Heb. i. Matt. ix. Mark iii. vi. Mark i. but the sum of the money was considered. They gave their minds wholly to worldly honour and riches. He that could set himself in the highest place among the officers of the commonwealth, howsoever he came by it, was counted the most worthy and most honourable person. God and his word were set at nought. The prophets and preachers of God's word were brought unto extreme beggary, made of no reputation, and not hearkened unto. In this deep silence of God's truth there arose certain sects (as the devil never sleepeth, but watcheth his time), the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essees, which instead of God's word brought in their own traditions, and so corrupted the holy law of God. God, seeing this their ingratitude and unthankfulness, vexed them, besides other plagues, with continual wars, and brought them under the dominion of the Romans; so that, whereas before they were free, now are they in most miserable subjection to strangers, yea, and those their enemies. For God will not leave the contempt of his word and wicked living unpunished. Notwithstanding, God, according to his old and accustomed gentleness, once again having pity on them, and willing to prove if yet now at the last they will repent and amend, that they may be saved, sendeth not unto them his servants the prophets as afore, but his own dearly-beloved and only-begotten Son, to call them by his most godly sermons unto repentance and amendment of life, and to work miracles among them, not only for the confirmation of his doctrine, but also for their comfort. Christ preacheth. Christ worketh miracles. Christ sendeth his disciples and apostles abroad to preach. Christ turned every stone, as they say, to win the Jews unto true godliness, to bring them unto repentance, unto faith, and unto amendment of life. But how is Christ and his doctrine received? Few godly persons excepted, the residue mock and scorn Christ. They call him a teacher of new learning, one possessed with a devil, a deceiver of the people, a madman, a glutton, a wine-bibber, a friend of sinners and whores, a Samaritan, and all that naught is. To be short, they never put Matt. xxvi. off their fury until they brought Christ unto death, even unto the death of the cross. This reward had good Christ of the churlish Jews for his unrestful pains-taking. Notwithstanding Christ sheweth himself still a loving Saviour even to his very Matt. xxviii. enemies. For after his glorious resurrection he sent forth his apostles to preach and to work miracles among them, to prove if they would yet convert and amend. But what became of them? Some they prisoned, some they whipped, some they stoned, some they slew with sword: all, even so many as they could get, they most cruelly entreated; so nothing were they moved unto repentance either by the doctrine or miracles of the apostles. John viii. Mark xvi. Luke xxiv. After they had slain Christ, God gave them forty years respite to repent, always sending them preachers to exhort them unto repentance, and to aforewarn them of the plagues to come, except they repent and amend. They would not hear, but tyrant-like handled the faithful preachers of Christ; yea, the godly apostle St James, which in their chief city Jerusalem was bishop and preacher among them thirty years after Christ's ascension, never ceasing neither day nor night to exhort them unto true godliness, and to pray unto God to be merciful unto them, and to forgive them their sins, they most cruelly entreated, and unjustly put him to death. What followed? God, which will not always wink at the wickedness of man, stirred up the Romans against them, which besieged them so long, that the Jews were compelled for very hunger (O horrible act and dreadful deed!) to eat their own children, yea, and to creep into the privies (O most loathsome thing!) and to scrat out the most filthy and stinking dung (which eyes abhor to see and nose to smell), and for very famine to eat it. Whose heart trembleth not to hear these things? One slew another for meat. One plucked another's meat out of his mouth. Some died for hunger. Some slew themselves. The houses were full of dead women and children. The ways lay full of the dead carcases of old people. The young folk went up and down in the city, famished for hunger, and as the very shadows of death, ready at every step to fall down. In the city was nothing but lamentation, sighing, crying, weeping, sorrow, plague, pestilence, murder, famine, fear, tearing of hair, wringing of hands, cursing the time of their birth, desperation, calling for death, looking for present destruc tion, and whatsoever is unpleasant and deadly. The death in the city through the plague and famine was so great, that, besides houses, streets, and great ditches full of innumerable dead carcases, there were cast out of the gates of the city six hundred thousand dead bodies of men, women, and children. O most lamentable chance! They that were slain were eleven hundred thousand. They that were led prisoners away of the enemies were in number fourscore and seventeen thousand. They that died for hunger in prison were twelve thousand. The famous temple, the princely palaces, the high towers, the strong castles, the gorgeous building, the pleasant houses, the thick walls, the mighty fortresses, and all that ever there was, they threw down and brent. All things lost their old beauty. A destruction and very desolation of all things was made. Whatsoever was within the city, it went to havock. There were two thousand of them that fled out of the city, which had their bellies ripped and opened in one night, to see if they had swallowed in any gold into their bodies or not. There was nothing free from the enemy. Prov. xxi. O truly is it said of the psalmograph, "Except the Lord keepeth the city, he Psal. exxvii. watcheth in vain that keepeth it." If the Lord fighteth, who can resist his power? If the Lord will destroy, who can save? If the Lord will cast down, who is able to help up? "There is no wisdom, no forecast, no counsel that can prevail against Prov. xxi. the Lord." All the towers, castles, fortresses, bulwarks, and block-houses, all armours, guns, and artillery, all strength, valiance, and policy, can prevail nothing, if the Lord be against us, which is almighty, as he saith by the prophet: There is none that Isai. xliii. can take away any thing out of my hand; and what I will do can no man put away nor change." From that destruction of Hierusalem unto this day, the Jews have ever lived like most vile vagabonds and abominable abjects, having no certain country, no commonweal, no kingdom, no priesthood. Verily no man, except he be flint-hearted', can read the history of the destruction of Hierusalem, as Josephus doth describe it, without most large tears. Would God it were translated into our English tongue, that all men might read it, and learn to fear God! For "if God spared not the natural olive- Rom. xi. tree" for their unfaithfulness and disobedience, (I mean the Jews,) neither will he spare "the wild olive-tree," (I mean us that are gentiles,) if we commit the like offences. If God would not spare them "to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and Rom. ix. covenants, and the law that was given, and the service of God, and the promises; whose also are the fathers, and they of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, which is God over all things blessed for ever;" is it to be thought that he will spare us, which were heathen in time past, without Christ, reputed "aliants from the com- Eph. ii. monwealth of Israel, and strangers from the testaments of the promise, and had no hope, and were without God in this world," if we be found unfaithful and disobedient? "If God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down into hell, and de- 2 Pet. ii. livered them into chains of darkness, to be kept unto the judgment;" let us not think that he will spare us mortal and miserable wretches, if we without repentance go forth to offend his divine majesty. "He that despiseth Moyses' law dieth without Heb. x. mercy, under two or three witnesses: of how much more grievous punishment, suppose ye, shall he be counted worthy, which treadeth under foot the Son of God, and counteth the blood of the testament as an ungodly thing, wherewith he was sanctified, and doth dishonour to the Spirit of grace?" O! "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." For " upon the ungodly will he rain snares, fire, brimstone, and Psal. xi. tempest: this reward shall the wicked have to drink." God have mercy on us, and give us all grace to fear him aright, to repent and amend our life, to embrace his blessed gospel, and to bring forth the fruits thereof! rians and What shall I speak of the mighty monarchies or empires of the Assyrians and The AssyGreeks, which flourished not only with all kind of temporal riches, but also with most Greeks. excellent and learned wits? Live they not now in most miserable captivity under that cruel tyrant, the great Turk, that mortal enemy of Christ's religion? How came it to pass? Verily, they were disobedient to God's word, unmerciful one to [2 Folio, promise, is.] [Folio, stint-hearted.] The Rhodes. Germany. another, and led a life more lascivious and wanton than that effeminate king, Sardanapalus. God stirred up preachers to exhort them unto repentance: they laughed them to scorn. It came to pass, that God for their ingratitude and churlishness gave them into such an enemy's hand, as none could be found more hateful, neither concerning Christ nor Christ's religion, which at that time both killed and sold an infinite number, and even at this present oppresseth them with most miserable servitude, and holdeth them down in most vile slavery, unto the great decay of the christian faith, and unto the unspeakable sorrow of all godly people. How came it to pass that the Rhodes, even in our time, is subdued also of that most cruel tyrant, the emperor of Turkey, turned from Christ unto Mahomet, from the christian religion unto the Turkish profession? Was not superstition, idolatry, feigned holiness, coloured chastity, that is to say, filthy whoredom, stinking fornication, dissolute living, usury, and such like abominable vices, causes hereof? God hold his holy hand over us! To speak much of Germany, sometime a dear mother, a loving nurse, and friendly patroness of all learning, and a sure sanctuary for godly-learned men to flee unto from antichrist's tyranny, a country sometime richly endued with all spiritual blessings of God, from whom also brasted out the comfortable light of Christ's gospel, that now shineth here among us in this realm, very sorrow will not suffer me. O how lamentable a thing is it, so noble, free, and famous a country to be brought into slavery; yea, and that worse is, godly and christian preachers to be banished, and wicked papists to enter in; the preaching of Christ's gospel to be driven out of the churches, and the popish service to be used; the supper of the Lord to be taken away, and that most idolatrous, stinking, and abominable masking mass to be received as a god! What christian heart lamenteth not to consider these things? Of the plague that is now fallen among them, the men of God (I mean the preachers) told them full oft afore, and exhorted them unto repentance. But all in vain. For, certain godly magistrates and learned men excepted, with a few other, the greater part of Germany, even