the right hande of the father is that Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world And in the Crade verilie it is expressly saide I belieue the forgiuenesse of sinnes and not of sinne For when wée saye of sinnes wée acknowledge that God forgiueth all sinnes For to let passe the proofes hereof out of the 3. and 5. of Paul to the Romanes those out of S. Iohn the Apostle Euangelist shal be suffcient who in his Epistle testifieth and saith The bloud of Iesus Christ clenseth vs from euery sinne Loe hee saith from euery sinne Hée I say that saith from euery one excepteth none vnlesse it be that which the Lorde himselfe excepted I meane the sinne against the holie Ghoste for which the verie same S. Iohn forbiddeth vs to pray Againe also hée saith If we acknowledge our sinns God is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to clense vs froÌ„ al our vnrighteousnes The Apostle thought it not enough to say barelie To forgiue vs our sinnes but that hee might declare the thing as it is in deede so plainly that it might easily be vnderstoode hée addeth moreouer this saying And to cleÌ„se vs from al our vnrighteousnes Loe here hée saith againe from all vnrighteousnes And for because some cauiller mighte peraduenture make this obiectioÌ„ and say This kinde of doctrine maketh men sluggish slowe to amendment For men vnder the pretence of Gods grace will not ceasse to sinne therfore Iohn in his 2. Chap. answereth their obiection and saith Babes these things write I to you that yee sinne not and if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the righteous And hee is the attonement for our sinnes not for our sinnes onelie but also for the sinnes of all the world Wherfore it is assuredly true that by the death of Christe all sinnes are forgiuen them that belieue Moreouer the Lorde alone forgiueth sinns For it is the glorie of God alone to forgiue sinnes and of vnrighteous to make men righteous Therefore wheras meÌ„ are said to forgiue sinnes that is to be vnderstood of their ministerie and not of their power The minister pronounceth to the people that for Christ his sake their sinns are forgiuen and in so saying hee deceyueth them not For God in deede forgiueth the sinns of them that belieue according to that saying Whose sinnes yee forgiue they are forgiuen them And this is done so often as the worde of the Gospel is preached so that there be no néede to faine that auricular coÌ„fession and priuate absolution at the priestes hand is necessarie for the remission of sinnes For as auricular confession was not in vse among the Saints before the comming of Christ so wée read not that the Apostles heard priuate confession or vsed priuate absolution in the Church of Christe It is enough for vs to confesse our sinnes to God who because he seeth our hartes ought therefore most rightlie to heare our confessions It is enough if wée as S. Iames teacheth vs do one to another betwixt our selues confesse our faultes and offences and so after pardon asked retourne into mutuall fauour againe It is enough for vs to heare the Gospel promising the forgiuenesse of our sinnes through Christe if wée belieue Let vs therefore belieue the forgiuenes of sinnes and pray to the Lord that hee will vouchsafe to giue and increase in vs this same beliefe These thinges were of olde and in the Primitiue Church effectuall enough to obtayne pardon and full remission of sinnes and as they were so are they vndoubtedly at this day sufficient too Furthermore the Lord doth so pardon our sinnes not that they should not be any more in vs nor leaue their reliques behind them as a sting in our flesh but that they should not be imputed to vs to our damnation Concupiscence sticketh faste and sheweth it selfe in our flesh striuing still with the good spirite of God euen in the holie ones so loÌ„g as life lastethon this earth Here therefore wée haue néede of long watching and much fasting to drawe from the flesh the nourishmeÌ„t of euil and often prayers to call to God for ayde that wée be not ouercome of the euill And if any man shal hap to fayle for féeblenesse and be subdued of temptation let him not yeld himselfe by lying stil to be caught in the deuils net let him rise vp againe by repentaunce and runne to Christ belieuing that by the death of Christ this fal of his shal be forgiuen him And so often shal hee haue recourse to him as hee shal be vanquished by concupisceÌ„ce and sinne For to this ende shoote all the exhortations of the Prophets and Apostles calling on still to returne to the Lord. Finally the Lord doth so forgiue our sinnes that hee wil neuer once remember them againe For so hee foretold vs by Iere. in his 31. Ca. Hâ—e therfore doth not punish vs For he hath not onely forgiuen the fault but also the punishment due for the sinne Now then whereas the Lord sometime doth whip vs with his scourges and whippeth vs for our sinnes in deede as the holie Scripture doth plainly declare hee doth it not to the intent that with our affliction wee should make satisfaction for the sinnes wée haue committed For then should the death of Christe be of none effecte but that Lord with whipping doth chastise vs by whipping vs doth let vs vnderstand that hée liketh not of the sinnes which wee haue committed and he doth fréelie forgiue By whipping vs also hée maketh vs exaÌ„ples to other least they sinne too and cutteth from vs all occasion of sinning and by the Crosse doth kéepe our patience in vre This thus farre touching the forgieuenesse of sinnes Of which I haue said somewhat in my sermon of fayth that iustifieth and else where The eleuenth article is this The resurrection of the flesh These two articles this and the twelfth shutte vp as brieflie as may bee the most excellent fruit of faith and summe of all perfection they wrap vp I say the end of fayth in confessing life euerlasting the ful perfeâ—t saluatioÌ„ of the whole meÌ„ For the whole man shal be saued as wel in Soule as bodie For as man by sinne did perish both in bodie soule so ought he to be restoared againe both bodilie and ghostlie and as hee oughte so was hee by Christe restored againe The Soule of man verilie is a spirite and dieth not at al the body is earthly and therefore dieth and rotteth For which cause many holde opinion that the bodies die neuer to be made partakers of ioye or paine in the world to come But wée in this article professe the contrarie acknowledging that those our bodies and so that fleshe of ours shall rise againe and enter into life euerlasting Of this word Resurrection or rising againe I haue spoken in the exposition of that Article The third day hée
slept neither could sléepe so being deliuered from the burden of the bodie they are muche lesse to bee thought to sléepe To the bodie therefore is sléepe to bee referred For whosoeuer dieth in a true faith hee sléepeth in the lord And as they that sléepe when their 〈…〉 the body is not altogether eâ—tinguished by deathe that it should not liue againe any more but nowe verily 〈…〉 into rest and at the day of iudgemeÌ„t it riseth againe liueth and for this cause holy meÌ„ are sayd in the scriptures to sléepe not to die that therby the mysterie of the resurrection of our flesh may be signified Which thing these grosse headed men vnderstand not wherevpon they attribute that to the soule which is proper to the body Other arguments which they bring to confirme their madnesse are vnworthy to be rehearsed For eyther they violently wrest the scripture from the natural sense or else by their corrupt reasoning they gather falshoode out of those things that are false But they doe erre and are no lesse deâ—eiued than these sléeping doctours which thinke that soules departing from their bodies go not by by the right ready way into heauen but are â—aâ—ght in the middest of their iourney and carried into that purgatorie firâ— wherin they maye be purged from the filthy spots of sinnes whiche they haue gotten in the flesh and that after they be purged they are carried by Angels into the presence of the most holy god For eyther the souls are purged with that purgatorie fire from the filthe of their sinnes or else they are washed and cleansed through the paine and griefe of torments whiche there they do suffer If sinnes be purged by vertue of that fire then it followeth that sinners are not sanctified by the only bloude of the sonne of god But by what scriptures haue they proued vn to vs that this power of purging is giuen to the fire Hath God altered 〈…〉 and purpose and sâ—t 〈◊〉 fire instead of Christe to workâ— our sanctifiâ—ation 〈◊〉 for shame But if for oure sufferings and tormentes sake sinnes are forgiuen then it followeth that we are not purged by the crosse and passion of Christ only Let them teache vs out of the scripture that suche worthinesse is attributed by God to our sufferings But by the onely bloud and passion of Christ all those are sanctified that be sanctified whosoeuer they be therefore purgatoriâ— is a wicked deuise of the diuell whiche darkeneth yea and maketh voyd the crosse and merites of Christ For what other thing do they account purgatorie but a satisfaction for sinnes made by the soules separated froÌ„ their bodies In the Gospell of Iohn there is a question moued by the disciples of Iohn the Baptist touching the purifying of soules And Iohn Baptist declareth that the faythfull are through Christe purified by fayth which thing he is beléeued to haue testified also by holy baptisme Moreouer the most excellent apostles do expresly witnosse that all the faithfull are cleansed by the onely bloude of Christe and by his onely passion and most sufficient merites For Peter who sayeth in the Actes Neyther is there saluation in any other for among men there is giuen no other name vnder heauen wherby we must be saued He I say hath written in his firste canonicall Epistle Ye knowe that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as with siluer and golde but with the precious bloude of the immaculate lambe Iohn the Apostle also sayeth The bloude of Christ Iesus the sonne of God cleanseth vs from all sinne And he againe Christ loued vs and washed vs from our â—innes by his owne bloud And Paule â—ath to the Ephesians 〈◊〉 to Titus sheweth that we are purified by the only bloud of the sonne of god Vnto the He brues he sayth By him selfe hath hee purged our sinnes and sâ—ttâ—â—h on the right hande of God in the highest places It was not without signification that he said By him self that he might thereby exclude all other meanes For elswhere he sayth thus If righteousnesse come by the lawe then Christe dyed in vaine For after the same manner we also doe reason If we be cleansed by purgatorie fire then in vaine did Christe shed his bloude to purgâ— vs For what néeded he to haue suffered most grieuous punishment if we could haue ben cleansed by Purgatorie fire Moreouer the whole scripture teacheth vs that Christe is our onely satisfaction and propitiation Which thing we haue at large shewed in other places And therefore soules make no satisfaction in purgatorie vnlesse we wil confesse that men haue no néede of Christe These men doe further feine that the power to purge is giuen to the fire of purgatorie by grace or by the bloude and merites of Christe that this fire purgeth not by his own vertue but by the power of the sonne of god But they haue also forged this most wickedly For the scripture in euerie place as we also said euen nowe sendeth vs back to the sonne of God and the price of his bloude and cleansing wherof it teacheth that we are made partakers while we liue in this world by faith and the holy ghost but of Purgatorie it speaketh not a word in any place neyther saith it in any place that we by the grace of god are purged in an other worlde Therefore they steale away the glorie 〈…〉 proper vnto the 〈…〉 God and giue it to a fire which is altogether forged and 〈…〉 Furthermore then appoint an other time of grace out of this world which is altogether straunge vnto the scriptures For our Lorde cryeth in the Gospel I must worke the workes of him that sent me while it is day the night commeth when no man can worke And Saint Paule sayth Let vs doe good that is to â—ay let vs â—e bountifull and liberall towarde the poore while we haue time Whiche saying he séemeth to haue taken out of Solomons booke of the Preacher saying When the cloudes are full they poure out raine vpon the earth and when the tree falleth whether it be towarde the South or North in what place so euer it fall there it remaineth He vseth two Allegories or darke speaches by the which he teacheth the rich to be liberal The first is taken from the cloudes The cloudes from the earth do gather vp vapours which being thickned are immediatly as out of a sponge pressed out and pâ—â—â—ed vppon the earth to water it Let rich men do the like distributing againe among men suche riches as they haue gotten among men The seconde is taken of trées which being feld lye in the same places in the whithey fall The wise man therefore warneth vs to doe that in due season whiche we oughte to doe for when we are departed from hence there is no place of repentaunce And in the Gospell a trée is oftentimes put for a man where also the right hand is put
haue for the deade for the dead haue their sinnes forgiuen them therefore al lets delayes vnto life are taken away so they liue with god But they which haue not beleeued haue reteined kept their sinnes stil being east down into the bottomlesse lake sticke fast in the myâ—e of hell Which thinges since they are 〈◊〉 certâ—ntie truly theâ— is a 〈◊〉 of praying for y dead 〈◊〉 before goâ—â— nor among the faithful Herevnto are annexed so many examples of the â—aintes in both the Testaments which are to be preferred both before vs 〈…〉 condeÌ„nations of men Which I pray you of the holy fathers euer prayed 〈◊〉 their dead Did Adam pray for his Abel did the sonnes pray for their father Adam What prayers did Abraham offer to God for the soule of his father Thare or for the soul of his most deare wife Sara What prayers poured Esau and Iacob forth for their father Isaac when he died the â—â— sonnes of Israel for Iacob Solomon for Dauid In the new Testament Iohn baptist is beheaded of Herode Stephan stoned of the Iewes Iames his head is cut off by the shoulders at the coÌ„mandemeÌ„t of Agrippa their disciples burie their bodies do all things religiously belonging to their burials but in somany 〈…〉 made of prayâ—r for the soules of the deaâ—â— For they beléeued they forthwith after death were carried into euerlasting life Who theÌ„ after so many notable examples after so cleare profession of the catholique and sinnere fayth 〈◊〉 ye vs to the necessitie of praying for the soules of the dead Who can say hereafter that we are hereâ—iques who fulfill that in worke whiche we professe in profession of fayth or confession of the mouth yea which do no other thing thaÌ„ the most excellent worshippers of God of both Testaments haue done before vs. The last pâ—st wherewith they vnderprop their purgatorie least it should fall is the appearing of spirites For Rabanus a byshop sheweth out of the testimonies of Pope Gregorie and reuerâ—nd Beda that the soules of dead men haue very often appeared and taught that oblations and praiers do profite them verie much But I wonder that men of learning wold grouÌ„d their worke vpon so rotten ruinous foundations For the Lorde in the lawe forbiddeth to aske the truthe of the spirites or soules of the deade In the Prophetes we are sent from such 〈◊〉 to the law the testimonie In Luke the rich glutton cryeth in torments saith I pray the father Abraham that thou wouldest sende Lazarus to my fathers house for I haue fiue brethren that he may witnesse vnto them least they also come into this place of torment But he heareth They haue Moses and the Prophetes let them heare them But when the riche glutton hadde answered No father Abraham but if one come vnto theÌ„ from the dead they will beleeue and repent He heareth againe If they heare not Moses and the Prophetes neyther will they beleeue if one rise from death Therefore it is most certeine and confirmed by the authoritie of the gospel that blessed soules are not sent of God vnto vs to teache vs any thing Who I pray your woulde giue eare to wicked and condemned soules The Gospell of Christe sendeth vs all to the canonicall scripture Wherevpon it followeth that the testimonies which are fetched from Oracles or appearings of the spirites of the dead are of no weight but most deceiuable and full of lying Mans testimonies are agreeable with Gods which also teache vs that souls being separated from their bodies can not wander or stray in these regions The wordes are too long to rehearse which Tertullian learnedly disputeth of this matter in the ende almoste of his booke De Anima yet they are all leuelled to this 〈◊〉 to shew that souls separated from their bodies and appointed to their places do not returne again into this world To the obiection of some that boast of arte Magicke and also that by the power of God many haue returned froÌ„ the deade into this life he answereth But although the power of God hath called backe againe some soules into their bodies to giue vs instruction of his might and right yet therfore that shall not be communicated with the credite and boldnesse of Magicians and the deceitfulnesse of dreams and licentiousnesse of Poets but in the examples of the resurrection when Gods power eyther by Prophetes or by Christe or by Apostles bringeth soules into bodies it is manifestly declared by sound euident and ful truth that it is the shape of a true body that thou mightest iudge all appearings of 〈◊〉 men 〈…〉 Therefore 〈◊〉 in his 29. Homelie vpon Mâ—â—demauÌ„ding What then shall wee answere to those speaches I am such a soule Hee answereth It is not the soule of that dead body which speaketh these things but the diuell who deuiseth these things to deceiue theÌ„ that heare him And anon he sayth Wherefore these are to be counted the wordes of olde wiues and of dotards and childrens toyes and phantasies And againe A soule separated from the body can not wander in these regions For the soules of the righteous are in the hands of God and the soules of infants likewise for they haue not sinned And the souls of the wicked after this life are by and by carried away Which is made apparant by 〈◊〉 and the rich glutton But in an 〈◊〉 place the Lorde also sayeth Thâ—◠〈◊〉 they shall require thy soule againe from thee Therfore the soule when it departeth from the body can not wander here with vs and that not without cause For if they which go a iournie chauncing into vnknown countries know not whether they are like to goe except they haue a guide howe much more shal the soule bee ignoraunt whether it shall goe after it hath left the body and entereth altogether into a newe life and straunge way vnlesse it haue a guide Out of many places of the scripture it may bee proued that the souls of iust righteous men do not go astray after death For Stephan sayth Lorde Iesu receiue my spirite And Paul desired to be losed to be with Christe Of the Patriarch the scripture also sayth He dyed in a quied or good age and was gathered vnto or layd by his fathers And that the soules of the wicked can not tâ—rrie or haue their abiding heere giue eare what the rich glutton sayth and consider what he craueth and obteyneth not For if the souls of meÌ„ might be conuersant here he had come him selfe as hee desired and had certified his brethreÌ„ of the tormeÌ„ts of hel Out of whiche place of scripture this also plainely appeareth that foules after their going out of the body are carried into som certein appointed place froÌ„ wheÌ„ce they caÌ„ not return of their owne accord when they wil returne but waite and looke for that terrible day of iudgement Thus much hitherto out of
