A Sermon Preached vpon Sunday beeing the twelfth of March Anno. 1581. within the Tower of London In the hearing of such obstinate Papistes as then were prisoners there By William Fulke Doctor in Diuinitie and M. of Penbroke Hall in Cambridge Imprinted at London by Thomas Dawson for George Bishop 1581. A Sermon preached by M. D. Fulke THe place of Scripture which I haue chosen to speake of at this time and vpon the present occasion is written in the 17. Chapiter of the Gospel after Saint Iohn and the 17. verse of the same being part of the wordes of our Sauiour Christ vnto his heauenly Father in that most vehement and heauenly prayer which hee maketh for his disciples and his whole Church a litle before his Passion Iohn 17. Sanctifie them in thy trueth thy word is the trueth AFter that our Sauiour Christ had accomplished his office of preaching and sealed the doctrine of his redemption by institution of his holie Supper finally as it were taking his leaue of teaching his Apostles had instructed them of pacient bearing of his Crosse by setting foorth such comforts whereunto they should leane and by promising the comming of his spirite lifted them vp to a better hope then the present miseries did portende discoursing of the glorie and Maiestie of his kingdom wherof they should be partakers as is conteined at the full in the thrée Chapiters going immediately before The Euangelist declareth in the beginning of this seuenth Chapiter howe hée conuerteth himselfe to prayer that this his most heauenly doctrine might be made effectuall first in the heartes of his Apostles which then were his hearers and afterwarde in all true members of his Churche which by their Ministerie shoulde bée gathered in his name Wherfore among other requestes that hée maketh for his Disciples in this prayer this is one especially that his father would sāctifie them in his truth which is his holie worde the only outwarde witnesse of his will which is as much in effect as that it woulde please his Maiestie of his infinite goodnesse and for his sake who sanctified him selfe for them to be a sacrifice propitiatorie to dedicate them vnto his father to consecrate or hallowe them by his holie spirite vnto him selfe as his chosen and peculiar possession according to that most holy trueth which hée hath reuealed in his worde and doctrine of saluation conteined in the Gospell of his sonne that béeing truely vnited vnto him hée may be glorified in them and they made by him partakers if eternall felicitie Sanctifie them O Father saith hée in thy truth thy worde is the trueth There are two speciall reasons why our Sauiour Christ commendeth his Disciples vnto the holie and sanctifying protection of God his heauenly Father the one conteined in the verse going immediately before the other in the verse that followeth immediatly the one being the great daunger they stood in the other the great and high office also that they were called vnto Concerning the former he said they are not of the world euen am I am not of the worlde In that they were not of the worlde it could not be auoided but that they should be hated of the world as he said also in expresse wordes They therefore that shoulde be hated of all the worlde had néede to bée mightily protected They that had so many enemies must needes haue a strong defender and where should they haue any rest that had all the worlde against them but in God who is greater then the worlde And therefore in consideration of that great perill they were in which must remain in the world although they were not of the worlde although they were hated and persecuted of the worlde our Sauiour Christ committeth them in this prayer to his fathers holie tuition Forasmuch as they are not of the worlde but inheritours of heauen Sanctifie them in thy trueth Againe cōsidering how waightie a charge is laide vpon them as hée sheweth in the nexte verse As thou hast sent mée into the world so haue I sent them into the world hée desireth his Father to make them able to execute that charge saying Sanctifie them in thy trueth thy worde is the truth As though hée should say Knowing that they are men in whom naturally dwelleth the spirit of errour and not of trueth and yet such men as I haue chosen to testifie vnto the worlde the same trueth which thou O heauenly Father hast sent vnto them by mée I confesse they are not able of them selues to know the trueth to speake the trueth to loue the trueth for that mueterate corruption that beareth the sway in all the children of Adam therfore I beséech thee holy Father to sanctifie them in thy trueth euen in thy holy word which is the witnesse and expresse declaration of thy reuealed trueth that by thy sanctification they may be renued in the inner man to will and loue those things which thou commaundest by thy trueth they may be deliuered from errour blindnesse and ignoraunce in which they are holden Captiues and by thy holy worde they may be instructed from time to time that no forgetfulnesse of thy truth do take them but hauing recourse alwayes vnto it as to a light shining in a darke place they may be méete to accomplish the work of so high a calling And this is generally the summe and effect of the wordes of our Sauiour Christ in this his praier Sanctifie them in thy trueth thy word is the trueth But that I may speake of them more particularly I will diuide my Treatise vpon this text into two parts In the former I wil set foorth the request of our Sauiour Christ vttered in these wordes Sanctifie them in thy trueth in the other the exposition whiche hée maketh of the trueth when hée