apparel For as the man is such is his talk such is his cloathing therefore the rayment doeth note of what conuersation the priests ought to be Whereuppon it commeth that in the Scriptures wee are bidden to put on other cloathing whē the meaning of the holy Ghoste is that wee should chaunge our wicked conuersation so that the very garmentes doe partly instruct the priests what they haue to doe and what is seemely for them But nowe the time and course of this treatise inuiteth mée to speake somewhat of the priests office Their office did consist in many thinges but especially in teaching instructing For the chiefe cause whie the priestes were ordeyned of God was to instruct the Church in true pietie and to teach the people the lawe of god For thus wée read that the Lord did say vnto Aaron Thou thy sonnes that are with thee shall drincke neither wine nor stronge drinke when ye enter into the tabernacle of wittnesse least happily ye die Let it be an euerlasting ordinaunce among your posterities that ye may put disferēce both betwixt holie vnholie betwixt cleane and vncleane that ye may teach the sonnes of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken vnto them by the ministerie of Moses Leuit. 10. The same lawe doth Ezechiel in as many wordes almost rehearse in the 44. Chapiter of his Prophecie And Malachie declareth it also as it is to be seeae in the second of his Prophecie They therefore are vtterly deceyued which thincke that the Leuiticall priestes were appointed onely for to kill the sacrifices Moreouer the lord doth euery where in his lawes minister matter for the Leuitical priesies to instruct his people in and that matter was not the heathenish Philosophie the edicts of kinges or decrees of Senatours but the very woord of God deliuered to them by God himselfe And that this doctrine might be the more conunodiously vttered to the people the priestes appointed certaine holy dayes wherein the people should assemble together to heare them preach the word of God. The next point of their duetie after teaching was to blesse the people That blessing was not free for euerie priest to vse as hee listed but was bounde to a certaine forme of words very solemnly vttered which is thus expressed in the 6. of Numbers And the Lord spake vnto Moses saying Speake vnto Aaron his sonnes saying On this wise ye shall blesse the children of Israel and say vnto them The Lord blesse thee keepe thee The Lord shewe his face vnto thee and be merciful vnto thee the Lord lift vp his countenance vppon thee and giue thee peace This manner of blessing did they vse vndoubtedly in their holy assemblies esspecially at the breaking vpp of the congregation when the people did depart In an other place it is said that God did blesse but here that Aaron and his sonnes did blesie the people whereuppon wée haue to note that God doth woorke inwardly and performe in the faithful what soeuer the priestes in that forme of blessing did wishe vnto the people so that still to blesse is the onely and proper worke of God alone And therfore verie significantly after that solemne blessing vttered by the mouth of the priest God doth add And they shall call or put my name ouer or vpon the children of Israel and I will blesse them The priestes therefore do lay before the people the name of the Lord they commend vnto them the mightie power of his Godhead and shew them that all goodnesse doeth flowe from God teaching them how they may obteyne it through faith in Christ who is the blessed séed that blesseth al that call vppon his name Nowe in this solemne blessing sixe principal points are chiefly conteyned First the priest sayth The Lord blesse thee That is The Lord bestowe vpon thée whatsoeuer belongeth to the safetie of thy bodie and soule Secondarily he saith The Lord keepe thee For it is not sufficient to receiue good thinges at the hand of the Lord vnlesse they bée preserued by his power and not taken from vs by his wrathfull indignation nor lost againe by oure owne negligence Thirdly hee sayth The Lord shew thee his face or The Lord make his face shine vppon thee The Lord doth thē shew vs his louing face when after his anger hee sheweth vs his fauour and doth become good and gratious to vs And therefore in the fourth clause doeth followe a more plaine exposition where the priest sayth The Lord bee mercifull vnto thee as if hee should haue said The Lord be alwayes gentle and fauourable vnto thée in all that thou goest about either in words or déeds The fift blessing is The Lord liftvpp his countenaunce vppon thee Now the Lord lifteth vpp his countenaunce when he looketh vppon vs when hée watcheth ouer vs and doth direct and guide our wayes The last desire is Peace which is taken for the saluation and chiefe goodnesse that happeneth to mankinde although in an other sense it is put for the contrarie to warre or battel and the peace of the conscience is no smal felicitie to mortall men These were the good things that the priestes did wish to light vppon the people teaching them withal to beséech the Lord for those blessings with ardent prayers carnest supplications Euen till this day there doe remaine the Psalmes that the priestes did make for the peoples sake to singe For after that Dauid had brought musick into the temple then did the playing vppon musical instrumentes with swéete melodie and singing of Psalmes beginne to be taken for an office among the priests Touching this musicke vsed in the temple the first booke of Chronicles speaketh very much where it treateth of Dauid and his dealinges how he distributed the singers into 24. orders and that by course Moreouer the priestes were commaunded to minister the Sacraments and to sacrifice For they did circumcise the infants their office was to see the Passeouer eaten and to offer sacrifices of sundrie sorts vnto the Lord of which I will speake hereafter in place cōuenient And that they might more commodiously offer their sacrifices Dauid by the inspiration of the holy ghost diuided the two families of Eleazar and Ithamar into 24. orders For they did minister by course as is to be séen in the 24. Chapiter of the first of Chronicles All the while that their turne to minister did laste the priestes remayned still within and neuer did set a foote out of the temple For there were houses builded within the temple for the priests to dwell in when their lot did come to serue the Lord they neuer went vnto their owne houses vntill their course were expired and their time to minister were fully finished The priestes also did kéepe the holy vessells and make them cleane they kept the candels burning the holy fire that it should not goe out to be short they had the charge of all thinges which
167 5 Adam begat a sonne in his owne similitude c. 500 6 I will destroy all flesh wherein there is breath of life c. 715 8 I will set my raine-bowe in the cloudes that when I sée it I may remember c. 957 9 The eating of beastes or anye thinge that liueth and moueth is graunted c. 385 9 The Lord rayned vpon Sodom and Gomor brimston and fire c. 633 9 Whatsoeuer maÌ„ it be of the house of Israel or of the strangers c. 385 12 Pharao the king of Aegypt coÌ„maunded Sara Abrahams wife to be taken and caried to his palace c 231 14 Giue mée the soules and take the substance or goods to thy self c. 755 16 And she called the name of the Lord which spake vnto her Thou God lookest on me c. 743 16. Hast thée to Zoar and saue thee selfe there for I can do nothing c. 640 17 I will make my couenaunt betwéene mée and thée and thy séed after thée in their generations c. 1051 17 The vncircumcised man child in whose flesh the foreskinne is not circumcised that soule shal be cut off from his people c. 1041. 1046 18 Abraham sawe thrée but with them thrée he talked as with one worshipped one c. 633 18 Wilt thou destroy the iust with the wicked That be farre from thee c. 520 18 And shal I hide from Abraham what I minde to do c. 3 20 Loe thou shalt die because of the womaÌ„ which thou hast taken away c. 232 22 In thy séede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed c. 545 645. 687. 22 God tempted Abraham c. 485 30 Giue me children or else I die c. 658 30 Am I in Gods stéede whiche hath denied thée or withholden froÌ„ thée the fruite of the wombe c. 658 33 And hée going before them bowed himselfe seuen times to the ground c. 649 34 Sichem defiled Dina the daughter of Iacob c. 235 39 Ioseph beeing prouoked to adulterie by his maisters wife c. 232 44 Ye wil bring my gray haires with sorrow to hell or the graue c. 65 48 Leâ— my name be called vppon them c. 655 ¶ Out of Exodus 3 THus shalt thou saye to the childreÌ„ of Israel The Lord God of our fathers the God of Abraham c. 612 3 And Moses said to God Behold when I come vnto the childreÌ„ of Israel to whom thou doest nowe send me and shal say vnto them c. 608 4 Euery manchild whose foresain shall not be circumcised shal be cutt off c. 1029 4 And GOD hardened Pharaos heart c. 493 4 A bloudie husband art thou vnto mée c. 1044 6 I am Iehouah And I appeared to Abraham Isaac Iacob as God Schaddai but in my name Iehouah I was not knowen vnto them c. 611 9 I haue now sinned the Lord is iust but I and my people c. 493 12 When your children shall saye vnto you what meaneth this worship c. 160. 364 13 Sanctifie to mée al the first borne c. 160 17 Whosoeuer sacrificeth to any God c. 200 18 Looke ouer all the people consider them diligently and choose c. 175. 389. 894 19 Talke thou with vs wée will heare but let not God talke c. 870 19 Moses the holy seruant of God is commaunded to sanctifie the people c. 19 19 Sett boundes vnto the people round about the mounteine and say vnto them Take héed to your selues c. 606 20 Thou shalt not bow down nor worship them c. 650 21 Hee that curseth father or mother c. 153 21 The punishment of that kinde of thefte whiche the Lawyers call Plagium 272. 278 22 Thou shalt not haue to do with a false report c. 390 22 If any man shall giue to his neighbour a beast to kéepe c. 131 22 Restitution is flatly commanded of the Lord in the Law c. 280 22 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to liue c. 197 22 Thou shalt not afflicte the widowes nor fatherlesse children c. 158. 509. 23 Thou shalt not followe a multinide to do euill c. 194 23 Thrice in the yeare shall euery male appeare before the Lord c. 352 30 Whosoeuer shall make for him selfe a composicion or perfume of incense to smell therew c. 658 31 Ye shall kéepe my Sabbâ—â—hes because it is a signe c. 144 32 And Moses said vnto the Leuites Consecrate your handes c. 331. 33 Thou canst not sée my face For no man shall see mée and liue c. 607 616. 34. Behold I will send mine Angel before thee to kéepe thee in the way c. 741 ¶ Out of Leuiticus The chiefest Chapiters of Leuiticus are expounded in the Sermon of the Ceremoniall Lawes 6 CHarge giuen to the priests to kéepe the holy fire alwayes burning c. 368 7 Touching vowed sacrifices or sacrifices offered by couenaunt c. 379 10. Thou and thy sonnes that are with thee shall drincke neither wine nor c. 336 10 The sonnes of Aaron burnt scorâ—â—hâ— vpp with fire from heauen for offering straunge fire c 962 11 Of the cleane and vncleane creatures c. 382 12 13. 14 15. 16. Touching cleansing sacrifices for bodily deâ—ilinges 373. 13 The priestes did iudge betwixt cause and cause and betweene cleane and vncleane c. 338 17 Whosoeuer of the house of Israel shall kill an oâ—e or a sheepe c. 344. 3. 7. 17. 19. The eating of bloud and strangled is forbidden c. 385 18 The abhominable sinne of Sodomie medling with beastes also is plainely forbidden c. 236 19 Ye shall doe no vnrighteousnes in Iudgement c. 194 19 Ye shall not steale ye shall not lye no man shall deale c. 273 19. Ye shall do no vnrighteousnes in iudgement true balances true weightes c. 270 20 Of the punishment of adulterie 236 20 Of the punishment of incest 236 20 A lawe against Sodomie 236 20 The soule that worketh with a spirite or that is a Southsayer shal die c. 755 22 Let no deformitie be in the thing that thou shalt offer c. 368 24 Of the punishment of such as blasphemed Gods name c. 129 26 I wil smite you for your sinns seuen times c. 936 27 Of vowes c. 380 ¶ Out of Numerie 3 ANd thou shalt giue the Leuites vnto Aaron to his sonnes c. 232 3 The Leuits shall kepe all the instruments of the tabernacle c. 338 6 And the Lord spake vnto Moses saying speake vnto Aaron and his sonnes saying On this wise ye shal blesse the children c. 336 6 Touching the discipline of the Nazarites c. 380 10 The trumpets wherewith the congregation was called together were in the Leuites hands c. 338 11 Gather vnto me threescore and tenne men of the elders of Israel
of the holy Ghost which is in you c. 717. 861 6 Ye are washed ye are sanctified ye are iustified in the name of the Lord c. 989 7 Sorrow which is to Godward causeth repentaunce vnto saluation c. 565. 593 7 Let euery man walke according as he is called And so ordeine I in all Churches c. 441 7 He that is called a bondman in the Lord is the Lords freeman Likewise he c. 441 7 To auoyd whoredome let euery man haue his owne wife and euery womaÌ„ her own husband 226. 1132 7 Let the husband giue to the wife due beneâ—olence likewise also the wife to the husband c. 226 7 The vnbeléeuing husband is sanctified by the wife and the vnbeléeuing wife â–ª c. 497 8 Knowledge puffeth vpp but loue edifyeth c. 846 8 There is none other God but one And though there bee that are called Gods whether c. 624 8 Meate commendeth vs not to God For neither if we eate c 244 9 Haue we not power and authoritie to eate and drincke or may wée not carrie about with vs a woman sister c. 1121. 1132 9 Who doeth goe to warre at his owne costes and charges Or who pâ—anteth a vineâ—ard c. 1121 9 Doe I speake these thinges according to man doeth not the scriptur also say the same c. 1121 9 Doeth GOD care for oâ—en or doeth he not speake it altogether for our sakes c. 1121 9 If others be partakers of the power towards you why rather are not we c. 1122 9 Knowe ye not that they whiche take paines in the holy thinges doe eate of the holy thinges c. 1122 9 If wee sowe vnto you spirituall thinges is it a great matter if wée reape your carnall things c. 1120. 1122. 10 Flée fornication c. 234 10 I would not brethren that ye should be ignorant that our fathers c. 435. 982 10 The rocke was Christe c. 861 862 10 God is faithfull and will not suffer his to be tempted c. 174. 310 480 10 Though wee be many yet are we one bread and one body for c. 822 10 Are not they whiche eate of the sacrifice â–ª partakers of the altar c. 329 10 Flée from idolatrie I speake as vnto them that haue vnderstanding iudge ye what I say c. 1022 10 God doeth not suffer vs to bee tempted aboue that we are able to beare c. 754 11 When we are iudged wée are chastened of the Lord that we should not c. 308 11 So often as ye shal eate of this bread and drinke of this cup declare the Lords death tâ—l he come c. 1106 11 Be ye the followers of me euen as I am of Christ c. 828 11 I receuied that of the Lord which I haue also deliuered vnto you c. 963. 1061 11 For this cause many are weake and feeble amonge you and many sleepe c. 1109 11 Whoso eateth and drinketh vnworthily eateth and drincketh his owne damnation c. 1026 1108 11 Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that bread drinke of that cup. 1007. 1109. 1030 12 As the bodie is one and hath many members and all the members of the body c. 1021 12 There are diuersities of giftes but it is the selfe same spirite c. 716 12 Through one spirite we are all baptised in one body c. 822. 1062 12 And all these thinges worketh euen one and the selfe same spirite distributing c. 717 13 The grace of oure Lord Iesus Christ and the loue of God and the fellowship of the holy ghost be with you all c. 716 13 Loue suffereth wronge and is curteous Loue enuyeth not c. 98 13 If I haue all faith so that I can remoue mounteines out of their places c. 46â— 14 Let the Prophetes speake two or three at once let the other iudge c 839 14 If I pray in a straunge tongue my spirite or voice prayeth but my c. 714. 931 14 I will pray with the spirite and will pray with the vnderstanding c. 925. 933 14 If therefore when the whole church is come together in one and all speake c. 916 15 Loe I tell you a mysterie wée shall not all verily sléepe c. 86 15 S. Paule confesseth that he persecuted the Church or congregation of God c. 812 15 Flesh and bloud cannot inherite the kingdome of GOD c. 27. 89 15 If the dead doe not rise neither is Christ risen But Christ is risen being the first frâ—â—tes of them that sléepe c. 1091 15 It is sowen in corruption it riseth in incorruption it is sowen c 88 15 Of the resurrection of Christe from the dead c. 68 ¶ Out of the second Epistle of S. Paule to the Corinthians 1 IT is God which hath annoinâ—ed vs whiche hath also sealed vs and hath giuen the earnest of the spirite in our heartes c. 726. 1016 3 Paule calleth the Lawe the letter the ministration of death c. 402 3 Ye are the epistle of Christ ministred by vs written not with incke c. 874 3 The Lord hath made vs able ministers of the newe testament c. 715 4 Wee which liue are alwayes deliuered to death for Iesus sake c. 86 4 Wée haue this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellencie of the power c. 293 4 We preache not oure selues but Iesus Christe the Lord and our selues your c. 874 4 Wée are troubled on euery side yet are we not without shift c. 311 5 Thogh we haue knowen Christ after the flesh nowe yet henceforth know we him no more c. 689 6 There is no agreement betwéene Christ and Belial c. 817. 859. 1103. 6 So we as workers together beséech you that ye receiue not the grace of God in vaine c. 646 6 Wherfore come out from among them and separate your selues saith the Lord c. 859 11 But I feare least it come to passe that euen as the serpent c. 868 11 If any other be the ministers of Christe I am more in labours more c. 3â—4 11 I haue coupled you to one man to present you a chasâ—e virgin c. 868 11 I haue robbed other Churches hauing receiued wages of them to the incent I might do you seruice c 1122. 12 Least I should be exalted out of measure through the aboundance of reuelations there was giuen vnto me a pricke to the â—lesh c. 753 ¶ Out of the Epistle of S. Paule to the Galathians 1 PAule though taken vp into the third heauen c. is referred ouer vnto a man c. 871 1 When it pleased GOD that I should preach his sonne amonge the Gentiles c. 427 1 I mâ—ruaile that yee are so some turned froÌ„ Christ whiche called you by grace c. 423 1 Thoughe wée or an angel from heauen
and the abhominable and murtherers c. 655 22 And after I had heard and séene I fell downe to worship c. 653 22 Sée thou do it not for I am thy fellow seruaunt c. 743. 842. 890 The third and last table conteyning a short summe of such words or names and matters as are mentioned in this booke A. AAron a type or figure of Christ 332 Aaron his rod. 332 Abraham how he is iustified 3. 387. 554 Abia beléeuinge the ward of the Lord ouercommeth 5000000. men of theâ—ribe of Israel 253 Abigei what they are 279 Abrogation of the Lawe 409 Abrogation of the Iudiciall lawes 427 Abortion what it is 443 Abuse of Christian libertie 449 Alsolom 523 Abuse of the Church goods 1128 Achaz 254 AccusatioÌ„s false and wrongfull 320 Accusations that be iust 322 Actuall sinne and the cause thereof 505 Adam and â—ethusalem 649 Adoration 651 Adamonition before punishmeÌ„t 202 Adulterie spoken against 231 Adulterie and fornication 863 Adulcerie pardoned by Christ 234 Adulterie what things are in it forbidden 234 Arian heretiques condemned 775 Affinitie that the word of God hath with sacraments 291. 892 Afflictions 292 293. 298 299. 307. 310. 311. 312. 313 316. Altar 348 Altar or table of the Lord. 1070 Allthinges of God by God and in God. 494 Amasias 254 Ammon the king rebelling against the word of God after two yeares infortunate reigne was murthered of his owne household servaunts 255 Ambition worketh by priuate gifts 278 Anabaptistes and Nouations the me 〈◊〉 of Sathan 569 Angel and Angels 732. 733. 734. 735. c. vsque 745. Anthropomoâ—phites 118. 613 Antiochus Epiphanes 511 Anthemius 892 Annoynting or annoyling 1136 Apostles of Christ 11 Apostles how they bynde and loose 902 Apostles what they be 877 Apostles bâ—ptise infants 1055 Apostles authoritie very great 12 Apostles Créede 55 Apostles receiue wages 1121 Application of scripture necessarie 903 Appeale 392 Appearing of spirits 392 Article of the Christian faith 55 2 Article 59 3 Article 60 4 Article 63 5 Article 67 6 Article 69 7 Article 74 8 Article 78 9 Article 78 10 Article 81 11 Arâ—icle 84 12 Article 90 Aristocracie 169 Arcke 345. 346. 996. Assemblie 1064 Assemblies that be holy 915. 916 Ascension of Christ 69 Asturia 235 Asa 253 Ascend into heauen 1088 Auncient lawes 387 Authoritie of the Apostles very great 12 Authoritie of fathers 393 Auengment taken by the magistrate 196 Augustines opinion of the righte hand of the father 73 Augustines diuision of signes 955 Augustines sentence touching merites of Saintes 494 Auricular confession 577. 578 581 Authoritie of pastours 912 Authour of Sacraments God himselfe 962 Auncient exposition of the words of the Supper This is my bodie 1086 B. Backbiting pernicions 323 Bargaining buying selling 287 Baptisme 989. 1005. 1013. 1027. 1031. 1033. 1050. 1055. 1060. 1061. 1062. Baptising with water vnconsecrated 1039. 1040. Baptiser 1042 Baptised 824. 1055. 1060 Baâ—lards 395 Baâ—des and Curtisans haue benefices at Rome 900 Belongeth to vs to knowe what was written to theÌ„ in old time 15 Beléeue in the sonne of God. 59 Beléefe of oures the second Article thereof 58 Beléefe in the church forbidden 78 Bed in wedlocke ought to be vndefiled 226 Benâ—fits of God are to be acknowledged 952 Beginning of sinne against the holy Ghost 517 Beginning of the ministerie from whome and the worthines thereof 875 Behauiour of the godly in their calamities 300 Bearing witnesse 319 Birth of Christ 63 Bishops 878. 905. Blaspemie 516. 517 Blessing and thankesgiuing 977 Bloud and strangled forbidden by the apostles 421 Body of Christ 689 Body glorious 87. 88 Body naturall body spirituall 89 Bodies of the wicked rise againe 89 Bonauentures opinion of grace 1003 Bondage 395. 441. 442 Both kindes in the supper giuen receiued 1066 Bow downe to images what it is 122 Bread among the Hebrues what it signifyeth 947 Bread and wine remaine in their substance after consecration 984 Bread and wine are so called after consecration 985 Breaking of bread 1063 Buriall of Christ 65 Buying and selling c. 394 C. Catalogue of the bookes of the diuine Scripture 12 Cause of Christes incarnation 60 Calling to the ministerie 891. 893 Cathechising 907. Calamities 291. 293 Candlesticke golden 347 Carnall and fleshly people 404 Cure of the bodie 448 Cauills of those that attribute iustification to workes 458 Cause of sinne and euill 483 Catholique church what it is 79. 813 Carnall bondage and seruile 991 Carthage counsell for examining of bishops 895 Celebration of the supper c. 1072 Ceremonies 229. 328 329. 330. 364. 413. 415. 424. 1033. 1034. Confession of true religion 366 Charitie 92. 98 Christe as yet executeth all the dueties of a priest in the church 872 Christ what hee receynâ—th to himselfe from his ministerie and apostles 872 Christ is the naturall sonne of God 883 Christ reâ—eyneth both natures vnconfounded together 691 Christ in one person remayneth vndiuided 694 Christ is king of all 698 Christ is a Monarch 698 Christ is cotent to debate with Pilate of his kingdome 700 Christ called the onely sonne 59 Christ how he reigneth on earth in his kingdome 700 Christ Iesus the highe prest 704 Christ is annointed but with inuisible oile 705 Christ doth the office of a priest that is teacheth maketh intercession blesseth sacrificeth and sancrifieth 705 Christe his priesthood 706 Christians are kinges and priesis 709 Christ compared with Adam 49 Christ died not in vaine 50 Christ by interpretation annoynted 60 Christ is our Lord. 60 Christs conception and the maner thereof 62 Christes conception pure 63 Christ suffered vnder Pontius Pilate 64 Christ a Judge 74 Christ conueyeth himselfe awaye when the people would haue made him a king 218 Christians haue nothing to doe with the yron like Philosophie of the Stoikes 301 Christ coÌ„mandeth vs to beare his crosse 309 Christ and Paule examples to vs. 314 Christ is the rock not Christ signifieth the rocke 991 Christ the first begotten 331 Christ and his Apostles institute scholes 1115 Christ hath taken all burthens froÌ„ our shoulders 437 Christ fulfilled the lawe and is the perfectnes of the faithful 407 Christ alone is our life and saluation 543 Christ doeth fully worke our saluation 544 Christ is receiued by faith and not by workes 548 Christ how he preached the Gospel 548. 661. 862. Church Churches and CoÌ„gregation c. 667. 812. 813. 815. 816. 820. 821. 827. 831. 832. 833. 852. 860. 861. 863. 864. 866. 867. 868. 1118 1127 Circumcision 355. 357. 358. 359. 360. 361. Citie and temple of Hierusalem destroyed 413 Clearkes what they were sometime 883 CoÌ„municating of properties 696 Counsell of the priestes forsaken by king Ioas what followed 254 Conscience at quiet peace before God is the worke of the holy ghost 723. Constancie of the Apostles 723 Consecrating of pastours begun with fasting and prayer 897 Concupiscence 108. 949 Consubstantiall and coessentiall 59 Communion of sainctes 80 Confession and acknowledging of sinnes 81
