a part is wholie holden in grosse of euery one He addeth further that whosoeuer will arrogate this title vnto himselfe is Antichrist Here we will adde the Minor But the Pope challengeth vnto himselfe this title Wherefore the Papistes must beare it with an indifferent mind if we call the Pope Antichrist Lastlie in the Epistle vnto Iohn of Constantinople What aunswere saith he wilt thou make before the tribunall seat of Christ whose office thou hast so arrogantlie vsurped Here Gregorie confesseth that this title is méete for Christ onelie But the foundation strength of these reasons is that it is not lawfull to reuerse the order which Christ hath appointed Mat. 16. 18. Whether Christ instituted one head in the Church 4 Yea verilie saie they Christ himselfe appointed one head in the Church For hée saith Thou art Peter and vppon this rocke c. But these men leane to a ruinous foundation Peter confessed Christ to be the sonne of God The words of Christ Thou art Peter c. expounded Then Christ Thou saith he shalt be Peter because thou hast confessed the rock that is me béeing the foundation of the Church And vppon this rocke which thou hast confessed I will builde my Church But now saith Paul 1. Cor. 3. 11 none can laie any other foundation but that which is laid Christ Iesus But if at anie time we read among the Fathers that the Apostles be foundations as in the Apocalips we read that there bée twelue foundations of new Ierusalem Apo. 21. 14 foundation is not here put for the roote of the building but for the xij stones which are next vnto the foundation For otherwise Christ is the foundation euen of the Apostles But they obiect that the keyes were committed vnto Peter Of yeâ—eies Yea rather they were giuen to all the Apostles without difference For Christ gaue the holie Ghost vnto al Ioh. 20. 22. and said vnto all Mat. 28. 19 Go ye preach ye The which in verie déede be the keyes of the Church But vnto Peter it was saide Ioh. 21. 15. Feed feed Yea rather they were all bidden and they ought to féed 1. Pet. 5. 2. Of those words féed any sheepe And Peter in his Epistle writeth vnto the other Bishoppes Feed yee as much as in you lieth the flocke of Christ Why then was it chiefely said vnto Peter before others Feed thou Mat. 26. 69 Because when he had thrise openlie denied Christ he might haue séemed to haue fallen from his first dignitie Wherefore Christ as though he had restored him into his place bad him by name to féed Howbeit what he spake vnto him alone he spake vnto all By this also he signified that hée which will teach in the Church ought to be indued with singular loue towards Christ Paul although after the death of Christ hée were made an Apostle Gal. 2. 6. yet he saith That he learned nothing of Peter or conferred anie thing with anie of the Apostle But if so be that Peter had béene the prince and heade of the Church nothing ought to haue béene doone without his authoritie and sufferance Naie rather Peter and Paul so allotted the Prouinces betwéene them Ibid. ver 7. as Peter taught among the Iewes and Paul among the Gentils 1. Pet. 5. 3. Further Peter admonisheth the Bishops that they should not raigne ouer the Cleargie Therefore how maie anie one obtaine the kingdome ouer others and beare himselfe as head But this reason is first of all to bée noted Iohn the Apostle liued vntil the time of Domitian Peter died at Rome vnder Nero. Him did Linus Cletus and Clemens succéede Now if they wil the Pope to be head of the Church they must of necessitie confesse that Iohn the Apostle was subiect vnto Clement If the Pope be head of the Church the Apostles were subiect vnto him So then let them either denie the Popes to be heades of the Church or if they will not let them subiect the Apostles-vnto them The Epistles of Clemens although they be manifestly fained and inuented yet are they oftentimes cited highlie estéemed by them Then let it be lawfull for vs also to consider what he writeth His Epistle vnto Iames the Apostle hath this inscription Clemens vnto Iames Clemens calleth Iames the Byshop of Byshops the brother of the Lord the Bishop of Bishops ruling all the Churches of God which are founded euerie where by his Prouidence Wherefore Rome the head of the Church shall bée translated to Ierusalem To this The vniuersall Church cannot be ruled by one man how maie the vniuersall Church be ruled by one man Sometime the Romane Empire was the greatest yet could it not imbrace the Parthians Scythians Indians Ethiopians and although it obtained not the whole world yet as Titus Linius saith it was wearie of his owne burthen Euen so these men when they saw that no one man might imbrace the whole Church they instituted as it were a Quadrumuirat that is that the world should bée ruled by foure Patriarches Namelie that the Patriarch of Antioch should be ouer Syria the Patriarch of Alexandria ouer Egypt and Ethiopia The Patriarch of Constantinople ouer Asia Greece and Illyricum The Patriarch of Rome ouer all the West part But what came to passe at the length Verilie this that they stroue among themselues and rent the world in sunder for each one would reigne ouer all And this welnéere is woont to be the end of humane counsels But Paul said that he tooke care of all the Churches I graunt but yet he said hée had a care not a dominion and that therefore he rather wrote vnto admonished counselled and reprooued the Churches but neueâ— called nor could haue called himselfe the head of the Church 5 But we are sometimes woont to saie The Church would be a monster if it had two heads If the Church should haue one head in heaueÌ„ and an other in earth it should be double headed and so séeme a monster This argument the Bishop of Rochester derideth For a wife also hath both her owne head and her husbandes so by this meanes euerie wife should be a monster The Byshop of Rochester But I maruell at Rochester being so great a Logitian that hée noted not a false argument in that which hée reporteth of the wife For those two heads of the wife be not of one and the same order for one is naturall and other is Oeconomicall But it would be a monsterous thing if a wife should haue two naturall heads or two Oeconomicall heads or two husbands But they adde The difference which they put betwéene Christ and the Pope The Pope is onelie a ministeriall heade he powreth not into the Church senses and spirituall motions for that is onelie the part of Christ Wherefore the Pope and Christ be not two heads of one and the same kinde The Pope is not confessed to
is inferior to the scriptures but neither the Bishop nor Magistrate may alter them A Notarie or Scriuener writeth actes and bargaines and otherwhile retaineth the writings in his office yet must not greater credite be giuen to the Notarie than to the testator or to them that make the bargaines 23 But they are woont to say that Heretickes beléeue not the Scriptures but that is their owne fault and not the fault of the Scriptures And the obstinate Iewes would not beléeue no not Christ or the Apostles But this must be imputed to their own fault and not to Christ nor to the Apostles What will they saie that they will not beléeue no not the Church For after the Synode of Nice the Arrians both were more in number and more obstinate than euer they were before But why doe they place the Church aboue the Scriptures Let themselues goe vnto the Turkes that by the authoritie and name of the Church they maie bring them vnto the faith Cyprian Cyprian De singularitate ClericoruÌ„ hath an excellent place If saieth he all that we doe we doe it onely to the ende that we may please the Lord vndoubtedly whatsoeuer the Lord whom we séeke to please shall will and command and allow that onelie shal be iust For séeing that seruantes cannot knowe of themselues what will please their lordes vnlesse they follow the commandements of their lordes and that men doubtlesse are not able to knowe the mindes of men like vnto themselues vnlesse they haue receiued that which they shoulde obserue much rather mortall men cannot comprehend the righteousnes of the immortall God vnlesse he himselfe vouchsafe to declare the iudgements of his righteousnesse Wherefore they which shunne the scriptures and make much of the Fathers séeme to me not to be students of diuinitie but of Fathers But wee will saie that which in olde time a certaine Ethnick answered that he cared not for those dimi gods so he might haue Iupiter to bee fauourable Euen so we make not so great account of the sayings of the Fathers so the Scriptures make of our side So as we sée that in olde time it was a laudable custome In old time onely the Canonicall Scriptures were readâ—… the Church that nothing shoulde be read in the Church besides the Canonicall Scriptures and this was decréed in the thirde Councell of Carthage And in the Synodes when the controuersies were disputed both of the one side and of the other at the last the Bishops pronounced sentence out of the holy scriptures wherof we haue a most manifest example in Cyprian For when there was a controuersie in the Councell as touching the Baptisme of Heretickes The third Councell of Carthage euerie Bishop prooued his opinion by the testimonie of the Scriptures Againe séeing we would restore the Church in which the aduersaries themselues confesse many things to be corrupted there is no better counsell than to reuoke all things to the first beginnings of the Church and to the first originals of Religion For so long as we staie in Councels and Fathers we shall alwaies dwell in the same errours So in the Common weales where any thing is decayed good Citizens giue their indeuour that the same maie be reuoked to the first beginnings and foundations of the Citie if so be that those were good A iudgement touching the Canons ascribed to the Apostles Out of the booke of Dowes 24 But Smith kéepeth a great stirre for Canons of the Apostles and vehemently accuseth vs because wee will not by publike teaching receiue them as Canons of the Apostles But I would haue him to tell mée whether they themselues receiue them or no. Perhaps as he is wilfull he will saie yea But in the ix Chapter it is there commanded that a Bishop and any else of the Catalogue of Priests which standeth at the ministration of the holie mysteries if he will not communicate either let him shewe the cause or let him be excommunicate Verilie if he will admit this lawe he himselfe shal be a thousand times excommunicate séeing he is verie ofteÌ„ present at his idolatrous Masse and doeth neither communicate nor yet shew a reasonable cause why he abstaineth from the communion The Communion In the x. Chapter also it is there commaunded that faithfull men which enter into the Church should heare the scriptures Priuate masses condemned should perseuere in prayers with others and should communicate otherwise they ought to be depriued of the Communion Let this fellowe saie whether at this day his Papisticall Churches will haue this Canon to be of force or whether they do receiue it for a Canon or no. Ecclesiasticall men maried In the 6. Canon it is commanded that no Bishop or Priest vnder the pretence of Religion should put awaie his owne wife and that if he should put her awaie he should be excommunicate and finallie if he perseuere he should be depriued Doeth not this place sufficientlie prooue that they which were called to be Bishops might lawfullie retaine the companie of their owne wiues And againe it appeareth hereby that Matrimonie is not so repugnant to the holie Ministerie as these men imagine Which thing is nowe declared by Paul and therefore for the confirmation of this there is no néede of these vnwritten Canons But let vs yet procéede further sée whether these Canons doe so greatlie please Smith In the 38. The Byshops CouÌ„cels to be celebrated twise in the yeare Chapter we reade that the Councels of the Bishops shoulde be celebrated twise in the yeare namelie at the feast of Pentecost and in the moneth of October Here woulde I knowe whether the Papisticall Church receiue this Canon It receiueth it not séeing the Councels of Bishops are rare therein Woe be to Gregorie Nazianzene if this Canon were true Gregorie Nazianzene who not onelie conueied himselfe away from the Councel of Bishops but as it is in a certaine Epistle of his he durst write that he neuer in a maner sawe anie good ende of the Councels of Bishops Certainlie these Canons if they were written by the Apostles as this man would beare me in hand they should no lesse be reckoned within the account of the diuine scriptures than be the Epistles of the Apostles For what priuiledge should be more assigned vnto the Epistles than vnto the Canons if the Apostles had bin authors alike of both sortes of Scripture Did euer anie man recken these Canons among the Catalogue of the Scriptures But yet I minde to adde that which is written in the 8. Canon If any Bishop or Priest or Deacon shall with the Iewes celebrate the holie daie of Easter before the winter Equinoctiall Easterday he shall be depriued This Canon if it had bin made by the Apostles what place could haue bin left for the contention which happened in the time of Victor Policrates and Irenaeus The Ephesians did celebrate Easter after the maner of the Iewes alleaging
the good as in the euill part For euen great offenders be called Anathemata or accursed Rom. 9. 3. And in this sense Paule would haue bin accursed from Christ for his brethrens sake Among the Hebrewes it is called Cherem that is perdition prohibition or a thing prohibited And it maie be also defined by those things which are taught of the Apostle A definition of excommunication after this maner Excommunication is the casting out of a godlesse man from the fellowship of the faithfull by the iudgement of them which be chiefe and the whole Church consenting by the authoritie of Christ and rule of the holie Scripture to the saluation both of him that is cast out and of the people of God An order of the Treatise Now let vs sée how necessarie this punishment is Secondlie what things ought to goe before Afterward who is to bee excommunicated Further from whence he should be cast whither he shoulde be cast by what degrées by whom when why and by what motion or inspiration and what we should at the length doe with him that is excommunicate How necessarie a thing excommunication is Mat. 18. 17 3 By the Gospell we easilie knowe how necessarie this ought to be accounted in the Church In the 18. of Matthew when Christ had taught as concerning brotherlie correction he added But and if he shall not heare the Church let him be vnto thee as an Ethnick and Publicane Ibid. ver 18 Againe Whatsoeuer ye shall binde vpon the earth shall be bound also in heauen and whatsoeuer ye loose vppon the earth shall also bee loosed in heauen Wherefore séeing it is the Gospell of Christ as touching all the parts it ought to be receiued of the Church credite euerie where to bee giuen vnto it So as they are to bee woondered at which would professe the Gospell and yet doe exclude this particle Wée reade in the 13. of Deuteronomie Verse 5. Ier. 51. 6. Take away the euil from among you And in Ieremie it is written concerning Babylon Flie you from the middest of her Esa 52. 11. Moreouer the Israelites were forbidden to touch vnpure things and if they had perhaps touched those things they became so vncleane as they were seuered from the companie of others Leui. 13. 46 The lepers were banished from the Campe. And the Lord expelled out of the garden of pleasure Gen. 3. 23. the first parents when they had sinned Gen. 4. 14. Caine also after the killing of his brother went as a runnagate from the sight of his parents Finallie if there were no other testimonie extant 1. Cor. 5. 3. 2. Thes 3. 14 that which we haue out of Paule to the Corinthians to the Thessalonians and else where ought to be sufficient Also Iohn in the second Epistle Irenaeus 2. Ioh. ver 10. The second Epistle of Iohn whose it is the which Irenaeus in his first booke confirmeth to be the Apostles although some thinke the same to be the Epistle of one Iohn a Priest saieth If any man come and bring not this doctrine him receiue ye not into your house neither say ye vnto him God speede and doe not ye communicate with euill workes In like maner doeth the Apostle séeme to haue written vnto the Ephesians Ephe. 5. 11. Haue no fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darkenesse 4 Before excommunication Correction goeth before excommunication Mat. 10. 15. goeth brotherlie correction For Christ saide If thy brother shall haue sinned against thee Neither is he to be thought that he sinneth not against vs which sinneth against God séeing we be his children the members of Christ yea verilie the Saints are so prepared as they easilie neglect that which is committed against themselues and soone forgiue their owne iniuries except so much as they perceiue them to redound against God What maner of corrections ought to be But and if the sinne be common and knowen to all men shall it haue néede of brotherly correction No verilie let it be brought and made manifest vnto the Church But it shall bée néedefull that the minde of the sinner be searched out whether he haue minded to repent and returne into the waie This being purposed he which sinneth openlie must be exhorted and admonished Whereby it appeareth that in al sinne aswell secret as publike there is néede of brotherlie correction The which behooueth not to be doone softlie and slacklie but verie earnestly must be layde before the eyes of the sinner the weight of his transgression the wrath of God kindled and stirred vp against him the punishment that remaineth for him finally the offence wherby he hath hurt the Church But let the rebuke be gentle as procéeding from a frendly minde Otherwise if he shall thinke thée to bée his enemie thou shalt rebuke him without any fruite This vnto the Galathians is commended Gal. 6. 1. You that be spirituall rebuke your brother in the spirite of gentlenesse Excommunication must not be rash Let space be giuen to the sinner to thinke with himselfe that he maie the easelier repent A Phisitian doth gently handle sores he doth not straightwaie prepare an Iron fire And all waies and meanes must bée attempted if it be possible without impairing the word of God to retaine him that hath sinned in the Church before that excommunicatiō be vsed If he which was fallen giue place to admonitions promise faithfully that he will change his life and with teares and confession of sinne doe testifie a repentance and sorrow of minde and doe take awaie the offences and occasions of sinnes there let admonition cease For now the brother is wun vnto Christ But if he shall dispise to heare being warned twise or thrise before witnesses let him be brought to the rulers of the Church of whom also he shal be admonished But if he shall make light of them let the Elders referre the matter vnto the people of Christ and by the institution of the Apostle vnlesse he shall first repent let him with the consent of the whole Church be excommunicated These things ought to goe before this iudgement Who is to be excommunicated 5 Nowe remaineth to sée who he is that must be excommunicated He must be as Paul taught among the number of the brethren 1. Cor. 5. 11 who although he confesse Christ in wordes yet in déedes as it is written vnto Titus denieth him Tit. 1. 16. Augustine Neither is the exposition of Augustine allowed that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the partie named to be excommunicate should be referred to an adulterer a drunkard and to other great crimes which follow after For sinnes also which be not so publike and knowen vnto all men when they shall be stirred vp through brotherlie correction How priuat sins become publike are by accusing to the Church made publike Also they that be infected with ill doctrine are excommunicated As