saieth Thy word is the trueth Concerning the request which hée maketh for their sanctification wée haue to cōsider first that it is neither lawfull nor possible for any man to haue any accesse vnto God to stand before his presence to looke for any benefit at his hands without true holinesse For the Lorde béeing holie abhorreth all that is prophane polluted and defiled testifiyng both by Moses and by the Apostle Peter that if wée will approch or come neare vntoo him wée must be sanctified wée must be holie be you holie or sanctified saieth the Lorde for I am holie According to him which hath called you which is holie be you holie saieth the Apostle To shewe that sanctification is necessary the Lorde ordeined all the sanctifying rites of the lawe by which the Tabernacle the Altar the Priestes the sacrifices and all the people were first sanctified and made holie before they coulde be accepted of him to be the Lordes Tabernacle his Altar his Priestes his sacrifice his people Yea this light of God shined euen in the darknesse of naturall vnderstanding so that without reuelation from heauen the Gentiles acknowledged that no man coulde come neare
God That execrable and accursed praiers sacrifices doe not rather prouoke the wrath of God then his fauour Are not all the wayes of the impious vngodly man abhomination vnto the Lorde And howe shoulde that which God abhorreth dispose a man or how shoulde a man dispose himselfe by that which God abhorreth to bée a méete vessell to receiue the grace and fauour of God Forasmuch then as all men are vngodly or wicked before they bee iustified fréely by the grace of God all their works must needes bée vngodly wicked and vniust For they are only good and righteous workes which came from a righteous man from a man made righteous or iustified through faith by the grace of God according to the spirit of sāctificatiō which is giuen to thē only that are iustified although neither al the works of a iustified mā are good nor any perfectly good because we haue receiued y ◠spirit in measure our sanctificatiō is begunne not perfected in this life therefore our Sauiour Christe praieth that his father would sanctifie his Apostles in his truth of whō he confessed before y t they were holy cleane that is sāctificatiō was begun in thē by his word which they had hearde in which worde of truth he now praieth that they may more more be sanctified made holy Wherefore all Popish preparations vnto sanctificatiō howsoeuer they denounce the denier of thē to bee accursed are in the sight of God no better then abhominable accursed euen by this worde For God only is the authour beginner continuer perfecter of sanctification séeing that our sauiour Christe prayeth for the continuance perfection of sanctification who was alredy begun in his Disciples who were baptised who had receiued the holy Ghoste who were to bee preserued increased in y t holines which they had receiued by this we learne y t we must daily pray for y e increase of sanctification and séeke it at the handes of God alone who hath promised vpon our earnest prayers to graūt his holy spirite by which wée shalbée daily more and more renewed in the inner man to hate sinne and to loue righteousnesse that the fruites of mortification renouation which are the two parts of sanctificatiō may appeare daily in our life cōuersatiō For this grace of continuāce increase in sāctificatiō y e apostle boweth his knées to the father of our Lord Iesus Christ by the example of Christ himselfe for the Ephesians that he would giue vnto them according vnto the riches of his glory to bee strengthened in the inner man by his spirite And therefore as the beginning of sanctification is only frō Gods grace with out all merite or good disposition of ours so is also the continuance increase perfection of the same the frée gift of God giuen vnto vs according to the riches of his glory and not procured either in whole as the Pelagiās say or in part as the Papists teach by the merites and desertes of men Wherby they make not God the whole only authour perfector of sāctificatiō but ascribe vnto mans merites a portion of this his glory while they affirme that by well vsing of the first graces of God wée may and do merite and deserue the second whereas the Lorde God testifieth by the Prophet Ezechiel that hee will haue all nations to know that it is hée which sanctifieth Israel vnto whō also our sauiour Christe hath recourse in his prayer when he saith Sanctifie them in thy trueth By this hée declareth y t he desireth true sanctificatiō not coūterfet hypocrisie for fained holines dissembled sanctificatiō is worthily saide to bée double iniquitie The corrupte nature of man without the spirit of God is prone and readie vnto hypocrisie and feigned holinesse but all lying and dissimulation is abhominable vnto God wherefore that his Disciples might please God in true holinesse righteousnesse before him all y e daies of their liues He prayeth vnto his father to sanctifie thē in his trueth So shall they not séeke to mocke God with holinesse pretended and wickednesse intended but studie to serue him with an vpright heart vnfeignedly to seeke his honour walke in his wayes all the dayes of their life Moreouer where hée saith Sanctifie them in thy trueth hée sheweth euidently that as there is but one trueth which is the trueth of God so all other meanes and wayes of sanctification then in his trueth are false wayes and meanes and that no true holinesse is attained vnto by them but false holinesse false sanctification although it be neuer so well intended For true sanctification