Seven godly and learned sermons preachedSeuen godly and learned sermons preached

The old father Toby, when God had stricken him with blindness, and so taken his sight from him, and therefore his friends and acquaintance, resorted unto him to comfort him, and somewhat, if they might, ease him of his great grief:¹ Alas (said he) what comfort can I receive that cannot see the light of the Sun. Thus said he only because he could not behold the light of this world. Alas, what comfort then, what joy, what consolation could we have, when God ⟨image 31⟩took from us the knowledge of his gospel, the light of his word, yea the knowledge of God himself; when every man ran whither himself best liked, & followed that way which pleased his own fancy. Therefore were we carried away, therefore were we led into error, therefore lost we the knowledge of God, because prophecy failed, because Gods word was not taught and preached unto us. But now it hath pleased God to reveal himself unto us, now we know what is what, now can we discern light from darkness, good from bad; now we understand & know this, I say. Now we have the Scriptures in our mother tongue, that every man may read and understand them: the same Scriptures that Christ hath sealed with his own blood. And these Scriptures Jeremiah that old father calleth, The prop of our Faith. ²So Christ himselfe; Illae sunt quae testimonium perhibent de me: They bear witness of me, (saith Christ) and they shall lead you into all truth. Hillary saith; The Scriptures are the squire and Rule of our life. ³In the Scriptures (saith ⟨image 31⟩Christ) you shall find everlasting life. And Paul writing unto the Romans, saith;⁴ The Gospel of Christ is the power of God, to save all that believe thereon. The Scriptures were written (saith he) that we thereby should know our salvation. All these things God hath now restored unto us. Now are we able to know our profession, now are we able to know our Religion, to know God, to know Christ, to know our salvation. Now have we the use of the Primitive Church, the Communion under both kinds: now have we our prayers in our known tongue, as in the Apostles time, as in the old Fathers and Doctors times they were used: Tertullian that old Doctor speaking of his time; We come together (saith he) and hear the Scriptures read unto us. We may now do, as S. Basil writeth the people in his time did: