I wyll declare the whole matter moste simply and playnely which bothe olde and newe wryters haue darkened because they dyd so interprete the scriptures as thoughe also they wolde satisfie the iudgemēt of man his reason They thought that it was agaynst all polityke gouernement to teache that a man dyd synn of necessitie they thought it a cruell thing to fynde fault with man hys wyll if it could not turne it selffe from synne to vertue Therefore they attributed more to man his strengthe then they ought to haue done and they dyd meruaylously disagree among them selues for so much as they dyd see that in euery place it was contrary to the iudgemēt of reason and truly in this place where as Christian doctrine disagreeth muche from Philosophy and man his reason yet Philosophy by lyttell and lyttell crept in to Christian doctryne and this wycked opinion of free wyll is receaued the goodnes of Christ is darckned by oure prophane and carnall wysdome The worde of free wyll is vsurped most cōtrary to the holy scripture to the meaning and iudgemēt of the holy ghoste with that which we see holy men haue bene oftē displeased There is added also oute of Plato his philosophie this worde of reason which is as pernitiouse and daungerouse as the other For lyke as in these laste tymes we haue embrased Aristotle in steade of Christ so euen immediatly after the fyrst begynnyng of the Churche Christian doctryne was corrupted with Platos philosophye so is it brought to passe that there be no syncere pure bokes in the Church besyde the Canonicall scripture All the commentaries which learned men haue wrytten smell of Philosophy And with in a lyttel whyle after dothe any man aske me if there be any free wyll I aunswer because all thinges whiche come to passe do necessarilye come to passe according to the predestination of God there is no libertie or freedome of oure wyl What thē you wyl say is there in thinges that I may vse the Papistes wordes no casualtye no chaunce no fortune The scriptures teache vs howe that all thinges come to passe necessarily Eckius sayth that Valla wolde knowe more then euer he had learned because he confuted the scole mennes opinion of free wyll And in the end gathering a sum of all his saynges he saythe If you refer man his wyll to the predestination of God there is no libertie ether in outeward or inward workes But all thinges come to passe according to the predestination of God If you refer oure will to outewarde workes to naturall iudgement there semeth a certayne fredome but if you refer oure wyll to the affections there is no libertie euen by the iudgement of nature At the last he concludeth Thou seest Reader that I haue wrytten more playnely of free wyll then ether Bernard or any Scole men And in his annotations vpon S. Paule to the Romanes expoundyng that place of Paule according to the predestination of God after that he hath confirmed that there is no casualtye in thinges nor libertye of wyll he saythe thus at the lengthe We teache that God dothe not only suffer his creatures to worke but that he him selffe properly dothe all thinges that euen as they graunte the vocation of Paule to haue bene the proper worke of God so let them graunt that all those be the proper workes of God whether they be meanes as eatyng and drinkyng which be common to men and beastes or whether they be euell as the adultery of Dauid the seueritye of Manlius in kylling his sonne seing it is euident that God dothe all thinges not suffering but potenter as Saynte Augustyne his worde is that is mightely working so that the traytery of Iudas is as well his proper worke as the vocation of S. Paule Thus hath Melancthon wrytten in those bokes which he dyd sett oute being as yet but a younge man Luther how much be estemed the wrytinges of Melancthon notwithstandyng they were after chaūged and corrected one of the which bokes Luther wryting agaynst Erasmus of seruile wyll saythe is a boke neuer able to be confuted worthie not only immortall fame but also to be nombred among the Ecclesiasticall Canons to the which saythe he when I compared thy boke it semed so vyle and beggarlye that I toke greate pitie of the. And making a preface to the other he doubteth not to prefer it before the moste learned Commentaries of Thomas Aquinas And that the Commentaries of Hierome and Origen be but starke tryfles and fooles babells if they be compared to his annotations He is not farre from placing hym aboue Paule but certaynely he giueth hym the chayre next to S. Paule But Philipp him selffe often chaunging his mynde hathe condemned bothe those bookes of erroures in many places and specially in this poynte of free wyll For he caused bothe of them to be afterwarde prynted scraping oute many thinges adding chaunging correcting in so muche that the laste bokes were almost nothing lyke the fyrst And in those common places which were printed in the yeare of oure Lorde .1536 at Straesbrughe in the yeare of our Lord .1538 at Wittenberdge in the yeare .1546 at Lips in the yeare 1555. at