the Bishops Councels To conclude this controuersie is betwéene vs and our aduersaries namelie whether the Church can erre We ioyne thereunto the worde of God by which if it deale and define we will graunt that the same doeth not erre But the Papists iudge that it is so greatly ruled by the holie Ghost that although it decrée anie thing besides or against the worde of God it doeth not erre and therefore they will that the same should rather be beléeued than the Scriptures of God But while they stand to that opinion they dissent the whole world ouer from the fathers who alwayes in their Councels confirmed their decrées by diuine Oracles 11 Our aduersaries procéede and craftily assault the trueth with a certaine saying of Augustin Contra Epistolam Fundamenti The saying of Augustin I should not beléeue the Gospell except c. expounded Look part 1. pl 6. Act. 7. part 4. pl. 4. Act. 12. There the man of God writ I shoulde not beléeue the Gospel vnlesse the authoritie of the Church mooued me withall Vnto these wordes they adde a rule of Logicke wherein it is saide that for the which euerie thing is like that thing it selfe is more like But they ought to haue knowen that if we shoulde deale by Logick that rule is true onelie in finall causes For if a man for healthes sake vse a medicine health is rather desired of him than the medicine But in efficient causes nothing is this waie concluded vnlesse the whole and full cause shall be brought For if one will saie that a man is made drunken with wine he cannot thereby prooue that the wine is more drunke because the whole cause of drunkennesse is not in the wine For it is required that it should be digested in the stomacke and that vapours bee stirred vp to trouble the braine Further if one shoulde learne of his maister the eloquence of an Orator it shoulde not therefore be concluded that his maister is better than he in making of Orations because the maister is not the whole cause of his learning There is besides required a wit and also a studie and diligence But the Church of which we nowe speake is not the whole cause of our faith it onelie publisheth preacheth and teacheth Also there is néede of the holie Ghost to lighten the mindes of the hearers and to bend their willes to imbrace those things which bee spoken Therefore Augustine wiselie wrote Vnlesse the authoritie of the Church had mooued mee withall and did not put simplie mooued What is to be affirmed of that that the Church hath giuen iudgement touching the holie Bookes 12 They are woont also to prattle vnto vs that the Church hath giuen iudgement of holie writ allowing some part and reiecting other some For it disallowed the Gospell of Nicodemus the Acts of Peter diuers Reuelations of the Apostles the Booke of the shepheard and such like And on the other side it imbraced the foure Euangelists which we now haue the writings of the Apostles which are at this daie read in the Churches By which iudgement they decrée that the authoritie of the Church excelleth the holie scriptures Howbeit this kinde of reasoning deriued from iudgement is weake because there be men of sharpe wit found which can discerne betwéene the right verses of Virgill and the wrong and betwéene the naturall workes of Aristotle and the counterfeit who neuerthelesse are a great deale lesse learned than Virgill or Aristotle 1. Iohn 4. 1 We are also commaunded To trie the spirites and to put a difference betweene God and the diuell and yet we be not equall or greater than God Howe then doeth the Church of God behaue it selfe towardes the words of God put in writing It preserueth and faithfullie kéepeth them it publisheth defendeth maintaineth them it is like a Notarie which faithfullie retaineth testaments with him whereas he is able to doe nothing beyond the last will of the Testator for if he should chaunge or inuert the same he should not be counted a faithfull Notarie but a falsifier and counterfeiter of testaments The Church in no otherwise hath and preserueth with it the holie Scriptures when as neuerthelesse it maie not either change or inuert or amplifie them But séeing they contend with an obstinate minde that the authoritie of the Scriptures dependeth of the Church why doe they not produce some Canon or decree of some Councel by which the holie Scriptures be ratified The holie scriptures haue not béene ratified by any decrée of Councels The primatiue Church of the Christians found the writings of the olde Testament to be firme and by them allowed and established the articles of our faith After this succéeded the Bookes of the Apostles written by the inspiration of God the which Bookes no decrée of men hath fortified For the wordes of God are not subiect to the will of men but on the other side whatsoeuer thing the Coūcels of the Church haue decréed they alwaies were careful to confirme them by the words of God euen as it may be prooued by all the Synodes which were of best note I am not ignorant that certaine Councels made rehearsall of the Bookes of God which also some of the olde Fathers did howbeit the faith of the diuine Scriptures was of force among the Christians long before the recital which they made Moreouer in their Catalogue are founde certaine bookes either past or abolished the which our enemies affirme to be most Canonicall The Books of the Machabées For out of the historie of the Machabees they séeke to prooue their Purgatorie when as neuerthelesse it is easilie shewed out of the writings of the old Fathers that that booke is not in the holie Canon 13 Some being ouercome by the force and power of the trueth preferre the worde of God aboue the Church but they will ouerrule tyrant like and retyre themselues to interpretations which they will haue to belong onelie vnto the Church Whether the exposition of the Scriptures belong to the Church namelie the Romane Church so that in verie déede they are not subiect to the word of God but doe account it to bée subiect vnto their decrées But howe faithfull interpretours they be and how iust expositions they make euerie one maie perceiue by these things which I will here adde Anacletus saide Interpretations of the scriptures Iohn 1. 41. that Peter was called Caephas of the Gréeke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he was head of the Church But how straunge a thing it is that the Hebrew or Syrian worde should take his deriuation of the Gréeke tongue all men perceiue Christ reaching out the cup in his supper Drinke ye all of this saieth he Mat. 26. 27. The Romanists in their interpretation saie Drinke not ye all of this Let the laie men or vnlearned be content with the bread let onelie the Priests receiue both kindes In the Epistle to the Hebrewes Matrimonie is
called honorable amongst all men Hebr. 13. 4. And vnto the Corinthians it is written 1. Cor. 7. 9. They that doe not containe let them marrie Ibid. And it is better to marrie than to burne But they by their decrées and expositions exclude a great part of the world from marriages namelie all the holy Ministerie Exod. 20. 4. The Law of God commandeth that we should not make vnto our selues images to worship them these men commaund that images should be had and worshipped Col. 2. 16. Paul saieth Let no man iudge you in meate and drinke These in their interpretations haue peruerted this libertie and haue brought in a most seuere or rather ridiculous and superstitious choise of meates The holy scripture hath decréed That we by faith are iustified without workes Rom. 3. 28. They by their exposition affirme that wee are also iustified by workes Therefore their glosses be verie much against the text Neither are their interpretations anie thing else than corruptions Where the word of God commaundeth that we should set our mindes on high their interpretations draw vs downeward This power of expounding the scriptures haue the Popes therefore drawen onelie vnto themselues or vnto the Councels to the intent that they might after their owne pleasure bring in straunge opinions into the Church and contend against the worde of God howsoeuer they thought good Neither did the Iewish high Priests Scribes and Pharisées otherwise behaue themselues But Christ receiued not their peruerse interpretations Matt. 15. 4. c. Christ reiected false interpretations God commanded in the Lawe that children should obey their parents But the Priests being driuen by couetousnesse tooke away the strength of this commaundement in absoluing of children from the burthen of maintaining their parents perswading them to offer excellent and riche giftes the which should profit their parents much more than sustenance The Lord hath cryed out also against this craftie interpretation he testified that the commandement of God is made voide Matt. 5. 33. Also by their exposition they haue lessened the strength of others and haue taught that some are of strength and some féeble Here also the Lorde hath gainesaide hath confuted their Sophisticall interpretations Matt. 5. 20. They also taught that men satisfie the Law if onelie they conforme themselues vnto the same Christ reiecting these peruerse glosses hath declared that the law requireth not onelie outward works but also good motions of the minde Wherefore there is no cause why the aduersaries should compell vs without iudgement to repose our selues in their expositions Augustine wrote bookes of Christian doctrine where he teacheth manie wayes to interprete the Scriptures but among thē there is not one wherin he sendeth vs vnto the Pope or vnto the church In obscure things he willeth vs to vse the skilfulnesse of tongues to consider those things which goe before and which followe to expound a doubtfull place by another place which is more easie and manifest and such like things Thou canst no where finde in the Fathers that the Scriptures are in such sort that this or that Councell hath interpreted the same after this or that maner 14 But hereat they crie out that it is sufficient that Christ hath saide Mat. 18. 17 If he will not heare the Church let him be vnto thee as an Ethnick and Publicane Howe that saying of Christ to wit that the Church must be heard is to be vnderstoode Vnto this I answer that it may séeme that Christ spake not there as touching the exposition of the scriptures but of brotherlie correction But setting this answere aside I saie that the Church must be heard so farre forth as it answereth or speaketh out of the word of God but if it bring forth onelie the deuises and traditions of men we must with deafe eares pretermit the same and specially then when it setteth foorth things that be against the worde of God To conclude we include the true Church in the word of God the which as a firme and certaine rule is fixed vnto it But as concerning power aboue the Scriptures The olde Fathers acknowledged not any power of the Church to which the word of God should be subiect which these men challenge to themselues the olde Fathers neither acknowledged nor sought In the Councell of Nice as the Historie of Theodoretus sheweth Constantine commāded the Fathers that were assembled together to define the controuersie as touching one substance of the Father and the Sonne by the Scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles there none withstoode him in saying that the Church of her own authoritie ought to iudge the controuersie because the same should not be subiect to the Scriptures but should rather haue them in her power Neither did they complaine that the Emperour plucked any thing from the Church séeing it subiected the same to the rule of the Scriptures 15 But they crie out that the Church is the pillar and ground of the trueth How that is to be vnderstoode which Paul saith The Church is the ground of trueth 1. Tim. 3. 15 as it is written in the first Epistle vnto Timothie Here I saie that the wordes of the Apostle must not so bee vnderstoode as though the Church doeth vrge confirme and compare her authoritie with the word of God The case doeth not so stande The word of God is of it selfe most firme it indureth for euer neither hath it anie néede to be propped vp by men naie rather it sustaineth all things Heauen and earth passeth Matt. 5. 18. the wordes of God doe not passe But the Church is the pillar and ground of the trueth so farre forth as it hath the word of god with it as it preacheth retaineth and kéepeth it within it selfe as it defendeth and maintaineth it neither is the word heard without it but not as though that ground did yéelde strength or authoritie vnto the word wauering or like to fall So farre forth then as it speaketh out of it it erreth not nor cannot erre Whether the Pope may erre in the matter of faith but speaking or dealing without it not onelie it can erre but it doeth erre But our men on Gods name doe also attribute this vnto Popes that in the matter of faith as they call it they cannot erre When as neuerthelesse it most certainelie appeareth that Iohn the xxj The heresie of Pope Iohn the xx◠most shamefullie fell séeing he affirmed that the soules of men perish together with the body or as some more modestlie say doe sléepe and shall finallie be raised vp when as our bodies also shall rise againe from the dead at the latter daie Neither did the Bishops nor Cardidinals whom they saie doe represent the Church resist the Pope that erred so soulie and shamefullie The schoole of Paris resisted him and so informed the French king of his errour as he forbad all his the Communion of the Pope
of Martianus being a wise woman and well commended She in her Epistle vnto Strategus in the Prohems of the councell of Chalcedon The example of Pulcheria to Strategus commaunded that out of Nice a citie of Bithinia where she would haue had the councell which afterward was translated to Chalcedon should be expelled al the cleargy men and Moonkes to the intent that they might leaue the place voide and frée vnto the Bishoppes and that the matters might not be molested by them The Argument is of an Act or example which is not of force In verie déed that woman was in other things godlie and wise but in this act shee cannot be allowed Neither is it thus doone by our aduersaries at this daie In the councell of Trent and in manie other together with Bishoppes there sate Abbots general Masters of the Franciscans of the Carmelites of other orders which were not bishops 18 Fricius also a Polonian The iudgement of Fricius of Polonia an excellent learned man iudgeth that the Legates of the kingdomes and Prouinces of Christianitie should be admitted vnto these kindes of Actions of the church But setting aside the reasons of men I thinke we must haue a regarde vnto the first councell which is in the 15. chapter of the Actes of the Apostles Acts. 15. ver 22. 23. The Apostolicall Councell ought to bée a paterne vnto all Councels This for so much as it was holie and Apostolicall ought to be accounted for a law and rule to all councels There the Apostles establishing the decrée of Christ saide So it seemed good to the Apostles and Elders with the whole Church Afterward they béeing minded to write thereof to the Antiochians wrote letters after this manner The Apostles Elders and brethren c. These things do plainelie testifie that not only the bishops but the other mēbers of the Church haue place in councels And as to that which we cōplained of the Church of Rome they alleadge that the same hath alwaies had singular authoritie among the Christians The power of the Roman Church exceeding her boūds hath brought great losse vnto the Church Vnto this we answere that whatsoeuer power the church hath the same ought to be vnto edifying Let nowe the Romanistes themselues take héede that they edifie the bodie of Christ They haue raised vp infinite contentions for the maintainance of their primacie and for that cause they stirre vp most bitter contentious troubles to the intent they maie obtaine and kéepe the same They diminish the Church of Christ they shorten it and contriue it in a narrow roome For all those which will not acknowledge their primacie they excommunicate and cast out from the communion of the faithfull Furthermore they lay vpon men an intollerable burthen of mens traditions Besides the Canons of the Councels they haue adiected innumerable decrées and decretals their Sext their Clementines their Extrauagant constitutions Thus the Church is charged by them with most gréeuous burthens so farre is it from being eased The complaint of Augustine for the burthen of Ceremonies in his time Augustine in his time complained that the Church of Christ was more charged than in old time the Church of the Hebrewes was I beséech you what would that father now saie if he should behold our times which is now so gréeuouslie pressed with superstious rites and manifold traditions as it is altogether oppressed Of the Romane Church it maie fitlie bee said In vaine doe they worship me Esa 29. 14. teaching the doctrine and precepts of men But let vs consider to what end they so extoll the power of the Romane Church Certainelie for no other cause but that they may easilie obtrude their traditions and euerie fained thing Why they so greatlie extoll the name of the Romane Church so as with hearing the name of a decrée letter or tradition of the church of Rome we should straightwaie giue a blind consent 19 When we demaunde of them how so great a power happened vnto the Church of Rome they saie and especiallie Cardinall Caietanus From whence they claime the Roman power Before pl. 3. Act. 1. that it came by Peter For Christ as they saie when he knewe that he shoulde goe from hence into heauen left that Apostle to be his vicar vppon the earth But we demaund why had not other Churches the Popedom from Peter Because saie they they were not properlie or peculiarlie appointed or ioyned vnto Peter They faine that before Peter was anie where Bishop the Popedome was a wandring and flittering thing namely that there it should be wheresoeuer Peter abode At the last as they trifle he setled himselfe in the Church of Rome But séeing they iudge also that Peter before he went to Rome was also Bishop of Antioch why doe they not attribute the Popedome vnto that seate especiallie séeing they celebrate euerie yeare the feast of Peters chaire whereby they declare that they renewe the memorie of his being bishop in Antioch Yet must we not beléeue that the Church of Antioch was planted by Peter For it was before that Peter went thither He no doubt was at Ierusalem with the rest of the Apostles Acts. 15. 4. 7. as it is in the 15. of the Actes when that great contention sprang vp among the beléeuers of Antioch as concerning the Legall ceremonies of Moses whether they should be obserued or refused All which cause was referred to the Apostles at Ierusalem Whether Peter leauing his byshopricke of Antioche went to Rome 20 But they faine that Peter went afterward vnto Rome and forsaking the bishopricke of Antioche tooke vpon him the bishopricke of Rome But how knowe they that Peter going to Rome kept not to himselfe the byshopricke of Antioche As though wée sée not dailie that the Byshop of Paris London Artois and Augusta doe goe to Rome yet do not renounce their byshoprick But let vs graunt them that they desire let them at the least wise shew why they gaue not the second place vnto the Church of Antioche next vnto Rome Truelie they made the Patriarche of Alexandria to be chiefe séeing that Church was founded and planted by Marke an Euangelist not an Apostle Further in the Councel of Chalcedone they depriue the Patriarche of Alexandria from his place giuing vnto the Byshop of Constantinople the second place next vnto the Romane Byshop whenas neuerthelesie it appeareth that the Church of Constantinople was founded by none of the Apostles whereby is gathered that Churches haue not gotten their honour or degrée of the founders otherwise the Churches of Ephesus Ierusalem Corinthe and Thessalonica and such like which had the Apostles their master builders should be preferred aboue Alexandria Constantinople many other famous Churches than that which they by the decrée of the Canons haue beene lesse estéemed And as touching Peter it is verie vncertaine to the most learned men whether he came to Rome Whether Peter
