❧Cōmon places of scripture ordrely and after a cōpendious forme of teachyng, set forth with no litle labour, to the gret profit and help of all such studentes in gods worde as haue not had longe exercyse in the same, by the ryghte excellent clerke Erasmus Sarcerius.
Translated in to Englysh by Rychard Tauerner. ❧
Iohn̄ Byddell.
TO THE MOST HYGHE, and most excellent prynce HENRY the .VII [...]. by the grace of god kyng of Englande and of Fraunce, defensor of the fayth: Lorde of Irlande, and in erth supreme heed immediatlye vnder Christ of the churche of Englande, his most humble subiect & seruaunte RYCHARDE TAVERNER wissheth all felicite and helthe.
OYuers mortal mē which either knew not, or of weyknes ꝑfectly cōsidred not Chryst (most drad [...] most gracious soueraygne lord) haue deuerslye laboured to seke them immortal name and memory: Of which some bicause they could not atteyn it by their worthy actes, haue sought the same by vnworthy and most heynous crymes, as Pausan [...]as, which only to get hym a ꝑpetual name, slewe the myghty and victorious king Philip of Macedonia, as also he whiche for the same intent purposed to haue set on fyre the most famous tēple of Diana in Ephesus. Others there haue ben, and at this daye be, men of excellēt litterature & eloquēce, which [Page] with their pen haue [...]ought this [...]gular fame amonges whome euen they also which haue most of all dispraysed and sharpely rebuked in others this ambicion of name, yet to theyr own workes wherin they haue to vehemēt [...]y reprehended other, coulde not tempre ne stey themselues from prefixing their own names. So impotent a thynge, [...]o vnquencheable is this thurst, this desyre or glory.
Agayne, other some there haue ben, men of most noble hert & high courage, whiche haue laboured to win them renowme and [...]ame, either by feates of armes, or by prudently counsellyng & administrating cōmon weales: as Philip kynge of Macedonie, Alexandre the great, Themistocles, Phociō, the two Scipions, Pompey, Iullius Cesar, Lue us Sill [...], Cicero, Lygurgus, with in [...]ite other.
Socrates (althoughe he knew not Christ, yet for his great sanctimony & purenes of life a m [...]n more worthy to be reputed a [...]aynt thē many of our [...]omysh sayntes) being demaunded by what wayes a mā might wyn an honest fame, answered: If thou shalt apply thyselfe to be such one in dede as thou de [...]est to be counted, as who sholde saye: wylt thou be counted a furtherer of iullyce, a good prince, a good coun [...]e [...]er: Then indeuour thy self to be such in dede. For vndoubtedly like as the shadowe foloweth the body, as a cōpaignion inseparable, euē to doth glory, renowme, and fame accōpany excelēt veues, worthy gestes, and noble qualityes, and that so moche the rather, if the same be vnloked [...]or. Of whiche [Page] thinge, albeit there want no goodly exemples euerye where aswell in prophane hystoryes as in the holye scryptures, yet this one acte of a woman & that a famous synner shall at this tyme suffyce. Mary Magdaleyne to whome bycause she loued moche, was moche forgyuen, at a souper in whiche Chryste was present, whyle her syster minystred at the table before all the gestes, of an excedinge zele and loue she bare to Chryste annoyted w t a ryght precyous oyntement his feete, and with the very heare of her heed dryed them agayne. Here I dare boldly saye this Magdaleyne loked for no fame by this facte, yet what answered Christ to suche as murmured against her & said, this oyntmēt might haue ben solde for moche money and giuen to the poore Uerely (sayth Chryst) I saye vnto you, where so euer this gospell shal be preached throughout all the world, this also that she hath done shal be told for a remembraūce of her.
But nowe to reflycte my oracyon vnto your mooste royall maiestie, surely I can not but be throughly perswaded as well by the conty [...]uall procedynges, as by the successe of thynges, that not onely your graces moost delyberate prouydence, but also the prudente counsels of certein of your maiesties faythful counseylours, haue not proceded of any ambiciō of name, but of a mere zele & ardent loue towardes the publyque weale, & furtheraūce o [...] gods sacred trouth. Wherfore where lo euer throughout the worlde the abolyshment of the bysshop of Romes vsurped power shal [Page] be bruted or cronicled, there also shal be reaported the most gloryous actes of Henry the eyght kynge or Englande, as chefe furderer and worker of the fame. And sēblably where so euer his maiesties noble actes shall be bruted there also shal not be forgotten the memory of certayne his counsellours, namely of the lorde Crumwell, so worthye a counselloure of so worthye a prynce.
