which is fayth in Christ Fayth and belefe in Christ is onely our ryghteousnesse which worketh afterward by charite the which yf it continue in safegarde in the liberte of the sprite ye may lyue and be occupyed in the ceremonyes of the churche without ony blame For he that is iustifyed by faythe kepeth ceremonyes lest he shuld offende those that be yet weake in the fayth not as necessary to ryghteousnesse but as a teachyng and a bryngyng vp for weaklynges beleuyng stedfastly that all those outward thynges be fre vnto vs thorow fayth and that we owe nothyng to ony body but onely loue Roma xiii By thys rule the Apostle beynge conuersant amonge hys brethrē without the yeoperde and the losse of conscience and faythe was so fre by the sprite of faythe that for al that he made hym selfe an vnderlynge and a seruaunt of all mē and was of all fashion to saue some at the leest He had knowlege but he knowe that knowlege dyd swell and charite dyd edyfye i. Corinth viii and .ix. He graunted that all thynges be lawfull vnto hym but that all thynges be nor profitable that al thynges be lawfull but all thynges do not edifye And he dyd folowe those thynges which belōged vnto peace and to edifyenge We wyll folow thys Apostle not geuynge oure lyberte to the occasion of the fleshe but in seruynge one an other by charite Galat. v. Here must the ouerseers and ministers of the churche be monyshed that they vnlade the congregacion holden downe with so many ceremonyes and lawes that almoost the condicion and state of the Iewes were more tollerable then the state of Christen men Now it is not onely folyshenesse but also wyckednesse that Christē mē shuld stryue amonge them selfes for ceremonyes I can not tel what whose bage is charite and not ceremonyes Ihon. xiii ¶ Of mans tradicions The newe learnynge Ther is a canon or a rule the whiche maketh equall the constitucions of popes and bysshoppes wyth the gospell and it affirmeth that the gospell can not be well vpholdē excepte the statutes and ordinaūces of the fathers be kepte as Leo the .iiii. sayeth in the .xx. distinction in the chapter De libellis All thynges that be necessary to be knowen to our saluation be not expressed in the canonicall scripture but the holy goost afterwarde that the scripture was wryttē dyd shew many wholsome thynges vnto oure forefathers Iohan. xvi I haue many thynges to say vnto you which ye can not beare at thys tyme. And those thynges that were in practyse than are not now all written but euen geuē from one to an other as by hande and are come euen to oure tyme as Damascen in a sermon of the dead wryteth that the memory of faythfull deadmen came vnto vs from the Apostels tymes Moreouer Paule taught the people that he purchassed vnto Christe whan he was with them many thynges the which were neuer wrytten Also he that heareth not the church let hym be counted as an heythen a publicane therfor she may make lawes and constitucions necessary for mans saluatiō Also that is necessary to saluation whose transgressyon is deadly synne but the ordinaunces of the church be such the fyrst is proued by Abbas in the proemy or preface of the decretales And in the fyrst chapter of constitucions he allegeth Calderine Iohā Andrea and Thomas And for thys purpose maketh the text in the chapter Quo iure the viii distinction where as it is wrytten that the breaker of the tradicions of the churche synneth deadly because that also the positiue lawe byndeth in matters of conscience ergo they bynd Herevpon Iohan Mayre with great pryde disdayne sayeth in the .iiii. distinctiō the .iii. q. To thynke that he that breaketh the commaundementes of the church synneth not deadly is an erroure ¶ The olde learnynge Mathew the .xvii. Chapter the heauēly father maketh his onely begotten sonne doctor and teacher of the church sayenge Heare hym And he put his wordes in his mouthe Deuteronomy .xviii. he sayeth And I wyll be a reuenger and a punyssher of thē which refuse the learnynge of thys doctoure He which sayeth Iohan. vii My doctryne is not myne but his which sent me that doctor is the euerlastynge wysdome of the father the way the lyght the truthe whom we beleue stedstly that he bothe wolde and dyd geue vnto his church not botched clowted or vnperfecte and vnstable learnynge but soūde perfecte and vnchaungeable to the whiche nedeth nothyng to be put to as an addition for those thynges that are necessary for to be knowen for mans saluation be contayned plenteously in the canonical scripture Somtymes the Apostles spake and treated vpon the kyngdome of God more plenteously in speakynge than it is wrytten in bokes yet for all that as for the sūme of the sentence and doctrine they preached none other thynge than the gospell whiche we haue wrytten so that those thynges which perteyne vnto a christen mans lyfe muste be learned of no where els but of the byble that is of the newe testement and of the olde For all