vnto you that you shall not resist euill What could be more manifestly in shew said and laid before them and yet neuerthelesse they suffered wrong Euen so in truth are we also wronged whē men broach such feareful odious matters of vs. which a man cannot easily vtter without sinning For example they say of vs that wee teach that God is the cause of sinne and hath a delight and pleasure in sin and helpeth to sin but God knoweth whom no man can deceiue that such blasphemy against God neuer entred into our minds The contentious would wring it out of this that some of ours write that there befalleth nothing without the foreknowledge councell and will of God no not sinne it selfe Now it is certaine our men write thus that there can nothing be done without the foreknowledge councell and will of God whether it be little or great bad or good either in heauen or on earth But they doe not therfore say that God is the cause of sinne or hath delight and pleasure in sinne and helpeth therein But they teach in all their writings the clean contrary that God is not the author of sinne that also hee hath no delight and pleasure in sinne and that he helpeth no man to sinne or doth either secretly or openly prouoke them to it But whereas indeede they doe write that there comes nothing to passe without the foreknowledge councell will of God yea also that which in it selfe is euill and sinne That vnderstand they thus not otherwaies as Luke vnderstands it where he writes of the feareful and great sinne which Herod and Pilate committed against Christ Act. 4.27.28 doing whatsoeuer the hand and councel of God had determined before to be done More cleerely they vnderstand it thus That God is an almighty God and so can hinder all things which he will not suffer to come to passe and that therefore also the euil spirits and men can performe nothing when as God hath not determined it or as Luke saith when that God in his coūcel had not determin'd that it shold come so to passe that no otherwise is the opiniō of our teachers of the foreknowledge of God it is in very truth a right comfortable opinion for wo vnto vs poore folke if the Lord were not so almighty that he before knew all our enemies bad intents and could let them passe or hinder them according to his councell and will How long would the Diuell Pope and Popish confederates suffer vs to liue when that God by his prouidence did not gouerne them and bridled them Euen so do we beleeue of the foreknowledge of God and are assured that no Christian man doth beleeue any otherwise thereof yet will they perswade the people that wee beleeue and say more haynously of the foreknowledge of God then the Iewes Turkes and Heathens We will shew one example more out of which such as feare God vnderstanding and impartiall men may see how hetherto they haue delt with vs. Wee say it is not possible that the elect should perish which they construe vpon vs as if we had said and written he that is elected must be saued doe what he will And on the contrary he that is not elected must bee damned though hee liue so honestly and holily as he can possibly But we testifie before God and before Christ Iesus who is to come againe to Iudge the quicke and the dead that such an opinion neuer came into our minde we say indeed that the elect cannot bee lost And why should we not say so Christ saith it himselfe Mat. 24. Chapt. And D. Luther saith so also in innumerable many places But that we should say that the elect cannot perish with this addition doe they what they will that will neuer bee shewed in our writings But that is our opinion and for that we say that the elect cannot perish 1. Pet. 1.5 Luke 22.32 because God keepeth them by his power in faith to saluation and though they sometimes fall yet they lye not therin but he raiseth them againe by repentance for whom God hath elected to euerlasting life those hath he not otherwaies elected Ephe. 1.4.5 Rom. 8.30 Ezek. 36.27 then with this conditiō that he would giue them faith in Christ and that by his holy spirit hee would make them new creatures and such people as should walke in his commandements Therefore are they no elect that doe what they will but onely they that haue a harty purpose and an earnest intent to do what God will that is our opinion herein Concerning the person of Christ Of the person of Christ thereof doe wee beleeue no otherwaies then the other Protestant Churches vniformely doe beleeue namely that Christ is true God and man in one vnseparable person That is the common consent of ours and all other Protestant Churches also But that the body of Christ should bee euery where that is the priuate opinion of some few contentious ones whom not onely many Lutherans Churches as Brunswick Pomern Holst Marke and Denmark speake against but also most of their owne auditory giue no credit vnto it as a man may perceiue if he come into conference with them Setting then aside this priuate opinion of some few contentious ones about the vbiquity of the body of Christ wee are not inferiour in the doctrine of the person of Christ as also of the euerlasting foreknowledge of God to the other Protestant Churches And to D. Luther himselfe in all things Of the holy supper and in all points agreeable