David's Harp full of most delectable armony, newly stringed and set in tune by Theodore Basille.  Psal. 97. 
¶ Praise the Lord upon the Harp, and sing to the Harp with a Psalm of thanks giving. With Trompectes also & Shawms, oh show yourselves joyful before the Lord the King.   

¶ The principal contents of this book.  

i. Of faith. Of the confession of faith, & of good works.  
two Of the cross, persecution & trouble for the truths sake.  
iii Of the vanity, falsehood & unrighteousness of man.  
iiii Of the benefits and great gifts of God.  
v Of bearing the Cross, & calling on the name of the LORD.  
vi Of vows to be paid, & what they  
seven Of the death of saints, & how (are precious it is in the sight of God.  
viii Of the church of Christ, and the synagogue of Antichrist.  
ix Of the free deliverance from the bonds of Satan thorough Christ.  
x Of the Sacrifice of praise.   
Read and thou shalt rejoice  
For hearing this heavenly voice.   

¶ To the right honourable Sir George Broke, Lord Cob ham, Theodore Basille wyssheth long life, continue all health & prosperous felicity.  
Although in the whole psalmody of Da vid, there can not be fo●…e one Psalm, which is not able to replenish the spiritual & true Christian man with such & so great joy, as is ineffable & can by no means be expressed, yet in my judgement and opinion this Psalm, which I have now from all the other selected to declare, being in number the hundred 
The excellency of the Psalm, which here after shallbe expounded.  & fifteen after the common Latin translation, far excelleth and challengeth the pre-eminence, as I may so speak For verily so oft as I rede●…t me thik I am in a ioyfuland delectable Paradyse, where all kind of pleasures do abound, & so oft as I taste of it, it seemeth unto me like a golden flood, which floweth forth with most goodly and pleasant streams, to conclude, this Psalm, so oft as I hear the words of it, beateth & replenisheth mine ears with such sweet and delectable armony, as none may justly be compared unto it, so that neither Mercurius, 
David excelleth all musicians.  Apollo, nor his son Orpheus, nor yet any other, whom the ancient poets do so greatly commend & exalt with incomparable encomies & praises in their most eloquent lucubrations and ornate monuments, are able to compare with this our minstrel David, being not only an excellent Musician, but also a puissant king and a divine Prophet Although they shame not to write that with their musical instruments they were able (their melody being of so great efficacy, 
The fantasies of the old poets con cerning their musicians.  virtue, strength, might & power) to make the great Oaks to shake their tops, to cause whole flocks of sheep, goats, oxen. etc. to follow them dancing pleasantly, to move mountains, to make the swift streams of the running floods to stand still, yea & to fetch out souls even out of hell. For all these things doth this our minstrel David also much more truly than they fain of their old Musicians. What other thing, I pray you, dreamt they by the shaking of the great and hard Okes tops, 
What the shaking of the Okes tops signify.  but only to show, that the word of God is of so great strength, that the Princes and rulers, yea even the mighty tyrants of the world can none otherwise then shake, treble, bow & do reverence unto it, & grant that it is the almighty word of truth, life, health & salvation, whereto they must needs obey & submit themselves, seeing that against it they can never prevail neither by act, council, wisdom assembly, synod, congregation, or any other human policy, as Solomon signifieth, there is no wisdom there is no forecast 
Pro. rri. Esa. viii.  there is no counsel that can prevail against the LORD, or else that what so ever they go in hand with all, shall come to nought & shall not prosper, yea that they themselves also shall be destroyed, as Christ saith: Who so falleth on this stone, shall be broken 
Matth. xxi  on pieces, & look upon whom it falleth, it shall grind him to powder.  
Again what meant they by the following and dancing of the 
What the daun●…ynge of the beasts signify  shape, goats, ox's. etc. but only to declare, that at the preaching of God des word all people rei●…se & are merry, as we may see in the most blessed virgin Mary, which replete with the great joy of this word, song on this manner: My soul magnifieth 
Luke. i.  the LORD, & my spirit hath rejoiced said in God my saviour. S. Elizabethe also wife to the most virtuous pressed ●…acharias & mother to the holy man S. Iohn baptist, said unto Mary her Cousin, when she came & had saluted her: Behold when I heard the voice of thy salutation, the babe did skip in my womb for joy. The Angels also said to the shepherds: Behold I show to you great joy. For there 
Luke. two.  is borne to you this day a saviour, which is Christ the LORD in the City of David. What can make us sooner to be merry, to dance, to 
A christian man's joy, & what it is.  skip & to leap for joy, than to hear that by Christ the alone saviour of the world we are delivered from our spiritual enemy Pharaoh the devil, and that by him we are 
Oz●…, 〈◊〉 i. Cor. xv. Heb 〈◊〉. i joan. v.  made safe from sin, death, hell, desperation. etc. to whom all thorough the sin of our father Adam, we were made servile, captive bond & thraull, & that we are now replenished with life, joy, pleasure, felicity, wealth, rest, peace, tranquillity quietness of conscience, and all kind of gladness.  
Moreover what is signified 
What the moving of the mountains signify.  by the moving of mountains, but the conversion of men of power from infidelity unto faith, from idolatry unto the true worshipping of God from superstition unto god lie religion, from the deeds of the flesh unto the fruits of the spirit, from affiance reposed in their own carnal & politic works, unto the trust in the true and living God.  
Furthermore what other thing 
What the standing still of the swift floods signify  did they figure & shadow by the stonding still of the swift floods, but only the great admiration, marveling, stupoure & wondering of the gentiles, when they heard a new kind of religion taught them, as we may see in the Acts of the Apostles? To be short, as touching the fetching of souls out of hell, what other thing mente they, than that 
What the fetching of Souls out of hell mean  by the preaching of Christ's Gospel the very dead in sin shall revive & be made alive again, as David saith, the law of the LORD is pure, it turneth souls. The witness of the LORD is faithful, and giveth wisdom unto babes. The statutes of the LORD are right & 
Psal. xviii.  rejoice the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure & giveth light to the eyes. Christ also saith, I am the resurrection & life, he that believeth in me, although he be dead, yet shall 
joan. xi.  he live, & every one that liveth and believeth in me, shall never die. Is not the Gospel of Christ called the 
Phil. two.  word of life in divers places of the holy Scripture because it quickeneth & giveth life to them, that be fore were dead & lay buried in the stinking dung hill of sin?  
Thus see we, that what so ever the old poets have written in times past concerning the excellency of the music of their Minstrels, it is altogether nothing else than a very type, figure, cloud & shadow of this our minstrel David, which doth the very same thing in deed, which they feigned in words. So that all the glory & praise of true music ought of right only to redound unto our most excellent Musician David. And although he showeth himself a very perfect Musician & cunning minstrel in all his other songs & Psalms, yet me think in this our Psalm he far excelleth & almost overcometh himself, his Harp soundeth so pleasantly & his song is so full of most sweet & delectable armony. Neither doth he entreat of vain, childish, light & trifling things, but of serious, 
Note how many godly & goodly things are entreated of in this Psalm.  grave, earnest & weighty matters. For he singeth of faith, of the confession of his faith, of good works of the cross, trouble & affliction, of the vanity & naughtiness of man, of the benefits of God, of the invocation & calling on the name of y● LORD, of the vows to be performed unto the LORD before his people, of the death of saints and how precious it is in the sight of God, of the free deliverance from Satan, sin, death, hell, desperation. etc. thorough Christ, of the Sacrifice of praise, and, as I may at the last make an end, of the right institution of a Christian man's life in this world. What song may be compared unto this our song? What Harp maketh so goodly & pleasant melody, as this Harp of David doth? Let all minstrels give place to this our minstrel. Let all haps & other musical instruments be silent & hold their peace, when David's harp entereth & cometh in place. Let all songs be banished, when David's Psalms be song. For what so ever David singeth, it is excellent & incomparable. He with 
Behold what David doth.  his songs exciteth, provoketh & enflameth the minds of the faithful & diligent hearers unto the love & desire not of transitory but of heaven lie things. He comforteth the conforteles. He exhorteth the synnner unto amendment of life. He lifteth up the desperate unto the hoop of God's mercy. He corroborateth & maketh strong the weak. He healeth the diseased. He raiseth up the dead unto life. He maketh the sad merry. He exhilarateth & rejoiceth the merely disposed. To conclude, he is a minstrel fit for all kind of parsons, so that they be bend unto god lines. Ah would God that all minstrels in the world, yea & all sort of parsons both old & young, would once leave their lascivious, wanton & unclean ballads, & sing such god lie & virtuous songs, as David teacheth them, whereby they might be avocated & called away from sin & excited & stored up unto virtue & goodness. For it is not uncomely for 
Not●….  Christian men to sing Christian songs, yea & that in all places, so that it be done reverently, & without any jesting, scoffing, railing, or reproach of other persons.  
Moreover who can deny that there 
The great virtue of David's harp.  is much & great virtue in David's Harp, saying that the sound there of did chase & drive away the unclean & wicked spirit out of king Saul, wherewith at other times he 
i Reg. xvi.  was miserably afflicted & troubled? Again must not David's songs be of great excellency, seeing that the son of god came down from the glorious throne of his heavenly fa 
The excellency of David's songs Luke, xxiiii Ephe. v.  there to accomplish & fulfil them? Doth not. Paul also say, be ye filled with the spirit, speaking among yourselves in Psalms, Hymns, & spiritual songs, singing & making melody in your hearts to the LORD ever giving thanks for all things in the name of our LORD jesus Christ? Certes the Psalmody of David may well be called the Trea 
The Psalmody of David is 〈◊〉 treasure house of the holy Scripture.  sure house of the holy Scripture. For it contain the what so ever is necessary for a christian man to know: There is nothing in the law, no thing in the Prophets, nothing in the preaching of Christ & of his apostles, that this noble minstrel, King & Prophet doth not decantate and sing with most goodly & manifest words. He singeth all the works & wondrous miracles of God from the beginning of the world, until the redemption of mankind by Christ. He singeth Christ's incarnation, preaching, working of miracles, passion, death, resurrection ascension, glory, the blessing of all nations, the conversion of the Gentiles with all other mysteries that pertain to our health. He singeth the judgement & mercy of God. He singeth the discommendation of vice & advancement of virtue. He singeth the vanity & unrighteousness of men's strengths without the help of God. To be short, he sigeth what so ever is expidiente for a Christian man's knowledge. So that even this one book alone of David's songs had been sufficient truly to instruct a man in the righteousness of God but that the goodness of God would, that our fragilite, weakness & ignorancy should be helped with more scriptures. O the wonderful & marvelous strength of David's Harp. O the great & exceeding virtue of David's songs. Happy is that man that delighteth & hath a pleasure in them for he shall never be vexed with an evil spirit. He shall alway abhor vice & enbrase virtue. He shall never be sad, but ever rejoice with a godly & 
Agood lesson for all men of honour.  spiritual mirth. Would God that all men of honour would nourish such minstrels in their houses, as David is, & that might sing unto them both at dinner & supper, yea and at all other times these most sweet & delectable songs of David So should both they & all their family be disposed to live more virtuously, than many be now a days, & be provoked to leave their pompous, gallant, wicked, venereal, fleshly, beastlike & unclean manner of living. Would God also that all 
Behold & follow.  fathers & mothers, all masters and mastresses, would bring up their children and servants in the singing of these most godly songs. Again, would God that all Schoolmasters & teachers of youth, would in stead of Uirgile, ovid, Horas, Catullus, Tibullus, Propertius. etc. teach these verses of David. For so should they not only obtain eloquence, but also divine erudition, godly knowledge, spiritual wisdom, & increase in all kind of ver tue, unto the great glory of God, the salvation of their own souls, the right institution of their own life the great joy of their parents, the good report of their teachers, and to the high commodity of the Christian public weal. God grafit that it may once thus come to pass. But I will return unto our Psalm, which I have entitled in the forehead of my book, David's Harp.  
Some man will marvel peradventure why I call this Psalm David's Harp▪ rather than on the other. The reason is this. There are contained in this Psalm, besides 
Why this Psalm is called David's Harp  other, ten special things, most worthy to be entreated of. The first is, faith. The second, confession of faith thee, whereby are understandde all good works. The third, persecution. The fourth, the vanity of man. The fift, the benefits of God The sixth, bearing of the Cross, the invocation & calling on the name of the LORD. The seventh, vows to be performed unto the LORD be fore all his people. The eight, the death of saints, & how precious it is in the sight of God. The nynte, free deliverance from the bonds of Satan thorough Christ. The tent the sacrifice of praise. These ten are equal in number with the strings of David's Harp, which also were ten as it appeareth by his own words where he saith, praise the LORD with harp, & with a psaltry of ten strings 
Psa. xxxii.  sing ye unto him. Again, O God, I will sing to the a new song, 
Psal. cxii●…  yea which a psaltry of ten strings will I make melody to the. What kind of musical instrument this psaltry was, which the Greeks call Nablon, of the Hebrew word Neball, it is uncertain to the writers. But that it was an instrument of ten strings, moche like unto an Harp, it is evident enough. Where of it came to pass that it is now commonly called David's Harp. But for as ●…nuche as it is no matter of weighty importawce, & only signifieth the true & spiritual gladness of the mind, where with a Christian man is replenished of the spirit, I will omit & let it pass, & after the common usage call it David's Harp, yea & so entitle this our psalm, desiring all men diligently to mark not the name of David's Harp, but the sweet sound & delectable melody that it maketh yea & the goodly & comfortable song, that he singeth unto it. So shall they acquire & get to themselves much spiritual joy, great knowledge, godly wisdom, & be very much edified in the doctrine of Christ's religion.  
Now for as much as I am not only credibly informed of other, but also perfectly persuaded that your right honourable lordship delighteth in nothing so greatly as in the holy scripture, which is the word 
Phil. two. joan. viii. Psal. xviii. jacob. i.  of life, the light of the world, the only treasure of Christianity and is abundantly able to save the souls of so many as hear it▪ believe it, & work thereafter: I thought it not unfitting, nor unworthy your honour to dedicate this my labour to your name trusting that by this means many other shallbe alured to the hearing of David's harmony, & be so inflamed with the fervent love & perpetual desire thereof, that they shall wish like pains to be taken in the declaration of that other Psalms, that they might be red with the more fruit. And would God that this my labour might excite store up 
Set hand to it, o ye that be learned.  & move other that far excel me in all kind of divine knowledge, and that can handle the scriptures more learnedly than I, to travail in the business of God's word, & so to set forth the sincer intellection and the right understanding thereof, that the veil might be taken away from the eyes of all men, & the true light shine universally without any impediment 
two. Cor. iiii.  or let. There is much harvest 
Math. ix. Luke. x. , but few workmen. We had need therefore to pray unto the Lord of the harvest, to send out labourers into his reap.  
But me think, I see your Lord ship very desirous to hear some of David's melody. I make an end desiring you most entirely, favourably to accept this my little gift, if not for my sake, yet for the love that ye have ever borne unto Da vid, being not only an excellent Mu sition & cunning minstrel, but also a puissant King & divine Prophet. God, whose holy word you most fervently love, and most earnestly practise in your daily conversation, mought vouchesaufe to preserve your right honourable Lordship & that virtuous Lady your wife, with all your most sweet children and family in perpetual health and prosperous felicity.  
Amen.   

David's Harp, The hundred & fifteen Psalm, call led in Latin, ●…redidi propter, with a fruitful exposition and godly declaration of the same.  

¶ The first verse.  I believed/ & therefore have I spoken/ but I was very sore troubled. 
THis first verse containeth three striges of davids harp, which are these, faith, confession of the faith, whereby are understand all good works, and persecution. These three therefore will I now, thorough the help of God's spirit, set in tune by right order.  

