oftentimes which like vnto dogs or swine contemned and trod vnder their féete the doctrine that was set foorth vnto them And yet did they not for these mens sakes withdrawe their sermons from the people Yea Christ verie often preached to the people when the Scribes Pharisies stood by whom he knew verie well to haue committed sin against the holie Ghost yet did he not for their cause cease from dooing his office Euen so at this day bicause some blasphemers and despisers cannot be let from the vse of the holie scriptures but that in a manner the whole flocke of christians must receiue damage thereby therefore it is better to licence them vnto all men one with another The rising of heresies must not hinder the reading of the scriptures But they saie that many heresies be sproong vp in these daies which should be an occasion to forbid this thing But they that so saie should consider that before Augustines time there were both Arrians and Manichies yea and that while he himselfe liued the heresie of the Pelagians and Donatists and manie other pestiferous sects were spred abroad and yet neuertheles he gaue counsell to read the scriptures as appeareth by his epistle Ad Volusianum and in his sermon of fasting where he prooueth that among the faithfull sort the reading of Gods word euen in the time of feasts bankets ought to be as an exercise in stéed of plaies games And all the fathers in a maner besides doo manie times exhort the people of Christ vnto this studie And it is a verie slender reason that good things should be quite taken awaie bicause they be abused of some For then the Eucharist it selfe should be taken awaie bicause as Paule testifieth manie abuse the same to their owne destruction To conclude what discommodities soeuer they obiect God knoweth them better than they who not onlie permitted the lawe but also the prophets to be common amongst the people yea that the same should be deliuered vnto strange nations to be read The Eunuch of the Quéene of Candace read the prophet in his chariot Acts. 8 28. when Philip stood by him What I beséech you wil they be wiser than God For whatsoeuer is necessarie to saluation as we haue often said is plaine and easie in the scriptures Wherefore in that the scriptures were predestinate to our glorie and that from the beginning we must giue infinite thanks vnto God which so timelie thought vpon our saluation 19 Moreouer Out of the preface vpon the Iudges some diuide the holie scriptures into foure parts and some bookes aswell in the old testament as in the new they ascribe vnto lawes some vnto histories some vnto prophesies and some vnto wisedome Of the diuision of the holie scriptures But it is not lawfull so to diuide the holie bookes one from another séeing that in Exodus Leuiticus Numbers and Deuteronomium wherein they appoint lawes to be contained are found almost as manie histories as lawes Moreouer in the books which they haue assigned to the prophets are oftentimes taught and plainelie expounded lawes of vpright liuing neither can we properlie separate the bookes of Salomon and others like which they would haue proper vnto wisedome from lawes or prophesies For in them are manie sentences which perteine to the instruction of a good life and without doubt haue the nature of lawes Againe séeing that in these very many secret mysteries are opened vnto the church by instinction of the spirit doubtlesse the attentiue readers of them may marke therein oracles of things to come but yet so neuerthelesse as well néere in euerie booke they be set foorth vnto vs dispersedlie and yet the holie books are not seuered one from another by such bounds or limits I would rather thinke as hath séemed good vnto the learned sort that whatsoeuer is contained in the holie scriptures All things in the scriptures referred vnto two principall points should be referred vnto two chéefe points I meane the lawe and the gospell For euerie-where either Gods commandements to liue well are set foorth vnto vs or else when we are found to swarue from them either of weakenesse or of some certeine maliciousnes the gospell is shewed whereby through Christ we are pardoned of our trespasses and are promised the power and strength of the holie spirit to restore vs againe to the image of Christ which we had lost These two things may be séene in all the bookes of Moses in the histories in the prophets and books of wisedome and throughout the whole testament old and new Surelie they be not separated one from another by bookes and leaues but by that waie which we haue now declared And thus much is said of the matter of the holie scripture in generall ¶ Of the reading of the holie scripture looke the thrée of the first sermons which are added at the end of this booke Of Historie Ibidem Looke the epistle vpon the booke of Sam. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the preface vpon the second booke of Sam. A definition of historie The difference betweene chronicles and histories 20 Let vs now declare somwhat of the historicall scriptures An historie as Quintilian defineth it in the second booke and fourth chapter of his institutions is a declaration of a thing that hath béene doone From whom Augustine dooth not much varie saieng that Historie is the declaration of anie thing doone either by God or by man comprehending within the compasse of this definition as well prophane histories as those of the Bible Howbeit all narrations of things doone are not of one sort For some are called Chronicles or Annales shewing the successe of things from yéere to yéere and time to time but others are properlie called histories Howbeit we cannot well doo this vnlesse we distinguish these two one from the other Cicero in his second booke De oratore when he touched these matters writeth on this wise The Gréeks themselues wrote so in the beginning as our Cato Pictor and Piso did For historie was nothing else but a gathering togither of things doon from yéere to yéere and for the preseruation of such things in publike memorie the chéefe prelate did put euerie yéere in writing whatsoeuer was doon woorth the registring within that yéere and so continued from the originall of the Romane state euen vnto Publius Mutius who bare the same office Which being doone he not onelie did publish it abroad but also did set it foorth in a table at home that the people might haue the perfect knowledge thereof Yea and manie of them saith he which are counted the chéefe historiographers at this daie followe much of their trade who without anie curiousnes or eloquence leaue the monuments of times persons places and things euen simplie as they were doone Wherefore as Pherecydes Hellanicus Acusilaus and manie other among the Gréekes such were our Cato Pictor and Piso among vs who haue small regard to
it trulie then make they on our side And why dooth this man so much impugne it But if falselie this good end nothing helpeth them to represse the insolencie of men Rom. 3 8. For euen as Euill must not be committed that good may insue so false doctrine must not be auouched to supplant other false doctrine But this man vndoubtedlie is so farre besides himselfe as he saith that this was lawfull for the fathers to doo For in his booke De votis which not manie yéeres ago he set abroad he saith that Augustine De bono viduitatis wheras he writeth that Their matrimonies which had vowed a vow of virginitie or of sole life are true marriages and not adulteries wrote the same for no other end but to persuade Iuliana the widowe vnto whom he wrote the booke that marriages in generall are not euill And so a Gods name he confesseth that Augustine setteth foorth one false doctrine to ouerthrowe another false doctrine And with the like wisdome in the same booke he feigneth that Clement Alexandrinus wrote that Paule had a wife which he thinketh to be most false onelie to prooue that marriage is good and honourable And if it be lawfull so to mingle true things with false and to confound all things when then shall we beléeue the fathers What thing can at anie time be certeine vnto vs but that we may be deceiued thereby Further he feigneth that Paule excluded from iustification onelie the works of the lawe But this we haue before abundantlie confuted and haue taught that the reasons of Paule are generall Yea the fathers sawe euen this also Augustine for Augustine in manie places affirmeth that Paule intreateth not onelie of ceremoniall works but also of morall works But bicause the authoritie of Augustine is I knowe not how suspected vnto our aduersaries let vs sée what Ierom saith He vnto Ctesiphon against the Pelagians vpon these words Rom 3 20. By the works of the lawe no flesh shall be iustified thus writeth Ierom was of the opinion that not alone the ceremoniall works are to be excluded from iustification Rom. 7 16. Bicause thou thinkest this to be spoken of the lawe of Moses onelie and not of all the commandements which are conteined vnder this one name of the lawe the selfe-same apostle saith I consent vnto the lawe of God There are others also of the fathers which teach the same but I now ouerpasse them Let it suffice to shew that this other feigned inuention of Smith is vaine and trifling 87 Thirdlie he saith that they ment to exclude works as he calleth them penall those works I suppose which repentant men doo But to shew how ridiculous this is also shall néed no long declaration For first such works were required of men not that by them they should be iustified before God but onelie to approoue themselues vnto the church that is least they by a feigned and dissembled repentance should séeke to be reconciled Further it is not likelie that Paule spake of anie such works for they were not at that time in vse Indéed Ambrose when he excludeth works from iustification hath herevnto once or twise a respect But we ought not so much to consider what one or two of the fathers doo saie but what agréeth with the holie scriptures Smith addeth moreouer God requireth of men more than faith Mark 1 15. that it is certeine that God requireth much more of vs than faith for in Marke it is thus written Repent and beleeue Here saith he vnto faith is adioined repentance And in another place He that beleeueth and is baptised Mar. 16 14. shall be saued He addeth also that in the epistle to the Ephesians Eph. 5 25. The church is said to be sanctified by the washing of water in the word And that Peter in his third chapter of his first epistle saith that Baptisme hath made vs safe Peter 3 21. And that Ierom also thus writeth vpon the first chapter of Esaie The washing of regeneration dooth onelie remit sinnes Behold saith he iustification and remission of sinnes is ascribed not onelie vnto faith but also vnto the sacraments As touching the first we grant that Christ requireth more of vs than faith for who doubteth but that he will haue men that are iustified to liue vprightlie and to exercise themselues in all kinds of vertues otherwise they shall no◠come vnto eternall saluation Howbeit these are fruits of faith and effects of iustification and not causes But as touching the sacraments we haue manie times taught how iustification is to be attributed vnto them for they are in the same respect vnto iustification as is the preaching of the Gospell and the promise concerning Christ which is offered vnto vs to saluation And verie oftentimes in the scriptures that which belongeth vnto the thing is ascribed to the sacrament or signe And because baptisme promiseth remission of sinnes by Christ and signifieth it and sealeth it in them which are washed therefore Ierom of all other sacraments attributeth this vnto it onelie Wherefore the words of the Fathers ought nothing to mooue vs when as they write thus that Faith alone is not sufficient to saluation for they vnderstand this A rule as touching the writings of the fathers of that eternall saluation vnto which we come not except some fruit followe our faith But of their saiengs we ought not to gather that a man is not iustified by faith onelie And though at anie time the verie same fathers séeme to referre their words vnto iustification yet are they to be vnderstood that their meaning was to expresse the nature of the true and iustifieng faith for it in verie déed is neuer alone but hath euer hope and charitie and other good works The righteousnesse that sticketh in vs consisteth not of faith onelie as companions Sometimes also by iustification they vnderstand that righteousnes which sticketh in vs the which without all doubt dooth not consist or depend of faith onelie 88 They thinke also that this maketh against vs Rom. 8 23. for that Paule writeth vnto the Romans By hope we are made safe Neither doo they sée that hope is there taken for the last regeneration which we hope we shall one daie obteine in the heauenlie countrie for the apostle a little before spake of it And vndoubtedlie we possesse that saluation onelie in hope not as yet in verie déed If there be anie peraduenture whom this most iust and most true answer will not suffice let him followe the interpretation of Origin for he vpon that place saith that Hope is there put for faith which is no rare thing in the holie scriptures But they haue found out yet another fond deuise whereby as much as lieth in them they doo go about to qualifie this word Onelie which is so often vsed of the Fathers namelie that faith onelie hath the beginning and as it were the first degrée of iustification which
Genesis anie let vnto this renewing where God said vnto Noah that All the daies of the earth shall be sowing and haruest cold and heate summer and winter daie and night for these things he saith shall come to passe in the daies of the earth but those daies shall be the daies of heauen Esaie 66 23 and as Esaie saith A sabboth of sabboths Also Ieremie in the 33. verse 20. chapter saith Can the couenant be made void which I haue made with day night As though he would saie It cannot be made void So saith he shall the couenant be established which I haue made with the house of Iuda and with the house of Dauid The couenant whereof the prophet now speaketh as touching the sending of Messias in his time appointed must not be drawne beyond the time of the present state But Christ when he saith in the Gospell that Heauen and earth shall passe awaie Matt. 24 35. but my word shall not passe awaie How the heauen and earth shall passe away meaneth not Passing awaie for destruction but foretelleth that a certeine change shall one daie come Which yet shall neuer happen vnto his words for they shall alwaies abide vnmooueable and the truth of them shall neuer be peruerted Of this interpretation Dauid is author in the 102. psalme verse 26. The heauens saith he are the works of thy hands they shall perish but thou shalt endure as a garment shalt thou change them and they shall be changed Herevnto also agréeth Peter for when he had said that The heauens shall perish 2. Pet. 3 12. and the elements shall melt awaie with heate he added that We according to the promise shall haue a new heauen and a new earth Esaie 65 17 And Ierom expounding the 65. chapter of Esaie vnto this sense alledgeth a sentence of Paule out of the first epistle to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 7 31. the seuenth chapter For he saith that The figure of this world passeth awaie as though he would not saie that the nature of things or the world it selfe shall perish but onelie the figure that is the state and forme of this time And that the same renewing which we affirme signifieth not a destroieng of nature he prooueth it by a similitude taken of the degrées of our age A similitude For when of children we are made yoong men and of yoong men men and of men old men we are not as touching the nature of man destroied but by those changes we are transferred from a lower estate vnto that which is more excellent Wherefore when that last burning shall come which the scriptures plainlie teach shall come the whole world shall be set on fire A similitude And as gold and siluer when they are melted in the fire perish not but are made more pure so the world shall not by that fire be destroied but be renewed Of this mind also were some of the Ethnike writers as Heraclitus Ephesius and Empedocles Siculus and others who peraduenture had receiued these things of their elders but had corrupted them with wicked opinions An opinion of the heretiks called Millenarij 21 There haue béene also manie of the christians in ancient time which thought that the creatures shall remaine after the comming of the Lord and that they shall serue vnto some vse for the elect For they thought that when Christ shall returne there shal be then onlie the resurrection of the godlie which also they called the first resurrection betwéene which the latter wherein the wicked shall be raised vp there shall be the space of a thousand yéeres and during this time shall Christ wholie reigne in this world togither with the saints and all this space the diuell shall be bound as it is described in the booke of the Apocalypse Apoc. 20 3. And they séeme to haue taken an occasion of their opinion not onelie out of the Reuelation of Iohn but also out of the prophets For they when they prophesie of the kingdome of Christ make mention of manie things which séeme to perteine to the kingdoms of this world and vnto pleasures and delights And they which were in this error were of the Graecians called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Latins Millenarij Neither doubtlesse were there onelie of the common sort patrones of this opinion but euen the principall and most ancient men in the church Certeine principall men of the church were of this opinion as Papias Irenaeus Iustinus Martyr Victorinus Lactantius Tertullian and manie other famous Ecclesiasticall writers Whom I ioine not with Cerynthus for he sowed manie other errors as touching our Sauiour for vnto that which we said that these fathers held he added a double impietie First that the saints shall so reigne in this life with Christ as they shall abundantlie enioie all the pleasures of the bodie which is nothing else but againe with lusts droonkennes gluttonie and such other filthines to contaminate nature being renewed by the resurrection Another error of his was that in that kingdome of Christ the ceremonies of the lawe and sacrifices of Moses should be reuoked which errors none of those fathers whom we spake of did followe 22 Neither should it be anie hard matter to confute that madnes by the scriptures but bicause we haue doon this else-where at large we will now cease to speake thereof Onelie this I will adde that Augustine in the twentieth booke De ciuitate Dei the seuenth chapter writeth If these men had said that Christ in that space of a thousand yéeres will bestowe vpon his saints some celestiall graces their saieng should haue béene the more tollerable In which place he signifieth that he also was sometime of the same mind Howbeit afterward weihing things better he iudged that place of the Apocalypse A place of the Apocalypse diuerslie expounded from whence all that suspicion séemed to flowe must be otherwise expounded namelie by these thousand yéeres to vnderstand all the time which passeth from the ascension of Christ vnto his last iudgment Neither ought the number of a thousand yéers anie thing to offend vs for it is common to the holie scriptures by a number certeine and definite to signifie another number vncerteine and not definite Which thing although it may by manie other places be prooued yet here it shall be sufficient to note onelie two Christ said vnto his apostles Matt. 19 29. He that forsaketh his house or father or mother or children or wife or brethren c. shall receiue a hundred fold where by An hundred fold we vnderstand a certeine great and in a maner infinite recompense So God promiseth in the lawe that He would doo good to them that serue him Exod. 20 6. vnto a thousand generations which signifieth nothing else but to their posteritie for a verie long time Wherefore Christ as thinketh Augustine reigneth with his saints all this time which is signified
