If we agree vpon the worde keyes and the maner of binding all contention shall by and by cesse For the Pope himselfe wil gladly geue ouer the charge enioined to the Apostles which being ful of trauaile and griefe should shake from hym his pleasures without gaine Forasmuch as the heauens are opened vnto vs by the doctrine of the Gospell it is with a very fit metaphore expressed by the name of keies Now men are bound and loosed in no other wise but when faith reconcileth some to God their own belefe bindeth other some If the Pope did take thys onely vpō him I thinke there wil be no mā that would either enuye it or stryue about it But because this successiō being trauailsome nothing gaineful pleaseth not the Pope hereupō groweth the beginning of the cōtentiō what Christ promised to Peter Therfore I gather by the very mater it selfe that there is nothing meant by the dignitie of the office of an Apostle which can not be seuered from the charge For if that definition whiche I haue rehearsed be receiued which can not but shamelesly be reiected here is nothing geuen to Peter that was not also commō to his other fellowes because otherwise there should not only wrong be done to the persons ▪ but the very maiestie of doctrine should halt They crye out on the other side what auaileth it I pray you to run vpō thys rocke For they shal not proue but as the preaching of one same Gospell was enioyned to al the Apostles so they were also al alike furnished with power to bynde and loose Christ say they appointed Peter Prince of the whole Chirch when he promised that he would geue hym the keyes But that which he then promised to one in an other place he gaue it also to al the rest and deliuered it as it were into their handes If the same power were graunted to al which was promised to one wherin shal he be aboue hys felowes Herein say they he excelleth because he receiued it both in common together wyth them and seuerally by hymselfe which was not geuen to the other but in cōmon What if I answere with Ciprian and Augustine that Christ did it not for this purpose to prefer one mā before other but so to set out the vnitie of the Chirche For thus sayeth Ciprian that God in the person of one gaue the keyes to all to signifie the vnitie of all that the rest were the same thyng that Peter was endued with like partaking both of honor and power but that the beginning is takē at vnitie that the Chirche of Christ may be shewed to be one Augustine saieth If there were not in Peter a misterie of the Chirche the Lorde would not say to hym I wil geue thee the keyes For if this was sayed to Peter the Chirche hath them not but if the Chirche haue them thē Peter when he receiued the keyes betokened the whole Chirch And in an other place When they were al asked only Peter answered thou art Christ it is said to him I wil geue thee the keies as though he alone had receiued the power of binding and loosing wheras both he being one said the one for al and he receiued the other with al as bearing the persō of vnitie Therfore one for al because there is vnitie in all But this Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I will bilde my Chirche is no where red spoken to any other As though Christ spake there any other thing of Peter than that which Paule and Peter himselfe speaketh of all Christians For Paule maketh Christ the chiefe and corner stone vpon which they are bilded together that growe into a holy temple to the Lorde And Peter biddeth vs to be liuely stones which being founded vpon that chosen and precious stone doe by this ioynt and coupling together with our God cleaue also together among our selues He say they aboue the rest because he hath the name peculiarly In dede I do willingly graunt this honor to Peter that in the bilding of the Chirch he be placed among the first or if they will haue this also the first of al the faithfull but I will not suffer them to gather therupon that he should haue a Supremicie ouer the reste For what manner of gathering is this He excelleth other in feruentnesse of zele in learning courage therfore he hath power ouer them As thoughe we might not with better color gather that Andrew is in degree before Peter because he went before him in time and brought him to Christ. But I passe ouer this Let Peter truely haue the first place yet there is great difference betwene the honor of degree and power We see that the Apostles cōmonly graūted this to Peter that he should speake in assēblies and after a certaine maner goe before them with propounding exhorting and admonishing but of hys power we rede nothing at all Howbeit we be not yet come to dispute of that pointe only at this presēt I would proue that they do to fondly reasō when by the only name of Peter they would bilde an Empire ouer the whole Chirche For those olde follies wherwith they went aboute to deceiue at the beginning are not worthy to be rehearsed much lesse to be confuted that the Chirche was bilded vpon Peter because it was sayd vpon thys rocke c. But some of the Fathers haue so expounded it But when the whole Scripture cryeth out to the contrary to what purpose is their authoritie alleged agaynst God Yea why do we stryue aboute the meaning of these wordes as though it were darke or doutful whē nothyng can be more plainly nor more certaynly spoken Peter had confessed in his own and hys brethrens name that Christ is the sōne of God Upon thys rocke Christ bildeth his Chirche because it is as Paule sayeth the only fundation beside which there can be layed none other Neyther do I here therfore refuse the authoritie of the Fathers because I wante their testimonies if I listed to allege them but as I haue saied I will not with contending about so cleare a mater trouble the reders in vayne specially sith thys point hath been long agoe diligently enough handeled and declared by men of our side And yet in dede no man can better assoyle this question than the Scripture it selfe if we compare all the places where it teacheth what office and power Peter had among the Apostles howe he behaued hymselfe and howe he was accepted of them Runne ouer all that remaineth written you shall finde nothing ells but that he was one of the .xii. egal with the rest and their felowe but not their Lorde He doeth in dede propounde to the counsell if any thyng be to be done and geueth warning what is mete to be done but therewithall he heareth other and doth not onely graunte them place to speake their minde but leaueth the
declare any thyng at all but frō the Lord. Therfore it is said that the people when thei embraced his doctrine beleued in God and in his seruant Moses Also that the authoritie of the priestes shoulde not growe in contempt it was stablished with most greuous penalties But therwithal the Lord sheweth vpon what cōdition they wer to be heard when he saieth that he hath made his couenant with Leui that the law of truthe shoulde be in his mouth And a little after he addeth The lips of the priest shall kepe knowledge and they shall require the law at his mouth because he is the angell of the God of hostes Therfore if the priest will be heard lette him shewe himself the messinger of God that is let him faithfully report the cōmaundements that he receiued of his author And where it is specially entreated of the hearing of them this is expressely set That they may answer accordyng to the lawe of God What maner of power the Prophetes generally had is very well described in Ezechiell Thou sonne of man saith the Lord I haue geuē thee to be a watcheman to the house of Israell Therefore thou shalte heare the worde out of my mouth and thou shalte declare it to them frō me He that is commaunded to heare out of the mouthe of the Lord is he not forbidden to inuent any thyng of himself But what is to declare from the Lorde but so to speake as he may boldly boast that it is not his owne but the Lordes woorde that he hath broughte The selfe same thyng is in Hieremie in other wordes Let the Prophet saith he with whom is a dreame tell a dreame and let him that hath my woorde speake my worde true Certainly he appointeth a law to them all And that is such that he permitteth not any to teach more than he is cōmanded And after he calleth it chaffe all that is not come from himselfe onely Therfore none of the Prophetes them selues opened his mouth but as the Lord tolde hym the wordes before Wherupon these sayinges are so ofte found among thē the word of the Lord the burden of the Lorde so sayth the Lord the mouth of the Lord hath spoken And worthily For Esaie cryed oute that he had defyled lyppes Ieremie confessed that he coulde not speake because he was a childe What coulde procede from the defiled mouth of the one and the foolishe mouthe of the other but vncleane and vnwise if they had spoken their owne speche But this lyps were holy and pure when they began to be the instruments of the Holy ghost When the Prophetes are boūd with this religion that they deliuer nothyng but that which they haue receiued thē they be garnished with notable power and excellent titles For when the Lorde testifieth that he hath set them ouer nations and kyngdomes to pluck vp and to roote out to destroy and plucke downe to builde and to plant he by and by adioyneth the cause because he hath put his wordes in theyr mouth Nowe if you looke to the Apostles they are in dede commended with many and notable titles that they are the light of the worlde and the salt of the earth that they are to be heard in stede of Christ that whatsoeuer they bynde or lose in earth shal be bounde or loosed in heauen But in their very name they shewe howe muche is permitted theim in their office that is if they be Apostles that they shoulde not prate whatsoeuer they list but shold faithfully report his commaundementes from whom they are sent And the wordes of Christe are playne enough in which he hath determined their embassage when he cōmaūded them to go teach al nations al those thinges that he had cōmaunded Yea he himself also receiued this lawe and laid it vpon himself that it shold be lawful for no man to refuse it My doctrine sayth he is not myne but his that sent me my fathers He that was alway the only and eternall coūseller of the Father he that was appointed by the Father the Lord and scholemaister of all men yet because he executed the ministerie of teaching prescribed by his owne example to all ministers what rule they ought to folow in teaching Therfore the power of the Chirch is not infinite but subiect to the word of the lord and as it were enclosed in it But sith this hath from the beginnyng ben of force in the Chirche at this day ought to be in force that the seruantes of God shold teache nothing whiche they haue not learned of him yet accordyng to the diuersitie of tymes they had diuers orders of learnyng But that order which is nowe muche differeth from those that were before First if it be true whiche Christe saieth that none hath seene the Father but the Sonne and he to whom it hath pleased the Sonne to shewe him it behoued verily that they should be alway directed by that eternal wisdome of the Father whiche wold come to the knowledge of God For howe should they either haue comprehended in mynd or vttered the misteries of God but by his teachyng to whom alone the secretes of the Father ar open Therfore the holy fathers in old time knew GOD no other wise but beholding him in the Sonne as in a glasse When I say this I meane that God did neuer by any other meane disclose hymselfe to men but by the Son that is his only wisdome light and truthe Out of this fountaine did Adam Noe Abraham Isaac Iacob and the other draw all the knowlege that they had of heauenly doctrine Out of the same foūtain haue also al the Prophetes themselues drawē al the heauēly Oracles that they vttered For verily this Wisedome hath alway disclosed 〈◊〉 selfe by moe waies than one To the Patriarches he vsed secrete reuelations but therwithall to confirme their myndes he adioyned suche signes that it coulde not bee doutefull to them that is was God that spake The Patriarches conueied ouer from hand to hand to posteritie that whiche they had receiued For the Lorde left it with them to this entent that they should so sprede it abrode But the children childrens children by God secretely informyng them did knowe that that whiche they heard was from heauen and not from the earth But when it pleased God to raise a more apparāt forme of a Chirche he willed to haue his worde put in writing noted that the prests shold fetch frō thense what thei might deliuer to the people that all the doctrine that shold be taught shold be tried by that rule Therfore after the publishyng of the law when the prestes are comaunded to teach out of the mouth of the Lord the meaning is that they shold teach nothing straūge or differing from that kinde of learning which the Lord cōprehended in the lawe and to adde and diminishe was vnlawful for them Then folowed the Prophets by
of spiritual policie To this ende from the beginning were ordeined iudicial orders in Chirches which might vse examination of maners correcte vices and exercise the office of the keyes This order Paule speaketh of in the Epistle to the Corinthians when he nameth gouernementes Againe to the Romaines wheÌ„ he saith let him that ruleth rule in carefulnesse For he speaketh not to the magistrates for at that time there were no Christian magistrates but to them that were ioyned with the Pastors for the spirituall gouernement of the Chirch Also in the Epistle to Timothee he maketh twoo sortes of Elders some that labor in the worde other some that do not vse the preaching of the worde and yet do rule well By this later sort it is no doute that he meaneth them that were appointed to loke vnto maners and to the whole vse of the keyes For this power of which we now speake hangeth wholly vpon the keyes which Christ gaue to the Chirche in the xviii Chap. of Mathew where he commaundeth that they should be sharply admonished in the name of the whole Chirch that haue despised priuate monitioÌ„s but if they goe forward in their obstinacie he teacheth that they should be put out of the felowship of the faithful But these monitions and corrections can not be without knowlege of the cause therefore there nedeth both some iugement and order Wherefore vnlesse we will make voide the promise of the keyes and take vtterly away excoÌ„municatioÌ„ solemne monitions and all suche thynges whatsoeuer they be we must nedes geue to the Chirch some iurisdiction Let the reders marke that that place entreateth not of the generall authoritie of doctrine as in the .xvi. Chapter of Mathewe and the .xxi. of Iohn but that the power of the Sinagoge is for the time to come transferred to the flocke of Christ. Untill that day the Iewes had their order of gouerning which Christ stablisheth in his Chirch and that with great penaltie so much as concerneth the pure institution of it For so it behoued forasmuch as otherwise the iugemente of an vnnoble and vnregarded congregation might be despised of rash and proude men And that it should not encomber the reders that Christ doth in thesame words expresse thinges somwhat differring one from the other it shal be profitable to dissolue this dout There be therfore â—woo places that speake of bynding and loosing The one is in the xvi Chapter of Mathew where Christ after that he had promised that he would geue to Peter the keyes of the kingdome of heauen immediatly addeth that whatsoeuer he shal bynde or loose in earth shal be confirmed in heauen In which wordes he meaneth none other thing than he doth by other wordes in Iohn when sending his disciples to preache after that he had breathed vpon them he said whose synnes ye forgeue they shal be forgeuen whoe 's ye reteine they shal be reteined in heauen I will bring an exposition not suttle not enforced not wrested but natural flowyng and offring it selfe This commaundemente of forgeuing and reteining synnes and that promise of bynding and loosing made to Peter oughte to be referred to no other thyng but to the ministerie of the worde which wheÌ„ the Lord committed to the Apostles he did therewith also arme them with this office of bynding and loosing For what is the summe of the Gospell but that we all being the bondseruantes of synne and of death are loosed and made fre by the redemption that is in Christ Iesus and that they which do not receiue nor acknowlege Christe theyr deliuerer and redemer are damned adiudged to euerlasting bondes When the Lorde deliuered this message to his Apostles to be carried into al nations to approue that it was his owne and proceding from himself he honored it with this noble testimonie and that to the singular strengthening both of the Apostles themselues and of all those to whom it should come It behoued that the Apostles shoulde haue a stedfast and sounde certaintie of their preaching which they should not onely execute with infinite labors cares troubles and dangers but also at the last seale it with their blood That they might I say knowe thesame to be not vaine nor voide but full of power and force it behoued that in so great carefulnesse in so great hardnesse of thynges and in so great dangers they should be persuaded that they did the businesse of God that when all the worlde withstode them and fought againste them they should knowe that God stode on their side that hauing not Christ the author of their doctrine present by sight in earth they should vnderstande him to be in heauen to confirme the trueth of the doctrine which he had deliuered them It behoued againe that it should also be most certainly proued by testimonie to the hearers that that doctrine of the Gospell was not the worde of the Apostles but of God himselfe not a voice bred in earth but come downe from heauen For these thinges the forgeuenesse of sinnes the promise of euerlasting life the message of saluation can not be in the power of man Therefore Christe hath testified that in the preaching of the Gospell there is nothing of the Apostles but the only ministerie that it was he himselfe that spake and promised all thynges by their mouthes as by instrumentes and therefore that the forgeuenesse of sinnes which they preached was the true promise of God and the damnation which they pronounced was the certaine iudgement of God But this testifieng is geuen to all ages and remaineth in force to certifie and assure all men that the word of the Gospel by what man soeuer it be preached is the very senteÌ„ce of God published at the soueraigne iudgement seate written in the boke of life ratified firme and fixed in heauen Thus we see that in those places the power of the keyes is nothyng but the preachyng of the Gospell and that it is not so muche a power as a ministerie if we haue respect to meÌ„ For Christ hath not geuen this power proprely to men but to his owne worde wherof he hath made men ministers The other place whiche we haue said to be concernyng the power of bynding and loosyng is in the .xviii. chapter of Mathew where Christ sayth If any brother heare not the Chirch let him be to thee as a heathen maÌ„ or a publicane Uerily I say vnto you whatsoeuer ye bynd vppon earth shal be bound also in heauen whatsoeuer ye loose shal be loosed This place is not altogether like the first but is a little otherwise to bee vnderstanded But I do not so make them diuerse that they haue not great affinitie together This first point is like in both that either of them is a generall senteÌ„ce that in both there is alway all one power of bynding and loosyng namely by the worde of God all one commaundement all one promise But herein they differ that the fyrst place
say the Romishe diuines They decree that euery one of either kinde so sonâ—e as they come to the yeares of discretion must yerely ones at the least confesse all their sinnes to their owne prest and that their sinne is not forgeuen onlesse they haue firmely conceiued an entent to confesse it whiche intent if they performe not when occasion is offred that they may do it there is nowe no more entrie open for theÌ„ into Paradise And that the preste hath the power of the keyes where with he may lose binde a sinner because the worde of Christ is not in vaine What so euer ye binde c. About this power they stoutely fight among them selues Some say that there is but one keye in substance that is the power to binde loose and as for knowledge that it is in dede requisite for a good vse but that it is only as an accessary is not essentially ioyned with the other Some other because they sawe this to be to much an vnbridled licence haue reckened vp two keyes discretion power Other againe when they sawe the lewde boldnesse of prestes to be restrained by this moderation haue forged other keyes that is to say authoritie of discerning which thei should vse in geuing determinate sentence and power which they should practise in executing of their sentence that knowledge standeth by as a couÌ„seller But they date not simply expounde this binding loosing to be to forgeue and put away sinnes because they heare the Lorde criyng out in the Prophet It is I and none other but I it is I it is I that put awaye thy synnes â–ª O Israel But they saye it is the prestes office to pronounce whoe bee bounde or loosed and to declare whose synnes are forgeuen or reteined and that he dothe declare it either by confession when he absolueth and reteined sinnes or by sentence when he excommunicated and receiueth againe to partakyng of the Sacramentes Finally when they vnderstande that they be not yet out of this doubt but that it styll may be obiected against them that oftentimes their priestes doe bynde and loose men vnworthye whiche are not therfore bounde or loosed in heauen then whiche is their laste refuge they aunswere that the geuing of the keyes muste bee construed with a limitation that is to saye that Christ hath promised that before his iudgement seate suche sentence of the Preste shal be allowed as hathe bene iustly pronounced according as the deseruinges of hym that is bounde or loosed did require Moreouer they saye that these keyes are geuen by Christe to all Priestes and are delyuered to them by their Byshoppes at the tyme of their promotinge to presthode but the free vse of them remayneth only with suche as doe exercise Ecclesiasticall offices and that the excommunicate suspended Prestes haue in deede the keyes but rusty bounde vp And they that say these thynges may wel seme modest and sober in comparison of the rest which vpon an new an uield haue forged newe keyes with which they say the treasure of the churche is locked vp These keyes we shall hereafter trye in place fit for it Nowe I wyll in fewe woordes aunswere to euerye one these particularlye But at this present I speake not by what ryght or what wrong they bynde the soules of the faithfull with their lawes for as muche as we will consider that when place serueth But where they charge men with a lawe of reckening vp all their sinnes where they saye that sinne is not forgeuen but vpon condition if there be an intent conceiued to confesse it where they babble that there remaineth no entrie into Paradise if occasion of confessing be neglected this is in no wyse to be suffered Must all sinnes be reckened vp But Dauid Whoe as I thinke had well studied vpon the confession of his sinnes yet cried out who shall vnderstande his errors Lorde cleanse me from my secret sinnes And in an other place My iniquities haue passed aboue my head and lyke a weightye burden haue wared heauy aboue my strengthe Truely he vnderstode howe great was the bottomlesse depthe of our sinnes howe many were the sortes of our mischâ—euous doings how many heades this monster Hydra did beare how long a tayle she drew after her Therfore he went not about to reckeÌ„ vp a register of theÌ„ but out of yâ— depth of euels he cried vnto the Lord I am ouerwhelmed I am vâ—ried choked the gates of helles haue coÌ„passed me let thy hande drawe me out whiche am drowned in the great pit am faiâ—ting and ready to die Who nowe maye thinke vpon the nombryng of his sinnes when he seeth that Dauid can make no nombre of his Wyth thys butcherye the soules that haue beene touched with anye feelynge of God haue beene more cruelye vexed Fyrst they called them selues to accompte then they deuyded synnes into armes into boowes into braunches and into twigges according to these mens rules then they weyed the qualities quantities circumstaunces And so the matter went a litle forwarde But when they had proceded a litle further than was on eche syde skye on eche side sea no hauen no safe roade the mo that they had passed ouer the greater heape alway did thrust it self into their sight yea thei rose vp as hye mountaines and ther appeared no hope not so much as after long coÌ„passinges any waie to escape And so thei did sticke fast betwene the sacrifice and the stone and at last was founde no other issue but desperation Then these cruel butchers to ease the woundes that themselues had made lated certaine gentle plaisters that euery man sholde do as muche as he coulde But new cares againe rose vp Yea new tormeÌ„tes did slea yâ— sylly soules as to thinke I haue not employed time enough I haue not endeuored my selfe with suche diligence as I oughte I haue passed ouer many thinges by negligence and the forgetfulnesse that commeth by negligence is not excusable Then were there ministred other plaisters to asswage suche peines as Repent thee of thy neglygence if it bee not altogether carelesse it shall bee pardoned But al these things can not close vp the wounde and are not so muche easmente of the euell as poysons couered with honey that thei shold not with their bitternesse offende the firste taste but enter into the bowels before that thei be perceiued Therfore this terrible saieng alway calleth vpon them and soundeth in their cares Confesse al thy sinnes And this horroure can not bee appeased buy by assured comforte Here let the readers consider how possible it is to bring into accompt all the doinges of a whole yeare to gather together what sinnes thei haue done euery daie for asmuche as experience proueth to euery man that when at euening he shall recken vp the faultes but of one daie his memorie is confounded therewith so greate a multitude diuersitie presenteth it selfe For
