entelye to bee noted in them and greatly to be 〈…〉 When we speake therefore of the sacrament we must speake as it is in it selfe by the force of Gods worde consisting of all three partes and not as the baldnesse of men or the weakenesse and imperfection of oure fayth maye make it â—â—w vs. Nowe let vs consider the causes and endes for which Christes pleasure was to ordaine Sacramentes in hys Church that we may thereby also in part learne what fruit and benefite wee take by them The first cause is partly our owne infirmitie and weakenesse beyng dull and slowe in the vnderstanding of heauenly things partly the great goodnesse and loue of God that woulde vouchsafe to attemper himselfe to our simple capacitie and seeke meanes by outward things to ease and helpe the same For this cause in the Scripture doth he so often vse parables and similitudes of those things that are within the compasse of our vnderstaÌ„ding by those the sooner to induce vs to the knowledge of his heauenly doctrines This cause the auncient and learned Fathers did acknowledge in their writinges The Lord saith Chrisostome geueth vs not any thing that is sensible but insensible things The outward things are sensible but all thinges are to bee vnderstanded in the minde In Baptisme water is sensible but our regeneration and renewing is perceiued in the minde For if thou wert spirituall and without a body he would haue giuen all these things to thee naked bare but because with thy minde there is ioyned a grosse body in things sensible he declareth vnto thee things by thy minde to be vnderstanded Like wordes almost hath Dionysius in Caelost Hier. Because of carnall persons saith Augustine visible Sacramentes were instituted to the end that by things that be seene with your eyes your minde may be transformed to those things that be vnderstanded Our vnderstanding is weake and dull our memorie is fraile and fickle and soone forgetteth the benefite of God Both these our unperfections God by his Sacramentes helpeth our vnderstanding is â—ed by the similitude and lykenesse of the external signes as before I haue noted Our Seuces also are by the erercise of the Sacramentes stirred vp to be instrumentes to helpe one mynde and weake faith Our remembraunce also by the same 〈◊〉 is marueilouslyâ— strengthened And therefore a seconde cause or ende of a Sacrament is that it maye bee to vs a blessed exercise whereby wee call to remembraunce the benefite of our redemption in Christ and yeelde to him most hartie thankes and praise for the same according as Christ teacheth vs in the institution of his laste Supper Doe this in remembraunce of mee And Saint Paule so often as you eate of this bread and drinke of this cuppe you shall set forthe the death of the Lorde vntill his comming c. They therefore which come to receaue the Sacrament and neuer thinke of this nor call to theyr remembraunce to prayse God for this vnestimable benefite but thinke that the outwarde vse of the Sacrament is sufficient are among the number of them that receyue vnworthily and make lyttle accompt of Christes benefite procured for vs. A thyrde cause and ende of a Sacrament is that wee by the practice and vse thereof myght bee traded to the obedieuce of Gods holye wyll and commaundementes thoughe the thinges seeme to our selues neuer so simple and meanâ— and also that thereby wee myght openly before God and the worlde protest and acknowledge that we are his people and of the number of them that looke to be saued preserued defended by the benefite of Christ onely So that the open vse of the sacramentes is a parte of that confession wherevnto S. Paule attributeth saluation when he sayeth If thou confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and beleeue in thy hart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt bee saued for by the heart wee beleeue to righteousnesse and by the mouth confession is made to saluation In the vse of the sacramentes wee confesse both by mouthe anâ— testimonie of all the partes of our bodye that Christ Iesus is our Lorde and sauiour A fourthe cause and ende of the Sacramentes is that they myght bee as bandes and linkes of loue vnitie and concorde among our selues Therefore Saint Paule when hee exhorted to vnitie and loue among other thinges a 〈…〉 th Wee haue one faith one Baptisme And agayne in another place Wee are one bodye as manye as bee partakers of one lofe For this cause doth