heauen The not knowinge I will not say despising of this heauenly diuine calling is the cause that the world at this day hath and in all ages hath had innumerable ministers of the word innumerable workemen and innumerable I say in their owne opinion builders and master-builders who peraduenture in Gods iudgement by whom they were not sent and yet they ronne are but dirt-dawbers or to say more rightly pullers downe ouerthrowers destroyers Howbeit forasmuch as the knowledge or if I may so terme it the certeintie of his calling dependeth vpon the vvitnesse of the spirit in euery maÌ„s ovvne conscience I vvill leaue the iudgment therof vnto god It is more for our behoofe to knowe and aduisedly to consider what maner of dealing foorth God teacheth his Prophets that we treading in their footesteppes may on eyther side doo our duetie the teacher in deuiding the worde of truth rightly and the hearer in partaking the apt and true deuiding of Gods word rather than any of them both to disgrace them selues with curious and straunge sifting out of things for a brauerie of their wit And for examples sake let vs consider the calling of Ieremie whome when God chose to take the roome of a teacher in the Churche of Ierusalem he instituted him with these words See sayth he I set thee this day ouer Nations and Kingdomes to plucke vp and pull downe to destroy and ouerthrowe to builde vp and to plant so foorth In which saying the euerlasting Godhead hath with most apte similitudes and with a certein pithy contrary matching of words shewed Ieremie the heauenly Logike whiche teacheth that the first point of the ministration of the Gospell is to rid the hearers minds from coÌ„mon false opinions that the heueÌ„ly doctrine may find mens consciences ready plante abundance of true spirituall fruite in theÌ„ To speake more plainly The lawe must first play his part in vs before the seede of the Gospell be sowed Novve vnto the duty of the law pertein those most pithie words of Plucking vp pulling downe destroying and ouerthrowing And vnto the other part of the ministratioÌ„ belong the other words of building vp and planting How much maiestie grace vnespied learning these similitudes borowed of husdandrie buylding haue the sermoÌ„s of the other prophets shew but specially the sermoÌ„ that is in the .xiij. of Ezechiell which I will not put in heere bicause I meane to bee short You GentlemeÌ„ if it please you may reade it your selues and wey thoroughly what the lord saith against the false prophetes whiche with their forged promises seduced the Churche dispersed and banished in Babylon for their wickednesse and foaded them still in their errours whereas they oughte rather to haue set open the vvelspring fountayne of Gods vengeaunce before the captiue peoples eyes to haue exhorted the sinners to repentaunce For in very deed it behoueth vs first too pull dovvne ouerthrovv and vndo the old things that aftervvarde vvee may reere and build vp the nevv But those false prophets delt contraryvvise vvhome the holy Ghost likeneth to euill builders vvhich eyther for vvant of skill or for couetousnesse or being corrupted by some levvde affection vndertake the botching vp of decaied howses Howbeit forasmuchas the casting down digging vp of fouÌ„dacions is not voyd of perill and the laying of new requireth much labour and the rearing of them vp againe will aske expence of much tyme those fellowes had leuer ô builders most vnworthie of Gods worke those felowes I say had leuer too botch vp vnhandsomely the ruinous foundacions which they fynde and too parget them ouer and so too set on a roofe and other by woorkes readie to fall againe within a while after that they may seeme to bee buylders than to begin their house at the â—â—rst foundations or to speake more â—ightly at the very digging vp of the â—uinous fouÌ„dations as the right order of buylding requireth But as touching this matter it is best for you to reade Ezechiell him selfe that ye may the better perceiue hovv greatly God mysliketh the doings of suche as seke to commende their buylding in the Churche rather vvith pargetting and botching than vvith any right order of building And the holy Ghost sheweth how vnhappie end wayteth not only vpon such buyldings vvhich for all their whitelyming are ruinous still but also vpon the botchers and vvhitlymers them selues He that hath eares to heare let him heeare Thus muche concerning the similitude of building and the duetie of builders Novv let vs returne to Ieremie and learne of him after vvhat manner our hearers ought to be manered in the knovvledge of the holy doctrine according to the maner of dealing in husbandry He bespeaketh his Disciples in thiâ— wise Cut vp your layes sayth he anâ— sowe not vpon thornes Surely a verâ— fit and needfull order first to pluckâ— vp breers and to stub vp thornes before we sow our sede lest we lose botâ— our labour and our cost and in steedâ— of corne reape but the straw chaffe But it is best to heere Ieremie declarâ— his