as in the pope's kingdom, walked still in the works of darkness. They talked much of Christ's gospel, but lived no part thereof. They abused the spiritual liberty of the gospel, and turned it to a carnal freedom, making the gospel a cloke of their wickedness. These abominations could not God suffer, seeing that before all other nations he had given them the knowledge of his holy word. Notwithstanding, I doubt not but that God, for his mercy's sake, and for the love of his elect, whom that country nourisheth, will shortly turn away his anger from them, and lighten his cheerful and Psal. lxxxix. loving countenance again upon them, as he saith by the psalmograph: "If they break my ordinances, and keep not my commandments, I will visit their offences with the rod, and their sins with scourges. Nevertheless my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my truth to fail." "The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, long-suffering, and of great goodness." "He will not deal with us after our sins, nor reward us according to our wickedness. For look, how high heaven is in comparison of the earth, so great is his mercy also toward them that fear him. Look, how wide the east is from the west, so far will he set our sins from us. Yea, like as a father pitieth his own children, even so is the Lord merciful to them that fear him. For he knoweth whereof we be made: he remembereth that we are but dust, that a man in his time is but as grass, and flourisheth as a flower of the field. For as soon as the wind goeth over it, it is gone, and the place thereof knoweth it no more. But the merciful goodness of the Lord endureth for ever and ever upon them that fear him, and his righteousness upon their children, such as keep his covenant and think upon the commandments to do them." Psal. ciit. Britons. Gildas. Moreover, as I may let pass divers other histories, which be left here among us as monuments of God's vengeance against the churlish and unthankful, and (as they say) come near home, read we not that God stirred up Gildas to preach unto the old Britons', and to exhort them unto repentance and amendment of life, and aforewarn them of the plagues to come, if they repent not? What availed it? Gildas was [In the 6th century.] laughed to scorn, and taken for a false prophet and a malicious preacher. The Britons with lusty courages, whorish faces, and unrepentant hearts, went for to sin, and to offend the Lord their God. What followed? God sent in their enemies upon them on every side, and destroyed them, and gave the land unto other nations. his books condemned and brent after his death. And since that time God hath plagued this realm full oft for their sin and disobedience. Not many years past God, seeing idolatry, superstition, hypocrisy, and wicked living used in his realm, raised up that godly-learned man John Wycliffe to Wycliffe with preach unto our fathers repentance, and to exhort them to amend their lives, to forsake their papistry and idolatry, their hypocrisy, superstition, and to walk in the fear for an heretic of God. His exhortations were not regarded. He with his sermons was despised. His books and he himself also after his death were brent. What followed? They slew their right king, and set up three wrong kings arow, under whom all the noble blood was slain up, and half the commons thereto, what in France and what with their own sword in fighting among themselves for the crown, and the cities and towns decayed, and the land brought half to a wilderness in respect of that it was before. O extreme plagues of God's vengeance! Since that time, even of late years, God once again having pity on this realm of England, raised up his prophets, namely, William Tyndal, Thomas Bilney, John Fryth, Doctor Barnes, Jerome, Garret, Anthony Parsone, with divers other, which both with their writings and sermons earnestly laboured to call us unto repentance, that by this means the fierce wrath of God might be turned away from us. But how were they entreated? How were their painful labours regarded? They themselves were condemned and brent as heretics, and their books condemned and brent as heretical. O most unworthy act! "The time shall come," saith Christ, "that whosoever kill- John xvi. eth you will think that he doth God high good service." Whether any thing since that time hath chanced unto this realm worthy the name of a plague, let the godlywise judge. If God hath deferred his punishment, or forgiven us these our wicked deeds, as I trust he hath, let us not therefore be proud and high-minded, but most humbly thank him for his tender mercies, and beware of the like ungodly enterprises hereafter. fits toward Deut. v. Josh. i. But howsoever the matter goeth, of this am I sure, that God yet once again is God's benecome on visitation to this church of England, yea, and that more lovingly and bene- England. ficially than ever he did afore. For in this his visitation he hath redressed many abuses, and cleansed this his church of much ungodliness and superstition, and made it a glorious church, if it be compared unto the old form and state. He hath given us a most worthy prince to be our king, which halt not on both sides, following God and Baal, Christ and the pope, neither turneth he unto the right hand nor unto the 1 Kings xviii. left, but he walketh very faithfully in the same way that the Lord his God hath Isai. xxx. appointed, having alway a respect unto God's law, that he may do all things according to the same. He hath given the king his majesty also most wise and godlylearned councillors to assist his grace, which unto the uttermost of their power study to set forth the glory of God, to maintain the true and christian religion, and to keep the commonwealth