and laid downe the prices at the Apostles feete and distribution was made according as euery one did need So did other so did Ioses a Leuite and for that cause was happily of the Apostles surnamed Barnabas or the sonne of consolation for comforting the hearts of the Church who as yet were but barely prouided for persecution being feared without and penurie felt within her doores But as he and other did beautifie the religion with their deuotion so there want not that blemish the same with their deep dissimulation Therefore S. Luke to illustrate the fact of the one opposeth ex diametro the fault of the other as Chrysostome obserueth to the ende the dissimulation of Ananias may giue a lustre to the sinceritie of Ioses and shewe the world that there is a consolation in Christ a comfort of loue a fellowship of the Spirit and bowels of mercie though profane men neither praise it nor practise it This the occasion Now here is set downe a wicked combination of a man and his wife in a matter of Dedication by themselues done to God and his Church how to delude and frustrate both which counterfeit carriage the great and holy Apostle doth both descrie and discouer first to their conuiction secondly to their confusion Where first we may reade the sinne and then the censure The sinne is Sacriledge that is compilation or cousenage of things now consecrated to God and holy vses The censure is Excommunication or distriction of the spiritual sword and that in the heauiest of all heauie curses The sinne is set downe first barely by Luke by way of historicall narration the censure inflicted by Peter by Apostolicall iurisdiction the historie is couched in the two first verses and comprise the efficients materiall and formall causes Ananias and his wife sold a possession and kept backe part of the price and brought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a certaine quillet or quidditie a thing of nothing in comparison of the maine a niggardly share whereas they had promised the whole as Barnabas had done before and they made shewe to imitate The censure followes first in reprehension secondly in castigation The reproofe containes 1. an accusation v. 3. 2. a confutation The accusation is in the appellation of the offender Ananias and enumeration of the parts of the offence which are three 1. The author by whose suggestion Why hath Sathan filled thine heart where is also touched part of the forme of the offence 2. The obiect against whom the sinne was committed including also the other part of the forme That thou shouldst lie to the holy Ghost 3. The subiect wherein the matter of the sinne consisted And keep backe part of the price of the possession The Confutation followes and that is of three secret obiections answerable to the heads of the accusation but inuerting the order as the manner of Scripture is to doe to the last first Obiect 1. A man may doe with his owne what he will but this was mine ergo To this the Apostle answereth by letting passe the maior as beeing impertinent and denying the minor with distinguishing vpon the time first for time of possession granting it when it remained vnsold remained it not to thee namely the land secondly and for time of alienation yeelding it and when it was sold was it not in thine owne power namely the price thirdly but for time of dedication denying it strongly by interrogation and passing it ouer by a crypsis of method as if all law and logicke all rule and reason did disavow it for thou hadst no more right to the monie now giuen then to the land now sold Obiect 2. As to the author he might say if it were an offence yet was it not mine but Satans as your selfe auouch To this he answers with a non sequitur though Sathans by temptation yet yours also by approbation he might haue as one noteth suadendi astuâ—iam not cogendi potentiam he might suggest hee could not enforce he was the founder the woer the father thy heart was the worker the spouse the mother why hast thou conceiued this thing in thy heart Obiect 3. Well then though a fault and in some sort my fault also yet no such great fault as needed so sharpe and publike reproofe at the worst being but to a few simple men that could challenge nothing of a free donation and might haue receiued other satisfaction Answ Yes your sinne is not so much to men who are but the Assignes to whom the benefit of your donation should haue acrued as vnto God who is the donor who by such fraud is frustrated and by your dodging dishonoured not onely the father that foundeth his Church in his Sonne and the Sonne that collecteth it by his Spirit but the holy Spirit that sequestreth it by his power sanctifieth it with his grace beautifieth it with his gifts combineth it with his loue preserueth it by his prouidence and honoureth it with his truth Thou hast not lied vnto man but vnto God euen God the holy Ghost This is the reprehension the Castigation follows when Ananias found himselfe first thus deprehended in the darkenesse of his owne deceit like the fish Sepia that misteth her selfe in her owne mud and reprehended for the blacknesse of his sinne by the wisedome of the Spirit and peircing words of the Apostle and lastly confuted in the simple Labyrinth of his owne Logicke it remaines that hee is confounded by the inward remorse of his couetous conscience and as at the hearing of his owne funerall