Tithes c. They hold it by mans law and that in such places where the ordinary judges failing the Princes are constrained will they nill they to minister justice to their subjects for maintaining of peace And a few lines after So oft as we handle this place by and by our Adversaries cry out that the Bishops authoritie being overthrowne there followeth disorder that the peoples behaviour cannot be ordered that the common sort waxe lusty and unbridled and in a word there followeth a hellish life such a one as is painted out by Euripides in this verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They complaine also that when as some laws are abrogated the common people taketh it as a patterne how to deale with all the rest And so shaking off the bonds and reines of discipline and order they take an excessive libertie to themselves which breedeth infinite offences breaches betweene Princes scattering of Churches tumults warres and desolations To conclude they tell us here what an enemie to mankinde want of government is and how many vices and calamities arising out of this fountaine doe overflow the whole life of man They advise therefore for the avoiding of these so great evils to establish the authoritie of Bishops to retaine still the laws that have been in use before and also to beare with the inconveniences if there be any in them in respect of the common weaknesse of men and for quietnesse sake to dissemble them especially seeing there can no state or order be appointed which is without all manner of faults Here also they bring in that old saying That an evill well couched is not to be stirred They rehearse many examples how great overthrows followed upon the remooving of laws and the change of the forme of government in the Cities of Athens Sparta Rome and divers others At Rome how oft did the dissentions of the Consuls and the Tribunes stirre up great civill warres Though these Senatour like declamations be very plausible and incense the mindes of many against us yet they may be confuted by most true and substantiall arguments First therefore we desire that these our Accusers would turne over the Historie of the Church from time to time and that they would not thinke that those notable men the Prophets and Apostles were withit common sense and reason and so hard hearted that they caned not for the peace and quiet of their country or so barbarous and cruell that they made no great accompt of the discipline lawes and good order of the kingdome For those most wise vertuous and grave men Esay Ionas Ieremy Iohn Baptist * Look the 7. Observation Christ Peter Iames and Paul Did both know what a great good civill concord is and loved their country and country-men and also were greeved to behold the discords and renting a sunder of those notable common-wealthes How often did Christ weep when he spake of the discords and Tumults of his nation and the sacking of the City Albeit therefore the Prophets and Apostles did very well know and greatly like of those civill duties Yet were they constrained by the commandement of God to warre against the divels kingdome to preach heavenly doctrine to collect a Church unto God and to imploy their service to the eternall salvation of a great number of men These are the first lawes that ever were given and are to be preferred before all other Thou shalt have no other Gods Thou shalt not take the name of God in vaine And this concerning the sonne This is my beloved sonne heare him These lawes must needs be obeyed The true doctrine of God and his true worship must needs be embraced and received and all errors that tend to the dishonour of God must be abhorred and forsaken though all the world should breake and fall downe No humane thing must be preferred before Gods commandement not our life not our friends not the concord and agrement of neighbours and countrymen Moses a very wise man no doubt a politick man layeth upon the tribe of Levi the charg of teaching and knowing what great conflicts and dangers teachers shall meete withall he forewarneth them of that which he tooke to be most difficult of all other And chargeth them that the defence of true doctrine be most deare unto them for so he saith Deut. 33. These shall keepe thy word and shall forget their Parents children and brethren And hereof we have experience that it is no small burden that is laid upon the teachers of the word Our men are cruelly dealt with in many places We are sore oppressed and the discord in our country bringeth no small griefe unto us But as was said before the commandement of God concerning the embracing of the true doctrine of God and renouncing of errours must be preferred before these great inconveniences We are not ignorant what wise men have written of changing and altering lawes We remember well the saying of Plato that as the manners of doting parents so the customes and fashions of our country though none of the wisest are to be borne with all But these precepts have their bounds and limits within which they must be restrained Bondage without impiety may be borne but Idolatry is not to be borne with nor the light of the Gospell to be extinguished Againe why do our adversaries declaime of such a moderation unto us when as they in the meane while murder the Citizens and members of Christ They might easily establish peace and maintaine the author of good order if they would abolish superstition and unjust lawes But now they contend not for the safety of the Church but for their owne profits and pleasures They would not have the Idolatry of the Masse nor praying to the dead spoken against because they cannot abide that their gaine should decrease They forbid wandring lusts because the unmarried state is best for the keeping of their goods These things are in all mens eyes Therefore let them leave of their Senator like invectives wherein to use the old Poets