ovvne similitude Be yee circumcâ—sed to the Lord sayth he and pluck a way the foreskin of your harts lest hiâ— fyrie wrath burst foorth and burnâ— vnquencheably for the lewdnesse oâ— your nature The prophet Ozeas beating vpon the same similitude techeth the same thing Sow yee sayth he vnto righteousnesse and yee shall reape according to the mesure of your godlynesse breake vp your layes vvhile it is time to seeke the Lorde til he come and besprinckle you with righteousnesse As nowe throughe your vntowarde maner of dealing yee plow wickednesse and reape naughtinesse and therefore yee eate the fruite of lying bicause yee trust to your owne manners and to the multitude of your owne souldiers Thus muche concerning the order of the prophets which the teachers of the newe Testamente haue also hilde as appeareth playnly by the sermons of Iohn Baptist the Lordes forerunner who preached repentaunce and amendment of life to the forgiuenesse of sinnes The same way and maner of teaching was kept by the Apostles who first exhorted men to repentaunce towards God and then to beleue in Iesus Christ Being led by all these examples righte deere beloued Readers the first yeere of my ministration in your company I vndertooke the opening of the Epistle of Paule to the Romanes whiche in the iudgemente of all the Learned conteyneth the summe of oure Christian religion comprehended in so excellent order that vvhether yee haue an eye too the truthe or too the trade of teachinge there can no faulte at all bee founde in it For after that it hathe layde the foundation of true repentaunce it teacheth the two chiefe poynts of our religion namely the doctrine how to beleeue well and howe to doo vvell Vnto the which partition may all the writings both of the olde and nevve Testament bee referred All whiche things as I suppose doo ame at this marke namely of
vnto you which doo rather wey the matter that is spoken than with how vvell fyled termes it is vttered I am nother vvearie nor ashamed of the charge that I haue taken in hande Nay rather I doo often thinke bethinke mee of this saying of S. Austins that happie is that necessity vvhich driueth a maÌ„ to the better thinges For this I may plainely confesse that of these manye yeares I neuer led a meryer or happier lyfe nor continued in my studies vvith more cheerfulnesse and peraduenture frute also thaÌ„ since I began to execute the office of a teacher in your companye And vvould God that mine olde aduersaries dyd not ageine enuy this my happy state and prepare nevv snares too incumber this my quyetnesse of vvhose vntovvard dealing ageinst me I could heere say ouermuch and truly the order of my promised partition requireth that I shoulde recken vp here the false reports that are spred abrode of mee and disperse them by shevving the truth but it is better to passe them ouer vvith silence than to speake to little of so wrongfull and long a matter I wish no more but only this that those men will gyue mee but so loÌ„g truce as to passe out of this life with a quiet pesable mind And when I am dead let theÌ„ gnaw euen the stones of my graue if they list But if the thing I wish caÌ„not hapeÌ„ to me as it befalleth not to mortal wretches to haue any thing happie in all poyntes I vvill vvillingly in the meane vvhile both heare imbrace the crosse that God hath prepared for me and layde vpon me And if the weight of it ouerlode my shoulders I will rather call some Cyrenian too mee too beare the one halfe of the burthen vppon his shoulders with me than cast it quite away But what Cyrenian shall I finde more friendly or willing to ease mee of my burthen than him that with his moste sweete wordes allureth all men to him Math. 11. saying Come vnto mee all yee that faynt and are ouerloden and I will refreshe you Therefore I beseeche Iesus Christ the only begotten sonne of the liuing God sauiour of mankinde to helpe me in bearing of my crosse and so to holde beare vp with his most mightie handes the burthen of it which doubtlesse is too me intolerable as I may paciently willingly beare it with him and that he suffer not my harte to bee tickled with desire of reuenge agaynst suche as stayne mee defame mee persecute me trouble me The heauenly doctrine commaundeth vs to loue our enemies and not to pay them like for like by rayling vpon them but rather to doo good to them that hate vs and to wish well to them for the wronges that we haue receyued at their hands Therefore folowing this rule I besech almighty God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ to gyue my backebiters the spirit of amendment and a better minde towards me that by seeking to deface me they hinder not the course of the gospell specially among myne owne countrymen which may heere some vncerteyn reportes but not the reasons lykewise God graunt at this my prayer request that the mindes of my persecuters maye one day bee bowed turned For to speake with a good conscience what I thinke in my hart I had rather contende with these men in the