if it were the wages of seruants and not the inheritance of children The vniuersal Church as you speake of it is a meere name without any thing answerable to it in nature That which was generally held while the Churches of Christ were not subiect to Antichrist concerning the substance of Religion by which true and false Churches are to be iudged we gladly and constantly maintaine The errors which some men defended and corrupted the Churches withall we refute and reiect But it is no marke of the true Church to hold all that hath bene generally maintained in true Churches but the dutie of it to acknowledge for true whatsoeuer was taught by the Apostles and is recorded in Scripture How far our Church is spread it passeth your skill truly to affirme and we may with good reason perswade our selues that it is in all places where the Gospell is preached and the Scriptures knowne because dayly experience sheweth that it hath some members in those countries where your bloudie and tyrannous butchery of Inquisition doth most rule and vnder the nose of your grand Antichrist in the citie of Rome But it is enough to make it Catholicke that it acknowledgeth it selfe to be common both to Iew and Gentile not tied to any country people or person whatsoeuer as yours is to the Pope and Rome We are not ashamed of Martin Luther whom it pleased God to vse admirably if not miraculously to rake from vnder the ashes the light of the Gospell couered and choked with your errors and superstitions Not as if it had bin al that while out of the world but as one of your owne fellowes speakes of it as being in the eclipse ouershadowed and darkned with the thicke mist of your Popish decrees decretals and schoolmens trickes and other such leud trumpery Our Church that is the true Church of Christ was all that time in the world but not to be seene of euery man though from time to time there were still found some who durst maintaine the truth of Christ against your Antichristian heresies Luthers writings words deeds and manner of death were such as might manifest to all men both his true zeale of the glory of God and Gods especiall fauour to him whatsoeuer such lying sycophants as Prateolus faine If we would stand vpon Apostolicknesse in succession what haue you that we want saue onely that you continue in succession of error longer then we do But it is an idle plea to auouch personall succeeding where there is manifest contrarietie in doctrine by which as we heard out of Tertullian howsoeuer you brag of Apostolicknesse you may be proued not to be Apostolicall We differ not in doctrine touching the fundamentall points of Religion from any true holy Catholicke and Apostolicke Church neither doth your synagogue agree with any such Therfore wheras you demand how we can brag that we haue true faith which is not to be found out of the true Church we answer you as oft we haue done that we are sure the faith we hold is true because it is agreeable to the Scriptures and being so we cannot be out of the true Church as long as we are in the true faith True faith cannot be had by any light or discourse of nature but onely by reuelation from God For neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard nor the heart of man can imagine what the meanes are whereby God decreed in himselfe to saue those whom he hath chosen to glory Now it was not the purpose of God in these latter times as in the first before the law to reueale his will immediatly from heauen but he sent his Son in the nature of man and that Sonne his Apostles to giue knowledge of those means of saluation both by preaching for that present age wherein they liued and also by writing for that age and all that were to succeed till the end of the world This is all that the Apostle teacheth in the place alledged by you Yet we denie not that the principall ordinary means to bring men to faith is the ministery of man by word of mouth expounding the word wil of God according to the Scriptures First then all men to whom the Scriptures are vouchsafed haue meanes of hearing For in them they may if they will heare men appointed by God speake to their instruction and saluation Secondly the same God hath ordained that besides the former teaching there should be certaine men set apart and deputed for the ministery whose dutie it is to preach in their seuerall charges the word of truth This setting apart deputing is that sending which is now required and is to be performed by such as are shall be authorized to that purpose Thirdly for our particular case we are to vnderstand that Luther and these other worthies by whose ministery it pleased God to reuiue the knowledge of the Gospell decayed were authorized to preach by your congregation which was at that time in apparence the true Church of God Therefore were they sent if your church haue any sending and according to their calling they labored in opening the truth of God as it is reuealed in