And so there remaineth no more besides wherein there is any difference betwixt vs and D. Luther then alone that point of the holy supper And yet differ wee not in the whole point but onely the least part thereof is in controuersie D. Martin Luther postie de anno 1529. in the winter part fol. 102. b. The principall part in the holy supper is the spirituall eating and drinking of the body and blood of Christ which onely maketh a man right and blessed before God the bodily eating and drinking is but a token that maketh no man right and blessed before God Euen as the horse can neuer be satisfied with painted oates saith D. Luther Now we in euery thing agree with D. Luther in the spirituall eating and drinking of the bodie and blood of Christ and we beleeue as well as he that it is done by faith When one feedeth himselfe with the comfortable promise of God that hee gaue his sonne to death for him and for his sake will bestow vpon him euerlasting life through which faith a man is so incorporated into Christ that he is as it were one bread and one meate with him as D. Luther saith Whilst wee then on both sides agree in the spirituall eating and drinking of the body and blood of Christ wherefore will we seuer our selues and condemne each other for the signes sake by which the spirituall eating and drinking
Doe this in remembrance of me that is take this bread and eat it in remembrance that I as the true heauenly breade gaue vp my body for you euen to death on the crosse and haue spilt my bloud for the forgiuenes of your sinnes and shall be vnto you a true meat drinke to euerlasting life which meat and drinke neuerthelesse you must eat by true faith and let slip into your hearts that it may comfort wash quicken your selues both in life and death Admit now that we did erre with such a construction of ours yet did not such an error concerne the grounds of saluation for Saluation dependeth not in the bodily eating and drinking of the body and blood of Christ but saluation standeth in the spirituall eating and drinking of the body and blood of Christ as D. Luther confesseth himselfe therefore and if indeede we did erre about the bodily eating and drinking of the bodie and blood of Christ yet neuerthelesse did we not ouerthrow the ground of saluation with such an error Wherefore they haue no sufficient and vrgent cause for this points sake namely for so much as concerneth the holy supper wherefore they should condemne vs as heathens and with such condemning any longer hinder the highly needefull agreement of the Protestant Churches Intruth it were well to be wished Rom. 12.16 Rom. 15.5 1. Cor. 1.10 that we were all of one mind and vsed one forme of reasoning euen all of vs together of all and euery point of Christian Religion as also the Apostle Paul in diuers places most truely admonisheth vs therunto But it is vnpossible that wee can euer bring it perfectly to that passe in this life 1 Cor. 13.9 For we know but in part and God giueth alwaies more light in spirituall matters to one then to another as a man may notably see in the writings of the old fathers whereof not anie of them agreede in all things together If then wee shall not loue one another before and as brethren hould together till such time as we haue one vnderstanding and meaning altogether in all godly matters then shall wee neuer in this life loue one another and hould together as brethren Now then this is the very Pith of the whole Christian Religion that we doe out of a pure hart and a good conscience and faith vnfained first loue God who gaue his sonne to death for vs and then also our selues that we loue each other Therefore Paul giues vs not onely this commaund that wee should bee of one minde in all things and should be diligent to vse one forme but he giues vs also yet another commaundement to this effect that though there were some difference found in vs about the vnderstanding of godly matters we should not breake the bond of loue and part the vnity of the spirit but beare patiently the one with the others ignorance and weakenesse Paules words are these Phil. 3.15.16 Let vs therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if yee be otherwise minded God shall reueale euen the same vnto you Neuerthelesse in that whereunto we are come let vs proceede by one rule that we may minde one thing That is the commaundement of the Apostle Paul namely that we seperate not our selues for one point or other but giue place to God whosoeuer he bee that at the present houlds any vnfit thing to make it more knowne vnto him in his time And in the meane time walke peaceably as is saide according to the common rule or ground of Christianity wherein by the grace of God we do agree This command of the Apostle Paul louing brethren wee intreate you to consider and to begin from this time forth to liue brotherly and peaceably with vs. We do not desire that you should for our sakes be silent in any thing you hold to be truth or not to confute our grounds if you can do it But onely this is our desire that you would for those errors sake which we hould in your opiniō of the holy supper not so shamefully raile vpon vs and condemne vs in your sermons and writings When you shall but doe so then is the peace