5 3. 1. Pet. 1 6. for Tribulation worketh patience patience experience And Peter in the first chapter of his first epistle saith that There is ioie to the saints in temptations yea and Paule dooth glorie in his aduersities 2. Cor. 21 9. The which he meaneth not as they procéed from the diuell or from wicked men Temptations distinguished but as they come from the prouidence of God and be the instruments of his reward and saluation But if they tend vnto euill that is that they be prouocations vnto sin then must they be distinguished bicause therein is either fall or victorie If victorie be ioined with them this kind is desired of saints to the intent the diuell the flesh and the world may euerie daie more and more be vanquished in them But if they be afraid of falling it is either temporall or eternall if it be temporall we must praie for the auoiding of temptation as we doo in the Lords praier And lead vs not into temptation Matt. 6 13. This did Christ teach his apostles when hée said The spirit indeed is readie but the flesh is fraile Matt. 26 41. watch and praie that ye enter not into temptation And reason leadeth vs therevnto for we ought to detest all things that are contrarie vnto the will of God such is a fall against the lawe of God yea nothing ought to be more displeasing vnto vs euen as it appéereth by the commandement Thou shalt loue the Lord Deut. 6 5. with all thine hart and with all thy soule To these things adde that none ought to haue such confidence in his owne strength as he should not feare in temptation Wherefore in temptation we must alwaies praie but not that wée may not be tempted at all séeing God hath appointed our life to be a warfare But godlie men are not afraid of temptations which haue a perpetuall and deadlie end for they knowe that God is a father vnto them which they would not beléeue if they misdoubted that they should be forsaken of him Further they acknowledge Rom. 11 25. that The calling and gifts of God are without repentance as it is said in the epistle to the Romans ¶ Looke the propositions out of the 22. chapter of Genesis at the end of this booke The end of the first part E R THE Second Part of the Common Places of PETER MARTYR Wherein is intreated of the woonderfull knowledge of God the Redeemer The first Chapter Of Sinne especiallie originall sinne and of the vniuersall corrupting of mans nature ¶ Looke the like place In Gen. 8. at the end In Rom. 5. The cheefe points to be intreted of FIrst wee will sée whether there be anie originall sin or no for there be some which vtterlie denie the same to bée then wée will declare what it is lastlie what properties it hath and how by succession it is conueighed to the posteritie and by what meanes it is released As touching the first we must remember that both in the holie scriptures also among the fathers it hath diuers names for in the seuenth chapter of the epistle to the Romans verse 8 23. The names by which originall sin is called it is called sinne and the lawe of the members and concupiscence Else-where it is called the want of originall righteousnes a corruption of nature a lumpe of wickednes a froth a weaknes naturall The Pelagians and Anabaptists denie originall sinne The arguments of them that denie originall sin Nahum 1 9. the lawe of the flesh and such other like The Pelagians in old time denied this sinne at this daie the Anabaptists denie it These in a maner may be accounted their arguments First they saie that the fall of Adam was sufficientlie punished in himselfe and that there is no cause why God will reuenge it in his posteritie especiallie séeing it is written in the prophet Nahum that God dooth not twise punish one and the selfe-same thing for it sufficeth him that he had once punished Moreouer it is also written Ezec. 18 20 that The sonne shall not beare the fathers iniquitie but the soule that sinneth the same shall die Further that the bodie when it is formed in the wombe is the workmanship of God and hath nothing that ought to be blamed naie rather which is not woorthie of great admiration that the soule also is either created or infused by GOD and that the meanes of propagation cannot be accounted euill bicause marriage in the holie scriptures is commended and that from the beginning God commanded man to beget children Wherfore among so manie defenses of innocencie they demand by what entrances sinne could insinuate it selfe They adde also that Paule in his first epistle to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 7 14. when he exhorteth the beléeuing wife to abide with hir vnbeléeuing husband if he will abide with hir among other things saith Your children are holie But they saie that they cannot be holie if they be borne in sinne and that therefore they which be borne of faithfull parents cannot drawe with them originall sinne They affirme withall that it is commonlie said that sinne is a thing spoken doone or lusted against the lawe of God and that it is not sinne vnles it be voluntarie And as Iohn saith in his first epistle the fourth chapter Sinne is iniquitie 1 Iohn 3 4 contrarie wherevnto is equitie or right and that this can be no other thing than is conteined in the lawe and so that sinne is a transgression of the lawe All which things cannot fall into infants when they be borne And they saie further that it séemeth not conuenient which is spoken of some namelie that this sinne is by the flesh or bodie powred out from one to another for that the flesh and the bodie are in their owne nature senselesse things neither can they séeme to be a méet subiect for sinne And to establish their feigned deuise they said besides that those things which are spoken by Paule verse 12. in the fift to the Romans must be extended vnto the sinnes which be called actuall But they saie that it is therefore said that sinne entered by one man into the world bicause of the imitation and example which the posteritie followed 2 By these and such other like arguments they being led denie that there is anie originall sinne But as for death and the afflictions of this life which are commonlie brought as tokens whereby originall sinne is confirmed they say that those consist of naturall causes such as in the temperature of the elements and of the humors And therefore they saie it is a vaine fable that we refer them to the fall of Adam And they thinke it to be a thing most absurd to affirme that to be sinne which by no maner of meanes can be auoided Lastlie they saie that if by that meanes we shall be said to sinne in Adam bicause we were in his loines according as it is
he saith there might appéere to be a full obseruation of the lawe But he answereth that they had no more in them than Paule had who denied himselfe to be perfect Indéed they were iust before God euen as he said that he had serued God from his forefathers with a pure conscience that is with an vnfeigned and vndissembling hart But it is one thing to doo from the hart and another thing to doo with all the hart And they were said to walke in all the precepts of God bicause they being iustified by faith shewed the fruit of faith by liuing according to the lawe which fruit neuerthelesse while they liued in the flesh they vttered not perfectlie and absolutelie And whereas it is added that they were without reproofe the same father in his first booke and 48. chapter De gratia Christi against Pelagius and Coelestinus expoundeth the same to be ment as touching their honest and laudable conuersation among men the which no man could iustlie quarell at as a crime For there be some verie gréeuous crimes whereof the apostle saith 1. Cor. 6 10 that They which commit such things shall not possesse the kingdome of heauen And assuredlie the persons regenerate may beware of these sinnes And it is said that they were so without reproofe before God bicause God allowed them to be such as before men they were accounted Vndoubtedlie the praise of this couple man and wife was verie great bicause they did not execute the traditions of men but the works which were prescribed in the lawe They being first therefore iustified by faith did then adde honest and godlie life to be ioined with the righteousnesse of Christ Wherfore God vouchsafed to extoll their works with these praises and commendations And yet for all that it cannot be prooued that they perfectlie fulfilled the lawe of God Augustine also expounded that saieng which Paule speaketh of himselfe namelie 2. Tim. 4 7. I haue fought a good fight I haue run my course I haue kept the faith c. How Paul performed his course The last fight saith he remained for when he did write these words he was not yet dead but bicause he remained in hope of stedfast dieng in the faith therefore he wrote so boldlie He finished his course howbeit not fullie perfectlie but in an obedience that was more than begoone Neither dooth he write that he sinned not but if he had so written yet would we haue said that the same had béene doone in respect of his hope For that which is certeinlie looked for is reckoned as if it were doone And it is no doubt but at that time he had néed as well as the rest of the apostles to praie according to the commandement ef Christ Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. 11 Our aduersaries also teach that those impediments which we haue rehearsed namelie corrupt affections and naughtie motions vnto euill are no sinnes vnlesse there be added a consent therevnto which opinion of theirs must be vtterlie repelled True indéed it is that Augustine in defining of sinne declared the same to be a thing spoken doone or lusted against the lawe of God albeit that is a doubtfull definition For if lusting be ment according to the consent of the will onelie actuall sinnes as they terme them are comprehended therein but originall corruption and naughtie motions of the mind are excluded from thence Wherefore Peter Lombard in his second booke distinction the 25. bringeth in this definition what time as he steppeth from the treating of originall sinne to treat of actuall sinnes Neuerthelesse What is ment by lusting if by the word lusting he comprehend both originall sin and also naughtie motions the definition will be generall But Ambrose saith Ambrose declareth what sin is that Sinne is a transgressing of the lawe or a disobedience of the heauenlie commandements Howbeit letting these things go we must giue eare vnto the holie scriptures It is written in the first epistle of Iohn the third chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verse 4. that is Sinne is the transgression of the lawe What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as all men knowe is compounded of the priuatiue particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that hath a strength of depriuing and of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifieth Lawe wherevpon it followeth that to be depriued of that righteousnesse which the lawe dooth require is sinne But shall we stand in contention whether our corrupt motions and naughtie passions doo impugne the lawe of God Certeinelie Paule affirmeth that they doo striue against it when he writeth Rom. 7 23. that He feeleth another lawe in the members striuing against the lawe of the mind wherevnto if it be repugnant it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is transgression of the lawe Neither dooth he otherwise iudge when he saith It is not I that worke that but it is sinne Ibidem 17. which dwelleth in me And we doo not onelie deale now as concerning those first motions of the lusting and wrathfull facultie but also of those motions of reason which prouoke vnto sinne For it is said that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The wisedome of the flesh is enimitie against God Vndoubtedlie all these things be sin and deface the image of God Man is not made to the intent he should be against the lawe of God but that all the motions of his mind should be a spur to prouoke him to godlines Tertullian saith that Herein consisteth Gods image euen to haue the motions of our minds and our wils all one with God Yea and Paule himselfe taught this in his epistle to the Philippians Phil. 2 2 and 5. Let the same mind be euen in you that was in Christ Iesus Wherefore séeing these euils deface and corrupt this state and condition of our mind they cannot be otherwise called than sinnes 12 But perhaps some will aske How Adam fell hauing hauing not the naughtie motions of the mind that séeing Adam at his creation had no corrupt motions and affections how it came to passe that he so gréeuouslie fell This is demanded as though sinne might not be committed by his own will Assuredlie the angels did fall who were without anie such perturbations Truth it is that we are compelled more often and more vehementlie vnto sinne than Adam was we hauing manie naughtie persuasions and prouocations vnto sinne the which he had not till such time as he transgressed But if it be so that some of the fathers now and then doo denie that these motions whereof we intreat be sinnes bicause they haue no bond ioined with them vnto euerlasting punishment séeing Christ hath cancelled the same yet can it not be denied by anie man but that the deformitie which was brought by them remaineth in the mind Further it is so written of them by waie of comparison For if so be that
would alwaies be most learned and holie Bishoppes But it fell out otherwise for afterward the Emperours chose Bishoppes not the worthiest but those whom they most fauored Augustine being most learned was a Bishop of Hippo being a place of no great name Aurelius being a man much more vnlearned was Bishop of Carthage a famous Citie But since they feare confusion let the Romane Bishop sit in the first place in Councels the Bishop of Constantinople in the second place and afterward others in their place but let not one reigne ouer all Let the gouernment be Aristocratia which order séemed alwaies the best For it is harder to corrupt manie than one It is harde◠to corrupt many than one What titles the Popes flatterers haue giuen him For euen blind men maie sée that the Popes are most shamefullie corrupted by those their flatterers and parasites For De electione electi potestate in the Chapter Fundamentum in the Glosse it is written that the Pope is no man In the Proheme of the Epistles of Clement in the glosse it is written that he is neither God nor man Wherefore he is directlie opposite to Christ The Pope quite contrarie to Christ For Christ was both God and man he is neither God nor man Therefore he is either an Angel or a beast but he is no Angel therefore he is a beast In the Extrauagants de verborum significatione in the Chapter Ad Conditorem it is written that the Pope is no pure man This I easilie beléeue for he is oftentimes an vnpure Ruffian Gelasius in the Decret the 9. Quaest 3. Chapter Cuncta per orbem The Romane seat saith he ought to iudge of all men none of it It is lawful for all men to appeale vnto it and from it it is not lawfull The same maie condemne those that be absolued in Councels and absolue them that be condemned In the Extrauagants De concessione Praebendarum in the Chapter Ad Apostolorum None ought to saie vnto the Pope Sir why doest thou this And in Quaest 2. in the Chapter Abtulisti and they be the words of Anacletus God is the father because he hath made The Church is the mother because it hath regenerated Here of Panormitanus in the treatise of the councel of Basil Therefore saith he the Pope is the sonne of the Church The Pope must obey the Church therefore he must obey the Church Which neuertheles Eugenius and Paul the third in the councell of Trent would not But I of these words doe also gather an other thing Hée is the sonne of the Church therefore he is not head Hée is the sonne therefore he is not the spouse vnles he will confesse himselfe to be incestuous Of the dignitie and worthinesse of the holy ministerie looke the Sermon vpon a place out of the 3. of Kings Also of the power of the keies looke the Sermon vpon a place in the 20. of Iohn Iohn 20. 3. verse 23. Whose sinnes yee remit they are remitted c. At the ende of this booke The fourth Chapter Of Ecclesiasticall lawes of Traditions of the discerning of spirits of Councels Fathers and of the Canons which they call the Canons of the Apostles HEre are thrée things to be cōsidered of vs. In 1. Sa. 14. at the end The first is whether it bée lawfull for Bishops Ecclesiasticall men to set forth such maner of lawes and decrées Secondly if it be lawfull what manner of lawes those ought to bée Thirdly That Magistrates lawes must be obeyed what force they may haue to binde the conscience As touching the first wee knowe that all godly men are bound to obey Princes and Magistrates Rom. 13. 5. And that as Paule saieth for conscience sake Ephe. 6. 5. 1. Pet. 2. 18. Mat. 17. 27. Peter and Paule commaund seruantes to obey their Maisters euen though they be froward Christ himselfe paide tributes and customes and was neuer against the lawes We are commanded to obey parents Exo. 20. 12. And the Magistrate is in stead of a parent as vnto whom our parents haue referred all their power and authoritie Salomon in the prouerbes saith Pro. 24. 21. Feare God and honour the king and meddle not with Seditious men for their distruction is at hand But this is true so long as they commaunde nothing against the Lorde For if that happen we must obey God rather than men Albeit in the Ciuill lawes there be certaine things belonging vnto the necessitie of a Citie some vnto decencie onely It is for necessitie that men shoulde punish offenders vnto decencie that it may not bée lawfull for a matron to marrie in the time of mourning which was prouided for by the Romane lawes Further his purpose also is to be considered who made the Lawe For some things he would haue to be straitlie and throughlie obserued and that some things should be certaine prouocatiōs and admonitions Lastlie in these lighter sorts of decrées we must take héede that nothing he violated by contempt The effect is that men séeing they be not borne to themselues but to the common weale shoulde indeuour with all their care to obey lawes 2 But some thinke that Bishops may not make lawes Whether Byshops may make Lawes And thus to saie they are mooued by no small or obscure Reasons For first they demaund from whence they should haue that parte I speake héere of Bishops so farre foorth as they bee Ministers of the word not in respect that they be ciuill Princes for the consideration of that matter is otherwise That power they haue not of Christ for he neither made lawes nor yet euer gaue such commaundements to his Apostles Wherefore if Bishops bee so sent from Christ as he was sent from the father they cannot make lawes Further it behooueth that they which make lawes shoulde haue dominion 1. Pet. 5. 3. But Peter warneth Bishops that they should not beare rule ouer the Cleargie Besides hee that writeth laws it behooueth he haue an interest to punish as it is in the Pandects de legibus Senatus consultis out of Demosthenes For hée saith that the lawe is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the law is a lawfull correction of offences cōmitted willingly or vnwillingly But the Church hath not the sworde or power of punishing Moreouer where the law is there of necessitie must followe transgression such is the infirmitie of our nature 1. Cor. 7. 39 Iam. 4. 12. But Paule woulde not insnare any man And Iames saith in the 4. Chapter There is one lawmaker who can saue and destroy And Esaie in the 33. Esa 33. 22. Chapter Thou art our King Thou art our Iudge thou art our Lawgiuer But the Canons decree farre otherwise The Canons haue licenced thē to make Lawes Yea when they speake of them which maie make lawes they giue the first place vnto the Pope the second vnto the Councels and Bishops the
haue procéeded from sinne These similitudes doo nothing at all further Pighius cause for although Augustine vsed now and then to speake after that sort yet his will was to be vnderstood concerning those defects and imperfections which are remaining in man after baptisme 7 But Augustine saith that in anie wise they be sinne before baptisme yea the holie Ghost also by Paule calleth them sinnes Rom. 7 5. and the nature of sinne is agréeable vnto them For wée haue defined sinne in such sort as it apperteineth vnto all things whatsoeuer doo striue against the lawe of God for as Iohn saith 1. Iohn 3 4. Sinne is vnrighteousnes and who perceiueth it not to be a thing vniust The nature of sinne is extended vnto all things which are against the lawe of God Psal 51 7. that the flesh should make the spirit subiect vnto it and that our soule will not repose it selfe in the word of God Séeing therefore all these things doo stir vs vp to transgresse and rebell against the word of God both they are vnrighteous and must be called sinnes Beside this the words of Dauid are against Pighius Behold I am conceiued in iniquitie and in sinnes my mother hath conceiued mee If naughtie desire In whom is iniquitie and these vices were the works of nature surelie the man of God would not complaine of them And what did Paule the apostle otherwise meane when hée wrote these words vnto the Ephesians Ephes 2. 3. We are by nature the children of wrath but that sinne is in euerie one of vs But Pighius goeth about by a peruerse interpretation to wrest this testimonie from vs saieng that To be the children of wrath by nature is no other thing than To be the children of wrath by a certeine condition of our birth bicause we are so brought foorth into the world And he alledgeth that some be called seruants by nature A similitude which is no other thing but that they be borne vnto such a state as they doo serue But we neither can nor ought to rest vpon this feigned deuise for the wrath of God is not stirred vp but vpon iust cause The wrath of God is not stirred vp but iustlie for it is no such thing as can be kindled either rashlie or by chance So as it behooueth that in our nature there bée something amisse whereby Gods wrath is prouoked to reuenge And that similitude of his serueth not to his purpose for those which are said to be borne bond-men by nature Bond-men by nature haue somwhat in them apt vnto bondage haue euen by nature something in them apt for bondage for if we giue credit to Aristotle in his Politiks they are bond-men by nature which excéed in strength of the bodie but in reason be slowe and dull And thereby it coms to passe that they are more méet to serue than to command others or to liue at libertie verse 2. Also the apostle dooth sufficientlie declare wherefore he calleth vs by nature the children of wrath euen bicause we by nature séeme to be prone to stir vp Gods wrath and doo walke according to the prince of this world and also for that the diuell can doo much in our harts by reason of incredulitie and that we fulfill the will of our flesh and of our mind These be the things which make vs the children of wrath And how can it be denied that sinne is in our nature séeing Christ would haue vs to be regenerate Iohn 3 3. for vnlesse we are framed amisse what néed were it for vs to be fashioned anew Besides this in the eight chapter of the booke of Genesis it is plainelie spoken Gen. 8 21. that The imagination of mans hart is euill euen from his childhood And how dare Pighius be so bold to call that a good thing and the worke of God That which the holte Ghost calleth euil is no worke of God which the holie Ghost in plaine termes hath called euill But least he should séeme to saie nothing he imagineth that the same was spoken by God of his mercie as though he would so excuse men and testifie that he would not destroie the world anie more by water bicause that men were made on that sort and that the cogitations of them did tend vnto euill yea euen from their childhood But while he iudgeth this to be an excuse he is far deceiued The true sense of that place of Genesis for this is thought to be the better and more naturall sense of this place namelie that God would enter into a couenant with Noah that he would neuer destroie the world againe with water though otherwise men were such as they deserued the same and the imagination of their harts was euill euen from their childhood These things doo not cleare mans nature from sinne but rather signifie the same to be more vicious and corrupt which neuertheles God will spare for his mercie sake Rom. 5 19. 8 Lastlie we reade in Paule that By the disobedience of one man many were made sinners which sheweth that there is sinne in them which be borne of Adam for the which they may be called sinners But Pighius thinketh himselfe able by shifts to auoid this bicause that sinners are sometime so called by reason of the gilt or fault although the act of sinning be past and shew it selfe no more Notwithstanding it be so yet is he neuer able to shew out of the scriptures that anie man is called a sinner but that either he hath sinne in him or else hath surelie committed sinne before None is called a sinner but either he hath sinne in act or else he hath committed sinne Pighius maketh a middle state betweene the damned and the blessed Matt. 25 34. and 14. Mar. 13 13. Iohn 5 29. vnlesse he will saie that God maketh men guiltie without anie sin committed by them Moreouer Pighius considereth not that by this his feigning is brought in a middle opinion touching the state of them which die onelie in the guiltinesse of Adam whereas the scriptures doo plainelie teach vs that in the last iudgement there shall be no meane but that men shall either be committed to euerlasting fire or else shall inioie eternall felicitie And it is a rash part to procéed further in such things than is reuealed in the holie scriptures wherefore they deale with more moderation and greater wisedome which refer all this whole matter to Gods diuine prouidence But it is a goodlie matter to sée by what reasons our Pighius is mooued They shall not be gréeued saith he with anie sensible paine bicause they did not contaminate themselues in this life with anie lewd purpose A corrupt nature in him that is without Christ sufficeth to damnation A similitude What matter maketh this It sufficeth that they had a naughtie nature for they were prone vnto sinne although in respect of their age they could not sinne
7. for it is not subiect vnto the lawe of God no verelie nor cannot be And as manie as are not set at libertie by Christ doo liue vnder the lawe and as Paule addeth to the Galathians are vnder the cursse Gal. 3 10. Places to prooue that before regeneration we be not free Which thing should not be true if they could fulfill the lawe of God for they incurre not the danger of the cursse vnlesse they transgresse the lawe Further Paule expressedlie saith It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth Rom 9 16. but of GOD that hath mercie For our saluation is his worke and not the worke of our strength It is he that worketh in vs both to will and to perfourme Before he doo that whatsoeuer he dooth with vs either by the lawe or by the instruction of his word he dealeth with stones for our harts be stonie vnlesse God doo change them into fleshie harts which he promiseth in Ezechiel that he would doo Eze. 11 12. and would bring to passe that we should walke in his waies And surelie if we might liue well and rightlie without grace we might also be iustified by our owne works which doctrine is vtterlie condemned both by Paule and all the holie scripture Ieremie saith Conuert me ô Lord Iere. 31 11. and I shall be conuerted And Dauid saith Psal 51 18. A pure hart create in me ô God The which thing that it commeth not to passe in all men we perceiue by the 29. chapter of Deuteronomie verse 4. where it is thus written The Lord hath not giuen vnto you eies to see nor an eare to heare nor an hart to vnderstand And in the thirtie chapter God promised that he would circumcise their harts and the harts of their séed that they shuld walke in his commandements For he both beginneth finisheth our saluation for this Paule saieth to the Philippians Phil. 1 6. I hope that he who hath begun in you will perfourme it euen vnto the daie of Christ This thing the holie men right well vnderstanding doo praie with Dauid Psa 119 36. Incline my hart vnto thy testimonies and with Salomon The Lord shall incline our harts that we may walke in his waies with Paule vnto the Thessalonians 2. Thes 3 5. The Lord direct your harts in patience and in the expectation of Christ And Salomon in his prouerbs saith The hart of the king is in the hand of God and he inclineth it to what end he will Prou. 21 1. It is the worke of God not our owne that we be conuerted vnto God The end vse of the lawe Esaie 1 19. These testimonies doo sufficientlie declare that it is Gods worke and not ours to be conuerted vnto him and to doo vprightlie 5 Here some obiect vnto vs the commandements which are set foorth vnto vs in the holie scriptures for they séeme to signifie that it lieth in our selues to obserue those things which we be commanded For Esaie saith If ye will and will hearken vnto me ye shall eate the good things of the land And the Lord oftentimes commandeth vs that we should conuert our selues vnto him Be ye conuerted saith he vnto me I will not the death of a sinner Eze. 18 30 and 32. I had rather that he conuerted and liue And when he had published the lawe he said that He had set before them life and death blessing and cursing Deu. 30 15. And an infinite sort of other such like testimonies might be brought But here it must be considered that these things in verie déed are commanded vnto men Lawes indeed are Lawes indeed are giuen but it is not taught that mans strength is able to performe them but we are no where taught that a man is able to performe them of his owne proper strength Neither is it méet that we measure the greatnesse of our owne strength by the precepts of Gods lawe as though so much can be doone of our owne accord as Gods lawe hath commanded naie rather our infirmitie is to be measured hereby that when we sée the excellencie and woorthines of Gods cōmandements to excell our strength by innumerable degrées By the law of God we may measure our infirmitie but not our strength we may remember that the lawe hath a certeine other end than that it should be performed of vs. Paule sheweth that end to be manifold By the lawe saith he commeth the knowledge of sin Rom. 3 30. Rom. 7 13. which he saith was therefore made that the number of transgressions might be increased For by this meanes The lawe is become a schoole-maister to lead men vnto Christ that when they sée themselues ouercharged with the heauie burthen of the commandements and the greatnes of their sinnes they may perceiue their saluation to consist onelie in the mercie of God and redemption of Christ For the weakenes and vnwoorthines of our selues being considered we foorthwith begin to praie vnto God that both he will for Christs sake pardon our sinnes and giue vs sufficiencie of his spirit that we may indeuour to followe his will Giue what thou commandest saith Augustine and command what thou wilt Further another vse of the lawe is that we should sée wherevnto we must applie our selues Also it may be that if through the grace of God there be an accesse of obedience begun men may applie themselues vnto the lawe Lastlie though in this life it be not giuen vnto vs that men can in euerie condition satisfie the lawe yet we shall fullie obteine the same in another life when we shall cast awaie all this corruption Yet God ought not to be accused of iniustice by reason hereof for he is not in fault that men be not able to kéepe his commandements Neither can anie of vs be excused Why God is not to be accused of iniustice bicause that willinglie and gréedilie we doo breake the lawe that is appointed vnto vs. The same was giuen in such sort as it might best agrée with our nature when the same was first instituted for the image of God could not by anie other meanes more plainelie and effectuallie be expressed But and if by reason of sinne we be not able to accomplish the lawe yet this at the least-wise we sée namelie what maner of persons we ought to be Looke In 1. King 16. at the beginning and in the booke De votis pag. 279. put foorth at Basil 6 But that sentence which is commonlie obiected that Nothing is to be counted sinne which dependeth not of election must be vnderstood as Augustine dooth interpret it of that kind of sinne which is not the punishment of sinne for otherwise originall sinne is neither voluntarie nor receiued by election But thou wilt saie Séeing the matter standeth thus we shall séeme of necessitie to sticke fast in sinne which thing indéed I denie not Necessitie of sinning is without
