which is fayth in Christ Fayth and belefe in Christ is onely our ryghteousnesse which worketh afterward by charite the which yf it continue in safegarde in the liberte of the sprite ye may lyue and be occupyed in the ceremonyes of the churche without ony blame For he that is iustifyed by faythe kepeth ceremonyes lest he shuld offende those that be yet weake in the fayth not as necessary to ryghteousnesse but as a teachyng and a bryngyng vp for weaklynges beleuyng stedfastly that all those outward thynges be fre vnto vs thorow fayth and that we owe nothyng to ony body but onely loue Roma xiii By thys rule the Apostle beynge conuersant amonge hys brethrē without the yeoperde and the losse of conscience and faythe was so fre by the sprite of faythe that for al that he made hym selfe an vnderlynge and a seruaunt of all mē and was of all fashion to saue some at the leest He had knowlege but he knowe that knowlege dyd swell and charite dyd edyfye i. Corinth viii and .ix. He graunted that all thynges be lawfull vnto hym but that all thynges be nor profitable that al thynges be lawfull but all thynges do not edifye And he dyd folowe those thynges which belōged vnto peace and to edifyenge We wyll folow thys Apostle not geuynge oure lyberte to the occasion of the fleshe but in seruynge one an other by charite Galat. v. Here must the ouerseers and ministers of the churche be monyshed that they vnlade the congregacion holden downe with so many ceremonyes and lawes that almoost the condicion and state of the Iewes were more tollerable then the state of Christen men Now it is not onely folyshenesse but also wyckednesse that Christē mē shuld stryue amonge them selfes for ceremonyes I can not tel what whose bage is charite and not ceremonyes Ihon. xiii ¶ Of mans tradicions The newe learnynge Ther is a canon or a rule the whiche maketh equall the constitucions of popes and bysshoppes wyth the gospell and it affirmeth that the gospell can not be well vpholdē excepte the statutes and ordinaūces of the fathers be kepte as Leo the .iiii. sayeth in the .xx. distinction in the chapter De libellis All thynges that be necessary to be knowen to our saluation be not expressed in the canonicall scripture but the holy goost afterwarde that the scripture was wryttē dyd shew many wholsome thynges vnto oure forefathers Iohan. xvi I haue many thynges to say vnto you which ye can not beare at thys tyme. And those thynges that were in practyse than are not now all written but euen geuē from one to an other as by hande and are come euen to oure tyme as Damascen in a sermon of the dead wryteth that the memory of faythfull deadmen came vnto vs from the Apostels tymes Moreouer Paule taught the people that he purchassed vnto Christe whan he was with them many thynges the which were neuer wrytten Also he that heareth not the church let hym be counted as an heythen a publicane therfor she may make lawes and constitucions necessary for mans saluatiō Also that is necessary to saluation whose transgressyon is deadly synne but the ordinaunces of the church be such the fyrst is proued by Abbas in the proemy or preface of the decretales And in the fyrst chapter of constitucions he allegeth Calderine Iohā Andrea and Thomas And for thys purpose maketh the text in the chapter Quo iure the viii distinction where as it is wrytten that the breaker of the tradicions of the churche synneth deadly because that also the positiue lawe byndeth in matters of conscience ergo they bynd Herevpon Iohan Mayre with great pryde disdayne sayeth in the .iiii. distinctiō the .iii. q. To thynke that he that breaketh the commaundementes of the church synneth not deadly is an erroure ¶ The olde learnynge Mathew the .xvii. Chapter the heauēly father maketh his onely begotten sonne doctor and teacher of the church sayenge Heare hym And he put his wordes in his mouthe Deuteronomy .xviii. he sayeth And I wyll be a reuenger and a punyssher of thē which refuse the learnynge of thys doctoure He which sayeth Iohan. vii My doctryne is not myne but his which sent me that doctor is the euerlastynge wysdome of the father the way the lyght the truthe whom we beleue stedstly that he bothe wolde and dyd geue vnto his church not botched clowted or vnperfecte and vnstable learnynge but soūde perfecte and vnchaungeable to the whiche nedeth nothyng to be put to as an addition for those thynges that are necessary for to be knowen for mans saluation be