16.18 and an high minde before the fall And whosoeuer hee is that seemeth to himselfe to bee somewhat when hee is nothing Gal. 6.3 hee deceiueth himselfe in his owne imagination And therefore acknowledging our owne want of strength and our owne inabilitie to stand without the assistance of Gods grace let vs not be high minded but feare Rom. 11.20 as the Apostle exhorteth yea let vs worke out our owne saluation with feare and trembling It is true indeed Phil. 2.12 in respect of God we haue no cause to feare For his foundation remaineth sure and hath this seale The Lord knoweth who are his 2. Tim. 2.19 But in respect of our selues and our owne frailtie wee haue great cause to feare For if it were not that the Lord doth establish vs by his strength we should hazard the forfeiting of our saluation eueryday And therefore Let him that thinketh hee standeth take heed least he fall And indeed 1. Cor. 10.12 who can hope to stand being left to himselfe when as Peter who had made such an excellent confession of Christ twice before Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God And Mat. 16.16 Ioh. 6.68.69 thou hast the wordes of eternall life c. Who had wrought so many miracles in the name of Christ Mat. 17.2 and had in some measure tasted of the ioyes of heauen being present when his Master was transfigured on the mount could not stand but fell so shamefully Secondly it admonisheth vs to trust in the Lord that that which we are not able to doe of our selues wee may effect it by his strength and by the power of his might Corroboration is an herbe of grace as I may tearme it that groweth not in our gardens but as all other good gifts it is from aboue Iam. 1.17 and commeth downe from the father of lights And if at any time it be dead in respect of our feeling it can neuer be quickned againe by any blowing of our owne but as it were by new fire giuen from heauen And therefore when we feele our owne weaknesse we must haue recourse to God by earnest Prayer as the Apostle Paul did in the like case 2. Cor. 12.8 Psal 51.12 17.5 And Dauid hauing experience of his great frailtie by his grieuous fals prayeth vnto God to stablish him and vnder proppe him as it were with his free spirit and to stay his steps in his paths that his feete might not slide And our Sauiour Christ knowing the manifold temptations wherewith we are beset and our inabilitie to withstand them Math. 6.13 hath taught vs in the Lordes Prayer to double that petition Lead vs not into temptation But deliuer vs from euill Petrus ex egregio praesumptore creber negator effectus est Aug. Thirdly wee are here admonished not to be too rash and hasty in our promises which we make to God further then we knowe our owne strength least it befall vs as it did the Apostle Peter in this place He promised great matters but he was slacke in performance I grant it is necessary for vs to vow sometimes that wee may be more strictly tyed to the performance of our duties Eccles 5.1 Willet contr 6. quaest 4. part 3. yet it is the counsell of Salomon that neither our mouthes be too rash nor our hearts too hastie in vowing And among many conditions required in making of vowes this is one which is chiefly to be regarded namely that it be in our power to performe them otherwise it is but a tempting of God and giueth great aduantage to the Deuill As we see in the Papists who are very forward to vowe single life but how they performe it Math. 19.11 the euent sheweth for the gift of continency being not in their power as our Sauiour Christ saith All men receiue not this thing but they to whom it is giuen they defile themselues with fornication and all kind of beastly filthinesse yea euen such as with modestie cannot be named Secondly For confutation this doctrine serueth for the confutation of a Vse 2 maine doctrine yea euen a pillar of Papistry namely that Peter is the foundation whereupon Christ built his Church But alas they will make but a miserable and a feeble Church when the foundation is so weake that it shaketh at the voice of a girle It is like that house that was built on the sand which could not abide a storme The maine argument which they presse vpon euer occasion Mat. 7.26.27 and which long since is worne threed bare is that speech of our Sauiour to Peter vpon that excellent confession of his Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church c. Mat. 16.18 For why say they did Christ giue Peter this name more then any other of the Apostles but to shew that he was appointed to be the foundation of the Church But this place is most maliciously abused and wrested by them and there are diuerse grosse elenches in the argument they frame out of it Fallacia dictionis For First they change the Masculine gender into the Feminine and the Appellatine into a Proper name For Christ did not say vpon this Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fallacia compositionis