with the same Spirit ioyned with the Father but also according to his person of mediator bicause if he had not had that power he had come to vs in vaine After whiche meaning he is called the seconde Adam geuen frō heauen to be a quickning Spirit whereby Paule compareth the singular life that the sonne of God breatheth into them that be his that thei may be alone with hym with the natural life that is also common to the reprobate Likewise where he wissheth to the faithful the fauoure of Christ and the loue of God he ioyneth withall the common partaking of the Spirit without which no man can tast neither of the fatherly fauoure of God nor of the bountifulnesse of Christe As also he saith in an other place The loue of God is poured out into oure heartes by the holy Spirite that is geuen vs. And here it shal be profitable to note wyth what titles the Scripture setteth out the holy Spirite where it entreateth of beginninge and whole restoring of oure saluation Fyrste he is a called the Spirit of adoption bicause he is a wytnesse vnto vs of the free goodwil of God wherewyth God the Father hathe embraced vs in hys beloued onely begotten Sonne that he might be a father vnto vs and doth encourage vs to praie boldly yea and dothe minister vs wordes to crie with oute feare Abba Father by the same reason hee is called the earnest pledge and seale of our inheritance bicause he so geueth life from heauen to vs wandringe in the worlde and being like to deade men that we maie be assured that oure soule is in safegarde vnder the faithefull keping of God for which cause he is also called life by reasō for righteousnesse And forasmuch as by his secret watering he maketh vs frutfull to brynge forth the buddes of righteousnesse he is oftentimes called water as in Esaie All ye that thyrste come to the waters Againe I will poure out my spirit vpon the thyrsty and stoodes vpon the drie land wherewith agreeth that sayeng of Christ which I did euen now allege If any thyrste let him come to me Albeit sometime he is so called by reason of his power to purge and cleanse as in Ezechiell where the Lord promiseth cleane waters wherwith he wil washe his people from fylthinesse And forasmuch as herestoreth norisheth into liuely quicknes them vpō whom he hath poured the liquore of hys grace he is therefore called by the name of oyle and anoyntement Agayne bycause in continually seethynge oute and burninge vp the vices of oure luste hee setteth oure heartes on fyre wyth the loue of God and zeele of godlynesse he is also for thys effect worthyly called fyre Finally he is described vnto vs as a fountaine from whense do flowe vnto vs all heauenly rychesse or the hande of God wherewyth he vseth hys power bycause by the breathe of hys power he so breatheth diuine lyfe into vs that wee are not nowe styrred by oure selues but ruled by hys styrringe and mouynge so that yf there bee any good thynges in vs they bee the frutes of hys grace but oure owne gyftes wythout hym bee darkenesse of mynde and pereuersnesse of hearte Thys poynte ys sette oute playnely enoughe that tyll oure myndes bee bente vpon the holy ghoste Christe lyeth in a manner idle bycause we coldely espye wythout vs yea and farre awaye from vs. But wee knowe that hee profyteth none other but them whose heade hee ys and the fyrste begotten amonge brethren and them whyche haue putte on Hym. Thys conioynynge onely maketh that as concernyng vs he is come not vnprofytably wyth the name of sauioure And for proofe hereof serueth that holy mariage whereby we are made fleshe of hys fleshe and bones of hys bones yea and all one wyth hym but by the Spirite onely hee maketh hym selfe one wyth vs by the grace and power of the same Spirite wee are made hys membres so that hee conteyneth vs vnder hym and wee agayne possesse hym But forasmuche as faithe is his principall woorke to it are for the moste parte referred all those thynges that we commonly finde spoken to expresse his force and working bicause he bryngeth vs into the light of the Gospel by nothyng but by faith as Ihon baptiste teacheth that this prerogatiue is geuen to them the beleue in Christ that thei be the childrē of God which ar borne not of flesh blood but of God wher setting God againste fleshe and bloode he affirmeth it to be a supernaturall gift that thei receiue Christe by faith whoe otherwise shoulde remaine subiect to their owne infidelitie Like where vnto is that answer of Christe Fleshe and bloode hathe not reueled it to thee but my Father whiche is in heauen These thinges I do nowe but shortly touche bycause I haue already entreated of them at large And lyke also is that saieng of Paule that the Ephesians were sealed vp with the holy spirit of promisse For Paule sheweth that he is an inwarde teacher by whose workynge the promyse of saluation pearceth into oure mindes whiche otherwise shoulde but beate the ayre or oure eares Likewyse when he saith that the Thessalonians were chosen of God in the sanctification of the spirit and beleuing of the truth by whiche ioyning of them together he brefely admonisheth that faythe it selfe proceedeth from nothing els but from the holy spirit whych thyng Ihon setteth out more plainely saieng We knowe that there abideth in vs of the spirit whiche he hathe geuen vs. Againe By this we knowe that we dwel in him and he in vs bicause he hath geuen vs of his spirit Therfore Christ promised to his Disciples the Spirit of truthe whiche the worlde canne not receiue that thei might bee able to receiue the heauenly wisedome And he assigneth to the same spirit this propre office to put them in mynde of those thynges that he hadde taught them by mouthe Bicause in vaine shoulde the light shewe it selfe to the blinde vnlesse the same spirit of vnderstanding shoulde open the eyes of their minde so as a man may rightly call the holy spirit the keye by which the treasures of the heauenly kingdome are opened vnto vs and may call his enlightning the eyesight of oure minde to see Therefore doth Saint Paule so muche commend the ministerie of the spirit bycause teachers shoulde crie without profiting vnlesse Christ himselfe the inwarde maister shoulde drawe them with his spirit that are geuen him by his Father Therefore as we haue sayde that persecte saluation is founde in the person of Christ so that we may be made partakers therof he doth baptize vs in the holy spirit and fyre lightning vs into the faith of his Gospell and so newe begetting vs that we maie be newe creatures and purging vs from vnholy fylthynesse doth dedicate vs to be holy temples to God The seconde Chapiter Of faithe wherein bothe is sette
by vnskilfull men bene wrongfullye applied vnto this matter Yea and the same Hilarie hymselfe layethe it for a greate faulte to the heretikes charge that by theyr waywardnesse he is compelled to putte those thynges in perylle of the speche of men whyche oughte to haue beene kepte in the relygiousnesse of myndes playnely confessynge that this is to doo thynges vnlaufull to speake that ought not to bee spoken to attempt thynges not licenced A little after he excuseth himself with many words for that he was so bold to vtter newe names For after he had vsed the natural names Father Sonne and Holy ghost he addeth that what soeuer is sought further is beyōd the compasse of speache beyonde the reache of sense and beyonde the capacitie of vnderstandynge And in an other place he saith the happy ar the bishops of Gallia which neither had nor receiued nor knewe any other confession but that olde and simple one whiche from the time of the Apostles was receyued in all churches And muche like is the excuse of Augustine that this woorde was wroung oute of necessitie by reason of the imperfection of mens language in so greate a matter not to expresse that whiche is but that it shoulde not bee vnspoken howe the Father the Sonne and the Holy ghoste are three This modestie of the holy menne ought to warne vs that we doo not foorthwith so seuerely lyke Censors note them with infamie that refuse to subscribe and sweare to suche wordes as we propounde them so that they doo it not of pride of frowardnesse or of malicious crafte But let them again consider by how great necessitie we are driuen to speake so that by littell little they may be enured with that profitable maner of speche Let them also learne to beware least sithe we must mete on the one syde with the Arrians on the other syde with Sabellians whyle they be offended that we cutte of occasion from them both to cauill they bryng themselues in suspicion that they be the disciples either of Arrius or of Sabellius Arrius sayth that Christe is God but he muttereth that he was create and had a beginnyng He saith Christe is one with the father but secretely he whispereth in the eares of his disciples that he was made one as the other faithfull be although by singular prerogatiue Say ones that Christ is Consubstanciall with his father then plucke you of his visour from the dissembler and yet you adde nothyng to the scripture Sabellius sayth that the seueral names Father Son and Holy ghost signifie nothyng in God seuerally distincte saye that they are three and he will crye out that you name thre gods Saye that there is in one essence a Trinitie of persons then shal you in one word bothe saye what the scripture speaketh and stop their vayne babblyng Nowe if any be holden with so curious superstition that they can not abide these names yet is there no man though he wold neuer so fayn that can deny but that when we heare of one we must vnderstande an vnitie of substance when we here of thre in one essence that it is ment of the persons in the trinitie Which thyng beyng without fraude confessed we stay no longer vpon wordes But I haue long ago foūd and that often that who soeuer do obstinately quarell about woordes doo keepe within them a secrete poison so that it is better willyngly to prouoke theim than for their pleasure to speake darkly But leauyng disputation of woordes I will nowe begyn to speake of the matter it selfe I call therfore a Persone a subsistence in the essence of God which hauyng relation to the other is distinguished from them with vncōmunicable propretie By the name of Subsistence we meane an other thyng than the essence For if the worde had simply ben God and in the meane tyme had nothynge seuerally propre to it selfe Iohn hadde sayde amysse that it was with god Where he foorthewith addeth that God hymselfe was the same woorde he calleth vs backe agayne to the one single essence But because it could not be with God but that it must rest in the father hereof ariseth that subsistence which though it be ioyned to the essence with an vnseparable knot yet hath it a speciall marke wherby it doth differ from it So of the three subsistences ▪ I say that eche hauyng relation to other is in propretie distinguished Relation is here expressely mencioned For when there is simple and indefinite mencion made of God this name belongeth no lesse to the Sonne and the Holy ghoste than to the Father But when the Father is compared with the Sonne the seuerall propretie of eyther doth discerne hym from the other Thirdely what soeuer is propre vnto euery of them is vncommunicable For that which is geuen to the Father for a marke of difference can not agree with nor be geuen to the Son And I mislyke not the definition of Tertullian so that it be rightly taken That there is in God a certayne disposition or distribution which yet chaungeth nothyng of the vnitie of the essence But before that I go any further it is good that I proue the Godhead of the Sonne and of the Holy ghost Then after we shall see how they differ one from an other Surely when the Worde of God is spoken of in the Scripture it were a very greate absurditie to imagin it only a fadyng and vanishyng voyce whiche sente into the ayre cometh out of God hymselfe of whiche sort were the oracles geuen to the fathers and all the prophecies when rather the woorde is mente to bee the perpetuall wisedome abidyng with the Father from whens all the oracles and prophecies proceded For as Peter testifieth no lesse didde the olde prophetes speake with the spirite of Christ than dyd the Apostles and all they that after them dyd distribute the heauenly doctrine But because Christe was not yet openly shewed we must vnderstande that the Worde was before all worlde 's begotten of the Father And if the Spirite was of the Worde whose instrumentes were the prophetes we do vndoutedly gather that he was true god And this doth Moses teache playnly enough in the creation of the world when he setteth the worde as the meane For why dooth he expressely tell that God in creatyng of all his woorkes sayd Be this doone or that doon but that the vnserchable glory of god may shiningly appere in his images The suttlenosed and babblyng men do easily mock out this with sayeng that the name Woorde is there taken for his byddynge or commaundemente But better expositors are the Apostles whiche teache that the worldes were made by the same and that he susteineth theym all with his mightie Worde For here we see that the Word is taken for the bidding or commaundement of the Sonne which is hymselfe the eternall and essentiall Word to the Father And to the wise and sobre it is not darke that Salomon sayth