is only in Gods trueth Sanctifie them in thy trueth And this is the cause that the Gentiles in all their consecrations and blessinges could neuer attaine vnto true sanctification but were more more polluted in them because they presumed to séeke sanctification without the truth of God So that although euery thing which they tooke in hand and did was prophane vnholy yet their Temples their Gods their sacrifices their ceremonies their whole religiō was most of all vnpure vnholy vngodly yea most of all filthy detestable and abhominable and of all Christians to be abhorred forsaken because it was false holinesse sanctification and religion which they held and practised Euē so is it in the false religion holines sanctification of the Popists nothing is more abhominable detestable then y e which hath most of their false consecration and is accompted of them most holy as their holie water their holie bread their holie Candles Crosses and such like and especially their holie Masse wherof they make greatest account and their holie Father whom they name affirme not only to be most holy but to be holinesse it selfe But they will defend their coniured water and other their Popeholy ceremonies not to be false holinesse or vntrue consecrations for that they are sanctified in the trueth of God which is his worde for all the creatures of God are sanctified by the worde of God and prayer Thus doth Bristow take vpon him to defende their exorcising or coniuring water salt and suche lyke creatures that they may serue to bee vnto saluation both of bodie and soule Although I might easily answere that it is one thing to consecrate another thing to coniure yet who woulde beléeue they should be driuen to such impudent shifts and malicious wrestings of the scripture if they them selues did not professe it For the sense of the Apostles wordes in that place where he saith that al the creatures of God are good and none to be reiected being receiued with thanksgiuing for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer the sense I say is manifest to be vttered of all y e creatures of God which are sanctified vnto Christians by Gods woorde and by prayer in the ordinarie lawfull vse of them and especially of meates forbiddē
verie plaine termes decyde the matter and taketh away all ambiguitie and doubt saying Thy worde is the trueth By which saying wee learne that there is no truth in matters appertaining to saluation to Gods glorie to our sanctification but that which is reuealed by God For although in matters pertaining to this worlde and this present lyfe of man much truth may be founde out by studie and sharpenesse of wyt by experience and by demonstration as in the sciences of Arithmetike Geometrie Philosophie and other Artes yet this trueth whereof our Sauiour Christe speaketh wherein hée prayeth that his Disciples might bée consecrated that they might please God by no sharpnesse of witte by no diligent search or studie by no experience or demonstration of any science can be founde out without the reuelation of God and the authoritie of his holy word And therefore the Apostle Saint Paule testified of all the wise men and Philosophers of the worlde that they became vaine in their disputations and their ignorant heart was full of darknesse and they became starke fooles Also that the worlde by wisedome knewe not the wisdome of God as it is written where is the wise where is the learned where is the disputer of this worlde Yea GOD hath turned the wisedome of this worlde into foolishnesse So that although it swel neuer so greatly in opinion of knowledge yet it can not attaine to the knowledge of this trueth Wherefore the reuelation of Gods worde is necessarie for all them that shall bée made partakers of the trueth of the lyfe to come The trueth of matter perteining to this life is opened by GOD in the worlde and in the men of this worlde but the trueth of the life to come is not in the power of man to finde out but commeth altogether by the reuelation of God For it is hidden in God vntill it be vttered by him therefore it is only his goodnesse and mercy to disclose those secret hidden mysteries of his kingdome vnto his elect and chosen children outwardly by his worde and inwardly by his spirite of which the one beareth mutuall testimony vnto the other that wée may knowe the worde of God by his spirite and his spirite by his worde Now séeing the Lord God hath opened his holie mouth to speake vnto vs declare vnto vs by his holie worde those thinges that wée by our wittes could neuer haue sound out wee must giue this honour to his holie worde that as he hath vttered thereby nothing but the trueth so hee hath vttered thereby the whole perfect trueth So that whatsoeuer is necessary for vs to be sanctified vnto gods pleasure and our eternall felicitie all that is conteined in the trueth of God and that trueth of God is none other but euen the same which is reuealed by his holy word Wherefore as it is damnable curiositie to enquire of the trueth of God further then God hath reuealed and shewed by his worde so is it execrable blasphemie to accuse his worde of imperfection as to say all trueth is not reuealed thereby For what great commendation shoulde our Sauiour Christ in this declaration giue vnto the worde of God if when hée sayeth Thy worde is the trueth hée shoulde meane no more but that Gods worde is true whereof no man that acknowledged God did euer doubt But when hée saieth vnto his Father Thy worde is the trueth vndoubtedly hee meaneth as much as though hee had said There is no trueth in the worlde concerning