called the sonnes of God and came of the generation of Seth the third sonne of Adam For séeing they reteined the true and sincere religion of God and the pure inuocation of his name and were adorned with the fauour and grace of God they are called by the scriptures The children of God In what sort the children of God fell from God Neuertheles when they afterward burned in the lusting after those women which descended of the stocke of Cain and therefore belonged to the societie of the wicked and had taken to themselues wiues of them they themselues also inclined to superstitions and vngodlie worshippings and they of the sonnes of God not onlie became men but also flesh And to shew this by the waie Aquila translating those words out of the Hebrue Aquila Not saith he the sonnes of God but the sonnes of gods in this respect as I thinke bicause they had godlie progenitours which so miserablie fell from God through the mad loue of women Symmachus But Symmachus translateth it The sonnes of the mightie But to returne to Augustine he constantlie affirmeth that out of that place of Genesis there can be nothing gathered as touching the copulation of angels with women but rather thinketh that far otherwise may be gathered of the words of God there written For when the scripture had there said that giants were vpō the earth that the sonnes of God as it is said had transgressed and brought foorth giants it is added And God said Gen. 6 3. My spirit shal not alwaies striue with man bicause he is flesh By this saieng Augustine will haue it manifest that they which so offended are called men not onelie as they were in their owne nature but also as they are called flesh vnto the which they inclined with their shamefull lusts But they which vnderstand it otherwise thinke that they bring a great testimonie of Enoch the seuenth from Adam Iude. 14. The booke of Enoch of whom Iude speaketh in his canonicall epistle For in the booke which is intituled to him the giants are said to haue had not men but angels to be the authours of their generation But vnto this answereth Augustine Augustine that the booke is altogither Apocryphus not canonicall and therefore that credit must not be giuen to the fables which be recited therein He saith that it must not be doubted but that Enoch wrote manie diuine things séeing Iude the apostle did plainlie testifie the same but yet that it is not necessarie to beléeue all the writings in the booke of Apocryphus which are shewed to haue come from him forsomuch as they lacke sufficient authoritie Neither should it be thought that if Iude vttered some certeine sentence out of it that therfore by his testimonie he approoued the whole booke vnles thou wilt saie that Paule also allowed of all things that were written by Epimenides Aratus and Menander bicause he alledged one or two verses out of them Ierom Which thing Ierom in expounding of the first chapter of the epistle to Titus testifieth to be a verie absurd and ridiculous thing And as concerning Enoch it would séeme a verie great maruell if he were the seuenth from Adam how he could write that Michael wrestled with the diuell for the bodie of Moses séeing if these things were as in verie déed we must beléeue they were they of necessitie happened well-néere a thousand fiue hundred yéeres after vnles we shall grant that this was reuealed vnto him at that time by a certeine excellent power of prophesie 34 Neither must it be forgotten that those The reason that mooued some to thinke that giants came not of men which thinke that giants had not men but angels for their parents were therefore brought thus to thinke bicause they thought it might not possiblie be that huge giants can be borne of men which be of an ordinarie stature and bignes Wherefore there were some which procéeded so farre in the matter as they affirmed that the first man was a giant and also Noah and his children For they beléeued not that that kind of men either before or after the floud if so be they might be thought to haue sproong of men could be vnles they had such progenitours But Augustine prooueth that opinion to be false Augustine and saith that A little before the destruction which the Gothes made A woman giant in Rome there was in Rome a woman of a giants stature whom to behold they came by heaps out of diuerse parts of the world which woman neuertheles had parents that excéeded not the common and vsuall stature of men If we shall search what the cause is that nature hath brought foorth giants of such huge bodies we can alledge no other A naturall cause of the tall stature of giants but an abundance of naturall heate and a moisture which abundantlie and largelie ministreth matter For the heate not onelie extendeth a man to tallenes and heigth but also spreadeth and inlargeth him to breadth and thicknes Wherefore giants began to be before the floud and they were also before the resort which the sonnes of God had with the daughters of men and were bred after that also Further men did beget them and there was a naturall cause as I haue shewed Also for a truth there were of them borne after the floud For there is mention made of them in the bookes of Numbers Deuteronomie Ioshua Iudges Samuel and Paralipomenon and in others of the holie bookes Of what stature giants haue bin 35 Of the greatnes and stature of them we may partlie coniecture and partlie we haue the same expresselie described The coniectures be that Goliah had a coate of male which weighed fiftie thousand sickles of brasse 1. Sam. 17 5. The haft of his speare was like a weauers beame and the iron speare had weighed sixe hundred sickles of iron We also coniecture of the excéeding great stature of Og the king of Basan Deut. 3 11. by his bed which being of iron was of ten cubits long Also the Israelits being compared with Anachis Num. 13 34 séemed to be but grashoppers these things may be a token vnto vs of what greatnes these men were The greatnes of Goliah 1. Sam. 17 4 But the greatnes of Goliah is properlie and distinctlie set foorth in the booke of Samuel for it is said there that he was of sixe cubits and a hand-breadth high and a cubit if we followe the measure of the Gréekes is two foote but according to the account of the Latins The cubit of the Greeks and Latins one foote and a halfe Some alledge this to be the cause of the difference that the measure may be sometimes extended from the elbowe to the hand sometime closed together and sometime open stretched foorth This is as much as I could gather of the stature of giants out of the holie scripture The Ethnicks testimonie
by GOD which he ought to followe But those things which we haue spoken belong vnto priuate persons VVhether Helias did well in killing of the Baalits In 1. Kin. 18 verse 40. 7 While the people was hot and feruent in confession of the true faith Helias vsed an occasion preuented the kings commandement prouided that the prophets of Baal should be taken and slaine They must not saith he be better instructed and prouoked to repentance but he would haue them foorthwith to be slaine Why the Baalits were slaine For he was assured by the spirit of GOD that they would not conuert or be changed And séeing they had now led awaie manie from the true God and would still haue deceiued manie if they had remained aliue he accounted it a iust thing that their vngodlinesse should be ended with their life God vndoubtedlie might by an other occasion means and waie haue confounded and destroied the Baalits Whether Helias did well in killing of the Baalits yet séeing he thought best to deale after that sort we ought to thinke that this was the best waie But some man will saie that Helias in the meane time séemeth to be guiltie of murther for he slue and caused to be slaine foure hundred and fourtie men Chrysostome treateth of this matter vpon the epistle to the Galathians when he expoundeth that place Gal. 1 17. wherein he said I went not vnto them which were apostles before me At the first sight saith he he séemeth to diminish the authoritie of the other apostles and to extoll his owne selfe which thing could not be without fault But vnto this he answereth that the saiengs and déeds of the saints must not be barelie and simplie weighed For otherwise Samuel might haue séemed to be a murtherer who killed Agag the king In like manner might Phinees and also Helias Looke In 1. Sam. 15 31. Num. 25 7. 1. Kin. 18 40 It behooueth saith he to looke vpon the causes and to consider whie and to what end those things shal be either said or doone Paule saith he was not so arrogant as he would contemne other apostles in comparison of himselfe onelie he would win authoritie vnto the Gospell which was preached by him For he had to doo with false prophets who said that vnto Paule which forbad the ceremonies of Moses credit should not be giuen but to the greater apostles who suffered them Bréefelie he would prooue that as touching things manifestlie reuealed vnto vs by God nothing should be withdrawne or changed by the authoritie of men Moreouer he séemeth to affirme An ill work cannot be made good by an intent that the intent or end is chéeflie to be regarded as though a worke which séemeth absurd can be made good and holie by an intent as they call it This vnder correction of so excellent a man doo not I easilie allow bicause there be manie works so wicked and corrupt that how good an intent so euer come vnto them yet are they not therby so amended as they be made good Let no man vnder this pretence saie that we must steale to the intent that almes may be giuen to the poore Neither let anie man be absolued if he haue committed adulterie by saieng that he did it with an vpright mind or to a good end For as saith the apostle We must not commit euill Rom. 3 8. that good may come thereof Further in things that be indifferent which may sometime be doon well and sometime ill an intent may be of some force In which kind of things slaieng is easilie placed For somtime men are iustlie slaine and sometime vniustlie For the magistrate hath the sword and it is prescribed him by God that he should punish offenders And if he doo it with a good mind and a right purpose his worke is counted both good and holie but if he shall doo it to satisfie his malice and to prosecute his quarels or to yéeld to his rage and crueltie he dooth not well Also a priuate man who hath not the right of the sword if he kill anie man he dooth amisse vnlesse he be mooued vnto it by GOD through a certeine prerogatiue or priuiledge whereby the common lawe is debarred But then must he which is stirred vp by God be verie certeine of his impulsion And therefore men must not deale rashlie héerein but a firme and perfect certeintie must be expected Now then I would affirme that those things which at the first sight séeme to be absurd are by faith made honest and right For they be allowed by God bicause they be doone by the prescript of his word when as men cleaue effectuallie vnto him by faith neither maketh it anie matter whether that word be of the common lawe or of peculiar inspiration Wherefore the goodnes of works dependeth of faith So that euen as it is said Rom. 14 23 Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne so on the other side may be inferred That which is of faith is iust for faith it selfe iustifieth as the apostles writings doo testifie Also the goodnes of works dependeth of the spirit that mooueth for if anie man be mooued by the spirit of the flesh he dooth vniustlie but if it be by the impulsion of the spirit of God he worketh iustlie And vnto this had the Lord regard when in forbidding the apostles that they should not call downe fire against the Samaritanes he saith Luk. 1 55. Ye knowe not of what spirit ye be And Helias shall be excused not onlie through his intent faith and spirit but for bicause that GOD deliuered vnto him his iudgements to be executed and appointed him to be a iudge of the Baalits So that he shall not be accounted a priuate man but a man of God who euen as by an ordinarie waie in the earth he would haue magistrates to be his deputies so likewise can he promote to that place of dignitie whom soeuer he shall thinke good 8 But passing ouer these excuses I saie that it is decided by the lawe For in Deuteronomie the 18. chapter it is decréed Deut. 18 20 that the prophet should be slaine which speaketh lies in the name of God or which prophesieth in the name of other gods verse 11. And in the 17. chapter is the verie same thing euen as touching priuate men and women which worshipped idols But in the 13. chapter of that booke verse 5. not onelie death is assigned to the prophet which seduceth but there is also a commandement added that none should spare his owne brother or the sonne of his mother neither sonne nor daughter nor seruants nor those which were most déere and néerest friends vnto him Thirdlie it is commanded that the whole citie when it is infected with idolatrie should be destroied with fire sword Further verse 16. in the 24. chapter of Leuiticus it is decréed that the blasphemous man should not be suffered to liue
40 But he therefore speaketh of the commandement of Christ to mitigate the sharpenesse of his spéech for it séemeth intollerable to the flesh that matrimonie cannot be dissolued It is euen as much as if Paule had said I set not before you strange or new things and such as haue not béene heard of before my time this the Lord hath commanded Else both this and those things which the apostle wrote before are firme and full of authoritie But this is the difference that these things the Lord spake by his owne selfe and repeateth them by Paule but those other he would to be vttered by the apostle onelie And touching his sentence that matrimonie should not be dissolued A reason of Christ why matrimonie must not be dissolued Gen. 2 24. Christ allowed it by a testimonie out of the booke of Genesis where it is said For this cause a man shall leaue his father and mother and shall cleaue vnto his wife Two néere fréendships are laid togither in these words the one is betwéene parents and their children the other betwéene the husband and the wife And séeing the bond of the father or of the children is such as it cannot be sundered and shaken off by anie meanes much lesse this bond betwéene man and wife And as the bond of amitie betwéene the child and the parents endureth perpetuallie so dooth the coniunction betwéene the husband and the wife This is Christs interpretation of that place and the reason that he bringeth thereof but yet he will haue the cause of adulterie to be excepted And Paule by whom Christ speaketh excepteth another thing namelie if one of the married persons in that he is an infidell will not dwell with the other being faithfull as it shall be declared in place conuenient 54 But as touching the cause of adulterie Whether onelie the cause of adulterie doo make a diuorse which Christ excepted some doubt whether that be the onelie cause and they are bold to saie that Christs meaning was to comprehend therin all other wickednesse which is either equall or more heinous than adulterie and they saie that the maner of the holie scriptures is that in one cause rehearsed they include others like vnto it Euen as we read in Deuteronomie Deut. 19 5. of man-slaughter which is committed by chance and against a mans will where one onelie reason is described namelie when the hatchet flieth off the helme But what Shall we not iudge the verie same if in building or carrieng of anie thing one man shall kill an other vnwillinglie Euen so saie they there are presentlie manie faults equall and perhaps more gréeuous than adulterie so as they iudge that those offenses doo also make a cause of diuorsement Lawes of the emperours for causes of diuorse Which meaning perhaps caused manie emperours otherwise godlie and studious of Christianitis to expresse manie crimes in their lawes for the which it should be lawfull to make a diuorse bicause they iudged them to be no lesse than adulterie And that other causes also besides the crime of adulterie are to be admitted héereby it may appéere 1. Cor. 7 15 for that Paule added as touching the vnfaithfull spouse which will not dwell with the other being faithfull which case Christ spake not of Coldnesse a cause of diuorse Yea and at this daie if a coldnesse as they terme it or other like impediment be perceiued in the parties which be alreadie married a iust diuorse is permitted And yet neuertheles Christ excepted onelie the cause of adulterie Yea and if we will throughlie consider what licence the bishops of Rome haue giuen to themselues héerein we shall perceiue that they haue openlie arrogated vnto themselues the power to dissolue matrimonie alreadie contracted so that there followed not copulation as they call it Yea moreouer it is reported that there hath béene a Popes dispensation séene which hath taken awaie matrimonie not onelie contracted but as they saie finished Note a licence of Pope Zacharie And Pope Zacharie as it is written in the fourth booke of sentences when a certeine man had committed adulterie with his wiues sister wrote thus vnto him Séeing thou hast committed this horrible act thou shalt haue neither of them to wife both thou and she whom thou hast defiled with adulterie shall remaine without hope of marriage and thine owne wife shall marrie in the Lord with whom she will In which case thou séest it manifestlie iudged by this bishop that a diuorsement made for the cause of adulterie dooth admit a marriage afterward They will that a mistaking of the person dissolueth matrimonie They will moreouer haue matrimonie dissolued if there be an error or a mistaking of the person or condition as if a woman shall thinke that she hath a certeine husband and shall afterward prooue the same to be an other than she ment to haue or else if she had taken him to be a frée man and of an honest stocke whom she findeth to be a bondman There is added also the cause of the degrée of kindred euen of the degrée not forbidden by the lawe of God when they would haue the matrimonie that is contracted to be cut off So it appéereth that it was not so straitlie iudged that the same onlie cause which Christ dooth expresse maketh a diuorse Otherwise séeing Christ expressed one onlie cause how commeth it to passe that emperours being christians and men also which be of the church haue added so manie other causes Certeinlie it was euen this that they thought that in that one onlie cause Christ ment to be conteined both the offenses which be equall and those which be more gréeuous Erasmus Erasmus who treated héereof at large added When the Lord commandeth that thou sweare not that thou be not angrie that thou saie not Racha Matt. 5. if a man shall strike thée vpon the one chéeke turne vnto him the other if one will take awaie thy cloke giue him also thy cote and such like we admit interpretations that we may vnderstand these things to be spoken oftentimes of the preparation of the mind to wit that it be not doone rashlie or lightlie nor without a iust cause and shall we be héere so hard and precise that we cannot admit anie interpretation or exposition 55 And the reason whie Christ did expresse but one onelie cause of adulterie séemeth to be Why Christ expressed onelie the cause of adulterie Gen. 2 24. for that there is nothing so great an enimie vnto matrimonie as this mischéefe is They shall saith the scripture be one flesh But he that committeth whoredome dooth so ioine himselfe to other flesh as he is plucked awaie from his owne wife for 1. Cor. 6 15. Shall I saith Paule take the member of Christ and make it the member of an harlot This as I haue declared is the opinion of some which although it be not wicked and perhaps it cannot easilie be confuted
