¶ Be wise and be warned. SIRACH. V Make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord and put not of from day to day, for suddenly shall his wrath come, and in the time of vengeance he shall destroy thee. PROVERBIUM. xl●. Give ear unto good council and be content to be reformed. Per. I.S. ¶ Printed by Thomas East, for Frances Coldock, the first day of january. 1573. ¶ The Preface to the Reader. Forasmuch according to the saying of Saint Paul, as although I spoke with the tongues of men and Angels: and yet had no love. I were even as a sounding brass, or a tinkeling Simbal: so that no work without love prevaileth any thing, & no man loveth God that hath not a care for: & diligently looketh to his neighbour or brother, because the gifts of the spirit are given us to do service to, and to profit the congregation: 1. Cor. 12. and therefore much doth he that loveth much, and much doth he that doth something well, and well doth he that serveth the common wealth, and being therefore good always to be zealous in a good thing: Galati. 4 and any thing aught willingly to be enterprised for the love of God, even so of my love and duty to God, and loving care for the continual prosperity of my country, I have enterprised this little work, beseeching you my brethren lovingly to suffer hearin the words of exhortation, H● and to have as careful consideration of the same, that we go not to waste, and be made a jesting stock to all nations: that our wits be not given to Aleants, and our fields to destroyers. And we made bondslaves of corruption, but rather taking heed to ourselves and keeping well our souls, our life may be agreeable unto the doctrine which we profess, whereby we may avoid the danger of the like misery, that of late years we tasted, and thus gentle reader, in recompense of thy travel, in the reading of this little work, God grant thee to reap such benefit, as may be for the comfort of thy soul ●nd body. Give God the praise. Be wise, and be warned. _●S unto A Christian there can be nothing more commodious, more comfortable, nor more beneficial, ●●n the exercise & know● 〈…〉 of the scriptures, be●●● 〈…〉 of God, the very food 〈…〉 the soul? Even so 〈…〉, the great love of god, 〈…〉 ●ower of the same God 〈…〉 neither the inestimable 〈…〉 by him, can either be k● 〈…〉 ●n, nor yet man know bi● 〈…〉 ●nce to so gracious and me. 〈…〉 and saviour. Whereby to r● 〈…〉 all possible thanks and 〈◊〉 appertaineth, and again as 〈◊〉 scriptures and holy word sheveth himself, a God of mercy, ready to support, aid and assist, help & comfort, and in all perils and distress to have a care to defend those that fear him. So is he there likewise found a sevear & terrible judge to punish, destroy, condemn and bring to death all such, as the which being obstinate and wilfully ignorant of his word and gospel, must needs be desperately careless of his will, of which both in the same scriptures are plenty of examples for our instruction and learning. And as by the ●●●es we find the law to condem● 〈◊〉? so find we there the gosp● 〈…〉 ●he promise of mercy: 〈…〉 repent and acknowledge 〈…〉 ●e preaching of the law, 〈…〉 selves to be scholars, 〈…〉 and fulfil the law, whic● 〈…〉 law, is a fast faith in 〈…〉 coupled with our prose● 〈…〉 ●tyng ourselves to lea● 〈…〉, and to learn to believe 〈…〉 is promised them, we fy●● 〈…〉 ●res the stories & lives of 〈…〉 ●oth what chanced them: & by 〈◊〉 ●●es their school master taught 〈…〉 ●ade them perfect: and how he try 〈◊〉 ●rue from the false. Wherefore the scriptures are by all means so requisite and necessary, as of necessity they are to be used with all reverence, not alone of the learned but also of other sorts & degrees of people of what estate or calling so ever, be they rich, be they poor, be they old, be they young, for as Fulgentius saith in the scriptures, there is sufficient and abundance for men to eat, and for children to suck, yea whatsoever is meet for all ages, which words of Fulgentius as they be true, so aught all men to give credit to the same and to believe them, specially and chief because he buildeth upon so substantial, so sure and infallible foundation, the word of God: for this commandment gave Moses in the name of the Lord, to the hole congregation of Israel. Deut. 31. See that thou read this law before all Israel, in their ears, both men, women & children, and strangers that are with in thy gates, to what purpose, it followeth, that they may hear, learn, and fear the Lord their God, & be diligent to keep his law: lo hear is the cause: but hear is no exception of person, hear are none exempted, but all must hear, men women and children, for there is sufficient for all ages. And yet further, Christ saith, come unto me all ye that labour and are laden and I will refresh you: but hear again none are forbidden: Wherefore my brethren, even as forth of a well, by god's providence we do with material buckets draw water for the necessary use of our natural bodies, so likewise as good scholars, let us obediently follow the sweet and profitable council given us by Christ, pronounced by the mouth of his beloved apostle: Search the scriptures saith he, john. 5. for in them ye have eternal life: and from thence, even from the scriptures, we must with the buckets of willing hearts & minds, draw out of the word of god, which is the fountain and spring of spiritual felicity, from thence I say, we must draw the sweet water of life, which plentifully floweth from the rock Christ, to refresh our thirsty souls, for the scriptures do cause that in the mind of man may shine assured knowledge of God, in the soul holiness, and in all the powers obedience, to be performed according to the presisenes of the word. The scriptures is as a salve, wherewith our souls are healed. It is thy word that preserveth them that put their trust in thee, Wisdom. 