you of true faith beléefe hath worshipped called vppon or serued the Patriarches the Prophets and y Apostles thoughe they were indued with most precious gifts wonderful in working of myracles Wee doe all worship call vpon serue God wée confesse y God worketh by his saints who together with the holy angels of God require nothing lesse than to bee worshipped called vppon and serued of vs For truly said Lactantius lib. Institut 2. cap. 18. Angels since they be immortall neither suffer nor yet are vnlling to be called Gods whose onely office it is alone to attend vpon God with their seruice to bee at his becke and to do nothing at all but at his comaundement For wee say that God so gouerneth the world as a king ruleth his kingdome whose officers no man wil say are fellows with him in ruling his kingdome albeit affairs be dispatched by their ministerie and seruice And therefore we read that s Augustine also said WheÌ„ the Angels of God heare hee himselfe heareth in them as in his true temple not made with hands Verily if wée looke more narrowlie into and weighe the holy scripture we shall finde not in one or two places that the name of God and Angels 〈…〉 For angels ar◠〈…〉 â—nd instrumentall as they 〈◊〉 theme but God is the 〈…〉 principall cause For in the Acts of thâ— Apostles wée read thâ—◠〈…〉 And when fourtie yeaâ—â—s wâ—r◠〈◊〉 there appeared into him in the wildernesse of mount Sinâ— an Angel. And by and by hee addeth â–ª And the voice of the Lord came vnto 〈◊〉 saying I am the God of thy fathâ—◠〈◊〉 He calleth the selfe same Lord whom a little before hée had called an angel to wit because he beléeued that an angel both saith and doeth all thinges at Gods commaundement that the word and the worke is proper to God the angels are as instruments Likewise in the booke of Iudges cap. 6. he 〈◊〉 called Lord which euen now was called an angel Hagar the handmaid of Sara receiued a great benefite in the desert by the angel of the Lord yet shée accompteth not the same receiued of the angel but of the lord She giueth not thankes to the angel neither doth she consecrate the memorie thereof to the angel much lesse doth she worship and call vpon the angel nay rather she referreth her speach also vnto god For so the holie scripture witnesseth â–ª And she called the name of the lord which spake vnto her Thou god lookest on mee c. The childreÌ„ of Israel before whome the angel of the Lord went in the wildernes neuer offered sacrifice to their guid or captaine neuer worshipped or serued him Euen so the seruaunt of Abraham being committed to the angel doth not make supplication vnto him desiring him well to prosper his purpose but hée prayeth vnto God requireth of him to shewe and giue triall of his mercie toward his maister Abraham In Daniel the 〈…〉 God â—nâ—ly For they 〈◊〉 Blessessâ—â— thou O Lord god of 〈◊〉 fathers â—ight worthie to be 〈◊〉 and honoured in that 〈…〉 So in like manner 〈◊〉 in expresse words â—â—nfeâ—â—â—th that 〈◊〉 god whose hée is and whome hée worshippeth â–ª though in the meanâ— while he had made mention also of an angel For so heâ— saith in the Acts There stoode by me thir night the angel of God whose I am and whome I serue that is to say god For in another place Iohn being willing to worshipp at the angels féete the angel crieth See thou doe it not for I am thy follow seruaunt and of thy brethren the Prophets and of them which keepe the woords of this booke These plaine and manifest testimonies of holie scripture euidentlie 〈◊〉 vs that although God vse the ministerie of angels toward vs yet y they are to be acknowledged and confessed of vs to be ministers of God fellow seruaunts and therfore not to be worshipped nor called vppon but that God onely must be worshipped callâ—d vppon and serued From this holy doctrine of scripture certeine ministers and ecclestastical writers of the auncient Church haue nothing swarued For Lactantius in that booke whiche we cited a little before sayeth Angels wil haue no honour giuen vnto them whose honour is in god But they which reuolted and fell from the ministerie of God because they are enimies of the trueth offenders they goe about to chalenge to themselues the 〈…〉 I goe vnto 〈…〉 what prayer 〈…〉 deuouring to 〈◊〉 vnto thée â—â—d being not able of themselues haue assayed as I heare these wayes haue fallen into â— desire and 〈◊〉 aftâ—r curious visions 〈…〉 to be deceiued These thinges are extant Lib. 11. Confess cap. 42. 〈◊〉 which he sheweth at large that Iesus Christ is the onely 〈…〉 â—â—â—tercessour for all the faithfull â–ª The same Augustine in his 〈…〉 De Ciuitate Dei cap. 16. 