A short instruction for to arme all good Christian people agaynst the pestiferous errours of the common secte of Anabaptistes ¶ Compyled by Mayster Iohn Caluine ¶ The contentes of thys boke ☞ In this boke are first reproued fiue articles cōtayned in one resolution composed by the patriarches of that secte which articles are common to them all that is to saye Of the baptisme of infantes Of excommunicacion Of the ryghte or authoritie to beare armore Of the power of princes Of sweringe Also two other articles Of the incarnacion of Iesus Christe Of the life and condicion of the folles betwene death the daye of the laste resurrection ¶ Iohn Caluine to the ministers of the churches in the countie of Newecastel IF anye man maruell my dere brethren and companions in the worcke of the Lorde that I wyll occupie my selfe to answere vnto a boke whyche is vnworthy to be spokē of or to be made mencion of seinge that I maye occupye my selfe as men thincke in beter thynges and thynges of more frute it shal be sufficiente excuse for me to alledge that I haue done it at the request and instaunce of manye good fayethful men wyth sente the boke to me from far countries which testimonie that it was verye nedefull for the helth of many soules that I shoulde take it in hand For I thincke verelye that this should be sufficient to contente them that be resonable that my intente was to obtayne as well to the iudgementes as to the desires of them whiche I knewe to be zelous for the glory of God and the edification of his people But yet haue I an other answere for to excuse me by to them which may thinke that it is foly in me to occupie my selfe in a thyng so barren and trifelynge as is thys little boke which apereth to be made by ignoraunte people which is that we haue no greater priuyledge than had the prophetes of God and that oure payne is no more preciouse than was theirs Nowe we se that Ezechiel was constrayned to speake and write not only agaynst disceiuers which were ignoraunte and of no reputacion but also agaynste women which woulde be prophetesses Seynge the prophet spared not to dispute agaynste women ye and that it was commaunded hym by God so to do because thorow their leasynges they led the people to supersticiō and erroure and letted the veritie of his course it should be a presūption to vs not to wytsafe to do the lyke It is trewe that thys boke whiche I am desired and exhorted to confute hath no nede of resolution towardes them that haue learnynge and vnderstandynge for as muche as of it selfe it is sufficientelye reproued in that it is so vnlearnedly folishly written But for as much as it hath a certayne coloure to abuse and circumuente the simple which haue not the iudgemente to discerne oure dutye is to helpe them and aduertise thē of the malicious subtelties of sathan to the intente that they be not thorow imprudence disceiued we are dettours to one and other sayeth sanicte Paule Therefore we muste do seruice vnto all as muche as in vs is specially whan necessitye requireth it I protest therfore that myne entencion is onlye in shorte or fewe wordes to shewe vnto all fayethfull christen men which be rude and vnlerned what and how daūgerous a poyson thys doctrine of the Anabaptistes is and also arme them by the word of God agaynste the same to the ende that they be not disceyued or if ther be any which all redy be wrapped in their snares that they may be brought agayne vnto the ryght way Wherefore I beseche all them whiche desire to continew in the pure knowledge of Iesus Christe and in the obedience of his Gospel to take paynes to rede attentiuely thys little boke euen as I haue dedicated it vnto them and also take the paynes well to peyse the resonnes whiche I do alledge vnto them that they maye abyde in the trueth whan it is declared vnto them Therefore reason whyche moued me to dedicate this presēt treatise vnto you is double Fyrste bycause it shoulde be a publyke testimonie of the coniunction whiche I haue and desier alwayes to haue wyth you and that al menne myghte knowe howe we are vnited as wel in doctrine as in affection of herte The seconde is to the ende that the redynge thereof myghte be the better commended and receyued of all them ouer whom you haue charge to bere the worde of Iesus Christe in suche sorte that the churches ouer whych the prynce of pastours hath made your ministers maye be intertayned in pure doctrine and preserued from al peruerse opinions contrarying the truth of the gospel It is true that you myght right well my dere brethren haue discharged me of thys payne And also alredye oure brother M. Wyllyam Farell accordynge vnto the grace whyche God hathe geuē him and the exersies whiche he hath of longe tyme had and continual custume in fyghtyng astaynste the ennemyes of the trueth and resistynge all false doctrines for to mayntayne Christes kyngedome hath well satisfied you in parte in that thynge whyche you nowe require of me As I haue sene by the actes of a disputatiō done in the good towne In such sorte that of those Articles whyche are there treated no man can desyre a more suffitiente declaration to satisfy hys conscience then is ther geuen But bycause they vnto whome I desyre and am bound to do seruice do make me beleue that it is necessarie that I take thys charge vpon me I wyll consent vnto theyr request without makynge any longer excuses The Lord Iesus Christe haue you alwayes in hys holye protection and hys churches whiche he hathe committed vnto you and leade you by hys holye spirite alwayes for to serue hym with youre ministerye vnto hys honoure and vnto the healthe of hys pore people Amen ☞ From Geneua the fyrst of Iune Anno Domini M. D.xl.iiii Of the Anabaptistes TO write against al the false opinions errours of the Anabaptistes shoulde be a thing to lōg such a botōles pit as I could not wel come out of For this cāker differeth in thys thinge frō al other sectes of heretikes that she hath not erred only in certain points but she hath ingēdred a hole sea as it were of folish salse opinions In such wise that skant shal a man find one Anabaptist which hath not some phātasy singular which his felowes haue not So that if we wold plucke out or reherse al their wicked doctrines we should neuer make an end But nowe at lenght they become vnto two principal sectes whereof that on though she be ful of wicked pernicius erroures yet doth she abide in much more simpliciti For she yet receiueth the holy scripture as we do And if men do dispute with those that be of the secte it shal be perceiued wher in they dissēt frō vs they wil expresse thermeaning in cōclusiō
