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A06347 An excellent and plaine discourse of the church, whereby the godlie may knowe and discerne the true Church, from the Romish Church, and all other false and counterfet churches, as well for matters of doctrine, as discipline, &c. Written in Frenche by M. Bartrand de Loque, a godlie minister of Dolphenine. And faithfully translated into English, by M.T.W. Seene and allowed; Traité de l'eglise. English Loque, Bertrand de.; T. W. (Thomas Wilcox), 1549?-1608. 1582 (1582) STC 16813; ESTC S103377 172,896 422

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Churche although that poore people were deceaued by false Prophetes and carried away to another gospel contrarie vnto that which he had preached vnto them These places doe manifestlye declare that the Church is neuer so pure and perfect in this worlde but that it hath alwayes neede to bee more and more purged and sanctified Which thing Saint Paule sheweth yet more plainely and openly when hee writeth vnto the Thessalonians For hee calleth them the Church 1. Thes 1.1 1 Thes 5.23 and yet hee prayeth vnto God for them that he would sanctifie thē throughout True it is that the Nouatians Donatists and Anabaptistes who doe not agree with vs in this point are not without their replies For first they alleadge vnto vs that which S. Paule writeth vnto the Ephesians That Iesus Christ gaue himself for his church EPhe. 5.25 26. 27. that he might sanctifie it and cleanse it that he might make it vnto himselfe a glorious church not hauing spot or wrinckle but that it shoulde bee holy and without blame But wee want not an aunswere also Saint Paul considereth the Churche not in her selfe but in Iesus Christe her heade whiche shee taketh holde of by faith So shee is said to bee without wrinckle and vnblameable by reason not of her owne righteousnesse but of Iesus Christes righteousnesse whereof shee is made partaker because it pleaseth God to impute and reckon the same vnto her for whiche cause also it is in another place 1. Cor. 1.30 that Iesus Christe is made of God the father vnto vs wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Moreouer wee might saye that S. Paule speaketh of sanctification or holinesse promised and which is not yet full accomplished as though hee called and saide the Church to bee without spot not that it is so here below on the earth but bicause that one day it shall so bee aboue in heauen And after this sort Saint Augustine vnderstandeth it August lib. de nuptiis concupisc cap. 34. Iesus Christe saith hee cleanseth his Churche by the washing of Christians to make it vnto himselfe without spot or wrinckle not in this worlde but in the world to come They alleadge moreouer that whiche Saint Iohn saith 1. Iob. 3.6.9 Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not Whereunto I aunswere by a distinction Those that are borne of God that is to say the faithfull sinne not that is to say serue not sinne or rather sinne doth not raigne in them because they doe withdraw themselues as muche as they can or are inabled from sinne and with all their hearte giue them selues to holinesse of life that they may glorifie GOD. And in this sense Saint Iohn taketh it and speaketh it Again they that are borne of God sinne that is to say can not doe liue so holyly but that oftentimes they stumble fall into sinnes For although they bee sanctified yet for all that by reason of the reliques and remnauntes of nature corrupted whiche yet resteth and remaineth in them euery day they turne aside from the right way and sinne In this sense Saint Iohn ment not that which he saith that whosoeuer is born of God sinneth not for so he should speake against him selfe hauing before saide 1. Ioh. 1.8.10 If wee saye wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and truth is not in vs yea wee make God a lyar and his worde is not in vs. So it is then that though there seeme to bee some contrarietie betweene those two to say that wee are sinners and sainctes bothe together yet all agreeth together very well for euerye man if wee consider him in his owne nature according to which he is called the childe of wrath hee is a sinner worthie of death and eternall damnation but if wee consider him in Iesus Christ as a Christian and faithfull man hee is holy so that he sinneth not that is to say serueth not sinne and his imperfections are hidden and couered because that they are not imputed vnto him and moreouer the Lorde Iesus maketh him partaker of his righteousnesse And so beeing a sinner in respect of his owne nature hee is notwithstanding reputed and accounted holy iust before God But that which we haue hitherto spoken toucheth or concerneth the members of the Church particularly Wee may also well say touching the Church considered in her owne bodie that it shall neuer here be purged from al filthinesses because that so long as shee shall bee on earth there shall bee in her wicked ones mingled with good ones Which thing Iesus Christ hath declared in the Gospel by two similitudes Mat. 13.24.25 c. In the first hee saith that the kingdome of heauen that is to say the Church is like vnto a man which sowed good seede in his fielde but while men slept there came his enemie and sowed tares amongest the wheate and went his way And when the blade was sprong vp and had brought foorth fruite then appeared the tares also Then came the seruaunts of the housholde and saide vnto him Master sowedst thou not c. And woulde