he was conceiued by the holy ghost and borne of the virgin he tooke vpon him flesh and soule and sense that is he tooke on him very man neither lost he what he was but began to be what he was not so yet that in respect of his owne properties he is perfect God and in respect of ours he is verie man For he which was God is borne man and he which is borne man doth woorke myracles as God and he that woorketh myracles as God doeth die as a man and hee that dieth as man doeth rise againe as god Who in the same flesh wherein he was borne and suffered and died and roase againe did ascende to the father and sitteth at his right hande in the glorie which he alwayes had and yet stil hath By whose death and bloud we beleeue that we are clensed and that at the latter day we shall be raised vp againe by him in this flesh wherein we now liue And we hope that we shall obteine a reward for our good deedes or else the paine of euerlastinge punishment for our sinnes Reade this beleeue this holde this submit thy soule to this faith and thou shalt obteine life and a rewarde at Christ his hande S. Peter Bishop of Alexandria taught and beleeued the verie same with the blessed Athanasius and Damasus as it may be gathered out of the 37. chapter of the 7. booke and the 14. chapter of the 8. booke of the Tripartite historie The Jmperiall decree for the Catholique faith taken out of the Tripartite historie lib. 9. cap. 7. THE noble Emperours Gratian Valentinian and Theodosius to the people of the citie of Constantinople We will all people whom the royall authoritie of our clemencie doth rule to be of that religion which the religion brought in by Peter him selfe doeth at this time declare that S. Peter the Apostle did teach to the Romanes and which it is euident that byshop Damasus and Peter the byshop of Alexandria a man of Apostolicall holinesse do followe that is that according to the discipline of the Apostles and doctrine of the Euangelistes in the equalitie of the maiestie and in the holy Trinitie we beleeue that there is but one godhead of the father of the sonne and of the holy ghoste Those which keepe this lawe we commaunde to haue the name of catholique Christians But for the other whom we iudge to be madde out of their wits we wil that they susteining the infamie of hereticall doctrine be punished firste by Gods vengeaunce and after that by punishment according to the motion of our mindes which we by the will of God shall thinke best of Giuen the thirde of the Calendes of March at Thessalonica Gratian the fifte Valentinian andTheodosius Aug. Coss FINIS THE FIRST TABLE CONTEYning the arguments and summe of euery Sermon as they follow one an other in euerie Decade throughout the body of the whole booke The first number is referred to the Sermon the second to the Page where it beginneth The first Tome and first the summe or contentes of the tenne Sermons of the first Decade 1 OF the worde of God the cause of it and howe and by whome it was reuealed to the world Page 1. 2 Of the worde of God to whome and to what end it was reuealed also in what maner it is to be hearde and that it doth fully teache the whole doctrine of godlinesse 14 3 Of the sense and right exposition of the worde of God by what manner of meanes it may be expounded 23 4 Of true fayth from whēce it commeth that it is an assured beliefe of the mynde whose only stay is vpon GOD and his worde 30 5 That there is one onely true fayth and what the vertue thereof is 40 6 That the faythfull are iustified by fayth without the law and workes 44 7 Of the first articles of the Christian faith conscined in the Apostles Creede 55 8 Of the latter Articles of the Christian faith conteyned in the Apostles Creede 67 9 Of the latter Articles of the Christian fayth conteyned in the Apostles Creede 77 10 Of the loue of God and our neighbour 91 ¶ The summe or contents of the tenne Sermons of the second Decade 1 OF lawes and first of the lawes of Nature then of the lawes of men 100 2 Of Gods lawe and of the two first commaundements of the first table 109 3 Of the third precept of the tenne commaundements and of Swearing 126 4 Of the fourthe precept of the first table that is of the order and keeping of the Sabboth day 136 5 Of the first precept of the second table which is in order the fift of the tenne commaundementes touching the honour due to parents 144 6 Of the seconde precept of the second table which is in order the sixte of the tenne Commaundements Thou shalt not kill And of the magistrate 163 7 Of the office of the Magistrate whether the care of religion apperteineth to him or no whether he may make lawes and ordinaunces in cases of religion 177 8 Of iudgement and the office of the Iudge That Christians are not forbidē to iudge Of reuengement and punishment Whether it be lawfull for a magistrate to kill the guiltie Wherefore when howe what the magistrate muste punishe Whether he may punish offenders in religion or no. 191 9 Of warre whether it bee lawful for a magistrate to make warre What the scripture teacheth touching warr Whether a Christian man may beare the office of a magistrate And of the dutie of subiectes 207 10 Of the thirde precept of the second table which is in order the seuenth of the ten Commaundements Thou shalt not commit adulterie Of wedlock Against al intemperancie Of Continencie 222 The second Tome and firste the summe or contentes of the tenne Sermons of the thirde Decade 1 OF the fourth precept of the second table whiche is in order the eighth of the ten commandements Thou shalt not steale Of the owing and possessing of proper goodes and of the right and lawfull getting of the same Against sundry kinds of theft 259 2 Of the lawfull vse of earthly goods that is how we may rightly possesse and lawfully spende the wealth that is rightly and iustly gotten Of restitution almes deeds 279 3 Of the patient bearing and abiding of sundrie calamities miseries and also of the hope and manifold consolation of the faithfull 270 4 Of the fift sixt preceptes of the second table which are in order the ninth and tenth of the tenne Commaundements that is Thou shalt not speake false witnesse against thy neighbour And Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours house c. 318 5 Of the Ceremonial lawes of GOD but especially of the Priesthoode time and place appointed for the Ceremonies 327 6 Of the Sacraments of the Iewes of their sundry sorts of sacrifices and certeine other things perteyning to their Ceremoniall lawe 354 7 Of the Iudicial lawes of God. 387 8 Of
and the abhominable and murtherers c. 655 22 And after I had heard and séene I fell downe to worship c. 653 22 Sée thou do it not for I am thy fellow seruaunt c. 743. 842. 890 The third and last table conteyning a short summe of such words or names and matters as are mentioned in this booke A. AAron a type or figure of Christ 332 Aaron his rod. 332 Abraham how he is iustified 3. 387. 554 Abia beléeuinge the ward of the Lord ouercommeth 5000000. men of theâ—ribe of Israel 253 Abigei what they are 279 Abrogation of the Lawe 409 Abrogation of the Iudiciall lawes 427 Abortion what it is 443 Abuse of Christian libertie 449 Alsolom 523 Abuse of the Church goods 1128 Achaz 254 AccusatioÌ„s false and wrongfull 320 Accusations that be iust 322 Actuall sinne and the cause thereof 505 Adam and â—ethusalem 649 Adoration 651 Adamonition before punishmeÌ„t 202 Adulterie spoken against 231 Adulterie and fornication 863 Adulcerie pardoned by Christ 234 Adulterie what things are in it forbidden 234 Arian heretiques condemned 775 Affinitie that the word of God hath with sacraments 291. 892 Afflictions 292 293. 298 299. 307. 310. 311. 312. 313 316. Altar 348 Altar or table of the Lord. 1070 Allthinges of God by God and in God. 494 Amasias 254 Ammon the king rebelling against the word of God after two yeares infortunate reigne was murthered of his owne household servaunts 255 Ambition worketh by priuate gifts 278 Anabaptistes and Nouations the me 〈◊〉 of Sathan 569 Angel and Angels 732. 733. 734. 735. c. vsque 745. Anthropomoâ—phites 118. 613 Antiochus Epiphanes 511 Anthemius 892 Annoynting or annoyling 1136 Apostles of Christ 11 Apostles how they bynde and loose 902 Apostles what they be 877 Apostles bâ—ptise infants 1055 Apostles authoritie very great 12 Apostles Créede 55 Apostles receiue wages 1121 Application of scripture necessarie 903 Appeale 392 Appearing of spirits 392 Article of the Christian faith 55 2 Article 59 3 Article 60 4 Article 63 5 Article 67 6 Article 69 7 Article 74 8 Article 78 9 Article 78 10 Article 81 11 Arâ—icle 84 12 Article 90 Aristocracie 169 Arcke 345. 346. 996. Assemblie 1064 Assemblies that be holy 915. 916 Ascension of Christ 69 Asturia 235 Asa 253 Ascend into heauen 1088 Auncient lawes 387 Authoritie of the Apostles very great 12 Authoritie of fathers 393 Auengment taken by the magistrate 196 Augustines opinion of the righte hand of the father 73 Augustines diuision of signes 955 Augustines sentence touching merites of Saintes 494 Auricular confession 577. 578 581 Authoritie of pastours 912 Authour of Sacraments God himselfe 962 Auncient exposition of the words of the Supper This is my bodie 1086 B. Backbiting pernicions 323 Bargaining buying selling 287 Baptisme 989. 1005. 1013. 1027. 1031. 1033. 1050. 1055. 1060. 1061. 1062. Baptising with water vnconsecrated 1039. 1040. Baptiser 1042 Baptised 824. 1055. 1060 Baâ—lards 395 Baâ—des and Curtisans haue benefices at Rome 900 Belongeth to vs to knowe what was written to theÌ„ in old time 15 Beléeue in the sonne of God. 59 Beléefe of oures the second Article thereof 58 Beléefe in the church forbidden 78 Bed in wedlocke ought to be vndefiled 226 Benâ—fits of God are to be acknowledged 952 Beginning of sinne against the holy Ghost 517 Beginning of the ministerie from whome and the worthines thereof 875 Behauiour of the godly in their calamities 300 Bearing witnesse 319 Birth of Christ 63 Bishops 878. 905. Blaspemie 516. 517 Blessing and thankesgiuing 977 Bloud and strangled forbidden by the apostles 421 Body of Christ 689 Body glorious 87. 88 Body naturall body spirituall 89 Bodies of the wicked rise againe 89 Bonauentures opinion of grace 1003 Bondage 395. 441. 442 Both kindes in the supper giuen receiued 1066 Bow downe to images what it is 122 Bread among the Hebrues what it signifyeth 947 Bread and wine remaine in their substance after consecration 984 Bread and wine are so called after consecration 985 Breaking of bread 1063 Buriall of Christ 65 Buying and selling c. 394 C. Catalogue of the bookes of the diuine Scripture 12 Cause of Christes incarnation 60 Calling to the ministerie 891. 893 Cathechising 907. Calamities 291. 293 Candlesticke golden 347 Carnall and fleshly people 404 Cure of the bodie 448 Cauills of those that attribute iustification to workes 458 Cause of sinne and euill 483 Catholique church what it is 79. 813 Carnall bondage and seruile 991 Carthage counsell for examining of bishops 895 Celebration of the supper c. 1072 Ceremonies 229. 328 329. 330. 364. 413. 415. 424. 1033. 1034. Confession of true religion 366 Charitie 92. 98 Christe as yet executeth all the dueties of a priest in the church 872 Christ what hee receynâ—th to himselfe from his ministerie and apostles 872 Christ is the naturall sonne of God 883 Christ reâ—eyneth both natures vnconfounded together 691 Christ in one person remayneth vndiuided 694 Christ is king of all 698 Christ is a Monarch 698 Christ is cotent to debate with Pilate of his kingdome 700 Christ called the onely sonne 59 Christ how he reigneth on earth in his kingdome 700 Christ Iesus the highe prest 704 Christ is annointed but with inuisible oile 705 Christ doth the office of a priest that is teacheth maketh intercession blesseth sacrificeth and sancrifieth 705 Christe his priesthood 706 Christians are kinges and priesis 709 Christ compared with Adam 49 Christ died not in vaine 50 Christ by interpretation annoynted 60 Christ is our Lord. 60 Christs conception and the maner thereof 62 Christes conception pure 63 Christ suffered vnder Pontius Pilate 64 Christ a Judge 74 Christ conueyeth himselfe awaye when the people would haue made him a king 218 Christians haue nothing to doe with the yron like Philosophie of the Stoikes 301 Christ coÌ„mandeth vs to beare his crosse 309 Christ and Paule examples to vs. 314 Christ is the rock not Christ signifieth the rocke 991 Christ the first begotten 331 Christ and his Apostles institute scholes 1115 Christ hath taken all burthens froÌ„ our shoulders 437 Christ fulfilled the lawe and is the perfectnes of the faithful 407 Christ alone is our life and saluation 543 Christ doeth fully worke our saluation 544 Christ is receiued by faith and not by workes 548 Christ how he preached the Gospel 548. 661. 862. Church Churches and CoÌ„gregation c. 667. 812. 813. 815. 816. 820. 821. 827. 831. 832. 833. 852. 860. 861. 863. 864. 866. 867. 868. 1118 1127 Circumcision 355. 357. 358. 359. 360. 361. Citie and temple of Hierusalem destroyed 413 Clearkes what they were sometime 883 CoÌ„municating of properties 696 Counsell of the priestes forsaken by king Ioas what followed 254 Conscience at quiet peace before God is the worke of the holy ghost 723. Constancie of the Apostles 723 Consecrating of pastours begun with fasting and prayer 897 Concupiscence 108. 949 Consubstantiall and coessentiall 59 Communion of sainctes 80 Confession and acknowledging of sinnes 81
the Virgin Marie by Iosephe or by any seede of man but by the holie ghoste not that the holy ghoste was in place of the seede For nothinge is begotten of the spirite but what is spirituall Neyther hath our Lorde a phantasticall but a very true body and of the same substance with vs So then our Lord was conceiued in the wombe of the Virgin by the holie ghost For the holie ghost by his eternall power did bring to passe that the virginitie of the Virgine mother beinge vncorrupted shee I say being made with child cōceiued of her owne bloud and gaue a pure and verye humane bodie to the sonne of god As is declared at large by the Angell Gabriel in the first cap. after S. Luk. Of which place because I meane to speake else where more largely I do now passe it ouer vntouched God himselfe streight wayes after the verie beginninge of the worlde did foretel that such should be the manner of that cōception For he said not the seede of the man shal tread downe the Serpents heade but the seede of the woman Moreouer the Lord by the Prophets sayth I will rayse vp seede to Dauid But Moses law for the raysinge vp of seede to the brother departed is wel knowne For if the brother died without issue of Children his brother remayning aliue was compelled to marrie the deceassed brothers wife and of her to beget childrē which were called and counted not by the name of him that was liuinge but of the deade brother Wherefore when there was not to be found amā of Dauids lyne that was sufficientlie meete to begett on the Virgin the sonne of God the fauiour of the world God himself raiseth vp seede to Dauid and by his holy spirite maketh the Virgin with childe who although she were not with child by a man of Dauids lyne yet because shée was a daughter of Dauids stock and because God so workinge shée of her owne substaunce gaue substaunce to the sonne of God this her childe Christe both is and is called the sonne of Dauid What doth that argue moreouer that Dauid in the 110. Psalme sayth In the mightie power of holines the deaw of thy birth is to thee of the wombe of the morning Or the deaw of thy birth is to thee of the wōbe of the morninge in the mightie power of holines That is to say By a certaine mightie power of holines meruaylous meanes shalte thou bee borne For thy birth shal be like vnto the ingendring of the deaw which cōmeth of the pure morning as it were a child borne of the wombe For as in the day time the Sūne draweth out of the earth a vapour which by reason of the smallnes of the heat which draweth it vpwarde is by the coldnesse of the tēperat night or euenings drawn downe againe and resolued into water So God the is the Sunne of righteousnes tooke blood of the earth that is of the bodie of the vntouched Virgine Marie and by a wonderfull meanes did holilie and purely bring to passe that of her vnipotted wombe shoulde be borne and conceiued the most holie sonne of God. The causes whie this conception of the sonne of God in the wombe of the holie Virgine is most pure are these Hée that is conceiued in the wombe of a Virgin is God but God is a consuming fire which cannot take or suffer any vncleannesse in it self An other cause is this God came to cleanse our vncleannesse that is the vncleannesse of vs men hée himselfe verilie oughte to be exempte from all originall spots in all pointes most holie to the ende that being the onely vnspotted Sacrifice offered vp for the sinnes of all the world he might cleane take away all the sinnes of the world For that which is it selfe defiled cannot cleanse the thing that is defiled but rather the spot or filthines doth double his vncleannesse by the comminge too of that other vncleane thing The seconde member of this thirde Article is Hée was borne of the Virgin Marie The Lord was borne of Marie his mother and yet shée a Virgine still Hec is therefore very man which is borne of Woman Moreouer his byrth is pure For hee was borne of the Virgine so that together shée was a mother and yet a Virgine too For Esaias sayth Beholde a Virgine shall conceiue and bringe forth a sonne A Virgine sayth hee shall do both Conceiue and bringe foorth so that neuerthelesse shée may remaine a Virgine still The birthe therefore of the sonne of God is moste pure Also his birthe is a true birth verilie and in deede For hee taketh fleshe of the substaunce wombe of the Virgin. In which signification also our Lorde Iesus Christe is called the sonne of Dauid Hee coulde not bee called Dauids sonne vnlesse hée had taken verie humane substaunce of Marie a mayde or daughter of the stocke of Dauid Which that the Apostle Iohn mighte most properly signifie and expresse he sayth The Woord was made fleshe And the Apostle Paul sayth He doth no where take on him the Angells but the seede of Abraham And in the same place againe he affirmeth That the Lorde was made like to his bretheren in al things sinne excepted To the Philippians hee saith When hee was equall with God hee made himselfe of no reputation taking on him the forme of a seruaunte and made in the likenesse of men and founde in figure as a mā Againe the Apostle Iohn beareth witnesse sayth Euerie spirite that confesseth that Iesus Christe is come in the flesh is of God and euerie spirite which confesseth not that Iesus Christ is com in the flesh is not of God. Luke in his 2. Cap. hath at large set forth the manner of his Natiuitie And I do meane elsewhere to speake of it at the full Let vs therefore confesse that Iesus Christe was conceiued by the holie ghoste and borne of the Virgin Marie The fourth article of Christiā faith is this Hee suffered vnder Pōtius Pilate was crucified dead buried hee descended into hel In this fouth article is declared the end vse chiefeste comodity of the Lord his incarnation For he became man that he might suffer and dye and by dying suffering might redéeme vs from eternal death the torments of hell make vs beinge once clensed heyres of life euerlasting For this is the end of the Lorde his death as I will by by shew you and as Paule doth at large declare in the 9. chapter to the Hebrewes This article also is diuided into his partes First wée confesse that oure Lord suffered in very deede not phātastically to the appearaunce onelye that he suffered verily the calamities and myseries of this world and after that againe the tormēts of the slaughtermen and death it selfe in most bitter panges Hée suffered therfore both in soulde and bodye yea and that too in many facions For Esaias sayth He is a man of sorrowes
hath felte calamities Hee beareth our infirmities and hath carryed our sorrowes For the Lorde himselfe also in the Gospell said My soule is heauie euen vnto the death But verily hée suffred all this for vs For in him was neyther sinne nor any cause else whye hée shoulde suffer Secondarily in this article is noted the time Pontius Pilate the iudge vnder whom the Lorde dyed and redéemed the world from sinne death the deuil and hell Hée suffred therefore in the Monarchie of the Romanes vnder the Emperour Tiberius when as now according to the Prophecie of Iacob father of Israell the Iewishe people obeyed forreine kings because there were no more kinges or captaynes of the stocke of Iuda to haue the rule ouer them For hée foretold that then the Messias should come What may be thought of that moreouer that the Lord himselfe oftener then once in the Gospell did foreshew that hée should be deliuered into the handes of the Gentiles and by them be put to death In the thirde point of this article wée do expreslye declare the maner of his death For wée adde Hée was crucifyed and dyed on the Crosse But the death of the Crosse as it was most reprochfull so also was it most bitter or sharpe to be suffred yet tooke hée that kinde of death vppon him that hée might make satisfaction for the worlde and fulfill that which from the beginning was prefigured that he should be hāged on the tree Isaac was layde on the pile of woode to be offered vp in sacrifice Moses also stuck the Serpent on the stake of woode and lift it vp to be behelde And the Lord himself said I when I shal be lift vp from the earth will draw all men vnto mee Finally hée dyed on the Crosse géeuinge vp his Ghoste to god For hée dyed verily and in déede as you shall streightway perceiue Where I haue briefly to declare vnto you what the fruite of Christe his death is First wée were accursed because of sinne hée therfore tooke our curse vppon himselfe beinge lyft vp vppon the Crosse to the end he might take our curse away and that wée might be blessed in him Then also the heritage bequeathed to vs by Will could not come vnto vs vnlesse hee which bequeathed it did dye But God bequeathed it who that hée might die became mā and dyed according to his humane nature to the ende that wée might receiue the heritage of life In an other place againe Paule sayth Him that knewe not sinne did God make sinne for vs that wee by him mighte bee made the righteousnes of God. Our Lorde therefore became man by the sacrifice of himself to make satisfaction for vs On whō as it were vppon a Goate for sinne offring when all the sinnes of the whoale worlde were gathered together and layd hée by his death tooke awaye and purged them all so that nowe the onely sacrifice of Christ hath satisfied for the sinnes of the whole world And this verily is the greatest comoditie of Christ his death taught euery where by the Apostles of Christe Next after that also the death of Christe doth teach vs patience and the mortification of our fleshe yea Christe by the participation of himselfe doth by his Spirite worke in vs that sinne may not reigne in vs Touching which thing the Apostle Paule teacheth many thinges in the sixt Chapter to the Romanes The Lord in the Gospell sayth If any man will follow mee let him denie himselfe and take vp his Crosse and follow mee These and a few more are the fruites of the Lord his passion or the death of Christe Fourthly in this Article is added Hee was buried For our Lorde dyed verilie and in deede vppon the Crosse The very truth of his death was proued by the Souldiour which thruste him through the syde After that hée was taken downe from the Crosse and layde in a Sepulcher In the Gospell are expressed the names of them that buryed him Ioseph and Nicodemus There is also shewed the manner how they buried him The fruite of this his buriall the Sauiour himselfe hath taught in these woords Verilie verily I say vnto you vnlesse the seede of corne cast into the earthe doe dye it remayneth alone But if it dye it bringeth forth much fruit Whervppon the Apostle exhorteth vs to be buried with Christe in his death that wée may rise againe in the newnesse of life yea that wée maye liue reigne with him for euermore If therefore our bodies also be buried at any time let vs not therefore be troubled in minde For the faithfull are buried that they maye ryse with Christe againe The fift part of this fourth article some do put seuerallie by it self for the fift article of our fayth I for my part do see no cause whie it should be plucked from that that goeth before nor whie it should make by it selfe a peculiar article of our fayth The woords are these Hee descended into hell Touchinge this there are sondrie opinions among the expositors of the holie Scriptures Augustine in his booke De fide symbolo doth neyther place these woordes in the rule of beliefe nor yet expound them Cyprian sayth thus It is to be knowne verilie that in the Creede of the latin Church this is not added Hee descended into hell nor yet is this clause receiued in the Churches of the Easte but yet the sense of that clause seemeth to be all one with that where it is sayd He was buried This sayth hée So then Cyprians opinion seemeth to be that To descende into hell is nothing else but to be layd in the graue accordinge to that sayinge of Iacob Yee will bring my gray heares with sorrow to hell or the graue But there are some that thincke this assertion to be without lawful proofe For it is not lykelie that they would wrappe a thinge once alreadie plainly spoken immediatlie after in a darker kinde of speach Nay rather so often as two sentences are ioyned together that signifie both one thing the latter is alwayes an exposition of the firste But in these two speaches Hee was buried and hee descended into hell the first is the plainer and the latter the more intricate Augustine in his 99. Epistle to Euodius turmoyleth himselfe pitifullie in this matter To Dardanus de Dei praesentia he writeth that the Lord went into hell but that hee felt no torment Wée shall more agreably to the truth seeme to vnderstande this article if wee shal thincke that the vertue of Christe his death did flow euen to them that were dead and profited them too that is to saye that all the Patriarches and holie mē that died before the coming of Christ were for the death of Christe preserued from death euerlastinge As S. Peter also maketh mention That the Lord went in the spirite preached vnto the Spirits that were in prison For verilie they by the death of Christ were made to knowe the sentence of
