wee professe any other Religion then that which they bequeath'd vnto vs and which we wil liue and dye in too We our forefathers customs still obay Doe as they did and follovv their blind vvay Not striuing busily our vvits to approue By searching doubts but rather shevv our loue By louing euen their errours that are gone Or reuerendly belieuing they had none True it is like enough you will doe so whatsoeuer be said to the contrary For as the wise King saith of a foole Bray a foole in a morter and hee will neuer be the wiser The holy Spirit hath branded those people with black who practiz'd that long since which you plead for now So those nations feared the Lord and serued their images too So did their children and their childrens children as did their fathers so doe they vnto this day It was but a Pagans argument to Theodosius the Emperour Seruanda est tot saeculis fides nostra sequendi sunt maiores nostri qui secuti sunt foeliciter suos And the Emperors Letter to the States of Germany assembled at Wormes against Luther sounds and runnes in the same tenour Our predecessours were obedient to the Romish Church and therefore wee cannot without great infamy and staine of honour degenerate from the examples of our elders but will maintaine the ancient Faith and giue ayd to the See of Rome But here first of al we desire no better Aduocate for our selues then Gratian I will set downe his owne words Si consuetudinem fortassis opponas duertendum quod Dominus dicit ego sum via veritas Non dixit ego sum consuetudo sed veritas Et certe vt beati Cypriani vtamur sententia quaelibet consuetudo quantumuis vetusta quantumuis vulgata veritati omnino est postponenda vsus qui veritati contrarius est abolendus Secondly M. Caluins note on the fourth of Iohns Euangell and the 20. Verse is here worth the noting Verae pietatis desertoribus solenne est vt patrocinium sibi ex Patrum exemplis quaerant It 's a very ordinary thing with Sectaries and Apostates from religion to vrge for their doings their Fathers examples Oh ye Apostaticall generation which doe as much as in you lies to resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers haue done so will you do too But your tame-blind obedience vvell befits Such earth-bred doâ—eish dull and sluggish vvits But ayerie Spirits acquainted vvith the light VVill not be led by custome from the right No loue no friends no predecessors shall Peruert their iudgements they examine all Your Fathers haue stepp'd awry in some points of doctrine and you hauing once entred their by-paths will needs runne into the desert of errour your Fathers liuing in the stinking ayre of Popery could not choose but be tainted with some infection of Heresie What then Dare you say they died in their pollution Did God reueale vnto you the time the houre of their conuersion Do you not know that God might haue his secret working performed vpon them euen at the very last gaspe Doe you not acknowledge that God can saue such as are not pertinacious in their Heresies euen Inter pontem fontem When there is no sensible hope When there is no sensible hope When their soule is at the pits brinke hee can call it backe againe that the pit shall not shut its mouth vpon it I haue often greatly wondred saith M. D. Luther how that in all the time of that tyrannizing Sect of the sonne of perdition for so many hundreths of yeres together the Church should subsist in the midst of such great darknesse and in the throng of so many errours Afterward I conceiued that there were certaine called of God by the Word of his Gospel and Baptisme who walked in the simplicitie and humilitie of their heart thinking the Monkes only and such as were anointed of Bishops to bee holy men and religious but themselues to bee profane and irreligious and in no wise to bee compared with the other Whereupon finding themselues emptie of all good workes and merits which they might oppose to the displeasure and rigour of Gods iustice they clung close to the passion and death of Christ and so in that simplicitie were saued Neither was this the case of simple ones onely but euen of their deepe Doctors their holy Hermites there sanctified Monkes of whom I may truely say That howsoeuer they liu'd among them yet were they not of them Which assertion though it might haue beene doubted of all their life time their habits and cooles and manner of liuing colouring it out to the world that they were Papists yet the point of death approaching put the matter out of question when for all their regularities and obseruances as Monkish as euer for all their comport and carriage as superstitious as euer for all their meanes and maner of liuing as Popish as euer could bee deuised they will bee