the Scriptures Thus by the gracious mercie of God it came to passe that they teaching the word of truth found diuers both men and women whose hearts the Lord by his spirit opened so that they embraced the loue of the truth deliuered by them and accepted them for their pastors and submitted themselues to become their flockes By this meanes they had both a generall authoritie to preach from that companie which by profession was the Church and also a particular charge of those who were now become indeed in regard of their professed faith a true Church of God We haue then in our Churches for the late reforming of them first your calling such as it was and secondly the approbation of true Christians of which true Churches consist Therefore by your owne rule since we haue some amongst vs that are sent we may also haue faith and true faith though we abhor your Antichristian heresies To what purpose is this idle discourse but to shew your owne errors We neither looke for nor allow any opinion of extraordinary sending from God because we haue no warrant for any such in the Scriptures But wee say the restorers of the Gospell in this last age had ordinary allowance of that Church which bare the shew of the true Church and professed the beleeuing of the Gospell which is the foundation of the Church But you require peculiar consecration because it pleased God to appoint such a course for the Priesthood of the Law Do you not know that the consecrating and annointing of Aaron was a part of the ceremoniall law signifying the annointing of the spirit which our Sauiour was to receiue to whom according to those shewes the Lord gaue the spirit without measure The consecration that now remaines is nothing but the setting a part
right to it and then frame such arguments otherwise any man of neuer so little iudgment may find more cause to pity or disdaine your proofe or presumption then to stagger at the force of your reason All things in the Scripture were indeed writtē for our learning and therfore belong to vs so far as the general doctrine reacheth the particular circumstances are alike Wherefore I grant your proposition not because of any succession which could not be in those Scribes and Pharises being of diuers tribes and as your Genebrard saith hauing thrust themselues into the chaire of Moses being empty but because they expoūded the law of Moses among the Iewes as the Ministers of Christ do the Gospell at this day to the Christians Ere I answer to your Assumption I must speake a word of your translation haue sitten The Greeke indeed is so but as Vatablus noteth the praeter tense is put for the present tense Therefore Pagnine doubteth not so to translate it sedent sit Which must needs be our Sauiours meaning For how were it agreeable to reason that he should charge vs to heare the Scribes and the Pharises because they did sometimes sit vpon Moses chaire if now they sit beside it It is our Sauiours purpose to signifie that the expositions of the former Pharisies and of those that taught in his time were not to be reiected or rather it is al one as if he had said do sit But let vs reade the place which way we list it is all one to your minor which I denie To the proofe of it out of the text I answer First the sitting vpon Moses chaire signifieth not succession but teaching the law of Moses For Moses calling was altogether extraordinarie from God both for gouerning and teaching In the former Iosua and the Iudges succeeded him till the people were wearie of Gods ruling of them The other part of his office was to be discharged ordinarily by the Priests and Leuits That ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath commaunded them by the hand of Moses The Priests lips should preserue knowledge and they should seeke the Law at his mouth Ieshua and Bani c. and the Leuites caused the people to vnderstand the law And they read in the booke of the Law of God distinctly and gaue the sense and caused them to vnderstand the reading It was one thing to succeed Aaron another to sit on Moses chaire The chaire of Moses saith Cyril signifieth power of doctrine They sit in Moses chaire saith Origen which interprete Moses sayings well and according to reason And a little after The Scribes and Pharises sit naughtily vpon Moses chaire they sat wel that well vnderstood the law What is the meaning of that saith Ambrose The Scribes sat but because letters are written whereupon the Scribes in Greeke are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 following the interpretation of the letter not the sense of the spirit And afterward Therefore they teaching those things that Moses wrote c. So doth Theophylact expound it They that sit in Moses chaire that is that teach the things that are in the law And immediately before They that exhort to euill life do not then teach out of Moses chaire nor out of the Law Therefore to sit vpon Moses chaire is nothing else but to haue