there is one vnderstandynge of earthely thynges an other of heauenly thynges Earthly thynges I call those that doe not concerne God and his Kyngedome true ryghteousnesse and the blessednesse of eternall lyfe but haue all theyr respecte and relation to thys presente lyfe and are as yt were contayneth wythin the boundes thereof Heauenly thinges I cal the pure knowledge of God the ordre of true righteousnesse and the misteries of the heauenly kyngdome Of the fyrste sorte are policy gouernaunce of householde all handy craftes and liberall Scienses Of the seconde sorte are the knowledge of God and Gods will and the rule to frame oure lyfe accordynge to yt Concernynge the fyrst this we muste confesse bicause man is a creature by nature geuen to lyue in companies together he is also by naturall instinction bente to cheryshe to preserue the feloweshyppe of these companies therfore we see that there are in the myndes of all men vniuersall impressions of a certaine ciuill honestie and ordre Hereby yt commeth to passe that there is founde noman that vnderstandeth not that all companies of men oughte to bee keepte in ordre with lawes and that conceyueth not in hys minde the prynciples of these lawes Hereof commeth that same perpetuall consente as well of all nations as of all menne vnto lawes bycause the seedes thereof are naturally planted in all menne wythoute any teacher or lawemaker And I weye not the disscusions and fyghtynges that afterwarde arise â–ª whyle some desyre to peruerte lawe and ryghte the loose absolute gouernementes of kynges that luste strayeth abroade in steede of ryghte as the eues robbers some whiche ys a faulte more than common thynke that to bee vniuste whyche other haue stablyshed for iuste and on the other syde styffely saye that to be laudable whiche other haue forbydden For these menne do not therefore hate lawes bycause they dooe not knowe that lawes are good and holly but for that they ragynge wyth heddye luste doe fyghte agaynste manyfeste reason and for theyr fansiâ— dooe abhorre that whych in vnderstandyng of minde thei allowe The latter sorte of stryuyng is suche that yt taketh not awaye that fyrste conceiuing of equitie For when menne dooe stryue amonge them selues concerninge the poyntes of lawes they agree together in a certaine summe of equitie Wherein is proued the weakenesse of manns witte which euen then when it seemeth to folowe the righte waye yet halteth and staggereth but styll thys remayneth true that there is sowen in all menne a certayne seede of polytyke ordre And that ys a large proofe that in the orderynge of thys lyfe no manne ys voyde of the lyghte of reason Nowe do folowe the artes boothe the liberall the handy craftes in learnynge whereof bycause there ys in vs all a certaine aptnesse in them also doothe appeare the force of manns wytte but all bee yt all menne bee not apte to learne them all yet ys this a token certayne enoughe of the common naturall power that there ys almooste no manne founde whose conceyte of wytte doothe not in some arte or other shewe fourthe it selfe Neyther haue they onely a power or facylytye to learne but also to deuyse in euerye arte some newe thinge eyther to amplifie or make perfecter that whyche hathe been learned of an other that wente before whyche thyng as yt moued Plato erroniouslye to teache that suche conceauyng ys nothyng ells but a calling to remembrauÌ„ce so by good reason it oughte to compell vs to confesse that the beginnyng thereof is naturally planted in the witte of man These poyntes therefore done plainely testyfye that there ys geuen to men naturally an vniuersall conceyuynge of reason and of vnderstandynge Yet ys yt so an vniuersall benyfyte that therein euery manne oughte for himselfe to acknoweledge the peculiar grace of God To whyche thankefullnesse the creatore hym selfe doothe suffycyently awake vs when hee createth naturall fooles in whome hee maketh vs to see wyth what gyftes mans soule excelleth yf it bee not endued wyth hys lyghte whyche ys so naturall in all men that yt ys yet altogether a free gyfte of hys lyberalytye towarde euerye man But the inuention and ordrely teachynge of the same artes or a more inwarde and excellente knoweledge of them whyche is propre but to a fewe is no perfecte argumente of the common conceyuynge of wytte yet bycause wythoute dyfference it happeneth to the godlye and vngodlye yt ys ryghtefully reckened amonge naturall gyftes So oft therefore as we lyghte vpon profane wryters lette vs be putte in mynde by that maruaylous lyghte of trueth that shyneth in them that the wytte of manne howe muche soeuer yt bee peruerted and fallen from the fyrste integrytye ys yet styll clothed and garnyshed wyth excellente gyftes of God If wee consyder that the spyryte of God ys the onely fountayne of trueth wee wyll neyther refuse nor despise the trueth yt selfe wheresoeuer yt shall appeare excepte wee wyl dishonourably vse the spyryte of God for the gyftes of the holy ghoste canne not bee sette lyghte by without contempte and reproche of hymselfe And what Shall wee denye that the trueth shyned to the oulde Laweyers whyche haue sette fourth Ciuile ordre and Dyscyplyne wyth so greate equytye Shall wee saye that the Phylosophers were blynde boothe in that exquysyte contemplation and cunnynge descryption of nature Shall wee saye that thei had no wytte whiche by settinge in ordre the arte of speache haue taught vs to speake wyth reason Shal we saye that they were madde whithe in settynge fourthe Physycke haue employed theyr dilygence for vs What of all the Mathematicall scienses shall wee thynke them dotynge erroures of madde menne no rather wee canne not readde the wrytynges of the oulde menne concernyng these thynges wythoute greate admiration of theyr wytte But shall wee thynke any thynge praysewoorthy or excellente whyche wee doe not reknoweledge to come of God Let vs bee ashamed of so greate vnthankefulnesse into whyche the Heathen Poetes fell not whyche confessed that boothe Phylosophye and Lawes and all good artes were the inuentions of mods Sythe then yt appeareth that these men whome the Scripture calleth naturall menne were of so sharpe and deepe sygthe in searchynge oute of inferioure thynges lette vs learne by suche exaumples howe manye good thynges the Lorde hathe lefte to the nature of manne after that it hathe been spoyled of the true God But in the meane tyme yte lette vs not forgette that these are the moste excellente good gyftes of the spyryte of God whyche for the common benefyte of mankinde hee dealeth abroade to whome it pleaseth him For if it behoued that the vnderstanding and skill that was requyred for the framyng of the tabernacle shold be poured into Beseleel Oliab by the spirit of god it is no merâ—el if the knowledg of those thinges whiche are moste excellent in mans life be sayde to be communicated vnto vs by the spirite of God Neither is there cause why any manne
with the same Spirit ioyned with the Father but also according to his person of mediator bicause if he had not had that power he had come to vs in vaine After whiche meaning he is called the seconde Adam geuen frō heauen to be a quickning Spirit whereby Paule compareth the singular life that the sonne of God breatheth into them that be his that thei may be alone with hym with the natural life that is also common to the reprobate Likewise where he wissheth to the faithful the fauoure of Christ and the loue of God he ioyneth withall the common partaking of the Spirit without which no man can tast neither of the fatherly fauoure of God nor of the bountifulnesse of Christe As also he saith in an other place The loue of God is poured out into oure heartes by the holy Spirite that is geuen vs. And here it shal be profitable to note wyth what titles the Scripture setteth out the holy Spirite where it entreateth of beginninge and whole restoring of oure saluation Fyrste he is a called the Spirit of adoption bicause he is a wytnesse vnto vs of the free goodwil of God wherewyth God the Father hathe embraced vs in hys beloued onely begotten Sonne that he might be a father vnto vs and doth encourage vs to praie boldly yea and dothe minister vs wordes to crie with oute feare Abba Father by the same reason hee is called the earnest pledge and seale of our inheritance bicause he so geueth life from heauen to vs wandringe in the worlde and being like to deade men that we maie be assured that oure soule is in safegarde vnder the faithefull keping of God for which cause he is also called life by reasō for righteousnesse And forasmuch as by his secret watering he maketh vs frutfull to brynge forth the buddes of righteousnesse he is oftentimes called water as in Esaie All ye that thyrste come to the waters Againe I will poure out my spirit vpon the thyrsty and stoodes vpon the drie land wherewith agreeth that sayeng of Christ which I did euen now allege If any thyrste let him come to me Albeit sometime he is so called by reason of his power to purge and cleanse as in Ezechiell where the Lord promiseth cleane waters wherwith he wil washe his people from fylthinesse And forasmuch as herestoreth norisheth into liuely quicknes them vpō whom he hath poured the liquore of hys grace he is therefore called by the name of oyle and anoyntement Agayne bycause in continually seethynge oute and burninge vp the vices of oure luste hee setteth oure heartes on fyre wyth the loue of God and zeele of godlynesse he is also for thys effect worthyly called fyre Finally he is described vnto vs as a fountaine from whense do flowe vnto vs all heauenly rychesse or the hande of God wherewyth he vseth hys power bycause by the breathe of hys power he so breatheth diuine lyfe into vs that wee are not nowe styrred by oure selues but ruled by hys styrringe and mouynge so that yf there bee any good thynges in vs they bee the frutes of hys grace but oure owne gyftes wythout hym bee darkenesse of mynde and pereuersnesse of hearte Thys poynte ys sette oute playnely enoughe that tyll oure myndes bee bente vpon the holy ghoste Christe lyeth in a manner idle bycause we coldely espye wythout vs yea and farre awaye from vs. But wee knowe that hee profyteth none other but them whose heade hee ys and the fyrste begotten amonge brethren and them whyche haue putte on Hym. Thys conioynynge onely maketh that as concernyng vs he is come not vnprofytably wyth the name of sauioure And for proofe hereof serueth that holy mariage whereby we are made fleshe of hys fleshe and bones of hys bones yea and all one wyth hym but by the Spirite onely hee maketh hym selfe one wyth vs by the grace and power of the same Spirite wee are made hys membres so that hee conteyneth vs vnder hym and wee agayne possesse hym But forasmuche as faithe is his principall woorke to it are for the moste parte referred all those thynges that we commonly finde spoken to expresse his force and working bicause he bryngeth vs into the light of the Gospel by nothyng but by faith as Ihon baptiste teacheth that this prerogatiue is geuen to them the beleue in Christ that thei be the childrē of God which ar borne not of flesh blood but of God wher setting God againste fleshe and bloode he affirmeth it to be a supernaturall gift that thei receiue Christe by faith whoe otherwise shoulde remaine subiect to their owne infidelitie Like where vnto is that answer of Christe Fleshe and bloode hathe not reueled it to thee but my Father whiche is in heauen These thinges I do nowe but shortly touche bycause I haue already entreated of them at large And lyke also is that saieng of Paule that the Ephesians were sealed vp with the holy spirit of promisse For Paule sheweth that he is an inwarde teacher by whose workynge the promyse of saluation pearceth into oure mindes whiche otherwise shoulde but beate the ayre or oure eares Likewyse when he saith that the Thessalonians were chosen of God in the sanctification of the spirit and beleuing of the truth by whiche ioyning of them together he brefely admonisheth that faythe it selfe proceedeth from nothing els but from the holy spirit whych thyng Ihon setteth out more plainely saieng We knowe that there abideth in vs of the spirit whiche he hathe geuen vs. Againe By this we knowe that we dwel in him and he in vs bicause he hath geuen vs of his spirit Therfore Christ promised to his Disciples the Spirit of truthe whiche the worlde canne not receiue that thei might bee able to receiue the heauenly wisedome And he assigneth to the same spirit this propre office to put them in mynde of those thynges that he hadde taught them by mouthe Bicause in vaine shoulde the light shewe it selfe to the blinde vnlesse the same spirit of vnderstanding shoulde open the eyes of their minde so as a man may rightly call the holy spirit the keye by which the treasures of the heauenly kingdome are opened vnto vs and may call his enlightning the eyesight of oure minde to see Therefore doth Saint Paule so muche commend the ministerie of the spirit bycause teachers shoulde crie without profiting vnlesse Christ himselfe the inwarde maister shoulde drawe them with his spirit that are geuen him by his Father Therefore as we haue sayde that persecte saluation is founde in the person of Christ so that we may be made partakers therof he doth baptize vs in the holy spirit and fyre lightning vs into the faith of his Gospell and so newe begetting vs that we maie be newe creatures and purging vs from vnholy fylthynesse doth dedicate vs to be holy temples to God The seconde Chapiter Of faithe wherein bothe is sette
bicause the Lord hath determined to haue mercie vpoÌ„ men to this ende that they shuld repeÌ„t he teacheth men whether they shall trauaile if they will obteine grace Therfore so long as we shall dwell in the pryson of our body we must continually wrastle with the vices of our corrupt flesh yea with our own naturall soule Plato sayth in certayne places that the life of a Phylosopher is a meditation of death but we may more truely say that the life of a Christian maÌ„ is a perpetuall studie and exercise of mortifieng the fleshe till it beyng vtterly slayue the Spirit of God get the dominion in vs. Therefore I thinke that he hath much profited that hath learned much to mislyke himself not that he should sticke faste in â—hat myre and goe no further but rather that he should haste and long toward God that being graffed into the death life of Christ he should studie vpon a continuall repentance as truely they can not otherwise do that haue a naturall hatred of sinne for no man euer hated sinne vnlesse he were first in loue with righteousnesse This doctrine as it was most simple of all other so I thought it beste to agree with thâ— truthe of the Scripture Nowe that Repentance is a singular gift of God I thinke it be so wel knowen by the doctrine aboue taught that I neede not to repete a long discourse to proue it agayne Therfore the church prayseth and hath in admiratioÌ„ the benefit of God that he hath geuen the Gentiles repentance vnto saluation And Paule commaundyng Timothee to be patieÌ„t and milde toward the vnbeleuers sayth If at any time God geue them repentance that they maye repent from the snares of the Deuel God in deede affirmeth that he willeth the conuersion of al meÌ„ and directeth his exhortations generally to all men but the effectual workyng therof hangeth vpon the Spirit of regeneration Bicause it were more easy to create vs men than of our owne power to put on a better nature Therfore in the whole course of regeneration we are not without cause called the worke of God created to good workes which he hath prepared that we should walke in them Whom soeuer the lordes will is to deliuer from death those he quickeneth with the Spirit of regeneration not that repentance is properly the cause of saluation but bycause it is alredy seen that it is vnseparable froÌ„ fayth and from the mercie of God sithe as Esaye testifieth there is a redemer come to him and to those that in Iacob are returned from their wickednesse This truely standeth stedfastly determined that were so euer liueth the feare of God there the Spirite hath wrought vnto the saluation of man Therfore in Esaie when the faithful complaine and lament that they are forsaken of God they recken this as a token of beyng reprobates that their heartes were hardened by God The Apostle also meanyng to exclude apostataes from hope of saluation apointeth this reason that it is impossible for them to be renewed vnto repentance bicause God in renewyng them whom he wil not haue perish sheweth a tokeÌ„ of his fatherly fauour and in a maÌ„ner draweth them vnto him with the beames of his cherefull and mery contenaÌ„ce on the other side with hardenyng them he thundereth agaynst the reprobate whose wickednesse is vnpardonable Whiche kinde of vengeance the Apostle threateneth to wilfull apostataes whiche when they depart from the faith of the Gospell do make a scorne of God reprochefully despise his grace and defile treade vnder feete the bloud of Christ yea as much as in them is they crucifie him agayne For he doth not as some fondly rigorous men would haue it cut of hope of pardon from all wilfull sinnes but teacheth that apostasie is vnworthy of all excuse so that it is no maruell that God doth punish a contempt of himself so full of sacrilege with vnappeasable rigour For he sayth that it is impossible that they which haue ones ben enlightened haue tasted of the heauenly gift haue ben made partakers of the holy ghost haue tasted of the good word of God the powers of the world to come yf they fall shuld be renewed to repeÌ„tance crucifiyng againe of newe and makyng a scorne of the sonne of God Againe in an other place If sayth he we willingly sinne after knowledge of the truth receyued there remayneth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a certayne dreadfull expectation of iudgement c. These also be the places out of the wroÌ„g vnderstandyng wherof the Nouatians in old time haue gathered matter to play the mad men with whose rigorousnesse certaine good meÌ„ beyng offended beleued this to be a counterfait Epistle in the Apostles name whiche yet in all partes doth truely fauour of an Apostolike spirite But bycause we contend with none but with theÌ„ that allowe it it is easy to shewe how these sentences do nothing mainteine their errour Firste it is necessarie that the Apostle agree with his maister whiche affirmeth that all sinne and blasphemie shal be forgeueÌ„ except the sinne agaynst the holy Ghost which is not forgeuen neyther in this world nor in the world to come It is certaine I saye that the Apostle was contented with this exception vnlesse we will make him an aduersarie to the grace of Christ. Whereupon foloweth that pardon is denied to no special offenses but only to one whiche procedyng of a desperate rage can not be ascribed to weakenesse and openly sheweth that a man is possessed of the Deuell But to discusse this it behoueth to enquire what is that same so horrible offense that shall haue no forgeuenesse Whereas Augustine in one place defineth it an obstinate stifnesse euen vnto death with despeire of pardon that doth not well agree with the very wordes of Christ thaâ— it shall not be forgeuen in this world For eyther that is spoken in vaine or it maye be coÌ„mitted in this life But if Augustines definition be true then it is not committed vnlesse it continue euen vnto death Wheras some other saye that he sinneth against the holy ghost that enuieth the grace bestowed vpon his brother I see not froÌ„ whense that is fetched But let vs bring a true definitioÌ„ which beyng ones proued with sure testimonies shall easily by it selâ—e ouerthrowe all the reste I saye therefore that they sinne agaynst the holy ghost which of set purpose resist the truthe of God with brightnesse wherof they are so daseled that they can not pretend ignorance whiche they do only to this ende to resâ—st For Christe meanynge to expounde that whiche he had sayd immediatly addeth He that speaketh a worde agaynst the sonne of man it shal be forgeueÌ„ him but he that blasphemeth agaynst the holy ghost shal not be forgeuen And Matthew for the blasphemie against the holy Spirit putteth the spirit of blasphemie But how can a maÌ„ speake a reproche against the Sonne but it is also spoken agaynst the holy ghost They that stumble vnware against the truthe of
expediente also to pray in other places but he sheweth that prayer is a certaine secrete thing whiche bothe is chefely placed in the soule and requireth the quiet therof farr from all trobles of cares Not wtout cause therfore the lord himselfe also when he was disposed to apply himselfe more earnestly to prayer coÌ„ueied himself into some solitarie place farr froÌ„ the troblesome coÌ„pany of meÌ„ but to teach vs by his exaÌ„ple that these helps ar not to be despised by which our minde being to slippry of it self is more beÌ„t to earnest applyeng of praier But in the meane time eueÌ„ as he in the middest of the multitude of men absteined not from praying if occasion at any tyme so serued so should we in al places where nede shal be lift vp pure handes Finally thus it is to be holden that whosoeuer refuseth to praye in the holy assemblie of the godly he knoweth not what it is to pray apart or in solitarinesse or at home Againe that he that neglecteth to pray alone or priuatly how diligently soeuer he hauÌ„t publike assemblies doth there make but vaine prayers because he geueth more to the opinion of men thaÌ„ to the secrete iugement of God In the meane time that the common prayers of the Chirch shoulde not growe into contempte God in olde tyme garnished them with glorious titles specially where he called the temple the house of prayer For by thys sayeng he both taught that the chefe part of the worshipping of hym is the dutie of prayer and that to the ende that the faythful should with one consent exercise themselues in it the teÌ„ple was set vp as a standard for them There was also added a notable promise There abideth for thee O God prayse in Sion to thee the vow shal be payed By which wordes the Prophet telleth vs that the prayers of the Chirch are neuer voyde because the Lord alway ministreth to hys people mater to sing vpon with ioy But although the shadowes of the law are cessed yet because the Lordes wil was by thys ceremonie to nourish among vs also the vnitie of fayth it is no doute that the same promise belongeth to vs which both Christ hath stablished with hys owne mouth and Paule teacheth that it is of force for euer Now as the Lord by hys worde commaundeth the faithful to vse coÌ„mon prayers so there must be common temples appointed for the vsing of them where whoso refuse to communicate their prayer with the people of God there is no cause why they should abuse thys pretense that they enter into their chamber that they may obey the commaundemente of the lord For he that promiseth that he wil do whatsoeuer twoo or three shall aske being gathered together in hys name testifieth that he despiseth not prayers openly made so that bosting and seking of glory of meÌ„ be absent so that vnfained true affectioÌ„ be present which dwelleth in the secret of the hart If this be the right vse of temples as truely it is we must againe beware that neither as they haue begon in certayne ages past to be accoÌ„pted we take them for the propre dwelling places of God from whense he may more nerely bende hys eare vnto 〈◊〉 â—ayne to them I wote not what secrete holinesse whiche maye 〈…〉 prayer more holy before God For sith we our selues be the 〈◊〉 teÌ„ples of God we must pray in our selues if we wil cal vpon God in his own holy temple As for that grossenesse let vs which haue a commaundement to call vpon the Lord in Spirite and truth without difference of place leaue it to the Iewes or the Gentiles There was in dede a temple in olde time by the commaundemente of God for offring of prayers and sacrifices but that was at such tyme as the truth lay hydde figured vnder suche shadowes which being now liuely expressed vnto vs doth not suffer vs to sticke in any materiall temple Neither was the temple geuen to the Iewes themselues with this condition that they shold enclose the presence of God within the walles therof but wherby they myght be exercised to beholde the image of the true temple Therefore they which in any wise thought that God dwelleth in temples made with handes were sharply rebuked of Esay and Stephen Here moreouer it is more than euident that neither voice nor song if they be vsed in prayer haue any force or do any whit profite before God vnlesse they procede from the depe affectioÌ„ of the hart But rather they prouoke his wrath against vs if they come only froÌ„ the lippes and out of the throte forasmuch as that is to abuse his holy name and to make a mockerie of his maiestie as we gather out of the wordes of Esay which although they extende further yet perteine also to reproue thys fault Thys people sayth he cometh nere to with their mouth and honoreth me with their lippes but their hart is farr froÌ„ me they haue feared me with the commauÌ„dement and doctrine of men Therfore beholde I will make in this people a miracle great and to be wondred at For wisedome shall perish from their wise men and the prudence of the Elders shal vanishe away Neither yet doo we here condemne voice or singyng but rather doo hyely commende them so that they accompany the affection of the mynde For so they exercise the mynd and hold it intentiue in thynkyng vpon God which as it is slippery and rollyng easily slacketh and is diuersly drawen vnlesse it be stayed with diuers helpes Moreouer wheras the glorie of God ought after a certaine maner to shine in al the partes of our body it specially behoueth that the tong be applyed and auowed to this seruice both in singing and in speaking which is properly created to shew fourth and display the praise of God But the chefe vse of the tong is in publike prayers which are made in the assemblie of the Godly which tend to thys ende that we may all with one common voice and as it were with one mouth together glorifie God whoÌ„ we worship with one Spirite and one Faith and that openly that all men mutually euery one of hys brother maye receiue the confession of Fayth to the example wherof they maye be bothe allured and stirred Is for the vse singyng in Chirches that I may touche this also by the waie it is certaine that it is not onely most auncieÌ„t but that it was also in vse among the Apostles we maye gather by these wordes of Paule I will syng in Spirite I will syng also in mynde Agayne to the Colossians Teachyng and admonishing you mutually in hymnes psalmes and spirituall songes singyng with grace in your harts to the Lorde For in the first place he teacheth that we should syng with voice and harte in the other he commendeth spirituall songes wherewith the godly doo mutually edifie themselues Yet that it was not vniuersal Augustine