helpe of Gods grace they do testifie enoughe and more that we are altogether vnfitte muche more insufficient to keepe the lawe Wherefore let thys proportion of oure strengthes wyth the commaundementes of Gods lawe be no more enforced as if the Lord hadde measured the rule of iustice whiche hee purposed to geue in his lawe accordynge to the rate of oure weakenesse Rather by hys promysses wee oughte to consyder howe vnreadye wee are of oure selues whyche in euerye behalfe do so muche neede hys grace But whoe saye they shall be perswaded that it is lyke to be true that the Lorde appointed his lawe to stockes and stones Neyther dothe any manne goe aboute to perswade yt For the wycked are neyther stockes nor stones when beynge taughte by the lawe that theyr lustes do stryue agaynste God they are proued gyltye by theyr owne wytenesse Nor yet the godly when beeynge putte in mynde of theyr weakenesse they flee vnto grace For whyche purpose serue these sayinges of Augustine The Lorde commaundeth those thynges that we can not do that wee maye knowe what wee oughte to aske of hym Greate is the profite of the commaundements yf so muche bee geuen to free wyll that the grace of God bee the more honoured Faythe obtayneth that whyche the lawe commaundeth yea the lawe therefore commaundeth that faythe maye obtayne that whyche was commaunded by the lawe yea God requyreth faythe yt selfe of vs and fyndeth not what to requyre vnlesse hee geue what to fynde Agayne Let God geue what hee commaundeth commaunde what he wyll That shall more plainely bee seen in rehersinge the three sortes of commaundementes which we touched before The Lorde oftentimes commaundeth bothe in the lawe and in the Prophetes that we be cōuerted vnto hym But on the other syde the Prophete aunswereth Conuerte me Lorde and I shall be conuerted for after that thou didst conuerte me I repented c. He commaundeth vs to circumcise the vncircumcised skynne of oure hearte and by Moses he declareth that thys circumcision is done by his owne hande He eche wher requireth newenesse of hearte but in an other place hee testifieth that it is geuen by himselfe That whyche God promiseth saith Augustine we do not by free wil or nature but he himselfe doth it by grace And this is the same note that he himselfe reherseth in the v. place among the rules of Ticonius that we wel make difference betwene the lawe the promises or betwen the commaundementes grace Nowe let them goe that gather by the commaundementes whether man be able to do any thing toward obediences in suche sorte that thei destroye the grace of God by whiche the commaundementes them selues are fullfylled The commaundemēts of the seconde sorte are symple by whyche wee are bydden to honoure God to serue cleaue vnto hys wyll to kepe hys comaundemtes to folowe his doctrine But there are innumerable places that doe testifie that it is his gyft what so euer ryghteousnesse holynesse godlinesse or puritie may bee had Of the thirde sorte was that exhortacion of Paul and Barnabas to the faithfull whiche is rehearsed by Luke that they shoulde abyde in the grace of God But from whence that strengthe of constancie is to be had the same Paul teacheth in an other place That remayneth sayeth he ▪ brethren bee ye stronge throughe the Lorde In an other place he forbyddeth vs that we doe not greue the spirite of God wherewith we are sealed vp vnto the daye of our redemption But because the thynge that he there requireth could not beperfourmed by men therfore he wysheth it to the Thessalonians from God namely that he woulde recken them worthy of his holy callyng and fulfyll all the purpose of his goodnesse and the woorke of faythe in them Lykewyse in the seconde Epistle to the Corinthians entreating of almes he oftentymes commaundeth theyr good and godlye wyll yet a litle after he thanketh God that put it in the hearte of Titus to take vpon hym to geue exhortacion If Titus coulde not so muche as vse the office of his mouthe to exhorte other but only so farre as God did put it vnto hym howe shoulde other haue bene wyllynge to doe vnlesse God hym selfe had directed their heartes The craftier sorte of them doe cauyll at all these testimonies because there is no impediment but that wee maye ioyne our owne strengthes and God to helpe our weake endeuours They bryng also places out of the Prophetes where the effect of our conuersion seemeth to bee parted in halfe betwene God and vs. Tourne ye to me and I wyll tourne to you What maner of help the Lord bryngeth vs we haue aboue shewed and it is not nedefull here to repete it This one thyng I woulde haue graunted me that it is vainely gathered that there is requyred in vs a power to fulfyll the lawe because God dothe cōmaunde the obedience of it For as much as it is euident that for the fulfillyng of all the commaundementes of God the grace of the lawegeuer is bothe necessary for vs and promysed vnto vs. Thereby then it appeareth that at least there is more required of vs than we are able to paye And that saying of Hieremie can not be wyped away with any cauillatiōs that the couenaunt of God made with the auncient people was voyde because it was only literall and that it coulde no otherwyse bee stablyshed than when the spirite cometh vnto it whiche frameth the heartes to obedience Neither dothe that saying Tourne ye to me and I wyll tourne vnto you fauour their errour For there is meant not that tourning of God wherewith he renueth oure heartes to repentaunce but wherewyth hee by prosperitie of thynges dothe declare hym selfe fauourable and merciful as by aduersitie he somtime sheweth his displeasure Where as therfore the people being vexed with many sortes of miseries and calamities dyd complayne that God was turned awaye from them he aunswereth that they shall not be destitute of his fauour if they retourne to vprightnesse of lyfe and to hym selfe that is the paterne of righteousnesse Therefore the place is wrongfully wrested when it is drawen to this pourpose that the woorke of our conuersion shoulde seeme to bee parted betwixte God and men These thynges we haue comprehended so muche the shortelyer bycause the propre place for this matter shall bee where we entreate of the Lawe The seconde sorte of their argumentes is muche like vnto the fyrst They alledge the promises whereby God dothe couenaunt wyth oure will of whiche sorte are Seeke good and not euell and ye shall liue If ye will and do heare ye shall eate the good thynges of the earth but if ye will not the swoarde shal deuoure you bicause the Lordes mouth hathe spoken it Againe If thow put awaie thine abhominations oute of my syghte then shalte thou not be dryuen oute If thou shalte obeye dylygently the voyce of the Lorde
appeareth sufficiently though it were but by this that while we muste liue in warfare vnder the crosse during the whole course of oure life our estate is harde and miserable what then sholde it profite vs to be gathered together vnder the dominion of a heauenly kinge vnlesse we wer certaine to enuy the frute therof out of the state of this earthly life And therefore it is to be knowen that whatsoeuer felicitie is promised vs in Christ it consisteth not in outward coÌ„modities that we shold leade a merry and quiet life florish in wealth be assured from al harmes flowe full of those deliteful thinges that the flesh is wont to desire but that it wholy belongeth to the heauenly lyfe But as in the worlde the prosperous desired state of the people is partly mainteyned by plentie of good thinges and peace at home and partely by strong forceable defenses wherby it maie be safe against outward violence so Christe also dothe enriche his with all thynges necessarie to eternall saluation of soules and fortifieth them with strength by whiche thei mai stande inuincible against al assaultes of spiritual enemies Whereby we gather that he reigneth more for vs than for himself and that both within without that being furnished so farr as God knoweth to be expedient for vs with the gyftes of the spirite wherof we are naturally empty we maie by these fyrste frutes perceaue that we are truely ioyned to God vnto perfect blesednesse And then that bearinge vs bolde vpon the power of the same spirit we may not doubt that we shall alwaie haue the victorie against the Deuell the worlde and euery kinde of hurtfull thinge To thys purpose tendeth the a unswer of Christe to the Pharises that bicause the kingedome of God is with in vs it shal not come with obseruation For it is likely that bicause he professed that hee was the same kinge vnder whome the souereigne blessinge of God was to be hoped for they in scorne requyred hym to shewe fourth his signes But hee bycause thei who otherwise are to muche bent to the earth shoulde not foolishly rest vpon worldly pompes byddeth them to enter into their owne consciences bycause the kingdome of God is righteousnesse peace and ioye in the holy ghosâ—e Hereby we are breefely taughte what the kingedome of Christ auayleth vs. For bycause it is not earthly or fleshly subiecte to corruption but spirituall he lifteth vs vp euen to eternall lyfe that we maie patienth passe ouer this life in miseries hunger cold coÌ„tempt reproches and other greues contented with this one thinge that oure king will neuer leaue vs destitute but succoure vs in oure necessities till hauing ended oure warre we be called to triumph For suche is his manner of reigning to communicate with vs all that he hathe recâ—iued of his father Nowe whereas he armeth and furnisheth vs wyth power and garnisheth vs with beautie magnificens enricheth vs with wealth hereby is ministred vnto vs moste plentyfull matter to glorie vpon also bold courage to fight without feare against the Deuell sinne and death Finally that clothed with hys righteousnes wee may valiantly ouercome al the reproches of the world and as he liberally filleth vs with his giftes so we againe for oure parte may bring forth frute to his glorye Therfore his kingly anointing is set forth vnto vs not done with oyle or ointmeÌ„tes made with spices but he is called the anointed of god bicause vpoÌ„ him hath rested the spirit of wisdome vnderstaÌ„ding couÌ„sel strength and feare of God Thys is the oyle of gladnesse wherewpth the Psalme reporteth that he was annoynted aboue his fellowes bicause if there were not suche excellencie in hym we shoulde be all needy and hungry For as it is already saide hee is not priuately enriched for hym selfe but â—o poure his plentie vpon vs being hungry and drie For as it is sayde that the father gaue the spirite to his sonne not by measure so there is expressed a reason why that all we shoulde receiue of his fulnesse and grace for grace Oute of which fountaine floweth that liberall geuinge whereof Paule maketh mention whereby grace is diuersly distributed to the faithful according to the measure of the gyfte of Christe Hereby is that whiche I saide sufficiently confyrmed that the kyngedome of Christ consisteth in the spirite not in earthly delytes or pompes and therefore we muste forsake the woorlde that we maye be partakers of it A visible signe of this holy anoyntinge was shewed in the baptisme of Christe when the holy ghooste rested vpon him in the lykenesse of a doue That the holy ghooste and hys gyftes are meante by the woorde Anoyntinge oughte to seeme neither noueltie nor absurditie For we are none other waie quickened specially for so muche as concerneth the heauenly lyfe there is no droppe of lyuely force in vs but that whiche the holy ghoste poureth into vs whyche hathe chosen his seate in Christe that from thense the heauenly rychesse mighte largely flowe oute vnto vs whereof wee are so neady And whereas bothe the faythfull stande inuincible by the strengthe of their king also his spiritual richesse plenteously flow out vnto them thei are not vnwoorthyly called Christians But this eternitie wherof we haue spoken is nothynge derogate by that sayeng of Paule Then he shall yelde vp the kyngdome to God and the Father Againe â–ª the sonne hym selfe shall be made subiecte that God maye be all in all thynges for hys meaninge is nothynge els but that in that same perfect glorie the administration of the kyngedome shall not bee suche as it is nowe For the father hathe geuen all power to the sonne that by the sonnes hande he maye gouerne cherishe and susteine vs defende vs vnder hys sauegarde and helpe vs. So whyle for a lyttle time we are waueringe abroade from God Christ is the meane betweene God and vs by lyttle and lyttle to brynge vs to perfect conioyning wyth God And truely whereas he sytteth on the right hande of the father that is as muche in effecte as yf hee were called the fathers deputee vnder whome is the whole power of his dominion bycause it is Gods will to rule and defende hys Churche by a meane as I maie so call it in the person of hys Sonne As also Paule dothe expounde it in the fyrste chapiter to the Ephesians that he was sette at the ryght hande of the father to be the heade of the Churche whyche is his body And to no other meanynge tendeth that whyche hee teacheth in an other place that there is geuen hym a name aboue all names that in the name of Iesus all knees shoulde bowe and all tongues confesse that it is to the glorie of God the Father For euen in the same woordes also hee setteth oute in the kingedome of Christe an ordre necessarye for oure presente weakenesse So Paule gathereth ryghtely that God shall then bee by