God is reuealed in what manner it is to be hearde and what the force thereof is or the effect Our God is the God of all men and nations who according to the saying of the Apostle woulde haue all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the trueth and therfore hath he for the benefite life and saluation of all men reuealed his worde that so in déede there might be a rule and certaine waye to leade men by the pathe of iustice into life euerlasting God verily in the olde time did shewe him selfe to the Israelites his holy and peculiar people more familiarly then to other nations as the Prophete sayth To Iacob hath he declared his statutes and his iudgementes to Israel he hath not dealt so with any nation neyther hath he shewed them his iudgementes and yet he hath not altogether bene carelesse of the Gentiles For as to the Niniuites he sent Ionas so Esaias Ieremias Daniell and the other Prophetes bestowed muche labour in teaching and admonishing the Gentiles And those moste auncient Fathers Noe Abraham and the rest did not onely instruct the Iewish people which descended of them but taught their other sonnes also the iudgementes of god Our Lorde Iesus Christe verily laying open the whole world before his disciples sayd Teach all nations Preache the Gospell to all creatures And when as Sainte Peter did not yet fully vnderstande that the Gentiles also did appertaine to the fellowship of the Churche of Christe and that to the Gentiles also did belong the preaching of the glad tydings of saluation purchased by Christe for the faythfull the Lord doth instruct him by a heauenly vision by speaking to him out of heauen and by the message which came from Cornelius as you knowe dearely beloued by the hystorie of the Actes of the Apostles Let vs therfore thinke my brethren that the worde of God and the holy Scriptures are reuealed to all men to all ages kindes degrées and states throughout the worlde For the Apostle Paule also confirming the same sayth Whatsoeuer things are written are written for our learning that through patience and comfort of the Scriptures we may haue hope Let none of vs therefore hereafter say what néede I to care what is written to the Iewes in the olde Testament or what the apostles haue written to the Romanes to the Corinthians and to other nations I am a Christian The Prophets to the men of their time and the Apostles to those that liued in the same age with them did both preach and write For if we thinke vprightly of the matter we shall sée that the Scriptures of the olde and newe Testamentes ought therefore to be receiued of vs euen bicause we are Christians For Christ our Sauiour and maister did referre vs to the written bookes of Moses and the Prophets Saint Paule the very elect instrument of Christ doth apply to vs the Sacramentes and examples of the olde Fathers that is to say Circumcision in baptisme Coloss 2. and the Paschall lambe in the Supper or Sacrament 1. Cor. 5. In the tenth Chapter of the same Epistle he applyeth sundry examples of the Fathers to vs And in the fourth to the Romans where he reasoneth of fayth whiche iustifieth without the helpe of works and the lawe he bringeth in the example of Abraham And therewithall addeth Neuerthelesse it is not written for Abraham alone that fayth was reckoned vnto him for righteousnesse but also for vs to whome it shal be reckoned if we beleeue c. By that meanes say some we shal againe be wrapped in the lawe we shall be inforced to be circumcised to sacrifice fleshe and bloud of beastes to admit againe the priesthood of Aaron together with the temple and the other ceremonies There shall againe be allowed the byll of diuorcement or putting away of a mans wife together with sufferaunce to marrie many wiues To these I aunswere that in the olde Testament we muste consider that some thinges there are whiche are for euer to be obserued and some thinges whiche are ceremoniall and suffered onely till time of amendement That time of amendment is the time of Christe who fulfilled the lawe and tooke awaye the curse of the lawe The same Christe chaunged Circumcision into Baptisme He with his owne only sacrifice made an end of all sacrifices so that nowe in steade of all sacrifices there is lefte to vs that onely sacrifice of Christe wherein also we learne to offer our own very bodies and prayers together with good déedes as spirituall sacrifices vnto god Christ changed the Priesthood of Aaron for his owne and the Priesthoode of al Christians The Temple of God are we in whom god by his spirit doth dwell All ceremonies did Christ make voide who also in the nineteene of Mathewe did abrogate the bill of diuorcement together with the marriage of many wiues But althoughe these Ceremonies and some externall actions were abrogated and cleane taken away by Christ that we should not be bound vnto them yet notwithstanding the Scripture whiche was published touching them was not taken awaye or else made voide by Christ For there must for euer be in the Churche of Christ a certaine testimoniall wherby we may learne what manner of worshippings and figures of Christ they of the olde time had Those worshippiÌ„gs figures of Christ must we at this day interprete to the Churche spiritually and out of them we muste no lesse then out of the writinges of the newe Testament preach Christ forgiuenes of sinnes and repentance So then to all Christians are the writinges of the olde Testament giuen by God in like manner as the Apostles writ to all Churches those thinges which bore the name or title of some particular Congregations And to this end is the woord of God reuealed to men that it may teache them what and what maÌ„ner one God is towardes men that he would haue them to be saued aâ—d that by faithe in Christ what Christ is and by what meanes saluation commeth what becommeth the true worshipers of God what they ought to flie and what to ensue Neither is it sufficient to know the wil of God vnlesse we do the same and be saued And for that cause sayde Moses Heare Israell the statutes and iudgements whiche I teache you that ye may doe them and liue And the Lorde in the Gospell confirming the same cryeth Blessed are they whiche heare the worde of God and keepe it And here is to be praysed the excéeding great goodnesse of God whiche would haue nothing hid froÌ„ vs whiche maketh any whit to liue rightly well and holily The wise and learned of this world doe for the most part beare enuy or grudge that other shoulde attaine vnto the true wisedome But our Lorde doth gently and of his own accorde offer to vs the whole knowledge of heauenly things and is desirous that we goe forward therein yea and that more is he doth further our
S. Mathew instructinge Ioseph sayth Mary shall bring forth a sonne and thou shalt call his name Iesus For hee shall saue his people from their sinnes So then this sonne of God Iesus is the sauiour of the worlde who forgiueth sinnes and setteth vs free from al the power of our aduersary the deuil Which verily he could not do vnlesse he were very god Hee is also called Christ which is all one as if you saye Annoynted The Iewes cal him Messias Which word is a title proper to a kingdome or priesthoode For they of olde were wonte to annointe their kinges priestes they were annoynted wyth external or figuratiue oyntment or Oyle But very Christ was annoynted with the very true oyntement that is wyth the fulnes of the holy ghoste as is to be seene in the firste third Chapters after S. Iohn Moste properly therfore is this name Christ attributed to our lord For first he is both kinge and prieste of the people of god Then the holy Ghost is powred fully by all meanes and abundantlye into Iesus from whom as it were by a liuely fountayne it floweth into all the members of Christ For this is that Aaron vppon whose heade the Oyle was powred which ranne downe to his bearde and the nethermost skirts of his garment For of his fulnes we haue all receyued The last thinge that is to be noted now in this secōd Article is the we cal the sonne of God our lord The sonne of God verily is for two causes properly called our lord First in respect of the mysterie of our redēption For Christ is the Lord of all the electe whom hee hath deliuered from the power and dominion of Satan sinne and death and hath made them a people of his owne getting for himselfe This similitude is taken of Lordes which wyth theyr monye buy slaues for theyr vse or els which in warres reserue captiues whō they myght haue slaine or which deliuer men condemned from present death So then by this Lords are as it were deliuerers redéemers or sauiours Hereunto verily alludeth Paul where he sayth Ye are bought with a price become not therefore the seruauntes of men And S. Peter saith Ye are redeemed not vvith golde and siluer but with the precious bloud of the vnspotted Lambe Moreouer Christe is called Lord in respect of his Diuine power and nature by which all things are in subiectiō to the sonne of god And for because this word Lord is of a very ample signification as that which conteyneth both the diuine nature and maiestly wee see that the Apostles in theyr writinges vse it very willingly Paule to the Corinthians sayth Although there be many Lords yet haue we but one Lord Iesus Christ by whom all thinges are wee by him Now the third Article of Christian fayth is this Which vvas conceiued by the holie Ghost borne of the Virgin Marie In the seconde article wee haue confessed that wee beleeue in Iesus Christe the sonne of God oure Lorde wherein wee haue as it were in a shadow confessed that wée beléeue assuredly that God the father hath for vs our Saluation giuen to the world his sonne to be a Sauiour and redéemer For hitherto belōg those names Iesus and Lord. Now therefore in this thirde Article I haue to declare the maner and order how he came into the world to wit by Incarnation This article contayneth two things The Conception of Christe and his Natiuity Of both which I will orderly speake after that I haue brieflye declared vnto you the causes of the Lord his Incarnation Men were in a miserable takinge and all mankinde should vtterly haue perished for sinne which wée haue all drawne from the first mā Adam For the reward of sinne is death And for that cause wée that were to be caste into hell could not enter into heauen vnlesse the sonne of God had descēded vnto vs and becomming God with vs had with himself drawne vs into heauen Therefore the chiefe cause of his incarnation is to be a mediatour betwixte God and men and by intercession to ioyne or bring into one thē that were seuered For where a mediatour is there also must needes bée discord and parties The parties are God and men The cause of this discord is sinne Nowe the office of the Mediatour is to bring to agréemente the parties disagréeing which verilye cannot be done vnlesse that sinne the cause of this variaunce be takē cleane away But sinne is neyther clensed nor taken away except that bloud be shed and death do follow This witnesseth Paule in his 9. Chapter to the Hebrewes The mediatour oughte therefore to take on him our flesh and bloud that hée might both dye shead his bloud Furthermore it is needefull that this Aduocate or mediatour be indifferently common to both the parties whom he hath to reconcile wherfore our Lord Christ ought to be very God and very man If hée had béene God alone then should hée haue béene terrible to men and haue stoode them in litle stéede If hée had béen méere man then could hée not haue had accesse to God which is a consuming fyre wherfore our Lord Iesus Christ being both God and man was a fitte mediatour for both the parties Which thing the Apostle witnessing sayth One God and one mediatour of God and men the man Christ Iesus who gaue himselfe the price of redemption for all The same Apostle in the 2 and 9. Cap. to the Hebrewes speaketh many things belonging to this place And in the seconde Chapter rehearsinge an other cause of Christ his incarnatiō he saith It became him in althings to be made likevnto his bretheren that he might be merciful and a faithful high priest in thinges concerninge God for to purge the peoples sinnes For in that he himselfe was tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted An other cause wherfore our Lord was incarnate was that hée mighte instruct vs men in all Godlinesse and righteousnes finally that hée mighte be the light of the world and an ensample of holy lyfe For Paule sayth The grace of God that bringeth saluation hath appeared vnto vs teaching vs to renounce vngodlines and to liue holilie To conclude hée therfore became one wyth vs by the participation of nature that is to say it pleased him to be incarnate for this cause that hée might ioyne vs againe to God who for sinne were seperated from God receiue vs into the fellowship of himselfe and all other his goodnes beside The nexte is for vs to declare the manner of his incarnation This article of fayth standeth on two mēbers The first is He was conceiued by the holy ghoste Al wée men Christe excepted ace conceyued by the seede of man which of it selfe is vncleane and therefore wée are borne sinners and as Paule sayth Wee are borne the sonns of wrath But the body of Christ I saye our Lord was not conceiued in
Ghostes meaning is not to haue such an order of life obserued as these people do deuise but that euery man should gouerne well his owne house and familie relieue the brethrens necessitie according as his abilitie will suffer and beare To this end also do other places belong 1. Timothe 5. Titus 2. 1. Thessal 4. 2. Thessal 3. And when in all his Epistles almost he prescribeth to parents and children to housbands and wiues to maisters and seruauntes their office and dueties what doth he else but teach how to order our houses families thus much thus farre What may be saide of that more ouer that many wealthie men in the Gospell are reported to haue béene worshippers of God Ioseph of Arimathea which buried the Lord after hée was crucified is said to haue bene a wealthie man a disciple of Christ also The women were welthie which folowed the Lord from Galile and ministred to him and his disciples of their goods substance The gelded treasorer of Quéene Candace was a welthie man Tabitha of Ioppa whoÌ„ Peter raysed from death to life was rich and spent her substance fréely vppon poore and néedie people Lydia the seller of purple was wealthie too and innumerable more who were both godly and faithful people Wheras the Lord therefore did say to the younge man If thou wilt be perfect goe and sell that which thou hast and giue to the poore and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen and come and folowe mee that is no generall lawe or simple doctrine belonging to all men but is a demonstration onely to shew that the yonge man to whom he spake had not yet so perfectly fulfilled the lawe as he thought verily that he had dâ—n for hee thought hée had done all and that nothing was wanting For the younge man sett more by his goods then hée did by God and the voyce of Gods commaundement For he departed sadly and did not as the Lord had bidden him and thereby declared that hée had not yet fulfilled the lawe Moreouer wée may out of other places gather that the Lord did not casâ—e downe his disciples to miserie and beggarie Neither was Paul the Apostle ashamed to make lawes for riche men and to prescribe an order howe they ought to behaue themselues To them that be riche sayth he â–ª in this world giue charge that they bee not highe minded nor trust in vncertaine riches but in the lyuing God which giueth vs abundantly al thinges to enioy that they do good that they bee riche in good woorkes that they be ready to giue glad to distribute laying vp in stoare for them selues a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold vppon eternall life Hereunto belong the admonitions of our Sauiour who sayth Yee cannot serue God mammon at once Againe Riches are thornes that choake the seede of the word of God. And againe Verilie I say vnto you a riche man shal hardly enter into the kingdome of heauen It is easier for a Camel to goe throughe the eye of a needle than for a rich maÌ„ to enter into the kingdome of God. And as the mindes of wealthie men are not vtterly to be discouraged and driuen to desperation as thoughe it were impossible for them to be saued so are they to be admonished of the imminente perills least peraduenture they sléepe securely ouer their riches beeing seduced by Satan to abuse their wealthe when as in déede they ought rather to vse it after the rule of the Apostle which I did euen nowe recite The Gangresian Synode a verie auncient Counsell verily condemned them which taughte That faithfull riche men could haue no hope to bee saued by the Lord vnlesse they did renounce and forsake all the good that they did possesse S. Augustine enrolleth and reckoneth the Apostoliques in his Catologue or beadrowe of heretiques They taking arrogantly this name to themselues did not admitte into their companie any of them which vsed the fellowshipp of their owne wiues or had in 〈◊〉 any proper substaunce â–ª 〈…〉 they therfâ—â—e 〈…〉 because seperating themselues from the Church they thincke that they haue no hope to be saued which vse and enioy the things that they themselues lacke They are like vnto the Encratites and are called also by the name of Apotactites Touching riches they of themselues verily are not euill but the good giftes of God It is the abuse that makes them euil But for the vse of them I wil speake hereafter Here followeth nowe the treatise of the getting of wealth and riches which bée necessarie for the maintenance of our liues and families Touching the getting whereof there is a large discourse among our Lawyers For they say that goods are gotten by the lawe of Nations and by the peculiar lawe of euery particular countrie By the lawe of Nations as by Preuention in possession by captiuitie by finding by byrth by casting vp of water by chaunging the kinde by increase in bondage by mixture by building planting sowing tilling in a ground frée from possession and by deliuerie By the peculiar lawe of euery particular countrie as by continuaunce of possession by prescription by giuing by will by legacie by feoffment by succession by challenge by purchase of all which particularly to speake it would bée a labour too tedious and for you to heare dearely beloued litle profitable That therefore which wée are to saye wée will frame to the manners and customes of oure age and wée will vtter that which shall tend to our auaile Principally and before all thinges wee must close and shutt vpp an euill eye least wee bee carried away with too much concupiscence and desire The light of the body saith oure Sauiour Christe in the Gospell is the eye If therefore thine eye be single thine whoale body shal be lightened but if thine eye bee euill thy body shal bee all darcke The minde of man béeing indued with faith and not infected with concupiscences and naughtie lustes doth giue light to all thinges that hée shall take in hand goe about and doe but if his mind bée corrupt and vncleane then shall his déedes sauour also of corruption and vncleannesse Wherfore faith and an vpright conscience must subdue and beate downe too muche concupiscence and couetousnesse which take their originall and roote from distruste making vnholie and vncleane al the counsells of man all his thoughtes all his woordes and déedes And that wée may be able and of force sufficieÌ„t to captiuate bring them into subiection necessarie it is that the Grace of Christe assiste vs which euery godly minded man and woman doeth aske of God with godly and faithfull prayers Béehoofull it is that wée alwayes set before our eyes and haue déepely grauen in our heartes the doctrine of our Sauiour Christ touching these and the instruction also of his holie Apostles which is not so much but it may bée well borne away Wée will therefore rehearse vnto