confession to a preeste thinke that they maie wipe their mouthe and saie I did it not And not onely they are made all the yeare longe the bolder to sinne but all the rest of the yeare bearing themselues bolde vpon confession thei neuer sighe vnto God thei neuer returne to themselues but heape sinnes vpon sinnes til they vomit vp al at ones as they thinke And when they haue ones vomited them vppe they thinke them selues discharged of their burden and that thei haue taken awaie from God the iudgment that thei haue geuen to the preeste and that they haue brought God in forgetfulnesse when they haue made the preeste priuie Moreouer whoe doth meryly see the daie of confession at hande Whoe goeth to confession with a cherefull hearte and commeth not to it rather against his wil as it were drawing backewarde like as if he were taken by the necke and drawen to pryson vnlesse paraduenture it be the very preestes that vse ioyfully to delite themselues with mutuall rehersals of their doinges as weare with mery tales I wil not defile much paper with monstruous abhominations wherof auricular cōfession swarueth ful Onely this I saie If that holy man did not vnwisely that for one rumor of fornication toke awaie confession out of his Church yea out of the remembrance of his flocke then we be therby putt in minde what ys nedefull to be done at this daie vpon infinite whordomes adulteries incestes and bawderies Where the Consessionars allege for thys purpose the power of the keyes and doe therevpon sette the peupe and prore of their kyngedome as the prouerbe is it is to bee seen howe muche they oughte to auayle Then saye they are the keyes geuen wythoute cause Is yt sayde wythoute cause Whatsoeuer you loose vpon earthe shall be also loosed in heauen Do we then make the worde of Christe voide I answer there was a weighty cause why the keies shold be geuen as bothe I haue euen now already declared and shal more plainly shew againe when I come to entreat of Excommunication But what if I do with one swerde cutt of the holde of al that thei require that ys with saieng that sacryficeng preestes are not the vicars nor successors of the Apostles But this shall also be to be entreated of in an other place but nowe thei raise vp an engine whereby thei wolde most of all defende themselues and therby may all their buildinges be ouerthrowen For Christe did not geue his Apostles the power to binde loose before that he gaue them the holy ghoste Therefore I saie that none haue the power of the keies that haue not first receiued the holy ghost I denie that any man can vse the keies but hauing the holy ghoste going before teaching him informing him what is to bee done They triflinge saie that thei haue the holy ghoste but in dede thei denie it vnlesse paraduenture thei faine as thei do faine in dede the holy ghoste to be a vaine thing and a thing of nothing but therin thei shall not be beleued And by this engine thei are vtterly ouerthrowē that of what soeuer dore thei boast that thei haue the keie a man may alway aske thē whether thei haue the holy ghoste whiche is the iudge and gouerner of the keies If thei answer that thei haue then thei maie be asked againe whether the holy ghoste may erre This thei wil not be glade to speake expresly althoughe thei crokedly vtter the same by their doctrine It is therefore to be gathered that no preestes haue power of the keies whiche do commonly without consideration loose those thinges that the Lorde wold haue to be bounde and binde those thinges that the Lorde commaunded to be loosed Whereas thei see themselues conuinced by most clere experimentes that thei do without choise loose and binde the worthy and vnworthy thei vsurpe a power without knowledge And although they dare not denie that knoweledge is requisit for a good vse yet thei write that the very power is geuen to euel disposers of it But this is the power whatsoeuer thou bindest or loosest in earthe shal be bounde or loosed in heauen Either the promise of Christ must lie or thei that haue this power do well binde and loose Neither may thei dallye and saie that the saieng of Christe is limited according to the deseruings of him that is bound or loosed And we also confesse that none can be bounde or loosed but thei that are worthy to be bound or loosed But the messingers of the Gospell and the Churche haue the woorde by whyche thei measure this worthinesse in thys woorde the messangers of the Gospell maye promise to all men forgeuenesse of sinnes in Christe by faythe thei maye proclaime damnation into all and vpon all that embrace not Christ. In this word the Church pronounceth that fornicatours adulterers theues mansleiers couetous men vniust men haue no parte in the kingdom of God and bindeth such with most sure bondes With the same worde the Churche looseth them whome yt comforteth being repentant But what power shall this be not to knowe what is to be bounde or loosed and not to be able to binde or loose without knowledge Why then do thei saie that thei loose by authoritie geuen vnto them whē the loosing is vncertain What haue we to do with this imaginatiue power yf there be no vse of it But I haue it already prouch that eyther there is no vse of it or so vncertaine an vse as maye be accompted for none at all For wheras they cōfesse that there is a great parte of prestes that do not rightly vse the keyes and that the power without lawefull vse is of no effect Whoe shall assure me that he of whom I am loosed is a good vser of the keyes if he be an euell vser of it what hath he els but such a voyde disposyng of them as to say what is to be foūd or loosed in thee I know not for asmuch as I lack the right vse of the keyes but yf thou deserue I loose thee But so much might do I wil not say a laye man for they could not beare that with patient eares but a Turke or a Deuell For it is asmuche as to saye I haue not the worde of God the sure rule of loosyng but there is power geuen me to loose thee yf thy deseruynges be so We see therfore what they meant when they defined the keyes to be the authoritie of discernyng and power of executyng and that knowledge is adioyned for a counseller and like a counseller serueth for a good vse vndoubtedly euen they desired to reygne at theyr owne will licentiously without God and his worde If any man take exception and saye that the lawfull ministers of Christ shall be no lesse doubtefull in their office bycause the absolution that hangeth vpon fayth shall alwaye remayne doubtefull and then that sinners shall haue eyther none or a cold comforte bycause the
made plaine whether he be altogither depriued of power to do well or whether he haue yet some power althoughe it be but litle weake whyche by it selfe in dede can do nothynge but by helpe of grace dothe also her part While the Master of the Sentences goeth about to make that playne he sayth there are two sortes of grace necessary for vs whereby we may be made mete to do a good worke the one thei call a Working grace wherby we effectually wil to do good the other a Together workinge grace whiche foloweth good will in helpinge it In whiche diuision this I mislike that while he geueth to the grace of God an effectuall desyre of good he secretly sheweth his meaninge that man alredy of his owne nature after a certaine māner desireth good though vneffectually As Bernarde affirminge that good will is in dede the worke of God yet this he graunteth to man that of his own motion hee desireth that good wil. But this is farre frō the meaning of Augustine frō whome yet Lombard wold seeme to haue borowed this divisiō In the seconde part of the divisiō the doubtfulnes of speache offendeth me whiche hathe bredde a wronge exposition For they thought that we do therefore worke togither with the Seconde grace fo God bicause it lieth in our power either to make voide the First grace by refusing it or to confirme it by obedientlye folowinge it Whereas the author of the boke Of the calling of the Gentiles dothe thus expresse it that it is free for them that vse the iudgement of reason to depart frō grace that it may be worthy rewarde not to haue departed that the thing whiche coulde not be done but by the workynge togither of the holly ghoste may be imputed to their merites by whose wyll it was possible to haue not ben done These two things I had will to note by the waye that nowe reader thou maist see how muche I dissent from the soundest forte of the Scholemē For I do much farther differ from the later sophisters euen so muche as they be farther gone from the auncient tyme. But yet somwhat after suche a sorte as it is we perceaue by this diuision after what manner thei haue geuen Free wil to man For at length Lombard sayth that we haue not free will therfore bycause we are alyke able eyther to do or to thynke good and euell but onely that we are free from compulsion whiche freedome is not hindered althoughe we be peruerse and the bondemen of sinne and can doe nothinge but sinne Therfore man shal be saide to haue free will after this sorte not bycause he hath a free choise as well of good as of euell but because he dothe euell by Wyll and not by compulsion That is very well saide but to what purpose was yt to garnyshe so smale a matter wyth so proude a title A goodly libertie forsooth if man be not compelled to serue sinne so is he yet a wyllynge seruaunte that hys wyll is holden fast bounde with the setters of sinne Truely I do abhorre striuinge about woordes wherewith the Churche is vainely wearied but I thinke that suche wordes are with greate religious carefulnes to be taken hede of whiche sounde of any absurditie specially wher the errour is hurtefull How few I praye you are there whyche when they heare that Free wil is assigned to man do not by and by conceaue that he is lorde bothe of his owne mynde and wyll and that he is able of hym selfe to turne hym selfe to whether parte he will But some one wyll saye this perill shal be taken awaye if the people be dylygentlye warned of the meaninge of it But rather forasmuche as the witte of man is naturally bent to falsitie he will soner conceiue an errour out of one little worde than a truth out of a longe tale Of whiche thing we haue a more certaine experience in this very worde than is to be wished For omittinge that exposition of the olde wryters all thei in manner that came after while thei sticke vpon the naturall signification of the woorde haue ben carried into a truste of them selues that bringeth them to distruction But if the authoritie of the fathers do move vs they haue in dede continually the worde in their mouth but thei do withal declare how muche thei esteme y◠vse of it Fyrst of all Augustine whiche sticketh not to call it Bonde wyll In one place he is angry with them that denye free wil but he declareth his chiefe reasō why when he saith onely Let not any man be so bolde to denye the freedome of wyll that he go aboute to excuse sinne But surely in an other place he confesseth that the wyll of manne is not free wythoute the holye ghooste for as muche as yt is subiecte to lustes that doe bynde and conquere yt Agayne that when wyll was ouercome wyth synne whereinto it fell nature begane to wante freedome Agayne that man hauynge yll vsed hys free wyll loste bothe hymselfe and yt Agayne Free wyll is become captiue that it can do nothinge towarde ryghteousnesse Againe that it canne not be free whyche the grace of God hathe not made free Againe that the iustice of God is not fullfylled when the lawe commaundeth and man dothe as of hys owne strength but when the holy ghoste helpeth and mans will not free but made free by God obeyeth And of all these thynges he shortely rendreth a cause when in an other place he writeth that man receiued greate force of free will when he was created but he loste it by sinninge Therfore in an other place after that he had shewed that free will is stablished by grace he sharply inueieth against them that take it vpon them without grace Why therfore sayth he dare wretched men either be proude of freewil before that they be made free or of their owne strength yf they be allready made free And they marke not that in the very name of Freewyll is mention of freedome But where the spirite of the Lorde is there is freedome If then they be the bondemen of sinne why do thei boste them of free wyll For of whome a manne is ouercome to hym hee ys made bonde But yf they bee made free why do they boaste them as of theyr owne woorke Are they so free that they wyll not bee his bondseruauntes whyche sayeth Wythoute me ye canne do nothynge Besyde that also in an other place hee seemeth sportyngly to mocke at the vse of that woorde when hee sayde that wyll was in deede free butte not made free free to righteousnesse but the bondeseruaunt of synne Whyche sayinge in an other place hee repeteth and expoundeth that manne ys not free from ryghteousnesse but by choyse of will and from synne hee ys not free but by grace of the Sauyoure Hee that doothe testifie that the freedome of manne ys nothynge ells but a
in humylytye as in an other place hee declareth Let no manne sayeth hee flatter hym selfe of hys owne he ys a deuell That thynge whereby hee ys blessed hee hathe of God onelye For what haste thou of thyne owne butte synne Take awaye from thee synne whyche ys thyne owne for ryghteousnesse ys Gods Agayne why ys the possybylytye of nature so presumed on yt ys wounded mayned troubled and loste yt needeth a true confession and not a false defense Agayne when euerye manne knoweth that in hymselfe hee ys nothynge and of hymselfe hee hathe no helpe hys weapons in hym selfe are broken the warres are ceassed But yt ys needefull that all the weapons of wyckednesse bee brooken in sunder shyuered in peeces and burnte that thou remaine vnarmed haue no helpe in thy selfe How muche more weake thou arte in thy selfe so muche the more the Lorde receiueth thee So vpon the thre score and tene Psalme hee forbyddeth vs to remembre oure owne ryghteousnesse that wee maye acknowledge the ryghteousnesse of God and hee sheweth that God dooeth so commende hys grace vnto vs that wee maye knowe oure selues to be nothynge that wee stande onely by the mercye of God when of oure selues wee are nothynge but euell Let vs not therefore stryue here with God for oure righte as if that were wythdrawen from oure saluation which is geuen to him For as oure humblenesse ys hys hienesse so the confession of oure humblenesse hathe hys mercye readye for remedye Neyther yet doe I requyre that manâ—e not conuinced shoulde wyllyngely yelde hymselfe nor yf he haue any power that he shoulde tourne hys mynde from yt to bee subdued vnto true humylytye But that layinge awaye the disease of selfeloue and desyre of victorye wherewyth beynge blinded hee thinketh to highely of himselfe hee shoulde well consider hymselfe in the true lookynge glasse of the Scrypture And the common sayinge whyche thei haue borrowed oute of Augustine pleaseth mee well that the naturall gyftes were corrupted in manne by synne and of the supernaturall hee was made emptye For in thys latter parte of supernaturall gyftes they vnderstande as wel the lyghte of faythe as ryghteousnesse whyche were suffycyente to the attaynyge of heauenly lyfe and eternall felycytye Therefore banyshynge hym selfe from the Kyngedome of God hee was also depriued of the spyrytuall gyftes wherewyth hee hadde been furnyshed to the hope of eternall saluation Wherevpon foloweth that hee ys so banished from the Kyngedome of God that all thynges that belonge to the blessed lyfe of the soule are extinguished in hym vntyll by grace of regeneration hee recouer them Of that sorte are fayth the Loue of God charytye towarde oure neyghboures the studye of holynesse and ryghteousnesse All these thynges bycause Christe restoreth them vnto vs are compted thinges comming from an other to vs and besid nature and therefore wee gather that they were ones taken awaye Agayne soundenesse of the vnderstandinge mynde and vpryghtenesse of hearâ—e were then taken awaye together and thys ys the corruption of naturall gyftes For thoughe there remayne somewhat lefte of vnderstandynge and iudgemente together wyth wyll yet canne wee not saye that oure vnderstandynge ys sounde and perfecte whyche is boothe feeble and drowned in many darkenesses And as for oure wyll the peruersenesse therof ys more than sufficâ—ently knowen Syth therefore reason whereby a man discerneth betwene good and euell whereby hee vnderstandeth and iudgeth is a naturall gyste yt coulde not be altogether destroied but it was partly weakened partly corrupted so that foule ruynes thereof appeare In this sense doothe Iohn saye that the lyghte shyneth yet in darkenesse but the darkenesse comprehended yt not In whyche woordes boothe thynges are playnely expressed that in the peruerted and degendred nature of manne there shyne yet some sparkes that shewe that hee ys a creature hauinge reason and that hee differeth from brute beastes bicause he is endued with vnderstanding yet that this light is choked wyth greate thyckenes of ignoraunce that yt canne not effectuallye gette abroade So Dyll bycause yt ys vnseparable from the nature of man peryshed not but was bounde to peruerse desyres that yt can couet no good thynge Thys in deede ys a full definition but yet suche as needeth to be made playne wyth more wordes Therefore that the the ordre of oure talke maye procede accordynge to that fyrste distinction wherein wee diuided the soule of manne into vnderstandyng and wyll let vs fyrste examyne the force of vnderstandynge So to condemne it of perpetuall blyndenesse that a man leaue vnto it no manner of skyll in any kynde of thynges ys not onely agaynste the worde of God but also agaynste the experience of common reason For wee see that there is planted in manne a certayne desire to searche out trueth to whyche hee woulde not aspyre at all but hauinge felte some sauoure thereof before Thys therefore ys some syghte of mans vnderstanding that he ys naturally drawen with loue of trueth the neglectyng whereof in brute beastes proueth a grosse Sense wythout reason all be yt thys lyttle desyre suche as yt is faynteth before yt entre the begynnynge of her race bycause it by and by falleth into vanitie For the wytte of manne canne not for dullnesse keepe the ryghte way to searche oute trueth but straieth in diuerse erroures and as it were groopynge in darkenesse oftentimes stombleth tyll at length yt wander and vanysheth awaye so in seekynge trueth yt doothe bewraye howe vnfytte yt ys to seeke and fynde trueth And then yt ys sore troubled wyth an other vanytye that oftentymes yt dyscerneth not those thynges to the true knoweledge whereof yt were expedyente to bende yt selfe and therefore yt tormenteth yt selfe wyth fonde curyosytye in searchynge oute thinges superfluous and nothing worth and to thynges moste necessarye to bee knowen it eyther taketh noe heede or neglygentlye or seldome tourneth but surelye scarse at any tyme applyeth her studye earnestlye vnto them Of whyche peruersnesse whereas the prophane wryters dooe commonly complayne yt ys founde that all menne haue entangled them selues with it Wherfore Salomon in all hys Ecclesiastes when hee hadde gone throughe all these studyes in whyche men thynke them selues to bee very wyse yet he pronounceth that they are all vaine and tryfelynge Yet do not all trauales of Witte â–ª so alwaye become voyde but that yt attayneth somewhat specyally when yt bendeth yt selfe to these inferioure thinges Yea and it is not so blockyshe but that yt tasteth also some lyttle of the hier thinges how soeuer it more negligently applye the searchynge of them but yet not that wyth lyke power of conceauynge For when yt ys carryed vp aboue the compasse of thys present lyfe then is it pryncipally conuinced of her owne weakenesse Wherefore that wee maye the better see howe farre according to the degrees of her abylytye yt procedeth in euerye thynge yt ys goode that I putte fourthe a dystynction Lette thys therefore bee the distinction that