more largely shewed how vnfit men are to beleue Therefore I wil not wery the readers with repeting the same againe Let this be sufficient that the spirit of faith is called of Paule faith it selfe which the spirit geueth vs but not which we haue naturally Therfore he praieth that god fulfil in the Thessalonians al his good pleasure the worke of faith in power Wherin calling faithe the worke of God geuing it that title for a name of additiō calling it by figure of appositiō Gods good pleasure he denieth that it is of mans own motion not contented therwith he addeth further that it is a declaratiō of Gods power writing to the Corynthians where he saith that faithe hangeth not vpon the wisedome of men but is grounded vpon the power of the holy ghoste He speaketh in dede of outewarde miracles but bicause the reprobate are blynde at the beholding of them hee comprehendeth also that inwarde seale wherof he maketh mention in an other place And God the more gloriously to set forthe his liberalitie in so noble a gifte vouchesaueth not to graunt it to al vniuersally without difference but by singular priuilege geueth it to whome he will For proofe whereof we haue alleged testimonies before Of which Augustine being a faithfull expositor crieth out that it woulde please the sauioure to teache him and that the very beleuing it selfe is of gifte and not of deseruing Noman saith he commeth to me vnlesse my father drawe him and to whome it is geuen of my father It is maruellous that twoo do heare the one despyseth the other ascendeth vp Let him that despiseth impute it to himselfe let him that ascende not yt arrogantly assigne to himselfe In an other place Why is it geuen to one and not to an other It greueth me not to say it this is the depth of the crosse Out of I wote not what depth of the iudgmentes of God which we mate not searche procedeth all that we can What I can I see whereby I can I see not sauinge that I see thus farre that it is of God But why hym and not hym That is muche to me It is a bottomelesse depth it is the depth of the crosse I maie crie out with woundering but not shewe it in disputing ▪ Finally the summe commeth to this that Christ when he enlightneth vs vnto faith by the power of hys spirite doth there withall graffe vs into his bodie that wee maie be made partakers of all good thynges Nowe remaineth that that whiche the minde hathe receiued may be further conueied into the heart For the word of God is not throughly receiued by faith if it swimme in the toppe of the braine but when it hath taken roote in the bottome of the heart that it may be an inuincible defense to beare and repulse all the engines of tentations Now if it be true that the true vnderstanding of the mynde is the enlightning thereof then in such confyrmation of the hearte his power much more euidently appeareth euen by so muche as the distrustfulnesse of the hearte is greater than the blindnesse of the witte and as it is harder to haue the mynde furnyshed wyth assurednesse than the witte to bee instructed with thinking Therefore the Spirit perfourmeth the office of a seale to seale vp in our heartes those same promyses the assurance whereof it fyrste emprinted in oure wittes and serueth for an earnest to confyrme and stablyshe them Sithe ye beleued saith the Apostle ye are sealed vp with the holy Spirite of promyse whiche is the earnest of oure inheritance See you not how he teacheth that by the spirit the heartes of the fathfull are grauen as with a seale and how for the same reason he calleth him the Spirite of promise bycause he ratifieth the Gospell vnto vs Lykewyse to the Corynthians he saithe God whiche annoynted vs whiche hath also sealed vs and geuen the earnest of hys Spirite in oure heartes And in an other place when he speaketh of confidence and boldnesse of hopigne well hee maketh the pledge of the Spirite the foundation thereof Neither yet haue I forgotten that whyche I sayde before the remembrance whereof experience continually reneweth that is that faithe is tossed wyth dyuerse doubtynges so that the myndes of the godly are seldome quyet or at least doe not alwaie enioye a peafable state but wyth what soeuer engine they be shaken either thei rise vp out of the very gulfe of temptations or do abide faste in their standing Truely thys assurednesse onely nourisheth and defendeth faithe when we holde fast that whiche is saide in the Psalme The Lorde ys oure protection oure helpe in trouble therefore we will not feare whē the earthe shall tremble and the mountaines shal leape into the heart of the sea Also this moste swete quietnesse is spoken of in an other place I laye downe and slepte and rose againe bycause the Lorde hathe susteined me It is not meante thereby that Dauid was alwaie wyth one vndisturbed course framed to a merry cherefulnesse but in respect that hee tasted the grace of God according to his proportion of faith therefore hee gloryeth that hee wythoute feare despiseth all that euer might disquiet the peace of his minde Therfore the Scripture meaning to exhort vs to faith biddeth vs to be quiet In Esaie it is saide In hope and silence shall be your strength In the Psalme Holde thee stil in the Lorde and waite for him Wherwith agreeth that saieng of the Apostle to the Hebrues Patience is needefull c. Hereby we may iudge how pestilent is that doctrine of the Scholemen that we can no otherwise determine of the grace of God towarde vs than by morall coniecture as euery man thinketh himselfe worthy of it Truely if we shall weie by oure workes howe God is minded towarde vs I graunt that we can atteine yt wyth any coniecture be yt neuer so sclender but sith faithe oughte to haue relation to a simple free promise there is lefte no cause of doubtiong For with what confidence I beseache you shall we be armed if we saie that God is fauourable vnto vs vpon this condition so that the purenesse of oure life do deserue it But bycause I haue appoynted one place proprely for the discussing herof therfore I wil speake no more of them at this present specially for asmuche as it is plaine enoughe that there is nothinge more contrarie to faith than either coniecture or any thinge nere vnto doubting And thei do very ill writhe to this purpose that testimonie of the Preacher whiche thei haue ofte in their mouthes Noman knoweth whether he be worthy of hatred or loue For to speake nothinge how this place is in the common translation corruply turned yet very children can not be ignorant what Salomon meaneth by such words that is that if any man will iudge by the present state of things whom God hateth or whom God
loueth he laboreth in vaine and troubleth himselfe to no profitte for his peines sithe all thinges happen alike both to the righteous and the wicked to him that offreth sacrifices and him that offreth none Whervpon foloweth that God doth not alway witnesse hys loue to them to whome hee maketh all thynges happen prosperously nor dothe alwaies vtter the hatred to them whome hee punisheth And that he dothe to condemne the vanitie of mans witte sith it is so dull in thynges moste needefull to be knowen As he hadde written a little before that it canne not be discerned what the soule of a man differeth from the soule of a beast bicause it seemeth to dye in like manner If any manne will gether thereof that the opinion that wee holde of the immortalitie of soules standeth vpon coniecture maye he not worthyly be compted a madde manne Are they then in theyr right wittes whiche gather that there is no certaintie of Gods grace bycause wee can conceyue none by the carnal beeholdynge of presente thynges But thei alleage that it is a point of rashe presumption to take vpon vs an vndoubted knoweledge of Gods will I woulde in dede graunt it vnto them if we did take so muche vpon vs that we wolde make the incomprehensible secret purpose of God subiect to the sclendernesse of oure witte But when we symply saie with Paule that we haue receiued not the spirite of thys worlde but the Spirit that is of God by whose teachinge wee maie knowe those thinges that are geuen vs of God what canne thei barke againste it but they muste slaunderously speake against the Spirit of God But if it be a horrible robberie of God to accuse the reuelation that commeth from him either to be lyeng or vnassured or doubtefull what do we offend in affyrminge that it is assured But they say that this also is not without greate presumptuousnesse that we dare so glorie of the Spirit of Christe Who woulde thynke that their dulnesse were so greate that woulde bee compted maisters of the worlde that they so fowly stumble in the fyrste principles of religion Surely I woulde not thinke it credible vnlesse theyr owne wrytynges that are abroade dyd testifie yt Paule pronounceth that they onely are the chyldren of God that are moued wyth hys spirit and these menne woulde haue them that bee the chyldren of God to be moued wyth theyr own spirit to be without the Spirite of God Paule teacheth that we call God oure Father as the holy ghoste ministreth that woorde vnto vs whyche onely canne beare witnesse to oure spirite that we are the children of God These men althoughe they forbydde vs not to call vpon God yet do take awaie his Spirite by whose guydinge hee shoulde haue been rightly called vpon Paule denyeth that thei are the seruantes of Christ that are not moued with the Spirit of Christ these men faine a Christianitie that needeth not the Spirit of Christe Paule maketh no hope of the blessed resurrection vnlesse wee feele the holy ghoste abydynge in vs they forge a hope withoute any suche feeling But peraduenture the will answere that thei do not denie that we ought to be endued with it but y◠it is a point of modestie and humilitie not to acknowledge it What meaneth he then when he biddeth the Corynthians to trie whether thei be in the faith to proue themselues whether thei haue Christe whome vnlesse a man do acknowledge to be dwelling in him he is a reprobate But by the Spirite that God hath geuen vs saith Ihon we knowe that he abydeth in vs. And what do we els but cal the promises of Christ in dout when we will be compted the seruantes of God without his Spirite whiche he hathe openly declared that he woulde poure out vpon all his Biside that we do wronge to the holy ghoste whiche do separate from him faithe that is his peculiar worke Sithe these are the firste lessons of godlie religion it is a token of miserable blindenesse to haue Christians noted of arrogancie that dare glorie of the presence of the holy ghoste without whiche glorieng Christianitie it selfe dothe not stand But thei declare by their example how truely Christ saide that his Spirite is vnknowen to the worlde and is onely knowen of them with whome he abideth And bycause thei will not go about to ouerthrowe the stedfastnesse of faith with digging onely of one myne they assayle it also otherwise For thei say that although according to our present state of righteousnes we mai gather a iudgment of the grace of God yet the knowledg of perseuerance to the ende abideth in suspense A goodly cōfidence of saluation forsoothe is left vnto vs if we iudge by morall coniecture that for a presēt moment we be in fauoure what shal become of vs to morrow we can not tell The Apostle teacheth farr otherwise I am surely perswaded saith he that neither angeles nor powers nor principalities neither death nor life neither present things nor things to come shal seuer vs frō the loue wherwith the lord embraceth vs in Christ. Thei seke to escape with a trifling solutiō pratinge that the Apostle had that by speciall reuelation But thei are holden to hard to slippe away so For ther he entreateth of those good things that cōmonly come by faith to the faithfull not those that he himselfe specialli feleth But the same Paule in an other place putteth vs in feare with mention of our weakenes vnstedfastnes Let him that standeth saith he beware that he fal not It is true but not suche a feare wherby we shold be ouerthrowē but wherby we may learne to humble our selues vnder the mighty hand of God as Peter expoundeth it Then how against ordre truthe is it to limite the assurednes of faith to a moment of time whose propretie is to passe beyond the spaces of this life extend further to immortalitie to come Sithe therefore the faithfull do impute it to the grace of God that being lightned with his spirite thei do by faith enioy the beholding of the heauenly life so farr is such glorieng frō presumptuousnesse that if any man be ashamed to confesse it he doth therin more bewraie his extreeme vnthankfulnesse in vnkindely hiding Gods goodnes than he doth declare his modestie or submissiō Bicause it semed that the nature of faith could not otherwise better or more plainly be declared than by the substance of the promise vpon whiche it resteth as vpon her propre foundation so that if the promise be taken away faith by by falleth down or rather vanisheth away therfore we toke our definition frō thense which yet varieth not from y◠definition or rather descriptiō of the Apostle that he applieth to his discourse wher he saith that faithe is a substance of thinges to be hoped for a certaintie of things that are not seen For by this word Hypostasis
expediente also to pray in other places but he sheweth that prayer is a certaine secrete thing whiche bothe is chefely placed in the soule and requireth the quiet therof farr from all trobles of cares Not wtout cause therfore the lord himselfe also when he was disposed to apply himselfe more earnestly to prayer coÌ„ueied himself into some solitarie place farr froÌ„ the troblesome coÌ„pany of meÌ„ but to teach vs by his exaÌ„ple that these helps ar not to be despised by which our minde being to slippry of it self is more beÌ„t to earnest applyeng of praier But in the meane time eueÌ„ as he in the middest of the multitude of men absteined not from praying if occasion at any tyme so serued so should we in al places where nede shal be lift vp pure handes Finally thus it is to be holden that whosoeuer refuseth to praye in the holy assemblie of the godly he knoweth not what it is to pray apart or in solitarinesse or at home Againe that he that neglecteth to pray alone or priuatly how diligently soeuer he hauÌ„t publike assemblies doth there make but vaine prayers because he geueth more to the opinion of men thaÌ„ to the secrete iugement of God In the meane time that the common prayers of the Chirch shoulde not growe into contempte God in olde tyme garnished them with glorious titles specially where he called the temple the house of prayer For by thys sayeng he both taught that the chefe part of the worshipping of hym is the dutie of prayer and that to the ende that the faythful should with one consent exercise themselues in it the teÌ„ple was set vp as a standard for them There was also added a notable promise There abideth for thee O God prayse in Sion to thee the vow shal be payed By which wordes the Prophet telleth vs that the prayers of the Chirch are neuer voyde because the Lord alway ministreth to hys people mater to sing vpon with ioy But although the shadowes of the law are cessed yet because the Lordes wil was by thys ceremonie to nourish among vs also the vnitie of fayth it is no doute that the same promise belongeth to vs which both Christ hath stablished with hys owne mouth and Paule teacheth that it is of force for euer Now as the Lord by hys worde commaundeth the faithful to vse coÌ„mon prayers so there must be common temples appointed for the vsing of them where whoso refuse