with no distrustfulnesse or doutyng but shall reste with great assurednesse and stedfast constancie So also trusting vpon the largenesse of those promises that she hath she shal haue whereupon aboūdantly to susteine her fayth that she maye nothyng doute that the best guide of the righte way the holy Spirite is alwaye presente with her but therewithall she shall kepe in memorie what vse the Lord would haue vs to receiue of his holy Spirite The Spirite sayth he which I wil send frō my Father shal leade you into al truth But how◠because sayeth he he shal put you in minde of al those thinges that I haue tolde you Therfore he geueth warning that there is nothing more to be loked for of his Spirite but that he should enlightē our mindes to perceiue the truth of his doctrine Therfore Chrisostome saieth excellently well Many sayeth he do boste of the holy Spirite but they which speake their own do falsly pretēde that they haue him As Christ testified that he spake not of himselfe because he spake out of the law the Prophetes so if any thing beside the Gospel be thrust in vnder the title of the Spirite let vs not beleue it because as Christ is the fulfilling of the law the Prophetes so is the Spirite of the Gospel These be his words Now it is esy to gather how wrōgfully our aduersaries do which bost of the Holy ghost to no other ende but to set fourth vnder his name strāge and foreine doctrines from the word of God wheras he wil with vnspeakable knott be conioined with the worde of God thesame doth Christe professe of him when he promiseth him to his Chirch So is it truly What sobrietie the Lord hath ones prescribed to his Chirch the same he wil haue to be perpetually kept But he hath forbidden her that she should not adde any thing to his worde nor take any thing frō it This is the inuiolable decree of God and of the Holy ghost whiche our aduersaries goe about to abrogate when they faine that the Chirche is ruled of the Spirite without the worde Here againe they murmure against vs say that it behoued that the Chirch shold adde some things to the writinges of the Apostles or that they thēselues should afterwarde with liuely voice supply many thinges which they had not clearly enough taught namely sith Christ said vnto them I haue many thinges to be said to you which you can not now beare and that these be the ordinances which wtout the Scripture haue ben receiued only in vse maners But what shamelessenesse is this I graūt the disciples were yet rude in a maner vnapt to learne whē the Lord said this vnto them But wer they then also holdē with such dulnesse whē they did put their doctrine in writing that they afterward neded to supply with liuely voice that which they had by fault of ignorāce omitted in their writinges But if they were already led by the Spirite of trueth into al trueth whē they did set fourth their writinges what hindred that thei haue not therin conteined left written a perfect knowledge of the doctrine of the Gospell But goe to let vs graunt them that which they require Only let them point out what be those thinges that it behoued to be reueled without writing If they dare enterprise that I wil assaile them with Augustines wordes that is When the Lord hath saied nothing of them which of vs dare say these they be or those they be or if any dare say so wherby doeth he proue it But why do I striue about a superfluous mater For a very childe doeth knowe that in the writinges of the Apostles which these men do make in a maner lame and but half perfecte there is the frute of that reuelation which the Lorde did then promise them What say they did not Christ put out of controuersy what soeuer the Chirche teacheth decreeth when the cōmaundeth him to be taken for a heathen man and a Publicane that dare saye against her Firste in that place is no mentiō made of doctrine but only the authoritie of the censures is established for correcting of vices that they which haue ben admonished or rebuked should not resist her iudgement But omitting this it is muche maruell that these losels haue so litle shame that they dare be proude of that place For what shal they get therby but that the consent of the Chirche is neuer to be despised whiche neuer consenteth but vnto the trueth of the worde of God The Chirch is to be heard say they Who denieth it forasmuch as it pronounceth nothing but out of the worde of the Lorde If they require any more let them know that these wordes of Christ do nothing take their part therin Neither oughte I to be thought to muche contentious because I stande so earnestly vpō this point That it is not lawful for the Chirche to make any new doctrine that is to teach and deliuer for an Oracle any more than that which the Lorde hath reueled by hys worde For men of sounde witt doe se how great daūger there is if so great authoritie be ones graūted to mē They se also howe wyde a wyndowe is opened to the mockynges and cauillations of the wicked if we saye that that whiche men haue iudged is to be takē for an Oracle among Christians Beside that Christ speaking according to the cōsideratiō of his own time geueth thys name to the Sinagoge that his disciples should afterwarde learne to reuerence holy assemblies of the Chirche So shoulde it come to passe that euery citie and village should haue egall authoritie in coyning of doctrines The examples which they vse do nothing helpe them They say that the Baptising of infantes proceded not so much from the expresse commaundement of the Scripture as from the decree of the Chirche But it were a very miserable succor if we were compelled to flee to the bare authoritie of the Chirche for defense of the Baptisme of infantes but it shal in an other place sufficiently appeare that it is farre otherwise Likewise whereas they obiecte that that is no where founde in the Scripture which was pronounced in the Nicene Synode that the Sōne is cōsubstantial with the Father therin they do great wrong to the fathers as though they had rashly cōdemned Arrius because he would not sweare to their wordes when he professed al that doctrine which is cōprehended in the writinges of the Prophetes Apostles This word I graūt is not in the scripture but whē therin is so oft affirmed that there is but one God againe Christ is so oft called the true eternall God one with the Father what other thyng do the fathers of the Nicene councell whē they declare that he is of one substance but simply set out the naturall sense of the Scripture But Theodorite reporteth that Constantine vsed this preface in their assemblie
are founde Athanasies Basiles Cyrilles and suche defenders of true doctrine whom the Lord then raysed vp But lette vs thinke what happened at Ephesus in the second Synode where the heresie of Eutyches preuailed the man of holy memory Flauianus was banished with certain other godly men and many suche mischeues cōmitted euen because Dioscorus a seditious man and of a very naghtye nature was there the chief and not the Spirite of the Lord. But there was not the Chirche I graunt For this I determine vtterly that the truthe doeth not therfore die in the Chirche although it be oppressed of one Councell but that the Lord meruailously preserueth it that it maye agayne in due tyme ryse vp and get the ouerhande But I denie that this is perpetuall that that is a true and certaine exposition of Scripture which hath ben receiued by consentes of a Counsell But the Romanists shoote at an other mark whē they teach that the power to expound the Scripture belongeth to the Councels yea that without appellation from them For they abuse this colour to call it an exposition of the Scripture what soeuer is decreed in the Councels Of purgatorie of the intercession of Saintes of auricular confession and suche other there can not be founde one sillable in the Scriptures But because all these thynges haue been stablished by the authoritie of the Chirch that is to say to speake truely receiued in opinion and vse therfore euery one of them muste bee taken for an exposition of Scripture And not that only But if a Councell decree any thyng though Scripture crie out against it yet it shall beare the name of an exposition therof Christ commaundeth all to drynke of the Cuppe which he reacheth in the Supper The Councell of Constance forbade that it should not bee geuen to the laie people but willed that the preste onely shoulde drinke of it That which so directly fighteth againste the institution of Christe they will haue to be taken for an exposition of it Paule calleth the forbiddyng of mariage the hypocrisie of deuels and the Holy ghost in an other place pronounceth that mariage is in all men holy and honorable Where as they haue afterwarde forbidden prestes to marry they require to haue that takē for the true and naturall exposition of the Scripture when nothing can be imagined more against it If any dare ones open his mouth to the contrary he shal be iudged an heretike because the determination of the Chirche is without appellation and to doute of her exposition that it is not true is a haynous offence Why shold I inueye against so great shamelessnesses For the very shewyng of it is an ouercomyng of it As for that whiche they teache of the power to allowe the Scripture I wittingly passe it ouer For in such sort to make the Oracles of God subiect to the iudgement of men that they should therfore be of force because they haue pleased men is a blasphemie vnworthy to be rehersed and I haue before touched the same mater already Yet I will aske them one thyng If the authoritie of the Scripture be founded vpon the allowance of the Chirche what Councels decree will they alledge of that mater I thynke they haue none Why then did Arrius suffer himselfe to be ouercome at Nice with testimonies brought out of the Gospell of Iohn For after these mens sayeng it was free for hym to haue refused them forasmuche as there had no allowance of a generall Councell gone before They alledge the olde rolle whiche is called the Canon whiche they say to haue proceded from the iudgement of the Chirche But I aske them againe in what Councell that Canon was set foorth Here they must nedes be dumme Howbeit I desire further to knowe what maner of canon they thynke that was For I se that the same was not very certainly agreed among the olde writers And if that which Hierome saieth ought to be of force the bokes of Machabees Tobie Ecclesiasticus and suche other shal be thrust among the Apocrypha which those Canons doo in no wyse suffer to bee doone ¶ The .x. Chapter ¶ Of the power in makyng of lawes wherin the Pope and his haue vsed a moste cruell tyranny and butcherie vpon soules NOw foloweth the second part which they wil haue to consist in making of lawes oute of whiche spring haue flowed innumerable traditions of men euen so many snares to strangle poore soules For they haue had no more conscience than had the Scribes and Pharisees to lay burdens vpon other mens sholders which they themselues would not touche with one finger I haue in an other place taught how cruel a butcherie is that whiche they commaūde concerning auricular confession In other lawes there appeareth not so great violence but those which seme the most tolerable of all doe tyrannously oppresse consciences I leaue vnspoken how they corrupt the worship of God do spoile God hymselfe of hys righte which is the onely lawmaker This power is now to be entreated of whether the Chirch may bind cōsciences with her lawes In which discourse the order of policie is not touched but this only is intēded that God be rightly worshipped according to the rule which himselfe hath prescribed and that the spirituall libertie which hath regarde vnto God may remayne safe vnto vs. Use hath made that al those decrees be called traditions of men whatsouer they be that haue concerning the worship of God proceded frō men beside hys worde Against these do we striue not against the holy profitable ordināces of the Chirch which make for the preseruatiō either of discipline or honestie or peace But the ende of our striuing is that the immeasurable barbarous Empire may be restrained which they vsurpe vppon soules that would be cōpted pastors of the Chirch but in very dede are most cruel butchers For they say that the lawes whiche they make are spiritual perteining to the soule they affirme them to be necessarie to eternal life But so as I euen now touched the kingdome of Christ is inuaded so the libertie by him geuē to the cōsciences of the faithful is vtterly oppressed throwen abrode I speake not now with howe great vngodlynesse they stablish the obseruing of their lawes while out of it they teache men to seke both forgeuenesse of synnes righteousnesse saluatiō while they set in it the whole summe of religiō and godlynesse This one thyng I earnestly holde that there ought no necessitie to be laied vpō cōsciences in those thinges wherin they are made free by Christ and vnlesse they be made free as we haue before taught they cā not rest with God They must acknowlege one only king Christ their deliuerer be gouerned by one law of libertie euen the holy word of the Gospel if they wil kepe stil the grace which they haue ones obteyned in Christe they must be holden with no bondage and bounde
fayth of the godly is grounded vpon the authoritie of the church nor meaneth that the certaintie of the gospel doth hang therupon but simplye and onely that there should be no assurednesse of the gospel to the infidels wherby they might be wonne to Chryst vnlesse the consent of the church did driue them vnto it And the same meanyng a litle before he doth plainly confirme in this saying When I shall praise that which I beleue and scorne that which thou beleuest what thiÌ„kest thou mete for vs to iudge or do but that we forsake such men as first call vs to come and knowe certaine truethes and after commaunde vs to beeleue thinges vncertaine and that we folowe theÌ„ that require vs first to beleue that which we are not yet able to see that being made strong by beleuing we may atteine to vnderstande the thing that we beleue not menne nowe but God himselfe inwardly strengthning and geuing lighte to oure minde These are the very words of Augustine wherby euery man may easely gather that the holy man had not this meaning to hang the credite that we haue to the Scriptures vpon the wil and awardemente of the churche but onely to shewe this which we our selues also do confesse to be true that they which are not yet lightened with the spirite of god are brought by the reuerence of the churche vnto a willyngnesse to bee taught so as they can finde in their hartes to learne the faith of Christ by the gospel and that thus by this meane the authoritie of the church is an introduction wherby we are prepared to beleue the gospel For as we see his minde is that the assuraunce of the godly be staied vpon a farre other foundacion Otherwise I do not deny but that he often presseth the Manichees with the consent of the whole churche when he seketh to proue the same Scripture which they refused And from hence it came that he so reproched Faustus for that he did not yelde hymselfe to the trueth of the gospel so grounded â–ª so stablished so gloriously renomed from the very time of the Apostles by certaine successions perpetuallye commended But he neuer trauaileth to this ende to teach that the authoritie which we acknowledge to be in the Scripture hangeth vppon the determinacion or decree of men But onely this which made much for him in the mater that he disputed of he bringeth forth the vniuersal iudgemeÌ„t of the church wherein he had the auauÌ„tage of his aduersaries If any desire a fuller proufe herof let him reade his boke concernynge the profit of beleuing Where he shall finde that there is no other redinesse of beliefe commended vnto vs by him but that which only geueth vs an entrie and is vnto vs a conuenient beginning to enquire as he termeth it and yet not that we ought to rest vpon bare opinion but to leane to the certaine and sounde trueth We ought to holde as I before sayd that the credit of this doctrine is not established in vs vntil such time as we be vndoutedly perswaded that God is the author therof Therfore the principal profe of the Scripture is coÌ„monly taken of the person of God the speaker of it The Prophetes and Apostles bost not of their own sharpe wit or any such thigs as procure credit to mâ—n that speake neither stande they vpon proues by reason but they bring forth the holy name of God therby to compell the whole world to obedience Now we haue to see howe not onely by probable opinion but by apparant truth it is euideÌ„t that in this behalfe the name of God is not without cause nor deceitfully preteÌ„ded If then we wil prouide wel for consciences that they be not continually caryed about with vnstedfast douting nor many wauer nor stay at euery small stop this maner of perswasion must be fetched deper then from either the reasons iudgementes or the coniectures of men euen from the secrete testimony of the holy ghoste True in dede it is that if we lysted to worke by way of argumeÌ„tes many thinges might be alleged that may easily proue if there be any God in heauen that the law the prophecies and the gospell came from hym Yea although men learned and of depe iudgemente would stande vp to to the contrary and would employ and shew forth the whole force of their wittes in this disputacion yet if they be not so hardened as to become desperatly shamelesse they woulde be compelled to confesse that there are seen in the Scripture manifest tokens that it is God that speaketh therin wherby it maye appeare that the doctrine therof is froÌ„ heaueÌ„ And shortly hereafter we shal se that al the bokes of the holy Scripture do farre excel al other writinges what soeuer they be Yea if we bring thether pure eies and vncorrupted senses we shal forthwith finde there the maiestie of God which shall subdue al hardnesse of gainesaying and enforce vs to obey him But yet they do disorderly that by disputacion trauaile to establishe the perfecte credit of the Scripture And truely although I am not furnished with great dexteritie nor eloquence yet if I were to contende with the moste luttle despisers of God that haue a desier to shew themselues wytty and plesaunt in febling the authoritie of Scripture I trust it should not be harde for me to put to silence their bablinges And if it 〈◊〉 profitable to spende labor in confuting their cauillations I would with no great businesse shake in sunder the bragges that they mutter in corners But though a man do deliuer the sounde word of God from the reproches of men yet that sufficeth not fourthwith to fasten in theyr hartes that assurednesse that godlynesse requireth Prophane men because they thynke religion standeth onely in opinion to the ende they woulde beleue nothing fondly or lightly do couet and require to haue it proued to them by reason that Moises and the Prophetes spake from God But I answere that the testimonie of the holy ghost is better thaÌ„ all reason For as onely God is a conueniente witnesse of hymselfe in hys owne worde so shal the same worde neuer finde credit in the hartes of men vntil it be sealed vp with the inwarde witnesse of the holy ghost It behoueth therfore of necessitie that the same holy ghost whiche spake by the mouth of the Prophetes do entre into our hartes to perswade vs that they faythfully vttered that which was by God commaunded them And this order is very aptly set fourth by Esay in these words My spirite which is in thee and the wordes that I haue to put in thy mouth and in the mouth of thy sede shal not faile for euer It greueth some good men that they haue not ready at hande some cleare proufe to allege when the wicked do without punishment murmure against the worde of God As though the holy ghost were not for this cause called both a seale and a
chaunge dothe shewe that beyng compelled by heauenly authoritie he nowe maynteyneth that doctrine whiche before he had fought agaynst Nowe lette these dogges denye that the holy ghoste came downe vpon the Apostles or lette theym discredite the hystorie yet styll the truthe it selfe openly crieth out that they were taughte by the holye ghoste whyche beynge before tyme despised men amonge the raskall people sodeynly began so gloriousely to entreate of heauenly mysteries There bee yet also furthermore many very good reasons why the consente of the churche shoulde not be esteemed without weyght For it is to be accompted no smalle matter that syns the scripture was first publyshed the wylles of so many ages haue constantly agreed to obey it And that howe soeuer Sathan with all the worlde hath trauayled by meruaylous meanes eyther to oppresse it or ouerthrowe it or vtterly to blotte and deface it oute of mennes remembraunce yet euer styl like a palme tree it hath rysen vp aboue and remayned inuincible For there hath not lyghtly ben in olde tyme any sophister or Rhetorician that had any more excellent witte than other but he hath bente his force agaynst this scripture yet they all haue nothyng preuayled The whole power of the earthe hath armed it selfe to destroye it and yet all their enterprises are vanished away as in smoke Nowe coulde it haue resysted beyng so myghtyly on eche syde assayled yf it hadde had none other defence but mannes Yea rather it is hereby proued that it came from God hymselfe that all the trauayles of men stryuynge againste it yet it hath of her owne power styll rysen vp Besyde that not one citie alone nor one onely nation hathe agreed to receiue and embrace it but so farre as the worlde extendethe in lengthe and breadth the scripture hath atteyned her credite by one holye conspiracie of diuers nations whiche otherwyse were in nothynge agreable one with an other And forasmuche as suche agreement of myndes so dyuers and disagreyng in maner in all thynges elles ought muche to moue vs because it appeareth that the same is brought about none other way but by woorkyng of the heauenly maiestie no smalle estimation groweth vnto it when we beholde theyr godlynesse that doo so agree I meane not of them all but onely of those with whom as with lyghtes it pleased God to haue his churche to shyne Nowe with what assurednesse of myde ought we to submitte vs to that doctrine whiche we see stablished and witnessed with the bloude of so mayne holye menne They when they hadde but ones receaued it sticked not boldely without feare yea and with greate cherefulnesse to dye for it howe shoulde it then come to passe that wee hauynge it conueyed to vs with suche an assured pledge shoulde not with certayn and vnmouable persuasion take holde of it It is therfore no small confirmation of the scripture ▪ that it hath ben sealed with the bloud so many witnesses specially when we consider that they suffred deth to beare witnesse of their faith and not of a frentike distemperance of brayne as somtyme the erronious spirites are wont to do but with a firme and constant and yet sobre zeale of God There be other reasons and those not fewe nor weake whereby the Scripture hath her dignitie and maiestie not onely ascertayned vnto godly hartes but also honourably defended agaynst the subtilties of cauillers yet be they suche as be not of them selues sufficiently auaylable to bryng stedfast credite vnto it vntyll the heauenly father disclosyng therin his maiestie doothe bryng the reuerence therof out of all controuersie Wherfore then only the scripture shall suffise to that knowledge of God that bryngeth saluation when the certayntie therof shall be grounded vpon the inwarde persuasion of the holy ghoste So those testimonies of men that serue to confirme it shall not be vaine if as seconde healpes of our weaknesse they folowe that chiefe and hyest testimonie But they doo fondly that will haue it perswaded by proofe to the unfaithfull that the scripture is the woorde of God whiche can not be knowen but by faith For good reason therfore dooth Augustine geue warnyng that godlynesse and peace of mynde ought to go before to make a man vnderstande somwhat of so greate matters ¶ The .ix. Chapter ¶ That those fanaticall men which forsakyng scripture resort vnto reuelation doo ouerthrowe all the principles of godlynesse NOwe they that forsaking the Scripture doo imagine I wote not what waie to attayne vnto God are to bee thought not so muche to be holden with errour as to be caried with rage For there haue arisen of late certain giddy brained men whiche moste presumptuously pretendyng a schoole of the spirite bothe them selues doo forsake all readyng and also doo scorne their simplicitie whiche still folowe the dead and slaying letter as they call it But I would fayne knowe of these men what spirite that is by whose inspiration they are caried vp so hye that they dare despise the doctrine of the scripture as chyldishe and base For yf they answere that it is the spirite of Christ then suche carelesnesse is woorthye to bee laughed at For I thynke they will graunte that the Apostles of Christe and other faithfull in the primitiue churche were lightned with none other spirite But none of them dyd learne of that spirite to despise the worde of God but rather euery one was moued more to reuerence it as their writynges doo most playnly witnesse And surely so was it foretold by the mouthe of Esaie For where he saythe My spirite that is vppon thee and my woordes whyche I haue putte in thy mouthe shall not departe oute of thy mouthe nor oute of the mouthe of thy seede for euer he dooth not bynde the olde people to the outwarde doctrine as thoughe they were sette to learne to spelle but rather he teacheth that this shal be the true and perfecte felicitie of the newe churche vnder the reigne of Christe that it shall no lesse be ledde by the voyce of God than by the spirite of god Wherby we gather that these lewde menne with wycked sacrilege dooe seuer asunder those thynges that the Prophete hathe ioyned with an inuiolable knotte Moreouer Paule beeynge rauysshed vp into the thyrde heauen yet ceassed not to goe forwarde in the doctrine of the law and the Prophetes euen so as he exhorteth Timothe a doctour of singular excellence to apply readyng And worthie is that commendation to be remembred wherwith he setteth foorthe the scripture sayeng that it is profytable to teache to admonysshe and to reproue that the seruantes of God maye bee made perfecte Howe dyuelyshe a madnesse is it to fayne that the vse of scripture is but transitorye and lasteth but for a whyle whiche in dede guydeth the chyldren of God euen to the laste ende Agayne I woulde haue them answere me this whether they haue tasted of an other spirite than that whiche the Lord promysed to his
disciples â–ª Althoughe they be vexed with extreme madnesse yet I thynke they are not caryed with suche gyddinesse that they dare so boast But what maner of spirite dyd he speake of in his promise euen that spirite whiche shoulde not speake of it selfe but shulde mynister and inspire into their myndes those thynges whyche he the Lorde hymselfe hadde taught by his woorde It is not therfore the office of the spirite whyche is promised vs to fayne newe and vnhearde of reuelations or to coyne a newe kynde of doctrine wherby we shuld be led from the receiued doctrine of the gospell but to seale in our mindes the selfe same doctrine that is commended vnto vs by the gospell Wherby we playnly vnderstand that we ought right studiously to apply the redyng hearyng of the scripture if we list to take any vse and fruite of the spirite of God As also Peter praiseth their diligence that are hedefull to the doctrine of the Prophetes which yet myght seme to haue geuen place after the risyng of the light of the gospell On the other syde yf any spirite leauynge the wysedome of the worde of God doth thrust vnto vs an other doctrine that the same spirite ought rightfully to be suspected of vanitie and lyenge For what when Sathan transformeth hymselfe into â—n aungell of lyght what credite shall the holy ghoste haue among vs if it be not seuerally knowen by some assured marke And truely it hath been playnly poynted oute vnto vs by the woorde of the Lorde but that these miserable men doo wyllyngly couete to erre to their owne destruction while thei seeke a spirite rather from them selues than from him But say they it is dishonorable that the spirite of God whom all thynges ought to obey should be subiect to the scripture As if this were a dishonour to the holy ghost to be euery where egall and lyke to it selfe to agree with it self in all thynges and no where to varye In deede if it were to be tried by the rule either of men or of angels or any others rule whatsoeuer then it myght well be thought that it were brought into obedience or if ye lyst so to terme it into bondage But when it is compared with it selfe when it is consydered in it selfe who canne therfore say that there is any wrong doone vnto it But thus it is brought to tryall I graunte but suche a triall wherewith it was his owne pleasure to haue his maiestie established It ought to content vs so soone as he entreth into vs. But lest vnder his name the spirite of Sathan shoulde creepe in he wylle haue vs to knowe hym by that image of hym selfe whyche he hathe printed in the scriptures He is the authour of the scriptures he can not be dyuers and vnlyke hym selfe Therefore it muste needes bee that he contynually remayne suche as he hathe shewed hym selfe therein This is no dishonor vnto him vnlesse perhappe we count it honorable to swarue and goe out of kinde from himselfe Wheras they cauil that we rest vpon the letter that sleieth herein they suffer punishment for despising of the Scripture For it is plain enough that Paule there contendeth against the false Apostles which commending the law without Christ did cal away the people from the benefite of the new testament wherin the Lord doth couenant that he will graue his law within the bowels of the faithful and write it in their hartes The letter therfore is dead and the law of the Lord killeth the readers of it when it is seuered from the grace of Christ and not touching the heart only soundeth in the eares But if it be effectually printed in our hartes by the holy gost if it present Christ vnto vs then is it the worde of life conuerting soules geuing wisedome to little ones c. Also in the same place the Apostle calleth his preaching the ministerie of the holy ghost meaning that the holy ghost doth so sticke fast in his truth which he hath expressed in the scriptures that then only he putteth forth and displaieth his force when the Scripture hath her due reuerence and dignitie And it disagreeth not here with which I before said that the woorde it selfe is not much assured vnto vs vnlesse it be coÌ„firmed by the witnesse of the holy ghost For with a certain mutuall knot the Lorde hath coupled together the assuraunce of his worde and of his spirite so that perfecte reuerence to the worde doth then settle in our mindes when the holy ghost shineth vpon vs to make vs therin beholde the face of God and on the other side without al feare of being deceiued we do embrace the holy ghost when we reknowledge him in his own image that is in his worde Thus it is vndoutedly God brought not abrode his worde among men for a sodeine shewe meaning at the comming of his spirit by and by to take it away againe but he after sent the same spirite with whose power he had distributed his word to make an end of his worke with effectual confirmacion of his worde In this sorte Christe opened the mindes of the two disciples not that they shold cast away the Scriptures and waxe wise of themselues but that they should vnderstand the Scriptures Likewise Paule when he exhorteth the ThessaloniaÌ„s not to extinguishe the spirite doth not carry them vp on hie to vaine speculations without the worde but by and by saith further that prophecies are not to be despised wherby without dout is meant that the lighte of the spirite is choked vp so sone as prophecies come to be despised What say these proudely swelling meÌ„ rauished with the spirit to these things which recken this onely to be an excellent illumination when carelesly forsaking and saying farewel to the word of God they both boldly and rashly do take holde of al that they haue coÌ„ceiued in their slepe Truely a farre other sobrietie becommeth the children of God whiche as they see that without the spirite of God they are voide of al light of trueth so do they knowe that the worde is the instrumente wherwith the Lorde distributeth to the faithfull the light of his spirite For they know none other spirite but that which dwelte and spake in the Apostles by whose oracles they are continually called to the hearyng of the worde The .x. Chapter That the Scripture to correct all supersticion doth in comparison set the true God against al the Gods of the gentiles reckening hym for none of them BUt because we haue shewed that the knowledge of God which in the frame of the world and al the creatures is somwhat plainly set forth is yet more familiarly and plainly declared in the worde now is it good to consider whether the Lord shew himselfe suche in the Scripture as it pleased him first to be represented in his workes But I shall at this time be contented only to point vnto it wherby the godly mindes
