est ad eum c. Tu es sacerdos Hebr. 5. in aeternum secundùm ordinem Melchisedech Euen so Chryste also glorified not him self to be made the high pteist but he that said vnto him c. Thowe arte a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech And declaring the great benefitte that came by him being the high preist to all beleuers he saieth again Et consummatus factus est omnibus obtemperantibus sibi causa salutis aeternae appellatus à Deo Pontifex iuxta ordinem Melchisedech And Ibid. he being perfight was the cause of eternall saluacion vnto all them that obeied him and ys called of God an high preist after the ordre of Melchisedech Likewise he calleth him in the VI. chapiter And the wholl VII chap. he occupieth in applieng Melchisedech to Chryst prouing by this prophecie the abrogacion of the preisthead of the lawe and so consequētlie of the lawe yt self Wherfore he saied Yf nowe therfore perfection came by the preistheade Hebr. 7. of the Leuites for vnder that preisthead the people receaued the lawe what neadeth further that an other preist shoulde rise to be called after the ordre of Melchisedech and not after the order of Aaron For yf the preisthead be translated then of necessitie must the lawe be translated also c. For after this maner dothe he testifie Thowe arte a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech Then the commaundement that went before ys disanulled bycause of weakenesse and vnprofitablenesse And further declaring the excellencie of Chrystes preisthead aboue the preisthead of Aaron he saieth For these preistes were made withoute an othe but this preist with an othe by him that saied to him The Lorde sware and will not repent him Thowe art a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech Thus as the lawe of nature hath in Melchisedech figured Chryste And the lawe of Moyses by prophecie forespoken yt So hath the lawe of the Gospell as ye haue nowe learned by sainct Paule fullfilled the same and most plainlie and euidentlie proued yt so to be Yf then Chryste be a preist after the order of Melchisedech we must seke what the order of the preistheade of Melchisedech ys and wherin yt consisteth And therbie shall we knowe the preistheade of Chryste wherin yt consisteth Sainct Paule generallie declareth the order of a preist when he saieth Omnis namque Pontifex ex hominibus assumptus pro hominibus constituitur in ijs Hebr. 5. quae sunt ad Deum vt offerat dona sacrificia pro peccatis Euery high preist that ys taken from amonge men ys ordeined for men in thinges perteining to God to offer giftes and Sacrifices for sinne By whiche description of saincte Paule yt dothe appeare that the order of preisthead standeth in two partes The first he teacheth when he saieth Ordre of preisthead standeth in two partes Pro hominibus constituitur in ijs quae sunt ad Deum He ys ordeined for men in thinges perteining to God Wherby ys ment the preaching to the people and teaching them the lawes of God and ministring the Sacramentes to them as yt was saied vnto Moyses Esto tu populo in ijs quae ad Exod. 18. Deum pertinent vt referas quae dicuntur ad eum ostendasue populo ceremonias ritum colendi viam per quam ingredi debeant opus facere Be thowe vnto the people to Godward that thowe maist bringe the causes vnto God And thowe shalt teache them ordinaunces and lawes and shewe them the waie wherin they must walke and the worke that they must doo The seconde parte of the order of preistheade standeth in offring giftes and sacrifices for the sinnes of the people Then they that be called of God as was Aaron and doo preach and teache one faith of God vnto the people and offer vnto God one maner of sacrifice they be one order of preistheade So that these two must concurre or ells yt ys not a perfight order For Elias the prophet of God and the 3. Reg. 18. preistes of Baall did offer one maner of thinge in sacrifice for they both offred oxen yet they differed in preisthead For Helias was the preist of God the other the preistes of Baall And why was this difference bycause they taught not one faithe in one God Melchisedech and Aaron taught one God and were bothe preistes of Gen. 14. Leuit. 8. Heb 5. God For Melchisedech was the preist of the most high God as the booke of Genesis wittnesseth and Aaron was called of God as the booke of Leuiticus and saincte Paule to the Hebrues testifie And yet they were not of one order of preisthead bycause their sacrifices were not of one maner By this then yt maie be taken for a trueth that Chryst not being a preist after the order of Aaron but after the order of Melchidech whiche two orders differed not in faith but in maner of sacrifice ys so called a preist after the order of Melchisedech for the maner of the sacrifice For he must agree with Melchisedech in that thing that maketh the difference betwixt the order of Aaron and the order of Melchisedech and that was and ys in the maner of sacrifice For Aaron offred in blood