wedded thee vnto me with mercie and with loue And by this nation his will was to instruct the whole world at the time appointed Which was doon by the apostles when Christ was departed from the earth But that people was weake and féeble and aboue measure giuen to adulterie and idolatrie Wherefore God separated them from other nations and would haue them to dwell in the land of Chanaan apart by themselues and to bée kept in on euerie side with ceremonies rites as it were by schoole-maisters vntill this spouse was so strengthened and confirmed that hir faith was no more had in suspicion Which when husbands perceiue to be in their wiues they suffer them to go at their pleasure whither they will and to be conuersant with men neither doo they anie longer set kéepers to watch them so God when he had now by Christ giuen the holie Ghost vnto the church he remoued from it the custodie of ceremonies and sent foorth his faithfull to preach ouer all the world The selfe-same father prooueth in another place that the ceremonies and rites of the Iewes were not instituted by God of set purpose and counsell For God would haue a people that should worship him in spirit and in truth But the Israelites which had béene conuersant in Aegypt and had defiled themselues with idolatrie would néeds in anie wise haue sacrifices and ceremonies so as if these things had not béene permitted them they were readie to turne to idolatrie Wherefore God so dealt with them A similitude as the maner is of a wise Physician to doo who happening to come vnto one sicke of a burning feuer which for extreame heate requireth in anie wise to haue some cold water giuen him and except it be giuen him he is readie to run and hang himselfe or by some other meanes to destroie himselfe In this ill case the Physician compelled by necessitie commandeth a viall of water to be brought which he himselfe hath prepared and giueth the sicke man to drinke but yet with such a charge that he drinke no drinke else but out of that viall So God granted vnto the Hebrues sacrifices and ceremonies but yet so as they should not exercise them otherwise than he himselfe had commanded them And that this is true he prooueth insomuch as God prescribed not ceremonies nies vntill such time as the Israelits made the golden calfe vntill such time as he made manifest his wrath against the Israelites when they hurling in their braselets earings and rings caused a golden calfe to be made for themselues which they worshipped And séeing it is so we must grant this with Paule when he saith that the lawe is not by faith abolished although those ceremonies be taken awaie Vnto which doctrine Christ also agréeth Matth. 5 17 when he saith that He came not to take a waie the lawe but to fulfill it The sense of which words may easilie be gathered out of those things which we haue before spoken In 1. Cor. verse 8. 27 Moreouer let vs consider that in euerie ceremonie of the old lawe there were thrée things the first a commendation of anie benefit receiued secondlie a token and shadowe of Christ and lastlie a lesson of honestie and of framing a godlie life As touching the pascall solemnitie these things are most manifest First therin was a memorie of the deliuerance out of Aegypt a shadowe of Christ his death whereby we through grace be deliuered from eternall damnation Finallie by the swéete bread a purenesse of life was laid before our eies And euen the verie like may be perceiued in the rite of the first fruits therein was a giuing of thanks for receiuing new fruits and Christ was there signified to be the first fruits of the dead and the first begotten among many brethren And they were admonished that the first fruits of their actions were so due vnto God as for his sake they should order all their affaires And in euerie solemnitie through the death of the beast offered in sacrifice by faith was apprehended the sacrifice of Christ whereby they beléeuing in him were iustified There was also in them a celebration of diuine praises an holie congregation the administration of the word of God the communion of the faithfull and the confession of sinnes Such exercises as these are required to be in the whole life of christians In Rom. 10 verse 4. 28 Therefore Christ is the end of the lawe vnto righteousnes vnto euerie one that beleeueth And Christ is said to be the end of the lawe bicause he bringeth the perfection and absolution thereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath two significations But we must note the propertie of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it signifieth two things namelie the extreame or vttermost part or limit of things And by this meanes death is said to be the end of liuing creatures not bicause we liue to the end we should die for that which is the woorsse cannot be the cause of the better Moreouer it signifieth the perfection and absolution of anie thing which is brought to the vttermost of his motion and bringing foorth Now although as touching the first signification Christ by his comming made an end of the lawe for he tooke awaie the ceremonies and the cursse thereof yet in that place Paule meaneth not that Christ is in such maner the end of the lawe But he hath a respect vnto the other signification of this word namelie vnto perfection and absolution forsomuch as Christ finished and perfected that which the lawe could not performe Which the better to vnderstand the scope and end of lawes must be considered Lawes are made to make men good and iust The scope and end of lawes for they set foorth things that be right and honest for no other cause but that they should be put in practise But among other lawes this that God made chéeflie requireth of men righteousnesse and holinesse But this it cannot bring to passe certeinlie not by default of it selfe but by reason of our corruption Howbeit that which it can doo it dooth namelie it vrgeth vs it accuseth vs and it condemneth vs that at the least we being ouercharged with so great a burthen may thinke vpon our deliuerer and by that meanes be conuerted vnto Christ by whom as well we may be absolued from sinnes as also by his spirit and grace be throughlie able as much as the condition of this life will giue leaue to obeie his lawe giuen vnto vs. Which two things Christ most liberallie giueth vnto them that beléeue in him And so is he called the end that is the consummation and perfection of the lawe This did Paule in plaine words expresse when he said That which was vnpossible vnto the lawe Rom. 8 3. in as much as it was made weake through the flesh God sending his owne sonne in the similitude of the flesh of sinne by sinne condemned sinne that the righteousnes
also As often as ye shall doo these things ye shall doo them in remembrance of me when as neuertheles they haue appointed to eat and drinke it alone And doubtlesse manie other things speake they secretlie and openlie in the Masse as though manie did communicate or should communicate when as the sacrificer meaneth to doo the same alone by himselfe Indéed a lie is shamefull alwaies but then most shamefull of all when it is committed in holie things and before the Lord. 26 But what shall we speake of their applications They protest that they may at their owne pleasure applie to the quicke and dead those sacrifices which they make Abac. 2 4. Eze. 18 26. But the scripture testifieth that euerie man is iustified by his owne faith and that all persons in their owne righteousnesse or vnrighteousnes shall either die or liue But they saie otherwise namelie that they be able to helpe with their Masses both quicke and dead If they would attribute this vnto praiers We may helpe others by our praiers to wit that they would teach it to be lawfull for them by their praiers to helpe the necessitie of others they might haue béene borne with but when they affirme that the worke it selfe namelie of the Masse hath such vertue and strength in it as it may be a helpe to all kind of men that may not in anie wise be doon Adde also that Masses be manie times celebrated to the honor of some saints which thing vndoubtedlie is most strange from the truth For Christ instituted his supper to the end it should be a remembrance of his owne death and not a commemoration of other saints I speake not how it commonlie commeth to passe that there is nothing found certeine of those saints whom there they worship The liues of manie of the saints are falslie written The liues of them are obscure and oftentimes full of fables and fainings of poets Also therin are placed certeine yea verie manie strange rites ridiculous signs and garments not vsed the signification of which things are vtterlie vnknowen not onelie to the standers by but euen the sacrificers them selues if they should be demanded what the matter meant could not tell what answer to make Wherfore either they answer nothing at all or else if they would faine saie somewhat they alledge not the same things but diuerslie disagrée one from another Whereby thou maist easilie gather that there is no truth in their words So as faith hath no place in those things which they doo in their Masse séeing it hath place there onelie where Gods word offereth it selfe to vs. 27 And that they cannot cleare themselues In the masse images are worshipped but that they offend in the crime of idolatrie the images testifie wherevnto they turning themselues doo celebrate their most vnpure seruices For in their Masses they are not satisfied by looking vpon images but they cense them knéele before them and finallie doo vnto them all maner of honor which should be shewed vnto God alone And bicause as I haue declared before they dare affirme that the Masse hath I knowe not what affinitie with the institution of Christ it shall not be from the purpose and it may easilie be doone if we consider the tokens to shew that the old Ethniks may with much better probabilitie excuse and plead for their sacrifices than these men may defend their Masses For the sacrifices of nations did lesse differ from the maner of sacrificing which the fathers had before the lawe and which God allowed in his lawe than these doo differ in their Masse from that supper which Christ appointed and the euangelists and Paule the apostle taught There on both sides was inuocation of God a temple an altar sacrifices priests killing sheding of bloud salt wine oile meale a holie banket religious garments washings fumigations continuall fire singing oracles and such like which would be too long to rehearse Let the popish sacrificers shew vs if they can in their Masse as manie things that can agrée with those which Christ did in his holie supper But if so be they cannot let them then thinke that their Masse doth no more agrée with the celebration of the Lords supper than the rites of the idolaters accorded with the legall sacrifices Let them cease therefore frō dandling that little daughter of theirs and say no more that it ought to be taken for the institution of Christ and of his apostles I will speake little of the yéerelie obits and funerals of the dead which be so often frequented whereof God gaue no commandement By it they establish purgatorie whereof the holie scriptures haue made no mention Furthermore this is most of all from pietie that in their Masse they powre out their praiers vnto saints alreadie departed out of this life Finallie all the things wherwith they there busie themselues they make a market of yea they sell them they bargaine and set them out to most shamefull gaine Wherfore we had néed to take verie great héed least while we doo desire to worship God and haue him mercifull vnto vs we by hearing of Masses prouoke him not excéedinglie vnto wrath 28 The superstitious sort procéed and by the example of Naaman the Syrian would prooue that it is permitted them to be present at most corrupt Masses 2. Kin. 6 18. Naaman praied Elizaeus the prophet that if he bowed his knée in the temple of the idoll when the king who leaned his hand on his shoulder should so doo he would earnestlie craue of God mercie forgiuenes for him To whom Elizaeus onelie answered Go in peace These fellowes ought to consider with themselues whether they onelie and alone haue read and séene the discourse of this historie I thinke not Looke par 3 pl. 11. art 8. For the holie martyrs in the old church were studious daie and night in the holie scriptures so as these examples were not hidden from them And what cause was there then that they would not followe such an example and that with the losse of their life Those ancient champions and pillers of our faith sawe no doubt that which our aduersaries make no account of among themselues namelie that the same Naaman which is obiected against vs was newlie conuerted vnto the true God and was yet a nouice who also was not yet prouided to renounce both his substance and himselfe also but after a sort desired to retaine his old place and dignitie about the king The which if he should obteine Naaman knew that fact of his to be blameable and offensiue he sawe that it might easilie be that he should fall into that sinne which he declared vnto the holie prophet But when he had verie well vnderstood that it was not agréeable to true godlines he required praiers and intercession of the true God whereby he falling through weaknes might haue his fault forgiuen him Otherwise there is none which néed to aske pardon of
Augustine against Faustus in his 12. booke and 19 Chapter expressely saith that the sea and the clowd was baptisme consecrated in the bloud of Christ and by them the sinnes of the Iewes were forgiuen All which thinges are common with our sacramentes The schoole-Diuines Further all the schoole diuines hold that circumcisioÌ„ was a remedie against original sinne whereby we may perceiue they holde not that circumcision was a bare and naked signe That Circumcision was no bare signe There may also for proofe hereof be brought places of scripture which teach the selfe same thing For in the 10. Chapter of the first Epistle vnto the Corinthians 1. Cor. 10. 2 the old fathers are sayd to haue bin baptised and to haue eaten the selfe same spirituall meate and to haue drunke the selfe same drinke which we at this day eate and drinke And againe in the 2. Verse 11. Chapter to the Colossians hee saieth that wee are circumcised with circumcision not made with hands And he addeth by the washing away of the sinnes of the flesh Where he declareth that in the signe of circumcision was through Christ giuen the washing away of sinnes And in the booke of Genesis the 17. Chapter is most manifestly declared that circumcision was the signe of the couenant wherein God promised that he would be the God both of Abraham and of his séede 9 But against those thinges which haue bin spoken is obiected vnto vs out of the 10. The 1. obiection Chapter of the first to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 10. 1 that Paul there affirmeth not Whether the sacraments of the old Fathers and ours are all one that the sacrameÌ„ts of the old fathers were one the same with ours but onely writeth this that the elders and fathers had one and the selfe same sacramentes amongest themselues and yet many of them shamefully perished and were destroyed in the desert although in the sacramentes they had communicated with other godly men Wherefore they say that Paul of the lesser or of the lyke would conclude that we also if we liue wickedlie shall perish although we be initiated in Christ and vse the selfe same sacramentes that the elect of God doe But against this exposition the words of the Apostle himselfe are most plainly repugnant for he saith The forefathers 〈◊〉 eat drinke Christ therfore they had the fâ—…th on of the same meate that we haue that the old fathers had in their sacraments the selfe same meate that we haue that is Christ For thus he writeth And they dranke of the spirituall rocke following them and the rocke was Christ Now if they had Christ doubtlesse they wanted not the meate of our sacramentes which cannot be said to be any other thing than Christ Further we sée that the Apostle hath expresly appointed names vnto our sacramentes for he nameth baptisme and spirituall meat and drinke Further if we followe the expositions of our aduersaries we shall make Paules argument of small force For he meant to reprooue the securitie of the Corinthians which séemed to promise vnto themselues saluation For this cause only because they were Christians and partakers of the holy mysteries although in the meane time they liued loosely and dissolutely Wherefore he declareth that God would seuerally punish them except they repented as we reade that he punished the fathers of the old testament when he sundry wayes afflicted them in the desert And if their sacramentes and ours were not one and the selfe same Paule concludeth nothing For the Corinthians mought haue sayd yea but our testament is a farre other thing than was the testament of the olde fathers our sacraments are far more excellent than were their sacrameÌ„ts Wherefore God wil not afflict vs neither oughtest thou to compare vs with theÌ„ By this meanes is Paules argumeÌ„t made of no force if we take away the similitude and proportion which the things of our sacramentes haue with the things of the sacraments of the olde fathers Besides also Augustine in his 26. treatise vppon Iohn most plainely teacheth that the olde fathers as touching the spirituall matter had in their sacraments the selfsame that we haue Augustine saith that the Sacraments of the forefathers and ours are all one as touching the spirituall thing In outward forme he saith one thing was giuen vnto them and an other vnto vs but as touching the thing signified he acknowledgeth no difference at al. So that the place of the Apostle which our aduersaries haue by their expositions gone about to wrest from vs is by these reasons to be defended The 2. obiection 10 They obiect moreouer that the fathers in many places say that the sacramentes of the olde fathers were shadowes and Images of that truth which is exhibited in our sacraments Images taken two manner of wayes Vnto them we aunswere that Images may two manner of wayes be taken For some are outwardly vaine and voyd and containe nothing other Images haue in déede the thing it selfe but yet intricatly and obscurely if they be compared with other Images more euident In the second sort we will easily graunt that the sacramentes of the old fathers were Images and shadowes of ours not that the olde fathers had not in their sacramentes the selfe same things that we receiue in ours but because their sacramentes more intricately and obscurely shadowed the same For the better explication hereof Chrysostome séemeth to bring a very apt similitude in his Homilie which he made vppon these words of Paul A similitude Our fathers were baptised into Moses And in his 17. Homilie vppon the Epistle to the Hebrewes Painters saith he when they intend to paint a king first they drawe out the proportion vppon a table with shadowes and darke colors but yet in such sorte that a man may by these lynes although it be somewhat obscure easilie perceiue that the image of the king is there painted and horsemen and chariots and such other like which things yet are not straightway knowen of all men But afterward when the Painter hath layd on fresh colors and hath finished the worke those thinges which before by those first lines appeared scarce begunne and rude are now manifestly and expresly perceiued Such saith he were the Sacramentes of the olde fathers if they be compared with ours By these wordes it is manifest that Chrysostom was of the opinion that one and the selfe same thing is represented in our sacraments and in the sacramentes of the olde fathers although in theirs more obscurely in ours more manifestly The names of the sacraments old and new are put one for another But how great a néerenesse there is betwéene both these kindes of Sacramentes Paul séemeth hereby to teach in that he putteth the names of the one for the names of the other and maketh them common to both For in the 10. Chap. of the first Epistle to the Corinth he affirmeth that the olde
without great trauell and charges for whatsoeuer good thing they teach they doe it vppon hope of reward But all these difficulties did Martyr with singular patience and inuincible studie ouercome so earnest a desire had he to learne the holie scriptures Whome when I consider I cannot woonder enough at the proceeding and order whereby it seemed good vnto the heauenlie father to bring him vnto the knowledge of the heauenly trueth For first he stirred vp his will in the beginning of his age that he might indeuour to his power to please and serue God albeit he suffered him in the meane time to erre in the manner of worshipping of him Afterwarde hee so instructed his minde that he inclined the same to innocencie of life and vnto righteousnesse whereby although he coulde not deserue thankes of God yet he shewed himselfe vnblamable before men Lastlie he inflamed and kindled him with an incredible loue of the holie scriptures whereof while he for a good space of time followed the letter at the length by the reuelation of the spirit of God he comfortably knewe the hidden and spirituall mysteries In this matter I might iustlie compare him to Saint Paul the teacher of the Gentiles in whose life before his conuersion there was an indeuour of worshipping GOD and of righteousnesse which is according to the lawe wherein he was vnblameable and moreouer hee vsed to reade the lawe although as yet couered with the vaile but leauing these thinges the desire of breuitie cals me backe to other narrations The principall men of his societie liked well his diligence in preaching and teaching Nowe was his name become famous in the greatest Cities of Italie wherfore they determined to aduance him according as his excellent vertues deserued to a greater dignitie and therfore by a cōmon consent they made him Abbot of Spoletū Which office when he had taken in hand to exercise he behaued himselfe so singularly wel as al men maruelled that the man being vntill that time trained in learning only could so excel in al his gouernment with wisdom dexteritie For to say nothing of other matters his singular vertue appeared in two things which no Abbots before him were able to bring to passe At Spoletū were two Colleges of Virgins and the third wherein he himself liued was of Canons of that same regular familie as they terme it of Augustine the discipline of al these by the negligence of the former Abbots was so decayed as through the wanton and filthie life of them the whole familie of this order was greatly hated of all men This when Martyr sawe he by his authoritie and office what with teaching admonishing exhorting and eke with some seuere chastening brought them all into such order as he not onelie wanne to himselfe great praise but also to the whole familie singular good will And this in verie deede was a thing proper and as it were the bounden duetie of his order and institution But that other thing which I will nowe speake of is farre more excellent and as it were pertaining to the whole Common weale The Common weale of Spoletum euen as also many other Commonweales in Italie was diuided into certaine factions among which there were alwaies contentions the which oftentimes proceeded euen to frayes and slaughters and albeit that the former Abbots had oftentimes indeuoured to doe it yet coulde they neuer make attonements and reduce the Citie vnto Concorde This when Martyr perceiued and that he thought with himselfe that nothing should be more agreeable to his office than to bring home into concorde those that were at dissension and to winne them in mutuall charitie which Christ so often commended he thought that he shoulde rather laie downe his life than to see the Citie any longer to perish so miserablie with her owne discord and therefore he neuer ceased to exhort all men publikelie and priuatelie vnto vnitie to teache the dueties of a Christian man and to laie before their eyes the calamitie of their Countrie and the particular daungers of euerie one vntill he had brought that to passe which he earnestlie desired For so greatly did his authoritie wisedome and eloquence preuaile as all the time afterward that he liued in that Citie not onelie there were no slaughters nor frayes committed but there also appeared no tokens of factions so much was the vertue and indeuour of one excellent man able to doe Of this man haue all Abbots an example which if they woulde followe wee might perhaps hope for some amendment of the Church by them but nowe when as they correct not euen the most manifest abuses and that they breath out continual slaughters and warres I beseeche you what goodnesse can we promise to our selues concerning them Three yeare was Martyr at Spoletum and then in the publike assemblie of the fathers of the whole familie he was made gouernour of the Neapolitane College of S. Peter at the Altar which benefice for the pleasantnesse of the place and for the ample reuenew thereof is a great dignitie In this Citie did the grace of the heauenly light begin to shine more notablie and clearelie vnto him For when he had bin hitherto long and much exercised in Scholasticall Diuinitie and also in the fathers and at length had betaken himselfe altogether to the fountaines themselues and that he was daylie more and more lightened by the spirit he began to acknowledge errours and abuses in the Church and therefore he beganne whereof some make a scruple of conscience to giue his minde also to the vnderstanding of our mens writings and taking in hand the Commentaries of Bucer vpon the Euangelistes and his annotations vpon the Psalmes which he set foorth vnder the name of Aretius Felinus he diligently perused them ouer Also he read Zuinglius Booke Of the true and false Religion and another booke of the same man concerning the prouidence of God and he also read some Bookes of Erasmus he francklie confessed oftentimes that he profited much by the reading of all these And in the meane time he reasoned in a maner euerie day of some thing out of the holie scriptures with those his friendes which were studious of the pure Religion so that on both sides they were much edified in the true Religion by such kinde of talke And among those with whom he conferred touching Religion were chiefely Benedictus Cusanus of whom we also made mention before M. Antonius Flaminius and Iohannes Valdesius a Spaniarde This latter man was borne in Spaine of a noble kindred and was honored with Knighthood by Charles the Emperour who after that he was endued by God with the knowledge of true Religion he led his life in Italie but especiallie at Neapolis In which place by his learning and most godly example of life he wanne verie manie especially noble men vnto Christ And at that time there was no meane Church of godlie men in the Citie of Neapolis For in that congregation there were many
the scriptures haue with the faithfull For if it were so it might easilie persuade the Turks Infidels to beléeue the scriptures and the Iewes to imbrace the new testament And how true this is the thing it selfe testifieth 11 Furthermore these men should be demanded What church it is to whom they appoint so great a iudgement and authoritie ouer the scriptures If they will answere that they attribute the same vnto bishops these be verie oftentimes but shadowes or vizards neither doo they vnderstand what the holie scriptures doo containe and commonlie their life is such as it is not lawfull to eate and drinke with them And séeing they are perceiued to be such sensuall men who will allow them to be the chéefe iudges of spirituall things Of the fathers But if our aduersaries had rather flie from them to the godlie fathers of euerie age to learne the truth of the scriptures I denie not but that true iudgment hath manie times béene found among them and yet not alwaies For they disagrée manie times among themselues they change they make retractations and diuers times some one contendeth and disputeth against another I knowe they will saie at the last Of the councels that we must haue recourse to the generall councels as though they neuer erred The generall councell of Ariminum Looke part 4 place 4 art 10. made altogither for the Arrians The second councell of Ephesus fauoured the heresie of Eutyches The councell of Chalcedon so erred as it intituled Leo bishop of Rome to be the vniuersall bishop of Christ his church But the holie man which was not present there hearing of it did vtterlie renounce such preeminence And in a councell which Cyprian held a great errour was committed when it was there decréed that heretikes baptised out of the faith of the catholike church if they returned vnto it should be baptised againe Also the synod of Constance did wickedly condescend that the halfe communion should be ministred to the laie people and manie other errors committed by generall councels might be alledged For since they be but men which determine matters propounded in generall councels they intermingle much carnall and humane sense and therfore we must not subscribe to the opinion of them vnlesse it shall appéere that the same dooth verie well agrée with the scriptures Had not Peter erred Galat. 2 14. vnles that Paule had openlie resisted him Wherefore If Peter erred much more the fathers and councels may erre if so great an apostle was not frée from falling into error what shall we thinke of other miserable and fraile men whom we sée verie often to be turned to fro into manie minds and affections Let all things therefore without anie further delaie be reduced and brought home to a iust examination of the scriptures and so shall we iudge vncerteine matters by certeine and doubtfull by those things which be out of all doubt For euen as the word of God is sure and continueth for euer so mans ordinances are euer doubtfull wauering and inconstant These things must not bée so construed as though wée would that godlie brethren should haue no audience in godlie assemblies or as though wée sought altogither to take awaie the authoritie from fathers and councels we speake not these things to anie such purpose we couet to attribute to euerie one his iust commendation so that there be not attributed vnto men that which is méete for God onelie And let that saieng of Paule to the Galathians be alwaies sounded in our eares that If an angel from heauen shall shew vs of anie other Gospel Galat. 1 8. than is contained in the holie scriptures let him be accursed And thus much shall suffice on this behalfe to declare by what notes marks the truth of the holie scriptures may be perceiued How one may obtaine the meanes to vnderstand the scriptures 12 Now let vs reason by what meanes euerie man may obtaine to himselfe that power of vnderstanding the word of God which we spake of before As touching the first interpretor which we said to be the holie Ghost the meanes to haue accesse vnto him is by praier And therefore Dauid praied on this wise Psalm 119 12. and 18. Open thou mine eies ô Lord that I may see the woonderfull things of thy lawe And againe Teach me thy iustifications Giue me vnderstanding I shall diligentlie search thy commandements And well néere innumerable of these saiengs there be in the 119. psalme Further Paule prateth in his epistles that wisedome Phil. 1 8. spirituall vnderstanding and the eies of discretion to knowe the wil of God might be giuen to those holie men to whom he wrote But as touching the other meanes whereby wée may discerne of the holie scriptures the word of God I meane we must vse no small industrie Diligence must be vsed in cōparing scripture with scripture whereby we may be able to confer places with places and by those which be most plaine to iudge of them which be most obscure And herof it came that Paule warned his scholer Timothie 1. Tim. 13. that he should be diligent in reading And hée himselfe when he laie bound at Rome 2. Tim. 4 13. desired that Troas might be sent vnto him with his booke parchments which he had left behind By these things we may gather that they which in the interpreting of the holie scriptures doo fall into error may impute it to themselues for that they haue not béene earnest inough in praier nor yet vsed sufficient studie about them Neither ought anie to be discouraged from this excellent exercise No man must be discouraged with the homelie stile of the scriptures A similitude bicause of the plaine homelie phrase of the holie scriptures For euen as within a simple shell is found a pretious stone and out of sorie chaffe is shaken out most profitable corne so out of the plaine and vnpolished spéech of the holie scriptures is brought to light the most sincere and manifest knowledge of the truth But aboue all things take héed that thou approch not to the reading of the scriptures if thy mind be hardened with a preiudicate opinion Laie aside all affectations let thy comming bée wholie to learne and not as is the vse of heretikes violentlie to drawe them to thine opinion An exhortation to the reading of the scriptures 13 Wherefore the surest reléefe that is brought vnto vs by God and which is euer ready at hand Out of the epistle to maister Cooke set before the epistle to the Rom. Consolation by the scriptures is the holie scriptures which we must haue alwaies readie about vs as our herbe of comfort For if ignorance and blindnes be our disease there light is by which it may be shaken off If we be disquieted with manie troubles and vexations of the mind or else if our conscience bée ouercharged with the heauie burden of our sins
and earth should go together and an vndoubted shipwracke doth followe Augustine in his 18. booke De ciuitate Dei the ninth chapter when he had rehearsed that fable how there had bin once a controuersie betwéene Pallas and Neptune which of them should giue name vnto the citie of Athens and that when the men were on Neptunes side and the women with their Pallas and that the women had ouercome the men by one voice Neptune being angrie caused the waues to arise A part of Athens territorie drowned and drowne a great part of the territorie of Athens This I saie when Augustine had recited he added that the diuell might doo the same and that sometime he can raise vp the flouds and sometime represse them If I would reckon vp all that might be spoken hereof it should be infinite let it be sufficient that I haue thus shortlie touched the generall things themselues VVhether it be lawfull to aske counsell of the Diuell and to vse his helpe 30 Now must we consider of that which we set downe in the third place namelie whether it be lawfull to aske counsell of ill spirits or to vse their helpe First indéed it séemeth to be lawfull for God vseth the labour of diuels why then should it not be lawfull for vs And Paule deliuered men vnto sathan 1. Cor. 5 5. and therefore it is lawfull for vs also to vse the ministerie of spirits Here we must make a distinction For we vse spirits either by authoritie commandement as when we command them anie thing in the name of God or else by acquaintance felowship couenant obedience or praiers God beareth rule ouer the diuels Matt. 17 18. Acts. 16 18. and Christ and the apostles commanded that they should go out of the bodies possessed Why it is not lawfull to vse the helpe of diuels but to require or expect anie thing of them vpon anie couenant or bargaine that is not lawfull for it is idolatrie And the diuell séeketh nothing more than to lead vs from God to the worshipping of him Herevnto also tendeth customs ceremonies and sacrifices by this meanes men fall from God vnto the diuell Further they which doo these things doo sinne against themselues for we neuer read that the end of these arts was good whereof wretched Saule may be an example and instruction vnto vs. Sam. 28 19. The diuell indéed feigneth himselfe to be compelled and to be bound by little stones or rings howbeit the same compulsion is onelie a voluntarie and deceitfull compulsion he feigneth as though hée would cast out another spirit but it is nothing For the ill spirits doo but dallie one with another to deceiue men None of vs would commit our dooings to a man whom we knowe to be full of fraud and trecherie Now the diuell is not onelie a lier but euen the father of lies Exorcismes in the church Truth indéed it is that there were certeine exorcismes or adiurations in the church wherof Irenaeus Tertullian Augustine and Eusebius make mention Looke part 4 chap. 9 art 7. but these were speciall gifts for that age dured but for a time now they be taken awaie But thou wilt saie The Hebrues had coniurers Salomon wrote exorcismes Salomons exorcismes I knowe that Iosephus in his eight booke of antiquities writeth that Salomon did so to driue awaie ill spirits and to maintaine the health of man He describeth also the meanes whereby those things might be doone namelie that vnder the broad part of a ring there was a little root and that the same being applied to the nostrils of a man possessed the ill spirit was foorthwith expelled But herewith he writeth that Salomon vsed also certeine praiers and holie names and that one Eleazar being a man skilfull in these things made demonstration of his cunning before Vespasian and his sonnes Titus and Domitian and at the commandement of Vespasian wrought so that a spirit at his comming foorth of a man ouerthrew a basen full of water which was there set for the purpose and he saith that he sawe all these things In verie déed I dare not denie the historie but yet I thinke good to answere one of these two waies either that God would for a time bestowe such a benefit vpon the Israelites which notwithstanding we haue not read or els that Salomon did these things when he was now departed from the true God and had begun to worship the gods of the Gentils That such exorcists indéed were vntill the apostles time it appéereth by that historie of the children of Sâ—eua Acts. 19 13. which is written in the Acts. Howbeit exorcismes must not be vsed but onlie by them which are sure that they be indued with that grace But yet there be certeine which haue the name without the grace these doo vse inuocations by names merits and reliks of saints For this dooth the diuell séeke euen to intangle the people with superstitions The diuels seeme to be delighted with outwarde things Indéed the diuels séeme as though they were delited with outward things as herbs little stones and perfumes but they are not so delighted withall as liuing creatures are with the desire of meate but as it were with certeine seals sacraments Wherefore they come quicklie when they be called least they should not séeme to stand to their couenants They will altogither imitate God for little stones rootes haue no power at all to allure diuels Wherefore euen as God forgiueth not sinnes vnto vs by anie power of the sacraments but onelie for his couenant and promise sake so the diuell will séeme to deale with those that be his to the intent he may shew himselfe to be present with them not for the woorthines of the things offered by them but onelie in respect of his promise and couenant He mocketh simple men And verie pitifullie dooth he mocke simple and foolish men for they which boast that they haue spirits which doo loue them when they are afterward called into iudgment and condemned vnto death cannot by them be deliuered from the extremitie of execution Somtimes indéed they are readie to obeie them that are their owne but that is in foule and dishonest things namelie in adulteries thefts murthers they neuer stir them vp vnto good For they be sathans that is to saie the aduersaries of God They will haue couenants and promises to be made which cannot otherwise be than against God 31 But the Schoolmen stand in doubt Whether we may vse inchantment to take awaie mischiefs whether it be lawfull to vse inchantment to take awaie mischéefs and in generall they answere that it is not lawfull But yet they saie that if we can perceiue that those couenants consist in fethers or roots or little stones and we can find those things it is lawfull to take them awaie breake them for otherwise they saie that one inchantment must not be taken awaie with