Wittenberge he openly hath recanted al those thinges which he dyd wryte in those his fyrst bokes of free wyl for thus he speaketh Valla and diuerse other take libertie from man his wyl Melancth confirmeth free wil in his later bokes because al thinges be done after God his determination He addeth in his cōmon places printed in the yeare .46 .55 This imagination sprong oute of the Stoikes disputations bringeth them to this poynte that they take away all casualtie of good and euell actions yea of all motions in beastes and in the elementes But I sayde before that they must not bryng in these Stoicall opinions in to the Church of God nether that fatall necessitie is to be defended in al thynges but that we muste graunt some chaunce or casualtie It was not of necessitie that Alexander kylled Clytus nether must we confound the disputation of God his determination with the question of free wyl And agayne in his places printed the yeare .1536 and .38 or later For so muche as in the nature of man there is left iudgement and a certayne choyse of thinges which be subiect to reason and sence O Melancthē you had not bene a mete mā to be deane of diuinity in Trinitie Colledge at this day in Cambridge there is left also a choyse of outeward ciuile polityke workes wherfore the wyll of man can of her proper poure without renuing do some externall workes of the Law This is the fredome of wyll which the Philosophers do well attribute to man For Paule makyng a difference betwene the spirituall and carnal Iustice graunteth that they which be not baptized haue some choise to refrayne the hand from murder from rapyne from theft and this they call the ryghteousnes of the fleshe but God
and oute of ordre So much dyd he disdayne that any thing shold be set vp or pulled downe of any man a lyue except he had fyrst gyuen oute a coÌ„mission that so it sholde be Luther most gredie of glorie The gentleman was so gredy of glory that he might well syng this verse which dyd become his ambitiouse ielosie Riualem possum non ego ferre Iouem I think greate skorne that God above Sholde fansie the thing which I do love He dyd wryte .ij. bokes against the heavenly Prophetes in one of the whiche he warneth those preachers to be forbidden the benefytes of water and fyar Luther a sore ennimie to image breakers whiche persuade the people to throwe downe images or at the least he willeth so to nypp them in the heades some other way that they presume no more so to prate because after the destruction of images commonly followeth the destruction slaughter of men Good Sirs sayth he the pulling downe of images is not the mark which the dyvell shoteth at but to make hym selffe a muse to start in and oute at to shed blode to make one man cut an others throte The spiryt of imagehaters is not good for it breathes murders and vprores although it beareth a fayre face for a whyle tyll suche tyme as it spyeth any advauntage Thus Luther and Carolstadius dyd burne with deadly displeasure one against the other they dyd rayle so spytefully one against the other that they semed wurse then heretikes one to the other And this was not the least cause of their enimitie contention that bothe dyd chalaunge this prayse vnto him selff for bringing fyrst vnto light the true knowledge of the Ghospell But it is knowen well inoughe Carolstad the fyrst marryed preste in Germany that Carolstadius was the fyrst Preste that euer marryed a wife in Germany and enterprysed those thinges which I made rehersall of a littell before for which cause he thought the prayse of fynding oute the true light of the Ghospell to be only due vnto him But when he perceaued the more accoumpt was made of Luther who in dede passed him farre in wytte learninge and vtteraunce to the intent he might make hys name ryng among hys posteritie he thought it good to coyne some newe conceited doctrine which being suche as Luther had never medled with all he sholde not presume to any part of the prayse which he had newly inuented Luthers doctrine was an occasion of the SacrameÌ„taries sect To the vttering abroade of which doctrine it is playne that Luthers bokes dyd offer occasion who as Calvine dothe recorde wryting against transsubstantiatioÌ„ semed to sounde a larum to rayse vp the heresie of the Sacramentaries For Luther dyd teache that after Consecration there remayned in the Sacrament the substaunce of brade and wyne Caluin in the. 2. defeÌ„ce agaynst Ihon west which some dyd so vnderstand as thoughe Luther had taught that Christ whome the Scriptures wytnesse to haue bene incarnat that is to haue taken vpoÌ„ him oure fleshe had bene in the Sacrament impanate that is taken vpon him bread whome also it shold be idololatrie for any man to worshyp in the Sacrament onles he dyd coÌ„municate As who shold say that the body of Christ were not made in the SacrameÌ„t with the worde of Christ but with oure receaueing and that there coulde not be suche vertue in Christ his wordes to make his bodye there onlesse it were put to oure mouthe What is