easilie be vnderstood by those things which we spake concerning the causes 6 But heauenlie inspiration was not communicated to all the prophets alike Degrees of prophets For some sawe more and some lesse In the 12. of the booke of Numbers God saith Num. 12 6. that he did insinuate himself to other prophets after diuers fashions but that hée presented himselfe vnto Moses mouth to mouth and face to face Deut. 34 10 And at the end of Deuteronomie it is written A comparison betweene Moses and Iohn Baptist Matt. 11 11 that after Moses there was neuer the like prophet Which yet must be vnderstood of the time before the comming of Christ For otherwise by the testimonie of Christ himselfe Iohn Baptist was greater than Moses For saith he Among the children of women there arose not a greater than Iohn Baptist For other prophets foretold that Christ in time would come but he with his finger shewed him to be present and conuersant among men We may also although somewhat rudelie thus distinguish the degrées of prophesies if that we call one an oracle another a dreame and an other a vision An oracle is What is an oracle a dreame a vision when by the voice of God him selfe it is told what we should doo So was Abraham warned by a voice from heauen that he shuld not kill his sonne As for the maner of dreaming there is no néed of examples Of these things read more in the next place they are plentifull in euerie place of the holie scriptures A vision may be in thrée sorts either when true things be discerned by an infused light and by the méere vnderstanding or else when besides that light images also are described and that either in the mind Zach. 1 18. and 4 2. Ierem. 1 13. as when Zacharias sawe the hornes and the candlesticks and Ieremie the pot or else in the eies and outward sense as was that hand spoken of by Daniel which appeared on the wall and as that Daniel 5 5. when angels were séene to talke with men in bodilie shape of men A difference in prophesie according to times And in prophesies there is a difference of times For some were before the lawe as were those of Abraham Noah Enoch and Adam some in the lawe as of Moses and others some in the gospell as the prophesies of manie holie men in the primitiue church And this gift God denied not euen to women For we reade of Marie Women prophets Debora and Olda that were prophetisses besides other women And in the beginning of the primitiue church the daughters of Philip and other godlie women did prophesie And Paule saith that a woman praieng or prophesieng 1. Cor. 11 5. should couer hir head But here How women may prophesie they being forbidden to speake in the church 1. Cor. 14 34 by the waie ariseth no small doubt For if at that time it were lawfull for a woman to praie and prophesie openlie why dooth Paule writing to the Corinthians and to Timothie admonish that a woman should not speake in the church These two saiengs although they may séeme somewhat repugnant yet may they diuers waies be reconciled Some thinke that Paule meaneth that a woman praieth and prophesieth when she is present and heareth publike praiers and prophesiengs in the church directed by some godlie and learned man Others suppose that two errors crept into the church of the Corinthians euen so soon as the same church beganne the one that women should prophesie openlie and the other that they should doo it bare-headed And they thinke that Paule confuted the first error in the 11. chapter to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 11 5. and the other in the 14. and in the 2. to Timothie 1. Tim. 2 11. and that so Paule altogither forbiddeth that either of them should be doone in the congregation Other some vnderstand those words of Paule as touching the ordinarie ministerie which by no meanes must be permitted to a woman but that by an extraordinarie meanes it is lawfull for women sometimes to prophesie as it was vnto Marie Debora Olda and others of whom we spake before the which if it doo happen at anie time they saie that Paule warneth that a woman should haue hir head couered Others thinke that women are quite forbidden by Paule to prophesie openlie but that it is lawfull for them to doo it priuatlie so they couer their heads But howsoeuer it be it importeth not much our purpose is onelie to teach that God dooth sometime impart this gift vnto women Prophets must not diminish the word nor adde to of their owne 7 But aboue all things prophets must beware that they corrupt not nor that they adde not or diminish anie thing For some otherwhile hauing receiued the illumination of God doo adde ouer and besides of their owne In the Acts certeine holie men lightened with the spirit of God said Acts. 21 4. and 10. that manie gréeuous afflictions were prepared for Paule at Ierusalem And this in verie déed they spake trulie but they added other things of their owne For they gaue counsell vnto Paule that he should not go to Ierusalem which thing they had not of the holie Ghost Good prophets ought not so to behaue themselues For if they will mingle their owne wisedome with the oracles of God they may easilie both be deceiued themselues and also cause others to be deceiued Besides this Prophets must not be corrupted for fauour or reward Num. 22 23. the prophets must take héed that they suffer not themselues to be corrupted either by monie or fauour as we reade that Balaam did For they which so doo saith Ierome are not prophets but diuiners As when Logicke is corrupt with errors and Fallaxis it is no longer Logicke but Sophistrie For they which may be hired to speake in fauour for reward sake be rather the diuinors of idols than the prophets of GOD and if they beare anie office in the church they will soone infect their auditorie with errors and so both shall be cast headlong into the ditch Further they must indeuour themselues by their life and maners to win credit to the woord of God By their life they must win credit to the word Matth. 3 4. 2. Kings 1 8. A fond imitation of Elias Iohn Baptist in apparell This is thought by some to consist in apparell and so they will imitate Elias and Iohn Baptist and be appareled in camels heare and we are girdles of leather But this did the prophets by the instinct and warning of God to drawe the people vnto God by woondering at them Contrariewise there be some which will abound in pleasures and excesse and this we reade in the Ecclesiasticall historie of Prisca and Maximilla for they vsed painted colours and all kind of nicenesse Prisca Wherefore a certeine meane waie must be vsed for offence may be committed on
whatsoeuer else rather than that which behooued Vndoubtedlie godlie Kings erected Schooles Colledges that in them yong men should be brought vp to good learning and godlinesse Neither was there any Cathedrall Church but a Schoole was ioined thereunto At Alexandria and Antioch did Pantenus Clemens Origen and other most learned men publikelie professe At this day also among the Canonistes a place is assigned for the Schoolemaister but he doeth nothing lesse than teach the youth And hereof commeth so great darkenesse euerie where in the Popes gouernment 1. Sam. 10. 5. either bicause the youth are not taught at all or else bicause they are taught wicked things Samuel was president of this Colledge Before his time there is no mention made in the holie scriptures of anie such fellowship of Prophets Of taking a spirituall charge looke the Oration that beginneth Those causes In Iud. 4. v. 4. 10 But when as God chose Debora vnto the Ministerie of iudging being weake in Sex he straight waie made hir very famous and honourable through the gift of prophesying By which grace and perhappes many other miracles more she was constituted by God and confirmed by miracles as a womā chosen to so great an office Neither was onelie this woman indued with the spirit of prophesie for in the holie scripture we reade of other women also which were in such sort instructed by the holie Ghost Marie the sister of Moses Exod. 15. 20. 1. Sam. 2. 1. 2. Kings 22. 14. Luke 1. v. 42. 46. 2. 36. Hanna the mother of Samuel Holda in the time of Iosias the king were Prophetisses And in the newe Testament to speake nothing of Marie the virgin of Elizabeth the mother of Iohn and of Anna the daughter of Phanuel the daughters of Phillip the Deacon That womē Prophets did openly teach the people as it is written in the Actes of the Apostles were Prophetisses Neither thinke I it ought to be denied that some of those women indued with the gift of prophesie did openlie teach the people in declaring of those things vnto them which had bin shewed them of God séeing the gifts of God are not therefore giuen that they should lie hidden but to the intent they should further the common edifying of the Church And yet hereby it followeth not that what God doeth by some peculiar priuiledge we should forthwith drawe it into an example vnto vs bicause according to the rule of the Apostle we are bounde vnto an ordinarie lawe 1. Tim. 2. 12. 1. Cor. 14. 34. Why womā were commaunded to be silent in the Church whereby both in the Epistle to Timothie and in the first Epistle to the Corinthians he commandeth that a woman shoulde kéepe silence in the Church And of the silence commanded he assigneth causes namely for that they ought to be subiect to their husbandes but the office of a teacher doeth declare a certaine authoritie ouer those which are taught which must not be attributed vnto a woman ouer men For she was made for man whom to obey she ought alwaies to haue a respect which thing is also appointed hir by the iudgement of God whereby he said vnto the woman after sin was committed Gen. 3. 16. Thy disposition shall be towardes thy husband Further the Apostle deriued a reason from the first fault 1. Tim. 2. 14. wherein he saith that Eue was seduced and not Adam So as if women should ordinarilie be admitted to the holie ministerie in the Church men might easilie suspect that the diuell by his accustomed instrument would deceiue the people and for that cause they would the lesse estéeme the Ecclesiasticall function if it should be committed vnto women wherefore by the ordinarie right and by the Apostolicall rule it ought to be appointed vnto men Howbeit if God doe otherwise sometime yet can he not be iustly accused for so much as all lawes are in his power If then sometime he send a Prophetisse and adorne hir with heauenly gifts the same woman speaking in the Church must vndoubtedlie be hearkened vnto but yet so as hir state be not forgotten Therefore the two testimonies of Paule Two places of Paul are reconciled which séeme to be repugnant one to another may easilie be reconciled In the first Epistle to Timothie he writeth That a woman ought to be silent in the Church Which towarde the ende of the first Epistle to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 11. 