garments which Dorcas made them The note The praiers of our almes folke and beades men may do vs great good euen after our departure For if they procured hir temporall life how much more may they helpe vs to Gods mercie and to release of punishment in purgatorie The answer You delight your selues with fond and foolish kinds of reasoning I pray you shew me some rule for the consequence of your reason Praiers of the liuing haue somtimes obtained restitution to life of some newly dead ergo they may procure release of punishment after death Your antecedent is confirmed by manifest examples the consequent is grounded and resteth onely vpon your méer imagination and hath not so much as a color of truth Acts. 10. 15. The text And a ⸫ voice came to him againe the second time That which God hath purified do not thou call common The note Heere God first vttered to Peter that the time was come to preach also to the Gentils and to conuerse with them for their saluation no lesse than with the Iewes with full freedome to eate all meats without respect of the prohibition of certaine made in the old law The answer Héere we sée that we know but in part and that euerie man hath but his measure in gifts therefore it is but a vaine brag of papists that all knowledge resteth in the popes brest except they can prooue the pope now to haue more knowledge than Peter then had Acts. 10. 30. The text And Cornelius said Foure daies since vntill this houre I was ⸫ praying the ninth houre in my house The note At the time of praier speciallie God sendeth comfortable visitations The answer So that God be praied to and not others so mens petitions be grounded vpon Gods promises and so made in faith so mens mindes in praier be not wandering and caried away with by-thoughtes and so they be earnest and importunate and giue not ouer foorthwith God doeth not onlie graunt them the comforts they pray for but also often pitieth their ignorance in asking and graunteth that which they could not aske as héere to Cornelius the knowledge or our Saâ—iour by the ministerie of Peter Acts 10. 31. The text And behold a ⸫ man stood before me in white apparel and said Cornelius thy praier is heard and thy almes deeds are in memorie in the sight of God The note Note these apparitions and visions to Saint Peter Cornelius and others in the Scriptures verie often against the incredulitie of our heretiks that will beleeue neither vision nor miracle not expressed in scripture these being beleeued of Christian men euen before they were written The answer Miracles crediblie reported at anie time so they tend to the glorie of God and confirmation of his truth deliuered to vs in his word we easilie admit But others that bring with them no profit or vphold and giue credit to falsehood and vntruth of which sort all or in a maner all the miracles of the popish church are we holde either for lies deuised by your selues or for illusions of Sathan Acts. 10. 35. The text But in euerie nation he that feareth him and ⸫ worketh iustice is acceptable to him The note Not such as beleeue onlie but such as feare God and worke iustice are acceptable to him The answer Bée there I pray you anie infidels that worke righteousnes if there be then what is become of that without faith it is impossible to please God If none can haue good works that hath not faith than whie also on the contrarie part doo ye not graunt that none can haue a true and a liuelie faith but as time and occasion serueth he must shew it foorth by the fruits and effects thereof Your reason from doing to being alone followeth not except you will say that the tongue speaketh not alone because it is not alone in the head but I am wearie with oft answering this fond cauill Acts. 11. 18. The text Hauing heard these things they ⸫ held their peace and glorified God saying God then to the Gentiles also hath giuen repentance vnto life The note Good Christians heare and obey gladlie such truthes as be opened vnto them from God by their chiefe pastors by vision reuelation or otherwise The answer Héere are verie manie things to be noted which you are very loath to sée bicause they shake diuerse and principall pillars of your religion First the church might and did call Peter to an accompt of his doings and doctrine How then hath the Pope that prerogatiue that he may not be called in question for any thing Secondly the multitude of the visible church do notwithstanding the promise of the holie Ghost erre in a matter of so great importance as concerneth the saluation of the Gentiles what prerogatiue hath the church gotten since that the multitude thereof may not somtime in some matters erre Thirdly the whole church espieth their fault and yéeldeth to the truth at the teaching and instruction of one But with you consent of multitude must preuaile howsoeuer truth stand Acts. 12. 4. The text Whom when he had apprehended he cast into prison deliuering him ⸫ to fower quaternions of soldiers to be kept The note As Peters person was more notorious than others and therfore better garded than other for feare he should escape so Gods prouidence in preseruing and deliuering him for the longer gouernment of his church is very maruellous The answer We will not reason the matter how notorious the person of Peter was It is manifest that as yet he had not béene at Rome neither was possessed of a triple crowne But this comfort we reape out of this place that bicause the arme of God is not shortened nor his power lessened he watcheth ouer his still he sléepeth not by day nor slumbereth by night therefore he will deliuer his as maruellously still from the crueltie of the pope and his adherents Acts. 12. 12. The text And considering he came to the ⸫ house of Marie the mother of Iohn who was surnamed Marke where many were gathered and praieng The note It is much for the praise of these good Christians that the assemblie to Gods seruice and praier was kept in their houses in the time of persecution and that the Apostle came thither straight out of prison as his first refuge As now Christian people do much to their commendation in places where heresie doth raigne The answer God increase the number of such Christians and grant them comfort and defence against all crueltie and rage of vnmercifull papists Acts. 12. 17. The text And going foorth he went ⸫ into another place The note Though God had so miraculously deliuered him yet he would not tempt God by tarieng among his persecutors but according to Christs commandement fled for a time The answer Why do you not tell vs whether he fled If he went to Rome and became bishop there then belike he was bishop there afore he was bishop of Antioch which
condemned in the Scriptures and not the holie images of Christ and his saints The answer Lo here be popish images manifestlie condemned for you can not denie for all the world knoweth it that you change the glory of the incorruptible God into the image of a corruptible man There were at that time no images of Christ and his saints to speake against But the reasons by which the prophets and apostles condemned the former images of the Gentiles do beate downe also the images and idolatrie of the papists Rom. 1. 24. The text For the which cause God ⸫ hath deliuered them vp vnto the desires of their hart into vncleannes for to abuse their owne bodies among themselues ignominiouslie The note Ephes. 4. 19. he saith they haue deliuered or giuen vp themselues to all vncleannes By which conference of Scriptures we learne that themselues are the cause of their owne sinne and damnation God of his iustice permitting and leauing them to their owne will and so giuing them vp into passions c. The answer By conference of Scriptures we learne that the matter and cause of sinne and so consequently of damnation resteth in the wicked themselues and that God also in iustice punisheth sinne by sinne As in this chapter God punisheth the idolatrous with a most filthy sinfull life Peruse ouer your stories of Rome and sée whether euer this iudgement of God vpon men for idolatris were more manifestly laid vpon any people then it hath béene and is vpon Rome And tell vs what other people haue set out the praises of Sodomitrie in print most impudently to the face of all the world Rom. 2. 7. The text To them truly that according to patience in good works seeke glorie and honor and incorruption life eternall The note Good men also according to the merits of their good will shall haue their reward August ep 47. The answer And why do you not adde that their good will is the gift of the grace of God séeing Augustine addeth it Further merits with Augustine are taken simply for works and not as it commonly soundeth with the papist for a desert equiualent and correspondent to the reward Lastly he acknowledgeth that God rewardeth and crowneth his owne gifts in vs. How this can make for your doctrine of merits I pray you tell vs. Rom. 2. 〈◊〉 The text Thou therefore ⸫ that teachest another teachest not thy selfe that preachest men ought not to steale thou stealest c. The note It is a shamefull and a damnable thing for preachers teachers or other guides of mens life to commit the same things themselues which they reprooue in other The answer And can the pope and his cardinals be damned or must we secretly except them I pray you tell vs whether For in the whole world it is impossible to find any mans sinnes more plain or more monstrous Rom. 2. 〈◊〉 The text For ⸫ the name of God is blasphemed through you among the Gentils The note It is a great sinne that by the ill life of the faithfull our Lords name should be ill spoken of among the misbeleeuers and manie withdrawen from the true religion thereby The answer I do not take it that you meane that murdering of princes treason periurie sedition rebellion to set vp popish religion to be any sinne at all and yet it maketh your profession euill spoken of and alienateth therefrom all that carrie not bloodie minds and harts Rom. 2. 25. The text Circumcision indeed profiteth if thou obserue the law but if thou be a preuaricator of the law thy circumcision is become ⸫ prepuce The note Prepuce is the foreskin not circumcised and therefore signifieth the Gentils or the state or condition of the Gentils as circumcision the Iewes and their state The answer You can find in your hart to borrow of master Beza but not to be thankfull for that he lendeth you Rom. 3. 