each one the other therein then how much more ought they to doe it which are appointed to be publik officers for the same purpose How ougâ—t they especially most carefully to put in practise the exhortation of the prophet by calling continually vnto the people and saying Praise the Lord and call vpon his name and declare his workes among the people Sing vnto him sing praises vnto him and let your talking be of all his wondrous works Reioice in his holy name let the harts of them reioice that seâ—ke the Lord. Seeke the Lord and his strength seâ—ke his face continually Remember the maâ—veâ—lous works that he hath done the wonders and the iudgments of his mouth â—h yee seede of Abraham his servant ye châ—ldren of Iacob his chosen he is the Lord our God â— The 〈…〉 â—…ssistance accordâ—… to his own covenant And yet if all men faile in their duety the Lorde himselfe will not faile in that covenant which he hâ—th made with all his chosen wherein hee hath promised that hee himselfe will write his lawes in their heartes and plant them in their mindes and that he will doe the same so sufficiently that it shall not be a matter of absolute necessity for every one to exhort and to admonish his neighbor saying know the Lord for they shall all know me saith the Lord even Ier. 31 34. from the greatest vnto the least So and so beneficiall it is vnto all the Lords people to know the Lord and his gracious blessings to keepe a continuall remembrance of the same and therefore so and so many meanes hath the Lord appointed in his vnspeakeable wisedome and goodnesse for the stirring vp of every one of his faithful servants to the ready and careful performance of this so beneficiall and necessary a worke So and so carefull hath the Lord been that the people devoted vnto his service should want no meanes to strengthen further them in the holy exercise of sincere devotion Now let vs see how the church of Rome which boasteth so highly of her owne great devotions land of the huge multitude of all manner of good works which so and so abounde among her children religiously extolleth the Lords mercies what a carefull remembraunce shee keepeth of his goodnes seeing as it hath beene shewed that is the mother and the nurce of all sound and sincere devotion and the fountain welspring of all good workes The word of God in setting downe the great gracious blessings of God doth declare vnto vs these three pointes First the cause of them even his owne goodnesse and loue secondly the end which is the manifestation of his goodnes and loue thirdly the effect which is the working therby in the harts of his chosen of al inward graces outward dueties also both to God to our neighbour The grace goodnes loue and mercy of God is the full fountaine froÌ„ whence all his blessings doe issue flow The great blessed worke of mans redemption issueth from thence as our Saviour testifieth So God loved the world that he gaue his only begotten sonne that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but haue Ioh. 3. 16. life everlasting The great blessed worke of the creation and all the residue of his gracious blessings many of the particulars wherof are set down by the prophet Ps 136. come also from thence even because his mercy enduâ—eth for ever This mercy loue of God is not oâ—ly most ample large but also most free vndeserved For every good gift and every perfect giving commeth downe froÌ„ Iac. 1. 17. aboue froÌ„ the father of light we hold all that wee enioy from this grand vniversal lâ—ndlord therefore we must pay our whole rent to him performe only to his court our suit service we are endebted vnto him alone for the loane of al that we possesse therfore to him alone we must discharge all our debt His loue also is most free vndeserved he seeketh therin not to gain any thing to himselfe but only to do good to benefit other this doth farther set forth the greatnes of his loue so doth enlarge the bil of our debt SecoÌ„dly the end why God bestoweth his blessings is that they might be vnto vs most plaine demoÌ„strations of his loue most certain testimonies of his goodnes Shew me saith St. Iams thy faith by thy works I wil shew thee my faith by my works Iac 2. 18. 1. Ioh. 3. 18. My childreÌ„ saith St. Iohn let vs not loue in word in toÌ„gue but in work in truth That loue theÌ„ is in truth that is effectual in works and that faith is souÌ„d right that sheweth it selfe in the fruits Wherfore god who would haue his choseÌ„ know be fully perswaded that he loveth theÌ„ in truth sheweth it forth to them by his most gracious and manifold blessings as by the effects fruits therof and this is also a great addition vnto his loue Thirdly the Lord maketh his loue manifested by his blessings the meanes to beget and to encrease faith loue repentance and the like in the hearts of his elect and chosen children he putteth them not out to vse nor taketh any encrease for them for his estate cannot be bettered nor his blessednes encreased the profite and encrease accrueth to vs and therefore by them we merite nothing at the hands of God nor make him thereby any way endebted to vs but wee our selues are more and more still in his debt for the free lone francke gift of all his blessings Now then to returne againe to the first point The loue of God is the ful fountaine of all manner of his blessings both bodyly and ghostly and he himselfe is not only the author but also the disposer and bestower of them all the blessings themselues and the meanes are of him and the working also of the one and the other Temporal meanes are in themselues nothing without the speciall power of God working in them by them Man liveth not by bread only but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God And life consiseth not in the great aboundance of all such thinges aâ— doe belong to the maintenance of life The horse is counted but a vaine thing to saue a man neither can he deliver any one by his much strength the watchman also waketh but in vaine vnlesse the Lord keepe the citty So spirituall meanes also are nothing without the effectuall power of the almighty working by them for that is the very soule and life of all He that planteth is nothing and hee that watereth is nothing but God that giveth the encrease Iohn the Baptist can baptise but with water Austine can but speake to our bodyly eares Christ baptiseth only with the holy Ghost and he that hath his chaire in heaven is he only that can teach the heart The water in baptisme can
my sins and also MERITORIOVS of eternall glory wherefore pretende no longer your Romish doctrine to bee the Catholike faith seeing that it is directly contrary to the maine grounds and Articles of the Catholike faith Lastly by this treatise it may be perceived how the Bishop of Rome and his aaherentes haue brought in that great Apostasie from the faith foretold by the Apostle and haue also fulfilled all the other prophecies which dâ— concerne the great Antichrist and therefore that hee is most truly and iustly charged by the professors of the Gospell to be that very grerâ— Antichrist THE TRIALL OF TRVTH CHAP. 1. 1 That all fundamentall pointes of faith are contained within the articles of the creede by the iudgement of diverse catholicke men that lived in former ages and that all such are to be taken for false prophets which teach any other faith then is contained in these groundes of faith 2 That the people ought to examine the doctrine of their pastors teachers by the rule levell of the canonical scriptures and the grounds of faith therein contained 3 That all pointes of faith necessary to salvation are plaine and easie to every faithful and humble christian who is sufficiently exercised in the word of God 4 That the people ought to vnderstand the severall pointes of their faith and not beleeue in grosse and blindefully as the church beleeveth THIS word SymboluÌ„ signifying a summe The Symbole or creede of the Apostles an heape coÌ„gested togither or a signe or badge to discerne one from another teacheth vs that in these articles of our faith is contained the whole summe of such things as are to be beleeued of every true faithfull christian whereby both the teacher of the true faith may bee discerned from the false and a right beleever from a wrong The creede as testifieth an ancient writer is a perfect August ser 115. de tempore collection and summe plaine shorte full that the playnnes might helpe the weakenes of the hearers the shortnes their memory the fullnes their instruction Vnto whom consenteth Cassianus the creed saith Lib. 6. de Inâ— car domini he is called a collection or summe because whatsoever is plentifully dispersed throughout the body of the divine scripture is heere all collected knitte vp togeather in a perfect brevity the Lord herein as a most louing father providing both for the slowenes and also for the dulnes of some of his children that the simple and weake minde shoulde not be troubled to vnderstand that which also it might easily keepe in memory Russious saith that In exposit Symboli this creede is called a signe or badge because in the apostles as it may appeare by the Actes of the Apostles many of the circumcised Iewes did fayne themselues to be the apostles of Christ and either for their bellies sake or for gaine went forth to preach setting out the gospell of Christ not with that sincerity and integrity as it was delivered by the apostles Therefore saith he the Apostles made this creede to be a marke whereby it might be knowen vvho did preach Christ truly according vnto the rules of the apostles Now by these interpretations of the name Symbole made by these auncient and learned fathers we may obserue these fowre thinges 1 First that seeing in their iudgementes this creede containeth a perfect summe of our christian faith therfore the doctrines of the church of Rome concerning pilgrimages pardons purgatory the papall supremacy and the like being neither expresly set downe therein nor necessarily to be drawen out of the same are no fundameÌ„tall pointes of our christian religion Nay may they not admit this as a sufficient exception against them all they are none of my creede therefore I neede not beleeue them Nay further doth noâ— this vehemently vrge and presse our Romanistes with the badge and marke of false prophets in that they teach other fundamentall pointes of faith then are delivered in this summe of faith 2 Secondly we learne that seeing the people that were coÌ„verted to the faith of Christ in the primitiue church were by this rule to examine to discerne the doctrine of the true teachers from the false that even so the faithfull people are novve also by the same rule to examine to discerne the doctrine of their pastors teachers and not in a sottish and brutish simplicity to pinne their faith vpon their sleeues and without all examination and triall blindfully to followe whithersoever they leade them and to beleeue as they beleeue Nay they are to be thankefull to their most gracious God who hath provided for theÌ„ so good a meanes whereby they themselues albeit weake and simple yet may discerne truth from falsehoode and rest on their owne most assured knowledge embracing the substance of christian religion not for company but for conscience yea the devill raging and the limbes of Antichrist threatning and our great and manifold sinnes deserving that God should take againe from vs the vse of his worde how ought especially the simple so to lay vp in their heartes the true sence and meaning of these articles of our creede that it may never be takeÌ„ from them but that even thereby they may be enabled against all their adversaries to iustifie their sound christian faith be made ready to confirme and seale it with their bloud 3 Thirdly we learne that seeing the articles of our christian faith were set downe with that shortnes and plainnes that all the faithfull be they never so simple might vnderstand them and keepe them also in memory all pointes of faith necessary to salvation or at the least the hardest pointes being in them contained therefore all thinges necessary to salvation are plaine and easie even to the simplest amongst the Lordes people if so be Prov 8. 9. 9. 4. Hebr. 5. 14. they be desirous in all holy humility to vnderstand the truth are sufficiently exercised in the word of truth 4 Fourthly we learne that seeing these articles were set downe plainely for the capacity of the simple therefore they ought nor to be debarred from the right vnderstanding of them detained in the darkenes of ignorance as it shall be further declared in the nexte chapter Now on the contrary side the church of Rome teacheth that all pointes of faith necessary to salvation are not set downe no not in the large volumes of the canonicall scriptures much lesse within the straiter boundes of this shorte summe of faith that the people should not presume to examine discerne the doctrine of their pastors teachers that the doctrine of faith is full of hardenes and difficulty aboue the capacity of the Lords people and therefore that they must content themseâ—ues to be without this knowledge perswading themselues that ignorance is the mother of devotion as may well be of their blinde superstitious devotion CHAP. 2. That it is not enough for the lay
be saued he will haue theÌ„ come Neh. 8. 12. 2. Tim. 2. 4. thereto by the knowledge of the truth And therefore this is also sette downe as a marke of all such as the Lord wil receaue into the covenant of mercy by Christ Beholde this is the covenante that I vvill Ier. 3â— 34. â—…b S. 11. make with the house of Israell after these daies saith the Lord I vvill set my lawes in their mindes and in their harts will I write them and I vvill be their God and they shall bee my people they shall not teach each one his neighbour saying know the Lord for they shall know me even from the least vnto the greatest of them The which promise how it was accoÌ„plished by the preaching of the gospel in the primitiue church Theodoret may witnesse one for all We doe manifestly shew you saith Theod. de â—…rat grâ—c affect â— 5. he the great power of the doctrine of the Apostles and prophets for the whole face of the earth vnder the sunne is full of such wordes and the Hebrew bookes bee not onely translated into the Greeke but also into thâ— Romane Aegyptian Parthian Indian Arabian Sâ—yâ—hian Slavon and in a worde into all tongues which the nations vse to this day You may everie-where see our doctrine vnderstoode not onely of such as bee teachers in the church and instructers of the people but also of tailers weavers smithes all artificers yea also of women and not onely of them which bee learned but of victuallers pudding makers handmaides and servantes Neither those men onely that dwell in citties but husbandmen also vnderstande the same one may finde ditchers and heard-men and planters of vineyardes disputing of the trinity and of the creation of all things and having better knowledge of the nature of man then Plato and Aristotle had Now if in the primitiue church this were an evident testimony of the great power of the glorious gospell of Christ that it was able to settle the knowledge of the greatest mysteries of christian religion in the hearts of such as were but of the meanest basest callings and if it were a commendation then for such as were the meanest and simplest among the professors of the gospell of Christ that they were able to discourse dispute even of the deepest points of their christian faith how is the case altered now in these our dates as if the same word had lost his former power and were not able through the antoâ—s blessing to bring to passe the same effect or as if that which was then so commendable in the professours of christian relâ—gioâ— were now to be condemned for curiosity pride and presumption aâ— our Rhemistes would beare the world in hand in their preface to their translaâ—ion of thâ— new Testament CHAP. 3. division 1. 2. 1 Whether every faithfull christian may assuredlie knowe whether hee beleeueth aright and hath a true iustifying faith or no 2 Whether every faithfull christian knowing that he is in the faith may know also assuredlie whether he himselfe hath remission of sinnes and eternall life by faith in Christ THese questions because they lay opeÌ„ vnto vs the I beleeue maâ—ke wherevnto all true christians doe aime euen our association with Christ and the fruites thereof being the most sure and strong foundation of all christian comfort and consolation I wil therefore by Gods most gracious assistance handle them somewhat more at large and vse the more words in the opening of the same And first concerning the first No maÌ„ ought to make professioÌ„ of that before God and his congregatioÌ„ which he knoweth not assuredly whether it be so or no for that were but meere dissimulation and hypocrisie and as it were a deluding and mocking of God but every true christian ought to make profession of his faith euen before God and his congregation after this particular manner I beleeue and therefore he ought assuredly to know that he doth beleeue And so saith S. Austine the Epist 112. faithfull man doth see his owne faith whereby hee doeth answere without doubting I beleeue Secondly it were bootlesse for a christian man to examine himselfe whether he hath a true iustifying faith or no vnlesse vpon due examination and triall he might be able sufficiently to discerne the same but the faithfull christians are commaunded to examine themselues Proue your selues saith the Apostle Noses teipsum 2. Cor. â—3 5. vvhether yee are in the faith or no examine your selues know yee not your owne selues that Iesus Christ dwelleth in you vnlesse yee be reprobates The Apostle in this place speaketh of that faith whereby Christ dwelleth in the harts of the faithful which can be no other then the true iustifying faith or if he did speake of the doctrine of faith yet his reason were as forceable as otherwise For if it be needful for vs to examine our selues whether we hold a right opinioÌ„ iudgmeÌ„t in the doctrine of faith theÌ„ much more it lyeth vpoÌ„ vs to proue our selues whether we faithfully reioyce in the same doctrine place our cheifest coÌ„fort happines therein 1 Pet. 1. â— which is an evideÌ„t marke of a true iustifying faith otherwise our right opinioÌ„ in maters of faith wil be to vs as it is to the devils theÌ„selues only to our greater coÌ„demnation Furthermore as one may vnderstaÌ„d by the true nots of iustice patieÌ„ce such like whether he be a iust a patieÌ„t man even so by the notes markes of faith he may assuredly know whether he hath a souÌ„d faith The which notes markes of a right faith of a true faithfull christiaÌ„ Rom. 15. 4. should not haue ben set downe in the Lords booke wherein whatsoever thinges are written they are writteÌ„ for our learning but that the faithfull by examining theÌ„selus therby mightht assuredly perceaue vnderstaÌ„d that they held a right faith The markes are these 1. First the harty vnfained loue of the word of God For a faithful maÌ„ knowing the great benefit that coÌ„eth to himselfe by his true faith not only maketh great accouÌ„t therof but also entirely loueth and embraceth the meaÌ„es wherby it was begotteÌ„ at the first wherby it is dayly streÌ„gthened encreased Now faith cometh by hearing hearing by the word of god The word therfore is deerer vnto the faithful Ro. 10. 17. theÌ„ gold yea theÌ„ much fine gold sweeter also theÌ„ the hony the hony coÌ„be Psalm 19. A. 10. 1. 2. al the day loÌ„g doth he study in it meditate theron day night therby he doth becoÌ„e as a tree plaÌ„ted by the water side which bringeth foth his fruit in due seasoÌ„ whose leafe doth never wither In deede originally we are defiled with sin are by nature the children of wrath vntill Ephes 2 3. Iames 1. 18. the Lord of his owne good will begette vs againe by the word of truth