words under a faire colour they seeke to establish shamelesse facts Hereto I adjoyne also the other part of our defence both true and unfeigned We doe not shake of government to bring in disorder We teach that the ministery of the Gospel is most highly to be reverenced and obeyed in those things which according to the gospel do properly belong to the ministery thereof And he is a wicked and an accursed wretch that doth not with reverence entertaine as most beautifull the feet of such as bring tiding of peace And as for the civill power which beareth the sword it hath been highly commended and approved in our writings Wherefore it is a vile slaunder that they object against us that we be enemies of government Hitherto also belongeth the ss in the end of this 7. Article THey alleadge against us also other sayings which command obedience Obey those that are set over you How oft must we answer that
whom without some damage to the church we cannot separate from it Againe we must be very vigilant lest that the godly falling fast asleepe the wicked grow stronger and do some mischiefe to the church Further more we teach that it is carefully to be marked wherein especially the truth and unitie of the church consisteth lest that we either rashly breed or nourish schismes in the church It consisteth not in outward rites and ceremonies but rather in the truth and unitie of the Catholike faith This Catholike faith is not taught us by the ordinances or laws of men but by the holy Scriptures a compendious and short summe whereof is the Apostles Creed And therefore we reade in the ancient Writers that there was manifold diversities of ceremonies but that was alwaies free neither did any man thinke that the unitie of the church was thereby broken or dissolved We say then that the true unity of the Church doth consist in severall points of doctrine in the true and uniforme preaching of the Gospel and in such rites as the Lord himselfe hath expresly set downe and here we urge that saying of the Apostle very earnestly As many of us therefore Phil. 3. as are perfect let us he thus minded If any man thinke otherwise the Lord shall reveale the same unto him And yet in that whereunto we have attained let us follow one direction and all of us be like affected one towards another Out of the former Confession of HELVETIA Of the Church THis we hold that of such lively stones being by this meane built upon this lively rocke the Church and the holy gathering together of all the Saints the Spouse of Christ which being cleansed by his blood he shall once in time to come present without blot before his Father is founded The which church though it be manifest to the eies of God alone yet is it not onely seene and known by certaine outward rites instituted of Christ himselfe and by the word of God as by a publique and lawfull discipline but it is so appointed that without these markes no man can be judged to be in this church but by the speciall priviledge of God Out of the Confession of BASILL Of the Church VVE beleeve a holy Christian Church that is a communion Matth. 1. Ephe. 1. Iohn 3. 2 Cor. 11. Ephes 5. Heb. 12. Iohn 1. Galat. 5. Rom. 1. Iohn 1. 1 Iohn 3. of Saints a gathering together of the faithfull in spirit which is holy and the Spouse of Christ wherein all they be Citizens which doe truely confesse that Iesus is the Christ the Lambe that taketh away the sinnes of the world and doe shew forth that faith by the workes of love And a little after This church of Christ doth labour all that it can to keepe the bonds of peace and love in unitie Therefore it doth by no meanes communicate with Sects and the rules of orders devised for the difference of dayes meates apparell and ceremonies Out of the Confession of BOHEMIA Of the holy Church and of the godly institution and government thereof and of Discipline Also of Antichrist CHAP. 8. IN the eighth place it is taught touching the acknowledgeing of the holy Catholike Christian Church And first of all that the foundation and head of the holy Church is Jesus Christ himselfe alone together with the whole merit of grace and truth to life eternall upon whom and by whom this church is at all times built by the holy Ghost the word of God and the Sacraments according to the meaning of that which Christ said unto Peter Matth. 16. upon this rocke to wit whereof thou hast made a true confession I will build my Church And Saint Paul saith Other foundation 1 Cor. 3. can no man lay then that which is laid which is Jesus Christ And in another place And hath appointed him over all things to be Ephes 2. the head of the Church which is his body and the fulnesse of him which filleth all in all things Out of these things it is taught that this is beleeved held and publikely confessed that the holy Catholike church being present at every time and militant upon earth is the fellowship of all Christians and is here and there dispersed over the whole world and is gathered together by the holy Gospel out of all nations families tongues degrees and ages in one faith in Christ the Lord or in the holy Trinitie according to that saying of Saint John who speaketh thus And I saw a great company which no man Apoc. 7. can number of all nations peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the lambe This true church although while it lieth here in the Lords stoore to wit in the wide world and as it were in one heape confusedly gathered together containeth in it as yet as well the pure wheate as the chaffe the godly children of God and the wicked children of the world the living and dead members of the ministers and of the people yet where it is least defiled or most pure it may be knowne even by these signes that follow namely wheresoever Christ is taught in holy assemblies the doctrine of the holy Gospel is purely and fully preached the Sacraments are administred according to Christs institution commandement meaning and will and the faithfull people of Christ doth receive and use them and by these gathereth it selfe together in the unitie of faith and love and in the bond of peace and joyneth it selfe in one and buildeth it selfe hard together upon Christ There therefore is the holy church the house of God the temples of the holy Ghost lively members the parts of the heavenly Ierusalem the spirituall body of Christ and joynts knit together the which are joyned and coupled each with other by one head Christ one spirit of regeneration one word of God the same and sincere Sacraments one faith one love and holy communion one bond of peace order discipline and obedience whether the number of this people be great or small as the Lord witnesseth Where two or three are gathered together in my name Matth. 