Ioatham Amos prophesied against the nations adiacent to them in the time of Ozias Esaias prophesied against Iuda and Iurasalem in the time of Ioatham Ioel prophesied to Iuda and Ierusalem in the time of Ozias Michaeas prophesied against Ierusalem and Samaria in the time of Ioatham Nahum prophesied to the Assyrians and Niniuites in the time of Ioatham Abacuc prophesied against Babylon and Nabuchodonosor in the time of Manasses Ieremias prophesied to the citie of Ierusalem in the time of Iosias and Zedechias Sophonias prophesied against Iurusalem and Iuda in the time of Iosias Ezechiel prophesied to the captiues in Babylon in the time of Ioachim Daniel prophesied to his countrey men in Babylon in the time of Ioachim Haggaeus prophesied to all the people in Ierusalem and Iuda in the time of Zorobabel Zacharias prophesied to the people of Ierusalem and Iuda in the time of Zorobabel Malachias prophesied to the people of Ierusalem Iuda in the time of in the end of the captiuitie 〈…〉 CHAP. X. Containing a particular description of the time of the Prophets called the greater The first section of the Prophet Esay THe Prophet Esay was the sonne of Amos not of that Amos who was the third of the 12. lesser Prophetes but of another Amos hauing different characters with the Hebrews Aug de ciuit libr. 18. cap. 27. Hier. in 1. cap Esaiae Esay prophesied to Ierusalem and Iuda that is to the two tribes of Beniamin and Iuda Hier. in 1. cap Esaiae Esay who was also called Azarias Osee Ioel Amos prophesied at the selfe same time in the daies of Osias Ioatham Achas and Ezechias kings of Iuda Hier. in princ Esaiae The wicked king Manasses caused the prophet Esay to be sawed in peeces with a wodden saw Wherefore that which the Epistle to the Ebrewes saith of the tortures of Gods Saintes that they were hewen in sunder is very fitly referred to the prophet Esay Hier. lib. 15. cap. 57. in Esaiam The second section of the prophet Ieremie Ieremie prophesied to y e two tribes of Iuda Beniamin he foretold their captiuitie in Babylon hee began his prophesie in the daies of Iosias he continued the same in the daies of Ioachim and vntill the eleuenth yeare of Sedechias in the time of the captiuitie Orig. hom 1. in Hier. Aug. de ciu lib. 18. c. 33. Betweene the time of Ieremias and Esaias were one hundred and fiftie yeares Hier. lib. 9. cap. 30. in Esaiam He was the sonne of Helkias the priest cap. 1. Iere. v. 1. the tradition of the Hebrewes is that whensoeuer the father or graundfather of any prophet is put in the title such a one was also a prophet himselfe Gloss. ordinar Sophonias prophesied at the same time with Ieremias Athanas in synop Aug. de ciu lib. 18. cap. 33. Iehoiakim king of Iuda burnt the book which Baruc wrote wrote at the mouth of Ieremias in which booke the prophet shewed what punishment God had determined to bring vpon Iuda and Israel if they would not returne euery man from his euill way and bring forth worthy fruites of repentance But Ieremie at Gods appointment wrote another book which contained the afflictions of Iuda and Israel in a farre larger maner Ierem. cap. 36. Where we may note by the way that the wicked do euer kicke against the preachers of Gods word especially when their sinnes are reprooued But at length they tast of the cup of Gods wrath for their great contempt and disobedience And our papistes are now become Iehoiakims as who both burne the writers of all bookes that reprooue their superstitions and idolatry and also cast the bookes into the fire Yea euen the holy bibles if they be once translated into the vulgar tongue Ieremie began to prophesie when he was a childe in the 13. yeere of Iosias king of Iuda hee continued his prophesie during the reigne of Iosias the sonne of Amon. 19. yeares and after that vnder Ioachim 11. yeres and vnder Sedechias 11. yeares who was the last king of Iuda The three moneths of Ioachaz and Iechonias are reckoned in the yeares afore named So that from the beginning of his prophesie vntill the captiuitie of Ierusalem in which himselfe was taken he prophesied 41. yeres ouer and besides that time in which he was carried away into Egypt and prophesied in Taphins Hier. in cap. 2. Ierem. at which Taphins in Egypt as some write hee was stoned to death But before that time he was put in a deep dungeon of myre Iere. 38. The third section of the prophet Ezechiel Ezechiel followed Ieremie and began to prophesie in the fift yeare of the transmigration of Iechonias which was the same yeare of the reigne of Sedechias Hier. lib. 5. cap. 29. in Ieremiam in the 30. yere after some of his age Ezechias c. 1. but as S. Hierome writeth the 30. yeares whereof the Prophet speaketh are not the yeares of the age of Ezechiel himself but the yeares from the 18. of king Iosias at what time the booke of the law was found vntill the fift yeare of the captiuity of Iechonias Hier. in cap. 1. Exech 2. Ezechiel was carried away captiue into Babilon togither with Iechonias Daniel and the three children Hier. in princ Ezech. Aug. de ciu lib. 18. cap. 34. This holy prophet foretold the destruction of Hierusalem and the captiuitie of the Iewes for their manifold sinnes and wickednesse earnestly exhorting them to repentance For which cause the Iewes were so exasperated against him as the wicked are this day against the preachers of Gods word that they trailed him on the ground amongst the stones till his braines went out Author oper imperf in Matt. cap. 23. hom 46. prop. finem A golden obseruation In the dayes of Iosias king of Iuda Helkiah the Priest found the booke of the lawe of the Lord giuen by the hand of Moses Which when the good king vnderstood hee gathered togither all the inhabitantes of Ierusalem and of Iuda and the Priests and the Leuites and all the people from the greatest to the smallest and he read in their eares all the words of the booke of the couenant that was found in the house of the Lord and the king caused all that were found in Ierusalem and Beniamin to stand to it and hee compelled all the people of Israel to serue the Lord their God 2. Par. 34.4 Kin. 22. Thus saith the holy scripture By which we see euidently that the ouersight of all persons in all causes aswell ecclesiastical as ciuill pertaineth to the king and that the king hath the charge of religion committed into his handes and also that he may compel priests and Leuites to doe their dueties in that behalfe On the other side we may note the intollerable impietie of our disholy fathers the late bishops of Rome Who most irreligiously and very impudently excommunicate christian kings and monarches because they appoint the word of God to be preached in their
thinke that these 72. Iewish priests sent by Eleazarus the hie priest brother to Symon Priscus into Egypt to king Ptolomeus to translate the old testament out of their vulgar tongue that is the Hebrew into Greeke did translate the same seuerally being placed in 72. distinct celles so as no one coulde know what another did without diuine inspiration This notwithstanding they all agreed so perfectly when their interpretations were compared together as if they had beene all in one place and one acquainted with anothers act Which if it were true the decision whereof I leaue in suspence to the iudgement of the reader it coulde not but prâ—ceede of the holyghost Others as saint Ierome Aristeas Iosephus and all the Iewish Rabbins hold the flat contrarie opinion and auouch boldly that the report of the 72. celles and of the translation accomplished in so many seueral places is nothing else but a fable Which latter opinion seemeth more probable though not certaine because the Iewes could best tel the case of whom S. Hierome receiued his opinion Howsoeuer it was two things are certaine first that the Hebrew text is the foundation and originall and onely to be stoode vpon so often as any difficultie ariseth in the olde testament Secondly that howsoeuer they did translate yet was there such corruption of their translation euen in saint Hieromes time and before his dayes as it was found in very many places to swarue wholly from the Hebrew Which thing not only Saint Hieerome but Origen and other writers do witnesse for which cause Saint Hierome and Saint Augustine do verie wisely and grauely exhort to haue recourse to the Hebrew in the old Testament and to the Greeke in the new Testament so often as any varietie doth appeare And here wee must note two things first that those priests which Eleazar sent to Ptolomee were 72. in number as sundrie thinke albeit the two odde persons be omitted of others for breuitie sake Secondly that they translated onely the Pentateuche as writeth Iosephus in his first booke of antiquities Adde heereunto with the same Iosephus that they were sent to his librarie at Alexandria where if wee will beleeue Genebrardus were 54. thousand and 800. bookes CHAP. VI. Of Esdras Zorobabel and Nehemias God albeit hee doth often afflict and exercise his people with the crosse of temporall punishment for their good that so they may beholde their owne vnworthienesse and appeale to his mercie and wholly depend vppon his holy prouidence yet for his mercie sake hee doth in all ages and at all times excite worthie persons for their great commoditie and solace For after that he had visited the Iewes and kept them in bondage seauentie yeares in a strange countrey among infidels and idolaters hee raised vp diuers excellent men for their preseruation to wit Zorobabel Esdras and Nehemias Zorobabel was the captaine that brought them home and caused the temple to be builded Nehemias builded vp the walles of the citie deliuered the people from oppression and prouided that the law of God was put in execution among them This Nehemias was in great fauour and authoritie with king Artaxerxes and so obtained most honourable and ample letter patents for the accomplishment of whatsoeuer he did desire Esdras descended of the kinred of Aaron hee was a priest well learned in the law of Moses Hee was called Esdras the scribe that is one who had authoritie to write the lawe and to expound it Saint marke calleth such a one a Scribe Saint Mathew tearmeth such persons Lawyers and doctours of the lawe which is a point well worthie the obseruation This Esdras performed the office of a true priest indeed for he collected the bookes of holy scripture which were dispersed after the destruction of Hierusalem in time of the captiuitie without which bookes pure and sincere religion could not consist Yea so soone as the temple was builded againe vnder Zorobabell he is noted as Hierome recordeth to haue found out the Hebrew letters we now vse whereas vntil that time both the Samaritans and the Hebrewes had the selfe same characters Eusebius Caesariensis a man as well of great antiquitie as of learning calleth Esdras the most excellent diuine and skilfull doctour among the Iewes affirming that hee changed the Hebrew letters for this ende and purpose lest the Iewes should conuerse with the Samaritans He addeth further that his memorie was so great as he could recite the scriptures without the booke Some write that he inuented the prickes annexed to the text but others hold the contrarie The fift booke of the Monarchie of the Greekes from the Machabees vntill Christ. CHAP. I. Of the partition of the Monarchie and the reason of the same THe former part of the Monarchy of the Greekes which is from King Alexander the great vnto the Machabees conteineth 155. yeares and may be proued exactly by the chronographie of holy Writ The latter part of the Monarchie which is from the Machabees vnto Christ or if yee will from Antiochus Epiphanes to Herodes Magnus which is al one contayneth 173. yeares but cannot be proued out of the holy scriptures as the former part which is the cause of this my partition for perspicuitie sake yet may it bee gathered sufficiently out of the bookes of the Machabees Iosephus Iulius Africanus and Egesippus The obseruation As Alexander began this monarchie in the seuenth yeare of his raigne in the age of the world 3641. so did Antiochus Epiphanes sonne to Antiochus Magnus the sixt king of Syria beginne the time of this partition that is the second part of the Monarchie in the age of the world 3749. He was hostage at Rome from whence he fled and vsurped the kingdome of Syria from his brothers sonne he pretended to protect his sisters sonne Philometor the yong king of Egypt by that meanes sought craftily to get the kingdome of Egypt into his hands For better expedition of his wicked purpose he procured certain cities to be yeelded into his hands In his returne from Egypt he tooke Ierusalem and spoyled it The Agyptians peruing his craftie dealing receiued their cities againe in regard whereof hee entred Egypt with a strong armie but had the repulse by aide of the Romans after which repulse he retured in great rage and tyrannically bent his force against Hierusalem he constrained the Iewes for the space of two yeares vtterly to forsake the law Machabeus therefore and his sonnes being priests rose vp in armes against his brutish crueltie and deliuered the people CHAP. II. Of the gouernment of the Iewes after the captiuitie A triple gouernment was among the Iewes betweene the captiuitie the aduent of our sauior Christ Iesus for they were gouerned first by princes of the tribe of Iuda and royall stocke of Dauid from the captiuitie vntill Antiochus After that they were gouerned by priests who were not of the royal petegree of Iuda but of the tribe of Leui.
and Aquinas saw the force of this reason and grauely vrged the same Yea the holy virgin renounceth flatly their hereticall and hypocriticall doctrine in her humble thankes to God for her saluation My soule saith she doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit reioyceth in God my sauiour For this cause Bernard cryeth out in these words Non est hoc virginem honorare sed honori detrahere The virgin is not this way honored but greatly dishonored Secondly because as Bernard saieth Where lust is there must needs be sinne and therefore since the virgin was conceiued with lust or else as they dare not say by the holy ghost it followeth that she was conceiued in sinne Other reasons the same Bernard hath but these may suffice The second reply But saint Austen saith that hee will alway except the holy virgine Mary when he disputeth or reasoneth of sinners or sinne The answer I say first that saint Austen confesseth flatly as you haue heard that the blessed virgin was vndoubtedly conceiued in original sin I say secondly that originall sin is of infinite deformitie as is already proued and consequently that the blessed virgin being polluted therewith was neuer able to yeeld condigne compensation for the same howe great soeuer her holinesse was afterward the reason is afore yeelded for that the infinit malice of sin surmounteth the value of the finite actions of all creatures And if she were not able to satisfie for her own sinnes much lesse had shee any surplussage of satisfaction left which may serue to binde vp the popes pardons for the sins of others I say thirdly that albeit S. Austen would not for the honor of our Sauior as he saith call the blessed virgin into question touching sin yet doth he not affirm her to haue bin void of all actual sinne but seemeth rather to hold the contrary For he addeth these words Vnde enim scimus quod ei plus gratiae colla tum fuerit ad vincendum omni ex parte peccatum quae concipere ac parere meruit quem constat nullum habuisse peccatum For how know we that she had more grace giuen her to ouercome all sinne who did conceiue and beare him that certainely was free from al sin In which words S. Austen sheweth plainly that he can not tell whether the blessed virgin was voide of all actuall sinne or no yet is he vnwilling to call her into question for the honour of our Lord Iesus whose mother she was according to the flesh Yea Saint Austen in his questions vpon the new testament if it be his worke confesseth freely that she sinned for want of faith These are his expresse words Hoc vtique significauit quia etiam Maria per quam gestum est mysterium incarnationis saluatoris in morte domini dubitaret ita tamen vt in resurrectione firmaretur This verily is signified that Marie by whome was accomplished the misterie of the incarnation of our Sauiour doubted in the death of our Lord yet so as she was confirmed in his resurrection Thus hee writeth and yet knoweth euerie child that to doubt in matters of faith is no little sinne S. Basil dissenteth nothing from Saint Augustine when hee telleth vs that the blessed virgin standing by the crosse wauered and was doubtfull in her minde while shee behelde on one side what miserie hee suffered on the other side what wonders he had done Saint Chrysostome affirmeth so expressely that the blessed virgin sinned that their angelicall doctour Aquinas is enforced to vse this sillie shift for a colorable answere to his words to wit that hee was excessiue in his words But who wil not rather thinke that hee was presumptuous in his answere These are S. Chrysostomes expresse words Quae estmater mea fratres mei aiebat siquidem nō adhuc debitam de ipso opinionem habebant sed more matrum Maria iure omnia filio se praecepturam censebat cum tanquam dominum colere reuereri licebat ideo in hunc modum respondit who is my mother my brethren said Christ for they had not yet a right opiniō of him but Mary after the maner of mothers thought she might command her sonne to do all things albeit she might well haue honored him as her Lord therfore did he answer in this maner Againe he saith thus Optabat enim vt tam hominum gratiam conciliaret ipsa clarior filij gratia efficeretur fortasse aliquo humano afficiebatur affectu For she wished that now he would win the fauor of men that she might be more famous for his sake and perhappes she was touched with some humane affection Againe in another place he saith thus Ambitione quadam ac ostentatione commoti foris eum in praesentia omnium euocarunt vt viderentur facile ac magna cum potestate Christo imperare Infra vnde patet inani quadam gloria illos commotos fuisse nihil adhuc magni de ipso cogitantes quod apertius Ioannes significauit dicens quia neque fratres eius credebant in eum They being tickled with ambition and vaine glorie called him out in the presence of all that they might seeme to command Christ at their pleasure and with authoritie Whervpon it is cleare that they were tickled with vaine glorie hauing no great opinion on him as yet which Iohn signified euidently when he saide For neither did his brethren beleeue in him Saint Hierome shall conclude this point which I haue handled more at large because many stumble at it and fewe seeme to vnderstand it well these are his expresse words Conclusit Deus omnes sub peccato vt omnium misereatur absque eo solo qui peccatum non fecit nec inuentus est dolus in ore eius God hath shut vp all vnder sinne that he may shew mercie vnto all him onely excepting that sinned not neither was there guile found in his mouth The third replie She was Christs mother and therefore was more blessed then al other women The answere I confesse willingly that shee was blessed aboue all women and yet that shee was a sinner and had Christ not onely for her sonne but euen for her Lorde and Sauiour neither was it so great a grace simplie and barely to beare Christ as the Papists faine it to be but the holy fathers S. Austen and S. Chrysostome shal tel vs what they thinke therof S. Austen hath these expresse words Hoc in ea magnificauit dominus quia fecit voluntatem patris non quia caro genuit carnē Propterea cum dominus in turba admirabilis videretur faciens signa prodigia ostendens quid lateret in carne admiratae quaedam animae dixerunt foelix venter qui te portauit ille imò foelices qui audiunt verbum Dei custodiūt illud hoc est dicere mater mea quam appellatis foelicem inde foelix quia verbum
the reward of eternal life I say fourthly that to inuocate saints departed beleeuing that they can do heare our praiers is to make them gods And euen so shuld we make the liuing gods if we did in that maner cal on thē in their absence I may therfore wel conclude that though the one kind of praying be godly and imitable yet is the other damnable and flat idololatricall for God is zealous and wil not giue his glorie to another The second obiection The soule of the rich man in hel knew where Abraham was as also the state of Lazarus and of his brethren then liuing therfore much more do the saints in heauen know our state on earth The answere I say first that parables and allegories are not sufficient to establish any new kind of doctrine for by this parable as Irenaeus recordeth Christ meant nothing els but to declare the cogitations torments state of the wicked after this life Iustinus is of the same opinion hereupon flatly denieth purgatory I say secondly that if this were granted to be a true history no parable yet would it not follow therupon that the saints in heauen knew our thoughts and praiers here on earth for as S. Austen grauely writeth though the dead knowe not what is done here on earth while wee doe it yet may they afterwarde know what is done either by the dead that go from hence or by the angels that are present when the things are done and this knowledge had Abraham by the relation of the dead and no otherwise as witnesseth the same S. Austen in the same booke The third obiection S. Austen Ambrose Gregory Cyprian and the ancient fathers generally vsed to inuocate and to pray vnto the saints and therfore it is neither any new thing nor any vnlawful act The answere Better answer cannot be giuen to the fathers then that which is truely gathered out of the works of the same fathers I therfore say first with Cyprian that we must heare attend what Christ alone saith in whom God is wel pleased We must not regard what others think shuld be done but what Christ who was before al wold haue to be done for we must not folow the custom of man but the truth of god so saith holy Cyprian To which I may adde with S. Ierome that y e multitude of them that erre bring no patronage to the error it self with Augustine that neither what I say nor what thou saiest but what Christ saith ought to be regarded with Tertullian that that is tru whatsoeuer was first that coūterfeit whatsoeuer came after I say secondly that thogh the papists glorie greatly of y e fathers in this point yet when their sayings are duly considered they wil make litle or nothing for their purpose And that the reader may with perspicuitie behold the force of their doctrine in this point which hath kept my selfe long in suspence I purpose in God to deliuer the sum thereof by these plaine and briefe canons The first Canon The visible Church as writeth Egesippus remained a virgin free from all heresies and corruptions during the life of the Apostles that is about one hundred yeeres after Christ to which time S. Iohn the euangelist was liuing But after the death of the apostles errors by litle and little crept into the church as into a voide and desart house Which assertion is doleful inough but yet profitable against the papists as who are not ashamed impudently to auouch that after so many hundred yeres from Christs ascension there hath been no errour at all in their whorish Babylon And a great cause of these errors is this for that many without due examination receiued the doctrine of him that went before them So writeth Eusebius that Papias a man of no sound iudgement was the Author of the Chiliastes as who first grossely inuented that there should be 1000. yeres after the resurrection To which error though most palpable Irenaeus and others otherwise wel learned gaue place onely for antiquitie sake This imitation without time or reason was is and wil bee the cause of many errors which sundrie of the learned papists haue profoundly considered For this cause did Canus oppose himselfe against al the Thomists Scotists the old and latter papists for this cause did Caietanus in his literall exposition of Genesis and other bookes condemne the multitude of former commentaries for this cause said their learned Victoria that he reputed nothing certaine albeit al writers agreed thereunto vnlesse he could finde it in the holy scriptures for this cause their sound canonist Nauarre did roundly reiect the common opinion when it seemed not grounded vpon right reason for this cause grauely said Saint Austen that he reputed no mans writings free from errours but onely the writers of the holy scriptures for this cause said their owne Roffensis that it is lawful to appeale from Austen Cyprian Hierome and al the rest because they are men and do not want their imperfections I saith S. Austen do not repute S. Cyprians writings as canonical but iudge them by the canonicall and whatsoeuer doth not agree with the scriptures that by his leaue do I refuse The second Canon Many of the ancient fathers haue not only many waies erred but withall committed to the view of the worlde in printed bookes that which this day is reputed and generally confessed of al as wel papists as good christians to be a notorious heresie The heresie is this to wit that the soules of the faithful departed out of this life doe not see God clearely till the day of doome This opinion held Iustinus Martyr Irenaeus Origenes Chrysost. Theodoritus Hilarius Ambrosius Augustinus Lactantius yea these latter writers were of the selfesame resolution Theophilactus Oecumenius Euthymius Arethas and others And to the great comfort of our Iesuits and other papists their owne sweete S. Barnard singeth the same song these are his words Aduertistis ni fallor tres esse sanctarum status animarum primum videlicet in corpore corruptibili secundum sine corpore tertium in beatitudine consummata primū in tabernaculis secundū inatriis tertium in domo dei Infra in illam beatissimam domum nec sine nobis intrabunt nec sine corporibus id est nec sancti fine plebe nec spiritus sine carne Ye vnderstand I weene that there be three states of holy soules to wit the first in the corruptible body the second without the body the third in perfect blisse the first in tabernacles the second in courts the third in the house of God Into that most blessed house they shall neither enter without vs nor yet without their bodies that is neither the saints without the common multitude nor the soules without the flesh Again in another place the same Bernard hath these words Interim sub Christi
