sepulchre 55. a The poison of Aspes is vnder theyr lippes 55. b The folish mā hath said in his heart there is no God 22. a The Lorde hathe heard the desire of the poore 381. a Loke vpon my labor and my vtility and forgeue me al my sinnes 382. a Blessed are they whose synnes are couered 75. a And in his heart there is no guile 75. b Blessed are the immaculat which walk in the law of the Lord. 75. Hoping in his mercy 102. a. b Beholde I was conceiued in iniquitie 130. b The heauens declare the glory of God 327. b Let their table be turned into a snare 342. b Returne O my soule again into thy rest 386. a Deliuer me in thy righteousnes 385 The mercy of the Lord is from generation to generation on them that feare him 397. b I as a grene Oliue tree in the house of the Lorde haue put my trust in my God 353. b Prouerbes I Do loue them that loue me 297 I also wil laugh in your destruction It pertaineth to a man to prepare the heart but thanswer of y◠tonge is of the Lord. 381 Wisedome GOd reioyseth not in the destruction of the wicked 307. Ecclesiasticus THe fornace tryeth the vessels of the potter and so doth temptation the iust men 273. All mercye shall make place to euery one according to the merite of his worke 159. b God hath mercy vpon al men and winketh at the sinnes of al men because of repentance 307 Esay ANd if he geue his soul for sin he shal se his sede a far of 118 Why hast thou made vs to erre 27 Iudg thou house of Israel betwene me and my vineyard 47 And euery day my name is euil spoken of 46. b Thou arte oure father but we are clay 276. a Make grose the heart of this peple that they vnderstād not 270 Beholde I say in Syon a stone of triall 284. b All the day long I stretched abroade my hāds to a people that beleued not 307. a He hath borne our infirmities 323. a Behold I go to a nation which called not vpō my name 330 Howe long Lord euen to destruction 338. a In hearing heare ye and vnderstand not 338. a My seruaunt shall iustifye many and shall beare their iniquities 392. b Vnto wdome shall I loke but vnto the pore contrite c. 399. a Heauen is my seat and earth is my footestole 399. a Jeremy BE ye conuerted vnto me sayth the Lord and I wil be conuerted 388. a 381. b If I shall speake of a nation or kingdome c. 273. b They haue forsaken me the foūtain of the water of life 23. a The way of man is not in his owne power 177. a Thoughe a mother can forget hir childe yet will I not forget thee 307. a Not according to the couenaūt which I made with your fathers 362. b If a nation shall repent him of his wickednes I wil repent me of that which I spake against him 309. b Ezechiell THe sonne shall not bear the iniquity of the father 131 As truely as I liue sayth the Lord I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he be conuerted and liue 300. a Walke in my wayes and make you a new heart 381. b If the wicked men shall repent him of al his sinnes c. 402. a If a prophet be seduced I haue seduced him 27. a Noe Daniel and Iob shal deliuer their owne soules only 42. a Daniell REdeme thy sinnes with almes 382. a Osea TAke a wife to thee of fornication c. 290. b Ye are not my people that ther shal be called the children of the liuing God 290. b Thou shalt call me my man and not my husband 334. b Joel EVery one that calleth vpon the name of the Lord shal be saued 68. a. 321. b Amos OVer .iii. euils and ouer .iiii. I wil not conuert him 133 a Nahum VVHat doe ye think against the Lord he wil make an ende neither shall tribulation arise the secōd time 37. a. 118. 131 Abacucke THe iust manne shall liue by faith 17. b Zacharie BE ye conuerted vnto me I wil be cōuerted to you Malachie IAcob haue I loued but Esau haue I huted Mathew IVdge not and ye shall not be iudged 36. b When ye haue done all theese things say we are vnprofitable seruaunts 39. a An euil tree can not bring forth good fruit 185. a He which seketh finedeth and vnto him whych knocketh shall be opened 284. b Aske and ye shall receiue seeke and ye shall finde 383. b Many sinnes are forgiuen her because she hath loued much 383. b Lord haue we not in thy name prophesied c. 394. a Saue me otherwise I pearish 11. b I am the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Iacob 68. a Vnto the bloud of Zacharias the sonne of Barachias 96. a Blessed art thou Simon Bariona for fleshe and bloud hath not reueled this vnto thee 126. Come ye blessed of my father receiue the kingdome 192. b Heauen and earth shal passe away but my words shal not passe away 218. a What so euer ye wold mē shold do vnto you do ye the same to them 240. a No man knoweth the father but the sonne and he to whō he wil reuele him 303. b He hath borne our infirmities 323. a Vnto him that hath it shall be geuen but he which hath not euen that which he hath shal be taken away 339. b Why speakest thou in parables to them ibidem Forgeue vs our trespasses as we forgeue them that trespasse against vs. 382. a How often would I haue gathered thy children as the hen hir chickens 306. b What so euer ye shal aske beleuing it shal be geuen you 383 Come vnto me all ye that laboure 398. b Marke HE which beleueth and is baptised shal be saued 68. a Goe ye and preache the gospel 383. b Luke THat you may eat and drinke vpon my table c. 88. b For he hath loked vpō the humility of his handmaidē 298 Geue almes all things shall be cleane vnto you 383. b Lead vs not into temptatiō 27 When you haue done all these things say we are vnprofitable seruaunts 39. a Many sinnes are forgiuen her because she hath loued much 339. b Goe out into the hie ways and stretes and compell them to enter 361. a Blessed is that seruaunt which when his Lord cometh shall finde him thus doing 348. b Ihon. NOwe I will not call you seruaunts but frends 1 The true worshyppers shall worship in spirit truth 8. a He which amōgst you is without sinne let him cast the first stone at hir 36. a Neither hath this man sinned nor his parents 133. a He which is borne of God sinneth not 149. a If any man loue me he wyll kepe my commaundements 397. a If ye had God to your father doubtles you shold loue me 397. a True worshippers worship in spirite and truth 8. a He which beleueth
in this life but the crosse persecutions and all aduersities moreouer they were commaunded to leade a straite lyfe to put away pleasures to dispise the world and to mortefy wicked affections All which thinges do rather withdraw men from any religion then allure them vnto it For God is my vvitnes After that he hath shewed how he gaue thankes unto God for them he addeth the perpetuall memory that he maketh of them in his dayly prayers And all these thinges tend to this ende that they should perceaue that Paule loued them For these thinges neither are found nor can be found without beneuolence and a singular charity Neither affirmeth he these thinges simply but ioyneth vnto them an othe For his chiefe care was that they should geue credite vnto him whom I serue in my sprite By spirite he vnderstandeth a mynde inspired What the spirite signifieth with the holy ghost And Ambrose when he interpreteth this place sayth that the spirit is the minde wherewith we ought chiefly to worship God For he is a spirite and therefore it is meete that he be serued inspirite The false Apostles accused Paule as a forsaker of the law an Apostata from Moses Wherfore the crime of impiety was layd to his charge which should excedingly haue alienated the mindes of the Romanes from him if they coulde haue bene so perswaded Therefore he purgeth himselfe that althoughe he worshipped not Why Paul so often putgeth himselfe A place to Timothe expounded God with the ceremonyes of Moses and rites of the law yet neuertheles he serued him in spirite Which thing he testified also vnto Timothe when he wrote that he had from his progenitors worshipped God with a pure conscience By which words we must not thinke that he excuseth his sinne and persecution agaynst the Sainctes but only sheweth this that it was not agaynst his conscience as some which by reason of weakenes suffer not those things to take place which by a sound iudgement of the conscience they know to be vpright Paule fell of ignoraunce which without doubt was sinne but not of that kinde that it should be sayd that he did agaynst that which he thought in his mynde But that which he sayth here that he serueh God in spirite Christ expressed when he spake vnto the woman of Samaria sayinge of the true worshippers that they should worship in spirite and in truth And that was spoken to this ende to The true worshippers worship in spirite and in truth expres that one day it should come to passe that the describing of any certayne place wherein God should be worshipped should be taken awaye and the ceremonies of the Iewes should be abolished so that to worship in spirite may be referred vnto the place and ceremonies of the lawe and that which is added and in truth declareth the thinge it selfe excluding shadowes whiche were setforth in the olde Testament These did in deede helpe the fathers in theyr tyme because they had the worde of God ioyned with them which might be cōprehended in them by fayth Wherefore God blessed them so that if fayth were present they were in their tyme very profitable but when Christ came they ought to geue place But as touching rites inuented by men we can not in like maner say that they much profited bycause they had not the worde of God Therfore they are worthely to be extingueshed and put away excepte some of them as touching outward pollicy may be iudged profitable We serue in spirite when no part of our flesh is any more circumcised but the mynde and vices beastes are not slayne but we crucify our owne fleshe with the lustes there of Which selfe same worshipping in spirite Paul in an other place expressed when he sayde I desyre you throughe the mercye of God that ye geue your bodyes a lyuely sacryfyce holy and acceptable vnto God and that your woorshyppynge be reasonable He vseth this verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from whence they saye is deriued this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth that worshipping which is dew vnto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Augustin◠only whereby we vtterly addicte our selues vnto him neither can it as Augustine testefieth in his 5. booke De ciuitate Dei the first chapter be expressed by one word of the Lattins For pietas that is piety or godlines is not only towardes God but also towards our parents and country Also Religio that is religion is not drawen onelye to holye thinges but also belongeth to that duety which we owe vnto kinsefolkes and humane affinityes But in the meane Augustines distinction betwene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 while he iudgeth that by the Greke wordes diuers