¶ The first string.  
I believed. Our first 
●…ayth is the first string of David's Harp, and the foundation of the Christian religion.  yea and base string is faith, & that not with out an urgent cause. For here see we, that as the base part is the ground of the whole song, so is faith the foundation of all the christian religion. And as without the base, the song is imperfect, & nothing worth, so like wise without faith all the works that we do, are unprofitable glister they never so pleasantly before the eyes of carnal men, & what so ever we sing after that sort, is clean out of tune, as saint Paul saith, what so ever is not grounded on 
Rom. xiiii.  faith, is plain sin. Therefore saith he in another place, it is not possible to please God without faith. 
●…eb. x●…  For he that cometh unto God, must believe that God is, & that he is a rewarder to them that seek him. In these aforesaid texts of saint 
Three things to be noted.  Paul three things are to be noted. One is that he saith, all that is not grounded on faith, is sin. Where of we learn, that faith is the foundation of all goodness, the mother & nurse of all good works. Another is, that without faith it is not possible to please god. The third that who so ever cometh unto god, must believe that God is, & that he is a rewarder to them that seek him. These thiges' show manifesteli how cunning & excellent Musician our minstrel David is, which first setteth his base string in tune, before he meddleth with any of the other. He followeth not the manner of Antichrist, 
Antichrist turneth the roots of trees up ward.  which turneth the roots of trees upward, neither is he like to them, which begin first to build in the top of the house, & afterward layeth the foundation, or that would have the fruits good, before there be any goodness in the tree, but he doth all things orderly. For he being inspired with the holy Ghost & doing all things by the instinct thereof, beginneth orderly of faith, saying that what so ever is not grounded 
Rom. xiiii. Heb. xi.  on faith, is sin, saying also that without faith no man can please God, be he never so glistering an Hypocrite before the world, & put he on never so glorious a visor of godlike holiness. Faith must needs be the base string & foundation of the Christian religion, seeing that infidelity & unfaithfulness is the destruction and utter decay thereof. For so long as faith remaineth, so long doth the Christian religion continue & prosper 
Mark well  well, but let faith be exiled, & unfaithfulness once invade the hearts of Christian men, & then goeth all to havoc, as we may see in our first parents Adam & Eva, which so long as they believed the word 
G●…n. iii.  of God & walked thereafter, prospered & lived right well, but wha they once gave over that, & fell unto incred●… lite, believing the words of the crafty serpent, rather than the gentle admonitions of so bounteous a lord, they became subject, bond & thraul to all kind of misery & wretchedness, so that thorough their unfaithfulness conjoined with like disobedience, 
Roma. v.  not they themselves only fell into captivity, but also all their posteri te. Now to be made free from this thrauldome, & to recover the liberty, which before we lost thorough disobedient unfaithfulness, the next & most ready way is to believe, as David teacheth here, or else by no means can we come unto God, nor yet please him. For he that cometh to godsayth s. Paul, must believe. So 
Heb. xi.  that if we will come again to God, we must believe. But what shall we believe? certes not only the god is which thing the devils also do, but that 
jaco. two. Marc. i Ephe. two.  he is a rewarder & beneficial father to them that seek him, as the Apostle teacheth. For although we were dead thorough sin, & walked after the fashion of this world, even as men altogether ungodly and wholly estranged from all goodness, yet hath God, which is rich in mercy, for his great charity, wherewith he loved us, quickened & made us alive again, yea & that thorough Christ 
mat. iii. xvii Marc. i xi. two. Pet. i joan. three Rom. viii. Heb. ix. x. Psal. cix.  in whom he hath showed the abundance & riches of his grace, for whose sake also he is well pleased with man, so that he spared not his own son, but gave him even unto the very death for our sake, that by that one oblation of his most blessed body, an omnisufficient & perpetual sacrifice for ever to endure all alone sufficient, should be offered for them that are sanctified. These things to be true the holy scriptures show evidently Therefore if we will be of God, and come unto him, we must not only beleu●… the God is, but that all these things are true, & shall undoubtedly chance unto us, as God hath promised. For the true & christian faith cleaveth fast to the word of God only, & doubteth nothing thereof, as S. Paul saith, faith cometh 
Rom. x.  by hearing, & hearing by the word of God. Now as we were lost before by believing Satan's deceitful promises, so the only way to be saved is to believe the sweet comfort able and infallible promises of God, which he hath made to us so plenteously in the most precious blood of his dearly beloved son o●…re Lord & saviour jesus Christ. For this faith maketh us of the children of the devil, the sons of God, as S. Iohn 
joan. i.  testify thee, so many as received him, he gave them power to be made the son sons of God, in as much as they be letted on his name. Also S. Paul 
Gala. iii.  ye are all the sons of God, because ye have belevedi Christ Iesu. Now if by faith, we be the sons, of God than are we also heirs. Yea verily we are the heirs of god, & fellow hay res with Christ. Again by faith, 
Rom. viii. Gala. iiii. Oze. two.  are we married unto god, as god himself witnesseth by his Prophet saying, I will mary the unto me in faith. By faith also are we justified & made righteous, as S. Paul 
Roma. v.  saith, we bring justified by faith have peace with god thorough our Lord jesus Christ.  
Thus see we what an excellent treasure this true & christian faith is, & how by that all good things chance unto us, & without that, all that ever 
Roma. xiiii.  we do, must needs come to nought, & work to us damnation. But saying that I have spoken much of faith in all my works almost, which I have hitherto set forth, I will now cease to speak any more 
Search the Christmas Ban●…ket in the third dish the Pathewaye unto Prayer in the xvi. Chap. and the nosegay in the second flower. etc.  of it at this present, & go forth with the residue of David's Harp, only adding this one thing, that the faith, which the scripture so hyghlyavaunceth, is no dead & unfruit full faith, but livish & mighty in operation, being alway bend and seeking an occasion to do good, & when time cometh, is no less ready to bring forth good works, than a woman big with child is ready to bring forth her child, when her time of deliverance is once come, as it followeth.   

¶ The second string.  And therefore have I spoken. 
VUe herd before that faith is the foundation of the Christian 
Faith bringeth forth good works.  religion, the mother & nurse of all godly works. Which thing to be true, our minstrel proveth here. For after he hath made mention of faith, he singeth also of good works. I believed, saith he, & therefore have I spoken. Here see we, that the true & christian faith worketh ever by charity, which extendeth both 
Gala. v.  unto god & our neighbour. What was the cause that David did speak? verily his faith. I believed, saith 
Faith is the cause of all goodness.  he, & therefore have I spoken. Faith goeth before, & works follow. For first he believed all things to be true, which god promised him in the holy scriptures or otherwise, as by the mouth of his holy Prophets, and thereof afterward ensued a very earnest & fervent love toward god, which made him to love god again, & to speak those things, whereby the glory of god was set forth, & the health of his neighbour sought, so that by this means he showed himself perfectly faithful both before god and man. And this is it, that saint Paul writeth, it is believed with 
Roma. x. Mark well.  the heart unto righteousness, but with the mouth is confession made unto health. A christian man setting before the eyes of his mind the unmeasurable goodness of God toward us thorough his son Christ, & giving earnest faith thereunto, can none otherwise but love God again & seek all means possible to please him, to work his will, & to do that which he requireth of him. He is ready at all times to bring forth good works after the example of David, as to speak the mysteries of God, to set forth the glory of God, to publish his most holy word, to bring all men to the true knowledge of God & even to engraft them in the body of Christ. All these things worketh the quick & livish faith in him thorough the spirit of God. For faith 
Behold the nature of true & christian faith.  will not suffer him to be idle, but all though thorough faith he be delivered red out of captivity, made the son of God, justified already in the sight of God, before he bringeth forth any outward good works, yet doth this true & christian faith kindle such a love in his heart toward god & the fulfilling of his commandments, that he hath a perpetual desire in his mind to work that which is good, & when occasion is given, he falleth straightways to working, not his own fantasy, but the will of God. So that now he doth not only believe in God, & love God in his heart, but also bring for the those works, which God hath appointed him, as David saith, I believed, & therefore have I spoken: As though he should say, for as much as I am fully persuaded of the bounty & goodness of God toward me, & believe that all things are true, & shall come to pass undoubtedly according to his promise, I can none otherwise do but work, & speak those things that pertain unto his glory, do what so ever should make unto the magnifienge of his most blessed name, & the edifying of my neighbour, though an hundred deaths were im●…inent & hanging on my head for so doing. Every tree is known, saith Christ, 
Math. xi●…. Luke. vi.  by his fruit. For there is no good tree, that bringeth forth evil fruit, neither is there any evil tree, that bringeth forth good fruit. A good man bringeth for the good fruit out of the good treasure of his heart, & an evil man out of the evil trea sure of his heart, bringeth forth evil things. For of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.  
We read in the Acts of the Apostles, that when Peter & Iohn were commanded of the bishops & priests, that they should speak no more to any man, nor teach in the name of jesus christ, they aunwered bold lie & said, whither it be righteous in the sight of god to hear you ra ther than god, judge ye. For we can 
Act. iiii.  none otherwise do but speak those things, that we have seen or heard. Mark that they said, we can do none otherwise but speak. How chanced it that Peter (as I may speak nothing of Iohn) was now bold 
Math. x●…vi Mar. xiiii. Luke. xxii. joan. xviii.  to speak, and confess the name of Christ without fear before the head priests & magistrates of the Temple which not many months paste, was not only afeard to confess him before a poor maid, but also forswore Christ, denied him utterly, & said plainly he never knew the man? How cometh it to pass, that Peter is now become another man? Before he had no commandment of the bishops to speak no more of Christ, and yet he utterly denied him, & now when he is commanded 
Act. iiii.  to hold his peace, he will not, but answereth boldly, we can none otherwise do but speak those things, that we have seen & heard. How cometh this to pass? verily of the great efficacy, virtue, strength, and power of his faith, which God had given him by his holy spirit. His 
Math. xvi.  faith was now so steadfast on God & his love so fervent, that the gates of hell could not prevail against him, nor drive him from doing those things, that should make unto the glory of God, and the health of his neighbour, as we may perceive by the History. For notwithstanding the commandment of the bishop ●…es, he went forth & preached in the name of Christ, & converted many unto the christian faith, & when the head priests said unto him & unto that other Apostles, did not we straightly command you, that ye should not teach in this name? And behold ye have filled Jerusalem full of your doctrine, & ye will bring the blood of this man upon us. Peter & the 
Act. v. Gene. xxvi. Exo. xv. Deu. xi. thirty Actum. v.  other Apostles answered & said: We must obey God rather than men. afterward also when they were whipped, & so sent away, receavig a commandment, that they should no more speak in the name of jesus, they went away from the sight of the council, rejoicing and being glad, that they were counted worthy to suffer rebuke for the name of Christ. And for all the commasidement of the bishops they ceased not day lie both in the temple & in every house to teach and to show jesus Christ.  
Here see we both by our Mistrell david, & the apostles of Christ, how 
Note.  mighty in power the true & christian faith is & that it is never without that consent of doing good works, and when occasion is offered, it worketh in deed, yea and that those works, which are commanded of God.  
Let every man now consither his own faith, & take heed he be 
An admonition for Faith.  not deceaned. Many in these our days glory much of the name of faith, & contend mainly, that we are justified only & freely by faith, yea & that without works. Let no man deceive himself. faith, I, is an excellent treasure, & the gift of God, without the which no man can be saved, nor obtain any part of Christ's merits, butt yet for all that, if it be not accompanyedde with a continual purpose of doige good works, yea & also bring them forth, when occasion is given, surely it is but a vain & dead faith, as S. james wryghteth, 
Ia●…ob. it Galla.. v.  yea to say the truth, it is no faith in deed, at the least no true, livish & christian faith, which is mighty in operation & worketh by chari te. We see manifest fruits follow the faith of David & the Apostles. Let us also bring forth good works, & so may we be sure, that we have in us the true & christian faith, which is so precious a thing in the sight of God.  
Art thou a magistrate & governor 
Rulare.  of the common weal? If thou wilt show thyself to have true faith in god, bring forth good, & such as become thy office and calling. Exercise justice. Do no wrong. Be merciful. Spoil not the poor man. Help the conforteles. Ponyshe vice, maintain virtue. So shalt thou be assured to have the true & christian faith in the.  
Art thou a bishop or Pressed? preach the word of God purely. 
Bishop or Pressed.  Set forth the glory of God above all things. seek the salvation of Christ's flock. Be an example to thy parishioners of honest & godly conversation versation. Exhort unto virtue. Fray away from vice. If thou dost this, than nedeste thou not doubt of thy faith.  
Art thou a father or mother, 
Father or Mother. Master or Masters  master or masters? Bring than up thy family in the nurture of the Lord, & so art thou truly faithful.  
Art thou a married man? Look 
Married man.  thou cleave only to thy wife, love her as thine own flesh, & as christ loved the Congregation. So shall thy faith appear to be unfeigned.  
Art thou a married woman? Be obedient to thine own husband, 
Married woe man.  & seek above all things to please him, & so shalt thou show thyself to be truly faithful.  
Art thou a subject or servant? 
Subject or servant.  Obey than with a glad & humble heart thy superiors, rulers & masters. So shalt thou be found not unfaithful.  
To be short, in what so ever state God hath set thee, live according 
A general admonition for all estates.  thereunto, & in thy office & calling seek evermore the glory of God, & the health of thy neighbour. If thou dost this, than shalt thou show thyself to be no vain man, but faithful & true in thy profession. But if thou dost the contrary, crack thou never so much of thy faith, yet te doth it profit the nothing at all, but rather increaseth thy damnation, saying thou art an Hypocrite & dissembler both before God & man. Certes if thou hast the true faith in thee, thou shalt be so inflamed with 
Behold●… what. 〈◊〉 true fay●… worketh●… Christ●…n ●…an. Rom viii.  the love of God, & disposed unto all goodness that thou wilt not fear to say with S. Paul, who shall separate us from the love of God: shall trouble do it? or anguish? or persecution? or hunger? or nakedness? or peril? or sword? as it is written, for thy sake are we killed all the day long, y●… we are counted as sheep appointed to be slain. Nevertheless 
Psal. ●…iii.  in all these things we overcome far re, for his sake that loved us For I am sure, that neither death nor life, neither angel, nor rule, neither power, no their things present, neither things to come, neither height nor loweth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ jesus our Lord. Again he saith, I am not 
Act. xxi.  only ready to be bound, but also to die for the name of the Lord jesus. So mighty a thing is faith, that it neither feareth menacing words, cruel threats, sharp looks, empresoning, fetters, chenes, fagots, fire, nor what so ever tyranny all the tyrants of the world can invent. It maketh the parson, whose heart it occupieth, to be so●… flamed & set on fire with the love of God, & the 
Persecution followeth the confession of God's word.  desire of doing his will. wilt thou hear me? If thou believe aright in God & workest according to thy faith, confessing Christ & his word boldly and unfeignedly before the world, thou mayst be sure to find little favour at the hands of carnal & worldly men, as thou shalt easily perceive by that which followeth.   