Saint Augustine call the Sacrament of the Supper Sacramentum vnitatis i. A Sacrament of vnitie and teacheth vs as before I haue saide that as a loafe of breade is made of manye graynes and a Cuppe of Wyne of many Grapes so wee thoughe manye in number are made members of one mysticall bodye of Christ Iesu A foule thing it is to see the seruauntes of one Maister that weare one cognizaunce or liuerie to fall out among themselues it can not bee without some reproche of their Maister All Christian men weare one cognizaunce and badge for the Sacraments are the marks of Christes sheepe Therfore not to loue agree together is a reproch wrought to our Lord and Maister Wherby in a maner we protest to the world that we be not seruaunts of his familie For in this sayeth he shall men knowe you to be my Disciples if you loue one another as I haue loued you Hereof doth the right vse and vnderstanding of the Sacrameutes very notably put vs in remembraunce For it teacheth vs that in Baptune wee are all newe borne children of God and graffed into one bodie and in the Lordes supper fedde and nourished with one heauenly foode of the body and blood of Christ and therefore that we should with faithfull and vnfained loue hartelie embrace one the other as the children of one father the members of one body and the seruauntes of one Maister fed at one table and nourished with one foode to eternal life Let them therfore looke with what consciences they come vnto the Sacramentes y â— reserue bytter rancour malice in their hartes let them consider what heauy testimony they giue against theÌ„selues before God his Angels The last cause end of a sacrament y â— I meane nowe to speake of is that by those as by blessed instrumentes of the holye Ghostes working hee myght imparte vnto vs and bestowe vppon vs hys vnestimable Graces and benefytes together wyth all the fruites of our redemption in Christ Jesu For as his worde is so are his Sacraments instrumentes and Meanes by the working of his holy spirite to bring vnto vs the whole benefite of our saluation And here againe because of our sclauÌ„derous aduersaries I must put you in remeÌ„braunce that we which teache thus teache not as it is fathered vpon vs that the Sacramentes are but bare signes For you heare vs
farm must go se it I praie thee haue me excused The third sayd I haue maried a wife I cannot come By this feast is ment the CoÌ„munion of the gospel benefit of our saluatioÌ„ purchaced by Christ To this feast men are called by Gods messengers y t is his Preachers ministers of his worde The excuses made shewe what causes coÌ„monly they are y t w thold mens minds from obeying the word of God coÌ„ming to the gospell y â— is the cares of the world the study of riches and the pleasure and pompe of this life noted by these iii. kind of things whereof Christ there speaketh I wold to God these impedimeÌ„ts had choked the worde of God and hindered the hearing of the Gospel in Christes time only and were not of greater force in the hartes of men at this daye in Englande If a Preacher come into a Towne vppon a workingdaye it is a rare place wherein hee shall haue a tollerable Auditorye But if there be a fayre or a markeâ— though there be 5000 in the streates ye shal scarcely finde 50 in the church Yea they will murmure that the Preacher hath chosen such a time to trouble them and to hinder their market though it be of a Sabaoth daye or other vsuall daye appoynted for prayer And what can be the cause hereof but the care of the world loue of riches which maketh them to haue no regard of the word of God nor of their own saluation Justly therefore sayâ—h Saint Paule They that wil be rich fal into tentations snares into many folish noisome lustes which drowne men vtterly in perdition and destruction For the desyre of money is the roote of all euill which while men lusted after they haue erred froÌ„ the fayth and perced themselues through with manye sorrowes Seing therefore these bushes and thornes are so dangerous that they vtterly choke vp the Seede of Gods holye worde cast into the grounde of mens hartes it is necessarye that there bee prepared some Tooles and Instrumentes so much as possiblie maye bee to grubbe them out that the ground may be made more commendable and fruitfull Such Instrumentes Christe himselfe hath prepared in S. Mathewes Gospell The fyrste is the earnest consideration of the vanitie and vncertaintie of riches and