deseruyng and the whole summe thereof is fulfilled in Christ. Whoe then dare make the Iewes without Christ with whome we heare that the couenant of the gospell was made whereof Christ is the only fundation Whoe dare make them strangers from the benefite of free saluatioÌ„ to whom we heare that the doctrine of the righteousnesse of fayth was ministred But that we dispute not longe of an euident matter we haue a notable sentence of the Lord. Abraham reioysed that he might see my daye he sawe it was glad And the same thing which Christ there testifieth of Abraham the Apostle sheweth that it was vniuersal in the faithful people wheÌ„ he sayth that Christ abideth yesterday this daye and for euer For he speaketh not there only of the eternall godhed of Christe but also of his power whiche was continually opened to the faythfull Wherefore bothe the blessed Uirgin and Zacharie in their songes do say that the saluation reueled in Christ is the performance of the promises whiche God in olde time had made to Abraham and the Patriarches If the Lord in geuyng his Christ discharged his olde othe it can not be sayd but that the ende therof was alway in Christ and euerlasting life Yea and the Apostle doth make the Israelites egall with vs not only in the grace of the couenant but also in signification of Sacramentes For meanyng by examples of punishmentes wherewith the Scripture reciteth that they were corrected in the olde time to make the Corinthians afrayde that they should not runne into the like offenses he beginneth with this preface that there is no cause why we should chalenge any prerogatiue vnto our selues to deliuer vs from the vengeance of God which they susteined for asmuch as the Lord did not only graunt vnto them the same benefites but he hath gloriously set forth his grace among them with the same tokens As yf he should haue sayd If ye trust that ye be out of peril bicause both Baptisme wherewith ye be marked and the Supper which ye dayly receyue haue excellent promises and in the meane time despisyng the goodnesse of God ye are liceÌ„tiously wanton Know ye that the Iewes also were not without such sacramentes against whom yet the Lord did most seuerely put his iudgementes in execution They were Baptized in passyng ouer the Sea and in the cloude wherewith they were defended from the burnyng heate of the sonne They saye that that same passage was a carnall Baptisme whiche after a certayne proportion answereth to our spirituall Baptisme But yf that were allowed true the Apostles argument could not procede which meaneth here to haue this taken away from the Christians that they thinke that they excell the Iewes by the prerogatiue of Baptisme Neyther is that whiche by and by after foloweth subiect to this cauillation that they did eate the same spirituall meate that we eate and dronke the same spiritual drinke whiche he expoundeth to be Christ. To ouerthrowe this sentence of Paule they obiecte that whiche Christ sayth Your fathers did eate Manna in the wildernesse and are dead he that eateth my fleshe shall not dye for euer Whiche two places are very easily made to agree together The Lorde bycause he then talked to hearers that sought only to bee filled with foode of their belly but cared not for the meate of the soule tempered his talke somewhat to their capacitie but specially he frameth the comparison of Manna and of his bodye accordynge to their sense They required that he to gette himselfe some credite woulde approue his power with doynge some suche miracle as Moses dyd in the wildernesse when he obâ—eyned Manna from Heauen But in Manna they conceyued nothynge but the remedie of carnall hunger wherewith the people was then vexed but they pearced not to that hyer misterie whiche Paule hath respect vnto Christ therefore to shewe howe muche greater a benefite they ought to loke for at his hande than that which they reported that Moses dyd bestow vpon their fathers frameth this comparison If it were a great miracle in your opinion and worthye to be remembred that the Lorde by Moses ministred fonde from Heauen to his people to susteine them for a smal time that they should not perishe for hunger in the wildernesse gather hereby howe muche more excellente is the meate that geueth immortalitie We see why the Lord passed ouer that thyng whiche was principall in Manna and spake onely of the bacest profit of it euen bycause the Iewes as it were of purpose to reproche hym dyd caste Moses in his teeth whiche succored the necessitie of the people with remedie of Manna he answered that he is the minister of a muche hyer grace in comparison whereof the carnall fedynge of the people whiche alone they so muche estemed ought of righte to be nothyng regarded But Paule bycause he knewe that the Lord when he rayned Manna from heauen dyd not only poure it downe for the seding of their belly but also dyd distribute it for a spirituall misterie to be a figure of the spiâ—ituall quickenynge that is had in Christ dyd not neglecte that parte that was most worthy of consideration Wherfore it certainely and clerely foloweth that the same promises of eternall and heueÌ„ly life whiche nowe the Lord vouchesaueth to graunt vnto vs were not only communicated vnto the Iewes but also sealed with very spiritual SacrameÌ„tes Of whiche mater Augustine disputeth largely agaynst Faustus the Manichee But yf the readers had rather to haue testimonies alledged vnto them out of the lawe and the Prophetes whereby they may perceyue that the spirituall couenant was common also to the fathers as we heare by Christ and the Apostles I will also follow that desire and so muche the more willingly bycause by that meane the aduersaries shal be more surely conuinced so that they shall haue afterwarde no waye to dallye And I will beginne at that profe whiche although I knowe that the Anabaptistes pride will thinke verye fonde and in a manner to bee laughed at yet shall muche auayle with suche reders as are willyng to learne and haue their sounde wit And I take it as a principle confessed that there is suche effectuall force of lyfe in the worde of God that whome so euer God vouchesaueth to be partakers therof it quickeneth their soules For this sayeng Peter hath alwaye ben of force that it is the incorruptible seede whiche abideth for euer as he also gathereth out of the wordes of Esaye Now sithe God in the old time bound the Iewes vnto him with this holy bouÌ„d it is no doubt that he did also seuer them into the hope of eternal life For when I saye they embraced the worde whiche should ioyne them â—â—yer to God I take it for the maner of coÌ„municatyng it not that generall manner whiche is poured abrode throughout the heauen and earth and all the creatures of the world whiche although it do quickeÌ„ all thinges
freewoman is a figure of the heauenly Hierusalem from whense procedeth the gospell That as the seede of Agar is borne bonde whiche maye neuer come to the inheritance and the seede of Sara is â—orne free to whome the inheritaunce is due so by the lawe we are made subiect to bondage by the Gospell onely we are regenerate into freedome But the summe commeth to this effecte that the olde testamente dyd stricke into consciences feare and tremblinge but by the beneâ—ite of the newe testament it commeth to passe that thei are made ioyefull The olde did holde consciences bounde vnto the yoke of boudage by the lyberalitie of the newe thei are discharged of bondage and brought into freedome But if oute of the people of Israel thei obiect againste vs the holy fathers who sithe it is euident that they were endued wyth the same spirit that we are it foloweth that thei were also partakers both of the selfe same freedome and ioye We answer that neither of bothe came of the lawe But that when thei felte them selues by the lawe to be both oppressed with estate of bondage and weried with vnâ—â—â—eâ—es of conscience they sâ—ed to the succoure of the Gospell and that therefore it was a peculiar frute of the newe testament that beside the common lawe of the olde testament they wer exempted from these euels Moreouer we wyll denye that they were so endewed wyth the spirit of freedome assurednesse that they did not in some part fele both seare and bondage by the lawe For howe soeuer they enioyed that prerogatiue whyche they had obteined by grace of the Gospell yet were they subiect to the same bondes and bâ—rdens of obseruation that the common people were Sithe therefore they were compelled to the carefull keeping of those ceremonies whyche were the signes of a scholing muche like vnto bondage and the handewritinges whereby they confessed them selues gylty of synne did not discarge them from being bonde it maye rightfully be saide that in comparison of vs they were vnder the testament of bondage and feare while wee haue respecte to that common ordre of dystribution that the Lorde then vsed wyth the people of Israel The three laste comparisons that we haue recited are of the lawe and the Gospell Wherfore in them by the name of the Olde testament is meant the Lawe by the name of the Nwe testament is meant the Gospell The fyrste stretched further for it comprehendeth vnder it the promises also that were published before the lawe butte whereas Augustine denyeth that they oughte to be reckened vnder the name of the olde testament therein he thought very well and meant euen the same thynge that we do nowe teache for hee hadde regarde to those saâ—enges of Hieremie and Paule where the olde testament is seuered from the woorde of mercye and grace And thys also hee very aptelye adioyueth in the same place that the chyldren of promise regenerate of God whyche by faythe woorkynge throughe loue haue obeyed the commaundements do from the beginning of the worlde belong to the newe testament and that in hope not of fleshly earthly and temporall â–ª but spiritual heauenly and eternal good thinges principally beleuing in the mediatore by whome thei doubted noâ— that the spirite was not munstred vnto them bothe to do good to haue pardon so oft as they sinned For the same thinge it is that I minded to affirme that all the Sainctes whome the Scripture reherseth to haue been from the beginning of the worlde chosen by God were partakers of the selfe same blessing with vs vnto eternal saluation This difference therfore is betwene oure diuision and Augustines that oures according to that sayeng of Christe The lawe and the Prophetes were vnto Ihon from thenseforthe the kingdome of God is preached dothe make distinction betweene the clerenesse of the Gospell and the darker dystribution of the woorde that wente before and Augustine doothe onely â—ouer the weakenesse of the lawe from the strength of the Gospell And here also is to be noted concerning the holy fathers that they so liued vnder the olde testamente that they steyed not there but allwaye aspired to the newe yea and imbraced the assured partakinge thereof For the Apostle condemneth them of blindenesse and accursednesse whiche beinge contented with present shadowes did not streâ—ch vp their minde vnto Christe For to speake nothinge of the rest what greater blindenesse can be imagined than to hope for the purginge of sinne by the killinge of a beast than to secke for the cleansing of the soule in outward sprinkling of water than to seeke to appease God with colde ceremonies as thoughe he were muche delited therewith For to all these absurdities do thei fall that sticke fast in the obseruations of the lawe without respect of Christe The fifth dyfference that we may adde lyeth in this that vntill the comming of Christe the Lorde had chosen out one nation within why the he woulde keepe seuerall the couenant of his grace When the hyest did dystribute the nations when he deuided the sonnes of Adam saith Moses his people fell to his possession Iacob the corde of his inheritance In an other place he thus speaketh to the people Beholde the heauen and earth and all that is in it are the Lord thy Gods He cleaned onely to thy fathers he loued them to choose their sede after them euen your selues oute of all nations Therefore hee voâ—tchesaued to graunte the knoweledge of hys name to that people onely as yf they onely of all men belonged vnto hym he layed hys couenant as it were in theyr bosome to them he openli shewed the presence of his Godhed them he honored with all prerogatiues Butte to omitte the reste of his beneâ—ites and speake that whiche onely here is to oure purpose he bounde them to hym by the communycatynge of his woorde that hee might be called and coâ—mpted their God In the meane season he suffered other nations to walke in vanitie as though they had not any enter course or any thynge to do wyth hym neither dyd he to helpe their destruction euen them that which was onely the remedie namely the preachinge of hys woorde Therefore Israel was then the Lordes sonne that was hys derlynge other were straungers Israell was knowen to hym and receyued into hys charge and protection other mere leâ—te to their owne darkenesse Israell was sanctified by God other were prophane Israell was honoured wyth the presence of God other were excluded from comming nye vnto him But when the fullnesse of time was come appointed for the restoringe of all men and that same reconciler of God and men was deliuered in deede the particion was plucked downe whiche had so longe holden the mercye of God enclosed within the boundes of Israel and peace was preached to them that were farre of euen as to them that were nere adioyned that being together reconciled to God they might growe into one people Wherefore
why do thei draw to them yâ— knoweledge of natural fleshely leprosie This forsoothe is not to mocke with the Scriptures The lawe geueth to the Leuiticall preestes the knowledge of Leprosie therefore let vs take yt vpon vs. Sinne is a spirituall leprosie therefore lette vs also bee examiners of sinne Nowe I aunswere sithe the preestehoode is remoued it is necessarie that the law be remoued also Al presthodes are remoued to Christe and fulfilled and ended in him therefore to him onely al the right and honoure of preesthoode is also remoued It thei loue so wel to folow Allegories let them set Christ before them for the only preest and heape vpon his iudgement seate the free iurisdiction of al things this we can easily be content to suffer Moreouer their allegorie is very vnfitt that setteth among the ceremonies that lawe whiche is mearly politike Why then did Christe send the leprous menne to the preestes That the preestes shoulde not cauill that hee did breake the lawe that commaunded the man healed of the leprosie to bee shewed before the preeste and purged with offering of sacrifice therefore he commaunded the leprous men being cleansed to do that whiche belonged to the law Goe saith he and shewe your selues to the preeste and offer the gifte that Moses hathe commaunded in the lawe that it shoulde be for a witnesse vnto them And truely this miracle shold haue ben a witnes vnto them for thei had pronounced them leprous and nowe they pronounce them healed Are thei not whether thei will or no compelled to become witnesses of Christes miracles Christ leaueth to them his miracle to be examined thei canne not denie it But bicause thei still dallie with it therfore this worke is for a witnesse vnto them So in an other place This Gospell shal be preached in all the worlde for a witnesse to al nations Again ye shal be ledde before kinges and gouernours for a witnesse to them that is that in the iudgemenâ—e of God thei maie be more strongly conuinced But if thei had rather folow Chrysostome he also teacheth that Christe did this for the Iewes sake that he shoulde not be accompted a breaker of the law Albeit in so cleare a matter I am ashamed to alleage the wittnesse of any man wheras Christ pronounceth that he leaueth the righte of the lawe whole to the preestes as to the professed enemies of the Gospell whiche were alway bent to carpe against it if their mouth had not ben stopped Wherfore that the popish sacrificeng preestes maie still keepe this possession let them openly take partes with them which must of necessitie be restrained by force that they speake not ill against Christe For this nothing belongeth to his trewe ministers Thei bring their second argument out of the same fountaine that is from an allegorie as though allegories were of greate force to confyrme any doctrine But lette them be of force if I do not proue that I can make a fairer shewe of them for my syde than thei can for theirs Thei say The Lorde commaunded his Disciples that when Lazarus was raised vp thei shold vnbinde an losse him from hys bondes Here first the lie for it is no wher reade thay the Lorde saide this to the Disciples and it is muche more likely that he saide it to the Iewes that stoode by him that the miracle might be made the more euident without suspition of fraud his power appeare yâ— greater yâ— without any touching with his onely worde he raised vp deade men For thus I expounde it that the Lorde to take awaie all wrongfull opinion from the Iewes willed them to rolle awaie the stone to feâ—le the stinke to beholde assured tokens of death to see him rising by the onely power of his worde and them first to feele him liuing And this is the iudgement of Chrysostome But let vs graunt that this was spoken to the Disciples what wil thei get therby That the Lord gaue his Apostles power to loose But how much more fitly and more handesomely might these thinges be applied by waie of allegorie to saie that by this signe the lord meanie to instruct his faithful to loose them that he had raised vp that is that they sholde not cal into remembrance those sinnes that he had forgotten that thei shold not condemne them for sinners whom he had acquited that thei sholde not reproche men with those thinges that he had forgeuen that thei shoulde not be rigorous to punish and lightly offended wher he is mercifull and easily entreated to spare Truely nothing ought to moue vs more to readinesse to forgeue than the exaumple of the Iudge that threatneth that he wyll be vnappeasable to them that be to rigorous and vngentle Nowe let them goe and boaste of their allegories But nowe thei ioyne more nere hande with vs when thei fight as thei thinke with open sentences Thei that came to Ihons baptisme did confesse their sinnes Iames willeth that we confesse oure sinnes one to an other No maruell if they that wolde be baptised did confesse their sinnes for it was saide before that Ihon preached the baptisme â–ª of repentance and baptised in water vnto repentance Whom shold he then haue baptized but them that had confessed themselues sinners Baptisme is a token of the forgeuenesse of sinnes and who shold be admitted to this token but sinners and thei that acknowledg themselues to be such Therfore thei confessed their sinnes that thei might be baptised And not without a cause doth Iames bidde vs confesse one to an other But if thei did marke what foloweth nexte after thei would vnderstande that this also maketh little for them Confesse saithe he one to an other your sinnes praie one for an other He ioyneth together mutuall confession and mutuall praier If we must confesse to prestes onely then muste wee also praie for prestes onely Yea What and if it might folowe of the wordes of Iames that onely preestes mighte confesse for when he willeth that we shold confesse one to an other he speaketh onely to them that may heare the confessions of other his worde is in greke Allelous mutually enterchangeably by turnes or if thei so like best to terme it by waye of reciprocatioÌ„ one to an other But so enterchaÌ„geably none can coÌ„fesse but thei that are meete to here confessions Whiche prerogatiue syth thei vouchesaue to graunt only to prestes we do also put ouer the office of confessing to theÌ„ only Therefore away with such trifelinges let vs take the very meaning of the Apostle which is simple plaine that is yâ— we sholde laye our weakenesse one in an others bosome to receiue mutuall counsel mutuall compassioÌ„ and mutuall comforte one of an other then that wee be naturally priuie to the weakenesses of our brothren shold praie for them to the Lord. Why do thei then alleage Iames against vs which do so earnestly require the confessioÌ„ of the
vnlearned men cōmonly knowe sauing that it is good to haue their presumptuousnesse bewrayed y◠doe geue away that whiche was written of the praises of God to their own tyrannical commaundement To proue that cōfession auaileth to cheare the mindes they thrust in that place of the Psalme In the voice of reioising confession But if suche change may serue then we shall haue what we list proued by what we list But seing thei are so become past shame let the godly reders remember that by the iust vengeaunce of God they haue ben cast into a reprobate minde that their presumption should be the more detestable But if we will rest in the simple doctrine of the Scripture we shal not be in danger of any suche deceites to beguile vs. For therin is apointed one order of confessing that for as much as it is the Lord that forgeueth forgetteth putteth away sinnes therfore we shold confesse our sinnes to him for to obtain pardon he is the Phisician therfore let vs shew our diseases vnto him It is he that is greued offended therfore let vs seke peace at his hand He is the knower of hearts and priuie to al thoughtes therfore let vs make haste to poure out our hartes before him Finally it is he that calleth sinners therfore let vs not delay to come to him I haue saith Dauid made my sinne knowen vnto thee haue not hidden my vnrighteousnesse I haue sayd I wyll confesse against me my vnrighteousnesse to the Lord thou hast forgeuen the wickednesse of my heart Such is the other confessiō of Dauid Then that euen they that vse it for their nede should not be cōpelled by any cōmaundement or trained by any deceite to recken vp all their sinnes but so far as thei shal thinke it behouefull for them that they may receiue sound frute of cōfort Faithfull Pastors ought not only to leaue this libertie to the churches but also to mainteine it stoutly stand in defence of it if they wil haue tyrannie absent from their ministerie superstition from the people Of the other sorte of confession Christ speaketh in Mathew If thou offer thy gift at the altar there remēbrest that thy brother hath any thing against thee leaue thy gift there go first be reconciled to thy brother then come offer thy gift For so charitie that hath bene appeired by our fault is to be repaired by acknowleging crauing pardō of the offence that we haue cōmitted Under this kinde is cōteined their confession that haue sinned euen to the offending of the whole church For if Christ maketh so great a matter of the priuate offence of one mā to forbid from holy misteries all them that haue sinned against their brother till they be with iust amendes reconciled howe muche greater reason is it that he that hath offended the churche with any euill exāple should recouer the fauour of the churche with acknowledging his fault So was the Corinthian receiued again to the cōmunion whē he had yelded him selfe obedient to correction Also this forme of confessiō was vsed in the olde churche as Ciprian maketh mention Thei do penance sayth he in due time then they come to confession and by laying on of the handes of the byshop the Clergie they receiue leaue to come to the cōmunion Any other order or forme of confessing the scripture vtterly knoweth not it is not our dutie to binde cōsciences with new bondes whome Christ moste sharply forbiddeth vs to bring in bondage In the meane time I do so muche not speake against it that the shepe should present them selues to their shepeherd when they meane to be partakers of the holy supper that I wold most gladly haue it euery where obserued For both they that haue an encombred conscience may frō thence receiue singular profit they that are to be admonished do by that meane prepare place for admonishment but so alwaye that tyrannie and supersticion be away In these thre kindes of cōfession the power of the keyes hath place that is either when the whole churche with solemne reknowleging of their faultes craueth pardon or when a priuate man that by any notable fault hath bred cōmon offence doth declare his repētance or when he that for the vnquietnesse of his conscience doth nede help of the minister discloseth his weakenesse vnto him But there are diuerse wayes of taking away offense because although therby also the peace of cōscience is prouided for yet the principal end is that hatred sholde be taken away mens mindes knit together with a bond of peace But this vse that I haue spokē of is not to be despised that we may the more willingly cōfesse our sinnes For when the whole churche standeth as it were before the iudgement seate of God confesseth it self gilty hath one only refuge vnto the mercy of God it is no sclēder or light cōfort to haue ther present Christes embassadour hauing cōmandemēt of recōciliation of whom it may heare absolution pronounced vnto it Here the profitablenesse of the keyes is worthely commended when this embassage is performed rightly with suche order religiousnesse as besemeth it Likewyse when he that had in a manner estranged him selfe from the Churche receiueth pardon is restored into brotherly vnitie howe great a benefite is it that he vnderstādeth him selfe to be forgeuē by them to whom Christ hath said To whom so euer ye forgeue sinnes in earth they shal be forgeuen in heauem And of no lesse effectualnesse profit is priuate absolution when it is asked by them that haue nede of speciall remedy to releue their weakenesse For it happeneth oftentimes that he which heareth the generall promises that are directed to the whole cōgregation of the faithfull remaineth neuerthelesse in some doubte and hath still an vnquiet minde as though he had not yet obteined pardon and the same man if he haue disclosed to his parsone the secret sore of his minde and heareth peculiarly directed to him selfe that saying of the Gospel Thy sinnes are forgeuen thee be of good hope stablisheth hys minde vnto assurednesse is deliuered from that trembling wherwith he was before tormented But when we speake of the keyes we muste take hede that we dreame not of a certaine power seuered frō the preaching of the Gospell In an other place we shal haue occasion more fully to declare this matter againe where we shall entreate of the gouernement of the churche there shall we see that all the power to binde and to lose whiche Christ hath geuen to his churche is bounde to the worde But this is moste true in the ministerie of the keyes the whole force wherof standeth in this that the grace of the Gospel be publikely and priuately sealed vp in the heartes of the faithfull by them whome the Lord hath ordeined which can not be done but by only preaching But what