sanctification but only in thy truth and in thy holie worde is conteined all trueth necessarie for mans sanctification and consequently for his eternall saluation The worde of God therefore is a perfect trueth conteining all trueth and teacheth the whole trueth And whatsoeuer is not conteined and taught in the worde of GOD it is no trueth but falshood and errour which thing the wise man verie well considered when hée saide Adde nothing vnto his wordes left hée reprooue thée and thou be found lyar For seeing euerie man by nature infected is a lyar except hée speake agréeable to the worde of trueth hée can speake nothing but a lye Wherefore no man can speake the trueth but hee whiche speaketh the worde of trueth So that to adde vnto the trueth which is perfect in it selfe is to inuent a lye and to prouoke the wrath of God The wise man therefore did wisely ponder the nature of Gods worde to bée most absolute perfect wherevnto nothing coulde be added but that shoulde deserue reproofe of God and argue the Authour of that addition to be a lyar So that it is nowe cleare and out of controuersie with all them that haue any sparke of the feare of God that the worde of God is most perfect in it self and containeth all truth necessarie or conuenient for men to knowe Yea the Papistes them selues will not greatly sticke with vs in this point but that all trueth is taught by the word of God But what vndoubted testimony wée haue of the worde of GOD there is the chiefe pointe of the controuersie betwéene vs. The Papistes them selues will not nowe greatly striue with vs that the worde of God is perfect and that all trueth is taught by the worde of God only but they will not acknowledge that the holie Scripture of GOD is the only vndoubted externall testimony of his worde And hereof arise contentions and controuersies about so many questions as bée in variance betwéene vs. Because wee holde that the holie Scriptures inspired of God doe containe a full and perfect enstruction of all things necessary for vs to knowe to the attaining of euerlasting lyfe The Papistes holde the contrarie that all trueth necessarie to saluation is not taught by the worde of GOD but that wée haue other testimontes of the worde of GOD beside the holie Scriptures And herein they are so confident that vnder colour of some thinges taught by other reuelation then that which is contained in the scriptures they doubt nothing at all to thrust vpon vs suche doctrines as are cleane contrarie to the scriptures as the religious vse and worshipping of Images the forbidding of marriage and meates the robbing of the laye people of the one halfe of the Lordes Supper I meane the Sacrament of his blood and suche lyke matters as bée most directly contrarie to the word of God expressed in the holie scriptures As though it were possible that GOD shoulde haue one worde written and an other vnwritten which is contrarie to that which is written whiche gappe béeing once layde open what certeintie of trueth can wée haue in the worlde In vayne was it saide by our Sauioure Christe vnto his Father for our instruction Thy worde is the trueth if there bée not a certayne and perpetuall testimony of that worde which is alwayes lyke it selfe alwayes the same and wherevnto all thinges that are good doe agrée For vnto trueth all thinges are consonant in it selfe but falshoode by
and by is contrarie vnto trueth and often times vnto it selfe The worde of God written saieth expresly Thou shalte not make to thy selfe in the vse of religiō because it is a commandement of the first Table Any grauen image or likenesse of any thing thou shalt not fall downe to them and worship them This notwithstanding the Papistes will beare vs in hand the worde of God vnwritten saieth the contrary thou shalt make to thy selfe grauen images for religion thou shalt fal downe to them and worship them The Scripture telleth vs by a cléere renelation of the spirit that it was the doctrine of Diuels to forbidde meate and marriage for holinesse and religion The Papistes tell vs that it is the Churches authoritie which is equal with the scriptures which forbiddeth meats marriage The trueth written saith Drinke yée all of this they dranke all of it Let a man examin himself and let him eate of this bread drinke of this cup But the vnwritten veritie of the Papists saith in the Constantian councell The laye people shall not drinke of that cuppe at all but the Priestes only These contradictions cannot possibly bée both true wherfore wée must néedes hold it for an vndoubted principle y t whatsoeuer is contrary to the word of god writtē is not the worde of God because it is not true For although Papists are not so courteous to the holy scriptures to acknowlege that they are perfect and doe containe at the full all truth neccssary for vs to bée knwne for our saluation yet nature her selfe denieth vnto them this horrible absurditie that any thing contrary to truth shoulde bée true Seeing therefore they dare not for shame say the scripture is vntrue let them bée ashamed to auouch any thing for truth which is contrary to the Scripture And albeit it were as they say that they had another worde of God beside that which is written in the bookes of the Canonicall Scripture yet were it madnes to make it contrary to the Scripture and blaspemie to make it of greater authorie then then the Scripture For the worde of God howe euer it bée expressed is alwayes of equall authoritie Therfore to boast of suche a worde of God vnwritten as shoulde bée of authoritie to abrogate the worde of GOD written or to controul the same or to