of his former displeasure, with mild & medicinable salve, doth make an infallible covenant with them, that after they have once passed over many vexations, adversities and straits, wherewith they were long time turmoiled & vexed, they should from thenceforth never feel so sharp a scourge in revenging their sins. And hereof cometh this most delicate voice full of all spiritual comfort, which the Lord himself pronounceth here by the mouth of his prophet, speaking comfortably to jerusalem, 
Esay .40.  Thy warfare is accomplished, & thy iniquities are pardoned, for thou hast received at the Lords hands double for thy sins, etc. 
The place of Esay .40. paraphrastically expounded.  As if this were the natural sense and meaning of the words: whereas I have hitherto showed myself a severe judge against you in scourging your ungodliness with cruel plagues, this did I, even according to the desert of your own deeds. In your miserable & continual calamity, in your manifold bondage & captivity that you have endured first under the Egyptians, then under the Assyrians, next under the Syrians, & lastly under king Herode the stranger, you have hitherto felt the smart of God's justice. But now it hath pleased the Lord to altar his determination conceived against you, not to whet the edge of his rigorous vengeance any more to your destruction, not to deliver you as vassals & bondslaves to your enemies, but interchanging mercy for wrath, to embrace you with all lenity, & make an end of your sorrows & warfare: so that from henceforth you shall not need to fear any more invasion of cruel enemies, any leading away into direful captivity, any dreadful punishment of your heinous impiety. For the time shall come, when the Lord will no more reward your iniquities with horrible scourges and plagues, but of his inestimable clemency shall couch you within the blessed bowels of his bottomless mercy. And if you be desirous to know the time wherein these glad tidings shallbe performed amongst you, take this for a sign and token, whereby you may discern the time, whereof I do foretell you. 
A voice crying in the wilderness. Esay .40.  A voice shallbe herded crying in the widernes, Prepare you the way of the Lord, make strait in the desert a path for your God. Every valley shall be exalted, & every mountain and hill shallbe made low. etc. And the voice proceeding yet forward, and demanding what he should cry: Say unto the cities of judah (saith he) Behold your God, behold the Lord God will come with power, and his arm shall rule for him, and his reward is with him. etc. When the sound of this trump out of the huge desert wilderness shall pierce into your ears and be seen with your eyes, this shallbe a sign for you to know, that he is not far from the gates, that shall redeem you from your captivity.  
I have disclosed unto you the meaning & sense of the Prophet, if I be not deceived: wherein two especial notes are to be considered: namely the punishment of sin, and the voice of a crier in the wilderness. Both which notes, who doth not easily perceive to have been accomplished in the people of Christ jesus, & of john Baptist? yea, and so accomplished in them, as no gap nor starting hole may possibly be found for you to escape, but that this place must be of necessity applied to Christ our anointed king and Saviour. For what else imported the voice of john Baptist crying in the wilderness, but to prepare a way ready for the coming of the Lord? And what else hath the whole doctrine of the new Testament taught and daily doth teach us also, but an everlasting forgiveness of sins, in the manner of a continual vacation from the term of the law? for as long as the law and God's justice did combat against sins, the warfare could never be broken up: 
The war between God's justice, and the sins of man.  but the enemy being once subdued, and the dominion of the law brought into captivity, our warfare must needs be at an end. For assoon as the sinner beginneth to be no longer under the Law, but under grace, nor finds any adversary to withstand him, but hath caught the victory into his own hands once, 
The end of our warfare by the Prophet, isaiah. cap. 40.  what remaineth but he may joyously triumph and keep holy day, being now delivered from all fear of further controlment.  

jere. 23.  Next unto Esay let us annex the testimony of jeremy, who after he had prophesied much of the return of the jews from the captivity of Babylon, doth encourage them again at the last with this kind of consolation: that from thenceforth they should never be carried from their own country into bondage again, speaking thus in the xxiii. chapter of his prophesy. And I will gather the remnant of my sheep out of all countries, whither I shall drive them, and will bring them again to their folds, and they shall grow and increase: And I will raise up shepherds over them which shall feed them: And they shall dread no more to be afraid: nor shall any of them be lacking saith the Lord 
jere. 23.  And immediately after: Behold the days come, says the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prospero, and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth. In his days judah shallbe saved, and Israel shall devil in safety. And this is the name whereby they shall call him, The Lord our righteousness. etc. And again in the xxiiii. of his prophesy: 
jere. 24.  Like as these good figs, so will I know them that are carried away captive out of ●udah to be good, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans: for I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again into this land, and I will build them and not destroy them, and I will plant them, and not root them out. etc. And again in the xxxi. Chapter: 
Cap. 31.  Behold, I will bring them from the North country, and gather them from the coasts of the world, with the blind and the lame amongst them, with the woman with child, and her that is delivered also: A great company shall return hither. And they shall come and rejoice in the height of Zion, and their soul shall be as a watered Garden, and they shall hunger no more: for I will forgive their iniquities, and will remember their sins no more. And the seed of Israel shall not cease for not being a nation before me for ever. And the places shallbe built, & shallbe all holy unto the Lord, neither shall they be plucked up nor destroyed any more for ever. And again in his xxxii. Chapter, 
Cap. 32.  Thus hath the Lord God of Israel spoken concerning the city, whereof you say, it shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babel by the sword, by famine, & by pestilence, Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, wherein I have scattered them in mine anger, and will bring them again into this place, and will 'cause them to dwell in safety. And they shallbe my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever. 
Cap 33.  And proceeding forward in the chapter ensuing, Because the people of jerusalem did not submit themselves unto the Chaldees, but resisted them with force, therefore were their bulwarks filled with dead bodies, But behold, I will give it health and amendment, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them abundance of peace and truth. And there shallbe herded in this place of which you say that it shallbe desolate, even in the streets of jerusalem that are desolate, and without any inhabitant, there shallbe the voice of joy and gladness. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing, which I have promised unto the house of Israel, and to the house of judah. In those days I will 'cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgement and righteousness in the land. In those days shall judah be saved, and Israel shall devil in safety. And this shall they call her, The Lord is our righteousness: For thus says the Lord, David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel. Neither shall the Priests and Levites want a man before me to offer burned offerings, & to do sacrifice continually. And afterwards again in the l. chapter: 
Cap. 50  Thus says the God of Israel, Behold, I will visit the king of Babel & his land, as I have visited the king of Assur. And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, he shall be fed, and his soul shallbe satisfied in his due time, says the Lord In those days shall the iniquity of Israel be sought for, and there shallbe none: and the sins of judah, and they shall not be found: for I will be merciful unto them whom I do reserve. etc.  
Hereunto may be added the like testimony of Baruch in his u chapter: 
Baruch. ●.  Put of thy mourning garments, O jerusalem, and thin● affliction, and deck thee with worship and honour, because everlasting glory cometh unto thee from God. Put on the garment of righteousness that cometh from God, and set a crown upon thy head of the glory of the everlasting: for God will declare thy brightness unto every country under the heavens, and God will name thee by his name for ever. etc.  