sermon falls downe dead in the place by the fulmination of the fearfullest anathema anathema maran-atha a temporall consternation of the bodie cut off from the grace of life and eternall malediction of the soule depriued of the life of grace an exemplarie vengeance to other a fearfull iudgement to himselfe by a sad a sudden and vnrepentant death not so much in forme of words as in the effect of deeds When Ananias heard these words he fell downe and gaue vp the ghost Lastly the vse of this curse annexed what effect it should and did produce to other trepidation and feare illustrated by the extent or quantitie both of the affection and the subiect or auditors Great feare came vpon all them that heard these things And thus much for the Context and analysis or logicall resolution CHAP. II. The Theologicall tractation First of his sinne in generall how great it was and what COncerning his sinne that it should be proportionate to his punishment all do not agree the most auouch that it was Sacriledge none say it was lesse but some say more as namely that sinne vnto death the sinne against the holy Ghost I thinke it was both First that his sinne was Sacriledge it is too apparent to be gainesaid as I am of opinion although the learned Fulke vpon the Rhemish notes seemeth to denie it as I take in heate of dispute For the detaining or detracting
spoyling the holy Church prooueth his compleate deuillishnesse Of which particulars before we collect the totall summe let vs gather such vses of these points as lie scattered in our way that both our path may be the smoother and our prouision for the rest of our passage the better First then we here obserue the truth of those words of Salomon That follie is bound vp in the heart of the child that is that we are all both naturally and habitually addicted to all kind of sinnes as hauing Satan to our father and an irreligious and corrupt fountain for our mother And this folly is no other but in which sense those two words are equipollent beeing termini convertibiles onely the difference is this the one hath relation to the head as principium laesum the other to the hand as organum corruptum and therefore we are no lesse indangered by ill thoughts then preiudiced by ill deeds Men commonly thinke that thought is free and so it is in some sence in ciuilitie because the Magistrate takes no notice of them vnlesse manifested with outward proofes not in diuinitie to thinke what we list in regard of God for he is scrutator cordium a trier of the hearts and reines and euill thoughts eat out the heart of religion therefore Salomon counsels not to curse the King so much as in thought and Peter bids Simon Magus pray that his thought might be forgiuen him for the very thoughts of the wicked are abomination to the Lord the transgression of the euill angels was but in thought and oftenne Lawes there is one to reform the cogitations Secondly Abyssus abyssum vocat saith the Prophet one depth calleth another which is no lesse true of the inundation of sinne then of the seas for by custome of sinne and delighting in a tenor of disguising we bring our selues to that passe that all the balme in Gilead will not cure vs too much dallying with sinne brings to the deadly sinne Iulian did banish grace so long donec omnino gratia spoliabitur when we beginne with impietie and goe on with hypocrisie we commonly end with apostasie Sampson played so long with Dalila mock-holiday that in the end his locks were shauen in good earnest The losse of greatest peices comes by the least breach vnespied or vnrepaired Ninus victories were not onely gainefull for the present but vsefull for the future sequentium etiam causae the meanes of more so is it in sinne it hath not onely lapsum but reatum besides the illnesse of the fall it leaues a pronenesse to fall further therfore rightly and obseruantly called by the Apostle deceitfulnesse of sinne for besides the harme that is in view there is more danger in that which is concealed Sinnes are sores first but vitious humours then they growe to angrie tumours and after they turne to burning vlcers within a while to eating cankers and last of all to incurable tortors not onely morbus but mors animae as Bernard saith Therefore let vs not drawe sinne with cords of vanitie nor transgression with cart-ropes Cables or cart-ropes were first threds then cords last cables so is the twisting of sinne 1. against knowledge 2. against conscience 3. against the strongest not motions onely but reclamations also of Gods Spirit Malice against any men is hainous against holy men dangerous against God and holines damnable Let that alwaies be our praier Keepe vs O Lord from presumptuous sinnes so shall we be innocent from much offence from this offence And so much of the enumeration of the seuerall braunches of his sinne CHAP. V. The aggrauation of the sinne of Sacriledge NOW then to summe vp all that hath been said for as much as Satan is here mentioned in this matter and that as no idle spectator but a busie actor and so busie as not to send any small troopes or lend little helpe but to replenish with the fulnesse of his iniquitie the whole heart of this peccant partie it is giuen vs to vnderstand that Sacriledge is no small defection or transgression but an entire desertion of Gods spirit and solide interest of Satan in the child of perdition for as de