the other in bread and wine But here the Aduersarie will saie that Chryst ys not likened to Melchisedech for anie sacrifice by all the processe of saincte Paule But for Obiection that Melchisedech was Rex Salem kinge of Salem and withall the preist of God and for that he was with oute Father withoute Mother hauing neither beginning of daies nor ending in these pointes he ys the figure of Chryste who ys both king and preist hauing no Father in earth nor mother in heauen neither as concerning his Godhead anie beginning and as touching his Godhead and Manhead no endinge And so ys he a preist for euer To this I saie that the thing that saincte Paule principallie intended ys to be considered And then yt shall easilie be perceaued why he did not Principall entent of S. Paule in his epist to the Hebrues make rehersall of the maner of the sacrifice of Melchisedech nor mencion of the doing of the same in Chryste The principall entent of saincte Paule in this place was to proue and make manifest the excellencie of Chryst and his preisthead aboue Aaron and his preisthead Whiche excellencie in nothing more appeared then in that that Chryst was an euerlasting preist and his preisthead euerlasting and not in the maner of sacrifice For yf he had alleaged that Melchisedech did sacrifice in bread and wine The Hebrues wolde quickly haue saied that their sacrifices in that respecte moche excelled and had a moche more gloriouse shewe and cowntenance then the sacrifice of Melchisedech being but bread and wine And therfor saincte Paule omitted to make mencion VVhie S. Paule spake nothing of she sacrifice of Melchisedech in his epist
receaued in the bl Sace but spirituallie howe ean the sinner presume vpon the bodie which he nor will nor cā receaue moche greater Chryst ys then the temple so moche more greuouse and horrible pain remaineth for them that being defiled in the soule dare touche the bodie of Chryst than doeth them that touche but Rammes and bulls In whiche woordes the sacrifices of both lawes are expressed The sacrifice of the olde lawe were Rammes and bulls The sacrifice of the newe lawe ys the bodie of Chryst The euell or vnworthie partakers of the sacrifices of the lawe were soche as were vnclean with vncleānesse described in the lawe The vnwoorthie partakers of the Sacrifice of the Gospell are soche as with deadly Sinne or the pourpofe of yt being defiled in Soule doe presume to receaue Chrystes bodie in the holie Sacrament The pain of an vnwoorthie partaker of the Sacrifices of the lawe was death corporall The pain of an vnwoorthie receauer of the sacrifice of the newe lawe which ys the bodie of Chryst ys death eternall This he prooueth by the scriptures of S Paule whiche we nowe haue in hand For saieth he S. Paule saieth Whosoeuer shall eate the bread and drinke the cuppe of our Lorde vnwoorthilie shall be giltie of the bodie and bloode of our lorde Nowe gentle Reader weigh with me I paraie thee that wher S. Basil saied that so greuouse and horrible condemnacion shall fall vpon them that with vncleannesse of soule presume to touche the bodie of Chryst howe doth he prooue the same by this sainge of S. Paule yf by the bread and cuppe therin spoken of be not vnderstand the bodie and bloode of Chryst Yt ys therfor most certē that holie Basil so aleading S. Paule vnderstood him by the bread and cuppe to haue most assuredlie mēt that blessed bread of Christes bodie and the cuppe of his holie bloode in the Sacrament Basill was not so base in learning nor so simple in iudgement that he speaking of the vnworthie receauers of Chrystes bodie wolde for the confirmacion of his sainge alleadge a text that speaketh but of a peice of bread and nothing to his pourpose No he was of an other maner of learning and grauitie of iudgement As this text by his iudgement ys vnderstanded of the bodie and bloode S. Basill vnderstandeth Sainct Paule to speake of the bread of Chrysts bodie of Christ So ys the other also which saieth he S. Paule speaketh by repeticiō Vpon the which text he maketh like exposition as he did of the other before but in more compendiouse maner saing thus Si verò qui in sola immundicia est adeo horrendum habet iudicium quanto magis qui in peccato est contra corpus Christi audet horrendum attrahet indicium Yf he that ys in the vncleanesse of the lawe onelie hath so horible iudgement howe moche more he that ys in sinne and dare presume vpon the bodie of Chryst shall drawe vnto him horrible iudgement In the wiche who seeth not that he as one expownding and declaring S. Paules wordes geueth vs to vnderstand that S. Paule by the bread meneth the bodie of Chryste For wher S. Paule saieth He that eateth this bread vnwoorthilie eateth his owne damnacion S. Basill saieth He that presumeth vpon the bodie of Chryst shall haue horible Damnacion A moche like questiō the same S. Basil moueth in the same booke which also openeth the trueth of our matter This ys the questiō Whether yt be