flat And Balaam calleth himselfe A man falling with his eies open And yet were not these men enforced to vncomelie and dishonest gestures 1. Cor. 14 32 Wheras Paule saith that the spirits of the prophets are subiect to the prophets that he added least the prophets should be at any contention among themselues and should hinder one another or least that anie one should saie He could not wait till another had done Paule addeth an other note in the same place None saith he can saie the Lord Iesus 1. Cor. 12 3. but in the spirit of God And no man speaking in the spirit of God defieth Iesus These be assured tokens both of a good prophet and of a bad Neuertheles it is not sufficient to confesse the Lord Iesus in words but it must also be done in true faith Augustine in his commentaries begun vpon the Epistle to the Romans There be found saith he which professe God in words but denie him in their dooings Wherefore whosoeuer professeth the true faith of God and sheweth the same in his déeds and maners must be accounted for a true prophet Yet we ought not to denie Euill men sometime prophesie true things but that euill men also doo sometimes foreshew true things Such be they which shall saie in that latter daie Haue not we cast out diuels Matth. 7 23. and wrought manie miracles in thy name And generallie we may conclude that whosoeuer confesseth Iesus Christ A generall rule to knowe true prophets of what maners soeuer he be so he lead vs not awaie from the faith the same is to be estéemed for a prophet of God For God can vse the works euen of euill ministers in shewing foorth his glorie so they kéepe themselues within the prescript of faith For this is it indéed to say Iesus is Christ For Augustine vpon the Epistle of Iohn saith Augustine that The verie same name of Christ is the knot Vnder the name of Christ is contained all the articles of the faith in the which all the articles of the faith are contained Bicause whosoeuer granteth Christ to be the sonne of God must of necessitie confesse the father and the holie ghost that Christ was borne that he suffered that he died that he was buried that he was raised againe that he was taken vp into heauen Paule to the Thessalonians saith 1. Thes 5 21. Prooue all things hold that which is good A little before Paule had giuen warning that the prophets should not be despised then he added that their saiengs should be pondered with iudgement For there be some which if by chance they heare somwhat spoken vnaduisedlie in a sermon do straitwaie contemne and refuse the whole Other som take altogither as it coms without anie choise But Paule warneth vs to take the meane waie he saith Prooue all things and hold that which is good In hearing of sermons Paule rule must be followed In those daies there was a discerning of spirits in the church whereas at this daie there is either none at all or else verie rare but yet the people ought to make their hartie praiers vnto God that they be not carried awaie from the truth by false teachers but in the giuing of their voices they must take héed that the best minister be chosen And bicause euen Homer himselfe as the prouerbe goeth may be sometime taken napping therefore must the ministers saiengs be tried and examined by the word of God and the articles of faith And prophesie hath a propertie common with other frée gifts Prophesie must be don freelie which is that it must be giuen fréelie So that they are deceiued who thinke that the same may be obtained by art or industrie or by I knowe not what maner of purgations For Peter saith 2. Peter 1 1. that Prophesie proceeded not of the will of man but that holie men spake as they were set on by the spirit of God And Paul saith that the spirit distributeth to all men 1. Cor. 12 11 euen as it will for it taketh hold both of the learned and vnlearned the child the herdman as it did of Amos the prophet Amos. 7 14. when he was gathering of wild figs yet it cannot be denied but that fasting and praier doo helpe verie well For we knowe that Daniel did much chasten himselfe and refrained from the kings table Daniel 1 8. being content with pulse Trulie these things doo further not a litle Prophesieng vnderstood for expounding the word of God 1. Sam. 5 10. Schooles of the prophets 2. King 3 15. howbeit they deserue not the gift of prophesieng But if we take prophesieng more largelie for the exposition of the prophets and word of God it cannot be denied but that that facultie may be attained by exercise doctrine And therfore to that purpose we find that schools were appointed wherein the children of the prophets were instructed and that when Elizeus was disquieted he called for a musician to the intent he might recouer his right mind 10 Now let vs in a few words declare the effects of prophesie The first effect is the edifieng of the church Therefore Salomon saith in the 29. of Prouerbs When prophesie ceaseth Prou. 29 18. the people be scattered and with idlenes and loitering be quite marred For prophesie kéepeth men in their dutie wherefore Paule saith 1. Cor. 14 3. Hee that prophesieth speaketh doctrine exhortation and comfort so that if the ordinarie ministration at anie time as it happeneth be out of course God raiseth vp prophets extraordinarilie to restore things into order Whether prophets be sure of those things which they prophesie But it may be douted whether prophets doo surelie knowe those things to be true which they foretell yes verelie For otherwise how could Abraham haue found in his hart to slaie his sonne vnlesse he had béen assured of the commandement of God Wherefore in that they be prophets they be sure of that which they saie I ad in that they be prophets For as being men they may both erre be deceiued In Parilip Dauid told Nathan that he would build vp a temple vnto the Lord. 1. Par. 17 2. Then Nathan the prophet as if he allowed the kings mind bad him doo that which séemed good to his owne eies but afterward he receiued from the mouth of God that the same worke pertained to Salomon therefore Nathan as man erred but God foorthwith called him home This much sufficeth for the effects of prophesieng One onelie thing I will ad Eccl. 48 14. It is written in Ecclesiasticus that the bones of Elizeus the prophet did prophesie bicause by the raising vp of a dead man Miracles whether they be prophesies they gaue testimonie of Elizeus doctrine but we must not séeme to call that a prophesie for then shall all miracles be prophesies In Gen. 20. 11 But we sée that
power or authoritie hath a séelie man which shall perish within a while that he should thinke himselfe to sée more than hath bin prescribed by the word of God Tertullian Tertullian in his Apologie the 46. Chapter teacheth that Lycurgus desired to hang or to starue himselfe because the Lacedemonians had somewhat amended his lawes against his credit Did the man that is but flesh and bloud take it gréeuouslie that his owne citizens should decrée anie thing and adde vnto the lawes which he made And will our good and mightie God quietlie suffer the same to be doone of men who are most farre separated from his worthinesse and wisedome Oh shame and boldnesse that if we were wise should neuer be suffered Let heauen and earth passe Mat. 24. 35. but let the word of the Lord remaine firme pure and inuiolate for euer Esa 40. 6. Let all flesh as saith Esay be grasse the glorie thereof as the flower of the field Psal 12. 7. but the wordes of the Lord as being most purified shall continue sound and sincere for euer Luk. 16. 27. Let the rich man which is tormeÌ„ted in the flames of hel desire that the dead may arise and admonish his brethren and such as he is of the iudgementes of God but let vs that are by faith the chosen generation of Abraham according to his godlie counsell heare Moses the Prophetes and Apostles Of whose bookes while we aske counsell beléeue me we doe not goe vnto the storehouse of a poore Lord but vnto the most plentiful and fruitful treasuries of the wisdome of God which we shall neuer be able by anie labour of ours be it neuer so great to make emptie And euen as the nature is of a continuall springing well A similitude that it is not consumed by continuall drawing but the water thereof is rather made both pure and better thereby in like manner is the sense of the holie scriptures made more swéete and pleasant vnto vs in how much we more profoundlie and continuallie labour in the same And as labour is necessarie for the drawing out of outward waters for the bodie so in perusing of the holie scriptures there is néede of a graue iudgement and spirituall attention Which thinges how iustlie and for how good cause they be required of vs the decrées of Magistrates and Edictes of kinges doe sufficientlie declare For while these thinges are by cryers or Heraldes published vnto the people such a diligent eare and attentiuenesse of hearing is in them that stand by as there dooth nothing passe and scape them but it is well considered of From this commendable studie and diligent indeuour doe they which aboue measure exaggerate the darkenesse of the scriptures excéedinglie drawe backe the young studentes of the Gospell The scriptures feigned to be â—bscure as who should say that the veile were not taken away by the bloud of Christ and that all thinges so farre as our saluation requireth are not made plaine by his spirit They which declare that the darknesse of the holy scriptures is more than the darknesse of the Cimmerians that the obscurenesse of them is euerie where more than can be ouercome say that the mysteries of the word of God must not be searched out and while they make the efficasie of the word of God to consist rather in reciting and in vnderstanding they of diuine Oracles and holie scriptures make most shamefull Magicke Euen we also doe graunt that mans reason must be restrained within certaine boundes least it should iudge of diuine thinges according to the imagination thereof Howbeit no Christian man ought to be hindered but that he may indeuour as much as he can to vnderstand those things whereof the scripture of God hath instructed vs. Let no rashnesse be vsed in reading of the holie scriptures but as touching the studie and diligent inquisition thereof let no man waxe cold or slacke Wherefore we easilie graunt that the mysteries of the word of God are to be reuerenced and yet in the meane time we must remember that the same is Light shining in a darke place â— Pet. 1. 19. from which if we shall cast our eye neuer so little aside we shall at length perish in errors and vtter darknesse But when the haters of the light iangle so much of the obscurenesse of the scriptures they themselues doe thinke that they déeme not amisse of the holy Ghost if they make him equall to the Poetes and Philosophers of whome the one sort by their intricate fables haue so couered ouer with clowdes transformed the plaine and bright face of the truth as it is verie far fled awaie from the eyes of vnfaithful meÌ„ And the other by their ridles imaginations numbers Atoms haue made their doctrine so intricate as al the whole life of maÌ„ liue he neuer so long can hardlie be sufficient to expound the same But wee haue not founde the goodnesse of God our good father to be so greatlie straitened and the light of the holie Ghost to be so simple Neither haue they so giuen the holie Scripture as they might not be vnderstoode of mortall men The wisedome of God hath not dallied with vs Neither hath it giuen Scriptures vnto men out of which they might not reape anie profite These things let vs leaue to Apollo whome the Gretians called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because hee aunswered ouerthwartlie These be deceites of the diuel not the liuelie doctrine of our God or of the holie Ghost Wee knowe indéede that Craesus asked Thales what was the nature or definition of God who euer nowe and then desired spaces and delaies to aunswere at some certaine daie neither coulde he at anie time absolue the question propounded vnto him for the more he considered with himselfe of the nature of God the lesse came to his remembrance what he shoulde say But those which are indued with a true faith are able out of the holie Scriptures not onelie to knowe God so much as is necessarie vnto their saluation but can expresse him in excellent manners and holie workes Wherefore let none call vs vnto the fathers none vnto the councels none vnto anie men as though we could finde a more plentifull light among theÌ„ than procéedeth froÌ„ the most bright day star of the holie scriptures Assuredly the fathers and the councels haue their discords their darkenesse their hard sayings their obscurities and incredible variablenesse I wil not saie inconstancie Neither in reading of them doeth the holie ghost so méete with vs as when we weigh repeat with our selues the words of God séeing it is not méete but that there shoulde be more honour giuen to the wordes of God than to the wordes of men Acts. 8. 28. For if God sent Philip the Euangelist for an aide vnto the Eunuch of the quéene of Candaces reading the Prophete Esaie hee being yet no Christian much more is he present by his spirite with them
inserted into the Common places you shall find the Disputations which he made at Oxford with certein learned aduersaries of the Gospell and also a notable sermon of reedification of the church and some learned epistles neither in the Latine booke nor before extant in print but brought to light by mine owne industrie and diligent search And least anie should mistrust that I being not exercised in the studie of diuinitie might not be able to performe so great a charge and faithfullie to translate so notable a worke wherein is comprehended so manifold learning so incomparable knowledge and so diuine vnderstanding especiallie I liuing in the Court as it were in continuall peregrination and as a Rechabit among the children of Israel I thought it good for the satisfieng of you my deere and welbeloued brethren in the Lord to let you vnderstand that although the time of comming foorth of the booke were hereby prolonged yet the faithfull translation of the same was nothing hindered For by this meanes I had fit oportunitie to confer and examine the same with sundrie persons of great learning and iudgment neither did I presume to bring it into light before I had found out the perfect sense of euerie thing and was fullie resolued in euerie word clause and sentence which was hard or doubtfull And herewithall adde that what want of skill soeuer might be ascribed vnto me that hath my care and diligence fullie supplied Wherefore all godlie Readers being by this means persuaded it shall be verie profitable for them to bestowe some time in the studie of this booke whereby perhaps the better learned themselues may more readilie with greater light discerne the hardnesse and doubtfulnesse which otherwhile appeereth in the Latine booke especiallie where some of the ancient fathers be cited Whereby also the lesse skilfull and learned sort by applieng their minds to the reading and remembring of those things which they shall find herein shall be fullie satisfied in the greatest matters and be able to stop the mouthes of the most learned aduersaries in the cheefest controuersies of religion And for this cause would I exhort the ministers of the word not to let passe so good an occasion Whome in the name of Iesus Christ I exhort that they hauing taken vpon them so weightie a charge will not be negligent in their excellent vocation but will wholie dedicate themselues daie and night to all maner of godlie readings necessarie for their function For the better performance whereof if they doo not knowe how to order their studies and to benefit the church I haue at the end of this Preface set downe a breefe waie and example for them to follow with the right vse of common places of the scripture Wherewith if euerie one bicause of my breuitie shall not thinke himselfe satisfied I refer them which vnderstand the Latine to Hyperius an excellent writer to this purpose in his booke De ratione studij Theologici where they shall bee fullie instructed And when they are by this maner of meanes made fit harolds to proclame the name of the Lord in Sion I would desire them and all other which seeke the truth and would gladlie haue the church of the Lord to be restored to the right forme that God hath prescribed in his holie word that they will set to their hearts and hands to the building vp of the same and indeuour by all meanes possible to reduce the wandring flocke vnto their owne sheepefold And first of all ye my good Lords whome I honour reuerence and obeie in my heart with all dutie and seruice ye to whom the seruant of God our deare Souereigne hath committed the sword of gouernment ye which be the nurses and pillers and defenders of the English church ye which be vnto vs as Moses Iosua and Samuel to the children of Israell continue ye the great care and zeale that ye haue alwaies borne to the true religion and prouide that both by the faithfull execution of hir Highnes lawes and by the vertuous example of your owne life the church of England may be commended and well spoken of among all nations But principallie I beseech you put to your helping hand that the Bishops pastours and all others that haue anie commission to gouerne the church and causes ecclesiasticall be so chosen as their godlines of life be of all men allowed their soundnesse of doctrine cleerelie approoued their boldnesse in professing throughlie well tried their gifts of edifieng of all men perceiued and which seeke not for the desire of honour but receiue for edification of the church the liuings honours and authorities giuen vnto them which being performed ye shall be rid of infinit care and businesse otherwise your labours will be no whit lessened nor your heauie burthen lightened but the appeales vnto you will be dailie increased and the troubles of the church remaine vnpacified And this will be one speciall furtherance to the building vp of the Lords temple Furthermore ye that be the Bishops and cheefe Prelates of the congregation my honourable Lords and reuerend fathers in Christ which haue committed vnto you the care of the Lords house and of the ministers of the same I beseech you for the discharge of your owne offices and consciences for the more speedie reedification of the temple and for the desire ye haue of the chosens felicitie ye will haue a watchfull eie vnto your charge and that ye will neither for fauour nor for affection nor for priuate commoditie no nor at the speciall sute of anie mortall man admit anie other ministers than such as bee learned graue and of good report among all men and vnto whom God hath giuen gifts to edifie in the congregation That ye will likewise prouide by your gouernment that all things may be doone to the glorie of God to spirituall edification and to a decent order in the church That ye suffer no notorious fault to escape vnpunished and that there be no occasion giuen to the aduersaries to speake euill of the Gospell for your sakes That ye will by all meanes possible reconcile the diuersitie of opinions and make that we may speake and thinke and beleeue all one thing in Christ Iesus That ye will liue in a continuall peregrination in your diocesse and not onelie visit all your particular churches if it be possible by your selues if not by your faithfull and well chosen officers but eftsoones also search and inquire whether your decrees be executed and all disorders amended Remember if anie part of the Lords house fall to decaie by your default it shall be required at your hands but if it be kept in good plight by your diligence and good ouersight ye shall reape an incomparable reward in the kingdome of heauen What remaineth now when ye and other excellent men haue by your writing and by your teaching and preaching both confirmed the true religion and confuted all superstitious doctrine but that all the aduersaries will be
we must beware that we come not to the triall of lots too vnaduisedly For we must first vse other meanes and gifts of God namelie the spirit the word reason and discretion and not to deale by lots except when necessitie shall require And it is to be counted necessitie whensoeuer any thing happeneth that may tend to the glorie of God and to the edifieng of his church which thou canst not reach vnto by mans wisedome or if thou canst yet not without incurring of enuie and suspicion and so doo brethren diuide betwéene them the inheritances And the Romans in times past vsed to decide controuersies by casting of lots Secondlie we must beware that nothing be doone rashlie for we must come vnto lots with great reuerence and religion Thirdlie we must auoid superstition Fourthlie there must be no fraud nor deceit Fiftlie about lots we must not vse the gospell or word of God But bicause we cannot easilie beware of all these things Ierom vpon the prophet Ionas denieth that it is lawfull in anie wise to vse lots Howbeit there be some which conster his meaning to be onlie of superstitious lots but he plainelie condemneth all and saith that Whatsoeuer is read in the holie scriptures as touching lots must not be drawne to an example and yet the opinion of Augustine was otherwise as I said before And there is no danger why wée should séeme to tempt God for it is he that ordereth the lots But thou wilt saie The Israelites had an oracle and Ephod therefore what néed had they of lots In déede they had so and so had they Samuel for their prophet who willed them in the name of God to cast lots Beda vpon the Acts saith Beda Acts. 1 26. The example of lots in Matthias must not be followed that The election of Matthias into the apostleship by lots must not be laid hold on for an example For he saith that as yet they had not receiued the holie ghost which when they had receiued they vsed no more lots in the choosing of deacons Neuerthelesse I doubt not but that both sorts of election were approoued and holie alike And although they had not as yet receiued the gifts of the holie Ghost yet in their harts they had him Neither tooke they lots in hand till they had first tried all other ordinarie meanes for they sawe that there were two men of equall godlines iudgement and woorthines wherby no danger might insue vpon the choise of anie of them But in appointing of deacons there was no néed of lots seuen were brought foorth and they did choose them all But if so be that some part onlie of that number should haue béene chosen I doubt not but they might haue chosen them by lots But this in the example of Samuel must be followed In vsing lots they praied vnto God they while lots were casting praied the Lord. And Samuel saith that the people stood before the Lord that is they reuerentlie expected what the Lord would appoint And we must note that in the text it is written They still asked the Lord when as yet they had not found Saule He said still for they had first asked the Lord by way of lots but were rebuked of Samuel both to the intent they might repent and that they might stand deuoutlie before the Lord which to doo accordinglie they asked the Lord by praier But when they sought whether Saule was come they tried not that by lots for how could they haue found him out by lots who was hidden among the cariages But at the praier of Samuel God shewed where he was And here is to be noted the woonderfull faith of Samuel who knowing assuredlie that God had appointed Saule to be king yet doubted not to commit the matter vnto lots An other perhaps would haue said It shall not be so perhaps the lots will fall out otherwise and so will exclude this man Of forespeaking or foretelling called Omen In 1. Sam. 14 9. 5 Ionathas in the first booke of Samuel the 14. chapter verse the 19 desired to haue a signe or token to be shewed him of the Lord Sometime a man may prescribe vnto himselfe a signe the Hebrues interpret this signe or token to be on this sort If they had said Let vs come vnto you that would haue béene a signe of mind both valiant and readie to fight but contrariwise if they had said Come ye vnto vs that would haue béene a signe that they were alreadie discouraged and faint harted And Ben Gerson saith that The beginning of persecutions coms from conquerours Howbeit this is onlie a coniecture for sometime it happeneth otherwise But this is no new kind of vnderstanding the will of God For so in the booke of Genesis Eleazar the seruant of Abraham made this to be his signe The maid which shall saie to me Gen. 24 14. Drinke thou and afterward I will giue thy camels to drinke the same is she whom the Lord hath assigned to be the wife of my masters sonne The Philistines also decréed with themselues that If the arke should be carried by wild and vntamed cattle directlie to the Iewes 1. Sam. 6 9. they would take that as a signe of euill sent by God but if it happened otherwise they would impute it but to fortune and chance And this is to aske a signe What maner of faith is to be confirmed by signes euen that a mans faith may be confirmed But what faith doo I meane Not the faith of Moses lawe or the truth of the prophets for that hath béene sufficientlie confirmed before but there is sometime a certeine particular faith of some thing not expressed in the word of God and therein confirmation by signes is often requisite This we sée happened in the historie of Gedeon Iudg. 6 15. for hée doubted not but that GOD would deliuer his people from their enimies but he knew not that he himselfe should be the deliuerer wherefore he was to bée confirmed by miracle That Messias would com all men were sufficientlie persuaded but that Marie the virgin should be his mother that God had not speciallie promised herevpon a signe was requisite to be had Behold Elizabeth thy cosin hath in hir old age conceiued Luke 1 36. Wherefore miracles are otherwhile of force to confirme the faith be it general or particular And none ought to thinke that Ionathas did tempt God in appointing such a signe vnto himself To tempt God what it is For to tempt God is to make a triall of his power wisedome and will and that when there is no necessitie of the case Wherein the offense is double first After chap. 8 art 117 and part 2 ch 4 art 54. bicause faith is wanting secondlie for that it is doone curiouslie when as neither necessitie nor anie profit dooth require Augustine in his booke of confessions the 36. chapter hath these words When signes saith he are craued not for