The meaning of the prophets speaking of the kingdom of David, must ne●des be spiritually understood.  What can be of more efficacy, than the testimonies of the foresaid scriptures? in the which forasmuch as two things are set down chiefly to be noted, you must yield to the one of them of very necessity: either that this kingdom of Israel shall never decay again, after their return from the Babylonical captivity: which being construed after the carnal sense of the letter, is most false, as you may plainly perceive: or else, if the kingdom of Israel be overthrown and have an end, and so then the Prophets to lie: which is the most absurd thing that may be spoken.  
Whereby appeareth most evidently, that all those sayings wherein the Prophets have foretold of the royalty of David's throne, and of the everlasting glory thereof, must have a certain mystical and spiritual interpretation. For you are not ignorant yourselves of that which happened to that fleshly and worldly estate of this kingdom, and into how narrow straits & extremities it was forced, when as your city was besieged and razed by the Romans, your Temple consumed with fire, and all things in the city devoured, and ransacked, even to the rooting out of all your nation almost: So that the circumstances of the times, being duly weighed, will plainly convince you, that these promises made touching the perpetual establishment of the kingdom of David, must be far otherwise understood, and that yourselves either lie shamefully in the order of your exposition, or else that your own Prophets did prophesy contrary to the truth. 
Dilemma.  Sigh therefore one of these two must of necessity be granted, choose which you will, or else discover some way how you may escape out of this Labyrinth. First I suppose no man will condemn the Prophets for liars, for they delivered nothing unto us, but that which by wondered inspiration they received of the holy ghost, yea, the same also infallibly true, as approved from time to time by the circumstances, and sequel of the time.  
For they foresaw (as truth was) being informed by the holy ghost, first, the delivery of the remnant of that nation in the transmigration of Babylon: and it came to pass: they foresaw also, that this captivity should endure no less than lxx years. This also came to pass. Finally, they foresaw that after the full expiration of this exile and banishment, a prince should come, and a son should be given in the fullness of time, which should possess the throne of his father David, and take upon him the government of the kingdom, and should establish the same in a permanent and unperishable course of continuance, peace and tranquillity for ever. And this also was performed even then accordingly, when as the son of God was born in the city of David: 
Esay .9.  that wonderful counsellor, the mighty God, the prince of peace: who albeit died once according to the flesh, & seemed to be vanquished, yet was he not held of death above three days, but survived of his own power, and liveth for ever and ever: and in dying hath obtained an endless conquest of death, 
judg. 16.  and triumpheth now (not much unlike unto Samson) victoriously over death, hath rend in sunder the iron gates of sin, hath crushed the tyranny of the devil in pieces, and purchased everlasting life for his elect, not perishable by any assault of haughty adversary, nor vanquishable by any power of worldly policy. For as to that, 
After the captivity of Babylon god promises perpetual continuance unto the jews.  that the city was put to the sack by the puissant army of the Romans, the Temple burned and razed to the ground, all this nothing at all diminisheth the credit of the Prophet touching the establishment of the glory of that throne, but rather confirmeth, and doth argue it to be of much more estimation. The rebel jews, and traitorous murderers of Christ were overcome in battle: but Christ himself Prince of that kingdom with his Church could not be brought under subjection, neither shall at any time, but hath conquered, liveth, and triumpheth daily. And although you can not yet conceive this invincible Majesty of that everlasting king, yet your Prophets see it, yea, your father Abraham saw it, and rejoiced: Esay saw it, witnessing the same with an oath: 
Esay .62.  The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the strength of his arm. Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thy enemies, & surely the sons of the strangers shall not drink the wine for the which thou hast laboured: but they that have gathered it shall eat thereof, and shall praise the Lord And the gatherers thereof shall drink it in the courts of my Sanctuary. etc. 
Esay .60.  Again the same Esay speaking unto jerusalem as though she were prisoner in Babylon: Whereas thou hast been forsaken, so that no man went by thee, I will make thee an eternal glory, and a joy from generation to generation. etc. 
Esay .54.  Moreover in the 54. Chapter: For a moment in mine anger I hide my face from thee for a little season, but with everlasting mercy have I had compassion upon thee, says the Lord thy redeemer: for this is unto me as in the waters of Noah, to whom as I have sworn, that I would no more go over the earth with waters, so have I sworn, that I would no more be angry with thee nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall remove, and the hills shall fall down, but my mercy shall not departed from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace fall away, saith the Lord, that hath compassion on thee. 
Esay .48.  And again in another place. Go you out of Babel, flee you from the Chaldeans with a voice of joy, tell and declare this, show it forth to the ends of the earth. say you, the Lord hath redeemed his servant jacob. And within a little after: 
Esay .49.  It is a small thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of jacob, and to restore the desolation of Israel. I will give thee also for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the world. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palm of my hand: thy walls are ever in my sight. Thy builders make haste, thy destroyers and they that made thee waste, are departed from thee. etc.  
Neither did Esay see these things alone: The other Prophets, patriarchs, and holy one's also did await for the royal excellency of this kingdom, before it was come. The Angels signified out of heaven that he was presently come, his miraculous works do ratify the same, his rising again at the feast of Easter confirmeth it, yea, the devils themselves felt it, and did tremble for fear. The holy company of Apostles, and Martyrs do confess it: all tongues and Nations do speak of his glory, bow the knees, and worship him. Finally, the holy Ghost through wonderful secret operation doth daily and hourly enlarge, and enseam the infallible assurance thereof in the hearts of the faithful. Lastly you also, even you that are jews, albeit as yet it be not revealed unto you, shall know and acknowledge once at the length (I trust) the inestimable treasure and incomparable riches of this kingdom, the inuin●ible everlasting power of this king, 
Daniel .2.  who shall break and overthrow all other kingdoms of the world, and shall not possibly be destroyed itself, neither shall have any end, Daniel. 2.  
But as this greatness of power is not car●●●, nor can be discerned with ●●rnall eyes, undoeth it not wrestle with 〈◊〉 ●nd blood with carnal weapons. T●●●on●●est of this ●●●nce do●th extend itself 〈◊〉 a far more ●●●stre●thed unmeasurableness, creepeth not ●●●ng the ground like a worm: but pear●●● the height of the heavens, doth not pro●●●e men to bloody battle: but assaulteth ●●e Prince of this world, even the devil himself, and being advanced into heaven, hath thrown headlong out of heaven the ancient Arch enemy and accuser of mankind, yea, and slain him with the sword of his Majesty, hath removed away wrath, hath blotted out the curse of the Law, hath cured the canker of sin, hath trodden death under his feet, hath taken into his own government the power of all judgement, in so much that the Prophet Esay seemeth astonished, 
Esa. 63.  amazedly wondering at the marvelous course of his incomprehensible power: who having vanquished incomparable enemies, doth likewise emparten his faithful servants with very rich spoils, not transitory and soon vanishing away, but enduring beyond all ages. Will you yet hear more concerning the power of this mighty Monarch? Listen then a while to the testimony of the verity itself in the Gospel. 
john .6.  This is the will of my father, that sent me, that every man which seethe the son, & believeth on him shall have everlasting life. What can be more princely than this? And I will raise him up at the last day. What can be of more power? For as the father hath life in himself, so likewise hath he given to the son to have life in himself, & to give life unto him unto whom he will, and hath given him power also to execute judgement. What can be more heavenly? Neither doth the father judge any man, but hath given all the judgement unto the son. What can be more admirable? 
john .5. Mat. vltime●  Unto whom all power is given in heaven and in earth. What can be required more? Moreover that you may be assured that the son of man is of power to forgive sins upon earth, behold a sign wrought upon the sick of the palsy: Take up thy bed and walk. Again: As the living father hath sent me, even so do I sand you: whosoever sins you forgive, shallbe forgiven them. Besides all this, let us hear what Peter speaketh of him: 
Acts .10.  To him (says he) all the Prophets do give witness that through his name all that believe in him, shall receive remission of sins. What can be more marvelous? When the son of man shallbe exalted, I will draw all things unto myself. What can be more glorious?  
Let us adjoin herewith the testimony of Saint Paul: Who hath reconciled all things in heaven and in earth: who undertook in his own person all the hatred and enmity betwixt God and men: who with a beck of his countenance relieveth the afflicted consciences humbled even to hell gates, who doth refresh and comfort them with his spirit, heals with a word of his mouth, loseth them that are fettered with the chains of sin, dischargeth from all fear of judgement and death, acquitteth from the tyranny of the devil. What may be comparable to the Majesty of this Empire? and withal what can be more amiable than the same Majesty, at the naming of whom all knees in heaven, earth, and hell, 
Phil●p. 2. Esa. 35. 55.6●  do fall prostrate and worship? Yea, the devils themselves do tremble and quake for fear, the dead arise again, maladies are healed, prisoners are loosed, 
Mat. 11.  the hungry are filled, the oppressed with labour are refreshed and disburdened, mourners, and such as pine away with sorrow and anguish are recomforted, 
Esay. 25.35●  death is subdued, tears are wiped away, sorrow and sadness is turned into mirth and gladness, 
Esay .9.40.  interchange is made from the lowest to the highest, mountains are thrown down, hidden things are discovered, rough & crabbed things are made plain and straight, 
Mat. 20.  the first become the last, and the last are made the first.  
All which heavenly graces, albeit you miserable Hebrues will not acknowledge, & most disdainfully do blaspheme in your synagogues, the angel of the everlasting testament, having regard to the part of him only, wherein he seemeth weak according to the utter appearance & dispensation of the flesh by rea●on of his death and burial: 
The majesty of Christ's kingdom.  yet we for our part beholding his heavenly divinity, unseparably united together with the baseness of his humanity, and comparing his miraculous life, death and resurrection, yea, the whole course and actions of his life with the reports of the Prophets: and being established in faith with infallible testimonies of the sacred scriptures, instructed hereunto by the guiding of the holy ghost, persuaded by the assured promises of the Prophets, and casting ankerholde in the assured haven of his wonderful miracles: do firmly believe, and with unshaken faith confess, that this is the very same messias whom you do yet expect and look for. Finally, reposing all our trust and affiance upon his mighty power, guarded with the invincible protection of so great Majesty, do with so valiant forwardness of mind, raise up the undaunted courage of our hearts against all assaults and battery of the world, against all storms of fretting adversity, that now neither the raging railing of your blasphemous mouth, nor fearful delusions of wily Satan, not the dreadful sight of hell gates, nor the tyrannous threatenings thereof: not the grisly countenance of gastful death, be it never so terrible, nor the cruel curse & continual accusations of the Law (which is more horrible than all the rest) can in any respect appall & terrify our settled consciences. For why should that person tremble or be amazed with the threatenings of the Law, whose Lord and master Christ jesus is judge and ruler over the Law? Why should he dread death, or the devil himself procurer of death, or all the furious champions of the devil, for the safety of whose life, and assured raising from death to life, the very son of God Christ jesus is become surety & pledge? who sitting at the right hand of the Father, 
Psal. 109.  doth keep the keys of death and hell, and therewith alone shutteth, and no man openeth, 
Apoc. 1. ●●  setteth wide open, and no man shutteth, restraining and disposing all things in heaven and earth with an only beck of his countenance.  
And hereof ariseth that wonderful constancy of our Martyrs and Apostles, 
The mighty power of Christ in keeping his Church.  in yielding their bodies to tortures and death: hereof springeth that invincible force of Christian faith: hereupon is grounded that unpenetrable Rock of Christ's Church, which being so often undermined by your subtle pioneers, circumvented with so many traitorous sleights and devices, vexed with so many furious outrages of Gentiles & jews, attempted with so many cruel cramps of the prince of darkness, assaulted with all kind of torments and persecutions, could notwithstanding never hitherto be discomfited with any kind of battery, or shaken with engine, neither shallbe overthrown at any time, while the world doth endure. The unvanquishable continuance whereof if you would but indifferently without all partiality ponder in your hearts, what else doth it argue then an heavenly an● unspeakable power of her captain Christ jesus? But as the power of this captain is spiritual, so it is not discernible, but by spiritual insight, raised up (as I said before) not to strive against mankind, but to subdue the tyranny of Satan, 
The power of Christ is spiritual, set up not against man, but for man, to fight against the spiritual operation of Satan.  the mighty prince of this world, and to despoil & force him out of his kingdom. And this may every sensible man easily conceive, if he will enter into somewhat a more deep consideration of his miraculous works: so that this marvelous victory of this triumphant conqueror, can by no argument & proof appear more manifestly, then even in this one overthrow of that ancient archenemie. For if that conquest be so much the more praise worthy, by how much the force of the vanquished is more notorious, what aught we than to judge of him, who only and alone, undertaking the challenge, not against man's power, 
Christ's victory, not against man, but for man.  but in the behalf and defence of mankind rather, against all those mighty & invisible adversaries of mankind, unuanquisheable otherwise by any policy of men, against all those spiritual furies & incessant accusers of mankind before the throne of God, against all those princes & potentates, and rulers of darkness, against the poisoned darts of death, against the intolerable burden of sin, against the dreadful curse of the Law, and wrath of God's vengeance, against the force and gates of hell, was able by his only prowess to tread down, and triumph over them all, without all aid and help of man, yea and which is most to be marveled at, without all strength, without all sleight and policy of resistance, far unlike the warlike attempts and martial affairs: where it cometh always to pass, that the most notable and famous enterprises are never achieved without huge troops of courageous soldiers, or subtle practise of politic governors. For here beyond all reach of man's understanding, I know not how miraculously this marvelous victory was obtained, without force of arms, industry and policy, through the only plain & open conduct of simple truth. For what simplicity can be greater, then to yield to the will of the adversary in humility and patience? And what could be more void of hope to recovery? 
The victory of Christ by what means it was gotten.  And yet by this means it came to pass, that pompous Pride through humility was brought into subjection: glory of riches confounded by baseness of poverty: haughty arrogancy of the world suppressed with humble infirmity: the curse of the Law razed out by undefiled innocency: sins forgiven: the mouth of the enemy stopped up, through meek taciturnity: victory obtained by yielding: finally, death by dying vanquished, and life everlasting purchased.  
And yet to confess the truth frankly and simply, this glorious conquest wanted not his singular dexterity and artificial policy, being nevertheless both heavenly, holy and achieved by most upright justice: not to the end to betray in snare, or seduce any good man from the right path of truth, but to entrap that crafty enemy the Devil only. And that not without great cause. For what could be more agreeable with reason, 
The evylyne● of the old serpent, taken in his own snare.  than the same old wily serpent (which had beguiled mankind first with subtlety and lies) should be encountered again with a certain heavenly policy, (yet void of all colour of lying) and so entrapped and entangled with sleyghts & deceits of his own forge, should be catched in his own pitfall, and bereft of his place? What could be more convenient, then to strangle the most horrible deceiver with his own halter, and by most just law to disfraunchise the most unjust intruder from his unjust possession?  
Wherefore go to, what sayest thou now Satan, 
Satan kindly deluded by Christ our Saviour.  thou cursed imaginer and practizer of all mischief, allege somewhat at length if thou canst: what sayst thou? Dost thou not see that all thy practises are discovered through that heavenvly light? Dost thou not feel infirmity of the flesh, treading now upon thy own head, while thou wast devising mischief against infirmity of weak flesh? Thou hadst swallowed down a bait, but art enforced to cast the same out again of thy gorge. Thou didst await for the destruction of mankind, but withal didst accelerate his safety. Thou didst enforce the innocent to the death of the cross, such was thy cankered malice, or such rather was thy lewd folly. Thou didst undermine the Son of God: wherein albeit thou didst scarce pinch him, yet hast thou slain thyself thereby, & blessed us for ever. For thou hast not fastened him upon the cross alone, but nailed all our sins also together with him, which being now thoroughly cleansed with that only sacrifice, hath delivered us from everlasting torments, and recoiled them back upon thy own head unrecoverable for evermore. The brazen serpent might have been a good precedent unto thee, to have made thee more wary & advised, which, if it had not been hanged on tree, could not have healed the wounds of them that were plagued. The valiant Samson being a type & figure of our Lord jesus, might have forewarned thee: and that mystical immaculate Lamb, above all the rest: the sleying of the which was no less dreadful to the enemy, then comfortable to the godly. Neither happeneth it otherwise to thee, 
Satan overcome and spoiled.  & thy at this present. Thou didst endeavour to establish thy empire, and art despoiled of thy empire. What? waste thou ignorant, that he whom thou didst assail, was the son of God? Why then didst thou confess him so to be? And if thou know it, with what shameless impudency couldst thou attempt so execrable impiety? But he seemed weak in thy eye pardie, being clad with p●●●e beggarly baseness of the flesh: & thy meaning perhaps was to try, whether he could be slain, & therefore thou didst rush upon him so sternly, and murdered him so horribly. Well, and why didst thou not hold him fast, when thou hadst slain him? How chanced that he slipped out of thy paws? and being escaped, whither went he from thee? and where doth he now remain? O cruel cursed manqueller, dost thou not perceive, into what straits thy savage bloodthirstiness hath driven thee at the last? Dost thou not acknowledge that the very same tree, and that 
* That is, the cross of contumely.  〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which by the ministery of thy champions, thou gavest to him for food, is turned into thy poison, & for us into the bread of life? Dost thou not remember how the famous & solemn feast day, 
Coloss. 2.  wherein he did triumph over death, when he spoilt principalities & powers, and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in his own person, wherein thou thyself with thy mates didst rejoice by the space of two days, was erected to us for a perpetual monument of eternal joy and freedom? At the very naming whereof, the whole rabble of thy adherentes do tr●●ble and quake for fear. 
Philip● 2  Dost thou not acknowledge now at the length, the glorious name that was given him above all names, the power whereof thou dost feel now and then among, to thy great grief? and whereunto all the furies of hell confederates of thy malice are compelled to yield maugre their teeth? Doth not this victorious conqueror by contrary interchange of times, tread down thy cowardice deservedly, as saying thus, 
Ose. 13.  Death where is thy sting? Death where is thy victory? And what availeth thee being altogether vanquished, and brought into thraldom, to kick against the conqueror, inciting & provoking the Pharisees & kings of the Gentiles, so furiously to rage's against the godly Martyrs? Go to, and what hast thou won by their imprisonments, chains, stoning to death, scourgings, tormentings by fiery inflamed plates, tortures and racking, burning, broylinge and skorchinges, by all kinds of horror and cruelty, and by so many their slaughters? I will tell thee. Thou hast confirmed the faith of Christ, thou hast established & enlarged the kingdom of Christ, and hast heaped upon thyself and thy brood double torments of unquenchable flames. And herein we are somewhat beho●●ing to thee, for that through this deadly madness, it cometh to pass, that throughout the whole world, the name of our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ is magnified and renowned, and also because thou ceasest not to lie in wait against his heel daily as yet: but he that is in heaven doth scorn at thy malicious devices, he derydeth thy subtle sleights, that hath skill to convert thy despite and outrage to the benefit of his elect, and to the glorious increase of their eternal felicity.  
But I return to the prophets again, out of every of whom I do not purpose to set down all that they write touching my purpose: but I will give you a taste of a few special sentences, taken out of an infinite number skatteringly here and there, and will gather them together to f●t our present matter: that you shall neither be able with shift or cavillation whatsoever, to delude the manifest proofs concerning Christ jesus our Lord, unless you disclaim wholly from your own prophets: nor yet allow of your prophet's, unless you do admit withal our saviour jesus Christ. Among whom, (because I will not be long) to omit the notable prophecies of Ezechiel, very much available to this our discourse, wherein he foretelleth of the return of the dispersed jews, from Babylon to their own city, and the second building up of their temple, which from thenceforth shoul● stand unshaken, and never perish any more, nor be molested by any invasion of the enemy. For even to that effect doth the prophet treat very largely, in the xxviii. of his prophecy, saying: 
Ezech. 28.  And they shall devil in their land with all security, & they shall build houses, & shall plant vineyards, & shall inhabit the land confidently, when I shall execute judgement against all them, that shall stand against them round about them. etc. And again in the 34. chapter thus he sayeth: 
Cap. 34.  And they shallbe safe in their land, & they shall no more be spoiled of the heathen, neither shall the beasts of the land devour them, but they shall devil confidently, and none shall make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown. And they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the reproach of the Heathen any more, etc. And in his xxxvi. chapter, speaking to the mountains of Israel: 
Ezech. 36.  And I will bring my people again, (sayeth he) unto them: and you shall be their inheritance, and they shall possess you. Thou shalt not waste thy people from henceforth. And I will 'cause no more to hear in thee the shame of the Heathen any way: neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more. etc. And immediately in the chapter next ensuing: 
Cap. 37.  And they shall be no more two people, neither be divided any more from henceforth into kingdoms: neither shall they be polluted any more with their Idols, nor with any of their transgressions: But they shall devil upon their land themselves, even their sons, and their sons sons for ever. And my servant David shall be their Prince for ever. And I will make a covenant of peace with them, it shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will multiply them, and will place my Sanctuary among them for evermore. And in an other chapter a little before: 
Cap. 36.  And I will call for corn, and I will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. etc. Now considering and conferring with this, the great famine that not long after ensued, the city being besieged by the Romans, when as mothers were enforced through famine to slay their suckling babes, yea & the city beside were almost starved & pined up with hunger, I can not see how that saying can be verified, unless you understand it, as having relation to the spiritual kingdom of Israel, and not to the carnal.  
But to pass over these, because we shall not be able to stand upon all their testimonies spoken to this effect, (as I have said before) we will proceed to others. And first let us consider the place taken out of the ix. chapter of Daniel his prophecy, because it fitteth this purpose more notably, than any other: where the heavenly Prophet doth in few words comprehend the whole estate of your common weal, from your return out of the babylonical captivity, even to the uttermost point of your desolation, describing withal in the same chapter, the death of the messias, the end and consummation of sin, together with the utter abolishment of the observances and sacrifices of the ceremonial Law, by such special marks & tokens so evidently, that it can by no means possible be gainsaid. Wherefore let us with good advise ponder the words of the prophet, & with no less diligence, than the matter requireth. For in this wise the Angel Gabriel doth call upon Daniel, while he was praying, and speaketh the words ensuing.  
At the beginning of thy supplications, 
Dan. 9  (saith he) the commandment came forth. And I am come to show thee, for thou art greatly beloved. Therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. seventy weeks are shortened, (or determined) upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish the wickedness, & to seal up the sins, & to reconcile the iniquity, & to bring in the righteousness of the world to come, (or everlasting) & to seal up the vision, & the prophet (or prophecy) & to anoint the most holy, (or the holiness of the sanctified.) And thou shalt know and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment, to bring again the people, and to build jerusalem, unto Meschias the Prince, shallbe seven weeks, and three score and two weeks. And the streets, and the brickwall (or trenches) shallbe built again in the straits of times. And after three score and two weeks shall Meschias be slain, (anointed) & shall have nothing, (shallbe bereft of his life.) And the people of the Prince that shall come, (coming) shall destroy the city, and the Sanctuary, and the end thereof shallbe in (with) a flood: and to the end of the battle the desolation shallbe determined (the end of desolations.) And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: & in the mids of the week shall 'cause to rest (cease) the sacrifice & oblation (Minha.) And upon the wing (or as some say for the overspreading) of the abominations, there shallbe desolation, (he shall make it desolate) even until the consummation determined (determined desolation) shallbe powered upon the desolate.   

The same after the common translation.  
seventy weeks shallbe shortened upon thy people, 
The common translation.  & upon thy holy city, that wickedness may be finished, & sin may take an end, & iniquity wiped out, & everlasting righteousness may be brought in, & the vision & prophecy may be fulfilled, and the holy of holy one's may be anointed. Know therefore & understand, that from the going forth of the commandment, that jerusalem shallbe builded again, even to Christ the prince seven weeks, & three score two weeks shallbe. And the streets shallbe builded again, & the walls in straightness of times. And after three score two weeks shall Christ be slain, & that shall not be his people which will deny him. And the people with the prince that shall come, shall destroy the city & the Sanctuary, & the end shallbe destruction, & after the end of the war determined desolation. But he shall confirm his covenant to many in one week, & in the mids of the week the offering & sacrifice shall cease, & there shallbe in the Temple abomination of desolation, and even to the consummation and end shall the desolation continued.   