withoute daunger that he that ys not pure in heart from an euell conscience and vncleannesse of life maie doe the office of a preist In the aunswere of which questiō he saieth thus Dominus dicens plus templo hic est erudit nos quòd tanto magis impius est qui audet tractare corpus Domini qui dedit semetipsum pro nobis oblationem hostiam in odorem suauitatis quantum corpus vnigeniti filij Dei excedit arietes tauros non in comparationis ratione Incomparabilis est enim excellentia Owre lorde saing This man ys greater then the temple mening him self teacheth Let schismaticall ād irreuerent preists note well this saing of S. Basill vs that he ys so moche the more wicked that ys so bolde to handle the bodie of our Lorde who gaue him self an oblacion and sacrifice of swete Sauour as moche as the bodie of the onelie begotten Sōne of God doeth excead Rammes and Bulls not by the mean of comparison For the excellencie ys incomparable Thus ther. Of Sainct Basill in this place we learn that the office of preists ys not as the Aduersarie saieth to handle a peice of Sacramentall bread but to handle the bodie of our lorde euen the same bodie that the same lorde gaue an oblacion and sacrifice to God the Father in the Sauoure of swetenesse And as that bodie incomparablie exceadeth Rammes and Bulls whiche were figures of that blessed bodie So doeth yt in cōparablie excead a peice of bread being also but a figure of that bodie And here Reader if thowe be desierouse to knowe the trueth note and marke well howe great condemnacion commeth to them that vnwoortilie handle the Sacrament aboue them that vnwoorthilie handle the sacrifices of the olde lawe ād Testament They are Saieth Sainct Basill as moche more wicked as the bodie of the onelie begotten Sonne exceadeth Rammes and bulls Yf the vnwoorthie receauer of the Sacrament be so moche more wicked aboue the vnwoorthie receauers of the Sacrifices of the olde lawe as the bodie of the onelie begotten Sonne of God exceadeth Rammes and bulls yt prooueth well that the receauer of the Sacrament receaueth the bodie of the onelie begotten Sonne of God or elles why shoulde he be so incomparablie wicked yf he did not wickedlie receaue that bodie Soche incomparable wickednesse so greuouse and exceading condemnacion can not be but vpō the abuse of an incōparable thing which ys the bodie of Chryst and not Sacramentall bread The receipt of Sacramentall bread ys but a receipt of a figure The receipt of a figure though yt be euell ys not incomparablie wicked Wherfor the receipt of the Sacramentall bread though yt be euell receaued ys not incomparablie wicked but the receipt of the Sacrament yf yt be euell ys incomparablie wicked Wherfore the receipt of the Sacrament ys not the receipt of Sacramentall bread And here plainlie to saie yf the Sacrament were but a figure of the bodie of Chryst and did not contein the same whie shoulde the receauer of yt be Yf the bless Sacr. be but a figure as the Sacramēts os the old lawe were whie do the euell receauers offend so incomparablie more wicked and suffer more greuouse and horrible damnacion then they that receaued the figures of Chryst in the olde lawe And here Reader vnderstanded that by the doctrine of the Aduersarie the Sacramentes of the newe lawe are no better then the Sacramentes of the olde lawe Which yf yt be
example of godlie liuing that God bothe in his pastours and people maie be glorified As cōcerning the second that the scriptures haue doubtes and difficulties Scriptures ful of doubres Yt appeareth by the expresse woorde of God when he saieth Yf ther rise a matter to hard for thee in iudgemēt c. Thow shalt get thee vppe to the preistes the Leuites But forsomoch as this matter ys allready sufficiētlie treacted of and proued yt ys enough here nowe to haue touched yt and so to passe to the third Which ys that the people must be taught and learn the lawes of god of the preistes Which thīg ys so manifestlie declared ād in so plain woordes Doubtes in the lawe of God must be dissolued by the preistes opened in the scriptures alleaged that I shal not nede to make any further declaraciō therof forasmuche as yt ys plainlie ther saied that the doubtes of the people in the lawe of God must be dissolued bi the preistes to whose sentēce and iudgemēt they must in any wise stande and not decline frō yt neither on the right hand nor on the left and that on the pain of deathe In the which saing of God yt ys euidēt howe moche God wolde that the determinaciō of his church in the doubtes of his lawe should be estemed ād reuerēced and his preistes in that respecte obeid Which howe moche yt ys nowe disdained and contēned and gods ordre and cōmaūdemēt neclected his holie faith and religion infringed and violated yt ys more with Sithes and teares to be lamented then beinge so manifest as yt ys nedefull to be opened and declared Of whose mouthe the people should learn the lawe AlmightieGod by his prophete Malachie telleth