But agayne lyke as renowme foloweth excellent vertues, so enuye pursueth hygh renowme. I saye, it is not possible but suche as haue the gouernaunce of thynges, and be in great authoritie shal be hated, maligned, enuyed, euyl spoken of amonges the multitude. Alexādre the great when it was shewed him that a certayne lende person had spokē many delyyteful wordes of him, answered to such as were aboute hym, Surely I tell you, it is princely & a thing appropryed to a great and noble man, that when he hath done well, he shall be reaported euyll. So erronyous is the iudgement of the people, so pestyferous is the enuye of malycious & despytefull persons. P [...]ocion the Atheniense was a coūsellour moche more profytable then pleasaunt. Demosthenes contraryly was rather a pleasaunt councellour then profytable. This studyed moch to folow thaffections of y e people the other egrely resysted the same with his holsome counsels, when on a tyme they mette togither, Demosthenes thus greted Phociō. By the goddes imortal, Phocyon, yf the people of Athens begyn ones to rage, they wyll [Page] surely kyll the. Trouth, sayde Phocion, they wyll kyll me in theyr rage, but the will they kyl, when they come to theyr ryght wyites. Doubteles (mooste myghtye and redoubted prince) it can not be dyssembled, but as certeyne or your graces counseyl be highly praysed, extolled, and magnityed of many: So agayne on the contrary part, they be enuyed, malygned, and hated of others, namelye of suche as either haue enuye at theyr vocacion, or be yet styll roted in theyr popyishe superstycion▪ Or these some perchaunce in theyr turyous rage, wolde desyre theyr deth.
But agayne the same yf at any tyme they shall retourne to theyr ryght wyttes, wyl rather wysshe (as not a fewe alredy haue done) the contu [...]ion of suche, as haue meynteyned them in theyr rebellyous suꝑsticiō. I meane the bysshop of Romes priuy adherentꝭ, who withoute questyon do hate all thinges that tend to the aduauncement of gods honour, & detection of theyr cloked hypocresye.
But as the lorde of hoostes hathe hythervnto protected and directed youre excellente maiestie and certayne of your moost faythfull counsayllours agaynste the mooste vngodlye and pestilent conspiracyes of youre ennemyes in all youre affayres: so I beseche him in suche wise to poure out his grace vpon the rest of your graces louynge subiect, as we all togither with one accorde, tolowynge your highnes as our heed and myghty shepeherde maye vtterly vomyt out of vs all papisticall venym, and hertely at laste imbrase the pure [Page] and syncere verite of gods moost holy worde. To the illustracyon and settynge forth wherof, as it is not vnknowen, howe moche your moost faythfull counseyllour myne olde mayster and synguler good lorde, my lorde priuy seale hath conferred and holpen, so of his studyous procedynges and circumspecte perseueraunce in the same, this onely thinge sufficiently declareth, that nowe of late he hathe impelled me to translate in to Englysshe this bake of Erasmꝰ Sarcerius, a treasure inestimable vnto chrysten men, in whiche boke he hathe so compendiously, so absolutely & frutfully handeled all the common places of the chrysten religyon, as neuer afore this tyme hath ben done of any, namely in suche forme.
A daungerous pece of worke doubteles, and full of diffycultie it is, so to handle these maters as shall in all poyntes satisfie the expectaciō of the readers, as declareth eloquently wrytinge to your most redoubted maiestie, the excellente clerke Philip Melanchthon in his epystle before his common places, whose iudgement this Sarcerius foloweth welnere in all thinges. Onely in this they differ, that Melanchthon dyrecteth his style to the vnderstandyng onely of the lerned persons well exercysed in scriptures. This tempereth his penne also to the capacitie of yonge student [...] of scripture and suche as haue not had moche exercise in the same.
Nowe it hathe ben an olde prouerbe and not w tout cause celebrate of all ages. Quot capita, to [...]sensus, so manye hedes, so many [Page] myttes, I graunte the godly and lerned men in the pryncipall articles of our faythe do not varye, but do constauntly synge all one note, yet neuerthelesse in other dysputable mattiers (in whiche it is not mete for euery man to wade) as predestynacyon, contyngencye, frewyll, & suche lyke, there hathe ben always, and yet is some dissencion, so that what one aloweth an other disprayseth, what one disꝑueth, an other approueth. And yet it can not be denyed but there is one symple infallible trouth who so can attayne it.