to auoid the scandall of some persons that are either holy or troublous I dare not freely reprehēd many such things But I am very sory for this that many wholesome precepts in Gods bookes are little regarded and that all things are so full of presumptions that he is more sharply reprooued which toucheth the ground in his octaues with his bare foote then he that shall lye drunken in the streete All things therefore which neither are contayned in the holy scriptures neither in the decrees of bishops neither established by the custome of the vniuersal church but are infinitely varied by the diuersitie of maners in diuerse places so that seldome or neuer the causes can be knowen which men respected in the ordinance thereof I thinke they are to be taken away without any stop where power and authority is at hand For although it cannot bee found howe they make against the catholike faith yet doe they clog the religion with seruile bondage which our mercifull God would haue freely celebrated with verie few and manifest sacraments so that now the condition of the Iewes is more tolerable who though they haue not acknowledged the time of libertie yet are they subiect to legal burdens not to humaine presumptions Thus saith holy and learned Austen Out of whose words I note first that S. Austen for feare of scandall and other humaine respects durst not speake all he thought nor freely reproue euerie abuse as he wished in his heart I note secondly that al the bishops learned fathers of the church did not at all times like and approue all things which were publikely done in the church thogh they spoke not flatly and openly against the same Which point if it be wel noted doth more then a little gall our papists I note thirdly that Gods word was little regarded euen in Saint Austens time and that superstition in steede thereof raigned euerie where and therefore no maruell if so much Romish trumperie did after Saint Austens time abound in their visible church I note fourthly that euen in Saint Austens dayes odde conceits of superstitious trumperie were more regarded then the chiefest points of religion I note fiftly that manie superstitious errours haue crept into the church the causes wereof neither are nor can bee knowen and therefore by Saint Austens iudgement all such trumperie ought to bee cut off by the authoritie of the Magistrate I note sixtly that the church was brought into seruile bondagt by reason of beggarly ceremonies other superstition so as in S. Austens time the state of the Iewes was more tolerable then the condition of faithful christians I note seauenthly that the christian libertie of the new testament may not bee charged with superfluous ceremonies The second conclusion The bodies bones and reliques of Gods Saints and martyres are not to be contēned reiected or disdainfully cast away but to be buried honourably and esteemed reuerently as wel to giue a signe of our hope in the resurrection of our bodies and theirs as to signifie their true faith in the euerliuing God This conclusion may euidently be proued by many texts of holy writ Pretious in the sight of the Lord saith Dauid is the death of his saints Again in another place Great are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord deliuereth him out of them all he keepeth all his bones not one of them is broken Againe in another place Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord in another place the Psalmograph yeeldeth the reason why the bodies reliques of y e dead be honorable to wit for the hope of the resurrection that they shal once be glorified for my flesh saith he shall rest in hope and in the Hebrew more significantly shall dwell in hope to expresse the full assurance of the resurrection In this hope did S. Ioseph cause his fathers bodie be enbalmed being accompanied with al the seruants of R. Pharao both the elders of his house all the elders of the land of Egypt and with his brethren and others of his fathers house he went vp into the land of Canaā there to burie his father with great honour and solemnitie The prophet Daniel when he died was buried with great honor so was Micheas Ioel many others the prophets apostles seruants of the liuing god In regard wherof prudently said Syrach Let their bones flourish out of their place and their names by succession remaine to them that are most famous of their children All which Saint Austen comprised briefly in these golden words Nec tamen contemnenda abiicienda sunt corpora defunctorum maximèque iustorum atque fidelium quibus tanquam organis vasis ad omnia bona opera sanctus vsus est spiritus Si enim paterna vestis annulus ac si quid huiusmodi tanto charius est posteris quanto erga parentes maior extitit affectus nullo modo ipsa spernenda sunt corpora quae vtique multo familiarius atque coniunctius quam quaelibet indumenta gestamus Haec enim non ad ornamētum vel adiutorium quod adhibetur extrinsecus sed ad ipsam naturam hominis pertinent Neither are the bodies of the dead to be dispised and cast away specially the bodies of the iust and of the faithful whom the holie ghost hath vsed as instruments and vessels to all good workes For if the fathers garment and ring and the like bee so much the dearer to the posteritie by howe much our affection was greater to our parents then doubtlesse their bodies are no way to be contemned which are more familiar and nearer to vs thē anie garment for they pertaine not to the ornament or helpe which we vse externally but euen to the nature of man it selfe The third conclusion To goe from place to place on pilgrimage to learne experience ciuil maners customes and lawes of other countries or christianly to profit others therby is a godly act highly to be commended The painful godly peregrinatiōs of Christ him selfe and of his chosen vessels will make this conclusion euident For Christ was conceiued in Nazareth borne in Bethlehem the eight day presented in Hierusalem Hee fled into Egypt he returned and dwelt in Nazareth Being twelue yeres of age hee disputed in the temple at Hierusalem from whence he returned with his parents and came to Nazareth Being thirtie yeeres olde hee was baptized in Iorden tempted of the Deuill in the wildernesse placed on a Pinnacle of the temple and after that carried into an exceeding high mountaine In Cana of Galilee he was present at a marriage where he changed water into wine Hee abode a while at Capernaum with his mother and his friendes He went throughout Galilee teaching in the synagogues Besides the sea of Galilee hee calleth Simon Andrew Iames and Iohn From thence he came to the region of the Gerasenes where the swine were drowned in the
that whosoeuer will worship God truely must worship him neither in the mountaines neither in Hierusalem but in spirite and veritie I say thirdly y t as going on pilgrimage is commendable in some and tolerable in other some so is it necessary to saluation in none and very vnfit for many Which thing their own S. Bernard can tel them whose iudgment I am well assured no papist will refuse I say fourthly that popishe pilgrimage was not knowne in Christes church for the space of manie hundreth yeares after Christes sacred incarnation Neither shall the papistes euer be able to cite anie authenticall writer for the contrary The fift obiection S. Ambrose telleth great miracles done by the bodies of S. Geruasius and Protasius while they were touched lying on the coffin S Austen reciteth like miracles which were wrought by the reliques of S. Steuen S. Chrysostome Eusebius Palladius and diuers others make mention of the like miracles Yea the holy scripture it selfe telleth vs that myracles were done euen by touching the reliques of Elizaeus Why therefore may not the people this day resorte to suche places where such wonderfull miracles haue been done for to get helpe either of corporall diseases or spirituall is the cause of their going thither And for corporall helpes your selues this day go to S. Anne of Buxton and to other like places The answere I say first that the scripture telleth vs of the death of Saint Steuen of S. Ioseph of Moses and others as also of their funerals but not one word of inuocatioÌ„ or adoration done vnto their reliques I say secondly that y e fathers which tel vs of the miracles done by the reliques of saintes doe neither will vs to inuocate nor to adore them I say thirdly that miracles as S. Austen and S. Gregory doe truely write are for infidels and not for the faithfull For which respect they were frequent in the primitiue Church as rare as a white crowe or black swanne in latter daies I say fourthly that God wrought miracles by the reliques of his chosen seruantes aswel to prooue his owne diuine soueraigntie as their true faith in him But not that we should adore dumbe bones and dead ashes or seeke to merite by such pilgrimage I say fiftly that God confirmed the authoritie of Elizaeus by the myracle wrought at the contact of his dead bones that at the sight thereof the people might embrace his doctrine which they contemned in his life time or at least be thereby confounded to their greater condemnation And the same I say of other miracles done by other reliques I say sixtly y t if the good king Ezechias was highly coÌ„mended in the holy scripture because he pulled downe the brasen serpent set vp by Gods appointment so soone as the people committed idolatry by adoring the same worthily are those christian princes commended who prohibite their people from gadding on pilgrimage in popish idolatricall maner albeit y e originall therof was tolerable and a long time free from popish godles superstition I say seuenthly that waters haue natural curatiue qualities in sundrie places as haue also certain herbs stones and metals Which effects some ascribe to the water of Burton though my selfe haue long doubted thereof How soeuer that be to go thither for merite or in way of such satisfaction for our sinnes is flat idolatrie The sixt obiection S. Iustine who liued shortly after the apostles telleth of great honour done vnto reliques as that the bodies of martyrs defended men from the diuels cured many incurable diseases The answere I say first that Iustinus liued more then one hundreth and fiftie yeares after Christ and speaketh nothing at all of adoration Only this he saith that great myracles haue been done at the Sepulchres of martyrs which no learned man can or will denie I say secondly that the questions from whence your obiection came are counterfait and not S. Iustins indeed I prooue it because in the 82. and in the 86. questions I finde mention made of Origen who was borne long after the death of S. Iustinus So likewise in the 127. question mention is made of the Manichees who yet followed long after S. Iustines death CHAP. IX Of Christian righteousnesse or iustification THe Papistes doe not onely dishonour God while they seek to establish their owne righteousnesse but withall they slander good and true christians auouching them to be contemners of good workes but how blasphemous they be on the one side and howe malitious on the other shall sufficiently appeare by these briefe conclusions The first conclusion Man albeit hee was so created as hee might sinne and die which thing the euent it selfe declared yet was he so adorned and beautified with supernaturall giftes and graces aswel external as internal that he might haue liued eternally and haue eschewed all sinne world without end This conclusion I thus proue That man might haue liued euer if he had not sinned is euident by Gods owne wordes when he saith Thou shalt eate freely of euery tree of the garden but of the tree of knowledge of good and euill thou shalt not eate of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death And againe in another place after that he had pronounced the earth cursed for Adams sinne he vttered these words For out of it wast thou taken because thou art dust and to dust shalt thou returne By which wordes it appeareth that if hee had not transgressed he should not haue died S. Austen confirmeth the same in these wordes Quapropter fatendum est primos homines ita fuisse institutos vt si non peccassent nullum mortis experirentur genus Wherefore wee must confesse that our first parentes were so created that vnlesse they had sinned they shoulde haue felt no kinde of death neither of soule nor of body Death saith S. Bernard shoulde neuer haue followed if sinne had not gone before S. Chrysostome gathereth this conclusion out of the expresse text of Genesis These are his wordes Factus enim est mortalis propter praeuaricationem vt ex hoc mandato his quae sequuta sunt claret Sequitur itaque ante praeuaricationem immortales erant alioqui post cibum non hoc supâ—licij loco imposuisset For he became mortall by reason of transgression as is euident by this commandement and that which followeth after Therefore they were immortal before the transgression otherwise after the eating thereof this punishment should not haue been imposed vpon them He confirmeth the same in another place where he writeth thus Cum Adam peccasset corpus illius confestim mortale ac passibile factum est plurimosque recepit naturales defectus So soone as Adam had sinned his bodie forthwith became mortall and passible and receiued many natural defects That Adam might haue liued without al kind of sin is likewise manifest by y e scripture which saith that God made man
The cause without which the latter shall not haue effect For as vocation iustification regeneration and glorification are the effectes of predestination euen so by Gods holy ordinance being predestinate wee are called by the hearing of his word vnto â—aith which faith is the cause of our iustification by apprehending the righteousnesse of Christ Iesus after wee be iustified of our iustification proceedes regeneration as who hauing remission of our sinnes and being ingraffed in Christ by faith are indued with more aboundant grace of his holy spirite thorough which we are dayly more and more regenerate and made new creatures after we be regenerate out of our regeneration spring good workes aswel internall as externall as who being made good trees begin to bring forth good fruits and so continuing are brought at the length of Gods free mercie to the possession of eternall life For as y e apostle saith we are created vnto good workes which God hath ordained that wee shoulde walke in them and continuing in them we shall at the dreadful day of doome heare this ioyfull sentence pronounced to our vnspeakable comfort Come yee blessed of my father take the inheritance of the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was an hungred and ye gaue me meate I was thirsty and ye gaue me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in vnto you I was naked and ye clothed me I I was sicke and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came to me And with this it is true yet y t the apostle saith Not by the workes of righteousnesse which we had done but according to his mercie he saued vs by the washing of the new birth and by renuing of the holy Ghost which hee shed on vs aboundantly through Iesus Christ our sauiour that wee being iustified by his grace should be made heires according to the hope of eternall life This is a true saying and these thinges I will thou shouldest affirme that they which haue beleeued God might be carefull to shew forth good workes These things are good and profitable vnto men Thus saith S. Paule and therefore I thinke this a profitable conclusion By it rightly vnderstood many places of holy Scripture may easily be answered which seeme to ascribe iustification or glorification to good workes The 10. conclusion This popish assertion that workes doe iustifie and merite eternall life de condigno was for the space of a thousand and eightie yeares vnknowne to the church of God About which time Petrus Lombardus and his fellowes began their scholasticall theologie and disputed such matters doubtfully About the yeare of our Lord 1545. the late councell of Trent defined the same for an article of christian beliefe solemnely accursing al such as hold the contrary opinion This is the originall and antiquitie of this impudently defended heresie It is sufficiently confuted throughout the whole chapter CHAP. X. Of the popish idololatricall masse The 1. conclusion TO withhold from the vulgar and laycall sort of people the one part of the holy communion is a diabolical hereticall and sacrilegious fact I prooue it sundry waies First because it is flatly against the expresse scripture and Christes holy institution For Christ himselfe instituted and ministred the Sacrament in both kindes saying drinke yee all of it as Saint Mathew recordeth and they all dranke of it as witnesseth Saint Marke Saint Paule also taught all the Corinthians to communicate in both kindes protesting that hee deliuered the forme and maner of the holy communion euen as he had in spirite receiued it from the Lord. Secondly because the auncient fathers shew euidently that in their time it was the generall practise of the church to deliuer the holy communion to the lay people vnder both kindes Neither was the cup taken from the vulgar sort by any setled law vntill the late councell of Constance which was in the yere of our Lord God 1414. Origen hath these words Quis est iste populus qui in vsu habet sanguinem bibere haec erant quae in euangelio audientes ij qui ex Iudaeis dominum sequebantur scandalizati sunt dixerunt Quis potest manducare carnem sanguinem bibere sed populus Christianus populus fidelis audit haec amplectitur sequitur eum qui dicit nisi manducaueritis carnem meam biberitis sanguinem meum non habebitis vitam in vobis ipsis quia caro mea verè est cibus sanguis meus verè potus est Who is that people that hath in custome to drinke bloud these were the thinges which the Iewes that followed Christ heard in the gospel and were scandalized and said Who can eate flesh and drinke bloud but the christian people the faithfull people heare these thinges and embrace them and follow him that sayth vnlesse ye shall eate my flesh drink my bloud ye shall haue no life in your selues because my fleshe is meate indeed and my bloud drinke indeed S. Hierome hath these words Sacerdotes quoque qui eucharistiae seruiunt sanguinem domini populis eius diuidunt impiè agunt in legem Christi The Priestes also that administer the eucharist and diuide the Lordes bloud to his people transgresse the law of Christ heynously Saint Cyprian with fourtie learned bishops in their ioynt Epistle to Cornelius write in this expresse maner Quo modo docemus aut prouocamus eos in confessione nominis sanguinem suum fundere si eis militaturis Christi sanguinem denegamus aut quo modo ad martyrij poculum idoâ—â—os facimus si non eis priùs ad bibendum in ecclesia poculum domini iure communicationis admittimus Howe doe we teache 〈◊〉 them to shed their bloud for the name of Christ if wee denie them the bloud of Christ when they go to warre or how doe we make them fit for the cuppe of martyrdome if wee doe not first admit them to drinke the Lordes cuppe in the Churche and that by the right of communion where I wishe the reader to note well that the lay people haue right to both kindes and consequently that the Romish church is become the whore of Babylon in that shee robbeth vs of our christian right which wee haue de iure diuino Saint Chrysostome hath these wordes Est vbi nihil differt sacerdos à subdito vt quando fruendum est honorandis mysteriis Similiter enim omnes vt illa percipiamus digni habemur Non sicut in veteri lege partem quidem sacerdos comedebat partem autem populus non licebat populo participem esse eorum quorum particeps erat sacerdos Sed nunc non sic verum omnibus vnum corpus proponitur poculum vnum There is a place where there is no difference betweene the priest the lay person as when we are to communicate in the holy mysteries for we are all in