Catholike which is a Gréeke word and signifieth no other thing than if thou shouldst saie vniuersall for that it is not bound more to one place than to an other But euen as God is a God of the whole vniuersall world euen so will he that the bodie of his sonne which is his church should be extended into euerie place With him there is no exception of persons neither had he respect whether those which he calleth into his church be either husbandmen or smithes men or women princes or seruants rich or poore barbarous citizens or Gentils as though he were moued for these outward things to choose them but of euerie nation he chooseth those whome he thinketh méet Wherefore the church is an vniuersall bodie compacted of men of euerie kind and condition But it excelleth also in a nobler societie which is of such sort as whosoeuer be truelie gathered togither into that bodie be indued with the same féeling of faith And vndoubtedlie in vaine shall euerie other consent be if minds disagrée in the doctrine of faith Neither is there euer anie thing that bringeth more detriment vnto this faith than the inuentions of men From hense haue flowed all the heresies that euer were which in verie déed are nothing else but the opinions of men conceiued besides the meaning of the scriptures and sowen abroad among diuers people as if they were certeine diuine mysteries which bring saluation or else works most acceptable vnto God And forsomuch as such doctrines are nothing else but deuises of men by which the authours of them haue sought their owne gaine and commoditie first they be méere lies deceipts and wicked iuglings secondlie when as they procéed from the inuentions of men they cannot satisfie all men For looke how manie men so manie sundrie opinions there be so that some dissent in one article of the faith and some in another So in verie déed it happened among the Gréekes and other Christians which inhabit towards the East part whome if thou examine thou shalt vndoubtedlie find that by a common consent they haue allowed the holie scriptures but in those sundrie superstitions the which they haue oftentimes deuised there will appeare great disagréement The Roman church aboundeth with superstitions 38 Howbeit in these deuises of superstitions the church of Rome carrieth awaie the price For while they prouide to stuffe into the pure and simple religion of Christ infinit abhominations drawne out of the sinkes of paganisme in restoring and as they saie or rather as they lie in reforming them to a better forme it hath troden vnder foote and destroied all things Also this it obstinatelie vrgeth that euerie mans faith dooth rest in such goodlie things And mens inuentions are more estéemed than the lawfull doctrine of the truth drawne out of the holie fountaines of the scriptures And this might not others which in like maner be infected with their owne superstitions abide that they anie lesse than the Romans should stoutlie kéepe still and defend their fained worshippings and humane inuentions But they which haue imbraced the principall and sincere doctrine of Christ be vtter enimies against those superstitions séeing they perceiue that thereby the glorie of Christ and his merits are altogither obscured the honour of God translated vnto his creatures his seruice vsed without his word set foorth onelie after the deuise of men so that the church which at this daie challengeth proudlie vnto it selfe alone the name of Catholike shée alone I saie more than others hath seuered and euen rent in sunder that common and vniuersall societie of the faithfull For if it had staid it selfe in that religion and seruice which the holie scriptures doo prescribe vnto vs there had not procéeded so manie schismes from thence But hitherto it hath vsed no measure of hir owne feined deuises and it hath endeuored by force armes to constraine euerie man to receiue the same From hence haue risen infinit dissentions amongst which there be some that remaine vnto this daie as experience it selfe plainlie testifieth And as touching those that haue béene in the former ages whosoeuer will diligentlie applie his mind in reading of histories shall easilie perceiue them Howbeit whatsoeuer sathan by his cunning The Catholike church standeth fast hath wrought the Catholike church remaineth still stedfast and immooueable and shall firmelie abide euen vntill the last daie of iudgement For the same betokeneth nothing else but an vniuersall bodie compact togither of men of euerie state and condition the which in what parts soeuer of the earth they dwell they reteine the same faith and grace righteousnesse holinesse and happinesse and finallie they imbrace euerie good thing offered them in Christ and so as they will neuer suffer themselues one iot to be led from that truth which the spirit of God hath reuealed to vs in the holie scriptures but they will assure themselues of that onelie worshipping to be lawfull and acceptable vnto GOD which hée hath prescribed in those holie scriptures 39 Neither are they for anie other end compacted togither in this societie A communion of the church but spirituall but that they should edifie one an other to their power euen as the ioining togither that is in the members of a mans bodie is chéeflie ordeined for the helpe and preseruation of euerie particular member The church striueth not to the intent it might challenge vnto it selfe some chéefe empire or temporall iurisdiction it promiseth no such end vnto it selfe as it would heape vp excéeding treasures and earthlie riches The scope thereof is not to rule nations to make warres to laie hold vpon cities What weapons the church hath and to vanquish them Indéed this bodie is not destitute of his weapons but these be spirituall and not carnall weapons namelie the word and the spirit with the which it ouercommeth the wisedome of man casteth it to the ground leadeth captiue the mind and cogitation to the obedience of Christ And the same vndoubtedlie oppresseth not the bodies with tyrannicall seruitude or draweth awaie mens goods by gréeuous tributes This selfe-same doctrine dooth Paule in verie manie words inculcate in his later epistle to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 10 4. where he verie well describeth the wrestlings of this congregation and he in the same epistle intreating there of his owne and of other of the apostles authoritie saith that The same was granted vnto him to edifie and not to destroie Vnto the which notwithstanding they doo singularlie bend themselues which will alone be called heads and apostles of the church Howbeit in the meane time with all their power they resist the word of God Neither doo they suffer the perfect state of our iustification to be preached but rather by their humane decrées and constitutions laie infinite snares against the miserable soules of the people committed to them the which notwithstanding are redéemed by the pretious bloud of Christ And yet further they pollute with their
that Christ is to those which are regenerated the beginning of life and of blessednes as Adam is vnto them that are deriued of him the cause of death and of sinne Now whatsoeuer is afterward beside this scope gathered touching the equalitie of multitude or of the maner the same is Per accidens that is By chance and pertaineth not vnto the scope and substance of the similitude 45 They obiect also the sentence vnto Timothie God will haue all men to bee saued 1. Tim. 2 4. For this sentence Pighius continuallie repeateth How God will haue all men to be saued as though it were inuincible when yet Augustine oftentimes hath taught that it maie in such sort be expounded that it bringeth no weight at all to prooue those mens fond inuention First we take it to be spoken of all estates and kinds of men namelie that God will haue some of all kindes of men to be saued which interpretation agréeth excellentlie well with the purpose of the Apostle He had commanded that praiers and supplications should be made for all men and especiallie for kings and those which haue publike authoritie that vnder them we maie liue a quiet life in all godlinesse chastitie And therefore to declare that no estate or kind of men is excluded he added God will haue all men saued As if he should haue said No man is letted by that vocation and degrée wherein he is placed so that it be not repugnant vnto the word of God but that he maie come vnto saluation and therefore we ought to pray for all kind of men But héereof we cannot inferre that God endueth euerie man particularlie with grace or predestinateth euerie man to saluation Euen in like manner as in the time of the floud all liuing creatures are said to haue bene saued in the arke with Noe Gen. 8 9. whereas there were but onlie some of euerie kind gathered together in it or we maie vnderstand it thus that God will haue all men to be saued for that as manie as are saued are saued by his will As if a man should saie of one that teacheth Rhetorike in a citie that he teacheth all men by which kind of speach is not signified that all the citizens are hearers of Rhetorike but that as manie as learne are taught of him And this also is like if a man pointing to the gate of a house should saie that All men enter in this waie we must not thereby vnderstand that all men enter into that house but that as manie as doo enter doo enter in by that gate onelie Further there are some which interpret these words of the apostle of the will of the signe or of the antecedent that all men are inuited for that preaching is indifferentlie set foorth to all men Neither is there anie in a manner which inwardlie féeleth not some pricke wherby he is oftimes stirred vp to liue well So that if we respect this will of God we easilie grant that he will haue all men to be saued But they will not haue it to be vnderstood of the hidden effectuall will which they call consequent and after this manner maie those kindes of spéech be vnderstood Iohn 1 9. God lightneth euerie man which commeth into this world Matt. 11 21. Come vnto me all ye which labour are laden For all men are prouoked by the oracles of God and all men are inwardlie mooued by some prouoking All these interpretations are doubtles verie likelie and also apt and yet is there another besides these readie and plaine Two societies of men whereof either of them haue their vniuersalitie The holie scriptures set foorth two societies of men the one of the godlie and the other of the vngodlie and of both societies haue patched together vniuersall propositions which ought of the warie reader to be drawne to their kind The prophets saie Christ citeth the same Iohn 6 45. Ier. 31 33. All men shall be taught of God And All men shall know me frō the least to the greatest Iohn 12 32. Againe When I shall be lifted vp from the earth I will drawe althings vnto my selfe These vniuersall propositions vnlesse they be vnderstood of the godlie which are elected are not true Ioel. 2 28. Esai 66 23. as are these also I will powre of my spirit vpon all flesh And All flesh shall come in my sight and shall worship in Ierusalem Againe Luke 3 6. Psal 145 14 All flesh shall see the saluation of God Againe also God lifteth vp all them that fall Now who séeth not that these things are to bée vnderstood onelie of the saints Contrariwise to the fellowship of the vngodlie perteine these sentences Iohn 3 32. Matt. 10 32. No man receiueth his testimonie and yet manie beléeued Ye shall bee hated of all men Phil. 2 21. Againe All men seeke the things that are their own And againe All men haue declined Psal 14 3. and are altogether made vnprofitable there is none that doth good no not one When as yet holie men and they that are now regenerate are acceptable vnto God and doo indeuour themselues to exhibit vnto him some obedience of the lawe But these vniuersall saiengs ought not to be extended beyond their owne societie This distinction had Augustine a regard vnto in his booke De ciuitate Dei where he declareth and prooueth Two cities the one of God the other of the diuell that there haue euer bene two cities namelie one that citie of God and another the citie of the diuell Wherefore in these generall propositions wée must alwaies haue a consideration vnto what order or fellowship of men they perteine Which if we in this present place doo then shall we applie vnto the saints and vnto the elect this sentence which we haue now in hand namelie that God will haue all men to be saued and by that meanes all maner of doubt is taken awaie Otherwise that God effectuallie willeth not the saluation of all men Sundrie instances against the aduersaries verie manie infants declare which perish without Christ and manie also which are borne fooles and deafe had neuer in their life time the right iust vse of reason And if oftentimes happeneth that some haue liued long time honestlie and faithfullie enough and yet suddenlie at the last doo fall and being taken out of the world doo perish eternallie And contrariwise others which haue perpetuallie led their life in wickednes being at the end of their life indued with sudden faith and repentance are saued when yet notwithstanding those first might haue bin taken awaie that maliciousnes might not haue changed their minds Who will in these examples saie that God alike effectuallie willeth the saluation of all men 46 They obiect also a sentence of Christ How often would I haue gatherd together thy children Matt. 13 37. as a hen gathereth together hir chickens and thou
being ended let vs all agrée in one But Pighius cannot abide that this agréement should take place for afterward when he would expound how we are iustified fréelie he saith that that is nothing else but that God will fréelie impute vnto vs vnto righteousnes the works of faith hope and charitie What haue we here to doo Doubtles it séemeth vnto me that this man dooth not with a sound iudgement read the scriptures but dooth with a corrupt affection wrest them at his pleasure For where works are Rom. 4 4. there Paule denieth that there is a frée imputation for these two are repugnant one to an other wherefore in that Pighius goeth about to ioine them together doth he not séeme most manifestlie to be against the apostle 76 Thus much of Pighius vnto whom our Smith the eight wise man of Greece Smith an English man and the first wise man of England ioined himselfe a companion as Theseus did vnto Hercules But in verie déed he bringeth nothing else but that which he hath drawen out of the sinks of this man and other such like First he saith that faith is not for the remission of sinnes and that therefore we fondlie faine that iustification is had by it For the faith saith he whereby christians are discerned from no christians is in Iesus Christ which thing also as though it made much to the purpose he goeth about to prooue by the holie scriptures and by a testimonie of Ierom. But I would haue this man to answer me if euer he learned the Hebrue toong what is the signification of this name IESVS Vndoubtedlie amongst all the Hebrues this word Iascha signifieth To saue The signification of this word Iesus wherefore IESVS may in Latine rightlie be turned SERVATOR that is A sauiour But if which thing I thinke true he be ignorant of the Hebrue toong yet he ought at the least to haue beléeued the angel which so interpreted that name Mat. 1 21. That faith is touching the remission of sinnes Thou shalt call his name saith he IESVS for he shall saue his people from their sinnes How then can faith bée in CHRIST IESVS vnles it be also touching the remission of sinnes through Christ Afterward he is not afraid to cite that also out of the epistle of Peter 1. Pet. 4 8. Charitie couereth the multitude of sinnes Behold saith he forgiuenes of sinnes is here ascribed not vnto faith but vnto charitie A rule He that will haue a fit axe to cut these knots asunder let him attentiuelie consider the holie scriptures and diligentlie sée from whence those places which are cited in the new testament are taken out of the old This sentence of Peter is had in a maner out of the 10. chapter of the Prouerbs verse 12. for there it is thus written Hatred stirreth vp reprochfull speaches For whom a man hateth he discouereth publisheth abroad his faults as much as in him lieth but contrariwise charitie hideth and couereth the sinnes of his brother For they which trulie loue one another are woont to defend one another and to couer one anothers faults so much as they sée by conscience they may And this is a most true sentence of Salomon Wherefore Peter going about to exhort christians vnto charitie wiselie and aptlie borowed this