5. he most manifestlie confirmeth Howbeit in the same Epistle he commandeth that a man prophesying or praying should haue his head vncouered but the woman while the prophesieth should haue it couered whereby doubtlesse he teacheth that it is lawfull for a woman both to speake and also to prophesie in the Church For it would not séeme that so doing she should haue bin commanded to couer hir head if she were vtterly to kéepe silence in the holie assemblie After this sort the matter must be expounded namely that the precept of silence is a generall precept Why the women that prophesie are cōmanded to be couered on their head but the other which is for couering of the head when they pray or prophesie pertained onelie to those which were Prophetesses They verilie are not forbidden to prophesie for the common edifying of the Church but least they forgetting the propertie of their owne state by reason of the extraordinarie office committed vnto them shoulde waxe proude they are commanded to haue their head couered whereby they might vnderstand that they haue yet the power of man aboue them Moreouer where in the 2. Chapter to Titus Tit. 2. 3. it is commanded that the elder women should admonish the yonger women of temperance that they should loue their husbands and children and should likewise be diligent housewiues in their familie this must not be vnderstoode as touching publike doctrine or Ecclesiasticall Sermons but of priuate exhortations which are méete to be vsed by the elder sort vnto the yonger In Rom. 12 11 When Paul saieth in the xii to the Romans He that distributeth let him doe it with synceritie The office of Deacons he touched the office of Deacons as they were at that time and ought also to be in our time Their office was to distribute to the poore the Almes and oblations of the faithfull Let them doe their office saieth he with simplicitie let them withhold nothing by craft and ill practise For naughtie and deceitful men when they haue dealing in publike receites doe nothing syncerelie but vse woonderfull guiles and subtilties These things would Paul haue to be remoued from this kind of ministerie Others think that In giuing with simplicitie he meaneth without any respect vnto worldlie praise which some séeke for in the bestowing of other mens Almes But the first interpretation in my iudgement séemeth most fit And whereas he addeth He that ruleth let him doe it with carefulnesse although I doubt not but that there were many
the elect of God It is God that iustifieth c. Wherefore if God doo not accuse vs neither in verie déed shall our hart accuse vs while we haue respect vnto Christ for now we haue trust vnto Godward we shall obteine And while we be conuerted vnto Christ not onlie sinne and accusation is abolished but repentance is also increased 9 But it is doubted of some In 1. Sam. 1 9. whether it be lawfull to desire of God things that be indifferent for as they saie we be ignorant whether those things will be profitable or hurtfull vnto vs which doo aske And Plato in Alâ—ibiade 2. saith Looke In Rom. 8 26. that It is a difficult thing to define our praiers and therefore thinketh that God must be desired onelie in generall and vniuersall termes Chrysostome vpon the epistle vnto Timothie the eight homilie How saith he can I knowe that I shall obteine that which I desire The answer is If thou desire nothing against the will of God or vnwoorthie of his maiestie no earthlie thing no worldlie thing but altogither spirituall things and so foorth The Lord in his praier teacheth that onlie things spirituall must be desired for all other things he comprehendeth generallie saieng Matt. 6 11. Giue vs this daie our dailie bread And in another place he saith First seeke the kingdome of heauen Ibidem 33. and these things shall be added vnto you Howbeit Augustine in his epistle vnto Proba affirmeth that this kind of things may also be desired of God for whatsoeuer things are lawfull for vs to wish those he saith are also lawfull to be asked Further these things God hath not seldome promised therefore we may craue them also And herevnto there doo serue examples Exod. 17 11 For Moses desired victorie against the Amalekites Gen. 17 18. Abraham desired that Ismael might liue he was heard Paule also desired to be deliuered from affliction 2. Co. 12 8. But here there be two things which must be considered What is to be considered in the desire of things indifferent The first is that in those things which be indifferent we doo not firmelie settle our selues but let vs perpetuallie refer them to the glorie of God Further we must determine to vse them well if they doo happen But some man will saie that séeing we be men we may be deceiued about the right vse of children for onelie God knoweth how well or how ill we will vse our children Moreouer the nature of man is inconstant and therefore we may be changed and may refuse that which we first desired Indéed these things be true But if thou with a faithfull and godlie mind shalt desire issue of God there is no danger bicause the successe is put in the hand of God by whose will all things to come are gouerned He regardeth not that which thou desirest but that which is most profitable vnto thée Rom. 8 26. And Paule saith What we may desire we knowe not but the spirit helpeth our infirmitie by his wisdom correcteth our praiers Neither must this be past ouer that sometimes God séemeth not to heare vs when as neuertheles he then heareth vs most of all as when Paule praied 2. Cor. 12 9. that the sting of the flesh might depart from him he heard that the grace and fauour wherewith God indued him should be sufficient for him Therefore when we make such kind of praiers we ought to be of this mind that whatsoeuer shall happen we may be contented with the iudgement of GOD. And when as Christ saith Matth. 6 33. First seeke ye the kingdome of God and then other things shall be giuen vnto you he saith not that the things not desired shall be giuen Indéed he will giue them but he forbiddeth not but that they should be asked so that they be the latter part of our requests Further he did not there speake of praiers but he spake onelie of the carefulnesse studie and disquietnes had about things fraile and transitorie In 1. Sa. 1. Matth. 6 7. 10 Moreouer Christ warneth that in praieng we should not vse much babling But we must vnderstand that he when he spake these things forbad not long praiers for he himselfe continued a whole night praieng on the mountaine Matt. 14 23. and before his death he praied abundantlie Luk. 21 37. 22 41. and he commandeth vs to be euer praieng and neuer to be wearie And the better to beate this into our heads he vsed parables namelie of the vniust iudge reuenging the cause of the widowe woman Luke 18 1. by reason of hir importunitie and of the man who being in his bed Luke 11 7. and would not rise yet at the last opened the doore vnto his fréend that continuallie knocked and gaue him so much bread as he was willing to take Yea and the Lord himselfe at the length heard the woman of Chanaan Matt. 15 23. that constantlie cried vnto him without ceasing Babling in praier is multiplieng of words without faith and the spirit 1. Kin. 18 27 In 2. Sam. 7 at the end So now it must be considered that much spéech or babling is then vsed not when we praie long but when we multiplie words without faith and the spirit being persuaded that we may be heard through the number of those words So Helias derided the Baalites and exhorted them to crie out lowder whereby they might at the length be heard of their God being either asléepe or else otherwise occupied Wherefore that is a foolish cogitation for God heareth vs not for our words sake but for his owne goodnes and mercie Another cause is if we will as it were prescribe vnto God and teach him what things we haue néed of Matth. 6 32. For God knoweth whereof wee haue need euen before we begin to praie These two causes being remooued we may praie so much as we will In what respect our praiers ought to be either long or short And how farre foorth our praiers ought to be either long or short Augustine verie well describeth vnto Proba The brethren saith he in Aegypt haue praiers short and often vsed as it were certeine darts cast out of the soules and that saith he least the zeale which they haue should wax cold Therefore he addeth If we sée our indeuour and feruentnes of praier beginne to wax faint we must not dull it with continuance but if so be that our attentiuenesse be chéerefull and readie bent it must not be left Brieflie he saith that praier ought to be much and the talke little And those saith he are much in praier who in déed desire things that be necessarie but with words superfluous but that praier is much when our hart being stirred vp we continuallie persuade him whom we praie vnto He saith that we ought to deale more with teares than with words and with wéeping rather than with speaking for