sent And againe He shall receiue of mine The fourth reason Iohn 16 14. whereby is signified that the holie Ghost dooth so differ from the Father and the Sonne as he is deriued from both And least that anie man should thinke that when Christ promised that the holie Ghost shuld come vpon the beléeuers as in the daie of Pentecost it came to passe onlie a diuine inspiration and motion of the mind was signified the words of Christ are against it wherein he said The fift reason Iohn 14 26. He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance which I haue told you But inspiration and motion of the mind doo not teach nor prompt anie thing but are onelie instruments whereby something is taught and prompted And the action of teaching and prompting cannot be attributed but vnto one that is a person indéed Which is prooued by other words of Christ when he said of the holie Ghost The sixt reason Iohn 16 13 He shall speake whatsoeuer he shall heare And that this third person procéedeth from the Father and the Sonne it is euident enough in the same Gospell of Iohn where it is written Iohn 15 26 The 7. reason When the Comforter shall come whom I will send vnto you euen the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father Séeing the sonne saith that he will send the Spirit and as we said before affirmeth him to receiue of his no man doubteth but that hée procéedeth from the sonne And he now expresselie addeth Who proceedeth from the Father 8 Now haue we first declared out of the holie scriptures Whether the holie Ghost be God that the person of the holie Ghost is distinguished as well from the Father as the Sonne and that he procéedeth from them both Now must we sée whether he be God This dooth Paule shew two maner of waies first when it is said There be diuersitie of gifts but one Spirit The first reason 1. Cor. 12 4. diuersitie of operations but one and the same God But to giue gifts and spirituall faculties is no whit lesse than to distribute operations wherefore séeing the holie Ghost is said to distribute gifts God to impart actions vnto men it is manifest that the holie Ghost is God If the spirit be the author of graces the Father of operations it is méet that the holie Ghost should be equall to God the Father Further it is added that The same spirit dooth worke all these things The second reason 1. Co. 12 11 distributing to euerie one euen as he will Séeing then the souereigne choise is in him to impart heauenlie gifts he is God And it is written Ye are the temple of God 1. Cor. 3 16. The third reason and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you if anie man doo violate the temple of God him shall God destroie But it is not méete for anie creature to haue a temple séeing the same is proper vnto the diuine nature Wherefore séeing we be called The temples of the holie Ghost it is now manifest that he is God And least we should thinke it lawfull to build temples vnto martyrs Augustine saith that temples are not builded vnto martyrs let vs heare Augustine who denieth that we build temples vnto martyrs we build them saith he vnto God although they be called The memories of martyrs and out of Augustine himselfe is this forme of reasoning gathered Neither did the apostle but onlie once saie that We are the temples of the holie Ghost but he hath the verie same thing in the sixt chapter of the same epistle where it is written And doo yee not knowe that your bodies are the temples of the holie Ghost 1. Cor. 6 19. Furthermore the power of creating which is proper vnto God The fourth reason Psal 33. 6. is ascribed vnto the holie Ghost séeing Dauid hath written By the word of the Lord were the heauens made all the powers of him by the spirit of his mouth And againe Send foorth thy spirit Psa 104 30. and they shall be created and thou shalt renew the face of the earth And in Matthew it is said of the bodie of Christ which should be brought foorth in the virgins wombe Matth. 1 20. That which is borne in hir is of the holie Ghost Againe Luke 1 45. The holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the most high shall ouershadowe thee Séeing then the holie Ghost hath the power of creating as it hath béene declared vndoubtedlie he is God 1. Cor. 2 verse 10. In the same epistle to the Corinthians it is said that he searcheth the bottome of Gods secrets it séemeth that the apostle maketh this kind of argument The fift reason The things which be of man no man knoweth but the spirit of man which is in him euen so the things that be of God none knoweth but the spirit of God And so he will haue it that euen as the spirit of man is vnto man so the spirit of God is towards God And no man is ignorant but that the spirit of man belongeth vnto the nature of man whereby it is certeine that the spirit of God is of his diuine nature Basil The sixt reason Basil against Eunomius vseth another reason which commeth in a manner to the selfe-same he saith that the holie Ghost is the spirit both of the father and of the sonne and therefore of the verie same nature that they be For it is written in the epistle to the Romans And if the spirit of him Rom. 8 11. which raised vp Iesus frō death doo abide in you he that raised vp Christ shall also raise vp your mortall bodies This place declareth that the holie Ghost dooth belong vnto the father who in the same epistle is shewed to belong also vnto the sonne when as a little before it is said He that hath not the spirit of Christ the same is not his But in the epistle to the Galathians Galat. 4 6. The seuenth reason both togither is expressed in these words And bicause yee be children therefore hath God sent the spirit of his sonne into your harts whereby ye crie Abba father Wherefore séeing the holie Ghost is the spirit aswell of the father as of the sonne he is wholie partaker of their nature 9 Moreouer in the Acts of the apostles the fift chapter Peter said to Ananias Acts. 5 3. How darest thou lie vnto the holie Ghost The eight reason Thou diddest not lie vnto men but vnto God Now in this place he most manifestlie calleth the holy Ghost God Augustine in his booke De trinitate else where and Ambrose also De spiritu sancto doo both cite the apostle to the Philippians the third chapter Phil. 3 3. where he writeth Beware of dogs beware of euill workers beware of concision for we be the circumcision which serue God in the
by God But we confesse and acknowledge that man was created frée and in that he hath now lost his fréedome we ascribe not God to be the authour thereof but mans owne fault They which denie fréewill haue bin called heretiks by the church Why they are called heretiks which denie freewill But this must be vnderstood concerning the first creation of our nature for otherwise there is not one of the fathers which if the truth be well weighed bewaileth not the calamitie of man whereinto he fell through sinne Our aduersaries rather come néere vnto the Manicheis which affirme Our aduersaries come somewhat nigh vnto the Manicheis that Our corrupt affects as they are now were so created by God for so they affirme that he created them euill But we forsomuch as we perceiue that these troublesome affections be not void of sinne denie that they were so created by God but that through our owne default they are become vnbridled and be repugnant to the word of God Certeine it is that man at the beginning was made vnto the image of God and there is nothing more beséeming vnto it than libertie But séeing that image was in a maner blotted out in vs so as there was néed to haue the same restored by Christ what maruell is it if our libertie be also for the most part taken awaie from it When they reason that man is frée A similitude they doo euen as if they should saie that man is a two-footed creature and therefore he is able to go vpright But if they would so conclude of a lame man it should easilie appeere how much they be deceiued for the properties of man which would be agréeable vnto his nature being perfect when they be applied vnto the same nature being corrupt doo not agrée A comparison of our aduersaries with the Pelagians Neither be the opinions of our aduersaries much dissenting from the Pelagians for they taught that nature being holpen by the grace of creation and doctrine of the lawe may liue vprightlie And these men saie that nature being holpen by grace preuenting and knocking is able to doo good works which may please God The catholike church resisted the Pelagians neither did it contend about the grace of creation or of the lawe neither about the grace preuenting but it taught that without the grace of Christ wherewith we be iustified none is able to worke aright To be with out faith in Christ and without grace in Augustines iudgement is all one thing And by the iudgement of Augustine who vehementlie contended against these men there is no difference betwéene dooing rightlie without grace and dooing rightlie without the faith of Christ He vpon the 31. psalme to shew that there is no good worke without faith writeth thus A good intent maketh the worke good but faith guideth that intent wherefore consider not what a man dooth but what he hath respect vnto while he is dooing 10 And whereas in all the holie scriptures there is not one sentence repugnant to our doctrine yet they continuallie obiect vnto vs the example of Cornelius Acts. 10 2 and 3 4 who being not yet as they thinke regenerate neither beléeuing in Christ yet did such works as were acceptable vnto GOD. Of Cornelius and his works Indéed we grant that both the almes and praiers of Cornelius were pleasing vnto God for the angel affirmed the same But these men adde of their owne Cornelius beleeued before baptisme that Cornelius when he did these things was not yet iustified nor yet beléeued in Christ But they marke not that the scripture in that place called him religious and one that feared God wherefore Cornelius beléeued and in Messias beléeued he being instructed in the Iewes learning but whether IESVS of Nazareth were that Messias he knew not for a certeintie and therefore Peter was sent to instruct him more fullie But here to bleare our eies verse 23. they saie that Paule in the 17. of the Acts attributeth some godlines vnto the people of Athens when as notwithstanding they were idolaters for thus he saith Ye men of Athens I shew vnto you that God whom you ignorantlie worship But euen as if a man that can handsomlie drawe some one letter A similitude shall not therefore be straitwaie counted a good writer neither he that can sing one or two verses shall for that cause be taken for a singing man for these names require consideration and art and it may come to passe by chance that a man may drawe well or sing well once or twise euen so none is to be counted verelie and out of doubt good which setteth foorth one good worke or two that haue some shew of godlines But Paule called not the Atheniens godlie without adding some termes of spéech which should diminish godlines True godlines cannot be ioined with ignorance Whom ye ignorantlie saith he worship But what pietie can that be which is ioined with the ignorance of the true GOD Moreouer a little before he had called them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Verie superstitious by these two words hée much diminished their pietie verse 22. But Luke absolutelie calleth Cornelius religious and addeth that He feared God Iob. 1 1. which addition is of so great force How great a dignitie it is to feare God that in the booke of Iob a man fearing God is translated of the seuentie interpretors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is A true and religious man And Dauid saith Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord. Psal 112 1. And if so be he be blessed which feareth God how is not the same man also iustified But besides these things which after a sort by the causes declare the iustification of Cornelius Acts. 10. we haue also another testimonie of the effects The effects are a testimonie of Cornelius iustification for that he gaue almes which were acceptable vnto God But we haue alreadie by manie reasons prooued that none can doo works acceptable vnto God but he which is iustified and regenerate Further he distributed these almes vpon the people of the Iewes as of whom he hauing béene instructed in the skill of godlines would impart vnto them in like maner some of his temporall goods For It is meet as Paule saith vnto the Galathians that he which is instructed Galat. 6 6. should communicate vnto him which dooth instruct him in all good things Moreouer that soldier which was sent vnto Peter declareth Acts. 10 22. that he had a good testimonie of all the Iewes All which things doo sufficientlie shew that although we read not that he was circumcised yet he came so néere vnto the doctrine of the people of God as that all men commended his pietie verse 30. He praie◠continuallie It is written besides that he praied and that continuallie And if so be we diligentlie weigh the whole historie we shall find that he
sacrificing priests and monks séeking after gaine doo spread abroad manie things altogither false which were neuer anie where doone or spoken But whie the elders as we haue aboue said signed their forehead with a crosse it is no easie matter to alledge the certeine cause Before in art 14. But I thinke that there were two respects first to testifie themselues to be Christians as though they were not ashamed of the crosse of Christ And this I gather by Augustine De verbis apostoli the eight sermon for the Ethniks triumphed ouer the Christians casting their follie in their téeth bicause they worshipped Christ that was nailed on the crosse To whom that father maketh answer A hart in déed we haue but yet no such as ye haue neither are we ashamed of him that was crucified but in that part where the signe of shamefastnesse is there haue we the signe of his crosse An other cause is that they would of a certeine euill and preposterous zeale imitate the legall ceremonies and bicause it might not be lawfull after the comming of Christ to sacrifice after the maner of the Hebrues Exod. 12 22 who were bidden to besprinkle the doore-posts of their houses with the blood of the paschall lambe our Christians in semblance thereof signed their foreheads with the crosse As Augustine dooth testifie in the 20. chapter De catechizandis rudibus Moreouer they persuaded themselues as it is alreadie shewed that the euill spirits were by such a signe chased awaie Yea and Gregorius Romanus also in his third booke of Dialogs writeth A wonderfull historie of a Iew that came by night into the temple of the idols that A Iew entering by night into a temple of an idoll there to take his rest and being greatlie astonished with the sight of verie manie wicked spirits which were in that place armed himselfe by the signe of the crosse And when the prince of the euill spirits vnderstood that a man was present he commanded one of the diuels that he should go vnto him and trie him what he was Who after he had beheld him returned and said Trulie I found an emptie vessell but it was marked and he left the Iew quite and cleane without anie harme Which thing he considering with himselfe came to the religion of Christ But Gregorie in that booke heaped vp togither manie vaine fabulous things the which not onlie may mooue the readers of them vnto laughter but also they are verie much against the religion of Christ The signe of the crosse is worne by princes vpon their crownes without superstition bicause by that signe they onelie testifie and professe that they honor and mainteine the religion of Christ Further if it be lawfull for a man to beare in armes the badge of his owne familie it is also lawfull for him by the signe of the crosse to professe Christian religion The signe of the crosse appeered vnto Constantine And in times past there appeared in heauen the signe of the crosse vnto Constantine the great and an inscription was added In this signe shalt thou ouercome For God was minded by a miracle to cōfirme him in the religion of Christ which he had latelie receiued Neither may he be condemned for that he caused that signe to be expressed in the banner which he ment to vse But that he afterward made such a maner of signe in gold that I allow not bicause by the dooing thereof he opened no small gap to superstition Concerning the finding of the Lords owne crosse by Helen wise men maruell that Eusebius Caesariensis who was verie familiar with Constantine and set foorth his life wrote nothing of it But Theodoretus Sozomenus indéed write somwhat of that matter Howbeit rather of the report of others than by the certeintie of their owne knowledge Yet in the reading of that historie there is found no mention of worshipping neuerthelesse it is said that it was placed in the temple Moreouer what great estimation Helen made of the nailes which the report is that she found it appéereth in that it is written that she put one of them in the bridle of that horsse which hir sonne vsed an other into his helmet and the third she cast into the sea for appeasing of tempests The speare which pearsed Christs side At this daie also they worship and honour at Rome with singular adoration the speare wherewithall they saie the Lords side was pearsed vpon the crosse This is the wilinesse of the diuell that he may perpetuallie driue men forward till at length they be throwne downe headlong into the bottomlesse gulfe of impietie An other obiection 21 Our aduersaries blame vs as being ouer hard and bitter and they saie If one walking by chance shall espie a faire plant not onelie gréene but loden with fruit and he being inflamed with an earnest affection towards the most bountifull goodnesse of God and féeling his mind stirred to worship God the author of so beautifull a worke what should let but that he may prostrate himselfe néere vnto that pleasant trée and there worship God and render thanks vnto him for his singular benefits bestowed on men Nothing as I thinke So in like maner if one shall behold the image of Christ and is earnestlie affected to the benefit of Christ his death wherefore may he not worship Christ the author of his life néere vnto the same Héerevnto I answer that the word of God must alwaies be before our eies whereby it is forbidden for religion sake to prostrate before a creature This ought to remaine alwais firme and sure and to be in force that neither we prostrate our selues vnto a trée nor yet vnto an image Neither is it lawfull to excuse these things by saieng that they doo not worship the outward matter neither the figure nor the lineaments What then doo they honour They saie they honour the thing signified So might the Ethniks likewise haue excused their idolatrie that they did not worship stones wood and metall but onelie the properties which were represented by those signes The epistle of Symmachus of restoring images confuted by Ambrose Verelie Symmachus wrote an epistle to the emperours that they would at length restore the images of the Romans and there he vseth such and such like arguments verie Rhetoricallie but Ambrose most stronglie hath confuted them all The writings on both parts are yet at this daie to be séene in the epistles of Ambrose God commanded absolutelie that images should not be worshipped wherefore we must rather obey his words than the subtill sophistications of men Augustine vpon the 113. psalme wrote this argument By the iudgement of Paule it is said Rom. 1 25. They turned the glorie and truth of GOD into a lie and they desired rather to worship the creature than the creator The first part of Pauls saieng condemneth images bicause they be lies which are repugnant vnto the truth and glorie of God and the other
indéed for there is but one God but bicause the most part so beléeued and common persuasion conceiued that there was an infinite number of gods Therefore he saith Manie gods But to vs which iudge aright there is but one God and one Lord Iesus Christ It is no vnaccustomed or strange thing in the scriptures so to call things as men vse commonlie to speake yet else-where when they speake properlie they call euerie thing by his owne name Howbeit thou wilt saie We neuer read that the children of Esau were not legitimate I answer that Esau had indéed a great posteritie but whether it were lawfull or no the scripture sheweth not Wherevnto adde that by those nations among whom he liued they were counted legitimate for those had not the word of GOD wherein it is commanded that this should not be doone and they had woonderfullie corrupted the lawe of nature 26 Others crie What we are to account of marriages made without the consent of parents What shall we thinke of our forefathers What also of manie which liue at this daie haue contracted matrimonies without the consent of their parents Shall we call them matrimonies or else adulteries And shall we count their children so borne for legitimate or for bastards I answer that when as such marriages were had in that time of darkenesse before the new light of the Gospell those men in verie déed were not excused from sinne for it was not lawfull for them to be ignorant of the lawe of God but yet bicause they were doone publikelie and by the permission of the magistrate I am persuaded that such matrimonies are firme and ratified If they obiect that in such marriages the consent of the parents wanted I answer that it was therein and it was not therein For the magistrates had made the ciuill lawes subiect to the canons which vndoubtedlie they ought not to haue doone Now in this all men agrée And forsomuch as the magistrate hath the authoritie of the people if he consent vnto anie thing there after a sort is the publike consent of the people As at this daie in Parleaments when they assemble for the paiment of some summe of monie although some priuate men of the people be not contented with it yet bicause it is agréed vpon by the magistrate they also should séeme to haue giuen their consent So indéed the father would not that the matrimonie of his sonne should be firme without his consent Howbeit séeing he submitted his will to the iudgement of the magistrate he should séeme after a sort to haue giuen his consent But now the truth of the thing being knowne the magistrate ought to reuoke the error So as the matrimonies which hitherto that is in darknesse haue béene contracted against the will of the parents ought to be firme and the children borne of them ought to be legitimate Neuerthelesse if the lawe should afterward be repealed then should they be no matrimonies but onelie presupposed and in verie déed whooredoms fornications and adulteries euen as Euaristus rightlie iudgeth Howbeit while the lawes which are now in force are not abrogated I dissolue not the matrimonies which in the meane time are so contracted Neither doo I saie that the children borne of these marriages are bastards but I declare what dooth séeme most agréeable to the word of God and to honestie But Euaristus might iustlie write so bicause in his time the Romane lawes were of force which accounted not such coniunctions to be matrimonies Further I adde that fathers are not to be obeied when they lett the marriages of their children onelie for religion sake bicause in that cause God must be obeied in all things who is the head father of althings Looke the first to the Corinthians the seuenth chapter verse 37. Of Rauine or violent taking awaie In Iudges 21. about the end 27 This word Raptus Rauine in the Hebrue commeth of Chatath The Gréekes saie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latins Rapere which is To take awaie by violence not after euerie maner of sort but as it were by a certeine furie and great violence Wherein rape differeth from their Wherefore rauine differeth from theft bicause theft may be committed secretlie without violence For which cause in the Digests De iureiurando in the lawe Duobu◠reis it is written If a man sweare he hath not taken anie thing awaie violentlie yet is he not straitwaie quit of theft For although that thing which a man dooth be not rauine yet it may be theft So the ciuill lawe putteth a difference betwéene theft and rauine But to what things rauine perteineth it is mentioned in the Digests De conditione triticiaria in the lawe the first Things immooueable as houses lands farms are entred vpon but those which be mooueable as things not hauing life beasts men are violentlie taken awaie Howbeit What kind of rapt is here intreated of we treate here of the violent taking awaie of things mooueable yet neuertheles not of all but of mens bodies that are by violence taken awaie for lusts sake This is another kind of rauine but not proper which Augustine toucheth in the 19. sermon De verbis apostoli and it is mentioned in the Decrées Augustine 14 cause question the fift in the chapter Si quid inuenisti where he saith that things which be found must be restored Which if thou doo not thou hast taken them awaie forceablie forsomuch as thou hast doone what thou couldest so that if thou haddest found more thou wouldest haue taken awaie more There the Glosser verie well declareth What is to be doone concerning things found what is to be doone with things that be found Either saith he the same are counted for things cast awaie as if the owner haue cast awaie anie thing the same if a man reteine when he hath found it he committeth not theft but if that thing which is found be not forsaken neither thought to be cast awaie willinglie by the owner as when a ring is found or a purse or anie such thing which is not woont to be cast awaie if thou deteine it it is theft vnles thou kéepe it by thée with a mind will to restore it againe So then thou must openlie tell that thou hast found these things whereby the owner may come to his owne againe as it is decréed in the Digests De furtis in the lawe Falsus in the Paraph Qui alienum But if thou kéepe it by thée with a mind not to restore it it is theft And this dooth Augustine in the place now alledged reprooue The verie same is decréed in the Code De thesauro in the lawe Nemo and in the institutions De rerum diuisione where it is ordeined that If a man find treasure in his house or ground it shall be his that findeth it Howbeit if he find it in another mans soile either he hath gotten it by chance or else he sought for it If
Lord is verie méet and fit for him 8 For first as touching his diuine nature it cannot be doubted but that in the old testament God manie times is called Lord as he that is far aboue all things séeing he is the maker of them Christ is Lord also euen according to his humane nature And this title also perteineth vnto man who in the person of him of whom we intreat was vnited with God bicause he being cléere from all sinne was replenished with all good If anie such therefore were in this world as there neuer was besides him anie would he not séeme to be adorned with those gifts for the which the name of Lord might dulie agrée vnto him Euen so indéed it séemeth to me that when as a man is frée from sinne he is by no meanes a seruant The first seruitude entered into the world by sinne and he that is indued with diuine properties out of doubt is able to helpe others Hereof it commeth that lords and they that are rulers ouer others if they be lawfullie called are not preferred to be aboue others for anie other end but bicause they should not be hurtfull vnto their subiects and that they being void of all vice may be so armed with strength and fortitude as they should be able to succour all those which be vnder their subiection Christ was free from sinne Matt. 1 18. That Christ was vndoubtedlie without sinne I suppose it néedlesse to prooue vnto anie séeing as Matthew beareth record He was conceiued by the holie Ghost that by this means he might be frée from originall sinne The which also is manifest in that he liuing among vs neuer sinned And Peter writeth 1. Pet. 2 22. Esai 58 9. that He did no sinne To whom agréeth Paule when he saith He that knew no sinne 2. Cor. 5 21. for our sakes became sinne Iohn Baptist also shewed him to his disciples as the most pure lambe of GOD Iohn 1 29. which should take awaie the sinnes of the world For it was méet for him to be pure and without all blemish as a sacrifice that should be offered vp vnto God Further the heauenlie father not without miracle testified with his owne voice that he was well pleased in him that is to saie that he was innocent and pure from all fault sith this is an acceptable thing vnto God And who doubteth but that he was adorned with diuine properties Col. 1 15. Séeing Paule vnto the Colossians calleth him The image of the inuisible God bicause he truelie expresseth him and all things that be in him in such sort as there neuer hath béene nor now is nor hereafter shall be anie sonne more perfectlie resembling his father than Christ Iesus did Wherefore of all vs he is called as well God as man Christ the onelie sonne of God And we confesse him to be the onelie sonne of God as he that in diuine nature hath no other brethren insomuch as he is the onelie word of God He is the onelie word of God of which we now speake And among men though he haue manie brethren by adoption he may iustlie be called Onlie for the heape that he hath of the well pleasing graces of God and bicause of the image and similitude of the eternall father Méet therefore it is that he be called Lord as well for that he is without sinne as for the heape that he hath of diuine gifts 9 I let passe this that he which paieth ransome to redéeme a captiue is his Lord. Which thing that Christ did for vs wretches and bondslaues of sinne and satan none that be faithfull ought to doubt séeing Paule both to the Romans and Ephesians affirmeth Rom. 3 25. Epes 1 7. that We haue obteined remission of sinnes namelie by his bloud which he hath plentifullie and liberallie shed for vs vpon the crosse So therfore he must of good right be called our Lord. Furthermore there is a custome receiued by long vse among lawfull sonnes of kings and princes Christ is the first begotten sonne that the first begotten sonne obteineth the Lordship among his yoonger brethren Which thing is not doubtfull vnto them which haue read either the holie or prophane histories or else which haue in verie déed vnderstood what is the maner of gouerning in kingdomes and segniories of the world Rom. 8 14. Gal. 4 7. And vnto the Romans and Galathians it is plainlie shewed that All the faithfull be the children of God Vnto the Romans it is written that His spirit testifieth with our spirit Rom. 8 16. that we be the children of God And vnto the Galathians it is said Gal. 4 6. Bicause ye be the sonnes of God he hath sent into your harts the spirit of his sonne For this cause all we that beléeue be now brethren bicause of that diuine adoption but among all Christ is the first begotten we as we read vnto the Romans being made like vnto the image of his sonne Rom. 8 29. that he might be the first begotten among manie brethren 1. Cor. 1 3 and well neere in all epistles Let vs not maruell therefore if Paule in his epistles for the most part calleth God Father and further comming vnto Christ calleth him Lord. Which maner also the church hath reteined when as in our praiers we ascribe all vnto GOD for Christ our Lords sake as well that which we doo desire as that which we haue obteined But séeing now that after the declaration of those things which were proposed the principalitie of Iesus Christ is so manifest which of vs can abide himselfe to be brought into the power of anie tyrant from such a Lord who also is our brother Which I saie of vs refusing this so notable a capteine will betake himselfe to his enimies alreadie conquered and put to flight by him when as they be mortall enimies to our selues Shall there be found anie that will shake off the yoke of so bountifull a Lord to submit himselfe vnto him that wisheth nothing more than to destroie both bodie and soule For my part I thinke there can be none found among them which haue tasted the swéetnesse of so acceptable a Lordship whereof Christ made mention Matt. 11 30 when he said My yoke is easie and my burthen is light This subiection is voluntarie as the prophet if we haue a consideration vnto the Hebrue truth declareth in the 110. psalme wherein it is said vnto Messias Psal 110 3. Thy people dooth worship thee of their owne accord Rom. 6 14. And the apostle also saith Ye be no more vnder the lawe but vnder grace Wherefore all the charge and burthen of this principalitie was laid vpon the shoulders not of vs but of Iesus Christ as it was foretold of him by Esaie the prophet Esaie 9. Vpon his shoulders shall he beare the souereigntie or rule Note that the prophet saith not that his souereigntie shall
Catholike which is a Gréeke word and signifieth no other thing than if thou shouldst saie vniuersall for that it is not bound more to one place than to an other But euen as God is a God of the whole vniuersall world euen so will he that the bodie of his sonne which is his church should be extended into euerie place With him there is no exception of persons neither had he respect whether those which he calleth into his church be either husbandmen or smithes men or women princes or seruants rich or poore barbarous citizens or Gentils as though he were moued for these outward things to choose them but of euerie nation he chooseth those whome he thinketh méet Wherefore the church is an vniuersall bodie compacted of men of euerie kind and condition But it excelleth also in a nobler societie which is of such sort as whosoeuer be truelie gathered togither into that bodie be indued with the same féeling of faith And vndoubtedlie in vaine shall euerie other consent be if minds disagrée in the doctrine of faith Neither is there euer anie thing that bringeth more detriment vnto this faith than the inuentions of men From hense haue flowed all the heresies that euer were which in verie déed are nothing else but the opinions of men conceiued besides the meaning of the scriptures and sowen abroad among diuers people as if they were certeine diuine mysteries which bring saluation or else works most acceptable vnto God And forsomuch as such doctrines are nothing else but deuises of men by which the authours of them haue sought their owne gaine and commoditie first they be méere lies deceipts and wicked iuglings secondlie when as they procéed from the inuentions of men they cannot satisfie all men For looke how manie men so manie sundrie opinions there be so that some dissent in one article of the faith and some in another So in verie déed it happened among the Gréekes and other Christians which inhabit towards the East part whome if thou examine thou shalt vndoubtedlie find that by a common consent they haue allowed the holie scriptures but in those sundrie superstitions the which they haue oftentimes deuised there will appeare great disagréement The Roman church aboundeth with superstitions 38 Howbeit in these deuises of superstitions the church of Rome carrieth awaie the price For while they prouide to stuffe into the pure and simple religion of Christ infinit abhominations drawne out of the sinkes of paganisme in restoring and as they saie or rather as they lie in reforming them to a better forme it hath troden vnder foote and destroied all things Also this it obstinatelie vrgeth that euerie mans faith dooth rest in such goodlie things And mens inuentions are more estéemed than the lawfull doctrine of the truth drawne out of the holie fountaines of the scriptures And this might not others which in like maner be infected with their owne superstitions abide that they anie lesse than the Romans should stoutlie kéepe still and defend their fained worshippings and humane inuentions But they which haue imbraced the principall and sincere doctrine of Christ be vtter enimies against those superstitions séeing they perceiue that thereby the glorie of Christ and his merits are altogither obscured the honour of God translated vnto his creatures his seruice vsed without his word set foorth onelie after the deuise of men so that the church which at this daie challengeth proudlie vnto it selfe alone the name of Catholike shée alone I saie more than others hath seuered and euen rent in sunder that common and vniuersall societie of the faithfull For if it had staid it selfe in that religion and seruice which the holie scriptures doo prescribe vnto vs there had not procéeded so manie schismes from thence But hitherto it hath vsed no measure of hir owne feined deuises and it hath endeuored by force armes to constraine euerie man to receiue the same From hence haue risen infinit dissentions amongst which there be some that remaine vnto this daie as experience it selfe plainlie testifieth And as touching those that haue béene in the former ages whosoeuer will diligentlie applie his mind in reading of histories shall easilie perceiue them Howbeit whatsoeuer sathan by his cunning The Catholike church standeth fast hath wrought the Catholike church remaineth still stedfast and immooueable and shall firmelie abide euen vntill the last daie of iudgement For the same betokeneth nothing else but an vniuersall bodie compact togither of men of euerie state and condition the which in what parts soeuer of the earth they dwell they reteine the same faith and grace righteousnesse holinesse and happinesse and finallie they imbrace euerie good thing offered them in Christ and so as they will neuer suffer themselues one iot to be led from that truth which the spirit of God hath reuealed to vs in the holie scriptures but they will assure themselues of that onelie worshipping to be lawfull and acceptable vnto GOD which hée hath prescribed in those holie scriptures 39 Neither are they for anie other end compacted togither in this societie A communion of the church but spirituall but that they should edifie one an other to their power euen as the ioining togither that is in the members of a mans bodie is chéeflie ordeined for the helpe and preseruation of euerie particular member The church striueth not to the intent it might challenge vnto it selfe some chéefe empire or temporall iurisdiction it promiseth no such end vnto it selfe as it would heape vp excéeding treasures and earthlie riches The scope thereof is not to rule nations to make warres to laie hold vpon cities What weapons the church hath and to vanquish them Indéed this bodie is not destitute of his weapons but these be spirituall and not carnall weapons namelie the word and the spirit with the which it ouercommeth the wisedome of man casteth it to the ground leadeth captiue the mind and cogitation to the obedience of Christ And the same vndoubtedlie oppresseth not the bodies with tyrannicall seruitude or draweth awaie mens goods by gréeuous tributes This selfe-same doctrine dooth Paule in verie manie words inculcate in his later epistle to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 10 4. where he verie well describeth the wrestlings of this congregation and he in the same epistle intreating there of his owne and of other of the apostles authoritie saith that The same was granted vnto him to edifie and not to destroie Vnto the which notwithstanding they doo singularlie bend themselues which will alone be called heads and apostles of the church Howbeit in the meane time with all their power they resist the word of God Neither doo they suffer the perfect state of our iustification to be preached but rather by their humane decrées and constitutions laie infinite snares against the miserable soules of the people committed to them the which notwithstanding are redéemed by the pretious bloud of Christ And yet further they pollute with their
their works or merits sake but I will doo it saith he for my name sake From this reason Paule departeth not for he sheweth that God by predestination will make open the riches of his glorie that all men might knowe how little the Iewes had deserued this election of God that the nations being ouerhipped they alone should be counted for the people of God Which thing Steuen expoundeth in the Acts of the apostles when he saith that They had euer resisted God and had bin alwaies stiffe-necked What good works then did God sée in them to prefer that nation before all other nations Ezechiel notablie describeth how God looked vpon the people of the Iewes at the beginning Ezec. 16 3. namelie as vpon a naked damsell and on euerie side polluted and shamefullie berolled in bloud I passed by saith the Lord and when I sawe thee in that case I had compassion of thee What must be doone in iudging of controuersies 25 Further let vs remember what is the scope of the apostle in the epistle to the Romans for if we will iudge vprightlie of controuersies we must not cast our eie off from the scope The indeuour of the apostle was that he might by all maner of meanes commend the grace of Christ And this purpose can nothing more hinder than to affirme that the predestination of God that is the head and fountaine of grace commeth of the works of men And if it be counted a fault in Orators if in their oration they perchance reherse things which would much hinder the cause that they tooke in hand how can we suspect that the holie Ghost persisteth not in that which he began but speaketh things strange from that which he purposed Neither can we make anie other reason of the members than of the head which is Christ Iesus The sonne of God did freelie take vpon him the humane nature Séeing therfore that no man can doubt but that the sonne of God did fréelie take vpon him mans nature for if the question shuld be asked why rather he than anie other man tooke flesh of the virgin Marie There can no other reason be giuen but that it so pleased him For as touching works anie other man borne of anie other virgin might haue had them no lesse than he which was borne of Marie For whosoeuer had had the Godhead as Christ had trulie he should haue doone the selfe-same works which Christ did Séeing therefore that that humanitie was taken of the sonne of God fréelie and of the pure and méere mercie of God euen after the selfe-same maner whosoeuer are the members of Christ As iustification is not of works so likewise is not predestination are chosen fréelie and without anie merits of works Finallie all those reasons which prooue that iustification consisteth not of works the same also prooue that predestination dependeth not of works Now resteth to declare whether Christ and his death may be said to be the cause of predestination Here we answer that Christ and his death is the principall and chéefe effect of predestination Christ and his death is the principall effect of predestination For amongst those things which are of God giuen vnto the elect is Christ himselfe the fruit of his death For whatsoeuer is giuen vnto vs by this waie and by this conduit as it were is deriued vnto vs from God And forsomuch as it is certeine that the effects of predestination may so be cōpared togither Christ as touching his humane nature and death is not the cause of predestination as one may be the cause of the other but vnto none of them agréeth to be the beginning of predestination therefore we denie that Christ as touching his humanitie or death is the cause of our predestination although he be the beginning and cause of all good things which come vnto vs by the purpose of God 26 I am not ignorant that there haue béene some Sentences of manie of the fathers agree not togither as touching this doctrine which haue gone about to reconcile togither the sentences of the fathers with this most true doctrine which we haue now by manie reasons prooued For they saie that the fathers when they write that predestination is of works foreséene by the name of predestination doo not vnderstand the worke or action of GOD whereby he electeth or predestinateth anie man but rather the end and certeine meanes and that as touching them nothing can let but that works may be causes For it is without all doubt certeine that the last damnation commeth of works as the cause and good works spring of faith as from their head or fountaine I sée indéed that the intent of these men is not to be discommended which labour to applie the sentences of the fathers vnto the truth as much as is possible but yet that which they auouch to be true cannot I affirme For there are certeine sentences of the fathers so hard that they can by no meanes be drawne to this meaning It is not true that they saie that all wholie is not of God for they to defend the libertie of our will will not haue all things to depend of the predestination of God and of purpose saie that all wholie is not of God but somewhat also is required of vs. And they expresselie write that God electeth some It is not true also that God electeth bicause of faith foreseene for that he foresawe that they would beléeue They haue also here and there manie other such like saiengs so that I by no meanes can sée how their sentences can agrée with our doctrine in this point Howbeit Augustine fullie agréeth with it Ierom also disagréeth not from it although oftentimes in manie places he agréeth with Origin and others but against the Pelagians he highlie commendeth the sentence of Augustine touching this matter and excéedinglie alloweth his writings against this heresie Séeing therefore that Augustine oftentimes vsed this argument against the Pelagians it must néeds be that the same verie well pleased Ierom now being old And Cyprian as we haue before said manifestlie writeth that There is nothing ours wherefore it followeth of necessitie that it is all of God But howsoeuer it be there is no néed that we should now dispute much as touching the fathers As in all other things which belong vnto faith We must giue sentence according to the scriptures not according to the fathers so also in this question we must giue sentence according to the scriptures not according to the fathers And this selfe-same thing euen the fathers themselues required at our hands which I in alledging of arguments haue performed to my power 27 Amongst the latter writers Pighius being forced by the vehemencie of the scriptures granteth vnto vs that works are not causes of predestination For he confesseth that it consisteth fréelie and of the méere mercie of God with a respect saith he to works I thinke