authoritie to expound Moses Law as he himselfe did expound it So the Ministers of the Gospell may be said to sit vpon the Apostles chaire because they haue authority to interpret the Gospel which the Apostles themselues preached Secondly I denie that our Sauiour commanded the Iewes or doth now charge vs to beleeue whatsoeuer they that haue authority to teach vs deliuer or to do whatsoeuer they enioyne This is apparent because himselfe refuteth condemneth their interpretations and doctrines many times as Mat. 5. In many points of which that one is most cleare Ye haue heard that it hath bene said thou shalt loue thy neighbour hate thine enemie but I say vnto you loue your enemies c. In vaine do they worship me teaching for doctrines mens traditions And in the same place he calleth them blinde leaders of the blind and addeth further that if the blinde lead the blinde both fall into the ditch Now can any man be so impious I might say blasphemous as to say that our Sauiour commaunded the Iewes to take such a course as should certainely bring them to destruction Nay rather he warneth them to take heed of their doctrine Take heed and beware he doubleth his admonition to make them more carefull of the leauen of the Pharises And what was this leauen The doctrine of the Pharises saith the Euangelist But what need we go out of this chapter for the point in question Doth he not afterwards call them blinde guides vers 16. 24. fooles blind vers 17. 19 Doth he not in the same places condemne and confute their absurd and lewde doctrine of swearing A man would wonder that euer any man professing himselfe a scholler or teacher should bring such miserable proofes in matters of so great weight But alasse we must beare with you you bring such as you haue if you knew any better we should be sure to haue them But these serue to deceiue your deuoted followers who wilfully shut their eies against the truth The iudgements of God are past searching out and his mercie in opening our eies to see your grossnesse greater then we are able to conceiue Well yet perhaps you haue some colour from antiquitie to countenance your exposition withall You quote Austin what None but Austin in a matter of so great doubt But let vs see why you quote him If to prooue that the Pharisies were to be heard and obeyed in all things there is no such word in his sentence alledged by you For he saith no more then we grant that Our Sauiour prouided before hand that we should not refuse good doctrine because it was deliuered by wicked men Indeed that was the verie purpose of our Sauiour and to that doth Austin apply it otherwhere according to the true sense of it What saith he else but heare the voice of the sheepheard though by hirelings such as Austin in that place saith the Pharifies and Scribes were and such as our Sauiour proueth them to be by their hypocrisie ambition couetousnesse The Apostle sheweth saith Austin in an other place that men without charitie may teach somewhat that is wholsome of such our Lord speaketh They sit vpon Moses chaire c. Whereupon also the Apostle speaking of enuious and malitious men yet such as preached saluation by Christ saith Whether by occasion or in truth Christ be preached Ireioice And in a third place He that speaketh wisely and eloquently but liueth wickedly teacheth many that are desirous
to learne but is vnprofitable to his own soule as it is written The Scribes and Pharisies sit in Moses chaire do that they say but do not that they do For they say do not to which he addeth that to the Philippians as in the other place But yet Austin was so farre from tying either the Iewes because of our Sauiours speech or any men vpon any pretence to beleeue whatsoeuer should be taught them though by men lawfully authorised that he forbids all to heare when men preach their owne deuises By sitting on Moses chaire saith he they teach the Law of God therefore God teacheth by them But if they will teach their owne sayings obserue that Austin thinks it is possible they should heare them not do not An euill man saith the same author out of the euill treasure of his heart bringeth forth euill things But when he preacheth the word of God when he ministreth the Sacraments he preacheth not nor ministreth not of his owne if he be a wicked man but is to be counted among them of whom it is said do that they say but do not that they do For as we heard before out of Theophylact he that exhorteth to euill life speaketh neither from Moses chaire nor from the Law Therefore as it followeth in him they that teach the Law of God are to be heard though they do it not So doth Chrysostome vnderstand and apply this text What then will some men say shall we obey our Prelates when they are euill How meane you euill If it be in a point of faith slie and auoid him not onely if he be a man but if an Angel come downe from heauen But if you meane that he is euill in his behauiour be not curious Neither speake