thinke that the bodie of Christ in the sacrament is giuen seuered from the bloud and the bloud seuered from the bodie it decréed that onely the Priests shoulde vse both kindes in the Masse and that to the people onely the one kinde shoulde be distributed The 2. reason The 3. reason Further they saie that it was authorized by the Councell of Constance Moreouer they contriue the Commaundements of God into two principall points Some of them they will haue to remaine perpetuallie firme and vnshaken so as they may neuer be violated among which sort they place the moralles The others doubtlesse they appoint to be those which concerne outward things of which kind be the Ceremonies and sacraments And these they will not haue to be so necessarie but that according to the place and time they maie be changed The 4. reason They maintaine also that it was no wrong to the Christiā people that one kinde is taken from them For the bodie of Christ say they is not giuen in the forme of bread without bloud euen as in the cuppe also the bloud is not had without the bodie They likewise alleadge The 5. reason that the libertie of Christ his Church is far greater than was the libertie of the Synagogue that therefore it is lawfull for the Church to change more things in our Ceremonies than was permitted to the fathers of the olde Lawe For we are not vnder the law as seruants but as frée mē vnder grace And they indeuour to shew that sometimes the Church in manie rites altered euen in verie matter First of all they say The 6. reason that it dipped not them which be baptised according as the Gréeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth but it onelie sprinkled or after a strange manner washed Neither is it to be doubted but that those which so be washed must be holden as baptized Cyprian séeing that Cyprian béeing demaunded whether they which were baptised in yéelding vp the ghost should be iudged as baptized for they lay in the bed and being oppressed with the force of sickenesse might neither be dipped nor yet washed but onelie sprinkled wherefore they should seeme not to be baptized that man of God aunswereth that they had perfect baptisme The 7. reasō 2 They vaunt also that in baptisme the wordes haue sometime béene altered séeing in the Actes of the Apostles the 8. Acts. 8. 16. 10. 48. Chapter we reade that baptisme was giuen in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ when as notwithstanding in the Gospell the Lorde commaunded his disciples that they should baptize in the name of the father and of the Sonne The 8. reasō and of the holie ghost Yea and they alleage that at this day the order prescribed by Christ is peruerted Matt. 28. ve 19. 20 For he commanded that they should first teach and then baptize But wee deale otherwise we first baptize infantes afterward when they are growen we teach thē The 9. reasō And againe they say that that which Christ did is not obserued in our communion For we receaue the sacraments fasting whereas he distributed them when he and his Apostles had supped The 10. reason We also choose vnto our selues the morning whereas hée made his supper in the euening Neither doo we washe féete whereas he first washed his disciples féete and commaunded that one should wash an others féete The 11. reason In like maner they alleage the commaundement of the Apostle 1. Cor. 11. 4 to wit That a man should not pray or prophesie with his head couered nor yet a woman with her head bare Which at this day is not so carefully preciselie obserued Also a decrée of the first Councell The 12. reason Acts. 15. 29 which was held in time of the Apostles namelie that the Gentiles should abstaine from bloude and strangled The 13. reason is abolished And these fellowes cauill that the case of the Apostles with whom the Lord in his last supper communicated is not like the case of the Christian people For they were ordained by Christ to be Préests wherefore they say that iustlie and vpon good cause there was ordained an other disposition of the communion for the lay people The 14. reason They faine likewise that Christ otherwhile distributed the Eucharist vnder one kinde to his disciples especiallie when he went with them vnto the towne of Emaus where they are said to haue knowen him in breaking of bread Luk. 24. 35. Whereupon they argue that we offende in séeking to establishe a doctrine precept onely by one action of Christ Further they crie out that the consent of the Catholike Church maketh for them The 15. reason and they alleage causes whereby they are led to minister onelie one kinde vnto the laitie The 16. reason The first they say is least the wine should be spilt which might easilie happen if it should bée ministred to the whole multitude The 17. reason The other cause is for that it were requisit that as well wine as bread shoulde bee reserued for the sicke and ministered vnto them whensoeuer they should aske it which might not conueniently be doone because wine is so soone and easilie corrupted The 18. reason Besides this they obiect that there be many which drinke no wine who being able to receiue onely one part if both partes were of necessitie they woulde thinke that neither they communicate rightly neither that they haue the whole Sacrament Lastly The 19. reason they alleage the honour of the ministerie for they haue iudged it méete that more shoulde be attributed vnto their Massing Priests than vnto the general multitude Neither would they that the communion of the laitie should be of equall dignitie or estimation with the Masse I haue wel-néere recited their Arguments which be of most force 3 Nowe on the contrarie part I will shewe our reasons Against the mangling of the Eucharist whereby shall be shewed how grieuously they offend in this mangling of the Lordes Supper First they depart from the institution of Christ and preach an other Gospell than he himselfe and his Apostles haue preached And this doth excéedingly iarre from godlinesse This in diuinitie ought to bee a chiefe principle whereby all things must be resolued The Lorde saide It is the word of the Lord that indureth for euer From the which 1. Pet. 1. 25. if we shoulde be called backe to mens fancies since they often change we shall haue nothing firme in religion but we shall be driuen from certeinties to vncerteinties and the authoritie of men shall be equall to the authoritie of God The 2. reasō Gal. 1. 8. Vnto the Galathians it is written If wee or an Angell from heauen shall preach otherwise let him be accursed But and if that Paul wil neither haue Angels nor Apostles to bee heard which affirme any thing contrarie to the
Looke Imprecation Witch Who it was that appeared at the call of the Witch 1 72 ab It was not Samuell saieth Augustine 1 75 a Witches Witches haue no power ouer the godly 1 76 b 77 a Lawes of Princes against them 1 19a And such as repaire vnto them 1 84 b 85 a Witcherie Of the force of Witcherie the cause thereof in olde women and vpon whom it worketh most 1 79 b Witnesse These wordes there be three which beare Witnesse in heauen the father the worde and the spirit expounded 1 105 a The thre things which beare Witnesse of Christ 4 113 a How many wayes God is called to Witnesse 2 372 a What wee are taught by being forbidden to beare false Witnesse 2 553 a Witnesses Two famous Witnesses of the Church in the last age 3 382 b VVo. Woman The state of the Woman farre worse than of the man 2 460 b That she is and is not the Image of God and after what maner 1 124 a Why it is not meete that one Woman should be both a wife and a seruant to any man 2 379 ab Why Paule willed the Woman to keepe silence in the Church 2 242 b Whether before sinne the Woman were subiect to the man 2 379 a Women Whether Women may bee in warrefare 4 288 a They taught the people openly 4 7 ab They must haue their head couered in the congregation and why 2 481 b What Women labour to please men 2 510 a Why Women were commaunded to be silent in the Church 4 7 b Women indued with the spirit of prophesie 4 7 a Women circumcised among the Egyptians 4 111 a Why the Women that prophesie are commaunded to couer their heades 4 8 a Whether Women may teach in the Church 4 7 ab What ornaments Women may vse and not vse 2 513b Looke Women what is spoken concerning painting of the face 2 508 ab and so forward Holy Women maintained and releeued Christ 4 29 a Why we be called men why Women as Augustine allegorically saieth 1 124 a Wooers What kinde of emulation is betwixt wooers 2 417 b Woonders The difference betweene signes and woonders shewed out of diuerse writers 1 71 b Why the scriptures haue so often ioyned these two wordes together 1 71 b ¶ Looke Miracles Word of God The difference of Gods worde and Philosophie 1 58 a The preaching thereof hath all men subiect vnto it 4 230 b Howe miracles win credite to the worde of God 1 63 b. The same thing is offered by the worde that is doone by the sacraments 2 635 a Neither youth nor any other is excepted from hearing the worde of God 1 57 b Of the worde of God and hearing of the same reade all the 7. Chapter of the first part The force of Gods worde in the hearers of the same 1 58 a The difference of Gods worde specially in the Eucharist 4 196 ab 187 b It was the worde or Christ that God spake by to the fathers and Prophets 1 26 b The force of the inwarde worde of God in the minde 3 176 b God vseth the inwarde worde and the outwarde and in whom 2 233 a Whether the outwarde or visible signe of Baptisme be altogether necessarie to regeneration 2 233 a Of the word vnwritten and the word written with the antiquitie of both 1 42 b And how to beleeue it 3 70 a Whether it were written before Moses time 4 72 a Whether Christes bodie bee more worthie than his worde 4 214 a ¶ Looke Scripture Wordes Wordes are partly naturall and partly after the minde of the namers 2 590. 591 a Wordes are the principal signes thereof 2 542a b What they be 3 342 b Aristotles definition of them and who abuse them 2 544 b The vse of them 3 304b 4 144ab Certaine Hebrew wordes receiued into the Church 4 215 ab Worke of God How is it true that God rested from worke the seuenth day since he worketh dayly and hourely 2 374 b How it is a strange worke vnto God to punish euils 3 44a That God doeth worke nowe also and by what meanes and how 1 122b That which the holy Ghost calleth euill is no worke of God as Pighius saith 2 218 a Worke of man Howe the selfe same Worke is produced by God and by vs. 1 189 b 190 a Howe it may bee both of God of the deuill and of euill men 1 183 a Howe it can be the end of an action when it is after the action 1 7 b Sometime that which remaineth is more excellent and sometime the action and why 1 4 b An habite in the minde is no Work though it come of frequented actions 1 4 b Whether there may be any Worke of man found that should throughlie please God 2 572 a None good saith Augustine without faith 2 259 a To the goodnesse thereof it is not enough that the same in his owne nature be not euill what then 2 311 b A Worke cannot be made good by an habituall intent 1 93 b 95a The rule whereby it must bee directed 3 118 a How the conscience may make a Worke good or euill 3 165 a A Worke seeming acceptable vnto God may be sinne prooued 2 267 b Of a Worke of man which is in man and yet breaketh not out from his owne strength 1 132b Howe men are saide to Worke together with God 3 13 b 14 a Faith as it is a Worke cannot iustifie 3 60. Of the Worke wrought which is supposed to merite saluation 4 106 b 194 b Whether an Infidell can doe a Worke pleasing God 3 118a A charitable Worke of an Infidell namelie to cloath the naked is sinne prooued 2 267 ab Works of God Howe and after what sort wee must iudge of the workes of God 1 13b Three sortes of them about his creatures 1 181 b 182 a 184 a They doe helpe one an other 2 599 a Of the particular and common workes of the Trinitie ◠599 b Workes of men No place for good workes in the worlde to come 3 368 a Whether it bee lawfull to doe them for rewardes sake 2 573b 574 a What are turned into sinnes 3 152 b 153 a 26 a Faith goeth necessarilie before them 3 154 ab Faith perfecteth and formeth them 3 149 b Whether true faith and they can bee separated 3 131 b 132 ab How the old Fathers of the Church esteemed them 3 121 a They doe serue both to Predestination and Reprobation 3 34a They bee the effects of Predestination not the causes thereof 3 14b What they that defende merites doe thinke of them 3 54 a They after iustification doe profite 3 144a An ill comparison made betweene them and sinnes 3 22 ab They are not the causes of our calling 3 15 a They depend of GOD yet must we not cast away all care of liuing well 3 3 a Whereof good woorkes are signes and seales 3 95 b In whome they are a beginning to