syng wyth Dauid My soule blesse thou the Lorde whych fylleth thy mouthe wyth good thynges and maketh the yonge agayne lyke the Egle. And to this we haue the prayer whyche the Lorde Iesus made to hys father for the same purpose sayinge Father I desyre that those whyche thou haste geuen me may be with me to se my glory Nowe as we haue suffitiently proued the true doctrine touchynge the immortalitie of the soules so on the other syde is it necessary to answere to those places whych the Anabaptistes do brynge forthe to grounde theyr errours on Fyrst they aledge that the description whiche the scripture maketh of maÌ„s soule agreeth wyth the same of Beastes as where it is sayd that God hath created the greate whales and euery lyuing soule Also that the beastes entered by couples into the Arke al that had spirit of lyfe And to confyrme this they helpe them selues wyth that whyche saynte Paule sayeth that in thys lyfe man is corruptible mortall and animall But he shal ryse agayne incorruptible immortall and spiritual as it is wrytten that the fyrste man was made in a lyuynge soule I graunt that thys tytle of lyuynge soule is oftentimes attribute to beastes bycause they also do lyue in theyr kynde But there is greate diuersitie betwene them and meÌ„ For in man the soule by whyche he knoweth Iudgeth and hathe discretion is called lyuynge The Soule of beastes hath none other facultie but to gyue mouynge vnto theyr bodyes Therefore it is no maruayle if the soule of man whyche hath reason vnderstanding wil and other powers distinct from the bodye do subsiste beinge separate from the bodye wher as the soules of beastes do perishe for as muche as they haue onelye but corporall sence ☞ For thys cause Sayncte Paule alledgeth the testimonye of Aratus an Heathen Poete whyche sayth that we are the lynage of God to declare the excellencye of our soules Touchyng that saynt Paule putteth difference betwene a liuyng soule and a liuyng spirite is not done to declare that the soule whych we now haue doeth peryshe but onelye to declare howe muche more power ther shal be after the resurrectioÌ„ that is fowete that we shall be lyke vnto the Aungelles of God liuynge wythout meate and dryncke not beynge subiecte to anye mutation or fragilitie ☞ They do yet further alledge the vâ—sion of Ezechyell where the Prophete wrytynge of the resurrection doeth say that God calleth the spirite from the foure wyndes to inspyre lyfe into the deade bones But the solution is easye that Ezechyell after the maner accustomed of the Prophetes vseth an exterioure fygure to signify the foule of manne as in hys fyrste vision speakynge of the spirite of God he calleth hym also wynde Who so woulde vpon that reason that the spirite of God were not an essence were farrre wyde Therfore it is greate folye of these madde menne that they do not obserue thys maner of speache whyche is so commune thorowe out all the whole scripture ☞ Theyr thyrde Argumente is that thoughe the soule were created immortal yet thorowe synne she hathe laste hyr immortalitye as Sayncte Paule doeth saye that the rewarde of synne is death But fyrste I aske whether the deuil haue not receyued the same rewarde And yet is he not so dead but that he alwaies watcheth and buselye seketh whome he maye deuoure Secondely I aske whether thys death take ende or no For if it haue no endeÌ„ wyll they nyl they they muste nedes graunte me that the soules thorow death do not cease to fele the eternal fyre and the wormes that gnaweth theym It appeareth therefore that the soule doeth not so dye but that shee hathe fealynge of hyr euyll Touchyng the body it is sayed that it shal returne to the earth whence it is come there to rote But the deathe of the Soule is to be put from God and to be coÌ„fouÌ„ded wyth the felynge of hys yre as the Apostle declareth sayinge Awake thou that sleapest ryse from deathe and Christe shall illumine the. It is euidente that he speaketh not to the insensible bodye but vnto those whiche beynge buried in synne do beare Death and Hel wyth them Moreouer we haue alreadye shewed that that thynge whyche we haue loste in Adam is restored in Iesus Christe For that thyng whych was shewed before by the prophetes that he shoulde destroy death for euer and that he shoulde swallowe it vp the Apostles haue declared that it is fulfylled He hath destroyed death sayth saint Paule and hath geuen lyfe thorowe the Gospell Agayne if death haue reygned thorowe one mans faulte they whyche haue receyued abundaunce of grace shall raygne in lyfe thorowe Iesus Christe Thys one sentence is sufficieÌ„t to stoppe theyr mouthes For seyng that the deathe whyche is come thorowe Adam is abolished by Christe the whole question lieth in the comparison whych Saynte Paul maketh there Which is that the vertue of Iesus Christe is of greater strengthe to restore theÌ„ was Adams to destroy Whiche thynge in that place he doeth wel declare And folowynge that whych he spake he addeth further after that there is no dampnation to theym whyche are in Christe Iesus whych walke not after the flesh And in dede if deathe shoulde haue dominion ouer the Soules of the fayethfull the grace of God should not haue his raigne which importeth lyfe as he sayth but rather the lawe of god shoulde exercyse hyr power ouer them whyche is contrarye to the whole doctrine of the scripture ¶ They do also abuse theim selues with thys that oftentymes thys worde sleepe is token for death as where it is sayed of saynt Stephan that he fel a slepe in the Lord. Againe Lazarus our frend slepeth Againe sorowe you not for them that sleepe And in dede this manner of speach is more frequeÌ„t in the Hystories of the Byble then anye other I answere that thys slepe appertayneth nothynge vnto the Soule but oughte wholie to be vnderstanded of the body For ther are two speaches whyche do vnderstande in one selfe sence to sleepe wyth hys fathers and to be wyth hys fathers Nowe when it is sayed that a man is put vnto hys fathers it is playne that it is ment of hys Sepulchre I woulde haue no manne beleue thys excepte I can proue my sayinge by good wytnes of the scripturs WheÌ„ Iob sayed Beholde I slepe in duste he ment not that hys soule should slepe ther. So when he sayth in an other place that al men shal slepe in the duste togyther and that the wormes shall couer them it maye not be vnderstande out of the bodyes A lyke meanynge is in these wordes of Dauid wher he sayeth that he was lyke vnto the dead sleapinge in then Sepulchres And Esayas speakyng to Nabuchodonosor sayeth All other kynges haue slepte in theyr glorye and were putte into theyr places but thou arte caste oute of thy Sepulchre ☞ Therefore in a some we se that thys worde sleepe is by similitude applied vnto
