that they came out of the land of Egypt in the moneth of Abib when corne waxed ripe and began to be eared And this God wils them here to remember And surely no doubt for our learning and instruction That we also should come out of Egypt in the moneth Abib when as the Lords corne shall waxe ripe when as the doctrine of the Gospell shall growe to perfection when as the séede of the Gospell shall not now be newe sown as it was in the daies of the Fathers but now shall be eared and be comed to perfection Mat. 13 26.30 Mar. 4.28 and be readie for the reapers to thrust in the sicle and reape it into the Lords barnes As our sauiour teacheth The earth bringeth out of her selfe first the blade then the eare and after the full corne in the eare Such like is the growth of the seede of the worde in the Church I would to God all Israelites which nowe amongst vs belong to the Lord would remember this moneth Abib when we shall come out of the spirituall Egypt as the other Israelites came out of that corporall Egypt the Lords corne shall waxe ripe and shall growe to perfection Manie Israelites obserue not this They will haue the ceremonies and rites which the Fathers obserued euen now to be obserued still as though corne being greene and like grasse had not the hoses or huskes belonging to it which it being now ripe do wither away and fall downe as nothing which in the beginning grew aloft and flourished Surely this lesson the moneth Abib must teach vs the Lordes corne is now waxen ripe and therefore wee must not looke for those rites and ceremonies those hoses or huskes which in the beginning when as the Lords corne was greene the Fathers tolerated or perchance made great account of that part of the corne which in the spring flourished most and grewe aloft is now become withered and quite fallen to the ground The true worshippers as our sauiour teacheth worship the father in spirit and trueth Io. 4.23 And the name of the whore of Babylon is a mysterie as saint Iohn sheweth vs Reue. 17.5 that is she is full of ceremonies and mysteries Wee are made partakers of Christ if we keepe and holde fast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 3.14 That is the beginning of our confidence our vnderpropping that is of our faith as Chrysostome expounds it euen vnto the ende That is asmuch to say as if wée kéepe fast the faith in the beginning taught and preached They that holde not the beginning of their firmitie and first faith haue lost their part in Christ The traditions of men will not warrant it them as saint Paul also writes to the Galathians O ye foolish Galathians Gal. 3.1 who hath bewitched you that you should beleeue another Gospell Euen then Sathan began by little and little to chaunge the Gospell of Christ to bring in his traditions and so to make the first Christians to loose their benefit in Christ let vs beeing warned by their example beware this his sleight Ferus of the markes of the true Church writes thus In 2. cap. Mâ—â— That also is the true Church which the starre declares that is where the word of God is taught and raigneth and where they liue according to the word of God and where all things are done according to the word of God and of Christ in what corner of the earth soeuer it be The new Testament saith Ferus is nothing else but a manifestation of those things which were sealed vp in the old vnder the rude letter vnder diuers figures The which thing is excellently declared vnder the figure of a booke sealed which none could open but the Lambe that was slaine and hereof it came to passe that the Apostles in their preachings opened the scriptures and hence it is that Christ wrote nothing but preached by worde of mouth that which was conteined in the olde lawe And also sewe of the Apostles wrote any thing And if any of them did write they would onely teach things that were contained in the olde If this be true then the scripture which the Papists cal traditioneÌ„ is not of like force with that which is scripta or written Secondly then the traditions which we are to beléeue are commended to vs in the worde of God and are the same that are contained in the written word of God For such traditions onely the Iewes were commaunded to obserue As we read in Ieremie Stand by the waies Ier. 6.16 marke and enquire of the auncient waies which is the good way and walke in it and you shall finde comfort for your soules But the traditions of the fathers besides the word were vtterly forbidden them as we read in Amos Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Iudah and for foure I will not turne Am. 2.4 but because they haue cast away the lawe of the Lord and haue not kept his commaundementes Their lies caused them to erre after which their fathers haue walked Sée how the following of their fathers steppes could not iustify them neglecting or making light account of the law of the Lord no traditions of fathers besides are warranted them So saint Paul writes to the Thessalonians That