the officer, "Why dost thou carry thy child with thee?" And she said, "That it may be a martyr to die for Christ." The officer, marvelling that the Christians did not fear death, sent the emperor word, that he would not go to put them to death; but he should send another, if he would have it done.

Likewise in the Acts, when the priests forbad the apostles Acts v. to preach any more in Christ's name, and whipped them, the more they preached, and thought themselves happy that they were thought worthy to suffer such things for his name's sake. And for all the cruelness of the rulers, Peter turned two thousand at one sermon, and three thousand at another, which came, saying, "Brother, what shall we do?" and being Acts ii. iv. pricked in conscience ran not away, but came as the child

to the father when he is afraid. When Paul and Silas had Acts xvi. been whipped all day, and locked in the stocks at night in the deep dungeon, and were watched with soldiers; the chains fell off them: the keeper, perceiving the prison door open by itself, and thinking the prisoners were escaped, would have killed himself: but after that he see they were all there, and perceived the great work of God, he fell down, desired them to go into his house, washed their stripes, believed in Christ and was baptized.

once No doctrine any generally

hath been

received but

Psal. xix.

There is no people under heaven, but they have received the gospel; and that cannot be said truly of other kind of learning in the world. "Their sound hath the gospel. gone through the whole world," saith the psalm. The philosophers never agreed all in one kind of learning, but had many sects amongst them; nor the whole world never received them: nor any heresy was generally received; but only the scripture hath been universally taught and received, which is a sure argument of the truth of it. "Ask of me,” Psal. ii. saith God the Father to his Son Christ, "and I will give the people for thy heritage, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." Many such general promises there be, wherein the turning of all people on the earth to the gospel is contained, and since the coming of Christ perfectly fulfilled. The heresy of transubstantiation, purgatory, priests not to marry, ministering the Lord's supper in one kind, the pope's supremacy, &c., the Greek church never received, nor yet do. And although at the council at Flo

[PILKINGTON.]

10

None can be excused by igno

rance. Rom. i.

Antony.

The creatures of God

laymen's

rence a few seemed to agree to it, yet were they shent' for so doing, when they came home, and it would not be received. Before the death of our Saviour Christ, God had chosen to him but only the Jews to be his people; but after they had refused to receive him for their Redeemer, he bad his apostles go into the whole world, and preach to all creatures. Now was the time come that all were called; and of all sorts, degrees, countries, and states, many were turned unto God.

There is no people under heaven that can excuse themselves by ignorance, but they have been sufficiently taught: for St Paul saith, that the heathen before Christ was born were without excuse; for where they knew God, and worshipped him not as God, therefore God gave them up to their own lusts. By the creature his invisible power and majesty may be known, that he is a God. And therefore the most unlearned is without excuse: for this is sufficient to teach them to know there is but one God, and to worship him as God, though they never read the scripture; and whosoever doth not worship him by this natural knowledge, is justly condemned. We read of Antony, that holy father, which lived in wilderness, and, being so far unlearned that he could not read, was asked of his friend how he passed the time away, seeing he lived alone and had no books: "Yes," saith Antony, "I want no books; for all the creatures of God are my books, and I read and learn his majesty out of his creatures, as you do out of your books"."

And surely they be goodly books to be looked on and to are rather behold, the sun, the moon, stars, birds, fishes, beasts, herbs, corn and grass, trees, hills, rivers, &c. And he is worse than a beast that can go look at all these, and not love, praise, and wonder at his strength, power, wisdom, and goodness,

books than images.

[Shent: blamed, from the old verb, to shend.-The council was held A.D. 1438. Dr Delahogue's account of the result of its proceedings is: "Facta est unio ecclesiæ Græcæ cum Romana; sed cito disrupta fuit a Græcis in patriam reversis.” Tractatus de Ecclesia Christi. Append. II. ED.]

[* Τὸ ἐμὸν βιβλίον, ἔφη ὁ ̓Αντώνιος, ὦ φιλόσοφε, ἡ φύσις τῶν γεγονότων ἐστὶ, καὶ πάρεστιν, ὅτε βούλομαι, τοὺς λόγους ἀναγινώσκειν τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Socrat. Eccles. Histor. Lib. IV. Cap. xxiii. ED.]

which hath made all these to serve us.

The stars keep so good an order and course in their movings, the virtue of herbs help diseases, and all fish, fowl and beast feed and serve man which things come from him who is Lord of nature, and not of themselves. These may better be called laymen's and the unlearned people's books than images and idols, which be like unto whomsoever it pleases the painter ! to make them like. If all the images of any one saint were laid together, they would all be unlike one to another in many points; and what a monster should he be that should be like all these! If the relics, as arms, head, legs, scalp, hair, teeth, &c., were together in one place, that are said to be worshipped in many, some should have two or three heads, more legs and arms than a horse would carry; their gilded coats and painted faces should teach rather to be proud and to play the harlot, than soberness, simplicity, holiness and lowliness, as becomes the godly and saints indeed.

desired of

men.