I speake now of grosse and blockish hypocrites that thinke thei haue done sufficiently if they haue noted three or sower of the greatest sinnes but I speake of the true worshippers of God whiche when thei see themselues oppressed with the examinatiō that they haue made do adde also this saieng of Ihon If oure owne heart do accuse vs God is greater than oure heart and so thei quake for feare at the sight of that iudge whose knowledge farre sourmounteth oure vnderstandinge But whereas a greate parte of the worlde rested them vpon suche flatteries wherewith so deadely a poyson was tempered thys came not so to passe bycause they beleued that God was satisfied or bycause they them selues were fully satisfied but that the anchor caste as y◠were in the midde sea shoulde reste a lyttle from saylinge or as a wayfaringe man weary and fainetynge shoulde lye downe in the waye I laboure not muche in prouinge thys For euery man maie be witnesse to hym selfe I will in a shorte summe shewe what manner of law thys was Fyrst simply it is impossible and therefore it can do nothinge but destroy damne confounde and cast in ruine and desperation And then when it hath ledde sinners from the true feeling of their sinnes it maketh then hypocrites and ignoraunce of God and themselues For whyle they are wholy busyed in reckenynge vppe of theyr synnes in the meane tyme they forgette the secrete sinke of vyces their hydden Iniquities and inwarde fylthynesse by knowledge whereof they shoulde cheefely haue weyed their myserie But thys was a moste certaine rule of confession to acknowledge and confesse the bottomlesse depth of our euell to be so great as passeth our vnderstandyng After thys rule wee see that the Publicanes confession was made Lorde be mercifull to me a synner as if he shoulde saie All that euer I am I am altogether a sinner and I can not atteine with witte or expresse with tongue the greatnesse of my sinnes let the bottomlesse depthe of thy mercie swallow vp the bottomles depth of my sinne But then thou wilt saie what are not all oure sinnes to be confessed is no confession acceptable to God but that whiche is knitte vp in these twoo woordes I am a sinner No but rather we muste endeuoure our selues as much as in vs lieth to poure out oure heart before the Lorde and not onely in one worde confesse oure selues sinners but also truely and heartyly acknowledge oure selues to be suche and with al oure thought record howe greate and diuerse is oure filth of sinnes not onely that wee bee vncleane but what howe great and in howe many partes is oure vncleannesse not onely that we be detters but with howe greate dettes wee bee loden and howe manie waies charged not onely that we bee wounded but also with howe manie deadly strokes we be wounded With this reknowleging when the sinner hath wholy poured out himselfe before God lette him earnestly and syncerely thinke that yet there remaine moe sinnes that the secret corners of their euels are so depe that thei can not be throughly disclosed And he crieth out with Dauid Whoe vnderstandeth his errours Lorde cleanse me from my hidden sinnes Now wher thei affirme that sinnes are not forgeuen but with an intent of confessing firmely conceiued and that the gate of paradise is shutte against him that neglecteth occasion offered when he may be confessed God forbidde that we shoulde graunt them that For there is no other forgeuenesse of sinnes than alwaie hath ben It is not reade that all thei haue confessed their sinnes in the eare of some preste that wee reade to haue obteined forgeuenesse of sinnes at Christes hande And truely thei coulde not confesse where there were neither any prestes confessors nor any confessing at all And in many ages after thys confession was vnhearde of at which time sinnes weare forgeuen with out thys condition But that we may not nede to dispute longer about this as about a doubtfull matter the worde of God is plaine which abideth for euer Whensoeuer the synner repenteth I will no more remembre all his iniquities He that dare adde any thinge to this worde byndeth not sinnes but the mercie of God For whereas thei saie that Iudgement canne not be geuen but when the cause is heard we haue a solution in readinesse that they doe presumptuously take that vpon them selues which haue made themselues iudges And it is a maruell that thei do so boldely frame to themselues suche principles as no man in his right wit wil graunt Thei boaste that the office of Binding and Loosing is committed to them as though it weare a certain iurisdictiō ioyned with Inquisition Moreouer their whole doctrine crieth oute that this authoritie was vnknowen to the Apostles Neither doth it belong to the preeste but to him whiche desireth absolution to knowe certainly whether the synner be loosed or no forasmuche as he that heareth can neuer know whether the reckning be iust perfect So shold ther be no absolution but suche as is restrained to his words that is to be iudged Moreouer the whole ordre of loosing stādeth of faith repētance which two things are hidden from the knowledg of man when sētence must be geuē vpō an other man It foloweth therfore ▪ that the assurāce of binding and loosing is not subiect to the iudgment of an earthly iudge bicause the minister of the worde when he dothe his office can not geue absolution but conditionally but that this is spoken for the sinnes sake Whose sinnes ye forgeue ▪ c. that thei should not doubte that the pardon whiche is promised by the commaundement and worde of God shall be ratified in heauen Therefore it is no maruel if we condemne and desire to haue vtterly taken awaie this Auricular confession a thinge so pestilent and so many waies hurtfull to the Churche but if it were a thinge by it selfe indifferent yet for asmuche as it is to no vse nor profite hathe geuen cause to so many wickednesses sacrileges and erroures whoe will not thinke that it ought to be presently abolished Thei do in deede recken vp some good vses whiche thei boaste vpon as very profitable butte these either false or of no valewe at all Due onely thei commend with a singular prerogatiue that shame is a great punishment of him that cōfesseth wherby the sinner both is for time to com made warer preuenteth the punishment of God in punishing himselfe As thoughe we dyd not humble a man with shamefastnesse enoughe when we call him to that hie iudgement seate of heauen I meane to the hearing of God It is forsoothe very wel profited if for shame of one mans knowledge we cesse to sinne and bee not ashamed to haue God witnesse of oure euell conscience Althoughe the very same is also moste false for it is to bee seen that by nothinge groweth greater confidence or licentiousnesse to sinne than when men hauing made
minister himselfe whiche is no competent iudge of their fayth can not be assured of their absolution we haue answer thereunto in redinesse For they saye that no sinnes are forgeuē by the preste but such wherof himselfe hath ben the hearer so by their opinion the forgeuenesse hangeth vpō the iudgement of the prest and yf he do not wisely discerne whoe be worthy of pardon the whole doyng is voyde and of no effect Finally the power whereof they speake is a iurisdiction adioyned to examination wherunto pardon and absolutiō is restrained In this point is found no sure ground but rather it is a bottomlesse depth For where the confession is not found the hope of pardon is also lame and then the prest himselfe muste needes sticke in suspense while he can not tell whether the sinner doe faithfully recken vp all his euell deedes Finally suche is the ignoraunce and rudenesse of prestes the moste parte are no fitter to doe this office than a shoemaker is to plowe the ground and the rest in a manner all ought worthily to suspect themselues Hereupon therefore riseth the perplexitie and doubtfulnesse of the Popes absolution bycause they will haue it grounded vpon the person of the prest and not only that but also vpon knowledge that he may iudge only of thinges informed examined and proued Nowe if a man should aske of these good docters whether a sinner be reconciled to God when some sinnes are forgeuen I see not what they haue to answer but that they shal be compelled to confesse that all is vnprofitable that the prest pronounceth of the forgeuenesse of those sinnes that he hath heard rehearsed so long as the other sinnes are not deliuered from condemnation On the behalf of him that confesseth how hurtfull carefulnesse holdeth his conscience bound appereth hereby that when he resteth vpon the prestes discretion as they call it he can determine nothing certainly by the worde of God The doctrine that we teache is free and cleare frō al these absurdities For the absolution is conditionall that the sinner should trust that God is merciful vnto him so that he sincerely seeke the cleansing of his sinnes in the sacrifice of Christ obeye the grace offred him So he cā not erre which according to the office of a preacher proclaimeth that which is geuē him in instructiōs by the word of God And the sinner may embrace a sure cleare absolution when that simple cōditiō is annexed of the embracing the grace of Christ according to that generall doctrine of the maister himself Be it done to thee accordyng to thy fayth Which hath ben wickedly despised in the Paparie How foolishly thei confound those things that the Scripture teacheth of the power of keyes I haue promised that I wil speake in an other place and there shal be a more conuenient place for it when I come to entreate of the gouernement of the church But let the readers remēber that those things are wrongfully wrested to Auricular and secret confession whiche are spoken by Christ partly of the preachyng of the gospel partly of excōmunication Wherefore when they obiect that the power of loosing is geuē to the Apostles which prestes may vse in forgeuing sinnes acknowleged vnto them it is playne that they take a false fond principle bicause the absolution that serueth fayth is nothing els but a witnesse of pardō takē out of the free promise of the gospell As for the other confession that hangeth vpō the discipline of the Church it pertaineth nothing to secret sinnes but rather to example that cōmon offense of the church may be takē away But wheras they scrape together here and there testimonies to proue that it sufficeth not to confesse sinnes either to God only or to laye mē vnlesse a prest be the hearer of them their trauaile therin is but lewde and such as they may be ashamed of For whē the auncient fathers coūsel sinners to vnburden thēselues to their owne pastour it cā not be expoūded of particular rehearsal which thē was not in vse Then Lumbard such like such was their sinister dealing seme of set purpose to haue geuē thēselues to fayned bokes by pretense wherof they might deceiue the simple They do in deede truely confesse that bicause absolutiō alway accōpanieth repentance therefore there proprely remaineth no bond when a mā is touched with repentance although he haue not yet confessed therfore that then the prest doth not so much forgeue sinnes as pronoūce declare thē forgeuen Albeit in the word of declaring thei slily brīg in a grosse errour thrusting a ceremonie in stede of doctrine But wheras thei patche vnto it that he is absolued in the face of the church that had alredy obteined pardō before God they do incōueniently draw to the peculiar vse of euery particular mā that which we haue already sayd to be apointed for cōmon discipline where the offense of a haynous notorious fault is to be takē away But by by after they depraue corrupt moderatiō addyng an other māner of forgeuyng with an enioyning of penaltie satisfaction wherin thei presumptuously claime to theyr own sacrifices a power to part that in halfes which God hath in all places promised vs whole together For when he simply requireth repentance and faith this partition or exceptiō is a very robberie of God For it is in effect asmuche as yf the prest takyng vpon the persone of a Tribune should become intercessour to God and would not suffer God of his mere liberalitie to receyue him into fauour that hath lyen prostrate before the Tribunes seates and there hath ben punished The whole summe cōmeth to this point that yf they wil make God the authour of this counterfait confession therein is their falshod cōdemned as I haue proued them false forgers in the fewe places that they allege But sithe it is euident that it is a law made by men I say that it is bothe tirannicall and made iniuriously agaynst God whoe bindyng mens consciences to his word will haue them free from the bondage of men Nowe when for the obteynyng of pardon there is a necessitie prescribed of that thyng whiche the Lord wold to be free I say that this is a sacrilege not to be suffred bycause there is nothing more properly belongyng to God than to forgeue sinnes wherein cōsisteth saluation for vs. Moreouer I haue shewed that this tirannie was first brought in when the world was oppressed with filthy barbarousnesse I haue also taught that it is a pestilent lawe that eyther throweth downe hedlong into desperation the poore soules in whom so euer abideth a feare of God or where there reigneth carlesnesse deliteth them with vayne flatteries so maketh them duller Last of all I haue declared that what so euer mitigatiōs they bryng tend to no other ende but to entangle darken and depraue pure doctrine hide vngodlinesses with deceitfull colors The third place in
hynder our iourney Therfore Paul doth not vnprofitably counsell vs so to vse this worlde as though we vsed it not and to bye possessions with suche a mynde as they vse to bee solde But because this place is slippery and so slope on bothe sydes that it quickely maketh vs to fall let vs labour to fasten our foote there where we maye stande safely For there haue bene some that otherwyse were good and holy men whiche when they same intemperance and ryot continually to range with vnbridled lust vnlesse it be sharply restrained wer desirous to corret so great a mischiefe thei could finde none other way but suffred man to vse the benefites of the earth so far as necessitie required This was in dede a Godly counsell but they wete to seuere For whiche is a very perilous thyng they did put streighter bondes vpon consciences than those wherewith they were bounde by the worde of God And they expounde necessitie to absteine from all thinges whiche a man may be without And so by their opinion a man might scarcelye take any more foode than bread water And some be yet more seuere as it is red of Crates the Thebane that did thrawe his goodes into the sea because if they were not destroyed he thought that he shoulde be destroyed by them Many at this daye while they seeke a pretence whereby the intemperance of the fleshe in vse of outwarde thinges may be excused and whyle they goe about to prepare a way for the flesh raging in wantonesse do take that as a thinge confessed whiche I do not graunte them that this libertie is not to be restrained with any limitation of measure but that it is to be left to euery mans conscience to vse as muche as he seeth to be lawfull for him Truly I confesse that consciences neither ought nor can in this point be bounde by certaine and precise formes of lawes But for as muche as the Scripture teacheth generall rules of lawfull vse we must surely measure the vse according to these rules Let this be a principle that the vse of Gods giftes swarueth not out of the way when it is referred to that ende wherunto the authour him selfe hath created and apointed them for vs for as muche as he hathe created them for our good and not for our hurt Therfore no man can kepe a righter way than he that shal diligeÌ„tly loke vnto this end Now if we consider to what end he hath created meates we shall finde that he meant to make prouision not only for necessitie but also for delite pleasure So in apparell beside necessitie he apointed an other ende whiche is comlinesse honestie In herbes trees and frutes beside diuerse profitable vses there is also a pleasantnesse of sight swetenesse of smell For if this were not true the Prophet would not recken amoÌ„g the benefites of God that wyne maketh glad the heart of man that oyle maketh his face to shine the Scripture woulde not echewhere to set fourth his liberalitie rehearse that he hath geuen all suche thinges to men And the very naturall qualities of thinges do sufficiently shew to what end and howe far we may vse them Shall the Lorde haue set in floures so great a beutie as presenteth it selfe to our eies shall he haue geuen so great a swetenesse of sauour as naturally floweth into our smelling and shall it be vnlawfull either for our eies to take the vse of that beautie or for our smelling to feele that swetenesse of sauour what Hath he not so made difference of colours that he hathe made some more acceptable than other what Hath he not geuen to gold and siluer to iuorie marble a speciall grace whereby they might be made more precious than other metalles or stones Finally hath he not made many thinges commendable vnto vs without necessary vse Therfore away with that vnnaturall Philosophie whiche in grauÌ„ting vs of the creatures no vse but for necessitie not only doth niggardly bereue vs of the lawfull vse of Gods liberalitie but also can not take place vnlesse it first haue spoiled maÌ„ of al his senses made him a blok But on the other side we must with no lesse diligence prouide a stay for the lust of the fleshe whiche if it be not brought into order ouerfloweth without measure it hath as I haue said defeÌ„ders of it which vnder pretense of allowed libertie do graunt vnto it all thinges First there is one bridle put in the mouth of it if this be determined that all thinges are created for vs to this end that we should know the authour of theÌ„ and geue him thankes for his tender kindnesse toward vs. Where is thy thankes geuing if thou so gluttonously fill thy selfe with deintye meates or with wyne that thou either be made senslesse or vnfit to do the duties of godlinesse and of thy callyng Where is the reknowledging of God yf thy fleshe by to great abundance boilynge in fylthye luste dothe with her vncleannesse infecte thy mynde that thou canste not see any thing that is ryght or honest In apparel where is thankfulnesse to God yf with costlye gorgiousnesse thereof we bothe fall in admiration of our selues and disdayne other If with the trymnesse and cleanlynesse of it we prepare our selues to vnchastitie Where is the reknowledging of God if our mynde be fixed vpon the gaynesse of our apparell For manye so geue all their senses to bodelye delytes that the mynde lyeth ouerwhelmed Many are so delited with marble gold and payntinges that they become as it were menne made of marble that they bee as it were turned into metalles and bee lyke vnto paynted Images The smelle of the kytchen or swetenesse of â—auours so dulleth some that they can smell nothyng that is spiritual And the same is also to be seen in the rest Therfore it is certaine that hereby the licenciousnesse of abusing is somewhat restrained and that rule of Paul confirmed that we be not to carefull of the fleshe for the lustes therof to whiche if we grauÌ„t to muche thei boyle out aboue measure and temper But there is no surer nor redier way than that whiche is made vs by the contempt of this present life and the meditation of heauenly immortalitie For therupon folow two rules the one that they which vse this world should be so minded as though thei vsed it not they that mary wiues as though they did not mary they that bye as though thei did not bye as Paul teacheth The other that they shold learne as well to beare pouertie quietly patieÌ„tly as abundance moderatly He that biddeâ—h thee to vse this world as though thou didst not vse it doth cut away not only the intemperance of gluttonie in meat drinke to much deintinesse sumptuousnesse pride hautinesse nicenesse in fare byldingâ— apparell but also all care affection that may either withdrawe thee or hinder thee from