16. so that in the scriptures which is the only and holy word of God. We find the very plat, form, and ready broad beaten path way, that leadeth to the understanding and knowledge of that inestimable treasure and jewel jesus Christ, whose death, hath fully wrought the perfection of eternal salvation, Roma. 10 to as many as believe, as saith Saint Paul, if thou knowledge with thy mouth & believe with thy heart that God raised jesus from death: thou shalt be safe. For the believe of the heart justifieth, but as justification cometh through faith, so cometh faith by hearing: so that without the Scriptures of God, there is no knowledge of him. For the ignorance of the scriptures is the ignorance of Christ, and not to know Christ, is to be in darkness, for without the knowledge of god, there is no salvation, for he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. And how shall we believe on him that we know not? And how shall we know him but by the scriptures? for in them is he perfectly seen and known. God's word and the holy ghost are the glass wherein Christ will be beholden: and with this beholding we must be content until himself come to judgement, for afterwards we shall enjoy the fight of him for ever. If by th● scriptures than we receive such unspeakable benefit, even the safety of soul and body: if no Christian can comfort himself in God & Christ without the knowledge of them. And therefore of mere necessity must needs be acquainted with them, and know how to use them as a chief safeguard and defence for him against the malice of the enemy Satan, who seldom leaveth unassaulted by one means or other the family of the faithful. What have we then to think or judge of them that by their policies practise to disarm us, & to leave as it were naked and weaponless, to be a pray unto our so hateful and ancient an enemy sathan the Devil, of whose continual endeavour to annoy us, the stories of all times do instruct & teach us. For in likewise as he set himself against our first parents, and that by taking gods word out of their hearts, so employeth he himself wholly with like endeavour at all times that th● word being preached, may be taken from god's people: and being greedily desirous to have our necks under his yoke, as Peter witnesseth, goeth about leek a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. For in like manner as japheth by hypocrisy & superstition, and Cain by cruelty persecuted the true church, usurping unto themselves the title of the church, and changed the true worshipping of God into heathenish hypocrisy and superstition: and as the envious Philistines stopped the wells of Abraham, filling them with earth, to put the memorial of them out of mind, that they might challenge the ground. Even so at all times hath been, and daily are like practices by men estranged from God, and to make him unknown unto us by shadewinge his gospel from us, hiding & covering the same with monstruous clouds of corrupt doctrine, to rob and spoil us of the gospel which is the very ground of our faith in jesus Christ, alluring and forcing us to set our affections upon the inventions, devices, dreams and traditions of men, to bring us to utter confusion, but woe unto them (saith the Prophet) that call evil good, and good evil, Esai. u which make darkness light, & light darkness, the wrath of the Lord is kindle● against them, and their carcases shall lie in the open streets like mire: but thus it willbe that Christ his kingdom shall always have enemies, according to the first promise: The seed of the Serpent shall lie in w●ite for the seed of the woman: and true this is, the story of the church from thenceforth that the seed was promised unto this present day, teacheth us, for where so ever is an Abel, there is also some a Cain: where soever is an Isaac there is also an Ishmael: where is a jacob, there is also some Esau or other: where is a David, there is also a Saul: where is a Christ, there is also a judas: and whereas is a Paul, there is some Nero. And we must not look to have it otherwise, for Satan lieth always in wait for Christ his church, which he endeavoureth, either utterly to abolish, or else to defile it with wicked doctrine and manners. But now behold I pray you, a pleasant Allegory, for here shall ye have the state and Image of the church as it were painted out: The sea is the world, the Ship is the church, the devil is the wind, the Disciples are the godly company of believers, Christ is the truth, and the gospel is faith. And first note, that before Christ with his Disciples entered into the Ship: the sea was calm, which is to be understand, the world slept sound in his own sins: but as soon as Christ entered into the ship, there arose a mighty tempest, in so much as