it must nedes folowe that they are vnhappy Seynge that all the blessednes of the chyldren of God proceadeth and hangeth of thys that in the daye of the resurrection they shall be lyke vnto God and inioye theyr heritage It is no maruaile if saynte Paule do saye that they shoulde be more vnhappy theÌ„ the reste of the worlde if there shall be no resurrection ☞ And in dede in one maner sence he putteth these two thynges that there is no resurrection and that our hope should be onely in thys worlde I doubte not but that euery man seeth playnelye that thys sentence of saynte Paule is nothynge agaynste vs. For he sayeth that if we be deceyued in our hope whyche we haue of the resurrection that we be vnhappye And we saye that the soules of the fayethfull are ryght happye thorowe the same hope wythout whiche we confesse that they can haue no Ioye nor blessednesse In thys there is no contradiction ☞ They obiecte yet more againste vs that which is wrytten in the epistle to the Hebrues of the Auncient fathers how that thei departed in fayeth wythoute receyuynge the promises but saluted theym a farre of and confessed them selues to be straungers vpon the earthe ☞ Nowe in saying thus they do signifye that they soughte theyr heritage and naturall countrye in that they had no mynde of that contrei froÌ„ whens they came they might haue returned but they desired a better that is to saye from heauen Thys texte is wyckedly depraued by them thorowe false gloses in that they do refer thys to the presente tyme where the Apostell speketh of the tyme whan the Patriarches were conuersaunte in thys worlde Howe be it touchynge the purpose of oure matter I am ryghte well contente to alowe their glose They make their argumente thus if Abraham and the other fathers do desire the heauenly heritage than they haue it not yet I replye to the contrary that if they haue a desire than do they lyue and haue relynge of good and euyll Where is their slepyng than Thus we se that they be contrary to them selues lyke litell chyldren Touchynge the reste I wyll well the Apostle sayeth afterwarde that all the auncient fathers haue not yet receyued that whych in thys worlde they loked for bycause God hath ordeyned that they w thout vs shoulde not be made perfect And this is it that we saye that all the consolation whych the fayethfull soules haue is reduced to thys glorious immortalitye in which we shall all at one tyme be gathered together whan Iesus Christe shal apere in iudgemeÌ„t These places which here after I wyll recite shal declare howe these phantasticalles do kepe together al the cauillations that they canne and that impudentlye to haue some apparence to colour their errour If the soules say they beynge seperate from their bodies do lyue wih God than dyd saynct Peter greate iniury to Chaâ—ita in raisyng her vp seynge it was a wythdrawynge of hir from the companye of God and from the blessâ—d lyfe whan he broughte her agayne in to thys sea of miseries I Answere that this argumente maketh as muche agayne them as agaynste vs. For if she slepte wythout felynge anye euyll we maye saye that it was not for her prophet to come from such a rest to enter into the fyghtes of thys presente lyfe I myghte require of them the solution of this argumâ—nt But I knowe that it were vaynt to tarye for anye good solution of theÌ„ Touchynge vs oure answere is easye that whyche Sayncte Paule spake of hym selfe is common to all fayethfull men That is that it is profitable for vs to dye that it is for oure aduantage to be wyth Christe And yet notwythstandynge he sayeth that God whan he healed Hepaphroditus of his sycknes and deliuered hym from death had pitie on hym allthoughe he were of the number of the fayethfull The Anabaptistes do saye that thys is a crueltye if the soules do liue after death ☞ We saye that it is a mercifull deade whaÌ„ it pleaseth God to be magnifâ—ed in vs in thys corporall lyfe makynge vs instrumeÌ„tes of his glorye Moreouer it is not sayed that Thabitha was raysed vp for her owne commoditye but at the requeste of the poore whiche wepte for the losses that they hadde by her death Therefore let vs byde faste by thys that the Lorde doeth alwayes vnto vs a singuler grace whan he maketh vs to lyue and dye to hym ☞ Let vs come to the testimonies whyche they aledge of Dauid althoughe I be asshamed to reherce them bycause they do abuse them so chyldyshelye But yet muste I reherse them bycause they go about to disceyue the simple with them They do aledge thys sentence I haue sayed you are goddes and sonnes of the moste hyghest yet shal you dye lyke men They do expouÌ„d thus that the faythful are there called goddes but yet do they dye lyke the reprobate and that there condition is lyke vntyl the daye of iudgemente But we haue the exposicion of Christe that in that place is mencion made of princes and ministeres of Iustice whiche haue the tytle of goddes bycause that in there estate they are as hys lyuetenauntes And thoughe oure sauioure Iesus Christe had spoken nothynge thereof yet the phrase of scripture doeth declare it plainelye And the texte it selfe is so playne â–ª that it beareth hys glose wyth it For there are reproued all suche as exercise tiranny and iniquiti and it is sayed to them that they muste dye and be depriued of that dignitye whyche they haue and muste geue an accompte to God as well as the leste of all They aledge also thys texte put not youre truste in men the spirite of man goethe and returnethe into hys earthe and in that daye shall perishe al their cogitations They take thys worde spirite for wynde as thoughe ther were none other soule in man Than do they make their argumeÌ„ce Thus if mannes cogitations do perishe it muste folowe that the soul doeth slepe or else that it is nothing I answere that the spirite of man doeth signifye an other thynge than breth as I haue ryghts well proued before But were it so that thys worde in thys place were taken in suche a significacion as it is taken in some other places yet shoulde it not therefore folowe that man hath none other soule but breth Touchynge that it is sayde that the cogitacions do perishe that doeth importe none other thyng but that the enterprises of men are dissipate by death and vanishe as smoke as it is sayde in a nother place that the desires of synners shall perishe to signifie that they shall not come to ther effecte Therefore Dauid sayth not that men shal thyncke nothynge after ther death but he meaneth that all ther delyberacions shall come to nothing They aledge an other place all moste lyke thys he hath remembered that they are but flesh a spirit that goeth and retorneth not agayne Nowe I graunte