they should keepe the traditions which they had learned eyther by word or by Epistle 2. Thes 2.15 That is no doubt such traditions as either were written in other parts of the scripture or were agréeing to the worde written How greatly soeuer the nature of man delightes in traditions in the seruice of God yet our Sauiour telles all men plainlie They worship me in vaine Mat. 15.9 teaching the doctrines and commandements of men God will be worshipped of all his according to his own commandements All other worshippe be it neuer so statelie or costlie is vaine worship and displeaseth God Then by Ferus iudgement that doctrine which is not contained in the olde Testament vnder some type or figure is not to be beléeued in the newe And then as the olde Testament condemned all traditions besides the lawe written so that from that the Iewes might not depart neither to the right hand nor to the left so doth also the new Testament In cap. 4.30 The same Ferus of the worship of Christians writes thus The true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and truth Waye saith he our worship according to this rule and see whether it be not more like Iewish then Christian worshippe Nay be sure that thou art not as yet a true worshipper although thou obserue al outward things neuer so exactly vnlesse thou worship God in spirit and truth How manie euill worshippers were then in the daies of our forefathers by his iudgement in the midst of Popish darknesse In. cap. 16. Mat. Also Ferus writes thus of this matter There is nothing more pestilent then euill doctrine and therefore Christ doth shadow it by
glorifie him Thus farre Ferus Wherein he doth teach vs manie notable lessons First not to giue to Saints those things which belong to God Secondly that we maie honor the Saints too much which some I thinke at this daie do not beléeue Thirdly what is the minde of all Saints they cannot abide that they should be extolled for any of Gods gifts Fourthly that they are but Gods instruments and do nothing by their owne power as hath been taught and beleeued most commonly in the darknesse of Poperie when as men went a pilgrimage and offered to them as if they of their own power could helpe them Fiftly let all men in all wonderfull works acknowledge God the chiefe workman and giue him all the glorie and praise and magnifie him in his Saints as the first Christians did in Paul they did not magnifie Paul Gal. 1.24 Neither that they make anie of them equall with God The same Ferus manifestly refutes that same obiection which the Papists make commonly for their pictures and images of God Fer. in 2. Act. God say they hath appeared often times in many formes and shapes and why may we not then paint him according to that forme he appeared in Here first besides that this their picturing of God is manifestly against the second commandement and against the doctrine of the prophet Esay where God as it were euen reasons with these idolaters Esay 40.18 and saith To whom will ye liken me c. Ferus yéelds another reason of these appearances of God God saith he in himselfe is inuisible yet we reade that he hath oftentimes appeared And all such his appearances are for the most part as the matters required for the which hee appeared So Esay saw God sitting as a iudge for the iudgement of Israel was at hand He appeared to Moses in a bush burning and not consuming For then such like was the state of the people of Israel in Egypt for they were in the fire of aduersitie and were not consumed Also he shewed himselfe to the eies of man at the giuing of the law in thunder lightning cloud and an earthquake to declare that that law should be a fearfull lawe and should cause wrath So the Angell hauing a sword drawne in his hand shewed himselfe to Iosuah now ready to fight whereby he declared that he would fight against the enemies of the Iewes So to Zacharie Angels appeared like horsemen for it was a time of feare and trembling for the inuasions of the Persians So the holy Ghost was seene vpon Christ in the shape of a Doue that he might declare that singular and rare innocencie puritie and mildnesse which was in Christ For a Doue is a gentle simple and plaine creature without any gall So in the transfiguration of our Lord which is a type of the resurrection the holy Gost appeared in a bright cloud that he might declare that at the last resurrection shall want no comfort not glorie Here also the holy Ghost appeared in toongs and fire for the state of the matter then euen so required it The Apostles stood need of toongs but both of firie and heauenly toongs So Ferus giues these reasons of these apparitions and not that we should by them make images of all these things Ferus also concerning images quite dissents from M. Bellarmine Bellar. de imag lib. 2. cap. 12. M. Bellarmine writes thus We with the Church affirme that the images of Christ and the Saints are to be honoured if so be that as it is declared in the councell of Trent Sess 