haue occasion better and depelyer to consider these matters In the meane season I haue endeuoured that in such thinges as I bring out of stories and factes of our time I might content all men offend no man But if there be any man that thinketh him selfe offended with this my booke otheâ— bicause I haue spoken more plainely then he would I should other bicause he taketh my wordes otherwise then I meaned him I beseche most hartely that he call vpon me and heare what I can saye for my selfe Surely I shall not be so frowarde nor so vnkinde but being better instructed of any man I will with all courtesie thanke him therefore and much more will I be glad to submitt my selfe to the lawfull and Catholike censure of the church Which being most reasonable if I can nether by entreating nether by any right obteine of my aduersaries I will patieÌ„tly suffer by God his helpe all that may happen and will defend notwithstanding according to my power the truthe of God his worde as longe as I liue Contenting my selfe for al rewarde of my paines if I may by this small trauaill either call any one backe thas is gone astraye or confirme any man that hath hitherto remained in the truthe Especially in this your Diocese most Reuerend Praelat to whom this vniuersite of Ingolstad is subiect Wherefore I most humbly commend vnto yow bothe this schole especially the study of Diuinite therein and me and all myne Fare yow well Writen on Christmas eue in the ende of the yeare 1560. To your most Reuerend highnes the most affectioned FRIDERICVS STAPHYLVS Counseller to the Emperoures Maiestie c. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER GRACE FROM GOD AND PEACE IT is an olde and much receaued but a very euill custome that such as can not abide the truthe tolde them vse to slauÌ„der backbyte and raile at other especially for that by instinct of nature as a wise ethnike writeth men are more busy to espie other meÌ„s fautes then vertues And although this wicked custome hath allwayes from the beginning ben practised proceding of the corrupted nature off man yet neuer in any age it hath so much beÌ„ vsed as now sence Martin Luther brought out to light the fifte ghospell and sent abrode in to the world these vnhappy and vnghostely ghospellers which all Christendom now allmost to their greate lost and destruction is stuffed and stifled with all For where as this ghospel can neither be proued by any euidence of truthe neither as the true ghospell was be coÌ„firmed by operation of miracles these new preachers of our dayes haue turned all their force and power an other waie labouring to the and nayle by right and by wronge and by all meanes possible to bring the olde Catholike doctours and al such as folowe them in infamie obloquy and reproche to all the world And this lesson our aduersaries haue very perfitly lerned of their Master Luther and haue practised this precepte all waies hauing to do with me or any other Catholike man Neither will they by any meanes be brought from this their charitable custome while they liue perceauing well that by this crafty meanes they gett more grounde and deceaue more the people then euer they were able to do by plaine and vpright dealing Truly as for my part I confesse before God and his diuine iudgement my sinnes to be greate and many which can reioyse in no other thing nor otherwise praie then that good kinge Dauid vsing these wordes Lorde heare my praier heare me in thy righteousnes and entre not in to iudgement with thy seruaunt for no lyuing man may be iustified in thy fight to the whiche that notable sentence of S. Austen also agreeth saying Wo euen to the commendable life of men if thou o Lord doest examin and trie theÌ„ without thy mercie And thus must euery man be he neuer so holy and perfit iudge of him selfe if he respect the terrible iudgement of almightie God wherewith no man can stand without his mercie through Christ Iesus But in ciuill policie and trade of this worlde where the good a bearing of subiects is required euery maÌ„ ought so to ordre his life that he maye without groudg of conscience saye I can be charged with nothing howebeit I iustifie not myself herein And that saying of the prophet Iudge me o lorde according to my righteousnes For this is our glorie as the Apostle sayth the testimonie of our conscience Although therefore as I saied before I acknowledg my selfe for a greate sinner yet not with standing all daies of my life be it not spoken for any pride I haue allwaies endeuoured to haue the testimonie of an vpright conscience that I might geue a counte to such as required it of me bothe of my belefe and of my coÌ„uersation For this is the straight commaundement of almightie God and the doctrine of S. Peter the Apostle saying Be ye ready allwaies to geue an awnswer to all that shall aske you a reason of the hope that is in you and that with mekenes and feare hauinge a good conscience that whereas they backebite you as euill-doers they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conuersation in Christ. The which waighty precepts of holy scripture commaunding expresly euery man to be ready to geueaccompte of his hope and conuersatioÌ„ I being so bitterly and roughely prouoked of my aduersaries could not but purge and defend my selfe as reason required For as S. Hierom â—aieth He that neglecteth his good name is cruell and vnnaturall toward him selfe and as S. Austin saieth Our life we maintaine for our owne sakes our good name for other mens The wise man also saithe Better is a good name then much riches and to be loued is worth better then gold or siluer And the common talke telleth vs who hath lost his good name is more theÌ„ halfe haÌ„ged For these reasons therefore and diuers other I haue thought expedient to write and set forthe this brief and short Apologie to theÌ„teÌ„t that according to the duty of a ChristeÌ„ maÌ„ bicause other ordinary meanes of triall our aduersaries admit not I may declare to the world my innocency herein and remoue the haynous flawnders of my aduersaries which they laye out continually against me in pulpits in grammer scholes in their writinges and in famous libels To suspend therefore no longer the Godly and Christen reader we will nowe enter our Apologie being diuided in to thre partes The first is of the true and right vnderstanding of the worde of God and the ghospell which they saie I did before embrace and folow but now I abhorre and persecut The secoÌ„d part is of the traÌ„slation of the holy bible in to the vulgar German tongue whereof they bable that I go about amd deuise to make an inhibition against the reading of the german bibles The third part is of certain articles in controuersie which the Lutherans partly
ronge of trompetts and musike and as thoughe this article I beleue the Catholike Churche vere scraped out of the Crede or as thoughe that were no more true that Christ hath saide that the Churche is builded vpon a sure rocke not able to be shaken or as though it were false that the Apostle writeth calling the Churche the piller and grounde of truthe Who thē fell in to the ditche was it not he that first threwe his neighbour in and after was constrained to plucke him out again and fall in him selfe all the worlde knoweth and seeth it This then lo is the first prophecy of Martin Luther in this foresaide booke Nowe let vs here an other straite folowing hereupon To the entent saithe he that our conscience be not burdned with the sinnes of an other and we be counted afore God as wicked Achab. For if he be deliuered out of preson the papistes withoute doute will blaspheme our God and will crake after this sorte Lo be not our praiers hearde of God VVe haue praied for the Duke Harry of Brunsuicke and God hathe tried oure patience but he hath heard vs at the lēgth For although he suffred the Duke Harry to fall in to the heretikes handes for our temporall punishment yet they haue not ben able to kepe him still but were compelled off God to dismiss him Thankes be to our God whiche hathe not forsaken the churche and awncient religiō And in dede true it is that this argumēt hathe most moued me For we knowe the pope and his parasites be incurable therefore they can do nought els but euen in their moste miseries and wicked dedes comforte coulour and tricke vp them selues His other prophecy whereby he woulde be counted a thirde Elias he confirmeth by this reason That the same must nedes be the right church off Christ whiche was able by their good praiers to restore their princes in to liberte Therefore if the Duke Harry through the earnest and continuall praiers of the papistes were dismissed of his enemies thē euery man will thinke verely that the papistes are the true and right church of Christ. And this is true in dede For this reason therefore Luther as he writeth was most moued in no case to suffer the Duke to be sette at liberty lest perhaps the papistes shoulde be taken for the true churche of God and he and his felowes for the maligne churche Here let euery man that lacketh not common iudgement consider whether Luther be not suche a prophet as Caiphas was For he prophecieth nowe the truthe but as Caiphas did against him selfe and for the contrary parte The Catholikes in dede praied continually and earnestly for the emprisonned prince that he might escape out of his enemies handes Luther wroughte by force and by crafte all that he coulde to kepe him continually in preson and in his enemies handes Whiche parte then did God heare vndoubtedly the righter and more iuste For God is no vniuste iudge but paieth euery man according to his paines Therefore he succoured the presonner deliuered him and so dealed with hym that he might saye Iudge me o Lorde according to my righteousnes God therefore gaue the right and true sentence and nowe which parte and whose praiers were heard the euent declared But howe laboureth Luther to ouerthrowe the reason of the papistes wherewith he was so muche moued and by that ouerthrow to set vp his prowde and arrogant prophecye The first parte of the reason he letteth stāde and graunteth that God heareth the praiers of his churche But he laieth at the other parte and denieth stoutely that the papistes are able to obtaine any thinge of God For so he goeth forth in his foresaide booke Their praier therefore is not to be feared no more then Elias feared the praiers of the prophets of Baal But as he laughed to scorne their praiers and their God so we maye lawfully laughe to scorne the papistes and their God For we knowe their praiers are execrable as their doctrine and belefe is According to that of the psalme 199. Let their praier turne in to sinne And whomsoeuer they teache he can not chose but be condemned Nether are their praiers other then such as the deuill ones mocked at what time a certain priest being wel tipled saieng his complet in his bead and spetting as he praied letted also a greate farte well quôd he Diuell ▪ such praier such frankensence The like maye be saide of all their mumbling in churches and monasterys For they can not praie nor wil not praie nor know not what to praie nor how to praie The hereticall doctrine of Luther is so printed in some mens hartes by the instinct of some euill sprit that they passe vppon no praier beleue no truthe no miracle not God him selfe but one worde of Luthers mouth more persuadeth them be it neuer so false then God him selfe or his worde or the whole Catholike church Therefore if any man at that time had ben so bolde as to haue saide that the Catholike churche shoulde throughe her deuoute praiers obtaine the victory against her enemies and that this Duke thē prisonner should be deliuered and the other the Duke of Saxony and the Lantgraue caste in preson that man had ben mocked and scoffed to deathe presuming so to contemne the authorite off the thirde Elias Luther And I doubte whether yet vntel this daie some simple mē are deceaued by that his prophecy though the ende of this tragedy being so open to all the worlde geueth euident testimony that allmightie God hath heard the praiers of the papistes and reiected those of the Lutherans deliuering the Duke Harry and bringing the other two Princes in to the Emperours handes as presonners Nowe Luther to absolue and consummat this his laste worke for with this holesom piece he ended his fifte ghospell he prouoketh mē of armes and power to fighte courageously against their chief and Liege Souueraines For thus he writeth Only God must be honoured only god must be praised to him only thankes are due to the entent that he which maketh all thinges may geue also the victory For god can abide none of these twaine either that mā tempt him or that he truste to much to himselfe VVe must walke the high waie turning neither on the right hāde nether on the lefte VVhosoeuer taketh not weapon when he may he vseth not the giftes of god he turneth on the lefte hande and seing a blowe coming laieth out his head He tempteth god wherefore it happeneth wel and worthely that such mēs heades beare awaie the rappes This coūsell of Luther is true and good touching Magistrats Kinges Emperours Princes and rulers But not for them which are subiects and priuat men For Luther him self writeth and teacheth that no Prince or Lorde whiche is vnder a higher power and oweth allegeaunce vnto him can rightely make warre againste any other prince or Lorde muche lesse against his