thinges are in thys thyng distincted so that this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth the worshipping which is geuen vnto God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the worship whiche is geuen vnto Princes and magistrates As touchinge the thing we easely graunt that there is a difference For we worship God after one sorte and we honour Princes after an other manner Chrisostome in hys 33. homelye vpon Iohn sayth that it longeth vnto the Chrysostome The body of Christ created A similitude The reason why the worship of Christ depēdeth of his deuinity creature to worshippe and vnto the creator to be worshipped And he obiecteth vnto him selfe why doo we woorship Christe a man when as he hath in verye deede a body created He answereth No man when he would reuerence a king sayth vnto hym Put of thy purple garments and laye away the crowne and other ornamēts for I wil worship thee naked he dareth not speake these words but honoreth hym beinge both clothed which purple adorned wyth a crown So we when we worship Christ do not put away his humanity from hys deuyne nature but worship it together with it But the reason whereon adoracion dependeth is hys deuinity But as touching the Greeke wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is al 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as touching the Greeke words signity one and the selfe same thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to to serue for a reward Augustine one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For as Suidas testifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But afterward it was vsed to signifye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 y◠is godly to worship And he addeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a hired bondage And this signification is manifestly had in xeniphon in his 3. booke of the education of Cirus where the husband speaketh thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Vndoubtedly O Cirus I will spende euen my life rather then she should be brought to bondage Then the wife answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yea and we reade in the holy scriptures that in Leuiticus it is sayd you shall not do any seruile worke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in
whiche sinnes were sayd to be purged but baptised them into repentaunce to the forgeuenes of sinnes adioyning therunto doctrine wherein he made mention of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Gost Which thing vndoubtedly the high Priestes and Scribes and Phariseys coulde in no case abyde that he reiecting the ceremonies which were receaued shoulde put in their place a new maner of purging Wherefore they sent a Messenger vnto him to aske of him whither he were the Messias or Elias or the Prophet as it were confessing that vnder the Messias it should come to passe that the ceremonies of the law should be abolished the the same was not lawfull for other mē to doo And if a man demaūd why God gaue ceremonies which should afterwarde be abolished Chrisostome hath thereof a very apt similitude If a man haue a wyfe very prone to lafciuiousnes he shutteth her vp in certayne places in chambers I say and parlers so that shee cannot wander abroade at her pleasure He appointeth vnto her moreouer Eunuches wayting maydes and handmaides most diligentlye to haue an eye vnto her So delte God with the Iewes He tooke them vnto him at the beginnyng as a spouse as it is said in the Prophet I haue wedded thee with mercy and with loue And by this natiō his wil was at cōueniēt tyme to enstruct the whole world Which thing he did by the Apostls when Christ was now departed frō the earth But that people was very weake and feble and aboue measure prone to adulteries of idolatry Wherfore God seperated them from other nations and would haue them to dwell in the land of Chanaan aparte by themselues and to be kept in on euery side with ceremonies and rites as it were by scholemaisters vntill this spouse was so strengthened and confirmed that her fayth was no more had in suspicion Which thing when husbandes perceiue in their wyues they suffer them to go at their pleasure whither they will and to be conuersant with menne neither do they any more set any kepers to watche them So God when he had nowe by Christ geuen vnto the church the holy ghost he remoued away from it the custodye of ceremonies and sent forth his faithfull to preach throughout the whole world The selfe same father proueth in an other place that the ceremonies and rites of the Iewes were not instituted of God of a principall entente and purpose For God woulde haue a people which should worship him in spirite and in truth But the Israelites which had bene conuersant in Egipt and had contaminated themselues with idolatry woulde needes in any wise haue both sacrifices and ceremonies so that if these sacrifices and rites had not bene permitted vnto them they would haue bene redy to turne to idolatry Wherefore God so A similitude delt with them as the maner of a wise phisition is to do who lighting vpon one sicke of a burnyng agew whiche by reason of his wonderfull great heate requireth in any wyse to haue some colde water geuen him and if he haue none geuen him he is redy to hang himselfe or by some other meanes to destroy himselfe in this case the phisition beyng by necessity cōpelled commaundeth to be brought a viole full of water which he himself hath prepared and geueth the sicke man leaue to drinke but yet with suche a charge that he drinke out of nothing els but out of that viall So God graunted vnto the Hebrewes sacrifices and ceremonies but yet so that they should not exercise them otherwise then he himselfe had commaunded them And that this is true he hereby proueth For that God gaue not ceremonies vntill alter they had made the golden caife God prescribed not ceremonies but when he had made open his wrath against the Israelites who hurling in theyr braselets earinges and ringes caused a calfe to be made for them which they worshipped And seyng it is so Paul saith rightly when he sayth that the law is not by faith abolished although those ceremonies be taken away Which sentence Christ also confirmeth when he saith that he came not to take away the law but to fulfill it The sence of which wordes may easely be gathered out of those thinges which we haue before spoken The reasons which afterward follow are brought to confirme this proposition now alledged namely That man is iustified by faith and that without the workes of the law Hetherto when as at the beginning Here is repeated the methode or order which the Apostle hath hether to kept the Apostles had set forth that by the Gospell and the faith of Christ commeth saluation and righteousnes he vsed this reason that whersoeuer the Gospel and faith want there is most great vnrighteousnes and vncleannes of life but on the contrary side where these haue place there is both righteousnes and true holines Therfore by them saith he come saluation and iustification The Minor or second proposition was proued chiefly as touching the first parte For first the Gentles liued most filthely although they knew God by the nature of things Farther the Iewes were not in their conuersation one whit better then the Gentles And this done he declareth wherehence the true righteousnes should be sought for t namely of faith without workes Which thing before he would proue he thought it good to confute an obiection namely that by faith he ouerthroweth not the law but rather by faith confirmeth it This selfe same thing is obiected vnto vs in our dayes that by faith which with the Apostle we affirme to iustifie we ouerthrowe all honest and holy workes Of this thing do they cry out which defend the worke wrought in the sacramentes which boast of workes of supererogation whiche defend purgatory inuocation of saintes and obtrude vowes and sole life What shall we answer to these things Paul sayth y◠he by faith abrogateth not the law but rather confirmed it In which wordes he geueth a reuerence to the ceremonies instituted of God which for their tyme were of necessity obeyed especially for the they were founded vpon the word of God But we can not so say as touching those things which we are accused to haue ouerthrowen Bicause they are abuses and mere superstitions In this disputacion the condition of Paul and ours is diuerse which are vtterly repugnaunt vnto the worde of God Wherfore we confesse that these thinges we ouerthrow by the fayth of Christ and doctrine of the Gospell Now haue we heard the purpose and state of the question which shall be entreated of which we ought continually to haue before our eyes so that vnto it must we referre whatsoeuer is sayd in this whole discourse And this shal be with fruite to heare those thinges which the Apostle writeth The fourth Chapter VVHat shal we say then that Abraham our Father hath found concerning the flesh For if Abraham were iustified by workes he hath wherein to reioyce but not with God
touching Ismaell and Esau whether they be faued or whether they be condemned And the like some do touching Salomon Origen and others such like But I omitte these thinges and thinke of Esau and Ismaell so much onely as the holy scripture hath set forth vnto vs. And I think that there are What is to be thought of Esau no places extant by which we may define any thing touching their saluation The scripture thus speaketh of Esau that he so vehemently hated his brother that he sought to kill him that he sold his birth right that he prouoked h 〈…〉 â—arentes to anger when he had take strange women for wiues that he was a violent man and despised the land of Chanaan promised vnto the fathers and in the epistle to the Hebrues it is written that he although he poured out many teares yet found he no place of repentance Of Ismaell also we reade that he was reiected not only What is to be thought of their stocke by the will of Sara but also by the will of God But touching both their posterities I deny not but that some of them mought be saued no les then some of the stocke of Iacob might become runnagates and obstinate For it is sufficient to the election and reiection of God that some part of ech stocke be either elected or reiected And touching this sentence I haue Ambrose on my side who affirmeth that the most holy man Iob was of the famely of Esau Which saying yet how much it is to be regarded I know not This thing only I dare affirme yâ— as many as were saued that came of Israell those were saued by the grace of God and had a promise of their saluation and on the other side as many as were saued of the stocke of Esau those also were saued by the mere grace of God but there was no peculiar promise touching their saluation