the ship seemed to be overwhelmed: but what ensued, Christ there who could command the sea and winds: and hear we may learn, that out of this little ship (that is to say the church) there is no safeguard, but yet it behoveth us to look well about us here, that we take not our enemy's ship for the true ship, for they have subtly wrought to deceive us. The enemy's Ship is better decked and garnished outwardly and of greater receit within, but the true ship hath her decking inwardly, & hath a much more stately master, namely the holy ghost: all the mariners that it hath, are godly: it hath the word of god and the sacraments in right use & obedience to the ministry, and with these treasures this ship holdeth itself contented in so great waves and boisterous billows. For ye must know that this ship saileth not in the calm sea, but is tossed with the waves and surges, which drives and tosses it hither and thither: which thing to be most true the story of the world showeth, when god had made the world, he put his ship in the midst of it. And by and by the devil the enemy of God's son tossed it with storms, which from thence forth was miserably turmoiled unto the time of Noe. And after No to Abraham's time, from Abraham's too Moses: and from thence to Christ his time: who to the intent to save the ship, came into the world, yet spaced not the waves thereof as then. But what is the cause that the world cannot abide this little ship? truly because the church reproveth the works of the world, blam●th the worldly ●yse men of folly, condemneth the righteous men as guilty of sin, advanceth not rich men but pronounceth them unhappy and wretched, unless true godliness be the governor and ruler of their riches. And this the Christ promised when he said, the holy ghost shall reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgement. But if a question might be now asked, what had Abel offended Cain who horribly murdered him? john answereth: Abel's works were good and his Brothers evil. What had No done? wherein had jeremy offended? what and where in had Esai transgressed? and what Christ in whom was no sin? to be short, wher-had the Apostles or all the Martyrs from the beginning of the world to this day offended? unless because they would have brought the world back from sin, from darkness to light, that men might live godly, honestly, & uprightly in the world according to the word: but this is the reward that the world is wont to requited his benefactors with all, but as the virtues of children have very large promises of good success in this life. So the vices in children, which fight against these virtues have threatenings of most grievous and extreme punishments, which also extend themselves even unto their posterity, for the offspring (for the most part) receive their vices of their ancestry as it were by inheritance: whose errors are to be detested, because their travel tendeth to deprive us of the word of God: wherein they declare and show themselves manifestly to be the children of their father the Devil: and therefore consequently, as much as in them is, are his instruments to hinder the salvation of man: wherefore according to the old proverb, what is bred in the bone will never out of t●e flesh. And what nature hath given, is not easily to be removed: & therefore such father such children: The posterity of Cain will show the property of their predecessor: it is again nature and kind for them to spare or save that which they can destroy and make havoc of. The brood of Cain will needs be known by their bloody recognizance, the devil that king of darkness, and his beloved Antichrist the Pope, continually persecute & bend all their force to this end, that they may extinguish the true religion of Christ. Their delight is in blood: They practise to spoil the ship, but all will not help nor prevail: Esai. i. for as jeremy said, they shall fight against thee, but they shall not be able to overcome thee, for I am with thee saith the Lord to defend thee And ye shall see me in joy when they shall be confounded: be then of good cheer: pluck up your hearts, and be merry ye mariners that sail in Christ his ship, for it cannot be destroyed. For God (as he is able to bring to pass that of the stones there shall rise up children unto Abraham) even so hath he by his wonderful providence appointed the blood of the martyrs to be the seed of the gospel: yea and of the ashes of those whom through tyranny the fierce have consumed, God hath raised great numbers now living, whom he hath ordained and appointed for the furnature of his ship, to the great glory of our God: the colo●t of his flock. And whereof to the great praise of his name be it spoken, we his people of Ingland, have had the experience, and even at this day, to our consolation and comfort, the Lord of his mercy so continue it, & make us thankful to him for the same. For great is the love that God hath to his church, yet nothing do these miracles of our mighty God move the hearts of his enemies, whose eyes are so blind that they see not, and their hearts so hardened that they understand not: but even still at those days proceed & go forward with their Cain like charity, according to the rule of the romish Antichristian church: the Sucksessors of Cain: For how rage the Heathen