found to haue dyed true Protestants casting from them all trust and relyance on their owne works and putting their whole trust and affiance in the mercies of God through Christ Iesus Such was that good Hermit Agatho good in name and in truth good Such was that blessed Saint Bernard the best Monke that euer was Both which on their Death beds to haue renounced themselues vtterly and to haue had recourse onely vnto Christ you may reade in that worthy Author afore cited And I thinke verily saith Luther that Ierome and Gregory and many other Fathers and Hermites were after the same manner saued and the ground of this his thus reasoning is for that wee are not to doubt but that euen in the Old Testament many of the Kings of Israel and other Idolaters likewise were saued for because it pleased God euen in the houre of death to turne their hearts causing them to cast away all their vaine confidence they put in their Idols and to apprehend that promise of God as concerning that seed of Abraham which was to come to wit Christ in whom all the nations of the world should bee blessed Hence proceed our charitable censures of such of your Fathers who liuing in the darkenesse of superstitionâ— could not so well see the way to heauen and to reformation in their life time as their meek hearts could haue wished But as for those obstinate wretches furious spirits branded with the marke of the Beast and therefore firebrands of hell too too heady in the pursuit of errour and too too headstrong in their erroneous opinations as the Lord gaue them vp to a reprobate sense that they should not receiue the loue of the truth and so bee saued and they now fry for it So assure your selues if yee insist in their steps and resist all good admonitions you can neuer flye their punishment For it is iust with God that those which haue beene pares culpa shall be also
Systeme of Diuinitie and may serue for a Catechisme of Christianitie WHat is Christian Religion It is that worship and seruice which euery good godly man ought by vertue of bond and obligation to tender vnto God himselfe Wherein is chalked out vnto vs the way as wel of liuing heere honestly as liuing hereafter happily as Augustine saith in his booke of true Religion the first Chapter The onely course of liuing well and happily consists in true Religion whereby we know the onely true God and worship him in holy purenesse For by religion the soule of man which before by sin was separate from God being now reconciled is againe tied and re-vnited to God from whence Religion hath its very name For when we re-lige as it were that is oblige and binde ouer againe our soules vnto God then we empty our selues of all superstitious worship contrary to Gods seruice So saith Lactant. lib. 4. ca. 28. l. 6. c. 1. We are by the tye of Religion bound and obliged vnto God whereupon it is called re-ligion not as Cicero wil haue it of relection but of religation in as much as God doth heereby binde vs ouer to his seruice whom it is our part to serue as our Lord and to obey as our Father For in very deed this is the dutie of man wherein the sum of all and the summitie of a blessed life doth consist This is the very first step in wisdome to know what it is for God truely to be a Father vnto vs and him with all sanctitie to worship and reuere obeying his will and wholy deuoting our selues to his seruice Which be then the principall parts wherin Christian Religion or the speciall actions wherein the worship of God standeth There be three of them 1. The meditation of the word of God and consequently of faith in Christ our Sauiour which is especially comprehended in the word of God to whom wee must referre all in our meditation 2. The vse of the Sacraments instituted by Christ. 3. Inuocation of Gods holy name ioyned with the loue of God and our neighbour Of the formost and last part of Christian religion we haue spoken elsewhere and at another time at this opportunity it is our purpose only to treat of the middle or second Branch of Christian Religion or the seruice of God and therin touching the vse of the principall Sacrament of the new Testament namely the Lords Supper which is called commonly the holy Communion as also the Eucharist that is a most eminent sacrifice of thanksgiuing to Christ our Sauiour Wherein consisteth the true vse and due preparation to the holy Communion In two things to wit in Knowledge and Deuotion Of what sort is that knowledge which appertaineth to our commendable preparation vnto and our lawfull vsing of the holy Communion It is of two sorts Generall and Particular Of how many kindes is our generall knowledge Of two either it is Primary and independant or Secondary and arising from the former How many parts hath the former kind It consists of a double doctrine the one of God the other of Gods Word What is God God is a spirituall essence 1. before all most perfect eternall 2. infinite 3. almighty of incomprehensible wisedom goodnesse 4. mercy 5. Iustice subsisting in three persons the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost What are we to consider in God Two things the Essence and Person What and of what sort is the Essence of God It is most simple and onely one so that God in regard of his Essence is simply one as the Scripture witnesseth Deuter. 