Munster his translation.  
seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, 
The translation of M●nster.  and upon thy holy hill, to finish wickedness, and seal up sins, and to cleanse iniquity, and to bring in the righteousness of the worlds, to seal the vision & the prophet, and to anoint the holy of holy one's. And thou shalt know & consider from the going out of the commandment, for therepayring and building again of jerusalem unto messias the prince, shallbe seven weeks & three score two weeks, but the street shallbe restored and builded again, & the trench, but in strayghtes of times. And after three score two weeks, shall the anointed be cut of, & nothing shallbe of him. And the people of the Prince coming, shall destroy the city, and the Sanctuary, and the end thereof shallbe in overflowing, and to the end of the battle determined desolation. And he shall make strong a covenant with many for one week, and in the mids of the week he shall make to cease the sacrifice, and the offering Minha. And for the overspreading of abominations shallbe desolation, and to the consummation & determined banishment shall be powered upon (the people) which is subject to desolation.   

The translation of Pagninus and Vatablus.  
seventy weeks are cut of upon thy people, & upon thy holy city, to finish wickedness, to consume sin, & to purge iniquity, & to bring in the righteousness of the worlds, & to finish the vision, & the prophet, and to anoint the holy of the holy. Know therefore & understand, that from the going forth of the commandment, for the bringing back of the people, and the building of jerusalem unto Christ the prince, shallbe seven weeks, and threescore two weeks, and he shall come again, and the street and the brickwall shall be builded again in the straits of times. But after threescore two weeks, Christ shallbe cut of, and there shallbe none (to help him) and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and Sanctuary, and the end thereof with a flood, and to the end of the battle it shallbe cut of with desolations. And he shall strengthen a covenant with many one week, and in the mids of the week he shall 'cause to cease the sacrifice and oblation, and for the overspreading of abomination, he shall make desolate until the consummation, and (truly) being cut of shallbe powered upon the wonderer.   

Calvin's translation.  
seventy weeks are finished upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to shut up wickedness, & to seal up sin, and to purge iniquity, & to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and the prophesy, and to anoint the holy of holy one's. Thou shalt therefore know and understand, from the going out of the commandment of the return and building again of jerusalem unto Christ the prince, to be threescore two weeks, and (the people) shallbe brought again. And the street and the brickwall shallbe builded again, and that in the straits of times. And after threescore two weeks, Christ shallbe cut of, & shallbe nothing. And the people of the prince coming shall destroy the city and the Sanctuary, and the end thereof shallbe with a flood. And to the end of the battle determination of desolations. And he shall strengthen a covenant with many for a week, and in the mids of the week, he shall 'cause the sacrifice and oblation to rest, and over the destruction or overspreading shall be amazed, (or cause to be amazed) & at the end and determination shall power out upon the amazed.   

Melancthons' translation.  
seventy weeks are cut of upon thy people, and upon thy holy city. And iniquity shallbe purged, and everlasting righteousness shall come. And the prophesy, and the vision shallbe sealed, and the holy of holy one's shallbe anointed. And thou shalt know, and understand from the going forth of the commandment, and the restoring and building again of jerusalem unto Christ the prince in seven weeks, and in seventy two weeks. And the street and brickwall shallbe builded again in the straits of times. And after threescore two weeks Christ shallbe cut of, and there shallbe no people for him. And the people of the prince coming shall destroy the city, and the Sanctuary. And the end thereof shallbe a flood. And to the end of the battle may be finished as though an appointed desolation or banishment. And he shall confirm a covenant, even as a testament to many for one week, and in the mids of the week he shall 'cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. And upon the wing, the abomination of desolation, and unto the determined consummation shall power out upon the desolation. And upon the wing shallbe abomination of desolation.   

Urban Rhegius differing very little from the common translation, hath written as ensueth.  
seventy weeks are shortened (or finished, determined) upon thy people and upon thy holy city, that wickedness may be finished (or transgression shallbe restrained or driven away) and sin may come to an end (or sin then shallbe shut up or covered) and iniquity wiped away (or purged) & everlasting righteousness brought in, and the vision or prophesy may be fulfilled (or ensealed) and the holy of holy one's may be anointed. Know therefore and understand, from the going forth of the commandment (that is to say, from the time wherein the commandment was published) that jerusalem shallbe builded again, even to Christ the prince, are seven weeks and threescore and two weeks, and the streets and the brickwall shall be builded again in the straits of times. And after threescore and two weeks Christ shall be slain, and that shall not be his people which will deny him (or that will not know him, or will forsake him.) And the people of the prince shall come and shall scatter abroad the city and the Sanctuary (destroy) and the end thereof destruction (or the end thereof with a tempest, or with a flood) and after the end of the battle appointed desolation (or after the battle all shall remain desolate) he shall confirm a covenant with many in one week, and in the half of the week the offering and sacrifice shall decay, and in the temple shallbe abomination of desolation (or upon the wing or wings shall stand the abomination of desolation) And even unto the end & consummation shall desolation continued, (or it is decreed that the desolation shall continued even unto the end.)  
You men and Hebrews, you hear in this prophesy many strange & wondered things, which do convince your errors very singularly. First, where he saith that your messias shall come while your common wealth flourisheth in most prosperous estate. If this be true, what hope induceth you to believe that your messias shall come now, your common wealth being utterly defaced and scattered? Then, mention is made of the benefits of your messias, wherein is foreshowed that he shall be slain, yea, the time also wherein he shallbe slain, is expressly set down. And after threescore two weeks (saith he) messias shallbe cut of 
* Veein lo) that is as much to say, in short speech of Hebrew, And his life shall be taken from him.  Veëin lo. And first herein the jews do agreed together with us, that these weeks are not to be numbered by limitation of days, but of years.  
Wherefore these threescore two weeks spoken of by the Prophet are by computation accounted to amount to 436. years. After the end of which threescore two weeks, messias shall establish his covenant by his doctrine, death, & resurrection in the other week next ensuing. In the half whereof he shall by his own only sacrifice and oblation, wherein he shall offer himself to God the father in his cross and passion, dissolve and utterly abolish all your sacrifices and offerings.  
But here arise in the mean space many scrupules to be resolved: first, to know at what time those weeks took their beginning, and so also when they ended. For herein the learned expositors seem to be variable in judgement. Some are of opinion that the beginning of the weeks entered first, when as the seventy years of their captivity were finished: That is to say, from the second year of the reign of Darius Histaspes. And of this mind are Clement of Alexandria, 
Clemens in libris storm.  Theodorete, Eusebius, Jerome and Augustine, 

Eusebius, 〈◊〉 chronicis.  
Theodoret●● in cap. 1. Zachariae.  
Hieronymus in procemio super Aggaeum cap. 1.  
Augustinus de civitate. lib. 18.   grounding as it seemeth upon the words of Zacharie in the first Chapter of his prophesy.  
Again many do deny this utterly, supposing that the weeks began first at the going forth of the commandment: That is to say, when proclamation was made by the commandment of Cyrus in the first year of his reign, that the jews should be released, and sent home into their country again. In like manner they do vary also, about the end and finishing of the said weeks. For some that reckon the beginning of the weeks from the first of Cyrus' reign, do ascribe the end of the same to the time of Christ's birth in the reign of Augustus the Emperor of Rome. Some others do draw them longer to the Baptism and passion of Christ. Others also accounting from Darius, do begin at the second year of his reign: many at the sixt, some others at the twentieth year thereof. Some writers also misliking the former opinions, do make their reckoning otherwise. Besides this scruple many seem to be encumbered much about the intricate and confused supputation of the years and reigns of the kings which succeeded Cyrus and continued until the coming of Alexander, which thing chiefly above all the rest entangleth the account most by reason of the uncertain limitation of those times. There is also no less disagreement in the order and observation of the years, betwixt them which do number from the reign of Cyrus: amongst whom those which apply to the birth of Christ, do recount the number of years to be 540: some reckon 501: some otherwise either more or less. Finally, albeit the most approved writers do verify that fourteen Persian kings, or at the least thirteen succeeded each other in the kingdom of Persia until the conquest of Alexander, yet the jews make account of four only. But these buzzards unacquainted altogether with foreign governments, are to be rejected utterly as unmeet arbyters of this controversy.  
Some be of opinion, that Cyrus, after the conquest of Babylon reigned twenty years, some others seven years only. Some report that betwixt Cyrus & Darius the Assyrian, only Cambyses reigned, and that by the space of twenty years. There be others, that making no mention of Cambyses at all, do interlace betwixt Cyrus and Darius one named Assuerus, and unto him they allow twenty years of holding the kingdom likewise. So great is the variety of opinion also concerning the continuance of the Persian Empire, yea even amongst the learned: while some do attribute to that government under the Persiam Kings 130. years full: others 200 lacking two: some other there be which otherwise make their calculation.  
But as concerning the succession of the Persian kings, 
The variety of writers in counting the weeks of Daniel.  many of our writers suppose that the Temple began to be builded at jerusalem in the reign of Longimanus, who as they say was the fourth after Cyrus in succession: which fourth place Jerome ascribeth to Darius, and driveth this Longimanus to be the seventh in number after Cyrus. Briefly there is no one thing amongst the Historiographers, that moveth more doubtful matter of controversy, aswell among the Grecians as the Latinists. Wherein as it would seem troublesome to recite the names of all the authors that writ of this matter: so would it be over tedious to recount all their several opinions and reasons alleged thereunto. Neither will I take upon me to determine any certainty in this confuse variety of wits, nor do I think it necessary: namely since this our later age hath raised up many learned men, who by exquisite comparing of the ancient Chronicles, have left to the posterity commendable testimony of their studious industry: who albeit express no small disagreement in some certain points, yet receiving much light from the ancient Chronicles, seem to approach somewhat near the mark.  

Philip Melancthon.  Philip Melancthon, as in all liberal sciences singularly studied, so through wonderful travail in the careful conference of histories achieving a more ripe and sound judgement, setteth down a double order of reckoning: in the one whereof he numbereth the weeks to begin in the reign of Cyrus, and so until the birth of Christ: in the other he taketh the original of the weeks in the time of Longimanus, & so proceedeth unto the time of Christ's death & resurrection, yielding herein to the judgement of the learned, to make their choice, whether of them they list to approve. But Io. Caluine seemeth to allow neither of them, 
Io. Caluine.  induced as it seemeth with this reason, that the beginning of the computation aught not to enter in the reign of Longimanus, nor the end thereof to be determined at the birth of Christ, as he supposeth: which thing truly is very well noted by Io. Caluine, according to the singular dexterity of his learning and capacity.  
For as it behoved these weeks to comprehend the fullness of time, from the free manumission of the captives, to the last purging and cleansing of sins, which should come to pass by the only oblation of Mes●hias our saviour: it is out of all question, that neither the reign of Cyrus is exempted from this abatement of weeks, namely sith the Prophet Esay in the 45. cha. of his prophesy, 
isaiah .45.  doth note Cyrus by especial name to be the only deliverer of the people from their captivity: neither those weeks could be finished before the whole exploit of our redemption were of all parts accomplished. And therefore I Caluine doth not without some probability descent from them, who derive the entry of the said weeks from the second year of Darius his reign only. So would I likewise contentedly ye●ld to his judgement herein, if he had made a full & distinct computation of all that m●ane process of time, which passed over betwixt the going forth of the commandment from Cyrus, to the passion of Christ according to the true and just proportion of the weeks. But forasmuch as those years which were betwixt the going forth of the commandment and the passion of Christ, being duly accompter do amount above 530 years, as appeareth by collation of Chronicles: therefore some doubt also may be made here, how Calvin's reckoning may be appliable to this account. For resolution whereof, 
Matthew Beroaldus.  Matthew Beroalde in his chronographical demonstration will help us somewhat: who beginning his number at the reign of Cyrus also, proceeding onward until the ascension of Christ, doth reduce those years which were accountable betwixt while, to the seventy weeks mentioned in Daniel, to wit, to 490 years, or to ten jubilees, very well agreeable with Calvin's reckoning. The same also doth Gerardus Mercatory very late writer testify, 
Gerardus Mercator.  if credit may be given to their report.  
But what answer will those men make on the other side, to the other Historiographers? to Constantine Phrygio, 
Constantinus Phrygio.  who numbereth the years from the reign of Cyrus unto the passion of Christ 544? to Io. Lucidus & Io. Functius? 

joan Lucidus  
joan Functius   whereof the one far otherwise measuring the weeks after the death of Cyrus from the xx. year of Darius, the other from the seven. year of his reign, do recount the same to be 490. And to p●sse over infinite of the like disagrements, Theodorus Bibliander also seemeth to be of like opinion to them, 
Theodorus Bibliander.  that make account of more years betwixt the reign of Cyrus and the blessed passion of Christ, then are recorded by Beroalde & others. But whether this computation be right, yea or nay, I am not to determine at this present.  
Well then may some man say, what certainty can be agreed upon in this so great contrariety & disagreement of opinions? For the discharge of which subtle question, I do answer in few words. First the infallible testimony of god's truth doth not depend upon man's determination: howsoever men be carried hither & thither in conceit, & their opinions like clocks whirled about upon wheels, that never sound in one minute of time, yet doth not the day altar his appointed course: no more will the certainty of Gods promise' be any time unsteadfast or deceivable. And albeit ancient Chroniclers do sometimes wander in precise, and exact observation of minutes, and small moments of days, or years, or utter their several judgements therein, according to their several capacities: yet this contrariety withstandeth not so much, but there may be a general consent in the substance of the matter debated: nor is this to be marveled at, considering the great antiquity of foreworne years, and the unmeasurable blindness, and ignorance in the same: so also how variable ●oeuer the opinions of many seem discrepant each from other, yet this contrariety, as it is not altogether void of truth, so doth it not much prejudice the cause, which is here in controversy. For whether the account of seventy weeks be derived from the reign of Cyrus, as some will have it, or from Darius, as others do think, to continued either until the nativity of Christ, or to his death and passion: or wh●ther the same were the Assyrian Darius, or Longimanus, in the sixte year of whose government, the building of the Temple was resumed, and finished: yet in this one point, all and every the Historiographers, aswell ancient, as late writers, with one general consent do conclude, and agreed togethers, that these seventy weeks can not by any application be ascribed to any other person, then to Christ jesus, the true messias, even the same messias, (I say) which was born of the virgin, ●n the time of Augustus the Emperor, and was afterwards crucified under Pontius Pi●ate, and which was restored again to life, the third day after his death.  
And thus much touching the diversity of judgement in the computation of the learned: who notwithstanding differ not so much in the state, and ground of the question. Only the controversy ariseth upon the application of the time: as whether the account of the weeks aught to be referred to the birth of Christ, or to his passion. But what is this to the purpose: This groundwork remaineth yet unshaken, and ratyfyed by most approved testimony of general consent, which appertaineth chiefly to the sentence of the Prophet, and the material part of his prophesy: to wit, that no one sentence throughout the whole Scriptures, doth more manifestly convince your error touching your messias, and more substauncially establish our faith, than this one testimony of the Prophet Daniel, wherein the mystery of the seventy weeks most manifestly is here determined upon that nation, and people of yours. The which same weeks the Angel gathering again together, divideth into three several distinct orders. The first order comprehendeth seven weeks: the second, three score two weeks: the third, one week only, which was the last, and the seuentieth in number. In which last week, he signifieth that it should come to pass, that the holy of holy one's should be anointed, slain, and make an end of sin, and sin offerings appointed in the law of Moses: which things being accomplished, and the full number of years completed and finished, the city afterwards should come to utter ruin and destruction. And because the Prophet should the better conceive the very disposition, and distinct proportion of times, in which those things should be brought to pass, the Angel doth, as it were leading by the hand, instruct him by this divided partition of weeks: as if this were the purport of the prophesy.  