readily accomplished For we desire not to condemne you But when you liue godlily according to the knowledge which God hath giuen vnto you then hould wee you for children of God for brethren in Christ Iesus for all the errors which wee are perswaded that you haue about the holy supper And therefore it resteth in you louing brethren you can helpe the Churches of God if you so please And there is iust cause why you should please being it is so Gods pleasure and also our great necessitie requires it for it is vnpossible that ours namely the Protestant Churches should be able long to stand if we do not quickly make peace one with another and lay downe the vnhappie contention that hetherto hath beene betwixt vs. For by such strife doe we make our selues naked of all armor which wee should haue both from God and man against the Pope Psal 133. It so being that God will not assist the contentious but if wee agree and call vpon him with an humble spirit then will he bestow vpon vs his grace and blessing And indeede the power of the Protestant Princes and States is also not sufficient to counteruaile the Popedomes if they seuer themselues into two or three sides and the one part shall helpe to rippe vp the other As touching the common man he vnderstands almost nothing any more now of the abominations of the Popedome for that he heares almost nothing else from the Pulpet but onely railings vpon the Caluinists yea he heares that according to their teachers suggestions the Papists are not by much so bad as the Caluinists and therefore is it not possible that in the time of necessity hee should haue a sound zeale to fight against the Popedome but in time he will hould as much of one Religion as of another And grant it that we should neuer be bodily set vpon by the Papists yet are we at this very present so set vpon by them spiritually as neuer before the like The Iesuites plot subtilely day and night how they may make their bad cause good with serpent-like writings and on the contrary side bring our good cause into all euill suspicion not onely to the common man but also and that most especially to all great Princes We in the meane time are together by the eares and the youth of the Protestants study almost nothing else but how the Lutherans may match with the Caluinists and the Caluinists with the Lutherans that is God be mercifull vnto vs almost all the diuinity in our times of the Protestants and should not a man also find a great number amongst the Preachers who doe not well and groundedlie know whereon dependeth the certaine grounds of strife betwixt vs and the Papists and wherfore our forefathers did separate themselues
are in him namely the God-head and the man-hood with their naturall properties remaine vnmingled euerlastingly and neither nature is changed into the other for else could he not be true God and man when he had not in himselfe as well the godly as the humaine and as well the humaine as the diuine nature which can no waies be made knowne one from the other but by their naturall properties Also we beleeue on both sides that he in his naturall body which he tooke vpon him suffered death for vs and arose againe the third day from the dead and ascended into heauen forty dayes after his resurrection and at this present sitteth at the right hand of God from whence he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead also that in the meane time he causeth to be preached repentance and forgiuenesse of sinnes and that all that beleeue such preaching and repent them shal not be lost but haue euerlasting life that is indeed on both sides our faith And so we doe both of vs hould the foundation of saluation without backsliding Wherefore then should we not with good conscience keepe brothership one with another and in all that may befall vs hould together as brethren The Apostle Paul saith that we may not onely doe it with good conscience but we are bound also to doe it for he that houldeth the foundation of saluation which I haue laid saith Paul the same though he haue some wood and stubble in his doctrine which in time must be burnt with fire yet shall he be saued Shall he be saued then must he be a childe of God Is he a childe of God then must he also be my brother or else am I no childe of God Is he my brother then stands it not alone free for mee to performe brotherly truth and loue vnto him but I am euery way indebted to him therein It is very true there are some contentious ones that say that we haue not onely wood hay and stubble in our doctrine but that wee also erre in those points that concerne the foundation of saluation as namely of the person of Christ and of the holy supper but especially about the euerlasting foreknowledge of God or of free election by grace For of these last points say they giue we such fearefull reasons that no Christian can with good conscience acknowledge vs for children of God and is able to hould any brotherhood with vs. But if we be innocent in this one point then are we certainly without blame in these points for we beleeue and teach no otherwise of these points then as next the holy scriptures happie D. Luther himselfe beleeued and taught euen vnto the day of his death The summe whereof is to this effect