4. The text God forbid but God is true and euery man a lier as it is written That thou maist be iustified in thy words and ouercome when thou art iudged The note God onely by nature is true all men by nature may lie deceiue and be deceiued yet God by his grace and spirit may and doth preserue the Apostles and principall gouernors of his people and the church and councels in all truth though they were and are meere men The answer If you meane by these principall gouernors the pope and his cardinals as I do not doubt but you do then we answer That as they are méere men so they shew themselues for they both haue erred and do erre I would faine see one plaine place in all the ancient fathers that no bishop of Rome can err in saith That position is a late heresie vnknowen for a whole thousand yéeres after Christ. And the generall consent of the diuines of Christendome against it till within these two hundred yéeres as may appéere in the councell of Basill where pope Eugenius was condemned for an obstinate heretike and therefore deposed Rom. 3. 14. The text The venim of aspes vnder their lips The note Aspidum a little kind of serpents The answer We acknowledge it Rom. 3. 22. The text And the iustice of God by faith of Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all that ⸫ beleeue in him The note To beleeue in him heere compriseth not onely the act of faith but of hope and charitie as the Apostle explicateth himselfe Gilat 5. 6. The answer I neuer saw so loose dealing of any but of such as both willingly deceiue themselues and labour to beguile others The Apostle telleth that faith worketh by charitie and you thereupon conclude that to beléeue compriseth the acts of faith hope and charitie How this conclusion followeth neither I sée neither can you make it euident But let it he granted you then how can you excuse your selues of intollerable lieng and slandering when almost euery where you speake of the doctrine of iustification by faith and beléeuing as though hope and charitie were from faith exiled and banished But your shifts are foule and manifest slanders where you may and when by plaine euidence of the text you are beaten from them then it is not ynough for hope and charitie to accompanie faith but they must be also comprised of faith Rom. 3. 24. The text Iustified ⸫ gratis by his grace by the redemption that is in Christ Iesus The note No man attaineth his first iustification by the merits either of his faith or workes but meerelie by Christs grace and mercie though his faith and works proceeding of grace be dispositions and preparations thereunto The answer Is Pelagius aliue againe or why do ye not cite him that your followers may know your doctrine to be ancient and also whom you follow therein In all that Augustine wrote against Pelagius and his adherents let vs sée somewhat to iustifie your note First you acknowledge Christs méere grace and mercie in our first iustification and
spirit c. The note All these gifts be those which the learned call gratias gratis daâ—as which be bestowed often vpon euill liuers which haue not the other graces of God whereby their persons should be gratefull iust and holie in his sight The answer That these graces which are here recited are fréely giuen many times to the wicked is manifest and confessed of all But that which you would secretly insinuate that the other graces wherby men are made gratefull iust and holie in Gods sight are not fréely giuen but to those that procure them by works preparatorie or to them that deserue them by inherent iustice is manifestlie and directly opposite to the Scriptures Romaines 3. 24. Ephes. 2. 8. 1. Cor. 12. 1â— The text For as the bodie is one and hath manie members and all the members of the bodie wheras they be manie yet are ⸫ one bodie so also Christ. The note A maruellous vnion betwixt Christ and his church and a great comfort to all catholikes being members thereof that the church and he the head and the bodie make and be called one Christ. Aug. de vnita Eccl. The answer A maruellous good note wherin onely this héed is to be taken that men be not deceiued by ioining themselues to those that are catholikes in name and not in déede Which it is impossible otherwise to auoide then by holding fast the societie of them that imbrace and keepe that forme of doctrine which was deliuered to the church by the apostles whom all parts confesse to be true catholikes 1. Cor. 12. 28. The text Are all apostles are all prophets are all doctors ⸫ are all myracles haue all the grace of doing cures c. The note Saint Augustine ep 137. giueth the same reason why myracles and cures be done at the memories or bodies of some saints more then at others and by the same saints in one place of their memories rather then at other places The answer Augustine was a man sometimes as well as others deceiued by illusions For why should not the same saints memories bée honored with myracles in Affrica as well as in Italie For it was not to places but to persons that the gift of doing myracles was granted How much trulier wrote Augustine that myracles were not suffered to endure to his time least men should alwaies séeke visible confirmations and least men should waxe cold by the commonnes of those things by the strangenes wherof they were first enflamed 1. Cor. 13. 2. The text And if I should haue prophecie and knew all mysteries and all knowledge and if I should ⸫ haue all faith so that I could remooue mountaines and haue not charitie I am nothing The note This prooueth that faith is nothing woorth to saluation without works and that there may be true faith without charitie The answer It is strange that when in the former chapter you haue set faith among the gifts that are giuen often vnto the wicked now the same faith being spoken of you would haue it to be taken for the faith we speake of in the cause of iustification and so consequently that it might be without charitie Whereas there is as much difference betwéene that faith and this as is betwixt the beléefe of the omnipotent power of God and affiance in his goodnes But admit that that were granted you which you so much desire that a true faith were here ment how followeth your reason Is euerie supposition a proofe Saint Paule saith if an angell from heauen teach an other gospell c. doth it follow that an angell from heauen may teach an other Gospell do you not sée the vanitie of your proofe 1. Cor. 13. 10. The text But ⸫ when that shall come that is perfect that shal be made voide that is in part The note By this text Saint Augustine lib. 22. Ciu. cap. 29. prooueth that the saints in heauen haue more perfect knowledge of our affaires here then they had whiles they liued here The answer Saint Augustine there entreateth of the knowledge and sight of God which the godly shall haue after the resurrection of their bodies And he speaketh in that place no word of the knowledge that dead men haue touching the affaires of men liuing here whiles this world endureth But touching that matter his mind is as he expresseth it else where that the saints in heauen know no more what we do here then we know what they do there But you care not how you lie so you may turne men from God to put confidence in creatures 1. Cor. 13. 13. The text And now there remaine faith hope and charitie these three But the ⸫ greater of these is charitie The note Charitie is of all three the greatest How then doth onely faith being inferior to it saue and iustifie and not charitie The answer I will not at all touch that charitie is not simply the greatest but in some certaine respects But I will come to your reason If faith iustified by the vertue and merite of it self then your reason were somewhat for then charitie being the greater vertue should rather iustifie But now when it is but an instrument to lay hold vpon Christ our righteousnes your reason holdeth not Our hands are inferior to some other parts of man yet our hands are the onely instruments whereby we lay holde on and vse such weapons as serue for our defence And therefore men are called men of their hands 1. Cor. 4. 14. The text But if thou blesse in the spirit he that supplieth the place of the ⸫ vulgar how shall he say Amen vpon thy blessing bicause he knoweth not what thou saiest The note By this word are ment all rude vnlearned men but specially the simple which were yet vnchristened as the Catechumens which came into those spirituall exercises as also infidels did at their pleasures The answer By this word are ment all priuate men for it is euident that except they vnderstoode the publike praier and thankesgiuing they could not shew foorth their assent by saieng Amen 1. Cor. 15. 3. The text For ⸫ I deliuered vnto you first of all which I also receiued That Christ died for our sinnes according to the Scriptures The note This deliuerie in the Latine and Greeke importeth tradition and so by tradition did the Apostles plant the church in all truth before they wrote any thing The answer The controuersie is not whether tradition or writing was first but whether the apostles did not write as much as is necessarie for vs to know and kéepe and whether traditions which vnder their name you obtrude be to be iudged by their writings or not As for that tradition he speaketh of here he specifieth most plainly in writing and therefore this can not make for your vnwritten verities to the which you would faine impropriate the name of traditions 1. Cor. 15. 10. The text But by the grace of God I am that which I am and his grace in