diuerse others were catholike before the Romane Church was planted Besides foorth let vs consider that the Catholike church was in old time called the Church of Christ not the Romane Church From whence came this addition What mortall man hath made this article of the faith We saie and professe in the Créede that Wee beleeue one holie Catholike and Apostolike Church These words haue they transformed into the Romane Church But by what licence and power they haue doone this vnlesse they confesse their owne ambition they are not able to shewe And as to mens arguments if this title should be giuen vnto anie it had béene conuenient for the citie of Ierusalem séeing Christ did their teach and was fastened to the crosse from thence ascended into heauen and from thence sent his Apostles to preach Why the Church of Ierusalem was not preferred as fles◠But there were manie causes for the which that Church was not appointed the first of all The Apostolike men which at the first time floorished therein were godlie and modest and therefore sought not after such primacie Againe there happened a certaine emulation I will not saie hatred betwéene the Iewes and Ethnickes which were conuerted vnto Christ And as the Iewes were most sure holders of the ceremonies of their forefathers so attempted they to obtrude them vpon the Gentiles which indeuour being perceiued the estimation of that Church was obscured Besides these things that place after the destruction brought in by Titus and Vespatian was not famous nor noble for so much as no kings and Monarches had anie abiding there And it is manifest enough that the primates of Churches followed the ciuil magnificence To this the Patriarches of Ierusalem in processe of time were not constant in the true faith but did pollute thē selues with heresies Wherefore they were the lesse famous And therewithall penurie and pouertie was adioyned which was a great hinderance vnto the primacie That Church was not so plentifullie inriched as were the Churches of Rome Alexandria and Constantinople But to returne whence I came If antiquitie if the conuersation of Christ and his Apostles and the original of the Gospel wrought not that the Church of Ierusalem should bee or be called Catholike how can they imagine that the Romane church had it Perhappes they will saie Of Peter But of this I will speake hereafter And to the matter now in hand let vs affirme that all churches as touching the thing it selfe so they retaine faith and the word of God with iust synceritie be Catholike and also equall But if we shall beholde not the thing but the accidents to the iudgement of ignorant men that excelleth others which excéedeth in riches and great estate of princes And as for godlie men that Church is more excellent than the rest which is more honourable in the giftes of God and graces of the spirit 7 Further our aduersaries are most manifestly founde to be plunged in those crimes of which the Apostle hath pronounced 1. Cor. 6. 10 The Papists are guiltie of those crimes for which Paul saith men are excluded from God that they which doe such things haue no part in the kingdome of God What place therefore shall we giue them in the Church Vndoubtedlie they be Simonites Sorcerers bloud suckers raisers of warres men giuen to lust they abound in more than Persian or Sybariticall riotousnesse They haue no leasure for the word of God they preach not they féede not the flocke naie rather they fill all things full of offences And in the meane they did nothing but iangle of Peters and Pauls from whom they are more distant than heauen is frō earth Lastly they wil not suffer vs to deale with thē They suffer none to deale with them except they wil cōmunicate with them in the Masse vnles we communicate with them in the masse wherin doe hang so manie faults as in this place cannot be declared But it maketh no matter The faults and corruptions thereof in these our daies are so manifest as they haue no more néede of one to set them foorth One thing onelie I will alleadge that they propound bread and wine there to bee adored which if a man shall refuse to worshippe he is vtterlie vndone both in life and goods Wherefore séeing there be so iust and so manie causes of our departing from the Papacie our separation séemeth verie much worthie to be praised not to be disallowed But least we should dissemble anie thing nowe let vs bring those things which they are woont to obiect against such causes 8 First they saie The first obiection Whether the authoritie of the worde of God depend of the Churches iudgement that it is neither rightlie nor orderlie done by vs who measure the Church by the word of God when as we should deale otherwise namelie that the word of God should be established by the authoritie of the Church Briefelie they would that the vertue and power of the Church should be preferred aboue the worde of God To confirme this Hosius Hosius the bucklar of the Papistes in our time alleageth that which was spoken by Christ Mat. 18. 17 If they will not heare thee tell the Church Now thou séest saieth he that there was a Church of the new Testament when there was no written worde thereof Some men answer that Christ ment this of the Church that was to come and should be gathered by the preaching of the Apostles but not of that which was extant at that time In the time of Christ the Church had the written word This answere I allow not séeing the Church was euen then neither did it want the word written as this man faineth that is to wit the bookes of the olde Testament Out of those doubtlesse did Christ and the Apostles confirme their doctrines Wherefore Paul in the Epistle to the Romanes speaking of the olde Testament saieth Rom. 15. 4 Whatsoeuer things are written before time are written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope Vnto Timothie he saieth The whole Scripture giuen by the inspiration of God is profitable to teache and conuince to correct and instruct that the man of God may be perfect 2. Tim. 3. verse 13. c. Vnto the same man also he writeth Attend thou vnto reading c. Of the Thessalonians it is saide in the Actes of the Apostles Act. 17. 11. that they hauing heard Paul searched out of the Scriptures whether the things were so as he had taught But our aduersaries fetch their Argument further and affirme that the Church of God was before Moses which neuerthelesse had no Scriptures Whether the word were written before Moses time for they account the bookes of Moses to be most auncient of all Which I would easily yéeld vnto if they would speake of those that be now extant But howe doe they knowe whether that olde Church had anie diuine bookes
are continually preserued after one order as though they may in no wise be chaunged where neuerthelesse it may be and daylie commeth to passe that those things which in olde time were good doe vtterly degenerate The Church of the Hebrues in the olde time was verie acceptable vnto God 1. King 9. 2 Mat. 21. 13. Ier. 7. 11. so long as right religion florished therein but when that was afterward polluted that which was the temple of God was turned into a denne of theenes which they not considering trusted vnto it more than was méet always crying on this wise The Temple of the Lorde Verse 4. c. as though their common wealth shoulde not perish so long as the Temple remained Euen so our aduersaries thinke so that the name of the bishops church and the outward pompe and shewe of the ministerie bée at Rome there the Church is when as they haue subuerted all things which make to the nature of the Church of Christ It is a grieuous crime to depart from the Church but when that is called the Church which is not who will disallow the departing from thence The Hebrues in the time of the Apostles bosted that they had the Church but séeing they refused the Gospell of the sonne of God the Apostles vpon iust cause departed from theÌ„ And this did Ezechiel beforehand declare in the tenth Chapter Verse 18. when he saw the maiestie of God lifting it selfe vp into heauen and forsaking the Temple of Ierusalem Besides this Iosephus testifieth that when the Roman warre was at hand there were voices heard from the secret places of the Oracle who oftentimes repeted Let vs depart from hence And the ecclesiastical historie bewraieth that the Christian Church which was at Ierusalem was translated to Pella when the war was at hand Againe into Chaldea the Church of the Iewes remooued vnder Nabuchad-nazar So as ther is no cause why these men should assure themselues that the continuance of the Roman Church is vnchangeable 39 But some of them say that among the people of Israel changes were easily made but after the comming of Christ and that the seate of Peter was setled in the Citie of Rome it is not to be thought that these alterations would at any time happen But let them tell vs what assurance they haue aboue other Churches Whether the Roman Church shall neuer change his place If they goe about openly to perswade that the Churches of Constantinople Alexandria and Antioch are subuerted wherfore be they exempted from the like mutations Assuredly Paul did not so thinke For vnto the Romanes speaking vnto the nations conuerted vnto God he saith Ro. 11. 21. that they shoulde diligently take héede to themselues because God who spared not the naturall braunches would in like manner not spare them Wherefore they erre as farre as heauen is wide if they affirme that Christ and the holy ghost are so bounde to the seate of Rome as they will neuer go from thence So long they tarried there as that Church did leane vnto the true foundation But when it began to be founded vpon the sand of mans traditions it was subuerted Neither can it be saide that it is of God séeing Christ prescribed a rule that they be of God which heare the worde of God Rom. 8. 47. And afterwarde of them which boasted themselues to be the Church he boldly pronounced yee heare not those things because ye be not of God And what congregation can there be of the Church if it be not of God And the cause why the Romanists admit not the worde of God is for that they perceiue it to be woonderfully against them Furthermore what Church I pray you can that bâ— which iudgeth not it selfe to stande safely vnlesse that Christ and his word be driuen away He that beléeueth not those things let him more narrowly behold their dealings They haue transformed the Church into a court or place of iudgement for so they speake among themselues and these words they vse euerie where and moreouer a farre greater labour is vsed in the stile of Chauncerie which consisteth altogether of frauds and guiles than in any studies of diuine things Gregorie in the register the 4. booke in the epistle 251 and 55 writing of the holy ministerie faith that séeing it is fallen within it cannot long stand without This did he iudge 800. yeares past And shall we thinke that that Church hath truely stoode hitherto Malachie in the second Chapter saith Verse 8. Because ye haue gone out of the way and haue caused manie to fall therefore haue I made you to be despised Wherefore in going from the Romanists we haue not forsaken the Church but haue fledde from an intollerable yoke and from the conspiracie against the Euangelicall doctrine It is a woonder that these men would perswade Christians that it should be permitted them by God without any limit yea continually to wast the vineyard of the Lord to yéelde no fruite for it but to murder the seruants of the Lorde which are sent vnto them to demaund any fruite Vndoubtedly they be much more foolish than the Hebrues which answered Christ when he had put foorth the parable of the vineyard He will cruelly destroy those wicked men Mat. 21. 41 and wil let out his vineyearde vnto other husbandmen Why doe not these men remember that it was said of the verie trueth it selfe vnto the Iewes Ibid. ve 43 The kingdome of God shal be taken from you Séeing then they be in the same faultes séeing the cause is all one séeing he is the sonne of God I sée no cause why wée should doubt but that the power dignitie and true nature of the Church is taken away from them But to disprooue this our departure they bring a place out of the epistle of Iude which blameth the wicked because then haue separated themselues But the answere is readie A place of Iude expounded because it ought not to bée ascribed vnto vs that wee haue departed from the Pope God hath seuered vs from him as it hath béene shewed by his Oracles and precepts Acts. 4. 19. neither could we forget the saying of the Apostle that we must rather obey God than men Euen as when there is a iust diuorce for adulterie Matt. 19. 6. man diuideth not them whom God coupled together but God himselfe by his word and law seuereth man and wife in that case 40 Also they inforce against vs as they thinke a verie strong reason Whether al that hitherto haue liued vnder the Pope haue perished in demanding whether all men that were before vs and haue liued vnder the obedience of Rome are perished yee say they are nâ—we men and lately spruÌ„g vp séeing yée were scarsly to be séene 30. yeares past or thereabouts But there be aboue 900. yeares past since Boniface the 3. whom ye make author of the Popedome It were most absurde to be said
the bodie of Christ Yet neuerthelesse wee graunt that this comparison is generallie taken For we denie not but that there is a sacramentall change euen in this sacrament But and if thou shalt say that thou wilt take this similitude according as it is brought that so truelie is the bread chaunged into the sacrament of the Eucharist as in the meate and sustenance of Christ it was conuerted into his flesh while hee liued heere there will followe an absurditie verie repugnant vnto thine owne opinion to wit that the accidents of the signes must not bee retayned in this sacrament because they were not there kept in the sustenance of Christ while he liued here Furthermore the same interpreter vpon the 6. Chapter of Iohn writeth vpon these words He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in mee and I in him He saith that this is done while hee is after a sort transelemented and mingled with vs. Where againe thou séest that he as doe the rest of the Fathers affirmeth so great a change of vs into Christ as he writeth that we be transelementated into him And thus much of Theophilact 55 Among the latter men To Anselmus and Hugo they alleage Anselmus Hugo and Richardus and the Victorines Howbeit séeing in their time the opinion of transubstantiation was obtruded they with their writings serued the time Neither ought the new inuention of these men be periudiciall to the opinion of the most ancient Church and the opinion of the olde Fathers But among others they séeme to make great account of one and that is of Iohannes Damascenus who in the 4. To Iohn Damascen Booke of the Catholike faith the 14. Chapter wrote most amplie of this matter But I finde that this man liued vnder Leo Isauricus Emperour of Greece In what age he liued And betwéene Gregorius Magnus Bishop of Rome and this Iohn there were welnéere a hundreth and twentie yéeres And when as now in the time of Gregorie manie superstitions and inuentions of men were heaped vp in the Church al things grew to be worse and worse Wherfore it is no maruell that this Damascen inclined vnto manie superstitions and vntruthes The iudgement of Damascen in matters of Diutâ—iâ— And of howe great iudgement he was aswell in matters of doctrine as also in expounding the holie scriptures we haue a proofe For he maruailouslie fauoureth Images and for the defence of them entered into great daungers And in this selfe same fourth Booke he wrote a particular Chapter of that matter wherein hee not onelie willeth that they shoulde be made but also be worshipped and honored Moreouer he had in so great estimation the Reliques of Saintes departed as vppon them also he spent a whole chapter wherein he feared not to call them the fountaines of Gods giftes And hee is bould to say that we ought by faith to worship the Saints which saying is intollerable séeing faith is onely due vnto God and his word He hath a Sermon of Purgatorie wherein he affirmeth that Traianus the Emperor and Idolater and persecutor of Martyrs was deliuered from the paines of hell and that by the prayers of Gregorie And the Falconilla also an Idolatrous woman was by the prayers of a certaine other maÌ„ saued when she had béene now dead and detained in the paines of hell And he bringeth in a fable of one Macarius which talked with the skul of a dead man of whom he heard that in time of sacrifice of the Masse the soules of the dead which are tormented in paines are in more ease and he sprinkleth al his Sermon with these fables And the selfsame man wheÌ„ he writeth of the Resurrection indeuoureth to prooue the same in the booke of Genesis where we reade that the Lord said to Noah Thou shalt not eate flesh with the bloud Gen. 9. 4. for your liues will I require at the handes of beastes He will require them saith hée at the Resurrection yet forsooth beastes doe not dye for man It séemes that he knew not the lawe made by God in Exodus Exo. 21. 28. where hée commaundeth the Oxe to bée slaine which shall push with his horne and kill a man And in the Chapter De Virginitate he writeth If Adam had not sinned men had not bin ioyned together in Matrimonie for procreation sake and because he seeth that the sentence of God Gen. 1. 28. Increase and multiplie is against him he saith that perhaps men might haue multiplied by another part of the bodie Among the schoole diuines none would haue spoken these wordes The same man wresteth Basil The same man wresteth Basill For when he perceiueth him to say that bread and wine be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is patterns or examples of the bodie of Christ he expoundeth him that he meaneth before consecration And this is most absurde For before consecration they haue no more in them than other common meates And if they should so signifie the bodie bloud of Christ they should be already sacraments before the vttering of the wordes of the Lorde Moreouer in the Masse of the Gréekes they openly pray after consecration that the breade may become the bodie and bloud of Christ And namely the case so standeth in the Masse of Basill that those wordes be put after consecration And in our Canon if it bee well considered it is named bread after consecration 56 But now must we sée his Arguments The first is taken from the power of God For séeing he was able by his word to make heauen and earth to bring foorth Plantes Beastes Byrdes and Fishes why maie hee not of breade make his owne bodie Which kinde of Argument is most weake neither is the disputation now as touching the power of God For wee denie not that God can turne bread into flesh but the whole contention is whether he will doe it or no. Another of his Arguments is deriued from the spéeche of Christ For saieth he it was not saide of the Lorde This is a figure or signe of my bodie but it is pronounced to be the Lordes owne bodie But vnto this Argument we haue before answered And if this man when he denieth the sacrament to be a figure of the Lordes bodie doe meane this absolutely he hath almost all the fathers against him who in this place doe acknowledge a figure But if he vnderstande it not to bee a figure onelie to wit a frustrate or voide signe that also doe we willingly grauÌ„t Albeit he mingleth certaine wordes in his writings whereby it may be perceiued that he meant not so grossely as he maketh semblance for For he saith Damascen after some sort defended that the bread of the communion is no simple bread but it hath the Godhead ioyned with it Which wordes we will willingly admit for we say not that it is here common or simple bread but it is now sanctified and turned into the nature of a sacrament And it