that he should spare none but that he should acquite altogether taking away their condemnation although they were gilty of offense And we do say that they whiche were loste haue their sinnes buried and so are iustified before God bicause as God hateth sinne so he can loue none but them whome he iustifieth But this is a maruellous manner of iustifieng that they beyng couered with the righteousnesse of Christ stand not in feare of the iudgement which they haue deserued and when they worthily condemne themselues are accompted righteous without themselues But the readers are to be warned that thei take good heede to the misterie whiche he braggeth that he wil not hide from them For after that he hath longe and largely trauailed to proue that we do not obteine fauour with God by the only imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ bicause this should bee impossible for him to compte them for righteous that are not righteous I vse his owne wordes at lengâ—h he concludeth that Christ was geuen vs vnto righteousnesse not in respect of his nature of manhod but of his nature of Godhed and that although this righteousnesse can not be found but in the person of the Mediatour yet it is the righteousnesse not of maÌ„ but of God He doth now bynde vp his rope made of two righteousnesses but he plainely taketh away the office of iustifieng from Christes nature of maÌ„hode But it is good to see how he disagreeth It is sayd in the same place that Christ was made vnto wisedome which beloÌ„geth to none but to the eternal word Therfore Christ in that he is man is not wisedom I answer that the only begotten sonne of God was in deede his eternal wisedome but in Paules writinges that name is geuen him in diuerse wise bicause al the treasures of wisedome knowlege are laied vp in him That therfore which he had with his father he disclosed vnto vs so that which Paule sayth is not referred vnto the essence of the sonne of God but to our vse and is rightly applied to Christes nature of manhode bicause although he shined a light in darkenesse before that he did put on fleshe yet it was a hidden light till the same Christ came forth in the nature of man the shinyng sunne of righteousnesse which therefore calleth himself the light of the world Also it is folishly obiected of him that the power of iustifieng is far aboue bothe Angeles men for asmuch as this hangeth not vpon the worthinesse of any creature but vpon the ordinance of God If Angels will take vpon theÌ„ to satisfie God they can nothyng preuaile bicause they are not apointed therunto But this singularly belonged to Christ being man which was made subiect to the lawe to redeme vs froÌ„ the curse of the law Also he doth sclaunderously cauil that they which denie that Christ is our righteousnesse accordyng to his nature of Godhed doe leaue but one part of Christ which is worse do make two gods bicause although thei coÌ„fesse that God dwelleth in vs yet they saye againe that we are not righteous by the righteousnesse of God For although we call Christ the author of life in respect that he suffred death to destroye him that had the power of death we do not by by take awaye that honor from whole Christ as he was openly shewed God in the flesh but we only make a distintioÌ„ how the righteousnesse of God is coÌ„ueyed vnto vs that we may enioy it In which point Osiander hath to fowly erred Neither do we denie that that which is opeÌ„ly geueÌ„ vs in Christ procedeth from the secret grace power of God we striue not agaynst this that the righteousnesse whiche Christ geueth vs is the righteousnesse of God that procedeth from God but we hold this stedfastly that we haue righteousnesse life in the death resurrection of Christ. I ouerpasse that heapyng together of places whereof he maye wel be ashamed wherwith he hath tediously coÌ„bred the readers without choise without coÌ„mon reason to proue that whersoeuer is made mention of righteousnesse there ought to be vnderstanded this essentiall righteousnesse As where Dauid calleth vpon the righteousnesse of God to help him wheras he doth the same aboue a hundred times Osiander sticketh not to corrupt so many senteÌ„ces And nothing stroÌ„ger is the other obiectioÌ„ that that is properly rightly called righteousnesse whereby we be moued to do rightly but that God only worketh in vs both to will to performe For we do also not denie but that God reformeth vs with his Spirit vnto holinesse of life righteousnesse but we must first see whether he do this by himself and immediatly or by the hand of his Sonne with whom he hath lefte al the fulnesse of his holy Spirit that with his abundaÌ„t store he should supplie the neede of his meÌ„bres Moreouer although righteousnesse come vnto vs out of the secret fountayne of the godhed yet it foloweth not that Christ which saÌ„ctified himself in yâ— flesh for our sakes was righteousnesse vnto vs according to his nature of godhed No lesse fond is that which he sayth that Christ himself was righteous by the righteousnesse of God Bicause vnlesse the wil of his father had moued him he could not himself haue satisfied the office coÌ„mitted vnto him For though we haue in an other place sayd that al the deseruings of Christ himself do procede froÌ„ the mere good will of God yet that maketh nothing to that fantastical thing wherwith Osiander bewitcheth both his own and simple mens eyes For whoe would suffer a maÌ„ to gather this coÌ„clusion that bicause God is the fountaine beginning of our righteousnesse therfore we be essentially righteous the essence of Gods righteousnesse dwelleth in vs In redeminge the church sayth Esaye God did put on his righteousnesse as a harnesse but dyd he so to spoyle Christ of his armure which he had geuen him to make him to be no perfect redemer But the Prophet meante nothyng els but that God borowed nothing out of himselfe nor was holpen by any ayde to redâ—me vs. Which thing Paule brefly expressed in other wordes sayeng that he gaue vs saluatioÌ„ to the shewyng of his righteousnesse But this doth not ouerthrowe that which he teacheth in an other place that we are righteous by the obedieÌ„ce of one maÌ„ Finally whosoeuer wrappeth vp a double righteousnesse that poore soules maye not rest in the mere only mercie of God he dothe in a mockerie crowne Christ with thornes But for asmuch as a great part of meÌ„ imagineth righteousnesse to be made of faith workes let vs first shew this also that the righteousnesse of fayth and workes doth so differ that when the one is stablished the other must needes be ouerthrowen The Apostle fayth that he estemed al thinges as dong that he might winne Christ finde in him the
deriuatiō of the word For as when men do with minde and vnderstandyng conceyue the knowledge of thinges they are thereby sayd Scire to know wherupon also is deriued the name of science knowlege so when thei haue a felyng of the iudgemēt of God as a witnesse ioyned with them whiche doth not suffer them to hide their sinnes but that they be drawen accused to the iudgemēt seate of God that same felyng is called Conscience For it is a certayne meane betwene God and man bicause it suffreth not man to suppresse in himselfe that whiche he knoweth but pursueth him so farre till it bryng him to giltinesse This is it whiche Paule meaneth where he sayth that cōscience doth together witnesse with mē whē their thoughtes do accuse or acquite them in the iudgement of God A simple knowledge might remaine as enclosed within man Therefore this felyng whiche presenteth man to the iudgement of God is as it were a keper ioyned to man to marke and espie al his secretes that nothing may remaine buried in darknesse Whereupon also cōmeth that olde Prouerbe Conscience is a thousand witnesses And for the same reason Peter hath set the examination of a good cōscience for quietnesse of minde when beyng persuaded of the grace of Christ we do without feare present our selues before God And the author of the Epistle to the Hebrues setteth to haue no more conscience of sinne in stede of to be deliuered or acquited that sinne may no more accuse vs. Therefore as workes haue respect to men so cōscience is referred to God so that a good Consciēce is nothing els but the inward purenesse of the heart In whiche sense Paule writeth that charitie is the fulfillyng of the law out of a pure conscience and faith not fained Afterwarde also in the same chapter he sheweth howe muche it differeth from vnderstanding sayeng that some had suffred shipwreck frō the faith bicause thei had forsakē good Consciēce For in these wordes he signifieth that it is a liuely affection to worship God a sincere endeuor to liue holyly and godlyly Somtime in deede it extendeth also to men as in Luke where the same Paule protesteth that he endeuored himselfe to walke with a good conscience toward God and men But this was therfore sayd bicause the frutes of good cōscience do flowe and come euen to men But in speakynge properly it hath respect to God only as I haue already sayd Hereby it cōmeth to passe that the law is sayd to binde the conscience which simply bindeth a mā without respect of men or without hauing any consideration of them As for example God cōmaundeth not only to kepe the minde chaste and pure from al lust but also forbiddeth al māner of filthinesse of wordes outward wantonnesse whatsoeuer it be To the kepyng of this law my cōscience is subiect although there liued not one mā in the world So he that behaueth himself intemperantly not only sinneth in this that he geueth an euel exāple to the brethren but also hath his consciēce bound with giltinesse before God In thinges that are of themselues meane there is an other consideratiō For we ought to absteine from them if they brede any offense but the conscience still beyng free So Paule speaketh of flesh consecrate to Idoles If any sayth he moue any dout touch it not for cōsciēces sake I say for consciēce not thine but the others A faithfull mā should sinne which beyng first warned should neuerthelesse eate such fleshe But howsoeuer in respect of his brother it is necessarie for him to absteine as it is prescribed of God yet he cesseth not to kepe still the libertie of cōscience Thus we see how this law bindyng the outward worke leaueth the cōscience vnbound The .xx. Chapter ¶ Of prayer which is the chiefe exercise of faith and whereby we dayly receiue the benefites of God OF these thinges that haue ben hetherto spoken we plainely perceyue how needy and voyde mā is of al good things and how he wanteth al helpes of saluation Wherfore if he seke for relefes whereby he may succour his needinesse he must goe out of himselfe and get them els where This is afterward declared vnto vs that the Lord doth of his owne free will and liberally geue himself to vs in his Christ in whom he offreth vs in stede of our miserie all felicitie in stede of our neede welthinesse in whome he openeth to vs the heauenly treasures that our whole faith should behold his beloued sonne that vpon him our whole expectatiō should hang in him our whole hope should sticke fast and reste This verily is the secret and hidden Philosophie whiche can not be wrong out with Logiciall argumentes but they learne it whose eyes God hath opened that they may see light in his light But sins that we are taught by fayth to acknowledge that what so euer we haue neede of whatsoeuer wāteth in vs the same is in God and in our Lord Iesus Christ namely in whome the Lorde willed the whole fulnesse of his largesse to rest that from thense we should all drawe as out of a most plentifull fountaine now it remayneth that we seke in him and with praiers craue of him that which we haue learned to be in him Otherwise to know God to be the Lord and geuer of all good things which allureth vs to pray to him and not to goe to him praye to him shold so nothing profit vs that it should be alone as if a man should neglect a treasure shewed him buried and digged in the ground Therfore the Apostle to shewe that true fayth can not be idle from callyng vpon God hath set this order that as of the Gospell spryngeth faith so by it our heartes are framed to cal vpon the name of God And this is the same thyng which he had a litle before sayd that the Spirit of adoption which sealeth in our heartes the witnesse of the Gospell rayseth vp our spirites that they dare shewe forth their desires to God stirre vp vnspeakable gronynges and crie with confidence Abba Father It is mete therefore that this last poynt bycause it was before but only spoken of by the waye and as it were lightly touched should nowe be more largely entreated of This therefore we get by the benefit of prayer that we atteyne to those richesses whiche are layed vp for vs with the heauenly father For there is a certayne communicatyng of men with God whereby they entryng into sanctuarie of heauen do in his owne presence cal to him touchyng his promises that the same thyng whiche they beleued him affirmyng only in word not to be vayne they maye when neede so requireth finde in experience Therefore we see that there is nothing set forth to vs to be loked for at the hande of the Lord whiche we are not also cōmaunded to craue with praiers so true it is that by prayer are digged vp
who so dare go further and to aske any thing of God beside these firste they will adde of their owne to the wisdome of God which can not be done without mad blasphemie then they hold not themselues vnder the wil of God but despising it do with gredynesse wander further finally they shal neuer obteine any thyng forasmuche as they pray without faith And there is no doute that all suche praiers are made without faith because here wanteth the woorde of God vpon which vnlesse faith be grounded it can in no wise stande But they which forsaking the maisters rule doo folowe their owne desires are not onely without the worde of God but also so much as they be able with their whole endeuor are against it Therefore Tertullian no lesse fitly thaÌ„ truly hath called this a lawful prayer secretely signifyeng that all other are lawlesse and vnlawfull We woulde not haue these thynges so taken as though we were so bounde with this forme of prayer that we may not change a worde or a sillable For there are echewhere red many prayers in the Scriptures farre differyng from this in woordes yet written by the same Spirite and which are at this day profytable to be vsed of vs. Many are continually put into the mouthes of the faithful by the same Spirite which in lykenesse of wordes do not so muche agree This onely is our meanyng in so teachyng that no man shold seke loke for or aske any other thyng at all than that which is summarily comprehended in this praier and whiche thoughe it moste differ in wordes yet differeth not in sense Like as it is certaine that all the praiers which are found in the Scriptures and which do come out of godly hartes are applied to this so verily none can any where bee founde whiche maye matche muche lesse passe the perfectnesse of this praier Here is nothing left out that might be thought vpon to the praises of God nothyng that ought to come into the mynde of man for his owne profites and the same so fully that all hope is worthily taken away from all men to attempt to make any better In a summe let vs remembre that this is the doctrine of the wisedome of God which hath taught what he willed and willed what was nedefull But although we haue aboue saied that we ought alway to breathe vpwarde with myndes lifted vp to God and pray without ceassyng yet forasmuche as suche is our weakenesse as nedeth to bee vpholden with many helpes suche is our dullnesse as needeth to be pricked forwarde with many spurres it is good that euery one of vs appoynt to hymselfe priuately certaine houres whiche may not passe away without prayer and which may haue the whole affectioÌ„s of our mynd throughly busied to that purpose as when we rise in the mornyng before that we go to our daies worke when we sitt down to meate when we haue ben fedde by the blessyng of God when we take vs to rest Only let this not be a superstitious obseruyng of houres by which as payeng a taske to God we may think our selues discharged for the other houres but a trayning of our weakeâ—s wherby it may so be exercised from time to time stirred vp Specially we ought carefully to loke that so oft as either we our selues are in distresse or we se other to be in distresse with any hardnesse of aduersitie we runne streight waye to hym not with feete but with hartes then that we suffer not any prosperitie of our owne or other mens to passe but that we testifie that we acknowlege it to bee his with praise and thankesgeuyng Finally this is diligentlye to bee obserued in all prayer that we goe not about to bynde God to certaine circumstances nor to appoynt to hym what he shal do at what time in what place and in what maner as by this prayer we ar taught to make to hym no law nor to appoynt to him any condition but to leaue to his will that those thynges which he will do he may do in what maner at what tyme and in what place it pleaseth him Wherfore ere we make any prayer for our selues we first praie that his will be done where we do already submitt our will to his with which when it is restrained as with a bridle put vppon it it maye not presume to bryng God into rule but make hym the iudge and gouernor of all her desyres If we do with myndes framed to this obedience suffer our selues to be ruled with the lawes of Gods Prouidence we shall easily learne to continue in praier and with longyng desires paciently to waite for the Lord beyng assured that although he appeare not yet he is alway present with vs and will when he seeth his tyme declare howe not deaffe eares he gaue to the praiers whiche in the eyes of men semed to be despised And this shal be a most present comfort that we faint not and fall downe by despaire if at any time God do not answere at our firste requestes Like as they are wont to do whiche while they are caried with their sodeyne heate do so call vpon God that if he come not to them at their fyrst bruntes and bryng them present helpe they by and by imagine hym to be angry and hatefully bent agaynst them and castyng away all hope of obteynyng do cesse to call vpon him But rather differâ—yng our hope with a well tempered euennesse of mynde let vs goe forwarde in that perseuerance which is so much coÌ„mended to vs in Scriptures For in the Psalmes we may oftentymes see howe Dauid and other faithfull men when they seme in a maner weried with prayeng did beate the aire because they threwe away their words to God that heard them not and yet they cesse not from prayeng because the word of God hath not his full authoritie manteined vnlesse the credite therof bee set aboue all successes of thynges Moreouer let vs not tempte God and prouoke him against vs beyng weried with oure importunacie whiche many vse to doo which do nothing but indent with God vpon a certain condition and binde him to the lawes of their couenantyng as though he were seruant to their desires which if he doo not presently obey they disdayne they chafe they carpe against hym they murmure they turmoile Therfore to such oftentymes in his furor he beyng angry grauÌ„teth that which to other in his mercie he beyng fauorable denieth An example hereof are the children of Israell for whome it had ben better not to haue ben heard of the Lord than with flesh to eate vp his wrath But if yet at length after long lokyng for it our sense do not perceiue what we haue preuailed with prayeng and feleth no fruite thereof yet our faith shall assure vs of that whiche can not bee perceiued by sense namely that we haue obteined that which was expedient for vs forasmuche as the Lord dothe so ofte and so certainly
not now at his owne libertie but made bond to God and the Chirche Moreouer it shall not be a vaine signe if it be restored to the naturall beginnyng of it For if the Spirite of God hath ordeined nothyng in the Chirch in vaine we must thinke that this Ceremonie sithe it proceded from him is not vnprofitable so that it be not tourned into a superstitious abuse Last of all this is to be holden that not the whole multitude did laye their handes vpon the ministers but the Pastors onely Howbeit it is vncertaine whether many did alway lay on their handes or no. But it is euident that that was done in the Deacons in Paule and Barnabas and a fewe other But Paule himselfe in an other place reporteth that he and not many other dyd laye his handes vppon Timothee I admonishe thee saieth he that thou raise vp the grace whiche is in thee by laying on of my handes For as for that which in the other Epistle is spoken of the laying on of the handes of the degree of Priestes I doo not so take it as though Paule did speake of the companie of the Elders but I vnderstande by that word the very ordinance it selfe as if he had saied Make that the Grace whiche thou haste receiued by laying on of handes when I dyd create thee a priest may not be voyde The .iiii. Chapter Of the state of the olde Chirche and of the maner of gouernyng that was in vse before the Papacie HItherto we haue intreated of the order of gouernyng the Chirche as it hath ben deliuered vs out of the pure word of God and of the ministeries as they were institute by Christ. Nowe that all these thynges may be more clerely and familiarly opened and also bee better fastened in our myndes it shal be profitable in these thyngs to coÌ„sider the forme of the Olde Chirche whiche shall represent to our eies a certayn image of Gods institution For although the Byshopes of those tymes did set soorth many Canons wherin they seemed to expresse more than was expressed in the holy Scripture yet they with suche hedefulnesse framed all their order after the only rule of Gods word that a man may easily see that in this behalf they had in a maner nothing disagreyng from the word of God But although there myght be somwhat wantyng in their ordinances yet because they with sincere zeale endeuoured to preserue Gods institution and they swarued not muche from it it shall bee very profitable here shortely to gather what maner of obseruation they had As we haue declared that there are thre sortes of ministers commended vnto vs in the Scripture so al the ministers that the old Chirche had it diuided into thre Orders For out of the order of Elders wer partly chosen Pastors and Teachers the rest of them had the rule of the iudgement and correction of maners To the Deacons was committed the care of the poore and the distributyng of the almes As for the Reders and Acoluthe were not names of certaine offices but those whom they called Clerkes they trayned from their youthe vpwarde in certain exercises to serue the Chirche that they myght be the better vnderstande to what purpose they were appointed and myght in tyme come the better prepared to their office as I shall by and by shew more at large Therfore Hierome when he had appoynted fiue orders of the Chirche reckeneth vp Byshoppes Priestes Deacons Beleuers and Cathecumeni to the rest of the Clergie and monkes he geueth no proper place Therfore to whome the office of teachyng was enioyned all them they named Priestes In euery citie they chose oute of theyr owne numbre one man to whome they specially gaue the title of Bishoppe that dissentions shoulde not growe of equalitie as it is wonte to come to passe Yet the Bishop was not so aboue the reste in honor and dignitie that he had a dominion ouer his felowes But what office the Consul had in the Senate to propounde of matters to aske opinions to goe before the other with counselling monishing and exhorting to gouerne the whole action with his authoritie and to put in execution that which is decreed by common counsell the same office hadde the Bishop in the assemblie of the Priestes And the olde writers theim selues confesse that the same was by Mens consent brought in for the necessitie of the tymes Therfore Hierome vpon the Epistle to Titus saith The same was a Priest whiche was a Bishop And before that by the instinction of the Deuil there were dissentions in religion and it was said among peoples I am of Paule I am of Cephas Chirches were gouerned by common counsell of Elders Afterwarde that the seedes of dissentioÌ„s might be plucked vp all the care was committed to one man As therfore the Priestes doo knowe that by the custome of the Chirche they are subiecte to hym that is sette ouer them so lette the Bishops knowe that they are aboue the Priests rather by Custom than by the truth of the Lordes disposyng and that they ought to gouerne the Chirche in common together But in an other place he teacheth howe auncient an institution it was For he saith that at Alexandria from Marc the Euangelist euen to Heraclas and Dionysius the Priestes didde alwaie choose out one of them selues and set him in a hyer degree whom they named a Bishop Therfore euery citie had a company of priestes whiche were Pastors and Teachers For they all did execute among the people that office of teachyng exhortyng and correctyng whyche Paule appointeth to the Bishops and that they might leaue sede after them they trauailed in teachyng the yonger men that hadde professed themselues souldiours in the holy warfare To euery citie there was appointed a certain contrey that shoulde take their priests from thens and be accompted as it were into the body of that Chirche Euery company as I haue before said only for preseruation of Policie Peace were vnder one Bishop whiche was so aboue the rest in dignitie that he was subiecte to the assemblie of his brethren If the compasse of grounde that was vnder his bishoprike were so great that he could not suffise to serue al the offices of a Bishop in euery place of it in the contrey it selfe there were in certayn places appointed Priestes whiche in small matters shuld execute his authoritie Them they called contrey-byshops because in the oâ—ntrey they represented the Bishop But so muche as belongeth to the office whereof we nowe speake as well the Byshops as the Priestes were bounde to apply the distributing of the word and Sacramentes For it was ordeined only at Alexandria because Arrius had there troubled the Churche that the priest should not preache to the people as Socrates saith in the .ix. boke of the Tripartite hystorie Whiche yet Hierome confesseth that he mysliketh not Truely it should be counted monstrous if any man had geuen out