15. in what countrey or nation and in what place soever this be there am I in the middest of them and contrarily where Christ and the spirit of Christ dwelleth not and the holy Gospel cannot have any place granted unto it c. but on the contrary side manifest errours * Looke the 1. observation upon this confession Rom. 5. and heathenish life have their full course and by getting the upper hand doe spread themselves farre there must also needs be a church so defiled that Christ will not acknowledge it for his welbeloved Spouse seeing that none belongeth to Christ who hath not the spirit of Christ Every Christian is also bound with diligent care to seeke after this and such a true part of the holy church and after he hath found it to joyne and maintaine holy communion and fellowship
first that which is set downe in the 19. Chap. of this Confession in these words FOr this cause it is thought to be good and well standing with wisedome so farre undoubtedly as may be done by conscience that Priests to the end that they may so much the more diligently exercise themselves in the study of the holy Scriptures and may the more readily and profitably serve the Church of God be free and exempted from all affaires and burdens of civill conversation seeing that it behoveth them to fight valiantly for the faith of the Gospel of God and if it may be to be also free from wedlocke to this end that they may be the more ready and free to doe that which is for the increase and furtherance of the salvation of the people and that many harmefull impediments may be turned from them which doe concurre with that kinde of life and do oftentimes withhold and hinder the due workes of the ministery For which causes our ministers thinke that they are more ready prest and more fit for the Ecclesiasticall Ministerie which are unmarried yet they meane such unmarried persons as have this peculiar gift given to them of God that they may remaine such and so give themselves wholly to the Ministery This things is so observed among us as is meet yet it is neither taken for a sinne neither doth any man disdaine at it if Priests upon just and lawfull causes be married For holy Paul teacheth how such ought to be chosen to this function 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1. yea the holy Ghost himselfe doth permit that Bishops and Elders should have their lawfull and honest wives and he doth in no case give them libertie contrary to order and the discipline of God to entertaine concubines or otherwise so to live as that they may thereby give offence to others And concerning marriage it is thus written It is better to marry then to sinne so many waies and to burne with so great dishonestie for which sinnes not onely the Priest but also every Christian without respect of persons both ought and shall worthily by excommunication be cast out of the Church Also CHAP. 19. Of single life and of Wedlocke COncerning the condition of single life virginitie and widowhead our Preachers do teach that every man hath free libertie either to chuse it to himself or to refuse it for by way of a law nothing is commanded of God to men touching these things neither is this thing appointed of God neither is it on the other side forbidden for which cause no man ought to be enforced thereunto against his will nor be driven from it And as concerning the Church and certaine men and chiefly the Ministers of the Church our men have taught from the beginning and do now teach first that the gift of chastitie by the peculiar goodnesse of God and of the holy Ghost both in times past was given and at this day also is given to some for the singular use and profit of the Church as Christ his speech doth evidently witnesse Every Matth. 19. man saith he doth not receive these words that is that a man should keep himself single without a wife but they to whom it is 1 Cor. 7. given And holy Paul also doth both place and celebrate this amongst peculiar gifts and whereunto some are peculiarly called And moreover the examples of certaine in the Propheticall and Apostolicall writings and of Iohn Baptist and of many Ministers and * Looke the 2. Observat women ministers of the Church doe witnesse this thing In the second place they teach that this gift is not of flesh and blood for the Lord by distinguishing doth remove and separate from hence that unablenesse which is in this kinde but of the spirit which is jealous who from his heart hath a care and pleasure in the glory of God and in his own and his neighbours salvation and also in the Ministery of the Church and for this cause he doth of his owne accord abstaine from wedlocke Therefore the Lord saith Those which have made themselves Eunuches for the kingdome Matth. 