vertue of CHRISTS bloode to vvash and clense the staines of all the sinnes of the faithfull were infidelitie or not to doubt thereof but to doubt vvhether it bee availâ—able to purge and clense THINE iniquities sinnes is to bewray thine infidelity in another degree even in that thou beleevest not thy selfe to belong to that number nor yet to bee partaker vvith them of their mercie VVherefore to teach the faithfull that they shoulde bee persvvaded of the remission of their ovvne sinnes through the death of Christ is to plucke vp the rootes of infidelity it is not to teach pride but faith nor to open a gappe to all â—inne and vvickednesse but contrarivvise most effectuallie to provoke to repentance loue and thankefulnesse and to the practise of all other christian dueties Aâ—d in truth we cannot bee rightly offended with our selues for offending so merciful and gracious a God vntill he hath given vs some sense feeling of his vnspeakeable mercy towardes vs in assuring vs of the pardon of our offences and sinnes Neither can vve vnfainedly loue the Lord and desire to be thankfull vnto him as we ought to be vntil we be perswaded that he loueth vs and beareth a kinde affection tovvards vs. Neither yet can we wholy resigne our selues to God vntil we perceiue that we are not our ovvn but that we are bought with a price that so we should 1. Cor. 6. 20 sanctifie the Lorde both in our bodies and in our spirites which are the Lordes My beloued sâ—ith the spouse is mine and I am his he hath Cant. 2. 16. giuen himselfe to me and hath assured me of his loue and therefore I giue my selfe to him and assure him of mine obedience VVee loue him saith Saint Iohn because he loved vs first For as 1. Ioh. 4 19. one fire kindleth another and one heate raiseth vp another so the â—iâ—…y heate of the Lords kindnes and loue felt in the hearts of the faithful doth kindle againe the fiâ—e of their loue and thankefulnesse towards God causing them to busie all their thoughtes and cogitations how they may after the best manner perfourme this there bouâ—den duety and service to God When the Lord by the prophet had mentioned his great mercies bestowed vpon his people of Israel the prophet straâ—t-waies in the person of the people breaketh out into these words Wherewithall shall I come before Mich 6. 6. the Lorde and bowe my selfe before the high God Likevvise David vppon the like consideration VVhat shall I render vnto the Psa 116. 12. 103. 1. Lorde for all his benefites bestovved on mee and againe Praise the LORDE O my soule and all that is within mee praise his holy name praise the LORDE O my soule and forget not all his benefites vvho forgiueth all thy sinnes and healeth all thine infirmities vvhâ— saueth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with mercy and loving kindnes In which words we may perceaue that the sence and feeling of the Lords mercies in reâ—…tting to the prophet David his manifold sinnes was in him as a great vehement flame kindling in his very hart soule a most fervent zealous desire of magnifying and extolling the Lords mercies So Mary loved Luc. 7 47. much because manie sinnes vvere forgiven her â—eeling first the great aboundance of Gods loue tovvardes her selfe in pardonâ—ng her manifolde and grievous sinnes vvhich caused in her as it vvâ—re a reflexion and reciprocation of her loue towards God for those his great and endlesse mercies And surely if the small kindenes of a man and that towardes his enimy doth oftentimes â—eape coales of fire on his heade turning malice into meekenesse Rom. 12. 20 and currishnes into kindenes and so overcomming evill with goodnes how much more the infinite loue of God in pardoning our manifold and grievous sinnes being once felt within vs vvill it not possesse our soules with his loue and winne al our affections to his obedience Surely it vvil cause vs to reioyce if wee may suffer any tribulation for his names sake or performe any other duety whatsoeuer that may be grateful and acceptable vnto him We reioice saith the Apostle in tribulations knowing that tribulation Rom. 5. 4. bringeth foorth patience and patience experience and experience hope hope maketh not ashamed because the loue of God is shedde abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost And to say the truth who euer were greater enimies to carnal security and dissolutenes of life more zealous followers of Christ more religious embracers of true piety and godlines then such as aboue all other haue felt the loue of God most aboundantly towardes themselues in assuring them most vndoubtedly of the forgiuenes of all thâ—ir sinnes of their inheritance in the kingdome of glory Wherefore this doctrine which teacheth the faithful to raise vp themselues to a stedfast assurance of Gods mercies tendeth neither to pride noâ— to dissolutnes of life but that doctrine which teacheth to doubt of Gods favour is no better then a flat stepmother to faith and a naturall nurce to infidelity For he that wil rightly come vâ—to God must come vnto him without doubting whereby we see that faith Iac. 1. 6. and doubtfulnesse cannot wel agree together So vvhen God promised Abraham a sonne in his old age adding further that Rom 4. 2â— in his seed al the nations of the earth should be blessed Mâ—t â—4 31. Rom. 14 23 In Gen 4â— The popish faith â—…ke to the Infidell Poets he doubted not saith the Apostle through vnbeliefe shewing thereby that doubtfulnes ariseth of infidelity Wherefore for any that professeth himselfe to belong to the number of the faithfull to doubt of the performance of any of the Lordes promisâ—s in generall or in particular of the promise of forgiuenesse of sinnes and eternall life made to al that beleeue doth argue a very small faith at the least if it doe not convince the party of â—latte infidelity Non si mihi Iuppiter ipse sâ—…n â—…at â—…am sâ—crem hoc contingere ponâ—… Wherefore as Martin Luther truely avouched if there were no other errors and heresies in the doctrine of the church of Rome but euen this that they teach that the faithful which are iustified before God ought not yet assure themselues of 〈◊〉 owne iustification and of their owne vndoubted calling vnto the estate of grace but remaine stil pensiue and doubtful of the remission of their sinnes and of their interest in the kingdome of glory yet this alone were a sufficient motâ—ue to make a separation from her as being the mother of infidelity and not of faith Div. 3. That we ought to beleeue onlie in God and not in the church or in anie creature THose things which the Gentiles offer vp in sacrifice they I beleeue in God I beleeue the church offer to devils not to God the Iews all hereticks beleeue not in the true God but
as all the Lords blessings so especially these of the greatest value descende vnto the â—aithful only by gift and what is so free as gift and flovv meerely from the full fountaine of the Lordes most free and vndeserued mercy in Christ and not from themselues and their owne merites All haue sinned saith the Apostle and are deprived of the glorie of God Rom. 3. 23. but are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus And againe the wages of sinne iâ— death but everlasting life Rom. 6. 23. is the gift of God through IESVS CHRIST our Lord. â—astly by grace yee are sâ—ved through faith and that not of your selues it is the Eph. 2. 8. gifâ—e of GOD not of vvorkes least any â—an shoulde bâ—ast himselfe The which with the like testimonies being so evident for our iustification salvation bestowed vpon vs freely in Christ haue as it may be thought forced the childreÌ„ of the church of Rome to devise a double iustification the first proceeding from Gods free mercy in Christ the second from our own merite and deserts But this distinction they learned not of the Apostle who affirmeth that not only at the first we are brought into favor with God by Christ and freely iustified by his blood but also that much more wee are brought to the end of our salvation and to our full and final glorification by the same free vndeserued mercy of God in Christ For so is the Apostles â—llation God saith hee setteth out his loâ—e rewards Rom 5. 8. vs seeing whose we were yet sinners Christ died for vs Much more then being now iustified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath by him For if when we were enemies we were reconciled vnto God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled we shall bee saved by his life By vvhich wordes it is evident not that the faithfull which are at the first â—ustified by Christes blood are made able to iustifie themselues aftervvard by their ovvne vvorkes and to procuâ—e their ovvne salvation by their owne merites but much more saith he shall they bee preserued in the same grace and broughte to their salvation by CHRIST and by his life And verily if our first iustification by Christ bee sufficient vvhat neede vve seeke for a second iustification by our ovvne vvorkes And if our title vvhich vve haue to the kingdome of heaven by our Saviours death be good enough vvhat neede haue we to speake for any other title Can that vvhich is once iustly mine be made Quod semel 〈…〉 potest mihi â—…quiri pluribus causia by any other title morâ— mine Either can a man haue many â—ust titles to one thing Surely there bee tvvo heavens and tvvo salvations as vvel as there be tvvo iustâ—fications For hovvsoeuer it be avouched in the vvord of truth that God will rewarde our vvorkes vvith the inheritaunce of his heauenly kingdome yet vve must not thinke that so great a revvarde being bestovved vpon so sory a service doth proceede from the merit and worthines of our owne vvorkes but from the meere mercy of him that doth so accept of vs and of our vvorks in Christ as that he doth crowne them with eternall glory The which being bestowed vpon our workes of charity is yet still called an inheritaunce Came yee blessed Mat. 25. 