alf this power, that on whomfoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Ghoft. In making this requeft, he fought not the honour and glory of God, but his own private gain and lucre, thinking to get great ftore of money by this feat; and therefore it was justly faid unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou thinkeft that the gift of God may be obtained with money. By thefe and fuch other examples we are taught, whenfoever we make our prayers unto God, chiefly to respect the honour and glory of his name. Whereof we have this general precept in the Apostle Paul; Whether ye eat or drink, or rubatfoever ye do, 1 Cor. x. look that ye do it to the glory of God. Which thing we fhall beft of all do, if we follow the example of our Sa- Luke xxii. viour Chrift, who praying that the bitter cup of death might pafs from him, would not therein have his own will fulfilled, but referred the whole matter to the good will and pleasure of his Father.

And hitherto concerning those things, that we may lawfully and boldly afk of God.

Coloff. iii.
Matt. xxvi.

I

Now it followeth, that we declare what kind of perfons we are bound in confcience to pray for. St. Paul, writing to Timothy, exhorteth him to make prayers and 1 Tim. ii. fupplications for all men, exempting none, of what degree or ftate foever they be. In which place he maketh mention by name of kings and rulers which are in authority, putting us thereby to acknowledge how greatly it concerneth the profit of the commonwealth, to pray diligently for the higher powers. Neither is it without good caufe, that he doth fo often in all his Epiftles crave Coloff. iv. the prayers of God's people for himfelf. For in fo doing, Rom. xv. he declareth to the world how expedient and needful it 2 Theff. iii. is daily to call upon God for the minifters of his holy word and facraments, that they may have the door of Ephef. vi. utterance opened unto them, that they may truly underftand the Scriptures, that they may effectually preach the fame unto the people, and bring forth the true fruits thereof, to the example of all other.

After this fort did the congregation continually pray for Peter at Jerufalem, and for Paul among the Gentiles, Acts xii. to the great increafe and furtherance of Chrift's Gofpel. And if we, following their good example herein, will ftudy to do the like, doubtlefs it cannot be expreffed how greatly we fhall both help ourfelves, and alfo please God.

To difcourfe and run through all degrees of perfons it were too long. Therefore ye fhall briefly take this one conclufion

Matt. v.

conclufion for all; whomfoever we are bound by exprefs commandment to love, for those alfo are we bound in confcience to pray. But we are bound by exprefs commandment to love all men as ourselves: therefore we are alfo bound to pray for all men, even as well as if it were for ourselves, notwithstanding we know them to be our extreme and deadly enemies: for fo doth our Saviour Chrift plainly teach us in his Gofpel, faying, Love your enemies, bless them that curfe you, do good to them that bate you, pray for them that perfecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. And as he taught his difciples, fo did he practise himself in his life-time, Luke xxiii. praying for his enemies upon the crofs, and defiring his Father to forgive them, becaufe they knew not what they did. As did alfo that holy and bleffed martyr Stephen, when he was cruelly ftoned to death of the stubborn and ftiff-necked Jews; to the example of all them that will truly and unfeignedly follow their Lord and Mafter Chrift in this miferable and mortal life.

A&ts vii.

Lib. ii.

Evang. quet. 1.

Now, to entreat of that queftion, whether we ought to pray for them that are departed out of this world, or no? Wherein, if we will cleave only unto the word of God, then muft we needs grant, that we have no commandment fo to do. For the Scripture doth acknowledge but two places after this life: the one proper to the elect and bleffed of God, the other to the reprobate and damned fouls; as may be well gathered by the parable of Lazarus Luke xvi. and the rich man: which place St. Auguftine expounding, faith in this wife; That which Abraham fpeaketh unto the rich man in Luke's Gospel, namely, that the cap. 38. just cannot go into thofe places where the wicked are tormented; what other thing doth it fignify, but only this, that the juft, by reafon of God's judgment, which may not be revoked, can fhew no deed of mercy in helping them which after this life are caft into prífon, until they pay the uttermoft farthing? These words, as they confound the opinion of helping the dead by prayer, fo they do clean confute and take away the vain error of purgatory, which is grounded upon the faying of the Gofpel, Thou Jhalt not depart thence, until thou haft paid the uttermoft farthing. Now doth St. Auguftine fay, that thofe men which are caft into prifon after this life, on that condition, may in no wife be holpen, though we would help them never fo much. And why? Because the fentence of God is unchangeable, and cannot be revoked again. Therefore let us not deceive ourselves,

thinking

thinking that either we may help other, or other may help us by their good and charitable prayers in time to come. For, as the Preacher faith, When the tree falleth, Ecclef. xi. whether it be toward the fouth, or toward the north, in what place foever the tree falleth, there it licth: meaning thereby, that every mortal man dieth either in the ftate of falvation or damnation, according as the words of the Evangelift John do alfo plainly import, faying, He that John iii. believeth on the Son of God hath eternal life: but he that believeth not on the Son fball never fee life, but the wrath of God abideth upon him. Where is then the third place, which they call' purgatory? Or where fhall our prayers help and profit the dead? St. Auguftine doth only ac- Lib. v. Hyknowledge two places after this life, heaven and hell, pogno. As for the third place, he doth plainly deny that there is Chryfoft. in any fuch to be found in all Scripture. Chryfoftom like- Homil. v. wife is of this mind, that, unlefs we wash away our fins in in Cyprian. this prefent world, we fhall find no comfort afterward. contra DeAnd St. Cyprian faith, that, after death, repentance and forrow of pain fhall be without fruit; weeping also shall be in vain, and prayer fhall be to no purpofe. Therefore he counfelleth all men to make provision for themselves while they may, becaufe, when they are once departed out of this life, there is no place for repentance, nor yet for fatisfaction.