¶ The third string.  But I was very sore troubled. 
AFter that our minstrel hath made mention of faith & of spe king the word of God (whereby are to be understand all good works that proceed & come forth out of faith) he now singeth of the Cross, & showeth that he was very sore troubled, grievously threatened, uncharitably blasphemed, evil reported, maliciously persecuted, cru elly handled, & suffered all kinds of torments for uttering & declaring the word of God. I believed, saith he & therefore have I spoken, but I was very sore troubled. Here see we that as good works follow faith, so doth persecution follow the confession of God's word. For this cause doth S. Paul cawl the gospel of 
i Cor. i.  Christ, the word of the Cross, because it bringeth persecution trouble, blasphemies, slanders, evil reports, empresonment, hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness, poverty, loss of friends, yea & at the last very death oftentimes to so many as cleave unto it valiantly. Christ's word & the Cross are companion's 
Note.  inseparable. As the shadow followeth the body, so doth the Cross follow the word of Christ. And as fire & heat can not be separated, so can not the Gospel of Christ & the cross be plucked asunde●…. Let us call to remembrance so many as from the first age of the world favoured god and his word, & howmanye shall we fid that escaped without the Cross one way or other? as I may leave of to speak of all the other old and ancient patriarchs, & at this time only take righteous Abel for an example, which of all men showed the first example of pure innocency and of a thankful heart toward God for his benefits, was not he shortly 
Gene. iiii.  slain of his bloody brother cruel Cain, yea & that only because his own works were nought, & his 
i joan. iii.  brother's good, as the scripture testifieth As fire & water put together 
The good & the evil. can 〈◊〉 agree.  fight, strive & are ever at debate, till one hath swallowed up another devoured one another, overcome one another, so likewise so long as good & evil dwell together in this world, there shall be a perpetual descension between them. The evil will ever hate the good, & never be at rest till the innocent be had out of the way, not that the good doth 
Note this well.  any displeasures unto the evil, but that the evil can not away with the good, no more than the ravening wolf can away with the poor harmless sheep, or the hungry hawk with the simple dove, as Christ saith, The Prince of this world cometh, 
joan. xiiii  & yet hath he nothing against me How little favour also did Moses & Aaron find among the diso bedient jews after they brought 
Exo. xvi. and. xvii.  them out of captivity from the land of Egipte? Were not they many in danger of their lives for all their labour & pain that they took for their health & salvation? How were the Prophets handled, 
Math. v. Luke. xiii. iiii. Esd. i. Mat. xxiii. Heb. xi. two. P●… xxiiii  which preached in the name of the Lord? Were not some stoned to death? Some slain with sword? Some sawn in pieces? As I mayepasse over holy men, jacob, joseph, David Helias, Ananias, Azarias, Misael Tobias, Eleazarus, the mother among 
〈◊〉. Ma●…. seven. Exo xii. joan. i i. Petre. two. ●…say. liii. i joan. three two. Cor. v Math. xi. Luke. seven. joan. viii. x Mat. xvii. Mark. xv. Luke. ●…xii. joan. ix. Mat ix. xii Marc. i  the Machabites, & her seven sons, with other innumerable, which either suffered death, or else great trouble & persecution for the glory of God: How was Christ that lamb of God without spot which did never no sin, in whose mouth there was never any guile & deceat found handled in this world? How was he railed upon so soon as he began to speak & preach the word of his celestial father? Was he not called a glutton? A wine bibber? A friend to Publicans, harlots & sinners? A deceiver of the people? A mad person? A Samaritan? A breaker of the Sabbath day? A heretic? A destroyer of the Temple? An even my to our mother the holy church? A traitor? A forbydder to pay tribute unto Cesar? And such a one as would mar altogether, if he were suffered long? Was he not reported to work his miracles & to cast out devils by the help of Beel zebub prince of the devils? Was not his doctrine counted new learning? What did he at any time, although never so good & godly, that the world did not discommend and condemn? Did not their malice at the last grow unto such fury, that they never ceased, until they 
Phil. two. Mark.  had put him unto death, yea & that the most spiteful death, that could be invented, even the death of the cross, hanging him between two thieves, as the principal malefactor & chief captain of all wickedness? Again how were the Apostles of Christ entreated? verily even as their master was before them. How oft were they slandered, laid watch 
Act. iiii v. xiii. xiiii. Act. xii. Act. seven.  for threatened, beaten, whipped scourged, put in preson, cast out of cities, ston, & dragged out of the towns for dead? How many also of them were slain? Some with stones, some with sword, some other wise? How were both they & their doctrine blaspemed & evil spoken of? Were not they reported & accused 
Ac. xvi. xvii.  before the magistrates, princes & rulers, that they were such pesti ferous fellows, as troubled the common weal, yea all the world, made insurrections, raised up seditions, gathered together unlawful assem blies, wrought contrary to the decree es of Cesar, making another king even Christ? Were not they called vain babblers? tidings bearers of new devils? Sowers of strange & new doctrine? It is therefore no new thing for the preachers of god's word & the earnest lovers of the holy Scripture to be thus railed upon, slandered, evil spoken of, persecuted, & put to death even for the glory of God & showing of the truth What need I rehearse the innume rabble companies of the holy martyrs, 
Martyrs.  which sins the Apostles time for the testimony & witness of God's word have suffered great persecution, and at the last cruel death? Read the Histories, who that listeth, & he shall soon perceive, that persecution hath ever 
Persecution maketh God's word & the church of Christ to flourish.  followed the true preaching of god des word, & that the church of Christ hath than most flourished in all kind of virtue, & the christian faith been most strong, when there was most extreme persecution. For the blood of the holy martyrs is the water, wherewith the gospel of Christ is watered & made to grow. So that per secution hindereth not the glory of the gospel, as the Nerolyke Tyrants 
Behold.  judge, but furthereth it greatly And where most persecution is, there doth God's word most of all flourish. Nothing hindereth the faith of Christ so much, as carnal security & fleshly quietness. For where all things are according to the 
☞  appetite & desire of the flesh, there reign beastlike manners, there is no care of God, no invocation of the lords name, no study of divine religi on, no meditation in the holy scriptures, no regard of the poor people, no desire of innocent life. But when persecution once cometh for the word of God, than is God called upon with most hearty & feruemprayers, than are the holy scriptures searched, than do men study for the amedment of life, than do they seek the accomplishment of gods most holy will, than are they altogether desirous of celestial things, and utterly contemn & set at nought 
We ought to reiose in the time of persecution.  what so ever pleaseth the eyes of carnal men in this world. Therefore when persecution cometh for righteousness sake, let us not despair, but make ourselves conformable to the will of God, rejoice & be merry. Let us set before our eyes the ex amples of Christ & of all his church, even from the beginning of the world, Abel, Abraham, Isaac, jacob, the people of Israel in Egipte, David, josias, the Prophets and apostles. We must, saith S. Paul 
Rom. viii.  be made like unto the image of the son of God. If our elder brother Christ possessed not the eternal enheretaunce, but by the Cross, shall we that are of a meaner sort think to enjoy it after a more easy sort? To whom is this saying unknown. By many tribulations we must 
Act. xiiii.  enter into the kingdom of God. Christ bore the cross, but he bore it not away with him, but left it here behind him to be borne of us also, if we will be his Disciples, as he saith, if any man cometh unto me, & hateth not his father & mother, 
Luke. xiiii.  wife, children & sisters, yea & his own life, he can not be my disciple. And who so ever beareth not his 
Math. x. Luke. vi. joan. xiii. xv.  cross & come the after me, he can not be me disciple. The disciple is not above the master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough that the disciple be like his master, & the servant like his Lord. If they have called the father of the house hold Beelzebu●…, how much more shall they so call them, that be of his household? If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before you. Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore doth the world hate you. Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have per secuted me, they shall also persecute you. If they have kept my word, they shall also keep yours. But all these things shall they do to you for my name's sake, because they have not known him, that hath sent me. verily verily I say unto you, ye shall weep & lament, but 
joan. xvi.  the world shall rejoice. Ye shall be sad, but your sadness shallbe turned into joy. In the world ye shall have affliction and trouble, but be on a good comfort, for I have overcome the world. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousness sake, for unto them belongeth the king doom of heaven. blessed are ye, when men shall revile you & persecute you, 
Math. v.  & speak every evil word against you, dying for my sake. Rejoice & be merry, for great is your reward in heaven. S. Peter also saith, dear 
i Pet. iiii.  lie beloved marvel not, when ye be proved by fire, which thing is done to try you, as though some strange & new thing chanced unto you, but rather rejoice in that ye are partakers of the passions and troubles of Christ, that when his glory shall appear, ye may also be merry & rejoice. If ye be reviled for the name of Christ, blessed are ye, for the spirit, which is the spirit of glory & of God, resteth upon you Hereto pertaineth the saying of 
two. Tim. two.  S. Paul, this is a true saying, if we be dead with him, we shall live with him also. If we suffer together we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he also shall deny us. If we be unfaithful, yet abideth he faithful, he can not deny himself.  
Of all these scriptures it is evident, 
Persecution is a token of God's love toward us.  that it is no sorrowful, but joy full thing to suffer persecution for righteousness sake, for the glory of God, & the promotion of his most blessed word. Neither is it a token of god's wrath, but rather of his sin gulare benevolence and high good will toward them, which are troubled for his sake. For if they be hap pie, to whom it is given to believe in Christ, how moche more happy & fortunate are they, to whom it is not only given to believe in him, but also to suffer for him. S Paul 
Phil. i.  rejoiced greatly in the Philippians because it was given them, not on lie to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for his sake. For hereby are they assured to be Christ's disciples, and are abundantly certified that God loveth them, careth for them, and hath prepared for them a glorious & celestial mansion. Rede the. xii. chapter to the Heb. for thy comfort.  
Therefore as David teacheth us here, let us first believe steadfastly in God, & afterward confess that open lie before the world, which we believe 
Math. x. Marc. viii. Luke. ix. and. xii.  in our hearts, remembering these words of Christ, who so ever shall confess me before men, I will confess him also before my father, which is in heaven. But who so ever shall deny me before men, I shall deny him also before my father, which is in heaven. And if it be the will of our heavenly father, that we be persecuted, troubled, & grievously vexed for the confession of his truth, let us not therefore fear to confess the Lord Christ, but as good soldiers 
two. Tim. two.  of jesus Christ, valiantly suffer affliction, yea very death, if the glory of God so requireth, being assuredly persuaded, that by this means not only God shall be great lie glorified, & his holy gospel large lie promoted, but also that we for this short trouble shall receive perpetu all rest, for this corruptible life, immortal glory, for the vain pleasures of this world eternal felicity and everlasting joy worlds with out end. Amen.  
But let us hear what David spoke, that he was so sore troubled.    

¶ The second verse.  I said being as it were in a trance/ every man is a liar. 
¶ The fourth string.  
NO marvel in deed though our minstrel David saith, 
What the occasion was that David was so foretroubled  that he was sore troubled for speaking. For he singeth a very homely song little pleasant and sweet to the ears of beastlike, carnal & fleshly men. Who can abide to be called a liar, yea & that without any reverence taken? yet he shameth not to speak universally, & to say that every man is a liar, without exception. Surely me think that David wanteth here the chief point 
The chief point of a minstrel & of a singing man is to lie & flatter.  of a minstrel & of a singing man, which is to lie & flatter, or at the least to fashion his song according unto the audience, & with his singing to please so many as hear him. Is David now become a man of so little experience, that he thinketh the holy Pharisees, the wise Scribes, the learned bishops, the devout priests, the godly rulars of the temple. etc. could be contented to be called liars, which would be noted though row out all the world to be the princi palls teachers of all verity & truth, & alone to have the key of knowledge Undoubtedly David kept sheep to long for to be a minstrel to such delicate & soft religious parsons. But David was a good plain, simple, & homely man brought up in the country, & endued with that spirit, wherewith S. Paul was, when he 
Gala, i.  said, If I did please men, I should not be the servant of Christ●…. For even as Iohn Baptist, when he saw many of the Pharisees & Saducees con 
Math. iii. Luke. iii.  ming unto his baptism, called them the generation of vipers for all their glistering hypocrisy & feigned holiness, & as Christ called the Scribes 
Math. xxiii  & Pharisees blind guides, straining out a gnat but swallowing up a ca mell, painted sepulchres, outward lie in appearance righteous before men, but inwardly full of hypocrisy & iniquity, & as S. Paul called Ana 
Act. xxiii.  nias the high pressed a painted wall, because more like a bocher than a bishop, he commanded them that stood about him to smite Paul on the mouth contrary to all equity & justice, when he should have pourged himself before the council of the Articles laid against him, even so David can none otherwise but call him that is a liar, a liar in deed. He can not bear fire in one hand & water in the other. He can not play placebo. He is none of those, that say all is well, when altogether is stark nought. He is no dissembler, his heart & his tongue goeth together. He is as plain as a pack staff. For as the truth is, so speaketh he, having respect neither to the parson nor to the tyme. He seakethe the glory of God, & not to satisfy the vain fantasy of man. He had rather suffer great rebuke, moche trouble, extreme persecution, yea very death, than that God's glory should in any part be obscured thorough his feigning flattery. God send us fewer gnathos & more 
AMEN. good Lord  David's. But let us return to our song.  
I said being as it were in a trance, saith he, every man is a lie are. Before David confesseth that every man is a liar, it is to be noted that he saith, he was in a trauns that is to say, in a damp, a stupour, abashment, & sudden prevation of sense or feeling, as when a man is so rapt into another kind or state that he forgetteth himself, or seemeth to be in another world, as they use to say. For all this doth the greek word Ecstasis sound. A like thing we read of S. Paul in the second Epistle to the Corinthians. 
two. Cor. xii.   
It is necessary in deed, that David 
What David's tra●…s signify.  should be in this Ecstasy & trance that is, that he should be transformed into another man, renewed by the holy ghost, illumined with divine knowledge, lifted up to y● cōtēplac●… on of heavenly things, & have his mind wholly rapt & plucked from carnali te unto spiritual & ghostly matters, or else could he never have confessed this infallible truth, that every man is a liar. For a natural man doth not perceive those things that pertain unto the spirit of God. For they are foolishness unto him, neither can he understand them, because they be spiritually 
i Cor. two. Math. xii.  judged. How can a man speak good things, when he himself is evil? Can blessing & cursing come both out of one mouth? Doth a fountain 
Lnke. vi. jacob. iii.  send for the at one place sweet water & bitter also? Can a fig tree ●…eare olive berries, either a vine bear figs? Of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. He 
joan. three.  that is of the earth, is earthly, and speaketh of the earth, but he whom god hath sent, speaketh the words of God. Every man speaketh, as he is. The children of truth, speak truth, & the sons of a lying seed speak lies & falsehood. Now is david no moresuch a man, as of nature is a liar, butt he is regenerate, & borne anew of the holy ghost, & is no moreof that false & lying seed, which deceiveth according to the nature, 
joan. viii.  ingeny & proper●…e of Satan, which is a liar, & the father of all lying, & therefore confesseth he now another tale, than he would have done before his regeneration & new birth He would before have glorified in 
The nature of flesh.  himself, in his flesh, in his blood, in his strength, wisdom, policy, riches, holiness, good works, and all that ever he did, (for that is the nature of all flesh) and have fought man fully against them that condemn the Hypocrisy, feigned holiness, iniquity & unrighteousness of the flesh but now being nourtered in the discipline of God's truth, he freely granteth every man of his own nature to be nothing but a liar which thing S. Paul also affirmeth in his Epistle to the Romans. 
Rom. iii. What we are of ou●… selves.   
Hereof may we learn what we are of ourselves, how blind and unapt of our own nature to aspire, breath, or come to any point of true godliness & godly truth with out the inspiration of God's spirit. It is not without a cause said of 
Gen. vi.  God, My spirit shall not dwell for ever in man, for he is flesh, If we be left unto ourselves, than are we nothing but liars, that is to say 
Note.  beastlike, wicked, foolish, ungodly, thinking all abomination, breathing all naughtiness, speaking all wickedness, doing all mischief, & even such without feigning as we were left of our first father Adam after the transgression of Gods 
Gene. iii.  precept, that is to say, naked, void of all goodness, replete with all evil. Therefore before we can 
Search the News out of heaven.  savour aright any godliness, & work that which is acceptable in the sight of God, & healthful to our souls, we must be in this trance, into the which David was cast, we must be transformed into another nature, & lifted up unto the contemplation of divine & celestial things. But 
Psal. ●…xv. Rom. iii. two. Cor. iii  this can not come to pass of our own strengths, which are liars of ourselves, & not able to think a good thought, but by the help of god's spirit, which worketh in us both the will & the deed. For Christ 
Phil. two. joan. vi. Esay. ●…iii. iii jere. xxxi.  saith, no man can come unto me, except my father draweth him, & I shall raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets, All shall be taught of God. Every one therefore that hath heard of the father, & hath learned, cometh unto 
joan. xv.  me. I gain, without me ye can do no thing. When Peter confessed Christ to be the son of the living God, he said unto him: blessed art 
Math. xvi.  thou Simon the son of jonas, for flesh & blood hath not opened that unto thee, but my father which is in heaven.  
Here see we that flesh & blood, that is, all that ever we have of our selves, & of our forefather sinful Adam, can not: attain unto the intelligence of the divine mysteries, & understanding of God's truth, except we 
joan. vi.  be drawn of the father by his holy spirit. Now that we may therefore come unto this true knowledge of God, & of his truth, let us pray with that spouse. Draw me after that so shall we run in the sweet savourof 
Cant. i.  thine ointments. So shall we be sure not only to become new men, but all so with a free & willing heart grant with David that every man is a liar.  
Every man is a liar, saith he. This is to be understand before he 
How every man is a ly●…e.  be regenerate & borne anew by the second birth, not in Adam, but in Christ. For so many as have put of the old man Adam, & put on the new man Christ, so many are no more men if we have respect unto their spiritual regeneration, but Gods, as the holy scripture saith ye are gods & all of you are the sons of the most 
Psal. ●…xxxi joan. x  highest. But all that have not on the Lord jesus Christ, remain still liars, & all that ever they do or speak without Christ & his most holy word, is nothing but a very lie, and mere fancy, a mad dotage, seemeth it never so true in the iuge ment of carnal reason. And this false & dying corruption cometh not of God (for God is not the Author of 
Psal. v. jacob. i.  sin, nor one that wylony unrigh teousnes, neither tempteth he any man unto evil, as s. james saith) but of Satan the mortal enemy of mankind, which lying full craftily 
Gen. iii.  unto Eve, & sowing this seed in her, & she in Adam, & Adam in all his posterity, brought us into this damnable & false lying state, so that by nature, as S. Paul saith. We are all borne the sons of wrath, & all 
Ephe. two.  that ever we do of ourselves without the spirit of God, is lying, false, 
joan. iii.  wicked, unfaithful, & detestable be fore God, as Christ testifieth, That which is borne of flesh, is flesh. Also S. Paul, All that is not grounded on faith, is sin. 
Rom. xiiii.   
Of this false and lying seed was 
Gen. iiii.  Cain, which s●…ewe his brother Ab●… 
Liars of the old Te●…tament.  with innumerable more of the old Testament, even so many as attempted any thing at all contrary to God des most holy will, as banishing God's word, shedding innocent blood, killing the true Prophets of God, setting up strange worshyppynges of new Idols, proclaiming other gods, than the one and alone God of Israel. etc. In the new Testament also there were many li 
Liars of the new Test.  arse, as Bishops, head priests, pre stes, masters of the Temple, layers Scribes, Pharisees, Saducees with an innumerable company of jews, which all resisted Christ, condemned his preaching, obscured the glory of his miracles, hindered the honour of God, belied the verity of God's word, slandered the gospel, blasphemed Christ & his Apostles, never ceasing until they had brought both him and his unto their final destruction as they thought. After 
Liars after the apostles tyme.  them did there arise a great swarm of pestilent liars, as Heretics, Schismatykes, & false Christians. Of this number was Ebion, Martion, and Cherinthus, which denied Christ to be God from everlasting against whom S. Iohn did write his Gospel: Catarus & Novatus, which affirmed, that they which did fall after Baptism ought not to be received again, neither can they obtain remission of their sins: Eutiches, which denied Christ to be both God & man: Montanus Martion, & Manicheus which condemned both marriages & meats, as things unpure: Arrius, Pelagius, Artemon, Sabellius, Paulus Samosetanus, with other innumerable, which did sow much division in the church of Christ, & brought in many pestilent & detestable heresis. All these aware liars, because they were without the spirit of god, and invented sects & opinions of their own brains without the authority of God's word, so easy a thing is it for men to err, to deceive & to be deceived, when they lean not to the holy scriptures, but to their own judgements and fantasies.  
And would God that all lying were only found in them, whom I have rehearsed hitherto, than were it well with Christ's church. But who that ever lived, Christ alone except, hath not showed himself in some point to be a man, that is to say, a liar? Peter confessed christ to be the son of the living God, 
Mat. xvi.  & therefore was he called blessed, and promised that against that confession of his faith, hell gates should not prevail, yet when he afterward 
Math. xxvi  denied Christ and forswore him, he showed himself to be a man, that is, a very liar, so feeble and of no strength are we, if we be not endued with valiance, might, & power from above. I here freely confess, that next unto the holy scriptures, I 
The myud of the autho●… concerning the Doctors  own the chief & principal honour to the writings of the catholic Doctors, to whom I cleave as unto an holy Anchor, whom I follow as great lights to show me how I may walk in the way of truth, whom I reverence as my most faithful teachers, yet dare I not approve & allow them in all things, 
The Doc tors also are liars in some points  because in some points they have showed themselves men, & have manifestly erred against the open truth of God's word, as it is not unknown to them, that be diligent lie exercised in the reading of their works. And for an example I will here rehearse. two. or. iii. not to their reproach, but to admonish all men, what we are of ourselves & that no man should be sworn & wholly addict to the doctrine & teaching of any man, be he never so holy & learned, except it agreeth with the holy Scriptures.  
Origen was undoubted a famous Doctor, & did write very excellent 
Origen.  lie of divers matters concerning the purity of christian religion, yet showed he himself to be a man & very liar, when he feigned that the pains of the devils & of the damned should cease in time to come, & that they should be saved.  
Tertullian was a man of great 
Tertullian  learning, & did write many things very godly, yet did he err, when he condemned the second marriages in a christian man. He maketh his argu meant on this manner: Thou mayst not marry the wife of thy brother being dead. He that marrieth a widow left of a christian man, marrieth the wife of his brother being dead. Ergo he doth not well. This & certain other things he writeth not very godly, showing himself to be a very man, that is to say a liar.  
Cyprian was an excellent clerk, and died for the faith of Christ 
Cyprian.  leaving many godly works behind him, yet did the ancient fathers of Christ's church condemn this his opinion, that they, which were baptized of Heretics, aught to be baptized again.  
I pass over many other ecclesiastical writers, which want not their errors, neither have they in all points so circumspectly writ ten, but that their faults may easily be perceived of them, that have whole, true, good & pure judgments in the holy scripture. For they have declared themselves not in few things to be men & liars, therefore are they to be believed no further, 
Mark.  than the word of God maintaineth them. That which they have written well, let us receive & give God thanks for it, confessing that it came to pass by the instinct of his most holy Spirit, & not by their own policy, wit, reason, eloquence & learning. But that wherein they have erred, let us charitably●… interpret, take it into the best part, & cover their faults, consythering that they were men, & both might and deed err, as S. Austen with other dydboth confess, grant and write of themselves.  
And this I desire all men that be ghostly learned, & walk after the order of charity to understand also 
The protestation of the Author concerning his works  of all my works, which I have hitherto written, or shall here after, if the will of God so be, & to believe them no further than the holy scripture testify that they be true.  
For I am a man and a lyarre of myself, and therefore may I err so well as many learned and ancient Doctors have done before me. Let God alone be true, & every 
Rom. iii.  man a liar. Let the spirit of charity and not of contention reign among us. If we err, let us charitably monish one another, bear one with another, instruct one ano theridamas, & not straightways furiously condemn what so ever at the first blush liketh not our carnal judge mentes, no nor yet at every little fault be ready to cast the ignorant offenders into preson, chenes, stocks & fire. If any man doth not of ●…end with his tongue, saith S. james 
jacob. iii.  he is a perfect man. Let us follow the long sufferance of God, which ●…aciētly abideth our amendment. 
Act. viii.  If God had taken away Paul out of this life, when so tyrauntlyke he ●…ersecuted the church of Christ, ●…aule had never be made of a wolf a lamb, of a persecutor an Apostle, of a blasphemer a true preacher, of an heretic ketcher, a faithful Evangelist. They that are strong 
Rom. 〈◊〉 ●…ia. vi.  aught to bear the weakness of them that be infirm & weak and not to stand in their own conceits. They ought so to order themselves, that they should please their neighbour unto his wealth & edifying. For Christ pleased not himself. Wherefore we ought to receive one another, even as Christ hath received us unto the glory of God, and to bear one another's burden, seeing that we be all members of one body, & have one head, which is jesus Christ.  
Besides these aforesaid, the ungodly 
Liars of out tyme.  Bishop of Rome & all his wicked kygedome are liars, & all their decrees, acts, laws, constitutions, councils. etc. that sight with god's word, are lies, & very mad ●…an tafies, by no means to be believed of any faithful heart.  
Again all Hypocrites, Sacramentaries, anabaptists, & all authors of false sects, are liars. To conclude, so many as dissent from God & his most blessed word, are liars, whither it be in doctrine, teaching, living, manners, conversation or otherwise.  
Thus see we what we are of ourselves, even very liars, & into what great captivity we be thrown though row Adam, & that we can not by our own strengths be delivered from this bondage, but only by the spirit of him, which saith. If the son 
joan. viii  maketh you free, than are ye free in deed. For where the spirit of the LORD 
two. ●…or. three joan. ●…iiii. and ●…vi. 1. joan. two.  is, there is liberty. Therefore that we may have that unction & anointing in us, I mean the holy Ghost, that may teach us all truth, we must with continual prayers resort unto our heavenly father: 
Luke. xi. Math. seven. Rom. x. joan. iiii.  which undoubtedly will give a good spirit, to so many as ask it of him. For he is a beneficial Lord sufficiently rich for so many as call on him in spirit, and truth, as it followeth.   