worldly wealth and pleasure which passe from vs sodainly by many occasions It is vttered in these wordes Lay not vp for your selues treasures vppon the earth where the mothe canker corrupt where Theues dig through and steale but lay vp treasure for your selues in HeaueÌ„ where neither mothe nor canker corrupte nor Theefe breaketh through to steale c. By the corrupting of â—anker and moath and by the stealing of Theeues Christe noteth all those meanes whereby the brickle and frayle wealth and pompe of this world vpon the sodayne passeth from vs so that we can haue no assuraunce of them Therfore Christ iustly in those words admonisheth vs that wee should not set our minds vpon so vayn thinges for them to forsake the eternal riches in heaueÌ„ y t neuer shal faile vs. SalomoÌ„ who aboue all other had good trial of these things euidently declareth what vanitie is in them I haue sayth he builded me houses I haue planted vyneyards I haue gotten seruants maydes haue had children borne in the house also I had great possessions of Beeues and sheepe aboue all that were before mee in Hierusalem I haue gathered vnto me siluer and Gold and the cheefe treasure of Kings Prouinces c. And after it foloweth Then I loked on all my works that my hands had made and on the trauaile that I had laboured in and beholde all is extreme vanitie and vexation of spirit neither is there any profite vnder the Sunne Loe this is Salomons iudgement that vnder the Sunne all thinges are vaine vnprofitable All fleshe saith the Prophete is as grasse and all the glorie thereof like the floure of grasse the grasse is cut downe and withereth and the Houre falleth aud fadeth away Whereby wee are taught that as mans life it selfe is fraile and transitorie so are all those thinges wherin it glorieth and taketh delyght Honour Dignitie Friendship Riches Health Stength Beautie and such like which all may bee had and lost in an houre And therefore a great vanitie it were for these so vayne fraile and brickle things to sorsake the doctrine of eternall saluation and the vnestimable treasures of the kingdome of God An other instrument that Christ in the same place hath framed to grubb vp the cares of the world is confidence and trust in the prouidence of God wherevppon onely we ought to depend for all things pertaining to this lyfe and therfore to bend al our care and studie to seeke the kingdome of God and the glory thereof Be not carefull saith he for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drinke or for your bodies what apparell ye shal vse c. But first of all seeke the kingdome of God all things shall be aboundantly giuen vnto you This instrument is strengthened with sundry reasons as it were bondes to fasten the same in our heartes The first is that he which giueth vs the greater things and of more price will prouide for vs and bestowe vppon vs those things that bee of lesse value God hath giuen a lyfe and a bodye which in deede are precious giftes therefore he will not fayle to prouide meate drinke and cloth sufficient to maintayne the same if wee call vpon him and repose our trust in hym for the same The second reason is the example of most contemptible creatures if they bee compared to the worthynesse of mankinde fouies of the aire Rauens Sparâ—â—â—es flowers of the fielde which God feedeth maintaineth and preserueth without any carke care or labour of theirs for they neyther sowe nor reape nor spinne nor carde And shall not the same good and mercifull Lorde prouide for his most excellent creatures his owne people that depend vpon him put their trust in him The third reason is the vnsufficiencie of our labour carke and care in these things if God giue not good successe therevnto For what man with al his care and diligence can adde one cubite vnto his heigh c. The husbandman wyth great trouble and toyle may till the earth and sowe his seede but he is not able to make faire weather to giue seasonable showres to temper the grounde without which his labour is nothing worthe much lesse is he able to giue that strength and power to the seede to growe in the earth for that is the onely finger and mightie power of God y t worketh in his creatures Those things that we esteeme to be ordinarie workes of nature are in deede wonderfull and myraculous workes of Gods almightie power dayly shewed among vs and because they be dayly done wee