dispēse with any commaundement of the same otherwise then the same written word alloweth is a blasphemous bragge of satanicall pride and can bée no suer testimonie of y e truth of Gods worde Such is the presumptuous boasting of the Papistes concerning the authorie of their tradition of their church of their Pope which they aduance so highly as y t they bée of power to change what pleaseth them in the worde of God written to dispose with what preceptes they list yea euen those that nature her self will not dispense withall which brag what other thing doth it import but that they haue a worde of God in their tradition Church or Pope which is of greater authoritie then the word of God writtē in the holy scriptures which is plain in that they challenge authoritie not only of interpreting of Scriptures as they liste against grāmer against the propertie of the tongue against reason against y e scripture it selfe in other places against the plaine circūstāces of the same places but also to giue credit alowāce euer to y e holy scriptures thēselues w t should haue no credite of thēselues but by meanes of their approbation and authoritie which is so great that it is of power to giue equall credite vnto y e Apocrifall writings of men which the holy Scriptures inspired of God vpon which ground they haue receiued into the Cannon of the holy Scriptures the Apocrifall bookes of Ecclesiasticus Tobye Iudith Machabees and such like to bée of equall authorie and credite with the bookes of the Lawe the Prophetes and the Psalmmes and with the Gospels and Epistles of the new Testament although they confesse that the Church of God before the incarnation of Christ did alwaies take them for the Apocrifall and none otherwise were they taken of the Churche of Christe for many hundred yeeres after his passion But this is to farre out of square that they are not content most iniuriously to accuse the holy Scriptures of imperfection and vnsufficiencie but they will glory of Gods worde to be in their possession of greater authoritie then that which is contained in the holy scriptures Well let that passe and let vs sée whether wee haue not sufficient testimonie in the holy Scriptures to prooue that they are perfect and sufficient and that the word of trueth contained in them is a full and absolute rule of all doctrine necessarie to eternall saluation The Lorde by Moses chargeth that only which hée commaunded Moses did write to bée practised Therefore the worde written was a sufficient instruction for any thing that shoulde bée doone to the pleasure of GOD and peoples saluation Also hée forbiddeth them to adde any thing to it or to take any thing from it which hée had deliuered in writing wherefore there was no want there was no superfluitie in that written worde The Prophet Dauid in an hundred places of his Psalmes extolleth the vtilitie sufficiencie and perfection of the same lawe of God written Euery verse almost of the 119. Psalme doth set out the excellencie of that doctrine The prophet Esay sheweth y t the people of god for al questiōs must resort to the law and to the testimonie The Prophet Malachy which was the last of the Prophets that god sent to teach by reuelation extraordinary referreth the people vnto y e law of Moses as sufficient to direct them vntill the comming of Christe Abraham in the parable of Luke 16. sendeth the rich mans fiue brethren vnto the Lawe and Prophets as sufficient to teach them that they come not into the place of torments Our Sauiour Christ himself willeth the Iewes and all them that will know him to search the Scriptures Search the scriptures saith he for in them looke to haue eternall life the same are they that beare witnesse of me But perhaps you wil say they were deceiued in that they thought to attaine eternall life by the doctrine of the scriptures as alone being sufficient Thē heare what our sauiour Christ affirmeth in this samepraier This is eternall life y t they may know thee the only true God Iesus Christe whom thou hast sent But the knowledge of God Christ are sufficiently to bée learned out of the holy scriptures therfore y e doctrine of the holy scriptures is sufficiēt to the attaining of euerlasting life S. Paul saith y t what thinges soeuer are written before they are writtē for our learning y t through patience and comfort of the scriptures wée might haue hope This is little to the purpose will some Papist say that all the scripture is for our learning séeing it
the Pope Concerning the Church the Apostle seemeth to giue a cléere testimonie that the answere thereof is an infallible Oracle of Gods worde when he saith It is y e piller and stay of truth whereof it may bée inferred that the Church alone whiche as the holy Scriptures is sufficient to vpholde and stay the truth that it should neuer faile nor decay in the worlde Much rather when it hath the assistance of the Scriptures in some part is the Church able to maintaine an other part of truth without the Scriptures After this maner the Papistes reason out of this text to prooue that all truth is not conteined in the holy Scriptures But this is a very féeble kinde of reasoning For graunting that the Church is y e piller and the stay of truth as it is in déede it followeth not thereof that it vpholdeth any truth which is not comprehended in the holy Scriptures But contrariwise séeing it hath béen plētifully prooued that all true doctrine is taught in the holy Scriptures euen to the perfection of the man of God it followeth that the Church is the piller and stay of that true doctrine which is taught in the Scriptures and not of