A coÌ„parison betwene the Olde learnynge the Newe ¶ Translated out of latin in Englysh by Wyliam Turner Prynted in Sowthwarke by me Iames NicolsoÌ„ Anno. 1537. The contentes of this boke Of the sacramentes Of penaunce Of confession Of satisfaccyon Of frewyll Of fayth and workes Of merites Of synne Of the worshippynge of sayntes Of the supper of the Lorde Of the choyse of meates Of fastynge Of the difference of dayes Of prayer Of vowes Of counselles Of matrimony Of bisshoppes Of ceremonies Of mans traditions Of councels lawes made by a multitude of bisshoppes gathered together ¶ To the reader Some ther be that do defye All that is newe and euer do crye The olde is better awaye with the new Because it is false and the olde is true Let them this boke reade and beholde For it preferreth the learnyng most olde ¶ Vrbanus Regius to a certayne frende of his wysheth CHRIST oure ryghteousnesse WHan our saueour in the fyrst of Marke had caste out of a man an vncleane sprete the Iewes were astoÌ„nyed sayenge what new learnynge is this It was thought new to those wretches for lacke of knowlege of scripture which of all thynges was oldest that is to saye the Gospell the which was longe tofore promysed by the prophetes in the scripture of the soÌ„ne of God Iesu Christ The same thynge was sayd to Paul whan he preached Christ at Athene they toke him led hym to Marcis strete sayenge May we not knowe what new learnyng this is that ye teach for ye brynge in to our eares new thynges Was the teachynge of the Apostles I praye you strayght waye new because it was thought new to the proude gentyles swellynge and bounde with theyr carnall and fleshly wysedome Euen suche lyke thinges in these later dayes do they al suffer which teach purely the Gospel of the gracyous fauour and glory of God Which do not abuse the worde of euerlastynge truth for auauÌ„tage but as it were of syncernesse but as it were of god so speak we by Christ in the syght of God This is the new doctrine saye our aduersaries lately deuysed fâ—rnyshed in the shoppes or workhouses of heretikes Let vs abyde styl in our old fayth Let the holynesse of our fathers the authorite of the couÌ„cels the consent of the longe tyme so many ages holde vs in the wayes of our fathers Let the heretikes go shake theyr eares with theyr new learnynge which spronge and rose vp of late Those thynges which we teach came not all from Christe and the Apostles by wrytynge neuerthelesse they came by a faythfull reuelacyon shewynge vnto vs. To whom I wyll answere none otherwyse then Christ answered the Saduces Ye erre sayeth he and ar ignoraunt in the scripture And wolde to God that I myghte purchace and obtayne so much equyte of a braynlesse kynde of meÌ„ as one heythen man sheweth to another that is yf they wolde fyrst heare the cause or matter and then afterwarde yf it please them condemne hym that is accused Now they condemne innocentes without ony hearynge of theyr cause And they crye vnto vs which defeÌ„de the worde of God with nothynge but galowes ropes and fyre not witesafyng vs the leest corner of the catholyke church In so much that I wonder of what sprete they be of For that gentle and pleasaunt sprete of Christ the which fedeth the mysticall body seketh for the health and not for the destruccyon of them that erre Charite the frute of the holy goost as the apostell sayeth doth thynke none euell but is glad and reioyceth with the trueth beleueth all thynges trusteth all thynges Surely they that set asyde the blynde iudgement of the affeccyon and loke earnestly vpon the matter iudge otherwyse of vs. For the olde auÌ„cient fathers dyd neuer knowe or heare tell of the moost parte of those thynges whiche oure condemners do teache then ye maye be sure that theyr learnynge ought not to be rekened for olde learnynge and apostolicall Furthermore not euery thynge that the olde fathers wrote sauoureth of the syncernesse and purenesse of the sprete of the Apostles Certayne thynges which were deuised with in these foure hundreth yeares yee rather euen of late haue bene receaued by and by of them as soone as they were made namely this is theyr learnynge and so olde that they desyre for this that the Gospell almoost shulde be cast awaye and couÌ„ted as a new teachynge and learnynge Therfore I wolde that they shulde knowe and vnderstande that we do teache and preache the olde and the trewe heauenly doctryne of the sprete that is the gospell of god The greate mystery of holynesse and godlynesse that god was declared in the fleshe was iustified in sprete sene of the angelles preached to the gentyles that coÌ„fidence was geueÌ„ to him in the worlde was receaued in to glory What saye you be these newes God dyd predestinate vs that he myght chose and purches vs to be his soÌ„nes by Christe Iesus in his owne selfe accordynge to the pleasure of his wyl that the glory of the grace of God myght be praysed whereby he made vs welbeloued thorowe his