had for the blessed fleshe and precious bloud of oure Sauiour pronounced to be in this most dreadfull mystery by the mouthe off Christ him selfe substituted materiall bread and wine and yet to make a coulour of holynes as the woÌ„te of the deuill is had tolde vs that he separated not the verite from the figure Christ from the bread fearing lest perhaps by this tale some scrupulous sacramentary would haue worshipped the verite not separated from the figure to witt Christe ioyned with the bread he turneth his tale and telleth them at the ende of his talke whiche he thought shoulde beste sticke by the readers that the sacrament is but a signe and hathe not the thinge or verite of the signe included in it Nether dothe he coÌ„ceale his wicked purpose but boldely vttereth it euen straight saieng they that worship in the Sacrament Christ make an idoll of it I haue lo discouered vnto you good readers the wicked deuise of this proctour of the deuill Ihon Caluin stoppe your eares at the wiâ—ked enchantmeÌ„ts of this flattering Circé and harken rather to the doctrine of that holy and lerned Father of the Church S. Augustin who speaking of the worshipping off Christe in this blessed Sacrament saieth Non solum non peccatur adorando sed peccatur non adorando that is VVe do not onely not sinne or offend in adoring it but we do sinne if we do not adore it Lo this lerned Father feareth no idolatry in adoration of the Sacrament but pronouÌ„ceth it a sinne not to adore it wherein he declareth the doctrine and belefe of Christ his churche at that time and he spake these wordes in pulpit preaching to his people and expounding them the worde of God Nowe this cursed caitif Caluin bereueth oure blessed Sauiour of his due honour and telleth vs we make him an idoll well the deuill yet hath gotte small worship at his proctours hande here making him to speake suche contradictions as shal worke at the length I truste in god his vtter confusion and all enemies of gods honour And therefore we will yet discouer you more of his contradictions and sory lessons lerned of his master the deuill the spirit of dissension and contrariete In the thirtenth article of his resolutions he saieth the sacrament is an instrument by the whiche god worketh If the sacrament be an instrument whereby Christ worketh howe is it a figure of Christ as these Sacramentaries will haue it onely to be who euer heard that the figure of the workeman as a figure were his Instrument or the instrument his figure Is not this doctrine a mere confusion and contradiction The truthe is that bread is nether the figure of Christ nor the instrumeÌ„t whereby he worketh No scripture saieth so The churche neuer taught so No reason persuadeth so It is but a dreame off Caluin In the fiftenth article he saieth the Sacrament doth warrant vs Christ. In the tenth he sayed it was but a bare signe and that we shoulde not regarde it Beleue nowe whether parte ye liste Truly bothe can not be true In the sixtenth article he sayeth the sacrament warraÌ„teth Christ onely in the elected and predestiant In the .18 article he saieth that in the sacrament Christ is offred aequally vnto all and that the promis of god is not weakened by the incredulite of men If the sacrament warranteth and confirmeth Christ onely in the elected is not the promis or verite of god promised in the sacrament weakened by the incredulite of men for they by theyr incredulite saieth Caluin can not receaue Christ which is the substaunce of the sacrameÌ„t and that which Crist promiseth You see his constancy and agrement Is not this a worthy guide for a man to builde his faith vpon and forsake his former belefe In the twentith article he saieth it maye happeÌ„ that the vse of the Supper which profited vs nothinge in the acte or doing of it bicause of oure negligence or slacknes maye afterwarde bringe forthe better frute This point lo is contrary to all his doctrine in his institutions and coÌ„mentaries vpon holy scripture where he teacheth the effect of the Sacrament that god fedeth vs not with bare signes that he geueth life withall thath oure soules are fedde with Christ truly and really For nowe a man maye receaue the Sacrament and lacke all this He maye I saie receaue it well and worthely and haue none of all these For if the vnworthy receauer receaueth forthewith his damnation as S. Paule saieth Caluin can not meane this of the vnworthy receauer especially saying withall that it may afterwarde bringe forthe better frute whiche to the vnworthy receauer it can not do In the sixe and twentith article he saieth we muste not tye Christe to the bread and to the wine and yet in the ninthe article he him selfe tieth Christ thereto For he sayeth Nous ne separons pas la verite d'auec les figures we separat not the verite from the figures If Caluin do not separat Christ whiche is the verite from the figures of bread and wine dothe he not couple and tye Christ thereunto Truly the Sacramentaries and Lutherans bothe do it making the bread and the wine to remaine The Catholike churche dothe not beleuing that the coÌ„secrated and blessed bread is no more bread but as Christ saieth His body and the the wine his blode Lo you haue good readers a number of contradictions gathered oute of this small treatise of Caluin wherein yet according to the title thereof he minded to geue the worlde a full and perfit resolution of the Sacraments But whiles he laboureth to vtter his heresy vnder coulour of some Christianite and to persuade his falshood vnder the cloke of some truth he is miserably driueÌ„ to tell contrary tales to saie one thinge and thinke an other brefely to confounde him selfe with his owne wordes For what better reason may possibly be founde to discouer false forged doctrine of an heretike then to trippe him in his talke and take him in contradiction Nothing can more discredit the Author of a secte or declare more his wicked pretence then to espie diuersite of doctrine and variaunce of opinions in him nor neuer I thinke appeared it better in any heretike except allwaies that fonde frere Martin Luther them in Ihon Caluin And yet this is he vpon whose onely warrant and worde diuers deceaued persons haue hazarded their soules and loste their life I beseche god geue the remnant grace to see knowe and deteste from henceforthe suche a teacher as you see nowe Caluin is Diuers other contradictions might be gathered oute of this mans doctrine touching this blessed Sacrament if we listed to scanne eche of his propositions and saiengs But bicause I haue ben ouer longe allready and yet in so good a purpose me thinketh I can neuer be longe inough I wil nowe passe to the repugnaunce in his doctrine against holy scripture Our Sauiour sayth
the worlde and that in eating the bread we eate nothing els â–ª And truly if you remembre his doctrine before yow see he meaneth nought ells S. Paule speaking of our Lordes body and bloud geuen vs in the blessed sacrament saithe thus He that eateth and drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh his owne damnation not discerning the body of oure Lorde Caluin in his coÌ„mentaries vppoÌ„ this place saithe That the wicked person therefore eateth vnworthely bicause he refuseth the body of our Lorde offred vnto him eating thereby the onely signe to wit bare bared Marke the differeÌ„ce of S. Paules doctrine and Caluins imagination For howe dothe the wicked eate the body and therewith his daÌ„nation whiche S. Paule teacheth iff he eate but bread and refuse the body which Caluin imagineth I will graunte who refuseth Christ refuseth life and thereby worketh his owne damnation But this is not to eate his damnation in such sorte as S. Paule speaketh there Our Sauiour in the sixte of Ihon saithe Your fathers did eate Manna in the desert and are dead This is that bread whiche cometh downe from heauen that a man maye eate thereof and not die Caluin in his commentaries vpoÌ„ the first to the CorinthiaÌ„s the tenth chapter teacheth that the Iewes eating MaÌ„na did eate the very body of Christ spiritually as we do and receaued the same effect by eating the Manna as we do by the communion He laboureth muche in that place to proue this fonde doctrine and forgeth a sory shifte to auoide these wordes of our Sauiour in S. Ihon. Christ saythe he hauing to do with the Iewes preferring Moyses before him in his answer to them expounded not what Manna signified but letting all other thinges passe framed them an answer mete for their capacite speaking not according to the nature of the thinge but according to the meaning and sâ—ns of the hearers Thus muche Caluin But beholde I beseche you the sophistry of this wily heretike He woulde make vs beleue that Christ in S. IhoÌ„ plaied the RhetoriciaÌ„s part and withall is not afeared to make our Sauiour O blasphemous Sacramentary a lyar For Christe saithe plainely That the Iewes eating Manna died for not by eating Manna but by beleuing in the Messias to come they were fedde of Christ But the bread which he would geue shoulde be life euerlasting to those whiche eate off it Iff nowe as Caluin saithe the eating of Manna serued their turne no lesse then the bread of life Christ him selfe serued oures to witt that they receaued also the bread of life spiritually in eating Manna as we do in eating the blessed Sacrament then were not that sayieng off Christe true nor his comparison good preferring the bread of life which he would geue vs before the Manna of the Iewes For their Manna as Caluin saithe was bread of life to them then was it not inferiour to that whiche Christe woulde geue but all one and the same But nowe to an other Our Sauiour in S. Ihon hath these wordes Who eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him Caluin correcteth these wordes in his doctrine of the Supper and maketh this proposition Who beleueth in the death and resurrectioÌ„ of Christ the coÌ„munion of his flesh is deriued vnto him by the vertu of his holy Spirit First in this doctrine where Christ biddeth vs eate his flesh and so promiseth him selfe to dwel with vs and in vs Caluin biddeth vs beleue in Christ his death saieng thereby we eate his flesh and theÌ„ in