that doubteth of saluation hath not the hope belonging to a christian or else if they haue that hope they must néeds be assured of their saluation But if a man will saie What if I shall be vnwoorthie and therefore God will not bestowe vpon me the chéefe reward I answer that this is a wrestling of the conscience and must be ouercome by hope for the obteinement whereof let vs cleaue fast vnto the word of God such as is this God is faithfull 1. Co. 10 13 which will not suffer you to be tempted aboue your power but togither with the temptation will make a waie out and such like places of the holie scripture wherein God promiseth that he will giue perseuerance vnto his euen vnto the end And to speake bréeflie the hope of the godlie leaneth onelie vnto the goodnes power and mercie of the onelie God This thing Basilius verie well vnderstood in his exposition vpon the 33. psalme when de interpreteth these words Psal 33 18. Hoping in his mercie He which putteth not saith he confidence in his owne proper déeds neither hopeth to be iustified by works hath his hope of saluation onelie in the mercie of God for when he shall consider these things with himselfe Behold God and his reward c. 44 But the Schoole-men haue taught farre otherwise for the Maister of the sentences in his third booke The school-mens definition of hope thus defineth hope Hope is an assured expectation of the blessednes to come comming of the grace of God and of merits going before Which definition how absurd it is especiallie touching the latter part it is manifest in those which are newlie from most heinous and horrible sinnes conuerted to Christ for they vndoubtedlie can haue no good merits séeing before they were void of charitie from which all our works procéed Yet can there be nothing more certeine than that they They that be conuerted vnto Christ cannot be without hope though they haue no merits and works They that be most wicked ought not to cast awaie all hope which be conuerted vnto Christ cannot be without hope Yea Augustine vpon the psalme From the depth haue I called vpon thee ô Lord exhorteth them that fall and those which liue in the depth of euils not to cast awaie hope and that by the example of the théefe and of manie others It may now be demanded of them by what merits hope is confirmed in these men They commonlie answer that merits doo not alwaies go before hope but alwaies go before the thing hoped for And they declare their opinion touching this matter in such sort as they teach that merits go before hope either in verie déed or else doubtles in thought For men newlie conuerted commonlie while they conceiue hope of saluation determine both in their mind and in their cogitation to doo good works whereby they thinke to merit the last reward But what certeine hope can these good works imagined in the mind produce which are not yet wrought For of a cause which yet is not cannot be produced an effect which alreadie is We should rather affirme the contrarie to wit that this godlie will springeth of faith and of hope than that faith or hope should procéed of it as from the cause But it is a world to sée how these men turne themselues when on the one side they saie that hope is an assured expectation and yet on the other side they will haue this to be a most firme doctrine that no man can be assured of his saluation vnles it be speciallie reuealed vnto him by God Here they perceiue themselues to be fast tied and they confesse that it is a hard matter to vnderstand what maner of certeintie the certeintie of hope is Here these miserable men sweat and go to worke and feigne and imagine manie things First they teach The certeintie of hope come of the certeintie of faith that all certeintie of hope commeth of the certeintie of faith and this indéed is not amisse for therfore we certeinlie hope bicause by faith we imbrace the most certeine promise of God But they go on further and saie that by faith we generallie and absolutelie beléeue that all the elect and predestinated shall be saued but that hope maketh vs to haue a confidence that we are of the number of the elect as though hope had a particular knowledge vnder faith that that which was generallie apprehended by faith is by hope applied vnto euerie one of vs apart Wherefore they affirme that this certeintie of hope is by supposition if we be of the number of the elect and doo persist euen vnto the end And this kind of certeintie they will haue to consist of verie likelie coniectures And at length they conclude that the certeintie of hope is lesse than the certeintie of faith 45 But contrariwise we make the certeintie of either of them to be alike The certeintie of faith and hope is alike for looke how much faith we haue so much hope also we haue for faith retaineth not with it selfe anie part of certeinetie which it deliuereth not ouer vnto hope That is a fond deuise which they bring touching application Faith applieth those things which it beleeueth vnto him in whom it is in that by hope they applie vnto vs those things which we haue by faith generallie and absolutelie beléeued For we doo not onelie beléeue that God is good or the father and author of mans felicitie but also euerie godlie man by faith assureth himselfe that God both is and will be vnto him good is and will be vnto him a father is and will be vnto him the author of felicitie Hereof commeth that certeintie of hope And for this cause it is that Paul writeth that It cannot confound And séeing faith hath a respect vnto God as to one that speaketh the truth and hope hath respect vnto him as vnto one that is faithfull and most redie to performe his promises and God himselfe is no lesse faithfull in performing than true in promising we may manifestlie conclude that hope hath as much certeintie as hath faith Certeintie as touching the obiect and subiect Neither can that anie thing more helpe them which they cauill at the length namelie that hope hath certeintie as touching the obiect but not as touching the subiect for when saie they it hath a respect vnto the clemencie goodnes grace and power of God there is no let in those things but that euerie one may be saued and therefore on that behalfe they appoint a grounded certeintie but if a man consider the subiect the mind I meane and will of him that hopeth forsomuch as it is pliable and wauereth and may be changed it can neuer be certeine or sure of saluation But these men séeme vnto me to deale euen as they doo A similitude which in a siege defending their citie diligentlie shut and defend all other gates sauing one which they leaue
the Romans Not the hearers of the lawe shal be iustified but the dooers But Paule in the place when he reprooued the Iewes bicause when they had receiued the lawe and boasted thereof yet liued contrarie to the lawe meant thereby nothing else but that if righteousnes were to be sought for by the lawe it is not sufficient either to haue it or to heare it but it behoueth both in acts and déeds to performe it And this we neuer denied but that a man maie be iustified by the lawe if he doo perfectlie and fullie accomplish it but forsomuch as the same is by no meanes possible we saie that by it righteousnes cannot be hoped for That also which they obiect out of the epistle vnto the Philippians Phil. 2 12. With feare and trembling worke your saluation dooth nothing helpe them With feare and trembling worke your saluation expounded Vndoubtedlie they which knowe that they haue all that they haue from God are of a moderate and humble mind and are euermore afraid of themselues for they sée that in themselues there is nothing that is good but that helpe is to be looked for at the hands of God onelie and therefore Paule biddeth a godlie man alwaies to feare and tremble But they which thinke that it lieth in their owne power to iustifie and saue themselues such be they which in this matter contend against vs haue nothing whereof they néed to be afraid or to tremble For they boast that their saluation consisteth in themselues which saluation though Paule doo in this place name yet he thereby vnderstandeth not iustification for he writeth vnto those which were alreadie before iustified Wherefore this place maketh nothing for them But Paule calleth saluation a renewing by which we alwaies profit and go forwards vnto things better and better Lastlie as it were to make vp their armie and assure themselues the victorie they obiect this out of the third chapter of the Apocalypse vers 20. A place in the Apocalypse Behold I stand at the doore and knocke expounded Behold I stand at the doore and knocke and if anie man open vnto me I will enter in and sup with him Now we doo fullie consent vnto them that by these words is signified that God at the beginning calleth stirreth vp and instigateth vs to saluation vnto which no man by his owne strength can be led without the impulsion of God but that we of our owne accord without the grace of God pearsing and changing the mind can open our hart vnto God we vtterlie denie neither can these men prooue it by the holie scriptures 36 But bicause we haue certeine aduersaries which passe verie little or else nothing at all vpon the holie scriptures but measure all their religion by Fathers and Councels so that they maie rather be called Humanes than Diuines Father-speakers than Scripture-teachers that which is more intollerable they gather certeine pretie sentences out of the writings of the Fathers obtrude them vnto the people the easier to obscure the truth to blind poore simple men they adde taunting speaches especiallie forsomuch as certeine of them think themselues cunning crafts-men in Rhetoricall speach and haue in that kind of studie spent the greatest part of their life time for these causes I saie I shall desire the indifferent reader not to iudge anie thing rashlie against the truth but rather attentiuelie to consider those things which we also will alledge out of the Fathers for by that meanes he shall easilie vnderstand that the Fathers make not so much on our aduersaries side as they doo on ours But least we should cite anie sentence out of the Fathers A method in citing of the Fathers confusedlie and rashlie we will vse a method or compendious waie which method that it maie be easilie vnderstood it shal be good first to put foorth a demonstration or a certeine proofe out of those testimonies of the holie scriptures which we haue before cited which shal be in this maner They which doo worke according to the prescript of the lawe that is as the verie lawe requireth are iustified by works But none and especiallie before regeneration doo such works as the lawe requireth Wherefore none are iustified by works The Maior or first proposition is so plaine that it néedeth no exposition for he which dooth anie thing contrarie vnto that which the lawe prescribeth vndoubtedlie committeth sinne so farre off is it that he can thereby be made iust But the Minor or second proposition although it be prooued by testimonies of the scriptures yet will we expound it out of the Fathers Then séeing the conclusion is that iustification is not of works it must of necessitie be of grace Wherefore we will secondlie shew out of the Fathers that men are iustified fréelie and without all consideration of merits And bicause we reiect not good works but saie that in their degrée they ought to be had in estimation as they which by a most streict bond followe iustification alreadie obteined we will lastlie teach this also out of the saiengs of the Fathers that good works followe iustification but go not before And we will speciallie cite out of the Fathers those places which are founded vpon the holie scriptures Matt. 7 12. 37 And first commeth to mind Basilius who in his first booke De baptismo bringeth these words out of the Gospell Manie shall saie in that daie Lord in thy name we haue prophesied we haue cast out diuels They that doo obserue Gods commandments to another end than they ought they sinne 1. Cor. 10 31 we haue doone manie miracles But these men saith he God will not onelie cast out of his kingdome but also will call them workers of iniquitie Wherefore they which worke miracles and séeme to obserue the commandements of God and his iustifications if they doo it to anie other end and purpose than they ought to doo are said to sinne namelie bicause they followe not the precept of God published by the apostle Paule Whether ye eate or drinke or whether ye doo anie thing else doo all things to the glorie of God And it is most certeine that this cannot be doone without faith and charitie which faith and charitie forsomuch as men not yet regenerate do want it necessarilie followeth by the words of Basilius that their works are sinnes Of the verie which sentence he writeth in his second booke De baptismo Before regeneration there are no good works Whether an Infidel can doo a worke pleasing vnto God Iohn 8 34. Mat. 6 24. the seuenth question and purposelie he demandeth Whether anie man so long as he abideth in sinne can doo anie thing that is acceptable before God Which thing he affirmeth to be vnpossible and that by reasons both manie in number and also taken out of the holie scriptures First saith he the holie Ghost testifieth that He which worketh sinne is the seruant of sinne Further
most assured that he cannot be iustified But the holie scriptures teach far otherwise for they set foorth vnto vs the example of Abraham Rom. 4 18. A man being iustified doubteth not of his iustification how that He contrarie to hope beleeued in hope and that he when now he was well-néere an hundred yéeres of age had no regard either to the barrenesse of his owne bodie or else vnto the wombe of Sara being past child-bearing that he stood not in a mamering through distrust but was by faith confirmed and most certeinelie persuaded that God was able to performe whatsoeuer he had promised This example teacheth vs that we ought not to haue regard vnto those things which either may or séeme to hinder our iustification but out faith ought vtterlie to be fixed in the words and promises of GOD. But contrariwise these men will call vs backe to our owne indispositions as they call them and will haue vs therefore alwaies to be in doubt of our iustification Indéed we ought not to dissemble whatsoeuer imperfection or fault is in vs and that bicause it may be daily corrected amended yet ought we not therefore to be in doubt and wauering touching our iustification and the grace of God 47 Now haue we to prooue the second proposition A confirmation that we are iustified by faith namelie that a man is iustified by faith which we intend first to prooue by testimonies of the holie scriptures Paule in the 1. chapter of the epistle to the Romans defineth the Gospell that It is the power of GOD to saluation to euery one that beleeueth Rom 1 16. In these words is touched the efficient cause of our iustification namelie The power of God and the end which is Our saluation and also the instrument whereby it is receiued namelie Faith for he addeth Vnto euerie one that beleeueth And this he confirmeth by a testimonie of Abacuke the prophet Abac. 2 4. in which sentence he was so much delighted that he vseth it both to the Galathians Gala. 3 11. Heb. 10 38. and also to the Hebrues in the selfe-same sense He addeth moreouer The wrath of God was reuealed from heauen Rom. 1 18. by reason of the knowledge of the philosophers which did with-hold the truth of God in vnrighteousnes and who at such time as they knew God glorified him not as God but fell to the worshipping of idols But contrariwise Ibid. 17. in the Gospell is reuealed the righteousnes of God namelie that righteousnes whereby men are iustified from faith to faith which phrase of speach we haue in his due place sufficientlie expounded Vpon the third chapter Now is the righteousnesse of God saith he made manifest without the lawe Rom. 3 21. the righteousnesse I saie of God by the faith of Iesus Christ in all and vpon all them which beleeue in him And a little afterward Wherefore being iustified freelie by his grace Ibid. 24. by the redemption that is in Christ Iesus whome God hath set foorth to be a reconciliation through faith in his bloud Here also is not onelie shewed the grace by which God fréelie iustifieth vs but also Christ and his death is set foorth that it may manifestlie appéere that he is the reconciliator and the mediator Wherevnto is added faith whereby we receiue the fruit of his redemption for the setting foorth also of his righteousnes in this time that he himselfe might be iust iustifieng him which is of the faith of Iesus Christ If men could by their works get vnto themselues righteousnes the righteousnes of God should not then in such sort be declared but séeing we perceiue it is communicated to vs by faith without anie preparation of works it must néeds séeme vnto vs verie great And amongst other things which God requireth of men this is the chéefest that they should not anie thing glorie of themselues But if iustificatiō consist of works men might boast of their own trauell indeuor but seing we are fréelie iustified by faith there is no place left for boasting Wherfore Paule saith Thy boasting is excluded By what lawe Rom. 3 27. By the lawe of works No but by the lawe of faith Wherefore he concludeth after this maner verse 28. We iudge that a man is iustified by faith without works And that we should not thinke that proposition to be particular he declareth that it is vniuersall verse 29. God saith he is he the God of the Iewes onlie Is he not also the God of the Gentils Yes of the Gentils also for it is one God which iustifieth vncircumcision through faith and circumcision by faith Wherefore euen as there is but one God ouer all men so iustifieth he all men by one and the selfe-same waie Rom. 4. 48 And in the fourth chapter he saith But vnto him that worketh not but beleeueth in him which iustifieth the wicked faith is imputed vnto him vnto righteousnes By this sentence both works are excluded and also faith is set foorth by which is imputed righteousnes vnto men And straitwaie he addeth of Abraham that He is the father of all them that beleeue Ibid. 11. being vncircumcised that it might also be imputed vnto them and that he is the father of circumcision not onelie vnto them which are of circumcision but also vnto them which walke in the steps of faith which was in the vncircumcision of Abraham our father Afterward by the nature of the promise he sheweth that iustification is by faith Ibid. 13. for he saith By the lawe was not the promise made vnto Abraham and vnto his seed to be the heire of the world but by the righteousnes of faith for if those which are of the lawe should be heires then should faith be abolished and the promise made void In these words are two excellent things to be noted The first is that the promise is frée neither it is ioined with the condition of works and therefore séeing faith as a correlatiue is referred vnto the promise it must néeds followe that it is such as the promise is and therefore it hath a respect vnto the promise by it selfe and not to the condition of our vntowardnesse or indisposition as the holie Fathers of Trent doo teach The second is that if the inheritance and righteousnes should depend of that condition of works then had there béene no néed of the promise for men might haue said Why is that fréelie promised vnto vs which we maie claime vnto our selues by our owne endeuour and labour Or why is it so necessarie that we should beléeue séeing by our owne works we can atteine vnto righteousnes Afterward Paule addeth the finall cause why iustification commeth by faith By grace saith he that the promise might be firme verse 17. for if by our owne works and preparations we could be iustified the promise should alwaies be vnstedfast neither could we appoint anie certeintie of it Afterward
is wholie giuen by grace from aboue and not in respect of our labours And vpon these words Behold I put in Sion a stone of offense Thou séest then saith he that faith hath with it confidence and securitie Here he manifestlie appointeth a particular faith and a certeintie touching the remission of sinnes which thing our aduersaries so greatlie speake against Further when he expoundeth that saieng in the .11 chapter verse 23. And if they abide not in their incredulitie they also shall againe be graffed in If faith saith he could graffe thée when thou wast a wild oliue trée into a good oliue trée it can restore them into their owne good oliue trée Here also the power to be graffed into Christ by iustification and the power to restore them which are cut off is attributed vnto faith I could now passe ouer to Ierom if there were not somewhat The contradiction of Chrysostome which calleth me backe againe vnto Chrysostome for the selfe-same man writeth that Faith onelie is not sufficient vnto saluation And such sentences are oftentimes read in the Fathers which our aduersaries continuallie wrest against vs although to speake the truth such an obiection is not the whurlebat of Entellus nor so greatlie to be feared for it may easilie be answered in one word For he saith not that faith is not sufficient vnto iustification but onelie vnto saluation for faith is of it selfe sufficient vnto iustification But after we are once iustified it is not inough to the obteinement of saluation to saie I beleeue we must put to also an holie life and good works for by them as it were by certeine degrées God bringeth vs to felicitie How we maie interpret all the sentences of the Fathers And after this maner we maie interpret all the sentences of the Fathers which séeme to tend this way And if their words as sometimes it happeneth will not beare such an exposition We must appeale from one place of the Fathers to an other place then as it is most right we will appeale from them writing negligentlie vnto the selfe same Fathers writing in another place more soundlie and more catholikelie as did that woman in ancient time which appealed from Philip being droonke vnto the selfe-same Philip being sober 80 Ierom Ierom. vpon the epistle vnto the Galathians vpon these words And we knowing that man is not iustified by the works of the lawe but by the faith of Iesus Christ he saith All the forefathers were saued by the faith in Christ that All the forefathers were iustified by the selfe same faith in Christ by which we are now at this daie iustified And this sentence he confirmeth by bringing in of manie examples First he reckoneth vp Abraham Iohn 8 56. for of him he saith Christ thus spake He sawe my daie he sawe it and reioised After him he maketh mention of Moses for of him he saith it is thus written in the epistle vnto the Hebrues Heb. 11 26. that He counted the reproches of Christ greater riches than the treasure of Aegypt and that he refusing to be in the court of Pharao did choose rather t' embrace the crosse of Christ And he addeth verse 3. that Iohn the euangelist in his 12. chapter most manifestlie teacheth that all those things Esaie 6 9. which Esaie hath put in writing touching the glorie of God when he sawe the Lord sitting vpon an high throne lifted vp are to be vnderstood of the sonne of God He addeth moreouer verse 5. out of the epistle of Iude that the Lord Iesus Christ deliuered the people of Israel out of Aegypt after that smot the vnbeléeuers In which place I verie much maruell that Ierom a man otherwise excellent in the Gréeke toong turned it thus The Lord Iesus Christ when as in our text is had onelie this word Lord vnlesse we will suppose that his copie was differing from that which we now vse Which I speake not as though I douted whether those things which at that time hapned were done by Christ the sonne of God Iohn 1 18. or no for Iohn saith No man hath seene God at anie time but the sonne which is in the bosome of the father he hath declared him Wherefore whatsoeuer is vttered vnto men touching things diuine is vttered by the sonne of God Whatsoeuer touching diuine things hâ—…e been vttered they were vttâ—… by the sonne of God verse 4. verse 9. who hath most trulie giuen himselfe vnto mankind a faithfull interpreter of God his father And Paule in his first epistle vnto the Corinthians the tenth chapter saith They droonke of the spirituall rocke following them and that rocke was Christ Againe Let vs not tempt saith he Christ as certeine of them tempted him The same Ierom vpon the epistle to the Galath where he reckoneth vp the fruits of the spirit when he commeth vnto faith thus he writeth If charitie be absent faith also departeth awaie togither with it These words manifestlie declare True faith cannot be diuided from charitie that his iudgement was that true faith cannot be diuided from charitie which thing we also teach and defend But Pighius with his fellowes hisseth at it and crieth out against it howbeit let him grunt as much as he will it sufficeth vs that this doctrine agréeth both with the scriptures and with the fathers Ambrose also expounding these words out of the epistle vnto the Romans Ambrose Rom. 3 30. For it is one God which iustifieth circumcision by faith Bicause saith he there is but one God he hath iustified all men after one the selfe-same maner forsomuch as nothing causeth merit dignitie but faith And afterward vpon these words Therefore by faith Rom. 4 16. according to grace that the promis might be firme to all the seed The promise saith he cannot be firme to all the séed that is vnto all maner of men of what nation so euer they be except it be by faith For the beginning of the promise is of faith and not of the lawe for they which are vnder the lawe are guiltie but the promise cannot be giuen vnto them that are guiltie and therefore they ought first to be purified by faith that they may be made woorthie to be called the sonnes of God and that the promise may be firme And towards the beginning of the 5. chapter Rom. 5 1. vpon these words Being iustified by faith we haue peace towards God Faith saith he not the law causeth vs to haue peace with God for it reconcileth vs vnto God when our sinnes are taken awaie which had before made vs enimies vnto God And afterward vpon these words The lawe of the spirit of life Rom. 8 2. It is faith saith he which iustifieth them that flie vnto it that it may forgiue them whom the lawe holdeth guiltie that they liuing vnder faith may be frée from sinne And in his 2. booke vpon the
speake nothing of saint Benedict Benedict commanded the Eucharist to be giuen to a dead woman that commanded the Eucharist to be giuen vnto the dead woman And I should want both spéech and time if I would reckon vp all those things that are found among the Fathers which are neither to be receiued nor yet at this daie would be admitted by them which speake against vs. But while I repeat these things I would not be accounted as C ham the sonne of Noah which laughed at the discouerie of his fathers nakednes That the errors of the fathers are not rashlie to be defamed vnlesse necessitie doo vrge and brought his brothers to laugh at the same I would gladlie haue said nothing of these matters but I am constrained by the importunitie of our aduersaries which perpetuallie crie out The fathers The fathers The fathers as though they would consent to althings that the fathers haue spoken or doone Whie doo they not rather vnderstand and consider that they also were men and that they erred sometimes as men for they did not alwaies build vpon the foundation that is Christ siluer gold and pretious stones No antiquitie of opinion can prescribe against the truth Neither ought anie antiquitie of opinion or custome to prescribe against the truth for errors began in the church euen in the time of Paule And there is mention made by Paule of ill builders And there wanted not some which at the verie same time iudged that Baptisme should be admitted for the dead 1. Co. 15 2◠And the supper of the Lord was handled among the Corinthians with so great an abuse as the apostle was constrained to saie 1. Co. 11 20. This is not to eate the supper of the Lord. Cyprian Custome without reason is the mother of error And Cyprian admonished that custome without reason is the mother of error 33 And this also is woont to be obiected against vs namelie that the church hath alwaies praied for the dead which in verie déed I denie not but I affirme that for the dooing thereof it hath neither authoritie out of the word of God nor yet anie example that can be taken out of the holie scriptures Men are easilie persuaded being mooued through a certeine naturall charitie and loue that they beare towards the dead We must beware that our affection towards the dead be not against faith and godlinesse so as they wish well vnto them and breake out into some praiers for them But we must beware that this vehementer kind of affection be not against faith and iust godlinesse And there may be an other cause besides purgatorie whie praiers should be made in the church for them that be dead for they would not haue the name and memorie of them that were departed to be soone forgotten but they indeuored to preserue the same among the faithfull so long as was possible Further those praiers tended to this end that they would giue thanks vnto God who had called vnto him those that were departed out of this miserable life Ambrose Wherefore Ambrose in his funerall praiers made at the death of Theodosius and at the death of Valentinianus two emperours reioiseth for their sakes that they had alreadie obteined eternall felicitie bicause they alreadie reigned with Christ and yet neuerthelesse he added praiers that God would grant them the desired rest The which saiengs séeme to disagrée in themselues vnlesse thou vnderstand them as we haue now declared Further the church thought good to exercise hir office towards the dead as if so be they had yet liued notwithstanding indéed it considered that they had alreadie receiued that which it praied for Iohn 11 41. For Christ also praied for the resurrection of Lazarus the which neuertheles he doubted not but that he had obteined euen before he made his praier and therefore he said that hée praied for their sakes that stood by The prelate in making praiers for them that were departed was séene to instruct and teach the people what good things he which died had receiued those things I meane which they had heard the church to wish for These words are taken out of Dionysius in his treatise of Ecclesiasticall gouernement Dionysius Epiphanius Also Epiphanius added another reason against Arrius namelie that that thing which is perfect should be distinguished from other things Vndoubtedlie Christ is so perfect and absolute as it shall not be méet to praie for him But others although they be holie when they be compared with him be vnperfect and therefore it is not vnfit for their state to haue praiers to be powred out for them Wherefore the ancient fathers praied both for martyrs and for saints This cause haue I rehearsed out of Epiphanius not that I doo thinke the same to be true for the praiers which the ancient fathers made for patriarks prophets apostles and martyrs were thanks-giuing but that it may be vnderstood that there cannot be one cause onelie assigned why the church praied for the dead And séeing there may be manie sundrie causes appointed they deale not Logiklie who would obtrude onelie one cause vnto vs namelie to the intent that the soules of them that be departed should be eased in purgatorie But they make much adoo that the church expresselie praied for the dead that they might be succoured and be in better case Indéed I knowe that manie of the fathers doo admit this cause also but it is vncerteine The church in ancient time praied that the dead might be deliuered from hell whether the church began first for that cause to praie for the dead Naie rather if thou wilt behold the forms of the most ancient praiers in the church thou shalt perceiue that it praied that the soules departed might be deliuered from hell-fire from eternall death and from hell where there is no redemption 34 Lastlie I néed not bring manie things to defend the iustice of God which our aduersaries saie that we abolish by taking awaie of purgatorie séeing for them which sléepe in the Lord Christ suffered punishments enow and what good works and righteousnesse was wanting vnto them is added by the death and merits of Christ Further there is repentance the which hath infinite sorrowes ioined therewith especiallie when we conuert vnto Christ from our hart as we are to beléeue of them which wrestle at the last houre and labour to breake foorth vnto saluation Then commeth death whereby when the flesh is dissolued the infirmities also and corruptions of the same doo perish And bréeflie our righteousnes must not be measured by our works neither must the iustice of God be weighed by mans authoritie for the Lord saith Esaie 55 9. Looke how much the heauen is distant from the earth so much are my waies from your waies Matt. 20 15. c. Is thine eie euill bicause I am good And for the remoouing of purgatorie these things may suffice The tenth Chapter
idolatrie is committed The fellowes of Daniel Dan. 3 3. Were not the felowes of Daniel present in the field hauing now obteined high offices and dignities when the golden image of the king was with great pompe erected Present no doubt they were but they worshipped not the same and they were bold constantlie to saie vnto the king that they would neuer worship it Also there was present a man of God at the seruice of Ieroboam 1. Kin. 13 1. A man of God present at the seruice of Ieroboam Act. 17 23. when the king himselfe offered incense to the golden calues but he being sent from God came thither and reprooued and detested that which was doone adding those threatnings which the Lord commanded him to speake Paule also entred into the temple of the gods at Athens certeinlie not to the intent he would allow of the idolatrous rites but bicause he might thereby picke out an argument and occasion of confuting idolatrie Valentinianus also led Iulian euen vnto the temple but there he gaue a blowe vnto the prelate of the temple Valentinian which sprinkled his gowne with vnpure water for the purifieng of him after the Ethniks maner Further all the arguments which Paule prescribed vnto the Corinthians touching the sitting downe at the feasts of idols 1. Co. 10 14 and of eating of meat dedicated vnto idols doo reprooue this boldnesse of making semblance and of giuing offense to them that stand by And so doo those reasons which be declared vnto the Romans for repressing of them which were ouer strong and bold Rom. 14 1. who for meat and drinke sake offended the weaker sort through a hurtfull libertie Vnto Eleazar one of the principall Scribes a man of verie great honour and estimation among the Hebrues 1. Macha 6 verse 18. 19 c. Eleazar licence was giuen that he eating some other kind of flesh should make shew as though he did eate swines flesh which thing he vtterlie refused to doo saieng that To feigne as though he did eat things forbidden was all one as if he should eate them indéed 15 Besides this I admonish the readers that they weigh well the holie historie that it sheweth not whether Naaman either did or did not that which he feared he should doo and therefore no argument can be taken of his fact Further if he had doone it it followeth not therevpon that he did it orderlie rightlie iustlie wiselie and godlie Let vs rather account as we said before that he in that fact acknowledged his fault the which should haue néed of pardon and forgiuenesse There is nothing therefore that by this example men can excuse their comming vnto vnpure Masses séeing Naaman himselfe desireth of the prophet that this sinne may be forgiuen him It might be also that Naaman being holpen by the godlie and holie intercession of the prophet turned home so well confirmed as he did no more bow his knées before the idoll Rimmon We must weigh herein the answer of the prophet 2. Kin. 5 19. Moreouer I thinke that this ought to be most diligentlie marked that the prophet did not answer him Go thy waies so doo thou the Lord will be mercifull vnto thee but he onelie said Go thy waies in peace which is all one as if he had promised that he would aid him with his praiers according as he had desired But they saie If that were sinne into the which he feared he should fall why did not Elizaeus reprooue him Why did he not warne him that he should diligentlie beware of such an offense Some answer that this man was not yet to haue béene iustlie blamed and that according to the word of the Lord The smoking flaxe should not haue beene extinguished Esaie 42 3. and the shaken reed broken And that manie things also ought for a time to be licenced to the weaker sort which should not be granted vnto the stronger They feigne in like maner that Naaman went to reteine the worshipping of idols with the true and sound religion 2. Kin. 5 19. and that the prophet commended his godlines towards Iehouah tollerated his outward bowing before the god Rimmon but yet would not allow of the same Howbeit I iudge neither of these saiengs to be true for the weake sort must not be borne with How far foorth the weaker sort must be borne withall vnlesse it be as touching Adiaphora that is things indifferent but in those things which be vtterlie against the lawe of God and be verie sinnes in déed nothing can be dispensed vnto them by men Further the mind of Naaman was not to reteine still the worshipping of idols séeing he testified vnto Elizaeus that he would thence forward sacrifice vnto Iehouah onelie and not to anie strange gods And thus I had rather saie that the prophet would not reproue Naaman bicause he perceiued him not ignorant that the same was sinne for the which he made request Wherefore séeing he knew it he was not to be taught but rather to be comforted to be strengthned as concerning the helpe of God And where as he said Go in peace it séemeth that he promised him not to be without the helpe of God the which should preserue him from so gréeuous a fall So then in speaking after that sort he both promised to make praiers for him also foreshewed that he himselfe should be heard least that Naaman might fall 16 Moreouer séeing the Nicodemites haue nothing out of this place they shew themselues greatlie to be laughed at The Nicodemites shew themselues to be yong soldiers when they will be accounted Naamanites who being in their own iudgment strong wise would be compared to Naaman the Syrian but newlie conuerted vnto God whereas they rather declare themselues by this reason to be yoong soldiers If they are to be accounted yoong soldiers let them remember that souldiers of this order will not alwaies abide in that state but doo aspire to higher and better degrées But when I beséech you will these men laie awaie their apprentiship Verelie neuer if they continue alwaies in dissimulation and togither with the knowledge of the truth be present at Masses and corrupt worshipping of God Neither are we to passe ouer that in armies they vse to spare rawe soldiers for they are not placed where the greatest dangers be but these men will be in the midst of the flames séeing they ioine themselues with idolaters A similitude and are not afraid to be present at their corrupt worshippings Euen as in buildings the weake stuffe that is certeine brickle stones and weake timber is not placed there where much weight must be borne so weake men and they that fall on euerie side ought diligentlie to auoid a dangerous station Let them saie which of these they will it is in their choise whether they will be old soldiers of experience or els yoong soldiers not yet trained If they be old soldiers
such other like Men thinke that aduersities be a token of Gods wrath towards vs Chrysost For whatsoeuer aduersitie happeneth we thinke the same to be a token of Gods wrath towards vs when as he neuertheles of a singular loue suffereth vs to be afflicted Chrysostome noted that Paule rehearsed not things light and of small force For he left vntouched couetousnes of monie ambition of honors desire of reuenge and pleasures forbidden which things are woont to drawe backward euen those men that be constant but he reckoneth vp things horrible and most gréeuous and which are wont easilie to ouercome nature For in these words he comprehendeth those things which commonlie happen in a life most hard and most bitter as prisonments burnings bonds tearings in sunder and such like things And he vseth an interrogation thereby to signifie a stedfast assurance And the words which he vseth are not placed by chance or at all aduentures but with singular working of the holie Ghost The first word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Affliction deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth To breake or to presse vehementlie An artificiall comparing of words for things that be well made are wont to be first broken or brused And afterward the euill is increased then cōmeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Anguish where things are brought to so narrowe a streict that a man cannot tell what counsell to take or which waie to turne himselfe Then outwardlie commeth Persecution which dooth spoile a man of his fréends Afterward followe Hunger and nakednes for men when they be compelled to flie awaie haue then great want of things necessarie And then is added Perill so that men come also into danger of their life And bicause nothing should want at the last is added the Sword All these things saith the apostle haue no such strength as they can persuade the elect that they are not beloued of God These discommodities of the godlie Paule setteth foorth in the latter epistle vnto the Corinthians the fourth chapter verse 9. for thus he writeth I thinke that God hath declared vs the last apostles as men appointed vnto death For we are made a gazing stocke vnto the world and to the angels and vnto men We are fooles for Christ his sake but ye are wise through Christ We are weake and ye are strong We are despised and ye are honoured Vnto this houre we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and haue no certeine dwelling places and labour working with our hands We are reuiled and yet we blesse we are persecuted and suffer we are ill spoken of and we praie And in the latter epistle to the Corinthians 2. Co. 11 23. In prisons aboue measure in labours more aboundantlie c. And vnto Timothie 2. Tim. 3 2. They which will liue godlie in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution And manie such other like sentences are euerie where to be found in the holie scriptures Augustine De doctrina christiana Augustine Erasmus and Erasmus in his annotations declare that that place excelleth in weight of matter and ornaments of Rhetorike namelie in Gradation in Antithesis in Contraries and Repetitions The apostle also dooth vrge it with interrogations and speaketh nothing in this place that is base meane for all things are magnificall and excellent whether a man consider the things themselues or the persons He speaketh of life death higth depth God Christ the right hand of the father angels principalities powers and last of all he addeth In all these things we be more than conquerours This oration of Paule they thinke to be so notable excellent as they suppose that neither Cicero nor Demosthenes could euer haue spoken more eloquentlie not indéed that the holie Ghost hath néed of these ornaments but bicause he sometimes vouchsafeth to abase himselfe vnto these things when they may serue for our commoditie The art of eloquence is the gift of God and must not be contemned of yong men Which I therefore thought good to giue warning of bicause yoong men might vnderstand that this force of eloquence perteineth vnto the gifts of God and that they must endeuour to get the same in time that the holie Ghost may vse it when it shall serue for the commoditie of the church 14 Paule in the same place addeth Rom. 8 31. As it is written For thy sake are we deliuered to the death all the daie long we are accounted as sheepe to the slaughter Bicause that reason and our flesh are hardlie persuaded that we are beloued of God when we be exercised with afflictions therefore Paule brought a proofe out of the scriptures to confirme this paradox for héere haue we néede of faith which cleaueth vnto the word of God Psa 44 25 This testimonie is taken out of the 44. psalme wherein are set foorth such men complaining of their tribulations as of them we cannot doubt but they were most déere vnto God We are saie they counted as sheepe for the slaughter that is vnto whom nothing is more certeine than to be slaine For there be certeine shéepe which be kept and fed for their wooll sake or to mainteine brood and those haue life spared them for a time Some are appointed for the kitchen and they are euerie daie as occasion serueth drawne vnto death And therefore the saints in the same psalme complaine that they are like vnto the shéepe appointed to be eaten They complaine that they are otherwise dealt with than the fathers in the old time were dealt with vnto whom God séemed to beare great fauour when as he inriched them fought for them gaue them the victorie with excellent names and titles made them famous and honourable We saie they are now otherwise dealth with for we are deliuered vnto the enimies as shéepe to be slaine as vnto whom they may doo what pleaseth them It is true in déed that God would sometimes declare his loue towards the saints and confirme the truth of his doctrine when he adorned them with such goods and riches That euen the idolaters also might vnderstand that the same God whom the patriarchs worshipped was both the creator of the world and also the distributer of all good things and that all things which men commonlie desire God vsed to his glorie both the prosperitie and aduersitie of his elect are in his pleasure Which thing when he had sufficientlie declared he also made them so strong by reson of aduersities as they with a noble courage and inuincible stedfastnesse testified the doctrine of God to be true Wherein God likewise declared himselfe to be the distributer of all good things of the mind of heroicall vertues that his power is so great as euen of things contrarie God can pluckt out of things contrarie all one maner of effect he can work all one effect And that which the Latine interpretor translateth We are