The exposition of the place of Daniel in his 9 Chapter.  For so much (O Daniel greatly beloved of God) as thou art so careful, and zealous for the estate and safety of thy people; it pleased Almighty God to hear thee, even in the beginning of thy prayers, and withal to impart his heavenly will unto thee, by me his messenger, sent to this effect, to make thee understand the things that appertain to thy nation, and the whole estate of that kingdom. For the Lord hath so decreed by his secret determination, that this people being now in captivity, shall return again into their native country, and the city and Sanctuary shallbe restored, and advanced to his ancient dignity and estimation. And if after the restitution and establishment thereof, thou wilt further inquire of the continuance and durance of the same: and withal what great enterprises, and manifold successes shall happen therein, understand thou: That seventy weeks are concluded, and determined upon this people, which being recompted by the Sabbathes of years, or reduced into ten jubilees, will make the number of seven times seventy, to wit, 490. years: for so many years fully shall that common wealth prospero, until wickedness be finished, all curse of sin be removed, all sin offerings abolished, and everlasting righteousness be brought in, and all things be accomplished, whatsoever were foretold by the prophets & visions: finally until the holy of holy one's be anointed.  
For as the administration of that common wealth was erected at the first for the messias his sake, it could not be, that kingdom utterly to be abolished, before the same messias was manifested in the flesh.  

The weeks must be distinguished.  I have somewhat declared unto you concerning the seventy weeks. For the better perceiverance of the orderly proceed and enterchaunged successes whereof, a threefold distinction of times aught severally to be considered. Namely: Seven weeks, than three score two weeks, and one week. In the first seven weeks, 
The seven weeks.  all that intercourse of time is comprehended, that must grow betwixt the laying the foundation of the second temple & building thereof, until the full finishing of the same: for so many years are accounted from the first year of Cyrus' reign, unto the seven. or viii. year of Darius, before the building of the Temple was thoroughly performed: which will amount to 49. years. 
The lxii. weeks.  Again the three score two weeks do note unto us, the remnant of the time, wherein messias the Lord should be born in the city of David, after that the city & Temple were repaired & built again: which building was completed in the 32. year of the reign of Darius the Assyrian, or Artaxerxes. Now that other one week which remained, 
The one week.  doth signify unto us the anointing, preaching, revealing & suffering of the same Meschias: & of those other things, which were to ensue after his death. In the middle part of which week, 
The half of the week.  shall Meschias be slain: to wit, three years & an half, after his baptism and anointing. By which death he shall accomplish the mystery of man's redemption, whereof the prophets did so often prophecy and prognosticate, long time before.  
The residue of the week doth appertain to the preaching of the Apostles, to the calling of the Gentiles, to the establishing of the covenant with many, to the abolishing of the old circumcision, & external sacrifices of the ceremonial Law, to the confirmation of free remission of sins, & to the performance of the promise of rising again, & life everlasting. All which were of all parts completed, & ended in the last week: that is to say, in those 7. latter years, wherein the Meschias shallbe anointed, slain, rise from death to life, ascend up into heaven, endue his Church with the inestimable benefits of the holy Ghost, and allure the Gentiles to the free mercy pronounced by his Gospel: which week being added to the former, will make the just number of 70. weeks, to wit, 490. years.  
For so many years did the merciful God of Israel, of his unspeakable bounty preserve that nation in peaceable tranquillity, not for any their deservings, but for his dear sons sake only, which was to issue out of that seed & generation. It remains now, that we make a proportionable comparison of the number of those years, with the records of the continual proceedings and successes thereof. First, this is a matter confessed: That the delivery of the jews from their captivity, was by the Proclamation of Cyrus, the first year of his reign, at what time the foundation of the Temple was laid, 
The building of the Temple.  which being hindered with sundry interruptions, was yet at the last brought to full perfection, in the sixt or seventh year of Darius' reign. The Temple being thus perfected in all furniture, 
●● Esdr. 1.2.  commission was given at length to Nehemias, in the xx. year of the reign of the same Darius, with absolute authority to repair their city again. The same year in the 25. day of the month Elul, the brickwall was erected and finished: the whole doing whereof lasted 52. days only, as Esdras reporteth in his sixt chapter. 
2. Esdr. 6.7.  But houses were not builded as yet, as appeareth in the seventh chapter: for accomplishment whereof were allowed twelve. years more, as appeareth plainly in the fift chapter of the same, where you may hear what Nehemias himself speaketh after this manner: 
2. Esdr. ●.  From the twentieth year (saith he) even to the xxxii. year of king Artaxerxes, that is twelve. year, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor, etc. So that it is evident, that while the city was building, so many years passed over. 
2. Esd. ●.  For so we read, the Nehemias gave his promise to return to the king and queen, as soon as the work was finished.  
Thus much touching the ix. chapter of Daniel: neither is this all that Daniel reporteth of the messias, for besides this, many other his prophecies do foreshow, and as it were directly lead us by the hand, to the kingdom of messias, yea to the very distinct time thereof: 
Daniel. ●  as is that of the Stone, which being hewn out of a great hill without man's hand, smote the image that represented the four Monarchies of the world, and broke his head, his breast, his legs, & his feet in pieces, that no place was found for them, but the stone itself become a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.  
But what is the purport of all these things? And first, what is meant by the stone hewn down without hands, & falling from a great hill? what by that striking and breaking the image in pieces? by that huge mountain? by that exceeding increase of the stone into an unmeasurable quantity: the incredible greatness whereof overthrowing all other kingdoms of the earth, should possess the whole world beside? Whereunto tend all these? what do they import? what do they represent unto us else, them the same which we perceive most plainly was accomplished in the son of God? who descending from the highest heavens into the wō●e of a base virgin, & born of his mother without all carnal knowledge, who alone coming into the world, without all aid of natural generation, did vanquish all power and pomp of the world and the devil, by holding his peace only: broke the gates of hell in sunder with suffering only: overcame death with dying only, and purchased thereby an everlasting kingdom of perpetual felicity for his choose and elect, which kingdom shall endure in unmovable eternity, above, and beyond all other kingdoms and empires of the world. For all other empires standing in most fickle estate, by interchange of elder years wax transitory and vanish away, and with mutual enmity do pursue each other to utter destruction. 
The only kingdom of Christ above all other is everlasting.  This only kingdom raised up without hands by the eternal God, can not be shivered with any violence, or wax old with any process of time, nor be subdued by any force or policy of man, but with his unperysheable perpetuity shall crush in pieces and wear out all other kingdoms, and itself persist nevertheless unuanquisheable, for ever and ever. And this so incomprehensible Majesty of this kingdom, the Prophet doth not in one place alone prophecy should come, nor doth he promise it only, but discovereth also the very minute and instant of time, wherein this kingdom should flourish: so that the commendation, wherewith your joseph doth so highly advance this Prophet, 
joseph in his 10 book of Antiquities cap 14.  is not unaptly applied: To wit, that he doth not only foreshow the events and successes to times, (as other prophets do) but with a most plain view, as it were, doth point with the finger to the time itself, in which all these things should come, that should ensue. etc.  
I could vouch out of the same Daniel sundry sentences, many also out of other prophets, to the like effect: for what else doth the whole prophetical history of the Bible, even from the beginning to the end thereof describe unto us, than Christ jesus, & his kingdom, very base & simple in the eye & judgement of carnal capacity, but to the spiritual beholders, most beautiful & glorious? What doth the delivery of jonas out of the whales belly the third day, prefigure unto us other, than the resurrection of Christ? What doth the translating of Elias into heaven in a fiery chariot, signify other, than the ascension of Christ? What doth that brazen serpent foreshow other, than Christ crucified upon the cross? What do the manifold afflictions of king David represent, but the continual persecution of Christ in this world? What doth Moses signify, but a deliverer? josuah, but the victorious conquest of Christ over all his enemies? What doth the rule & government of joseph, with a certain royal majesty over the Egyptians imply, but the kingdom of messias, at whose b●●ks all things in earth and heaven should be obedient and subject? It would require a long discourse, t● overrun all the mystical saying of the prophets. I will add hereunto one or two places out of the prophet Malachi.  
Malachi being of one mind & judgement that Daniel and our Paul were of, 
Malachi.  dot● not only foretell the casting away of your ●●●ion, but rendereth also the reason, that procured God's wrath against your people. For Malachi and Daniel do both agreed in this point: 
The cause why it was necessary to dissolve the jewish common wealth.  that the utter destruction of that nation was decreed upon by the secret counsel of God, to the end they should become a precedent; whereby the wicked might be forewarned of the severe justice of God: as also for this cause chiefly, by reason that else the vain persuasion, that hath taken root so long in the hearts of the people, touching the righteousness of the Law, touching circumcision, 〈◊〉 to offerings, & sacrifices, could not be razed out of their minds, if the ceremonial Law should continued in her former authority. And therefore it pleased Almighty God, to make manifest to all men, that th●se external rites, shadows, and Ceremonies, were not available to procure true ryghto●●nesse: and that the rygh●eousnesse of the Law was not that pure ryghte●u●snes, whereunto the promises did direct th●m. But let us hear: ●he words of Malachi: 
Malachi .1.  I have no pleasure in you, (●ayeth the Lord of hosts) neither will I accept offering at your hande●●●or from the rising of the Sun, unto 〈◊〉 going down of the same, my name is great among the Gentiles. And in every 〈…〉 offered unto my name, for my name is great among the Gentiles, sayeth the Lord of hostess ● Among m●●● things w●●●thie 〈◊〉 be noted in th●● saying of the P●rophete, there are ●hre● special 〈◊〉 to ●ee considered: 

Three things to be noted in the words of Malachy.  

1. The people.  
2. the sacrifices.  
3. the place.    namely th● one concerning you that are Iew●s: secondly, concer●●●● your Sacrifices: lastly, the pl●c● itself, where offering shalb● made. For the 〈◊〉 had promised, ●hat he would altar 〈◊〉 ●enew● eu●ry of these; to the end 〈…〉 thereby despoil you of all matter to glory vpo●: as upon your parentage, 〈◊〉 ●o●shippings, yea your temple itself, your offerings and Sacrifices. And why●s because he had determined to make an innovation of them (as you do hear) and to translate them from you to others: which thing the same holy Ghost doth manifestly set down in an other place in like words, by his Prophet Esay: 
Esay .65.  Behold (sayeth he) I will created new heavens, and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. And again in an other place: And the Lord shall kill thee, and shall call his servants by an other name, etc. The words are somewhat unlike, but the sense is all one, nothing differing from the saying of Malachi, 
The place of Malachi expounded.  I have no pleasure in you, etc. Dost thou not perceive in these words, how thou shalt ●e cast away, thou proud generation● And because you shall know● that God will nevertheless not be destitute of a people, that shall glorify his name though you be clean ●ewen of from the Olive tree, My name (sayeth he) is great among the Gentiles.  
I have declared unto you, what shall become of your nation and people. Now will I proceed to explain unto you of your Temple, and place of prayer, whereupon you vaunt yourselves so much. The Prophet therefore goeth forward: In all places shall pure offerings be offered unto my name, from the rising of the Sun, even to the going down of the same. As if God would say, You jews are so addicted to that only Sanctuary and Temple of the Lord, which he did erect amongst you long ago, as though he aught not be worshipped in any place else, and as though no nation in the whole earth might offer sacrifice unto the Lord, except you alone. And under colour of this prerogative, being puffed up with pride, you swell with immeasurable vain glorious persuasion of fleshly courage, and set all other nations at nought, as though you alone were the only inheritance of the Lord, and as though you held him fa●●tyed to your generation, with an inseparable chain of privileged bounty and favour, and so fast locked within the walls of your Temple, that he could not be of power to depart from you, nor would not for any cause sequester himself from your Temple. But to the end your blundered senses may no longer lumper in darkness, stroking yourselves with vain and counterfeit confidence of falsely conceived opinion, I will by way of friendly advertisement pronounce, and even now do denounce and forewarn you, That the calling upon the name of the Lord, is not unseparably bond to place, time or persons: but that the largesse of his mercy is extended also upon all people, nations and tongues, whether they be jews, or Gentiles, Scythians or Indians: 
God is not boun●, neither to the pl●ce nor person of nations.  and that this his loving kindness, wherewith he embraceth all mankind, will reject no person from his fatherly protection: wheresoever his name is feared, and his Majesty worshipped, there he doth indifferently distribute the gifts of his grace towards all people, without partiality. Yea and because you shall understand my saying more plainly, behold, I do protest unto you in the word of the Lord, that it shall come to pass, that you yourselves being jews, & your whole race for the most part being cast away, and this your Sanctuary (whereupon you boast so much) being utterly rejected, the Lord will transpose his loving countenance, not into one angle of the world among the jews only, but will be magnified, & have the glory of his name called upon, in every place throughout all nations & tongues, wheresoever s●●●●tered over the face of the earth, from the r●sing of the sun, to the going down of th●●ame. For my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts. Hitherto yo● have herded the words of Malachi used towards your people.  
It remaineth lastly, that we speak of the sacrifices. For the Prophet doth evidently ●●clare, that innovation shall ensue of the Sacrifices also, speaking in this wise: Among the Gentiles, and in every place, incense and a pure offering shallbe offered unto my name. Well now: what manner of offerings be these of the Gentiles, which the Prophet doth commend so highly? Be they sacrifices of goat●, or calves? They be sacrifices of calves truly, but such as the Prophet Osee mentioneth in his prophecy. And we will tender (sayeth he) the Calves of our lips. 
Osee .14.  Ueri●● these be the calues● where with the Lord is now well delighted. These calves do we off●r, when reknowledging our v●rygh●●ousnesse, we yield humble thanke● to the gracious goodness of God, who cleansing our wickedness with the fountain of the blood, & death of his dearly beloved son Christ I●su, doth endue us with the inheritance of everlasting life. These be the spiritual offerings of the Gentiles, differing very much from the sacrifices of the jews: for these are the pure offerings of the Spirit, that consist not in bloody broiling of brute beasts, nor in smelling of flesh, nor are offered with the hands of Priests imbrued with gore. And for that cause, the Prophet doth call them clean. 
What Sacrifices are clean, and what are unclean.  Well then: and why are these offerings called clean, rather than the jewish Sacrifices? What? shall we say, that their blood offerings are unclean, and their sacrifices defiled then? verily, albeit the Prophet doth not in express words verify the same, yet who so shall duly ponder the substance, and pith of his talk, shall easily discern, that the Prophet by secret implication, doth condemn the jewish sacrifices, as polluted, and profane in the respect of offerings of the heathen.  
But here will one of your sect urge again, 
An objection  and demand, whether these Sacrifices were not instituted by God at the first, and the ordinances of the same prescribed unto us by Moses? whether in them also were not contained the calves of thankesgyving, and purging of sins? whether God could be the author of any o●seruaunces and ceremonies, tha● were not of all paytes sincere, pure and without blemish? 
The answer  For answer whereof, we d● not deny, that those Sacrifices were instituted for your behoof, by special commandment and sufferance of the hyghe● and most excellent lawmaker almighty God. But consideration must be had of the meaning, purpose, end & time, wherein they were to be frequented. No● that they were of value of their own nature, to purchase true righteousness, but to direct & lead us to the righteousness, that was to come: not that you should account them as infallible pledges of perfect piety, but that almighty God might train & instruct you with these, as with certain principles meanwhiles, until you might be made apt to receive higher mysteries. Not because that great Lord and father of Spirits was delighted with the slaughter of brute beasts, of bloody go●re of his creatures: but his good pleasure was under these shadows, types, and figures, to prefigure the death of his only son: 
The death of Christ prefigured by the Legal Sacrifices.  who by his bloodsheadding should be of power to wash men's consciences clean from all filth & corruption of sin: not because you should always lie no●zeling in these, and proceed n● further, but to nurture your childhood, for a time were they delivered, lest by pursuing the error of the Gentiles, you should either rush headlong into the idolatrous abominations of the heathen, or at the lest restrain you in stead of a schoolmaster, in some orderly comeliness for a time, until the clear day should appear, wherein better things should be revealed, and the truth itself should shut up, and abolish those shadows and sacrifices.  
Briefly to satisfy this matter in two words, two notes are chiefly to be observed in these kinds of sacrifices: 

Two things to be noted in the jewish sacrifices.  