of the high and most excellent meanes of oure saluation deuised by the wisedome and vnspeakeable mercye of God For it should greatlye impeache the wisedome of God if he should send downe his sonne the seconde person in Trinitie into the vale of miserye here to take Fleshe and in the forme of a Seruaunt and abiecte man to suffer most vile and reprochfull Death to bee a partye redeemer or a partie Sauiour and to yeelde a great parte of the honoure and glory thereof to other No no he is GOD he giueth not his glory to other He onely onelye I saye hee is our full and perfecte reconciler and Redemer and all the residue that I haue spoken of before This is the Doctrine which we teache this is the Gospell whiche we preache and this is no new Doctrine but that whiche was conceaued in the bosome of the wisedome of GOD before the beginning of the Worlde For wee were chosen sayeth Sayncte Paule in Christe Antequám iacerentur Fundamenta Mundi i. Before the Foundations of the Worlde were layde This is that Gospell that GOD himselfe opened in Paradise to our fyrst Fathers I will set enmitie sayeth he to the Woman betweene thy seede and his seede and thy seede That is one that shall come of a woman shall breake the Serpents head That is ouerthrow the whole power of the Deuil and delyuer mankynde from sime This is that Gospell that was renued to Abraham and all the Patriarches In thy Seede shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed This is that Gospell that was fygured to the Jewes by the Paschall Lambe by Manna by the Rocke by all the Sacrifices and Ceremoniall seruices of the Lawe This is that Gospell Where vnto all the Prophets beare witnesse As Saynt Peter sayeth in the Actes That all they that beleeue in him shall haue remission of sinnes by his name This is that Gospell that Saynt Iohn the Forerunner poynted vnto Beholde the Lambe of God c. This is the Gospell that Christe himselfe preached and deliuered to his Apostles and they to the whole Worlde So GOD loued the Worlde that hee gaue his onlye begotten Sonne that whosoeuer beleeued in him should be saued Therefore as I haue sayde Our doctrine is no newe Doctrine but the moste aunciente Doctryne that euer was vpon the face of the Earth neyther doe wee teache anye other Doctrine then this and those that doe of necessitie depende vppon this or bee grounded vppon this Neither doe wee impugne anye Doctrines in other but suche as are repugnaunte to this Fayth and eyther directlye or indirectlye impeache the same For I protest before GOD and his Aungels and in the presence of this honourable Audience for my selfe and as many professoures of the Gospell as I know that whatsoeuer Doctrine is agreeable to this wee doe gladly receiue it and with both armes imbrace it though it come from the Churche of Roome And whatsoeuer Doctrine is repugnant to this and will not stande with it wee doe reiecte it though it come from an Aungell in Heauen Seeing then wee haue nowe this 20. yeares taught you this vnfallible trueth Why doe you not beleeue vs c. Now as touching the second branche what it is to denye Christe to haue come in Fleshe and who they are that denye it you shall vnderstande that there bee two wayes to denye Christe to haue come in fleshe The one flatlye and groselye and in playne wordes as Ebion Erinthus Marcion Valentinian Arrius and a number suche other in the Primatiue Churche whiche denyed eyther the Deitie or Humanitie of Christe But in them Sathan shewed himselfe in his owne Coloures like a blacke Deuill and therefore the Heresyes beeing so grosse were soone confuted and confounded in the Churche of GOD. There is another waye more subtle and perilous vndirectly to denye Christ to haue come in fleshe in whiche Sathan tourneth himselfe into an Aungell of lighte and as Cyprian sayeth Vnder the name of Christe confounding the Religion of christe That is While in wordes they confesse the Incarnation of Christ by peruerse Doctrynes in effecte they deny it by denying those causes for which the Sonne of GOD was Incarnate attributing the effect of oure Saluation to other thinges And after this sorte the Teachers of the Churche of Roome very plainlye and perilouslye denye Christe to haue come in fleshe as I wil particularly lette you vnderstande by the Branches of our saluation before recyted As touching the fyrst cause of Christe his Incarnation that Christe is the onelye reconciler mediatoure and attonement maker betweene God and vs and for