makynge of man be entreth into consultation sayinge Let vs make mā to our Image and lykenes Nowe where shall we fynde thys Image of God excepte there be a spirituall essence in man in whyche it is imprynted For the bodye is not that thynge wherein the Image of God is residente It is true that Moyses by and by addeth that manne was made a lyuynge soule whyche thing he doeth saye also of Beastes But to declare a speciall excellencye he saith That God hath inspired the vertue of lyfe in the bodye whyche he made of the earth Therefore thoughe the soule of man haue certayne qualities cōmune wyth those of beastes yet for as much as she beareth the Image lykenes of God she is of condition differente from the other And for as much also as she hath hyr beginnyng apart she is of an other preheminence and thys is it that Solomon meaneth where he sayeth that in deathe the bodye returneth vnto the earth whence it was taken and the soule returneth to God whych gaue it And therfore it is sayd in the boke of Sapience That man is immortall in that he is created to the Image of God It is no autētyke boke of the scripture but yet is there no inconuenience that wee vse the testimonye thereof as we maye do of an aunciente doctoure how be it thys onely reason oughte to suffice vs that the same image of God whiche was set in man can not be but in a spirit immortall if we marke well what it doeth containe after saint Paules exposition that is that we do resemble God in ryghtuousenes and true holines Thys muche is sayed touchynge the creation ☞ Nowe are there manye places in holye scripture whyche are muche more euidente as where Sainte Peter sayeth that the rewarde of oure fayth is the saluation of our soules Also where he sayeth that the fayethfull do purifie theyr soules Agayne that the desyres of the fleshe do fyghte agaynste the soule Also where he calleth Christe the Byshop of oure soules For these sentences can not consiste excepte there be soules whyche be saued and whych be assaulted by euil cōcupiscences whyche be purified from their spottes and gouerned by Iesus Christ their byshop Accordynge to thys it is sayed in the hystorye of Iob that men do dwel in earthē housses whych maner of speakyng S. Peter vseth where he sayeth that he wyll admonyshe the fayethfull as longe as he shall dwell in hys earthlye tabernacle If it were not that the pryncipall parte of manne dyd dwell in the bodye as in a tabernacle thys shoulde be spoken wythout reason The Apostle also in his Epistle to the Hebrues declareth as muche or more expreslye the same thynge where he sayeth that oure fathers whych begat vs in thys worlde are fathers of oure fleshe but God onelye is father of our spirites I praye you how shal we vnderstande these wordes if the soule be not an essensiall thynge and a lyttle after speakynge of the citezyns of heauen he sayeth that they be the Aungels and spirites of Iuste men Woulde we haue a more cleare proste then this Also I se not howe we shal expounde the exhortation whyche S. Paule maketh vnto vs that we shold purge vs frō all fylthynes of the fleshe and the spirite except we take this word spirit for an essential soule For as the bodye is a subiecte whych receyueth pollutiō so muste it needes be that the soule on hyr behalfe be a creature which may be polluted sanctified ☞ There is a lyke reason in that where he sayth in an other place that the spirite of god beareth wytnes to our spirites that we be the chyldren of God Howbeit if we dyd hold that principle whiche oughte to be certain amongest vs christen mē we should not nede to enter into disputatiō of this matter that is to say whether the soule be an essensiall substaunce or no seynge that thys was the errour of the Saduces whyche expreslye is reproued in the scripture For in the .xxiii. of the Actes it is saied that saint Paule goynge about to excuse hym selfe doeth protest that he was persecuted bicause he did not approue the sect of the Saduces And Saynte Luke declaryng what this secte was sayeth that the Saduces do not beleue the resurrection nor that there be any Aungels or anye spirites or soules What wyl we haue more then thys S Paule confesseth that he is a Pharisee in hys Articles Now is it playne that the Phariseis do confesse as sayeth Saynte Luke that the soules be verye essensiall creatures ☞ Therefore lette the Anabaptistes take the quarell of the Saduces theyr predecessours and defende it agaynst saynte Paule And when they haue wonne theyr cause agaynste hym then shall we se what we canne saye vnto them In the meane whyle we folowynge the whole doctryne of God wyll holde for certayne that manne is composed and conlifteth of two partes that is to say of bodye and soule It is now tyme to come vnto the .ii. point that is what is the estate of the soules after the separatiō frō their bodies The Anabaptistes do thinke that they be a slepe like dead We saye they haue lyfe and felynge and that it so is we haue the testimony of Iesus Christe where he exhorteth his disciples not to feare them whyche do kyll the bodye and haue no power to kyll the soule but to feare hym whyche after he hathe kylled the bodye can caste the soule into hell fyre if the soule were nothynge or that shee were as kylled when she is separate frome the bodye then were it not true that tyrauntes and persecutours haue no power ouer hyr Thus hath God shewed greate mercy vnto vs in that he hathe not made oure soules subiecte vnto these hangmen whyche wolde do worsse and more cruellye then all the persecutours of the worlde whyche is woulde murther oure soules wyth oure bodies But let vs heare theyr propre cauelation It is true saye they that the Soule dyeth for the tyme but she doeth not vtterly perish for as muche as shee shall ryse agayne ☞ I aske them what doeth the body For if the soule doeth not dye alonely bycause of the hope whyche she hathe bycause of the resurrection the same reason may be made for the bodye that he doeth not peryshe nother Nowe the Lorde Iesus doeth notably decerne betwene the one and the other sayinge that the body is staine and not the soule In thys maner spake Iesus Christe when he sayed vnto the Iewes destroye thys temple and I wyll reedifye it in thre dayes Saynte Iohn added that he spake of the temple of hys body thus he reserued the soule a parte signifiynge that he coulde not be distroyed and in dede when he dyed he commended hir vnto God hys father And saynte Stephan after hys ensample Lorde Iesus sayed he receyue my spirite Thys oughte we therefore to thynke that God is protectour of our soules to preserue them from