6. vers 4. Heare oh Israel the Lord our God is one God 1. Tim. 2. v. 5. One God and one Mediatour What is the Person It is the maner of being in God whereby Gods Essence is made relatiue and respectiue which relation notwithstanding neither multiplieth the Essence nor diuides it into parts which may in some sort appeare by the degrees of light and heat For in the Sunnes light there are certaine degrees as morning or twilight and noon-light or perfect sunne-shine And yet for all those degrees the light is the same So in heate luke-warm and scalding hote though they make two degrees yet they make vp but one numericall caliditie which in a higher degree is in boyling water now before being in the same water inclining to feruent heat in a lower degree So then that we may apply this instance to our present purpose in some resemblance the Persons of the Deitie or these diuers maners of Gods being do not multiply the diuine essēce no more then the diuers degrees of heate or light do multiply the light or heat so that I speak right whē I say there are mo persons in the diuine essence but it cannot bee vttered without blasphemy to say there are in God more Natures or mo Gods thē one How many persons are there Three the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost which is prooued by manifest Testimonies of holy Writ Matt. 28.19 Goe teach all nations baptizing them in the name so by the authoritie and appoyntment of the Father the Sonne and of the holy Ghost Iohn 15.26 When that Comforter shall come whom I will send to you from the Father euen the Spirit of truth who proceedeth from the Father hee will testifie of me where they are all three plainly named The Father from whome the holy Spirit is sent the Sonne who sendeth and the holy Ghost who is sent 1. Ioh. 5.7 There bee three which beare record in heauen the Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one in essence or nature How prooue you that these three Persons be that one God First I must haue it granted that these three persons are distinct because he that sendeth is distinguished from him that is sent he frō whō is distinguished frō him that is sent Now Io. c. 15. plainly saith that Christ is hee that sendeth the Holy Ghost him that is sent and the Father from whom the Sonne sendeth the holy Ghost Whence I doe necessarily infer that these three manners of being in God are distinct which being graunted I shall easily prooue this three-fold manner of being or these three Persons in the diuine Essence to be that true God For first as touching the Father the very aduersaries themselues yeeld that he is truely God And touching the Sonne we haue manifest testimonies of the Scripture Rom. 9.5 Of whom namely the Israelites are the fathers of whom Christ came as concerning the flesh who is God aboue all blessed for euer If aboue all therfore aboue those who by reason of their excellent guifts are called Gods That the holy Spirit is God these Sentences of Scripture plainely prooue Acts 5.3 Peter saith to Ananias Why hath Satan filled thy heart that thou shouldest lye against the holy Ghost And presently he addeth v. 4 Thou hast not lyed
vnto men but vnto God Therefore the holy Ghost is God Another place is 1. Cor. 2.10 The Spirit searcheth all things euen the profound things of God And the verse following For who knoweth the things c. Whence we may thus reason whosoeuer knoweth the secrets the profound secrets of God or which is all one whosoeuer is omniscient is God but the holy Ghost is Omniscient Ergo. The Maior is euident the Minor is expressely in the Text. Secondly whatsoeuer is in God is God but the holy Ghost is in God Ergo. The Proposition is of certaine truth for that God who is a most simple essence voyd of all difference and composition cannot consist of any thing which is not God The assumption is in the text vers 10. where it is said As the reasonable soule is in man that is of the essence of man so the holy Spirit is in God Hitherto may that testimony 1. Cor. 3.16 be referred Know yee not that ye are the Temple of God and that the holy Spirit dwelleth in you where the latter words do