presently haue gone and gathered them vp but the Lorde woulde not suffer them least while they went about to gather the tares they plucked vp also with them the wheate Therefore hee willed that they might both growe together vntill the haruest and in the time of haruest the reapers shall gather the tares and binde them in sheaues to burne them but they shall gather the good corne into the Lords barne Afterwards he expoundeth the saide similitude saying Hee that soweth the good seede is the sonne of man and the fielde is the worlde Mat. 13 3● c. the good seede are the children of the kingdome the tares are the children of the wicked and the enemie that soweth them is the Diuell the haruest is the end of the world and the reapers be the angels As then saith he the tares are gathered and burned in the fire so shall it be in the end of the worlde The sonne of man shall send foorth his Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdome all things that offend and them which do iniquitie and shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shall be wayling gnashing of teeth Then shall the iust men shine as the Sunne in the kingdome of their father In the seconde similitude hee saith Mat. 13.47 48. That the kingdome of heauen is like vnto a drawe net cast into the Sea that gathereth of al kind of things which when it is full the fishers draw to land on the shoare and put the good by them selues into their vessels and cast the bad away And afterwardes hee giueth the exposition thereof So shall it bee saith he at the end of the worlde Mat. 13.49 50. The Angels shall goe foorth and seuer the wicked from amongst the iust and shal cast them into a furnace of fire where shall bee wayling and gnashing of teeth By these two
two witnesses and they shall prophecie a thousande two hundred and threescore dayes In which place S. Iohn foretelleth the generall corruption of the Church whiche shall come to passe in the last times yet so that withall hee giueth vs to vnderstande that God will not suffer his seruice to continue so corrupted and bastardly but that he will reforme it and bring it to her former perfection and soundnesse and that for this purpose hee will raise and stirre vp witnesses of his owne to prophecie and speake against so greeuous a corruption And howe shall this be done by vsing an extraordinarie maner Luk. 9.49 Wee may also verie well applie to this purpose the example of him who cast out Diuels in the name of Iesus Christ For the Apostles woulde haue hindred him because he did not followe Iesus Christe as they did But Iesus Christe sayeth vnto them Take heede that ye forbid him not or hinder him for fayth hee he that is not against vs is with vs. It is very true in deede that such an extraordinarie vocation ought not to be lightly approued but it is also as true that it ●ught not as lightly to be condemne But wee haue a certaine and manifest testimonie Act. 6.5 8.5 of this extraordinarie vocation in Philip. For hee being onely ordayned a Deacon at Hierusalem was afterwardes extraordinarily called by God to preach Iesus Christ Beside the first restorers of the Churche of our age or time who were extraordinarily called are not to be reproued or blamed for rashnesse For as in a citie besieged by the enemie or assaulted with fire when they whiche were ordinarily called for the safegarde and defence thereof and to giue order in the daunger of fyre shoulde be themselues the first enemies and putters to of fyre if it fall out that certaine Citizens hauing other charges or offices in the citie or else if they were but priuate and particular persons woulde come and set vp themselues and imploy them selues in running to the breach and fire to the ende that they might preserue the citie so farre of is it that they deserue or ought to be reprehended as traytors and vnfaithfull persons that on the other side for a facte so courteous gentle yea so profitable to the country they were greatly to be praised as very good citizens and true friendes and preseruers of the countrey so when the ordinarie sauegardes or keepers of Gods owne house haue declared them selues to be enemies thereof and putters too of fyre to ouerthrowe and marre all they that are afterwardes aduaunced and set forewardes them selues to resist them and to maintaine the right and estate of the sayde house yea although they haue had no manner of ordinarie vocation but in their owne consciences haue onely felt themselues extraordinarilye called for to execute such an office or charge so farre of is it that eyther they may or ought to be blamed that contrarywise they deserue honour and great prayse And yet this is here to be noted that albeit all are not inioyned or cōmanded to preach as well as all are commanded to oppose or set them selues against false prophets yet by consequent it followeth verie wel that if any doe aduaunce or set forward themselues to oppose or set them selues against false prophetes they haue done nothing against their vocation or calling Add also that euen those which in the beginning were extraordinarily called hauing faithfully acquitted and behaued them selues in their charges in preaching the trueth and being receiued and allowed of the people that vocation of theirs which before was extraordinarie hath ceased yea must cease and afterwards is become ordinarie And as concerning myracles wee will shortly aunswere thereto Let the Romishe Catholikes shewe what myracles Isaiah Amos Obadiah Nahum Zechariah and many