stede of Christ God and maÌ„ abiding in vs which our Sauiour in this most holy SacrameÌ„t promiseth and no doubt perfourmeth vnto vs Caluin warraÌ„teth vs of a certain coÌ„munioÌ„ of the flesh remaining only in heaueÌ„ which shal be deriued he sayeth by the Spirit off Christ vnto vs. This is lo not to haue God and man Christ him selfe abiding in vs which bicause Christ promiseth vs we must vndoubtedly beleue so but to haue him onely spiritually abiding in vs to witt coming to vs onely by spirit and abiding onely in heauen by fleshe How false and howe farre disagreble with the wordes of our Sauiour this doctrine of Caluin is we haue in his absurdites and contradictions declared Presently it suffiseth to knowe that he dothe bothe in termes and in sense comptroll and alter the wordes and meaning of oure Sauiour S. Paule writing to the Corinthians of the due accesse and reuerence of this blessed Sacrament saith Let euery maÌ„ trie him selfe and so eate of this bread Caluin in his Institutions and vpon the sixte of Ihon teacheth that by beleuing we eate Christ. Nowe seing that no man trieth him selfe but first he beleueth and in beleuing we eate Christ then before we trie oure selues we do eate contrary to the expresse wordes off the Apostle bidding vs first to trie our selues and so to eate of this bread of life And truly according to the doctrine of Caluin as you haue sene before beleuing in Christes deathe and resurrection we eate and receaue the body and bloud off Christ allwaies no lesse then in the vse of the Supper or communion Which excludeth all triall of our selues required by S. Paul For the maintenance of this wicked Sacramentary doctrine Caluin abuseth and turneth from their right vnderstanding not onely suche places of holy scripture as directly make against him as you haue hetherto partly sene but also suche as by any consequence of reason might seme to hinder the course of his wicked doctrine For example I will pnt you in minde of one or two Whereas it is writen in S. Ihon that Christ entred where his disciples were the doores being shutt bicause this miracle might importe to the body of oure Sauiour a possibilite of being in sundry places at ones and so destroy the false grounde of these sacramentaries tying Christ to the right hande of his Father Caluin in his institutions saithe that Christ entred not the dores being shutt but that the dores opened of them selues Otherwhere he writeth that an erthequake was made and so the dores opened Brefely he inuenteth what shifte he maie rather them he will yelde to the truthe of the churche With like confidence this presumptuous SacrameÌ„tary Ihon Caluin peruerteth by false traÌ„slatioÌ„ the wordes of holy scripture in the prouerbes of SalomoÌ„ coÌ„taining a clere prophecy of this blessed sacrameÌ„t We alleaged you the place before and after what sort it was by him corrupted If we would in other pointes and articles of the Catholike faith by him denied and impugned vse the like diligence we could be as loÌ„ge in the retical and setting forthe of theÌ„ as he is in the whole corps of his workes where such doctrine is taught But nowe I will procede to the other partes of oure promis touching this one article and after saie somewhat of some other point of his doctrine Oure Lorde in holy scripture by the mouthe off his prophet
master to rule the sterne medling not with that he hath no skill of right so when preuy rebells or open apostatas of Christen religion sowe seditious schismes and preache hereticall doctrine troubling thereby the quiet and settled consciences of true and vpright beleuers euery Christen man especially such as are of the laye and inferiour sorte ought to cleaue vnto their heades and rulers in Christ his church medling not with the determination of any point called then in controuersy but looke to be directed as they haue allwaies ben by their catholike pastours and ouerseers to whom they are commaunded by the Apostle to obey and submitte them selues truly no lesse then the souldiar to his Capitain or the passanger to his master Therefore oure Sauiour biddeth the people to beware and Take hede of false prophets nor to beleue euery spirit but trie and discern whether they be of God or no. But this lo howe maye it be Howe shal the ignorant and laye man trie false doctrine from the true It hath ben put in to mens heads of late yeares that euery man for this purpose ought to reade holy scripture and thereby to trie and discern truthe from falshood It were perhaps to be wished if it had so pleased God that as holy scripture is the true triall thereof so it were open and euident to all men that seke the triall therein but what haue lerned men iudged in times past of holy scripture Many things saieth S. Augustin are darke in scriptures and it hath so ben prouided of God to the entent that our pridemight be tamed by trauail and our knowledg not cloyed with facilite which quickely contemneth that easely hath ben lerned In like maner S. Hierom. All prophecy or interpretation of scripture contayneth the truthe in darcknes and obscurite to the entent that the scholers and lerners within may vnderstande but the rude people set without may not knowe what is saied Orels we shall cast precious stones before hogges iff we open the treasure of holy scripture to euery man Epiphanius likewise The Scripture saieth he telleth all truthe but we haue nede of good intelligēce and perceiuerance to knowe God and his word There is in the ghospell saieth Origen the letter that killeth for the destroying letter is not only in the olde Testament but also in the newe Testament to him that vnderstandeth not spiritually that which is saied Tertullian speaketh yet more vehemently hereof I am not afeared saieth he to saie that the scriptures them selues haue ben so disposed by the will of God that they mought minister matter vnto heretikes seing that I reade that heresies must be which without scripture coulde not be This is the iudgement of the lerned fathers who haue trauailed more in holy scripture then any new preacher of oure time and yet can espie no greate facilite in it but rather do complaine of the maruailous difficulte thereof And doth not S. Peter write plainly that in the epistles of S. Paule Certain thinges were very harde to be vnderstanded which the vnlerned and inconstant depraued euen as other parts of scripture to their owne destruction Doth not S. Paule write that The ghospell is vailed and couered from those that perish Are we not commaunded to serch holy scripture doth not this serching importe a diligence and difficulty more then laye men can either attend vppon or attaine vnto The Eunuchus vnderstode not the prophet vntill the Apostle had expounded it vnto him And Christ after his Ascension opened the vnderstanding off his disciples that they might vnderstand the scriptures And thincke we oure selues able to vnderstand all that we reade This then being so howe shall the laye and vnlerned man perfourme the commaundement of the ghospell bidding him To beware of false prophetes and to discern the sprits whether they be of god or no Euery secte nowe a daies chalengeth the worde of god and the right vnderstanding thereof The Catholike likewise by prescription out of memory standeth in possession thereof and will not be brought from it for all the bragges the heretike maketh Howe then shall the vnlerned man hearing bothe tales conclude with him selfe which to folowe Were it not nowe good readers much to be wished that some clere and euident doctrine were taught by what meanes and howe the holy worde of God maye rightly be vnder standed and the false prophets preachers and protestants of oure time might be auoided Truly as the sauegarde of the soule passeth all worldly interest so euery Christen hart ought aboue all thinges tender the same and with all diligence possible procure spedy remedies for the pestiferous venim off heresy which crepeth on like a cancre and corrupteth the whole estat of our saluation Hauing therefore sene and perused a certain booke of Fridericus Staphylus writen first in the Allemain tongue and after translated in to Latin wherein he first teacheth the vnlerned laye man howe to beware of false and wrong interpretation of holy scripture which is no lesse necessary then the reading off scripture it selfe secondarely detecteth certain false translations of the Bible by Luther in to his mother tongue laste of all declareth the maruailous dissension and variaunces of the Lutherans in their doctrine and chiefest articles of our faith which is a most euident argument of the sprit of dissension the diuell him selfe speaking in thē and a clere proufe of hereticall doctrine for the truthe is but one I haue thought good to translate the whole in to our mother tongue trusting in almighty God to profit hereby many a Christen soule of my dere deceined countremen which as God is my witnes was my only respect in this smal labour The first part of this booke is a very necessary lesson for the vnlerned laye man For without the true and right interpretation of holy scripture such as the church teacheth he can haue no right faith and so hazardeth his soule and euerlasting life which he ought aboue all worldly respect tender and procure For as our Sauiour saieth What auaileth it a man to winne the whole worlde and lese his soule The second parte is a good admonition for al such as are not sene in the tongues to beware of newe translations of holy scripture falsely forged for a vauntage Our english bibles sette forth these last yeares lack not such foisting in of false termes In the epistles of S. Paule as ofte as the worde Idoll is founde in the greke and latin text so ofte they turne it Image as though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in greke idolum and imago in laten or idol and image in english were all one When God saieth in holy scripture Let vs make man according to our image will these men saie that God hath an idoll according to the which man was made and howe be they not ashamed to call couetousnes worshipping of images
by them left vnto their lawfull successours with the very text of the scripture therefore it is cōmonly called the Tradition of the holy fathers and oftentimes the vnwriten verite in respect of the writen texte And bicause the truthe off the text and of the right vnderstanding of the texte must nedes be all one truly our aduersaries do slaunder vs fayning that in triall off cōtrouersies we woulde beside the worde of God sett as iudge the traditions of men directly against the worde of God The third principle is that holy continuall succession of the See Apostolike and other bishops in the Catholike churche For if we be able to proue by order of continuall succession that all bishops as well before vs as nowe haue allwaies expounded the holy scriptures euen as the first Apostles did can there be any more certain waye for the vnderstanding of scripture then this is I would gladly heare what can be saied against it The fourthe principle is the vnite and consent of the Catholike churche Whereby it is made that the like truthe be in euery part that is in the whole and so contrary wise These are moste Reuerend Prelate the right principles of Christian doctrine these are the foundations of all truthe these as foure quarres or corner stones holde vp the Catholike churche and therefore it is called One Holy Catholike and Apostolike churche For of these principles dependeth the Authorite of the councels Of these the holy Canons haue their beginning and of these all laufull and laudable rites of the church take force and strength These then being the principles of our religion not those which Brentius falsely chargeth vs withal Princes and rulers ought to looke more nerer vnto the doings and sayings of their preachers But nowe Bretius to make an oppositiō of the foresaide forged principles our principles are saieth he the worde of God Christ and an assured certainte of oure confidence in Christ But what is I praie you this your worde of God This it is that all maner of folke mē and womē cookes and coblers baudes and buchers tinkers and tailers pedlers and poticaries minstrels and mummers and all such like be priestes be bishops be doctours and pastours and haue authoritie to administrat the Sacraments to interpret Scripture and what interpretation eche one by the drifte of his braine draweth out of scripture that to be the pure ghospell off the Lorde and the expresse worde of God This is not right Reuerend father the worde of God but the worde of the diuell him selfe inuēted of Luther not inspired by the sprit of God For that man entending to peruert all that appertained to God or to man laboured trauailed and endeuoured by al meanes possible that there might remaine no spirituall magistrat whiche might by authorite discerne betwene leper and leper maintaining the right doctrine of the ghospell and remouing the bastard And this labour of Luther being well liked of Sathan he imagined an other worde of God as that among Christen men shoulde be no ciuill magistrat for all princes were fooles tyrans and men of no religion to thentent that if perhaps the heresies of Luther were condemned by the Spirituall magistrat and so forth with cōmitted to the secular sworde princes therunto might haue no authorite Hereuppon he forbiddeth Christen men to kepe warre against the Turke and commaundeth subiects to rebel against their princes Strait vppon this arose an other worde of an other God that all lawes of chaste and single life shoulde be taken awaye teaching amonge a sorte of maydes and yonge men that Man was no more able to refraine his fleshly lustes then not to spet when nature prouoked Againe that fasting and abstinence from flesh nothing helped prayer nothing furdered deuotion made nothing to sobriete These smaller pointes being first all most conquered he reacheth to higher and diuiner matters First bicause he teacheth that sinne is not by the grace of baptime taken away in dede but is saide and fained only to be taken away hereof he savve it vvolde folovve that mē oughte not be estemed righteous and good in dede but onely accompted and imputed for such Then bycause he made no difference nor degre of grace he admitted no encrease in vertu and therefore could not abide the Sacramēt of Confirmation Fardermore bicause if sinne be not rooted out if there be no encrease of grace nor goodnes but al is only by maner of accōpte and imputing thē must he also infer that the presence of Christes body may not be in earthe that no sacrifice be admitted and vvhich folovved thereupon no priesthood nether And of this point the Zuinglians picked out one worde of their straunge God and the Lutherās an other of this spring also arose the doctrine teaching mā to be iustified by only faith hope charite repentaunce and other good workes being pernicious and hurtefull to saluation what frute then thinke you proceded hereof This sothely and many other For if God doth compell man to sinne as Luther and the Caluinistes do write howe can God require good workes or by what lawe can be punish sinne seing that he worketh sinne in vs and good workes are thought to be pernicious And truly if there be no rewarde for vertu there shall be no punishment for sinne And then there is no hel nor place of punishment as in the seacoste townes of Germany it is taught there is no diuell to execute that punishment as Osiander teacheth This worde not of God but of the diuell beyng laied this principle being put an other principle concerning Christ ensued as that the humain nature of Christe is god as the Swenckfeldians will haue it or contrairely that Christe is not God as the Seruetians teache and Mathias Flaccius affirming that the worde in the first of Iohn is not the sonne of God Lo how fertill and abundant was this principle of Luther and Brentius There were in times past and are also nowe a dayes whiche openly denie Christ to be the son of God affirming him to be the son of Ioseph and Mary Which Mary also had as they saye many other children beside Christ. Other there be nowe which teache the ghospell of S. Iohn to be a tale of Plato baptim to be the inuentiō of the diuell And that there is not in God the Trinite of persons some other doubting whether this Trinite be man or woman So taught euen this winter a certayn new ghospeller in Sternberg a towne of Morauia and that with the fauour of the people but much against the will of the Bishop of Omoluke their diocesian There be nowe in Hungary also which in their baptim leaue out cleane the name of the Son There be in many places the Seruetians which call the blessed Trinite by the name of the hellhownd Cerberus whom the poetes fained to haue thre heads With like horrible blasphemies two other ghospellers daily
to come backe frō whence we departed to returne to the vnite and cōsent of Christendom and all Catholike people For why be we Germans Christē men So are other nations and countres also Yf then we be not the whole corps off Christendom we are yet a parte of it But that parte is foule say the S. Austen whiche agreeth not with his whole What then surely this is the only medicine for our desease the only remedy for this mischef the only hope of amendment if that we being not the whole corps of Christendome but a parte of it suffer not our selues to be persuaded that any one parte of the body can be saued when the whole perisheth The nature and property of a generall councel is to cure euery parte of Christendom neglecting none Such a councell nowe therefore being called and prouulgated we are al called no man is excluded Truly no mans greafe or desease can be so greate but that the Coūcel is able to remedy it Nor none is of such vertu and perfection but that by the councel he may be more commēded Will we therefore auoide in time ths paganisme of these Epicures let vs all embrace the wholesom rule of Christen faithe submitting our selues to the holy Councell Will we caste of the yoke of Mahomet Will we flie the idolatry of the Alcoran Let vs seeke vnite let vs come vnto the Councell and all force of armes laied aside let vs quietly and with leasure debate our cause let vs in al softnes and loue deliberat and cōsult of the publike weale of vs al. For Charite as S. Paul teacheth is patiēt is gētle Charite striueth not it doth not frowardly it is not prowde not ambitious it seketh not her owne interest it is not prouoked it thinketh no euil it reioyseth not of iniquite but is delyted in verite it suffreth al thinges it beleueth al things it hopeth al things it abideth al things Let this lawe of the Apostle and rule of Christian Charite be the foundation of the proclaimed councell the maner of ordering it and the intent of debating in it But you will saye VVe are greuously offended with them Truly that is greate pitie But Charitie is patient suffreth all thinges is not prouoked Our aduersaires be vnlerned Charite striueth not is not proude not ambitious Our aduersaries be riche and kepe that is not their owne yea they haue that is oures Charite seketh not her owne interest it doth not frowardly It semeth the councel wil deceaue vs and not kepe promis with vs Charite thinketh no harme but beleueth al things hopeth all thinges But what if peraduenture we be there cast and condemned Charite reioyseth not of iniquite but is delited in verite Truly I am fully persuaded that if we woulde all with this minde and intent come to the Councell we shoude seking all for the truthe quickely see an ende of controuersies and seeking all vnite returne home in perfit agreement But you require to knowe the iudge and order of this councell In good time for the protestants woulde one of their flocke to be iudge and likewise the Catholikes of theirs againe they desire one order and these an other For priuat affections are on bothe sides feared lest the true iudgement be thereby corrupted Howe shall we then do to haue a Iudge voide of all suspicion that may vprightly iudge Let the worde of God and the Catholike and right interpretation of that worde be iudge in the whiche interpretation there is surely no lesse truthe then in the very texte of the worde of God For what can be more impudent and vnreasonable then to embrace the text only and reiecte the right and Catholike vnderstanding of the same to admit that is spoken and refuse that is mēt to vrge the letter that of it selfe killeth and flye the spiritual meaning which geueth life Herein therefore the greatest point of our debate cōsisteth whē the Catholike shal interpret holy scripture otherwise then the protestant or the protestāt otherwise then the Catholike to knowe which of these two bringeth forthe the more Catholike more right and more receaued interpretation And in this debate the ende must nedes be that they be iudged to haue brought the righter the more Catholike and the more receaued interpretation which are able euidently to showe their interpretation alleaged to be Catholike and Apostolicall that is to haue proceded from the Apostles to haue ben receaued of their successours deliuered from hande to hande by continuall succession and spred through the whole corps of Christēdom and so to haue come and reached euen to vs. They agayne must nedes be thought to haue alleaged the false and bastard interpretation of holy scripture which are not able to deduct it from the Apostles nor to proue it vniuersall As for example Let vs suppose that now in the councell with these newe Arrians of our dayes this question were to be debated Whether Christ be in dede the Son of God and of aequall substaunce with the father or no. where as the Arrians denie this the Catholikes do affirme it and the Arrians for their parte alleage that place of scripture where it is writē Pater maior me est The father is greater then I am againe the Catholikes alleage an other place Ego pater vnum sumus I and the father be alone and eche of them interpreting their place alleaged but bothe of them diuersly what can now help the very writen worde of God and bare text of the scripture to terminat this debate the writen worde is on bothe partes expresse and of bothe admitted Wherein then standeth the controuersie truly not in the text but in the right vnderstanding of the text Not in that which is spokē but in that which is ment Is not this I praie you agreable to the worde of God standeth it not with all reason that the same interpretation and vnderstanding of an alleaged text be iudged right and lawful which can euidētly be proued to haue ben deriued from the Apostles and so receaued and vsed in the whole corps of Christēdom I verely can imagin no better And with this my iudgmēt agreeth wel that Noble and wise Emperour Theodosius the first who in this very question of vs propounded chose for iudge in that controuersie the Catholike and receaued interpretatiō of holy scripture For thus we reade in the ecclesiastical historie of Socrates of one Sisinnius who gaue the Emperour this councell to aswage the greate contentions that were then in the church through that heresie of Arrius This Sisinius was as Socrates writeth an eloquent mā a man of much experience very well sene in the olde writers expounding holy scripture and a good philosopher This man therefore perceauing that by disputations and conferences with heretikes the schisme grewe on more and wexed more cōtentious he aduised Nectarius then Patriarche of Constantinople in this maner The olde writers saieth
