Beams of divine light breaking forth from several places of holy Scripture, as they…Beames of divine light breaking forth from severall places of holy Scripture, as they…

This shows the reason why the Gospel in later times was embraced so greedily,¹ when Luther began to preach, alas people had been in a worse condition then Jewish in respect of Ceremonies, and otherwise foolish idle men they will set God to school, they will have some fooleries alway that they will make as much of as of the worship of God, and so it had been in the times before Luther. In Saint Austins time, he was pestered with many vain ceremonies, and good man he yielded to the stream and custom in many things, though he could hardly endure the slavery of those things. Now when the times grew better, it was no wonder that the world embraced the Gospel with violence; as in Luther's time, when there was a freedom proclaimed from those beggarly rudiments and traditions. Antichrist had hampered the consciences of men with an intolerable mass of foolish groundless ceremonies, making them equal with the Word of God, as we see in the Council of Trent; and this vexed the consciences of people like scorpions, as it is Rev. 9.5. they oppressed the people with a multitude of weights and burdens, which when people could not assent unto, it stung their consciences. No wonder then if people thronged after Luther when he opened the doctrine of free justification by faith, that the consciences of men were not to be hampered with these things; He taught that Gods people were ⟨p. 266⟩only to have a few ceremonies for present order, but for the rest, to trouble mens consciences, and to make them of equal value with the Word of God, he showed it was an abominable doctrine and wrote against it learnedly and sweetly: and therefore it is no marvel though the truths he taught were soon and cheerfully by multitudes embraced.

This shewes the reason why the Gospell in later times was imbraced so greedily,¹ when Luther began to preach, alas people had beene in a worse condition then Jewish in respect of Ceremonies, and otherwise foolish idle men they will set God to schole, they will have some fooleries alway that they will make as much of as of the worship of God, and so it had beene in the times before Luther. In Saint Austins time, he was pestered with many vaine ceremonies, and good man he yeelded to the streame and custome in many things, though he could hardly indure the slavery of those things. Now when the times grew better, it was no wonder that the world imbraced the Gospell with violence; as in Luthers time, when there was a freedome proclaimed from those beggarly rudiments and traditions. Antichrist had hampered the consciences of men with an intollerable masse of foolish groundlesse ceremonies, making them equall with the Word of God, as wee see in the Counsell of Trent; and this vexed the consciences of people like scorpions, as it is