any truth beside the Scriptures For when all truth is taught in the scriptures it followeth that whatsoeuer is not taught in the Scriptures is not truth But if this be y e proper note of y e Church to bee the piller of truth say they it is prooued thereby that the Churche cannot erre so that if it set foorth any thinge beside the Scriptures the same muste needes bée true I answere this Sophistrie is already confuted for it it bée graunted that the Church cannot erre as in matters necessary to saluation the whole Churche of God cannot erre to continue therein it is because the Church cannot depart from the doctrine contained in the Scriptures which are able to make a man wise vnto saluation But admit it were graunted that the Churche cannot erre at all what shoulde that auaile the Papistes verily nothing but to prooue that they are not the Churche For if this be a proper inseparable note of the Churche that it cannot erre what companie soeuer doth erre is not the Churche But the Papistes whose doctrine containeth so grosse contradiction of the worde of GOD doe shamefully and abhominably erre from the truth therefore the Popishe faction is not the Church which is the piller and stay of truth Thou shalt make no images for religion saith the worde of God Thou shalt make some images for religion saith the Popish Churche Thou shalt not fall downe to them nor worship them saith Gods commaundement Thou shalt fall downe and worship them saith the popish Sinagogue Thou shalt worship the Lorde thy God him only shalt thou serue saith our Sauiour Christ. When hée was tempted to fall downe and worship the Diuell not as GOD but as Gods Minister to whom the kingdomes of the worlde were committed to dispose The Pope saith thou shalt worship and serue other beside the Lorde thy God so thou worship them not and so thou serue them not as Gods I might runne ouer a whole hundreth of contradictions which the papistes doe holde and teach contrary to the worde of truth written in the Scriptures by which it is more then manifest that they holde and teache damnable errours therefore they are not the Churche of the liuing God which is the piller and stay of truth at the least wise in matters necessary to eternall saluation But let vs sée whether the Apostle by these wordes intended to priuiledge the Churche of God from all possibilitie of erring in any matter albeit the Church should departe from the certaine direction of the holye Scriptures in any thing Firste it muste bee remembred that Saint Paule in the Chapter 1. Timothie 3. describeth the persons and offices of Christian Bishoppes and Deacons which doone he addeth immediatly These thinges doe I write vnto thée hoping to come vnto thee shortly but if I tarry long that thou mayst knowe howe it behoueth thée to bée conuersant in the house of God whiche is the Churche of the liuing God the piller and stay of truth In which wordes wée haue to note first that the Apostle hath written briefly that which hée purposed if they met shortly more at large to set foorth and confirme Secondly that if he were disapointed so that hée coulde not come shortly that Timothie might haue a sufficient direction howe to behaue himselfe for ordering of the Church of god in appointing the ministers of the same By which it is manifest that this which hée speaketh of the piller and stay of the truth is meant in respect of the Pastors and Teachers of the Churche by whom the truth of heauenly doctrine is vpholden and continued in the worlde which without their ministery woulde vtterly fall to the grounde and decay For euen as hée writeth to the Romans séeing faith commeth by hearing of Gods word of them that are sent of faith commeth inuocation and from thence saluatiō if none be sent there can be no preaching no hearing no faith no innocation no saluation So the Church of the liuing God in respect of the faithfull Ministers of the same which teach the truth to the saluation of Gods people in which respect they are said to saue themselues and them that heare them is rightly called the piller and stay of truth which Ministery if it be taken away the truth also is taken away Euen as the remoouing of the Candlesticke in the reuelation signifieth the ouerthrowe of the Church of Ephesus vnto whom it is threatned if they doe not repent The Candlesticke which signifieth the Church vpholdeth the light of the gospell by the continual preaching of the Ministers thereof so is it a piller and stay of the truth so long as preaching of the Gospell is continued which if it cease then followeth darknes blindnes ignorance errour and destruction This is the true and plaine meaning of the Apostle where hée saith The church is the piller and stay of truth Not that it is vnpossible for the church to erre at any time or in any matter or that the determination of y e church without the scripture is a sufficient testimony of Gods worde or of the truth in any cause as the Papists maintaine For Paule instructeth Timothy by writing howe hée ought to behaue him selfe in the Church of God which is the piller stay of truth although hée should haue no further conference with him in the matter These thinges doe I write vnto thée saith he y t thou maist know so forth whereas if in calling the church the piller of truth hée had meant that the church without the scripture was able to haue instructed him hée would haue said If any thing want in my writing thou maist aske the determination of the church which is the piller and stay of truth But S Paul saith that