now? how fret they? how fume they? how lay they their heads together to conspire against the Lord and his anointed. Alas, who seeth not how cruelly they even now persecute Christ in his members: only to suppress and tread under foot the glorious gospel of Christ jesus. What besieging of holds and forts: What racing of walls: What destruction and sacking of Cities & towns: What spoiling of countries: What drowning: what hanging: what burning and outrageous & horrible dealing with gods deadlyng: What bloody and monstruous murdering of the poor innocents: sparing no degree, nor age: but from the no●lest to the meanest: Man, Woman, Child. From the grey headed to the tenderest of years: yea, even to the very babe sucking at his mother's breast, Psal. 76 giving the dead bodies of gods servants to the fowls of the air, to be devoured: & the flesh of gods saints, to the beasts of the land: she●●ng their blood as water on every side. They go beyond Herod, who went but to far: but these their works declare them, and show of what spirit they are, & that they be even of that brood of turmagawnts and hell hounds that the prophet in the person of Christ speaketh of: Micheas. 3. ye hate the good & love the evil: ye pluck of men's skins and flesh from their bones, ye eat the flesh of my people, & flay of their skins: ye break their bones: ye chop them in pieces as it were into a Cauldron. Is this according to the commandment, (thou shalt not kill) how agreeth this dealing with the express will and commandment of god: love thy neighbour as thyself: Rom. 13 love huryteth not his neighbour, & therefore is love the fulfilling of the law. But o ye bloody brood, how fulfil you the law: wha● is love become with you: for they that love, be merciful: and they that be merciful, do love: so the fountain showeth the water, & the water the fountaie: for love & merry are unseparable: Doth love consist in cutting of throats, and murdering of innocents? doth love consist in m●king spoil and havoc of them people of God? O greedy devouring wolves: O blood thersty tyrants: O● bottomless bellies, who daily em●●●yng yourselves with, and go●lpyng in the blood of gods saints, Psal. 7● a●e never full nor satesfyed but the right hand of the most highest shall change all. Wherefore o thou chosen flock of thy shepherd Christ jesus, dismay not, discourage not, faint not, murmur not, grudge not, repine not, neither refuse to bear a little piece of affliction with thy master Christ, who of love to ease thee, did himself ●ear the great and heavy burden, think no● much that thou being guilty by means of thy manifold sins and forgetfulness of thy duty to thy master Christ jesus, do suffer some loving correction. And feel the favourable hand of thy heavenly father: when he being guiltless did bear the burden of thy sin, & of the sins of the hole world in his body upon the cross: but pluck up thy heart o Israel, thou chosen generation & peculiar people beloved of God: and comfort thyself in him, knowing that the cross which is affliction of the body, grief of mind, loss of goods and friends, hunger, thirst, nakedness, imprisonment and death, is naturally incident unto the church of God and members of jesus Christ. 3. Reg. For had not jacob great grief of mind, for the loss of his son joseph: and joseph likewise suffered affliction of the body in prison: Luke. 16 Lazarus felt hunger and the pain of his biles, at the rich man's gates: Micheas was buffeted, and fed with bread & water: Jobe lost his goods, his children, job. 1. his house: the profit Esay was cut in pieces with a saw: jeremis was stoned to death: john Baptist was cast into prison and beheaded: james the brother of john was slain with the sword: and did not Christ himself Suffer the most shameful death of the Cross: the servant therefore is not greater than his master: if they have persecuted me, john. 15. john. 16 so will they persecute you. The time will come that whosoever killeth you, will think he doth God good servis. In the world ye shall have tribulation: and he that taketh not up his Cross and followeth after me, is not meet for me, for we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of god: Act. 14. ye shallbe hated of all men for my name's sake, but he that endureth to the end, shallbe saved. Now seeing that great are the benefits that bearing of the Cross bringeth, doubt not, neither fear thou to take up thy Cross by the which thou goest to a kingdom, for suffering of affliction for Christ his sake, maketh aptness to comprehend heavenly things. Math. 5. Blessed are they that suffer persecution, for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Gala. 6 Wherefore be even of Paul's mind, and say, God forbidden that I should rejoice but in the Cross of our lord jesus Christ, for surely no man feeleth, the Passion of Christ so much in his law, as he unto whom it chanceth to suffer the like things, for in the Cross is aid against the enemy, in the Cross is strength of mind, in the cross is joy of spirit, and the Cross and affliction of the Godly, proceedeth of the fatherly love, of the heavenly father towards his children, whom he chastiseth (in this world only) thereby putting us in remembrance of our sins, yet not that by our Cross we make satisfaction therefore: for that