like worthie for that communion not as it was in the olde lawe where the priest ate one part and the people another neither coulde the people be permitted to take part of that that the priest ate For nowe it is not so but to all is proposed one bodie and one cuppe Out of these golden words I note first that the difference in communion is a Iudaicall ceremonie from which Christs death deliuered vs. I note secondly that in the christian communion the common people ought to be as free as the minister I note thirdly that it was so in Saint Chrysostomes time when the people receiued vnder both kinds I note fourthly that the pope hath brought vs into greater bondage then euer were the Iewes S. Ignatius hath these wordes Vna est caro domini Iesu vnus eius sanguis qui pro nobis effusus est vnus etiam panis pro omnibus confractus vnus calix totius ecclesiae There is one flesh of our Lord Iesus one blood which was shed for vs one bread also broken for all and one cuppe of the whole church Saint Iustine hath these wordes Praesidens vero postquam gratiarum actionem perfecit populus vniuersus apprecatione laeta eum comprobauit qui apud nos vocantur diaconi atquo ministri distribuunt vnicuique praesentium vt participet eum in quo gratiae actae sunt panem vinum aquam After the chiefe pastour hath finished the giuing of thankes and all the people haue with ioyfull prayer approoued the same they that we cal Deacons and Ministers do distribute to euery one that is present the sanctified bread wine and water to be partaker thereof Yea the said Iustinus a little after addeth these important wordes Nam apostoli in commentarijs à se scriptis quae euangelia vocantur ita tradiderunt praecepisse sibi Iesum For the apostles in their commentaries that is in the gospelles haue taught vs that Iesus so commaunded them to minister the holie communion Where note by the way that Christ did not onelie ordaine both kindes but he also gaue commaundement to retaine the same in the church For which cause saint Paul teaching the Corinthians to communicate vnder both kinds said that he receiued that form maner from the Lord. S. Austen hath these words Cum Dom. dicat nisi manducaueritis carnem meam biberitis meum sanguinem non habebitis vitam in vobis quid sibi vult quod à sanguine sacrificiorum quae pro peccatis offerebantur tantopere populus prohibetur si illis sacrificijs vnum hoc sacrificium significabatur in quo vera sit remissio peccatorum à cuius tamen sacrificij sanguine in alimentum sumendo noÌ„ solum nemo prohibetur sed ad bibendum potius omnes exhortaÌ„tur qui volunt habere vitam When our Lord saith vnles ye shal eate my flesh and drinke my blood ye shal haue no life in you what meaneth it that the people is so greatly forbidden the blood of sacrifices which was offered for sins if in those sacrifices this onely sacrifice was signified in which there is true remission of sins From y e blood of which sacrifice for al that to be takeÌ„ for nourishment not only none is prohibited but al rather are exhorted to drinke it that desire to haue life S. Ambrose at such time as the emperour Theodosius after his great slaughter of men at Thessalonica desired to enter into the church at Millan and there to be partaker of the holie eucharist spoke these words vnto him Quî quaeso manus iniusta caede sanguine respersas extendere audes eisdem sacrosanctum corpus domini accipere aut quomodo venerandum eius sanguinem ori admouebis qui furore irae iubente tantum sanguinis tam iniquè effudisti How I pray thee darest thou stretch out thy hands sprinckled with vniust slaughter and blood and to take the holie bodie of our Lord in the same Or how wilt thou touch thy mouth with his venerable blood who to satisfy thy fury hast shed so much bloud so vnworthily Gregorius magnus their owne bishop of Rome confirmeth this veritie in these words Eius quippe ibi corpus sumitur eius caro in populi salutem partitur eius sanguis non iam in manus infidelium sed in ora fidelium funditur For his bodie is there receiued his flesh is diuided for the saluation of the people his bloud is now powred not into the handes of infidels but into the mouthes of the faithfull What need many words Their owne Gelasius in their owne canon law condemneth their fact as flat sacrilege These be his words Aut integra sacramenta percipiant aut ab integris arceaÌ„tur quia diuisio vnius eiusdeÌ„que mysterij sine grandi sacrilegio non potest peruenire Either let them participate the whole sacraments or els let them abstain from the whole bicause the diuision of one and the same sacrament cannot be done without great sacrilege The first obiection The commaundement to receiue in both kinds was onelie giuen to the twelue apostles and in them to all priestes for they onely were present when Christ spâ—ke these wordes Drinke ye all of this The answer I say first that if the commaundement pertained onelie to the apostles then are priests aswell as clarkes free from the same I say secondly that the commandement was giuen of both kindes in one and the selfe same maner and therefore the lay people are as free from the one as the from the other I say thirdly that by the common opinion of the papists they were lay people that receiued the communion at Christs handes in his supper For the apostles were vnpriested vntil after his resurrection when hee saide Receiue ye the holy ghost I say fourthly with S. Bernard that the participation of both kinds was commaunded by Christ in the first institution thereof for thus doth he write Nam de sacramento quidem corporis sanguinis sui nemo est qui nesciat hanc quoque tantam tam singularem alimoniam eâ primùm die exhibitam eâ die commendatam mandatam deinceps frequentari For concerning the sacrament of his body and bloud euery one knoweth that this such and so singular nourishment was exhibited that day the first that day commended and commaunded afterward to be frequented This commandement S. Cyprian and saint Iustine vrge for both kindes their words already are set downe I say fiftly that S. Paul who knew Christs minde aswell as any papist did communicate the vnpriested Corinthians vnder both kinds and told them that Christ had so appointed The replie S. Paul only recited Christs institution saith our Iesuite Bellarmine but gaue no commaundement for both kindes but left it as he found it indifferent and in the free choise of the Corinthians to communicate in both or in one only kind The answere I say
behalfe Some God be thanked for it are wholy and soundly reformed Othersome are inforced so to doubt of your doctrine as they know not in the worlde what to say or thinke thereof Othersome either seduced by your sinister report or else to saue your credite if it would be affirme very desperately that you haue answered my Motiues already and all generally both thinke and say that yee will shortly answere them if there be any trueth on your side One whole yeere I haue expected your putatiue answere as who had then and still haue a most feruent desire speedily to reply vpon the same Now since mine expectation is in that point frustrate in this second yeere I haue addressed my selfe to giue you a further prouocation In this Booke I haue not concealed any thing that I knew or could possibly say for you I haue not dissembled the mightiest obiections that can be made in your defence neither haue I passed slenderly ouer them but confuted them so pithily and so exactly as if any of you or of your brethren abroad shall be able to yeelde a sufficient answere in your defence I promise vnfainedly to subscribe vnto his doctrine Remember therfore what the Orator saith to wit that to erre standeth with mans infirmitie but to perseuere in errour is proper to fooles alone If you can deuise how and in what sort to answer me all wise men both say and thinke that ye will doe it vndoubtedly If you know not how to defend your cause because the trueth preuaileth so mightily then shew your selues to be wise men by embracing the trueth willingly and not to be fooles by striuing against the same wilfully Haue the feare of God before your eies pray that your hearts may be inlightened with the true knowledge of his sacred word and let not the shame of the world keep you backe from the publike confession of the known truth Peruse my Booke seriously ponder my discourse deepely contemne nothing wilfully examine all my reasons sincerely and that done giue your indifferent censures accordinglie If you finde Poperie confuted effectuallie then yeelde to the trueth and giue God the glorie if you thinke I faile in prouing my intended purpose then vse your wittes and your pennes as well for my confutation as for the credit of your cause and the expectation of your seely brethren who shortly will renounce all Poperie if ye with speede doe not defend the same Amen To the Christian Reader IN this small volume gentle reader thou maiest behold the original of Poperie with the daily increments therof liuely discouered before thine eies as also an euident confutation of whatsoeuer can possibly be said in defence of the same Thou hast together with this a fruitfull summarie of the olde and newe Testament contained in the first second part of this present Suruey Throughout which discourse thou must euer remember that in the bookes of the Kings and of the Psalmes I commonly follow the supputation of the latins And if thou canst reape any commodity by this my labor then thanke God for it and pray that my daily studies may still tend to his glorie and the common good of his churche I haue long expected an answere from the Papists either seuerally from some one or ioyntly from many If they be still silent the world must needes iudge that the trueth is not on their side How sincerely I am perswaded as I write to God the iust iudge I appeale for witnesse Albeit the malitious and mal-content seeke by the contrarie and like slanderous reports to bring me in disgrace But as Christs Apostle saith to them that loue God all things in the end will turne to the best Fare well in Christ Iesus and continue in louing me christianly as I hope thou doest The postscript to all the readers of this Suruey in generall AFter that I had accomplished this present volume a friend of mine gaue me to vnderstand that some persons were offended because I say in the epistle dedicatory of my Motiues that S. Paul erred gentilizing For whose satisfaction if they wil be satified with reason I say first that the nature and condition of some persons is such that though they be slow to doe well themselues yet are they very propense to reprehend that which is well done by others I say secondly that if such persons would deeply consider the prudent law of the sage wise Persians other things well said shuld haue mooued them to conceale that fault though it were as ill as they imagine I say thirdly that such persons seeke Nodum in scirpo and that it is no fault at all I prooue it euidently because to gentilize is nothing els but to play the part of a gentile and consequently since S. Paul then named Saul did as cruelly persecute the Christians as euer did the tyrannicall gentiles Nero Domitianâ— Traiane Seuerus Maximinus Dâ—cius or Dioclesianus It followeth of necessitie that he did gentilize indeed For as holy writ recordeth Hee breathed out threatninges and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. He desired letters to Damascus that hee might bring bound to Ierusalem all aswell women as men that professed the name of Christ Iesus insomuch that a voice cried from heauen vnto him and saide Saul Saul why persecutest thou me He likewise saith of himselfe that hee is not worthy to be called an apostle because he persecuted the church of God and all this doubtlesse he did in error because as himselfe saith of the Iewes his brethren if they had knowen they would neuer haue crucified the Lord of glorie Yea hee himselfe saith of himselfe that hee was receiued to mercie because hee erred ignorantly through vnbeliefe S. Paul therefore erred gentilizing though hee were a Iew in that he persecuted Christ and his church euen as did the Gentiles in the error of Gentilitie Which thing being spoken obiter in the way of mine honest purgation and not to establish anie point of doctrin was not a sufficient motiue to offend anie wel affected reader Well I say with the apostle Si hominibus placerem Christi seruus non essem As before so now againe I willingly employ my whole industry to glorifie my God and to profite his church if by any meanes I can And as I greatly wish to pleasure thankful persons who euer accept in good part godly labors so do I make no great account to discontent malitious Zoili who seldom or neuer broke that wel which is well done by others THE FIRST PART Containeth the state of the Church from Adam vntil the Monarchie of the Romanes The first booke is of the time and memorable actes from Adam vnto the captiuitie of the two Tribes The first Chapter of the Creation and other things coincident The first Section of the creation of Man GOd created heauen the foure elements and all things contained therein and this he did of nothing that is without any
of the tribes and of the vse therof in reading the Prophets The first rule Whensoeuer the prophecie is directed to the ten tribes it is signified by one of these names Ephraim Samaria Israel Ioseph Iezrael Bethel Bethauen Iacob The second rule Whensoeuer the prophesie is directed to the two tribes it is signified by some one of these names Iuda Ierusalem Beniamin the house of Dauid and sometime Iacob The third rule The scripture sometime referreth Israel to all the twelue Tribes generally CHAP. XIII Of the destribution of the offices of the 12. lesser prophets These proâ—hets were â—ppointed â—ome of theÌ„ to threaten the captiuitie as Osee against both the kingdoms of Israel and Iuda Ioel against the two tribes onely Amos against the two tribes and the kingdomes adioyning Micheas against the kingdome of Israel especialy because it was y e cause of ruine to y e rest to comfort the Iewes as Abdias With threats against the kingdome of the Idumeans Ionas With threats against Niniue and the Assirians Nahum With threats against the Niniuites for their reuolt the second time Abacuc With threats against Nabuchodonosor and the Chaldeans who al wer enimies to the Iewes to call home from the captiuity as Sophonias who preached returne to come Aggeus who preached returne present Zacharias who preached returne present with aduise to build the temple Malachias who preached returne past with exhortation to pietie CHAP. XIIII Of the time when they prophecied Of the prophets some prophecied before the captiuitie as well of the ten tribes of Israel as of the two tribes Iuda and Beniamin as Esay Osee Ioel after the captiuitie as Daniel Aggeus Zacharias when the captiuitie was at hand as Ieremie in Iewrie Ezechiel in Babilon Ex Hier. in 1. cap. Ieremiae The finall scope of all the Prophets The prophets of God bicause they would neither discorage the Iewes with threatnings nor make them carelesse by the sweetnesse of Gods promises sought throughout their books to set before their eies the two principall partes of the law to wit the promise of saluation and the doctrine of good life For the first part they direct the Iewes and in them all the faithfull to the true Messias Christ Iesus by whome onely they shal haue true deliuerance for the second part they vse threatnings and menaces to bring them from their vices For this is the chiefe scope of all the prophets either by Gods promises to allure them to be godly or else by threatnings of his iudgements to feare them from sinne and wickednesse And albeit that the whole lawe containe these two points yet the prophets note particularly as well the time of Gods iudgements as the manner of the same CHAP. XV. Of the deuision of the Bookes of the Prophets The bookes of the prophets containe nine common places to wit Doctrines Ex Epiphanio de meÌ„s pond in initio Speculations Ex Epiphanio de meÌ„s pond in initio Exhortations Ex Epiphanio de meÌ„s pond in initio CoÌ„minations Ex Epiphanio de meÌ„s pond in initio LameÌ„tations Ex Epiphanio de meÌ„s pond in initio Consolations Ex Epiphanio de meÌ„s pond in initio Prayers Ex Epiphanio de meÌ„s pond in initio Histories Ex Epiphanio de meÌ„s pond in initio Predictions Ex Epiphanio de meÌ„s pond in initio CHAP. XVI Containeth the acts age time and death of famous men that were before the captiuitie of Babylon The first Section of Adam Adam was created vpon friday the day before the Iewish sabaoth Genes 1. verse 27. He was 130. yeares old when he begat Seth Genes 5.3 after Iosephus he was 230. yeares olde he liued 930. yeres and then died Genes 5. verse 5. He was buried as the Hebrewes write in the land of Israel Rabbi Isaac apud Genebr He had three sonnes Cain Abel and Seth. Cain murdered his brother Abel and for no other cause but euen for the true seruice of God Which when it is truely done the deuil can not abide it and for that end doth he alway stirre vp the wicked against the godly as hee did Cain against his brother Abel that the word of God and his doctrine may be extinguished and troden vnder foote Adam had many sons and daughters as Iosephus writeth The second Section of Seth. The posteritie of Cain was wholy extinct in Noahs floud but the stocke of Seth was multiplied vpon earth as of whom descended all the patriarkes prophets and holy men Gene. 5.6 7. The nephews of Seth made two pillers the one of brick the other of stone in which they ingraued the word of God and his prophecies for the perpetuall conseruation thereof They also diuided the yeere into twelue moneths and first obserued the course of the starres and taught astronomie Iosephus antiq libr. 1. ca 2. they are therefore grossely deceiued that either make the Egyptians or Mercurie or Atlas or Actinus the authors of Astronomie and other liberall sciences for as Iosephus saith the Egyptians were vtterly ignorant in such sciences before Abrahams comming vnto them which knowlege came first from the Chaldeans to the Egyptians from the Egyptians to the Greekes by the meanes of Abraham Iosephus libr. lib. 1. antiq ca. 6 7 8. Seth liued 912. yeeres and then died Genes 5. verse 8. Of the vngodly marriages betweene the posteritie of Seth in whose families God was truely worshipped and the posteritie of Cain who serued idolles came giants or men of huge magnitude By meanes of which wicked coniunction the knowledge of God was vtterly abolished in all but in Noah his three sonnes and their foure wiues so that God destroyed the remnant of mankind in the generall deluge Gene. 6. verse 2 7 verse 21. The third section of Noah When the earth after the floud returned to it former state againe Noah beganne to play the husbandman to till the ground to plant vines to gather the grapes and to finde out the vse of drinking wine Gen. 9. verse 20. Noah had three sonnes Sem Cham and Iaphet Sem with his children inhabited that part of the world which is towards the east For of his sonne Aram came the Syrians of Assur the Assyrians of Arphaxad the Chaldeans of Ela the Persians Cham inhabited that part of the world which is toward the south for of Canaan came the Cananites of Mizraim the Egyptians of Chus or Cush the Ethiopians of Saba the Arabians and Chanaan is now called Iewrie Iapheth inhabited the west and north parts and had manie sonnes to wit Gomer Magog Madai Iauan Tubal Mesech and Tyrus Of Iauan came the Greeks whom the Latines call Ianus and who are nowe tearmed Iones of Madai came the Medes of Gomer the Cimerians or Simbrians of Ascanes Gomers sonne the Germanes of Magog the Scythians of whome came the Turkes of Thyras the Thracians Gen. 10. Ioseph antiq lib. 1. cap. 6. Cari. pag 14. The tradition of the Hebrews is that
these expresse words Mens namque fuit Apostolorum non de diebus sancire festiuitatum sed conuersationem rectam dei praedicare culturam mihi ergo videtur quod sicut multa alia per prouincias ad consuetudinem venerunt sic Paschae festiuitas tradita sit eó quod nullus Apostolorum aliquid huic sanxisset For the meaning of the Apostles was not to make lawes for keeping holidaies but to preach the word of God and holy conuersation I therefore thinke that as many other things grew to a custome in diuerse countries so did also the keeping of Easter because none of the apostles made any lawe for the same Out of whose wordes I do note first that the scope of Christs apostles was this to preach the word of God not to appoint holidays Secondly that the keeping of Easter which is our sabbaoth was after the custome of the countrey Thirdly that the apostles made no lawe for the same Yea the first man in the world that made any positiue lawe for the christian sabbaoth was Constantine surnamed the Great who within three hundred and thirtie yeres after Christ about the 20. yere of his reigne to take away all contention in the church made a flatte Edict for the keeping of Friday and Sunday throughout the yeere Of this none can stand in doubt that shall pervse that fine Oration which Eusebius made de Laudibus Constantini the three and thirtieth yeere of his happy raigne This controuersie by the Emperours appointment was handled in the councill of Nice and immediatly after his decree which thing is euident by the saide Eusebius in his third booke de vitae Constantini and in his fourth booke hee affirmeth plainely that all subiect to the Romane empire were commaunded to abstaine from all bodily labour vppon the sundayes and fridayes Cassiodorus doeth prooue the same out of Sozomenus in these expresse wordes Die verò qui Dominicus vocatur quem Hebraei primam vocant Graeci autem soli distribuunt qui ante septimum est sanctuit à iudicijs aliÃsque causis vniuersis habere vacationem in eo tantum orationibus occupari The Emperour Constantine decreed that all people should cease from al sutes and other ciuil causes and consecrate themselues wholy vnto prayer vppon the Lordes day which the Iewes doe call the first day of the weeke and the Greekes doe terme Sunday as also vpon the friday The learned diuines in Germanie affirme directly that the Sunday may be altered These are their words Nam qui iudicant ecclesiae authoritate pro sabbato institutam esse diei Dominici obseruationem tanquam necessariam longè errant for they that thinke the church appointed the sunday to be kept for the sabbaoth of necessitie are deceiued grossely My third proofe is this Philippus Melancton Erasmus Roterodamus Iohannes Caluinus Petrus Martir Bullingerus and Vrsinus do all with vniforme consent yeelde so manifest testimonie to mine assertion as none doubtlesse that reade them attentiuely can without blushing deny the same Petrus Martir hath these words Quòd vnus dies certus in hebdomada cultui diuino mancipetur stabile firmum est an vero hic vel alius constituatur temporarium est ac mutabile That one day in the weeke must be assigned for diuine seruice it is constant firme and perpetuall but whether this or that day ought to be appointed for that purpose it is a thing that respects the time and may be changed Caluin in his Institutions after he hath commended the alteration of the saboth in the primitiue church affirmeth flatly that the day may yet be changed these be his wordes Neque sic tamen septenarium numerum morâ—r vt eius seruituti ecclesiam astringam neque enim ecclesias damnauero quae alios conuentibus suis solemnes dies habeant modò à superstitione absint Quod erit si ad solam obseruationem disciplinae ordinis bene compositi referantur Neyther do I for all that make such accompt of the seuenth day that I will haue the church tyed to keepe the same for I will not condemne churches which appoint other solemne dayes for their meetings so they be voide of superstition Which shal bee done if they appoint such tdayes onely for discipline and for comely order sake Vrsinus hath these words Summa est alligati sumus sabbato moraliter ceremonialiter in genere sed non in specie Hoc est ad aliquod ministerii publicè exercendi tempus sed non ad septimum vel aliquem alium certum diem This is the effect we are tied to the saboth morally and ceremonially in generall but not in speciall that is to say we are bound sometime to exercise the publike ministerie but wee are neither tied to the seauenth nor to any other certaine day And againe hee saith that all ceremonies appointed by the church may be altred againe by the counsell of the church Againe in another place he hath these expresse words Ecclesia christiana primum vel aliumdiem tribuit ministerio salua sua libertate the church of Christ hath libertie to appoint either the first day or some other day for Gods seruice To what end shoulde I alleage moe authorities for nothing can be more plainely spoken And as the church hath authoritie to alter the sabboth day so hath it power also which Bâ—llinger hath well obserued to appoint for the seruice of God certaine other festiuall dayes as the feast of the birth of our Lord of his incarnation circumcision passion resurrecâ—ion ascension and such like All which is this day verie prudently and laudably practised in the church of England An obiection If this your doctrine were true as you beare the world in hand it is then would it follow necessarily that there shoulde be no difference betweene the ordinance of God and man the reason seemeth euident because they both should be of like authoritie The answere I answere that they are not of like authoritie and I yeeld a double disparitie thereof for first the sabboth day is de iure diuino in generall albeit the determination thereof to this or that day in speciall be de iure humano but the other holidayes are both in generall and in speciall de iure humano Secondly because other holydaies are as well generally as specially appointed by man and therefore may be wholly abolished by the power of man But the sabboth day is generally appointed by God although the limitation thereof be reserued to his church and therefore notwithstanding that the church can limit the obseruation to this or that day yet can no power vpon earth wholly abolishe the same The fourth booke conteineth the description of the third Monarchie that is of the Greekes from Alexander vntill the Machabees CHAP. I. Of the originall of the monarchie and the circumstances of the same ALexander king of the Macedonians for his martiall