this ells but to falsifye the wordes of the Scripture and in stede of that which Christ sayde This is my body to say this shall be my body when it shall be receaued But in very dede it is aboue .xx. yeares agone since Luther being as it were caught with Buchers wyly lyme twigges dyd agree vnto this his opinion for Bucer by no meanes wolde be persuaded to confesse the bodie and blood of Christ to be in the SacrameÌ„t substantially onles Luther wolde lykewyse yelde thus muche to him that the body the blood of oure Lorde is not there onles it be receaued as Ruard Tapper a man of excellent learning expounding the tenth article of Louayne dothe wytnesse in his wrytinges Luther beguyled of Bucer became a SacrameÌ„tarie Thus Luther invegled with Bucers baytes whylst he intended to make Bucer holde of his syde he hym selffe becam a Sacramentary For there is nothing which doth more strenghthen the SacrameÌ„taries heresye then this opinion of Bucer which Luther consented to of the which thing Ihon Caluine dothe make his boste in diuerse places Thus farr had Luther marched at that tyme. but as yet he had not taken oute his lesson so farr in his Christ curse rewe that he durst deny the presence of Christ his body and bloode in the Sacrament The fyrst which had the face to deny it in oure dayes Carolstad fyrst presumed to denye the presence of Christ in the sacrament MelancthoÌ„ to Friderike Miconiê° was Andrewe Carolstad to whome Philipp Melancthon wryting of this matter gyueth this commendation Carolstade sayth he hathe stirred vp these coles a sauage man voyde of wyt withoute learnyng lackyng hys common sence whome as yet we neuer could perceaue to vnderstande or practise any poynt of ciuilitie so farre of is it that we could beleue any reuelation to be made to hym by the holy ghoste Of whome also he thus wryteth in an other place Euen as Luther dyd in spyte of the Pope Of oure Lorde his supper agaynst the Anabaptistes so lykewyse Carolstade in spyte of Luther not for any zeale or loue of godlynes raysed vp this controuersy of the supper of oure Lorde And he bryngeth in there a worthy sentence which wold to God he dyd hartily fauoure In my iudgement sayth he it is greate folly to plant any new opinioÌ„s withoute conference consent of the auncient churche Notwithstanding that this fellowe is so paynted oute in his ryght coloures of MelancthoÌ„ yet hathe he so many to take his parte in defending this his dyuellishe doctrine that nowe you may fynde mo Sacramentaries then Lutherans and among them many of excellent learning and singular grace of vtteraunce whiche couet rather to be counted CarolstadiaÌ„s then Lutherans Therefore agaynst thys kynde of herisye he dyd set oute many bokes in one of the which intituled agaynst Zwinglius Oecolampadius and other new Wicleffistes he is meruaylouse hotte agaynst this sort of sectaries and wryteth that they haue digged themselues thorow the scripture allmost ten shyftyng wayes starting holes And that he neuer hathe readen of a more fylthie heresye theÌ„ it is which had euen at the fyrst syght so many heades so many sutes of sectes althoughe in the principal poynte that is in tearying and tormoyling Christ they agree together lyke lambes In that boke which he named That these wordes of Christ stand styll in theire full force This is my body he reciteth seauen and in the treatise which a lyttell
once to despyse to set at naught the Authorities of the auncient Doctoures the Decrees of the moste holy Popes Luther the author of ouerthrowyng bothe prestehode sacrifice the Determinatiōs of generall Councelles that is of the vniuersall church at the last he grewe so farr from grace that as we haue made mentyon a lyttell before he laboured to ouerthrowe the ordre of Prestehode and the Sacrifice besyde that he excluded Christ oute of the Sacrament onles he were receaued and forbadde due reuerence there to be done vnto hym lyke as also before he had taught that breade and wyne dyd remayne after the consecration Of this roote dyd spryng afterwarde the Sacramentaries heresie And euē as Luther wolde haue it lawfull for hym of his owne heade to put oute olde ordres to brynge in newe fashions so Caluine with his croked Apostles thought he neaded not to aske leaue to doo the lyke for so much as he dyd set as muche by hys paynted sheathe as Luther dyd and stode so muche in hys owne cōceipt that he was able to matche Luther at all assayes and to answer hym to omnia quare Therefore he dyd that which Luther and all they of hys lure as yet had not done that is he dyd abolyshe holye vestimentes Caluin in what thinges he followed Luther and in what thinges he ouerrā him in wickednes when God hys seruice was celebrated the vse of tapers and candelles the ringing of velles that there myght be no difference betwene holy thinges and prophane and least yf that any worshipp sholde be gyuen to the reuerend sacramēt men sholde conceaue and beleue that there were more in it then breade wyne More ouer and that he gaue charge that the sacrament