them and places together 3 373 b Whether mens Bodies haue decreased euer since Noahs floud hitherto 1 130 b 131 a What manner of ones we shall haue at our resurrection 2 637 b 638 ab Whether naturall Bodies ca. bée without a place or in diuerse places 3 363 ab What kinde of Bodies spirits or demons are saide to haue 1 80 b 81 a Of Bodies assumed and what actions are sit and not fit for them 3 113 b 114 a In what respects it is meant that celestiall Bodies shal be quite abolished 1 120 a Bolde Who is Bolde and the nature of such a one 3 270 b Boldnesse Boldnesse doth affect a good thing that is hard to be had 2 410 a Bonde Of the guiltinesse of sinne and the Bonâ— vnto punishment and whence they both arise 1 188 a Bondage Bondage of two sortes 3 163 a It is a thing against mans nature 4 314 a Mitigated by Gods lawe 4 316 b Cato slewe himselfe because hee woulde not come into it 2 281 b Why it is to be counted a punishment 4 314 a This of Christians greater nowe than was that of the Iewes 3 172 a Why it must not be reiected 4 314 a For debt determined by lawe 4 315 a.b ¶ Looke Seruitude Bondmen Diuers kindes of Bondmen 4 316 a.b Who bee Bondmen according to Aristotle that such haue somwhat in them apt to bondage 2 218 a ¶ Looke Seruants Bookes Manie Bookes of holy Scripture perished and that their losse is profitable and to whome 1 51 b 52 a Howe the Bookes of God are saide to bee sealed vp 3 353 b Christ left no written Bookes behinde him of his owne doings but his disciples were his registers 1 52 a Whether all the Bookes that Enoch wrote were authenticall 1 129 b Salomon wrote not his Bookes â—nd they were receiued and set downe as he spake them 1 52 a Howe the Bookes of the Machabees haue béene receyued of the Church 3 238 b A kings opinion touching written Bookes and the same misliked 1 52a Socrates and Pithagoras wrote no Bookes themselues but their Disciples in their names 1 52 a ¶ Looke Scriptures Borders The meaning of the Borders which the Iewes ware sowed to their garment 2 314 a ¶ Looke Garments Bosome What is meant by Abrahams Bosome 3 325 b 373. 374. 375. 376. 378 Br. Breath The worde Breath hath a double signification 1 121 b 122 a Howe God is saide to breath séeing hee hath neither mouth nor nosethrels 1 121 b 122 ab Brethren In the scriptures they which by any meanes were ioyned in bloud were called Brethren as howe 1 452 b Of the loue that ought to bee betweene Brethren and who be such 2 556 b 557 a Christ calleth the Apostles Brethren 3 81 a Brightnesse Of the splendent Brightnes of our bodies at our resurrection 3 358 b ¶ Looke Resurrection Bu. Building Building signifieth doctrine and fier the triall thereof 3 239. 240. 241. 242. ¶ Looke Doctrine Burdens Of vile Burdens and personall burdens 4 239b Ordinarie and extraordinarie 4 240 ab Burial Whether Buriall auaileth the dead 3 320 a 321 a 319 b Why it must not be contemned 3 322 a Howe it belongeth vnto them that be aliue 3 320. 321 a Regarded in the time of the Patriarches 3 234 b The lacke thereof is a punishment 3 321 b Whether to be in one place more than another is materiall 3 322b 323a Whether it be lawfull for vs being aliue to choose our selues a place for it 3 323 b Places for that purpose set foorth to sale 3 323 a What Christes Buriall doth teach vs. 2 620 b 621 a With what pompe the Cardinall of Yorke prouided for his Buriall 3 321 b Ca. Calamities Calamities hinder not felicitie proued by scripture 1 153 b 158 a ¶ Looke Miserie Calling Gods Calling of two sortes 3 29 a 44 b 4 12 a It goeth before faith 3 45 a The power thereof 3 45 b To what endes it is directed 3 44 b The honour of the same 3 45 b The forme thereof differeth and how 3 44b Whether the gift of effectual Calling be common to all 3 198 b It is of Gods frée mercie 3 45 a Good works are not the cause therof 3 15 a 14b Of the time of the same 3 45 b The difference of beleeuers and vnbeléeuers dependeth thereupon 3 18 b Of two kindes thereof the one generall the other effectuall and to whom they befall 1 196 b Howe it may be said to be common to all men 3 51 a It is without repentance interpreted 3 207 a How to determine whether it be effectuall or no. 3 47 b 48 a What things make it certeine 3 48 a One effectual and another not effectuall 3 45 a The outwarde is common to the predestinate and reprobate 3 30 a Much spoken to fro of that which is vniuersall 3 31. 32. 33. The names of gift and Calling vsed in scripture 3 202 a A Calling must not be condemned by a hard successe 4 9 b That we ought to be content with our estates and Calling 3 188 b A Calling ordinarie and a calling extraordinarie to the ministerie 4 11 b 12 a Lawfull and vnlawful 4 9 b c. Diuine and humane 4 10 a ¶ Looke Vocation Callings That in the Church shoulde bee ordinarie Callings 4 10 b 11 a Argumentes of such as confounde them 4 11 ab Hinderances to our Callings procured by the diuell 4 9 b Candels Waxe Candles added to baptisme 4 127 b Lighted at hie noone in poperie 4 127 b ¶ Looke Light Canons The Popes supremacie taken away by olde Canons 4 79 b What they haue determined touching the celebration of episcopall councels 4 55 b Vnto whome they giue the making of lawes 4 41 b Of them that are Apostolicall 3 252 a Whether they are all to be receiued 4 55 a They are but fained 4 56 a A iudgement touching them 4 55 a Captiues Of redeeming Captiues with Church goods 4 32 b 33 a A lawe for such as are redéemed at other mens costes 4 316 a Whether beeing taken in warre they should be slaine or saued 4 300 b 301. 302. Carcase Whether a Carcase be the bodie of a man 3 135 a Care Fleshly Care of the bodie must bée reiected 2 638 b Carefulnesse What kinde of Carefulnesse God forbiddeth in saying care not for to morowe 2 480 b 3 69 b Carnall The condition of Carnall men of two sortes 2 564 b Castels Whether Castels are to bee fensed 4 296 a Catechumeni Who be Catechumeni and conceiued sonnes of God 2 261 b Being baptised they may seeme more perfect than one being vnbaptised though he beléeued 2 262 a Of their dismissing by the Deacons from the Communion 4 217 a They ought not to stay in one degrée of faith and grace 2 262 a Catholike What Catholike signifieth and why it is ascribed to the Church 2 631 a Whether the Churche of Rome
and the bodie but that though the bodie die and be dissolued into dust yet the soule is immortall and neuer perisheth And therefore all people in the world in what countrie soeuer they liue and what maner of God soeuer they serue doo most highlie esteeme their owne religion whereby they thinke of mortall and corrupt creatures to make a long and euerlasting generation and of a dailie dissolued knot of societie to make a perpetuall bond of friendship And for this cause when all other questions and debates betweene man man betweene state and state betweene kingdome and kingdome whether they concerne the bodie or the temporall goods possessions are easilie decided and in processe of time are finished and the aduersaries at the length reconciled yet the controuersie in religion which toucheth the conscience which concerneth soules which perteineth to eternall saluation not of one onlie but of innumerable others is neuer finished is neuer pacified is neuer quieted And as this happeneth generallie betweene all religions in the world so the neerer that religions be of likenesse the harder it is to discerne the difference the neerer the aduersaries be of countrie and kindred the sharper is the contention and the more desperate is the hope of reconciliation Now then if euer this position haue beene found true betweene anie religions or anie people in the world how cleerelie is it seene in the differences of the Christian religion but how sensiblie is it perceiued here among our owne nation For who can without great lamentation and greefe yea without abundance of teares flowing from his hart remember the endlesse strife which groweth as well by words as writing betweene the Romanists and vs for the cause of religion Or what hart dooth not melt to fee the intollerable rage vnmercifull crueltie which the pretended Catholiks execute against the poore professors of the Gospell Would to God that once all we which be as it were of one faith and for whom Christ shed but one and the selfe same bloud and which hold the grounds of one and the selfe-same religion and which haue but one and the selfe-same word for the comfort of all our soules would once condescend to one and the selfe-same doctrine Which we might easilie bring to passe if they that make themselues the rulers of the Lords house would seeke not their owne but Iesus Christs if they would not trust in their owne righteousnesse but in the righteousnesse of faith which Christ hath obteined for vs if they would iudge themselues that they might not be iudged of the Lord if they would once with indifferent eares and obedient harts giue place to the truth when it is laid before them out of the holie word or when their errors be plainlie confuted by inuincible arguments and authorities if they would shake off the dregs of their owne vaine opinions and the maliciousnesse of their owne cruell minds towards vs and with a single hart and faithfull zeale towards God and his truth would read and vnderstand and laieng aside all the trust and confidence that they haue of their owne cause would come and confer charitablie with vs with all desire of true knowledge and sincere vnderstanding of the heauenlie word Or if they that call themselues ancient and catholike would once effectuallie shew that their doctrine was written or taught either by the apostles or by the primitiue church Or else when they call vs new masters would shew where any one opinion which we hold is newlie sproong vp and deuised of vs and which we doo not sensiblie prooue to be deriued from Christ and his apostles Wherfore to the intent that all ye my beloued brethren whose saluation in Christ I regard as mine owne may haue continuallie before your eies if ye be of the reformed church how to answer your aduersaries or if ye be of the deformed synagog how to discerne your errors I haue laid before your eies in your owne mother toong the summe of all D. Martyrs doctrine not your countrieman indeed but yet one that for your sakes passed manie dangerous brunts by sea and by land before kings and princes publikelie and priuatelie that left his owne welth and quietnes to instruct you in truth and godlinesse that rested neither daie nor night to teach you the right waie of the Lord and who contemned his owne life to gaine you to the Gospell of Christ Innumerable books at this daie are written by manie zealous and faithfull men wherein the errors of the Romish church haue beene discouered but yet in none nor scarselie of all are so cleerelie confuted all the arguments of the aduersaries as in this booke Manie hard questions in the scriptures by manie haue beene assoiled but no-where so manie and so difficult as in this booke Behold therefore here in the steed of all volumes one to satisfie both the learned and vnlearned the true professor and the false worshiper in all the waies of godlinesse and all the principall points of true religion If this will not suffice thee in all the controuersies handled therein and therein are handled in a maner all of what opinion soeuer thou be thou wilt neuer be satisfied Fiue yeeres continuallie haue I trauelled herein that since the Lord hath not indued me with such sufficient knowledge and vtterance as I might be accounted woorthie the roome of a builder in the church yet at the least-wise I might serue the seruants of the Lord in bringing to their hands such excellent stuffe and matter as the most skilfull artificers and messengers of Christ haue alreadie prepared for the worke What paines diligence and faithfulnesse I haue vsed therein I shall not need to be mine owne witnesse others will testifie for me And to shew the maner of my proceeding and the manifold lets I had before I could atchieue to my purpose by reason of the heape of Editions and multitude of Additions that came foortn togither while the worke was in hand were ouer-long to recite Neuerthelesse by comparing of this booke with the last edition in Latine printed this present yeere of the Lord 1583 which also at my speciall request and instance was in manie places amended and greatlie increased the same will most euidentlie appeere Yet this must I needs shew you good Reader both for your contentment and mine owne discharge that if you find that the number of Common places herein and euerie particular section in euerie place concur not in each respect with the said last Latine copie vnderstand that we haue gained somwhat thereby seeing you shall there perceiue that I haue heaped more matter of Common place out of Master Martyrs Commentaries than did Massonius a learned and painfull man who gathered togither the Latine booke or else I haue placed some certeine things in a more exquisite order All which notwithstanding I did by the aduise of verie learned and excellent men And besides sundrie and manifold additions which out of the Commentaries I haue
set foorth their matter with goodlie words and so it may be vnderstood what they saie they account breuitie a speciall praise of speaking And a little after it followeth thus The name of things doone requireth order of time to be obserued will also haue the description of countries For in matters which be great and woorthie of memorie we first looke what counsell was taken secondlie the acts that were doone and lastlie what end and successe came thereof And in counsels is signified what the writer alloweth and in the acts is declared not onelie what was doone and said but also in what maner they were executed c. By these things we may perceiue what is the nature of Annales or of historie And it séemeth we may affirme The narrations of the scriptures be rather histories than chronicles that the narrations of the holie scriptures be rather like histories than Annales For not onelie acts are there set foorth as they were doone but also the verie causes counsels and meanes are shewed Also the orations admonitions and reprehensions are otherwise set foorth with som ornaments All which rather belong vnto histories than vnto bare Chronicles 21 But since we haue heard the opinion of Cicero let vs sée also what Aulus Gellius saith Aulus Gellius opinion of chronicles and histories who in his fift booke and fift chapter writeth on this sort Some doo thinke that a historie differeth from a Chronicle in this that whereas both of them are a declaration of things that be doone yet that a historie is properlie of such things as the writer himselfe is present at the execution of those things which he intreateth of c. This distinction he himselfe dooth not followe and that for some certeine cause Which distinction neuertheles Seruius the Grammarian vsed and after him Isidorus in his first booke of Etymologies which is a maruell bicause he is not only against Tullie who said that An historie is a gathering of things doone from yéere to yéere but also contrarie to Virgil whose verse is in the first of Aeneidos And if it please you to heare the Chronicles of our labours Wherein he declareth that Chronicles also belong to such things as the writer was present at But I will speake againe of Gellius He reporteth that there were others which thought histories to be either the exposition or demonstration of things that haue béene doon and they be Annales or Chronicles when the acts of manie yéeres are afterward compiled an order of euery yéere being kept According to which iudgment the historie of the scriptures cannot be named among Chronicles séeing in the declarations of things doone in them the course of yéeres manie times is not obserued Afterward the same Gellius according to the mind of Sempronius Asellio added this much But the difference betwéene those which would leaue Chronicles behind them and others which indeuoured to discourse of the worthie acts of the Romans was this In their Chronicles they onlie shewed what déeds were doon euerie yéere but the histories not onelie shewed what was doone but also how by what order deuise and counsell the same was atchéeued And a little after the same Asellio in the same booke Chronicles can neither mooue the more couragious sort to defend the Common-weale nor yet the more cowardlie to doo amisse Wherefore since by the knowledge of the scripture men be admonished and stirred vp to the right worshipping of God to repentance of their life to put their whole confidence in God and finallie to take in hand all offices which appertaine to good life and conuersation they rather containe historie than chronicle I haue vsed manie words touching this matter but I trust not without some fâ—uit God is the authour of historie 22 But it must not be thought that historie was deuised by man séeing God himselfe is the author thereof who would that the forefathers should declare vnto their children and posteritie the maruellous things that he did in Aegypt in the red sea and in the wildernesse yea and he bad as we read in Exodus that the warre against Abimelech Exod. 17 14 the victorie which the Israelites had of him should be recorded in writing but this kind of writing began before Moses For euen he maketh mention Histories before Moses time Num. 21 15 Ios 10 13. 2. Sam. 1 18. aswell of a booke of the wars of the Lord as also of an other booke of iust men The prophets also oftentimes mingled histories with their prophesies I omit Dauid who manie times garnished his psalmes which he soong with histories of the scriptures I passe ouer our euangelists in the new testament and the Acts written by Luke wherin are large and most profitable histories Of these bookes if God be authour as we must beléeue he is euen God himselfe shal be counted the authour of historie And this is not vnbeséeming for him séeing historie is an excellent thing for as Cicero writeth in his booke De oratore it is a testimonie of times The praise of historie a light of the truth the life of memorie the maister of life and the messenger of antiquitie c. Verie singular are these commendations and not fit for euerie historie but for such onelie wherein those rules are obserued which this authour hath in the same place set downe that is to wit The rules of a true historie that there be no false thing told that there be no bashfulnes in telling the truth that there be giuen no suspicion of fauour or hatred Wherin although the Latine Historiographers were better than the Gréekes The Latine histories of more credit than the Greeke which as Quintillian saith were in these matters almost as lewd as the poets yet Augustine in his 131 epistle to one Memorius a bishop giuing no small praise to historie among other liberall disciplines and writing of the truth saith that he could not perceiue how those stories which are compiled by men can be well able to kéepe the truth séeing that writers are constrained to giue credit vnto men and oftentimes to gather rumors and reports of the multitude who neuerthelesse are to be excused if they kéepe the course that is required in a historie and write nothing of affection or set purpose to beguile men The histories of the scriptures most true But there is nothing more true than the histories reuealed and written by the inspiration of God as these histories of ours be 23 Besides the commoditie of the truth The commodities comming by histories the knowledge whereof is without doubt most excellent we obtaine other commodities also and those not small by the reading of histories By them we may gather great and abundant store and matter of most profitable arguments For as Quintillian saith histories and examples be iudgements and testimonies And the vse of examples is of two sorts at the least Two maner of vses of examples one is