welbeloud by whome we haue redeÌ„pcioÌ„ thorowe his bloude forgeuenesse of synnes accordyng to the ryches of his grace This was the fathers counsell vpon vs before the begynnyng of the worlde that he shuld saue vs and calle vs with an holy vocacion not accordyng to our workes but accordyng to his purpose and grace whiche is geuen vnto vs thorowe Iesus Christ before the euerlasting times but it is opened and declared nowe by the appearing of our saueour Christ which put deathe away and hathe thorowe the gospel brought forthe the lyfe into lyght and mortalite The which thyng seyng that it was promysed so longe ago by the prophetes at the coÌ„maundement of the holy gooste and nowe published thorowe al the coastes of the worlde howe dare they for shame call it newe learnyng Ceasse you wycked men and staunche your blasphemyes geue glory and prayse with vs vnto god and enbrace loue as ye ought to do the mysteries of the truthe with deuoute myndes lefte ye be indurate and made harde harted of god with the reprobate and castawayes the which beleue not the truth but alowe vnryghtuousnesse The are is layed at the roote of the trees Wherfore I doynge the offyce of a christen brother haue made a comparyson betwene the newe learnynge and the olde whereby deare brother thou maye easely knowe whether we are called worthely or vnworthely the preachers of new learnyng For so dyd they call vs of late scornynge and of a contempte and you desyred of me to know what I thought best to answer to these braynles and madde fellowes The which thynge seynge that it can not be expressed in an epystell I thought it beste to bestow a few houres in thys matter in these dayes called fastyngam in latyn carnis priuium whiche hath the name of the takyng awaye
the holy place foūde euerlastyng redēption Heb ix He is gone that gaue the lawe an other is come in his rowme by whom grace is geuē Ioh. i. Aarō is gone for the true prest for euer after the order of Melchisedech is come To conclude the fygure is vanyshed because the lyght hath shyned Then what nede we so costly gloryous pompe of ceremonies in the new testamēt we disprayse not those buyldinges to the which the people cōmeth to hear the worde of god more cōmodiously but we disprayse the abuse the erroure namely that they kepe no measure can neuer make an ende of buyldynge deckynge of such royal churches Exo. xxxvi at the cōmaūdement of Moses the cryer forbyddeth that nother mā nor womā shuld offer vp ony more to the buyldyng of the tabernacle for the people offred vp a great deale more thē nede was Now our cryers wtout ende measure requyre gyftes of the people to the buyldinges of tēples Wher doth Christ requyre in the new testament such ornamētes of churches and where doth he appoynt such buyldyng to be made Cōmaūded not he vs to worship the father ī spret in verite The which two wordes cōdēne the whole tragedy of ceremonies which we thīke profitable good for praier For what helpeth to the sprete and trueth of worshippyng of God such infinite diuersite of vestimentes belles organes and sōges of dyuerse kyndes Yf those thynges kyndle deuotion steare vp a mans mynde to God it were best that not only churches but also houses townes hye waies stretes shuld be ful of yanglyng of belles be replenyshed with ymages The Lorde requyreth the sprete and trueth and we cōtrarye wyse shewe and set forth a carnal pompe solemnite of ceremonyes the which is not only as great as all the Iewes fashions and rytes but passeth them farre both in nombre and greatnesse hauyng in steade of the sprete the flesh for the trueth moost coloured and paynted ypocrysye for we spende the whole daye with syngynge sacrifysyng and mumblynge We speake with tunges but no mā preacheth which shulde speake vnto men to edifye exorte and to comforte .i. Cor. xiiii The Apostle wyl leuer speake .v. wordes with his vnderstādyng that he may iustruc teach other also rather thē ten thousand with tūges We thōdre out psalmes wtout vnderstādyng for auaūtage lucre makyng a sound wtout deuotiō alas the word of God is cōpelled to geue place to this blind seruice the ordināce of the apostle also We crye now a dayes as the Iewes cryed in tymes paste Ieremie vii The temple of the Lorde the temple of the Lorde the temple of the Lorde Goddes seruice Goddes seruice Goddes seruice trustyng in wordes of lyenge where as all thys busynesse of ceremonyes is playne hyred geare for mony that it may be fulfilled that the Lorde sayde Malachie i. Who is ther amonge you that wyll shut the dores wyl kyndle myn aultare frely for nought wherfore it foloweth I haue no pleasure in you sayth the Lorde of hoostes I wyll take no reward of your handes Yf that the tragedy and spectakle of ceremonyes lyketh you so well go to let vs brynge home agayne the whole Iewysnesh and the whole maner of worshyppynge of the Iewes let vs deck vp Aaron let vs orden leuytes let vs kyll and offer vp shepe oxen and calues and euen let