the originall of euerie thing yet the diuels doo sée it For he saith that in Epyrus there is a well wherein torches lighted are put foorth and vnlight torches are lighted the principles and beginnings of that effect are in that well The diuell is no creator but a minister of nature to make things A similitude although we cannot sée them And yet we saie not here that the diuell dooth either create or make such things but onlie that he is a minister seruing vnto nature Euen so the husbandman when he tilleth and soweth the ground and the gardener when he pruneth and delueth a vine doo not create the corne or wine but onlie doo helpe nature Gen. 30 37. So Augustine saith that Iacob did not bring foorth the colour vpon the shéepe but did onlie rightlie applie the forms shapes And to take an exāple euen of spirituall things the ministers of the church doo not iustifie anie man or forgiue anie man his sinnes but are onlie ministers by whose indeuour God bringeth these things to passe I planted saith Paule and Apollo watered 1. Cor. 3 6. but God it is that gaue the increase 23 But it séemeth woonderfull how they can so spéedilie bring these things to passe How they worke these things so suddenlie For whether they haue swift bodies or no bodies at all yet to bring foorth anie naturall thing it would séeme to require a time Howbeit we must consider that these séeds or beginnings of naturall things be as it were instruments and they haue some power of their owne nature A similitude But it maketh a great matter into whose hands they doo happen for a skilfull artificer will worke anie thing both handsomlie and spéedilie but giue the same instruments vnto an ignorant and vnskilfull man and he will doo it neither redilie nor yet verie handsomelie euen so anie spirit as a skilfull artificer will bring more to pas in one minut than by the accustomed order of nature can be wrought in a long time For those chéefe originals are not to be weighed in their owne nature although that euen by nature we sée some things to be made in a manner vpon the sudden As in the summer time of a shower of raine little frogs doo suddenlie arise but yet therein indéed there is admitted some space of time though it be but short So these vagabond iuglers séeme to deuoure bread and immediatlie to spit out meale and when they haue droonke wine they séeme presentlie to powre the same againe out of the middest of their forehed And if there can be such a readines and dexteritie of dooing in man why shall it not much rather be attributed vnto spirits For in a spirit there is much more nimblenes than in a man Wherefore the spirits doo not bring foorth these things of themselues for so should they beget a kind like vnto themselues as of a man is brought foorth a man of a horse is brought foorth a horse But a spirit dooth not bring foorth a spirit but as I said dooth take the principal originals of things and applieth them vnto a matter and so bringeth woonderfull things to passe But how far the nature of things may procéed it is hard to iudge The diuell bridled two maner of waies Wherefore the diuell is bridled two waies the first is by the bounds of nature the second is by the will of God So the diuell may bring in plague famine and sores for he knoweth of what causes and beginnings these things be made For he afflicted Iob Iob. 1 2. Psal 7 49. and brought plagues and punishments by euill angels And Christ saith that the diuell bound the daughter of Abraham by the space of fortie yéeres Luk. 13 16. And this also the good angels doo sometimes for the angel of the Lord in one night ouerthrew the host of Senacherib 2. kin 19 35. and brought in a plague in the time of king Dauid 2. Sam. 25 verse 17. Dauid himselfe sawe the angel of God striking the people in the threshing flower of Areuna But those things which go altogither beyond nature as to raise the dead to change men into beasts are onelie delusions of which we are to speake afterward 24 Now as touching the other parts The diuell can driue forward som things namelie that the diuell can mooue and driue foreward some things there is no doubt thereof For séeing the soule which is tied much more vnto the bodie than a spirit is can mooue gouerne the bodie assuredlie the diuell can much rather doo it This appeareth sufficientlie by fiers and tempests so often raised by the diuell and by that ship of Claudia and by the flitting of the oliue garden and féeld of corne of which things we spake before It is said that when Ascanius had caried awaie the houshold gods from Lauinium vnto Alba they returned backe againe of themselues into their owne chappell at Lauinium Besides this spirits doo somtimes hurle stones And these magicians which séeme to ride on a cane in the aire are kept or held aloft by a secret power of diuels and by the same power Simon Magus did flie in the aire Spirits put bodies on themselues 25 Lastlie they also put bodies on themselues Neither is it to be doubted but that the diuell being a spirit can perse through the soundest and massiest bodies Looke after in the 12. ch art 5. Gen. 3 1. Num. 22 28 By this meanes he dooth oftentimes conueigh himselfe into images he spake in the serpent he loosed the toong of the asse Hée also taketh vpon him euen the bodies of men either liuing or dead he vexeth and tormenteth them How they ioine to thē selues bodies and hindereth their naturall works He obserueth oftentimes the course of the moone to the intent as Ierom saith that he may slander that planet or rather to watch for the abounding of humors whereby he may the more gréeuouslie disquiet the bodie Somtimes he putteth on an airie bodie but that he dooth not forme or quicken as the soule dooth our bodie neither dooth he make it to passe into one substance with himselfe as did the word of GOD with an humane bodie for diuels can put off those bodies when they will for they be in them as the Schoolmen speake definitelie What is to be anie where definitelie that is they be in them so that they be not anie where else God in verie déed in the old testament presented himselfe somtime to be séene in some forme but hée was not definitelie in the same for he was so present there as he notwithstanding in the meane time was euerie-where else But the diuell as saith Augustine fitteth vnto himselfe some bodie as it were a garment And Chrysostome writing of the patience of Iob saith that He which brought tidings of the fall of the house Iob. 1 18. and destruction of his familie and cattell
also promises of him both to be and to be performed Wherefore that name of Iehoua is properlie attributed vnto God of the similitude of which word Iupiter being desirous to be reputed for a God commanded himselfe to be called Ioue The Rabbins saie that those letters wherof that word consisteth are spirituall What the word spirit signifieth And vndoubtedlie God is a spirit and a spirit first signifieth things that be without bodies or that haue light bodies as vapors and exhalations the which in shew are light and thin but yet they are of excéeding great strength For by them earthquakes are stirred vp the huge seas are troubled the storms of wind are blowne abroad Wherefore that word began afterward to be applied to the soule of man to angels and to God himselfe for these things which otherwise séeme but slender doo bring great things to passe Others saie that those letters whereof the word Iehoua is written be resting letters and that is verie agréeable vnto God No waie to find quietnes but in God onlie For séeing we doo all séeke for rest and felicitie there is no waie to find the same but in God onelie thus much hitherto of the word Iehoua signifieth the chéefe being wherevpon Plato had that his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or essence And that this may be the more manifest some of the names of God are deriued from his substance Names deriued from Gods substance and other from some propertie Substantiall names be Iehoua Ehi that word signifieth I will be For there is no creature that may saie I will be For if God drawe backe his power all things doo straitwaie perish God doubtlesse may trulie saie so bicause he cannot faile nor forsake himselfe Names referred vnto his properties Other names are referred to some propertie of God as El vnto might Cadoseh vnto holines Schaddai vnto sufficiencie howbeit these things in God be no accidents but onlie as we comprehend them in our cogitations For whereas God is infinite and we cannot wholie comprehend him yet by certeine tokens and effects we doo in some part vnderstand of him thereof are those names which signifie some propertie of God The Iewes being led of a certeine superstition pronounce not that holie name Tetragrammaton but in the place thereof they put Adonai or Elohim and so thinke that they worship the name of God more purelie and reuerentlie but God requireth no such kind of worship And hereby it commeth to passe that in translating of the holie scriptures the Grecians for Iehoua haue made Lord as in stead of Iehoua liueth they haue said The Lord liueth And whereas in the new testament Christ is so oftentimes called Lord his Godhead is nothing atall excluded by that word as some vnpure men doo babble but is rather established Vndoubtedlie Thomas ioined both togither Iohn 20 28. My Lord saith he and my God Finallie God In Iudg. 2 verse 1. to the intent that the knowledge of him might not be forgotten hath accustomed to put men in mind of those benefits which he hath bestowed vpon them and would that those should be as certeine words expressing vnto vs his nature and goodnes And hée beginneth alwaies the rehersall at his latter benefits and of them he claimeth to himselfe titles or names attributed vnto him vnder which he may both be called vpon and acknowledged For euen at the beginning God was called vpon as he which had made heauen and earth afterward as he that was the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob after that as the deliuerer out of Aegypt then a deliuerer out of the captiuitie of Babylon but lastlie as the father of our Lord Iesus Christ ¶ Of the omnipotencie of God looke Peter Martyr in his Treastise Of both natures in Christ set foorth at Tygure 1563. pag. 4. 3 The words which be in the second booke of Samuel the seuenth chapter In 2. Sam. 7 verse 23. Looke In Gen. 18. at the beginning And In 2. Sam. 23 verse 2. verse the 23. namelie The gods came that he might redéeme vnto himselfe a people are a sharpe corsie vnto the Hebrues which will not acknowledge thrée persons in the diuine nature Som bicause it is said Gods refer it to the opinion of men Such is that saieng of Paule There be manie gods and manie lords 1. Cor. 8 5. For neither can they admit or alow of a multitude of gods But forsomuch as the intreating here is of a singular or particular fact this place must in anie wise be vnderstood of the true God Kimhi thinketh that Dauid said Gods for honor sake euen as men also to speake the more pleasinglie and ciuilie doo oftentimes vse the plurall number in stead of the singular But if it be so what new religion entered straitwaie into Dauid Why did he straitwaie adde Thou Lord in the singular number For we must heape vpon God all the honours that we can Others had rather refer this saieng vnto Moses and Aaron who were sent to deliuer the people out of Aegypt but this cannot be for in the booke of Chronicles all these things are spoken of God himselfe by name 1. Chro. 17 verse 11. For so Dauid speaketh Thou camest to redeeme thy people Wherefore we shall much more rightlie and trulie vnderstand the thrée persons in one diuine nature The Trinitie namelie the Father the Sonne and the holie Ghost which being thrée persons yet are they shut vp vnder one substance This opinion is true sound and catholike whether the Hebrues will or no. But those words which be added And might doo great things for you some would by Apostrophe or conuersion of speach refer them to the Iewes which me thinke is not probable For Dauid talked not of these things with the people but secretlie with God Wherefore I had rather thus to vnderstand them of God himselfe and to ascribe these maruellous things to one God in thrée persons But God came to deliuer his people when he sent Moses Aaron vnto them for when he appointed Moses to that message he added withall And I will be with thee God doubtlesse is in euerie place at all times Exod. 3 12. but then he is said to come How God is said to come Exo. 12 12. when he dooth some great or new thing And so he was said to be among the Iewes when he smote the Aegyptians and their first borne Againe when Pharao followed the Iewes going foorth of Aegypt and that they began to murmur thinking that they should euen then haue perished Moses on this wise recomforted them God shall fight for you and ye shall be still Exo. 14 14. yea the Aegyptians themselues also did perceiue the same For they said Let vs flie awaie Ibidem 25. for God himselfe dooth fight for them Yea and afterward when the people had worshipped the golden calfe and that God was angrie he would not go foorth with them
oftentimes made woorse And besides that also such superfluitie might serue to reléeue other poore folks also 9 Neither saith he Giuing or bestowing In giuing of almes is a certeine communicating Esaie 2 3. Iohn 4 22. but Communicating bicause in almes giuing there is a certeine communicating For if we speake of the poore which were at Ierusalem the Gentiles had receiued at their hands spirituall things For the word of the Lord came out of Sion and the lawe of God out of Ierusalem and saluation from the Hebrues Séeing out of that nation were appointed preachers of the Gospell to preach vnto the whole world Therefore Paule in the second to the Corinths the eight chapter saith That your abundance maie releeue their want and that on the other side verse 23. their abundance may releue your want But if we speake of other poore folkes euen when we helpe them with our almes there redoundeth vnto vs no small commoditie or profit For Christ warned as we read in Luke Luke 16 â— Make you freends of vnrighteous mammon that when you faile they maie receiue you into euerlasting tabernacles But what if the poore be euill and they also excluded from the kingdome of heauen These things are to be vnderstood not of the men but of the works But by this meanes also followeth another absurditie That by the vertue of our works we should obteine the kingdome of God I answer As we denie that works are the causes of eternall life so likewise we denie not that God rewardeth the good works of the faithfull A reward of almes deeds Rom. 2 6. which are now regenerate by Christ since we know that He will iudge euerie man according to his works For he will saie I was hungrie Matt. 25 35 and ye fed me I was thirstie and ye gaue me drinke I was a stranger and ye harboured me The kingdome of God is giuen for election and for she promises sake which the saints receiue by faith But bicause those things are hidden from mans eies therefore are good works brought foorth which are the proper and manifest effects both of our faith and Gods election 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Giuing our selues saith he to hospitalitie This is not spoken without a great emphasis To follow hospitalitie is more than to keep hospitalitie Gen. 18 2. Looke in Iud. 9 11. for it is a greater matter to pursue hospitalitie than onelie to be hospitall For Abraham expected not till strangers came home to him to desire to be receiued and to desire lodging but going of his owne accord out of his tent he looked round about to sée if he could espie anie stranger whom he might receiue into his house And if he sawe anie he ran vnto him and praied him not to passe by his house If I haue found fauour saith he in your eies I beseech you turne in vnto your seruant Gen. 19 2. And the same diligence and mind was in Lot and well nigh in all the fathers Paule in these words chargeth vs not with anie vile and vndecent works but with verie honorable and excellent works Hospitality becommeth a noble man For there was neuer anie noble man or notable prince but that he was desirous to doo good vnto others and was carefull ouer strangers Titus Vespasian when he called to remembrance at night that he had doone no good turne vnto anie man would with heauines saie Fréends we haue lost this daie And Christ saith that The kings of the nations beare dominion ouer them and they which haue power ouer them are called gratious in Gréeke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Ethniks also saie that GOD hath a care ouer strangers and therfore they worshipped Iupiter Xenius who had a care regard of strangers This propertie of GOD Homer describeth in the second booke of his Odysses And Virgil verie aptlie saith Iupiter was a keeper of hospitalitie Iupiter hospitibus nam te dare iura loquuntur that is For men saie that thou O Iupiter giuest right vnto strangers And the naturall affection toward citizens commonlie stirreth euerie man that if he méet a stranger and one that is néedie he will to his power helpe him and prouide harbour for him Euen so in like manner if peraduenture the saints which as touching the eternall countrie are our citizens doo come vnto vs we ought to helpe them and gentlie to interteine them 10 But bicause that Iahel séemed to haue violated the lawes and couenant of hospitalitie it is a doubt In Iudg. 4 verse 22. Whether Iâ—hel did right in violating the laws of hospitalitie whether we should condemne hir or quit hir Howbeit bicause all controuersie dependeth not a little of the circumstances of the persons we will therefore set hir before our eies and consider with our selues what manner of men the Kenites in the fourth of Iudges were They assuredlie in bloud were ioined with the Israelits Who the Kenits were for they were the posteritie of Hobab the father in lawe of Moses Moreouer they perfectlie agréed with the Hebrues in the exercise of godlinesse and in the lawe of God Neither was their faith idle but effectuall and working for they leauing their countrie followed the Israelits through the desert and God which was their guide through the wildernesse Wherfore at the length when the lands were distributed they obteined inheritance togither with them in the land of Chanaan For these causes if Iahel went about to set the Iewes at libertie she did but hir duetie neither did she take vpon hir anie other mans office On the other part let vs consider of Sisara Who Sisara was He was an oppressor of the people of God and now slaine by the power of God and vtterlie confounded neither appeared there in him anie token of repentance but he would rather hide himselfe to the intent that he escaping this so present a danger might againe gather a new host against the Israelites In déed after a sort he was in league with Heber the Kenite yet as it is to be thought with no sincere hart but onlie to plucke him away from the rest of the Iewes whereby he might haue the fewer enimies and not be compelled to fight with so manie enimies at one time or else to get of him a great tribute or some other commoditie which he looked for Furthermore in this his misfortune he calleth vpon no God he desireth not the helpe of other mens praiers but onelie séeketh lurking places where he might hide himselfe till such time as the rage and heate of the conquerors were somwhat slaked and onelie trusted vnto the helpes and aliance made with men By these things it easilie appeareth that Iahel did hir dutie and Sisara deserued to be slaine 11 But as touching the lawes of hospitalitie The lawes of hospitalitie ought ordinarilie to be kept iuiolated Gen. 19 8. we also iudge that they by themselues and of their