meaneth to make seuerally knowen the true God from the false gods it chiefelye compareth him with idols not that it doth allowe these inuencyons that are more suttelly and finely taughte by the Philosophers but the plainlier to disclose the folishnesse of the world yea rather their madnesse in sekyng God so long as they cleaue euery one to their own imaginations Therfore that exclusiue definition whych we commonly heare bryngeth to nought all that maner of Godhead that men frame to themselues by their own opinion because God hymselfe is the only conueniente witnesse of hymselfe In the meane tyme sith thys brutysh grossenesse hath possessed the whole world to couet visible shapes of God and so to forge themselues Gods of timber stone golde siluer and other dead and corruptible matter we ought to holde thys prynciple that wyth wycked falshode the glorye of God is corrupted so oft as any shape is fained to represent him Therfore God in the law after he had once chalenged the glory of hys deitie to hymselfe alone meaning to teache vs what manner of worshipping him he aloweth or refuseth addeth immediatly Thou shalt make thee no grauen image nor any similitude in which woordes he restraineth our libertie that we attempt not to represent him with any visible image And there he shortly reckneth vp all the formes wherwith of long time before supersticion had begon to turne his trueth into lyinge For we know that the Persians worshipped the sonne yea and so many starres as the folish nations saw in the skie so many goddes they fained them And scarce was there any liuing creature whiche was not among the Egiptians a figure of God But the Grecians were thought to be wyser than the rest because they worshipped God in the shape of a manne But God compareth not images one with an other as though one wer more and an other lesse mete to be vsed but withoute any exception he reiecteth all images pictures and other signes wherby the superstitious thought to haue God nere vnto them This is easy to be gathered by the reasons whiche he ioyneth to the prohibition First with moses Remember that the Lord hath spoken to thee in the vale of Horeb. Thou heardest a voice but thou saweste no body Therfore take hede to thy selfe least paraduenture thou be deceiued and make to thy selfe any likenesse c. We see how openly God setteth his voice against all counterfaite shapes that we may knowe that they forsake God whosoeuer do couet to haue visible formes of hym Of the Prophetes onely Esay shal be enough whiche speaketh ofte and much herof to teache that the maiestie of god is defiled with vncomlye and folishe counterfaiting when he beeyng without body is likened to bodily mater being inuisible to a visible image being a spirit to a thing without life being incomprehensible to a small lompe of timber stone or golde In like manner reasoneth Paule For asmuch as we are the generacion of god we ought not to thinke that the godhead is lyke vnto golde or siluer or stone grauen by art and the inuention of mā Wherby it certainely appeareth whatsoeuer images are erected or pictures painted to expresse the shape of god they simply displease hym as certaine dishonors of his maiestie And what maruel is it if the holy ghost do thonder out these oracles from heauen sith he compelleth the verye wretched and blinde idolaters themselues to confesse this in earth It is knowen how Seneca complained as it is to reade in Augustine They dedicate saieth he the holy immortall and inuiolable gods in most vile and base stuffe and put vpon them the shapes of men and beastes and some of them with kinde of man and woman mingled together with sondryshapen bodyes and such they call gods whiche if they shoulde receiue breath and mete them would be reckened monsters Whereby agayne plainly appeareth that it is a fonde cauillacion wherewith the defenders of images seke to escape which say that the Iewes were forbidden images because they were inclinable to superstition As thoughe that thyng perteyned to one nation onely which god bryngeth forth of hys eternall beeing and the contynuall order of nature And Paule spake not to the Iewes but to the Athenienses when he confuted theyr error in counterfaytyng a shape of god God in dede I graunt somtyme in certayne sygnes hath geuen a presence of hys godhed so as he was sayed to be beholden face to face but all these sygnes that euer he shewed dyd aptly serue for meanes to teache and wythall dyd playnly admonishe men of an incomprehēsible essence For the cloude and smoke and flame although they wer tokens of the heauenly glory yet did they as it were bridle and restraine the mindes of mē that they should not attempt to passe any further Wherfore not Moses himself to whom God disclosed himselfe most familiarly in comparison of other obteined by prayer to see that face but receyued this answere that man is not able to susteine so great brightnesse The holy ghost appeared vnder the lykenesse of a doue but sith he immediatly vanished away who doeth not see that by that tokē of so short a continuaunce of a moment the faithful are put in minde that they ought to beleue him to be an inuisible spirite that holding them contēted with his vertue grace they should make him no outwarde shape This that God appeared somtimes in forme of a man was a foreshewing of the reueling that was to be made of him in Christ. And therefore it was not lawfull for the Iewes to abuse this pretense to erect to themselues a representacion of the godhead in the shape of man Also the mercy seate wherin God shewed forth the presence of his power in the time of the law was so made as it might teache that the best beholding of the godhead is this when mens mindes are caried beyond them selues with administracion of it For the Cherubins with their winges stretched abrod did couer it the veile did hide it and the place it selfe being set faire inwarde did of it selfe sufficiently kepe it secrete Therefore it is very plaine that they be very mad that goe aboute to defende the images of God of Saintes with the example of these Cherubins For I pray you what meant these litle images but to shewe that images are not mete to represent the misteries of God forasmuch as they were made for this purpose that hiding the mercy seate with their winges they should not onely kepe backe the eies of man but also all his senses from the beholding of God and so to correct his rash hardinesse For this purpose maketh it that the Prophetes described the Seraphins shewed them in vision with their face vncouered wherby they signifie that so great is the brightnesse of the glorye of God that the Angelles themselues are kept from direct beholding it and the smal sparkes therof that
God doo take goodnesse from himselfe I dooe not speake of his humaine nature least perhappes they shuld take exception and say that what soeuer goodnesse was in it it came of free gyft I aske whether the eternall Word of God be good or no If they say nay then we hold their vngodlinesse sufficiētly cōuinced in sayeng yea they cōfound themselues But where as at the first sight Christe semeth to put from hymselfe the name of Good that doothe the more confirme oure meanyng For sithe it is the singular title of God alone forasmuche as he was after the common maner saluted by the name of Good in refusing false honour he did admonish them that the goodnesse wherin he excelled was the goodnesse that God hathe I aske also where Paule affirmeth that only God is immortall wise and true whether by these wordes Christe be brought into the numbre of men mortall foolishe and false Shall not he then be immortall that from the begynnyng was lyfe to geue immortalitie to angels Shall not he bee wise that is the eternall wisedome of God Shall not the trueth it selfe be true I aske furthermore whether they thynke that Christe ought to be worshipped or no For he claimeth this vnto hymselfe to haue all knees bowe before hym it foloweth that he is the God whiche dyd in the lawe forbyd any other to be worshipped but himselfe If they will haue that meant of the Father onely whiche is spoken in Esaie I am and none but I this testimonie I tourne against theim selues for as muche as we see that whatsoeuer pertaineth to God is geuen to Christe And their cauillation hath no place that Christe was exalted in the fleshe wherein he had bene abased and that in respecte of the fleshe all authoritie is geuen hym in heauen and in earthe because althoughe the maiestie of Kyng and Iudge extende to the whole Person of the Mediatour yet if he had not been God openly shewed in fleshe he coulde not haue been auaunced to suche heighth but that God shoulde haue disagreed with himselfe But thys controuersye Paule doeth well take away teaching that he was egall wyth God before that he dyd abase hymselfe vnder the shape of a seruaunte Nowe howe coulde thys equalitie haue stande together vnlesse he hadde been the same God whoe 's name is Iah and Iehouah that rydeth vppon the Cherubin that is kynge of all the earthe and Lorde of the worldes Nowe howesoeuer they babble agaynste it it canne not bee taken from Chryste whiche Esaie sayeth in an other place He he is our GOD for hym we haue wayted whereas in these woordes he describeth the comming of GOD the redemer not onelye that shoulde bryng home the people from the exyle of Babylon but also fullye in all pointes restore the churche And with their other cauillation they nothynge preuayle in sayinge that Chryste was God in hys Father For thoughe we confesse that in respecte of order and degree the begynning of the Godheade is in the Father yet we saye that it is a detestable inuentyon to saye that the essence is onelye proper to the Father as thoughe he were the onelye God-maker of the Sonne For by thys meanes eyther he shoulde haue moe essence than one or ells they call Chryste God onely in tittle and imaginacion If they graunte that Chryste is God but nexte after the Father then shall the essence bee in hym begotten and fashioned whiche in the Father is vnbegotten and vnfashyoned I knowe that many quicke nosed men doe laughe at thys that we gather the distinction of Persons oute of the wordes of Moses where he bryngeth in God speakyng thus Lette vs make manne after oure image But yet the Godly readers doe see howe vaynly and fondely Moses shoulde bryng in thys as a talke of dyuerse together if there were not in God moe Persons than one Nowe certayne is it that they whom the Father spake vnto wer vncreate but nothing is vncreate but God himselfe yea the one onely God Nowe therefore vnlesse they graunte that the power of creating was common and the authoritie of commaunding common to the Father the Sonne and the Holy ghoste it shall folowe that God did not inwardly thus speake to himselfe but directed his speche to other forein woorke menne Finallie one place shall easilie answere two of their obiections For where as Christe himselfe pronounceth that GOD is a Spirite this were not conueniente to be restrained to the Father onely as if the Woorde himselfe were not of spirituall nature If then the name of Spirite doeth as well agree with the Sonne as with the Father I gather that the Sonne is also comprehended vnder the indefynite name of GOD. But he addeth by and by after that none are allowed for good worshippers of the Father but they that worshyppe hym in Spirite and trueth where vppon foloweth an other thyng because Chryste doeth vnder a hed execute the office of a teacher he doeth geue the name of GOD to the Father not to the entente to destroye his owne Godhead but by degrees to lyfte vs vp vnto it But in this they are deceiued that they dreame of certaine vndiuided singular thinges wherof eche haue a part of the essence But by the Scriptures we teache that there is but one essentially God and therefore that the essence as well of the Sonne as of the Holy ghost is vnbegotten But forsomuch as the Father is in order firste and hath of himselfe begotten his wisedome therfore rightfully as is aboue sayed he is counted the original and fountaine of al the Godhead So God indefinitely spoken is vnbegotten and the Father also in respecte of Person is vnbegotten And foolishly they thinke that they gather that by oure meaning is made a quaternitie because fasly and cauillouslye they ascrybe vnto vs a deuise of their owne brayne as though we dyd faine that by deriuacion there come three Persons out of one essence wheras it is euident by our wrytinges that we do not drawe the Persons out of the essence but although they be abiding in the essence we make a distinction betwene them If the Persons were seuered from the essence then paraduenture their reason were like to be true But by that meane it shoulde be a Trinitie of Goddes and not of Persons which one God conteineth in hym So is their fonde question answered whether the essence doe mete to make vp the Trinitie as thoughe we did imagine that there descende three Goddes oute of it And thys exception groweth of lyke foolyshenesse where they saye that then the Trinitie shoulde be withoute God For though it mete not to make vp the distinction as a parte or a member yet neither are the Persons withoute it nor oute of it Because the Father if he were not God coulde not be the Father and the Sonne is none otherwyse the Sonne but because he is God We saye therefore that the Godheade
which is incomprehensible The seconde part forbiddeth vs to honor any images for religious sake Morouer he shortly reciteth al the formes wherwith he was wont to be expressed in shape by the prophane and superstitious nations By those thinges that are in heauen he meaneth the Sunne the Moone and other Starres and paraduenture also birdes as expressyng his meanyng in the fourth of Deuteronomie he meaneth as well birdes as starres Whiche note I would not haue spoken of but that I sawe some vnskilfully to applie it to Angeles Therfore I omitte the other partes bicause they are sufficiently knowen of themselues And we haue already in the first boke taught plainely enough that what so euer visible formes of God man doth inuent they are directly contrarie to his nature and that therfore so sone as images come sorth true religion is corrupted and defiled The penall ordinance that foloweth ought not a litle to auayle to shake of our slouthfulnesse For he threteneth That he is the Lord our God a yelous God that visiteth the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children vnto the thirde and fourth generation in them that hate his name and sheweth mercie vnto thousandes to them that loue him and kepe his commaundementes This is as much in effect as yf he should haue sayde that it is he only vpon whome we ought to 〈◊〉 And to brynge vs thereunto he speaketh of his power that doth not without punishment suffer it selfe to be contemned or diminished Here is in deede let the name El whyche signifieth God Eut bicause it is deriued of strength do expresse the sense the better I did not sticke so to translate it or to put it into the texte Then he calleth himselfe â—elous that can abide no fellow Thirdly he affirmeth that he will be a reuenger of his maiestie and glorie yf any doe transferre it to creatures or to grauen images and that not with a short or sclender reuenge but suche as shall extend to the chyldren and chylderns children and childrens childrens children that is suche as shal be â—oâ—owers of their fathers vngodlinesse as also he sheweth a perpetuall mercie and bountifulnesse vnto longe continuance of posteritie to those that loue him and kepe his lawe It is a common manner with God to take vpon him the persone of a husband towarde vs. For the conuinction wherewith he bindeth himself vnto vs when he receiueth vs into the bosome of his church is like vnto a certaine holy wedlock that muste stande by mutuall faythfulnesse As he dothe all the duties of a faythfull and true husbande so agayne he requireth of vs suche loue and chastitie as ought to be in wedlocke that we yelde not our soules to Satan to lust and to filthy desires of the flesh to be defiled by them Wherupon he that rebuketh the Apostasie of the Iewes coÌ„plaineth that they did throwe away chastitie were defiled with adulteries Therfore as the husband the more holy chast that he himselfe is the more is he kindled to anger yf he see his wiues minde encline to a strang louer so the lord that hath wedded vs vnto himself in truthe testifieth that hath a most feruently burnyng ialousie so oft as neglecting the purenesse of his holly mariage we are defiled with wicked lustes but specially then when we traÌ„sferre to any other or do inâ—ectt with any superstition the worship of his name whiche ought to be most vncorrupted For asmuch as by this meane we doe not only breake the faith geuen in wedlocke but also do defile the very weddyng bed with bryngyng into it adulterers In the thretening is to be seen what he meaneth by this when he sayth that he will visit the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children vnto the third fourth generation For biside that it staÌ„deth not with the equitie of gods iustice to punish yâ— innocent for an others offence God him self also sayth that he will not make the sonne to beare the wickednesse of the father But this sentence is more than ones repeted of prolongyng the punnishmente of the sinnes of the auncelters vpon the generations to come For so doth Moses oftentimes speake vnto him Lord lord â–ª that rendrest the iniquitie of the fathers to the children vnto the third fourth generatioÌ„ Likewise Ieremie Thou that shewest mercie in thousandes that rendrest the iniquitie of the fathers into the bosome of the children after them Many while they trauaile much in losyng this knot thinke that it is to be vnderstaÌ„ded only of temporall punishmentes whiche if the children suffer for the parentes faultes it is no absurditie for asmuch as they are ofteÌ„times layed vpon theÌ„ for their saluation which is in deede true For Elaye declared to Ezechias that his sonnes shuld be spoiled of the kingdome caried into exile for the sinne that he had coÌ„mitted The houses of Pharao Abimelech were plaged for offending AbrahaÌ„ But when that is alledged for assoiling of this question it is rather a shift than a true exposition For here in like places he threteneth a more greuous reuenge than that it may be limited within the boundes of this present life It is therfore thus to be taken that the iust curse of the Lord lieth not only vpoÌ„ the head of the wicked maÌ„ himself but also vpoÌ„ his whole familie when the curse ones lieth vpon them what is els to be loked for but that the father being destitute of the spirit of God liue most wickedly the sonne likewise forsaken of the lord for the fathers fault do follow the same way of destruction finally the childes childe the childe of the childes childe that cursed seede of detestable meÌ„ do fal hedlong after theÌ„ First let vs see whether such reuenge be vnsemely for the iustice of God If al the nature of maÌ„ be daÌ„nable we know that destruction is prepared for theÌ„ to whoÌ„ the lord vouchsaueth not to coÌ„municate his grace Neuer the lesse thei do perish by their owne vnrighteousnesse not by vnrighteous hatred of God Neither is there left any cause to quarel why they be not holpeÌ„ by the grace of God to saluation as other are Wheras therfore this punishmeÌ„t is laied vpoÌ„ wicked meÌ„ euel doers for their offenses that their houses be depriued of that grace of God during many generatioÌ„s who caÌ„ accuse God for this most iust reueÌ„ge But the Lord on the other side pronouÌ„ceth that the punishment of the fathers sinne shal not passe ouer vnto the sonne Note what is ther entreated of â—heÌ„ the Israelites had beÌ„ long coÌ„tinually vexed with many calamities thei began to vse â—or a Prouerbe that theire fathers had eateÌ„ a sower grape wherwith the childrens teeth were set on edge wherby thei meant that their fathers had coÌ„mitted sinnes wherof thei being otherwise righteous not deseruing it did suffer yâ— punishmeÌ„t rather by â— vnappeaâ—able wrathfulnesse of God thaÌ„ by a
to his sonne waylyng into the graue In the meane time howe great causes of griefe wayting and werinesse were the rauishment and deftourynge of his daughter and the boldenesse of his sonnes in reuenging it whiche not only made him to be abhorred in sight of all the inhabitantes of that countrey but also procured him moste present perill of vtter destruction Then followed that horrible outragious offense of Ruben his first begotten sonne whiche was suche as their coulde not chaunce a more greuous For wheareas the defilyng of a mans wyfe is reckened amonge the hyest yll fortunes what is to be sayde of it when that wickednesse is committed by a mans owne sonne Within a litle whyle after his house is spotted with an other vunaturall adulterie so that so many shames might well breake a heart that otherwise were most constant and vnable to be vanquished with calamities Nere before the ende of his life while he sought to prouide succour for the famine of himself and other he was striken with tidynges of a newe misfortune vnderstandynge that an other of his sonnes was kepte in pryson for recoueryng of whome he was compelled to leaue to the rest Beniamin his only dearling Who caÌ„ think that in suche a heape of mischeues he had any one moment geuen hym safely to take breath in And therefore he himselfe the beste witnesse of himselfe affirmed to Pharao that his dayes were shorte and â—uell vpon the earth Nowe truely he that declareth that he hath passed his lyfe by continuall miseries denieth that he felte that prosperitie whiche the Lorde had promised him Therefore eyther Iacob did vnkindely and vnthankefully weye the grace of God or he truely professed that he had ben miserable vpon the earth If his affirmation were true then it foloweth that he had not his hope fastened vpon earthly thinges If these holy fathers loked for as vndoubtedly they did a blessed lyfe at the hande of God truely they bothe thought and sawe it to bee an other manner of blessednesse than the blessednesse of earthly liâ—e Whiche thynge the Apostle also doth shewe excellently well Abraham sayth he direct by fayth in the lande of promise as in a strange land dwellyng in tentes with Isaac and Iacob parteners with him of the same inheritaunce For they loked for a citie set vpon a good fundation the maker and bilder whereof is God All these are dead in fayth not receyuyng the thinges promised but loking at them a farre of and beleuyng and confessyng that they were gestes and strangers vpon the land Whereby they declare that they sought for a couÌ„tree And yf they had ben moued with desire of that lande from whense they came they had power to returne But they sought for a better that is the heauenly couÌ„tree Wherefore God is not a shamed to be called their God for asmuch as he hath prepared them a citie For they had ben duller than blockes to followe promises to earnestly â–ª wherof there appered no hope in earth vnlesse they had loked for the fulfillynge of them els where But this he chiefely enforceth and that not without good reason that thei called this life a iourney from home euen as Moses reporteth For if they were strangers and foreners in the lande of Chanaan where is the Lordes promise wherby they were made heires of it He sheweth plainely therefore that the Lordes promise coÌ„cernyng the possessioÌ„ therof had a further respect Wherefore they purchaced not one foote in the land of Chanaan but for burial wherby they testified that they did not hope that they shuld receiue the frute of the promise till after death And that is the cause why Iacob so much estemed to be buried there that he compelled his sonne Ioseph to promise it him and to swere to performe it and why Ioseph willed his bones certayne ages after when they were longe before fallen into powder to be remoued thither Finally it appereth plainely that in all the trauailes of this life they had alway set before them the blessednesse of the life to come For to what purpose should Iacob haue so much desired with so great danger sought the preeminence of the first begotten whiche shoulde procure him nothyng but banishment and in a manner to be caste of from beyng his childe but no good at all vnlesse he had respecte to a hyer blessyng And he declared that he had this meanyng by the wordes which he spake among his last breathinges Lord I will loke for thy saluation What saluation could he haue loked for wheÌ„ he sawe that he laye ready to geue vp the ghost vnlesse he had seene in death the beginnyng of a newe life But what dispute we of the holy ones and chrildren of God when euen he was not without a taste of suche vnderstandyng whiche otherwise was enemie to the truthe For what meant Balaam wheÌ„ he sayd Let my soule dye the death of the righteous and let my laste times be like vnto theires but that he meante the same thynge that Dauid afterwarde vttered that the death of the Sainctes is precious in the sighte of the Lorde but the death of the wicked is very euell If the furthest bounde and ende were in death there coulde in it be noted no difference betwene the righteous and vnrighteous they differ one from the other by the diuersite of the estates that after death shall befall to them bothe We are not yet come beyonde Moses Whiche as these menne saye had no other office but to perswade the carnall people to worship God by the frutefulnesse of the ground and plentie of all thinges And yet vnlesse a manne will flee the light that willyngly offreth it selfe there is alredy a playne declaration of the spirituall couenant But yf we come downe to the Prophetes there with most full brightnesse bothe the lyfe euerlastyng and the kyngdome of Christ do vtter themselues And first of all Dauid which as he was before the other in time so accordyng to the order of Gods distribution he shewed the heauenly misteries in shadowes more darkely than the rest yet with what plainnesse certaintie directeth he al his sayenges to that end How he estemed the earthly dwelling this senteÌ„ce testifieth I am here a forener straÌ„ger as al my fathers were Euery liuing maÌ„ is vanitie euery one walketh about as a shadow But now what is my exspectatioÌ„ Lord euen to thee is my hope Truely he that coÌ„fessyng that in the earth there is nothinge sounde or stedfast kepeth still a stedfastnesse of hope in God coÌ„sidereth his felicitie layed vp in an other place To such consideration is he wont to call all the faithefull so oft as he meaneth to comforte them truely For in an other place after he had spoken of the shortenesse and the transitorie and vanishing image of mans life he addeth but the mercie of the Lorde is for euer vpon them that