felynge after death of good nor euyll what shoulde thys narracion of the Lorde be but a fable and as a tale of the boke of Mellusine Therefore thys tergiuersation of the Anabaptistes is a blasphemye which dishonoreth the Lord Iesus as thoughe he had told vs a vayne tale to no purpose Besides this it is a folyshe imaginacion repugnaunte to humayne sence as lyttell chyldren maye perceyue ☞ And thys is the promes whyche was made vnto the poore theife whan he axed mercy on the crosse For the Lord Iesus answered hym This daye shalt thou be wyth me in paradice By thys word paradice we nede not to imagen that he woulde specifye a certayne place but onely the Ioye and felicitie which they haue that liue with him This is plaine that Iesus Christe doeth not sende thys poer synner to the daye of resurrection but doeth assigne him the selfe same daye to liue eternallye in his companye The Anabaptistes to trifel out thys place do alledge that whiche is sayed in a nother place that a thousande yeres are as one day before the Lorde Whiche thinge we graunt vnto them but thys muste we consider that when God speaketh vnto men he frameth hys speache accordynge vnto their capiacitye In suche wyse that you shall neuer finde in the scripture that God hath at any time sayed I wyll thys daye do thys meanynge that he wyll do it a thousande yeres after In suche maner whan Ionas shewed the Niniuites that after fortye dayes their Citye shoulde perishe it hadde bene greate folye for them to haue vnderstanded fortye thousand yeres Lykewyse whan the Lorde sayde that he woulde ryse agayne the thyrde daye we knowe he speake after the common maner of menne But I wyll sease from thys matter for as muche as all men do see howe muche the Anabaptistes haue bene begyled in vsynge of suche euasions They haue yet a nother cauilation To daye doeth signifye the tyme of the newe testamente And to proue thys they abuse thys sentâ—nce whyche is in the Epâ—stell to the Ebrues that Iesus Christe whyche was yester daye is to daye and shal be for euer But they se not that if we shoulde so expound the word thys day the word yester day shoulde signifye the tyme of the olde Testament and so shoulde it folowe that the Lord Iesus dyd begyn to be whych were a great absurdite for as much as we knowe that he is our eternall God and also touchynge his humanitie he is called the Lambe sacrificed from the begynnyng of the worlde Moreouer after theyr sayinge we myghte conclude that they whole sinnes Iesus Christ hath forgeuen ought to enter into heaueÌ„ before the daye of the resurrection For the Apostle speaketh of thre tymes of the whyche the one as I thynke sygnifieth the daye of the olde testamente and the other signifieth the tyme whyche shal be from the renewynge of the worlde Therefore it resteth that thys word to daye must signifye the tyme in whych we be whych is betwen the death of Iesus Christe hys last commyng And that they may the better knowe theyr beastlynes If Iesus Christ had promised heauen vnto the these for the day of IudgemeÌ„t he ought to haue sayd in the worlde to come and not thys daye For that is the scriptures maner of speakynge Who thinketh them not ouercome by thys cleare reason Yet is theyr impudency suche that they brynge yet an other replycation whyche is that heauen is promised vnto the thefe in lyke sorte as deathe was pronouÌ„ced to Adam and Eua in what daye so euer they shoulde eate of the fruyte whyche was forbydden theym Nowe is it certayne that they dyed not the same day but longe time after I answere that in the same instaunce that Adam traunsgressed the commaundement of God he dyed as touchynge the soule For as muche as he was alienate whyche was hys verye lyfe and was made subiecte to bodily death And thus thoughe we shoulde receyue theyr glose yet spyte of theyr teathe shall we haue wonne this much of them that in the selfe same daye the thiefe was deliuered from the misery in whych Adam was fallen by hys offence In summâ— we conclude that euen as deathe beganne to raygne in Adam froÌ„ the daye of hys traunsgression euen so the thyefe the same daye in whyche the promise was made vnto him beganne to be restored into the beatitude of heauen We se that S Paule liued in this hope wheÌ„ he sayed that he desyered to be losed to lyue wyth Christe Fyrst he vseth an apte speach in sayinge that the fayethfull man thorowe deathe is deliuered frome the bandes of hys bodye as in an other place he doeth more clearlye expresse it Further he addeth that his desyre is to be with the Lord Christ wheÌ„ hys soule shall be seperated from the bodye And in dede if it be not thys these wordes whiche he speaketh in an other place can not be true that there is neyther lyfe nor deathe whyche can seperate vs from the â—oue whyche God hath vnto vs. For if we perishe by death or that oure soule lese hyr lyfe howe canne the loue of God consist towardes vs but thys is more playnelye deduced in an other place where he sayeth We knowe that if our earthly house of the tabernacle of our bodye were destroyed we haue a buildynge in heauen by God whych is not made with handes Therefore beynge in thys tabernacle we morne as beyng greaued not that we desyre to be vnclothed but clothed agayne that our mortalitie myght be swallowed vp of lyfe Notwythstandynge we be alwayes of good courage knowinge that whylse we be in our bodyes we be as straungers frome God bycause we walke by fayeth and not by syghte ¶ But we haue thys confidence and desyre to be seperat from the body and to be present wyth God bycause there is made mention there of the daye of iudgemente The Anabaptistes do theyr indeuoure to wrape vp al there that they myght drawe all the wordes of the Apostle vnto that daye But they can not do so muche but that the trueth wyll be yet more stroÌ„ger to maintain it selfe against theyr false accusations For the Apostle doth saye expresly that the fayethfull man departynge frome hys bodye goeth to God from whom he was absent in thys worlde After that he addeth that as well absente as present we do our indeuour to please God bycause we muâ—â—e al come before hys iudgement seate That man is very obstinate and more then hardened agaynste all reason whyche wyll not consente vnto these wordes Nowe is it so that the Anabaptistes in place where saynte Paule sayeth that by death we approche to God do make vs beleue that wee retule and be further of then in thys presente lyfe ☞ That so it is it is wrytten that he whiche beleueth in the sonne of God shall not come into coÌ„demnation but is already gone from death vnto lyfe If lyfe euerlastyng be alreadye