were annointed is deriued from the Hebrue word Ieschah And why he was so called the angel declared For saith he he shall saue his people from their sinnes This word Christ is a Gréeke word in Hebrue it is called Meschiah that is annointed In old time among the people of GOD kings prophets priests were annointed for verie hard conflicts rest vpon them which are appointed to these offices Wherefore vnder that token they be admonished that they should become like vnto wrestlers if they will doo according to their vocation And no man is ignorant but that the wrestlers were accustomed to annoint the parts of their bodie before they buckled togither Vnction interpreted to be an abundance of the spirit Or else which is a good deale the more likelie by vnction was signified abundance of the spirit with the which these thrée kind of men are indued sith prophets kings and priests in the administration of their functions haue néed of an abundant spirit And that the inspiration of the spirit is in the holie scriptures called vnction we haue no néed to doubt Esaie saith Esai 61 1. The spirit of the Lord vpon mee therefore hath he annointed me Luke 4 18 Which place Christ interpreteth to be written of himselfe so as it néedeth the lesse exposition of vs. And in the psalme by the testimonie of the epistle to the Hebrues Heb. 1 9. Psal 45 8. it is spoken as touching our sauiour Therefore hath God thy God annointed thee with oile of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes And in the Acts of the apostles the 10. chapter Acts. 10 38. Peter preached vnto Cornelius the Centurion of Iesus of Nazareth whom God annointed with spirit and with power And in the epistle of Iohn it is written 1. Iohn 2 20 verse 15. The vnction shall teach you in all things Also in the 105. psalme when there was mention made of Abraham Isaac Iacob c it is written Touch not mine annointed And he could not call them annointed so farre as can be gathered of the holie scripture by reason of anie externall and symbolicall vnction wherefore it is wholie to be referred vnto the instinct of the holie spirit Neither must it be passed ouer that our Lord Iesus Christ atteined to so abundant plentifull vnction of the spirit as the same by him floweth also vnto vs which beléeue in him according wherevnto it is written in the second epistle to the Corinthians the first chapter in these words verse 21. It is God surelie that confirmeth vs togither with you in Christ and hath annointed vs who also hath sealed vs and hath giuen the earnest of the spirit in our hearts Whereby it cōmeth to passe that so manie as truelie beléeue are not vnfitlie called both Christs christians 12 But this we must note that those ceremonies of the lawe did vanish by the comming of Christ In 1. Sam. 10. at the beginning Wherefore the papists and some of the fathers also were lead with a certeine false affectation in that they obtruded to vs their annointing Of annointing Looke In 1. King 1 34 c. They would haue that oile of theirs to be set foorth so curiouslie with such pompe and solemnitie as no other sacrament is so highlie commended vnto vs by Christ This is the disposition of men that they alwaies make more account of their owne inuentions than of the commandements of GOD. But these men in their oile doo dreame I cannot tell what more than a marke that cannot be blotted out And yet what the same is they vnderstand not neither being asked be able to teach others what it meaneth But all these things Christ by his comming did abrogate wherefore there is now no néed of oile It is sufficient if ministers be lawfullie chosen that they may with some authoritie teach the people Neither is it now néed for kings and princes to be annointed Looke part 4. pla 1. art 21. But if so be there be anie that at this daie be annointed the whole consideration thereof in my iudgement belongeth to ciuill ordinance not to religion Albeit therein also séemeth to be some false affectation of the Iewes for now we be all annointed and christians and it is sufficient to haue the thing it selfe There is no néed of a signe after that we haue dedicated our name vnto Christ And we are said to be annointed not bicause we be stroked with oile but in respect that we haue atteined vnto that which the oile in old time signified Oftentimes the thing it selfe is put for the signe and the signe also for the thing Christ was neuer annointed with oile Christ was not annointed with oile Esaie 61 1. Psal 105 15 so far as we read and yet Esaie thus writeth of him The holie spirit be vpon me bicause he hath annointed me And in the 105. psalme Dauid saith of Abraham Isaac and Iacob When they were but a few in number and God had led them about defended them and punished kings for their sakes Touch not saith he mine annointed We read not that Abraham Isaac and Iacob were annointed with oile yet bicause they were consecrated for to instruct the people of God they be called Christs and annointed The thing it selfe is vsed for the signe 13 Christ also is called Lord. In Ro. 1. 7. Whie Christ is called Lord. Looke In .1 Cor. 8 6. Which name dooth fitlie agrée with him for all things are giuen vnto him by the father and he hath paied the price for our saluation wherefore he is iustlie called Lord. And we may gather that héereby he obteined this name bicause the Hebrues neuer pronounce the holie name Tetragrammaton written of foure letters which is Iehouah but pronounced by other words that is Elohim and Adonai which signifieth might or dominion Which thing séemed to be the cause that the 70 interpretors when they read this name Tetragrammaton translated it by this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is Lord. As it appeareth in manie places of the which we will alledge one Psal 110 5. The Lord said vnto my Lord where in the first place is written Iehouah which they translated Lord. So as when Christ is called Lord it is as much as if he had béene called God Although Tertullian against Praxea saith that Christ is called Lord when he is ioined with the father for then the father is called God But and if the sonne being ioined with him should also be called God the Ethniks might thinke that we grant more gods than one Wherefore to withstand their suspicion we make this word Lord an epitheton of the sonne But if we name Iesus Christ by himselfe and alone he is plainlie called God as it appéereth in manie places of the scriptures And he vseth a certeine similitude A similitude As a beame of the sunne when we make mention of it by it selfe we call it the sunne and we saie that
haue aboue confessed And he offered himselfe to be seene and felt of his disciples Besides this when his will was neither to be séene nor yet to be caught hold of by anie man he so ordered his bodie Luk. 4 30. as neither the one nor the other happened otherwise than it pleased himselfe Iohn 8. 59. Mat. 28 1. c. As in Nazareth when they endeuoured to throwe him downe headlong from the mounteine or when they went about to stone him in the temple Mat. 17 2. Againe when he rose vp and went out of the sepulchre which the soldiers kept he would not be séene No more would he be séene vpon mount Thabor wherein his bodie being transformed became bright like the sun And we are not anie waie forbidden to hope but that our bodies shall probablie be adorned with those qualities in the life eternall For it séemeth altogither conuenient that the members should be like vnto their owne head Fleshlie care of the bodie must be reiected Wherfore if anie man haue a fleshlie care of his owne bodie he dealeth vnwiselie to obeie it in those things which manifestlie striue with so blessed an end He ought rather for that fauour wherewith he is indued by the grace of God to yéeld the same bodie of his to the obedience of the spirit by whome it shall at the length be quickened and carried vp into so excellent a state In consideration wherof Paule decréed Rom. 8 18. that Those things which we presentlie suffer are not worthie of the glorie which shall be shewed to vs And as in the same maner Christ disputing of eternall life said Hee that will find his life Mat. 10 39. shall loose it In the which place vnder the name of life he meaneth this naturall life the which whosoeuer withdraweth from mortification and the crosse laid vpon him by God and dooth attempt with highlie dishonouring of Christ and his name to repulse danger and temporall death from it then dooth he verelie loose it although he determine with himselfe to find it and to recouer it For he despoileth it of those properties which otherwise it should perpetuallie haue in that eternall felicitie with Christ But the spirituall and true christians which by the iudgement of the world are thought to betraie their owne life while they make ouer-small account of the same taking great and infinit perils in hand yea willing death for Christs his sake these I saie as Christ most truelie testifieth in loosing of their soule doo in verie déed find and most certeinlie obteine the same Iohn 12 24. And that is most aptlie expressed in the similitude of a grain of corne which vnlesse it should first become rotten in the earth it would neuer giue out flower or fruit framed in the order of an eare of corne 50 But let vs procéed sée in what thing the spirits of the blessed may rest themselues in that state whereof we haue spoken They that be iustified by Christ although that euen in this life they haue setled their desire to loue God with all their heart with all their soule and with all their strength so long as they acknowledge they be verie far off from dooing that which they ought to doo they must néeds be disquieted with excéeding sorrow How pleasant a thing thinke we will it be to them that they shall be able to satisfie their desire so iust so excellent so great and so long desired of them A deliuerance from slane Then we shall be indued with this gift that we shall offend him no more we shall be deliuered from the seruitude of sinne and from our domesticall enimie namelie from the assaults of the flesh séeing the same shall be at peace with the spirit We being constrained with the bonds hereof cannot fulfill the lawe of God But in that state we shall loue God with all our strength and more than either our selues or whatsoeuer else is in the world Neither shall that flesh let vs anie thing from the true perfect loue of our neighbour he vndoubtedlie shall haue no néed of the duties of this life but yet we shall loue him in that we shall no lesse be desirous of his felicitie than of our owne The motions of enuie selfe-pleasing and of other desires the which things be verie great enimies vnto vs and make vs the slacker to loue our neighbours shall haue no longer abiding in vs. But as touching that which is of greatest importance and is greatlie wished for of all men that be indued with reason and anie godlinesse at all I meane the knowledge of God shall then at the last be granted vnto vs. Indéed it is now after some sort giuen vnto men to knowe God by the euident tokens of things created by the testimonies of the scriptures and by inward reuelation of the spirit but there shall be then a full and perfect knowledge Wherfore saith Paule to the Corinthians We see saith he through a glasse as in a darke speaking 1. Co. 13 12 Now there be certeine darke sentences laid before vs which the Graecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then shall it be set foorth to be perceiued indéed All vailes and couering shall be remooued that we may penetrate euen to the face of God himselfe the which cannot be perceiued in this life as God himselfe verified to his faithfull seruant Moses Exo. 33 20. in these words It cannot be that a man should see me and liue Therefore thou shalt not see my face but I will cause that as I passe by thou maist see my backe part But when we be loosed from this mortall state we without doubt shall be capable of that excellent gift In the which thing chéefelie consisteth that eternall life as our sauiour Iesus teacheth in the Gospell of Iohn Iohn 17 3. This is the life eternall that they may knowe thee onelie the true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent And againe he saith Iohn 8 56. that Abraham desired to knowe the daie of the Lord and he knew it and reioised Matt. 13 16. And vnto the apostles he said Blessed be the eies which see that ye see I saie vnto you that many kings prophets desired to see that which ye see and yet it was not granted vnto them In which place we must vnderstand that Christ spake of his first comming in the which he had the mortall and passible properties of humane nature But if thou wilt obiect that they sawe him also after his resurrection when he was now indued with an immortall and impassible life I answer that he had not euen as yet gotten the full victorie of all his enimies nether ha◠procured the kingdome to be perfect peaceable and sure from all aduersaries such as it shall be by the iudgement of Paule in the first epistle to the Corinthians When he hath put all his enimies vnder his feet 1. Co.
into him He followed the intisements of couetousnes he betraied not the Lord to obeie his prophesie Christ also was by the will of God sâ—aine for he said in the garden Ibidem 39. Let this cup passe away from me if it be possible but not my will be doone but thine And of himselfe he said before hand I will giue my life for my sheepe Ioh. 10 11. Yea Herod and Pilat are in the Acts of the apostles said to haue agréed togither Acts. 4 27. to doo those things which the counsell of God had decréed Are either the Iewes or those princes by reason of this to be acquited from sinne when as they condemned and slue an innocent man Who will saie so Shall anie man also acquite of villanie the brethren of Ioseph Gen 45 7. when they sold their brother although God would by that meanes that Ioseph should come into Aegypt Neither shall the crueltie of the king of Babylon be excused Esaie 10 7. although the iustice of God decréed to haue the Iewes in such sort punished He which is killed Exo. 23 31. is said to be deliuered by God into the hands of his enimie And God is also said to deliuer a citie Iosua 6 16. when it is woon by assalt Iob. 1 21. And Iob said that those things which were by violence and robberie taken awaie from him by the Chaldaeans and Sabeans were taken awaie by God The Lord saith he gaue and the Lord hath taken awaie Of predestination and the counsell of God cannot be inferred anie excuse of sins Wherefore of that counsell of God whereby he vseth sinnes to their appointed ends cannot be inferred anie iust excuses of sinnes for wicked works are iudged and condemned by reason of the lewd and corrupt hart from whence they are deriued Wherefore let no man be offended with the doctrine of predestination séeing rather by it we are led to acknowledge the benefits of God and to giue thanks vnto him onlie And let vs also learne not to attribute more vnto our owne strength than we ought let vs haue also an assured persuasion of the good will of God towards vs whereby he would elect his before the foundations of the world were laid Let vs moreouer be confirmed in aduersities knowing assuredlie that whatsoeuer calamitie happeneth it is doone by the counsell and will of God and that finallie by the moderation of predestination it shall turne to good and to eternall saluation VVhether God would kill or destroie anie man In 1. Sam. 2 verse 25. 59 But there ariseth a doubt whether God would kill or destroie anie man for it is written that The sonnes of Helie hard not their fathers words bicause the Lord would slaie them In the 18. and 33. chapters for both the chapters are of one argument Ezec. 18 33 11. although Ierom shewed some difference betwéene them yet so small as it maketh in a maner no matter Ezechiel That God would not the death of a sinner verse 21. vnder the person of God saith As trulie as I liue I will not the death of a sinner but that he conuert and liue And in Esaie 28. chapter it is read I saith the Lord will doo a strange worke namelie to punish you wherevpon it is gathered that it is farre from the nature of God to laie punishments vpon vs for sinnes Wherefore it is euerie-where pronounced of the church that the propertie of God is to forgiue and to be mercifull Ibidem 13. And in the first chapter of Wisedome if yet we shall allow of that booke it is written God made not death Wisd 1 13. nor delighteth in the destruction of the liuing Furthermore the name of the verie same GOD is called in the holie scriptures Iehouah which soundeth nothing else than Being or To be Wherefore Augustine in his booke De vera religione the twelfe chapter saith that The nature of God is To be forsomuch as all things haue from thence euen that being that they haue But death bringeth to passe that things cease to be so that it séemeth not to procéed from God And in Genesis it is written that God made man a liuing soule Genes 2 7. wherevpon it followeth Diuers testimonies that God will not the death of a sinner Iere. 29 11. that he did not so make him that he would destroie him but rather that he should liue And in the 29. chapter of Ieremie it is said My thoughts are the thoughts of peace and not of affliction saith the Lord. Neuertheles we vnderstand here that he would destroie the sonnes of Helie And Ieremie in the lamentations saith Lamen 2 8. that God minded to ouerthrowe the wall of Zion And in Zacharie it is said Euen as God thought to punish you Zach. 8 14. what time as your fathers prouoked him to wrath so now haue I determined to doo well vnto you And there is a place extant in the 14. chapter of Esaie Esai 14 24. wherein by manifest words it is declared that God consulted and decréed with himselfe vtterlie to destroie the Babylonians and Assyrians And verie manie testimonies for the confirmation of this matter might be gathered out of the holie scriptures but bicause wée méete with them euerie-where I will passe them ouer 60 As touching the discourse which we haue in hand first we must determine of some certeine thing secondlie we must incounter the testimonies and reasons which may séeme to be against the definition set downe First of all Death distinguished the nature of death is to be distinguished bicause there is one of the soule and another of the bodie As touching that of the bodie it would be superfluous to saie anie thing séeing by the sense we perceiue the same to be nothing else but a departure of the soule from the flesh Wherfore on the other side we affirme that the death of the soule dooth then happen when we for sinne sake are separated froÌ„ God Vnto these things That the death of the bodie dooth depend of the death of the soule Rom. 5 12. this also is to be added that the death of the bodie dooth depend of the death of the soule for vnles that had gone before this should not followe wherevpon Paule most trulie wrote that By sinne came death into the world Onelie Christ is here to be excepted who onelie died without sinne albeit that neither he in verie déed died altogither without sinne séeing that he bare our sins on his bodie vpon the crosse 1. Pet. 2 24. But the procurer of death as Augustine saith in his fourth booke De ciuitate Dei Augustine the 12. chapter was the diuell for he was therefore of Iohn called A murtherer euen from the beginning Iohn 1 44. bicause he persuaded the first men vnto sinne Euen as Christ therefore is the mediator of life so is the diuell of death And it
Thou which preachest a man should not steale dooest thou steale Thou which saiest a man should not coÌ„mit adulterie committest thou adultery Thou that abhorrest images dooest thou commit sacrilege And thou which makest thy boast of the lawe dooest thou by transgressing of the lawe dishonour God For the name of God as it is written is euill spoken of among the Gentils through you Such therefore were the Iewes without Christ wherefore they could by no meanes be iustified by their works or else they might haue answered Paule that they were so gréeuouslie accused without cause 10 But in what case men were before they receiued the faith of Christ The third reason is more manifestlie shewed in the third chapter for there we read Rom. 3 10. There is none righteous there is none that vnderstandeth or seeketh after God all haue gone out of the waie and are become vnprofitable there is none that dooth good no not one their throte is an open sepulchre with their toongs they haue deceiued the poison of aspes is vnder their lips whose mouth is full of cursing and bitternes their feet are swift to shed bloud destruction and wretchednes are in their waies they haue not knowne the waie of peace the feare of God is not before their eies c. These testimonies Paule gathered togither out of sundrie places of the holie scripture by which the nature of man being destitute of the grace of God is set foorth in his colours And that no man should saie that onlie the idolatrous and wicked Gentils are by these words signified the apostle as it manifestlie appéereth sheweth that these things are also extended vnto the Iewes who aboue all other thought themselues most holie and he addeth But we knowe that whatsoeuer the lawe speaketh Ibidem 19. it speaketh vnto them which are vnder the lawe And to the end we should not doubt but that his intent was to bring a generall reason he addeth verse 20. What signifieth the flesh Bicause by the works of the lawe no flesh shall be iustified And by the flesh he vnderstandeth a man not yet regenerate I knowe there haue béene some which by the flesh haue vnderstood the inferiour parts of the mind which are grosse and intangled with shamefull lusts The fourth reason But this sense Paule excludeth when he saith By the works of the lawe that is verse 19. by the works commanded by God in the lawe which must néeds come of reason not of the strength of the inferiour parts of the mind Further The fift reason the scripture after the Hebrue phrase by the flesh vnderstandeth the whole man which thing we haue in another place more aboundanltie expressed verse 21. Afterward to the end he might the better confirme this sentence he saith That euerie mouth might be stopped and that the whole world might be guiltie before God Vndoubtedlie if men should be iustified by works their mouthes should not be stopped neither should they be guiltie before God For they should alwaies haue somewhat to saie namelie that they are quit from sinnes bicause they haue deserued it by works but now when men perceiue the contrarie they dare not once open their lips Further he saith But now without the lawe is the righteousnes of God made manifest which hath the testimonie both of the lawe and of the prophets What man would appoint that thing to be the cause of our righteousnes without which righteousnes may be obteined Vndoubtedlie no wise man would so doo séeing that such is the nature of causes that without them the effects cannot be wrought To the same purpose also serueth that which followeth The sixt reason Where is then thy boasting It is excluded By what lawe By the lawe of works No verse 27. but by the lawe of faith He would haue vs knowe that all iust cause of glorie is excluded and taken awaie from vs for the whole glorie of our righteousnes ought to be giuen and yéelded to God But if we should be iustified by works then would it not be so for the glorie should be ours and euerie man would count himselfe to be therefore iustified bicause he hath liued vertuouslie and iustlie And how certeine and assured this was vnto the apostle those things which followe doo declare We thinke therefore that a man is iustified by faith verse 8. without the works of the lawe The seuenth reason Whie then shall we denie that which the apostle with so great vehemencie affirmeth Vndoubtedlie it were a thing most impudent so to doo Wherefore let vs assent vnto him and not resist so great a testimonie of his But besides these things let vs weigh and consider the pith of Paules meaning The eight reason If we should be iustified by works saith he we should not only haue matter to boast of Rom. 4 2. but the occasion of our boasting reioising in God of praising commending his fauour towards vs should be taken awaie For without doubt it is vnto vs a thing most praise-woorthie and glorious to acknowledge that the beneuolence and readie fauour of God towards vs through Christ is so great that he deliuereth vs miserable men from our sinnes and receiueth vs into fauour although we be couered ouer with neuer so great lothsomnes and dregs of sinnes If we should I saie be iustified by works then doubtlesse we might not trulie boast brag or glorie hereof 11 But it is better for vs to heare what the apostle himselfe saith in the beginning of the fourth chapter The ninth reason What shall we saie then Rom. 4 1. that our father Abraham found according to the flesh For if Abraham were iustified by works he hath wherof to boast but not before God For what saith the scriptures Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnes But vnto him which worketh a reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt Wherefore to the end that so swéet a consolation of the loue and beneuolence of God towards vs should not be taken awaie from vs let vs constantlie affirme with the apostle that we are not iustified by workes And that he might the better persuade vs hereof he vrgeth this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we saie is To impute to ascribe vnto a man righteousnes vers 3 4. or to count a man to be iust and he setteth it as an Antithesâ—is or contrarie position vnto merit or debt so that he to whome anie thing is imputed deserueth not the same neither receiueth it as a debt But he which obteineth anie thing as a debt accounteth not the same as imputed or ascribed vnto him Neither did Paule thinke it sufficient that he brought the scripture concerning Abraham but he also citeth Dauid vers 7. Psal 32 2. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is the man vnto whome the Lord hath