The use. 1.  
The tyme. 2.    namely, the use, and the time. As concerning the use: Truly the due observation of those sacrifices was not of force by their own nature, to make a choose and beloved people of God: but to be rules and principles, for that people whom Moses had gathered to minister in his synagogue: not because they were able of themselves to give eternal salvation: 
The use of ● old sacrifices  but that they should foreshow the coming of him, in whom rested true safety, and withal should represent an outward shadow of inward holiness and cleanness of mind. And for that cause provision was made for such beasts only, t●at were clean, unspotted & undefiled: hereby inducing the people of the old Synagogue to learn, how they aught to be have themselves in their daily conversation unblamable. As to that which appertaineth to the consideration of the time, 
The time wherein sacrifices were exercised must be considered.  this aught to be held for certain, that those blood offerings of the Ceremonial law, were not delivered, because they should never cease, even as neither the Temple was builded, to the end it should never be razed, and destroyed: or as though the overthrow thereof, should forthwith extinguish all worshipping of god withal, but were given for a time only, not to continued for ever, but transitory rather, and removable, remayn●ng in use as certain exercises and introductions of outward discipline, until the blessed seed should come, in whom the promise took effect. And therefore almighty God did with great care, long time as it were allow the Sacrifices, to nurture the weak capacity of the people of ●hat rude age: by means whereof the said sacrifices had th●n their certain use & estimation, nor were adjudged unclean, during that season. But as now, the estate of the time being altered, sithence the truth itself doth overspread the world with wonderful lightsomeness, and the Sun of righteousness displayeth his clear and palpable brightness: these carnall● Sacrifices and blood offerings do utterly cease, and are altogether discharged from further use.  
For what availeth to gaze after shadows, where the body is present to be beholden plainly? What senseless man will burn candle, or light a torch, in sunshine at midday? who will grope for darkness in open light? or seek for night in clearest day? The cause why that butchery of siely beasts was permitted you for a time, was to inform your grossness, and tame the hardness of your hearts: that so, by view of visible signs, and representations of spectable shadows, the Lord might train you along, to the true and pure cleansing of sins, which was then to come. But now, sithence we are come to the truth itself (whereof the other were but shadows) it is a necessary consequent, that those things which were sometime esteemed for clean, the very same again through alteration of time, may be accounted not only unclean, and defiled, but filthy also, and abominable.  

jewish sacrifices abolished.  Which things being undoubted true (you men of Israel) as may most manifestly appear unto you by the testimony, & discourse of Malachi and other Prophets, what extreme madness is this in you, to persever still in so deep a slumber, dreaming yet about your old rotten tabernacles, your forlorn Temple, your carnal worshippings, and moth-eaten sacrifices? But let us imagine and grant by way of a case put, that you may recover your jerusalem again: which notwithstanding will never come to pass, (unless God himself and all his Prophets do lie) I would fain learn of you then what you would do there. First you will procure your Temple to be built up again. And why so? because you may offer incense and sacrifice to God after your accustomed manner? As though that general Lord of all nations can not be worshipped else where, then in a blind angle of the world, at jerusalem pardie? And how then will the saying of the Prophet Malachi be verified? 
The true worshipping of God not bond to place or person's.  who saith that the time should come, when the Lord of hosts should be worshipped in all places, and incense offered unto him throughout all the world, from the rising of the sun, to the going down thereof. If you will so straight and restrain● all worship due unto God, within the walls of your Temple only, as it were, locked fast in some closet, than I demand of you further, with what kind of sacrifice you will pacify your God, within that Temple? forsooth with blood and butchery of beasts. But where is then that pure and undefiled offering mentioned by Malachi, which is not imbrued with slaughter, I suppose, but performed by spiritual sacrifices?  
Finally, with what argument can you persuade that the living God aught to be worshipped more properly and peculiarly of you jews, then of all other nations, namely sith you are so plainly convinced with the express testimony of Malachie● who making no mention of the jews, doth prophesy, that the name of God shall be had in great admiration amongst the Gentiles. What answers will you make also to that promise of the same Malachi, in the Chapter following: where foretelling the signs and tokens that should go before the coming of the messias: to wit, 
Malach. 3  That his forerunner should come first and prepare the way before the face of the Lord? And immediately sayeth●. And 〈◊〉 Lord whom ye seek, shall speedily come to his holy Temple, even the Angel of the ●ouenant whom you desire & ●● What● came not that same forerunners that was promised? Was not his voice herded also in the desert according to the prophecy of Esay● 
isaiah .46.  crying out as loud as he could, to the end you should prepare the way of the Lord, and should make strait in the desert ● path for your God. Why did you no● 〈◊〉 preparation then? Why did you not receive the Angel of the Covenant, whom you desired, coming into his holy Temple? Nay rather, why did you banish him from out your Synagogue? why did you daily exclude him from thence, railing continually upon the Lord with outrageous reproaches, and taunting blasphemies? What punishment or torture may ●e imagined horrible enough to countervail so execrable outrages?  