sholde not be ministred to them which dyd lye a passing oute of thys lyffe which not withstanding the auncient Fathers named Viaticum which may be Englished costage or comfortable prouisyon to trauayle by the way He was of this mynde that they were not to be allowed to receaue the Sacramēt which were not able to receaue with the whole congregation to them which were neither shryuē neither assoylde he wylled that the sacrament sholde be gyuē Besyde thys he dyd put downe holy dayes and the readyng of the Epistle the Gospell as the Churche was wont to vse them And lest he sholde be thought to take so muche vpon hym only in the sacramēt of the altar he dyd also deuyse a newe doctryn in the sacramēt of Baptisme For where as he had learned thys lesson of Luther that they make the deathe of Christ of none effect that they seke an other Mediator besyde Christ which thinke good worckes necessary to saluation nowe because Baptisme is a good worcke he thought that they which teache that we be saued throwe Baptisme do fynde an other meanes to come to heauen then by the deathe of Christ and that they make the blood of Christ to be shedde in vayne which seke for any soule healthe in the water of Baptisme Therefore he teacheth that infantes if so be they be begotten of Christian parentes Baptisme is not necessary for infantes sayth Caluine be made membres of Christ be accompted the children of God and made heyres of the kyngdome of heauen withoute Baptisme So that forasmuch as to the intent they may be saued it maketh no greate matter whether they be Christned or no he is well cōtented that they departe out of thys lyffe without Baptisme alas what haue these fond fellowes left vnryfeled To what boldnes bedlemnes are they not growne which haue not feared to do villanye to the very sacramēts without the which no man may be saued A comparison betwene the Lutherans and the Zuingliās which of them be best Nowe therefore you haue .ij. Ghospelles yf so be it be lawfull to terme so synfull sectes with so honorable a name one of the Lutherans an other of the Zwinglians for bothe sydes will take they re othe vpon a booke that opinion which they defend mayntayne to be the pure and lyuely worde of God If you wyl weygh the doctrin of bothe parties the Zwinglians go farr beyond the Lutherans or certaynly come not much behynde them these alleadge as many places of Scripture to serue they re turne as they do as for theire ioly grace in vtteryng theire myndes and vehementie in persuading they stayne them carry the garland from them If you will haue regarde to an outeward shewe and counterfeyt coloure of holynes the Lutherans graunte that the Sacramētaries be more Godly lyvers then them selues For thus Nicolas Amsdorffius a Lutherā doth wryte of them Nicolas Amsdorff The Anabaptistes and the Sacramentaries do beguyle all Germanye with theyr holynes as monckes dyd deceaue all the worlde with theire pretensed holynes If you wil go by the number the Sacramētaries cleane weyghe downe the Lutherans seing they haue invegled many Lutherans to be of their opinion They them selues confesse this for one of the cheife Cockes of they re game Ihon Westphalus dothe crowe after this sorte In his boke intituled A ryght faythe of the supper of oure Lorde no false doctryn is spred so farr abroade none is mayntayned so ernestly or couered so with the cloke of hypocrisie none doth lede so many in to the by wayes of errours as dothe the deceaueable doctrine of the Sacramētaries who also in an other place writyng agaynst Caluin dothe call his owne cōpany for the smalnes of it a weake and feble flock in comparison of the huge number in whiche he hytteth Caluine in the tothe that he doth glory and putte all hys cōfidence this euery man knoweth the verye fewe embraced Luthers Ghospell except the cities of Saxonie all the residue whether they be in Helvetia or Germany they be either Catholykes or Sacramentaries But if you will haue an eye vnto a stubbern stomack in defendyng a wrong opinion it is so farre of that the Zuinglians yelde one iote to the Lutherans in this point that Caluine maketh his crakes that they be stouter Champions a greate way for at what tyme the Lutherans for profe of theyr doctrin dyd cherefully offer them selves to terrible deathe he sayth that his scolefellowes the Zuinglians were much more redy to scale the truthe of they re doctryn as they toke it with theyr blode and to prove his saying true reade the Regester of all those martyres whiche have stode in the defence of theyr herisye vnto death in oure tyme you shall fynde among them mo Zuinglians then Lutherans So then althoughe the Zuinglians be not one iote behynde the Lutherans and beare them selves no lesse bragge vpon the scriptures then they doe yet eche of them esteme one an other wurse then heretykes specially the Lutherans do so abhorre the Zuinglians that they thynk men shold stoppe theyr eares when they speake and that they re blasphemies ought rather to be cōfuted with the sworde of the