But as many as were of that stocke condemed Indefinite promises at not to be vnderstanded of euery one perticulerly they were condemned for their sinnes And the sentence of the reiection of the posterity of Esau is indefinite neither is to be vnderstanded of euery one perticularly But it may séeme more then wonderfull that God in his election worketh not only contrary to our iudgement but also contrary to his own lawes For not only after the mauer of men the first borne are preferred before the rest of the brethern but also by the prescript of the lawe of God they were holy and obtayned a dooble portion of the inheritance But God therefore so doth that we should God doth thinges contrary to his lawes vnderstand that we are saued only by grace and not through any priuiledges or conditions of this life and moreouer to geue vs to vnderstand that he is vtterly free from all lawes For his will is euen iustice it selfe and the rule of all thinges that are vpright and iust But because men can not attayne to the knowledge of of this hidden election therefore we ought to frame our selues to the lawes of of God which are published abroade and set forth to all men For Isaack circumcised his sonne Esau as God had commaunded him neither was he greatly carefull whether he were elected of God or reiected for he was then vtterly ignorant of the counsaile of God But the mother for that she had hard the oracle gaue faith vnto it as it became her and had a care that the blessing mought be distributed according to the will of God And so by her industry it came to passe that Iacob preuented his brother of the blessing Touching which will when the father also was by the spirite of God made more certayne he would by no meanes make voide that which had now passed betwene him and Iacob Paul mought now seme to haue thoroughly defended the truth of the promises of God when as after the example of Ismaell and Isaack which were borne of diuers parentes and at diuers tymes he with so great diligence bringeth in also an other coople of bretheren Iacob and Esau in whome all thinges in a maner were equall For they were borne both of one and the selfe same parentes and in one and the selfe same day and as Augustine saith in his epistle to Sixtus both conceaued at one and the selfe same time least any man mought cauell that the father was better when he begat the one then he was when he begat the other And the mother which bare them both was one and the selfe same woman And although she myght in that space of time whilest she was with child alter her maners and disposition yet that could not in such sort profit the one to be a let vnto the other Although by the Greke it appeareth not that they were both conceaued at one and the selfe same tyme. Howbeit this is red That Rebecka had fellowship by one euen by our father Isaack But Augustine followed the latine translation Farther it is not vnlikely to be true yâ— they which were borne in one and the selfe same tyme were also begotten atone the selfe same tyme especially seing that the Apostle in this place endeuoreth The industry of yâ— holye ghost in Paul in this coople of twynes vtterly to take away all maner of differences In Paul also is to be considered the industry of the holy ghost who when he had affirmed out of the holy scriptures that of these two brethern the one was elected the other reiected bringeth no other reason or cause of the counsell of God but that election should abide according to purpose But because he saw that this would in no case satisfy humane reason therefore he confirmed his sentence by an oracle of Malach. who straight way at the the beginning of his first chapiter thus writeth The Lord hath loued you And ye haue sayd wherein hath the Lord loued vs And the Prophet maketh answere Iacob and Esau were they not brethern But I haue loued Iacob and haue hated Esau Wherefore with Malachy to loue is all one wyth that which Paul hath That the Election of God shoulde abide according to purpose Neither is this to be passed ouer that the Apostle in thus ioyning together these Paul most diligently red the scriptures two testimonies declareth that he had not negligently red the scriptures Wherfore we also must endeuor our selues to do the like when as we shall see places of the scriptures alleadged either of the Apostles or of other writers Paul when he red the Prophet Malachy and saw that God proueth his loue towardes the Iewes by that that he had loued Iacob and hated Esau when yet notwithstanding they were brethern and twines straight way turned himselfe to the history of Genesis and there considered many thinges which mought conduce to adorne and amplifye this matter namelye that they were borne bothe at one and the same time and of one and the selfe same parentes and that the
forasmuch as it behoued that these men should in such sort be reproued that they should not be able to deny their filthines which thyng peraduenture had bene hard to be done if he had layd before them faultes not very greuous it was necessarye that he should most openly reproue those crimes which euery man cōfessed to be most filthy On the other syde some reuerence was to be had vnto the readers hearers Wherfore he did with a wonderful prudence order his wordes For in makyng mention of nature he reproueth them for that they were not content with the vse of nature but by their filthy lust cōmitted violēce against their own nature He vseth also some sharpenes of wordes when he sayth that they burnt defiled theyr bodies wyth contumelies dishonour that they fell into vncleannes and vnpurenes All these thinges haue a wonderfull strength to moue the hartes of the readers Ambrose demaundeth howe these thynges shoulde be counted a punishment which were vnto them great pleasures when as contrariwise this semeth to be the nature of punishmentes to be displeasaunt and to be vrged vpon men euen by compulsion and against theyr willes He answereth that this is to be ascribed vnto the goodnes of God whiche woulde not punishe these men more greuously But this semeth not to make much to Paules purpose For that he by the bitternes of the punishment ment to increase the greuousnes of the sinne Wherfore Chrisostomes iudgement herein fitteth better for he sayth that it is the greatest euill that can be when a man reioyceth in hys owne hurtes For if a man when he is sick◠fele great griefe and payne the phisitions dispayre not of hym But when he commeth once to that poynte that he It is a most greeuous euill for a man to reioyce in his owne hurtes feleth no payne nor griefe then is he in a maner past all hope of recouerye And madde folkes whē they teare themselues and fare full ill wyth themselnes are glad in so doyng miserably reioyce when they eate dongue stones or coales or beray themselues with dirt or filthy thinges And yet doth not theyr myrthe make the calamity any thing the easier So lykewyse are these men no lesse punished wyth thys deformity of sinne notwythstandyng they seme to delyght themselues therin Paule coulde vndoubtedly haue vpbrayded vnto them othervices But those had not bene so full of shame nor so apte to declare the calamity of the vnbeleuers Which haue chaunged his truth for a lye and worshipped and serued the thinges that be created aboue the Creator whiche is to be praysed for euer Amen VVhiche haue chaunged his truth for a lye He agayne repeteth that the Why Idols are called a lye cause of so greate a punishmente was idolatrye By truth he meaneth the selfe same thynge whiche before he noted by glorye And he calleth idols a lye Because they wente aboute to take awaye from woode and stones that whiche they were for that they no more counted them woode nor stones And attributed vnto them that which they were not deuine powers I say and the nature of God And whē he sayth of God which is to be praysed for euer He endeth his sentence with an excellent acclamation which selfe thing he doth also when he writeth of Christ in the 9. chap. that he is God aboue all thinges to be praysed for euer Amen Wherefore seyng he pronounceth one and the selfe same thing both of the father and also of the sonne he manifestly declareth that the sonne is equall wyth the father And Chrisostome affirmeth that this particle was therfore added to the end we should vnderstand that the enterprise of these men had no good successe For although they assaied to robbe God of his glory and to change hys truth yet would they or would they not he remayneth God to be praysed for euer Amen Neyther did he therfore in suche sort take vengeaunce vpon them to deliuer them vp into a reprobate sence as though he could not otherwise cast them from hym Their impiety was no let or hurt vnto him they were their owne destruction But because the Ethenikes are accused for the worshippyng of images it shall not be from the purpose somewhat to speake briefely as touchyng images First we will speake of them whiche go about to resemble God by images afterward we will touche somewhat of the Images of thinges which are corporall and then whither they may be had in temples in holy places lastly whether there may be any good vse of them at all And as God ought not to be expressed by any Images touchyng the first there is an expresse commaūdement in Deut. that God should not be portured by any images And hereof he geueth a reason because when he spake vnto them in Horeb the people sawe there no image The Prophetes also haue very often inculcated thys thyng and especially Esay from the 40. cha vnto the 45. entreateth in a maner of nothyng els And Paule in the actes of the Apostles when he preached to the men of Athenes sayde that men are of the generation of God but the nature of God hath no similitude with stones golde or siluer Farther seyng no man hath sene God at any tyme how shall any mā attempt to make his lykenes He is infinite and can be comprehended in mynd and much lesse in sence Wherfore they which either painte or make his picture do dishonour hys nature as though it can be limited with lynes coulors And in the olde law the mercy seat in the middle part which resembled the seat of God was empty to the ende occasion should not be geuen of making the nature of God in formes and images For the representing of him by an image sprang first of infidelitie because the reason of men could not perswade it selfe The Images of God sprange of infidelitie An example of the Hebrewes An obiection touching the discriptions of the Prophets that God was present vnlesse it were manifest by some signe or image Which thinge the Hebrewes plainly declared when in the wildernes they sayde vnto Aaron Make vnto vs Gods which may go before vs. But they obiect agaynst vs That forasmuch as God is oftentymes diuersly described in the Prophetes why in such sort may he not also be paynted Especially seyng scripture or writyng differeth very little from paintyng Esay saith that he saw the Lord sittyng vpon an hygh seat and exalted c. How commeth it then to passe that the paynter may not set forth God in forme of a iudge or king He is described in Daniell the 7. chap like an olde aged man of person vnto whome the sonne of man was brought What offence then shall it be for the paynter if he only by loues and colours shadowe that which the Prophete expresseth by woordes and writinges In dede this argument semeth to haue a goodly shew but it concludeth not that which it intendeth For where