therfore the ordering was called his Wherupon the olde writers haue oft thys saying that a Priest differeth from a Bishop in no other thyng but because he hath not the power of orderyng ¶ The .v. Chapter That the olde forme of gouernement is vtterly ouerthrowen by the tyranny of the Papacie NOw it is good to set before mens eies the order of gouerning the Chirche that the see of Rome and all the champions therof do kepe at thys daye and the whole image of that Hierachie whiche they continually haue in their mouth and to compare it with that order of the first and olde Chirche which we haue described that by the comparison it may appeare what maner of Chirch they haue which vse this only title to charge or rather to ouerwhelme vs. But it is best to begin at Calling that we see both who and what maner of men and by what order they be called to this ministerie And then afterwarde we shal consider how faythfully they execute their office We wil geue the first place to Bishops to whom I woulde to God thys might be an honor to haue the firste place in thys discourse But the matter it selfe doth not suffer me ones to touche this thing be it neuer so lightly without their great shame And yet I will remember in what kind of writing I am now occupyed and wil not suffer my talke which ought to be framed onely to simple doctrine to flowe abrode beyonde due boundes But let som one of them that haue not vtterly lost all shame answere me what maner of Bishops are at thys day cōmonly chosen Truely it is now growen to much out of vse to haue any examination had of their learning but if there be had any respect of learning they choose some lawyer that can rather brawle in a courte than preach in a Chirch This is certain that these hūdred yeres there hath scarcely ben euery hundreth man chosen that vnderstode any thyng of holy doctrine I do not therfore spare the former ages for that they wer muche better but because we haue now only the present Chirche in questiō If iudgement be had of their manners we shall fynde that there haue been few or almost none whō the olde Canons would not haue iudged vnworthy He that was not a dronkarde was a whoremonger he that was also cleane frō thys wickednesse was either a dycer or a hunter or dissolute in som part of hys lyfe For there be lighter faultes which by the old Canons do exclude a man frō being a Bishop But this is a most great absurditie that very children scarcely ten yeres olde are by the Popes graūt made Bishops They ar growē to such shamelessnesse sēslesse dulnesse that they dreaded not that extreme yea and monstruous wicked doing which is vtterly abhorring from the very sense of nature Hereby appeareth how religious their elections were where the negligence was so carelesse Now in election al that right of the people is taken away Their desiringes their assentinges their subscribinges and al such thynges are vanished the whole power is transferred to the Canons onely They bestowe the Bishoprike vpon whom they will and afterwarde bryng hym forth into the sight of the people but to be worshypped not to be examined But Leo cryeth on the other syde that no reason suffreth it and he pronounceth that it is a violent imposition Ciprian when he testifieth that it procedeth from the law of God that it shoulde not be done but by the consent of the people sheweth that the contrary manner is repugnant to the worde of God The decrees of so many Sinodes doe most seuerely forbid it to be otherwyse done and if it be done they commaunde it to be voyde If these thynges be true there now remayneth in the papacie no Canonical election neyther by Gods law nor by the ecclesiasticall lawe But although there were no other euil yet how shal they be able to excuse thys that they haue so spoyled the Chirche of her right But say they the corruption of tymes so required that because in appointing of Bishops hatreds and affections more preuailed with the people and the magistrates than righte and sounde iudgemente therefore the rule thereof shoulde be geuen to a few Admit verily that thys were the extreme remedie of a mischiefe in despeired case But sith the medicine it selfe hath appeared more hurtfull than the very disease why is not this new euil also remedied But say they it is exactly prescribed to the Canons what they ought to folowe in the election But do we doute but that the people in olde tyme dyd vnderstande that they were bounde to moste holy lawes when they saw that they had a rule set them by the worde of God when they cam together to choose a Bishop For that onely voyce of God wherby he describeth the true Image of a Bishop oughte worthyly to be of more value than infinite thousandes of Canons But neuerthelesse the people corrupted with a most euill affection had no regarde of the lawe or of equitie So at thys day though there be very good lawes written yet they remayne buried in papers Yet for the most part it is vsed in mens maners yea and alowed as though it were done by good reason that dronkardes whoremongers dycers are commonly promoted to thys honor it is but litle that I say that Bishoprikes are the rewardes of adulteries and bawderies For when they are geuen but to hunters and falconers it is to be thoughte to be gaily well bestowed Any way to excuse so haynous indignitie it is to much wicked The people say I had in olde tyme a very good Canon to whō Gods worde prescribed that a Bishop ought to be vnreprouable a teacher no fyghter c. Why therfore is the charge of choosyng remoued from the people to these men Because forsoth the worde of God was not heard among the tumultes and seditious partakinges of the people And why should it not at thys day be remoued agayne from these men which not onely do breake all lawes but casting away all shame do wantonly couetously ambitiously mingle and confounde Gods and mens maters together But they lye when they say that this was deuised for a remedie We often rede that in olde tyme Chirches were in tumultes at the choosing of Bishops yet neuer any man durst think of taking away the authoritie from the people For they had other wayes whereby they might either preuent these faultes or amend them if they were alredy cōmitted But I will tell what it is When the people began to be negligente in making the elections and did caste that care vppon the Priestes as litle belonging to them they abused thys occasion to vsurpe a tyranny to themselues whiche afterwarde they stablished by newe Canons set forth As for their ordering it is nothing els but a mere mockage For the shewe of examination that they there sette out is so vaine and hungry
for the goodes of the poore that it is the shame of al priestes to study for their owne richesse But they can not receiue this but they must all condemne themselues of shame But it is not nedefull in this place to speake more hardly against them sithe my meanyng was nothyng els but to shew that among them the lawfull order of deaconry is long ago taken away that they may no more glorie of this title to the coÌ„mendation of their Chirche which I thinke I haue already sufficiently shewed The .vi. Chapter ¶ Of the Supremicie of the See of Rome HItherto we haue rehersed those orders of the Chirch whiche were in the gouernement of the olde Chirch but afterwarde corrupted in tymes and from thensefoorthe more and more abused doo nowe in the Popishe Chirche reteyne onely their name and in dede are nothyng els but visours that by comparison the godly reader might iudge what manner of Chirch the Romanists haue for whoe 's sake they make vs schismatikes because we haue departed froÌ„ it But as for the hed and top of the whole order that is to say the supremicie of the see of Rome wherby they trauaile to proue that they only haue the catholike Chirch we haue not yet touched it because it toke beginning neither froÌ„ the institution of Christ nor from the vse of the old Chirch as those former partes did whiche we haue shewed to haue so proceded from antiquitie that by wickednesse of tymes they are vtterly degenerate and haue put on alltogether a newe forme And yet they go about to persuade the worlde that this is the chiefe and in a maner onely bonde of the vnitie of the Chirch if we cleaue to the see of Rome and continue in the obedience therof They rest I say principally vppon this stay when they will take away the Chirche from vs and claime it to themselues for that they kepe the head vpon whiche the vnitie of the Chirch hangeth and withoute whiche the Chirche muste needes fall asunder and bee broken in pieces For thus they thynke that the Chirche is as it were a maimed and headlesse body vnlesse it be subiect to the see of Rome as to her head Therfore when they talke of their Hierarchie they aâ—way take their beginnyng at this principle that the Bishop of Rome as the vicar of Christe whyche is the head of the Chirche is in his steede President of the vniuersall Chirche and that otherwyse the Chirche is not well ordred vnlesse that See doo holde the Supremicie aboue all other Therfore this also is to bee examined of what sort it is that we may omitt nothyng that perteineth to a iust gouernement of the Chirche Let this therfore be the principall point of the question Whether it be necessary for the true forme of Hierarchie as they call it or ecclesiasticall order that one See should be aboue the other bothe in dignitie and in power that it may be the heade of the whole bodye But we make the Chirche subiect to to vniust lawes if we laye this necessitie vppon it without the worde of God Therfore if the aduersaries will proue that whiche they require they must first shew that this disposition was ordeined by Christ. For this purpose they alledge out of the lawe the hye priesthode also the hye iudgement which God did institute at Hierusalem But it is easy to geue a solution and that many wayes if one way doo not satisfie them First no reason compelleth to extende that to the whole worlde which was profitable in one nation yea rather the order of one nation and of the whole worlde shall be farre different Because the Iewes were on ech side compassed with idolatrers that they should not be diuersely drawen with varietie of religions God appointed the place of worshippyng him in the middest part of the lande there he ordeined ouer them one head Bishop whom they should all haue regard vnto that they might be the better kepte together in vnitie Now when religion is spred abroade into the whole worlde who doeth not see that it is altogether an absurditie that the gouernemeÌ„t of the East and west be geueÌ„ to one man For it is in effect as much as if a maÌ„ should affirme that the whole worlde ought to be gouerned by one ruler because one piece of lande hath no mo rulers but one But there is yet an other reason why that ought not to be made an example to be folowed No man is ignorant that that hie Bishop was a figure of Christ. Now sins the priesthode is remoued that right must also be remoued But to whom is it remoued Truely not to the Pope as he himself is so bold shamelessely to boast when he draweth this title to himselfe but to Christe whiche as he alone susteineth this office without any vicar or successor so he resigneth the honor to none other For the priesthode consisteth not in doctrine onely but in the appeasyng of God which Christe hath fully wrought by his death and in that intercession whiche he nowe vseth with his Father There is therfore no cause why they should bynd vs by this example as by a perpetuall rule whiche wee haue seen to be enduryng but for a tyme. Out of the new testament they haue nothing to bryng foorth for proofe of their opinion but that it was saied to one Thou art Peter and vpon this stone I will builde my Chirche Agayne Peter Louest thou me Fede my shepe But admittyng that these be strong proues they must first shewe that he whiche is commaunded to fede the flocke of Christ hath power coÌ„mitted to him ouer all Chirches that to bynd and to lose is nothing els but to be ruler of all the world But as Peter had receiued the commauÌ„dement of the Lord so he exhorteth all other priestes to fede the Chirch Hereby we may gather that by this sayeng of Christ there was either nothyng geuen to Peter more then to the rest or that Peter did egally coÌ„municate with other the power that he had receiued But that we striue not vainly we haue in an other place a cleare exposition out of the mouthe of Christ what is to bynd and to lose that is to say to reteine and to forgeue sinnes But the maner of binding and loosing both the whole Scripture ech where sheweth and Paule very wel declareth when he saith that the ministers of the Gospel haue coÌ„maundement to reconcile men to God and also haue power to punishe them that refuse this benefite How shamefully they wrest those places that make mention of binding and loosing I both haue already shortly touched and a litle hereafter I shal haue occasion to declare more at large Now it is good to se onely what they gather of that famous answere of Christ to Peter He promised hym the keyes of the kyngdome of heauen he sayed that whatsoeuer he bounde in earth shoulde be bounde in heauen
Athanasius the chief defendour there of the true faith was driuen out of his see such calamitie cōpelled him to come to Rome that with that authoritie of the see of Rome he might both after a sort represse the rage of his enemies and confirme the godly that were in distresse He was honourably receiued of Iulius then Bishop and obteined that the Bishops of the west toke vpon them the defence of his cause Therfore when the godly stoode in great neede of foreyn aide and sawe that there was very good succour for them in the Chirche of Rome they willyngly gaue vnto it the most authoritie that they coulde But all that was nothyng els but that the cōmunion therof should be hiely estemed it should be compted a great shame to be excommunicate of it Afterward euill and wicked men also added much vnto it For to escape lawfull iudgementes they fledde to this sanctuarie Therfore if any priest were condemned by his bishop or any Bishop by the Synode of his prouince they by and by appelled to Rome And the Bishops of Rome receiued suche appellations more gredily than was mete because it semed to be a forme of extraordinarie power so to entermedle with maters farre and wide aboute them So when Eutiches was condemned by Flauianus Bishop of Constantinople he complained to Leo that he had wrong doone vnto hym Leo without delay no lesse vndiscretely then sodeinly toke in hande the defence of an euill cause he greuousely inueyed againste Flauianus as though he had without hearyng the cause condemned an innocent and by this his ambition he caused that the vngodlynesse of Eutiches was for a certaine space of time strengthned In Affrica it is euidēt that this oftentimes chaunced For so soone as any lewde man had taken a foile in ordinarie iudgement he by and by flewe to Rome and charged his contreemen with many sclaunderous reports and the see of Rome was alway ready to entermedle Whiche lewdnesse compelled the Bishops of Affrica to make a lawe that none vnder peyn of excōmunication should appelle beyond the sea But what soeuer it were let vs see what authoritie or power the see of Rome then hadde Ecclesiasticall power is conteined in these fower pointes orderyng of Byshops summonyng of Councels hearing of Appealles or iurisdiction Chastisyng admonitions or censures All the olde Synodes commaunde Bishops to be consecrate by their owne Metropolitanes and they neuer bid the bishop of Rome to bee called vnto it but in his owne Patriarchie But by litle and litle it grewe in vse that all the Bishops of Italie came to Rome to fetche their consetration except the Metropolitans which suffred not themselues to bee brought into suche bondage but when any Metropolitane was to be consecrate the bishop of Rome sent thether one of his priestes whiche should onely be present but not president Of whiche thyng there is an example in Gregorie at the consecration of Constantius Bishoppe of Millain after the death of Laurence Howbeit I dooe not thinke that that was a very auncient institution but when at the beginning for honor and good willes sake they sent one to an other their Legates to be witnesses of the cōsecration and to testifie cōmunion with them afterward that whiche was voluntarie beganne to be holden for necessarie Howe soeuer it be it is euident that in olde tyme the Bishop of Rome had not the power of consecratyng but in the prouince of his owne Patriarchie that is to say in the Chirches adioynyng to the citie as the canon of the Nicene Synode sayth To the Consecration was annexed the sendyng of a Synodicall Epistle in which he was nothing aboue the reste For the Patriarches were wont immediatly after their consecration by solemne writyng to declare their faithe whereby they professed that they subscribed to the holy and catholike Councelles So rendryng an accompt of their Faith they did approue them selues one to an other If the Bishop of Rome had receiued of other and not him selfe geuen this confession he had thereby been acknowleged superior but when he was no lesse bounde to geue it than to require it of other and to be subiect to the common lawe truely that was a token of felowship not of dominion Of this thyng there is an example in Gregories epistle to Anastasius and to Cyriacus of Constantinople and in other places to all the Patriaches together Then folowe admonitions or censures whiche as in olde tyme the Bishops of Rome vsed toward other so they dyd agayne suffer them of other Ireneus greuously reproued Uictor because he vndiscretely for a thyng of no value troubled the Chirche with a pernicious dissention Uictor obeyed and spurned not against it Such a libertie was then in vre among the holy Byshops that they vsed a brotherly authoritie toward the Bishop of Rome in admonishyng and chastisyng hym if he at any tyme offended He agayn when occasion required did admonishe other of their duetie and if there were any fault rebuked it For Cyprian when he exhorteth Stephen to admonishe the bishops of Fraunce fetcheth not his argument frō the greater power but from the cōmon right that priestes haue among themselues I beseche you if Stephen had then ben ruler ouer Fraunce would not Cyprian haue saide Restraine them because they be thyne but he saieth farre otherwise This saieth he the brotherly felowshyp wherwith we be bounde one to an other requireth that we should admonishe one an other And we see also with how great sharpnes of words he being otherwise a mā of a mild nature inueyeth against Stephē himself whē he thinketh him to be to insolēt Therfore in this behalfe also there appereth not yet that the Bishop of Rome had any iurisdictiō ouer them that wer not of his own prouince As concernyng the callyng together of Synodes this was the office of euery Metropolitane at certaine appointed tymes to assemble a Prouinciall Synode There the Bishop of Rome had no authoritie But a General coūsel the Emperour only might sūmō For if any of the Bishops had attēpted it not only they that wer out of his prouince would not haue obeyed his callyng but also there would by and by haue risē an vprore Therfore the Emperour indifferētly warned them all to be present Socrates in dede reporteth that Iulius dyd expostulate with the bishops of the East because they called hym not to the Synode of Antioche whereas it was forbidden by the Canons that any thyng shoulde be decreed without the knowledge of the Bishop of Rome But whoe doeth not see that this is to be vnderstanded of suche decrees as bynde the whole vniuersall Chirche Nowe it is no meruayle if thus muche be graunted bothe to the antiquitie and honor of the citie and to the dignitie of the see that there should be no generall decree made of religion in the absence of the Bishop of Rome if he refuse not to bee present But what is this to the
of the faithful to take away the ordināces or rather the fained deuises of al men of what degree soeuer they be that the decrees of God onely may remaine in force These be those spirituall armures mighty through God to cast down holdes by which the faithful seruātes of God may throwe down coūsels al height that aduaunceth it selfe against the knowlege of God may leade al knowlege captiue to obey Christ. Loe this is the soueraigne power wherw t it behoueth the Pastors of the Chirch to be endued by what name soeuer they be called that is that by the worde of God they may with cōfidēce be bolde to do al things may cōpel al the strēgth glory wisdome height of the world to yeld obey to his maiestie being vpholdē by his power may cōmaunde al euē frō the hiest to the lowest may bilde vp the house of Christ pull down the house of Satā may fede the shepe driue awai the wolues may instruct exhort the willing to learne ▪ may reproue rebuke subdue the rebellious stubborne may bind loose finally may thūder lightē if nede be but al things in the word of God Howbeit there is as I haue said this differēce betwene the Apostles their successors that the Apostles wer the certaine authētike secretaries of the Holy ghost therfore their writinges are to be estemed for the Oracles of God but the other haue none other office but to teache that which is set fourth writtē in the holy Scriptures We determine therefore that this is not now left to faythfull ministers that they may coyne any new doctrine but that they oughte simply to cleaue to the doctrine wherunto the lord hath made al mē wtoute exception subiect Whē I say this my meaning is not only to shew what is lawful for al particular mē but also what is lawful for the whole vniuersal Chirch Now as touching al particular mē Paul verily was ordeined by the Lord Apostle to the Corinthiās but he denieth that he hath dominiō ouer their faith Who now dare take a dominion vpon hymselfe which Paule testifieth that it belōgeth not to him If he had acknowleged himselfe to haue this libertie of teachīg that whatsoeuer the Pastor teacheth he may therin of right require to be beleued he wold neuer haue taught the Corīthiās this discipline that while twoe or three Prophetes speake the rest should iudge if it were reueled to any that sate the first should hold his peace For so he spared none whoe 's authoritie he made not subiect to the iugemēt of the word of God But wil some mā say of the whole vniuersall Chirch the case is otherwise I answere that in an other place Paul meteth with this dout also where he saieth that Faith is by hearing hearing by the word of God Truly if Faith hang of the word of God only hath respecte vnto resteth vpon it alone what place is there now left to the worde of the whole world For herin no mā may dout that hath wel knowen what Faith is For Faith ought to be staied vpō such assurednesse wherby it may stande inuincible against Satā al the engines of the hells and against the whole world This assurednesse we shal no where find but in the only word of God Againe it is a general rule which we here oughte to haue respect vnto that God doth therfore take frō men the power to set fourth a new doctrine that he only may be our scholemaister in heauenly learning as he only is true which cā neither lye nor deceiue This rule belongeth no lesse to the whole Chirch than to euery one of the faithful But if this power of the Chirche which we haue spoken of be compared with that power wherof the spirituall tyrantes that haue falslye called themselues Bishops and Prelates of religion haue in certayne ages past bosted themselues among the people of God the agreemente shal be no better than Christ hath with Beliall Yet it is not in this place my purpose to declare in what sorte and with how wicked meanes they haue exercised their tyranny I wil but rehearse the doctrine which at this day they defende first with writinges and then with swerd fyre Because they take it for a thyng confessed that a general Coūcell is the true image of the Chirche when they haue taken this principle they do without dout determine that such counsels are immediatly gouerned of the Holy ghost and that therfore they can not erre But whereas they themselues do rule the counsells yea and make them they doe in dede chalenge to themselues whatsoeuer they affirme to be due to the Coūcells Therfore they wil haue our Faith to stande and fall at their will that whatsoeuer they shal determine on the one side or the other maye be stablished and certayne to our mindes so that if they allow any thing we must allowe the same without douting if they condemne any thyng we must also holde it for cōdemned In the meane time after their own lust and despising the worde of God they coyne doctrines to which afterwarde they require by thys rule to haue Fayth geuen For they also say that he is no Christian that doth not certainly consent to all theyr doctrines as wel affirmatiue as negatiue if not with expressed yet with vnexpressed Faith because it is in the power of the Chirche to make new articles of the Fayth First let vs heare by what argumētes they proue that this authoritie is geuen to the Chirche and then we shal se how much that maketh for them which they allege of the Chirch The Chirch say they hath notable promises that it shal neuer be forsakē of Christ her spouse but that it shal be guided by his Spirite into al truth But of the promises which they are wont to allege many are geuē no lesse to euery one the faithful particularly thā to the whole Chirche vniuersally For though the Lord spake to the .xii. Apostles whē he said Behold I am with you euē to the end of the world Again I wil aske my Father he shal geue you an other cōforter namely the Spirite of truth yet he made the promise not only to the whole nūber of the .xii. but also to euery one of them yea to the other disciples likewise either those that he had alredy receiued or those that should afterwarde be added to them But whē they expoūde such promises ful of singular cōfort as though they were geuē to none of the Christians but to the whole Chirche together what do they ells but take away frō al Christians that confidence which they all ought to receiue therby to encourage thē Yet I do not here deny but that the whole felowship of the faithful furnished with manifolde diuersitie of gyftes is endued with much larger and more plentifull treasure of the heauēly wisdome