cōcerning his doctrine Among whō one Menno Phrisius who semeth to pass all the sorte of them in learning saythe in this wyse Certaynely o heauenly Father I can not be deceaued in this matter with thy worde I haue beleued and that haue I receaued by the holy Ghoste as the worde of truthe And with in fewe lynes after I knowe certaynely and surely that with this my doctryne which is the worde of God in the day of ryghtwise iudgement I shall iudge not onlye Lordes Princes not only the worlde but also the Aungelles them selues Thus dothe he magnifically make his vauntes of his doctrine as thoughe it were God hys worde with no lesse confidēce and corragiousnes then Luther dyd of hys doctryne Notwithstandyng Luther dyd as hottly inueyhe against this sect as he dyd agaynst the sect of the Sacramentaries and wryting a boke to two Plebanes as before I haue made mentiō among other sayinges he oseth these wordes Whereas the Anabaptistes saye that we fynde in no place of scripture that infantes either haue faythe or the they ought to be baptized we graunte in dede that it can not be proued by any scripture which saythe playnely and euidently in these or suche lyke wordes You ought to baptize younge children for they do beleue if any man be ernest with vs to shewe any suche text we must nedes gyue hym place Luther is fayne to flee for helpe to traditions agaynst the Anabaptistes and graunt hym the victorye for we fynde it not in the whole Byble But good reasonable Christians do demaunde no suche thinges of vs that is the fashion of brablers and obstinate persons to the intent that they may be accompted wyse But they for all they re Byble bablyng and crying for scripture alleadge for them selues no scripture which saythe you ought to baptize those which be of yeares of discretiō but not infantes and younge children By by after by the tradition of the Apostles allwayes obserued in the churche of God he teacheth that younge children are to be baptized all be it no scripture dothe gyue any suche commaundement And lyke as before in defending the Sacrament of the altar so now in mayntayning Christning of younge children he dothe cheifly leane vpon the authoritie of the churche which authoritie for all that he wyll not let vs laye in his way for feare of gyuing him a fall so oftē as he requireth scripture of vs for profe of any one thing be it that it hathe bene receaued and allouwed of the church neuer so many yeares The Anabaptistes wurse thē all other sectaries This therefore is the thyrde Ghospell much more pestilent then the other twayne For besyde that it taketh clene away the sacrifice of the Masse the ordre of Prestehode with the Lutherans and denieth the real presence of Christ in the Sacramēt of the Altar with the Zuinglians it hathe many other articles bothe blasphemouse also seditiouse For it forbyddeth the publyk ministery of God hys worde it defendeth that Christ toke not man hys nature vpon hym of the blyssed virgyn it reneweth the errour of the Chiliastars it despyseth rule and wyll not haue men subiect to laufull authoritie Therefore where so euer this sect taketh place it rayseth vp greate vprores and seditions Examples of thys we haue many cities in Germany especially the citie of Munster An example by the citie of Munster For as Henry Dorpius a Lutheran and he which translated hys history out of the Germane tongue in to Latten Ihon Sleidane a Zuinglian haue wrytten in they re Cronicles aboue foure and twentye yeares agone ther cam fyrst thether certayne preachers to declare vnto the people in stede of Christ hys Gospell the doctryn of Luther whome when the Catholyke Prestes thought in no wyse to be suffred Bernard Rothman with hys cōpanyons Heretykes manner to provoke catholykes to dispute before a laie iudge whome Philipp the Lantgraue of Hessia had sent to further advaunce Luthers learnyng dyd that which all heretykes vse to do that is chosyng appoynting oute certayne cheife learned men of the catholyke faythe they prouoked the Catholykes to ioyne with them in disputation that before a lay Magistrate whome they appoynted to be theyr iudge and before whome they promised to proue the doctryn which the Catholykes held to be false and erroniouse But whē the Catholyke Prestes refused to dispute with them they departed the citie after that they were forbydden to execute theyr office of preaching the worde of God After this departure of the Catholykes before a yeare was comē fully to an end the Anabaptistes lykewyse began in the same citie to sowe the seades of they re doctryn vnder the name of Christe hys Ghospell And whē they had prouoked one an other to set fote to fote in disputation but on the selffe same condition which before was offered to the Catholykes which was that nothing shold be alleaged but Canonicall scripture beholde Bernard Rothman the cheifest trumpetor in all that citie of Luthers Ghospell who makyng the lyke lawe a lyttell before had chalenged the Catholykes to come to disputation now wolde admitt no suche condition So it cam to passe