saide these euill abodements and will praie vnto God that it will please him rather to beare downe our sinnes with the balance of his mercie then to exacte them to the rigour of his iustice graunting to our aduersaries the loue of Christian and Catholâ—ke concorde and to vs the amendment to a perfiâ— life The wrath of God is slowe and although allwais iust yet neuer without mercie if at lest we labour rather to trie it mercifull then iust For it inuiteth vs first to acknowledg our sinne and expecteth our repentaunce before it pronounceth sentence to condemne vs. And what may we thinck of the prouidence of God taking awaye the auncient and aged princes and leauing aliue the yonge which for their tender age and small experience are like to swarue and misse in many matters Within the coÌ„pas of these thre yeres or there about what number of princes kinges and Quenes haue departed this worlde And to begin with the most principall The Emperour Charles the fifte died the laste yeare About that time died his two sisters Leonore wife vnto Frauncis theÌ„ frenche kinge and Mary wife vnto Loys kinge of Pannonia Mary also Quene of England maried vnto kinge Philip his son About that time also died Ihon kinge of Portugall Bona wife vnto Sigismunde kinge of Pole and Isabell his daughter maried vnto Ihon kinge of Hungary Not longe after also died two kinges in Denmark Christern and Christian sonne to kinge Friderike which had longe kept the other in prison Shortly afther these Harry the Frenche kinge died and a litle before him Paule the fourth B. of Rome What shall I nowe talke of the death of inferiour princes In the compasse of a shorte time died fowre of the Princes Electours of the Empire the bishops of Treuires of Ments and of Colonie and Ottohenricus Counte palatin of the Rhene and in Italy the Duke of Venis But what shall I speake of those whiche died this laste moneth Gustanus king of Suethland Frauncys the second the frenche kinge and Ernestus Duke of Bauaria Michael also Archebishop of Salisburg a vertuous and lerned bishop the bishops also of Frising and of Eystat your predecessour haue about this time ben taken out of this worlde And although it be true that Euripides saieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 al meÌ„ are borne to die and that Eschilus an other poet writeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To serche out the cause of death is in the secrets of fortune yet the like is not of such straunge and rare maner of chaunces True it is and by a most iust order of nature hath allwaies ben a constant and sure ratified lawe that which Horace the poet writeth Pallida mors aequo cae VVith like force and foote death striketh at the doore Of the princes highe palais and the cottage of the poore But that so many kinges so many Quenes so many Princes in so short a compas as of thre yeares should all departe this life it is a rare matter the like whereof hath in fewe ages happened And may we thinke this to be a mere chaunce and casualtie or rather to haue proceded of the vnfallible prouidence of God Truly as the first I can not thinke so the last I must nedes beleue For doth not God by the mouthe of his prophet Esay declare vs his diuine prouideÌ„ce herein For Lo he saieth the Lorde God of hostes doth take away from Hierusalem and Iuda euery valiaunt and stronge abundance of bread and of water the mighty and man of warre the iudge and the prophet the wise and the aged maÌ„ the prince of fiftie yeares olde and the honourable the Senatours and meÌ„ of vnderstaÌ„ding the master of craftes and the well spokeÌ„ wisemaÌ„ And I shal geue theÌ„ childreÌ„ to be their princes and the delicious and waÌ„ton shall haue the rule of theÌ„ the people shall be ouerruÌ„ne and one maÌ„ shall be set against an other euery maÌ„ against his nâ—ighbour Tbe boye shall presume against the elder and the vile pâ—rson against the honourable and so forthe Thus the pâ—ophets in times past did so pronounce of the Iewes that it may well seme to be meÌ„t also of vs GermaÌ„s The truthe of the prophet concerning the Iewes the euent declared And that he will not lye touching vs it is not nede to declare in wordes the daily experience dothe showe it But seing that this mischef is so farre growen that by only repentaunce we may escape the rodde better it were for vs to amend our selues quietly then to repreheÌ„d other sharply seing that so it is now that if as an inferiour you do brotherly aduertise men you auaile nothing by entreating and againe if as a superiour you commaunde you get nothing by forcing Peraduenture therefore as S. Basile saieth in the like cause of a coÌ„mon vice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Better a man to holde his peace then to speake Being the parte of a good oratour as well in time to kepe silence as when occasion serueth to talke For as by doing the one he profiteth much so by neglecting the other he hurteth sometime And this the nerer I considre the more lothe I am to set vppon this enterprise And truly if I folowed herein my owne priuat quarel I might worthely seme vndiâ—cret and rash which would prefer my priuat commodite or incommodite before the publick and common or woulde esteme my priuat displeasure more then the profit and instruction of many But the loue of truthe shall here ouercom which as it is oppressed by silence so being discouered taketh force againe I had rather therefore if I must nedes somewaies offend smarte for telling the truthe then for dissembling by flattery Therefore iff I declare that which I haue perceaued if I aduertise men to beware of the mischef that I haue incurred my selfe I trust in so doing I shall offend no man I knowe there are amonge the rulers and noble men which if they plainly perceaued the deceites of these heretikes and knew what mischef ariseth thereby to them selues to theirs and to the whole common welthe they would not slowly and slackely as I did very vnwise but with spede as wise men returne to the trade of auncient and Catholike religion Therefore writing this booke most Reuerend I haue eftesoones ioyned teares with praiers beseching allmightie God as well for my enemies as for my frendes that it will please him of his goodnes to geue vs all one minde and one vnderstanding that we may knowe no other thinge nor thinke our selues wise in any other point then in Iesus Christ and he for vs crucified For he is the shoot anker of all Christian religion he is the only porte of our saluation Who so straieth from him he leseth God and life euerlasting And to this ende haue I directed bothe all other trauaill of my life and this my present labour that the vnlerned might hereby charitably be admonished and the lerned might
none allmost vnderstode And what meaned our Sauiour when he sayde vnto his disciples It is geuen vnto you to knowe the misteries of the kingdome of God but to the other in parables that seing they see not and hearing they vnderstande not What meaned our Lorde in these wordes Truly this that it is a speciall gifte of God to vnderstande well holy scripture and that this gifte was especially geuen vnto the Apostles and to their disciples and successours which should after thē beare their roume in Christes church Againe that it was inough for the people that as much as is necessary for saluation they might lerne of their pastours preachers and curates the exposition of holy scripture by similitudes and parables agreable to their capacite which may farther be proued by diuers places of holy scripture But I would here gladly aske of our newe Masters when they saye that the texte of scripture is sufficient that there nedeth no expositiō nor glose why write they so many cōmentaries such longe gloses vppon scripture so many bookes and that without all measure if we nede no exposition then surely all the Lutherans bookes and writings be vtterly superfluous vaine and to no purpose but only crafty snares to catche the simple and vnlerned withall But to tell you plainely what the protestāts meane by this sutle shifte to cleaue to the only writen worde surely this it is they would not haue the scripture vtterly not expoūded they meane nothing so for that in dede nothing serueth their turne but they would haue their expositions their maner of expounding to be receaued and beleued as the very worde of god But contrary wise when they haue to do with vs reiecting all interpretation of scripture they ring their olde songe in our eare The worde of god is cleare perspicuous aud plaine it nedeth no exposition it requireth no interpretatiō of the olde fathers or of the Churche wherein you see what is their impudencie and contrariete And this much haue we saide to showe that Scripture ought to be expounded that the bare text suffiseth not But here riseth now agreat question and worthy to be waighed Seing that holy scripture must be interpreted and that we see abrode many and diuers interpretations thereof and yet in one thing there can be but one truthe and as scripture it selfe is vndoubtedly true so the interpretation thereof must be vndoubted and certain whether of all these interpretations or what maner is to be accompted the right proper and vndoubted As for example No Christen man denieth but that these wordes of the last supper Take eate this is my body be the very wordes of God Christ him self And what coulde be sayde more plainely more distinctly more directly then these wordes of Christ are yet what happened Al the sectes and heresies that raign nowe adaies acknowlegde them for the wordes of God No secte denieth thē Whereupon then riseth these greate and horrible dissensions surely not whether secte hathe the worde of god but whether of them well expoundeth it And see howe diuersly these fewe wordes are expounded Zwinglius saith these wordes This is my body are as much to saie This significeth and betokeneth my body Oecolāpadius thus expoundeth them This is the signe or token of my body Carolstadius after this sorte Herein sitteth my body Swenck feldius yet after an other sorte This is my spiritual body Luther thus This is my naturall body in naturall breade The Catholikes haue allwaies thus expounded it Vnder the forme of bread it is the true boly of oure Lorde Nowe what shall here a simple and vnlerned man of the countre do hearing so diuers and contrary interpretations of so fewe wordes Truly if he will here of his owne head confer scriptures together and serch the true meaning of these wordes in scripture and the writen text he shall be as wise herein as these men aboue mentioned who all by conference of scripture you see howe swetely they agreed vpon the truthe But if there were any certainte in conference as sometimes it helpeth much yet the simple vnlerned man by common order of witt shal neuer finde it out For how can the vnlerned and ignorant iudge of that which he neuer lerned no more truly then the showemaker is able to iudge of the goldesmithes worke which he was neuer practised in And were not that showemaker to be accōpted very impudēt and vndiscret who seing two goldesmithes contending of the fines of some piece of gold or siluer would steppe in and take vpō him to determinat the matter betwene them much lesse ought the vnlerned medle with or determinat matters of Diuinite or take vpon them to expounde the meaning of the holy ghoste seing that in worldly affaires there can no waightier matter of more difficultie or of greater importaunce be taken in hande what then shal the vnlerned man do in this case If he may cleaue to no part at all then must he be of no church but make him selfe a newe secte forge him selfe a newe faith and so at length lese all faith and become a very painim whiche god forbid that euer any man should persuade the vnlerned If he cleaue to any part yet is he in greate daūger For almightie god cōmaūdeth straitly by his Apostle that we auoide the heretike Here truly the laye man ought to take good aduise For he is bounde him selfe to take hede of false prophets lest being blinde him selfe and not able to vnderstande holy scripture he suffer him selfe to be lead of a blinde guide such as the heretike is But howe can the blinde man see whether is guide be blinde or no Truly of him felfe he cā not see it vnlesse he hath lerned of suche as see wel some certain token howe to knowe it Is there then any such tokē or signe or where may a man seke it verely the mercifull prouidence of almighte God hath not failed in this point but hath left vnto the laie simple and vnlerned man a certain and vnfallible token whereby he may if he regarde his owne saluation beware of all false and heretical corruption in interpreting scripture There is no Christē man so rude or ignorant that knoweth not perfitly his Crede and can reherse it frō the beginning to the ending In the which though euery article ought diligētly to be marked and borne awaye yet in this time none more then the article where we saye Credo sanctā Catholicā Ecclesiam I beleue the holy Catholike church For in this worde Catholike is the very true token and marke to knowe the right interpretatiō of scripture by for that is called Catholike as S. Austin teacheth which euery where and at al times is and hath ben Thē this worde Chatolike attributed to the church is that which hath continued frō the Apostles time to our daies without any breache diuision or intermission For such a church did God the Father