afterward perish There is no doubt but they serued for that age euerie thing is not alike conuenient for all places times persons Wherfore we answere that so it séemed good vnto God and thereby wée gather that those bookes had not béene profitable for vs. Howbeit they are iustlie and greatlie blamed which make much adoo about the losse of manie bookes when as they in the meane time haue not perused ouer those which be now extant of the holie scriptures And I am certeinlie persuaded that it tendeth to the profit of the elect that there haue so manie miscarried Also there be certeine monuments extant of ecclesiasticall writers not verie whole but as it were fragments of them by the taste whereof wée may knowe that the rest which be lost were not of such value as the losse of them should be much lamented Plato in his dialogue Phaedrus reporteth that a Daemon who as I take it was a wise man cam to Thamus king of Aegypt offered him foure of his deuises namelie number geometrie lots and letters and when he came to the commendation of letters hée declared that they were a great helpe to memorie and a singular furtherance to wisedome The king examining his saiengs some part he allowed and some he did not And when he had considered of letters hée pronounced the contrarie of them A kings opinion as touching written monuments For letters saith he helpe not the memorie as thou bearest mée in hand but they rather confound the same For when men haue once put in writing those things which they haue heard or found out they are no longer carefull to ponder them in their mind and to repeate them often to themselues and if letters were not they would often meditate those things which are found out and knowne and would be dailie more and more ripe in them Further as touching the increase of wisedome men will herafter saith he despise their teachers by turning themselues vnto written books which being often red doo tell but one tale This was the opinion of a king of Aegypt which in verie déed I allow not For I affirme that books are of singular great profit for else God would not haue bestowed the scriptures vpon men yet that king seemed to saie somewhat For if there be not a mean and in reding of books they may doo hurt It is said of Socrates and Pythagoras that they wrote nothing themselues Socrates Pythagoras wrote nothing themselues but that their schollers after them set foorth some bookes in their names No nor our Sauiour Christ did not leaue behind him anie writing of his owne dooings but his apostles did register his sermons acts and miracles Yea and it is not said in the historie that Salomon wrote these things but that he spoke and disputed Wherefore it should séeme that those things which be extant and written in his name were receiued from his mouth which may well bée perceiued by the booke of the Prouerbs The cause why so manie of his saiengs haue béene omitted perchance is for that they which tooke the words from his mouth did not thoroughlie marke all things Besides this so manie were the exiles of the Hebrues as it is a maruell that these scriptures which we haue were preserued and these by Esdras were restored and amended Wherefore we must well and thankfullie vse them as a heauenlie and diuine gift And I am out of doubt that the apostles gaue more epistles vnto the churches than we haue in these daies And I am thoroughlie persuaded that those which are lost be lost by the appointment of God Of Paule and his epistles and stile looke the preface vpon the epistle to the Romans The seuenth Chapter Whether yong and incontinent men and finallie anie other sort are to be excluded from hearing of the word of God IT should séeme that Aristotle may for iust cause be blamed when he wold exclude a yoong man frō hearing of morall philosophie for thus he saith He will heare in vaine without fruit bicause he hath not experience and that although he haue his right reason yet is he ouercome with lusts and affections and so ouercome as he cannot doo those things that he would and therfore he saith that as his reason is ouercome so is this learning vnderstood of him ouercome that since he is not able to produce the same into act his labor in hearing will be frustrate Howbeit hereof is gathered an argument of the contrarie to wit that they by this facultie are verie greatlie holpen which doo suffer their affections to be ruled by reason Againe it belongeth to those that be perfect men to subdue the affections of their mind to reason and yoong and incontinent men which haue most néed of amendement are not iudged méet for these things These being plucked awaie from hearing there will be no kind of men left vnto whom these things will bring anie commoditie Whervpon Aristotle shall hardlie auoid it but that this will become superfluous Eustratius answereth that there be some men and those not a few which are lead onlie by custome to become good but they cannot procéed therein by an order and waie prescribed séeing they are destitute of infallible rules which when they haue afterward procured to themselues by this doctrine they are most of all established in iust and honest actions not being now anie more led by customs but throughlie persuaded by a full assurance of their mind And there be some which of a certeine naturall inclination doo flie from wickednes and desire goodnes but how those things doo differ one from another or by what meanes they may of the good things which without doubt are manifold followe the better they are ignorant by themselues neither is there anie doubt but that they which be so framed may thereby obteine great helpes That incontinent men may receiue fruit by hearing of good doctrine And therefore we are not to thinke that the incontinent and they which be subiect to their affections shall as we haue heard of Aristotle be altogither vnprofitable hearers for vnlesse they be wholie without sense they when these things are set before them will at the leastwise knowe whither they are brought by their lusts and wil perceiue how far off they are now distant from the right course it cannot possiblie be but that some maner of waie they will be stirred vp vnto better things wherevpon they may by little and little both be healed and reape commoditie as we read that it happened at Athens to the most desperate yoong man Polemon That yoong men may be profitable hearers when he had heard Xenocrates dispute manie things of temperance Wherfore these things which are here spoken must not be vnderstood without exception For sometime there be yoong men so framed by nature and so amended onlie by discipline and education that euen by this kind of learning they are able to profit much as
if we will grant that which for the most part happeneth we will affirme that there be verie few children yea in a maner none at all that of nature haue a disposition inclined to vertue as those which must continuallie be stirred vp therevnto by threats chastisements and admonishments of schoole-maisters For immediatelie euen in their first age either they be too fearefull or else more bold than is méet insatiable sluggish wanton soone angrie and enuious Wherefore it is a maruell how the Stoiks can desend their opinion namelie that All men are by nature apt to receiue vertue 4 And no lesse likelie things to be true doo they thinke they speake which haue affirmed that Mankind is so drawne awaie that it cannot procéed in the swift course to vertue by reason of the pleasure that riseth vp vnto it For they which so saie dooth Possidonius notablie reprehend who affirmeth Against those which saie that men by nature were made vnto vertue but that they were wrested from it by pleasure that we from our first conception haue certeine sparks which kindle vs vp vnto vices wherefore it coms to passe that we cannot beware of our selues but that we be inwardlie vicious when as notwithstanding we may prouide that such ill séed and vicious sparks shal not breake foorth into open wickednesse and increase so far as they can be no more restrained And finallie by the iudgment of these men the euill is far greater and more gréeuous that we in our selues doo beare about vs than that which by outward contagion is procured Indéed they grant What nature and custome is able to doo about vertues and vices that a wicked custome when it happens maketh vs wicked and that a great deale woorse than we were before by nature But as touching the power whereby we vnderstand this they teach first that it may be that by schoolmaisters or by wise men or by vnlearned men we may perceiue true or false opinions but the sharpenes of wit foolishnesse blockishnesse and such like which belong to the vnderstanding we obtaine according to the qualitie of the temperature which we in our mothers wombe doo take euen of the substance whereof we are begotten whervnto afterward doo come manie and maruellous increases aswell by meanes of the meats which doo bréed good or euill iuice as of the qualities of the aire and sundrie chances that doo happen And there he citeth Aristotle who treating of the parts of liuing creatures saith that men doo also followe the complexion of their mother And in the first booke of the historie that he writeth of liuing creatures he affirmeth that the proportion of the instrumental parts are made correspondent to the maners of the mind and that therefore those parts being well considered manie things as touching the maners and inward affections may be shewed by them that are skilfull in the art of physiognomie These be the arguments for the which Aristotle in his first book of Ethicks may séeme not to haue spoken circumspectlie that those which in nature are procreated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is with an ill temperature of the bodie he said would not become fit hearers of this doctrine Howbeit we will after this maner defend him that although the greater part of men yea in a maner all of vs come into the world infected with the sparks of vices and lusts prone vnto filthines and wickednes yet that these things are not so strong and firme but that either they may be vtterlie ouercome or at the leastwise qualified and mitigated whereby either men as touching morall vertues and outward conuersation may become excellent or at the leastwise be lesse molested with these euill affections And bicause while they lacke experience of things of the mind as in yoong men it happeneth and that with the violence of a disturbed mind some are plucked awaie and are subiect to incontinencie it is vnpossible they should be adorned with vertues and performe in déed those things which in this facultie they haue heard therefore I saie did Aristotle pronounce that yoong and incontinent men would not become méete hearers But forsomuch as men of ripe age may profit much although by the violence of ill humors and by nature they be stirred vp vnto vices therefore dooth not the philosopher remooue them from the number of those that should be hearers for that which is wanting to nature we may supplie by our diligence and studie so as prouocations and ill motions may be restrained and kept vnder Neither to the obtaining of vertues is it required that we should altogither put off those ingraffed euils onelie it is required of vs that as much as in vs lieth wée should indeuour our selues to the weakening of them which if by diligence and exercise we shall performe the possession of vertues shall not be hindered which bicause we are neuer able to challenge vnlesse there come an experience of things which is necessarie and vnlesse there be a helpe of the weaknes of reason wherewith incontinent men are troubled therefore dooth Aristotle in a maner reiect those hearers and thought that of these there should be no mention made And he himselfe vnto that which Galen obiected Why vertues are to be praised and vices to be dispraised would haue answered somwhat otherwise as touching praise and dispraise For he would haue said that the louers of vertues are therefore praised not bicause they are led therevnto by the force of nature but bicause they haue striuen against the ill inclination thereof and in that fight haue had an excellent victorie and on the other side that the wicked are dispraised bicause they being ouercome and made weake by the power of naturall violence are thereby drawne to suffer shamefull things 5 Neither was Galen against this opinion though at the first sight he may séeme to mislike the same For in his little booke which treateth of the knowing curing the affects of the mind he testifieth that No man ought to be discouraged from the indeuour of making himselfe better yea although he were thrée score yéeres of age And moreouer he saith We must indeuor to become better although we cannot attaine to perfection that If anie man certeinlie knowe that he could neuer obtaine wisedome yet should he at the leastwise indeuour this to wit that he haue not a mind vtterlie deformed as the bodie of Thersites was to be cured although otherwise it were most ill fauored But and if it happen that we be not able with excellent and most wise men to occupie the first places yet this neuertheles must we indeuour that we may be receiued into the second third or fourth places And he aduiseth vs by what meanes and by what reason this may be doone saieng that by reason and by earnest exercise whosoeuer will may obtaine it And to incourage mens minds he saith Thou labourest verie much to become a Grammarian and refusest no paines to become
therefore haue perished with others and by that meanes sorrowe had béene added vnto a righteous father which thing God would not if they had béene good and they also had begotten others and perhaps Noah himselfe others also all which if God would haue saued for Noahs sake the arke should haue béen made much bigger Whereby Noah had béene more wearied in the building of it than reason would This séemeth to be a pleasant deuise But as I haue said before it shall appeare sufficientlie to a christian man that either these were not the first among his children or else that children were denied him so long as it pleased the Lord. Neither is it méet to cleaue vnto fables so curiouslie inuented But what shall we saie as concerning the great number of yéeres wherein they are said to haue liued Shall we be so hardie to affirme that those were not so long as these yéeres of ours but that they were of two or thrée moneths long And Plinie séemeth to report in the 7. booke of his naturall historie that diuers countries made their computation of yéeres otherwise than we doo and that thereby it came to passe that some may séeme to haue liued longer than the common course This cannot possiblie be prooued by this argument bicause in the description of the arke and of the floud Gen. 7 12. there is mention made of the second and tenth moneth wherefore the same maner of yéeres was then that are now Gen. 8 5. An addition Yea and by the whole course of the historie ye may plainelie perceiue that the full number of daies and moneths which we vse in our age or at the least wise within verie few more or lesse were compleated at that time For in the 17. daie of the second moneth at what time as the fountaines of the great deepe did breake vp Noah entered into the arke The 17. daie of the second moneth the arke rested vpon the tops of Armenia In the first daie of the tenth moneth the tops of the mountaines were seene then followed fortie daies before Noah opened the windowe of the arke wherevnto adde 14. daies more which were spent in sending foorth of the dooue Which being in all 54. daies or two moneths make vp the ful number of twelue moneths the very same reckoning which we at this daie obserue So we haue it sufficientlie prooued that seeing as well the yeres as moneths of old time were the verie same that ours be or little differing the time of their life in those daies was no les than the scriptures declare ¶ Looke the propositions out of the fourth chapter of Gen. at the end of this booke Of Giants In Iud. 1. verse 10. 32 Now séeing that in the holie scriptures there is mention made oftentimes of giants Looke in Gen. 6 4. it shall not be vnprofitable if we speake somewhat of them First we must vnderstand By how manie names the giants are called in the holie scriptures What signifieth Hanak that they be called by diuers names in the scriptures as Rephaim Nephilim Emim and Hanakim The Hebrue verbe Hanak is to inuiron or compasse about and from thence is deriued the nowne Hanak and in the plurall number it is both the masculine and feminine gender and signifieth a chaine and it is transferred vnto notable famous men as if thou shouldest saie Knight and chainemen But they were called Emim by reason of a terror which they brought vpon others with their looke They were called Zamzumim of wickednes for they hauing confidence in their owne power and strength contemned both lawes iustice and honestie and they alwaies wrought wickednesse For doubtles the hebrue word Zimma signifieth wickednes or mischéefe Also they were named Rephaim bicause men méeting with them became in a maner astonished for that word otherwhile signifieth dead men Finallie they be called Nephilim as one may say oppressors of the verbe Naphal which is To fall or to rush vpon bicause they did violentlie run vpon all men Som thought that they were sometime called Gibborim but bicause we vse to refer that word vnto power and Gibborim are properlie called strong men therfore I would not put it among these Further What time giants began to be Augustine if thou wilt demand when giants began to be to follow the opinion of Augustine in the 16. booke De ciuitate Dei the 23. chapter we may saie that they were before the floud Wherein we beléeue him bicause he prooueth it by the testimonie of the holie scriptures for we haue it in the sixt of Genesis Gen. 6 4. that in those daies there were giants vpon the earth whose stocke although it were preserued after the floud yet he thinketh that it was not in anie great number 33 Besides this Whether giants were begotten by men there is a doubt as touching procreation and parents For some thinke that they were not begotten of men but that angels or spirits were their parents and this they saie is speciallie confirmed by that which is written in the booke of Genesis Gen. 6 1. The sonnes of God seeing the daughters of men that they were faire tooke them to wiues and of them were borne most mightie men or giants Of this fall of angels bicause they were conuersant with women manie of the ancient fathers are of one mind and among the rest Lactantius in the second booke the 15. chapter Lactantius For as we read there he thought that God feared least that sathan to whom he had granted dominion of the world would vtterlie haue destroied mankind and therefore he gaue vnto mankind angels for tutors by whose industrie and care they might be defended But they being as well prouoked by the craft of sathan as allured by the beautie of faire women cōmitted vncleannes with them wherefore he saith that both they were cast from their dignitie and were made souldiers of the diuell This indéed did Lactantius thinke yet he said not that through those méetings of the angels with women were borne giants but earthlie Daemons or spirits which walke about the earth to our great harme Eusebius Caesariensis Eusebius Caesariensis in his fift booke De praeparatione euangelica is in a maner of the same opinion For he saith also that the angels which fell begat of women whom they lewdlie loued those Daemons or spirits which afterward in sundrie wise brought great troubles to the world And to the verie same sort he referreth all those which the poets and historiographers taught to be gods whose battels contentions lusts sundrie and great tumults they haue mentioned either in verse or in prose Augustine But Augustine De ciuitate Dei the 15. booke and 23. chapter thinketh not that the opinion of these ancient fathers can be gathered out of that place of Genesis For he saith that such as be there called The sonnes of God were verie men Men of the stocke of Seth were
vnproperlie according to the common prouerbe A straieng toong telleth truth He was the child of death for they were capitall faults which he had committed and he should restore eight fold that is he should paie much Trulie it séemeth verie hard to punish theft with death The lawe in some case staieth a theefe Exod. 22 2. Neuerthelesse we must consider that in that lawe of Exodus this was ordeined that if a théefe had come armed in the night with intent to steale anie thing awaie it should be lawfull to kill him and that without danger In this case when it is said that the rich man dooth take awaie from the poore man his one onlie lambe there séemeth to be a violence vsed and not a fraud It is no maruell therefore if the punishment be augmented and he iudged woorthie of death Foure fold restitution And as for the restoring of foure fold we haue not onelie a lawe but also the example of Zachaeus Luke 19 8. in the 19. of Luke If I haue taken ought from anie man by deceit he saith to Christ I restore him foure fold Seuen fold restitution He saith not I restore him double but to shew his dutie the more he chose to himselfe the straiter punishment Againe there is a place in the sixt of the Prouerbs verse 30. where Salomon saith that A theefe which is taken shall restore seuen fold In which place it may be gathered as it séemeth that it was in the power of iudges to increase the punishment for at this time théeues did restore seuen fold Some answer that it was not there meant of anie precise number in the restitution of things taken awaie but that a théefe should be compelled to make a perfect restitution In that place he compareth the sinne of theft and adulterie togither and would shew and declare adulterie to be the greater If a théefe haue no other intent but to satisfie hunger it redoundeth not to his shame If he be taken he is compelled to yéeld againe that which he hath taken awaie If he be taken in adulterie he is punished with death Whether Dauid were punished aboue foure fold 2. Sam. 16 22. 2. Sam. 12 18. 13 28. 