Of the foreknowledge of God that mankind is so corrupted through the fall that hee is neuer able to beleeue in Christ or to come vnto him by his owne power though hee be called to him by the Gospell But that hee may vnderstand and receiue the Gospell of Christ God together with the outward preaching of the Gospell must also inwardly open his vnderstanding and turne his heart to Christ by his holy spirit And so is faith nothing lesse then a worke of free-will but a meere free gift of God which gift no man hath deserued of God It so being that al men are sinners But God giues such grace freely by grace to whom he will But those whom hee presently will those hath he willed from euerlasting according to the saying of Iames. Act 15.18 From the beginning of the world God knoweth all his works Therfore floweth faith from this spring euen the euerlasting foreknowledge of God And the faithfull haue no cause to ascribe it to themselues but to praise God that they do beleeue The vnbeleeuers also cannot ascribe the fault to God but to themselues that they doe not beleeue For though all men are so corrupted by nature that they cannot of themselues beleeue in Christ yet hath not God so corrupted them but they haue so corrupted themselues seeing that through the diuells prouocation they fell willingly from God About which fall no man hath cause to complaine against God though he should leaue all men in their destruction and vnbeleefe together And therefore that he doth helpe only some out of the same for that they are to magnifie his mercy and not to dispute with him about the rest But when as one desireth to know whether God hath foreseene and chosen him to euerlasting life or not Then shall he not search into the secret councel of God for such a searching is but in vain tendeth to no other end then to serue to bring one another to despaire or indeed vnto fleshly security But when one desireth to be assured whether he be ordained to saluatiō or no let him hold himselfe to the reuealed word of God and according to the command thereof beleeue in Christ repent And then need he not further search whether he be elected to life euerlasting or not for all they that beleeue in Christ without hypocrisie are chosen to life euerlasting as it is written All that beleeue in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life Euen so and no otherwise hath D. Luther constantly taught continually of the euerlasting foreknowledge of God As is to bee seene in all his writings which hee put forth from yeare to yeare which writings he that hath them not or cannot read them let him read onely the abstract taken out of them and was printed certaine yeares agone at Amberge vnder this title Anno. 1598. The Constant doctrine of D. Martin Luther of the first mouing causes of faith Or hee that cannot get that abstract let him read onely the Preface of D. Luther vpon the Epistle to the Romanes in his Dutch Bible which he ouersaw a new and caused to bee printed the last yeare before his death there may he cleerely finde it And if hee haue an vpright heart in him must acknowledge that D. Luther neuer beleeued and taught otherwaies then as is aboue mentioned we therin beleeue and teach Whatsoeuer fearefull reasons are obiected against vs aboue and against such a doctrine they are nothing else then bare forges deuised by peace hating people thereby to discredit vs. And it skills not much that they note the books and leaues wherein such fearefull reasons stand When one is a mans enemy easily may he finde somthing in his arguments writings which hee may haue shew to make an euill construction of When Iulian the Apostata was enemie to the Christians he accused them that they would haue Magristacy cease and would cast all good order on an heap for they taught that men should not any more punish theeues and Murtherers but let euery man fulfill his owne euill desires and to shew them to be such he repeats Christs words You haue heard what is said eye for eye tooth for tooth but I say
is represented Doc. Luther saith the tokens in the holy supper which men eate drinke with the bodily mouth are not onely bread and wine but also the body and the blood of Christ present in the bread and wine vnseene We say the body and blood of Christ are not the tokens but the betokened heauenly riches which cannot be laid hould on neither fed on by the bodily mouth but onely by faith But the tokens which we shall and can eate and drinke in the supper with our bodily mouthes we say are bread and wine ordained of Christ to this holie vse that through such bodily eating of tokens the spirituall blisse making feeding by the betokened heauenly riches Namely the true body blood of Christ which is performed by faith are represented confirmed and sealed And so in no manner of waies doe wee teach that men doe eate and drinke onely bare bread and wine in the supper as the contentious falsely accuse vs but wee doe teach that men eate and drinke in the supper both bread and wine and also the true body and blood of Christ but with this difference that men eate and drinke the bread and wine with the bodily mouth but the bodie and blood of Christ with the spirituall mouth namely by faith by which onely a man can blessedly