hath Christ himself done upon the Cross once for all. But that we should thereby mortify ourselves, our fleshly members, and being gently corrected for our sins, should turn unto our God and repent and not be damned with the world, but become pure vessels, being therefore exercised, with the Cross. Let us seek comfort at the fatherly mercy of our God through jesus Christ who grant us grace to glorify him with true patience under the Cross: and this order is in the Cross salvation, whereof to make us partakers, and thereby to try our patience, Math. 10 behold saith he, I sand you forth as sheep amongst wolves, and yet not that he therefore leaveth you destitute of help. For the Lord hath such care for you, Psal. 62 Psal. 91. that he preserveth the souls of such as be in adversity, yea, I am with him in his trouble saith he. And I deliver him and bring him to honour. Strive therefore for the truth unto the death, Sirac. 4 & God shall fight for thee against thine enemies: yea as a father pitieth his own children, Psal 103 even so the Lord is merciful to those that fear him▪ he loseth the prisoners, Psa. 146 giveth sight to the blind, helpeth them that are fallen, and defendeth the fatherless and widow. And joseph being in Egypt, Act. 7. did not God deliver him out of all his troubles: Peter likewise being in prison, Act. 12. his chains by the providence of God fell from him and he was guided forth by the Angel of the Lord. Act. 5. The Apostles of the Lord being imprisoned were delivered by night by the Angel of god, who opened the doors and brought them forth: Peter and other Apostles being in danger of death were delivered by the power of god, through the words of Gamaliel: Luke. 12 for to those that seek after the kingdom of God, all things needful shallbe ministered, cast therefore your care upon him for he careth for you. 1. Pe. 5. And let them that be troubled according to the will of God, commit their souls unto him with welldoing, as unto a faithful creator. For while we live: the Lord protecteth us and if we die with him, we shall also live with him. 2. Ti. 2. Let patience therefore in all extremities take place, for patience enjoyeth peace of mind, patience in adversity maketh friendship with Christ: the patiented man, every man praiseth and worthily, for he is like unto Christ, whose life was the true pattern of patience, the more adversity suffered with patience, the greater peace is enjoyed: patience is a token of wisdom, and a patient man is better than one strong. Pro. 14. Pro. 16. And he that can rule himself, is more worthy than he that winneth a City. Psal. 27 Heb. 10. Tarry the lords leisure, be strong and he shall comfort thine heart, ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise, Phi. 4. Heb. 12. and because he that is patiented hath much understanding, let us run with patience the race that is set before us, for whether poverty or banishment, imprisonment or shame, sickness or loss of parents, or children, or any other like do move us, we must think that none of these things do happen but by the will and providence of God. And that he doth nothing but by most just order (for why) our innumerable and daily offences deserve to be chastised more sharply and with more grievous correction, than such as the merciful goodness of the Lord layeth upon us: wherefore seeing patience is so profitable, and bringeth so singular commodities, and being so great a virtue when a man's mind is not moved nor broken in adversity. God grant us therefore to be so moved to the study of patience, and that by the authority of God's word, that being exercised & tried thereby, we may constantly perceiver and continue in the course of Godly life, throughout all kind of adversities, & after our long continuance be saved. But now a little to return again to the words that went before: I sand you forth as sheep among wolves: whereby is easily deserved, who be the sheep, who be the wolus. The sheep devour not, but are devoured: the wolves are not devoured, but they devour the sheep. So the Church of Christ is known from the Church of Antichrist by this difference, the church of God is persecuted, and the church of the Devil persecuteth: of which church of the Devil, that Antichrist the Pope is the chief Champion: the ringleader of false Profets, the overthrower of true godliness, who neither teacheth, nor reproveth by the word, but feareth the godly with cruelty: not only by striking, but also imprisoning them that withstand him. And persecuteth to the death the Profets of the Lord, for their preaching of the truth and constancy, so that we may see that the cross of the godly proceedeth of the love of God towards them, and is to their comfort in Christ jesus, even to life everlasting. But the enemies of Christ his Cross and rabble of reprobates void of their cross? Nay truly: for the Scriptures make mention that God leaveth not his enemies untouched, as for example. Cain for his bloody fact, was not left unpunished, but Abel's blood crying vengeance in the ears of God. Cain was banished out of gods fight and made a vagabond and a renegade upon the earth. The Amorites being enemies to josua the chosen Servant of God, josua 10 were in the field destroyed by the mighty power of God with stones from heaven, and f●ue of