subiection But so soone as Philopator was dead his sonne Ptolomeus Epiphanes sent a mightie armie into Syria vnder the conduction of Scopa who recouered certaine Cities in Syria and a good part of Iudea Yet within a short space after Antiochus skirmishing with Scopa neere to Iordan had the vpper hand and tooke the cities againe from Scopa Then the Iewes yeelded them selues to Antiochus receiued his armie voluntarily within the walles and affoorded him large helpe against the garrisons of the said Scopa In respect of which fauour Antiochus dealt very fauourably with them gaue them rich giftes and graunted them libertie to call home againe all the Iewes that were in dispersion The third obseruation Antiochus Epiphanes was hostage at Rome where he learned by the Example of the Romaines flatterie deceite and other bad qualities to accommodate himselfe to the time and maners of men Hee was famous not for his vertues but for his naughtie dealing He was called as some write for his dissolute life not Epiphanes but Epimanes that is not noble but madde He beganne his reigne about 134. yeares after the death of Alexander at which time his brother Seleucus ceased by death to reigne in Syria At the same time Ptolemeus Epiphanes dyed in Egypt leauing behinde him to young sonnes Philometor and Physcon Ptolemeus hadde these sonnes with his wife the queene Cleopatra who was sister to Antiochus Vnder this pretence Antiochus went into Egypt and by faire speeches got the regiment during the nonage of Philometor the yong prince And when hee had contriued all thinges so as he might take the kingdome vpon him at his pleasure hee went to Hierusalem at the intreaty of Iason who sought ambitiouslie to be made the high priest by his procurement euen as popes of late yeares are made at Rome as hereafter shalbe prooued Where as writeth Iosephus so soone as hee came the gates were opened to him by men of his owne faction Which vsurped dominion hee exercised cruellie and sacrilegiously neither sparing the goods nor the liues of those that willingly opened the gates vnto him The fourth obseruation Demetrius Nicanor the twelfth king of Syria was driuen out of his kingdome by his brother Antiochus Sedetes by the aid and meanes of Tryphon Yet afterward hee was restored to his kingdome againe and ruled Syria peaceably vntil Alexander surnamed Sabineus of the house of Seleucus tooke him prisoner at Tyrus where he put him to death CHAP. III. Of the kings of Macedonia and of the diuision of the Empire after the sixt yeare of Alexander THe holy will of the liuing God was that foure mightie kings shoulde succeede Alexander the Great after the sixt yeare of his raigne whereof euerie one should possesse a part and no one be so mightie as himselfe which thing was euidently foretolde by the Prophet Daniel The foure kings that succeeded Alexander to wit Cassander who raigned in Macedonia and Grecia Seleucus who raigned in Syria Ptolomeus who raigned in Egypt and Antigonus who raigned in Asia did all descend of the house Petigree and bloud royall of Alexander that most puissant and valiant Emperour and for that cause surnamed the Great Cassander caused Olympias daughter of Neoptolemus and mother to Alexander a most chast and vertuous Queene to be beheaded cruelly that so hee might raigne more licentiouslie but God the iust iudge who for his wisedome seeth all things and for his iustice sake letteth no sinne passe vnpunished did so in his eternall prouidence dispose of Cassanders issue as it was a worthie spectacle to the world For Antipater and Alexander his sonnes had mutual mortal bloudie warres the one against the other as concerning the kindgome of Macedonia But what was the ende Antipater was slaine by Lysimachus his father in law and Alexander by Demetrius the sonne of Antigonus who both were their owne complices to whom they trusted and sought for helpe at their hands A worthie obseruation King Alexander the great was not onely full of valure and prowesse but throughly garnished with heroicall and morall vertues amongst which this was not the least that so often as he heard the complaint of one against another the accused partie being absent his continuall custome was to open one onely eare to the plaintife and to keepe the other closely shut by which ceremonie he liuely expressed vnto the world the office of euerie good Prince and righteous iudge to wit that they should neuer haue respect of persons as holy Writ beareth witnesse but heare all parties indifferently and iudge euer according to lawe and equitie Which indifferencie king Alexander fitly practised euen with the admiration of his auditory while as hee graunted to the accuser one eare so did hee to the accused reserue the other neuer condemning the one nor iustifying the other before hee vnderstood perfectly the truth of the matter But in our time wee may iustly exclaime with holy Polycarpe O God to what worlds hast thou reserued vs for nowadayes iudges lawyers are so corrupt with bribes that when a poore man crieth he can not be heard with neither eare because both are shut at once on the other side so soon as they grope the rich mans gold they open both the one eare the other there is no stay at al. Of such iudges magistrates and lawyers speaketh wise Salomon when he saith that many reuerence the person of the mightie and euerie one is friend to him that giueth gifts When a rich man commenceth any sute against the poore man euerie iudge euerie lawyer euerie iustice euerie bailife will for money be readie to further his cause for golde and money with a becke they come anone and with a winke they will bee gone though their matter were verie badde in the beginning yet wil it be right good in the ending money worketh so forcibly with them that it may bee saide to alter the case and to change the nature of the thing Gifts saith Saint Ambrose dazle the eyes of iudges and weakeneth the force of their authoritie Contrariewise when the poore man commeth to them either without money or but with a little they are dumbe deafe and sencelesse they can neither heare see nor vnderstand they will vse such dallying such demurring such shiftes and delayes vntill the poore man bee exhaust and spent so as perforce he must let the matter fall and sit downe with the losse For albeit his cause were right good in the beginning yet will it be starke naught in the ending Wherefore Innocentius his wordes are well verified in this kinde of people You respect saith he not the causes but the persons not lawes but bribes not what reason prescribeth but what will affecteth not what the minde thinketh but what it coueteth not what should be done but what yee list to haue done your eie is not single which should make your body bright but euer ye mingle a peece of leauen which corrupteth the whole dowe The
of the Iews was at an end about 30. yeeres before Christs incarnation Herode the stranger was successor to this Aristobulus in the kingdom and priesthood of the Iewes In the third yeere of the 186. Olympiade and in the age of the world 3937. yeeres then in the 32. yeere of Herod was our Sauiour borne The fourth obseruation Herod the great had many children Aristobulus Alexander Antipater Antipas Philippus and Archelaus Of which Aristobulus and Alexander were his children by his beloued wife Mariamne which Mariamne he put to death causing his children Alexander and Aristobulus to be strangled in Samaria Archelaus Herodes called Antipas Antipater and Philip yet liued amongst whom the kingdome was diuided Herodes the Great designed his sonne Archelaus to be king by his last will and testament but the Emperour Augustus would not confirme Herodes will and so hee was not king at the first yet Augustus was content that he should be Tetrarke and vpon hope of his good regiment to be king afterward This Archelaus saith Rhegino did reigne in Iudea when our Sauiour was brought out of Egypt for feare of which king he returned into Nazareth a towne in Galile where hee abode till his baptisme This was done in the seuenth yere of Christ and in the 15. yeere of his birth Archelaus being accused of treason before Augustus was banished out of Iewrie the kingdome was diuided among his 4. brethren Herod Antipater Lysanias and Philip. Yet this Antipater after Carion was slaine long before The first obseruation Whether Antipater was slaine as writeth Carion or liuing stil with Philip and the rest as saith Eusebius certaine it is that foure only are mentioned in the holy scripture to wit Archelaus who raigned in Iurie after Herod the great Antipas whom S. Luke calleth Herod who was Tetrarke of Galilie Philip who was Tetrarke of Iturea and Trachonitis Lysanias who was the Tetrark of Abilene Pilate being then president in Iewry which Lysanias after Eusebius was one of the brethren albeit other writers affirme no such thing CHAP. III. Of the 2300. daies Daniel had a vision of great persecution that shoulde come vnto the church that the daily sacrifice should cease and Gods trueth be troden vnder foote And that the sinnes of the Iewes were the cause of such horrible afflictions Yet for the solace of Gods children whom he neuer forsaketh finally the time of the desolation is appointed and pronounced in these obscure words Vnto the euening and morning two thousand and three hundreth then shall the sanctuarie be cleansed Sundrie as S. Hierome witnesseth trouble themselues miserably about the exposition of this place Some for 2300 read 2200 least sixe yeares and three monethes abound Other some vnderstand the place of Antichrist and that this shalbe reallie complete in him which was spoken typically of Antiochus And this childish imagination doe our late Iesuites and other papistes imitate whose fantasticall interpretation was confuted by S. Hierome before they were borne But the meaning is plaine and easie that is vntill so many naturall daies be past which in all make sixe yeares three monethes and an halfe For so long was the temple prophaned vnder the wicked king Antiochus And that this is the true sence of the place I prooue by two reasons First because that vnto the morning and to the euening cannot possibly be vnderstood of either yeares or monethes and yet can the same be truely and simply verified in so many natural daies Secondly because the prophet of God doth expound the rest of the vision euen of the kinges of Syria And my reasons are confirmed by S. Hieromes testimonie whose expresse words are these Vespere autem manè successioneÌ„ diei noctÃsque significat The euening and the morning doth signifie the succession of the day and the night And in the very same place hee prooueth by Iosephus and the bookes of the Machabees that the setting vp of Iupiters Image in the Temple and the time of the desolation wrought by Antiochus is correspondent to the 2300. daies CHAP. IIII. Of the priestes of the Iewes after the captiuitie vnto Alexander the Great The names of the priests Iesus Filius Iosedech Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 72 yeares Ioachim Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 30 Eliasib alià s Nechasib Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 40 Ioiada Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 24 Ionathan alià s Ioannan Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 52 Iaddo alià s Iaddua Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 28 yeares Iesus or Ieshua was the high priest in the returne euen as Zorobabel or Zerubbabel was the ciuill gouernour Diuers thinke diuersly of this succession but I deliuer plainly what I iudge most probable CHAP. V. Of the priests of the Iewes from king Alexander vnto the Machabees The names of y e priests Onias Priscus A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 25 yeares Simon Priscus A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 13 Eleazar A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 20 Manasses A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 27 yeares Simon Iunior A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 28 Onias Iunior A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 39 Iason A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 3 yeares Menelaus A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 7 yeares This Menelaus was a very wicked priest whom Antiochus put to death at Berytus Antiochus moreouer inhibited Onias his sonne to succeed him and appointed Alcimus aliâs Iacimus the high priest which Alcimus was of the race and petigree of Aaron but not of the same familie Onias therefore sonne to Menelaus went into Egypt and insinuating himselfe into the amitie of Ptolomee Philometor and Cleopaâ—ra his wife perswaded them to build a temple in Heliopolis like to that of Hierusalem and to make him priest in the same place Iacimus after he had been high priest three yeares died leauing no successor behinde him and so the citie of Hierusalem was seuen whole yeares togither without a priest Afterward the gouernment of the Iewes was committed to the familie of the Assamoneans and then they rebelled against the Macedonians and made Ionathan the high priest These points and specially the case of Iacimus or Alcimus ought diligently to be marked against the mangled and fondly commended popish succession whereof by the power of God more shalbe said hereafter From about this time vntill Herod the great Iudas Machabeus and others of his race had the gouernment and priesthood among them From Herode vntill Christ our redeemer were yeares 32. plus minus During which time priests were not made of the line of the Assamoneans
credite For the verie inscription it selfe auoucheth roundly and boldly that that which followeth is but chaffe Out of which wordes I note first that the pope hath a long time seduced the worlde with fabulous vanities in printed bookes I note secondly that the foundations vpon which all poperie is built is nothing els but chaffe For to these foundations set downe in the 96. distinction of their owne decrees I doe not belie them reade the place who listeth and he shall finde it to be true the popish Canonists make this plaine inscription Palea Chaffe as if they should say Gentle reader be no longer seduced with such doctrine for that which followeth is but chaffe If any liuing can yeeld a fitter exposition I desire to know his skill I note thirdly that since the papists are enforced by the spirite of God to acknowledge the counterfeite groundes of the very principal articles in their religion published to the viewe of the worlde in their owne decrees and canon lawe euery discreete and wise reader may easily perceiue what credite ought to be giuen to their popish written vanities Decretall epistles Edictes Canons extrauagantes the like wherwith they haue these many yeres bewitched and dazeled the eyes of many men I answere thirdly that although they would haue vs to beleeue as an article of our Creede that Constantine was baptized at Rome by Siluester whereupon they ground many absurd consequentes yet doe most holy learned and ancient writers S. Hierome Eusebius Socrates Theodoritus Sozomenus Pomponius and Cassiodorus affirme the same to be a fable and that Constantine was christened at Nicomedia CHAP. VI. Of the warres betweene Constantine and Maxentius The most religious Emperour Constantinus preparing for warres against Maxentius who had thirsted the bloud of christians and fearing greatly the danger of the battell imminent did often lift vp his eies towardes heauen and humbly requested helpe at Gods hands Being at that time a great fauourer of christian religion and a zealous worshipper of the euerliuing God albeit hee had not as yet receiued the signe of Christes passion he saw in the firmament the euident signe of the crosse which so glistered with fierie brightnesse as he was astonied at the sight thereof While he was doubting with himselfe he beheld the angels of God standing by him and saying thus vnto him Constantine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Constantine in this signe get thou the victorie Constantine beeing ioyfull with this vsion and assuring himselfe of the victory against Maxentius made in his owne forehead the signe of the crosse which before he had seene in the firmament So write Eusebius Caesariensis Socrates Sozomenus Cassiodorus and many others of approoued antiquitie Whereupon the papistes would infer that it is lawfull to make images to set them vp in churches and to adore the same religiously For perspicuous confutation whereof with a manifest declaration of the state of the controuersie because it is maliciously defended by some vnsoundly impugned by others of others not throughly vnderstood I purpose to set downe these few conclusions The first conclusion The signe of the crosse appeared to the Emperour Constantine in the firmament at what time as hee was afraid to ioyne battell with Maxentius This conclusion is graunted and approoued by the vniforme consent of all learned writers Constantinus himselfe as Eusebius reporteth affirmed the same to Eusebius confirmed the veritie therof with an oth not only Eusebius but all the world for many hundreth yeares gaue credite thereunto Heereupon Constantinus and other christian kings generally vsed the signe of the crosse vpon the garments of their souldiers so often as they had warres with Infidels and such as were enemies to the name of Christ Iesus For then there was great cause so to doe as since iust occasion hath been giuen to take the same away which thing heereafter by Gods assistance more planly shall appeare The second conclusion Simplie and absolutely to make images for ciuill vse is not prohibited by the word of God This conclusion is to be prooued three speciall waies By the authoritie of holy writ by the testimonie of learned writers and by the generall practise of christian kinges Touching the first God himselfe indued Bezaleel with the spirite of wisedome vnderstanding and knowledge that he might worke curiously in gold siluer brasse in grauing stones and in caruing woode and in all maner of fine worke In the temple of Salomon were grauen Lillies Pomegranates Cherubins Lions and Palme trees God commaunded Moses to make two Cherubines aboue the mercie seate He also commanded to make a fierie or brasen Serpent and to set it vp for a signe Touching the second S. Basill is so farre from condemning the ciuill vse of images that he hath commended the making and the vtilitie thereof These are his expresse wordes Nam magnifica in bellis gesta oratores saepenumero pictores pulcherrime demonstrant Hi oratione illi tabulis describentes atque ornantes amboque plures ad fortitudinem imitandam inducentes Quae enim sermo historiae per inductionem praebet eadem pictura tacens per imitationem ostendit For not onely Oratours oftentimes but euen painters also doe finely pourtray worthy martiall exploites the one sort by their fine oratiōs the other by their fitly pourtraied tables both perswading many to the imitation of fortitude For whatsoeuer the historie doth performe by perswasion the same doth the silent picture declare by imitation In which wordes it is cleere that S. Basill approoueth the ciuill and historicall vse of images Eusebius Caesariensis maketh mention of the images of our Sauiour of Peter and Paul which were not only in his time but long before his daies The historicall vse whereof he neither reprooueth nor condemneth S. Ambrose Gregorius Magnus and many auncient fathers holde constantly the same opinion Touching the third Constantinus the first Christian Emperour surnamed the Great caused after his couersion his owne image to be engrauen in his coyne whose example therein all christian kinges at all times in all ages haue de facto approoued to be good For all kinges no one or other excepted haue their inscriptions and images vpon their gold and money neither were they at any time in any age reprooued by anie learned writer for the same Yea our Sauiour Christ himselfe seemeth to approoue the same when hee requiring to know whose inscription the money had charged to giue to Cesar that which was his owne In fine the reformed churches in Germanie this day allow thereof and the church of England approoueth the making of the signe of the crosse in the forehead of baptized infantes The third conclusion To worship and adore images religiously is superstitious and idolatricall This conclusion is prooued by the expresse commaundement of God For in Exodus it is written thus Thou shalt not make any grauē image thou shalt not bow downe to them nor