take hould on Christ And therefore there is no strife betwixt D. Luther and vs whether we eate and drinke the true body and true blood of Christ in the supper but there is the difference how we eate and drinke the true bodie and true blood of Christ in the supper We say we eate and drinke the true bodie and true blood of Christ in the supper onely spiritually by faith D. Luther D. Martin Luther Tom. 1. fol. 208. Tom. 2. fol 197. tom 3. fol. 487. saith wee doe not onely eate and drinke the true body and blood of Christ in the supper spiritually by faith but also bodily with the mouth That cannot wee beleeue Not that we would not gladly beleeue the word of God but because wee cannot finde in our iudgements The body of Christ is eatē with the mouth of the faithfull vnfaithfull as well of Iudas as of Peter that that is Gods word that wee should eate and drinke the bodie and blood of Christ with our bodilie mouthes D. Luther saith Christ hath said it in that hee tooke the bread and said Take eate this is my body Now dowe gladly beleeue the words of Christ but that the words of Christ should haue such an vnderstanding as D. Luther giues them as if he had said namely In or vnder the bread is my body vnseene and yet really together with it And therefore when you eate the bread with your mouthes so doe you therewith eate my body also with your mouthes it being in or vnder the bread hidden That that should be the meaning of Christ that cannot we beleeue For such a construction runneth against the articles of the Christian faith and the whole holy Scripture therein being plainely testified that Christ hath but one body wherewith he sat at table in their open sightes at the time of the first supper And wherewith hee also in open sight ascended into heauen fortie daies after his resurrection but not much the better if hee hath one body at present seene in heauen and an other vnseene on earth in euery host one But we vnderstand that this is the meaning of Christ when he tooke the bread and spake This is my body which is giuen for you as if he had said that shall bee vnto you a remembrance of my body which I haue giuen for you to death that so I as the right heauenly bread may feede you to euerlasting life or which is to one effect that so I may deliuer you from the euerlasting hunger and misery which else you must haue suffered in hell We vnderstand that that was the meaning of Christ in these words This is my body which is giuen for you Whilest he presently after saith doe it in remembrance of me and whilest in al Sacraments God vsed so to speake he naming the tokens euen so as if they were the betokened treasures themselues For example when he ordained circumcision he said Gen. 17.10 Gen. 17.11 Rom. 4.11 This is my couenant yet was it not otherwise ment then if he had said This is a token or seale of my couenant euen as presently God himselfe declared where he for the words this is my couenant presently vseth these words It shall bee a signe of the couenant betwixt me and thee Also the Easter lamb is called of God the Pascha which is in dutch as much as Passeouer Exod. 12.27 Exod. 12.17 Exod. 13.16 when hee made his deuouring Angell passe by the houses of the children of Israell And yet it was not meant by it as if the Easter lambe were the Passeouer it selfe but that it should bee a token and a remembrance of the Passeouer as the Lord againe himselfe declared where he said This shall bee a token to thee in thy hands and a remembrance before thine eies Euen so doe wee vnderstand that also in this sacrament namely in the holy Supper Christ spake Sacramentally and so said first This is my body which is giuen for you and after added doe such in remembrance of me thereby demonstrating that hee called the bread his crucified body for vs therefore because hee ordained it in remembrance or for a witnesse seale or pledge of his crucified body for vs. In which opinion that confirmeth vs also Ioh. 6. which wee finde in the holy Scripture that Christ most flatly againe and againe casteth away the bodily eating and drinking of his body and blood With these two grounds first Vers 61.62 that hee would ascend to heauen where wee could not sease on him or eate him with our bodily mouths Secondly that also Vers 33.63 such a bodily eating drinking of his body and bloud was not profitable vnto saluation But rather who so doth eat and drinke him spiritually or as hee had presently said before he that commeth to him and beleeueth in him he shal haue euerlasting life and he will raise him vp at the last day Whilst now Christ hath againe and againe cast away expresly the bodily eating and drinking of his body and blood therefore cannot wee beleeue that hee would ordaine against himselfe a bodily eating and drinking of his body and blood in the Supper Those bee our grounds which mooue vs to hold that the words of Christ This is my bodie are not so to bee vnderstood as if the body of Christ were really there present hidden in the bread as they sing hidden in the bread so little but that the bread the same food should be a remembrance or putting vs in minde of the body of Christ which hee gaue vp to death on the crosse for vs as Christ presently himselfe hath cleared and said