East-Church the Churches of Asia and the Gréeke Churches in respect forsooth that they will not be subiect to the seate or rather the Tyrannie of Rome Seuenthlie they being not content with excommunications and execrations by which they curse vs being faithfull men and professors of the Gospell The Papists persecute the godlie doe most cruellie persecute destroie vs with sworde violence prisons banishments confiscation of goods and finallie with flames and fires Eightlie it is méete that godlie men shoulde be conuersant together with sinners The Papists admit no reformation so long as there is anie hope of them remaining and while they abide to heare those which warne them But these meÌ„ haue stopped their eares like Adders neither can they abide any word of men admonishing them They haue bin cried vpon of long time and they compelled of force confesse that many great errours are crept in into the Church yet doe they not either shewe or amend anie Certaine Councels haue bin held namelie of Constance Basill Florence and Trent welnéere within our age or the age of our Fathers yet is there not corrected in the Church so much as one trifling thing or error or abuse So as they séeme now past hope of saluation And experience teacheth that in liuing with them the trueth is rather hidden and weakened than that they are become the better wherefore it is no maruell if we depart from them For the Apostles for the verie same cause departed from the Iewes Act. 13. 46. séeing they cast awaie the word of God The papists mislike of a Christian Councel Ninthlie manie haue hoped and yet hold opinion that the onelie remedie which remaineth for the reliefe of the miserable state of things is a general Councell which should be fréelie helde where the cause on both parts might be discussed But they neuer abide themselues to be brought therunto With griefe they heare mention made of a Councel Moreouer least they shold séeme ouer wicked they permit a Councell after a sort but such a Councell as consisteth of them that conspire against the worde of God and séeing the ground and state of all dependes wholie vpon the Pope they will abide none there but such as be sworne vnto him 5 Tenthlie in the Church there be thrée kinds of things What and how manie kindes of things are in the Church For some be necessarie others be frée and othersome be wicked Among things necessarie are appointed doctrine and administration of Sacraments as also holie and honest life namelie that men should behaue themselues godlie modestlie and iustlie towards God them selues and their neighbours all which in verie déed belongeth vnto discipline This being so let vs consider how these men behaue theÌ„selues in all these things Doctrine out of all doubt they haue corrupted For they teach that we are not iustified by faith onelie Rom. 1. 16. 3. 21. 5. 1. Gal. 2. 19. as the scriptures do appoint but that we be also iustified by workes They preach worshipping of Images and the adoring of creatures They defend inuocation of the dead and such like things which be méere corruptions of heauenlie doctrine And as touching the administration of Sacraments they haue so defased by adding too and mangling of the Sacraments as they are now scarcely knowen Further as to maners and life they haue so excéedinglie loosed the raines of discipline as they call good Esa 5. 20. euill and euill good And all things are taken hand ouer heade and so great a confusion there is of things as there be no difference perceiued of iustice And thinges that be frée nowe they suffer not to bee frée They haue ordeined a choice of meates Col. 2. 16. when as in meate and drinke as testifieth the Apostle none ought to iudge vs. They obserue daies with great superstition Also they suffer not fastings to be frée but they will haue appointed times as the yeare goeth about They haue decréed to fast vpon fridaie and saturdaie in the time of Lent in the Vigils and Imber daies Matrimonie which among other thinges is most frée they haue forbidden to all the cleargie Also there bee garments prescribed by them to be so ncecessarie as without them Masse cannot bée had They will not that leauened breade should be consecrated but swéete or vnleauened Ceremonies and rites they will haue to be so common that all men maie vse them Briefelie they haue made things that be frée to be of necessitie Things that be naught and corrupt they wil not cut off they retain them obstinatlie and he that wil admonish them thereof they gréeuouslie pursue him Whether the title of the Catholike Church be agreable with the Church of Rome Look before cap. 1. Act. 2. 6 Furthermore they will haue none to be of their fellowshippe that professe not the Romane Church to bee the Catholike Church and they indeuour to make the vniuersall Church to be particular For the Romane Church is one certaine Church as is the Church of Alexandria Millain and Ephesus But the Catholike is vniuersall for it is there found wheresoeuer the beléeuers and true members of Christ liue well It is not bound to places chaires They straight way reuolted from the Catholike church when the Popes kingdome was erected by them For they which would not go vnder the yoke were by the Romanistes expulsed from the Church They sought not that the name of Christ might be largelie spread but that they might beare rule farre and wide Paul vnto the Romans wrote Rom. 12. 5 that we be one bodie in Christ meÌ„bers euery one of an other But and if he said that we be one in Christ it ought to be enough to professe Christ Eâ—…ors of the Donatistâ—… not the Romane Church The Donatistes are reprooued by manie of the Fathers and especiallie by Augustine because they had straitened the Catholike Church into a small corner of Aphrica affirming that the Church was no where else to be founde But doe not the Papistes the verie same when as they acknowledge none for the Churches of Christ which followe not the Romane Church as their head and Prince Let them prooue if they can that the Gospell sprang vp at Rome It cannot be saide For it came from Ierusalem aswell vnto the Greekes as Latines Whereby it commeth to passe that the Romane Church is not by the right of antiquitie the first of all Further it is gathered that the Catholike Church was before the same And if it could then be without it what let is there but that nowe also it maie be without it But if so bée to speake after the maner of the Logicians the Romane Church first of all and by it selfe had béene the Catholike Church all Churches by it should be named and should bée called and become Catholike through her Which how false it is I haue already shewed in that the Churches of Ierusalem Antioch and
the Bishops Councels To conclude this controuersie is betwéene vs and our aduersaries namelie whether the Church can erre We ioyne thereunto the worde of God by which if it deale and define we will graunt that the same doeth not erre But the Papists iudge that it is so greatly ruled by the holie Ghost that although it decrée anie thing besides or against the worde of God it doeth not erre and therefore they will that the same should rather be beléeued than the Scriptures of God But while they stand to that opinion they dissent the whole world ouer from the fathers who alwayes in their Councels confirmed their decrées by diuine Oracles 11 Our aduersaries procéede and craftily assault the trueth with a certaine saying of Augustin Contra Epistolam Fundamenti The saying of Augustin I should not beléeue the Gospell except c. expounded Look part 1. pl 6. Act. 7. part 4. pl. 4. Act. 12. There the man of God writ I shoulde not beléeue the Gospel vnlesse the authoritie of the Church mooued me withall Vnto these wordes they adde a rule of Logicke wherein it is saide that for the which euerie thing is like that thing it selfe is more like But they ought to haue knowen that if we shoulde deale by Logick that rule is true onelie in finall causes For if a man for healthes sake vse a medicine health is rather desired of him than the medicine But in efficient causes nothing is this waie concluded vnlesse the whole and full cause shall be brought For if one will saie that a man is made drunken with wine he cannot thereby prooue that the wine is more drunke because the whole cause of drunkennesse is not in the wine For it is required that it should be digested in the stomacke and that vapours bee stirred vp to trouble the braine Further if one shoulde learne of his maister the eloquence of an Orator it shoulde not therefore be concluded that his maister is better than he in making of Orations because the maister is not the whole cause of his learning There is besides required a wit and also a studie and diligence But the Church of which we nowe speake is not the whole cause of our faith it onelie publisheth preacheth and teacheth Also there is néede of the holie Ghost to lighten the mindes of the hearers and to bend their willes to imbrace those things which bee spoken Therefore Augustine wiselie wrote Vnlesse the authoritie of the Church had mooued mee withall and did not put simplie mooued What is to be affirmed of that that the Church hath giuen iudgement touching the holie Bookes 12 They are woont also to prattle vnto vs that the Church hath giuen iudgement of holie writ allowing some part and reiecting other some For it disallowed the Gospell of Nicodemus the Acts of Peter diuers Reuelations of the Apostles the Booke of the shepheard and such like And on the other side it imbraced the foure Euangelists which we now haue the writings of the Apostles which are at this daie read in the Churches By which iudgement they decrée that the authoritie of the Church excelleth the holie scriptures Howbeit this kinde of reasoning deriued from iudgement is weake because there be men of sharpe wit found which can discerne betwéene the right verses of Virgill and the wrong and betwéene the naturall workes of Aristotle and the counterfeit who neuerthelesse are a great deale lesse learned than Virgill or Aristotle 1. Iohn 4. 1 We are also commaunded To trie the spirites and to put a difference betweene God and the diuell and yet we be not equall or greater than God Howe then doeth the Church of God behaue it selfe towardes the words of God put in writing It preserueth and faithfullie kéepeth them it publisheth defendeth maintaineth them it is like a Notarie which faithfullie retaineth testaments with him whereas he is able to doe nothing beyond the last will of the Testator for if he should chaunge or inuert the same he should not be counted a faithfull Notarie but a falsifier and counterfeiter of testaments The Church in no otherwise hath and preserueth with it the holie Scriptures when as neuerthelesse it maie not either change or inuert or amplifie them But séeing they contend with an obstinate minde that the authoritie of the Scriptures dependeth of the Church why doe they not produce some Canon or decree of some Councel by which the holie Scriptures be ratified The holie scriptures haue not béene ratified by any decrée of Councels The primatiue Church of the Christians found the writings of the olde Testament to be firme and by them allowed and established the articles of our faith After this succéeded the Bookes of the Apostles written by the inspiration of God the which Bookes no decrée of men hath fortified For the wordes of God are not subiect to the will of men but on the other side whatsoeuer thing the Coūcels of the Church haue decréed they alwaies were careful to confirme them by the words of God euen as it may be prooued by all the Synodes which were of best note I am not ignorant that certaine Councels made rehearsall of the Bookes of God which also some of the olde Fathers did howbeit the faith of the diuine Scriptures was of force among the Christians long before the recital which they made Moreouer in their Catalogue are founde certaine bookes either past or abolished the which our enemies affirme to be most Canonicall The Books of the Machabées For out of the historie of the Machabees they séeke to prooue their Purgatorie when as neuerthelesse it is easilie shewed out of the writings of the old Fathers that that booke is not in the holie Canon 13 Some being ouercome by the force and power of the trueth preferre the worde of God aboue the Church but they will ouerrule tyrant like and retyre themselues to interpretations which they will haue to belong onelie vnto the Church Whether the exposition of the Scriptures belong to the Church namelie the Romane Church so that in verie déede they are not subiect to the word of God but doe account it to bée subiect vnto their decrées But howe faithfull interpretours they be and how iust expositions they make euerie one maie perceiue by these things which I will here adde Anacletus saide Interpretations of the scriptures Iohn 1. 41. that Peter was called Caephas of the Gréeke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he was head of the Church But how straunge a thing it is that the Hebrew or Syrian worde should take his deriuation of the Gréeke tongue all men perceiue Christ reaching out the cup in his supper Drinke ye all of this saieth he Mat. 26. 27. The Romanists in their interpretation saie Drinke not ye all of this Let the laie men or vnlearned be content with the bread let onelie the Priests receiue both kindes In the Epistle to the Hebrewes Matrimonie is
for the power of the Tribunes The displeasures which the common people suffered by the Nobilitie were temporall and belonged to the maintenaunce and safetie of the bodie but those thinges which the Papistes bring in vppon vs haue respect vnto eternall saluation But letting passe the example of Ethnickes another thing commeth to minde which is mencioned in the Ecclesiasticall Historie The example of Paphnutius Paphnutius a Bishoppe of Egypt and a verie noble confessour of the Lord whose right eye the Emperour Maximianus put out and hockst his left ham whereby he might liue halfe blind lame when he was in the Synode of Tyrus where also sate Maximus a worthie Bishop of Ierusalem and he himselfe a confessour of Christ and perceiued that nothing else was sought by his fellow Bishoppes but that Athanasius might be oppressed by deceites ill reports and naughtie practises rose vp and taking Maximus by the hand which sat in the middest of the rest said It is not lawfull for thee to sit among these men And hauing spoken these wordes he led him awaie with him Also Christ admonished Mat. 16. 6. that we should beware of the Leauen of the Pharisees And Paul saide 1. Cor. 5. 6. A little leauen marreth the whole lumpe Yea and experience it selfe teacheth that they which hauing knowledge of the truth are withheld through an affection to their friends or kinne loue of their countrie couetousnes of riches and goods they become colder euerie daie more than other as touching godlinesse and are so frosen together at the length as the féele of religion is extinguished in them and sometime of friendes and brethren they become most cruell enemies And it is founde to be most true which the wise man said Eccle. 13. He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith Neither can it otherwise be but as the Apostle said out of Menander 1. Co. 15. 23 yâ— ill spéech wil corrupt good maners 37 Let vs sée what happened vnto the Israelites in the time of Ieroboam when Idolatrie was erected 2. Chro. 11 13. Verilie they which had but a crum of godlines leauing the confines of the kingdome of Israel ioyned theÌ„selues to the house of Iuda to the intent they might not sacrifice vnto the Idols which were erected but that they might worshippe the true God according to the prescript of the Lawe in the place which he had chosen vnto himselfe Which whoso did not they not onelie contaminated themselues with Idolatrie but together with the wâ—…ed they were afflicted with manifolde and gréeuous punishments There was euen at the beginning of the world a separation made betwéene the posteritie of Seth and Caine for these had departed from the true worshippe of God wherein they soundlie continued Gen. 4. 17. 5. 1. And assuredlie the punishment of the floud was so long differred as that holie posteritie continued frée from Idolatrie but whenas afterward the sons of God being allured with the beawtie of women had ioyned themselues with the vngodlie all things went to confusion and horrible shame wherefore God destroyed the worlde by a floud of water Gen. 6. In which destruction neither Noah himselfe with his familie had béene saued vnlesse by going into the Arke he had seuered himselfe from the vngodlie Lot likewise escaped the fire because he was led foorth from the fellowship of wicked men Gen. 19. The Lord also commanded as we haue it in the booke of Numerie Num. 16. 21 that the Israelites should separate themselues from Dathan and Abiram vnlesse they were more willing to perish together with them He also called foorth the Israelites which were remaining in Babylon after the libertie giuen vnto them by Cyrus and Darius Esa 52. ver 11. for that gréeuous punishments were at hande vnto the Babylonians by reason of their Idolatrie and shamefull wickednesse In fine if the first Adam by the instinct of Gods spirite truelie saide of his wife Gen. 2. 23. For this cause shal man leaue his father and mother and shall cleaue vnto his wife why also were not all things to be left of vs for retaining the truth of Christ seeing that euen the wife her selfe the children must be left for religion sake But if we séeme not to our aduersaries to haue doone well let them declare the cause why they haue separated themselues from al other Churches being the greater part of the world They are not able in verie déede to shewe such iust and euident causes as ours be which we haue before alleadged Let not their slaunders terrifie vs especiallie those which they haue always in their mouth saying that we are disturbers These bee no newe things They haue béene oftentimes vpbraided to the seruaunts of God Did not Achab the king of Samaria rebuke Elias the man of God 2. King 17. 18. and said Art thou Elias which troublest Israell But the Prophet constantlie returned the rebuke vpon him I trouble not Israell thou rather doest altogether with thy wife Iezabell The Iewes also accused Christ before Pilate Luke 23. 5. that he troubled all Iurie beginning at Galile Of the Apostles also as it is in the Actes it is saide Acts. 17. 6. Acts. 24. 5. that they troubled men Yea and Tertullus the Orator thus spake vnto Portius Festus that hée shoulde punish Paul because that they might by his conduct and gouernment inioy excellent peace and tranquillitie if onelie Paul were not a let who troubled all things by peruerse and new doctrine But now I cease to vrge anie more the seconde point namely that we might not otherwise doe but depart from the Popedome Thrée special causes of departing from the Papists For thrée sortes of necessitie vrged vs namelie of obaying the commaundements of GOD of shunning sinnes and flying Idolatrie and also for the escaping of paines and punishments which remaine for the wicked Neither must it séeme anie maruell that these necessities are laide vppon vs séeing that in the ciuill lawes the companies and assemblie which vnlawfullie assemble together are condemned to gréeuous punishments as it is in the Title de Collegijs corporibus illicitis the which are not onelie forbidden by the Commonweale or Emperour but they which frequent the same are accounted of euen as if they had occupied the publike place or temple with armed men For they are thought to abuse such corporations and fellowships for the working of their naughtines Wherfore God doeth rightlie and in order when by his commaundements he reconcileth vs from such assemblies 38 But nowe I come to the third member of this treatise wherein I will shew that we departed not from the Church but are rather come vnto it That they which haue left the Pope haue not departeâ— from the Church but rather returned to the same Which that it may euidently appeare we must consider that our aduersaries are verie much deceiued forsomuch as they thinke that things
be broken séeing it is written Exo. 12. 46. Thou shalt not breake a bone of him But these so sharpe witted men although they haue found in the 6. Iohn 6. 51. Chapter of Iohn that Christ called him selfe bread where I pray you shall they finde that he called himselfe wine That the materiall bread of the Eucharist is not the bread spoken of in the 6. of Iohn Mat. 26. 29 A confirmation For somuch as in this supper the other signe is called wine namely in those words of the Euangelist I wil not hereafter drinke of the fruite of this vine But there is no doubt but that vines bring not foorth accidentes but wine Further it is to no purpose which is spoken of the fathers with great consent that the mysticall body is betokened by the signes of this sacrament because bread is made of many graines and wine runneth together of many grapes which thinges in accidents haue no trueth And of these men we maruel very much who if at any time they heare vs bring similitudes as for example The rock was Christ The Lambe or beast for sacrifice is the pasouer Circumcision is the couenant they cry that these Allegories serue not for this place And now these men heape vp euery where tropes and figures They say also that bread is here taken for all that which may be eaten Certaine other obiections and answeres as Lehem in the Hebrew tongue is taken for all kinde of meate But against them make the Euangelist which restraine this kinde of meate vnto bread Others faine that bread signifyeth accidentes and the forme of bread who as the Logitians terme it doe Petere prrincipium and take as it were already graunted that which is in controuersie namely that accidentes be there without a subiect which thing they ought first to prooue Neither must miracles be heaped together without necessitie 8 An other Argument is that the olde Fathers had the same sacraments which we haue and yet there was no néede of Transubstantiation that the Rocke or the water flowing out of the Rocke or Manna should be transubstantiated which might not then be doone wherfore neither is this to be required vnto our Sacramentes The former proposition we haue read in Paul to wit 1. Cor. 10. 4 That the olde fathers and we had one and the selfe same meate Our aduersaries deny it and would haue that our Sacramentes should altogether many manner of wayes be distinguished from the mysteries of the olde fathers which we also graunt aswell in respect of diuers signes as also for the difference of times and certaine other properties But as touching the matter of the Sacramentes which was receaued by the holy Patriarches we say that the meate was altogether the selfe same and the drinke the selfe same with the substance of our Sacramentes That the sacraments of the forefathers and ours be all one Look before cap. 7. art 7. Look Dial. Of both natures in Christ Augustine vnto Marcellinus writeth of the difference of these Sacraments that vnto a prudent man it may suffise that by some Sacramentes it was foreshewed when Christ should come and that by others it ought to be shewed when he was come where Augustine seemeth to haue onely a regard to the difference of the time And in his little booke De vtilitate verae poenitentiae agendae he very plainely writeth that the olde fathers when they had Manna did eate the very same thing that we doe eate For saith he they did eate the very same spirituall meat What else is the very same but because they did eate euen it that wée doe And because vnto some man it might haue séemed an vnworthie thing that we haue no more than the Iewes had he vrgeth the testimonie of Paul vnto whom saith he it was not enough to say that the old fathers had spirituall meate but he would adde that they had The very same whereby we may vnderstand that they in their Manna did eate the very same thing that we doe eate therefore he added The very same Neither is it a let which some doe say that he spake of spirituall eating to wit that the Patriarches beléeued in Christ to come First because these men are not able to confirme their fleshly eating of Christ Secondly because the old fathers not onely beléeued with their minde but receaued a token of the thing beléeued that is Manna or water therefore the thing did not stand onely in faith and the saying of Augustine standeth faste that the meate of the fathers was not onely spiritual but the selfe same 9 It little also auaileth if thou obiect out of the same Augustine vppon the psalme 73. in the prologue the differences betwéene the new and the old sacramentes which as it séemeth he maketh to be thrée First that the sauiour is there promised but here giuē Afterward he saith that our sacramentes be easier fewer nobler and happier And lastly that those were as thinges to play with in the handes of children but that in ours there is some thing more profitable and substantiall These thinges as touching the first must be vnderstood of the promise of Christ that should come but notwithstanding that he in very déede had not as yet taken flesh vppon him yet was he spiritually giuen for a meate vnto the fathers beléeuing in the promise But ours are said to giue Christ namely because they testifie that he is come so as he must be looked for no more Further it is certaine that ours be fewer haue a greater facilitie and they signify with greater magnificence because the wordes which are declared are more plaine than they were in the olde testament Moreouer the felicitie is greater for we be frée from the yoke of ceremonies and we liue in the last houre being vndoubtedlie more nigh vnto the kingdome of Christ The spirit also is now more plentifull and the Church extendeth more largely than it did at that time Wherefore Many kings and Prophets desired to see those thinges which you see Matt. 13. 7. And the Sacramentes of the lawe were as thinges for pastime in the handes of children because it behooued the age of the olde fathers to be exercised like children vnder many ceremonies sundry elementes and diuers sortes of instructions But it is not prooued by all these thinges that the Sacramentes of the olde fathers had not as touching the substance of a mysterie those thinges which our Sacramentes haue For Cyprian hath in the 2 booke and 3. Epistle Our Lord Iesus Christ offered the selfe same thing which Melchizedeck offered that is to say bread and wine to wit his owne body and bloud Augustine against Faustus the 19. booke chap. the 16. In what a doting error be they which thinke that the signes and Sacramentes being chaunged the thinges also be diuers And in the same Treatise in the 20 booke the 21 Chapter The flesh and bloud of this Sacrifice before
the materiall naturall conditions thereof It is also to be vnderstood by interchange and participation of properties that because the diuine nature of Christ is most truely present with vs the selfe same may be communicated with his humanitie Iohn 3. 13. As Christ when he spake vpon the earth said that the sonne of man is in heauen and so he attributed vnto the humanitie that which belonged vnto the diuinitie After what maner the humane nature may be saide to be present in the sacrament And after this maner I might graunt that the humane nature of Christ is present with vs in the Communion if it should be expounded by communicating of properties one with another Lastly if thou demaund why the father 's vsed these figures and excessiue spéeches Why the fathers vsed excessiue spéeches as touching these matters wée say partly to followe the phrase of the Scripture partly to pearce more vehemently the mindes of men Further to the intent they might shew that this signification of Sacraments is not as it were Comical or Tragical For in those each player may represent Hector or Priamus there followeth nothing besides of any great importance But here the thing represented is by the power of the holy Ghost both giuen and imprinted in our mindes by faith and there followe manie giftes and graces and especially a secrete and vnspeakable vnion with Christ so as we truly become one with him 45 But the first obiection was out of Irenaeus who saieth that the earthly breade being consecrate is not common bread but is become the Eucharist This doe we willingly admit affirming that it is not héere common bread but holy and which now as he said is become the Eucharist But that which followeth makes more on our side For he writeth that the Eucharist consisteth of two things that is to wit heauenly and earthly and saieth not of the Accidents of an earthly thing He addeth afterward Euen so our bodies receiuing the Eucharist are not corruptible hauing the hope of the Resurrection And if so great a chaunge in our bodies be set forth by him as he maketh it equall to the change of the bread for he saith euen as that bread is no more cōmon bread so our bodies are no more corruptible what néede shall there be of Transubstantiation séeing he maketh these changes to be equall aswell in the one as in the other Next of all was Tertullian alleaged To Tertullian and he also expoundeth his owne selfe He not onely saith The Lorde hauing receiued the bread made it his bodie when he said This is my bodie but he added That is a signe of my bodie They obiected out of Origen To Origen that he wrote that the Lord confesseth the bread to be his bodie This doe not we denie but all the strife is as touching the maner how it is become the bodie of the Lorde and hereof he himselfe plainely teacheth elsewhere that there lyeth a figure and that this breade is called the nourishing word of the soule he teacheth that we must not holde our selues vnto the bloud of the flesh but vnto the bloud of the word To Cypriā Cyprian séemeth to speake more hardlie when he saieth that this bread is changed not in shape but in nature Howbeit we must haue regarde what he wrote vnto Coecilius namely that with the wine is shewed the bloud of the Lord and that if the wine cease to be in the cup it cannot appeare that the bloud of the Lord is there And whereas he nowe speaketh of changing that also wée graunt Howbeit a sacramentall changing What manner of change of the bread is graunted then we confesse not that the shape or the forme and accidents of bread haue this gift to become sacraments but that the nature and substance it selfe of breade and wine is chaunged into the sacraments of the bodie and bloud of the Lord. And as the substance it self of bread and not the forme nourisheth euen so the bodie of Christ both nourisheth our soule and it fostereth the bodie and renueth it And as the substance it selfe of bread consisteth of many graines so the mysticall bodie which it representeth hath many members ioyned together Whereupon aswell we as our aduersaries say that the forme that is the appearaunce and shewe of the bread is not changed but that it is the substance which is chaunged And they woulde haue a change to be by casting awaie of the nature of bread but we onelie affirme a sacramentall change And Cyprian himselfe maketh against our aduersaries for they change not the substance of bread but they take it vtterly awaie We say that it is changed as that which is become the bodie of Christ that is a sacrament of Christes bodie which before it was not Besides these things Nature among the authors of the Latine tongue doeth not alwaies signifie substance Diuers significations of nature but power wit and propertie Wherfore Cicero de Somnio Scipionis The proper nature and power of the soule is that it selfe should be mooued by it selfe And vnto Lentulus That is the nature and Religion of thy Prouince And when it is saide the Nature of Herbes the nature of stones and such like Which signification doeth well agrée with the saying of Cyprian To Ambrose 46 They obiect Ambrose and especiallie in his bookes De Sacramentis which bookes some haue thought to bée none of Ambrose workes The Bishop of Rochester is earnest against them that so thinke And hée saith that we must in any wise giue credite to Augustine Certaine bookes ascribed to Ambrose concerning sacraments who ascribeth these bookes vnto Ambrose And he openly testifieth that Ambrose wrote the bookes de Sacramentis and he citeth the prologue vppon the Bookes of Christian doctrine which I haue oftentimes read and neuer finde that which this man writeth Vnlesse perhaps he meane that which he wrote in his books of Retractatiōs when he maketh mention of his writings of Christian doctrine there perhaps hée hath some such thing Moreouer this I know very well Certaine spéeches of Ambrose that Augustine against Iulian the Pelagian cited Ambrose De Sacramento Regenerationis vel de Philosophia yet not these Bookes De Mysterijs vel de Sacramentis And the things which be there cited are not found in those bookes De Sacramentis But I passe not hereof Admit that they be the bookes of Ambrose They do not altogether disagrée with vs. For he oftentimes maketh mention of signifying and that these sacraments are named and called the bodie of Christ the which we denie not And if at any time hée make mention of changing or conuersion these wordes must be vnderstoode of sacramentall changing Further the selfe same father must be perused what hée saith in an other place First in his Treatise De Officijs the 4. booke the 48. Chapter Héere is the shadow héere is the Image there is
the truth A shadow in the Lawe an Image in the Gospell the truth in the heauenlie places Before time a Lambe was offered a Caulfe was offered nowe Christ is offered but he is offered as a man as it were receiuing passion but he offereth himselfe as a priest that he may forgiue our sinnes héere in an Image there in trueth where as an aduocate with the father he maketh intercession for vs. And vpon the first Epistle to the Corinthians as we haue alreadie cited he saieth In eating and drinking wee signifie the flesh and bloud of Christ which are offered And when he speaketh of the bloud hée saieth that we receiue a figure thereof that is the mysticall Cup. Againe the same father in these Bookes De Sacramentis in the 4. Booke and 4. Chapter manifestly affirmeth our changing into Christ The which wee haue oftentimes noted in other Fathers 47 Now there remaineth that we consider of Chrysostom An exposition of Chrysostome They alledged this similitude of waxe the which being put into the fire as touching the substance there is destroyed so as nothing remaineth so saith he thou maist think that the mysteries be consumed by the substance of Christs bodie What say they can be more manifest for Transubstantiation But here I thinke it good to examin Chrysostom himself whereby ye may plainelie perceaue how rightlie those things are noted whereof we spake before as touching the sayinges of the fathers He in the 83 Homilie vpon Matthew saith The excessiue spéeches of Chrysostome Many say that they would and doe couet to sée the forme and shape of Christ also to behold his garments and shooes But he giueth himselfe vnto thée not only that thou maiest sée him but also that thou maist touch him Do we not here vnderstand that he attributeth vnto the matter of the sacramēt that which belongeth vnto the signes namely that the bodie of Christ may be touched and séene which who séeth not to be true onely as touching the signes Again in the same Homilie He reduceth vs as I may say into one lumpe together with him and that not alonely by faith but he maketh vs in very déede his bodie And the same he wrote in the 60. Homilie and in the 61. vnto the people of Antioch We are not onely in faith but in verie déede mixed with the bodie of Christ That we I say not onelie by faith and loue but also in very déede are made and mixed with the bodie of Christ and if this be so that we be not transubstantiated and yet neuerthelesse so néerely ioyned with Christ what néede is it for the bread to be transubstantiated that it may bee made the bodie of Christ But there might arise a doubt as though Chrysostom maketh against vs which affirme this receauing by faith séeing he saith that we not onely by faith but in verie déede also are mingled with him and changed into him But here it must be vnderstood that although we haue sayd that the bodie of Christ and his bloud be eaten and drunke by faith yet after this receauing by faith there followeth not a feined but a true coniunction betwéene vs and Christ whereby not onelie our minde is vnited with him but also our bodie and flesh hath his renewing from thence and we are truelie made the members of the Lord and doe receaue him to be our head from whence we perpetuallie drawe both spirit and life And this is it that Chrysostom said that we are in very déede ioyned with Christ And againe in the same Homilie vppon Matthew he saith that these be signes of the Lord Iesus whereby we stoppe the mouthes of the heretickes which demaund how Christ suffered For if he had not had true flesh and had truely suffered in vaine should these signes be In the same Homilie he saith that our tongue is made bloudy in receauing of the Sacraments And least thou shouldest cauil that the bloudinesse with which together with the wine or the accidentes of the wine as they terme it our tongue is made bloudy should be vnderstood to be inuisible in the 60 Homilie which the same father had to the people of Antioch he writeth that our tongue waxeth redde with this bloud where euery man may sée that it is Hyperbole or an excessiue speach And in Encaeniis he saith that the bloud in the cup is drawne out of the side of the Lord which cannot be beléeued as it is spoken séeing the side of the Lord is not at this day open and from thence the bloud is not drawne Chrysostom declareth his owne excessiue spéeches 48 He writeth moreouer in the same Homilie Doost thou see the bread or the wine he aunswereth God forbid Certainlie if he should here aske the senses they would aunswere that it is not true that he saith For by the iudgement of our sense A negatiue is somtime vnderstoode by a comparison the bread and the wine is present but he speaketh truelie when he addeth Thinke not so because in respect of our iudgement bread and wine doe cease to be there The same father writeth Thinke not thou that thou receauest of man the bodie of Christ but of the Seraphin that is present and with a payre of tongs he deliuereth vnto thée a fierie cole Here I thinke not that they would haue the Minister or Pastor to be transubstantiated which deliuereth the Sacramentes vnto vs. And he added Let vs runne together to sucke forth the bloud which floweth out of the side of the Lord. These thinges the Schoolemen themselues dare not speake For they write that the bread and wine is changed into the substance of the bodie and bloud yet not so as to the true substance of the bodie of Christ any thing either commeth or departeth away And in the 61. Homilie vnto the people of Antioch he saith that Christ not onely gaue himselfe vnto vs to be séene but also to be touched and felt vppon whose flesh also we fasten our téeth That which belongeth vnto the signes is attributed to the things In which place thou séest that that which appertaineth to the signes is attributed vnto the thing signified by the Sacramentes For our tooth reacheth not vnto the substance of the bodie of Christ but onely vnto the bread and signes and Sacramentes The selfe same father in the 60. Homilie vnto the people of Antioch saith that we ought not to thinke that the hand of the priest reacheth the Sacramēt but must iudge that the hand of Christ stretched foorth dooth deliuer the same And that he himselfe also in baptisme executeth the office namelie of baptising And in the 61. he admonisheth that we should consider that in this Sacrament we leaue Christ sitting in heauen who is woorshipped of the Angels By all this it is plaine that this father of ours prouided by all meanes to call foorth the mindes of the communicantes from the grosser sort of signes and from outward