worship them And in Mathew Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely thou shalt serue For which cause S. Iohn could not be permitted to adore the Angel but was bidden to worship God For which cause Moses cast the Tables out of his hands brake them in peeces beneath the mountaine burned the calfe in the fire and grounded it vnto pouder For which cause the holy ghost commendeth Ezechias for breaking in peeces the brasen serpent For which cause Marcellina was condemned as an hereticke who worshipped as S. Augustine recordeth the Images of Iesus of Paul of Homere of Pythagoras For which cause S. Epiphanius seeing the image of a saint hanging in the Church tare the same in sunder and aduised the wardens to bury some poore body with the vaile and that no more any such vailes should be hanged vp in the Church Yea the same Epiphanius will not haue the blessed virgine Mary to be adored much lesse her image And if her image must be excluded what image I pray you can be approued for which cause the councill of Elibertine decreed grauely that nothing should be painted on the church walles which is adored of the people For which cause Lactantius pronounced freely that where images are there is no religion Neither will it help the papists to answer after their woonted manner that Lactantius speaketh of such images as are adored for gods For Lactantius maketh the selfe same obiection in the person of the Gentiles and inueyeth against it bitterly as a vaine friuolous and ridiculous thing And because I wil proceed sincerely in this point as in all other matters I thinke it conuenient heere to alleadge his expresse words which are these Non ipsa inquiunt timemus sed eos ad quorum imaginem ficta quorum nominibus consecrata sunt nempe ideo timetis quod eos in caelo esse arbitramini neque enim si dij sunt aliter fieri potest curigitur oculos in caelum non tollitis â—â—ur ad parietes ligna lapides potissimum quam illò spectatis vbi eos esse creditis We feare not say they the pictures or pourtraies but them after whose images they be made to whose names they are consecrated Doubtlesse ye therefore feare them because ye thinke they are in heauen For if they be gods it cannot otherwise come to passe Why therfore do ye not lift vp your eyes to heauen why doe ye rather looke vpon the walles vpon stockes and stonâ—s then thither where ye think they are In which words I note first that the Gentiles did not adore the images but the persons represented by the same for of fearing and adoring Lactan. speaketh indifferently throughout the whole chapter yet are they sharply reproued for their fact I note secondly that we must not adhere and fix our minds vpon stocks stones and the images of saints but lift vp our hearts to heauen where the saints now are Worthily therefore doe we condemne the Papists who do not only make images but also adore the same and that with the selfe same worship which is due and proper to God alone for so much auoucheth their owne deare doctor and canonized saint Aquinas of the image of our Sauiour Christ. For which respect Gregorie surnamed the Great who himself was a bishop of Rome sharply reproued the adoration worship of images albeit he admitted wel liked y e ciuil vse therof The second Booke of Christs birth baptisme preaching passion resurrection and ascension into Heauen with other things coincident CHAP. I. Of Christs birth ABout the time that Elias the Cabbalist foretolde in the age of the worlde 3969. the eight calends of Ianuary in the third yeere of the 194. Olympiade the 32. yeere of king Herode and the 42. yere of Augustus Cesar was our Lorde and Sauiour Christ Iesus borne into this world For albeit the 4000. yeres were not complete fully ended yet was his prediction true as some report it because he added that God would shorten the time for his elect Our Lord and Sauiour was conceiued by the holighost taking flesh blood bone of the blessed virgin Mary made like vnto vs in all things sinne onely excepted true man and true God hauing two perfect natures subsisting in one diuine person by reason of which hypostaticall vnion his holie mother was truely called deipara and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well the mother of God as of man Christ assuming the perfect nature of man lost no part of his nature diuine and consequently he must haue two willes diuine and humane of God and of man Christ assuming the perfect nature of man must needs haue euery thing pertaining to the perfection thereof among which the sensitiue appetite is one which wee call sensualitie yet in Christ Iesus there was no motion of sensualitie which was not ordered by reason and wholy obedient to the same For the sensitiue appetite to be moued according to the course of it owne nature was nothing repugnant to the diuine and reasonable humane wil of Christ. The blessed virgin being 14 yeres of age conceiued Christ her son by the power of the holie ghost the 25. day of March He was before all worlds and by him al things were made yet was he incarnat in the end of the world borne after a new and miraculous maner of the virgin Marie who was Saint Iosephs lawfull wife Christ the sonne of the euerliuing God tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant was poorely borne in a stall and made him selfe of no reputation and all this he did for the loue of man to teach man humilitie and to abase himselfe as Christ his Lorde and master gaue him ensample In those dayes Cyrenius being gouernour of Syria Augustus Cesar sent out an edict to taxe all that were subiect to the Roman empire Then Ioseph being of the house and linage of Dauid went vp from Galile to be taxed in Bethlehem with Mary his wife being then big with childe where she brought forth Christ and wrapping him in swadling clothes laide him in a cratch bicause there was no roome for them in the Inne So soone as Christ was borne the angels of God nothing regarding the pride of mightie men declared to the poore shepheards the godhead and office of the childe lying in the cribbe how that he was borne to be the sauiour of the world After the departure of the angels the shepheards went to Bethlehem where they found Marie Ioseph and the sweete babe lying in the cribbe at their returne they published abroad that which was tolde them of that childe CHAP. II. Of the infancie of our Sauiour Christ. WHen Christ Iesus was but eight dayes olde he was circumcised euen then beginning to spend his blood for the loue of man for albeit he was the head of the church yet was he subiect to the law to
that the ternarie number doth not determine the apparitions in themselues but the diuersitie of dayes and times in which they were made for al apparitions made in one the same day are reputed named one The second doubt It is saide in these apparitions that Christ came into the middes of his Disciples and stoode among them euen when they were within the house the doores closely shut Wherby it appeareth euidently that Christs body may be both in heauen and in the sacrament at one and the same time for it no more repugneth for one bodie to bee in diuers places at once then for diuers bodies to be in one place at once Which latter is here verified of Christs body and the doore or walles of the house The answere I answere that God cannot by his absolute power make Christes body to be in diuers places at once not because there is any defect in God who is omnipotent but because contradiction is implied in the thing which should be done Which point I haue prooued euidently in the 12. preamble of my Booke of Motiues For the reasons there alleadged are effectuall if they be applied to this purpose In like maner I say that two bodies cannot be in one place at once because to haue parts without parts and to occupie place is of the formall and intrinsecall conceit of euery organicall and quantitatiue bodie such as Christes true body is Whereupon S. Augustine said truely and learnedly that if occupation or spaces of places be taken away from bodies they shall lose their essence and be no bodies at all So then the entrance of Christ into the house when the doors were shut and also his comming out of the sepulchre when the stone was vnrolled away neither doth nor can prooue that two bodies were in one place at once but that the doore and the stone gaue place for the time to Christes mightie power like as the red Sea gaue place to the Israelites and they passed through the middest thereof And as S. Peters chaines gaue place to his handes and as the Iron gate opened to him of it owne accord Furthermore if Christes bodie can be in ten thousand places at once as the papistes impudently auouch it must also follow that it may be in infinite places at once which is the heresie of the Vbiquitaries For after this maner did S. Hierome reason against Iohn the Bishop of Hierusalem when hee laboured to prooue that our bodies may liue without meate after the resurrection If a man may liue fourty daies without meate saith S. Hierome as Moses and Elias did by the power of God then doubtles may he liue eternally by the same power of God In fine this veritie is made euident by that argument which Gods angel made to Mary Magdalen and the other Mary comming to see the sepulchre And because the argument is of force to confound all papistes in the world if it be well vrged I will alledge the argument as it is in the originall and then make effectuall application thereof These are the expresse wordes of the holy Euangelist Saint Matthew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee is not heere for he is risen as he saide Where I obserue first the assertion simplie in it selfe Secondly the cause and reason of the same assertion The assertion is this Christ is not in the sepulchre the reason heereof is this because Christ is risen Nowe then since Christ cannot be in the Sepulchre because he is risen it followeth of necessitie that either the angel of God inspired with Gods holy spirite made a very foolish and friuolous argument which to affirme is void of all christianitie or els that Christes body cannot be in two places at once which is that that I intend to proue For if it were not as I say the women might haue replied effectually against the angel thus albeit Christ be risen as you say yet may he be in the sepulchre also because his body may be in two places at once but the angel reputing it a thing cleere and euident that Christes body could not be in two places at one the selfe same time concluded directly and forcibly as hee thought Christes absence in the sepulchre bicause he was risen againe See the 3. part 10. chapter 4. conclusion and 3. paragraphe CHAP. VII Of Christes ascension and being in heauen CHrist hauing presented himselfe by many infallible tokens after that hee had suffered his passion conuersing visibly with his disciples by the space of fourtie daies in which time he spoke of thâ—nges pertaining to the kingdome of God told them that they should be his witnesses in Hierusalem al Iudea in Samaria and vnto the vttermost part of the earth he commanded them that they should not depart from HierusaleÌ„ but shuld wait for the promise of the father which things when he had spoken hee was taken vp in a cloud out of their sight While they looked stedfastly toward heaueÌ„ two men stood by them in white apparel said to them ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing into heauen this Iesus which is taken vp fro you into heuen shal so come as ye haue seen him go into heuen Then y e disciples returned to Hierusalem froÌ„ the mount Oliuet which is neer to HierusaleÌ„ being froÌ„ it a sabaoths dayes iorny which is about 2000. paces or two English miles While the Apostles whose names are Peter Iames the son of Zebedeus Iohn Andrew Philip Thomas Bartholomew Mathew Iames the sonne of Alpheus Symon Zelotes and Iudas Thaddeus expected the comming downe of the holy ghost at Hierusalem there abode with them certain women and Mary the mother of Iesus and his brethren that is his kinsfolkes For it was as well behooueable to haue the wiues confirmed as the husbandes because they were afterward to be partakers of the daungers with them All which praied with one accord not onely for the sending of the holy ghost but also for deliuerance from present daungers wherewith they were beset Christ ascended vp into heauen must there remaine vntill his second aduent the day of doome general And so he neither is nor can be in the round cake as papistes impudently contend After Christes ascension and comming of the holy Ghost his apostles went abroad preaching the gospel to all nations whose limites actes and death the next chapter in particular maner shall describe CHAP. VIII Of the seuerall precinctes liues and deathes of the Apostles taken out of Epiphanius Tertullian Optatus Eusebius Oecumenius Nicephorus and others Of Peter and Philip. S. Peter after that hee had preached the gospell of Iesus Christ in PoÌ„tus Galatia Cappadocia Bithyma Italy was crucified at Rome with his had downward vnder the emperour Nero and buried there the third Calendes of Iulie S. Paul the chosen vessel of God omnipotent and the immoueable piller of his church was beheaded the same yere the
eate grapes they thinke that hearbes trees and plants haue life in such manner as they feele great paine when one cutteth or plucketh them vppe by the rootes or otherwise for this respect they deeme it an heynous offence to purge the field from thornes and thistles and so they condemne husbandrie the most innocent art of all as guiltie of many murders yet they thinke husbandrie or tillage of the grounde to bee pardonable in their auditors because by that their labor they bring foode to their elect in whose bellies the substance is purged and the offence taken away And consequently although themselues do no murders actually as they preteÌ„d yet do they liue of manifest murders practised by others really Where note by the way that the church of the Manichees consisted of two sortes of people their elect and their auditors They held this fantasticall opinion that whosoeuer did eate flesh should be made the same thing which he did eate As for example if a man did eate an hogge he should be made a hog if a bull he should become a bull if a bird he should be a bird if a fish a fish and so in the rest The Manichees held also that if any man marry a wife that same man so soone as he passeth out of this life is changed into another bodie and becommeth a woman Yea they say further that if a man kil a man an asse or other liuing thing that man straight after his death is changed into that liuing thing which he killed be it a mouse serpent or whatsoeuer else The Manichees vse to blesse their meates in this manner O bread neither did I reape thee neither did I grinde thee neither did I make thee neither did I bake thee but an other did al these things and brought thee to me my selfe therefore do eate thee without offence These and other like monstrous assertions did this heresie bring forth This is the grace that they vse CHAP. XII Of the Pelagians taken out of Saint Augustine PElagius sometime a monke and a Brytan borne extolled free-will so much that hee ascribed little or nothing vnto grace He affirmed that man may keepe all Gods holy commaundements without his diuine grace and being reprooued saith saint Austen for derogating so much from the grace of God he answered with vnchristian subtiltie that grace was therefore giuen to man that hee might keepe Gods lawes with more facilitie That grace saith Pelagius without which wee can doe nothing that good is is onely in our free-will which free-will God ingraffed in our nature without any our deserts so that God helpeth vs by his law and doctrine to this end onely saith Pelagius that wee may learne what to hope for and what to do but not to do what we know ought to be done The Pelagians hold saith S. Austin that infants in their carnall natiuitie are so pure and free from originall sinne that they neede not the second and spirituall regeneration of water and the holie ghost Now if any man would aske the Pelagians to what end infants are baptized They will answere forsooth saieth saint Austen that by this externall regeneration they may haue accesse into heauen and not thereby to be absolued from the guilt of sinne For if they die without Baptisme yet do they promise them eternall life but without the kingdome of heauen This is the heresie of Pelagius which I haue sincerely recited out of saint Augustine that excellent writer and immoueable pillar of Christs church because many talke thereof who seem not throughly to vnderstand the same With which heresie how the papists agree and how they dissent from the same shall God willing bee shewed when I come to the next Booke in the chapter of mans Iustification CHAP. XIII Of the Arrian heresie ARrius the heretike was the reader of diuinity in Alexandria a man of great learning and eloquence but withall prowd and ambitious He denied the diuinitie and godhead of Iesus Christ affirming him to be pure man and a meere creature Which his blasphemous doctrine was dispersed throughout Egypt Lybia Alexandria Thebais and many other prouinces Alexander a godly bishop laboured by all meanes possible to dissuade Arrius from his pestiferous and execrable heresie but all his trauell was in vaine because many other bishops and cleargie men embraced the opinion of Arrius and obstinately defended the same The most christian emperour Constantinus worthily surnamed the Great deepely lamenting the church of God to be diuided with schisme and dissention sent Hosius the Bishop of Corduba in Spaine to Alexander and Arrius with his owne hand-writing earnestly exhorting them to set all dissention aside and to agree in vnitie peace and trueth But when the blessed Emperour could not preuaile in his holy purpose hee commaunded al christian bishops to resort at a certaine day designed to Nice a citie in Bithynia where this great controuersie was decided before Constantine himselfe and Arrius with his complices driuen into exile The Emperour Constantinus sent for Arrius into his pallace so meaning fully to make trial of his opinion who when he asked Arrius if he were of the same opinion with the councill of Nice Arrius without all deliberation and stay subscribed in the presence of the Emperour to the decrees of the saide councill Then the emperour greatly admiring that fact willed Arrius to confirme his subscription with an othe to which Arrius yeelded deceitfully as he had done before insomuch that the Emperour being perâ—waded that Arrius was an orthodox and good christian charged Alexander the bishop of Alexandria seuerely to receiue Arrius againe into his woonted place and dignitie Yet Alexander knowing Arrius to be an enemy to God and his holy religion and suspecting his dissimulation with the Emperour his soueraigne fearing God on the one side and reuerencing his soueraigne on the other gaue himselfe to deuout and earnest prayer so commending the whole cause vnto God While Alexander was thus deuoutly occupied behold news came vnto him that as Arrius came from the emperours pallace the worme of conscience did wonderfully trouble him and solubilitie of body did so vehemently assault him that hee was inforced sodainely to withdraw himselfe to a common place where while he sought to haue the ordinary course of nature blood gushed but all his inwards fell from him and so he perished most miserably The secret subtiltie wherwith Arrius fought to deceiue the godly and most christian Emperor was this Arrius wrote his execrable opinion of Christ in a peece of paper kept closely vnder his arme holes that 〈◊〉 hee subscribed in the presence of the Emperour then the Emperour maruelling that he would so doe vrged him to confirme the same with an oath Arrius roundly tooke an oath that he thought as he had written meaning indeede of his first writing which hee kept secretly vnder his arme-hole Where euerie one may see how grieuous a sinne it is to dissemble with God
and the people was of no force at all in those dayes vnlesse the Emperours or their lieutenants had confirmed the same This was done 637. yeares after Christs incarnation Concerning the creation of Benedicte Platina hath these words Ad hunc Constantinus imperator sanctionem misit vt deinceps quem clerus populus exercitús que Romanus in pontificem delegisset eundem statim verum Christi vicarium esse omnes crederent nulla aut Constantinopolitani principis aut Italiae exarchi expectata auctoritate vt anteà fieri consueuerat id enim ratum erat in creando pontifice quod princeps confirmasset vel qui eius vices in Italia gerebat The emperour Constantine sent a decree to this Pope that whomsoeuer the clergy people and Romane souldiers should hencefoorth chuse for their bishop all people should by and by beleeue him to be the vicar of Christ scilicet if they would Bartholomeus Carranza a dominican Frier hath the verie same assertion ad verbum Anastasius and Onuphrius haue these expresse words pontifices qui deinde fuerant creati consecrati sunt sine Constantinopolitani imperatoris iussione The Popes that liued afterwards were made and consecrated without the Emperour of Constantinople his commaundement as if they had saide in the olde time and in the auncient Churche no Bishoppe of Rome coulde haue beene admitted at anie time vnlesse hee hadde brought letters patents from the Emperour though now the practise bee farre otherwise Out of which doctrine I gather these three euident and most necessarie corollaries First that the vulgar and common sort of people are grossely deceiued when they terme papistrie the olde religion and repute them for the Catholikes For wee indeede are the true and auncient Catholikes and the Papistes are nothing else but flatte Heretikes For this Benedict coulde not bee made Bishoppe of Rome without the Emperours Letters Patents This primacie of the Emperour ouer the Bishoppe of Rome was sixe hundred foure score and foure yeeres after the incarnation of Christ. For at that time was this Benedict made the Pope So then the Bishop of Rome for the space almost of seuen hundred yeres after the incarnation of Christ Iesus acknowledged the Emperour for his superiour and Lorde as wythout whose Letters Patentes hee coulde haue no Iurisdiction For as in ciuill causes many are debarred from their lawfull inheritance and that by the violent dealing of mightie men euen so we catholikes haue beene many yeares excluded from our own churches our ancient and lawfull possessions and that by the force violence and tyrannie of the bloudy Romish antichrists And as temporall men are in time restored vnto their auncient right by iust and godly magistrates euen so were we and are we by the goodnes of God and most christian princes king Henry the eight and king Edward the sixt of famous memory our most gratious soueraigne Elizabeth restored to the old christian catholike and apostolike religion and placed againe in our owne churches the spirituall birthright of vs and our ancestours I gather secondly that our Bishops in England are made and consecrated according to the ancient christian catholike and Romaine manner that is by the Letters patents of the Prince I gather thirdly that Christian Emperours vppon a certaine zeale not grounded vppon knowledge yeelding vppe their soueraigne rights to the Bishops of Rome opened the window to all antichristian tyrannie For in short time after the Romish Bishops became so arrogant and lordly that they tooke vpon them to depose the Emperours to translate their Empires and to dispose at their pleasures of their royall scepters and regalities The third replie The church of God cannot bee without Bishoppes and priests as you haue already granâ—ed and as I haue proued out of Saint Paul but so it is that when yee first reformed the church as you tearme it yee neither had any Byshoppes nor any priests of your owne neither coulde you find any but with vs and in our church when Martin Luther went out from vs. Our church therefore and none but ours is the true church of god This reason is so strong as it can neuer be truly answered The answere I saie first that this reason seemeth to carrie a maiestie with it and a verie plausible shewe of truth and therefore did it a long time fascinate and seduce my selfe yet I trust by Gods holy assistance so to solue it as no papist shall haue cause any longer to glorie therein I say secondly that if our bishops or our lay-brethren had gone at any time to the greeke and East churches they shoulde haue found as good a materiall succession at the least as that of yours at Rome but there was no neede to take so long and so painefull a iourney in hand I say thirdly that our bishops and priests of late yeares were indeede consecrated by such as were sometimes in your church But thereupon will it not follow I assure you that the true church of God was with you and not with vs for no more can be inferred vpon your reason but that there remained a certaine externall face of the visible church still with you that is to say a mingled materiall succession of place and persons without the formall Euangelicall succession of trueth and doctrine The fourth replie How can the pastors of the church be without the doctrine of the church for the church cannot bee without the pastors as I haue proued and you also admitted this is it that I desire to learne The answere The reason hereof is this because God promised to giue alwaies pastors to his visible church but he neuer promised this to put the truth alwaies in their mouthes For this cause saith Saint Paule that God hath giuen pastors and teachers to his church vntil the end but he neuer said that he gaue them his holy spirit alwaies to preach and teach the truth no no he neuer promised any such thing You brag of your succession you say you are the church representatiue that your pope cannot erre but whatsoeuer he defineth iudicially that must be as true as the holy gospel Euen so did the wicked Iewes boast when the Prophet of God reproued them come said they let vs imagine some deuice against Ieremy for the law shall not perish from the priest nor counsell from the wise nor the worde from the prophet Thus did the Iewes boast then and thus doe the papistes boast now But what saith God by his Prophet to these your arrogant and Pharisaical conceites doubtlesse cleane contrary to wit but the law shall perish from the priest and counsell from the elder as if hee had said notwithstanding your great bragges of your priuiledges yet shall ye be infatuated and spoiled of all counsel trueth and doctrine The fift replie The Apostle saith that God gaue pastors and teachers to his church for this end that they shuld not