of the small obedience now and the sauing of Noe and his familie in the arke then a figure of sauing vs now by baptisme and so consequently giueth light to that true and cléere interpretation which we now follow and for which we are in part beholding to him as Gods good iâ—strument 1. Pet. 5. 2. The text Feede the flocke of God which is amongst you prouiding not by constraint but willingly according to God ⸫ neither for filthy lucre sake but voluntarilie The note Desire of lucre or to exercise holie functions for gaine is a filthie fault in the cleargie and therefore much to be auoided The answer And what is it not a filthy fault also in the pope You know of whom it was written that he sold all holie things altars keyes and Christ himselfe You know what outcry hath béene made against the popes actions both in this Realme and in others by them which you will not allow to be protestants Besides your whole religion is framed for gaine and to make marchandize of mens soules So that from the highest to the lowest none of you can excuse your selues to bée cléere from the desire of filthie lucre 2. PETER â— Pet. 1. 16. The text For not hauing followed vnlearned fables haue we made the power and presence of our Lord Iesus Christ knowne to you but ⸫ made beholders of his greatnes The note By this it is plaine that either Iohn Iames or Peter must be the author of the Epistle for these three were onlie present at the transfiguration Matth. 17. 1. The answer We do not intend to striue with you for the author of the epistle but you might haue told vs that you borrowed this of master Beza and that Iames being killed by Herode it must be either Iohns or Peters and that the phrase being Peters peculiar phrase doth shew it to be Peters But you can borrow of vs and not giue againe that which is due to vs. â— Pet. 1. 18. The text And this voice we heard brought from heauen when we were with him in the ⸫ holie mount The note You see that places are made holie by Christs presence and that all places be not alike holie See annot Acts. 7. 33. The answer That all places by nature and creation are alike good and of like holines this place hindereth not though by some special occasion or vse that a place for a time is put to it may be more estéemed or regarded then an other â— Pet. 2. 2. The text And many shal follow their riotousnes by whom the way of truth shall be blasphemed The note Heretikes of whom he prophesieth here do gaine scholers by preaching libertie and by their owne licentious life which is specially ioined to the heresie of these daies The answer The first and most speciall note giuen to know those heretikes by whom Saint Peter here speaketh of is that they be lieng masters Which how it is and alwaies hath béene annexed to your religion and the teachers thereof may appéere to the indifferent Reader by the answers to these your notes and by your bookes of beastly fained myracles Your other note of preaching libertie and licentious life cannot in all the worlde be so fitly sought and so surely founde as amongst your selues For by your doctrine our ladie is so good a gentlewoman that so men serue her be they whoores be they théeues be they what they will be it is no matter she will entreat and obtaine pardon for them And her seruice is neither painfull nor costly for it consisteth in sayeng of a few Aue Maries and now and then praieng to our ladie and somtimes offering of a taper As for licentious life who haue béene able to match your most holie fathers of Rome 2. Pet. 2. 3. The text And in auarice shall they with ⸫ feigned words make marchandize of you Vnto whom the iudgement now long since ceaseth not and their perdition slumbereth not The note All the sweete words of heretikes speaking much of the word of the Lord the Gospell Iesus Christ c. are but tearms of art to buy and sell poore mens soules The answer This accusation of those whom you are woont to call heretikes is one of your accustomed slanders But your marchandise is so manifest that your own writers haue cried out of it It was an abbot that acknowledged the church of Rome for his mother that willed her to reioice bicause brookes and riuers of monie flowed to her in woonderful plentie no man came to her with emptie hand The old prouerbe no penie no Pater noster did witnes that the pretended good which you chalenged and vaunted that you could do to soules would not come from you without being déerely bought and well paied for As for your pretensed accusation beareth no shew For if we had sought our owne profite we would neuer haue sought the ouerthrow of your religion For if we had held that still we had béene sure of the first bequest in euerie mans will 2. Pet. 2. 10. The text And especiallie them which walke after the flesh in concupiscence of vncleannes and contemne dominion bold selfe pleasers they feare not to bring in sectes blaspheming The note The speciall properties of heretikes The answer Though your restraint of these properties to heretikes be neither in it selfe true neither agréeable with the truth of the text which speaketh more generallie yet bicause it can not be but that such teachers be heretikes as be so grosselie wicked we will examine the case how you can cléere your most holie fathers and the pillars of your church from being heretikes the properties here mentioned be in nuÌ„ber six The first walking after the flesh in concupiscence of vncleannes what the testimonies of al stories are concerning not the dregs but the highest and holiest amongst you I néede not tell you Pope Iohn the eight otherwise called pope Ioan deliuered of a childe in solemne procession whose picture remaineth in Rome as a monument of the truth of her being pope bewraieth sufficientlie their vncleannes and filthines Pope Iohn the thirtéenth was slaine being taken in the age of adulterie It were too long to rip vp the licentious liues of other popes I know your selues are ashamed of them The second is coÌ„tempt of dominion your popes haue not only vsurped the place seat of their soueraigne lords but haue also troden vpon them deposed Emperors and kings from their roial estate made them his pages to lead his horse and hold his stirrop and to thinke it a great curtesie that they might be admitted to kisse his foot If this be not contempt of dominion then what cal you it For boldnes what dare not they do to meÌ„ that dare cast their god into the fire that dare poison the holie host as they terme it What selfe pleasers they be in this it appeareth that they both flatter them selues and go about to perswade others that
they can not erre How Christendome hath bene replenished by them with sectes he that vnderstandeth knoweth the swarmes the number the diuersitie of Monkes Friers Nunnes Eremites Iesuits and such like can not doubt And for blasheming which is the sixt he that hath read of the Popes spéech that he called the Gospel the fable or tale of Christ can not doubt but that this note also is verified of your holie father now acquite your selues well and shewe vs some good defence of your popes against these properties 2. Pet. 2. 12. The text But these men as vnreasonable beastes naturallie tending to the snare and into destruction ⸫ in those things which they know not blaspheming shall perish in their corruption The note So heretikes blaspheme the highest misteries of our faith through ignorance The answer If a man should go about to recken vp the bold blasphemies of your popish heretikes against Christ him selfe and his holie word the day would sooner faile him then matter But no maruell when your great challenging champions can make them selues good sport and pastime of the greatest and most reuerend mysteries of our religion 2. Pet. 2. 18. The text For speaking the proud things of vanitie they allure in the desires of fleshlie riotousnesse those that escape a little which conuerse in error ⸫ promising them libertie whereas them selues are the slaues of corruption The note Who euer promised more libertie to their followers then Luther and Caluin and the like taking away penance fasting continenâ—ie or chastitie keeping of vowes necessitie of good workes because faith doeth all obedience to Ecclesiasticall pastors and Councels and such like The answer You are nothing ashamed of lieng These things which you set downe of Caluine and Luther are starke lies which you shall neuer be able to iustifie But you haue set open the flood gates to sinne by promising manie daies of pardon to the saieng of a set number of praiers and such like 1. IOHN 1. Iohn 2. 16. The text Because all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh and the concupiscence of the eies and the pride of life which is not of the Father but is of the world The note How all sinne and temptation proceede of these three see Saint Thomas Summ. 1. 2. quaest 77. arti 5. The answer Your labours I perceiue are bestowed vpon them that least néede them that is vpon the learned for I do not suppose you to be such fooles as to send the vnlearned multitude to search in the doctors and schoolemen 〈◊〉 2. 19. The text They went out from vs but ⸫ they were not of vs for if they had bene of vs they would surelie haue remained with vs. The note They were of vs for a time that is of and in the church otherwise they could not haue gone out but they were not of the constant sort or of the elect and predestinate for then they had taried within or returned before their death The answer You dare conclude contrarie to the Apostle he saith they were not of vs you say they were of vs otherwise they could not haue gone out and therefore I can not maruell that you are so bold with vs. The societie and companie of men whom we call the church do nurse as it were in their bosome manie hipocrites and enemies to Christ which in time shew them selues who though they go out from the church yet in trueth were neuer of the church for if they had bene of the church truelie then at the least they shuld not haue seuered them selues from the church at their end for none are truelie of the Church but those whom God hath elected and chosen â— Iohn 1. 24. The text You that which you haue ⸫ heard from the beginning let it abide in you The note Keepe that firmly and constantly which you heard euen from the beginning by the mouth of the Apostles and not that which you haue receiued by writing The answer If the apostles taught one thing by mouth and another thing by writing then your note hath some reason in it I would faine see some papists collect this vnwritten doctrin and then shew vs how we may be assured that they had it from the apostles For the things that haue béene heretofore forged vnder the apostles names the papists themselues do not obserue the tenth part of them In the meane space they shall giue vs leaue to beléeue that the apostles whole doctrine is conteined in the Canonicall Scriptures 1. Iohn 2. 