Otherwise he saith the flesh profiteth nothing but it is the spirite that quickeneth Wherein thou maist note that this saying of our Sauiour which is in the 6. of Iohn is vnderstoode by Augustine as touching the flesh of Christ but not of the carnall vnderstanding as some will haue it 50 And as touching adoration I will knit vp in few words will rehearse what I haue elsewhere spoken in my exposition of the Epistle vnto the Corinthians In what things adoration consisteth namelie that the same consisteth in inuocation and confession which is of two sortes aswell of the heart as of the mouth and in thanksgiuing And those things are due both vnto God and vnto Christ God and Christ must be worshipped wheresoeuer they declare themselues vnto vs. Looke the Dialogue of both natures in Christ and in the treatise against Gardiner wheresoeuer they shewe themselues vnto vs. And this is doone thrée manner of wayes First by the internall worde when as by the power of the spirit of God anie vehement cogitation of God and of Christ entereth into our mindes Then followeth worshipping because wee either confesse or inuocate or else giue thankes Sometime these thinges declare themselues vnto vs by the outward worde when as we our selues reade the holie scriptures or else heare godlie sermons Then are we oftentimes stirred vp to inuocation or else to other things which belong to the order of seruing God Finallie Christ and GOD otherwhile declareth him selfe by outwarde signes as vppon mount Syna Vnto Esay vnder the forme of a king sitting vppon his royall seate in the Arke of the Couenaunt in the Sacraments and there also worshipping is giuen vnto him But euen as Augustine admonished that we must not settle our minde vppon the fleshe but wee must haue accesse vnto the Godhead Whether in receiuing the Eucharist it be lawful to vse adoration by the outward signes So I héere admonish that in worshipping when we receiue the Eucharist wee must not staie in the signes but must worship in spirite and trueth Christ sitting in heauen at the right hande of his father And this because the simple sort doe not vnderstande by reason of the confirmed and grounded errour of transsubstantiation therfore I thinke it not vnprofitable if we woulde forbeare from outward worshipping namelie from prostrating or knéeling vntill such time as these might be instructed Inwarde worshipping maie be vsed without danger neither would outward worshipping in his owne nature be euill for manie doe knéele and worship deuoutlie at the hearing of those wordes And the word was made fleshe and yet is it not to be saide that those words be worshipped but the things signified And why may not the same be doone here so that the signes be not worshipped but that which is signified by them Howbeit in these dayes for the cause aforesaide perhappes outwarde Adoration is not méete vnlesse that oftentimes mention shoulde bee made hereof in Sermons 51 Neither let anie man take an occasion of my sayings Whether pictures Images are to bée worshipped that it should be lawfull to worshippe either Images or pictures because God and Christ séeme otherwhile to declare themselues there effectuallie For we haue the plaine worde Let vs not make vnto our selues Images for to worship But as touching the words of the holie scripture and the Sacramentes nothing letteth that we should adore in the hearing or receauing of them because those things are instituted by the worde will and commaundement of God Of the remnants of the Eucharist after the vse of the Sacraments that we maie be prouoked to the seruice of GOD which consisteth in adoration Neither oughtest thou to gather hereby that the remnantes of the Eucharist must bee worshipped For whatsoeuer strength the signes haue that they haue by the holie Ghost by the words of the Lord and by his institution which thinges without the vse of the sacrament are not extant And whyle we eate drinke there is a promise Wherefore that opinion of consecration was not vniuersall because in the time of Hesychius as hee himselfe testifieth vpon Leuiticus the remnantes of the Eucharist were burned And euen this thou hast in Origen vppon Leuiticus although it bee the same booke which is ascribed vnto two And Clement the Bishop of Rome as appeareth by his decrée which is de Consecratione distinct 2. ordained that the remnantes of this sacrament shoulde be eaten by the Ecclesiasticall persons We denie not that they were sometime kept but this was doone without adoration and superstitious worshippinges They were giuen vnto children and vnto Women to be caried vnto the sicke Of the Eucharist sent from house to house as appeareth out of the Historie of Eusebius Caesariensis and out of Ierom. And I would not willinglie saie that the receauing of these remnants after that manner out of the holie congregation and besides the rite appointed by the Lorde was a iust communion which neuerthelesse I graunt the sicke might haue so that they repeated the holie wordes and that some faithfull men did there communicate among themselues For where manie doe not communicate the nature of the sacrament is not retayned Christ saide Take ye eate ye and drinke ye The breade is broken which pertaineth vnto distribution And in their Canon they saie manie thinges the which vnlesse manie doe communicate be lies Moreouer it is called a supper a Communion a gathering together Which names little agrée with priuate action Neither doe we at anie time read of priuate masses among the olde Fathers Honorius the Bishop of Rome brought in a decrée that the Eucharist shoulde be kept and he added that honour and reuerence should bee doone vnto it when it shall be caried about Which if it had béene doone before his time it shoulde haue béene néedlesse for him to make such a decrée And to speake briefelie we affirme that this Sacrament as before hath béene sayde hath not his force or efficacie except when it is exercised and receaued which also thou séest to come to passe in all other Sacramentes T Hilarie 52 Hilarius is obiected against vs. But he had verie great controuersies with the Arrians against whom he dealeth because they thought that betwéene the father and the sonne there is no coniunction vnlesse it bée by a consent of will Against these Hilarie saith I demaunde of you whether betwéene vs and Christ there be a coniunction by the propertie of nature or by an agréement of the will For the Arrians woulde lay holde of that place wherein Christ prayed that we might be one together with him euen as he and the father be one betwéene themselues There is a place in Iohn the 17. Verse 21. Chapter where it is saide Euen as thou father art in me and I in thee that they also may bee one in vs. The Heretikes added that wee haue no coniunction with Christ vnlesse it be as touching the consent and will
and by this they inferred that betwéene the sonne of God and the father there happeneth no other vnion or coniunction than this Wherfore it was the part of Hilarie to shew that we be naturallie vnited with Christ to the intent he might conclude that the sonne also is naturally ioyned to the Father His proofe is on this wise If the word of GOD did truelie take vppon it the nature of man hée doeth naturallie communicate in his fleshe with vs and we are said to remaine in him because he hath in himselfe our nature And semblablie in the Lords supper if we truelie receaue his flesh we doe participate naturallie with him and he doth truelie dwel in vs. And thus Hilarie argueth from the trueth of Sacraments which we denie not And this was the vse of the old fathers that they drewe their Arguments from Sacramentes as from thinges best knowen But there is none of these things against our opinion For Hilarie contendeth not that the flesh of Christ is hidden and couered vnder Accidentes or in this Sacrament but hee onelie affirmeth that we in communicating are trulie ioyned to the flesh of Christ the which we denie not But consider with mee that the selfe same father not much before those words which he speaketh of the Eucharist saith the same of Baptisme that by it we are ioyned vnto Christ and one with an other not onelie in the vnitie of assent and will but also in the vnitie of nature So that ye shall be constrayned there also to appoint Transubstantiation if for that cause yee bring it into the Sacrament Chrysostome is not farre from this vse of taking Arguments from Sacramentes who in the 83. Homilie vppon Matthew saith as we cited before that these be signes of the Lord Iesus whereby we both bridle and stoppe the mouthes of Heretikes For they saie verie often Howe did Christ suffer And wee on the other side obiect If Christ had not true flesh these signes be in vayne And this doth rightlie follow because they shoulde else represent vnto vs fained things And thus were the Manichees Marcionites and such like pestilent sectes put to silence by them 53 As touching Leo the Byshop of Rome To Leo. there is no cause why we should trouble our selues much because he in the sentence obiected against vs both affirmeth a mysticall distribution and setteth downe a spirituall sustenance and a vertue celestiall and sayth that we doe passe into the flesh of Christ euen as he tooke our flesh vpon him They cite Emisenus whose wordes are read To Emisenus De Consecratione distinct the first but there if thou looke well vppon it thou shalt finde these wordes Touch thou with thy minde and with the hand of thy heart take hold of the bodie of Christ By which wordes it is plain that he affirmeth vs to eate the bodie of the Lorde spirituallie Further he vehementlie vrgeth as other of the fathers doe our changing into Christ the wich neuerthelesse as we sée is without Transubstantiation Why we so often make mencion of the chāging of our selues in receiuing of the Sacramentes I know that some may woonder why we so oftentimes oppose the changing of our selues against the changing that the fathers séeme to affirme to be in the signes which they constantlie say are all one and some imagine that there is a farre other cōiunction betwéen the bodie of Christ and the signes than is betwéene vs and the bodie of Christ and that therefore the Analogie and proportion holdeth not although the fathers doe appoint both the one and the other To this we aunswer and say that our Argument is most strong because it is from the greater to the lesse by a negatiue For the ioyning together of Christ vnto vs and with them which communicate is greater than it can be with the signes The communicants are more ioyned vnto Christ than are the signes Seeing therefore in respect of vs transubstātiation is not required much lesse shall it be in signes But that we be more ioyned together vnto Christ than the signes be it thereby appeareth insomuch as that coniunctiō was inuēted bicause of this Further the words and the spirit whereby the signes are consecrated do much lesse belong vnto other things than vnto men Vnto Theophilact 54 Of Theophilact we say that he is a late writer and who perhappes liued in those times when as many questions were begunne to be mooued touching Tansubstantiation vnder Nicholas the Byshop of Rome in the time of Lanfranck and Berengarius Further he was a man of no great iudgement as it may appeare by his interpretation of Iohn the 3. Chapter at the ende where he blameth the Church of the Latins by name as touching the procéeding of the holy Ghost that it procéedeth from the father and the sonne So as we will not thinke his authoritie to be so great as it ought to preiudice the trueth yet neuerthelesse we will examine his sayings He affirmeth bread not to be the figure of the bodie of Christ and that in his treatise vppon Matthew But and if he meane a voyd and vaine figure he saith rghtlie neither doe we appoint such a figure And we doubt not but that this is his interpretation because vpon Marke he saith that it is not a figure onelie otherwise if he should vtterlie denie it to be a figure he should be against the rest of the fathers whom we haue manifestlie prooued to affirme that it is both a signe and a figure He saith that breade is transformed that it is chaunged and transelementated which spéeches if hee vnderstand sacramentally we mislike them not For bread and wine be sacraments and doe passe into the Elements of diuine things they put on a signifying forme But they say that this Father writeth Therfore the flesh and bloud is not séene least we should abhorre it But if thou wilt sharply vrge these words we will obiect that which hee writeth vpon Marke That the kindes of bread and wine are changed into the vertue of the bodie and bloud to wit that the kinds of bread and wine are chaunged into the vertue of the bodie and bloud of the Lord. And if thou wilt say that he in an other place saieth not Into the vertue but into the bodie bloud of the Lord we aunswere that this is the interpretation of those wordes that these signes take vnto them the vertue of the things by which vertue the Sacramentes haue no lesse than if the things themselues were there and as I haue saide the abhorring is taken away if wee appoint the signes to be chaunged not into the thing but into the vertue More violent séemeth an other saying of his which he hath vpon the 6. Chapter of Iohn where he writeth Euen as while Christ liued vpon the earth the bread was chaunged into his fleshe by an vsuall way of nourishment through naturall transmutation so this bread is chaunged into
peace and tranquillitie of the Church that the faithfull might growe vp together among themselues in a greater agréement Wherupon séeing afterward this cause was taken away for so much as Hierusalem béeing destroyed and the rites of Moses vtterlie subuerted this difference was not betwéene the Iewes and the Gentiles therefore that decrée might be taken away Howbeit it was kept a long while euen vnto the times of Irenaeus Tertullian and Origen and Caesariensis maketh mention thereof in the historie of Attalus and Blandin These Ceremonies might after a sort bee retained at the beginning vntill the preaching of the Gospel did take better roote and that all men might plainelie vnderstand that the rites of Moses were abolished Augustine Augustine against Faustus the 2. booke and 13. Chapter maketh plaine mētion of this matter and saith that vntill both the walles of the Church Synagogue were wel growen together so as the difference should no more appeare somewhat ought to be yéelded to the infirmitie of the Iewes And it séemeth that speciallie that was to bee done in those things which belonged not to sacrifices but vnto daylie foode For the Iewes could not straightway be well content with the dyet of the Ethnickes 1. Cor. 11. 4 To the 12. Afterwarde they obiected the Apostolicall tradition whereby a man is commaunded to prophesie and praie bare-headed the woman with her head couered which preceptes they say Men commaunded to prophesie bare headed are not throughlie kept Héere we answere that it is not our part to bee inquisitiue what is kept or what is not kept This commaundement we know is extant and they that kéepe it not let themselues sée to it I haue not séene anie minister praying openlie but that his heade hath béene vncouered In the verie which habite I sée them to be at Sermons especiallie while they recite the wordes of the holie Scripture 17 Our Aduersaries also argued that Christ gaue the sacramēt to his Apostles To the 13. the consideration of whom was not alike séeing they were made priestes therefore they affirmed that this example of Christ was not to be extended vnto the people But certainlie as touching the Préesthood of the Apostles we know nothing neither is there any one syllable extant in the holie Scriptures that the Apostles were Priestes The Scripture vseth not these wordes But goe too Let them vnderstand By Priests the Ministers of the Church Let them tel vs why they giue not to their Massing Priests if they Masse not when they come to Communicate but one part of the Sacrament as vnto the laity séeing Christ gaue both vnto the Apostles and no lesse distributed vnto them than hée receiued for himselfe Further if Christ as they will gaue the Eucharist onely vnto the priests how dare they be so hardy as to giue a part of the Eucharist vnto the laytie and common sort séeing Christ as they say did not communicate with them Adde that in the supper with Christ were no women present vnlesse they will that they were Priestes Why then doe they distribute the Sacrament vnto them seeing Christ gaue it onely vnto men But they which speake so subtillie of the supper which Christ himselfe had with his Apostles what answere I beséech you will they make vnto Paule 1. Cor. 10. 11. who writing to the whole Church of Corinth and not to the Ministers of the Church onelie commaundeth that both kindes shoulde bée giuen And yet they say that in the Canons decrées and Ecclesiasticall histories there is mention made of the Communion of the laitie Communion of the Laitie I denie not but it is so howbeit they are farre deceiued which thinke that the Communion of the laytie doth onely signifie a participation of one part onelie for euen then both the kindes was giuen But it was called the communion of the laytie because the Ministers of the Church béeing once put frō their function by reason of some offence did no more communicate in the cleargie or among the Ministers but were mingled with the companie of the laye men To the 14. 18 They saide that they haue the consent of the Church wherein they impudentlie challenge to themselues that which is ours séeing the Churches of Gréece the whole East part and the vniuersall antiquitie holde with vs. For the foule mangling of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is but latelie sprung vp Among the latter men Thomas Aquinas saith Thomas Aquinas that euen now in his time the same began to be practised in some Churches which he writeth in the 3. part Quaest 80. Artic. 12. Doubtlesse the importunitie of the Aduersaries is woonderfull When wée flie vnto the Scriptures they crie out that they bee darke and they appeale to the fathers whom they say are on their side they flie vnto the antiquitie of times whereby they would shift off all the testimonies of the Scriptures But how vncertaine they bée in their opinions we easilie see in this disputation séeing the Scripture is plaine all the fathers make with vs and the whole antiquity agréeth with the Scriptures Wherfore the indeuour that they haue to bee contrarie ariseth onelie héereof that they bée sworne wholie addicted to the lawes of the Pope in comparison whereof they weigh not a haire neither of the truth of the fathers nor yet of antiquitie To the 15. 19 And wheras they alleaged that Christ sometime administred onely the one part of the Sacrament Luk. 24. 35. because they reade in Luke that the Disciples knew him by breaking of bread it is trifling For howe it may appeare for a certaintie that the breaking of bread there signifieth the holie communion they haue not béene able to shewe séeth that worde also is often in the holy Scriptures applyed to common meate And that those Disciples in taking of common meate could know Christ it is no maruell For séeing he had peculiar thanks giuings and particular prayers as we beléeue he had he might easilie be perceiued Further admit it were so that Christ offered them onelie one part of the Sacrament is it therefore lawefull for vs to doe the same He did not by that fact abrogate his generall cōmandement which he gaue in the Supper and that is confirmed by the writings of the Euangelists and of Paul Gen. 22. 1. God once commaunded Abraham that he should sacrifice his sonne yet did he not thereby plucke away any thing from his generall precept Thou shalt not kill Exo. 20. 13. Hee also commaunded the Israelites Exod. 11. 2 that they should carie away the stuffe of the Egyptians and yet neuerthelesse he would that commandement Thou shalt not steale to be inuiolate Exo. 20. 15 Lastly where it is named The breaking of bread we may by the figure Synecdoche vnderstand the whole Supper euen as it was first declared And they are to be laughed at when they accuse vs to doe absurdly which of one action of
same opinion was Ierom vppon Malachie But the cause why the Prophet maketh mention of Minchah before other Sacrifices is for that the same was vniuersall and was adioyned to all Sacrifices and so might it easilie be offered by pooore and simple men 16 In lyke manner it is but weake that is obiected out of the Councell of Nice The Councel of Nice An vnbloudie sacrifice that therein is mention made of an vnbloudie hoste or Sacrifice which we deny not if thou wilt referre it to a memoriall and thankesgiuing But vnto them it is no vnbloudie Sacrifice séeing they boast that they haue true and as they terme it reall bloud in the Sacrament In what respect the communicants are saide to sacrifice Further according to this opinion not onelie the minister but the faithful so many as doe eate and drinke of the Table of the Lord doe Sacrifice although as we haue said we should not vse this word séeing the holy scriptures speake not so of the Eucharist Neither may they speake ill of vs as though we take away from Ministers their dignitie Wherein the dignitie of ministers consisteth For they haue their honor still for ought that we say Let them teach all nations let them baptise let them administer the Sacramentes and let them retaine discipline in the Church and let them not thinke that they haue lost their degrée if it be denyed that they offer Christ vnto God the Father What more excellent and honorable thing can they haue than to be the Ambassadors of Christ and to reconcile the world vnto God by their preaching as we reade in the 2. Epistle to the Corinthians 2. Cor. 5. 20 In the Actes of the Apostles we haue Acts. 13. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A place in the Acts made plaine Which place although Erasmus translateth Whiles they were Sacrificing and fasting yet in his annotations he saith that he vnderstandeth by the Sacrifice the preaching of the Gospel What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth Neither is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properlie to sacrifice but to execute a publike office and action The Gréeke expositions also in that place referre that vnto the preaching of the Gospell It is blasphemie to say that they offer vp Christ And let these men sée how they can be otherwise counted than blasphemous séeing they brag that they offer Christ vnto God the father because it followeth hereuppon that they make themselues better and more woorthie than Christ For he that offereth cannot be vnwoorthier than the thing offered Whereuppon Irenaeus when he vseth the word of offering Irenaeus plainelie speaketh it of the oblation which he referreth vnto the bread and vnto the wine That which is offered receiueth dignitie of him that offereth because it receiueth the dignitie from him that offereth and is therefore acceptable vnto God because he that offereth it is acceptable vnto him And thereby it is most manifest that be cannot vnderstand these thinges of Christ For Christ is not acceptable vnto God for the Sacrifice sake but contrariwise rather we be acceptable vnto God for Christs sake And I maruell that some would obiect against this our Argument the Baptisme ministred vnto Christ by Iohn Baptist séeing that was a Sacrament not a Sacrifice And we doubt not but that Sacraments may be ministred by them that are vnwoorthie vnto them that shall be better woorthie So then this instance is but vaine séeing a Sacrament hath not dignitie by the Minister But a sacrifice as saith Irenaeus getteth honor vnto it selfe by him that offereth And euen this doe we read in Esay in the Psalmes in Micheas the Prophet and elsewhere that God detesteth those Sacrifices which were offred without faith charitie and a good conscience Of the sacrifice of Melchisedeck Gen. 14. 18 Looke in Gen. 14. 18. 17 Manie also are woont to say of the sacrifice of Melchisedeck that now there is a priesthoode according to that order extant in the Church Wherefore say they euen as he offered bread and wine vnto God so we in the forme of bread and wine offer the sonne of God whereby the thing signified and shadowed may excell the figures and shadowes thereof But as touching this the historie of the booke of Genesis hath not that Melchisedeck offered bread wine vnto God but vnto Abraham and his hoste being wearied So Rabbi Salomon interpreteth that Neither can this hebrew word Iatsa in the coniugation Hiphil otherwise signifie than either to bring foorth or to bring out Onelie Rabbi Salomon added that therein might be a figure Rabbi Salomon because in that place namelie in Ierusalem it behooued them in olde time to offer an oblation of wine and Mincha But as touching the historie he affirmeth Why Melchisedeck went to méete Abraham that those thinges were offered vnto Abraham and to his hoste And that Melchisedeck would by this gift declare that he tooke it not in ill part that his posteritie was cut off by Abraham For he maketh this Melchisedeck as other Hebrewes doe to be Sem the sonne of Noah And therefore went he out to gratifie him with bread and wine that thereby Abraham and his hoste which were wearie Ambrose might be refreshed Ambrose also in his Treatise of the Sacramēts plainlie saith that these things were offered vnto Abraham Augustine And Augustine in his booke of Questions of the olde Testament writeth that the Eucharist of the bodie and bloud of Christ was offred vnto Abraham Now then vnto the Fathers which say that Melchisedeck offered vnto God we obiect the trueth of the Hebrew and other fathers which wée haue now cited But admit that he offered vnto God what is this vnto the Masse They shall haue no other than an allegoricall Argument which in verie déede is most weake Further we deny not An Allegoricall argument concludeth not It is not denyed but that bread and wine are offered vnto God but that bread in the supper of the Lord is after a sort offered vnto God to be sanctified that it is made a sacrament by him The difficultie matter in debate is whether Christ himselfe is offered vnto God the father by massing priests y◠which as it hath bin said these men doe not prooue That the Priesthoode according to the order of Melchisedeck remaineth in the Church And that a priesthood remaineth in the Church according to the order of Melchisedeck we deny not by reason of Christ who being our high priest is entred into heauen and for vs maketh intercession to the Father Of the which matter it is sufficientlie written in the Epistle to the Hebrewes Of the Masse peruse an other place at the end of this woorke Another Common Place of Sacrifice 18 And in Sacrifices it is to be obserued In Iud. 13. 22. That the offerer is more acceptable vnto God than the sacrifice Irenaeus Gen. 4. that God accepteth better of him
of planting watering there is one thing doone in them whose outward eares are mooued by a bodilie voice an other thing in them whose inward sense God hath opened in whose hart he hath put the foundation of faith the feruencie of loue c. Those two kinds of calling could not more euidentlie be expressed Zuinglius in his book De prouidentia tome 1. leafe the 370. That appointment or ordinance wherby is decréed that a man is now called by God not onelie by this generall calling which betokeneth the outward preaching of the apostles but also by that whereby the spirit dooth earnestlie put the elect in remembrance that they desire to obeie GOD in that he commandeth or promiseth c. The same author vpon the epistle to the Romans the eight chapter tome 4. leafe 428. To them which according to the purpose who indéed were called from the beginning These words doo I vnderstand of the inward calling that is of the election not of the outward calling of the word As if he should saie I haue now said that to the saints or them which be called all things turne vnto good Which saieng I allow for all things are grounded vpon the frée election of God God which knew all things before they were determined also before hand that they should be coheires with his sonne so neuerthelesse that Christ is the first begotten that is the naturall and essentiall sonne of God and we the adopted sonnes Whom he hath so before hand appointed and ordeined those afterward he calleth by an inward calling that is he draweth inwardlie Iohn 6. that is he maketh faithfull he draweth them that their mind may cleaue fast and trust vnto him Whom he thus maketh faithfull those also he iustifieth through an assured faith that is to wit of his sonne c. The same author in his booke De prouidentia tome 1. leafe the 368. saith For they sawe that this thing is not now signified by signes but doone before the eies whereby the sinnes of the whole world were purged but as touching this outward calling there was nothing doone bicause onelie they did repent whom the holie Ghost lightened that they might knowe this man to be the sauiour and the father did drawe them that they might come vnto him and might imbrace him further to knowe that outward things are not able to doo anie thing else but signifie and shew c. Conradus Pellicanus vpon the first chapter to the Ephesians interpreting these words Ephe. 1 5. Who hath predestinated vs to the adoption of sonnes thus writeth In the which thing must be noted the order wherein election holdeth the first place next vnto that the adoption to be sonnes which is said to be the calling while the Lord draweth vnto him those which he indued with the spirit in giuing a knowledge of himselfe finallie there succéedeth an holinesse of life c. Now by these excellent and holie men appéereth these two maner of callings not deuised by me but both receiued and put in writing by them Whereof it commeth that of them which be at one and the selfe-same sermon and heare the selfe-same Gospell some beléeue some contend some imbrace and some laugh to scorne Verelie they which contend scorne and refuse doo it of their owne naughtinesse which God infuseth not into them but they which beléeue and imbrace doo this by the effectuall caling of God the which is not giuen vnto all men Wherefore Augustine De praedestinatione sanctorum chapter eight Therefore when the Gospell is preached some beléeue and some beléeue not they which beléeue the preacher speaking outwardlie do inwardlie heare of the father do learne but they which doo not beléeue doo heare outwardlie inwardlie they doo not heare nor yet learne This is as much to saie as To the one sort it is giuen to beléeue to the other it is not giuen Iohn 6 44. bicause No man saith he commeth vnto me except my father shall drawe him The same father euen in that booke the sixt chapter Many heare the word of truth but some beléeue and some speake against it That these therefore will beléeue and that those will not who can be ignorant of this Who can denie it Howbeit séeing the will of some is prepared by the Lord and of some not we are in verie déed to discerne what springeth of his mercie or what springeth of his iudgement Rom. 10 3. That which Israel sought saith the apostle it obteined not but election obteined it Acts. 2 37. But others be blinded as it is written God hath giuen vnto them the spirit of slumber eies that they might nor see and eares that they might not heare euen vnto this daie c. Wherefore verie great is the difference of hearers the which Augustine as we haue knowne noteth by the diuersitie of callings And wherefore God so tempereth and distributeth them he in the same booke the eight chapter teacheth in these words But whie he teacheth not all men the apostle hath opened so much as he thought méet to be opened bicause He minding to shew his wrath Rom. 9 22. and to make his power knowne suffered with long patience the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction and that he might declare the riches of his glorie vpon the vessels of mercie which he prepared vnto glorie c. Here the reason as it manifestlie appeareth is deriued from the finall cause bicause God determined to make manifest not onelie his goodnesse but also his righteousnesse and seueritie But some man will saie If thus the case stand God shall not be vniuersall but particular The which doubtlesse in this respect cannot be denied for we sée that he ruleth at his pleasure and distributeth these two kinds of callings But of this matter we will speake afterward when we shall come vnto predestination The vse of this doctrine 14 In the meane time let vs answer them who say it is but a small matter that they desire and that the frée will which they would haue to be granted them they saie i◠but a certeine little sparke The same we doo grant so farre as godlinesse will permit namelie in those things which are subiect to the sense reason of man and which doo not excéed the capacitie of our nature Also to them that be renewed we grant it as much as mans infirmitie dooth suffer while we liue in this world But vnto those which be not renewed we cannot grant the same as touching heauenlie and spirituall good things bicause such a sparke it is as it would not bréed brightnes but smoke wherby men would soone become proud and withdraw much from the grace and mercie of God For by this little sparke they would boast that they are discerned from others but the scriptures will not haue them discerned otherwise than by the grace and mercie of God not by free will or by their owne gifts and vertues
Augustine answereth And yet those whom I would gather togither I gathered euen against thy will Yet the same father séemeth to haue spoken hardlie Obiections out of Augustine in his treatise against Adimantus the Manichei the 26. chapter where he wrote that It is in the power of man to change the will vnto better Herevnto notwithstanding he himselfe answereth in his first booke of refractations the 22. chapter where he saith But that power is nothing vnlesse it be giuen of God by whom it is said Iohn 1 12. He gaue them power to be made the sonnes of God For séeing this is in the power that when we will we doo nothing is so much in the power as is the will it selfe but the will is prepared of the Lord and by that meanes he giueth power So must that also be vnderstood that I said afterward it is in our power either that we be ingraffed by the goodnesse of God or by his seueritie be cut off bicause it is not in our power sauing for that he followeth our will which being prepared by the Lord to be mightie and strong that which before was hard and vnpossible is soone become a worke of godlines c. Wherefore let this rule and exposition be of force to answer all the places of Augustine in which he séemeth to attribute more than is méet vnto frée will as touching heauenlie and supernaturall things We must answer that this selfe power hath onlie place in willes alreadie prepared and healed This rule did this father neuer withdrawe but put it as firme and certeine in his retractations Yea and in the tenth chapter of the same booke he sheweth that those things which he wrote as touching frée will against the Manicheis were spoken to the intent he might declare that there is not a certeine first euill beginning contrarie vnto the good God from which euill beginning forsooth sinnes should flowe but that the beginning of sinnes was from the will Wherefore it was not agréeable to that drawing that he shuld speake much of the grace of God that prepareth and healeth which neuerthelesse he after some sort left not vntouched And of frée will he spake rather as it was in nature first instituted than as it is now found in nature defiled and corrupted How far foorth free will is granted It is also obiected vnto vs that we doo euill in denieng frée will and that we giue an occasion of bringing the same in question and that we offer an offense vnto the Papists Howbeit I take not awaie frée will in generall but I grant the same in outward things and in those things which are not aboue the capacitie of man Moreouer I grant the same in part vnto them that be prepared healed and conuerted by the grace of God as a little after shall be said Further we are not to passe much of the slander of the Pharisies They be blind and leaders of the blind and therefore they are not to be regarded Euerie plant Matt. 15 13. which the heauenlie father hath not planted shall be rooted vp Besides they aske whether God doo towards all men as much as sufficeth to their saluation Some saie he dooth But it séemeth not so vnto me for I knowe out of the holie scriptures Matt. 11 21. that they of Tyre and Sidon would haue beléeued if they had séene those things that were doone of Christ in Chorazim Bethsaida Capernaum And this also did Prosper ad caput Gallorum note when he answereth vnto the tenth chapter wherin they obiected against the doctrine of Augustine bicause he affirmed that the grace of the Gospell was by God withdrawne from some He writeth there after this maner Also he that saith that the preching of the Gospell is by the Lord withdrawne from some least by receiuing the preaching of the Gospell they might be saued may discharge himselfe of ill report by defense of our Sauiour himselfe who would not shew foorth his works among some which he saith would haue beléeued if they had séene his signes and miracles And he forbad his apostles to preach the Gospell vnto certeine people And yet still he suffereth some nations to liue without his grace when as neuerthelesse we beléeue it most certeinlie that the church shall be spred abroad into all the parts of the world c. Of the verie same matter also the same father Ad excerpta Genuensium the eight dout thus writeth As touching the men of Tyre and Sidon what thing else can we saie but that it was not vouchsafed vnto them to beléeue And yet neuerthelesse the truth it selfe reporteth that they would haue beléeued if they had séene such signes of powers as were doone among vs that beléeue But why this was denied vnto them let them that falselie accuse tell it if they can and let them shew why the Lord did maruellous things among them whom they should not profit Also we if we be not able to atteine vnto the cause of his dooing and to the déepenesse of his iudgement yet doo we most manifestlie knowe that both it is true which he said and iust which he did and that not onelie the men of Tyre and Sidon but also they of Chorazim and Bethsaida might haue béene conuerted and of infidels might haue become faithfull if the Lord would haue wrought this in them Neither can it séeme false to anie which the truth saith Iohn 6 44. None can come vnto me except it shall be giuen him of my father And Matt. 13 1. To you it is giuen to knowe the mysterie of the kingdome of heauen Againe No man knoweth the sonne Matt. 11 27. but the father nor the father but the sonne and he to whom the sonne will reueale him Againe Iohn 5 21. As the father quickeneth the dead so the sonne quickeneth whom he will Againe 1. Cor. 12 3. No man can saie that IESVS is the Lord but by the holie Ghost The same Prosper also sheweth That all men haue not beene called by preaching that the preaching of the Gospell hath not alwaies béene giuen to all nations nor yet in all times and yet the same neuerthelesse is necessarie vnto saluation Ad capita Gallorum the fourth chapter wherein it was obiected against Augustine that according to his iudgement all men are not called vnto grace thus answereth Although it should appeare that the whole world had now in euerie nation and in all the ends of the earth receiued the Gospell Mat. 16 15. which in verie déed is most truelie pronounced that it shall come to passe yet were there no doubt but that since the time of the resurrection of the Lord vnto this present age there haue béene men which haue departed out of this life without knowledge of the Gospell of whome it may be said that they were not called bicause they not so much as heard of the hope of calling But if anie man affirme that