vs be circumcysed wyth the madde Iewes and let vs loke for an other Messyas that may bryng vs in to the lande of Canaan not by the power of the Lorde but of the world Surely yf that moost costly and sumptuous worshyppyng of God is christes religion in the which holynesse consisteth I graunt that I can not tell what is oure religion But yf Christ be oure Lorde and master and hys doctryne be the doctryne of the father the truthe and the waye then is the whole heape of ceremonyes nothynge lesse than the worshyppyng of God Where do we reade in the gospel of hyred prayers which ye wyll let a man haue for mony and yf he geue no penny he shall haue no pater noster where doth the Lorde alowe byenge sellyng choppynge and chaūgynge in holy thynges As for those places which they brynge for the appoyntynge and assignynge of a certayne place of prayer euery mā may se that they handle them without ony maner of iudgement and with playne ygnoraunce of scriptur It is euē of the same sorte that they fayne that the deuyl is afrayed of holy water as thoughe he were not more afrayed at the syght of a christē man whome the oyntement of the holy goost hath made holy and is the temple of the holy goost And as for that thay they brynge for the halowynge of beedes and the nombre of pater nosters and the Psalter of our lady suche other it is more vayne then ony tryfles be in the worlde and more foolysher then the tales which olde wyues tell in wynter nyghtes by the fyre syde Therfore we must praye to the father of heauē thorowe oure Lorde Iesus Christe in spirit and truthe in euery place that our prayers be not bound to places For ether we go in to oure preuy chambre and shut the dore after vs pray vnto the father which is in secrete or we praye in euery place after the learnynge of saynt Paule in the fyrst epistel the .ii. chapter to Timoth. For the whole worlde is the temple churche of God The heauen the heauen of al heauens ar not able to receaue the Lord how much lesse then thys church Yf I ascende vp to heauē sayeth the royal prophete thou arte ther yf I descende and go downe to hel thou art present And God his owne self sayeth by Ieremy the prophete in the xxiii chapt I fyl both heauē and earth And the Apostell in his preachyng to the men of Athens sayeth God is not far from vs for we lyue in hym are moued and be in hym Actu xvii ¶ Of vowes The newe learnynge Vowe to the Lorde perfourme it that the ye vowe Psal lxxv Therfor we may vowe we ought to geue it that we vowe for ther a is lawe made of geuynge to them whiche vowed In the .iiii. boke of the sentence it is wrytten A vowe is made when a mā of his owne wyl promyseth that he wyl do or kepe some good thynge to the which otherwyse he is not bound although he be bound after the vowe be made There be .iii. principalle substancial vowes that is of pouerte chastite obedience He that is once made a religious man or a preste is bound to lyue so for euer by hys vowe ¶ The olde learnynge A vowe is a law say the scoole mē made to perfourme such thynges as mē haue vowed It is playne what the holy scripture doth affyrme and iudge of the lawe and of the workes of it Now is mā not iustifyed or made
lawes that ether the lyberte of a christen man be in ieopardy or we offende agaynst Goddes lawe In this case the positiue lawe byndeth not for the intent of the lawmaker is not to kyll ony man or to geue an occasyon to breake Goddes lawe But seynge that it can not be satisfyed and fulfylled doutlesse it remitteth and lowseth those thynges that it dyd decre And yf ther chaunce ony reasonable cause of breakynge such a tradicyon it wyl pronounce the transgressour assoyled and cleare and not rashe but what more reasonable cause is ther thē auoydynge of deadly synne or the ieopardy of conscience Paule was content so to chastise his flesh to auoyde offēdyng of his brother that he wolde neuer eate flesh rather then to offende hym ¶ Of Coūcels and lawes made by a great multytude of byshoppes gathered together The new learnyng Yf the authorite of councels be despised all thynges in the churche shal be doutfull vncertayne for the heresyes that were once condemned in the coūcels shal come agayn Therfore it is not lawfull vnto a priuate man to affyrme or teache ony thynge agaynst the councels For the councell is gathered together in the name of Christ it is ruled of the holy gooste and therfore it erreth not so that the cōstitucyons of the councels be the constitucyons of the catholyke church whom the councell doth represent But those thynges that the church ordeneth are as well to be obserued and kepte as the canonicall scripture Nother is it nedefull that the councell adde or put testimonyes of scripture to his determinacyons seyenge that the Apostles and the elders dyd not stablysh the fyrst councell holden at Ierusalem with scriptures Actu xv The olde learnynge Ihon in the .iiii. Chapter of his fyrst epistell byddeth proue spretes whether they