to communicate their prayer with the people of God there is no cause why they should abuse thys pretense that they enter into their chamber that they may obey the commaundemente of the lord For he that promiseth that he wil do whatsoeuer twoo or three shall aske being gathered together in hys name testifieth that he despiseth not prayers openly made so that bosting and seking of glory of meÌ„ be absent so that vnfained true affectioÌ„ be present which dwelleth in the secret of the hart If this be the right vse of temples as truely it is we must againe beware that neither as they haue begon in certayne ages past to be accoÌ„pted we take them for the propre dwelling places of God from whense he may more nerely bende hys eare vnto 〈◊〉 â—ayne to them I wote not what secrete holinesse whiche maye 〈…〉 prayer more holy before God For sith we our selues be the 〈◊〉 teÌ„ples of God we must pray in our selues if we wil cal vpon God in his own holy temple As for that grossenesse let vs which haue a commaundement to call vpon the Lord in Spirite and truth without difference of place leaue it to the Iewes or the Gentiles There was in dede a temple in olde time by the commaundemente of God for offring of prayers and sacrifices but that was at such tyme as the truth lay hydde figured vnder suche shadowes which being now liuely expressed vnto vs doth not suffer vs to sticke in any materiall temple Neither was the temple geuen to the Iewes themselues with this condition that they shold enclose the presence of God within the walles therof but wherby they myght be exercised to beholde the image of the true temple Therefore they which in any wise thought that God dwelleth in temples made with handes were sharply rebuked of Esay and Stephen Here moreouer it is more than euident that neither voice nor song if they be vsed in prayer haue any force or do any whit profite before God vnlesse they procede from the depe affectioÌ„ of the hart But rather they prouoke his wrath against vs if they come only froÌ„ the lippes and out of the throte forasmuch as that is to abuse his holy name and to make a mockerie of his maiestie as we gather out of the wordes of Esay which although they extende further yet perteine also to reproue thys fault Thys people sayth he cometh nere to with their mouth and honoreth me with their lippes but their hart is farr froÌ„ me they haue feared me with the commauÌ„dement and doctrine of men Therfore beholde I will make in this people a miracle great and to be wondred at For wisedome shall perish from their wise men and the prudence of the Elders shal vanishe away Neither yet doo we here condemne voice or singyng but rather doo hyely commende them so that they accompany the affection of the mynde For so they exercise the mynd and hold it intentiue in thynkyng vpon God which as it is slippery and rollyng easily slacketh and is diuersly drawen vnlesse it be stayed with diuers helpes Moreouer wheras the glorie of God ought after a certaine maner to shine in al the partes of our body it specially behoueth that the tong be applyed and auowed to this seruice both in singing and in speaking which is properly created to shew fourth and display the praise of God But the chefe vse of the tong is in publike prayers which are made in the assemblie of the Godly which tend to thys ende that we may all with one common voice and as it were with one mouth together glorifie God whoÌ„ we worship with one Spirite and one Faith and that openly that all men mutually euery one of hys brother maye receiue the confession of Fayth to the example wherof they maye be bothe allured and stirred Is for the vse singyng in Chirches that I may touche this also by the waie it is certaine that it is not onely most auncieÌ„t but that it was also in vse among the Apostles we maye gather by these wordes of Paule I will syng in Spirite I will syng also in mynde Agayne to the Colossians Teachyng and admonishing you mutually in hymnes psalmes and spirituall songes singyng with grace in your harts to the Lorde For in the first place he teacheth that we should syng with voice and harte in the other he commendeth spirituall songes wherewith the godly doo mutually edifie themselues Yet that it was not vniuersal Augustine
predestinate we ought so to be affectioned that we would al men to be saued So shal it come to passe that whome soeuer we finde we shall trauaile to make him partaker of peace But our peace shal rest vpon the children of peace Therfore for our part we must applie holsome and sharp rebukyng to all men like a medicine that they perish not nor destroye other but it shal be the worke of God to make it profitable to them whome he hath foreknowen and predestinate The .xxiiii. Chapter ¶ That Election is stablished by the callyng of God but that the reprobrate do bryng vpon themselues the iust destruction wherunto they are apoynted BUt that the matter maye more plainely appere we must entreate bothe of the callyng of the elect and of the blinding and hardening of the wicked Of the first of these I haue already spoken somwhat â–ª when I confuted their errour whiche thing that the generalnesse of the promises extendeth egally to all mankinde But this election which otherwise God hath hidden with himselfe he doth not without choyse at length disclose by his callyng which a man maye therefore call the testifieng of it For whome he hath foreknowen them he hath also fore apointed to be fashioned like the image of his sonne whome he hath fore apointed them he hath also called whome he hath called them he hath also iustified that in time to come he maye glorifie them When the Lord hath by electing already adopted his into the number of his children yet we see how they entre not into possession of so great a benefit but when they be called on the other side how beyng called they do nowe enioye a certaine communicatyng of his election For whiche reason Paule calleth the Spirit whiche they receiue bothe the Spirit of adoption and the seale and earnest of the inheritance to come namely bicause it doeth with the testimonie thereof stablish and seale to their heartes the assurednesse of the adoptioÌ„ to come For though the preachyng of the Gospell spryng out of the fountayne of election yet bycause it is also coÌ„mon to the reprobate therfore it could not by it it selfe be a sure profe thereof But God effectually teacheth his elect that he may bryng them to fayth as we haue before alleged out of the wordes of Christ. Whoe so is of God he none other seeth the Father â–ª Againe I haue shewed thy name to the men whome thou haste geuen me Wheras he sayth in an other place No man can come to me vnlesse my Father drawe him Whiche place Augustine wisely weyeth whose wordes are these If as Truthe sayth euery one that hath learned coÌ„met whosoeuer coÌ„meth not certainely neyther hath he learned It doth not therefore folow that he which can come also coÌ„meth vnlesse he haue bothe willed and done it But euery one that hath learned of the father not only can come but also coÌ„meth wheÌ„ now there is present bothe the profit of comming and the affection of willyng and the â—eled with this light that they should refuse to loke vpon electioÌ„ Yet in the meane time I denie not that to the ende we maye be certayne of our saluation we must beginne at the word and that our affiance ought therewith to be contented that we maye call vpon God by the name of Father For some quite contrarie to righte order that they maye be certified of the counsell of God which is nere vnto vs in our mouth and in our heart do couet to flie aboue the cloudes Therefore that rashnesse is to be restrained with sobrietie of faith that it maye suffice vs that God in his outward worde is a witnesse of his hidden grace to that the conduit pipe out of whiche there floweth water largely for vs to drinke doe not hinder but that the springhed maye haue his due honor Therefore as they do wrongfully whiche hang the strength of election vpon the faith of the gospel by which faith we fele that electioÌ„ perteyneth to vs so we shall kepe the beste order if in sekyng the certaintie of our election we sticke fast in these later signes whiche are sure witnessinges of it Satan doâ—â— with no teÌ„tation either more greuously or more dangerously astonish the faithful than when disquieting them with doubt of their election he doth also moue them with a peruerse desire to seke it out of the way I cal it loking out of the way when a wretched man enterpriseth to breake into the hidden secretes of the wisedome of God and to pearce euen to the hiâ—st eternitie to vnderstand what is determined of himself at the iudgemeÌ„t seate of God For then he throweth himselfe hedlong to be swallowed vp into the depth of the vnmeasurable deuouryng pit then he wrappeth himselfe with innumerable snares and such as he caÌ„ not winde out of then he ouerwhelmeth himselfe with the bottoÌ„lesse depth of blinde darknesse For so is it rightfull that the foolishnesse of the wit of maÌ„ be punished with so horrible ruine when he attempteth of his owne force to rise vp to the height of the wisedome of God And so much more deadly is this tentation as there is none to which we are coÌ„monly all more beÌ„t For there is most rarely any man to be fouÌ„d whose minde is not somtime striken with this thought Whensâ— hast thou saluation but of the Election of God And of Election what reuelation hast thou whiche thought if it haue ones taken place in any man eyther perpetually vexeth the miserable man with terrible tormentes or vtterly dismayeth him Truely I would haue no surer argument than this experieÌ„ce to proue howe wrongfully such men imagine of predestination For the minde can be infected with no error more pesâ—ilent thaÌ„ that which plucketh downe and thrusteth the conscience from her peace and quietnesse toward God Therefore if we feare shipwreck we muste diligently beware of this rocke whiche is neuer stryken vpon without destruction And though the disputyng of predestination bee estemed like a dangerous Sea yet in passyng through it there is found a safe and quiet yea and pleasant saylyng vnlesse a man doe wilfully couet to be in danger For as they do drowne themselues in the deadly bottomlesse depth whiche to be certified of their election doe enquire of the secret Counsell of God without his worde so they whyche doe rightly and orderly searche it in suche sorte as it is conteyned in the worde receyue thereof a singular frute of comfort Let this therefore be our way to searche it that we beginne at the calling of God ende in the same Howebeit this withstandeth not but that the faithfull may thinke that the benefites whiche they dayly receiue at the hande of God doe descend from that secret adoption as they saye in Esaye Thou haste done maruels thy thoughtes are olde true and faithfull for asmuch as by that adoption as by a token the Lordes will is to coÌ„firme so much
we are ioyned in felowship to the holy fathers whiche euen beyng dead doe kepe the same godlinesse with vs so that we can not be the members of Christ vnlesse we growe together with them Unlesse also the soules beyng vnclothed of the bodies did kepe still their substance were able to receyue blessed glorie Christ wold not haue sayd to the thefe This day thou shalt be with me in paradise Hauing so clere testimonies let vs not dout after the example of Christ when we are dyeng to commend our soules to God or after the example of Stephen to commit them to Christ to kepe which not vnworthily is called a faithfull shepeherd and bishop of them To enquire of their meane state is neyther lawfull nor expedient Many do much combeâ— themselues with disputing what place they kepe and whether thei do now enioye the heauenly glorie or no. But it is follie and rashnesse to searche depelier of vnknowen thinges than God doth geue vs leaue to know When the Scripture hath sayd that Christ is present with them and receiueth them into paradise that they maye enioy comfort on the other side that the soules of the reprobate do suffer suche peines as they haue deserued it goeth no further What teacher or maister shall nowe open to vs that whiche God hath hidden Of the place the questioÌ„ is no lesse fond and vayne for asmuch as we know that there is not the same dimension of the soule which is of the body Whereas the blessed gatheryng together of holy spirites is called the bosome of Abraham it is enough for vs after this wayfaryng to be receyued of the common father of the faithfull that he may communicate with vs the frute of his fayth In the meane time â—iâ—he the Scripture euery where biddeth vs to hang vpon the expectation of Christes coÌ„ming and differreth the crowne of glorie till then let vs be content with these bondes apointed vs of God namely that the soules of the godly hauyng ended the labor of their warfare doe goe into a blessed reste where with happy ioyfulnesse they loke for the enioyeng of the promised glorie and that so all thinges are holden in suspense till Christ the redemer appere As for the Reprobate it is no dout that they haue the same estate which Iude assigneth to the Deuels to be holden bound with cheynes till they be drawen to the punishment whereunto they are condemned No lesse monstruous is their error whiche imagine that soules shall not receyue againe the same bodies wherwith they are now clothed but shal haue new and other bodies And the reason of the Manichees was very triflyng that is that it is not mete that flesh which is vncleane shold rise againe As though there were no vncleaÌ„nesse of soules which yet they debarred not from the hope of euerlasting life It was therefore all one as if they shold say that that which is infected with the filth of sinne can not be cleansed by God For I now passe ouer that dotage that fleshe was naturally vncleane bicause it was create of the Deuel Only I shew that what so euer is now in vs vnworthy of heauen it hindereth not the resurrection And first wheras Paule biddeth the faithfull to cleanse themselues from all deâ—ilyng of the fleshe and of the Spirit therupoÌ„ foloweth the iudgement which he in an other place pronounceth that euery man shal receiue by his body eyther good or euel Wherewith agreeth that which he writeth to the CorinthiaÌ„s That the life of Iesus Christ may be openly shewed in our mortal flesh For which reason in an other place he doth no lesse pray that God preserue the bodies whole vnto the day of Christ than the soules and spirites And no maruell bicause it were a most great absurditie that the bodies which God hath dedicate to be temples to himselfe should fall away into rottennesse without hope of risyng againe What say we to this that thei are also the members of Christ that God commaundeth all the partes of them to be sanctified to himself that he willeth his name to be praysed with tonges pure handes to be lifted vp to him sacrifices to be offred What madnesse is it therfore that that part to whiche the heauenly iudge hath vouchesaued to graunt so great honor should be brought from a mortal man into dust without any hope of restoring Likewise when Paule exhorteth vs to suffer the Lord as well in body as in soule bycause both belong to God verily he suffreth not that whiche he chalengeth to God as holy to be adiudged to eternall rottennesse Neyther is there a plainer determinatioÌ„ of the Scripture for any thing thaÌ„ for the risyng againe of this flesh which we beare This corruptible sayth Paule must put on vncorruption and this mortall must put on immortalitie If God did make new bodies where is this changyng of qualitie If it had ben sayd that we must be renewed the doutful speache paraduenture mought haue geuen occasion to their cauillatioÌ„ But now when pointyng with his â—ingar to the bodies wherewith we are clothed he promiseth to them vncorruption he plainely enough denieth any new bodies to be made Yea he could not sayth TertulliaÌ„ speake more plainly vnlesse he had holden his owne skinne in his hand And they can by no cauillation escape froÌ„ this that where in an other place he sayth that Christ shal be the iudge of the world he allegeth this testimonie of Esaye I liue sayth the Lord euery knee shal bowe to me for as much as he plainly pronounceth that they to whoÌ„ he speaketh shal be subiect to yeld an accompt of their life which could not agree if newe bodies should be brought before the iudgement seate Nowe in the wordes of Daniel there is no doutfulnesse And many of them that slepe in the earth of dust shall awake some to eternall life and some to reproches to euerlastyng contempt sithe he fetcheth not new matter out of the fower elementes to make men but calleth dead men out of their graues And this very plaine reason teacheth For if mortalitie whiche toke beginnyng at the fall of man be accidental then the repayring which Christ brought perteineth to the same body which began to be mortall And truely wheras the Athenians laughed when Paule affirmed the resurrection therupon we may gather what manner of resurrection he preached and that same laughyng not smally anayleth to strengthen our faith The sayeng of Christ also is worthy to be noted Feare not them which kil the body can not kil the soule but feare him which can throwe both the soule and the body into hell of fire For there is no cause to feare vnlesse the body whiche we now beare be subiect to punishmeÌ„t And no lesse plaine is an other sayeng of the same Christ The houre coÌ„meth when all they that are in graues shal heare the
of name where God hath sette the memorye of hys name Whereby he playnly teacheth that without the doctrine of godlinesse there is no vse thereof And it is not douteful but that for the same reason Dauid with greate bitternesse of Spirite complayneth that he is by the tirannous crueltie of hys enemyes kepte from entring into the Tabernacle It semeth commonlye to many a childishe lamentation because it shoulde be but a very small losse and also no greate pleasure shoulde be forgone thereby to wante the entrie of the temple so that there were enoughe of other delytefull thinges But he bewaileth that with this one griefe anguishe and sorowe he is freted and vexed and in a manner wasted for nothyng is of greater estimation wyth the faythfull than thys helpe wherby God by degrees lyfteth vp his on hye For this is also to be noted that God in the mirror of hys doctrine alway so shewed himselfe to the holy Fathers that the knowledge was spiritual Wherfore the tēple is called not onely his face but also to take awaye all superstition hys foote stole And thys is that happy metyng into vnitie of Fayth whyle from the hyest euen to the lowest all doe aspire to the head All the temples that euer the Gentyles vpon any other purpose builded to God were but a mere prophaning of hys worshyp whereunto thoughe not with lyke grossenesse yet somwhat the Iewes fell Whereof Stephen out of the mouth of Esay reprocheth them where he sayeth that God dwelleth not in temples made wyth handes c. Because onely God doeth by hys worde sanctifie to himselfe temples to the lawefull vse And if we rashly attempt any thing wythout his commaundemente by and by to an euill beginning doe cleaue newe deuises by whyche the euill is spreade abrode without measure Yet Xerxes when by the coūsell of the Magitians he burned vp or plucked downe all the temples of Greece vndiscretely sayed that the goddes to whō al thynges ought to be freely open were inclosed within wals and tyles As thoughe it were not in the power of God to the entente he myght be nere vs after a certayne manner to descende vnto vs and yet neyther to chaunge place nor to fasten vs to earthly meanes but rather by certayne chariotes to carry vs vp to his heauenly glory which with the inmeasurable greatnesse thereof fylleth all thynges yea and in heygth surmounteth the heauens Now forasmuche as at this time there hath been greate strife about the effectualnesse of the ministerie while some excessiuely amplyfye the dignitie thereof and some other affirme that that whiche is properly belonging to the Holy ghost is wrongfully geuē away to mortal mā if we thynke that ministers and teachers do pearce to the mindes and hartes to amende as well the blindnesse of the mindes as the hardnesse of hartes it is mere that we geue a ryght determination of thys cōtrouersy All that they contende on both partes shal easily be accorded by expresly noting the places where God the author of preachyng ioyning his Spirite with it promiseth fruite therof or againe when seueryng hymselfe from outwarde helpes he chalengeth to himselfe alone as wel the beginninges of Fayth as the whole course thereof It was the office of the seconde Elias as Malachie witnesseth to enlighten the mindes and to turne the hartes of fathers to the children and vnbeleuers to the wysedome of the righteous Christ pronounceth that he sendeth the Apostles that they shoulde bryng fruite of theyr labor But what that fruite is Peter shortly defineth saying that we be regenerate with incorruptible sede And therefore Paule gloryeth that he by the Gospell begate the Corinthyans and that they were the seale of hys Apostle shyppe yea that he was not a lyterall minister suche as dyd onely beate the eares wyth sounde of voyce but that there was geuen hym an effectualnesse of Spirite that his doctryne shoulde not be vnprofytable In whiche meaning also in an other place he saieth that hys Gospell was not in worde onely but in power He affyrmeth also that the Galathyans by hearyng receiued the Spirite of Fayth Finallye in many places he maketh hymselfe not onely a woorker together wyth GOD but also assygneth hymselfe the offyce of geuynge saluatyon Truelye he neuer broughte fourth all these thinges to this entent to geue vnto himselfe any thing were it neuer so little seuerally from God as in an other place he shortlye declareth saying our laboure was not vnprofitable in the Lord according to his power mightily working in me Againe in an other place he that was mightie in Peter towarde the circumcision was also mightie in me towarde the Gentiles But howe he leaueth nothing seuerally to the ministers appeareth by other places as he that planteth is nothing and he that watereth is nothing but God that geueth the encrease Again I haue laboured more than all not I but the grace of God that was with me And truely we must holde fast those sayinges where God ascrybing to himselfe the enlyghtenyng of the mynde and the renewing of the harte teacheth that it is a robberie of God if man take vpon himselfe any parte of either of them In the meane time if any man offer hymselfe to the ministers whom God ordeyneth willing to learne he shall knowe by the frute that thys manner of teachyng not in vaine pleased God and that this yoke of modestie was not in vaine laied vpon the faithful But as for the Churche visible and whiche is within the compasse of our knowledge what iudgemente is mete to be geuen therof I thinke it already appeare euidently by that which we haue before saied For we haue sayed that the holy Scripture speaketh of the Churche after two sortes Somtime when it nameth the Churche it meaneth that churche which is in dede before God into which none are receiued but they that are both by grace of adoption the children of God and by santification of the Spirite the true members of Chryst. And then truelye it comprehendeth not onely the holy ones that dwell in earth but also all the electe that haue ben sins the beginning of the world But often times vnder the name of the Church it signifieth the vniuersall multitude of men scattered abrode in the worlde whiche professe that they worshyp one God and Christ by Baptisme entre into hys Fayth by partaking of the Supper testifie their vnitie in true doctrine and charitie haue an agremente in the worde of the Lorde and for the preaching thereof doe kepe the ministerie ordeined by Christe In thys Churche there be mingled many hipocrites whiche haue nothyng of Christ but the name and outward shewe there be many ambicious couetous enuious euill speakers some of vncleane life which be suffred for a time either because they can not by lawfull order of iudgemente be cōuinced or because there is not alway in vre that seueritie of discipline that oughte to be Therefore as
be wheate we must vse diligeÌ„ce and endeuour as muche as we may that we may be a golden or syluer vessell But to breake the earthen vessels is the only work of the Lord to whom also is geuen an iron rodde And let no man chalenge to hym selfe that whiche is proprely belongyng to the Sonne onely to be able alone to fanne the floore and clense the chaffe and seuer all the tares by mans iudgement This is a prowde obstinacie and a presumption full of sacrilege which a peruerse furour taketh to it selfe c. Therfore let bothe these thynges remayn certainly fixed First that he hath no excuse that of his owne will forsaketh the outward coÌ„munion of the Church â–ª where the word of God is preached the sacraments ministred then that the faultes of a few or of many are no hindraÌ„ce but that we may therin rightly professe our faith by the Ceremonies institute by God bicause a godly conscience is not hurt by the vnworthines of any other ether pastor or priuate man and the misteries are to a holy vpright maÌ„ neuerthelesse pure holsome because they are together handled of vncleane meÌ„ Their precisenesse and disdainfulnesse procedeth yet further because they acknowledge no Chirche but such a one as is pure from al spottes be they neuer so smal yea they are angry with good teachers for that in exhorting the faithful to goe forwarde they teache them al their life long to grone vnder the burden of vices and to flee vnto pardon For they prate that by this meane meÌ„ be led froÌ„ perfection I graunte in dede that in earnest calling vpon perfection we ought not slowly or coldely to trauail much lesse to be idle but to fil our mindes with confidence therof while we be yet in our course I say it is a deuelish inuention Therefore in the Crede the forgeuenesse of synnes is aptly ioyned next after the Chirche For none do atteine it but only they that are citezens and of the household of the Chirch as it is red in the Prophete Therfore the bilding of the heaueÌ„ly HierusaleÌ„ ought to go before wherin afterward this mercifulnesse of God maye haue place that whosoeuer come vnto it their iniquitie may be takeÌ„ away I say that it ought first to be bilded not for that there caÌ„ be any Chirch wtout the forgeuenesse of synnes but because the lord hath not promised his mercy but in the CoÌ„munion of Sainctes Therfore the fyrst entry for vs into the Chirch kingdome of God is the forgeuenesse of synnes wtout which we haue no couenauÌ„t or coÌ„ioyning wyth God For thus he sayeth by the Prophete In the day I wil strike you a couenant with the beast of the feld with the fowle of the aire with the vermin of the earth I wil breake the sword war from out of the earth I wil make men to slepe wtout feare I wil espouse you vnto me for euer I wil espouse you I say in righteousnesse in iudgement in mercy and in coÌ„passions We see how by his mercy the lord recoÌ„cileth vs to himselfe And so in an other place when he foresayth that the people shal be gathered together agayne whoÌ„ he had scattered abrode in his wrath he saieth I wil cleanse theÌ„ froÌ„ al wyckednesse wherewith they haue synned agaynst me Wherfore by the signe of washing we enter into the felowshyp of the Chirch wherby we may be taught that there is no entrie open for vs into the householde of God vnlesse our fylthynesse be fyrst wiped away with hys goodnesse But by the forgeuenesse of sinnes the Lord doth not only receiue and adopt vs ones into the Chirch but by the same he also preserueth maynteineth vs stil in it For to what purpose wer it to haue suche a pardon grauÌ„ted vs as should serue for no vse But euery one of the godly is a wytnesse to himselfe that the mercy of God should be vain and mocking if it should be grauÌ„ted only but ones because there is none that is not in his own coÌ„scieÌ„ce priuie throughout his whole life of many weakenesses which nede the mercy of God And truly not in