18 14. and 1. Kin. 2 25. Touching the restitution of foure fold it maie séeme that Dauid was punished not onelie to the proportion of foure fold but of aboue eight fold For his ten concubines were defiled by Absalom And although himselfe was not slaine yet was he reserued to great afflictions For foure of his sonnes were consumed first he whom he had by Bethsaba then Amnon afterward Absalom lastlie Adonias 3 The crime of stealing awaie of seruants In Gen. 37 verse 25. The crime of stealing awaie of seruants punished by death Deut. 24 7. Exo. 21 16. Gen. 37 28. Matt. 27 5. or children and selling of them was by the ciuill lawe punished with death as it is in the 48. booke of the Digests and in Deuteronomie the 24. chapter The punishment which God appointed for the same doth yet declare the grieuousnes of the crime For this fault the Hebrues confesse that they were manie yeares togither vexed by Pharao in Aegypt Assuredlie the selling of Christ draue Iudas to hang himselfe and in the end wrought confusion both to those that bought him and to the whole kingdome In the booke Zahor wherein be praiers which the Iewes repeat in the daie of Purification when they fast for the satisfaction of their sinnes there is mention made of ten Rabbins of great name the which were slaine by Caesar Adrianus For Caesar demanded of them what punishment their lawe tooke of such as should be found guiltie of stealing frée men awaie and selling them Who wiselie answered out of Deuteronomie 24 7. that they were woorthie of death Wherevpon the Emperor put them to death laieng to their charge that they were guiltie of this crime But what frée man it was that he charged them to haue sold it is not there expressed Yet in their Thalmud to the end to slander Christ when they make a declaration of this fact they saie it was Ioseph And least they should séeme to speake against all reason or likeliehood that after so manie ages these men should be punished for a wickednesse so long before committed they speake more absurdlie that soules remooue from one to another and therefore that the soules of the ten brethren of Ioseph did remooue into these ten Rabbins and that for this cause they were punished after such a manner Of well dooing and Hospitalitie 4 There is a notable place in the first to the In 1. Cor. 16. verse 4. Corinthians The communitie of things among the Anabaptists is confited Looke in the booke De votis pag. 79. put foorth at Basil the 16. chapter wherein we be taught beneficence and liberalitie By the which and by such like the Anabaptists which declare that among christians all things ought to be common be confuted For if their opinion were true there had béene no néed to exhort the faithfull to distribute almes vnto the poore for euerie one might take from whom he would But forsomuch as the holie scriptures commend almes vnto vs they shew plainlie that euerie one is a possessor of his owne goods although he be bound to communicate with his néedie neighbour of the fruit and profit which commeth of the same We sée also in the same place that the church of Corinth resisted not Paule in saieng What tellest thou vs of the Ierosolomits Haue not we poore people of our owne with vs whom we ought to find and reléeue Suffer vs to distribute our owne goods among our owne poore But when they had heard Paule determine that it was not inough that euerie church should find their owne poore but is also bound to reléeue the brethren of other churches if their abilitie serue they were readie to giue their consent Charitie must be doone in order yet not to be too strait laced For although that charitie ought to be doone in due order yet must it not be so strait laced as it should haue respect onelie vnto them that be hir owne In déed we ought to begin with such as be our owne but we are not there to make a staie Furthermore in distributing of almes there must be a consideration had of the honestie of those that be in néed Wherefore Paule said vnto the Galathians Gal. 6 10. Let vs doo well vnto all men especiallie vnto those which be of the houshold of faith Besides this there must be a speciall consideration had of them touching whom the word of GOD hath giuen expresse commandement as are the father the mother the wife the children and the ministers of the church Thirdlie necessitie must be regarded for otherwise there happen cases sometimes wherein our helpe cannot be deferred with a safe conscience in which time both father mother and the rest vnto whom we are
of GOD brought into the arke more cleane beasts than vncleane To conclude after the comming of Christ the ancient libertie and choise of meats which the lawe had forbidden was restored wherefore it ought not vnder colour of religion to be restored againe by the popish bishops or by the church Yet doo not those things which we haue alleaged limit either Magistrates or publike authoritie but that they may sometimes appoint a choise of meats vpon iust consideration ¶ Touching apparell of the Ministers of the church looke in the 34. 36. 38. 39. 40. epistles in the end of this booke The sixt Chapter Of vowes in generall also of the vow of the Nazarites of Ieptha and of the Rechabits AFter these things let vs saie somwhat concerning a vow The Gréeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Gen. 28. the Latine Votum doo not signifie one thing but two The signification of this name namelie The praiers and desire wherwith we be inflamed when we praie for anie thing or vse the verie things that be desired Further it betokeneth a promise of offering something vnto GOD. And this ambiguitie of these words in ech toong hath not happened by chance or without consideration as soone after shall be shewed The Hebrues call a vow Neder Whence the custome of vowing did arise But hereof grew the custome of making a vow that this was setled almost in the minds of all men that if at anie time they did praie earnestlie vnto God for anie thing to be giuen them they in like maner promise to offer something vnto him againe For by such maner of meanes their minds doo séeme to be woonne one to another namelie by gifts bicause those things not onelie helpe them to whom they are giuen but doo also honour them For they be giuen as a testimonie of vertue and excellencie in which second respects sake they maie be offered vnto God that he maie thereby be honoured of vs. Aristotle in his Rhethoriks said that Gifts doo no lesse satisfie the ambitious than they doo the couetous for they desire them thereby to be enriched and these to be honoured Wherefore euen the Lord who speciallie requireth of vs to be worshipped said in the lawe that men should not come emptie handed vnto him forsomuch as he iudged it vnwoorthie if his people should appeare emptie before him This selfe-same was a custome among the Romans so that it is read almost euerie where what the Curtij and the Decij vowed for obteinement of victorie Among the Gréeks also there were vowes oftentimes vsed Yea and we read in Platoes booke intituled Phaedon that as yet in the time of Socrates they vsed to performe a vow of sending a ship well rigged euerie yéere vnto Delos with gifts and sacrifices and that by a vow which Theseus had bound himselfe vnto when he went into the isle of Candie to slaie the monster Minotaurus How vsuall this also was among the Hebrues it is no néed to recite So that in praieng and desiring anie-thing of God men were woont to vow some thing vnto God least they might séeme to be vndutifull towards him 2 Now then we define a vow to be a holie promise whereby we bind our selues to offer some thing vnto God A vow is alwaies ioined with praiers And a vow as we haue said hath alwaies some praiers ioined therewith for obteining at the leastwise of somewhat at the hands of God Wherefore that ambiguitie of the word happened not without cause in the Hebrue and Latine toongs for séeing these things be so ioined togither it might easilie come to passe that the word which signifieth one thing maie sometime be referred to another And hereby we maie perceiue that the knowledge of both these as well of offering as also of demanding anie thing of God is necessarie for vs which professe godlinesse But let vs returne vnto the definition wherein the generall word is Holie for it is called A holie promise Wherof it coms that as touching the calling of it holie we are in few words to saie that it belongeth vnto iustice For whatsoeuer is holie is also iust but not contrarie for iustice is that Whatsoeuer is holie is iust but not contrarie whereby we yéeld to euerie man his owne and they to whom these things be yéelded are either God or men That facultie then whereby we yéeld vnto all men their owne is called iustice and kéepeth the name of the generall word but when we yéeld vnto God due obedience now is this after the iudgement of Plato in his booke called Euthyphron to be referred vnto holinesse And a man may plainlie sée that euen in the holie scriptures those things which be offred dedicated vnto God are called holie and that which ought to be yéelded vnto God by vs is obedience and that is of two sorts One is profitable vnto him to whom it is offered Two sorts of obedience but after this maner we can giue God nothing séeing by these things he is made nothing the greater nor dooth increase in anie respect Psal 16 2. Thou art my God saith the prophet for thou hast no need of my goods And in the Gospell of Luke Luk. 17 10. When we haue doone all vnto him we are vnprofitable seruants Another kind of obedience there is which apperteineth vnto reuerence euen as seruants honour their maisters But this seruice and obedience towards God herein consisteth that we shew our selues readie and diligent towards GOD in the executing of that worke and function which God both vouchsafeth and desireth to worke by vs. And this is the sanctifieng of his name the which God can sufficientlie performe by himselfe but he vseth vs to our owne commoditie and singular profit 3 But that we maie knowe what maner of things must be offered vnto GOD What things must be offered vnto God and that therein we offend as little as maie be we must take a speciall héed And first commeth to my remembrance Augustine vpon the Psalme Be mercifull vnto me ô God Psal 56 2. for man hath troden me downe He expounding that particle in the 12. verse in Hebrue A lai nedar eca that is In me or vpon me are thy vowes thus saith A man must first offer himselfe vnto GOD. Which maie chéefelie be confirmed by that reason which the Lord vsed in persuading to giue tribute vnto Caesar Matt. 22 20. and .21 For saith he it hath his image and superscription wherefore we being made according to the image of God it is méete that we should be giuen vnto him And Paule sundrie times exhorteth vs when he saith I beseech you Rom. 12 1. for the mercie of God that ye will giue your selues c. And the same apostle in the sixt chapter of that epistle Rom. 6 19. As you haue giuen your members seruants to vncleannes and from one iniquitie to another c. And in the same epistle
him so greatlie were they disquieted with his miserie Wherefore before they talked with him their mind was by fasting and praier to desire God to asswage that great miserie of his So Dauid when Abner was slaine 1. Sam. 3 32. did not onelie moorne at his buriall but also sware that he would that daie eate no meate till the sunne set The selfe-same did he 2. Sa. 12 16. when he was reprooued by Nathan the prophet and when he had receiued tidings of the sicknes of the child vndoubtedlie he neuer tooke meat all the while that the child was in that case verse 4. Nehemias in the 2. chapter when he heard of the afflictions of the Hebrues which remained in Ierusalem afflicted himselfe with fasting and praied vnto the Lord. Dan. 9 2. Also Daniel when he had read those things which Ieremie wrot of the captiuitie of 70. yeares confessed both his owne sinnes and the sinnes of the people also he wept and fasted Wherefore priuate fasting ought to be taken in hand not onelie for our selues but for others also How publike fasting is proclaimed 9 But publike fasting is two maner of waies commanded either of GOD himselfe by the lawe or of the magistrate or else by the bishop or by the prophet And this is to sanctifie a fast whereof we sometime read in the holie scriptures What is to sanctifie a fast Of this kind there be manie examples namelie that fast which the children of Israel laid vpon themselues In the first booke of Samuel 1. Sam. 7 4. and 6. when the Philistines gréeuouslie afflicted the Iewes the whole people at the exhortation of Samuel assembled at Mizpah they wept fasted 2. Sam. 1 11 and threw awaie their idols Dauid also with all his fasted when he heard of the ouerthrowe of the people and of the death of Saule And the men of Iabes Gilead tooke the carcases of Saule and Ionathas 1. Sa. 13 13. and wept and also fasted That likewise was a publike fast which Iosaphat commanded in the 2. 2. Par. 20 3. booke of Chronicles the 20. chapter Hâ—ster 4 16 Quéene Hester being in extreme danger commanded by Mardochaeus that a publike fast should be proclaimed The Israelites in their captiuitie as it is written in the 7. chapter of Zacharie verse 5. had a fast both in the 5. moneth and in the 7. 2. Kin. 25 8. moneth bicause in the 5. moneth the sacking of the citie and desolation of the temple happened Ibidem 25. and in the 7. moneth Godolias was slaine whereby so manie miseries insued afterward 1. Kin. 21 9. That also was a publike fast which Iezabel proclaimed being otherwise a wicked woman and an hypocrite The act of this woman shewed it to be the custome that when anie great crime was committed the whole church should fast as it were putting awaie by praier the publike punishment And this fast the prophets required as Ioel when he said Ioel. 2 16. Esd 8 21. Why a publike yerelie fasting was commanded among the Hebrues Leuit. 16 23 Sanctifie ye a fast Esdras also in his 8. chapter proclaimed a fast Wherefore fasts for certeine godlie considerations were publikelie proclaimed God himselfe also commanded a publike fasting for he commanded that in euerie yere the feast Chephurim that is the feast of expiations or cleansing of sinnes should be celebrated the tenth daie of September with a publike fast For the people committed manie sins throughout the whole yéere neither did they diligentlie obserue the ceremonies Leuit. 23 27 So that once in a yéere the tabernacle was purified and a publike fast was obserued These things in the old testament signified as it were by a certeine shadowe that the sinnes of men should be abolished by Christ of whom when we take hold by a true and liuelie faith we are absolued from our sins And thereof followeth the mortification of sins and of carnall delights and pleasures Neither is this to be passed ouer The day of publike fast was a festiuall daie that the same one daie of fast was a festiuall daie for it was not lawfull in the publike fast either to worke or else for a man to be occupied about his owne busines And we were commanded to absteine onlie from our owne works not that on festiuall daies we ought to be altogither idle but that we should doo good déeds on those daies through which we may rest in God But to beléeue to praie to acknowledge sinnes to bewaile them with an earnest repentance are the works of God and therefore are not forbidden vpon festiuall daies but rather commanded 10 These things haue not onelie the Hebrues learned out of the lawes of God The Ethniks by the instinct of nature had a religious fast Ionas 3 4. but the Ethniks also by the instinct of nature For when Ionas preached to the Niniuits that their cities should be destroied within fortie daies they despaired not of the mercie of God but repented and euerie one of them euen from the king to the meanest citizen with their beasts also and cattell fasted and when they earnestlie and with a feruent zeale cried vnto the Lord they were heard Augustine Porphyrius Augustine De ciuitate Dei writeth that Porphyrius taught that Abstinence from flesh and grosse meats dooth purifie the minds of men whereby they are made the more prompt vnto diuine things and to familiaritie with spirits Plutarch also Plutarch in his little booke De Iside Osiride saith that The priests of Heliopolis vtterlie absteined from all meats which might nourish and augment the wantonnesse of the flesh and that they neuer brought wine into the temple of their god for they accounted it a villanie to drinke wine in the daie time in the sight of their god Other men in verie déed saith he vsed wine but not much and they had manie purifications without wine The same Plutarch Holie sacrifices doone with water without wine in his treatise De cohibenda tracundia saith that Among the Atheniens were certeine holie sacrifices which were onelie doone with water without wine And this is notable which is written in the same booke Empedocles that Empedocles was woont to saie that A man ought speciallie to fast from malice Titus Liuius maketh mention Titus Liuius that when as at Rome there had happened manie prodigious things which séemed to fore-shew some great euill the Decemuiri were sent to looke into the books of the Sibyls and that answer was made that they should ordeine a publike fast in the honour of Ceres which fast should also be renewed euerie fift yéere and that so the anger of the gods should by that meanes be pacified Wherefore the Ethniks being striken with the feare of the euils which hoong ouer their heads fled vnto the oracles fasted and praied the gods to turne awaie their anger But christians not onelie séeing so manie and so
or no Moses vndoubtedlie cyteth the Booke of the Iust Num. 21. 14 Iosu 10. 13. 2. Sam. 1. 18 the Booke of the warres of the Lord. And it may be that Noah Abraham Isaac and Iacob wrote those things which belonged to their times so as Moses afterward by the inspiration of Gods spirit did gather and digest those things Certainlie Iude in his Epistle did insert certaine things out of the Booke of Enoch Iude. 14. The book of Enoch Nor doeth it make anie matter if thou saie that the Booke is * Of an vncertaine author Apocryphus because that Booke perhaps was Apocryphus which was caried about after the Apostles time But those things with Iudas brought were both firme and certaine But let vs imagine that there was no wordes of God before Moses except such onelie as were giuen foorth by mouth and deliuered by handes What serueth this to the present matter For the verie same wordes when they were afterward put in writing ought to be kept and retained so as nothing in them shoulde be changed by men The church is later thā the word Séeing the Church is gathered together by the word of God the same of necessitie must be latter than it neither can the Church by her owne authoritie be against the wordes of God because the spirit of God doeth not striue with it self But that it is in word or in writing it maketh no matter for these bee accidents and not the proper and true nature thereof And therefore the word of God whether it be deliuered by worde or by writing it is inuiolable neither can it speake things contrarie 9 Ouer this Hosius is against vs Whether the Church the word of God are to be heard alike and saieth that the holie Ghost speaketh with faithfull men aswell by the Church as by handwriters who wrote the holy scriptures and thereby concludeth as he thinketh that the Church should equiualentlie be heard as the holie Scriptures But we saie that the spirit of God speaketh vnto vs both wayes yet as we are warned before things in no wise repugnant one to another Wherefore when as the same spirit deliuereth any thing by the Church that is not repugnant with the written Oracles Furthermore of the handwriters we be certaine for our forefathers which then liued did manifestlie knowe that the holie bookes were set forth by them So as there is no cause to feare that they are counterfeit Againe the spirit of God is present with the faithfull whereby they perceiue the writings of them to be diuine and not counterfeit by men But as touching the Church we stande oftentimes in doubt For the Bishops which represent the same doe not alwaies come together in the name of the Lord. The Byshops and Councels doe erre Look before cap. 4. art 10 Cyprians error And although they be godlie and holie yet are they men and haue much of the flesh whereby their mindes and affections are oftentimes troubled I doubt not but that Cyprian with his Bishops met together with a good and godlie minde yet neuerthelesse he erred as concerning the rebaptising of heretickes which shoulde returne to the Church Besides this in Councels the voyces be not weighed but numbred whereby it commeth to passe that oftentimes the greater part preuaileth aboue the lesse and the worse aboue the better So as we cannot determine that the Church is without error as the scripture is Howe the Fathers of the Synode of Nice behaued them selues Verilie in the Synode of Nice although it was rightly decréed concerning one substaunce of the Father and the sonne yet was there much séede of impietie inserted as touching satisfactions and times of repentance But how those fathers were mooued and driuen by affections thereby it is sufficiently declared in that like furies and mad men they raged one against another and with their infamous Libels and slaunders stirred vp and inflamed the good Emperour against their fellowes that it is a woonder he could abide their vntemperāce They were called together to deale about a principall point of religion and setting this aside they gaue ouer themselues onely vnto choler and stomacke The maner and error of the Ephesine Synode In the second Synode of Ephesus they not onelie erred shamefullie in doctrine but they also came to blowes so as Flauianus the Bishop of Constantinople was there spurned to death I knowe that some saie that that assemblie was not a lawfull Councell Howbeit this mooueth me but litle For I demand what might be wanting thereunto that is required vnto due and true Councels The Bishops were called together by the authoritie of the Emperour no lesse than vnto the Synode of Nice The legates of the Bishop of Rome were present and the Bishop of Alexandria sate as chiefe by his owne right The Synode of Chalcedon The Councell of Chalcedone although it iustlie condemned Eutiches yet is it reprooued by Leo the Bishop of Rome that estéeming lesse the Seate of Alexandria it gaue the second place to the Seate of Constantinople and abolished that which was decréed in the Councell of Nice which could not be done without note of inconstancie 10 But they saie that this belongeth not to the doctrine or Articles of the faith Against whom we replie by the latter Synode of Ephesus which allowed the errour of Eutiches and absolued him whom afterwarde the Councel of Chalcedone condemned and further The Synode of Cōstantinople that the Synode of Constantinople the which was helde vnder Leo the Emperour tooke awaie images Againe that the seuenth Councell which was gathered together vnder Irene allowed aswell of Images as of the worshipping of them Séeing these Councels varie and be contrarie in the chiefe points of faith who shall giue iudgement of them Certainly none but the word of God according whereunto it behooueth that the answers of the Church or Councels be examined The church otherwhile doeth erre if we speake of that Church which is visible and sitteth in Councels Mat. 24. 24 The Lorde saieth that the false Christes and false Apostles shall so preuaile as the verie elect if it were possible should be deceaued Dan. 8. 9. 11. 36. Daniel also testified that Antichrist should sit in the verie Temple of God that is among them which are named the Church Let vs consider the méetings of the olde Church and we shall perceiue that they went so farre astray that amongst them Ieremie the Prophet was ouerthrowen Ierem. 26. 1. Kings 22. 24. and Micheas who was beaten when the 400. Prophetes were come together before the kings Achab and Iosaphat Iohn 9. 22 Finallie Christ and his Apostles were condemned by the Councell of the Iewes yea Nazianzene said he neuer sawe good end of the bishops Councels Whether the Church can erre and Nazianzene to returne to our owne Councels in a certaine Epistle of his said that he neuer sawe good ende of