be of God or no therfore it is lawfull for christen men to iudge the sprete of coūcels for they saye that the holy goost is author of the coūcell What rule shal we haue I pray you to proue and trye spretes besyde the worde of God This seynge that is sure true seuen tymes purged and a candel in a darke place shal be a touch stone to proue to trye all learnynge of men by Yf the holy goost doth rule the councelles and the same spret of truth taught the Apostles euery trueth and yf the Apostles dyd preache that and geue it vnto vs it foloweth that the constitucyons and the councels must agre wyth the learnynge of Christ and the Apostles that is wyth the holy scripture for the sprete of God differeth not from hymselfe he is symple his learnyng is symple But seynge it is openly knowen that the coūcels haue decrees contrarye to holy scripture and also to the holy goost Who wyll forbyd vs to doute vpon suche constitucyons of councels The Apostles learnynge wyll that a byshoppe shulde be an husbande of one wyfe Ther is a councell that forbyddeth byshoppes the vse of holy matrimony what authorite is here The doctrine of Paule is the Gospell and the lawe of God the which ought not to be chaūged seynge that it doth threaten death and cursynge euen to the angelicall sprites yf they durst brynge ony other Gospell But now yf they orden and determine those thynges whiche be contrary to the scripture who wyll deny but they maye erre I haue not sayd this to despyse the coūcels that be coūcels in dede but we set God aboue the councell For we graunt accordynge to the promyse of our saueour that Christ is present in the congregacyon that is gathered in the name of Christ but we graunte no man power and authorite to decre orden ony thynge in the church of God agaynst the scriptures We receaue no man that commeth in his owne name Ihon the .v. chapter and that speaketh not of the father but of his own selfe Besyde this the scripture geueth no greater power to a generall councel than to .ii. or .iii. gathered in the name of the Lorde the which congregacion hath authorite to excōmunicate hym that rebelleth and is stubburne and an open synner but it hath not authorite to make preceptes and to thruste thē in to mēs cōsciences that be fre Farthermore the scripture hath prophecyed that false doctores shuld come in the latter dayes in the name of Christe the whiche shall deceaue many men saynge I am Christe The whyche moost earneste warnynge of oure saueour not without a cause maketh vs more ware and circumspecte that we shulde not beleue euery sprete In dede these be goodly and glorious names The church The councel to be gathered in the name of Christe but Christe and the Apostles haue warned vs that those thynges alone shuld not moue vs the whych dyd describe these latter dayes with so horryble colours that it is wonder men can not perceaue these thynges Ciprian in a certayne coūcel where as were .lxxxvi. byshoppes syttynge taught wronge of the baptysynge of heretikes and for the moost part all the bysshoppes of Aphrica Numidia and Mauritania erred with hym Yf it be so that the councels erre about the sacramentes of the church who can safely wythout yeoperdy from hence forth beleue the councels makyng lawes wythout scripture Moeroeuer the same thynges maye chaunce we do not doute to great and generall councels that haue chaūced vnto the particular and prouinciall councels And suerly I thynke and hold that then all thynges shal be more doutfull vncertayne whā the authorite of the worde doth fayle the which ought to be sounde and vndefyled For the churche gaue not authorite to the word but the worde gaue authorite to the church And whan the congregacion beleueth the gospell it is safe and the heresyes which in tymes paste were bannyshed away and quenched they were quenched with the swearde of the sprete which is the word of God Truely heresye is plucked vp by the roote none other waye thā with the word of God wholsome learnynge Therfore the Apostle wyll that a bisshop shuld be fenced and harnessed with wholsom learnyng that he may ouercōme them that resiste and fyght agaynst hym Put the case that the councell dyd orden ony thynge without scripture by by wyll Gerson and learned and honest men with hym saye We must beleue more the sayenge of one man fensed with the authorite of canonicall scripture than to the declaration of the pope or the generall coūcel I passe ouer here the manyfest sayenge of Innocētius in chap. Cum venerab De excep that is to wyte That no profe is to be admitted agaynste the scripture but al thyng shuld be holden without dout Here vpon it foloweth that it is not lawfull for the coūcell to charge the congregacion with ony thynge without the cōsent of the scriptur And the councell of Ierusalem decreed nothyng wythout scripture boastynge auauncyng the holy goost only For besyde the word of Amos the .ix. Chapter all other thynges had strength of the scripture not