Malac. 4.  Also by the way here is not to be passed over in silence, the saying of the same prophet, annexed in the end of the same chap. concerning the dreadful & terrible day of the Lord, wherewith he will overwhelm the proud & wicked doers, whom that hot scorching day, even as an hot burning oven should devour, as flame consumeth the stubble, leaving neither branch nor root of them.  
But you will say, that this threatening doth concern others, and appertaineth nothing at all to you. Yes truly, the very order, proceeding and event of the matter, do most manifestly convince, that this direful threatening was denounced against you chief: whose words that ensue hereupon immediately, are these: Behold (says he) I will sand you Elias the prophet, before the coming of the great and fearful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, jest haply I come and smite the earth with cursing. And to whom 〈◊〉 this Elias be sent, but unto you? and therefore, what land shallbe accursed but you? Finally, what signifieth the word anathema, but a certain final destruction of all mankind; except those people only who●● Elias should reduce to amendment of conversation? For God hath not so utterly rejected his people, that no remnant thereof shallbe saved, as I declared before unto you out of s. Paul  
But I will surcease to surcharge you with more testimonies, adding only one or two places: first out of the book of Genesis, an● then out of the Prophet Osee: wherein it shall not be needful to use long discourse. For who is so ignorant in the holy scriptures, that understandeth not, what is meant by that sceptre which the patriarch jacob inspired by divine oracle, did boldly pronounce, should never be removed from the tribe of judah? 
Gene. 49.  And who is he at the length, but even the same whom the Prophet Esay describeth, saying, I have given him for a governor, and teacher of the Gentiles? Which sentence the holy patriarch inspired with the same holy ghost, did long before, in the same sense profess, though in other words: And the Gentiles shallbe gathered unto him. But as then was not the sceptre yet of power in Israel. But the godly gray-headed father foreseeing long before, the events of things to come, did prophesy of judah in this wise: The Sceptre or Mace of the empire shall not depart from judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Silo come, and the gathering of the Gentiles shallbe unto him. Howsoever some rascal Thalmudistes do practise to pervert this place with most frivolous cavillations: yea though all the start up Rabbins would burst in sunder, yet can this sentence by no violent wrist be framed appliable otherwise, but that two special matters must necessarily be grounded thereupon. First, that judah and his tribe should be invested in the title, and the interest of the kingdom. Next, that this prerogative should endure unmovable, until Mes●hias did come, unto whom the Gentiles should gather themselves. And to the same effect tendeth the interpretation of jonathas and others, 
Thargum Hierosolymintanum, written by Ionathas● upon the 49 chap of Genesis.  who lived long before the age of Christ, whose words, who listeth to hear, are these: The king's seat shall not be taken or departed from the house of judah: neither shall lawgivers want of their children's children until the time that messias shall come, to whom the kingdom doth belong. And all the kings of the earth shall become his vassals. How beautiful is this messias, that shall come to continued in the house of judah? he shall gird up his loins & go forth to battle against his enemies, and the kings and their princes shallbe slain. He shall die the ri●ers read with the blood of the slain: his teeth shallbe ordered with knowledge, jest he partake the fruits of their spoils, and wrong doings. The hills shall look red with their vines, and their winepresses with the wine: the fields shallbe adorned with beautiful blossom by reason of the abundance of fruits of beasts & sheep etc. Thus much thought I good to rehearse out of jonathas: yet have we no need (praised be God) to vouch any commentaries of the jews, to manifest the mysteries of the holy Scripture, namely sith there can be no better interpreter of the prophetical scriptures than time, and approved experience of the successes thereof.  
The testimony that I thought good to borrow out of Osee; 
Osee against Israel.  most worthy to be noted of you that are jews, is that, which he setteth down in the first Chapter of his prophesy: where the Prophet inveighing against Israel useth this speech: Call his name (●aieth he) not my people, because you are not my people, therefore will I not be yours. etc. Whereby you may plainly perceive the saying of S. Paul confirmed by the Prophet, to wit: The same which he teacheth concerning the natural branches, which he said were hewn of from the Olive tree. And now (you men of Israel) where is that your arrogant vain glorious vaint of the offspring of your kindred? If to be issued of the race of Abraham be prised so highly in the sight of God, what means then this casting away of the Israelites, mentioned by the Prophet? what signifieth that special choice, and calling of the Gentiles, and the wild Olive tree to be planted in their place? for so we read the promise set down by the Prophet: 
Osee .1.  And the number of the children of Israel (sayeth he) shallbe as the sand of the sea, which can not be measured and told. And in the place where it was said, ye are not my people, it shallbe said unto them, you are the sons of the living God It was a singular prerogative for them not being Israelites born, to be named and numbered amongst the true children of Israel. But that other did far surmount, that being before the brood of the devil, they should now be called the sons of the living God. 
The calling of the Gentiles, according to Osee the Prophet.  And to whom (I beseech you) is this unspeakable benefit promised? forsooth neither to the Israelites nor to the jews, nor to them which seemed to appertain unto God, but unto them which were altogether severed, & estranged from God: the very abject, & rascal Gentiles, barbarous & uncircumcised heathen perdie, whom the incomprehensible mercy of God will join near unto himself, and will engraft them into the root of his own natural Olive tree, having first sawed of the natural branches, in whose stead he shall gather the Gentiles together, from out a wild Olive tree, in such plentiful abundance and infinite heaps, as will not be comprehended within the territory of Palestine only, but like unto the sands of the sea, 
The multitude of the converts Gentiles, after the testimony of the Prophets.  will replenish the whole world, far and wide from the rising of the sun, to the going down of the same.  
You have herded the mind and purport of the Prophet, which if you suppose to be as yet not accomplished for your behoof, through the Gospel of messias, our Lord and Saviour, open your eyeliddes, (if you be not blind) and behold the innumerable multitude of people, and tongues, which every where throughout all the world, do profess the true worshipping of God: number them, if you be able: but if the quantity be so infinite, as the sand of the sea, exceeding all reach & compass of number, you may easily conjecture thereby (you men of Israel) into what straits your wilful ignorance forceth you, and how perilous that froward blindness of yours is, and withall●bethinke yourselves in time, what were best for you to embrace from henceforth: nay rather, how foolishly you have behaved yourselves heretofore. God did sand his only begotten son into the world, the seed of a woman, and born of a virgin, whose parentage & kindred, from whence he issued, because you did not know, and nevertheless were amazed to behold his heavenly power in doing miracles, his wonderful clemency employed to the cure of all manner diseases, and casting out of devils, yet being swallowed up of extreme madness, & overwhelmed with blind rancour, & cankered malice, you did most cruelly despoil him of life, and spilled his guiltless blood, without all cause of offence. For why may I not justly accuse you, as partetakers of the same crime, sithence ye do with whole bend affection of hateful despite, pursue the imbrued steps of your bloody sires, and gladly allow of that execrable murder?  
And therefore (thou cursed jew) thou art duly charged with the guilt of innocent blood: englut therefore thy greedy guts with gore. Thou didst receive Cesar to be thy king, refusing Christ: continued his bondslave sti●. Yet this worketh no grace in thee, nor allur●t● thee to abandon thy doting error: for thou dost as yet breath out villainy against the king of the jews, whose name we have in greatest estimation. But what thinkest thou to gain by kicking against the prick? Dost thou not perceive, how God hath made frustrate all thy devices contrary to thy expectation? Dost thou not see, how thy mischievous practices recoil back upon thy own head? Dost thou not feel thy downfall into the pit which thyself hast digged● Thou seest the Temple so razed and overthrown to the ground, that no stone thereof can be found: thou dost see thy religion utterly abolished, the priesthood, the Law, the kingdom, your cities, your nation, your race and, kindred wholly extinguished: briefly thou canst recount no one thing remaining, but a few wretched rogues, and contemptuous runagates, true monuments of the outrageous insolency, and miserable calamity of their forlorn forefathers: yea, that silly small portion also, enduring through none other privilege, then by this commendation of Paul, and the gentle sufferance of the Christians. And being thus continually turmoiled with sundry miseries, notwithstanding Gods just judgement doth daily execute new increases of his severe wrath against you: yet are your minds so intoxicate with the poisoned do●●oreanche of bewitched ignorance, that these wonderful scourges can ply your hearts to no better grace, persisting still in perverse frowardness, as that these pinching plagues (the horror whereof might have prevailed to procure amendment) seem rather to stir and provoke you to further cruelty. For albeit● you do plainly perceive, and can not deny, but that all whatsoever your own Prophets have foretold of the messias, is absolutely accomplished in the person of Christ jesus: albeit you may easily learn out of the holy Scriptures, & by continual experience and successes of times, that there is none other Christ, but even the same whom the whole world doth worship at this present: albeit you sensibly feel that you are become a mockery, not to almighty God only, but accounted also no better than rascals & runagates of all nations of the world: 
Th' ho●ribl● ca●a●●●i● o● the jews.  yet do ye curse Christ in your synagogues daily, and expect yet an other messias (I know not whom) which you shall never see, but in that terrible & dreadful day of wrath, 
Zach 12.  at what time maugte your teeth, you shall behold him whom you have cruelly crucified. What monstrous hardness of heart is this (ye men and Hebrews) that so many heavenly oracles of so many your own Prophets, so many manifest testimonies of sacred scriptures, so many horrible punishments, so many unmerciful plagues wherewith your nation is, and hath been continually tormented, can not induce you to conceive some sparkle, of true repentance? The Romans did ransack you with such outrage in their conquest, that they spared neither young nor old, men, women, nor infants, neither left one stone standing upon an other of your whole city. Finally, your habitations are become waste and desolate, you have now neither city nor temple, kingdom nor priesthood, people nor Prophet, and (which of all other is most lamentable) you have eyes that can not see, ears that can not hear, nor hearts that can understand, whereby you may repent, and be converted to your liege Lord and sovereign king.  
Bu● go you to: let all that which is past, 
An exhortation to the jews.  be imputed either to your ignorance, or to the wrathful vengeance of God for your unbelief sake, because you knew not the time of your visitation. And being alured & stirred up to better remembrance, by so manifold examples, learn now at the length by the preaching of the Gospel, to acknowledge our Christ●Iesu the Lord of peace, of meekness, & of humility, to be the only messias, sent from God the father: in whose name all nations of the earth shallbe saved, & to whom all knees in heaven and earth aught to bow down, and prostrate themselves. There was sometimes an unsavoury season of darkened ignorance, when as our Temples also were polluted with filthy Idolatry: but now sithence all clouds of foggy superstition are for the more part scattered and vanished out of sight, & the clear dawning of the lightsome truth of Christ's Gospel displayeth his orient beams, tread no longer the dirty track of superstitious mismases: but return with us, and be made partakers of the lively wellspring of sincere and pure doctrine. The same Christ, whom you do persecute, must be worshipped: whose doctrine you do practise to root out, even he doth offer you salvation freely and frankly. The same whom you contemptuously entreated as a man, is worshipped in all the world both God and man, howsoever you despised him (as joseph was sometime rejected of his brethren) yet reigneth he in the glory of his father: whom you mortal men belee●ed to dye the natural death, the same revived again immortal, and shall live in immortality for ever. Whom your forefathers embased under the rascal rabble of the people, and accounted for an abject, and outcast of all men, even to his Majesty do all the lofty estates, and stately powers of heaven and earth prostrate and humble themselves: that the saying of Esay may aptly be verified in this place, 
Esay .62.  The kings of the earth shall stop their mouths before him. Whom you reproached with the most shameful death of the cross, the very same cross is turned into his glory, to our salvation, to the judgement of the world, to the destruction of his enemies, and everlasting consolation of them that be redeemed. So that here again the prophecy of Esay may seem to take effects 
Esay .35.  And everlasting joy shallbe upon their heads, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. Finally, whose name your forefathers hoped to have been razed out of all men's memory, the very same name hath God magnified above all the glory of Angels and men: at the calling upon whose name, the dead arise again, maladies are cured, devils do tremble and quake for fear, unclean spirits are tormented, and flee away: yea the whole hierarchy of Angels do bow down and worship. Now for as much as these things are so manifest, that no man can be ignorant of them, I do wonder much what reason you can allege, to colour your obstinate contumacy, who being taught by so many examples, can content yourselves nevertheless to lie still snorting and slumbering in vanishing shadows: & neglecting the very natural son of God, can gro●e like buzzards, after asenselesse imaginative shape, of I know not what Meschias: when as your true Meschias is already come● or besides him else shall never any one come: unless all your own prophets were liars, who have described unto you none other Meschias, but this one only person.  
But this matter happily may offend you, 
A stumbling block to the jews.  (to repeat again somewhat of that I have spoken) because his coming was contemptible, base & of no reputation, because he was condemned to death, because he was crucified on the cross, because he died and was buried. But if every of these had not met, & bene concurrant together in this one person, he could never have been the true messias: neither would myself have acknowledged him. But you tarry gaping still after some gay glorious king. Well: and what wanted in this person (I beseech you) to the absolute measure of highest royalty? whom the Lord did so advance to the right hand of his omnipotent power: at that brightness of whole majesty you see the sun loose his light, the earth quake: you saw graves opened, you saw stones crack in sunder, you see also the veil of the Temple rend in pieces. Or if you did not see it with your own eyes, your forefathers beheld them all, whereof they could never deny any one title. So did they see him poor and base, you will say: I confess no less, what then? Yet they conceived not the power and force of that his baseness, nor how honourable that reproach was. In like manner they saw him dead, yet they conceived not the mystery of his death: they conceiue●●ot (I say) how it pleased the Lord by the death of this one man, to open a way for salvation to all people. They conceived not that the tyranny of the devil was vanquished by the ignominy of the cross, and that all sacrifices & shadows were finished by this only sacrifice. But so it pleased God the father to give his son unto us, for a pattern of perfect humility, & by this means to glorify his only begotten. The brightness of whose glory, if you do acknowledge, there remaineth matter enough to save you: but if you will not acknowledge him, this is also matter enough to condemn you. And will you, or nill you, you shallbe forced to confess, that no counsel, policy, or device of man, is able to countervail the counsel of God, neither any force and power of men, is able to withstand the power of CHRIST.  
But I hope well of your amendment: for why should I not hope, when as I find S. Paul to conceive so well of your return again? Wherefore you men and jews, seeing ●●●eare the name of jews, (which by interpretation is called Confessors) pluck up your hearts, raise up your minds, persevere no l●nger in your wonted obstinacy against your own Prophets: withstand not from henceforth the manifest light of the Gospel. Let the profession of your faith be sound, sincere, and pure at the length, learn to understand the Law of God after the spiritual meaning, and sense of the holy Ghost: so shall you begin to be accounted, according to the nature of your names, pure professors of the truth. Be not dismayed with despair to attain everlasting life, because you crucified the son of God: your error only procured this mischief. God will not the death of a sinner, but that he may be converted, li●e & be saved. The most horrible crime that may be imagined, can be no estoppel to salvation against him that will believe. Only acknowledge your wickedness, & repose your trust in the free promises of the Gospel, and you shall freely receive the reward of eternal felicity, freely offered unto you. It is an heinous reproach against the glory of God, to be disobedient to the prophets: it is much more heinous to persecute, & murder them. But to rack the saviour of the world upon the cross, is ●f all other most execrable. Yet hath the Lord promised to forget all these injuries, if you will but repent you of them: neither requireth he the blood of beasts at your hands, to purge those offences. Christ is the perfect Sacrifice offered for the sins of all people. Only acknowledge your sins, brag no more of your own righteousness from henceforth, believe only in the son of the living God. If he were not the son of God, declare them unto us, who was his father in earth, if you can. If he were not a Prophet, 
The nature of Christ.  how could he, not only conceive in mind, but in words also foretell & express the destruction of your na●ion, the dismembering of your commonwealth, the abomination standing in the holy place: yea, every of them orderly as they en●ued? How could he prophecy of his own rising again the third day, 
The prophecies of Christ  & of the sending of the holy Ghost? How could he know the certainty of the calling of the Gentiles, the denying of Peter, and of many other things, partly come to pass already, partly to be accomplished hereafter? And if he uttered any one untruth in any of all these, condemn him for a liar: But if experience & approved evidence of the orderly successes & events thereof, have openly denounced his words to be true, what should stay and hinder you from the truth? For to speak nothing of his miraculous works, tell us yet, if you did ever hear of the like, 
Christ's miracles.  or if any skill, policy, or industry of man might possibly reach unto the like. But if this so great and incredible power did so far surmount all ability of man's strength and capacity: hereof may you sufficiently gather, how you aught to judge of the inestimable power of his Divine nature.  
But for as much as the excellency of heavenly things are of their own nature unsearchable, nor can be attained unto by man's policy, or worldly wisdom, but must be discovered by the only operation of Almighty God: 
A prayer for the jews.  I do most humbly pray and beseech the same God the father of our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ, for his dear sons sake, that as he hath long sithence, according to his just judgement, executed his wrath against your unbelief, by cutting you off from your natural root, so it may please him of his infinite mercy (whereby he is of power to pl●●t you into your former dignity again) that your hearts being delivered from the thick clouds of obstinate infidelity, our Lord & saviour Christ jesus, the only & undoubted messias, may enlighten your souls, & gather you home again to your natural root: That is to say, that he will vouchsafe to reduce you again into his own family, with his elect Saints, and make you partakers of his gladsome Gospel, and everlasting felicity: That as the root is holy, so the branches also recovering the natural verdure of their honourable stock, may be engrafted again by faith, from whence they revolted through unbelieve. For performance whereof, to remove away all mistrust of well conceiving hope, as also to be of assured confidence, that the time of your recovery is even at hand, S. Paul doth minister special matter of comfort, who in the self same sermon which he preached concerning the falling away of the jews, doth not only set down his own judgement thereof, but also very plainly disclose that high mystery touching that blessed and joyful return of the jews, revealed as it were unto him, by the secret counsel, and determination of almighty God.  
Of the which I will speak more hereafter by the help of Christ, 
An exhortation to the Gentiles and Christians.  after that I have debated somewhat with the Gentiles (whom the Lord hath called) and have in few words exhorted my dearly beloved brethren in Christ, to be mindful of those things, according to my simple understanding. And yet I see no cause, why I should spend any long time herein: for I do firmly trust, that all those sayings are already noted by you, yea & deeply imprinted in your minds, which the Apostle doth teach here, touching the due observation of our calling, so that mine exhortation shall not be much needful in this place. First, I suppose that you are not ignorant of the great rigour that God executed upon his people, wherewith if he would have punished you, what might have letted him I pray you? Yea rather what was the cause, why he did not punish you? Do you think that any of you were endued with any such excellency, as you might thereby challenge any pre-eminence above the jewish nation? Were not we sometimes even in the same plight, that many jews remain in at this day: to wit, unfaithful unbelievers in the sight of God? Then if God excluded the jews for their unbelief (as he did) what argument might induce him to have more compassion upon the Gentiles, who were sometimes as void of faith, as they are now? Whereby you may perceive (my dear brethren) how the inestimable mercy of God doth miraculously work in man's election, beyond all hope and capacity of man, who hath compassion on whom it pleaseth him, and hardeneth the hearts of whom him listeth. That it may rightly be said, That it consists neither in the power of the willing, nor of the running to obtain mercy, but in the merciful God. If this be not yet apparent unto you, look upon those Israelites, that are yet forsaken of God: who were sometimes in his favour, and you admitted in their stead. What was the cause thereof, I pray you? Thou wile say, that the Natural branches were broken off, that I might be engrafted in. It is true in deed, they were broken off, as thou sayest. But good sir, this was not done for thy sake, but for their own unbelief sake. And yet it followed hereupon, that we were planted in: neither is this false, that thou speakest. But this is not the point I seek for: there is yet an other thing, to wit, not whether the jews were broken off: But I would fain know, what virtue was in thee, that might procure thee to be engrafted in their place. And wherefore should they, being natural branches, be hewn off? If you compare with them in ancienty of race, they did far excel you in ancienty of birth, and dignity of parentage. For they were your elders far, by which title they might lawfully challenge the pre-eminence of the birthright. If you stand with them upon deservings, how precisely did they pursue the prescript rule of righteousness? whereof thou didst take no regard at all, although in truth they were never able to attain the perfection they sought for. If thou contend with them in excellency of zeal, they wanted not very fervent and entire zeal, albeit their earnest bend affection wanted true understanding. If thou boast upon thy uprightness of life, surely we Gentiles were in no respect comparable unto them in conversation of life. If thou have regard to the painfulness of the toil, or estate of the calling, they did bear the brunt and heat of the sun, and were then first, when as thou camest into the vinyeard skarsely amongst the last, even at the last cast. All which notwithstanding thou dost plainly perceive, that they are rend off from the natural stock, whereupon they grew, and thyself being otherwise a starveling bough of a wild Olive tree, and of an unfruitful stock, art adopted into the inheritance of the sons of God.  
What shall we say then? Is God to be accused of ingratitude, because he departed from his own? or of inconstancy, for making innovation of his ancient coue●aunt? God forbid. For he did never constrain the performance of his promise to any place or people. 
The promises of God are not bound to place, nor people.  He made a promise to Abraham only, that out of his seed a sprought should issue, in whom all nations and kynredes of the earth should be blessed. For he doth not say, In thee all nations shall be blessed: but in thy seed: in whom all men truly should be rewarded with life everlasting, as many as would receive him: as on the other side, he that did refuse him, should obtain no mercy nor favour at God's hands. And it is not to be doubted, that this seed is the very Son of God, whom if the jews would once at the last lovingly embrace, they should no more be excluded from the benefit of the promise. But for as much as they do yet not only refuse him, but continued also their cankered outrage against him with execrable cursings, and cruel spoiling this seed in his members so horribly: there is no cause, why they should presume to challenge any prerogative of the promise, sith the person could not prescribe upon the promise as made unto him, but in respect of the seed. But why was not this benefit of faith and belief in Christ impartened to the jews, as well as to the Gentiles indifferently? Some question in deed might be moved herein, if the same had not already been discussed by his Prophets sufficiently: to wit, That the jews themselves should loath, reject, yea and procure the death of their own messias. And if yet any person will seem so captious, to be further inquisitive to learn why the jews are not able to comprehend that, which is laid open to the Gentiles, the same may be satisfied with this ●itte and reasonable answer: Whereas the jews were thoroughly persuaded in mind, and confirmed in conscience, by custom of long continuance, 
A necessary cause, why the ●ewishe common wealth should be abolished.  that no righteousness was acceptable in the sight of God, but that which consisted in performing the works of the Law, and celebrating the Sacrifices, and ceremonies of the same, and that this false conceived opinion, so deeply rooted in the hearts of men, could by no means else be extirped and plucked out, but by the undermining, and utter overthrow of the name of that nation, the whole common wealth thereof, together with all the Sacrifices and ceremonies appertaining thereunto. Hereof sprung all that blindness, and subversion of the jews, albeit the same blindness infected not all in general, nor the same destruction was allotted unto them, to endure for ever.  
But by this example it may happily be thought, that God did execute too much cruelty and rigour against those silly wretches the jews. Admit in deed, that it was so. This was therefore a good lesson to forewarn us, according to Saint Paul's advertisement, that we should duly, and with careful consideration, exactly examine the severity of God: 
The se●eritie of God  and not his severity only, but his bountiful goodness withal: That so through the often remembrance of the one, we might be restrained in a covenable fear, and through the daily recording of the other, we might be raised to thankfulness and dutiful love towards God. A very lively example truly of God's severity is here expressed in the jews, who being fallen from their ancient dignity, were overwhelmed with such blindness, that notwithstanding Christ (whose coming they looked for many hundred years) was come already, and conversant amongst them, they should yet pursue him with contumelious reproaches, rail upon him, 
The lenity of God.  and persecute him. The like precedent of God's lenity and gentleness, appeared in us that are Gentiles, manifestly: whom of his free mercy, he freely vouchsafed to associate into the fellowship of such inestimable blessedness, which was neither due to our parentage, nor could be purchased by any our deservings. sithence this is most true, what remaineth, (you men and brethren beloved in our Lord and saviour jesus Christ) but that according to the counsel of the Apostle, 
An exhortation to the Gentiles.  premeditating and continually recording the example of the jews, we become more circumspect, and learn by their ruin, what we aught to fear, and what we aught to eschew? First, That being taught by the jews unbelief, we endeavour by all means possible with earnest and hearty supplications and prayers, to escape that dangerous gulf of incredulous unbelief. But you will demand what kind of unbelief that was wherewith they were blinded. Do they not believe in one God maker of heaven and earth? 
An objection  do they not confess as well as we, that the same God is most mighty, most merciful, yea a most righteous judge, and rewarder of deeds? The answer is ready. 
The solucio●●  If we were Angels or such kind of men, as could not possibly decline out of the way, or had never fallen into error, then would this faith have been a sufficient cover to shroud us, in that we might need no further mediator. But now being altogether sinful, born of sinful parents, environed with the whole body of sin, what do we else when we call upon God without regard of the mediator, 
A perilous thing to seek God without the mediator.  then raise his wrath, sharpen his vengeance, and provoke him to aggravate the judgement of our damnation, and (to speak the words of Esay) procure our dwelling with devouring fire, 
Esay .33.  and make our habitations in everlasting flames? For what can be more dreadful for man's weak nature, then to debate with God without Christ? From that which I beseech our saviour Christ to preserve us al.  
The other is, left we should foolishly flatter ourselves at other men's harms. Faith is the gift of God, and consists not in any demonstration of man's imagination: whereunto if it were possible to attain by force of nature, by works, by dew deservings of the Law, by ceremonies, by parentage, or nobility of race: surely the jews as they were our ancients in years, so approached nearer the election than we. 
No man aught to be proud of his faith.  But considering this faith dependeth upon the free mercy of God only, and the free distribution of his especial election: and thou through the only kindness of the Lord, art endued with that blessing, that is denied to others, thou mayest worthily rejoice in this thy felicity. But beware that this singular felicity suggest not matter of pride, as may make thee tread down, and scorn the calamities of the afflicted: but learn rather by their example, what thou mayest fear thyself. Wherein no man can instruct thee more piththily, than saint Paul: Be not proud in mind (saith he) but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he spare not thee. For thou, whosoever thou be, that standest in faith, dost not stand so assured, that thou mayst not fall: neither is their unbelief such, as is overspread over them all, or such as shall endure for ever, and is unrecoverable. For as there are very many jews (as I said before) which do confess and profess Christ (as is this one jew whom you see here present at this time) so is the Lord mighty, and of power to have compassion upon the remnant, and raise them up, which are yet forsaken, and trodden under foot.  
And that ye may the better understand, that God is of power able to do the same, as also his determined purpose herein, and what he willeth us to conceive thereof, I will declare unto you the judgement, and hope of S. Paul touching the same, where of he doth also under a certain secret mystery make us partakers. And to this purpose it seemed good to s. Paul to advertise us that are Gentiles, that we should be well advised, lest being puffed up with pride, and swelling with a vain arrogant persuasion of our own strength, we conceive better of ourselves then is requisite, because we seem to stand in better estimation than the jews: therefore he would not have us ignorant of this great blindness of the jews, as the which neither happened to all the Nation in general, but in part, upon Israel: nor that the same was past recovery, but should endure only so long, until the full number of the Gentiles were accomplished. And then (says he) it shall come to pass, that all the people of Israel shallbe saved: which testimony of the Apostle is a sufficient argument to declare, that the jews shallbe restored again, if I be not deceived. But when that return of the jews shallbe, the divines are not fully agreed upon. 
The prophesy of S. Paul concerning ye●eturne of ●he jews.  When the fullness of the Gentiles shall come (sayeth S. Paul) But when that fullness shall come, is known only unto him, whose words in the gospel are these. 
Act .1.  It is not for you to know the signs and the seasons, which the father hath put in his own power. Unless peradventure we will interpret this fullness in this wise: that the jews shall continued so long in blindness, as the Gentiles did in unbelief, while the jews remained in belief: and that the fullness of the Gentiles shall seem to be accomplished, 
The fullness of the Gentiles.  when as the Gentiles may prescribe as long continuance in the possession of God's Church without the jews, as the jews did first enjoy their synagogue without the Gentiles. The number of which years will not vary much, if the computation be proportionably made. For, if according to this rule, you derive your number from the first institution of the jews common wealth, unto the utter subversion of the same, you shall find 1564. the course of which years if you compare with the calling of the Gentiles, that is to say, from the time that the holy ghost was sent, until this present time, the number of years will not be far unequal. And yet in my judgement it shall not be amiss, if a man make his calculation, having relation to those times whereof the Lord himself made mention in the Evangelist Luke. 
Luke. 21.  And jerusalem (saith he) shall be trodden under foot of the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.  
But the knowledge of the certain moments and appointed minutes of that time, we commit unto the Lord This only we learn most assured out of S. Paul, that God hath decreed upon an infallible certainty of time, wherein the Gentiles shall mount to their fullness, and the jews also after that fullness of time shall return unto the faith. For speedy & good success whereof, this one thing doth minister plentiful matter of good hope, that our Lord jesus Christ hath vouchsafed to cleanse his Churches every where almost so happily in these our days, & purged them from all offences & stumbling blocks, which occasioned the jews to withdraw themselves so long from the participation of our faith.  