I this of my selfe but of the Scripture For Christ saith the Scribes and Pharisies sit on Moses Chaire And when first he had recited many euil things of them then he faith They sit vpon Moses chaire All things that they say vnto you do but do not as they do They are to be reuerenced saith he though they be of a wicked life but heed you not their liuing but their preaching For concerning their manners no man can be hurt by thē How so Because that they do is manifest to all and though they should come to the height of iniquitie they could not teach other men that their euill But when a point of faith is in question neither doth euerie bodie perceiue manifestly that which is spoken neither will a lewde fellow be afraid to teach contrarie to truth For whereas as it is faid Iudge not that ye be not iudged that is spoken of life not of faith This is Chrysostomes iudgement and that where he expoundeth one of the principall places which you bring to support your vnreasonable authoritie The Scribes and Pharises saith another sit on Moses chaire that is there are many Priests and few priests many in name few in deed Take heed therefore how you sit vpon that seate for the seate maketh not the priest but the priest the seate the place sanctifieth not the man but the man the place Your owne writers are of the same opiniō cōcerning this place Two things saith Iansenius are here signified first that obedience is due to thē which teach and command by authoritie not in respect of their life but of their authority which they haue and because of God whose Embassadors they are Secondly that we must not obey them if they commaund or teach any thing wickedly For if they are to be obeied because they sit in Moses chaire thē are they not to be obeied when they teach or commaund any thing against that chaire The Lord saith absolutely All and whatsoeuer that he might shew that they must be perfectly obeied but yet with such an obediēce as layeth this for a ground that we must obey God rather thē man as the Apostle Paul saith Children obey your parēts in all things Christ saith Arias Montanus taught his Disciples to obserue and doe whatsoeuer the Scribes and Pharisies commaunded by the prescript of the Law that is out of Moses chaire Christ did not meane saith Ferus that they should obserue all the decrees of the Pharisies but so farre forth as they agreed with the Law As farre as they teach those things which Moses taught in the chaire they are to be beard otherwise to be taken heed of as saith Stella The Lord saith one of your famous Iesuits by the chaire of Moses doth not vnderstand the doctrine of the Pharisies but the doctrine of Moses Law For it is all one as if he had said All that the Law and Moses say to you Christ saith Cassander commaundeth vs to heare the Pharisies yet so that we must take heede of the leauen of the Pharisies that is corruptions of their life and doctrine But you will say Austin telleth vs that it should nothing haue hurt the Church and innocent Christians if some traitor had crept into that sea What else haue we shewed all this while but that the wickednesse of euill Prelates must not make their doctrine as long as it is true lesse regarded Austin in that Epistle answers a certaine Donatists letter who bragged of succession from Donatus the author of that sect against whose brag he setteth that Catalogue of the Bishops of Rome amongst whom there was neuer a Donatist but if there had bene yet should not that haue preiudiced the Church or the innocent Christians as if the doctrine they held were not true because some lewd or hereticall reacher had sometime bene Bishop of that Citie We know it was vsuall with the Donatists to crie out against the true Catholicke Bishops for their conuersation which they also slaundered therefore had Austin good reason to speake as he did that no man might be caried away from the truth of then doctrine by the supposed wickednes of their liues I haue bene somewhat the longer in this point because as I signified it is the onely proofe of this controuersie Now I leaue the consideration of it to all reasonable men that they bethinke themselues whether it be not meere simplicitie or rather wilfull ignorance to be drawne away from the truth of the Gospell vpon a pretence of hearing the Church when there is not a syllable nor a letter in the scripture to tie a man to such blind obedience whereupon nothing can ensue but destruction A. D. §. 8. The threats we may gather first out of Saint Luke when our Sauiour saith Qui vos spernit me spernit He that despiseth you despiseth me Signifying that looke what sinne it were not to heare but to despise our Sauiour Christ himselfe that we should account it the same to despise and not to giue eare and credit to the Catholicke Church Insinuating thereby that the like punishment is to he expected for the said