34. of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you before the foundation of the worlde that we may still knowe and acknowledge that it is not a purchase made by our owne workes but an inheritaunce freely bestowed vpon such as are adopted into the number of the sons of God by faith in Christ For as for the straitest of our workes if they were squared by the levell of the law they would be fouÌ„d in some respect crooked and those things which seeme in vs to carry most weight if they were weighed in the ballance of Gods iustice they would appeare too light our best righteousnes being in some force vnrighteous and our greatest perfection stayned vvith imperfection Our knovvleâ—ge saith the Apostle is vn 1 Cor. 13. 9 perfect and our charity is vnperfect and therefore to be done away in the place of perfection not that the invvarde graces themselues are then vtterly abolished for they followe vs in death and Apo. 14. 13. neuer faile vs when all earthly treasures bâ—dde vs adevv but that the imperfections vvhich remaine in the greatest graces of the most perfect heere in this vvorlde are to bee done avvay in the vvorlde to come and the foundation of the kingdome of GOD vvhich is begunne to bee laide heere in this life to bee made perfect in the life to come The perfection sayeth Sainte Hierome of all the iust in Hie. l. 1. câ—… Pelag. this life is imperfecte perfection yea all our righteousnesse as faith the prophet is as a menstruous cloth and therefore the most Esa 64 6. holy that liue here should wash themselues with snow water and make Iob. 9. 30. August de tempore â—erm 49. themselues most cleane yet their owne cloathes would make them filâ—hy In the resurrection as saith an ancient father we beleeue that we shall fulfill all righteousnes in respect whereof all that we doe in this life is but very dounge Our humble righteousnes saith Bernard of vve haue Bern. serm 5 de verb. Es They of the Councell of TreÌ„t haue thought themselues better then these fathers cursing al such as be of their iudgment Ses 6. c. 16. c. 25. any at all is perhappes sincere but not pure except perchaunce vve imagine our selues to be better then our fathers who affirmed no less truely then humbly that alour righteousnes was aâ— a stained cloth for how saith he can that righteousnes be pure which caÌ„not be without faulte Where first we may obserue that he tearmeth our righteousnes which we attaine vnto here in this life humble secondly he thinketh it to be so small that he seemeth to doubt whether there be any such thing at all thirdly he calleth it sincere perhaps fourthly noâ— purâ— without all doubt fiftly he affirmeth this even of the best lastly hee avoucheth it to be a meere impossibility to be otherwise hovve can that be pure VVherefore it may not seeme stâ—ange that vvhich Gregorie teacheth that the holy man doth see his very vertuous worke to bee vicious if it come to bee scanned of a iust iudge And that Austin threatneth vengeance and woe against the same VVoe worth the commendable life of man if God should iudge it without mercy Now if Greg. in Iob. l. 9. c 1. Aug. l. 9. Confes c. 13. our very perfection be imperfect and our purity impure our righteousnes as a menstruous cloth and as very dounge if our vertue be vicious and our commendable life deserue a Woe theÌ„ when the Lord doth reward his faithfull servantes he doth not the same for the worthines of their
but vvill offer vp him againe vnto GOD and that as a propitiatory sacrifice both for the quicke and deade In so much that this holy sacrament being ordained of GOD to testifie the sufficiency of that sacrifice vvhich our Saviour himselfe once offered vpon the altar of the crosse is cleane perverted by the church of Rome and as it vvere forced to witnes the contrary and being appointed to coÌ„tinue the memory of CHRISTES death and of the singular vertue thereof in procuring the full and perfect redemption of man by this meanes it is abused to evacuate the crosse of CHRIST and to annihilate the vertue of that perfect redemption Thus haue they turned this holy and blessed sacrament into a sacrilegious and Idolatrous sacrifice the vvhich because it is grounded vpon their doctrine of Transubstantiation and the Reall presence I vvill therefore adde one vvorde also for the confutation thereof The vvorshippers and adorers of their bredden CHRIST doe charge vs for that vvee deny Transubstantiation and their Reall presence to make CHRIST a liar and to deny his plaine vvordes or at the least greately to darken and obscure them vvith tropes and figures But that all indifferent persons may vnderstand vvho they be that make Christ a liar darken and obscure his plaine words I vvould demande of them but this one questioÌ„ which is In vvhat outward elements Christ ordained this holy sacrament of his body and blood and vvhat therein be the visible signes of the invisible grace whether bread and vvine in their nature and substaunce or the bare and naked shevves thereof Verily the Evangelisteâ— vvith the Apostle doe Mat. 26. 26. Luk. 22. 19. 1. Cor. 11. 24. testifie that our Saviour Christ at the institution of this holy sacrament tooke bread in his nature and substance and not the bare and naked shevves of bread and when he had given thankes he brake it gaue it to them saying this is my body which is given for you do this in remembrance of me And in truth sacramentes if they haue not a certaine similitude as Austine saith with the things whereof they are sacraments Aug. ad Bâ—nif â—p 23. they are no sacraments at all but loose the name and nature of sacraments Now true and substantiall bread and wine haue a certaine similitude vvith Christ the heavenly Mannah and true bread of life the bodily nourishment that proceedeth from the very substance of these earthly creatures doth fitly represeÌ„t our spiritual nourishment that we haue by Christ but whitenes rednos roundnes with the outward shewes of bread and wine what resemblance haue they either of Christ himselfe or of the benefits that we receiue by him wherfore it is not a giving of the lie to the Lord of truth nor so much as an obscure and hid kinde of speech but that which is most familiar and agreeable to the nature of a sacrameÌ„t thus to interpret Christs words this is my body this bread is the sacrament or sacred Occam in 4. sent dist 13. Gardiner in Marco Antâ— Const De consecratione dist 2. c. timorem Glossa ibideÌ„ signe of my body Wheras in truth it is not only a great obscuring but a plaine perverting of our Saviours words to interprete them with some of the members of the Romish church as this is my body that is this bread goeth away my body succeedeth in the place therof or with other of them this my body is my body or with a third sort this Individuum vagum this I cannot tel what is my body or this nothing is my body Surely these doubtfull and strange interpretations of Christs words doe not only obscure but pervert the same deluding the harts of the Lords people and vndermining the soundnes of their faith For how can they eate these outward shewes or what benefite could they obtaine by them if they could eat theÌ„ was not this sacrament of the Lordes supper ordained to the same end as all other sacramentes are euen to assure vs of our spirituall vnion with Christ the interest that we haue thereby to all his blessings how is this herein ratified and confirmed vnto vs verily not by the bodily receiving of Christs body nor by receiving of the outward shews of bread wine but by the reverent receiving of the holy sacraments and signes of the body of Christ and of his blood And seeing there is no bodily commixtion betweene Christ and the faithful to what purpose serveth a bodily participation seeing also as they themselues teach Christ being bodily receiued of the wicked departeth againe from them and being bodily receiued of the faithfull yet is not thereby vnited vnto them nor receiued to life but only when he is receiued of theÌ„ by faith Lastly why should the litterall sence of these words this is my body be so much vrged which is impossible barbarous blasphemous See Thom. Biâ—son Epis Winton parte 4. fol. 733. but that all the world might most evidently discerne thereby who is that blasphemous whore of Babylon Thus hath the Bishoppe and church of Rome set vp many manifest contradictions against the gospel and the law the creed the commandements the groundes of faith and of a godly life and so hath brought in that great Apostasie foretold by the Apostle 2. The. 2. 3. the which our Rhemistes themselues vpon the same place do in the end resolue to signifie a revolt from most of the pointes of our christian religion vvhich vvas to be brought in by the greate Antichrist For whereas all other heretikes being in comparison but petty adversaries to Christ haue oppugned but one or tvvo or some few pointes of our christian profession this adversary hath assaulted the whole body thereof that so he might openly proclaime himselfe to be that grande adversary of Christ even that very great Antichrist And therfore we neede not now looke for the coÌ„ming of such an Antichrist which shall seate himselfe in the teÌ„ple of IerusaleÌ„ seeing we may behold him already come placed in Peters chair in the statly pallaces of the church of Rome The which thing as it hath bin sufficiently declared already in the former partes of this treatise so it remaineth further to be made manifest by diverse other particular prophesies wherin the great Antichrist is as it were drawn out in his proper colours that so hee might be the better known avoided which are to be delivered in the chapter following CHAP. 14. 1 That the great Antichrist his adherents shall not be open enemies to all professed ChristiaÌ„s but rather pretensed favorites and friends 2 That the principall point of the Christian faith oppugned by Antichrist and his adherentes shall not be the dignity and authority of the church but the vertue and perfection of the worke of the redemption wrought by the heade of the church vvith his priestly and kingly offices whereby hee accomplished the same as being