sentence out of Salomon But Smith not vnderstanding or considering this supposeth that Peter thought that remission of sinnes is gotten by charitie howbeit he is most fowlie deceiued as oftentimes he is woont to be Another rule But passing ouer these men let vs remember that if at anie time the fathers séeme to attribute righteousnes vnto works the same is not to be vnderstood of that righteousnes which God fréelie imputeth vnto vs through Christ but of that inward righteousnes which is rooted in vs which we get and confirme by leading continuallie an vpright life Or if those things which they speake doo manifestlie perteine vnto the righteousnes imputed that is vnto the remission of sinnes we must alwais as we haue before taught run vnto the foundation of good works namelie vnto a liuelie faith in Christ which rules and such like if our aduersaries would consider they would neuer so impudentlie and obstinatelie defend so manie lies Although if I should speake anie thing touching Pighius forsomuch as I sée that he is neither of dull wit nor vnlearned I cannot saie that he in earnest and from the hart wrote touching this matter but when he had once taken the matter in hand he tooke these things for pastime and pleasure 77 Now to prosecute that order which I haue begun let vs come vnto the Fathers and sée how much they make on our side And vndoubtedlie for this matter wée shall not néed anie great number of testimonies For euen as to vnderstand what taste the water of the sea is A similitude it is not néedfull that a man drinke vp the whole sea euen so to vnderstand what the Fathers thinke touching this we shall not néed to go through all their saiengs Irenaeus Irenaeus a most ancient author in his 4. booke and 30. chapter against Valentine writeth somewhat touching this matter although brieflie And I suppose that he for this cause wrote so brieflie of it bicause this truth was in those first times so confessed certeine that it was not of anie man called in â—out But yet by that little which he hath it may sufficientlie be vnderstood what his iudgement was as the saieng is that Protogenes knew Apelles by the draught of one line onelie Irenaeus therefore saith that the old Fathers euen those also which were before the law were iustified by faith For first when he had spoken of Abraham he ascended from him vnto Lot vnto Noe vnto Enoch And afterward he addeth a reason why in these mens times the law was not written bicause saith he they were alreadie iust vnto whom the lawe was not giuen for the iust haue the lawe written in their harts But peraduenture you will scarselie admit this testimonie bicause Irenaeus in that place when he speaketh there of Enoch saith that he was sent a legate vnto the angels which may séeme to be apocryphall so not to be counted of as of sound authoritie But I thinke the same is cited not so much out of anie apocryphall booke as out of some old tradition for manie things were as it were by hand deliuered vnto the ancient Fathers that are not to be reiected so that they be not repugnant to the holie scriptures Otherwise if for that cause we reiect this testimonie why doo we not also reiect the epistle of Iude For he also citeth a sentence of Enoch Iude. 1 5. that God shall come with thousands to iudgement But whereas Irenaeus saith The expounding of a place of Enoch that Enoch was a legate vnto the angels I suppose that it may be thus vnderstood to saie that those Angels were men
Augustine In the old lawe fasting was commanded to be onelie one daie once in a yeare wherein nothing should be tasted vntill night in which place it is not described with what kind of meat they should sup And in Augustines confessions we read that the eating of flesh made not godlie men anie thing the lesse acceptable vnto God 1. Kin. 17 6. And he maketh mention of Elias who being hidden was fed by the rauens with flesh Mat. 3 4. And Iohn Baptist in the wildernes did eate locusts But on the other side Gen. 25 32. Esau being beguiled with the most simple food of pottage sold his birth-right 20 Among the Fathers they continuallie alledge Gregorie What is to be thought of Gregory of whom I make no verie great account for he was the first that brought in manie superstitious things Touching the Fathers that went before him I thinke it hath been spoken sufficient Albeit the same Gregorie bishop of Rome as we find in the decrée the 4. distinction and in the chapter Denique writeth vnto Augustine bishop in England that The laie men were woont euen in the time of Lent to be verie desirous of flesh to fill themselues immoderatelie with the same and he iudgeth Gregories opinion of eating in Lent that the priests and deacons at the least ought to refraine But vnto others he durst not appoint anie commandement or lawe least peraduenture anie worse thing should happen They vrge vs also with Councels whose decrées neuerthelesse haue not alwaies béene firme and how little the bishops of Rome haue regarded them it may appéere in that verie manie both publikelie and priuatelie doo obteine licence for monie to eat egges butter and milke Licence for mony granted by the Pope to eat certeine kinds of meats vpon their fasting daies when as it was otherwise ordeined by those decrées The latter Popes of Rome haue made most seuere lawes concerning these things as they that made it but a small matter to laie manie snares to catch the simple people All these things were ordeined but yet there is no cause why we should therefore grant them to haue beene iust These traditions of men are pernicious bicause as Christ taught at length they make the commandements of God to be of none effect Mat. 15. 3. The Lord commanded How the traditions of men doo violate the commandements of God that we should haue one God and that we should not admit anie besides him at this daie the worshipping and inuocation of saints is confirmed by traditions God forbad images at this daie they be receiued into churches by the decrées of bishops God commanded that parents should be had in honour the tradition causeth that children setting light by that authoritie doo flie vnto monasteries God willeth that our neighbours should be holpen but through these traditions men go from helping of the liuing to helping of the dead The holie scriptures declare that there is but one mediator Christ Iesus who hath procured God to be mercifull towards all our wickednes but by tradition we are taught at this daie that he suffered for originall sinne and for those sinnes which were committed before baptisme but that it is necessarie for vs concerning sinnes done after regeneration to redéeme them by our owne works Thus are the commandements of God made frustrate by the traditions of men Whether the church haue power to make lawes 21 They saie the church hath power to make lawes Which thing I denie not for we are men and it is néedfull euen in those works which apperteine vnto the worship of GOD to haue good order established for which cause we grant that there may be other decrées established in the church But then there be certeine conditions strictlie to be obserued First and foremost Vnder what conditions ecclesiasticall lawes must be reteined that such kind of iustice be not contrarie to the word of God Secondlie we must prouide that we place not the worship of God iustification and remission of sinnes in them Besides this they must not be ouer manie in number least they ouercharge and pester the church Neither must they be decréed in such wise as though they ought to be of necessitie and that they must not by anie means be changed when the saluation of the faithfull shall so require Neither ought they in such sort to be made that if a man without offense and contempt doo not obserue them he sinneth deadlie Wherefore séeing that these lawes about the choise of meats as we haue declared are against the word of God which hath ordeined meats to be frée it is cléere that they are pernicious Moreouer in this decrée of theirs for making choise of meats they repose holines and the worship of God so as they account such as absteine not from the meats which they haue appointed to be neither good nor holie nor religious In processe of time those decrées of theirs haue growne innumerable neither is there anie end of them Augustine Augustine long since complained that All things in his time were full of presumptions so as now the state of the christians was woorse than the bondage of the Iewes Séeing he spake this of the time wherein he liued The sâ—ate of the christians at this day in more bondage than the Iewes what I beséech you would he haue said of our times wherein the church is pressed with infinit burdens First they would haue an abstinence for the Lent time then afterward they added fridaie and saturdaie and in some places wednesdaie euerie wéeke Foure ember wéekes they brought in last of all eues of a number of saints Which times Gregorie the seuenth of that name added that they which will not fast doo sinne as he termeth it deadlie Wherfore seing these traditions be so gréeuous to the church that they may be called burdens intollerable the which Christ did find falt with to be laid on men by the Scribes and Pharisies they ought in no wise to be suffered Finallie thou maist adde that they would haue such choise of meats to be so necessarie and inuiolable that the church could not stand without them And such account they make of their owne traditions that they punish the transgressors more gréeuouslie for them than those which haue broken the commandements of God as théeues adulterers church-robbers and such like 22 They alledge the Rechabites Ierem. 35 2. which are commended in Ieremie An obiection touching the Rechabits for their obedience vnto their father who commanded them to drinke no wine and to enioie no certeine possessions but to wander to and fro and dwell in no citie Vnto whom God bicause they faithfullie performed these things promised a liuelie posteritie and a long induring séed Here they saie that those things which Ionadab the sonne of Rechab commanded to his children make for the choise of meats wherefore the church by commanding of these things dooth not séeme
the holie scriptures The elder fathers had but two sacraments The elder fathers had but two sacraments Sometimes they make mention of repentance These things Augustine wrote vnto Ianuarius in his third booke De doctrina christiana the 16. chapter Ambrose in his booke De sacramentis intreateth of these two Wherefore of necessitie these men must either confesse that they haue forgotten the sacraments or else that there was not receiued so great a number in that age That they forgat it we cannot saie séeing they compiled a whole treatise of that matter Therefore this multitude of sacraments was not receiued at that time Pighius definition of a sacrament 11 But let vs come to the defining of it Pighius also defineth a sacrament and saith that it is an effectuall signe ordeined by God whereby is signified vnto vs a certeine kind of effect of the helpe and grace of God which is present at all times so there be not some thing to let in them that vse the same Whereas he saith to begin withall that it is a signe or rite instituted by God that is true for it is not in the power of man to ordeine sacraments they be testimonies That it is in God not in man to institute sacraments Mat. 21 1◠and as one maie saie seales of the will of God and it is not the part of man to counterfet seales Furthermore this we learne out of the holie scriptures Christ asked the Scribes Pharisies from whence the baptisme of Iohn was If they had said Of men it had séemed friuolous for séeing sacraments belong to the nature of faith it is méet they should be drawne out of the holie scriptures from whence faith it selfe is taken And men which of their owne authoritie go about to institute sacraments doo make themselues to be gods To deale after this sort in religion were to worship God with commandements and traditions of men which Christ hath forbidden Lastlie séeing that Man is a lier and so is declared in the holie scriptures to be the things which are instituted by him haue in them no perfect truth wherefore sacraments must not be instituted by men He saith moreouer Psal 116 Rom. 3 4. that by this signe is signified to vs some sure effect bicause he will comprehend manie sacraments he will not restraine it to one effect namelie to the remission of sinnes He saith that the effects are diuers as the remission of sinnes offered which is offered in baptisme and in the Eucharist but besides he sheweth other effects of the worke of God that in matrimonie should be an inseparable coupling togither in the holie order should be a power of gouerning the church and so of other things vnlesse there be some let in them that vse those things This he saith to shew the efficacie of sacraments For in that some doo receiue the sacraments and obteine not the effects that happeneth bicause they come vnto them without religion and faith If he follow his definition he thinketh that he is able to comprehend manie sacraments But on the other side they which saie that the grace of the forgiuenes of sinnes is signified by the same doo tie themselues onelie to these two namelie baptisme and the supper of the Lord. 12 To define a sacrament we may saie Another definition of a sacrament that A sacrament is a promise of God touching the remission of sinnes through Christ signified and sealed by the institution of God with an outward or visible signe to the end that our faith should be lifted vp in vs and we to be more and more knit vnto God This séemeth vnto me to be a full definition Two things it conteineth namelie an outward signe and a thing signified Bicause the thing signified holdeth the chéefe place therefore I placed it first and said that It is the promise of God and is conuersant about the remission of sinnes thorough Christ For the sacraments which be in the holie scriptures doo chéeflie make mention thereof Furthermore this promise is sealed which thing the scripture sheweth calling circumcision a seale for the sacraments be certeine tokens and seales of the promises of God But forsomuch as these outward instruments be elements they cannot of themselues haue wherewith to signifie and seale therefore it is added By the institution of God The end is that our faith may be stirred vp by the holie Ghost which power the outward things haue not in them to shew the holie Ghost vseth these instruments and faith tendeth vnto that end that we should be the more knit vnto God The causes ye haue The formall cause is the signification and sealing The matter which is sealed and whereabout it is conuersant is the promise of God touching the remission of sinnes The efficient cause is the institution of God The finall cause is the stirring vp of our faith whereby we may be ioined vnto God And I allow of that which is commonlie said Sacraments be visible words they stir vp men by the sight other senses Rightlie dooth Chrysostome saie If we were spirits we should not haue néed of those instruments but we be compounded of a spirit and a bodie the senses of the bodie doo stir vp the mind 13 But if we prosecute this definition we exclude marriage Why we contend with the aduersaries touching the number of sacraments repentance orders confirmation and annoiling as I will particularlie declare after I haue said this one word that some will here saie Why doo ye séeke for a knot in a rush or make a doubt of a thing that is plaine These men would cote these seuen with the name of sacraments what haue ye to doo therewith It is not the name that we much stand vpon but it is the matter it selfe Wée knowe that it is lawfull for christians to vse the name so that there be no vngodlines hidden vnder it but let vs sée what they would haue to be signified by this word They saie that a sacrament is a visible forme of an inuisible grace and they adde it to be the cause so that they make these sacraments of theirs to be the instruments of saluation Then if they will receiue anie rites and cloke them vnder this kind of spéech it is vngodlie By men there can be no visible elements ordeined which may be seales of the promises wherfore let them either change this phrase of spéech and saie that a sacrament dooth not signifie these things and then we will grant vnto them or else if they will still vse this kind of spéech let them absteine from the name of sacrament The Maister of the sentences saith that The sacraments of the old fathers were not properlie sacraments bicause they brought no grace It is a detestable thing to take awaie this propertie from the institutions of God and to attribute the same vnto the inuentions of men What things be required in a sacrament To make the matter