things putting my trust in him which promiseth to the professours of his name Luk. 21 14. saieng Laie it vp in your hearts that ye cast not before hand what ye shall answer for I will giue you a mouth and wisdome which all your aduersaries shall not be able to wrest and gainesaie Now then most learned Peter I arme my selfe to examine your conclusions The first whereof is this In the sacrament of the Eucharist there is no transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the bodie and bloud of Christ The second is that the bodie and bloud of Christ is not substantiallie and naturallie in the Eucharist vnder the formes of bread and wine Vnto which conclusions as I giue no credit at all euen so I certeinlie persuade my selfe as I will alwaies saie that they be false most strange from christian religion And that thus it is as I haue said I will not refuse in due time to declare and shew most euidentlie by the holie scriptures and by manie testimonies of the fathers So likewise haue I this day taken vpon me to defend and confirme the truth hitherto receiued by the church plaine contrarie and as they speake by a right diameter line repugnant to your conclusions This disputation haue I taken in hand not to the intent I would supplie the roome of D. Smith being absent of whose purpose without doubt I was not priuie but I haue doone it onelie to extoll the glorie of Christ the veritie of the faith And let not anie man thinke that I am led to like of this my opinion of a certeine light credulitie but through great and most vrgent causes Whereof the first is the agréement and vniforme consent of the holy Euangelists and of Saint Paule the apostle which make for our assertion from whence a consent of the whole world and perpetuall vse of the thing hath flowed euen to vs. The second cause is the great authoritie of our holie mother the church the which euen by publike edicts decréed as touching the certeine truth of this sacrament against Beringarius Wickliffe and such as were of their opinion Thirdlie there be most euident testimonies of the right catholike fathers which vnlesse they be otherwise expounded than those fathers ment they make most chéerlie for our assertion The fourth and last cause is for that the edict of our most noble prince king Edward the sixt and the act of his maiesties Councell dooth not a litle warrant me the verie which causes séeme vnto me sufficient for to beléeue as I doo Wherefore most learned Peter whatsoeuer force of arguments you haue to vtter and alledge against me speake and declare them all at your owne pleasure it is lawfull for you I haue said and you sée how I answer your conclusions D. Peter Martyr THe praises which you attribute to me I acknowledge not your good wil towards me I imbrase And whereas you saie that you were chalenged of me that is nothing so for I rather am drawne foorth by others to dispute as it is knowne vnto all men And as for the causes which you saie moued you to dispute against me I doo not much passe for of what importance they be I will then acknowledge when it shall be your part to oppose Onelie of the last namelie as touching the kings edict since I vnderstand no English this I saie that I know nothing at all thereof but I hope that in proceeding of the disputation if it shall make anie thing against mee I shall vnderstand the same Wherfore omitting these things I come vnto the arguments Heere beginneth the disputation D. Peter Martyr FOr the first question the Scriptures are on my side which doo very plainlie acknowledge bread and wine in this sacrament Mat. 26. Mark 14. Luke 22. It is said in the Euangelists that the Lord tooke bread blessed it Bicause the scriptures acknowlege bread in the Eucharist therefore it must be receiued brake it and gaue it vnto his disciples And Paule hath the verie same in the first epistle to the Corinthians the tenth and eleuenth chapters where if you will diligentlie consider it he maketh often mention of bread Wherefore we also must togither with the scripture reteine the natures of the symbols or signes D. Tresham It is also found in the holie scriptures that man is called earth or ashes Eue a bone a rod a serpent and water wine where yet they were not these things but were so called Moreouer the argument is reciprocall and may be returned vpon your selfe for euen in the scriptures it is oftentimes called the bodie of the Lord and that therefore by the verie selfe-same reason the bodie of Christ is trulie present in this sacrament which you denie in the second question and therefore your argument is returned vpon your owne head D. Martyr As for the former part of your answer you affirme that the saieng of the holie scripture when it nameth bread is figuratiue bicause the things reteine the names of their natures from whence they were turned Wherein I maruell verie much that you so readilie flie vnto figures the which ye so greatlie abhor when we are in hand with this sacrament But this I let passe and I answer that in the places alledged the holie scripture dooth expresselie put vs in mind of the conuersions of those things for it plainelie sheweth that mans bodie was fashioned out of the earth that Eue was made of Adams rib that the râ—d was turned into a serpent that the water was made wine Wherefore we are forced to admit these figures Now then prooue ye vnto vs out of the holie scriptures that the bread is turned as touching substance into the bodie of Christ and so we will grant your figure that is to wit to call bread not that which is now bread but that which was so before And moreouer those things which ye bring in haue so cast awaie their old substance as they reteine not the accidents of them And that which you haue added in the other part of the answer that it maketh against me that the bodie of Christ is reallie present sith the holie scripture calleth it the bodie as also bread how much it maketh against me I will answer when my turne of answering commeth if you shall obiect the same vnto me D. Tresham I was determined that we should vse short arguments but you interlace manie things Howbeit as touching conuersion which you denie to be had in the holie scripture that doo I prooue out of Matthew where Christ saith Matt. 26 26. This is my bodie It is no indicatiue or significatiue saieng of God but an effectuall actiue and working spéech For Augustine saith vpon the 73. psalme The sacraments of the old lawe promise a sauiour but the new giue saluation and therefore I prooue the bread to be turned into the bodie of the Lord. D. Martyr I vse both now and hereafter will vse bréefe arguments so far
may be otherwise answered that he on this wise spake therof before he had made an end of vttering his words D. Martyr Séeing you will not haue it that this round thing whereof this Epiphanius saith that it is called the bodie of Christ is bread nor yet an accident what then did he meane by this pronowne demonstratiue Hoc This D. Tresham That can I not tell but that was shewed which Christ himselfe ment let him be asked who did institute it But if it be spoken concerning bread it is ment before consecration The fathers as I haue said must be read with fauour D. Martyr In that you saie that the fathers must be fauourablie read I like it well and I know that sometimes they must be interpreted conuenientlie Howbeit when they speake the truth there is no néed of pardon neither doo I thinke that Epiphanius in this place hath anie néed thereof he dooth sufficientlie mainteine the word of God and speaketh verie well of the same D. Tresham Hilarie in his fourth booke De Trinitate as I remember saith that the vnderstanding of saiengs must be gathered by the causes of the saiengs bicause the matter is not subiect to the spéech but the spéech to the matter And therefore to answer according to the condition and truth of the matter I affirme that Epiphanius said that as touching that which is of a round figure the Lord would pronounce This is my bodie not that there is true bread vnder the round figure but bicause it so séemeth and appeareth vnto our sense and therefore I said that he must be read fauourablie bicause his words pretend bread to remaine which neuerthelesse dooth not remaine D. Martyr That which you alledge out of Hilarie helpeth you but little séeing Epiphanius cannot otherwise be vnderstood but as I haue declared For it is manifestlie said that the Lord of his grace said concerning that which is of a round figure that it was his bodie Therfore whether you will saie that that round thing is bread or an accident he speaketh vtterlie against you for by the same he nameth his bodie But that you may vnderstand verie true bread to be present I will shew it most euidentlie out of the words of the Euangelist Christ tooke bread Mat. 26 26. he blessed brake and gaue to his apostles saieng c. Those foure verbes To take to blesse to breake and to giue gouerne no more but one accusatiue case that is to wit Bread And therefore euen as it is true bread while it is receiued and blessed no lesse true shall it be when it is broken and giuen whereof it foloweth that Christ gaue bread not accidents alone Otherwise the Euangelist would haue said that Christ brake his bodie and giue his bodie but as you haue heard he referreth all vnto bread neither doo I thinke that the Euangelist hath anie néed of fauour D. Tresham I saie with Saint Peter Pet. 1 20. that the scripture is not of a priuate interpretation The fathers of the church doo cléerlie enough expound according to my assertion that Christ gaue his bodie and that in putting this verbe Gaue before he vsed a figure D. Martyr Yet doo not you satisfie me How that place The scripture is not of priuate interpretation must be vnderstood for that which Peter saith to wit that the scripture is not of a priuate interpretation that is it ought not to be expounded acording to our own priuate affections I admitt but you are neuer a whit the more furthered And as for that which ye auouch of the fathers I haue taken testimonie of them and haue shewed that they are of my side And therefore I repeat these words Christ tooke bread blessed bread brake bread gaue bread so speake the fathers so speake the scriptures You run vnto figures and you séeme to saie that we must vse the spirit That both the bread is giuen and the bodie but the bread vnto the mouth and the bodie vnto the soule and vnto faith But I see not where we should séeke the spirit except in the holie scriptures which affirme the one and the other to be giuen bread I meane and the bodie the which I also confesse but you in reiecting the bread doo not consent with the scriptures D. Tresham The holie scriptures must be expounded with the selfe-same spirit whereby they were indited And the holie Ghost hath taught the good fathers that immediatelie so soone as the words of consecration are vttered the substance of bread and wine ceaseth of which mind are all the catholike Doctors And I haue not the fathers alone but Christ himselfe also which promised in the sixt of Iohn that he would giue vnto vs his flesh he is faithfull and his truth hangeth not of the fathers but of himselfe verse 51. The bread saith he which I shall giue is my flesh which I shall giue for the life of the world And so I confesse that it is bread bread bread bread and bread euen vntill the last pronuntiation of the words afterward it is no bread but flesh D. Martyr The words of the scripture saie both the one and the other to wit that bread is giuen and that flesh is giuen whie doo you not then confesse bread to be giuen also as the Euangelists haue euidentlie written For whereas you saie that the fathers make on your side I haue now shewed by manie of their testimonies that it is not true and I allow that the scriptures should be expounded with the selfe-same spirit whereby they were indited But when they are otherwise expounded of you than they meane that exposition dooth not procéed of that spirit whereby they were written for that spirit dissenteth not from them D. Tresham I saie both but yet I vnderstand the scriptures not as you doo sith about the vnderstanding of the scriptures all controuersie hath euermore arisen For by the scriptures Arrius went about to take awaie the diuinitie of Christ The heresie of Nestor and Eutyches by the scriptures Nestor and Eutyches endeuoured to take awaie his humanitie by the scriptures Manes banished frée will by the scriptures Pelagius extolled frée will aboue measure by the scriptures Luther defended the truth of the bodie of Christ in the Eucharist and contrariewise by the scriptures Zuinglius séemed to himselfe to take awaie the presence of the bodie of Christ from the Eucharist and finallie all heretiks and the diuell hath alwaies said It is written and yet they erred Wherefore it appeareth that we must flie vnto that spirit whereby the scriptures are published Euen as Peter the apostle saith 1. Pet 1 20. that The scripture is not of priuate interpretation and that spirit is promised vnto the church D. Martyr Heretikes perhaps haue the scriptures but yet they haue them not as it becommeth they followe the shew but not the sound sense But what church you tell me should be followed To the scriptures
most holie sacrament of the Eucharist that no feined nor phantasticall nor imaginatiue nor bare figuratiue bodie but thy true reall substantiall yea and not to forbeare the grosser kind of termes thy corporall naturall and carnall bodie is there present Matt. 26 26. séeing thou hast said Take ye eate ye This is my bodie which is giuen for you which is broken deliuered or shall be deliuered for you But touching the maner how or after what sort it is there whether with the bread whether the elements be changed or whether the bread as the schoole-diuines speake be transubstantiated the holie scripture in plaine words dâ—…th not teach But what shall we saie it saith if not in plaine words therefore it hath not taught it God forbid Iohn 16 12 Manie things haue I to saie vnto you which ye cannot now beare He hath taught The bread which I will giue Iohn 6. is my flesh which I will giue for the life of the world He taught He tooke bread in his hands he gaue thanks he brake the bread and distributed it saieng This is my bodie He taught it yet somewhat obscurelie He would not then be touched bicause he had not as yet ascended to his father He ascended he sent the holie Ghost this holie Ghost exercised his office taught the church taught the Councels taught the fathers all truth Wherefore giue eare vnto him put your trust in him he ouercommeth and shall ouercome the world Howbeit since there is none of so happie a wit of so firme a memorie of so sound and perfect vtterance but is easilie disquieted either with the force of arguments or with the outward shew of authorities or with the obscurenesse of the fathers in a matter otherwise most true I desire pardon of you the kings maiesties most honourable commissioners and I submit my selfe vnto you if perhaps I vtter anie thing which shall either be repugnant to the scriptures or anie maner of waies disagréeable to the laws of this realme And that we may happilie performe all these things let vs with ioint praier call for the helpe of his holie spirit who knoweth all things and teacheth all things saieng togither after this maner Come holie spirit replenish the hearts of thy faithfull ones c. Let vs praie O God which hast taught the harts of the faithfull by the illumination of thy holie spirit c. Now then most famous Doctor I prepare my selfe to the questions propounded But first by your leaue partlie for my owne instruction partlie for that those things which yesterdaie were alledged by you may séeme not to be assoiled and partlie that they which be present should not be seduced I will run ouer two or thrée authorities which yesterdaie you brought foorth You argued out of Saint Cyprian Euen as in the person of Christ is hidden the Godhead c. And euen as the Godhead and the flesh is one Christ so the bread and the bodie of Christ doo make one sacrament I answer To Cyprian that the similitude dooth agrée not as touching the secret liâ—…g hidden to wit that euen as the Godhead is close hidden in the humanitie and as a soule reasonable is close hidden in the bodie so vnder the sacrament is secretlie hidden the bodie of Christ vnder the shew of bread Otherwise if it should hold likenesse and proportion in all things it would followe that Christ could not die and that his soule was neuer separated from his bodie For Athanasius saith Euen as the soule reasonable and the flesh is one man so God and man is one Christ which neuerthelesse is false séeing the Godhead could not be separated from the manhood that is to wit either from the bodie or from the soule when as notwithstanding the soule might be plucked awaie from the flesh by death Gelasius whom you alledge on your part To Gelasius fauoreth Nestorius Neither dooth it well conclude In part he is no Nestorian Therfore he is none at all Assuredlie he was suspected of this heresie he might therefore be denied but yet he expoundeth himselfe It remaineth in the propertie of nature that is in the accidents and shewes of bread it hath the tast of bread it hath the power of nourishing and other qualities of bread To Augustine Ad Dardanum And this sense dooth Augustine vse in an epistle vnto Dardanus vnder this word Substance when he saith He shall come againe as the words of the angell testifie euen as he was séene to go into heauen to wit in the same forme and substance of flesh And as concerning that which Augustine saith to Dardanus True it is that the bodie of Christ is in one onlie place vnder the forme of man To Augustine in Sententijs Prosperi You alledged moreouer Augustine in the sentences of Prosper who saith that a sacrament consisteth of two things that is to saie of a sacrament and the matter of the sacrament I answer that the outward sacrament is that which appeareth to the eie but the matter of the sacrament is the bodie of Christ Bréefelie Augustines mind is that this sacrament standeth of two things namelie of the outward visible signe that is the shewes of bread and wine and of the matter of the sacrament that is the bodie of Christ and these things doo without doubt remaine This is it which is gathered out of Augustine for the same Augustine calleth it the same and not the same Theodoretus albeit I haue not his booke and that in Cyrill he is condemned with Nestorius he I saie is of the verie same mind that other of the fathers be who when they saie that the nature remaineth they vnderstand the propertie of the bread And after that sort we refuse not Theodoretus but we admit him To Theodoretus yet in this sense that he alone be not repugnant vnto manie And this is the rule which you would to be obserued in interpreting of the fathers To Origin I gant that to be true which Origin hath vpon the 15. of Matthew in the fragments to wit that this materiall thing goeth into the draught yet neuerthelesse he interpreteth himselfe in another place Sticke not saith he to the bloud of the flesh but learne the bloud of the word for if we shall without faith eate the flesh or drinke the bloud it profiteth not but goeth into the draught not the flesh it selfe but the bread and wine For the same Cyprian in his sermon De lapsis saith that The Lord doubtlesse departeth when he is denied and he addeth When his comfortable grace through our departing from a holie life To Ireneus is changed into ashes Irenaeus you saie calleth it bread and indéed before consecration it is verie bread howbeit when the word of God commeth therevnto it is made the bodie of Christ so as that creature goeth before the consecration And in that saith he he confessed the cup which is of the creature that is amongst
appéere by the order of Chrysostoms words And much lesse dooth that stand that you will haue the similitude of wax to be vnderstood properlie as though it belonged vnto doctrine For in the fourth booke of Cyrill vpon Iohn the 17. chapter we haue the selfe-same similitude as touching our change into Christ The words of Cyrill be these Euen as if a man among molten wax powre in other wax he must of necessitie mingle the one with the other throughout so if anie man receiue the flesh and bloud of the Lord he is so ioined with him that Christ is found in him and he in Christ The similitude of wax in Cyrill And the same saieng in a maner hath he in the tenth booke and 13. chapter where he writeth For euen as if a man doo mingle togither wax molten in the fire with other wax likewise molten in such wise that he séeth one certeine thing to be made of both so by the communion of the bodie and bloud of Christ he is in vs and we are in him And thus much out of Cyrill Where you sée that both Christ and we are compared vnto molten wax and yet will you not saie that Christ and we be transubstantiated How then will you saie this to be doone as concerning bread bicause of that similitude set downe by Chrysostome Nay rather if the matter be diligentlie examined Christ is more ioined vnto vs than vnto the bread we our selues are more ioined vnto Christ than bread For Christ is ioined after such a maner as he is vnto bread to this end that we should trulie be vnited vnto him And the words whereby the bread is called the bodie of Christ doo more belong vnto vs than vnto it which by nature vnderstandeth or beléeueth nothing D. Tresham Chrysostome is the best interpretour of himselfe who vpon the 26. chapter of Matthew homilie the 83. sheweth that hée dooth not speake hyberbolicallie and writeth Wherefore let vs beléeue God euerie where and let vs not withstand him euen although vnto our sense and cogitation it may séeme absurd which he speaketh And a litle after For we cannot be deceiued by his words but our owne sense is verie easilie deceiued These words This is my bodie cannot be false let vs be lead with no ambiguitie but let vs beléeue c. And anon after What sunnie beames shall not that hand excéed which handleth this crowne Héere beginneth he to intermingle figures neither must you alledge figures out of their owne places D. Martyr Now as I said do you concur with me that Chrysostome otherwhile speaketh tropicallie in this matter bicause you cannot denie it but onelie you contend with me that before those words What sunnie beames ought not that hand to excéed there is no figure The thing it selfe sheweth that it is otherwise For you haue it at the beginning No sensible thing is deliuered vnto vs by Christ and denie you if you can that sensible signes are instituted by him and deliuered vnto vs. And moreouer he added Oh how manie saie at this daie I would I had the forme and shape of him I would I had his verie garments I would I might sée his shooes You sée himselfe and you touch himselfe And will you not acknowledge a figure to be in this place Which of vs in the Eucharist dooth sée and touch Christ And a little after He dooth reduce vs as I maie saie into one masse and substance with him neither maketh he vs his bodie by faith onelie but in verie déed Here dooth he make mention of our change into Christ which you cannot saie is a transubstantiation And againe in the verie same former places he compareth baptisme with the Eucharist to the intent we may vnderstand that the like consideration must be had of the one that is of the other And bicause you take hold for your selfe of that which Chrysostome said Neither dooth he onelie by faith but in verie déed make vs his bodie you are neuer a whit furthered thereby séeing he speaketh not there of bread but of the coniunction of Christ with vs which I grant standeth not of faith onlie For albeit that we imbrace Christ in the sacrament by faith After what maner we be trulie changed into Christ yet dooth there a verie true change of Christ into vs followe vpon the same For our mind is made chéerefull and readie to doo honour vnto God and our bodie is become more subdued and so there is made a verie change indéed as well of the mind as of the bodie And after this maner it is vnderstood that we are gathered into one masse or substance with Christ bicause we are made verie conformable vnto him And so you sée that by these words bread is not taken awaie nor dooth it followe that Christ is either reallie or substantiallie conteined therein but rather you haue it here out of Chrysostome that they be sensible things which are deliuered vnto vs. And after the words which you noted before which you would not haue a figure to be figures are there so manifestlie that you cannot denie them as when he saith The toong is made bloudie or red Wherefore it followeth that all this speach is hyperbolicall or figuratiue D. Tresham I would to God that you could rightlie vnderstand The maner of the apostles and fathers is first to teach faith and the doctrine of truth and afterward to take order for maners D. Martyr But yet in these places of Chrysostome you cannot distinguish to me doctrine and maners figuratiue spéeches be spread euerie where D. Tresham I haue alreadie shewed you how the case standeth But I will bring an other Doctor against you Of Cardinall Caietan and I deale courteouslie with you For I will put one to you that as I take it was your countriman Thomas De vio Caietanus D. Martyr I allow him not he is a schoole-man he was a cardinall and liued in my time neither yet would you in all matters admit him D. Tresham Verie well I yéeld to you if you will not allow of him I will not alledge him Heere did the reuerend father the bishop of Lincolne giue leaue vnto M. Morgan to oppose againe if he would M. Morgan ALl the Doctors and fathers to the last man confute all the principles whereby transubstantiation is taken awaie and therefore it must be established D. Martyr I denie the antecedent for if the fathers be rightlie vnderstood they doo not take awaie our principles M. Morgan This principle they quite take awaie that an humane bodie cannot be in manie places at once and that a bodie consisting of quantitie cannot be without a measurable quantitie D. Martyr I denie your argument that the fathers doo so abolish these things as they be taken vtterlie awaie Nether be these full principles for the which transubstantiation is refused For euen Luther and they which hold with him doo grant the bodie to be in manie places at once and
saie that his toong or parchment or inke or the signifieng sounds vttered with the toong or figures of letters written vpon little skins is the bodie and bloud of Christ but that onelie which we doo rightlie receiue being made of the fruits of the earth and consecrated by mysticall praiers Héere likewise you heare that that which we receiue of the fruits of the earth is called the Lords bodie Wherevpon it followeth that bread dooth there remaine vnlesse you will saie that the earth dooth bring foorth accidents And whereas you obiect that the worke of God and the holy Ghost are requisit for the making of this a sacrament I grant it but that the signification of the bodie of Christ is not so great a matter as it hath néed of those things that doo I denie You haue oftentimes alreadie heard that we doo not héere set downe a common or vulgar signification but a sacramentall mightie and effectuall signification whereby the beléeuers are incorporated into Christ D. Chadse But the bread by his substance nourisheth therefore it may signifie the bodie of Christ before consecration also it is gathered and consisteth of manie praiers before consecration therefore it may signifie the vnion of the church Howbeit it is none of Augustines mind that anie thing should be called the bodie and bloud of Christ bicause of the signification but only in this respect that being taken out of the fruits of the earth and consecrated by mysticall praier we receiue it vnto saluation Neither meaneth he that the bread taken from the fruits of the earth dooth so remaine but after such a sort as Ambrose saith that that which nature hath made is by blessing changed D. Martyr As touching the first you cannot in verie déed saie of water that wheresoeuer it is euen out of baptisme it signifieth the washing of the soule But dooth it therefore followe that that signification is sacramentall when the word of the Lord is absent nor yet the institution of Christ is exercised therein We speake here as we haue often said alreadie of the power and effectuall signification of sacraments the which we obteine by the word and institution of God As touching the other Augustine said most plainelie that by those thrée that is to wit by the toong parchements that is to saie writings and by the sacrament the bodie of Christ is signified and then followeth that which you saie to wit that it is receiued to saluation And of the change that is to saie the casting awaie of that substance that is gathered of the fruits of the earth there is no mention at all how Ambrose must be vnderstood I haue declared before D. Chadse Chrysostome in the 45. homilie vpon Iohn in the sixt chapter thus writeth This bloud being shed ouerflowed all the world whereof Paule vnto the Hebrues pronounced manie things This bloud purged the secret and holie places But and if the figure thereof was of so great force in the temple of the Hebrues and when it was sprinkled vpon the doore posts in the midst of Aegypt of much more force was the truth it selfe This bloud signified a golden altar without this the high priest durst not enter into the innermost places This bloud made the priests This bloud in a figure purged sinnes In the which figure if it were of so great force if death so feared the shadowe how greatlie I beséech you will it be afraid of the truth c. He compareth the sacraments of the old testament with the sacraments of the new testament as one may saie the shadowe and figure with the truth and he nameth our mysteries â—…nderfull and dreadfull If then as he saith the old fathers had the shadowes and we therâ—…l it followeth in the sacrament of the Eucharist that the verie bodie of Christ is presentâ— otherwise if we should haue himselfe thereby signification onelie there is no more to be attributed vnto our sacraments than to the sacraments of the old lawe D. Martyr Whereas Chrysostome saith that the sacraments of the old fathers being compared vnto ours be shadowes and figures I grant the same Howbeit it must be so vnderstood that shadowes and figures were there because the comming of Christ was as yet expected Againe the significations of those sacraments were more obscure both which is agréeable vnto figures and shadowes for figures did foreshew Christ to come and shadowes doo want plentie of light By these kind of meanes was Christ signified in the sacraments of the old fathers and by faith was giuen to be receiued of the beléeuers But now to vs in the new sacraments he is offered as he that is alredie come that hath performed his promises and that is crucified for vs in verie déed Besides the words which we haue in our sacraments be far more cleare and plaine than were the words of the old sacraments in the lawe But you vnderstand this word truth as though it should signifie reall presence and therefore you infer that the bodie of Christ is present with vs reallie corporallie and substantiallie But the fathers vnderstand truth to be in our sacraments if they be compared to the sacraments of the old fathers bicause they represent the thing that is now performed euen that the kingdome of heauen is opened and that the benefit of our redemption is with all euidence and assurednesse alreadie finished and made perfect and bestowed on vs as if were before the eies of faith D. Chadse Yea but the sacraments of the old fathers were euen as much true as ours be the selfe-same power was in them that is in ours Those fathers as well beléeued that Christ would come as we that he is come For by the testimonie of Paule all our fathers droonke of the selfe-same spirituall rocke and did eat the selfe-same spirituall meat 1 Co. 10 4. D. Martyr True it is that the old fathers as touching the thing it selfe had the selfe-same sacraments that we haue which were signes that Christ should come and offered him vnto the beléeuers but the difference as I said was that Christ hath now performed indéed the price of our saluation but then he was afterward to performe the same And a thing that is alreadie done if it be compared euen to it selfe which shall afterward be doone both it is more assured and may be called a truth but it is said to haue a shadowe and a figure when it is not yet performed Ouer this no man doubteth but that that Christ and his death is expressed vnto vs with more plaine and euident words By these things you may gather that as Paule testifieth we as touching the substance haue the selfe-same sacraments with the old fathers but that there be manie differences also betwéene them as touching the thing present which I haue rehearsed D. Chadse The sacraments of the fathers promised but grace ours giue the same which things you in your lectures did interpret They signifie grace giuen Wherefore if those
in themselues as sometime they haue which may further the preseruation of mens life and the true saluation of them Wherefore séeing other faculties and sciences haue taken manie thinges from the scripture and it nothing at all from others it is by all manner of right called most aunciēt Which also the plainnesse thereof and simplicitie without counterfeiting ioyned with a woonderfull grauitie dooth declare And so auntient are the Histories therein rehearsed that those thinges which be set foorth by other writers being cōpared with them may easilie be perceiued to be doone manie ages after But since all commendation is not to be sought for in antiquitie therefore wee will nowe haue a regarde to the vtilitie thereof and as I hope will shewe that the same is farre more plentifull in the holy scriptures than can euer bee founde any where else What more plentifull fruite I beséech you can men of sober and sound iudgement looke for by the knowledge of worldly thinges when they haue verie perfectlie attained to the same than that some knowledge of almightie God may at the length by the effects thereof lighten mans vnderstanding that by those thinges we may be holpen to sustaine the life of the bodie In these knowledges there cannot bee had or imagined a greater profite But the holy scriptures doe in many places set foorth the naturall works of God and do euerie where teach that God himselfe by his eternall power and singular prouidence is the cause of all those thinges neuer making any mention of nature chance fortune forme priuation elements imaginations * A thing so small as cannot be diuided Atomi concord or discord as the principles of all things No doubt but the knowledge of men is busied in considering the effects of God But how seldome herein is there recourse vnto God himselfe his goodnesse counsel and wisedome Indéed naturall knowledge may séeme to be somewhat curious in searching out the power of thinges and somewhat more subtill and diligent in finding out the secretes of nature But as touching the ende it selfe to wit that God may be truely knowen by the effects and that we may well and Godly vse his creatures if it bee compared with diuinitie it is farre more negligent yea and in a manner blinde and dumbe Finally the holy scriptures doe speake of a certaine notable and woonderfull kinde of the workes of God whereby the powers of nature be ouercome and the accustomed course of things is cut off wherein God both more properlie and more expresly shineth than in the daylie and common succession of thinges which by reason of a continuall vse thereof is become of small estimation And by a word now receiued these thinges are woont to be called myracles for no other cause indéede but that they haue commonly made mortall men to woonder altogether at them But the works of this kinde are kept secret in naturall knowledge For there shall yee neuer reade of that first creation of things of laying the foundations of the worlde of breathing the breath of life by God into the claie of our bodie of the Godheade speaking openly with men Of the sea giuing place vnto men passing through the déepe thereof so as it made walles of water both on the right side and the left for them that passed through Of the standing still of heauen and of staying the perpetuall turnings about thereof from the East to the West Of God to bee made a man of a virgin to be a mother of the raising from life them that were deade and of men gréeued with desperate and incurable diseases to be cured by a woonderfull efficacie of Christ our sauiour These maruelous things without doubt God woulde haue vs to knowe by the holie scriptures least perhappes wee might doubt that all his vertue and power is so spent and consumed in bringing foorth and preseruing of natural things that hée shoulde not be able yet to doe any thing greater and more excellent This kind of doctrine doth not Philosophie teach but onely beholdeth the accustomed course of nature Assuredly it is no small comfort vnto Godly men What fruite the doctrine of prouidence bringeth to vnderstande that God is the prince and authour of nature For since they be the children of God while they consider that all thinges which bee doone are in the hande of their good father they feare the power of no creatures since they know for a certaintie that they are not able to bring vpon them any trouble or sorrow but somuch as God the guide thereof hath decréed to bring vpon them for their saluation This is the singular fruite which is had of the saincts by the knowledge of naturall things But how much more ample is this if they be perswaded with a constant faith that the power of the heauenly father is infinite whereby hée is able still to doe and produce many yea infinite thinges otherwise than they be in the common course of nature Héereby Godly men being incoraged become of an excellent hope euen in aduersitie In perils valiant euen in the crosse it selfe ioyfull of an inuincible courage and altogether without feare when for the trueth of God or the name of Christ they must abide any conflict Héereof sprang that noble spéech of Daniels fellowes Beholde our God whom we worship is mightie to saue vs from the furnace of burning fire and shall plucke vs out of thy hand O king Psal 27. Héereupon did Dauid with an inuincible minde sing The Lorde is my right and my saluation whom shall I feare The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraide Though an hoast of men besieged me yet shall not my heart bee afraide though there rose vp warre against mee yet will I put my trust in him And againe Although I shall walke through the valley of the shadowe of death I will feare no euill Psa 23. 3. Finallie by this meanes did Paul saie Rom. 8. 34. Who shall separate vs from the loue of God shall afflictions shall penurie shall persecutions shall hunger shall nakednesse shall perill shall the sworde As it is written For thy sake wee are deliuered to the death all the daie long wee are accounted as sheepe appointed to the slaughter but in al these things we ouercome through him that loueth vs. For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor anie other creature shall bee able to separate vs from the loue of God which is Christ Iesus our Lord. Such things doe the children of God taught by the holie Scriptures pronounce with true boasting that GOD suffereth not nature as the wise men of the worlde teach to goe forwarde according to those lawes which hee at the verie beginning appointed thereunto but that he directeth tempereth and ruleth al thinges at euerie instant according to his owne pleasure that he
which cause Basilius Magnus Gregorie the Diuine and Iohn Chrysostome were by the Churches of those times brought to take bishopprickes vpon them because they were more desirous of a solitarie life than becommeth true Christian men to be as they which be not borne to themselues but vnto other men and to the fellowship of the saints and most of all to the spreading farre and wide of the true worship of God We all holde fast the purposes of our owne wil neither do we gladly rest in other mens iudgements and aduises In the seconde place are they to be reckoned which for this cause stande against them which call them for that they thinke that their labor shal be superfluous since in that matter whereunto they are called to worke manie doe verie much labour If say they there were néede of labours our studie and indeuour should not be wanting whereby it comes to passe that those arts are contemned by the more excellent sort of men wherein they shall perceiue verie many to exercise themselues Lastly they when they be required to take vpon them some excellent function therefore they will not because they féele not themselues able thereunto They say that they must chuse such a matter as they are able to performe and that great regard be had that we faint not vnder our burthen be it neuer so honorable For the more excellent it shal be the more notable also shal bee our fall vnder it For this cause in verie déede Exod. 3. 11. c. Ierem. 1. â— did Moses withdrawe himselfe for a while from this calling of God And Ieremie prayed that there might be a consideration had of his age Those Godly men did consider both howe weake the strength of man was and of howe great charge was the seruice set before them and therefore they did not straightwayes obey when GOD commaunded These thinges my brethren are not recyted of mée at this present without great cause For whereas I haue without denying auoyding delaying or any stay at all taken vpon me this weightie place to interpret the scriptures I woulde not bee thought that I haue doone this boldly or vnaduisedly I might in verie déede haue easily béene called from so holy a ministerie as this ought to be accounted if any of those reasons which yée haue nowe heard coulde haue drawne my minde from it but because none of them by the grace of Gods spirit taketh any place in me therefore yée sée me to haue come hither with so readie glad ioyful and willing a minde Which that I may perswade you by a profitable and verie liuely argument I wil examine the causes now alledged by me after the same order that I began And I will not onely shewe that no cause coulde iustly terrifie me from my purpose but that notwithstanding euerie one of those causes my will was marueilously inflamed héereunto But hearken I beséech ye that I may no lesse faithfully than I haue promised performe those thinges which I haue spoken As touching that which was alledged first whereby men shoulde be terrified from taking vppon them the function whereunto they are called is this namely if that which is commaunded be vnwoonted and vnlooked for But to me cannot the exercise of handling the word of God in this age be new vnaccustomed and vnlooked for For euen from my youth when I yet liued in Italie Martyrs timelie entering into the studie of Diuinitie this one thing I minded to follow aboue all artes and ordinances of men euen chiefly to learne and teach the holy scriptures neither had I other successe than I purposed For euen I my selfe in verie déede as the mist darknesse obscurenesse and night of Poperie deceiueth manie erred for a time but yet did I not cease in that blinde dungeon as the time would then suffer both to learne and teach the holy scriptures But afterwarde when the heauenly father by the benefite of Christ had compassion vppon me I began to sée through a cloude and as trées walking the trueth of the Gospel neither coulde I kéepe silent that which as yet I vnderstoode but after a grosse manner I communicated it vnto others and the light was increased the measure and meanes being increased I taught more openly and the matter was brought to such a passe as I might not nowe liue in Italie without extreme daunger Wherefore deare brethren I went into Germanie that from whence I had by letters tasted the first principles of the reformed truth I might there receiue abundantlie a more fruitfull and perfect doctrine I desired also in person to behold certaine restored Churches least I should imagine of the reformation of the church as of the commonweale of Plato which may indéede be vnderstoode but hath his being in no place Which then indéede I earnestly sought first at Tigure To Tigure I say I began to take my way God not without most happie successe directing my iourney which I had taken in hand For when I was come hither I perceiued that Godly and syncere diuinity was héere taught and that the Church was reformed with pure and Apostolicall ordinances Wherefore if then meanes had bin offered whereby I might haue defended my banishment I had most willingly receiued the same And not a little did this bountifull curtesie increase this my minde and desire nowe stirred vp in me For those two dayes wherein I tarried héere with those that belonged vnto me I was so delighted with the Godly learned and swéete communication which I had with Doctor Bullinger Bibliander Gwalther and Pellican of happie memorie and of others whom I cannot nowe rehearse by name that I thought them most happie which might liue with such men and I reioysed with my selfe for my present banishment by meanes wherof I was brought by Almightie God to that comfort and consolation and to the knowledge and spéech of such excellent men that beléeue me I could neuer afterward forget this Church those two dayes and that intertainement What shall I say more I was taken from hence against my will and when at that time there happened no occasion of tarrying it behooued me to make an other determinatioÌ„ although not more acceptable yet more necessarie Afterward I was called to Strasbrough where after the death of that worthy Capitol Bucer at Strasborough I succéeded in the diuinitie lecture receiued no smal courtesie of the Senate of that most noble Citie of the ministers of the Church especiallie of Bucer a man of godlie memorie and of the professors of the schoole which curtesie vnlesse I would be most vngrateful I ought heartilie to commende and faithfullie to confesse Mâ—rcyâ— sent 〈◊〉 England Sixe yeares therefore in a manner continuallie I liued there interpreting the holie scripture and longer had I tarried had I not béene sent both by the magistrate by the Church into England whither I was called aswell by the king as by the Archbishoppe Primate of that