wherein libertie to marrie againe may be at the least wise granted to the partie offended Neither doo the holie scriptures shew of anie other kind of diuorse Howbeit I would answer Innocentius that the one married partie must not be beléeued that accuseth the other of heresie vnlesse the mater be prooued by iust and lawfull examination Moreouer Punishments must be laid vpon heretiks I thinke it best that such punishments be laid vpon heretiks as none may lightlie be led to professe heresie Wherfore we must determine that the surest waie is to take héed of such marriages at the beginning And if it happen afterward that there arise anie heresie of great importance among them which is tried out by lawfull examination let there be waies and meanes attempted wherby the infected partie may repent Which if it take no place A free diuorse betweene an heretike and true professor and that the infected partie will not dwell with the faithfull or else is not readie to doo this without committing blasphemies and contumelies against Christ they must be separated with a frée diuorse Now remaineth that we answer to the arguments which séemed to make against our opinion 39 First it was said that God ment such matrimonies of vnlike religion onelie as touching the seuen nations of the land of Chanaan Deut. 7 3. I answer that the cause An answer which is afterward added is generall namelie least men should turne from the true GOD and from the right worshipping of him But héere we will demand that if turning vnto the true God had happened among them whether it were lawfull for the Hebrues to contract with those nations I thinke it had not béene lawfull without some speciall dispensation of God bicause God had wholie cast out those nations And as for that which was brought touching matrimonie licenced with a captiue woman Deut. 21 11 I first saie that if a man will more narrowlie behold that lawe he shall easilie perceiue that such matrimonie was not allowed by God the which neuerthelesse he granted to the Hebrues by reason of their incredible follie Which I héereby gather bicause he willed that the head of a strange captiue woman should be shauen that if perhaps she pleased an Hebrue by reason of hir beautifull haire now being shauen he might beginne to mislike of hir He also ordeined that hir garments shuld be changed bicause euen those as often it commeth to passe might procure that loue He also commanded that they should let their nailes growe to make them the more deformed And he willed that there should be a moorning for thirtie daies that if she were loued before for hir mirth and amiablenesse now she should lesse please for hir moorning and vnhandsomnesse With these conditions GOD indeuoured to make a medicine for raging loue Ouer this there is added a great burthen that if she began to be misliked he ought not to haue hir for a bondslaue or else sell hir to another but he was commanded after a diuorse was made to let hir go frée Those conditions being obserued at the last he condescended that she should be a wife which must be vnderstood although it be not expressed that she should be first well instructed in religion and should be conuerted vnto the true GOD. But touching those examples brought of them Matth. 1 5. Ruth 4 15. 2. Sam. 3 3. 1. Kings 3. 1 which in old time married such women I confesse that some such were married who neuerthelesse did first admit the true and sound religion But I iudge that Salomon had perhaps doone better if he had refreined from the daughter of the Aegyptian bicause I doo not thinke that Pharao was much better than Achab with whom the matrimonie being made was reprooued by God How it is ment that Salomon loued Iehoua And whereas it is written in the historie that Salomon loued Iehoua that I doo vnderstand was ment by the loue which he had at the first before he was yet corrupted For afterward when he was growne to old age his hart through strange women was alienated from God And as concerning Augustine which said that in the new testament there is no expresse commandement extant whereby such kind of marriages are forbidden Tertullian and other fathers are put for an answer to Augustine I set against him Tertullian Ierom and other fathers who refer to this place the words of Paule to the Corinthians the second epistle and sixt chapter which I alledged before And that which he wrote in the former epistle Let him marrie in the Lord they refer vnto this place verse 14. and shew that they were spoken against this kind of matrimonie And where it is alledged that manie in old time did not absteine from the marriages neither did thinke that they sinned thereby that haue not we to doo with For while Paule liued there were manie which had recourse to idolatrie and thought not that they did ill therein euen as manie thought that whooredome was not to be reckoned a fault which neuerthelesse the apostle dooth earnestlie reprooue and sheweth it to be sinne And that which to the Corinthians is decréed by the same apostle 1. Cor. 7 12. that The beleeuing husband may dwell with the vnbeleeuing wife if he will and be contented therewith we answer that we in this place doo reason of marriages to be made and not of such as be alreadie made So as the apostle saith there He or she that hath an vnbeléeuing spouse Whereby it appéereth that he speaketh of matrimonie that was contracted before But touching Salomon whether he brake the lawe which is in Deuteronomie Deut. 23 3. and 8. of the not bringing in of nations into the church of the Iewes either neuer or else till manie generations were past I saie that that lawe must be more diligentlie weighed and more narrowlie scand what is To enter into the church What was to enter into the church of the Iewes For as I thinke we must not beléeue that a man being a proselyte and conuerted vnto the true God and circumcised should wait so long after he were iustified to be admitted vnto offering of sacrifices and common praiers Wherefore it is verie likelie that in the lawe was ment their infranchising into the citie whereby they might be in possibilitie to execute offices and to be in the state of marrieng wiues of the tribes of Israel And so as concerning this Salomon shuld not be accused for breaking the lawe séeing the same prouideth it for men and not for women I thinke therefore that matrimonies of this kind are not to be made bicause they be rather snars than marriages Of Degrees forbidden to make contract in marriage 40 This séemeth first to be agréed vpon In Iudg. 1. Looke In Gen. 19 at the end and 38 11. and 2. Sam. 13 at the beginning Leuit. 18. 20 that in the 18. and 20. chapters of Leuiticus are
For by this reason the heretiks went about to prooue that Christ was contrarie to God in the old testament for condemning of those things which he ordeined Which sentence of Tertullian should not be true if iust diuorsements as the Hebrues vsed shuld not be admitted among the Christians 66 Neither ought this to trouble vs much that in the old testament a bill of diuorsement was permitted for euerie cause séeing now Christ draweth the matter into so streict a roome this is no cause why thou shouldest thinke him to be against the decrées and lawes of his father But this thou must consider that in those daies the same lawe of giuing a bill of diuorsement verse 1. which was ordeined in the 24. of Deuteronomie was ciuill Christ dealt not touching the ciuill affaires and Christ dealt not as touching the ciuill affaires They which gouerne a Common-weale appoint themselues such a scope as if two euils or discommodities be offered the lesse must be permitted lest they should fall into the greater A similitude Which may easilie be shewed in harlots whom they suffer to liue in cities least more heinous crimes should be committed Which neuerthelesse the lawe of the Lord in his Common-weale did not permit But now I bring this as an example which although it be not doone according to christianitie yet is it to be séene here and there in manie Common weales Euen so as concerning the affaires of matrimonie when the matches be vntoward one of the two discommodities séemed necessarie that they which hated their wiues either they would perpetuallie afflict them and at length kill them or else a licence of diuorsement was to be giuen them This latter euill séemed more tollerable wherfore GOD granted the same to be in his Common-weale but yet he so granted it Vnder what cautions God granted a diuorse as a bill of diuorsement should be written Wherewith a sharpe and vntractable man euen in writing of it might some waies be mooued might more déepelie ponder how dishonest a part it should be to driue hir awaie from him with whom euen from the beginning he had liued most familiarlie For we be woont more attentiuelie to ponder those things which we write than those things which we speake Moreouer he commanded that when she should be cast out by a bill of diuorsement she might neuer be receiued againe into matrimonie by hir first husband So as in these politicall lawes let a christian and godlie man so behaue himselfe that he vse not this leaue which he séeth is granted him least we fall into more heinous euils sith he may perceiue that it hath some euill also ioined with it although it be the lesser Wherefore our redéemer hath appointed decrées vnto his people both of pietie and religion In the meane time he condemned not the counsell of GOD which he vsed in the Common-welth of the Hebrues for restraining of more gréeuous sinnes 67 Thou shalt not find in the old testament anie men of praise or renowme so far as the holie histories make mention that vsed a diuorse Do not obiect Abraham which put awaie Agar and Ismael hir child from him Gen. 21 14. for this he did not of his owne accord but at the sute of his wife Augustine and commandement of God Also Augustine in the place abooue recited did write that It is vnbeséeming for Christian husbands to take the matter so gréeuouslie that they should not be reconciled to their wiues which fall into adulterie when they be penitent and shew hope of amendement of their life They must saith he consider with themselues that they be christians whose part is to incline to mercie and not to be hard-harted Michol the daughter of Saule 2 Sam. 3 14 Dauid he saith tooke Michol to him againe who neuerthelesse was coupled to an other man But this example of his séemeth not verie effectuall bicause Michol committed not a full and compleat adulterie for the yoong woman was compelled by hir father who was king to match hir selfe with an other man So that she was driuen vnto that latter matrimonie not onelie by the lawe of the countrie but also by the commandement of the king Iohn 8. 