impotencie of nature nor by the gift of continencie but the pope chargeth them that are eunuches no way to abstaine from marriage solemnely therefore the popes commaundement is against Gods holy ordinance Theodoretus confirmeth this point in these words Rectè autem posuit illud prohibentium contrahere matrimonium Neque enim celibatum ac continentiam vituperat sed eos accusat qui lege lata ea sequi coÌ„pellunt He put that rightly forbidding to marry he blameth not single life continencie but accuseth them that by positiue lawes compel to put such things in execution This lawe therefore of the pope is intollerable For which cause saint Clemens auoucheth them to do iniury to nature that will not vse wedlocke for procreation of children The latter parte of this proposition the apostle setteth downe so plainely as it is needelesse to say any more in that behalfe These are Saint Paules owne wordes But the spirit speaketh euidently that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith and shall giue heede vnto spirites of errour and doctrines of deuilles which speake lies through hypocrisie and haue their consciences burned with an hote yron forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meats In these wordes it is very cleere that saint Paul termeth the prohibition of marriage and of meates the flat doctrine of the deuill For after hee had declared wherein the mysterie of true religion consisteth which is taught in the true church of Christ hee foorthwith giueth euident markes of the mysterie of iniquitie which is maintained in the false church of Antichrist in whose synagogue the highest points of religion are the prohibition of marriage and of meates And who seeth not this day this to bee the state of the church of Rome as in which church they are specially and in a manner onely reputed religious who obey the prohibition of marriage and also of meates And it will not helpe the Papistes to say as their woonted manner is that they neither prohibite marriage generally nor as an vnlawfull thing For first saint Paul speaketh not generally of marriage but of the precise marriage of Bishoppes Priests and Deacons This doe I prooue because so soone as hee had declared the duetie of Bishoppes Priestes and Deacons with their wiues and children by and by in the beginning of the next chapter hee addeth that in the latter dayes marriage shall bee prohibited by the doctrine of the deuill Where the worde But doeth effectually insinuate that he speaketh precisely of the marriage of ecclesiasticall persons by him aboue named Againe the words Forbidding and Commanding argue authoritie in them that restraine marriage and so it partaineth not onely to the old heretikes the Manichees the Tatians the Eucratites the Marcionists the Patritians and the Apostolickes but much more to the late Popes of Rome who strictly commaunde the whole world to abstaine from that whereof God himselfe hath granted the lawfull vse For what is to bee extolled aboue God if not to alter and chang his holie words Bishops Priests and Deacons haue alwaies beene married in the East church euen from our Sauiour Christ vntill these our dayes This I proue by the testimonie of the sixt generall councell of Constantinople where 289. Bishoppes were assembled in the yeare of our Lorde 677. In the thirteenth canon of this famous councill three speciall things are decreed First that Priests Deacons and subdeacons may haue the lawfull vse of wedlocke at such times as they do not execute the ministerie Secondly this councell excommunicateth all those Priests and Deacons that after their orders put away their former wiues vnder pretence of religion Thirdly it excommunicateth all such as labour to separate Priests and Deacons from the vse and companie of their wiues And after all this this great synode addeth this worthie and memorable obseruation to witte that they haue thus decreed albeit the lawes of Rome be otherwise Where I note by the way that so many learned bishoppes contemned the vsurped primacie of the church of Rome I proue it secondly by the verdict of their owne canon law which is the flatte opinion of Pope Vrban as their owne Gratian telleth vs his expresse words are these Cum ergo ex sacerdotibus nati in summos pontifices supra legantur esse proâ—oti non sunt intelligendi de fornicatione sed de legitimis coniugiis nati quae sacerdotibus ante prohibitionem vbique licita erant in orientali ecclesia vsque hodie eis licere probantur When therefore wee reade that the sonnes of Priests are made Popes wee must not vnderstand bastardes but sonnes borne in honest marriage which marriage was euery where lawfull for Priests before the late prohibition and is also lawfull this day in the East Church for which cause the late councell of Florence left the marriage of Priests to the free election of the Greekes Yea their owne deare Fryer and graue archbishoppe Antoninus confirmeth the same in these words Quia Graci etiam in sacerdotio coniugio vtuntur For the Greekes ioyne the vse of matrimonie euen with the priesthood Bishops Priests and Deacons were likewise married in the West and Latin church for the space almost of foure hundred yeares without any prohibition at all And afterward in some places for many hundreth yeeres This is the probation After that Christ hadde granted marriage for all men appointing such to vse it for an wholsome medicine as wanted the gift of continencie after that Saint Paul had pronounced freely marriage to bee honourable in all sorts of men after that the Apostles had decreed that neither Bishops Priests nor deacons shoulde leaue the companie of their wiues vnder pretence of religion after that many holy Bishops priests and deacons had liued laudably in the Church and had vsed the honest helâ— of holy wedlocke aboue three hundreth eightie and fiue yeares al which I haue alreadie proued then one Syricius aduaunced to the popedome in the yeare of Christ 385. seduced by Satan published wicked doctrine and prohibited marriage as an vnlawfull thing Which matter because it is verie imporâ—ant and the wordes of our holy father the pope so blasphemous as hardly anie will beleeue him to haue so written but hee that readeth the same I will alleage his wordes at large Thus therefore doth hee write in expresse tearmes Quod dignum pudicum honestum est suademus vt sacerdotes Leuitae cum suis vxoribus non coeant quia in ministerio diuino quotidianis necessitatibus occupantur ad Corinthios namque sic Paulus scribit Abstinete vos vt vacetis orationi si ergo Laicis abstinentia imperatur vt possint deprecantes audiri quanto magis sacerdos vtisque omni momento paratus esse debet munditiae puritate securus ne aut sacrificium offerat aut baptizare cogatur quisi contaminatus est carnali concupiscentia quid faciet excusabitur qua
rash impious and most execrable in Gods sight The perioch of the chapter Priestes were married in the olde lawe and in time of the new testament in the East church and in the West Many popes of Rome were the sonnes of priests neither were they bastardes but legitimate children Many holy and learned bishops were married men S. Gregory S. Spiridion S. Cheremon S. Philogonius S. Eupsichius S. Paphnutius defended the marriage of priestes publickly in the councell of Nice and auouched in the spirite of God that the vse of holy wedlocke was honourable in them euen in time of their priesthood S. Cheremon and his wife fled togither from persecution euen at that time when he was Bishop of Nicopolis Eupsichius was the bishop of Cesarea and forthwith after his marriage martyred for Christ Iesus The apostles themselues were married begate children and carried their wiues about with them while they preached the gospel abroad in the countrey Clergie men vsed the benefite of marriage aswell as secular persons vntill the vntimely birth of wicked pope Syritius Bishops priests and all religious persons so termed may most lawfully marry by the lawes of God and are onely debarred thereof by the odible lawes of man or rather to vse the apostles wordes by the detestable doctrine of Satan All this I haue proued effectually in this present chapter Yea the marriage of priestes was vsed without restraint in Germanie for the space of a thousand seuentie and foure yeares after Christes sacred incarnation That is vntill the daies of the vngratious pope Hildebrand who termed himselfe Gregorie the seuenth who crept into the popedome by naughty meanes in the yeare of Christ 1074. And because I wil charge the Papistes with nothing but that which they shall neuer be able to denie their own deare moonk Lambertus Schafnaburgensis a man whom their trusty friend Ar. Pontacus Burdegalensis affirmeth to haue handled the histories of his time very exactly shalbe my witnesse against the pope and popishly prohibited marriages This writer so authenticall as ye heare writeth in this maner Hildebrandus papa cum episcopis Italiae conueniens iam frequentibus synodis decreuerat vt secundum instituta antiquorum canonum presbyteri vxores non habeant habentes aut dimittant aut deponantur nec quispam omnino ad sacerdotium admittatur qui non in perpetuum continentiam vitamque caelibemprofiteatur Sequitur aduersus hoc decretum protinus vehementer infremuit tota factio clericorum hominem plane haereticum vesani dogmatis esse clamitans qui oblitus sermonis domini quo ait non omnes capiunt verbum hoc qui potest capere capiat Apostolus qui se non continet nubat melius est enim nubere quam vri violenta exactione homines viuere cogeret ritu angelorum dum consuetum cursum naturae negaret fornicationi immunditiei fraena laxaret Pope Hildebrand togither with the Bishoppes of Italie decreed in frequent Synodes that after the ordinaunces of olde canons priestes shoulde not haue wiues and that suche as had wiues shoulde either put them awaie or bee depriued of their liuinges and that none shoulde be admitted to the order of priesthoode but hee that woulde professe the perpetual vow of single life Against this decree the whole faction of the clergy stormed wonderfully exclaming that Hildebrand was mad a flat heretike as who had forgotten the words of the Lord who saith that all cannot liue continent and the Apostle saith hee that cannot abstaine let him marrie for it is better to marrie then to be burnt and would violently compel men to liue like angels and while hee denied the accustomed course of nature gaue libertie to fornication and vncleannesse Out of which wordes I note first that this Lambertus was a Monke and a great patron of poperie which I proue by two reasons first for that hee tearmed it a faction to withstand Pope Hildebrands wicked decree Again because he affirmeth the late prohibition of priests marriage to bee according to the old canons which canons for al that were not before the daies of the late Pope Syricius as I haue proued I note secondly that since this Lambert was a great and zealous papist all must needs be of good credit that he saith against the papists and popish doctrine I note thirdly that priests were married in Germanie aboue one thousand seuentie yeeres after Christ that is till the time of this wicked Hildebrand I note fourthly that it was so strange a thing in those dayes to speake against the mariage of priests in Germanie that they reputed Pope Hildebrand a madde man and an heretique for withstanding the same And yet such is the fondnesse and madnesse of the common sorte this daye that they deeme them mad men and heretikes who speake in defence thereof I note fiftly that all the learned in Germanie proued the Pope an heretike by the flatte testimonie of Christ and his Apostle I note sixtly that by the verdict of all the learned in Germanie that great and goodly country Pope Hildebrand did not only enforce them violently against their auncient custome but withall did open the window to al filthie liuing Priests were also married in our owne countrey of England till the late dayes of the saide Pope Hildebrand if wee will beleeue our owne English Chronicles Polidorus another deare friend of the papists shall tell them what he thinks of the Popes proceeding touching the marriage of priests thus doth he write Illud tamen dixerim tantum abfuisse vt ista coacta castitas illam coniugalem vicerit vt etiam nullius delicti crimen maius ordini dedecus plus malireligioni plus doloris omnib bonis impresserit inusserit attulerit quam sacerdotum libidinis labes proinde forsitan tam è republica christiana quam ex ordinis vsu esset vt tandem aliquando ius publici matrimoni◠sacerdotibus restitueretur quod illi sine infamia sanctè potius colerent quam se spurcissimè eiuscemodi naturae vitio turpificarent Yet this I wil say that this compelled chastitie of priests was so far frō excelling chastity in wedlock as no crime whatsoeuer hath brought greater shame to priesthood more harme to religion more griefe to all good men then the vnchast life of priests Therefore perhaps it were no lesse necessarie for the publike weale of christendome then for the order of priesthood that once againe priests might marrie publikely that so they might liue honestly without shame not pollute themselues so filthily This is the iudgemēt of their own popish Polidore who being an Italian knewe best the Romish fashion He confesseth plainly as you see that priests were maried in old time wishing for great causes that it were so againe Their great Cardinall Panormitanus giueth so worthie a testimony of this controuersie as which being well marked will confoūd al papists in the world these be his words Continentia nō est
being free from sinne no need at all to suffer for her selfe The answere I say first that what the late churche of Rome beleeueth is not much materiall because it is become the whore of Babylon as I haue prooued copiously I say secondly that though the blessed virgin had great grace and sanctification bestowed on her as who was not onely the mother of man but of God also yet was she conceiued in originall sinne vndoubtedly For so the holy scripture doth conuince so the auncient fathers affirme so the best approoued popishe doctors graunt and so right reason doth euidently conclude As by one man saith the apostles sinne entered into the world and death by sinne and so death went ouer all men in whom all men haue sinned Againe as by the offence of one the fault came on all men to condemnation so by the iustifying of one the benefite abounded towarde all men to the iustification of life And in another place there is none righteous no not one Againe in another place the scripture hath concluded al vnder sin y t the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that beleeue And the holy Psalmographe saith Enter not into iudgement with thy seruaunt for in thy sight shall none that liueth be iustified All which textes and such like are generally spoken of all no one nor other is exempt S. Ambrose hath a long discourse in which he prooueth that none but onely Iesus Christ is void of sinne These among others are his wordes Omnes intra retia erant imò adhuc intra retia sumus quia nemo sine peccato nisi solus Iesus quem non cognoscentem peccatum peccatum pro nobis fecit pater Infra venit ad laqueos Iesus vt Adam solueret venit liberare quod perierat Omnes retibus tenebamur nullus alium eruere poterat cum seipsum non possit eruere All were in the nettes yea we are yet in the nets because none is without sinne but onely Iesus whom when hee knewe no sinne the father made him a sacrifice for sinne in our behalfe Iesus came to the snare that hee might loose Adam he came to deliuer that which was lost We were al taken in the net we could not deliuer one another when no man could deliuer himselfe S. Augustine teacheth the same veritie in many places of his workes but I wil content my selfe with one or two Thus therfore doth he write vpon the 34. Psalm sic ergo peccatum domini quod factum est de peccato quia inde carnem assumpsit de massa ipsa quae mortem meruerat ex peccato Etenim vt celerius dicam Maria ex Adam mortua propter peccatum Adae Adam mortuus est propter peccatum caro domini ex Maria mortua est propter delenda peccata Euen so therefore is it called the sinne of the Lord which is made of sinne because hee tooke flesh from thence of that masse which had deserued death by reason of sin For to speake more brieflie Mary descending of Adam is dead by reason of Adams sinne Adam is dead for his owne sin and our Lords flesh of Mary is dead to put away sinne S. Augustine in another place hath these wordes Proinde corpus Christi quamuis ex carne foeminae assumptum est quae de illa carnis peccati propagine concepta fuerat tamen quia non sic in ea conceptum est quomodo erat illa concepta nec ipsa erat caro peccati sed similitudo carnis peccati Therefore Christes body although it were assumpted of the flesh of a woman which was conceiued of the stocke of the flesh of sinne yet because it was not so conceiued in it as it was conceiued therefore was it not the flesh of sinne but only the similitude of the flesh of sinne The same S. Augustine in another place writeth in this maner Sine dubio caro Christi non est caro peccati sed similis carni peccati quid restat vt intelligamus nisi ea excepta omnem reliquam humanam carnem esse peccati hinc apparet illam concupiscentiam per quam Christus concipi noluit fecisse in genere humano propaginē mali quia Mariae corpus quamuis inde venerit tamen eam non traiecit in corpus quod non inde concepit Doubtlesse Christes flesh is not the flesh of sinne but only like to the flesh of sinne what therefore must wee vnderstande but that all other mens flesh besides it is the flesh of sinne And heereuppon it is cleare that that concupiscence by which Christ would not be conceiued dispersed sin throughout mankind because the body of Marie though it came from thence yet could it not conuey that into the bodie which was not conceiued thereupon but of the holy ghost These words of S. Austen and Saint Ambrose are so plaine and easie as they neede no declaration Thomas Aquinas albeit hee constantly defendeth that the blessed virgin was neither borne in sinne nor yet sinned actually after hir birth more or lesse graunteth for all that that shee was conceiued in originall sinne and hee prooueth it by two euident reasons whereof this is one Sanctificatio de qua loquimur non est nisi emundatio à peccato originali culpa autem non potest emundari nisi per gratiam cuius subiectum est sola creatura rationalis ideo ante infusionem animae rationalis B. virgo sanctificata non fuit Sanctification whereof we now speake saith the cheefest popish doctour is nothing else but a clensing from originall sinne but sinne cannot bee purged without grace whose subiect can be nothing but a reasonable creature and therefore the blessed virgin could not be sanctified from sin before a reasonable soule was infused into her bodie This argument of Aquinas is so inuincible in popish manner of proceeding as no Iesuite in the world though they all hold the contrarie can inuent a sufficient solution for the same Deuout and holy Bernarde whose authoritie is great with all Papists holdeth the same opinion with Aquinas For albeit hee sharply reproue the practise of the cathedrall church of Lions for keeping the festiuitie of the conception of the blessed virgin calling that practise the noueltie of presumption the mother of temeritie sister of superstition and the daughter of leuitie yet doth he hold that shee was borne without sinne and 〈◊〉 continued all her life All learned men that euer wrote before our seditious lately hatched Iesuites confesse the conception of the blessed virgin to haue beene polluted with sinne and I prooue it by an irrefragable demonstration First because the blessed virgin if she had euer beene free from sinne should haue needed no Sauiour nor had anie Sauior and so Christ should not haue bin her Iesus which to say is both against the scripture and against the honour of that holy virgin Bernardus
deteriores non remisit nobis supplicium sed vidit hoc manifeste quod peccatis ipsis non mâ—nus damnosum sit non puniri propter hoc imponit poenam non exigens supplicium de peccatis sed ad futura nos corrigens For lest we our selues should be made worse if wee should not be punished when we offend God forgaue vs not the punishment for that he saw euidently that it was no lesse hurtfull to sinne it selfe if it should not be punished For which cause he imposeth paine vpon vs not requiring satisfaction for the sinnes but correcting vs for that which is to come Out of these wordes I note first that if we should escape vnpunished when we sin we would be more prone to sin again I note secondly that the punishment which God laâ—eth on vs is not any part of satisfaction for our sinne committed but a fatherly correction to keepe vs from sinning so againe I note thirdly that saint Chrysostome was not acquainted with popish pardons wherewith the world is this day so pestered I note fourthly that whosoeuer disliketh this my answer must reprooue saint Chrysostome for the same as from whom I receiued it And yet indeede hee saith nothing which holy writ hath not taught vs long before For as wise Salomon saith He that spareth the rodde hateth the childe but he that loueth him chasteneth him betime I blesse thee saith Tobie O Lord God of Israel because thou hast scourged me Thou hast corrected me saith Ephraim and I was chastised as an vntamed heiffer Whom the Lord loueth saith saint Paul him he chasteneth and he scourgeth euery sonne that he receiueth As many as I loue saith God I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and amend Marke these wordes well gentle Reader God correcteth vs not in way of satisfaction which we are neuer able to performe as I haue prooued more at large in my booke of Motiues but that we may repent turne to him and amend our sinfull liues For this cause saieth the Psalmograph Blessed is the man whom thou chastisest O Lord and teachest him in thy lawe that thou mayest giue him rest from the dayes of euill while the pit is digged for the wicked For as saint Paul saieth If we would iudge our selues by true faith and repentance wee should not be iudged But when we are iudged we are chastened of the Lord that wee should not be condemned with the world which Christ himselfe confirmed when he willed the adultresse to goe and to sinne no more The sixt obiection S. Paul exhorted the Corinthians who abounded in goods but wanted merites to bestow money largely on the saints at Ierusalem that so they might be partakers of their merites Therefore it is very lawful to procure pardon with our mony by the application of godly mens merites vnto vs. The answere S. Paul meaneth nothing lesse then that the Hierosolymitains should sell spirituall things for money For when Symon the sorcerer euen after his baptisme would haue bought the distribution of holy things with money then saide saint Peter to him Thy money perish with thee because thou thinkest that the gift of God may be gotten with money But the apostle exhorteth the richer sort at Corinth to minister competently to the faithfull at Ierusalem for their necessarie releefe and sustentation and this to do the rather for that heretofore they receiued the gospel from thence so that there may bee an analogicall or proportionable equalitie betweene them For liberalitie ought to be mutuall among christians and as the apostle saith in another place It is no great thing for them that haue sowen to vs spirituall things to reape part of our carnall things Thus seemeth Chrysostome to vnderstand this place whose wordes are these Haec autem dicebat etiam diuitum superbiam deprimens ostendens quod post hanc vitam in maiori dignitate spirituales futuri sint He spake these things to abate the pride of rich men shewing that after this life the godly shal be in greater dignitie as if he had saide esteeme not better of your selues because ye haue more worldly wealth but distribute such things liberally and seeke to abound in spirituall things that so there may be an equalitie The seuenth obiection The article of our creed I beleeue the communioÌ„ of saints doth plainely shew that ones satisfaction may be applied to an other which is that application that the pope maketh when he giues pardons The answer I answer that the duties of charitie are ought to be common among the faithfull in that they are the mysticall members of one mysticall body which saint Paul proueth to be so by the example of the members in mans body And this is that communion of saints whereof mention is made in the Creede apostolike But of popish pardons and merits of supererrogation this article maketh no relation at all Yea as the apostle saith al righteousnes remission of sins and eternall life is ministred to the members of the church by Christ the head Of whose fulnes we haue all receiued euen grace for grace CHAP. VI. Of Popish purgatorie OF popish purgatorie I haue spoken sufficiently in the seuenth chapter of the second booke of my Motiues It will therefore here be sufficient to declare the originall thereof and to solue the obiections against the same The superstitious fond fantasies of purgatorie came from the old heathen Romanes for as saint Austen recordeth they had a purgatorie sacrifice these are his words Ideo terminalia eodem mense Februario celebrari dicunt cum fit sacrum purgatorium quod vocant Februm vnde mensis nomen accepit Therfore men say that the ends of things are celebrated in the same moneth of Februarie when the purgatorie sacrifice is made which they call Februs whereupon the month tooke the name Afterward Origen being too much addicted to his allegoricall speculation fained many odde things touching purgatorie as the ethnicke Plato whom he much imitateth had done before him After Origen others began to cal the matter into question others rashly to beleeue it others to adde many things to Origens conceit Thus by little and little it encreased till the late bishops of Rome made it an article of popish faith But of what credite Origen ought to be in this point his owne opinion will declare sufficiently as who held that the diuels should all be purged at the latter day For of Origen thus writeth S. Austen Qua in re misericordior profecto fuit Origenes qui ipsum diabolum atque angelos eius post grauiora pro meritis diuturniora supplicia ex illis cruciatibus eruendos atque sociandos sanctis angelis credidit Wherein Origen doubtles was more compassionable who beleeued that the deuill himselfe his angels after great long punishment for their demerites should be deliuered from their torments and placed with the