thereto much more because he is the abler to performe any good action As for him that is still in his naturall estate I hope you graunt that there is no good to be looked for at his hands I meane such good as may further him to euerlasting life But say you he can haue no hope to obtaine faith and grace because it is not within the compasse of mans free will to make choise of it when it is offered What though it be not Do not we teach withall that euerie man to whom God affoordeth the meanes of faith that is the ministerie of the word may and ought to assure himselfe that the spirit of God will be get faith in him if he will shew himselfe willing to be instructed and inclined as he may doe if he will aduisedly consider what his estate is by nature and what offer is made him by God onely he cannot feede his naturall pride with a conceipt of being the chiefe procurer of his owne felicitie It is not vnpossible to obserue the law but to keepe it perfectly so that a man cannot be charged with the breach of it in any point Why doth Dauid crie out Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant O Lord for in thy sight shall none that liueth be iustified Why doth Daniel confesse his sinnes to God It is verie like that many of your Friers are able to performe that in which these worthies of the Church failed The commaundements of God indeed are not grieuous to anie man regenerate by Gods spirit because as the Apostle saith he delighteth in the law of God and by reason of his loue to God thinketh nothing too heauie or too hard as Oecumenius expoundeth the place of Iohn But it doth not follow thereupon that therefore the whole law may be perfectly kept Yea Ierome vpon that place of Mathew directly affirmes that many things are commaunded in the law which saith he the Apostle most fully teacheth vs cannot be fulfilled Bede maketh this burden and yoke not the commandements of the law but the doctrine of the Gospell What cannot a man haue any heart to do well vnlesse hee puffe vp himselfe with a proud conceit of being able perfectly to fulfill the whole law How did Dauid and Daniel These are the Pharisaicall thoughts of you Papists who thinke scorne to be beholding to God for his mercie in forgiuing your sinnes after baptisme without your owne satisfaction and who will haue all of desert in the rigour of iustice Is it not enough for a poore soule who is priuie to his owne grieuous infirmities many slips and great corruptions that the Lord vouchsafeth to accept of his weake endeuours and will crowne them with reward of glorie for all their imperfections but that he must also presume of his power to keepe the whole law You are the men that valew the pride of your corrupt nature at an higher rate then the glorious riches of Gods mercy in Iesus Christ Here you manifestly bewray the pride of your hearts and your seruile nature who will do nothing in thankfulnesse to God but vpon perswasion of meriting by that you do We acknowledge that our vnperfect obedience is acceptable to God and that he will certainly reward euery least good worke of any of his children with a great measure of glorie in heauen Only the doctrine of the scriptures the knowledge of our owne imperfections and our desire to giue all glory to God makes vs to renounce all opiniō of merit to appeale to Gods gracious promise onely for our reward If these respects be not of sufficient force with any man as with none of you that are grounded Papists they are but that he can contemne or loathe doing of good for all them what should I say but that he shewes himself to be a seruant and not a son and therefore can haue no claime to the kingdome of heauen which is the inheritance of children VVhereas to deceiue your owne hearts with an opinion of desert you ascribe the merite of your workes to the merits of Christ and teach that they are meritorious by being dipped in his bloud you shew either your ignorance or your dallying If you thinke as you speake you bewray your ignorance if otherwise you dally with our Sauiour and his bloud Are you able indeed to keepe the commaundements perfectly what need haue you then of Christs bloud to dip your workes in For the perfect obseruation of the law brings of it selfe euerlasting life without any merit of Christ Let it be from his merits that you haue this abilitie to performe the law Vpon the performance of it the hire of eternall happines is absolutely due vnto you VVhy do you then trifle thus with our Sauiour as if you would make him beleeue that you thinke your selues more beholding to him then indeed you can do If you need Christs bloud your works are vnperfit if they be perfit you need it not Leaue this halting betwixt Christ and your selues lest he be auenged of your dallying To what purpose do you mention this your teaching that exceeding punishment is due to sinne in the next life Doe not we teach this more effectually then you We make the least sinne liable to euerlasting condemnation you teach that there are many veniall sinnes