Christ haue all that fréedome which we grant vnto the vngodlie and moreouer that they be also able to doo works which be acceptable vnto God The difference betweene the freedome of the godlie and of the vngodlie although they be not frée neither from sinne nor yet from the calamities and miseries of this life Now should we also speake of the fourth state of man but we may answer in one word touching the same That séeing in our heauenlie habitation we shall inioie the chéefe felicitie no kind of libertie can there be found wanting Of the freedome in our heauenlie countrie vnlesse a man will call that a libertie to be able to sinne and to fall awaie from God that is from the chéefe good thing which there cannot be But because that is a chéefe libertie therefore we hope well that in that countrie we shall be most frée Before part â— place 1. art 10. and in the booke De votis pag. 354. 25 But now there is an other question to be intreated of to wit whether this concupiscence and those corrupt motions which remaine in the regenerate be sinnes and so ought to be called These things are called by Paule The lawe of sinne Whether concupiscence and the motions left in the regenerate be sinnes Rom. 7 23. and the lawe of the members And by an example of himselfe he taught that they remaine in godlie men after regeneration But whether these be sinnes or no cannot rightlie be defined vnlesse we first vnderstand what sinne is Augustine saith that Sinne is whatsoeuer is spoken doone or coueted against the lawe of God But whether this definition belong vnto all sinnes or to those sinnes onlie which be commonlie called actuall A definition of sinne it is vncerteine by the ambiguitie of this word Coueted or Lusted For if the same be referred vnto the full assent of the will How Coueted in that definition is to be vnderstood whereby we assent to corrupt desires then is the definition stretched vnto actuall sinnes but if this word Coueted be so largelie taken as is the last precept Thou shalt not couet the definition may be vniuersall and may comprehend all sinnes The Maister of the sentences in his second booke and 35. distinction cited that definition when he had now largelie intreated of originall sinne and had disposed himselfe to the searching foorth of other naturall sinnes wherefore it séemeth that he thought the same definition to perteine onlie vnto actuall sinnes But howsoeuer it be touching this matter I will not much contend Ambrose in his booke De paradiso and eight chapter setteth foorth indéed a most large definition of sinne Sinne saith he is nothing else than a transgression of the lawe of God and a disobedience of the heauenlie commandements But to passe ouer the sentences of the Fathers the matter must be brought to the triall of the scriptures that by them we may certeinelie knowe and vnderstand what sinne is Iohn in the first epistle and third chapter verse 4. A definition of sinne out of the word of God Sinne saith he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Iniquitie That Gréeke woord is compounded of the particle priuatiue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is A lawe Here the nature of sinne is verie well declared for it is said to be a priuation or want whereby is taken from it the good thing which it ought to haue If thou inquire what that good thing is which by sinne is remooued Sinne is called a priuation of that good thing which the lawe of God prescribeth this Gréeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expresseth it for that good thing is taken awaie which is expressed by the lawe of God Wherefore we may saie that it is sinne whatsoeuer withstandeth the lawe of God Now we are to sée whether this definition which is taken out of the holie scriptures be correspondent or answerable vnto that corruption which remaineth in the godlie after regeneration This doo we affirme but our aduersaries denie Howbeit the scripture without all controuersie is of our side for Paule saith expresselie that The lawe of the members warreth against the lawe of God and of the mind Rom 7 23 and that the wisdome of the flesh is enimitie against God Rom. 8 7. so as neither it is nor can be subdued vnto the lawe of God And it wholie striueth against the first and greatest commandement Mat. 22 37. Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy mind with all thy hart and with all thy strength For if all our strength and abilitie as méete it were would yéeld vnto God this coueting would neuer be resident in vs. Furthermore the verie same coueting or lusting dooth also wrestle against the last precept Thou shalt not couer Exod. 20 17 Augustine And Augustine testifieth that these two precepts cannot fullie be obserued and what the cause is whie they be giuen â—éeing they cannot be kept he alledgeth goodlie reasons which shall not here be néedfull to recite 26 We haue declared by the definition of sinne that this coueting whereof we speake is sin Now let vs consider of other arguments One is taken of the institution of man for Man is made to the image and likenesse of God and Gen. 1 27. Rom. 8 29. We be predestinated that we might be made conformable vnto the image of the sonne of God And we are commanded To put on the new man verse 10. which as Paule saith in the third to the Colossians is renewed to the knowledge and image of him which hath created him and which new man as it is written in the epistle to the Ephesians dooth consist in righteousnes and holines of truth Eph. 4 24. And the image of God which we are commanded to put on as Tertullian saith herein consisteth Wherein consisteth the image of God that we haue one and the selfe-same motions with GOD. And Paule to the Philippians exhorteth vs To be of one and the same mind with Christ Phil. 2 5. But these motions and lusts doo most shamefullie corrupt and blot the image of God in vs. Furthermore that which we ought to crucifie mortifie and put off the same of necessitie must be sinne for if they were good things the holie Ghost would rather haue admonished vs to nourish mainteine them But Paule to the Colossians saith Mortifie your members Colo. 3 5. which bee vpon the earth And vnto the Galathians They which be of Christ Gal. 5 24. haue crucified the flesh with the concupiscences thereof And in another place Put off saith he the old man Eph. 4 22. But and if so be these motions doo so displease God it is in no other respect than bicause they be sinnes for God is so verie good that there is nothing displeaseth him vnlesse it be sinne Rom. 6 23. Lastlie vnto sinne death
said Rom. 5 20. that The lawe entred in that sinne should abound might séeme to make somewhat for the Manicheis As also that to the Galathians Gala. 3 19. that The lawe was giuen bicause of transgressions And that in the 7. chapter of the epistle to the Romans that Sinne through the commandement killeth Rom. 7 11. And that which is said in the second epistle to the Corinthians 2. Cor. 3 7. that The lawe is the ministerie of death All these séeme to confirme the error of the Manicheis But there must a choise diligentlie be made of those things which of themselues belong to the lawe from those which followe it by reason of another thing and by accidentall means for sinne death damnation and other things of this sort doo spring out of the lawe by reason of the corruption of our nature But if thou compare not the lawe with our nature but consider the same by it selfe or if thou referre it to a sound and vncorrupt nature thou canst not otherwise pronounce of it than that which Paule saith Rom. 7 12. that It is spirituall holie good and that it was ordeined for life and that rather it must be said to declare than to worke sinne Wherefore A similitude if deformed men lieng hidden in the darke should saie vnto one which by chance bringeth a light Get thée awaie hence least thou make vs deformed by this thy light certeinlie we would not gather by their words that the power and nature of the light is such as it can make men deformed but this rather that those things which of themselues be deformed are by the light discouered and shewed what they be Euen so fareth it altogither with the lawe for after a sort it bringeth in light bringeth foorth to our knowledge the sinnes which before laie hidden Why men doo hate the lawe But some man will saie If the lawe be good and holie whie are men so discontented therewith and haue it in hatred Euen bicause it calleth men backe from those things wherevnto by nature they are inclined for it gréeueth them to be forbidden those things And when we looke in the lawe we sée the things which we ought to doo and by reason of the pride which is naturallie planted and ingraffed in vs we would not be restrained by anie rules Moreouer we perceiue that our actions be wrested from that vprightnesse which is set foorth in the lawe and that which is more gréeuous we féele our selues to be so weake that we cannot correct them and reuoke them to the rule prescribed But in the meane time we looke vpon the punishments and vpon the wrath of God which for sinne we doo incurre We be not angrie as it shuld be with our selues but with the lawe and with God All these things so offend our mind as we be angrie not with our selues and our sinnes as méet it were but with the lawe that is giuen by God whereas otherwise the same is most perfect and most holie Howbeit this discommoditie may be remedied and it may be brought to passe that that which before displeased may please vs afterward and this will come to passe if we ioine the lawe togither with Christ A similitude Exod. 15 25 For as the waters of Marath were most bitter to the children of Israel in the wildernes yet the verie same by casting in the wood which God had appointed were made swéete euen so although the lawe of it selfe be bitter yet if Christ whom God hath set foorth vnto vs to be an onelie sauior and the verie iust end of the lawe be added therevnto then shall we féele it to be swéet The which thing that it happened vnto Dauid verse 11. The praises of the lawe in the Psalms Iere. 31 33. it is manifestlie perceiued by the 19. Psal wherein the praises of Gods lawe are woonderfullie set foorth for it is called pleasant swéet aboue honie and the honie combe And this is it which is promised vs in the prophet that GOD would write a lawe in our harts which is nothing else than that he would giue vnto vs the spirit of Christ by whom we should be inclined to those things which the lawe hath commanded to be doone that at the least-wise the commandements of GOD may be pleasant vnto our harts Which thing the apostle also teacheth when he saith Rom. 7 25. I serue the lawe of God in my mind Wherof the regenerate haue experience who though they be not able to performe a perfect obedience vnto the commandements of God yet doo they loue them and excéedinglie desire them and imbrace them as the chiefe God and doo continuallie praie vnto God that they maie drawe most néere to the perfection of them By these things it appéereth how the commoditie and righteousnesse of the lawe is defended against the Manicheis 3 But on the other side The Pelagians iudge the lawe to be sufficient to saluation the Pelagians are no lesse to be shunned which attribute more vnto the lawe than is conuenient for they iudge the same to be sufficient vnto saluation and saie that men if they haue once vnderstood what is to be doone may be able by the verie strength of nature easilie to performe the same Wherefore Pelagius for feare least he should haue béen condemned by the bishops of Palestine as one which vtterlie denied the grace of God confessed the same grace in word for he affirmed that it is néedfull to haue the grace of God vnto saluation But by grace he ment no other thing By grace he ment nothing else but nature and the lawe but nature it selfe fréelie granted vnto vs by God insomuch as God hath made vs reasonable and indued vs with frée will Moreouer he called grace a lawe or a doctrine bicause of our selues we be ignorant what is to be doone or what to be beléeued vnlesse God doo reueale those things vnto vs. Wherevpon Augustine in his booke De gratia Christi against Caelestinus writeth that They affirme the possibilitie of nature to be holpen by grace But he addeth that If their meanings be examined and thoroughlie sifted we shall perceiue that by grace doctrine and lawe they meane nothing else but that a man hauing onelie receiued the knowledge of the lawe hath power enough of himselfe to doo the commandements Vnto which error the Schoole-diuines drawe verie néere when they teach that A man Wherein the schoolemen come neere to the Pelagians by the verie power of nature is able to kéepe the commandements of GOD as touching the substance of the worke although not according to the intent of him that commandeth By which words this they signifie that we be able to performe the verie works although not in such sort as GOD hath commanded them to be doone namelie in charitie and in the spirit which latter part I suppose they added that they might be séene in some
let vs returne to the place of Iames which I cited He that offendeth in one is therfore guiltie of all The obseruation of the lawe must not be admitted with exception bicause the obseruation of the lawe is not to be admitted with an exception as if we might choose anie certeine part thereof to be kept and laie aside and neglect another part for a time as we will and list our selues God hath ioined togither the commandements of the lawe and it is not our part to separate the same at our pleasure We must consider the authoritie of God the lawe-giuer which ought to take place as well in one as in all This interpretation Iames himselfe séemeth to confirme when he saith He that said Iames. 2 11. Thou shalt not commit adulterie the same saith Thou shalt not kill As though he would saie God is as much resisted in breaking one of these commandements as in another But it may be prooued also by an other reason that he which sinneth in one is guiltie of all For euen as we being driuen by temptation lust or other occasion are stirred vp to some certeine transgression of the lawe euen so if the same or like motion should vrge vs to anie other transgression we should as well breke the one as the other Also Augustine Augustine in the place now alledged teacheth that the saieng of Iames is true for another cause for sinne which is committed is contrarie vnto charitie whereon the obseruation of the whole lawe dependeth Brieflie to this end haue I rehersed all these things to declare that sinnes which be committed are not in that respect to be diminished and extenuated bicause they be counted light forsomuch as the transgressions of the lawe are not to be estéemed onelie by the weight and woorthinesse of their actions but rather by the strength of Gods word and authoritie of the lawe of God who hath forbidden to sinne But least I should séeme ouer-rough I am content to haue some consideration euen of the act wherein the sinne is committed The right obseruing of the sacraments perteineth to the first table And surelie as concerning this I cannot sée how it can be accounted a light fault to sinne against the sacraments when as that kind of sinne perteineth to the first table wherein without all controuersie is intreated of the worshipping of God Which worship alone being kept inuiolate other things be easilie corrected and contrariewise the same being corrupted or abused all other things whatsoeuer we doo become most vnacceptable vnto God 37 Further they thinke that the crime wherof we intreate may therefore be extenuated bicause they affirme themselues to erre not wilfullie but by compulsion onlie Of whom if thou demand what maner of compulsion that is which they pretend they cannot vndoubtedlie giue anie other answer but bicause they would not incur the losse of their goods their fame and their life Yet these things make not but that the action is voluntarie Aristotle euen as Aristotle taught in his Ethiks as when passengers in danger A similitude that throwe their goods into the sea to auoid the perill of shipwracke are said commonlie to be compelled when as they neuerthelesse doo throwe them in willinglie For they take deliberation and iudge it better to suffer losse of goods than of life And as they in that worke doo wiselie so doo our men for the loue of life and bodie and couetousnesse of the goods of this world vnwiselie choose the losse of eternall life when with wicked dissimulation they repaire vnto detestable Masses Wherefore the excuse which they bring cannot be receiued as iust The Corinthians also might by this reason haue defended themselues 1. Co. 10 21 when they were reprooued by Paule If we go vnto the feasts dedicated vnto idols we go not thither of our owne affection as though we would allow such sacrifices but by iust reason we be compelled to go thither For if we should flie such feasts we should be accounted seditious euill citizens and without humanitie we should loose pleasant fréendships and profitable fauours yea and peraduenture possessions and countrie too If they had said these things to Paule would he haue giuen care vnto them No trulie for he was not ignorant but that they might haue said so and yet neuerthelesse as it is written in his epistle he vehementlie and most sharpelie reprooued them Aaron also if these mens iudgements were true might iustlie and rightfullie haue defended himselfe for making a molten calfe vnto the Israelits for he might haue said Exod. 32 23 I did it not from my hart but I was compelled so to doo bicause the people would haue stoned me if I had not obeied them So indéed he made answer But Moses which knew right well that the same necessitie or compulsion was not iust but came of a naughtie condition or ground which neither iustice would haue suffered him to haue enterprised nor God would by anie means haue admitted therefore Moses did sharpelie reprooue him Moreouer Masse is a certen signe whereby the faithfull are knowne frō the superstitious these men must assure themselues that Masse is a pledge an earnest penie a token and a signe whereby Papists knowe their companions from others For whether a man giue almes or no whether he praie or praie not liue chastlie or vnpurelie and such other like they lightlie regard but whether they heare Masse or no that is it which they haue respect vnto and if they perceiue he doo they account him straitwaie for one of their owne And againe to detest Masse and not to heare it they take it for a certeine token of falling awaie from Antichrist Wherefore we may well call Masse a publike profession of poperie Masse is a publike profession of poperie With what colour therefore or with what countenance may so great a crime be extenuated They be gréeuous euils saie they which hang ouer vs and we put our selues in most great dangers vnlesse we communicate with the Papists in hearing of Masses I grant it but let vs remember that God both foresawe all these things and also forshewed that they would come to passe who neuertheles would not therfore suffer his lawes to be changed Wherfore as touching these euents let vs cast the care vpon him who hath commanded these things and is not ignorant that these euils are ioined with the obseruing of his commandements The nature of persecution is not to abrogate the lawe of God So as the nature and force of troubles and dangers is not such as they can abrogate the lawes of God Those doo abide and euerlastinglie shall abide and therefore let vs not couet to haue them new made for our dangers and calamities But there is good and wholesome counsell giuen vnto men that they should not part that which they haue betwéene God and the diuell so as they should giue their hart and affection vnto God
forced to indure some bondage thereof when as we can neither will nor choose but haue the same in the secret places of our soule Wherfore Paule in his latter epistle to Timothie writing of the wicked saith that Satan holdeth them captiue at his owne pleasure 2. Tim. 2 26. which cannot be séemelie for the elect Wherefore the iustified persons may wrestle against sinne but they cannot vtterlie be rid of the same Rom. 7 15. 5 That which I doo saith he I knowe not This doubtles he spake not as though he were altogither ignorant what he should doo but he vsed knowing in sted of allowing So the sense is Those things which be doone by me in that I am not yet regenerate I doo not allow And thereby we gather That men be not maisters of their owne actions that by reason of the remnant of corruption or sinne originall we be not maisters of our owne actions affections and inclinations Wherefore Ambrose vpon the Gospell of Luke wrote trulie that Our hart is not in our owne power For oftentimes when we praie we are desirous to be attentiue but sundrie and manifold cogitations enter into our mind drawing it to and fro doo violentlie plucke the same awaie whether we will or no. And he saith that It is hard to bridle such motions but to take them awaie it is a thing vnpossible This saieng of Ambrose Augustine vpon a time recited But I returne to Paule who addeth that he dooth not the good which he would but the euill which he hateth Wherby we may perceiue that the forces of the mind which stir vs vp against the commandements of God can of themselues be called neither good nor euill but so farre foorth as they be compared to the lawe of God So then being repugnant vnto the same they be euill but agréeing therevnto they be called good Neither must they be harkened vnto The first motions vnto euill are sinne Looke part 2. place 1. Art 31. which neglect the first motions of the mind and thinke that there must no héed be giuen vnto them But against these men we must reason on this wise The motions which be of this kind we will appoint either to be good or euill or neither of both Good they cannot be séeing they are commanded by the scriptures to be mortified and kept vnder which for things that be good is not conuenient For good things must neither be kept vnder nor mortified but rather quickened and stirred vp And againe we must not affirme them to be neuters bicause the lawe of God dooth not suffer that For no part of the mind neither action nor motion is left as neuter or frée vnto vs séeing we be commanded to loue God with all our hart with all our mind and with all our strength so then they shall be reckoned among sinnes and euill things Séeing therefore Paule saith that he dooth that which he would not it is gathered that he indéed did not satisfie euen himselfe much lesse then the lawe of God And euerie man easilie iudgeth of his owne selfe that he performeth a great deale lesse than he ought to doo and that if he doo anie good at anie time he doth not the same without striuing and wrestling Whereby it is declared that as yet there remaine faculties in vs which be repugnant vnto God Wherevpon he inferreth Now is it not I that worke that Rom. 7 17. but sinne which dwelleth in me And he saith that he dooth not worke namelie in that he is new borne Who then worketh sinne Euen sinne it selfe that is the euill froth and naughtines of corrupted nature So as we will proue that Paule dooth not commit the sinne as touching all the parts of his mind neither dooth he wholie consent to that euill which he committeth And that which is concluded touching sinne must be affirmed of the obedience and loue of GOD. For in Paule other regenerate persons there be yet some parts remaining which doo not loue God We loue not then God with all our heart with all our soule with all our strength And when he saith that Sinne dwelleth in him he teacheth that men although they be godlie doo with this corrupt mansion omit manie things which the lawe commandeth and admit things which be contrarie to the lawe Rom. 7 18. 6 It followeth To will is readie with me but I find no meanes to performe that is By regeneration I haue a good will now put into me Both to will and to performe are giuen by God the which of my selfe I had not Here the Pelagians did excéedinglie erre who taught that we our selues ought to beginne yet that it is Gods part to prosper our determinations But Paule on the other side sheweth that we of our selues are not apt once to thinke anie good thing And while he saith now I find no meanes to performe he agréeth verie well to himselfe who teacheth in his epistle vnto the Philippians that It is God which worketh in vs Phil. 2 13. as well to will as to performe Neither are the things which he now writeth against those words For to performe perfectlie that which the lawe commandeth we find not in vs but after a sort we may performe it and that not of our selues but we haue it of God And whereas to vs that be regenerate to will things that be right is present that commeth likewise of God Also both good and euill are readie with vs and in that good taketh place we wrestle against sinne but in that euill is also therein we be hindered from our right purpose Such is our condition while we are in this life Wherfore Augustine De nuptijs concupiscentia the first booke and 29. chapter saith that Loue is then performed when the impediments be absent For when we are lett it can be no perfect thing but a certeine mixture contriued of contraries Moreouer he noted the apostles words who saith I find no meanes to performe it and not simplie To doo it For it is granted as we haue said that we may doo well in some respect Augustine further addeth that The commandement Thou shalt not lust cannot be fulfilled in this life But hereof I haue noted else-where Howbeit Why the lawe is giuen when as it cannot be fulfilled some man will demand If the lawe cannot absolutelie be performed wherefore is it set foorth vnto vs Herevnto I answer that we must not gather by the lawe how much we be able to doo but how much we ought to doo Besides there is no doubt but that the lawe hath manie ends First it sheweth sinne for it is written By the lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne And vnto the Galathians it is written The lawe entered in Gal. 3 19. bicause of transgressions namelie to make them manifest And to the Romans Rom. 5 20. It entered in that sinne might the more abound Ouer this It is our schoolemaster vnto
but doe rather despise him he looseth his labour séeing through such a contempt he is made blinde But if he be indued with the feare of God he will assent vnto him that rightlie admonisheth Howbeit both parts of the argumēt are easilie refelled He that feareth not God and when the punishment of eternal death is set before him procéedeth in contemning of him procureth vnto himselfe a more gréeuous iudgement harder condemnation But he that is indued with the feare of God will by applying of more vehement spurs hasten with a swifter course vnto the trueth Wherefore such doctrine as this hath no fruite and draweth much losse with it Those things in effect iudge we of the whole cause Now wil we come to examine particularlie the parts and members thereof which we are faine to doe in fewe words and briefelie séeing we haue other businesse in hande which although we woulde we may not intermit This first of all we cannot choose but maruell at that the Anabaptists are affirmed to haue a true mediatour although they beléeue that his flesh was brought from heauen Whether the Anabaptists doe acknowledge the true mediator not taken of the virgin Vndoubtedlie a mediator he cannot be vnlesse he both be and be comprehended by faith according as God hath ordained him and reuealed him in his promises But he decreed that he shoulde haue flesh of men and this he testified by euident and plaine wordes in the holie scriptures So as they which attribute vnto him a heauenly flesh haue not the mediatour promised by God but him whom they haue inuented to themselues and imagined of their owne braine It is obiected that those men doe not sée nor perceiue that such a mediator is set foorth and promised by God as ought to haue taken flesh of Marie What they can sée or what they cannot sée it maketh little or nothing to the matter This doubtlesse are they driuen to beléeue that in the holie Oracles it is left vnto vs for a most certaintie we doe not affirme that they doe sée these things But this be we assured of that not to sée nor professe those things but with full mouth to denie them remooueth them from saluation A iudgemēt as touching the Iewes As touching the Iewes of our times which crie out that they cannot finde by the holie scriptures that Messias is yet come but say that they do beléeue in him as did the Patriarches Prophets and as their forefathers beléeued what will Hadrian iudge Will he saie that they be not out of the kingdome of heauen Let him saie what he will we will saie with Iohn that they be antichrists which say that Christ is not come in the flesh 1. Iohn 4. 3. A blindnesse in those thinges which the scripture teacheth concerning the mediatour remooueth not damnation from the vnfaithfull That blindnesse is laide vpon vs as a iust punishment of former sinnes which when it transgesseth the lawe and bounds of faith it taketh not eternall damnation away They that denie the consequent denie also the Antecedent but rather procureth the same Neither is it truely sayde that it comes oftentimes to passe that they which denie the consequent doe not denie the antecedent for they in déede doe denie this although in words they séeme so much to graunt it For the ouerthrowing of the consequent is so repugnant to the antecedent as they can not stande together But thou wilt say that vnawares they take away the antecedent of Christes humanitie I graunt it but ignorance as touching naturall prophane thinges is counted but a light matter but in articles of the faith it bringeth the extremest and chiefest losse And it is not nowe called ignorance but incredulitie Matt. 1. 25. Luke 2. 7. But that Christ was borne of the virgine Marie no man of sounde religion doubteth but that the same doth belong to the chiefe pointes of faith And for man to be borne of a mother is not onelie to passe through the wombe of her and this euen children themselues doe knowe Further we confesse that he was not onlie borne of a virgin but that hee was also conceiued of her And who I beséech you will say that those things which passe through the wombe are conceiued Howbeit we are not nowe about to bring foorth testimonies of the scriptures whereby the Anabaptists may bee conuinced that it may be shewed to them that the flesh of Christ was receiued of his mother but to the intent wee may prooue that they which denie this which truelie belongeth to a mediatour doe vtterlie take awaie the mediatour himselfe although by mouth and wordes they professe that they beléeue and confesse him A similitude If in anie kingdome a man should teach that we should not for anie cause obey a king and yet neuerthelesse would confesse him to be lawefull king and that he holdeth the same kingdome by right of inheritance hee should as I thinke be punished by death neither should it anie thing auaile him to crie that he séeth not the dependencie or connection betwéene the consequent and the antecedent But they which were wise or had anie knowledge at all of politike gouernement would say vnto him either thou séest or séest not this knitting together by denying this that is the consequēt thou ouerthrowest also the antecedent Neither are the papistes deliuered from the curse and euerlasting destruction in this respect that they thinke themselues to preach no other gospell than that which the Apostles taught and they themselues moreouer denie that they doe sée a iust and effectuall coniunction betwéene their doctrine and that which is accursed Yet for all that these thinges must not in such sort be vnderstoode as though we do not thinke that they sinne more gréeuouslie who reiect and oppresse the trueth which they verie well knowe than they of whome consequentes are denied and antecedentes by wordes and false opinion affirmed but in vaine since these may not consist with the contraries of the consequent These men in déede doe sinne somewhat lesse yet so gréeuouslie notwithstanding as vnlesse they at the length repent them That the Anabaptists haue no true mediator they shal perish eternally séeing they haue no true mediatour but such a one as they themselues haue forged Neither doth Hadrians similitude belong anie thing vnto this matter Whether the Anabaptists doe beléeue in Christ Mat. 26. 27 The Hebrewes saieth hee of a false opinion doe thinke that our Lorde Iesus was nothing else but a méere man and that a seditious and naughtie man Wherefore they being deceiued by this errour did naile him to the crosse which iniurie of theirs although it procéeded of a false opinion yet did it breake out against verie Christ not against a fained Christ So the Anabaptistes when they beléeue and call vpon Christ which suffered for vs which rose againe and by whome sinnes are fréely forgiuen although they thinke that he
