statutes and iudgements Here you see that the prophets hauing the same spirite of truth to leade them and their pen which Moses had in his writings auouch the perfection of Gods word in Moses bookes so farre as they would be vnderstood to doe or speake nothing that should not agree vnto that worde so written and whosoeuer did otherwise had not the light in him Now because Moses and the prophets agreed in their writinges in declaring and making manifest the same truth and word of God which he would haue to be the knowen canon and rule of religion Our Sauiour Christ reiecteth all c Math. 15.3 new deuises writing traditions and customes of men sendeth vs to the d Luk. 16.29 cap. 24.44 law and the prophets bidding vs to e Ioh. 5.39 search the scriptures Which also to bee a most certaine rule Saint Peter saith We haue a most sure worde of the prophets And Saint Paul a 2. Tim. 3.16 The whole scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach vs that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto all good workes What can be a more perfect rule or touchstone then that which is most sure inspired of God profitable euery way in righteousnes by which a man may be absolute perfect vnto all good workes And hereof it commeth that the writinges of the new testament are not a new Canon or additament of rule in religion but onely a more plaine reuelation fulfilling of that which was before taught by Moses and the prophetes and therefore you shal find that Christ and the Apostles euery where do approue their doctrine by the testimonies of the scriptures of the olde testament Wherefore Paul acknowledgeth that b Rom. 16.26 God commanded the preaching of the gospell to bee by the scriptures of the prophets and Peter c Act. 3.22.24 appealeth to Moses and to all the prophets from Samuel and thenceforth that they foretold of those daies that is of the time of the gospell and the things which should bee manifested therein And therefore Paul protested that he d Cap. 26.22 witnessed both to small and great no other things then those which the prophets and Moses did say should come Wherefore the whole scriptures of the olde and new testament is one and the same rule of religion Although peraduēture as is before declared there may be some difference in ceremony and maner of gouernment yet is the first euen in those thinges a witnesse of the last and the last a true and faithfull expounder and fulfiller of the first Hereof it is that Mathew and the other Euangelists do confirme all the doctrine and doings of Christ by seuerall scriptures Yea those thinges which in forme order differ are yet proued that so they ought to be by Moses and the prophetes as the ministerie of a Math. 3.3 Iohn Baptist b Act. 2.16 and of the Apostles c Heb. 7.1.12 the priesthood of Christ and his changing of the lawe d 1. Cor. 9.9.13 prouiding for the ministerie though not by tithes and many such like But as for the most substantiall parts of the doctrine of faith and saluation I hope it shal appeare to the godly Christian by reading this Chapter throughout that there is but one canon and rule of truth Therefore to conclude let the reader obserue that this writing of Gods word is done by the spirit of God to this vse and ende that we might bee sure to know and how to trie and finde out what is the worde of God by examining all things wee heare by the Canon of the scripture As did e Act. 17.11 the noble men of Berea Wherefore Saint f Cap. 1.3.4 Luke affirmeth that the ende of this writing was that wee might acknowledge the certaintie of those thinges whereof wee haue beene instructed And Saint Paule saith that for the Church g Philip. 3.1 it was a sure thing and this sure thing is expounded by the Euangelist who sayth h Ioh. 20.21 These thinges are written that yee might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ the sonne of God and that in beleeuing yee might haue life through his name Therefore as Moyses which first wrote shewed the absolutenesse of this Canon of Gods worde written by i Deut. 4.2 forbidding all adding to and taking from So the last booke of this Canon sealeth vp all the writinges of God with the like admonition saying e Reuelat. 22.18 I protest to euerie one that heareth the wordes of the prophesie of this booke If any man shall adde vnto these thinges God shall adde vnto him the plagues that are written in this booke Now in both partes of this Article agreeing to all these testimonies of holy scripture is the iudgement and profession of the Church of England For we say b Artic. 