of the Apostles Créede saith He sayd not in the holy church nor in the remission of sinnes nor in the resurrection of the body For if he had added the preposition In then had the force of those clauses beene all one with the force of that that went before For in those words wherein oure beliefe touching the Godhead is set downe we say in God the Father In Iesus Christ his Son in the holy ghost but in the rest wher the speach is not of the Godhead but touching the creatures or mysteries the preposition In is not added that we may say In the holy Churche but that the holy Church is to be beleued not as we beleue in God but as a congregation gathered together to God and that the forgiunesse of sinnes is to be beleeued not that we ought to beleeue in the forgiunesse of sinnes and that the resurrection of the flesh is to be beleeued not that we ought to beleeue in the resurrection of the fleshe So then by this sillable In the Creator is discerned from the Creatures and that that is Gods frō that that is mans This saith Cyprian S. Augustine in his booke De Fide et Symbolo hath I beleeue the holy Churche not I beleeue in the holy Church There are alledged also his wordes in his epistle Ad Neophytos touching consecration Distinct 4. ca. 1. We saide not that ye had to beleeue in the Church as in God but vnderstād how we said that ye being cōuersant in the holy Catholique Churche should beleeue in God. Much more euidently doth Paschasius in the first Chap. of his first booke De Spiritu Sancto say We beleeue the Church as the mother of regeneration we do not beleeue in the Church as the authour of saluation He that beleeueth in the Churche beleeueth in man For man hath not his being of the Churche but the Churche beganne by man Leaue of therefore this blasphemous persuasion to think that thou haste to beleeue in anye worldly Creature since thou mayst not beleeue neither in Angel nor Archangel The vnskilfulnesse of some haue drawne and taken the preposition In from the sentence that goeth nexte before and put it to that that followeth adding thereto also too too shamelesly somewhat more then needed This hath Paschasius in that booke of his which Saint Gregorie the greate Bishop of Rome liked very well of What say ye to that moreouer that Thomas of Aquine reasoning of faith in the seconde booke Part. 2. Artic. 9. quest 1. sayth If we say I beleeue in the holy Churche we muste vnderstande that oure fayth is referred to the holy Ghoste whiche sanctifieth the Churche and so make the sense to be thus I beleeue in the holy spirite that sanctifieth the Church But it is better and according to the cōmon vse not to adde at all the sillable In but simply to say the holy Catholique Churche euen as also Pope Leo sayth This hath Thomas So nowe ye haue hearde the opinions of the auncient Doctours of the Churche Cyprian Augustine Gregorie Paschasius Pope Leo and also of Thomas of Aquine whiche taught nowe in the later times And dearely beloued ye doe vnderstande by proofes taken out of the Canonicall Scripture that we must acknowledge and confesse the holy Catholike Churche but not beléeue in the holy Catholique Church And nowe we haue to sée what that is that is called the Churche and what is called the Catholique church Ecclesia whiche worde we vse for the Churche is properly an assembly it is I saye where the people are called out or gathered together to heare somewhat touching the affaires of the common weale In this present treatise it is the company communion congregation multitude or fellowship of all that professe the name of Christe Catholique is as muche to say as this fellowship is vniuersal as that that is extended throughe all places and ages For the Churche of Christe is not restrained into any corner among the Donatists in Aphrica it stretcheth out it selfe throughe the compasse of the world and vnto all ages and doth conteine all the faithfull from the first Adam euen vnto the very last Saint that shall be remaining before the end of the world This vniuersall Churche hath hir particular churches I mean the churche of Adam and of the Patriarches the Churche of Moses and of the Prophetes before the byrth of Christe the Christian Churche which is so named of Christe him selfe and the Apostolicall Church gathered together by the Apostles doctrine in the name of Christ And finally it containeth these particular Churches as the Churche of Ierusalem of Antioch of Alexandria of Rome of Asia of Aphrica of Europe of the East of the West c. And yet all these Churches as it were members of one body vnder the onely heade Christe for Christe alone is the heade of his Church not onely triumphant but militant also do make one onely Catholike Churche in whiche there are not to be founde either heresies or schismies and for that cause is it called the true Church to wit of the right and true opinion iudgement fayth and doctrine For in the Church onely is true fayth and without the Church of God is neyther any trueth nor yet saluation So then in this Article we confesse that all the faithfull dispersed through out the whole compasse of the earth and they also that at this time liue in heauen as many I say as are already saued or shall euen vntill the very end of the worlde be borne to be saued are one bodye hauing gotten fellowship and participation with God and a mutuall communion among them selues And for bycause no man can be made one with God vnlesse he also be holy pure euen as God is holy and pure therefore we beléeue that the Church is holy that is that it is sanctified by God the Father in the bloude of the Sonne and the gift of the holy Ghost We haue hearde testimonies inough in the former Sermons Therefore this one of Paule shall be sufficient which he writeth to the Ephesians Christe loued the Churche and gaue him selfe for it to sanctifie and to cleanse it in the fountaine of water through the worde to make it vnto him selfe a glorious Churche not hauing spot or wrinckle c. By which words we vnderstand that the church is called vndefiled altogether cleane not in respect of it selfe but bycause of Christe For the Church of Christ is so farre foorth holy as that yet euery day it doth goe forwarde in profiting and is neuer perfect so long as it liueth on the earth And yet notwithstanding the holinesse of it is moste absolutely perfect in Christ Wherevnto veryly belongeth that notable saying of the lord He that is washed hath no need but to washe his feete onely for he is wholy cleane For the faythfull are purely cleansed by Christe who washeth them with his bloud
rose againe from the dead But now this worde fleshe doth a great deale more significantly expresse the resurrection of this flesh then if wee should say the resurrection of the bodie Verily Cyprian saith that in some Churches of the Easte this article was thus pronoūced I belieue the resurrectiō of this flesh And Augustine also in the tenth chap. of his booke De fide Symbolo sayth Wee must without doubting belieue that this visible which is properlie caled flesh shall rise againe The Apostle Paule doth seeme as it were with his finger to point at this flesh when hee saith This corruptible must put on incorruption When hee saith This hee doth as it were put out his finger vnto this flesh This hath Augustine Moreouer Sainct Hierome compelleth Iohn Eishoppe of Hierusalem openly to confesse the resurrection of the flesh not of the bodie onely Fleshe saith he hath one definition and the bodie an other Al flesh is a bodie but euery body is not fleshe That is flesh properlie which is compacte of bloud veynes boanes and synewes A bodie althoughe it be called fleshe yet sometime is said to be of like substance to the firmamēt or to the ayre which is not subiect to touchinge or seeing and oftentimes too maye be both touched and seene A Wall is a bodie but it is not fleshe Thus much out of Hierome Let vs therefore belieue that mens bodies which are taken of the earth and which liuinge men beare aboute wherein they liue and are which also die and turne into dust and ashes That those bodies I say are quickned and liue againe But thou demaundest howe this fleshe beinge once resolued into duste and ashes and so into nothing can rise againe in the former shape and substaunce as when it is torne with the teeth of beastes or consumed to nothing with the flame of fyre and whē in the graue there is to be founde but a small and little quantitie of dustie powder I referre thee to the omnipotencie of God which the Apostle spake of where hée sayth Christ hath transformed this vile bodie of ours to make it conformable to his glorious bodie by the power wherein hee can make all things subiecte to himselfe Wherefore hee that in the beginning when as yet there was not a man in the world could bring forth man oute of the duste of the earth although the same man be again resolued into that out of which hee was taken I meane into earth as the saying is Dust thou art and into dust shalt thou retourne againe Yet notwithstandinge the same God againe at the ende of the world is able to rayse man out of the earth For the Lorde in the Gospell saith plainely The houre shall come wherein all they that are in the graues shall heare the voyce of the sonne of God and shal come forth they that haue done good to the resurrection of life and they that haue done euill to the resurrection of iudgement And now by fayth wee are throughly persuaded As the Apostle sayth that he that hath promised is able also to per forme There are moreouer liuelie examples of this matter and moste euident testimonies of the holie Scripture Ionas is swallowed vp of the Whale in the Syrian sea but the third daye after hee is caste vppe againe alyue vppon the shoare out of the beastes entrailes which is a token that the fleshe shall verily rise againe Wherefore that is not harde to be belieued that in the Apocalipse is said that The Sea casteth vp her dead The force of fyre had no force to hurte the three companions of Daniel yea the rage of wilde beastes contrary to nature absteyned from bytinge Daniell himselfe What marueile is it therefore if at this day neither the force of fyre nor rage of wielde beasts is able to resiste the power of God being disposed to raise his creatures vp againe Did not our Lord Christ rayse vp Lazarus when he had lyen thrée dayes in the graue yea and stancke too to life againe Did not hée himself hauing once brokē the tyrannie of death rise vp againe the thirde day from the deade did he not rise againe in the same substaunce of fleshe and forme of bodie wherein hée hanged on the Crosse and beinge taken downe from the crosse was buried Not without good cause do wée looke back to Christe which is called the first begottē among the dead so often as we thincke in what maner the resurrection of our fleshe shall bee For the members shall rise againe in the same order that the heade is risen vp before them in Wee verilie shall not rise againe the thirde daye after our death but in our maner and order shall wee rise at the last daye yea and that too in the very same body wherin now wée liue I will adde a fewe testimonies to proue the resurrection of oure fleshe Iob confessing his faith touchinge the resurrection of the deade in his greate weakenesse affliction and sicknesse sayth I knowe that my redeemer lyueth and that in the laste day I shall rise out of the earth and shal be clad againe with my skinne in my flesh I shall see God whom euen I my selfe shall see and my eyes shal behold and none other This hope is layde vp in my bosome This testimonie is so euident as that it néedeth no larger an exposition No lesse euident are those testimonies oute of Esaie Cap. 26. Ezech. 37. Psalm 15. Matth. 22. Iohn 5. 6. 11. Throughout the Actes in euerie place is often repeated the resurrection of the dead S. Paule in the 15. Chap. of his first Epistle to the Corrinthians doth make a ful discourse of this resurrection In the fourth Chapter of his 2. Epistle hée sayth Wee which liue are alwayes deliuered to death for Iesus sake that the life of Iesus also mighte appeare in our mortal fleshe Sée now what coulde be spoken more plainlye then that the lyfe of Christe shal be made to appeare in this mortall flesh of ours For by and by after hee saith We know that hée that raysed vp the Lorde Iesus shall rayse vs vp also by the meanes of Iesus And in the fifth Chapiter againe Wee must all appeare before the iudgemente seate of Christe sayth hee that enerye man may receiue the woorkes of his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill Therefore these verie bodyes of ours shall rise againe in the day of iudgement And now déerely beloued I haue to declare vnto you in what manner our bodyes shall rise againe and of what sorte they shal be in the resurrection In the shuttinge vppe and ende of all ages or of this world our Lord Iesus Christe shall come to iudgement with great maiestie and then whomsoeuer that day shall finde alyue they shall in a momente of time be chaunged and first I saye shall all they that dyed from the firste Adam to the laste that shall dye ryse vppe
againe and in their owne flesh stande amonge the lyuinge that are chaunged before the Tribunall seate of Christe lookinge for that laste pronounced sentence in iudgemente This doth Paule set downe in these woordes Loe I tell you a mysterie we shall not all verilie sleepe but we shal all be chaunged in a moment of time in the twinckling of an eye at the sounde of the laste trump For it shall sounde and the dead shall ryse againe incorruptibly and we shal be chaunged For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortall must put on immortalitie By this euident testimonie of the Apostle wee maye gather in what facion our bodyes shal bee in that resurrection Verilie oure bodyes shal be none other in the resurrection then now they bee this onely excepted that they shal be cleane without all corruption and corruptible affection For the Apostle sayth The deade shal rise againe And wee shal be chaunged And againe pointing expressly and precisely to these very bodyes which here wée beare aboute hée sayth This corruptible This mortall Yea This body I saye and no other as Iob also witnessed shal rise againe and that shall rise agayne incorruptible which was corruptible that shall rise againe immortall which before the resurrection was mortall So then this body of ours in the resurrection shal be set free from all euill affections and passions from all corruption but the substaunce therof shall not be brought to noughte it shall not be chaunged into a Spirite it shall not loose the owne and proper shape And this body verilie because of that purification and cleansing from those dreggs yea rather because of these heauenlie and diuine giftes is called both a spirituall body and also a glorious and purified bodie For Paule in the thirde to the Philippians sayth Our conuersation is in Heauen from whence wee looke for the Sauiour the Lorde Iesus Christe who shall chaunge oure vile bodie that it maye be made like vnto his glorious bodie See here the Apostle calleth not oure resurrection from the deade a transubstantiation or losse of the substaunce of our body but a chaunging then also shewing what kinde of bodie that chaunged bodie is hee calleth it a glorious bodie not without all shape and voyde of facion but augmented in glorie yea hee setteth before vs the verie bodie of oure Lorde Iesus Christ where in he sheweth vs what facion oure bodies shall haue being in glorie For in plaine woordes hee sayth Hee shall make oure vile bodie like to his glorious bodie Let vs therefore see what kinde of bodie oure Lorde had after his resurrection it was neither tourned into a Ghoste nor broughte to nothinge nor yet not able to be knowne by the shape and figure For shewing them his handes and feete that were easilie knowne by the printe of the nayles wherewith hee was crucifyed hee sayde See for I am euen hee to wit cladde agayne wyth the same bodie wherein I hong vppon the Crosse For speaking yet more plainely and prouing that that bodie of his was not a spirituall substaunce hee sayde A spirite hath not fleshe and bones as yee see that I haue Hee hath therefore a purified bodie fleshe and bones and the verie same members which hee had when as yet his bodie was not purified And for this cause did the same Lorde offer to Thomas his syde and the scarres of his fiue woundes to bee fealt and handled to the ende that wee shoulde not doubte but that his verie bodie was raised vp againe Hee did both eate and drincke wyth his Disciples as Peter in the Actes witnesseth before Cornelius that all men might know that the verie self same bodie that died rose from death againe Now althoughe this bodie be comprehended within a certaine limited place not dispersed all ouer and euerie where although it haue a iust quantitie figure or shape and a iust weight with the owne kinde and nature yet notwithstanding it is free from euerie passion corruption and infirmitie For the bodie of the Lorde once raysed vppe was in the Gardeine and not in the Sepulcher when the women came to annoynt it it meeteth them by the waye as they returne from the Sepulcher and offereth it selfe to be séene of Magdalene in the Gardeine it goeth in company to Emaus with the two Disciples that iourneyed to Emaus in the meane time while hee was wyth them in bodie hée was not among the other disciples when they twayne are returned to the eleuen the Lord himselfe at euening is present wyth them Hée goeth before his Disciples into Galile presently after hée commeth into Iurie againe where his body was taken vp from Mount Oliuet into Heauen All this doth prone the certayne veritie of Christes his body But because this bodie although it be a true and verie bodie of the owne proper kinde place disposition of the owne proper shape and nature is called a glorified and glorious body I will say somewhat of that glorie which verily is incident to the true shape and substance of the body once raysed vppe againe First glorie in this sense is vsed for a lightsomnes and shining brightnes For Paule sayth that the children of Israel for the glorie of Moses countenaunce coulde not beholde with their eyes the face of Moses so then a glorious body is a bright and shining bodie A very good proofe of this did our Lord shewe euen a litle before his resurrection when it pleased him to giue to his Disciples a small taste of the glorie to come and for that cause toke asyde certaine whom he had chosen into the toppe of a certaine hill where he was trāsfigured before them so that that the facion of his countenaūce did shine as the Sunne and his clothes were white and glistered as the light The Lord verilie had still the same bodilie substaunce and the same members of the bodie but they were transfigured But it is manifest that that transfiguratiō was in the accidēts For light and brightnesse was added so that the shape substance of the countenance and bodye remayning as it was the countenaunce and body did glister as the Sunne the light And althoughe wée reade not that the body of the Lord did within those 40. dayes wherin he shewed himselfe aliue againe to his Disciples make manifeste and spread abroade the brightnesse which it had and that by reason of the dispensation whereby also hée did eate with his disciples not withstanding that clarified bodies neede not foode or nourishment at all yet neuerthelesse his bodie shineth nowe in Heauen as Iohn in the first of the Apocalipse witnesseth and the sacred Scriptures laye an assured hope before vs that euen oure bodyes also shall in the resurrection be likewise clarified For the Lord himselfe in the Gospell alledginge the woords of Daniell sayth Then shal the righteous shine as the Sonne in his fathers kingdome For this cause the glorious bodies are called also clarifyed of the