his father would sanctifie them in y e truth shal wée therfore say it was not possible for them to erre in any matter The Papistes will not so reason of all the Apostles for then the like would follow of all their successours And yet Christ obtained the effect of his prayer that all his Apostles were sanctified in Gods truth Yea hée prayeth not this for his Apostles and other Disciples of that time only but for all them that should beléeue in him through their preaching for all true Christians are sanctified in Gods truth that they should not erre finally frō the way of saluation But hereof it cannot be gathered that all true Christians no not after their calling to the knowledge of truth cānot erre or be deceiued in matters of faith and doctrine although they cannot continue in errour of any thing that is necessarie for thē rightly to know vnto eternall saluation Christ promiseth to sende the comforter euē the spirit of truth vnto all his Apostles to his whole church to supply y e want of his bodily presēce which should lead thē into al truth yet it were no good conclusion to gather y t none of the Church of Christ might erre in any thing as it is a sure argument that they cannot finally erre in any point necessarie to saluation Peter him selfe whose faith was specially prayed for as there was speciall cause for his greatest perill after his conuerson after he had long time exercised his Apostleship was ignorant of ignorance erred cōcerning the admission of the Gentiles into the fellowship of the gospel vntill hée was reformed by the heauenly vision Yea long after this Peter did erre in seperating him selfe from the Gentiles by dissimulation for feare of them of y e circumcision when I saw that they did not walke aright saith S. Paul according to the truth of the Gospel I said to Peter before them all I know the Papists wil say this was an error of conuersation and of fact only not an error in faith doctrine But this is a vaine deuise to escape For Peter erred not in 〈◊〉 only but in a matter of doctrine and faith also against the truth of the Gospell For he counterfaited before the Iewes for no worldly respect but because hée thought it was his duetie before God to so doe rather then to offend the Iewes And where as some of them say the Pope cannot induce any other men into error although he erre him self let thē cōsider this example of Peter who not only erred himselfe but also brought yea cōpelled others to Iudaize with him insomuch that Barnabas also was carried with them into the same dissimulation wherefore although Christ prayed for Peters faith that it might not faile yet Peter both erred induced other into error with him although being admonished by Paul he did willingly reforme his error Wherfore this matter is cleare that the establishing of Peters faith from fayling was not to priuiledge him from erring but from dispairing therfore can not extend to his successours in as much as it is but a personal benefit obtained for Peter except you wil say by analogie of the scripture that the like praier is made for euery one of gods elect which in this sence I cōfesse to be true but yet it followeth not that they are discharged of the frayletie of man in falling into error much lesse any one order of men which should be Peters successours And if wée should graunt that this priuiledge was giuen to Peter that hée shoulde not erre and so should be deriued vnto all his successours many other intricate questions and in extricable doubtes woulde grow before wee could be resolued who were Peters successours For séeing all Bishops be successours of the Apostles as Cyprian saith all Bishoppes are successours also of Peter for if you should say that none were successors of the Apostles but suche as bee ordained in those places where y e Apostles did teach it could not be truely said of Cyprian that all Bishops be successors of the Apostles But admit that they be only Peters successours that sit in Peters seat séeing the stories affirme that Peter had two seats at Antioche and at Rome why should not his successours at Antioch enioy this prerogatiue as wel as his successors at Rome That Peter was at Antioch wée finde in the scripture that hée was at Rome wée finde not but least of all that he bequeathed this priuiledge to Rome and not to Antioch Well let that also be admitted that the bishops of Rome are the only successours of Peter howe is it verified of them that their faith neuer fayled The Papistes them selues doe confesse and the stories are to many to denye that there haue beene no wickeder men on the earth then many Popes haue béen in all kind of sin and vngodlines Yea what for all y ◠say they their maners failed frō gods law but their faith neuer failed from his truth I think in déed y t many of their faithes did neuer faile for they neuer had any y t it might faile who brought foorth no fruites but of infidelitie and corruption For of such wicked persons the scripture saith y t they haue denied y ◠faith are worse thē infidels y t they which cōmit such things shall not inherit y e kingdō of Christ God Tush they say you mistake the matter we deny not but y ◠they might and did faile from the faith which worketh by loue and by which a man is iustified for many of them are damned spirites in hell Uerie well then I perceiue y t you take not faith in this palce for a sure trust in the mercyes of God by which a man is iustified and assured of eternall life but for a bare knowledge of the truth such as the Deuilles haue and tremble suche as Saint Iames calleth a dead faith which is voide of good works And did our Sauiour Christ pray that a dead fruitlesse barren and Deuils