quo vis ligno non fit Mercurius euery logge will not make a Mercuriall so de quo vis luto non fit Sacrilegus euery mould will not serue for Sacriledge We may well set downe that this is a foule a fearefull a fundamentall sinne not razing the skin of Christs scalpe like the Iewes crowne of thornes but renting the sides of Christianitie like the souldiers speare as we reade in the Gospell For which cause the Canonists were wont to allot seauen yeares penance vnto it as Ivo Burchardus Gratian and the rest agree where so many daies sufficed other sinnes Whereas this sinne is so gloriously attended not onely with a deuill but so great a deuill as the sinne that is irremissible the sinne vnto death the blasphemie of the holy Ghost wee haue a faire aime to descrie the sinfulnesse of Sacriledge by the old rule that teacheth noscitur exsocio qui non dignoscitur exse a mans gate his countenance his companie will soone shew what he is Now here hee goes hand in hand with a heaâ—ie sinne and if they should contest for prioritie hath here the precedence as carrying the denomination therefore of force we must confesse that it is very hainous In Paul he marcheth in equipage with a high sinne the sinne of idolatrie and of Idolatry the Iewes haue a Prouerbe Idololatra totam legem abnegat the idolater disanuls the whole Lawe the like then must Sacriledge beeing of the same size and latitude renounce the whole law not onely as S. Iames saith he that offends in one commaundement is guiltie of all but because all the second table depends vpon the first and all the commaundements vpon the foremost and therefore resemble Hippocrates twins laugh and weepe liue and die stand and fall with equall simpathie For first the diuine Plato in those excellent books concerning lawes hauing in the former touched the violation of sacred persons comming in the tenth to speake in excellent method of sacred things auerreth expressely thus much of the sacrileger that hee must needs perswade himselfe one of these three things 1. that there is no God at all 2. or if there be yet that he is nothing so iust and terrible to his oppugners as the world is made beleeue 3. or at the least that hee is very facile and flexible to be reappeased when by sacrilegers he is abused euery of which do raze the foundation of all religion So that these men aime at no lower leuell then God himselfe and are therefore those presumptuous gyants that by antiquitie were said to mutinie against heauen because as they know no goodnesse so they would acknowledge no God and beeing enforced to that necessitie enuie him all seruice and seruants And therefore it
pageant hath acted the Poet to scandalize their profession by withdrawing their sustentation perswading the world that high pouertie is the way to high perfection and that a freeze gowne is habit enough for holy professors wherein I wonder so holy a father doth not goe before or at least accompany vs in the way to holinesse and to possesse nothing the onely way to happinesse Therefore let them that haue any portion of Gods spirit any sparke of grace any conscience of wel-doing any care of God-seruing stop their eares at this Syren of sinne the charmes of profit remember but whose brat it is out of what scullerie it came and let them if they can if they dare approoue it Mark but how he hath in all times wrought vpon this aduantage see whether he be not indeed of that woluish kind that first gaue Rome sucke Obserue what he hath done through Christendome by that he hath done by a few countries Clemangis saith that hee had out of France from Cathedrall Churches and Abbies not accounting Bishopricks or other inferiour callings 697. thousand 750. franks of yeerely reuenew Whereunto if other did proportion themselues his incomes were little lesse then 6. or 7. millions by the yeere Germanie paid him yeerely 300000. florens and Charles Duke of Aniow for the Kingdome of Sicilie 40000. ducats To leaue other Wallo Otho Steuen his legats here conueyed out of England mightie masses and banks of treasure when they had taxed all aboue ground they extorted a good summe also for the corne vnder ground Peter Rubeus at one time carried more monie out of the land then he left behind him Martin when there was no more monie to be had tooke the verie horses out of the stables and it was prooued in a Parliament that in the space of 44. yeeres that is from the beginning of Hen. 7. to the time that Hen. 8. did cleane expell him he receiued for Buls alone of Bishops ten hundred and 60. thousand pounds No maruell then though he grew rich and all the world poore for he rightly resembled Gedeons fleece who was wet and moist when all other were drie and shall againe be drie when all the world is wet For Iohn 22. left behind him 25. thousand thousand crownes or 250. tunnes of gold Calixtus 3. 150000. florens in a false bottom vnder his chamber Sixtus 5. 