the calling wherein he is called 1 Cor. 12.29 He asketh also Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers Every Christian may or ought to reade and discourse of Scripture it followeth not therefore that all Christians are Preachers and Ministers of the Churches but onely those which are lawfully called nor doth the calling cease for any failing that may be found in the life of the Called which is not spoken to give occasion to make Ministers negligent God forbid but the exhortation of the Apostle Paul is alwayes necessary to the Ministers no more then Peter ceased to be a true and lawful Apostle Acts 6 6. Acts 13.3 1 Tim. 5.22 1 Tim. 4.14 2 Tim. 1.6 when he so grosly failed Gal. 2.11 12. It is well known our Ministers are called to Office by the voice and common consent of all the Church and that after fasting and calling upon the Name of God according to Apostolical institution and are confirmed in their Office by imposition of hands what reason is there for these Sectaries to say That their Ministers are called of God but ours onely by the world and men if their Ministers have a special calling as the Apostles had let them prove it by signs miracles gifts of tongues and Apostolical Doctrine as they did The Church hath no need of your Ministers for the Doctrine of Repentance Amendment of life and of Remission of sins in the Name of Christ is abundantly declared in the Church of Christ to teach the same thing is superfluous if you teach any other Doctrine then you and your Doctrine is accursed and not to be heard I shall say no other thing then what the Apostle Paul before spake to the like glorious Ministers as theirs be Gal. 1.18 If their spirit be so full of knowledge and light so as they cannot contain themselves from preaching without calling why do they not preach where the Gospel was never yet declared they insinuate themselves into such places where the Gospel hath been preached to the people with great labour and hazard of life unto the poor Ministers It is a marvel how they will vouchsafe to enjoy and partake of the labours of those Ministers whom they so much hate they secretly by fraud and deceit seduce and disturb in such places the poor sheep of Jesus Christ which ought not to be withdrawn from their true Pastors I pray all the Flock of Christ not to give heed to such strangers but rather hearken to the voice of the Apostle 1 Thess 5.12 13. Heb. 13.17 These Sectaries do defame and reproach the Ministers and speak all evil of them but it is because they touch them at the quick because they cry out upon these Wolves and pluck the sheep-skins from off their backs that none might be surprized by their fair appearance Seeing the Gospel-Ministers are styled Salt of the earth none must think strange that the Salt biteth and pricketh and maketh it self to be Salt the Salt biteth not where there is no wound but it is felt where there is a raw place It will appear then that they have lost their spiritual senses who say That our Ministers are not called of God God hath put singular honour upon the Ministers yea what greater could he put upon them then by saying He that heareth you heareth me and he that rejecteth you rejecteth me the Lord not only by words hath recommended the Ministers unto the Church but also by example hath shewn what honour and reverence all ought to have them in The holy Ghost could have taught the Ethiopian Eunuch without the Ministry of man Acts 8. but he would maintain this order So Cornelius God could have taught him by the Angel Acts 10.5 but he is bid to send for Peter When our Lord called Paul he could have instructed him himself yet he is sent to a mortal man to receive the Doctrine of Salvation and Baptism behold a case which fell not out by rashness that an Angel of God should withdraw from entring upon the Ministry Acts 9.6 and should send him to a man a Minister to preach unto him Who with a good Conscience dare then despise the true Ministry so highly honoured of God and to disgust men from the same and to cause men to run after those which were not lawful Ministers but thieves robbers and grievous Wolves which spare not the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ Let us now come to the second Point Muntzer after he had spued out his poison against the poor Ministers of Christ he falls upon the word of the eternal God and there that he may leave nothing intire with open throat he spits out his blasphemies It is no marvel if he fall upon the Ministers of the Word to speak evil of them seeing he dareth so outragiously to set himself against the very mouth of God Behold his own words Object That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament and the external preaching of the word is not the word of God and that we must search for the word in the internal part in the heart and that the Ministers are much deceived thinking that faith cometh by reading of the Scriptures or by hearing them preached seeing all the Scripture saith that they shall be taught of God These are his own words Answ We plainly confess and are not so ignorant thanks be to God and who knoweth not that the external word i. e. that the Letters written with ink upon paper by the hand of the Writer and that the voice sounding out of the mouth is not the Word of God inasmuch as it is written and spoken by man yet we do notwithstanding affirm that the sense of these words written and spoken by the mouth of the Minister is the true and