vnto our Saviour Christ that he is called by the name of truth and his spirit is said to be the spirit of truth and that it is testified of him that one of the principal causes why he came downe from the father was that hee might beare vvitnes to the truth and why he ascended againe vp to the Ioh. 18. 13. father even that he might send downe his spirit vpon his A postles to lead them into all truth and by the voice of truth to gather Ioh. 16. 13. to himselfe a church and congregation which should be a lover embracer maintainer and pillar of truth For all such as Christ 1. Tim. 3 15 would haue to be saued hee would haue them come thereto by the knowledge of the truth And therfore he sendeth vnto them the 1. Tim. 2. 4. light of his word causeth them with all constancy to embrace the same whereby they are enabled to know the truth and the truth Ioh. 8. 32. doth make them free Free from the slavery of sinne and Satan from all the powers of the kingdome of darknes and the same truth doth sanctifie them being before polluted with blind infidelity Ioh. 17. 17. and ignorance of God and so maketh them fellowe cittizens of the Saintes and enrolleth them into the Lords family So then the faithful embracing professing of the truth being the bādes of our communion fellowship with God and an assured note of the Lords people no marvaile though all nations of the earth of what profession soever they be be they Pagans Turks Iewes or Heretikes make so bold a claime to the possession of truth and be at open defiance with al other which wil not yeeld vnto their pretended title And yet there is but one truth one faith which The greatest chalengers are not the rightest owners of truth The testimony of God is the best evidence for truth is the sure anchor of our hope in God the direct way vnto his heavenly kingdome Neither are they seased of the possession therof who make the stoutest claime and chalenge thereto and seeme to be most earnest in the defence of the same but rather such as can shew for it the best evidence Now the best evidēce for truth is the testimony of God who is onely true and cannot lie who cannot erre be deceiued himselfe or in any wise deceiue others And this is acknowledged by all as it may appeare by the pretence made by the autors and inventors of every devotion who haue fained either conference with some God or goddesse or some revelation from some divine power to get the greater credit to their profession So dealt Numa among the Romans Licurgus amōg the Lacedemonians and Solon among the Athenians The truth is that God who dwelleth in a light that no man can approach vnto whom no man hath 1. Tim 6. 16. seene nor can see whose voice is so terrible and glorious that no man can heare it and liue who is onely knowen vnto himselfe and who onely knoweth what is truth what belongeth to his owne worshippe and service hath revealed his wil vnto his faithfull servants and hath made them his penmen and scribes and as it were the publike notaries of his heavenly wisdome And these publike notaries we that be Christians beleeue not to be Solon Lygurgus Numa Mahomet or the like but the Prophets Apostles and Evangelistes even the penmen and scribes of the word The pen-men of the bookes of the olde new testament are the onelie sure and infallible witnesses of truth of God contained in the bookes of the olde and newe testamēt For as for those lawgiuers among the heathē it is acknowledged that they were great learned and politicke men as being trained vp in those artes and sciences which did florish in those ages wherein they liued wherby they were enabled to set down many witty and skilfull rules for the better managing of humane affaires But as for the most of our Prophets Apostles they were simple and ignorant men brought vp not in famous places and schooles of learning but in meane poore and base occupations and therefore the divine knowledge of all heavenly wisedome wherewithal they were endued most plentifully must needes be extraordinarily derived vpon them from God himselfe the foūtaine and wel-spring of all wisedome seeing they obtained not the same by any ordinarie meanes and the miraculous gifte of tongues bestowed vpon them whereby they were enabled in all languages to open to all nations the wonderfull workes of God could not proceede but frō him who is the author of all languages and tongues as likewise the quicke and speedy prevailing of this heavenly doctrine the strong effectual working therof in the harts of the faithful which made them yong old most desirous to testifie their exceeding great loue to the same with the sheading of their decrest blood doth manifestly convince it to be the most mighty powerfull word of the most mighty powerful God Now as the persons from whom the bookes of the olde new testament proceeded by whom the doctrine thereof was so louingly embraced declare them to be divine so doth the matter also in them contained For where are the deformities of all iniquities and sinnes so liuely drawen forth sette out in their coloures to moue to a through dislike and hatred of them and to vnfained repentance and amendement of life as they are described in these divine bookes And where else may we find such a gratious mediator to reconcile vs to God so great a price given for the purchase of the kingdome of heaven so ample and full a satisfaction for the discharge of al our sinnes such a soveraigne salve for the curing of al our maladies such an effectual meanes to relieve our distresled consciences and to secure vs of the loue and favour of God as are offered vnto vs in the holie scriptures And wheras the penmen of these holy bookes lived in diverse ages countries doth not the perfect cōsent agreement of their precepts and instructions manifestly declare by whom they were directed even by him who is alwaies one and the same never differing or disagreeing from himselfe So doth the perfect accomplishment of so many strange predictions foretolde so many ages before they came to passe evidently cōvince that these books proceeded frō him vnto whō only were known al his own decrees works before the foūdatiō of the world was Veritas docendo suadet Tertul. cōt Valēt laide Lastly the perfect purity holines of all points of faith set down in these bookes that absolute equity righteousnes of all the precepts of piety and godlines therein contained doeth plainely declare also that they proceeded from the holy of holies euen from him whose wil is the rule of all equity and righteousnes So that Moses the first penman of this holy write mighte
in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest doe it By which words we are to learne that God in his divine and heavenly wisedome hath not appointed either an Angel from heaven or a messenger from beyond the seas to bee the instruments wherby his wil may be related vnto vs but only his holy word sacred coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts In truth such is the pride curiosity superstition and rebellion of sottish sinfull man that he setteth light by the meanes appointed by God for his best instruction would needes haue one raised from the deade or an Angel from heaven to bring him tydings of the Lordes wil and to make relation thereof or else hee woulde receive it by tradition from his auncestors or by descent from his forefathers The rich glutton beeing in hell is saide to haue made his petition to Abraham being in heaven that he should cause one to come froÌ„ the deade to admonish his brethren whom he had lefte aliue behinde him least they also should come into the same place of tor ments Not that the damned spirits in hel are so charitably affected that they could wish others to be delivered from those miseries which they themselues endure wheras on the contrary side they are so envious and malitious that they envy at the happy estate of the blessed and would haue all entangled with them in the same curse But the purpose of the parable is to shew the vanity of such as are aliue who coÌ„tent not themselues with the instructioÌ„ of the word but needs would be taught by a messenger from the dead Now what is Abrahams answere to this petition They haue saith he Moses and the Prophets that is the word of Luk 16. 29. God sett down in their writings let them beare them For howsoever many perswade themselues that they should verily beleeue and amend their liues if one should arise from the deade and admonish warne them of the great danger they are subiect vnto in respect of their sins yet it is a contrary resolution from the spirit of God by the mouth of Abraham If they wil not heare Moses the Prophets neither will they beleeve though one rose againe from the deade For if they will not be taught and reformed by such meanes as God in his dâ—vine wisedome hath thought to be best for their instruction reformation then surely al such meanes must needs be of lesse force and efficacy which blinde foolish man hath of himselfe imagined conceaved And therfore when the vaine people in the time of the Prophet Esay would needes be certified Esa 8. 19. of the Lords will by sorcerers coniurers by informatioÌ„s from the deade What saith the Lord from the living to the deade Doe yee appeale from the censure of the eternall and everliving Lord vnto the sentence of such as are deade To the lawe to the testimony for if they vvhich pretend to certifie you of the vvill of the Lord speake not out of this vvorde it is because they haue no light in them And verely if we meane to consult with God and to haue an answere from him concerning his will wee must seeke for the same froÌ„ the divine Oracles of his sacred word if we be desirous Rom. 3. 