their knowledge? nay, hereby they proclaim and publish their folly and want of knowledge. These two hundred years there have ever been some, which have adventured to tell such news, and to say, In this year or that year, you shall have doomsday. Such a day will Christ come to judgment, and the world shall have an end. They have appointed many such years, and days, and hours. The years be gone, the days be past, and the hours be slipt away, but the world abideth, and giveth witness of their folly.

But the meaning of these men is good; hereby they move the people to repentance. For when men think the end of the world is at hand, they will bear the less affection to the things of this world. This is not the way to teach repentance, and amendment of life. The people may not be taught by lies and fables. If this had been good for them, God himself would have used it. God grant them grace to repent, which thus presume of knowledge, and reach so high, and yet know nothing.

Let us yet reason further with them. How have they this knowledge? of certainty, or by conjecture? If of certainty, then it must needs be so, it cannot fail, nothing can let it. But you will say it is a con◄ jecture: it may be so, and it is likely; for such a day, shall be a conjunction of Saturn and Mars in a firy house, and therefore all things shall be consumed with fire. Alas! what hath Saturn or Mars to do with the day of the Lord? they are but creatures, they are no gods.

They are stars made to give us light; why should they lead us into darkness? In the day of the Lord they shall be melted, and perish with fire. Why then trouble they the world with such vanities, and set those things down for truth, whereof they have no certainty, but only a guess and conjecture?

And what time chose they to cast abroad this

news? The same in which the Gospel, through the mercy of God, is well known of most men. Even now tell they these tales, when all men know, that Christ saith, "The angels in heaven know not of that day and hour." The angels behold the face of God, and stand in his presence, yet know they not the day of the Lord. This is a secret which God revealeth not unto any.

Children can reprove this folly in them, and say, "Seek not to know the secrets of God, nor what manner of thing the heaven is." Know thyself, that thou art but a mortal man, crawling on the ground like a worm. He that will stare upon the sun, may be blind, and lose his eyes. God hath given thee knowledge in measure; thou canst not know as much as thou wouldst. Know that is fit for thee to know, and speak that is lawful to be spoken. Think of the commandments of God to follow them. Search not into his works, to be curious in them: for he that is curious in searching the majesty of God shall be oppressed and confounded by his glory.

Thus much we may well know, that the Lord will come; that all flesh shall appear before him; that the world, the heaven, the earth, the sun, and the moon shall have an end; that the day of the Lord shall come suddenly, as a thief in the night. This warning, God hath given us, that we should not be taken unawares, but that we repent, and stand in readiness, and watch and pray, that we may be caught up into the clouds, to meet our Redeemer.

Ver. 4. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should come on you, as it were a thief. Ver. 5. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, neither of darkness.

Ver: 6. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Ver. 7. For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and

they that be drunken, are drunken in the night. Ver. 8. But let us, which are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the hope of salvation for an helmet.

Ver. 9. For God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but to obtain salvation, by the means of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Ver. 10. Which died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Your conversation is in heaven, from whence you look for the Saviour, even the Lord Jesus Christ. Ye were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light, approving that which is pleasing to the Lord. That day shall be dreadful, and come suddenly upon the wicked; but to you it shall not seem sudden, which fear the Lord, and put your trust in him, and take all care to be in readiness at his coming. Arm yourselves strongly ; the enemy seeketh to overthrow you. Your enemy is the devil, with all his force. Your strength standeth not in your own prowess or manhood, but in the mighty power of God. Put on, therefore, the breastplate of faith and love. He that believeth shall be saved; he that abideth in love, abideth in God; and whosoever putteth his trust in him shall not be confounded.

Here I may take occasion to say somewhat of the troubles of war; how Satan seeketh by it to disquiet the church of God. Who hath not heard what force is this day raised in this realm? who hath not heard of it? but let it not trouble you; God will turn all to his glory. I love not to speak of such things, yet somewhat I must speak thereof, the time enforceth me.

This is the first disturbance and breach of that blessed peace, in which God hath so long and so quietly preserved this realm, since the time that Her Majesty came to the crown. It giveth great occasion to the enemy to break in upon us; it is the spoiling of our country. The barbarous soldiers rush into 'men's houses, and take out what they list; they draw their sword, bend their force, join themselves to war against the Lord, and against his Anointed. They have torn and defaced, and burnt in fire the holy Bible, the Gospel of our salvation, and would set up the loathsome service of the mass.

What! hath the word of God offended? why should it be torn in pieces? why should it be burnt? what word is in it, which is not the word of life? it is the power of God unto salvation, to them that believe. And where should the word of God have place, where should it be heard, but in the church of God? O cursed hands, that so despitefully rent it! Woe worth that unhappy fire that burnt it!

As for the mass, would God, they that so much desire it, knew what it is! Would God they knew how the people of God are mocked by it; and how the precious blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ is blasphemed by it! would God they knew how grievously God is offended with them in this thing, wherein they think they please him so highly! But the mass and God's word cannot dwell in one house together, the one is so contrary to the other.

God forgive them, and lay it not to their charge, -for they know not what they do. They are driven on to work the things which others have most wickedly devised. There is no doubt but God will confound their enterprise; for this is his own cause; this quarrel is picked against his church, and against the knowledge and setting forth of his Gospel, and there-fore against the setting forth of his glory.

Only let us lift up our hands unto heaven, and call for help from above. Let us say unto him, "Rise up for our succour, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake." Let us say, "They have cast thy sanctuary into the fire, and razed it to the ground, and have destroyed the dwelling-place of thy name. Arise, O God; maintain thine own cause; remember thy daily reproach by the foolish man." (Psalm lxxiv.)

Let us say, Save, O Lord, queen Elizabeth, thy servant, establish that good thing which thou hast begun; open the eyes of all people, that they may see thy saving health, and enjoy it through hearing thy Gospel, which thou hast made known unto us; save thy people which trusteth in thee, and break the cords of the wicked in sunder.

Let us comfort ourselves with these words, that "God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation, by the means of our Lord Jesus Christ." He hath overcome the world. Let us be of good cheer; and let us walk as the children of light; let us walk honestly, as in the day. Then, whether we wake or sleep, whether we live or die, we shall live together with him.

Ver. 11. Wherefore exhort one another, and edify one another, even as ye do.

This is the bond of true love and Christian friendship, that every man be careful of his brother as of himself; that every man exhort and teach the things that are good, and rebuke others in ill; that every man seek to bring home the lost sheep, and to restore him to his master. Therefore Christ saith (Matt. xviii.), "If thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his faults, between him and thee alone; if he hear thee, thou hast won thy brother; for what knowest thou whether thou shalt save thy

brother?""Brethren (saith St. James, chap. v.), if