Likewise that of the preistes the people should aske People must learn of the preistes the lawe God by the Prophete Aggaeus cōmaundeth Who shoulde teach the people the newe Testamēt he also prescribeth Appointing some Apostles some Prophetes some Doctours or teachers who to theise offices are appointed to rule and instruct the people In ijs quae ad Deū pertinēt in those thinges that appertein to God But nowe al this ordre ys inuerted in manie places The people teache the preistes and not the preistes the people The people dissolue the doubts of the lawe the preistes not being asked for The people God his ordre inuerted speake the preistes holde their peace The people make lawes in religion the preistes are cōpelled to obeie The people take in hande the thinges that appertain to God the preistes are put to scilence A moch like state we finde in the time of Moyses emōge the children of Israel in the time when Moyses was in the moūt with God For they perceiuing him to be lōg absent and thinking that he wolde no more come they began to take the rule vpō thēselues And wheras Aarō before cōmaūded and taught thē the religiō of the true God nowe they taking the rule and inuerting the ordre cōmaunded Aaron and taught him soche Religion as lyked them of a false God When the people sawe saieth the booke of Exodus that yt was long er Moyses came downe oute of the Mountain they gathered themselfes togeather Exod 32. vnto Aaron and saied vnto him Vppe make vs Gods to go before vs. For of this Moises the felowe that brought vs oute of the lande of Aegypte we wote not what ys become Hereby maie yt be perceiued what religion shall be when the ordre that God appointed being broken they will teache and commaunde which in matters to godwarde shoulde be taught and commaunded But with all yt ys to be remembred that for this wickednes the wrathe of God waxed hote against the people and notwithstanding that ther was immediatelie Plaguesfor breaking Gods appoincted ordre in religiō and mynisterie a greate slaughter of the people aboute the nōbre of three thousand and that Moyses made intercession to God for the people Yet allmightie God in the ende saied Neuer the latter in the daie when I viset I will viset their sinne vpon them and the Lorde plagued the people bicause of the calfe whiche Aaron made Wherfore seinge that the moche like trangression ys committed emonge the Chrystian people yt ys to be feared that the wrathe of God will waxe hote against vs. But God graūte vs a Moyses that by earnest intercessiō maie yet mittigate the plague of God that shall come for this wickednesse The plague I feare me will be sore vpon Corah Dathan and Abiron and vpon the capitanes of the multitude whiche be the great and famouse mē in the Num. 16. congregacion which haue gathered thē selues together against Moyses and Aaron and cā not contēt thē selues with soche ordre as God hath put in his Church and which by hys pleasure hath so long continued But yet they come to Moyses and Aaron and saie ye make muche to doo seing all the multitude are holie euery one of them and the Lorde ys emonge them Whieheaue ye your selues vppe aboue the Congregacion of the Lorde I must staie my hand I shall ells be to tediouse to the reader in this matter in the whiche I thought not to haue writtē the fourth parte of that that ys written and for expedicion leaue vnto him to reade the strory in the booke of Nombres and so further to consider yt And wher ther be manie stories declaring the displeasures of God to haue commed vppon the people bicause they wolde not submitte them selues to the ordeinaunce of him and his ministres but wolde vsurpe vpon them both Yet I will speake but of one in the first booke of the kinges which ys that where God appointed Samuel his beloued and holie Prophet to be the ruler of the people they being a stiffnecked and disobedient people to gods 1. Reg. 8. ordre so long before vsed al the elders gathered themselues together and came to Samuel and saied vnto him Beholde thowe arte olde and thy Sonnes walke not in thy waies Nowe therfore make vs a king to iudge vs as al other nacions haue See their phantasticall prouidence and therwith their disobediēce They take in hande to prouide for their common wealth as though God coulde not prouide them as good a ruler after Samuel as he did in prouiding of Samuel And therfore the ruler whiche God appointed reiected make vs saie they a kinge But what saied Almightie God to Samuel Heare the voice of the people for they haue not cast thee awaye but me that I shoulde not reign ouer them 1. Reg. 12. And after that they had a kinge Samuel to cause them to vnderstand that their offence was great saied I will call vnto the Lorde and he shall send thunder and rain that ye maie perceaue and see howe that yower wickednesse ys great which ye haue doen in thee seight of the Lorde in asking yowe a king And they saied Praye for vs thy seruauntes vnto the Lorde thy God that