ouerthrowe heretikes I on the other part say that vnlesse wee vse figures as it appeareth in those things which we haue cited a little before the Heretickes haue the ouer hand For they also will vrge the proper sense that sense I meane which straightwaie offereth it selfe Onely this remaineth to shewe that such a phrase and figuratiue spéeche is verie often in the holy scriptures Such figuratiue speeches as this are most familiar in the scriptures Luke 8. 11. and this will easilie be doone Wee reade that The seede is the word of God The rocke was Christ Albeit I knowe some doe cauill 1. Cor. 10. 4 and woulde no figure to be héere also because Paul tended his spéeche vnto the spirituall rocke which they say is Christ verilie and not figuratiuelie Howbeit Augustine and Origen bee on our side who plainely say that the same outward Rocke signified Christ But least we might séeme to shift off that which is obiected wée say that if they will vnderstand The spirituall Rocke let them also in this place vnderstand spirituall and allegoricall bread and as touching the same wee shall truely and without figure confesse it to be Christ Moreouer the Lord said I haue chosen you twelue and one of you is a Diuell Iohn 6. 70. yet was not Iudas therefore transubstantiated into a diuell Of Circumcision it is written My Couenant shall be in your flesh Ioh. 17. 13. whereas the Circumcision is not the couenant but onely a signe of the Couenant Verse 20. In the 33. Chapter of Genesis it is shewed that Iacob builded an Aultar which he called the mightie God of Israel Exo. 17. 15. And Moses in Exodus after the victorie against Amaleck called the Aultar which he builded Iehouahnesi Ier. 23. 6. God my banner and Ieremie maketh mention of a Citie that was called Iehouah Zidkenu God our righteousnesse because these shoulde bee Monuments of those things which they expressed in names Iohn 5. 35. Of Iohn Baptist it is written that he was a burning and a shining Candle also Mat. 17. 12 he is Helias if ye will receiue him Christ saieth of himselfe Iohn 15. 1. I am the vine and ye bee the branches Iohn 10. 7. 1. Pet. 2. 6. I am the doore Of himselfe also it is written that Hee is a stone set for a ruine and resurrection Deu. 12. 23. In Deuteronomie The bloud is the life Whereas it is that wherewith the life is preserued and signified Gen. 37. 37 Of Ioseph his brother Iudas saide Let him not be slaine he is our flesh By which phrase of spéech was signified the naturall coniunction of kindred 1. Co. 10. 17 Paul saieth That manie be one bread which we must vnderstand figuratiuelie And Christ breathed vpon his Disciples and saide Ioh. 20. 22. Receiue ye the holie Ghost Yet is not the breathing transubstantiated into the holie Ghost In Genesis Gen. 6. 3. My spirit shall not abide in man because he is flesh And in Iohn The word became flesh Iohn 1. 14. wherein is the figure Synecdoche for the whole man is vnderstoode vnder the name of flesh And the Lorde vppon the Crosse saide Woman behold thy sonne Ioh. 19. 26. and to the Disciple Behold thy mother yet were they not transubstantiated they remained the same that they were before but there was appointed a new order a new relation and respect to be had betwéene them Of Christ it is said That he is our peace Ephe. 2. 14. whereas he is onlie the cause of our peace Againe Iohn 6. 62. My words be spirit and life whereas they only signified or brought these things vnto the beléeuers Iohn 1. 29. Iohn said of Christ Behold the lamb of God yet was not his nature changed into the nature of a Lambe 36 We reade euerie where in the holie scriptures Psal 19. 10. Psal 105. 5. 118. v. 13 that the wordes of the Lorde are iudgement trueth righteousnesse whereas these things be therein onely signified and expressed And this similitude doeth excellently well agrée with the sacraments which are said to be visible wordes Wee haue in the Apocalips I am Alpha and Omega that is Apoc. 1. ◠the beginning and ende of all things And Paul saieth of his Gospell which he preached It is the power of God to saluation vnto euerie one that beleeueth Rom. 1. 16 whereas it is onelie the instrument whereby the power of God declareth it selfe vnto men that shall be saued And as touching the Gospell of the crosse he saieth 1. Cor. 1. 21. That vnto the vngodly it is foolishnesse that is it signifieth a foolish thing vnto that kinde of men But he addeth Ibid. 24. That vnto the godlie it is the power and wisedome of God because it representeth these things vnto them And as touching the lawe it is said Deu. 30. 15 that He set before the Hebrewes life death blessing and cursing that is by signification of the lawe by the promises threatenings which were expressed in the same In the Booke of Genesis the vij Gen. 41. 26 kine and the vij eares of corne are saide to bee the vij yeares 1. Kings 11. 31. and this was as touching the signification Ahia the Prophet of Silo gaue vnto Ieroboam ten péeces of his torne mantell said that he gaue him the kingdome of the x. Tribes Ver. 10. In the first Epistle to the Corinthians the xj Chapter Paul wrote that the woman ought to haue on her head power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a couer whereby the power of the husband is signified And in the second Epistle to the Corinthians it is written 2. Cor. 5. 21 That God made Christ to bee sinne namely as touching the similitude and representation of the flesh Leuit. 7. v. 2. 7. 37. Osee 4. 8. Yea and the sacrifice which was offered for sinnes is called sinne And the Priests were saide to eate the sinnes of the people that is the sacrifices which were offered for the sinnes of the people In Ezechiel it is written Eze. 36. 25 I will poure vpon you pure water and by water he signifieth the holy Ghost The verie which thing we reade of Christ when he saieth Iohn 4. 14. He that shall drinke of this water and the rest that followeth where the Euangelist calleth to minde that he spake of the spirit which they were to receiue Exo. 12. 27. Of the Lambe we read that it was called the Passeouer although some indeuour to denie it But in the Hebrewe it is Zebah pesah hu The sacrifice is the Passouer By sacrifice cannot otherwise be vnderstoode but eyther the beast slaine for sacrifice or else the same action of offering the slaine beast Euen so we haue the bodie of Christ expressed both in the bread and in the wine and in the action aswell of eating as of
Howbeit Augustine desireth not that they should be wholy forgiuen but onelie that their bloud might not be shed Yet howsoeuer it were The example of Augustine the example of Augustine ought not to preiudice anie mans opinion sith we liue by lawes not by examples At this day if a man had killed a Minister or doone a robbery who would intreate for him But there was a refuge vnto the churches for such as were guiltie Admit it were so and we also doe not take away sanctuaries for God permitted them For if the cause be obscure they may better be there than in prison while the same be knowen Neuerthelesse the cause being manifest God himselfe commaunded that the wicked man should be taken from the verie altar and be slayne These be the thinges which mooue me to thinke that it is not lawfull for a prince to forgiue the punishment of offenders And assuredlie the wise men haue alwayes held that commonweale to be well ordered where verie few thinges are left to the power of the Iudges But fewe such thinges had the Commonwealth of the Israelites Yet had it some That which was defined by the lawes Deut. 13. 8. was in no wise to be remitted Let not thine eye saith God spare thine owne wife that sleepeth in thy bosome What is the office of a king in promotion of godlynesse looke the Epistles 18. and 36. at the end of this booke Of Executioners or Hangmen In Iud. 8. ver 10. Why Gideon stirred vp his son to kill the enemies 30 Moreouer Gideon did for this cause perhappes driue his sonne to slay the kings that he might inflame his heart from tender yeares against the enemies of Gods people as it is written of Hanniball who from a childe vowed himselfe against the Romans Or else he did it to learn him from his youth to obay the lawe of God Deut. 19. 17 wherein was commanded that the bloud of the next of the kin being shed should be reuenged But might not this haue bin committed to an executioner Why would he so vrge his sonne To this we may aunswere two wayes First that in the olde time it was not dishonourable to slay the guiltie The Hebrewes had no executioners Further that it cannot be perceiued that the auncient Hebrewes had executioners And that this for a certaintie was no office among the Hebrewes that which is writtē in the lawe testifieth namelie that a blasphemour being taken Deut. 13 9. 17. 7. was so stoned to death as the hand of the witnesses did throwe the first stone at him neither was putting to death committed to anie particular executioner And there are manie examples which testifie that it was not ignominious to slaie the guiltie 1. Sam. 22. ver 17. Saul when he would haue the priestes slayne did not call executioners to doe it but turned to the noble men which were with him and commaunded them to assaile the Priestes Who reuerencing their Ministerie and dignite durst not obay Onelie Doeg the Edomite was bolde to execute so horrible an acte who was not of the least estimation with the king 1. Sa. 15. 33. Also Samuel with his owne hand slewe king Agag the prisoner In like manner Ioab when he had caught hold of the horne of the Altar 1. Kings 2. 34. was slaine of Banaia the chiefe captaine of the hoste Wherefore it séemeth that the Hebrewes in those auncient times had no executioners But as much as may be gathered by the Historie of the Ethnickes the officers of punishmentes called Lictores Plutarch beganne at Rome vnder Romulus who as Plutarch writeth in the life of Romulus were called so either of Ligando that is of binding or else because the Gretians called them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that they executed a publike office Romulus gaue them roddes bound together to carrie and with them was ioyned an Axe They had also cordes therewith to binde the Citizens who being bound they might either beate them with roddes or strike them with the Axe But the men of more auncient time wanted this office euerie man executed the same according as it was commanded of the Magistrate without anie infamie vnto him And in verie déede that worke of punishing malefactors hath in it no dishonestie or vncomelinesse For if it be honest for a Iudge or Prince to giue sentence of death against euill doers why then shall it not be iust and honest to execute the same sentence Yea and God himselfe in punishing vseth not onelie euill spirites but good spirites 31 But thou wilt say Why the officers of execution haue commonlie ill report why are officers of punishment and executioners commonlie so euill spoken of First because the common people are greatlie afraid of them Neither would anie man be punished for his wicked factes Hereby it commeth that the sight of the Executioner driueth a certaine horror into them And that the people were so affected the maner of the publike weale of Rome declareth where when ambitious men flattered the people more than was méete they banished the executioner from the iudgement place from the sight of men and from the chiefe house in Rome as euen the Oration of Cicero for Rabirius dooth testifie The Citizens of Rome were not put to death for any crime The Citizens of Rome were not beaten with roddes nor put to death Their extremest punishment was banishment They were caried into Ilandes and at the length condemned to the Mines But the latter Roman lawes which are in the Digests did quite disanull this exemption For in verie deede it was vniust For a fault woorthie of death ought not to be winked at whatsoeuer Citizen of Rome were Author of it And there were two principall lawes whereby the back and the head of the Citizens were prouided for The Lawe Portia and Sempronia Acts. 22. 25 I meane the lawe Portia and Sempronia whose power and protection Paul as we haue it in the Actes vsed and by that meanes escaped both roddes and bondes This is one cause why the officers of punishment and executioners are so odious 32 An other cause hereof is the papisticall opinion of irregularitie The irregularitie of the Canonists which as the Canonistes will haue it is gathered of euerie manslaughter These men thinke that a man cannot so iustlie kill anie man but that the same will let him from being promoted to the holy Ministerie whereas neuerthelesse the Inquisitors of heretical leawdnesse as they call it doe dailie cause an infinite number and those innocentes to be killed The Popes Legates also in gouerning of Cities and prouinces and making of warres although they be Cardinals and Byshops doe still continuallie cause bloud to be shed But in the meane time with great hypocrisie they prouide that the sentence be giuen by a lay Iudge as they call him and so they wrappe themselues out of that irregularitie
Adrastus is recited Adrastus who to be purged came vnto Craesus And Eustacius an interpretour of Homer teacheth that those purgings were vsed to be ministred with bloud So that to goe from one countrie to another for purging sake is reckoned among voluntarie exiles Orestes Howbeit Orestes who willingly and wittingly killed his mother came for purging sake to the lesse Tartaria Yea and Liuie in his first Booke writeth that Horace when he was returned a vanquisher and had slaine Horatia his sister was absolued of the slaughter but was commaunded to depart into another Countrie that he might make satisfaction for the murther And in the holie scriptures he that had committed a slaughter vnwittingly and vnwillingly retyred himselfe vnto a Citie of refuge What maner of punishments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were But Plato in his 9. Booke of Lawes ordained that they which willingly had slaine a man should be banished for euer and such punishment he called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but they which vnwittingly and vnwillingly had cōmitted slaughter shoulde be banished for the space of one yéere A voluntarie Exile of a man accused 4 Also there was another kind of voluntarie exile as when a man was sued to condemnation and before that the Action was commenced it was lawfull for the partie accused to flie because he woulde not abide iudgement as he that dispaired to be quit After that sort fled Verres as testifieth Asconius Poedianus So likewise fled Cicero himselfe when he sawe that he shoulde be inferiour to Clodius his accuser And in the Oration for Cluentius it is shewed that one Fabritius when he was risen from the bench went his waie Liuie also writeth in his second Decade the 6. Booke that one Fuluius before the day came for the chusing of officers went his wayes vnto the Tarquinij And in the 3. Booke Ab vrbe condita he writeth that the fellow officers of Claudius Appius went to dwell in another Countrie Wherefore it was lawfull for them which woulde when sute of lawe was or should be commenced against them to depart into exile The Romanes as touching this matter did imitate the Gréekes For Demosthenes as it is in his Oration against Aristocrates teacheth that this was lawfull Yet canst thou not iudge but that it might be that they coulde let it Some such thing as this Dauid in the holie histories séemes to haue doone when he fled not onely into desert places but also vnto Achis King of the Philistians 1. Sa. 21. 10. Also Absolon when he had slaine his brother 2. kings 13. 7. fled into Gessur Likewise Ieroboam when he sawe that he incurred the crime of Treason departed away Howbeit in these things there was somewhat otherwise than was in the institution of the Roman lawes 2. kings 11. 40. The difference betweene the Israelite Romane Exile For the Israelites being once spoken of fled only because they stoode in the feare of themselues when as yet they were not summoned to appeare but the others namely the Gréekes and Romanes had it graunted them by lawes that they might depart away when the sute was commenced An other kinde of voluntarie Exile 5 There was yet another kinde of voluntarie exile as when they had stoode to the triall of lawe and abidden iudgement yet woulde not paie the penaltie awarded whether it were money or some other thing else they might flie awaie But some demaund whether it were more grieuous to preuent iudgement by flying awaie or else to flie after iudgement was now giuen And the first in déede is thought of many to haue bin a lesse matter because they should séeme to depart away of their owne accord whē as others were in a manner cast forth Againe because the former which expected not iudgement did by flying into another Countrie after a sort retaine their dignitie and degrée And this is gathered by the Oration of Cicero for his house Also it is to be noted that when sentence was pronounced against any man of things touching life and death so that he was let from the vse of fire and water that was doone otherwhile for a time and otherwhile for euer And sometime such banished men were forbidden to haue accesse to certaine places and an otherwhile was appointed them a certaine space howe farre they should be distant from the Citie And for the most part there was no certaine place of banishment limited but it was left frée vnto the exiled men that they might be wheresoeuer they would so they kept the limites of distance from the Citie or from Italie Hereupon as we noted before out of Liuie Fuluius went to the Tarquinij and Milo to Massilia In this state the thing was when the Romane libertie stoode Vnder the Emperours the lawe was made more straite What maner of Exiles were vnder the Romane Emperors Thrée sorts of Exile as it is in the Title De Interdictis relegatis in the lawe Exilium Marcellus maketh thrée sortes of Exile The first if one or two places be forbidden as if a banished man should vtterly refraine from Mutina or Bononia What banishment was Lata Fuga The seconde he calleth Latam fugam namely when as all places besides one were forbidden To this kinde of exile belonged the banishment of Abiathar and Semei The thirde kinde he nameth Deportatio Exiled men of the first kinde were called Interdicti that is prohibited but the others Relegati that is sent awaie Plutarche in his Booke of Exile maketh mention of the first kinde while he comforteth a friend because he is excluded but from one Citie alone And this kinde of Exile is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wheras Relegatio is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therfore Dionysius in a certain Epistle of his to Iohn the Apostle reprooued some which thought they coulde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Banishe the sunne of the Gospell Vnder which saying he called Iohn the Euangelist the sunne of the Gospell The Exile which they called Deportatio What maner of Exile deportatio was was a certaine grieuous punishment For the guiltie were deliuered to publike seruants and being put into a ship were sent away farre off vnto desert places Wherefore Terence in the Comedie Phormio saith that that wicked fellow should by common consent be banished into desert landes They that were thus banished or carried awaie were cast from the Citie neither coulde they make a Testament or obtaine any thing for themselues Men banished vnto Mynes Otherwhile men were banished vnto the Mynes that is to doe a publike worke There was also another Exile when a man was commaunded to kéepe his house Banishmēt home to a mans house to whom at that time the house was in stead of a prison Briefely what time as the libertie fell banishments were imposed by the sentences of Iudges Therefore Ierom in his 2. Apologie against Ruffinus writeth that in his dayes were no
