chrildreÌ„ take heed therof the wolfe is there can we heare this and not haue cause to suspect them And what then is more likely then to beleeue rather that our Church is much changed sith that the voice of our teachers is quite different from that of these holy Fathers that they set our candlesticke vnder abushel for feare we should perceaue these deformities gaps or seeke after a reformation or call them into the law at least to repentance Therefore Hunc audite Heare Iesus our saviour heare him in his Scriptures But to make vse of them Heare him with due reverence Think with your selfe when you alight vpon this newe Testament of our Lord that you enter into the temple of God into his sanctuarie that Christ preacheth vnto vs therein that it is his voice which is the truth and the way that it is not for naught that the Church hath called these Scriptures Canonicall that is to say Regular they being rules directing our faith and our salvation â—nter therefore with invocation of Gods holy name by the same Iesus requiring of him his holy Spirit that may inspire you enlighten you gine you an accesse to his mysteries being void of all passions full of holy affections hungring after salvation and covetous of his glory And doubt not but that seeking him there for there he is he wil be found of thee knacking at this dore he will open vnto thee hee will preuent thee and draw thee vnto hinn The Eunuch of the Queene of the Ethiopians Act. 8. read Esaias the Prophet in his chariot read him but vnderstood him not And yet found he there Iesus whom he scarse sought after Philip ruÌ„ning vnto him being carried by the Spirit for to bee his trucheman his interpreter Thus is God at hand to those that seek his Son in the Scriptures Thus also is the Son himselfe delighted in being sought after here and in offering himselfe to bee fouÌ„d here in his schoole Which being risen and glorified comming to his disciples at Emmaus when he might haue shewne them his wounds tokens of his mortality and also of his Godhead had rather resolue them in their doubts by Moses by the Prophets Did not our harts said they burne within vs while he talked with vs by the way and wheÌ„ he opened vnto vs the Scriptures Why then simple people idiots as we are you will say for I speak euen vnto them also in these Scriptures what are we to do Thou Christian that hast thy conscience doubtful about the controversies of this time thou shalt consult with Iesus thy Sauiour in this his word on them In a matter of great doubt thou coÌ„sultest with thine Advocate wilt beleeue his writings therin What wroÌ„g then shalt thou do to thy Sauiour in a matter of thine owne saluation if thou wilt not heare him if thou wilt not beleeue him Thou shalt also in reading it see before thee the chiefe points of thy Religion wherof thou art in doubt Those that aboue others are commaunded and commended vnto you of which ether the beliefe is more strictly prescribed vnto thee or the practise in special vrged vpon thee for to obserue or not to obserue those which are told thee to procure greater sinne or greater reward Thou shalt obserue in these holy Scriptures the words of thy Sauiour the rules of thy saluation if there be any mention made of them and in what manner if in the same manner as men teach them vnto thee as they are celebrated in thy church though not in name yet at least in effect though not in expresse tearmes yet at least in such as are equivaleÌ„t In briefe if in the reading of these holy Scriptures thou canst finde out the beliefe the doctrine the discipline the face the visage and lineamentes of thine owne church and of that which is taught beleeued and done in thy church Truely if thou canst perceiue all this call then thy selfe happy think that thou art in Paradise where the voice of Iesus where his worde is heard From this church be thou neuer desirous to departe But say with the Apostle who shal separate me froÌ„ this church wherin is felt the loue of Christ Shall tribulation Rom. 8 35 or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednes or perill or sworde No neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers For what greater consolation can there be in this conflict of opinions then to haue peace in his conscience and in these so dangerous occurrents theÌ„ to be assured of his way Of the true faith warranted by the word of his God and by a consequent of his saluation But on the coÌ„trary if thou findest nothing therein of the most part of that which men preach vnto thee make thee beleeue and inioine thee to do if in the inward and in the outward in the doctrine in the discipline thou findest altogither a different voice and different hue hast not thou theÌ„ cause to doubte that thou art straied from the Sheepefolde of thy Sauiour where thou knewest not his voice but the voice rather of a stranger in words doctrines so strange that it is now no longer the true temple of God seeing that it is an other then our Sauiour that causeth his voice there to sound hath seased on the chaire thereof And what remaineth then but that with the spouse in the Canticles thou sayest vnto him Shew me ô thou whom my soule loveth Cant 1.6 where thou feedest where thou lyest at noone for why should I bee as shee that turneth aside Psal 25. 