the first to the Corrinthyans that Paul there affirmeth not that the sacramentes of the elders were one and the same with ours but only writeth thys that the elders had one and the selfe same sacramentes amongst themselues and yet many of them shamefully perished and were destroyed in the desert although they had in the sacramentes communicated with other godly men Wherefore they say that Paul of the lesser or of the like would conclude that we also if we lyue wickedly shall perishe although we be initiated in Christ and vse the selfe same sacramentes that the elect of God do But agaynst this exposition the wordes of the Apostle hymselfe are most playnly repugnant For he sayth that the elders had in their sacramentes the selfe same meate that we haue that is Christ For thus he The elders did eate and drinke Christ ergo they had the fruâ—cion of the selfe same meate that we haue writeth And they dranke of the spirituall rocke following them and the rocke was Christ Now if they had Christ doubtles they wanted not the meate of our sacramentes which can not be sayd to be any other thing then Christ Farther we see that the Apostle hath by expresse wordes put the names of our sacramentes For he nameth baptisme and spirituall meate and drinke Farther if we follow the expositions of our aduersaries we shal make Paules argument of small force For he ment to reproue the security of the Corrinthyans which semed to promise vnto themselues saluatioÌ„ for this cause only because they were Christians and partakers of the holy misteryes although in the meane tyme they liued losely and dissolutely Wherefore he declareth that God would seuerely punishe them except they repented as we reade he punished the fathers of the old testament when he sondry wayes afflicted them in the desert And if their sacramentes and ours were not one and the selfe same Paul concludeth nothing For the Corrinthyans mought haue sayd yea but our Testament is a farre other thyng then was the testameÌ„t of the olde fathers our sacrameÌ„ts are farre excellenter then were their sacramentes Wherefore God wil not afflicte vs neyther oughtest thou to compare vs with them By this meanes is Paules argument made of no force if we take away the similitude and proportion of the things of our sacrameÌ„ts with the things of yâ— sacrameÌ„ts of the elders Augustine sayth that the sacramentes of the elders and ours at one and the selfe same Farther also Augustine in his 26. treatise vpon Iohn most plainlye teacheth that the Elders as touching the spirituall thing had in their sacraments the self same thing that we haue In outward forme he sayth one thing was geuen vnto theÌ„ and an other vnto vs but as touching the thing signified he acknowledgeth no difference at all Wherfore the place of the Apostle which our aduersaries haue by their expositions gone aboute to wreste from vs is by these reasons to be defended They obiect moreouer that the Fathers in many places say that the sacramentes of the Elders were shadowes and images of that truth which is exhibited in our sacraments Vnto them we aunswer that images may two maner of wayes be taken For some are outwardly vayne and voyde and contayne nothing other images haue in dede the thing it selfe but yet intricatelye and obscurely if they be compared with other images that are more open And thys Images taken two manner of wayes second way we will easely graunt that the sacraments of the Elders were images and shadows of ours not that the elders had not in their sacrameÌ„ts yâ— self same things yâ— we receue in ours but because their sacrameÌ„ts more intricately and obscurely shadowed those thinges To the better explication hereof Chrisostome semeth to bring a verye apt similitude in his homelye which he made vpon these wordes of Paul Our fathers were baptised into Moyses and in his 17. Homely vpon the Epistle vnto the Hebrews Paynters sayth he when they entend to paynt a King firste draw out the proportion vpon a table wyth shadowes and darke colours but yet in such sort that a man may by that delineation althoughe it be somewhat obscure easely perceyue that the image of a Kyng is there paynted and horsemen and chariots and such other like thinges which thinges yet are not straight way knowen of all men But afterward when the Paynter hath layd enfresh colours and hath finished the worke those thinges which before by those first lines appeared scarce begonne and rude ar now manyfestly and expressedly perceaued Such sayth he were the SacrameÌ„ts of the Elders if they be compared with ours By these wordes it is manifest that Chrisostome was of the opinion that one and the selfe same thing is represented The names of the sacramentes of the elders and of ours are put one for an other in our Sacraments and in the Sacramentes of the Elders although in theyrs more obscurely and in ours more manifestly But how great a nearenes there is betwene both these kindes of Sacraments 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. chapter of the firste epistle to the Corrinth he affirmeth that the Elders were baptised and had one and the same spirituall meate and one and the same spirituall drinke which we now haue And on the other side to the Colossians he calleth our Baptisme Circumcision For he saith that we are circumcised in Christ but yet with a circumcision not made with handes by putting of the body of the sinnes of the flesh In which place he ascribeth vnto circumcision the puttyng of sinnes But they thinke that this maketh against vs which is red in the viij chapter to the Hebrewes where it is written In that that he sayth now he hath abolished Whether the old testament be vtterly abolished that which was before But that which is abolished and waxen olde is euen at haÌ„d to vanish away Of these wordes they conclude that the olde testament is vtterly abolished Which thing say they could not be possible if the substaunce therof were one and the same with the substance of the new But these men ought to haue coÌ„sidered that the substance of the olde Testament is not abolished In dede ceremonies are abolished as touching the outward signes howbeit the signification of theÌ„ abideth the selfe same that it was Iudiciall preceptes also although in our dayes they be not all had in vse yet the summe and principall scope of them is stil retained namely yâ— sinnes should be punished and iustice preserued in coÌ„mon wealths But the sence and obseruation of morall preceptes remaineth stil perfect whole although they no more either accuse or condemne the conscience to the destructioÌ„ of the elect But they say that Augustine also is against our sentence For in hys preface vpon the 73. psalme thus he writeth That the sacramentes
are the braÌ„ches As the brauÌ„ch caÌ„ not bring forth fruite vnles it abide in the vine so ye caÌ„ not bring forth fruite vnles ye abide in me And strait way he addeth Without me ye can do nothing And in an other place he saith that an euill tree can not bring forth good fruite For first it behoueth yâ— roote to be good before there caÌ„ be hoped any good fruite to come froÌ„ it But good trees we caÌ„ not be before we be grafted into Christ This grafting is in the holy scriptures called regeneration And euen as no man can helpe anye thinge to the generation of himselfe so can no man any thing helpe to the regeneration of himselfe Paul also in this selfe same epistle sayth whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne Wherefore seing the wicked want fayth whatsoeuer they do ought to be counted for sinne If thyne eye be single thy whole body shal be lightsome But if thy light be darkenes how great shall that darknes be Vnles fayth be present we are conuersant in darkenes and of necessity sticke fast in sinnes Farther if we follow the opinion of these men we shall vtterly ouerthrow the nature of grace For grace if it should be of works as Paul saith should then cease to be grace Paul also addeth that the Israelits following after the lawe of righteousnes attayned not vnto righteousnes for that they sought it by workes and not by fayth Vnto the Collossians also he playnly teacheth what maner ones we be before we are iustified Estranged saith he from God enemies in mynd conuersant in euill workes And in this epistle vnto the Romans men not yet grafted into Christ he calleth wild Oliue trées And we know that wilde Oliue trees are barren neither can they bring forth fruite Farther workes can not be good vnles they either satisfy the lawe or if they any thing stray from the lawe the same be not imputed vnto theÌ„ through Christ But men not regenerate can not satisfy the lawe for euen the regenerate can not do it And forasmuch as they are not by faith ioyned vnto Christ they can not attaine vnto the benefite of Christ whereby such defectes or wants are made whole againe And he whiche teacheth that a man canne without the grace of God do workes which are acceptable vnto God must of necessity also teach that Christ is not the redemer of the whole man For he ascribeth vnto our nature no small portion of saluation without Christ which teacheth that we can without the grace of Christe woorke wel and liue vprightly Paul also in this place when we were sayth he the seruauntes of sinne we were free vnto righteousnes Which is nothing els but that we had no consideration at all vnto righteousnes or fellowship therewith Moreouer he exhorteth vs that euen as we haue serued sinne so we should now serue righteousnes And he also teacheth that we should now altogether without any sinnes serue righteousnes Wherefore it is certaine that before we serued sinne and were vtterly without all righteousnes Lastly he hath left no meanes at all betwéene the seruitude of sinne and of righteousnes But these men contrariwise fayne certayne men what they be I know not which although they be not yet iustified do yet notwithstanding iust and good workes which may be acceptable vnto God All these thinges sufficiently declare how absurd and found these mens opinion is Howbeit in the meane time they crye out that we are blasphemous which auouch the whole nature of man to be