are practised and put in vre vpon the sabboth dayes especially to the intent that we may be sanctified of god who is the only sanctifier of vs all Hitherto haue I declared vnto you dearly beloued as briefly as I could the first table of Gods commaundements wherein we haue very exquisitely layd downe before vs the worship due to the name of god But for bycause they are not the children of God which know his mynde but they that doe it let vs beséech our heauenly father so to illuminate our myndes that we may faithfully and in déede worship our Lord and God who is to be praised world without end Amen Of the fift precept of the second table which is in order the fifte of the tenne Commaundements touching the honour due to parents ¶ The fifte Sermon NOwe followeth the second table of Gods lawe which by the good helpe of Gods holy spirite I will declare as briefly vnto you as I haue already gone through the first And as the first conteined the loue of God so doth the second teach vs the charitie due to our neighbour instructing all men what they owe euerie one to his neighbor and howe we may in this world liue honestly ciuily and in quiet peace among our selues For our good God woulde haue vs to liue well and quietly But we that will not knowe how to liue well nor yet obey his good commaundements doe with our sinnes and iniquities neuer cease to heap vpon our own pates an infinite multitude of miserable calamities This table conteineth sire coÌ„maundemeÌ„ts the first whereof is Honour thy father and thy mother that thy dayes may be long in the lande which the Lord thy God shall giue thee Very well and rightly doth the Lorde beginne the second table with the honoring of our parents For after our dutie to God the next is the reuerende loue that we owe to our parentes of whome next after God we haue our life and by whom we are from our infancie brought vp with incredible care and excéeding great labour Now the very order of nature doth require that the most excellent and dearest things should alwayes haue the firste and chiefest place And that this commaundement may the more easily be vnderstood I mean to diuide my treatise therof into thrée parts In the first whereof I will declare what degrées and kindes of men are comprehended vnder y name of parents Secondarily I will search out what kinde of honour that is and howe farre it extendeth which the Lorde commaundeth to giue to our parents And lastly I will both touche the promise made to godly children and therevpon coniecture gather the punishment appointed for the vngodly and disobedient ofspring There is none so ignoraunt but knoweth what parents are The Lord our God hath giuen vs them for vs to take of them our beginning of life that they might nourish and bring vs vp and that of rude almost brutish things they might make vs veâ—â—e men Greater are the good turnes that parents do for their children greater is the cost labour that they bestowe on them greater is the care grief trouble which they take for them thaÌ„ any man how eloquent soeuer he be is able to expresse And here is not the name of the father only but also the name of the mother in expresse words set downe in the law least she peraduenture should séeme be contemptible without any offence to God bycause of the weaknes of her fraile sexe The godly vertuous mothers doe feele abide more pain grief in the bearing bringing vp nourishing of their children than the fathers do For no smal cause therfore haue we the name of the mother precisely expressed in this coÌ„maundemeÌ„t We do also comprehend herein the grandfather and grandmother the great grandsire great grand-dame all other like to these In the second place we do contein euery maÌ„s countrie wherin he was borne which fed fostered adourned defended him Thirdly we take Princes and Magistrates into the name title For the Senators and Princes are in the holy scriptures called the fathers and pastors of the people XenophoÌ„ was persuaded that a good Prince did differ nothing from a good father Fourthly ther are to be reckoned vnder the name of parents those gardians which are vsually called ouerséers of fatherlesse children or orphans For they supply the place of departed parents taking vpon theÌ„ the charge defence of their children whom they must for that affection ought to be in them bring vp defend aduance euen as they would do to their owne those that they theÌ„selues did once beget Among whome also we must make account of suche masters and workmen as teach them an Art or occupation For of theÌ„ yong men and striplings learne some honest science for euery one to get his liuing honestly and by them they are taught good manners being thereby after a certaine sort out of rude vnpolished stuffe made perfect séemely meÌ„ Fiftly the ministers doctors pastors of the Churches are taken for parents whom Paule him selfe did call by the name of fathers not so much for the care loue wherwith they are affected toward the disciples shéepe of Christ his flocke as for bicause we are by theÌ„ through the gospel begotten in Christ In the sixte place we must thinke of our cousins and kinsfolkes brother sister nephues and néeces mother in lawe and daughter in lawe father in lawe and sonne in law who are by alliance knit together as the members of the body are fastned with sinewes Finally in the last place olde folkes widowes fatherlesse children and impotent weake persons must be reputed among our parents whose cause and tuition the Lorde hath in more places then one commended vnto vs So then my brethren here ye haue hearde who they be that in this firste precept of the second table we haue to take for our parentes and who and howe many are comprehended and commended to vs vnder that name and nowe shall ye heare what honour we owe to them and what the honour is that we shuld attribute vnto them To honour in the scriptures is diuersly taken but in this treatise it signifieth to magnifie to worship to esteeme well and to do reuerence as to a thing ordeined by god and also to acknowlege to loue and to giue praise as for a benefit receiued at Gods haÌ„d and as for a thing giuen from heauen that is both holy profitable and necessarie To honour is to be dutifull to obey so to obey as if it were to God him self by whom we knowe that our obedience is coÌ„maunded and to whom we are sure that our seruice is acceptable Otherwise we haue not in any case to obey either our parents or magistrates if they theÌ„ selues shall do or else coÌ„maund vs to do the things that are wicked and vniust For
the end that ye neuer forget them God graunt you all a fruitefull increase of his holy word which is the séede that is sowen in your harts Let vs pray c. ¶ Of the second precept of the second table which is in order the sixt of the x. Commaundements Thou shalt not kill And of the Magistrate ¶ The sixte Sermon IVstice innocencie are very well ioyned to the higher power and magistrats authoritie and in this 6. precept both publique priuate peace tranquillitie are hedged in inclosed against opē tumults and secret discords And since the life of mā is the most excellent thing in the world whervpon al other things of how great price soeuer they bée doe waite and attend and finally since the body of man is more woorthe than all other gifts whatsoeuer the very naturall order doth séeme to require that the 6. cōmaundemēt shold be placed next which god himself hath plainly expressed in these few words thou shalt not kill For in this precept iustice innocencie are cōmaunded commended vnto vs wherein also it is prouided that no man hurt an others life or body so in this precept charg is giuē to euery one to maintein peace quietnesse Now héere are to be obserued the steppes y lead to murder wherin wée must consider the kinds causes of hurting annoying For the Lord doth not simplie forbid murder but all things else wheron murder doth cōsist all egging on therfore and prouoking to anger is vtterly forbidden sclaunderous taunts brawling speaches are flatly prohibited strife wrath enuie are plainly commaunded to be suppressed And in this sense we haue Christ our Lord himself interpreting this lawe wher in the gospel after Matth. he saith Ye haue herd it said of old thou shalt not kill whosoeuer killeth shal be in danger of iudgmēt But I say vnto you that whosoeuer is angrie with his brother vnaduisedly shal be in danger of iudgmēt And whosoeuer shal say vnto his brother Racha shal be in daūger of a counsel But whosoeuer shal say Thou foole shal be in daunger of hell fire Thou séest here therfore the anger slander brawling al other tokens of a mind moued to vtter ill words are flatly forbiddē What then must thou do Thou must forsooth come into charitie againe with him whom thou hast offended thou must lay aside al wrath enuie vnlesse thou hadst rather haue al the honour that thou dost to God be imputed for sin vnto thée that peraduenture thou woldest choose rather vtterly to be condemned For our Lord goeth on in the Gospel saith If therfore thou bring thy gift vnto the Altar and there remēbrest that thy brother haue any thing against the leaue there thy gift before the altar hée speketh to thē who as then had their tēple standing their altar remayning and burnt offerings in vse we at this day haue an other maner of worshipping God and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother then come and offer thy gift And againe Agree with thine aduersarie quickly whiles thou art in the way with him least at any time the aduersarie deliuer thee to the iudge the iudge deliuer thee to the minister thou be cast into prison Verilie I say vnto thee thou shalt not depart frō thence vntil thou hast payd the vtmost farthing But forbecause so few of vs obey this sound and whoalsome doctrine of the Lords thereby it cōmeth to passe that so many great troublesome tumults happen amōg mē For smal is the substance of them that obey the word of god but great is the rest quietnes of their cōsciences And what pleasure I pray you do infinite riches bring to man since with them a man can not likely be without troublesome cares of mind great turmoiles lack of a quiet life This law therfore which tēdeth to no other end but to teach man the way to lead a sweete and plesaunt life doth wholy take frō the mind of man such immoderate affections as anger and enuie are two the most pestilent euils that reignes among men As concerning anger I meane not at this present to speake ouer busily euē as also I haue determined to be briefe touching enuie Of anger many men haue vttered many profitable sentences And yet there is an holy kind of anger which the scripture disalloweth not so that vnlesse a man be angrie in that sort he shal neuer be a good godly man For a good man hath a zeale of God and in y godly zeale he is angrie at the iniquitie and naughtinesse of mankind whereof there are many examples to be séene in the Scriptures and this anger doth stomache the sinn cōmitted rather than the person who doth commit the sinne For the good seruaunt of God hateth nothing in the wicked mās person but his very sinne so that if the wicked ceasse once to sin he wil leaue to hate or be angrie therwithal any longer This anger is vtterly cōdemned then whē it springeth of euil and corrupt affections when no iust cause is giuē but that he which is offended doth in his anger either fulfil his affection or else hurt or determine to hurt him with whō he is angrie A great euil it is a fruit which when it is sowen doth yeld bring forth one mischiefe vppon an others necke And therefore doth the Apostle of Christ coūsel al men not to giue any place to anger and if so be it happen that it enter into our mindes stick there a while yet that wée suffer it not to catch fast hold or take déepe roote therin Be angrie saith he sinne not Let not the sonne set vpon your anger giue no place to the diuel For this is the Apostles meaning If so it happen that ye be angrie yet sinne not that is yet bridle your anger Neither doth the Apostle bid vs to be angrie but willeth vs not to let our anger to continue long nor to breake out to the working of iniurie And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word Paul vseth signifieth anger in déede but yet more rightly y stirring or prouoking to anger so that thereby wée haue to vnderstand that to him which is by iniurie prouoked to anger although hée be somewhat gréeued touched at the quicke that griefe ought to be but of short continuance neither must we in any case suffer our aduersary the diuell to fasten his foote in our hearts who doth through anger by little and litle créepe into our mindes by cōtinuall wrath doth worke out enuie by which he doth captiuate peruert the whole man with all his senses words and workes For Enuie is anger growen into custome by long continuaunce which doth for the most part vexe burne and enuie more then the partie which is enuied Although the enuious doth neuer ceasse to deuise mischiefe against the man whom he doth enuie It is
doth spring vp a great number of men that acknowledge cal vpon worship god as they ought to do The third cause whie matrimonie was ordeyned that Apostle Paul expresseth in these words To auoide whoredome let euery man haue his owne wife euery woman her owne husband It were good and expedient for a man not to touch a woman and to liue single but because this is not giuen to al men as that Lord in the gospel testifieth and that cōcupiscence of the flesh doth for the most part burne the greatest sort of mē the Lord hath appointed mariage to be as it were a remedie against that heate as the Apostle in an other place witnesseth saying Let them marrie which cānot absteine for it is better to marrie than to burne By this we learne that the natural cōpany of a man with his owne wife is not reputed for a fault or vncleanesse in the sight of god Whoredom is vncleannesse in the eyes of the Lord because it is directly contrary to the lawe of god But God hath allowed wedlocke and blessed it therefore married folkes are sanctified by y blessing of God throughe faith and obedience Neither lacke we here any euident argumentes and testimonies of Paule to proue it by For to the Hebrewes he said Wedlock is honourable among al men and the bed vndefiled but whoremongers and adulterers God wil iudge The Apostle here spake very reuerently and by the bed he vnderstode the natural company of a man with his wife which he saith plainely is vndefiled What God hath made cleane who shal call vncleane who cā denie that to the cleane al things are cleane Paphnutius therfore both bishop and confessour iudging rightly of this did in the Nicene counsel say opēly that the lying of a man with his owne wife is chastitie Neither was the most modest Apostle ashamed to make lawes betwixt a mā his wife For to the Corinthians hee saith Let the husband giue to the wife due beneuolēce likewise also the wife to the husbād The wife hath not the power of her owne body but the husband likewise also the husbād hath not the power of his own body but the wife Defraud ye not the one the other except it be with both your cōsents for a time that yemay giue your selues to fasting and to prayer and afterward come together again that sathan tēpt you not for your incōtinencie These words of the Apostle are so euident that they néede no exposition at all In the same Epistle againe he saith If thou mariest a wife thou sinnest not And againe If a virgin marie she hath not sinned Now what is more excellent pure and holy than virginitie is But a virgin sinneth not if she chaung virginitie for holy matrimony Very wel therefore doth Chrysostome in a certaine homilie say The first degree of chastitie is vnspotted virginitie the 2. is faithful wedlock S. Augustine also calleth mariage chastitie or cōtinēcie the place is to be seene in the 19. 20. cap. de bono coniugali in that 198. epist. This is the head frō whence doth spring y greatest part of publique honestie For god alloweth wedlock but disalloweth fornication and al kind of vncleannes It pleased him by his ordinance to exclude al vncleannesse frō his beléeuing seruants Let the saincts therefore but magistrates especially haue an especiall eye not to be slacke in promoating holy wedlocke but diligent to punish seuerely al filthie fornication and other vncleannesse This haue I hetherto rehersed somewhat largly out of the holy scripture to the intent I might proue to al men that wedlocke is holy that therfore no man cā be defiled with y moderate holy and lawfull vse therof and so cōsequently that marriage is permitted to al sorts of men For the Apostle saith Let a bishop be the husband of one wife let him rule his owne house wel and haue faithful children For it is manifest by the testimonies of scripture and ecclesiastical writers that the Apostles of Christ and other Apostolical teachers of the primitiue Church were married men and had wiues and children Neither is there any thing next after corrupte doctrine which doth more infect the Church of Christ and subuert al ecclesiastical discipline thā if the ministers of that Churches which should be lights of the whole congregation be fornicatours or adulterous persons That offence especially aboue all other is an hinderance and blot to al kind of honesty but touching this I purpose not at this time to discourse so largly fully as I might To this I ad that the band of wedlock is indissoluble euerlasting that is to say such a knot as neuer can be vndone For of two is made one flesh one body which if you seuer you do vtterly marre it What god hath ioyned together therfore let not man seperate They therfore do make a slaughter of this body that do comit adulterie For the lawes of God and men admit a diuorcement betwixt a man his adulterous wife And yet let not any lesse or lighter cause dissolue this knot betwixt man and wife than fornication is Otherwise God which in the Gospel hath permitted the lesse doth not forbidde the greater to be causes of diuorcement And in the primitiue church the Epistles constitutiōs of christiā princes do testifie that once cōmitting of fornication was no cause of diuorcement Of which I haue spoken in another place But that this holy knot may be the surer it is auayleable that marriages be made holilie lawfully with discretion in the feare of the lord Let them not be vnwillinglie agréed vnto and made vp by cōpulsion First let y good liking of their consenting mindes be ioyned in one whom the open profession of mutuall consent outwarde handfasting must afterward couple together Let them be matched together that are not seuered by alliaunce of bloud and nighnesse of affinitie Let them be coupled in one that may marrie together by the lawes of God and their countrie with the consent coūsel of their frends parents Let them which minde marriage haue a sincere hart purposely bēt to seeke their owne safegard continual felicitie that is to respect only the wil and pleasure of God and not admit any euil affectiōs as counsellers to make vp the mariage betwixt them Hierocles in his booke De nuptiis saith It is meere follie and lacke of wit which make those things that of thēselues are easie to be borne troublesome and make a wife a greeuous clog to her husband For marriage to many mē hath bin intollerable not because the wedded state is by default of it self or owne proper nature so troublesome and comberous but for our matching as wee should not it falleth oute as wee would not and causeth our marriages to be greeuous and noysome To this end verilie our daily marriages do commonly come For they marrie wiues vsually not for
the begettinge of children or societie of life but some for a greate dowrie some for a beautifull bodie and some beinge seduced by sutch kinde of causes as it were men abused by vnfaithful counsellers haue no regard to the disposition and manners of their spouse but marrie at aduentures to their owne decay and vtter destruction Hereunto beloÌ„geth Plutarches admonition to parentes in his treatise of bringing vppe of children where hee counselleth men to bestow such wiues on their sonnes as are not much wealthier nor mightier than their children For a verie pithie saying is that vsuall prouerbe Marrie a wife of thine owne degree To bée short let the feare of God the word of God and earnest prayer powred oute to God be alwayes annexed to the beginning of marriages But it is not conueniente that in lawful matrimonie any more should be than two alone to be ioyned together vnder one yoake of wedlock For the vse of many wiues which our fathers vsurped withoute any blame may not stablish polygamie for a law amonge vs at the so dayes The time of correction is now come to light and Messias now is come into the world who teacheth all rightly and refourmeth things amisse He therfore hath reduced wedlocke to the first prescribed rule lawe of matrimonie Two saith the Lord shal be one flesh And the Apostle saith Let euerie man haue his owne wife and euerie woman her owne husband The multitude of Solomons concubines therefore apperteine not to vs Wée haue not to follow the example of Iacob who married two sisters And yet notwithstaÌ„dinge the word of trueth condemneth not the second third or many marriages which a man maketh when his wife is deceassed For that saying of the Apostle is generall to al meÌ„ and indureth in al ages Let them marrie that cannot absteine for it is better to marrie than to burne Which sentence is taken out of these words in the Gospel All men cannot receiue this sayinge saue they to whoÌ„ it is giuen For there are some chaste which were so borne out of their mothers wombe there are some chaste which were made chaste of men there are some chast which haue made themselues chaste for the kingdome of heaueÌ„s sake He that is able to receiue it let him receiue it Let him therfore that cannot receiue it marrie a wife so often as necessitie compelleth him thereunto But now especiallie it standeth vs in hand to know how married folkes must behaue themselues what they must do in wedlock to what end they must direct their déeds and thoughts and how they ought to be affected toward that holy ordinaunce of God almightie Touching which thing I wil not speake much but briefly note out the most necessary pointes to giue all men occasion to thinke with themselues and call to minde both more and greater matters which I leaue vntouched First of al let married folkes be thoroughly persuaded and assuredly certeine while they liue in matrimonie that they are in the woorke of God that they please God and do an acceptable thing in the sight of the lord because of Gods word wherin he blessed that kinde of life and sanctified all weddâ—d people which by faith do liue in that worke and ordinaunce of the lyuing god Therfore when married couples doe patiently suffer the troubles that followe the married life while they laboure faithfully while they doe those thinges decently which belonge to the charge and office of married people as while the wife doth loue her husband while she doth duetifully obey him while shée doth bring forth her children with griefe and paine and when they are brought forth doth diligently nourish them labour to bring them vp while the husband doth loue his wife while he doth mutuallie helpe her and faithfully in all thinges shewe himselfe a carefull father for his familie and houshould in doing these things they please God no lesse than they doe when they goe to Church to heare the woord of God and to worship the lord For these woorkes of wedlocke are reputed for good workes as well as geuing of almes iustice making of peace Married folkes therefore haue néede especiallie of true faith in God the author of wedlocke For by â—edlocke in faith they shall please the lord This our monckes could not abide to heare of although the word of God doeth vrge it vppon them they ceassed not to magnifie their couÌ„terfaite holines and hypocriticall vowes Secondarilie it is required at the hands of wedded couples to be mindfull of the faith which they giue and take that they doe not falsely deceiue one an other but holilie kéepe the promise that they make and troth that they plighte and to kéepe it sincerely both in body and minde Let neither of them luste after the bodie of a stranger nor conceiue an hatred or loathsomnes of their wedded spouse And thy body thou that art a married maÌ„ is not thy body but thy wiues as also thy wiues body is not thy wiues but thine Thou stealest and doest commit a robberie if thou take away another bodies goods and when thou hast conueyed it from the proper owner doest giue it to another Let y minde of wedded mates be vnspotted and y body vntouched Euery one when he first commeth to solemnise wedlocke by the holie ceremonie ordeyned for that purpose doth promise with an oathe in the name of the Lord before God and the Church that hée wil vse the coÌ„pany of no woman but her that hée wil cleaue too loue and cherish her alone without any other This faith once giuen whosoeuer doth violate he is falsely forsworne and is a breaker of a godly promise Gods holy truth Neither is it sufficient for thée to be faithful vnlesse thou be courteous or tractable toward thy wife dwell with her according to knowledge as S. Peter saith Let the husband be the head of the wife to witte her aduiser and counseller her ruler and guide her swéete yoakefellowe and admonisher in al her affayres her assured aider and faithfull defender Let the wife be obedient vnto her husband euen as we sée the members obey the head let her yeald her selfe to her husbaÌ„d to be ruled and gouerned let her not despise his honest counsells and indifferente commaundements let them thincke that they twaine are one body or the members of one body And therefore let them learne by the gouernement of this mortall body howe to behaue themselues in the guiding of wedlocke The worthier members doe not despise the more vnworthie limmes but doe rather honour them lighten their labour and ayde and helpe them Againe the more vnworthie limms are in loue with the worthier not enuyinge their preeminence any whitte at al. One member breaketh not or hurteth an other but all doe mutuallie chéerish themselues and defend one an other from harme and iniurie Such a mutual knitting together and working and loue and charitie and good-will and