23. Shew me thy waies ô Lord direct me in thy truth seÌ„d me thy light let it lead me let is bring me into thy Tabernacles Tabernacles in deed in regarde of that statelie building of this temple wherin I finde my selfe to bee and of a small shew and very contemptible But be they what they wil yet are they the tabernacles boothes of that chiefe Shepheard which I seeke for whose skins and cords hee will stretch out when it shall please him in the meane time I shal be sure to finde there my Shepheard I shall not want Psal 23. That good Shephearde which laieth downe his life for his sheepe Ioh. 10. and lifteth theÌ„ all vp euen the little lambes into his bosome Esa 40.11 doth wash them in the poole of Siloa feedeth theÌ„ to the hand and nourisheth theÌ„ vp with himselfe into life everlasting Whereas in this fained Temple I was fed with nothing but smoake with winde with sound with pride with rumour with luxury I laide out as the Prophet saith my siluer and my labour for that which neither did nourish nor satisfie Esay 55. in idle suffrages in vaine seruices and erroneous indeed because vain Here againe is another stop What then The Religion of Christ the true one the only religion doth she not admit of any increase or
worship them call vpon them is there any thing in all this wherof God may complaine To whom doth this honour redounde but to him his Saints beeing glorified in their images he in his Saintes But know thou will he answere thee that God as he is a Spirit so he will haue such as worship him in spirit and truth he wil be worshipped as he himselfe hath commanded and not after the fansies of men Know also that an image is a teacher of lies Habak 2 v. 18. and maketh of men beasts and confoūdeth those that are inclined therevnto and as for those Masters that haue giuē you images insteede of Masters they did this since the time that they are become ignorant and carelesse and haue bin dispensed withall for not preaching my Gospell dumbe Pastors as they were themselues they haue givē thee these dumbe preachers But frō the beginning it was not so before the law and vnder the law for the space of fower thousand yeares the church of God hath had no images To haue them or not to haue them as some particular liverie did then put a difference betweene the beleeuer and the infidell Yea and for eight hundred yeares together since the time that by mee grace was come into the world in the better part of Europe in France it selfe there were none of them I therefore say vnto you Of the ignorance of your Masters doe not you make your knowledge make not your Christianitie of the imitation and emulation of Paganisme The word of the Lord standeth fast for ever That which once he hath ordained hee never superannuateth nor disanulleth Let another proceed I know Lord that thou art the Lambe which takest away the sinnes of the world But wee are told also of a certaine fire at our going out of this world wherein wee must be purged and must for all this pay and make euen our rekoning what must I beleeue in this matter And therevpon hee will tell thee all that which the holy Scripture teacheth vs hast thou not read what my Prophets say That I was wounded for your transgressions Esai 53. v 5. and broken for your iniquities that the chastisemēt of your peace was vpō me God which is al iustice all mercy will he haue the same debt paid twise Zacharie saith There shall be a fountaine opened to the house of David Zacharie 13. v. 1. to the Church for sinne for every vncleanesse whatsoeuer and I verily am this fountaine a fountaine that neuer dryeth vppe to what purpose serues thy fire if this water doe suffice And that this water is not sufficient who can say it without blasphemie But yet if thou wilt haue a fire also heare what Iohn the Baptist saith Matth. I baptize thee with water and with fire Thy spirit indeed with a spirituall fire euen with mine own spirit And here thou wilt reply for thou art for bidden to yeeld But S. Augustine and S. Gregorie doe not they speak of a fire to the which wee must goe when wee depart out of this world Doe not they say thee it is not altogether incredible that there is one and that it may be true And at all aduentures hath it not beene a good thing to keepe the soules in such aw For how many faire Churches haue beene founded thereby how many cloisters Chappels and Masses And will you then haue the olde doubts of those men to be vnto you as articles of faith The fables of Platonikes as truth The fictiōs of Poets as sound diuinitie Our Lorde moreouer will say vnto thee He that beleeueth in the Sonne hath life euerlasting he is already gon from death to life hee that beleeueth not in him the wrath of God remaineth vpon him hee is already condemned and shall not see life Betweene these two where canst thou finde any place for this Purgatorie And then will the Sonne of God say vnto thee againe Do not stand vpon that which the Doctours tell thee thereof They could never create it From the beginning it was not so If it had beene from the beginning there is no question but the Church of Israell would