indubitable Word of God as it more plainly appeareth Jer. 36.4 6 8. where the Prophet Jeremiah commandeth Baruch to write from his mouth all the words of the Lord. The words of Jeremiah written with ink in a Book are called the Word of the Lord. How often do we hear in the Prophets Thus saith the Lord reade these Scriptures Jer. 25.15 Jer. 20.33 1 Pet. 1.23 Isa 40.6 1 Thess 2.13 Deut. 10.18 Acts 4.31 Acts 6.2 Acts 8.14 25. Acts 11.1 Acts 13.5 7 25. Acts 17.13 Acts 18.11 Heb. 13.7 Ephes 1.13 We ought rather to give credit to so many evident Testimonies of Scripture then unto such Ravers who do nothing but rave and dream Muntzer careth not for that but dareth give the Apostle Peter the lye Now they which leave the Scriptures finding out another means to come unto God through pride they are deprived of their senses They pretend unto Revelations of the Spirit and despising all reading they mock at the simpleness of those which yet follow the dead and killing Letter as they call it By what spirit is it by inspiration whereof they are so highly rapt as that they dare reject all the Doctrine of the Scriptures as a
he addeth despise not prophecie thereby shewing that then the spirit is quenched and suffocated when Prophecie is rejected Psal 119 105. what will those poor Soules answer who have rejected the lanthorn which God hath given to be a light unto their feet We confess that the external word preached by men of it self nor alone cannot convert the heart but the Spirit of God must work internally to beget faith in us now this is done in good order by the preaching of the Gospel as appears by Lydia the Purple-seller Act. 16.14 she heard Paul preach but the Lord opened her heart to understand the things which Paul spake for this cause the preaching of the Word is called seed we know that if seed fall upon a spot of ground which is desert and not tilled it is lost without producing fruit but on the contrary Luk. 8.15 falling upon soil tilled and well manured it brings forth fruit in abundance So the word of God if it fall upon the hard and rebellious brain it remaineth without fruit as upon stony soil but upon a heart prepared by the operation of the Holy Ghost then it brings forth much fruit and as the Husband-man when he hath sown his feed he can do no more he cannot make his grain to grow but leaveth it to God so must the Ministers do when they have preached and sown the Word of God they cannot make it grow they must commend it unto God as the Apostle saith He that planteth is nothing Cor 3.7 and he that watereth is nothing but it is God that must give the increase he doth not therefore reject him that planteth nor him that watereth that is to say the external Ministers for he soon addeth We are co-workers or labourers with God ye are Gods husbandry ye are Gods building It appeareth that the Ministers are joyned in the work with God inasmuch as God maketh use of them as instruments and he worketh by his word by giving vertue in the internal man one may see as plainly as day-light the errour of Muntzer the first father of these Anabaptists and that there is no reason in his speech Our Mennonists have condemned their Father in this point notwithstanding there be others who maintain this opinion or rather blasphemy as some strange spirits the disciples of Sebastian Franque who this day do renew the question yea some little space of time since one of the chief of that Sect whose name I shall forbear to declare in the City of Frankfort before several honest people told me and with might and main maintained with divers of his disciples That the earth never bare a more abominable Idol then that which is called the Bible and that all the World doted upon it looking therein for the word of God whereas we should look for it in our hearts and one of them redoubled it and said in the presence of Mr. Alosco and of us all What do you talk so much of the Scripture I assure you on my part I have learned more by seeing a Hen or a Capon killed then ever I learned by all the Sermons and Lectures of the Books that ever I read Unto whom I answered It must needs be that you eat often of Hens and Capons seeing you have learned so much by their death but I pray you said I What good did you ever learn thereby he answered That he had learned to know the obedience which Jesus Christ rendred unto God his Father upon the Cross and that as the fowl was slain without making resistance and that for the good and life of man so was Jesus Christ slain for the life of mankinde it was said then unto him How do you know that ever there was such an one as Jesus Christ and that he died for man do you finde that written in the Capons belly the Turks also do kill Capons but they cannot reade there that Christ was their Saviour In the end they were very angry and like people deprived of their sences when they were hampered by the word of God and by their own reasons What man is there that would not wonder at such foolish and irrational discourse is it not just that such people should be so handled seeing they have rejected the word of the living God which the Angels themselves desire to pry into that they should be sent to School unto the bruit beasts Further I come to the Proposition of Muntzer who saith That the Ministers are much deceived thinking that Faith cometh by hearing and that it is written Brother shall not teach Brother any more saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest of them being all taught