that the Lutherans which not long before had thrust the Catholykes oute of the towne they themselues fearyng to mete or encounter in disputation with the Anabaptistes were shortly after by them banished the same towne No meruayle thoughe they were so handled For the Senators also were pulled downe from they re iudgement seates the churches were spoyled and burned and whosoeuer wolde not take parte with the Anabaptistes perforce was dryuen oute of the citie As for Bernard Rothmā Henry Roles Godfry Stralen sent oute of Hessia as they of Christians grewe to be Lutherans so of Lutherans they becam Anabaptistes and with tothe and nayle furthered the Ghospel of Anabaptistes shewing vs the experience howe true that is which is wrytten in the Scripture The wycked man when he cometh in to the depthe of syn careth not what he dothe For if any man do once forsake Christian Religion vnto what so euer sect he dothe afterwarde inclyne he makethe it but a pastyme to leape from one heresie to an other And this sect truly of the Anabaptistes Anabaptistes be deuided in to diuerse kyndes is diuided in to many sections For they agree not in the principall pointes of they re doctrine In certayne cities of Germany some dyd run aboute naked as thoughe they had a bumble be in theire breche exhortyng the people to repentaunce seking in the meane whyle busyly how they might fynde any opportunytie to set the people together by the eares Neither dyd thys heresie begyn yester day or the day before for it reygned also in saynt Augustyn his tyme. And as the moste parte of all other heresies be so was this in the begynnyng deuyded in to many other partes For some were called Donatistes other Rogatistes other Maximianistes other
cherefullnes in suffring persecutions the Anabaptistes run farr before all other heretykes If you will haue regarde to the number it is lyke that in multitude they wolde swarme aboue al other if they were not greuously plaged cut of with the knyfe of persecution Yf you haue an eye to the outewarde appearaunce of godlynes bothe the Lutherans and the Zuinglians muste nedes graunte that they farr passe them Yf you wyll be moued with the boasting of the worde of God these be no lesse bolde theÌ„ Caluin to preache that theire doctrin must stand aloft aboue all the glory of the worlde must stand inuincible aboue al poure because it is not they re worde but the worde of the lyuing God Nether do they crye with lesse lowdenes then Luther Anabaptistes not able otherwyse to be ouercomed but by the authoritie of the churche the fourth sect which Suencfeld raysed that with theire doctryn which is the worde of God they shall iudge the Aungelles And surely howe many so euer haue wrytten agaynst this heresie whether they were Catholykes or Heretykes they were able to ouerthrowe it not so muche by the testimony of the scriptures as by the autoritie of the Churche Do you think peraduenture that we be nowe at an end of these Gospelles Nay we be yet very farr from the end For Suenckfeldius hathe broched a fourthe gospell agaynste whome I haue sene fyue bookes wrytten in the Germane tounge in that which one Flaccus brauleth scoldeth with hym When he sawe the Lutherans the Sacramentaries the Anabaptistes and al the heretykes not of oure tyme only but also in tyme past to establyshe they re errours by the Scriptures the which is so certayne sure that the heade carpenter of all heresies in oure tyme Martyn Luther could not deny it Luther in that boke which he intytuled that these wordes of Christ do as yet stand inuincible in so muche that he saythe that the Canonicall Scripture hath at laste gotten thys name that it is called the boke of heretykes because all heresies take theire beginning of it because all heretykes do fly to the scripture for succoure therfore when Suenckfeldius had perceaued this and had peraduenture readen it in Luthers bokes he hym selffe deuysed a newe heresie and leauing to the ayde helpe of the scripture ment aboute to take away all autoritie from the scripture For this talke he was wont to haue among his Disciples It behoueth not a man to be coning in the lawe or in the Scripture but to be taught and instructed of God Althoughe thou reade ouer the Byble a thousand tymes yet for all that shalt thou proue only skylfull in the Scripture but yet neuer learned of God The labour is but loste which is bestowed on the scripture for the scripture is but a creature It is not mete that a Christian man shold be addicted to muche to a creature We must gyue eare to God we must loke to heare his voyce from heauen that it may teache vs. Blessed is the man saythe Dauid whome thou shalt teache O Lorde Psal 43. He teacheth vs nowe a dayes as well as he taught the prophetes and the Patriarches by visions We must gyue hede to dreames for by them God speaketh vnto vs. the voyce of God dothe teache vs a ryght the scripture is not the worde of God but only a deade letter to be rekoned among other creatures Thinck not thy selffe to be learned oute of the scriptures