haue made vse of it by so much the more because that fountaine for the cleansing of sinne was not as then opened And yet for foure thousand yeares together is there any one word spoken of it Amongst so many sacrifices and those of so many fashions is there any one word spokē of such sacrifices as were for the dead or for their sinnes And if it had been created since that time would then the Apostles haue hidden it from vs would they haue told vs. Blessed are they that die in the Lord from henceforth they do rest from their labours If wee confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and iust The blood of his Son Iesus Christ doth purge and cleanse vs from all sinne This Purgatorie then is a strange fire in the Church such a one as quencheth her naturall heate her confidence in the merit of the Redeemer And therefore That which the Lord hath paid and quitted for vs so dearely so fully the faithfull mā needs not to buy it againe Let no servant of God therefore sel it him againe Let another also come that perhaps hath looked more deepely into it and say Master I knowe that thou hast bin made an oblation on the tree of the Crosse wiped out and vtterly abolished the handwriting that was against vs. And neuerthelesse we are told that thou art every day offered vp euery day sacrificed in Masse and herevpon is all this stirre To what opinion therefore shall we stand fast and hereupō he wil tel thee Hast thou not read what Esay saith of me His soule shall bee made an oblation for sinne The soule of the Sonne of God At what rate thē dost thou reckon her and knowest thou not that I haue giuen my flesh for the life and my blood for the remission of the sins of the world In comparison of this price all your pretended Oblations can amount to nothing Knowest thou not also that likewise all the other sacrisices of the Law are fulfilled and abolished in this one onely And here either blown vp by tradition or forestalled by custome thou wilt reply but would then our Fathers for so long time together haue made so great account of the Masse and all for nothing Why then art thou not then really with thy flesh and bones sacrificed therein every day Did not men speake of this oblation even in the time of good S. Gregorie not aboue six hundred yeares after thine incarnation The ill disposed facilitie of men in accommodating themselues to infidelitie hath brought in these things And this carnall wisdome hath beene found to be but naturall and is rightly convicted of folly before God The outward worship of Iewes and Gentiles consisted in sacrifices and when they haue been brought to the Christian faith they were willing to content them with the word
fit to bee done before vs but what Christ the first of all which is before all hath done because also we ought not to followe the customes of men but the truth of God And to the same purpose doth hee bring in many places out of the holy Scriptures both before and after The reason thereof is to be sound in S. Ambrose Ambr. de fide l. 1. c. 5. Because that no man commeth to the Father but by the SoÌ„ be it what it will that thou meditatest coÌ„cerning the Father Chrysost Homil 57 in Matth. And likewise thou caÌ„st think nothing touching divine matters but by the Sonne Wherevpon Chrysost saith Heare him in all things In all without exception that from hence forth Hiero Matt. 6.17 saith S. Hierome we might no more pitch anie taberna cle but to him obey none but him no loÌ„ger Moses nor Elias they are but seruaÌ„ts it is no lesse their dutie then ours to raise him up a tabernacle within their hearts He that spake thus of theÌ„ what would he haue saide of such as are com since of all those founders of new orders vnto which notwithstanding we erect as well as to Christ yea in some sort aboue Christ temples al tars and sacrifices and obey theÌ„ rather theÌ„ the law the Gospell or the Sonne of God himselfe But passe we this ouer not to anger the world Yet truly we see that this lesson as being engrauen with the finger of God in their souls doth remain deep he imprinted in all there writings whereas Iames telleth vs there is one lawgiuer I am 4.12 which is able to saue distroy who art thou that iudgest another man that takest vppon thee to giue him a law how great so euer thou art that may binde his conscience and giue or take from him life euerlasting 1. Ioh. 1. And S. Iohn That which we haue seene and heard of that word of life declare we vnto you we haue learned it both for you and for our selfes that you might haue felloship with vs that our fellowship might be with the father and with his son Iesus Christ This is the reward of hearing him Farre different from that which once they asked to witt his right haÌ„d or his left hand here on earth S. Peter also alleadging for a reason this same vision 2. Pet. 1.8 16.17 For we followed not deceauable fables whenwe opened vnto you the comming and power of our Lord Iesus Christ but with our eies we saw his Maiestie when there came such a voice to him sent froÌ„ that excellent glory This is my beloued sonne c. then making a difference betweene the doctrine of the law that of the Gospell between Moses and Elias which he had seene