which deserue little or no punishment in so much that a knocke on the breast or a sigh or the saying of one Aue-Marie maketh satisfaction to God for it But the point is that you perswade men there is no assurance to be had of any forgiuenesse of sinnes committed after baptisme We teach the contrarie that as many as in the sight of their sinnes with true sorrow for them cast themselues vpon Christ by faith to be iustified by him both obtaine pardon of all their transgressions and also receiue euerie one in their measure and time assurance that they are pardoned Your doctrine you say maketh men warie not to fall into sinne It restraineth mortall sinne onely For veniall sinne cannot be punished but in Purgatorie vnlesse a man be guiltie of mortall also and if a man can make friends to the Pope as it is no hard matter to do especially if he be well monied he may easily auoid all those exceeding great punishments Or if he can but haue a Priest to sing masse for him euerie day and masses are not verie high rated he shall be sure to be deliuered within a short space If the worst come to the worst Purgatorie cannot out last the world and then he goeth vp to heauen without any more ado But yet men are kept in awe from committing of deadly sinnes Neuer a whit For it is generally preached by your Friers and Priestes that confession purgeth all sins and your people ordinarily are not so skilfull no not one among a thousand as to distinguish betwixt sinnes in this sort but they beleeue that vpon their confession and
infallible and vniuersall rule accommodate to the capacitie of euerie one the which rule cannot be any other but the doctrine and teaching of the true Church the which Church is alwaies to continue visible vntill the worlds end and is to be knowne by these foure markes Vna Sancta Catholica Apostolica One Holy Catholicke Apostolicke the which markes agree onely to the Romane Church that is to say to that companie which doth communicate and agree in profession of faith with the Church of Rome whereupon followeth that this Church or companie is the onely true Church of which euerie one must learne that faith which is necessarie to saluation Considering I say all this I would demaund of the Protestants how they can perswade themselues to haue that faith which is necessarie to saluation sith they will not admit the authoritie and doctrine of the Church of which onely they ought to learne this faith Or how they can as some of them do challenge to themselues the title of the true Church sith their companie hath neuer one of the foure markes which by common consent of all must nedes be acknowledged for the true markes of the Church How can their congregation be the true Church which neither is One because it hath no meanes to keepe vnitie nor Holy because neither was there euer any man of it which by miracle or any other euident testimony can be prooued to haue bene truly holy neither is their doctrine such as those that most purely obserue it do without faile thereby become holy nor Catholicke because it teacheth not all truths that haue bene held by the vniuersall Church in former times but denieth many of them neither is it spred ouer all the Christian world but being diuided into diuers sectes euerie particular sect is contained in some corner of the world Neither hath it bene in all times euer since Christ but sprong vp of late the first founder being Martin Luther an Apostata a man after his Apostasie from his professed religious order knowne both by his writings words deeds and manner of death to haue bene a notable ill liuer Nor Apostolicke because the preachers thereof cannot deriue their Pedegree lineally without interruption from any Apostle but are forced to beginne their line if they will haue any from Luther Caluin or some latter How can they then brag that they haue the true holy Catholicke and Apostolicke faith sith this is not found in any companie that differeth in doctrine from the onely true holy Catholicke and Apostolicke Church For if it be true which Saint Austin saith that in ventre Ecclesiae veritas manet the truth remaineth in the bellie of the Church it is impossible that those who are disioyned by difference of beleefe from that companie which is knowne to be the true Church should haue the true faith For true faith as before hath bene prooued is but one wherefore he that differeth in beleefe from them which haue the true faith either he must haue a false faith or no faith at all Againe one cannot haue true faith vnlesse he first heare it according to the ordinarie rule of Saint Paule saying Fides ex auditu faith commeth of hearing but how can one heare true doctrine of faith sine praedicante without one to preach truly vnto him And how should one preach truly at least in all points nisi mittatur vnlesse he be sent and consequently assisted by the spirit of God Now how should we know that Luther or Caluin or any other that will