fullie and perfectlie comprehend the Creator Wherevpon Chrysostom in his 14. homilie vpon Iohn Chrysost Ambrose in his first booke vpon the first of Luke and Ierom as Augustine reporteth in the place before recited doo denie that the angels sée GOD which cannot simplie and absolutelie be vnderstood séeing Christ saith that They see the face of the father that is in heauen Wherefore the place must be vnderstood of the whole and perfect knowledge of God in his nature and substance Wherevpon it is said in the sixt of Iohn No man hath seene God Iohn 6 46. but he which is of God he hath seene the father Againe As the father knoweth me so I knowe the father So that to knowe all the substance of God fullie and perfectlie is granted onelie vnto Christ who is God Others also shall in verie déed sée the same but yet according to their capacitie But if thou aske whether all shall sée it equallie or no Herevnto I will not answere at this time For we shall haue another place to speake of the diuersitie or equalitie of rewards in our celestiall countrie Whether in sēse or mind we knowe the essence of God in this life 13 But what shall we set downe concerning the state and condition of this life Whether dooth our mind while we liue héer attaine to the knowledge of Gods substance No verelie For it is written Man shall not see me and liue No man hath seene God at anie time And Paule saith further Exod. 33 20 Iohn 1 18. 1. Tim. 6 16. that He cannot be seene bicause hee dwelleth in the light that no man can attaine vnto But this is not meant of euerie kind of knowledge For it is granted vs to knowe God after a sort while we are yet in this life We must therefore account those things to be spoken of the essentiall substantiall knowledge of God as the schoolemen terme it Neither is that anie thing against it Deu. 34 10. Gen. 32 30. that Moses is said to haue seene him face to face which also Iacob said before him nor yet that which is spoken of the same Moses in another place Exod. 33 11 that God talked with him as one fréend dooth with another For these things are not spoken absolutelie but by waie of comparison made with others bicause those things which were reuealed vnto men in that age concerning God were knowne to those excellent men aboue all others For it pleased GOD to shew himselfe vnto them after a certeine exquisite vnaccustomed maner which he did not to others And that this is the sense and meaning of those words Augustine Chrysostom doo thereby gather for that when Moses desired to sée the face of God it was denied him Before in the second chapter 14 Now there remaineth that we speake of that our knowledge of God which we can possiblie compasse while we are in this life First the same as we haue said is naturall Our knowledge towards God is naturall obscure Simonides and that verie slender and obscure Which Simonides knew verie well who as Tullie writeth in his booke De natura decrum being asked of Hiero king of Sicilia what God was he euer deferred his answere bicause the more he did studie vpon it the darker it alwaies séemed vnto him Clemens Alexandrinus Wherfore Clemens Alexandrinus 50. stroma alleging a reason why our knowledge of God is so difficult saith It is neither generall kind of creatures nor difference nor accident nor subiect for accidents and therefore not for vs to knowe who comprehend such things onelie with our minds and reason The effects whereby the philosophers vsed to bring themselues to the knowledge of God are far inferiour to his woorthines strength and power and therefore it is but common and friuolous which they declare of him And we giue him certeine epithets and properties namelie good iust wise bountifull and such like bicause wée haue not more excellent things nor more goodlie titles that can be fitter or more agréeable vnto him And yet are not these things in him in such sort as we speake them For as in simplenes of nature so in goodnes righteousnes and wisedome he is far otherwise than men either can or may be said to be 15 But besides this naturall knowledge that we haue of God The knowlege of God by faith that also offereth it selfe vnto vs which consisteth of faith and is reuealed vnto vs by the word of God Ephes 2 18 This faith is not of our selues as it is said to the Ephesians but it is the gift of God For Christ saith Iohn 6 44. None can come vnto me vnles the father drawe him Faith therfore gathereth plentifull knowledge of God out of the scriptures so far as our saluation requireth and the capacitie of this life admitteth But yet as Paule witnesseth This knowledge also is vnperfect For we knowe now as by a view 1. Co. 13 12. through a glasse and in part And although wée profit in this knowledge more and more while we liue yet doo we not reach to the vnderstanding of the substance of God I knowe verie well Augustines opinion of Paule and Moses that Augustine thought as touching Paule and Moses that they had somtime séene the substance of God with their mind while they liued here but I should hardlie yéeld to him therein forasmuch as I iudge those places of Iohn of the lawe and of Paule which I alledged before to be most plaine euident Whervnto may be added that which is in the 6. of Iohn None hath seene the father at anie time Iohn 6 46. He that is of God he hath seene the father And note that whatsoeuer is said of the father in this place the same is also true of the sonne as concerning his Godhead For as I haue declared before both out of Chrysostome and Augustine the nature both of the father and of the sonne is inuisible Neither maketh it anie matter to saie as Augustine saith that they sawe the nature substance of God not by the vse of their outward senses but as it were rauished and in a traunce quite remooued from the vse of this life These things are not gathered out of the scriptures nay rather on the contrarie we haue heard that it was denied vnto Moses Exod. 33 20 to haue a sight of Gods countenance Wherefore through the knowledge that cōmeth by faith we vnderstand what God and his louing kindnes towards vs is as much as sufficeth for our assured and perfect saluation But among all these things whereby we knowe God out of the scriptures nothing is more excellent than is Christ himselfe Wherefore Paule had iust cause to saie 1. Tim 3 16. Doubtles it is a great mysterie GOD is made manifest in the flesh c. And the Lord also said Philip Iohn 14 9. he that seeth me seeth also the
bodies into the hands of those whom he will defend Which things being so then this vndoubtedlie is brought to passe that we are not in anie wise to stand in feare of tyrants which alwaies for the most part are against God and haue a confidence in their own great strength when they defend a wicked cause and assure themselues of abilitie to ouerthrowe the weake and féeble flocke of Christ at their owne pleasure For against them the strength of Gods word and the power of the spirit although we be weake and féeble of nature shall make vs mightie and inuincible Indéed in mans reason we being compared with them may easilie appeare to be but woorms or grashoppers but we being fortified and walled in by the power of God shall not onlie ouercome them Rom. 8 37. but as Paule to the Romans saith We shall conquer them For Christ himselfe shal be present with vs who bindeth that strong armed man plucketh from him by force those most rich spoiles which he had heaped togither Happilie did he wrestle with the diuell and his members and through him shall we also fight prosperous battels and shall obteine a far more noble victorie than the poets feigned their gods to carrie with them against the Cyclops Titans and other the giants which at a place called Phlaegra as they fable were quite extinguished by Iupiters thunder-claps It is proofe inough whie in old time the giants Why giants mightie and wise men doo resist God and now at this daie the mightiest princes and wise men of the world resist God verelie euen bicause they trust leane ouermuch to their owne strength wherein they hauing more affiance than is méet there is no mischéefe but they dare attempt there is nothing that they thinke not lawfull for them But God vouchsafeth not by such men to bring to perfection those things which he hath determined to do but is woont rather by Dauids and such other abiects Whie God dooth execute by weake men and not by mightie to perfourme the things that he hath purposed to doo to the intent that his strength and power may far and largelie appeare 37 I would thinke that inough hath béene spoken of this matter but that yet there remaineth a certeine place to be expounded to wit how it is written in Deuteronomie that Og the king of Basan was onlie left of the giants Deut. 3 11. Whether Og was the last of the giants What Rabbi Selomoh fableth I am not ignorant but his exposition is so childish and ridiculous as I am ashamed to rehearse it Wherefore I iudge that it was not spoken absolutelie and without exception that he was left as though there had béene no giants left in the world besides himselfe but it is shewed that he onlie did remaine in those places namelie on the other side of Iordan Further it must be knowne that not the Israelites onelie did rid the giants out of those regions The Moabites and Israelites draue giants out of their borders Deut. 2 20. for the Moabites also as we reade in the second chapt of Deuteronomie draue them out of their coasts Which thing also we must thinke did happen vnto them by the fauour of God for it is there declared that God gaue those regions to the Moabites to dwell in The xiiij Chapter Of Felicitie in generall and of the cheefest good out of the commentaries vpon Aristotles Ethikes TOuching the name of Felicitie all men in a maner agrée which is manifest by the Latins Gréekes and Hebrues for none of them doo contend about the name but about the thing it selfe and especiallie wherein the subiect or matter is to be placed they are at great dissention For the vulgar sort differ from the wise men yea if thou wilt somewhat narrowlie consider the matter all the common sort agrée not with themselues and wise men doo not a little differ from wise men The matter or subiect of felicitie The definition of felicitie From this felicitie did Aristotle exclude all creatures void of reason and this he did by vertue of the definition of felicitie which he affirmed to be the chéefe action of mans mind arising of the most excellent vertue If this be so then brute creatures shall not be partakers thereof séeing they be not capable of such an action Indéed it would not be denied but that they haue in their owne nature or kind som good proper to themselues which to them is principall and chéefe but yet we must not thinke that the same is blessednes séeing it is of such a nature as it cannot be without reason But before we come to the thing it selfe I thinke it shall be good to knowe how this definition of Aristotle dooth either agrée or disagrée with the holie scriptures How Aristotles definition agreeth with the holie scriptures Psal 118. and 127. 1. Psal 111 1. and 127 1. Psal 1 2. Psal 32 1. Iohn 2. And first where he appointed mans worke in act to be felicitie he decréed no otherwise than doo the holie scriptures where it is said Blessed are those which walke in the lawe of the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord and which dooth meditate in the lawe of the Lord daie and night All these be most godlie acts and exercises for this life But it is obiected Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes be couered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne which things belong not to the worke of men but flowe from the méere liberalitie of God Héerevnto we saie that Aristotle vnderstood not nor beléeued this iustification through Christ which the holie scriptures haue reuealed vnto vs neither doo we in the meane time speake of this felicitie but we speake onelie of that which followeth this first blessednes and standeth in the right dooing while we liue héere and in the other world in the contemplation and fruition of the sight of Gods maiestie And yet neuerthelesse if we will also regard the blessednes of iustification and laie that before our eies whereby it is applied vnto vs then commeth the worke of faith For we be iustified by beléeuing although we are not iustified by the merit of that action nor yet for the dignitie thereof are receiued into grace but of this felicitie we doo not now treate And that which we doo speake of although it be the worke of man yet doth it not breake out from his strength but is produced by the power of the spirit of God and from the heauenlie maiestie In the world to come this felicitie shall be perfect which shall neuer be interrupted but shall be one and a continuall act Whereas this blessednes of Aristotle as his definition sheweth may manie times betwéene whiles breake off He would that this action whereby a man is blessed should flowe from a most excellent vertue The same also doo we thinke who shew that the actions of faithfull
vs such formes or denominations but yet it behooueth that there be a choise had therein Moreouer choise is occupied in pursuing or flieng but so is not opinion for when anie thing is offered vnto vs we begin to conceiue an opinion what it is what comâ—oditie may be gotten thereby and how it must be vsed But we doo not so much conceiue in our opinion whether the thing should be shunned or followed for that rather apperteineth to choise Yea rather betwéene these things there séemeth that there should be a certeine order set for first as I said we conceiue in opinion what it is what profit it bringeth and how it will serue our turne Which things being coÌ„ceiued in opinion then we procéed either to pursue or to eschew the matter The third Chapter Of the Lawe HEre I thought it good to speake somewhat concerning the nature of the lawe In Rom. 5. Of the nature of the lawe the Manicheis and Pelagians vnderstood it not and therewithall to shew how the Manicheis and Pelagians vnderstood it not and what the same worketh in vs either before regeneration or after we be iustified First as touching the forme thereof the same must be affirmed which Paule saith in his epistle to the Romans when he writeth that it is spirituall But the vniuersall end therof and which apperteineth vnto all men is to bring men vnto the knowledge of sinne Which thing Paule signified saieng Rom. 3 20. that By the lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne Here if thou demand wherefore the apostle said not rather By the lawe commeth the knowledge of righteousnesse I answer bicause a man not yet regenerate so long as he is without Christ can not haue in himselfe the féele of good works or of true righteousnesse which may satisfie the lawe of God Wherefore when he compareth his dooings with the lawe he perceiueth them to be onelie falles and transgressions But if we doo speake of the end of the lawe as touching the elect that is Christ And this dooth also Paule teach saieng Rom. 10 4 The end of the lawe is Christ vnto saluation which yet he speaketh not vniuersallie but Vnto euerie one that beleeueth The lawe by it selfe dooth not lead to Christ and to saluation For the lawe it selfe by it selfe dooth not bring a man to this end The Ethniks said that The end of the lawe is a knowledge which it bréedeth as touching things to be doone Wherevpon Chrysippus as he is cited in the Digests saith that The lawe is the knowledge of things diuine and humane Howbeit this end and this definition be to largelie extended for all wisdome and all good arts doo teach some knowledge of diuine and heauenlie things Now there remaineth that we diligentlie consider what is the matter anâ— efficient cause of the lawe The matter and efficient cause of the lawe And to comprehend these things bréeflie I saie that The lawe is the commandement of God wherin both his will and also his disposition or nature is expressed What the lawe is When I saie A commandement I note the generall word for there be commandements of the people of the senate of kings of emperors But when I saie Of God I make a difference which betokeneth the efficient cause Whereas I saie that in the lawe is expressed the will of God that is more euident than néedeth exposition But perhaps it may séeme more obscure that I said The lawe teacheth vs concerning the nature and disposition of god we be taught in the lawe concerning the disposition of God and be stirred vp to the knowledge of his nature wherefore we will make the same plaine by examples When God commandeth vs that we should loue him he teacheth vs thereby that he is of a nature to be beloued for things can not rightlie be loued vnlesse the verie same are worthie to be loued And vnlesse he were well affected towards vs he would not set foorth vnto vs that chéefe good which we should loue wherfore he chéeflie persuadeth vs vnto this bicause he desireth to haue vs partakers of himselfe We perceiue therefore that he is such a one towards vs as he also desireth vs to be And when he forbiddeth that we should not kill first he sheweth his owne will Further he declareth himselfe to be a God which detesteth violence and iniuries and he had rather doo good vnto men than hurt them After the same sort these two things might be shewed in the rest of the precepts And out of this definition those things may be also gathered the which we spake aboue touching the forme and end of the lawe bicause it is of necessitie that such a doctrine be spirituall that it bréed an excellent knowledge And we be taught The benefit of the lawe that it is no small benefit that God hath thereby giuen vnto men for he bringeth to passe that both we knowe our selues and vnderstand the properties of God Platos definition of the lawe Plato in his bookes of the lawe of a publike weale and in Minoe séemeth thus to define a lawe namelie that It is a right waie of gouerning which by profitable meanes directeth vnto the best end by setting foorth punishments vnto the transgressors and rewards vnto the obedient This definition may verie well be applied vnto the lawe of God yea verelie there can be no such lawe vnlesse it be of God It is no maruell then The old Law-giuers made God to be the author of their lawes if the old Law-makers when they would haue their lawes commended did feigne some god to be the author of them for Minos ascribed his lawes to Iupiter Lycurgus his to Apollo Solon and Draco theirs to Minerua Numa Pompilius his to Aegeria And we are assured out of the holie scriptures that our lawe was giuen of God by Moses in mount Sina 2 And these things thus ordered concerning the nature and definition of a lawe we may easilie vnderstand how fowlie the Manicheis haue erred which blasphemed the same The Manicheis condemned the lawe as euill and cursed it as euill For séeing the lawe commandeth nothing but things to be commanded and forbiddeth nothing but things to be forbidden how can it iustlie be accused For there can be no iust or honest duetie found out but that by the lawe of God it is commended and nothing fowle or dishonest but it is forbidden in the same nor onelie wicked dooings are prohibited by the lawe but also wicked lusts are condemned Wherefore that sheweth It biddeth both the works and will to be corrected that not onelie the outward works but the mind and will must be corrected And since a great part of felicitie standeth in the acknowledging of God that philosophers doo so greatlie commend the knowledge of our selues both which things the lawe of GOD doth appoint the same cannot without gréeuous offense be blamed as euill and pernicious Yet the place wherein it is
indured cruell iniuries all his life long he was beaten and finallie was crucified like an euill dooer Neither did the punishment fall vpon the murtherers and rebels till after certeine yéeres These things dooth GOD diuerslie according as the counsels of his prouidence doo permit In 2 King 1 verse 9. 5 There remaineth to sée wherefore it was admitted to Elias that he should destroie with fire from heauen those princes and their soldiers and yet it was denied to the apostles Luke 9 54. which in like maner desired that the same might be lawfull for them against the Samaritans Looke In 2 Kings 2 23. who most cruellie excluded Christ from harbouring among them when he iournied from Galilie to Ierusalem for Iames and Iohn desired this of Christ Some saie that hereof commeth the difference that the spirits of the lawe and of the Gospell be verie contrarie For the propertie of the lawe is to condemne punish and slea but the propertie of the Gospell is to forgiue preserue and quicken So that Elias was to kill them which did openlie violate the lawe of God but the dutie of the apostles was to helpe and to heale men and not to destroie them Wherefore the Lord added Ye knowe not of what spirit ye be I doo not thinke that these words are so to be vnderstood as though Elias was so much addicted to the lawe that he had nothing common with the Gospell for he himselfe was sometime a helpe to men For in a verie great dearth he fed the widowe of Sarepta 1. Kin. 17 16 togither with hir sonne and familie yea and when hir sonne was dead he restored him vnto life againe and heauen being opened hée gaue raine most plentifullie Also the apostles of Iesus Christ were not so addicted vnto goodnes as that they neuer hurt anie Acts. 5 5. Acts. 13 11. for Peter by his word destroied Ananias and Saphyra Paule made blind Elimas the sorcerer and deliuered verie manie vnto satan to be tormented according to the flesh Howbeit I grant that the spirit of clemencie and gentlenesse flourished more in the apostles of Christ than in the ancient prophets and againe that the spirit of seueritie and reuenge was more vttered in Elias and his fellowes than in the euangelicall disciples And I thinke good to adde that the apostles were therefore warned of the Lord bicause they were mooued against the Samaritans by an humane anger and not by a diuine persuasion to wish euill vnto them But it is verie likelie that they were vrged to aske that thing through the site of the place bicause in the same place Elias procured fire from heauen vnto those princes For king Ahaziahu was in Samaria when he commanded that Elias should be brought vnto him Wherefore there was a certeine fond zeale in the apostles wherewith they indeuoured to imitate Elias Nor in the meane time did they make anie difference betwéene the nature of their vocations For thereto was Elias called that he should execute the iudgements of Gods seueritie neither did he so sharpelie behaue himselfe of his owne accord but by the warning of God and of his angel Indéed in outward shew he might séeme to be a manqueller yet must he not so be reputed séeing he was onelie the minister of God And so we must beware that we doo not by anie example of our forefathers assure our selues of those things which we earnestlie and extraordinarilie desire Thus vndoubtedlie did the sillie woman of Samaria Iohn 4 20. who reasoning with Christ at the well side laboured to prooue that God should be worshipped in that mountaine bicause Iacob had worshipped him there Indéed he did that which was lawfull for him to doo in that age wherein he liued but afterward when the lawe was giuen the worshipping was to be doone at the tabernacle and after that in the temple of Salomon Neither must the examples of the forefathers doone against the lawe of God be taken as rules to imitate and followe The which if we shall doo we shall not be counted as followers of the fathers but as mockers of them Wherefore when we will take vnaccustomed things in hand against the ordinarie commandement of God it is not enough to alledge an example of the forefathers but we must descend into our selues in examining by what spirit we be led least vnder a certeine glorious pretence we followe the wisedome and affection of the flesh For this cause Iesus said to his apostles Ye knowe not of whose spirit ye be Ye purpose with your selues to followe Elias but ye be not led with his spirit 6 Two waies we sée there is offense committed in this age of ours Warres of christians against the Turks The christian princes haue diuers times taken in hand wars against the Turks pretending a iust cause for that they thought méet to recouer those lands which the barbarous nations and wicked tyrants had taken awaie from the christians Bu◠whether they were stirred vp by a good spirit it is verie doubtfull Peraduenture they were mooued by a gréedie desire of bearing rule or for worldlie glorie sake or else by other inuentions of mans wisedome and therefore had seldome anie good successe Againe there haue béene some Fighting for the Gospell which indeuoured by armes and humane power to spread abroad the Gospell and propagation of churches These perhaps did not well trie with what spirit they did it This is it whereof Christ warned his apostles that they should descend into themselues and examine with what spirit they were led namelie Luke 9 55. whether they could be like vnto Elias And when they had desired of their maister that it might be lawfull for them by his leaue to vndertake and doo it he denied that request bicause he was not sent to the end he should afflict or destroie men but rather to helpe them and that therefore he would not passe the limits of his vocation Whereby he also warned them that they should not rashlie indeuour to arrogate such things vnto themselues But that Christ was not sent to punish and take reuenge of wicked déeds his life and acts doo testifie For he was a succour vnto all men and he helped them that were in miserie so often as occasion was offered And when he was with most bitter taunts reuiled he did not reuile againe And being fastened to the crosse he praied most patientlie for his enimies Wherefore the places which at the first sight séemed to varie are reconciled And we be all warned that when we are to take in hand anie thing against order custome we must first discerne with what spirit and instigation we be mooued Neither let vs be of the mind to imitate Helias in reuenging vnlesse we vnderstand for a certeintie that we be led with the spirit of Helias Yet is not therefore the power which the magistrate hath of iust reuenging taken from him for he hath lawes prescribed vnto him