20. of the authoritie of the church It is not lawfull for the Church to ordaine any thing that is contrarie to Gods worde written c Articl 6. the doctrine of holy scripture Holy scripture containeth all things necessarie to saluation so that whatsoeuer is not read therein nor may be proued thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be beleeued as an article of the faith or bee thought requisite and necessarie to saluation c. d Apolog. cap. 9. diuis 1. We receiue and embrace all the Canonicall scriptures both of the old and new testament c. they bee the verie sure and infallible rule whereby may be tried Whether the Church do swarue or erre and whereunto all ecclesiasticall doctrine ought to bee called to account and that against these scriptures neyther law nor ordinance nor any custome ought to be heard c. In all which wee doe acknowledge this most absolute canon of Gods word agreeing with Abraham Moses the Prophets Christ and his Apostles The tenth Article of the people who follow the right religion that is the Church of God 10 There is but one Church of God and the same is catholike and spread ouer all the world holding onely the true faith of Christ and it is made visible and knowne by the profession of the same faith which is in the preaching of the pure word of God and right administration of his holy sacraments IN this Article is a double description of Christes Church first in regard of the nature and second in regard of the visible markes The nature is in three things vnitie and vniuersalitie and faith The markes are declared by their profession which is preaching and administring the word sacraments By vnitie wee vnderstand that God hath not diuers Churches of diuers sectes in diuers places or times but howsoeuer times and places may haue some externall and temporal differences yet in all times and places the people whom God alloweth and accepteth to bee his church are but one misticall bodie wherof Christ is the head and as
the image of God in knowledge holines and righteousnes his religion was pure and his faith in God and his loue towards God al creatures were righteous his estate happy enioying the presence glory of God But this estate indured not long for the diuel enuying mans happines allured the womā Euah to eat of the forbiddē fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and euill and by her Adam was partaker of the same transgression b Ep. 2.1.2.12 Tit. 3.3 Gen. 6.5 so man fell cleane from al religion and became the vassal of Satan dead in sinne lost that holie image so far that both mind will and affections were onely euill and by his very nature he was the child of wrath and without God in the world that is to say he was of no religion and in this estate he was most miserable cursed and damnable Here our most gracious and mercifull God pitying our most wofull condition c Gen. 3. calleth man to an accompt chastiseth him condemneth the serpent and teacheth him againe the true religion by giuing him the promise that The seede of the woman shoulde breake the serpents head that is that by Christ hee would ouer throw the power of the diuell Vpon which promise he buildeth his church of such of the sons of Adam as he d Eph. 1.4.5 in his eternal counsel had chosen to be adopted to himselfe in Christ Iesus d Eph. 1.4.5 c Ro. 9.18.22 leauing all others vnto themselues to remaine in their sins for their iust cōdemnation And these his elect he restoreth to that former happy estate wherin they were created which thing hee doth during this world by f Math. 28.19 Eph. 4.11 instructing them in the true pure religion which is the faith of Christ the fruits thereof in true repentāce amendement of life by the loue of God of his neighbor which two things haue their measure and are vnperfect in this life but they shal be perfect in the life to come Faith is vnperfect because our g 1. Cor. 13.9 knowledge is vnperfect yet because it is fixed in Christ the son of God it is a h Eph. 6.16 shield to quēch the fiery darts of the diuel so that by it we i Rom. 5.1 are righteous in gods sight haue peace with God thorow Iesus Christ but when in the life to come wee shall haue a k Psal 17.15 1. Io. 3.2 perfect sight of God see him as he is then that which is vnferfect shall be done away our loue in this life is much more weake because it answereth not l Iacob 3.2 to the perfection of the law moral or Gods holy image and therefore vnles by the shield of faith in Christ we were defended we should neuer recouer our former estate of happines but by faith there is giuen vnto vs the a Rom. 8.23 Eph. 1.13 first fruits of the spirit and an earnest of our saluation euen in this our pilgrimage but afterward the same also shal be made perfect when b 1. Cor. 15.54 our corruption shal put on incorruption our mortality shal be swalowed vp of life enioying the glorious liberty of the sons of God we c 2. Tim. 4.8 shall be crowned with the crowne of righteousnes which is laid vp in store for all them which loue the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ 2. And here is to be noted that between this time of mans innocencie the time of the glory of Gods