which yet hee might haue said seeing in the Greeke tongue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie both one thing but he saith vpon this rocke plainely teaching vs that wee must seeke for another fundation beside Peter whereupon to build the Church Secondly they do ioyntly affirme those things of Peter which our Sauiour Christ spake distinctly both of the rocke whereupon the building of the Church is laid and of Peter who is a part of the building For so he distinguisheth Thou art Peter vpon this rocke c. Thirdly in the person of Peter our Sauiour Christ spake to all his Disciples and therefore they should all be foundations of the Church as well as Peter which were absurd Now that Christ spake to them all it may thus appeare He propounded the question to them all and not to Peter alone as is euident in the text Hee asked his Disciples whome say ye that I am And Peter answereth not for himselfe alone but for all his fellowes And therefore the words of Christ doe not onely belong to him but to all the rest of the Apostles Yea Peter Martyr witnesseth out of Origen that this answere of Christ doth not only belong to Peter the rest of the Apostles but euen to all that do imitate the faith and confession of Peter vor 19. Iohn 20.23 And for the other part of the speech in the next verse I will giue vnto thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen c. That it was spoken to them all is cleare in the Euangelist Saint Iohn where Christ saith to all his Disciples after his resurrection Whosoeuer sinnes ye remit they are
remitted vnto them c. And thus doth Augustine also vnderstand this place p Inter omnes Apostolos Ecclesiae Catholicae per sonam sustinet Petrus Huic enim Ecclesiae claues regni caelorum datae sunt cum Petro datae sunt Et cum ei dicitur ad omnes dicitur Amas me Pâ—sce oues meas Aug. de agone Christiano 1. Pet. 2.4.5.6 Ephes 2.20 Caluin instit lib. 4. c. 6. sect 5.6 1. Cor. 3.11 10.4 Gualter homil 10. in Mich. 4.1 Amongst all the Apostles saith he Peter beareth the person of the Catholicke Church For to this Church were giuen the keyes of the kingdome of heauen when they were giuen to Peter And when Christ said to him hee said to them all louest thou me feed my sheepe Wee see Peter is none of the foundation of the Church let vs see then what is the foundation By the rocke whereon our Sauiour Christ promised to build his Church is vnderstood 1. Christ himselfe as euen the Apostle Peter expoundeth it when hee saith that all Christians must be founded vpon that liuing stone elect and pretious which is the chiefe corner stone as also the Apostle Paul saith yea hee maketh Christ the onely foundation beside which none other can be laid For other foundation can no man lay then that which is laid which is Iesus Christ And he said in plaine termes the rocke was Christ And this is most agreeable to the word of our Sauiour Christ for he saith not vpon thee will I build my Church but vpon this rocke namely which thou hast confessed Now let euery man that hath any braines iudge whether it bee more agreable to the faith and more behoofull for the Church of God to be founded vpon Christ or vpon Peter vpon the sonne of the liuing God whom Peter confessed Mat. 16.23 or vpon Peter that so shamefully denyed him vpon him that subdued and conquered Sathan or vpon him whom Christ presently after calleth Sathan vpon him that is called and is indeed the corner stone that fasteneth both the walles together or vpon him Plessis treatise of the Church cap. 7. that by his carnall counsell was a stone of offence vnto him 2. The faith of Peter whereby he confessed Christ And indeed there is no great difference but all comes to one end Pet. Mart. loc com clas 4. cap. 6. sect 29. whether of these opinions we hold For Christ is the foundation of the Church not simply and absolutely but as he is apprehended of the faithfull and confessed by faith To conclude Ferus in Mat. 16. it is very well worth our marking to consider what Ferus who was himselfe a Papist hath written concerning this point in his commentaries vpon this place of Mathew This place saith he is a chiefe place of all that Mathew hath written neither is there any place that doth more comfort the conscience And this the aduersarie of all goodnesse knew well enough and therefore he hath bent all his endeauour to wrest it from the true naturall and simple meaning and to drawe it to disputations and strife of words which also he hath effected For concerning this place wee doe nothing else but contend for superioritie who should be the greatest not considering Mat. 20.25.26 what our Sauiour said to his Disciples in the like case The Lodes of the Gentiles haue dominion ouer them c. But it shall not be so with you And a little after hee saith wee must inquire what this rocke is whereon the Church is built The word rocke in the scripture is some times