flying away wherein you forsake vs wee shoulde be left vtterlie destitute neither should there be anie either to comfort or instruct vs out of the Gospel Be not therefore dismaied my most déerelie beloued brethren neither doe you dispaire For although I haue béene taken away from you yet will not God our most mercifull Father forsake you but will euermore raise vp some man that shal teach you the truth I haue prayed and againe do pray for that which I iudge profitable for you but I am no God that I can giue you this before the time appointed The most merciful God for his infinite wisedome sake shal in place and time most conuenient establishe your Church which séemeth nowe to be dismaied and ouerthrowen which certeinlie appeareth not to be altogether destitute of the strength of the spirite For in banishment and persecutions wherewith it is dailie vexed it bringeth foorth no lesse fruite of faith than doe these Churches which by the benefite of God inioy peace and quietnesse Besides although yee shoulde be altogether destitute of ministers of the worde to whom the charge of preaching the Gospell is committed which inconueniences God forbid yet shal neuer the spirit of God be wanting who shall be in your heartes in the stéede of Preachers Moreouer there are among you which by the grace of God are so greatly illumined with the light of the trueth as they can also giue light vnto others and giue a testimonie vnto the truth and besides those whome the Lord hath now indued with this grace hee shall alwaies stirre vp others Wherefore I gather by all these things that my departure hath bin no cause of dammage vnto you I acknowledge that it cannot be but that ye take it gréeuouslie to bee depriued of that spiritual comfort which God sometime gaue you by my sermons lectures and conferences which I had with you Howbeit when as God recompenseth this losse with a greater strength of the spirite it is manifest that there is no damage brought vnto your saluation Besides that these sermons lectures and conferences coulde not indure anie longer vnlesse I woulde either haue darkened the trueth or haue professed thinges which are plainelie false The one of which namelie obscuring of the trueth it gréeueth mée that I did it at anie time but to teach falselie that shoulde not in anie wise haue béene doone There hath béene alreadie rumor spreade abroade at Rome amongest those which were conuersaunt in these matters that it is chéefelie to be attributed vnto mee that your citie did continue in errour Yea and this was cast in my téeth at Luca that I maie by my sermons and authoritie remedie all these things Yea and those Monkes also of mine murmured euerie daie that our Monasterie was for my sake woorse reported of than the Monasterie of the Augustinians that I might ridde awaie this blemishe by thrée words in the pulpit The verie which bruite was nowe come to the chéefe gouernour and to the principals of the order Wherfore I foresaw that it wold by some meanes come to passe that I shoulde be forbidden the office of Preaching either by the Pope or by your Citie or else by our societie and that bodilie punishmentes besides shoulde be laid vppon me nothing at al to your commoditie For wherein I haue béene a helpe vnto you by my silence especiallie when in so manie sermons and lectures I expounded vnto men if they were not deafe those principal points of heauenlie doctrine which are necessarie vnto saluation yea in a manner all those thinges which I my selfe vnderstoode Yée will obiect Flying from persecution defended You shoulde haue continued and expected while the imminent oppressions had come vppon you and those to haue suffered with a pacient minde which at the length wold greatlie haue furthered the building of the Church for by your example you shoulde haue animated others vnto constancie Of all other thinges it is least of all to be allowed that you fled awaie when no necessitie vrged Herein standeth the whole summe of the controuersie to vnderstande when necessitie shall vrge Such manner of necessitie and opportunitie God reueileth vnto them which wholie commit themselues in aduersities vnto his protection But that the same moment of time wherein I departed was fit for that purpose I so perswaded my selfe as I doubt not but that this perswasion is the inspiration of God And although that I did not abide the bitter troubles before my departure yet coulde I not vtterlie auoide all What troubles I suffered at Naples and there where you are I knowe well enough Let you your selues be iudge what disquietnesse and how manie aduersities I indured al the last yere which although they were not most gréeuous calamities yet were they messengers and tokens of them Wherfore it séemes to me that I haue suffered so manie as I haue not preached the Gospell without afflictions afterward I neglected not a fit occasion of safetie offered While I am in this place I serue by the benefite of God vnto some vse If God shall giue anie quietnesse to your state perhappes I will lead my life againe with you neither will I shunne anie danger whereunto God shall call me for the saluation of soules Moreouer ye be not ignorant of the troubles wherewith my conscience was vexed because of that state of life which I followed I should euerie day haue wincked at an innumerable sort of superstitions I should not onelie my selfe haue executed superstitious rites but should also without all reason haue required them of others manie thinges should I haue doone otherwise than I iudged or taught Your Pastor I was what I was able to bring to passe by Lectures and Sermons that I did when I could not gouerne the Church as Christian trueth requireth I thought it better in giuing ouer so difficult a charge to withdrawe my selfe into some place from whence I might at the least wise exhort you by letters than to remaine in that place where I should haue bin depriued of al conuersation with you and not to haue bin lawfull to deale with you either in presence or by letters I am not priuie that anie man hath bin brought in perill through my flying away In such a place am I by the benefite of GOD as I may interpret the holie scriptures comfort you by letters and exhort you to retaine the purenesse of the Gospell And to say the trueth this departing of mine which I speake for setting foorth the glorie of God being diligentlie considered is not without a mortification of mine owne selfe nor without neglect of promotion and honours wherewith in the sight of men I was largelie indued nor without lesse commodities whereof I had plentie on euerie side nor yet without resignation of authoritie wherein I could doe much among all men And all these thinges I might haue augmented manie wayes if I would haue departed from the trueth and Gospel of God Wherefore since
withdrawe himselfe for auoiding of offences and for the trueth sake of the Gospell anie manner of way to be confessed for I iudge that then the commaundement of flying away taketh place That certaine precepts may séeme contrarie and be not And that there may be giuen two precepts which at the first viewe séeme contrarie which neuerthelesse when they be particular are not repugnant in themselues I will shewe by plaine examples On the one part we are commaunded to defende and preserue Christian libertie and not to yéelde the same vnder the tyrannie and abuse of hipocrites On the other part we are commaunded to yéelde vnto the weakenesse of the brethren as wee haue it in the Epistle to the Romanes Rom. 14. 1. These in déede séeme to be contrarie but he that rightlie considereth the state of the times dooth easilie take away that repugnancie which appeareth to be which was singularlie wel doone by Paul who then refused to circumcise Titus Gal. 2. 3. when it was required as necessarie to saluation yet did he suffer Timothie to be circumcised when he knew that it serued to edifying Acts. 16. 3. and that it might be doone without danger necessarie to follow Gal. 2. 14. The same Apostle could not abide that Peter should doe according to the Iewes because he sawe that by his example manie were verie gréeuouslie offended Yet dooth he afterward prudentlie exhort his Romans that with louing charitie they should beare with the infirmitie of the nouices and weake brethren These thinges at the first sight are verie contrarie yet are they not repugnant if euerie thing be doone in time conuenient Who knoweth not Exo. 20. 12. Rom. 13. 1. Mat. 10. 19. 27. 29. that it is commaunded by the lawe of God that we should obey parentes princes and Magistrates Contrariwise that we are commaunded for Christ and the Gospels sake to leaue parentes children brethren whatsoeuer we possesse These thinges doe verie well stand together without controuersie so that they be doone in fit times and momentes Matt. 6. 1. c. Otherwhile the time requireth that we should doe our good workes in secret according as Christ warned touching prayer and fasting Matt. 6. 15. Otherwhile also it requireth that we should doe these thinges in the sight of men namelie where they may be doone with the praise and glorie of our Lord. In old time sacrifices were instituted by manie commaundementes of God which neuerthelesse in case of mercy or other matter of more weight were sometimes omitted A good thing was it sometime to rest vpon the Sabbaoth day from all bodilie labours but otherwhile it behooued to fight Wherefore some preceptes are particular which in shew may séeme to be contrarie but this forceth nothing at all for both haue not place at one and the selfesame time Therefore euen as those preceptes whereby we are commaunded to tarie and to flie doe stand firme so likewise dooth the precept abide firme wherein we are commaunded to flie because each one of them must be vsed in his due time But the ground of their doctrine which affirme this precept to be abrogated is this to wit that they thinke that the flying away which hath ioyned with it the feare of death cannot set foorth the glorie of God Howbeit they are deceaued for the feare of death is not by it selfe faultie as we haue declared And if they which flie away be godlie they haue speciallie determined this with themselues that they will not deny the trueth earnestlie desiring to preserue that faith which they know they haue receaued by the bountifull goodnesse of the heauenlie father Which no man doubteth but it belongeth to the furtheraunce of the glorie of GOD. Wherefore we bring to passe by this feare that we auoide manie euils namelie the afflictions of the bodie and death least we being forced by the rigour of these should deny the trueth and make a shipwracke of faith There is no man therefore but vnderstandeth that feare to be good because he considereth not death and tormentes of the bodie by themselues which if he did yet neither should it then be faultie of it selfe but so farre foorth as they might cast a weake Christian man into the danger of forswearing or depriue him of Christian faith which thing vndoubtedlie maketh not to the glorie of God Since I haue aunswered vnto the two questions propounded I would not speake anie further sauing that I perceiue you may iustlie desire more namelie that I should aunswere vnto their Argumentes which with great contention defend the contrarie opinion as touching flying away who would haue vs in anie wise to be of their minde that vnder the pretence of auoyding sin they might commodiouslie abide in their owne pleasant countries with such wealth as they haue retaining still their vsuall slothfulnesse and dissimulation in the affaires of religion Wherefore that I may the more fullie satisfie you since I haue shewed that the feare of death is not in his owne nature faultie and that the commaundement of flying away was not abolished I will as well as I can rehearse those thinges which are obiected and afterward will I confute them so much as the present cause shal séeme to require Obiections 2. Tim. 1. 7 First some obiect that which Paul hath vnto Timothie For God hath not giuen vnto vs the spirit of feare but of fortitude of loue and of temperance If this be so say they it doth not become a Christian man to flie the same being a token of feare Wherefore he ought to remaine being strengthened with the spirit of fortitude and to make no account at all of the threatninges of tyrants Vnto whome I aunswere that in déede it becommeth a Christian man to be valiant and constant and to be voide of all feare Howbeit this fortitude of the spirit is neither in all men nor yet is alwayes after one manner For sometimes it so incourageth a man as he refuseth not both to confesse the trueth and to die for the same euen as the examples of manie Martyrs doe testifie but sometimes it driueth a man to this other kinde of confession namelie to forsake together with his natiue countrie all cōmodities and delightfull thinges and in the stead of them taketh vppon him manie discommodities griefes daungers and detrimentes which they that trauell into an other place must abide He that neither of both waies dare confesse Christ is shamefullie withdrawen by the dreadfulnesse of feare and had rather reuenge or by dissimulation suppresse the trueth than to die or to forsake the swéete nest of his natiue countrie earthlie pleasures Wherefore this present place of scripture admonisheth the Christians that they should retaine the spirit of fortitude and put it in vre But because there be diuers kindes of that spirit it ought no more to be restrained vnto one kinde than vnto an other But when the one or the other is necessarie to be
that Christian charitie mooueth mée to fauour them your request also shall cause mée that I will pleasure them any waie that either they themselues shall desire of me or that Iohn Vlmer shall desire in their behalfe That Hooper is deliuered of all his troubles I thinke you nowe vnderstand by others I neuer failed him and I alwayes hoped well of his cause He is nowe in his Bishoprick he exerciseth his function faithfully and earnestly God graunt him that he may plentifully reape the fruites which he most desireth Also Christopher Froschouer behaueth himselfe well for your sake I will neuer forsake him so farre as in me lyeth and I hope so well of him as I thinke hee will well aunswere your expectation I bid you and all yours fare well in the Lorde From Oxford the 25. of Aprill 1551. To Ralph Gualther IF I shoulde not my learned Friend giue you thankes for the paines which you haue taken in the perusing and correcting of my Booke when it was in Printing both I shall be vngratefull and shall not deserue hereafter to haue any benefite bestowed vpon mee by any other Truely I sée that you haue taken no small toyle therein For in copying out the Booke which I sent vnto you there was no such diligence vsed as had bin requisite But I will prouide hereafter that the matter may bee more diligently handled when I shall sende any thing to you to be Printed Wherefore I beséech almightie GOD to requite the paines which you haue taken for mee Your carefulnesse hath brought to passe that the worke is come forth well ynough amended But looke how much you haue furthered the impression so much lesse hath fortune fauoured the carriage of the bookes For to this day there could be conueyed hither but thirtie Coppies wherefore many séeke them in vaine since they are not to bee solde any where in this kingdome Birkman who promised me xx Coppies hath not sent one which I will not thinke to bée doone of ill will but rather that it hath happened through some mischaunce As touching our matters I cannot certifie you of much more than this our carrier I meane your Froschouer is able to shewe who vndoubtedly is an honest and godly young man and all the while he taried here liued moderately and religiouslie wherefore it appeareth that he was not rashlie commended of you at the beginning God increase his godlinesse and graunt you to procéede as ye doe in the instructing of your children and young men Great newes is here spread out of Germanie but yet so vncertaine and variable as we cannot wel assure our selues what to beléeue We are desirous to knowe whether the Switchers which professe the Gospell haue determined to send any of the Ministers of their Churches to the Councell of Trent But to enquire much of these things perhaps will not be thought conuenient since Christes cause is chiefely to bée commended to Christ himselfe Howbeit as the members of the bodie of Christ which is the Church are ioyned one with another by a most sure bonde of the spirit so is it requisite that they shoulde be carefull one of another I bid you farewell in the Lorde Salute in my name Maister Pellican Maister Bibliander together with the rest of our fellowe Ministers Giuen out of the house of my Lorde of Canterburie the 6. of Marche 1552. To the Lords of Polonia Professors of the Gospel and to the Ministers of the Churches there I Am fullie perswaded right honorable and louing brethren in Christ that you so abounde in the grace of God and his plentifull spirite and be so replenished with heauenlie doctrine and wisedome that you are able not onelie to teach and instruct your selues in the waie of God but can also admonishe and teach others yet am I bolde to write these things vnto you that you maie knowe as a certaine testimonie of my minde what coniunction I haue with all the members of Christ what most ready will towardes the holie renewing of the kingdome of Christ and what a certaine singular affection towardes the kingdome of Polonia Polonia embraâ—ed the Gospel First then I giue thankes vnto God the father through our Lorde Iesus Christ that your newe profession of the gospell is with great praise of the godlie spread in a manner euerie where For what can happen more acceptable or more ioyfull vnto them than that the Gospell of God maie be ministred euen in the vttermost parts of the worlde that the oblation of the Gentils where it was least to be looked for maie bee accepted of God and most aboundantlie sanctified by his spirite Verilie they which haue but a sparke of godlinesse in their brest and are touched with anie indeuour of the worshippe of God do not onelie make great account of your indeuours which you bestowe in the reformation of Christes religion but also doe weigh the same as the greatest pleasure and singular delight Procéede therefore as you haue begunne forasmuch as you are nowe become a most ioyfull spectacle vnto God vnto the Angels 1. Cor. 4. 9. and vnto men and for your sakes doth euerie good man from all partes reioyce Verilie I my selfe who am woonderfullie afflicted for the harde misfortunes of the Church of Englande The afflicted state of the Church of England who dailie lament the newe slaughters of holie men and continuallie sorow for the fires wherewith the most holie members of Christ are burned cannot but recreate my selfe by reason of the determination of godlinesse that you haue begunne For with you is increased and amplified that which elsewhere is by the extreme power of Antichrist abated and diminished Howbeit that our thankes giuing maie be the fuller and you receiue more ioyfull aboundant and long lasting fruite of that which you haue taken in hand this must you speciallie prouide that ye ioine with innocencie and purenesse of life that trueth of God which he hath vouchsafed to open vnto you The knowledge of God without integritie of life is hurtfull otherwise it profiteth nothing yea rather it doeth excéeding much harme to haue the knowledge of God to haue the reuelation of his will and to vnderstand the secrets of the Scriptures when wee shall in déedes and life denie all these thinges For what other thing I beséech you should that be Rom. 1. 18. than as Paul saith to detaine the trueth of God in vnrighteousnesse Assuredlie it is the first steppe vnto godlinesse rightlie to knowe those thinges whereby God will be worshipped of vs but herein to labour for performance thereof which we haue nowe by the grace of GOD knowen it is a most certaine fruite of that faith which indéed being taken awaie what soeuer knowledge went before though it were lightened by the spirit of God yet did it make vnto most gréeuous condemnation Wherefore my most déerelie beloued brethren we must take héede that our light be not without heate that the leaues bee not without
fruite and that the cloudes caried about with windes be not without waters For those thinges which bee vaine and vnfruitfull because they be without soundnes strength and stabilitie they are not able to stande against the wilinesse of Sathan and assaultes of aduersarie powers Wherefore let faith take most déepe root in your hearts that it maie be the more fruitefull and bee confirmed with constancie not to bee repented of But when I speake of faith I meane not that which men of their subtiltie haue framed by the imagination of their owne thoughtes and by the iudgement of humane wisedome but I speake of that which as Paul teacheth Ro. 10. 17. is by hearing yet not euerie hearing but that which is onelie of the worde of God as wee haue it nowe by the grace of God comprehended in the holy scriptures Which I therefore adde because there be such in manie places which bee not ashamed to weaken counterfeite the same For they saie that they professe the true God séeing saie they we teach and adore him who is eternall who created heauen and earth who is the father of our Lorde Iesus Christ But afterward when they procéede further The â—eâ—orâ— of the Arrians they ioyne thereunto some opinion either of Arrius or Seruettus or some other phansie Also they bragge that they worshippe and imbrase Christ the true sonne of God and our redéemer but straightwaie either they confounde the two natures or else denie him to bee an humane creature The error of the â—…iquitie of Christs bodie They no lesse presumptuouslie than vnlearnedlie saie that his bodie is spread in all places They decrée that it is multiplyed and continued through out all the péeces of bread of the Eucharist and that it is included in them or else they madlie imagine that the substaunce of his flesh was not taken of the matter of the blessed Virgin The error of the Anabaptists but either brought out of heauen or else conceiued and formed of the substance of the holie Ghost What is he which vnlesse he become foolishe or doltish will graunt that these men confesse or admit verie God and verie Christ as he is described in the holie Scriptures Therefore is neither verie God nor verie Christ worshipped and adored of them but that God and that Christ which they themselues haue framed in their owne imagination Heretikes like vnto the Philistians 1. Sam. 5. 2. Dagon Neither doe I thinke that it otherwise happeneth vnto them than vnto the Philistians who instéede of the true God worshipped Dagon whose name was deriued from Fishe if yee respect the Hebrewe worde séeing Dag in Hebrewe signifieth a Fishe For they so fashioned the Image that from the head vnto the thighes there might appeare a humane forme but that his féete shoulde be the tayle of a fishe as Neptune Phorcis and the Meremaides are of some described Verilie these are no other thinges than Monsters But so is the impietie and madnesse of men increased as they haue not one onlie waie changed the truth of God into a lie For they in the stéede of the true God haue worshipped brute beastes and thinges more vile than brute beastes Yea and they are come to such a passe as they haue feigned to themselues monsters which are not extant in the nature of things that they might haue those thinges in the stéede of Gods And such Images haue they oftentimes so made as they beganne with the figure of a man then they ended either with a brute beast or with a fishe So the Heretikes and all they which straie from syncere godlinesse doe for the most part in making of their God beginne with God the maker of heauen and earth and with Christ the sonne of GOD and our redéemer but afterwarde they ende with monsters and straunge thinges of their owne deformed cogitations Neither doe they worshippe the true God and the true Christ but the figures Images and phantasies of their own imagination These things doe I not therefore write vnto you my déere brethren as though I suspect you to bee infected with these euils but to the intent I maie verie plainelie shewe that our father the God immortall and Christ the sonne of GOD and most verie God man must be apprehended and receiued with that faith which shall bee drawen out of the verie fountaines of the holie scriptures not out of the puddle of humane dreames And those thinges which we haue nowe spoken of Christ and GOD the verie same must wee vnderstande of our frée election of iustification of the sacraments of good workes of the Church and of all other things which belong vnto mans saluation wherunto our faith must be so applied as we reade the same to be defined and appointed in the Canonicall scriptures Not the glorie of the world but the holie Scripture is the rule of fayth Let not the dignitie or gorgeous shew of any creature let not kings nor fathers nor Bishops nor Romane Prelats nor Councels finallie let not the learned men of our age which doubtlesse are verie many and may iustlie be compared with the ancient fathers dasell our eyes Let it be a prerogatiue of the holie Scripture onely to ouer rule our faith let that as a most certaine rule prescribe what we are to beléeue besides that let no creature be beléeued except so far foorth as he agréeth therewith And you right reuerend pastors which are now made gouernours of the Church of God I pray and beséeche you in Christ that ye make no delaies in restoring of his temple No delaie must be vsed in restoring the word of God Who séeth not that when a matter is differred occasions which are fit and to be desired are lost This doth the Diuill worke least that which is to be doone shoulde be doone quickelie Now he faineth that a generall Councell must be expected now he pretendeth that there must be had the authoritie of a parliameÌ„t that the consent of princes must be obtained Wherefore if you stay vppon his delaies perswade your selues that you shall neuer bring anie thing to passe Did the Apostles and those most holie men that succéeded them expect these thinges When the Arrian heresie began to destroy the world did not the Pastors of the Churches straightway begin to crie out against the same Certainlie they differred not till the Nicene Councell was had Neither did they in Germanie expect the assent of the Byshopes Princes or Parliamentes The men of God should neuer by these wayes haue brought to passe or obtained anie thing I am not of the minde that these meanes must be refused when they be offered and in the meane time I doe not blame if they be sought for so the time be not for those causes consumed and the occasions graunted by God cut off Wherefore bestirre ye with spéede brethren restore ye the house of God contaminated and in a manner vtterlie destroyed by Antichrist and in
which disquieted Garnerius doe still remaine they be as they haue euer bin of a troublesome nature Peter Alexander procéedeth with his worke begun teacheth well and effectually enough Baldwine as I suppose will goe to Heidelburgh I knowe nothing for certaine for he dealeth closely and he doth not openlie speake that which he hath in his minde If he depart I would wishe that Holomanus were appointed in his place But so far as I sée Molinaeus will sticke héere for he séeketh as I can gesse to obtaine eyther this place or a place at Heidelburgh Howbeit yet he shal not easilie succéede him since God hath not giuen him the gift of teaching For no man in a manner vnderstandeth him when he speaketh Truelie I am sory for him for hée is learned in his facultie and he hath not laboured in vaine against the Pope If he would apply his mind to wryting and defending of our cause and had some place about a Prince I thinke it were a good turne for him but the man lacketh constancie wherefore to say the truth I cannot certainly tell what he shoulde doe I commende vnto you as earnestly as I can our Italian church although I thinke there is no néede for mee so to doe I lately receaued letters out of Saxonie from a certaine Pastor my olde Friende who is not onelie learned but also godly and iudgeth well as touching this controuersie He saieth he hath manie brethren about him which iudge after the same sort that he doeth but that they are ouerpressed with multitude The rest hée saieth doe rage so that in the Pulpits they haue almost no other voice but that we bée Heretickes false Prophets Wolues Suermerians and Sacramentioosers and he addeth that they doe chiefely rage against you I thinke that if they can they will deuise some kinde of excommunication I beséeche GOD withstande their indeuours That same good man is in great hatred because he will not crie out vppon vs as others doe and because he hath receiued into his house certaine English men which are fled out of their Countrie whom others haue reiected and because he sometime communicated with the Church of Phriseland Wherefore he doubteth that neither his owne Church nor yet Saxonie will bée able long to holde him But because these Lutheran Papistes to stirre vp enuie against vs perswade the multitude that all their Churches are condemned by vs and doe easilie perswade euen what they will vnto those that bee ignorant he thought it woulde bée profitable if by the common consent of our Churches there were set forth a writing vnto the children of the Church of Saxonie whereby this slaunder might bée tried out and that verie absolutelie there might bée giuen an account of our faith which although after a sort it hath bin doone at other times yet he iudgeth that the same would verie much profite at this time especiallie if there were a subscribing by the Churches for the aduersaries bragge euerie where that there is a great disagréement among vs touching this matter These things I thought not good to kéepe in silence because you may vse your iudgementes about the same The packet of letters I sent before because I thought that Westphalus Booke was included therein and I was minded to sende these letters by the Maister of Saint Andrewe but because as I heare he departeth into the lowe Countries I did not thinke to differre it any longer I beséeche GOD kéepe you long safe among vs. From Strasborough the 23. of September 1555. To Maister Iohn Caluin RIght woorthie sir most néerely ioyned vnto my heart in Christ I am verie much delighted with your little booke which you sent vnto me The same did I not reade ouer but rather deuoure in one night For when the carier had deliuered it vnto mee he would be gone the next morning Thus doe I iudge thereof he that diligently readeth ouer the same shall with one labour obtaine two thinges and those not small First he shall throughly knowe and perceiue the controuersie about the Eucharist which it pleased God of his goodnesse in our age to make manifest againe to the Churches of Christ For in such sort was it obscured and so folden vp in darkenesse that there scarcely appeared anie small steppe of the trueth thereof because in verie déede it was acknowledged of verie fewe But I iudge the manifestation thereof to bée so great a good as without it God cannot bee sincerely worshipped in his Church There be such as for common quietnesse sake woulde haue this cause to lie buried and in silence But I for my part thinke that vnlesse this fountaine of manie euils be abolished there shall want a great part of Christian doctrine in the Church of Christ Wherefore the last wéeke when N. was with vs I sent a large Epistle to the Churches of Polonia wherein with great indeuour I did sincerelie and plainely shewe the true sense of the holie scriptures concerning the question of the Sacrament I beséeche God that he will not suffer my letters to bée vnprofitable The other commoditie of your booke is that Westphale and his fellowes which cannot be satisfied with courteous and milde spéeches are by this kinde of inchauntment to bée driuen againe to their dennes whence they fled that after the manner of Serpents they may féede and delight onelie themselues with their owne venim but dare not spread the same among others and kill them any more Will they complaine that you haue bin sharpe and vehement in writing Wée demaunde why Westphalus did of his owne accorde procure to himselfe these mistie cloudes showers haile thunder and lightening Will it grieue them that the conflict of this contention was so bloudie Wée will againe replie vppon them that the Centauri and Cyclops coulde not by any other meanes be vanquished Will some of them complaine of to much bitternesse and as they haue saide at other times that wee deale by a scurrile or vile manner of spéeche Wée will answere that wee haue incountered with Westphalus his professed shamelesse audacitie not by the scoffes of Hickscorners but by strong argumentes and most firme reasons Briefely let other men looke howe they iudge that which you haue written verie much liketh mée and I allowe wel thereof Wherefore I giue you heartie thankes aswell for the wel ordering of the worke which you haue written as for the litle booke which you sent vnto me Fare you well my deare and welbeloued brother in Christ who long kéepe you safe among vs. Zanchus saluteth you I pray you vouchsafe to salute the brethren in my name and especiallie the Marques From Strasborough the 16. of Februarie 1556. To Maister Caluin FOr somuch as N. N. returneth from hence vnto those parts I determined to write somewhat vnto you whereby you might both knowe that I am in good health and that I earnestlie desire that you maie at the length be deliuered this winter time from the feuer wherein you haue
Ianuarie I answered not before because I receiued them in the Calends of March neither haue we any store of conuenient cariers at Tigure Now must you perswade your selfe of this that those things which gréeue you and such as you be do also very much gréeue me my brethren To answere againe vnto your questions I thinke it not much néedeful because I thinke that all my letters came vnto you whereunto I haue answered as I coulde not perhaps so much as the matter required or somuch as you your selfe desired yet I said that which séemed then to serue to the purpose That which you feare wee cannot turne away from you otherwise than by prayers which beléeue me we carefullie doe and will doe Finallie to come to your last question The Image of the Crucifix namely to haue the signe of the crucifix vpon the holie table while the Lords supper is ministred I do not account it among things indifferent neither would I aduise any man to distribute the sacraments with that rite Howbeit you that are in the verie conflict looke not for counsell from hence for we bée farre from you consult vppon your owne grounde a vocation is not lightly to be cast off nor yet to be taken in hand with iniury of the truth To be briefe the worshipping of images must in no wise be suffered neither doth master Bullinger nor I account such for indifferent thinges nay rather we refuse them as thinges forbidden Howebeit except you be compelled to these things doe not you refuse the ministerie which is fréelie offered to you As concerning the writing of letters to the Quéene about this matter this much vnderstande that I am nowe so ouerwhelmed with businesse as though I haue neuer so much minde to doe it yet I cannot For these two moneths together I alone teach in the schoole and I iudge that the cause is not to bee committed vnto letters And besides this I thinke that my letters will be of no great weight Truely I haue written twise publiklie and priuately neither coulde I vnderstand whether the things that I wrote were well accepted Furthermore if it be the determination of your men as it is reported that they will imbrase the confession made at Augusta and that they couet the league of the Protestants you your selfe may consider of what credite my letters and the letters of such as I am will be accounted That one thing which I can I will not faile to doe namely to praie that your kingdome and Church together with your most mightie Quéene may most happilie liue in Christ Notwithstanding as you willed me I haue delt in the cause with master Bernardine Hee is sicklie both by reason of age and through the diseases that come vpon olde men yet he refused not the labour of writing but promiseth to doe it when he shal be able I doubt not of Bullinger but that hee will write for he is verie well incouraged in this matter Although he haue read your letters hee hath not yet shewed me any thing whereof I may giue you to vnderstand Fare you well Bullinger all the fellow ministers my wife and Iulius with his wife salute you A sonne was borne vnto me the 2. of March and died the 10. day of March. Salute in my name all your friends and cease not to loue your Martyr The 20. of March 1560. To a certaine friende of his 42. I Verie well knowe by your letters my godlie and learned friende and my most beloued in the Lorde that you throughlie vnderstande my meaning as touching the supper of the Lord. Wherefore I shall the lesse neede to make aunswere to your most courteous learned Epistle The state of the question as you rightlie gather is whether according to the increase of faith which both of vs agrée to be giuen vnto the faithfull in the vse of the Eucharist Whether we by the increase of faith be the more incorporated into Christ we bée more vnited or incorporaâ—… vnto Christ our Lorde and by him vnto God which I affirmed but you denied as thinking that although our faith increase yet that coniunction which wee haue wish Christ is not for that cause increased thereby But I minding to confirme my opinion That our coniunctioÌ„ in Christ is encreased thought it verie requisite to bring foorth places of the Scriptures by which our increase in Christ is most manifestlie declared Paul vnto the Ephesians the 3. Chapter saith Ephe. 3. 19. That ye maie be filled with all fulnesse of God By these wordes of the Apostle is opened and taught that vnto the faithfull belongeth euerie daie to be fulfilled and perfected But the same Apostle testifieth that it is Christ alone by whom we be fulfilled and perfected yea it is he who is both fulfilled and perfected in vs. For we read in the verie same Epistle that the Church is the body of Christ and fulnesse of him that filleth all in all thinges Ephe. 1. 23. that while one member of this bodie is augmented Christ maie be saide to be increased in it that is become greater and more néere vnto it In the 4. of the same Epistle to the Ephesians it is saide that there are giuen vnto the Church Apostles Prophetes Euangelistes Pastors and teachers who in verie déede doe not deale but by the worde of God and Sacramentes for the restoring of the saintes into the worke of the administration into the edifying of the bodie of Christ Eph. 4. ver 11. 12. 13. 14. vntill we all meete together into the vnitie of faith and knowledge of the sonne of God vnto a perfect man vnto the measure of age of the fulnesse of Christ that hence foorth wee maie be no more children Hereunto therefore maie these Ministeries of the Church and Sacramentes bee saide to pertaine that euerie man maie bee strengthened in his vocation ministerie and that hee doe not alwaies liue an vnperfect age but be increased in the bodie of Christ and be made at the length of full age and perfect stature that hee be not a babishe and childishe member of the perfect and manlie heade I meane of Christ Neither is there anie other augmentation of the members to be appointed than that Christ himselfe shold be amplyfied and made greater in euerie of his members and this is doone if the faithfull be euerie daie made more partakers of him And streight way after the same Apostle saith But we following the trueth in loue let vs in all thinges growe vp vnto him who is the heade that is Christ And hee addeth In whom al the bodie being coupled and knit together by euerie ioynt for the furniture thereof according to the effectuall power in the measure of euerie part receiueth increase of the bodie vnto the edifying of it selfe in loue In this place also we heare of an increase of the bodie as touching each part according to the measure thereof and the manner of