19. of heaven that is who be such as might be married yet they do omit and abstaine from it because of the affection of the inward heart and their love toward God and his word and for the pleasure and joy which they receive thereof and through this gift of the spirit whose vertue and power doth overcome the motions of nature they doe preserve the purenesse as well * Looke the 3. Observation of the spirit as of the body howbeit this thing is not in them without labour and difficultie even as it is a thing of no small labour and difficultie for all Christian men to forsake and to want the use of other pleasant things and also such as are profitable for this life as friends riches and money Thirdly that single life is to be chosen and taken with a true intent and a godly meaning that is not to this end or with this purpose that a man would by this means merit or get unto himselfe or to another remission of sins and eternall life and so consequently salvation it self For there is no continencie or chastitie nor any humane action or other vertue which can merit the onely innocencie and death of the onely begotten Son of God our Lord Iesus Christ doth performe and perfit this thing Neither must the thing be received with this meaning as to thinke that some dignitie is added to the holy ministerie of the Church by reason of this gift or that the works of those that be unmarried in this ministery are to be preferred in merit and dignitie before the works of married men but as the Lord saith that it may be received for the kingdome of heaven that is in such sort as he which for the gift spoken of before is fit to leade a single life As therefore by these things he may with lesse hinderance and more easily and readily with great leasure and more commodiously imploy his labour to the salvation of the Church and holy assemblies even so he may be a more convenient Minister then others of the same salvation which Christ hath purchased for him and whereof that he may be partaker by faith it is given him freely of grace and wherein he doth keep and uphold himselfe seeing that it is certian that by the state of marriage many lets many cares and many things whereby necessarie quietnesse is disturbed are cast in our way And this is it which Paul saith I 1 Cor. 7. would that you should be without such cares He that is unmarried is carefull for those things which pertain to the Lord how he may please the Lord. Also I thinke that this is good for the present necessitie Also to that which is seemely to performe diligence by serving the Lord without distraction And before we rehearsed the voyce of the Lord who saith that there be
maker they bid us trust assuredly that we are heard of the Father for Christs sake But as touching the Saints there are neither commandements nor promises nor examples for this purpose in the Scriptures And Christs office and honour is obscured when men flie to Saints and take them for Mediatours and invocate them and frame unto themselves an opinion that the Saints are more gracious and so transferre the confidence due to Christ unto Saints But Paul saith There is one Mediatour betweene God and men Therefore Christ especially requireth this worship that we should beleeve that he is to be sought unto that he is the Intercessour for whose sake we are sure to be heard c. In the third Edition these things are thus found Artic. 21. TOuching the worship of Saints they teach that the memory of Saints may be set before us that we may follow their faith and good works according to our calling as the Emperour may follow Davids example in making warre to drive away the Turks from his countrey for either of them is a King But the Scripture teacheth not invocate Saints or to aske help of Saints because it propoundeth unto us one Christ the Mediatour Propitiatour high Priest and intercessour This Christ is to be invocated and he hath promised that he will heare our prayers and liketh this worship especially to wit that he be invocated in all afflictions 1 Ioh. 2. If any man sin we have an Advocate with God c. Out of the Confession of SAXONY Of invocating godly men that are departed out of this life Artic. 22. IN the 42. Chapter of Esay it is written I am the Lord this is my name I will not give my glory to another Invocation is a glory most properly belonging to God as the Lord saith Matth. 4. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve And it is an immooveable and eternall Decree of the first Commandement Thou shalt have no strange Gods It is necessary therefore that the doctrin touching Invocation should be most purely upholden in the Church for the corrupting of which the devill even since the beginning of mankind hath and will divers wayes scatter seeds Wherefore we ought to be the more watchfull and with greater care to reteine the manner of invocation or adoration set down in Gods word according to that saying Whatsoever ye shall aske the Father in my name he will do it In these words there is an order established which we ought most constantly to maintaine not to mingle therewith other means contrary to Gods word or which are warranted by no example approoved in the Scriptures There is no greater vertue no comfort more effectuall then true invocation They therefore must needs be reprooved who either neglect true invocation or corrupt it as there be divers corruptions Many doe not discerne their own invocation from that which is heathenish neither indeed consider what it is which they speake unto Of these the Lord saith Iohn Chapter 4. Ye worship ye know not what He will have the Church to consider whereto it speaketh saying We worship that we know Many consider not whether or wherefore they shall be heard They recite prayers and yet they doubt although it be written Let him aske in faith without wavering Of these matters we will speake else-where In this place we reproove this heathenish corruption whereby the custome of those that caâ—â— upon men departed out of this life is defended and help or intercession is sought for at their hands Such invocation swarveth from God and giveth unto creatures vertue help or intercession For they that speake some what modestly speake of intercession