fellowshippe let there be betwixte man and wife For to that ende the woman was taken oute of the mannes bodie that the husbande should loue and chéerish his wife his owne bodie And for that cause the Apostle saith So must husbands loue their wiues euen as their owne bodies He that loueth his wife doth loue himself For no man at any time hath hated his owne flesh but loueth and cherisheth it as the Lord doth the Church What may bee said to that moreouer that the Apostle in the verie same place hath made the sonne of God and the holy Church an example for married folkes to follow in kéeping of wedlocke requiring at the husbands hand to loue his wife euen as Christ hath loued the Church and of the wife to reuerence her husbande and to loue him againe as the Church doth Christe Than which example there is none in the worlde more holy and effectuall For there is no loue greater than the loue of Christ toward his Church Neither is there any loue more chaste than that which the Church doth beare to Christe It is required therefore at the handes of wedded mates mutually to beare most ardente and holy loue the one to the other Let them vse all thinges in common let them bee partakers both of the same prosperitie and the same aduersitie Let them both draw vnder one yoake and beare betwixte them one an others burthen Briefly let them twaine bee the members of one and the verie same body I haue more at large set downe these offices of man and wife in my treatise which is called the Institution of Christian matrimonie Lastly let them bringe vppe their children in holy discipline the feare of God to the health of their owne house and the whole common weale Paule saith I would haue the younger women marrie to gette children and to gouerne the house for that is honest and acceptable before God. But touching the bringing vp of children I haue alreadie spoken in the fifte sermon of this Decade Now the very begetting of children alone is very profitable both to euery priuate or particular house and also to the common weale for héere I will not stand to shew that the honour and glorie of God is verie greatly augmented if children be not onely begotten but also brought vp in the feare of God and knowledge of his woord Hierocles saith I confesse that marriage is profitable especially because it bringeth children forth which is in deede a goodly fruite for they being of oure verie bloud doe while wee are in health ayde vs in all our affayres and in olde age when yeares come vppon vs they succour vs well with all that they maye they are familiar companions of our ioy in prosperitie and in aduersitie are our partners in sorowing with vs for our heauie mishapps And so forth Antipater also saith Man which is indued with a ciuil disposition to mainteyne societie must augmente his countrie and common wealth with increase of children for cities could not haue bene preserued by any meanes at all vnlesse the head men of euerie citie and the sonnes of noble gentlemen seing their auncetours wither and fal away like goodly leaues of a faire tree had married in time cōuenient and left behind them children as woorthie plantes to succeede in their countrie thereby to make it to flourish for euer doinge their beste so farre as they coulde to keepe it from the assaultes and conquestes of enimies and straungers They therefore shooting at nothing more than to defend and assist their countrie both in their life time and when they were dead did thincke it most necessarie and especially conuenient to marrie and be married desiring thereby both to doe all thinges that nature requireth and also those that touche the health and increase of their countrie most of all the worship of god c. Since therefore that lawefull matrimonie is of so great effect and so auayleable to liue well and happilie the faithfull doe not withoute cause beginne their marriages with religion and religious rites The Lord verilie did presently in the beginning blesse the first marriage of oure parentes Adam and Eue and did himselfe couple them in wedlock Whervppon the Church of God hath receyued a custome that they which ioyne in marriage before they dwell together doe come into the temple of the Lord where after prayer made in the middest of the congregation they are ioyned together and blessed by the minister of God in the name of God himselfe Wherefore in wedlocke the first and chiefest thinges that bée required are the earneste and continuall prayers of the married folkes to God that he wil vouchsafe to make the husbandes wyse relligious modest gentle honeste painefull sufferers and louers of their wiues and that it will please him to make the wiues obedient méeke chaste faithful louers of theyr husbands and children housewiues and fruitefull For no one man is able to declare all the euills that come euen of one corrupte naughtie marriage Through it whoale houses are wonderfullie disquieted all wealth and honestie do vtterlie decaye the children are bastards God is offended and prouoaked to anger and an endlesse mischiefe brought to the whoale cōmon weale God therefore must bée earnestly beséeched to blesse all married people that both the glorie of his holy name and the common weales prosperitie may thereby dailie increase more and more I am now come to speake of adulterie which is a sinne whereby the husband goeth to an other woman or the wyfe tourneth a side after an other man to whom they make common the vse of their bodies which are not their owne bodies nowe but their mates in wedlocke Some there are that flatter themselues and are of opinion that they are not culpable of adulterie if they haue the companie of any vnbetrouthed mayden or one that is vnmarried or if a woman play the harlotte with an vnwedded man They will haue it in Gods name to be fornication and not adulterie But the Scripture teacheth the contrary Thou goest to an other woman thou arte an adulterer Thou breakeste thy faith thou art forsworne Thy bodie is not thine but thy wiues when therefore thou bestowest this bodie on an other thou committest adulterie If thou being wedded doest lye with a married wife thou doubleste the sinne of thine adulterie This offēce was plagued with most sharpe punishmente euen in the beginninge almost and as soone as the world was created Pharao the kinge of Aegypt commaunded Sara Abrahams wife to be taken away and carried to his Palace that hée mighte vse her as his wyfe thinckinge verily that shée had bene Abrahams sister But the scripture sayth The Lord vexed Pharao and all his house with great plagues because of Sara Abrahams wife Loe here that king of Aegypt is punished with gréeuous plagues for his adulterie and yet he knew not that Sara was Abrahams wyfe how great plagues therefore are prepared for the
in God nor his couenaunts Finally circumcision did put the circumcised in mind of their duetie al their life long to wite that euery man should thinke that he had taken vpon him to professe God to beare in his bodie the SacrameÌ„t of the Lorde For that is the cause why the Israelites were named or had their names giuen them in their circumcision For it is euident in Luke that Iohn Baptist and Iesus our sauiour had their names giuen them at their circumcision euen as also the first circumcised at his circumcision was called Abraham whose name before was said to be Abram It did admonish the circumcised of his duetie for so much as he had giuen his name vnto the Lord his confederate to bee inrolled in the register of God amoÌ„g the names of them that giue them selues vnto the Lord wherefore he ought by couenaunt duetie to frame his life not after his owne lust and pleasure but according to the will of God to whome he did betake him selfe For the condition of the couenaunt was that the circumcised shoulde not defile them selues with idolatrie and straunge religions that they should not pollute with vncleane lyuing the bodies and mindes that were hallowed to the Lord but that they perseuearing in true faith should ensue godlynesse shewe the workes of repentance and be obedient to God in all things For thus saith Moses in the tenth of Deuterono Circumcise the foreskinne of your hearts and harden not your neckes any longer To which words the Prophet Ieremie alludeth in his fourth Chapter saying Bee ye circumcised to the Lord and cut away the foreskinne of your hearte And the Martyr S. Stephan rebuking the vnbeléeuing Iewes sayeth Ye stiffe-necked and of vncircumcised hearte and eares ye alwayes resist the holie ghost Verie rightly therefore doth the holy Apostle Paule in his Epistle to the Romanes declare that there are two sortes of circumcision the one of the letter in the fleshe the outwarde circumcision that is made with handes the other in the heart of the Spirite the inwarde circumcision which is made by the meanes of the holy Ghost The circumcision of the heart God doth like well of in those y be his but that in the fleash he doeth vtterly mislike of if as the fleashe is the heart be not circumcised The liking and misliking of these two circumcisions is in that which went before so plainly alreadie declared that I néede not to stick any longer vpon it And here I think it not amisse before I make an ende of circumcision to reherse vnto you déerely beloued the woordes of the auncient writer Lactantius lib. Instit 4. Chap. 17. where he speaketh of circumcision in this manner The meaning of circumcision was that we should make bare our breastes to wite that wee should liue with a simple and plaine dealing heart because that parte of the bodie which is circumcised is partely like to a heart and is the fore parte of the priuitie and the cause why God commaunded to make it bare was that by that signe he might admonishe vs not to haue a couered heart that is that we should not couer within the secretes of our conscience any crime whereof wee ought to be ashamed And this is the circumcision of the heart whereof the Prophets speake which God hath translated from the mortall fleshe to the immortall soule For the Lorde being whole set and fully minded according to his eternall goodnesse to haue a care for our life and safegard did set repentance before our eyes for vs to followe as a waye to bring vs thereunto so that if wee make bare our heartes that is if by confession of our sinnes we satisfie the Lord we should obteine pardone whiche is denied to the proude and those that conceale their faultes by God who beholdeth not the face as man doeth but searcheth the secrets of the brest Thus much hitherto hath that auncient writer of the churche Lactantiê° Firmianus declared vnto vs touching the mysterie of circumcision Nowe all this whiche hitherto I haue saide touching the meaning and mysterie of circumcisioÌ„ was set forth as in a picture to be séene of all mens eyes so often as circumcision was solemnized in the church There was the league as it were renued which God did make with men There was the grace of God his sanctification and our corruption declared therein did Christ the rocke of stone appeare who with his spirite doth cutt wash away all spottes of the Churche Moreouer the worshippers of God did learne by that signe and so by all the holie ceremonie that they beeing in one ecclesiasticall bodie ought to do their indeuour by purenesse of liuing to winne the fauour of God their confederate Because by the visible circumcision there was after a sorte an open confession made of the true religion of frée consent to the true religion and of a bynding by promise vnto the same He therefore that did despise or vnaduisedly neglect that holie ceremonie was sharply punished as may be gathered by the 17. of Genesis and the fourth Chapter of Exodus And so muche hetherto touching circumcision There followeth nowe the seconde Sacrament of the auncient churche I meane the Paschal Lamb. It is an Hebrewe word not signifying a passion as it should séeme if it were deriued according to the Gréeke etymologie but it signifieth a skipping a leaping or a passing ouer For the Hebrewe *** signifieth to leape or passe ouer The cause of this worde Moses him selfe sheweth in the lawe where he saith The Lord shall go ouer to strike the Aegyptians when he shall see the bloud vppon the vpper poste and the two side postes of the doore *** the Lord wil passe ouer that doore and will not suffer the destroyer to come within your houses This sacrament is knowen also and called by other names For it is called a signe a remembraunce a solemnitie an holie assemblie the feast of the Lorde a worship an obseruation an oblation and a Sacrifice But whereas that ceremonie is called a passing ouer that is not done without a trope For the passing ouer was the verie benefite wherein the Angel of the Lorde did passe ouer the Iewes leaue their houses vntouched and saue their liues but for because the Paschall Lambe was a memoriall a renuing of that benefite therefore it tooke the name of the benefite Euen as I admonished you before that it is vsuall in Sacramentes for the signes to bee called by the names of the thinges that they signifie béecause of the likenesse and mutual proportion that is betwixt them Let vs sée nowe what the passeouer was and what kinde of ceremonie did belong vnto it The Passeouer was an holy action ordeined by God in the killing and eating of a Lambe partely to the ende that the Churche might kéepe in memorie the benefite which God did for them in the land of Aegypt to be a testimonie of Gods
Rabbines do sticke and cannot tell certeinly what creatures they bée that the Lorde did forbid them To this belongeth that euen before the lawe in the time of Noah God did forbidd to eate the bloud and the fleashe with the bloud of any thing torne by wilde beastes or strangled Before the deluge the fathers did eate the hearbes and fruites of the earth After the floud they had leaue giuen to eate the fleash of lyuinge creatures but so yet that they should cut the throat off and drayn the bloud out of the bodie The place is extant in the ninth Chapter of Genesis Moreouer in the lawe the Lord with greate seueritie saith Whatsoeuer man it be of the house of Israel or of the straungers that soiourne among you that eateth any manner of bloud I will set my face against that soule and wil cut him off from amonge his people Leuiticus 17. And the same lawe is repeated in the ninetéenth Chapter of the same booke and in the 12 and 15 Chapter of Deuteronomie It is againe rehearsed in the thirde and seuenth Chapter of Leuiticus Neither is it without verie iust and great causes that he did so seuerely forbidde the eating of bloud For first of all after the wordes aboue rehearsed he addeth immediately For the life of the flesh is in the bloud I haue giuen it vnto you vpon the altar to make an attonement for your soules For bloud shall make an attonement for the soule Therfore I saide vnto the children of Israel Let no soule among you eate bloud c. Lo in these wordes a moste euident reason is giuen why it was not lawfull to eate bloud because bloud was the most excellent and precious thinge as that which was ordeined for the sanctification of mankinde For God gaue bloud to be as the price wherewith sinnes should be cleansed to bee I saye the price of redemption whereby men should be absolued of their sinnes Bloud also is the life that is the nourishment of life The bloud therefore was a signe of the bloud of Christ that was to bée shedd vppon the crosse by which as by a moste full and absolute attonement the faithful are cleansed and thoroughly sanctified and in which is the nourishment of the soule to life euerlasting and as it was not lawfull to eate of the flesh of the sacrifices whose bloud was carried into the Sanctum for sinne but to burne it without the hoaste so it was vnlawful to eate the bloud which was the cleansing for their sinnes He therefore did eate bloud which attributed to his owne strength or workes the attonement which was made by the bloud of Christ estéeming his bloud to be prophane and not attributing vnto it the full satisfaction for all sinnes Againe he did not eate but powre the bloud downe at the altar who did ascribe the benefite of our redemption to the onely merite of Christe did estéeme it of so greate valure as it ought by right to be estéemed Lastly God would haue it déeply printed in the mindes of men that no man should shead anothers bloud nor liue of the bloud and bowels of other men as mercenarie souldiours couetous persons vsurers and couseners do in sucking out and sheadinge the bloud of sillie people with subtile fleightes and open iniurie And God talking with Noah did with terrible threates beate into all murtherers an horrible feare saying If men bee slacke I will take vengeance vppon the sheading of bloud For mā was made to the image likenesse of God howe can God choose then but take the reproche as done to him selfe whiche is done vnto his image For whosoeuer casteth downe the image of the king he offendeth against the king is accused of treason But nowe touching strangled this lawe was giuen Eate not with bloud And againe Eate not of that which dyeth of it selfe nor of that which is torne with wilde beastes c. But by strangled carrion that dyeth of it selfe are signified the dead woorkes from which he is bidden to purge him selfe whosoeuer desireth to get Gods fauour Hee therefore did eate strangled whosoeuer did liue in wickednesse without repentance not regarding the bloud of Christ his Sauiour Now also the touching of vncleane thinges is sett downe in the lawe by these thrée notes as if thou fouchest an vncleane thing or if thou beare it or if it fall by chaunce into some vessell or garment of thine He verily is defiled by the falling of a thing whosoeuer sinneth vnwittingly But hée sinneth more heynously whosoeuer sinneth willingly and of a set and pretended purpose But he sinneth most grieuously of all that vpholdeth wickednesse and compelleth other to committ the same But whereas in touchinge and in other places it is saide that the vncleanenesse shall abide till eueninge that is an euident prophecie of Christ to wite that the Messiah should come at euening that is in the ende of the worlde to purge the sinnes of all the earth I haue ynough and long ynough thus farre by two whole sermons I praye God it may bee to your profite dearely beloued stayed in and stucke vppon the ceremoniall lawes therefore that I may nowe come to an end I will bring the chiefe pointes wherof I haue spoken into a brief summe I did diuide the whole treatise of the ceremoniall lawes into thrée especiall braunches For I spake of the holie persons of the holie time and place and of the holie thinge which the holie persons did exercise in the sacred place I meane the sacraments the sacrifices and other holie ceremonies The holie persons are the priestes I shewed you their firste beginning their ordering their mysticall apparaile their sundrie offices When I spake of the holy time and place I did describe vnto you the Tabernacle and noted vnto you what was within the Tabernacle to wite the Arke of the couenant the golden table the golden candlesticke the altar of incense the altar of burnte sacrifices and the brasen lauer the mysteries of all which I declared vnto you In the treatise of the holy time I touched all the kindes of holy dayes and solemne feastes dayes with all their certeine and vncerteine holy dayes Last of all in our discourse vpon the holy things I tolde you of the two Sacramentes of the olde church Circumcision and the Passeouer and also of the sacrifices whereof some were burnte offeringes some meate offeringes some peculiar and some of thankesgiuing wherein we spake somewhat also touching frée will offeringes and vowed sacrifices finally of vowes of the discipline of the Nazarites of cleane and vncleane creatures of the choice of meates of bloud and strangled of the touching of vncleane thinges The Lorde Iesus enlighten your heartes that all this may tende to the glorie of his name and the health of yours soules Amen ¶ Of the Iudiciall lawes of God. The seuenth Sermon IN prosecuting the treatise of Gods laws I haue now lastly to speake of that