vnto the Corinthians 1. Co. 11 10 commandeth women to haue their head couered in the holie congregation at the least-wise bicause of the angels And euen as women ought to shadowe their face that they be not séene so on the other side men ought to temper themselues that they doo not ouer-curiouslie behold them Of which matter Tertullian wrot manie things verie well in a little booke intituled De virginibus velandis And Solomon thus wiselie admonished Lust not after hir beautie Prou. 6 25. Also Gregorie the first They saith he which abuse the outward eie be worthie to haue the inward eie shadowed Iob. 31 1. I haue made a couenant saith Iob with mine eie that I will not thinke vpon a virgine He saith not onelie that I would not looke vpon but that I would not admit into my mind an imagination of hir This séeing Dauid did not he cast himselfe into the danger which all godlie men ought to take héed of Of the punishments of Adulterie In 2. Sam. 12 14. 22 Somewhat we will declare in this place of the punishments of adulterie And this I thinke to be necessarie for me for by the gréeuousnesse of punishments we know the weightinesse of sinnes By rewards and punishments Common-weales are preserued But punishments must be applied according to the heauinesse of offenses It is verie well written in the 24. cause question 1. in the chapter Non afferamus which words be ascribed vnto Ierom but rather they are the words of Augustine The greeuousnesse of Schisme How gréeuous a sinne is Schisme or to be diuided from the church it is perceiued by the punishments laid vpon men for other gréeuous sinnes The idolatrie doone vnto the molten calfe Exo. 22 27. Iere. 36 29. God punished by a kind of death Bicause Zedechias burned the booke of the prophet God did reuenge it with captiuitie But the rebellion done against Moses and Aaron he punished more gréeuouslie Num. 16 he sent a fire wherewith those which conspired with Chore were consumed and the earth swallowed vp the seditious persons A diuision of this place We will first then consider the punishments of adulterie that we may vnderstand how heinous a sinne it is Secondlie we will sée whether the adulterer and the adulteresse should haue equall punishments and whether they be bound to like punishments and whether of them is the greater sinner Thirdlie what euils maie come by reason that these punishments are either neglected or vtterlie taken awai◠As touching the first we must search in the holie scriptures what may be found touching the punishments of adulterie after that we will descend to the reckoning vp of punishments of diuers nations then will we come to the Romane lawes and last of all vnto the ecclestiasticall and Canon lawes Of the first we must vnderstand that the diuine scriptures teach vs that The wages of sin is death Rom. 6 23. Séeing therefore that death is due vnto sinnes foorthwith after a man hath transgressed he might be put to death by the iustice of the lawe But God is not so strict an exactor he granteth as yet some space vnto life the which neuerthelesse is somtime broken off by the sword of magistrates if gréeuous crimes be committed which can by no meanes be suffered But there are other sinnes of lesse weight for which it is not lawfull to put men to death Further we will sée whether adulterie may be reckoned among those sinnes wherevnto death is due Certeinlie it was a sinne wherevnto death belonged as the holie scriptures declare vnto vs and that for good cause For by this wickednesse is hurt that societie from whence is deriued the fountaine of all friendship among men Gen. 26 11 In the booke of Genesis when Abimelech the king of Gerar had séene Isaac plaieng somewhat familiarlie with Rebecca he perceiued him to be hir husband and not hir brother Death for adulterie before the lawe Gen. 39 20. So then he charged that none vpon the paine of death should touch that woman Therefore we sée that before the law of Moses adulterie was by the Ethniks punished with death Ioseph after that it had béene laid to his charge in Aegypt that he committed adulterie with his mistresse was deliuered to the head officer of capitall crimes and was cast into prison Thamar Gen. 38 24. when she had buried two husbands and waited for the third vnto whom she was betrothed did commit adulterie and was iudged to be burnt And vndoubtedlie when a woman that is betrothed dooth abuse hir selfe she committeth adulterie For although it be not a full marriage yet is there such hope of marriage as it ought not to be polluted This did the emperour Seuerus perceiue The lawe may be read Ad legem Iuliam de adulterio in the Digests the lawe Sivxor in the Paraph Dinus In the 22. chapter of Deuteronomie Deut. 22 22 Leuit. 20 10 and in the 20. of Leuiticus by the lawe that is there giuen the adulterer adulteresse are commanded to be put to death Which sentence God in the 16. chapter of Ezechiel confirmeth verse 38. where he saith that he would bring punishment vpon the adulterous Israelits The same lawe is confirmed in the eight chapter of Iohn When the Scribes and Pharisies had brought vnto Christ a woman which was taken in adulterie they said Moses commanded vs in the lawe verse 5. that such a woman should be stoned c. So greatlie did God estéeme chastitie and vnspotted wedlocke as he would not haue so much as a suspicion to remaine betwéene them which were man and wife For in the booke of Numbers Num. 5 14. The lawe of gelousie there is ordeined a lawe touching gelousie She which was suspected of adulterie was brought vnto the priest cursses were denounced a drinke was giuen hir and straitwaie it was knowne whether she was an adulteresse or no. And if a man had married a wife and had béene able to gather and prooue by certeine signes that she was not a virgine she was punished Punishments for abusing a maid betrothed If a maiden betrothed to a husband had béene forced by anie abroad in the field the rauisher should haue béene punished with death if in the citie the damsell should also haue had the same punishment Deuteronomie 22. So then great seueritie was vsed héerein verse 13 25 Howbeit the reuenge was not committed to priuate persons the husband killed not his wife nor the father his daughter but the matter was brought before a iudge verse 27. So read we to be doone in Susanna although that historie be Apocryphall In the prophet Ieremie we read that Nabuchadne-zar rosted Zedechias and Achabus Iere. 29 22. two vnchast priests These things we haue in the holie scriptures especiallie of the old testament The Ethniks lawes for punishment of adulterie 23 The lawes of the Gentils also suffered not
oftentimes made woorse And besides that also such superfluitie might serue to reléeue other poore folks also 9 Neither saith he Giuing or bestowing In giuing of almes is a certeine communicating Esaie 2 3. Iohn 4 22. but Communicating bicause in almes giuing there is a certeine communicating For if we speake of the poore which were at Ierusalem the Gentiles had receiued at their hands spirituall things For the word of the Lord came out of Sion and the lawe of God out of Ierusalem and saluation from the Hebrues Séeing out of that nation were appointed preachers of the Gospell to preach vnto the whole world Therefore Paule in the second to the Corinths the eight chapter saith That your abundance maie releeue their want and that on the other side verse 23. their abundance may releue your want But if we speake of other poore folkes euen when we helpe them with our almes there redoundeth vnto vs no small commoditie or profit For Christ warned as we read in Luke Luke 16 â— Make you freends of vnrighteous mammon that when you faile they maie receiue you into euerlasting tabernacles But what if the poore be euill and they also excluded from the kingdome of heauen These things are to be vnderstood not of the men but of the works But by this meanes also followeth another absurditie That by the vertue of our works we should obteine the kingdome of God I answer As we denie that works are the causes of eternall life so likewise we denie not that God rewardeth the good works of the faithfull A reward of almes deeds Rom. 2 6. which are now regenerate by Christ since we know that He will iudge euerie man according to his works For he will saie I was hungrie Matt. 25 35 and ye fed me I was thirstie and ye gaue me drinke I was a stranger and ye harboured me The kingdome of God is giuen for election and for she promises sake which the saints receiue by faith But bicause those things are hidden from mans eies therefore are good works brought foorth which are the proper and manifest effects both of our faith and Gods election 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Giuing our selues saith he to hospitalitie This is not spoken without a great emphasis To follow hospitalitie is more than to keep hospitalitie Gen. 18 2. Looke in Iud. 9 11. for it is a greater matter to pursue hospitalitie than onelie to be hospitall For Abraham expected not till strangers came home to him to desire to be receiued and to desire lodging but going of his owne accord out of his tent he looked round about to sée if he could espie anie stranger whom he might receiue into his house And if he sawe anie he ran vnto him and praied him not to passe by his house If I haue found fauour saith he in your eies I beseech you turne in vnto your seruant Gen. 19 2. And the same diligence and mind was in Lot and well nigh in all the fathers Paule in these words chargeth vs not with anie vile and vndecent works but with verie honorable and excellent works Hospitality becommeth a noble man For there was neuer anie noble man or notable prince but that he was desirous to doo good vnto others and was carefull ouer strangers Titus Vespasian when he called to remembrance at night that he had doone no good turne vnto anie man would with heauines saie Fréends we haue lost this daie And Christ saith that The kings of the nations beare dominion ouer them and they which haue power ouer them are called gratious in Gréeke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Ethniks also saie that GOD hath a care ouer strangers and therfore they worshipped Iupiter Xenius who had a care regard of strangers This propertie of GOD Homer describeth in the second booke of his Odysses And Virgil verie aptlie saith Iupiter was a keeper of hospitalitie Iupiter hospitibus nam te dare iura loquuntur that is For men saie that thou O Iupiter giuest right vnto strangers And the naturall affection toward citizens commonlie stirreth euerie man that if he méet a stranger and one that is néedie he will to his power helpe him and prouide harbour for him Euen so in like manner if peraduenture the saints which as touching the eternall countrie are our citizens doo come vnto vs we ought to helpe them and gentlie to interteine them 10 But bicause that Iahel séemed to haue violated the lawes and couenant of hospitalitie it is a doubt In Iudg. 4 verse 22. Whether Iâ—hel did right in violating the laws of hospitalitie whether we should condemne hir or quit hir Howbeit bicause all controuersie dependeth not a little of the circumstances of the persons we will therefore set hir before our eies and consider with our selues what manner of men the Kenites in the fourth of Iudges were They assuredlie in bloud were ioined with the Israelits Who the Kenits were for they were the posteritie of Hobab the father in lawe of Moses Moreouer they perfectlie agréed with the Hebrues in the exercise of godlinesse and in the lawe of God Neither was their faith idle but effectuall and working for they leauing their countrie followed the Israelits through the desert and God which was their guide through the wildernesse Wherfore at the length when the lands were distributed they obteined inheritance togither with them in the land of Chanaan For these causes if Iahel went about to set the Iewes at libertie she did but hir duetie neither did she take vpon hir anie other mans office On the other part let vs consider of Sisara Who Sisara was He was an oppressor of the people of God and now slaine by the power of God and vtterlie confounded neither appeared there in him anie token of repentance but he would rather hide himselfe to the intent that he escaping this so present a danger might againe gather a new host against the Israelites In déed after a sort he was in league with Heber the Kenite yet as it is to be thought with no sincere hart but onlie to plucke him away from the rest of the Iewes whereby he might haue the fewer enimies and not be compelled to fight with so manie enimies at one time or else to get of him a great tribute or some other commoditie which he looked for Furthermore in this his misfortune he calleth vpon no God he desireth not the helpe of other mens praiers but onelie séeketh lurking places where he might hide himselfe till such time as the rage and heate of the conquerors were somwhat slaked and onelie trusted vnto the helpes and aliance made with men By these things it easilie appeareth that Iahel did hir dutie and Sisara deserued to be slaine 11 But as touching the lawes of hospitalitie The lawes of hospitalitie ought ordinarilie to be kept iuiolated Gen. 19 8. we also iudge that they by themselues and of their
commanded his apostles when he sent them about to preach verse 4. that they should salute none by the waie for he would not that by their finding of talke and communication with other their minds should haue béene drawne aside from preaching of the Gospell Assuredlie the diuell is not more busilie occupied about anie thing than in bringing in of lets and delaies when we are in hand with our vocation But we on the contrarie part must set all things aside to performe the vocation that is laid vpon vs. Which was not vnknowne vnto the old Ethniks who vsed to saie vnto the priest while he was occupied about his seruice Applie this thing And Augustine in the place aboue alledged did declare the force of this spéech saieng that in these words was ment a strait charge to make hast He addeth moreouer a verie wittie exposition but such as dooth not much serue vnto the historie We saith he vnto the people speake salutations vnto you when we are preaching of the Gospell bicause you can be saued by nothing else but by the Gospell of the sonne of God So that ye must be saluted with this kind of salutation but not in the waie that is to saie incidentlie or indirectlie Which thing they doo that preach not the truth from their heart but for lucre sake for honour or else to bring some man into enuie and hatred not to win the hearers vnto the Lord as they did of whome Paule admonished the Philippians Phil. 1 15. For they that salute a traueller by the waie go not purposelie to him they go not home to his house to wish him well but they doo it incidentlie and in the waie Indéed these words be true that Augustine declareth but they belong not to the meaning either of the prophet or of Christ Both the one and the other of them would haue our mind to be wholie imploid vpon our vocation not to be carried here and there with sundrie cares not to make anie delaies and that the function committed vnto vs should be performed with most feruent desire 18 But if anie be not satisfied with the figuratiue speach there will be no discommoditie A Rule if he expound it according to the literall sense For affirmatiue precepts although they apperteine vnto charitie yet did they bind men to performe them howbeit in certeine times and places and with circumstances For it is commanded vs that we should receiue the sacraments yet this must not be doone alwaies and in euerie place but at such time onelie as we méet together in the holie assemblie and the same is to be distributed in such place and after such sort as Christ hath commanded Also there is a commandement for the distributing of almes but yet not to be doone towards all persons sith who is he that will bestowe almes vpon them that be rich and wealthie Neither must we giue at all times for surelie they that want themselues cannot giue vnto others Euen so likewise the precept of saluting may be deferred and suspended when other weightier duties are to be taken in hand Neither also must salutations be vsed vnto them which be excommunicated or vnto those which come vnto vs with infected and corrupted doctrine For vnto them as Iohn hath commanded we may not saie 2. Ioh. 5 10. God speed And thus much of salutations The xv Chapter VVhether the commandement of God be so set foorth that it may be kept in this life moreouer of the vse and abrogating of the lawe In 1. Kin. 2. neere the beginning 2. Tim. 1 3. Places to proue that perfect obedience may be doone vnto God THey which affirme this position are woont to vouch the place of Paule in his second epistle to Timothie where he saith that he giueth thankes vnto GOD bicause he had serued him from his forefathers with a pure conscience Wherefore it séemeth that there was nothing that lacked vnto his obedience and seruice Moreouer Dauid pronounced Psal 9 2. that he did confesse God with his whole heart 1. King 15 3 14 2. King 3 3. Further the diuine historie dooth giue a certeine testimonie to diuerse of the kings that they sought the Lord with their whole heart But on the other side we must vnderstand that GOD is not loued with all the heart and with all the soule vnlesse the heart be altogither cleansed of all naughtie cogitations Then let vs consider in our selues whether our hearts he purged from naughtie motions and whether we haue pure cogitations while we liue here in the flesh Wherefore so long as we be in this life we must be fullie persuaded that we be not able to satisfie this commandement For in the eight chapter to the Romans it is written That which was vnpossible to the lawe verse 3. in as much as it was weake by reason of the flesh God sending his owne sonne in the similitude of sinfull flesh c. So as if we being now regenerate carrie the flesh still with vs the lawe is weake we fulfill it not and yet the righteousnesse thereof is said to be fulfilled in vs bicause Christ hath brought to passe that that which was his should be communicated with vs. Also it was written to the Galathians that The flesh lusteth against the spirit Gala. 5 17. and the spirit against the flesh so as ye doo not that which ye would But some cauill saieng that The consideration is farre otherwise when we speake of the state of man in generall than it is when we intreate of one particular action onelie Therefore they demand whether we be able to performe anie one act as the lawe requireth Whether we can perform anie one act commanded in the lawe To these men I answer that we must not onelie denie that fulnesse of iustice vniuersallie to be in man as touching all works according to the state of this present life but also that their works are rebellious against the lawe euen in respect of priuate actions Howbeit I grant them to be good so farre foorth as they haue a certeine obedience begun in them that be regenerate whereas they be euill neuerthelesse both in respect that they swarue from the rule of Gods commandements as also that they doo procéed from the flesh Neither is it absurd that one and the same worke is called both good and euill sith contradictories haue no place where there is a respect to diuers originals But we pronounce In what respects godlie mens works are good or euill Esai 64 6. that the works of godlie men be good as they haue their springing from the spirit of God yet as they are deriued from our selues we saie that they be vniust Wherevpon Esaie in the 64. chapter saith that All our righteousnesse is like vnto vile rags Neither dooth he intreate there of grosse and manifest sinnes but of those actions which haue the semblance of righteousnesse And Ierom treating of this
Christ Gal. 3 24. And it is a preacher that sheweth righteousnesse vnto vs and exhorteth vs therevnto and also it sheweth vs most euidentlie vnto what marke we must leuell So that it is not vnprofitable although it cannot be performed to the full Also there be some which aske Whether God haue commanded things vnpossible to be doone Vnto whom we must answer that as touching them which be not borne anew the commandements are vnpossible But if the question be of persons regenerate then either we must vnderstand a full obseruation of the lawe the which as we haue said none can performe or else we must vnderstand an obedience onlie in respect wherof we affirme that the precepts of the lawe are possible to be kept But I will returne to Paule who further wrote in the place now alledged I feele another law in my members Wherby it is gathered that if the lawe of the members striue against the lawe of the mind Rom. 7 23. Paule loued not GOD with all his hart with all his soule and with all his strength Wherevpon he crieth out O vnhappie man that I am c. Ibidem 25. As though through strange motions he was not onelie shaken but in a maner ouerwhelmed by the lawe And he concludeth I serue the lawe Note Ibidem 22. according to the inward man And he sheweth himselfe to be after a sort diuided as he that partlie hath the spirit of God and serueth him and partlie is carnall and obeieth the flesh By these things that I haue alreadie spoken I thinke it now appéereth that they which be borne anew do not fulfill that great commandement Besides this there is none of vs Euen in the godliest works of men there is found some defect vnlesse he will too much flatter himselfe which féeleth not some defect in his actions though they doo séeme good Which might not be if we loued God with all our hart When we shall come to the celestiall habitation then shall our works be actuallie perfect bicause we shall loue God with all our hart Doubtlesse not so much as he is to be beloued for séeing he is incomprehensible our soules which are within limit are not capable of an infinite loue but it shall be sufficient if we will loue him with all our hart with all our soule and with all our strength While we are in this life we cannot go beyond the condition of the apostle who in the third chapter to the Philippians saith Phil. 3 12. Not as though I had alreadie atteined vnto it or were alreadie perfect Neither is there anie doubt but he spake of himselfe being alreadie regenerate And séeing he denieth himselfe to be perfect and saith that he dooth perpetuallie hie himselfe towards the marke which of vs can attribute vnto himselfe a perfect obseruation of the commandements of God But I will followe saith the apostle if I may comprehend that for whose sake I am comprehended of Christ Iesus And to this hath Christ comprehended me that I should run in his waie and euermore be going forward And there is no cause for anie man to cauill that he talketh here of the resurrection For that must be considered which is added to wit that I might knowe Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his afflictions while I am made conformable vnto his death Of spirituall resurrection and what it is Neither did anie man doubt that he was not yet risen séeing he was not dead so as he speaketh there of the spirituall resurrection which accompanieth the mortification of naughtie affections and motions This if the godlie had alreadie atteined vnto vpon the earth Psal 143 3. Psal 19 13. Psal 130 3. surelie they would not saie Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant And Who knoweth how often he sinneth Clense me from my secret faults If thou wilt marke what is doone amisse who shall abide it And No flesh shal be iustified in thy sight Moreouer it is verie agréeable vnto godlinesse that both in all our actions and motions we haue néed of the mediator by whome all our defects wherewith we are defiled shal be forgiuen I doo not allow of their interpretation which saie that To loue God with all the hart with all the soule c. Is nothing else but to loue him aboue all things in such sort as we preferre neither our selues nor anie thing else aboue him For I weigh the words of GOD with déepe consideration wherein it is not said Aboue all things but With all the hart with all the soule and with all the strength For it may be that some man loueth God aboue all things and yet loueth him not altogither but that in louing him he is drawen aside by manie impediments and is compelled to wrestle with his owne flesh Wherein the loue of God standeth 7 But wherein the loue of God chieflie consisteth we may by this means knowe bicause as men commonlie saie He is said to be beloued towards whome we both will well and doo well and that verelie not for our owne sakes but for his sake Howbeit we cannot doo good to God séeing he is most perfect and hath no néed of other mens goodnesse But then we loue him when we both desire indeuour that his glorie may be roiallie aduanced And this is it that by his precept we ought to doo with all our heart with all our soule with all our strength Wherin we neuer profit so much but it behoueth vs still to profit much more Wherfore Paul wrote that Our inward man is renewed dailie 2. Cor. 4. verse 16. Where he plainlie teacheth that the reliks of old Adam remaine alwaies in vs the which ought to be clensed that we may fullie at the length be restored I might also adde that saieng of Peter Why doo ye tempt God by laieng a yoke vpon the necks of the disciples A saieng of Peter in the 15. of the Acts expounded verse 10. which neither wee nor our forefathers were able to beare Assuredlie he taught vs by those words that the lawe cannot be borne nor fulfilled without transgressions Neither must we allow of that which some affirme namelie that he ment this touching ceremonies For although this be true yet there followeth thereof a firme conclusion that no more can the table of the tenne commandements be abidden and fulfilled without transgressions sith it is much easier to performe outward rites and ceremonies than to fulfill the preceptes of the tenne commaundementes But besides the reasons now alledged there resteth for vs to consider after what sort Paule to the Corinthians describeth charitie There he writeth on this wise 1. Co. 13 4. A description of Charitie Charitie is not puffed vp it is not prouoked to anger it seeketh not hir owne it suffereth all things it beleeueth all things it indureth all things c. Who is it that performeth all this Verelie no
no doubt but that euerie faithfull person fulfilleth the lawe according to the measure of charitie which he hath But yet we must remember in the meane time that there is none in this life that hath perfect and absolute charitie For if anie man could atteine therevnto he could not profit anie further Howbeit that this matter may the more euidentlie appeare let vs consider the words of Iohn Herein saith he we knowe his loue 1. Iohn 3 16 for that he gaue his life for vs and we ought to giue our life for our brethren euen as he gaue his These words sufficientlie declare that no ordinarie kind of loue is required of vs but euen the same which bestoweth the life for other men and the same not after anie sort but in such wise as Christ himselfe gaue it But there be none which atteine vnto the charitie of Christ though the same as the apostle saith be required and that by vertue of the lawe For the bond dooth arise thorough no other meanes but by the lawe Neither is that place to the Galathians anie other waie to be expounded namelie Gala. 6 2. Beare you one an others burden and so ye shall fulfill the lawe of Christ For it is necessarie to beare those things euen as we wold ours to be borne and that as Christ hath throughlie borne them but this none doo performe Héervnto also might that be said which is brought before touching Christes loue the which may be ioined to our loue and accepted by God as though it had béen fulfilled 1. Iohn 2 4 and 5. It is also obiected that the same Iohn writeth that He which loueth God keepeth his commandements But we must adde that so much shall the kéeping of Gods commandements be as the loue of God hath béene but séeing we haue not that loue perfect therefore we kéepe not the commandements fullie and perfectlie Howbeit after these things they adde that the same apostle affirmeth The commandements of God to be easie 1. Iohn 5 3. But to this I answer If they be set foorth vnto them which be not yet borne anew they be impossible to be kept much lesse easie Againe if they be offered vnto persons regenerate they be not easilie kept according as they be set foorth in the lawe but they may be called easie séeing the spirit of Christ is present with such and dooth communicate his righteousnesse with them For by the same the wants of our works are supplied and while we be indued with the spirit we obeie willinglie and with a good courage And by this meanes the commandements of God be made both delectable and easie to be kept I meane according to the portion of grace which God dooth bestowe In the selfe-same sense must the words of Christ be vnderstood Mat. 11 30. wherin he saith My yoke is plesant and my burden is light But the commandements as they be expressed in the lawe doo through our weakenesse rather bring malediction than plesantnesse vnlesse they be performed of vs in such sort as they be described 10 Furthermore that is brought against vs which Christ saith vnto his apostles When ye haue doone all these things saie with your selues Luk. 17 10. that ye be vnprofitable seruants But that must be vnderstood of obedience begoone as I haue said before Wherefore Augustine in his third booke against the two epistles of the Pelagians the eight chapter wrote that The perfection of saints must alwaies be vnderstood according to the measure and capacitie that they haue in this life This moreouer they vrge that the scriptures diuers times doo call some men perfect For Paule said We speake wisedome among them that be perfect 1. Cor. 2 6 And to the Philippians we read So manie of you as be perfect iudge all one thing Phil. 3 15 Whervnto I saie that there is a certeine measure of perfection How some men may be called perfect whereby the godlie men doo acknowledge their imperfection be not deceiued therin Which no lesse rightlie than prudentlie Augustine taught in his third booke against the two epistles of Pelagius and in his first booke 7. chap. De peccatorum meritis remissione Also they after a sort be called perfect which doo imitate the perfection of the Heauenlie father who sendeth raine vpon the iust and vniust and maketh his sunne to shine as well vpon the good as the bad Others vndoubtedlie be called iust which aptlie giue eare vnto spirituall things of which sort the Corinthians as yet were not The Hebrues indéed were such Heb. 6 1 c as it is written in the sixt chapter And this kind of imperfection it behooued the saints not onelie to acknowledge and féele but also to confesse the same But Ierom in his first dialog against the Pelagians saith that We be then iust when we confesse our selues to be sinners And vnto Cresiphon he also wrote This onelie is a perfection in men if they acknowledge themselues to be vnperfect Barnard in his 50. and 51. sermons vpon the Canticles wrote verie elegantlie of this matter and so did Augustine in his epistle vnto Xystus and in manie other places But the Pelagians when they withstood Augustine as we read in his booke against their epistle the fift chapter said that He did not put anie difference betwéene most wicked men and saints but by comparison bicause he affirmed that iust men be therefore saints bicause they sinne lesse than euill men Héerevnto that godlie man answereth Wicked men and saints doo differ one from an other by faith but not by works that Wicked men and saints doo differ one from an other by faith and not by works For so much as the godlie doo beléeue in Christ by whom if they fall they receiue forgiuenesse of their sinnes and are also lightened by his spirit and grace But the wicked beléeuing not in Christ doo altogither lie in their sinnes whereof they neither repent nor yet receiue forgiuenesse of the same The same father also in his second booke De peccatorum meritis remissione the seuenth chapter obiecteth against himselfe that which is written in the 14. chapter of the Apocalypse namelie that verse 3. 4 The 144000. saints which followe the lambe were virgines and defiled not themselues with women that in their mouthes there was found no guile He answereth to himselfe that such were therefore vnblameable bicause they iustlie reprooued themselues and in their mouth there was no guile bicause they did not professe themselues to be without sin For if they had said that they had béene without sinne they had béene found in a lie The same father goeth further in the 12. chapter of the same booke obiecteth against himselfe a place out of Luke where it is written Luke 1 6 that Zacharie and Elizabeth were iust before GOD walking without reproofe before him in all the precepts and iustifications of the Lord. By which words