promis to his onely begotten Son speaking by the prophet Dauid in this wise Thou arte my Son this daie haue I begotten the aske of me and I shall geue the nations for thine inheritaunce and the vtmost partes of the earthe for thy possession which place all holy fathers haue so expounded that God the father hathe geuen to Christ such a church as should be spred through out the whole worlde not only in Suethelande Denmarke or Germanie So the Son of god taking vpon him the nature of man after he had here in earthe purchased our saluatioÌ„ sente abrode the holy Apostles as Embassadours through out the whole world to take possession of the foresaide inheritaunce charging them in this wise All power is geuen vnto me in heauen and in earthe Go ye and teache all nations baptising them in the name of the Father and the SoÌ„ and the Holy ghoste teaching them to kepe al those thinges whatsoeuer I haue commaunded vnto you And beholde I am with you all waies euen to the ende of the worlde In this highe and waightie embassage of our Sauiour Iesus Christ two thinges are especially notised First that his Apostles should go and preache trough out the whole worlde Secondarely that he will tary with them vntell the end of the worlde In whiche two pointes as S. Augustin at large disputeth against the heretikes of his time this artikle of our Crede is comprised I beleue the Catholike churche In the which wordes we confesse that the church of Christ must be vniuersall and spred through out the whole worlde and that from the time of the Apostles forwarde it should continewe by the continuall assistaunce and presence of Christ. And in this consideration the Apostle calleth the church the Piller and grouÌ„d of truthe signifieng by the worde ground the largenes of Christendome by the worde Piller the continuall smothe and not interrupted succession of the Apostles and their scholers vpon whom al truthe is builded And this interpretatioÌ„ of the worde Catholike S. Augustin teacheth in many places against the Donatistes especially in his booke de vnitate ecclesiae Therefore to denie it were to become a Donatiste and to take the parte of those detestable heretikes And this much of this question But to returne nowe to the true exposition of holy scripture euery Christen man ought not only beleue this article of the Catholike church but be also one of the same and beleue what so euer it beleueth expounde and interpret the scriptures as it expoundeth and interpreteth them condemne and reproue all such thinges as it condemneth and reproueth And what surer token or more certain marke could God geue to discerne false expositions of scripture from the true then this article of our Crede I beleue the holy Catholike Church For when thre coÌ„trary opinions thre diuers interpretations of holy scripture are brought forthe whereof two are fresh and newe neuer taught nor heard of before our time the third is auncient accustomed and receaued of our forefathers deriued euen from the Apostles time and continued hitherto what laye or vnlerned man is in this case so rude or ignorant but if he liste as he professeth in his Crede to beleue the Catholike church which is allwaies and in all places maye easely iudge this thirde interpretation to be the right meaning off the holy ghoste the other two to be false and hereticall For the more declaration of this matter I will recite here a storie whiche I lerned being a boye and happened at Lubek In Lubek there dwelled a riche man whose familie and kinred was of Turing This man being in Lubeck at point of death and hauing no child to be his heire bequeued his goods to certaine of his kinsfolkes at Turing They shortly after this mans decease coming to Lubek bring with them a Proctour open the will and founde there that the widowe of the departed man beside other goods bequeued should deliuer them a thousand and two hundred shipbordes commonly called there Wagenschoff But the Proctour and heyres of Turing cauilling vppon the worde Wagenschoff required a thousand and two hundred greate pieces of artillerie saying that in their countre the worde so signified Neither would these men of Turing be brought from their chalenge vntell at the length the matter must be tried by iudgement Wherein their processe being longe debated and bothe partes heard it was founde that the interpretation of the worde Wagenschoff alleaged by those of Turing was a newe and straunge interpretation neuer heard of before in that countre whereas the widowe by the consent of all the people and the whole countre proued that of olde time the worde Wagenschoff signified nothing els theÌ„ shipbordes which are coÌ„monly brought thither out of Lifland and Pole Whereuppon the interpretation of the proctour of Turing was reiected and laughed to scorne as newe curious superstitious and straunge Much more ought we that are Christians do the like in these newe and straunge expositions of Gods worde inuented by proude and presumptuous heretikes detesting and auoidinge them as present poison For surely such newe forged interpretatioÌ„s ones spread abrode do crepe like a cancre and infect daily more and more as we see nowe by experience in sundry places Euery man nowe a daies calleth vpon scripture euery man demaundeth the expres worde of God And what I praie you can be more expresse then that the Apostle S. Peter saieth So that ye first knowe this that no prophecie in the scripture hath any priâ—â—t interpretation In the which wordes it is to be noted that S. Peter will haue vs first and before al other thinges knowe this that no prophecie in the scripture hathe any priuat interpretation Therefore it must nedes be very perilous to beleue straight this or that interpretation whatsoeuer we here For it is a common saying it is euill toying with the eye with maydenhood and with our faith But many there are nowe a daies which when they heare contrarietes in doctrine and diuers interpretations of scripture they comforte them selues carelesly in this sort What nede we passe for the contentions of preachers and controuersies of Diuines Although they misse in certain pointes and disagree in some certain articles yet our faith and belefe is not brokeÌ„ or empaired We in the meane season will saie oure Pater noster beare awaye oure Crede and the ten commaundements and peraduenture the catechisme of children As for other matters let the lerned contend amonge theÌ„ selues as longe as they list we passe not vppon it But alas o mercifull God what a vaine comforte and pernicious persuasion is this For what saythe S. Iames the Apostle Whosoeuer saythe he shall kepe the whole lawe and yet faile in one point he is giltie of all So is it in our faith who denieth one article denieth the whole This vayne comfort teached first the Zwinglians against the which Luther in his
daily more and more vnlesse God of his mercie stretch forthe his helping hande Howbeit whatsoeuer befall of me I am ready to lese body and life honour and goods for the furderaunce of the auncient Catholike religion And I wish to my dere countre of Germanie that minde also For sure I am whosoeuer is no Catholike he must nedes be an heretike Seing therefore that holy write aduertiseth vs to flie from heresies euen as from present poison I be seche all good men to marke wel this example which I knowe to be true and wil here recite to showe what it is to be ones fallen in to heresie A certain young man of my acquayntaunce very well lerned and sometime preacher in Misnia being according to the doctrine of Melanchthon and Maior an Adiaphoriste that is of that secte of Lutherans which take good workes and constitutions of the church to be thinges indifferent c. departed in to Saxony vppon hope of some ecclesiastical liuing there Being then demaunded of what religion he was he awnswered that he was of the opinion of Philip Melanchthon and Georgius Maior Then saieth vnto him the Illyrican Superintendent it semeth thou arte an apostat heretike And withall asked him whether he thought good workes to be pernicious vnto saluation Whereunto this poore preacher awnswering he beleued that they helped rather then hindered saluation the Superintendent strait saith vnto him Seing you are an heretike of the ghospell you maye not abide in this cite nor countre and therefore get you hence With this awnswer he departed and went in to Prussia where meting with an Osiandr in Superintendent and desiring some ecclesiasticall seruice he was demaunded whether he beleued That man ought to be made iuste by the essentiall iustice of God and whether he iudged those for heretikes which thought or taught the contrary Whereunto awnswering that he could not so thinke seing that Melanchthō and Illyricus interpreted the scripture otherwise incontinently he was thrust backe like an heretike and commaunded to depart out of all the dominions of that countre After this he came in to Pole and meting with certain Caluinistes being of thē examined and founde that he agreed not with the Zuinglians he was repelled also of them for an heretike Seing then he could not spede there passing on furder by the waye he came to the Picardi hoping that he might be receaued in to their secte But when he refused to abiure all other sectes and religions and beleue onely them he was faine to departe thence also After which he came to a Noble man of Silesia requiring seruice of whom being required howe he liked the doctrine of Swenck feldius whether he beleued That the externall ministerie or preaching was but superfluous and that the internall worde or rather the power and operacion off the worde being preached were the Son of God him selfe he awnswered that this doctrine semed vnto him an olde heresie confuted thouroughly of Illyricus Melanchthō Caluin and diuers other writers Which awnswer nothing pleasing that Noble mā our poore Minister was forced to get him packing Seing therefore that he loste his labour and spent his time in vaine he stroke ouer to Morauia where the Anabaptistes beare rule Not that he minded to tary and abide with them but to trie and knowe their religion But they craftely preuēting him asking him first of what religion he was though