you must loke for the oute of heauen not oute of bokes The holy goste descendeth downe from heaueÌ„ with oute any meane not by the outewarde hearing and preaching by the mouthe ether reading of the scriptures Althoughe that one Thomas Muncerus semeth to be the fyrst Author of visions dreames and reuelations who also was the fyrst which shronck from Luthers sect as Philippus sheweth in that story which he dyd wryte of hym so that Luther was worthye of no lesse condemnation for stretching mennes consciences as it were vpon tentre hokes then the Pope was for bindyng them in Yet among those errours which Philipp layeth to his charge Philipp in his history of Muncer he rekoneth vp only these that he prescribed these wayes and rules of enbrasing Christian godlynes Fyrst that men sholde refrayne from manifest crimes as adulteries murders and blasphemies then that they sholde chasteÌ„ theire bodies with fastinges vyle apparel speakyng lyttell loking sowrely wearing a long bearde then that they sholde go in to secrete places and that they sholde ofteÌ„ think vpon God what God is whether he haue any care of vs whether our fayth be true and that also they sholde requyre signes of God by the which he sholde shew vs that he is carefull for vs and that oure faythe is ryght That they sholde put no confidence in the wrytten worde of God And that they sholde persuade themselues verilye dreames to be the moste certayne tokens that they haue receaued the holy ghoste The same Muncerus dyd say that he had commaundimeÌ„t to chaunge all secular gouernement Wherefore when he was at Alstete he made a boke in the which he wrote the names of all them which had coÌ„spyred with hym to punishe all Princes which were not so Christian lyke as they ought to be to institute a ChristiaÌ„ Magistrate These be the thinges which Philip ascribeth vnto Muncerus As coÌ„cernyng Suenckfeldius whome in despyte he nameth Stenckfeldius Philip. concerning Stencfeld the same man in the preface of hys commentaries which he set furthe the laste yeare vpon the Epistle of Saynt Paule to the Romanes wryteth the Stencfeldius hath a hundred handes that he hathe soldyoures euery where which in his name do not onlye scatter libelles but also moue seditions boste of diuyne inspirations leade men from the publyke ministerye from reading and from thinking of teaching And nowe also in certayne papers set oute agaynst me in the name of Stenckfeldius is repeted that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a pleasaunt song to madd men that God dothe not make men partakers of him by any helpe of wrytten doctryne but withoute all outewarde meanes Nether Philipp only but also Caluine and diuerse others do seme to make Suenckfeldius to be the author of these thinges For allthoughe before hym there were heauenly Prophetes against whome Luther hathe wrytten two indifferent greate volumes of whome Thomas Muncerus is beleued to haue bene captayne and ring leader yet they dyd not so openly fray men from the publyke ministre of the worde from reading the scriptures as Suenckfeldiê with his companions do nowe a dayes which be not ashamed to drawe this place of S. Paule to the mayntenaunce of theire madnes 1. Cor. 13. where he compareth the knowledge of this present lyfe which is by the worde what scriptures SteÌ„ckfeld stayeth his sect vpon with the perfect and reueled knowledge which shall be in the lyffe to come These they wrest to this lyfe ascribyng
wolde haue men beleue that to be the worde of God which he dyd teache and not that which Philipp dyd teache seing he toke himselffe to be as good in euery poynte as Philip So that there was no cause why hys saying sholde not as well be receaued for the worde of God as Philip his saying Especially seing Philip as in many other thinges Tuentie opinions of the confessionistes cōcerning iustification so in the docttyne of iustification was neuer stayde in one opinion He sayth that there be twentie diuerse opinions of Melancthon concernyng this one artcle and he reciteth fouretene sundrie opinions of his scollers in that boke which he dyd wryte agaynst one Niericorar For saythe he so sone as they spied one place of scripture in the which there was any mention of Iustice by by of it they made a newe Iustice For an example one did reade Abraham beleued it was imputed to hym for ryghteousnes by and by he gathered oute of this one place .ij. kyndes of righteousnes one of this worde beleued so that he sayde that faythe was oure Iustice an other of the worde was imputed so that he sayde that God dyd impute his iustice to vs to accoumpt vs iuste all thoughe we were not and that this was oure ryghteousnes An other dyd reade we be iustified by his blood strayght way he gathered that the pretiouse blode of Christ is oure ryghteousnes An other dyd reade as by the disobedience of one we were made manye synners so by the obedience of one many shall be made ryghteousne by and by he taught that the obedience of Christ was oure ryghteousnes An other did reade he dyd