alone But humane superstition goeth on farther and giveth vertue to them as many publike songs declare O Mary Mother of grace defend thou us from the enemie and receive us in the houre of death These short verses have we heard a Monk of their divinitie say before one that lay a dying and often repeating them wheras he made no mention of Christ and many such examples might be rehearsed There are yet also other brain-sick opinions Some are thought to be more gracious with such or such images these frantike imaginations seeing they are at the first sight like heathenish conceits doe undoubtedly both greatly provoke the wrath of God and are to be reprooved by the Teachers and sharply to be punished by Godly Magistrates which reproofe containeth these three manifest reasons To ascribe unto creatures omnipotencie is impietie Invocation of a creature which is departed from the societie of this life ascribeth unto it Omnipotencie because it is a confession that it beholdeth all mens hearts and discerneth the true sighes thereof from feined and hypocriticall These are onely to be given to the eternall Father to his Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ and to the holy Ghost Invocation therefore is not to be made to men that are departed out of this life It is to be lamented that these evils are not perceived but looke to thy selfe and weigh what thou doest in this invocation thou forsakest God and doest not consider what thou doest invocate and thou knowest that those patrones which thou seekest as Aâ—ne and George see not the motion of thy heart who if they know themselves to be invocated they would even tremble and would not have this honour 〈◊〉 to God given to any creatures But what kinde of invocation is there of the deafe Albeit we know what answer the Adversaries make for they have coyned cavils to delude the truth yet Gods testimonies are wanting to their answer and prayer which is without faith that is when thou canst not be resolved whether God allow and admit such kinde of praying is in vaine We remember that Luther often said that in the old Testament it is a cleare testimonie of the Messiah his Godhead which affirmeth that he is to be invocated and by this propertie is the Messias there distinguished from other Prophets he complained that that most weightie testimonie was obscured and weakened by transferring prayer to other men And for this onely cause he said that the custome of praying to other was to be misliked The second reason is Invocation is vaine without faith and no worship is to be brought into the Church without Gods commandement but there is no one sentence to be seene which sheweth that this prayer made to men which they maintaine pleaseth God and is effectuall the prayer therefore is vaine For what kinde of praying is it in this sort to come unto Anne or George I pray unto thee but I doubt whether thy intercession do me good I doubt whether thou hearest me or helpest me If men understood these hid sinnes they woudl curse such kinde of prayers as they are indeed to be cursed and are heathenish Afterward of such faults what outrages ensue flocking and praying to particular images craving certaine benefits of every one of Anne riches are begged as of Iuno of
life and death were set before him which if he would not consider nor doe his endeavour therein by choosing of evill he might loose all those good gifts The second part of the knowledge of a mans selfe namely before justification standeth in this that a man acknowledge a right the state of this fall sin and mortalitie For that free liberty of choice which God permitted to the will of man he abused and kept not the law of his justice but swerved therefrom and therein transgressed the commandement of God insomuch as he obeyed the devill and those lying speeches of his and gave credit unto them and performed to the devill such faith and obedience as was due to God alone whereby he stripped and bereaved himselfe and his posteritie of the state of perfection and goodnesse of nature and the grace of God and those good gifts of justice and the Image of God which in his creation were engraffed in him he partly lost them and partly corrupted and defiled them as if with horrible poyson one should corrupt pure wine and by this meanes he cast headlong both himselfe and all his off-spring into sinne death and all kinde of miseries in this life and into punishments eternall after this life Wherefore the spring and principall author of all evill is that cruell and detestable devill the tempter lyer and manslayer and next the free will of man which notwithstanding being converted to evill through lust and naughtie desires and by perverse concupiscence chooseth that which is evill Hereby sinnes according to these degrees and after this order may be considered and judged of The first and weightiest or most grievous sinne of all was without doubt after that sinne of Adam which the Apostle calleth Disobedience for the which death reigneth Rom. 5. over all even over those also which have not sinned with like transgression as did Adam A second kind is originall sin naturally ingendred in us and hereditarie wherein we are all conceived and borne into this world Behold saith David I was borne in iniquitie Psal 51. Ephes 2. and in sinne hath my mother conceived me And Paul We are by nature the children of wrath Let the force of this hereditarie destruction be acknowledged judged of by the guilt and fault by our pronenesse and declination by our evill nature and by the punishment which is laid upon it The third kinde of sinnes are those which are called Actuall which are the fruits of Originall sinne and doe burst out within without privily and openly by the powers of man that is by all that ever man is able to doe and by his members transgressing all those things which God commandeth and forbiddeth and also