and that Iesus whome he was coÌ„manded to harken vnto he goeth on thus We haue the word of the prophets V. 9. â— to the which ye doe well that yee take heed But as to what as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place and how long vntil the day dawne and the day starre arise in your harts This Iesus the Sonne of righteousnes the true light of our soules of the which all the Prophesies are but litle sparkes this Iesus of whom Peter said when he had knowne him To whom should we goe Lord thou hast the words of everlasting life Thou hast them that is to say none hath them but thou but by thee thou art the only head-spring spring of them all others 〈◊〉 but stinking cisternes In sonâ— other place perhaps wee might find the words of life but of a temporall life of a mortall life of an immortall death Wordes of saluation and happinesse are not found but in Iesus onely in my Iesus alone And therefore with good reason was it told vs in the mountaine Heare him S. Paul was not at this vision and yet stickes not to taker the same lesson for himself also Heb. 1. v. 1 2. God saith he hauing at sundry times and in divers maners spokeÌ„ in the old time to our fathers by the Prophets in these last daies hath spokeÌ„ vnto vs by his son 2. I 16. In these last daies saith hee that is to say for the last time and for good reason sith that by this sonne the heire as he addeth of all things by whom also hee made the worlds that euerlasting wisdome that assisted him when he â—epared the heavens Prov. 8. v. 27. when hee â—et the compasse vpon the deepe â—eing descended neuerthelesse â—ratiously from heauen from â—he bosome of the father for to set vs aright in his waies For which cause also he relateth not â—nto vs these visions and reueâ—ations of his which hee had seen 2. Cor. 12. taken vp into the third heaven into Paradise those wordes which cannot be spoken What could not he haue told vs if hee would but haue entertained the time with such discourses But those things barely which hee had learned of our Lord for the saluation of the Churches that is to say of the assemb lies of the faithfull of all sortes men women children learned and vnlearned vnto which hee did write 1. Cor. 1 v. 23. 1 v. 3. I haue saith hee receiued of the Lord that which I haue delivered vnto you I haue delivered vnto you that which I received the Gospell whereby you are saved if you keepe in memorie after what manner I preached it vnto you If you keepe it still the same that I gaue it you without adding therevnto any thing of your owne And the rather because I neither received it of man Gal. 1. v. 12. nor was I taught it but by revelation of Iesus Christ Is not that man therefore very arrogant that dares passe beyond that within which these great Apostles doe keepe themselues bound both their preaching and writings And after yea besides this well beloued Son this Sonne in whom the Father is well pleased to teach and expound vnto vs what the pleasure of God is and with what service he is pleased and therevpon to adde somewhat of his owne minde and display his owne fancies and inuentions Doth not this deserue that God should say vnto vs Who hath required these thinges at your hands Not to bee allowed not to bee approued in your accounts It is in vaine that you serue me to please men and according to the inventions of men He are him whome I haue sent you him of whom I haue told you long since that whosoever will not harken vnto his words I will require it of him Deut. 18. v. 19. 20 For the Prophet that shall presume to speake a word in my name which I haue not commaunded him to speake even the same Prophet shall die shal incurre everlasting damnation And here let these looke to themselues which against their own knowledge conscience doe preach vnto the simple people so many things which they haue not heard froÌ„ our Lord
the time that our Lord conversed here in his flesh and hadst had the grace to acknowledge him to bee that Christ that Sonne of the living God wouldst thou haue made any difficultie or thought it to be any grievous fault or an execrable deede to heare him preach Wouldst thou not on the contrary haue gon to seeke after this divine worde euen in the midst of the wildernesse Whatsoever the Scribes and the Pharises had said vnto thee wouldst not thou haue had thine attentiue care linked to his sacred mouth And behold when he was to ascend vp into heaven for to lift you vp thither after him hee hath sealed the same vnto you in his Scriptures in his Gospels which for the greater part are nothing but his Sermons his speeches set downe by writing that thou maist read them and read them againe more distinctly more cleerely chew and chew them againe at your ease written expresly by sundry Evangelists that for thine instruction the one may giue light serue for an interpreter to the other And yet shall men make you beleeue that the pen and stile of his Evangelists and Apostles though ledde by the same Spirit by that Spirit which was promised vnto them was to bring into their memory all that which he had told them hath connected this sauing this quickning word into a dead letter a murthering and condemning letter that thou