were called spirituall bicause they were giuen neither by the strength of man nor of nature but by the power of God And it is to be wondred at that this father shuld déeme that the people of the old time were excluded from the spirit of God séeing we read in the 31. verse 3. chapter of Exodus that Bezeleel and Aholiba were replenished with the holie Ghost and also with wisedome and vnderstanding to make all such things as God had commanded to be made in the worke of the tabernacle And we read that the seuentie elders Num. 11 17. 24. which were giuen to be helpers vnto Moses were in such sort made partakers of his spirit that they also prophesied Iosua 34 9. Iud. 6 34. 1. Sam. 16 14. and that Iosua was indued with the holie Ghost and that Gedeon had giuen vnto him the same spirit and that the same holie spirit departed from Saule which might not haue béene vnlesse hée had had the same before And what meaneth this that Dauid saith in the psalme Take not away thy spirit from mee Psal 51 13. and 143 10. and 51 14. Againe Thy spirit shall lead me Againe Confirme me with a principall spirit Neither can we denie but that Elias and Elizaeus had the spirit of GOD 2. King 2 9. when the one desired to haue the spirit of the other giuen double vnto him We read also that Daniel had the spirit of the saints Dan. 4 9. But vnto these so manie oracles we will also adde a firme reason That the fathers were iustified we haue no doubt and they could not be iustified without faith in Christ but faith can neither be had nor reteined without the holie Ghost And whereas Chrysostome saith that the apostle maketh mention of the spirit bicause those men were gouerned by the lawe which was giuen by the spirit that is friuolous séeing the lawe cannot doo the office perteining thereto The lawe cannot doo hir office without helpe of the spirit to bring men vnto Christ which be now made affraid by the same vnlesse the power thereof be holpen by the spirit For how manie Epicures and godlesse men be there who hearing the lawe are neither brought vnto Christ nor yet appalled at the horriblenes of their sinnes committed 1. Cor. 10 3. A place vnto the Corinthians expounded 22 And that place in the tenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians must not so be vnderstood as he thinketh séeing Paule saith that the sacraments of the old fathers were the selfe-same with ours For vnlesse it were so the reason of Paule as it hath béene said might easilie haue béene made féeble For the Corinthians might haue thought that the Iewes had béene afflicted with so manie punishments bicause they had no sacraments like vnto ours and contrariewise that they themselues although they sinned should not be chastised for that their sacraments were more perfect the which might be able to pacifie God although he were angrie and driue awaie all aduersities which hoong ouer their heads But séeing Paule saith that their sacraments were all one with ours this place of refuge is vtterlie taken from them And that Paule had respect vnto this we may therfore beléeue it vndoubtedlie bicause he maketh mention onelie of those sacraments of the old testament which answer vnto our two sacraments omitting all the rest which were innumerable For he affirmeth that they were baptised as we are baptised and saith moreouer that they receiued one and the selfe-same spirituall meate and drinke which we at this daie receiue to signifie thereby our Eucharist or supper of the Lord. If thou take awaie this cause thou shalt find no other cause whie he made onelie mention of these two sacraments Further what haue we in our sacraments which we receiue as the chiefe and principall thing Is it not Christ But the apostle testifieth that the old fathers receiued him in their sacraments Ibidem 4. For he saith that They dranke of the spirituall rocke which followed them and that rocke was Christ We cannot drinke Christ without his spirit But we can in no wise drinke Christ vnlesse togither therewith we be partakers of his spirit also Wherefore we ought not to thinke that the old fathers had not the spirit of GOD. But thou wilt saie peraduenture They had rewards and punishments As though we haue not so likewise For what Dooth not Paule gréeuouslie threaten the Corinthians if they followe the sinnes which their forefathers committed in the wildernesse Dooth not he saie 1. Co. 11 30. that Manie are weake and manie fallen asleepe for that they had after a shamefull maner abused the Eucharist And dooth not he saie When we are iudged we are corrected of the Lord Ibidem 32. least we should be condemned with this world And what Will you saie that in the new testament also there wanteth rewards promised vnto the godlie Matt. 10 41. For if we giue anie thing to a prophet in the name of a prophet we doo receiue a prophets reward And Matt. 19 29. He that forsaketh his owne for Christ his sake shall receiue an hundreth fold euen in this world also But Chrysostome addeth that vnto them was promised a land flowing with milke and honie but vnto vs is promised the kingdome of heauen I grant indéed that the old fathers had manie temporall promises but yet not in such sort as vnto them was made no promise of eternall life For Christ bringeth a testimonie of the resurrection out of the lawe Matt. 22 32 Exod. 3 6. I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob And God saith vnto Abraham I am thy protector and thy exceeding great reward Gene. 15 1. And Daniel saith that They shall rise againe Dani. 12 2. which haue slept in the dust of the earth some to eternall life and some to euerlasting damnation And Esaie saith of the damned Esai 66 24. Their fire shall not be quenched and their woorme shall not die And to omit all other testimonies which are infinite Christ himselfe is promised in the lawe For he himselfe saith Iohn 5 46. Rom. 10 4. that Moses wrote of him And Paule saith that he was the end of the lawe Besides there be manie such other testimonies both in the Gospels and in the epistles of Paule which are all taken out of the old testament 23 Chrysostome addeth moreouer The forefathers were bomb to more ceremonies than we be that the forefathers vsed outward purifiengs Neither doo we denie but that they were bound to a great manie more and more gréeuous ceremonies than we are and yet are not we altogither without outward signes For we also haue bread wine and water as elements of our sacraments but one and the selfe-same Christ was common both vnto our sacraments and vnto theirs Sith no man can denie but that circumcision was the sacrament
whole and perfect benefit of Christ We must not weigh the gift of God as though it were but halfe a benefit When thou dooest heare that hée died for our sinnes vnderstand the same to be not onelie for the originall fault but extend thou this sentence euen vnto the ingendered and naturall lusts and also vnto those sinnes which we commit by the consent of reason Assuredlie we owe euen our selues also vnto Christ for so notable gifts The people of Rome attributed much vnto the Decii and Curtii much more must we vnto Christ Iohn 10 18. The people of Rome yéelded vnto Curtius and vnto the Decij bicause they had vowed themselues to death for the safegard of the people But these things being compared with Christ are nothing for those men otherwise should haue died Vnto which lawe Christ was not bound séeing in him it was as well to laie downe his life as to take it againe Before their eies was set present glorie and praise of men for the notable act which they tooke in hand but the death of Christ as concerning humane iudgement had shame ioined therewith on euerie side Those men for their louing countrie and déere fréends tooke their death but Christ Rom. 5 ver 6 8. 10. as we read vnto the Romans died for the weake for the wicked for sinners and for his enimies which dooth excell all maner of charitie 16 And when he saith According to the scriptures this is not to be referred vnto his death which was apparant enough Since humane reason and manie historiographers do testifie this that Iesus of Nazareth suffered death vpon the crosse but that he was made a sacrifice for our sinnes that is not proued by the sense or reason of mans iudgement He added also mention of buriall the which apperteineth vnto death for in that he was buried it gaue a more certeine declaration of his death And although here it be not added According to the scriptures yet is it commonlie admitted Touching the resurrection also he addeth that it was doone according to the scriptures Wherefore it now remaineth that we sée by what scriptures the death of Christ and his resurrection are prooued Vndoubtedlie the places are manie all which it shall not greatlie force to recite Onelie this I will admonish How we are to deale with the Rabbins that it should not much trouble vs if the Hebrues at anie time withstand these testimonies which Christ and the apostles alledge for confirmation of these articles Bicause it is not to be doubted but that the apostles and Christ did chéeflie admit the common and receiued expositions of the fathers For it was so allowed of at that time that those places should be so vnderstood of the Messias as they that were present could not for shame and conscience sake denie the same Wherefore we read not in the Gospels that they withstood bicause the scriptures which were brought were not to be vnderstood touching Messias but we rather perceiue that their mouthes were so stopped as they had not wherewith to answer But now when those receiued expositions are no longer alowed among the Hebrues we may perceiue lies to be readie with them Wherefore we when we shall heare Christ or the apostles to haue interpreted anie place let vs giue vndoubted credit vnto them Albeit there are found in the scriptures Some places touching Christ so euident in the scriptures as the Rabbins cannot denie them The whole psalme The whole chapter Acts 15 16. certeine places so manifest as the Hebrues themselues cannot resist them if they would In the 22. psalme as well the death as the resurrection of Christ are verie plainlie set foorth Vnto which psalme it séemeth that Christ of verie purpose sent vs when he died vpon the crosse And the 53. chapter of Esaie is so euident as thou mightest thinke thy selfe not to read a prophesie but an historie of the euangelist Also the apostles were accustomed for confirming of the resurrection to bring in those places of the prophets which make mention of restoring Dauids kingdome For séeing that externall kingdome is not restored nor that we ought to looke for restitution Of restoring the kingdome of Dauid we must haue respect vnto Christ who reigneth in heauen and in them which be his and shall reigne eternallie Christ alledged the type of Ionas the prophet Mat. 12 39. 16 2. Note certeine types of Christs death and resurrection concerning his death and resurrection and in manie such like places the death and resurrection of Christ were shadowed Againe it is to be noted that these things which so went before were not onelie types and shadowes of the Lords death and resurrection but after a sort also had in them the very truth it self of those things For séeing that those holie men suffered manie gréeuous things and that within a while helpe and deliuerance came by God insomuch as they were the members of Christ and had Christ for their head it followeth that Christ in them both suffered and was deliuered Wherefore we saie that the passion and resurrection of Christ beganne euen from the first times but that afterward they tooke place more manifestly in Christ himselfe and yet still become more euident vnto the church through the present death which it dailie abideth in labours and sorrowes expecting the blessed resurrection of the flesh Then indéed shall these two principall points of our religion be truelie fulfilled and become most manifest In Rom. 8 vers 3. 17 Augustine in his 14. booke against Faustus disputeth against an heretike which refused Moses as though he were contumelious against Christ Deut. 21 23 when he wrote Curssed be euerie one that hangeth vpon the tree Vnto whom Augustine answereth If thou vpon this occasion condemne Moses thou must also reiect Paule for he writeth Gal. 3 13. that Christ became accurssed for vs. And the same Paule saith that He which knew not sinne 2. Cor. 5 21. became sinne for our sakes Moreouer he citeth a place to the Romans that God sent his owne sonne in the similitude of the flesh of sinne by sinne condemned sinne He bringeth also a reason whie the flesh of Christ is called sinne namelie bicause it was mortall and tasted of death which of necessitie followeth sinne And he affirmeth this to be a figuratiue kind of spéech wherein by that which goeth before is expressed that which followeth But besides this interpretation of Augustine I remember also another which the same Augustine followeth and it séemeth he learned the same out of Origin An oblation for sinne is called sinne And that interpretation is taken out of Leuiticus where when as there be diuers kinds of sacrifices instituted mention is made of an oblation for sinne But vnto that word is oftentimes added a preposition and in the Hebrue it is written Lechataath and Leaschma that is for sinne and for trespasse So that hereby we may sée
3. Ye be dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God and when as Christ your life shall appeare then shall ye also appeare with him in glorie Inheritance defined Inheritance as it is defined by the Lawyers is a succession into the whole right of the man that is dead And may this appeare to be but a small matter to be made partakers of the whole right of God 2. Pet. 1 4. Certainlie Peter saith that We be made partakers of the diuine nature Here Ambrose noted that it is not in this matter as we commonlie sée it come to passe in the world for it behooueth that the testator die before the successor can come to the inheritance God dieth not and yet may we enter into his inheritance But God dieth not naie rather we that be appointed to be his heires doo die first before possession can be deliuered vnto vs. Christ also first died before he came vnto the glorie which was appointed for him An heire is counted one person with him that ordaineth him Iohn 17 21. Moreouer as touching ciuill lawes the heire is counted one and the selfe-same person with him that maketh him heire Euen so we through Christ are streictlie knit togither with God so as we are now one togither with him according as Christ praied That they may be one as thou and I are one for all things are ours We obtaine this inheritance freely and we are Christs Christ is Gods This inheritance obtaine we fréelie by the spirit of Christ Wherfore the bishops of Rome and their champions the Cardinals and false bishops doo wickedlie which haue shut vp this inheritance of remission of sinnes and accesse vnto the kingdome of God vnder their counterfet keies that they at their owne pleasure might sell the same and either thrust down to hell or send vp to heauen whom they list themselues The description of Christian Hope in the 5. chapter to the Romans verse 5. Looke In Rom. 8 25. and 1. Cor. 13 at the end A chaine Hope and faith haue one and the same propertie not to make ashamed 42 As concerning hope this is a notable chaine and an excellent connexion of christian degrées Of this chaine the first linke is fastned to the post of afflictions in this life from thence the godlie ascend to patience from patience to experience and from experience to hope which hope forsomuch as it maketh not ashamed but without doubting attaineth vnto God which is our principall felicitie is fastened vnto him as vnto the highest linke of the chaine This verie propertie of not confounding belongeth also vnto faith for None that beleeue in him shall be confounded and that for good cause for what can be of more néere a kinne vnto faith than hope The Latine interpreter turneth it Non confundit that is Confoundeth not Howbeit it might be properlie turned Non pudefacit that is Maketh not ashamed A figuratiue speech And it is a figuratiue kind of spéech for Paules mind was to signifie that the godlie cannot be frustrated of their hope for they which are frustrated namelie when things fall out farre otherwise than they hoped for are commonlie ashamed Wherefore Paule by shame vnderstandeth frustration bicause shame alwaies followeth it But the Latine interpreter had respect to that perturbation of the mind which followeth shame for To confound is nothing els but To perturbe or trouble Now if this sentence be true as in déed it is most true namelie Hope dependeth not of our works that this Hope confoundeth not it followeth that the same dependeth not of our workes for otherwise it would oftentimes faile But that it is true certaine Paule declareth not by one word onlie but by thrée and those of great efficacie For first he vseth this woord Knowing Hope is most assured which betokeneth an assured knowledge of a thing He maketh mention also of Reioising which cannot haue place among godlie and wise men but in those things which they assuredlie and firmelie possesse Last of all he addeth that Hope maketh not ashamed And it is not without cause that he oftentimes induceth persuasions of this certaintie bicause from thence chieflie is consolation to be sought for in afflictions When Christ did hang vpon the crosse the wicked railed against him saieng He hoped in God let him saue him Mat. 27 43. if he will haue him let him come downe from the crosse c. The self-same things are laid against vs not onlie by outward enimies but also by our flesh our outward senses and by humane wisdome How can we resist these but by this doctrine of the apostle Hope confoundeth not A remedie against railing speeches The hope which we haue put in the Lord will not make ashamed 43 The Sophisters labour to prooue that hope springeth of merits bicause Paule saith it springeth of patience as though we shuld thinke that hope were giuen to vs by the merit of patience Hope dependeth not of merits But in the mean time they marke not that those things which Paule here by a certaine order disposeth are not so compared the one to the other as causes effects For who will saie that afflictions are the causes of patience And if they be not so why should they more affirme that patience is the cause of hope The scripture most expresselie teacheth Ierem 17 5. that He which putteth confidence in man or in anie creature is accursed for a man of whose promise we depend and assure our selues may either die or alter his mind or els be let that he cannot faithfullie performe that which he promised and to haue confidence in him either for merit sake or by reason of good works is to settle our hope in man wherefore such hope worthilie maketh ashamed But the hope which is fixed vpon God is certeine neither can it be deceiued The Sophisters craftilie go about to auoid this sentence by twoo places of Paule Rom. 8 37. 2. Tim. 1 12. the one to the Romans and the other to Timothie The place to Timothie is thus I knowe whom I haue beleeued and am certeine And the other to the Romans is thus I am assured that neither death nor life nor angels c. By these places they thinke to ouerthrowe the proofe which we haue made bicause they thinke that these words are to be vnderstood not vniuersallie of all beléeuers but onelie of Paule and such other like who had it peculiarlie reuealed vnto them that they should atteine vnto saluation Here is intreated of the nature of hope generallie But these their enterprises are in vaine for here is now intreated of the nature and propertie of hope whereby is manifestlie prooued that all they which are indued with it are sure of their saluation so that they must néeds confesse that they which doubt of their saluation either haue not the hope which belongeth to a christian He
folks now liuing and our members the weapons of righteousnesse to sanctification 20 These things which we haue rehearsed and the rest which followeth euen in a maner to the end of the chapter séeme they to perteine vnto the ceremonies of Moses or rather to a iust sincere and morall life The matter is so plaine as there néedeth no question therein yet those things which are written in the seuenth chapter Rom. 6 5. be yet much more manifest The affections saith he which are in the members had force by the lawe to bring forth fruit vnto death But what other thing are these affections than lusts filthie desires anger hatred and enuie which affections are rehersed to the Galathians Gal. 5 19. in the catalog where the works of the flesh are separated from the works of the spirit And there is no doubt but that all these things perteine vnto the ten commandements Which thing the better to vnderstand Rom. 7 7. Paule addeth What shall we saie then Is the lawe sin God forbid But I had not knowne sinne but by the lawe for I knew not what lust ment vnlesse the lawe had said Thou shalt not lust Also The lawe in deed is holie the commandement is holie verse 12. iust and good Againe The lawe indeed is spirituall but I am carnall sold vnder sin for that which I do I allow not for the good which I would I doo not but the euill which I would not that I doo wherfore it is not I now that worke it but sin which dwelleth in me for there dwelleth no good in me that is in my flesh I haue a delight in the lawe of God as touching the inward man but I feele another lawe in my members resisting the lawe of the mind Oh vnhappie man that I am Who shall deliuer me from the lawe of sinne and of death Wherfore in mind I serue the lawe of God but in flesh the lawe of sinne Whosoeuer shall diligentlie weigh all these testimonies shall easilie sée that the apostle wholie speaketh of the ten commandements whereof also he plainlie maketh mention in these words Rom. 8 3. But the words which afterward followe in the eight chapter namelie That which was impossible vnto the lawe insomuch as it was weake by meanes of the flesh God sending his owne sonne in the similitude of flesh subiect vnto sinne for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh These words I saie cannot be expounded of the lawe of ceremonies and much lesse that which followeth in the same chapter verse 12. We are debters not vnto the flesh that we should liue according to the flesh for if ye liue according to the flesh ye shall die but if by the spirit ye doo mortifie the deeds of the flesh ye shall liue Neither canne this be referred vnto ceremonies no more than that can be Gal. 3 19. which is written to the Galathians The lawe was giuen bicause of transgression for where there is no lawe there is also no transgression And it is certeine that neither boasting can be excluded neither can the promise be firme if our iustification should depend of the obseruation of the ten commandements and of the morall precepts howsoeuer thou take awaie the rites and ceremonies of Moses But much more firme is that place out of the eleuenth chapter of the epistle to the Romans And if it be of works Rom. 11 6. then it is not of grace if of grace then is it not of works This Antithesis is vniuersall neither can it by anie meanes be applied vnto ceremonies Phil. 3 6. I will not speake of that also which Paule writeth vnto the Philippians how that he besides those precepts of Moses liued also without blame as touching the righteousnes which is of the lawe Ephesi 2 9. For that which he writeth vnto the Ephesians the second chapter Not of works least anie man should boast he writeth vnto the Gentiles Wherfore those works which he excludeth from iustification cannot be vnderstood of ceremonies for the Gentils obserued them not 2. Tim. 1 9. But what will they saie of the epistle to Timothie where in the first chapter we are plainlie absolutelie said to be called not for our works Titus 3 1. but according to purpose and grace Also to Titus He hath saued vs saith he not by the works of righteousnes which we haue don but according to his mercy 21 All these things are so plaine and manifest that they néed not anie interpretation For there is no man so dull but that as soone as he once heareth these things he easilie perceiueth how that they can not without great iniurie be wrested to the ceremonies rites of Moses But I would faine knowe of these men why they take awaie the power of iustifieng from the works of ceremonies and doo so easilie attribute it vnto our morall works Is it not a point of good and laudable maners to worship God with certeine appointed rites which God hath commanded Were not the rites holie seruices which were at that time prescribed vnto the people of the Iewes commanded in the ten commandements Vndoubtedlie where the saboath is commanded to be obserued there are these things conteined And euen these selfe-same Sophisters doo they not at this daie attribute the forgiuenesse of sinnes and bestowing of grace vnto their sacraments The constancie of the Sophisters as in the old testament they were attributed vnto circumcision What maner of new constancie is this one while to saie that the rites of Moses had no power to iustifie and an other while to grant that the same were sacraments of the old fathers and that in circumcision originall sinne was forgiuen vnto infants But this affirme not we naie rather we vtterlie denie that anie sacraments bestowe grace Sacraments giue not anie grace they doo in déed offer grace but yet by signification For in the sacraments and in the words and visible signes is set foorth vnto vs the promise of God made through Christ which promise if we take hold of by faith we both obteine a greater grace than that was which before we had and also with the seale of the sacraments wée seale the gift of God which by faith we embraced But I cannot inough maruell at these men which both affirme and also denie one and the selfe-same thing An other cauillation They answer in déed but not with anie great aduisednes as their accustomed maner is that they vtterlie take not awaie from the sacraments of the elder fathers and chieflie from circumcision the strength of iustifieng but onelie from the time that the gospell was published abroad of which onlie time as they saie the disputation which Paule had to prooue that the rites of Moses should be no more reteined did arise But here also according to their accustomed maner they are both deceiued themselues and also they deceiue others Rom. 4 10. For séeing
Demosthenes in an oration against Androtion saith that Decrées of the senate ought not to be made but according to the prescript of those things which are alreadie determined in the lawes So in ecclesiasticall councels there ought no new decrées to be made as touching doctrine but of those things onlie which are either expreslie named in the word of God or else may assuredlie and euidentlie be gathered out of it First we will begin with the African councell where The African Councell in the 80. chapter a curse is pronounced against the Pelagians who said that The grace of iustification is therefore giuen that by grace we may the easilier fulfill that which we were cōmanded As if euen without grace although with more difficultie we might by our fréewill fulfill the commandements of God when as yet the Lord speaking of the fruits of the commandements said not Iohn 15 5. Without me ye can hardlie doo anie thing but Without me ye can vtterlie doo nothing By these words are reprooued the Papists of our time which are not ashamed to saie that A man before iustification maie doo the works which are commanded in the lawe and which doo please God and doo prepare to regeneration For what thing els is this than with the Pelagians to saie that A man may euen before iustification performe the lawe although not so fullie and easilie as after he is iustified And that is nothing which they saie to wit that they put a certeine grace preuenting whereby men not yet regenerate may doo those works which they call preparatorie For in speaking after this maner they differ in name onelie from the Pelagians for they also taught no lesse than these men doo that a certeine grace of the lawe and of the knowledge of the will of God and of illumination goeth before whereby a man vnderstandeth what he ought to doo But as for the rest they doo attribute it to fréewill which thing these men doo also And that the Pelagians were of that opinion The Mileuitane councell the Mileuitane councell declareth wherein it is thus written in the 4. chapter We curse all them which saie that the grace of God through Iesus Christ our Lord helpeth vs onlie for that by it is reuealed and opened vnto vs the vnderstanding of the commandements of God that we may knowe what we ought to desire what to auoid and that by it also is not giuen vnto vs to loue and to be able to doo that which we knowe ought to be done For whereas the Apostle saith Knowledge puffeth vp but grace edifieth it is a verie wicked part to beléeue that we should haue the grace of Christ vnto that which puffeth vp and not to that which edifieth especiallie séeing it is written in the 4. chapter of the 1. epistle of Iohn verse 16. that Loue is of God The Arausicane councell 43 Moreouer in the second Arausicane councell the 4. chapter it is thus written that They resist the holie Ghost which saie that the Lord waiteth for our will Pro. 16 1. séeing Salomon saith The will is prepared of the Lord and also in that Paule saith vnto the Philippians Phil. 2 13. It is God that worketh in vs both to will and to performe according to his good will And in the 5. chapter are reprooued those which affirme that by the grace of Christ is giuen an increase of faith but not the entrance or beginning thereof For the beginning also of faith commeth by the inspiration of the holie Ghost which correcteth our infidelitie bringing it from infidelitie to faith and from vngodlines to godlines And the proofe hereof is brought out of sundrie places of the scriptures Phil. 1 6. for Paule saith vnto the Philippians I trust that he which hath begun a good worke in you shall accomplish it in the daie of the Lord. And againe Ibidem 29. in the same epistle Vnto you it is giuen not onelie to beleeue in him but to suffer for him Ephe. 2 8. And vnto the Ephesians By grace ye are saued through faith and that not of your selues for it is the gift of God Moreouer they were accursed which said that The mercie and grace of God is giuen vnto the willing to the beléeuers to them that desire it to them that indeuour to haue it to them that labour to them that watch to them that studie to them that aske to them that séeke to them that knocke but would not confesse that by the infusion and inspiration of the holie Ghost and by the gift of God is giuen vnto vs to haue a will to beléeue to endeuour our selues and to labour They cite these testimonies out of the holy scriptures 1. Cor. 4 7. What hast thou that thou hast not receiued And if thou hast receiued why bostest thou as though thou hast not receiued And the Apostle writeth of himselfe 1. Co. 15 10 By the grace of God I am that I am In the 7. chapter are condemned those which déeme that by the strength power of nature we can thinke or atteine vnto anie thing that serueth to saluation or that we can without the illuminatiō of the holie Ghost giue credit vnto the words of GOD preached This may be confirmed by the scriptures for Paule saith 2. Cor. 3 5. that We cannot thinke anie thing of our selues as of our selues but our sufficiencie is of God Christ also saith Iohn 15 5. Mat. 16 17. Without me ye can doo nothing Also Blessed art thou Simon Bat-iona for flesh and bloud hath not reuealed this vnto thee They also are cursed which grant the fréewill is after some maner weakened and hurt yet not so but that men by it may be turned to saluation Against these men the scriptures doo openlie reclaime for the Lord doth saie Iohn 6 44. No man commeth vnto me vnlesse my father shall drawe him Paule also to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 12 3. No man can saie The Lord Iesus but in the spirit of God This is an excellent sentence God loueth vs being such as we shall be by his gift and not such as we are by our owne merit And in the 13. chap. it is thus written Fréewill being lost in the first man cannot be repaired and bicause it is lost it cannot be restored but by him by whom it was giuen at the beginning Wherfore the truth it selfe saith Iohn 8 36. If the sonne shall make you free then shall ye be free in deed Further in the 17. chapter is decréed that The strength of the Ethniks commeth of worldlie lust which words declare that their vertues as we haue before shewed out of Augustine and other fathers were not true vertues chieflie forsomuch as they sprang out of an euill ground But humane lust comprehendeth whatsoeuer is possible to be found in men not regenerate It followeth in the same chapter that The loue of God maketh the force and