elect is the d Eph. 1.10 dispēsation of times wherin God gathereth his elect and nurtureth his church in one certain kind of religion holy right pure catholike so far as by his gracious gift in this life his people are made capable therby sanctifying them seperating them from this present euil world e Colos 1.13 translating thē out of the power of darknesse into the kingdome of his deer son And this we find to be in iij. sorts in regard of the maner of gouernment in the dispensation of iij. diuersities of times yet but in one rule of faith religion The times were these 1. From the promise of God made to Adam vntil the giuing of the law in mount Sinay or Horeb during the space of 2513. yeres 2. From the giuing of the law vntil the preaching of Io. Bap. and sending of the Apostles to preach to all the world about some 1445. yeres 3. From that * That is 30. yeres after Christ birth time to our daies som 1569. yeres this is to continue till the end of the world when Christ shal come again to iudge the quick and dead In the first the maner of gouernment in regard of the persons ouer whom it was extended they were the fathers of the first world al the whole world of al nations languages in regard of the things then in vse Read Gen. 3.4.6.8.9.12 Rom. 3.1.9.4.5 they had not the law of God nor any part of his word written but were taught cōmanded by visions dreams from heauen many were endewed with the spirit of prophesie In the second the manner of gouernment touching the persons was this they were one nation called lastly Iews first Israelits and somtime Hebrewes and in regard of the things they had Moses law written and so preserued in bookes for the perpetual vse of the church and this law was in three sorts the morall written in two tables shewing in ten words all dueties to God and man the ceremonial law consisting in ordinances of rites sacrifices and the leuiticall priesthood by which order it pleased God in those daies to be outwardly worshipped the iudicial law which were ciuil lawes and statutes for the punishment of euill doers and ordering of the common wealth of that people as was most fit for the time for the true and holie religion And vnder these three they were gouerned vntill the comming of Christ And because they often times fell away vnto idolatrie God raised vp prophets to bring them to repentance who instructed them according to the law shewed them alway the true faith and religion with the right order and maner of gouernment Now a Eph. 2.11.12 while that the church was in this one nation of the Iewes the gentils which are all the nations and languages of the worlde beside were left out from being the people of God of his visible church which thing began at the circumcision of Abraham in that God ordaining it did call it the couenant that is a signe of the couenant namly that Abraham and his seed should be the people or church of God and they that were not circumcised shold be none of his church which being some 400. yeres before the giuing of the law in that space the sin of the gentils came to their perfection and so the Iewes were then and thenceforth distinctly knowen to bee of a
multiplie her seede Here Abraham entreated God for Ismael saying O that Ismael might liue in thy sight by occasion whereof God openeth his will more plainly and saith Sarah thy wife shal beare thee a son in deed and thou shalt call his name Isaack and I wil establish my couenant with him for an euerlasting couenant and with his seed after him And after d Cap. 18. appearing vnto him in Mamre he repeteth this manifestation of his wil saying I wil certainly come againe vnto thee according to the time of life and loe Sarah thy wife shal haue a sonne At which time Sarah laughed in her selfe as though it were a strange or impossible thing that she should haue a son being so old and Abraham also was verie olde And God rebuked her saying that Nothing was hard to God and for certaintie repeateth the promise At the time appointed wil I returne vnto thee and last of all when e Cap. 21. Abraham was one hundred yere olde Sarah in deed brought him forth a son at the season which God told him and he called his name Isaack And after when at the weaning of this his son Isaack hee made a great feast Sarah sawe Ismael the son of the bond woman which was now som 14. yeres old mocking her son Isaack therefore she saith vnto Abraham Cast out the bondwoman and her son c. and this greeued Abraham but God admonished him not to be greeued but to doe as Sarah spake because that in Isaack his seed should be called and so Abraham put the bond woman and her son Ismael out of his house This story sheweth the decree of god namly touching the saluation damnatiō of men that as Abraham and Sarah diuersly regarded Ismael and thought he might be the seed as appereth by his generation Abrahās intreaty