omnipotent must be present with all men in all places The sonne of God therfore is true and verie God bycause he is the Messias Furthermore what is more manifest and lesse called in controuersie than that God only forgiueth sinnes It must needes be therefore that nothing is more euident and lesse doutfull than that we beléeue Christ to be true and verie God bycause He is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world Againe whereas Paule truly calleth Christ Our hope for Esay foretolde In him shal the Gentiles trust And wheras Ieremie cryeth Curssed be the man that putteth his trust in man but blessed is the man that putteth his truste in GOD we muste necessarily confesse that Christe is god For in Iohn he oftentimes repeateth Verily I say vnto you he that beleueth in me hath euerlasting life I coulde bring innumerable examples of this kynd out of the scriptures which witnesse that the sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christe is of one and the selfe same nature with the father and therefore is verie God of verie God but I trust that to holie hearers and not giuen to contention those whiche I haue alreadie cited will suffice It remaineth that we declare vnto you that the sonne of God was incarnate for vs and was borne verie man of the Virgine Marie consubstantiall or of the selfe same substaunce with vs in all pointes sinne excepted The Lawe the Prophetes and the Apostles shewe vnto vs most manifest arguments of the true flesh or humanitie of the sonne of god For in the lawe the Lorde saith The seede of the woman shall crushe the serpents head But who knoweth not that the heade of the serpent is the kingdome force or power of the diuell And that Iesus Christe brake this power the whole scripture doth witnesse And here he is called the séede of the woman And truely he is called séed to verifie his true humane nature and he is termed the séede of the woman not of the man bycause of his conception by the holy Ghoste and his byrthe of the Virgine Marie And bicause she was the daughter of Dauid of Abraham and Adam it followeth that the sonne of Marie was verie man For as we haue heard it sayd to Adam The seede of the woman shall bruise the serpents heade so also we read that the same promise was renued and repeated to Abrahā in these wordes In thy seede shall al the nations of the world be blessed And Paule to the Galat. manifestly sayth that this séede of Abrahā wherin we haue obteined blessing is Christ Iesus The same Apostle sayth For in no sorte tooke he the Angels but he tooke the seede of Abraham By Angels doubtlesse excluding all manner of spirituall substaunces by the séede of Abraham vnderstanding the verie substance it selfe of the fleshe of man. For he addeth Wherefore in all things it became him to be made like vnto his brethren And bicause they be partakers of flesh and bloud he also him selfe likewise tooke part with them of the same Verily the Scripture draweth the lineall descent of Christe most diligently from the loynes of Abraham vnto Iacob and frō him againe to Iudas and from him in like sort to Dauid To him againe the promises of the incarnation of the sonne of God are remied For Nathan sayth to Dauid Thus sayth the Lorde When thy dayes bee fulfilled thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers I will set vp thy seede after thee which shal procede out of thy body and will stablish his kingdome he shall build a house for my name and I wil stablish the throne of his kingdome for euer Neyther is there any cause why any mā shuld interpret this of Solomon For he was borne while his father Dauid liued his kingdome quickely decayed But Nathan speaketh of a sonne which should be borne to Dauid after his death When thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers sayth he I wil set vp thy seede after thee And what maner of séede this should be he most euidently declareth and sayth Whiche shall proceede out of thy bodie For in the 132. Psalme we reade Of the fruite of thy body will I set vpon thy seate Furthermore Marie the virgine descende lineally of the séed of Dauid of whome Christ our lorde was begotten and borne of whome the Angel speaking and expounding those olde and auncient prophecies sayth vnto the Virgine And the lord God shall giue vnto him the seate of his father Dauid and he shall reigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer and of his kingdome there shall be none ende Herevnto also belongeth that which Elizabeth sayth to the virgine which came out of Galilée into the hil countrie of Iuda And whence commeth this to me that the mother of my Lorde should come to mee Blessed art thou among womē and blessed is the fruite of thy wombe Truly Matthewe and Luke drawe the lineall descent of Christe from the loynes as it were of Dauid euen vnto the virgine Marie whiche conceiueth by the holy Ghoste that is the holy Ghoste making her fruitfull She when the moneths were fulfiled that she shoulde bee deliuered brought foorth a sonne and he which is borne in all respectes appeareth to be true and verie man he is layde in a manger wrapped in swathling cloutes he grewe in stature and increased in yeares according to the manner of mans body he is wearied he is refreshed he is glad he is sad he is hungrie he is thirstie he eateth he drinketh he feareth to be short he dyeth Whiche the trueth of the historie of the Gospel in many words declareth Neyther is the Scripture it selfe ashamed to call Marie the mother of our Lorde not the putatiue or supposed but the true and natural mother whiche of the substaunce of her owne body gaue true fleshe and substaunce of man to the sonne of God the Angel of God so witnessing with Esaie and saying A virgine shall conceiue in her wombe and shall bring foorth a sonne Loe he sayth In her wombe And againe in Matthewe the selfe same Angel saith That which is conceiued in her is of the holy Ghoste Wherevppon the Apostle vnto the Galathians sayth that The sonne of God is made of a woman to wit according to mans nature For Christe is the fruite of the body of Dauid and of the virgine Marie begotten and borne of the loynes of Dauid and Iohn also the Apostle and Euangelist saithe The worde was made fleshe and dwelt among vs. In calling God fleshe doubtlesse he calleth him verie man For the same Apostle in an other place fayth Euerie spirite that confesseth that Iesus Christe is come in the fleshe is of God And euerie spirit which cōfesseth not that Iesus Christe is come in the flesh is not of God. Therfore we fréely pronounce that Valentinus Marcion Apolles and Manichęus denying the true and very flesh
pâ—int 〈…〉 matter of this cause 〈◊〉 saying is hit the nayl◠〈…〉 Now it reâ—â—eth to 〈…〉 worketh my body of 〈…〉 that briefly in the 〈…〉 saying that being 〈…〉 it giueth life to man 〈…〉 For the reasonable 〈…〉 hendeth the powers 〈…〉 sensitiue and thereby it giueth 〈◊〉 to the bodie Moreouer the â—oulâ— hath two partes distinguished in 〈◊〉 not in substance namely Vnderstanding and Will and the reby it 〈◊〉 man For by the vnderstanding whiche is called bothe the minde and reason it conceiueth iudgeth knoweth thinges that are to be vnderstood and discerneth what to followe and what to auoide But by will or appetite he chooseth that which he knoweth folowing one thing and refusing another Which things again stretch verie farre Therefore I will handle euerie part more largely First of all 〈…〉 〈…〉 and the 〈…〉 sufficient 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 But in these things 〈…〉 to man For we sée and 〈…〉 that they also liue and that 〈…〉 in his kind 〈◊〉 increased and ingendered 〈…〉 the soule is 〈…〉 and what it workeâ—h in the 〈◊〉 â–ª where a more peâ—fecte 〈…〉 deriued The 〈…〉 in the sense of 〈◊〉 〈…〉 and discerit◠〈…〉 by the 〈…〉 things which are 〈◊〉 to y 〈◊〉 of the bodie 〈◊〉 it is ioynâ—d refuseth and 〈…〉 also consenteth not only do y prâ—â—â—eation of children but to the châ—rishing defending nourishing preseruing of them But all these things againe no man denieth but the liâ—e whiche is in beasts may do also Let vs therfore coÌ„sider what is the proper force of the soule of man And here wâ—y with me the wonderfull power of vnderstanding reasoning not a coÌ„mon memorieas is in brute beasts but a remembrance of iâ—â—â—merable thinges commended vnto vs and kept in minde by signes and déepe 〈…〉 in gesture in sounde in 〈…〉 seigned showes so 〈…〉 of nations so many thinges or deinâ—â— so many newe thinges so many 〈◊〉 refourmed such a number of 〈◊〉 and of such like 〈◊〉 for thâ— maintenaunce of memorie 〈…〉 a care of them whiche come 〈…〉 orders of offices powers 〈◊〉 and dignities either in 〈…〉 in the common weâ—le 〈…〉 warre either in 〈…〉 matters Weigh with me 〈…〉 force and vertue of 〈…〉 riuers of eloquence the 〈◊〉 verses in Poetrie 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 sure 〈…〉 â—n instrumentâ—◠〈…〉 in measuriâ—◠〈…〉 bâ—ring 〈…〉 thinges to come 〈…〉 These verily are 〈…〉 or â—â—perations in the 〈…〉 are common to the god 〈…〉 Therefore the true 〈…〉 which riseth from the powers of the soule vnto man and which are found in the godly only dâ— follow The soule is bould to preferre it selfe before the whole bodie and to thincke that the goods of the bodie are not his but rather to despise them and thereby how much the more he delighteth himselfe so much y more he withdraweth himselfe from filthines and cleâ—seth himselfe wholie by faith and the holy ghost and strengtheneth himselfe against al thinges whiche goe about to put him by from his good intent and maketh 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 nothing to â—â—other whiche â—e would 〈…〉 to himselfe For hée 〈…〉 or doctrine of God 〈…〉 that by this God 〈…〉 ioyned by the holy 〈◊〉 and â—aith with God himselfe in 〈…〉 delighteth and liueth in true 〈…〉 forth all kind of 〈…〉 so excellent a studiâ—â—â— the soule there is â—et great laboâ—r For the soule fighteth starcely with the worlds the fleshe and is 〈…〉 from the assaultes or 〈…〉 But beeing 〈…〉 Lord hee gâ—eth 〈…〉 â—ictories and triumphâ—â— â–ª 〈…〉 therefore I meane of 〈…〉 holy men woorke all 〈◊〉 of holy works for the soules of the 〈…〉 heynous sinnes of all 〈…〉 are many other 〈…〉 whiche I cease to 〈…〉 I should be longer than 〈…〉 I haue entreated of 〈…〉 as yet ioyned to 〈…〉 discourse the 〈…〉 of God appeareth the 〈…〉 creatour of the soule yeâ— of the whole man from whose 〈…〉 account it receiuâ—â— whatsoeuer praise is giuen to the soulâ— Nowe I wil speake of the soule separated from the bodie The soule being separated from the bodie ceaseth not to be that whiche it waâ— but the bodie being dead the soule abideth aliue in his owne Essence altogether immortall and voide of all corruption For the death of man is not the extinguishing or destruction of the soule but onely a separation or departure from the bodie Thou takest a candle out of a lanterne thou hast taken the light from the lanterne but thou hast not put out the candle the lanterne triâ—ely béecause the candle is taken away remaineth full of darckenesse but the candle féeleth so little hurt by remouing of it that béeing taken awaye from the lanerne it then shineth more clearely and casteth forth the beames of his light more at large So truely the soule being separated from his earthly or slimie bodie doth so little féele any discommoditie that béeing deliuered from the trouble and burthen of the bodie it liueth more at libertie and woorketh more effectually But the common sort vnderstand not this they sée the body onely amonge the dead spoiled of the soule and because this wanteth all féeling and mouing yea and rotteth awaye they thincke that the whole man perisheth Neither is the world without some shamelesse and vngodly wretches who haue in their mouth that no man euer returned from death or from belowe who by his returne proued that the soules remaine aliue when the body is dead But maliciously they lye dissembling that they knowe not that which certeinely they know For who knoweth not that Christ the sonne of God died and was buried and the third day was raised againe from the dead the verie selfe same soule returning into his bodie whithe before death gaue his bodie life and ruled it Who knoweth not that Christe with his true bodie and with his reasonable and naturall soule ascended into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of the father that hee layinge downe there as it were a most assured pledg might testifie vnto the whole world that both oure owne proper soules and our owne proper bodies shal one day be traÌ„slated thether Who knoweth not that so many which were dead béeing raised from death to life receiued not newe soules but those their old soules whiche should not haue come to passe if by the death of the bodie the soules of men wete extinguished They obiecte that the Scripture it selfe maketh mention of the death of the soule I confesse no leâ—â—e in déede For the soule of man is both mortall and immortall after a certaine manner of his owne For the soule is not all manner of wayes immortall as God is of whome it is said that hée onely hath immortalitie And truely the death of the soule in the holy scripture is to be remembred but the same is referred to the state and condition not to the substance of the soule For if God be the life of the soule surely to be forsaken of God and to be left vnto thy selfe is the
death of the soule But neuerthelesse y reasonable some liueth in his proper Essence or béeing so that when it liueth miserably a miserable life is in verie déede called death but desperation also is the very death of the soule For by hope wée liue And Paule sayeth I liue yet not I but Christe liueth in mee and the life whiche I nowe liue in the fleshe I liue by the faith of the sonne of God therefore they that are destitute of faith are dead they that haue faith liue S. Augustine Cap. 10. De fide Symbolo sayeth The soule as it may bee called corruptible by reason of finne and wickednes so it may be called mortal For the death of the soule is the reuolting or falling from God whiche first sinne of the soule was committed in Paradise as is declared in the holy Scriptures And the same Augustine againe Lib. de Trinitate 14. Cap. 4. sayeth The soule also hath his death when it lacketh a blessed life whiche is to bee named the true life of the soule But for this cause it is called immortall for that whatsoeuer life it liueth yea thoughe it bee most miserable yet it neuer ceaseth to liue Wée therefore fréely confesse that the soules of men separated or taken out of their bodies doe not die but liue immortall for euer the faithfull in euerlasting ioye and felicitie but the vnbeléeners in eternall damnation Whiche thing I will now goe on to confirme by some substantial testimonies of Scripture But first take this with you that testimonies of scripture in this case are farre more liuely than mans reasons framed out of Philosophie For these testimonies are fetched from the verie mouthe of the liuing God himselfe whiche preserueth vs in life who since he is true cannot lie and who since hee giueth life and is life it selfe is able to wittnesse most certainely aboue all other touching life Neither is it doubtfull that the spirit of God worketh ioyntly with the word of GOD of whom vnlesse the heartes of men be touched the reasons of Philosophie howe manifest soeuer they bee shall preuaile nothing especially in the daunger of death and in other temptations They are fleshlie therefore and brutishe altogether whiche are not ashamed to say That they cannot be persuaded or brought to beléeue the immortalitie of soules by the Scriptures onely Nay which is more that shall neuer be stedfast and stable in temptations whiche shall procéede from fleshe and bloud Wee will therefore add some certaine testimonies and those too most manifest Dauid the most nuissaunt and happiest king in the world comprising in one verse both the immortalitie of soules and the resurrection of bodies sayeth Thou O Lord shalt not leaue my soule in hell neither shalt thou suffer thine holie one to see corruption Man consisteth of bodie and soule The bodie rotteth awaye when it is dead and is turned into dust but it shall not therefore perish For as the bodie of Christ which was buried did not rat but rose againe the third day so in the day of iudgemente shall oure bodies be raised vpp and by Christe â—e deliuered from corruption And our soul goeth not into hell there to remaine But as the soule of Christ returned from the nether parts vnto his bodie and ascended into heauen in his bodie which he had taken againe euen so shall oure soules also liue by Christ â–ª they shall not dit Solomon the sonne of Dauid excelling all kinges and mortall men in wisedome in one verse likewise expounding the prouidence of GOD touching the soule and the body saith The dust shall bee turned againe vnto earth from whence it came and the spirite shall returne vnto God who gaue it Solomon calleth mans bodie Dust béecause it is said in Moses that GOD made it of the dust of the earth Therefore the bodie turneth againe vnto dust for it putrifieth and is resolued into that which first it was euen vntill the Iudgement daye as the Lord sayeth For dust thou art and into dust shalt thou be turned againe But the spirite that is to say the reasonable soule dieth not with the bodie it is not resolued into dust béecause it is not taken out of the dust neither is it scattered into the aire because it doest not consist of aire but returneth aliue from death vnto god And therefore it returneth vnto GOD because God gaue the soule and after a singular manner made man after his owne likenes image breathing into his face the spirite of life of life I say that is of liuely power not the spirite of death Therefore the soule caÌ„not perish béecause it receiueth immortalitie from God who since hee is life is able to preserue that breath of life which he hath made The Lord Iesus the true and verie sonne of God the life and resurrection of the faithfull sayeth plainely in the Gospell Feare ye not them whiche kill the bodie but are not able to kill the soule but rather feare him whiche is able to destroye both bodie and soule in hell If when the bodie being slaine by tyrauntes the soule is not killed then it remaineth aliue after the bodie is destroyed and so assuredlie it remaineth that hauing put off the bodie it should bee caste of the most iust God into hell there euerlastingly to burne for his vnâ—aithfulnes For in the same Gospel the Lord saith againe Whosoeuer wil saue his life shall loose it againe whosoeuer will loose his life for my sake shal finde it For not he only looseth his life or soule whiche bridleth it from the pleasures of the world and liueth most temperately but hée also who offereth himselfe into the bloudy hands of tyrants to be slaine for the confession of Christian faith And hée findeth his life or soule whiche he lost Therefore the soules of men euen after the death of the bodie remaine aliue and immortall In the Gospel according to S. Iohn the Lord saith Verilie verilie I say vnto you hee that heareth my word and beleeueth on him that sent mee hath euerlasting life and shall not come into iudgement â–ª but is eâ—caped from death vnto me Thou hast in these words of the Lord the death of the bodie But forthwith afterward he witnesseth that wée Escape vnto life therefore mens â—oules remaine aliue after death For nowe hee speaketh nothing of the raising againe or of the saluation of the bodie but of the life of the soule after death In the same Gospel the Lord sayth againe Verilie verilie I say vnto you if a man keepe my saying he shall neuer see death But it is euident that all men are ordeined once to die namely with bodily death therefore the soule liueth after the death of the bodie For it must néedes be that a faithfull man shall neuer sée or â—eele death vnlesse hee told a lie who affirmed with an oth that which he spake For in euery other place he