expound the former for it is all one as if the Apostle had said Know ye not that yee are the Temple of God seeing that the holy Ghost dwelleth in you who is God But if the aduersaries say that the spirit is nothing else saue the effects and gifts of God they are most manifestly confuted and confounded by the words of the Scripture 1. Cor. 12.4 5 6. There are diuersities of gifts but the same spirit there are diuersities of ministrations but the same Lord c. And verse 11 All these gifts worketh that one and selfe same spirit distributing c. Whence ariseth this argument He that distributeth a gift is not himselfe that gift that is distributed but the holy Ghost is the distributer of all those gifts Ergo. The Proposition is cleare enough The Assumption is plaine in the text where it is said that the spirit worketh and distributeth all those gifts Another argument out of the same text may be this He that is endued with a will he cannot be a bare vertue or accidēt but is a substāce subsisting by it self but the holy Ghost c. Ergo. The Maior is cleare for whosoeuer willeth he vnderstādeth and whosoeuer willeth and vnderstandeth he must be a substance by it selfe subsisting The Minor is clearely set down in the text where it is said The Spirit distributeth to euery one as he will I haue heard the doctrine concerning God tell me now besides what the holy Scripture is It is that testimony and witnesse which God hath giuen to Mankind as touching his owne nature and will and as touching those things which appertaine to the saluation of man How is the holy Scripture diuided Three manner of waies first by reason of the time wherein it was reuealed secondly by reason of that authority it hath in prouing thirdly by reason of the matter which it handleth How is the Scripture diuided in respect of the time wherein it was reuealed Into the Old and New Testament The old Testament therefore is that part of the Scripture which God reuealed to the first of mankind and people of the Iewes which liued vntill the Ministery of Christ which he reuealed I say by the Prophets as by his Scribes and Notaries But the New Testament is called that part of the Scripture which God hath reuealed to mankind after the birth of Christ by the Euangelists and Apostles as by his Pen men or Notaries How is the Scripture diuided in respect of that authoritie it hath in prouing So it is diuided into the bookes which are Canonicall and those which are not Canonicall but Apocryphall Which do you call the Canonicall Books Those which are of vndoubted authoritie in prouing the Articles of Faith or which are the square and rule of our faith for Canonical is deriued from Canon which signifieth as much as a rule or square Of what sort are the Canonicall books Of two sorts either of the old or of the new Testament VVhich bookes of the old Testament are Canonicall The Canonicall Scripture of the old Testament is deuided into foure rancks the first containeth the fiue Bookes of Moses the second those Bookes which are called Historicall as these Ioshua Iudges Ruth the two Bookes of Samuel the two Bookes of Kings the two Bookes of the Chronicles the Books of Esdras Nehemiah Ester The third Bookes which are written in verse which are called Poeticall as these Iob the Psalmes of Dauid the Prouerbs of Salomon Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs the fourth comprehendeth the Prophets which are either greater Prophets in number foure or lesser to wit twelue Which Books of the new Testament are Canonicall The Canonicall Scriptures of the new Testament is diuided into the history of the Euangelists the Acts of the Apostles the Apostles Epistles and the Prophecy or Reuelation of Iohn Which are called Apocryphall or not Canonicall Which are not of infallible truth and authority in prouing the Articles of faith consequently which are not the rule and square of our beliefe but containe precepts of life and historicall instructions Which are those Apochriphall Books Among the Books of the old Testament as wee haue before said there are some found not to bee Canonicall such as the Booke of Tobias Iudith Wisdome which falsely is ascribed to Salomon Ecclesiasticus or Syracides the third and fourth books of Esdras all the bookes of the Maccabees Baruch with Ieremy his Epistle the Prayer of Manasses the fragments of Ester the additions to Daniel as is the Song of the three Children the Historie of Susanna the Historie of Bell and the Dragon None of all these bookes are to bee found in the Hebrew tongue in which Language onely God would haue the bookes of the old Testament to be written neither were they written by the Prophets or any person immediately called of God Neither doth Christ the Euangelists or the Apostles cite them at any time and to conclude there be many vntruths in them Wherefore when the Papists vrge any thing out of these bookes against vs we must answer that those bookes containe not the infallible Word of God and consequently that they haue no firme force or validity in prouing How is the Scripture diuided in respect of the matter it handleth Into the Law and the Gospell for that part of Gods word is called the Law wherein wee are taught what we ought to doe but the Gosspell is that part of Gods Word wherein we are taught what wee ought to belieue and consequently wherein we haue the remission of our sinnes promised vs by faith in Christ. I haue heard sufficiently touching the diuision of the Word of God I pray you also instruct mee in the proprieties of it That will I willingly do so I first admonish you that hereafter wee shal alwaies take the holy Scripture for the Canonicall bookes only and not at all for
scripture should be profitable But the Scripture is sufficient to those things Ergo. Thirdly that which maketh a man perfect and furnished to euery good worke that same must needs be perfect but the Scripture doth so Ergo. The Maior is therefore true because there is no effect which is more perfect then its cause or because a perfect effect presupposeth the cause to be perfect and nothing can giue that to another which it hath not it selfe if the Scripture therefore make men perfect then it must also be perfect VVhat is the third proprietie of the holy Scripture That in the Articles of faith which are necessary to saluatiō it be plaine easie and perspicuous easie I say and perspicuous first in respect of them to whom it ought to bee a light for their saluation according vnto that 2. Cor. 4.3 If our Gospell be hid it is hid to thē which perish whence it necessarily followes that the Gospell is not hid but cleare and open to those which do not perish as Peter saith 2. Pet. 1.19 You doe well in that you attend to the word of the Prophets as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place Psal. 19.15 The word of God is cleare Psal. 119. The word of God is a light to our feete and steppes Secondly the Scripture is easie as it is an instrument which it hath deriued to it from the principal guide the holy Spirit who is that true teacher and interpreter of the Scripture Ioh 14.26 The aduocate which is the holy Ghost he shall teach you althings 1. Ioh. 2 27. That anointing that is the holy spirit teacheth vs of all things Also Ioh. 16.13 VVhen that Spirit of truth shall come he shall leade you in all truth Lastly it is easie if that in the handling of it wee vse conuenient meanes and expound one place by another according to the rules of good and lawfull exposition which you may reade in the 201 page of my Systeme of Diuinitie If then any shall demand who hath the authoritie to interpret the Scripture if the Pope of Rome bee hee I answere that euery one is the best interpreter of his owne words whereas therefore the Scripture is the Word of God of the holy Ghost and not of the Pope of Rome therefore the holy Spirit hath the authoritie to interpret as that true aduocate and teacher of verity But why then doth the Bishop of Rome chalenge to himselfe this authority to interpret the Scriptures I answer because hee knowes well enough how bad his cause is and therefore dares not submit his Tenents to the Word of God or the Scripture if it be rightly vnderstood and therfore will he wrest and stretch the Scriptures at his owne pleasure Touching which point I would haue you note the words of a certaine Apostate from the faith Caspar Schoppius Papist who is now at Rome with the Pope he in that Epistle he wrote touching his defection from vs vnto the Papists about sixe yeares agoe set out at Ingolstadium in the 24 page saith thus The summe of all controuersies betwixt the Catholikes the Lutherans consists in these two things That besides the holy Scripture the Traditions of the Apostles of the Church are necessary to be belieued And that the holy Scriptures themselues neither can nor ought to be interpreted of any with authoritie saue of the Catholike Romane Church In which two Doctrines if one be once perswaded and setled he will easily yeeld and adioine himselfe to the Church of Rome in the rest of the chiefe points of faith For if I were to dispute with the Heretikes about any article of faith it must needes be that there be somewhat set downe in the Bible touching my opinion or that there be nothing at all to be found for it If there be nothing in the Bible for me presently then I say that it was wont so to be obserued by tradition from the Apostles in the Church of Rome But if there