should once set a foote out of doores vntil the next morning By which thing it is giuen vs to vnderstand that neither Christ nor our saluation is to bee found without the church in the sects or schismes of wicked heretikes Christe the Lambe of God doth gather al the faithful into one church wherin he kéepeth them lastly doth saue them Last of al this ceremonie did put gods people in mind of their duetie of thākfulnes especially of y studie of godlinesse harmelesse innocencie They therefore did giue thanks to God for these all other his benefites they praised his name and did vtterly absteine from all leauened bread For ye shal finde nothing so seuerely forbidden in this ceremonie as the eating of leauened bread Who soeuer eateth leauened bread saith the Lord his soule shall perishe from amonge the congregation of Israel whether he be a straunger or an Israelite borne The same saying is afterward often times repeated thoroughly beaten into their braines Nowe the Apostle Paule whose cunning and learning was much in the law of Moses expounding what was meant by the leauened bread doth say Therefore let vs keepe the feast not in the olde leauen nor in the leauen of malice and vnrighteousnesse but in vnleauened bread that is in sinceritie trueth Thus muche hitherto touching y eating of y Paschal lamb To these sacraments were also added sacrifices of sundrie sorts many kindes which were not first inuēted and taught by Moses but were taken vp and vsed immediately after the world was created For Caine Abel offered burnte sacrifices to God the maker of the world the one of the fruites of the earth and the other of the cattaile that was in his flock Like wise Seth Noah Sem Abraham Isaac and Iacob with al the other patriarches are knowne to haue sacrificed vnto the Lorde Nowe since the heathenish sacrifices of the Gentiles as the verie heathen writers them selues did testifie were partely like vnto and in many pointes all one with the Iewish sacrifices it is not vnlikely but that the graunde partriarchs of the Gentiles did teach euerie one his owne nation the manner of sacrificing which they had learned of their forefathers Sem Cham Iaphet and of the holie Patriarche Noah him selfe But it is vndoubtedly certein that the holy fathers did bring in nothing of their owne inuention nor adde any thinge to the sacrifices more then they had receiued learned of God who is the author of all goodnesse although Moses did more precisely distinguish certeinly order the sortes the kindes differences betwixt sacrifice and sacrifice And yet whatsoeuer he did that did hee at the Lords appointment God instructed Moses in all that he did For the booke of Leuiticus wherein are especially described all the kindes of sacrifices doth immediatly after the verie beginning testifie that Moses was called by God and that he learned of the Lord all the ceremonies of the sacrifices which he commaunded the Israelites to kéepe And in the 7 Chap. of y booke of Numb we read And when Moses came into the Tabernacle of appointment hee heard the voice of God speakinge vnto him out of the mercie seate Now as I was about to say there were diuers sacrifices sundrily differing in many pointes amōg thēselues yet hauing many thinges cōmon general one with another It was general to al sacrifices not to be offered in any other but one apointed place alone It was general to all sacrifices that they ought of duetie to be offered by faith according as they were taught by y word of god It was general to al sacrifices to be made according to the Lords cōmandement with holy fire not with strange fire or fire prophanely kindled Nadab Abihu the sonnes of Aaron were slaine for nothing else but for because they vsed prophane or strange fire in sacrificing to the lord For when the Israelites or Leuites did first of all sacrifice as the Lord had commaunded them in the tabernacle of appointmēt then did God by sending fire from heauen giue a token that he did like of that manner of sacrifice Whereupon in the sixte of Leuiticus the priestes are charged to mainteine or kéepe the holie fire alwayes burning first in the tabernacle and then in the temple whiche thinge it is manifest that the heathen did imitate in commaunding the vestall virgins at Rome alwayes to kéep the holie fire burning By this perpetual fire is meant the perpetual working of the holie Ghost in the church of Christe which must be kept quicke stirred vp in the heartes of the faithful with feruent prayers with the sincere doctrine of the Lorde with the right vse of his holie Sacraments It was also generall to all sacrifices that in them neither wilde nor vncleane beasts were offered to y lord Moreouer this generall rule of sacrifices is giuen by Moses in the 22. Chapter of Leuiticus saying Let no deformitie bee in the thinge that thou shalt offer If it be blinde or lame or maymed if it haue pusshes or scabbes or tettar ye shall not offer it vnto the Lorde neither shall ye put ought of it vpō his altar Verily if any man had brought a deformed oblation vnto the Lorde hee shewed him selfe plainly to be a contemner vtterly vnthankfull toward his maker And therefore the Lorde in Malachie cryeth out and saith When ye bring the blinde for sacrifice do ye not sinne and when ye bring the lame and sicke do ye not sinne Offer it nowe I praye thee to thy prince or capteine wil he be content with it or wil he accept thy person saith the Lorde of hostes And so I saye my name is in contempt of no estimation among you The iust and true God therefore doth at all times require trueth liberalitie sinceritie and integritie in them that worship him and on the other side he abhorreth and vtterly detesteth vncleanenesse lying and hypocrisie There are certeine other thinges also which be generally cōmon to all sorts of sacrifices but I will not at this time make particular rehersal of euery seuerall iott or minute But what peculiarities euery sundrie sacrifice hath it wil euidently appeare in the exposition of their sundrie sorts which I wil nowe speake of in order as they lye First of all I will expound to you that kinde of sacrifice which in the scripture is called Holocaustum That sacrifice was wholly consumed with fire so that nothing but the skin or hyde of the beast was leafte for the priest The woorde is deriued of the Gréeke For it is called Holocaustū as one should saye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is wholie burnt or consumed with fire This sacrifice was of thrée kindes I meane it was made after thrée sortes to wite with greater with little and with lesse liuing creatures namely with an Oxe a bullocke or a calfe or if any mannes abilitie were not sufficient
meate offerings we may place the drinke offeringes also For in those sacrifices wine was powred out vnto the Lord as is euident in y 29 of Erodus the 6 of Leuiticus and the 28 Chapter of the booke of Numbers Nowe Christe is oure wine oure drinke ioye vnto eternall life He powreth himselfe into the mindes of the godly that he maye fill them with ioye and liue in them and they in him And therfore did he consecrate in wine the memorie of his bloud that was shead for vs to the remission of oure sinnes With these meat offeringes may be ioyned the sacrifices of the first fruites of the firste begotten of the tenths Touching all which there is much to be read in diuerse places of the lawe as in the. 13. and. 23. of Exodus in the. 18. of Leuiticus and the. 18. of the booke of Numbers Nowe Christ is the firste begotten the first fruites of al the faithfull for whose worthines and merite we are all spared and by whom we being sanctified are made the sonnes and heirs of god To him as to our maker and redéemer we owe as tenthes our very soules and whatsoeuer else is deare vnto and good in vs. Moreouer it is a poynt of thanckfulnes franckly to bestowe vpon God parte of our earthly riches which we haue at his hands to the mainteinance of his true worship and the reliefe of all that be in pouertie The third kinde of sacrifice is that which is offered for sinne and is therfore called Hattah a cleansing or Ascham a sacrifice for sinne We in one woorde may call it a cleansing sacrifice For it was offered for sinne coÌ„mitted vnwittingly or by ignorance which by the degrées of the sinners were diuided into foure sortes as if the chiefe priest did sinne if the whole churche did sinne if the Prince did sinne or if some man of the meaner sorâ—e did sinne Or else they did offer it for sinne committed willingly or of a sett purpose beeing yet a meane or excusable sinne or else for a great and heynous crime which ignorance could by no meanes excuse The ceremonie vsed in this sacrifice is verie ample and large so that I meane not presently once to touche it It is most exquisitely set downe in the fourth fifte sixte and seuenth Chapter of Leuiticus Neither is it to be doubted but that Christe was layde before their eyes as well in that sacrifice as in all their other oblations For Christe is the ende of the lawe and the marke whereto theÌ„ ceremoniall lawes did tende And Esaie in the 53 Chapter of his prophecie sayeth Whereas he neuer did vnrighteousnesse nor any deceiptfulnesse was founde in his mouth yet hath it pleased the Lorde to smite him with infirmitie that when hee had made his soule an offering for sinne for here is put **** Ascham he might see seede and might prolong his dayes and that the aduice of the Lorde might prosper in his hand To this belongeth y who le disputation of the apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrues wherein hée sheweth that Christe is the true sacrifice for sinne that cleanseth all the church and the sinnes thereof In this ceremonie were shadowed the disposition of sinnes the passions of Christ and the power and strength of death Nowe these many and sundrie sacrifices appoynted for sinnes were kepte vncerteinly because they were wonte to be offered of them that sinned at that verie time when they did commit the sinne but the certaine â—he yearely and vniuersall sacrifice was that which is at large described in the 〈◊〉 of Louitiâ—us and may be referred in this place to the number of cleansing sacrifices For in the feast of attonement vppon the tenth day of the seuenth moneth euery yeare was solemnized the sacrifice of cleansing or attonement for all the sinnes vniuersally of all the people The manner of this generall sacrifice I will not ouer busily at this time describe since it is as clearely as the light sett downe in that place of Leuiticus which euen nowe I cited and since I in expounding the mysterie thereof do meane to shewe and make plaine so many shadowes in it as are néedefull to bee marked For I will saye somewhat touchinge the meaning and mysterie thereof In that moste pleasant glasse was figured the whole passion and effect of the passion of Iesus Christ our Lorde and Sauiour which by that sacrifice was euery yere layde before the eyes and renued to the mindes of all the faithfull church of god For this maner of representing our redemption saluation did please God by sacramentes rather then by pictures colours or by stage playes which are at this daye greatly set by althoughe scarce godly by no small number of trifeling and fantasticall heads Now marke that the high priest onely did all that was to be don in this solemne sacrifice saue onely that two ministers were ioyned vnto him the one to leade away the scape goate and the other to carrie out of the hoste the bullocke and hée goate that was to be offered Yea charge is verie precisely giuen that no man should ioyne him selfe to the high priest when hee entreth into the tabernacle and maketh an attonement for the sinnes of the people Let no man saith the Lorde be in the tabernacle of appointment when he goeth in to make sacrifice in the Sanctuarie vntil he do come out againe For no man must be ioyned to Christ in finishing the woorke of our saluation and redemption For he alone is the Sauiour hee alone hath trode the presse and he alone was crucified for vs The Patriarches prophets apostles martyrs and all other creatures are vtterly excluded from hauing any thankes for our redemption and saluation Christe alone remaineth the sauiour and redéemer of the worlde To attribute our saluation to creatures to oure owne workes and our owne merites is to admitt creatures with the high prieste into the tabernacle and to incurre the indignation that is the terrible curse of the almightie true and euerliuing god For by the Iewishe high prieste is prefigured to vs Christe our Sauiour who as the Apostle Paule saith hath a priesthood which by succession cannot goe from him to any other Nowe Aaron did take a bullocke for a sinne offeringe and a ramme for a burnt offering of his owne and of the people he tooke two he goates Therefore Christ our Lorde the true and only priest of his church did offer for vs the thing that he tooke of vs to wite the substance of our fleshe There is added also that Aaron by which name wée vnderstande euery one that was the high prieste amonge the people of God when hee went about to sacrifice did cloath him selfe with the vsuall and common garmentes of the other priestes I meane such as the other priestes were wont to weare sauing onely that they were holye and without spot For although Christe the sonne of GOD did take our nature vppon
him and did become like vnto vs being cladde as it were in the vsuall garment of vs men yet notwithstanding his fleshely garment I meane his bodie that was like to ours was altogether frée from corruption and cleane without all spottes of sinne Aaron did first of all kill a stéere for him selfe and his familie whereby he declared that hee was not the verie true high Priest but the type of him that was the true Priest For Paule saith Our high priest had no neede as those high priestes had first to offer sacrifices for their owne sinnes then for the sinnes of the people For he did that once when he offered vpp him selfe Afterwardes Aaron drewe lottes at the doore of the tabernacle to trye betwixt the two goates whiche should be slaine for the sacrifice and which shoulde bee sent awaye as the scape goate into the desart The two Goates do signifie Christ our Lorde verie God and verie man in two natures vnseparated He is slaine and dyeth in his humanitie but is not slaine nor dyeth in his diuinitie Yet he being one and the same Christ vnseperated is the sauiour of the world and doth worke the redemption of vs mortall men So in the two Goates was a mysterie hidden And for because as Solomon saith the lotts are guided by the Lordes will it was not without the especiall will of the father that the sonne was sacrificed and killed on the crosse Moreouer the high Priest did take the bloud firste of the bullocke then of the slaine goate and a Censer in his hande and went within the vaile where with the incense he did make a cloude of smoke before the mercie seate and with his finger did sprincle the bloud seuen times toward the mercie seate All which the Apostle Paule expoundinge in the 9 to the Hebrewes saith that Christ entred not into the Tabernacle made with handes but into the verie heauens not with the bloud of a bullocke or a goate but with his owne bloud and found for vs a perpetuall cleansing remission of our sinnes For he is our propitiation not for our sinnes onely but also for the sinnes of all the worlde And herevnto did the Apostles allude as ofteÌ„ as they called Christ our propitiation as S. Paule did in y third to the Romans and Sainct Iohn in the seconde and fourth Chapter of his first Epistle Nowe the seuen times sprinckling of the bloud betokened the ful perfection or perfect fulnesse of the cleansinge We haue néede also to be sprinckled with the finger not of man but of Christ Iesus our Lorde and Sauiour whose finger is the holie Ghoste by whome our cleansing doth come vpon vs. To the sprinckling of the bloud is also added swéete smellinge incense For as the Apostle testifieth Christe our high priest did offer prayers for vs with teares and was heard in that which he feared Whereupon by the cloude of smoke that is by the greate quantitie of smoke was noted the greate efficacie of earnest prayers When that was don the high priest went againe into the Sanctum sett the bloud vpon the golden altar of incense For in the worke of our redeÌ„ption both innocent bloud and earnest prayer for vs must bee ioyned togeather Out of the SanctuÌ„ again he came to the altar of burnt offerings whiche stoode in the court which was called AtriuÌ„ there he gaue the other goate to a conuenient man to be carried away into the wildernesse but in the deliuering of the goate he vsed a precise manner and singular ceremonie For the high priest layed both his handes vppon the Goate and ouer his head did confesse the sinnes of the people who also did them selues confesse their sinnes following the priest clause by clause in all the confession which hée rehearsed and then so soone as all the sinnes were layde vppon the head of the Goate hee was sent awaye that by that meanes he might carie the sinnes of all the people into the desart From this ceremonie did the Gentiles vndoubtedly borrow their kind of cleansinges or purgings of the people called in Gréeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in Latine Pâ—amina For their manner was in extreme periles that one should giue him selfe for all the rest whome they tooke and did either kill burne vppon the altar or cast into the water praying therewithall that al their euil lucke might go with him and that the Gods being pacified w the death of him might againe be fauourable to all the rest But the wretches erred as farre as heauen is wide For Christe the sonne of God was made sinne for vs that is hee was made a sacrifice for sinne yea hee became a cursse for vs that we by him might receiue a blessing For to this had the Prophet Esaie an eye when he saide wee all went astray like sheepe euery one turned after his owne waye But the Lorde hath throwne vpon him al our sinnes Againe He was wounded for our offences and smitten for our wickednesse And againe The paines of our punishment were laide vpon him and he bare our griefes Nowe the Goate did carrie the sinnes into the desart not that the sinnes should not be but that they should not be any more imputed vnto them For in the church verily there is sinne in the Saincts but it is not imputed vnto them Sinne is imputed to all them that are without the church in y desolate wildernesse The conuenient man that should carrie away the scape Goate can be none other than Christ him selfe who in the dayes of his fleshe did obserue the conuenient time and fitt occasion repeating often times that his houre was not yet come but at the last when time conuenient was come for him to dye he saide that then his houre was come And by dying he carried away conueniently the scape Goate I meane the sinne of all the world When this also was thus accomplished the high priest did againe wash him selfe and putting off the common garments of the inferiour priestes did againe put on his high priestes attire Nowe this often and manifolde washing in the holie ceremonie is a shadowe or type of the moste absolute remission of sinnes euen as also the chaunging of the garment is a signe or figure of glorification as is at the full to be séene in the third Chapter of Zacharies prophecie And Christe being glorified did enter into heauen there to appeare in the sight of God the onely and effectuall sacrifice for vs mortall men Therefore did Aaron sacrifice a Ramme for a burnt offering for Christ is the sacrifice which endureth alwayes and purgeth all the faithfull Moreouer Aaron sent the Bullocke the other Goate vnto the holie place without the host that there they might be burned Which thing Paule expoundeth thus saith The bodies of those beastes whose bloud is brought into the holie place by the high priest for sinne was burnt without the tents therefore Iesus also that hee
were then forgiuen them that the people of God was set at libertie from al the burthen and yoke of the lawe Verilie when the wicked stiffenecked and disloyall people of the Iewes did after the death of Christ goe on to exercise prorogue and to obtrude to all men the Ceremonies which were finished and abrogated at the comming of Messiah then Christ sitting at the right hand of the father did by the meanes of the Romane Princes vtterly deface their citie and ouerthrow the temple wherin they boasted Which thing the prophet Daniel and Balaam many hundred yeares before Daniels time foretold and said should come to passe Neither hetherto yet by the space of 1500. yeares and more haue they had any place to restore and set vpp againe their citie and temple In Theodoretus and Ruffinus we read that in the reigne of Iuhan the Emperour the Iewes with very great hope and presumption wente about to build a newe temple and that they sought the foundation therof in the place where that temple stoode which was burnt by Titus sonne and generall to the Emperour Vespasian but Christ our Lord who in the Gospell foretold out of Daniels prophecie the desolation thereof and did amonge other speaches say And Hierusalē shal be troden vnder foote of the Gentiles till the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled did mightily represse their wicked endeuours hinder their labour for going forwarde For whē they had gathered brought together many thousand bushells of lyme and chaulk then soudeinly came a whirlewind w a wonderfull storme and blustring which scattered abrode and carried away the store of stuffe by them prouided There happened also a terrible earthquake by which all the buildinges almost of the whole place were swepte away made euen with the ground Finally when a great cōpanie which were busie in the worke did the same nighte remaine or take their rest in a certeine porch or galerie néere to the new begonne citie temple the whole building and roofe therof falling downe on a soudeine slue al the number that were within y reach thereof In the morning they whiche remained aliue ran together to séeke euery man for his frend among them that were slaine by the ruinous building and when those terrours could do no good nor turne them from their purpose then soudenly out of the trenches foundations and stoarchouses hard by where their tooles and other necessaries lay there sprange foorth a fearefull fire which burnt many that vrged the worke and compelled the rest to take their héeles For in that one day it brake forth sundry times and so at last repressed the stubborne rashenesse of that stiffnecked people And for because these thinges should not be thought to haue happened casually or at aduentures the night before and y night following there appeared in the skie a bright or glistering signe of the Crosse the garments of the Iewes were filled ouer w crosses not bright but blacke which could not be ridd away or wiped out by any paines taking or maner of meanes They therfore in spite of their téeth and full sore against their wills being compelled with those horrible terrours fearefull iudgementes and bitter plagues of Christ our Lord forsoke the place and fledd euery man to his house leauing the worke vndone and openly confessing that Iesus Christ whō their forefathers had crucified is a most mightie God howsoeuer Iulian with Pharao and the chiefe of the Iewes did perseauer still in their disloyaltie and despiteful blasphemie against him and his holy Church But howsoeuer the Iewes do euen at this day abide in their wilfull stubbornnesse the Lord did from heauen declare openly enough that hee is no longer delighted with the Ceremonial rites because he destroyed all the instruments belonging to that auncient kinde of worship and made the very shopp of that old religion I meane the temple and citie of Hierusalem leuel with the ground Touching the temple the Lord in the Gospel spake to his disciples when they with wondering did behold it and said Do ye not see al these thinges verilie I say vnto you there shal not be leaft here one stone standing vpon an other And againe weeping ouer the vnthanckful citie he said They shall not leaue in thee one stone standing vppon an other beecause thou knewest not the time of thy visitation And nowe that all this was word for word accomplished and fullie finished Iosephus an eye witnesse of the same doeth largely testifie in the 18. Chap. of his 7. booke De Bello Iudaico Euen very now I told you that from one thousand and fiue hundreth yeares agoe vnto this present time the Iewes neuer had anye place giuen them to build their temple vpp in againe whereby if they were not beside themselues they might easilye gather that the Messiah is alreadie come into the world and that hée hath abrogated all the Ceremoniall rites It is a very slender or rather no defence at all for the Iewes to alledge the woords in the lawe which are many times rehearsed where the Ceremonies are described Ye shall keepe it for an euerlasting ordinaunce For in this sense Euerlasting is taken for Longlasting and Vnchaungeable so farre foorth as it hath respecte vnto the will or authoritie of mankinde For the Lord did with threatening of gréeuous punishments forbidd that mankinds vnaduisednesse should chaunge or abrogate the holy Ceremonies And yet since hée did ordeine those Ceremonies vntil the time of amendment hée doeth neither sinne nor yet incurre the crime of vnconstancie when hée doeth chaunge or take away the Ceremonies according to the determinate purpose whiche hée intended from the beginning Moreouer so long as the thing signified doeth not decaye and that the shadowe onely or momentanie figure doeth vanish away it is assuredly certaine that the Ceremonie doth yet remaine in full effecte and substaunce The whole man doeth liue for euer and yet the thinges that are temporall or corruptible in him doe perishe in death and are abolished in his clarification But that all these thinges may appeare as cleare as the day light I will particularly runne through and touch the more notable sort of Ceremonies That the priesthood of Aaron is vtterly abrogated it is euident by the wordes whiche the Apostle citeth out of Dauid saying The Lord hath sworn and will not repent thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech Christ therefore is the one and onely high priest and that too an euerlasting priest hauing an immutable priesthood which cannot by succession passe from him to any other man or Angel. For hee now standing at the right hand of the father in heauen the very true temple which was prefigured by the Tabernacle and temple at Hierusalem doeth make intercession for vs doth all the offices of an high priest Of whom the Apostle of Christ S. Paule doeth speake very largely in his Epistle vnto the Hebrues This Christ Iesus our highe