2. Psal 119. to be partakers of the Lords counselles our counsellours must bee the Lords owne bookes For they are the Lords testimonies and after a sort his sworne witnesses to testify vnto vs all the truth nothing but the truth in all matters that concerne the glory of God the salvation of our owne soules They containe the full and whole wil and testament of our heavenly father the disposition of all such blessings as he bestoweth vpon his deare louing children the prescription of all such duties as he requireth at their hands And yet there haue bin still are many who had rather seeke for the manifestation of the will of God in the traditions of their auncestors in the examples of their forefathers then in the very will testament of God himselfe Our Fathers Ioh. 4. 10. saith the woman of Samariâ— worshipped in this mount but ye say thaâ— Ierusalem is the place where men ought to worshippe The Samaritaneâ— had forsaked the most certaine infallible rule of the vvritten word pretended the example of their progenitors an olde tradition from their forefathers Our Fathers worshippeâ— in this mount But what replieth our blessed Saviour vnto this so plausible glorious an allegation yee worshippeyee wote not what vve Vers 22. know what we worshippe therfore salvatioÌ„ is from vs. So the Idolatrous Iewes The word say they that thou hast spoken to vs â—n Ier. 44. 16. the name of the Lord we will not heare it of thee but will doe whatsoever goeth out of our owne mouth as to burne incense to the Queene of heaveÌ„ and to powre out our drinke-offrings to her as we haue done both we our fathers our kinges our princes in the cities of Iudah in the streetes of Ierusalem for then bad we plenty of victuals and vvere well and felte none evill So mightely doth crooked custome the example of carnal progenitors other carnal respects prevaile with carnal sensuall men but the spirituall man is taught by the spirit of truth to follow no such deceaveable guids We followed not saith S. Peter deceaueable fables wheÌ„ we opened vnto you the power coÌ„ming of our 2. Pet. 1. 16. Lord Iesus Christ but with our eies we sawe his glory for be received of God the father honour glory when there came such a voice vnto him from the excellent glory This is my well beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased And this voice we heard when it came from heaven being vvith him in the holy mount We haue also a most sure word of the Prophets vnto the which yee doe well that yee take heede as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place Wherby we learne that the word of God delivered either by revelation from himselfe or else sett downe by the pennes of the Apostles and Prophets is a most sure vndeceavable testimony of the Lords wil wheras that which is delivered by tradition from hand to hande hath oftentimes a mixture of decea veable fables in steede of pure and sincere truth as the Iewish Thalmud and the popish Legende can testifie sufficiently And therefore for the safer custodie and preservation of the truth it Luk. 1. 4. pleased the spirite of GOD that the Gospell first preached by the mouth of the Apostles and Evangelistes should afterward be registred by their ovvne pennes and sette dovvne vnder their ovvne handes VVee haue not saith Irene by any other knowen those thinges that belong to our salvation but by those by whom Iren l. 3. c. 1 the Gospell came vnto vs the vvhich they at the first published by mouth and
sheepes cloathing therfore cannot easily be discerned vntill their cloakes be taken from them a due viewe be taken of them by their portraitures and resemblances most liuely drawen out onely by the pensill of the Prophets and Apostles Doth not S. Iohn also will the Christian congregation not to beleeve ever ie spirite but to trie the spirites whether they bee of 1. Ioh. 4. 1. God or no seeing even then in his life time many false Prophets were gone out into the world For he is a foole that beleeveth every Prov. 14. 15 thing and the iointes of true wisdome are these two first to bee â—ober in our owne opinions and secondly not to bee to hasty in giving credit to others Proue all things saith the Apostle 1. The. 5. 21 but approue that which is good even that which is found to be so by sufficient triall Yea he was not only contented to haue his owne doctrine to bee tried but also giueth a straite charge that the same be diligentlie done I speake saith hee as to them that have vnderstanding iudge yee what I say and his commaundemente is 1. Cor 10. 15 that all other teachers be subiect also to the same lawe Lett the Prophets speake two or three and let the other iudge VVherfore Origen 1. Cor. 14. 29 Orig. in Ios hom 2. speaking vnto the people saith vnto them Doe yee that vvhich is vvritten that is that one speaking all the rest examine So saith he vvhiles I speake that vvhich I thinke doe yee discerne vvhat is right and vvhat is othervvise And Saint Ambrose Ambr. cp lib. 5. orat in Auxen doth exasperate his auditory against his adversarie Auxentius for that hee refused to haue his cause heard and tryed by the censure and iudgment of the people Auxentius saith hee speaking to the people knovving you not to bee ignorant of the faith hath shunned your iudgement and hath chosen foure or five heathen men Then in that hee hath chosen Infidels hee is vvorthie to bee condemned of Christians because hee hath reiected she Apostles precepte vvhere hee saith Dare any of you having ought against another hee iudged vnder the vniust and not rather vnder the Saints Yee see that vvhich hee hath offered is against the Apostles auctority But vvhat speake I of the Apostle vvhen the LORDE himselfe proclaimeth by the Prophet Heare yee mee O my people that know vvhat belonges to iudgment in vvhose hearte my Lavve is GOD saith Heare yee mee O my people that knovve iudgment Auxentius saith yee knovve not hovve to iudge yee see that hee contemneth GOD in you vvhich refuseth this sentence of the heavenly oracle for the people in vvhose hearts the lavve of God is doth iudge VVho then doth you vvrong Hee that refuseth or hee that referreth himselfe to your audience Wherfore to be able to discerne the spirites and to distinguish truth from falshoode and verity from vanity is not a special gift proper to a few but a generall grace common to al the Lords people For as the natural man is able to discerne holesome foode from vnholesome vnlesse his body be infected with sicknesse and his tast distempered with some corrupte humor so the spirituall man is able to discerne the foode of the soule and to distingush falshoode from truth vnlesse his minde be blinded with errour and his iudgment corrupted with some preiudicate opinion According as our Saviour himselfe hath Ioh. 10. vers 4. sette it dovvne as a property belonging to all his sheepe that they doe knovve his voice from the voice of a stranger and are able to discerne the sheepheard from the wolfe And verely hovve othervvise could they shunne the wolfe and follovv the shepheard Hovve could they flye falshood that leadeth to destruction and embrace the truth to the salvation of their soules Yea but saith the composer of the ward-Ward-vvord if the The due trial of the doctrine of our teachers by the touchstone of the scriptures is not the cause of falling into heresie but of sinding ouâ— the truth People may iudge of the doctrine of their teachers and if every one may make choice according to his ovvne private fancy is not this the high and open vvay to errour and heresy It is sufficiently declared before that the people ought to try and to discerne by the Scriptures the doctrine of their pastors and teachers and to approue of that only which is agreeable to that foundation of truth but not of that which best fitteth their owne private fancies or the fanciful opinions of any other For we must not drawe our pastors and teachers before the consistory of our owne harts to receive their censure iudgmeÌ„t froÌ„ our selues but before the tribunal seat of the word of God For as for our selues wee must not presume to pronounce any definitiue sentence but we must giue our esseÌ„t consent to that seÌ„teÌ„ce which we vnderstaÌ„d to be pronouÌ„ced by that iudge And if we be desirous rightly to vnderstaÌ„d what is the seÌ„tence of that iudge we must renouÌ„ce our own iudgmeÌ„t which we haue drawen other froÌ„ the blindnes of our corrupt nature or else froÌ„ our evil badde education we must become fooles that is coÌ„demne all our 1. Cor. 3. 18. own thoughts of extreme folly if we be desirous to be partakers of that wisdome which is to be learned out of the word of God the fouÌ„taine welspring of all wisdome We must most huÌ„bly devoutly resort in our praiers to the father of light that he would cause vs to behold our own blindnes darknesâ— haue our continual recourse to his holy word which is a lanterne to our feete and a light to our pathes that so the eles of our mind being lightned we may attaine to a sound and vncorrupt iudgment and be â—…le to disâ—…rne falshoode from truth For if thou call for knovvledge and crie for vnderstanding and if thou seeke for her as for silver Pro. 2. 3. and search for her as for treasures then shalt thou vnderstande the feare of the Lord and finde the knowledge of God A scorner indeed seeketh Pro. 14. 6. knowledge and findeth it not but vvisedome is easie to him that will vnderstande The vvorde of God saith Origen is shut vppe against Orig. in Exod. hom 9. Heb. 5. 11. the negligent but it is open to them that seeke and knocke Manie thinges saieth the Apostle are harde to them that are dull of hearing and are vnexpert in the vvorde of righteousnes and haue not their vvittes exercised through longe custome to discerne betvveene good and evill But if vvee haue our continuall resorte vnto GOD by praier and bee dayly exercised in reading and meditating on the vvorde of GOD and lay it as our sure ground-worke and foundation of all trueth vvee shall not long bee neglected neither shal our labour bee in vaine in the Lord but we shal be lightned with