scripture geuē by the inspiration of God sayth the Apostle .ii. tim .iii. is profitable to teachynge to improue to informe to instruc in righteousnesse that the man of God may be perfecte and prepared to all good workes Then why do we thrust in the churches handes the lawes of men as necessary to Christes regilion I do not speake here of the ciuyll lawe I know that the lawes of secular power are to be kepte for the conscience sake for they haue theyr strēgth of Goddes lawe Rom. xiii I speake of the decrees of mē with the which they wolde bynde mens consciences Farthermore the Apostle in the .ii. Tim iii. chap. prayseth the holy scripture with a great verdit prayse sayenge The holy scripture may make the wyse vnto health thorow fayth which is in Christ Iesu Who dar set thys tytle before his constitucions that they maye make you learned to saluaciō thys honour is onely dew vnto the holy scriptur of God Farther more yf ther were ony thynges shewed oure fathers a. M. year ago by the holy goost the which were not knowen in tyme of the flourynge of the churche that newly dyd springe vp to the Apostles and to the church they be ether necessary to saluacion or not necessary Yf they be not necessary but ordened for the tyme why is a mans conscience boūde with them Yf they be necessary ether ther is an other waye to saluacion nowe than was in the primitiue churche or els they were all damned that departed before that reuelation for they knewe not the thynge that was necessary to theyr saluacion The whyche thynges seynge that they be the moost vayne that can be and foolysh and that the same maner of iustifyenge and saluation is now that was than and was than that is now why make we those thynges necessary that be not necessary And why set
we so lytell by the lyberte of the gospell that we had as leue our dreames as the moost holy gospel we do not reiect and refuse the constituciōs and ordinaunces of bysshoppes which vexe not the conscience but pertayne and be profytable for the cōmune peace and tranquillite of mens conuersacion onely we defy reiecte those lawes in the which ether they commaūde or forbidde vnder payn of deadly synne without the lawe of God Onely god ought to raygne in the conscience in whose hande peculyarly be menes soules The Apostle calleth hym the aduersary of God which goeth aboute to syt in the temple of God and boaste hym self as a God .ii. Tessalo ii And .ii. Cori. iii. We be the ministers of the new testament ministers of the sprit and not of the letter What auayle mans constitutions to iustificacion yf ye say that they prepare to obey God the easyer I answere There is nothyng that can prepare the mynde to kepe the law of God or fashion it but onely the grace of God The Apostle Galat. i. pronoūceth acursed not onely mā but also an angell of heauen that durst preach an other gospell then Paule preached Yf it be the power of God to saluacyon of all that beleue why do we myngle and ioyne our chaffe with so great a power And in the fyrst to the Corinthians the thyrde chapter Other fundacyon can no mā lay then that which is layed which is Iesus Christ Yf no man ought to put ony thyng to Moses law Deute xii why shulde we adde put vnto the gospell ony thyng seynge euen Cameracensis a scooleman calleth it the moost perfect lawe and ryghtest and the strayghtest in preceptes Why do we not leaue our lawes and follow the busynesse that Christ appoynted Math. the last Teache all people to kepe all thynges what so euer I haue commaunded you We be mynisters seruauntes of Christe and disposers of the secretes of God Now is it requyred of the stewardes or disposers that they be foūde faythfull These priuities and mysteries be the artycles of oure fayth of the Gospell the wysedome of the crosse the knowlege of grace gotten by Christe Let vs preache these thynges for the health of the people of God and let vs not abuse oure power the which the Lorde gaue vs to edifye with and not to destroye .ii. Corinth the .xiii. cha The Canon or rule that maketh the ordynaūces of fathers equale with the Gospel is openly vngodly and wycked the whiche euen oure aduersaryes can not receaue yf they knewe the canon of the scripture To be shorte fayth where with a ryghteous mā lyueth is conceaued taken and drawen out of the canonicall scripture and not of the decrees of the fathers as saynt Austyne wytnesseth in the .ix. boke of the cytie of God the .xviii. Chapter Then wherefore shulde I receaue it as an artycle of my fayth that whiche the scripture inspired of God hath not I am commaunded to proue and trye spretes whether they be of God or no the which lyberte of iudgynge of all doctrines by the scriptures no man wyll take frō vs. The wordes of saint Ihon in the .xvi. Chapter stablysh nothynge mans tradityons for God dyd fulfyl his promesse at Wytsonday when he sent the holy goost and led his discyples in to all trueth the whiche before that