priest hath consecrated all the faithfull to be Kinges and Priestes vnto himselfe And yet notwithstanding he doth ordeine ministers of the Church by doctrine and examples to instructe the Church and to minister the sacraments I meane not those old auncient ones but those which the Lord hath substituted in steed of the old ones What doctrine they must teach hée doth expressely declare The mysticall attyre and garmentes of the priesthood hee neither did commend to his Apostles nor leaue to his Church but toke them away with all the Ceremonies that are called the middle wall betwixte she Iewes and Gentiles The Lord himselfe and his Apostle Paule will haue the pastours of the people cladd with righteousnesse and honestie and do precisely remoue the ministers of the Church from superioritie and secular affaires They doe also appoint stipendes for the ministers to liue vppon yet not those which the law allowed them but such as were most tolierable and conuenient for the state and condition of euery Church The Lord left the place to serue and worshipp God in frée without exception or binding to any one prescribed or peculiar place when in the Gospel after Iohn he said The houre shall come and is alreadie when the true worshippers shall worshipp the father neither in this mountaine nor at Hierusalem but in the spirite and in truth For such the father requireth to worship him God is a spirite and they that worship him must worship him in spirite and in truth The Apostle followed the Lord in this doctrine and said I will that men pray in euerie place lifting vp pure hands without anger Neither did the Lord in â—aine as I shewed you eueÌ„ now sufâ—â—r the temple to bee vtterlye ouerthrowne considering that at his death hée had rent the vaile therof And yet for all that the Ecclesiasticall assemblies are not thereby condemned Of whiche I spake in the exposition of the 4. precepte RemeÌ„ber that thou keepe holy the sabboth day Verily y tabernacle the temple bare the type of the catholique Church of God out of which there are no prayers noroblations acceptable to the lord But the Church is exteÌ„ded to the very ends of the world And yet it followeth not theruppon that all are in the Church which are in the world they alone are in the Churche whiche thorough the Catholique faith are in the fellowship of Christ Iesus and by the agréement of doctrine by charitie by the participation of the Sacramentes vnlesse some great necessitie hinder them are in the coÌ„munion of the holy Sainctes But they burne incense sacrifice in highe places whosoeuer séek after any other sacrifice than the one and only oblation of Christ Iesus or looke for any other to offer their prayers to God the father than Christ alone as they are taughte by the mouth of the Pastour sincerely preaching the word of god Moreouer the Church of God hath no néed now of any arke any table any shewbread any golden candlestick any altar either of incense or burnt offeringes nor yet of any braseÌ„ lauer for Christ alone is all in all to the catholique Church which Church hath all these things spiritually and effectually in Christ Iesus and can séek for nothing in any other creatures insomuch that if it perceiue any man to bring in againe either these or such like Ceremoniall instruments it doth sharpely rebuke bitterly curse him for his vnwarranted rashenesse blasphemous presuÌ„ption in the church of Christ For what néede hath the churche of shadowes and figures when it doeth nowe enioye the thing it selfe euen Christ Iesus whose shadowe and figure the ceremonies bare Moreouer the church hath signes enough in that it hath receiued of Christ two Sacramentall signes wherein are conteined all the things which the old church did comprehend in sundrie and verie many figures Furthermore he hath leaft the holy time to worship God in frée to our choice who in the Gospel saith The Sabboth was made for man not man for the Sabboth therefore the sonne of man is Lorde also of the Sabboth And the Apostle Paule saith Let no man therefore iudge you in meate or drinke or in parte of an holie daye or of the new moone or of the Sabbothes which are the shadowes of things to come but the bodie is of Christ Of the Christian Sabboth I spake in the exposition of the fourth Commaundement As for the newe moones they are not solemnized by the churche of Christ in so much as it is taught by Christ to attribute to God not the beginning of Moneths onely but the whole yeare also and the commoditie thereof with the light of the Sunne the Moone and all the starres in heauen Moreouer the Christians do celebrate their passeouer more spiritually then bodily euen as also they doe solemnize their Pentecoste or whitsuntide For as he sent his spirite vppon his disciples so doth hee daily sent it vppon all the faithfull And that is the cause that in the faithfull the alarme is striken vpp to incourage them as souldiours to skirmish with their enimies For the fleash lusteth against the spirite and the faithfull are daily assaulted and prouoked to battaile by the world and by the deuil the prince of the world Furthermore the feast of propitiation being once finished vppon the crosse endureth for euer neither do the Sainctes any more sende out a scape goats to beare their sinnes into the desarte For Christ our Lord came once and was offered vp and by his sacrifice tooke awaye the sinnes of all the worlde Finally since the faithfull doe daily consider beare in their mindes that they haue no abydinge place in this transitorie worlde but y they looke after a place to come they néede not as the Iewes did once a yere to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles In like manner the faithfull do no more acknowlege any yeare of Iubilie For Christe came once and preached vnto vs y acceptable yeare euen the Gospell whereby it is proclaymed that all our sinnes and iniquities are clearely forgiuen vs For so doth Christ himselfe interprete it in the fourth of Sainct Lukes gospell takinge occasion to speake of it out of the sixth Chapter of Esaies prophecie And thus the holy time and festiuall dayes are abrogated by Christ in his holy Church which notwithstanding is not leafte destitute of any holy thing or necessarie matter But nowe because this present yeare wherein this booke is firste of all printed is the yeare of Grace one thousand fiue hundred and fiftie and according to the Romish traditioÌ„ is called the yeare of Iubilie I am therefore compelled as it were of necessitie to make a little digression speake somewhat of the Romish Iubilie I do therfore call it the Romish and not the Christian Iubilie because as I shewed you euen now the church of Christe after oure redemption wrought by Christ and preached by the gospel doth neither acknoledge nor receiue any
of the Gospell which Paule hath hitherto preached with vs is sufficient to the obteining of life and saluation We intend not to laye any greater burthen vpon you than the doctrine of the Gospell and abstinence from those fewe things In which sentence they séeme to haue had an eye to the opinion of Sainct Peter who in the counsell saide Ye knowe that I beeing called by God did go to the Gentiles and did preach to them saluatiō through the Gospel Ye know that to the Gētiles being neither circumcised nor keeping the lawe while I preached to them faith in Christ Iesus the holie Ghoste was giuen from aboue so that their hearts wer purified of God him selfe by faith not by the lawe that they were made heires of eternal life And vppon this he inferreth Now therefore why tempt ye God to laye vppon the disciples neckes a yoke which neither wee nor our fathers were able to beare But wee beleeue that through the grace of the Lorde Iesus Christ we shal be saued euen as they Sée here Sainct Peter called the lawe a burthen and a yoke and therfore where the Apostles saye that they will not laye vpō the church any greater burthen they do thereby signifie that the lawe is flatly abrogated They do therefore set the church frée from the burthen of the lawe and do acquite it from all burthens like to y lawe We nowe do gather by those woordes of the Apostles that those burthensome and innumerable ceremonies which the church hath receiued by counsels Synodes since the time of the Apostles were vniustly against the Apostolique spirite then layde vppon the churche and at this daye wickedly reteined and defended in the churche For they in expresse wordes saide It seemed good to the holye Ghoste and to vs to burthen you with no more then these thinges necessarie But if any man obiect and saye that those ceremonies were for the rudenesse of the people layde vpon the churches neckes as a rule or instruction to guide or teache them by Mine aunswere is that that kinde of instruction is cleane taken awaye which whosoeuer goeth about to reduce hee desireth nothing else but to bring in Iudaisme againe God knew verie well what kinde of churche that would be which hee purposed to gather together of Iewes and Gentiles and yet he abolished those external ceremonies Nowe who doth better knowe than God what is expedient or not expedient for his church therefore the things that he abolished were not expedient for the faithfull whereupon the Apostles did rightly verie wel pronounce It seemed good to the holie ghoste and vs not to laye vppon you any greater burthen Let them therefore be ashamed of their doinges which lay so great a burthen vppon the shoulders of the church that otherwise ought to be most free Nowe also heere is added the conclusion of the sentence Than these necessarie things that is to say that ye abstaine from things offered to Idols c. In these wordes they had an eye vnto the sentence of sainct Iames the Apostle and brother of the Lorde for he confirminge and allowing of Sainct Peters opinion touchinge iustification by faith and the not laying of the lawe vpon the Gentiles neckes doth alledge a testimonie of scripture out of Amose who did foretell that the Iewes shoulde bee cut off because of their sinnes and that in their steeds the Gentiles should be taken amonge whome the true church of God should be which was prefigured by the ruine and reparatiō of Dauids tabernacle The same Prophet did also foretell a reason how and a cause why the Gentiles should be receiued into the church not for Circumcisions sake nor yet by the helpe of the lawe but by grace through fayth For he saith The remnaunte of the men shal seeke after the Lorde and all the heathen vpon whome my name is called saith the Lorde which doth all this all these workes of God are knowen to him from before the world beganne Loe here they shall seeke the Lorde and shal be receyued into his fellowship vpon whome his name shal be called This phrase of speech doeth signifie that they whiche are electe shal be the sonnes of god For vpon them the name of the Lord is called which are named the sonnes of God and are his elect Nowe the whole scripture attributeth that to faith By fayth therfore we are made the members of the church and sonnes and heires to God our maker But if any man doe murmur against the counsell of God and say why doth God so Let him thinke that this déede is the déede and worke of God whome it is not lawfull for man to gaynsaye and all whose workes are knowen from the beginninge of the worlde to haue beene donne in iudgement and righteousnesse whervpon it doth consequently follow that this counsell of his is good and righteous whereby he doth through faith in Christ ioyne to himselfe and sanctifie the heathen nations Nowe vppon these wordes of the prophet Saincte Iames subscribing as it were to Sainct Peters opinion doth gather and inferre Wherefore my sentence is that wee trouble not them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God That is to say I thinke that they are not to bee molested or charged with the obseruation of the law But least the Gentiles once hearing y the lawe was abolished should thereby thinke that they might freely doe whatsoeuer they would and so by that meanes abuse their libertie and also against all charitie despise giue offence vnto the Iewishe brethren therefore Iames addeth But I think it best for vs to write vnto them that they absteine from filthines of idols For there were at that time certeine conuerts of the Gentiles who thought it lawfull for them to enter into idol Temples and be partakers of things offered to idols because an idol is nothing since there is but one onely God alone whereuppon they gathered that those sacrifices were nothing that they did neither good nor harme and therefore that Christians might with a safe conscience be partakers of them But sainct Iames and Paule also 1. Cor. 8. 9. 10. wil haue the heathen conuerts to absteine vtterly frō the worship of Idols that is from the idols them selues and from those things which are in the idol temples offered to false and fained Gods. Moreouer he addeth Let them beware of fornication The Gentiles verily did by good lawes forbidde the adulteries and defilings of virgins matrones with verie sharpe punishments suppressing the violent deflowrers of honest women but they thought it a verie light and in a manner no fault at all for such to committ whoredome as did of their owne accordes set their chastitie to sale or if an vnwedded man should haue to doe with a single woman and therefore the Apostle Iames euen as Paule also 1. Cor. 6. and 1. Thessa. 4. doeth verie seuerely require the holy pure vse of the bodie
he had no mother Wherevppon sprange a suspicion that he should say the Lord was bare man and that hee should mainteine the hereticall opinion of Paulus Samosatenus and Photinus Whiche thing Socrates handleth at large Historiarum Lib. 7. Cap. 32. But Nestorius was iniurious to the Scripture and to true faith For Elizabeth the wife of Zacharie and the mother of S. Iohn Baptist béeing full of the holy Ghost in expresse woordes saluteth the holy virgin Marie and calleth her the mother of the Lord that is the mother of god And albeit his heauenly nature be without generation and corruption yet notwithstaÌ„ding it is most certeine that hee whome Marie brought forth was God in verie déede For that whiche is borne of her sayeth the Angel is the sonne of God therefore shee brought forth God and shee worthily is called the mother of god For if she bare not God she brought forth bare man neither hath the sonne of GOD coupled man vnseparablie to himselfe In like manner since God of his owne nature is immortall truely he cannot die but if any man for that cause should absolutely denie that God was crucified and offered yea and died for vs hee should gainesaye Paule saying Had they knowen it they would not haue crâ—cified the Lord of glorie But who is ignorant that the God of glorie or glorious god cannot be crucified In the meane while since he which according to the fleshe suffered and was nailed on the crosse was God not bare man onely wee rightly say that God suffered and was nailed on the crosse for vs though he which suffered suffered according to that onely which could suffer For Peter the Apostle sayeth Christ hath suffered for vs in the flesh The first Toletane counsell following him decréed in these wordes If any shall say or beleeue that the God head may be borne let him be accursed If any shal say or beleue that the deitie of Christ may be turned chaunged or iubiecte to suffering let him be accursed If any shal say or beleeue that the nature of the Godhead and the manhoode is one in Christe let him bee accursed And Damasus bishop of Rome sayeth If any shall saye that in suffering on the crosse the sonne of God God suffered paine and not the flesh with the soule whiche hee put on in the fourme of a seruaunt whiche he toke on him as the Scripture sayeth let him be accursed Therefore whereas Paule sayeth that God hath purchased to himselfe a Churche with his owne bloud who is so madd to beléeue that the diuine nature hath or euer had bloud In the meane while who is such a dorrhead that he vnderstandeth not that the fleshe whiche God toke hath bloud and since that God accounteth not that as an others but his owne which he tooke vnto him selfe wee most truly say that GOD with his owne bloud redéemed the world Wherevppon Theodoretus also bishopp of Cyrus Dialog Eran. 3. a little before the end sayeth If Christ be both GOD and man as both the holy Scripture teacheth and as the most blessed fathers haue always preched then as man hee suffered but as God he was not subiect to suffering But when wee say the bodie or fleshe or humanitie suffered wee do not separate the diuine nature For as it was vnited to his humane nature whiche was hungrie and thirstie and wearie yea and slept also yea and was vexed with sorrowe and heauinesse for the passion which hee should suffer abyding in deede none of those but suffering that to abide the affections passions of nature euen so was it ioyned vnto him when he was crucified permitted that his passion should bee throughlie ended that by his passion he might suffer death not feling griefe truely by his passion but making his passion agreeable conuenient for himselfe as the passion of his temple or dwelling place of his flesh ioyned vnto him by the whiche also they that beleeue are called the members of Christ he himselfe is called the head of those that beleeue Thus farre hée This figure of speache is called of some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alteration or chaunging of Iohn Damascenus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mutual giuing or an interchaunging of properties That is wont to be called a communicating of properties to witt when that propertie is giuen to one nature which is proper to another As for example No maÌ„ hath ascended vp into heauen sayth the Lord but he that came downe from heaueÌ„ euen the sonne of man whiche is in heauen Truelie his humane nature was not then in heauen when the Lord spake this but in earth yet notwithstanding beecause flesh is taken into the fellowshipp of his Godhead that whiche is proper to this is attributed to his manhood And bishop Fulgentius making mention of this interpretation in his second booke to kinge Thrasimundus hath thus left written He said this not that the humane substance of Christ is present in euery place but because one the selfe same sonne of God and sonne of man very God of the father as hee is very man of man though according to his true humanitie hee was then locallie in earth yet according to his diuinitie whiche by no meanes can be conteined in place hée did wholie fill heauen and earth Thus sayeth hée Wherefore the sentences bearing witnesse of Christ in the writinges of the Euangelistes Apostles are diligeÌ„tly to be marked For some are peculiarly referred to his diuine nature as are these I and the father are one Before Abraham was I'am In the beginning was the word the word was with GOD and God was that woord Hee is before all thinges the image of the inuisible God by whom all thinges are made And some are particularly referred to his humane nature or to the mysterie of his embassage or ministration of whiche sort are these The father is greater than I. Thou madest him a little inferiour to the Angels My soule is heauie euen to the death Againe there are testimonies whiche haue respecte to both natures but to neither of them seuerally do they sufficiently agree Such are these My flesh is meate in deede and my bloud is drincke in deede I haue power to forgiue sinnes to raise to life whome I will and to giue righteousnes and holinesse I am the sheepeheard the doore the light the waye the trueth the life No man coÌ„meth to the father but by mee For these doe sett forth and commend vnto vs the verie substaunce of Christe the person I meane of oure true sauiour and mediatour God and man For no man forgiueth sinnes but God onely Againe they are not forgiuen without death and sheading of bloud as the Apostle witnesseth in the ninth Chapiter to the Hebrues Againe there are testimonies whiche cannot aptly bee declared but by communicating of woords Touching whiche I hope this is sufficient Againe he doth not diuide the person of our mediatour God
histories declare more largelie Of this King Christ the Prophets prophecying said And in mercie shal the seate be prepared and he shall sitt vpon it in trueth in the tabernacle of Dauid iudging and seeking iudgement and making haste vnto righteousnes And againe Beholde the time commeth saith the Lorde that I will raise vp the righteous brauÌ„che of Dauid which King shall beare rule he shall prosper with wisdome and shall set vp equitie and righteousnes againe in the earth In his time shall Iuda be saued and Israel shall dwell without feare and this is the name that they shall call him The Lorde our righteousnesse And because our Lord is a king therefore be must néeds haue a kingdome As well the realme dominion subiecte to a kinge is called a kingdoÌ„e as principalitie empire power maÌ„ner of gouernment it selfe Therefore the church the communion or fellowship of saints béeing obedient subiect to their king Christe is called the kingdoÌ„e of god For Micheas saith And the Lord shall reigne ouer them in mount Sion therfore Sion which signifieth the church is the kingdome of god And god is said to reigne when in the church he ruleth gouerneth kéepeth defendeth those that be his and indueth and maketh theÌ„ fruitful with diuerse graces For Paule saith The kingdome of God is not meate and drink but righteousnes peace ioy in the holy ghost Moreouer the kingdome of god is that eternall glorie felicitie which God dâ—eth communicate to his elect For the Lord saith in the gospel Comeye blessed of my father inherit the kingdome which is prepared for you froÌ„ the beginning of the world And the théefe euen at point of death making his praâ—er to the Lord who was redy to dye on the crosse desiring to bee â—artaker of this kingdoÌ„e saith Lord remember me when thou coÌ„mest into thy kingdome â–ª Againe since y gospel teacheth vs how God reigneth in vs in this world in time to translate vs vnto him self into that other that is since the gospell is that thing by which the Lord reareth vp his dominion it is not vnaduisedly called of Matthew in his 13. cap. the kingdome of god In another place for the same cause it is called the word of the kingdome To be short we at this preseÌ„t by the kingdome of God vnderstand the coÌ„gregation of saints it self the catholique church I meane and the power or administratioÌ„ of God reigning therein that is preseruing gouerning glorifying the same And this kingdome of god is verily but only one for ther is but one God only one king Christ only one church â— life â—uerlasting But his one kingdome of god according to he dispensation 〈…〉 two wayes First acording to y omâ—ipotencie of god For he 〈◊〉 he iâ— the highest omnipotent hath executeth ouer all creatures visible inuisible â—oste iust rule and equall powerâ— nill they or will they be obedient Secondly according to his spirits whereby he reigneth in his elect And so y kingdoÌ„e of God is againe two waies coÌ„sidered For either it is earthly is called the kingdome of grace or else it is heauenlye and is called the kingdome of glorie The earthly kingdome of grace is not therefore called earthly as though it were carnall earthly like the kingdome of Babylon Persia Alexander or Rome but because it is on earth For a good parte of the holie churche of God is conuersant on this earth beeing partaker of flesh bloud while it â—â—eth on the earth though it liue not an earthly life according to the â—â—esh For acording to the spirit whereby it is ruled it liueth a heauenly life Not that the partakers of the kingdome of God sinne not For the iust man falleth riseth seuen times in a day Whervpon it is also called the kingdome of grace For as long as we liue in this world our King Lord neuer denyeth his grace mercie to vs that craue pardon And the faithfull doe wholie hange vppon the grace of their king they embrace continuall repentance and endeuor theÌ„ selues to things of more perfectnesse For they frame all that they do according to the lawes of their king prince For he reigneth in his elect by the worde of truth and by the holie ghost By the word of truethe hee teacheth what the Saintes should doe and what they should auoide By his holie spirit he moueth their hartes and giueth strength to 〈◊〉 euill and followe that is good For truely our king reigneth not so much for him self as for vs For he maketh vs also kinges that we béeing deliuered from the diuell damnation sinne and the curse may be Lords ouer the diuel damnation sinne and the cursse yea ouer all thinges and ioynâ—t-heires with the sonne of God him self For these causes the kingdoÌ„e of God is called a spirituall kingdoÌ„e For the partakers of the kingdome of God indued with the spirite of God doe bring foorth the fruites of the spirit not the works of the flesh and to be short are gouerned with the spirit of god Neither truelie doeth our Lorde reigne after the manner of the kinges of this worlde sayinge to Pilate My kingdome is not of this worlde Which sentence some abuse gathering y there is no ouâ—ward gouernemeÌ„t in the church of God vnder whiche name they also take away the office of a Magistrate and speake so subtilely of the kingdome of God that a man cannot tell where the kingdome of God is or who be partakers of this kingdome They vnderstand nâ—t that the meaning must bee gathered vppon the occasion of that saying The Iewes accusing the Lorde before Pilate laide to his charge that he ambition flye sought after a kingdome The lord clering him self of this crime sheweth Pilate that his kingdome shal not be such a one whiche after hee had cast out Tiberius Caesar should be gotten and kepte with armes and be gouerned after the manner of this worlde declaring that he addeth If my kingdome were of this world then would my seruaunts surely fighte that I should not bee deliuered to the Iewes Therefore he inferreth But now is my kingdome not from hence therefore they fight not for me to place main the throne of the kingdome Tiberius béeing cast out And anon he saith For this cause was I borne and for this cause came I into the worlde that I should beare witnesse vnto the truethe and all that are of the truethe heare mye voice As therefore Christ by trueth not by lyinge deceipts and craftie practises like the Princes of this worlde prepareth him selfe a kingdome so by trueth he doeth bothe reteine gouerne his kingdome and whosoeuer imbrace trueth are partakers of Christes kingdome whether they be princes or of the coÌ„monaltie all these obey the voice of their king and serue their highest prince Héere neuerthelesse we expresly add y Kings can no