be gonne in vs what absurditye is it to saye that in death there is interruption If we be already entred into the kyngdome of God for what cause shoulde we be made go oute agayne by death or at the leste made go backewarde as the sea Crabbes The kyngedome of God is in you sayeth the Lorde Iesus what meaneth thys but that we haue already the rote of lyfe whyche can not be extynguyshed And that is it whiche in an other place he sayeth Thys is the wyll of my father that whosoeuer doeth beleue in the sonne shall not peryshe but hathe euerlastynge lyfe and I wyll rayse hym vp the laste daye ☞ Also who so euer eateth my fleshe and drynketh my bloude hathe euerlastynge lyfe and I wyll rayse hym vp at the laste daye Note thys that he doth promise vnto vs .ii. thynges euerlastynge lyfe and resurrection The Anabaptistes do take the one of these membres leaue the other as if they mighte be deuided He speaketh yet more playnely in an other place sayinge I am the resurrection lyfe he that beleueth in me though he were dead he shall lyue and who so euer lyueth and beleueth in me he shall neuer dye Also who so euer kepeth my word shal neuer se deth I prai you is it possible to speke more playnly thē thys And shuld a christē man desyre more stronger testimonies to settle hys conscience wyth Peraduenture some man wyll obiecte that thys is not true but onelye of faythfull men I graunte that and for my parte it sufficeth me to instructe the chyldrē of God what shall be theyr condition after death Howe be it hereafter wyl I speake of the reprobate But here we se what Iesus Christe doth promise vnto vs if we be his That in the middell of death our spirituall lyfe shall not be interrupted But that more is saint Paul declareth that it is euen then that it begynneth to be in hys moste strength As our outwarde man sayeth he is corrupted so is the inwarde man renued from daye to daye By these wordes he declareth that as thys present lyfe doeth declyne and become corruptible so the lyfe of the soule increaceth and is fortified more and more Therfore it is contrary to this sentence to esteme that the soule is quēched whē the corporal lyfe taketh end I wyll yet deduce this argumente further We must daylye encrease and profite in the Lorde auauncynge oure soules alwayes to approche vnto hym as if we stepped thys daye one pace and to morowe an other Or as if we dyd ascende by steppes Nowe is it sayed for thys presente tyme that we do walke in the bryghtnesse of hys face Also that hys spirite doeth beare vs recorde that we be hys chyldren If it so be that in death we do lese thys bryghtnes and confidence whyche the holy Gost geueth vnto vs howe shall we then aduaunce oure selues Lykewyse Saynte Paule sayeth that thought we haue oure conuersation in thys worlde yet is our habitation in heauen Let vs se if death maye dryue vs out of the kyngedome of God wherein we had oure abydyng before thorowe hope It is true that thys mortall bodye is to vs as a pryson to thruste downe oure soule so lowe as captiue to earthly thynges ☞ Therefore is it mete that when she is gone forth of suche a seruitude into libertye that she be more disposed to contēplate God more familiarly And when she is lyghtened of suche a burthen that she be more chereful to lifte hyr selfe vp vnto God It is therfore to greate a beastelynes to laye theym downe softe as do the Anabaptistes to make them slepe vnto the day of the resurrection Howbeit theyr erroure is yet better conuinced by that the scripture doeth declare touchynge our regeneration For when it pleaseth God to call vs into the participation of hys grace he sayth that he maketh vs newe creatures How is that In that by the vertue of hys worde and of hys spirite he mortifyeth the corruption of oure nature makynge vs to be borne agayne to liue in hys kyngdome Let vs nowe heart what is the operation of the one and the other in vs. Saynt Paule goynge aboute to conforte vs sayeth that though the bodye he deade bycause of synne yet the spirite of the Lorde Iesus dwellinge in vs is lyfe bicause of reghtuousnes I knowe that thys lyfe is neuer perfitte whylse we are in thys world but seyng that the spirit of God is a sparke of lyfe whyche is geuen vnto vs to quicken vs more and more tyll we come vnto perfection it foloweth that oure lyfe can neuer be quenched ☞ As touchynge the worde Saynte Peter speaketh yet more clearlye sayinge that it is a sede of immortalitye yea an incorruptible sede whyche God hathe put into vs to exempte vs from that condition wherein we be by nature whyche is as Esaias sayeth that all fleshe is haye and all the glory of mā is as the floure of the grasse bycause that when the spirite of God doth blowe on mā he is by and by wythered and dryed and falleth wholy downe Nowe after that the Prophete had thus spoken of vs he added by and by the contrarye that the worde of God abideth for euer Saynte Peter doeth aledge thys place and sheweth that thys eternitie of the worde of God is shewed in vs bycause that by the same we are borne agayne hauinge it in our soules for an incorruptible seede the whyche neuer rolleth nor withereth What is it that maye be replyed agaynste thys whyche shall not be thynges apparant and already resolued for we beinge regenerate by the grace of God are broughte into hys kyngedome to lyue in cleauynge to hym wythout ende To resolue thys matter there is nothinge more mete not more certayne then to consider what coniunctiō vnitie we haue with our Sauioure Iesus Fyrste we knowe that in Baptisme we be entexed into hys bodye to be verily hys membres and to fele in vs such an effect of hys vertue as the braunches of a tre do of theyr rote For we are so vnited vnto hym that we are made one self substaūce And we nede not aledge any other probatiō then that whyche he hathe spoken wyth hys owne mouth As I lyue sayeth he so shall you lyue Now we knowe that the lyfe of Iesus Christe is not temporall nor yet by interposition of tyme. Therefore if we lyue as he liueth it foloweth that it muste be wythout ende For it was necessarye that he shoulde dye wyth vs. And thys is it that he spake before He that eateth my flesh drinketh my bloud he dwelleth in me I in hym If Iesus Christ dwel in vs it foloweth that forthwith lyfe dwelleth in vs accordyng to the which he spake before as the father hathe lyfe in hym selfe so hath he geuē vnto his son to haue life in him selfe It is easy to se that the Anabaptistes neuer tasted howe wee be ioyned to oure Lorde