taken for strength and firmenesse Psa 20.7.5 40.2 and security as in those speeches of Dauid He shall set me vpon a rocke and he set my feet vpon the rocke where he meaneth nothing else but that hee was set in a sure and safe place that is in security And therefore when Christ saith vpon this rocke will I build my Church c. hee meaneth nothing else but that hee would build his Church vpon a sure and immoueable foundation against which all the assaults of the aduersaries should not preuaile Note Hereby it is euident that Christ built not his Church vpon Peter nor vpon any other man for there is no man so firme and constant that he cannot be mooued which also we plainely see in Peter Wee must therefore seeke for another rocke In the holy Scripture Christ himselfe is many times called a stone or a rocke as Isa 28.16 Psal 118.22 1. Pet. 2.4 Hearest thou what Peter saith namely that Christ is a stone and he would haue vs to be stones also which is when we are built vpon Christ Now he is built vpon Christ that beleeueth in Christ and relieth on those things which Christ is able to doe The rocke then primarily is Christ vpon whom the whole Church is built 1. Cor. 3.11 according to that of the Apostle Other foundation can no man lay c. Againe because by true faith we are ioyned vnto Christ and so doe also after a sort become stones or rockes therefore also Christian faith and the firme and constant truth of the Gospell is that rocke whereupon Christ hath built his Church He that resteth vpon this faith is a true member of the Church in what place of the world soeuer he be And he that knoweth not this faith is no member of the Church though hee seeme to be the chiefe in the Church For the Church relyeth on this truth and the Church is but one Thus far Ferus which sentence of his is agreeable and consonant in all things to the doctrine of our Church and indeed to the doctrine taught in the holy Scriptures Where we see that God hath not left vs without sufficient witnesse of this truth euen in the midst of the Church of Rome it selfe A maide came to him c. We see yet further here the punishment of carnall pride and vaine arrogancie and confidence For our Sauiour Christ of purpose would haue the Apostle Peter discouered of this gyrle and of no greater persons to the end that his pride and boasting whereby hee had so highly exalted himselfe before might bee corrected and beaten downe when hee should perceiue himselfe to bee ouercome not of a man but a woman not of some stout Gyant but of a weake and feeble porter Hee had before in a vaine conceit exalted himselfe aboue all his fellowes Though they should all bee offended by Christ vers 33. yet hee would not Yea aboue Christ himselfe to whom in a manner he doth closely giue the lie as though hee had beene deceiued in him when hee told him hee should denie him thrice No he was another manner of man then hee tooke him for he would liue and die with him that hee would vers 35. But see how shamefully he is cast downe For his fall was so much the fowler by how much the seruants that occasioned it were the baser A
faile and so the seruice of God to fall to the ground Last of all it was a part of iniustice to denie to the Leuite that wages which was due and appointed vnto them by the Lord. So plentifull and so manifold was this sinne which God in this place vpbraideth them withall And therefore Mal. 3.9 marke what followeth vpon this You are cursed with a curse for yee haue spoiled me euen this whole nation Wheresoeuer this sinne is suffered there the curse of God hangeth ouer the whole land This may very fitly be applied to our times For though the Leuiticall Priesthood bee abrogated by Christ yet the ministerie of the Church remaineth still to the end of the world And the Lord hath appointed that the Ministers of the Gospel should be maintained still Mat. 10.10 Our Sauiour saith The labourer is worthie of his wages And the Apostle proueth it at large that there is maintenance as due to the Ministers of the Gospell as euer it was to the Priests in the time of the law 1. Cor. 9.14 The Lord saith hee hath ordained that they that preach the Gospell should liue of the Gospell And how carefull the Primitiue Church was to prouide for their teachers may appeare in the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles But when once it pleased God to conuert Kings and Emperours vnto the knowledge of Christ they very bountifully enriched the Church and assigned vnto it tithes and other reuennues Which order was so inuiolably kept for a long time a Qui decimas â—aicis donaret inter maximos Haereticos non minimus babeatur Willet contr 2. quaest 3. as that there was a decree that whosoeuer should estrange tithes from the Church and giue them to the vse of Lay persons hee should bee accounted not the least among the greatest Heretikes But when superstition beganne once to grow and