with no bondes These Solons do in dede faine that their constitutions are lawes of libertie a swete yoke a light burden but who can not se that they be mere lyes They themselues in dede do fele no heauinesse of their owne lawes which casting away the feare of God doe carelesly and stoutly neglecte both their owne and Gods lawes But they that are touched wyth any care of their saluation are farr from thynking themselues free so long as they be entangled with these snares We se with howe greate warenesse Paule did deale in this behalfe that he durste not so much as in any one thing laye vpon men any snare at al â–ª and that not without cause Truely he foresaw with how great a wounde coÌ„sciences should be striken if they should be charged with a necessitie of those things wherof the Lord had left them libertie On the other side yâ— constitutions are almost innumerable which these meÌ„ haue most greuously stablished with thretening of eternal death which they most seuerely require as necessarie to saluatioÌ„ And among those there are many most hard to be kept but al of them if the whole multitude of them be layed together are impossible so great is the heape How theÌ„ shal it be possible that they vpoÌ„ whoÌ„ so great a weight of difficultie lyeth shold not be vexed in perplexitie with extreme anguish and terror Therfore my purpose is here to impugne such coÌ„stitutions as tend to thys ende inwardly to bind soules before God and charge them with a religion as though they taughte them of thinges necessary to saluation This question doth therfore encoÌ„ber the most part of meÌ„ because they do not suttelly enough put difference betwene the outward court as thei cal it the court of coÌ„science Moreouer thys encreaseth yâ— difficultie that Paul teacheth that the Magistrate ought to be obeyed not only for feare of punishemeÌ„t but for coÌ„sciences sake Wherupon foloweth the coÌ„sciences are also bounde with the politike lawes But if it were so theÌ„ al should fall that we haue spokeÌ„ in the last chap. and entende now to speake coÌ„cerning the spiritual gouernement For the loosing of thys knot first it is good to learne what is CoÌ„science The definition is to be gathered of the proper deriuatioÌ„ of the word For as wheÌ„ meÌ„ do with minde vnderstanding conceiue the knowlege of things they are therby sayd scire to know wherupon is deriued the name of science knowlege so when they haue a feling of Gods iugement as a witnesse adioined with them which doth not suffer them to hide their siÌ„nes but that they be brought accused to the iudgemeÌ„t seate of God the same feling is called CoÌ„scieÌ„ce For it is a certayne meane betwene God maÌ„ because it suffreth not maÌ„ to suppresse that which he knoweth but pursueth him so far til it bring him to giltinesse This is it that Paule meaneth wheÌ„ he teacheth that CoÌ„scieÌ„ce doth together witnesse with meÌ„ wheÌ„ theyr thoughtes do accuse or acquite them in the iugemeÌ„t of God A simple knowlege might remaine in maÌ„ as enclosed Therfore thys feling which presenteth maÌ„ to the iugemeÌ„t of God is as it were a keper ioyned to maÌ„ to marke watch al his secretes that nothing should remaine buryed in darkenesse WhereupoÌ„ also coÌ„meth the old prouerbe CoÌ„scieÌ„ce is a thousaÌ„d witnesses For the same resoÌ„ also Peter hath set the examinatioÌ„ of a good coÌ„science for quietnesse of mynde wheÌ„ we being persuaded of the grace of Christe doe without feare present our selues to God And the author of the Epistle to the Hebrues vseth these wordes to haue no more coÌ„science of synne in stede of to be deliuered or acquited that synne may no more accuse vs. Therfore as workes haue respect to meÌ„ so the coÌ„science is referred to God so the CoÌ„science is nothyng els but the inwarde purenesse of the hart In which sense Paule writeth that Charitie is the fulfilling of the lawe out of a pure coÌ„science and Fayth not fayned Afterwarde also in the same chap â–ª he sheweth how much it differeth from vnderstanding sayeng that some had suffered shipwracke from the fayth because they had forsakeÌ„ good CoÌ„science For in these wordes he signifieth that it is a liuely affectioÌ„ to worship God a sincere desire to liue Godlily and holily Somtime in dede it is referred also to men as in Luke when the same Paul testifieth that he endeuored himselfe that he mighte walke with a good coÌ„science toward God men But this was therfore saied because the frutes of good coÌ„science do flowe come euen to meÌ„ But in speakyng properly it hath respect to God only as I haue alredy said Hereupon coÌ„meth that a law is said to binde coÌ„science which simply bindeth a man without regarde of meÌ„ or not hauing any coÌ„sideration of them As for exaÌ„ple God coÌ„maundeth not only to kepe the minde chast pure from al lust but also forbiddeth al maner of filthinesse of wordes outward wantoÌ„nesse whatsoeuer it be To the keping of this lawe my coÌ„science is subiect although there liued not one man in the world So he that behaâ—â—th himselfe inteÌ„perantly doeth not only synne in thys that he geueth 〈◊〉 exaÌ„ple to his brethren but he hath his coÌ„science bounde with giltinesse before God In thinges that are of themselues meane there is an other coÌ„sideratioÌ„ For we ought to absteine froÌ„ them if they brede any offeÌ„se but the coÌ„science stil being free So Paule speaketh of fleshe consecrate to idols If any sayth he make dout touch it not for consciences sake I say for coÌ„scieÌ„ce not thine own but the others A faithful maÌ„ shold sinne which being first warned should neuerthelesse eate of such fleshe But howsoeuer in respect of his brother it be necessarie for him to absteine as it is prescribed of God yet he cesseth not to kepe still the libertie of coÌ„science We see how this law bynding the outward worke leaueth the conscience vnbounde Now let vs returne to the lawes of meÌ„ If they be made to this end to charge vs with a religioÌ„ as though the obseruing of them wer of it selfe necessarie theÌ„ we say that that is layed vpoÌ„ coÌ„science which was not lawfull to be laied vpoÌ„ it For our conscieÌ„ces haue not to doe with meÌ„ but with God only whereunto perteineth the coÌ„moÌ„ differeÌ„ce betwene yâ— earthly court the court of coÌ„science WheÌ„ yâ— who le world was wrapped in a most thick mist of ignoraÌ„ce yet this smal sparcle of light remained that they acknowleged a mans coÌ„science to be aboue al iugemeÌ„tes of meÌ„ Howbeit the same thing that they did with one worde coÌ„fesse they did afterwarde in dede ouerthrowe yet it was Gods wil the there should theÌ„ also remaine some testimonie of ChristiaÌ„ libertie which might deliuer coÌ„sciences from the tyranny of meÌ„ But the difficultie is not yet dissolued which ariseth out of the words of
commaundement of God The Altar of Achaz the paterne whereof was broughte out of Samaria might haue semed to encrease the garnishment of the tēple wheras his deuise was to offre Sacrifices therupō to God only which he should do more honorably than vpon the first olde Altar yet we see how the Spirite detesteth the boldnesse for none other cause but for that the inuentions of mē in the worshipping of God are vnclene corruptions And how much more clerely the will of God is opened vnto vs so much the lesse excusable is our frowardnesse to attempt any thīg And therfore worthily with this circumstance the crime of Manasses is enforced for that he bilded a new altar in Ierusalem of which God had pronounced I wil there set my name because the authoritie of God is now as it were of set purpose refused Many do maruel why God so sharply threteneth y◠he wil do thinges to be wondred at to the people of whō he was worshipped with the cōmaundemētes of men pronounceth that he is worshipped in vaine with the preceptes of mē But if they cōsidered what it is in the cause of religion that is to say of heauēly wisdome to hāg vpō the only mouth of God they would therewtal se that it is no sclēder resō why God so abhorreth such peruerse seruices that are done to him accordīg to the lust of mās wit For althoughe they that obey such lawes for the worshipping of God haue a certaine shewe of humilitie in this their obedience yet they are not hūble before God to whō they prescribe the same lawes which they thēselues do kepe This is the reson why Paul willeth vs so diligently to beware that we be not deceiued by the traditions of mē that which he calleth ethelothreskian that is Wilworship inuēted of mē beside the doctrine of God This is verily true both our own wisdom al mens wisdom must be foolish vnto vs that we may suffer him alone to be wise Which way they kepe not which do studie with pety obseruations fayned by the wil of men to cōmend themselues vnto hym do thrust vnto hym as it were against his will a transgressing obedience towarde hym whiche is in dede geuen to mē As it hath ben done both in many ages heretofore and in the tyme within our owne remembrance and is also at thys daye done in those places where the authoritie of the creature is more estemed thā of the creator where religion if yet the same be worthy to be called religion 〈◊〉 defiled with moe and more vnsauorie superstitions than euer was any Paynime wickednesse For what could the witt of men brede but al thynges carnal and foolishe and such as truely resemble theyr authors Whereas also the Patrones of superstitions allege that Samuell Sacrificed in Ramatha and although the same was done beside the law yet it pleased God the solution is easy that it was not a certayne seconde altar to set against the one onely altar but because the place was not yet appointed for the arke of couenant he appointed the towne where he dwelled for Sacrifices as the most conuenient place Truely the minde of the holy Prophete was not to make any innouation in holy thinges whereas God had so streightly forbidden any thing to be added or minished As for the example of Menoha I say that it was an extraordinarie and singular case He being a priuate man offered sacrifice to God not without the allowāce of God verily because he enterprised it not of a rash motion of his own minde but by a heauenlye instinction But how much the Lord abhorreth those thinges that men deuise of themselues to worship hym withall an other not inferior to Gedeon is a notable example whoe 's Ephod turned to destruction not only to hym and hys familie but to the whole people Finally euery new founde inuention wherewith mē couet to worship God is nothing ells but a defiling of true holinesse Why then saye they did Christ will that those intollerable burdens should be borne which the Scribes and Pharisees bounde vpon men But why in an other place did the same Christ wil that men should beware of the leuen of the Pharisees calling leuen as Mathew the Euangelist expoundeth it all their own doctrine that they mingled with the purenesse of the worde of God What would we haue more playne thā that we be commaunded to flee and beware of al their doctrine Whereby it is made most certaine vnto vs that in the other place also the Lorde willed not that the cōsciences of his shoulde be vexed with the Pharisees own traditiōs And the very wordes if they be not wrested soūde of no such thing For the Lord purposing there to enuey sharply againste the maners of the Pharisees did first simply instruct them that heard hym that although they saw nothing in their life mete for them to folow yet they should not cesse to do those thyngs which they taught in wordes whyle they sate in the chaire of Moses that is to declare the law Therefore he meant nothing ells but to prouide that the cōmon people should not with the euil exāples of the teachers be brought to despise the doctrine But forasmuch as many are nothing at al moued with resons but alwaye require authoritie I wil allege Augustines wordes in whiche the very same thing is spoken The Lordes shepefolde hath gouernoures some faithfull and some hirelinges The gouernours that are faithfull are true Pastors but heare ye that the hireliges also are necessarie for many in the Chirch folowing earthly profites do preach Christe and by them the voice of Christ is heard and the shepe do folowe not a hireling but the Pastor by the meanes of a hireling Heare ye that hirelinges are shewed by the Lord himselfe The Scribes saith he the Pharisees sitt in the chaire of Moses Doe ye those thinges that they saye but do not those thinges that they do What other thing said he but heare the voice of the Pastor by the hirelinges For in sitting in the chaire they teache the law of God therfore God teacheth by thē But if they wil teache their owne heare it not do it not This saith Augustine But wheras many vnskilfull men when they heare that consciences are wickedly boūde and God worshipped in vaine with the traditions of men do at ones blott out altogether al lawes whereby the order of the Chirch is set in Frame therefore it is conuenient also to mete with their error Uerily in this point it is easy to be deceiued because at the first sight it doeth not by and by appeare what differēce is betwene the one sort and the other But I will so plainly in few wordes sett out the whole mater that the likenesse may deceiue no man First let vs holde this that if we see in euery felowship of men some policie to be necessarie that may
publishers of the Gospell and ministers of Baptisme and none as the Apostle witnesseth doth take honor vpon himselfe in the Chirch but he that is called as Aaron whosoeuer without lawfull calling Baptiseth he rusheth into an other mans office Euen in the smallest thinges as in meate and drinke whatsoeuer we enterprise with a doutefull consience Paule openly cryeth out to be synne Therefore in womens Baptising is much more greuously synne where it is euident that they breake the rule appointed by Christ forasmuche as we know that it is vnlawfull to plucke in sonder those thinges that God conioyneth But al thys I passe ouer Only I would haue the reders to note that Sephoraes purpose was nothing lesse than to doe any seruice to God Seing her sonne to be in danger she grudged and murmured and not withoute stomachyng threwe the foreskinne vppon the grounde she so taunted her husbande that she was also angrye with God Fynally it is plaine that all this came of a furiousnesse of mynde because she murmured against God and her husbande for that she was compelled to shed the blood of her sonne Moreouer if she had in all other thinges behaued her selfe well yet herein is an vnexcusable rashe presumption that she circumcised her sonne her husbande being presente not any priuate manne but Moses the principall Prophete of God than whome there neuer rose any greater in Israell which was no more lawfull for her to doe than at thys day it is for women in the syghte of the Bishoppe But this controuersie shal by and by be easily taken away by this principle that infantes are not debarred from the kingdome of heauen whome it happeneth to departe out of this present life before that it be graunted them to be dipped in water But it is already proued that no small wrong is done to the couenant of God if we doe not rest in it as though it were weake of it selfe wheras the effect therof hangeth neither vpon Baptisme nor vpō any additiōs There is afterward added to it a Sacrament like a seale not that it bringeth effectualnesse to the promise of God as to a thing weake of it self but only cōfirmeth it to vs. Wherupon foloweth that the children of the faithfull are not therefore Baptised that they may then first be made the children of God which before were strangers from the Chirch but rather that they be therfore receiued by a solemne signe into the Chirch because by the benefite of the promise they did already belong to the body of Christ. Therefore if in omitting the signe there be neither slouthfulnesse nor contempte nor negligence we are free from all danger It is therefore muche more holy to geue this reuerence to the ordinance of God that we seke Sacramentes from no where ells than where the Lorde hath lefte them When we may not haue them of the Chirch the grace of God is not so bounde to them but that we may obteine them by Faith out of the worde of the Lorde ¶ The .xvi. Chapter That the Baptisme of infantes doth very well agree with the institution of Christ and the nature of the signe BUt forasmuch as in this age certaine phrentike Spirites haue raised vp sore troubles in the Chirch for the Baptisme of infantes and doe not yet cesse to turmoyle I can not choose but I must ioyne here an addition to restrain their furiousnesse If paraduenture it shal seme to some man to be very much to long let him I beseche him weye with himselfe that we oughte so much to esteme the purenesse of doctrine in a most great mater together with the peace of the Chirch that nothing ought to be lothesomly receiued which may auaile to procure them bothe Beside that I so study to frame thys discourse that it shall be of no smal importance to the clerer declaration of the mysterie of Baptisme They assaile the Baptisme of infantes with an argument in dede fauourable in shewe sayeng that it is grounded vpon no institution of Christ but that it was brought in onely by the boldnesse of men and peruerse curiousnesse and then afterwarde with fonde easinesse rashly receyued in vse For a Sacrament vnlesse it rest vpon a certaine fundation of the worde of God hangeth but by a thred But what if when the mater is well considered it shall appeare that the Lordes holy ordinance is falsely and vniustly charged with such a sclaunder Lett vs therefore searche out the first beginning of it And if it shall appeare that it was deuised by the only rashnesse of men then bydding it farewell lett vs measure the true obseruation of Baptisme by the onely will of God But if it shal be proued that it is not destitute of his certaine authoritie we must beware least in pinching the holy ordinances of God we be also sclaunderous against the author himselfe First it is a doctrine well enough knowen and confessed among all the godly that the right consideration of the signes consisteth not onely in the outward Ceremonies but principally hangeth vpon the promise and vppon the spirituall mysteries for figuring where of the Lorde ordeineth the Ceremonies themselues Therefore he that will perfectly learne of what value Baptisme is to what end it tendeth finally what it is let him not stay his thought vpon the elemente and bodily syghte but rather let him raise it vp to the promises of God which are therein offred vs and to the inwarde secretes whiche are therein represented vnto vs. He that knoweth these thinges hath atteined the sound truth of Baptisme and the whole substance therof as I may so call it and thereby also he shal be taught what is the reson and what is the vse of the outwarde sprinkling Againe he that contemptuously passing ouer these shall haue his minde wholly fastened and bounde to the visible Ceremonie shall vnderstande neither the force nor propertie of Baptisme nor yet so much as thys what the water meaneth or what vse it hath Which sentence is proued with so many and so cleare testimonies of Scripture that we nede not at thys present to tarry long aboute it Therefore it remaineth now that we seke out of the promises geuen in Baptisme what is the force and nature of it The Scripture sheweth that the clensing of synnes which we obteyne of the blood of Christ is here first shewed then the mortifieng of the flesh which standeth vpon the partaking of hys death by which the faithfull are regenerate into newnesse of life yea and into the felowship of Christ. To this summe may be referred whatsoeuer is taughte in the Scriptures concernyng Baptisme sauing that beside thys it is a sygne to testifie religion before men But forasmuche as before the institution of Baptisme the people of God had circumcision in stede therof let vs se what these twoo sygnes differ the one from the other and with what lykenesse they agree together Whereupon may appeare what is the relation of the one