contayned plenteously in the canonical scripture Somtymes the Apostles spake and treated vpon the kyngdome of God more plenteously in speakynge than it is wrytten in bokes yet for all that as for the sūme of the sentence and doctrine they preached none other thynge than the gospell whiche we haue wrytten so that those thynges which perteyne vnto a christen mans lyfe muste be learned of no where els but of the byble that is of the newe testement and of the olde For all scripture geuē by the inspiration of God sayth the Apostle .ii. tim .iii. is profitable to teachynge to improue to informe to instruc in righteousnesse that the man of God may be perfecte and prepared to all good workes Then why do we thrust in the churches handes the lawes of men as necessary to Christes regilion I do not speake here of the ciuyll lawe I know that the lawes of secular power are to be kepte for the conscience sake for they haue theyr strēgth of Goddes lawe Rom. xiii I speake of the decrees of mē with the which they wolde bynde mens consciences Farthermore the Apostle in the .ii. Tim iii. chap. prayseth the holy scripture with a great verdit prayse sayenge The holy scripture may make the wyse vnto health thorow fayth which is in Christ Iesu Who dar set thys tytle before his constitucions that they maye make you learned to saluaciō thys honour is onely dew vnto the holy scriptur of God Farther more yf ther were ony thynges shewed oure fathers a. M. year ago by the holy goost the which were not knowen in tyme of the flourynge of the churche that newly dyd springe vp to the Apostles and to the church they be ether necessary to saluacion or not necessary Yf they be not necessary but ordened for the tyme why is a mans conscience boūde with them Yf they be necessary ether ther is an other waye to saluacion nowe than was in the primitiue churche or els they were all damned that departed before that reuelation for they knewe not the thynge that was necessary to theyr saluacion The whyche thynges seynge that they be the moost vayne that can be and foolysh and that the same maner of iustifyenge and saluation is now that was than and was than that is now why make we those thynges necessary that be not necessary And why set
so the soule is refreshed lyueth with this heauenly bread For whā the soule beleueth that Christ is the pryce of oure redemption our satisfaccyon and our ryghteousnesse with this fayth it eateth the flesh and drynketh the bloude and accordynge to the wordes of Christ Ioh. vi by so wholsome an eatyng shal we lyue for euer These be so great thynges which be rehearsed aboute the table of the Lorde God graunt that this ceremony of Christe maye be restored to hys olde strength and integrite agayne that we which be the body of Christ oure heade admonished of the loue of God in the supper towarde vs maye growe together with vnlowsable glew of loue as it becommeth membres purgynge the flocke with the boult of excommunicacyon and eatynge truely the fleshe of the Lorde that is to beleue in Christe crucifyed and that we may be grafted in hym by the lykenesse of his death and that we maye be partakers wyth hym of the moost gloryous resurreccyon Amen ¶ Of the choyse of meates The new learnynge It is not lawfull to eate euery daye all sortes of meate for it is necessary that we abstayne from fleshe euery frydaye and saterdaye and on the embrynge dayes and in lent for he that doth otherwyse without the Bisshop of Romes bulles or the pardons of the legates of the sye of Rome doth syn and shal be rekened an euell christen man yee a wycked and an vngodly heretyke ¶ The olde learnynge In the .xi. Chapter of Leuiticus and the xiiii of Deuteronomion the choyse of meates is prescribed vnto the Iewes which were vnder Moses so that it was not lawfull to eate what so euer meate they lyste But let vs which are commaunded of Paul to the Gal. the .v. Chapter to stande fast in the lyberte in to the which Christe hath brought vs and that we shulde not put our neckes vnder the yocke of bondage agayne geue hede and attendaunce what oure mayster Christ and Lorde doth saye Math. xv Hear and vnderstād It that goeth in to the mouth defyleth not the man but it that goeth out of the mouth that defyleth a man These wordes of Christ take awaye the choyse of meates so that it is lawful in the tyme of the new testamēt to eate flesh or fyshe whether ye wyll without ony synne In the fyrste epistel to Timo. the .iiii. Chap the holy goost doth call the forbyddynge of meate of mariage the doctrine of the deuell For God hath created meate to be receaued with geuynge of thankes of them which beleue haue knowen the trueth for the creatures of God are good and nothynge to be refused yf it be receaued with thankes geuyng for it is sanctifyed by the worde of God prayer By this one texte of the Apostle is plucked vp by the rootes what so euer hether to mē haue taught or cōmaūded of the choyse of meates For the holy goost calleth it dyuelysh doctrine the whiche no man cā kepe obey wtout the losse of his saluacyō Let it moue no mā that saynt Ierome doth wrast these sayenges agaynste the Tacyans and the Marcionites doutlesse our consciences be delyuered from the choyse of meates by these wordes of the holy goost Therfore who so euer he be Marcyon or ony of this tyme that byndeth wyth a commaundemēt that thynge which Christ wolde haue to be fre he is reproued wyth this texte as vnkynde to God and a despyser of a good creature Collossenses the .ii. Chapter sayeth Paule Let no man iudge you in meat and drynke Yf you be dead wyth Christe from the elementes of the worlde why be you holden wyth decrees as yf ye were lyuyng in the worlde This texte also is playne agaynste all the praysers and preachers of mans tradicyons the whiche do trouble mens conscyences wyth mans preceptes of the choyse of meates Although thys maketh agaynste the obseruacyons of the Iewes yet it plucketh vp by the rootes all the tradicyons of men in thys matter For yf Moses lawe in that poynt be abrogate and put downe the which was once ordened of God how muche more iustly the constitucyōs of mē ought to be disanulled put awaye by the which these cruel tyraūtes coueth a kyngdome in mens consciences Gala. i. Yf ony man preach ony other gospell or glad tydynges vnto you than ye haue receaued holde hym acursed Therefore what soeuer other thynge is thrust into oure handes agaynst and besyde the worde of God to bynde mēs cōsciences by the sentence of the holy goost it is acursed wherfor we must refuse it both with hand and foote Titum i. Rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the fayth and not takynge hyde to Iewes fables and commaūdemētes of men the which turne from the trueth Vnto the cleane are all thynges cleane but to them that are defyled and vnbeleuyng is nothyng cleane but euen the very myndes and consciences of them are defyled Who wolde not abhorre those preceptes whyche turne from the trueth Euen so the holy gooste decketh mans tradicions with hys tytle with the which tradicion the deceauers of mens myndes go aboute to bynde mens cōsciences where as God byddeth not Here I do not regarde thoshe great praysers of abstinence the which wyll name me the Epicure of Christē men as saynt Ierome called Iouiniane as though I wēte about to louse the brydell of gluttony Tese felowes wyll dispute with a full belly of fastyng and yet they eate fesans partriches and al the pycked dayntyes that can be found in a contry Now tel me I pray yow what haue I sayde besyde the sentences of the holy goost I do not teache the abuse but the ryghte vse of the creatures of God with geuynge thankes I take not thought onely for the belly but also for the conscience Fo with these mans tradycions mens consciences be marked with an whote yron and God is worshypped wyth commaundementes of men the whych thynge in the .xxix. of Esaye he hateth and abhorreth It is a very ieoperdous matter to laye snares for mens consciences and to offende agaynst the christen lyberte which cost so much Yf ony mā laye agaynste vs saynt Ierome or ony other of the fathers I answere that the fathers were neuer in that blyndnesse that they wolde be beleued more then the scripture He despiseth not the fathers whiche enforceth hym selfe and laboureth to glorify the father of all which is in heauen He that in the matter of conscience doth thynke that God shulde rather be obeyed thē man doth not contemne men but magnifyeth God the Lorde of men and angels And the condicion and state of christen mē is not so that they ought to take example or rule of lyuynge of the prophetes of Iupiter that absteyne from fleshe and soden meate or of the temple of Eleusis or Ceres or of Orpheus yet that holy man is not ashamed of hys monkery of so voyde wordes in the seconde boke agaynste Iouinian As touchynge offendynge I
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