〈…〉 words that the good angelâ— of God require sacrifices not for themselues but for god In his last chapter of his booke De ver a Religione hee sayeth Let vs beléeue that the best angel 〈◊〉 that God be serued with the 〈◊〉 and most excellent ministerie that toâ—â—ther with them we shuld 〈…〉 God in the 〈…〉 of whom they are blessed For we are not blessed by séeing the angels but by séeing the trueth whereby wée also loue the very angels and 〈◊〉 together with them Wherâ—fore we honor them for louâ— not of 〈◊〉 Neither doe we build temples vnto them For they are vnwilling in such sorte to be honoured of vs Béecause they know that we our selues if wee hée good are the temples of the most high god It is wel written therfore y an angel forâ—ad a man to worship him but willed him to worship onâ— only God vnder whome he also was a fellow seruant with him The same August therfore in his catalogue of heretiques 〈…〉 of Christ his church 〈…〉 of the author if any require 〈◊〉 thâ—se â–ª If we should make a temple 〈…〉 of wood stone to the holâ—â— angâ—â— that is most excellent shuld 〈…〉 â—ee cursed of the â—rueth of Christ and of the church of God because we do that seruice to a creature 〈◊〉 only is due to one god If therforâ— by building a â—â—ple to any kinde 〈…〉 we should â—ob God of his 〈…〉 not hee the true God 〈…〉 we build not a temple but 〈…〉 his temple â–ª Thâ—◠〈…〉 These 〈◊〉 haue I hether to 〈…〉 of thâ— holie oâ— good 〈…〉 〈…〉 of wicked angels 〈…〉 that is to say 〈…〉 diuels Hereof I wil 〈…〉 plainly speake that which the holy scriptures minister vnto meâ— That there are diuels y Saduceâ—s in times pâ—st â—eâ—ied and at this day also 〈…〉 religious nay rather Epicures denie the same Who vnlesse they â—â—pent shal one day féele to their excéeding great paine and smart both that there are diuels that they are tormenters and executioners of all wicked men and Epicures For the
the benefite of Christes sanctification not that by her selfe while she is in the flesh she is without spot but for that those spots in déede otherwise cleauing vnto her through the innocencie of Christ to those that imbrace Christe by faith are not imputed sinally for that the selfe same church in the world to come shall be without spot or wrinckle For hauing put off the fleshe cast off all miseries it shal at length be brought to passe that she shall want nothing Besides this it is saide that the church is without spot because of the continuall studie of the church wherby she laboureth and traueileth by all meanes that as farre as it is possible she may haue as fewe spottes as maye be And by that meanes and chiefly by the benefite of imputation the church erreth not but is moste pure and without sinne Moreouer as touching doctrine and faith the church of Christ doth not erre For it heareth the voice of the shepeherd only but the voice of straungers she knoweth not for she followeth her onely shepheard Christ saying I am the light of the world he that followeth me shal not walk in darknesse but shall haue the light of life Paule also to Timothie saith These thinges hitherto haue I writtē vnto thee that thou maist know how thou oughtest to behaue thy selfe in the house of God whiche is the Church of the liuing God the piller and grounde of trueth But the Churche is the piller and ground of truth for that being stablished vppon the foundation of the Prophetes and Apostles Christe him selfe which is the euerlasting truth of God the only strength of the church receiueth this by fellowship which it hath with him that she also mighte be the piller and foundation of the truth For the truth of God is in the church and the same throgh the ministerie of the church is spread abroade and being assaulted and warred againste by the enimies abiding sure is not ouercome so farfoorth as being made one body with Christe she doth perseuere in the fellowship of Christe without whome she can do nothing Againe the same church doth erre in doctrine and faith as oftēn as she turning from Christ and his word goeth after men and the counsels and decrées of the flesh For she forsaketh that thing that hath hitherto stayd that she erred not which is the word of God and Christ I thinke no man will denie that the greate congregation of the people of Israell in the desert was an excellent Churche of God with the whiche the Lord made a couenaunt and bounde him selfe vnto it by Sacraments and ordinances And yet howe shamefully she erred whilest neglecting Gods word Aaron the high priest of religiō not cōstantly earnestly resisting she both made a molten calfe worshipped it as a God no man is ignorant Where also surely it shal be necessary more diligētly to looke into and mark the whole number of the church For many in the church erring it foloweth not that none at all is frée from error For as in the churche of Israell the Lord reserued a rēnant to him selfe I meane Moses Iosua vndoubtedly many moe as wel in the cōgregatiō as else-where without whiche did neuer worship the calfe so there is no doubt althoughe there doe manye erre in the Church but that the Lord through his mercie doeth preserue to himselfe a certeine number who both vnderstād a-right and by whose faithfull diligence errours are destroyed and the wandering flocke of the Lord brought backe againe into the holy fould The Church therfore is said to erre when a parte of it hauing loste Gods word doeth erre and the same erreth not wholie and altogether forasmuch as certeine remnauntes through the grace of God are reserued by whome the trueth maye flourishe againe and may againe be spred abroad in euery place S. Paule called the Churches of the Corinthians and Galathians The holie churches of