some iuice out of the earth and so bringeth foorth some leaues and buddeth as if it liued in verie deed likewise men saie they that are strange from Christ although they liue not by the celestiall spirit We can please God with no faith except that which is in Christ Iesus Acts. 4 12. yet by some inspiration of the spirit they worke those excellent works which we haue described But we that are instructed by the holie scriptures doo acknowledge no other faith whereby we can please God but onelie that which is in Christ Iesus For There is none other name vnder heauen giuen vnto men whereby we can be saued Rom. 2 22. 4 24. Gala. 2 20. Ephe. 1 13. 15. but onelie the name of Christ our sauiour And Paule as often as he maketh mention of faith which iustifieth alwaies declareth it to be that faith whereby we are godlie affected towardes Christ and his Gospell But least that Paule of himselfe and alone should séeme to teach this I will a little more déeplie repeated the whole matter Ge ne 15 6. Abraham beleeued God and it was counted vnto him for righteousnesse But what beléeued he Abraham was iustified by faith in Christ Galat. 3 16. Forsooth this that he should haue séed giuen him namelie that onelie séed as Paule interpreteth it wherein all nations should be blessed which is Christ Iesus This testament was confirmed of God vnto him in Christ yea the Lord himselfe when he spake of him said Iohn 8 56. He sawe my daie and reioised Iob also in the .19 chapter Iob. 19 25. I knowe saith he that my redeemer liueth which shall also rise in the last daie ouer them which doo lie in the dust And after the woormes haue destroied this bodie I shall see the Lord in my flesh whome I my selfe shall see and mine owne eies shall behold and none other for me This faith expressed in those words is in no wise generall or confused for in it are plainelie described the principall points which perteine vnto Christ For first he is called a redéemer wherein is published the forgiuenesse of sinnes Further his comming to iudgement is set foorth and also the resurrection of the dead wherein not other bodies but euen the selfe same which they had before shal be restored vnto men There is also added the humane nature of Christ which maie be séene with corporall eies Further what maner of faith I beséech you is that which these men affirme Infidels to haue For a true and firme persuasion A true faith draweth with it all good motions of the mind and a constant and an assured assent vnto the promises of God draweth with it as I said at the beginning all good motions of the mind How then can they saie that these men haue faith which lie still weltering in idolatrie and in most shamefull and grosse sinnes They may indéed haue a certeine credulitie The Ethniks male haue a credulitie but not a true faith either by education or by human persuasion or by an opinion after a sort rooted in them but to haue a true faith so long as they lead such a kind of life it is not by anie meanes possible vnlesse they will grant that the Turks haue also faith for they assent vnto manie things The Turks haue no true faith though they beleeue manie things with vs. 1. Cor. 13 2. which we professe and beléeue But that place of Paule in the first epistle to the Corinthians wherein it is said If I haue all faith so that I can remooue mountaines and haue not charitie I am nothing they will haue it to be vnderstood not onelie of the true faith but they also saie that the same faith may be separated from charitie Howbeit they grant that if it so come to passe the same faith will not profit anie thing at all Séeing therefore they expound that place after this maner how agrée they with Paule séeing they saie that a generall and confused faith wherewith men be indued that are yet strange from Christ can bring foorth good works which of congruitie may merit iustification please God when as Paule saith that euen The true faith also as they interpret it dooth nothing profit without charitie But that similitude which they bring of a stake or a post fastened into the earth vtterlie ouerthroweth their owne opinion For although being dead it séemeth to liue yet in verie déed it liueth not and a wise husbandman séeth that the budding foorth is vnprofitable and therefore such leaues he casteth awaie and destroieth as vaine and nothing woorth And of the same estimation with God are those works which these men so colour and set foorth to the shew They affirme that the infidels works are not doone without grace 24 They inuent also another fond colour not much unlike vnto the former for they saie that those works of the infidels are not doone without grace For there is saie they a certeine generall grace laid foorth vnto all men and common euen vnto men not regenerate wherwith they being after a sort holpen may merit iustification and doo works which please God But in so saieng The aduersaries fall into the Pelagian heresie they fall into the heresie of Pelagius for he also taught that men without the grace of Christ might euen by the vertue and strength of nature and by the doctrine of the lawe worke good works whereby they might be iustified Neither dooth this anie thing helpe their cause in that they said that they referre not these things vnto nature but vnto grace which the Pelagians vtterlie denied For in words they will séeme to disagrée from them when as in verie déed they verie much agrée with them for in that they assigne a grace whereby they can atteine vnto righteousnes without Christ they are both against Christ and the Mileuitane Councell and the holie scriptures Further in that they make grace common vnto all men they turne it into nature and they saie that some will vse it A preuenting grace and an after following grace some will not vse it And this grace they call a preuenting grace but that other which is more absolute they call an after following grace Which diuision we denie not so that it be rightlie vnderstood for we grant there is one grace which preuenteth and another which followeth after howbeit the fauour of God through Christ wherewith we are both preuented to will well and wherewith we afterward being regenerate are holpen and stirred vp to liue well is one and the same For who euer doubted but that we are preuented of God to the intent we may be changed and renewed in Christ He were woorse than mad which would saie that we in our conuersion and turning vnto God doo preuent the aid and helpe of God He first loueth vs before we can begin to loue him he first stirreth vs vp by his fauour and
teach a resolution from works vnto faith Againe from faith vnto his obiect And that we should not thinke that faith by his owne power hath anie thing whereby it can iustifie he againe passeth from it vnto the obiect saieng How shall they beleeue without a preacher And how shall they preach except they be sent Also Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God Wherefore the vttermost point of the resolution is the word of God the promise touching Christ from whence as from the fountaine is deriued our saluation and iustification In the 11. chapter is set foorth the Antithesis or contrarie position betwéene incredulitie and faith verse 19 which séemeth verie much to confirme that which we now teach The branches were broken off that I might be graffed in this was an obiection of the Gentiles against the Iewes Paule answereth Thou saiest well bicause of vnbeleefe they were broken off but thou standest by faith Here is giuen the reason of the fall and destruction of men and on the other side of saluation and constancie namelie vnbeléefe and faith And of the Iewes which should one daie be restored he addeth And if they abide not still in their vnbeleefe they shall be againe graffed in The restoring of them that be fallen is prooued to be and to be doone by faith for God is of might to graff them in Here we sée that by departing from vnbeléefe which consisteth in beléeuing men that haue fallen are restored This maketh verie much against the error of those which although they after a sort confesse that the first iustification is giuen fréelie without anie works going before yet vnto men that haue fallen they grant not restitution vnto iustification but by satisfaction and manie works preparatorie 50 These things out of the epistle vnto the Romans In the first epistle to the Corinthians the first chapter it is thus written verse 21. Bicause the world in the wisedome of God knew not God by wisedome it pleased God by the foolishnes of preaching to saue them that beleeue Bicause the wise men of this world saith the apostle by their naturall searching out could not take hold of the wisedome of God whereby they might be saued God of his goodnes hath instituted a contrarie waie namelie the preaching of the Gospell which vnto the flesh séemeth foolishnesse that by it saluation should be giuen vnto men but yet not to all sorts of men but to those onlie that beléeue Wherefore in the second to the Corinthians verse 24. the 1. chapter it is thus written By faith ye stand by which words we vnderstand that the foundation whereby we are confirmed and established in the waie of saluation verse 14. is faith Further Paule to the Galathians the 2. chapter where he reprooueth Peter for his simulation whereby he séemed to lead the Gentiles to obserue the ceremonies of the Iewes thus speaketh If thou being a Iew liuest after the maner of the Gentiles and not as doo the Iewes why compellest thou the Gentiles to liue as doo the Iewes For we which are Iewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles knowing that a man is not iustified by the works of the lawe euen we beleeue in Christ that we might be iustified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the lawe bicause by the works of the lawe shall no flesh be iustified Here we sée that the apostles therefore followed Christ that they might be iustified by faith which they could not obteine by works Gal. 2 20. And afterward In that that I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith in the sonne of God which is all all one as if he should haue said As yet in déed sinne sticketh in my flesh and in it I carrie death about but yet notwithstanding I haue life not through mine owne merit but by the faith of the sonne of God Gal. 3 2. In the 3. chapter he thus writeth I would knowe this of you Receiued ye the spirit by the works of the lawe or by the hearing of faith And straitwaie he addeth He which ministreth vnto you the spirit and in you worketh miracles doth he the same by the works of the lawe or by the hearing of faith By these words we sée that it is faith and not works whereby we take hold of the gifts of God verse 7. And he addeth Ye know that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham and that vndoubtedlie for no other cause but for that in beléeuing they doo followe and resemble him verse 8. Wherfore saith he The scripture forseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles by faith shewed before hand glad tidings vnto Abraham saieng In thee shall all nations be blessed This blessing spred not abroad vnto them bicause they had their beginning of the flesh of Abraham but bicause they followed the steps of his faith Otherwise of Abraham as touching the flesh came not as farre as we can read anie other nation than the Ismaelites Edomites and Israelites Then followeth the conclusion verse 9. Therefore they which are of faith shall be blessed with faithfull Abraham But To be blessed in the Hebrue phrase is nothing else than To receiue the gifts of God amongst which iustification is the most principall Wherefore it followeth that Vnto the Gentiles through Christ verse 14. might come the promise made vnto Abraham that we might receiue the promise of the holie Ghost through faith So then we sée that the promise of the holie Ghost is not taken hold of by works as manie faine it is Which thing euen reason sufficientlie declareth for séeing the Lord as it shall a little afterward be declared had by promise giuen this blessing vnto Abraham we must sée what is referred vnto the promise as a correlatiue which as we haue said can be nothing else but faith for faith setteth foorth vnto it selfe the promises of God as an obiect 51 Paule furthermore addeth Ibidem 22 that The scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that beleeue This is the cause why the holie scriptures so diligentlie shew vnto men how they be guiltie of sinnes namelie that they should the more be stirred vp to imbrace the promises of God by faith at the least when they haue not good works whereby they might take hold of them And this vnderstand we by that which is afterward written verse 24. The lawe is our schoolemaister vnto Christ that we should be iustified by faith These words signifie nothing else but that the lawe therefore sheweth sinnes and setteth foorth vnto men their infirmities and stirreth vp their lusts whereby sinnes are more and more increased that they being thus admonished should returne vnto Christ and might from him thorough faith receiue righteousnesse Which thing they vndoubtedlie did of whom it was said verse
faith hath equallie a respect vnto all the things which are set forth in the holie scriptures yea saith he he dooth vnto God a thing no lesse acceptable which beléeueth that he created the world or beléeueth the thrée persons of the diuinitie or the resurrection to come than he which beléeueth that Christ was giuen to be our mediatour and that by him is to be obteined the remission of sinnes for that faith is of no lesse worthines than the other And if we be iustified by faith he affirmeth that that faith no lesse perteineth vnto the other articles than to the remission of sinnes by Christ And this he thinketh may be prooued by that which Paule writeth in the fourth chapter vnto the Romans verse 23. And not for him onelie were those things written but also for vs vnto whom it shal be imputed so that we beleeue in him which hath raised vp Christ from the dead Behold saith he that faith is imputed vnto vs vnto righteousnes whereby we beléeue that GOD raised vp Christ from the dead and not that faith whereby we beléeue that sinnes are forgiuen vs by Christ First here we confesse that our faith assenteth vnto all the things which are conteined in the holie scriptures But forsomuch as amongst them there is but onelie one principall and excellent truth vnto which all the other truths are directed namelie that Christ the sonne of GOD suffered for vs that by him we might receiue forgiuenes of sinnes what maruell is it if our faith haue respect vnto this one thing chéeflie For this that we saie Rom. 10 4. Paule prooueth for he saith Christ is the principall obiect of our faith that Christ is the end of the lawe Wherefore séeing he is the end of all the scriptures he is also the summe and principall obiect of our faith although otherwise by our faith we also imbrace all other things which are conteined in the holie scriptures And whereas he addeth that the faith which is of the other articles is no lesse acceptable vnto God than this faith which concerneth Christ and the remission of sinnes we maie first saie that is not true if a man rightlie weigh the dignitie of the action of faith for the dignitie of faith as also the dignitie of other like kinds of powers and qualities is measured by the obiects For as those obiects differ one from another in excellencie and dignitie The dignitie of faith is measured by the obiect so the consents which faith dooth yéeld vnto them ought according to the same to be counted inferiour or of more excellencie Séeing therefore God would in such sort haue his sonne to die and men by him to be reconciled that for this he hath instituted all the other things to be beléeued which are set foorth in the holie scriptures we cannot put anie doubt but that this pleaseth him much more than the other for that the other are directed vnto this as vnto their end And this is a common rule amongst the Logicians That thing it selfe is much rather of such condition and qualitie by meanes whereof another thing hath such condition and qualitie Wherefore this action of faith whereby we assent vnto this most noble truth ought to excell all other actions of faith whatsoeuer they be And so it is not by anie thing like acceptable vnto God whether a man beléeue this or that If we should vse this answer I knowe Pighius were neuer able to confute it But we saie moreouer that he in vaine contendeth about the greater or lesse dignitie of faith as touching this or that article We are not iustified by the dignitie of faith for we are not iustified by the dignitie of faith for it is in euerie man weake and féeble But we therefore saie that we are iustified by faith bicause by it as by an instrument vnto this end giuen vnto vs and by God appointed we applie Christ vnto vs and take hold of the forgiuenesse of sinnes Wherefore the woorthinesse or vnwoorthinesse thereof is to no purpose considered But that which he bringeth out of the 4. chapter to the Romans he bringeth cut and maimed for if a man read the full and perfect sentence he shall easilie sée that plaine mention is there made of the death of Christ and of the remission of sinnes which by it we haue obteined For Paule saith that Vnto vs it shall be imputed Rom. 4 24. as it was vnto Abraham if we beleeue that God raised vp our Lord Iesus Christ from the dead which was deliuered for our sinnes and rose vp againe for our iustification Is it not here most manifestlie said that we ought to beléeue that that Iesus Christ whom God raised vp was dead and rose againe that we should be iustified and haue all our sins forgiuen vs Doubtlesse it is a thing most vncomelie for a man that professeth diuinitie so wilfullie not to sée things that are most manifest That by faith euerie man is sure of his saluation 72 Afterward he maketh a cauilling about the particular faith whereby we saie that euerie one that beléeueth trulie in Christ ought to be most assured with himselfe that his sins are forgiuen him He denieth that there is anie such faith found in the holie scriptures and that therefore this is onelie our deuise and inuention Here vndoubtedlie I cannot hold my selfe but I must néeds saie that Pighius lewdlie lieth for I would haue him to tell me what did Abraham beléeue when he was iustified but that vnto him should one daie be rendered those promises of God For whom is it likelie that he beléeued they should be rendered vnto but vnto himselfe The selfe-same thing may be said of Moses of Dauid and of manie other of whom it is most certeine that they beléeued that the promises which God made vnto them should particularlie be rendered vnto them And what I beséech you ment Christ when he said vnto the man that was sicke of the palsie Matth. 9 2. Sonne thy sinnes are forgiuen thee and when he said vnto the woman Ibidem 22. Thy faith hath made thee safe And dooth not Paule to the Galathians thus speake of Christ Gal. 2 20. Who hath loued me and deliuered vp himselfe for me What can be more manifest than these words Let Pighius go now and make his vants that we were the first finders out of this proper and singular faith and let him crie that euerie christian man ought to beléeue that the promises are made onelie indefinitelie and that it is not méet that euerie one of vs should applie them seuerallie vnto himselfe For we ought to beléeue of our selues and not of others for we may as concerning others be deceiued whether they beléeue or no but touching our selues we may be assured and certeine of it Let euerie man beléeue the promises of God indefinitelie as touching others for we knowe not who is predestinate and who is reprobate
