hang in the air, or fall in a garden or other pleasant place, yet have they continually their pain upon their backs. Against these we wrestle, and "against spiritual wickedness in high places," or in the air, or we fight againft fpiritual wickedness in heavenly things.

Think you not that this our enemy, this prince with all his potentates, hath great and fore affaults to lay against our armour? Yea, he is a crafty warrior, and alfo of great power in this world; he hath great ordnance and artillery, he hath great pieces of ordnance, as mighty Kings and Emperors, to fhoot against God's people, to perfecute or kill them, such as Nero, the great tyrant who flew Paul, and divers other. Yea, what great pieces hath he had of Bifhops of Rome, which have destroyed whole cities and countries, and have flain and burnt many? What great guns were those ?

Yea, he hath alfo ordnance evil enough, they may be called ferpentines: Some Bishops in divers countries and here in England which he hath fhot at, fome good chriftian men that they have blown to afhes. So can this great captain the devil fhoot his ordnance. He hath yet lefs ordnance, for he hath of all forts to shoot at good chriftian men; he hath hand-guns and bows which do much hurt, though not fo much as the great ordnance: these be accufers, promoters and flanderers; they be evil ordnance, fhrewd hand-guns and bows; they put a man to great difpleasure, oftentimes death cometh upon that fhot. For these things, faith the text, "take the armour of God." Against the great captains of the devils, and against their artillery, their minifters, there can nothing defend us but the armour of God.

Take therefore this armour, faith the text, " that ye may refift in the evil day, and in all things stand perfectly, or be perfectly ftrong." This evil day is not fo called here, becaufe any day or time is of itfelf

itfelf evil; for God made every day good, and all days be good: but St Paul calleth it the evil day, because of the misfortune that chanceth or cometh in that day. As we have a common faying, I have had an evil day, or an evil night, because of the heavinefs or evil that hath happened therein fo faith St Paul," that ye may refift in the evil day." That is, when your great adversary hath compaffed you round about with his potentates and rulers, and with his artillery, fo that you be almoft overcome, then, if you have the armour of God, you shall be strong, and need not to fear his affaults.

St Paul hath spoken of this armour of God generally, and now declareth the parts and pieces of armour, and teacheth them how to apparel every part of the body with this armour. He beginneth yet again, faying," Be ftrong, having your reins, or your loins, girded about." Some men of war use to have about their loins an apron or girdle of mail, girt fast for the fafeguard of the nether part of their body. So St Paul would we should gird our loins, which betokeneth letchery, or other finfulness, with a girdle, which is to be taken for a restraint, or continence from fuch vices. In truth, or truly gird: it may not be feigned, or falfly girt, but in verity and truth. There be many batchelors, as yet men unmarried, which feem to be girt with the girdle of continence, and yet it is not in truth, it is but feignedly. And fome religious perfons make a profeffion of continence or chastity, and yet not in truth, their hearts being not truly chafte. Such feigned girding of the loins, cannot make a man strong to refift the affaults of the great captain or enemy in the evil day. Yet fome get them girdles with great knots, as tho' they would be furely girt, and as though they would break the devil's head with their knotted girdles : But he will not be fo overcome; it is no knot of an hempen girdle that he feareth; that is no piece of

harnefs

harness of the armour of God, which may refift the affault in the evil day; it is but feigned gear; it must be in the heart, &c.

"And be ye apparelled or cloathed, faith St Paul, with the babergeon, or coat-armour of justice, that is, righteoufnefs." Let your body be clothed in the armour of righteoufnefs; ye may do no wrong to any man, but live in righteousness, not clothed with any falfe quarrel or private grudge: Ye muft live rightly in God's law, following his commandments and doctrine, clothed righteously in his armour, and not in any feigned armour, as in a friar's coat or cowl. For the affaults of the devil be crafty, to make us put our truft in fuch armour; he will feign himfelf to fly, but then we be moft in jeopardy: for he can give us an after-clap when we leaft* ween; that is, fuddenly return. unawares to us, and then he giveth us an after-clap that overthroweth us: this armour deceiveth us.

In like manner, these men in the North Country, they make pretence as though they were armed in God's

expect or imagine.