God yet these erred greatly in doctrine in faith and in manners And yet who doubteth that there were many amonge them who were most sincere followers of the pure doctrine preached by Sainct Paule That holy Church therefore erred so farre forth as it cōtinued not stedfastly in true doctrine and it erred not so farre foorth as it departed not from the truth deliuered by the Apostles From hence it plainly appeareth to the whole world that those are most vaine lyars which commend vnto vs Churches not builded vppon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles but vppon the decrées of men which they shame not to commend vnto vs for most true Churches and such as cannot erre Dauid cryeth out Onely God is true and euery man a lyar Ieremie also cryeth They haue reiected the woord of the Lord and what wisedome is in them Therfore those Churches doe erre neither bee they the true Churches of god The true Church groundeth vppon Christ Iesus and is gouerned by his woorde onelye Vnto this treatise of the woord of God which is the onely rule whereby all thinges are done in the Church the disputation of the power of the church of God in earth of the studies thereof which also are directed according to the word of God is verie like But before I wil bring forth my iudgement that is to say the iudgement deliuered by the Scriptures I will briefly rehearse the summe of those things whiche the Papistes haue lefte in writing concerning this matter and doe vndoubtedly mainteine for sounde doctrine Iohn Gerson not much amisse vnlesse he haue an ill interpreter hath defined Ecclesiasticall authoritie to be a power supernaturally and spiritually giuen of the Lord to his disciples and to their lawefull successours vnto the ende of the world for the edification of the Church Militant according to the lawes of the Gospell for the obteyning of eternall felicitie But Peter de Aliaco the Cardinal sayth that this authoritie is sixe-fould to witt of consecration of administring the sacraments of appointing ministers of the Church of preaching of iudiciall correction and receyuing thinges necessarie vnto this life They call that the power of consecration whereby a priest being rightly ordered maye consecrate the body bloud of Christ on the altar This power they say was giuē to the disciples of the Lord by these words Doe this in the remēbraunce of mee But vnto the priestes in these dayes they thinke it to be giuen of the bishop giuing with the bread the chalice and saying Receiue ye power to offer vp to consecrate Christes bodie both for the quicke and the dead This moreouer they call the power of orders and a marke or character that cānot be wyped out The power of administring the sacraments chiefly of the sacrament of Penance they call the power of the keyes The keyes they make of two sortes The keyes of knowledge that is to say the authoritie of knowledge in the cause of a sinner makinge
liued without lawe c. 502 7 O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death c. 409 7 With the mynde the same I or euen I doe serue the Lawe of God c. 515 7 Wee knowe that the lawe is spirituall but I am carnall solde vnder sinne c. 405. 496 7 I knowe that in me that is in my flesh there is no good c. 482 589. 594. 7 I knewe not sinne but by the lawe for I had not knowne lust except the lawe c. 325. 401 7 I finde when I would doe good that euill is present with by and in me c. 515 8 Those which he knewe before he did also predestinate that they should be like c. 894 8 It is God that iustifieth who is he that can condemne c. 662 8 Who spared not his sonne but gaue him for vs all howe can it be that he shoulde not also with him giue vs allthings c. 644 8 You haue not receiued againe the spirite of bondage vnto feare but you haue receiued the spirite of adoption c. 565. 660 8 If any haue not the spirite of Christ the same is none of his c. 660. 925. 1055 8 As many as are led by the spirite of GOD they are the sonnes of God c. 718 8 They that are in the fleshe can not please God c 728 8 Bâ—cause ye are sonnes GOD hath sent the spirite of his sonne into your hearts c. 723 8 Who shall separate vs from the loue of GOD shall tribulation c. 93. 311 8 The affection of the flesh is death but the affection of the spirit is life c. 325 8 The lawe of the spirite of life through Christe Iesus hath made mée frée c. 446 8 Wée are saued by hope but hope that is séene is no hope For howe can a man c. 305 8 What the Lawe could not do in as much as it was weake through the flesh c. 407 8 We sufferwith Christ that with him we may be glorified For I am c. 310 9 It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercie c. 644 9 They are not all Israelits whiche came of Israel neither are they c. 820 9 Which is God in all thinges to be praised for euer c. 685 10 Faith coÌ„meth by hearing and hearing commeth by the woord of god c. 827 10 With the heart man beléeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth c. 974 10 But how shall they call vppon him in whome they haue not beléeued c. 660 10 If thou shalt knowledge with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and shalt beléeue in thine heart c. 1007 10 The same Lord ouer all is rich to all them that call vppon him c. 546. 