in a decent and quiet order. He hath given us his most blessed word to read, yea, and that in our own English tongue. He hath sent us faithful and godly preachers to instruct us abundantly in the knowledge of his blessed will. He hath driven away the idolatrous mass, and restored unto us the right use of the Lord's supper. He hath banished the Romish service and superstitious ceremonies out the temples, and placed in their stead godly preachings and learned sermons. Certes lovingly and very mercifully hath God dealt with us in this his visitation. And all these his gifts are evident tokens of his loving-kindness toward us. have now God our loving Father and merciful Saviour: let us take heed that we make him not of a friend an enemy. He hath now blessed us with all manner of [2 Arow in a row, successively.] :: [ Histories of all these individuals may be read in Fox, Acts and Monuments, Lond. 1684. Vol. II. pp. 211, 250, 301, 435, 438, 441, 460, &c.] We [This is probably the true reading; folio, seruious.] Eph. iv. A prophecy. Isai. i. Prayer. 1 John v. Matt. xxi. spiritual blessing: let us take heed that his blessing be not turned into cursing. He hath now turned away our captivity: let us take heed that he throw us not again into our old thraldom. He hath enriched us now with many singular and noble benefits: let us take heed that they be not taken away from us for our unkindness, and plagues cast upon us in their stead. If we walk worthy of God's kindness and of these his inestimable benefits, every man living in his vocation with all humbleness of mind, and meekness, and long-suffering, forbearing one another; if we be diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; if we be thankful to God for his benefits, and beneficial to our poor christian brethren and sistern; God will surely increase these his gifts in us, and enrich us with more singular benefits. He will surely preserve the king's majesty and his most honourable council, and give them long and prosperous life in this world, unto the great comfort of all us his grace's subjects. He will defend this realm, keep us harmless from all our enemies, and send us abundance of all things necessary for this present life, and, after our departure from this vale of misery, eternal glory. Contrariwise, if we will not walk worthy of God's kindness, but be unthankful for his benefits, and live now in this glorious light of the gospel, as beast-like in pride, envy, covetousness, malice, voluptuousness, unmercifulness, and in all kind of other sins, as we did afore, undoubtedly God will take away his benefits from us, and pour his plagues upon us. He will bring in again the pope, the pope's laws, the pope's mass, the pope's ceremonies, the pope's limbs, the monks, the friars, the canons, the nuns, the anchors, anchoresses, the hermits, and all the rabble of hypocrites, and the devil and all. He will take away our most christian king and his most virtuous and honourable council, and in their stead set up some wicked king and ungodly tyrants. He will take away our godly magistrates, and give us caterpillars of the commonwealth. He will take away all godly-learned preachers, and send in antichrist's chaplains. He will take away the pure flour of his heavenly word, and feed us with the sour leaven of the Pharisees. He will plague us with pestilence, famine, and hunger. Yea, he will stir up one tyrant or other to take vengeance on us, to shed our blood, to oppress us with sword, to kill our wives, sons, and daughters, to consume with fire all that ever we have, to make our country desolate, and at the last utterly to root us out from the face of the earth, that his name through our abominable living may no more be blasphemed, railed upon, and evil spoken of, as the prophet testifieth, saying: "If ye will be obedient and hear me, ye shall eat the good fruits of the earth. If ye will not, but provoke me unto anger, surely the sword shall devour you; for the Lord hath spoken it with his own mouth." What is then to be done, that we may continue in the favour of God, have him still our most merciful Lord, and enjoy his benefits unto the end? Verily, even the thing which all godly men have ever used to do, both in prosperity and adversity; I mean, pray to the Lord our God with a penitent and faithful heart. For prayer, if it be rightly used, is of great valor before God, and doth not only make him our good and merciful Lord, but also easily obtaineth of him whatsoever we ask according to his will. The Holy Ghost, the knowledge of God's blessed word, necessaries for this present life, peace for realms, quietness for commonwealths, victory of enemies, having of children, fortunate deliverance of the same, health, long life, remission of sins, eternal glory, with all other good things pertaining either to the soul or to the body, faithful prayer obtaineth of God, as our Saviour Christ saith: Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, if ye believe, ye shall receive it." 66 Forasmuch therefore as nothing is more necessary to be used of the true Christians for the continuance of God's favour and of his heavenly blessings toward them, and for the avoiding of all plagues and displeasures, than prayer; forasmuch also as nothing doth so much adorn, garnish, and set forth the goodly and prosperous state of a commonwealth, as every man diligently, faithfully, and quietly to live in his vocation and calling; I, not otherwise knowing how I may be able to do good to my country but by praying, preaching, and writing (for fortune goeth forth forwardly to frown upon me), have these few weeks past compiled and made a book of prayers, comprehending not only necessary and convenient prayers for all degrees of men, even |