and the Decij And vndoubtedlie with this exposition agréeth the Chaldaean paraphrast which among the Hebrues is almost of the same estimation and authoritie that the holie scriptures be And that paraphrast saith that the maiden was sacrificed and reprooueth Ieptha bicause he asked not counsell of the high priest And hereto doo all the ancient Rabbins agrée which also doo blame the high priest bicause he of his owne accord went not vnto Ieptha Iosephus Iosephus also is of their opinion Also Chrysostome writeth manie things of this matter Chrysost but altogither farre from the historie he followeth allegories so that there can be in a maner no certeintie gathered out of him Ierom. But Ierom disagréeth with himselfe in his epistle to Iulianus he saith that Ieptha was numbered among the saints bicause he offered his daughter But in his first booke against Iouinian he writeth according to the mind of the Hebrues that Bicause he made an euill vow he by the gift of God perceiued that he did amisse in killing of his daughter For there might haue met him either a dog or an asse which to haue offered had béene vngodlie and thus in one place he praiseth that which in another place he dispraiseth 17 Ambrose saith Ambrose in his third booke De virginitate that The maid was in verie déed offered in sacrifice and he writeth that Ieptha vowed not before the battell but in the fight and in the verie time of conflict when the successe was doubtfull And he addeth I doo not allow the murther but I sée a commendable feare that he would not violate the promise which he had made And he saith moreouer that this act is to be compared with the worke of Abraham for when Abraham was about to kill his sonne the Lord cried out vnto him Ibidem 1◠Now I knowe that thou louest me And he concludeth that after the same maner Ieptha may be praised bicause he shewed by his example that the oracle of God wherein hée commanded that vowes should be performed was to be preferred before children yea although it were his onelie begotten child that should suffer But he demandeth whether God haue a respect to persons séeing he let Abraham from offering of his sonne but hindred not Ieptha He denieth that God accepteth persons but saith that it was necessarie he should declare vnto Abraham that he delighted not in humane sacrifices Afterward followed the lawe which in Deuteronomie Deut. 12 32 and Leuiticus forbiddeth the offering vp of children So then the will of God was alreadie declared both in Abraham and in the lawe also wherefore there néeded no new oracle or new prohibition Further he noted that in Ieptha there was no such perfection as was in Abraham for Abraham wept not tare not his garments delaied not the space of two moneths but straitwaie went and Isaac followed him It is no maruell then saith he if God prohibited not Ieptha forsomuch as he would punish his trifling shift And in his third booke De officijs the twelfe chapter he writeth I will neuer be persuaded but that Ieptha vowed vnaduisedlie séeing he afterward repented And he addeth that he indéed alloweth not the fact but he saith that in a godlie feare he fulfilled his vow howbeit in such sort as he appointed his posteritie to lament it He saith further I cannot accuse the man bicause it was necessarie for him to paie that which he had vowed But it is a miserable necessitie saith he which is paied with the murther of his child and it is better not to vow that thing which he will not haue to whom thou vowest it And straitwaie he saith All promises are not to be kept for God himselfe hath sometime altered his will By which words he alludeth vnto the place which is written in the 14. chapter of the booke of Numbers touching the praiers of Moses verse 13. Wherefore Ambrose is altogither of that mind to thinke that the maiden was offered and for that cause as I haue said preferreth hir before the two Pythagoreans And after he saith in his exhortation vnto virgins She paid with hir bloud the vnaduised vow of hir father And vpon the first epistle to the Corinthians the 15. chapter he saith In a thing which could not be acceptable he was found faithfull offring his daughter as he had foolishlie vowed And againe The act is not to be allowed but the perseuerance of faith is brought foorth for an example 18 But these words of Ambrose must not so lightlie be passed ouer for they cannot absolutelie be allowed and as he hath spoken them howbeit I haue brought them to shew his opinion to be that the maid was offred out of all doubt But in his words this I first note What things are to be noted in the words of Ambrose that he affirmeth a certeine godlie feare to be in Ieptha whereby he was led to performe his vow further that children were not be preferred before religion thirdlie that Ieptha was found faithfull in that thing which could not be acceptable to God lastlie that his perseuerance of faith is set foorth for an example to followe As touching the first A godlie feare driueth not vnto parricide What affections are to be counted for godlie I knowe not how that may séeme to be a godlie feare which driueth a man to killing of his owne child For he calleth it thrée or foure times murther In déed there be certeine affections ingraffed in vs by God but yet vnto vertues and to well dooing A feare to eschew sinne an anger that we maie punish wickednes so foorth Wherefore feare when it is applied to vertue may be called godlie but if it serue for vice it cannot séeme godlie naie rather it hath a certeine maner of vngodlines Otherwise the indeuour of idolaters might be praised for we sée them labour earnestlie about the worshipping of God but bicause they applie not themselues to the sincere worshipping of God their indeuor cannot be called godlie So when that feare of Ieptha draue him to cōmit murther how could it be godlie If thou wilt saie that by parricide or murther he meaneth not the sinne or the wicked act but the sacrificing of his daughter I will aske why he saith that he alloweth not of the act Vndoubtedlie if he cannot allow it then he perceiueth that sinne is therein But in that he saith that the loue of children is lesse to be estéemed than religion that is true but that was no religion but a foolish vnaduised and rash vow Neither is the loue of children lesse to be estéemed than such vowes Thirdlie he saith that he was found faithfull but what fidelitie is there in that which could not be acceptable vnto God If my seruant should doo that which I forbad him may he therein séeme faithfull But in that he calleth the immutable mind of Ieptha constancie in my iudgement he erreth séeing the same was rather
they should returne vnto the author for we through the infirmitie and weaknes wherewith we are infected doo pollute the gifts and graces of God when they are powred vpon vs. Wherefore if they be rendered vnto God as they be in vs they become vncleane but they are purified againe by Christ and being offered vnto God by him in thanks-giuing they are become a swéete smelling sauour The abuse of foren language 19 To the intent that the matter may be the more plainelie perceiued In 1. Cor. 25 14. and so forward let vs make a bréefe of those reasons which the apostle hath brought for ouerthrowing of a strange language in the church First he writeth A briefe of the reasons brought by Paule that he which speaketh with a strange toong speaketh not vnto men but to God Whereby it appéereth that men are not edified by that kind of spéech séeing it perteineth not vnto them Further he saith He that speketh with toongs edifieth himself but he that prophesieth edifieth all men Therefore so much difference as there is betwéene one man and all vniuersallie so much is the vse of strange toongs inferior vnto prophesieng which edifieth the whole church Besides this he addeth experience to wit that what commoditie the church of the Corinthians had receiued by Paule all this it had by reuelation by prophesieng by knowledge and also by doctrine which otherwise the vse of toongs had little or nothing profited Moreouer there is a similitude brought in of musicall instruments and of the trumpet all which are vnprofitable as well for bringing of pleasure as for the vse of wars vnlesse they make a plaine distinction and a certeine signification in their musicke Furthermore he that vseth strange toongs sheweth himselfe to be a barbarian to them that heare him as if he would not communicate with them such things as he hath in his mind Also when he praieth with a strange toong vndoubtedlie he vseth the gift of the spirit but yet his mind is void of fruit séeing there followeth no edifieng of his neighbors which onlie thing the christian mind that is wise must haue respect vnto Also he that dooth on this sort hindereth them that stand by from confirming and ratifieng those praiers which he openlie maketh by answering vnto them after the vsuall maner Amen And here he bringeth in his owne example who being able to doo much to excell them all in the vse of toongs yet saith that he had rather speake fiue words whose signification should be manifest than to vtter infinite words in a strange toong which would not be vnderstood of the hearers And he affirmeth this to be childish Esai 28 11. Which thing God by the prophet Esaie reprooued in his people bicause as they had béene children they vnderstood not those things which were spoken And séeing it becommeth all men to vse such gifts as they are indued with it is méet for the church of Christ to vse prophesieng which most beséemeth the faithfull Lastlie the benefit of prophesieng is more vniuersallie and largelie giuen than is the gift of toongs séeing it is profitable both vnto the beléeuers and vnbeléeuers whereas strange language profiteth them that beléeue not yea sometimes maketh the beléeuers to be laughed at by them 20 Moreouer the holie scriptures teach what we ought to doo in the holie congregation For in the 102. Psal 102 22 psalme it is written While the people gather togither in one they doo declare the name of the Lord in Sion The discommodities of a strange language Col. 3 16. and his praises in Ierusalem But how can the praises and miracles of the Lord be declared in such sort as they may be vnderstood whereas a strange language shall be vsed And it is written to the Colossians Let the word of GOD abound plentifullie among you But if it be not vnderstood it will be barren neither will it bring foorth anie fruitfulnesse The sacraments are ministred when the church méeteth togither Matt. 28 19. And séeing that in baptisme Christ should be preached and the name of the father the sonne and the holie Ghost celebrated and the remission of sinnes and articles of faith pronounced what shall this profit if it be doone in vnknowen words and touching the holie supper 1. Co. 11 24 the Lord said Doo this in remembrance of me But in an vnknowen toong the remembrance is no whit renewed but rather buried There is heard a sound a singing and a muttering but there is in a maner nothing of the words perceiued yea and sometimes there be sermons made so intricate and difficult that they can be vnderstood but euen of a verie few And when as this abuse hath oftentimes béen rebuked in these men What fond defenses the aduersaries haue it is a world to heare with how vaine and fond imaginations they defend the same They saie that in the old lawe there were manie ceremonies the signification of which was not vnderstood yet notwithstanding they were obserued by the common people and vnlearned men But they which speake on this sort must shew to vs that they haue the word of GOD wherein it hath béene cōmanded that they should vse a strange toong in holie seruice when as it might be doone by them in the vulgar spéech according as the old fathers in the lawe had shewed The ceremonies of the forefathers were not vtterlie vnknowen to the common people that such ceremonies were commanded vnto them Besides neither is it true that those ceremonies were vtterlie vnknowen vnto the common people for they all knew what ment the feast of passeouer what the pentecost and what the feast of tabernacles and they knew some to be peace offerings and some offerings for sinnes And finallie all things which belonged vnto the obseruations of those ceremonies were deliuered by God vnto the Hebrues in an vsuall knowen language And if there were besides significations hidden in them vnto the vnderstanding whereof the common sort did not atteine that is no let at all vnto vs who require not of our people all the vnderstanding of the holie scriptures but we onelie complaine that they kéepe the scripture so secret from them as they may not once vnderstand the words 21 They are woont also In 1. Cor. 14 4. when the place of Paule is obiected to faine that the words doo onlie concerne sermons wherein they saie that they also vse their mother toong But the words of that chapter doo most plainelie reprooue them for there is expresse mention made of those things in which the people doo answer Amen which happeneth not in sermons The apostle also maketh mention of thanks-giuing and of diuine praises wherefore it is manifest that this defense of theirs is vaine Further to what purpose had it béene néedfull for him to giue warning of that which can neuer fall into anie mans mind to make a sermon in a strange language
there and in paradise And therefore he wholie transferreth this vnto the diuine nature which had not béene méet if according to that promise as these men will the felicitie of the théefe should haue béene deferred vntill a thousand yeares and longer Nor dooth Peter in that place they bring will vs to interpret that a thousand yeares in euerie place should be taken for one daie he onelie indeuored most significantlie to declare the eternitie of GOD When daies are to be taken for yeeres the scripture teacheth vnto the which a thousand yeares béeing compared would be but as one daie Howbeit if at anie time daies are to be taken for yéeres that is not permitted to our iudgement but thereof we are admonished by the word of God Dan. 9 21. verse 5 6. as it appéereth in Daniel when the wéekes are reckoned vp And in the fourth chapter of Ezechiel where the prophet is commanded that he should lie vpon his left side thrée hundreth and nintie daies and againe fortie daies vpon his right side and that in the same place daies doo represent yeares the scriptures doo expresselie shew vs. 20 They haue also an other shift for they saie that these two aduerbes of time yesterdaie and to daie signifie the old and the new testament which they gather out of the epistle to the Hebrues Heb. 13 8. where it is said Christ yesterdaie and to daie Christ yesterdaie and to daie how it is to be vnderstood Wherefore they would haue the meaning to be that to haue the théefe to be brought to daie into paradise should belong to the new testament But this conceit of theirs is vaine bicause in the epistle to the Hebrues it must so be vnderstood that Christ is yesterdaie and to daie and as it is added For euer that his eternitie may be vnderstood the which they are woont to distinguish into thrée times as if it should be said He was he is and he shall be The third couert wherein they shrowd themselues is that it was said vnto the first parents Gen. 2 17. In what houre soeuer ye eate ye shall die the death and yet is it euident that they did not presentlie die after they had transgressed So saie they it might be that the promise made vnto the théefe which seemeth to be spoken of that daie might be deferred vntill a longer time But that which these men take as granted we denie namelie that the first parents when they had transgressed did not foorthwith perish For death is accounted nothing else Death is a departing from life but a departing from life neither haue we life without God So then they died bicause they departed from God and their soule was not seuered from the bodie but after a sort buried therein so as if a man will iudge truelie we doo not now presentlie liue a life but a death which the longer it is the more gréeuous it is thought to be by them which iudge aright But bicause we will not séeme to hast we willinglie accept the similitude both of the théefe The first parents were dead straitwaie after sinne and also of the first parents they had the beginnings of death immediatelie after the transgression albeit they had not the triall of absolute death so also the théefe was with Christ in paradise albeit he obteined not that daie the perfect felicitie which is attended in the resurrection Wherefore the argument which we haue alreadie put foorth standeth firme neither can it with friuolous arguments be ouerthrowne Phil. 1 23. The 2. reason 21 Furthermore Paule writeth vnto the Philippians that He wished to be loosed from hence and to be with Christ for that he doubted not but it would be an aduantage to him Which desire of his had not béene godlie if after the death of our bodie we should sléepe with our soules vntill the resurrection What profit had it béene to Paule to haue béene loosed from hence if he should not straitwaie haue liued with his Christ Vndoubtedlie while he liued here he wrote of himselfe And now doo not I liue Galat. 2 20. but Christ liueth in me And according to this sentence Christ was not to liue but to sléepe in him after death Moreouer while he liued here he might acknowledge and loue Christ but after this life if he should be asléepe he was of necessitie to leaue off those actions 22 There is also another reason brought against them The 3. reason Luke 16 vers 23 c. as touching the rich man and poore Lazarus by that storie is shewed that the spirits after this life doo not sléepe but either doo enioie good things or else are tormented with punishments They answer that this is a parable and that therefore it maketh nothing against them Vnto whom we saie that all the fathers which interpret that place doo not thinke it to be a parable but manie rather thinke it an historie among whom are Gregorie and Ierom. Gregorie Ierom. Tertullian Chrysost Augustine And Tertullian goeth so farre as he thinketh the rich man was Herod and that Lazarus was Iohn Baptist Howbeit Chrysostome and Augustine sometime call it a parable But this reléeueth them not séeing a parable is nothing else but a similitude deriued from the truth of a thing A parable is deriued from the truth of things as when the parable is brought in of the good man of the house which diuided his inheritance to two of his children Albeit that the same be a parable yet is it expedient that there be a good man of the house that children be found among the nature of things and that it be a custome among them to distribute the fathers possessions otherwise parables should be taken of feigned and vaine things which is against the nature of them So as although we grant that the parable was contriued by Christ touching these two yet is it necessarie that not onelie rich men and poore men should be found but that vnto our soules departing out of this life should be giuen either a place of torments or else the bosom of Abraham Neither doo we vnderstand by the bosome of Abraham anie thing else What is vnderstood by the bosome of Abraham than a certeine place and receptacle of soules in the which is granted vnto them peace and tranquillitie in the sight of their GOD. For they haue a peaceable conscience and they looke vpon GOD being present This place is said to be the bosome of Abraham Gen. 12. 3. bicause vnto him God first promised that in his séed all nations should be blessed The same man moreouer sawe the daie of the Lord Iohn 8 56. and he reioised Of him also we first read that He beleeued Gen. 15 6. and his faith was imputed vnto him vnto righteousnes Iohn 8 16. And Christ when he made mention hereof he spake vnto the Hebrues who boasted of hauing Abraham to their father In
the fault of teachers who laieng aside the scriptures of God began to followe the opinions of the Gréeks rather bringing in the decrées of philosophers than the sentences of the holie scriptures This also might happen by default of the readers who did not attentiuelie but negligentlie peruse the saiengs of the prophets Otherwise the prophesies would be plaine inough or at the least wise not so darke and obscure as they may by no meanes be vnderstood For they be giuen to edifie withall The word of God is set foorth to be vnderstood therfore they might not instruct men vnlesse they should be vnderstood and they would bring no more benefite to the church than dooth a strange toong whose vse in the church is forbidden by the holie Ghost 1. Cor. 14 6. bicause it tended not vnto edifieng But against vs is obiected a place vnto the Ephesians Ephe. 3 9. where the apostle Paule testifieth that The secret or mysterie of Christ was hidden manie ages from the children of men that the Gentiles should be inheritors also and of the same bodie and partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospell But that the meaning of the apostles words may appéere we must make certeine distinctions 35 The first is to make a difference betwéene the Iewes and the Gentiles for vnto the Gentiles we will easilie grant that the mysteries of Christ and spirituall lessons for the most part were vnknowen For it was no open profession of them albeit that there were some among the Ethniks that knew those things But the Hebrues which receiued the lawe from God and had giuen vnto them most excellent prophets were not ignorant of the mysteries of Christ vnlesse it were in respect that they of set purpose contemned the word of God or else that they being hindred through affections and blinded through hatred would not heare them which taught well An example may be the wicked Iewes Iohn 8 56. that when as Christ had said Abraham sawe my day and reioised they were so throughlie vexed as they would haue stoned him when neuerthelesse among the Hebrues nothing was better knowen than that Abraham Isaac Iacob other the patriarchs both knew Messias also prophesied of him Howbeit they were so blinded with wrath as they inuerted the Lords words saieng Thou art not yet fiftie yeeres old and hast thou seene Abraham Whereas Christ did not saie that he sawe Abraham in respect of his manhood or else was with him but that Abraham himselfe in spirit and in faith sawe his daie But we must also make a difference betwéene the Iewes themselues for the secrets or mysteries were not knowen vnto them all For among them some were Epicures and altogither Atheists which contemned diuine things those vnderstood little or nothing of Christ and of his mysteries Others were godlie but yet rude and vnskilfull who yet were not ignorant of the principall points of religion and of those things which should be beléeued of Messias But others were learned and well acquainted with the holie scriptures which vnderstood in a manner all things touching Messias and the mysteries of him 36 Furthermore we grant that the Hebrues Whie the Hebrues sawe not the mysteries of saluation so plainlie as we doo according to their time did much more obscurelie sée the mysteries of our saluation than we doo For prophesies are much more plainelie perceiued when they are come to passe than when they are not yet fulfilled That the fathers in old time knew those things which belong vnto Messias hereby we may easilie perceiue Matt. 21 2â— in that they all declared him to be the sonne of Dauid For the common people the children Matt. 20 31 and blind men called him The sonne of Dauid And the Scribes and Pharisies being demanded by Herod Where Christ should be borne Matt. 2 5. named expresselie In the citie of Bethlem Esai 53. And Esaie in the 53. chapter so notablie so plainelie and so manifestlie foreshewed the acts and mysteries of Christ as he séemeth not to plaie the part of a prophet but rather of an euangelist In like maner the death of the Lord togither with his triumph and victorie came so readilie to hand in each place of the scriptures The Hebrues appointed the Messiases as the Hebrues appointed two Messiases one of the tribe of Ephraim which should die for the saluation of their nation and an other they made of the tribe of Iuda and him to be the sonne of Dauid which should obteine the victorie and beare rule ouer all nations And by this meanes the things which belonged vnto one Christ concerning his two commings they diuided into two And the calling of the Gentiles whereof in the place before alledged to the Ephesians the apostle speciallie discoursed is shewed in the holie scriptures For there we read Esai 2 3. that All nations shall come to mount Sion to worship Iehouah and that Altars shall be built vnto him Esai 19 â—… euen in Aegypt and that All people shall speake in the language of Chanaan also that From the east vnto the west his name shall be extolled by offering vnto him acceptable and sweet sacrifices 37 Certeinlie these things were verie well knowne vnto the Hebrues yet neuerthelesse they were called hidden things as touching execution and experience For they beléeued that they should come to passe afterward but the meanes the time the waie and the maner how all men did not plainelie perceiue Héerein are we happier than they for both we vnderstand these things and we are not ignorant both when and how they were ordered Matt. 28 19. Yea and the apostles themselues whom Christ had commanded to preach the Gospell vnto all creatures kept themselues long time among the Hebrues neither went they vnto the Gentils bicause as yet they knew not the time the meanes and the maner how they should preach to the nations They waited for some certeine signe to be giuen them which at the last they obteined by the conuersion of Cornelius the centurion Acts. 10. Yea moreouer the angels themselues as the Apostle testifieth in the epistle to the Ephesians doo vnderstand sundrie and manifold things of the church Eph. 3 10. as touching the sundrie and manifold wisdome of God Indéed I willinglie confesse that there be certeine things in the holie scriptures which be somewhat hard being not yet perfectlie vnderstood but those I saie neither are nor in old time were of necessitie vnto saluation And thus I thinke that the godlie Iewes in the old time held in effect the principall points of religion and beléeued those things which did suffice vnto pietie and that the prophesies of Christ were well knowen vnto the godlie And that if there were anie which knew them not we must thinke that the same happened through their owne fault For Esaie Whie the scriptures are obscure to the Iews and to other malignant man verse 11.