¶ The third verse.  what shall I give again unto the Lord for all those things/ that he hath given me. 
¶ The fift string.  
AFter that our minstrel David hath diligently pondered with himself, what he is of his own nature, even a very liar, and one that is replete with all sin & iniquity, thinking, breathing, speaking and doing all that ever is nought & unthankful in the sight of God, & when on the otherside he hath again considered how that God of his mere mercy, free bounty & unspeakable goodness hath delivered him from all these grevo us enor mities without his merits or deserts, he beginneth now to delight no more in carnal & transitory things, but in spiritual and heavenly things, & weigheth, pondreth, & considereth how he may show himself thankful again unto God for the innumerable benefits, which he hath received at the hand of God. What shall I give again, saith he, unto the LORD for all those things, that he hath given me? O kind & thankful heart, far estranged from all ingratitude & unthank fullness. He knoweth full well, that to recompense & make God amends for the kindness that he hath showed unto him, it lieth not in his power, notwithstanding he desireth very greatly to do somewhat, whereby he may show his thankful heart again toward God. For he confesseth that all that ever he hath being good, he received it of God, as S. Paul saith: What hast thou, that 
〈◊〉. Lor. iiii.  thou hast not received? If thou hast received it, why dost thou rejoice as though thou hadst not received it? S. james also saith: Every good 
jacob. 〈◊〉.  & perfect gift is from above, come ming down from the Father of lights.  
On this manner ought we to 
We ought●…●…ut to set before our 〈◊〉 the benefits of god  ponder with ourselves the inestimable benefits & great gifts of God toward us. first that he made us not like to brute beasts, but like unto his own image, neither did he place us in hell, or in some other dolorous & sorrowful place, but in joyful Paradise, where all kind of pleasures did abound. He endued 
Gen. 1.  us with wit, reason, discretion, prudence, wisdom, knowledge & with all other things, that should move 
Gene. 〈◊〉.  us unto godliness & virtue, setting us at our own liberty to do what so ever we would, only he gave us a commandment to abstain from the tree of life, & told us like a merciful father before, that when so ever we did taste of that, we should die the death. notwithstanding this his most gentle premonition thorough 
Gene. iii.  the subtilite of Satan, we broke his most godly precept, & throw ourselves into the death, whereof he told us before, so that no we of all earthly creatures we were become most miserable. Yet behold again the great goodness of God toward us, when we had worthily deserved to be damned for evermore, he did not, as he handled the Angels, 
job. iiii. two. Petre. iii.  straightways cast us ito hell fire, but marcyfully sent us into this world, that we might here repent, deplore, lament, & bewail our sinful & abominable offence, that by this means thorough the divine providence we might afterward be restored to our old innocency & be saved. Neither sent he us hither as into a salt, barren, & desolate place, or wild forest, but rather into such a kingdom, as flourisheth with all kinds of riches, treasures, pleasures, & most goodly possessions, so that we can desire nothing, but that we have it here ready at hand. He hath garnished the earth with green grass, sweet herbs & most pleasant flowers. He hath given us all kinds of grain to sow in the earth for our sustenance. He sendeth us rain & temperate heat in convenient time for the fortunate increase thereof. He hath planted us trees, & garnished them in time of the year with most goodly green leaves & fruits to serve our necessary businesses, for divers causes. And as he hath replenished the earth with all kinds of beasts, so hath he stuffed the sea & other waters with innumerable sorts of fishes. And of all these things with many other more 
Psal. viii. Heb. two.  hath he made us Lords, rulars, go vernours, owners. Neither do the his kindness here cease concerning temporal things. For he hath also set over us as a most beautiful roof & goodly ceiling, the firmament or air, which in the day time showeth us light thorough the clearness thereof, wherein for our great consolation & comfort, he hath also set a goodly great light, which we call the son, by the virtue & operation whereof, the earth bridgeth forth her fruits in due season, yielding them to us both ripe, apt & meet for our use, when convenient time requireth. For the night time again, because we should not be dismayed thorough the great darkness, where with the earth is than overwhelmed saying it is a time appointed not to labour but unto rest, not unto trouble, but unto quietness, not unto watching, but unto sleeping, God hath most gorgeously garnished the firmament with a goodly great light, called the moon, & with innumerable Stars more for our great joy, pleasure & comfort, so that no garden, be it never so plesauntly refer t & stuffed full of herbs most amiable in aspect, may be compared unto it. And all these things hath God wrought and done not for his own sake, but for ours, not for his own wealth & felicity, but for our profit and commodity.  
Hitherto have I spoken of his temporal gifts, which though they seem to be much precious, as they are in deed, yet are they nothing to be compared unto those that follow. For look how much the spirit excelleth the body, so much do these gifts excel the other being incomparable, & not able by any means to be recompensed of any creature neither in heaven nor in earth.  
first what an exceeding gentleness of God was this, when we were worthily condemned for our offence, & had no hope of health, to promise us straightways, because we should despair, that his only begotten son the highest treasure that he had, 
Gen. iii. Esa. seven. Math. i Luke. i. Colloss. i. Ephe. i Esa. ●…iii. Ephe. v. i joan. i. Math. i.  should come down from his right hand, be conceived by the holy ghost, take very flesh & be borne of the most pure virgin Mary, yea and that with out the seed of any man, reconcile us to his favour, make an atonement for us, purchased grace, mercy, & remission of our sins, offer his most blessed body a sweet smelling sacrifice for our iniquity, sufferhis most precious blood to be shed for the purgation & cleansing of our sins, & become a perfect & full satisfaction for all the sins of his people, that is, of so many as repent, believe in him, and lead a godly and innocent life. This promised God the father oftentimes, & according to his promise at his time, predefined and tofore appointed he most faithfully performed it unto the perpetual joy & comfort of all true Christians. But in the mean season how great sees of kindness did he open unto us? After that he had set us in this world, how did he prosper us in all things, that we went about? How did he give us the victory of our enemies? How wonderfully did he deliver us from our 
Exo xiiii.  cruel enemy Pharaoh? How marvelously preserved he us when he made the red see to give place unto us? How favourably dealt he with us, 
Ex. xvi. xvii  when he gave us meat from heaven and water out of the hard rock? What a land did he give us flowing with milk & honey. And because we should live an honest and godly life before him, did not he 
Exo. ●…x. ●…ere. xxxi.  give us his most holy law, yea & that not only 〈◊〉 tables of stone, but also written in our hearts by the holy Ghost? What goodly ceremonies also received we of him, which were mysteries, figures types, clouds & shadows of good things to come, even of Christ, of his most holy passion, glorious resurrection. etc. All these things were great consolation to the true, spiritual, & christian men, in asmuch as they preached Christ unto them, which according unto their faith whole lie fixed on the promise of God, came at the time appointed ito this miserable world took flesh of the most glorious virginne mary, became like to us in all things, sin alone except, preached unto us the will of his heavenly father, wrought mi racles, suffered & died for our sins, & on the third day rose again for our justification. Certain day es after he ascended into Heaven, 
Mar●…. xvi. Luke. xxiiii. Act. i H●…. ix. i Tim. two. i joan. two. Math. xxv. i Cor. xv. i Thes. iiii.  where he now sitteth on the right hand of god the father almighty, being there not idle, for he incessantly prayeth for us, being our mediator & advocate, apeasing daily the father's wrath & purchasing for us all good things. And at the latter day, he shall come again to judge both the quick and the dead, both the faithful & unfaithful, both the sheep & the goats, & than shall he take us both body and soul enunied together with him into eternal glory, where we shall remain with him for evermore.  
If any man desireth to know more of the benefits of god, and of his unmeasurable kindness toward us, let him resort unto the Pathwaye of prayer, & read, where I entreat 
Search th●… Paythway unto prayer  of thanks giving from the xlii. Chap. unto the xlix. & there shall he see this matter entreated of at large.  
If we did consider on this wise the inestimable benefits of god to ward us, undoubtedly we would leave our unthankfulness, & say with David, what shall I give again unto the Lord, for all those things, that he hath given me? But let us see what our minstrel intendeth to give again unto god, that we may follow him and do so likewise.   