11 Wée say that faith was imputed to Abraham for righteousnesse c. 1011 11 I haue left vnto me selfe 7000 men in Israel who haue neuer bowed c. 855 11 O the depth of the riches of the wisedome and knowledge of God c. 642 12 I beséeche you brethren by the mercies of god that ye giue vp your bodies a liuely sacrifice c. 668 12 Dearely beloued reuenge not your selues but rather giue place vn to wrath c. 197 12 For as we haue manâ— meÌ„bers in one body and all members haue not c. 826 13 Owe nothing to any man c. for he that loueth another hath fulfilled the Lawe c. 98 13 The magistrate is Gods minister giue therefore to all men honour to whome honour belongeth c. 650 13 Wée must not obey the magistrate for anger onely but for â—onscience sake c. 220 13 Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers c. 170. 755 14 Let vs followe the things that make for peace and al things wherby we may one edifie c. 426 14 Him that is weake in faith receiue ye not to strifes of disputations c. 451 14 All thinges are lawfull for mée but all thinges are not expedient c. 449 14 The kingdom of GOD is not meate and drinke but righteousnes and peace c. 699 16 Phebe a woman deacon of the Church of Cencrea c. 879 ¶ Out of the first Epistle of S. Paule to the Corinthians 1 THe Lord sent me to preache the Gospel and not to baâ—tise c. 1055 1 Were ye baptised in the name of Paule c. 627 1 I thancke God that I baptised none of you but Crispus and Gaius c. 1033 1 Nowe we sée in a glasse euen in a darcke speaking but then we shall sée face to face c. 608 1 After that in the wisedome of God the world through their wisedome knewe not God c. 619 2 God hath reuealed them vnto vs by his spirite For the spirite searcheth all thinges c. 728 2 Had they knowen it they would not haue crucified the Lord of glorie c. 695 2 My preaching was not in the enticeing words of mans wisedom but in the shewing of the spirite c. 603. 825 2 I was among you CorinthiaÌ„s in weakenesse and in feare and in much trembling c. 831 2 The natural man perceiueth not the thinges of the spirite of GOD c. 500. 589 3 As a skilfull buildes I haue laid the foundation c. 860 3 For wee together are Gods labourers ye are gods husbandrie c. 860 3 Other foundation can no man lay than that which is layed which is c. 861. 862 3 He which watereth is nothing nor he which planteth c. 20. 3 Who is Paul And who is Apollos but the ministers by whom ye beléeued c. 860. 873 983. 1137 3 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God that the spirit of God dwelleth in you c. 717. 723. 861 3 Not that we are sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing as of our selues c. 646 3. 4. Ministers are fellowe labourers with God and disposers of the secretes c. 873 4 Let a man so estéeme of vs as the ministers of Christ and disposers c. 881 4 For it is required in the disposers that a man be found faithfull c. 895 4 I begat you in Christe Iesu thorough the Gospell c. 827 5 God was in Christ reconciling the world vnto himselfe not imputing their sinnes vnto them c. 555. 569. 5 If any man that is called a brother be a théefe or a whoremonger c. 819. 1131 5 Therefore let vs kéepe the feast not in the old leauen nor in the leauen of malice c. 367 6 Yee are bought with a price become therefore the seruants c. 60 446. 1138 6 The holy and pure vse of the body seuearely requâ—red without all fâ—lthy and vncleane c. 426 6 Knowe ye not that your bodies are the members of Christe c. 235 6 Knowe ye not that your bodies are the temple
in mind that he was not only the God of their fathers and auncestours but that hée would be the God of all the posterities of the Israelites that hee would beare with and spare them for the bloud of Christ and finally that hee both would and could defend them froÌ„ all euill and bestowe vpon them all good and fatherly blessinges For in the 136 Psalme we reade O Praise the Lorde for he is good because his mercie endureth for euer which strucke the first borne of the Aegyptians for his mercie endureth for euer With a strong hand and a stretched out arme For his mercie endureth for euer Besides the remembraunce therfore of the benefit which God did for their fathers the posteritie did by the vse of that ceremonie stirre vp their faith to beléeue that god would haue mercie on and do good for them according to his naturall goodnesse euen as hee did to their fathers before them And by that meanes this ceremonie was no small exercise of faith in the children of Israel Furthermore those ceremonies did conteine the mysteries that were to come of Christ the Sauiour of vs al. For in them was prefigured what Christe should be what hee should do for the worlde by what meanes the faithfull should bee partakers with him and howe they shoulde beehaue them selues before him For amonge many other beastes there was none thought to be more fitt for this sacrament then a lambe not so muche for the signification of simplicite and patience that was in Christe like to the quietnesse of a Lambe as for because a