euill But as Augustine warely writeth Vnder the prayses of nature lye hidden the enemyes of grace They ought to haue considered vnto what Vnder the prayses of nature lie hidden the enemies of grace ground we referre that euill whereof we complayne For we ascribe it not either to nature as it was created or vnto God but vnto sinne which through the first man had an entrance made open vnto it For by al maner of meanes we disagrée from the Manichies For they dreamed both that our nature is euill and that it was created of an euill God But we confesse and acknowledge that man was created frée But that he hath now lost that liberty we make not God the author thereof but his owne fault They were called of the Church heretiques Why they are called heretikes which deny free will Our aduersaries some what drawnye vnto the manichies which denied frée will But this is to be vnderstand of the first creation of our nature For otherwise there is none of the fathers which if the truth be diligently examined bewayleth not the calamity of man whereinto he fell through sinne Our aduersaries rather approch vnto the Manichies which contend that our corrupt affectes as they are now were so created of God For so they affirme that he created euill But we forasmuch as we sée that these troublesome affections want not sinne therefore deny that they were so created of God but through our own fault are become vnbrideled and resisting the word of God For it is certaine that man was at the beginning made vnto the image of God But nothing more besemeth it then liberty But seing that image is in a maner blotted out in vs so that it hath nede now to be restored through Christ what meruayle is it if liberty also be for the most part taken away from it when they reason that man is frée it is all one as if they should say that man is a two footed creature and therefore must nedes go vpright But if they shoulde so conclude of a lame man it shoulde A similitude easely appeare how much they are deceaued For the proprieties of man which belong vnto his nature being perfect agrée not when they are applied vnto his nature corrupted Neither do the opinions of our aduersaries much disagrée from the Pelagyans For they tought that nature being holpen by the grace of creation A coÌ„parison bâ—tweene our aduersaries and the Pelagâ—ans and by the doctrine of the lawe may liue vprightly and these men say that nature being holpen by grace preuenting and knocking may do good workes which may please God The catholike Church resisted the PelagyaÌ„s nether coÌ„teÌ„ded it about the grace of creatioÌ„ or of yâ— law nor also about grace preuenting but tought yâ— without the grace of Christ wherby we are iustified no man can do any good workes And with Augustine who was a great fighter against these men there is no difference To be with out grace without the faith of Christe are all one with Augustine betwene to do good works wtout grace to do good works wtout yâ— faith of Christ He vpon the 31. Psalme to declare that there is no good worke without faith thus writeth A good entent maketh the worke good but that entent doth fayth direct Wherefore consider not what a man doth but what he hath a regard vnto whilest he is in doyng And wheÌ„ as in
〈◊〉 that is dedicated vnto God Because that they are either seperated or els suspended by this declaration it sufficiently appeareth what it was that Paul wished vnto himselfe The proues of his principall sentence wherein he sayde that he had conceaued so great a griefe that he would gladly be made Anathema for his bretherne are of two sortes The one is taken of witnesses and the other of the cause And the cause is for that they were Israelites vnto whome pertayneth the adoption the lawe the glory the testamentes the promises and for that Christ as touching the fleshe came of their fathers And as touching the first poynt concerning witnesses he affirmeth that he sayth the truth in Christ as though he should haue to do before him and should cite him for a witnesse of his saying Farther he bringeth his owne conscience as a witnes and that rightly especially seing he entreateth of that thinge whiche no man could knowe but Paul himselfe For none knoweth our affections but we our selues onely and therefore Paul calleth his conscience for a witnes as before the iudgement seate of God And because the conscience may sometimes be deceaued forasmuch as euery man flattereth himselfe more then is meete and maketh his affections greater then they are in very deede therefore addeth he In the holy ghost For the conscience being by it directed and tempred is neuer deceaued Wherefore this othe of the Apostle consisteth of thre notable witnesses And he swereth with great waight not in a light or trifling cause but Of what greate waight the othe of the Apostle is in such a cause as bringeth a greate helpe to saluation and also vnto them vnto whome he writeth is very profitable And seing he so earnestly affirmeth with an othe that he had conceaued so greate a sorrow as he hath now expressed it most manifestly appeareth that that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is lacke or want of affectioÌ„s of the Stoikes agreeth not with Christians For certaine things are so framed of nature that strength way so sone as they are offred vnto vs we by a certaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Stoâ—ke not agreable with Christians naturall motion abhorre from them as is death and as also are bitter chances when they happen vnto them which are ioyned vnto vs either by kinred or by countrey Christ vndoubtedly wept for the discention of Ierusalem and was heauy when his time was come that he should sone after dye And Paul in the latter to the Corrinthians sayth that when he shall come he shal hewayle them which haue not repented Samuell powred out teares for Saul bycause God had reiected him For whome also when he was slayne Dauid wept with a publike sorrow Ieremy also with many teares ditties bewayled the captiuity and ouerthrow of his people But these thinges thou wilt say happen vnto our freÌ„ds by the prouidence and commaundement of God wherefore when they so happen Whether it be lawful to be grieued for the aduersities of our neighbours holy men ought not to lament for them For we must chearefully obey the will of God otherwise why do we dayly pray Thy will be done But thou must vnderstand that we may doo both as our minde hath a respect vnto diuerse thinges For when a man beholdeth the aduersities and calamities of men and especially of those men vnto whome he is by any familiar aquaintaunce ioyned then is he both grieued and also would gladly with a greate price redeme those euilles And contrariwise when we behold the decrée prouidence and will of God we do not only take them in good part whatsoeuer thinges they be but The Prophets differ in theyr kindes of speach according to the diuersity of the respect also we receaue them gladly and with a cherefull mynde Wherefore in the Prophets there are red sundry kindes of speach according as they had a respect to diuerse thinges Sometimes they seme to desire God to turne away the calamities of sinners and seme to bewepe and lament them and sometimes they seme to wish that they which hate God may be punished and perish For our mynde like a Kameleon which way soeuer it bendeth it selfe putteth an affecte according to the nature of the thing which it beholdeth Crassus when he saw his sonne slayne and his legions go to the worse Ye souldiers sayth he fight cheare An example of Crassus fully manfully defende your Pub. welth For this mourning is my priuate mourning WheÌ„ he looked vpoÌ„ his own mischance he could not but lameÌ„t but when he set before his eyes yâ— helth of yâ— publike welth he called back his mind to cherefulnes So did Brutus so did Torquatus sley theyr own childreÌ„ yâ— the discipline Whether it wer lawfull for Paul to wish to be made Anathema from Christ of war publike liberty might be preserued But here ariseth an other question more difficâ—l â–ª how it was lawful for Paul to wish to be seperated froÌ„ Christ when as we ought to loue God aboue all thinges and when as we rede in the Gospel He which loueth his father or mother or bretherne more then me is not worthy of me This thing sayth Chrisostome is so obscure that Paul semeth to speake ridles For forasmuch as before he had said that he was perswaded that he could by no creature be plucked away from yâ— loue of Christ by what meanes can he now wish to be made Anathema for his brethern There haue bene some which thought that Anathema in this place is Kimelion that is a deare treasure and of greate price such as noble men vse to haue greate store of made of gold and siluer and fashioned with wonderfull greate conning but this is a triflinge and childishe interpretacion For if Paul had ment so he should not haue sayd from Christ but before Christ Farther what a great acte were this I pray you For there is none which desireth not to be acceptable vnto God and to pertaine vnto his flocke especiallye seinge he knoweth that he is the chiefe goodnes Farther if Paul haâ— bene in steade of a treasure before Christ what should that haue profited his brethern according to yâ— flesh But a man peradueÌ„ture wil say that he might then the better make intercession for them before God But forasmuch as the prayers of the faythfull lene not vnto the merites or dignity of theÌ„ that pray but only to a true and liuely fayth the Apostle ought not so diligently to put in these words in this place For he prayed without intermissioÌ„ for other men although according to those mens opinion he should not be Anathema In The commentaries ascribed vnto Ierome dede Chrisostome reherseth this expositioÌ„ but yet he coÌ„fesseth it to be ridiculous and folish The commeÌ„taries which are ascribed vnto Ierome say that these are to be referred vnto that time wherein Paul persecuted the Church of Christ as though he would say that he