¶ The fourth verse.  I will take the cup of health/ & cawl upon the name of the Lord. 
¶ The sixth string.  
HEre David expresseth two things, that he intendeth to do. One is to take the cup of health. The other to cawl on the name of the LORD. These are two things, 
What the cup of health signify.  wherein God very much delighteth. first he saith, he will take the cup of health, whereby is understand of fliction, trouble, persecution, mortification of old Adam, killing of carnal affects, slayenge of fleshly lusts, bearing of the cross, and at the last death, as it appeareth by the words of Christ to the sons of Ze bedeus: Can ye drink, saith he, of 
Math. xx  the cup that I shall drink? Also to his father, Let this cup depart 
Math. xxvi  from me, whereby he understandeth his passion & death. To recompense partly the kindness of God, David saith, that he will mortify the raging lusts of his own flesh, that fight against the spirit, & never leave until he hath made the body subject to the soul, that in all points it may be obedient to the law and will of God. For this is an high & acceptable sacrifice to God as David 
Psal. l.  witnesseth in another place, a sacrifice to God is a troubled spirit, a contrite & humble heart God will not despise. S. Paul also saith, 
Rom. xii.  I beseech you brothers by the tender mercies of God, that you give your bodies a sacrifice, that is quick, holy & acceptable to God, which is your reasonable serving of God. And God himself saith by the Prophet, unto whom shall I look, but 
Esa. lxvi.  unto the humble & broken in spirit, & unto him that feareth my words?  
Again he confesseth here that he will not only mortify his carnal lusts, that he may be truly spiritual, but he will also patiently suffer, what soever cross, that is trouble, persecution and affliction God layeth upon him, yea though it be very death. His heart is now so inflame with the love of God for the be nefites that he hath showed unto him, that he recositeth not only all that he hath, but also his very light to vile & of to small a price to give again for the glory of God, that he may at the least in some part show himself thankful unto so bounteous & gentle a Lord, as S. Paul 
Act. ●…x. and. xxi.  saith, The holy Ghost witnesseth & layeth, the bonds & troubles abide me in every City. But I care not for it, neither is my life dear unto me, so that I may finish my course with joy, & the office that I have received of the LORD jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. For I am not only ready to be bound, but also to die for the name of the LORD Iesu.  
It is not without a cause, that he calleth affliction, trouble, or per 
Why affliction is called the cup of health.  secution, the cup of health or salvation, for it bridgeth i deed health & s●…l vation to a true Christian man. And though the cross be bitter to the flesh yet is it sweet and healthful to the spirit. And the more the body be depres sed & made low, the more is the spirit ex allied & made high, as s. Paul saith though our outward man be broken, 
two. Cor. iiii.  yet the iward is renewed day by day. Again, we are not debtors to the flesh, that we should live after the flesh, For if 
Rom. viii.  ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. But if ye mortify the deeds of the body in the spirit, ye shall live. For they that are lead with the spirit of god, are the sons of GOD. Therefore 
Luke. ix.  saith Christ, If any man will come after me, let him deny & forsake him self, & take his cross daily & follow 
Act. xiiii.  me. For by many tribulations must we enter into the kingdom of god. And all that will live godly in Christ jesus, must suffer persecution. It was necessary, saith the scripture, 
two. ●…im. iii. Luke. xxiiii. ●…b. 〈◊〉.  that Christ should first suffer, and so rise again, & enter into glory.  
But for asmuch as it is an hard thing for a man of his own strength patiently to bear the Cross, and to suffer rebuke, slander, ignominy, blasphemy, evil reports, empresonment loss of goods, yea & percuaunse very death for God's truth and the glory of his word, seeing that though the spirit be ready, yet the flesh is 
Math. xxvi ●…arc. xiiii  weak, therefore David saith, He will call on the name of the Lord. Wherefore? verily for strength, that he may be able to bear the cross that is laid upon his back, that he serve not when persecution cometh, and so slander the truth, which so bold lie he professed before. For without the assistance of God's spirit no man is able to abide in the time of persecution, seemeth he never so valiant a soldier at other times, 
Math. xxvi. Matt. xiiii. Luke. xxii. joan. xiii.  as we may see in the Apostles of Christ which before their master was in any danger, promised that they would never forsake high, but stick unto him even unto the very death, yet when they came to the brunt, well was he that could run away fastest, in so much that he, which be fore craked most, & showed himself boldest of all the other, I mean Peter, did not only i'll away from his master, but also shamefully denied him unto a poor maid, & swore that he never knew him, so impotent, weak, frail, & full of all imbecilite is man, if he be left unto himself, & not endued with strength from above. Therefore our minstrel Da vid, king & Prophet, not craking of his own strengths, nor boasting of his own free will without the help of God's spirit, saith that he will call on the name of the Lord for strength & valiance, that he may manfully abide in the time of persecution, confess the truth of God des word, & publish his glory before all men, yea though a thousand deaths should follow. It is very profitable for adflicte & troubled con sciences to cawl on the name of the Lord. For as Solomon saith, the name of the LORD is a mighty 
Pro. xviii  tour, & very strong Bulwark, unto that doth the righteous man fly, & he shall be exalted & find succour. Blissed is that man, which putteth 
Psal. xxxix  his trust in the name of the LORD, & regardeth not vanities & false imaginations. Call on me, saith God, in the day of thy trouble, and 
Psal. xiix.  I will deliver thee, and thou shalt honour me.  
Thus see we partly how David goeth about to show himself thank full again unto God for the inesti mable benefits, that he hath given him. He will mortify his carnal of fectes, & patiently suffer what so ever cross, persecution, trouble or affliction be laid upon his back for God's truths sake. And that he may be the more able to do these things, he will cawl on the name of the LORD. All these be very acceptable things in the sight of god. And God thinketh his benefits well bestowed, where such gifts be given again unto him, proceeding from a gentle & thankful heart.  
Now we being no less bound unto God for his gentleness than Da vid was, aught to show ourselves no less thankful again to him, than David did, or else are we much unworthy this inestimable beneficence of God. We ought therefore to 
Rom. vi. Colos. iii. i Cor. vi.  provide that no sin reign in this our mortal body, but that we mortify our earthly members, whoredom, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, evil concupiscence & covetousness, which is the worshipping of Idols, for the which the wrath of God is wont to come upon the children of unbelief. All wrath, indignation, maiyce, cursed speaking filthy communication, lying ought 
Colos. iii. Ephe. two. Rom. vi. Ephe iiii. Galla. v. Collos. iii.  we to lay aside, & put upon us ten der mercy, gentleness, honest behaviour, meekness, softness, goodness, charity, peace, joy, faith, temperance, with all the other fruits of the spirit. For they that are of Christ, have crucified the flesh, with the lusts & concupiscences thereof, yea they are dead to the world, and their life is hid with Christ in God.  
Moreover we must be contented to take the cup of health at y● lords hand, & patiently suffer what soever cross he layeth upon us, yea & praise him in the mids of our trouble, recounting ourselves so much the more blessed, saying that 
Phil. 〈◊〉. Act. v. 〈◊〉. Tim. two Psa. xxxiii.  it is given unto us not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for the glory of his name, being thoroughly persuaded, that if we suffer wyths Christ, we shall reign with him. For many are the troubles of the righteous in this world, but from them all shall the LORD deliver them, if none otherwise, yet at the least by death, which is the next way unto the very true life.  
And because it is hard for the flesh to away with the cross (which seeketh glory, wealth, ease, riches, honour, & not ignominy, scasenes, does quietness, poverty, shame & opprobry) therefore must we fly with fervent and continual prayers unto God & unto his most holy name, that we may have strength sent us from above, to do these things aforesaid that by no means we be found ingrate, unthankful & unworthy the great & unmeasurable kindness, which God hath showed unto us. So shall God not only not take away his gifts from us, but also en 
Matt x●….  crease them daily more & more, as the Scripture saith, to every one that hath, it shall be given, and he 
Make. iiii. Luae. viii.  shall have abundance. But who so hath not, from him shall be taken a way, even that he hath also.  
But let us hear more of our minstrels song.   

¶ The fift verse.  I will pay my vows unto the Lord before all his people. 

¶ The seventh string.  
David goeth forth to declare what he will tender unto God for all those things that he hath given him. Before he said, that he would take the cup of health, and cawl upon the name of the LORD. Now he addeth, that he will also pay his vows unto the LORD, 
What the vows are that David will fulfil and perform  yea and that before all his people. But what vows are these? verily not unfaithful & foolish vows, which displease god, as the scripture say thee, but the earnest promises that 
Eccl. v.  he made unto God for to fulfil his most holy Commandments. These vows will he pay. These promises will he perform. For they make unto the glory of god, the edifying of his church, & the health of his own soul. Therefore will he stick to them, even unto the very death.  
God giveth a commandment 
Exo. xx. Deut. v.  & saith, hear Israel, thy God is y● one & alone God. Thou shalt have no strange Gods in my sight. Thou shalt make the no graven Image. etc.  
David being one of the true 
The first command meant.  israelites hath made a vow to keep this most holy precept. And as he hath this vow, so will he labour to pforme it. For it is not unfaithful nor foolish, but agreeable to the scripture, neither doth it provoke the keeper of it unto much inconue niece & absurdity, but rather unto great virtue & holiness. So that he is fully bend to perform his vow Let the unfaithful Idolaters worship what Idol or false God they list. David will surely cleave to this one & alone true God. For in his heart shall none sit but this one God alone, neither will he admit so much as the shadow of any other to be joined with him, & to have fe lowshyppe with his God. This his God alone will he worship, honour & learn. This his God alone will he how & do reverence unto. This his God alone will he love with all his heart, mind, soul, & with all his powers. This his God alone will 
Deut. vi. Math. iiii. 〈◊〉. x.  he magnify & praise for ever & ever And because he may not once be moved by any vain spectacle, & seduced from the honour, worship and service of this god unto any image service & Idolatry, he hath made a sure vow & faithful promise, that he will make no graven Image, idol, or mammet, but he will only cleave to this his one & alone God, & serve him not in external 
joan. iiii.  ceremonies, but in spirit & truth. For con founded be all they, & shame lighten on them, saith he, that worship 
Psal. xcvi.  graven images, & glory in their maw met and Idols.  
Again God commandeth, saying. Thou shalt not take the name 
The second commaside meant.  of thy Lord God in vain. David hath made a solemn vow and ear nest promise, that he will keep this most blessed Commandment of God also. He will not abuse the name of his Lord god by no means. He 
Math. v jacob. v.  will swear by nothing that ever god made, neither by heaven nor by earth, nor any other oath. His communication shall be, yea, yea, na, na. In his adversity will he fly unto the 
Pro. xviii.  name alone of his Lord god, as unto a strong castle & mighty Bulwark, & cawl on that for help & refuge. And in his prosperity he will not forget the name of his Lord God, but celebrate, magnify, commend & praise it, yea & lift it up with perpetual encomies, laudes & praises.  
Moreover god saith, thou shalt 
The third commandment.  sanctify the sabbath day. This hath David also vowed to observe and keep. He will not therefore spend the sabbath day in rioting, banqueting, playing, dancing, singing & such other vain pastimes, but in the meditation of God's law, in reading the holy scriptures, in hearing godly sermons, in lifting up his heart unto god with fervent prayers, in giving thanks to the Lord for his benefits. etc. He will also expulse all sin out of his breast, & be at peace with God.  
Furthermore god commandeth 
The forth commandment.  saying, Honour thy father and mother. Here again hath David made a vow to fulfil this precept also. So that he will give honour, reave rinse, & worship to so many as this law requireth, yea his inferiors will he not dishonour.  
God giveth a commandment & saith. Thou shalt not slay. David 
The fift commandment.  hath earnestly vowed to keep this. So that he will shed no innocent 
Math. v.  blood, hurt no man, seek no man's death, but favour and love all men, yea even his very enemies.  
GOD saith, Thou shalt come 
The first commandment  ●…yt none adultery. Solemnly hath david vowed to observe this most godly precept. So that he will be no unclean fornicator, nor filthy 
i Cor. seven  adulterer, but to avoid all uncleanness he will couple himself with 
Heb. xiii. Phil. iiii.  an honest wife, & faithful yokefelowe in holy wedlock, which is honourable among all men, & bed undefiled, to her alone will he cleave, & for her sake refuse all other woman, be 
Math. nineteen. Ephe. v. Colos. iii.  they never so beautiful, fair, proper, myvyon, tall, eloquent, rich, worshipful, honourable, noble. etc. loving her as his own flesh, yea even as Christ loved the congregation.  
Moreover God commanded, saying, Thou shalt do no theft. As 
The seventh commandment.  for this precept, David hath earnestly vowed to keep it unto the uttermost. So that he will not only not steal, but also bounteously give to so many as have need of his help  
And where as God saith, thou shalt speak no false witness against 
The eight commandment. prover. 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉. P●…. iiii. Mat. xi. vi. 〈◊〉 xviii.  thy neighbour: David had vowed & made a faithful promise, that he will rather, as charity requireth, co ver the multitude of sins, forgive them that offend him, & seek to profit all men no less than himself.  
Finally where God saith, thou shalt not covytte thy neighbours 
Mar. xi The ninth & x. Commaun dement.  wife, nor house, nor field, etc. David is fully at this point not once to covet any part of his neighbours goods, but rather to help him for ward & to do for him, what soever lieth in his power.  
These be the commandments of God, and these hath he vowed to keep. These vows therefore will he 
Mat. v.  pay unto the LORD, yea & that be fore all his people, that men saying the light of his good works, may glorify his father, which is in heaven  
And for as much as David is a king, & hath vowed unto God to 
The office of a king  do the office of a true king, which is to maintain virtue and to expulse vice, he will not only provide that he himself keep these commandments, but that all his subjects also keep them even from the highest to the lowest. He will do his diligence that there shall no God be worshipped in his kingdom among his 
Wo●… god that all kings & rulars would do thus.  people, but the one and alone true God of Israel. Him only shall they honour, worship, praise, serve and love. Nother shall any graven image be suffered to be made in his Realm for to obscure & blot the glory of this almighty god. On the name of this God alone shall all his people cawl, & fly unto in their adversity praise & commend it for ever and ever, nether shall any of them be so bold as once to swear unistly by it.  
The Sabbath day shall all his subjects sanctify. They shall not spend it vainly & idly, but virtuously & godly, in reading the holy scriptures, in hearing Gods word sincerely preached, in praying fervently unto god, and in such other god lie meditations. Their superiors shall they honour also with all humility, submission and obedience. They shall kill no man, but defend every man in his right, love all men wish well unto them, do for them what so ever they are able.  
As for fornication, adultery, whore 
i Cor. seven.  doom or any other uncleanness, they shall commit none, but every man shall freely be suffered to have his own wife, and every woman her own husband, & so godly live together in chaste & pure matrimony.  
And as for stealing, bearing of false witness, or coveting of their neighbours goods, David like a true king hath vowed & promised so to order & rule his subjects that none of them all shall fall into those vices & enormities If they do & will not amend, David beareth not the sword in vain, he will surely punish 
Rom. xiii.  nysh the transgressors. For David hath made a vow & he is earnestly bent to keep it, that both he & his people shall unfeignedly observe the most holy commandments of God. Oh that all kings, Princes, Dukes, & rulers would follow this most ho lie & virtuous king, & streyghtely look unto the observance & true keeping of these vows. For these are the vows that are accepted be fore God These are the vows that cast no man's soul into the danger of everlasting damnation, but rather helpeth forward unto the inheritance of life eternal. These are no popish, monkish, superstitious & pharisaical vows, invented of the idle brains of men, but pure godly, wholesome & christian vows which so many as hope to be saved, ought straightly to observe & keep, yea to perform them unto the uttermost of their power.  
Thus see we what the vows are that David will pay unto the Lord before all his people, for his benefits, even the fulfilling of God's commandments, & doing his office, as it becometh a true king So likewise must we do, and pay our vows, also to the LORD that is to say, keep his holy commandments, forsake the world, the devil & the flesh with all their pomps & pleasures, as we professed at our baptism, & every man live according to his vocation & calling, as for an example.  
Let them that bear office, authority, 
Rulars Rom. xiii. i Pet. two. Exo. xxiii. Deut. i.  rule and power in the common weal, punish the evil, maintain the good, accept no parson in judge mente, allow no false accusation, shed no innocent blood, hear the small so well as the great, set forth gods glory, promote his holy word & in all things seek the profit of of the common weal.  
Let the subjects be faithful, 
Subjects. Rom. xiii.  true & obedient to their Princes & higher powers.  
Let the bishops & priests that be called unto the office of preaching, 
〈◊〉. Petre. two. Tit. two bishops 〈◊〉 priests  take heed to their selves, & to all the flock, in the which the holy Ghost hath appointed them overseers to feed the congregation of God. Let them feed Christ's flock so much as lieth in their power, & take the oversight of them, not as though they were compelled, but willingly, not for the desire of filthy lucre, but of a good mind, not as Lords over the parishes, but 
Act. xx. i Pet. v. i. Tim. iiii.  to be an example unto the flock.  
Let them cast away ungodly and old wivish fables, & be unto them that believe an example in the word, in conversation, in love, in spirit, in faith, in pureness. Let them give 
two. Tim. iiii  attendance unto reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Let them study to show themselves to God laudable, which need not to be ashamed.  
Let the husbands love their wives, as their own bodies, and be 
husbands.  not bitter, churlish or unkind unto them, but give honour unto them as unto the weaker vessels and as unto them that are fellow heirs with them of the grace of life. 
wives. i Cor. xi. Ephe. v. Collos. iii. i Tim. two. i Pet. iii.   
Likewise let the wives be in sub iection to their husbands, as unto the LORD in all things, & so behave themselves as it becometh women of an honest & godly conversation. Let them array themselves in comely apparel with shame fastness & discrete behaviour, not with braided here, or gold, or pearl, or costly array, but with such as it becometh women that profess godliness thorough good works. Let the inward man of the heart be uncorrupt, with a meek & quiet spirit, which before God is much set by. For after this manner in the old time, did the holy women, which trusted in God, tire themselves, & were obedient to their husbands: even as Sara obeyed Abraham & 
Gen. xvi.  called him Lord, whose daughters the wives are, so long as they do well, nor being afraid for any trouble.  
Let fathers not rate their children, 
Fathers.  lest they be of a desperate mind but bring them up in the nurture and information of the LORD.  
Let the children also obey their parents in all things, for the is well 
Children.  pleasing unto the LORD.  
Let masters do unto their servants that which is just & equal 
Masters.  putting away threatenings, & know that they also have a master in heaven, with whom there is no respect of parsons. 
Act. xx. Rom. two. Servants.   
Let the servants again be obedient unto their bodily masters in all things with fear & trembling in siglenes of heart as unto Christ, not with service only in the eye sight 
Colos. iii. Ep●…. vi.  as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of god 
Tit. two. i Pet. two.  from the heart with good will.  
Let them think, that they serve the LORD and not men, & let them be sure, that what so ever good a man doth, he shall receive it again of the LORD, whether he be bond or free.  
To conclude, let every one among us do our duty, & live according to the vocation, whereunto God hath called us. So shall it come to pass, that we shall not walk unworthy the kindness of God. So shall we truly pay our vows unto the LORD. So shall we faithfully per form that, which we heretofore promt said in baptism. So shall we daily more & more increase in the love of God, & taste more plenteously of his bounteous gifts.  
But it is to be noted, that David saith, Before all his people.  
This is none other thing, but the which Christ commandeth in the in as much as Christ hath chosen them from the world, therefore the world hateth them. What is than to be said? verily whither we live or die, we are the LORDS, and precious is the death of Saints in the sight of the LORD, as it followeth.   

