y, and vse such vnspeakable
vehemence, a man would thinke them the onely well bent men vtider
heauen, wherein let mee dilate a little more grauely than the nature of
this historie requires, or will be expected of so young a practitioner
in diuinitie: that not those that intermissiuely cry, Lord open vnto us,
Lord open vnto us, enter first into the kingdome of heauen, that not the
greatest professors haue the greatest portion in grace, that all is
not golde that glisters. When Christ sayd, the kingdome of heauen must
suffer violence, hee meant not the violence of long babling praiers to
no purpose, nor the violence of tedious inuective sermons without wit,
but the violence of faith, the violence of good works, the violence of
patient suffering. The ignorant arise and snatch the kingdome of heauen
to themselues with greedines, when we with all our learning sinke downe
into hell. Where did _Peter_ and _Iohn_ in the third of the Acts, finde
the lame cripple but in the gate of the temple called beautifull, in the
beautifullest gates of our temple, in the forefront of professors, are
many lame cripples, lame in lyfe, lame in good workes, lame in euerie
thing, yet will they alwayes sit at the gates of the temple, none be
more forwarde tha they to enter into matters of reformation, yet none
more behinde hand to enter into the true temple of the Lord by the gates
of good life. You may obiect, that those which I speak against, are
more diligent in reading the scriptures, more carefull to resort vnto
sermons, more sober in their lookes and modest in their attire than anie
else: but I praie you let me aunswere you, Doth not Christ saie, that
before the latter daie the Sunne shall be turned into darknes, & the
Moone into bloud, whereof what may the meaning be, but that the
glorious sun of the gospell shall be eclipsed with the dun cloude of
dissimulation, that that which is the brightest planet of saluation,
shall be a meanes of errour and darknes: and the moone shal be turned
into bloud, those that shine fairest, make the simplest shew, seeme most
to fauour religion, shall rent out the bowels of the Church, be turned
into bloud, and all this shall come to passe, before the notable daie
of the Lord, whereof this age is the eue. Let me vse a more familiar
example since the heate of a great number hath outraged so excessiuely.
Did not the deuill leade Christ to the pinacle or highest part of the
temple to tempt him, if he lead Christ, h