for whereas this is the extremest matter of despeire to the holy ones to â—ele according to the coÌ„sideracion of present thinges the hande of God bent to their destructioÌ„ yet Iob affirmeth that his hope shall procede so far â–ª that though God do kill him yet he wil not therfore cesse to trust in him This is the truthe therefore Vnbelefe reigneth not within the heartes of the godly but outwardly assayleth them neither doth she deadly wound them with her wepons but only troubleth them or so hurteth them that yet the wound is curable for fayth as Paule teacheth serueth vs for a sheld that beyng holden vp agaynst weapoÌ„s doth so receiue the force of them that it either vtterly driueth them backe or at least so breaketh their violeÌ„ce that thei can not pearce them to danger of life Therefore when fayth is shaken it is like as if a stroÌ„g souldior with the violent stroke of a darte be compelled to remoue his foote and geue ground a litle and when faith it self is wounded that is like as if his buckler by some stroke be in some part brokeÌ„ but yet so that it is not strikeÌ„ through For alway the godly minde will atteine to rise thus hie as to say with Dauid If I walke in the middest of the shadow of death I wil feare none euel bicause thou art with me It is in deede terrible to walke in the darknesse of death it can not be but that the faithfull how much strength soeuer they haue must be afrayde of it Yet bicause this thought surmounteth it that they haue God present with them and prouidynge for their safetie that feare is ouercome with assurednesse For as Augustine sayth how great engines so euer the deuell raiseth vp against vs so loÌ„g as he possesseth not the place of the heart where faith dwelleth he is cast out of the dores And so if we may iudge by the successe the faithfull not only escape safe from euery battel so that by and by receyuyng fresh courage they are redy to come againe into the field but also that is fulfilled whiche Iohn sayth in his canonical Epistle This is the victorie that ouercometh the world eueÌ„ your faith For he affirmeth that it shal not only winne the victorie in one or fewe battels or against some one assault but also that it shal get the ouerhande of the whole world although it be a thousand times assayled There is an other kinde of feare tremblyng but such a one as by it the assurednesse of faith is so nothing at all diminished the thereby it is the more soundely stablished That is when the faithfull either in thinking that the exaÌ„ples of Gods vengeance against the wicked are shewed for lessons for theÌ„ to learne by do carefully beware that they happen not to prouoke gods wrath against theÌ„selues with the same offenses or recording with theÌ„selues their owne miserie do learne to hang altogether vpon the Lord without whoÌ„ thei see theÌ„selues to be more fickle soner vanishing than any blast of winde For when the Apostle in setting forth the scourges wherwith the Lord in old time had punished yâ— people of Israel putteth the Corinthians in feare that they entaÌ„gle not theÌ„selues with like euels he doth not therby abate their affiaÌ„ce â–ª but only shaketh away the dulnesse of the flesh by whiche faith is wont more to be oppressed thaÌ„ streÌ„gthened And wheÌ„ he taketh occasioÌ„ of that Iewes fal to exhort him the standeth to take heede that he fal not he doth not therby bidde vs to wauer as though we were not fully assured of our stedfastnesse but only he taketh away arrogaÌ„t presumptioÌ„ rash trusting to much in our owne streÌ„gth that after the thrusting out of the Iewes the Gentiles being receyued into their place shuld not to much outragiously triumph agaynst them Albeit he speaketh there not only to the faithfull but also in the same sayeng comprehendeth the Hypocrites that gloried only in outward shewe For neyther doth he admonish euery man particularly but makyng a coÌ„parison betwene the Iewes and the Gentiles after that he had shewed that the Iewes in this that they were reiected did suffer iuste punishment for their vnbelefe and vnthankfulnesse he also exhorted the Gentiles that they should not by beyng prowde and extollyng themselues lose the grace of adoption lately conueyed vnto them But as in that generall reiectyng of the Iewes there remained yet some that were not fallen from the couenant of adoptioÌ„ so out of the Gentiles there might arise some which without true faith should be puffed vp only with foolish confidence of the flesh and so abuse Gods louyng kindnesse to their owne destruction But although you take this as spoken to the elect faithfull yet thereupon shall follow no inconuenience For it is one thyng to holde downe the rash presumption whiche out of the remnantes of the fleshe crepeth sometime euen into the holy ones that with vayne confidence it waxe not outragiously wanton and an other thyng to strike the conscience with feare that it rest not with full assurednesse in the mercie of God Then when he teacheth that with feare and trembling we should worke our owne saluacioÌ„ he requireth nothing els but that we shuld accustome vs with much abacyng of our selues reuerently to loke vp vnto the mightinesse of God For truely nothyng doth so much awake vs to cast all our confidence and assurance of mynde vpon the Lorde as doth the distrust of our selues and carefulnesse coÌ„ceyued by knowledge in conscience of our owne wretchednesse And accordyng to this meanyng is that sayeng in the Prophet to be takeÌ„ In the multitude of thy goodnesse I will entre into thy temple I will worship in feare Where he comely conioyneth the boldnesse of fayth that leaneth vpon Gods mercie with a reuerent feare whiche we muste needes fele so oft as coÌ„myng into the sight of Gods maiestie we perceyue by the glorious bryghtnesse thereof howe greate is our owne filthinesse And Salomon sayth truely where he pronounceth the man blessed that continually maketh his owne heart afrayde for by hardening thereof men fall hedlong into euell But such feare he meaneth as maye make vs more heedefull not such wherby we shuld be troubled and vtterly fall euen such a feare as when the minde confounded in it self dothe recouer it selfe agayne in God when despeiryng it self it reuiueth by trust in him Therefore there is no cause to the contrarie but that the faythfull maye at one time bothe be in feare and also enioye moste assured comfort in respect that somtime they turne their eyes to behold their owne vanitie and somtime they cast the thought of their minde vpon the truthe of God But how will some man saye shal feare and fayth dwell bothe in one minde euen thus as contrarily vnsensible dulnesse and carefulnesse For wheras the wicked trauaile to procure to themselues a want of
God not knowyng it which do ignorantly speake euell of Christ hauyng yet this minde that they would not extinguish the truth of God disclosed vnto them or ones with one worde offend him whome they had knowen to be the lordes anoynted these men sinne agaynst the father and the sonne So there are many at this day that do most hatefully detest the doctrine of the Gospell whiche if they did know it to be the doctrine of the Gospell they would be redy to worship with all their heart But thei whose conscience is conuinced that it is the worde of God whiche they forfake and fight agaynst and yet cesse not to fight agaynst it they are sayd to blaspheme the holy ghost for asmuch as they wrastle against the enlightening that is the work of the holy ghost Such were many of the Iewes whiche when they could not resist the Spirit that spake by Stephen yet endeuored to resist It is no doubt but that many of them were carried vnto it with zele of the lawe but it appereth that there were some other that of malicious wickednesse dyd rage agaynst God himselfe that is to saye agaynst the doctrine whiche they were not ignoraunt to be of God And such were those Pharisees against whoÌ„ the Lord inueyeth which to ouerthrow the power of the holy ghost defamed him with the name of Beelzebub This therfore is the Spirit of blasphemie when mans boldnesse of 〈◊〉 purpose leapeth forth to reproche of the name of God Which Paule signifieth wheÌ„ he sayth that he obteined mercie bicause he had igâ—oraÌ„tly coÌ„mitted those thinges through vnbelefe for whiche otherwise he had ben vnworthy of Gods fauour If ignoraÌ„ce ioyned with vnbelefe was yâ— cause that he obteined pardoÌ„ therupoÌ„ foloweth that there is no place for pardon where knowlege is ioyned to vnbelefe But if thou marke it wel thou shalt perceiue that the Apostle speaketh not of one or other particular fal but of the vniuersal departyng whereby the reprobate do forsake saluation And it is no maruel that they whom Iohn in his canonical epistle affirmeth not to haue ben of the elect froÌ„ whom they went out do fele God vnappeasable For he directeth his speache against them that imagined that they might reâ—urue to the Christian religion although they had ones departed froÌ„ it and calling them from this false pestilent opinion he sayth that whiche is most true that there is no way of returne open for them to the coÌ„munion of Christ that wittingly willingly haue cast it awaye But they cast it not away that only in dissolute licentiousnesse of lyfe transgresse the word of the lord but thei that of set purpose cast away his whole doctrine Therfore the deceit is in these wordes of fallyng sinning Bicause the Nouatians expound Falling to be if a man beyng taught by the law of the Lord that he ought not to steale or to coÌ„mit fornication absteineth not from stealing or fornication But coÌ„trarywise I affirme that there is a secret comparison of contraries wherein ought to be repeted althinges coÌ„trarie to that which was first spokeÌ„ so that here is expressed not any particular fault but the whole turning away froÌ„ God and as I may so cal it the Apostasie of the whole maÌ„ Therfore when he sayth they which haue fallen after that they haue ones ben enlightened haue tasted the heaueÌ„ly gift ben made partakers of the holy ghost also tasted the good worde of God and the powers of the world to come it is to be vnderstanded of them that with aduised vngodlinesse haue choked the light of the holy spirit haue spit out agayne the tast of the heauenly gift haue enstraÌ„ged themselues from the sanctificatioÌ„ of the holy ghost haue troden vnder foote the word of God the powers of the world to come And the more to expresse that aduised purpose of wickednesse in an other place afterwarde he addeth this worde by name Wilfully For when he sayth that there is left no sacrifice for them that sinne willingly after knowlege of the truthe receiued he doth not denie yâ— Christ is a continual sacrifice to purge the iniquities of the holy ones which he expresly crieth out almost in the whole epistle where he declareth yâ— priesthode of Christ but he sayth that there remaineth no other wheÌ„ that is ones forsaken it is forsaken when the truth of the gospell is of set purpose renounced But whereas some do thinke it to harde and to far from the tender merciefulnesse of God that any are put awaye that flee to beseching the lords mercie that is easily answered For he doth not say that pardon is denied theÌ„ if they turne to the lord but he vtterly denieth that they can rise vnto repentance bycause they are by the iuste iudgement of God striken with eternall blindnesse for their vnthankefulnesse And it maketh nothyng to the contrarie that afterward he applieth to this purpose the example of Esau whiche in vaine attempted with howling and wepyng to recouer his right of the firste begotten And no more doth that threatenyng of the Prophet When they crie I wil not heare For in such phrases of speache is meante neyther the true conuersion nor callyng vpon God but that carefulnesse of the wicked wherewith beyng bouÌ„d they are compelled in extremitie to loke vnto that which before they carelesly neglected that there is no good thing for them but in the Lordes helpe But this they doe not so muche call vpon as they mourne that it is taken from them Therefore the Prophet meaneth nothing els by Cryeng and the Apostle nothing els by Weping but that horrible torment which by desperation fretteth and vexeth the wicked This it is good to marke diligently for els God should disagree with himself which crieth by the Prophet that he wil be merciefull so sone as the sinner turneth And as I haue alredy sayd it is certayne that the minde of man is not turned to better but by Gods grace preuentyng it Also his promise concernyng callynge vpon him will neuer deceyue But that blinde torment wherwith the reprobate are diuersly drawen when they see that they muste needes seeke God that they may finde remedie for their euels and yet do flee from his presence is vnproperly called Conuersion and prayer But a question is moued whereas the Apostle denieth that God is appeased with fained repentance how Achab obteined pardon and turned awaye the punishment pronounced vpon him whom yet it appereth by the reste of the course of his life to haue ben onely striken amased with sodeine feare He did in deede put on sacke cloth scattered ashes vpon him laye vpon the ground and as it is testified of him he was huÌ„bled before God but it was not enough to cut his garmentes when his heart remayned thicke and swollen
shal be proued but the worke of all Neither is this my argument but Augustines which so confuteth that expositioÌ„ And whiche is more absurditie he dothe not saye that they shal passe through the fire for all workes but if they haue faithfully buylded the churche they shall receiue reward whan their worke is examined with fier First we see that the Apostle vsed a Metaphore when he called the doctrines inuented by mans braines woed hey and stubble And the Metaphore hath an apparant rescue that as wood so sone as it is put in the fier consumeth and wasteth so can not those doctrines continue when they come to be examined Now no man is ignoraunt that suche tryall cometh of the holy Ghost Therfore to folowe the true cause of his metaphore and match the partes together with iust relatioÌ„ he called the triall of the holy Ghost fier For euen as the nerer that gold and siluer are put to the fier so muche the surer profe they haue of their goodnesse and finenesse so the Lordes truthe the more exactlye it is weyed with spirituall examination so muche the greater confirmation of credit it receiueth As hey wood stubble put to the fier are brought to sudein consuming so the inuentions of men not stablyshed by the worde of God can not beare the triall of the holy Ghost but they by by fall away and perishe Finally if forged doctrines be compared to wood hey stubble because like wood hey and stubble they are burned with fire and destroied but they are not destroied or driuen awaye but by the spirite of the Lorde it foloweth that the holy Ghoste is the fier wherwith they shal be proued whose profe Paul according to the common vse of the Scripture calleth The day of the Lord. For it is called the day of the Lorde whensoeuer he doth any way shew his presence to men But then his face principally shineth when his truthe shineth vpon vs. Now haue we proued that Paul meaneth no other fier but the triall of the holy Ghost But how are they saued by that fier that suffer losse of their worke That shall not be hard to vnderstande if we consider of what kinde of men he speaketh For he toucheth those buylders of the churche that keping the true fundation doe builde disagreing matter vpon it that is to say they that not swaruing from the cheâ—e and necessarie articles of faithe do erre in pointes that be smaler lesse perilous mingling their owne deuises with the worde of God Suche I say must suffer losse of their worke hauing their deuises destroyed But them selues are saued but as by the fier that is to saye not that their ignorance and errour is alowable before the Lorde but because they are cleansed from it by the grace and power of the holy Ghoste Therfore whosoeuer haue defiled the golden finenesse of Gods worde with this dong of purgatorie they must nedes suffer losse of their work But they wyll say it hath ben an auncient vsage of the churche Paul answered this obiection when hee comprehendeth his owne tyme in that sentence where he saith that all they must suffer losse of theyr worke that in the building of the churche do lay any thing vpon the fundation that ageeth not with it Therfore when the aduersaries obiect against me that it hath bene vsed aboue a thousand and thre hundreth yeres to haue priayes made for the dead I aske them againe by what word of God by what ReuelatioÌ„ by what example it was done For here they do not only want testimonies of Scripture but also all the examples of holy men the ther are red do shew no such thing Of the mourning and order of funeralles there are somtimes founde manye long tales but of prayers you can not see one tittle But of the greater weight that the matter is the more it ought to haue ben expressely spoken But the very old fathers them selues that prayed for the dead did see that herein they wanted both coÌ„maundement of God and lawfull example Why then durst thei so do In this I say thei did suffer somewhat as men and therfore I affirme that that whiche they did ought not to be drawen into example For where as the faithfull ought to enterprise the doing of nothing but vpon assured conscience as Paul reacheth this assurednesse is principally required in prayer But it is likely that they were led by some reason vnto it they sought some comfort to releue their sorrowe it semed vnnatural not to shew before God some testimonie of their loue toward the dead How mans wit is enclined to this affection all meÌ„ know by experience Also the receiued custome was like a burning brand to set many mens mindes on fier We know that with all nations in all ages there were funeralles done for the dead their soules yearely purged For though Satan beguiled foolish men with these deceites yet he toke occasion so to beguile by a true principle that death is not a destruction but a passage out of this life into an other And it is no dout but that euen very superstition condemneth the GeÌ„tiles before the iudgement seate of God for neglecting the care of the life to come whiche they professed them selues to beleue Nowe Christians because they would not be worse than Heathen men were ashamed to do nothing for the dead as though thei were vtterly destroyed Hereupon came that ill aduised diligence because if they were slowe in looking to the funeralles in bankettinges offeringes they thoughte that they had put them selues in dauÌ„ger of a great reproche And that whiche first proceded from a wrongful folowyng of the Heathens exaÌ„ple was so multiplied by often newe encreasces that now it is the principall holinesse of Papistrie to helpe the dead in distresse But the Scriture ministreth an other muche better and perfecter comfort when it testifieth that the dead are blessed that die in the Lorde And it addeth a reason because from thenceforth they reste from their labours And we ought not so muche tenderly to folow our own affection of loue to set vp a wrongful manner of praying in the churche Truely he that hathe but meane wysdome dothe sone perceiue that all that is red hereof in the olde wryters was done to beare with the common vsage and the ignorance of the people They them selues also I graunte were caried away into errour euen as vnaduised lightnesse of belefe is wont to rob mens wittes of iudgement But in the meane tyme the very redynge of them doth shew howe doubtyngly they coÌ„mende prayers for the dead Augustine in his boke of coÌ„fessions reporteth that Monica his mother did earnestly desire that she might be remembred in celebrating the misteries at the Altar An old wyues request whiche the sonne neuer examined by the rule of the Scripture but according to his affectioÌ„ of nature wold haue it allowed of other As for the booke that he
vnlesse our weakenesse be shewed vs as it were before our eyes we do easily esteme our owne streÌ„gth aboue due measure doubte not that what soeuer happen it wil coÌ„tinue vnbroken vnouercoÌ„me against al hard assaultes Whereby we are caried into a foolish vaine confidence of flesh and then trusting therupon we stubbornly waxe proude against God himself as though our owne powers without his grace did suffice vs. This arrogancie he caÌ„ no way better beate down thaÌ„ wheÌ„ he proueth vnto vs by experience not only how feble but also how fraile we be Therfore he afflicteth vs either with shame or pouertie or losse of childreÌ„ or sicknesse or other calamities which we beyng vnable to beare in respect of our selues doe by and by sinke downe vnder them Beyng so humbled we learne to call vpon his strength whiche only maketh vs to stand vpright vnder the heauy burden of afflictioÌ„s Yea the moste holy how wel so euer they know that they stand by the grace of God and not by their owne force yet are to muche assured of their owne strength and constancie vnlesse by the tryall of the crosse he bring them into a more inward knowledge of theÌ„selues The slouthfulnesse crept into Dauid I sayd in my rest I shall neuer be moued Lorde thou hadst stablished in thy good pleasure a strength to my hill thou hiddest awaye thy face I was striken For he confesseth that with sluggishnesse in prosperitie his senses were dulled that not regardyng the grace of God vpon whiche he should haue hanged he leaned vnto himselfe to promise himselfe perpetuall continuance If this chauÌ„ced to so great a Prophet which of vs ought not to be fearfull that we may be heedefull Therefore whereas in prosperitie they flatter themselues with opinion of a greater constancie and patience when they are ones humbled with aduersitie they learne that their former opinion was but hypocrisie The faythfull I saye beyng admonished by such examples of their diseases do thereby profit to humilitie that beyng vnclothed of the wrongfull confidence of the flesh they maye resort to the grace of God And where they are ones come to his grace they fele the presence of Gods strength wherein is abundantly sufficent succour â—or them And this is it that Paule teacheth that by troubles is engendred pacience by pacieÌ„ce profe For whereas God hath promised the faithfull that he will be present with them in troubles they fele the same to be true when they stande patiently beyng vpholden by his hande which by theyr owne streÌ„gth they were not able to do Patience therfore bringeth a profe by experience to the holy ones that God when neede requireth will in deede performe the help that he hath promised And thereby also their hope is confirmed for asmuche as it were to much vnthankefulnesse not to loke for in time to come the same truth of God that they had already by experience proued to be constant and sure We see now howe many good thinges doe come vnto vs in one knot by the crosse For ouerthrowyng the opinion that we falsly presume of our owne strength and disclosing our hypocrisie that deliteth vs it shaketh awaye the hurtfull confidence of the fleshe and teacheth vs beyng so humbled to rest vpon God only by which it commeth to passe that we neyther be oppressed nor fall downe And after victorie foloweth hope in so much as the Lord in performing that which he hath promised stablisheth the credit of his truthe for time to come Truely although there were no moe reasons but these it appereth how much the exercise of the crosse is necessarie for vs. For it is a matter of no small importance to haue the blinde loue of thy selfe wiped away that thou mayst wel know thine owne weakenesse To fele thine owne weakenesse that thou mayest learne to distrust thy selfe to distrust thy selfe that thou mayst remoue thy confidence from thy selfe vnto God to rest with confidence of heart vpon God that beyng vpholden by his help thou mayst continue vnouercomme to the last end to stande fast by his grace that thou mayest vnderstaÌ„d that he is true in his promises to know by profe the truthe of his promises that thy hope may be strengthened thereby The Lord hath also an other end of afflictyng his to trie their patience and instruct vs to obedience Not that they can vse any obedience toward him other than the same that he geueth them but so it pleaseth hym by open examples to make approued by witnesses and to set forth the graces that he hath bestowed vpon his holy ones that they should not lie idly hidde within them And therefore in bringyng forth into open shewe the strength of suffrance and constancie wherwith he hath furnished his seruauntes it is sayd that he tryeth their pacience And from hense came these sayenges that God tempted Abraham and had profe of his godlinesse by this that he refused not to offer vp in sacrifice his owne and only sonne Therefore Peter teacheth that our fayth is so proued in troubles as golde is tried in a fornace And whoe can say that it is not expedient that the moste noble gift of pacience which a faithful man hath receyued of his God shuld be brought forth into vse that it may be made certainely knowen and manifest For otherwise men will not esteme it as it is worthy Now if God himself doth rightfully when he ministreth matter to stirre vp the vertues that he hath geuen to his faithfull that they should not lie hidden yea lye vnprofitable and perish then is there good reason of the afflictions of the holy ones without which there patience shold be nothyng I saye also that by the crosse they are instructed to obedience bicause they are so taught to liue not after their owne wish but after the will of God Truely if all thinges should flowe vnto them after their owne minde they would not know what it were to folow God And Seneca reherseth that this was an olde Prouerbe when they exhorted any man to suffer aduersities Folow God By whiche they declared that then only meÌ„ truely entred vnder the yoke of God when he yelded his hand and backe to Gods correction Nowe if it be most righteous that we should shewe our selues in all thinges obedient to the heaueÌ„ly father then we ought not to refuse that he should by all meanes accustome vs to yeld obedience vnto him But yet we perceyue not howe necessarie this obedience is for vs vnlesse we do also consider how wanton our fleshe is to shake of the yoke of God so sone as it hath ben but a litle while deintily and tenderly handled The same happeneth vnto it that chaunceth to stubborne horses whiche yf they be a fewe dayes pampred idlely they can not afterward for fearcenesse be tamed neyther do know their rider to whose gouernement they somwhat before obeyed And this is continual in vs that God
we suffer with him we shal also reigne together with him that we be so fashioned like to his suffringes till we atteyne to the likenesse of his resurrection For asmuch as the Father hath predestinate these to be fashioned like the image of his sonne whome in him he hath chosen that he maye be the first begotten among all his brethreÌ„ and therfore that neyther death nor present thinges nor thinges to come shall seuer vs from the loue of God which is in Christ but rather all thinges shall turne to vs to good and to saluation Loe me do not iustifie a maÌ„ by workes before God but we say that all they that are of God are regenerate made a newe creature that they may passe out of the kingdome of sinne into the kingdome of righteousnesse that by this testimonie thei make their callyng certayne and are iudged as trees by the frutes The .xvi. Chapter ¶ A confutation of the sclaunders whereby the Papistes goe about to bryng this doctrine in hatred WIth this one word may the shamelesnesse of certayne vngodly men be confuted whiche sclaunder vs with sayeng that we destroy good workes and doe draw men awaye from the followyng of theÌ„ when we say that they are not iustified by workes nor do deserue saluatioÌ„ and againe that we make to easy away to right cousnesse when we teache that it lieth in the free forgeuenesse of sinnes and that we do by this enticement allure men to sinne whiche are of their owne will to much enclined thereto already These sclaunders I say are with that one word sufficiently confuted yet I will brefely answer to them bothe They allege that by the iustification of fayth good workes are destroyed I leaue vnspoken what manner of men be these zelous louers of good workes whiche doe so backbite vs. Let them haue licence as freely to rayle as they do liceÌ„tiously infect the whole world with the filthinesse of their life They faine that they be greued that when fayth is so gloriously aduaunced workes are dryuen downe out of their place What if they be more raysed vp and stablished For neyther doe me dreame of a fayth voyde of good workes nor a iustification that is without them This onely is the difference that when we confesse that fayth and good workes do necessarily hange together yet we set iustification in fayth not in workes For what reason we doe so we haue in redinesse easily to declare if we do but turne to Christ vnto whome our faythe is directed and from whome it receyueth her whole strength Why therefore are we iustified by faith bycause by fayth we take holde of the righteousnesse of Christ by which alone we are reconciled to God But this thou canst not take holde of but that thou must also therewithall take holde of sanctification For he was geuen to vs for righteousnesse wisdome sanctification redemptioÌ„ Therfore Christ iustifieth none whome he doth not also sanctifie For these benefites are coupled together with a perpetuall and vnseperable knot that whome he enlighteneth with his wisdome them he redemeth whome he redemeth he iustifieth whom he iustifieth he sanctifieth But for asmuch as our question is only of righteousnesse and sanctifieng let vs staye vpon these We maye put difference betwene them yet Christ conteineth them bothe vnseperably in himself Wilt thou therfore obteine righteousnesse in Christ Thou must first possesse Christ thou canst not possesse him but that thou must â—e made partaker of his sanctification bicause he can not be torne in peces Sithe therefore the Lord doth graunt vs these benefites to be enioyed none otherwise than in geuing himself he geueth them bothe together the one neuer without the other So appereth how true it is that we are iustified not without workes and yet not by workes bycause in the partaking of Christ wherby we are iustified is no lesse coÌ„teined sanctification than righteousnesse That also is moste false that the mindes of men are withdrawen from the affection of weldoyng when we take from them the opinion of merityng Here by the way the readers must be warned that they foolishly reason froÌ„ reward to merit as I shall afterward more plainly declare namely bicause they know not this principle that God is no lesse liberal when he assigneth reward to workes than wheÌ„ he geueth power to do well But this I had rather differre to the place fit for it Now it shal be enough to touche howe weake their obiection is whiche shal be done two wayes For first whereas they say that there shal be no care of well framyng of life but when hope of reward is set before them they erre quite from the truth For if this only be enteÌ„ded when men serue God that thei loke to reward or let out to hire or sell their labors to him they litle preuayle for God will be freely worshipped freely loued he I say alloweth that worshipper which when all hope of receyuing reward is cut of yet cesseth not to worshippe him Moreouer if men be to be pricked forward no man can put sharper spurres vnto them than those that are taken of the ende of our redeÌ„ption and calling such as the word of God spurreth men withal when it teacheth that it is to wicked vnthaÌ„kefulnesse not mutually to loue him agayne whiche first loued vs that by the blood of Christ our consciences are cleansed from dead workes to serue the liuyng God that it is a haynous sacrilege if beyng ones cleased we defile our selues with newe filthinesse and prophane that holy blood that we are deliuered from the handes of our enemies that we maye without feare serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life that we are made free from sinne that we maye with a free Spirit folow righteousnesse that our olde man is crucified that we may rise agayne into newnesse of life agayne that if we be dead with Christ as becommeth his members we must seeke those thinges that are aboue and must in the world be wayfaring men from home that we may long toward heauen where is our treasure that the grace of God hath appered to this end that forsakyng al vngodlinesse worldly desires we maye liue soberly holyly and godlyly in this world lokyng for the blessed hope and the appering of the glorie of the great God sauior therefore that we are not apointed that we should stirre vp wrath to our selues but that we may obteyne saluation by Christ that we are the teÌ„ples of the Holy ghost which it is not lawfull to be defiled that we are not darknesse but light in the Lord whiche muste walke as children of light that we are not called to vncleannesse but to holinesse bicause this is the will of God our sanctificatioÌ„ that we absteyne from vnlawfull desires that our callyng is holy that the same is not fulfilled but with purenesse of life that we are