¶ The eight string. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints.  
This song of our minstrel Da vid must needs be very pleasant & delectable to the hearers, seeing that he singeth all things in such a godly & goodly order, & setteth every thing in his right place. For after that he hath made mention of paying his vows unto the Lord, which is to do all things according to the commandment of God, & not after the fancy of carnal reason, nor the judgement of the wise worldings; whereof is like to ensue, as we have heard before, much trouble, yea very death (for the world can not abide to be rebuked nor to have his pomp, pride, pleasures, glory, honour, hypocrisy, superstition, feigned holiness, pharisaical justice, glistering righteousness, doting invention, fleshly imaginations, good intents. etc. to be reproved yea & condemned by the word of God) he now declareth what a dear & precious a thing the death of Saints, that is to say, of the faithful is in the sight of the LORD, be it recounted before the world of never so great ignominy, despite, reproach and shame. And this doth he to encourage men to pay their vows unto the Lord, that is to say, to be earnest in the word of God, to seek the promotion of his glory & to walk innocently before the eyes of his divine majesty, though all the world, yea very hell should be wood and rise up against us. Precious, saith he, in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints.  
It is to be noted, that he calleth not the death of the wicked, precious in the sight of the Lord, but the death of saints, yea & that not popish but God's Saints Precious, 
The wicked in this world have all things more at their pleasure than the true Christians  saith he, in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints. As for the wicked, so long as they live in this world, they live more at their hearts ease, & have all things more plenteously at their own pleasure concerning temporal matters, than the true christian men and faithful Saints of God have, in as much that as we read in divers places of the holy scriptures, the godly many times complain unto God of the prosperous estate of the wicked, & seem almost to accuse God of unrighteousness, seeing the enemies of God prosper so well, and have good luck in all things, & they again which most entirely favour God's word & seek his glory, are most miserably oppressed, slandered, persecuted, 
Psal. x●…iii. Rom. viii.  empresonned, & ready to be slain at all hours. For as the Psalmograph saith: The ungodly hath the overhand, & the poor is brent. The sinner is praised in following 
Psal. ix.  the lusts of his heart, & the wicked is blessed and made much of. My feet were almost gone, saith David, my treadings had nigh slipped For I was sore grieved at the wicked to see the ungodly in such prospe rite. For they are i no parel of death, but stand fast like a palace. They come in no misfortune like other folk, neither are they plagued like other men. And this is the cause that they are so puffed in Pride, & overwhelmed with cruelty & unrighteousness. Their eyes swell for fatness they do even what they list. Corrupt are they & speak blasphemies maliciously, proud & presumptuous are their words They ●…retch forth their mouth unto heaven, & their tongue goeth thorough the world. Therefore fall the people unto them, & thereout such they no small advantage. Tush, say they, how shall God perceive it. Is their knowledge in the most highest? Lo these are the ungodly, these prosper in the world These have riches in possession. These have sons the grow up as 
Psal. cxliii.  young plants. These have minyon & trim daughters, garnished round about even like unto a gorgeous temple. These have their garners full & plenteous with all manner of stoar. These have sheep that bring forth thousands & hundred thousands in their pastures and fields. These have fat oxen, that are strong to labour. To be short, these have no mischaunse, no decay no trouble, no noise, no complaining in their streets that should grieve them. jeremy also saith, O 
jere. xii.  LORD thou art more righteous, than that I should dispute with thee, nevertheless let me talk with the in things reasonable. How happeneth it, that the way of the ungodly is so prosperous, & that it goeth so well with them, which ●…out any shame offend & live in wickedness? Thou planteste them, they take root, they grow, and bring forth fruit. They boast moche of thee, yet dost thou not punish them.  
Thus see we how the ungodly like fat beasts wallow & tumble themselves in all kind of pleasures, neither want they any thing in this world, that their hearts can desire, yea they have more prosperi 
Luke. xii.  te, than they can away with all, yet are the godly and Saints of the Lord oppressed with all misery leading a life in great calamity & wretchedness, than any creatures in the world. But yet behold the end of the wicked. For suddenly they do consume, perish & come to nought. The Psalmographe saith: the death 
Psal. xxxiii  of the wicked sinners is very evil. Again, The unrighteous man shall receive his plagues & ponyshmentes when he dieth. But let us behold these things as i a pure mirror by rehearsing certain Histories. How triumphed the wicked king Pharaoh upon the Israelites Gods people? How lysle regarded he the sermons spoken, and the miracles wrought by the servants of God Moses & Aaron thorough the divine spirit? How continued he to persecute the people of God even unto 
Exo. viii. ix x. xiiii.  the very hour of his death. But be hold the end. When he was most puffed up in his pride, and most bend to do mischief, how did God trap him in his own wiliness, & even brought that upon his own head, that he intended to bring up on other? Did not God marvelously drown him with all his wicked army, & preserve his people by that means? But what was that temporal death in comparison to the death eternal, & the most grievous & intolerable pains that he now suffereth in hell fire without mercy.  
Again, how did Sennacherib the 
iiii. Re. viii. and. ix. two. Pa. xxxii Eccl. xiviii. Esa. xxxvi. and. xxxvii.  proud king of the Assyrians boast him self not only against the good king Ezechias, but also the living God, yea & blasphemed him, saying, as the most cruel & lyonlyke tyrant the great Turk doth now a days, that he would utterly subdue both him & his company, yea & that their God should ●…e no more able to deliver than, than 〈◊〉 broken staff of reed. He leaned much to his own poletyke wit & martial valiance, thinking that in asmuch as heretofore he had subdued all kingdoms, which he invaded, he also should have overcome the people of God. But God, which is the living & almighty God able in a twinkling of an eye to make frustrate & vain all the fleshly ima ginations of the worldly tyrants, yea & to bring to nought all their power, sent his Angel the very same night, that all the mischief was intended against his people, which smote in the host of the Assyrians an hundred four score & five thousand men. So that Sen 
iiii. Reg. nineteen two. Pa. xxxii  nacherib broke up & departed, and was shortly after slain with sword of his own sons. An end worthy such a proud & blasphemous Tyrant. But what is this unto the infernal pains, that be endless, which he now remediless suffereth?  
What proud cracks also did that are rogant Tyrasite Holofernes make 
judit. xii●….  against the people of Israel, thinking that there was no kingdom so invincible, strong & fortressed, but that he with his martial puissance & feats of war was able easily to overcome. So that he took no thought, lived all in pleasure, like a careless swine, giving himself to all kind of beastelyke pleasures. But how valiantly even by one woman God did overcome him, and put all his army to flight, the History maketh mention.  
What shall I speak of the two Hero des, whereof the one in the mids 
Math. two.  of his fury when he was most hot & fiery in seeking the death of Christ, & for his sake slaying innumerable infants, miserably died, bringing nothing less than his cruel & bloody purpose to effect, so valiant & mighty is our lord god to extiguish and quench the tyranny of these bloudsowpers, when it is his most godly pleasure, & to preserve those, whom he will have kept free from their crudelite & furious madness.  
The other Herode even in the mids of his pomp, honour & glory, 
Act. xii.  being clad in his kingly apparel, & set lucifer-like on his judgement seat, after that he had most Tyrauntelyke persecuted certain of Christ's church, yea & slain with sword james the brother of Iohn, was smote of the angel of the Lord, because he gave not the glory to god. So that he was eaten up of worms. But what need I rehearse so many Histories out of the divine letters, seeing that this one, which I shall now recite, may seem abundantly to satisfy for to show, how precious in the sight of the Lord, the death of his saints is, seem their life in this world never so miserable, wretched, pitiful, poor, ne die, beggarly, & full of all trouble, so row, dolour & camalite. Again, how vile & detestable the death of the wicked is in the lords sight, be their life here never so pompous, gallant, easy, voluptuous, joyful, quiet, care les & popelyke.  
S. Luke in his Gospel declareth, 
Luke. xvi.  how there was a certain rich man, which was appareled with purple & costly linen, & fared deliciously every day. In these words the Evangelist showeth manifestly how this rich man lived all in pleasure, & had all things according to his hearts desire. But behold the end. He was cruel, merciless & unpiteful to the poor. Therefore when he died, the Scripture saith, that he was carried down ito hell, where he was tormented with such grievous flames of fire, & intolerable burnings, that he desired Abraham to send down Lazarus unto him, that he might dip the tip of his finger in the water, & cool his tongue, for he was grievously tormented in that flame. But Abraham said, remember son, that thou haste received thy pleasures in thy life, & contrary wise Lazarus received pains and troubles. Therefore is he now comforted, and thou art tormented.  
As for the poor man, his life was so wretched beggarly & miserable, that no man would scarcely wonchesafe once to cast their eye & to look toward him, he was such an abject so vile, so rend, so torn, so Lazarlyke & full of grievous sores. Only the dogs licked his sores. But behold the end. This poor man died, & was carried of the Angels into Abraham's bosom.  
This History declareth plainly, how precious the death of the saints, that is, of the faithful is in the sight of the Lord, appear their life never so miserable before the dainty worldings. Again, how vile & detestable the death of the wicked is in God's sight, have they spent their life in never so much joy, pleasure & felicity, & were they recounted before the world never so blessed, happy & fortunate, and brought to the ground with never 
Amos. vi. Luke. vi. Math. v. Eccl. xxxi  so great pomp and solemnite. And here see we that to be true, which is written, Woe be to you rich men, which have your●… consolation. Woe be to you that are filled, for ye shall hunger. Woe be to you that laugh now, for ye shall lament and weep Woe be to you, when all men shall praise you, for according to these things did their fathers to the false Prophets. But blessed are ye that hunger now, for ye shall be filled. blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh. The dainty worldeliges 
Mark well.  receive pain after this life, but the faithful in the Lord, which be oppressed with misery & troubled for God's truth, shall receive joy & glory. So that as David saith, Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints. Hereto agreeth the saying of S. Iohn in his revelation. blessed are the 
Apoc. xiiii.  dead, which die in the Lord. The death of saints must needs be precious in the sight of the Lord, & they which die in the Lord must needs be blessed, seeing that both the glory of God is set forth by their death, & the saints themselves set in a perpetual joy & everlasting 
Sap. iii. Deu. xxxiii  quietness without any more care or trouble. For after that they have offered up this their life unto god, the souls of the righteous are straight ways in the hand of God, and the pain of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they ap 
Sap. v. Heb. ●…i. Rom. viii. two. Cor. v. i. Pet. i.  pear to die, & their end is taken for very destruction. The way of the righteous is judged to be utter destruction, but they are in rest. And though they suffer pain before men, yet is their hope full of immortality. They are punished but in few things, nevertheless in many things shall they be well rewarded. For God proveth them, & lyndeth them meet for himself, yea as gold in the furnace doth he try them, & receiveth them as a burnt offering, & when the time cometh, they shall be looked upon. They righteous shall shine as the sparks, that run 
Math. xiii. i Cor. xv. Math. nineteen i. Cor. vi.  thorough the red bush. They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, & their Lord shall reign for ever. They that put their trust in him, shall understand the truth, & such as be faithful will agree unto him in love, for his chosen shall have gifts and peace. But the ungodly shall be punished according to their own imaginations, for they have despised the righteous, and forsaken the Lord.  
Moreover the righteous shall stand in great steadfastness against 
Sap. v. Math. ix.  such, as have dealt extremely with them, & taken away their labours, When they see it, they shall be vexed with horrible fear, & shall wonder at the hastiness of their sudden health groaning for very distress of mind & shall say within themselves, having inward sorrow & mourning for very anguish of mind: These are they, whom we sometime had in derision, & jested upon. We fools thought their lives very madness, 
Sap. iii.  & their end to be without honour But ●…o, how they are counted among the children of God, & their portion is among the Saints. Therefore have we erred from the way of truth. The light of righteousness hath not shined unto us, & the son of understanding rose not upon us. we have wearied ourselves in the way of wickedness & destruction Tedious ways have we gone, but as for the way of the Lord we have not known it. What good hath our pride 
jacob. v. i. Pa. thirty. Sap. two.  done unto us? or what profit hath the pomp of riches brought us? All these things are passed away as a shadow. etc. These and such other words, shall they that have sinned speak in hell. But the righteous 
Pfal. xxxix  shall live for evermore. Their reward also is with the Lord, & their remembrance with the highest.  
Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown of the lords hand. For with his right hand shall he cover them, & with his own arm shall he defend them. etc.  
Thus see we how dear & precious in the sight of the Lord the death of his Sayncteses. S. Paul having 
Phil. i.  experience of this thing, when he was yet alive, said on this man ner: I desire to be dissolved & loosened out of this mortal body, & to be with Christ. Also king David: Woe is me, that I tarry in this world 
Psal. cxix.  so long.  
Therefore how so ever the wicked worldings recount the death of the Saints, whither it to them by famine, hunger, sword water, fire halter or any otherwise undoubtedly it is precious in the sight of the Lord, appear it before the world of never so great ignominy, reproach, infamy, shame, and rebuke. Happy therefore is he, that dieth this death, how so ever it chanceth unto him. blessed is the Cross, which bringeth this glory. But let us see how it cometh to pass, that the death of Saints is so precious in the sight of the Lord. It followeth.    