In the twenty feventh year of King Henry VIII. on account of the great progrefs the Reformation had made, the advocates of the church of Rome, feeing their reign over the confciences of men was like to be at an end, stirred up the people in feveral parts of the kingdom to rebel. The moft remarkable effort made against the Reformed, was what the good Eifhop here expreffes fo much indignation at. Forty thousand men, under fome of the turbulent and difcontented Abbots and Clergy appeared in arms, declared themfelves an holy Pilgrimage, and had for their enfigns Chrift nailed to the cross on one fide, and the cup and bread of the facrament on the other; thereby fignifying, that they only took up arms for the maintainance of the true catholic church of Christ, and the deliverance thereof, now oppreffed by incorrigible Heretics. Thefe Pilgrims were oppofed in different places by George Earl of Shrewsbury, the Duke of Norfolk, the Marquis of Exeter, the Earls of Huntingdon and Rutland, Sir Ralph Evers and Sir Ralph Ellerker; and being at length totally fubdued, great numbers were executed for the fame, at Carlisle, York, Scarborough and Hull. The principal perfons who fuffered in this re

bellion

God's armour, girt in truth, and clothed in righteousness. I hear fay they wear the cross and the wounds before and behind, and they pretend much truth to the King's grace, and to the commonwealth, when they intend nothing lefs; and deceive the poor ignorant people, and bring them to fight against both the King, the church and the commonwealth.

They arm them with the fign of the crofs, and of the wounds, and go clean contrary to him that bore the cross, and suffered those wounds. They rife for the King, and fight against the King in his ministers and officers; they rife for the church, and fight against the church, which is the congregation of faithful men; they rife for the commonwealth, and fight against it, and go about to make the commons to kill each other, and to deftroy the commonwealth. Lo, what falfe pretence can the devil fend among us! It is one of his moft crafty and subtle affaults, to fend his warriors forth under the badge of God, as though they were armed in righteoufnefs and juftice.

But if we will refift ftrongly indeed, we must be cloathed or armed with the habergeon of ftrict juftice or righteousness, in true obedience to our prince, and faithful love to our neighbours, and take no falfe quarrels in hand, nor any feigned armour; but in juftice, "having your feet fhod with the preparation of the gofpel of peace."

Lo, what manner of battle this warrior St Paul teacheth us, "to be fhod on our feet," that we may go readily and prepare the way for the gofpel, yea, the gospel of peace, not of rebellion, not of infurrection; no, it teacheth obedience, humility and quietnefs; it maketh peace in the confcience, and teacheth

bellion were Lord Darcy, who was beheaded on Tower-hill; the Lord Huffey, at Lincoln'; Lord Conftable (of a family well known at this Day) was hanged in chains at Hull; Sir John Bulmer hanged at Tyburn, and his wife (a woman of admirable fpirit and bravery) burnt in Smithfield; which, with a few examples more, put an end to thefe ill concerted commotions.

teacheth us true faith in Jefus Christ, and to walk in God's laws armed with God's armour, as St Paul teacheth here. Yea, if our Bifhops in England had been" fhod for the preparation of this gofpel, and had endeavoured themselves to teach and set it forth, as our most noble Prince hath devised; also, if certain gentlemen, being juftices, had executed his grace's commandment, in fetting forth this gospel of peace, this disturbance among the people had not happened.

But ye fay, it is new learning. Now I tell you it is the old learning. Yea, ye fay, it is old herefy new fcoured. Now I tell you it is old truth, long rufted with canker, and now new made bright and fcoured. What a rusty truth is this; "Whatsoever thou bindest on earth fhall be bound in heaven ?"&c. This is a truth spoken to the apoftles, and all true preachers their fucceffors, that with the law of God they fhould bind and condemn all that finned; and whofoever did repent, they should declare him loofed and forgiven, by believing in the blood of Christ. But how hath this truth been over-rufted with the pope's ruft? For he, by this text, "Whatsoever thou bindeft, &c." hath taken upon him to make what laws he lifted, clean contrary to the word of God, which willeth that every man should obey the prince's law. And by this text, "Whatsoever thou loofeft, &c." he hath made all people believe, that for money he might forgive what and whom he lifted. So that if any man had robbed his master, or taken any thing wrongfully, the pope would loofe him, by this pardon or that pardon, given to these friars or those friars, put in this box or that box. And as it were, by these means, a divifion of the fpoil was made, fo that it was not restored, nor the perfon rightly difcharged: and yet moft part of the fpoil came to the hands of him and his minifters. What is this but a new learning; a new canker to

ruft