leap out of the Church leaue that company wherin is vndoubted succession and by succession lawfull mission or sending from God how should we I say know that these men teaching a new and contrarie doctrine were indeed sent of God Nay certainly we may be most sure that they were not sent of God For sith Almightie God hath by his Sonne planted a Church vpon earth which Church he would haue alwaies continue vntill the worlds end and hath placed in it a visible succession of lawfull ordinarie Pastours whom he will with the assistance of himselfe and his holy Spirit so guide that they shall neuer vniuersally faile to teach the true faith and to preserue the people from errours we are not now to expect any to be sent from God to instruct the people but such onely as come in this ordinarie manner by lawfull succession order and calling according as S. Paule saith Nec quisquam sumit sibi honorem sed qui vocatur à Deo tanquam Aaron Neither doth any man take to himselfe the honour but he that is called of God as Aaron was to wit visibly and with peculiar consecration as we reade in Leuiticus cap. 8. To which accordeth that which we reade 2. Paralip 26. where Azarias said to king Ozias Non est tui officij Ozia vt adoleas incensum Domino sed Sacerdotum hoc est filiorum Aaron qui consecrati sunt ad huiusmodi ministerium egredere de sanctuario c. It is not thy office O Ozias to offer incense to our Lord but it is the office of Priests to wit of the sonnes of Aaron who are consecrated to this function or ministerie go out of the Sanctuarie Which bidding when Ozias contemned and would not obey he was presently stricken with a leprosie and then being terrified feeling the punishment inflicted by our Lord he hastened away as in the same place is declared By which places we may learne that it doth not belong to any one to do priestly functions as to offer incense or sacrifice to God or take vpon them the authoritie to preach and instruct the people but onely to Priests called visibly and consecrated for this peculiar purpose as Aaron and his children were For though the priesthood of the Pastors of the new law be not Aaronicall yet it agreeth with the Priesthood of Aaron according to S. Paul his saying in the foresaid place in this that those that come to it must not take the honor of themselues but must be called vnto it of God as Aaron was to wit visibly and by peculiar consecration In which ordinarie maner whosoeuer cometh he may be truly called Pastor ouium a Pastor of Christs flocke because intrat per ostium he entereth in by the doore to wit by Christ himselfe who first visibly called consecrated and sent immediately the Apostles and the Apostles by authoritie receiued from him did visiblie by imposition of hands call consecrate and send others and those in like manner others from time to time without interruption vntill these present men who now are Priests of the Catholicke Romane Church These therefore enter in by Christ who is the doore and therefore these be true Pastours and whosoeuer entereth not thus in at the doore but commeth in another way our Sauiour telleth vs how we should account of him when he saith Qui non intrat per ostium in ouile ouium
of some men for the worke of the ministerie by prayer and laying on of hands Your example of Oziah is little to the purpose For it had not bene lawfull for him to offer incense though he had bene consecrated with all the ceremonies that belong to the office of the priesthood because the office of offring incense was appropriated by God to the house of Aaron as Azariah signifieth in his speech to Vzziah This appointment of God was their calling the outward ceremonies were but to shadow forth the excellencie of our Sauiour Christs priesthood Neither doth the Apostle prooue the lawfulnesse of Christs priesthood by his consecration answerable to Aarons as your alledging of the place intends but onely by the Lords authorizing of him to that office Christ tooke not to himselfe the honour to be made the high Priest saith the Apostle but he that said vnto him Thou art my sonne this day begat I thee gaue it him As he also in an other place speaketh Thou art a Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech what word is there here of our Sauiours consecration You proceed to heape error vpon error to the preiudice of Gods truth and destruction of his people If euery man be to be held for a true Pastor and as such a one to be beleeued if he haue an orderly admission and allowance to teach had not Arius Nestorius Eutyches Macedonius and many other heretickes lawfull ordination according to the custome of the Churches in those times Yea were not Luther Bucer Martyr authorized by your Church and Caluin too as you say afterward when you accuse Luther and him for leauing their former profession Come no hirelings in by the doore if lawfull outward admission be the doore How many that enter lawfully become wolues afterward