5. millions of his owne corrading Wel fare their hearts all sacrilegers that euer were were but bunglers to the Popes For as a poor pirate sometime answeared Alexander the great I scoure the Aegean but you the Ocean I robbe a poore marchant or two but you make purchase of all the world so are other offenders in this kinde to their holines by which meanes he hath been the most bloodie persecutor that euer infested the Church For as it was said of Dioclesian that he was no body to Iulian for Dioclesian did but tollere presbyteros but Iulian sustulit presbyterium for the hand of the one was but against the professors but the other aimed at the profession taking away their saleries not medling with their safeties so that it was hard for Christianity when they had no meanes left to teach and instruct the commers on which while it was had sanguis martyrum was semen ChristianoruÌ„ the blood of Martyres caused more Christians But of the Pope enough and so much of the first sort of offenders in sacriledge CHAP. II. Against Puritans Cauillations at the meanes and matters sacred to Gods seruice I Come next to encounter another enemie of this doctrine cleane opposite to the Papists vpon the other hand The Puritan or Separatist who are according to their own definition refined protestants but to others Gospellers out of their wits men drunken with their owne wine but with difference some more soberly besotted other more frantickely intoxicated These misliked the maintenance of Ministers by Tithes as either Papall or at least Iudaicall but your stipends and contributions vnder the nature of pure almes that is iust for their tooth and I wish them the cold reuersion of a cast almes-house for their labour And no maruell for I haue knowne some that haue thriued better and haue been feathered warmer vpon brethrens beneuolence being able to purchase lands let out monie to vse by rayling at the State barking against Bishops and lying by the heeles in humour then many of their betters could euer doe vpon ordinarie prouisions or extraordinarie promotions No maruell then they mislike the maintenance their way is better and before they misliked the Church meanes they fell out of loue with the Church it selfe the edifices ornaments ceremonies sacraments and whatsoeuer is not purum putum These men I say are sacrilegers for first they haue defiled our holy sacraries with their Bedlam Rhetoricke more fowly then euer they were with Babylonish reliques tearming them Temples of Baal sties of Antichrist cages of vncleane birds c. Nay some haue commenced to such a degree of holy frenzie that they haue abhorred the very tongue wherein superstition hath talked as the language of the beast then happily true when themselues do speake it But I leaue the persons and come to the point onely adding thus much as Sampsons foxes were sundred in the head but combined by the taile so the Puritan and Papist though their deuises differ their ends are one to subuert religion not professedly as doe the Turkes yet by consequence and necessarie inference most subtily For as a learned Gentleman hath lately written Tithes haue been Gods ancient demeane and nobler part of his inheritance founded primarily on the law of nature as that principle which teacheth to honour God we beeing in iustice bountie and gratuitie bound to acknowledge his bountie and Soueraigntie But glebe land and houses howsoeuer now vsed in the nature of moueables are his fixed inheritance and seates of his mansion not so auncient yet now as proper giuen by deuout men grounded on the warrant of the Leuiticall cities as it were a holy portion of lanâ— for his Ministers to dwell on For Vrbanus the sixt Bishop of Rome in anno 222. did first alter that Communion of the Primitiue Church that we read of in the Acts who thought it expedient in those purest times for the perpetuall releife of the Church not to sell the lands as they did in the Apostles times as this fact of Anantas sheweth but to keep them themselues because of the casualtie in pecuniarie contributions And although Abbey lands were giuen to sâ—perstitious vses yet both Ciuilians Canonists agree that long custome may prescribe in this case though the beginning had been erroneous And as we shall see elsewhere in donations to superstitious vses their super may bee mended but their stitious continued As for Abbey lands I wish King Henry 8. had not taken away the subiect of the question there is an other reason and question of them But Bishops
both formerly not without sore trauell and interruption and lastly for 60. yeeres together without stop or intermission to thinke you are not well sed with my milke except you drawe my blood also What meanes those old dismembrings these newe detractings enuyous pryings odious beggings sad disputings sauage incroachings vpon me and my small indowments What good will these small remainds of my dowry doe you what pleasure will my vndoing breed you if this little estate that is left make you rich and me poore you great and mee small what will be the end of such gaines Is hauing growne so toothsome to you that you make no care from whence it commeth is holy demeanes so wholesome a dish that you will contend who shall do most harme is temporall riches so necessary for you that you feare not to make it vp with the spoile of spirituall are your sonnes so deere vnto you that they must be raised with the ruine of your fathers Cannot you be indulgent parents except you bee vnnaturall impious sacrilegious children are you so smally beholden for meanes vnto your father that you must breake in and rob your mother or is it my conniuence at former wrongs that makes you presume to wrong me more Grow you wearie now of your mothers blessing do you enuie her beeing desire her cursing If it be so my sonnes that you wil either sell me at home