among the Corinthians 1. Cor. 1. 5. the which is very much commended by Paul saying that they were instructed in all wisedome and in the worde Were they quiet among themselues There were Schismes among them Ibid. ver 12 They saide I hold of Peter I of Paul I of Apollo But thou wilt say they disagréed not as touching matters of weight Manie were at that point that they thought simple fornication no sinne 1. Cor. 6. 13 So as it behooued Paul to instruct them concerning the same Of the resurrection it selfe they iudged amisse If there be errours in the Anabaptistes or in others we agrée not with them Arrius In the latter age the Arrians did shake the Church for the space of 150. yeares and there were Ethnickes which were agréeued thereat Themistius For Themistius wrote of this matter vnto the Emperour Constantius Graunt me that the Ethnickes which then were reasoned against the Church How are ye Christians diuided among your selues In one Church was a Catholike Bishop in an other a Nouatian as at Constantinople was Chrysostome and Agelius In Africa also welnéere throughout euerie Church were two Bishops a Catholike and a Donatist A part would haue Images Epiphanius counted it as a thing detestable What shall we say as touching the Supremacie of the Pope They woulde haue it to be an article of necessitie vnto saluation but haue they all receiued the same Gregorie said that this is the title of Antichrist The Bishop of Constantinople sued against the Bishop of Rome At length the whole East part acknowledged not the Romane Bishop and yet they saide that it was the Church They say that they haue the Popedome ioyned thereunto God he knoweth But to deale frankelie with them let vs graunt them this It is a token that they are wholie carried vnto lewdnesse and it is rather a conspiracie than a veritie Dauid had the kingdome of God yet was it not quiet Such is the Church Of the true markes of the Church looke after Place 6. Art 16. and 38. c. Of diuers Ministeries of the Church 4 But nowe let vs obserue that the Apostles were to that ende chosen In Rom. 1. at the beginning that they shoulde institute the seruice of the Gospell The difference betweene the Apostles and the Byshops shoulde publish vnto the beléeuers the things which they had heard of Christ But the Bishops were ordeined to this purpose that they shold defend those things which are cōteined in the Gospel and the holie scriptures Looke in the Treatise against Gardiner p. 152 which they should so receiue to be defended as they must not ad vnto them anie new things and forge traditions at their owne will Further the holie fathers which were Bishops when they take in hand to write doe confesse themselues to be handlers of the holie scriptures and woulde not that those things which they write shoulde be accounted of so great authoritie as we attribute vnto the Cannon of the Scriptures Nay rather they forbid that anie credite shoulde be giuen vnto them if they speake anie thing against the holie Scriptures Thirdlie to the Apostolical doctrine were adioyned manie miracles whereby their authoritie is confirmed which we sée was not doon in the traditions of the Elders Againe we are sure that the Apostles wrote by the inspiration of the holie Ghost which we dare not affirme of our Bishoppes Whereupon we conclude that the Apostles could not erre in those things which they wrote but we sée that the Bishoppes haue oftentimes decréeed amisse as concerning the rules of Religion as it appeareth in the Councell of Ariminum and also in the second Synode of Ephesus and also in manie other yea and they erred verie much also in their Actions At Chalcedone and Constantinople were Synods gathered together in which Chrysostome was condemned and deposed Chrisostom condemned and deposed which also was doone in the name of those Bishops which were accompted Catholike And there might be alleadged manie examples of this sort 1. Tim. 1. 14. Also Paul writing vnto Timothie prayeth him to saue that which was giuen him to kéepe declaring that hée ought neither to ad nor diminish any thing of the doctrine of the Gospell receiued This is to preserue the thing giuen him to kéepe Adde hereunto that the Apostles be so vnto Bishops and ordinarie Pastors The Apostles are to the Byshops as the Prophets were to the high Priestes as in old time the Prophets were vnto the high Bishoppes and Priests For the Prophets might bring bookes and mixe them with the Canonical Scriptures For Samuel added his bookes vnto the Scripture Esay Ieremie and the other Prophets added their monumentes vnto the Scripture which the Scribes high Priests and Bishops might not haue done The Apostles called the Gentiles abrogated the Ceremonies of the lawe which was beyond the compasse of the high Bishops and Priests Therefore the Apostle setteth foorth himselfe by sundrie titles that when wée reade him or heare him wée may thinke that we heare not the wordes of a man but oracles powred out of heauen In Rom. 10. 5 But in the Scriptures there be manie places by which it may be prooued that the doctrine of the Gospell shoulde be published throughout the whole world by the ministerie of the Apostles Esay 24. 16. 59. 19. Mal. 1. 11. As in Esay the 24. and 59. Chapters and in Malachie and almost euerie where in the Prophets And if so be the Gospell were published throughout the worlde then coulde not the Iewes cauel that they had not hearde of it especiallie when as Preaching began at them according to that saying Out of Sion shall go the lawe Esay 2. 3. Actes 13. 46. and the word of the Lorde out of Ierusalem Neither did the Apostles turne vnto the Gentiles vntill they had nowe séene the obstinacy of the vnbeléeuing Iewes For then they went vnto the Gentiles who neuertheles also had Ministers of the word of God before although not in such plentie That the Gentiles had some ministers of the word before the Apostles and ordinary succession as the Iewes had Among the Gentils liued Melchizedeck Balam Job and the Sibils whose testimonies as touching Christ are reueiled of olde writers Ioseph liued in Egypt Ionas was sent vnto the Nineuites Daniel and his companions preached in Babylon Nehemias Esdras liued among the Persians all which men kindled some light of true godlinesse amongst the Gentils but at length the doctrine was made fullie compleate by the Apostles The Iewes therefore are confuted by an argument taken a minori that is of the lesse If the Gentiles being farre off and at the ends of the world did heare howe haue you Iewes not heard And this manner of exposition doeth Chrysostome follow Neither is it anie maruell that Paul in the tenth Chapter to the Romanes writeth Verse 18. that the Gospel is published euerie where
for he testifieth the selfe same thing vnto the Colossians the first Chapter and that twise Col. 1. 6. 23. First he saith In the trueth of the Gospel which being preached throughout the world bringeth foorth fruite In the Apostles time the Gospel was very farre spread ouer the world Rom. 15. 19. And towardes the ende of the same Chapter he saith The Gospel which is preached vnto euerie creature vnder heauen Also in the fiftéenth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romanes he declareth with howe great endeuour he labored to publish abroad the Gospel in all places From Ierusalem saith he vnto Illyricum haue I filled all the countries round about with the Gospel And now seeing I haue no more place in these quarters as I goe into Spaine I will come vnto you If one Apostle did so much what doe we think that the rest of the Apostles and Euangelists did Matthew preached vnto the Ethiopians which were in the furthermost parts and Thomas vnto the Indians which euen they themselues at this day testifie And in the first Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans Rom. 1. 8. it is written that the faith of the Romans was spoken of through the whole world And this diligence of the Apostles ought to stirre vp men of our time by continuall preaching to restore Religion nowe decaied Wherefore that commaundement of the Lord which he gaue vnto the Apostles to go into the whole worlde and preach the Gospel to euerie creature ought also to be of force in our time that euerie man in his place which he is appointed vnto should by preaching not suffer sound doctrine to be abolished 6 That the Gospel in the Apostles time was caried abroade into all the parts of the world some expound it by the figure Synecdoche namelie that it was now preached in the most principall Prouinces and Dominions and that at the leastwise the fame and renowne of this doctrine went from thence vnto the Nations adioyning And of this minde was Ambrose who saith Where the person of the preacher wanted there the fame was present And this he proueth by a similitude A similitude The wonderfull workes which GOD had wrought in Egypt to preserue the Israelites were by fame knowen in Ierico as Rahab testified to those messengers or spies whom Iosua sent Iosua 2. 9. No nation as yet in the Apostles time by publike authoritie of the magistrates professed Christ No nation did publikely receiue the Gospell tâ—ll the time of Constantine For this came to passe onlie in the times of Constantine and Theodosius And hereby is easilie perceiued what they meant which wrote that certaine nations were newly conuerted vnto the gospel which doubtlesse they affirme of English men as though in Gregories time they came vnto Christ by meanes of Augustine his legate and Bishop of Canterburie and also of the Saxons that they in the time of Charles the great receiued the faith of the Gospell This indéede might be as touching the publike profession of Cities and Regions when neuerthelesse Christ was long time before preached in those places And as touching Englande England had preachers of the Gospell from the beginning it had preachers of the Gospell euen from the beginning namely in the time of Eleutherius the first and had them in such sort as those Bishoppes continued vnto the time of that Augustine which was sent by Gregorie And that Ilande as touching the feast of Easter obserued the old maner of the East Church and specially of the Church of Ephesus for they did celebrate it the 14. day of March Augustine Bishop of Canterbury brought tyrannicall subiection in to England Wherefore the same Augustine as I thinke rather brought in a Tyrannicall subiection vnder yâ— Pope than pure Christian Religion And thus must wée iudge of the Saxons and such other like nations Augustine in his booke de natura Gratia the 2. Chapter affirmeth that in his time there were some countries far off although verie few vnto whom the Gospel was not as yet preached which I thus vnderstand that the word of God was not publiklie receiued and beléeued Hée writeth also of this matter in an Epistle to Hesychius which is in number the 80. But Chrysostome most manifestlie maketh on my side in his 10. Homilie vpon Matthew and also vpon the 24. Chapter of Matthew when he interpreteth these words Mat. 24. 14. This Gospell of the kingdome shall be preached throughout the whole world for a witnesse and then shal bee the ende The consummation that Christ spake of concerned the publike weale of the Iewes No doubt but the Gospell was preached before the destruction of Ierusalem for the ende in that place must bée referred vnto the publike gouernment of the Iewes which was destroyed in the time of the Apostles for Iohn liued euen vnto the time of Traian The Gospell was preached euery where-but not euery where receiued The Gospell then was in that first time preached almost euerie where but not euerie where receiued nay rather yâ— Preachers were in euerie place gréeuously persecuted as Christ had foreshewed Mat. 10. 17. For They shal deliuer you saith hée and shall scourge you in Councels and Synagogues and ye shall be brought before Kings and Rulers 7 So as there were verie fewe or in a manner none which either heard not the preaching of the Gospell or at the leastwise heard not of the noble and excellent fame of Christ And yet it may be that in processe of time the name of Christ was by negligence and incredulitie abolished as the Portingales report of places found out by them in their iourney wherein they sailed from the Gades into India Whereupon some are woont to moue a curious question what is to be thought of those which are borne either in wilde woods out of the companie of men or in those places where Christ is not preached and his name not heard of What shall become of the people which haue not heard of Christ Vnto whom we may answere that those men if any such be found are in déede somewhat excused neither shall their damnation be so grieuous as shall theirs be which haue heard the Gospell and contemned it yet neuerthelesse they obtaine not the benefit of saluation séeing they haue in themselues the cause of their damnation namelie originall sinne and manie other sinnes the which vndoubtedly haue bin added of them That God without the outward ministerie can reueale Christ vnto them we doubt not and perhappes he sometimes of his mercie doeth so but not of desert as wicked Sophisters affirme if so be they doe what lyeth in them as though they were able to merit it as they saie of congruitie But of this thus much by the waie Howbeit that must be attentiuelie considered that it was no light myracle A myracle that Christs preaching was so soon spread yea rather it was woonderfull that in so
auncient Church These thinges must be examined and it must be diligently considered whether the thinges be aunswerable to the names otherwise the diuel himself transformeth himselfe into an angel of light How be they Apostolick when as they corrupt the Apostolicall doctrine Nor can they be called Catholike séeing they haue separated themselues from the greater parte of the Churches And how they haue fledde from the olde opinions rites and customes of the auncient Church wée néede not declare séeing the thing it selfe speaketh of it selfe They would be counted pastors when as they neuerthelesse seldome or neuer visit the flock of the Lord which they brag to be cōmitted to their charge much lesse doe they féede the same They think that the Churches which either by violence or by tyrannie they obtaine are nothing else but landes and farmes whereby yearely reuenewe may come vnto them by which they themselues may be fedde and the flocke of Christ be deuoured The Pope boasteth himselfe to be the pastor of all the shéep of the whole world vnto which he cannot haue accesse though he would neither dooth he labour to doe it He dwelleth at Rome and continually giueth himselfe vnto his delightes We are taught by mistresse experience and by common sense that it is not possible for the whole world to be fedde and gouerned by some one man In déede Christ said vnt◠Peter Feede my sheepe but he said not All Ioh. 21. 15. Nay rather he would that the rest of the Apostles should be fellowes with him in the exercising of that function But this is the more to be lamented that the Pope with his members doe disquiet the shéepe of Christ and in miserable wise slay them Euen as the Church in old time was oppressed by the Iewes so is nowe the Church of Christ by the Popes so farre is he from féeding and fostering them Euen in like manner as did the Hebrewes in olde time who while they boasted themselues to be the Church oppressed Messias and most grieuously persecuted the Apostles and had Herode to doe as they would haue him For when he had killed Iames and did perceiue that it was acceptable vnto the Iewes hée layd holde vppon Peter and cast him in prison that he might destroy him After the same manner Kinges Emperours and princes at this day because they may obey the Pope doe most cruelly afflict godly men And it is no maruell that the Romanistes which succéeded the reuerent and holy fathers did on this wise withstand the Gospell séeing the Hebrewes Rom. 9. 4. as Paule testifyeth to the Romans were Israelites and the adoption and the glorie yea and the testamentes and lawegiuing séemed to appertaine vnto them They had the worshipping and the promises and of them were the fathers of whom Christ as touching the fleshe was borne yet neuerthelesse they refused the Gospel were made altogether strangers from saluation 46 But to come neare to the shewing of that which was promised The marks of the Papisticall Church namely that we departed not from the Church that congregation frō the which we are separated must be described by the markes of the same that all men may vnderstand it to be nothing lesse than the Church for somuch as it is bent to the staying of the godly it is infected with hatred of the brethren it gathereth not but rather scatereth Christ his members it maketh more account of mens traditions than of the word of God it will haue it selfe to be heard not the scriptures which with incredible boldnesse it would haue to be subiect vnto the authoritie of it Now of traditions which they adde and plucke away at their pleasure séeing nothing of them abideth more than lyketh themselues they haue after a sorte made an Alcorom lyke vnto that of Mahomet and the same they endeuour to defend by the sword by force not by diuine Oracles And it is come to this passe that our Church is much more vnhappie than the Church of the Iewes For vnto that Church the scriptures of God were sufficient vnto saluation but vnto ours they are not sufficient vnlesse the traditions of the Pope be added But let them say what they will they shall neuer prooue but that the beléeuers and lyuers according to the prescript of the worde of God be happie The congregation from which we haue seuered our selues Matt. 13. 4. layeth grieuous and intollerable burthens vpon men which neuerthelesse the authors of them wil not so much as touch with their finger Further the kingdome which ought to be spiritual and heauenly is transformed into temporall and worldly Christ said Ioh. 18. 36. My kingdome is not of this world They on the other side say that their kingdomes be of this world And they dare vsurpe and stampe in their coyne The nation and kingdome that will not serue me shall be rooted out They séeke nothing else but that the prerogatiues of Emperours kings princes and magistrates may be cast downe at the Popes féete and that they may be obtained and gouerned at the wil of the seat of Rome We haue departed from that societie which hath polluted the Sacramentes either by bringing in of others which were not instituted by Christ or else by renting in sunder with many and sundry abuses defiling those which were giuē and deuised by him Ouer this it forceth vpon vs idolatrie towardes bread and wine and in like maner towards Images and that which they commonly call relickes of saintes it dilateth their philacteries and enlargeth the fringes of their garmentes while it ascribeth great power of diuine religion vnto garmentes shauinges annoyntinges outward ornamentes We haue left thē which build the sepulchres of the Prophets in saying Mat. 23. 29 Our fathers and auncesters haue slayne them but we in this behalfe follow not them but doe adorne honour and worship the Prophets slayne by them whenas they thēselues neuerthelesse doe as great yea they commit more gréeuous crimes For it is incredible to be heard how much innocēt bloud is shed by thē whenas notwithstāding they maruelously adorne and decke the monuments and bones of the auncient Martyrs They indeuour to lay away the institutions of Christ to abolish the decrées of the Apostles whereas all that be Christians ought to endeuour all their life long that they may be most soundly preserued 47 Wee haue departed from her that would be accounted the mother of the faithfull whereas in verie déede she is their stepdame She is not content with Christ to be head but appoynteth her selfe an other head vpon the earth which also she dare affirme to be necessarie vnto saluatiō Whether what ministerial head the Pope hath But I would fain heare of these men what manner of ministerial head as they terme it the Pope hath vpon the earth for euen he would be reckened among the members of Christ And this is certaine that none is head of