29. The text If you know that he is iust know yee that euery one also ⸫ which doth iustice is borne of him The note Wee see that that it is an apostolical doctrine that men may do or work iustice and that so dooing they be iust by works proceeding of Gods grace and not by faith or imputation onely The answer We sée indéed that it is an apostolical doctrin that a man may do or worke iustice and farther that that doing and working is an assured testimonie that we are regenerate and borne of God But that by so doing we are made iust or iustified afore God that is your owne addition without warrant of this text or anie other For though whomsoeuer God hath sanctified him also he hath iustified yet regeneration and sanctification whereof the apostle speaketh here are things distinct from iustification wherof he speaketh not here And bicause iustice is a word of generall signification and somtimes spoken of iustification that is of that righteousnes whereby we are made iust and sometime as here of sanctification that is of that righteousnes whereby we are declared to be iust this ambiguitie serueth your humor to dallie and deceiue withall 1. Iohn 3. 1. The text See what maner of charitie the father hath giuen vs that we should be named and be ⸫ the sonnes of God The note Not by nature as Christ but by grace and adoption The answer And can we be both named and be the sonnes of God and yet doubt of our saluation Were not that to doubt either of the power or goodnes of our father Why are you then the doctors of doubtfulnes 1. Iohn 3. 2. The text We know that when he shall appeere we shall be like to him bicause we shall ⸫ see him as he is The note How we shall see God and be like to him in the next life See S. Aug. ep 111. 112. de Ciuitate dei lib. 12. cap. 29. The answer It is well that you affoord vs so good a schoolemaster but how shall they do that either vnderstand not the latin toong or are not able to buy the fathers It is manifest that your meaning is not to helpe the poorer and more ignorant sort 1. Iohn 3. 3. The text And euery one that hath this hope in him ⸫ sanctifieth himselfe as he also is holie The note This teacheth vs that man sanctifieth himselfe by his free wil working togither with Gods grace
triumphant The answer The ioy and comfort of all the saints of God to thinke of Now euerie gift which we receiue in this life is a pledge and token of that loue wherewith Christ hath imbraced his church as his spouse but then she shall be perfectlie adorned and beautified and put into actuall possession of al the good things which are Christs her husbands Apoc. 21. 3. The text And I heard a loud voice from the throne saieng behold ⸫ the tabernacle of God with men and he wil dwel with them The note This Tabernacle is Christ according to his humanitie The answer Though it be true that by the incarnation of our Lord and sauiour Christ and his taking vpon him our nature God dwelleth with vs yet héere it is spoken of Gods receiuing vs into the participation of the glorie of his Christ. For then when we shall be receiued into eternall and euerlasting felicitie this societie coniunction and dwelling of God and man togither shall most cléerly and perfectly appéere Apoc. 21. 4. The text And God shall wipe away all teares from their eies and death shall be no more nor moorning nor crieng neither shall there be sorrow any more which ⸫ first things are gone The note This happie day shal make an end of all the miseries of this mortality The answer God is likened to a mother which wipeth away the teares from the infants eies and chéekes whereby is signified that not onely there shall be an end of the miseries of this mortalitie but also that there shall remaine no token step nor print of our former calamities Apoc. 21. 7. The text He that shall ouercome ⸫ shall possesse these things and I will be his God and he shall be my sonne The note He that hath the victorie in the church militant shall haue his reward in the triumphant The answer If hope of praie and spoile and liberall intertainment make men to aduenture them selues and their liues for victorie howe much more we whose liues are a continuall warfare who are most certaine and assured of victorie should manfullie and valiantlie fight against all spirituall enemies sith the liberalitie of God is so great to victors and conquerors Apoc. 21. 8. The text But ⸫ to the fearfull and incredulous and execrable and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all liers their part shalbe in the poole burning with fire and brimstone which is the second death The note All that commit mortall sinnes and repent not shall be damned The answer The wages of euerie sinne is death All impenitent sinners therefore how smal soeuer their sinne séeme to be shalbe damned which is also plainly here insinuated in that not onelie vnbeléeuers other grosse and foule sinners in the common iudgement of men are reckoned but also and that first of all those which are fearfull and cowards in Gods cause are set which is a fault that most men little regard and make a small account of and therefore all sins without repentance draw men to damnation Apoc. 〈◊〉 11. The text And he tooke me vp in spirit into a mountaine great and high and he shewed me the holie citie Hierusalem descending out of heauen from God ⸫ hauing the glorie of God And the light thereof like to a pretious stone as it were to the Iasper stone euen as Christall The note The glorie of the triumphant church The answer Which though it be héere excellently swéetly and delectably shadowed yet it doth excéed far the capacitie and reach of our dull braines and weake vnderstanding in this vale of miserie Howbeit the holy Ghost doth thus describe it to the end that we considering the excellencie of this description and waieng that that the holy Ghost hath but shadowed these things by the most excellent earthly things that are we should be wholy rapt and inflamed with the loue of these things and haue our eies continually vpon them and long and earnestly desire to haue the actuall fruition of them Apoc. 21. 12. The text And it had a wall great and high hauing twelue gates and in the gates twelue Angels and names written thereon which are ⸫ the names of the twelue tribes of the children of Israel The note The names of the patriarks and apostles honorable and glorious in the triumphant church The answer In respect of the promises made to the fathers and in respect of the doctrine of truth and sauing health deliuered to the whole church by the holy apostles and in whatsoeuer respect beside that you can reckon neither derogating from the glorie of God nor dissonant from the truth of his word Apoc. 21. 16. The text And ⸫ the citie is situated quadrangle wise and the length thereof is as great as also the bredth and he measured the citie with the reed for twelue thousand furlongs the length and height and bredth thereof be equall The note See S. Hierom ep 17. touching this description of the heauenly Hierusalem which is the church triumphant teaching that thes◠things must be taken spiritually not carnally The answer This admonition is very necessarie for your poore blind followers who know nothing and are vtterly destitute of all vnderstanding But alack how is it possible for them to take these things spiritually who are altogither carnall led by masters and teachers which are themselues void of the spirit of God But out of poperie in this light of the Gospell it is hard to find any so ignorant that thinketh not that these things ought to be spiritually vnderstood Apoc. 21. 22. The text And ⸫ temple I saw not therein For our Lord God omnipotent is the temple thereof and the lambe The note All externall sacrifices which now is the necessarie duetie of the faithfull shall then cease and therefore shall neede no materiall temple The answer The sacrifice which your minde runneth of is now no dutie of a christian And though we haue now places to méete in to heare and learne the word to praie and to praise God in to celebrate the misteries which he hath left to his church and to vse all spirituall exercises yet temples we haue none for God him selfe is our temple for we dwell in him and we are his temple for his spirit dwelleth in vs. As for your propitiatorie sacrifices you may take paines to returne them to Rome from whence they came Apoc. 21. 27. The text There shall ⸫ not enter into it anie polluted thing nor that doeth abomination and maketh lie but they are written in the booke of life of the lambe The note None not perfectlie clensed of their sinnes can enter into this heauenlie Hierusalem The answer You know that in this life we know but in part we loue but in part and therefore no worke perfectlie good can procéede from vs. Those therefore that put confidence in the meritoriousnesse of mens workes can not enter into this Ierusalem And I muse that you tremble not and quake not when you
proouing of the Sacrament to be a sacrifice propitiatorie which for that purpose you do craftilie and closely couple with the sacrifice on the cresse Iohn 18. 1. The text When Iesus had said these things he went foorth with his disciples beyond the Torrent Cedron where was a garden into the which he entred and his disciples c. The note The passion according to Saint Iohn is the Gospell at masse on good Fridaie So the passion is read in holie weeke foure times according to the foure Euangelists as Saint Augustine also appointed in his church at Hippo. Ser. 144. de tempore The answer To what purpose is your reading of the Gospels which verie fewe or none vnderstand Is it not as good for a man to hold his peace as to speake that which the hearers vnderstand not Did Saint Augustine appoint at Hippo the Gospels to be read in a language which the people vnderstood not We may in truth much better alledge Saint Augustine for the custome of our church which at the same time readeth the same Scriptures in the natiue naturall language of the common people and also teacheth and instructeth the people out of the said Scriptures as Saint Augustine did and you commonly do not Iohn 18. 17. The text The wench therefore that was portresse said to Peter Art not thou also of this mans disciples He saith to her ⸫ I am not The note It is all one for a man to denie Christ and that he is a disciple of Christ or a Catholike or a christian man when he is demanded Augustine tract 113. in hom Ioan. for so Peter heere denieth Christ in denieng him selfe to be his disciple The answer We graunt and we pray to God to giue vs strength boldnes and courage to confesse him before men whatsoeuer danger ensue of it But héere you vse a péece of your accustomed fraud in putting in the word Catholike which Augustine hath not which you did but to deceiue them withal whom you haue vntruly persuaded that there are none other Catholikes in the world but your selues Iohn 18. 