testification of things Who hath in his owne power It is not in our owne will to be touched with that sight wherby our will should be mooued to faith to haue his mind touched with such a sight whereby the will may be mooued vnto faith And in his 61. sermon vpon Iohn All sinnes saith he are comprehended vnder the name of infidelitie And he addeth that Faith cannot be without hope and charitie which thing also he most plainlie teacheth vpon the 31. psalme The same father in his first booke and 19. chapter against the two epistles of the Pelagians at large intreateth after what maner we are drawne of God and amongst other things he saith that the Pelagians would too much triumph ouer the christians if they had not the word of drawing in the holie scriptures But forsomuch as that word is expressed in the verie Gospell they haue vtterlie no place to flie vnto Iohn 6 44. There are infinite other places in Augustine which doo confirme this opinion which now for breuitie sake I thinke good to ouerpasse 82 Cyrillus against Iulianus in his first booke Cyrill and 14. page saith The faith of Abraham and our faith is vtterlie one and the same And the same author vpon Iohn in the third booke and 31. chapter expounding this sentence Iohn 6 29. This is the worke of God that ye beleeue in him whom he hath sent For faith saith he bringeth saluation and grace iustifieth but the commandements of the lawe rather condemne wherefore faith in Christ is the worke of GOD. In these words we ought to note that faith is it whereby is brought saluation and that we are iustified by grace And he declareth these things more plainlie vpon Iohn in his ninth booke and 32. chapter vpon these words And whither I go Iohn 14 4. ye knowe and ye knowe the waie For we are iustified by faith and are made partakers of the diuine nature by the participation of the holie Ghost Leo. Leo in his 13. sermon of the passion of the Lord The fathers saith he beléeued togither with vs that the bloud of the sonne of God should be shed The fathers were iustified by the faith of the same promises which we beleeue Wherfore there is nothing déerlie beloued strange in christian religion from the things which were of old signified neither was saluation hoped for at any time of the righteous men who haue liued before vs but by the Lord Iesus Christ for whom they did looke This and manie other like testimonies doo confute those chéeflie which dare saie that Abraham was indéed iustified yet not through faith in Christ but by faith touching earthlie promises Albeit this author may séeme to make against vs in that we saie that true faith is not found without charitie for in his sermon De collectione eleemosyna he thus writeth of sathan He knowing that God is denied not onelie in words but also in déeds hath taken awaie charitie from many from whom he could not take awaie faith possessing the féeld of their hart with the roots of couetousnes he hath spoiled of the fruit of good works those whom he hath not depriued of the confession of their lips These words if they be déepelie considered make nothing at all against vs for we speake of a true sound and liuelie faith But Leo vnderstandeth onelie a certeine outward profession of faith for when he would render a reason whereby it might appéere that faith was not taken from them he mentioneth onelie an outward confession of the lips which we also grant may consist without charitie and be oftentimes boasted of of manie men which neuerthelesse are most wicked And after this maner I suppose are to be expounded such like testimonies if anie happen in the fathers Gregorie Gregorie Bishop of Rome in his 19. homilie vpon Ezechiel We come not saith he to faith by works but by faith we atteine vnto vertues for Cornelius the Centurian came not by works vnto faith but by faith he came vnto works Acts. 10 4. for it is said Thy praiers and almes But how praied he if he beléeued not But now because he knew not that the mediatour was incarnate by workes he came vnto a more full knowledge Hereby I would haue our aduersaries to know that faith necessarilie goeth before all good works for they affirme that morall works which arâ—â—oone of Ethniks and of men not yet beléeuing in Christ are good which thing is in this place of Gregorie confuted The same author in his second booke and 25. chapter of his morals speaking of the same matter thus writeth Vnlesse faith be first gotten in our harts all other things whatsoeuer they be cannot indéed be good Beda although they séeme good Beda vpon the 2. chapter of Iames He onelie beléeueth trulie which by working exerciseth that which he beléeueth for faith and charitie cannot be separated asunder And this shall suffice as touching the fathers But what the African Mileuitan and Arausican councell doo teach concerning iustification faith grace and works we haue before at large declared in the former article This onelie I will now adde that our aduersaries when they saie that GOD offereth his grace vnto all men and giueth his gifts vnto men that desire them and take hold of them and forgiueth sinnes to them that doo that which they ought to doo for so much as in the meane time they omit the inspiration of the holie Ghost and the power of God which draweth vs and the inward persuasion of the mind and also those things which are most chéeflie required in this matter they are most manifestlie against those councels which we haue now cited Howbeit I cannot leaue vnspoken that in the councell of Mentz which was celebrated vnder Carolus Magnus in the first chapter is cited Gregorie who thus writeth He beléeueth trulie which by working exerciseth that which he beléeueth 83 Forsomuch therefore as we haue now hitherto spoken as touching this article namelie that men are iustified by faith in Christ and haue confirmed the same by scriptures and haue ouerthrowne the obiections of our aduersaries and alleadged testimonies of the Fathers to confirme our saieng let vs now come to the third article Wherefore we saie The third article that iustification consisteth by faith onelie Which saieng all those places of scripture doo prooue We are not iustified by faith onelie which teach that we are iustified fréelie and those which affirme that iustification commeth without works and those also which put an Antithesis or contrarietie betwéen grace and works all these places I say most trulie conclude that we are iustified by faith onelie although this word Onelie be not read in the holie scripture But that is not so much to be weighed for the signification of that word is of necessitie gathered out of them Further this also is to be noted euen as we haue alreadie before taught that we
are not to be contemned First bicause there was no lawe in the old time that maidens should vow chastitie naie rather it was a cursse if a woman had died barren and without children Yea and God promised vnto the Hebrues If ye obserue my lawes Exod. 23 26 there shall be no barren woman among you Neither is it verie likelie that holie men would by their vow hinder this promise Againe in all the scriptures reuealed by GOD there remaineth not anie example of such a thing Also by this interpretation we might séeme after a sort to confirme ecclesiasticall vowes which are manifestlie repugnant vnto the word of God for Paule admonished 1. Cor. 7 9. that He which cannot absteine should marie a wife I speake not how Ieptha taried not for the consent of the maiden before he vowed without which as I haue before said the vow of virginitie might not be ratified I haue opened my mouth saith he vnto the Lord Iud. 11 35. and I cannot call backe Wherfore he vowed not the virginitie of the maiden séeing he asked not counsell of hir To this also serueth the lamenting of the virgins and therewithall the bewailing of the maiden hir selfe for she desired that she might with hir fellowes bewaile hir virginitie But if it were a vow why should she haue lamented it We vse to bewaile our sinnes and not our vowes But the cause that mooued the Rabbins Dauid Kimhi and Leui Ben-Gerson was this for that they will either allow or excuse the act of Ieptha But we must not labour thereabouts not bicause we are desirous to hide those things which the Fathers haue doone amisse but bicause we sée that the things which are not well doone must not be excused Moreouer this also doth not a little persuade me that the Iewes at this daie haue not this vow of virginitie among them So as all these reasons lead me to thinke that the daughter of Ieptha was sacrificed in verie déed But if it be demanded whether he sinned or no in the dooing hereof Two maner of answers to the question It may be answered two maner of waies First in respect that he was a man he might sinne as manie other of the old Fathers fell Secondlie it may be said that he did this by the motion of the holie Ghost not as though God would haue other to imitate this act but that men might by it vnderstand that Christ should die for their saluation It is frée for anie man to choose either of these answers but I rather thinke that he sinned Now resteth to confute the arguments of the Rabbins 23 In that they saie the maiden was not killed by hir father but onelie punished with ciuill death namelie that she should liue apart from the fellowship of men without a husband children it is not well said For it cannot be prooued by the holie scriptures that there was anie such vow in the old time I knowe that there were Nazarites 1. Sam. 1 11 1. Sam. 8 1. Iud. 13 5. and 14 1. How the withdrawings from men are to be allowed or not to be allowed Matt. 4 2. Luk. 1 15. and 3 3. which absteined from wine and strong drinke and from all drinke which would make one droonke but they absteined not from matrimonie Samuel and Samson being either of them a Nazarite had wiues and Samuel had children as the holie historie declareth But the withdrawing from the companie of men is not altogither to be disallowed so that there come some fruit thereby vnto the church Christ departed 40. daies and fasted but afterward he returned to instruct the people Iohn Baptist seuered himselfe but that was for a certeine time and he baptised and preached So some of the Fathers went sometime apart where they gaue themselues to praiers and godlie meditations that thereby they might returne the better instructed to preach But I can in no case allow the perpetualnesse of solitarie life for we are not borne to our selues but to others also And whereas in the old time there were some which were Nazarites for euer that came not to passe by the institution of man but by the commandement of God which thing is written to haue happened vnto Samson and Iohn Baptist Iud. 13. 5. Luke 1 15. Otherwise Nazarites vowed but onelie for a time wherefore that which the Rabbins claime is false for there was no ciuill death by the law whereby men and women were depriued of mariage for their whole life time Dauid Kimhi saith that this letter Vau maketh sometime a proposition disiunctiue I grant that the same is found in certeine places of the scripture But it is no firme argument to saie It is found in some places Therefore it is so in this place But rather for the most part Vau maketh no disiunctiue proposition but rather a copulatiue vndoubtedlie it is here brought in by exposition It shall be the Lords saith he After what maner For I will offer it for a burnt offering 24 Besides this they reason The maiden desired a space of time Iud. 11 37. wherein she might bewaile hir virginitie she saith not to bewaile hir soule or life This argument carieth a shew but it hath no strength for if death should be lamented then vndoubtedlie it is much more to be lamented when a sharpe condition is ioined therewith The maiden was sure to die at some certeine time but that séemed verie hard vnto hir that she should die without children so as that condition is expressed which made the cause more miserable He saith moreouer verse 39. It is not written that Ieptha offered hir for a burnt offering but that he onelie did according to his vow I answer that there is inough said when it is said that he did according to his vow And it is often séene that in narrations those things that be more cruell be not expressed And although the words be not all one yet is it sufficient if they be of like weight Ibidem Leui Ben-Gerson reasoneth vpon this that is written And she knew no man Therefore saith he she liued but maried not howbeit this reason is of no force for this sentence is an exposition of the words that go before For why did the virgins bewaile hir Euen bicause she was vnmaried coupled to no man But Lyranus saith verse 29. The spirit of the Lord came vpon Ieptha wherfore he vowed not his daughter for a burnt offering This reason as we haue heard Augustine answereth That spirit vndoubtedlie was the spirit of strength and of warlike knowledge Neither can all that Ieptha afterward did be said to haue come from the same spirit Moreouer saith Lyranus there was two moneths space betweene wherein he asked counsell of the priests and they gaue him counsell to kéepe his daughter a virgin But the ancient Iewes rather affirme that he was so stubborne as he would not aske counsell of the priests
also against the Puritans saith It is better for them which cannot kéepe themselues chast to marrie wiues and to sinne but once onelie rather than dailie to wound their minds with corrupt actions But I would not herein allow the opinion of this father bicause he affirmeth that those doo sinne which hauing made a vow of chastitie doo contract matrimonie for so long as they obeie the voice of God they intangle not themselues with sinne Neither doo I anie more allow of that his reason wherein he saith that One sinne may be committed for auoiding of another sinne which is greater than that But my purpose onelie was to shew by his words that matrimonie is verie necessarie vnto such as cannot kéepe themselues chast 8 Wherefore I returne to that which is obiected vnto vs out of the words of the apostle in the first epistle to the Corinthians the seuenth chapter In 1. Cor 7. verse 5. Whether matrimony through these words of Paule be taken away from ministers Séeing that ministers of the church ought continuallie to be occupied in praier it is necessarie that they lead a sole life otherwise they shuld not be able to execute the ministerie We answere that the ministers of the church as touching their liuing and other functions which haue respect to the life of man are in the same state that the common people be Wherefore if they be in matrimonie let them in the more solemne fasts and praiers absteine as well as other men in such sort as the apostle hath giuen counsell and in other things which be common and vsuall they are not forbidden to vse matrimonie Otherwise thou mightest inferre that they should euermore fast bicause Paule granteth abstinence for a time from the dutie of matrimonie not onelie for praiers sake but that they may also giue themselues vnto fasting I grant indéed that Ambrose The sentence of Ambrose is discussed vpon the first epistle vnto Timothie the fourth chapter affirmeth this to be the cause of the sole life of ministers that they ought alwaie to be in a redinesse to minister baptisme vnto such as should be in extremitie of their life or else to distribute the holie mysteries which he saith was accustomed to be doone once in a wéeke vnlesse that otherwhile by reason of strangers it was vsed more often And small was the number of ministers in those daies In that great citie of Milan there was but one bishop seuen decons a verie few elders or priests namelie two in euerie particular church He saith that priests in the old lawe might haue wiues bicause they were not constrained to minister continuallie They were distributed into many companies namelie into 24. and into manie turnes as appéereth in the booke of the Chronicles 1. Chron. 23 24 and 25. Luk. 1 8. the which thing Luke also testifieth when he maketh mention of Zacharie the father of Iohn Baptist 9 In these words of Ambrose two things must be well examined First how strong the difference is which he bringeth betwéene the ministers of the old lawe and also the ministers of the new lawe Afterward let vs sée whether the worke of matrimonie as he affirmeth saith haue polluted the ministers of the church and the priests of the old lawe Touching the first I knowe there were those companies and turnes of priests which he reherseth but so in like manner doo I knowe Before Dâ—uids time and at the first there was no distinction of priests by companies and turnes Exo. 29 38. that they were instituted by Dauid Salomon Iosias and such other But how was it before Dauid and from the beginning Certeinelie we read in Exodus that it was the office of the high priest euerie daie morning and euening to offer incense and to minister in the temple Which if afterward it were otherwise ordered The remisnes thereof afterward was not onlie for the worke of marriage that dooth not more respect the work of mariage than some certeine rest otherwhile to be granted vnto the priests Furthermore Augustine sawe that this appointment of companies and turnes is not inough to prooue this matter For in his questions vpon Leuiticus the 82. question he disputeth singularlie of this how the high priest was able euerie daie both morning and euening to offer a swéet sauour If the question be saith he of sicknes and impediments of health a man may saie that he might haue béene preserued by the fauour of God from being sicke But what shall we saie of procreation of children For séeing hée was made vnpure by meanes of the act of generation he might not haue accesse vnto the ministerie And that he absteined from the companie of his wife that were a hard saieng forsomuch as the high priests both married wiues and also begat children How the high priest in old time might indeuor to haue children Either saith he the incense offered was sometime intermitted which thing the sense of the scripture séemeth not to beare séeing this kind of ceremonie was commanded to be doone continuallie and euerie daie or else he saith it might be attributed to a certeine peculiar holines of the priest that he should not be defiled by the worke of matrimonie as if so be that he chéeflie aboue other men enioied that prerogatiue Augustine Howbeit Augustine in the second book of his Retractations séemeth to haue found out another solution to himselfe and saith The lawe commandeth that after the act of generation the man should be vnpure vntill the euening then hauing washed his garments hée shall become cleane at the euening when as all the whole daie he had béene vnpure Wherefore the high priest in the morning after he had ministred might indeuour to haue children and then was he vncleane vntill the euening at which time his garments being washed and purification being vsed he was become pure and in the euening might minister Thou séest here that Augustine flieth not vnto that distribution of the priests into turnes and courses bicause such kind of orders were nâ—t alwaies distinguished yet he agréeth with Ambrose that the worke of matrimonie did defile the husbands But in the time of Ambrose as he himselfe writeth there were but a few ministers and they were to minister euerie daie In these daies when as the multitude is so great and that there be found an infinite number which scarselie thrée or foure times in the yéere execute their holie function and doo in a maner neuer baptise or administer the sacrament what hinderance haue they by this rule of Ambrose but that they may marrie wiues when they burne and haunt the companie of harlots Epiphanius Epiphanius against the Valesian heretiks confesseth that There was a canon and tradition touching the sole life of ministers but he himselfe confesseth that it was not obserued in his time when as in the ministerie there were manie which begat children in matrimonie whom neither he condemneth nor yet iudgeth
to admit them into the church without that confession yet they did it not by reason of the prescript cautions or prouisos which were prescribed least they might be deceiued It séemed dishonourable vnto them that he which had committed so grosse a sinne should be receiued They feared least the church should haue béene euill reported of First this thing is prooued by the historie mentioned of Sozomenus the which I will now better expound He saith that confession came by the constitution of bishops speciallie of them of the West part and most of all of the Romane bishops but not of the Nouatian bishops which admitted them to no repentance that were fallen after baptisme And the contents thereof was that there should be ordeined in the church one penitentiall priest But these men saie that this is giuen to all sacrificing priests after that they be consecrated by the bishops onelie hée heard them which came to him taking knowledge of their sinnes praied for them and inioined them for a certeine time vnto praier and fasting But bicause a certeine noble Matrone which was vnder the hands of these penance-giuers in the church of Constantinople had dishonour doone vnto hir by a deacon that thing did verie greatlie displease the people wherefore Nectarius did abrogate that confession He hauing taken good deliberation did thinke he might doo this all the bishops which were in that church consented vnto him Nectarius for this cause was not counted an heretike nor yet deposed from his office So then it appéereth that the same confession was not alwaies in the church nor receiued of all sorts If Nectarius may séeme to be but of small authoritie who neuerthelesse was of verie great authoritie let vs heare Chrysostome his successour who also allowed of his iudgement Vpon the 51. psalme in the second homilie he writeth that he requireth not that we should declare our sinnes vnto anie man but vnto God in our harts And in his treatise of the incomprehensible diuine essence against the Anomaei the fift homilie he commandeth that they should confesse their sins vnto God Vpon the epistle to the Hebrues and in a maner euery where he repeateth this thing And if that Nectarius did abrogate confession for one whoredome committed which was openlie knowen what ought to be doone at this daie when it is the nursse of ribaudrie Howbeit least the Graecians alone might séeme to haue béene wise let vs heare what they of the Latine church haue written Leo the pope as the Maister of the sentences testifieth in the 17. distinction and it is also read in the decrées De poenitentia distinct 1. in the chapter Quamuis Although that that publike confession had béene of old he sawe that the same was a dangerous thing for he saith There be manie things which are not expedient to be spoken so openlie neither doo men so willinglie declare them bicause of their enimies least they should be vpbraided and least they should be drawen to their answer in place of iudgement Wherefore he remooued this disallowable custome of publike repentance It is sufficient that they come vnto the priest who may praie for them and tell them priuilie of their faults Thou séest therefore that in stéed of that publike confession he dooth institute a secret and priuate confession Ambrose is cited in the first distinction De poenitentia in the chapter Petrus and it is read in his tenth booke 22. chapter vpon Luke Peter saith he wept and sorrowed bicause he erred as a man I find not what he said but I find that he wept He shewed that he had remission of sinnes not by outward confession The Master of the sentences in the 17. distinction affirmeth Ambrose to haue said that he had not read yet that it was not therfore prooued that Peter was not confessed But Ambrose would attribute much vnto faith and contrition The Master of the sentences addeth Perhaps repentance was not then instituted and yet Christ had alreadie said Matt. 16 19. that he would giue the keies c. If that place prooue a necessitie of confession it was now instituted The same Maister of the sentences and also the decrées De poenitentia distinction the first in the chapter Porro in the beginning doo bring Prosperus in the second booke and seuenth chapter De vita contemplatiuae who maketh the matter to be frée Iohn who was the Glosser of the decrées at the beginning in the first distinction De poenitentia examineth the question Whether confession be vsed by the lawe of God or whether it be inuented by men And he saith that it is an ecclesiasticall tradition adding that the Gréeks allowed not of such a decrée But Scotus inueâ—heth against him and will haue it to be a part of Gods lawe Touching the Gréeks he saith that it is vncerteine whether they confesse or no that if they doo not they degenerate as they doo in other things 28 Therefore we conclude That sinnes must be coÌ„fessed vnto God that sinnes must be shewed vnto God himselfe not to the intent we should put GOD in mind of them for he knoweth our harts but that we may knowe our owne selues and sée our owne miseries the which being throughlie considered we may the more feruentlie implore the grace of God Paule saith Let a man trie himselfe 1. Co. 11 28 and. 31. He saith not Let him be tried by others bicause if we would iudge our selues we should not be iudged There is also a certeine practise to be gathered and considered by the histories Moonkerie or sole life was verie much in vse at the time that the vexations of the church first began that which necessitie brought in vse began afterward to please and so they thought them selues godlie if they did liue in solitarie places There haue béene some which for the space of fiftéene seuentéene or twentie yéeres liued sole so as they sawe no man where did they confesse their sinnes The first church knew not of priuie confession Wherefore the first church knew not of that priuie confession They bind all men by their decrée what then will they doo with him that is dumbe They will not receiue confessions by writing they will saie he shall deale by signes All men can not be confessed according to their decree Can the priest vnderstand this How shall he séeke out the circumstances Admit that a man speake in a strange language they will saie he must deale by an interpretour as though a mâ—n would also disclose his mind vnto interpretors Whereas they would haue a man confesse all his sinnes they be fond men for No man can confesse all his sins for he knoweth not all Psal 19 13. Iere. 7 9. Certeine obiections confuted Who can tell how oft he offendeth Ieremie saith Corrupt and vnsearchable is the hart of man innumerable things doo there lurke in his hart They saie that he must doo as much as in him lieth but he