aunswered Verse 27. A place of Matthew expounded If I in the name of baalzebub doe cast out Diuels in whose name do your children cast them out Where Ierom interpreteth that by the children of the Hebrewes maie be vnderstood exorcistes Exorcists among the Hebrewes which all that time wandered here and there coniuring il spirits by the name of the Lord. It is saide then that they shall be their iudges not by power but by comparison They doubtlesse confessed that Diuels were cast out by the spirit of GOD but these men attributed the power vnto Baalzebub wherefore they were found to be much worse than they But he addeth that that place might also be vnderstoode of the Apostles which were the children of the Hebrewes as touching the flesh and had already giuen by Christ the giftes of casting out of Diuels and are rightlie saide that they shall be iudges of the wicked and of the blasphemous seeing it is saide vnto them Mat. 19. 28 Yee shall sit vppon 12. seats iudging the 12. Tribes of Israel And hee farre preferreth this latter interpretation before the first But mee thinkes the first séemeth the more agréeable For if we affirme that these things are spoken as touching the Apostles the Scribes and Pharises shall not séeme at the full to bée reprooued of Christ For they might haue saide Thy Disciples also cast out Diuels in the name of Baalzebub euen as they be taught by thée Neither do I perswade my selfe that those wicked men make more account of the Apostles in better place than they did of their master But if so be we refer those words vnto exorcistes the Scribes and Pharisees are notablie confuted Wherefore I confesse that among the Iewes there were exorcistes Neither doe I denie but that God bestowed that gift of driuing awaie of Deuils from men to certaine men whom he would yet not vnto such as the Priestes had appointed But the Priestes therein gréeuouslie sinned in that they would at their owne pleasure appoint a felowship or colledge or order of Exorcistes as though they might binde the grace of GOD to their elections and constitutions Christ the head of new Exorcists 10 But afterwarde Christ renued that strength and power yea rather he was the a chiefe and prince of new Exorcists and he dealt against the vncleane spirits with great commaundement and absolute power as it manifestly appeareth in the storie of the Gospell Mark 1. 25 Ibid. 5. 11. Neither did he onelie cure them that were present but them also which were absent for he healed the daughter of the woman of Chanaan which was absent neither had he himself onlie power ouer the diuels but he also gaue the same gift vnto his Apostles But there is another place in the Actes of the Apostles Ver. 13. in the 19. Chapter whereby it most euidently appeareth that such Exorcists were among the Hebrewes For the sonnes of Sceua adiured ill spirites which also they attempted to doe through the name of Iesus Howbeit the auncient Prophets although I reade that sometime they did myracles yet doe I not finde that they vsed Exorcismes But that Christ gaue power of casting out the Diuell vnto his Disciples it is shewed in the 16. Chapter of Mark where it is written And there signes shall followe the beleeuers shall cast out diuels Luke 9. 49. c. And in the 9. of Luke it is declared that Iohn sawe a certaine man which through the name of Christ cast out diuels and yet he did not follow him Wherefore saieth Iohn wee forbad him which déede Iesus disallowed Manie also at the latter daie shall saie as we haue it in the 7. Ver. 22. of Matthew Haue we not in thy name cast out Diuels And Paul as it is written in the 16. Act. 16. 18. of the Actes commanded the spirit of diuination to depart which forthwith was done Howbeit we must vnderstand that the Apostles were not alwaies able by their authoritie to cast out ill spirites For as the historie of the Euangelist teacheth Mat. 17. 16. A certaine man offered to them his sonne to be cured whom they could not deliuer And Christ comming to them taught that that kinde of Diuels are not cast out but by fasting and prayers As if he shoulde saie Ib. ver 21. that therein prayers and that verie earnest are néedefull the which are verie much furthered by fasting true fasting I meane not that fained fasting which consisteth onelie of the choise of meates 11 A great while did these giftes of healing remaine in the Church How and how long the gifts of healing were in the Church The words of Christ in the last of Marke expounded And what time they vtterlie ceased it cannot precisely be defined And because that they are now no longer had we are constrained to thinke that the words of Christ wherein he said These signes shall follow them that beleeue were not generallie spokeÌ„ as if those graces should be giuen alwaies vnto all the faithfull It was sufficient that they were giuen to the Church and remained for a certaine space in it Iustinus Martyr who liued in the time of Antoninus Pius in the first Apol. page 146. writeth that the Christians ouer all the world and in the Citie it selfe healed verie manie that were possessed with euill spirits which other inchaunters coniurers sacrificers could not perfourme and that as yet those men of ours persist in their purpose Neither onelie did these graces indure vntill the time of Antoninus but as TertulliaÌ„ in his Apologie teacheth they continued still vntill the time of Seuerus the Emperour in whose time he florished We are accustomed saieth he to assaile Daemons that is spirites and to driue them awaie froÌ„ men and as it should séeme he reckoneth himselfe among the number of them which did this And in the same place he saieth We driue out ill spirits without reward or hire Likewise in his booke intreating of idolatrie in the 734. page he saieth against them who being Christians yet neuerthelesse solde frankincense and those things which were vsed in the worshipping of Idols When thou séest the Aultar smoking how canst thou contemne it and with what constancie wilt thou exorcise thy scholers And he calleth the Diuels Whose scholers the diuels are counted the scholers of these men because they made their house a Cell for Idols whereby they retayled Frankincense vnto them to the intent they might make a perfume for them By this place we are taught that the giftes of these adiurations were not onelie giuen vnto the Clergie men but that they happened euen to marchants also moreouer that they were graunted vnto souldiers For the same Author in his little Booke De Corona Militis page 454. against them which of their owne accord went a warfare with Emperors writeth Those which he by exorcisme in the day time chased awaie in the night he defended Which he therefore â—rote
arguments of Macedonius against Augustine First he said In this letting goe we séeme to allowe that which we woulde haue punished but it is sinne that we would haue punished therefore we seeme to allowe of sinne it selfe So then we make our selues guiltie because the allower and authour of the offence are both alike culpable wherefore we are subiect to the same kinde of offence that they be whom we so let goe Augustine answereth We while we craue to haue those yéelded vnto the Church séeke it not to the ende that sinne should goe vnpunished but rather amended Euen as God when he maketh the Sunne to arise vppon the wicked doeth it not that sinne shoulde escape vnpunished but as the Apostle saieth by his goodnesse prouoketh them to repentance Moreouer wee woulde in any wise that sinnes should be punished howbeit by an other kind of punishment that is by repentance not by the sword of authoritie Secondly Macedonius obiected The sword of the ciuill power will be in vaine to what end should there be prisons Gallowses hangmen executioners such like if guiltie persons as you would should be let goe vnpunished But Augustine saieth that these things are not in vaine because they punish the impenitent and obstinate but others which promise that they will amende their life your power and instruments of punishments doe bring them hereunto For vnlesse they shoulde be terrified by this meanes they would continue in their mischiefe So as our intercessions are nothing at all against your seuere power nay rather if the same were not our intercessions should haue no place Moreouer for this cause are they auaileable that we maie leade a peaceable and quiet life among the wicked Thirdly Macedonius argued The punishments that we lay vpon the guiltie are either iust or vniust if they be vniust let them be remooued and let them no more appeare in the Common weale but if they bée iust wherefore doe you hinder them with your intercessions Augustine answereth They be iust against them which bee stubborne and obstinate in their sinnes but when there commeth promise of amendment and repentaunce forsomuch as the guiltie person is changed the punishments must also be changed or taken away Hereunto Macedonius addeth They which are so deliuered it commeth often to passe that they afterward fall againe into the selfe same vices or else commit those that bee more grieuous Augustine answereth Séeing this is not doone by our fault nor will neither doe wée make intercession for them that they may become such euill persons againe Macedonius said yet further Others being corrupted by this example will more vehemently runne astray and so all things will be filled with theft and robberies Whereunto Augustine said God also will easily sustayne this kinde either of reproche or cauillation Why doe we not also say that euill men are corrupted to commit daylie more and more grieuous sinnes through the good will of God whereby he suffereth and cherisheth the wicked Lastly Macedonius had respect vnto the losses and hinderances doone vnto Citizens and said It wil by this meanes come to passe that things taken awaie by theft and robberie will not be restored Vnto this Augustine saieth It would in no wise be so for that is reckoned to be no true repentance wherein other mens goods are retained neither is the sinne forgiuen vnlesse there be a restitution of the thing stolen But yet he shewed after what maner namely that if it may be or if the guiltie maÌ„ haue other mens goods in his handes Howbeit otherwhile these robbers and théeues doe straight way consume those thinges which they haue naughtily gotten doe riotously waste and destroy them and when as there remaineth with them not one iot thereof to restore when they haue changed their minde they must be giuen to the Church least they bée perpetually afflicted without a cause and their repentance be hindered These things haue we heard to be spoken of Augustine and Macedonius according to both partes of the question propounded I might adde that Iames in his Epistle wrote Iames. 2. 13 that iudgement without mercie remaineth vnto him who hath not shewed mercie Eze. 18. 32. and also that Ezechiel who vnder the person of God sayeth I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he be conuerted and liue 9 Some man perhaps will maruell why Augustine set not downe among his reasons A consideration of the reasons of Augustine and Macedonius that the guiltie sort must also be spared because they be ignorant or be stirred vp by their lustes or fraile affections and therfore doe fall into so gréeuous offences Héereunto I answere Perhaps Augustine comprehended this kinde of Argument when he saide That mans infirmitie must be considered And certainlie to be ignorant and ouercome with lustes pertaineth to imbecillitie Howbeit we might otherwise answere that he prudently omitted this because he would not sustaine the person of a defender but of an intercessour It was none of his part to minish or extenuate sinne He confessed those things to be noughtilie doone for the which he intreated but he craued a remission Furthermore they which committed those things which they knew to bée punishable by the publike lawes knew them to be sinne They which be stirred vp with lusts cannot be compared to the phrentike mâ—n Neither can they which be stirred vp with lustes be compared as of some they be vnto them that be phrenticke and out of their wit who are rather to be pitied than punished for as yet reason raigneth in those men but in the other it is extinguished or else stopt Moreouer the phrenticke persons doe not procure the euill vnto themselues but they which obey lustes doe otherwhile stirre them vp they séeke occasions they shunne them not nor yet wrestle against them neither doe they represse outward actions which they might doe although they were not yet regenerate Wherefore the comparison is verie vnlike To the first reason of Augustine 10 But because the reasons of Augustine vnder correction of so notable a man be not firme therefore must they be confuted Which as it is easie to be doone so I iudge it verie profitable First he saide that sinnes are more pardonable as he termeth it when they haue promise of amendment and also repentance ioyned with them and therefore ought no longer to be punished seuerelie Vnto this we answere that the pardon which followeth faith vnto which is adioyned repentaunce is obtained of GOD and pertaineth not to the ciuill Iudge who hath respect to a thing already doone not vnto those things that be present To the second He added that the seueritie of lawes séeke correction but that those men are corrected by ameÌ„dment of life and repentance and that therfore nothing else must be any more wrested from them by violence But correctioÌ„ is sought for by the Magistrats not onelie for his cause that is punished but also for other meÌ„s sakes
if we shall thinke that those will make to the glorie of God or to the saluation of him that dooth the iniurie But if he through our patiēce become the woorse those thinges in verie déede we ought not to doe but onelie to retaine them in the minde For so was Christ prepared in minde euen then when he rebuked that seruant And in his time he suffered all contumelies and iniuries and the crosse it selfe And Paul although he somewhat sharpelie aunswered the high priest yet afterward writeth vnto the Corinthians 2. Co. 12. 15 And I gladlie giue and offer vp my selfe for you all He who in the first Epistle to the Corinthians had excommunicated a man cōmitting incest 1. Cor. 5. 5. 2. Cor. 2. 6. in the latter Epistle is the cause that the selfesame man is receiued with all gentlenesse And he that was so hard against his brethren would euen for the verie same people become accursed Rom. 9. 3. Exo. 32. 27. And Moses although he had so hardlie intreated his brethren yet said he Ibidem 31 Either spare them O God or else blot me out of thy booke Also Christ although he gaue not the other chéeke yet vppon the Crosse he said Forgiue them Luk. 21. 34. for they know not what they doe Wherefore if we sée amongest vs the word of God to be smitten and to haue iniuries doone vnto it that must we in no wise dissemble or if our good name be hindered without which there can be no authoritie of our doctrine that must we by all meanes defend I know there haue bin some which said that more perfecter commaundementes were giuen vnto vs than vnto the Iewes But Christ in verie déede meant nothing else but to confute the traditions of the Pharisies To the second Matt. 5. 39. 16 Resist not euill that doeth Chrysostome thus expounde Resist not with any euill thing as if so be Euil were the ablatiue case For fire saieth he is not quenched with fire but with water Others expound it more absolutely that we must not resist iniuries with priuate authoritie or to séeke reuenge And it is Euill that hurteth either the body or the goods or a mans good name The same thing it is which is saide in another place Reuenge euill for euill vnto no man Ro. 12. 17. 1. Thess 5. But all those things must be vnderstoode with this exception So they make to the glorie of God and saluation of thy neighbour And that there must be an exception doubtlesse vnderstoode in these wordes it appeareth by the examples and doings of Christ and of his Apostles and euen for the selfe same cause that Christ when he had taught that the chéeke must be offered Mat. 10. 23 yet added after If they persecute you in one citie flie you into another Further in Luke he thus admonisheth To euerie one that shall aske of thee Luke 6. 30. giue But if thou shouldest so doe thou wouldest in short space leaue thy selfe nothing wherewith to maintaine thy familie Therefore Paul added an exception 2. Cor. 8. 13 Not that there should be a liberalitie shewed vnto others a penurie vnto your selues Wherefore Christ meant to exclude nothing else but the desire of reuenge And séeing we be certaine of the sense what néede we contend about the bare saying For if we woulde rather giue all things than goe to the lawe wee shoulde doe nothing else but increase the boldnesse of naughtie leawd fellowes Howbeit if we be oppressed either with violence or with the iniquitie of the iudge we ought rather to giue al than to depart from right perfection Iulianus Celsus Porphyrius others when they vnderstoode not these things cried out that the doctrine of Christ made to the ouerthrowing of Commonweales But those men as I haue said being blinded with malice vnderstoode nothing The saying of Christ is that we shoulde not regard the iniuries doone vnto vs yet not so as we should abandon all that we haue vnto pray and spoyle To the third Ro. 12. 19. Giue place vnto wrath that is to wit The wrath of God We ought to knowe that God will reuenge our iniuries and that we must not take vpon vs his office But God will declare his wrath either by himselfe or by the Magistrate Christ saide vnto Peter To the fourth Mat. 26. 52. Put vp thy sworde and that iustly for Peter both was a priuate man and was mooued with an ill spirit To the fift Ro. 12. 19. To mee belongeth reuenge and I will recompence God saieth that reuenge belongeth vnto him and that he would doe the same either by himselfe or by the Magistrate Wherefore he would not haue vs to curse or call for reuenge but rather to desire this that the mindes of euill men may be chaunged for that there is no perill at all though they become the prouder séeing God himselfe will take our cause vpon him Matt. 7. 1. To the sixt Iudge yee not and yee shall not be iudged This must we specially vnderstande that Christ did not vtterly take away all kinde of iudgement for to iudge in that place is to condemne But there bee some which note all the sayings and doings of other men and certainely they doe not that for the amending but rather for the slaundering of them and that they themselues may séeme the better or else because they be delighted with slaundering This doth Christ reprehend because it proceedeth of hatred enuie pride and it bringeth foorth verie ill fruites That this was the meaning of Christ it appeareth by that which followeth Cast the beame out of thine owne eye To the seuenth Ibid. ver 5. and take the mote out of thy brothers eye For we finde it euerie where that it is not lawfull to condemne those thinges which wee sée no where condemned in the scriptures séeing if I condemne open theft or adulterie I condemne it not but God Why doest thou iudge another mans seruaunt Rom. 144. Paul speaketh not there of iudging sinne but of indifferent things which thou maiest vse both well and ill such are meate and drinke For men oftentimes of a pride so iudge of those things as they condemne that for a most grieuous crime which is meane and indifferent 17 Christ would not haue the Cockle to be taken awaie Mat. 13. 29. To the eight therefore say they it is not lawfull either to warre or to vse the sworde This place vnto some séemeth ambiguous doubtfull but if we vnderstand that parable without exception wee shall leaue no place no not for excommunication which neuerthelesse the Anabaptistes doe specially vrge Wherefore they are both wayes confuted What then is the meaning I will declare There is no intreating in that place of the office of the Minister or Magistrate but onelie of the state and condition which should afterward be of the Church to wit that the same should alwayes haue