abyde the day of the last redemption ☞ If anye man wyll that thys thynge be declared vnto hym by similitude the time in whyche we dwell in thys mortall bodye is lyke vnto the tyme of warre whan we be vnclothed of oure fleshe the battell seaceth and taketh ende and we haue the victorye But the daye of triumphe shall be whan Iesus Christe shall apere in hys maiestye that we maye raygne eternallye wyth hym But bycause suche similitudes are onelye to make the thynge playne and be not of authoritye we wyll take one out of the scripture which shall not onelye serue to teache but also to proue oure doctrine true We knowe howe saynte Paulle doeth allegoricallye treate the issue of the people of Israell out of Egypte and their passyng thorowe the read sea Folowyng thys let vs vnderstand that in baptyme oure pharao is plunged in the sea that is to saye oure olde man is mortified and we are buried wyth Christe by that meanes made fre from the bondage of syn But from thens we go in to the deserte in whyche we haue oure conuersation durynge thys mortall lyfe For we are poore and indigente but for that the Lorde geueth vnto vs dayelye hys graces as he dyd cause manna to raygne from heauen vnto the people of Israell whan death commyth we do enter in to the lande of promyssion whyche thynge is not done wythout greate difficultye For it is then that we moste suffer the greateste and perilous assautes Nowe after that the chyldren of Israell were entered into the lande of promyssion it was a greate whyle after er Hierusalem were buyldyd and that the Kyngedome of the howse of Dauyd was ordayned after thys maner the fayethfull soules haue immediatelye after deth a certayne reioysyng of the heritage whyche is promysed vnto them but because the glory of Iesus Christ their kynge doeth not yet apere and that the heauenly citye of God is not yet establyshed in her estate they abide vnto the day in which the same shal be ☞ All these thynges are euidente in holye scripture vnto al suche as wyl not be rebelles vnto God and thys doctrine hath not onely good approbation of the scripture but also of the aunciente doctours amongeste whom Tertulian fayth aswel the reward of the good as the ponishmēt of the euyl be in suspence vnto the resurrection Neuertheles in diuers places he affirmeth that the soules of the fayethfull do there whilles lyue in God And therefore in another place he sayeth Wherefore shall we not take the bofome of Abraham for a receptacle of soules for a tyme the which doeth represent vnto vs that there is a double rewarde the one immediatlye after death and the other at the daye of the last iudgemente And Ireneus sayeth Seynge that the Lord Iesus is entred into the shadow of death wher the soules of the dead were and afterwarde rose agayne corporally assended into heauē it is very true that the soules of his disciples for whom he did this thyng shal go after death into an inuisible place whiche is by God ordeyned for them and shall abyde there waytynge in patience the day of the resurrection Then shal they be ioyned to their bodyes to come before the face of the Lorde For no Disciple is aboue hys Master Sayncte Chrisostome vnderstode what goodnes and priuiledge thys is to vs that Abraham and Sayncte Paule be set downe abydynge the perfection of the churche that they maye receyue there rewarde For the father shewed vnto them that he would not geue them there reward vntyl we be come thether to as a father of an how-shoulde woulde saye at anye tyme vnto hys chyldren commynge from their laboure that they shoulde abyde from eatynge vntyll their other brethren were come Thou arte not contented that thou haste not alredy receyued thy rewarde what shall Abell than do whyche hath won thys price long tyme before the and hath not yet hys crowne What shall Noe and the other Patriarches do for they haue taried for vs vnto thys daye and shall yet abyde the other that shall come after They wente before vs in the batayle but they shal not be crowned before vs. For ther is one daye apoynted wherein all the children of God shall be crowned to gether Sayncte Augustyne wryteth that the soules of the Saynctes be in secrete receptacles vntyll they shall receyue the crowne of glorye in the day of iudgement And contrarywyse the soules of the wycked in abydyng there punyshement And in an Epystel whych he wrote to Sayncte Hierom. The soule sayeth he after bodelye death shall haue reste and than after that shal take agayne her bodye that she maye haue glory S Barnard the swetne◠whiche the soules of the sainctes haue at this present is great but it is not yet perfecte for it shal be made perfecte whan thei shal fit on seates as iudges whā thei haue put of ther bodies thei be forth wyth broughte into reste but not into the glorye of the kyngedome And in hys sermon folowynge he prosecuteth styll the same argumente sayinge that there be three estates of the soule The fyrste in the bodye as in a tabernacle The seconde after death as in the porche of the temple The thyrd in heauen wyth hys glorified body Who that woulde knowe more Lette hym read the seconde and thyrd sermon vpon Alhallon day Bryefely thys is the perpetuall doctryne whych hathe alwayes continued in Christes churche wythout any contradiction that as we lyue in God thorowe fayeth whylse we are in thys mortall lyfe Euen so after death we haue Ioye and consolation in knowing more clearlye and seynge as it were at the eye the heauenly beatitude whyche he hathe promised vnto vs the whyche we do contēplate here as it were in a glasse by a darke vnderstandynge Thys blynde opinion of the Anabaptistes touchynge she slepynge of soules was neuer herd of but by a sort of heritikes called Arabiques by Ihō pope of Rome which was not paste an hūdred thirti yeres agone But bycause it is a thynge so contrarye boeth to mans sence and vnto oure christian fayeth thus to caste the soules into a slumber in the tyme when they are more neare to God to haue more perfyte vnderstandynge of hys goodnes al christendome hath had thys fantasy in horror Therefore all they whych wyl yelde theym selues conformable vnto God hys word do abide in that which I haue already shewed by the scripturs and do meditate thys goodly promise that the Iuste shal blossome as the Date tre and shall be multiplied as the Cedar of Libanus that they whyche are planted in the house of the Lord shal blossome and brynge forthe theyr fruite that they shall be fatte and stronge in theyr age Therefore seynge that we knowe that our age is renued in vs thorow the grace of god by miraculous strength let vs not feare whē we se whole nature fayle But rather let vs