tyme they coulde not beare Who wyl denye that the memorye and remēbraunce of those that be departed dyd come from the Apostles vnto vs seynge that saynt Paule the fyrste to the Tessalonians the fourth chapter commaunded the Tessalonians that one shulde comforte another with the worde of the resurreccyon of the dead in Christe But now that we maye answer to theyr rethoricall argumēt where in they reason that by the breakynge of the ordynaunce of the church a man synneth deadly we answere that the knowlege of synne is by the the lawe Roma the .iii. Chapter The Apostle speaketh of Goddes lawe and not of mans Alwayes vnderstande I of mans lawe that is clere or whole mās law the which assayeth to binde mās cōscyence◠I moued by the scripture thinke that a mās cōscience nother ought nor can be boūde with mans constitucyon for we are indued with lyberte which we wyll vse the which lyberte is the lyberte of the conscyence .i. Corin. the .iii. Chapter All thynges be yours whether it be Paul ether Apollo ether Cephas wherby we vnderstande that nother Paul nor Cephas hath authorite to bynde mens cōscience where God doth not bynde The fyrst to the Corinthians the twelft Chapter Be ye not made seruauntes of men Collossenses the seconde Chapter You beynge dead wyth Christe why be ye holden styl wyth decrees And for the moost parte suche constitucyons be contrarye to the worde dede of the Apostles But as Gerson beareth wytnesse in the seconde lection of the spirituall lyfe the .vii. corollary It is not in the popes power nother in the councels power nor in the churches power to chaūge the learnynge geuen and taught of the euangelistes and of Paule Master Gasper Satzger dyd se this in the defension of the constitucyons of the churche the which openly and playnly graunteth that the learnynge that is without the scripture though it be good yet byndeth not by goddes lawe And it is no maruayl for only Christ ought to raygne in mans cōscience by his worde which onely maye saue and condempne Math. the .x. Chapter Feare not thē which can kyll the body and not the soule but fear hym which can cast both body and soule in euerlastyng fyre Truely yf they can make a constitucyon and commaunde it vnder payne of deadly synne they maye kyll the soule but the trueth of the gospell is otherwyse The sentence of Ezechiell is pronounced agaynst them in the .xiii. Chapter Wo be to them that make bolsters vnder the the heade of euery age to catch soules that they might kyl soules which dye not How doth the scoolemēs learnyng of the power of byndyng of mens constitucyons agre with it selfe seynge Thomas graunteth playnly that the commaundementes of the positiue law bynde more with the intent of the lawmaker then with the wordes of it so that he is more to be rekened a breaker of the cōmaūdement that doth agaynst the intent of the lawmaker thē he that swarueth frō the letter of the ordinaūce of the law But the intent of the maker of the positiue lawe is not that hys precepte shulde be alwayes kepte because that many impedimentes may chaunce in the which it is not expedient to kepe the law yee somtyme the kepynge of the precepte were damnable Wherfore in euery precept of the positiue lawe the excepcyon of a reasonable cause is admitted Now put the case that ther is a law that a mā shal not eat flesh on the fryday that a preste shal not haue a wyfe Here the intent of the lawmaker is to brynge to goodnesse But it chaunceth yf we kepe those
the holy place foūde euerlastyng redēption Heb ix He is gone that gaue the lawe an other is come in his rowme by whom grace is geuē Ioh. i. Aarō is gone for the true prest for euer after the order of Melchisedech is come To conclude the fygure is vanyshed because the lyght hath shyned Then what nede we so costly gloryous pompe of ceremonies in the new testamēt we disprayse not those buyldinges to the which the people cōmeth to hear the worde of god more cōmodiously but we disprayse the abuse the erroure namely that they kepe no measure can neuer make an ende of buyldynge deckynge of such royal churches Exo. xxxvi at the cōmaūdement of Moses the cryer forbyddeth that nother mā nor womā shuld offer vp ony more to the buyldyng of the tabernacle for the people offred vp a great deale more thē nede was Now our cryers wtout ende measure requyre gyftes of the people to the buyldinges of tēples Wher doth Christ requyre in the new testament such ornamētes of churches and where doth he appoynt such buyldyng to be made Cōmaūded not he vs to worship the father ī spret in verite The which two wordes cōdēne the whole tragedy of ceremonies which we thīke profitable good for praier For what helpeth to the sprete and trueth of worshippyng of God such infinite diuersite of vestimentes belles organes and sōges of dyuerse kyndes Yf those thynges kyndle deuotion steare vp a mans mynde to God it were best that not only churches but also houses townes