of God Answ If Ministers be Rom. 10.14 17 deceived by so thinking then was Paul also deceived for he thus spake How shall they believe c. yea he saith that the doctrine which was preached was the word of faith But one may easily see their pretence which is Totally to make void the Scripture and the Ministry of the Gospel to come unto Revelations We have already shewed that God will instruct men by Ministers Rom. 10.8 the Eunuch is sent to Philip Cornelius to Peter Paul to Auanias c. As for that passage of the Prophet where it is said Brother shall not teach brother c. the Lord would not hereby banish from out of the Church the Ministry of the Word God forbid to draw men after Visions and Revelations Now they fail in that they do not narrowly look into the place for the Prophet doth not say totally that they shall not teach no more but these are his words They shall teach no more saying Know the Lord as if he should say Ignorance shall not possess the judgements and understandings of men as formerly when they knew not who the Lord was yea even in this restauration of the Church the true knowledge of God should become so common and vulgar that all should know how that the Son of God who is the lively image of the Father is descended here below upon earth to be united unto us being made our Brother to guide us unto eternal life We know there is a double use of Teaching one is for those who are altogether ignorant to whom the first rudiments as points of Catechism are to be held forth there be others who being entred in must make further progress Seeing then that none hath so prâ—â—â—ted but that he hath need further to be taught so it is the greatest part of our wisdome to become teachable Paul sheweth how we should profit by teaching if we would be Christs Disciples Ephes 4.11 saying That God hath constituted Pastors and Teachers c. that we be not unstable children tossed to and fro with all winds of strange doctrine c. whereby it appeareth that the Prophet never intended to bereave their Church of an ornament so preaious and necessary The Prophet onely would tell us
that God would manifest himself to small and great and that the Church should have children instructed and taught of God as was promised by Isaiah This passage then is very clear behold the Prophet saith They shall no more teach every man his neighbour saying Know the Lord and why because saith he I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their inward parts he doth not reject the external Ministry of the Word but he sheweth that the knowledge of God cometh not properly by the labour and travel of men but it is because the Lord engraveth the Law of his Word in the understanding Ministers by their preaching strike upon mens ears and God by engraving his Law worketh upon and teacheth their hearts as he dealt with Lydia at Pauls preaching Act. 16.14 Therefore it is that Jesus Christ John 6.45 seeing the Jews to murmure and storm against the external Ministry of the Word saith None can come unto me except the Father who hath sent me draw him It is written in the Prophets And they shall all be taught of God whosoever then hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me Christ thereby sheweth that those who have heard and learned of the Father do not disdain and reject the Ministry but they come unto it and receive profit thereby and all this sheweth that we are of our selves altogether indisposed to come unto this knowledge of God for otherwise God would not promise to cause us to walk in his statutes and if it were in our own power so to do and that neither great ones by their wisdom not little ones by reason of their ignorance can mount so high unless by the Holy Ghost they be drawn Behold the true sense of the place so wofully corrupted by these first Anabaptists and all they pretend unto tends not but after they have deprived the Church of the Ministry and the preaching of the Word to open the door unto Visions and Dreams as they already have shewn at Munster and Amsterdam as Muntzer their first father had begun unto them Was it not a pleasing thing to hear this alwayes sounding from their mouths The Spirit hath revealed it unto me The Father hath commanded me and when any brought a testimony of Scripture contrary to their dreams and visions suddenly they replied What have we to do with the dead Letter seeing we have the lively word of God imprinted in a living spirit as if the holy Ghost who is the Author of the holy Scriptures could contradict himself The Apostle Paul foreseeing that such Sects would rise up who would despise the preaching of the Word he adjureth his Disciple Timothy before God and the Lord Jesus who shall judge both quick and dead to preach the Word and to be instant in season c. Satan knoweth that he must take off men from the Ministry of the Word when he will have them at his beck to put into their heads what shall seem good unto him and therefore his labour is to bring men unto this that they might hold nothing certain but that they finally being disturbed and uncertain he might make them despair Thus in the beginning he wrought with our Mother Eve denying the express word of God the Lord had said In the day that you eat thereof you shall dye the death The Devil on the contrary denyeth it and saith No no you shall not dye so now he laboureth to take from our eyes the word of God but what may we look for afterwards but that we may be confounded not knowing what side