dealing which he knew to be pleasing to the merciful kindnes of God agaist al euel speaking of meÌ„ whatsoeuer it be For we se what he saith in an other place that he knoweth no euel by himself but the he is not therby iustified namly bicause he knew that the iudgment of god far surmuÌ„teth the bleareyed sight of meÌ„ Howsoeuer therfore the godly do defend their innoceÌ„ce agaist the hypocrisie of the vngodly by the witnessing iudgmeÌ„t of God yet when thei haue to doe wyth God alone they all crye oute wyth one mouthe If thow marke iniquitie Lorde Lorde who shall abide it Entre not into iudgement with thy seruantes bycause euery one that liueth shall not be iustified in thy sight and distrusting their owne workes thei gladly sing Thy goodnesse is better than life There are also other places not vnlyke to these before in which a man may yet tarry Salomon saith that he whiche walketh in his vprightnesse is righteous Againe That in the path of righteousnesse is life and that in the same is not death After whiche manner Ezechiell reporteth that he shal liue life that doth iudgment and righteousnesse None of these do we either denye or darken But let there come forthe one of the sonnes of Adam with such an vprightnesse If ther be none either thei must perishe at the sighte of God or flee to the sanctuarie of mercie Neither do we in the meane time denie but that to the faithfull their vprightnesse though it be but halfe vnperfect is a step towarde immortalitie But whence commeth that but bicause whome the Lord hathe taken into the couenant of grace he searcheth not their works according to their deseruinges but kisseth them with fatherly kindenes Wherby we do not only vnderstand that which the scholemen do teache that works haue their value of the accepting grace For thei meane that workes which are otherwise in sufficient to purchase righteousnesse by the couenant of the law are by the accepting of God auauÌ„ced to the value of equalitie But I saie that thei being defiled bothe with other trespassinges with their owne spottes are of no other value at al than in so muche as the lord tenderly graunteth pardoÌ„ to bothe that is to say geueth free righteousnesse to maÌ„ Neither are here those praiers of the Apostle seasonaly thrust in place wher he wissheth so great perfectioÌ„ to the faithful that thei may be faultlesse vnblamable in the day of the loâ—â— These wordes in deede the Celestines did in olde tune turmoile to affirme a perfectioÌ„ of righteousnes in this life But which we thinke to be sufficient we answer brefely after Augustine that al the godly oughte in dede to endeuoure toward this mark that thei may one day appeare spotlesse faultlesse before the face of God but bicause the best most excellent maÌ„ner of this life is nothing but a going forward we shal then not til then atteine to this mark when being vnclothed of this flesh of sinne we shall fully cleaue to the lord Yet wil I not stiffely striue with him which will geue the title of perfectioÌ„ to the holy ones so that he also limit the same with the words of Augustine himselfe Whan saich he we wil cal the vertue of the holy ones perfect to the same perfectioÌ„ also belongeth the acknowledging of imperfection bothe in trueth and in humilitie The .xviii. Chapter That of the rewarde the righteousnesse of Workes is ill gathered NOw let vs passe ouer to those saiengs which affirme the God wil rendre to euery man according to his workes of whiche sort are these Euery man shal beare away that which he hath done in the body either good or euel Glory honoure to him that worketh good trouble distresse vpoÌ„ euery soule of him that worketh euel And thei whiche haue done good thinges shall goe into the resurrection of life thei which haue done euell into the resurrection of iudgement Come ye blessed of my father I haue hungred ye gaue me meate I haue thirsted ye gaue me drinke c. And with thâ— let vs also ioine these saiengs which cal eternal life the reward of works Of whithe sort ar these The rendring of the handes of a man shal be restored to him He that feareth the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t shal be rewarded Be glad reioise behold your reward is plentiful in heauen Euery man shal receiue reward according to his labore Wher it is said that God shal rendre to euery man according to his works the same is easily assoiled For that manner of speaking doth rather shew the ordre of folowing than the cause But yt is out of dout that the lord doth accoÌ„plish our saluatioÌ„ by these degrees of his mercy wheÌ„ those whom he hath choseÌ„ he calleth to him those whoÌ„e he hath called he iustifieth those whom he hath iustified he glorifieth Although therfore he do by his only mercie receiue them the be his into life yet bicause hee bringeth them into the possession therof by the race of good works that he may fulfil his work in them by such ordre as he hath apointed it is no maruel if it be said that thei be crowned accordig to their works by which wtout doubt they are prepared to receiue the crowne of immortalitie Yea after this manner it is fittly said that thei worke their own saluation when in applieng themselues to good works they practise theÌ„selues toward eternall life namly as in an other place thei are coÌ„maunded to work the meate which perisheth not when bi beleuing in Christ thei get to theÌ„selues life yet it is by by afterwarde added Which that sonne of man shal geue you Wherby appeareth that the word of Working is not set as contrary to grace but is referred to endeuoure therfore it foloweth not that either the faithful artheÌ„selues authors of their own saluatioÌ„ or that the same proceedeth froÌ„ their works How then So sone as thei are taken into the felowship of Christ by the knowledge of the Gospell the enlightning of the holy ghost eternal life is begone in them Now the same good worke which God hath begonne in them must also be made perfect vntil the day of the lord Iesu. And it is made perfect when resembling the heauenly father in righteousnesse holinesse thei proue theÌ„selues to be his children not swarued out of kinde There is no cause why we shold of the name of reward gather an argument that our works ar the cause of saluacioÌ„ First let this be determined in our hearts that the kingdome of heaueÌ„ is not a reward of seruants but an inheritance of childreÌ„ which thei only shal enjoy that ar adopted of the lord to be his children for no other cause but for this adoptioÌ„ For the sonne of the bond womaÌ„ shal not be heir but the soÌ„ne of the sre woman And in the
a crooked figure as men sometime speake mingle him selfe with the multitude as one of the people but rather seuerally confesseth his owne gyltinesse humbly fleeth to the sanctuarie of forgeuenesse as he expresly sayth When I coÌ„fessed my sinnes the sinnes of my people And thys humblenesse Dauid also setteth out with his own example when he saith Entre not into iudgement with thy seruant bicause in thy sight euery one that liueth shall nat bee iustified In suche manner Esaie prayeth Loe thou art angry bicause wee haue sinned the worlde is founded in thy waies therefore we shal be saâ—ed And we haue been all filled with vncleannesse al our righteousnesses as a defiled cloth and wee haue al withered away as a leafe our iniquities do scatter vs abroade as the winde and there is none that calleth vpon thy name that rayseth vp himselfe to take holde of thee bycause thou hast hidde thy face froÌ„ vs and hast made vs to pine awaie in the hande of oure wyckednesse Now therfore O Lord thou art our father we are claye thou art our fasshioner we are the worke of thy hand Be not angry O Lord neither remembre wickednes for euer Behold loke vpon vs we ar al thy people Loe how thei stand vpoÌ„ no affiance at al but vpon this onely that thinking vpon this that thei be Gods thei despire not that he wil haue care of them Likewise Ieremie If our iniquities answer against vs do thou for thy names sake For it is bothe most truely most holyly written of whome soeuer it be which being written by an vnknoweÌ„ author is fathered vpon the Prophet Baruch A soule heauy deosolate for the greatnes of euel croked weake a hungrye soule fainting eies geue glorie to thee O Lord. Not according to the righteousnesses of our fathers doe we poure out praiers in thy sight aske mercie before thy face O Lord our God but bicause thou art merciful haue mercie vpon vs bicause we haue sinned before thee Finally the beginning also the preparing of praieng rightly is crauing of pardoÌ„ with an humble plaine confession of fault For neither is it to be hoped that euen the holiest man may obteine any thinge of God vntil hee bee freely reconciled to him neither is it possible that God may be fauourable to any but theÌ„ whom he pardoneth Wherfore it is no maruel if the faithful do with this keie opeÌ„ to theÌ„selues the dore to pray Which we learne out of many places of the Psalmes For Dauid wheÌ„ he asketh an other thing saith Remembre not the sinnes of my youthe remember me according to thy mercie for thy goodnesses sake O lord Again Loke vpoÌ„ my afflictioÌ„ my labore forgeue al my sinnes Wher we also see that it is not enough if we euery seuerall day do cal our selues accoÌ„pt for our new sinnes if we do not also remeÌ„bre those sinnes which might seeme to haue been long agoe forgotten For the same Prophet in an other place hauing coÌ„fessed one haynous offense by this occasioÌ„ returneth eueÌ„ to his mothers wombe wherin he had gathered the infectioÌ„ not to make the faulte seme lesse by the corruptioÌ„ of nature but the heaping together the sinnes of his whole life how much more rigorous he ys in coÌ„demning himself so much more easy he maye finde God to entreate But although the holy ones do not alwaye in expresse woordes aske forgeuenesse of sinnes yet if we diligently weie their praiers whiche the Scripture rehearseth we shal easily finde that which I say that thei gathered a minde to praie of the only mercy of God so alwaye toke their beginning at appeasing him bicause if euery man examine his owne conscience so far is he froÌ„ being bold to open his cares familiarlie with God yâ— he trembleth at euery coÌ„ming toward him except that he standeth vpoÌ„ trust of mercie pardon Ther is also an other special confession wher thei aske release of peines that thei also praie to haue their sinnes forgeuen bicause it weare an absurditie to will that the effecte to be takeÌ„ awaye while the cause abideth For we muste beware that God be fauourable vnto vs before that he testifye hys fauoure wyth outwarde signes bycause boothe hee hymselfe wyll keepe thys ordre and yt should lytle profyte vs to haue hym benefytiall vnlesse oure conscience feelynge hym appeased shoulde througely make hym louelye vnto vs. Whyche wee are also taughte by the aunswere of Christe For when hee hadde decreed to heale the manne sycke of the Palsey hee sayde Thy sinnes are forgeuen thee lifting vp our mindes therby to that which is chefely to be wisshed that God first receiue vs into fauoure and then shew forth the frute of reconciliation in helping vs. But byside that speciall confession of present gyltynesse wherby the faithful make supplication to obteine pardon of euery speciall faulte peine that general preface which procureth fauour to praiers is neuer to be omitted bicause vnlesse thei be grounded vpon the free mercie of God they shall neuer obteine any thing of God Whereunto maye be referred that sayeng of Ihon If we confesse oure sinnes he is faithfull righteous to forgeue vs and cleanse vs from al iniquitie For which cause it behoued praiers in the time of the law to be hallowed with expiatioÌ„ of bloode that they might be acceptable and that so the people sholde be put in minde that thei are vnworthy of so great a prerogotiue of honour til being cleansed from their defilinges thei shold of the onely mercie of God conceiue affiance to praye But wheras the holy ones seme somtime for the entreating of God to allege the helpe of their owne righteousnes as when Dauid saith Kepe my soule bicause I am good Again Ezechias RemeÌ„bre lord I beseche thee that I haue walked before thee in truthe haue done good in thyne eyes by such formes of speaking thei meane nothing els than by their very regeneratioÌ„ to testifie theÌ„selues to be the seruants childreÌ„ of God to whom he himselfe pronounceth that he wil be mercifull He teacheth by that prophet as we haue already seen that his eies are vpon the righteous his cares vnto their praiers Againe by the apostle that we shal obteine whatsoeuer we ask if we kepe his coÌ„maundemeÌ„ts In which sayenges he doth not value praier by the worthines of works but his will is so to stablish their affiance whose own coÌ„scieÌ„ce wel assureth theÌ„ of an unâ—ayned vprightnes inocenci such as al the faithful ought to be For the same is taken out of the very truth of God which the blindeman that had his sight restored saith in Ihon that God heareth not sinners if wee vnderstaÌ„d sinners after the coÌ„moÌ„ vse of the scripture for such as wtout al desire of righteousnesse do altogether slepe rest vpoÌ„ their sinnes forasmuch as no heart can
made sure and of force Therefore that shadowish ceremonie of the lawe taught that wee are all shutt oute from the face of God and that therefore wee neede a Mediator whyche maye appeare in oure name and maye beare vs vpon hys sholders and holde vs fast bounde to his breast that we may be hearde in his person then that by sprynkeling of bloode our praiers are cleansed whiche as wee haue already saide are neuer vorde of filthinesse And wee see that the holy ones when thei desyred to obteyne any thynge grounded theyr hope vpon sacrifices bycause they knewe them to be the stablishinges of all requestes Lett hym remembre thy offrynge sayeth Dauid and make thy burnt offringe fatt Herupon is gathered that God hath ben froÌ„ the beginning appeased by the intercessioÌ„ of Christ to receiue the praiers of the godly Why then doth Christe apoint a new heire when his Disciples shall beginne to praie in his name but bicause this grace as it is at this daye more glorious so deserueth more commendation wiâ—h vs. And in this same sense he had said a little before Hetherto ye haue not asked any thinge in my name nowe aske No that thei vnderstode nothing at all of the office of the Mediator whereas all the Iewes were instructed in the principles but bicause thei had not yet clerely knowen that Christ by his ascending into heauen shold be a surer patron of the Church than he was before Therefore comfort their greefe of the abscence with some speciall frute he claimeth to himselfe the office of an aduocate teaceth that thei haue hitherto wanted the cheâ—e benefite which it shal be graunted them to enioye when being aâ—ded by his mediation thei shal more frely cal vpon God as the Apostle saith that his newe waie is dedicate in his blood And so much lesse excusable is oure frowardnes vnlesse we do with both armes as the saieng is embrace so inestimable a benefite whiche is proprely apointed for vs. Nowe whereas he is the onely waie and the onely entrie by which it is graunted vs to come in vnto God whoe so doe swarue from this way and forsake this entrie for them there remayneth no waie nor entrie to God there is nothinge left in his throne but wrath iudgment terroure Finally sithe the Father hathe marked him for oure heade guide thei which do in any wise swarue or go awaie from him do labore as much as in them lieâ—h to race out dysfigure the marke which God hath imprinted So Christ is set to be the only Mediator by whose intercession the Father may be made to vs fauourable and easy to be entreated Howe be it in the meane time the holy ones haue theyr intercessions left to them wherby thei do mutually coÌ„mend the safetie one of an other to God of which the Apostle maketh mention but those be such as hange vpon that one only intercession so farre is it of that thei minish any thing of it For as thei springe out of the affectioÌ„ of loue wherwith we embrace one an other as the membres of one body so thei are alâ—o reâ—erred to the vntâ—ie of the heade Sythe therefore they also are made in the name of Christe what doe they els butte testifie that noe manne canne be holpen by any prayers at al butte wyth the intercession of Christe And as Christe wythe hys intercession wyth standeth not butte that in the Churche wee maye wyth prayers bee aduocates one for an other so lette thys remaine certayne that all the intercessors of the whole Churche oughte to bee directed to that onely one yea and for this cause we ought specially to be beware of vnthankfulnesse bycause God pardoning oure vnworthinesse doth not onely geue leaue to euery one of vs to praie for himselfe but also admitteth vs to be entreaters one for an other For where God appointeth aduocates for his Churche which deserue worthily to be reiected if they praie pryuately euery one for himselfe what a pride were it to abuse this libertie to darken the honoure of Christe Nowe yt ys a meare trifelynge whyche the Sophisters bable that Christe ys the Mediatoure of redemption butte the faythefull are Mediatoures of intercession As thoughe Christe hauynge perfourmed a Mediation for a time hathe geuen to hys seruauntes that eternall Mediatoreshippe whyche shall neuer dye Full courteouslye forfoothe they handle hym that cutte awaie so little a portion of honor from hym But the Scripture saythe farre otherwise wyth the symplicitie whereof a godly man ought to be contented leauinge these deceyuers For where Ihon saithe that yf any doe synne we haue an aduocate wyth the Father Christe Iesus dothe he meane that he was ones in olde tyme a patrone for vs and not rather assigneth to hym an euerlastinge intercession Howe saye we to thys that Paule also affirmeth that he sitteth at the right hande of God the Father and maketh intercession for vs And when in an other place he calleth hym the only Mediatoure of God and men meaneth he not of prayers of whych he had a little before made mention For when he hadde before said that intercession muste be made for all men for proofe of that sayeng hee by and by addeth that of all menne there is one God and one Mediatore And none otherwise doth Augustine expounde it when he saith thus Christian menne dothe mutually commende themselues in their prayers But he for whom none maketh intercession but he for al he is the onely and true Mediatoure Paule the Apostle though he were a principall membre vnder the heade yet bycause hee was a membre of the bodye of Christe and knewe that the greatest and truest preeste of the church entred not by a figure into the inward places of the vaile to the holy of holy places but by expresse and stedfast trueth into the innermost places of heauen â—o a holynesse not shadowish but eternal coÌ„mendeth hymself also to the prayers of the faithful Neither doth he make himself a Mediatore betweene the people God but prayeth that al the meÌ„bres of the bodye of Christe shoulde mutually praye for hym bycause the membres are carefull one for an other and if one membre suffer the other suffer with it And that so the mutuall prayers one for an other of all the membres yet trauayling in earthe may ascende to the head which is gone before into heauen in whome is appeasement â—or our synnes For yf Paule were a Mediatoure the other Apostles shoulde also bee Mediatores and if there were many Mediatoures then neither shold Paules owne reason stande faste in whych he hadde saide For ther is one God one Mediatoure of one God and menne the manne Christe in whome wee also are one if wee keepe the vnitie of faithe in the bonde of peace Againe in an other place But if thou seke for a Preest he is aboue the heauens wher he maketh intercessioÌ„ for thee whiche in
the Sonne and of the Holy ghost or must we passe ouer in silence the creation of the worlde Yea but the truthe of God is bothe in this behalfe and euery where mightiâ—r than that it neede to feare the euell speakyng of the wicked as Augustine strongly maynteineth in his worke of the good of Perseuerance For we see that the false Apostles coulde not by defamyng and sclanderyng the true Doctrine of Paule make hym to bee ashamed of it But whereas they say that this whole disputation is perillous also for godly myndes because it maketh against exhortatioÌ„s because it shaketh faith because it troubleth the hart it self this is vaine Augustine sticketh not to confesse that for these causes he was wonte to be blamed for that he did to freely preache Predestination but as he had in readinesse wherwithall he largely confuteth them But we because many and diuers absurdities are thrust into this place had rather to reserue euery one to be wyped away in place fitt for it Onely this I desire generally to obteyne of them that those thynges which the Lorde hath layed vp in secrete we may not searche those thynges which he hath brought openly abroade me may not neglect least either on the one part we be condemned of vayne curiositie or on the other parte of vnthankfulnesse For this also is very wel sayd of Augustine that we may safely folow the Scripture whiche as with a motherly pace goeth stoupyngly least it shoulde forsake our weakenesse But who so are so ware and so fearfull that they would haue Predestination to be buried least it shoulde trouble weake soules with what color I beseche you wyll they couer theyr arrogance when they indirectlye accuse God of foolishe vnaduisednesse as though he foresaw not the danger which thei think themselues to haue wisely mett with Who soeuer therfore trauaileth to bryng the doctrine of Predestination into mislikyng he openly saith euyl of God as though somwhat had vnaduisedly slipped from him which is hurtful to the Chirche Predestination wherby God adopteth some into the hope of life iudgeth some to eternall death no man that would be accompted godly dare simply denie But they wrappe it vp with many cauillations specially they which make foreknowlege the cause of it We in dede doo say that they be bothe in God but we say that the one is wrongfullye made subiecte to the other When we geue foreknowlege to God we meane that all thynges alway haue ben and perpetually dooe remayne vnder his eies so that to his knowlege there is nothyng to come or pasâ—e but all thynges are present and so present that he dothe not imagine onely by conceyued formes as those thynges are presente to vs whereof our mynde holdeth fast the remembrance but he truely beholdeth and seeth them as sett before hym And this foreknowlege extendeth to the whole compasse of the worlde and to all creatures Predestination we call the eternall decree of God whereby he hadde it determyned with hymselfe what he willed to become of euery man For all are not created to like estate but to some eternall life and to some eternall damnation is foreappointed Therfore as euery man is created to the one or other ende so we say that he is predestinate either to lyfe or to death But this predestination God hath not onely testified in euery seuerall persone but hath shewed an example therof in the whole issue of Abraham wherby myght playnly appeare that it lyeth in his will what shall be the estate of euery nation When the Hyest diuided the nations and seuered the children of Adam his parte was the people of Israell the corde of his inheritance The separation is before the eyes of all men in the persone of Abraham as in a drye stocke one people is peculiarly chosen all other beyng refused but the cause appereth not sauyng that Moses to cutte of all occasion of gloryeng from posteritie teacheth that they excell onely by the free loue of God For he assigneth this to be the cause of their deliuerance for that God loued the Fathers and chose their seede after them More playnely in an other chapiter He was pleased in you to choose you not because you passed other nations in number but because he loued you The same admonition is often repeted with hym Beholde to the Lorde thy God belongeth the heauen the earth and whatsoeuer thyngs are in it and he hath pleased hymselfe onely in your Fathers and hath loued them and hath chosen you their sede Agayne in an other place sanctificatioÌ„ is comaunded them because they are chosen to be a peculiar people And agayne in an other place Loue is affirmed to be the cause of protection Whych also the faithfull doo declare with one voyce sayeng He hath chosen for vs our inheritaunce the glorie of Iacob whome he hath loued For they do all impute to free loue all the gyftes wherewith they were garnished of God not onely because they knewe that they themselues had obteined them by no deseruynges but also that euen the holy Patriarch was not endued with suche vertue that he coulde purchase to hymselfe and his posteritie so greate a prerogatiue of honor And the more stronglye to treade downe all pride he vpbrayded them that they haue deserued no And the more strongly to treade downe all pride he vpbrayded them that they haue deserued no such thing forasmuch as they are a stubborne hard necked people And oftentimes the Prophetes do hatefully and as by way of reproche cast the Iewes in the teethe with this election because they had fowly departed from it Whatsoeuer it be nowe lett them come fourth which wil binde the election of God either to the worthinesse of men or to the merites of works When they see one nation to be preferred before al other and when they heare that God was led with no respect to be more fauourably bent to a fewe and vnnoble yea and â—rowarde and disobedient men wil they quarel with hym because hys will was to shewe suche an example of mercie But they shall neither with their pratling voices hinder his worke nor with throwing stones of tauntes into heaueÌ„ shall hitt or hurt his righteounesse but rather they shall fall backe vpon their owne heds Moreouer the Israelites are called backe to thys principle of the free couenant when either thankes are to be geuen to God or their hope to be raised vp against the time to come He made vs and not we our selues saith the Prophet his people and the shepe of his pastures The negatiue is not superfluous which is added to exclude vs that they may knowe that of all the good thinges wherwith they excell God is not onely the author but fetched the cause therof from himselfe because there was nothing in them worthie of so greate honor Also he biddeth them to be contented with the mere good pleasure of God in