Paule baptised as a minister not as one that had power of himselfe but the Lord baptised as he that had power of himselfe Behold if it had pleased him he could haue giueÌ„ this power to his seruants but he would not For if hee should haue giuen this power vnto his seruaunts that it should also haue beene theirs which was the lords then there should haue beene as many sundrie baptismes as seruaunts c. In the Church Christ reserueth that absolute power to himselfe For he continueth the head king bishop of the Church for euer neither is that head whiche giueth life separated from his body at any time But that limitted power he hath giuen vnto the Church Whiche thing it ought to acknowledge to wit an Ecclesiastical iurisdiction hemmed in with certeine lawes whiche procéedeth from God and for that cause it is effectuall and therefore in all thinges ought to haue chiefe regard vnto God and that Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction is for that purpose giuen vnto the church that it might be put in practise for the profite of the Church For S. Paule sayth The Lord hath giuen vs power to the intent we should edifie not for the destruction of the Church And therefore that power whiche tendeth to the hinderance and destruction of the Church is a diuelish tyrannie and not an ecclesiasticall power procéeding from god And it behoueth vs diligently to marke and reteine this ende of Ecclesiasticall power But the limitted power of the church consisteth verie néere in these points to witt in ordeyning of the ministers of the Church in doctrine and in the discerning betwéene doctrines and finally in the ordering of Ecclesiasticall matters Of euery one of which pointes in their order we will speake a litle declaring what manner of authoritie the Church hath and howe farre it is limitted in euery part thereof The Lord himselfe appointed the chiefe doctours of the Church whiche were the Apostles that all men might vnderstand that the Ecclesiastical ministerie is the diuine institution of God himselfe and not a tradition deuised by men And therfore after that the Lord was ascended into heauen S. Peter calling the Church together speaketh out of the scriptures of placing an other Apostle in the stéed of the traytour Iudas by that very facte shewing that power was giuen vnto the Church by God to electe ministers or teachers The same Church also not longe after by the persuasion of Peter and the Apostles so persuading vndoubtedly by the inspiration of the holy Ghost choose seuen deacons The Church of Antioche being manifestly instructed by the holy Ghoste doeth ordeine and sende Paule and Barnabas althoughe they were longe before that time assigned to the ministerie It is read also in the Actes of the Apostles that the churches by the commaundement of the Apostles did ordeine doctours for the holy ministerie as often as néede required And yet notwithstanding they did not ordeine euery one without choice but such onely as were fitt for that office that is to say such as afterward by expresse lawes they themselues did describe to witt If any man were faultles the husband of one wife watchfull sober c. The rule set downe by the Apostle is sufficiently knowen as appeareth in the 1. to Tim. 3. Cap. But as touching the ordeyning of ministers God willing wee will speake in the third sermon of this Decade But if the Church haue receiued power to appoint fitt ministers for the Church I thincke no man will denie that the Church hath authoritie to depose the vnworthie wicked deceiuers and also to correct and amende those thinges whiche being lacking may séeme necessarie for this order And forasmuch as ministers are chosen chiefly to teach it must follow that the Church hath power to teach to exhort to comfort and such like by her lawfull ministers and yet no power to teach euery thing but that onely which she receiued being deliuered vnto her from the Lord by the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles Teach them sayeth the Lord that whiche I commaunded you Go ye and preach the Gospell to all creatures And S. Paul sayth I am put a part to preach the Gospell of God which he promised before by his Prophets in the holy Scriptures But this ministerie office of preaching is nothing else but the power of the keyes whiche the Church hath receiued The office I saye of binding and loosing of opening shutting heauen In another place also the apostles receiued power from the Lord ouer all ouer all I say not absolutely but ouer all diuels and not ouer all Angels and men and yet that authoritie and power they receiued ouer diuels they receiued it not absolutely for it is added vnto it that they should expell and cast them out And therefore they could not deale with diúels after their owne fancie but that onely so farre forth as he would haue them to dâ—e who hath absolute power ouer all diuels and that they might cast diuels out of men but not to sende them into men thoughe they would haue desired it neuer so much And so also as touching diseases they could not doe what they would else would not S. Paule haue left Trophimos sicke at Miletum who might so greatly haue béene profitable vnto him in the holy ministerie The two disciples if they had béen able to haue done what they would would haue commanded fire from heauen to haue fallen downe vppon Samaria and so would haue taken vengeaunce of the vncourteous and barbarous people of Samaria for that they denied to harbour the Lord Christ In like manner those same Apostles receiued keyes that is to saye power to binde and to lose to open and shutt heauen to forgiue and to reteine sinnes but perfectly limitted For they could not lose y which was bound in hell neither bind them that were liuing in heauen For he said not What soeuer ye binde in heauen but whatsoeuer ye binde vppon earth Neither said he Whatsoeuer ye lose in hell but what soeuer ye lose vppon earth Againe they were not able eyther to binde or lose whom they would not so much as vpon earth For they were not able to lose that is to say to pronounce a maÌ„ frée from sinne that was without faith Againe they could not binde that is say pronounce condemned him that was lightened with faith was truely penitent And surely such as teach other doctrine than this touching the power of the keyes deceiue the whole world of whiche wee will more largly intreat in place conuenient Likewise the Church hath receiued power from Christ to administer the sacraments by ministers but not according to her owne will and pleasure but according to Gods will and the forme and manner sett downe by the Lord himselfe The Church cannot institute sacraments neither yet alter the ends vse of the sacraments Finallie that the Church hath
mingled with the wine in the cuppe the people is vnited vnto Christe and the multitude of the beleeuers is coupled and ioyned vnto him in whoÌ„ they beleeued And thus in blessing the Lords cup only water may not be offred neither in like sort may wine only For if any man offer onely wine the bloud of Christe beginneth to be without vs but if it be water only then doeth the multitude beginne to be without Christe But when they are both mingled together and are ioyned with a confused mixture betwixt them theÌ„ is there an heauenly spiritual sacrameÌ„t wrought By these words truly doth S. CypriaÌ„ shewe vnto vs a good mysterie but why doe we seeke to bee wiser than Christ and to mingle together moe mysteries than wee haue receiued of him The holy scripture maketh mention of no water but rather reporteth that the Lorde vsed nought else but meere wine For the Lord sayth Verily I say vnto you that henceforth I will drinke no more of the fruite of the vine For he plainely sayde not the wine but the fruite of the vine that herein wee shoulde make no manner of mingling But what if that the holy martyr of God himselfe Saint Cyprian hath laboured by all the meanes hee might to shewe that the only is to be followed of the faithfull in celebrating of the Lordes supper which they haue receiued of our Lord Christe himselfe And forasmuche as that testimonie doth make much to all this our treatise concerning Christes supper to be celebrated according to the words of the gospel I will recite it worde for worde out of the second epistle of the 3. book of his epistles We must not sayth he depart in any respect from the doctrine of the Gospel and those things that our maister taught did himself the scholers also ought to obserue and do The blessed Apostle in another place speaketh more coÌ„stantly and stoutly saying I meruell that you are so soone chaunged from him that called you to grace vnto another gospel which is nothing else but there besome that trouble you go about to ouerthrowe the Gospell of Christ Howbeit if we our selues or an angel from heauen do preach vnto you any other thing than that wee haue taught let him be accursed As I haue said before so say I now againe if any man preache any other thing vnto you than that whiche you haue receiued let him be accursed Since therefore neither the Apostle himselfe neither an angel from heauen can preache or teache otherwise than Christe him selfe once hathe taught and his Apostles haue preached I muche maruell from whence this custome hath growen that contrarie to the doctrine of the Gospell and the Apostles in some places water is offered in the Lords Cup whiche being taken alone caÌ„not expresse the Lords bloud And againe there is no cause déerely beloued brother that any man should thinke that the custome of certeine men is to be followed if there be any that heretofore haue supposed that water alone is to bée offered in the Lordes â—up For it must be demaunded of them whom they haue followed herein For if in the sacrifice which is christ none is to be followed but Christe doubtlesse then ought wée to hearken vnto to do after that which Christ hathe done and commaunded to bee done since he him selfe sayeth in his Gospel If you do that which I commaunde you to do I will call you no longer seruaunts but friendes And the Christ alone should be heard the Father him selfe also witnesseth from heauen saying This is my welbeloued sonne in whâ—â—e I haue delight heare him Wherefore if onely Christe is to be heard wee ought not to regard what any other before vs hath thought meete for vs to doe but what Christ did first who is before all other Neither ought we in any case to follow the custome of men but the trueth of God considering what the Lord speaketh by the prophet Isaie saying They worship me in vaine teaching the commandements doctrine of men And againe the Lord repeating the selfe same words in the gospel sayth Ye set Gods commandementes aside to establish your owne traditions And in another place he sayth He that shall breake any one of the least of these commaundementes and shal on this sort teache men shal be accounted least in the kingdome of heauen But if it be not lawful to breake the least of the commaundementes of God howe muche more heinous is it to breake thinges so greate so weightie and so muche belonging to the Lordes passion the sacrament of our redemption or else to change it into any other order by mans traditions than is instituted by God And so forth as followeth There is no man can denie but that these thinges are of authoritie euen against the authour himselfe For neither by the scriptures nor by the example of Christe can it bee proued that water was mingled with the wine at the supper As for the authorities and testimonies which the author alledgeth euery man may perceiue how litle they make to the purpose yea that they be wrested froÌ„ their naturall meaning The gospel plainly pronounceth that the Lord dranke of the fruite of the vine vnto his disciples And as often as Paule maketh mention of the cup yet teacheth hee in no place that water was mingled with the wine or that it ought to be mingled with it Wherefore these watermen that is to say they that vse water only in celebrating the Lords supper are iustly condeÌ„ned such as the Martionites and Tâ—â—tianes were Howbeit it is an indifferent matter whether you vse râ—d wine or white in the supper Againe why did not the Lord deliuer the Sacrament of the Supper vnto vs vnder one fourme of bread or wine only but rather vnder both kindes the doctours of the church by one coÌ„sent suppose this to be the cause for that he would signifie or rather testifie vnto vs that he tooke both soule flesh vpon him and gaue the same for vs and also hath deliuered our soules flesh froÌ„ euerlasting destruction For although there be 2. kinds yet do they make but one sacrament and they may not be separated Neither is their opinion of iudgemente to be allowed of who of their owne priuat or rather sacrilegious authoritie do corrupte the institution of Christ offering to the Lay people whiche do coÌ„municate the one kind only of bread graunting to priests both kinds so challenging both kinds to themselues only But Paul the Apostle receiued the authoritie from the lord himself to admit all the faithful people of Christ vnto the Lords cup and therefore let these bold fellowes consider from whome they haue receiued commaundement to put back the Layitie and to forbid them the cup whiche by the Lorde our God is graunted vnto them For Christ in plaine wordes and as it were by the spirite of prophecie foreséeing what shoulde come to passe in the Church saide
soule For the thing that signifieth is wont to be called by the name of that thing whiche it signifieth as it is written The seuen eares of wheate are seuen yeares He said not doe signifie seuen yeres And seuen oxen are seueÌ„ yeres and many such like In like sort it is said The rocke was Christ Hee said not The rock signifieth Christ but as though it were so in deede whiche is not the same in substance but by signification So likewise the bloud beecause thrugh a certeine vital substaÌ„ce in it signifieth the soule in the sacraments is called the soule Thus far he The same Augustine also against Adimantus cap. 12. saith So is bloud the soule like as the rock was Christ And againe in the same place he saith I may also expouÌ„d that that precept of the bloud and soule of the beast c. consisteth in the signe For the lord douted not to say This is my body when he gaue the signe of his body Thus much Augustine There is no foole so doultish that will say that these wordes of Augustine are darcke or doubtfull Who so liste maye add here vnto that which the same authour hath plainely written concerning figuratiue spéech Libro 2. Contra Aduers Legis Cap. 9. But let vs leaue off to cite mens testimonies coÌ„cerning the proper and most auncient exposition of Christes wordes This is my bodie Let vs rather procéede to alledge sounde arguments out of the scriptures as we promised to do thereby to proue that wée must sometime of necessitie depart from the letter that Christes words are accordingly as I haue said to bée expounded by a figure First it is euident that the Lord at this present instituted a Sacrament whereby it is manifest that the Lord spake after the same manner as he is wont to speake in other places of the scripture concerning sacraments as when he saith that circumcision is the Lords couenaunt the lambe the Lords Passeouer that sacrifices are sinnes and sanctifications baptisme the water of regeneration But we declared in the sixt sermon of this Decade that all these kindes of speaches remaine to be expouÌ„ded This saying or spéech therefore is to be expounded This is my bodie This is my bloud because it is sacramentall For it receiued the common interpretation whiche most truly and for certeinty was vsed and receiued by the catholique church euer since the time of the Apostles yea and euer since the time of the Patriarches vnto this day to wit that signes do receiue the termes and names of those things that are signified so that thereby they receiue no part of their substance but do stil continue remaine in their owne proper nature For this cause it coÌ„meth to passe that our Lord Christe in the Gospell written by S. Luke did ioyne the banquet of the Passeouer with this our lordes supper in such sort that he substituted this in the place of the other that it should not séeme straunge if he said in this our supper This is my body for in the solemnizing of the feast of Passeouer it is thus said The lambe is the Lords Passeouer Which kind of speach was not darke to be vnderstoode by the Apostles who vnderstoode that this lambe was a remembrance of the passage once past By that meanes also they vnderstood that the Lords bread giuen vnto them by the Lord is a remembrance of his body For in other matters of much lesse weight they diligeÌ„tly questioned and inquired of the Lord touching the proper sense signification of the words But of these woordes they neuer once doubted or asked any question For al sacramental spéeches were to the holy fathers very wel knowen Moreouer if we continue to vnderstand the words of the supper simply according to the letter it followeth that the Lord hath deliuered vnto vs his body and bloud corporally to be receiued And I pray you to what ende should hee deliuer them but that we receiuing them corporally might liue But the vniuersal canonical scripture teacheth that our life or saluation our iustificatioÌ„ coÌ„sisteth in faith only which we repose in the body which was giuen the bloud shedd for vs which is the spiritual eating not in any work of ours much lesse in the bodily eating of Christes body whiche he sheweth in another place to be nothing auaileable Then since there is but one meanes and that most simple wherby to obteine life and iustification to wit by faith only not by the work of our eating neither is the scripture repugnant to it selfe surely the Lord hath not instituted any such worke of eating therefore the solemne words of the supper do admit some other exposition If the bread were the lords true and natural body it must néeds follow the euen the wicked being partakers of this bread shuld eate Christs body that verily his flesh shuld be meate to feed the bellie since they that eate it lack both mindes faith But all holy men abhorre that thought as absurd most vnworthie of whiche matter I will intreate more hereafter Therfore the saying of Christ This is my body admitteth an expositioÌ„ The whole vniuersal canonical scripture witnesseth that our Lord Iesus Christ toke a body of the vndefiled virgin consubstantial in al poincts vnto our bodies that is to say an humane bodie yea that hee was made like to vs in all respectes except sinne Nowe it is manifest that he spake of his true sensible bodie when he sayeth This is my body For he addeth Whiche is broken or giuen for you But the true natural sensible or humane body was deliuered and died for vs But this appeareth not in the bread or vnder the bread Wherefore the Lords words must be expounded Surely if it had béene the Lords will to make his body of bread his bloud of wine according to the power wherby he made all thinges with his word as soone â—s euer he had said This is my body the bread had béene the body of Christ and that very body whereof he spake mortall passible to be felt and séene For he spake the word and they were made he commaunded and they were created He said let ther be light and light was made and such kind of light as might be perceiued and did shine But in the supper we sée nothing in Christes hands but bread no body And therfore it was not our sauiours meaning by these words This is my bodie to create or make his body of the bread For if he had ment so to do surely it had béene done Neither is there any cause why they should here as it were casting their mistes before our eyes and applie their coloured interpretations vnto a rotten construction vsing wordes vnspeâ—keably supernaturally inuisibly not qualitiuely not quantiuely not as in a place For by these termes they intending in the meane while to bring some other thing to passe doe by the wonderfull iudgement of God quite subuert and ouerthrow
after the supper did beate vpon nothing so muche as the very same thing against which they set shoulder to wit that Christe would be absent in body but present in spirit that this presence wold be more profitable to the church than his bodily presence Do they not also vnderstande wherefore he tooke fleshe and was nayled on the Crosse that is to say what the effect and vse is of Christes body to wit that the sacrifice of his body being once offered for vs vppon earth he might carrie the same vppe into heauen in token that both oure bodies and soules after oure death shall through his merite be also carried thither Therefore after that the Lordes body had fulfilled on earth that whiche it came to fulfill there is no cause why it should doe any thing else vpon earth He nowe sitteth and ought to sit at the right hande of the father that he may drawe all vs thither vnto him If there be any that doth not yet fully beléeue that which we say let him reade the doctrine of Sainte Paule the Apostle in the ninthe and tenthe Chapters of his Epistle to the Hebrues Let him also reade the fourtéenth and sixtéenth chapters of Saint Iohns Gospell But if it be a pleasure to them to hale at the gable of contention and to sticke precisely as well to these wordes of the Lorde I am with you vnto the worldes ende as to these This is my body This is my bloud let them then expound to me these holy testimonies of the holy Scripture Paule sayth that Christe dwelleth in our harts and that Christ liueth in him and he in Christe The Lorde saythe to the théefe This day shalt thou bee with me in Paradise And the Euangelist saith of the Lord being dead They layde him into the sepulchre The Scripture sayth not They layde fleshe and bones into the sepulchre but They layde him into the sepulchre The Lorde sayde not to the théefe Thy soule shall be with my spirite or soule in Paradise But Verily I say vnto thee this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Neyther dothe Sainte Paule say that Christes spirite and life doth liue in him or dwell in our heartes But he sayth simply That Christ doth dwell in our heartes But who is so foolishe and giuen to contention that for these wordes and places of the Scripture will contend that Christes diuinitie was buryed with his body that Christes body was with his soule that same daye in Paradise in which either of thē departed this life that Christes body together with his spirit dwelleth in the harts of the faithful liueth in Paul that Paule liueth in Christes flesh Al men doe willingly admit the catholique sense of the catholique Churche gathered out of the word of god namely that Christ in his spirite is present in his Churche euen to the worldes ende but absent in body and that the théefes soule was that day present in Paradise with Christes soule not with his bodye So iudgeth it also of the residue But if any man mistrust myne interpretation let him heare S. August in his treatise vpon Iohn saying thus He speketh of the presence of his body when hee sayth the poore you shal always haue with you but mee shall you not haue alwayes For in respect of his maiestie of his prouidence of his vnspeakable grace is that fulfilled which hee spake Behold I am with you always euen to the worldes end But in respect of the fleshe which the woorde tooke vpon it in respect that he was borne of the virgine that he was takē by the Iewes that hee was nayled to the Crosse that hee was taken downe from the Crosse that hee was woond in a sheete that he was layde into the sepulchre that hee was manifested in the resurrection you shall not haue me with you alwayes And why so Bycause hee was conuersant as touching his bodily presence fourtie dayes with his disciples and they accompanying him but not following him hee ascended into heauen And is not here For there he sitteth at the right hand of the father And hée is héere For hee is not gone hence in respect of the presence of his maiestie Thus farre Sainte Augustine But if they yet procéede not regarding all this that we haue sayd to vrge that saying of the Lorde out of Matthewe Behold I euen I I say am 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with you we will also obiect againste them this saying of the Lord and the same out of the Gospel It is expediēt for you that I we here they haue also this worde I doe depart we obiect also against them this testimonie of the angels out of Luke This Iesus which is takē vp 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from you into heauen c. They shal be at lengthe constreyned whether they will or no to reconcile such places as séeme to be repugnant and to admitte the generall vnderstanding whiche we haue alledged and defended hitherto Neyther is there here any daunger of diuiding Christe neyther diuide we Christes person with Nestorius since we defend the proprietie of bothe natures in Christe against the Eutychians While Christ our Lorde in body was yet conuersant vpon the earth hee him selfe witnesseth in the Gospell that neuerthelesse he was also in the heauens And in déed Christ who was bothe God and man all at one time was then in heauen when he was crucified and conuersant vpon earth although his body was not crucified in the heauens But as Christ diuided not him selfe although being in heauen he was notwithstāding conuersant and crucified in body vpon earth not in heauen so neyther do we diuide Christe who is both God and man although we say he is present with vs when we celebrate the supper and that we communicat with him yet neuerthelesse we affirme that in his body he remayneth in heauen where hee sitteth at the right hand of the father and so let vs keepe our selues within the compasse of the Scripture Of this matter I haue reasoned at large where I haue intreated of one person and of bothe natures in Christ vnpermixed Hitherto haue I spoken of the naturall meaning of the wordes of the Lordes Supper as briefly and plainly as possibly I could Touching the place of Paule in the first to the Corinthians chap. 10. The cup of blessing which we blesse c. with suche other textes which are alledged to proue bodily presence I shal not néed to vse many wordes for wee haue handled that place already once or twise It remayneth therefore that wee examine and weyghe what they deliuer vnto vs touching the eating of Christes body and also what the Canonicall scriptures doe teache to be thought of that eating What say they the lord hath promised the same most surely and fully he performeth They adde But he promised that he would giue vs his true body and very bloude to be eaten and brunken in the fourme of breade and wine