to turn unto For if we acknowledge no more the Scriptures to be the true word of God which as the Apostle Paul saith Was before time written for us that we through patience and consolation of the Scriptures might have hope what will our estate be certainly we shall be more miserabe then the beasts and we must give up our selves to Dreams and Fables as those who have rejected this light and must perish wofully Of the Dreams of the Anabaptists and how they are condemned by the Word of God MVntzer having thus prophaned and rejected the word of God he preached dreams very goodly revelations Muntzer preacheth dreams and revâ—lations which he at his pleasure forged as did the false Prophet Mahomet saying that he had seen Angels and gloried that he had talked with them by this means to cheat and deceive the poor ignorant people but all was feigned and counterfeit to make musick unto poor and inconstant fools and the Apostle Paul giveth warning of such gallants that we should take heed of them saying Col. 2.18 Let no man beguile you of your reward c. Yea the Scripture forbids us lending ear to such dreamers the Lord of Hosts speaking in the book of Jeremiah saith thus Jer. 23.16 21 22 26 27 28. Hearken not unto the words of the Prophets which prophecie unto you c. we shall have intelligence of this in these last dayes are they not in a dead sleep who will not be awakened by the noise of this strong hammer of the word of God which breaketh the stones in pieces who can be cleansed by such dung and what truth can come forth out of a lye dreams have deceived many and those have fallen who have trusted to them These words of God are true and sufficient to entangle all our dreamers and ravers with all their celestial visions whereof they do falsly and out of a certain malice vaunt Let us then reject such cheaters and follow the counsel of God in his word and we shall alwayes finde it to be a strong buckler against all assaults Prov. 30.5 Isai 8.19 20. The Lord sends us to the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no morning-light in them And when Dives desired that the living might be taught by some other means besides the word of God it was answered That they had Moses and the Prophets let them hear them Moreover Muntzer cometh from thence to grapple with the sacrifice of the Son of God to vomit out his stinking blasphemies against it saying Ministers are lyers when they say That Jesus Christ hath satisfied for us Muntzers denial of Christs satisfaction Justification by faith and that we are justified by faith alone without works thus speak these Scribes when they mince unto men These are his words as they may be read in his Books But I pray you is not this filthily to blaspheme the Son of God it will not only follow that the Ministers are only delicious and mincing and make mens Consciences drousie Act. 10.43 Jer. 11.3 but also all the Prophets For thus spake Peter in the house of Cornelius the Centurion All the Prophets bear witness unto Jesus Christ That whosoever shall believe on him shall receive remission of sins through his name Joh. 1.29 36. Yea John Baptist held up
life long together now separated one from another It came to pass one day that when the people were in the Market-place close crouding and in a throng to hear that Knipperdoling leaped on their heads and scrambling with his hands and feet being now above them he breathed upon the men one after another into their mouthes saying The Father hath sanctified thee Knipperdolings blasphemy receive the Holy Ghost One day he fell a dancing before the King saying Thus I am wont to do with my Whore Confesses himself an whoremaster but now the Father hath commanded me to do it before the King but because he did it too long and would not make an end the King was angry and went his way He suddenly mounted into the Throne but the King surprizing him threw him down and three dayes kept him in Prison Is there not here to be seen a wonderfull rage and madness Who could have believed that any bearing humane shape should have been left to commit things so foolish absurd villanous and execrable but it cannot be otherwise with such as violate trample upon and reject the Word of God they are by Divine judgement smitten so as to be an example to the Elect. But let us behold their goodly glorious King now mounted with more then Royal Pomp where is the spirit of these Anabaptists who were so ready to reprove and reject others At first they cried out against all if they saw any Matron wear silk or any man of fashion to wear a gold Ring they cried down all but now their glorious King Taylor omitteth nothing that may set forth his Pomp and State In the beginning they would not bear to hear that any honest man should be a Bailiff or Governour of a Village but soon the wind is changed and now by command from the Father their King is not King of a Village but of the whole World for so he caused himself to be styled During this Siege the Prophets of Munster published a Book which they intituled The Ristitution wherein they maintained Muntzers damnable Doctrine and an infinite of Errours Afterwards in the Moneth of August on the day which is called S. Bartholomews the new Prophet called John Twiscoscar sounded the Trumpet through the streets and cried out that All should meet in Arms about the way to the great Church for they must give a repulse to the Enemies of the City being thither come they finde a Supper ready which the King had