their Kings delivered into the hands of josua & were hanged. judi. 13. Holofernus a mighty Prince and enemy to God, was by the providence of God conquered by the hands of women. Pharo pursuing Israel, Exo. 14. the sea being to them a safeguard, was to Pharo and his hole army an overthrow and present destruction. Herod an enemy to the people of God, being in his chief pomp, Act. 12. was for his arrogancy eaten with worms, and gave up the ghost, with infinite numbers of like stories which I might allege, but for brevety I let them pass. But now if God have thus showed himself so mighty & righteous a judge: if he have thus bend his ireful countenance against his enemies, and so terribly poured down his wrath upon them, in those days: suppose you he hath forgotten himself, or think you that he will leave you untouched, o you Arch enemies of our time: do you imagen that he is either blind and seeth not your tyranny and bloody butcherly behaviour: or that he is death and heareth not the lamentable groanings and outcries of them that innocently have yielded their lives to the slaughter: o not? deceive not yourselves, for if the blood of Abel cried vengeance in the ears of God, for the cruel dealing of his brother Cain, & was herd. Think you that the abundance of blood of so many thousands of gods children which ye have spilled, will not by God be required at your hands: ●es, be assured, the Lord himself willbe revenged upon you. The power and force of our God is not decayed, neither his arm shortened, but he is even now the same God that he then was. Wherefore let this be known unto you, and whereof be you most well assured, that the longer that the mighty God withholdeth and deferreth his coming, so with the more vehemency and fury, and the hotter shall his wrath be kindled against you: & with the more grievous plagues shall he vex and punish you, when he shall appoint the time of his coming. And as the affliction & cross of the godly, proceedeth from God to them of love, to their comfort and consolation? So shall your punishment proceed of god's wrath and sore displeasure to punish you as his enemies & adversaries, to your confusion and utter destruction. The quarrel is his own, and he himself will revenge it, when the burden wilbée to heavy, Luke. for you to bear, that now glory and triumph in your greedy desire of blood. Shall not God avenge his elect: which cry day and night unto him: Yes he will avenge them, and when he cometh, he cometh speedily. And who may abide in his sight when he is angry, saith David. Psal. 76 For even as upon the sudden he sent down fire from Heaven: 4. Reg. 1 which consumed the Captains & their bends, so hath he his plagues prepared for you, and shall crush you and break in pieces with an Iron Rodriguez, or Sceptre, even like an earthen vessel, and make you as dust to trample on. His wrath shallbe shortly kindled against you: Esai. 3. How well hath the Prophet of God found you out. For both your words and counsels saith he, are against the lord, ye provoke the majesty of god to anger. Woe be unto your souls, for they shallbe heavily rewarded, Esai. 14 & because ye have wasted your land and destroyed your people, ye shallbe swept out with the besom of destruction, saith the lord of hosts. For the generation of the wicked shallbe without honour. Esai. 26 The malicious Tyrants when they die are neither in life, nor in the resurrection: For thou visitest them and rootest them out, and destroyest all the memorial of them. I will stretch out my hand and destroy the destroyer saith the Lord: A great vengeance will I take upon them, and punish them cruelly that they may know how that I am the Lord which have avenged me of them. Behold I come shortly, reve. 22 and my reward with me, to give every man according as his deeds shallbe. And to conclude, reve. 21 the abominable murderers shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and Brimstone: And the Author of this saying is worthy of credit. But now my dear brethren of England, as none of us are worthy to be accounted of the flock of Christ his fold, that hath not with compassion in his heart, the perfect feeling of the misery of our persecuted brethren our neighbours, and with a willing heart relieve them to our power and with grief of mind in their behalf, do humbly call upon God to strengthen them with patience & constancy of faith, that they may meekly and humbly submit themselves under the cross, which it hath pleased God for their trial to lay upon them. And whereof at his good pleasure he will again discharge them and unburden them: So let us again well know that all crosses and calamities are as Sermondes' from heaven for sin: and are laid upon our neighbours for us to take example and warning by: And preach as it were unto us, that we should faul● to the amendment of our life betime, lest God cast us of in his aunger. For although it hath pleased god to give unto us the use of his gospel, offering unto us thereby soul health, which is received by faith through hearing: yet is it not enough that the same be taught & hard, unless it be also kept, & to keep the word, is to learn what is herd, to hold it, to bebeleve it, and to perform true obedience to God through faith, as did our father Abraham. He hard the word, he held it, he