A complaint against idolatry used in Christian Churches.  And here I might use offered opportunity, to exclaim against the presumptuous boldness of those people whatsoever they were, which presumed to thrust into Temples and Churches of Christians, images, and counterfeits of he saints and she saints at the first, and to convey the pure worshipping of the invisible God, to the representations of visible things, contrary to the prescript ordinance of the Law of God, contrary to reason & nature, contrary to the approved custom of the elders, & contrary to all example of the patriarchs, Prophets & Apostles: out of which puddle as issued wondered stench, so amongst all other, nothing more noisome than those pestilent Botches of imageworship, breadworship, wine-worship, crosseworship, signs & pourtraictes of visible creatures, the view whereof caused the true and sincere profession of the christians to be loathsome to the jews, to their great hindrance and prejudice. For what marvel was it if the jews (that were taught by the prescript rule of god's law to abhor worshipping of images) entering into the churches of christians, & beholding the walls, pillars, & all the corners ●hereof, bedawbed with painted, & carved idols, besides innumerable other babbles of imagery, perceiving also open market to be made, not only of the picture of the cross, but of the sacrament of bread & wine also, displayed & blazed abroad not after the manner of communicating, but gloriously vaunted with singular magnificence to be honoured and kneeled unto: what marvel was it (I say) if they being offended with this open idolatry, did so long refrain from us, and from the discipline of our faith?  
But it is well now, thanked be Christ, 
A good beginning of a reform Church amongst Christians.  that these offensive baggage & image worshippings are for that more part defaced & scraped out of christian churches, & the ancient purity of christian profession, is begun to take so good footing, that now amongst us remain no dregs in our temples, in our religion, nor in our doctrine, that may minister just occasion of offence to the jews, or any other enemies, though they inveigh our religion never so much. And I would to God, all other that profess the name of christians, would yield their like endeavour to the abolishment of all corruptions of religion, and incivility of living out of their congregations, which may breed any further loathsomeness to the jews. Truly this is much to be lamented, that our adversaries can found no blemish of just quarrel in the person of Christ jesus, whose name we would seem to profess: and on the other side, to wit, in us nothing consonant, and agreeable to the true touchstone of God's holy word, and Christ's religion, whereof we bear the name, but all things repugnant and unlike the pure & first pattern thereof.  
But I will not adventure further upon this quavemire: the sink is deeper than can be in this place, or at this time scoured or launched. But sithence our present purpose is now to treat only of the conversion of the jews: of the good success whereof, as there is no hope at all else then by purging and cleansing the filthy puddles of our superstitions, the unsavoury stench whereof the jews can by no means digest: what remaineth for us to do (my dear brethren and honourable fathers in the Lord) but that every of us in our vocation, employ all our endeavour, faculty and power, that nothing may be committed amongst us, in our default from henceforth, whereby the true religion of Christ (which he gave most pure without spot or blemish) may be defiled, and brought into hatred and obloquy, and blasphemed amongst the jews, Turks, Pagans', and unbelieving infidels. My meaning here tendeth not to the determining of controversies in sects, nor of doubtful controversies debated in schools: the censure whereof, I commit to the great masters, and doctors in divinity: Only my request at this time is, that those gross monuments of manifest idolatry, those fantastical devices and frivolous forgeries of signs and Images, and those stagelike gestures and pelting trumperies, frequented in Churches, as are the praying for the dead, worshipping of creatures & signs, forbidding priests marriages, & such like peevish absurdities (wherewith the jews were never acquainted) which are manifestly repugnant to the 〈◊〉 word of God, yea and contrary to common reason almost, may be rooted out and vanished from Christian Churches and congregat●ons: that so we may open an entry to the jews and Turks, to conceive an inward desire to be joined to the son of God: or if we will not do this for the jews sake, let us yet at the lest have due regard to our own estate. We have been plagued sufficiently enough by the Turks and Saracenes for our idolatry, if we respect the sundry overthrows, famines, slaughters, and alterations of kingdoms, wherewith the Christians have been miserably tormented many hundred years, to the great delight of the jews: neither is any hope almost of redress from great calamities, like to ensue, unless we cast away this worshipping of idols out of Christian congregations and Temples, (as I said before) and by this means enter upon a new course of better conversation and purer worshipping of God.  
But forasmuch as this notable enterprise of reformation of life, and purer discipline, hath over many adversaries at this day, such as will by no persuasion suffer themselves to be alured from their accustomed impiety: & that this wicked age ministereth no hope of recovery by exhortation, and that nothing can avail now to bring this to pass, but supplications and prayers: Let every of us most humbly join together in earnest & hearty prayer, to the eternal God, father of our Lord jesus Christ: beseeching him for his dearly beloved sons sake, that as he hath shut up all under unbelief, because he will have compassion on all, so he will vouchsafe to deliver the jews from their infidelity, all Christians from superstition and idolatry, and withal govern and sanctify his Church in the same pure sincerity, wherewith he did beautify it at the beginning. For which cause we humbly beseech thee also, most mild Saviour, 
Esay .59.  which art appointed King over thy holy hill Zion to manifest thyself a redeemer unto thy people out of that thy holy hill Zion, 
Rom. 11.  and to turn away ungodliness from jacob. Then shall that come to pass which thou diddest promise' long ago by the mouth of the Prophet, that the children of judah, and the children of Israel being gathered together under one head, 
Ose● .1.  shall all together with us, with one soul, one voice, and one mouth, acknowledge thee to be the true son of the living God, shall magnify thee our redeemer, and attain eternal salvation of body and soul, together with us, in thy everlasting kingdom, through thee, our Lord and Saviour, Amen.   
FINIS.   

Imprinted at London, by Christopher Barker, Printer to the Queen's Majesty.  
ANNO. 1578.   