I know this saith Saint Paul to the Ephesians that after my departure grieuous wolues shall enter in among you not sparing the flocke Moreouer of your owne selues shall men arise speaking peruerse things Who can doubt but some of these might be euen of the number of them who were lawfully admitted by imposition of hands and prayer the onely meanes of consecration in those times before your shauing and greasing was heard of in the Church But you ignorantly or wilfully abuse that place of the Euangelist by applying it to the ordinary ministerie of the Gospell whereas it belongeth to the office of the Messiah and the calling that hee had from God to bee the great shepheard of our soules All that came before him professing themselues to be the Messiah as Iudas and Theudas did were theeues and robbers entring not in by the doore that is by commission from God but coming in another way by their counterfetting of a pattent from God Neither was the preseruation of the people but their owne aduancement the marke they shot at But the true shepheard Iesus Christ came to giue his life for his sheepe that they might be saued This is the true sense of that worthy sermon which if we will apply to ministers they must be held for true Pastors which being authorized thereunto do preach Christ Iesus truly without mingling any such doctrines as may by any meanes draw vs from the acknowledging or resting vpon him for saluation He that so teacheth and is authorized thereunto commeth in by Christ the doore especially if he haue withall a true desire to feed the flock committed to him in the sinceritie of his heart But if you stand onely vpon outward calling the Priests and Leuits wanted it not who yet were theeues because they endeuored to steale away the hearts of the sheepe from Christ the true shepheard That which followeth of the necessitie of miracles or extraordinarie sanctitie concernes not vs who pleade not any extraordinarie sending Luther was appointed by your Church to preach the Gospel That duty according to his calling he faithfully performed neuer requiring to be credited because he was extraordinarily sent by God but because he taught that which God had left in the Scriptures for the instruction and edification of his Church in all ages till the end of the world What neede was there now of miracles or any other extraordinarie course The places you bring wee answered before The vniuersall consent of Pastors and Doctors in that they teach hath bene found to be but a crooked rule to measure truth by though we are perswaded that the world was neuer without some that held and taught so much of the truth as is absolutely necessary to saluation But that is vniuersally or generally taught which is the common doctrine of ordinary teachers howsoeuer some one or two here and there may be of a contrarie opinion How farre the Scribes and Pharisies were to be heard it appeared before where this place was alledged and answered Surely he that charged his Disciples to take heede of the leauen of the Pharisies and called them fooles and blinde would neuer commaund them to take their doctrine for the rule of truth Neither could Saint Paule meane that euerie man should be accursed who taught at any time otherwise then men commonly beleeued he speaketh not a word of any common consent in teaching and he knew that there was to be a generall Apostacy but his meaning was that they should hold him for accursed that deliuered any other doctrine of saluation how generally so euer it were taught then that which he himselfe had preached to thē But of this also before I hope you are not so mad as to imagine that any man will beleeue that Saint Austin so many hundred yeares ago prophesied that your Pastors and Doctors should from time to time teach nothing else generally but that which had in his daies descended from hand to hand from Christ and his Apostles Or do you thinke it would prooue a good reason to say Austin affirmeth that Ambrose and other learned men who liued in the first 400. yeares held that which they found in the Church and taught that which they had learned Therefore it cannot be that since his time other men haue preached or written otherwise But be like this place was alledged by you rather for ornament and shew then for proofe or vse and so let it passe Though there were no other reason to make vs mislike your Church yet this were cause enough of doubt that the foundation whereon you build it in this Treatise and the like is so weake and vncertaine We must beleeue you because you are the Church Who saith so Your selues But you will prooue it by Scripture How shall I know that you bring to be Scripture The Church telleth you so Shall I laugh at you or pitie you You are the Church because the Scripture saith so The Scripture is Scripture to vs because you say so Were the Galathians so senslesse as they that beleeue such absurd fooleries Or is it possible that any