griefe for him Sarahs laughing yet were they altogether deceiued of their mind and will but Isaack whom God decreed to be of Sarahs bodie and so promised became in deed to be the only seed in whō the couenāt should be established So therby is taught that no man is saued by chance constellation of stars or by mans wil choise or workes or any other way within the compasse of mans reache or wisdom but according as God hath ordained and fore appointed and they whom he hath not appointed to be saued shal neuer be saued This durst I neuer so interpret of mine owne head nor many other places of like sort in this treatise but that the holy ghost the same spirit wherby God taught Abraham hath opened it in the new testamēt as by the holy Apostle is plainly shewed where it is thus said a Rom. 9 6.7.8.9 c. Notwithstanding it cannot be that the word of God should take none effect for they are not all Israel which are of Israel neither are they al children because they are the seed of Abraham but in Isaack shall thy seed be called that is they which are the children of the flesh are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed For this is a word of promise in this same time wil I come and Sarah shal haue a son Neither he only felt this but also Rebecca when she had cōceiued by one euen by our father Isaack for ere the children were borne and when they had neither done good nor euil that the purpose of God might remaine according to election not by workes but by him that calleth it was said vnto her the elder shal serue the yonger as it is written I haue loued Iacob and hated Esau what shal we say then is there vnrighteousnes with God God forbid For he saith to Moses I wil haue mercy on him to whom I wil shew mercy and wil haue compassion on him on whom I wil haue cōpassion So then it is not in him that willeth not in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy which plainly telleth vs that both this preferment of Isaack before Ismael that of Iacob before Esau do proue teach that general doctrin which God spake vnto Moses namely that Gods mercy in sauing regardeth no mās works or wil but only his own holy wil and pleasure so that we may say here as Christ in the same case saith b Math. 11.26 It is so O father because thy good pleasure was such Agreeing to which the church of England describeth c Artic. 17. of predestination and election Predestination to life to be the euerlasting purpose of God wherby before the foūdations of the world were laid he hath constantly decreed to deliuer from the curse damnatiō those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind to bring them by Christ to euerlasting saluation as vessels made to honor c. Now Moses in his consent not onely openeth this point in that which we haue before seene alleadged by saint Paul but also where he entreating for Israel for their saluation wisheth his own damnation in these words d Exod. 32.32 Rase me out of the booke which thou hast written which book is Gods decree purpose touching the saluatiō of his elect as appeareth by that in the reuelation e Reuel 20.15 Whosoeuer was not found in the booke of life was cast into the lake of fire Also that which is spokē in Moses touching Pharao a Exod. 9.16 For this cause haue I appointed thee c. which the Apostle b Rom. 19.17 expoundeth to be of Gods eternall purpose and such is that of Moses song c Deut. 32.8 When the most hie God deuided to the nations their inheritance when he seperated the sons of Adam he appointed the borders of the people according to the number of the children of Israel which sheweth gods decree prouidence touching deuiding of the nations and choosing Israel to be his church before all other which saint Paul expoundeth where hee saith that God d Act. 17.26 assigned the times which were ordained before and the bounds of their habitation So then Moses teacheth Gods eternal decree touching al things touching his church and elect and his prouidence effecting the same Now let vs see with what termes the prophets interpret this They say e Psal 135.6 33.11 Whatsoeuer pleased the Lord that did he in heauen and in earth in the sea and in all depthes The counsel of the Lord shall stand and the thoughts of his harte thorough all ages f Hier 27.4.5 Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel c. I haue made the earth the man and the beast that are vpon the ground by my great power and by my stretched out arme haue giuen it to whom it pleased me c. whereby it appeareth that by Gods eternall counsel and will the prophets vnderstand that all things come to passe in all ages in all creatures and namely among men such as is the translating of