he therefore colde in admonishyng and exhortyng Let these good zelous men coÌ„pare their earnestnesse with his it shal be found in them â—se in comparison of his incredible heate And truely this principle taketh away all doutes that we are not called to vncleannesse but that euery man should possesse his vessell in honor c. Agayne that we are the handy worke of God created to good workes whiche he hath prepared that we should walke in them Summarily they that are euen but meanely exercised in Paule shal without long declaration easily perceiue how fitly he maketh these thinges to agree which thei fayne to disagree Christ commaundeth that men beleue in him â–ª yet is his definitiue sentence neyther false nor contrarie to this coÌ„maundement where he sayth No man can come to me but he to whome it is geuen of my father Let preachyng therefore haue his course whiche maye bring men to fayth and with continuall profityng holde them faste in perseuerance Neither yet let the knowlege of predestination be hindered that they which obey may not be proude as of their owne but maye glorie in the Lord. Christ not for nothyng sayth Whoe so hath eares of hearyng let him heare Therfore when we exhorte preach they that haue eares do willingly obey but who so lack eares in them is fulfilled that whiche is written That hearyng they heare not But why sayth Augustine shold some haue other not haue Whoe hath knowen the minde of the Lord Must that therfore be denied which is open bicause that can not be compreheÌ„ded whiche is hidden These sayenges I haue faithfully reported out of Augustine but bicause paraduenture his wordes shall haue more authoritie than mine goe to let vs bring forth the very wordes that are red in himself If when this is heard many are turned into dulnesse and sluggishnesse and beyng enclined froÌ„ labour to lust do goe after their desires ought that therefore to be accompted false whiche is spoken of the foreknowlege of God If God haue foreknowen that they shal be good shal they not be good in how great euelnesse soeuer they nowe liue and if he haue foreknowen that they wil be euell shal they not be euel in how great goodnesse soeuer they be now seen Shal therfore those things which are truely spokeÌ„ of the foreknowlege of God be for such causes either to be denied or to be left vnspoken of namely then when if they be not spoken of men goe into errors The rule sayth he to kepe truthe vnspoken is one thing and the necessitie to speake truth is an other As for the causes of leauyng truth vnspoken it were long to search them out al of whiche yet this is one that they be not made worse whiche vnderstande it not while we meane to make them more learned that vnderstand it whoe when we speake any such thing are in deede not made more learned nor yet are made worse But when a true thing is in such case that when we speake it he is made worse that can not conceiue it and when we speake it not he is made worse that can conceyue it what thinke we now to be done is not the truth rather to be spoken that he maye conceiue it that can conceyue it that kepe it vnspoken that not only neither of them maye conceiue it but also he that more vnderstandeth may be the worse wheras if he did heare conceiue it by him also many shold learne And we wil not say that which as the Scripture witnesseth we lawfully might haue spokeÌ„ For we feare for so the least when we speake he be offended that can not conceiue it but we feare not least while we holde our peace he that can conceyue truthe be deceiued with falshed Whiche sentence he at the last shortly knittyng vp more plainely also confirmeth Wherefore if the Apostles they which followed them the doctors of the Church did both namely both godlyly preache of the eternall election of God and holde the faythfull in awe vnder the discipline of godly life why doe these our aduersaries beyng confuted with inuincible violence of truthe thinke that they saye well in sayeng that that whiche is spoken of predestination is not to be preached to the people although it be true Yea it must in any wise be preached that he which hath eares to heare may heare But who hath eares if he haue not receiued them froÌ„ him that promiseth that he will geue them Truely let him yâ— receiueth not refuse it so that yet he which receiueth it do take drinke do drink liue For as godlinesse is to be preached that God may be rightly worshipped so is also predestination that he whiche hath eares to heare of the grace of God may glorie in God and not in himself And yet that holy man as he had a singular desire to edifie so tempereth the manner of teaching the truthe that offense be wisely auoyded so far as it lawfully maye be For he sheweth that those thinges which are truely sayd maye also be conueniently sayd If any man do thus preache to the people If ye beleue not the cause is for that ye are already predestinate of God to destruction suche a man doth not only cherish slouthfulnesse but also maineteyne wickednesse If any man also stretch his sayeng to the time to come and saye that they whiche heare shall not beleue bicause they are reprobate this shal be rather a cursyng than a teachyng Such therfore Augustine not vnworthily biddeth to departe from the Church as foolish teachers and vnlucky and ill prophecieng Prophetes In an other place he truely affirmeth that it is to beholden that a man then profiteth with rebukyng when he hath mercie and helpeth whiche maketh to profit whome he will euen without rebukyng But why some thus some otherwise God forbidde that that we should saye that the power of iudgyng belongeth rather to the claye than to the potter Agayne afterward When men by rebuking either come or returne into the way of righteousnes who worketh saluatioÌ„ in their heartes but he which when any whosoeuer he be planted watereth geueth the encrease whom when he wil saue no freewill of man resisteth It is therefore not to be doubted that the willes of men can not resist the will of God which both in heauen earth hath done what soeuer he would and which hath also done those thinges that are to come but that he may do what he wil for asmuch as euen of the very willes of men he doth what he wil. Agayne wheÌ„ he wil leade meÌ„ to him doth he binde them with corporal bondes He inwardly worketh inwardly holdeth hearts inwardly moueth hearts draweth them with their willes which he himself hath made in theÌ„ But that which he by and by addeth ought in no wise to be omitted that bicause we know not whoe belongeth or not belongeth to the number of the
declare any thyng at all but frō the Lord. Therfore it is said that the people when thei embraced his doctrine beleued in God and in his seruant Moses Also that the authoritie of the priestes shoulde not growe in contempt it was stablished with most greuous penalties But therwithal the Lord sheweth vpon what cōdition they wer to be heard when he saieth that he hath made his couenant with Leui that the law of truthe shoulde be in his mouth And a little after he addeth The lips of the priest shall kepe knowledge and they shall require the law at his mouth because he is the angell of the God of hostes Therfore if the priest will be heard lette him shewe himself the messinger of God that is let him faithfully report the cōmaundements that he receiued of his author And where it is specially entreated of the hearing of them this is expressely set That they may answer accordyng to the lawe of God What maner of power the Prophetes generally had is very well described in Ezechiell Thou sonne of man saith the Lord I haue geuē thee to be a watcheman to the house of Israell Therefore thou shalte heare the worde out of my mouth and thou shalte declare it to them frō me He that is commaunded to heare out of the mouthe of the Lord is he not forbidden to inuent any thyng of himself But what is to declare from the Lorde but so to speake as he may boldly boast that it is not his owne but the Lordes woorde that he hath broughte The selfe same thyng is in Hieremie in other wordes Let the Prophet saith he with whom is a dreame tell a dreame and let him that hath my woorde speake my worde true Certainly he appointeth a law to them all And that is such that he permitteth not any to teach more than he is cōmanded And after he calleth it chaffe all that is not come from himselfe onely Therfore none of the Prophetes them selues opened his mouth but as the Lord tolde hym the wordes before Wherupon these sayinges are so ofte found among thē the word of the Lord the burden of the Lorde so sayth the Lord the mouth of the Lord hath spoken And worthily For Esaie cryed oute that he had defyled lyppes Ieremie confessed that he coulde not speake because he was a childe What coulde procede from the defiled mouth of the one and the foolishe mouthe of the other but vncleane and vnwise if they had spoken their owne speche But this lyps were holy and pure when they began to be the instruments of the Holy ghost When the Prophetes are boūd with this religion that they deliuer nothyng but that which they haue receiued thē they be garnished with notable power and excellent titles For when the Lorde testifieth that he hath set them ouer nations and kyngdomes to pluck vp and to roote out to destroy and plucke downe to builde and to plant he by and by adioyneth the cause because he hath put his wordes in theyr mouth Nowe if you looke to the Apostles they are in dede commended with many and notable titles that they are the light of the worlde and the salt of the earth that they are to be heard in stede of Christ that whatsoeuer they bynde or lose in earth shal be bounde or loosed in heauen But in their very name they shewe howe muche is permitted theim in their office that is if they be Apostles that they shoulde not prate whatsoeuer they list but shold faithfully report his commaundementes from whom they are sent And the wordes of Christe are playne enough in which he hath determined their embassage when he cōmaūded them to go teach al nations al those thinges that he had cōmaunded Yea he himself also receiued this lawe and laid it vpon himself that it shold be lawful for no man to refuse it My doctrine sayth he is not myne but his that sent me my fathers He that was alway the only and eternall coūseller of the Father he that was appointed by the Father the Lord and scholemaister of all men yet because he executed the ministerie of teaching prescribed by his owne example to all ministers what rule they ought to folow in teaching Therfore the power of the Chirch is not infinite but subiect to the word of the lord and as it were enclosed in it But sith this hath from the beginnyng ben of force in the Chirche at this day ought to be in force that the seruantes of God shold teache nothing whiche they haue not learned of him yet accordyng to the diuersitie of tymes they had diuers orders of learnyng But that order which is nowe muche differeth from those that were before First if it be true whiche Christe saieth that none hath seene the Father but the Sonne and he to whom it hath pleased the Sonne to shewe him it behoued verily that they should be alway directed by that eternal wisdome of the Father whiche wold come to the knowledge of God For howe should they either haue comprehended in mynd or vttered the misteries of God but by his teachyng to whom alone the secretes of the Father ar open Therfore the holy fathers in old time knew GOD no other wise but beholding him in the Sonne as in a glasse When I say this I meane that God did neuer by any other meane disclose hymselfe to men but by the Son that is his only wisdome light and truthe Out of this fountaine did Adam Noe Abraham Isaac Iacob and the other draw all the knowlege that they had of heauenly doctrine Out of the same foūtain haue also al the Prophetes themselues drawē al the heauēly Oracles that they vttered For verily this Wisedome hath alway disclosed 〈◊〉 selfe by moe waies than one To the Patriarches he vsed secrete reuelations but therwithall to confirme their myndes he adioyned suche signes that it coulde not bee doutefull to them that is was God that spake The Patriarches conueied ouer from hand to hand to posteritie that whiche they had receiued For the Lorde left it with them to this entent that they should so sprede it abrode But the children childrens children by God secretely informyng them did knowe that that whiche they heard was from heauen and not from the earth But when it pleased God to raise a more apparāt forme of a Chirche he willed to haue his worde put in writing noted that the prests shold fetch frō thense what thei might deliuer to the people that all the doctrine that shold be taught shold be tried by that rule Therfore after the publishyng of the law when the prestes are comaunded to teach out of the mouth of the Lord the meaning is that they shold teach nothing straūge or differing from that kinde of learning which the Lord cōprehended in the lawe and to adde and diminishe was vnlawful for them Then folowed the Prophets by
than eche one seuerally neither is it my meaning that thys is so spoken in common to the faithful as though they were al alike endued with the Spirite of vnderstanding and doctrine but because it is not to be graunted to the aduersaries of Christ that they should for the defense of an euill cause wrest the Scripture to a wrong sense But omitting this I simply cōfesse that which is true that the lord is perpetually presēt with his ruleth them with his Spirite And that this Spirite is not the Spirite of error ignorance lyeng or darkenesse but of sure reuelation wisedome trueth light of whō they not deceitfully may learne those thinges that are geuē them that is to say what is the hope of their calling what be the richesse of the glory of the inheritaunce of God in the saintes But wheras the faythful euen they that are endued with more excellent giftes aboue the rest do in thys fleshe receiue onely the firste frutes a certaine tast of that Spirite there remaineth nothing leeuer to them thā knowing their own weakenesse to hold themselues carefully within the boundes of the worde of God least if they wander farr after their own sense they by by stray out of the right waie in so much as they be yet voide of that Spirite by whoe 's only teaching truth is discerned from falshode For all men do confesse with Paule that they haue not yet atteined to the marke Therfore they more endeuor to daily profiting than glory of perfection But they wil take exception say that whatsoeuer is particularly attributed to euery one of the holy ones the same doth throughly fully belong to the Chirche it selfe Although this hath some seming of truth yet I deney it to be true God doth in dede so distribute to euery one of the members the giftes of his Spirite by measure that the whole body wanteth nothing necessarie whē the giftes are geuē in cōmon But the richesse of the Chirche are alway such that there euer wāteth much of that hiest perfection which our aduersaries do bost of Yet the Chirche is not therefore so lefte destitute in any behalf but that she alway hath so much as is enough For the Lord knoweth what her necessitie requireth But to holde her vnder humilitie and godly modestie he geueth her no more than he knoweth to be expedient I know what here also they are wont to obiecte that is that the Chirche is clensed with the washing of water in the worde of life that it might be without wrincle and spot and that therfore in an other place it is called the piller and stay of truth But in the first of these two places is rather taught what Christ daily worketh in it than what he hath allredy done For if he daily sanctifieth purgeth polysheth wypeth from spottes all them that be his truely it is certayne that they are yet besprinkled with some spottes and wrincles and that there wanteth somwhat of their sanctificatiō But how vayne and fabulous is it to iudge the Chirch alredy in euery part holy and spottlesse wherof all the members are spotty and very vncleane It is true therefore that the Chirche is sanctified of Christe But onely the beginning of that sanctifieng is here seen but the ende and full accomplishment shall be when Christe the holiest of holy ones shall truely and fully fill it with his holinesse It is true also that the spottes and wrincles of it are wiped awaye but so that they be daily in wiping awaye vntill Christe with his comming dooe vtterlye take awaye all that remaineth For vnlesse we graunt this we must of necessitie affirme with the Pelagians that the righteousnesse of the faithfull is perfect in this life and with the Cathani and Donatistes we muste suffer no infirmitie in the Chirch The other place as we haue ells where seen hath a sense vtterly differing from that which they pretende For when Paule hath instructed Timothee and framed him to the true office of a Bishop he sayeth that he did it to this purpose that he should knowe how he ought to be haue himselfe in the Chirch And that he should with the greater religiousnesse and endeuor bend himselfe thereunto he addeth that the Chirch is the very piller stay of truth For what ells do these wordes meane but that the truth of God is preserued in the Chirch namely by the ministerie of preaching As in an other place he teacheth that Christ gaue Apostles Pastors and Teachers that we should no more be caried about with euery winde of doctrine or be morked of men but that being enlightened with the true knowledge of the Sonne of God we should altogether mete in vnitie of Faith Wheras therfore the truth is not extinguished in the world but remayneth safe that same cōmeth to passe because it hath the Chirche a faithful keper of it by whoe 's helpe ministerie it is susteined But if this keping standeth in the ministerie of the Prophetes and Apostles it foloweth that it hangeth wholy herupō if the word of the Lord be faithfully preserued doe kepe hys puritie But that the reders may better vnderstande vpon what pointe thys question chefely standeth I wil in fewe wordes declare what our aduersaries require and wherin we stande against them Where they say that the Chirche can not erre it tendeth herunto thus they expounde it that forasmuch as it is gouerned by the Spirite of God it may goe safely without the worde that whether soeuer it goeth it can not thinke nor speake any thing but truth that therfore if it determine any thing wtout or beside Gods worde the same is no otherwise to be estemed than as a certaine Oracle of God If we graūt that first point that the Chirche can not erre in thinges necessarie to saluation this is our meaning that this is therfore because forsaking al her own wisdome she suffreth her selfe to be taught of the Holy ghost by the word of God This therfore is the difference They set the authoritie of the Chirch without the worde of God but we wil that it be annexed to the worde and suffer it not to be seuered from it And what maruel is it if the spouse and scholar of Christ be subiect to her husbande scholemaister that the cōtinually and ernestly hāgeth of his mouth For this is the order of a wel gouerned house that the wife should obey the authoritie of the husbande thys is the rule of a wel ordered schoole that the teaching of the scholemaster alone should there be heard Wherfore let the Chirche not be wise of her selfe not thinke any thing of her selfe but determine the ende of her wisdōe where he hath made an ende of speaking After thys maner she shal also distruste all the inuentions of her owne reason but in those thinges wherin it stādeth vpō the word of God she shall wauer
decree of any Councel is brought foorth I would haue it first to be diligently weyed at what tyme it was holden for what cause it was holden what maner of men were present and then the very thyng that is entreated of to be examined by the rule of the Scripture and that in suche sorte as the determination of the Councell may haue his force and be as a foreiudged sentence and yet not hinder the aforesaid examination I wold to God all men did kepe that moderation which Augustine prescribeth in the third boke against Maximinus For when he mynded brefely to put to silence this heretike contendyng about the Decrees of Councels Neither sayeth he ought I to obiect against thee the Synod of Nice nor thou against me the Synode of Ariminum as to the entent to conclude one an other by foreiudged sentēce neither am I bound by the authoritie of the one nor thou of the other By authorities of Scriptures not such as are propre to either one but suche as are common to both let there striue mater with mater cause with cause reason with reason So should it come to passe that Coūcels should haue the maiestie that they ought but in the meane season the Scripture should be alone in the hier place that there might be nothing that shold not be subiect to the rule therof So these old Synods as of Nice of Constantinople the first of Ephesus of Chalcedon and such other which were holdē for confutyng of errors we willyngly embrace and reuerēce as holy so much as belongeth to the doctrines of faith for they conteine nothyng but the pure and naturall exposition of Scripture whiche the holy fathers with spirituall wisdome applied to the subduyng of the enemies of religion that then rose vp In some of the later Councels also we se to appere a true zele of godlinesse and plaine tokens of witt learning and wisdom But as thinges ar wonte commonly to growe to worse we maye se by the later Councells howe muche the Chirch hath nowe and then degenerate from the purenesse of that golden age And I doute not but that in these corrupter ages also Councells haue had some Bishoppes of the better sorte But in these the same happened which the Senators themselues complained to be not well doone in makyng of ordinances of the senate at Rome For while the sentences are numbred not weyed it is of necessitie that oftētimes the better part is ouercom of the greater Truly they brought foorth many wicked sentences Neither is it here nedefull to gather the speciall examples either because it should be to long or because other haue doon it so diligently that there can not muche be added Now what nede I to reherse Councels disagreyng with Councels And it is no cause that any should murmure against me and say that of those Councels that disagree the one is not lawfull For howe shall we iudge that By this if I be not deceiued that we shall iudge by the Scriptures that the decrees thereof are not agreable with true doctrine For this is the onely certaine law to discerne them by It is now about nine hundred yeares agoe sins the Synode of Constantinople gathered together vnder Leo the Emperour iudged that images sette vp in Chirches should be ouerthrowen and broken in pieces A lyttell afterward the Councell of Nice which Irene the Empresse assembled in spite of him decreed that they shoulde bee restored Whether of these two shall we acknowledge for a lawful Counsell The later which gaue images a place in Chirches hath preuailed among the people But Augustine saith that that can not be doone without moste present perill of idolatrie Epiphanius whiche was before in tyme speaketh much more sharply for he saith that it is wickednesse abhomination to haue images seen in a Chirche of Christians Wold they that so speake allowe that Councell if they were aliue at this day But if bothe the hystorians tell truth and the very actes be beleued not only images them selues but also the worshipping of them was there receiued But it is euident that suche a decree came from Satan How say you to this that in deprauing and tearing the Scripture they shew that they made a mocking stocke of it Whiche thyng I haue before sufficiently made open Howsoeuer it be we shall no otherwise be able to discerne betwene contrarye and disagreyng Synodes whiche were many vnlesse we trie them all by that balance of all men and angels that is by the worde of the Lord. So we embrace the Synode of Chalcedon refusyng the seconde Synode of Ephesus because in this latter one the wickednesse of Eutyches was confirmed which the other former condemned This thing holy mē haue iudged none otherwise but by the Scripture whom we so folowe in iudgyng that the woorde of God which gaue light to them doeth also nowe geue light to vs. Nowe let the Romanistes goe and boast as they are wont that the Holy ghost is fastned and bound to their Councells Howbeit there is also somwhat which a man may well thinke to bee wantyng in those auncient and purer Councels either because thei that then were at them beyng otherwise learned and wise men wholly bent to the businesse then in hande did not foresee many other thyngs or for that many thynges of lighter importance escaped them beeyng busied with weightier and more earnest maters or for that simply as beeyng menne they myghte bee deceiued with vnskilfulnesse or for that they were sometyme caried headlong with to muche affection Of this laste point whiche semeth the hardest of all there was a plaine example in the Nicene Synode the dignitie whereof hath by consent of all men as it was worthy ben receiued with most hye reuerence For when the principall article of our faith was there in daunger Arrius the enemie was present in redinesse with whom they must fyght hande to hande and the chief emportance lay in the agrement of them that came prepared to fight againste the error of Arrius this not withstandyng they carelesse of so great daūgers yea as it were hauyng forgotten grauitie modestie all humanitie leauyng the battel that they had in hand as if they had com thether of purpose to do Arrius a pleasure began to woūd themselues with inward dissentions and to tourne against themselues the stile that should haue ben bent against Arrius There were hearde fowle obiectyngs of crimes there were scattered bokes of accusations and there would haue ben no ende made of contentions vntill they had with mutuall woundes one destroied an other vnlesse the Emperor Constantine had preuēted it which professyng that the examinyng of their life was a mater aboue his knowledge and chastised suche intemperance rather with praise than with rebukyng How many waies is it credible that the other Councels also failed whiche folowed afterward Neither doeth this mater nede long profe For if a man reade ouer the actes of the Councels he shall note
therin many infirmities though I speake of nothyng more greuous And Leo bishop of Rome sticketh not to charge with ambition and vnaduised rashnesse the Synode of Chalcedon which yet he confesseth to be sounde in doctrines He doeth in dede not denie that it was a lawfull Synode but he openly affirmeth that it might erre Some man peraduenture will thinke me fonde for that I busy my selfe in shewyng suche errors forasmuche as our aduersaries do confesse that Councels may erre in those thyngs that ar not necessary to saluation But this labor is not yet superfluous For althoughe because they are compelled they do in dede confesse it in worde yet when they thrust vnto vs the determination of al councels in euery mater whatsoeuer it be for an oracle of the Holy ghost they do therein require more than they toke at the beginnyng In so doing what do they affirme but that Coūcels can not erre or if they erre yet it is not lawfull for vs to see the truthe or not to soothe their errors And I intend nothyng ells but that it may therby be gathered that the Holy ghost so gouerned the godly and holy Synodes that in the mean tyme he suffred somwhat to happen to them by the nature of men lest we shold to muche trust to men This is a muche better sentence than that of Gregorie Nazianzene that he neuer sawe a good end of any Councel For he that affirmeth that al without exception ended ill doth not leaue them much authoritie It is now nothyng nedefull to make mention seuerally of prouinciall Councells forasmuche as it is easy to iudge by the general how much authoritie they ought to haue to make newe articles of Faithe and to receiue what kynde of doctrine soeuer it pleaseth them But our Romanistes when they see that in defence of their cause all helpe of reason doth faile them do resort to that extreme and miserable shift that although the men themselues be blockishe in wit and coūsell and moste wicked in mynde and will yet the word of God remaineth whiche cōmaundeth to obey Rulers Is it so what if I denie that they be rulers that ar such For they ought to take vpon themselues no more than Iosua had which was bothe a Prophet of the Lord an excellent pastor But let vs heare with what wordes he is set by the Lorde into his office Let not saieth he the volume of this lawe depart from thy mouth but thou shalt studie vpon it daies nights Thou shalt neither bow to the right hand nor to the left then shalt thou direct thy way vnderstād it They therfore shal be to vs spiritual rulers which shal not bowe frō the law of the Lord neither to the one side nor to the other But if the doctrine of al pastors whatsoeuer they be is to be receiued wtout any douting to what purpose was it that we shold so oft so earnestly be admonished not to harken to the speche of false prophets Heare not saith he by Hieremie the words of the prophets that prophecie to you For they teach you vanitie not out of the mouth of the Lord. Again Beware you of false prophets that come vnto you in shepes clothing but inwardly are rauening wolues And Iohn should in vaine exhort vs that we should proue the Spirits whether they be of God From which iudgement the very Angels are not exēpted much lesse Satan with all his lyes What is to be said of this saying if the blind lead the blind they shal both fall into the diche Doth it not sufficiently declare that it is of great importance what maner of prophets be heard and that not all are rashely to be heard Wherfore there is no reason that they should make vs afraid with their titles therby to draw vs into partakyng of their blyndnesse forasmuche as we see on the other side that the Lorde hadde a singular care to fray vs away from suffring our selues to be led with other mens error vnder what visor of name soeuer it lurketh For if the answer of Christ be true then al blynd guides whether they be called fathers of the Chirch or prelates or bishops can do nothing but draw their partners into the same headlong downfall Wherfore let no names of Councels Pastors Bishops which may as well be falsely pretended as truely vsed hinder vs but that beyng taught by lessons both of words and examples we may examine all spirites of all men by the rule of the word of God that we may proue whether they be of God or no. Forasmuche as we haue proued that there is not geuen to the Chirch a power to set vp a newe doctrine now let vs speake of the power whiche they attribute vnto it in expoundyng of Scripture Truely we doo willingly graunt that if there happen debate about any doctrine there is no better nor surer remedy than if a Synode of true bishops assemble together where the doctrine in controuersie maie be discussed For suche a determination wherunto the Pastors of Chirches shall agree in common together calling vpon the Spirite of Christ shall haue muche greater force than if euery one seuerally should conceiue it at home so teach it to the people or if a few priuate men shold make it Again when bishops are gathered together in one they doo the more cōmodiously take aduise in cōmon what in what forme they ought to teach least diuersitie shold brede offence Thirdely Paule prescribeth this order in discerning of doctrines For wheras he geueth to euery seuerall Chirche a power to discerne he sheweth what is the order of doyng in weightier causes that is that the Chirches shold take vpon them a cōmon tryall of the mater together And so doth the very feeling of godlinesse instructe vs that if any man trouble the Chirch with an vnwonted doctrine the mater procede so farre that there be peril of greater dissention the Chirches shold first mete together and examine the question propounded at last after iuste discussing had bryng foorthe a determination taken out of the Scripture suche as may both take away doutyng out of the people and stoppe the mouthes of wicked and gredy men that they may not bee so hardy to procede any further So when Arrius was risen the Nicene Synode was gathered together whiche with the authoritie therof bothe did breake the wicked endeuors of the vngodly man and restored peace to the Chirches whiche he had vexed and defended the eternall godhead of Christ againste his blasphemous doctrine When afterward Eunonius and Macedonius stirred vp new troubles their madnesse was resisted with like remedie by the Synode of Constantinople In the Coūsel at Ephesus the wickednesse of Nestorius was banished Finally this hath ben from the beginning the ordinarie meane in the Chirch to preserue vnitie so ofte as Satan began to worke any thyng But let vs remembre that not in all ages or in all places