euery side defiled and filthyly wrapped in bloud I passed by sayth the Lord and when I saw thee in that case I had compassion of thee Farther let vs remember what is the scope of the Apostle in this epistle For if we will iudge vprightly of controuersies we must not cast our eye of frō the scope This was the scope of the Apostle by all maner of meanes to commend the grace of Christ And to this purpose can nothing more be a let then to affirme that the predestination of God that is the head and fountaine of grace commeth of the workes of men And if it be counted a fault in orators if in their oration they paraduenture inculcate things which should much hinder the cause which they toke in hand how can we suspect that the holy ghost presisted not in that which he began but speaketh thinges strange from that which he purposed Neither doubtles can there be any other reason geuen of the members then of the hed which is Christ Iesus Seing therefore that no man can doubt but that the sonne of God tooke vpon him humane nature freely For if the question should The son of God toke vpō him frely humane nature be asked why he rather tooke vpon him man of the virgen Mary then any other man there can no reason be geuen but for that it so pleased him For as tooching wookes any other man borne of an other virgen mought haue had them no les then he which was borne of Mary For whosoeuer had had the diuinity as Christ had he should doubtles haue done the selfe same workes which Christ did Seing therfore that that humanity was taken of the son of God fréely of the pure mere mercy of God euen after the self same maner whosoeuer are the members of Christ are elected fréely and without any merites of workes Finally all those reasons which proue that iustification consisteth not of workes the same As iustification is not of workes ▪ so neither also is predestination Christ and his death is the first effect of predestination Christ as touchyng his humane nature and death ▪ is not the cause of predestination also proue that predestination dependeth not of workes Now resteth to declare whether Christ and his death may be sayd to be the cause of predestination Here we answere that Christ and his death is the first and principall effect of predestination for amongst those thinges which are of God geuen vnto the elect is Christ himselfe and the fruit of his death For whatsoeuer is geuen vnto vs is deriued vnto vs from God by this way and as it were through this pipe And forasmuch as it is certaine that the effects of predestination may so be compared together that one may be the cause of the other but vnto none of them agréeth to be the beginning of predestination therefore we deny that Christ as touching his humanity or death is the cause of our predestination although he be the beginning and cause of all good thinges which come vnto vs by the purpose of God I know that there haue bene some which haue gone about to conciliate the sentences of the fathers with this most true doctrine which we haue now by many reasons proued For they say that the fathers when they write that predestination is of workes foresene by the name of predestination do not vnderstand the worke or action of God whereby he electeth or predestinateth any man ▪ but rather the end and certaine meanes for as touching them nothing can let but that workes may be causes Sentences of many of the fathers agree not fully with this doctrine For it is without all doubt certayne that the last damnation commeth of workes as of the cause and good workes spring of fayth as of their beginning I sée in dede that the entent of these men is not to be discommended which labour to apply the sentences of the fathers vnto the truth as much as is possible But yet that which they auouch I can not affirme to be true For there are certaine sentences of the fathers so hard that they can by no meanes be drawen to this meaning For they to defend the liberty of our will will not haue all thinges to depend of the predestination of God And of purpose say that all whole is not of God It is not true that they say all whole is not of God It is not true also that God electeth because of faith foresene but somewhat also is required of vs. And they expressedly write that God electeth some for that he foresaw that they should beleue They haue also here and there many other such like sayinges so that I by no meanes can sée how their sentences can agrée with our doctrine in this point Howbeit Augustine fully agreeth with it Ierome also disagréeth not from it although oftentimes in many places he agrée with Origen and others But against the Pelagians he highly commendeth the sentence of Augustine touching this matter and excedingly alloweth his writinges against this heresy Seing therefore that Augustine oftentimes vsed thys argument against the Pelagians it must nedes be that the same very well pleased Ierome now being olde Ciprian also as we haue before sayd manifestly writeth that there is nothing which is ours Wherefore it followeth of necessity that all whole is of God But howsoeuer it be there is no nede that we should at this present much reason touching the fathers For when I interpretated the text it selfe I aboundantly spake of them as the opportunity of the place serued As in all other things which pertayne vnto faith so also in this question we must geue We must geue sentence according to the scriptures not according to the fathers sentence according to y◠scriptures and not according to the fathers And this self thing euē the fathers thēselues required at our hands Which I thinke we to our ability haue performed in alleadging of reasons Amongst the latter writers Pigghius being forced by the vehemency of the scriptures graunteth vnto vs that works are not causes of predestination for he cōfesseth that it consisteth fréely and of the mere mercy of God with a respect yet saith he vnto works which thing I suppose he sayd least he should séeme in vaine to haue with so many words contended But if predestination be frée and do depend of the mere goodnes and mercy If election be free why is there added a respect vnto works of God as the scriptures testifie why durst this man of his owne hed imagine this new respect of works For the holy scripture and especially Paul vtterly excludeth workes from this matter But Pigghius the more to bewray that his vile desire of contending bringeth certaine arguments which make vtterly nothing at all to the matter That saith he which as touching election happened in the blessed virgen the mother of God ought in others also to take place but she
so be weakened that they may not be able to attaine vnto them An allegory of the table But let vs diligently consider and weigh all the partes of this execration And that which is first spoken of the table expresseth a goodly allegory for by the table is signified vnto vs whatsoeuer is pleasaunt acceptable and delighting or wherin we content our selues as in a good thing which recreateth and refresheth vs as we know the table to be for vnto it we come to be refreshed with meate and drinke and to be mery yea and in feastes are knitte amities and mutuall frendshippes which are made more firme For Mensa that is a table as Varro saith is as it were Mesa that is to say a meane for it is an arbitrer and mediator betwene two or more But saith Dauid vnto these wicked men let it chaunge his proprieties let it be voide of his end let it not be vnto them pleasaunt nor ioyfull nor sweete but pernicious hurtfull and a snare let them euen there be taken and be destroyed Origen against Celsus maketh mencion of a certaine Poet who wrote a kind of verses called Iambica against Licambes for that he had transgressed against the table and salt and had bene vnfaithfull and cruell against him with whom he had vsed ordinarily to be at table and to eate with and he aptly applieth that vnto Iudas Iscariot who betrayed the Lord with whome together he had eaten And our sauior instituted the holy table whereat the faithfull receaue the Eucharist that there should not only be celebrated the memory of his The table of the Eucharist death but also that in the holy banquet should be wéeded out all maner of hatred and displeasure growen betwene Christians Pithagoras in his banquets and meates would not suffer that bread should be deuided with a knife by bread signifieng y◠bond of humane society And the Macedonians were wōt to make leagues and couenaunts at their feastes and banquets Plutarch also in his problems telleth An vsage of the Macedonians how that the table is an holy thing and therefore the elders were carefull that in presence of the guests it should neuer be empty or voyde for that that is not seemely for thinges consecrated vnto God Wherefore the Prophet prayeth yea he prayeth against the wicked that all prosperous and happy things should be turned vnto them into misery which thing we reade in the histories came oftentimes to passe for wordly men in those things very often came to destruction wherein they both most delighted themselues and placed all their felicity When Pompey was ouercome in Pharsalia Egipt and Ptolome were his table for he hoped that there he mought be recreated and be at rest howbeit there he miserably lost his head Cesars table séemed to be aboue all others in the publike wealth of Rome when as he was the chiefe of the Senate house and as Dictator out of his regall seate gaue lawes and bare dominion but whilest he setled himselfe in these things he was mirably slayne The table of the Iewes was in the time of Christ to kéepe still their dignity place nation and priesthod and whilest they with a blind zeale too much gaue themselues to these things they slew Christ and therefore they were throwen down hedlong into vtter destruction Neither let vs looke for any other ende of the Pope of his kingdome whose table is the name of the Church counsels Fathers customes longtime receaued the pompe and shew of outward ceremonies and such other like things for the defence wherof forasmuch as he together with his fighteth against the truth and that plainly set abroad he shall fall into a snare and into distruction This self thing did the Iewes in the time Ieremy whē they cried The tempell of the Lord The tempell of the Lord boasting that they were the sonnes of Abraham and frée men and the children of promise but yet they were with great miseries brought to destruction And how euen the outward table hath brought vnto some destruction the holy history setteth forth vnto vs in the eldest sonne of Dauid For he was slaine of his brother Absalon for defiling his sister Thamar And the like chaunce happened vnto Simon the high priest as we rede in the first booke of the Machabes who being bidden by his sonne in law to a feast was by him slaine Dauid by an antithesis aptly maketh a snare to be contrary vnto a table For the table ought to be frée where we may safelye refreshe the minde and if any snares bee there laid◠a man can not well auoyde them There is added an other curse which according to the Hebrew verity is of quiet men that is of frends and such as are ioyned by any familiarity Frendship is a necessary thing or acquaintaunce There is no man but vnderstandeth that frendship is a necessary thing Which neither euen great princes nor Emperors can want for if they be destitute of frends by whom shall they gouerne their dominions kingdomes And howe méete and profitable concorde is in aduersityes wée néede not many wordes to declare for that it is to all men most manifeste It is also as a thing most to be