otherwise serue their Lord and king than Kings that is in doing those thinges whiche Kinges ought to doe namely to execute iudgement and iustice For albeit these be in the worlde yet râ—le they not after the worlde because they are now gouerned by the spirite of their king Christe and directe all their doings to the prescripte rule of Gods word and in all things yéelde them selues to be guided by the spirite of God and so farre surely their kingdome is not of this worlde Of these things I haue else where cited much out of S. Augustine acording to the scripture And our king Christe defendeth his Churche and his ministers sometime by the aide of Princes sometimes he preserueth and spreadeth abrâ—ade the same lying open to persecutions through infirmitie and weakenesse For it is pressed downe but not oppressed or kepte vnder still Christe the mightiest Prince alwayes reigning and ouercomming in those that â—ee his Nowe the bounds of this Earthlie kingdome of Christe reache vnto the vtter-moste partes of the Earth For all the kingdomes of the worlde and all nations perteine vnto the kingdome of Christ Héerevnto belong all the testimonies of the Prophets touching the calling of the Gentiles whereof thou maist finde verie manis in Esay and Zacharie who excellentlye describe the kingdome of Christe in Earth Wherevppon the Iewes tooke occasion to feigne I wot not how great glorious things of the maiestie and victeryes of the Messias whiche neuerthelesse long since were aboundantlye fulfilled in Christe but more spiritually than carnally But they while they dreame of and looke for carnall things loathe spirituall and loose bothe But the faithfull through the bountifulnesse and liberalitie of Christe their king most aboundauntly obteine those good thinges whiche the Prophetes promised namely plentifull peace bothe with God and men and all kinde of felicitie alwayes to bée blessed alwayes to be safe though they fight continuallie from all enimyes as well visible as also inuisible and to inioy euerlasting saluation Which things the Prophetes in their writings haue set foorthe in a moste large kinde of style yet vnderstandinge nothing else than as euen now we said that the faithfull shall be moste happie and shall possesse in Christe all good gifts bothe of soule and bodie as much indéede as is necessarie and healthfull for the Saincts And this is that kingdome now we vnderstand bothe as well that of grace as this of 〈◊〉 which that Ioseph of Aramathia iust Simeon and Anna y Prophetisse with other Saints awaited and loked for This same kingdome Philippe the Deacon preached to them of Samaria and Sainte Paule the Apostle to them of Rome which thinge Luke doeth testiffe in the Actes of the Apostles Chapter 8. and 28. But the seate or throne and palace of our king is Heauen For hee ascended a conquerour into Heauen and sitteth at the right hand of God the father almightie from theÌ„ce â—â— y Sunne of righteousnesse hee shineth to all which liue in his Churche or in his kingdome yea and he â—hâ—â—sâ—th the harts of the faithfull to him selfe wherein he may dwell Furthermore that we may vnderstande ouâ— King though not corpâ—rally presente in earth but ascended into Heauen not therefore to be absent from his kingdom he verily in his word compareth himselfe to the head and vs to the bodie or the meÌ„bers Now therefore as the bodie is neuer without the head so the kingdome of God is not without Christ the prince And as the vitall spirite from the harte and the power or vertue of féeling and mouing froÌ„ the head is powred into the bodie so are we quickened or made aliue by our Prince Christe he iustifying preseruing comforting confirming and defending vs from all euill As all the members are ruled by the head so all the faithful in the kingdome of Christe are gouerned by their King Christe Paule therefore saithe God raised Christe from the dead set him on his right hand in heauenly places farr aboue all rule and power and might euery name that is named not only in this world but also in the world to coÌ„e And hath put all things vnder his féete gaue him to be the head ouer all things to the Church which is his bodie y fulnesse of him that filleth all in all Of which kinde there are very many other to be found in the writings of the Apostles first of all that Christ is the head of the church and he it is which giueth saluation to the body for he gaue him selfe for the church to sanctifie it when he had cleansed it in the founteine of water in the worde that he might present it vnto him selfe a glorious church c. And thus much hetherto of the kingdoÌ„e of Christ in earth which is bothe called the kingdome of grace and the Church militant Moreouer the kingdome of God is called the kingdome of heauen and of glory for that occasion because those whome our Lord king hath sanctified on earth and guided with his spirit yea and also iustified béeing deliueied from the fleshe and taken out of this world he glorifieth in heaueÌ„ and recâ—iueth thâ— into ioy into the fellowship both of himselfe and of all the saints For the souls of the faithful eueÌ„ as soone as they depart out of their bodies are foorth with receiued into heaueÌ„ to reigne with Christ the euerlasting king for euer to reioice with all the Saincts But in the laste iudgemeÌ„t wherewith we beleue that the quick and dead shall be iudged of Christe our king the bodies of the Sainctes shall be raised vp clarified coupled againe to their soules and how many soeuer haue cleaued vnto Christ their king from the beginning of the world shal liue for euer reigne in glorie together with Christe their king and prince Of this kingdoÌ„e of the Saints the Prophets Apostles haue spoken muche and chiefelye the Apostle Sainte Iohn in his Reuelation Some haue called this kingdome the Church triumphant This kingdome of GOD or of Christe is an euerlasting kingdome For as euen to the worldes end the Church shall be on earth howsoeuer this worlde and the Prince of the worlde doe rage so the faithfull after iudgement shall liue and reigne with Christe happie for euer bothe in bodie and soule For the Lord saith in the Gospell The gates of hell shall not preuaile against the Church Also the last times shall be as the dayes of Noe were wherein thoughe the wicked did farre in number excéede the Churche of the faithfull yet Noe and his were saued in the Arke but the wicked were destroyed with the floud in such sort surely shal iniquity by all means preuaile in the end of the worlde but in the meane while those that are elected into the kingdome of Christe shall be saued by Christe whome they shall looke for to be their Iudge and shall sée theire redéemer comming in the cloudes of
Heauen Daniel also in his Prophecie describeth the rysing and fallinge of all kingdomes of Antichrist also but attributeth no end to the kingdome of the Saincts or holie people but witnesseth that it shall be euerlasting The same doeth the Prophet Zacharie also in his 12. chapter For the Sainctes reigne on the Earthe by Christe and béeing translated from the Earth into Heauen they shall reigne together with theire kinge Christe for euer And the Scripture is woont oftentimes to speake of one of these kingdomes onely Of bothe these kingdomes wee vnderstande many places of Scripture first of all that which is spoken by our sautour WheÌ„ ye pray say O our father which art in heauen hallowed be thy name thy kingdome come For we pray y he would reign in vs while we liue on earth that we also may reigne ouer the world and the Prince of the worlde and that we be not ruled by Sathan neither that sinne reigne in vs but rather that we here béeing gouerned by him self may in time to come reigne with Christ in Heauen Contrariwise what manner of kingdome the kingdome of the world is it appeareth by considering the head or the king and prince therof which is the diuel the Authour of sinne of vncleannesse and of death He reigneth in the worlde the Prince doubtlesse of the kingdome of darcknesse Not that God and his Christe is not king of all things but because vnfaithful apostataes thrugh their owne proper malice reuolting from God to the diuell doe appoint him for their prince to whome euen of their owne accorde they submitt and yéelde them selues to be gouerned liueing in all vngodlynesse wickednesse and vncleannesse framing them selues like to their head the diuell with whome they shall be punished euerlastingly in the worlde to come as in this worlde they haue suffered them selues to be gouerned of him doeing his will. This prince of this worlde else where also called The GOD of this worlde hath Christe the true Kinge and Monarche of the worlde ouercome and hath destroyed his kingdome not that hee should not be as long as this worlde indureth but that he should not hurt the elect Sathan doeth liue and shall liue for euer how be it in miserie which life in very â—eâ—e is death but he hath no power against them y be redéemed by Christ the prince He hath and shal haue a kingdome euen vnto th' end of the world but in the children of vnbelief this kingdoÌ„e also in this world is in decaying as it were momeÌ„tany for a short time For the world passeth away all worldly things perish but all the elect of God are very strauÌ„gers froÌ„ this kingdoÌ„e yea they are as it were sworn enimies of this kingdome Neither can the prince of darcknes by his power pul away the partakers of the kingdome of Christ into his kingdome of iniquitie Truly he goeth about this diligently and with diuerse tentations vexeth the elect but those ouercoÌ„e through him which in time past vanquished the false King prince of théeues and taught vs that despising this filthy prince the world and the lustes of the world giuing our mindes to innocencie we shuld yéeld our selues to the good spirit to be gouerned These things haue I thus far declared as briefly as I culd touching the king Christ his onely and euerlasting kingdome And now Christ our Lord is a Prieste yea that chiefest only and euerlasting priest whom the high priestes of the olde people did prefigure shadowe out For Dauid in his song altogether diuine saith The Lord sware will not repent him thou art a Priest for euer after the order of Melchizedek Which words the blessed Apostle alledging and expounding in his Epistle to the Hebrues hath left these words written The forerunner saith he is for vs entred into heauen after the order of Melchizedek made a Prieste foreuer For this Melchizedek Kinge of SaleÌ„ priest of the most high god who met Abraham coÌ„ming froÌ„ the slaughter or kings blessed him to whome also Abraham gaue the tenthes of all things who first indeed is caled by interpretation the king of righteousnes theÌ„ also king of Salem whiche is king of peace of an vnknowen father of an vnknowen mother of vnknoweÌ„ kin neither hauing beginning of dayes nor end of life but likened to the soÌ„ne of God remaineth a prieste for euer Surely our Lord Iesus Christ is both a righteous and peaceable king and the righteousnesse and peace of the faithfull and he is that euerlasting Prieste who according to his humanitie is beléeued to be borne of the virgin without séede of man therefore of an vnknowen father and according to his diuinitie begotten of the father therefore of an vnknowen mother and vnspeakably begotten from euerlasting and therefore of vnknowen kin hauing neither beginning nor end of life For albeit according to his humanity he was dead and buried yet according to his diuinitie he remaineth God immortall euerlasting The selfe same which is a king is also acknowledged a priest not according to the order of AaroÌ„ but according to the order of Melchizedek For as the scripture remeÌ„breth this one a priest so one Christ remaineth priest for euer hauing an euerlasting priesthood But high priestes in time past were caled annointed they did not thrust theÌ„ selues into such an office by force or deceipt Wherevpon the Apostle said No man taketh the honor to him self but he that is called of god as was Aaron so also Christ took not glorie to himself to be made high Priest but is made coÌ„firmed of him who said vnto him thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee As he saith also in another place Thou art a priest foreuer after the order of Melchizedech But thou doest no where read that that our Priest was annointed with visible oile for hée was annointed with inuisible oile namely with the fulnesse of the holie Ghost as the prophet witnesseth Thy god hath annointed thee with the oile of gladnes aboue thy fellowes And againe The spirite of the Lord vppon me for the Lord hath annointed me sent me to preach good tidings vnto the poore Furthermore wheÌ„ we read that the office of Priests in times past was to serue in the tabernacle to teach the people to make intercession betwene God men to pray for the people and to blesse them to sacrifice also and to coÌ„secrate or sanctifie that now it is manifest that Iesus Christ is the lawful priest it is certeine y he is tied to the self same offices but indede to so much more excelleÌ„t thaÌ„ these by how much he hath obteined a more excellent priesthood Those priestes after the order of Aaron serued in the corruptible figuratiue tabernacle but our Lord béeing takeÌ„ vp into the true tabernacle heauen it selfe ministreth to all the saincts of god For
Heauen the church of Sainctes is the true tabernacle and temple of our high priest Christe our priest is the onlie and euerlasting teacher maister of his vniuersall Church For not onely that age hath so taught whiche liued in the dayes of his fleshe but the spirite of Christ was in the Prophets by whom now also he ruleth all the seates of his catholique church Christ himself as yet speaketh vnto vs and will speake euen vnto the end of the world by the mouth or writings of the holy Apostles and all teachers preaching the doctrine of the Apostles And this doctrine is sufficient for the catholique Church For it comprehendeth all those thinges fullie which perteine to a holie and happie life Christe our high priest maketh intercession for all the Sainctes in his owne Temple For hee béeing the only aduocate and patrone of all the faithful prayeth to the father for vs on the right hand of god For he ascended vnto the right hand of God the father that he should alwaies appeare there in the presence of God to followe all our suites faithfully Of whiche thinge I haue spoken more at large in my laste Sermon where I intreated of Inuocation and Intercessiō The same our Lord onlie blesseth vs For he was made a malediction and cursse for vs that we might be blessed in him according to that notable and aunciente Prophecie In thy seede shall all the nations of the worlde be blessed Moreouer Christe our Lorde sacrificeth for vs. For hee offereth incense when hée maketh supplication for vs and appeareth on the right hand of god And he offereth a sacrifice for sinnes vnto the liuing god not a sacrifice of a beast but him selfe alwayes an effectuall sacrifice to make satisfaction for all the sinnes of the people Whereof since I haue entreated aboundantlie in the treatise of Ceremonies héere of purpose I am the bréefer Againe since our lord Iesus Christ is y holy of holiest doubtlesse he sanctifieth consecrateth his catholique church annointing it with the oile of the holie ghost that we may be made both holie priests to offer spirituall sacrifices to god For we read y that holy ointmēt powred on Aarons hed ran down to his beard euen to the skirts of his clothing For Christ the highe priest of his vniuersall Churche powreth his spirit as wel vpon them that are verie farre off as vpon them that are neare at hande For hée crieth in the Gospell If any man thirst let him come vnto mee and drinke He that beleeueth on me as the scripture hath saide out of his bellie shall flowe riuers of water of life And againe For their sakes sanctifie I my selfe that they also might be sanctified in trueth To be short when we say and confesse that Iesus Christ is the priest or bishop of the faithfull people we say this that Christ is our chosen and appointed teacher and maister to gouerne and teach his vniuersal church to make intercession for vs to plead all our suites faithfully before the Father in heauen which is the onely patrone mediatour and aduocate of the faithfull with God who by the sacrifice of his bodie is the perpetuall only satisfaction absolution and iustification of all sinners throughout the whole worlde who consecrateth into priestes those that beléeue that that they also might offer to God the Father through Iesus Christ acceptable sacrifices might be the house and tabernacle of God. Out of this it shal be easie to iudge what manner of priesthoode Christs is who is our highe prieste and Bishop His priesthood is the verie office or verie function and working of the priest whereby Christ the priest him selfe executeth all thinges in heauen and in the Catholique Churche whiche beelong to his priestly office Wherefore it must néedes bee that this Priesthoode of Christe our highe Bishop is not visible and corporall but altogether spirituall For verie well sayth Paule Christe were no priest if he were on the earth where they that are of the tribe of Leuie do minister in the tabernacle or temple where there is a temple or tabernacle with manyfolde holie garmentes and vessels But Christe our Lorde is of the tribe of Iuda borne I say of a royall tribe albeit we are not ignoraunt in the meane while that the royall tribe that is the tribe of Iuda and the priestly tribe that is the tribe of Leuie were mingled together For we reade that Elizabeth which was of the daughters of Aaron was Cousen to the virgin the mother of God she being of the line of Dauid Neither is our Lord read at any time to haue vsed the temple or the holy vessels in his ministerie For although sometime he taught in the temple yet he taught not onely in the same He neuer sacrificed in the temple at the holy altars either of incense or of burnt offerings He neuer vsed priestly garments whiche were figuratiue Wherof I spake when I expounded the ceremonial lawes Therefore when he woulde sacrifice for the satisfaction of the sinnes of the whole worlde he suffered without the gate offered himselfe a liuely and most holy sacrifice according as the shadows or types prophecies and figures foreshewed in the law of Moses wherof in like maner I haue entreated in the discourse of the ceremoniall lawes And when hee had offered the sacrifice of his bodie he ascended into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of the father that from thence he may giue light vnto his Church and there appeare alwayes for vs in the presence of God the Father And therefore he doth not now corporally execute his priestly office on earth in like sort teaching vs now as in the dayes of his fleshe he taught the men of his age For nowe he doeth illuminate with his spirite the mindes of his and daily repaireth or renueth the Euangelicall doctrine of the Apostles and yet for all that hée himselfe speaketh by the mouth of thē that teache and preache the Gospell He blesseth vs from heauen that is to say he inricheth vs with all heauenly blessing Of him the Apostle speaking saith And the annoynting which ye haue receiued of him dwelleth in you and ye neede not that any man teache you but as the same annoynting teacheth you of all thinges and it is true and not lying and as it hath taught you ye shall abide in it Of him the diuine Prophet speaking sayth I wil powre water vppon the thirstie and floudes vppon the drie ground I wil powre my spirit vpon thy seede and my blessing vppon thy stocke or buddes They shall growe together like as the grasse and as the willowes by the waters side By whiche words we learne that Christ our high priest hath no néede of a bishop suffragane or vicar in his Churche For he himselfe is present with his Church and gouerneth it by his spirit The selfe same Christ at the