he to be beleeued it is vncertaine They promise thou wilt saie that their Hoste shall doe no harme but if they stand not to their promises then will the lande be in their possession Vndoubtedly Iulius Caesar woulde not permit the Heluetians to passe through his prouince although they promised that they would passe without doing iniurie or harme But I say that the warre which the Israelites made against Sehon was iust The Israelites made iust warre against Sehon yet not therefore because he denied them leaue to passe through his Countrie but because he came with his hoste out of his owne borders and willingly offered wrong vnto the Israelites For euerie man ought to defende both himselfe and his against violence That which Augustine bringeth hath some shewe yet his reason is not firme For howe coulde Sehon knowe certainely whether the Israelites would doe him harme or no especially they being so manie in number For there were sixe hundreth thréescore and sixe thousand armed souldiers and well appointed to the battell He might perhaps haue permitted them to haue passed and that safelie although not all of them together but by bandes But séeing the first reason before alleaged is sufficient we néede not much to labour about excusing of Augustine Augustine What must be taken héede of in iust wars 7 The same Augustine in the 105. Epistle vnto Boniface In the making of iust warre saith he many thinges must be taken héede of For it is not sufficient that the warre be iust vnlesse also the warre be iustlie handled Wherefore he admonisheth his Earle WheÌ„ saith he thou puttest on thine armour remember that thy strength is the gift of God and determine with thy selfe not to abuse that gift against God Yea rather doe this Fight for his lawes and name let promises be kept euen with enemies but much more with friendes for whome thou makest warre By which wordes he blameth those souldiers which are more grieuous in Cities than be the verie enemies Of which sort we sée in our dayes a great manie more than we would which being in their Garisons good Lord how doe they handle the Citizens and men of the countrie How shamefull abhominable thinges doe they commit He addeth also a third Caution Consider with thy selfe that warre must be made vppon a necessitie Wherefore haue thou alwayes a minde vnto peace Make warre because thou canst not otherwise doe but if thou canst make peace refuse it not Warre is taken in hand onelie for the amending of thinges that be amisse Yea and the Apostles did so afflict some to the intent they might become the better Paul said vnto the Corinthians 1. Cor. 5. 5. Deliuer such a one vnto Sathan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may by saued 1. Tim. 1. 20. And to Timothie he saith of Hymenaeus and Alexander I haue deliuered theÌ„ to Sathan that they may learne not to blaspheme So ought they also to restraine princes to the intent that they may be made the better And Augustine in his 19. Augustine booke De Ciuitate Dei saith that warres though they be iust vnto Godlie men they séeme both troublesome and gréeuous For besides other thinges which the nature of man eschueth they shall sée the wickednesse of the contrarie part by reason whereof they are constrained to fight and they cannot but be sorie for it And in the Epistle before alleaged Rage not saith he nor waxe not insolent against those which submit themselues but let mercie be shewed to those that be ouercome Such is that saying of Virgill Spare thou them that be subiect vanquish them that be proud 8 Moreouer he admonisheth the same Earle to beware of vices which are woont to followe Hostes Namelie of filthie lustes of rauenous pillage and of drunkennesse For it is a most dishonest part that thou shouldest make warre for the amending of other mens vices when as thou thy selfe in the meane time art a great deale more vitious and much more art ouercome both with affections and diseases than they which are ouercome And in warre we reprooue not the end but the desire of hurting the crueltie of reuenging the outragiousnesse of rebelling and the gréedie desire of ruling these thinges said he are condemned For they which without those vices make iust warre are the Ministers of God and of the lawes The same father against Faustus the Manichie This order saith he must be kept that the warre be proclaimed either by God or by Princes to breake the pride of man and to tame the obstinate Moreouer souldiers ought to be perswaded that the warre is iustlie made and not taken in hand against the word of God Whether souldiers ought to be prâ—ne to the cause of the warre otherwise let them not goe on warrefare Neither doe I to this ende speake these thinges because I would haue souldiers to vnderstand the secrets of princes but that to their knowledge and wittinglie they suffer not themselues to fight against true and iust causes Yet it may be saith Augustine that the prince himselfe may make warre against his conscience and yet his souldiers nothing offend so long as they obay the ordinarie power For the people must obay their prince And in their so doing it may be doubtfull vnto them whether their prince make warre contrarie to the commaundement of God But they are excused so long as they obay their owne prince in a doubtful cause their owne prince I say and not a strange prince Wherefore those hyred souldiers cannot be excused Against mercenarie souldiers which hauing no respect to the cause but onelie for monie and reward sake doe serue strange princes Wherefore Iiphtah thus reasoned as touching the first poynt of his Oration We haue taken this land by the right of warre therefore thou vniustlie requirest the same againe of vs. 9 He addeth afterward Our God hath giuen it vnto vs which is the Lorde and distributer of all humane thinges Iud. 11. 21. God is the distributer of kingdomes He bringeth his Argument from the gift of God And that God may giue and distribute kingdomes the verie Ethnick authors sawe And therefore in Virgil Virgil. Aeneas dooth so often boast that he by the commaundement of GOD went into Italie and for that cause would not abide either at Carthage or in Sicilia when he might haue obtained either of those kingdomes Augustine Augustine in his 5. booke De Ciuitate Dei the xxi Chapter As touching kingdomes saith he and prouinces it is certaine that God distributeth them both when and how much and to whome he will doutlesse by his iudgement which is secret but not vniust In the booke of Genesis GOD promised to Abraham and his posteritie the land of Chanaan Gen. 15. 13 but yet he promised it after foure hundreth yeares Now saith he I will not giue it for the Chananites as yet had not fulfilled their sinnes I will
the rest of good wâ—…ks we are of the same mind that they obteine the promises so far as the holie scripture hath attributed vnto them not of their owne woorthinesse or merit but according as they are stirred vp by faith proposition 4 If theft be punished by death he that is guiltie cannot iustlie complaine that he suffereth beyond his desert proposition 5 Theft by the iudgment of some of the fathers before the lawe was giuen was iudged woorthie of death proposition 6 If a godlie Rhetorician pleading for the defense of innocents doo mooue affections he sinneth not proposition 7 The vse of affections is good so men direct them to the stirring vp of vertues proposition 8 The church is not tied to certeine seats or successions of bishops as the Papists affirme it is proposition 9 In these things which belong not to the substance of faith the apostles in the new testament otherwhile followe the interpretation of the seuentie although it varie from the truth of the Hebrue proposition 10 Magistrates in their Common weales ought to prouide that idle persons be not suffered proposition 11 Although in the holie scriptures there be an expresse commandement for labouring and working with the hands yet the ministers of the word are not bound therevnto sith they haue enough to doo in their owne office the which also we â—aâ—e as touching them that prepare themselues to the holie ministerie proposition 12 The ministers of the word if they haue so plentifullie the spirit of God that they be not onelie able to discharge their function but haue leisure that by their owne labour they may mainteine themselues or helpe others are bound to labor proposition 13 When ministers doo take vpon them to labor with their hands let them shun filthie gaine and set them be ware of handie crafts which may drawe them awaie from the holie ministerie proposition 14 They which labor must beware of this namelie that they respect not gaine for it selfe but the obedience of Gods commandement proposition 15 We must not in such sort put confidence in the labor of our hands as to thinke that God if we be hindered from it will forsake vs. proposition 16 They which get their liuing by labour doo also vnderstand it to be the gift of God that they may enioie their owne labors Propositions out of the first chapter of the booke of Exodus In the yeere of the Lord 1545. Necessarie proposition 1 ALbeit GOD dooth giue vs manie benefits by men yet must we put our trust in him not in men proposition 2 We must not leaue off to do well vnto men bicause we sée them vngratefull to their benefactors proposition 3 He that behaueth himselfe vnthankfullie towards a man which is beneficiall to him is in the verie same action vngratefull vnto God proposition 4 Albeit that the Aegyptians sinned in pressing the Israelites with most gréeuous bondage yet did the sinnes of the Israelits deserue the same proposition 5 The streict bondage wherewith the Aegyptians vexed the children of Israel was the instrument of God whereby he called them home to repentance proposition 6 It is a thing knowne of it selfe by the lawe of nature that we are rather to obeie God than the vniust decrées of princes proposition 7 The feare of GOD in the holie scriptures is such a religion that those things which are thought to be against the will of God ought also of vs to be auoided proposition 8 The lawe of nature or anie other whatsoeuer so it be iust is a declaration of the will of GOD. proposition 9 It is not lawfull vnder pretense of the safegard of Common-weales to state innocents Probable proposition 1 THe midwiues here mentioned might both be Aegyptians and Hebrues proposition 2 The midwiues were not onelie by the lawe of nature forbidden the horrible act which they were inioined to doo by the lawe but also by a lawe made by God vnto Noah and his children against murther proposition 3 The lie which the midwiues made although it be defended of manie to be an officious lie yet bicause therein the confession of the feare of the Lord is suppressed it cannot be altogither excused proposition 4 Whereas it is said that God builded a house for the midwiues it should séeme thus to be vnderstood namelie that he gaue them a sure and ample posteritie and familie Propositions out of the second chapter of Exodus Necessarie proposition 1 THe beautie which Moses parents sawe in him was not the onelie cause whie they kept him yet neuerthelesse it was an occasion whereby they were admonished of beléefe to the promise of God proposition 2 If occasion be offered to a christian man to learne good arts he ought not to despise them vnder pretense of religion proposition 3 The verie enimies themselues although they haue an other meaning doo serue the elect of God vnto saluation who therefore should not be angrie with them after the maner of the Ethnikes proposition 4 We should rather with to ioine our selues to the people of God though it be in affliction than to be held in estimation with princes which persecute Christ with an obstinate mind proposition 5 We are not to determine of the people of God according to the abundance of outward good things but onelie according to the promise and word of God proposition 6 To forsake the court and to liue therein are in their owne nature accounted things indifferent and in the holie scripture there are examples of holie men both of the one part and the other proposition 7 Whosoeuer by a particular commandement is stirred vp from God against a common rule it behooueth that he be well assured that GOD would haue it so proposition 8 The people of God was not without prophets in the bondage of Aegypt proposition 9 With a true inuocation of God there is ioined a repentance proposition 10 In whomsoeuer the spirit of Christ is it dooth speciallie stir him vp vnto praier proposition 11 When the father 's called vpon God through the couenant made with Abraham Isaac and Iacob they called vpon him through Iesus Christ and on the other side when God saith that he for his couenant sake would heare them he meaneth that he heareth them for Christ his sake Probable proposition 1 THe saith whereby Moses parents were moued to preserue him might as well be in respect of the promise made of old vnto the fathers as also particularlie to themselues proposition 2 Moses by killing of the Aegyptian sinned not but was obedient to the instinct of the holie Ghost proposition 2 Although the father in lawe of Moses were commonlie counted a priest yet might it well be that he was a prince in Madian proposition 4 The people of God which was to be deliuered from the calamitie of Aegypt cried vnto God being not onelie mooued with a naturall gréefe but stirred vp by repentance Propositions out of the third chapter of Exodus Necessarie proposition 1 TO depart
will or no to grant that he gaue bread Neither is this word bodie referred vnto those verbs He tooke he blessed he brake and he gaue but vnto this verbe Est Is. Yet as I haue said I denie not but that the bodie of Christ is giuen howbeit since the holie scripture hath both to wit as well bread as bodie you ought to grant both But let vs trie an other waie Ye euermore vse this proposition This is my bodie to prooue that bread must be excluded out of this sacrament and yet is not that which ye would haue necessarilie prooued hereby for so much as ye take your argument from a doubtfull thing For if we shall bring in manie such like propositions which be held for figuratiue and as I may saie significatiue kind of spéeches you cannot prooue but that this is of the selfe-same kind It is written vnto the Corinthians 1. Cor. 10 4 But the rocke was Christ Iohn 6 70. Gen 17 11. And Christ saith to his apostles Haue not I chosen you twelue and one of you is a diuell Matt. 17 10 Iohn 20 22. And of circumcision My couenant shall be in your flesh And of Iohn If ye will receiue him he is Helias Againe When he had breathed vpon them he said Receiue ye the holie Ghost Iohn 15 1. And againe I am the vine I am the doore Gen. 37 27. 1. Co. 12 27 Of Ioseph Iuda said He is our brother and our flesh Paule said of Christ He is our peace And of our selues Yee be the bodie of Christ Esai 1 14. And it is written also that He is a stone of offense Rom. 1 16. and a rocke to stumble at And Paule affirmeth the Gospell to be the power of God to saluation Psal 110 7. Psa 119 86 and 142. And in the scriptures it is diuerse times said that The words of the Lord are righteousnesse iudgement and truth And the same apostle testifieth 1 Cor. 1 18. that The Gospell vnto the vnfaithfull is but foolishnesse In the booke of Genesis Gen. 41 25. The seuen eares are seauen yeares and the ten peeces of the clocke are ten tribes of Israel 3 Kin. 11 30 as Ahias the Silonit saith Also the woman weareth vpon hir head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is power In like maner The priest did eat the sinnes of the people Againe Christ for vs became sinne The lambe or the sacrifice is the passeouer And againe Christ our passeouer is offered vp And infinit other places which in the holie scripture haue the like maner of spéech in the which account sith this sentence This is my bodie ought to be numbred and is cited of you in a plaine sense it concludeth nothing since you leane to ambiguitie And when ye say that ye be herevnto compelled by the holie scriptures you bring foorth that sentence of GOD which is in controuersie whose right sense neuerthelesse may appéere by other places D. Chadse I denie that we leane to ambiguities There is none but doo grant that there be manie figuratiue spéeches in the scriptures but yet we denie that all be figures Neither is it a good argument Here and there be figuratiue spéeches Therefore this also is a figuratiue spéech But wheresoeuer there is a figure there the circumstance of the place sheweth it but no circumstance is here that maketh demonstration hereof And if so be that the verbe Is should be taken for it signifieth Christ should be no verie man except by signification And when it is said The word was made flesh Iohn 1 14. we should interpret it it signifieth flesh and the word was not in verie déed made flesh And whereas it is written God was the word we should interpret it that he signified the word and thus all things should be confounded Wherefore we conclude that in this place there is no figure D. Martyr As touching Christ whether he be God and man there be extant most euident testimonies whereby we are constrained to vnderstand absolutelie those sentences which you alledged But that we should affirme in this place a figuratiue spéech we are lead by the words of the scripture by the nature of a sacrament and also by testimonies of the fathers As touching the scripture it is written there Doo this in remembrance of me and remembrance is not of things corporallie present but of such as be absent It is added Vntill my comming which is not agréeable if he were alreadie come thither by consecration And Paule said The bread which we breake is it not the communion of the bodie of Christ But it agréeth not with the bodie of Christ to be broken fith by reason of his glorie it cannot possiblie suffer And moreouer the Lord said that they should take and eat which without a figure cannot be vnderstood if you refer it to the bodie of Christ for it beséemeth not that he should be broken and grinded with the téeth the which is doone in true and proper eating Moreouer ye your selues are compelled to admit a figure for by your opinion well knowne the bodie of Christ is not in the Eucharist except after the words be vttered so as the verbe Is cannot be vnderstood in his owne proper signification while ye vtter the same for it behooueth first that a thing be before anie thing can truelie be spoken of the same Besides this in Luke and in Paule the words be spoken of the cup wherein ye cannot shun a figure when it is said This cup is the new testament which is nothing else but it signifieth the new testament Againe in the sixt chapter of Iohn My words be spirit and life the flesh profiteth nothing And he made mention of his ascension And thus much out of the scriptures by and by I will speake of the nature of the sacrament and of the fathers D. Chadse I answer that those words This doo in remembrance of me and till I shall come doo not argue a figure It is no good argument Somwhat is doone in remembrance of a thing Therefore it is nothing or it remaineth not Christ thought rather by those words to commend vnto them the action which was then doone before them that in verie déed they might doo that which they saw he had doone And whereas you adde Vntill I shall come it must be vnderstood as touching his humane forme wherein he shall come to iudge for this sacrifice shall not cease vntill the end of the world And vnto those things which you haue spoken of breaking thus I answer that the bodie of Christ was trulie broken vpon the crosse when his side was opened with a speare and he is broken euerie daie spirituallie in the sacrament when we set foorth his death D. Martyr There is no man doubteth but that Paule 1. Co. 10 16 when he said The bread which we breake is it not the participation of the bodie of Christ signified that same visible