35. The text Pilate answered why am I a Iew ⸫ Thy nation and the chiefe priests haue deliuered thee vp to me what hast thou done The note It pleased God that Christ who was to die both for the Iewes and the Gentiles should be betraied by the one and put to death by the other The answer Why doe yée not say that God did but permit and suffer it If it were Gods good pleasure that it should be so how was not God the authour of it Do you not sée then by your owne confession that God may be the authour of their fact though not of the fault thereunto adioyned Iohn 19. 14. The text And it was the parasceue of the Pasche about ⸫ the sixt houre and he said to the Iewes loe your king The note He meaneth midday counting from sunne rising for so doeth the Scripture count of the houres of the dâ—ie Matth. 20. Marke 15. Luk. 23. Iohn 4. Actes 3. 〈◊〉 10. The answer Your accompt of the houres as it is a matter of small moment so is it easie but we had rather haue heard some good reason why you durst not giue vs the english héer of Parasceue and Pasche but if anie had béene readie I am persuaded wée should haue had it aswell for this as afore for Amen amen But till such time as you better discharge your selfe thereof we shall still thinke that you would haue the scriptures so obscure and darke that poore men might be fraied from studieng of them Iohn 19. 20. The text This title therefore manie of the Iewes did read bicause the place was nigh to the citie it was written in ⸫ Hebrue in Greeke and in Latine The note These three tongues being for other causes most famous before in all the world are now also dedicated to God in the triumphant title of the crosse of Christ and in them the holie Scriptures are more conueniently written taught and preserued The answer I pray you shew vs by what reason you can collect this dedication out of this place or that it is not as conuenient also to haue the scriptures in other tongues it is strange you go about what you can to discredit the scriptures written in those toÌ„gues You would if you could abolish knowledge out of the world and bicause you can not doo that you labour to make the groundes of knowledge vncertaine to the end that the onlie oracles accompted of in the world may be the decrées of your holie father of Rome Iohn 19. 23. The text And his ⸫ coat was without seame wrought from the top throughout The note This coate without seame is a figure of the vnitie of the church Cyprian de vnit c. and Euthiâ—ius other write that our ladie made it The answer It is easie for men to deuise figures but when theâ— are deuised without ground or warrant they are but mens fansies Who made that coat iâ— no more materiall then who made his other garments Iohn 19. 25. The text And there stood beside the crosse of Iesus his mother and his mothers sister Marie of Cleophas and Marie Magdalene The note The great loue faith courage and compassion and sorrowes that our Ladie had who forsooke not the crosse and her sonne when so manie were fled from him and his chiefe Apostles denied him The answer So long as you doo but attribute a truth to our ladie and not adorne hir with that which appertaineth not to hir you can not heape vp too manie praises vpon her Iohn 20. 1. The text And the ⸫ first day of the Sabaoth Marie Magdalene commeth earlie when it was yet darke vnto the monument she saw the stone taken away from the monument The note That is the first day of the weeke as some interprete it taking saboath as somtime it is for a weeke This is our Sunday called dies dominica bicause of the Lords resurrection See the marginall annot Luk. 24 1. The answer If you had not héere brought a new interpretation we should not haue séene that you excell also in varietie if you had vouchsafed to haue told vs in plaine English that Sonday had bene called the Lords day bicause of the Lords resurrection we should haue thought you somewhat willing that the people shuld learne somewhat but now that you tell vs but in Latine wée thinke that you can be content that they be blind be blind still Iohn 20. 11. The text But Marie stood at the ⸫ monument without weeping The note The Sepulchers of martyrs saith Saint Hierome epist. 17. we do honor euerie where and putting their holie ashes to our eies if we may we touch it also with our mouth and be there some that thinke the monument wherein our Lord was laide is to be neglected where the diuell and his angels as often as they are cast out of the possessed before the said
that meaning procéedeth out of diuellish pride and hath no ground nor warrant out of this place For the Apostle héere doth nothing else but commend the liberalitie of the Macedonians in contributing to the reléefe of Gods afflicted saints Whereby they gaue good testimonie that they had wholy addicted themselues to God to be ruled and aduised by the Apostle and other ministers of Gods word All which the Apostle doth to that end to stirre vp them of Achaia to the like liberalitie 2. Cor. 9. 4. The text Least when the Macedonians shall come with me and find you vnreadie we that may not ye may be ashamed in this substance The note That is in this matter of almes Chrysost. Theophilact The answer This is well noted you might haue spared your fathers 2. Cor. 9. 9. The text As it is written he distributed he gaue to the poore his iustice remaineth for euer The note The fruit of almes is the increase of grace in all iustice and good works to life euerlasting God giuing these things for reward and recompence of charitable works which therefore be called the seed or meritorious causes of these spirituall fruits The answer I pray you tell vs how you collect this What necessarie consequence out of this place you can make thereof Otherwise wée must estéeme it as we estéeme of the most part of your other notes as of collections tied to your texts with poynts that will scant hold the tieng 2. Cor. 11. 2. The text For I haue ⸫ despoused you to one man to present you a chaste virgin vnto Christ. The note The Apostles and their successors did despouse the people whom they conuerted to Christ in all puritie and chastitie of truth and wholy vndefiled and void of error and heresie The answer The pope and his cleargie do despouse the people whom they seduce to the purpled whoore of Babylon in all spirituall impuritie and fornication and vntruth full of error and lies 2. Cor. 11. 4. The text For if he that ⸫ commeth preach another Christ whom we haue not preached or you receiue another spirit whom you haue not receiued or another Gospel which you haue not receiued you might well suffer it The note The note of a false teacher to come that is without lawfull calling or sending to thrust and intrude him selfe in another mans charge The answer This note is true but not well collected out of this text For I suppose you do not thinke that false teachers may well be suffered But howsoeuer you haue gathered it your note doth most liuely describe your wandering Iesuits and seminarie priests which without all lawfull calling or sending do secretly thrust themselues into other mens charges preach a new Christ and a new Gospell vnheard of in the daies of Paul 2. Cor. 11. 13. The text For such Apostles are ⸫ craftie workers transfiguring themselues into Apostles of Christ. The note A proper terme for heretikes that shape themselues into the habit of true teachers specially by often allegation and commendation of the scriptures Read the notable admonition of the ancient writer Vincentius Lirinensis in his golden booke against the prophane nouelties of all heresies The answer It is indéed a proper terme and no heretike euer did beare a more glorious shew than the papist Uincentius Lirinensis was carefull both to auoid all heresies himselfe and also to admonish others to take héed thereof His lessons be good such as we practise and you refuse For first he alloweth the canonical scriptures as perfect and sufficient to determine al controuersies which you refuse Secondly to auoid the wrangling of heretikes about the true interpretation of them he adioineth tradition which he doth not take to be vnwritten verities not spoken of in the scriptures as you do but for the sense and interpretation of them which was held and beléeued in the first churches planted by the Apostles by the Apostles I say and their coadiutors direction Thirdly he thinketh that not only the men of greatest fame and estimation in the church might erre but also that the whole or greatest part of the visible church might erre contrarie to your assertion which hold that the church cannot erre and that in that case he that will not be caried into error with multitude and companie must repaire vnto antiquitie which is far from suspition of prophane noueltie euen as we at this day appeale to the scriptures and primitiue church Now then if you will be iudged by his rules it will appéere that papists are craftie workers and so consequently heretikes and bringers in of profane nouelties 2. Cor. 11. 28. The text My daily ⸫ instance the earefulnes of all churches The note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Chrysostom and Theophilact interpret it of daily conspiracie against him Others of the multitude of cares instant and vrgent vpon him The answer Your latter exposition whereof you kéepe close the authors is the better and to be preferred bicause it is Paules owne who so interpreteth his owne meaning in the next words following 2. Cor. 12. 2. The text I know a man in Christ aboue fourteene yeeres ago whether in bodie I know not or out of the bodie I know not God doth know such a one ⸫ rapt euen into the third heauen The note By this we may prooue that it is neither impossible incredible nor indecent that is reported by ancient fathers of some that haue beene rauished or rapt whether in bodie or out of the bodie God knoweth and brought to see the state of the next life as well of the saued as of the damned The answer Bicause that which hath béene done may be done and it is neither impossible nor incredible must we therefore beléeue all fabulous narrations whereof great number are forged vnder the names of fathers others too readilie receiued and beléeued of men not espieng at that time the subtiltie of the diuell in working those illusions If this foundation faile you your purgatory goeth to the ground Paul vttereth nothing of that he heard and saw there bicause they were secrets vnlawful to be vttered Shal not that condemne the rash boldnesse of others that take vpon them to vtter and tell all and more then all 2. Cor. 12. 21. The text Least againe when I come God humble me amongst you and I mourne manie of them that sinned before and ⸫ haue not done penance for the vncleannes fornication and incontinencie that they haue committed The note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Saint Augustine epist. 108. is spoken heere of doing great penance for hainous sinnes as paenitents did in the Primitiue church So that it is not onlie to repent or amend their liues as protestants translate it The answer You haue béene often inough answered for our translations in this case If amendment of life true repentance could be without anie tokens or testimonies of heartie griefe and sorrow for sinnes passed then your quarrell might haue some probable shew in it