11. Christ pardoneth an adulteresse In the second place he bringeth in the example of Christ who séemeth to haue pardoned the adulteresse which no doubt is of force to persuade the minds of husbands vnto mercie towards their penitent wiues Yet dooth it not prooue that adulterers should not be punished by lawes and magistrates with death For Christ by that action did not take anie thing awaie from the ciuill lawes or from the seueritie of publike iudgements Bitter men saith Augustine did so hate that chapter of Iohn as they blotted it out of his place By which words he séemeth to note as the thing it selfe declareth that the same chapter was not found in all the copies Certeinlie these men ought to haue remembred their owne frailenesse and to marke how oftentimes they them selues fell into sundrie mischéefes and sometime perchance into the verie same kind of sinne of violating the faith of marriage 68 They moreouer which so obstinatelie hate their wiues saie it is not méet that husbands who be the heads and wiues should be both vnder one lawe Augustine Naie rather saith Augustine séeing the man is the womans head hir ruler guide therfore it had béene méet he should excell hir in vertue The law of Antonius Gregories booke And he citeth the lawe of Antonius the emperour which he saith he read in Gregories booke which is on this wise I iudge it to be verie vniust that a man should require chastitie of his wife which he himselfe performeth not to hir Where vpon he decréed that she should not be condemned of adulterie which prooued hir husband either guiltie of that crime or else that he gaue hir an occasion of falling By these and such other meanes Augustine exhorteth men to pardon their wiues when they haue offended Which I verie well allow when there is hope of true repentance and change of life So then if the magistrate once applie his mind to take awaie these euils and to reforme the faults that be in matrimonie let him prouide that husbands which complaine of their wiues naughtines being proued in the same fault themselues escape not vnpunished and let him prouide by good lawes that husbands giue vnto their wiues no occasion of sinning 69 But when the apostle saith In 1. Cor. 7 verse 12. Vnto the remnant speake I not the Lord. If anie brother haue a wife that is an infidell and shee is content to dwell with him let him not put hir awaie c. thou shalt note that dwelling togither is required to a iust matrimonie To a iust matrimonie is required a dwelling togither Wherefore the Lord said that he would appoint man a wife to be a helper vnto him Which I speake not to
vnto the Corinthians 1. Co. 11 10 commandeth women to haue their head couered in the holie congregation at the least-wise bicause of the angels And euen as women ought to shadowe their face that they be not séene so on the other side men ought to temper themselues that they doo not ouer-curiouslie behold them Of which matter Tertullian wrot manie things verie well in a little booke intituled De virginibus velandis And Solomon thus wiselie admonished Lust not after hir beautie Prou. 6 25. Also Gregorie the first They saith he which abuse the outward eie be worthie to haue the inward eie shadowed Iob. 31 1. I haue made a couenant saith Iob with mine eie that I will not thinke vpon a virgine He saith not onelie that I would not looke vpon but that I would not admit into my mind an imagination of hir This séeing Dauid did not he cast himselfe into the danger which all godlie men ought to take héed of Of the punishments of Adulterie In 2. Sam. 12 14. 22 Somewhat we will declare in this place of the punishments of adulterie And this I thinke to be necessarie for me for by the gréeuousnesse of punishments we know the weightinesse of sinnes By rewards and punishments Common-weales are preserued But punishments must be applied according to the heauinesse of offenses It is verie well written in the 24. cause question 1. in the chapter Non afferamus which words be ascribed vnto Ierom but rather they are the words of Augustine The greeuousnesse of Schisme How gréeuous a sinne is Schisme or to be diuided from the church it is perceiued by the punishments laid vpon men for other gréeuous sinnes The idolatrie doone vnto the molten calfe Exo. 22 27. Iere. 36 29. God punished by a kind of death Bicause Zedechias burned the booke of the prophet God did reuenge it with captiuitie But the rebellion done against Moses and Aaron he punished more gréeuouslie Num. 16 he sent a fire wherewith those which conspired with Chore were consumed and the earth swallowed vp the seditious persons A diuision of this place We will first then consider the punishments of adulterie that we may vnderstand how heinous a sinne it is Secondlie we will sée whether the adulterer and the adulteresse should haue equall punishments and whether they be bound to like punishments and whether of them is the greater sinner Thirdlie what euils maie come by reason that these punishments are either neglected or vtterlie taken awai◠As touching the first we must search in the holie scriptures what may be found touching the punishments of adulterie after that we will descend to the reckoning vp of punishments of diuers nations then will we come to the Romane lawes and last of all vnto the ecclestiasticall and Canon lawes Of the first we must vnderstand that the diuine scriptures teach vs that The wages of sin is death Rom. 6 23. Séeing therefore that death is due vnto sinnes foorthwith after a man hath transgressed he might be put to death by the iustice of the lawe But God is not so strict an exactor he granteth as yet some space vnto life the which neuerthelesse is somtime broken off by the sword of magistrates if gréeuous crimes be committed which can by no meanes be suffered But there are other sinnes of lesse weight for which it is not lawfull to put men to death Further we will sée whether adulterie may be reckoned among those sinnes wherevnto death is due Certeinlie it was a sinne wherevnto death belonged as the holie scriptures declare vnto vs and that for good cause For by this wickednesse is hurt that societie from whence is deriued the fountaine of all friendship among men Gen. 26 11 In the booke of Genesis when Abimelech the king of Gerar had séene Isaac plaieng somewhat familiarlie with Rebecca he perceiued him to be hir husband and not hir brother Death for adulterie before the lawe Gen. 39 20. So then he charged that none vpon the paine of death should touch that woman Therefore we sée that before the law of Moses adulterie was by the Ethniks punished with death Ioseph after that it had béene laid to his charge in Aegypt that he committed adulterie with his mistresse was deliuered to the head officer of capitall crimes and was cast into prison Thamar Gen. 38 24. when she had buried two husbands and waited for the third vnto whom she was betrothed did commit adulterie and was iudged to be burnt And vndoubtedlie when a woman that is betrothed dooth abuse hir selfe she committeth adulterie For although it be not a full marriage yet is there such hope of marriage as it ought not to be polluted This did the emperour Seuerus perceiue The lawe may be read Ad legem Iuliam de adulterio in the Digests the lawe Sivxor in the Paraph Dinus In the 22. chapter of Deuteronomie Deut. 22 22 Leuit. 20 10 and in the 20. of Leuiticus by the lawe that is there giuen the adulterer adulteresse are commanded to be put to death Which sentence God in the 16. chapter of Ezechiel confirmeth verse 38. where he saith that he would bring punishment vpon the adulterous Israelits The same lawe is confirmed in the eight chapter of Iohn When the Scribes and Pharisies had brought vnto Christ a woman which was taken in adulterie they said Moses commanded vs in the lawe verse 5. that such a woman should be stoned c. So greatlie did God estéeme chastitie and vnspotted wedlocke as he would not haue so much as a suspicion to remaine betwéene them which were man and wife For in the booke of Numbers Num. 5 14. The lawe of gelousie there is ordeined a lawe touching gelousie She which was suspected of adulterie was brought vnto the priest cursses were denounced a drinke was giuen hir and straitwaie it was knowne whether she was an adulteresse or no. And if a man had married a wife and had béene able to gather and prooue by certeine signes that she was not a virgine she was punished Punishments for abusing a maid betrothed If a maiden betrothed to a husband had béene forced by anie abroad in the field the rauisher should haue béene punished with death if in the citie the damsell should also haue had the same punishment Deuteronomie 22. So then great seueritie was vsed héerein verse 13 25 Howbeit the reuenge was not committed to priuate persons the husband killed not his wife nor the father his daughter but the matter was brought before a iudge verse 27. So read we to be doone in Susanna although that historie be Apocryphall In the prophet Ieremie we read that Nabuchadne-zar rosted Zedechias and Achabus Iere. 29 22. two vnchast priests These things we haue in the holie scriptures especiallie of the old testament The Ethniks lawes for punishment of adulterie 23 The lawes of the Gentils also suffered not