sacrament And if a man doe diligentlie weigh his words scant any age shall be fit for baptisme For that he thinketh it to be denied to young mē also to them that be vnmaried as persons subiect as yet to temtation and faults as if albeit old men be lesse with lust inflamed yet they be not vexed with gréeuous kinds of temptations Neither was Tertullian so néere of one time to Higinus as you suppose For Higinus was bishop in the yeare of our Lorde 140. but Turtullian florished vnder Eleutherius in the yeare 210. Nowe whereas Higinus doth onely decrée of the Godfathers to infants it appeareth they were woont to be baptised before that For he that ordaineth the manner of a thing doth surely deale in a matter that was extant before I denie not that in the primitiue times baptisme was sometimes differred for all were not baptised in their infancie Yet none of right beliefe denied baptisme to infants if they were offered to receiue the same Which if you thinke not so to be it were conuenient you should shew some one who withhelde children from the sacrament of regeneration There was indéede one among them who gaue aduise that baptisme should be differred till thrée yeares end if it might be in respect of the childrens strength which happily he supposed because children of thrée yeares old begin then to remēber somwhat But he in any wise denied not that they should be baptised before thrée yeares if they were in daunger of life or if it séemed good otherwise to their parents In sum the time of baptisme at the beginning was not preciselie set yet was it neuer denied to children that were offered Concerning Origen it is certaine he saith that the baptisme of children is a tradition of the Apostles And this reason he alledgeth because euen they also haue their corruption to be washed away and your allegations are found in his commentarie vpō the Epistle to the Romanes and are to be vnderstoode of them that be of riper yeares For in those dayes many of elder yeares were conuerted vnto Christ and many that were borne of Christians differred their baptisme for certaine yeares when as we haue alreadie saide no time was prescribed Of such then doeth Origen complaine that in that age the sacrament of baptisme was not so plainly and cléerelie declared as in the Apostles times and that the Apostles began baptisme at them that were of riper yeares there is no question But that they did not baptise children withal by what scriptures will it be prooued To Ludouicus Viues vpon the 26. Chapter of the first booke De ciuitate Dei what else should I answere but that he is deceiued when he saieth that none but of ripe yeares were baptised of old For Cyprian who was after Tertullian about 40. yeares resisted them in the Councell who thought that the eight day was to be tarried for in baptising of children whereby nowe you sée that euen then children were baptised and that the question of the time onely was disputed of Wherefore both Viues and Erasmus might in this matter haue spoken more warily But where you séeme to denie baptisme to infants for my part I doe contrariwise by al meanes affirme and beléeue the same as a thing which out of the scriptures is cléere ynough vnto me Now if you admit Originall sinne to be in children and yet will not permit them to be baptised you are not of Origens iudgement whom I cited before vpon the Epistle to the Romans But that Ruffinus rather than Origen should be authour of those thinges that there bee read howe shall we knowe So the same might be saide of his Commentaries vppon Genesis Exodus and other bookes Truely I am faine to reade Origen as he is translated sith the Gréeke coppies are not commonly extant And as you alledge for your opinion Origens testimonies both out of these Commentaries vpon the Epistle to the Romans and out of his Homilies vpon Leuiticus so shoulde you likewise admit those thinges that we take from thence Which neuerthelesse whether you haue gathered them out of his Commētaries or out of his Homilies vpon Leuiticus or vpon the Numbers they make but to this that verie manie at those dayes of ripe yeares were admitted to the Sacrament of Baptisme And the like woulde at this day come to passe if God would graunt that the Turkes shoulde receiue Christ This déere friend in Christ is that which now I would shortlie runne ouer Which I pray God you may at the length acknowledge with me to be true Certaine it is that Paul had no power but to edification Nor doe I who do easilie acknowledge the meanenesse of my giftes thinke my selfe to haue receiued any thing of the Lord which is not due to the edification of the Church of Christ The cause of religion I am for my part readie to further in all things which I shall iudge agréeable to holie writ But if you be not yet of the same mind that I am God may bring to passe that one day you will thinke as I doe The question of childrens baptisme hath béene once or twise disputed of héere for scholasticall exercise sake not that God bée thanked I haue founde anie héere who déeme otherwise thereof than the Church at this day beléeueth To write vnto you what foundations in the scripture our faith of childrens baptisme dependeth vppon I haue thought superfluous partlie for that I discoursed them vnto you at large when you talked with me partlie for that you may reade them in bookes published by men most notable aswell for their learning as for their Godly iudgement I wish you in the Lorde well to fare From Oxforde the first of December 1550. For Martin Borhaus his salutations I thanke both him and you Of your saluation in Christ most desirous Peter Martyr Here followe letters of M. Peter Martyr to certaine Englishmen To a certaine friende of his 35. SYr your Letters full of courtesie which you wrote vnto me were so welcome as I do giue you excéeding great thankes for them Vndoubtedly herein I receaued most comfort by them that I vnderstande you are so mindefull of me and doe perceiue that this is doone for no other cause but that you haue a verie great loue of godlinesse and to the holie scriptures Therefore since you loue God in me and the labour though it bee verie small which I bestowe vppon the Church I reioyce in this your good wil and affection And I pray and beséech almightie GOD againe and againe that he wil daily more and more increase the studie of godlinesse holie doctrine wherwith he hath hitherto adorned you I sorrowe vnspeakeablie that there is euerie where in England so great a penurie of the worde of God and since they which are bounde to féede the shéepe with the doctrine of Christ are of such faint courage as they vtterlie refuse to doe their duetie I knowe not with what teares and
in him a great promptnesse of wit in perceiuing and vnderstanding and so great a force of memorie in retayning as he coulde both comprehende and keepe whatsoeuer he had learned Moreouer he had so feruent a desire of learning as there neuer appeared to be in him anie wearinesse of hearing or reading Ouer this shamefastnesse which doeth greatlie commende that age was alwaies woonderfull in him and therefore hee both honored auncient men as parentes and albeit he excelled most of his equals in wit yet hee so loued them and by his modestie so woonne them vnto him that there arose no manner of emulation at all among them yea and those whome the conuersation and familiaritie of Childhoode had ioyned vnto him he helde alwaies most friendlie during the time that hee liued in his countrie and in Italie And nowe because in the daungerous time of his youth he was minded not onelie for the present time to temper himselfe from the allurements of pleasures which a rich and aboundant Citie doeth minister but also to auoide them in the time to come he abandoning all delightes determined to giue himselfe to a monasticall life which then alone was counted holie And because in that age the householde of the regular Canons of S. Augustine bare the chiefest name throughout all Italie for that they vsed a more seuere discipline than other Monkes and did more diligentlie exercise themselues in the studie of the holie scriptures hee thought it good to ioyne himselfe vnto that societie Wherefore in the 16. yeare of his age hee was chosen into the Fesulane College which was builded in the ruins of the olde Citie of Fesula a stones cast from Florence with a full consent and reioysing of the fellowes of that College vnto whome the excellent disposition of his nature was knowen Also his sister Felicitas followed the intent of her brother and was made a sister of those Virgins which inhabite the Monasterie of Saint Peter the Martyr This fact of thē both was misliking greeuous vnto the father either because he would haue the Vermilian familie wherein besides themselues there was none remaining aliue to be increased by his sonne through the marriage of a wife or else for that the graue man misliked the superstition of the common sort and the feigned holinesse of the Monkes For nowe a great while since Dant and Petrach had reprehended manie abuses in the Church and the selfe same thing was doone a fewe yeares since by Hieronymus Sauonarola whose sermons no doubt but the elder Vermilius had hearde And that vndoubtedly the monasticall life was not altogether allowed by him we thereby gather that that readie monie which he had he bequethed by Testament to the next wise which he had after the death of Fumantina And the rest of his goods he willed to be giuen to an hospitall for the vse of the poore vppon this condition that there should be paid yearelie to his sonne so long as he liued 50 crownes which we name to be of the shield marke And whereas his children lead their life in monasteries yet chose he rather to dispose his goods to the vse of the poore than that they should be spent vpon idle Monkes who shoulde mumble vp certaine prayers they knowe not what But whatsoeuer his minde was in this matter the earnest desire which as it was thought the sonne had to obey God ouercame the will of his father Verilie I thinke there be manie which thinke that this his determination of entering into a Monasticall life is to be reprooued and these shall haue not onelie me to agree with them but euen himselfe which followed this course for this act displeased no man so much as it did himselfe who so soone as euer he perceiued his errour he also corrected the same Albeit if we haue respect to the condition of times his iudgement indeed may be blamed but his wil deserueth prayse For in that superstitious and vnprofitable life of the Monkes there were yet in olde time manie things which allured thereto a mind desirous of godlinesse and learning First the great names of most godlie men which were said to haue bin Monkes to wit Basil Nazianzene Chrysostome Epiphanius Ierom Augustine others whose life who desired not to imitate to tread in their steps And againe the name of religion and the opinion of holines which was cōmonly spread among all men a false opinion I confesse but who could then haue seene this in so great darkenesse And who if he had seene it durst haue reprooued it of falsehoode all men being of an other minde especially a young man who otherwise for the most part is but of weake iudgement Herewithall adde those things which most of all drew Martyr to this kinde of life namely vocation not such as was idle but giuen to studies and further a great aboundance of excellent bookes For euen the most of the Colleges of this familie haue notable libraries but especially the College of Fesula For this did the auncient name of Medicies builde who with their great charges gathered bookes not onely out of Italie but also out of Greece Asia and Aegypt and adorned the house with an excellent librarie Through which aboundance of bookes since our Martyr was as it were allured vnto monasticall life togither with an opinion of worshipping GOD wee remitte the error of his iudgement vnto those times but wee commende his will namelie that he woulde immediately from his childhoode passe his life in the studie of good literature In this College he liued three yeare and in such sort as the fellowes of that College allowed his modestie liked the gentlenesse of his behauiour and his desire of concorde but his wit they praysed and woondered at In those dayes hee exercised himselfe not onelie in the precepts of learning the artes which were diligentlie taught to the younger fellowes in this fellowship but also in the reading of holy scriptures For it was a laudable custome of this societie that the young men which excelled in memorie should accustome themselues to commit vnto their memorie many things out of the holy scriptures therefore some recited by heart all the Epistles of Paul Others the Booke of the Preuerbes of Salomon Some the historie of Tobias or some other bookes of the holie scriptures When Martyr had finished three yeares in this discipline he made such proofe of his learning and diligence to the fellowes of his Colledge as they a I iudged him meete to be sent vnto more excellent teachers Wherefore he was sent to Padwaie that in the famous vniuersitie of that Citie he might haue a greater exercise of his wit And there in that Citie is the Monasterie of S. Iohn of Verdara of the same societie of Regular Canons wherein he liued welneere eight yeares with Albertus the Abbot a man not vnlearned and who gladly furthered other mens studies Wherefore at that time Martyr wholie addicted himselfe to the studie of Philosophie and
disputation which we shewed before that he made openly of this controuersie hee first published in Englande And at the same time he woulde haue the Commentaries vpon the first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians to be printed with vs at Zuricke a worke without doubt for the plaine exposition of manie darke and harde questions most worthie to bee reade And after that hee was returned out of Englande to Strasborough from thence was called to Zuricke hauing gotten amongst vs not onely some leasure but also that libertie of writing which he desired he reuiewed manie of those things which hee had written before he finished them and put them in print And first the Commentaries vppon the Epistle of Paul to the Romanes which hee publikely interpreted before in Oxforde Of which booke this onely will I say that hee performed the same with great learning and diligence so as all men confesse that after so manie verie learned interpretors olde and newe which haue written vppon this Epistle yet this booke maie bee reade with great and peculiar fruite At the same time was set foorth by him a defence of the auncient and Apostolike doctrine touching the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist against the booke of Stephen Gardiner For hee a fewe yeares before had published a venimous and pestiferous booke of the Eucharist vnder the name of M. Antonius Constantius wherein by meere sophisticall and most crooked Argumentes he indeuored to ouerthrowe the true and sounde professed doctrine which we hauing receaued of Christ and the Apostles and most auncient fathers of the Church doe followe and professe at this daie And to the compiling of this booke verie manie of the Papistes applyed their trauell and deliuered all their Arguments vnto Gardiner that hee out of that heape might choose what hee woulde and of this booke they triumphed and gloried that there was no man which durst incounter with this their Goliath wherewith beeing mooued that most learned and godlie man Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterburie who oftentimes before incountered with Winchester went awaie with victorie and with singular praise hee tooke this matter vppon him But he being held in most straite prison and had neither store of bookes about him not so much as paper to write and afterwarde being taken awaie by cruell death which for the confession of the true faith hee constantlie suffered was constrained to leaue off the workes which were now in his handes begunne Wherefore manie Englishmen which were louers of godlie true religion desired Martyr oftentimes both in his presence and by letters that hee would succeede in this burthen and that hee woulde not suffer the mindes of the simple to be infected with venim of this booke nor the Popes adherentes so impudently and arrogantlie to triumph against our men Therefore being stirred vp at the desire of friendes and with the equitie of the thing it selfe hee tooke this worke in hand and hauing ouercome diuers and manifolde impedimentes hee finished it at Zuricke and committed the same vnto printers to be dispatched And first of all in this booke he defended the reasons of our men whatsoeuer they were that Gardiner had gathered and confuted Then also hee defendeth against such false accusations the rules which hee himselfe had set foorth in the treatise of the Eucharist Thirdly hee defendeth the answers whereby the argumentes of the aduersaries are wont to be confuted in this disputation Lastlie hee approueth the iust and true interpretations of certaine places which Gardiner with his sort brought out of the fathers for himselfe And in all this whole worke whatsoeuer is vttered aswell in the holie scriptures as in the monuments of the auncient fathers Councels he hath so plentifully diligently comprehended and hath examined all thinges so exactly and perfectly as this worke is helde in admiration euen of them which bee great learned men After this defence against Gardiner there followed an other defence against the two bookes of vnmaried life of Priestes and monasticall vowes written by Richard Smith an Englishman sometime professor of the Diuinitie lecture at Oxford For when Martyr interpreted at Oxford the first Epistle to the Corinthians in the 7. Chap. where the Apostle writeth many things of virginity matrimonie had also disputed largely of vowes Smith in whose place Martyr by the Kings commandement was appointed to reade the Diuinitie lecture was continually present and not onely gaue great heede to those thinges which Martyr saide but did also diligently put them in writing and afterwarde going to Louane he set foorth two vaine but yet venemous bookes against Martyr as touching the sole life of Priests and of Monasticall vowes This man could not Martyr in his Commentaries of the Epistle to the Corinthians answere For his friendes vrging and earnestly desiring the edition of that booke he might not deferre the same but yet in the ende of his seuenth Chapter hee promised this answere and shortly after hauing gotten leasure he answered him but for certaine causes weightie and of great importaunce he finally after certaine yeares published this answere when he was at Zuricke And he confuteth not onely Smithes argumentes but he diligently and throughly examined in a manner all things that may bee saide in this matter Which all they can testifie that haue not slightly perused the same Furthermore at Strasborough after he was returned thither out of England he interpreted the booke of Iudges and as ye knowe did set foorth amongst vs Commentaries vppon the same wherein he expounded many questions of Diuinitie not common euerie where and that verie golden booke which neuerthelesse many by reason of the difficultie and great darkenesse haue shunned hee made verie plaine by bringing a light of interpretation Lastly when Iohn Brentius had set foorth a litle booke as touching the personall vnion of the two natures in Christ wherein hee for assuring of the carnall corporall and reall presence of the bodie and bloud of Christ in the holy supper tooke vpon him to defende a newe and monsterous doctrine of the vbiquitie of Christes bodie Martyr at the request of his friendes setting foorth a Dialogue confuted his booke And because hee knewe that Brentius did in other writings not altogether deserue ill of the Church he woulde not put thereunto his name and expressely defame and speake ill of him especially since this nothing furthered the cause but largely confuted his arguments least they shoulde bleare the eyes of the ignoraunt And further which was the chiefe point of the question he prooued by most assured testimonies of the scriptures and most auncient fathers that the humanitie of Christ is not euerie where With this writing Brentius being mooued indeuoured at one push to ouerthrowe both Martyr and Bullinger by setting foorth a vehement and stinging booke Which booke when our Martyr sawe being a man otherwise most milde of nature yet was he somewhat angrie that Brentius dealt in an ill cause and with so great vnfruitefulnesse