he went about the bush with them thinking to coulour the matter yet they perceauing that he liked not their rebaptising he was also chased from thence as an heretike At the last after longe and wery trauail and trouble this poore Minister came vnto Vienna where he happened vpon a Catholike lerned man vnto whom he declared his trauaill aduersites and diuersites off heresies that he chaunced vpon beseching him for the loue of God to helpe him and instruct him howe he might attaine to some sure and certaine doctrine and interpretatiō off holy scripture Then was it tolde him that he should folowe such doctrine and embrace such interpretation of Gods worde as was Catholike and vniuersally receiued in all places and at al times casting awaie all priuat opinions and propre interpretations of this secte or that secte For it was impossible that any priuat secte could admit the Catholike exposition of scripture whiche is commō to all or that the sectes could euer agree among them selues eche one setting forthe his owne opinion and condemning all the rest As it is writen in the prophet Ezechiel Wo be vnto these foolish prophetes which folowe their owne sprit and see nothing Therefore if he would be a Christen man and in all places be taken for such he should embrace and folowe the Catholike vnderstanding of scripture such as in Catholike doctours and writers we find From the which Catholike and vniforme expositiō of scripture although many in diuers countres haue failed and departed yet before our time it was in all places without contradictiō or gainesaieng receiued and beleued and many thousands of soules haue in that belefe ben saued Beside that there are also yet diuers Christen Countres and kingdomes diuers natiōs and people which acknowledg no other doctrine or interpreation of holy scripture then the Catholike and olde accustomed which they haue receaued of the Apostles and their first founders of religion Wherein if any doubt nowe a daies ariseth or any cōtrary interpretation be brought it is most expedient to seke of the first and most auncient teachers of Christen religion the truthe thereof For so Scripture willeth vs to do and all auncient and approued doctours as in S. Irenee a writer very nie vnto the Apostles you may see whose wordes are these These thinges then being so euident we ought not to seke the truthe at other mens handes which we maye easely haue of the Church For the Apostles left vnto the church and layde vp in her as in a riche aumerie all truthe that whosoeuer listeth may drawe of her the drinke of life For the Church is the gate of life all other are theues therefore we must auoide them but loue all that the Church teacheth vs and embrace the traditiō of truthe For what if there were but a small matter called in controuersie ought we not to haue recourse to the most aūciēt Churches in the which the Apostles haue liued and enquire of them the truthe and certainte of our doubt And what if the Apostles had not left vnto vs scripture at all ought we not to haue folowed the order of tradition which they deliuered vntothē whom they left to gouuerne the Churche after them the which order many nations of Barbarous people such as beleue in Christ do folowe hauing their saluation without paper and ynke by the holy ghoste writen in their harte and keping diligently their olde traditions Thus farre S. Irenee With this good lesson and information the Lutheran Minister being somewhat amended afterward in shorte time
him auouched OVr Sauiour in the ghospell forwarning vs off false teachers and prophets which comīg in shepes skinnes are inwardly rauening wolues and checking the proude Pharisees corrupting the worde of god with their fonde inuentions making thereby a secte by them selues as Iosephus recordeth pronounceth of them in this wise Coeci sunt duces coecorum Coecus autem si coeco ducatum praestet ambo in foueam cadunt that is They are blinde and the guides of blinde men and if the blinde leade the blinde bothe fall in to the ditche Likewise the blessed Apostle S. Peter according to the charge geuen him off our Sauiour aboue the rest of the Apostles euen as aboue the rest he loued Christ forwarneth also his flocke of heretikes that should springe vp amonge them as in the olde lawe before some had spronge and writeth thus Fuerunt pseudoprophetae in populo c. There were false prophets also among the people euen as there shall be lying masters amonge you which shall bringe in damnable sectes euen denying God that hath bought them and bring vpon them selues swift damnation and many shall folowe their damnable waies by whom the waie off truthe shall be blasphemed c. In these sayengs bothe of our Sauiour and of S. Peter his vicar here on earthe we lerne bothe that false heretikes were like to arise in Christ his church and what a perilous thing it is to folow the straypathes of such blinde guides ▪ which is as oure Sauiour saieth to fall in to the ditche with them and as S. Peter telleth vs to blaspheme the waye of truthe to witt Christ him selfe who is the life the waie and the truthe And truly iff we endeuoured our selues as S. Paule biddeth vs to obserue and folowe those which walke after such sorte as we haue him for an ensample if we were solliciti seruare vnitatem Spiritus in vinculo pacis diligent to kepe vnite of minde in the bonde of peace if we woulde as he most charely warneth Timothe saue that which is geuen vs to kepe the treasure of our faithe and auoide prophane nouelties of talke and oppositions of false named knowleadg we would not so rashly haue folowed a fewe false teachers against the common consent of Christendome we had not departed from our first faith and after the knowleadg of truthe haue turned away from the holy commaundement being so as S. Peter saieth in worse case then if we had neuer knowen the truthe brefely we had not fallen in to so many and diuers pittes of hereticall doctrine forsakinge the grounde and piller of al truthe the Catholike church of Christ. For verely who so earnestly and diligently would considre with him selfe whereby it hath happened that in these late yeares so many haue departed from the catholike faith and yelded to newe doctrines not heard of before he shall surely finde the principall meanes thereof to haue ben the onely light credence geuen to newe preachers and rashe beleuing euery newe tale in matters of conscience and saluation The cause of this our rashnes I will not serche out though it be ready to finde our onely sinnes and wicked life being the very proper cause thereof and nothing els But the meanes as I saied hath principally ben light harkening to euery such as listed to talke newe doctrine the doctrine it selfe being plausible and gladly receiued of those which burdned with sinne and wickednes were gredy of the liberty that in the doctrine was preached according as S. Paul prophecied saying The time shall be when men will not abide holesom doctrine but as such whose eares doth itch they shall gett them such teachers as shall withdraw them from the truthe and turne them to fables For hereof it happened that not regarding what he was that taught or vpon what reasons he grounded his doctrine onely the pleasauntnes of it as a bayte choked the hearers and prisers thereof For euen as in the olde lawe the children of Israel when they fell to iniquite woulde not harken to the prophets but badde them to speake pleasaunt doctrine vnto them and seke them out errours so many these late yeares pressed with sinne harkned gredely to such doctrine as might deliuer them from the discipline of the church from due repentaunce confession and satisfaction of their sinnes from obedience to pastours and curats from fastings from praier and all necessite of good workes brefely from all clogge of conscience from which Luther craked he had deliuered the hartes off men Nowe as we are suffred to fall in to sinne sometime not onely of infirmite or for triall of our strenghth but also for the plage of other sinnes as S. Paule in the first to the Romans declareth so in punishment of this lewde liberty so gredely embraced in smaller pointes of our faithe God hathe of his secret and vnknowen iustice suffred vs to fall beside in to such enormous heresies though nothing pleasaunt otherwise to such detestable doctrine to so diuers and contrary opinions that considering now the trade of this tragedy and seing to what issue it hath proceded though truly I feare it be farre yet from the issue and ende I haue thought it a good and conuenient meanes bothe to staie somewhat this hedlong race that men so blindely runne in and to call backe such as haue passed all bondes of right belefe already by the very same meanes by the which they first began to breake the araye of Christes church and to runne this madde and lamentable course And bicause we may worke the matter euen from the grounde I haue thought good to consider the very first sowers of the schismaticall seede of oure time which I do finde to haue ben Luther and his scholer Melanchthon and Iohn Caluin The first broker of this cursed bargain whereby many haue lost heauen and purchased hell was Martin Luther The setter forth of the bargain and greatest Marchant of these perilous wares was Melanchthon who semed partly to perfit that which Luther began partly to amend with ciuill conformatiō that which the other furiously and beyond all reason blamed Of these two heades are nowe two monstrous sectes swarming in all such places as protestants and ghospellers preuaile That is the zelous roughe and rigorous Lutherans cleauing fast to euery iote and parcell of Luthers doctrine as being the very euangelist of this fifte ghospell and the ciuill softe and Philosophicall Lutherans which after the trade off Melanchthon plucke vp in Luther such thinges as they mislike and plante of their owne such as they liste The third chief Master of late heresies and principall founder of wicked doctrine hathe ben Iohn Caluin the head and Capitayn of the Sacramentary secte For though Zuinglius and Oecolampadius may seme his auncetours of a fewe yeares yet he beareth nowe the name and the stroke of all that cursed secte both bicause he hath writen most thereof and also