in this Article two things The vse and power of this word and the true touchstone how we may know or where we may find this word The first is touching religion that Gods word is the only rule thereof which onely teacheth the doctrine of righteousnesse and saluation And this is verie well to be seene in the storie of Abraham that he had no sauour of religion before God taught him by his word neither can wee find that he added any thing of his owne And this will euidently appeare if you consider how God first preached vnto him a Gal. 3.8 Gen. 12.1.2.3 the gospell and so from b Cap. 15. 17 18. time to time reuealed more and more vnto him and that God acknowleged him to bee a c Gen. 20.7 prophet such an one as would d Cap. 18.19 command his sonnes and his houshold after him that they keepe the way of the Lord. What is all this els but that God by his word taught him the true religion and godlinesse what he should beleeue and doe As for Moses he maketh the word of God so absolute a rule that the Church ought not e Deut. 4.2 to put any thing to it nor take any thing from it and the prophets are also verie confident in this point saying f Prouerb 30.5 Euerie word of God is pure put nothing to his word least hee reproue thee and thou be found a lyer And the reason of this perfection is plaine because it maketh g Cap. 2.1.9 a man to vnderstand righteousnes and iudgement and equitie and euerie good path and to exclude all mens inuentions from ordaining any part of religion God saith by his prophets that h Esai 29.13 The wisedome of the wise shall perish because their feare toward God was taught by the precept of men Which Christ intepreteth to this sence i Mat. 15.9 That they worshipped God in vaine teaching for doctrines mens preceptes If this suffice not then let vs heare this point in expresse wordes of the Prophet k Psal 19.7 The law of the Lord is perfect conuerting the soule So likewise our Sauiour Christ in the gospell gaue to his Apostles and Church no other thing but the l Ioh. 17.8 worde which God his father gaue him pronouncing that this is m Vers 17. The truth by which they should be sanctified n Cap. 15.3 made cleane o Cap. 8.31.32 and free from sin p Cap. 5.24 and by hearing thereof they might haue euerlasting life Therefore the Apostles finding the absolute sufficiencie thereof doe forsake all wisedome of men for the same calling it the words of eternall life q Cap. 6.68 Hereof it is that Saint Iames saith r Cap. 1.19 Be swift to heare and slow to speake because wee men must not put forth our owne wisedome in matters of faith and religion but submit our selues to learne of God as he after expoundeth saying ſ Vers 21. Receiue with meeknesse the word that is grafted in you which is able to saue your soules And thereupon Saint Paule condemneth all shewes of t Coloss 2.22.23 wisedome in voluntarie religion after the commandement and doctrines of men giuing charge that no man u Vers 8. spoile vs through philosophie and vaine deceite according to the traditions of men according to the rudiments of the world and not after Christ And the ground of this is this that in x Vers 3. Christ are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Now as touching the second point which is the touchstone to trie the word of God where and how to find and know it This is The holy inspired writinges of the olde and new Testament wherein is contained all the word of God touching religion necessarie for the Church and Gods elect to know for their saluation Which although it were not written in the time of Abraham and of the fathers but after by Moses the Prophetes the Apostles and Euangelistes yet is it so absolute a rule and canon that wee ought not to beleeue any thing of faith and religion touching saluation to be or to haue beene the word of God which may not be rightly gathered taught or proued confirmed or allowed by the writings of Moses and the prophets in the old testament and in the new testament by the Euangelistes and Apostles of Iesus Christ And this will appeare verie euidently to the conscience of all faithful and wise hearted Christians if they consider what the spirite of God teacheth in all these times For the first a most glorious writer was the a Deut. 5.22 finger of God writing the ten wordes in two tables Then Moses by his direction wrote all the b Exod. 24.4 words of the Lord and a little before his death he wrote the whole c Deut. 31.9 law and deliuered it to the priestes the sonnes of Leui. So that then and from thenceforth the law written became the canon of the Church and the onely rule to measure religion by as may appeare because it was published in this sort d Deut. 27.26 Cursed bee he that confirmeth not all the wordes of this law to do them e Cap 30.10 which is interpreted to bee the commandementes and ordinaunces of the Lord written in the booke of the law And Ioshuah being of the same times knowing it to bee such an absolute rule chargeth the people a little before his death to f Ioshua 23.6 obserue and do all that is written in