By what resons they that defend this practise resist them that cōdemne it For séeing all things that stir men vnto lust are sin we thinke that all things which prouoke men vnto concupiscence are to be condemned That the case dooth not so stand A similitude they also bring an instance of naturall beautie the which out of doubt kindleth naughtie concupiscence with the sight of the same yet none will saie that the naturall appéerance of beautie is to be defamed as a sin Some grant that sinne may happen thereby howbeit not through the nature of the thing it selfe but by the circumstances adioined that is if they go about to paint their face to the intent they would be vnhonestlie loued of those which behold them Or else if they be so proud and hautie as by such meanes they indeuour and are desirous to excell other women in beautie then saie they that euill créepeth in by accidentall meanes and not by the nature of the counterfetted colour Wherefore they affirme that there be two sorts of prouocations vnto wantonnesse namelie that either it commeth according vnto the naturall condition or else through a lewdnesse of the intent and lust And in these they grant sinne to be in respect of the corrupt will and vnhonest desire but they admit not that there is sinne by the naturall condition of the counterfet colour And they saie moreouer that the effect is to be considered all alike whether it procéed from nature or come by art Whereby they indeuour to prooue that if the fault be not in the naturall beautie no more is it in the artificiall beautie A similitude They bring a similitude of the health that it is all after one nature and maner whether it grow by temperature and naturall equalitie of humors or else if the same hauing béene distempered is restored by the art of physicians Moreouer they put a difference betwéene cause and occasion And they saie that coloured faces be not causes of the ruine and offense taking of the beholders but are onelie an occasion and that things must not be iudged by the occasion but by their owne proper nature otherwise we should in a maner doo nothing but we might be accused of sinne For euen the verie best things may be occasions of falling vnto sinne and that it should not be lawfull for anie man to shew either gold or siluer or pretious stones bicause there would be an occasion giuen of coueting them And that by this meanes it would followe that a beautifull woman ought neuer to step out of hir house least she should be an occasion of wicked concupiscence Wherefore let vs reiect saie they the things that come by accidentall meanes and those things which be occasions and let vs onelie haue respect vnto them which be causes both iust and by themselues And let vs remooue corrupt nature and naughtie concupiscence as vice and sinne which be the true causes of vnhonest loues and raging lusts and let vs not blame either feigned colours or else naturall beautie Lastlie they saie that we cannot denie but that God hath made the nature of colours and painting and that we cannot but grant euerie creature of God to be good and that therefore it followeth that Christian women may vse them fréelie These are the things which be alledged by these men But we on the other part iudge that they be not lawfull the which we will prooue as well by the scripture as by verie likelie arguments Proofes on the contrarie part 63 Paule when he went about to teach that the ceremonies of Moses were not necessarie to saluation was ill reported of by the Iewes and by the false apostles Gal. 1 10. the which they verie oftentimes obiected against him But he answered If I would please men I should not be Christs seruant By the which saieng he giueth vs to vnderstand that we must not greatlie striue to be well liked of men But those women which set a false colour vpon themselues doo labour all the waies they can to please men If it were not lawfull for Paule to please men in the ceremonies which were not mens inuentions but had their beginning from the word of GOD how much lesse must we yéeld to these men in the thing which procéedeth from the follie of man from naughtie lust and as Cyprian saith from the diuell himselfe Further it is chéefelie commended to the Christians that they should imbrace sinceritie and truth for we ought to banket in the vnleauened bread of sinceritie and truth as Paule verie well admonished vs 1. Cor. 5 8. but in feigned colours neither sinceritie nor truth can take place And Christ saith in the fift of Matthew that verse 36. Men cannot make no not one haire of their head white or blacke But they which practise feigned colours indeuour by their art to impugne that sentence when as they die their face and their haire with colours at their owne pleasure Also Paule in his epistle to Timothie 1. Tim. 2 9. forbad that women should dresse themselues with curled haire with gold and pretious stones And euen thereof dooth Peter in his epistle 1. Pet. 3 3. giue warning Wherefore the part of Christians is to obeie so great masters of the church And if so be thou wilt saie that they made no mention of counterfeiting or colouring I answer that there is lesse naughtinesse in gold siluer and pretious stone than in false colours Which I alone doo not speake but I haue Augustine for my warrant in his epistle to Possidius I haue also Chrysostome in the 31. homilie vpon Matthew Now for so much as the apostles forbad that which is the lesse euill we must consider that they also remooued that which is counted for the more gréeuous fault Also it is read in Deuteronomie the 22. chapter verse 5. that God commanded that men should not be clothed in womens apparell nor women in mens for bicause that is to hide the sex giuen by nature and to shew themselues to be of an other sort than God did create them Séeing therefore this dissimulation is forbidden to be doone in garments whie shall it be granted that we may feigne and alter the forme and fauour of our countenance To these things adde that Paule did forbid Christian women to go with their heads vncouered 1. Cor. 11 6. least in verie déed by the comlinesse of their long haire they might be an occasion of offense vnto men Wherfore séeing he forbad that they should laie before mens eies the beautie of their haire how much rather must we vnderstand that he forbad them to make that ostentation of beautie whereof they be destitute by nature And whereas we by the diuine Oracles are commanded not onelie to prouide for our owne saluation but for other mens also how may there be safelie vsed anie feigned colours which be swords poisons and firie flames vnto yong men who are
it shall be said else-where But admit we should grant these scourges of God to be punishments yet doo they nothing further our aduersaries For so much as they shall be called temporall punishments the which God hath not put vnder the power of the keies that they should be ordered by them séeing God hath distributed them at his owne pleasure and dooth oftentimes turne them awaie or mitigate them according as he is called vpon by the saints and as he séeth them to be conuerted vnto him earnestlie and with true repentance as it may plainlie appéere in Ezechias and in the Niniuits In which sense that may be vnderstood which is written in Daniel Dan. 4 24. Redeeme thou thy sinnes with almes A place of Daniel declared that is to saie thy punishments which remaine by the seueritie of Gods iudgement Or else vnderstand the same on this wise Euen as thou hast afflicted the poore and hast oppressed them that be weake so on the other part God puniâ—…eth not the godlie as a reuenger take thou pitie vpon them So that To redeeme is To put that which is good in the place of that which is euill God punisheth not the faithfull sort like a reuenger iudge but he chastineth them as a father Neither dooth hée alwaie of all men exact punishments after sins be forgiuen for he hath forgiuen manie sins to manie without laieng those punishments vpon them For vnto the théefe he said Luke 23 43 This daie thou shalt be with me in paradise And the Publican which praied Haue mercie vpon me a sinner Luke 18 13 went his waie iustified And Peter when he had forsworne Christ onelie wept Luke 23 62. and was receiued into grace Wherevpon as touching his repentance Ambrose wrote Ambrose I read of the teares of Peter but I read not of his satisfaction Also it was said vnto the man sicke of the palsie Sonne thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Matth. 9 5. neither did the Lord require anie other thing of him 20 They are woont to obiect that the woman which was a sinner Luke â— 37 and 48. did therefore obteine remission of sinnes bicause shée washed the Lords féete with hir teares and wiped them with the haires of hir head and annointed him with pretious ointment They crie out that all these things were satisfactions for sinnes Howbeit these men ought to consider The woman was forgiuen hir sinnes in two respects that our Sauiour shewed how sinnes were forgiuen to that woman in two respects First when he said vnto hir Thy faith hath made thee whole and this waie was a right waie as an effect procéeding from the causes namelie from the mercie of God which that woman comprehended by faith Further vnto the Pharisie which could not perceiue the faith that laie hidden in the womans mind he shewed that hir sinnes were pardoned and forgiuen hir for another cause to wit that séeing he loueth most to whom most is forgiuen and that the Pharisie sawe that that woman loued Christ more than he did he might thereby knowe that she was no longer a sinner but a true iustified woman And he sheweth by tokens of charitie that she most loued him the which tokens she did at his féet The effects of charitie do followe iustification not go before it in the sight of all men Wherefore it is certeine that these effects of loue which these men call satisfactions are not doone before iustification but doo rather followe after the same 21 And whereas these men feigne that soules doo satisfie through paines and torments in purgatorie after this life they are verie repugnant vnto the saieng of Cyprian who in the end of his booke against Demetrianus writeth When we shall passe from hence there shall neither be place for repentance neither yet effect of satisfaction The aduersaries are woont to pretend vnto this their opinion an indeuour of pitie bicause they will not estéeme them to be damned which are departed in the confession of Christ when as neuertheles they should be deteined in some blemish of their sinnes But it is a foolish pitie which dooth driue vs to decrée those things which we are ignorant of whether they make to the glorie of God and cannot be shewed out of the holie scriptures Further we are bound to loue God with all our strength and with all our soule And we ought neither to appoint nor beginne anie thing which we knowe not to be alowed by him or that shall make to his glorie But purgatorie maketh manie to be negligent of liuing well Purgatorie maketh manie negligent of liuing well bicause they suppose that by their riches they may easilie purchase men to praie for them when they be dead The verie which inconuenience followed the opinion of Origin wherein he affirmed that the punishment of damned soules should at one time or other finish Whereby appéereth that this opinion of purgatorie neither edified the church neither yet prouoked men vnto godlie life Manie other inconueniences by the opinion of purgatorie and therefore it was not prudentlie deuised And further by this deuise manie poore folkes are defrauded of iust almes and an intollerable market of Popes pardons breake foorth Also by this abuse is