but now it hath vtterly none Penitents in the primitiue church did but giue testimonie vnto the church of their heartie and vnfained repentance and not as you would haue men imagine satisfie for their sinnes and deserue at Gods hand remission and pardon therof Augustine neuer dreamed of any such matter but he wrote against the Nouatians who denied repentance to them that sinned after they were baptized against whom he prooueth by the example of Peter which had denied Christ by the authoritie of this present text that men after baptisme were not to be excluded from repentance and so maintaineth the custome of the church in admitting penitents which had béene afore for their faults excommunicated what is this to that you alledge him for against our translation 2. Cor. 13. 10. The text Therefore these things I write absent that being present I may not deale hardly according to the power which our Lord hath giuen me vnto edification and not vnto destruction The note Ecclesiastical ⸫ power to punish offenders by the censures of the church The answer Which power we reuerence and kéepe offenders in awe withall though we contemne and despise the vsurped power of the Romish church and care not for her thunderbolts GALATHIANS Galat. 1. 6. The text I maruell that you are so soone transferred from him that called into the grace of Christ vnto another Gospel which is not another vnlesse there be some that trouble you and will ⸫ inuert the Gospel of Christ. The note New Gospellers that peruert corrupt or alter the one onlie true and first deliuered Gospell are to be auoided See Saint Augustine contra Faust. libro 32. cap. 27. The answer The Gospel of God is the power of God to saluation to euery beléeuer whosoeuer therefore doeth preach any power of pope of man of fréewill or of anie other creature or thing whatsoeuer to saluation preacheth a newe Gospell and not the Gospell of God and therefore are to be auoided The whole doctrine therefore of the Popes church is to be auoided for it is nothing els but a new coined Gospell Your note booke still deceiueth you there are not so many chapters in that booke Galat. 1. 19. The text But other of the Apostles sawe I none sauing Iames ⸫ the brother of our Lord. The note Saint Iames was called our Lords brother after the Hebrew phrase of the Iewes by which neere kinsemen are called brethren for they were not brethren in deede but rather sisters children The answer If vpon this you should méete with men as froward as your selues are in expounding this is my bodie they might make you worke by not admitting any interpretation and therefore you might sée how fond a thing it is so to sticke to the letter that you will not admit the mind of the speaker Galat. 2. 11. The text And when Cephas was come to Antioch I resisted him ⸫ in face bicause he was reprehensible The note That is in presence before them all as Beza him selfe expoundeth it yet the English Bezites to the more disgracing of saint Peter translate to his face No. Testamen anno 1580. The answer It is somwhat that once in your liues you are content to acknowledge that you haue learned somwhat of master Beza but I thinke he should not haue béene spoken of héere but to take occasion by him to vtter your choller and to ease your stomacke a little vpon those whom you call English Bezites whose intent as you surmise was in their translation to disgrace S. Peter As if it had béene greater disgrace to saint Peter to be told of his fault to his face than to be told of it reprooued for it in the presence of the multitude But howsoeuer it was we sée plainly S. Peter went awry and brought others into the like danger And further we sée that his authoritie was not so great but he might be reprooued Yet though the pope go headlong to hell and lead thousands of souls with him thither no man may say Why dost thou this Gal. 2. 16. The text But knowing that a man is not iustified by the ⸫ works of the law but by the faith of Iesus Christ we also beleeue in Iesus Christ that we may be iustified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for the which cause by the works of the law no flesh shall be iustified The note By this and by the discourse of the whole epistle you may perceiue that when iustification is attributed to faith the works of charitie are not excluded but the works of Moises law that is the ceremonies sacrifices and sacraments thereof principally and consequently all works done meerly by nature and free will without the faith grace spirit and aide of Christ. The answer Helpe helpe Paul hath set the popes kitchin on fire Our Rhemists bring water but it runneth out by the way For both by this and the whole course of this epistle we sée that this new Gospell into the which the Galathians were translated was a péece of poperie Namely that they ioined in the cause of iustification saluation their works with Christ the law with the gospel But our Rhemists tel vs first that not the works of charity but the works of the law are excluded by S. Paul As who should say that there were any works of loue that are not commanded in the law And therefore if the works of the law be excluded the works of loue and charitie must be excluded also But to helpe this they adde that ceremonies sacrifices and sacraments are meant principally But against that Paul maketh him accursed that abideth not in all that is written in the law to do it If blessednes and iustification be our deliuerie from that curse who séeeth not that the whole law and euery part of it and euery worke of it must be excluded But further they adde that al works done méerely by nature and frée will are excluded wherein the word méerely is to be noted bicause it expresseth that their meaning is if there be a little helpe of faith or grace that then works be not excluded To the which I say this was the case of the Galathians and the very matter against the which the Apostle bendeth his whole force for that they being Christians and so beléeuers did not exclude their works and méerely ascribe their iustification to the grace of Christ for that they parted the matter as the papists do betwixt Christ and their works the whole maner of the Apostles reasoning in the next chapter doth plainely shew And therefore I will conclude with the Apostle By grace we are saued through faith and that not of our selues for it is the gift of God not of works that no man glorie Galat. 3. ◠The text O senselesse Galathians who hath ⸫ bewitched you not to obey the truth before whose eies Iesus Christ was proscribed being crucified among you The note For any people or
his office that is to offer propitiatorie sacrifice for vs. Hebr. 7. â—5 The text Whereby he is able to saue vs for euer going by himselfe to God ⸫ alwaies liuing to make intercession for vs. The note Christ according to his humaine nature praieth for vs and continuallie representeth his former passion and merit to God the father The answer You would make vs beléeue that Christ was our priest onlie in respect of our nature directly against the worde and against this present place For the priests appointed by the lawe were men hauing infirmitie but our priest is the sonne for euer perfect where perfection is opposed to infirmitie and the sonne of God is opposed to men which sheweth the coupling of both natures aswell in exercising of his office as in his person But you of purpose in your translation haue omitted the worde men to obscure and darken the sense of the text Hebr. 8. â—2 The text We haue such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the seate of maiestie in the heauens a ⸫ minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle which our Lord pight and not man The note Christ liuing and reigning in heauen continueth his priestly function still and is minister not of Moyses Sancta and tabernacle but of his owne bodie and blood which be the true holies and tabernacle not formed by man but by Gods owne hand The answer Paule setteth Christ in heauen at the right hand of maiestie you set him in earth in the sacrament of the altar Paule teacheth that he continueth in his priestly function you haue appointed priests to offer propitiatorie sacrifice as if his priesthood were ceased Paule saith that if Christ were vpon the earth againe he were no priest you teach that he is againe vpon earth therefore your doctrine maketh him no priest Hebr. 8. 7. The text For ⸫ if that former had beene voide of fault there should not certes a place for a second been sought The note The promises and effects of the law were temporall but the promises and effects of Christs Sacraments in the church be eternall The answer This is plaine and flat Manicheisme If the high priest were a figure of Christ if Sancta sanctorum were a figure of heauen if the sacrifices of the old law were figures of Christs sacrifice then how can the promises or effects perteining to them be temporal The differences that I haue learned betwéene the sacraments of the law and the Gospell do not consist in diuersitie of promises and effects but in cléerenes number and time Cléerenes bicause that which then was obscurely shadowed is now cléerely reuealed number bicause they had a great multitude of sacramentall figures we as few in number and as effectual in signification as possible may be in time bicause theirs nursed in them the faith of Christ to come and ours confirmeth to vs the faith of Christ which is alreadie come and hath accomplished all things which are necessarie for our redemption Hebr. 9. 