the booke of the law of Moses that they turne not there from to the right hand nor to the left By which it appeareth that in his time the writinges of Moses were this touchston to know the word of God as it were the arke of God wherein the tables of the couenant written with the finger of God were kept which will somewhat more be seene if you consider with me that in Moses writings and in and by nothing els we learne all the word of God reuealed and made knowne to the Church not onely touching the creation and olde world but also concerning Abraham Isaack Iacob and whatsoeuer God spake would haue to be knowen to be his word in his time which hee committed to writing for the perpetuall vse of the people of God And after him God added the pen of the prophets for the more perfect manifestation of this word and misterie of Gods will and yet so as nothing in substance did differ from the written law of Moses Therefore the prophetes pronounce the same writinges to be a most perfect Canon not to be added to nor taken from saying after this maner a Esa 8.20 To the law and to the testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in thē And againe b Malach. 4.4 Remember the law of Moses my seruant which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel the
as they confesse not found in holy scriptures cannot bee good if the first part of their rule be true Secondly if it be of the nature of the scripture as we haue proued to containe all things necessarie to saluation and some of these as their dreadfull sacrifice of the masse rites in baptisme confirmation purgatorie prayers for the dead c. are by popish doctrine necessarie to saluation and yet are not to be found in holy scriptures then it followeth that they are contrarie to the law of God when they stand vp to shew themselues auaileable to saluation because they falsely accuse the scripture not to containe all thinges necssarie to saluation yea they accuse the scripture of a lie when it saith c 2. Tim. 3.15.16.17 They are able to make thee wise vnto saluation and that the man of God may bee perfect and absolute vnto euerie good worke But what can bee more contrarie to the law of God then to make his inspired word written to tell a lie Here then by their owne rule fall downe their traditions forged vpon Christ and his Apostles and presumed by their Church and if the scripture bee true there can and ought to bee no such thing and therefore of necessitie by their owne doctrine these are but deuises of men traditions not good Now for the second part of this first braunch of their rule where they say that the naughtie traditions are verie neere occasions of sinne These traditions breake that rule also For beside that they are all sinne in that God neuer commaunded them and come vnder that checke d Math. 15.2 In vaine they worship mee teaching for doctrines mans precepts they can neuer denie by any good reason but that by these traditions they giue occasions of sinne many waies As in Baptisme men cannot discerne the true worke of Baptisme for the multitude of ceremonies vnto which are giuen the verie power and operation of Baptisme by the sacrifice of the masse relickes images and praying to Saintes they are ledde vnto sinne being directly against that commandement which saith a Math. 4.10 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue And their vowes of chastitie and single life giue occasion of all filthinesse buggery and murder and sodomitrie But if in these traditions there be a direct and particular contradiction to holy scripture then where is their foundation as for example the holy scripture saith b Heb. 18. There remayneth no more sacrifice for sinne they say the sacrifice of the masse is for the quicke and the dead the holy scripture saith it is c 1. Tim. 4.1 a doctrine of deuils to forbidde meates and mariage These traditions make priesthoode vowes and holding the childe at Baptisme to hinder marrige and that Lent and ember daies must not see any flesh and that for conscience sake The scripture saith thou d Precep 2. Exod. 20. shalt make no image nor worshippe them and they say thou mayest and oughtest to worship them And there are a great many more as is before apparant to bee seene whereof I thought good to giue the reader a taste that hee might the better remember what hath beene before written For the second part of the rule to knowe a naughtie tradition to be of men and not of God they say it is naught if it bee derogatorie to the glorie of Christ I pray you looke vpon all and euerie of these traditions and you shall find that they are set forth for merite and remission of sinnes for satisfaction and iustification All which as is before proued are the glorie of Christ because there is e Act. 4.12 no other name giuen vnder heauen whereby a man may bee saued These being newe names challenging