desired and most pleasant grafted in vs by nature or rather by God and as Aristotle in his Ethikes sayth of it it is more conuenient then iustice For if we were all truly frendes betwene our selues Frendship better then iustice there should be no nede of iustice for no man would hurte one an other but if we were all iust yet still should we nede frendshippe for that it is a thing of hys owne nature and of it selfe good Of so greate a commodity doth Dauid in hys execration desire that the wicked might be depriued and prayeth that those whome they thought to be theyr frendes mought be vnto them traytors which how detestable and hurtfull a thing it is the history of Samuell declareth where it is written that Ioab slew Abner and Amasa two notable captaynes fraudulently namely pretending frendshippe vnto them and kissing them Our Lord An example of traitry also who for our sakes would suffer all kinde of greues suffred also this kind of mishappe touching which thing we haue in the Psalme a wonderfull complaynte for vnder the person of Christ it is sayd My quiet frend which did eate meate together with me hath lifted vp his hele agaynst me Thus haue we now declared the Hebrew verity But bycause Paul and the Seuentye haue turned it retribution or recompence let vs se how theyr phrase of speach agreeth with thys sence In my iudgement it signifieth that Dauid prayed that in the table where they were wont to refresh theyr mindes and to haue all thinges in safety and security there should happen vnto them a recompence and y◠there they mought be punished for all the wicked actes which they had before committed that whereas the seuerity of God semed before to
Church In which Many sinnes are forgeuen her bicause she hath loued much wordes thou shalt find no worke wrought as they cal it For Christ spake only of the hearers of the word of God which is preached But how shal we at the lēgth confute this sentence which is neuer out of theyr mouth Many sinnes are forgeuen her bicause she hath loued much If the place be diligently cōsidered it wil be an easy matter to doo We ought to know that some reasons are taken of the causes and some of the effectes Christ a few wordes afterward sheweth the cause of saluation when he sayd vnto the wooman Thy fayth hath made thee safe But bycause that fayth was hidden in her minde neither could it be sene of those which were present therefore putting forth a parable he sheweth that they loue more which receaue greater gifts of any And that this wooman receaued a very greate gifte that is iustification he sheweth by the effectes namely bycause she washed his feete with her teares and wiped them wyth her heare because she kyssed them because she annoynted them Which thinges forasmuch as that Pharisey did not it may be a very greate token or signe that he had not receaued the like gifte Not the hearers of the law shal be iustified but the doers They cite also out of this epistle vnto the Romanes Not the hearers of the law shal be iustified but the doers But Paul in that place when he reproued the Iewes bycause when they had receaued the law and boasted therof yet they liued contrary to the law ment therby nothing ells but that if righteousnes were to be sought for by the law it is not sufficiēt either to haue it or to heare it but it behoueth also in actes and dedes to performe it Which thing we neuer denied that a man may be iustified by the law if he can perfectly and fully accomplishe it But forasmuch With feare and trembling work your saluation how it is to be vnderstand as the same is by no meanes possible we say that by it righteousnes can not be hoped for That also which they obiect out of the epistle vnto the Phillippians with feare and trembling worke your saluation nothing helpeth them Vndoubtedly they which know that they haue all that they haue from God are of a moderate and humble minde and are euer more afrayd of themselues For they se that in themselues there is nothing that is good but that helpe is to be looked for at the handes of God only And therfore Paul biddeth a godly man alwayes to feare and tremble But they which thinke that it lieth in theyr owne power to iustifie and saue themselues such as are those which in this matter contend agaynst vs they I say haue nothing that they nede to be aferd of or to tremble for For they boast that theyr saluation consisteth in themselues Which saluation though Paul doo in this place name yet he therby vnderstandeth not iustification For he writeth vnto those which were alredy before iustified Wherfore this place maketh nothing for them But Paul meaneth by saluation that renuyng by which we alwayes profit A place of the Apoc. Beholde I stand at the dore and knocke and go forward to things better and better Lastly as though now they had gotten the victory they obiect this out of the third chapiter of the Apocalips Behold I stand at the dore and knocke And if any man open vnto me I will enter in and suppe with him But we plainly affirme that by these wordes is signified That God at the beginning calleth and stirreth vp and instigateth vs to saluation vnto which no man can by hys owne strengths be led wyth out the impullsion of God But that we of our owne accord wythout the Grace of God penetrating and changing y◠mind can open our harte vnto God we vtterly deny neither can these men euer proue it by the holy scriptures But because we haue certain aduersaries which passe very little or els nothing at all vpon the holy scriptures but measure al their religiō by fathers and counselles so that they may rather be called Patrologi then Theologi and that which is more intollerable they gather certaine prety sentences out of y◠writings of the Fathers and obtrude thē vnto the people and the easlier to obscure the truth and to blinde poore simple men they adde taunting speaches especially forasmuch as certaine of thē thinke themselues cōning craftes men in rethoricall speach and haue in that kinde of study spent the greatest part of theyr time I shal desire the indifferent reader not to iudge any thinge rashly against the truth but rather attentiuely to consider those thinges which we also will alleadge out of the fathers for by that meanes he shall easly vnderstand that the fathers make not so much on our aduersaries side as they do on ours But least we should alleadge any A methode in cityng of the fathers sentence out of the Fathers confusedly and rashly we will vse a methode or compendious way which methode that it may the easlier be vnderstand it shal be good first to put forth a demonstration or a certain proofe out of those testimonies of the holy scriptures which we haue before cited Whiche shal be in this manner They which do worke according to the prescript of the law that is as the very law requireth are iustified by works But none especially before regeneration can do such workes as the law requireth Wherfore none are iustified by workes The maior or first proposition is so plaine that it néedeth no exposition For he whiche doth any thing contrary to that which the law prescribeth vndoubtedly committeth sin fo farre is it of that he can thereby be made iust But the minor or second proposition although it be proued by testimonies of the scriptures yet wil we also declare by the Fathers Farther seing the conclusion is that iustification is not of works it must then of necessity be of grace Wherefore secondly we will shew out of the Fathers that men are iustified fréely and without all consideration of merites And because we reiect not good woorkes but say that in their place they are to be had in estimation as which by a most straight bond follow iustification alreadye obteyned we will lastly teach this also out of the sayings of the fathers That good workes follow iustification but go not before And those places will we chieflye cite out of the fathers which are founded vpon the holy scriptures And first commeth in place Basilius who in his firste booke de Baptismo bringeth Basilius these wordes out of the Gospell Many shall say in that day Lord in thy name we haue prophesied we haue caste out deuilles we haue done many miracles But these men saith he God will not onely cast out of his kingdome but also call them woorkers of iniquitie Wherfore they which worke
not by discord broken Wherefore I thinke we ought with most feruent prayers to pray vnto God to geue at the length vnto his Church this most pleasant agréement For so long as there are so many which disâ—ent from the truth how can God with one minde with one mouth be glorified VVherefore receaue ye one an other as Christ also receaued vs to the gâ—ory of God Paul in these his prayers which we haue now heard touched yâ— end of maÌ„s life namely that we should all agreing in one the selfe same mind glorifie God and the Lord Iesus Christ Now he finisheth vp the matter and the thing which he hath entreated of he closeth vp with a most profitable conclusion For here he not only repeteth the end which he had set forth but also thereunto addeth an example of Christ Christ sayth he receaued vs when we were weake infirme and lost Wherefore it is our partes also to embrace and cherish one an other vnles we will be vnlike to so excellent a maister And as he when he erected and holpe vs sought nothing ells but the glory of his father so we in helping our brethern The vehemency of Paules conclusion ought to set before vs to regard nothing ells but the glory of God and of Christ And so vehement is this conclusion of Paul that there is left no place to make deniall For if thy weake and infirme brother did neuer hurt thée but is otherwise of honest conuersation vndoubtedly thou dealest vncourteously if thou beare not with his infirmity But if he be odious vnto the and haue paraduenture committed any thing for which he may seme to be vnworthy of thine helpe yet oughtest thou to haue a consideratioÌ„ to that example which Christ hath set forth vnto thée and oughtest alwayes to set before thyne eyes the glory of God which shall by thy louingnes be illustrated Neyther wanteth it a certayne religious art and conning that Paule in a maner with the selfe same woordes endeth this matter with which he began it For at the beginning he sayd Him that is weake in faith receaue ye And here he sayth Receaue ye one an other Now I say that Iesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirme the promises of the Fathers And let the Gentiles prayse God for his mercy As it is writen For this cause will I confesse thee amongest the Gentils and will sing vnto thy name And agayne he sayth Reioyce ye Gentiles with his people And agayne Prayse God all ye Gentiles and laud him all people together And agayne Esay saith There shal be a roote of Iesse and he shall rise to raigne ouer the