running into blindnesse and errours worthy to be punished with all kinde of damnation This doctrine of the true knowledge of sinne is of our men diligently handled and urged and to this end were the first and second Tables of the Law delivered to Moses of God that men especially might know themselves that they are conceived and borne in sin and that forthwith even from their birth and by nature they are sinners full of lusts and evill inclinations For hereof it commeth that straight even from the beginning of our age and so forth in the whole course of our life being stained and overcome with many sins men doe in heart thoughts and evill deeds breake and transgresse the commandements of God as it is written The Lord looked down from heaven to behold the children Psal 14. Rom. 3. of men to see if there were any that would understand and seeke God all are gone out of the way they have been made altogether unprofitable there is none that doth good no not one And againe When the Lord saw that the wickednesse of man was great in the Gen. 6. earth and all the cogitations of his heart were onely evill continually And againe The Lord said the imagination of mans heart is evill Gen. 8. even from his youth And Saint Paul saith We were by nature the children of wrath as well as others Ephes 2. Here withall this is also taught that by reason of that corruption and depravation common to all mankinde and for the the sinne transgressions and injustice which ensued thereof all men ought to acknowledge according to the holy Scripture their own just condemnation and the horrible and severe vengeance of God and consequently the most deserved punishment of death and eternall torments in hell whereof Paul teacheth us when he saith The wages of sin is death And our Lord Christ They which have Rom. 6. John 5. done evill shall goe into the resurrection of condemnation that is into pains eternall Where shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth They teach also that we must acknowledge * Looke the first observat upon this confession our weaknesse and that great miserie which is ingendered in us as also those difficulties from which no man can ever deliver or rid himselfe by any meanes or justifie himselfe that is procure or get righteousnesse to himselfe by any kinde of works deeds or exercises seeme they never so glorious For that will of man which before was free is now so corrupted troubled and weakened that now from henceforth of it selfe and without the grace of God it cannot chuse judge or wish fully nay it hath no desire nor inclination much lesse any abilitie to chuse that good wherewith God is pleased For albeit it fell willingly and of it owne accord yet by it selfe and by it owne strength it could not * Looke the second observat upon this confession rise againe or recover that fall neither to this day without the mercifull help of God is it able to doe any thing at all And a little after Neither can he which is man onely and hath nothing above the reach of this our nature helpe an other in this point For since that originall sin proceeding by inheritance possesseth the whole nature and doth furiously rage therein and seeing that all men are sinners and doe want the grace and justice Rom. 3. of God therefore saith God by the mouth of the Prophet Esaias Put me in remembrance Let us be judged together count thou if Esa 43. thou have any thing that thou mayest be iustified thy first father hath sinned and thy interpreters that is they which teach thee justice have transgressed against me and a little before speaking of works in the service of God after the invention of man he saith Thou hast not offered unto me the Ram of the burnt offerings neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices I have not caused thee to serve with an offering nor wearied thee with incense And unto the Hebrews it is written Sacrifice and offering and Heb 10. burnt offerings and sinne offerings thou wouldest not have Neither did dest thou approove those things which were offered according to the Law This also must we know
that his minde may be stirred up and made more apt for heavenly affections It is not to bee thought that these exercises are a worship of God that deserve remission of sinnes or that they be satisfactions c. And this discipline must be continuall neither can certain dayes be set and appointed equally for all Of this discipline Christ speaketh Beware that your bodies be not oppressed with surfetâ—ing Againe This kinde of Devils doth not goe out but by fasting and prayer And Paul saith I chastise my body and bring it in bondage Wherefore we do not mislike fastings but superstitious opinions which be snares for mens consciences that are put in traditions Moreover these exercises when as they are referred unto that end that we may have our bodies fit for spirituall things and to doe our duties according to a mans calling c. they are good in the godly and * Looke the 1. Observation upon this confession meritorious workes as the example of Daniel doth testifie For they be works which God requireth to this end that they may subdue the flesh This former Article we found placed elsewhere in the fifth place among those wherein the abuses that are changed are reckoned up Of the difference of meats Artic. 