considered that the holie Scripture hath bin accustomed as it were by turnes to attribute that which is of the signes vnto the things and againe which be of the things to ascribe them vnto the signes The selfe-same manner also doe the fathers vse so as thou shalt oftentimes perceiue them to intreate of the things as though they spake of the signes and on the other side so to write of the signes as though they intreated of the things and of that which is signified This maie verie wel accord by reason of the great likenesse which is betwéene them by the appointment of the Lord. Hereof Augustine vnto Boniface gaue a plaine aduertisement that is Sacraments the names be changed Another rule is that if thou diligently consider those things which are spoken before after thou shalt alwaies perceiue the fathers to testifie that this foode is spirituall and not meate of the throte The Fathers alwaies testifie the foode to be spirituall bellie or téeth A thirde rule is that if they at any time saie that we communicate with Christ carnally so as the bodie also is nourished in the Eucharist these things must be so taken euen as wee vnderstand that the sonne of God when he was conceiued of the virgin and tooke vpon him the nature of man did then take part of our flesh What the Fathers meane if happilie they say that wee communicate with Christ carnallie Further we abide in him he likewise abideth in vs when as we beléeue his wordes and when by faith wee receiue the sacraments because in so communicating there is added vnto vs the spirit And our flesh and bodie which were alreadie of the selfe same nature with Christ are become of the selfe same conditions with him they are made capable of immortalitie and resurrection and when they obey and serue the spirit they are truelie nourished vnto life euerlasting And so is our bodie two manner of wayes fed in the Eucharist first it is fedde by signes secondly by this renuing vnto life euerlasting And thus is Christ said to dwel in vs by this sacrament And as touching the first communicating that we haue with him by natiuitie and incarnation thou hast a testimonie out of the Epistle to the Hebrewes the 2. Verse 14. Chapter Forsomuch then as children are partakers of flesh and bloud he himselfe likewise was partaker with them Moreouer consider that the word of consecrating signifieth nothing else among the Fathers than to dedicate a thing common and prophane vnto a holie vse How the fathers vnderstand this word To Consecrate and this is to make it holy Wherefore there is no cause that when we méete in the Fathers with the word Consecration we should straight waie faine vnto our selues Transubstantiation But that there is some alteration made there we denie it not namely in that those things are now made sacraments to signifie vnto vs effectuallie that by the power of the holie Ghost as touching the minde and faith wee must offer and exhibite the bodie and bloud of the Lorde The difference betwéene vs and the Capernaits Further it must be knowen that betwéene vs and the Capernaites as touching the matter it selfe there is no difference They thought that they shoulde eate the verie bodie and the verie flesh of Christ which also we graunt to be doone But the difference is in the manner and waie of eating That which they thought shoulde bée carnally doone we teache to bee spiritually doone Otherwise the true bodie and the true bloud is exhibited because faith comprehendeth not feigned things but true things Also when it is read in the Fathers that the bodie of Christ is contained or had in these mysteries by these words is nothing else to be vnderstood than betokened shewed declared and signified 44 And when thou hearest the Fathers say What the Fathers meane whē they say that the bread or wine remaine no◠in c. that bread and wine is no more in the sacrament this thou must not absolutely vnderstand but as touching thy self when thou doest faithfully communicate For there thou must not thinke either of the bread or of the wine It behooueth that thy minde and thy sense doe onely cleaue vnto the things which are represented vnto thée Therefore it is said Lift vp your hearts when as thou liftest vp thy minde from the signes vnto things inuisible which be offered vnto thée Also the holy scriptures shun not this kinde of figure Paul saieth Ephe. 6. 12. Our wrestling is not against flesh and bloud who neuerthelesse denied not that the bodie and flesh doe grieue the soule and must be bridled séeing he writeth in another place Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit Neither yet was he ignorant that there be manie euill men who be called flesh and bloud by whom yet we bee troubled and with them wee haue dayly wrestling But Paul meant of that chiefe and principal contention from whence these other haue their originall He said also that In Christ there is neither male nor female Gal. 3. 28. neither bond nor free when as neuerthelesse these offices and these persons are not remooued from Christ and his Church nay rather there be precepts particularly described of them But Paul vnderstoode that these things are not in Christ as concerning the obtainement of regeneration forgiuensse of sinnes and life euerlasting which are the chiefest of all in Christianitie And in the disstributing of these mysteries Christ respecteth not these states and conditions The same Apostle writeth 1. Cor. 4. 20 that The kingdome of God is not in worde and yet woulde he not therefore that Sermons Admonitions and Readings which be doone by the word should be remooued from the Church which is the kingdome of God but he onely respected that high power and efficacie of the spirit whereby all things ought to be ruled in the Church Thus the Fathers speake when they denie that the nature of the signes doe remaine which must not as we haue said be simplie vnderstoode As touching our owne faith and cogitation the natures of bread and wine remaine not Faith maketh things present Gal. 3. 1. but that is meant as touching our faith and cogitation which ought not to staie vpon them Hereunto thou maist adde that faith is of so great efficacie as it maketh things to be present not forsooth reallie or substantially but spiritually for it truely comprehendeth them And on this wise did the Apostle say That Christ was crucified euen before the eyes of the Galathians And so was Abraham saide to haue séene the daie of the Lorde Iohn 8. 56. And after this maner the olde Fathers had in their sacramentes the selfe same Christ which we also doe inioye And thus thou seest that vnto this presence is not required that the matter of the sacrament as touching naturall constitution doe change place or be present with vs with all
our aduersaries such force hath the trueth as they graunt that those things which be offered to the senses namely the breade and wine be signes of the bodie and bloud of Christ but yet in such sort as they haue present in them the things that be signifyed but this is shewed by many reasons to bee most farre from the trueth That the figuratiue speeche of Christs vvords require no reall or substantiall presence of his body and bloud I. First the Scriptures of God doe teach that Christ as touching his humane nature is gone from hence they declare his ascension into heauen as it is set foorth in the Articles of the faith They assure vs that Christ said that we shall not alwayes haue him with vs but that heauē shall containe him vntill the latter day and that he shal from thence come at the length to iudge the quicke and the dead II. Againe it is not agreeable for a humane body to bee in many places at one time Neither yet can it be graunted that it is present in the worlde without place for these things are altogether repugnant with the definition of an humane body vnlesse wee wil take away a very true body from Christ We must beware that we affirme not the same to bee scattered or present in many places at once III. Neither hath the essence as I may say of the Angels which are without bodies such a propertie as it can be in many places at one time IIII. Yea and to say the trueth it might not be eschued but that euen the very nature of GOD if it were bodily should admit both diuision and limitation Since therefore that these things be on this wise euen as the fathers doe most fully testifie it is altogether proued that the body of Christ is subiect to these properties and qualities V. Neither doeth the very nature of sacraments require that they shoulde haue the things signifyed eyther to be ioined vnto themselues or to containe them in themselues But was the couenaunt of God included in the Circumcision Truely the couenant was past and it was alreadie made with the Fathers before that Circumcision was commaunded to Abraham and if any of that couenant remained that was wholy kept in the minde of God and of faithfull men but in the fleshe was borne not the couenant it selfe but the signe thereof commanded by God Againe the pascall Lambe did not verilie include in it selfe the passouer of the Lord. Also what man in his right minde would say that the fleshe and bloud of the Lorde were included either in the water of the desert or in the Manna and that in the water of the Baptisme the spirit and grace are inuisiblie hidden But and if in other Sacraments it be not giuen that of their owne nature that they should haue the things present either to be cleauing to them or to be included in them neither are we otherwise to determine as concerning the Eucharist if the nature or propertie therof ought to appeare vnto vs to be the selfe same with other sacraments especiallie since the word of God hath spoken nothing at all of the matter which we haue now in hande VI. 1. Cor. 10. 3 Moreouer since that Paule in the first to the Corinthians writeth that the olde fathers did eate the same spirituall meate with vs and dranke the same spirituall drinke and yet had they not present with them the flesh and bloud of Christ since as yet they were not extant and since these men affirme these things to bee present in the Eucharist vndoubtedly it followeth that against the saying of Paul the olde Fathers and we had not all the selfesame Sacramentes In signes they doe not agree for they had Manna and water but we breade wine In the things signifyed they bee also diuers for they by faith receiued the thinges signifyed being absent as those which were afterward to come but these men say that they receiue the thinges present together with the signes Verily there can be imagined no greater difference in these Sacraments than is to disagree aswell in the signes as in the things signifyed And therefore let vs rather say with Paul that the sacraments of the olde Fathers in the things signifyed are the selfesame that ours bee although that their signes be diuers and that they are receiued both of vs and them all after one manner namely by faith For they by faith receiued the fleshe and bloud of Christ which were to be giuen for our saluation and wee by faith and the spirit doe imbrace them as alreadie giuen VII Also if our aduersaries opinion should be admitted it might not be auoided but that aswell the wicked as the godly shoulde eate and drinke the flesh and bloud of the Lord. But this doeth Christ the Author of the sacraments manifestly refute in the 6. of Iohn where he saieth that his flesh and bloud is eaten and drunken by faith See then I pray you that when the wicked are destitute of faith and be straungers from Christ what communion haue they with the flesh and bloud of Christ Doubtlesse they haue onely the signes to be receiued and that to their owne condemnation for neither is Christ in them neyther doe they abide in Christ VIII They are to bee demaunded also which affirme that the bloud of the Lord is present in this sacrament for what cause or vnder what colour they dare name that their sacrifice an vnbloudie sacrifice as they terme it Surely if they will haue the bloud of the Lorde flowing from the Lordes side to be receiued in their Cuppe as Chrysostome said by an excessiue kind of speech let them indeuour the same as much as they will as they knowe and as they can yet shall they neuer bring to passe but that they must needes drinke bloudie drinke IX Truely such is the nature of things repugnant as they can neuer be affirmed both at once that is at the selfe same time of one and the selfe same sacrament Wherefore the bodie of Christ cannot be together and at one time both aboue and beneath visible and inuisible one and many mortall and immortall broken and whole This reason haue not we feined to our selues but we haue taken it from Christ from the Angels from the Apostles from the fathers and from nature it selfe For all these doe testifie that this cannot be all at once Moreouer it were too long to rehearse in how many places and writinges of the fathers they haue affirmed this absence of the Lord according to the flesh X. As though forsooth this presence of the flesh and bloud of the Lord boasted of and defended by these men in the Eucharist can while the same is performed bring any other profit thā we haue by a spirituall receauing which as we haue sayd is performed by faith and by the minde XI This finally we demaund of our aduersaries whether they iudge that there is the bodie of the Lord
must pray vnto God that we may be deliuered from the necessitie of warre but not frō warre it selfe if it be necessarie Of this saying Hostiensis gathereth that he dooth ill which taketh warre in hand of will and not of necessitie And necessitie oftentimes commeth by reason that a Magistrate must manie times for duetie sake make warres least he should séeme to forsake the people Men are two wayes retained in their duetie namelie by reward and by punishment that the obseruers of lawes may be rewarded and the contemners punished Wherefore this the Magistrate may rightlie prouide and that without blame The same Augustine All things saith he are at quiet when warres be made For warres he saith are not made for pleasure sake or vppon a gréedie minde of getting or vppon crueltie but for a desire of peace that good men may be aduaunced and euill men restrained Which saying is recited by Gratian Cause 23. quest 1. the Chapter Apud pios And in the same question in the Chapter Militare To goe on warfare is no sinne but to goe to the warre for bootie sake is sinne And against Faustus the Maniche in the 22. booke of the 73. Chapter What doe we reprehend saith he in warre That men doe die who otherwise should die if that were not But this is the part of an effeminate and weake man wherefore we condemne a couetous desire a crueltie of fighting and a lusting after dominion But in that the godlie are defended and the wicked suppressed that may not be condemned 6 But I heare of a doubt obiected by some An obiection that those testimonies are out of the old Testament that the greater part of these Testimonies are auouched out of the olde Testament To what end speake they this Doe they not receaue the olde Testament Vndoubtedlie the holy Ghost in the new Testament cited very manie testimonies out of the olde Howbeit the olde Testament they reiect not neuerthelesse they say that there be thinges extant therein which are not set foorth vnto vs to be followed I graunt that But those things which be written of warre belong vnto the lawe of nature which ought to be eternall For it is an euerlasting lawe that good men should be holpen and euill men repressed Albeit in the new Testament there is no lesson giuen as touching warrefare First because the Christians in those beginninges had not either a Commonwealth or their Magistrates Secondlie because there had bin sufficient commaundement giuen of that matter in the olde Testament For immediatelie after the floud God made a lawe That bloud vniustlie shed Gen. 9. 6. should be required of the manquellers and that was to be doone by the Magistrate Wherefore it was sufficient that those thinges were confirmed in the new Testament And that did Paul in the Epistle to the Romans Rom. 13. 3. when he writeth that a Magistrate hath the right of the sword Yet did not God in those first times forsake his Church although the same had no Magistrate For in stead of the outward sword it had the woonderfull power of the holie Ghost Acts. 5. 5. Acts. 13. 11. For by it Peter fiue Ananias and Saphira and Paul made Elimas blinde So those thinges which the Church had not by an ordinarie meanes it had them then by miracles They had no languages they had no Phisitiōs they had no Schooles but they had from God the gift of tongues the gift of healinges and the wordes of wisdome But now must those thinges be gotten of vs by studie and industrie After the same sort God gaue vnto the Israelites Manna from heauen when they were in the desert and could neither till the fieldes nor yet haue graine But whē they were come to the land of promise they lacked Manna therefore they began to till and eare the land and to liue vppon their labors So was it with the Christians at the beginning yet in the meane time they vsed a ciuill Magistrate For if they had offended in anie thing or if they had bin commaunded anie thing they might not escape because they were Christians yea and they also went a warrefare with the Emperours which were Ethnickes For there is a speciall mention made of that famous Legion of Thebes And Eusebius in his first booke and fift Chapter saith that the Christians went a warrefare vnder M. Aurelius the Emperour in Germanie And that they in a great drought prayed to the Lord and obtained rayne from heauen Moreouer the Gospell as it forbiddeth not the vse of the Sunne and Moone so it forbiddeth not the iust vse of warre Whether vnto a iust warre the authoritie of a Magistrate be alwayes required 7 And whereas I say that the Authoritie of a Magistrate is required there be some which thinke that this is not generallie true Wherefore they vse this distinction that it is one warre whereby we inuade our enemies and an other whereby we defend our owne They confesse that it is not lawfull for warre to be made without commaundemēt of the Magistrate But in the defending of our goods if it be a sudden violent assault they say that oftentimes it is no safetie to expect the rule of the Magistrate For so it is lawfull to a good man and one that is a priuate person being assailed on the way by a théefe to defend himselfe with his weapon which neuerthelesse they so temper as it may be lawfull with moderation of such defence as is faultlesse It may also be say they that some Citie is suddenlie besieged by the enemie where if the assent of the Prince be expected all thinges will come into danger But he that is so oppressed by a théefe as he cannot craue the tuition of the Magistrate he is now no more a priuate man for the Magistrate himselfe armeth him and giueth him the sword in his hand to defend himselfe For he will not that a Citizen should perish without a cause The same aunswere may be made for the defending of a Citie For the lawes themselues will in such a case that Citizens should defend themselues And that they should doe that they are bound thereunto both by the lawes and by the royall authoritie of the Magistrate Therefore Hostiensis saith well That warres are vniust which are taken in hand neither by the commaundement nor by the secret consent of the Magistrate But Abraham say they although he were a priuate man yet he armed his owne familie Gen. 14. 14 Iudg. 15. 8. and deliuered Lot And Sampson a man priuate yet made he great slaughters of the Philistians Howbeit Abraham Sampson The examples of Abraham Sampson although they séemed to be priuate men yet in verie déede they were not For God had alreadie chosen them and would haue them to be princes For of Sampson it is read Iudg. 14. 6. that the spirit of the Lord came vppon him These examples none ought to followe vnlesse he be such a