After when he adds, "The Desire of all people shall Christ is come," there is prophesied the coming of Christ in our all good flesh and nature to redeem us from the bondage of hell, sin, and death, which thing all good men from the beginning have desired. It was a joyful thing to perceive Christ to come by the eyes of faith, and happy was he to whom it was given to understand and believe in him to come: but more happy did they think themselves, which did not only believe in him to come, but see him present in flesh. Simeon, a righteous man always occupied in prayer, desired Luke ii. to live till the day when he might see the Lord: which request God granted him; and when the child Jesus was presented in the temple by his mother, he took the child Jesus in his arms, praised God, and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy saving health;" and so was well contented to die after he had his desire. John Baptist, Luke i. being young in his mother's womb, leaped for joy as soon as his mother heard the salutation of the virgin Mary coming unto her. Anna, the prophetess, a widow, living in fasting and prayer continually, chiefly desired to see the day of his coming. Many kings and prophets," saith St Luke x. to see that day, and have not seen

Luke, "have desired

66

1 Cor. i.

it." Such a great desire for the increase of their faith have all good men had to see Christ in our flesh and nature, that we might by his death be delivered from the slavery of hell, sin, and death. What a misery is it to be in bondage of conscience for our sins, and God's righteous judgment and what a comfort is it to know, that God is reconciled to us by the death of his Son! This is the desire of all good men, which is fulfilled to us in Christ. And he is called "the Desire of all people" by the Hebrew phrase, which is as much to say as "most desired." So St Paul calls him not only righteous and peace-maker, but righteousness and peace itself: for so have such words more strength when they be pronounced like substantives, than the adjectives have. What a desire had Esay the prophet, when he cried: "Would to God thou wouldest burst the heavens and come down!"

For this peace, that God saith he will "fill this house with glory," much was said afore: but there he said only he would shew his glory; and now he saith, he will fill it with glory. And this is to comfort them that were so sorry, because this house was little in comparison of the other old one, and nothing so costly and glorious. The fulness of The glory of this glory appeared when Christ preached his Father's will, church. healed diseases, wrought miracles, rebuked the scribes with

Christ in his

their traditions, &c. as was said before. What greater glory can be, than to do good to them which be his enemies, to help them which cannot help themselves, and to do it so freely that he looks for no reward in so doing; but even of free pity, which he had on us, seeing us lie in such misery, did shew such mercy as to redeem us, to take us for his children, lovers and friends, to teach us, help us, and give us grace to do his will, worship his majesty, fear him, and love him, know our own weakness; and pardon our negligence, our infirmity, our forgetful and unthankful disobedience? Great glory was shewed in this house, when as Alexander the Great, called Magnus, submitted himself to the high priest, God's minister, confessing his God to be the true God, where afore he was purposed to have destroyed Jerusalem' and also, when Judas Machabeus with his bre[See above, p. 69. ED.]

:

thren, after many noble victories, restored God's religion. But none of these filled this house with glory, but some part of it only Christ our Lord, in whom is the fulness of the Godhead, filleth this house with glory. Christ filled this temple so full of his doctrine and miracles, by himself and his apostles, that the fulness thereof ran through the whole world for there it began as in a spring, and now hath filled the whole world therewith. So liberal is he that he giveth not only a part, but full and heaped measure, even to the top that it flows over. What a glory of God was shewed in this house, when out of all countries under hea- Acts ii. iv. ven were gathered devout men to worship God there; and after that the apostles received the Holy Ghost, when Peter in his sermons converted five thousand! How far spread was this glory, when the eunuch of queen Candace, moved Acts viii. with the great report of that gorgeous temple, came thither for to worship! But this the mighty Lord of hosts works, which hath all things at commandment, and truly fulfils all his promises even unto the end.

v. 8. Gold is mine and silver is mine, saith the Lord of The text. hosts.

9. Greater shall be the glory of this later house, than of the further, saith the Lord of hosts. And in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.

There were two chief reasons which discouraged them from this building, which were meet, yea, and necessary to be pulled out of their minds: and therefore the prophet chiefly touches these two. The first was the kings beforetime, who had forbidden to build, and their officers, which were as diligent to stop them: the second was poverty, for that by the great usury, bribery and oppression of the rulers they were so needy, that they were not able to finish it. For the first, God sets himself against the king, as though he should say: Though the king's power be great, yet I am greater though he forbid, yet I bid: though he be against you, yet am I with you, saith the Lord of hosts. What harm can they all do unto you, when I am with you? Who can hurt, when I will defend? For their