be somewhat contained in the Bible touching mine opinion and the Heretike will interprete it another way then might serue my turne then presently I oppose to him the Church of Rome that it hath so interpreted it so that euery Dispute ought to be reduced to these two heads Thus farre he And truly this is it that the Pope of Rome labours for that he may wrest the Scripture as seemeth him good and then it is as if any offering to fight with another and the weapon should be a sword he would fight vpon this condition that he may be suffered to weild his aduersaries sword as he will And so it is likewise as if any would haue a suit in Law tryed before the Iudge according to the lawes but vpon this conditiō that it may be lawfull for him to interpret the law on his owne side iust so the Pope doth for he saith I will dispute with you out of the Scripture but so that it may be lawfull for me to interpret the Scripture on mine owne behalfe I would haue this also noted that if the Papists demand who is the Iudge in the controuersies of faith Wee answer that the chiefe and highest Iudge of controuersies of faith is he who is the Author both of faith and of the Scripture to wit the holy Ghost According to that of Ioh. 16. When the comforter shall come he shal reprooue he will iudge the world of sin And then only the Scripture to be the Law and Sentence of this iudge according whereunto iudgement must be giuen concerning controuersies of faith as it doth most manifestly appeare by Iohn 5.45 There is one who accuseth you euen Moses i. e. the writings of Moses which giue iudgement against you and yet more manifestly Iohn 18. vers 48. He that reiecteth and receiueth not my words hath one that iudgeth him This word c. It is not true therefore which the Pope of Rome saith that he is the chiefe Iudge and decider of controuersies for he is not fit to be a iudge who is accused and found guiltie of deprauing and falsifying the word of God I haue heard you sufficiently about the former sort of knowledge of Christian Religion or touching the principles of Diuinitie to wit God and Gods word Now I desire to be instructed in the second kinde of knowledge arising from the former that is touching the parts of this heauenly Doctrine which doth spring from the Doctrine which is of God and of the holy Scriptures You tell me right and I perceiue you well vnderstand the method and progresse which ought to be obserued in vnderstanding the doctrine of Religion and therefore now will I instruct you touching the parts of Diuinitie or Christian Religion How many parts hath this secondarie or deriued knowledge Two whereof the former is of the end it selfe the latter is of the meanes that leade vs to that end What is the end of Diuinitie Saluation or life euerlasting How many
it what a disgracefull thing had it been and vnworthy a Bishop to forsake his brother and his owne companion Bellarm. saith that Peter was at that time gone abroad to visit the Churches But we answer that it was not meete that he should go away then when hee should haue assisted his brother but should rather haue put off the visitation vnto some other time which hee would haue done doubtlesse if he had been at Rome Againe I say that Bellarm coines that answer of his because he neither backs it with any place of Scripture nor of any Historian but speaketh it out of his owne braine III. This may be concluded by the circumstance of time for they say that Peter was 25 yeares at Rome and 7 yeares at Antiocheia which he make 32 yeares and yet they say that Peter was crucified at Rome vnder Nero and that hee came to Rome the 2 of Claudius the Emperour Now Claudius raigned but 13 yeares and Nero 13 so that both their Regiments lasted but 26 yeares how then could Peter come the 2 of Claudius and continue 27 yeares Bishop of Rome and yet be crucified vnder Nero. IV. We say that Eusebius and Hierome who are of that opinion do not agree with themselues yea and Hierome especially manifestly contradicts himself For when as hee in one place had said that Peter was crucified vnder Nero afterward expounding those words of Christ Matt. 23. Luke 11 Behold I send vnto you Prophets c. Flatly affirmes that Peter was crucified by the Iewes at Ierusalem When the Ancients therefore are opposite vnto themselues hereby it may appeare that they knew not certainely in this point and consequently how much we are to detest the impudency of the Popes which set downe for certainty that Peter was Bishop of Rome The fifth errour is that they inferre the Pope of Rome to be Peters successour for first there is no sure ground to euince that Peter was euer at Rome how then could the Pope of Rome succeede Peter Secondly if wee grant