¶ The sixth verse.  O Lord I am thy servant/ yea thy servant in deed/ & the son of thy handmaid thou hast broken my bon/ des. 
¶ The nynte string.  
BEcause no man, be he never so holy, good and perfect, should think that thorough his own holiness, goodness & perfection, he had deserved that his death should be dear, precious, and of great valour in the lords sight, or else because that he had suffered many great torments for the glory of God, yea & perchance very death, & so by that means recount himself worthy by his own deserts of the life eternal: our minstrel David in this verse of his song, not unto the derogation of the saints honour, which are not to be defrauded of their praise, but unto the promotion & setting forth of God's glory, singeth here, how it cometh to pass, that the death of saints, that is, of the faithful, is so precious i the sight of the Lord. The cause is this, saith he, because God hath broken their bonds. For what is man, that he may appear righteous 
job. ix.  in the sight of God, before whom a child of one day old is not pure, nor the stars in the Eliment, nor nor yet the Angels in heaven. 
Math. nineteen. Esa. ixiiii. Pro. xx. i joan. i. Psal. cxiiii.  There is no man good, but God alone. All our righteousnesses are as a cloth polluted with menstrue. Who is able to say, my heart is pure & I am clean without sin? The most righteous man in the world may pray on this manner with David, Lord enter not into judge meant with thy servant, for none that liveth, shallbe found righteous in 
two. Cor. iii. joan. three Rom. viii.  thy sight. Is it any marvel, when of ourselves we are not able to thick a good thought, moche less to work any good deed by our own power, before we be regenerate, bor ne a new, and made other men by Christ's Spirit.  
And as touching the affliction and trouble, that we suffer in this world, seem it to the flesh never so great, painful and intolerable, yet can it not be compared to the, that shallbe showed to us, as S. Paul saith. notwithstanding if 
Rom. viii. i Cor. xii. two. Tim. two. Heb. iiii. Tit. i Psal. cxiiiii  we suffer with Christ, we shall also reign with Christ, yea & be glorified with him, not that we of our selves have deserved so great glory, but because God hath so promised which can not lie, but is faithful in all his words, & leaveth no good deed unrewarded, that is done in Christ, yea and that for his promise sake thorough his unmeasurable mercy 
Math. x. i. Pet. i.  poured forth plenteously in the most precious blood of Christ Iesu. Now seeing the not we only but also 
joan. iii. Rom. xiiii.  all the ever we do of ourselves is unpure & unclean in the sight of god, until both we & all our deeds be purified by the divine spirit, therefore before we can bring forth any thing that may be approved and accepted before God, we must be delivered from that most miserable 
Gen. iii. Rom. v. vi. seven. viii.  captivity, whereunto we were cast of Satan thorough the sin of Adam. Our bonds must be broken, we must be set at liberty from the power of Satan, sin, death, hell. etc. This thing once done, than what 
Mark well.  so ever we do in Christ and in our new regeneration, must needs be allowed before God, & received as an acceptable Sacrifice. Yea whither we live or die, both our life & our death is right dear and precious in the sight of the Lord. But let us return unto our song.  
Although it be true, & nothing more true, that God of his own mere 
The goodness of God toward us.  mercy & free goodness & undeserved benignity saved us when we were so utterly lost, that by no means we could seek any part of our own salvation, nor recover by our own strength & power any thing at all that we before had lost in Adam, so that both our creantion, election, redemption, salvation, justification, & glorification cometh only of him 
Rom. viii.  thorough his most entirely beloved son, our Lord & Saviour jesus Christ. Yet do these his benefits only belong unto them, that are his faithful servants, & the sons of his handmaid, as David saith here: O Lord because I am thy servant, yea thy servant in deed, & the son of thy handmaid, thou hast broken my bonds. We see here that David confesseth, that God 
Note to whom the benefits of God in Christbelong  broke his bonds, but he addeth also, that he therefore is his servant, yea his unfeigned servant & the son of his handmaid. Whereby we may easily learn that the merciful benefits of God the father, which lyghe poured out in Christ's blood, pertain not unto all persons universally, but only unto those, that are his servants, yea & that not feigned, but true, hearty, loving and faithful, & the sons of his hand maid. God hath performed the oath, saith the good pressed Zachary father to S. Iohn baptist, which he swore 
Luke. i Gene. xxii.  unto Abraham our father, to give us, that we being without fear & delivered from the power of our enemies, should serve him with holiness & righteousness before him all the days of our life. We are delivered saith this good pressed, from the power of our enemiesnot that we should live wickedly & ungodly, but that we should serve our LORD God, not in our own fleshly imaginations & blind good intents, but in holiness & righteousness, yea & that not a day or two, but all the days of our life. God hath not called us, saith S. Paul, unto uncleanness, 
1. Thes. i Act. iii.  but unto sanctification. God hath blessed you, saith the scripture, by his son jesus, that every one of you should turn from his wickedness. God hath broken our bonds, that we should be his faithful servants & the sons of his hand maid, as David saith. Now what 
What it is to be the servant of God.  is it to be the servant of God? Ue rely to do those things that we be commanded of God. In consideration whereof S. Paul & the other Apostles in all their Epistles call themselves the servants of God, because unto the uttermost of their power they ever fulfilled those thin things that were enjoined them of god. For it becometh a servant to fulfil his master's commandment, & not to work after his own fancy, so may he be bold to appear in his master's sight, when so ever he be called, & to ask that which his master hath promised him. In like man ner if we will be counted & so proved the servants of God unfeignedly, we must earnestly consider every man according to his callynge, what God hath commanded us in his holy law, and that we must labour unto the uttermost of our power for to fulfil, or else we are no true servants of God. For by no means may we leave the will of God unfylled, & practise things of our own imagination. If any 
Io. viii. xiiii. xv.  man loveth me, saith Christ, he will keep my word & my father shall love him, & we will come unto him and dwell with him. He that hath my commandments & keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. For not every 
Math. vi●…  one that saith unto me, Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my father, which is in heaven.  
But it is to be noted, that David doth not only name himself the servant of god, but he doubleth it & saith, yea the servant of God in deed. As though he should say, god hath done much for me, he hath bro ken my bonds, he hath delivered me out of captivity, & set me again at liberty, therefore will I be his ser vaunt, yea & that not fayn●…dly, but his servant in deed, doing what so ever he commandeth me, yea though it should cost me my life. So it becometh us not only to pro 
Math. seven. Rom. viii. jacob. i.  fez ourselves to be the servants of God and christian men by mouth, but also to express it in very deed, seeing that not the hearers but the doers of the law shall be justified be fore God.  
O LORD GOD be merciful to us, how many be there now a days, that cawl themselves the 
against the gross Gospelers and vain talkers of the scripture.  servants of God & gospelers, & yet are nothing less in their deeds? They crack much of faith, but they bring not forth the fruits of faith They talk much of the gospel, but they live no part of the gospel. They read the holy scriptures, but they fashion their lives nothing thereafter. They call Christ their saviour, yet walk they nothing worthy his kindness. They think them selves the sons of light, but they exercise the works of darkness. Oh that they were God's servants in deed, fervent gospelers, earnest practisers of faith, true followers of the holy Scriptures, to conclude, both lovers and livers of Christ's gospel, than well were it with Chri stes church. But alas their living is so dissolute, & their manners so wicked and ungodly, that we may well say, as S. Paul writeth: They profess that they know god, 
Tit. i.  but they deny high with their acts, saying they are abominable, disobedient and unapt to all good.  
Moreover David calleth himself hear not only the true & faith full servant of God, but also the son of God's handmaid. Who is this handmaid of God? verily the universal congregation of Christ, 
Who is the handmaid of God.  which from the beginning of the world hath served God & believed in him, whose son every one is, that believeth in God. For he is begotten of God, the son of god by faith to that congregation, whose member he is made, & that congregation by preaching begetteth him to God, that believeth the word of god. So that as the congregation is a mother by begetting and winning other to the faith, so is he that believeth, & is begotten unto the faith, the son of the congregation, as s. Paul writeth to the Galathians, 
Gala. iiii  My little children, of whom I travail in birth again, or with whom I am again with child, until Christ be fasshyoned in you.  
Also to the Corinthians, although 
〈◊〉. Cor. iiii.  ye have many masters in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers. For I begat you in Christ jesus by the gospel. He also writing to Timothe, 
〈◊〉. Tim. i.  calleth him his natural son in 〈◊〉 faith. Again Zion signifying the Church of Christ, saith by the Prophet, who hath begotten me these? Al so in another place: the desolate hath 
Esa. xlix. and. iiiii.  more children, than the married wife.  
Thus see we, that we must both be the true servants of God, and also the sons of the handmaid of god, Christ's church, if we will enjoy joy the benefits, that lie bend out in Christ. And verily it is not with out a cause required of us, not only that we should be the faithful servants of god, but also the sons of his handmaid For many in times past, nether want there at this day, have boasted valiantly that they were the servants of God, yea & would seem of a fervent zeal to die for the glory of god, yet in as much as they were not the sons also of god's handmaid, they were not the servants of god in deed, but dissemblers & Hypocrites. Of this sort were all the old Heretics, Schismatics, & false Christians in times past, which sowed dissensi on in Christ's church, and divided themselves from the holy catholic church, which is the fellowship of saints, by teaching strange doctrine, & maintaining erroneous opinions contrary to the doctrine of the holy scripture, & the teaching of the true godly fathers. Of this sort also at this time are the anabaptists, Sacramentaries & other fanatical & frentyke Spirits which have vain visions invented 
Math. xiii Mar. iiii. Tit. iii. Heb. xiii.  of their own brains, sow cockle among the good wheat, in the lords field, bring in strange sects invent new opinions, make dissension in Christ's church, allure men from the old & true christian faith, corrupt the scriptures, teach doctrine contrary to the vain of god des word, trouble the common weal of Christendom. etc. All these in as much as they have divided & cut of themselves from the church of Christ, which is the hand maid of god, pertain not unto god, nether have they any part of god's mercy though they boast & crack never so much, that they be the servants of god, yea though they give their bodies to be plucked asunder with 
Mark.  wild horses for the glory of god For with out the church of Christ, there is no health nor salvation, but altogether death & damnation. But I would 
An admonition for the true & false church.  have men wise in knowing this church of Christ, unless they err & maintain an whore in stead of a spouse, an unchaste harlot for a true wife, a filthy strompette for a faithful yoke-fellow, a disobedient synagogue for a christian congregation. We have in times past taken the bishop of Rome, & his painted carnal Idols, I would have 
Errors about the church.  said, his sainted Cardinals, Patriarchs, Legates, Archbysshops, bishops, priests, monks, Friars, Canons, hermits, Anacho rites, & other of the spiritualty, as they call them, only to be the church & have thought that by no means we might depart from them and their doctrine, except they would be damned, in what so ever case they 
O abomination.  stood, were they on God's side, or contrary, taught they according to gods word or otherwise. For once to hyske against them, was co●… 
joan. ix.  t to cut the cote of Christ that had never a seem, to subvert and tople down the chair of Peter & Paul the chief Apostles, to defile, to tear & to tread under foot the authority of the church Christ's spouse, yea 
Apoc. xxi.  & to make short tale, to cawl out of hell the heresies that were buried and laid to sleep.  
By this means have they these many hundred years not only seduced the simple and unlearned people, butt also falsely usurpedde the name of the church, calling themselves the mother holy church, being so rather in name than in very deed. If they were faith full, & did continue in the doctrine of the holy Scripture so were they  
members of this church of Christ, if contrariwise, than pertained they not unto this holy catholic church, but were corrupt & rotten members, h●…ynge nothing less than partakers of this health and salvation, that is in this most pure & undefiled church.  
This church of Christ, whom David calleth here, the handmaid of the LORD, is the universal 
What the church is joan. iii. vi. Collos. i. Matth. xvi. i joan. iiii. joan. x.  congregation of the faithful, which with a sure & undoubted faith believe in Christ, acknowledge him to be their head, confess him to be the son of the living God, grant unfeignedly that he came in the flesh, hear the voice of their Sheppard cleave only to his word, fly the voices of strangers, stick unto him us to their alone treasure, & look for all good things at his hand only.  
Unto this church pertain so many as from the beginning of the world until this time have unfeignedly 
●…at. ●…vi. xxi Esa. xxviii. Dan. two. i Cor. x. Matxx. viii  believed in Christ, or shall believe unto the very end of the world. Against this church the gates of hell shall not prevail, saying it is built on the rocks Christ For Chri●… himself hath promised, that he will be with it by his holy spirit even unto the very consummation and end of the world.  
Moreover Christ loved this church so well, that he gave himself for it 
Ephe. v. Gala. i. Cit. three i. Pet. three Apoc. xxi. i Tim. iii.  to sanctify it, & cleansed it in the fo●… ta'en of water, by the word, to make it unto himself a glorious congregation having no spot or wrinkle, nor any such thing, but that it should be holy & without blame. This church is the spouse of Christ, and matron of heaven, the house of God, which is the congregation of the living God, the pillar & ground of truth. This church is the mount Zion, the city of the living god, the celestial Jerusalem, the company 
Heb. xii.  of innumerable angels, & the congregation of the first begotten, which are written in heaven. This church is the holy city, that new 
Apo. xxi.  jerusalem, which came down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride garnished for her husband. This church is that love, that dear 
Cant. i. two. iii. iiii.  darling, that dove, that fairest among all women without spot or deformity, of whom we read in the Ballads of Solomon. This church can never err, seeing that it is ever 
joan. xiiii. xv. xvi. Mat. xxviii joan. x.  governed with the spirit of Christ saying also that it cleaveth only to the word of God, neither doth it hear the voice of any stranger, but only hear and follow the voice of her Sheppard, which is Christ. To know therefore this church of Christ from the synagogue of Antichrist it is very easy, For the church of Christ leaneth with a sure faith to 
A comparison between the church of Christ, & the synagogue of antichrist  Christ alone the son of the living God, as an omnisufficient saviour. The synagogue of Antechriste although it confesseth Christ after a certain manner, yet it seeketh salvation also at the hands of other. The church of Christ followeth only the word of God, & according to that worketh in all things. The synagogue of Antichrist followeth the voices of strangers, deviseth new decrees, constitutions, laws ordinances etc. & unto them it sticketh mainly. The church of Christ practysethe those works, that ar●… commanded in the holy Scripture. The synagogue of Antichrist worketh things of her own imagination, not prescribed in the law of God. The church of Christ seeketh above all things the glory of god, & the health of her neighbour. The synagogue of Antichrist seeketh her own pomp, honour, glory & praise. The church of Christ is ready at all times to suffer persecution for God's truths sake. The synagogue of Antichrist hateth the cross, seeketh to live all in pleasure, to persecute so many as love god and his word. The church of Christ seeketh ever after heavenly things. The synagogue of Antichrist hunteth after temporal promotions, worldly honours, fleshly dignities, easy livings, carnal pleasures, gallant pasti mes, sumptuous fare, gorgeous apparel. etc. The church of Christ spem death her goods upon the poor members of Christ. The synagogue of Antichrist bestoweth her goods after her own fancy, & not after the commandment of God. To conclude, The church of Christ is altogether godly & celestial. The syna goge of antichrist is altogether wicked & earthly. Hereby do we learn which is the true church, & which is the false, which is the church of Christ & which is the synagogue of Antichrist  
But it is not to be gone over with 
Why the church is call an hand maid.  a light foot, as they use to say, that David calleth this church of Christ the handmaid of God, neither is it without a cause. For as a true, faithful and diligent handmaid have her eyes always fixed upon her masters for to wait & see, what 
Psal. cxxii. Mark well.  shall be her pleasure to command her to do, that she may do it with all readiness & speed, even so becometh it them of Christ's church diligent lyto wait upon their Lord God, & to mark what his most godly 
Esa. viii. Psal. cxviii. Luc. xvi.  will, pleasure and commandment is that they should do. And this shall they assuredly know by searching the holy Scriptures. And as it becometh not an honest hand maid to leave the commandment of her masters undone, and to busy herself about such things, as she 
☞  herself thinketh best to be done of her own brain, even so doth it not become them that profess them selves members of Christ's church to leave the commandments of God undone, & to fall in hand with doing things of their own fancy & imagination. For they that do so show themselves no handmaids, but mastresses, neither are they obedient subjects unto God, but rather take upon them to be arrogant superiors, & presumteous checke-mates. Let them therefore that will 
☜  be of Christ's church learn to be handmaids & no mastresses, to be obedient subjects, & not arrogant superiors & presumptuous check mates, unless, while they follow their own fantasies and dreams they fall from the church of Christ unto Antichrist's synagogue, as we may see in the Papists, Anabap tistes, Sacramentaries. etc.  
Moreover we read that this 
The true church is the spouse of Christ.  church is not only called the hand maid of the LORD, but also the spouse of Christ, yea & that not unworthy. For as a good, honest, and faithful wife is obedient to her husband in all things, loveth him pure lie, cleaveth unto him only, hath no pleasure to run after other men, delighteth herself with her husbands company alone, is glad to please him 
Cant. iiii. 〈◊〉. Cor. xi Apoc. xxi.  always, seeketh the accomplishment of his will, & by no means will at tempt any thing that should be displeasant to him: So likewise this church, which is the spouse of Christ, is obedient to her husband Christ in all things, loveth him with an earnest, pure & unfeigned love, cleaveth to him only, hath no pleasure to 
Mark well.  run after other men, whereby she may be enticed from the love of her husband, delyghtethe only in him and in his word, sea●…eth the accomplishment of his will, & showeth herself in all points conformable to his most divine will, being loath that any thing should be committed on her behalf, that should be displeasant to him in any point.  
Let them therefore now take heed, that recount themselves to be of this church, & will be called the spouse of Christ, that they cleave only to their husband Christ & his word, 
joan. viii. x.  hear him alone, follow his voice delight only in his most holy law, seek the accomplishment of his divine will, & by no means admit nor hear the voice of any stranger For as the woman is an whore, though she beareth the name of an honest wife 
Note  never so moche, the is not contented with her own husband, but followeth other men, runneth a whore hunting after strange lovers, casting away the sincere & true love, that she ought to bear toward her husband: So likewise, if such as call themselves the church & spouse of Christ, forsake their husband Christ, be not contented with him & his word alone, but follow strange doctrines, & run a whorehuntinge 
●…eb. xiii.  after new lawmakers, which teach things contrary to the will of this bridegroom, yea or else they themselves make laws, decrees, acts, con stitutions. etc. that fight with th●… voice of this heavenly shepherd, Bridegroom and husband Christ jesus, surely, surely let them believe me, they are not the spouse of Christ, but filthy whores, unclean harlots, stinking strumpets, abominable adulteresses, & stulyke Goshyppes, though they wear never so many triple crowns, carnal hats, glistering miters, forked cap pes. etc. upon their heads, & have never so many pillars, poleaxes, cross ses, crosier staves, & silver rods 
joan. x. Cant. iiii.  borne before them. For the spouse of Christ only heareth the voice of her husband, followeth that, cleaveth to that, & by no means runneth a whorehunting after strange lovers, neither careth she for their voice, fair words, & flattering promises, saying she knoweth full well, that no man can show things more necessary & profitable unto her health & salvation, than her husband hath already done. therefore recounteth it she a very vain & mad thing to forsake this her true & alone husband jesus christ, & to follow strangers. I am jealous over you, saith S. Paul, with a godly jealousy. For I have married 
two. Cor. xi.  you to one man, to bring a chaste virgin unto Christ.  
This moche have I spoken by the way concerning the church, that all men may know the church of Christ, which is the handmaid of 
Ephe. v.  God, & the spouse of Christ, having neither spor nor wrinkle, but altogether glorious, pure & undefiled, from the synagogue of Antichrist, & be no more deceived with outward appearances, glistering visars, and painted cloaks, unless they go forth to worship, reverence & have in honour certain deceitful shadows for the self truth, as we have done in times passed. God make us all the servants of the Lords hand maid, and grant that we may so abide in the old catholic faith & in the doctrine of Christ's church, that we may be blessed, & have our bonds 
Search the News out of heaven.  broken, as it followeth.  
O LORD because I am thy servant, yea thy servant in deed, saith David, and the son of thy handmaid, thou haste broken my bonds. What bonds are these, that 
The bonds  God hath broken, & made us free from them thorough Christ, setting us again at liberty? verily the bonds of Satan, sin, death, hell, desperation, and the curse of the law.  
first as concerning Satan, 
Sata●…. Gen. iii. Rom. v. Ephi. two.  every man knoweth, how we were in captivity & bondage to him by the sin of our first father Adam which thorough his disobedience did cast us into the bonds of that infernal Prince, made us captive & thraull, so that by our own strength, power wit, policy, & free will we could never have set ourselves again at liberty. But God of his tender mercy & free goodness, when we had cast ourselves into this bondage, promised us deliverance, when he spoke these words unto the serpent: I will set emnite between the and an woman, between her seed & thy seed That self seed shall tread down 
G●…e. iii.  thy head. And so many as believed them, were at that very instant delivered from the bonds of Satan. 
What it is to tread down the head of the Serpent  For what other thing is it to tread down the head of the serpent, than to vanquish & subdue him, to make his power frustrate & of no strength yea and to set those again at liberty, which before were his bond prisoners. Now although this promise were not straightways fulfilled, yet stood it in effect with the faithful, & they so soon as they believed, were 
Mark well. joan. i. Galathi. iii mat. iii. xvii Marc. nineteen. Luke. iii. ix. 〈◊〉. joan. iii.  delivered out of captivity, set at liberty again, & made the sons of God, thorough the faith that they had i God's promise, which he made unto them in his dearly beloved son Christ jesu. But when christ was once come, & had fulfilled this promise of his celestial father, than was Satan's power utterly annihilated and made of no strength. His bonds were broken, wherewith so miserably he did detain & hold us, as S. Iohn testifieth, The son of god did appear for this purpose, even to dissolve, loosen & break the works of the devil. So that now Satan hath no more power over us, except willingly we cast ourselves again into his bonds, as S. james saith, resist the devil, & 
jaco. iiii. i Pet. v  he shall fly from you. For although he goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, yet can not he devour, no nor yet so much as once bite or touch any faithful man, except he will of a set purpose cast himself into that Dragon's ravening teeth to be rend & torn, the son of God hath set us at such liberty, & given us our manumission so freely and plenteously.  
Now seeing that Satan, which is our most utter enemy, is so vanquished & subdued, & we utterly delivered from his captivity, that our bonds are broken, wherewith he had us bound, it is to be thought that sin, death, hell, desperation, and the curse of the law can work us any evil, or that their power is so great, that they are able to make us still captive and bond prisoners?  
As touching sin, to whom is it unknown, that as the power 
Sin.  of Satan is vanquished by Christ, so in like manner is sin thorough him put to flight. He is that lamb of God, which taketh away the sin 
joan. i Math. i. Esa. xiiii. 〈◊〉. Tim. i. 〈◊〉. Cor. v. i. Pet. two. Ephe. v. Esa. iiii.  of the world. He is that saviour, which saveth his people from their sins. He is, yea he is that Lord in deed, which putteth away our iniquities, yea & that for his own sake, & will remember them no more. He came into the world to save sinners. He being without all sin offered himself upon the altar of the cross, a swetesmelling Sacri fice to God the father for us, & made a sufficient satisfaction for all our sins. Thorough his name all the Pro phetes bear witness, that so many 
i joan. two. Act. x. Act. iiii Heb. seven. viii ix. x. i. joan. i.  as believe in him, shall receive remis sion of their sins. For there is no health in any other, nether is there any other name given unto men, whereby they might be saved, but only the name of jesus Christ. He is that bishop, which with one oblation yea & that once for all, hath made them perfect for ever more that are sanctified. To be short, the blood of jesus Christ God's son maketh us clean from all sin. Thus see we that by Christ, by Christ's death passion & blood the bonds of sin are broken, and we set again at liberty. 
Death, hell, desperation   
As for death, hell, & desperation, what can they do? Are not they also overcome? Let us hear what the Scripture saith, out of the power of death, saith the LORD will I 
Oze. xiii.  deliver them, & from death will I redeem them. O death I will be thy death. O hell I will swallow the up. S. Paul also saith, Death is 
i Cor. xv.  swallowed up into victory. Where is thy sting O death? Where is thy victory O hell? The sting of death is sin, & the power of sin 
i joan. v.  is the law. But thanks be to god which hath given us the victory thorough our LORD jesus Christ. Again, By death hath Christ put him 
Heb. two.  to flight, that had lordship over death, that is to say, the devil, that he might deliver them, which thorough the fere of death, were all their life time in danger of bondage. O sweet and comfortable sayings. O thalone true and christian pleasures. 
The law   
As touching our last enemy, which is the curse of the law, are not we also made free from that by Christ? What saith the scripture? 
Gala. iii.  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, while he was made accursed for our sake. Again, Christ 
Rom. 〈◊〉  is the perfect fulfilling of the law to justification for every one that believeth Also in another place, be it known unto you, ye men & brethren 
Act. xiii.  that thorough this man Christ is preached to you the forgiveness of sins, & from all the things, whereby ye could not be justified by the law of Moses, thorough him every one that believeth is justified.  
Thus see we, that our bonds are broken thorough Christ, & we also set at liberty from the danger of all our enemies, so that now there is no con 
Rom. viii. joan. viii. Gala. iiii. Heb. seven Rom. viii.  demnation for them that are engrafted in christ jesus, which walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life thorough Christ jesus hath made them free from the law of sin and death. Who will now lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen? It is God that justfieth, who can than condemn? Hereof cometh it to pass, 
Luke. i. Psal. cxv i joan. three Math. i Oze. xiii. i Cor. xv. Rom. x.  that after we be once delivered from the power of our enemies, have our bonds broken, & set at liberty thorough christ & christes passion, death & blood, by whom Satan is vanquished, sin put to flight, death overcome, hell swallowed up, desperation driven out of place, the curse of the law utterly taken away, yea the law fulfilled, and heaven gates open for the faithful, all that ever 
A good lesson.  we do in christ, is acceptable in the sight of God, taken to good worth, & moche made of, not for the dignity of the work itself, but because it is salted with the dignity, holiness, 
i Cor. x. Colos. iii.  righteousness, purity, & innocency of Christ, in whose name what so ever is done, smelleth sweetly before GOD, so that both the thoughts, words, deeds, life & death of the Saints, that is, of the faithful, yea & all the ever we do, is precious in the sight of the Lord, as we herd before. For sure we are that all things work to the best for them that love God, which are called of purpose. For those whom he knew before, 
Rom. v●….  hath he ordained also before, that they should be like fashioned unto the shape of his son, that he might be the first begotten among many bro threns. As for those, whom he hath ordained before, them hath he called also, & whom he hath called them hath he also made righteous, & whom he hath made righteous, them hath he glorified also. What shall we say than unto these things? If God be on our side, who can be against us? But let us see, what is to be ren dread, & given again unto God for these his inestimable benefits toward us miserable sinners?   