Gentiles in him shall the Gentiles trust Nowe I say that Iesus Christ was a minister of Circumcision for the truthe of God to confirme the promises of the fathers Paul by a most soft transition as I thinke now goeth to take vp an other discorde which at that time was risen not only at Rome but also in other Churches For those Churches for that they consisted partly of the Iewes and partly of the Gentiles were long time at great dissension An other dissensioÌ„ of the church of Rome by reason of the differences of kinred and of nations For the Iewes through the pride that they conceiued bicause of the lawe that was geuen vnto them and through the hautines and opinion of their holy stock and bloud deriued of the fathers insolently contemned the Gentiles But the Gentiles not able to beare that boasting and arrogancy despised the Iewes as men through their own default reiected of God and in a maner excluded for that they saw that they were now after a sort substituted into theyr place Wherefore Paule to take away these contentions opportunely vseth this reason wherewith he had knit vp his former talke namely that Christ had receiued them to the glory of God which benefite for as much as Christ had bestowed as wel vpon the Iewes as vpon the Gentils it was not méete that they following theyr owne iudgemeÌ„t shold so much esteme the differences of kinred and of merites which God in receiuing of them wayed not that therfore they should be disseuered one from an other Wherefore Paule hereunto wholy bendeth himself plainly to declare that bothe the Iewes and the Gentiles are through Christ receiued of God into fauor And he first maketh meÌ„tion of the Iewes for that vnto those before all other men was preached the Gospell of Christ And that they should not attribute this to theyr owne vertues Paul rendreth a reason why Christ would by himself be vnto that people a minister of Christ was not the minister of the Iewes for their worthines sake saluation This sayth he was done for the promises sake which were made vnto the fathers least they should lye voyde and frustrate if Christ should haue done otherwise For that had bene a great empairing to the truth of God which ought to be most constaÌ„t For Christ bestowed not this benefit vpoÌ„ the Iewes for yâ— they were more worthy then other nacions but yâ— the truth of God should not seme to haue deceiued them Neither could they refer to the commendation of their owne dignity the promises that were made to theyr elders For those promises ceassed now to be due vnto them for that they had degenerated from the faythe of theyr elders and had thorow their perpetuall violating of the lawes stirred vp yâ— wrath of God against them vnles God had had a consideration to his truthe rather then to theyr worthines These things hath Chrisostom very wel noted in these words What maner of thing the ministery of Christ was And Christ ministred vnto Circumcision that is vnto the nation of the Iewes when preaching the Gospel he called them back to saluation and to life This ministery consisted not in masses belles alters prayers for the deade holy water stoles silke vestments choyse of meats bowes candles ashes and other rites ceremonyes and ornaments of the Popes maiestie Neither did he in title only cary about the dignity of the ministery as many at this day doe but he daily sed the shéepe committed vnto him and with all industrye and diligence preached vnto them the worde of saluation When others slept he watched in prayers in which it can not be doubted but that he by all maner of meanes desired of God that the ministery which he executed might be moste frutefull to many And as touching his priuate life he alwayes behaued himself holily and innoceÌ„tly and adorned his ministery with a most excellent example of his whole life For what so euer is coÌ„maunded in the law the same he wholy so performed and accomplished that it being after that manner fully accomplished can not be any more a burthen to vs which are now through faith adioyned vnto Christ For the olde ceremonies haue The law thorough Christ is not vnto vs a burthen now
ceassed whose shadowes are now at the light of the truthe taken away And there withall also the ciuil commaundements are abrogated wheÌ„ as that publike wealth is now no more of necessity vpon the earth The righteousnes also of those lawes which they call Morall although it can not perfectly be fulfilled of vs yet partly through the holines of Christ which he communicateth vnto vs it is performed and accomplished and partly through the power of the holy Ghost which he distributeth to the beleuers it is with great endeuor according to that which is geuen vnto euery man expressed and that which wanteth is through the grace of Christ not imputed Finally he gaue his life for his which was the last worke of his ministery But whereas Origen noteth that the Apostle ment here to gather an argument against the Ethnikes yâ— they should not despise the Iewes although they abode still in the obseruations of the law when as Christ himself was bothe the minister of the law and obserued all these things diligently this in my iudgement semeth wide from the purpose For here rather we learne that the strength and foundation of the promises made vnto the fathers was that saluation should be attained vnto for mankinde through Christ although otherwise there were extant many other promises of the possession of the land of Canaan and of the kingdome of the worlde Which things forasmuche as Christ performed not as which What is the streÌ„gth summe of all the promises made vnto the fathers pertained not to his ministery we ought to vnderstande that they were rather things annexed then the sinewes and summe and strengthe and iuyce of the promises of God And hereunto not a little serueth that which Paule wryteth in the second Epistle to the Corinthians the. 1. chapter All the promises of God are through him yea and through him Amen And let the Gentiles praise God for his mercy Vnto the Gentiles he attributeth Mercy and truth are ioyned together mercy and to the Iewes truthe not that these two can be seperated the one from the other for there is no worke of God which hath either mercye without truth or truth without mercy but Paul ment to distinguish these things euen as they were in more force and as they were more declared in the saluation either of the Iewes or of the Gentiles Christ as touching that coÌ„uersation which he had The promâ—sâ—s of God leane onely to mercy In the graftyng in of the Gentles truth had place vpon the earth was geuen to the Iewes that the truthe of the promises shold not be made frustrate But if thou wilt descend to the very roote and foundation euen those promises leane only to the mercy of God For what thing els but euen his mere goodnes and mercy could haue moued him to promise vnto the fathers that Christ should come of theyr stocke And although the Gentiles are sayd to be grafted in by mercy yet here also truth hath place For God knew euen from eternally that the Gentiles shold be called to saluation Wherfore it was true for things false can not be knowne And therefore it was necessary that that truth should attaine to his effecte Moreouer the scriptures kept not in silence that the Gentiles should at the length be called as those Prophesies testifye which are a little afterward alleaged But the Prophesies of the holy scriptures ought without all manner of doubt to be true Wherefore the grafting in of the Gentiles pertayneth to truthe But this ought not to be ouerhipped that Paul when he entreated of the Iewes spake not only of the truth but also straight way after it made mention Whether the calling in of the Gentiles was peculiarly promised to any man of the promisses as if he should haue sayd that Christ was geuen vnto the Iewes a minister of saluation to confirme the truthe of the promises But the calling of the Gentiles was in déede foretold but as it shold séeme it was promised to none vnles peraduenture any man will contende that vnto Abraham were promised the Gentiles when it was sayd vnto him In thy sede shall all nations be blessed but as we haue already sayd this may séeme to be spoken rather in the way of foretelling then in the way of promise And if a man think this reason somwhat weak he may follow that which we before sayd that the Apostle had a regarde to that which is most frequent in the holy scriptures For in them is euery where promised that the Messias should come of the séede of the Iewes but not in so many places nor so often is mention made in them of the callynge of the Gentiles And to speake briefly these distributions of Paul are not so to be vnderstanded as though one part can by no meanes be ioyned with an other And this may plainely be proued by these two places with the harte we beleue to righteousnesse and with the mouth is confession made to saluation Againe Christ died for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification As it is written For this cause will I confesse thee amongst the gentiles and wil sing to thy name This propheste is written in the 18. Psalme wherein is affirmed yâ— the prayses of God should be celebrated amongst the Gentiles which also is shewed by these other testimonies which are here added And this can not be vnderstanded but of the redeÌ„ption purchased vnto vs through Christ The last testimony maketh mencion only of the hope and fayth of the Gentiles that the kingdoÌ„ What to confesse signifieth of Christ should be spred abrode euen amongst them also In the 18. Psalme Dauid speaketh vnder the persoÌ„ of the body of Christ that is of the Church I will confesse thee amongst the Gentitles Here to confesse signifieth nothing ells but with feruâ—t prayers â—o set forth the prayses of God And by those thinges which went a litle be fore in that Psalme is gathered that that should be verified of the victory gotten and of the ouerthrow of the enemies And agayne Reioyce ye Gentiles with his people This is written in the 32. chapiter of Deut Ye Gentiles stirre vp his people to reioysing And the cause of this common ioye is before recited namely for that God had set at liberty his froÌ„ their enemies and from those that hated them Howbeit there are some which thinkâ— rather that this testimony is taken out of the 67. Psalme where we thus rede A câ—uillation of the Hebrues Let the Gentiles be glad and reioyce bicause thou iudgest the people in equity and directest the Gentiles vpon the earth Howbeit from whence so euer this place be taken it maketh no great skill for in ech place the sence is in a maner one and the same I thinke rather that it is taken out of Deutro â–ª for that in the Psalme this particle vvith my people â–ª or my people wanteth Howbeit this we ought not to