people of Israell that such introduction was ordeined for their sakes whiche although the stronger may well want yet they oughte not to neglecte it forasmuche as they see it to be profitable for the weake brethren I answer that we ar not ignorant what we owe to the weakenesse of our brethren but on the other side we take exception and say that this is not the way whereby the weake may bee prouided for that they shold be ouerwhelmed with great heapes of Ceremonies The Lorde did not in vaine put this difference betweene vs and the olde people that his wil was to instruct them like children with signes figures but vs more simply without such outward furniture As saieth Paule a childe is ruled of his scholemaister and kept vnder custodie accordyng to the capacitie of his age so the Iewes are kepte vnder the lawe But we are like vnto full growen men whiche beeyng set at libertie from tutorshyp and gouernement haue no more neede of childishe introductions Truely the Lorde did foresee what maner of common people there shold be in his Chirche and how they shoulde be ruled Yet he did in this maner as we haue said make differēce betwene vs and the Iewes Therfore it is a foolishe way if we will prouide for the ignorant in raising vp Iewishenesse which is abrogate by Christ Christ also touched in his owne woordes this difference of the olde and new people when he said to the woman of Samaria that the time was cōme wherin the true worshippers should worship God in Spirite and truth This verily had alway ben don but the new worshippers differed frō the old in this point that vnder Moses the spiritual worshippyng of God was shadowed and in a maner entāgled with many Ceremonies which being abolished he is now more simply worshipped Therfore thei that confound this difference do ouerthrow the order institute and stablished by Christ. Shal there then wilt thou say no Ceremonies be geuen to the ruder sort to helpe their vnskilfulnesse I say not so for I verily thinke that this kynde of helpe is profitable for them I doe here trauaile only that suche a meane may be vsed as may brightly sette out Christ and not darken hym Therfore there are geuen vs of God few Ceremonies those not laborsome that they should shew Christ being present The Iewes had moe geuen them that they shold be images of him being absent Absent I say he was not in power but in maner of signifying Therfore that meane may be kept it is necessarie to keepe that fewnesse in number easinesse in obseruing and dignitie in signifieng which also cōsisteth in clerenesse What nede I to say that this hath not ben done For the thyng it selfe is in all mens eyes Here I omitt with how pernicious opinions mens myndes are filled in thinking that they be sacrifices wherewith oblation is rightly made to God wherby sinnes are clēsed wherby righteousnesse saluatiō is obteined They wyl deny that good things ar corrupted with such forein errors forasmuch as in this behalf a man may no lesse offende in the very works also cōmaunded of God But this hath more hainousnesse that so much honor is geuē to works rashely fained by the will of mā that they are thought to be things deseruing eternal life For the works cōmaunded of God haue reward therfore because that lawmaker himself in respect of obedience accepteth them Therfore they receiue not their value of their own worthinesse or of their own deseruing but because God so muche estemeth our obediēce toward him I speake here of that perfectiō of works which is commaunded of God and is not performed of mē For therfore the very works of the law which we do haue no thāk but of the fre goodnesse of God because in them our obediēce is weake lame But bicause we do not here dispute of what value works ar without Christ therfore let vs passe ouer the question I come back again to that which proprely belōgeth to this presēt argumēt that whatsoeuer cōmēdation works haue in them they haue it in respect of the obediēce which only the Lord doth loke vpon as he testifieth by the Prophet I gaue not cōmaūdement of sacrifices burnt offringes but only that ye shold with hearing heare my voice But of fained works he speaketh in an other place saying Ye weye your siluer not in bred Againe they worship me in vaine with the precepts of men This therfore they can by no waies excuse that they suffer the silly people to seke in those outward trifles the righteousnesse wherby they may stand against God vphold themselues before the heauenly iugement seate Moreouer is not this a fault worthy to be inueyed against that they shew foorth Ceremonies not vnderstanded as it were a stage play or a magicall enchaūtment ▪ For it is certaine that al Ceremonies are corrupt and hurtfull vnlesse men be by them directed to Christ. But the Ceremonies that are vsed vnder the papacie are seuered from doctrine that they may the more holde men in signes without all signification Finally such a conning craftesman is the belly it appeareth that many of them haue ben inuented by couetous sacrificing prestes to bee snares to catche money But what beginning soeuer they haue they are all so geuen foorth in cōmon for filthy gaine that we must nedes cut of a greate parte of them if we will bring to passe that there be not a prophane market and full of sacrilege vsed in the Chirch Although I seeme not to teach a continuall doctrine concernyng the ordinances of men because this speakyng is altogether applied to our owne tyme yet there is nothyng spoken that shall not be profitable for all tymes For so oft as this superstition crepeth in that men wyl worship God with theyr owne fayned deuises whatsoeuer the lawes bee that ar made to that purpose they do by by degenerate to those grosse abuses For the Lord thretneth not this curse to one or two ages but to al ages of the world that he wil strike them with blyndnesse and amased dullnesse that worshyp him with the doctrines of men This blyndyng continually maketh that they flee from no kynde of absurditie whiche despisyng so many warnyngs of God doe wilfully wrap them selues in those deadly snares But if settyng asyde circumstances you wyl haue simply shewed what be the mens traditions of al ages which it is mete to be reiected of the Chirche and to bee disalowed of all the godly that same shal be a sure and playne definition whiche we haue aboue sette that all lawes without the worde of God are made by men to this end either to prescribe a maner of worshippyng God or to bind consciences with religion as though they gaue cōmaundement of thinges necessary to saluation If to the one or both of these there be adioyned other faultes as that with their multitude they darken the
it was drawen to those signes whiche had a reuerende representation of hie and spiritual thinges Which Augustine also noteth in one place It were long sayth he to dispute of the diuersitie of signes which when they perteine to diuine thinges are called Sacramentes Now of this definitioÌ„ which we haue set we vnderstande that a Sacrament is neuer without a promise going before it but rather is adioined as a certaine addition hanging to it to this ende that it should confirme and seale the promise it selfe and make it more approued vnto vs yea after a certaine maner ratified Which meane the Lord foreseeth to be nedefull first for our ignorance and dullnesse and theÌ„ for our weaknesse and yet to speake properly not so much to coÌ„firme his holy word as to stablish vs in the Faith therof For the truth of God is by it selfe sounde and certaine enough and can not froÌ„ any other where receiue better confirmation than from it selfe But our Faith as it is smal and weake vnlesse it be stayed on euery side and be by al meanes vpholden is by and by shaken wauereth staggereth yea and fainteth And herein verily the mercifull Lorde according to his great tender kindnesse tempereth himselfe to our capacitie that whereas we be naturall men which alway creping vpon the grounde and sticking fast in the flesh dooe not thinke nor so much as coÌ„ceiue any spiritual thing he vouchesaueth euen by these earthly elementes to guide vs vnto himselfe and in the fleshe it selfe to set fourth a mirror of spirituall good thinges For if we were vnbodily as Chrysostome sayth he would haue geuen vs the very same thinges naked and vnbodily Now because we haue soules putte within bodies he geueth spirituall thinges vnder visible thinges Not because there are suche giftes planted in the natures of the thinges which are set fourth to vs in the Sacramentes but because they were signed by God to this signification And this is it which they coÌ„monly say that a SacrameÌ„t coÌ„sisteth of the word the outward signe For we must vnderstande the worde to be not that which being whispered wtout meaning Faith with onely noise as it were with a magical enchauntment hath power to coÌ„secrate the element but which being preached maketh vs to vnderstande what the visible signe meaneth Therfore that which was vsually done vnder the tyraÌ„nie of the Pope was not without a great profaning of the mysteries For they thought it inough if the Prest while the people stode amasedly gazing at it without vnderstanding did mumble vp the forme of consecration Yea they of set purpose prouided this that no whit of doctrine shoulde thereof come to the people for they spake all thinges in Latine before vnlearned men Afterwarde superstitioÌ„ brake out so farr that they beleued that the consecration was not formally made vnlesse it were with a hoarse whispering sounde which fewe might heare But Augustine teacheth farr otherwise of the Sacramental worde Let the word sayth he be added to the element and there shal be made a SacrameÌ„t For whense cometh this so great strength to the water to touch the body and washe the soule but by the word making it not because it is spoken but because it is beleued For in the very worde it selfe the sounde which passeth is one thing and the power whiche abideth is an other This is the worde of Faith which we preach sayth the Apostle Wherevpon in the Actes of the Apostles it is said by Faith cleansing their hartes And Peter the Apostle sayth So Baptisme also saueth vs not the putting away of the filthinesse of the flesh but the examination of a good coÌ„science This is the worde of Faith which we preach by which without dout that it may be able to cleanse Baptisme also is halowed You se how it riquireth preaching wherupoÌ„ Faith may growe And we nede not to trauaile much in profe hereof forasmuch as it is clere what Christ did what he commaunded vs to do what the Apostles folowed what the purer Chirch obserued Yea euen from the beginning of the world it is knowen that so oft as God offred any signe to the holy Fathers there was added an vnseparable knot of doctrine without which our senses should be made amased with bare beholding Therfore wheÌ„ we heare mention made of the Sacramental worde let vs vnderstand the promise which being with a loude voice preached of the minister may leade the people thether as it were by the hande whether the signe tendeth and directeth vs. Neither are some to be heard which trauail to fight against this with a doble horned argument rather suttle than sounde Either say they we know or we knowe not that the worde of God which goeth before the Sacrament is the true will of God If we knowe it then we learne no new thing of the Sacrament which foloweth after If we know it not then neither wil the Sacramente teach it whoe 's whole force standeth in the worde Wherunto let this brefely be for an answere that the seales which are hanged at patentes and other publike instrumentes takeÌ„ by themselues are nothing forasmuche as they shoulde be hanged in vaine if the parchemente had nothing written in it yet they doe not therefore not confirme and seale that which is written when they be added to writinges Neither can they say that this similitude is lately fayned by vs whiche Paule himselfe vsed calling CircumcisioÌ„ a seale where he purposely trauaileth to proue that Circumcision was not righteousnesse to Abraham but a sealyng of that couenaunte by faith whereof he had alredy ben iustified before And what I beseche you is there that may muche offende any man if we teache that the promise is sealed with Sacramentes when of the promises themselues it is euidente that one is confirmed with an other For as euery one is manifester so is it more fit to vpholde faith But the SacrameÌ„tes do both bring most clere promises and haue this peculiar more than the worde that they liuely represent them to vs as it wer painted out in a table Neither ought that distinction any thing to moue vs which is wont to be obiected betwene Sacramentes and seales of patentes that wheras both consist of carnall elementes of this world those can not suffice or be mete to seale the promises of God which are spirituall and euerlasting as these are wont to be haÌ„ged to for sealing of the grauntes of Princes concerning fading and fraile thinges For a faithfull man when the Sacramentes are prâ—sente before his eyes sticketh not in that fleshly sighte but by those degrees of proportion whiche I haue spoken of he riseth vp with godly consideration to the hie mysteries which lie hidden in the Sacramentes And sith the Lord calleth his promises couenantes and his Sacramentes seales of couenantes a similitude may wel be brought froÌ„ the couenantes of men What can a sowe killed worke if wordes were not vsed
to admonishe them of what force the worde of God is of it self being preached by man he compareth the ministers themselues to husbandemen which when they haue bestowed their labor and trauaile in tillyng the earth haue no more to do But what shold tillyng and sowing and wateryng profit vnlesse that whiche is sowen should receiue liuetynesse by heauenly benefite Therfore he concludeth that bothe he that planteth and he that watereth are nothyng but that all thynges are to be ascribed to God whiche alone geueth the encrease Therefore the Apostles do in their preachyng vtter the power of the Spirite so farre as God vseth the instrumentes ordeined by hymselfe to the settyng foorth of his spirituall grace Yet we must kepe still that distinction that we remembre what man is able to do by hymselfe and what is propre to God Sacramentes are so confirmations of our Faith that many tymes when the Lorde meaneth to take away the confidence of the very thynges that are by hym promysed in the Sacramentes he taketh away the sacramentes themselues When he spoyleth and thrusteth away Adam from the gifte of immortalitie he sayth Let him not eate of the fruite of lyfe least he lyue for euer What sayth he Coulde that fruite restore to Adam his vncorruption from which he was nowe fallen No. But this is all one as if he had said Least he should enioy a vaine confidēce if he kepe still the signe of my promise let that bee shaken awaye from hym whiche myght bryng hym some hope of immortalitie After this maner when the Apostle exhorteth the Ephesians to remēbre that they were forein gestes of the testamentes strangers from the felowship of Israell without God without Christ he saith that they were not partakers of Circumcision Whereby he doth by figure of transnomination signifie that they were excluded from the promise it self which had not receiued the signe of the promise To their other obiection that the glorie of God is conueyed to creatures to whome so muche power is ascribed and that therby it is so farre diminished we haue in redynesse to answere that we set no power in creatures Onely this we say that God vseth meanes and instrumentes whiche he hymselfe seeth to be expedient that all thynges may serue his glorie forasmuch as he is Lorde and iudge of all Therfore as by bread and other nourishementes he feedeth our body as by the sunne he enlightneth the world as by fire he warmeth yet neither bread nor the sunne nor fyre are any thing but so farre as by those instrumentes he dothe distribute his blessynges vnto vs so spiritually he nourisheth Faith by the Sacramentes whose onely office is to sett his promises before our eies to be loked vpon yea to be pledges vnto vs of them And as it is our duetie to fasten none of our affiance in other creatures which by the liberalitie and bountifulnesse of God are ordeined to our vses and by the ministerie wherof he geueth vs his giftes nor to haue them in admiration praise them as causes of our good so neither ought our confidence to sticke fast in the Sacramentes nor the glorie of God to be remoued vnto them but leauyng all thynges both our Faith and confession ought to rise vp to him the author bothe of the sacramentes and of all thyngs Wheras some bring an argument out of the very name of a Sacrament it is nothyng strong A Sacrament saye they whereas it hath among allowed authors many significations yet it hath but one which agreeth with the signes that is wherby it signifieth that solemne othe whych the soldior maketh to his capitaine when he entreth into profession of a soldior For as by that othe of warfare newe soldiors do bynde their faith to the capitain and professe to be his soldiors so by our signes we professe Christ our capitaine and do testifie that we serue vnder his banner They adde similitudes to make therby the mater more playne As a gowne made the Romains seuerally knowen frō the Grekes which dyd weare clokes as the very degrees of men at Rome were discerned by their seueral signes the degree of Senators from the degree of knightes by purple cote and piked shooes againe a knyghte from a cōmoner by a ryng so we beare our signes that may make vs seuerally knowen from prophane men But by the thynges aboue said it is euident enough that the olde writers whyche gaue to the signes the name of Sacramentes hadde no regarde howe this woorde was vsed among Latine writers but for theyr owne purpose fayned this newe signification wherby they signified onely holy Signes But if wee will searche the mater more depely it maye seme that they haue with the same relation applied this woorde to suche a signification wherewith they haue remoued the name of Faith to that sense wherin it is nowe vsed For wheras Faith is a truthe in performyng promises yet they haue called Faith an assurednesse or sure persuasion whiche is had of the truth it selfe Likewise wheras a Sacrament is the soldiors part wherby he voweth hymselfe to his capitayne they haue made it the capitaynes parte whereby he receyueth soldiors into roomes of seruice For by the Sacramente the Lorde doothe promise that he will be oure God and that we shall bee his people But we passe ouer suche suttleties forasmuche as I thynke I haue proued with argumentes playne enoughe that they hadde respecte to nothyng ells but to signifie that these are Signes of holye and spirituall thynges We receyue in deede the similitudes whyche they bryng of outwarde tokens but we allowe not that that whyche is the last poynte in the Sacramentes is by them set fo◠the chiefe yea and onely thyng But this is the fyrste poynte that they should serue our Faith before GOD the later poynt that they should testifie our confession before men Accordyng to this later consideration those similitudes haue place But in the meane tyme lette that first point remaine because otherwise as we haue already proued the mysteries should be but colde vnlesse they were helpes to our faith and additions to doctrine ordeined to the same vse and ende Agayne we must be warned that as these men doo weaken the force and vtterly ouerthrowe the vse of Sacramentes so on the contrarie syde there be some which faine to Sacramentes I wote note what secrete vertues whiche are no where red to be putt in them by God By which error the simple and vnskilfull are dangerously deceiued while they are bothe taught to seke the giftes of God where they can not bee founde and are by little and little drawen away from God to embrace mere vanitie in stede of his veritie For the Sophisticall schooles haue taught with great consent that the Sacramentes of the new law that is to say those which are nowe in vse in the Christian Chirch do iustifie and geue grace so that we do not laie a stoppe of deadly
examples when he shewed to Abraham a lighte in a smoking ouen when he watered the flece with dew the earth remayning dry againe he watered the earth the flece being vntouched to promise victory to Gedeon when he drew the shadowe of the diall .ix. lynes backeward to promise safetie to Ezethias These thinges when they were done to relieue and stablishe the weakenesse of their Faith were then also Sacramentes But our presente purpose is to discourse peculiarly of those Sacramentes whiche the Lord willed to be ordinarie in his Chirch to nourishe his worshippers and seruantes into one Faith and the confession of one Faith For to vse the wordes of Augustine men can be congeled together into no name of religion either true or false vnlesse they be bounde together with some felowship of visible signes and Sacramentes Sithe therefore the moste good Father foresawe thys necessitie he did from the beginning ordeine certayne exercises of godlinesse for his seruantes whiche afterwarde Satan by turning them to wicked and superstitious worshippinges hath many wayes depraued and corrupted Hereupon came those solemne professions of the Gentiles into their holy orders and other bastarde vsages which although they were full of error and superstition yet they also were therewith a profe that men could not in profession of religion be without suche outwarde signes But because they neyther were grounded vppon the worde of God nor were referred to that trueth whereunto all signes oughte to be directed they are vnworthy to be rehearsed where mention is made of the holy signes whiche are ordeined of God and haue not swarued from their fundation that is that they should be helpes of true godlinesse They consist not of bare signes as were the boaw and the tree but vpon Ceremonies or rather the signes that be here geuen are Ceremonies But as it is aboue sayd that they be on the Lordes behalfe testimonies of grace and saluatiō so they be againe on our behalfe markes of profession by which we openly sweare to the name of God for our partes bynding our Faith vnto him Therefore Chrysostome in one place fittly calleth them couenātinges wherby God byndeth hymselfe in league with vs and we be bounde to purenesse and holinesse of life because here is made a mutuall forme of couenanting betwene God and vs. For as the Lorde therin promiseth that he will cancell and blot out whatsoeuer giltinesse penaltie we haue gathered by offending and doth reconcile vs to himselfe in his only begotten Sonne so we againe on our behalfes do by thys profession bynde oure selues vnto hym to the folowing of Godlinesse and innocence so that a man may rightly say that such Sacramētes are Ceremonies by which God wil exercise his people first to the nourishing stirring vp and strēgthening of Faith inwardly then to the testifieng of religion before men And euen these Sacramentes also were diuerse after the diuerse order of tyme according to the distribution whereby it pleased the Lorde to shewe hymselfe after thys or that manner to men For to Abraham and his posteritie Circumcision was commaunded wherunto afterwarde purifienges and Sacrifices and other Ceremonies were added out of the law of Moses These were the Sacramentes of the Iewes vntil the comming of Christ at which comming those being abrogate twoo Sacramentes were ordeined whiche nowe the Christian Chirch vseth Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord. I speake of those that were ordeined for the vse of the whole Chirch For as for the layeng on of handes whereby the ministers of the Chirch are entred into their office as I do not vnwillingly suffer it to be called a Sacrament so I doe not recken it among the ordinarie Sacramentes As for the rest which are commonly called Sacramentes what they are to be accompted we shal se by and by Howbeit the olde Sacramentes also had respect to the same marke wherunto ours doe tende that is to directe and in a maner leade by the hande to Christ or rather as images to represent hym and shewe hym fourth to be knowē For wheras we haue alredy taught that they are certayne seales wherwith the promises of God are sealed and where it is most certaine that there was neuer offred any promise of God to men but in Christ that they may teache vs of some promyse of God they must nedes shewe Christ. Wherunto perteineth that heauenly paterne of the tabernacle and of the worshipping in the law which was geuen to Moses in the mount One only differēce there is that those did shadowe out Christe being promised when he was yet loked for these doe testifie him alredy geuen and deliuered When these thinges shall all be particularly and eche one seuerally declared they shal be made much playner Circumcision was to the Iewes a signe whereby they were putt in mynde that whatsoeuer commeth of the sede of man that is to saye the whole nature of man is corrupte and hath nede of proyning Moreouer it was a teaching and token of remembrance whereby they should confirme themselues in the promyse geuen to Abraham concerning that blessed sede in whome all the nations of the earth were to be blessed from whome they had their owne blessing to be looked for Nowe that healthfull sede as we are taughte of Paule was Chirst in whome alone they hoped that they shoulde recouer that whiche they had loste in Adam Wherefore Circumcision was to them the same thyng whiche Paule sayth that it was to Abraham namely the seale of the righteousnesse of Fayth that is to saye the seale whereby they shoulde be more certainly assured that their Fayth wherewith they loked for that sede shoulde be accompted to them of GOD for righteousnesse But we shall vppon a better occasion in an other place gooe throughe with the comparison of Circumcision and Baptisme Baptisinges and purifienges did sette before their eies their owne vncleannesse filthinesses and pollution wherwith they were defiled in their owne nature but they promised an other washing wherby al their filthinesses should be wiped and washed away And this washing was Christ with whoe 's blood we beeing washed do bryng hys cleannesse into the sight of God that it maye hyde all our defilinges Their Sacrifices did accuse them of their owne wickednesse and therewithall did teache that it was necessarie that there shoulde be some satisfaction whiche shoulde be payed to the iugement of God That therefore there shoulde be some one chefe Bishop a mediator betwene God and men which should satisfie God by sheding of blood and by offring of a Sacrifice whiche should suffice for the forgeuenesse of synnes This chefe Prest was Christ he himselfe shed hys owne blood he himselfe was the Sacrifice for he offred himselfe obediente to hys Father vnto death by which obedience he toke awaye the disobedience of man whiche had prouoked the displeasure of God As for oure Sacramentes they doe so muche more clerely presente Christe vnto vs as he