things putting my trust in him which promiseth to the professours of his name Luk. 21 14. saieng Laie it vp in your hearts that ye cast not before hand what ye shall answer for I will giue you a mouth and wisdome which all your aduersaries shall not be able to wrest and gainesaie Now then most learned Peter I arme my selfe to examine your conclusions The first whereof is this In the sacrament of the Eucharist there is no transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the bodie and bloud of Christ The second is that the bodie and bloud of Christ is not substantiallie and naturallie in the Eucharist vnder the formes of bread and wine Vnto which conclusions as I giue no credit at all euen so I certeinlie persuade my selfe as I will alwaies saie that they be false most strange from christian religion And that thus it is as I haue said I will not refuse in due time to declare and shew most euidentlie by the holie scriptures and by manie testimonies of the fathers So likewise haue I this day taken vpon me to defend and confirme the truth hitherto receiued by the church plaine contrarie and as they speake by a right diameter line repugnant to your conclusions This disputation haue I taken in hand not to the intent I would supplie the roome of D. Smith being absent of whose purpose without doubt I was not priuie but I haue doone it onelie to extoll the glorie of Christ the veritie of the faith And let not anie man thinke that I am led to like of this my opinion of a certeine light credulitie but through great and most vrgent causes Whereof the first is the agréement and vniforme consent of the holy Euangelists and of Saint Paule the apostle which make for our assertion from whence a consent of the whole world and perpetuall vse of the thing hath flowed euen to vs. The second cause is the great authoritie of our holie mother the church the which euen by publike edicts decréed as touching the certeine truth of this sacrament against Beringarius Wickliffe and such as were of their opinion Thirdlie there be most euident testimonies of the right catholike fathers which vnlesse they be otherwise expounded than those fathers ment they make most chéerlie for our assertion The fourth and last cause is for that the edict of our most noble prince king Edward the sixt and the act of his maiesties Councell dooth not a litle warrant me the verie which causes séeme vnto me sufficient for to beléeue as I doo Wherefore most learned Peter whatsoeuer force of arguments you haue to vtter and alledge against me speake and declare them all at your owne pleasure it is lawfull for you I haue said and you sée how I answer your conclusions D. Peter Martyr THe praises which you attribute to me I acknowledge not your good wil towards me I imbrase And whereas you saie that you were chalenged of me that is nothing so for I rather am drawne foorth by others to dispute as it is knowne vnto all men And as for the causes which you saie moued you to dispute against me I doo not much passe for of what importance they be I will then acknowledge when it shall be your part to oppose Onelie of the last namelie as touching the kings edict since I vnderstand no English this I saie that I know nothing at all thereof but I hope that in proceeding of the disputation if it shall make anie thing against mee I shall vnderstand the same Wherfore omitting these things I come vnto the arguments Heere beginneth the disputation D. Peter Martyr FOr the first question the Scriptures are on my side which doo very plainlie acknowledge bread and wine in this sacrament Mat. 26. Mark 14. Luke 22. It is said in the Euangelists that the Lord tooke bread blessed it Bicause the scriptures acknowlege bread in the Eucharist therefore it must be receiued brake it and gaue it vnto his disciples And Paule hath the verie same in the first epistle to the Corinthians the tenth and eleuenth chapters where if you will diligentlie consider it he maketh often mention of bread Wherefore we also must togither with the scripture reteine the natures of the symbols or signes D. Tresham It is also found in the holie scriptures that man is called earth or ashes Eue a bone a rod a serpent and water wine where yet they were not these things but were so called Moreouer the argument is reciprocall and may be returned vpon your selfe for euen in the scriptures it is oftentimes called the bodie of the Lord and that therefore by the verie selfe-same reason the bodie of Christ is trulie present in this sacrament which you denie in the second question and therefore your argument is returned vpon your owne head D. Martyr As for the former part of your answer you affirme that the saieng of the holie scripture when it nameth bread is figuratiue bicause the things reteine the names of their natures from whence they were turned Wherein I maruell verie much that you so readilie flie vnto figures the which ye so greatlie abhor when we are in hand with this sacrament But this I let passe and I answer that in the places alledged the holie scripture dooth expresselie put vs in mind of the conuersions of those things for it plainelie sheweth that mans bodie was fashioned out of the earth that Eue was made of Adams rib that the râ—d was turned into a serpent that the water was made wine Wherefore we are forced to admit these figures Now then prooue ye vnto vs out of the holie scriptures that the bread is turned as touching substance into the bodie of Christ and so we will grant your figure that is to wit to call bread not that which is now bread but that which was so before And moreouer those things which ye bring in haue so cast awaie their old substance as they reteine not the accidents of them And that which you haue added in the other part of the answer that it maketh against me that the bodie of Christ is reallie present sith the holie scripture calleth it the bodie as also bread how much it maketh against me I will answer when my turne of answering commeth if you shall obiect the same vnto me D. Tresham I was determined that we should vse short arguments but you interlace manie things Howbeit as touching conuersion which you denie to be had in the holie scripture that doo I prooue out of Matthew where Christ saith Matt. 26 26. This is my bodie It is no indicatiue or significatiue saieng of God but an effectuall actiue and working spéech For Augustine saith vpon the 73. psalme The sacraments of the old lawe promise a sauiour but the new giue saluation and therefore I prooue the bread to be turned into the bodie of the Lord. D. Martyr I vse both now and hereafter will vse bréefe arguments so far
also thinke that these rites are not onelie suffered but also allowed of you Wheruppon afterwarde when you teach otherwise he will not giue credite vnto you For he that teacheth otherwise than hee doeth buildeth those thinges which he destroyeth and againe destroyeth those thinges which he buildeth Neither can the example of the Apostle be colored by such a fact who for a time retaineth the Iewish ceremonies with a safe conscience For the ordinances of Moses were in old time brought in by the authoritie and lawe of God not founde out by mans counsell neither were they condemned for worshipping sake But these things of which we nowe speake were both instituted by men without anie diuine oracle and did gorgiouslie serue the worshipping which at this daie so manie as bee godlie doe detest Woulde to God they which iudged that thinges ought to be kept had perceiued that the Gospell is not firme enough so long as these thinges remaine Vndoubtedlie if we would hate superstitions from the heart we woulde by all meanes prouide that the verie steppes of them might bee rooted out Woulde to God that the peruerse indeuour of our aduersaries coulde haue made vs somewhat the better learned They doe diligently shunne all thinges whatsoeuer by anie meanes sauour of our religion and of set purpose so much as they can doe depart from the plaine worshipping of Christ and from the most auncient custome of the Apostles Why doe not we in like manner prouide to be most far off from their pernitious decrées and to followe the Apostolicall simplicitie not onelie in doctrine but also in administration of the Sacramentes I cannot sée howe these thinges being retained of you can rightlie be iudged things indifferent Certainelie vnto the beholders they represent an expresse shew of the pestiferous Masse whereby vngodlie men doe excéedinglie delight themselues For they will saie that the Masse was so holie a thing as the noble Image thereof coulde not displease euen vs For although wee retaine not the same yet doe we imitate it manie singular waies Who moreouer shall let it but that such as stande by in whose inward partes Poperie as yet cleaueth will worship the Image of the Crucifixe Vnoubtedlie they will doe it neither can the motion of their minde be hindered But will the chiefe workers of these counsels saie that this is not doone through their fault but through the fault of thē which are too much addicted to their owne superstitions Howbeit they cannot denie but that they giue the occasion and woe vnto them by whō the offence cōmeth Neither can they bring for their opinion any one proofe either out of the holy scripture or out of the decrées of the primitiue Church But if the indeuour onelie of making a newe couenaunt doe driue vnto these thinges let vs remember that the couenaunt made of olde betwéene vs and God is more excellent than mens couenantes and let vs take most diligent héede least while we séeke after ciuill thinges there be not a losse of heauenly things Wherefore my most déere brother in Christ séeing things stande in this state I aduise you of two things first that you retain still the function of preaching cease not publikelie priuatly to defend the truth of doctrine to abolish the rites which be full of offence occasions of falling Secondlie that you for a while abstaine frō the ministerie of the Sacraments vntil these intollerable blemishes be taken away By this meanes shal not be lost the occasion of wel doing neither shal you by your exāple confirme others in superstitiōs And this is not my counsel alone but the same is also the opinion of the reuerende the excellent man M. Bullinger I remember that I wrote an answere of the former question perhaps the letters either went not the right waie or else are intercepted And I woulde nowe againe haue aunswered them but where your letters are I knowe not nor coulde finde thē when I sought for thē And if you desire to haue an answere of thē take you so much paines as write againe of that which you demanded Salute you all our friends Héere M. Bullinger my wife Iulius with his wife and the rest of the household doe salute you I particularly commend me to your wife and to Iane. The 15. of Iulie 1559. To the same man into England 39. THose letters which you sent vnto me the 27. of August I receiued about the end of October Wherefore if I aunswere somwhat late the fault is not in me especially since for the most part we haue no trusty cariers at Argētiue Howbeit as touching al that matter wherof you now make request I know I haue writtē at large in other of my letters wherefore either my letters went another way or else when you wrote these thinges you had not yet receiued them Howbeit because you shall not be disappointed herein of my trauel coūsel I wil repeat those things which I wrote before As touching impropriatiōs Of Impropriations I sée not why you shold trouble your self For it belongeth not to you whereof how the Quéene wil pay stipends or liuings vnto Bishops or Curats of Churches But if they shall séeme to hunger you your selues may intreate make meanes for thē or if you do aboūd you may impart somwhat of your alowance That no contention must be had about garmentes worne out of diuine seruice Also as touching the round cap or habit to be worne out of the holy seruices I think ye ought not to striue more than is requisit for superstition séemes not properly to take place therein But of garments as of holy things to be vsed in the ministery it self séeing they represēt the forme of the masse be méere relicks of popery Master Bullinger iudgeth that they shold not be vsed least by your example the thing which causeth offence shoulde be confirmed Howbeit I although I haue béene alwayes against such kinde of Ornaments yet because I sawe a present daunger least you should be depriued from the office of preaching that perhaps there wil be some hope that euen as Altars images are taken away so likewise shal be taken away those shewes of the masse if you others comming to be bishops will wholly applie your indeuours therunto which perhaps would not goe forward if an other shal succéede in your place who not onelie would not care to put away those relicks but would rather defend them norish them maintaine them therefore was I the slower to perswade that you should rather refuse a bishoppricke than receiue the vse of those garmēts Howbeit because I saw that offences of that kind must be vtterlie auoided therefore did I willinglie yéelde vnto his opinion Verily where Altars and Images are preserued I my selfe of mine owne accord affirme euen as I haue written in other letters that yee must not minister This is as much as I can write of the present
21 b 22 a His diuerse names in Hebrew and in Latine and who is one 1 18 a The names vsed in holie Scriptures for an interpretor as for example 1 23 ab 18 a What he is called in the Hebrewe tongue 1 17 b and what it signifieth ibidem 18 a Wherein hee and a priest doe differ 1 18 a About what things he is occupied 1 18 a The olde Israelites were neuer without a Prophet 1 23 b Two sure argumentes or tokens of a true Prophet 1 20 b Who he is that must bee reputed and taken for one 1 22 a Prophets true and false Tokens to discerne True Prophets and false 4 6 b 1 20 b They must not diminish the worde nor adde to of their owne 1 20 a Difference betwéene them and Doctors 4 6 b Degrées of them that they were not inspired all alike from heauen 1 19 b Of God and of the Diuel 4 6 b A rule in reading of them 3 354 ab Of the tribe of Leuic 4 6 b They were to the hie Priestes as the Apostles are to the Bishops 4 4a The authoritie of them is constant 3 38 a Howe they cease to bee prophetes and become diuiners 1 20 b Why God doeth sometimes vse the euill Prophetes 1 37 b God reuealeth to the Prophetes the thinges that hee will doe 3 38 a In that they were Prophetes they coulde not erre 1 8 a How they applie their doctrine vnto Christ 2 596 b What visions they bee that make not Prophetes 1 36 b Why Paul saith that the spirits of the Prophetes are subiect to the Prophetes 1 21 b Howe and in what cases spirites maie be called Prophetes 1 81 b 82 a Schooles of them and wherefore they were appointed 1 22b Whether God doeth compell them or no. 1 21 b By their life they must winne credite to the word 1 20 b Whether they do surely knowe those thinges to be true which they foretell 1 22 b They are not nowe so necessarie as in former times and why 23 a There be some still in the Church although not so famous as in times past 1 24 a There were many Prophets in the primitiue church 2 23 b Being in sundrie places did write the selfe-same wordes in their Prophesies 2 363 a They may be a certeine occasioÌ„ not a cause of the ouerthrow of kingdomes 4 237 ab Whether being inspired of God they knowe not what they say 1 21 b The spirites that stirre them vp are sometimes good sometimes euil 1 19 a The cause of this prouerb What is Saul among the Prophets 3 20b Prophets do somtimes see things printed in their imagination and sometime sée them outwardly 1 25b They must not be corrupted for fauour or rewarde 1 20 b They to whome are shewed only the signes of things to come are not in verie déede accounted Prophets why 1 26 a By what thing it was that God spake to the fathers and Prophets 1 26 b 27 a The children of the Prophets and whose disciples they were 1 23 b 4 6 b In what respects Paul and Peter were Prophets 1 23 b More Prophets when the church began than nowe and why 1 18 b That the Prophets of Idols had two certeine tokens to bee knowen by 1 21 a A general rule to know true Prophets by 1 22 a Sometimes their predictions happen not as howe 1 20 b 21 a Of certeine women Prophets expressed by name 1 20 a Which did openly teach the people 4 7 a How it is to be vnderstoode that Samuel was the chief of Prophets that like to Moses there was neuer any Prophet and that among the children of women there arose not a greater than Iohn Baptist 1 â—9 ab The diuels Prophets fare like mad men 1 21 a That wicked men may bee Prophets and yet no friendes to God 1 23 a What Gods law determined touching the punishment of false Prophets 2 389 a Propitiatorie What was the Propitiatorie or mercie seate 2 356 b 339 a The place thereof 3 306 b No more among the Iewes 2 577 b Propositions Generall Propositions are to bee restreined 3 26 b 27 a 30 a 31 ab 32 a 33 ab 145 ab 132 b 133 a 389 ab 380 b 397 b 398 a 1 193 b They make their particular true 3 143 b Conditionall resolue not into categoricall 3 133 b Of particular are ill inferred vniuersal 4 30 a Two negatiue are not woont to conclude affirmatiue 3 239 a Prouidence A definition of Prouidence 3 9a 1 170 b 167 a Why it is perpetuall 3 9 a Diuerse notable points touching it 3 35 b The Epicures denie it and why so 1 170b What commodities and comforts we reape by a liuely faith therof 1 168 a How it predestination agree differ 3 8b Why the same is said to be common to all things 3 8 b It worketh orderly by causes effects read how 2 26â—a The Philosophers yelded not theÌ„selues thereto 1 11 b Too too contumelious a thing to exempt man from it and who do so 1 172 a The opinion of the Peripatetiks touching the same 1 154b To bee acknowledged of vs by the example of creatures 1 12 a Whether it doe bring any changing in Gods as in men 1 168 a Whether it take away chaunce fortune 1 168 b Nothing is to be excepted from the same 1 200 b That there is such a thing proued substantially 1 170ab Whether the same be vnchaÌ„geable 1 173 b 174 a Whether it can admit any thing touching chance 1 174 a 171 b Why the Greeks named it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 175 b A firme and strong argument as some think against it 1 169 a Whether things that bee of necessitie are vnder it 1 172 b Whether all things be ruled thereby 1 167 b That euen Tyrantes are but instrumentes thereof and that they are limited 1 172 b Whether counsels admonitions be taken away thereby as may be obiected 1 176 a Things happening by chance are vnder it â— 173 a Howe sinnes doe depend thereupon 1 173 b How Zuinglius is to bee vnderstoode that men are otherwhiles thereby prouoked to sinne 1 186a By what tokens Cicero teacheth that it may bee knowen from naturall reason 1 167 b What things some referre thereunto and what thinges not 1 167 b A briefe sum of the thinges which God thereby doeth about sins 1 206b A generall opinion to be retained in the church that without it nothing is doone in the world be it good or bad 1 199b That the same as touching his decrees is as the iron and adamant and what is obiected against it 1 197 ab Plato and others seemeth to streiten it into a narrow roome and how 1 200 a What things some doe exempt from it 1 171 b 169 b Things that come by chance serue thereunto 1 182 b Cicero calleth it an olde soothsaying wife of the Stoikes 1