dutyes of charity than by slaunderous Epistles byting bookes spitefull wrytings raylings tauntes such other as I suppose most vnsemely weapons which eueÌ„ christian souldiers ought to abhorre much lesse can in any wise become the preachers of the Gospell Therefore as long as I can I will warde their iniuries with prayers and vse modest defences least I take harme in the meane vvhyle by holding my peace But if I see them proceede in their vntovvard maner of dealing I vvill not say maliciousnesse and rancour of minde I will peraduenture desire the Lorde to helpe me with fitte and liuely colours wherwith to peint out the image of slanderousnesse as Apelles did that I may discouer their spitefull lyes wherwith they go about to oppresse mine innocency But heereof inough Now I returne to the text of the Apostle Paules thirde precept is that the dealers foorth of the holy doctrine shoulde deuide the worde of truthe aright In the Greeke worde Orthotomein for that vvorde ansvvereth to two Latin words as I thinke there lieth hidde a most excellent allusion to the Ceremonie of sacrifising in the olde Lavve For as Mosesis Priest ought to haue a moste exact skill both hovve to cutte out the â—â—crifice and hovve to deale it foorth â—nd the sleying distributing of the â—â—crifice did out of all doubte repreâ—â—nt Gods onely begotten sonne vvho became the sacrifice of propitiation â—or vs to take away the sinnes of the worlde so also the priest of the Gospell muste bee skilfull and taught of God that he may be able to cutte or deuide the worde of truthe knovve hovve to deale it foorth discretly and fitly Setting this precept before mine â—yes from the time that the Lord called me to this Ecclesiasticall function I haue indeuered not onely to delyuer to my hearers a pure and sounde doctrine dravven out of the fountaynes of the holy Scriptures but also to obserue that way and trade of teaching which the holy writers were woÌ„t to vse in their sermoÌ„s For I am of opinion that an vntoward and disordred trade of teaching doth in manner no lesse harme to the hearers thaÌ„ the vnpurenesse of doctrine It is an old Proâ—erb A good thing is euil if it be done out of season For lyke as a Phisition maye minister good and wholesome medicines too his patient and yet very farre ouershot himself in this that he neither considereth well the complexion of the party diseased nor obserueth the fit oportunity of tyme so also it falleth out often tymes in the dealing forth of the heaueÌ„ly doctrine that some man beinge touched with vnaduised zeale steppeth forth vncalled of God and thrusteth out the true things which he hath gleaned vp here and there out of other mens bookeâ— or sermons without hauing any respect of the persons of his heerers or withoute any considering of the circumstaÌ„ces of the time But to mount vp yet higher and to say plainly what I thinke This moste excellent part of the holy ministration that is too wit this skill of diuiding dealing forth which sothly is the diuine logike that openeth the trade of teachinge the gospell hath his originall of Gods calling For euen he that maketh men fit ministers of the new Testament that is to wit not of the letter but of the spirit euen he himselfe I say gyueth the spirit of discretion to the dealer forth of his heauenly word to know how to gyue measurable meale in due tyme and also to haue wit to bring foorth both new thinges and old out of his storehowse as a skilfull scribe in the kingdome of
professors of true godlinesse if you wishe to haue quiet consciences and to giue no occasion of stumbling kepe these precepts in meane or indifferent things If any among you be weake in faith and hath not the true christian libertie succor ye him without any doubtfulnes of mind not by entring into debate and disputation with him but rather by meelde and patient teaching of him For some man that is perfect in fayth beleeueth that he may eate all things so they be not hurtfull by nature to his body But he that is weake in fayth eateth herbes or such flesh as is not forbidden in Moses law Therfore let this be the lavve among you Let not him that vseth the liberty of the gospel ineating of al kind of meates despise him that forbeareth some kinds and eateth not of all alike For it is not lawful to despise Christes liuing member though he be weake And on the other side he that is afraide to vse of all sortes of meates bicause he hath not so well profited in the knowledge of the christiā liberty as he ought to haue done let not him I say by by rebuke condemne that party that eateth all kinds of meats For god imbraceth both the one that eateth and the other that eateth not as christs mēbers so they do it with faith Therefore neither he that eateth not cā be iustly despised nor he that eateth bee iusty condemned Surely if such men were nowe before me I would deale with them in such words as these first I would step to him that taketh so great authoritie vpon him as to condemne another mans seruant and