5. This Treatise of ceremonies repeated generally doth properly pertaine unto the Section next following and unto this Section the next must be added because here is speciall mention of fastings and holy daies as we mentioned in the former Article IT hath beene a common opinion not of the common sort alone but also of such as are teachers in the Churches that the differences of meates and such like humane traditions are works available to merit remission both of the fault and of the punishment And that the world thus thought it is apparant by this that daily new ceremonies new orders new holy dayes new fasts were appointed and the teachers in the Churches did exact these workse at the peoples hands as a service necessary to deserve justification by and they did greatly terrifie their consciences if ought were omitted * Of this perswasion of traditions many discommodities have followed in the Church For first the doctrine of grace is obscured by it also the righteousnesse of faith which is the most especiall point of the Gospel and which it behoveth most of all to be extant and to have the preheminence in the Church that the merit of Christ may be well known and faith which beleeveth that sinnes are remitted through Christ and not for any works of ours may be exalted farre above works For which cause also Saint Paul laboureth much in this point he removeth the law and humane traditions that he may shew that the righteousnesse of Christ is a farre other thing then such workes as these be namely a faith which beleeveth that sins are freely remitted through Christ But this doctrine of S. Paul is almost wholly smothered by traditions which have bred an opinion that by making difference in meats and such like services a man must merit remission of sinnes and justification In their doctrine of repentance there was no mention of faith onely these satisfactory works were spoken of Repentance seemed to stand wholly in these Secondly these traditions obscured the Commandements of God that they could not be knowne because that traditions were preferred farre above the Commandements of God All Christianitie was thought to be an observation of certaine holy dayes rites fasts and attire These observations carried a goodly title and name that they were the spirituall life and the perfect life In the meane season Gods Commandements touching every mans calling were of small estimation That the father brought up his children that the mother bare them that the Prince governed the common wealth these were reputed worldly affaires and unperfect and farre inferiour to those glistering observations and orders And these errors did greatly torment good mindes which were grieved that they were handfasted to an unperfect kinde of life in marriage in Magistracie and in other civill functions They had the Monks and such like men in admiration and falsely imagined that their orders did more deserve remission of sinnes and justification Thirdly traditions brought great danger to mens consciences because it was impossible to keep them all and yet men thought the observation of them to be necessarie duties Gerson writeth that many fell into despaire and some murdered themselves because they perceived that they could not keepe the traditions and all this while they never heard the comfort of the righteousnesse of faith or of grace We see the Summists and Divines gather together the traditions and seeke qualifications of them to unburden mens consciences and yet all will not serve but sometimes they bring more snares upon the conscience The Schooles and Pulpits have beene so busied in gathering together the traditions that they had not leasure once to touch the Scripture and to seeke out a more profitable doctrine of faith of the Crosse of hope of the dignitie of civill affaires of the comfort of consciences in perilous assaults Wherefore Gerson and some other Divines have made grievous complaints that they were hindered by braules about traditions that they could not be occupied in some better kinde of doctrine And Saint Augustine forbiddeth that mens consciences should be burdened with such kinde of observations and doth very wisely warne Januarius to know that they are to be observed indifferently for he so speaketh Wherefore our Ministers must not be thought to have touched this matter unadvisedly for hatred of the Bishops as some doe falsely surmise There was great need to admonish the Churches of those errors which did arise from mistaking of traditions for the Gospel driveth men to urge the doctrine of grace and the of righteousnes of faith in the Church which yet can never be understood if men suppose that they can merit remission of sinnes and iustification by observation of their owne choice Thus therefore they have taught us that we can never merit remission of sinnes and justification by the observation of mans traditions and therefore that we must not thinke that such observations are necessarie duties Hereunto they adde testimonies out of the Scriptures Christ excuseth his disciples Matth. 15. which kept not the received tradition which yet seemed to be about a matter not unlawfull but indifferent and to have some affinitie with the washings of the law and saith They worship me in vaine with the precepts of men Christ therefore requireth no unprofitable worship and a little after he addeth All that entereth in at the mouth defileth not the man Againe Rom. 14. The kingdome of God is not meat and drinke Col. 2. Let no man iudge you in meat or drinke in a Sabbath or in an holy day Againe If ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world why as though ye lived in the world are ye burdened with traditions Touch not taste not handle not