The confession of faith, which Nathanael a Iewe born, made before the Congregation in the Parish church of All-hallows in Lombard street at London, whereupon he was according to his desire, received into the number of the faithful and so baptised the first of April. 1577.  
MEn and brethren, to whom God hath revealed in these later days the secret of his son which was hidden from you many ages, it is not unknown unto you how that in the days of our forefathers God chose us to be a precious people unto himself above all the people that are upon the earth: 
Deut. 7.6.  and he loved us and chose us, not because we were more in number then any people: for we were the fewest of all people: but he chose us only because he loved us, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto our father's Abraham, Isaac, & jacob. By virtue of which promise' the same our Lord and God, whose name is jehovah, brought our fathers by a mighty hand and delivered them out of the house of bondage from the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt, that they might know that the Lord their God is the God in deed, the faithful God which keepeth covenant and mercy unto them that love him and keep his commandments, even to a thousand generations. According to which great & unspeakable loving kindness, he kept, and preserved our fathers in the land of Israel, which he had given them under the obedience of his Law in such service of sacrifices and other rites, as he had appointed them to be done and practised all the days of their lives in the city of jerusalem, where was his Temple built upon the mount Zion, so long as they kept themselves in obedience to the same Law and ordinances. But when they forsaked the Lord their God, and cleaved unto false gods, he rewarded them to their face because they hated him, and brought them to destruction by delivering them into the hands of many enemies: as into the hands of Nabuchadnezer, by whom they were carried into captivity to Babylon, and there remained the days foretold them by our Prophet jeremy: Fulfilling thereby the words of our Prophet Moseh foretelling us that it should so be, if we forsook the Lord our God: and leaving us their posterity an example thereby, that, if we followed like iniquity, like severity of punishment should overtake us: As it came to pass, and is fulfilled in the eyes of all the world by this captivity which we are now in and have been in, we and our forefathers, ever since the death of that righteous man jesus Christ: whom the Scribes and Pharisies and Elders of our people delivered into the hands of Pontius Pilate to be put to death, being before betrayed into their hands by one of his own disciples that son of perdition judas Ishcarioth. As our forefathers then pronounced against themselves, Let his blood be upon our heads and upon our children: so it is come to pass by the righteous judgement of that mighty & dreadful God. For even from those days unto this present the whole house of Israel, that is, we that come of the stock of Abraham after the flesh, is & are strangers out of the land of Israel our own country without Law or Prophets, without all exercise of his statutes and ordinances concerning his worship prescribed unto us by the hand of his servant Moseh. This long and weariesome captivity hath consumed a great number of our forefathers, ●nd hath caused some of us from time to time, through the grace and love of God wherewith he loveth us for the promise sake, to think upon our promised Messhiach: conferring these days of sorrow & calamity with our former captivities of our fathers, which were nothing so many in number of years, nor so grievous for want of our Prophets. These fifteen hundredth years have we been strangers, & these fifteen hundredth years have we lacked our Prophets: a thing not seen at any time before when we & our fathers were carried into a strange land. For in Egypt they had Mosheh & Aaron: and in Babylon they had jeremy & Daniel, besides Ezra, Nechemiah, and many other: only in this captivity is Israel left desolate and our Prophets clean go. Whereof when it pleased God I should have consideration, I was lead to think that our Messhiach is come, and that our long looking for an other was but in vain: And that rather, for that I see the words of jacob our father accomplished where he sayeth, 
Gen. 49.10  The Sceptre shall not departed from judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come: and the people shall be gathered unto him. For the Sceptre and government was continued in the house of judah, as our father's accord, until the coming of this man jesus: in whom if it were not continued according to the words of our scriptures, it hath failed and wanted ever since. For since the days of that just man there hath been no Sceptre amongst us, neither have we or do we run for judgements unto jerusalem: So that if the words of our father jacob be true, That the Sceptre should not departed from the house of judah until Shilo came, and there is no Sceptre nor lawgiver now in that house: then must it needs be that this man jesus, whom you confess and believe, is that Shilo which was to come: and is that child of whom one or our Prophets sayeth, 
Esa. 9.6.  Unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given, and the government is upon his shoulder, And he shall call his name Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of peace, the increase of his government and peace shall have none end, he shall sit upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it & to establish it with judgement and justice from henceforth, even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. This man than no doubt is that Messhiach which was looked for according to promise', and our fathers and people acknowledge not, fulfilling in themselves the words of their own mouth, His blood be upon our heads. In deed it seemed strange to me, and doth to the rest of my brethren according to the flesh, even unto this day, in whom this blindness and hardness of heart is in part continued through occasion given by them that profess the name of this man jesus: And not only in us which are of the house of Israel, but in other, as the Turks and Mahomet's which are of the race of Ishmael. For had it not been for the great and manifold Idolatry that is committed and used amongst the Christians almost in all places where his Name is professed, many of our nation had repent in sackcloth and ashes, and had come to this man jesus their brother after the flesh, from whom they are now estranged and go astray. But well is it written in your Law, Woe be unto him by whom offence cometh: according as it is written in our Law, Cursed be the man that layeth a stumbling block in the way of his neighbour, and all the people shall say Amen. But when it pleased God to bring me into this land, which I must for the same cause call a blessed land, and I saw therein no such impediment as holdeth our eyes blinded in other places: It was a means, I must needs confess, that made me more deeply to enter into the former consideration of our long captivity, & better to think of the words of our Prophets, and the promises set down by them touching our Messhiach. For the brickwall that maketh a separation between our nation the stock of Abraham, and you the Gentiles, is in your respect and in your behalf broken down: so that I can not justly say of you, as we & our fathers and Elders say of all other, using in all our books and writings to call and account of them by no other name but Baale abodazara Idolatrous masters, and lords of strange worship: A thing so detestable unto us, as nothing more concerning our Law, being in deed the first and chiefest of our commandments given us by the hand of Mosheh, and so often repeated unto us, as no one thing more in all our scriptures: Besides the manifest anger of God showed against it, 
Deu. 9.16.  in punishing the trespass therein committed by our forefathers in the absence of Mosheh, when he was go up into the mount to fetch the Law. When our fathers were to enter into the land of promise, the first and principal point required of them was this: 
Deut. 7,1. 3.4.5.6.7.  When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, & shall root out many nations be●ore thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, & the Ammonites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the jebusites, seven nations mightier and greater than thou, & the Lord thy God shall give them before thee: then shalt thou smite them, thou shalt utterly destroy them, thou shalt make no covenant with them nor have compassion on them, neither shalt thou make marriages with them, neither give thy daughter unto his son, nor take his daughter unto thy son: for they will 'cause thy son to turn away from me, & to serve other gods: then will the wrath of the Lord wax hot against you, and destroy thee suddenly: 
Deu. 12,2. 3.  But thus you shall deal with them, you shall overthrow their altars, and break down their pillars, and you shall cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire.  
The severity of this Law and the false worship that we and our fathers behold in them that profess the name of this man jesus, withholdeth us from coming to make any covenant of peace with you, from joining hands with you, and entering into that familiarity with you, which should be between them that worship one God. 
Deu. 22,10  We are commanded in our Law not to plough with an ox and an ass, neither to wear any garment of linsey wolsie: we understand it so, that we may not join God and Idols together: we may not serve our Lord otherwise than he hath commanded us, saying, 
Deut. 5,32  Turn not aside to the right hand nor to the left. For he is a jealous God, and we are choose to be an holy people unto him: which we are taught we can not be, unless we keep this commandment, Thou shalt have none other Gods but one: and this, Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing. And because they do so, we have been withholden by the commandment of our God from making any covenant with them, or hearkening unto any of their Prophets & teachers: for that were but to make Israel to sin, and to provoke the holy one to anger. When they talk with us, they say they are not such as our Prophets speak of, who worshipped beasts and other creatures, as the sun & the moon: but they worship only the creature of man, who was made to the image of God, and by whom God hath wrought great and marvelous works upon the earth. To whom we answer by the words of our Law, that all idolatry is forbidden us: the commandment forbiddeth not one thing more than an other, neither giveth greater liberty for one thing, than for an other: but says in these words, Thou shalt not make the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth, thou shalt not bow down to them nor serve them. Whatsoever it be, it is forbidden by our commandment. And if any creature might be worshipped, reason would the sun & moon should have that honour done them: for they serve us to greatest purposes, & by them we reap daily profit. Abraham, Isaac, and jacob: Mosheh, Samuel, and Elizahu with the rest of the Prophets were good men, and by them God wrought wonderful things, and yet we never worshipped any of them. And we can not think that this wisdom was or should have been hidden from all them, and all our fathers, if it had been so great wisdom in the sight of our God. They say unto us oftentimes, that they do not worship them as Gods, but they worship God in them. Neither are the Heathen, we say, that are round about us so blinded with the imagination of their hearts, as that they think that the stocks & stones carved, or the tables which they paint themselves, to be God: but they are persuaded that the living God may be worshipped and served in them. And as for the creature that is worshipped, or in whom the living God is worshipped, whether it be better than an other and more to be accounted of than an other, that is not it that maketh false worship: but the commandment which sayeth, Thou shalt not make the likeness of any thing. And yet those common Christians go very far: for the Christians of Spain & Portugal have it written in their books, as in one which they call Contemplationes del Idiota ala virgin Maria, That that virgin is the lords treasure, and that she bestoweth gifts and graces upon her servants to make them worthy dwelling houses for her blessed son and the holy Ghost: that her mercy often time pardoneth them, whom the justice of her son might condemn: that she doth plentifully enrich them that serve her with the holy Ghost, and defendeth them most mightily from the enemy: to wit, from the world, the f●esh and the devil: and that our salvation lieth in her hands. But our Law teacheth us that our God jehovah is all sufficient, and that all treasures are in his hands: he giveth to whom he listeth: and from whom he listeth he holdeth back. He saith he will not give his glory to an other, and what is more glorious to him than to be acknowledged of his creatures to be the only fountain of all goodness, to be our lightning and salvation, that we may devil confidently under the shadow of hi● wings, who will be called upon in the day of our necessity and he will hear us.  
And therefore as that doctrine is contrary to the doctrine of our Prophet, & is cast away of you which in this country believe in the man jesus: So I have more willingly and with a more ready mind harkened to the words of your teachers, and learned by God's good working to know more of our promised Messhiach, than our fathers believe: but no more than our scriptures most truly contain: Being assured that, seeing you have the words of our Prophets, and do not follow strange gods, you are to be harkened unto. For by our Law no Prophet may be rejected but the false prophet, who seeketh to turn us away from the Lord our God to serve other gods. And therefore as I have learned by the words of your teachers, conferring them with our Law and Prophets, that our promised King & Messhiach is not a Prince of this world, as one that hath to establish a temporal kingdom amongst us: but a spiritual, whose power and might consists in governing us by his Spirit, and forgiving the sins of Israel, and taking away the iniquities of jacob, bearing in his own body the chastisement of our peace, that is, the chastisement that worketh and getteth us peace as our Prophets tell us: So I confess & acknowledge that he is already come, and that it is he of whom our Prophet spoke, Behold the days come, saith the Lord, 
jere. 23.5,6  that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a King shall reign and prospero, and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth: in his days judah shallbe saved and Israel shall devil safely, and this is the name whereby they shall call him, The Lord our righteousness. And therefore being heartily sorry for my so long going astray from the faith of this man jesus after the evil leading of my country men and kinsmen after the flesh, for whose speedy turning to the Lord I most earnestly pray, and giving the God of Abraham, Isaac, and jacob, hearty thanks for the working of his grace in me, by bringing me from the darkness, wherein my fathers have walked these fifteen hundredth years, into his marvelous light, to behold the face of his Christ our true and only Meshiach: I protest unto you, that I utterly forsake my former ways and the steps that my nation walketh in, leaving with them not only that false looking for an other Christ, but my name also which was given me at my circumcision (being jehuda) though in itself it be honourable: desiring that as I have received a new gift from the Lord, so in token thereof I may be called Nathanael: the sum of which gift, so far forth as he hath as yet revealed unto me, I here confess & acknowledge before you, that you may be witnesses with me of my faith in Christ that Meshiach, whom you believe in, and I receive for my redeemer.  
I confess with my mouth and believe from my heart, that the man jesus Christ born of the virgin Marie (according to the foretelling of our Prophets) and so, by the flesh he took of her, descending of the seed & stock of David for the continuance of his kingdom for ever over his people Israel, is the undoubted Meshiach promised to our fathers for the redemption and delivery of us his people out of the captivity we are in: which is not the captivity of Egypt or Babylon, or the captivity of the Romans Empire, which we have justly deserved by the shedding of his innocent blood through betraying and delivering him into the hands of the wicked to be crucified: but the captivity of sin, death, and damnation, prefigured unto us by our Prophets under the shadow of the foresaid captivities of Egypt and Babylon. Which things because our fathers understood not through ignorance of our scriptures, they did all those things which they wrought, against that holy one our only redeemer & saviour: & have by that means estranged themselves and their posterity from the common wealth in deed of Israel, that is to say, from the communion of the saints and children of God which make profession of this man's name, & believe in truth that he is the very Christ and only anointed saviour of the world which was so forepromised from the beginning of the world.  
And therefore in full assurance of this full and perfect and last delivery wrought for all them that are both nigh and far of, that is, for all that believe by that man jesus whom our Prophet's forenamed Immanuel, which is by interpretation, God with us, resting & reposing myself in this horn of salvation, I look for no other Messhiach and Christ to come hereafter, as the rest of my kindred an● people do, blinded through unbelief: being myself thoroughly persuaded by the Prophets that this is that Shiloh which was to come, that Angel of the Lord whom Elias, the Thesbite as we call him, was to go before, that is to say, john the Baptist: whom so●e of our Prophets call the voice in the wilderness sent to prepare the ways of this our King and holy one our redeemer, converting by his preaching the father's hearts unto the children, and the simple and unbelievers to the obedience of the righteous: For which cause also (as our words mean) he was by our fathers called Thesby, which is by interpretation, the servant of God to work repentance by.  
And because this man, who was appointed from the beginning to be our redeemer & deliverer out of the captivity of sin, was to work that great and marvelous redemption by his own death (as was prefigured unto us by our Passeover and all our sacrifices, and also declared by our Prophets) which he performed in his time appointed, being delivered into the hands of Pontius Pilate by our Scribes and Pharisies to be put to that shameful death of the Cross, whereof it is written in our law, Cursed be the man that hangs on the tree: which is so well known to all the house of Israel, that they call him even to this day in despite Talui, which is by interpretation, Hanged. Therefore I also confess and believe that our sacrifices commanded in our Law, by the hand of Mosheh, are at an end & not to be used any more: being in deed but shadows of this body and truth which was performed in and by this our Immanuel, God with us. And therefore I most willingly and freely renounce that doctrine of our Elders, which teacheth us that our delivery forespoken 〈◊〉 by our Prophets is or shall be a restoring 〈◊〉 us into our country and land of judea, the● to keep such ordinances and statutes touching sacrifices of goats and calves as wer● commanded us by the hand of Mosheh: being assured by the scriptures that the jerusalem, which we shallbe restored unto, is the kingdom of heaven from which we were cast through unbelief, and are again restored unto it as many of us as believe in this our Immanuel, by the same God with vs● whose blood hath opened us the way, an● not the blood of our goats & calves whic● were figures of this true and perfect sacrifice wrought by this man upon the cross, by virtue whereof they were available to so many of our fathers, as did believe, for the remiss of sins and delivery out of that thraldoms of the soul: and not out of the captivity ●●ther of Egypt, or Babylon, or this wher●● we and our forefathers have justly been eu●● since the unrighteous shedding of this ri●●●teous man's blood.  
Moreover I confess with my mouth 〈◊〉 believe in my heart that this same man jesus, the son of that virgin, is not only 〈◊〉 but God, both God and man: so called by our Prophets, Immanuel, God with us: God not made in time, nor after a season, but God from the beginning and without beginning, who was before the sun & shallbe after the sun (as our Prophet David saith) by whō●s all things were made from the beginning, so are they preserved by his mighty power, and of his kingdom there shallbe none end: Who as he is called the word of God his father, so were all the Prophets given and sent ●y him the only true interpreter and messenger of his Father's will: which he revealed from time to time to his people by the hands of his Prophets, as he thought best: ordering the measure of the revelation of himself, as might best stand with the time of his coming when he was to be presented unto the world. And therefore he opened himself ●nto our fathers in the times and days of ●ur Prophets, but darkly under types and figure's, laying a veil as it were over our eyes, to the end we should be more earnest & painful in seeking after him. But in the fullness of time, when the season appointed high his Father was come, than he revealed himself fully and plainly, preaching both himself the kingdom of heaven, and sending forth his Apostles to do the same: upon whom therefore he powered out the holy Ghost, which is called his Spirit, so performing that which our Elders set down as a proper mark of the coming of our Meshiach: to wit, that in that day our Prophets should cease & th● holy Ghost should be given to ignorant an● unlearned men, which we have seen fulfilled in the eyes of all Israel. And therefore I receive this word of God, which hath been fro● those days called the New Testament, as the true & undoubted word of God uttered by the same Spirit, which spoke in our Prophets.  
Again I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that that holy Ghost and Spirit, who was the director of all our Prophets, and was also promised by this m●●● jesus our Immanuel to be always with 〈◊〉 people, to lead them into all truth unto 〈◊〉 worlds end, is also very God, one in s●●●stance and nature with God the Father 〈◊〉 God the Son: but an other in persone● 〈◊〉 the Father & the Son differ in person. 〈◊〉 that there are not three Gods, but one Go●● neither one only person, but three person●● Which person of the holy Ghost, as he hath been from the beginning of the world by the everlasting counsel and determinate purpose of God the director and governor of his Church, that is to say, the assembly and company of his people agreeing together in unity of faith and doctrine, and did therefore for the bringing and maintenance of them into the unity of this faith and doctrine deliver them from God divers rites & ceremonies: divers in outward show, but one self same in effect and substance, having only for their ground and matter this man and God jesus Christ our Immanuel: So doth he continued still to nourish us up in the same, and therefore commends to us to be kept for 〈◊〉 everlasting covenant two sacraments, the one of Baptism, the other of the lords supper: which two the will of our Lord & God was and is, should be in place of the circumcision and Passeover commanded to our forefathers. Which I steadfastly believe and religiously confess, and therefore renouncing the former (as also all other rites and ceremonies of the Law) being but shadows of the body which is now performed and come, I most humbly desire to be received into the fellowship of these Sacraments: that as it hath pleased our Lord God and heavenvly 〈…〉 there, to reveal his son unto me, & to 〈◊〉 me again into the stock of my father Ab●●●ham (from whence I was cast out thro●●● unbelief with my forefathers, the stifneck 〈◊〉 and disobedient) So I may through B●●tisme be received and taken for a member 〈◊〉 this our Meshiach: whom I confess and 〈◊〉 knowledge to be the ●●●ly promised Chr●● in whom whosoever will have life must 〈◊〉 saved: whereof I ●●●ke and trust to be 〈◊〉 taker in the 〈◊〉 of the righteous which shall 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 again of this our Imman●el when he sha● come to judge the ●u●cke and the ●ea●.  
FINIS.   

To his beloved Mother, I K. sendeth greeting in the Lord.  
THE desire that I have to hear of your continuance, which Christ jesus in the day of this his battle which shortly shall end to the confusion of his proud enemies, neither by tongue, neither yet by pen can I express, beloved Mother. Assuredly it is such that it vanquisheth, and overcometh all remembrance & solicitude, which the flesh useth to take for feeding and defence of herself. For in every realm and nation God will stir up some one or other to minister those things that appertain to this wretched life, and if men will cease to do their office, yet will he send his ravens: so that in every place, perchance I may find some feathers to my body. But alas where I shall find children to be begotten unto God by the word of life, that can I not presently consider. And therefore the spiritual life of such as sometime boldly pro●essed Christ (god knoweth) is to my heart more dear than all the glory, riches, and honour in the earth. And the falling back of such men, as I hear daily