them he maketh them partakers of hymselfe when in the meane tyme these fellowes driuing them farre away do adiudge them to death For if they say for a shift that infantes do not therfore perishe if they be accompted the children of Adam their error is abundantly confuted by witnesse of the Scripture For where as it pronounceth that all do dye in Adam it foloweth that there remaineth no hope of life but in Christe Therefore that we maye be made heires of lyfe we must communicate with him Agayne when it is written in an other place that by nature we are all subiecte to the wrath of God and conceiued in sinne wherunto DamnatioÌ„ perpetually cleaueth we must departe oute of oure owne nature before that the entrie be open to vs into the kingdome of God And what can be more playnely spoken than that fleshe and blood can not possesse the kingdome of God Therfore let al be doone away what soeuer is ours which shall not be done withoute regeneration then we shall see this possession of the kyngdome Finally if Christ say truely when he reporteth that he is life it is necessarie that we be graffed into hym that we may be deliuered out of the bondage of death But saye they how are infantes regenerate which are not endued with knowlege neither of good nor of euyl But we answer that the worke of God is not yet no worke at all althoughe it be not subiect to our capacitie Moreouer it is nothyng doutefull that the infantes whiche are to be saued as verily of that age some are saued are before regenerate of the Lorde For if they bryng with them from their mothers wombe the corruption naturally planted in them they must be purged therof before that they be admitted into the kyngdome of God whereinto nothyng entreth that is defiled or spotted If they be borne synners as bothe Dauid and Paule affirme eyther they remaine out of fauor and hatefull to God or they must nedes be iustified And what seke we more when the iudge himself openly affirmeth that the entrie into heauenly life is open to none but to them that bee borne agayne And to put suche carpers to silence he shewed an example in Iohn the Baptist whome he sanctified in his mothers wombe what he was able to doo in the rest Neither dooe they any thyng preuaile by the shifte wherewith they here mocke that that was but ones done wherupon it dothe not by and by folow that the Lorde is wonte commonly to doe so with infantes For neither do we reason after that maner onely our purpose is to shew that the power of God is by them vniustly and enuiously limitted within those narrowe boundes within which it suffreth not it selfe to be bounde Their other by shift is euen of as great weight They allege that by the vsuall maner of the Scripture this worde from the wombe is as muche in effecte as if it were sayd from childhode But we may clerely see that the Angell when he declared the same to zacharie meant an other thyng that is that it whiche was not yet borne shoulde be filled with the Holy ghoste Lette vs not therfore attempt to appoynt a law to God but that he may sanctifie whom it pleased him as he sanctified this childe forasmuche as his power is nothyng minyshed And truely Christ was therfore sanctified from his first infantie that he might sanctifie in himself his elect out of euery age without differeÌ„ce For as to do away the fault of disobedience which had ben committed in our fleshe he hath put on the same fleshe vpon himselfe that he might in it for vs and in our stede performe perfect obedience so he was conceiued of the Holy ghost that hauyng the holynesse therof fully poured into hym in the fleshe which he had taken vpon hym he myght poure foorth the same into vs. If we haue in Christ a most perfect paterne of all the graces which God continually sheweth to his children verily in this behalfe also he shall be a profe vnto vs that the age of infantie is not so farre vnfitt for sanctification But howsoeuer it be yet this we holde out of controuersie that none of the electe is called out of this present life which is not fyrst made holy and regenerate by the Spirit of God Wheras they obiect to the contrary that in the Scriptures the Spirite acknowlegeth no other regeneration but of incorruptible sede that is of the worde of God they do wrongfully expounde that sayeng of Peter wherin he comprehendeth onely the faithfull which had ben taught by preaching of the Gospell To suche in dede we graunt that the word of the Lorde is the onely sede of spirituall regeneration but we denye that it ought therupon to be gathered that infantes can not be regenerate by the power of God which is to him as easy and ready as to vs it is incomprehensible and wonderfull Moreouer it shoulde not bee safe enough for vs to take this awaye from the Lorde that he maye not be able to shewe hymselfe to bee knowen to them by whatsoeuer waye he will But Faith say they is by hearyng wherof they haue not yet gotten the vse neither can they be able to knowe God whom Moses teacheth to be destiâ—ute of the knowlege bothe of good and euill But they consider not that the Apostle wheÌ„ he maketh hearyng the beginnyng of faith describeth onely the ordinarie distribution of the Lorde and disposition whiche he vseth to kepe in calling them that be his but appointeth not to him a perpetuall rule that he may not vse any other way Which way verily he hath vsed in the calling of many to whome he hath geuen the true knowlege of himselfe by an inwarde maner by the enlightening of the Spirite wtout any preaching vsed for meane thereof But whereas they thinke it shal be a great absurditie if any knowlege of God be geueÌ„ to infantes from whom Moses taketh away the vnderstaÌ„ding of good and euil I beseche them to answere me what danger is there if they be sayd to receiue some part of that grace wherof a litle after they shal enioye the ful plentifulnesse For if the fulnesse of lyfe standeth in the perfect knowlege of God when many of them whom in their very first infantie death by and by taketh away doe passe into eternall life truely they are receiued to beholde the most present face of God WhoÌ„ therfore the Lord wil enlighteÌ„ with the ful bryghtnesse of hys lyghte why maye he not presently also if it so please hym sende out to shyne vppon them some small sparcle therof specially if he do not first vncloth them of ignorance before the he take them out of the prison of the flesh Not that I meane rashly to affirme that they be endued with the same Faith which we fele in our selues or that they haue altogether lyke knowlege of faith which I had
and wheras it was necessarie that they which were mingled with prophane men and idolatrers should by some outwarde signe testifie their Fayth the holy man for order and policies sake appoynted that day wherin the whole people of Christians should by partaking of the Lordes Supper vtter a confession of their faith The ordinance of zepherinus being otherwise good hath ben euel wrested of them that came after when a certaine law was made of one communicating yerely wherby it is come to passe that almost al men when they haue ones communicate as though they had gaily discharged themselues for al the rest of the yere slepe soundly on bothe eares It ought to haue ben farr otherwise done Euery weke at the least the Lordes table shoulde be sett before the assemblie of the Christians the promises should be declared which might fede vs spiritually at it none should in dede be compelled by necessitie but all should be exhorted and prycked forwarde the sluggishnesse also of the slouthfull should be rebuked All should by heapes as hungry men come together to such deynties Not without rightfull cause therefore at the beginning I complayned that by the craft of the deuil this custome was thrust in which whē it apointeth one certaine day of the yere maketh men slouthfull for all the reste of the yere We se in dede that this peruerse abuse was crept in euen in the tyme of Chrysostome but we may also therewithall see how muche it displeased hym For he complaineth with greuous wordes in thesame place whiche I euen nowe alleged that there is so great inequalitie of this mater that often in sometimes of the yere they came not euen whē they were cleane but at Easter they came euē whē they were vncleane Then he cryeth out O custome O presumption Then in vaine is the daily offring vsed in vaine we stande at the altar there is none that partaketh together with vs. So farr is it of that he alowed it by his authoritie adioyned to it Out of the same shop proceded also an other ordinance whiche hath stolen away or violently taken away the halfe of the Supper from the better nūber of the people of God namely the signe of the blood which beyng denyed to lay and profane men for with such titles forsothe they set out Gods inheritance became a peculiar possession to shauen anoynted men It is the commaundement of the eternall God that al should drynke which commaundement man dare discontinue and repelle with a new and contrarie law commaunding that not all shoulde drynke And that these law makers should not seme to fight wtout reson against their God they pretende perils that myght happen if this holy cup were commonly geuen to all as though those dangers had not ben foreseen and marked of the eternal wisdome of God And then suttelly forsothe they reson that the one is enough for both For if say they it be the body it is whole Christ which can not now be seuered frō hys body Therfore by Accompanieng the body conteineth the blood Loe how our wit agreeth with God when it hath neuer so litle begon with loose reines to be wanton and wilde The Lord shewing bred saith that it is his body when he sheweth the cup he calleth it his blood The boldnesse of mans reason crieth out contrariwise that the bred is the blood and the wine is the body as though the Lord had for no cause seuered his body from his blood bothe in wordes and in signes or as though it had euer ben heard spoken that the body or blood of Christ is called God man Uerily if he had ment to signifie whole himselfe he might haue sayed it is I as he is wont to speake in the Scriptures and not thys is my body thys is my blood But he willing to helpe our weaknesse did set the cup seuerally from the bred to teache that he sufficeth no lesse for drinke than for meate Nowe let one part be taken away then we shall finde but the one halfe of the nourishmentes in him Therfore although it be true which they pretende that the blood is in the bred by way of Accompanieng and againe the body in the cup yet they defraude godly soules of the confirmation of Fayth whiche Christe deliuereth as necessarie Therefore bidding their suttelties farewell we muste holde faste the profit whiche is by the ordinance of Christe in the twoo earnestes I knowe in dede that the ministers of Satan doe here cauil as it is an ordinarie thing with them to make mockerie of the Scriptures First thei allege that of one bare doing ought not to be gathered a rule wherby the Chirch should be bounde to perpetual obseruing But they lye when they say that it was but a bare doyng for Christ did not only deliuer the cuppe but also did institute that his Apostles should in tyme to come doo the same For they are the wordes of a commaunder drinke ye all of this cuppe And Paule so reherseth that it was a dede that he also commendeth it for a certain rule An other starting hole is that the Apostles alone were receiued of Christ to the partaking of this Supper whome he had already chosen and taken into the order of the sacrificyng prestes But I would haue them answere me to fiue questions from which they shall not be able to escape but that they shall be easily conuinced with their lies Fyrst by what oracle haue they this solution reueled beyng so strange from the worde of God The Scripture reckeneth .xii. that sate with Iesus but it dothe not so obscure the dignitie of Christ that it calleth them sacrificing prestes of which name we will speake hereafter in place fit for it Though he gaue it then to the .xii. yet he commaunded that they should do the same namely that they shold so distribute it among them Secondely why in that better age from the Apostles almost a thousand yeres were al without exception made partakers of bothe the signes was the old Chirche ignorant what gestes Christ had receiued to his Supper It were a point of moste desperate shamelesnesse here to sticke and dally in graūtyng it to bee true There remayne the ecclesiasticall hystories there remayne the bokes of the old writers which minister euident testimonies of this matter The fleshe sayth Tertullian is fed with the body blood of Christ that the soule may be fatted with fedyng vpon God How sayd Ambrose to Theodosius wilt thou receiue with suche handes the holy body of the Lorde With what boldnesse wilte thou with thy mouthe partake of the cup of the precious blood And Hierome sayth The prestes whiche make the Thankesgeuing and do distribute the blood of the Lorde to the people Chrysostome Not as in the olde lawe the prest did eate parte and the people part but one body is set before all and one cuppe Those thynges that perteine to the Thankesgeuing are all cōmon betwene the
not remayne with them Afterward when he hath rehersed the hardnesse wherof he himselfe had sene examples both at Millain and ells where among these thynges sayth he no man is enforced to harde thynges which he can not beare no man is charged with that whiche he refuseth neither is he therfore condemned of the rest because he confesseth himself to want strength in folowyng of them for they remembre howe muche charitie is commended they remembre that all thynges are cleane to the clean Therfore all their diligence watcheth not to the refusyng of kyndes of meate as vncleane but to tame lust and to reteine the loue of brethren They remembre meate for the belly and the belly for meats c. Yet many strong do absteine for the weakes sake Many of them haue no nede to do thus but because it pleaseth them to susteine themselues with baser diet and nothyng sumptuous Therfore they themselues which beyng in health do forbeare if consideration of their helth compell when they are sicke do take without any feare Many drinke no wyne and yet they thynk not themselues defiled with it for they most gently cause it to be geuen to the fainter and to them that can not get the healthe of their body without it and som which foolishly refuse it they do brotherly admonish that they be not with vaine superstition sooner made weaker than holier So they diligently exercise godlinesse but they know that the exercisyng of the body perteineth but to a shorte tyme. Charitie is chefesly kepte to charitie the diet to charitie the speeche to charitie the apparell to charitie the countenance is fitted They mete and conspire into one charitie To offende it is accompted as haynous as to offend God If any resiste charitie he is caste oute and shunned If any offend charitie he is not suffred to abide one daye Forasmuche as in these wordes as in a painted table that holy man semeth to haue set out what maner of lyfe monkerie was in olde tyme although they were somewhat long yet I was content to enterlace them here because I saw that I shold haue ben somwhat longer if I had gathered the same thynges out of diuers howe muche soeuer I studied for brefenesse But my purpose here is not to go through this whole mater but only by the way to poynt out not onely what maner of monkes the Olde Chirche had but what maner of thyng the profession of monkes was at that time so as the soundwitted reders may iudge by the comparison what face they haue whiche allege antiquitie to maynteyne the present monkrie Augustine when he depaynteth vnto vs a holye and true monkrie would haue to be absent all rigorous exactyng of those thynges which by the worde of the Lorde are left vs at libertie But there is nothyng that is at this day more seuerely required For they compt it a mischief that can neuer be purged if any do neuer so litle swarue from the prescribed rule in color or fashion of garment in kynde of meate or in other triflyng and colde ceremonies Augustine stoutly mainteineth that it is not lawful for monkes to liue idle vpon other mennes He denieth that there was euer in his tyme any such example of a well ordered monasterie Our men set the chiefe parte of their holinesse in idlenesse For if you take idlenesse from them where shal be that contemplatiue life wherby they bost that they excell all other men and approch nere vnto Angels Finally Augustine requireth suche a monkrie as should be nothyng but an exercise and helpe to the dueties of godlinesse whiche are commended to all Christians What when he maketh charitie the chefe yea and almost only rule therof do we think that he praiseth a conspiryng wherby a fewe men beyng bounde together are seuered from the whole bodye of the Chirche But rather he willeth them with their example to geue light to other to kepe the vnitie of the Chirche In bothe these pointes there is so muche difference of the monkrie at this present that a man can scarcely fynde any thyng more vnlyke I will not say contrary For our monkes not contented with that godlynesse to the studie of which alone Christ commaundeth them that are his continually to applie do imagine I wote not what new godlinesse by meditation wherof they may be perfecter than other If they denie this I would knowe of them why they vouchsaue to geue to their owne order alone the title of perfection and take away the same from al the callings of God Neither am I ignorant of that sophistiâ—all solution that it is not therfore so called because it dothe conteyne perfection in it but because it is the best of all other to atteyne perfection When they are disposed to boste themselues before the people when to snare vnskilfull and vnware yong men when to mainteine their priuileges when to aduaunce their owne dignitie to the reproche of other then they bost that they are in the state of perfection When they are so nye driuen that they can not defend this vaine arrogance then they flee to this startyng hole that they haue not yet atteined perfection but that they are in the same state wherein they aspire vnto it aboue other In the meane tyme that admiration among the people remayneth as though the only monkishe life were angelike perfecte and clensed from all fault By this pretence they make moste gainefull markets but that same moderation lieth buried in a fewe bookes Who doth not see that this is an intollerable mockerie But let vs so reason with them as though they gaue no more to their profession than to call it a state of atteinyng perfection Uerily in geuyng it this name they do as by a speciall marke make it differyng from other kyndes of lyfe And who can abyde this that so great honor should be geuen awaye to an ordinance that is no where by any one syllable allowed and that by the same all other callynges of God whiche are by his owne holy mouth not onely commaunded but also commended with notable titles of praise are by the same accompted vnworthy And how great wrong I beseche you is done to God when I wote not what new founde thyng is preferred aboue all the kyndes of lyfe ordeyned by hymselfe and praysed by his owne testimonie But goe to let them say that it is a sclauÌ„der which I haue before said that they are not contented with the rule prescribed of God Yet though I holde my peace they themselues doo more than enough accuse themselues For they openly teache that they take vpon them more burden than Christ laide vpon his because forsoothe they promyse to keepe the counsels of the Gospel concernyng louyng their enemies not coueting of reuenge not swearyng c. to whiche thyngs Christians are not generally bounde Herin what antiquitie will they shewe foorth agaynst vs This neuer came in any of the olde fathers myndes
They all crie out with one voice that there was no one little woorde at all vttered of Christ which ought not necessarily to be obeyed And without any doutyng they do echewhere teache that these very same thinges by name were commaundementes whyche these good expositors triflyngly say that Christ did but counsell But forasmuche as we haue before taught that this is a moste pestilent error let it suffise here to haue brefely noted that the monkrie which is at this day is grounded vppon the same opinion whiche all the godly ought worthily to abhorre whiche is that there should be imagined some perfecter rule of life than this common rule which is geuen of God to the whole Chirch Whatsoeuer is bilded vpon this fundation can not be but abhominable But they bryng an other profe of their perfection which they thinke to be moste strong for them For the Lorde sayed to the yong man that asked hym of the perfection of righteousnesse If thou wilt be perfect sell all that thou hast and geue it to the poore Whether they do so or no I do not yet dispute but graunt them that for this present Therfore they boste that they be made perfect by forsakyng all theirs If the summe of perfection stande in this what meaneth Paule when he teacheth that he whiche hath distributed all his goodes to the poore vnlesse he haue charitie is nothyng What maner of perfection is this which if charitie be absent is brought with man to nothyng Here they must needes answere that this is the chiefest in dede but not the only worke of perfection But here also Paule crieth against them which sticketh not to make charitie the bonde of perfection without any suche forsakyng If it be certaine that betwene the maister and the disciple is no disagreement and the one of them clerely denieth the perfection of man to consist in this that he should forsake all his goodes and againe affirmeth that perfection is without it we must see howe that sayeng of Christe is to be taken If thou wilt be perfect sell all that thou hast Nowe it shal be no darke sense if we wey whiche we oughte alway to marke in all the preachynges of Christ to whom these woordes bee directed A yong man asketh by what workes he shall enter into euerlastyng lyfe Christ because he was asked of workes sendeth hym to the lawe and rightfully for it is the way of eternall life if it be considered in it selfe and is no otherwise vnable to bryng saluation vnto vs but by oure owne peruersnesse By this answere Christ declared that he teacheth no other rule to frame life by than the same that had in olde tyme ben taught in the lawe of the Lorde So did he bothe geue witnesse to the lawe of God that it was the doctrine of perfecte righteousnesse and therwithall dyd mete wyth sclaunders that he shoulde not seme by any newe rule of life to stirre the people to forsakyng of the law The yong man beyng in dede not of an euel mynde but swelling with vayne confidence answered that he had from his childhode kept al the commaundementes of the law It is most certaine that he was an infinite space distant from that to which he bosted that he had atteined And if his bostyng had ben true he had wanted nothyng to the hyest perfection For we haue before shewed that the lawe conteineth in it self perfect righteousnesse and the same appereth hereby that the kepyng of it is called the way of eternall saluation That he myght be taught to knowe how little he had profited in that righteousnesse which he had to boldly answered that he had fulfilled it was profitable to shake out a familiar fault of his When he abounded in richesse he had his hart fastened vppon them Therefore because he felte not this secrete wounde Christe launced him Goe sayth he sell all that thou haste If he hadde ben so good a keper of the lawe as he thought he was he wold not haue gone away sorowfull when he heard this word For who so loueth God with all his hart whatsoeuer disagreeth with the loue of hym he not onely taketh it for dong but abhorreth as bringyng destruction Therefore wheras Christe commaundeth the couetous richeman to leaue all that he hath it is all one as if he should commaunde the ambitious man to forsake all honors the voluptuous man all delites and the vnchast mā all the instrumentes of luste So consciences that are touched with no felyng of generall admonition must be called back to the particular felyng of their owne euell Therfore they doo in vayne drawe this speciall case to generall exposition as though Christe did set the perfection of man in forsaking of goodes whereas he mente nothyng els by this sayeng than to dryue the yong man that stoode to muche in his owne conceite to feele his owne sore that he mighte vnderstand that he was yet a great way distant from perfect obedience of the law which otherwise he did falsly take vpon him I graunt that this place hath ben euel vnderstāded of some of the Fathers and that therupon grew this couetyng of wilfull pouertie wherby they only were thought to be blessed which forsakyng all earthly thynges did dedicate themselues naked to Christ. But I trust that all the good and not contentious men will be satisfied with this my exposition so that they shall no more doute of the meanyng of Christ. Howbeit the Fathers thought nothyng lesse than to stablishe suche a perfection as hath sins ben framed by the cowled Sophisters thereby to rayse vp a double Christianitie For that doctrine full of sacrilege was not yet borne whych compareth the profession of monkrie to Baptisme yea and openlye affirmeth that it is a forme of seconde Baptisme Who can doute that the Fathers with all theyr harte abhorred this blasphemie Nowe as touchyng that laste thyng whyche Augustine sayeth to haue been among the olde Monkes that is that they applyed themselues whollye to Charitie what neede I to shewe in woordes that it is moste farre from thys newe profession The thyng it selfe speaketh that all they that goe into Monasteries departe from the Chirche For why Doo not they seuer themselues from the lawfull felowshippe of the faithfull in takyng to themselues a peculiar ministerie and priuate ministration of Sacramentes What is it to dissolue the Communion of the Chirche if this bee not it And that I may folowe the comparison which I beganne to make and may ones conclude it what haue they in this behalfe lyke to the olde monkes They although they dwelt seuerally from other men yet had not a seuerall Chirch they dyd partake of the sacramentes together with other they appered at solemne assemblies there they were a parte of the people These men in erectyng to themselues a priuate altar what haue they ells doone but broken the bonde of vnitie For they haue bothe excommunicate themselues from the