Lambe was the dayly sacrifice that was offered to the Lorde For Paule saith Christe our paschall Lambe is offered vp And a Lamb by the lawe was euery morning and euening offered vp in sacrifice For Christe is the lambe that was killed since the beginning of the worlde Of whome Iohn Baptist testifyed saying Beeholde the lambe of God that taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde And for because wée all did goe astray like shéepe euery one after his owne way the sonne of God came downe vnto vs and became a shéepe of oure verie substaunce and nature But yet hee was sound and without spott without sinne and wickednesse conceiued by the holy ghoste and borne of the virgin Marie He was a male and of a yeare old that is to say strong and all one the same to day that he was yesterday and the same for euer to witte the sauiour of al the world The ceremoniall lambe was chosen and taken from amonge other lambs and goates For Christ descended lineally of righteous men and sinners as is to be seene in the first Chapter of Mathewes gospell Likewise for the shedding of y lambs bloud God did beare with the whole church of the Israelits for the bloud of Christ whereof the lambes bloud was a type was to be shedde that by it al the faithful might be cleansed and that by the sheadinge of that the anger of God the father mighte be appeased and he reconciled againe vnto the church The bloud was sprinckled vppon the vpper and two side postes of the house with a bunch of Hysope Hysope verilie is a base hearb and of small accompte and the preachinge of the gospell seemeth to be foolish vile and of no valure yet by the preachinge of the gospell â—he bloud of Christ vnto the remission of sinnes muste be sprinckled on vs which are the house of god Now we receiue the lambe to life when we do eate that is wheÌ„ we beleue that Christ did suffer for vs For Christ is eaten by faith as is at large declared in the 6. Chap. of Sainct Iohn The lambe is dressed with fire and not with water it is not eaten rawe but rosted For Christe was not man alone but verie God also the true burnt offering He is able fully to absolue vs so that there néedes no additioÌ„ of ours All our additions are méere water altogether colde Moreouer the whole Lambe was to be eaten the head the féete and purtenance For vnlesse we beléeue that Christ is very God verie man and that he is our wisedom and righteousnesse wee doe not eate him wholy They eate not the head which deny that Christ is god They eate not the feete which do deny that Christ is man They eate not the purtenance which do not acknowledge the giftes that are in Christ which he doth communicate vnto the faithfull to wite righteousnesse wisedome sanctification redemption and life The bones of the Lambe were neither broken nor thrown to the dogges but burnt with fire For in Christe there was not one bone broken as the Apostle Iohn beareth witnesse in the nineteenth Chapter of his Gospell Herein also lyeth hidd another mysterie For although the sonne of God did susâ—er in his humanitie yet in his diuinitie he remained still without any passion Nowe the thinges in Christe which we cannot attaine vnto by reason of the excellencie of his Godhead we do earnestly wishe for greately desire Moreouer Christ is the meate of the reasonable and faithfull soule and is not to be cast to dogges and vnbeléeuing miscreants The Lambe was to be eaten in haste without delaye For Christ must bée eaten by faith out of hande without foading off and that too with a sharpe desire and eager appetite With the Lambe they were commaunded to eate sower hearbes and vnleauened bread For the faithfull must repent them of their life yll spent and wholie betake theÌ„ selues to a purer trade of liuing For here followeth the maner howe they ought to behaue them selues toward their redéemer They stoode to eate the Lambe hauing their loynes girded with shooes on their féete and staues in their hands Such was the habite of waifaring men or pilgrimes We therefore must so behaue our selues in this present world as doth become pilgrims strauÌ„gers which do contemne this world looke for another countrie In their iorney therfore let them giue them selues to temperate modestie let their féete be shodde with the preaching of the Gospell of peace let them wholie leane vpon y staffe of Gods aide succour let theÌ„ departe with as much haste as may be from the bondage corruption of this naughtie world This verie same ceremonie was as it were a confession of y true religion and as a cognizance wherby y people of God were known froÌ„ other people natioÌ„s Therefore al the Israelites were gathered together into one church societie wherein by celebratinge of the passeouer they did professe that they were the redéemed the Libertines the people of the liuing god For thereunto belongeth the commaundement which charged them that no straunger should eate of the Lambe but that the circumcised alone should be partakers of it that it should not be diuided into many partes that it should bee eaten no where but in one place alone and that too by companies of al the Israelites lastly that no man