dissension For truthe is allwaies vniforme and agreable with it selfe And as the philosopher saieth of vertu so in truthe there is but one waie to hitt the marke a man may shoote aside diuers waies Wherefote two contrary sayings maye bothe be false and vntrue but truthe can neuer stand with a contrary Who then teacheth contradiction as he must nedes teach some falshood so possibly he may teach al false and beside the marke euen as it happeneth with all heretikes that leaue the common highe waie of their forefathers and seke out by pathes of their owne inuentioÌ„s wherein the faster they runne the farder they straye and the harder they finde the right waie againe Secondarely as touching the repugnaunce that is in Caluins doctrine against the expresse worde off God I will also by two maner of waies declare First by a number of his propositions and assertions coÌ„trary to the expresse wordes of Christ and his Apostles next by the auouching of such doctrine as concurreth with olde heresies condemned aboue a thousand yeares past in that state and time off Christ his church as Caluin him selfe doth in sundry places especially vpon the prophets and in his epistle to Sadoletus allowe and reuerence We recited you before diuers olde carren heresies that Luther stirred vp but Caluin beside all those hath nouseled yet a litle farder and digged deper then Luther did For euen as a a bestly sowe coming in to a faire garden sett with diuers swete flowres and pleasaunt herbes if in some corner thereof she espie a donghell or heape of rotten wedes or other filthe cast aside will straite nousell there and tomble her selfe in the filth and carren thereof not medling with the swete floures or pleasaunt herbes so truly these bestly heretikes of our time especially Luther and Caluin liuing in the church of Christ compared in scripture to the garden of the bridegrom wherein are bothe swete herbes of heauenly doctrine and most delectable floures of vertuous liuing lacking not yet her spottes and wrincles of euil life wich she alloweth neuer but tolerateth of necessite and lamenteth hauing also not in her but by her and cast oute of her a nuÌ„ber of olde coÌ„demned heresies they like bestly swine nether embrace the vertuous liuing that she vseth but raiseth at the infirmities whiâ—h she is constrained to suffer nether folow the steps of her heauenly discipline and vpright belefe but getting them to the donghell nouâ—ell them selues in the olde condemned heresies and veÌ„t them abrode to the world But nowe to come to the matter it self let vs considre first the absurde doctrine that he leaueth vs in his writings I entend not to discourse vpon all the pointes of his hereticall doctrine but for a taste off the rest I will examin his assertions about the blessed SacrameÌ„t of the aultar bicause this article doth most nearest touche the glory and maiesty off oure Sauiour being the most precious iewell that he left vnto his church After also we wil note diuers heresies bothe olde and new in his doctrine vpon the sacrament of baptim Last of all a fewe notable contradictions aboute his doctrine of the fre will of man But now to the first point Caluin in his Institutions in his treatise of the Lordes Supper teaching howe by his imagination we receiue Christ in the Sacrament after long dalying as though he would graunte a reall receiuing off Christ his body at the length he concludeth in these wordes Corporis communionem Spiritus sui virtute Christus in nos diffundit that is Christ pooreth downe vpoÌ„ vs the communion of his body by the vertu of his Spirit Which is as much to saie Christ communicateth vnto vs his body by the vertu of his Spirit This is in fewe wordes the communion of Caluin and all the Sacramentarieâ—â— denieng that we eate in dede the body of Christ otherwise then by faith Nowe let vs see what absurdites folowe thereof First no scripture hath this doctrine And how absurde a thing it is to folowe any doctrine without Scripture Caluin him him selfe telleth vs. In his institutions thus he writeth I ought not to seme to any man coÌ„tentious that I staie so earnestly vpon this point that it is not lawfull for the Churche to make any new doctrine that is to teache or deliuer for truthe any more then the Lorde hath reueled by his worde For wise men do see howe great a danger that is if so much authorite were graunted to men They see what a windowe is opened to the mockes and scoffes of wicked men if we sayie that to be taken for truthe among Christians which men shall thinke good Let now then any scholer of Caluin showe in all Scripture where it is writen that Christ by the vertu of his spirit pooreth downe vppon vs the communion off his body For Caluin as he writeth in his Harmony vpon the ghospelles thinketh it an absurde thinge to saie that the flesh of Christ it selfe should be deriued vnto vs. But he sayeth the communion of Christ his flesh is deriued vnto vs which he interpreteth to be a quikening vertu out of Christ his flesh correcting Christe promising vs his very flesh Now as I saied of the deriuation of any such communion of Christes fleshe no Scripture mencioneth But it is a sophisticall suttelty of Caluins imagination not reueled in any place by Gods worde This is lo then one dangerous absurdite by the confession off Caluin him selfe onles perhaps he haue some priuiledge more then the whole Churche hathe For in the Churche he alloweth nothing beside the expresse worde off God Againe let vs consider what is the communion of Christ his body poored downe vpon vs. It is saieth Caluin vis quaedam viuifica ex Christi carne in nos diffusa that is a certain quickening power poored downe vpon vs out of the flesh of Christ. Christ saieth in S. Iohn that his flesh is meat in dede and biddeth vs eate his flesh and drinke his bloud and in the other thre Euangelistes he saieth Eate this is my body but Caluin saieth we eate the bread and haue a certain quickening power out of the fleshe not as in his Harmony he saieth the flesh it self and that we haue a communioÌ„ of his body poored downe vpon vs which is not to eate the body as Christ badde vs. This lo is not only beside scriture but expresly against holy Scripture Thirdly where Christ biddeth vs eate his fleshe saying he that eateth my fleshe abydeth in me he teacheth an action on oure part touching the receiuing of Christ But where Caluin telleth vs that a communioÌ„ of Christ his body is deriued vnto vs he putteth no action on oure part touching the receiuing off Christ but only touching the eating off the bread For we eate not the body of Christ by Caluins doctrine but a coÌ„munion of the same body is deriued vpon vs and poored downe
flesh and bloud off Christ yet he meaneth nothing so But why did he thus dally and delude the world a man maye demaunde Forsothe as I suppose euen for this cause Caluin being lerned and knowing the truthe wel if he had listed to vtter it perceaued right wel by the expresse wordes of scripture in sundry places that Christ of his passing mercy and goodnes woulde be ioyned to man not onely Spiritually and by grace but euē really and truly by the participation of his body and bloud Caluin knewe all this and acknowledged it as you haue heard in his wordes before for expresse scripture moued him thereunto Notwithstanding being vndoubtedly malitious and selfe willed and in dede a very heretike desirous to plāte a newe doctrine to bringe the churche in cōtēpt pricked with malice against the clergy which in his workes he vttereth many times though he graunted that man receaued whole Christ bothe in body and Spirit as he writeth in the 18. chapter of his Institutions yet he would not graunt the reall presence off Christ his body which the church teacheth and all holy fathers haue acknowledged as a most necessary consequent to the reall receauing but as you see imagineth a communion of Christ his fleshe to be deriued vnto vs by the Spirit off Christ as by a pipe Bicause therefore truthe and falshood can not possibly agree he falleth often in to open contradictions sayeng one thinge as truthe and conscience taught him and then saieng an other thinge as pride malice ▪ and enuy moued him the walking mates of heresy Hereof rise the sundry and manifold contradictions in his writings not onely aboute this most holy mistery but in the doctrine off baptim and of fre will especially as we shall in parte note hereafter vnto you And truly it hath so pleased God to confounde the counsell of these Achitophels rebelling againste their Liege Souerain the churche of God that not onely one against the other teacheth most contrary but also eche one with him selfe disagreeth And this mercifull prouidēce of God hathe ben allwayes a souerain meanes for the vtter cōfusiō of heretikes Let vs returne to the wordes of Caluin aboue alleaged and see why Caluin graunting first a reall and true receauing of Christ his body and bloud afterwarde denieth the reall presence thereof whiche is to denie that he saied before He saieth that Scripture speaking of oure partaking with Christ referreth the whole power thereof vnto the Spirit for S. Paule saieth he writing to the Romanes in the eight chapter teacheth that Christ dwelleth in vs no otherwise then by his Spirit Marke here well good Readers and see the truthe off Caluin S. Paule saieth in that eight chapter that the Spirit of god dwelleth in vs and againe that the Spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from deathe dwelleth in vs and that he whiche raised vp Christ from deathe shall quicken oure mortall bodies bicause of his Spirit that dwelleth in vs. In all these wordes S. Paule teacheth the Spirit off god god him selfe to dwell in vs to quicken oure mortall bodies that they die no more in sinne but liue to god Other thē this S. Paule in all that chapter speaketh not touching the dwelling of the Spirit of god in vs. Reade the chapter and see Nowe is this to saie that Christ dwelleth in vs no otherwise then by his Spirit Marke the saieng of S. Paule and the consequence of Caluin S. Paule saieth the Spirit off god dwelleth in vs. and Caluin saieth Christ dwelleth in vs no otherwise then by his Spirit is this a good consequence The spirit of god dwelleth in vs. Ergo he dwelleth in vs no otherwise then by his Spirit Euē as good as this VVe are iustified by faith ergo by only faith These wordes no otherwise then are the wordes of Caluin fathered vpon S. Paule not the wordes of S. Paule they are the limitation of a prowde heretike set vpon holy scripture not the wordes off holy scripture He folowed herein his father Luther who translating the wordes of S. Paule per legem cognitio peccati By the lawe cometh the knowledge of sinne turneth it thus By the lawe cometh naught els but knowledge of sinne which texte to what purpose he so peruerted you haue sene in the seconde parte of this Apologye But what will some scholer of Caluin saie though S. Paule saie not expressly so yet perhaps he meane so seing that no scripture beside expresseth any other dwelling of Christ in vs thē by his Spirit I awnswer All were it true that scripture expressed no other dwelling of Christ in vs then by his Spirit yet were it not true that S. Paule saied so in that chapter as Caluin saieth he doeth But the Scripture saieth plaine that we are ioyned to Christe not onely in Spirit but also in body heard you not before that S. Paule sayed that we are membres of Christ his body bones of his bones and fleshe of his fleshe And dothe not Caluin saie that this can not be perfourmed onles whole Christ bothe in Spirit and in body cleaue vnto vs they are his wordes before alleaged oute of his Institutions in the. 18 chapter And dothe not Caluin here ones againe write a plaine contradiction he tolde vs euen nowe that Christ dwelleth in vs no otherwise then by his Spirit and that S. Paule taught so Nowe he telleth vs that whole Christ must cleaue vnto vs bothe in Spirit and body and that bicause S. Paule teacheth so sayeng that we are membres of Christ his body bones of his bones and fleshe of his fleshe Lo you see him in cōtrary tales nowe truste his euidence who liste Thanked be god Caluin hath turned the weapon vpon him selfe minding to strike the churche of Christe Againe Caluin disputing against the Catholikes that the euill men receaue not Christ in the Sacrament maketh his argument of the body of Christ whiche if euill men receaued seing they receaue no life but damnation they shoulde saieth Caluin receaue a dead body and the body of Christ without the Spirit of Christe If this reason of Caluin be good thē the good and worthy receauer muste nedes receaue the body of Christ not onely the Spirit of Christ he muste nedes haue Christ dwelling in him bodely not onely Spiritually as he saied before His wordes are these in his commentaries vppon S. Paule to the Corinthians Ego hoc axioma teneo neque mihi vnquam excuti patiar Christum non posse a Spiritu suo diuelli vnde constituo non recipi mortuum eius corpus neque etiam eum otiosum aut disiunctum a Spiritus sui gratia virtute that is I holde this principle and will neuer be brought from it that Christ can not be diuided from his Spirit wherefore I determin that his dead body can not be receaued nor he also vnfrutefull seuered from the grace or vertu off his Spirit Here Caluin