faith might cōtinue in Peters successors was this y e effect of our sauiour Christes prayer A goodly priuiledge of the Bishops of Rome that they shuld haue knowledge of the truth yet goe vnto the Deuill I know you will reply that although they through their owne defalt take no benefit by this priuiledge yet it is very necessary for the whole Church to kéepe it in vnitie of faith But that our sauiour Christ praied not for the continuance of such a fruitlesse faith it is plaine by this reason y t although Peters successours shoulde be admitted vnto the participation of this benefite yet Peter him selfe might not be excluded But what a miserable comforte was this for Peter if after his maister had shewed him in what daunger he all his fellows stood through the malice of satan which desired them to winnow or sift thē as wheat is scattered abroad in winnowing insomuch that
that the Councell of Basill lacked the Popes confirmation No truely for although I might alledge the confirmation of Pope Foelix whiche was chosen by the same Councell after they had deposed Eugenius for his contumacy the Bull of Pope Nicholas the fift which succéeded Pope Eugenius and confirmeth all thinges decreed in the Councell of Basill yet I will stande vpon the very same Eugenius the fourth which gathered held the Councell of Ferraria and Florentia against the Councell of Basill For euen the same Eugenius after he had in thrée solemne Buls in which hée complayned that the Councell of Basill vsurped authoritie aboue the Pope decreed the dissolution of the same condemning all the doings thereof at the length was compelled to reuoke his own Bulles and to declare that the Councell was lawfully coÌ„tinued notwithstanding his Bulles and decrees to the contrarie His Bull of reuocation is to be seene in the 16. Session of the Councell of Basill Beside this in the nexte Session hée was sworne by his legates when they were incorporated into the Councell to defende that Councell and by especiall wordes to defend the decrée of the Councell of Constance made in the fourth Session therof by which the Councell is decreed to bée aboue the Pope and the Pope bounde to obey the Councell and the decrées therof Last of all by his Presidentes hée accepted such presidency of the Councell as the councell would graunt which was without all iurisdiction of compulsion béeing him selfe compelled to retaine that order of proceeding with the councell before his presidency was admitted had obserued and woulde not change now that they were content to make him in his legates there president What certaintie of truth therefore may bee looked for in the determinations of Popes and generall councelles you may easily perceiue You haue heard the couÌ„cell against the pope and the pope against the Councell Councell against Councell one pope against another pope and the same pope against himselfe and all this is one question whether the pope or the generall Councell ought to bée taken as an infallible rule of truth that cannot erre Out of which contrarie decréees no other certaintie can bée concluded but y t it is certaine they may both erre and therfore it is euident that there is none other certaine and vndoubted recorde of the worde of truth but onely the newe Testament and the olde the holy Canonicall bookes of the holy Scriptues as it were easie to confirme euen by the iudgement of the most auncient and best approoued Fathers but that I haue alreadie helde you so long as I may not procéede any further After the sufficiencie of the holy Scriptures to teach vs al truth being thus maintained and the obiections made by the aduersaries coÌ„futed I had thought to haue added an other discourse concerning the right certain way of interpretation and vnderstanding of the holy Scriptures but because the time is so far spent y t I shall not be able to go through it I will altogether omitt it desiring God of his infinite mercy that as hee hath testified by his sonne our sauiour Christ Iesus y t we can haue no accesse vnto his Maiestie without sanctificatioÌ„ in the word of truth so it would please him by his holy spirit to coÌ„secrate dedicate vs wholy vnto his pleasure that following the infallible rule of truth described in his holy word we may glorifie his name in this life and after be partakers of eternall felicitie purchased vnto vs by the only merites of our Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ vnto whome with the father the holy Ghoste one eternall God be al honor glory power dominioÌ„ now and euer Amen ¶ Imprinted at London at the three Cranes in the Vintree by Thomas Dawson for George Bishop 1581. 2. Pet 1. Leuit. 11. 19. 20. 1. Pet. 1. In Psal. 96. In Epist. ad Eph. hom 18. In Psal. 9. 6. Apoe 19. 20. 22. Apoc. 7. Hebr. 12. Iam. 1. 1. Cor. 1. 2. Cor. 3. Gene. 8. Gene. 6. Iohn 15. Sess. 6. Can. â— Rom. 14. Heb. 11. Ephe. 2. Iacob 1. Rom. 4. Prou. 15. 21. Prou. 18. Rom. 4. Rom. 3. Ioh. 13. 15 Leu. 11. Ephe. 3. Ezech. 37. 1. Tim. 4. Rom. 8. In Epist. ad Himer 2. Thess. â— Psal. 51. Rom. 1. 1. Cor. 6. Prouer. 30. Deut. 12. Deut. 4. 12. Esaye 8. Iohn 5. Iohn 17. Rom. 5. Rom. 8. 2. Tim. 3. 2. Timo. 3 2. Tim. 3. Act. 17. Ioan. 5. Luk. 24. Deut. 13. 2. Thes. â— Ephes. 4. Hebr. 11. Rom. 10. Gen. 4. Gen. 5. Acts. 7. Lib. 3. Cáp. 2. Lib. 2. Cap. 35 Luke 3. Lib. 2. Ca. 26 Lib. 3. Cap 3â— â—usch lib. Cap. vlt. Ephe. 2. Rom. 10. 1. Tim. 4. Apoc. 2. Gal. 2. Rom. 3. Ioan. 16. Act. 10. Gal. 2. 1. Tim. 5. Ephes. 5. Gal. 5. Rom. 3. Iac. 2. Lib. 5. Cap. 26 In Catalog 5. Cap. Inpatifi Contra. 〈◊〉 lib. 1. Cap. 2. Contra. du Epist. Pelag. lib. 2. Cap. 4. 1. Cor. 11.