25. we put no trust in the images neither that we aske any thing of them neither that we thinke that there is any diuinitie in them And againe answering after the obiection of the golden calfe which the Israelites made he answeres Cap. 13. that the Israelites thought verily that they had receiued their deliuerance out of Egypt not of the God of Moses but of Apis the god of the Egyptians which they had seene in Egypt worshipped of the Egyptians and therefore to him they made the image of a calfe But Ferus is of another and better iudgement vpon these words Make vs Gods c. he writes thus Fer. in 7. c. Act. He shewes that they were not only rebellious against Moses but also against God By gods here they meane saith he some worship of God by which they might purchase his helpe For they were not so blockish that they beleeued that Aaron could make them a god And this prooues that which Aaron said Tomorrow is the holy day vnto the Lord therfore they worshipped the true God with this worship The which thing is euident also by their owne words These are the gods c. For they knew well enough that that calfe was not then when they came out of Egypt therefore no worship whatsoeuer pleaseth God which he himselfe hath not appointed Therfore they sinned herein two waies First in that they made an image against the first commandement of God Secondly in that they worshipped him with a worship deuised of themselues The true worship of God is in spirit and truth He worships God which beleeues in him trusts in him loues him feares him praiseth him and obeyeth him This worship is to be preferred aboue all others nor any other are auailable without this Images are therefore tolerated and borne withall in the Church that they may put vs in minde not that they should be worshipped otherwise they cannot at all be excused Here Ferus quite dissents from M. Bellarmine First he plainly affirmes that the Israelites as we doe teach did worship the true God vnder the image of the golden calfe and not Apis the God of the Egyptians as M. Bellarmine affirmeth Secondly that images are not to be worshipped at all And that their worship cannot be defended and yet M. Bellarmine goeth about to defend it Thirdly he teacheth that no worshippe whatsoeuer can please God which God himselfe hath not ordained Contrarie also to M. Bellarmines exposition Bell. de Imag. lib. 2 cap. 4. who expounds that place of the second to the Colossians thus I say secondly that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voluntarie worship doth not signifie any voluntarie worship whatsoeuer not commanded of God or deuised of man but onely superstitious worship as our interpreter hath rightly translated it or false religion as S. Ierom expounds it in his Epistles in his tenth question to Algasia Therfore saith he Caluin must prooue the worship of reliques to be superstitious or false if he will haue it reprooued here of Paul Thus farre M. Bellarmine He affirmes that some worship of God deuised of man or besides that which God hath commanded so that it be not superstitious maie please God But Ferus plainly condemnes all worships of God whatsoeuer besides those which he hath appointed himselfe And to this purpose he writes thus after vpon these words Fer in 7. Act. Ye haue
commission and commandement of the holy spirit for his warrant Now this same disputing and reasoning taught that Peter was not their head The brethren make him yeeld account of his doings to them Act. 8.39 as to his equals So the spirit caught Phillip awaie from the Eunuch and placed him at Azoto and he walked too and fro preaching in all the cities till he came to Caesarea The like practise of this authoritie and gouernment of the holy spirit in the Church we read in the Acts c. 13.2 Now as they ministred vnto the Lord fasted the holy ghost saide separate me Barnabas and Saul for the works whereunto I haue called them And after they had fasted and prayed and layd their handes on them they let them goe and they after they were sent forth of the holy ghost came euen to Caesarea and from thence sailed to Cypris Is not this to gouerne Amongst a number to elect out certaine men and to send them to certaine countries The like testimonie of this gouernment in Gods Church of Gods spirit yeeldeth S. Paul to a great number of pastors in a solemne synode Act. 20.28 Take heede therefore vnto your selues sayth he and to all the flocke whereof the holy ghost hath made you ouerseers To place pastors in the Church is it not to gouerne And this S. Paul attributes heere to the holie ghost and as hee affirmes this of the pastors of Ephesius so no doubt of the pastors of the whole world They are placed in their cures by the holie Ghost All the Apostles likewise attribute this power and authority to the holie Ghost In that great controuersie about circumcision and obseruing the lawe of Moses Act. 15.28 doe they not conclude thus It seemes good to the holie Ghost and to vs Héere is the holie