¶ The seventh verse.  I will offer to thee/ the sacrifice of praise/ & on the name of the Lord will I call. 
¶ The tent string.  
OUr minstrel David goeth 
David is like himself.  forth to be like himself, that is to say, to show that he is one of a very gentle & thankful nature, ready at all times unto the uttermost of his power to recompense and make amends for any point of kindness that is showed to him, as we may see here. For after that he hath song of the singular & incomparable benefits of god, which are showed not on lie to him, but also to all mankind, I mean so many, as are the faithful people of God, believe in him, & live according to his divine will, and hath considered how greatly 
Ephe. 〈◊〉.  both he & all the faithful are blessed of God thorough them in Christ jesus, he now taketh an occasion to ponder with himself how he may show himself thankful again to God, as he did before in y ● ●…ourth & fift verse of this his song. For he desireth nothing to be more estranged from his manners, than ingratitude & unthankfulness. He 
Note  thinketh it no point of humanity to leave the beneficence and gentle liberality of a mortal man unrecompensed to neglect therefore and nothing to regard the inestimable goodness & the infinite benefits of God, he recounteth it an act highly to be detested and abhorred of any christian heart. To show himself therefore thankful to God for his benignity, he is now full bend. But what will he give God again? What amends will he make him? In what things will he show 〈◊〉 self thankful again unto the LORD▪ Will he give him mountains of gold? Will he bring him heaps of precious stones? Will he fetch him frankincense, and other sweet savours out of Araby? Will he offer unto him fat oxen, lusty hayffers, well liking sheep. etc. Na verily, for he knoweth full well, that 
Esa. 〈◊〉. jere. seven. Psal. xxiii. xlix. Agge. two. 〈◊〉. Cor. x. Math. xxv.  GOD rejecteth all these things in many places of the holy Scripture, neither hath he any need of David's goods, which hath both heaven and earth at his own plea sure, and all that is contained in them. David knoweth full well, that his goods were given him of god that he should help his poor neighbours with them. What will he give God than? verily the sacrifice of 
The Sacri fice of praise Psal. xlix.  praise & of thanks giving. For this is that thing, which God desireth so greatly, as he himself testifieth, The Sacrifice of praise, saith he, shall honour me. Again, offer to God the sacrifice of praise 
Co●…oss. iii.  What so ever ye do, saith s. Paul, in word & deed, do all things in the name of the LORD jesus, giving thanks to God and the father by him. Again, he merciful. Also in 
Ephe. 〈◊〉.  another place, give thanks always for all things in the name of our LORD jesus Christ to God & the fa ther. To the Hebrews also he wryteth on this manner: By him, he 
Heb. 〈◊〉  meaneth Christ, do we offer the Sacrifice of praise alway to god, that is to say, the fruit of the lips, that give glory to his name.  
Thus see we how acceptable a 
What it is to offer the sacrifice of praise.  thing to god, the sacrifice of praise ●…s. But what is it to offer the Sacrifice of praise unto god? verily to confess & unsaynedly to grant that what so ever is nought, cometh of ourselves, again that all that ever good is, cometh of God only as he saith by the Prophet, O Israel thy destruction cometh of 
〈◊〉. xiii  thyself, but thy health and salvation cometh only of me. For this is the greatest praise that we can give 
☞  to God, for to knowledge him alone the author & giver of all goodness, & that all our righteousness, wisdom, holiness, sanctification, redemption, 
〈◊〉. Cor. iiii. jacob. i.  virtue, devotion, and all that ever good is, cometh of him alone, & not of ourselves. This is that sacrifyce wherewith God is highly delighted. This is that oblation, that giveth so godly an odour before god. This is that offering, that maketh God well pleased with him, that doth offer it, in as much as by the oblation hereof he confesseth himself to be able to do no thing, that of the own dignity & righteousness 
〈◊〉  thereof, may seem worthy to be accepted in the sight of god, and there fore giveth he all the glory, honour encomy, laud, praise & magnificence to god alone, as the Prophet saith 
〈◊〉. i.  O Lord all glory be unto thee, and to us shame & confusion. The saints themselves also pray on this man 
Psal. ●…xi.  ner, Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give all the glory for thy mercy and truths sake. God himself also saith, I am the 
Esa. xiii.  Lord, this is my name, I will give my glory to no other, nor my praise to graven Images. If God himself will not give away his glory & praise to other, certes we do him than much injury, yfwe steal it from him, and give it to any other creature either in heaven or in earth. If we deeply consider with ourselves at all times the great kindness of God toward us, we shall undoub tedly be moved to sing perpetual praises to his most blessed name, and continually to offer the sacrifice of thanks giving unto him.  
But in as much as I have entreted abundantly of thanks giving, and of the sacrifice of praise in my Pathway unto prayer, I will now cease to speak any more of it at this tyme. Read from the li●…. unto the ●…v. Chapter.  
As touching the invocation of the lords name, whereof David again maketh mention in this place, I have spoken sufficiently of it in the fourth verse of this Psalm. Thou mayst therefore (most gentle Reader) if thou wilt, resort thither for this matter. I am loath to be te dious unto the. I will go forth and make an end, although that which followeth, may also seem abundant lie to be entreated of heretofore.   

¶ The eight verse.  I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the sight of all his people in the courts of the lords house/ yea even in the mids of thee/ O jerusalem. 
David is ever one man. He had 
David is ever one man.  rather sing one song a thousand times, than he would once at tempt any thing without the authority of God's word. He is at this point, that he will do nothing, except God's word beareth him in it. He will not cleave to his own good intentes, minds and zeles. He will worship God according to his word. He setteth before his eyes this commandment. That I command thee, do that only to the Lord, neither put thou any thing to it, nor yet pluck aught therefrom. Again, I command the to do y●, which is pleasant in the sight of the Lord thy God. Also in another place, Ye shall not do every one of you, that which ye yourself think 
Deu●…ro. xii xiii.  right & good. He can make no shift to be divers in the worshipping of God. He can invent no new and strange honourings of god, as the old Pharisees did in times passed, 
Esa. xrix ●…ath cv. 〈◊〉. seven.  and the Papists & monks have done sins the time, but all in vain, as the Scriptures testify. He keepeth himself within the bonds of God's word, and as he said before that he would pay his vows, that is to say, do those things that he had promised to his LORD God, keep his Commandments, follow & accomplish his most godly will in all points unto the uttermost of his power, and do the office of a true king, seek God's glory, promote his holy word, tenderly 
The office of a true king.  love his subjects, maintain virtue, and suppress vice: even so doth he now again. So that David knoweth not how to recompense in any part the goodness of GOD, but only by keeping his most holy commandments, & in giving him hattye and contiall thanks, which he also promiseth to do in this verse.  
But seeing that I have entreated of the whole matter, that this very containeth, in the fift verse and sevenhte string heretofore, I will speak no more of it at this present, but only note this one thing that our minstrel saith, He will pay his vows in the courts of the lords house, and in the mids of Jerusalem. By the courts of the lords house, & by jerusalem is none 
What is signified by the courts of the lords house, and by jeru salem. i Cor. three v●… two. Cor. v●….  other thing signified, than the church of Christ, I mean the congregation of Saync●…es, that is to say, of the faithful, in whom God dwelleth by his holy Spirit, as S. Paul saith. The Temple of God is holy, which ye are. His meaning is this, look where so ever the people of god is most gathered together, even there in the thickest of them will he set forth the glory of God, as we read of the good King josias. He will seek all means possible, that 
●…iii. ●…e. xxiii ●…i. pa. xxxiiii Would god that all kings would●…●…o this.  all things in his Realm shallbe or dere according to the law of God, & that no vice shall reign among his people, nether I dolatry, nor swearing, nor disobedience, nor whoredom, nor manslaughter, nor stealing, nor bearing false witness, nor any other vice, that is prohibited by the holy scripture. And that this thing may the more fortunately come to pass, David himself, in as much as he is king and excelleth all other in dignity, will all so far excel & pass all his subjects in virtue & godliness. He will be unto them an example & spectacle of all goodness. He will like unto 
Phil. two. Math. v. joshua. i. Psal. i.  as great light shine before his people in godly conversation. The book of the law of the Lord shall never depart from him. He will read & meditate in it day & night. He will not steake to the corrupt judgements of other, nor be led with the doting fansies of those pestilent flatterers, Truth will we, but he himself will look upon the scriptures 
Ma●… we●…  of God with all diligence, & & evermore cawl unto God for the assistance of his most holy spirit, 
joan. xiiii. xv  that that sweet confortoure may both assist & comfort him in all his godly and virtuous enterprises, & also lead him into all truth, & know ledge of God's most holy will. To make an end, come their life, or cometh their death, David is fully determned to stick by God's word, & 
Math. x. Mar. iiii. Luke. viii.  to seek his glory above all things yea and that not in corners and secret places, but openly, that all the world may evidently see that David is an earnest setter forth and an unfeigned promotoure of God's glory, and by that means be occasioned also with David to honour, worship, magnify, laud, and praise GOD with one mind and voice for evermore, as Christ 
Math. v.  saith: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father, which is in heaven, to whom with his only begotten s●…nne our LORD and omnisufficient saviour jesus Christ, & the holy Ghost that most sweet comforter, be all honour, praise and glory for ever and ever.  
.   
¶ give the glory to God alone.   

¶ The. Cxlu. Psalm.  
I Will magnify thee, O God my king, I will praise thy name for ever and ever.  
Every day will I give thanks unto thee, and praise thy name for ever and ever.  
Great is the Lord, and marvelous worthy to be praised, there is no end of his greatness.  
One generation shall praise thy works unto another, and declare thy power.  
As for me I will be talking of thy worship, thy glory, thy praise, and wondrous works.  
So that men shall speak of the might of thy marvelous acts, & tell of thy greatness.  
The memorial of thine abundant kindness shall be showed, and men shall sing of thy righteousness.  
The LORD is gracious & merciful, long suffering, and of great goodness.  
The LORD is loving to every man, and his mercy is over all his works.  
All thy works praise thee (O LORD) and all thy Saynctesgyve thanks unto the.  
They show the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power.  
That thy power, thy glory and mightiness of thy kingdom might be known unto men.  
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, & thy dominion endureth thorough out all ages.  
The LORD upholdethe all such as should fall, and lifteth up all those that be down.  
The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest them their meat in due season.  
Thou openest thine hand, and fillest all things living with plen teousnes.  
The LORD is righteous in all his ways, & holy in all his works.  
The LORD is nigh unto them that call upon him, yea all such as call upon him faithfully.  
He fulfilleth the desire of them that fear him, he heareth their cry and helpeth them.  
The LORD preserveth all them the love him, but scattereth abroad all the ungodly.  
My mouth shal●… speak y● prays●… of the LORD, and let all flesh give thanks unto his holy name for ever and ever.  
Praise the everlasting.   

¶ Imprinted at London in Botulph lane at the sign of the white Bear, by Iohn Mayler for Iohn Gough. Anno Dni. 1542.  

Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum. Per Septenn●…m.