vain God promiseth thys grace peculiarly to theÌ„ of his own household not in vain he coÌ„maundeth the same message of recoÌ„ciliatioÌ„ to be daily offred vnto theÌ„ Therefore as throughout al our life we carry about vs the râ—nantes of sine vnlesse we be susteined with the coÌ„tinual grace of the lord in forgeuing oure synnes we shal scarcely abide one momeÌ„t in the Chirch But the lord hath called his vnto eternal saluatioÌ„ Therfore they ought to thike that there is pardon alway ready for their sinnes Wherfore we ought to holde assuredly that by the liberalitie of God by meane of Christes deseruing through the Sanctification of the Spirite sinnes haue been and are daily pardoned to vs which be called graffed into the body of the Chirch To deale this benefite vnto vs the keyes were geuen to the Chirch For when Christ gaue the Apostles commaundemeÌ„t deliuered them power to forgeue sinnes he meante not this onely that they shoulde loose them froÌ„ sinnes that wer froÌ„ vngodlinesse coÌ„uerted to the faith of Christ but rather that they should continually execute this office among the faythful Which thing Paule teacheth when he writeth that the embassage of reconciliation was left with the ministers of the Chirche wherby they should oftentimes in Christes name exhort the people to reconcile themselues to God Therfore in the CoÌ„munion of Sainctes by the ministery of the Chirch it self sinnes are coÌ„tinually forgeueÌ„ vs when the Priestes or Bishops to whom the office is committed doe with the promyses of the Gospel coÌ„firme godly consciences in hope of pardoÌ„ forgeuenesse and that as wel publikely as priuately according as necessitie requireth For there be very many which for their weakenesse do nede a singular atonemeÌ„t And Paul reporteth that not only in commoÌ„ preaching but also in houses he had testified the Fayth in Christ and seuerally admonyshed euery one of the doctryne of saluation Therfore we haue here three thyngs to be noted First that with how great holynesse soeuer the children of God do excel yet they be alway in this estate so long as they dwel in a mortal body that without forgeuenesse of sinnes they can not staÌ„de before God Secondly that this benefite is so proper to the Chirche that we can not otherwise enioy it but if we abide in the CoÌ„munion therof Thirdly that it is distributed vnto vs by the ministers Pastors eyther by preaching of the Gospel or by ministryng of the Sacramentes that in thys behalfe principally appeareth the power of the keyes which the Lord hath geuen to the felowship of the faythful Wherfore let euery one of vs thinke this to be his duty no where els to seke forgeuenesse of sines than where the Lord hath set it Of publyke recoÌ„ciliation
of the faithful to take away the ordināces or rather the fained deuises of al men of what degree soeuer they be that the decrees of God onely may remaine in force These be those spirituall armures mighty through God to cast down holdes by which the faithful seruātes of God may throwe down coūsels al height that aduaunceth it selfe against the knowlege of God may leade al knowlege captiue to obey Christ. Loe this is the soueraigne power wherw t it behoueth the Pastors of the Chirch to be endued by what name soeuer they be called that is that by the worde of God they may with cōfidēce be bolde to do al things may cōpel al the strēgth glory wisdome height of the world to yeld obey to his maiestie being vpholdē by his power may cōmaunde al euē frō the hiest to the lowest may bilde vp the house of Christ pull down the house of Satā may fede the shepe driue awai the wolues may instruct exhort the willing to learne ▪ may reproue rebuke subdue the rebellious stubborne may bind loose finally may thūder lightē if nede be but al things in the word of God Howbeit there is as I haue said this differēce betwene the Apostles their successors that the Apostles wer the certaine authētike secretaries of the Holy ghost therfore their writinges are to be estemed for the Oracles of God but the other haue none other office but to teache that which is set fourth writtē in the holy Scriptures We determine therefore that this is not now left to faythfull ministers that they may coyne any new doctrine but that they oughte simply to cleaue to the doctrine wherunto the lord hath made al mē wtoute exception subiect Whē I say this my meaning is not only to shew what is lawful for al particular mē but also what is lawful for the whole vniuersal Chirch Now as touching al particular mē Paul verily was ordeined by the Lord Apostle to the Corinthiās but he denieth that he hath dominiō ouer their faith Who now dare take a dominion vpon hymselfe which Paule testifieth that it belōgeth not to him If he had acknowleged himselfe to haue this libertie of teachīg that whatsoeuer the Pastor teacheth he may therin of right require to be beleued he wold neuer haue taught the Corīthiās this discipline that while twoe or three Prophetes speake the rest should iudge if it were reueled to any that sate the first should hold his peace For so he spared none whoe 's authoritie he made not subiect to the iugemēt of the word of God But wil some mā say of the whole vniuersall Chirch the case is otherwise I answere that in an other place Paul meteth with this dout also where he saieth that Faith is by hearing hearing by the word of God Truly if Faith hang of the word of God only hath respecte vnto resteth vpon it alone what place is there now left to the worde of the whole world For herin no mā may dout that hath wel knowen what Faith is For Faith ought to be staied vpō such assurednesse wherby it may stande inuincible against Satā al the engines of the hells and against the whole world This assurednesse we shal no where find but in the only word of God Againe it is a general rule which we here oughte to haue respect vnto that God doth therfore take frō men the power to set fourth a new doctrine that he only may be our scholemaister in heauenly learning as he only is true which cā neither lye nor deceiue This rule belongeth no lesse to the whole Chirch than to euery one of the faithful But if this power of the Chirche which we haue spoken of be compared with that power wherof the spirituall tyrantes that haue falslye called themselues Bishops and Prelates of religion haue in certayne ages past bosted themselues among the people of God the agreemente shal be no better than Christ hath with Beliall Yet it is not in this place my purpose to declare in what sorte and with how wicked meanes they haue exercised their tyranny I wil but rehearse the doctrine which at this day they defende first with writinges and then with swerd fyre Because they take it for a thyng confessed that a general Coūcell is the true image of the Chirche when they haue taken this principle they do without dout determine that such counsels are immediatly gouerned of the Holy ghost and that therfore they can not erre But whereas they themselues do rule the counsells yea and make them they doe in dede chalenge to themselues whatsoeuer they affirme to be due to the Coūcells Therfore they wil haue our Faith to stande and fall at their will that whatsoeuer they shal determine on the one side or the other maye be stablished and certayne to our mindes so that if they allow any thing we must allowe the same without douting if they condemne any thyng we must also holde it for cōdemned In the meane time after their own lust and despising the worde of God they coyne doctrines to which afterwarde they require by thys rule to haue Fayth geuen For they also say that he is no Christian that doth not certainly consent to all theyr doctrines as wel affirmatiue as negatiue if not with expressed yet with vnexpressed Faith because it is in the power of the Chirche to make new articles of the Fayth First let vs heare by what argumētes they proue that this authoritie is geuen to the Chirche and then we shal se how much that maketh for them which they allege of the Chirch The Chirch say they hath notable promises that it shal neuer be forsakē of Christ her spouse but that it shal be guided by his Spirite into al truth But of the promises which they are wont to allege many are geuē no lesse to euery one the faithful particularly thā to the whole Chirche vniuersally For though the Lord spake to the .xii. Apostles whē he said Behold I am with you euē to the end of the world Again I wil aske my Father he shal geue you an other cōforter namely the Spirite of truth yet he made the promise not only to the whole nūber of the .xii. but also to euery one of them yea to the other disciples likewise either those that he had alredy receiued or those that should afterwarde be added to them But whē they expoūde such promises ful of singular cōfort as though they were geuē to none of the Christians but to the whole Chirche together what do they ells but take away frō al Christians that confidence which they all ought to receiue therby to encourage thē Yet I do not here deny but that the whole felowship of the faithful furnished with manifolde diuersitie of gyftes is endued with much larger and more plentifull treasure of the heauēly wisdome
with no distrustfulnesse or doutyng but shall reste with great assurednesse and stedfast constancie So also trusting vpon the largenesse of those promises that she hath she shal haue whereupon aboūdantly to susteine her fayth that she maye nothyng doute that the best guide of the righte way the holy Spirite is alwaye presente with her but therewithall she shall kepe in memorie what vse the Lord would haue vs to receiue of his holy Spirite The Spirite sayth he which I wil send frō my Father shal leade you into al truth But how◠because sayeth he he shal put you in minde of al those thinges that I haue tolde you Therfore he geueth warning that there is nothing more to be loked for of his Spirite but that he should enlightē our mindes to perceiue the truth of his doctrine Therfore Chrisostome saieth excellently well Many sayeth he do boste of the holy Spirite but they which speake their own do falsly pretēde that they haue him As Christ testified that he spake not of himselfe because he spake out of the law the Prophetes so if any thing beside the Gospel be thrust in vnder the title of the Spirite let vs not beleue it because as Christ is the fulfilling of the law the Prophetes so is the Spirite of the Gospel These be his words Now it is esy to gather how wrōgfully our aduersaries do which bost of the Holy ghost to no other ende but to set fourth vnder his name strāge and foreine doctrines from the word of God wheras he wil with vnspeakable knott be conioined with the worde of God thesame doth Christe professe of him when he promiseth him to his Chirch So is it truly What sobrietie the Lord hath ones prescribed to his Chirch the same he wil haue to be perpetually kept But he hath forbidden her that she should not adde any thing to his worde nor take any thing frō it This is the inuiolable decree of God and of the Holy ghost whiche our aduersaries goe about to abrogate when they faine that the Chirche is ruled of the Spirite without the worde Here againe they murmure against vs say that it behoued that the Chirch shold adde some things to the writinges of the Apostles or that they thēselues should afterwarde with liuely voice supply many thinges which they had not clearly enough taught namely sith Christ said vnto them I haue many thinges to be said to you which you can not now beare and that these be the ordinances which wtout the Scripture haue ben receiued only in vse maners But what shamelessenesse is this I graūt the disciples were yet rude in a maner vnapt to learne whē the Lord said this vnto them But wer they then also holdē with such dulnesse whē they did put their doctrine in writing that they afterward neded to supply with liuely voice that which they had by fault of ignorāce omitted in their writinges But if they were already led by the Spirite of trueth into al trueth whē they did set fourth their writinges what hindred that thei haue not therin conteined left written a perfect knowledge of the doctrine of the Gospell But goe to let vs graunt them that which they require Only let them point out what be those thinges that it behoued to be reueled without writing If they dare enterprise that I wil assaile them with Augustines wordes that is When the Lord hath saied nothing of them which of vs dare say these they be or those they be or if any dare say so wherby doeth he proue it But why do I striue about a superfluous mater For a very childe doeth knowe that in the writinges of the Apostles which these men do make in a maner lame and but half perfecte there is the frute of that reuelation which the Lorde did then promise them What say they did not Christ put out of controuersy what soeuer the Chirche teacheth decreeth when the cōmaundeth him to be taken for a heathen man and a Publicane that dare saye against her Firste in that place is no mentiō made of doctrine but only the authoritie of the censures is established for correcting of vices that they which haue ben admonished or rebuked should not resist her iudgement But omitting this it is muche maruell that these losels haue so litle shame that they dare be proude of that place For what shal they get therby but that the consent of the Chirche is neuer to be despised whiche neuer consenteth but vnto the trueth of the worde of God The Chirch is to be heard say they Who denieth it forasmuch as it pronounceth nothing but out of the worde of the Lorde If they require any more let them know that these wordes of Christ do nothing take their part therin Neither oughte I to be thought to muche contentious because I stande so earnestly vpō this point That it is not lawful for the Chirche to make any new doctrine that is to teach and deliuer for an Oracle any more than that which the Lorde hath reueled by hys worde For men of sounde witt doe se how great daūger there is if so great authoritie be ones graūted to mē They se also howe wyde a wyndowe is opened to the mockynges and cauillations of the wicked if we saye that that whiche men haue iudged is to be takē for an Oracle among Christians Beside that Christ speaking according to the cōsideratiō of his own time geueth thys name to the Sinagoge that his disciples should afterwarde learne to reuerence holy assemblies of the Chirche So shoulde it come to passe that euery citie and village should haue egall authoritie in coyning of doctrines The examples which they vse do nothing helpe them They say that the Baptising of infantes proceded not so much from the expresse commaundement of the Scripture as from the decree of the Chirche But it were a very miserable succor if we were compelled to flee to the bare authoritie of the Chirche for defense of the Baptisme of infantes but it shal in an other place sufficiently appeare that it is farre otherwise Likewise whereas they obiecte that that is no where founde in the Scripture which was pronounced in the Nicene Synode that the Sōne is cōsubstantial with the Father therin they do great wrong to the fathers as though they had rashly cōdemned Arrius because he would not sweare to their wordes when he professed al that doctrine which is cōprehended in the writinges of the Prophetes Apostles This word I graūt is not in the scripture but whē therin is so oft affirmed that there is but one God againe Christ is so oft called the true eternall God one with the Father what other thyng do the fathers of the Nicene councell whē they declare that he is of one substance but simply set out the naturall sense of the Scripture But Theodorite reporteth that Constantine vsed this preface in their assemblie