mainteined the slothfulnes of Moonks popish priests who that they may be well mainteined and that through their praiers they may release the paines of mens soules in purgatorie the right heires in vndutifull testaments are skipped ouer so as all things in a maner are giuen to the fat panches of these men Here are all things vncerteine They which iudge that the soules of them that be departed in the faith of Christ be not foorthwith admitted into the heauenlie rest how can they knowe that such persons be tormented by fires Vnto whom also if thou shouldest grant that they are afflicted with flames how will they prooue that they can be holpen by our praiers and sutes 22 But and if we should suffer the suspicions of men to take place perhaps some will be found which for purgatorie will appoint as I may saie an eruditorie or instructing place wherein the soules of infidels which in this life hard nothing of Christ or the soules of rude persons and of infants which were neuer taught may yet there at the least wise learne and obteine an occasion of beléeuing For vnto some it will séeme an vnméet thing that either ignorant men should be damned eternallie or else that those which be not yet adorned with the knowledge of God should be brought into the kingdome of heauen And manie other such things séeing there be an aboundance of errors may be feigned Now haue we séene that purgatorie is no opinion necessarie to be beléeued Further if by suspect opinion it be receiued it hath weake and slender reasons to cleaue vnto and it rather hindereth godlinesse than furthereth the same Wherefore they which be of an opinion that there is
peace and tranquillitie of the Church that the faithfull might growe vp together among themselues in a greater agréement Wherupon séeing afterward this cause was taken away for so much as Hierusalem béeing destroyed and the rites of Moses vtterlie subuerted this difference was not betwéene the Iewes and the Gentiles therefore that decrée might be taken away Howbeit it was kept a long while euen vnto the times of Irenaeus Tertullian and Origen and Caesariensis maketh mention thereof in the historie of Attalus and Blandin These Ceremonies might after a sort bee retained at the beginning vntill the preaching of the Gospel did take better roote and that all men might plainelie vnderstand that the rites of Moses were abolished Augustine Augustine against Faustus the 2. booke and 13. Chapter maketh plaine mētion of this matter and saith that vntill both the walles of the Church Synagogue were wel growen together so as the difference should no more appeare somewhat ought to be yéelded to the infirmitie of the Iewes And it séemeth that speciallie that was to bee done in those things which belonged not to sacrifices but vnto daylie foode For the Iewes could not straightway be well content with the dyet of the Ethnickes 1. Cor. 11. 4 To the 12. Afterwarde they obiected the Apostolicall tradition whereby a man is commaunded to prophesie and praie bare-headed the woman with her head couered which preceptes they say Men commaunded to prophesie bare headed are not throughlie kept Héere we answere that it is not our part to bee inquisitiue what is kept or what is not kept This commaundement we know is extant and they that kéepe it not let themselues sée to it I haue not séene anie minister praying openlie but that his heade hath béene vncouered In the verie which habite I sée them to be at Sermons especiallie while they recite the wordes of the holie Scripture 17 Our Aduersaries also argued that Christ gaue the sacramēt to his Apostles To the 13. the consideration of whom was not alike séeing they were made priestes therefore they affirmed that this example of Christ was not to be extended vnto the people But certainlie as touching the Préesthood of the Apostles we know nothing neither is there any one syllable extant in the holie Scriptures that the Apostles were Priestes The Scripture vseth not these wordes But goe too Let them vnderstand By Priests the Ministers of the Church Let them tel vs why they giue not to their Massing Priests if they Masse not when they come to Communicate but one part of the Sacrament as vnto the laity séeing Christ gaue both vnto the Apostles and no lesse distributed vnto them than hée receiued for himselfe Further if Christ as they will gaue the Eucharist onely vnto the priests how dare they be so hardy as to giue a part of the Eucharist vnto the laytie and common sort séeing Christ as they say did not communicate with them Adde that in the supper with Christ were no women present vnlesse they will that they were Priestes Why then doe they distribute the Sacrament vnto them seeing Christ gaue it onely vnto men But they which speake so subtillie of the supper which Christ himselfe had with his Apostles what answere I beséech you will they make vnto Paule 1. Cor. 10. 11. who writing to the whole Church of Corinth and not to the Ministers of the Church onelie commaundeth that both kindes shoulde bée giuen And yet they say that in the Canons decrées and Ecclesiasticall histories there is mention made of the Communion of the laitie Communion of the Laitie I denie not but it is so howbeit they are farre deceiued which thinke that the Communion of the laytie doth onely signifie a participation of one part onelie for euen then both the kindes was giuen But it was called the communion of the laytie because the Ministers of the Church béeing once put frō their function by reason of some offence did no more communicate in the cleargie or among the Ministers but were mingled with the companie of the laye men To the 14. 18 They saide that they haue the consent of the Church wherein they impudentlie challenge to themselues that which is ours séeing the Churches of Gréece the whole East part and the vniuersall antiquitie holde with vs. For the foule mangling of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is but latelie sprung vp Among the latter men Thomas Aquinas saith Thomas Aquinas that euen now in his time the same began to be practised in some Churches which he writeth in the 3. part Quaest 80. Artic. 12. Doubtlesse the importunitie of the Aduersaries is woonderfull When wée flie vnto the Scriptures they crie out that they bee darke and they appeale to the fathers whom they say are on their side they flie vnto the antiquitie of times whereby they would shift off all the testimonies of the Scriptures But how vncertaine they bée in their opinions we easilie see in this disputation séeing the Scripture is plaine all the fathers make with vs and the whole antiquity agréeth with the Scriptures Wherfore the indeuour that they haue to bee contrarie ariseth onelie héereof that they bée sworne wholie addicted to the lawes of the Pope in comparison whereof they weigh not a haire neither of the truth of the fathers nor yet of antiquitie To the 15. 19 And wheras they alleaged that Christ sometime administred onely the one part of the Sacrament Luk. 24. 35. because they reade in Luke that the Disciples knew him by breaking of bread it is trifling For howe it may appeare for a certaintie that the breaking of bread there signifieth the holie communion they haue not béene able to shewe séeth that worde also is often in the holy Scriptures applyed to common meate And that those Disciples in taking of common meate could know Christ it is no maruell For séeing he had peculiar thanks giuings and particular prayers as we beléeue he had he might easilie be perceiued Further admit it were so that Christ offered them onelie one part of the Sacrament is it therefore lawefull for vs to doe the same He did not by that fact abrogate his generall cōmandement which he gaue in the Supper and that is confirmed by the writings of the Euangelists and of Paul Gen. 22. 1. God once commaunded Abraham that he should sacrifice his sonne yet did he not thereby plucke away any thing from his generall precept Thou shalt not kill Exo. 20. 13. Hee also commaunded the Israelites Exod. 11. 2 that they should carie away the stuffe of the Egyptians and yet neuerthelesse he would that commandement Thou shalt not steale to be inuiolate Exo. 20. 15 Lastly where it is named The breaking of bread we may by the figure Synecdoche vnderstand the whole Supper euen as it was first declared And they are to be laughed at when they accuse vs to doe absurdly which of one action of
the Apostles féete I confesse euen as you do that those garmentes are the deuise of man and that of themselues they edifie not but it wil be thought of some that it is profitable to haue them suffered for a time because this perhappes will bring to passe that these contentions shal be auoyded whereby greater fruites and more ample commodities are in danger to be hindred and left as wee sée it comes to passe the mindes of men shoulde straightway be turned from the gospell I passe ouer that they which defende these thinges might pretende some honest and due signification not strange from the scriptures The ministers of the church be Angels and messengers of God as Malachie testifieth Malac. 3. 1. And Angelles haue in a manner alwayes shewed themselues cloathed in white garmentes That not onelie the things but the signes also are to be retained Howe can we depriue the Church of this libertie that it may not signifie some thing by her actions and rites the same being doone without placing any woorship of God therein modestlie and in fewe thinges so as the people of Christ be not burthened with ceremonies and that better things be not letted But you will say let them shewe themselues to be Angelles let them not signifie it I heare what you say But the selfe same might haue béene aunswered vnto Paule 1. Cor. 11. 