that cause sitteth at the right hande of God perpetualy to appeare before his face for vs Against this Article they teach blasphemous Doctrine of Inuocation of Saintes that they are our mediatours and reconcilers that by their merites and prayers we haue accesse vnto God and are for their sakes heard receiued and accepted into the fauour of God agayn euidently displacing the son of God frō the cheefe office of his eternall priesthood setting his creatures in his place and dignitie and y t with out any warrant of scripture eyther by word or by exāple This Doctrine is ioyned with two other foule erroures Firste that they conceaue of Christ as of a dreadfull God and terrible iudge and not as of a mercifull Mediatour therefore that wee haue needs of other spokesmen to make the way to him for vs though he himselfe most gratiously and mercifully cryeth vnto vs Come all ye that trauayle and be heauy loden and I will refresh you And in sundry places commaundeth vs to pray vnto God the father in his name assuring vs that whatsoeuer wee desire it shall be graunted vs. And therefore doe they shew them selues to mistrust the Credite of Christ Secondly in this praying to the Saintes not without great daunger of Idolatrie they attribute vnto them diuine power For in their praying to them they imagine of them that they bee of Vniuersall knowledge and vnderstanding not onelye what men speake but also what they thinke in theire hartes Agayne they attribute vnto them Almightie power as being able to worke and bring to passe whatsoeuer is desyred of them And lastlye they shewe themselues to beleeue that they are More merciful and readye to heare sinners then Christ himself which is flat Blasphemy As touching the second cause of christ his Incarnation that he is our onlye redeemer and purchazer of remission of our sinnes This ground of our faith they weaken by a number of corrupt Doctrines As first that in parte wee haue saluation and remission of sinnes by the Merites of Saintes for thus they praye Tuper Thomae sanguinē quem pro te impendit Fac nos Christe scandere quò Thomas ascendit Graunt vs O Christ by the blood of Thomas which he shed for thee thether to goe whether he is ascended And to
Saint George they pray thus Hie nos saluet à peccatis vt in coelo cum beatis possimus qâ—iescere Let him saue vs from our sinnes that we may rest with the blessed in heauen And touching Saint Anne they say thus Deus qui beatam Annam matrem tuae genetricis fieri voluisti praesta quaesumus vt meritis vtriusque matris filiae regna caelestia consequamur O God thou which wouldest Saint Anne to become the mother of thy mother graunt we beseeche thee that by the merites of the mother and the daughter we may obtaine thy heauenly kingdome In thys you heare three Sauiours beside Christ and in like maner doe they acknowledge a thousande moe Secondly they say we haue remission of sinnes and saluation in parte by our owne Merites and good doynges For this writeth Gabriel Biel That the Passion of Christ may be the first and principall cause of attaining grace and opening the way to heauen Sed nunquam est totalis causa quia semper cum merito Christi concurrit aliquod meritum recipientis gratiam that is to say But it is neuer the whole cause for that euer there goeth with the merite of Christ some merite of him that receaueth grace What shall I say of Pardons of Pilgrimages of Purgatorie of holy Water and a number of other like Superstitions false errours by which not without blasphemie they matche transitorie things and vaine deuises of men with the most excellent price of our redemption the blood of Christ Iesu y e sonne of God our Sauiour exprefly contrarie to the holy ghost thus writing by Saint Peter Ye are not redeemed with transitorie things as with Golde or Siluer but with the blood of the immaculate Lambe Christ Iesus As touching the third cause of Christes IncarnatioÌ„ that he being our only high Priest according to the order of Melchizodech hath once for euer offered himself vpon the Crosse purchased for vs eternall redeÌ„ption they impugne it wyth y â— most horrible doctrine of the propiciatorie sacrifice daily offered in the Masse wherin they teach that mortall sinfull men in a state of Priesthood succeede Christ continually offer the very reall naturall body of Christ to God the father for the remission of dayly sinnes not only of theÌ„ that CoÌ„municate but of them that