Heb. ii.

metrianum.

Let thefe and fuch other places be fufficient to take away the grofs error of purgatory out of our heads; neither let us dream any more, that the fouls of the dead are any thing at all holpen by our prayers: but, as the Scripture teacheth us, let us think that the foul of man, paffing out of the body, goeth ftraightways either to heaven, or elfe to hell, whereof the one needeth no prayer, the other is without redemption. The only purgatory, wherein we must truft to be faved, is the death and blood of Chrift, which if we apprehend with a true and fteadfast faith, it purgeth and cleanfeth us from all our fins, even as well as if he were now hanging upon the crofs. The blood of 1 John i. Chrift, faith St. John, bath cleanfed us from all fin. The blood of Christ, faith St. Paul, bath purged our confciences Heb. ix. from dead works, to ferve the living God. Alfo in another place he faith, We be fanctified and made boly by the offer- Heb. x. ing up of the body of Jefus Chrift done once for all. Yea, he addeth more, faying, With the one oblation of his blessed Ibidem. body and precious blood, be bath made perfect for ever and ever, all them that are fandlified. This then is that purgatory, wherein all Chriftian men put their whole truft

and

and confidence, nothing doubting, but if they truly repent them of their fins, and die in perfect faith, that then they fhall forthwith pafs from death to life. If this kind of purgation will not ferve them, let them never hope to be releafed by other men's prayers, though they should continue therein unto the world's end. He that cannot be faved by faith in Chrift's blood, how fhall he look to be delivered by man's interceffions? Hath God more refpect to man on earth, than he hath to Chrift in heaven? 1 John ii. If any man fin, faith St. John, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jefus Chrift the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our fins. But we must take heed that we call upon this advocate while we have space given us in this life, left, when we are once dead, there be no hope of falvation left unto us. For as every man fleepeth with his own caufe, fo every man fhall rife again with his own caufe. And look in what ftate he dieth, in the fame ftate he shall be alfo judged, whether it be to falvation or damnation. Let us not therefore dream either of purgatory, or of prayer for the fouls of them that be dead: but let us earnestly and diligently pray for them which are exprefsly commanded in holy Scripture, namely, for kings and rulers, for minifters of God's holy word and facraments, for the faints of this world, otherwife called the faithful; to be fhort, for all men living, be they never fo great enemies to God and his people, as Jews, Turks, Pagans, Infidels, Heretics, &c. Then fhall we truly fulfil the commandment of God in that behalf, and plainly declare ourfelves to be the true children of our heavenly Father, who fuffereth the fun to fhine upon the good and the bad, and the rain to fall upon the juft and the unjust. For which, and all other benefits most abundantly beftowed upon mankind from the beginning, let us give him hearty thanks, as we are moft bound, and praise his name for ever and ever. Amen,

AN

AN

HOMILY

G

OF THE

Place and Time of Prayer.

OD, through his almighty power, wifdom, and goodnefs, created in the beginning heaven and earth, the fun, the moon, the ftars, the fowls of the air, the beafts of the earth, the fifhes in the fea, and all other creatures, for the ufe and commodity of man, whom alfo he had created to his own image and likenefs, and given him the ufe and government over them all, to the end he fhould use them in fuch fort as he had given him in charge and commandment, and alfo that he fhould declare himself thankful and kind for all thofe benefits, fo liberally and fo graciously bestowed upon him, utterly without any deferving on his behalf. And although we ought at all times, and in all places, to have in remembrance, and to be thankful to our gracious Lord, according as it is written, I will magnify the Lord at all times: Pfal. ciii. and again, Wherefoever the Lord beareth rule, O my foul, praife the Lord: yet it appeareth to be God's good will and pleasure, that we fhould at special times, and in special places, gather ourfelves together, to the intent his name might be renowned, and his glory fet forth in the congregation and affembly of his faints. As concerning the time which Almighty God hath appointed his people to affemble together folemnly, it doth appear by the fourth commandment of God: Remember, faith God, that thou keep boly the Sabbath-day. Upon the which day, as is plain in the Acts of the Apoftles, the people accuftomably A&s xiii. reforted together, and heard diligently the Law and the Prophets read among them. And albeit this commandment of God doth not bind Chriftian people fo ftraitly to obferve and keep the utter ceremonies of the Sabbathday, as it was given unto the Jews, as touching the forbearing of work and labour in time of great neceffity,

and