the ancient discipline of the Church was decayed then beganne many abuses about Church reuennues For the Pope first of all alienated the property of tithes and erected impropriations rightly so called as altogether improper for them that haue them for the maintenance of a sort of lazie Monks and Friers which like Locusts haue deuoured the Church And this appeareth euen in our owne stories For when as in the raigne of Henry the third the Bishops of England made suite to the Pope that impropriate benefices might bee restored to then first vse at the contrary request of the Monks the Pope determined they should stand as they did But the Pope is not only too blame in this case but many also of our owne Ministers are in fault For when ambitious spirits beganne to striue impudently for Church-liuings they were content basely to stoope on their knees as Camels doe for their burdens and to lay their liuings in the lap of euery Dalilah to shaue at their pleasure and to take away from them that wherein their strength consisted Hence part of the tithes and reuennues is sold away part is taken away from the Church by Noble men and part translated to other vses by the decrees of Princes so that now the poore Church of God is constrained either to satisfie the couetousnesse or to minister fewell to the prodigality of priuate persons and all men take pleasure to spoile those things which our deuout forefathers bestowed vpon the Church As the Souldiers dealt with the garments and coat of Christ Mat. 27.35 they parted his garments and cast lâ—ts so doe these men deale with the possessions of the Church They share and diuide amongst them the goods of the Church and cast lots for them and in the meane while suffer Christ Iesus to hang miserably vpon the Crosse Some deuoure some spoile the Churches goods and in the meane while suffer the Ministers of the Church and the true Teachers of the Gospell to starue and pine Thus they crucifie Christ and cast lots for his garments And this sin is so much the more hainous because a great number of those that are guilty of it would bee counted great Professours and very religious They may not bee termed wasters and spoilers but friends and fauourers yea defenders of the Church But shall I tell them how they defend it Brentius in Luc. 23. Euen iust as one saith as the Souldiers defended Christ when he hanged vpon the Crosse It is the commendation of that good Centurion that out of his loue to the Nation of the Iewes Luke 7.5 he built them a Synagogue This man shall rise vp in iudgement against these persons who by transferring Church-goods to their owne priuate gaine as much as lieth in them do pull downe Churches With what face dare they boast themselues to be Christians when they offer such iniurie to Christ in his poore Church and Ministers Rom. 2.22 how can they professe that they abhorre Idols when thus grosly they commit sacriledge The very Heathen men haue condemned this sinne They could not endure the spoiling of their Gods in any whosoeuer hee were And therefore Aelian Var Histor l. 5. c. 16. when a yong child at Athens had taken vp a plate of gold that fell out of Dianaes coronet hee was brought before the Iudges who set before him gugawes and rattles to play withall and the plate also and when the child refused the trisles and tooke the plate againe hee was not spared for the tendernesse of his age but was punished as a Church-robber And the ciuill lawes are altogether against it holding that the things of God such as are our a Sacrum dicitur quicquid mancipatum est cultui diuino vt Ecclesia vel res Ecclesiae Magist sentent lib. 3. distinct 27. C. tithes and reuennues of the Church ought not to belong to Lay persons And it is well spoken by one to this purpose That whatsoeuer is designed as proper to diuine worship is of right and iustly reputed holy of which sort is the Church and all things of the Church or belonging to it And surely such and so heauie haue been Gods iudgements denounced and executed against these sacrilegious Church-robbers themselues that by colour of their impropriations depriue the godly Leuites of their proper liuings and driue them out of their countries that we caÌ„not otherwise esteeme of such intruders vpon the rights of Gods Church then as men giuen ouer to the God of this world hauing made an irrecouerable shipwracke of a good conscience For to seaze vpon the Church-liuings thereby to bring the Ministers to extreme beggerie what is it else but after the manner of the Iewes Gentils though vnder some other pretence yet with no lesse cruelty to persecute and make hauock of the Church it selfe And therefore the Lord may iustly take vp the same complaint against vs in this behalfe as he did before against the Iewes For Christ himselfe is spoiled when those things are spent vpon prophane vses which should serue for the maintenance of his Ministers For