mightest abhor it and flie from it and cast it into the fire I thy selfe because of it why then what needed this worde haue bin giuen vnto vs in writing by the will of God as S. Ireneus told vs before and by the commandement of Christ as S. Augustin repeated it but that it might be reade And why should it be read lesse then the law and the Prophets by al beleeuers S. Peter called Prophesying a candle but the Gospel a Sun a full midday such a lighte as can admit no increase Truely our Sauiour wrought miracles enough in the which his diuinity appeared both effectually and euidently And for all this yet sendeth he the Iewes to the law the Prophets Search saith he the Scriptures Ioh. 5. And we finde not that they reply vnto him we are forbidden them S. Paul also exercising his Apostleship among the Iewes commeth into a Synagogue of the citie of Berea Act. 17. as he was powerfull in the holy scriptures hee preached vnto them that Iesus is the Christ What doe then those of Berea They were not ignoraunt of that so notorious vision which S. Paul saw in the way to Damascus they might likewise haue laid a foundation on such signes and miracles as confirmed his sayings And neverthelesse the Euangelist Saint Luke telleth vs that they received the word with all readinesse but by what meanes Searching the Scriptures daily whether those things were so to wit as S. Paul had preached vnto them And this is the reason why S. Luke telleth vs that they were more noble men then those which were at Thessalonica by this liue lie faith which they with a zeal mixed with knoweledge did draw out of the reading of the holy Scriptures Whence also it is that hee addeth that many of them beleeved and of honourable womē which were Grecians Women therfore at that time were not reproued but commended by the Euangelist by the holie Ghost himself for hauing read conferred and searched the holy Scriptures And that also that they might iudge of the doctrin and preaching of S. Paul that excellent Apostle Now what is it that the Gospell coulde since haue done vnto vs what euill hath it done to Christendome that we should feare or abhorre the reading thereof Truly whē as S. Iohn telleth vs these things are writtē that ye might beleeue Ioh. 20. v. 31. He telleth vs cōsequently that they are written that yee might read them and read them for to beleeue them and therfore they may be vnderstoode of vs they are not ambiguous they are fit of themselues to perswade vs and to make vs beleeue Whenas also S. Paule directed his Epistles to the churches of Rome of Corinth of Galatia of Ephesus of Philippi c which consisted of al ages sexes and conditions his purpose was not to exclude any one from them he hath admitted al of vs thereunto vnto those Epistles notwithstanding in the which hee treateth most deeplie and profoundly of the deepest and profoundest articles of the Christian faith and none of vs wil wrong him so far as to thinke that his intent was thereby to destroie them he being so powerful and so zealous in their instruction The like is also to bee thought of S. Peter and S. Iames the other Apostles But speake wee also of the church in these primitiue times Of what folly doe we accuse her which tooke so great a care to cause the newe testament to be translated into all languages that all mē might be able to vnderstand it Into the Latine the Syrian the Arabian the Egyptian the Ethiopian the Persian the Indian the Scythian the Sauromaticke the Gothes language And for what manner of men shall wee take S. Hierome and S. Chrysostome which turned it into the Sclavonian and Armenian tongues commending so expresly the reading thereof vnto all persons Chrysost Hom. 3. de Lazaro In Ioh. Hom 29. De verbo Esay Hom 2. In opere Imperf Homil 42 In Matt. Hom. 2. In Ioh. Homil. 16 In Genes Hom. 12.13.21 The one of them so farre as to say that they are the instruments of every Christian mans trade that hee ought and can no lesse want them then an artificer the implements of his shop that he must spare no cost for to buy them that hee ought to haue thē alwaies in his hād and not referre himselfe either to Monke or Clergie man but on the contrary hee ought to preiudice and iudge the sermōs of the Preachers I and his own too Ad Col. Hom 9 ad Thess Hom. 3. by reading before hand the same place which is expounded vnto them ought also to arme himselfe against the Arrians all other hereticks because it shall so happen saith he and repeats it at sundry times that then when Antichrist shall bee come with his army of heresies there shall bee left no other meanes to knowe the truth or true Christianitie by but onely tantummodò Chrysost in Opere Imperf Hom 9 by the Scriptures No more at all by visions nor by miracles The reader may find on that same subiect many homilies in the which hee can never bee cloid almost whole ones together which wee need not bring in here Origen S. Basil S. Ambrose S. Augustine S. Hierom say euery one the same also When as thē men spake of of the Scriptures quite otherwise at this day and vse as many inhibitions for to remoue vs from them as these good Fathers had exhortations for to bring vs neere them when as men tell vs as vnto little