5 when he decréed vnto the Corinthians that the woman should haue her heade couered and the man vncouered for he onelie vrgeth a reason of the signification For anie man of the Church of Corinth might haue answered let the man shewe himselfe to bee heade of the woman and let the woman in her déedes and life shewe her selfe to be subiect vnto the man let them not contende to shew this by signes But the Apostle sawe this also to be a profitable thing that we should not onely liue well but that also wee should by wordes and tokens bee admonished of our duetie But and if héereby there be giuen an occasion of errour vnto the weake let them bee warned howe they should beléeue these indifferent thinges let them be taught by sermons that they iudge not the worshipping of God to consist herein But whether the eyes of them that stande by be withdrawen through the diuersitie of garmentes from the cogitation of weightie matters perhappes all men will not iudge it so to be For first our aduersaries might aunswere that this would not come to passe if those garmentes which haue béene vsed be without excesse and be verie plaine and such as haue béene hitherto vsed about holie seruices for vse and cheapenesse taketh awaie admiration Yea and perhaps they will aunswere that it is likely that they béeing throughly mooued by that admiration will the more attentiuely thinke vpon the things that be earnest vnto which end the signes of the Sacramentes séeme to haue béene deuised that euen by the verie sight and sense wee maie bee rauished to thinke of diuine thinges Neither doe I thinke that tyrannie is straight waie brought in if any indifferent thing be taken in hande to bee doone in the Church and be constantlie kept of manie At this daie we so administer the Eucharist in the morning time as in the after noone wée wil not haue the communion in the Church But who wil say that this is tyrannical because we doe it with the like will and consent of all men Vndoubtedlie it would like me best as I haue alwaies saide that wée shoulde doe onelie that which Christ did and deliuered to his Apostles But yet if anie things indifferēt be added I would not now therefore sharpelie contende especiallie séeing we perceiue that they by whom the light of the Gospell is greatlie aduanced in Englande and maie yet be aduaunced more are against vs. I acknowledge indéede with you That whatsoeuer is not of faith Ro. 14. 23. is sinne but yet that in our actions wée may haue a quiet conscience that séemes speciallie to further which in the Apostle is written vnto Titus Vnto the cleane all thinges are cleane Titus 1. 15 1. Tim. 44 And vnto Timothie Euerie creature of God is good And it is not necessarilie required that we shoulde haue in the holie Scriptures an expresse mention of the particular thinges which we vse This generallie is enough to knowe by faith that thinges indifferent cannot defile them which liue with a pure syncere minde and conscience These things haue I shortlie abridged as touching the controuersie which you propounded vnto me out of which I wish with all my heart that you maie happilie vnwinde your selfe And those thinges which I haue written I praie you to take in good part For if I could haue writtē either better or more plainly perhaps I might more haue satisfied your request Howbeit because it is not giuen to all men to writ aptlie and readilie hereof you must pardon me Further you shall finde mee alwaies readie to giue place vnto the trueth if I shall be otherwise perswaded Neither am I latelie perswaded in my minde of this opinion which I haue nowe declared but I iudged euen from the first that I applyed my minde vnto the Gospell that these diuersities of garmentes shoulde not be vsed but yet thought that the vse of them if other things which are prescribed vnto vs by the worde of God might remaine sound are neither vngodlie nor pernitious of them selues or of their owne nature I beséech almightie God preserue you safe and sounde with all your housholde through Iesus Christ our Lorde My wife and I salute you heartilie and your good wife Fare you well From Oxforde the 4. of Nouember 1550. As touching diuorse I do not write vnto you partlie because you your selfe differ the matter vnto an other time and partly because I knowe verie well that you vnderstande of what minde I am together with the Church of Strasborough and all other brethren in Christ To a certaine friende of his into Englande 38. MY good friend I sée in your letters you are afraide on both sides For if you reiect the ministerie you séeme to breake off an occasion of well doing But if you shall take vppon you the function offered you iustlie and for good cause feare least you shoulde séeme to agrée vnto those ordinances which not onelie diminishe and deface the pure worshipping of God but doe also corrupt it and maruellouslie make it to decaie although that vnto men which are not well conformed towardes the Gospell they maie séeme to haue but small weight and importance for they account all thinges as indifferent Of garmēts in the diuine seruice and of the crucifix Howbeit a man that is somewhat better instructed in religion séeing you being a messenger of Christ an earnest preacher of the Gospell to bee apparelled with garmentes at the Altar to pray before the Image of the Crucifixe to recite holie words and to distribute the Sacramentes will hée not
them 4 247 b 248 a Whether it were lawfull for them to exempt cleargie men from their subiection 4 239a In what cases they and Tyrants are not to be obeyed 2 316 a Good princes succeeded tyrants 4 228 a Ethnicke princes accounted matters of Religion belonging to them 4 244 a Principalitie What doctrine we haue to gather by these wordes of Paule Principalitie power c 1 120 ab Principles There be two maner of Principles of things 3 113 b Priuation What priuation is meant to bee originall sinne 2 229 b Howe the habit doeth neuer bring in the priuation prooued 1 181 a From what priuation there is no returning to the former habit 2 636 b Priuation followeth presently of his owne accorde habit bing remooued away 1 181 b Priuatiues The nature and rule of priuatiues 3 318 a Priuileges Priuileges graunted to Cleargie men 4 34 ab 239b 240. 241 Proceeding A difference betweene proceeding and generation though it be hard to finde 1 107 b Of the Proceeding of the holy Ghost and the diuersities of opinions about the same 1 107b Procreation Why the olde Fathers absteined so long from Procreation of children 1 127 b The goodnesse thereof must be considered by the proper effect that is in man 2 232 b Profession The common Profession of all Christians 4 310 a Profit This Profit commeth by true doctrine that thereby the wicked condemne themselues as for example 1 14 b 15 a Promise Promise taken and vnderstoode two manner of wayes 3 146 a In what respectes a Promise bound with an oth is to bee violated 2 538 a 549 a Whether it must be kept with him that breaketh Promise 2 548 b Whether being made to Heretiks theeues it is to be kept 2 538 ab Whether it is to be kept with our enemies 2 537 a 371 a Of a promise made by force and feare 2 549 a Vnder what Promise wee deliuer our children to bee Baptised 2 238 b The Promise of God is indefinite and yet true notwithstanding touching saluation 2 238 b Of the Promise of God whereunto by beleeuing wee assent 3 58 a The chiefest Promise that is sealed in a sacrament 4 98 a What it is to be children of the Promise 3 128 b ¶ Looke Couenant Promises Gods vniuersall Promises are to be restreined 3 30 a 32 a Indifferent to all men 3 51 a Of generall are gathered particular 3 145 a Of them which CircumcisioÌ„ sealed 4 108 b 109 a Whether the Iewes vnderstood them which were sealed by the ceremonies 4 105 ab Whether the Promises of God are made indefinitely 3 145 ab In what kinde faith hath to doe 2 549 b In later we must haue an eye to the former 2 525 a Some doubtes of them euen in the godly 3 87 a Impediments that might seeme to adnihilate them 3 60 a The ministers ought to remedie two lets touching them 3 49 b Howe iust God is in them 2 549 a The scriptures reiect none particularly from theÌ„ 3 50a Against their error who say that those of the old Fathers were onely touching temporall things 2 584 b By faith wee obtaine them 3 150 b 151 a Giuen both to faith and trust 3 90 a Why they threatenings are added to the lawe 2 573 a What we must doe when they seeme to bee ioyned vnto workes 3 127 b Why GOD doeth not eftsoones performe them 3 303a Why God would renewe the selfesame Promises 3 136 a God doeth not onely offer them but he bendeth the heart to embrace them 3 50 a Against doubting thereof 3 62 ab Of the Promises of the lawe and the promises of the Gospell 3 113 b The difference betweene them 3 274 b 275 a Howe the Promises legall become euangelicall 3 3â—2 b Dauid iust in his Promises and word 2 550 a Prophesie Of the original of Prophesie and the succession of the same 1 19 a Of the efficient cause thereof 1 18 b It is no habit but a preparation or disposition being in a kind of qualitie 1 23 a How needefull a thing it hath beene for mankinde 1 23a Of the forme thereof and that it is the reuelation of God 1 18 b An obiection made against the auncientnesse thereof and the same aunswered 1 19 a Chrysostomes opinion touching the want thereof among vs. 1 18 b Distinguished into an Oracle a dreame and a vision 1 19 b That thereby GOD would be knowen vnto men 1 17 b Not obteined by art industrie c how then 1 22 b The error of the same according to S. Paul 1 18 b A definition thereof and the diuerse maners thereof 4 6 ab 1 19 ab The causes and matter of the same and whereabout it is vsed 1 18 a The effects thereof declared in fewe wordes 1 22 b Vsed about things past present and to come 1 18 a It hath a propertie common with other free giftes and what the same is 1 22 a Why it is giuen 3 353a b How great a crime it is to contemne it 4 15 b In women as wel as in men 4 7 ab What is meant by the name or worde 1 17b What kinde thereof may be attained by exercise and doctrine 1 22 b Taken for interpreting in the holie scriptures 1 23a b Euill men sometime Prophesie true things and howe 1 22a Why God suffered them so to doe 1 19 a Of Prophesie by writings and also by deedes 1 19 b Prophesie and true faith are not of necessitie ioyned together 1 23 a A reason of Ambrose making against such as thinke it to be naturall 1 26 a Women did Prophesie and how that may agree with Paul forbidding women to prophesie 1 20 a Why they are commaunded to couer their heads 4 7 a An holie Prophesie vttered by Caiphas being an euill man 1 51 a Howe the bones of Eliseus did prophesie 1 22 b Of a kinde of foretelling which is not prophesie 1 82 a Cauils for the adnihilating of Daniels prophesie 3 352 b Prophesieng Whether prophesieng is to be vsed in the Church 3 309 b 310 a Prophesies Prophesies sooner fulfilled than vnderstoode 3 386 b Before the Law in the Law and in the Gospell 1 20 a Before the thinges to come and yet were no let to the libertie of men 3 6 a In them there is a difference of times as for example 1 20 a Howe the curses of the Prophets are prophesies 2 397 b 398 a Of certaine lies which Augustine counteth prophesies 2 546 a Prophesies and testimonies of Christ 2 581 a Vnto which of the Iewes the Prophesies of Christ were obscure 3 346 ab Touching Christes kingdome Metaphoricall 3 397 a Of the Prophesies of the Sybils and what authenticall writers haue thought of them 1 21 a The Montanists boasted more of Prophesies than euer did any other heretikes and why 1 19 a Prophet Wherein a Prophet and a teacher doe differ 1 18 b Assured tokens both of a good and of a bad 1