hye waies stretes shuld be ful of yanglyng of belles be replenyshed with ymages The Lorde requyreth the sprete and trueth and we cōtrarye wyse shewe and set forth a carnal pompe solemnite of ceremonyes the which is not only as great as all the Iewes fashions and rytes but passeth them farre both in nombre and greatnesse hauyng in steade of the sprete the flesh for the trueth moost coloured and paynted ypocrysye for we spende the whole daye with syngynge sacrifysyng and mumblynge We speake with tunges but no mā preacheth which shulde speake vnto men to edifye exorte and to comforte .i. Cor. xiiii The Apostle wyl leuer speake .v. wordes with his vnderstādyng that he may iustruc teach other also rather thē ten thousand with tūges We thōdre out psalmes wtout vnderstādyng for auaūtage lucre makyng a sound wtout deuotiō alas the word of God is cōpelled to geue place to this blind seruice the ordināce of the apostle also We crye now a dayes as the Iewes cryed in tymes paste Ieremie vii The temple of the Lorde the temple of the Lorde the temple of the Lorde Goddes seruice Goddes seruice Goddes seruice trustyng in wordes of lyenge where as all thys busynesse of ceremonyes is playne hyred geare for mony that it may be fulfilled that the Lorde sayde Malachie i. Who is ther amonge you that wyll shut the dores wyl kyndle myn aultare frely for nought wherfore it foloweth I haue no pleasure in you sayth the Lorde of hoostes I wyll take no reward of your handes Yf that the tragedy and spectakle of ceremonyes lyketh you so well go to let vs brynge home agayne the whole Iewysnesh and the whole maner of worshyppynge of the Iewes let vs deck vp Aaron let vs orden leuytes let vs kyll and offer vp shepe oxen and calues and euen let vs be circumcysed wyth the madde Iewes and let vs loke for an other Messyas that may bryng vs in to the lande of Canaan not by the power of the Lorde but of the world Surely yf that moost costly and sumptuous worshyppyng of God is christes religion in the which holynesse consisteth I graunt that I can not tell what is oure religion But yf Christ be oure Lorde and master and hys doctryne be the doctryne of the father the truthe and the waye then is the whole heape of ceremonyes nothynge lesse than the worshyppyng of God Where do we reade in the gospel of hyred prayers which ye wyll let a man haue for mony and yf he geue no penny he shall haue no pater noster where doth the Lorde alowe byenge sellyng choppynge and chaūgynge in holy thynges As for those places which they brynge for the appoyntynge and assignynge of a certayne place of prayer euery mā may se that they handle them without ony maner of iudgement and with playne ygnoraunce of scriptur It is euē of the same sorte that they fayne that the deuyl is afrayed of holy water as thoughe he were not more afrayed at the syght of a christē man whome the oyntement of the holy goost hath made holy and is the temple of the holy goost And as for that thay they brynge for the halowynge of beedes and the nombre of pater nosters and the Psalter of our lady suche other it is more vayne then ony tryfles be in the worlde and more foolysher then the tales which olde wyues tell in wynter nyghtes by the fyre syde Therfore we must praye to the father of heauē thorowe oure Lorde Iesus Christe in spirit and truthe in euery place that our prayers be not bound to places For ether we go in to oure preuy chambre and shut the dore after vs pray vnto the father which is in secrete or we praye in euery place after the learnynge of saynt Paule in the fyrst epistel the .ii. chapter to Timoth. For the whole worlde is the temple churche of God The heauen the heauen of al heauens ar not able to receaue the Lord how much lesse then thys church Yf I ascende vp to heauē sayeth the royal prophete thou arte ther yf I descende and go downe to hel thou art present And God his owne self sayeth by Ieremy the prophete in the xxiii chapt I fyl both heauē and earth And the Apostell in his preachyng to the men of Athens sayeth God is not far from vs for we lyue in hym are moued and be in hym Actu xvii ¶ Of vowes The newe learnynge Vowe to the Lorde perfourme it that the ye vowe Psal lxxv Therfor we may vowe we ought to geue it that we vowe for ther a is lawe made of geuynge to them whiche vowed In the .iiii. boke of the sentence it is wrytten A vowe is made when a mā of his owne wyl promyseth that he wyl do or kepe some good thynge to the which otherwyse he is not bound although he be bound after the vowe be made There be .iii. principalle substancial vowes that is of pouerte chastite obedience He that is once made a religious man or a preste is bound to lyue so for euer by hys vowe ¶ The olde learnynge A vowe is a law say the scoole mē made to perfourme such thynges as mē haue vowed It is playne what the holy scripture doth affyrme and iudge of the lawe and of the workes of it Now is mā not iustifyed or made