or send me abroad yet giue me my dowry that I brought you with me my peace I haue procured you my plenty wherewith I haue crowned you my treasures that I haue caused you and the millions of good things wherewith I haue blessed you Woe is me that I am growne so vnfauourie to be hated so vgly to be abhorred so barren to be reiected so decrepite to be scorned and that of mine owne cradle Is a step-mother become so louely or an empty house so handsome that I am driuen away for an other to haue my roome Alas my sonnes I will say what I see the lickerish looke after my poore estate shewes too great to your greedie eies the deceitfull lustre of a painted beautie bewitcheth your lasciuious eies as you thinke to enioy as I know to indure her glorious beautie in glorious tyrannie who if she comes in will not onely fetch backe all that was mine but also fetch in all that is yours Remember this but whom you dishonour and whom you please did not the enemie triumph inough before while you vnripped the seamlesse coat but you must yeeld them more content by distressing me their hatefull opposite What meane you to doe remember but to whom you do it and doe your will to one that vpholdeth the scepter maintaineth you secureth all you haue they are my seruitours that stead you my Priests that blesse you my ministers that profit you who cause your God to be obeyed your gouernours honoured your people informed your country renowmed and your happinesse continued Who watch for your soules but they who wake for your safetie but they who avert your imminent iudgements but they who procures your eminent blessings but they Grieue nor O grieue not their soules by grudging them their lines if you once driue them from their station or discourage them in their function you shall be ingratefull in grieuing them impious in expelling them miserable in missing them If I haue not been barren or abortiue in my breeding nor defectiue in my fostering nor illiberall in my louing you be nor ingrate to them vnkind to me auerse from God If I haue interest in your loues or part in your liues or portion in your hopes by the father that begat you by the wombe that bare you by the breasts that sucled you by whatsoeuer of mine hath been deare vnto you I will and commaund you I intreat and beseech you I binde and adiure you not to suffer your mother any more to be dishonoured not to let your fathers any more be impouerished not to suffer your soules any more to be deceiued nor your hands with holy pillage to be defiled nor your hopes of euerlasting blisse to be euacuated so shall God euen your Father blesse you the Sonne receiue you the holy Spirit comfort you the holy Angels obserue you my armes imbrace you and all the companie of heauenly Saints serue you so shall the iudgements that hang ouer your head passe by you the euills that are gone out escape you the deuills that now smite not hurt you and hell that now gapeth not deuoure you so shall your pollitie stand vnconquered your families bee continued your candlesticke vnremooued your God appeased your soules saued and all your holy wishes most happily accomplished If the Church the mother of vs all could be heard or vnderstood thus to speake and thus to plead what could ye answear what Apologie would you make or excuse pretend to her as affectionate as iust complaint but now not onely shee but I am well assured God himselfe in the greiuances of his Ministers doth say the same with a more audible voice more reall effect that God I say whose houses ye haue suffered not to be robbed onely but ruined also his reuenews diminished his Churches demolished his donations alienated his holy things vsurped his portions interuerted and his worship dishallowed All the world till late daies thought the Church the safest sanctuarie to repose their treasures in their wealth their good works but now the poorest cottage is farre safer then the strongest Cathedrall Then it was thought as great an immunity to the deponent as honestie and honor to the recipient now the Orphan is iniured the widow wronged the father discouraged the Sanctuarie prophaned and the Priest of all other auoided I read what time the citie of Ephesus was beleaguered with a long and dangerous seige and the inhabitants with doubts of warre daunted the gouernour gaue this aduise to tie the walls and gates of the citie with ropes and cables to the Temple of their Goddesse to the ende that when all they had were so peculiarly surrendred vnto their Deities patronage it should not onely be impious but sacrilegious to the enemie to attempt that which was now sacred Oh what is become of auncient holines that haue now inuerted the method of true security when we do not annexe our chests to Churches but incorporate the holiest of Churches to our priuate chests and patrimonies Iustinian the second hauing a great desire to plucke downe a Church in the citie of Constantinople that stood in his light fast ioyning to the Pallace that in the roome thereof he might erect a Tarras for the people to see and receiue the Emperour intreated Callimacus then Patriarke to perswade the people that it was neither displeasing to God nor offensiue to any to conuert Churches to other vses as those had done that had ouerthrowne the heathen temples and disposed of them otherwise To whom the holy Archbishop made this replie Sir God forbid that