8. The text The holie Ghost signifieng this that the way of the holies â—as ⸫ not yet manifested the former tabernacle yet standing The note The way to heauen was not open before Christs passion and therfore the Patriarks and good men of the old testament were in some other place of rest vntill then The answer You dreame of a drie sommer Christ was alwaies the waie but Christ was not alwaies manifested or made openly knowne during the former tabernacle as now he is What maketh this for your dream of shutting the fathors out of heauen and causing them to go séeke another place of rest Was not Christ the lambe slaine from the beginning of the world And was not faith in his blood as auailable to the fathers as to vs Hebr. 9. 9. The text Which is a ⸫ parable of the time present The note All things done in the old testament and priesthood were figures of Christs actions The answer If all things done in the olde Testament and priesthoode haue relation to Christ and that which he perfourmed for vs then how are the promises temporall as before you said Liars had néed of good memories or els with one breath they denie and ouerthrow that which they affirme with another Hebr. 9 19. The text For all the commandement of the lawe being read of Moises to all the people he taking the blood of calues and goates with ⸫ water and skarlet wooll and ysope sprinkled the verie booke also it selfe and all the people saieng This is the blood of the Testament which God hath commanded you The note Heere we may learne that the Scriptures conteine not all necessarie rites or truthes when neither the place to the which the Apostle alludeth nor anie other mentioneth halfe these ceremonies but he had them by tradition The answer The Scriptures you say containe not all necessarie rites and truthes whie do you couple rites and truthes togither You know that we hold that rites and ceremonies may be variable according to diuersitie of times places and maners of people so the generall rules of Scriptures giuen to frame them by be obserued But truth is alwaies one and the same not to be found but in the word of truth and therefore though you could haue prooued that some of these rites were had by tradition yet it would not followe that anie necessarie truth were omitted in scriptures But let vs sée how doughtilie you prooue that forsooth halfe the ceremonies here spoken of are not mentioned in the place of Scripture to the which the Apostle alludeth nor in anie other place and therfore it can not be otherwise but he had them by tradition As you are true in this so I would you might finde credit in all things els first in the place by your selues quoted the reading of the Lawe the sprinkling of the people and the book with the blood of the sacrifices with the words here rehearsed are mentioned Then resteth water skarlet wool and hissope to be shewed els where In Leuiticus we finde that water was mingled with the blood which was to be sprinckled and that the sprinckle it selfe was made of cedar wood of hissope and of a skarlet lace Thus haue you one place for the sprinckling and another for the sprinkle and nothing héere at all by tradition which you so contend for Hebr. 9. 28. The text And as it is appointed to men to die once and after this the iudgement so also Christ was offered once to ⸫ exhauste the sinnes of manie The note By this word which signifieth to emptie or draw out euen to the bottome is declared the plentifull perfect redemption of sinnes by Christ. The answer When the holie Ghost by such significant and forcible wordes hath taught vs to ascribe our whole and full remission of sinnes to Christ what impudencie and shamelessenes is in you to ioine to Christ a number of trumperies of your own and as it were
most shamefully the simplicitie of the ignorant to offer largely to you vnder colour of honoring them And therefore if you should not maintaine this note that butter would not cleaue to your bread Hebr. 11. 26. The text Esteeming the reproch of Christ greater riches then the treasure of the Egyptians For ⸫ he looked vnto the remuneration The note The protestants that denie we may or ought to do good in respect or for reward in heauen are hereby confuted The answer You haue confuted your own shadow and not the protestants for it is your slander and not our assertion that is hereby confuted For we confesse that in well doing men may respect and haue an eie to such rewardes as God hath promised But this we say withall that it is not the reward onlie or chiefelie that the saints of God haue respect or regard to for that were either hipocriticall or seruile but the reuerence that sonnes owe vnto their father who the more assured they are of his fatherlie fauor the gladder they are to please him and the loather to displease Hebr. 12. 15. The text Looking diligentlie least anie man ⸫ be wanting to the grace of God lest anie roore of bitternesse springing vp do hinder and by it manie be polluted The note That we be not good there is no lacke on Gods part who offereth his grace to vs but the defect is in our selues that are not answerable to Gods calling of vs and grace towards vs. The answer This note is verie true and therefore we ought carefullie to call vpon God to reforme vs and to renue vs that we be not also amongst them that stubburnly refuse the grace of God calling them Hebr. 12. 16. The text Least there be anie fornicator or prophane person as ⸫ Esau who for one dish of meat sold his first birth rightes The note Such as forsake their saluation and religion to saue their lands and goods are like Esau. The answer This note must haue a fauorable interpretation and some cautions exceptions except you will leaue no place of repentance to them that haue once preferred goods afore religion but either hipocriticall or too late as Esaus was Hebr. 12. 22. The text But ⸫ you are come to mount Sion and the citie of the liuing God heauenlie Ierusalem and the assemblies of manie thousands of Angels and the Church of the first borne which are written in the heauens and the iudge of all God and the spirits of the iust made perfect and the mediatour of the newe Testament c. The note The faithfull are made fellowes of Angels and of all the perfect soules departed since the beginning of the world and of Christ him selfe The answer Bicause the church is the fellowship of all the saints which haue béene are or shall be whereof Christ and not the pope is head and chiefe and which with Christ make one bodie Hebr. 13. 9. The text With ⸫ various and strange doctrines be not led away The note New diuers changeable and strange doctrines to be auoided for such be hereticall against which the best remedie or preseruatiue is alwaies to looke backe to our first Apostles and the holie fathers doctrine The answer I would to God you would once kéepe promise to looke backe in truth to our first Apostles doctrine so should our controuersies be soone at an end but you commonlie by your first apostle meane your corrupt monke Augustine And if by him you would examine your doctrine you must cast away a number of your chiefe corruptions which he neuer knew of Hebr. 13. 21. The text And the God of peace which brought out from the dead the great pastor of the sheepe in the blood of the eternall testament our Lord Iesus Christ ⸫ fit you in all goodnesse that you may doe his will c. The note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is make you perfect and absolute in all goodnesse The answer This you learned either of master Beza or of Erasmus or of both giue them thankes for it IAMES Iam. 1. 14. The text For ⸫ euerie one is tempted of his owne concupiscence abstracted and allured The note The ground of temptation to sinne is our concupiscence not God The answer Tentations are either outward or inward Tentations outward are afflictions wherebie God is woont to trie and prooue men as gold and siluer is tried in the fire Tentations inward whereof Iames speaketh in this place are inordinate desires prouoking soliciting vs to sinne but bicause men who receiue corruption from Adam are prone and readie to do as Adam did that is to lay their faults frō them selues to God therfore Iames earnestlie admonisheth them to looke into them selues and there to espie and sée the roote and matter of all corruption Iam. 1. 25. The text But he that hath looked into the law of perfect libertie and hath remained in it not made a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the worke this man shalbe ⸫ blessed in his deede The note Beatitude or saluation consisteth in well working The answer Weldoers or workers are blessed and saued and yet notwithstanding beatitude saluation doth not consist in our weldoing but in the mercie goodnes of God bestowed vpon vs in Christ. Therefore it is to be obserued that in this place Iames maketh a comparison betwéene hearers of the word whereof one sort are negligent forgetfull therefore neuer the better for the things they heare The other sort are diligent and commit to memorie and put in practise in life the thing they learned by hearing these latter so doing and not the former shew them selues to be blessed and saued For Christ preached is their saluation their workes do testifie their faith whereby they haue laied hold on Christ their righteousnes as fruits do witnes the goodnes of a trée Iames. ◠20. The text But wilt thou know ⸫ ô vaine man that faith without works is idle The note Ile speaketh to all heretikes that say Faith onely without works doth iustifie calling them vaine men The answer You shew your delight you séeke to deceiue your selues and others by equiuocations For you know well ynough that faith is not taken héere for a true and a liuely faith which worketh by loue as Paul and we take it when we speake of iustifieng by faith Secondly you know also that we make no account of anie such faith as is idle or separated from loue Thirdly you know that saint Iames taketh not héere iustifieng for being made iust but for being declared and shewed to be iust as appéereth by the example of Abraham which he bringeth For God first made him iust and afterward he was declared and shewed so to be by that most excellent example of obedience in offering his sonne Isaac There is therfore no contrarietie betwixt vs and Iames though you go about to prooue that by sound of words which by sound or iust meaning you cannot effect and bring to passe 〈◊〉 3.