that in this place this worde spirite doeth signifie wynde or breath But I do denye that this place doth make any thyng to the confirmatiō of their errour For by thys maner of speache the prophete woulde expresse the fragilitye of oure estate and condition and the shortenes of mannes lyfe It is sayed in the hystorye of Iob that man is as a flour sprynging out of the earth whyche in continente wythereth and as a shadowe passeth awaye ☞ Esaias commaundeth all preachers to crye that all fleshe is but grasse If the Anabaptistes do oute of thys conclude that the soule wythereth away they do se more clearlye then dyd Saynte Peter whyche proueth that the soules of the fayethfull are immortall bycause the Prophete immediatlye addeth that the word of God abideth for euer There is a lyke reason in thys whyche is spokē in an other Psalme As a father hath pitye of hys chyldren euen so hath the Lorde had pitye of hys seruauntes For he knoweeth whereof we are made He doeth remembre that wee be duste that oure dayes be as grasse wherof the floures doth quykcly wyther awaye That the spirite passeth in vs and tarieth not and knoweth no more hys place In all these sentences let vs note that man is admonished of hys frayltye chyeflye when God wythdraweth hys hande and hys vertue from hym that he should knowe that he is nothynge and lesse then nothyng if that God do not kepe and preserue him bi hys grace And in dede when we saye that the soules are immortal We intende not by that sayinge to derogate anye thynge frome Goddes title the whyche as Saynt Paule sayeth is onelye immortall But we rather thynke it a blasphemy so to attribute immortalitie vnto the soule as if she by hyr propre vertue dyd subsyst But in the meane whyle we muste consider what propertye and nature God hathe geuen to the soules and that is by hys hande to subsiste for to be in beatitude immortall or in malediction ☞ But they thynke that they haue a verye stronge weapen of thys whych is spoken in an other Psalme wilte thou do a miracle in raysynge vp the deade that they may praysethe Shall any man in the graue shew forth thy mercye or thy ryghtuousnes in the Land of forgetfulnes Agayne the dead prayse not the oh Lord neyther yet all they that do discende into the graue But we that lyue shal prayse God Agayne what profit shal there be in my bloud when I shall descend into corruption Shal the duste prayse the or shall it shewe forthe thy veritye Also that whyche Ezechyas saieth in hys songe The graue shal not praysethe and the death shall not geue glorye to the They whyche discende downe shall not loke for thy verity The lyuynge the lyuynge shal confesse The father shall declare vnto hys sonne thy veritye For solution hereof there are two thynges to be noted the one is that by deathe we maye not symple vnderstande the commune death by whyche we muste all passe but a death whyche is a punishemente expressed and signe of the wrathe of God whych doeth emporte a reiection of men for destroye them vtterlye The seconde where it is sayed that the dead shall not prayse the it is mente of that prayse of God whych is done among those men whych haue felte his grace As touchynge the fyrste it is true that this worde hell doeth often times signify a graue as we haue also translated it But they whiche are exercised in the scripture are not ignoraunte but that whyche I haue sayed is signified by these wordes deathe and graue And that chyefly in the Psalmes Therefore those whom God hath reiecte and whom he chasteth in hys wrath not onelye touchynge theyr bodyes but muche more touching their soules are called deade and the angwyshe whyche they fele is called a graue as when it is sayed Let the deathe come vpon theym and let theym descende a lyue into the graue Againe Lorde God if thou cease to helpe me I shall be lyke vnto them that go downe into the graue Agayne Lorde thou hast drawne my soule out of the graue and hast deliuered me from them whyche are layed in the graue Againe let synners be caste into the graue and all people whyche forget God Agayne if God had not holpen me my soule hadde dwelled in the graue Againe oure bones were scatered nere to the graue Agayne he hath placed me in an obscure place like the deade As contrarye wyse it is sayed they lyue to whom God sheweth hys mercye The Lord sayth Dauid in an other place hath ordeyned benediction and euerlastynge lyfe amonge hys people Agayne deliueryng theyr soules from death and nourishyng thē in tyme of famine Agayne God shall plucke the frome thy tabernacle and thy rote frome the Lande of the lyuynge Agayne I shall please the Lord in the Lande of the lyuynge But ther is one text among the rest whych doeth so well expresse boeth meaninges that it shall suffice vs for altogyther Shall man paye a pryce for hys Soule that he may lyue euer Shall he not se death seynge that wise men do dye Foles and wyse menne saye I shall dye togyther they shall be layed in graue lyke shepe and death shall deuour thē but the ryghtuouse shall haue rule ouer them in the mornynge theyr strength shall peryshe in the Sepulchre and theyr glorye shal vade and the Lorde shall drawe my soule from the power of the graue The some of thys Phalme is that al such as putte truste in theyr rychesse or strengthe shall all dye as well the poore as the ryche as well the fole as the wyse but he that trusteth in God shall be delyuered frome the graue These thyngs wel marked we haue a solution for all the places whyche the Anabaptistes do alledge ☞ It is is therefore declared howe the Sayntes beyng astonished for the apprehention of deathe do desyre God to wythdrawe theym Howe commeth it that they haue suche an horrous Let vs beholde al the ensamples of the fayethfull we Reade not that they dyd make any greate complayntes or lamentations when the tyme was come that they should dye but dyd submit them selues to the good wyll of God in patiēce I saye also Dauid and Ezechyas Wherefore then haue they vsed suche complaintes in the places aboue aledged But onely bycause in death they dyd conceyue the wrath and seueryte of God the whyche dyd astonyshe theym and not wythout a cause Nowe there is no doubte but that the man whyche fealeth the rygour of God and is persecuted by hys vengeaunce canne not prayse him for as muche as we can not geue hym herty thankes except we fele his goodnes Secondelye where it is sayed in these places that the dead do not prayse God that is not mente that they do not prayse hym in in theyr mynde but is ment that they cannot tel hys praises vnto other Which thyng the wordes whiche are there put