maner that we should wéepe for the sinnes alredie committed and we should take héed we doo not the same againe And Chrysostome vpon the epistle to the Colossians the twelfe homilie complaineth Chrysost that the christians abused teares The abuse of teares and that whereas otherwise they be good creatures of God they diffame them in that they vse them in such things as deserue no wéeping Sinnes onlie saith he must be wept for not onelie our owne sinnes We must bewaile the sinnes both of our selues and of others 2. Co. 12. 20 but other mens sinnes also Which in verie déed Paule performed who in the second epistle to the Corinthians said that he was afraid that he should not come vnto them but so as he was pensiue compelled to wéepe for verie manie which being fallen had not repented Yea and he exhorted the same Corinthians to wéepe for the sinnes of others when in his epistle he said Ye are puffed vp and haue not moorned 1. Cor. 5 2. namelie for a gréeuous crime of an incestuous man And Dauid in his 119. psalme writeth verse 136. Mine eies haue brought foorth riuers of water bicause they haue not kept thy lawe That most holie prophet wept bicause of the publike transgressions of the lawe and when as he sawe those transgressions euerie where cōmitted he powred foorth aboundance of teares Ezech. 9 4. And Ezechiel in the ninth chapter commendeth some which wept for the wicked acts of other men And hereof it commeth The godlie doo easilier weepe than laugh that when holie men sée horrible spectacles of sinnes to happen often they doo more easilie breake foorth into teares than into laughter For so Christ vsed to doo whome we read to haue oftentimes wept but we neuer read that he laughed The verie which thing we also must doo at this daie séeing so euill an haruest of sinnes dooth euerie where shew it selfe 4 Finallie we must vnderstand that all kind of moorning is not allowed by God For there be some as I haue declared before which are onlie mooued with the féele of punishments neither doo they procéed anie further In déed the sorrowe for paine and punishment sake is a certeine degrée vnto true repentance and for that cause God both punisheth and threatneth men The weeping which commeth onelie through the feele of punishment is not allowed verse 5. while they liue héere Howbeit this sorrowe is not sufficient neither is it by it selfe allowed of God for it springeth of selfe-loue and is in a maner a thing vnprofitable vnlesse it go further Wherefore the Lord saith in Zacharie the seuenth chapter that the Hebrues had fasted for them selues not for his glorie so these wéepe and moorne for themselues and not bicause they haue violated the commandements of GOD. The teares of them which speak euil of God are condemned Moreouer thou maist sée some others somewhat woorse than these which being mooued with the sorrowe of troubles doo in their wéeping and among their teares speake euill of God himselfe being angrie at his iustice as though he were too seuere and a harder Lord than he ought to be and such moorning belongeth not to repentance but rather to despaire An example thereof we haue in the booke of Numbers Num. 14 2. the 14. chapter where the people hearing the bitter relation of the spies fell to wéeping and spake euill both against Moses and against GOD and determined to turne into Aegypt What kind of moorning is most acceptable to God The third kind of moorning is acceptable vnto God and that is when we are gréeuouslie sorie bicause we haue violated his lawe and bicause we sée a great number of others resist his most holie will To this kind of lamentations did Ioel Ioel. 2 16. and 17. and other holie prophets stirre vp the people of the Hebrues Christ also persuadeth vs vnto them Matt. 5 4. when he saith that They are blessed which moorne bicause consolations are laid vp for them The church also vseth sometimes to stirre vp the people to these kind of moornings Publike repentance must sometime be renewed when as sometimes publikelie it reneweth repentance which although it ought continuallie to cleaue in the harts of christians yet by reason of publike calamities and a certeine sluggishnes graffed in vs ought sometimes to be renewed by the diligence of pastors Wherefore in the old lawe God instituted a fast to be held once a yeare namelie in the 7. moneth in the which daie the people of Israel should afflict them selues before God for the sinnes that they had committed And to the end it might the more solemnlie be doone GOD manie times sent his prophets to reprooue the people Of Fasting 5 To begin at the etymologie of the word In Iud. 20. at the end Auen-Ezra This Hebrue verbe Tsom signifieth To afflict wherfore Auen-Ezra saith that Wheresoeuer in the holie scripture is found affliction of the soule there fasting is vnderstood There is another word namelie Tsame verie nigh vnto this word and it signifieth To thirst for they which fast much are woont to thirst bicause the humors of the bodie are with hunger and fasting dried vp The Graecians doo deriue this Gréeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of this priuatiue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Gréeke verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is To bee strong and firme bicause by fasting the strength of the bodie is diminished But bicause this priuatiue or particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rather extensiue it séemeth to signifie a verie firme and strong thing bicause a man that is fasting is verie firme and constant so that he had rather suffer paine than go from his purpose Also the Graecians haue another word for fasting namelie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bicause they which fast doo withdrawe from themselues nourishment and food for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth both corne and meate A distinction of fasting But before I define what fasting is I thinke good to distinguish the same for seing there be sundrie kinds of fastings they serue not all to our purpose For there is a certeine fast that is naturall A naturall fast which perteineth either to the defending or recouering the health of the bodie wherefore Hippocrates saith that they which are of a full and perfect age or else be old Hippocrat can verie well abide fasting In which place old men must be vnderstood as concerning the first entrance into old age for they which are old can no better abide fasting than yong men or children This kind of fasting we leaue to the physicians séeing it is none of that which we intreat of There is another fast which is ciuill A ciuill fast and is then taken in hand when men are so bent to their busines as by no meanes they will intermit their affaires which they haue in hand So Saule when he pursued the
short a space of time the doctrine of Christ could be spread abrode throughout the world when as it had so many aduersaries the diuell wicked persons and also tyrants the high Bishops and Priestes the wise men both of the Iewes and also of the Gentils and when as otherwise as touching humane artes the simplicitie and rudenes of the preachers was great Within the space of xx or xxx yéeres the preaching of Christ was in a maner euerie where heard Long before the Philosophers doctrine could be spread as Chrysostome writeth but it was verie long before the wise and learned Philosophers could spread abroade their doctrines further than Greece And in such sort were they at the length published in some places that verie fewe vnderstoode them or gaue credite to them Why Mahomets doctrine was so soone spread The doctrine of Mahomet perhappes may séeme to haue bin published with woonderfull expedition but we must consider that those thinges which he preached as touching the effect were no new opinions For he denieth not the Creator of heauen and of earth he beléeueth that the soules be immortall he commendeth Christ as a Prophet he affirmeth the resurrection of the dead he setteth forth also eternall punishmentes and eternall felicitie and verie manie other things which are contained in the old and new Testament Mahomets doctrine may be called an heresie Wherefore it maie iustlie be called an heresie And in déede they be fragments of the Arrians For he commendeth Christ but yet as a creature he builded therefore vppon another mans foundation But Christ and the Apostles when they began to preache the Gospell found all things vtterly strange from their doctrine so that it was an incredible miracle that the heauenlie doctrine could be published abroade in so short a time and that in some part it remained of long time welnéere in all places For there came vnto Christ some families of beléeuers almost throughout all prouinces and Cities In 1. Sam. 10. v. 9. Looke part 1. place 3. A definition of prophesie 8 But prophesie is a power giuen from God through the inspiration of the holie Ghost whereby the secrets and counsels of God may be knowen and expounded vnto others for the edifying of the church whether those things be present or past or to come And God reuealeth his counsels for the commoditie of the Church Prou. 29. 18. Therefore saieth Salomon in the 29. of Prouerbes Where there is no prophesie the people shall be scattered for prophesie is of great force to kéepe men in their duetie They prophesied in Musicall instrumentes Verse 1. For in the first booke of Chronicles the 25. Chapter they are appointed which should prophesie in Cimbals and Harpes Paul in the 14. Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 14. 3. 5. teacheth that Prophesie must be done to edifying he that prophesieth speaketh to men to edifying to exhortation and comfort And if so be that all doe prophesie and there come in one that beleeueth not or is vnlearned he is rebuked of all men and is iudged of all and so the secrets of his heart are made manifest and so falling downe vpon his face he will worship God confessing that God of a trueth is in you The diuell also as he is an Ape of God would haue also his diuine worshippers and phantasticall Priests of Sibill The Diuels Prophets who did fret and fume in their ceremonies not to edification but to destruction Deut. 18. 10. 18. 21. God in Deuteronomie doth earnestly forbid that none should aske counsell of a Magitian Soothsayer or Diuinour I saieth he will raise vnto you a Prophet him ye shall heare And by two signes he saieth ye shall knowe him to be the Prophet of God both if the things come to passe which he hath foreshewed and also if he leade not the people to Idolatrie I know that place of S. Peter in the Actes of the Apostles Actes 3. 22. is most truely applied vnto Christ yet also it may be vnderstoode not amisse as touching the Prophets of whom the people should aske counsell yea and in the Psalme Psal 74. 9. the people complaine that prophesie ceased We see not say they our signes At this day also the Iewes are miserablie destitute of all kinde of prophesie But in the Primatiue Church when prophesie florished The difference betwéene doctors and Prophets what differēce was there betwéene a Prophet and a Doctor I answere that although the office of them both were all one yet Doctors were instructed by Maisters but Prophets spake vpon the suddaine being moued by the inspiration of the holy Ghost without any helpe of man 9 But yet it is to be thought that Prophetes in olde time were of the tribe of Leuie In 1. Sam. 19. v. 18. Prophets of the tribe of Leui. for all administration and care of holie seruices pertained vnto that tribe Wherefore they that were chosen out of that tribe were brought that after they had bin well and godlie instructed they should afterward offer sacrifice and teach the people And they were taught euen from their childhood that godlinesse being planted betimes it might fasten with the more continuance and stedfastnesse They were exercised vnto no other trade of life than to teach the lawe to offer sacrifice and to pray for the people But thou wilt saie these be the giftes of God why then should they be learned of a Maister In déede I graunt they are the giftes of God yet there is no let but that young men may adorne their mindes with good arts the which afterward the holie Ghost may vse Children of the Prophets and why they were so called 1. Kings 2. v. 3. 5. 7. c. Gal. 3. 19. They were called the children of the Prophets bicause they held and reuerenced instead of fathers the elder Prophets of whom they were taught Also disciples and hearers in the holie scriptures are oftentimes called children Paul to the Galathians My little children saieth he of whom I now trauell in birth And vnto the Corinthians Children lay not vp for parents 2. Cor. 12. 14. Iohn 1. 12. 8. 35. 11. 52. 1. Iohn 5. Esay 8. 16. 18. but parents for children Also in Iohn Christ oftentimes calleth his Disciples Children And Iohn in his Epistles Little children saieth he beware of Idols Esaie in the 8. Chapter saieth Seale the law in my Disciples And straight way he addeth I and the children which the Lord hath giuen mee Vnto these children of the Prophetes the Nazarites of other tribes did oftentimes sort themselues those were vtterlie seuered from the common people and they caried some shew of our Moonkes who also might haue bin suffered Vnder what conditions our Mōkes might haue bin suffered if all things among them had not bin contaminated with superstitions For they had vowes inuocations of the dead Masses and
of that saying of Christ Luke 23. 33 I prayed for thee Peter that thy faith shoulde not faile The words of Christ I haue praied for the Peter expounded As though the Lord prayed not for others also Assuredlie he prayed as it is in Iohn for others also not onelie for the Apostles but also for all men that should beléeue But I returne to the place Of feeding the sheepe and I answere them which demand why those wordes were seuerallie spoken by the Lord vnto Peter Why it was onelie saide to Peter Féede my shéepe and I saie that Christ would take away the infamie of Peters thrise deniall And as Augustine saieth It was prouided that the tongue of Peter shoulde no lesse serue to the louing thā to the fearing of the sauiour to the intent that death being at hand he should speake no otherwise than in the life present he did And the same in a maner hath Cyrill So as the Lord dealing after this maner with Peter caught as it is commonlie said two hares at one leape First he indeuoured that all the Apostles should know that Peter was receiued into fauour and restored to his former place Secondlie that they might vnderstand that there is no néede of singular loue to the féeding of the flocke of Christ For he that from the heart and sincerelie loueth the Lord of the flocke cannot but féede it with excéeding faithfulnesse But least that vnto anie man it maie séeme somewhat hard which we affirme either that Peter spake for the rest of his fellowes or else that those things which were spoken vnto him pertaine also vnto others this will be easilie prooued by the vsuall spéeches in the scriptures Zuinglius iudgement Certainlie Zuinglius laboured verie well in that Argument He in his Treatise De vera Religione in the Chapter where he intreateth of the keyes of the Church gathered manie places which make well for the present purpose Verse 67. In the 6. Chapter of Iohn when the seuenty Disciples were gone Christ turning vnto the 12. said vnto them Will ye also goe awaie There Peter in the stead of all answered Lord vnto whom shall we go Thou hast the words of eternal life We know and beleeue that thou art Christ the sonne of God Séeing he speaketh in the plurall number he manifestlie sheweth that he answered in the name of his fellow Disciples neither did the confession which he vttered differ from that which a little before both wee brought vttered out of the 16. Mat. 16. 16. Chapter of Matthew But somtime it commeth to passe that one man doeth not answer for all men but all men for themselues as when the Lord demanded in the 22. Verse 35. of Luke whether they wanted anie thing while they liued together with him they answered nothing Againe in the same Euangelist he said vnto the Apostles Luk. 9. 13. Giue them to eate Vnto whom they answered Wee haue no more but fiue loaues and two fishes There this answere is ascribed vnto all whereas neuerthelesse in Iohn it is assigned onelie vnto Andrew the brother of Simon Peter Iohn 6. 9. Matt. 4. 10. Moreouer vnto Peter and Andrew is saide that which belonged vnto all the Apostles to wit I wil make you fishers of men But to come more néere vnto that place in the 16. Chapter of Matthew of which I spake before it is easilie gathered by the other Euangelists that Peter answered vnder the name and person of all For wee haue it in the 8. Mark 8. 30 Luke 9. 21. of Marke and in the 9. Chapter of Luke The Lorde rebuked them and threatened them that they shoulde not tell it vnto others Our aduersaries doe not weigh these things They are onelie verie desirous to speake but what they doe speake they consider not They are excéeding carefull for the defence of their dominion and primacie Mat. 20. 26. But the Pope to become Lord of Lords calleth himselfe the seruant of seruants whereas the Lord forbad the same to his Apostles and commaunded that they which would be the greater should behaue themselues as the lesser and he warned that such Ambition was proper vnto the Kings and Princes of the Ethnicks and that it did not appertaine vnto his Disciples 33 Because we haue said that they deale verie wickedlie and shamefullie Whether the fowle life of the Romane Clergie because sufficient to depart from them Mat. 23. 2. here also they set themselues against vs and saie that the foule and reprochfull life of ministers is no cause of separation and departing from the Church because Christ said vnto his Apostles of the Scribes and Pharisées which sate vpō the chaire of Moses that they should doe those things which were spoken by them but not those things which they did We also confesse that we ought not to depart from the Church for the filthie maners and vitious life of Clergie men although it behooueth all godlie men and members of Christ to indeuour that either they may be amended or else if they shall be obstinate in their sinnes to be remooued from their place But while this cannot be done let vs heare them when they shall speake out of the bookes of Moses I meane out of the lawe of God out of the Prophets and out of the writings of the new Testament But if vnder the pretence of the holie Ministerie they will obtrude the traditions of men and especiallie such as be repugnant to the worde of God we maie not heare them neither shall wée violate the commaundement of Christ by withstanding them They are woont also to obiect that which is in the 17. Chapter of Deuteronomie Verse 12. where God commaundeth that the high Priest should be heard by the people of God A place in Deuteronomie answered But why do they not mark in like maner that it is commanded the Priest that he should answere according to the law Whereby it is gathered that he must in the meane time be obeyed while he declareth his opinion not out of his owne head but out of the law of God To this they alleage against vs the examples of the blessed Virgin An example of Simeon and others which in Christes time forsooke not the companie of the Scribes of Iohn Baptist of Elizabeth Ioseph and Simeon who being not ignorant that the Priests and Leuites of their times were corrupted yet did not withdrawe themselues from the Church Vnto this we answere First that the precepts of the lawe vrged them to sacrifice for the time of that age that for sundrie causes Deut. 12. 5 Againe they were enforced that they should not sacrifice whersoeuer they thought good but in some certaine place which God had chosen But we by the benefite of Christ are not bound to those preceptes Further the Priests and Leuites although they were corrupt and infected yet did they not compell anie man vnto wicked rites
prophesied and written of Christ Wherefore a little before he cited the scripture Verse 8. He ascended on high he led captiuitie captiue and gaue gifts vnto men And if thou wilt referre it vnto places thou must vnderstand this of the kindes of places not of each one place particularlie according to that sentence 1. Tim. 2. 4. The Lord would haue all men to be saued So shall we say that Christ sometime occupied the middle places sometime the higher places and otherwhile the lower places as in the sepulchre The Transubstantiators say that this belonged not vnto them because they say not that the bodie of Christ is euery where but onelie where the Sacrament is yea rather it is against them For if as they iudge it be not repugnant to the bodie of Christ If the bodie of Christ may be together in many places it may also be euerie where which thing also Scotus sawe to be at one time and together in xx or fiftie places it will not be repugnant to be in an hundreth or in a thowsand and finallie in all places and so will they make the bodie of Christ to be infinite neither is there any cause why thou shouldst accuse the forme of the Argument For the selfesame did Ierom vse against Iohn Byshop of Ierusalem where he would prooue that our bodies after resurrection can remaine without meate For Elias saith he and Moses by the power of God could remaine without meate for the space of 40 dayes therefore might man for moe dayes also be sustained by the power of God And if for longer time it followeth that for euermore if it be the will of God But to returne to those men they because they sée that vppon so néere a coniunction it followeth that the Sacrament may be adored for if the Lord be corporally and really contained therein who will not woorship him The aduersaries teach it to be frée to adore or not to adore the Sacrament they teach that it is frée for thée to doe it or not doe it For they say although he be there yet is he not there to the end he should be woorshipped If thou receaue him and eate him it is enough if also thou woorship him thou errest not But we rather iudge that in woorshipping we should not conuert our minde vnto the signes But if any man while the rite of the Sacrament is exercised being well instructed in the mysterie shall turne his minde to the woorshipping of Christ reigning in heauen he dooth rightlie and his bounden duetie to woorship Christ which declareth himselfe vnto him neither is idolatrie committed therein And this Paul taught in the first Epistle to the Corinthians 1. Co. 14. 23 when he saith If a man enter into your congregation if he be vnlearned and a plaine man and heare you all speake together in tongues doubtlesse he wil say They be mad neither shall he be edified but if he shall heare you prophesie and shall perceiue that the secretes of his heart be opened then will he fall downe vppon his face and woorship God He will not woorship men in such wise prophesying but séeing the Lord is there reuealed vnto him he will turne himselfe to the woorshipping of God Reasons against the second opinion 71 The reasons in bréefe for the which their grosse iudgemēt séemeth not to be true are these to wit that this reall and corporal presence bringeth therewith no vtilitie which we receiue not aswell by the spirituall presence Verse 51. For in the 6. of Iohn the Lord promised to them that eate him eternall life further that he would dwel in them and they in him ouer and besides these thinges what is required Moreouer it might not be graūted that we and the fathers of the olde lawe had the selfesame Sacramentes 1. Cor. 10. ver 2. 3. c because it was not possible that the olde fathers could haue obtained this reall presence for that the sonne of God had not as yet taken vpon him humane flesh Further it would follow that both the godlie and the wicked doe eate the bodie of Christ Againe besides that spirituall eating which we haue in the 6. of Iohn they bring in an other carnall and corporall eating which cannot be allowed séeing this eating and that be all one sauing that in the latter are added signes for the more confirmation of the thing Finally it followeth that when they attribute so much vnto wordes they are in the same difficultie wherein the Transubstantiators be when they say This is my bodie For they cannot expresse their meaning that they may speake plainelie without contradiction what they would declare and how the wordes while they be vttered may be true if they admit not a figure They spread abroad the bodie of Christ that it may be together in manie places and euery where Neither is it of force if they say Not locallie because although he be there as Angels are said to be in a place that is not fit for the creature as it is prooued before by Didimus Basill Augustine vnto Dardanus and by Cyrill which places thou shalt finde at the end of the first disputation against Tresham The wordes of the scripture driue vs not to so grosse and corporall a presence and faith is of the word of God wherefore faith ought not to imbrace the same 72 Besides this the fathers teache otherwise for what maner of bodie is in the Eucharist Cyprian in his Sermon of the Lordes supper sheweth when he saith Who vnto this day createth sanctifieth blesseth his most true and holie bodie and diuideth it vnto the godlie receauers The proper bodie of Christ is not created or sanctified of men neither yet is it diuided Chrysostome vpon Matthew the 5. Chapter in the 11. homilie in the vnfinished worke If therefore it bée so dangerous to transferre vnto priuate vses these vessels sanctified wherein is not contained the true bodie of Christ but a mysterie of his bodie c. And how we must ascend into heauē when we communicate if we would inioy the bodie of Christ the same father declareth vppon the first Epistle to the Corinthians the 10. Chapter Homilie 24. He commaundeth vs that with great concord and charitie we come vnto him and being made Eagles in this lyfe we should fly vnto the very heauen or rather aboue heauen For where saith he the dead carkas is Mat. 24. 28. there also the Eagles be The carkas is the bodie of the Lord by reason of his death For vnlesse that he had fallen we had not risen againe And he calleth vs Eagles to shew that he which commeth vnto this bodie must mount on high must haue no communitie with the earth and must not lay holde vppon or be drawen vnto inferiour thinges but alwaies fly aloft and looke into the sonne of righteousnesse and haue a most readie eye of the minde for this is a table of Eagles and not
Elizaeus that it might not happen vnto her children partlie because Mothers couet to haue euils though they be easie to be turned away from their children and partlie because that clemencie of God expressed by the lawes was not perfectlie kept by cruell Masters For which transgression Ier. 34. 12. Ieremie did earnestlie rebuke king Zedechias because perhappes he feared least that children being alienated should by Creditors be driuen vnto Idolatrie which then had inuaded the x. Tribes Of Traficke or occupying of Marchandise and ingrossing of vvares called Monopolium 10 Whereas the holy Historie speaketh of the Traficke of Salomon In 1. kings 10. The traficke of Salomon that Narration hath two thinges woorthie to be obserued First that it may be declared how Salomon had such store of horses séeing Palestine bréedeth not manie of those beastes In déeds it hath manie Asses and also manie Moyles and Camels but verie fewe horses Wherefore it is declared that Salomon easilie prepared himselfe horses out of Egypt Further it is shewed that riches came vnto Salomon not onelie by Nauigation but also by way of Marchandise out of Egypt The matter was on this wise In Egypt there is an increase of a great number of horses and those fierce and couragious which not onelie doe suffice that Nation but also other Nations adioyning doe fetch from thence Which was not permitted of them to be doone fréelie For Pharao would haue a certaine tribute thereby So as there was a certaine appointed custome giuen for the carying away of euerie horse euen as at this day we sée in some kingdomes And forsomuch as Pharao was the father in lawe of Salomon this prerogatiue of his he gaue vnto him Namelie that strangers should not carrie horses out of Egypt The licence that Salomon had touching the carying of horses out of Aegypt but by the leaue of Salomon and by paying the custome which he himselfe had appointed Wherefore it was easie enough for him to haue plentie of horses in his owne kingdome Moreouer through that custome there came verie much vnto his Treasure And he exacted the custome by a certaine companie of his owne Marchantes whom he had appointed vnto this office 11 Howbeit this kinde of gaine séemeth not onelie to be vile but also incommodious and hurtfull vnto Nations and prouinces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For it hath respect vnto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is then doone whē as a certaine kinde of thinges are committed to some one man alone to be sould Ingrossing of wares are forbidden by the Romane lawes Ingrossing of wares forbidden As it is in the Code De Monopolijs in the lawe Vnica By which verie strait lawe Zeno the Emperour decréed that they which vsed ingrossing of wares should be dispoyled of all their goods And he added that euen the letters of the Emperours should not be heard if they should séeme to giue anie man licence to ingrosse or get all into their handes And vndoubtedlie they that ingrosse all into their owne handes sell not thinges according to their value and woorthinesse but set a prise vppon them at their owne pleasure But how this kinde of Traficke serueth to gaine and getting of wealth Aristotle sheweth in his first booke of Politickes the 7. Chapter bringing the example of Thales Milesius The notable act of Thales Milesius Against him was pouerty vpbraided Namelie that whereas he was more studious in Philosophie than the rest he also séemed to be in more necessitie than others Wherefore he being minded to defend Philosophie from the reproch of ill men séeing he foreknewe by Astrologie that the yeare following there would be a great plentie of Oyle before that winter should passe away that is before the Oliue trées should haue flowers hyred all the storehouses the wine presses and oyle milles And whenas there followed a great fruitfulnesse of the fruite of Oliues in Chios and Miletum none could haue anie storehouse or instrumentes for Oyle vnlesse it were permitted them by Thales These thinges when he set foorth to hyre he somewhat raysed the price whereby he gate an abundance of monie and gaue foolish men to vnderstand that it will be an easie matter for a wise man if so he thinke fit to gather vnto him great store of monie The selfe same fact dooth Cicero rehearse in his first booke De Diuinatione but somewhat after an other sort than did Aristotle For he writeth not that the storehouses of Oyle were hiered but that the Oyle it selfe was bought This dooth Plinie shewe in his 18. booke the 28. Chapter but he ascribeth it not to Thales but to Democritus And he saith that he did not foresée a great plentie of Oyle but a verie great scarcitie and bought for himselfe all the Oyle which should be growing in the countrie The same Aristotle brought an example of him which bought vp all the Iron at Siracusa And when the Marchantes were come to the Faires he somewhat aduauncing the price gate verie much gaines This did Dion the Tyrant take in very ill part and therefore draue him out of the Citie For he supposed that the ingrossing by priuate men was not profitable to his exchequier Strabo in the fourth booke of his Geographie saith that the Taurisci which at this day we call Taurinati being a people towardes the Alpes in the borders of Italie had in times past excellent Gold mines And when in the digging of Golde they were holpen by other Italians who afterward transported into diuers partes of Italie that which they receaued for their wages thereof it came to passe that in the space of two moneths Gold in Italie was sould a third part better cheape than it had bin before Wherefore the Taurisci ordayned an ingrossing in their own handes by meanes whereof it should be lawfull for themselues onelie to sell their Gold And there are accustomed to be made ingrossinges of Sault and of Alum and of manie other thinges which belong as well to meate as to drinke And this as Aristotle teacheth in the place now alleaged haue the Commonweales and princes of Cities attempted when they haue néede of monie And this sometime did Charles the 5. The lowe Countries of Flanders Holland c. within our age in the lowe countries And likewise the king of Portingall as touching spices 12 But to returne to Salomon He cannot be accused of filthie and hurtfull gaine For he vsed not this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of what sort soeuer it were within his kingdome so that he did no harme to his Citizens But thou wilt say that by vsing of this trafficke in Egypt he did hurt the Egyptians No not one whit For he prescribed not any thing to the Egyptians for it was lawefull for them to buy of whom they would that for the vsuall price Also it hindered no strong nations at all Because the Noble men and Princes which were neare neighbours or else marchantes might not otherwise