his owne nature he is vnspeakeable vnmeasurable incomprehensible euerlasting yet notwithstāding that I may say somewhat in a certeine order concerning him if it will be no otherwise I will at the last shadowe out that which the scripture the inspiration of the holie Ghoste himselfe verie largelie declareth of him The holie Ghost is the third person in Trinitie to bee worshipped very God procéeding from the father and the sonne which inlighteneth regenerateth sanctifieth and fulfilleth the faithful with all good graces But that the holie Ghost is the third person in the holie Trinitie I thincke it is sufficiently at large declared in the third Sermon of this Decade Surely this onely sentence of our Sauiour Baptize them in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holie Ghost doeth aboundantly confirme to godly mindes that the holy Ghost is the third person in Trinitie Moreouer that he is verie God of the same power glorie maiestie and Beeing with the father and the sonne that especiallie proueth beecause hee is the third person in the holie Trinitie Neither must we thinke that he is lesser than they because hee is reckoned in the third place For though the blessed Trinitie be remembred of vs in order yet notwithstanding there is no degrée no time no place or number in the blessed Trinitie For blessed Athanasius made his confession according to the Scripture and said The catholique faith is this that wee worshipp one God in Trinitie and Trinitie in Vnitie neither confounding the persons nor diuiding the substance For there is one person of the father another of the sonne another of the holie ghost But the Godhead of the father of the sonne and of the holie Ghoste is one the glorie equall the maiestie coeternall Such as the father is such is the sonne and such is the holie Ghost The father vncreate the sonne vncreate the holie Ghost vncreate The father incōprehensible the sonne incomprehensible and the holie Ghost incomprehēsible That father eternall the sonne eternal and the holy Ghost eternal and yet are they not three eternalls but one eternall c. And Augustine also in his 15. booke De Trinitate cap. 26. sayth In that high Trinitie which is God there are no distances of times whereby it may bee shewed or at least demaunded whether the sonne were first borne of the father and afterward the holie Ghoste to proceede from them both c. Truly we confesse that the father the sonne and the holy Ghost is one God and that the same is eternall Therefore let it trouble no man that the spirit is put in the last place For when the Apostle in his epistle to the Corinth framed his blessing he said The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the loue of God and the fellowship of the holie Ghost be with you all he maketh mention of the holie Ghost in the last place but the same Paule sayeth There are diuersities of gifts but it is the selfe same spirite And there are differences of administrations but it is the selfe same Lord and there are diuerse maners of operations but it is the selfe same God which woorketh all in all setting the spirite in the first place teaching that the order of names doth not make difference of dignities After this manner also in the former testimonie he placed the sonne before the father not ouerthrowing the order which the Lord hath set downe in Matth. but shewing the equalitie of the Trinitie in honour For what canst thou more plainly saye thā that which the scripture saith that the holie ghost doth sanctifie renue regenerate giue life and saue and these are operations agréeable to God onely By operations therfore we manifestly acknowledge that the holie Ghoste is God of the same Essence and power with the father and the sonne For the holie Ghost from the beginning beefore all creatures visible and inuisible is a creatour not a creature as Iob witnesseth His spirite hath garnished the heauens Againe The spirite of GOD hath made mee and the breath of the Almightie hath giuen mee life Zacharias the priest and father of S. Iohn Baptist sayeth Blessed bee the Lord God of Israel for he hath redeemed his people as hee spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets whiche haue beene since the world began And S. Peter sayeth For the Prophecie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of GOD spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost By this I pray you who cannot gather that the holy Ghoste is God For God spake by the mouth of the Prophets and the holy Ghoste spake by the mouth of the Prophets Therefore the holy Ghost is God. The same Peter also in expresse words hath called the holy Ghost God when he accused Ananias of theft yea and also of sacrilege for when he had said Howe is it that Sathan hath filled thy heart to lie vnto the holy Ghost by and by he addeth Thou hast not lied vnto mē but vnto God. To the doctrine of Saint Peter agrée those thinges in all poinctes whiche S. Paule the doctour of the Gentiles hath taught For hee called the beléeuers the temples of God Knowe ye not sayeth he that ye are the temple of God and that the spirite of GOD dwelleth in you And againe Knowe ye not that your bodies are the temple of the holy ghost which is in you whom ye haue of God and yeare not your owne To be the temple of God and to be the temple of the holy Ghost Paule taketh to bee one and the selfe same thing it followeth therfore that the holy Ghost is god For in his Epistle to the Corinthians hee expresly nameth the holy Ghost god For after he had said There are diuersities of giftes but it is the selfe same spirite and had reckoned vpp the kindes of giftes by and by hee addeth And all these things woorketh euen one and the selfe same spirite distributing to euerie man seuerally euen as hee will. And he himselfe had said a litle afore There are diuerse manners of operations but it is the selfe same GOD which worketh all in all But Didymus Alexandrinus a man of excellent learning doeth knit vp a most euident argument of the Godhead of the holy Ghost declaring also that his nature doeth altogether differ from the nature of Angels For in his 1. lib. de Spiritu Sancto hée hath left this written S. Hierome so interpreting it If the holy Ghost were a creature he should haue at the least a limitable substance as haue all thinges whiche are made For althoughe inuisible creatures are not limitted within place and boundes yet in propertie of substaunce they are limitted but the holy Ghost since hee is in many places hath not a limitable substāce For Iesus sending forth the preachers of his Gospel he filled them with the holy Ghost But neither did all the Apostles goe to all
persecutours of Christ and his Church Such in these dayes are the heathen Turkes Iewes heretiques scismatikes and generally all such as are professed enimies to Christian religion And to these also wée may add hypocrites For it is no smal offence that the Lord him selfe in euery part of the Gospell doth so earnestly persecute and blame Amonge other thinges hee sayeth The Lord of that seruaunt shall come in the daye wherein he loketh not for him and in an houre that he shall not knowe off and shall diuide him and shall giue him his portion with hypocrites where shal be weeping and gnashing of teeth Out of all doubt he signified the greatnesse of the offence by the sharpenesse of the punishment This Church doeth followe the motions of the diuel and the deuises or imaginations of her owne heart and is busied and exercised in all kinde of blasphemie and wickednesse wherein shée excelleth her selfe and at last sincketh downe to hell that shee be not in any place separated from that head whervnto she hath so diligently or rather obstinately ioyned her selfe I knowe right-well that ye will obiecte against mée for that I haue reckoned the hypocrites to bee in the outward communion and fellowship of the Militant Church and nowe againe to accompte them of the companie of the diuels Church Moreouer you will saye That it is impossible that the same hypocrites maye take part of both Churches differing betwixte themselues for that the Lord sayeth Either make the tree good and the fruite good or else the tree nought and the fruite nought And Sainct Paule also sayeth that there is no fellowship betwixt Christ and Belial twixt lighte and darckenesse twixt trueth and lying and that hypocrisie is lying and darckenesse Héere therefore I perceiue a fitt place to shewe by what meanes and howe farre I may accompt hypocrites to be of the congregation of the Churche First wee make a distinction or difference of hypocrites For there are certeine hypocrites that put their confidence in their humane iustice and equitie doeing all their woorkes openlye that they maye bee séene of men firmely trusting and stiffely standing to mens traditions To these it is a custome and propertie not onely to flie from the Church whiche teacheth the righteousnesse of Christ but also to curse detest and to persecute it with all crueltie Such kinde of people were the Iewes and Iewishe Phariseis with whome oure Lord Iesus Christe had much contention and with whom euen at this day the Church contendeth and maketh warres These be the plaine and visible members of the diuels Church and they are not to be counted of the outward Church yea they are not once worthie to be named in the Church of Christ Againe there are some kinde of hypocrites that are dissemblers whiche neither giue any confidence to their owne righteousnes and iustice neither yet doe greatly regarde the traditions of men These kindes of people neither hate the Church nor flye from it nor persecute it but outwardly they agrée with it professing the same faith and participating the selfe same Sacramentes but inwardly and in minde they neither beléeue vnfeignedly sincerely neither doe they liue holilie Of this sorte some of them for a season will cleaue to the fellowship and company of the Church and hauing any occasion giuen they wil fall from it as heretikes and scismatikes are wont to doe and such as of fréendes are become enimies Other there be againe that neuer fall from the Churche but kéepe them selues in the fellowship of the Church all their life time outwardly pretending and feigning Religion but inwardly giuing them selues vp to their owne errors faults and wickednes vnto whome without doubt the outwarde behauiour and fellowship profiteth nothing at all For we ought to liue for euer and to participate all heaueÌ„ly gifts with them that desire them to ioyne in fellowshippe with the Church of God not onely by outwarde and visible societie but by inwarde communion and felowship wherein consisteth life and saluation Of which matter we will speake in conuenient place Such Hypocrites or dissemblers hanging on the ecclesiasticall bodie are called members of the body and are said to be of the church Which matter that it may the better be vnderstoode of you all we wil set it foorth by certeine parables We say that the wicked or hypocrites be in like sorte in the Church as chaffe is in the corne which indéed is of an other nature and is no corne Like as therfore oft times their hang members vnto mens bodyes either drye or rotten or féeble which members although they haue no societie nor take parte with the liuely members in the vitall spirite yet by coupling together and certeine stringes they cleane fast vnto the liuely members by meanes whereof they are also called by men members and partes of the body whoe lest they should inâ—ect the other they cut them off oft times they let them alone lest by cutting them off the whole bodie shuld be in danger of life Euen so in like sort we saye that hypocrites are in the church of Christe though they be not vnited to the Church either by the bond of the spirit or offaith and loue neither are they to be taken for liuely members yet are they suffered lest some worse mischiefe happen to the whole bodie of the church and oft-times they are cut off wherby the better health may come to the ecclesiasticall body But let vs heare what the Euangelicall and Apostolicall testimonie saith The Lord saith plainly in the Gospel that in the lords field cockell groweth vpp béeing soawen by a wicked man whiche he forbiddeth to be plucked vpp least that therewith the corne be plucked vp also Beholde cockel soawen by an euil man I say by the Diuell him selfe which is no corne yet doeth it increase and is in the Lords fielde Againe the lord saith in the Gospel The kingdome of heauen is like vnto a nett which beeing cast into the sea draweth al maner of things vp with it and when it is filled it is brought to the shoare and there men sitting reserue that which is good in a vessell and that which is euil they cast away Againe beholde how ye may sée bothe good and bad to be drawen in the selfe same nett and therefore in the selfesame kingdome bothe good and euil to be reckoned Also in an other parable there entereth one in among the guestes which hath not on his wedding garment who is suffered for a season but yet at last is cast out of doores by the Lord of the feast In an other place it is said that he hath a fanne in his hand and clenseth the flower and burneth the chaffe with vnquencheable fire S. Paule in his Epistle to the Corinthes putteth a difference betwixt the professed and open enimies of Christes Church and the impure sorte of men who as yet are not quite repugnaunte and aduersaries to
the Church and the name of Christe If any man sayth he that is called a brother be a theefe or a whoremonger or a couetous person c. with such an one see that ye eate no meate For what doeth it belong vnto me to iudge of thē that be without For God iudgeth them that are without Without that is to say he placeth them y are not called brethren wthout the bonds compasse of the Church to witt such as doe not acknowledge the name of Christe or of the church Within that is to say in the societie of the Church I meane of the outwarde church he reckoneth vp them that as yet doe acknowledge the Christian name neither yet doe withstand ecclesiasticall discipline though they thē selues in meane time be defiled and spotted with much mischiefe Of all men S. Iohn the Apostle spake plainliest saying They went out frō vs but they were none of vs For if they had beene of vs they had taried stil with vs. This séemeth to be a straunge kinde of spéeche For if they which go out of the church had not bene in the societie of the church how could they go out of the Church Can a man come foorth of a place in-the which he neuer came or in which he neuer was Therefore if hypocrits and euill men are gone out of the Churche surely they were sometime in the Church then to witt when they had not as yet gone out of it and did plainly shew what maner ones they were indéede Againe for that they went out of the Church they manifestly shewe that they were neuer indéede the true and liuely members of Christe and the Churche yet for a while they were numbered amōg the members of the Church The Apostle giueth the reason it is the disposition of Christes true members neuer to forsake Christe and his church but to continue and also to prosper and increase dayly more and more The Saincts and holie men truely doe offend or fall but yet they doe not forsake Christe vtterlye Dauid hauing committed adulterie and man-slaughter cryeth out sayinge Make me a cleane hart O lord and renew a right spirit within me Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holie spirite from me O giue me the comfort of thy helpe againe and stablish me with thy free spirite Sainct Peter denied the Lord and the weake flesh ouercame a good spirite but immediatly the Lord stirring vpp his harte he repented and departing from euill company he adioyned himselfe to the good fellowship of the Lord who foretolde him of this greate fall and thereto added these wordes I prayed for thee that thy faith should not faile and thou when thou art conuerted confirme thy brethren The same Peter also in an other place what time manye fell from Christe being demaunded whether he also prouided to departe answered Lord to whome shall we go Thou haste the word of eternall life And wee beleeue and knowe that thou art Christe the Sonne of the liueing GOD. Wherefore S. Iohn said verie truely They went out frō vs but they were none of vs. He addeth the reason If they had bene of vs they had stil taried with vs. Therefore bicause they continued not still with vs in the societie of Christ the Church they shewed by their defectiō and falling away what maner ones hitherto they haue bene we accounted them to be members of the Church but they by their fallinge away did declare that they were chaffe in the Lordes corne For as chaffe béeing not stirred nor fanned doeth séeme to be heauie with a graine of Wheate in it but béeinge once moued it appeareth emptie and light and by fanning is put aparte from the corne so hypocrites béeinge light by reason of their defection doe manifestly proue that they were neuer heauie with the séede of Gods worde that they were neuer the true corne of Christ From hence a generall and auncient opinion is gathered that all that are saide to be the Church and beautifie themselues with the title of the church are not by and by the Church For Saint Iohn plainely addeth But that it may be euident that all be not of vs. We read how that S. Paule to the Romanes saith They are not all Israelites which came of Israel neither are they all children straight way because they are the seede of Abraham but in Isaac shall thy seed be called Therefore the faithfull are the true and liuely members of Christe and of the Saincts In meane season truely so long as hypocrites or wicked persons not yet putting off their visours shall by their sayings and doings declare what they are that they may lawfully be cut from the church who not yet breaking away by their owne accorde do forsake Christ in the open fielde and flie to the tents of antichrist or the diuell are knowen and taken to be the true inhabitants of the church and are called the thurch and the members of the church although God whoe beholdeth the heartes of al men doe well inough discerne them I will againe make this matter plaine by an example As longe as Iudas the betrayer of Christ and mansleyer did not vtter his craftie or rather moste wicked deuise either by open déede or word neither forsooke the companie of Christe and the Apostles but did preache and prouide necessarie things of house shoulde for Christe he was accounted for an Apostle and the stuwarde of Christe yea and for a member of the Apostolique church Yet the selfe same Iudas was called by the Lord a Diuell and when he spake of the electe and of his true and liuelye members he was most plainely shut out so that there is no occasion of dout to think that Iudas was no member of the inwarde and holie Churche of God though he were a member of the the outwarde Churche béeing reckoned in the number of the holie men And therefore they speake not without greate aduise that said That of Gods Churche there was one visible and outward an other inuisible and inwarde The visible and outwarde Churche is that which is outwardely knowen by men for a Church by hearing Gods worde and partaking of his Sacraments and by publique confession of their faith The inuisible and inwarde is so called not that men are inuisible but because it is not to be séene with mans eye and yet doeth appeare before Gods eyes who beléeue truely and who feignedly For the true beléeuers are the true and liuely members of this inwarde Church which before I called the militant Churche more strictly considered but the other visible Churche comprehending both good and bad is more largely considered Now forasmuch as we haue said that the Church militant vppon earth is marked by GOD with certeine tokens and markes whereby it may be knowen in this worlde it followeth next that we shuld speake of those outward marks of the church of god And there are
and yet gathereth not that sense that it may probably seeme he whome hee readeth ment in that place he is not perniciously deceiued neyther lyeth he at all The same anon after Hee is notwithstanding to bee corrected and must haue it shewed him howe muche more profitable it were for him not to leaue the highway lest by accustomable straying hee be forced eyther to goe crosse or croked Thus farre he Therefore where an Ecclesiasticall interpreter doth erre grossely it is lawfull to a better learned brotherly to admonishe him but to make a Scisme it is not lawfull The authours of Scisme lightly are somewhat proude and arrogant and swell with enuie and therefore are voyde of al charitie and modestie they allowe nothing but what they them selues bring foorth neither will they haue any thing common with others they are alwayes musing some high matter nothing that is coÌ„mon or simple Vnto these men very well agréeth that saying of the Apostle Paul Knowledge puffeth vp but loue edifieth Therfore godly teachers in the church and also godly hearers for doctrine which is not altogether foolish though it be somewhat grosse yet being godly and tending to edification they neither leaue or forsake the fellowship of the churche neither striue they or contend but rather vse charitie in all things And if the ministers liues be attached with grieuous vices and yet in the meane season they be faithful in teaching admonishing exhorting rebuking and comforting if they lawfully distribute the lawful sacraments no man hath iust occasion to forsake the church The Lorde expresly saith in the gospel The Scribes the Phariseis sit in Moses seate Al therefore what so euer they bid you obserue that obserue and do but after their workes do not for they say and do not Behold the Lorde saith they say and do not therefore the teachers liues were not agreable to their doctrine yet for that they stoode in Moses seat that is to say bicause they taught the word of God lawfully and sincerely he biddeth to receiue their sincere doctrine but their life not being agréeable to their doctrine that he biddeth to refuse and therefore to make a scisme for the preachers euill liues sake the Lorde doth forbid Surely he commaundes to â—â—ée from false Propetes But not an euil life but false doctrine maketh a false prophet A great conâ—lict about this matter had the holy father S. Augustine with the Donatiâ—tes who contended that the ministerie was of smaller power through the imperfection of the ministers Which case is to be considered in an other sort But now what cause haue they to leaue and forsake our churches for the vnlikelinesse or varietie of ceremonies In the baptisme of childreÌ„ say they you obserue not one order and so also in the celebration of the supper Some take the breade of the Lorde in their handes sitting some do come and take it at the handes of the minister who also put it in the mouthes of the receiuers Some celebrate the Communion often some sildome and that but vpon set dayes And you vse not one forme of prayer Neither haue all your assemblies one manner neyther méete they at one time But howe shall we beléeue that the spirite of vnitie and peace is in you in whome is founde so great diuersitie For iust causes therefore we doe not communicate with you But of these customes we shall speake more fitly in their proper place But it is maruell that men not altogether rude and ignoraunt of Ecclesiasticall matters bring no other argumentes for defence of their wicked scisme Are the poore wretches ignoraunt how great diuersitie there hath bene alwayes in ceremonies vnitie notwithstanding alwayes remayning vndiuided in the catholique Church Socrates the famous writer of the ecclesiasticall historie in the fift booke of his histories the 22. chapter setteth out at large the diuersitie of ceremonies in the church of god Amongst other things he sayth No religion saith he keepeth all one kynde of ceremonies albeit it agree in doctrine about them For they which agree in faith differ in ceremonies And againe It shall be both laboursome and troublesome yea and impossible to describe al the ceremonies of all the churches in each citie regioÌ„ The blessed martyr Irenaeus writing to Victor bishop of Rome reherseth a great diuersity of the churches in their fastings and kéeping the feast of Easter and then addeth And yet not withstanding all these euen when they varied in their obseruations were both peaceable among themselues and with vs and yet are neyther doth the disagreement about fasting breake the agreement of faith And againe Blessed Polycarpus saith hee wheÌ„ he came to Rome vnder Anicete hauing some small controuersie about certeine other matters were by and by reconciled But of this kinde of matter they coÌ„tended not awhit For neither could Anicetus persuade Polycarpus that he should not obserue those thinges which with Iohn the disciple of our Lord the rest of the Apostles with whom he had ben conuersant he had always obserued Neither did Polycarpus persuade Anicetus not to keepe that custome which by the traditioÌ„ of those elders to whom he succeeded he said he was to kepe And these maters thus standing they had felowship one with an other Thus far he Moreouer the auncient church vsed great libertie in obseruatioÌ„ of ceremonies yet so always as it brake not the bond of vnitie Yea S. Austine prescribing vnto Ianuarius what in this diuersitie of ceremonies he shuld either do or followe biddeth not him to make ascisme but iudging moderately wisely No rule saith he in these things is better thaÌ„ a graue wise christian who wil do in such sort as he shal se euery church do vnto which by chauÌ„ce he coÌ„meth For that whiche neither contrarie to faith nor good maners is coÌ„mauÌ„ded is to be counted indifferent according to their society amongst whom we liue to be obserued Againe least vnder pretence of this rule counsel any might force vpon euery maÌ„ what ceremonies they wold he addeth The church of God placed amidst muche chaffe cockle suffereth many thinges yet whatsoeuer is either coÌ„trarie to faith or good life she alloweth not neither holds she her peace neither doth she it Last of al whereas these men thinke that there is no true church where as yet faultie manners are to be séen in men conuersant in the churche by whose conuersation they feare to be polluted vnles either they come not at the churche or else quickly forsake it they fall into the madnes of the heretikes called Catharoi who deceiued with the false imagination of exact holinesse vsing sharpe crueltie fled from those churches in which the fruits of the doctrine of the gospel plainly appeared not Against these we set both the prophetical apostolicall to wit the most holy churches For Esaie Ieremie rebuking the maners of their time do greatly inueigh against corruption