other prophetes did whom God did extraordinarily stirre vp where they whiche had the order and gouernment in their owne handes abused the same Next let them consider Mat. 12.39 that it appertayneth to an euill adulterous generation to demaund and seeke signes as Iesus Christ saith Thirdly that miracles may seduce and deceiue For we read that false prophetes seducers Deut. 13.1 c. Mat. 24.24 and deceiuers haue sometimes done them thereby to deceiue men and to make approued their false doctrines 2. Thes 2.9 and to increase and strengthen their superstitions and idolatries And therefore we ought not by myracles to iudge of the vocation and doctrine but rather on the other side by the vocation and doctrine wee ought to iudge of myracles and signes The other thing whiche wee aunswere touching the vocation and calling of our first ministers is that wee may verie well stoppe the mouthes of the Romishe Catholikes if wee would alledge that those ministers them selues for the most parte had in respecte of them selues an ordinarie vocation being in deede called in their time by the Pope and by him established and set in their charges and therefore by consequent had authoritie and right to goe vp into the pulpit and to teache in the Church as Luther Zwinglius Oecolampadius Bucer and before them Wickliffe and Iohn Hus. Also that in Englande Sweden and Denmarke the right and lawfull succession of the chaire or place is on our side For there the ordinarie Bishoppes haue receiued the Gospell and preache it so that wee shall not neede to dispute of their vocation no more then for the calling of the Priestes which are at this present in the Romishe Chuch called by the Pope but euen only of their doctrine CHAP. VI. That the Church hath been alwayes from the beginning is nowe and shal be euen vnto the worlds end but that it ought not to be esteemed or acknowledged by the great number WE must not thinke that the Churche had her beginning when the Apostles began to preach the Gospell throughout all the world at which time the disciples were first named christians in Antiochia but that shee began to be in the world euen from the very time of our first parentes Adam and Heuah For in them and by them God began to be serued on the earth hauing blessed them and cōmended vnto thē his seruice and after their fall hauing preached vnto them repentaunce and assurance of victorie against the serpent through Iesus Christ his sonne But the world increasing the church also was augmēted seruing god For as S. Paul saith God created the world Act. 17 26. hath made of one blood al men that they might seeke and serue him And he himselfe saith in Isaiah This people haue I formed for my selfe they shall rehearse and shewe foorth my praise Isai 48 2● GOD then created in the worlde and that from the beginning a Churche thorough free adoption to this ende that his name might be duely praysed by conuenient fit and meete witnesses for so excellent a worke For this cause also the Church is called the planting of the Lorde that hee
men make the plough continually to goe to rent or cleaue it to turne it vpside downe Therfore also Saint Paule saith in the Acts Act. 14.22 That by many tribulations wee must enter into the kingdom of God 2. Tim. 3.12 And in the 2. Epistle to Tim. All those that will liue godly in Christe Iesus shall suffer persecution Iesus Christ saith also vnto his Disciples Iohn 15. 20. Remember the woorde that I saide vnto you that the seruaunt is not greater than his Master If they haue persecuted mee Iohn 16.1 2 they will persecute you also Also These thinges haue I saide vnto you that yee should not bee offended They shall excommunicate you yea the time shall come that whosoeuer killeth you will thinke that hee doeth God seruice And this is the state and condition wherein God will haue his Churche to glorifie him heere belowe on the earth And in deede the first lesson that Iesus Christ gaue to his Disciples was touching this matter of the Crosse and persecutions ●at 1● 24 If any man saith hee will come after mee let him forsake himselfe and take vp his Crosse follow me The experience of all times ages doth sufficiently shewe vnto vs the truth of this matter whether wee consider somewhat narrowly as well the state of the ancient Churche vnder the olde Testament as the state of that which came afterwarde vnder the newe Testament insomuch that it may rightly say Psal 129 1. They haue often afflicted me from my youth and haue done me a thousande euils at is said in the Psalmes For euen from the beginning the Diuell hath alwaies beene like to himselfe that is to say a lier a murtherer Iohn 8. 44. enuious and a false and priuie accuser and warre hath alwaies continued Gen. 3.15 2. Cor. 6.14.15 betweene the womans seed and the serpents seede And howe can any man ioyne and put together thinges which are of a contrary nature Howe can any man make agreement betweene God and the Diuell betweene Christ and Belial betweene the faithfull and the vnbeleeuers Iesus Christ in the 3. chapter of S. Iohn sheweth a reason to declare why it is impossible that the good and the wicked shoulde suffer one with another agree together Ioh. ● 19.20 to wit that all the workes which the world doeth are wicked and therefore least they should bee discouered and laid open by the light it hateth the light and loueth darkenesse From hence is it that euen from the beginning of the world enmities betweene the faithfull and the aduersaries of the truth haue taken and had their originall and first foundation This is the cause why Cain slue his brother Abell that Lot the faithfull seruant of the Lord was hated of the Sodomites that Ishmael mocked Isaac and persecuted him that Esau went about to oppresse and kill Iacob euen from his youth that Ioseph had his owne brethren for his enimies that the Prophetes could not agree with the wicked Kinges nor Saint Iohn Baptist with the incestuous Herode nor Iesus Christe with the high Priests Scribes and Pharisees nor the Apostles and Martyrs with the infidels and vnbeleeuers of their times And therefore it is meere folly to suppose and thinke that the children of God can euer bee beloued of the worlde Whereupon by good right and for good cause Saint Iames saith Iames. 