the knowledge of all such things as shal be necessary to our own salvation Marcus Aemilius Seaurus when he was accused to haue received mony to betray the common vvealth beganne in his ovvne defence after this manner It is O yee Romanes an harde course vvhereas I haue lived in one place to giue an accounte of my life in another yet I vvil be bold to make vnto you this one demaunde VARIVS SVCRONENSIS saieth that MARCVS AEMILIVS SCAVRVS beeing corrupted vvith bribes hath purposed to betray the people of Rome MARCVS AEMILIVS SCAVRVS denieth himselfe to be guilty of any such crime To vvhich of vs vvill yee giue credite The plainetise and the defendant beeing only named the people straight-vvaies refused to take notice of any such accusation So may the vvorde of God contained in the Canonicall Scriptures complaine of great vvtonge offered vnto her by the Church of Rome and say Oh yee Papistes yee haue expelled mee in your schooles and assemblies out of the seat of iudgement as I vvas delivered vnto you in my originalles and out of the handes of the people in their vulgar and knowne languages and tongues and haue accused mee to bee darke and obscure and full of ambiguities and harde to bee vnderstoode but I say that I am a lanterne to your feete and a lighte shining in a darke Psal 119. place and plaine and easie to him that vvill vnderstande And now 2. p. 1. Pro. 8. vvhich of vs I praye you deserue to bee credited the more Surelye hee is most vvorthye to bee deceived that vvill giue more credite to the slaunderous accusation of the Antichristian Church of Rome then to the most evident and plaine testimonye of the vvoorde of God for the clearing and iustifying of it selfe Nowe then seeing that our doctrine is plaine that wee must renounce our selues and our ovvne fancies and condemne all our owne imagination of blindnesse and folly and continually resort by our prayer to God and by our study vnto his vvorde as vnto the onely vnerring teacher of all trueth allowing of no one pointe of faith that is not most evidently set dovvne in the Canonical Scriptures therefore wee are most vniustly charged to teach the people to make choice of their faith according vnto their owne private fancies and so to open a doore vnto heresies vvhereas in trueth the Church of Rome herselfe teaching the people in divine matters somevvhat to relye vpon the naturall light of their owne vnderstandings and vpon the choice of their owne free vvill as likewise vpon the censures of Popes and canons Aug. l. 2. de bapt cap. 3. The doctrine of the word of God is catholike albeit it be embraced but by one alone and the doctrine of men are private albeit they be received by never so many 1. Kin. 19 10. Ier. 15. 10. 1. Kin. 22. 8. of Councels which may deceiue and bee deceived wherof the latter may correct the former as experience taught Saint Augustine to iudge and vpon traditions and vnwritten verities hath giuen them occasion to make choice of such things as shall best fitte their owne fancies and bee most agreeable to the humours of men and so hath set them in the ready way to embrace errour insteed of truth and to fall from verity into damnable heresie That doctrine we may be sure is sound catholike which hath his foundation in the Canonical scriptures the which hath his authority from the first author and not from the professours there of the which is not to be condemned for private and singular albeit it bee embraced but by one man For as Panormitan coulde avouch one singular man alleadging Scripture is to bee preferred before a generall Councell as it vvas put in practise in the Councell of Nice vvhere the sentence of Paphâ—utius vvas preferred before the generall opinion of the vvhole assembly Elias Ieremias and other of the prophets that vvere raised vp by God in their several times to reforme the worshippe of God that was generally corrupted had fewe and sometimes none at all to assist them in the execution of their charge but were after a fort left alone to contend and striue with the vvhole earth and yet their prophesies and interpretations of Scriptures were not condemned by any of the faithfull for private and singular for that as S. Peter testifieth they proceeded not from the 2. Pet. 1. 20. wil of man but from the motion of the spirit of God So in the primitiue church albeit Liberius bishop of Rome stood after a fort alone against the Arrians in the defence of the most Catholike doctrine of the divine nature of the coessential and consubstantial son of God and interpreted the scriptures for the confirmation of that faith yet his alonenes made not his interpretations private but that they were most catholike and sounde For whatsoever proceedeth from men be they few or many that is to be taken for private and vnfounde and certainely in the ende it shall come to nought whereas not one lote or tittle of the law shal Act. 5. 38. Mat. 5. 18. perish til al things be fulfilled Vnder the time of the law for that in the bookes of Moses all points of faith were not set downe with such perspicuity plainnes that they could be so fully easily vnderstood then as they may now vnder the gospel therfore the Lord raised vp vnto theÌ„ many vnerring interpreters for the supplying of that defect Yet hee did not giue any such ordinary and perpetuall priviledge to the successors of Aaron that they should be alwaies maintainers of truth albeit they made claime to such a prerogatiue as it may appeare by their own vaunts The law shall not perish from the priest Ier. 18. 18. nor counsell froÌ„ the ancient but he raised vp Prophets extraordinarily when and where he thought good who were priviledged in deed from falling into heresie and from the misinterpreting of the law of God and by them he reformed al such abuses as were crept into his owne worship and service But now al revelations are ceased and the raysing vp of vnerring interpreters is come to an end for that in the writings of the Apostles and Evangelists al points of faith necessary to salvation are set down with al perspiculty and plainenes and for that also there is very great aboundance of the spirit given to al the faithful servaÌ„ts of Christ which reverently and religiously employ themselues in the zealous study of those holy bookes The Apostle Saint Iohn writing to the 1. Ioh. 2. 27. church concerning deceivers telleth the faithful that the means wherby they must be armed against them is to hold fast that doctrine which they had heard from the beginning the which being throughly setled in their hearts by the effectuell working of the spirit of God wherewithal they were before annointed and made christians they needed not that any man should teach theÌ„ Not that the continual
the Interpreter but vpon the light it selfe of the divine doctrine which is now sufficiently manifest vnto them being duely vveighed and considered without the auctority of the Interpreter When wee beleeve saith Austine being now made more strong in the faith we vnderstand that vvhich we beleeve not novve men but God himselfe inwardly strengthning lightning our mind And thus do we teach the people of God which are already setled in the faith of Christ not to ground their faith vpon their owne private fancies nor vpon the private opinions of any other man or men be they few or many nor yet vpon any humane interpretations of scripture but vpon the plaine sentence of GOD himselfe deciding and determining what is falshood and what is truth that is vpon the interpretations of holy scriptures which are delivered in the scriptures theÌ„selues eveÌ„ vpoÌ„ those plaine manifest places therof which are in theÌ„selues so evideÌ„t cleare that they stand in neede of no interpreter at al not yet to frame their liues according vnto the decrees of the church the special rules of such as are fouÌ„ders of any private devotioÌ„s but according vnto the general laws coÌ„maÌ„demeÌ„ts of God hiÌ„selfe For theÌ„ wil both our faith life be acceptable to God when this is throughly fixed and setled in our harts we can truly sincerely say Thus do I beleeue thus do I liue because the Lord himselfe whose servaÌ„t I am hath coÌ„maÌ„ded me thus to beleeue thus to live For this is not a sufficient warraÌ„t security for vs to say My conscience iudgeth this or that to be good therfore it is good or my coÌ„scieÌ„ce iudgeth this or that to be evil therefore it is evill to be avoided for then should al superstitious Idolatrous kindes of serving of God be good ChristiaÌ„ religioÌ„ evil because the coÌ„sciences of all Infidels allow of the one condemne the other before the eies of their minds be lightned their coÌ„sciences reformed by the holy and heaveÌ„ly rules of our ChristiaÌ„ professioÌ„ And verely not our selues our own consciences but God only is our Lord iudge who hath autority to enact lawes to set theÌ„ out vnto vs as limits bouÌ„ds the which if we in any wise traÌ„sgresse we do coÌ„mit iniquity sin And therfore albeit the Apostle teacheth that he that Rom. 14. 23. eateth of things lawful sinneth if in coÌ„science he doubt whether he may do so or no yet herein he sinneth not for that he traÌ„sgresseth any law of his own coÌ„science seeing she hath noÌ„e autority to make any but for that either doubting in coÌ„scieÌ„ce whether God doth allow of his fact or no or else being parswaded that he doth disallow it yet he wil needs do the same being carried away with his own headstroÌ„g affectioÌ„s or by the perswasioÌ„s of othe meÌ„ For heerein he doth tredde vnder foote the autority of God sette GOD himselfe after a sorte at naught in that hee resolveth to do this or that albeit he doubteth whether God doth allowe it yea albeit he is perswaded that God doth disallow coÌ„demne the same Our conscience then must not be our canon rule in matters belonging to the service of God but God himselfe in his Canonicall scriptures For they are the onely sure and infallible witnesses of the will of God and our consciences cannot rightly bee assured of any thinge that is not delivered in those bookes And therfore seeing that in what thing soever we do belonging to the worshippe service of God we must be assuredly perswaded that it pleaseth God for whatsoever is done without Rom. 14. 