Saint Paul whereby every Christian man doth assure himselfe that all righteousnesse and salvation is to be sought for onely in Christ Iesus our Lord and is also assured that he must at all times use all the things of this life as to the profit of our neighbours so to the glory of God and that all which he hath is to be arbitrated and moderated by the holy Ghost who is the giver of true adoption and true libertie and that he ought freely to permit them to be appointed and bestowed both to the reliefe of his neighbours and also to the advancement of the glory of God Seeing that we retaine this libertie we shew our selves to be the servants of Christ when we betray it to men addicting our selves to their inventions we doe like runnagates forsake Christ and flie to men The which thing we doe so much the more wickedly because that Christ hath freed us by his blood not by a vile or common price and hath redeemed us to himselfe from the deadly slavery of Satan And this is the cause why Saint Paul writing to the Galathians did so much detest it that they had addicted themselves to the ceremonies of the law though they were commanded of God whereas notwithstanding as we declared before that might be farre better excused then to submit themselves to the yoke of those ceremonies which men have feigned of their own brain For he did write and that truely that they which admit the yoke of those ceremonies despise the grace of God and count the death of Christ as a thing of nothing and thereupon he saith That he is afraid lest that he had bestowed his labour among them in vain and he exhorteth them That they would stand stedfast in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and not to be intangled againe with the yoke of bondage Now it is evident that Monkerie is nothing else then bondage of traditions devised by men and indeed of such as Paul hath by name condemned in the places which we alledged For undoubtedly they which professe Monkerie doe addict themselves to those inventions of men for hope of merits And hereupon it is that they make it so hainous an offence to forsake those inventions and to imbrace the libertie of Christ Therefore seeing 1 Cor. 6. that as well our body as our spirit belong unto God and that in a double respect to wit of our condition and Redemption it can not be lawfull for Christians to make themselves slaves to this Monasticall servitude much lesse then for prophane servants to change their masters Moreover it cannot be denied but that by such like bondage and vowes to live after the commandement of men a certaine necessitie as it alwaies useth to be of transgressing the law of God is brought in For the law of God doth require that a Christian man should as much as lyeth in him Matth. 15. imploy his service to the benefit of the Magistrate his parents kinred and others and of all those whom the Lord hath made his neighbours and brought to him to be delivered in what place time or manner soever their necessitie shall require it Then let him imbrace that kinde of living whereby he may chiefely provide for the affaires of his neighbours neither let him chuse a single life but let him know that to renounce marriage and to make himselfe an Eunuch for the kingdome of heaven that is to further godlinesse and the glory of God it is a peculiar and a speciall gift of God For that Edict which Paul did publish standeth firme and stedfast neither can any vowes of men make it frustrate For the avoyding of whoredome let every man he excepteth none have his owne wife and every woman her owne husband For all men doe not receive that word of taking upon them a single life for the kingdome of heaven as Christ himselfe doth witnesse then whom no man did more certainly know more faithfully teach either of what force mans nature is or what is acceptable to his Father Now it is certaine that by these Monasticall vowes they which doe make them are bound to a certaine kinde of men so that they thinke it not lawfull to shew themselves obedient and dutifull any longer either to the Magistrate or to their parents or to any men onely the chiefe governour of the Monasterie excepted nor to releeve them with their substance and least of all to marry a wife though they be greatly burned and therefore they doe necessarily fall into all kindes of dishonesties of life Seeing therefore that it is evident that these Monasticall vows doe make a man which is freed from the service of Christ to be in danger not so much of the bondage of men as of Sathan and that they do bring in a certaine necessitie of transgressing the law of God according to the nature of all such traditions as are devised by men and that therefore they be manifestly contrary to the commandements of God we doe not without cause beleeve that they are to be made frustrate seeing that not onely the written law but also the law of nature doth command to disanull a promise if being kept it be a hinderance to good manners not onely to religion Therefore we could not withstand any which would change a Monasticall life which is undoubtedly a bondage to Sathan for a Christian life as also we could not withstand others of the Ecclesiasticall order who marrying wives have imbraced a kinde of life whereof their neighbours might looke for more profit and greater honestie of life then of that kinde wherein they lived before To conclude neither did we take upon us to drive them from the right of wedlocke who among us have persevered in the ministery of the word of God whatsoever chastitie they had vowed for the causes before specified seeing that Saint Paul the chiefe maintainer of true chastitie doth admit even a Bishop to be a married man For we have lawfully preferred this one law of God before all laws of men For the avoiding of whoredome let every man have his owne wife Which law truly for that it hath been rejected so long time all kindes of lust even those which are not to be named be it spoken with reverence to your sacred Majestie O noble Cesar have more then horribly overthrowne this Ecclesiasticall order so that at this day amongst men there be none more abhominable then they which beare the name of Priests THE NINETEENTH SECTION OF THE CIVILL MAGISTRATE The latter Confession of HELVETIA Of Magistracie CHAP. 30. THE Magistracie of what sort soever it be is ordained of God himselfe for the peace and quietnesse of mankinde and so that he ought to have the chiefest place in the world If he be an adversarie to the Church he may hinder and disturbe it very much but if he be a friend and a member of the Church he is a most profitable and excellent member thereof which