But that most nere felowship wherby we are coupled with his fleshe he hath yet set out with a more glorious title when he sayd that we are members of his body and are of his bones and of hys fleshe At the last to declare it to be a mater greater than all wordes he concludeth hys sayeng with an exclamation This is sayth he a greate secret Therefore it should be a pointe of extreme madnesse to acknowlege no communion of the faythfull with the fleshe and blood of the Lord which the Apostle declareth to be so greate that he had rather wonder at it than expresse it Let the summe be that oure soules are so fed with the fleshe and blood of Christ as bred wyne do mainteine susteine the bodily lyfe For otherwise the proportional relation of the signe should not agree vnlesse soules dyd fynde their fode in Christ. Which can not be done vnlesse Christ do truely grow into one with vs and refresh vs with the eating of his fleshe and drinking of hys blood But although it seme incredible that in so great distance of places the flesh of Christ reacheth to vs that it may be meate to vs let vs remember how much the secret power of the Spirit surmounteth aboue al our senses and how foolysh it is to goe aboute to measure hys vnmeasurablenesse by our measure That therfore whiche our mynde comprehendeth not let our fayth conceiue that the Spirite truely knitteth in one those thinges that are seuered in places Nowe that same holy coÌ„municating of his body and blood wherby Christ poureth hys life into vs euen as if he peaâ—ced it into our bones marowes he in the Supper also testifieth sealeth land yâ— not with setting before vs a vayne or voyde signe but bringing fourth there the effectuall working of his spirite wherby he fulfilleth the which he promyseth And verily he there offreth and deliuereth the thing signified to al them that sit at that spiritual banket although it be receiued with frute of the faythfull onely which receiue so great bountifulnesse with true Fayth thankfulnesse of mynde After which maner the Apostle sayd that the bred which we breake is the communion of the body of Christ and that the cup which we hallow with the word prayers to that purpose is the coÌ„munion of hys blood Neither is there any cause why any man should obiect that it is a figuratiue speche by which the name of the thing signified is geuen to the signe I grauÌ„t verily that the breaking of the bred is a signe not the thiÌ„g it selfe But this being admitted yet we shall rightly gather of the deliuerance of the signe that the thing it selfe is deliuered For vnlesse a maÌ„ wil cal God a deceiuer he can neuer be so bolde to say that he setteth before vs an empty signe Therfore if by the breakyng of bred the Lorde doth truely represente the partakyng of hys body it ought to be out of dout that he truely performeth and deliuereth it And this rule is alway to be holden of the godly that so oft as they se the signes ordeined of the Lorde they certainly thinke persuade themselues that the truth of the thyng signified is there present For to what purpose should the Lorde deliuer to thee into thy hande the signe of hys body but to assure thee of the true partaking of it If it be true that a visible signe is geuen vs to seale the gift of an inuisible thing when we receiue the signe of the body let vs no lesse certainly beleue that the body it selfe also is geueÌ„ vs. I saye therefore which both hath ben alway receiued in the Chirch and al they teache at thys day that thynke right that the holy mysterie of the Supper consisteth of twoo thinges that is to saye of the bodily signes which beyng set before our eyes doe represent vnto vs inuisible thinges according to the capacitie of our weakenesse and of spirituall trueth which is by those signes bothe figured and deliuered Of what sort that is when I meane to shewe it familiarly I vse to set thre thinges the signification the mater which hangeth of the signification the vertue or effect which foloweth of both The signification consisteth in the promisses which are after a certayne manner wrapped together with the signe The mater or substance I cal Christ with hys death and resurrection By effect I vnderstande the redemption righteousnesse sanctification and eternall lyfe and whatsoeuer other benefites Christ bringeth vs. Now although all these thinges haue respect to Fayth yet I leaue no place to thys cauillation as though when I say that Christ is receiued by Fayth I would haue hym coÌ„ceiued with vnderstanding only and imaginatioÌ„ For the promises offer hym not that we should sticke fast in the sight alone and in bare knowlege but that we should enioye the true communicating of hym And truely I se not how any maÌ„ maye haue coÌ„fidence that he hath redeÌ„ption and righteousnesse in the crosse of Christ lyfe in hys death but principally standing vpon the true coÌ„munion of Christ himselfe For those good thinges shoulde not come to vs vnlesse Christ first made himselfe oures I say therefore that in the mysterie of the Supper by the signes of bread and wine Christ is truely deliuered to vs yea and hys body and blood in which he hath fulfylled al obedieÌ„ce for purchasing of ryghteousnesse to vs namely that first we should growe together into one body with hym then beyng made partakers of hys substance we may also fele hys power in the communicating of al hys good thinges Now I come down to the excessiue mixtures which superstitioÌ„ hath brought in For herein Satan hath played with maruelous sutteltie that withdrawing the myndes of men from heauen he might fyl them with peruerse error as though Christ were fastened to the elemente of bred And first we must not dreame such a presence of Christ in the Sacrament as the craftesmeÌ„ of the court of Rome haue fayned as though the body of Christ were made present with presence of place to be handeled with handes to be broosed with teethe and swallowed with mouth For this forme of recantation Pope Nicolas endited to Betengarius to be a witnesse of hys repentance namely with woordes so farr monstruous that the author of the glose cryeth out that there is danger if the reders do not wisely take hede to themselues least they should sucke out of them an heresie worse than was that of Berengarius In the seconde distinctioÌ„ in the Chapter beginning thus Ego Berengarius But Peter Lombarde although he trauaile much in excusing the absurdity yet more inclineth to the contrary senteÌ„ce For as we nothing dout that it hath limites accordyng to the perpetual nature of the body of men and is holden in heauen into which it was ones receiued vntill he returne to iugement so to draw it backe vnder these corruptible
they exhort theÌ„ that they might the more familiarly declare to the men of their age that the Gentiles should be called into the true felowshippe of religion Like as also they are wont altogether to describe by figures of theyr law the truth that was deliuered by the Gospell So they set for turning to the Lord asceÌ„ding into Ierusalem for the worshipping of God the offring of al kindes of giftes for larger knowlege of him which was to be geuen to the faithfull in the kyngdome of Christe dreames and visions That therfore whiche they allege is like vnto an other prophecie of Esaye where the Prophet foretelleth of three altars to be set vppe in Assiria Egipte and Iurye For first I aske whether they do not graunt that the fulfillyng of this prophecie is in the kingdome of Christ. Secondly wher be these altars or when they were euer set vp Thirdly whether they think that to euery seuerall kyngdome is apointed a seuerall temple such as was that at Ierusalem These things if thei wey I think they wil confesse that the Prophet vnder fygures agreeable with his tyme prophecieth of the spiritual worship of God to be spred abrode into the whole world Which we geue to them for a solution But of this thing sithe there do euery where examples commonly offre them selues I wil not busie my selfe in longer rehearsall of them Howbeit herein also they are miserably deceiued that they acknowlege no sacrifice but of the Masse wheras in dede the faithfull do nowe sacrifice to the Lord do offer a cleane offring of which shal be spoken by and by Nowe I come downe to the third office of the Masse where I must declare howe it blotteth oute the true and onely deathe of Christe and shaketh it oute of the remembrance of menne For as among men the strength of a testament hangeth vppon the death of the testator so also our lord hath with his death confirmed the testament whereby he hath geuen vs forgeuenesse of synnes and eternal righteousnesse They that dare varie or make newe any thing in this testamente doo denye hys death and holde it as it were of no force But what is the Masse but a new and altogether diuerse testameÌ„t For why Doth not euery seueral Masse promise new forgeuenesse of sinnes new purchasing of righteousnesse so that now there be so many testaments as there be Masses Let Christ therfore come again and with an other death confirme this testament or rather with infinite deathes confirme innumerable testamentes of Masses Haue I not therfore said true at the beginning that the only and true death of Christ is blotted oute by Masses Yea what shall we say of this that the Masse directly tendeth to this ende that if it be possible Christ should bee slayne agayne For where is a testamente sayeth the Apostle there of necessitie must be the death of the testator The Masse sheweth it selfe to be a new testament of Christ therfore it requireth his death Moreouer the hoste which is offred must necessarily be slayne and sacrificed If Christ in euery seuerall Masse be sacrificed then he muste at euery moment bee in a thousande places cruelly slayen This is not myne but the Apostles argument If he had neded to offer him selfe ofte he muste ofte haue dyed sins the beginning of the worlde I knowe that they haue an answere in redinesse whereby also they charge vs with sclander For they say that that is obiected agaynst them which they neuer thought nor yet canne And we knowe that the death and life of Christ is not in their hande We loke not whether they goe aboute to kill hym onely our purpose is to shew what maner of absurdity foloweth of their vngodly and wicked doctrine Which self thing I proue by the Apostles owne mouth Though they crye out to the contrarye a hundred tymes that this sacrifice is vnbloody I wil deny that it hangeth vpon the wyll of men that sacrifices should change their nature for by this meane the holy and inuiolable ordinance of God shold faile WherupoÌ„ foloweth that this is a sure principle of the Apostle thâ—â— there is required sheding of blood that washing may not be wanting Now is the fourth office of the Masse to be entreated of namely to take awaye from vs the fruite that came to vs of the deathe of Christe while it maketh vs not to acknowlege it and thinke vpon it For who caÌ„ call to mynde that he is redemed by the death of Christ when he seeth a new redemption in the Masse Who can truste that sinnes are forgeueÌ„ him when he seeth a newe forgeuenesse Neither shall he escape that shall say that we do for no other cause obteyn forgeuenesse of sinnes in the Masse but because it is alredy purchased by the death of Christ. For he bringeth nothyng els than as if he would boste that Christ hathe redemed vs with this condition that we shoulde redeme our selues For such doctrine hath ben spred by the ministers of Satan and such at this day they mainteyn with cryenges out with swerd and fier that we wheÌ„ in the Masse we offer vp Christ to his Father by this work of offring do obteine forgeuenesse of sinnes and are made partakers of the passion of Christ. What now remaineth to the passion of Christ but to be an example of redemption whereby we may learne to be our owne redemers Christe him selfe when in the Supper he sealeth the confidence of pardon doth not bidde his disciples to sticke in that doing but sendeth theÌ„ awaye to the sacrifice of his deathe signifieng that the Supper is a moniment or memorial as the common spech is whereby they may learne that the satisfactorie clensing sacrifice by which the Father was to be appeased must haue ben offred but ones For neither is it enough to know that Christ is the onely sacrifice vnlesse the onely sacrificing be ioyned with it that our faith may be fastened to his crosse Nowe I come to the conclusion namely that the holye Supper in which the Lord had left the remembrance of his passion grauen and expressed is by the settyng vp of the Masse taken away defaced and destroyed For the Supper it selfe is the gift of God whiche was to be receiued with thankesgeuing The sacrifice of the Masse is famed to pay a price to God which he may receiue for satisfaction Howe muche difference there is betwene to geue and to receiue so much doth the sacrifice differ from the Sacrament of the Supper And this truely is the moste wretched vnthankfulnesse of man that where the largesse of Gods bouÌ„tie ought to haue beÌ„ acknowleged thanks to be geuen therin he maketh God his dettor The Sacrament promised that by the death of Christe we are not onely ones restored into life but are continually quickned because then all the partes of our saluation were fulfilled The sacrifice of the Masse singeth a farre other song that Christ must
reson called a sacrifice but because it is the remēbrance image and witnesse of that singular true and only sacrifice wherwith Christ hath cleansed vs. Also there is a notable place in hys fourth boke of the Trinitie the xxiiii Chapter where after that he hath discoursed of the only sacrifice he thus concludeth because in a sacrifice fower things ar cōsidered to whō it is offred and of whō what is offred for whō The same he himselfe the one and true mediator recōciling vs to God by the sacrifice of peace remaineth one wyth hym to whō he offred maketh them one in hym for whom he offred is one himselfe which offred the thing which he offred To the same effect also speaketh Chrysostome But they so chalenge the honor of sacrificing presthode to Christ that Augustine testifieth it to be the voice of Antichrist if any man make a Bishop intercessor betwene God men Yet do we not deny but that the offring vp of Christ is there so shewed in vs that the spectacle of the crosse is in a maner set before our eyes as the Apostle sayth that Christ was crucified in the eyes of the Galathians whē the preaching of the crosse was set before them But forasmuch as I se that those olde Fathers also wrested thys remembrāce an other waye thā was agreable with the institutiō of the Lord because their Supper cōteined I wote not what repeted or at least renewed forme of sacrificīg the safest way for godly hartes shal be to rest in the pure simple ordināce of God whoe 's also the Supper is therfore called because in it his authoritie alone oughte to be in force Truely sithe I fynde that they haue kepte a Godly and true sense of thys whole mysterie and I doe not perceiue that they meante to abate any thyng were it neuer so litle from the only sacrifice of the Lord I can not condemne them of vngodlinesse yet I thynke that they can not be excused but that they haue offended somwhat in the maner of the celebration For they counterfaited the Iewishe manner of sacrificing more nerely than either Christ had ordeined or the nature of the Gospel did beare Therefore that same ouerthwart appliance to heauenly thynges is the only thing wherin a man may worthily blame them for that beyng not contented with the simple and natural institution of Christe they swarued to the shadowes of the law If a man do diligently wey that this differēce is put by the worde of the Lord betwene the sacrifices of Moses our Thankesgeuing that wheras those did represent to that Iewishe people the same effectualnesse of the death of Christe which is at thys day deliuered to vs in the Supper yet the maner of represēting was diuerse For in those the Leuiticall Prestes were commaunded to figure y◠which Christ should performe there was brought a sacrifice which should be in the stede of Christ himselfe there was an altar wherupon it should be offred Finally al thinges were so done that there was set before their eyes an image of the sacrifice which was to be offred to God for a satisfactorie cleansing But sins the tyme that the sacrifice is ended the Lord hath apointed to vs an other order namely that it should conuey to the faithful people the frute of the sacrifice offred to hym by the Sōne Therfore he hath geuen vs a table wherat we should eate not an altar wherupon sacrifice should be offred he hath not cōsecrated prestes to sacrifice but ministers to distribute the holy bāket How much more hye holy the mysterie is so much more religiously and with greater reuerence it is mete to be handled Therfore there is no way safer than putting away al boldnesse of mans vnderstāding to sticke fast in that alone which the Scripture teacheth And truely if we consider that it is the Supper of the Lord not of men there is no cause why we should suffer our selues to be remoued one heare bredth from it by any authoritie of men or prescription of yeres Therefore when the Apostle mynded to cleanse it from al faultes which had alredy crept into the Chirch of the Corinthiās he vseth the rediest way therunto that is he calleth it backe to the only institution of it frō whense he sheweth that a perpetuall rule ought be fetched Nowe least any wrangler shoulde stirre vs vp strife by reason of the names of sacrifice and sacrificing prest I wil also declare but yet brefely what in the whole discourse I haue meant by a sacrifice and what by a Sacrificing Prest Whoso stretche the woorde sacrifice to all holy Ceremonies and doinges of religion I se not by what reason they doe it We do knowe that by the continuall vse of the Scripture a sacrifice is called that which the Grekes cal somtyme Thusia somtime Prosphora somtyme Telete Which being generally takē cōprehendeth whatsoeuer is in any wise offred to God Wherefore we muste make distinction but yet so that thys distinction may haue a supernall appliance of similitude from the sacrifices of the lawe of Moses vnder the shadowes wherof the Lord willed to represēt to his people the whole truthe of sacrifices Of those although there wer diuerse formes yet they may al be referred to twoo sortes For either there was oblation made for sinne after a certaine maner of satisfaction wherby gyltinesse was redemed before God or it was a signe of the worshipping of God a testifyeng of religiō somtime in stede of supplicatiō to craue the fauor of God sometime in stede of thākesgeuing to testifie thākfulnesse of mynde for benefites receiued somtime only for an exercise of Godlinesse to renewe the stablishing of the couenāt to which later sort perteined burnt offryngs drynke offrynges oblations first frutes peace offringes Wherefore let vs also diuide ours into twoo kyndes and for teachinges sake lette vs cal the one the sacrifice of worship of Godly deuotiō because it consisteth in the honoring worshipping of God which the faythfull bothe owe yelde vnto hym or if you wyl the sacrifice of Thākesgeuing forasmuch as it is geuen to God of none but of them y◠beyng loden with immeasurable benefites do rēder to him them selues with all their doinges The other may be called propitiatorie or of expiation The sacrifice of expiration is that which tendeth to appease the wrath of God to satisfie his iugement so to wash wype away sinnes whereby the siner cleansed from the filthy spottes of them restored into puritie of ryghteousnesse may returne into fauor with God hymselfe So in the lawe those were called sacrifices that were offred for the purging of synnes not for that they were sufficiente to recouer the fauor of God or to put away iniquitie but for that they shadowed out such a true sacrifice which at lēgth was fully done by Christ alone by hym alone because it could be done by none
the promise Againe of those ceremonies that they vse it is not red that any one is institute of god Therfore here cā be no Sacramēt Of Matrimonie The last is Matrimonie which as all men confesse to be ordeined of God so no man vntill the tyme of Gregorie euer sawe that it was geuen for a Sacrament And what sober man would euer haue thought it It is a good a holy ordināce of God so tyllage carpentrie shoemakers craft barbers craft are lawfull ordinances of God and yet they are no Sacramentes For there is not only this required in a Sacrament that it be the worke of God but that it be an outwarde Ceremonie appoynted of God to confirme a promise That there is no suche thyng in Matrimonie very chyldren also can iudge But say they it is a Signe of a holy thyng that is of the spirituall conioynyng of Christe with the Chirche If by this woorde Signe they vnderstand a Token sett before vs of God to this ende to raise vp the assurednesse of our Faithe they are farre besyde the truthe If they simplye take a Signe for that which is brought to expresse a similitude I wyll shewe howe wittyly they reason Paule sayth As one starre differeth from an other star in brightnesse so shal be the resurrectiō of the dead Lo here is one Sacrament Christ sayth The kyngdome of heauen is lyke to a grain of mustardsede Lo here is an other Againe The kingdom of heauē is like vnto leauē Lo here is the third Esai saith Behold the lord shal fede his flock as a shepherd Lo here is the fowerth In an other place The Lord shall go forth as a Gyant Loe here is the fifth Finally what end or measure shal there be There is nothyng but by this meane it shal be a Sacrament Howe many parables and similitudes are in the Scripture so many Sacraments there shal be Yea and theft shal be a Sacrament because it is written the day of the Lorde is lyke a thefe Whoe can abyde these sophisters prating so foolishly I graunt in dede that so oft as we see a vine it is very good to call to remembrance that whiche Christ sayth I am a vine ye be branches my father is the vinedresser So oft as a shepherde with his flocke cometh toward vs it is good also that this come to our mynde I am a good shepherd my shepe heare my voice But if any man adde such similitudes to the number of Sacramentes he is mete to be sent to Antycira But they still laye fourth the wordes of Paule in which he geueth to Matrimonie the name of a Sacrament he that loueth his wife loueth hymselfe No man euer hated his owne flesh but nourisheth it and cherisheth it euen as Christ doth the Chirch because we are members of hys body of his fleshe and of his bones For this a man shall leaue hys Father and mother and shal cleaue to his wife and they shal be two into one fleshe Thys is a great Sacrament but I saye in Christ and the Chirch But so to handle the Scriptures is to mingle heauē and earth together Paule to shew to maried men what singular loue they ought to beare to their wiues setteth fourth Christe to them for an example For as he poured fourth the bowells of his kindenesse vpon the Chirch which he had espoused to himselfe so ought euery man to be affectioned toward his own wife It foloweth after He that loueth his wife loueth himselfe as Christ loued the Chirch Now to teache how Christ loued the Chirch as himselfe yea how he made himselfe one with hys spouse the Chirch he applyeth to hym those thinges which Moses reporteth that Adam spake of him selfe For when Eue was brought into his syght whom he knew to haue ben shapen out of his syde This woman sayth he is a bone of my bones and fleshe of my fleshe Paul testifieth that all this was spiritually fulfylled in Christ and vs when he sayeth that we are membres of his body of his fleshe and of his bones yea and one fleshe with hym At lengthe he addeth a concludyng Sentence This is a great mysterie And least any man shoulde be deceiued with the doble signifyeng of the woordes he expresseth that he speaketh not of the fleshely conioynyng of man and woman but of the spiritual mariage of Christe and the Chirch And truely it is in dede a great mysterie that Christe suffred a ribbe to be taken from himselfe whereof we might be shapen that is to say whē he was strōg he willed to be weake that we might be strengthened with his strength that now we may not our selues lyue but he may lyue in vs. The name of Sacramente deceiued them But was it rightfull that the whole Chirch should suffer the punishment of their ignorance Paul said Mysterie which word when the translater might haue lefte beyng not vnused with Latin eares or might haue translated it a Secrete he chose rather to put in the worde Sacrament yet in no other sense than Paule had in Greke called it Mysterie Now let them go and with crieng out raile against the skil of tōges by ignorance whereof they haue so long most fowly been blynde in an easy mater and suche as offreth it self to be perceiued of euery man But why doo they in this one place so earnestly sticke vpon this litle word Sacrament and some other tymes do passe it ouer vnregarded For also in the first Epistle to Timothe the Translater hath vsed it and in the selfe same Epistle to the Ephesians in euery place for Mysterie But let this slippyng be pardoned them at least the liers ought to haue had a good remēbrance For whē they haue ones set out Matrimonie with title of a Sacrament afterward to call it vncleannesse defyling and fleshly filthinesse how gyddy lightnesse is this How great an absurditie is it to debarre prests from a Sacramēt If they deny that they debarre them frō the Sacramēt but frō the lust of copulation they escape not so away frō me For they teach that the copulatiō it self is a part of that Sacramēt that by it alone is figured the vniting that we haue with Christ in conformitie of nature bicause man and womā ar not made one but by carnall copulatiō Howbeit some of thē haue here founde two Sacramentes the one of God and the soule in the betrouthed man and woman the other of Christe and the Chirch in the husband and the wife Howsoeuer it be yet copulatiō is a Sacrament from which it was vnlawful that any christian should be debarred Unlesse peraduenture the Sacraments of christiās do so yll agree that thei can not stand together There is also an other absurditie in their doctrines They affirme that in the Sacrament is geuen the grace of the Holye ghoste they teache that copulation is a Sacrament and they denye that at copulation the Holy ghost
pledge because vntill he do lighten mens minds they do alway wauer among many doutinges Let this therfore stande for a certainly perswaded trueth that they whom the holy ghost hath inwardly taught doe wholy reste vppon the Scripture and that the same Scripture is to be credited for it selfsake ought not to be made subiect to demonstracioÌ„ and reasons but yet that the certaintie which it getteth among vs it atteineth by the witnesse of the holy ghost For though by the only maiestie of it selfe it procureth reuerence to be geuen to it yet then only it throughly perceth our affectioÌ„s when it is sealed in our hartes by the holy gost So being lightened by his vertue we do then beleue not by our own iudgemeÌ„t or other meÌ„s that the Scripture is froÌ„ God but aboue al mans iudgement we holde it most certainly determined euen as if we behelde the maiestie of God himselfe there present that by the ministery of men it came to vs from the very mouth of God We seke not for argumentes and likelhodes to rest our iudgement vpon but as to a thing without al compasse of consideracion we submit our iudgement and wit vnto it And that not in such sort as some are wont sometime hastily to take holde of a thing vnknowen which after being throughly perceiued displeaseth them but because we are in our consciences wel assured that we hold an inuincible truth Neither in such sort as silly men ar wont to yelde their mynde in thraldom to superstitions but because we vndoutedly perceiue therin the strength and breathing of the diuine maiestie wherewith we are drawen and stirred to obey both wittingly and willingly and yet more liuely and effectually than mans wil or wit can attaine And therefore for good cause doth God cry out by Esay that the Prophetes wyth the whole people do beare him witnesse because being taughte by the prophecies they did vndoutedly beleue without guile or vncertaintie that God himselfe had spoken Such therfore is our perswasion as requireth no reasons such is our knowledge as hath a righte good reason to maintaine it euen such a one wherin the minde more assuredly and stedfastly resteth than vpon any reasons suche is oure feling as cannot procede but by reuelacion from heauen I speake nowe of none other thing but that which euery one of the faithful doth by experieÌ„ce find in himselfe sauing that my wordes do much want of a full declaratioÌ„ of it I leaue here many thinges vnspoken because there wil be els where againe a conuenient place to entreate of this matter Onely now let vs know that onely that is the true faith which the spirite of God doth seale in our hartes Yea with this onely reason wil the sobre reder and willing to learne be contented Esay promeseth that al the childreÌ„ of the renewed churche shal be the scholars of God A singular priuilege therin doth God vouchsaue to graunt to his elect onely whom he seuereth from all the rest of mankinde For what is the beginning of true doctrine but a redy cherefulnesse to heare the voice of God But God requireth to be heard by the mouth of Moises as it is written say not in thy harte who shal ascende into heauen or who shal descende into the depe the worde is euen in thine own mouth If it be the pleasure of God that this treasure of vnderstanding be layed vp in store for hys chyldren it is no marueil nor vnlikely that in the common multitude of meÌ„ is seen such ignoraunce and dullnesse The common multitude I call euen the most excellent of them vntil such time as they be graffed into the bodye of the church Moreouer Esay geuing warning that the Prophetes doctrine should seme incredible not onely to straungers but also to the Iewes that woulde be accompted of the householde of God addeth this reason because the arme of God shall not be reueled to al men So oft therfore as the smallnesse of nuÌ„ber of the beleuers doth trouble vs on the other side let vs call to minde that none can comprehende the misteries of God but they to whom it is geuen ¶ The .viii. Chapter That so farre as mans reason may beare there are sufficient proues to stablyshe the credite of Scripture VNlesse we haue this assuraunce whiche is bothe more excellent and of more force than any iudgement of man in vayne shall the authorytie of Scripture eyther bee strengthened with argumentes or stablished with consente of the churche or confyrmed with any other meanes of defence For vnlesse this fundation bee layde it still remayneth hangynge in doubte As on the other syde when exemptynge it from the common state of thynges we haue embraced it deuoutely and accordyng to the worthynesse of it then these thynges become very fitte helpes which before were but of small force to graffe and fasten the assurance therof in our myndes For it is meruaylous howe greate establishemente groweth herof when with earnest studye we consider howe orderly and well framed a disposition of the diuine wisedom appereth therin howe heauenly a doctrine in euery place of it and nothyng sauoryng of earthlynesse howe beautyful an agreement of all the partes amonge theym selues and suche other thynges as auayle to procure a maiestie to writynges But more perfectly are oure hartes confirmed when we consyder howe we are euen violently caried to an admiration of it rather with dignitie of matter than with grace of woords For this also was not done without the singular prouidence of God that the hye misteries of the heauenly kingdome should for the moste part be vttered vnder a contemptible basenesse of words least if it hadde ben beautified with more glorious speache the wicked shoulde cauill that the onely force of eloquence doeth reigne therein But when that roughe and in a maner rude simplicitie dooeth rayse vp a greater reuerence of it selfe than any rhetoricians eloquence what may we iudge but that there is a more myghty strength of truthe in the holye Scripture than that it nedeth any art of wordes Not withoute cause therefore the Apostle maketh his argument to proue that the faythe of the Corinthians was grounded vpon the power of God and not vpon mans wysedom bycauâ—e his preachyng among them was set foorth not with enticyng speche of mans wisedom but in playne euidence of the spirite and of power For the truthe is then sette free from all doubtyng when not vpholden by forayne aides it selfe alone suffiseth to susteyne it self But how this power is proprely alone belongyng to the scripture hereby appereth that of all the writynges of menne be they neuer so connyngly garnyshed no one is so farre able to pearce our affections Reade Demosthenes or Cicero reade Plato Aristotle or any other of all that sorte I graunt they shall meruailously allure delite moue and rauishe thee But if from them thou come to this holy readyng of Scriptures wylte thou or not it shall