provided and by command the people did sit down to the number of four thousand the King Queen and Courtiers waited at the Table Supper almost being finished the King gave unleavened bread to all Becolds mock-Lords Suppâ—r saying Take eat declare the death of the Lord then the Queen presented the Cup saying Drink declare the death of the Lord. Behold the brave Supper of these Anabaptists which was rather a voluptuous Banquet the Table of Devils then the Table of our Lord Jesus Christ Now when the Supper was ended the new Prophet gat him up into the Pulpit and asked them whether they would obey the Word of God they all said Yes Twiscoscar reveals that 28 Teachâ—rs must be sent forth he told them then that the command of the Father was that they must send Twenty eight Teachers of the Word Then he named them in order declaring the place whither each should go Six were sent to Osemberg as many to Warrendort eight to Susar and as many to Corsfield The King and the Queen with those that served at the Table supped afterwards The King and Queen and the 28 Teachers sup together and those which were appointed to be sent forth As they were at Supper the King rose up and said That he had received a Commission from the Father whereas upon an adventure there was a Souldier which had been taken the King accused him that he was a Traitor as Judas and with his own hands cut off his head This being done he returned to sit down at Table and by way of merriment recited what he had done After Supper within night they caused the twenty eight above-mentioned to depart out oâ— the City and over and above their expences they gave to every one of them certain pieces of Gold to leave in such places where their Doctrine should not be received in witness of their perdition and eternal damnation for their refusal of the peace and doctrine of Salvation And when they were arrived at the places assigned unto them they began to run through the City with horrible cries crying Repent repent otherwise ye will suddenly perish then they cast their garments upon the ground and threw their pieces of Gold which were given unto them upon their garments assuring them that they were sent by the Father to bring peace unto them if they would receive it they commanded them to put all their goods in common if they did refuse it by this sign and as by a mark they did bear witness against their ingratitude and evil deeds for behold the time now is come which was foretold by the Prophets wherein the Lord God would that Righteousness should reign through all the earth and after that the King shall have discharged his trust and shall have so done that Righteousness shall reign every where Then Christ shall deliver up the Kingdome to the Father Upon those words they were apprehended and in the beginning fairly demanded then by the Rack examined of their faith life and Ammunition of the City They answered that they alone had the true Doctrine which they would unto the death maintain for since the Apostles time the Gospel was not truly preached and that there was no righteousness that there were four Prophets two of which were true namely David George and John Becold of Leyden two were false namely the Pope and Luther worse then the Pope Being asked why they drave the honest people out of the City against their faith and promise and detained their Goods Wives and Children and by what Text of Scripture they could warrant that unrighteousness They answered That the time was now come wherein the Word of Christ should be fulfilled that the meek should possess the earth and that God in this manner gave the goods of the Egyptians unto the Israelites After they declared their Ammunition and Victuals that was in the City with their Garrison some of whom had above five Wives Moreover that they looked for Souldiers from Friseland and Holland who being arrived the King would take the Field with all his Army to reduce the whole World under his power and subjection after he had slain their Kings which did not righteousness After they were questioned and still persisted in their opinions they were all beheaded except one who escaped At the same time there arose another Prophet called Henry Hilvers a wicked man subtil and wary he came to declare unto the King and the people that the heavenly Father had
cut off his brothers head who was upon his knees before them all As all the company were smitten with great fear and made great and lamentable complaints Thomas who had committed this Murther suddenly flyeth out of the Town using horrible behaviours as the custom of the Anabaptists is to do This Enthusiast at that time came before the Consul in the town of St. Gall. Mr. Joachim Vadian an excellent man and renowned for piety and learning being present this Anabaptist cryed out fearfully before him The day of the Lord is at hand the day of the Lord cometh he added further that at the break of day there had been some great thing done but that he concealed the matter and that the will of the Father was accomplished and that it had been steeped in Gall and Vinegar the Consul reproved him and chid him sharply because of his fury and immoderate cryes commanding him to cloath himself and to return to his house and to behave himself peaceably Suddenly his villanous murther was divulged and he was apprehended and diligently examined by torture and afterwards 〈◊〉 his villanous fact by the hand of the Magistrate executed and put to death This poor Anabaptist