say who are you I beseech you that despise another mans Seruant He standeth or falleth to his owne master but he shall stand fast for God is able to make him to stand And though he fal perish or b◠dāned neuer so much he neither falleth or perisheth vnto thee but vnto god As touching the choise of days some mā bicause he is yet still ignorāt of the christian liberty putteth difference betwene day day preparīg the feastful before th'nfestful Another bicause he is inlightened with knowledge coūteth all days alike putting no differēce betwene holydayes working dayes The christian conscience must walke safely betwene these two extremities For if behoueth euery man to be full assured in his owne consciences that is to wit the strong must bee sure of his libertie namely what it is and howe farre he may vse it Againe the vnstrong must profite dayly more and more and go on still forward in knowledge of the Christian libertie For by that meanes neither the one sort shall abuse gods gift nor the other sort alwayes foade them selues in their owne weaknesse To be short let eyther of them trye his owne conscience and intent and let them by all meanes indeuer that whatsoeuer they doo they may beleeue that they do it well R. Surely right wholsome counsell For so long as men hang vppon other mens sayings and examples without asking counsel of their own consciences their minds are euer wauering while they be in doubt what to do they be driuen to and fro euery moment according to the alteration of the time P. You shall the better vnderstand my rule if it be lightened with some examples The reason of like things is euer al one Marke I pray you He that maketh a conscience of dayes and putteth difference betweene day day according to the commandement of Moyses law do the it out of doubt least the Lorde should be offended who had commanded a difference of dayes in his law for he hath not yet learned the christian libertie concerning the abolishing of the difference of dayes And therfore he is rather to be praysed than dispraysed that he dare not do any thing without warrant of his conscience Contrariwise he that regardeth not dayes but taketh all dayes to be alike without putting of any difference betweene holy and vnholy doth it also for the Lawes sake bicause he knovveth he may freely vse the liberty of the gospel After the same maner must you iudge of the choyse of meates For he that eateth the meates that are forbiddē in Moses law so he be indued with christian libertie eateth vnto the Lord for he giueth god thāks And he that absteineth bicause of the weaknes of his faith absteineth to the Lord giueth god thanks aswel as the other You see then how both of them do honor god that god only if you consider the whole matter throghly is the iudge of both those doings Therefore you see it is reason that wee should beate downe this loftines of our minde wherthrogh we either despise or cōdēne one another leaue all power of iudging vnto god alone either to acquit or condēne specially sith we be all his seruāts For none of vs al liueth to himself neither doth any of vs dye to himselfe For if we liue we liue vnto the Lord if we dye we dye vnto the Lorde To be short there is no cause why wee should stand scanning about meats or dayes or other meane things but the cheefe thing wherabout we should imploy all our wits is that whether we liue or whether we dye vve may be the Lords For euen for that cause did Christe dye and rise agayn to lyfe namely that he might be Lorde both of quick and dead Now then why doest thou you knovve to whom I speake why doest thou I say condemne thy weak brother vvhich is rather worthy to be pitied than to be scorned for whose saluatiō Christ died And thou that boastest of thy christian liberty why art thou so proude to disdain thy brother with such a lofty loke Surely thou oughtest not to blame him of vnbeleefe for that fearfull maner of dealing of his but rather cōster it with a welmeaning mind leaue the iudgement of it to god and to his Christe For all of vs shall come before Christes iudgemēt seat as the holy sayings of the holy scriptures vvitnes Es 45.23 And specially Esaye speaketh after this maner in the name of the Lord As I liue sayth the Lord al knees shall bow to me and all tungs shal prayse god Seeing then that euery of vs shall pleade before god for him selfe and not for another howe happeneth it that so many among you are inquisitiue of other mens saluations Haue they so muche spare tyme from their ovvne matters as to bee carefull for other mens Now at lengthe too conclude I praye you geeue ouer suche contentions and iudge not one of another But rather vse iudgement in this poynt that ye lay no stumbling blocks or occasiōs of fallings in your brothers wayes R. To vtter my minde plainely vnto you I am not a little moued at the straungnes of this doctrine For I can scarsly perceiue how the scholmastership of the law is abolisheo by Christes benefite from such as know the libertie of the gospel For you say