of doctrine maners Neither charge they them with light coÌ„mon faults but heynous Esaie crieth That from the crowne of the head to the soale of the foot there is no whole place and yet he departed not froÌ„ the churche nor planted him selfe a newe albeit froÌ„ al vngodlinesse corruptioÌ„ he kept him self very diligeÌ„tly How many faults nay howe many errours I pray you were there amongest the Apostles of Christ them selues what did our lord depart from them The church of Corynth was corrupted not only in maners but also in doctrine There was in it conteÌ„tions factioÌ„s brawlings Whordome breaking of wedlocke vndoutedly was coÌ„mon among them What thinke you of that the many of them were present at prophane sacrifices Surely it was no small error that they estéemed baptisme according to the worthinesse of the minister They had defiled the Lords Supper with their priuate prodigal banquets yea of the resurrection of the dead they thought not aright But did the apostle for the cause either depart from them him selfe or commaund others to depart yea rather he calleth theÌ„ a holy church greatly rebuking their coÌ„tentions he exhorteth al meÌ„ to obserue the vnitie of the church in the sinceritie of truth It is not to be douted therfore the they greatly sinne which abstein from the fellowship of our or rather the catholique churche in which albeit there be great corruption of life yet the doctrine is sincere the sacrameÌ„ts are purely ministred But these men obiect ye admit al men without exception to the receiuing of the Lordes supper wicked men drunkards couetous men souldiers such like kindes of men with whome the holy apostle forbids vs to eate coÌ„mon breade so far off is it that he graunteth vs to be partakers at thâ— lords table with such Except therfore we like to be defiled with the fellowship of the wicked it is néedful either not to ioyne with this societie or else altogether to flee from it But of the Lords supper the receiuing therof if I liue I wil speak in an other place apt for it At this time this onely we bring against them that Paule the most faithfull seruant of Iesu Christe was not sharper than his maister But it is manifest that he admitted Iudas to the holy table whoÌ„ he knew as it is wont to be saide Intus in cute that is to say throughly within without yet he did not put him by But he wold haue reiected him if he had knowne the rest of his disciples wold haue ben polluted with his coÌ„panie Iudas him selfe was polluted for his minde conscience were corrupt but the rest of the apostls whose minds were pure through perfect faith could not be defiled by another mans trecherie Therfore saith Paule the apostle Let a maÌ„ proue him selfe and so let him eate of that breade and drinke of that cup. He biddeth euery man to proue him self not to iudge an other mans seruant who standeth to his Lorde or falleth If thou béest indued with faith dost lawfully participate at the Lords table thou art not defiled with an other mans wickednesse Therefore to auoyd pollution there is no cause why thou shouldest be separated from the church in which thou séest the bad mingled with the good to be partakers of the Lords supper But if so be thou béest separated thou plainly declarest thy selfe being hardned with arrogancie to be partaker with those whome S. Aug. in his 3. booke against Parmenian the first chapter painteth forth with these proper liuely colours They are â—uil childreÌ„ who not for the hatred of other mens iniquities but throughe the studie of their owne contentions go about eyther wholy to alure or at lest to diuide the simple people prouoked with the bragging titles of their names puft vp with pride folish with frowardnes subtile with slaunders troublesome with seditions who least they shuld be detected to want the lighte of trueth pretend the shadowe of sharpe seueritie and those things which in the holy scriptures the sinceritie of loue beeing saued and the vnitie of peace beeing kept are commaunded for the correction of the faults of their brethren wherein moderation also should be vsed they vsurpe to the sacriledge of scisme and occasion of cutting off The same authour amongst other things godlily and wisely disputed in the two chapters following giues this counsel to modest wits That quietly they should correct what they may and what they can not mende they should patiently suffer and louingly mourne till God him selfe either amend it or in the day of iudgement fan away the chaffe Furthermore concluding this place I wil recite vnto you the words of the blessed martir CypriaÌ„ He in his 3. booke 3. epistle hath thus left it written If cockle appeare to be in the churche yet ought neither our faith nor our charitie be letted that bicause wee see cockle in the church we our selues depart froÌ„ the church we must rather labour to bee good corne that when the corne shal be laid vp in the lords barne we may receiue the fruite of our labour and trauell The Apostle saith in his Epistle but in a great house are not only vessels of gold and siluer but also of wood and of earth some vessels of honor some of dishonor Let vs indeuour and labor what we may that we may be a vessel either of gold or of siluer But the Lorde only hath libertie to break in peeces the eartheÌ„ vessels to whoÌ„ also is giuen an yron rod. The seruaÌ„t can not be greater thaÌ„ his lord Neither let any man think it lawful for him to challenge that to him selfe which the father hath giueÌ„ only to his sonne that he might now be able to purge the â—â—owre or fanne the chaffe or by al the wit man hath to separate al the chaff froÌ„ the corne This is a proud obstinacie and wicked presumption which lewde furie taketh to him selfe And whiles some men alwayes take to theÌ„ selues a further dominion thaÌ„ peaceable iustice requireth they perish froÌ„ the church and whiles they proudly lift vp theÌ„ selues blinded with their owne presumption they are bereft of the light of truth The Lord Iesus reduce the wandering shepe into the vnitie of the catholique churche liuing in vnitie kéepe vphold them Amen These aduersaries of ours being ouercome there arise vp new cruel enimes that is to say the defenders of the Romane Monarchie of the apostolique sea as they cal it the most auncient church for they cry eueÌ„ while they be whorse that we are guiltie of the same cryme whereof we condemned the Anabaptistes certeine other fantastical fellowes For they say that we with a wicked scisme forced by no necessitie haue forsaken the olde Romishe church and haue set vp for our selues newâ— hereticall Synagogues And they alledge that the holy scripture hath as yet her authoritie in the
Antonianus calleth such scismatiques who vsurpe vnto them the office of a bishop no man giuing it them And this kinde of calling is vnproperlie called a calling Wherefore it is euident that in the churche there must néedes bee a calling and that publique and lawfull aswell for many other causes as especially for these that the ordinaunce of God bée not neglected and that the discipline of the church be reteyned and that all men in the churche maye knowe who are preferred to the ecclesiasticall ministerie Albeit therefore Paule the Apostle and doctour of the Gentiles in the beginning were not sent of mē neither by men but of God onely yet the same Paule at the commaundement of the holy Ghoste is separated by the church of Antioch together with Barnabas to the ministerie of the Gentiles After the same manner many other were sent or called of god whom neuerthelesse it behoued to be ordeyned also by men For Paul in another place sayeth And no man taketh this honour vnto himselfe but hee that is called of God as was Aaron And againe How shal they heare without a preacher And how shall they preache except they be sent c. As cōcerning that second kinde of calling whiche is common and at this day receiued in the church and yet appointed by the Lord there are thrée thinges to be considered First who they be that cal that is who haue right and authoritie to call or to ordeine ministers Secondly who or what maner of men are to be ordeined Lastlie after what manner they that be called are to bee ordeyned And first of all that the Lord hath giuen to his church power and authoritie to elect and ordeine fit ministers wee haue declared before in the secōd sermon of this Decade by the example of the auncient churches in the world Hierusalem and Antioch of whiche two the church of Hierusalem did not only ordeine 7. deacons but also Matthias the Apostle the church of Antioche separated into the ministerie the famous Apostles of Christ Paule and Barnabas Whervnto apperteineth that the churches of the Gentiles béeing instructed of Paule Barnabas ordeined them elders or gouernours of their churches by election had by voyces The chiefest in this election were the pastours thēselues For Peter gouerning the action Matthias was created Apostle by the Church This forme or order the auncient churche diligently obserued many yeres For Cyprian epist. lib. 1. epist. 4. The common people sayeth he hath especially power either to choose worthie priestes or to refuse them that be vnworthie Which thing also we see to descend from the authoritie of God that the priest bee chosen in the presence of the common people before all mens eyes and bee allowed worthie and meete by publique iudgement and wittnesse As in Num. the Lord commaunded Moses and said Take Aaron thy brother and Eleazar his sonne and bring them vp into the mount before all the congregation God commaundeth the priest to bee ordeined before the whole congregation That is hee teacheth sheweth that the ordeinīg of priests ought not to bee done without the knowledge of the people being present that in their presence either the vices of the euill might bee discouered or the deserts of the good commended and that that is a iust and lawefull ordeyning whiche shal be examined by the election and iudgement of all Thus farre hée This custome and māner indured to the time of S. Augustine For it is to be séen in his 110. epist. which witnesseth that the people giuing a shoute Augustine ordeyned Eradius for his successour In these latter times because the people made often tumults in the elections of pastours the ordination was committed to chosen men of the pastours magistrats and people These thrée kinds of men propounded or named notable mē out of whom he whiche was thought the best was chosen There is somewhat of this In Iustiniani Imperat. Nouel Constitut 123. They which thinke that all power of ordeyning ministers is in the bishops diocesans or archbishops hands doe vse these places of the scripture For this cause I left thee in Creta sayeth Paul to Titus that thou shuldest ordeine elders in euery citie And againe Lay hands soudeinly on no man. But we saye that the Apostles did not exercise tyrannie in the churches and that they themselues alone did not execute all things about election or ordination other men in the church being excluded For the Apostles of Christ ordeined bishops or elders in the churche but not without communicating their counsel with the churches yea and not without hauing the consent and approbation of the people Which may appeare by the election or ordination of Matthias whiche wee haue nowe once or twice recited Truely the Lord in the Law said to Moses Thou shalt appoint thee Iudges But in another place he saith Thou shalt seeke out among all the people whom thou mayest make rulers And againe Moses vnto the same people Bring you men of wisedome vnderstanding I will make thē rulers ouer you c. Therefore as Moses doth nothing of his own will in the election of the magistrate though it were said to him Thou shalt appoint thee Iudges but doth althinges communicating his counsel with the people So vndoubtedly Titus though it were said vnto him Ordeine elders in euerie citie yet he vnderstood that hereby nothing was permitted to him which he might do priuately as he thought good not hauing the aduise and consent of the churches Wherefore they sinne not at all that shaking off the yoke tyrānie of the bishops of Rome for good and reasonable causes doe recouer that auncient right graunted by Christ to the churches Neither makes it any great matter whether discrete men chosen of the church or the whole church it selfe do ordeine fit ministers that either by voices either by lotts or after some certeine necessarie and holy māner For in these things godly men will not moue contention so that all things be done holily and in order But I wil not here rip vp the craftes deceipts practises and greuous warrs taken in hand for this right of ordeining with sheading of much bloud spoylings lamētable burnings of countries The histories of the Acts of Hērie the 4. and 5. and also of the affaires of the Frederiches doe most euidently witnes how impudētly abhominably the Popes of Rome with their sworne friendes the bishops haue behaued themselues Peraduenture I shall haue occasion to speake of this matter elsewhere more at large Now we will declare what maner of mē it behoueth to ordeine ministers truely not whose luste but the most choicest men of sound religion furnished with all kinde of sciences exercised in the scriptures cunning in the mysterie of faith and religion strong and constant earnest painefull diligent faithfull watchfull modest of a holy and approued conuersation least thorough their corruption of life
and the benefites receiued at his hand Herevnto is referred a great part of the psalmes wherof part perteine to inuocation or calling vppon God and some ferue to teache or instruct some to declare or expound whereof at this present there is no place to speake Paule the blessed Apostle of Christ acknowledging these parts of prayer writing to the Colos sayeth Continue in prayer watch in the same with thankesgiuing And to the Philippians Let your requestes be shewed vnto God in prayer supplication with giuing of thankes And againe vnto Timothie I exhort therfore sayth Paule that first of all prayers supplicatioÌ„s intercessions giuing of thanks be made for al men Kinds of prayers are these There is a priuate prayer of euerie faithfull man there is also a publique prayer of the whole church Priuate prayer is made vnto God by euerie faithfull man in what place soeuer either in the house or without dores in the closet of his heart temple of his owne bodie For S. Peter went vp into the vppermost part of the house and prayed S. Pans sayeth I will therefore that the me pray euery where lifting vp pure hands And Christ our Lord himselfe verie often departed euen out of the temple into the mount to pray And in the Gospel hee sayeth When thou prayest enter into thy chamber and when thou hast shutt thy dore pray to thy father whiche is in secrete Publique prayer is that which is vsed of the church whiche is made vnto God in the holy assemblie according to the accustomed order of euerie churche Nowe the pastours duetie is as Paule also admonisheth in the 1. Tim. 2. and wée in the last Sermon before this haue rehearsed to gather together instruct and preserue the assemblies in whiche supplications or common prayers are made And they are greatly to bee blamed who are more negligent in this behalfe than becommeth them neither are they in déede to be suffered which séeldome or neuer teach diligently and are cold in stirring vpp a desire in men to pray Men by nature are slow and slacke in the studie of religion and therefore we haue néede of a sharpe spurre And the charge and office of stirring vpp and prouoking is committed to the pastours of churches The prophets somewhere crie Blowe out the trumpet in Sion assemble a congregation For in a holy congregation thrée thinges are chiefly vsed the teaching of the Gospel faithfull prayers and religious celebration or administration of the Sacraments And sometimes there is a collection made for the reléeuing of the poore and of the church The holie Scripture wittnesseth that these thinges are not instituted at the will and pleasure of man but by the authoritie of God yea and immediatly after the first beginning of thinges and that they were also vsed of the most holy worshippers of god Of those most auncient patriarchs both which were first before the floud and which followed immediatly after there is no doubt since the scripture plainly witnesseth of Iacob himselfe the nephue of Abraham that he exected an altar in Bethel whervnto he assembled his whole household though it were excéeding great and there offered sacrifice vnto god In Moses time by the law in most euident commaundements he instituted holy assemblies Yea in the 10. commaundements he diligently coÌ„maundeth to sanctifie the sabboth day which also compreheÌ„deth holy assemblies The holy prophets of God do euerie where praise and commend the ecclesiasticall assemblies of Gods people Neither did Christ our Lord disallow them wheÌ„ he came in the flesh For as in the most notable assemblies and feastes hee taught with great diligence euen so he gathered and assembled together both the people and also his disciples whome he specially commaunded that they should not depart from Hierusalem but waite for the promise of the father which thing when they were gathered together into an assemblie and in prayer we read in the Actes to haue béene performed There also the assemblie of the faithful is coÌ„mended to vs as appeareth both in the 11. and 14. cap. of the 1. epist. of Paul to the Corin. Those supplications which the same Paule commaundeth to bée made for all them that are set in authoritie are made chiefly in holy asseÌ„blies Truely Plinie an heatheÌ„ author writing to Traianus the Emperour doth make verie manifest mention of holy assemblies Holie assemblies had of old time verie excellent promises as we may sée in the prayer of Solomon whiche is described vnto you in the first booke of the Kinges the 8. cap. And at this day the church of Christ hath promises nothing inferiour to them Christ our Lord saying I say vnto you that if two of you shall agree in earth as touching any thing that they shall aske it shal be done for them of my father whiche is in heauen For where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them Behold the Lord him selfe is in the middst of the assemblies of saincts And where the Lord is there is both plentie and the treasure of all good things And therefore experience it selfe which we haue of matters teacheth that the supplications of the church are effectuall For the Lord heareth the prayers of the church and deliuereth from euil those whose safetie the church commendeth vnto him We haue oftentimes had experience that they which were in extreme daunger haue found verie present helpe euen at the same instant wherein the congregation hath offered their prayers to the Lord. Moreouer the example moueth verie many otherwise hard hearted and barbarous For they sée the deuout godlines of the holy congregation and the feruencie of the faithful in assemblies are thereby moued so that entring into themselues they acknowledge that they are miserable desire to be partakers of this fellowship according to the saying of S. Paul. If therfore wheÌ„ the whole church is come together in one and all speake straunge tongues there come in they that are vnlearned or they whiche beleeue not will they not say that ye are out of your witts But if all prophecie and there come in one which beleueth not or one vnlearned he is rebuked of all men is iudged of all And so are the â—ecrets of his heart made manifest and so he wil fall downe on his face and worship God and say plainely that God is in you in deede With what confidence therefore and howe shamefully dare some set light by holy assemblies and not onely set light by them but also scorne at them as if they were assembled together without any profite at all Dauid in his banishment maketh complaint of nothing so much as that hee was compelled to wander in the wildernesse and was shutt out from holy assemblies For hee promiseth the Lord hee wil enter into his holie congregation if euer he be restored againe Verily when the Lord sayeth in