believed it, yea and yielded such obedience to it by faith, that he would at gods appointment rather slay his only begotten son, then break gods commandment. But where is he among us, that yieldeth this obedience unto god, we willbe called Abraham's children, but we will not tread in our father's foot steps, would to God we had consideration of his promise to them that hear and obey it. For they are blessed saith he, which is to say, Psal. 81. set free from wretchedness. O that my people would obey me, for if Israel would walk in my ways, I should soon put down their enemies, and turn mine hand against their adversaries. Let us not now so much trust to our prosperity, that according to the old proverb, we set cock on hoop and be overmuch careless, but in our prosperity let us be afraid to offend the majesty of our loving Lord and God. Who as (thanks to him) hath hitherto? So he may henceforth carefully keep us from adversity and danger of our enemies, for as no man better understandeth the commodities of liberty & health, than he that hath some times felt the hardness of imprisonment, and pains of sickness? So have we good cause to be mindful of our late lamentable state, wherein we then lacking the liberty of our conscience: did taste of the like misery that our brethren and neighbours about us are now partakers of, which may now give us due consideration, to think with ourselves how perilous and dangerous a thing it would be for us that have professed ourselves Christians, to bring ourselves again ●nder the devils yoke, and into the traps of Tyrants that thirst after our blood, & which as they undoubtedly think long for: so doth our wicked life and conversation, even hasten the performance of their greedy desire: but least that our God being the sooner displeased, let lose the reins to Tyrants, and our enemies, that he may thereby revenge our unthankfulness, let us accordind to our profession as becometh christians, abandon the causes that justly procure his heavy and importable displeasure, and wrath against us, let us put a-away our evil thoughts out of God's sight: cease from doing ill and violence, Esai. 1. learn to do right, apply ourselves to equity, deliver the oppressed, help the fatherless, to his right, hear the widows complaint, detest our monstrous and lucifer like pride, our detestable and horrible whoredom, our greedy covetousness, our bribery and extortion, our gluttony and drunkenness, our lack of truth between man & man, in buying & selling: Sirach. 10. for through unrighteous dealing, wrong blasphemy & deceit, a Realm shallbe translated from one kingdom to an other, & with these vices are we dangerously infected: And the church of god never being with out her certain wounds for our Lord to power his wine & oil into. So let us use the means that god hath appointed us to stay his deserved wrath & plagues prepared for us. Let us diligently, speedily, & continually with all possible reverence & humbleness of heart, invocate & call upon the name of our god, making unto him our hearty supplication & prayers. The lack & dangerous necklecting whereof, as it is the chief & only cause of all looseness and uncleanness of life & conversation. So by continual and earnest repentance and often lifting up our hearts unto God through prayer being fervently made and faithfully used, is the life to be obtained that pleaseth god, for prayer is a salve for sin, and a preservative for them the prepare themselves to it: prayer is a quietness and safeguard of them which are molested, prayer is a comfort to them who with griefs are afflicted: prayer is a heaven to them that suffer shipwark: prayer in war is an arming sword, and in peace a garden of delights: prayer is to men in bondage liberty, & in poverty a treasure. To conclude, prayer is the ready path to the pleasant pasture of Paradise: when Pharo, did persecute the children of Israel by prayer, from his rage they were preserved: when David had grievously offended God, by humble prayer and penitent heart, god's wrath was appeased: by Moses' prayer, the fiery flyntes gave water, the driry air gave meat, the courageous enemies gave place to weakling Israelites when as they were oppressed, and almost surprised with fear of pinching thirst & want of dail● food, & force of dreadful arms, by Elyas prayer the drought marred fruitful grounds, and by the same man's prayer the barren soil did fructify, by David's prayer great Golyaths courage was stoutly daunted, by judith's prayer, fyrce Holofernus was by her beheaded: By prayer Daniel in lions den, from lions jaws was preserved: Now seeing then that prayer is of such force as that it pierceth the Heavens, and is a pouring out of a faithful heart unto God, wherein we crave and desire with earnest affection, either to be preserved from danger of discomodity, spiritual or temporal: Either else to enjoy some desired benefit, at God's hands, belonging to body or soul: Or else a yielding of most hearty thanks, for some benefit already received. Let us continued in prayer and watch in the same with thanks giving, that through our prayer our most noble gracious & merciful Princes Elizabeth, to whom God of his great goodness, contrary to the high & expectation of her enemies, hath hitherto given a joyful & prosperous Reign: so he may likewise heap upon her the continuance of many years to be an old mother in Israel, that as she hath well begun so she may zealously proceed in the setting forth and advancing the gospel, of God to his glory, the comfort and preservation of her Realm and people, and the discomforting of gods & her enemies: And that by prayer our god may still give good sucksesse to the travels of the Queen her majesties most honourable Councelors, illuminating their hearts with the spirit of wisdom, to force, prevent, and bring to naught, the subtle secret devices, and privy conspiracies of Satan, of Antichrist, and of all gods enemies, pretended against the verity of his word, as also that by our prayers, the Bishops and Pastors of gods Church, may have a continual care to feed his flock committed to their charged, with the bread of life: and that Christ may be known to them to whom he is yet a stranger, which is no rare matter in some places in England, the greater is the pity: for there must sin needs reign, because that they being ignorant of Christ, unbelief doth possess their hearts. Moreover that judges and Magistrates through hatred of covetousness may maintain cinceritie, and upright dealing in judgement, that the case rather than ●he parson be considered, for whosoever bearing office is led with rewards, he cannot see what is rightful, for rewards blind the eyes of the wise. Also that good laws being in force may be executed, that offenders may be punished and the guiltless defended, for where good laws be made & not executed, their the common weal goeth to ruin. And moreover, that by our prayer every subject of what degree or calling so ever, may dutifully sh●w their obedience unto, and reverencing our Prince as the minister and Lieutenant of God, that the Lord our God at the contemplation of our faithful prayer, whose mercy exceedeth the hugeness of sin, and whose grace aboundeth above misdeed, may by the abundance of his spirit by grace so work in our hearts, that we taking heed and being obedient to the same our heavenly father, and having a chief regard to the performing of our duties in the observation of his law and commandments, may by the good blessing of the same our God, quietly consent and rest in his truth, and have the continuance of inward peace of contience, that we may wear out our days in prosperity, & our years in plesier and joy in this world, being a waste wilderness, from which must pass into an other country, that we th●s having this care to accomplish gods will, and with this old year, to sh●ke & cast of & strip ourselves of old Adam's rags, and with the new year to apparel ourselves with the flourishing and glittering garment of jesus Christ, even newness of life, and keep it still on. Then shall we continue in prosperity, & be beloved of god our only stay & refuge who shall mightily protect and defend us from the danger of his & our enemies: Then the Lord our god which giveth victory unto kings, & which delivered David from the peril of the sword, Psa. 144 shall save and deliver us from the hands of strange children, whose right hand is a hand of iniquity. So that then let the devil roar, & all the devils in hell break lose: let Pope rage: let all the College of Cardenalls and Counsels conspyer, let the bloody bishops breath out their traitorous malice, and hatefulness of their hearts. Yea let the hole fraternetie of that filthy generation & brood of Antichrist, devise and imagine what they can or may: And all shallbe in vain, for the works of wickedness do flourish to be destroyed for ever: And the enemies of the Lord shall perish. Psa. 92. And all the workers of wickedness shall be scattered abroad, for there is no wisdom against the Lord our God, the creator of Heaven and Earth. To whom with his Christ and the holy Spirit, three persons and one God, be all praise, pour, & majesty for ever, and ever. Amen. ¶ give God the praise. The petition of the penitent. AS those that wrapped are in woe, think long to have relief: So Lord to suage our sorrows great, to thee we show our grief. In whom only consysts the help, of each poor sinful slaves: And in whose choice, body and Soul, are both to spill or save. O let our spirits which feign would yield such fruit as faith requires: Su●●ue the devil and flesh, which still against our soul conspires. For lo, alas what we would not, in us still taketh place: And what we would is left undone, for want Lord of thy grace. Feeling therefore the burden of our sins, which is so great: With humble spirit, with contrite heart, with teeres we thee entreat. Us to behold poor wretched worms, which do our faults confess: And eke unfeignedly bewail, our woeful wickedness. Which daily doth abound in us, to our reproach and shame: Let mercy yet prevent thy wrath, for honour of thy name. And as our secret sighs for si●ne, to thee are not unknown: So cra●ing mercy at thy hands, accept us for thy own. That we being new built by grace, may loath this lump of sin: And clad in virtuous godly life, may still proceed therein. Performing our profession, till finished are our days: That then in passing joy with thee, we may remain always. Grant Lord this our petition, which art the god of might: That through the jesus Christ we may be righteous in thy sight. FINIS.