vnto the forgeuenesse of synnes â–ª which when it is graunted wil largely make for defense of our sentence For sith we be borne sinners we do euen from our mothers wombe nede forgeuenesse and pardon Now seing the Lord doth not cut of but rather assure to that age the hope of mercy why should we take froÌ„ them the signe which is much inferior than the thing it selfe Wherfore that which they go about to throwe against vs we thus throwe backe against themselues infantes haue remission of synnes geueÌ„ them therfore they ought not to haue the signe taken froÌ„ them They allege also thys out of the Epistle to the Ephesians that the Chirch is clensed of the Lord with the washing of water in the worde of lyfe ThaÌ„ which there could nothing be alleged more fit to ouerthrow their error for the rupoÌ„ groweth an easy profe of our syde If the Lorde will haue the washyng wherewith he clenseth his Chirch to be testified by Baptisme it semeth not rightful that it should want the testimonie of it in infantes â–ª whiche are rightfully accompted part of the Chirch forasmuch as they be called heires of the heauenly kingdome For Paule speaketh of the whole Chirch where he sayth that it was cleansed with the Baptisme of water Likewise of this that in an other place he sayth that we be by Baptisme graffed into the body of Christ we gather that infantes whom he reckeneth among hys members oughte to be Baptised least they be plucked away from hys body Beholde with what violence with so many engines they assault the fortresses of our fayth TheÌ„ they come down to the practise custome of yâ— time of the Apostles wherin none is fouÌ„d to haue ben admitted to Baptisme but he whiche hath before professed Faith repentance For where Peter was asked of them that were mynded to repent what was nedeful to be done he couÌ„selled them first to repent then to be Baptised into the forgeuenesse of synnes Likewise Philip wheÌ„ the Eunuche required to be Baptised answered that he might be Baptised if he beleued with al his hart Hereby they thinke that they may winne that it is not lawfull that Baptisme be grauÌ„ted to any but where Fayth and repentance goe before Truely if we yelde to thys reson the first of these twoo places where is no mention made of Faith wil proue that repeÌ„taÌ„ce alone sufficeth and the other place wherin repentance is not required will proue that Fayth onely is enough I thinke they will answer that the one place is holpen with the other and therfore must be ioyned together I say also likewise that other places must be layed together which make somwhat to the vndoing of thys knot for asmuch as there be many seÌ„tences in Scripture the vnderstanding wherof hangeth vpon the circuÌ„stance of the place As this presently is an example For they to whoÌ„ Peter and Philip spake these thynges were of age sufficient to haue practise of repentance and to coÌ„ceiue Faith We earnestly deny that such ought to be Baptised vntil after perceiuing of their conuersion and Fayth at least so farr as it maye be searched out by the iugement of men But that infantes ought to be accompted in an other nomber it is more than euident enough For in olde tyme if any man did ioyne himselfe into communion of religion with Israel it behoued that he should first be taught the couenant of the lord and instructed in the law before that he wer marked with circumcision because in birth he was a stranger from the people of Israel with whome the couenante had ben made whiche circumcision stablished As also the lord â–ª when he adopteth Abraham to himselfe doth not begin at circumcision hyding in the meane time what he meaneth by that signe but first he declareth what couenante he entendeth to make with him and then after Fayth geuen to the promise he maketh hym partaker of the Sacrament Why doth in Abraham the Sacrament follow Fayth and in Isaac his sonne it goeth before all vnderstanding Because it is mete that he which beyng in full growen age is receiued into felowship of the couenant from which he had ben hetherto a stranger should first learne the conditions therof but an infante begotten of him neded not so which by right of inheritance according to the forme of the promise is euen from his mothers wombe conteined in the couenant Or that the mater may be more clerely and brefely shewed if the children of the faithful without the helpe of vnderstanding are partakers of the couenante there is no cause why they shoulde be debarâ—ed from the signe for thys that they can not sweare to the forme of the couenant This verily is the reason why in some places God affirmeth that the infantes whiche are issued of the Israelites are begotten borne to hym For without dout he estemeth as hys children the children of them to whoe 's sede he promiseth that he wil be a Father But he which is vnfaithfull issued of vngodly parentes till he be by Fayth vnited to God is iudged a stranger from the communion of the couenant Therfore it is no maruell if he be not partaker of the signe the signification whereof shoulde be deceitfull and voyde in hym To this effecte Paule also wryteth that the Gentiles so long as they were drowned in theyr idolatrie were oute of the testamente With this shorte summe as I thynke the whole mater may be clerely opened that they whiche in growen age embrace the Fayth of Christ forasmuche as they were hetherto strangers from the couenante are not to be marked with Baptisme but wheras Fayth and repentance come betwene which onely can open them the entrie into felowship of the couenant but the infantes that are issued of Christians as they are receiued of God into the inheritance of the couenant so sone as they be borne so oughte to be receiued to Baptisme Hereunto muste that be applyed whiche the Evangelist speaketh of that they were Baptised of Ihon whiche confessed their sinnes Whiche example at this day also we thinke mete to be kept For if a Turke offer himselfe to Baptisme he shoulde not bee rashly Baptised of vs namely not til after confession wherby he maye satisfie the Chirch Moreouer they bring fourth the wordes of Christ which are rehearsed in the thirde Chapter of Iohn wherby they thinke that a presente regeneration is required in Baptisme Unlesse a man be borne againe of water and the Spirite he can not enter into the kingdome of God Loe say they howe Baptisme is by the Lordes own mouth called regeneration Them therefore whome it is more than enough knowen to be vnable to receiue regeneratioÌ„ by what color do we admit to Baptisme which can not be without regeneration First they are deceiued in thys that they thinke that in thys place mention is made of Baptisme because they heare the
name of water For after that Christ had declared to Nicodemus the corruption of nature and taught hym that men must be borne of newe because Nicodemus dreamed of a bodily newe birth he there shewed the maner how God doth regenerate vs namely by water and the Spirite as though he should say by the Spirite which in cleansing and watering faithfull soules doth the office of water Therefore I take water and the Spirite simply for the Spirite which is water Neither is this a new forme of speche for it altogether agreeth with the same which is in the thirde Chapter of Mathewe He that foloweth me it is he that Baptiseth in the Holy ghost and fier Therfore as to Baptise in the Holy ghost and fier is to geue the Holy ghost which hath the office and nature of fier so to be borne againe of water and the Spirite is nothing ells but to receiue that power of the holy Spirite which doth the same thing in the soule that water doth in the body I knowe that other do otherwise expounde it but I am oute of doute that thys is the naturall meaning because the purpose of Christ is none other but to teache that all they must put of their owne nature which aspire to the heauenly kingdome Howebit if we list to cauil vnsauoryly as they do it were easy for vs when we haue graunted as they woulde haue it to inferre vpon them that Baptisme is before Fayth and repentance forasmuch as in the wordes of Christe it goeth before the Spirite It is certaine that this is vnderstanded of Spirituall giftes which if they come after Baptisme I haue obteined what I require But leauing cauillations we must holde fast the playne exposition which I haue brought that no mā til he haue ben renewed with liuing water that is with the Spirite can enter into the kingdome of God Nowe hereby also it is euident that their fayned inuention is to be hissed out which adiudge al the vnbaptised to eternal death Therfore let vs according to their request imagine Baptisme to be ministred to none but to them that be growen in age what will they saye shall become of a childe whiche is rightly and well instructed with the introductions of godlynesse if when the day of Baptising is at hande he happen to be taken away with soden death beside all mennes hope The Lordes promise is cleare that whosoever hath beleued in the Sonne shall not see death nor shall come into iugemente but is allredy passed from death into life and it is no where founde that he euer damned him that was not yet Baptised Whiche I would not haue so taken of me as though I meant that Baptisme might freely be despised by which despising I affirme that the Lordes couenant is defiled so much lesse can I abide to excuse it onely it is enough for me to proue that it is not so necessarie that he should be immediatly thought to be lost from whome power is taken away to obteine it But if we agree to their fained deuise we shall damne all them without exception whom any chaunce withholdeth from Baptisme with how great Faith soeuer by which Christ himself is possessed otherwise they are endued Moreouer they make all infantes giltye of eternall death to whome they deny Baptisme which by their own confession is necessarie to saluation Now let them loke how trimly they agree with the wordes of Christ by which the kingdome of heauen is adiudged to that age But to graunte them euery thing so much as perteineth to the vnderstanding of thys place yet they shall gather nothing thereof vnlesse they ouerthrowe the former doctrine which we haue stablished concernyng the regeneration of infantes But they glory that they haue the strongest holde of all in the very institutiō of Baptisme which they fetch out of the last Chapter of Mathew where Christ sending fourth hys Apostles to all nations geueth them the first commaundement to teache them and the seconde to Baptise them Then also out of the last of Marke they adioine this He that beleueth and is Baptised shal be saued What seke we further saye they when the Lordes owne wordes doe openly sounde that we must firste teach ere we Baptise and do assigne to Baptisme the seconde state after Faith Of which order the Lord also shewed an example in himself which would be Baptised not tyll the thirtyth yere But here O good God how many wayes doe they both entangle thēselues and bewraye their owne ignorance For herein they now more than childishly erre that they fetche the firste institution of Baptisme from thense whiche Christ had from the beginning of his preaching geuen in charge to hys Apostles to minister Therfore there is no cause why they shoulde affirme that the law and rule of Baptisme is to be fetched out of these places as though they conteined the first institution therof But to beare with them for thys fault yet how strong is thys manner of reasoning Truly if I listed to dally with them there is not a litle lurking hole but a most wyde felde offreth it selfe open for vs to escape them For when they sticke so fast to the order of wordes that they gather that because it is sayd Goe preach and Baptise Againe he that beleueth and is Baptised therfore they must preach before that they Baptise and beleue before that they require Baptisme why may not we agayn answere them with sayeng that we must Baptise before that we muste teache the keping of those thinges that Christ hath commaunded namely sithe it is sayd Baptise ye teaching them to kepe whatsoeuer thinges I haue commaunded you whiche same thing we haue noted in that sayeng of Christ which hath ben euen now alleged concerning the regeneration of water and the Spirite For if it be so vnderstode as they would haue it verily in that place Baptisme must be before spiritual regeneration because it is named in the first place for Christ doth teach that we must be regenerate not of the Spirite and water but of water and the Spirite Nowe this inuincible reason whereupon they beare themselues so bolde semeth to be somwhat shaken but because truth hath defense enough in simplicitie I wil not escape away with such light argumentes Therfore let them take with them a ful answer Christ in this place geueth the chefe commaundement concerning preaching of the Gospell whereunto he adioyneth the ministerie of Baptisme as an additiō hāging vpon it Againe he speaketh none otherwise of Baptisme but so farr as the ministration of it is vnder the office of teaching For Christ sendeth the Apostles to publishe the Gospel to al the natiōs of the world that they should from eche where with the doctrine of saluation gather together into hys kyngdome men that before were lost But whom or what maner of men It is certaine that there is no mentiō but of them that are able to