finde that they of the old Testament had Sacraments after one kynd and they of the newe Testament Sacraments after an other kind The Sacraments of the people vnder the old Testament were circumcision and the Paschal lambe to which were added sacrifices whereof I haue aboundantly spoken in the thirde Decade and the sixt Sermon In like manner the Sacraments of the people vnder the newe Testament that is to say of Christians by the writings of the Apostles are two in number Baptisme The Supper of the Lorde But Peter Lombard reckoneth 7. Baptisme Penance the supper of the Lorde Confirmation Extreme vnction Orders Matrimonie Him followeth the whole rablement of interpretours and route of scholemen But all the auncient doctours of the Church for the moste part do reckon vp two principall sacraments among whome Tertullian in his first fourth booke Contra Marcionem and in his booke De corona militis very plainly maketh mention but of two onely that is to saye Baptisme and the Eucharist or supper of the Lorde And Augustine also Lib. 3. de doctr Christiana cap. 9. sayth The Lorde hath not ouerburthened vs with signes but the Lorde him selfe and the doctrine of the Apostles haue left vnto vs certeine fewe thinges in steade of many and those most easie to be done most reuerend to be vnderstoode most pure to be obserued as is baptisme and the celebration of the body and bloude of the Lord. And againe to Ianuarius epist. 118. he sayth He hath knit and tyed together the fellowship of a newe people with sacramentes in number verie fewe in obseruing verie easie in signification verie excellent as is baptisme consecrated in the name of the Trinitie and the partaking of Christs body and bloud and whatsoeuer thing else is commended vnto vs in the canonicall scriptures excepte those thinges wherewith the seruitude of the olde people was burdened according to the agreeablnes of their heartes and the time of the prophets Which are read in the fiue books of Moses Where by the way is to be marked that he sayth not And whatsoeuer things else are commended vnto vs in the canonicall scriptures but And what so euer thing else c. which plainely proueth that he speaketh not of Sacramentes but of certeine obseruations bothe vsed and receyued of the Churche as the wordes of Augustine whiche folowe do declare Howbeit I confesse without dissimulation that the same Augustine elsewhere maketh mention of the Sacrament of Orders where neuerthelesse this séemeth vnto me to be also considered that the selfe same authour giueth the name of Sacramentes to Annoynting and to Prophecie and to Prayer and to certeine other of this sorte as well as he dothe to Orders and now and then among them he reckoneth vppe the Sacramentes of the Scripture so that we may easily sée that in his workes the worde Sacrament is nowe vsed one way and sometimes an other For he calleth these Sacraments bicause being holie they came from the holie Ghoste and bycause they be holie institutions of God obserued of all that be holie but yet so that these differ from those Sacramentes whiche are holie actions consisting of wordes and ceremonies and whiche gather together into one fellowshippe the partakers thereof But Rabanus Maurus also Byshoppe of Mentze a diligent reader of Augustins works Lib. 1. de Instit cleric cap. 24. sayth Baptisme and vnction and the body and bloude are Sacramentes whiche for this reason are called Sacraments bycause vnder a couert of corporall thinges the power of GOD woorketh more secretely oure saluation signified by those Sacramentes wherevppon also for their secrete and holie vertues they are called Sacramentes This Rabanus Maurus was famous about the yeare of the Lorde eight hundreth and thirtie so that euen by this we may gather that the auncient Apostolique Churche hadde no more than two Sacramentes I make no mention here of Ambrose although he in his bookes of sacramentes numbereth not so many as the companie of scholemen doe bycause some of those workes sette foorthe in his name are not receyued of all learned men as of his owne doing so I little force the authoritie of the workes of Dionysius whiche of what price and estimation they be among learned and good men it is not needefull to declare But howe so euer the case standeth the holye Scripture the onely and infallible rule of life and of all thinges whiche are to be done in the Churche commendeth baptisme and the Lordes Supper vnto vs as solemne institutions and Sacramentes of Christ Those two are therefore sufficient for vs so that we néede not be moued what so euer at anye time the subtile inuention of mans busie brayne bring against or beside these twaine For why GOD neuer gaue power to any to institute Sacramentes In the means while wee doe not contemne the wholesome rites and healthfull institutions of GOD nor yet the religious obseruations of the Church of Christ We haue declared elswhere touching Penaunce and Ecclesiasticall Order Of the residue whiche latter writers doe authorize for Sacra ▪ mentes we will speake in their conuenient place So haue we also elsewhere so farre foorthe as we thought requisite entreated of the likenesse and difference of Sacramentes of the people of the olde and newe testament Nowe let vs sée in what thinges Sacramentes consiste By the testimonie of the Scripture and of all the godly men they consiste in two thinges to witte in the signe and the thing signified in the worde and the rite in the promise of the Gospell and in the ceremonie in the outwarde thing and the inwarde in the earthly thing I saye and the heauenly And as Irenaeus the Martyr of Christe witnesseth in the visible thing and inuisible in the sensible thing and the intelligible For heerevnto belongeth that whiche Sainte Iohn Chrysostome vppon Matthewe sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 CHRIST deliuereth nothing vnto vs that is sensible but vnder visible thinges the outwarde thinges are sensible but yet all spirituall But hee calleth those thinges 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sensible whiche are perceyued by the outwarde senses as by séeing hearing tasting and touching but those thinges he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intelligible or mentall whiche are perceyued by the mynde the vnderstanding consideration discourse or reasoning of the mynde not of the fleshe but of fayth By the testimonie of the Scriptures this thing shall bée made manifest .. The Lorde sayeth to his disciples in the Gospell Goe into the whole worlde and preache the Gospell to all creatures and he whiche shall beleeue and bee baptised shall be saued Yee shall baptise in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holie Ghoste The same sayeth of Iohn Baptiste Iohn baptised in the wildernesse preaching the baptisme of repentaunce for the remission of sinnes So also Sainte Luke witnesseth that Sainte Peter sayde to the Israelites Repent yee and bee baptised euerie one of you in the
are gathered and knitt together into the vnitie of the bodie of Christe are separated from all other religions fellowships assemblies more too we are bound by them as by an othe to the true worship of one God and vnto one sincere religion to the which wée openly professe that we agrée and giue our consent with all them that are partakers of the sacraments Where this chiefly is to be marked that the gathering or knitting together into the vnitie of the body of Christe hath a double respecte for either wée are ioyned with Christe that hée is in vs and wée liue in him or else wée are coupled with all the members of Christe to witt with Christes faithfull seruauntes I meane with the Catholique Church it selfe Furthermore we are knit together with Christ in spirite and faith But we are ioyned to the Church or to the members of Christ by the vnitie of faith and of the spirite and by the bonde of charitie All which verily are the inward giftes of the spirite whiche fréely are bestowed on vs by the Lord onely not by any creatures not by any elementes Sacraments therefore do visiblie graffe vs into the fellowship of Christ his saincts who were inuisibly graffed by his grace before we were partakers of the Sacramentes but by receyuing of the sacramentes we doe nowe open and make manifest of whose body wée would bée and are members the Lord with his signes or markes by his minister also visiblie marking vs for his owne household and for his owne people Whiche thing by the Scriptures wée will more fully open and make manifest They who in time past by the force of the couenaunt by the grace mercie and promise of God were the people of God were by Circūcision visibly gathered together into one Churche knit together into one bodie For the Apostle S. Paule sayeth vnto the Ephesians Wherefore remember that ye beeing in time passed Gentiles in the fleshe called vncircumcisiō of them which are called circumcision in the fleshe made with handes that at that time I say ye were without Christe and were aliantes from the cōmon wealth of Israel and straungers from the couenaunt of promise c. Whereby it is also easilye vnderstood how the Iewes by circumcision were distinguished from other religions and fellowships and that circumcision in another place for this cause is put for them that are circumcised and why the name of vncircumcised was reprochfull For those that were vncircumcised were counted for vngodly and vncleane persons that had no fellowshippe nor parte or inheritaunce with God and his Sainctes Of baptisme whiche was ordeined in the stéede of circumcision some thing is spoken in my former Sermons And also the apostle setteth it out most plainely As the bodie sayeth hée is one and hath many members and all the members of the bodie whiche is one thoughe they bee many yet are but one bodie euen so is Christ For by one spirite are wee all baptised into one bodie whether wee be Iewes or Gentiles whether wee be bond or free and haue been all made to drinke into one spirite Wee are therefore knitt together by the Sacramente of baptisme into the vnitie of the bodie of Christe so that to haue broken this bond and to yeld our selues into another fellowshipp of religion and brotherhoode may worthilie be called sacrilege and treason Herevnto the Apostle séemed to haue respect when he asked the Corinthians Are ye not baptised into the name of Christe declaring thereby that they whiche are baptised into the name of Christ haue openly sworne and bound their faith before the church of Christe so that nowe they neither can nor ought to reioyce in any other name than in the name of Christ into whose household they are receiued by baptisme So I say wée are separated by baptisme from all other religions and are onelye consecrated to Christian religion Hée hath the like place in all pointes touching the supper of the Lord 1. Corinth cap. 10. For when the Apostle would declare to the Corinthians that it is a thinge farre from all godlines vnséemely yea and sacrilegious that Christians should eate in the idols temples thinges offered to idols and be partakers of the Gentiles sacrifices reasoning from the manner and nature of the Sacrament of the Lords supper he sayeth Flie from idolatrie I speake as vnto them that haue vnderstanding iudge ye what I saye The cupp of blessing whiche wee blesse is it not the communion of the bloud of Christ The bread whiche we breake is it not the communion of the bodie of Christe For wee that are many are one bread and one bodie because we all are partakers of one bread Behold Israel whiche is after the flesh are not they whiche eate of the sacrifices partakers of the altar What say I then that the idol is any thinge or that that whiche is sacrificed vnto idols is any thing Nay but rather this I say that those thinges whiche the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to diuels not to god And I would not that yee should haue fellowship with the diuels Ye cannot drincke the cupp of the Lord and the cupp of the diuels Ye cannot bee partakers of the Lords table and of the table of diuels c. For all this is Paules saying whiche since it serueth notably to oure purpose and is verie plaine I will but briefly runne ouer it First he layeth downe the state and scope of the matter whervnto he immediatly directeth his whole discourse Flie saith he idolatrie And he meaneth by the word Idolatrie whatsoeuer perteyneth to idolatrie especially the eating of meate offered to idols But if you know not what Idolothytū is which word he there vseth vnderstand that it is a Gréeke word whiche Paule vseth in this case and it signifieth a thinge sacrificed to an idol or a thing publiquely in sacrifice consecrated to an idol And it was the manner of the Corinthians to sacrifice at the altars of their Gods in idol-houses that is to say in their idol temples and to call Christians vnto those their sacrifices and they when they came sate and eate of that whiche was offered vnto idols eating without difference with the idolaters thincking they might haue done that without any fault at all béecause by the bright shining of the Gospel it appeared that neither the idol neither that God whome the idol represented and therefore also the thinges themselues that were offered to idols were nothing else but vaine names and thinges of no price or estimation But Paul disputing against these from the 8. Cap. vnto the 11. teacheth that it is farre wide from Christianitie to be partakers of the Gentiles sacrifices and saith I wil speake vnto you as vnto them that haue discretiō that after I haue shadowed out vnto you which way to walke you by the sharpenes of your witt maye vnderstand what is true what is false and to be
short which waye you must incline And then hee scattereth certeine groundes of argumentes which they afterward discussing might by their diligence polishe and make perfecte They sayeth he that are partakers of the supper of the Lord in which the bread of the Lord is broken and the cup of the Lord is dronken are of the same communion fellowship or body with the lord For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiche word Paul vseth héere and which interpreters haue translated Communion or partaking though fellowship is better than partaking as in the Dutch translation Gmeind is better than Gmeind chaffe is not taken actiuely as I may so say for the distributing giuing or reaching out Christes bodie by the minister but passiuely for the fellowship and societie for the bodie I say of the Churche as when the churche is called a communion that is an assemblie a gathering together and societie of saincts or godly Christians Furthermore the Churche is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a communion of the bodie and bloud of Christe beecause it is redéemed by the bodie and bloud of Christ being partaker of Christ liueth by him For he liueth in the godly Christians communicating vnto them all his good gifts of life And that the partakers of the supper of that Lord are the bodie or communion of Christ he declareth by a reason which followeth saying Because we that are many are one bread and one bodie Wherevnto by by hee addeth another more euident reason for interpretations sake saying For we are all partakers of one bread In that we are partakers of one bread sayth he we doe openly testifie that we are partakers of the same bodie with Christe and all his Sainctes In which wordes hée hath a notable respecte to the Analogie For as by vniting together of many graines as Cyprian saith is made one breade or one loafe as of many clusters of grapes one wine is pressed out so out of many members groweth vpp and is made the bodie of the Church which is the bodie of Christ Nowe in the woordes of Paule these thinges offer themselues vnto vs to be marked First for that nowe hée calleth that a multitude or manye by a woorde expressing his minde better whiche before he named a communion A communion therfore is nothing else but a multitude or congregation For he said The bread is the partaking of the bodie of Christe but now he saith We being many are one bread one body We being many sayeth he that is all wée which are a multitude and a congregation or Churche redéemed by the bodie of Christ which was giuen and by his bloud whiche was shedd for vs Afterwards hée saith We being many are one bodie hee doeth not say are made one bodie For wee are not first graffed into the bodie of Christe as wée haue often repeated alreadie by partaking of the sacramentes but wée whiche were before ingraffed by grace inuisiblye are nowe also visibly consecrated Againe by the like reason of Sacraments or by an example of the scripture taken from the Sacramentes of the people of the old Testament hee sheweth that the partakers of the sacramentes are one bodie both with him to whome they offer and with them with whome they offer or with whome they eate of thinges offered to idols Behold saith hee the Israelites whiche offer sacrifices after the flesh Are not they that eate the sacrifices 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say communicants fellowes or partakers of the thinges of the temple or of the altar For vnder the word of the things of the temple or of the altar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is his word he comprehendeth whatsoeuer doth belong to the worshipp and religion of the God of the Iewes so that the sense or meaning may be this Are not all they one bodie one communion one people both with the God of Israel and with his people which eate of the sacrifices offered to the God of Israel by the Israelitish people As if hee had said There is none that is ignoraunt of it or that can denie it since it is confessed and manifest amonge all men By these thinges hée leaueth to the Corinthians of their owne accord thus much to be gathered Therefore they that are partakers of the sacramentes of the Gentiles are one bodie and one fellowship with the Gods of the Gentiles and the Gentiles which do sacrifice Nowe by the figure Occupatio which is when in aunswearing we preuent an obiectiō that may bee made hée placeth these woordes betwéene What saye I then That the idol is any thinge Or that that whiche is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing Wherevnto by and by he addeth But this I saye that the thinges whiche the Gentiles offer in sacrifice they offer to diuels and not to God. Herevpon he might lawfully haue inferred Therefore if you continue to bée partakers of thinges offered to idols ye shall verilie be one bodie and one fellowshippe both with the diuell him selfe and all his members But béecause this might haue béene taken of many to haue béene bitterly spoken hée addeth another sayinge some-what more milde and gentle and sayeth And I would not that yee should bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is communicants or partakers haue fellowship with diuels After which woords by comparing the contrarie partes hée bringeth in the summe of the whole matter to whiche he directed all his reasons and sayeth Yee cannot drincke the cupp of the Lord and the cupp of diuels ye cannot bee partakers of the Lords table and of the table of diuels And so forth The Sacramentes therefore doe separate vs from all other worshippinges and religions and doe binde and consecrate yea and also as it were make vs of the same body with one true GOD and sincere Christian Religion béecause wée béeing partakers of them doe openly professe that wée be the members of Iesus Christe whiche no man that is well in his wittes will take and make them the members of fornication and of idols That which Zuinglius that learned man hath In expositione fidei Christianę ad regem Christianum is not impertinent to this purpose Sacramentes sayeth hée are in steede of an oathe For Sacramentum with the Latines is vsed also for an oathe For they that vse one and the selfe-same Sacramentes are one peculiar nation an holy sworne cōgregation they are knitt together into one body and into one people whome whoso betrayeth shall perishe Therefore the people of Christe since by eating his bodye sacramentally they are knit into one bodie Now he that is faithlesse and yet dare be so bould as to make himselfe one of this societie or fellowship betrayeth the body of Christe as well in the head as in the members c. Thus farre he By this it is easie to vnderstand that sacramentes put vs in minde of oure duetie especially if wée marke in the writings of the Apostle how considering the maner of sacraments
of the endes thereof Of the true meaning of the woordes of the Supper This is my body Of the presence of Christ in the Supper Of the true eating of Christes bodie Of the worthie vnworthie eaters therof and howe euerie man ought to prepare himselfe vnto the Lords Supper ¶ The ninthe Sermon VNto the holy baptisme of our Lord Christ is coupled the Sacrament of the bodie bloud of our lord which we call the Lords Supper For those whome the Lord hath regenerated with the lauer of regeneration those doeth hee also féede with his spirituall foode and nourisheth them vnto eternall life wherefore it followeth necessarily that wée intreate nexte of the holy Supper of the Lord. This hath many names euen as hath the feast of Passeouer and is instituted in the place thereof in old time it was called The Passing ouer or the Lords Passeouer whiche was in déede a memorial of the Passeouer also a Remembrance Signe Solemnitie a festiual or holie day a méeting together or an holy assemblie an obseruation of worshipping a ceremonie and sacrifice of Passeouer a sacrifice or offering of which we haue spoken in place conuenient This is called by S. Paule the Apostle The Lords supper because this Ceremonie was instituted by the Lord in his last supper and because therein is offered vnto vs the spirituall banquet The same Paul termeth it and that doubtlesse for none other causes By the same Paule it is also called the Communion not so much for that wee haue communion or fellowship with Christe and hee with vs as that wee being many are one bread one bodie which do partake of the same bread Luke calleth it Breaking of bread naming the whole by a parte And it is euident that our forefathers of old gaue not vnto the receiuers of the Lords supper a morsell but that they brake the bread amongest themselues In time past firme leagues were perfourmed by breaking of bread It is called also a memoriall and remembrance of the Lords passion For the Lord said Doe this in the remembrance of mee It is named a thankesgiuing because when wee celebrate the Lords supper wee thanke him for all his benefites and especially for his death by the whiche wee are redéemed It is called also a Token and a mysterie and a sacrament of the bodie and bloud of the lord Our forefathers did terme it by this word Synaxis Synaxis is a ioyning together a knitting a closing or an agréement For the Church is ioyned and vnited vnto Christe in the holy Supper by a most streight league and to conclude the members themselues are therewith ioyned very fast together Furthermore it is called an assembly of Saincts an holy company and a gathering together For in the old time it was neuer customablye celebrated but in the common assembly of the Church Whiche is plainely to be proued by the words of the Apostle 1. Corinth 2. To conclude we shall offend nothing at all if we call the supper of our Lord The Testament and will of God and of oure lord For herein shalt thou finde all thinges belonging to a full and perfecte Testament For Christe is the Testatour All faithful Christians are appointed heires The Legacie is the forgiuenes of sinnes and life euerlasting obteined by the body of Christ which was giuen his bloud which was shedd The letters or table of this testament or wil be the words of the Lords supper wittnessing as it were by a publique writing that Christ is the foode and life of the faithful The order and doing thereof is as it were the seale Wherefore euen as we do call that a testament whiche hath letters sealed conteyning a testament both by writing and sealing so the Lord himselfe did call his supper a testament For This cupp said hee is the newe testament in my bloud For otherwise the newe testament is not the remission of sinnes Whiche thing Ieremie the prophete doeth plainely testifie in the 31. Chapiter and Paule to the Hebrues in the eighth Chapiter This holy mysterie hath diuerse other names but these for the most part are chiefest and most cōmonly vsed Of the other names wee will speake else-where They doe define for the most part the Lordes supper to bee a spirituall banquet wherewith the Lord doeth both kepe his death in remembrance and also féedeth his people vnto life euerlasting But let me set downe a more large description thereof vnto you The supper of the Lord is an holy action instituted vnto the Churche from God wherein the Lord by the setting of bread and wine before vs at the banquet doeth certifie vnto vs his promise and communion and sheweth vnto vs his giftes and layeth them before oure senses gathereth them together into one body visibly and to be short will haue his death kept of the faithfull in remembrance and admonisheth vs of our duetie and especially of praise and thākesgining First we say that the supper of the Lord is an action or déed For the Lord when hee made his supper did giue thanks vnto God he brake bread and gaue the cupp and said Doe this in the remembraunce of mee Againe it cannot be euery action For at the table where we eate meat we also giue thankes vnto God wée breake bread and giue the cup but it is an holy action because it is from God and instituted vnto the Church Wherefore it farr differeth frō our ordinarie meate suppers as wel for that it is specially instituted by the sonne of God vnto the Church as also because it hath the word of God and the peculiar example of Christ Therefore S. Paul making a difference betwene this and common eating sayeth If any man hunger let him eate at home least that yee come together to your condemnation And againe Haue ye not houses to eate drincke in As though hée might say This supper is mystical Again what maner of action it is it doth forthwith appeare by that whiche felloweth where the Lord by the setting of bread and wine before vs at the banquet doeth assure vs of his promise and communion c. This supper therefore hath his peculiar limites of the whiche although I spake when I entreated generally of the vertue of the Sacraments yet will I repeate certeine of them that make most for this purpose when I shall drawe toward an end of this Sermon But concerning the description of this supper these thinges are chiefly to be consider and declared First who did institute it who is the true authour and maker of the Lords supper not any man but the very sonne of God himselfe the wisedome of the father verie God and man So that wee come not to the table of men althoughe a man being the minister bée the chiefest there neither do wée receiue holy signes at the handes of the minister onely but also at the hand of oure Lord himselfe