Ghost first put as head and gouernour and decider of this great controuersie and they themselues all alike but as assistants vnto it And is not this to gouerne And as the holie Ghost did then expreslie shew his gouernement in the beginning so no doubt by his most mightie power and secret inspiration he gouernes the same still and as the Apostles acknowledge him the gouernour of the church no one of them but him as the head commanding works placing ministers and deciding controuersies and themselues all as hands and féete as Gregorie makes them fulfilling his will Philippus de Dies writes thus out of Ambrose of the authority and pleasure so let vs and no other _____ of all the Apostles Dom. 2. posi pasc conc 1 To this end S. Paul doth confesse that himselfe and his fellowe Apostles receiued grace and Apostleship we haue receiued saith he Grace and Apostleshippe that all nations might obey the faith That is that all nations might obey those thinges which faith teacheth For his name which S. Ambrose expounds as Christs Vicars occupying his roome in the Church And this is that which the same blessed Apostle saide before Wee are Embassadours for Christ But Theophilact expounds it thus For his name That is for the aduancement of the name of Christ that the virtue of his name might bee spred through the whole worlde Thus farre Philippus de Dies Ambrose and he makes all the Apostles Christs vicars and not the Pope onelie and Theophilact testifieth that it is the chiefe part of the apostles to teach that the virtue of Christes name might bee spred through the whole world but the Pope hath dyminished the virtue of this name by adding other names vnto it euen as when many hearbs in a medicine are mingled togither one hindreth the operation of an other what néeds any more if one be sufficient Of Antichrist Fer. in cap. 4. Io. OF the succession of place howe little it auaileth Ferus writes thus As the Iewes bragged of the citie of Dauid and of the Temple of Salomon so the Samaritanes had the dwellings of the former patriarkes who dwelt in those places And by reason of these places they defended and comforted themselues against the Iewes when as they had nothinge of Iacobs religion as also the Iewes nothing of Dauids holines Thus farre Ferus The like may be said of the succession of the Romane Bishop Succession of place without faith is nothing Ferus of the preaching of the Gospell thorough all the world before the ende of the world writes thus The gospell came before the destruction of Ierusalem euen to the verie end of the world but it shal be fulfilled more perfectly before the end of the world Let vs marke how he saith that the gospell shall be preached further and more perfectlie nowe In cap. 24. Mat. then in the Apostles daies And after Behold the goodnesse of God hee might iustlie condemne vs and yet he deferreth his iudgment till all be called to mercie Before he destroied all men with the floud Noe admonished them an hundred yeares before he destroyed Egypt first he sent Moses Euen so before the vniuersall iudgement first he calles all to mercy by the gospell And after To the good the gospell is to their saluation but a testimonie against the wicked Let all men take heede then now that make light accompt of the gospell marke not the doctrine conteyned therin least it be a testimonie against them to condemne them And againe he writes thus Marke that that Ierusalem on whom Christ pronounced the sentence of destruction signifies the world and the Temple of God in the world is the Temple of the faithfull Therefore in the Church he foretold that there shoulde be an abhomination before the end of the world To abhorre is to execrate to loath to disdaine not to suffer to throw a thinge away with disdaine or indignatiō Hence an abomination or a thing abominable that is called which engenders an abhorring loathing or detestation But no outward vncleannes God doth loath but our sinnes Hereof verie often and for the most part they are called abominations in the scripture as for example The way of the vngodly is abomination vnto the Lord but the greatest abomination of all other in the scriptures is Idolatrie impietie heresie and falling away frō God Therfore after this māner Christ doth saie that there shal be abomination in the Church that is an apostacie or departing from God And that not any meane departing or falling away but such a one as shall bring desolation with it that is shall vtterlie goe about to ouerthrow christian religion And this abomination S. Iohn meanes in the Reuelation sometime by the beast to which the Dragō hath giuen his power somtime by the woman sitting on the beast and making all Nations drunken of the wine of her fornication Of which S. Paul speaketh more plainely vnlesse saith he that a departing come first that that man of sinne be reueiled c. Therefore this abomination is nothing else then the kingdome and tyrannie of Antichrist or the falling away from god which shal