23 this faith certain persuasioÌ„ is sinne we must not be ledde therein either by the vncertaine guesses of our owne coÌ„sciences or by the doubtfull coniectures of other men but only by the warrant of the Canonicall scriptures But the church of Rome will haue the deciding of all doubtes and controversies to be devolved froÌ„ Alabaster the scripture to the interpreter that is from the text to the glosse from God to man from the master to the servant from the iudge to the minister as if the iudge himselfe could not sette downe his owne definitiue sentence no not in writing as plainly fully and sufficiently as it can be delivered by the mouth of his messeÌ„ger and shee commaundeth the people to sette their faith vpon the decisions of the Pope and vpon the determinations of his counsellers vpon the bookes Apochryphs vpon traditions and vnwritten verities and to order their lives not according vnto the prescription of the law of God alone but also according vnto her owne ordinances and the rules of the founders of her relligious orders Wherefore shee which most vniustly accuseth vs to misleade the people into errour and heresie may in truth bee most iustly charged therwith seeing the cause of heresie is not the diligent and humble resort to the word of God the very fountaine and welspring of all heavenly truth that by this touchstone wee may trie discerne sound and currant doctrine from vnsound counterfeite but either the vtter reiecting forsaking of this holy word or the mingling of our owne fancies and dreames therwith or the dotages and inventions of other men For by this meanes hath truth faith bin banished heresie Idolatry brought in even froÌ„ the beginning of the world vnto this day For how â—ell Adam and Eue into their Apostasie but by forsaking the commaundement of God delivered vnto them by the Lords own mouth And what was the cause that al the posterity of Adam excepting only the family of Abraham fell by little and little into al errour and heresie vntil they came into most grosse and damnable Idolatry but as the Apostle testifieth for Act. 14. 18. that God suffered them all to walke in their owne waies For he had given his word only to Iacob his statutes ordinances to Psal 147. 19 Israel he had not deâ—lt so with any other nation neither had the heathen knowledge of his lawes And amongst this people of Israell vvhat was the cause that the tenne tribes at once fell avvay from God They fell avvay from the house of David because of the sinnes of Solomon and by the folly of Rehoboham his sonne but they fell from God when they vvoâ—shipped the calues that vvere set vppe by Ieroboham vvho made Israell to sinne contrary to the lavv and commaundement of God they forsooke the vvorshippe of God in Ierusalem ordained and established by the Lordes ovvne vvorde and set vppe in Dan and Bethell a new kinde of worshippe of God according vnto their owne inventions and so they fell avvay from the living GOD. And when those tenne tribes for their Idolatries and sinnes were carried out of their owne countrey into captivity by the king of Ashur the Samaritanes were placed in their roomes the cause also
guides Yea what cause of heresie observed and noted by her own children hath shee not embraced that so shee might defile her selfe with all manner of spirituall abominations If to make choice of religion according vnto the darke light of our owne natural reason and the servile liberty of our own free-will be to follow such guides as must needs lead into errour shee hath taught her children to do the same If to thinke basely of the common dueties generally belonging to all christians and to make choice of singular and private devotions be the cause of heresie shee hath perswaded her children thereto If the overmuch admiring of men and the addicting of our selues to our particular masters bee not only the beginning of schisme but the cause of heresie shee hath made her sectaries and followers not only schismatikes but also heretikes For vvhere may we finde more admiring and magnifying of men of their supreme power authority of their greate priviledges and prerogatiues of the holinesse of their rules and orders canons and constitutions and of the worthines perfectioÌ„ and merite of their workes then is to be found in the Church of Rome Lastly if he be an heretike which is an other-wise teacher or an after reacher and he a superstitious person that doeth any Rhom in 1. cp ad Tim. c. 1. thing supra statutuÌ„ more then is commaÌ„ded how can the chuâ—ch of Rome be free from the note of superstition and heresie seeing shee performeth her devotions otherwise then they were ordained to be done by the Apostles of Christ and most rigorously exacteth many duties which were not commanded by them at all and hath coyned many after-doctrines which were not heard of in their times For was not the word the sacraments otherwise delivered vnto the people by the Apostles of Christ then nowe Otherwise devotions they are by the church of Rome Was the word either publikely reade by them vnto the people in a strange tongue or kept from their owne private reading in a vnknowen language they sent to learne their devotions froÌ„ senceles dombe and deade images did they not penne it in a most vulgar tongue and after a most plaine familiar manner that for theÌ„ learning instructioÌ„ of Luk. 1. 4. Rom. 15. 4. the people Neither was the Sacrament of the Lordes supper ordained by them to be ministred to the people in one kinde nor baptisme with such a number of ceremonies as it is by the church of Rome disguised cast after a sort into a new forme much lesse was the observation of any outward ceremonie rite more rigorously exacted by them then the precise keeping of Christs institutioÌ„ or vrged vnder the paine of a more grievous curse Did the Apostles ordaine the solemne observing of so many festival daies After doctrines and workes supra statutuÌ„ and eves or the building of churches in the honour of the saints or the running on pilgrimage to offer before their images or the sett times of fasting and abstinence or secret coÌ„fession of all sins in the Priests eare or the vow of single life voluntary poverty Francis Dominike and Layola were not borne in their times not the holy rules made of any of their relligious orders but all vvillworships were condeÌ„ned by theÌ„ which afterward were not only Coll. 2. 23. allowed but also preferred before the workes required in the law of God Lastly the supreme auctority and iurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome was not ordained by the Apostles neither was he appointed by them to bee a vniversall Bishoppe and to haue dominion over the whole church and to bee the vnerring and infallible iudge vnto whom appeale should bee made in all controversies much lesse was he placed by them aboue all kings and Emperors to depose them to set them vp at his own pleasure neither was any such auctority practised by S. Peter himselfe or by his successors long after him which yet had most skill and best courage to maintaine all doctrine belonging to their most Christian profession neither did they approue the bookes Apocriphs for Canonicall scripture nor their lawfull successors long after them alleaged the auctority of those bookes to confirme any doctrine or point of faith much lesse preferred they any translation before the authenticall text of the scripture as it is now done by the church of Rome and iustified openly by her auctority in her last generall councell of Trent Wherby shee hath made it manifest to the whole world that shee is not in some pointes onely but wholy and altogither fallen away from the word of GOD seeing shee refuseth to receiue it for the foundation of her faith as it was penned in the originalles by the speciall direction of GODS vnerring spirit and admitteth it onely as it is expounded by her translator which vvas not therein directed by any revelation nor had any priveledge of not falling into errour And verely if it bee a good reason against vs as it hath beene sette forth not long since by one of her Pamphleters that the vnlearned among vs haue no faith at all but a meere fancie because they doe builde it vppon our bare translations being not able to examine the truth of them by the originalles then much more may vvee avouch that neither the vnlearned nor yet the learned themselues among them haue anie faith at all seeing they all must vvill they vvill they settle their faith vppon the vvoordes and meaning of their transslator albeit hee differ never so much from the originall VVherefore to conclude seeing the Church of Rome hath embraced all manner of meanes of falling avvaie from GOD and his truth vvee may bee boulde to affirme that shee hath revolted and played the Apostata and so is become not onelie hereticall but also apostaticall yea that shee hath brought in that great apostasy that was foretolde by the Apostle Thus hast thou gentle Reader delivered vnto thee the maine foundation of all good workes the foure principall motiues so often vrged in the divine scripture to stirre vp the faithfull to the right and approued manner that is to be kept in the due performing of all holy actions And herein thou hast on the one side sette dovvne the true fountaine of sincere devotion and of all the parts therof wherin consisteth the true worship service of God and his spirituall and heavenly kingdome and on the other side not only the causes of errour and heresy but also of superstition and of all manner of Idolatry Now it remaineth that thou carefully put in practise these holy precepts and sanctified rules wheÌ„ thou art moued to the performaÌ„ce of any good worke and that thou stirre vp the gift of God in thee by these or the like holy meditations thus reasoning with thy selfe and saying This good worke God himselfe in his holy word commandeth me to performe vnto whose will I owe all obedience for that it is