brought his flesh out of heauen yet doe they not stray farre from a true mediatour Héere doe we say that vnlesse a man doe diligentlie examine similitudes he shall easilie be deceiued by them True in déede it is that the errours of men doe not change thinges for the nature of God is not peruerted by the false opinions of men as being that which alwaies abideth the selfe same firme and vnshaken A distinctiō of mens actions But yet the actions of men must be distinguished Some are so conuersant about their subiectes as they imprint nothing at all in them they change or innouate nothing such is the action of knowing or beléeuing For thinges which be knowen and beléeued suffer nothing at all of them that beléeue and knowe But there be other workes which doe deforme and alter sometime to the better and sometime to the worse the matter about which they are conuersant So the true Christ by the Iewes although they were deceiued was scourged woonded and slaine But in the first kinde of actions if there happen to be an errour the thinges themselues are not comprehended but certaine other thinges farre differing from thē This will I declare by examples Similitudes If anie man that exerciseth his wit in mathematical figures would iudge that a triangle hath foure corners he should not comprehende in his minde a very triangle but a quadrangle vndoubtedly he should erre and by that error it would come to passe that he should not attaine to the thing which he had thought to doe but vnskilfully be occupied about other thinges So in naturall thinges they which affirme that mans soule is a vanishing blast of winde or a flame that shall be soone quenched should not comprehende in their minde the true soule of man but either a vanishing blast or a litle fire to perish within a while so as they that erre are commonlie saide to take one for an other Therefore the Anabaptists while they dreame that Christ tooke not flesh of the virgin since they erre so gréeuouslie in that same now do they not beléeue in the true mediatour neither doe they attaine vnto him by faith but are caried to one whome they themselues haue forged not that their error hath changed the true Christ but because they are not occupied with their faith about him And he whō they haue feigned did neither die nor suffer nor yet is anie where extant Indéed they take the actions properties of verie Christ and fasten them to their Christ whom they imagine but all in vaine for since this is doone by their onelie imagination 1. kings 12. 28. all this is a monster but not true Christ Ieroboam also and his complices saide that they in that figure and visible signe worshipped not calues but god But the scripture in Paralipomenon testifieth that their imagination was made frustrate because they did these seruices not to Iehoua 2. Chron. 11. 15. but vnto diuels Neither ought anie to stirre vp hatred against vs for Luthers cause As touching him we decree nothing séeing God at the last or while he was dying might lighten him as I am perswaded was doone vnto Cyprian when he shedde his bloulde for Christ his sake Of aboundant greatnesse is the mercie of God God doth not forsake thē that be his those which he séemeth to haue forsaken he helpeth being at the point of death Howbeit we doe here speake of them which be obstinate and doe not repent And vndoubtedlie the selfe same question might bee mooued as touching Tertullian and Origen and such like fathers which erred from the trueth in verie weightie matters when as in diuerse other thinges they wrote verie agréeably to the right faith Howbeit we iudge not here of men which perhaps by the benefit of God repented them before their death but of them onelie which of an obstinate minde continue in their error vntill the last end Moreouer we affirme that the weight and hurt of this error is so great as it damneth euerlastinglie those which abide and indure therin vntil the end Further this belongeth little or nothing to our matter For that which is brought as touching Luther belongeth vnto the fact but we reason of the lawe Now we haue no other right than that which the holie Ghost hath appointed in the scriptures of God where Iohn saith 1. Iohn 4. 3. that they which confesse not Christ to haue come in the flesh are Antichristes But Hadrian which earnestlie trauelleth in the Anabatistes behalfe aunswereth that they with open mouth confesse that Christ came in the fleshe although they denie that the same was taken of the virgin Howbeit it behooueth to vnderstande the oracle of Iohn according to his owne meaning and sense But he when he maketh mention of fleshe vnderstandeth no other than that which the diuine promises haue expressed Namelie which shoulde be the séede of Eue the séede of Abraham the séede of Dauid and the infant of Marie The holie Ghost is not contrarie to him selfe Wherefore that which he spake by Iohn is al one thing with that which the diuine promises haue shewed in other Canonicall bookes Wee knowe as thou doest O Hadrian that Christ to haue come in the flesh to haue taken the same of the virgin are two thinges and are in such sort two as the one maie be beléeued without the other as at this daie we sée it come to passe in the Anabaptistes Howbeit we ought not to haue respect what they do but what God requireth of Christian men He assuredlie wil haue those two to be ioyned together in one article whereby the benefit exhibited by the promises which were made before as touching him shoulde not be seuerall Who moreouer wil not maruell that the Anabaptistes are reckened among them which Christ the true foundation beeing preserued build vppon him hay 1. Cor. 3. 11 strawe and stubble which thinges although they shal be burned yet they that haue builded shall be saued because of the foundations In what respect Christ is the foundation of the Church Gen. 4. 15. Gen. 17. 7. Psal 132. 11 Assuredlie Christ is not the foundation of saluation except so farre foorth as it is laid by God for he as the scriptures most plainely testifie gaue and promised him as touching the humane nature to bee the séede of Eue the séede of Abraham the séede of Dauid and the sonne of man that is of Marie Why do we not rather by hay stubble and straw vnderstande to bee noted infinite genealogies vaine bablings vnwritten verities vnseasonable visions allegories and diuers traditions of men which maie or maie not bee beléeued All these thinges although they bée not plaine repugnaunt against Christ yet because they builde not they shall be burned with the fire of the diuine iudgement although that the authors because of the sound foundation from which they departed not shall not perish euerlastinglie But to beléeue that the fleshe of the
sacramentes a great deale more than is requisite and tie the grace of God vnto baptisme interpreting amisse that saying which is in Iohn Iohn 3. 3. Except a man be borne againe of water and of the spirite he shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen Mar. 16. 16. Againe Hee that shall beleeue and be baptised shall be saued Moreouer we heereby gather that they attribute more than is méete vnto baptisme for that we comming vnto them they would not giue vs the Eucharist whereas notwithstanding they dare not denie baptisme vnto your young children because they dispaire that those can haue saluation without it Further they beléeue that young children be indued with faith which neither you nor we doe beléeue who thinke it to be sufficient vnto their saluation that they be indued with the spirite of Christ who is the roote and originall of faith and who at such time as hee shall thinke good will stirre vp the same in them Wherefore since there is no agréement betwéene them and vs in anie of both sacramentes we knowe not why you should from thence take baptisme vnto your children Besides this we thinke good to recken what an offence or stumbling blocke will be giuen to the weake ones of your Church when it procéedeth not of impietie or pride or too much obstinacie but of a great desire of the purer religion and it hath verie good reasons to prooue pastors and elders as much as they can must indeuour to auoid the same What commoditie I beséech you or spirituall edification is had at the length by baptisme ministred of the Lutherans vndoubtedlie your infantes are not in ioperdie of saluation if they die without baptisme forsomuch as neither the grace of Christ nor the effects of predestination must bee tied to outwarde things and sacraments Assuredly we are not to beléeue that the children of the Hebrues which for the space of fortie yeares died vncircumcised did al for that cause sustaine the condemnation of eternall punishment for that had bin verie straunge from the league couenant made with the fathers and also from the goodnesse of God and his promises Neither shall the â—issing of the Lutheran Baptisme be anie dammage vnto the parentes since it happeneth not vppon a contempt of the Sacrament but onely in regarde of the conscience and faith Wherefore wee exhort you my most déere brethren in Christ that ye at the leastwise for a while will abstaine from this kinde of baptisme till yee haue taught your weake ones as you call them that it is lawfull to receiue the Sacrament of the Lutherans For that is either forbidden or is necessarie to saluation or else it is a thing indifferent Necessarie to saluation it is not seeing the grace of God is not tyed vnto the sacramentes But if it be forbidden of God to be doone as we thinke it is so much the rather must yée abstaine from it Finallie if it be a thing indifferent as you may séeme to affirme if we shoulde graunt you euen this yet yee ought not to vse it with offeÌ„ce of the weake séeing Paul in these thinges indifferent woulde haue the consciences of the weake ones to be prouided for and that at the least wise for a time vntill the matter as we doe wishe maie bee made more manifest vnto them Neither must we be vnmindefull of the rule of Paul wherein hee spake of all this matter All thinges are lawfull for mee but all thinges are not expedient 1. Cor. 6. 12 Consider I beséech you with your selues although that the baptisme of the Lutherans shoulde be lawfull yet shoulde it not bee expedient at this time and for your brethren Neither doeth it séeme to be a part of Christian godlinesse onlie to heare and to be willing to followe as much as maie be lawfull by the lawes For otherwhile it behooueth for our brethreÌ„s sake to omit somewhat of that which is lawful to bee doone especallie in those thinges which be accounted indifferent But in the meane time you saie that the discorde betwéene vs and the Lutherans is more more increased And perhappes it is but yet it chaunceth not through our fault for wee doe loue them and manie times would haue accounted them for our brethren which they not onelie haue refused but also haue euerie where in a manner condemned vs and doe indeuour by all meanes to cast vs out of the Church Neither can it be thought that the discorde will bee therefore diminished because you séeke to baptise your children in their ministerie Yea and perhappes your sort will not hereafter through this communion of the sacrament aduenture so valiantlie and constantlie to defende that trueth about the article of the Sacrament as they haue heretofore with great praise vertue maintained it For vnconstant is the nature of man and is not for anie other cause sooner reconciled with them that haue ill opinions than by vsurpation of their Sacramentes These things my brethren did I thinke good at this time to write vnto you as touching this matter the which take yee in good part and pray you earnestlie for our Churches euen as we doe instantly pray for you To the brethren of the Citie of Luca. 47. SInce we together bee all one bodie most déerelie beloued brethreÌ„ in Christ it is wholie our part to coÌ„municate one with an other the affections wherewith wee bee some time mooued especially those which we think may bring any helpe to the coÌ„mon saluatioÌ„ Wherefore I which of long time haue liued ioifully in God because of your coÌ„mendable proceedinges in the waie of the holie Gospell of Iesus Christ all the faithfull giuing euerie where honourable report of you I thought it not néedefull hitherto to incourage you with my letters and therefore I regarded this one thing that I might giue thankes to the heauenlie Father for our aboundant spirituall fruites and to pray that hee woulde vouchsafe to increase the blessing that hee hath giuen you Which to accomplish I was not a little mooued forsomuch as I had at the beginning laide among you some foundations of the Christian trueth according to the will of the heauenlie Father weaklie indéede at that time as I before God confesse yet so as not by my power but by the fauour of Iesus Christ that indeuour whatsoeuer it were brought no small profite aswell to me as to you Furthermore I was delighted herein that after these foundatioÌ„s such as they were were laid you obtained of God other teachers which were more fitte through whose prudent trauell and most syncere doctrine the husbandrie begunne in you did increase Wherefore I reioyced and maruelouslie triumphed for your sakes as for an incorruptible crowne of mine owne neither was there euer anie mention made of you vnto mée but that I was wholie replenished with spirituall gladnesse Of the fall in persecution But nowe when it hath seemed good vnto God to prooue his housholde by tribulations and
childe I haue sinned but speake it from the heart Wéepe ye with Ezechias Esa 38. 3. but wéepe with faithfull and syncere teares Prostrate your selues before Christ with the sinfull woman Luke 7. 37 Wéepe yee bitterlie with Peter with prayers and fastinges procéeding from a true faith Mat. 26. 75 Crie you out vnto God with the Niniuites Ionas 3. 5. Acts. 2. 37. Bée ye conuerted with those Iewes of whome Christ was crucified whome if ye spared no doubt but hee will also spare you For this doe I promise you by the authoritie of the word of God so that this repentance which I laie before you be firme and effectuall But and if ye demaund what I meane by a firme and effectuall repentaunce I will shewe you the cause and effectes thereof that it maie be discerned from a vaine Effectuall repentance feigned and hypocriticall repentaunce The originall mother thereof is of necessitie true and perfect faith For what soeuer is doone of vs without the grounde of the worde of God is vnfruitfull and hurtfull But wee haue not the worde of God for anie grounde but so farre foorth as we beléeue Therefore if ye sorrowe if ye lament if ye bewayle the fall that is past ye must néedes be mooued by the worde of God If a man beléeue it he reuealeth aboundaunt fruites for it cannot be idle in the heart of the faithfull Beholde therefore vnto you the beginning originall and fountaine of true repentance Nowe let vs consider the effectes True and effectuall repentaunce suffereth not sinne to goe vnpunished and without iust amendement But you will say coulde it euer bée brought to passe that the thing which is doone might bee vndoone That indéede cannot be vndoone which is doone but yet afterwarde the contrarie vnto that which before was doone maie be doone Vnto the deniall of the trueth made before the confession of the same is contrarie It behooueth therfore that by your testimonie you affirme whatsoeuer by abiuring yee haue denied And this maie be doone two maner of waies First if ye will in that place where ye committed the crime boldly confesse that ye haue erred wil by a liuelie contradiction testifie that ye hold no such opinion as the forme of the abiuration sheweth But in verie déede because this kinde of remedie requireth fortitude constancie and a singular valiantnes of minde because the waie is welnéere most certaine vnto Martyrdome which all men haue not the gift to suffer therefore dare I not require so great a matter of euerie one of you Let euerie man measure the strength giuen him by God and let him consider whether he bee able to performe this excellent and laudable worke If he haue confidence enough let him goe forwarde in the name of the Lorde for he shall doe no new thing in the Church of Christ Mat. 26. 69 Peter when hee had denied Christ he for Christes sake suffered the death of the crosse The renued constancie of the godly Marcellinus Bishoppe of Rome hauing first doone seruice vnto the Idols hee being led with repentance preached that which hee had denied and being made a martyr hee by his bloude gaue a testimonie vnto the trueth Holy Cyprian in his Sermon De Lapsis maketh mention of Castus Aemilius which when they were ouercome with the bitternesse of persecutions were humblie afterwarde conuerted to repentance and were so strengthened by Christ as the fight being renewed with the aduersary they gate the victory being made stronger than the fire and mightier than the flames confessing in the meane time with great constancie whatsoeuer they had before denied Howbeit thankes bee to God there is no néede to recite olde examples Some such thing within our age hath happened at London in England A certaine Priest being ouercome through cruell tormentes and long captiuitie did abiure The Bishoppe not content with his abiuration requireth his hande writing It is giuen him whereuppon the poore wretch goeth home and there is mooued and stirred vppe with so great sorrowe with such remorse and with such true and effectual repentance as when he coulde inioye no comfort rest nor anie quietnesse of minde nor could anie longer indure the sharpe threates of the conscience he commending him selfe to God returneth home to the Bishoppe and desireth to sée his hande writing which hee a fewe dayes before had deliuered and being shewed him he takes it violentlie and teares it blaming himselfe that he had béene so disloyall and notable a traytour vnto the Lord Iesus Christ adding moreouer Beholde here I am handle mee at your owne pleasure I saie I iudge and I affirme contrarie vnto those thinges that I first wrote Which when he had so boldlie and notably confessed hee was againe taken and within a while after burned I woulde to God that at the leastwaie so much valiant courage might happen to each one of you from the father eternal that by this meanes the truth of Christ may be made famous in you and that they which through you are made the weaker and haue suffered offence might be confirmed and returne againe into the way of God and goe forward in the purposed iourney But if that the weakenesse of your strength be such as hauing shewed the forme of repentance it cannot bring foorth fruite wee must come to an other kinde of remedie which consisteth in this that yée make voide your abiuration by your flight and departure otherwise the same doth yet burne before God and men For how shall it by repētance be extinguished or blotted out while yee remaine in the selfesame state while there appeareth in you no signification of a contrarie opinion doe not you by tarying and holding your peace plainlie confirme that which yée haue doone Depart yée at the least way I beséech you from this kind of intolerable death For your departure shal be a certaine kinde of martyrdome and confession So often as I consider in my minde the state of your affaires if happily there be left in you any féele of Godlinesse if anie sparke of light if any small droppe of the holie Ghost as I verilie thinke there is some left I maruell yea I am amased that ye so staie your selues For I sée not how you can liue what quietnesse of minde yée can inioy with what confidence yee can pray nor what communication yee can haue one with another Can any thing be it neuer so good whether the same belong vnto the spirit or vnto the body be swéete and delectable vnto you or refresh you Are yée not all whollie shaken with feare when yée go vnto masses in making no account of the commaundements of God but in seruing of men and as witnesses consenters in crucifying againe the sonne of God Is not this torment more bitter vnto you than a thousand deathes By this one idolatry yée communicate with antichrist in all things I maruel how it comes to passe that yée there
120 a 100b 106. 107 ab 3 210 a 211 ab 201 a 2 586 b 588 a 635 a They offer grace 3 105 a What they bee 44 b All are called signes 4 112 a 171. 172. Must bee ministred in a knowne tongue 4 105 a 3 310 a Euangelicall easie to bee celebrated 4 112 b Some before Christ and some after 4 101 ab Whether they depende of our faith 4 107 b Instruments of the holy Ghost 4 126 a The thing that is sealed thereby ought to bee present 4 118 b An explication and meaning of certeine of the olde lawe 4 105 a It is méete that in them all thinges should be receiued sacramentally 4 159 b In what respectes ours are better than theirs in the lawe 4 107 b Of what thinges they consist 4 112 b Whether Princes may compell those that are not yet perswaded of the trueth vnto them the same being against their consciences 2 325 a Why mention is so often made of the chaunging of our selues in receiuing of them 4 179 b The two knitte together 4 156 a Whether they should be simply worshipped 4 177 b 178 a The efficacie of them 4 196 a Whether by them we are made subiect vnto creatures 4 99 b Howe and in what respect they doe much hurt 1 67 b Why they of the olde lawe were weake and beggerly elementes 4 104 b Two thinges contrarie to the nature of them 4 100 a They and Scriptures of equall weight 4 97 a whether the receyuing of ours bee anie whit more noble than theirs in the lawe 4 107 a All are not equallie affected vnto the Sacramentes 4 97 a Howe there maie be a huge number of Sacramentes 4 97 b Visible signes perteine to manie senses 4 98 a The effectes of the Sacramentes 4 99 b 100 a How much must be attributed vnto them 4 107 b The manner of administring them 4 100 b 101 a why more were in the lawe than in the Gospell 4 104 b The signification of Sacramentes could not be hidden froÌ„ the Iewes 4 105 b 146 ab Sacramentes are not bare signes 4 100 a Sundrie opinions of the number of Sacraments 3 212 a 109 a Why we contende about it 3 210 a No common signes 2 590 a A due examination of the seuen 3 210 211. The ende for which they were instituted 4 98 b Sacramentes defined 4 99 a Two errors to bee shunned therein 4 101 a The power of the Sacramentes compared to the light of the Sunne 4 101 a Cautions for ministers when they are to minister the Sacraments 4 19. 20 a What wee are to iudge of the vertue of Sacramentes 4 24 a The nature of Sacraments in transferring of names 4 14 a Whether theirs of the olde fathers were sacraments 3 210 a 2 583 b 593a 592a 591 b 589 ab 588 a 586b 4 197 b 152 b 201 b 152 ab 153 a 187 a Whereof Sacraments take their names 4 163 a They be visible words 2 â—35 a 3 210 a Whie the fathers in speaking of them extoll the power of God 4 183 b The sinne against them perteineth to the first table 2 323 a Faith ought to goe before the receiuing of them 2 586 b Whether Christ put a difference betwéene them of the law and ours 2 588 b Sacraments haue the names of those thinges that they signifie 2 609 a Myracles haue some resemblance and likenesse with Sacraments 1 67b They are instruments not efficients of saluation 4 107 ab They are one thing and signifie another 4 98 b They are beléeued and what they are 3 63 a Why to institute them belongeth not to man 3 209 b Their vse and necessitie 2 633 b Of the analogie that ought to be in them 4 113 a Of what two thinges the Sacraments consist 4 98 a Difference betwéene them and sacrifices 4 100a 105 a The number of Sacraments in the newe Testament 4 99 a How ours giue saluation and howe they bée of greater vertue than those of the lawe 2 588 a Theirs of the olde lawe extenuated by the fathers 4 102 a The efficient cause of them 4 99 a Of regeneration circumcision and baptisme 2 594 a Sacraments and sacramentals 4 127 a 134 a Sacramentals The Papistes Sacramentals 4 134 a Sacrifice The definition of a Sacrifice 4 220 a A distinction thereof 4 220 a What kinde of action or worke it is 4 220. Two kinde of thinges required in euerie Sacrifice 4 221 ab What is a Sacrifice in the Lords supper 4 172 b Two parts of the same 4 220 b Why it is not méete to call the Eucharist a Sacrifice 4 222 a How the father 's called it so 4 215 b 19 a Howe many wayes it ma. bée called so 4 221 b 222 a The outwarde Sacrifice without the inwarde pleaseth not God 4 220 b In what respectes the communicants do Sacrifice 4 222 b An vnbloudie Sacrifice 4 222 b Why obedience is better than Sacrifice 4 44 ab 45 a What two thinges are preferred before it 4 221 a The sacrificer more worthie than the Sacrifice 4 225 a More acceptable to God than the Sacrifice 4 223 b Whether a Sacrifice and a sacrament can be all one thing 4 221 b 105 a 220 a Against the Sacrifice of the abhominable masse 4 18 b Whether it be an vnbloudie Sacrifice 4 202 a Whether it be in man to Sacrifice the sonne of GOD. 4 18 b 19 a Whether the Sacrifice of the king of Moab were profitable vnto him 2 361 b The superstitions sacrifice of the Cleons in a storme of haile 1 84 a The sacrifice of Mincah 4 222 a What places the Patriarchs chose to offer sacrifice to GOD in 2 336 a Whence came the custome to sacrifice children through fire 3 180 a The sacrifice of Abraham Iephtha compared 3 183 b Whether Iephtha vowed an humane sacrifice 3 185 b Of the sacrifice of Christ and that the same of it selfe did not please God 2 360 b 361 b Why Christ the onely Sacrifice did so please God 4 221 a But one onely propitiatorie Sacrifice 4 220 a Of the Sacrifice of Melchisedech 4 223 a Sacrifices of mans flesh and other things God forbiddeth and vtterly misliketh of humane Sacrifices in the scriptures 2 361 a By what reasons men haue béene allured to make them 2 360a To Molech otherwise called Saturne 2 359 b Against such and that it is vnnatural 2 360 b Howe humane Sacrifices sprang vp and in what places it was vsed 2 359 b We are not altogether without them which we must offer vnto God 2 261 b How long they endured and of their abrogation 2 359 b God in his owne right might require them 2 361 a 3 185 a The Romans manner therein euery yeare 1 359 b How we should offer vp our children vnto God 2 361 b Plutarchs and other writers reports of them 2 359 b The place where the Iewes offered such 3 376 b 377 a
part taketh awaie all excuse that there they worship not God but creatures And Claudius the bishop of Thurine said If thou haue pictured vpon the wall Mars Venus and Mercurie thou hast no true gods and when thou hast there Paule Peter Iohn thou hast not verie men wherefore the error is not quite taken awaie but altered Paule also said vnto the Corinthians 1. Co. 10 19 We knowe that an idoll is nothing but that which the Gentils doo offer they offer vnto diuels Vndoubtedlie if the excuse brought now by our aduersaries were of anie weight the Ethniks would easilie haue said vnto the apostle Thou hast doone vs a manifest iniurie for our purpose is to offer the sacrifices which we slaie vnto God and not vnto diuels An other obiection more foolish Also we méete with others more foolish which saie that this precept was giuen vnto the Hebrues that it ought to be reckoned among the ceremonicall precepts but that now the ceremonies being abrogated we are no longer bound by it An answer They consider not that in the table of the ten commandements there was nothing commanded which did apperteine vnto the ceremonies onelie the kéeping of the Sabboth daie excepted wherein neuerthelesse some morall thing presenteth it selfe vnto them which diligentlie doo behold the same Augustine in his 119. epistle vnto Ianuarius dooth acknowledge the same I beséech you let these wise men consider that if this thing should haue béene reckoned among the ceremonies the Ethniks had not sinned in the honouring and worshipping of images bicause they were not bound vnto the ceremonies of the Iewes Moreouer it is euident that that ceremonies of the old testament were not reuoked by the apostle nor yet the yoke of them laid vpon the Gentils who neuerthelesse in expresse woords commanded that idols and images should be auoided 22 Séeing therefore it is plentifullie enough confirmed Whether images ought to be put in temples Note that images must not be worshipped nor adored now it resteth that we examine this whether it be lawfull to set them in holie places where the congregations of the faithfull resort Some affirme that it is lawfull so the worshipping of them be forbidden But in my iudgement it must not be allowed that they should be had in churches first bicause it is a verie dangerous thing And experience hath taught whither men at the length thorough beholding of them fell when they sawe them placed in the temples for they worshipped them The waie therefore that leadeth vnto idolatrie must be cut off from the faithfull Augustine writeth verie well and religiouslie of this matter vpon the 113. psalme When images saith he be set in a high place or else in some tabernacle a naughtie affection is bred in mens minds whereby the diuell is inuited to intermedle himselfe Also in his 49. epistle Ad Deo gratias he was of the same mind And surelie we perceiue that this thing hath happened Neither will I passe ouer the same father in his sixt sermon vpon the Lords sermon made in the mount They declare saith he in what place and estimation they account the image when they appoint to erect an altar vnto it for vnlesse they thought that either it were god or had some diuine power in it they would not erect an altar therevnto Wherefore by this saieng of Augustine almost all the temples of the Papists are condemned wherein alwaies in a maner altars are ioined with idols Epiphanius Besides it may be prooued by the example of Epiphanius that they ought not to be had in churches He being in his iournie and happening into a certeine towne that was called Anablatha did sée as he passed by a certeine candle burning and demanding what place the same was he vnderstood that it was a church or a place of praier for the faithfull wherefore he entered in that he might praie vnto God And he sawe a curteine hang wherein was painted the image of a man as if it had béene of Christ or of a holie man insomuch that when he sawe the picture of a man hanged in the church contrarie to the authoritie of the scriptures he both plucked downe and rent the curteine and counselled the sextons of the church that they should carrie it foorth and wrap a poore dead man in it Moreouer he wrote vnto Iohn bishop of Ierusalem vnto whom the cure of that place belonged that from thence forward he should take héed that such hangings otherwise than religion would permit should not be suffered in the church of Christ And that epistle séemed vnto Ierom to be of such weight as that he vouchsafed to turne it into Latine which he would not haue doone if he had not béene of our mind The latter synod of Ephesus Also the latter synod of Ephesus condemned images howbeit the same synod is not allowed and that vpon iust cause insomuch as it fauoured the heretiks Nestor and Eutyches Such is the hap not onelie of humane affaires but manie times also of ecclesiasticall that euill things are mingled with good Wherevpon it commeth afterward to passe that not onelie euill things but good things also togither are therewithall reiected Emperours which were Monothelites So we sée it happened vnto some of the Graecian emperours which abolished images for Philippicus the first Leo the third Constantine and Leo the fourth bicause they were Monothelites that which on the other side they iudged aright of images was reiected Which also commeth to passe at this daie when by reason of the corrupt conuersation of them which professe the Gospell their sincere doctrine is cast out Also the synod of Eliberinum condemned images wherein was decréed that within the walles of the churches there should no image be painted least such a thing should be pictured out as might be worshiped Peresius when he perceiued himselfe to be hardlie beset with the saiengs of these fathers he said vnaduisedlie A shift of Peresius that Their mind was not to haue all images to be taken awaie but onelie those which were made deformedlie vpon the walles and not likewise those that were doon vpon clothes tables But afterward when he perceiued that this also was but a vaine shift he calleth to remembrance that this sort of pictures ought well to be taken away for a time bicause men in those daies worshipped them with the honour due vnto God And in this opinion he is against Gregorie which decréed that they should not for that cause be taken awaie but rather that men should be warned not to worship them Peresius also determined that after the same reason and sort Epiphanius was to be excused 23 Whereas afterward our aduersaries demand of vs What they be that destroied images 1. King 18 4 what woorthie men we haue séene to be destroiers of images We answer Ezechias a most godlie king which brake in péeces the brasen serpent Moses also which brake in sunder
and at their hand certaine speciall notes no lesse plaine than briefe whereunto they may easilie referre aswel the Argumentes as the aunsweres of the disputation And this if I be not deceiued will in such disputations be no lesse helpe vnto the readers than an assured sight of the loade starre is vnto the Mariners when they be tossed too and from the deepe Sea Which therefore being doone of me with a good and faithfull minde I would haue all good and godlie men to take in good part and most diligentlie cōsider the methode so deuised by me and then courteouslie to giue their iudgemēt according to the word of God But I will make no longer preface since an abridgement requires asmuch shortnesse as is possible That the vvordes of the Supper are to be vnderstood figuratiuelie First vndoubtedlie in the Sacramēt of the Eucharist we affirme that the bread and the wine which the holy scriptures the fathers and the sense it selfe doe testifie to be there present be signes of the bodie and bloud of the Lord verilie not prophane or vulgar signes but such as were woōt to be assigned in other mysteries Contrariwise our aduersaries affirme those signes to be properlie and truly the body bloud of Christ We demaund how they know them so to be Because saie they Christ said This is my bodie But we interpret the saying of our sauiour by that forme of speach or kinde of figure whereby chieflie in Sacramentes signes are woont to be called by the names of the thinges signified This opinion of ours doe they withstand and say that the wordes of Christ are not figuratiue but altogether proper and simple I. It is obiected by vs that there is no certaine Argument to be gathered out of the historie of the Gospell to prooue that those wordes must be absolutelie vnderstood For the supper of the Lord is plainelie set downe by Matthew Marke Luke and Paul In which places are perceaued many figures The cup is called the new Testament and yet is not the cup it selfe nor the liquor contained therein the verie new Testament in deed II. Those which receaue vnwoorthily are affirmed to eate and drink iudgement vnto themselues and yet cannot iudgement bee properlie either eaten or drunken III. Farre is it from the bodie of the Lord to be truelie eaten for it is altogether a wicked thing that he should be broken ground with the teeth and dissolued IIII. Our Sauiour said when he sate downe at the same board that he earnestlie desired to eate the Passeouer with his disciples but euerie man knoweth that Pesach it selfe that is to say the Passouer of the Lord was not woont to be eaten in that solemnitie but the Lambe V. So often saith Paul in the 1. to the Corint the 11. as ye shal drinke of this cuppe Doe we drinke the cuppe or not rather that which is poured into the cuppe Wherefore Paul spake in the most vsuall kinde of figure Seeing then in declaring the Supper of the Lord the Penmen of the holy spirit haue vsed many figuratiue speaches what dooth now let but that the saying This is my bodie which we intreat of was spoken of them figuratiuely VI. I omit many other sentences of the holy scriptures which euidentlie appeare to be expounded by figures of all such as iudge godlie for if I would recken them vp I should now make no abridgement but a large booke Therefore when we thus interprete this sentence of ours we bring in no new thing or that which is repugnāt to the Scriptures VII That the wordes which are written in Paul and Luke as concerning the cuppe are spoken figuratiuely as we haue alreadie taught what attētiue reader seeth not that it cannot be iustlie denyed Wherefore those thinges that Matthew Marke wrote of that matter must be vnderstood figuratiuely vnlesse any will deny that the former sayinges must be expounded by the later but that Paul and Luke wrote after Matthew and Marke no man doubteth VIII Howbeit neither can that which Matthew and Marke teach as concerning the bloud be vnderstood simply as it is spoken Thus doe they write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And now what else can this pronoune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie but the cup For it is specified that Christ both tooke the same in his handes and deliuered it to his Apostles Neither doe Luke and Paul affirme any other thing whē they write that Christ said This cuppe is the new Testament But who dare teach that the cup is properlie the bloud Wherefore let the wordes of Matthew Marke be rightly weighed on the one part and the words of Luke and Paul on the other and then let thē deny if they can that there is a figure IX The aduersaries themselues although they be very desirous rather to follow their owne opinion thā the trueth cānot interpret the words of the Lorde without the helpe of a figure And I shew that in the Sacrament of the Eucharist it is not lawfull for them to pronounce of it This is my bodie Let them be ashamed therefore to blame vs for the which they themselues may iustly of due desert be accused Moreouer the very definitiō of a sacrament that it is the signe of an holy thing a visible forme of inuisible grace dooth most of all defend our opinion For by that commō receaued definition it is brought to passe that those thinges which be seene in the Eucharist be signes of the bodie and bloud of the Lord vnlesse we will blot the Eucharist it selfe out of the number of the Sacraments X. Neither can the formes of speaking which the holy scripture vseth be otherwise expounded sith by the visible part of the sacrament he pronounceth the thing it selfe which is signifyed For how should Circumcision be called The couenant of the Lord vnlesse wee will say that the same is a signe thereof Rom. 4. 11 Of this opinion is Paul the Author who calleth Circumcision 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a signe or seale of the righteousnes obtained by faith Titus 3. 5. Baptisme is also called The washing of the new byrth and in the olde Testament The Lambe is called the Passouer as we haue alreadie declared XI Herewithall agree the Fathers who in expresse words teach that Christ gaue a signe of his bodie That he gaue a figure That hee represented his owne bodie That the things which are seene be figures and paterns of the bodie bloud of the Lorde Cyprian Cyrill Augustine Gelasius and Theodoretus doe most manifestly teach that these signes are called by the names of the thinges which they signifie Since therefore in the deliuerie of this sacrament the holy Scriptures doe admit figures and the verie nature of a Sacrament requires the same and that the Fathers doe most manifestly receyue them shall we be blamed for vsing a figuratiue interpretation in expounding the wordes of the Lorde These reasons alleaged haue preuailed so greatly with some of
our aduersaries such force hath the trueth as they graunt that those things which be offered to the senses namely the breade and wine be signes of the bodie and bloud of Christ but yet in such sort as they haue present in them the things that be signifyed but this is shewed by many reasons to bee most farre from the trueth That the figuratiue speeche of Christs vvords require no reall or substantiall presence of his body and bloud I. First the Scriptures of God doe teach that Christ as touching his humane nature is gone from hence they declare his ascension into heauen as it is set foorth in the Articles of the faith They assure vs that Christ said that we shall not alwayes haue him with vs but that heauē shall containe him vntill the latter day and that he shal from thence come at the length to iudge the quicke and the dead II. Againe it is not agreeable for a humane body to bee in many places at one time Neither yet can it be graunted that it is present in the worlde without place for these things are altogether repugnant with the definition of an humane body vnlesse wee wil take away a very true body from Christ We must beware that we affirme not the same to bee scattered or present in many places at once III. Neither hath the essence as I may say of the Angels which are without bodies such a propertie as it can be in many places at one time IIII. Yea and to say the trueth it might not be eschued but that euen the very nature of GOD if it were bodily should admit both diuision and limitation Since therefore that these things be on this wise euen as the fathers doe most fully testifie it is altogether proued that the body of Christ is subiect to these properties and qualities V. Neither doeth the very nature of sacraments require that they shoulde haue the things signifyed eyther to be ioined vnto themselues or to containe them in themselues But was the couenaunt of God included in the Circumcision Truely the couenant was past and it was alreadie made with the Fathers before that Circumcision was commaunded to Abraham and if any of that couenant remained that was wholy kept in the minde of God and of faithfull men but in the fleshe was borne not the couenant it selfe but the signe thereof commanded by God Againe the pascall Lambe did not verilie include in it selfe the passouer of the Lord. Also what man in his right minde would say that the fleshe and bloud of the Lorde were included either in the water of the desert or in the Manna and that in the water of the Baptisme the spirit and grace are inuisiblie hidden But and if in other Sacraments it be not giuen that of their owne nature that they should haue the things present either to be cleauing to them or to be included in them neither are we otherwise to determine as concerning the Eucharist if the nature or propertie therof ought to appeare vnto vs to be the selfe same with other sacraments especiallie since the word of God hath spoken nothing at all of the matter which we haue now in hande VI. 1. Cor. 10. 3 Moreouer since that Paule in the first to the Corinthians writeth that the olde fathers did eate the same spirituall meate with vs and dranke the same spirituall drinke and yet had they not present with them the flesh and bloud of Christ since as yet they were not extant and since these men affirme these things to bee present in the Eucharist vndoubtedly it followeth that against the saying of Paul the olde Fathers and we had not all the selfesame Sacramentes In signes they doe not agree for they had Manna and water but we breade wine In the things signifyed they bee also diuers for they by faith receiued the thinges signifyed being absent as those which were afterward to come but these men say that they receiue the thinges present together with the signes Verily there can be imagined no greater difference in these Sacraments than is to disagree aswell in the signes as in the things signifyed And therefore let vs rather say with Paul that the sacraments of the olde Fathers in the things signifyed are the selfesame that ours bee although that their signes be diuers and that they are receiued both of vs and them all after one manner namely by faith For they by faith receiued the fleshe and bloud of Christ which were to be giuen for our saluation and wee by faith and the spirit doe imbrace them as alreadie giuen VII Also if our aduersaries opinion should be admitted it might not be auoided but that aswell the wicked as the godly shoulde eate and drinke the flesh and bloud of the Lord. But this doeth Christ the Author of the sacraments manifestly refute in the 6. of Iohn where he saieth that his flesh and bloud is eaten and drunken by faith See then I pray you that when the wicked are destitute of faith and be straungers from Christ what communion haue they with the flesh and bloud of Christ Doubtlesse they haue onely the signes to be receiued and that to their owne condemnation for neither is Christ in them neyther doe they abide in Christ VIII They are to bee demaunded also which affirme that the bloud of the Lord is present in this sacrament for what cause or vnder what colour they dare name that their sacrifice an vnbloudie sacrifice as they terme it Surely if they will haue the bloud of the Lorde flowing from the Lordes side to be receiued in their Cuppe as Chrysostome said by an excessiue kind of speech let them indeuour the same as much as they will as they knowe and as they can yet shall they neuer bring to passe but that they must needes drinke bloudie drinke IX Truely such is the nature of things repugnant as they can neuer be affirmed both at once that is at the selfe same time of one and the selfe same sacrament Wherefore the bodie of Christ cannot be together and at one time both aboue and beneath visible and inuisible one and many mortall and immortall broken and whole This reason haue not we feined to our selues but we haue taken it from Christ from the Angels from the Apostles from the fathers and from nature it selfe For all these doe testifie that this cannot be all at once Moreouer it were too long to rehearse in how many places and writinges of the fathers they haue affirmed this absence of the Lord according to the flesh X. As though forsooth this presence of the flesh and bloud of the Lord boasted of and defended by these men in the Eucharist can while the same is performed bring any other profit thā we haue by a spirituall receauing which as we haue sayd is performed by faith and by the minde XI This finally we demaund of our aduersaries whether they iudge that there is the bodie of the Lord