this to the Papists out of pitty that Peter was at Rome yet it doth not follow that the Pope of Rome was Peters successour for the Turke also hath his seate at Constantinople notwithstanding it doth not follow that the Turke is the lawfull Emperour of the East or of Greece the Emperours before hauing their lawfull residency and abode at Constantinople for the place makes not the succession lawfull but two things there bee which make lawfull succession first the power giuen of God secondly the imitation of the Predecessors in life and manners As Cyprian saith in a certaine place and after him Ambrose and Hierome True succession is succession in doctrine and hee cannot bee said lawfully to hold the Chaire of Peter who holdeth not the doctrine of Peter But neither of these the Pope of Rome hath first whence will hee proue that God hath giuen him that power to sit at Rome as the Monarch of the Church surely he cannot bring so much as one letter out of the Scripture of God to proue this nay Christ enioyned the contrary to his Disciples to wit that one of them should not desire to bee aboue another 2. The true succession which is in doctrine the Pope of Rome hath not for if the Decrees of the Pope and the Epistles of Peter be compared together there will appeare as great difference betwixt them as betwixt light and darknes yea we are about to proue by and by that the Pope of Rome is the Ringleader of idolaters so farre is he off from being Peters successor in doctrine Which bee the Members of the Church They be all the faithfull which do belieue in Christ vnto eternall life for they all are vnited to Christ euen as the members of our body vnto their head They are vnited I say by the holy Spirit who produceth such like motions in them as are in the humane nature of Christ assumed that is he maketh that the faithful become partakers of the Sacerdotall Propheticall and Regall power which is in Christ. About which matter Peter epist. 2. c. 2. v. 9. speaketh most sweetly You are a chosen generation a royall Priesthood a holy Nation a people whom God hath chosen as peculiar to himselfe that the virtues of him might be manifest who hath called you out of darknes into his admirable light See concerning this most comfortable doctrine to wit the vnion of the members with Christ the Head in the Syst. of Diuinitie pag. 376. What sorts be the members of Christ They be of two sorts the Ministers of the Word and the hearers Here the Papists challenge vs that wee haue no lawfull Ministers in the Church and by consequence that there be no lawfull sheepe because say they where there are no lawfull and true Pastors and Shepheards there can be there no lawful or true sheepe But wee deny the Antecedent where they say that in our Churches there bee no lawfull Pastors because he is a right Pastor who rightly and lawfully executes his charge which is don by the pure preaching of the word the administration of the Sacraments But say they from whom had your Luther and Caluin their callings We answere That we depend not on Caluin and Luther but of the Prophets themselues and the Apostles As for Luther and Caluin they were neither Prophets nor Apostles but if they would know what kind of calling Caluins and Luther his was we answere It was ordinarie for Luther by the publike authoritie of the Vniuersitie at Witenberg was created Doctor of Diuinity and so was hee called to teach by an ordinary vocation Yea but the Vniuersity at Witenberg it was Papisticall Answere True it was so at that time yet it called Luther to the sincere preaching of the Gospell For the Papists themselues say not that when Luther was called by them to teach that he was called to teach heresies but to teach the Truth Therefore when afterwards he taught the truth he taught it being ordinarily called thereunto although he taught it not according to the Popes mind and his Bishops Yea but hee taught errouâ—s of Papistrie before I answer that that fault of Luther made not his vocation voyd the same we say of Zwinglius Caluin and others which were created by Bishops where notwithstanding it must bee considered that vnto that ordinarie calling there was somewhat extraordinary adioined to wit in that God set forth and adorned those first Ministers of the dostrine of the Gospel with a singular vertue to discouer the terrible abominations of Poperie for the rest of our Ministers which haue and yet doe teach in the Reformed Church they were called ordinarily by them who haue authoritie and as yet to this day are so called Now I much desire to heare of the proprieties of the Church first tel me what kinds be the proprieties of the Church of They bee of two kinds some of them doe notifie and point out