But that most nere felowship wherby we are coupled with his fleshe he hath yet set out with a more glorious title when he sayd that we are members of his body and are of his bones and of hys fleshe At the last to declare it to be a mater greater than all wordes he concludeth hys sayeng with an exclamation This is sayth he a greate secret Therefore it should be a pointe of extreme madnesse to acknowlege no communion of the faythfull with the fleshe and blood of the Lord which the Apostle declareth to be so greate that he had rather wonder at it than expresse it Let the summe be that oure soules are so fed with the fleshe and blood of Christ as bred wyne do mainteine susteine the bodily lyfe For otherwise the proportional relation of the signe should not agree vnlesse soules dyd fynde their fode in Christ. Which can not be done vnlesse Christ do truely grow into one with vs and refresh vs with the eating of his fleshe and drinking of hys blood But although it seme incredible that in so great distance of places the flesh of Christ reacheth to vs that it may be meate to vs let vs remember how much the secret power of the Spirit surmounteth aboue al our senses and how foolysh it is to goe aboute to measure hys vnmeasurablenesse by our measure That therfore whiche our mynde comprehendeth not let our fayth conceiue that the Spirite truely knitteth in one those thinges that are seuered in places Nowe that same holy coÌ„municating of his body and blood wherby Christ poureth hys life into vs euen as if he peaâ—ced it into our bones marowes he in the Supper also testifieth sealeth land yâ— not with setting before vs a vayne or voyde signe but bringing fourth there the effectuall working of his spirite wherby he fulfilleth the which he promyseth And verily he there offreth and deliuereth the thing signified to al them that sit at that spiritual banket although it be receiued with frute of the faythfull onely which receiue so great bountifulnesse with true Fayth thankfulnesse of mynde After which maner the Apostle sayd that the bred which we breake is the communion of the body of Christ and that the cup which we hallow with the word prayers to that purpose is the coÌ„munion of hys blood Neither is there any cause why any man should obiect that it is a figuratiue speche by which the name of the thing signified is geuen to the signe I grauÌ„t verily that the breaking of the bred is a signe not the thiÌ„g it selfe But this being admitted yet we shall rightly gather of the deliuerance of the signe that the thing it selfe is deliuered For vnlesse a maÌ„ wil cal God a deceiuer he can neuer be so bolde to say that he setteth before vs an empty signe Therfore if by the breakyng of bred the Lorde doth truely represente the partakyng of hys body it ought to be out of dout that he truely performeth and deliuereth it And this rule is alway to be holden of the godly that so oft as they se the signes ordeined of the Lorde they certainly thinke persuade themselues that the truth of the thyng signified is there present For to what purpose should the Lorde deliuer to thee into thy hande the signe of hys body but to assure thee of the true partaking of it If it be true that a visible signe is geuen vs to seale the gift of an inuisible thing when we receiue the signe of the body let vs no lesse certainly beleue that the body it selfe also is geueÌ„ vs. I saye therefore which both hath ben alway receiued in the Chirch and al they teache at thys day that thynke right that the holy mysterie of the Supper consisteth of twoo thinges that is to saye of the bodily signes which beyng set before our eyes doe represent vnto vs inuisible thinges according to the capacitie of our weakenesse and of spirituall trueth which is by those signes bothe figured and deliuered Of what sort that is when I meane to shewe it familiarly I vse to set thre thinges the signification the mater which hangeth of the signification the vertue or effect which foloweth of both The signification consisteth in the promisses which are after a certayne manner wrapped together with the signe The mater or substance I cal Christ with hys death and resurrection By effect I vnderstande the redemption righteousnesse sanctification and eternall lyfe and whatsoeuer other benefites Christ bringeth vs. Now although all these thinges haue respect to Fayth yet I leaue no place to thys cauillation as though when I say that Christ is receiued by Fayth I would haue hym coÌ„ceiued with vnderstanding only and imaginatioÌ„ For the promises offer hym not that we should sticke fast in the sight alone and in bare knowlege but that we should enioye the true communicating of hym And truely I se not how any maÌ„ maye haue coÌ„fidence that he hath redeÌ„ption and righteousnesse in the crosse of Christ lyfe in hys death but principally standing vpon the true coÌ„munion of Christ himselfe For those good thinges shoulde not come to vs vnlesse Christ first made himselfe oures I say therefore that in the mysterie of the Supper by the signes of bread and wine Christ is truely deliuered to vs yea and hys body and blood in which he hath fulfylled al obedieÌ„ce for purchasing of ryghteousnesse to vs namely that first we should growe together into one body with hym then beyng made partakers of hys substance we may also fele hys power in the communicating of al hys good thinges Now I come down to the excessiue mixtures which superstitioÌ„ hath brought in For herein Satan hath played with maruelous sutteltie that withdrawing the myndes of men from heauen he might fyl them with peruerse error as though Christ were fastened to the elemente of bred And first we must not dreame such a presence of Christ in the Sacrament as the craftesmeÌ„ of the court of Rome haue fayned as though the body of Christ were made present with presence of place to be handeled with handes to be broosed with teethe and swallowed with mouth For this forme of recantation Pope Nicolas endited to Betengarius to be a witnesse of hys repentance namely with woordes so farr monstruous that the author of the glose cryeth out that there is danger if the reders do not wisely take hede to themselues least they should sucke out of them an heresie worse than was that of Berengarius In the seconde distinctioÌ„ in the Chapter beginning thus Ego Berengarius But Peter Lombarde although he trauaile much in excusing the absurdity yet more inclineth to the contrary senteÌ„ce For as we nothing dout that it hath limites accordyng to the perpetual nature of the body of men and is holden in heauen into which it was ones receiued vntill he returne to iugement so to draw it backe vnder these corruptible
whole space of heauen and earth shold in so great distance of places not only be conioyned but also vnited that soules may receiue foode of the fleshe of Christe Therfore let waiward men cesse to procure hatred to vs by a filthy sclaunder as though we did enuiously restraine any thyng of the immeasurable power of God For they do either to foolishly erre or to maliciously lye For it is not here in question what God coulde but what he woulde We affirme that to bee done which pleased hym But it pleased hym that Christ shold be made like to his brethren in all thyngs except synne What maner of thyng is our fleshe Is it not suche as consisteth of the certaine measure of it as is conteined in place as is touched as is seen And why say they may not God make that one selfe same fleshe may occupie many and diuers places may be conteined in no place may be without measure forme Thou madde man why requirest thou of the power of God to make fleshe at one selfe tyme to be and not to be fleshe Like as if thou sholdest instantly require hym to make at one self tyme the light to be bothe light darknesse But he willeth light to be light darknesse to be darknesse fleshe to be fleshe He shall in deede when it pleaseth hym turne darknesse into lyght and lyght into darknesse but wen thou requirest that lyght and darknesse may not differ what doest thou els but peruert the order of the wisdome of God Therefore fleshe must be fleshe and Spirite Spirite euery thyng in suche lawe and condition as God hath created it But suche is the condition of fleshe that it muste be in one yea and that a certaine place and consist of her measure and other forme With thys condition Christ toke fleshe vpon him to whiche as Augustine witnesseth he hath geuen in dede vncorruption and glorye but he hath not taken from it nature and truth They answer that they haue the worde whereby the will of God is made playne namely if it be graunted them to banish out of the Chirch the gifte of exposition whiche may bring lighte to the worde I graunt that they haue the worde but suche as in olde tyme the Anthropomorphites had when they made God hauing a body suche as Marcion and the Manichees had when they fayned the body of Christ to be eyther heauenly or fantasticall For they alleged for testimonies The firste Adam was of the earth earthly the seconde Adam is of heauen heauēly Againe Christ abaced himselfe taking vpon him the forme of a seruant and was founde in likenesse as a mā But the grosse eaters think that there is no power of God vnlesse with the monster forged in their braines the whole order of nature be ouerthrowen whiche is rather to limit God when we couet with our fained inuētions to proue what he can do For out of what worde haue they taken that the body of Christe is visible in heauen but lurketh inuisible in earth vnder ▪ innumerable litle peces of bred They wil say that necessitie requireth this that the body of Christe should be geuen in the Supper Uerily because it pleased them to gather a fleshly eating out of the wordes of Christ they being caried away with their owne foreiugement were driuen to necessitie to coine this sutteltie which the whole Scripture crieth out against But that any thing is by vs diminished of the power of God is so false that by our doctrine the prayse of it is very honorably set out But forasmuche as they alway accuse vs that we defraude God of hys honor when we refuse that whiche according to common sense is hard to be beleued although it haue ben promised by the mouth of Christ I make againe the same answere that I made euen nowe that in the mysteries of Fayth we doe not aske counsell of common sense but with quiet willingnesse to learne and with the Spirite of mekenesse whiche Iames commendeth we receiue the doctrine come from heauen But in that when they perniciously erre I deny not that we followe a profitable moderation They hearing the wordes of Christe Thys is my bodye imagine a miracle moste farre from hys mynde But when out of thys fayned inuention aryse fowle absurdities because they haue allready with hedlong hast put snares vpon themselues they plunge themselues into the bottomlesse depthe of the almightinesse of God that by thys meane they may quenche the lyght of truthe Hereupon commeth that proude precisenesse We will not knowe howe Christe lyeth hydde vnder the bred holdyng our selues cōtented with thys saying of hys This is my body But we as we doe in the whole Scripture doe with no lesse obedience than care studye to obteyne a sounde vnderstanding of thys place neither doe we with preposterous heate rashly and without choise catch holde of that which first thrusteth it selfe into our myndes but vsing diligent musing vpon it we embrace the meaning whiche the Spirite of God ministreth and standing thereupon we doe from alofte despise whatsoeuer earthly wisdome is set against it Yea we holde our myndes captiue that they may not be bolde so muche as with one litle worde to carpe against it and do humble them that they maye not dare to rise vp against it Hereupon sprong vp the exposition of the woordes of Christ which to be by the continual vsage of the Scripture common to al Sacramentes al they that haue ben though but meanely exercysed therin do knowe Neither do we after the exāple of the holy virgin thynke it lawful for vs in a hard mater to enquire how it may be done But because nothing shal more auaile to confirme the Fayth of the godly than when they haue learned that the doctrine whiche we haue taughte is taken out of the worde of God and standeth vpon the authoritie thereof I will make this also euident with as greate brefenesse as I can The body of Christ sins the tyme tha◠it rose agayne not Aristotle but the Holy ghost teacheth to be limited and that it is comprehēded in heauen vntill the laste day Neither am I ignorante that they boldly mock out those places that are alleged for thys purpose So oft as Christ sayth that he wil departe leauing the world they answer that that departing is nothing ells but a changing of mortall state But after this manner Christe shoulde not set the Holy ghost in hys place to supplye as they call it the wante of hys absence forasmuche as he doth not succede into his place nor Christ himselfe doth descende again oute of the heauenly glorye to take vppon hym the state of mortall lyfe Truely the commyng of the Holy ghost and the ascending of Christe are thynges set as contrarie therefore it can not be that Christe should according to the fleshe dwel with vs after the same manner that he sendeth his Spirite Moreouer he in playne wordes