ought not to abandon him to present death The power of the sword is not committed vnto him to the intent he should afterward permit the same to the rashnesse and furie of two men Nay rather he is for this cause placed in so great authoritie that he should doe what lyeth in him which vndoubtedlie he dooth not if he permit controuersies to be decided by Combate 5 The fift cause is Whether it be lawful in warre leâ—… the whole Host should be put in daunger Rom. 3. 8. that least in an Armie all the forces should be put in perill it is better that the whole matter shoulde stand in the danger of twaine Yet this is not sufficient For we must not doe euil that good may come of it But if thy cause be iust why doest thou suffer the same to be hazarded in the life of one man Thou oughtest first and formost to take héede that thou take not vniust warre in hand secondly to doe as much as thou canst and to fight with all thy forces sith iustice must not be dallied with and placed in the fortune of twaine There is also another cause whereby some of the Schoolemen being ouercome which I should not passe ouer graunt that such a time may happen Whether a combate be lawfull in a iust cause and where the power in warre is the weaker when Combate ought to be permitted Of that minde was Caietanus And if there be two Armies saith he and one is superiour in the equitie of the cause but inferiour in strength by manie degrées so as if the same should come to hande stripes they must all of necessitie perish it is better that the life of one man come into danger than that the whole host should come into certaine destruction But neither can this in verie déede be a sufficient cause for it procéedeth of feare and desperation For as we haue before said God defendeth not with sword and shield and no lesse can he ouerthrowe with fewe than with manie But we shal perish saiest thou How knowest thou that Thy life is the life of God Whether it be lawful to make a combate if the Magistrate be corrupted against the Innocent and thy cause if it be iust is the cause of God But Caietanus addeth If an innocent be pressed with the false accusation of his superiour and that the Magistrate being corrupted pronounceth against him the sentence of death and the other be not able to resist in this case it is lawfull saith he to admit a Combate if it be offered by the Magistrate Since if it be lawfull to defend thy selfe against a robber by the highway why may it not be lawfull against a violent accuser For what difference is there whether he himselfe drawe sword against thée or whether the Magistrate doe it by his appointment 2. Sam. 12. 9 For so is it said that Dauid flue Vrias with the sword of the Ammonites Herewith some doe yéeld Howbeit I sée no cause why they should so doe For as we declared before there is a great difference betwéene a Combate and defence against a robber sith in a Combat they fight by appointment in the other by chaunce Against a robber to defend himselfe All meanes must be tried rather than to coÌ„mit any thing against the word of God in Combat to slay the other What shall I then doe wilt thou say Euen desire helpe of the Lord and suffer all thinges rather than to commit anie thing against the word of God Now let vs aunswere vnto their Argumentes Answeres to the argumentes brought for a combate 6 We must obay the Magistrate say they I graunt but yet sauing our conscience and duetie vnto God Controuersies say they can be finished no other way Yes verilie I taught before by what meanes they may be finished Godlie princes haue in such wise fought Though they were godlie yet were they also men and they might erre and be deceaued And most prudentlie dooth Demosthenes aunswere We must liue by lawes and not by examples It is lawfull say they to vse Lottes therefore it is lawfull to vse Combate I aunswere although there be some Lotte in Combate yet is there slaughter added therewithall But euen Ionas thou saiest Ionas 1. 7. was by Lottes cast foorth into the Sea Nay rather he was in verie déed found out by Lottes but not cast foorth Howbeit he being a prophet willed himselfe to be cast in by the commaundement and inspiration of God Warre may lawfullie be made therefore a Combate they say Nay rather we haue taught before that betwéene Combat and warre there is a great difference 1. Sa. 17. 60. But Dauid fought with Goliah I graunt but yet was he led so to doe by the inspiration of the holy spirit Neither must all thinges which are doone by holy men be drawen straightway vnto an example The Hebrewes trust vp the goods of the Aegyptians Exo. 12. 35. Gen. 22. 3. Iud. 14. 4. Abraham decréed to sacrifice his sonne Sampson married a wife that was a stranger but that was doone by the Lord. Wherefore we must giue eare to reasons good lawes For the Actes of holy men are oftentimes rather to be woondred at than followed 7 But nowe will I set foorth vnto thée which art the Reader The iust and necessarie combatâ— a necessarie Combat which we must continually make God him selfe set two aduersaries together in fight namely the olde man and the new the fleshe and the spirite For as Paule saith vnto the Galathians Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirite and the spirite against the flesh And vnto the Romanes Rom. 8. 7. The wisedom of the flesh is enmitie against God I know that in mee Rom. 7. 18. that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing I feele another lawe in my members Ib. ver 23. fighting against the law of my minde Vnhappie man that I am who shall deliuer me Ibid. 24. Let vs striue heere that sinne may not raigne in our mortall bodie and that our olde man may be crucified And these verily bée no light and playing pageantes 1. Cor. 9. 27 2. Tim. 2. verse 9. I saith Paul chastise my body and bring it into seruitude Neither shall any be crowned vnlesse he striue as hee ought to doe And they which contend in wrestling abstaine themselues from al things And no man being in the warfare of GOD intangleth himselfe with carnall desires And in the twelfth Chapter to the Hebrues Hebr. 12. 2. Let vs looke backe vnto Iesus Christ the Captaine and finisher of our faith This Combat lasteth not for the space of one houre or moneth or yeare but all our life long We haue a magnificall Theater 1. Cor. 4. 9. For wee are made a spectacle vnto God vnto Angels and vnto men Wée haue the sworde of the word of God and the shielde of faith Ephe. 6. 13. and for our
men is called bloud that must be vnderstood by a figuratiue kind of spéech Propositions out of the tenth eleuenth and twelfe chapters of Genesis Necessarie proposition 1 IT is not lawfull for anie man to kill himselfe vnlesse he be stirred therevnto by the speciall motion of God proposition 2 We must temper our selues from the slaieng of man because he is made to the image of GOD. proposition 3 It is lawfull vnto christians for defense of their life to vse the armed helpe of the magistrate proposition 4 Euen as droonkennesse is iustlie to be condemned in droonkards so in Noah it deserueth excuse proposition 5 That which is bondage in déed had the originall thereof from sinne proposition 6 Bondage is contrarie vnto mans nature as the same was instituted of God proposition 7 It is not lawfull for seruants vnder the title of christianitie to shake off the yoke of bondage naie they ought to serue their masters so much the rather bicause they be christians proposition 8 As touching redemption felicitie of soules and iustification by Christ there is no difference betwéene seruants and frée men proposition 9 In outward and politike matters it is lawfull for christian men to vse manie differences betwéene seruants and frée men Probable proposition 1 THe couenant which was made by GOD with Noah whose signe the rainebowe is shadowed the couenant of deliuerance by Christ proposition 2 By Gods promises which had respect to the conseruation of bodilie life we may inferre that euen he will giue vs the saluation of our soules proposition 3 The matter and efficient cause of the rainebowe the coloures thereof and figure be fit tokens to shew that a generall flood is no more to be feared proposition 4 The Christian fathers by a verie likelie argument interpret the rainebowe to be Christ proposition 5 When Noah being dronken and laid naked in his pauillion was mocked by his sonne he bare a figure of Christ crucified proposition 6 There is a certeine voluntarie bondage procéeding of charitie which although sinne had not happened might haue had place in our nature Propositions out of the xiij and xiiij chapters of Genesis Necessarie proposition 1 THe diuine calling hath respect to the saluation of them that be called by faith sometime it hath this respect that they should enter into some certeine function proposition 2 And there is a certeine calling that is not effectuall by the which they that are called come not thither whither they be called proposition 3 Faith dependeth of calling proposition 4 Calling is not offered vnto vs by God for our works or deserts sake proposition 5 In the scapings out of dangers when man is put in mind what he may do by worldlie means vnlesse he doo this he tempteth God proposition 6 The vse and possession of riches is not forbidden by God vnto christian men proposition 7 A christian man is bound after this maner to leaue his goods namelie that he will call his mind from them least he being too much hindered by them should the lesse serue his vocation proposition 8 Otherwhile a christian man is bound so to leaue his goods that he should in verie déed cast them awaie for Christ his sake proposition 9 Albeit that Christ forbad not the possession of riches yet dooth he condemne the putting of trust in them proposition 10 It is lawfull for a christian man by iust meanes to inrich himselfe proposition 11 To the séed of Abraham according to the flesh God promised the land of Chanaan but to the spirituall séed the inheritance of the world proposition 12 The continuall repeating of Gods promises dooth not a little stir vp faith Probable proposition 1 VErie manie of the things which are read to be doone of Abraham were not onelie shadowes of those things which belong vnto the new testament but also of those things which should happen afterward vnto his posteritie before Christ was borne proposition 2 In the time of the lawe death was more greatlie feared of the fathers than now of true christians vnder the Gospell proposition 3 When GOD permitteth the speciall saints sometime to fall he vseth their infirmitie for their spirituall commoditie proposition 4 When Abraham in defending of Saraes chastitie knew not what to doo he did well in committing the same vnto the Lord to be kept proposition 5 They which allow of the fact of Abraham wherein he would haue Sara to be accounted his sister not his wife and they also which saie that he then fell haue probable reasons on both sides for their opinion Propositions out of the xiiij and xv chapters of Genesis Necessarie proposition 1 TO go to war is not repugnant to christian religion proposition 2 When war is to be made it must be taken in hand not by priuate men but by publike power proposition 3 A magistrate that will make war iustlie must of necessitie haue a iust cause and therewithall must be stirred vnto it not through priuate affections proposition 4 It is not for ministers of the church to war with outward armour vnlesse they be stirred herevnto by speciall instinct from God proposition 5 It is lawfull for ministers of the church to be present in war with them that fight iustlie and somtimes to persuade magistrates vnto iust wars proposition 6 In war it is not forbidden to vse lieng in wait proposition 7 A magistrate must trie and vse all meanes possible both to kéepe peace and obteine it before he take war in hand proposition 8 It is not forbidden vnto christians to ioine themselues with confederates either for the defense or obteining of those things which are giuen vnto vs by the goodnesse of God proposition 9 It is perceiued in the figure of Meldâ—isedech that the priesthood of Christ is both of longer continuance and more excellent than the priesthood of Leui. proposition 10 In the promises made vnto Abraham we must confesse that he vnderstood Christ the sauiour to be offered vnto him Probable proposition 1 GOD adorned the fathers in the old testament both with riches and victories wherby he might win them authoritie in the lawfull setting foorth of Gods religion proposition 2 When Abraham made war against the foure kings he was not altogither a priuate man Propositions out of the xv chapter of the booke of Genesis Necessarie proposition 1 TO haue receiued the lawe of GOD or to haue heard it dooth not iustifie proposition 2 By the works of the lawe which some call morall we are not iustified proposition 3 We are iustified by a liuelie not by a dead faith proposition 4 Ceremonies iustifie not by the power of the action or as they speake for the worke it selfe sake proposition 5 To be iustified although it be manie waies spoken yet in our propositions it must be vnderstood that it signifieth the remission of sins and to haue a participation of the righteousnes of Christ proposition 6 Faith is a firme assent of the mind vnto the promises
be excused than they which sinne by the instigation of lust proposition 3 The primitiue church had more prophets than the church now hath bicause signes were requiâ—… or the gathering of men vnto Christ and bicause that christian doctrine could not yet be had of godlie men by humane studie proposition 4 We haue not as the old synagog had perpetuall prophets bicause onelie Christ and his spirit which is present with his church succéeded all the old fathers Propositions out of the xxi chapter of the booke of Genesis Necessarie proposition 1 AN oth is a confirmation of the will of God or a testimonie of diuine things proposition 2 An oth of his owne nature is good proposition 3 It is lawfull for a christian man to sweare proposition 4 Although that an oth arise of an ill occasion yet is it of a good cause proposition 5 An oth whereby those things are confirmed which be repugnant with the word of God is void proposition 6 To auoid periurie it is good not to sweare but seldome and for great causes proposition 7 We must not sweare by the names of idols Probable proposition 1 TO sweare by creatures is not altogither forbidden by God proposition 2 They are not excused from periurie which doo vse fraudulent and craftie words proposition 3 It is lawfull for christians to take oths of infidels although they sweare by the names of their idols Propositions out of the xxij and xxiij chapters of the booke of Genesis Necessarie proposition 1 TEmptation is an vnknowne searching out of a thing to find out the knowledge thereof proposition 2 It cannot be denied but that God is the author of temptations proposition 3 God must not so be accounted the author of temptations as the fault of sinnes should be reiected vpon him proposition 4 It is lawfull for godlie men to resist temptations by praier proposition 5 Godlie men are not afraid of temptations whereby they should be excluded from eternall life proposition 6 To wéepe in funeralles is not forbidden proposition 7 Although death happen to no man but by the will of God yet they which sorrowe for the death of others doo not against the will of God proposition 8 We must beware least the prolonging or increasing of sorrowe be not against the faith of the resurrection proposition 9 Whether the dead doo lie buried or vnburied it maketh no matter as touching their owne saluation proposition 10 To be adorned with a sepulchre or to be destitute thereof is a solace or sadnesse of them that be aliue proposition 11 The care of burieng the dead must be reteined as a religious dutie proposition 12 The reuelation which commandeth that the bones of martyrs should be digged out of sepulchres to the intent they should be worshipped is not to be beléeued Probable proposition 1 IT is an absurditie to burie dead bodies in temples proposition 2 The saints which be dead are ignorant of themselues what is doone about their dead bodies or sepulchres proposition 3 It is agréeable vnto godlinesse for a man to choose himselfe a place to be buried in Propositions out of the xxiiij and xxv chapters of Genesis Necessarie proposition 1 THe seruant of Abraham which prescribed himselfe a signe to knowe the wife chosen by the Lord vnto Isaac did not tempt God proposition 2 He that séeketh an experiment of the power of God to the intent his owne faith or the faith of others may be the better confirmed or that he himselfe or others may be instructed such a one dooth not tempt God proposition 3 They doo tempt GOD which without a true faith but rather of a contempt doo séeke signes to satisfie their owne curiositie or desire proposition 4 To tempt GOD is without a cause to make triall of his power goodnesse and faith proposition 5 Curiositie is an immoderate desire of knowing whereby either we séeke those things that should not be sought or if they should be sought we séeke them not the right waie proposition 6 The women which somtimes in the holie scriptures are said to be the patriarchs concubines were their wiues proposition 7 Those things which are due vnto vs by predestination we ought to praie for and labour to atteine vnto proposition 8 Since predestination signifieth an eternall action of God we cannot assigne anie efficient cause thereof out of God proposition 9 We grant that God dooth predestinate them whom he forknew would vse well his gifts but we denie that the same good vse of Gods gifts is a cause of Gods predestination proposition 10 Our calling the good vse of Gods gifts faith and other vertues and holie actions of godlie men may be causes and beginnings of predestination but as from the latter and to knowe them by proposition 11 The declaration of the goodnesse and righteousnesse of GOD is the finall cause but there may be assigned a generall cause of Gods predestination Probable proposition 1 THe fathers sought wiues out of their owne kindred that a greater conformitie of maners might be had in matrimonie and that the worship of GOD might the more firmelie flourish among them and that they might haue the lesse familiaritie with infidels proposition 2 The barren which are described in the old testament to haue brought foorth no fruit declare fruitfulnesse to be the gift of God and doo confirme the childbirth of the virgine lastlie they signifie the regeneration of the children of God whervnto mans strength is not able to atteine proposition 3 Now are there no oracles shewed vnto vs as there were vnto the old synagog bicause Christ was appointed the end of oracles and by him came a more plentifull spirit and finallie there be now extant more and more cléere scriptures than the fathers had Propositions out of the xxv xxvi and xxvij chapters of Genesis Necessarie proposition 1 ALbeit God reuealeth vnto men some thing that shall come to passe it is not therefore lawfull for them to doo against the laws of God or against the rule of reason to bring it to passe proposition 2 Although they that doo vs good be but wicked men yet ought we with a thankfull mind both doo them good and wish them well proposition 3 When in the holie scriptures are shewed anie of the fathers sinnes we must not séeke from thence an example of life but rather woonder there at the faithfulnesse of God proposition 4 When the world is pressed with famine it is not to be doubted but that sinnes are punished thereby proposition 5 God otherwhile dooth good vnto the posteritie for the deserts of their forefathers which be now dead proposition 6 Albeit that enuie is a gréeuous sinne yet to be mooued with indignation and zeale dooth sometimes happen without blame proposition 7 Vehement perturbations of the mind must be auoided that we may be apt instruments of the holie Ghost proposition 8 The actions of the fathers which we sée haue a shew of sinne if we will grant that they were
he beginneth his argument as méet it is from a thing that is greater And that the second kind of change serueth to the purpose héereby it appéereth séeing in the 4. booke of sacraments where he minded to prooue the same matter but more bréeflie he reciteth onelie those examples which doo shew a change of the properties and speaketh not of the first kind wherein nature is doone awaie That the words of Christ are effectuall to worke I willinglie grant for thereby the signes whose nature remaineth are made another thing that is to wit sacraments And whereas you saie that our change is made by grace and is spirituall I grant it but that Ambrose speaketh not of that change I denie it Neither is it anie let A plaine declaration of Amboses words that he calleth the same a change of the elements as I haue declared before Forsomuch as the element is that part of the sacrament which is perceiued and the same is trulie said to be changed bicause it hath and executeth another office than before And that which you infer of the fift chapter of the first booke and of the first chapter of the sixt booke if you will obiect we will answer Now is it shewed sufficientlie that there is nothing of the which you haue cited dooth make against vs but that all things serue for our part D. Chadse I desire you that you will read these chapters at home by your selues and yée shall sée that they cannot be otherwise vnderstood than of transubstantiation Heere the Commissioners commanded that we should proceed to the second question The second question D. Chadse THat the true reall bodie of Christ is in the Eucharist thus I prooue Chrysostome in his 17. homilie vpon the Hebrues Doo we not offer euerie daie Yes indéed we offer howbeit we doo the same in remembrance of his death and the sacrifice is one not manie How is it one and not manie And bicause that sacrifice was once offered it was offered in the most holie place of all but this sacrifice is an example of that Euen this doo we offer alwaies and not now one lambe and to morrowe another but alwaies the selfe-same and therefore this sacrifice is one otherwise by this reason there be manie Christs bicause it is offered in manie places God forbid But one Christ is euerie where both being héere full and there full one bodie c. Out of these words thus I dispute Our oblation is all one with that which Christ offered but Christ offered his true and reall bodie therefore we doo offer the same D. Martyr That we haue the selfe-same bodie in the supper of the Lord which Christ offered vpon the crosse as touching the substance and truth of nature I grant but yet not after the selfe-same maner bicause we receiue it spirituallie that is by faith But this bodie in a substantiall and corporall presence did hang vpon the crosse And these two things which I affirme you may gather out of Chrysostome He saith It is all one which we offer to wit as touching the matter and bodie of Christ Howbeit he addeth alwaies Remembrance Example and Commemoration the which words doo shew a diuerse maner And this opinion of mine will I euidentlie shew out of the words of Barnard in his 33. sermon vpon the canticles But in how great an abundance soeuer these things doo war fat not with the like plesantnesse is receiued the barke of the sacrament and the fatnesse of the wheate faith and the kind memorie and presence eternitie and time the face and the glasse c. Where you sée that he putteth an Antithesis betwéene memorie and presence And therefore we confesse with Chrysostome that we haue the verie same bodie that was offered vpon the crosse Howbeit bicause he alwaies interlaceth memorie and mindfulnesse he sheweth that it is no waie of receiuing the same by a bodilie presence but by the presence of faith which can make things that be absent spirituallie present as Paule to the Galathians saith Gal. 3 1. that Christ was crucified in them Iohn 1 56. Eph. 1 20. Againe that Abraham sawe the daie of the Lord and was glad And God made vs now to sit at the right hand in heauenlie places How was this By a carnall presence No but by faith which excludeth not the truth of the thing And bréefelie as touching the argument we haue euen the verie same but not after the selfe-same maner that is to wit in the same kind of presence Faith excludeth not the truth of the thing And so it followeth not Christ reallie and corporallie gaue himselfe vpon the crosse and Therefore we haue him after the selfe-same maner in the communion D. Chadse We offer saith Chrysostome euen the selfe-same that he offered although he be there after an other maner and after an other forme and as this man testifieth we offer not now one lambe or an other lambe to morrowe but euermore one and the selfe-same Otherwise it is confessed that Christ offered himselfe for a price and we for a mysterie and remembrance D. Martyr They which communicate the selfe-same Christ and full whole that is neither of his natures cut off or diminished doo receiue him by faith For faith dooth neither hurt him nor defile him nor yet diminish him Naie rather it dooth suffer him to be as he is and to remaine in his owne place and yet dooth it spirituallie imbrace euen himselfe full and whole D. Chadse Is there in the sacrament the bodie of Christ or no D. Martyr I denie not but that in the sacrament is the verie bodie of Christ sacramentallie that is to saie by an effectuall signification and I assuredlie affirme that he is trulie giuen vs and receiued of vs but yet with the mind and with faith that is spirituallie or sacramentallie to wit that he is verelie present to our faith The difference betwéene vs is as touching the maner of the presence Ye doo imagine and feigne to your selues a certeine hiding of Christ in the bread or in the formes of bread the which I denie That he is present after such a maner as I haue declared I grant and I haue prooued after what sort he may be granted to be in the sacrament D. Chadse It is euen the selfe-same saith Chrysostome D. Martyr He affirmeth it to be the selfe-same but yet he addeth In remembrance and recordation the which words belong to the mind and to faith not vnto bodilie presence D. Chadse Is it a true and carnall bodie which is in the sacrament or is it a spirituall bodie D. Martyr I haue alreadie granted it to be a true bodie but yet that I may so speake not by a reall presence It is the selfe-same bodie as I haue declared as concerning nature but yet we receiue the same with the mind and with faith euen in such wise as we receiue the signe of the same with the hand and with the