4.4 That the amitie of the worlde is the enmitie of God and hee that will be a friend of the world maketh himselfe the enemie of God And for this cause also Iohn 15.19 Iesus Christ hath said to his Disciples If yee were of this world the world would loue his owne but because yee are not of this world but I haue chosen and separated you out of this world therefore the worlde hateth you To be short if wee woulde that the Church of God should be without persecution thē of necessitie must it be that the world should be without hatred the Diuel without enuie and our nature without vice or sinne But to the ende that wee may specifie and declare cetaine things A discourse of the tenne great persecutions of the Church touching the persecutions of the Church let vs examine as it were one by one the tenne persecutions which came vpon it after the death of Iesus Christe vnder the Emperours whereof the Ecclesiasticall historie maketh mention True it is that in the time of Augustus the seconde Emperour the Churche was much persecuted vnder the great Herode who thinking to put to death the King of the Iewes in the very cradle commaunded men to slaie all the babes and little children of Bethelehem and of all the borders thereof from two yeeres olde and vnder Also vnder Tiberius the third Emperour by Herode Antipas the Tetrarch of Galilee who was the sonne of the first Herode who tooke away his brother Phillips wife and put to death Iohn Baptist because hee reproued him for that sinne and offence And by Pilate also who condemned and caused to bee put to death on the Crosse Iesus Christ the high Priests Scribes Pharises and Elders of the people beeing the principall blowers of the fire chiefe persecutors Moreouer vnder Caius Caligula that horrible monster who was appointed the fourth Emperour in the nine and thirtieth yeere after Christes birth and raigned three yeeres tenne monethes and eight dayes and vnder Claudius also his successor And it appeareth by the historie of the Actes and the Epistles of the Apostles howe the Churches were tossed and persecuted in Asia Antiochia Pisidia Iconium Lystra Galatia Ephesus Macedonia Phillippi Thessalonia Corinthus Berrhoe Rome and many other places but al these persecutions were as yet particular and but in some one place or other God moderating and mitigating the heartes and handes of men and gouerning after a wonderfull sorte his Church in those Emperours daies to the end it might more blessedly and plentifully growe But omitting these let vs speake of the tenne great and generall persecutions as they are called by which the Church was eagerly assaulted and cruelly tormented on all sides The first persecution was vnder Nero the sixt Emperour who was called Claudius Domitius Nero. Hee was ordeined Emperour in the yere 57. after the birth of Christ and reigned xiiii yeeres seuen monethes and certaine dayes And some say that the fiue first yeeres hee was a good man but that afterwardes hee so disordered himself and fell into suche excesse by incests murthers and all manner of wickednesses that hardly there is as yet any other Emperor to bee found who was defiled with such filthinesses Tertullian rehearseth in his Apologetico Tertul. Apolog cap. 5. that this Emperour was the first persecutor of the Church Looke saith hee into your historie and registers and you shall finde that Nero was the first which exercised crueltie against the Christians whiche were vnder the Emperours authoritie and principally against the Churche which was
established at Rome Corne. Tacitus lib. 10. And Cornelius Tacitus declareth that the occasiō which Nero toke to persecute the Church for was this that he cōmanded secretly to set on fire the citie of Rome that hee might see some forme or image as it were which might represent set out vnto him the fire of Troy And so the fire continued in the Citie sixe dayes space which made such a destruction that he became hereby very odious among the people And seeing that hee could not put out this hatred and waiting of him to doe him some mischiefe for all the good turnes which hee could do to the people he found out this deuise to sowe abrode this bruite rumor and report that it was the Christians who had been the blowers of that fire and the authours of that destruction and from that time forward he began to persecute them and to put them to death both because they were as hee said the blowers of that fyre and also because they were enemies of all mankinde by reason of that confession which they made of the name of Christ And to make them to die his vpholder put vpon their backes the skinnes of wild beasts that they might be torne and rent if it were possible in peeces with dogges where also they crucified them and burned