that which belongeth to him cause men to giue his glorie vnto others And therefore by this rule seeing they derogate from the glorie of Christ they are no good traditions but meere inuentions of men not sufferable in the Church of God Lastly they are friuolous and burdenous c. which is the third part of their rule to know traditions to be of man do but looke vpon the number If f Gratians decrees one booke can shew vs 3090. decrees whereof most of them be of these traditions and that there be besides these in decretall and extrauagants I cannot tell how many thousand more then how can they auoid the name of burden And as for their profite if wee may iudge by holy scriptures which teacheth that g Heb. 1.3 Christ by himselfe purgeth our sins What profit can there be in any or all of these except we may say that Christ hath not purged our sinnes But their owne conscience telleth them there is no need of them As for example when they can h Manipul curat cap. 8. de annex bapt say of all the rites of tradition in Baptisme that they are not of the essence of Baptisme because that without them Baptisme may bee well giuen in case of necessitie which hauing as great a warrant as any of the rest wee may verily conclude that they are all but friuolous and superfluous ouerspreading outslippes of mens deuises What shall we then determine of this goodly popish trash but that they cannot be ancient autentical after Gods word seeing they cannot agree to their owne rules whereby they would proue them to be of God Therefore that is most blasphemous that they call the worde of God as it is in the holy bookes dead incke in comparison of their tradition vnlesse it be warranted by tradition and vnderstood in the sence of the mastership of their church Wee are then come thus farre that poperie is a tradition not written with dead incke in Gods holy bookes but some other kinde of doctrine which by their owne rules cannot bee found worthy the name of a good tradition and therefore a meere deuise of mans foolishnesse that is to say verie fables much displeasing and abhominable in the holy eyes of almightie God 4 Now let vs looke into the particulers Heere come the a Antididagma printed at Louan 1544. reuerend Canons of Colen who in the generall ioyning with this great clearke Peresius in many things crie with him Traditum est or traditum tenemus that is it is a tradition or wee hold it a tradition And this they doe where they are to shewe their originall and in deede it is an easie matter to maintayne any foolish or wicked thing by such a deuise yet are these learned men of Colon content to tell vs one or two originalles First b Pag. 70. they say It is true that Christ gaue the Sacrament to his Apostles vnder both kindes of breade and wine and that the church obserued that order a long time after therefore they teach vs that to keep the cup from the common people is but new learning So also they c Pag. 143. say their holy daies reckning by name 22.
and that vnawares a thing that Christian men suspected not the diuell had vnder hande a more cunning and sure way to ouerthrow the faith namelie he draue men into the wildernesse and solitarie places which partlie happened by persecution and partlie by a blinde deuotion and so sowed the seeds of munkerie in the Church of Christ which as farre as I can d Polydor virgil de inuent rerum lib. 7. cap. 1. cap. 3. Histor Ecclesiast tripertit lib. 1. cap. 11. About Anno 300. read first e began in the deserts of Aegyt These men gaue them selues to holie meditation and religious contemplation of Gods workes and leauing the perfect booke of God written in the holy scriptures they read in an other booke like the heathen as nature and reason which is blinde in Gods causes did lead them and made a newe Philosophie hauing this principle Veram beatitudinem in cultura dei legum eius obseruatione that is True happinesse to consist in the seruice of God and keeping his commandements which while men perceiued not howe it beat vpon the foundation they began to cast their eies vpon themselues and by little and little because by nature we are prone to thinke too wel of our selues and as men fond of their owne children we admire our deuises christians fel in loue with this new trade of life the pearcing reflex of the glittering beams of their great and rare holines and new religious deuotion daseled the eies of all sorts of men Insomuch as very excellent men and great clearkes Basilius magnus Hierom and Augustine diuers other leaned toward this new religion and began to make rules for the same And so the diuel comming as an angel of light made his first entrance and their priuelie stale in this iustifying by workes vn espied For these and other godly fathers in plaine and euident places of scripture being by their conscience constrained they frankly acknowledge the