difference made betwéene him and the Pope 4 38a The state of his soule separated from his bodie 2 622 a The saying of Hylarius howe he had sinne to bée marked 2 227 b He tooke flesh vpon him in one respect Angels in another 1 115 b What kind of creature the Arrians taught him to be 1 106 b Whether he be inferiour to his father 3 306 b Of his bodie much spokeÌ„ too fro worth the noting out of the fathers 1 116. 117. What his bodie hath respect vnto 3 78 b The later Dauid with what stones he smote the head of Goliah 1 44 b He grounded his doctrine vpon scriptures 3 340b Of his exaltation to glory 2 622 a A Iewe borne 3 30â— a Wherefore he is called our mediator 3 308 a What his soule did when it was departed from the bodie 2 621 a Of the first and second comming of Christ 3 383 ab 2 625 ab 597 b The opinion of Apelles the heretike touching his flesh that it was not borne but brought from heauen confuted 1 115 b He was borne and brought not a body from heauen proued 1 117 b 118 a Nothing ca. bée doone without him and why 3 102 a Of his conceptioÌ„ by the holy ghost 2 616 b What we haue to note in that hee did eate after he was risen 1 88a b In what sense he is called the first begotten 1 108 a 2 â—16 a The head and chiefe of new exorcists 4 130 a The scornings that he suffered at his death 2 619 a Why he called himselfe the sonne of man 1 117 b A most effectuall example of patience constancie 2 620 a How he is ioyned with all men 3 77 b 78 a Whether it wereof necesittie that he should die 2 610 b Why he departed this life loden with shame c. 2 618 b His humanitie is definite 2 611 b Of his sitting at his rathers right hande and what it meaneth 2 611 b Frée from sinne 2 615 ab The blowes wounds that he suffered at his death 2 619 a His death most ignominious 2 618 ab How he is said to haue left the world 4 156 b 157 a Their reasoÌ„s which say that he brought his bodie out of heauen 2 603 ab 604 a Why he is called the onely sonne of God 2 â—15b He came from heauen though hée had his bodie out of the earth â— 602 b 603 a How he had true sleâ—… when he appeared vnto Abraham the fathers 1 117 b 118a Diuerse properties of his body set downe 2 638a Howe hee dwelleth in our hearts 2 60â— a 3 162 a Why hée is called Lord 2 606 b 600 b 614 b 615 a How he is said to haue dyed for vs all 3 31 a The Manichies defame his genealogie and how 1 51 a All his passion reduced to foure chéefe parts 2 618 b 619 ab More oppugned his diuinitie than his humanity 2 614 b The difference betwéene his prayers and ones 3 368 b His death voluntary and noâ— voluntary 3 298 b Of his affections how ours his differ 3 298 ab How he satisfied his father 3 222 b 223 a He was not deliuered to the crosse against his fathers wil 2 276 ab What his healing of the diseased teacheth vs. 3 129 b How he saw not the graue 3 343 a 344 b 345 a Himselfe was the cause of his owne comming 2 600 a Whether his kingdome shall haue an end 2 607 a He was not annoynted with oile 2 6â—6 b What he did for vs at his ascending 2 624 a Vnto whom his nobilitie is communicated 4 313 b Fine things to be noted in his person 2 614 a His innocency obscured 2 618 b Adam and he compared and howe 3 31 a Both the old and the new testament do speake of him 1 39 b He dyed not altogether without sin 3 12 b 43 a How God is said to be made visible in him 1 30b 31 a His death resurrection represented in types shadowes 2 581 b 582a The very name of him is the knot wherein al the articles of the faith are conteined saieth Augustine 1 22 a How the prophets apply their doctrine vnto him 2 596 b Against such as helde that he had no true body 2 601 ab How the false Apostles woulde take him from the law 2 585 b 586 a He Manna most excellently compared 2 591 ab Against certaine heretikes that affirmed him to be a méere man 2 600b Howe farfoorth he concerning his humane nature is the full image of God 1 124 a Whether he were the sonne of God by nature or adoption 3 81 a Hee was otherwise in the loines of Abraham than of Leuy 2 245 a Augustine iudgeth that he hath restored vs vnto more than Adam tooke from vs 2 246 b Vnder his name is contained all the articles of the faith as saith Augustine 1 22 a Whether he may haue hope as yet 3 88 a The end of his predestination 3 25a Accused of sedition 4 319 a Of his death and buriall 3 342b Of his felicity now in heauen 2 598 a Of his kingdome 2 597 ab Christians A difference of Christians 3 105 b Why they are called annoynted 2 606 ab Wickedly accounted dogs 3 311 a Whether they may vse or desire helpe of infidels 4 296. 295. Their boÌ„dage greater now than that of the Iewes 3 172 a How it commeth to passe that some are iudged to damnation some to saluation 2 626b Against the counterfait or such as are but so in name 2 628 b The common profession of all Christians 4 310 a ¶ Looke Beleeuers and Faithfull Christianitie Wherein the whole sum of Christianitie consisteth 2 625 a ¶ Looke Religion Chronicles Aulus Gellius opinion of Chronicles and hystories 1 48 b The difference betwéene them and histories 1 48 ab 49 a Ciceroes opinion touching the same 1 48 ab ¶ Looke Histories Church militant The Church defined 4 1 a She cannot be well gouerned without troubles 4 63 a By what meanes she is increased 2 633 a 637 a Augustines meaning in saying I would not beléeue the scriptures vnlesse the authoritie of the Church mooued me 1 43 a 3 586. The Catholike Church is the communion of saints 3 78 b She of her owne authoritie cannot decide controuersies 4 75 b Whence the name is deriued 4 1 a 54 a 1 45 b 2 630 a In what cases euill men must not be excluded thereout 4 2 a How it is ment that she is the pâ—…ier and ground of truth 4 75 b Her dutie towards the excommunicated 4 59 a Whereof so great corruption in the same commeth 4 63 b Whether two heads may be therein one visible another inuisible 4 35 a Who be indéede of the Church and who not 4 1 b 2 a 3 79 a Dissentions in the Church of the Iewes and of the Apostles 4 3 a 2 425 ab The Church hath alwayes iudged by the
read in Luke expounded saieng Luk. 20 36. The children of this world marrie wiues and be married but at the resurrection of the dead After the resurrection there shall be no marriages they neither marrie wiues nor yet are giuen in marriage but become equall vnto angels And while he maketh mention of angels he reprehended the Saduces which denied that there be angels 21 But why men shall be such after the resurrection he shewed the cause saieng For they can die no more Wherein must be considered The causes of procreating of children that the procreation of children was appointed for two causes First for that men which were at the first created but two onelie might be multiplied Secondlie that when they should be multiplied to the iust number manie dieng in the meane while others should be substituted in their place So that séeing at the resurrection there shall be a iust complet number of persons and that death cannot happen therein procreation would be vnnecessarie Neither are the words of the euangelists or rather of Christ to be vnderstood as though he taught that a corporall substance should be wanting vnto them which shall be raised vp For he said not They shall be angels but They shall be as the angels and equall vnto angels Neither is that to be maruelled at which is written by Luke that They shall be the children of the resurrection Ibidem and the children of God for that must not be taken as if it were denied that the saints are also the children of God in this life For otherwise while they liue here how should they crie Abba Rom. 8 16. Matt. 8 9. A Rule Father or praie Our Father which art in heauen But the manner of the holie scriptures is that sometime they affirme things to be then doone when they are made manifest And bicause it is not now euident that we be the children of God at the resurrection it shall be manifest for When Christ shall come then we also shall appeere togither with him in glorie Therfore it is written in Luke Luk. 20. 36. that The saints shall then be the children of God Neither is that to be passed ouer that those things which are there spoken by Christ perteine onlie to the resurrection of the iust For the vngodlie when they shall rise againe albeit they shall be immortall yet shall they not after the maner of angels become glorious and impassible And these things spake Christ of the ignorance which the Saduces had as touching the diuine power 22 And iustlie also might he saie that they knew not the scriptures A proofe that there be angels Gen. 22 11. For how could they denie angels to be séeing it is written in the booke of Genesis that an angell forbad Abraham that he should not offer his sonne as he was minded to doo It is there also written that there were thrée receiued by Abraham in ghestwise Gen. 18 2. whereof two at least were angels Also it is said Gen. 19 1. Exod. 3 2. Exod. 14 19. that they were with Lot And an angell appéered vnto Moses in the middest of a bush and set himselfe in the middest betwéene the tents of the Israelites and Aegyptians Againe Gen. 32 1. vnto Iacob there were séene tents of angels in Mahanaim and he wrestled almost a whole night with an angell Rightlie therefore did Christ saie Matt. 22 29. that They knew not the scriptures And the place he brought out of the second booke of Moses Exod. 3 6. After what maner the Saduces read the scriptures as well bicause they besides the lawe receiued no scriptures indéed they read the prophets and the psalmes no otherwise than we doo the fathers the books of the Macchabeis and the Wisedome of Salomon and Sirach as also for that they alledged Moses against Christ So as rightlie he did replie vpon them with Moses Neither was it the Lords mind when he would answer them to gather all the testimonies of the old testament for then he might haue found oracles enow out of the counsell of the prophets and out of other scriptures And albeit these words I am the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Iacob are found in manie places of the holie scriptures yet doo Marke and Luke expresselie referre them to the vision which Moses had at the bush as we find in the third chapter of Exodus When Iesus had on this wise confuted the Saduces the people were amazed woondring at the wisedome of Christ But bicause the simple people is thought sometime to want iudgement therefore Luke added that Certeine of the Scribes said Maister Luk. 20 39 thou hast said well Wherefore the reasoning that Christ made was allowed not onlie by the common sort but also by them that were learned And not without cause for what more fit interpretor of the lawe of God will we haue than the word by whom it was giuen at the beginning 23 But the foundations of this reason must be searched out more narrowlie that they may the more plainlie appéere If so be that the fathers which be dead were vtterlie perished how should God still be their God Indéed they are dead that is to wit in the iudgement of man and according to nature but not before God For it is written in Luke Ibidem 29. That proposition I am the God of Abraham expounded All men liue vnto him But The fathers liuing vnto God may be vnderstood two maner of waies First if it be wholie referred to the prescience or predestination of God for all things that are to come be present with him neither can he be disappointed of his purpose Wherefore they which shall be raised vp though it be a thousand yéeres hence are said to liue Or else The fathers liue vnto him bicause they reigne with him in celestiall glorie The same forme of speaking vsed Paule vnto the Romans writing of Christ Rom. 6 10. In that he died to sinne he died once in that he liueth he liueth vnto God that is he is with him in glorie and sitteth at his right hand But thou wilt saie Thus it might be said that not the saints themselues but their soules doo liue with Christ in heauen Indéed this is true but by the figure Synecdoche that which is a part is attributed to the whole For we doubt not to saie but that saint Peter and saint Iames are in heauen with Christ when as onelie their soules are conuersant there Yea moreouer Paule said Phil. 1 23. that He desired to be loosed hence and to be with Christ when he knew that onelie his soule should be with him vntill the latter daie of iudgement And in the Euangelicall storie we read that Lazarus was carried into the bosome of Abraham Luk. 16 22. and that the cruell rich man was carried into the torments of hell whereas onelie their soules were brought to those places 24 But
against the arguing of our Lord there is a cauill obiected namelie that God called himselfe the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Iacob bicause he was their God in old time while they liued he helped them and made a couenant with them But this is a fond obiection bicause it is not said that he was their God but the word is pronounced in the present tense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am their God In verie déed in the Hebrue the verbe substantiue is not put to but it is absolutelie written Anoki Elobe But this maketh no matter séeing the holie Ghost expressed by the mouth of the Euangelists the verbe substantiue namelie Amâ—… for they wrote 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But if the godlie who be departed haue no fruition at all of life nor are not therevnto to be called againe what commoditie are they to wait for of him or how is he their God Moreouer a maister hauing certeine scholers he may saie so long as they liue I am their maister but when they be dead he cannot so saie Euen in like maner as a wife when hir husband is dead will not saie I am his wife but I was his wife And the father when his sonne is dead will not saie I am but I was his father Euen so is it gathered that life must after some sort be ascribed vnto those fathers which be dead if God shall be trulie said to be their God for there is no benefit bestowed vpon them that be vtterlie dead Nor doo I make reckoning of those cauillers which affirme that God did good vnto the fathers departed in their posteritie For it must be considered in the holie scriptures that the proposition is copulatiue namelie that God would be God both of the fathers themselues and also of their issue and therefore the same must néeds be true as well for the one part as the other Here in consisteth the strength of this reason that we vnderstand that GOD doth alwaies benefit maintaine and defend them whose God he is And when there was a couenant made betwéen God and men God would be worshipped and had in honour by them and againe that he would acknowledge them for his people But who can be a father without children Who can be a lord without seruants Christ was not the first that vsed this argument Abac. 1 12. Who can be a king without subiects Certeinlie none and euen so God cannot be the God of them which be not But this connexion Christ shewed not at the first But Abacuck in the first chapter touched the same when he saith Seing thou art our God from the beginning we shall not die that is to wit euerlastinglie Therefore God suffereth not them whose God he is vtterlie to die And vndoubtedlie he is worshipped and honoured of them whose God he is But the dead doo neither praise God neither yet doo they worship or honour him Wherefore Abraham Isaac and Iacob if they haue a God they worship him if they doo this now are they not dead But let vs heare Christ himselfe how he fortifieth confirmeth the reason that is brought When he had said I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob as though some man had answered What then He added withall But God is not the God of the dead but of the liuing But against this saieng that séemeth to be which is written vnto the Romans Christ therefore died Rom. 14. 9. and rose againe that he might haue dominion both ouer the dead and ouer the liuing Wherof some man would gather that it is no absurditie for God to be Lord of them which be dead There be some which answer that Christ said not that God is not the Lord of the dead but The God of the dead To saie the verie truth this séemeth to me but a slender shift in arguing for it is manifest and euident enough that the Lord and GOD in the scriptures are both counted one And the word Elohe which is read in the Hebrue is verie often translated by the name of Lord. Wherfore the doubt must be dissolued another waie as to saie with Christ that God is onelie the God of the liuing but that these must be distinguished into two sorts bicause some of them haue their bodie as yet ioined to them and some be loosed from the same neuerthelesse they liue all Notwithstanding we denie not but that it followeth hereof that the soules of them that be departed doo liue with God Howbeit it must be added that God is not a sauior of a part of those which be his so as he would onlie haue the soule to be saued and as he is God both of the bodie and of the soule so will he saue both Nor shall if be méet for them which haue serued God purelie and sincerelie to obteine onelie a halfe saluation they shall in verie déed haue a full whole and perfect saluation 25 By this maner of arguing of Christ The Anabaptists are by this maner of Christes arguing confuted the Anabaptists are two waies beaten First bicause they thinke that the old testament serueth nothing at all for vs séeing Christ doth plainlie take a testimonie from hence to confirme the resurrection of the dead which also the apostles at diuers times did Againe whereas they contend with vs for the baptisme of children they will haue vs to bring out of the scriptures expresse plaine and manifest words whereby is affirmed that children should be baptised Neither will they be content with the reasons and conclusions deriued from the scriptures when as Christ neuertheles intending here to prooue the resurrection of the dead brought no expresse testimonie but such a testimonie as from thence the resurrection might be inferred And he himselfe hauing brought in a testimonie added the Minor or lesse proposition saieng that He is not the God of the dead but of the liuing But there be others also euen of our time which thinke that the testimonie alledged by Christ was not knowen to the elder fathers in such sort as they knew it surelie to belong to the resurrectioÌ„ of the dead For they persuade themselues that the old people had in déed saluation by Christ in receiuing through him the forgiuenes of sins and perpetuall felicitie when as yet they vnderstood not these things Euen in like maner as the children of christians are saued when as they neuerthelesse as yet vnderstand not the heauenlie and christian mysteries They saie that God through temporall and worldlie promises namelie of the land of Canaan and of innumerable issue through victories and riches fed them and kept them in his seruice but that they acknowledged not Christ as the sauiour from sinne and from euerlasting death as the author of life and prince of the resurrection and of all good gifts And they will haue it that Christ first of all other reuealed the secret mysterie of the resurrection and deriued his