them all aliue and although the day failed them yet they burned thē that they might therby giue light to the night This first persecution began about the yeere of Christe 66. the x. yere of Nero his raigne lasted 4. yeeres somwhat more vntill the death of that tyrant Some say Eusebius amongest those reciteth it that this Nero about the end of his dayes or reigne caused S. Peter and Saint Paule to be put to death The 2. persecution was vnder Domitian the 12. Emperour who was appointed Emperour in the yeere of Christe 83. and reigned 15. yeers and 6. monethes Hee was so lifed vp in crueltie and pride that he would haue his subiects call him God and Lord and caused images of his owne person to bee made of gold and siluer Hee ordeined as his father Vespasian had doone before him that inquirie shoulde bee made against the race of Dauid and that they which were founde to bee thereof shoulde bee put to death for hee feared the comming of Christe and about the fourteenth yeere of his reigne and the yeere of Christe 97. hee caused by an edict to bee published and proclaimed a cruel persecution against the Christians insomuch that the Churche was miserably and a long time tormented vnder him The third persecution was in the dayes of Traian the fourteenth Emperour who was appointed Emperour about the yeere of Christe 100. who gouerned the Empire nineteene yeeres sixe monethes and fifteene dayes Hee is greatly praised of the Historiographers as a courteous and gentle Prince and some say that hee was so renowmed and famous by reason of his iustice and curtesie that euer after so often as any was created Emperour the people yeelded this blessed exclamation outcrie and consent Bee hee more happy then Augustus and better then Traian yet notwithstanding hee persecuted the Churche and marke the occasion that he tooke so to doe Hee was brought vp from his infancie in the Paganish and Heathenishe superstitions by reason whereof hee disdained and despised christian religion because that it was contrarie to these superstitions Besides that hee had about him certaine courtiers which were blowers of that fire in him augmented that disdaine and disspite in him insomuch that diuers Historiographers recorde that he was not so much of his owne nature inclined to shed blood as deceiued and stirred vp thereto by his councellers and principally by the Pagane Priestes Freculph lib. 2. cap. 20. who as Freculphus witnesseth gaue good store of siluer to the gouernours and bribed freely to the ende that they would put the christians to death as their deadly enemies Some adde that the number of Christians was very muche increased whereupon many inconueniences myght come to the Romane Empire if the danger were not preuented which also was a cause that Traian was the more inflamed and kindled against them as also Sabellicus writeth Sabellicus that the greate number of Christians were more suspected of this Emperour then the religion After this sort then did they accuse the Christians of sedition and blasphemie and for these causes they were cruelly persecuted insomuch as it appeareth by that which Plinie the second hath written Plinius secūd That publike commandements were sent from the Emperour to the gouernours of all the Prouinces by which euery gouernour was inforced too persecute and so the persecution was spread abroade throughout all the places of the Romane Empyre whiche at that time conteined not only Europe but also a great parte of Asia and Affrica And the saide persecution indured about foureteene yeeres but yet in such order that in the beginning of the reigne of Traian it was somwhat lesse sharpe but afterwards it flamed out and burst foorth more and more Tertul. Apologi cap. 2. Nowe the saide Plinie the second had at that time the gouernement of a ceataine Prouince to wit of Bethinia and as Tertullian saith he was appointed to persecute the Christians about the yeere of Christe 112. and of Traian the fourteenth yeere Wherefore hee beeing astonished with the great number of martyrs which were euery day put to death did write a letter to the aforesaid Emperour to aduertise him or to giue him to vnderstande of that whiche was done in his Prouince and to haue his aduise and counsell touching that whiche hee was to doe in time to come to whom the Emperour made aunswere by an other letter declaring vnto him and making him to vnderstande his intente and purpose And because that in these letters wee may see on the one side the innocencie of the faithfull people and on the otherside the iniustice of tyrants and because they do liuely set out vnto vs the estate of the Christians at this day and the manners and customes of those which persecute them and may by this meane stande the age wherein wee liue in verie good fleed for instruction both of the one and the other it shall bee good and expedient that wee in regester them and put them downe Heere now foloweth Plinie his letter which he sent to the Emperor Traian euen as it is written in his owne booke Syr Plinie the secōd his letter to Traian I am accustomed to declare vnto your Maiestie all the affaires and matters whereof I am in doubt For who can better correct my dulnesse or instruct mine ignorance I was neuer yet present at the tryals of Christians and proceedinges against them and therefore I knowe not what informations they put in against thē or for what cause they punish them And I haue beene in great doubt to wit whether there bee any difference to bee made of ages or