iustos facit To conclude the onely formal cause is the iustice of God not that with which himself is iust but with which he maketh vs iust This decree is quite contrarie to my conclusion they learned it of Aquinas their angelicall doctour whose direction they followe in all theologicall questions Thus doth Aquinas write Gratia non dicitur facere gratum effectiuè sed formaliter quia per hanc homo iustificatur dignus efficitur vocari Deo gratus secundum illud Colos. 1. vers 12. dignos nos fecit in partem sortis fanctorum in lumine Grace doth not make one acceptable effectiuely but formally because man is iustified by grace and is made worthie to be accepted of god according to that which the apâ—stle saith He hath made vs worthie of the fellowship of saints in light Thus writeth Aquinas whose opinion being once confuted al other papists shalbe confuted in him I therfore say first that Aquinas was deceiued with the popish vulgar latin translation called vulgata editio which for al that the late disholy synode of Trent hath wonderfully magnified extolled aboue the starrie skies For where their vulgata editio hath worthie there the greeke and original hath meete or fit these are the very words of the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Giuing thanks to god euen the father who hath made vs meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light I say secondly that since his foundation was a false translation his conclusion inferred thereupon must of necessitie bee false also And therefore wee may not reade as Aquinas did who hath made vs worthie but who hath made vs meete or fitte for the fellowshippe of Saintes and so their owne linquist Arias Montanus doth interpret it to their confusion And because the verie life of this question standeth wholly in this if there be any forme or qualitie inherent in man by which hee is worthy of glory and eternall life I will prooue pithily and succinctly that man neither hath in him nor can haue any such qualitie at all but that the formall cause of mans iustification is in Christ Iesus not in himselfe The first argument No infinite accident can be in any finite subiect but the grace of iustification is infinite Ergo it cannot be in man a finite subiect The argument is in forme the proposition is graunted of all as well Philosophers as Diuines and the assumtion is manifest because the transgression was infinite as is prooued in the third conclusion The second argument Being iustified freely by his grace saith the Apostle thorough redemption which is in Christ Iesus Where we must obserue first y t when the apostle saith freely hee doth exclude all workes and all qualities in man We must obserue secondly that when he saith by his grace he giueth vs to vnderstand that the grace of iustification is in Christ and not in our selues For otherwise he would haue termed it our grace and not his grace because that which is inherent in our selues is properly ours We must obserue thirdly that when hee concludeth the period thus which is in Christ Iesus the word which hath no lesse relation to grace then to redemption and so thone must be in Christ aswel as the other The 3. argument Being therfore iustified by faith we haue peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ through whom we haue accesse by faith into this grace in which wee stand In which wordes of the Apostle wee are taught three thinges First that our iustification is by faith Secondly that our iustification giueth vs peace with God Thirdly that by faith we haue accesse to the grace of iustification and consequently that this grace of iustification is not in our selues For vnproperly are wee saide to haue accesse to a thing inherent in our selues The 4. argument Not hauing mine owne righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ euen the righteousnesse which is of God through faith In which wordes the Apostle teacheth vs two thinges First that the formal cause of our iustification is not our owne in these wordes not hauing mine owne righteousnesse for if our iustice or righteousnesse were inherent in our selues it should be our owne Secondly that our iustice is through faith and in faith and consequently that the formall iustice of the papists is not that true christian iustice whereof Saint Paul speaketh for they say that charitie which is the chiefest part of their formall inherent iustice is neither through faith nor in faith but aboue faith and the forme of faith The fift argument He that knewe no sinne suffered the paine due for sinne for our sakes that wee might be made the iustice of God in him In which wordes the apostle teacheth vs two thinges First that Christ died for our iustification Secondly that this iustification is the application of the iustice of God in Christ. But doubtlesse the iustice of God cannot be our inherent iustice For first Gods iustice is infinite but ours is finite Secondly Gods iustice is perfite but ours is vnperfit Thirdly Gods iustice is absolute but ours is relatiue The 6. argument For they being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God and going about to stablishe their owne righteousnesse haue not submitted themselues to the righteousnesse of God For Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse vnto euery one that beleeueth In these wordes of the apostle wee are taught two thinges First that to ascribe anie righteousnesse to our selues is flatly to fall from the iustice of God Which certes could not be so if y t iustice by which we are iustified were inherent in our selues Againe that Christes righteousnesse is applied to euery one by faith Which thing shalbe yet more plaine by the next conclusion The 5. conclusion Man is iustified by sole and only faith that is to say faith onely is the instrument by which man applieth to himselfe the righteousnesse of God in Christ Iesus This conclusion containeth three thinges First that Gods righteousnesse is that iustice which we present for our iustification Secondly that it is ours for the merites of Christ Iesus Thirdly that we apprehend and take hold vpon it by faith only and so we haue the explication howe sole faith doth iustifie Which because the papistes so bitterly impugne I will prooue it both by y e scriptures and the fathers If Abraham saith S. Paule were iustified by works he hath wherin to reioyce but not with God For what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Thus saith the Apostle Out of which wordes I note first that workes did not iustifie Abraham before God I note secondly that that iustice by which man standeth cleere before God is only imputatiue and not really inherent in himselfe Which imputatiue iustice the Apostle doth often inculcate
reprobate and not of the elect and godly sort but after he had pondered the text deeply he altered his opinion This is confirmed in these words of the selfe same chapter but I see another law in my meÌ„bers rebelling against the law of my mind leading me captiue vnto the law of sin which is in my members By these words of Paul it is euident that albeit he were the childe of God yet could he not merite any thing in Gods sight but rather in rigor of iustice prouoke his heauy displeasure against him For where or what could be his merite who was prisoner to the law of sinne Againe it is confirmed in these words For I doe not the good thing which I would but the euill which I would not that doe I. Thus saiâ—h saint Paul and doubtlesse since hee did the euill which he would not he sinned though he were regenerate and because he sinned he was worthie of condemnation for that death is the stipend of sinne Againe it is confirmed in these words For the law is spirituall but I am carnal sould vnder sinne Thus saith S. Paul of himselfe and yet is it true that one vnder sin can merit nothing saue hel fire and eternal paine Againe it is confirmed in these words Nowe if I do that I would not it is no more I that doe it but the sinne that dwelleth in mee Thus saith Saint Paul of himselfe and yet because sin abode in him and did that that was offensiue in gods sight he could neither merite grace nor eternal life as is already proued Further then this no man liueth without sinne as the papists grant and yet is euerie sinne mortall as I haue prooued elsewhere The first obiection Saint Paul speaketh of originall concupiscence which remaineth euen in the regenerate after baptisme but is no sinne at all For he onely calleth it sinne because it prouoketh a man to sin as a mans writing is called his hand for that it is written with his hand which exposition S. Austen approueth in sundrie places of his works The answere I say first that to say against the flat text of scripture without scripture is no reason at all I say secondly that S. Paul doth not onely call concupiscence sin but he proueth it by many reasons For first it striueth against the law of the minde Againe it leadeth one captiue into the law of sinne thirdly it doth that which is not good but euil I say thirdly that Saint Austen doth vndoubtedly iudge it to be sin neither shal any papist in the world euer be able to proue the contrarie howsoeuer they bare the world in hand I wil onely alleage a few places out of S. Austen make effectuall application of the same to which when anie either Rhemist or Romist shall answere sufficiently I promise to become his bondman The first place of Austen Concupiscentia carnis aduersus quam bonus concupiscit spiritus peccatum est quia inest illi inobedientia contra dominatum mentis poena peccati est quia reddita est meritis inobedientis causa peccata est defectione consentientis vel contagione nascentis The concupiscence of the flesh against which the good spirit striueth is sinne because it is disobedient against the dominion of the mind and it is the punishmeÌ„t of sin bicause it is inflicted for the deserts of disobedient Adam and it is the cause of sinne either by the default of him that consenteth or by the contagion of the child that is borne Thus saith S. Austen In which words he expresseth three things precisely first that concupiscence in the regenerate is the paine or punishment of sinne secondly that it is the cause of sinne thirdly that it is sin it selfe which three he doth not only distinguish but withall hee yeeldeth seueral reasons for the same And therfore most impudent are the papists who auouch with open mouthes that saint Austen onely calleth it sin because it is the cause of sinne The second place of Saint Austen Neque enim nulla est iniquitas cum in vno homine vel superiora inferioribus tur piter seruiunt vel inferiora superioribus contumaciter reluctantur etiamsi vincere non sinantur For it is some iniquitie when in one man either the superiour parts shamefully serue the inferiour or the inferiour parts stubbornly striue against the superiour although they be not suffered to preuaile Thus saith S. Austen whose words are so plaine as the papists can not possibly inuent any euasion at all For hee saith in expresse tearmes that the rebellion which is betweene the flesh and the spirit is sinne euen when it is resisted and cannot preuaile at which time and in which respect the papists wil haue it to be merite and no sinne at all The third place of Saint Austen Virtus est charitas qua id quod diligendum est diligitur haec in alijs maior in alijs minor in alijs nulla est plenissima vero quae iam non possit augeri quamdiu hic homo viuit est in nemine quamdiu autem augeri potest profecto illud quod minus est quam debet ex vitio est Ex quo vitio non est iustus in terra qui faciat bonum non peccet Ex quo vitio non iustificabitur in conspectu Dei omnis viuens Propter quod vitium si dixerimus quia peccatum non habemus nosmetipsos seducimus veretas in nobis non est Propter quodetiam quantumlibet profecerimus necessarium est nobis dicere dimitte nobis debita nostra cum iam omnia in baptismo dicta facta cogitata dimissa sint Charitie is a vertue with which we loue that that ought to be loued This in some is more in other lesse in others none at all but the perfect charitie which can not bee increased while a man here liueth is found in none so long as it can be increased that doubtlesse which is lesse then it shoulde bee proceedeth of sinne by reason of which sin there is not one iust vpon earth that doth good and sinneth not by reason of which vice none liuing can be iustified in Gods sight by reason of which vice if we say we haue no sin we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs by reason of which sin how much soeuer we profit yet must we say of necessitie Forgiue vs our trespasses euen after that al our thoughts words and works are forgiuen in baptisme Thus saith saint Austen Out of whose most golden words I note sundrie things to the euerlasting confusion of all impenitent papists For first Saint Austen saith that no man can haue charity in that perfite degree which the law requireth Secondly that the want thereof proceedeth of this concupiscence Thirdly that by reason of this concupiscence euerie man is a sinner Fourthly that by reason therof none liuing can be iustified in Gods sight
otherwise he should be contrarie to himselfe who affirmeth it to bee sinne in many places of his works as is alreadie prooued but hee onely laboureth to perswade the reader that it is neuer imputed to the faithfull that stoutly striue against it And that this is the true meaning of S. Austen I proue it by the iudgement of S. Ambrose concerning the selfe same matter Thus doth hee write Caro contra spiritum contra carnem spiritus concupiscit â—ec inuenitur in vllo hominum tanta concordia vt legi mentis lex quae membris est insita non repugnet Propter quod ex omnium sanctorum persona accipitur quod Ioannes apostolus ait si dixerimus quoniam peccatum non habemus nosipsos seducimus veritas in nobis non est cum tamen idem ipse dicat qui natus est ex Deo peccatum non facit qoniam semen ipsius in eo manet non potest peccare quoniaÌ„ ex Deo natus est Vtrumque ergo verum est quia nemo sine peccato est in eo quod nemo est fine lege peccati qui natus est ex Deo peccatum non facit quia per legem mentis id est per charitatem quae Dei semen est peccatum non facit Charitas enim operit multitudineÌ„ peccatoruÌ„ the flesh lusteth against the spirit the spirit against the flesh neither is there found in any man such concord but that the lawe of concupiscence which is ingrafted in the members fighteth against the law of the mind And for that cause Saint Iohns words are taken as spoken in the person of all saints If we say we haue no sin we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs when for al that the same apostle saith He that is borne of God sinneth not because his seed abideth in him and he cannot sinne because he is of God Therfore both are true because no man is without sinne for that no man is without the law of sinne that is concupiscence and he that is borne of God sinneth not bicause he sinneth not by the law of his mind that is by charitie which is Gods seede for charitie couereth the multitude of sinnes Out of these words I note first that concupiscence moueth rebellion against the spirit in the holyest man vpon earth I note secondly that this rebellion of concupiscence is sinne in euerie one because S. Iohn speaketh of sinne indeede whose words saint Ambrose applieth heere to concupiscence I note thirdly that hee speaketh of originall concupiscence because he speaketh of that concupiscence which is in the saints that is in those that are borne of God I note fourthly that the faithfull sinne not because charitie couereth their sins So then S. Austen meaneth as S. Ambrose doth that they are without sin to whom sinne is not imputed Yea Aquinas himselfe granteth which is to be admired that the inordinate motion of sensualitie euen which goeth before the deliberation of reason is sinne though in a lowe degree These are his expresse wordes Dicendum quòd illud quod homo facit sine deliberatione rationis non perfectè ipse facit quia nihil operatur ibi id quod est principale in homine vnde non est perfectè actus humanus per consequens non potestesse perfectè actus virtutis vel peccati sed aliquid imperfectum in genere horum Vnde talis motus sensualitatis rationem praeueniens est peccatum veniale quod est quiddam imperfectum in genere peccati I answere that that which man doth without the deliberation of reason he doth it not perfectly because that which is the chiefe in man worketh nothing there wherefore it is not perfectly mans act and consequently it cannot be perfectly the act of vertue or of sinne but some imperfect thing in this kinde Whereupon such a motion of sensuality preuenting reason is a venial sinne which is a certaine imperfect thing in the nature of sinne The fourth replie Concupiscence at the most is but a little venial sinne as S. Thomas Aquinas truely saith therefore it cannot bring a man to hell neither debarre him of heauen The answere I answere that euerie sin is mortall vndoubtedly as which is flatly against Gods holy commaundements For that the transgression of Gods commandements is a grieuous mortal sinne no man euer did or will denie Cursed is euery one saith the apostle that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to doe them Againe in another place The reward or wage of sinne is death And S. Iames saith Whosoeuer shall keepe the whole lawe and yet faileth in one point he is guiltie of all Nowe that euerie sinne aswel great as small is against Gods holy lawe I prooue sundrie waies First because the Apostle saith that al our thoughts words and works ought to be referred to the glorie of God for most certaine it is that no sinne at al is referred to Gods glorie For no sin no not the least of al is referrible to god but is of it own nature repugnant to his glorie Secondly because wee must yeelde an account to God for euerie idle word as Christ himselfe telleth vs and yet as euerie child can perceiue God most merciful and most iust wil neuer lay that to our charge which is not against his holy law Thirdly because the apostle saith of sin generally that the punishment thereof is death Fourthly because sinne in generall is defined by the fathers to bee the transgression of Gods law which definition could not bee true if anie little sinne could stand with his commaundement Fiftly because famous popish writers as Ioannes Gerson Michael Baius Almayn and our owne Bishop of Rochester doe all freely graunt that euerie sinne is mortall of it owne nature and deserueth eternall death their words I haue alleaged in my booke of Motiues Sixtly because Durandus and Iosephus Angles to whom the Schooles of the papistes this day accord doe sharpely impugne Aquinas his doctrine in that he teacheth Venials not to be against Gods law The 7. conclusion Although good works do not iustifie yet are they pretious in Gods sight and neuer want their reward Christ himselfe prooueth this conclusion when he promiseth that not so much as a cup of colde water giuen in his name shall passe without reward And in another place hee saith That whosoeuer shall leaue house parents brethren wife or children for his sake shal receiue much more in this world and in the world to come life euerlasting And in another place Christ telleth vs that when the sonne of man commeth in his glory and al his holy angels with him then will he pronounce them blessed that haue done the works of charitie to their poore neighbours God saith S. Paul will reward euery man according to his workes The Lord rewarded me saith holy