had forgot the Doctrine of the Apostle 1 Joh. 3.12 c. but God by his righteous judgement and providence suffered such villanous and execrable deeds to be committed by these persons that these wayes may be abominated There was found at Appasel in the Country of Switzerland A shee Messiah a woman a sister of this Sect who taught and perswaded many of her brethren that she was Christ the Messiah of women and chose twelve Apostles That befalleth these persons which is common to such as once stray and turn aside from the right path and the good old way by how much further they are off and distant from the right path and the more progress they make so much the farther do they wander from the right way after that they had built the Tower of Babel God so confounded their language that they understood not one another and they are divided among themselves yea they have damned and excommunicated one another and made divers Churches apart without familiarity or communion together But not to weary the Reader with such diversity I shall only name fifteen 1. In the first place there is Thomas Muntzer with his rout 2. There are the Apostolical ones as they call themselves 3. The Spiritual ones and separated from the world 4. The holy and sinless ones these are the Prefectists 5. The Silentiaries 6. The Praying ones and wholly trusting in God 7. The Enthusiasts 8. The great free Libertines 9. The Brethren Huttikes 10 The Augustinians 11. The Glorians and Triumphant Anabaptists of Munster 12. Those of Melchior Hoffman 13. The Meherlanders 14. The Mennonites the disciples of Menno Simons 15. The Franniques which also within these few dayes are divided Let us now come to behold some of their strange opinions for that were a work never to be done to describe them all We shall begin with Thomas Muntzer of whom mention was made in the beginning of the History Firstly He wrote and taught publickly that the Ministers and Preachers of the Gospel were not sent of God and that they preached not the true word of God but were Scribes and Pharisees preaching only the dead Letter of the Scripture Moreover he said That the writing of the Old Testament and the preaching of the eternal word was not the word of God but was only the testimony thereof and that we must search for the word in the internal part i. e. in our hearts where God hath put it that we need not go far to seek it from without us The Scribe-Ministers saith he think that faith cometh by the Scriptures and preaching but they are very far off for all the Scriptures lead us hither that we must be taught and learned of God Joh. 6.45 Isai 54.13 Jer 31.34 Answ It was very needful for these Anabaptists to begin here to set up their Sect and Faction they must say and plainly affirm that the Ministers are not sent of God that they might the more withdraw the poor people from them The Reasons which move them so to speak as they pretend are Pauls writing to Timothy 1 Tim. 4.12 where he saith Be an Example c. whereby the Apostle sheweth it is needful for the Minister to approve his calling by purity of life 1 Tim. 3.2 otherwise it will be vain and false also the Bishop must be unblameable Our new Mennonists and Franniques are of the same opinion But in the mean while who seeth not that they endeavour above all things to set up their own works and righteousnesses and Pharisee-like to judge condemn all such as do not as many works as they It is many times so that Harlots will boast themselves more of their chastity then honest Matrons so it was with the false Apostles at Corinth that they might bring the true Apostles of Christ into disrepute they so boasted of their own vertue and lowliness as if the true Apostles were in no wise to be compared with them But the Apostle is in no wise astonished at their vain and foolish braggings yea he plainly derided them saying We dare not make ours of the number nor compare our selves with some who commend themselves but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves with themselves are not wise as if the Apostle should have said they so please themselves in themselves that they think and esteem that there are none in the World equal or to be compared with themselves they consider not the gifts wherewith others are endued but their sight is so fixed upon themselves and their own fair deeds as that they are perswaded that they are the only ones and the None-such in the world In the mean while the Apostle lively upbraideth them saying Such false Apostles are deceitful workers disguising themselves into Apostles of Christ and no marvel saith he for Satan transformeth himself into an Angel of light it is no great matter then if his Ministers transform themselves into the Ministers of righteousness whose end shall be according to their works Moreover who knoweth not well that Doctrine far surpasseth works so as if the Doctrine be not sound pure and true the works how holy and fair soever they may be will never prove the calling of a false Prophet that he is sent from God If it were lawful for us to boast it should not be in our sanctity perfection and mortification as they do but onely in the pure mercy of God through Jesus Christ if so be that gravity and honesty of life were the true sign of the vocation to the Ministry it would follow that all honest and good people should be Ministers of the Church but that is well known to be false 1 Cor. 7.10 nor can it be for there is a command for every one to walk in