God especiallie as touching predestination and that first healing of the mind which is doone by the holie Ghost through the word of God Hest 14 13. God turned the hart of king Assuerus from féercenesse vnto good will towards Hester he gaue vnto Saule an other hart Two kinds of calling Here there be two kinds of calling for some be so called as they be in some wise lightened with the outward preaching they be earnestlie mooued with some certeine suggestions they be persuaded and they haue some stirring vp thervnto Others verelie there be who besides that which I haue spoken are prepared they are made gentle they willinglie giue care of vnwilling they become willing their stonie heart is taken awaie it is changed and healed The first kind is named calling absolutelie the second is calling according to the purpose Paule saith Rom. 8 29. Whom he hath called those also he hath iustified This calling hath alwaies faith and iustification ioined with it and it dependeth of election Ibidem for Paule saith Whom he hath predestinated them also hath he called And in the second epistle to Timothie 2. Tim. 1 ◠Who hath called vs with his holie calling not according to our works but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen vnto vs through Christ Iesus before the times eternall Behold he saith that this calling is conformed to the eternall predestination Herevnto also belongeth that saieng Rom. 11 29. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance But of that first kind it is said Manie are called but few be chosen Matt. 20 16 These kinds of callings God distributeth as he will for with his owne he may doo what séemeth good to him without iniurie to anie man But Is thine eie euill bicause I am good Matt. 20 15 May I not doo with mine owne what I will Verie well said Augustine Whie this man is drawne and not that iudge not thou if thou wilt not erre And GOD if he would might haue healed the mind of Esau as he did of Iacob Rom. 9 11. But to Iacob he would giue to Esau he would not And in Deuteronomie the 29. chapter it is written Neither did God giue vnto you a heart to vnderstand and eies to see and eares to heare euen vnto this present daie They that be thus prepared by God are they to whom he hath giuen power to be made the sonnes of God for they being healed doo beléeue and are borne of God And so often as the fathers especiallie Augustine séeme to attribute anie thing vnto frée will as touching these spirituall and celestiall things that must be vnderstood of frée will healed changed and alredie prepared If it be demanded whether we can resist the calling of God I saie that we can and that sometime at the beginning we striue against it for a while And after we be regenerate we doo sometimes against the calling of God and doubtlesse doo fall and that gréenouslie as did Peter and Dauid Matt. 26 69. 2. Sam. 11 2 And when as God hath fullie purposed to change some man and of vnwilling to make him willing his will is altogither framed and that without violence Wherefore it is said vnto Paule Acts. 9 5 It is hard for thee to kicke against pricks But and if an effectuall calling be not giuen to all men it will séeme that God hath not done vnto all men so much as was sufficient to saluation This I grant for the scripture also saith Matt. 11 11 that The men of Tyre and Sidon would haue repented in ashes and sackcloth if in them had beene doone those things which were doone in Chorazim and Bethsaida Wherefore God did not grant vnto them those things which he knew might haue béene sufficient to mooue them to repentance Experience testifieth that manie ages passed ouer wherein the word of God was not preached to the Ethniks and manie places are in new India the which euen vnto these daies haue heard nothing at all of saluation through Christ Yea and the apostles in the 16. of the Acts were forbidden to preach in Asia and to go into Bithynia Wherefore we vnto whom it is giuen ought speciallie to giue thanks vnto God That there be some things doone in our mind by God without expecting our consent will there is no doubt for faith and diuers gifts of the holie Ghost are infused into vs by GOD wherein our former consent is not required God by this change of his dooth not take from vs the power to vnderstand but giueth vs to vnderstand rightlie he taketh not from vs the power to will but giueth vs to will well he himselfe conuerteth and healeth vs. But when we be renewed our selues also are said to conuert vs and more and more to wax perfect as by and by shall be said The third proposition Men renewed vnto spirituall works which may please God haue a frée mind that they may at the least-wise performe those things with a certeine new obedience Wherefore they are able to knowe iudge choose spirituall things and after a sort to doo them bicause they be not méere men but men of God They be ingraffed in Christ they be his members and are made partakers of his fréedome To these it is said Phil. 2 12. that They worke their saluation with feare and trembling These be no longer seruants but fréends Iohn 15 15. and therefore they haue knowne those things that be of God they haue a fleshie not a stonie hart Iere. 31 33. they haue the lawes of God written in their harts Rom. 8 14. they are led by the spirit of God and they can stir vp the grace which they haue in them 2. Tim. 16. they can applie themselues vnto better spirituall gifts Gen. 22 19 So the worke of Abraham is praised by God Phil. 4 18. The almes of the Philippians were an odour that smelleth swéete Séeing they be good trées Matt. 7 17. they can bring foorth good fruit and their worke shall be commended in the daie of iudgement Matt. 25 35. They are come to that passe as they may be called perfect 2. Tim 3 17. prepared to euerie good worke yet so neuertheles as in euery good worke which they doo they haue not onlie néed of the generall influence of God but also of the speciall helpe of the holie Ghost And yet in this libertie recouered Rom. 7 23. they are not so renewed but that They feele some lawe in their members contrarie to the lawe of the mind Ibidem 19. that they doo not the euill which they hate that they so fulfill the lawe as the lawe requireth Gal. 5 17. that there is not a striuing betwéene the flesh and the spirit and such a striuing as they doo not that which they would Neither are they so frée Rom. 7 25. but that In mind they
Christ commanded by those words that they should sacrifice him in euerie holie supper or as they had rather saie in euerie Masse Trulie I am ashamed to confute such a feined sophisticall deuise but this one thing I saie that doctrine must not be grounded vpon doubtfull spéeches and speciallie commandements touching so great matters were not woont in the holie scriptures to be giuen with spéeches of double vnderstanding Paule and the Euangelists who haue made such plaine mention of these mysteries in what place I beséech you haue they shewed one word either of a sacrifice or of an oblation to be offered of vs And here would not that impudent boldnesse of theirs staie it selfe for to this false sacrifice An application of the oblation it feined a certeine application thereof to wit that it should be in the choise of the Massing priest to communicate the oblation of Christ to whome he would either liuing or dead As if we were ignorant that the death of Christ is applied to euerie christian by the preaching of the Gospell if it be receiued of them by faith But to receiue a sacrament for an other man is nothing else than if I shuld eate or drinke for thée which how it can be a helpe vnto thée be thou thine owne selfe the iudge Who at anie time hath baptised himselfe for an other man And yet neuerthelesse this rout of Massing priests dare affirme that in this their feined sacrifice they eate and drinke the sacraments for whome they will liuing and dead Howbeit in these their sacrifices falselie feined so far are they off from communicating the death of Christ either to themselues or to others deceiued by them as rather themselues and they which obeie them are by such Masses depriued of the benefit of the true sacrifice of Christ once offered vpon the crosse Wherefore aptlie doo they séeme to haue called these Masses wherein onelie the priest dooth eate and drinke priuate Masses a name in verie déed not heard of among the fathers bicause they be void and destitute of all the fruit of Christs sacrifice Awaie therefore out of the church at length with these priuate Masses and let those that are perfect come in their places wherein is obserued the iust and true institution of Christ which he left vnto his disciples for the true kéeping of the Lords supper Wherein there may be a communion of the brethren which togither may be made partakers of the perfect iust sacraments of the Lord. For in these priuate Masses there is rather an excommunication than a communion sith therein one onelie so receiueth those things that are offered as others doo receiue nothing at all I knowe that they go about to shift off these things with this feined deuise to saie that one priest dooth communicate in the name of the whole church But by what commandement dooth he this By what word of GOD is this ceremonie mainteined Which if it be profitable it ought to be doone by faith but faith hath no place where the word of God soundeth not By that reason a man may go and baptise himselfe euerie daie and may make pretense that he doth this in the name of the whole church and may applie this baptisme of his to whome he will either liuing or dead And no lesse is this to be considered that we in this time of the new testament haue no outward sacrifice and therefore we find Rom. 12 1. that ours is called by Paule A reasonable seruice of God And Christ warned that it would come to passe Iohn 4 23. that The true worshippers shall worship in spirit and in truth Wherefore we saie that that argument is ill concluded There were before the lawe and vnder the lawe outward sacrifices Therefore they ought to be so now For as the priesthood is now translated to Christ and that there be no priests extant besides him so is there in sacrifice besides that which he himselfe offered vpon the crosse Wherefore we said that the sacrifices of the forefathers were shadowes and figures of the death of Christ and as it were pictures The altar and slaieng of beasts for sacrifice did serue their turnes but Christ offered the true sacrifice his bodie was the offering and the crosse was the altar wherevpon he was offered but for vs that haue now the fruit and benefit of Christs pretious death and passion it is not fit nor conuenient in such sort to represent and shadowe it bicause it is past For it is méet of this sacrifice to haue a feast prepared whereof the minister of the church is a dispenser and not the offerer neither hath be a little altar except thou wilt figuratiuelie call a table an altar Whosoeuer therefore will labor to renew the priesthood the altar and outward sacrifice those without doubt indeuour to transforme the new testament into the old Hereof it commeth that the elder fathers said that our sacrifices are vnbloudie that is spirituall and reasonable It is moreouer to be considered which the Lord commanded 1. Co. 11 26 while he celebrated his supper that his death should be shewed Which assuredlie is no other thing than to make mention of his death as it was a sacrifice whereby God is reconciled vnto vs and to giue thanks for it Doubtlesse I thinke there is no man but vnderstandeth that the remembrance or token of anie thing differeth in nature from the thing it selfe which it betokeneth and sheweth to the memorie For if it were all one with it it should not be called a token but should haue the name of the thing to the end that the name might agrée with the nature Wherefore séeing we grant that this action is a memorie of the oblation of Christ it should be absurd to saie that the same is the oblation of Christ it selfe But they saie that the argument dooth conclude that the Masse is not that bloudie sacrifice once made on the crosse by the sonne of God himselfe A feigned difference betweene a bloudie and an vnbloudie sacrifice But they contend that they neither affirme this as they that saie This is a certeine other oblation of the bodie and bloud of Christ vnbloudie which they must oftentimes renew Howbeit to answer thus is to saie nothing bicause herein are two things to be knowne of vs neither dooth there appeare a third vnlesse thou wilt imagine some thing For it is necessarie that those things which be spoken of the oblation of Christ be either referred vnto his death which of his owne accord he offered vpon the crosse for our saluation or else they must be vnderstood of the remembrance thereof and thanks-giuing for the same Betwéene these two we can perceiue no meane either by the nature of things or by the holie scriptures that can be called a sacrifice wherein Christ should be offered vnto the father And this is declared by the propertie of the names for among the Latins that which they
is knowne the church and the spirit I perceiue not howbeit this I knowe that the Euangelists Paule and the holie fathers whom I haue named doo testifie that here is bread and the holie scriptures doo most manifestlie speake the same And without these things which I haue rehersed there is no church neither dooth there anie good spirit make against these D. Tresham These words of Christ Doo ye this in remembrance of me be words of commandement and command vs to doo that which Christ did And he gaue his owne bodie which said that it was his bodie and looke what Christ the spouse of the church hath doone that by his commandement the church dooeth through the scriptures D. Martyr Of these words which you recite wrote Chrysostome vpon the first epistle to the Corinthians the eleuenth chapter the 27. homilie For Christ in the bread and in the cup said 1. Co. 11 24 and 25. Doo this in remembrance of me Also Cyrill vpon Iohn the 14. booke and 14. chapter He gaue them péeces of bread D. Tresham The fathers name it bread of the terme from whence it came to wit bicause of the former name it had D Martyr You doo but haste and stand vpon the terme from whence you forbid a figure and yet you alwaies defend your selfe by a figure D. Tresham I haue manie places of Chrysostome that make for me and I laie Chrysostome to Chrysostome and the doctors when they speake obscurelie must be interpreted by places more plaine But Chrysostome in the sermon of the treason of Iudas confesseth that the bread is changed D. Martyr It is not now my turne to answer When you oppose me I will answer to that which you obiect out of Chrysostome Howbeit in the meane time bicause I will not séeme to be too precise I hold with Chrysostome that the bread is changed but yet into a sacrament but that the substance of bread is doone awaie that doo I denie neither shall you euer prooue it out of Chrysostome Yea and Cyrill saith Euen in the bread we receiue his pretious bodie and in the wine his bloud D. Tresham We receiue it in the bread and wine that is to wit in the shewes of bread and wine D. Martyr What doo you call the shewes of bread and wine D. Tresham The accidentall formes of bread and wine D. Martyr Assuredlie you haue not this signification from the fathers for they by Species that is forme or kind vnderstood the verie natures of the things not the accidents Ambrose in his booke Eorum qui in tiantur mysterijs the last chapter But and if the spéech of Elias were of so great force as it could fetch downe fire from heauen shall not the saieng of Christ be forcible touching the kinds of the elements He treateth of a sacramentall change Wherefore if he should meane the kinds to be the accidents it would followe that the accidents shuld be changed in the Eucharist but that dooth the sense denie Againe this father in the same chapter Before the blessing of the heauenlie words another kind is named after consecration the bodie of Christ is signified And Augustine vpon Iohn the 26. treatise One thing did they and another thing we but yet in a visible kind which neuertheles signified all one thing And he speaketh there concerning the difference of the sacraments of the old and new lawe And euen the verie same in a maner is said by Augustine in his treatise De catechizandis rudibus the first booke and 16. chapter D. Tresham The fathers call the forme or kind sometimes the substance and sometime the accident for it is an ambiguous word and that which the scriptures call bread and the fathers also name bread we call the kinds or forms Here it seemed good vnto the Visitors that wee should dispute in the second question D. Martyr We denie the bodie and bloud of Christ to be in the bread and wine carnallie and corporallie or substantiallie and reallie as ye saie it is or vnder the shewes of bread and wine And this will I prooue out of the scriptures Mark 16 19 In the last of Marke The Lord Iesus after he had spoken vnto them was taken vp into heauen sitteth at the right hand of God In the 26. The scriptures testifie that Christ departed from vs in bodie Matt. 24 23 of Matthew The poore shall ye alwaies haue with you but me shall ye not haue In the sixt of Iohn I leaue the world and I go vnto my father Manie shall saie in those daies Behold here is Christ or there is Christ beleeue them not In the third of the Acts Whome it behooueth the heauens to hold vntill the time of the restitution of all things And vnto the Colossians the third chapter Seeke ye those things that be aboue where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God Since therefore it appéereth by these saiengs that Christ being taken vp from hence liueth in the heauens and that it is not agréeable to the nature of a true humane bodie to be in manie places at once it followeth that the bodie of Christ is not reallie in the bread or wine D. Tresham I denie that it cannot agrée to an humane bodie to be in diuers places at once for the holie scriptures teach the contrarie that Christ after the ascension was with his apostles euen according to his humanitie In the first epistle to the Corinthians the 9 chapter Paule saith Did not I see the Lord And in the 15. chapter of the same epistle And last of all he was seen of me as of one borne out of time And in the ninth of the Acts Saule Saule why doost thou persecute me And againe I am Iesus whom thou persecutest And a little after Ananias said Brother Saule the Lord hath sent me euen Iesus which appeered to thee in the waie And Barnabas said afterward vnto the apostles concerning Saule how he in the waie had séene the Lord and that he had spoken vnto him During the which time it behooueth to beléeue that Christ was in heauen at the right hand of his father bicause it is an article of the faith and yet neuerthelesse he was then vpon the earth in visible forme Wherefore you haue concluded nothing and verie well may the bodie of Christ be in the sacrament vnder an inuisible forme when he was otherwhile in the earth in a visible forme as we haue prooued Wherefore your reasons doo not conclude D. Martyr The answer dooth not suffice When Christ appeered vnto Paule he was in heauen for how knowe you that Christ appéered not vnto Paule abiding in heauen according as he was séene of Steeuen sitting at the right hand of God Yea and Augustine vpon the 54 psalme saith that the head which was in heauen cried for the bodie which was vpon the earth and said Saule Saule whie doost thou persecute me Acts. 9 4. Moreouer was not Paule rapted into the
should it be doone to Images 2 346 b A shift of the aduersaries for the auouching of the woorshipping of them 2 347 b They are Gods Ministers and of their seuerall offices 2 357 b 558 a Appearing in mens bodies they were not men 1 117 a They did eate not for néede but to procure conuersation and familiaritie with men saith Augustin 1 118 ab Why they were worshipped in the old testament of holie men and the same not admitted in the newe 2 347a What manner of meat it is that they do eat 1 118b Why there is no mention of the creation of them in the olde testament 1 111 ab Tertullians iudgement that they are verie bodies 1 28 b Proued by examples that they haue sometimes appeared 1 27 ab God by their ministerie gouerneth natural things 2 â—58 a They represent the ministers of Churches 2 358 a The may be pictured how farfoorth 2 341 a How they did assume bodies 2 604 b They are not predestinate 3 8 b Defined out of them our of Augustine 1 113 a They doe seruice vnto men and of their gouernement 2 249 b Orders of them and their seueral offices 1 1â—0 b It is a thing worthie to be noted that in the holie Scriptures verie fewe things are mentioned of them 1 121a How they and spirites doe eate which proueth them to haue bodies consisting of vitall paâ—tes 1 88 a They can call things backe from the memorie to the sense 1 89 a Whether teares are beseeming for them 3 284 a While they appeared and seemed to bee men and were not they did not lie 1 113 b Whether we ought to offer prayers vnto theÌ„ 3 284 a 308 b Proofes that there be Angels 3 383 a Howe it is meant that Enoch was a Legat vnto them 3 148 b 149 a Why they are called spirites 1 103 a The heauens turned about by them 1 111a b Bernard and the schoolemens opinions that they haue bodies 1 113 a Whether they be bodies or but méere phantasies 1 87 b 88 a ¶ Looke Spirites Archangels Betwéene Archangels and Angels there is a difference saith Augustine 1 118b Anger Aristotles opinion of Anger and how he defineth it 1 109 b How the power thereof doth resist the desiring part 2 410 a It is a cause of confirmelie 2 529 b It is no simple but a compounded afteer 2 406 a It is a wherstone to fortitude 2 408 a 3 296 b It is the roote of murder 2 517 a Whether the power of desire and of it bee all one 2 409 b 410 a How contrarie it is to desire 2 4â—0 a The Philosophers say it maketh the actions of men not voluntarie 2 289 b A definition thereof and that to Achilles it was like honie melting vnder his tongue 2 290 b Things done therein do not excuse the dooer 2 292 b The scripture commendeth it in whome and in what cases 2 293 b It doth seruice vnto Fortitude 3 272 a It hath sorrowe and pleasure ioyned with it 3 â—46 a It commeth néerer vnto reason than desire doth 2 410 a It pertaineth not to choise sayth Aristotle and why 2 295 b In what cases and against whome Aristotle admitteth it in men 2 290 b What Heraclitus Plato and other say of it and that it is not subduable 2 289 b No refuge against Gods Anger 4 295 b 296 a ¶ Looke Affects Angrie Why the Scriptures say that GOD when he doeth reuenge is angrie 1 207 a How we must vnderstand God to be angrie and to repent 1 109 a Annoynted Why we are sayde to be annointed 2 606 b Some called so who receiued not the outward vnction 4 14 ab Annoynting The signe of outward Annoynting 4 14a Vnder what pretence it was brought into the Church 4 15b To what end it serued 2 577 b It hath not beene long in the Christian Church 4 14 b 15 a.b The originall thereof about Princes 4 236 b What is signified thereby being done to the Byshops heade 4 â—5 a Why it was proper to Prophets Priests and Kings 2 605 b Whether it be rightlie transferred vnto Christian Princes 4 14 b 15 a.b Whether it be necessarie that it be obserued still 2 606a 6. The twise annoynting of all Christians 4 15 a Of the papisticall and superstitious rite thereof 2 â—06 a What the worde signifieth 4 4 b Or the sicke and that it is no Sacrament 3 211 a Of men readie to die 4 15 b The carcases of dead 3 244 a Interpreted to be an aboundance of the Spirit 2 605 b 606a Reckened among traditions 4. 99 b ¶ Looke Oyle and Vnction Antichrist Of Antichrist prophesied by Daniell 3 351 b The Pope prooued to be the same 4 36 b In Gods Temple 4 92 a Of the myracles doone by him and that they be méerelies 1 65 a Antiquitie No Antiquitie can prescribe against Gods worde 3 244 a Of the Scriptures and howe the Papists and Protestants dissent about the same 1 99a Ap. Apostles The Apostles gaue more Epistles to the Church than we haue at this day 1 52 b They are to the Byshops as the Prophets were to the hie Priestes 4 4a Both Christ and they may be foundations of the Church 4 83 b 84 a Difference betwéene their Gospell and the Papists 4 87a They liued at the charges of the godlie 4 29b Forged Canons ascribed to them 4 55 ab 56 a Whether they were Byshops any where 4 79a To what end they were chosen 4 3 b Whether Peter were chiefe of them 4 80 a Difference betwéene them and Byshops 4 3 b 4 a They were not alwayes able by their auctoritie to cast our diuels 4 130 a Their diligence in preaching the Gospell 4 5b In their time the Church had not two swords 4 234 b Whether they were Priestes 4 212 b By what instruments they vsed outward punishments 4 233 a Apostleship The office of Apostleship was but temporall 4 78 b A difference betwéene the Apostleship of Peter and the apostleship of Paul 4 79 b Apparell Of the costlie and sumptuous Apparell of women 2 507 ab Whether Apparel be any impeachment to the ministerie 4 16 b A fonde imitation of Elias and Iohn Baptist in Apparell 1 20b Touching Apparell reade diuerse points page 506 b 507 a ¶ Looke Garments Appeale To whom the libertie of Appeale is denied by the ciuill lawes 2 438 b Paules Appeale from the luietenant of Iurie to Cesar 4 276 a Appeales Of Appeales made to the Romane sea by inferiour byshops and what is thereby prooued 4 39. 40. From Councels and fathers to the scriptures 4 47 a From the Pope to the Emperour in matters of religion 4 244 b None from Scriptures to the fathers admitted 4 48 b 49 ab Appearing Gods Appearing vnto men in the likenesse of straungers denyed by Plato and what the Scripture saith of the same 1 200 a Of the Appearing of Samuel when he was deade reade the iudgement
21 b 22 a His diuerse names in Hebrew and in Latine and who is one 1 18 a The names vsed in holie Scriptures for an interpretor as for example 1 23 ab 18 a What he is called in the Hebrewe tongue 1 17 b and what it signifieth ibidem 18 a Wherein hee and a priest doe differ 1 18 a About what things he is occupied 1 18 a The olde Israelites were neuer without a Prophet 1 23 b Two sure argumentes or tokens of a true Prophet 1 20 b Who he is that must bee reputed and taken for one 1 22 a Prophets true and false Tokens to discerne True Prophets and false 4 6 b 1 20 b They must not diminish the worde nor adde to of their owne 1 20 a Difference betwéene them and Doctors 4 6 b Degrées of them that they were not inspired all alike from heauen 1 19 b Of God and of the Diuel 4 6 b A rule in reading of them 3 354 ab Of the tribe of Leuic 4 6 b They were to the hie Priestes as the Apostles are to the Bishops 4 4a The authoritie of them is constant 3 38 a Howe they cease to bee prophetes and become diuiners 1 20 b Why God doeth sometimes vse the euill Prophetes 1 37 b God reuealeth to the Prophetes the thinges that hee will doe 3 38 a In that they were Prophetes they coulde not erre 1 8 a How they applie their doctrine vnto Christ 2 596 b What visions they bee that make not Prophetes 1 36 b Why Paul saith that the spirits of the Prophetes are subiect to the Prophetes 1 21 b Howe and in what cases spirites maie be called Prophetes 1 81 b 82 a Schooles of them and wherefore they were appointed 1 22b Whether God doeth compell them or no. 1 21 b By their life they must winne credite to the word 1 20 b Whether they do surely knowe those thinges to be true which they foretell 1 22 b They are not nowe so necessarie as in former times and why 23 a There be some still in the Church although not so famous as in times past 1 24 a There were many Prophets in the primitiue church 2 23 b Being in sundrie places did write the selfe-same wordes in their Prophesies 2 363 a They may be a certeine occasioÌ„ not a cause of the ouerthrow of kingdomes 4 237 ab Whether being inspired of God they knowe not what they say 1 21 b The spirites that stirre them vp are sometimes good sometimes euil 1 19 a The cause of this prouerb What is Saul among the Prophets 3 20b Prophets do somtimes see things printed in their imagination and sometime sée them outwardly 1 25b They must not be corrupted for fauour or rewarde 1 20 b They to whome are shewed only the signes of things to come are not in verie déede accounted Prophets why 1 26 a By what thing it was that God spake to the fathers and Prophets 1 26 b 27 a The children of the Prophets and whose disciples they were 1 23 b 4 6 b In what respects Paul and Peter were Prophets 1 23 b More Prophets when the church began than nowe and why 1 18 b That the Prophets of Idols had two certeine tokens to bee knowen by 1 21 a A general rule to know true Prophets by 1 22 a Sometimes their predictions happen not as howe 1 20 b 21 a Of certeine women Prophets expressed by name 1 20 a Which did openly teach the people 4 7 a How it is to be vnderstoode that Samuel was the chief of Prophets that like to Moses there was neuer any Prophet and that among the children of women there arose not a greater than Iohn Baptist 1 â—9 ab The diuels Prophets fare like mad men 1 21 a That wicked men may bee Prophets and yet no friendes to God 1 23 a What Gods law determined touching the punishment of false Prophets 2 389 a Propitiatorie What was the Propitiatorie or mercie seate 2 356 b 339 a The place thereof 3 306 b No more among the Iewes 2 577 b Propositions Generall Propositions are to bee restreined 3 26 b 27 a 30 a 31 ab 32 a 33 ab 145 ab 132 b 133 a 389 ab 380 b 397 b 398 a 1 193 b They make their particular true 3 143 b Conditionall resolue not into categoricall 3 133 b Of particular are ill inferred vniuersal 4 30 a Two negatiue are not woont to conclude affirmatiue 3 239 a Prouidence A definition of Prouidence 3 9a 1 170 b 167 a Why it is perpetuall 3 9 a Diuerse notable points touching it 3 35 b The Epicures denie it and why so 1 170b What commodities and comforts we reape by a liuely faith therof 1 168 a How it predestination agree differ 3 8b Why the same is said to be common to all things 3 8 b It worketh orderly by causes effects read how 2 26â—a The Philosophers yelded not theÌ„selues thereto 1 11 b Too too contumelious a thing to exempt man from it and who do so 1 172 a The opinion of the Peripatetiks touching the same 1 154b To bee acknowledged of vs by the example of creatures 1 12 a Whether it doe bring any changing in Gods as in men 1 168 a Whether it take away chaunce fortune 1 168 b Nothing is to be excepted from the same 1 200 b That there is such a thing proued substantially 1 170ab Whether the same be vnchaÌ„geable 1 173 b 174 a Whether it can admit any thing touching chance 1 174 a 171 b Why the Greeks named it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 175 b A firme and strong argument as some think against it 1 169 a Whether things that bee of necessitie are vnder it 1 172 b Whether all things be ruled thereby 1 167 b That euen Tyrantes are but instrumentes thereof and that they are limited 1 172 b Whether counsels admonitions be taken away thereby as may be obiected 1 176 a Things happening by chance are vnder it â— 173 a Howe sinnes doe depend thereupon 1 173 b How Zuinglius is to bee vnderstoode that men are otherwhiles thereby prouoked to sinne 1 186a By what tokens Cicero teacheth that it may bee knowen from naturall reason 1 167 b What things some referre thereunto and what thinges not 1 167 b A briefe sum of the thinges which God thereby doeth about sins 1 206b A generall opinion to be retained in the church that without it nothing is doone in the world be it good or bad 1 199b That the same as touching his decrees is as the iron and adamant and what is obiected against it 1 197 ab Plato and others seemeth to streiten it into a narrow roome and how 1 200 a What things some doe exempt from it 1 171 b 169 b Things that come by chance serue thereunto 1 182 b Cicero calleth it an olde soothsaying wife of the Stoikes 1