neuer cease to impeach accuse slaunder and condemne vs in this behalfe yet do we defend nothing heerein but that which their owne best Doctors and printed bookes doe teach vs yea euen such bookes as are dedicate to the Popes holinesse himselfe The conceites which this Bishop alledgeth to make good his intended purpose are childish and too too friuolous For first where hee sayth that the Fathers speake of good workes onely in respect of their naturall valure as hee tearmeth it I aâ—nswere that that glosse and exposition is onely inuented by him and his fellowes to salue their beggerly doctrine if it wold be For besides y t no father saith so they repute al works before grace meere sin as I haue prooued out of Austen And our Bishop vnwittingly confuteth himselfe of such force is the trueth when he graunteth that good works done in grace are vnworthy of heauen if Gods promise be set apart For if they merite ex condigno as he auoucheth then doubtlesse promise couenant and mercie is altogither needlesse Secondly where the bishop fleeth to distributiue iustice so to establishe the merite of workes I answere that both the fathers and his fellowes are against him yea euen Aquinas himselfe For they vnderstand iustice commutatiue and require arithmetical equalitie And if Geometricall proportion were to be admitted yet should greater equalitie be required then can be found between our workes and eternall life The 9 obiection Ye brag that the merite of good workes cannot be found in all the Scripture But therein you belie both vs and the holy scripture For in the booke of Ecclesiasticus I finde these expresse wordes Omnis misericordia faciet locum vnicuique secundum meritum operum suorum All mercie shall make place to euerie one according to the merite of his workes Loe here is made expresse mention of the merite of his good workes The answere I say first that the booke of Ecclesiasticus is not canonicall Scripture as which was not found written in the holy tongue I say secondly that it is not for nothing that your late councel of Trent hath so magnified your Latine vulgata editio For such stuffe as this it doth affoord you in time of neede I say thirdly that in the originall and Greeke text your worde merite may long seeke for lodging before it finde any For these are the expresse wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Make place to all almes for euerie one shall find according to his workes The 10. obiection One Scripture saith that if we giue almes all things are pure vnto vs. Another scripture saith that charitie couereth the multitude of sinnes And it is frequent with the holy fathers that good workes deliuer vs from hell The answere I say first that S. Luke reprooueth y e extortions of the Pharisies exhorteth them to works of charitie As if he had said not vnwashed handes make you eate vncleanly but your wicked extortions Vse therefore charitie and giue almes to the poore and then your soules shalbe cleane though the platter be vnwashed This sense is gathered out of the verses aforegoing I say secondly that almesdeedes and other good works proceeding of faith do neither merite nor iustifie as is prooued but yet they are testimonies before men that wee be iustified by faith through the merites of Christ Iesus For which respect iustification is often ascribed vnto them as to the effects therof I say thirdly that the fathers in many places doe speake of temporal remission which often is graunted for almes deeds and the like The replie If good workes can neither iustifie nor merite then is it but a vaine thing to exercise our selues therein The answere I say first that thus to say and thinke is a probable signe of the reprobate who hath no feeling of Gods holy spirite but is become senselesse in all spirituall contemplation I say secondly that albeit good workes doe neither iustifie nor merite in proper kinde of speech yet be there many good and necessary causes why we should doe good workes First because God is glorified therein Therefore saith Christ let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen Secondly because by good workes we shew our gratitude loue towards God Therfore saith Christ If ye loue me keep my coÌ„mandements Thirdly because it is the end for which we were created Therfore saith the apostle For we are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good works which God hath ordained that we should walke in them Fourthly because they are necessary effectes of our predestination and consequently yeeld and euident morall certitude both to our selues to our neighbours that we are y e childreÌ„ of God Therfore saith the apostle There is no coÌ„demnation to theÌ„ y t are in Christ Iesus which walk not after y e flesh but after the spirite as if hee had said Who soeuer are the childreÌ„ of God cannot but liue after Gods holy lawes Which is the selfe same doctrine that Christ himselfe taught vs saying If ye shall keepe my commaundementes yee shall abide in my loue as I haue kept my fathers commandement and abide in his loue And S. Iohn confirmeth the same in these wordes In this wee know that we loue the children of God when we loue God and keepe his commandementes For this is the loue of God that we keep his commandementes So then if we keep Gods commandementes it is an euident signe that we loue God and that by faith wee are of his free mercie made his children for the merites and righteousnesse of Christ Iesus See more hereof in the eleuenth preamble in my first booke of Motiues The 8 conclusion Although good workes doe neither merite grace in this life nor glorie in the life to come as which are imperfect polluted with sinne and in rigour of iustice worthy of condemnation as is alreadie prooued yet because God hath decreed in his eternal counsel to bring vs to heauen by them as by ordinary meanes and right fruites of a sound christian faith they may in a godly sense be termed The secundary instrumentall cause of eternall life but in no sense the cause of mans iustification Explico I say of mans iustification because the latter can neuer be the cause of the former and consequently good workes following our iustification as the immediate fruites thereof can by no meanes possible be the cause of the same In regard whereof S. Austen as in many other thinges so in this point saide very learnedly Quòd opera non praecedunt iustificandum sed sequuÌ„tur iustificatum That workes doe not go before iustification but followe him that is iustified I say of eternall life because when there be many gradual effectes of one and the same cause then the former may fitly be termed the materiall cause of the latter that is as the schooles terme it Causa sine qua non
first that howsoeuer sundry of you admire your Iesuites whom I willingly confesse to be learned wishing they would vse their learning to Gods glorie yet cannot wise men be carried away with ipse dixit as if they were become disciples of Pythagoras I say secoÌ„dly that S. Pauls own words confute your Iesuite sufficiently For first he saith that he deliuered euen that which he receiued Againe he reciteth the precept aswel after the cup as after the bread which must bee wel obserued For hereupon doth it follow that both kinds be of like force the one not more commanded then y e other Thirdly he applieth aswel the drinking of the cup as the eating of y e bread to al the faithful in generall Fourthly he applieth the examination to euery one of the faithful Fiftly he willeth the examination to be made aswel in drinking of the cup as in eating of the bread Sixtly he wrote spake aswel to the lay people as to the priests as the beginning of the epistle declareth And in this sense doth their owne Haymo so reputed expound S. Paul for these are his words Ego nâ— accepi à domino quod et tradidi vobis .i. mysterâ—uÌ„ corporis sanguinis Dom. quomodo debeatis sumere Sicut mihi reuelauit ita tradidi vobis For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I deliuered to you that is the mysterie of our Lords body and bloud in what manner ye ought to receiue it Euen as he reuealed it to me so haue I deliuered it to you The reply S. Marke maketh it plaine that it was onely spoken to the apostles Drinke ye all of it For he addeth And they all dranke of it For it is cleare that al they dranke thereof who were commaunded to drinke The answere I say first that it was spoken to al the faithfull aswell as to the apostles For Paul exhorted the whole church at Corinth to vse both the kinds saying that God had so appointed As if he had said not I but the Lord coÌ„mandeth you thus to do for he reuealed to me euen as I haue deliuered vnto you Therefore if ye do it not you transgresse his holy commaundement Yea S. Paul declared expressely in the very beginning of his epistle that commandement of receiuing the holy Eucharist in both kindes concerned all the faithfull in the world as well to come as theÌ„ liuing For these words Ye shal shew the Lords death till he come doe euidently prooue that the forme prescribed by the apostle must continue after the death of the Corinthians euen till the day of doome I say secondly that since Christ himselfe instituted both kinds since the apostle deliuered both kinds euen to the lay people since the church communicated to the faithful laycall people in both kinds euerie where for many hundred yeres together as the papists themselues cannot denie since they confesse that both kinds may lawfully be vsed since no scripture teacheth vs that one kind is sufficient since no father did euer exhort to vse one only kind since no councell till the late synode of Constance did euer commaund one only kind in fine since the church for more then a thousand yeeres together did euer vse both kinds how impudent howe vnchristian nay how tyrannicall and bloud-thirstie is the Pope of Rome and his Iesuits that incense and excite him thereunto who labor this day with fire and fagot to enforce the faithful to the contrary I say thirdly that this obiection maketh against the papists for in that they al dranke therof it cannot folow that none else may drinke thereof otherwise the practise of the church hitherto should haue beene wicked and the apostles themselues haue sinned grieuously but that all present ought to drinke thereof For which cause their owne canon-law commaundeth all to bee putte out of the church that will not communicate when the consecration is ended Yea their own Pope Iulius doth condemne their grosse illation as who vnderstoode Christes wordes of all the faithfull Thus doth he write Illud vero quod pro complemento communionis intinctam tradunt eucharistiam populis nec hoc prolatum ex euangelio testimonium receperunt vbi apostolis corpus suum commendauit sanguinem seorsum enim panis seorsum calicit coÌ„mendatio memoratur Nam intinctum panem alijs ChristuÌ„ praebuisse non legimus excepto illo discipulo tantuÌ„ queÌ„ intincta buccella magistri proditorem ostenderet But where they giue y e dipped eucharist to the people for the complement of the communion they found not this witnessed in the gospel where Christ coÌ„mended his bodie and blood to his disciples For the bread is commended apart and the cuppe also apart For we reade not that Christ gaue dipped bread to any others saue onelie to the disciple whom the dipped morsell declared to be the betrayer of his maister The replie The councill of Constance commaunded no new thing but onelie made a law for the continual performance of that which the church had practised long before The answer I say first that thogh it were so practised before in some places yet was that practise neither generall nor approued by anie setled lawe vntil the late councill of Constance I say secondly that the great pillar of the popish church Thomas Aquinas honestly confesseth so much in this behalf as is enough for the euerlasting confusion of all Romish hypocrites And because I couet to deale faithfully in this point as in al other I will alleage the expresse wordes of Aquinas as himselfe hath deliuered them thus doth he write Ex parte quidem ipsius sacramenti conuenit quòd vtrumque sumatur scilicet corpus sanguis quia in vtroque consistit perfectio sacramenti Et ideo quia ad sacerdotem pertinet hoc sacramentum consecrare perficere nullo modo debet corpus Christi sumere sine sanguine ex parte autem sumentium requiritur summa reuerentia cautela ne aliquid accidat quod vergat ad iniuriam tanti mysterij quod praecipuè posset accidere in sanguinis sumptione qui quidem si incautè sumeretur de facili posset effundi Et quia creuit multitudo populi christiani in quâ continentur senes iuuenes paruuli quorum quidâ—m non sunt tantae discretionis vt cautelam debitam circa vsum huius sacramenti adhibeant ideo prouidè in quibusdam ecclesiis obseruatur vt populo sanguis sumendus non detur sed solûm à sacerdote sumatur In the behalfe of the sacrament it is meete that both be receiued to wit both the bodie and the blood bicause in both consisteth the perfection of the sacrament and therefore because it belongeth to the priest to consecrate and to perfite this sacrament he may in no case receiue the bodie of Christ without the blood In the behalfe of the receiuers great reuerence and circumspection is required left any thing
vnited if we receiued Christ corpoâ—â—lly into our bellies But as the same Cyprian saith a 〈…〉 Recipitur non includitur He is receiued but not shut vp in the sacrament I note thirdly that this bread is spirituall not corporall the bread of the soule not of the bodie I note fourthly that we eate Angell-foode here on earth in the sacrament and that we shall eate the verie same in heauen without the sacrament Which assertion vttered by holy Cyprian sheweth his catholique christian meaning so plainly as all Papistes may be ashamed hencefoorth to alleadge him for their late inuented carnall presence In heauen there is neither accident without subiect nor sacrament administred nor yet any corporall eating and drinking there vsed Angels foode is spirituall not carnall celestiall not terrestriall eternall not corporall Angels neither eate by dint of tooth nor by morsels in the mouth Their nature is not capable of anie such actions Since therefore our sacramentall meate is the same that Angels now eate and the same that our selues shall eate in heauen where all corporall carnall and fleshy eating ceaseth it foloweth of necessitie that it is meere spirituall not corporall fleshy or carnall The reply He saith that the bread is made flesh by the omnipotencie of Gods word to shew the vnspeakeable transmutation Therefore so soone as Gods worde is spoken by the priest it is no more bread but flesh indeede The answere I say first as I said not long before that it passeth the force of any power vpon earth to make common bread a sacrament I say secondly that the alteration is vnspeakeable when the diuine power of Christ doth infuse it selfe into the hearts of the faithful by the visible sacrament as by his ordinarie organ and instrument and then and there worketh the diuine effectes signified by the sacrament I say thirdly that whosoeuer wil peruse the whole treatise of Saint Cyprian De coena Domini and doe it seriously with iudgement and christian zeale that man shal doubtlesse finde his meaning to bee as I haue saide For in an other place thereof he hath these words Ideò ex consueto rerum effectu fidei nostrae adiuta infirmitas sensibili argumento edocta est visibilibus sacramentis inesse vitae aternae effectum non tam corporali quà m spirituali transitione Christo nos vniri Therefore the infirmitie of our faith being holpen by the accustomed effect of things is caught by a sensible argument that the effect of eternal life is in the visible sacraments and that we are vnited to Christ not so by corporal as by spiritual transmutation And in the very ende of the tract he concludeth in this manner Haec quoties agimus non dentes ad mordendum acuimus sed fide sincerâ panem sanctum frangimus partimur dum quod diuinum quod humanum est distinguimus separamus itémque simul separata iungentes vnum deum hominem fatemur Sed nos ipsi corpus eius effecti sacramento re sacramenti capiti nostro connectimur vnimur singuli alter alterius membra ministerium dilectionis pro inuicem exhibentes communicamus charitate participamus sollicitudine eundem cibum manducantes eundem potum bibentes qui depetra spiritali profluit emanat qui cibus potus est dominus noster Iesus Christus So often as we doe these things we doe not whet our teeth to eate but we breake and diuide the sanctified bread with a sincere faith while wee distinguish and separate what is diuine and what humane and also ioyning the same things separated together confesse one God and man Our selues also being made his body are knit to our head by the sacrament and vertue thereof and are vnited particularly one an others members exhibiting the ministerie of loue one for another we communicate in charitie we participate in solicitude we eate the same meate and drinke the same drinke which floweth and runneth out of the spiritual rocke which meate and drinke is our Lord Iesus Christ. Out of these wordes I note first that Christ is truely present in the eucharist but yet after a spiritual sort and not corporall I note secondly that we are vnited to Christ spiritually by meanes of the sacrament but not corporally For as wee receiue Christ in the sacrament so are wee vnited to Christ iâ— the same as by an ordinary instrument vnder him I note thirdly that after sanctification it is bread still as before and is broken and deuided none of which can agree indeede with Christs corporall presence I note fourthly that we eate not Christ with mouth and tooth but with a true christian faith I note fiftly that the true and sincere faith by which we must eate the Eucharist is to distinguish in Christ the humanitie from the diuinitie and to ioyne the same againe confessing one Christ to be true God and true man I note sixtly that as we eate Christ in the Sacrament so are we made one anothers members which can not be otherwise vnderstoode then in a mysticall maner I note seuenthly that our sacramentall meate and drinke is spirituall which floweth out from the spirituall rocke Christ Iesus For if the rocke be spirituall whereof we drinke then doubtles the drinke it selfe can not be corporall because as all Philosophers graunt and as right reason prescribeth qualis causa talis effectus the effect is of like condition with the cause neither can a corporall cause bring foorth a spirituall effect nor a spirituall cause a corporall effect whereupon ariseth a great question among the Schoolemen how hell fire can be materiall since a body can haue no action into a spirit The 3. obiection Saint Chrysostome hath these wordes Quod est in calice id est quod à latere fluxit illius sumus participes That which is in the cuppe is the same that flowed out of his side and wee are partakers thereof But doubtlesse no christian can or will denie that to be Christs true bloud indeede which issued out of his side vppon the crosse therefore the same must be granted to be vnder the forme of wine in the masse The answer I say first that I graunt Christes true body and his true bloud to be in the eucharist but not vnder accidents without subiects nor corporally and carnally but in a diuine spirituall and mysticall sort Neither doth saint Chrysostome S. Cyprian saint Austen or anie other ancient father speake one word of your carnall reall presence or once name your accidents without subiects No they teach no other doctrine then that which I willingly imbrace Now that Saint Chrysostome speaketh of a mysticall presence his owne wordes following within a few lines shall witnesse the same with me Thus he saith Et propter te frangi sustinet vt omnes satiet And he suffereth to be broken for thee that he may satiate all Thus saith this holy father By whose words it is
pope yea which is more to be admired the necessity of auricular confession was not established by popish decree before the said Innocent was pope of Rome so writes their own historiographer Platina The fourth obiection Tertullian and Cyprian who liued aboue 1300. yeres ago do both make mention of secret confession made closely to the priests yea of such sins as the people neuer did saue only that they thoght of thē in their harts Which words can neuer be rackt to publike confession but must perforce be vnderstood of that auricular cōfession which is this day vsed in the church of Rome The answere I say first that Cyprian and Tertullian speake of publike confession which the fathers of the ancient church appointed to be done for publike crimes which practise in some measure is this day obserued in our church of England I say secondly that albeit in the ancient church some deuout people of great zeale confessed to the priests their secret faults desiring their counsel prayers and instruction in that behalfe yet were such confessions voluntary vntill Innocentius neither were they made by all the people neither did they recite all their sinnes but such onely as seemed good vnto them This answer is sufficiently prooued already yet for better satisfaction of the Reader I will confute papists by papists in expresse termes Beatus Rhenanus a popish diuine and a man of great learning though carried away with the errours of his time hath testified this veritie so sincerely and so copiously as more neede not be said herein First therefore he hath these words De publica confessione siue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 facit mentionē cuius etiam Leo papa meminit de poenitentia dist 1. qua maiores nostros apparet aliquandiu vsos fuisse priusquā ista secreta nasceretur qua hodie cōscientiā nostram sacerdoti detegimus vsque ad circumstantiarū omnium minutias quā tamen saluberrimam esse nemo potest inficiari Sane sunt etiam inter iuris pontificij interpretes qui institutam ab ecclesia tradant confessionē igitur quantum conijcere datur illa sumpsit originem ex veteri instrumento haec autē hinc nata videtur quod constitutis quibusdam poenitentiae legibus quib tempus modus singulis peccatis expiandis praestituebatur Canones poenitentiales vocant opus fuit sacerdotem in consilium adhiberi praesertim à laicis He maketh mention he speaketh of Tertullian of publike confession whereof Leo also maketh mention which it is cleare that our ancestors vsed som space of time before this secret cōfession was hatched with which we this day disclose our conscience to the priest til we haue told the least circumstance of al which neuertheles no man can denie to be very good Yea ther be euen amōg them that interpret the popes law who acknowledge confession to be ordained by the church Therefore as I can coniecture the publike confession began of the olde Testament this auricular came vp thus because so soone as certain lawes were made in which the time and the maner were appointed for the punishment of euery sinne which they tearme the penitentiall canons it was needefull to haue a priest for counsell especially to the lay people Out of these words I note first that Tertullian Cyprian Leo and all the ancient writers do alway vnderstand publike when they speake of confession although some of them as Leo were bishops of Rome themselues I note secondly that the ancient church knewe not this late Popish auricular confession as which was hatched but of late yeares I note thirdly that this Beatus Rhenanus is a great papist as who acknowledgeth this confession auricular to be good consequently that his answer is most forcible against y e papists I note fourthly that this auricular confession was ordained by the law of man and neither by Christ nor by his apostles I note fiftly that the confession wherof the ancient fathers speake was of some speciall sinnes but not of all I proue it because Rhenanus saith that it began of the old testament in which it is cleare that all sins were not particularly confessed Let this be wel marked I note sixtly that after the constitution of the penitential canons priests were ordained purposely to giue counsell and instruction to the simple Lay people which in processe of time is brought to a further matter Secondly Rhenanus hath these expresse words Vides igitur necessarium fuisse sacerdotis vti consilio quatenus institutis poenitentiae legibus fieret satis quae laicis non perinde cognitae erant Sequitur caeterum soli Deo confitendum esse diuus Chrysostomus author est Thou seest therefore that it was necessary to vse the counsel of a priest that so the penitentiall canons might be obserued which the lay people vnderstood not But for al that that we must confesse our selues only to God S. Chrysost. is our author Out of these words I note first that the ancient church appointed priests ouer the penitents onely for this end and purpose that they might giue them counsell how to make satisfaction according to the canons which them selues did not vnderstand I note secondly that we are bound to confesse all our sinnes onely to God alone Which Rhenanus though a Papist granteth constantly being thereto inforced by the authoritie of the scripture of S. Chrysostome S. Cyprian S. Basil S. Bede S. Ambrose S. Hierome Tertullian Hesychius Theodulphus Theodorus Bertramus Rabanus and Nectarius all which hee alleadgeth for his opinion Who can wish further proofe Thirdly Rhenanus writeth thus Non aliam ob causam complurium hîc testimonijs vsi sumus quam ne quis admiretur Tertullianum de clancularia illa admissorum confessione nihil locutum quae quātum conijcimus penitus id temporis ignorabatur For no other cause haue I vsed here the testimonies of so many writers but lest any should maruell that Tertullian spake nothing of that secret confession which as I thinke was altogether vnknowen at that time Lo Tertullian spake not one word of auricular confession as which was not heard of in his time So then the holy fathers are wholy against the papists euen by the iudgement of a famous papist Fourthly Rhenanus saith thus Thomas Aquinas Scotus homines nimium arguti confessionem hodie talem reddiderunt vt Ioannes ille Geilerius grauis ac sanctus theologus qui tot annis argentorati concionatus est apud amicos suos saepe testatus sit iuxta corū deuteroseis impossibile esse confiteri But Th. Aquinas Scotus men too much delighted with subtilties haue brought confession this day to such a passe that Ioannes Geilerius a graue and reuerend diuine and a preacher a long time at Argentoratum said many a time vnto his friends that it was impossible for a man to make his confession according to their