ryse agayne for oure iustification the Resurrection sayth he of Christ is oure iustification An other dyd reade the holy ghost shall reproue the worlde for iustice because I go to my father he affirmed by and by that the goyng of Christ to his father is oure iustice An other dyd reade that we be made ryghteouse withoute desertes by the grace of God he doubted not to holde that the grace and mercye of God was oure iustice An other did reade to shewe his iustice for the remission of many synnes before cōmitted Forthewith he taught that Remission of synnes was oure iustice An other dyd reade by his blue stripes we be made hole he defended oute of hand that the woundes of Christ was oure ryghteousnes Nowe therefore he saythe that he hathe rekoned vp nyne kyndes of iustifications gathered oute of the scriptures disagreing one from an other and yet for all that he hathe not recited all He reherseth afterward what euery one deuised of hys owne heade Some saythe he say that ryghteousnes is the work of God the whiche he worketh in Christ Other that God receaueth vs to euerlasting lyffe other that the meritte of Christ other speake of an other certayne meane ryghteousnes but they can not tell what it meaneth So Osiander rehearseth fourtene opinions of iustification that which he hym selffe is Author of is the fyftene But accordyng to the rekoning which he maketh in hys confutation of the boke which Philip set oute agaynst hym they shall be in all one and twentie Now iudge you most excellent Kyng for so muche as they do so bycker among them selues Howe perillouse a thing it is to beleue sectaries stryuyng about great matters not aboute the moue shyne in the water as the common saying is but by theyr owne confession aboute the cheife article of Christian doctrine which contayneth the whole sum of the Ghospell iudge you I say what a perillouse thing it is to put any of these men in trust with oure soules which being start vp of late do not only swarue from the chefe masters of theyr congregation but also disagree in them selues as we see howe many tymes Melancthon hath turned his cote in this one opinion of iustification Luther sayth it is a sure argumēt that the doctryn of the Sacramētaries proceded from the dyuel because he tolde seauen or eyght sectes of them and for because that euen in the begynnyng it was dispersed in to so manye heades But we haue rekoned vp not seauen but twyse seauē sectes that of Lutherās cōcerning one article of iustificatiō which conteyneth the whole sum of the Ghospell In all there be foure tyme seauen sectes lackyng but one contrarye one to the other aboute other matters One Gespar Querchamer a lay man Citezin of Hallis Six thirtye cōtrary opinions aboute receauing vnder bothe kyndes or vnder one gathered together six and thirtye contrary places vpon one only article which is of the receauing vnder one or bothe kyndes in the Sacrament of the Altar If any man wyll add these six thirtie opinions to the other seuen and twentye there shal be in all three score three And yet howe many sectes be there whiche we haue not rekoned and wyl any man doubt that the dyuell was the author of this doctryne Take hede moste Godly Prince that you thinck not that these men striue for God his cause or that they busye theyr braynes to further and enlarge the worde of God There is nothing further oute of they re thought Glorie is the marke which sectaries shote at but this is the marke the which moste of them pryck at that they may aduaunce theyr owne glory that they maye vtter to the rude people theyr worde in stede of the worde of God they haue called theyr names sayth the prophet vpon yearthe Psal 48. To this end they wrest all they re wytte the they may make all the world ring with theyr name that it may be sayde this is the confession of Melancthon this of Brentius this of Osiander for I wyll now say nothing of the Zuinglians whome they take to be as greate heritykes as the Anabaptistes my talke is only of the Lutherans whome they also iudge to be heritykes no other verdicte do all other Christians gyue of them Of them therefore speake I that euen they be they neuer so lapped in shepe skynnes yet euery one of them hathe theyr hand on theyr halffe penye not regarding the thinges appartayning to Iesu Christ The cōfession of Augusta pleaseth not all the Lutherans euery one of them hūteth after their owne honoure and not after the glory of Christ Wherefore euē they allthoughe chekens hatched in one nest of Luther yet all of them haue not one confession For it is as cleare as the daye that none receaued the confession of Augusta but the churches of Saxonie No it was not receaued so muche as in the citie of Augusta where it was fyrst presented to the Emperoure for that citie semeth rather to weyghe more with the Zuinglians The Citie Augusta hathe mo Suenckfel feldiās the Lutherans and it is sayde that there be founde mo of the confession of Suenefelde then of the confession of Augusta Whiche I think was a cause that for so much as Philipp