looke on receaue not yea and of them that be absent and procure the same to be made eyther for money or otherwise aswell for themselues as other which is directly contrarie to the doctrine of the holy Ghost in the Epistle to the Hebrewes Where at large he prooueth that neither the Priesthood of Christ can haue any successioÌ„ nor his sacrifice any repetitioÌ„ without euident note of imperfection As concerning the fourth cause of Christes Incarnation that he is the only Maister and teacher of his Church and hath reuealed vnto vs the perfecte wyll of God and true waye of Saluation so that nowe after hym wee shoulde receaue no doctrine but that is vttered by the voyce of our hygh Sheeparde in his holye worde Yes sayeth the Churche of Rome there bee many weyghtie matters of necessitie of saluation to bee beleeued which Christ in hys written worde hath not deliuered vnto vs and the same to bee receaued wyth lyke reuerence that the written worde of God is Last of all the fifte cause of Christes Incarnation that he came to be the onely Head Ruler Gouernour and Directour of his Churche the Patrones of the Churche of Rome manifestly denye saying that Christ is in deede the onely heade for saluation but not for gouernment because the Pope is the Ministeriall heade and gouernour and directour of the vniuersall Churche wherein they manifestly alter the nature of Christes kingdome For whereas the kingdome of Christ is not of this worlde but a spirituall kingdome wherein by the word of God and the power of his holy spirite hee ruleth and raygneth in the heartes of true Christians the Pope hath transferred it to an earthly kingdome and Empyre by which as the Vicar of Christ he challengeth a vniuersall gouernment not onely ouer the Ecclesiasticall state but also ouer all Princes and gouernours of the earth This opposition and contrarietie of the doctrines of the Churche of Rome to the doctrine of y â— Gospell if you diligently marke and obserue you shall euidently see in them the spirite of Antichrist althoughe not grossely and playnely yet vndirectly and colourablye denying Christ to haue come in fleshe What shall I saye that the doctrine of that Churche dothe not onely disgrace the office of Chryst in the worke of our redemption but hys person also by brynging hys humanitie and the trueth of hys bodye in doubte whyle they teache that the verye naturall bodie of Christ is really in all places or in tenne thousand places at once that is in euerye host consecrated through out the whole worlde And what Christian knoweth not that it is the propertie of of God alone and of no creature bee it neuer so holye to bee in manye places at once Finallye I adde that the Churche of Rome teacheth corruptlye as touching Originall Sinne freewill and the grace of GOD Faith and Justification good workes and the merites of them the vse of the Sacramentes and almost of all doctrines touching Christian Religion Therefore I trust you nowe perceyue both the partes of my second proposition euidently proued that is that we sincerely confesse and teache in all true sense that Christ is come in fleshe and they doe not therefore accordyng to the wordes of my Theame I say vnto you If we teach you the truth why doe you not beleeue vs If it be the onely right way of saluation why is it not fauourably receaued and embraced If it be the glad tidings of the Gospell sent by God vnto you why are the Messengers thereof disdayned and contemned People that doe feare God heare the worde of God with reuerence and not onely heare it with the eares but faithfully beleeue it in the hart and not onely beleeue it but constantly abyde in it not onely themselues to abyde in it but by all meanes they can to labour to drawe other to it and to represse all such as eyther reuolte from it themselues or seeke to disgrace or discredite it in others God is not more displeased with any thing than with the contempt of his word and Ministers Thus sayth the Lord by Ieremie in y t 6. chap. reprouing the obstinacie of his people Stand in the wayes and behold aske for the olde way which is the good way and walke therin and there you shall finde rest for your soules but they said we wil not walk therin Also I set watchmen ouer you which said take heede to the sounde of the Trumpet but they said we will not take heede But consider what God addeth immediatly Heare O earth saith he beholde I will cause a plague to come vpon