truth of Christ Iesus and auow it against heretikes yet oftentimes their eies looking backwarde like the peacocke vpon their owne goodly rules and obseruations doe with the left hand robbe Christ of that which they so thankfully ascribe vnto him with the right Yet this meriting by workes was not so bolde and brauely attired in the first six hundred yeres to assume and take such open authority and hie glory in the church as it was afterwarde when peace and wealth made men by wantonnes to seeke many deuises Some as the climing popes set vp decrees and decretals and made themselues men of renown some by the knowledge of lawes and canons stroue for the lawrell crowne of glory some by schoole learning made themselues admirable who drawing in Aristle and Philosophie to make grounds in diuinitie taught the reasonable way of righteousnes by workes and the congruitie and condignitie of freewil some as fryers and cloysters by rules and orders made new religions and waies of saluation here commeth vp purgatorie pardons pilgrimage praiers for the dead and a thousand new things of rare holines meritorious deuotion By all these did the diuel make vnto him selfe many mightie legions of resolute warriers to face wearie out Christ that he might leaue the church that he by his eldest sonne Antechrist might raigne and rule alone and so he easily thrust out faith onely for righteousnes and the true way of saluation And brought in infinit traditions vnwritten verities obseruations customes mysteries deuotions and reuelations If you would read Guillerimus Durandi rationale diuinorum with Guido manipulus curatorum Bonauentura de profectu religiosorum Hieremias Buchius of the conformities of S. Frauncis with Christ with such like and ioine there vnto the counsell of Trent with their masse and all the bookes appendents in seruice to their Ladie and Saints and heape vnto them the thousands of commandements of the church in decrees decretals and canons brought in by popes scholemen canonists ciuilians it would make a mans hart to bleed to think how little regard is had of Christ and of his righteousnes wisedome sanctification redemption name glorie And that the christian reader may the better perceiue these things let him marke but this one thing which is yet fresh in memorie When Luther stoode vp for the gospell and tooke into his hand the spiritual sword of Gods word and stroke and hewed at one of the last growing sproutes of this new way of righteousnes namely pardons and indulgencies and finding great resistance by the warriers before named hee began to arme himselfe with the armor of God and by little and little both learning and teaching the article of iustification by faith onely in Christ by and by all this braue baggage and counterfeit galantnes and earthlie glorie of righteous by mens doeings like a thicke mystie cloud couering the aire did vanish away in the conscience of many thousands by the bright shining power of the true sunne of righteousnes Iesus Christ in and by faith alone And of this we haue had almost one hundred yeres experience that as a 1. Sam. 5. Dagon of the Philistims could not stand before the arke of God So all the whoorish deuises of Romish Babilon could not stande before the doctrine of faith onely in Iesus Christ the Lord be praised 3. of the Sacraments Now looke we on the third point of the sacraments and seales of the couenant of mercie and let vs here whether the auncient fathers of the primatiue church were not protestants First Tertullian offereth him selfe a verie b He liued about Anno 230. auncient father hee telleth vs c Contra Martiō lib. 4. onely of two sacraments and of the Lordes supper d lib. 1. hee saith Non reprobauit panem quo ipsum corpus suum representat he refuseth not bread whereby he representeth his bodie Loe Tertullian an auncient protestant in the matter of the sacraments Cyprian likewise sheweth him selfe a protestant e De caena domini saying Mansio nostra in ipso c. our abiding in him is eating and drinking and as it were a certaine incorporation c. and a little after That which meat is to the flesh this faith is vnto the soule that which is meat to the bodie that is the woord to the spirit and in his conclusion hee addeth As oft as wee doo these thinges wee doo not wheat our teeth to byte but with a sincere faith wee breake the holie bread and deuide it while wee distinguish and seperate that which is deuine and that which is humaine c. Origen steppeth in betweene them both and protesteth with vs f vpon leuit homil 7. saying There is also in the newe Testament a letter which killeth him who marketh not those thinges which are spoken spiritually For if thou according to the letter followe this same which is said vnlesse you eate my fleshe and drinke my bloud this letter killeth Saint Augustine followeth after and sheweth him selfe