of the Gospell which Paule hath hitherto preached with vs is sufficient to the obteining of life and saluation We intend not to laye any greater burthen vpon you than the doctrine of the Gospell and abstinence from those fewe things In which sentence they séeme to haue had an eye to the opinion of Sainct Peter who in the counsell saide Ye knowe that I beeing called by God did go to the Gentiles and did preach to them saluatiō through the Gospel Ye know that to the Gētiles being neither circumcised nor keeping the lawe while I preached to them faith in Christ Iesus the holie Ghoste was giuen from aboue so that their hearts wer purified of God him selfe by faith not by the lawe that they were made heires of eternal life And vppon this he inferreth Now therefore why tempt ye God to laye vppon the disciples neckes a yoke which neither wee nor our fathers were able to beare But wee beleeue that through the grace of the Lorde Iesus Christ we shal be saued euen as they Sée here Sainct Peter called the lawe a burthen and a yoke and therfore where the Apostles saye that they will not laye vpō the church any greater burthen they do thereby signifie that the lawe is flatly abrogated They do therefore set the church frée from the burthen of the lawe and do acquite it from all burthens like to y lawe We nowe do gather by those woordes of the Apostles that those burthensome and innumerable ceremonies which the church hath receiued by counsels Synodes since the time of the Apostles were vniustly against the Apostolique spirite then layde vppon the churche and at this daye wickedly reteined and defended in the churche For they in expresse wordes saide It seemed good to the holye Ghoste and to vs to burthen you with no more then these thinges necessarie But if any man obiect and saye that those ceremonies were for the rudenesse of the people layde vpon the churches neckes as a rule or instruction to guide or teache them by Mine aunswere is that that kinde of instruction is cleane taken awaye which whosoeuer goeth about to reduce hee desireth nothing else but to bring in Iudaisme againe God knew verie well what kinde of churche that would be which hee purposed to gather together of Iewes and Gentiles and yet he abolished those external ceremonies Nowe who doth better knowe than God what is expedient or not expedient for his church therefore the things that he abolished were not expedient for the faithfull whereupon the Apostles did rightly verie wel pronounce It seemed good to the holie ghoste and vs not to laye vppon you any greater burthen Let them therefore be ashamed of their doinges which lay so great a burthen vppon the shoulders of the church that otherwise ought to be most free Nowe also heere is added the conclusion of the sentence Than these necessarie things that is to say that ye abstaine from things offered to Idols c. In these wordes they had an eye vnto the sentence of sainct Iames the Apostle and brother of the Lorde for he confirminge and allowing of Sainct Peters opinion touchinge iustification by faith and the not laying of the lawe vpon the Gentiles neckes doth alledge a testimonie of scripture out of Amose who did foretell that the Iewes shoulde bee cut off because of their sinnes and that in their steeds the Gentiles should be taken amonge whome the true church of God should be which was prefigured by the ruine and reparatiō of Dauids tabernacle The same Prophet did also foretell a reason how and a cause why the Gentiles should be receiued into the church not for Circumcisions sake nor yet by the helpe of the lawe but by grace through fayth For he saith The remnaunte of the men shal seeke after the Lorde and all the heathen vpon whome my name is called saith the Lorde which doth all this all these workes of God are knowen to him from before the world beganne Loe here they shall seeke the Lorde and shal be receyued into his fellowship vpon whome his name shal be called This phrase of speech doeth signifie that they whiche are electe shal be the sonnes of god For vpon them the name of the Lord is called which are named the sonnes of God and are his elect Nowe the whole scripture attributeth that to faith By fayth therfore we are made the members of the church and sonnes and heires to God our maker But if any man doe murmur against the counsell of God and say why doth God so Let him thinke that this déede is the déede and worke of God whome it is not lawfull for man to gaynsaye and all whose workes are knowen from the beginninge of the worlde to haue beene donne in iudgement and righteousnesse whervpon it doth consequently follow that this counsell of his is good and righteous whereby he doth through faith in Christ ioyne to himselfe and sanctifie the heathen nations Nowe vppon these wordes of the prophet Saincte Iames subscribing as it were to Sainct Peters opinion doth gather and inferre Wherefore my sentence is that wee trouble not them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God That is to say I thinke that they are not to bee molested or charged with the obseruation of the law But least the Gentiles once hearing y the lawe was abolished should thereby thinke that they might freely doe whatsoeuer they would and so by that meanes abuse their libertie and also against all charitie despise giue offence vnto the Iewishe brethren therefore Iames addeth But I think it best for vs to write vnto them that they absteine from filthines of idols For there were at that time certeine conuerts of the Gentiles who thought it lawfull for them to enter into idol Temples and be partakers of things offered to idols because an idol is nothing since there is but one onely God alone whereuppon they gathered that those sacrifices were nothing that they did neither good nor harme and therefore that Christians might with a safe conscience be partakers of them But sainct Iames and Paule also 1. Cor. 8. 9. 10. wil haue the heathen conuerts to absteine vtterly frō the worship of Idols that is from the idols them selues and from those things which are in the idol temples offered to false and fained Gods. Moreouer he addeth Let them beware of fornication The Gentiles verily did by good lawes forbidde the adulteries and defilings of virgins matrones with verie sharpe punishments suppressing the violent deflowrers of honest women but they thought it a verie light and in a manner no fault at all for such to committ whoredome as did of their owne accordes set their chastitie to sale or if an vnwedded man should haue to doe with a single woman and therefore the Apostle Iames euen as Paule also 1. Cor. 6. and 1. Thessa. 4. doeth verie seuerely require the holy pure vse of the bodie
without all filthie vncleane beastlynesse Last of all hee willeth the Gentiles to be restrayned of eating bloud and strangled He addeth the cause why and saith For Moses of olde time hath in euery citie them that preache him in the Synagogues where hee is read euery Sabboth daye Of which constitution touching bloud and strangled I spake somewhat before that I made this same digression Nowe therefore since the matter is at that pointe it is euident that they are without a cause offended with Sainct Iames which thinke that he did without all right and reason make and publishe this decree and that the fruite of that Synode was verie perillous nothing healesome and flatly contrary to Christian libertie For it is assuredly certeine that the meaning of Iames did in no poynte differ from the minde of Sainct Paule who neuerthelesse did verie well and praisworthily saye Let vs followe the things that make for peace and thinges wherewith we may one edifie an other Destroy not the work of God for meates sake All thinges are pure but it is euil for that man that eateth with offence It is good neither to eate flesh nor to drinke wine nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth or falleth or is made weake c. Romanes 14. It is also moste certeine that Sainct Paule who was so sharpely set to defend the Christian libertie that hee withstood Peter openly at Antioche would not haue beene behinde hand to resist Sainct Iames if he had thought that this constitution either had béen or should bée preiudiciall to Christian libertie Verily hee woulde neither haue preached nor yet commended this tredition of y Apostles to the churches of the Gentiles if hee had not thoughte that it had béene both hoalesome and profitable for them all to embrace But he did preache and commende it vnto the churches as is to be séene in the sixtéenth of the Actes and therfore is sainct Iames without a cause murmured against of some because hee for badd to eate bloud and strangled Finally the conclusion of their Epistle is From which if ye keep your selues ye do well So fare ye well They praise that abstinence and teach it as a good woorke because it is also commended to vs in all the Scriptures Thus haue I digressed not farre I trust from our purpose to speake of the decrée of the apostolique Synode helde at Hierusalem and thus muche at this time touching the abrogation of the ceremoniall lawes It remaineth here for mée to saye somewhat concerning the abrogation of the Iudiciall lawes Nowe therefore the Iudiciall lawes doe séeme to be abrogated in this sense because no Christian common weale no citie or kingdome is compelled to be bound to receiue those verie same lawes which were by Moses in that nation according to the time place state published and set out of olde Therefore euery countrie hath frée libertie to vse such lawes as are best and most requisite for the estate and necessitie of euery place and of euery time and persons so yet that the substance of Gods lawes be not reiected troden downe and vtterly neglected For the things which are agréeable to the lawe of nature and the tenne commaundements and whatsoeuer else God hath commaunded to bee punished must not in anye case bee either cleane forgotten or lightly regarded Nowe the ende whereunto all these lawes do tende is that honestie maye flourish peace and publique tranquillitie be firmely mainteined iudgement and iustice be rightly executed Of which because I haue at large disputed in the exposition of the precept Thou shalt doe no murther I will here be coÌ„tent to be so much the briefer The holie Apostle Paule commaundeth to obey the magistrate he aloweth of the authoritie of the sword which he confesseth that the magistrate hath not in vaine receiued at the hande of god And therefore he did not dissallowe or finde faulte with the election of the magistrate the vse of the sworde the execution of the iudgement and iustice nor with vpright ciuil lawes Now whosoeuer doth conferre the lawes and constitutions of Princes kings Emperours or Christian magistrates which are to be found either in the Code in the booke of Digestes or Pandectes in the volume of newe Constitutions or else in anye other bookes of good lawes of sundrie nations with these Iudiciall lawes of God he must néedes confesse that they drawe verie néere in likenesse and do verie well agrée one with an other Iustinian the Emperour forbad by law either to sel or otherwise to make awaye the possessions of the church things consecrated vnto god For the sincere confessing and pure mainteining of the catholique faith the Emperours Gratian Valentinian Theodosius did make a moste excellent holie law Constantine the great gaue charge to Taurus one of his lieuetenauntes to shutte the idol temples and with the sworde to destroye suche rebeiles as went about to sett them open and to do sacrifice in them That lawes were made for the reliefe of the poore and that kinges and emperours had a care ouer them it is to be séene in more places than one of the Emperours lawes and constitutions It is verie certeine y whosoeuer readeth the Code lib. 1. tit 2. he shal finde much matter belonging to this argument For the honest trayning vp of children and the liberal susteining of aged parents there are verie commeÌ„dable lawes in the bookes of the heathens Concerning the authoritie y parentes haue ouer their childreÌ„ there is mâ—châ— many things to be found in writingâ— likewise of wedlock of incâ—st 〈◊〉 marriages Honoriê° Aâ—cadiê° many other princes haue made verie tollerable laudable decrées where they speake also verie well and wisely of the lawe of diuorcement But if I go on to add or oppose to euery seuerall title of the Iudiciall lawes conteined in this sermon sundrie and peculiar lawes out of the decrées of Christian Princes I shall I knowe be too tedious vnto your patience For then would this treatise passe the time of an ordinarie sermon Let it therefore suffice vs at this time by the declaration of these notes to haue opened and made a way to the diligeÌ„t louers of the truth to come to the vnderstanding of other things which we haue here omitted and that they may beléeue that the substance of Gods Iudiciall lawes is not taken awaye or abolished but that the ordering and limitation of them is placed in the will and arbitrement of good Christian princes so yet that they ordeine and appoinct that which is iuste and equall as the estate of the time place and persons shall best require that honestie and publique peace may be thereby preserued and god the father duely honoured through his onely begotten sonne Christe Iesus to whome all praise is due for euer For we do sée that the Apostles of Christe did neither require nor coÌ„maunde any nation in the administration of politique affaires to binde them selues to
name the substance of the soule For I do not thinke the same to bee of these vsuall and knowne natures whiche we touche with the senses of our bodie For I thinke that the soule coÌ„sisteth not of earth nor of water nor of aâ—â—e nor of the neitâ—â—r yet of all 〈◊〉 ioyned together nor of any one of them The nature of the soule may be called simple because it consisteth not of other natures Whiche wordes of Augustine Cassidore willing to reheâ—rse and expresse by imitation sayth The soulâ— of man created of God is a spiritual and peculiar substance Therefore I simpliâ— offirme that the soule hashe a singular yea a certein more excellent 〈◊〉 differing from other spirite hauing his true béeing and working always from his creator but suche as we in our spéeche cannot â—â—â—passâ— â—ither are able to vtter In the meane 〈…〉 allow if theÌ„ 〈…〉 to 〈◊〉 what maker of substaâ—ie â–ª she soâ—â—é is say that the soule is God or else surely a part or pâ—rtion of god For the scripture reproueth them do the. For truly y soule is a creature is drowned in variablenes sinâ—s but a creator cleane of it selfe it is not And because God the creator is immutable a indiuisible the soule cannot be a portion of god Therfore elegantly truly Anâ—chus Prudentius in his 〈◊〉 after he had in many words 〈◊〉 these filthy errors gathering at length al the meaning of the trueth sayth To say thâ— soule is GOD or part of him T' is follie great and too absurde a thing Since chiefe 〈…〉 ioyes it 〈◊〉 which swim From alwayes fâ—eshe and euer-lasting spring Now it 〈…〉 falles to sâ—nne One while 〈◊〉 another while in paine For due 〈…〉 it 〈◊〉 winne Now 〈…〉 t' is free againe To y end that we might ouerthrow this errour and discerne the soule from other spirites and spiritual substances we added in our description That the soule of man is powred into the bodie of man by God Whereby euerie man vnderstandeth wiâ—hout any adoe that it is created and also is a spirit not angeliâ—al but humane that is breathed into mans bodie by God of his owne essence and nature Where again a new question touching the original of soules doth offer it self to vs to be expounded For it is wont to be asked from whence souls come when or howe they enter into their bodies Sainte Hierome is the Author that in time past there were verie many opinions and those same most contrarie betwéene them selues touching the originall of soules For hée writâ—â—g to Marcellinus and 〈◊〉 fayth I remeÌ„ber your question nay rather 〈◊〉 the questâ—â—n of the church touching the state of the soule whether it â—el from heauen as Pythagoras the Philospher al Platonisteâ— and Origen doe thinke Or whether it be of the proper substaÌ„ce of God as the Stoikes Manichcus and the heresies of Priscilianus of Spaine doe suppose Whether they be counted in Gods treasurie long since layd vp there as certeine churchmen foolishly persuaded thinke Whether they be daily made of God sent into bodies according to that which is written in the gospel My father worketh hitherto I worke Or whether Eâ—traduce that is by the generation of the parentes as Tertullian Apolinarius tâ— the 〈…〉 of the West Câ—â—rches 〈◊〉 that as a bodie is borne â—f a bodie so a soulâ— is borne of a soule and hath his béeing after the like 〈◊〉 as bâ—â—ite beastes haue But all those â—pinions ar◠〈◊〉 oâ— Ecclesiasticall writers with found argumentes That opinion is receiueâ— auouched for the truest which holdrth That the soule is crâ—â—ted of nothing and powred of God unto the bodie when the childe is 〈…〉 in shape and in euerie part of hiâ— bodie in the wombe of hiâ— mother For thus the Ecclesiasticall definitionâ— do declare We say that the creator of al thinges doeth onely knowe the creation of the soule and that the bodiâ— onely is sowed by carnal 〈◊〉 in marriage that by the true appointment of God it thickeneth in the matrice becommeth a substance and receiuâ—th shape and that when the bodie is fashioned the soule is created and powred into it Where vpon 〈◊〉 Hâ—erome also to 〈◊〉 diâ—puting against the tâ—rors of 〈◊〉 bishop of Hierusalem after he 〈…〉 diuerse opinions touching the origiâ—al of the soule he saith Wheâ—her truely God createth souleâ— dâ—ily in whom his will iâ— his worke 〈◊〉 conâ—seth to be a 〈◊〉 of them which is an Ecclesrastical opinion according to the opinion of our Sauiour The father worketh hitherto and I worke And according to that of â—sai Which formeth the spirit of man 〈◊〉 him And in the Psalmes Whiche 〈…〉 their harts in euery one of theÌ„ Thâ—s farre he The scripture truly in expresse wordes doth teaâ—he that the soule hath not originall â—ut of earthe neither that it is created before the bodie but that it procâ—â—deth out of the moâ—the 〈◊〉 the creator to wit from the secret power of God and that it is powred into the bâ—die when it is fashioned For Moses describing the 〈◊〉 of God our Father dâ—eth firste 〈…〉 that the body of Adam was fashioned and made and that afterwards the spirite of life was breathed â—nto his bodie beeing perfectly made 〈…〉 The Lorde God 〈◊〉 he 〈◊〉 of the clay of the 〈…〉 vppon his face or iâ—to his 〈◊〉 the breath of life and 〈…〉 liuing soule For the bâ—eath of life doth signifie the liuing reasonable soule that is to say the 〈…〉 whiche thou séest breathed oâ— powred into the bodie when it is â—â—shioned And when the same Lorde created the woman of Adams 〈◊〉 he tooke not life froÌ„ Adam or out of his soâ—le and put it into Eue but of hiâ— gâ—â—dnâ—sse and power hee powrâ—d the 〈◊〉 into her bodie when it was pâ—â—fectly 〈◊〉 And that we are 〈…〉 created of the Lorde at this 〈…〉 that the soule may bee poâ—red into the bodie when it is fashioned Iob is a witnesse sufficient saying â–ª Thy handes O God haue 〈…〉 and fashioned mee rounde aboâ—◠〈…〉 powred me as it 〈…〉 me to 〈◊〉 like 〈◊〉 â–ª Tâ—ou hast â—ouered mee â–ª with 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 and ioyned me together with bones and sinewes â–ª Loe thou hast heâ—e iâ— these wordes bothe the conceptiâ—â— and also the fashioâ—â—ng of 〈◊〉 bodie in his mothers wombe most excellently described And touching the soule it followeth in Iob immediately Thou hast giuen me life and grace and thy 〈◊〉 haâ—he preserued my spirite Bâ—hold life that is the soule is by God 〈…〉 and grace 〈…〉 〈◊〉 mercie to life For it is a 〈…〉 in so many 〈…〉 benefite of the 〈…〉 sheweth it selfe in this But it 〈◊〉 by way of 〈…〉 thy visitation that 〈…〉 and preferuation 〈…〉 serued My spirite For 〈…〉 that spirite which 〈…〉 life that is to sayth◠〈…〉 we rightly 〈…〉 to the Scriptures that 〈…〉 men are created of God 〈…〉 into the bodyes when they 〈…〉 fashioned in the womb◠〈…〉 touch not euery