he soweth and to that end applieth the borrowed spéech of sowing and reaping To racke those spéeches beyond this his meaning is most plainely to abuse him and bewraieth the wickednes of your doctrine which cannot carrie any probable shew without racking and wresting the scriptures Galat. 6. 14. The text But ⸫ God forbid that I should glorie sauing in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ by whom the world is crucified to me and I vnto the world The note Christ saith Saint Augustine chose a kind of death to hang on the crosse and to fixe or fasten the same crosse in the foreheads of the faithfull that the Christian may say God forbid that I should glorie sauing in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ Expos. in Euang. Io. tract 43. The answer Bicause your superstitious abusing the signe of the crosse can not be warranted by Paule therefore Augustine must helpe wil he nill he But he meaneth none other thing then the coÌ„mon vse of the first christians who to shew how litle they were ashamed of Christ crucified did vse to crosse themselues on the forehead This will prooue but a poore proofe of your manifolde abuses of the crosse EPHESIANS Ephes. 1. 4. The text As he chose vs in him before the constitution of the world that we should be holie immaculate ⸫ in his sight in charity The note We learne here that by Gods grace men be holie and immaculate not onely in the sight of men nor by imputation but truely and before God contrarie to the doctrine of the Caluinists The answer What father hath affirmed this before you This is not onely contrarie to Caluins doctrine but also to the doctrine of our Lorde Iesus Christ and his Euangelist Saint Iohn For our Lord and Sauiour Christ teacheth the children of God to praie alwaies for forgiuenes of their trespasses And saint Iohn saith if we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. Then I pray you tel vs if trespasses sins be spots how are we truely and in Gods sight immaculate otherwise then by the not imputing of our sinnes vnto vs and the imputing vnto vs of Christs righteousnes But herein you deceiue your selues and others that you estéeme not this imputed righteousnes for true righteousnes when and whereas it is the onely righteousnes in confidence wherof we may boldly appéere without spot in the presence of our God Ephes. 1. 13. The text In whom also when you had heard the word of truth the Gospell of your saluation in which also beleeuing you were ⸫ signed with the holie spirit of promise c. The note Some referre this to the grace of baptisme but to manie learned it seemeth that the Apostle alludeth to the giuing of the holie Ghost in the sacrament of confirmation by signing the baptized with the signe of the crosse and holie chrisme For that was the vse in the apostles time as else where we haue prooued annot Acts. 8. The answer The many learned that you speake of are but such as haue sold themselues and bent al their wits to defend the fornications of the whoore of Babylon And so you endeuor your selues do your best to prooue that which you speake of But lies and vntruths are not so easie to be prooued as you imagine but onlie to such as do beléeue euerie word you speake to be an oracle Your chrisme and your sacrament of confirmation were vnknown to to the apostles and not vsed by them to any such ende or purpose as you haue vsurped them vnto Ephes. 1. 23. The text And he hath subdued all things vnder his feete and hath made him head ouer all the church which is his bodie the ⸫ fulnes of him which is filled all in all The note Christ is not full whole and perfect without the church no more then the head without the bodie The answer This note is good true and comfortable if it be vnderstoode of his perfection in his mysticall bodie and not otherwise Ephes. 2. 8. The text For by grace you are saued through faith and that not of your selues for it is the gift of God ⸫ not of works that no man glorie The note It is said not of works as thine of thy selfe being vnto thee but as those in which God hath made formed and created thee August de gratia lib. arbit cap. 8. seq The answer Bicause your owne credit will not stretch to qualifie the plain spéeches of the Apostle you craue aide at Augustines hand But he is your sworne enimie and therefore meaneth to giue you verie slender helpe For in the same place he telleth vs that our good life is the grace of God fréely giuen vs that life eternal is also the grace of God fréely giuen to vs. And that God in Paule and others his déere children and saints crowned his own gifts and not their merits be you not then ashamed to enforce his spéeches against his minde â—phes 3. â—7 The text Christ ⸫ to dwell by faith in your harts The note Christ dwelleth in vs by his gifts and we be iust by those his gifts remaining and resident in vs and not by Christs proper iustice onlie as heretikes affirme The answer You wrangle for inherent iustice without all reason Christ you saie dwelleth in vs by his gifts and we are iust by those his gifts The gift that Christ dwelleth in vs by is faith as S. Paul here telleth and you assume that thereby we are iust therfore we conclude that we are iust by faith Therefore you must either confesse your manifold wrangling heretofore in reiecting iustification by faith alone bicause it is against your imagined inherent iustice or else you must confesse that you do but cauill héere when you go about to prooue inherent iustice bicause Christ dwelleth in vs by faith Ephes. 3. 17. The text Rooted and founded in ⸫ charitie The note Not faith onely must be in vs but charitie which accomplisheth all vertues The answer Who euer taught that no more vertues must be in Christians then faith onely you can not shew one And yet you are not ashamed to make your ignorant followers beléeue that wée spoile Christians of all other vertues Ephes. 4. 10. The text And that he ascended what is it but bicaâ—se he descended first into the ⸫ inferior parts of the earth The note He meaneth specially of his descending to hell The answer He meaneth by his descending into the inferiâ—â— parts of the earth his incarnation or abasing of himselfe to take vpon him our nature in the wombe of the virgin which by an Hebraisme is called the lower parts of the earth And Dauid so termeth his mothers wombe in the 139. Psalm vers 15. Ephes. 4. 2â— The text And be ⸫ renued in the spirit of your minde and put on the new man which according to God is created in iustice and holines of the truth The note The Apostle teacheth
vs not to apprehend Christs iustice by faith onlie but to be renued in our selues truly and to put on vs the new man formed and created in iustice and holines of truth By which freewil also is prooued to be in vs to worke with God and to consent vnto him in our sanctification The answer Who doth so teach iustification by faith onely that he doth not also teach sanctification as the ioined companion thereof But lieng and slaundering is your delight which I do not saie bicause you haue expresly vttered your minde but bicause you do couertly insinuate so much to your blinde followers Your proofe for fréewill is woorth thrée skips of a louse You may conclude it out of euerie exhortation as well as out of this it will follow all alike Ephes. 5. â— The text For vnderstanding know you this that no fornicator or vncleane or couetous person which is ⸫ the seruice of idols hath inheritance in the kingdome of Christ and of God The note See the hereticall corruption of this in the annot Col. 3. 5. The answer We haue séene your annotation and finde your quarrel stale as being mooued afore by master Martinius and answered by master Doctor Fulke And farther we sée that idolaters are beholding to you for you take as great paines as men may do to vpholde them in their idolatrie which in plaine English signifieth worshipping of images Ephes. 5. 23. The text Let women be subiect to their husbands as to our Lord bicause the man is the head of the woman as Christ is the head of the ⸫ church The note It is much to be noted that in the first English Bibles there is not once the name of Church in all the Bible but in steede thereof Congregation which is so notorious a corruption that themselues in their later Bibles correct it for shame and yet suffer the other to be read and vsed still See the Bible printed 1562. The answer Surelie Martinius was to blame that left you no quarel vnmooued to our translation it hath béene answered that our first translators translated aptlie and trulie when they translated congregation and that they therein committed no fault whereof they or others ought to be ashamed That the word Church was not shunned in anie sinister respect or meaning the translating of the same word church in the créede the vsing of the worde church in the notes of those first Bibles in our Catechismes alwaies in our latter translations as you confesse do manifestlie shew The cause whiâ— the translators did vse the word congregation rather then the word church was bicause in those times ignorance raigning the word congregation was more plaine and lesse ambiguous and doubtfull and therefore lesse danger in it of misconstruing or mistaking then in the other thus is your notorious corruption come to nothing Ephes. 6. 8. The text Knowing that euerie one what good soeuer he shall do that shall he ⸫ receiue of the Lord whether he be bond or free The note God leaueth no good worke vnrewarded The answer It is verie true and yet you neuer the nigher your merit Ephes. 6. 14. The text Stand therefore hauing your loines girded in truth and ⸫ clothed with the brestplate of iustice c. The note If man could not be trulie iust or hâ—â—e iustice in him selfe how could he be clothed with iustice The answer Men after this life are clothed with their habitation in heauen their habitation in heauen is not in them selues In like maner may they be clothed with the righteousnesse of Christ which though it make them trulie iust yet is in Christ and not in them selues The whole armour is Gods and by him giuen vs to defend our selues withall I maruell that you finde neither holiwater nor crosse nor anie such deuise of poperie among all this armour I thinke therefore that it followeth manifestlie that those péeces of armour neuer came out of Gods store-house Ephes. 6. 23. The text Peace to the brethren and ⸫ charitie with faith from God the Father and our Lord Iesus Christ. The note Saint Augustine noteth in sundrie places vpon this same text that faith without charitie serueth not to saluation Lib. 50. hom 7. The answer As for that faith which is without charitie we as we haue often told you estéeme it not woorth two strawes otherwise that a true faith onlie and alone iustifieth Saint Augustine will tell you if you will vouchsafe to sée it It is necessarie for a man that not onlie when he is wicked he should be iustified that is of a wicked man made iust when good things are rendered to him for euill but also when he is now iustified by faith that grace should walke with him and he rest thereupon least he fall And againe that Paul should be called from heauen and be conuerted by so great and effectuall a calling the grace of God alone was the cause thereof for his merits were great but euill PHILIPPIANS Philip. 1. â—7 The text And in nothing be ye terrified of the aduersaries which to them is ⸫ cause of perdition The note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a manifest proofe and euidence The answer We thinke you can interpret a Gréeke word right if you list as you haue done this Philip. 2. 16. The text Conteining the word of life ⸫ to my glorie in the day of Christ bicause I haue not runne in vaine nor in vaine labored The note Such as haue by their preachings gained anie to Christ shall ioy and glorie therein exceedinglie at the day of our Lord. The answer And what shall they do that gaine from Christ to Antichrist Philip 2. â—7 The text But and if I be ⸫ immolated vpon the sacrifice and seruice of your faith I reioice and congratulate with you all The note Pastors ought to be so zealous of the saluation of their flocke that with Saint Paul they should offer themselues to the death for the same The answer Such example gaue the prince of pastors such strength hath God giuen to a number of faithfull ministers as our eies haue séene and infinite multitudes are able to testifie and the booke or monument of martyrs hath recorded to all posteritie Philip. 2. 21. The text For ⸫ all seeke the things that are their owne and not the things that are Iesus Christs The note Manie forsake their teachers when they see them in bonds and prison for their faith bicause most men preferre the world before Christes glorie The answer This is verie true and yet the text rather speaketh of them that should be carefull ouer the flocke that a number of them shranke away after the world and prouided rather for them selues then for the flocke And consider you well vpon this spéech whether Peters being at Rome then when Paul wrote this were likelie or no when Paul had there none like minded to him selfe And it is a very simple shift to say that Peter might then be absent from Rome