The cause of this blindnes is, that sithens the fall of Adam, at whiche tyme mankynde was depryued of the similitude of god, vnto whiche he was fyrste create, mans wytte hathe ben so darkened and his nature so spotted and cankred with the originall vice, that he can not but be wrapped in infinite errours. Onely god hathe perfecte intellygence, and is true in his wordes. Omnis autem homo mendax. There is no man but he lyeth, but he erreth, but he both disceyueth & is disceyued. Best is he that erreth leest. Saynt Augustyn wrote very moche, but agayne he retracted moche. It is not possyble for one man bothe to wryte moche, aud to write al thynges true that shall nede no reprehensyon. In a longe worke (sayth the poete Horace) a man maye other whyles lawfully slombre. Neyther do I speake this bycause I knowe any notable errour in Sarcerius.
But forasmoche as the iudgementes of men be variable, and namely in this kynde [Page] of wrytynge, it is very harde to satisfye all mens myndes: Therfore if either this excellēt clerke Erasmus Sarcerius in his writinges, or I in my translacion shall not throughly answere is your maiesties and other mens expectacion: It shal apperteyne to a christian modestie to interprete all thynges vnto the best parte.
As for exemple: It is not vnknowen what great alteracion hathe lately ben amonges lerned men concernynge frewyl. Some haue put frewyll in no thynges, some on the contrary parte haue gone aboute to meyntayne frewyll in all thynges. Agayne other goynge in the meane betwen both these extremes, as Melanchthou & this Sa [...]cerius, with many other excellent clerkes, haue denyed frewyl onely in spiritual mocyons and that also in such persons as be not yet regenerate and renued by the holy ghost, & yet in the mean season they take it not so awaye, but they leue them also in spirituall mocions a certeyn indeuour or willing, which indeuour neuerthelesse can fyni [...]she nothinge, onles it be holpen by the holy ghost. This (after my pore iudgement) is the ryghtest and truest waye.
But now, if accordynge to the varietie of mans iudgement, the same shall not forthw t appere to others, set them not incontinuently damne and gyue sentence of other mens writynges, but diligently enserche the scripture, which is the only rule & touche stone, wherewith we ought to trye the trouthe from the vntrouth, the pure and syncere doctrine from [Page] the corrupt & hypocriticall. If they shall fynd any thing ryghter or better then this doctrine let them louyngly imparte and communicate their waye vnto vs, yf not, let them vse this waye with vs.
But what so euer this boke is (for to your graces most exacte iudgement I refer it) lyke as by the īpulsion & cōmaundemēt of my said old master my iord priuy seale, I haue trāslated it ī to oue vulgare tong: So his lordship hath willed me (wher as els I wold not haue ben so bold) to offre and dedicate the same vnto your moost noble & redoubted maiestie, to thintent that where as he dyd lately p̄fer me vnto your graces seruice in y e office of y e signet (for what qualities he espied in me I can not tel) I might at lest testifie & declare vnto your highnes my prōpt & redye mynde to do your grace such pore seruice as to my habilite may extende. And so consequently that this boke vnder your maiesties protection and patrocinie may the more plausibly and gredyly be deuoured of the people, for whose only cause and edificacion youre hyghnes and suche as be your moost prudent counsaylers haue prouyded dyuers holsome bokes to be set forthe in englysshe.
In dilatyng of which ryght excedyng and hygh benefyte with infinyte other wrought to the inestimable vtilitie of the people, I wil not further at this present procede, onely I beseche our lorde, that lyke as your hyghnes hath hyther vnto with moost prudent, godly and gracyous meanes, wonderfullye holpen [Page] the state and publyke weale of youre graces most florishing realme, so your maiestie may procede, and to thende perceuerin y e same, to the glory of god, your highnes honour, vnitie of your subiectes, welthe of your realme, de [...]ogaciō of the bisshop of Romes vsurped power, reioyse of your welwillers, confusion of your graces aduersaries. Thus most myghty, most hygh, and most gracious soueraygne lord I commit your hyghnes to the holye Trinite, to whome be all honour, prayse, and glorye for euermore. Amen.
[Page i]A COMPENDIOVS FORME of teaching or discipline, declaring the cōmon & pryncipal places of our chrireligiō, wonderfull necessary to all such as be desirous to know gods trouth, and his sacred worde.
Of God. CAPI. I.
GOD is one certein diuine being or essencie, What god is. cōsistyng of thre persons: that is to wete, god y e father, the son, and holy ghost.
This diffinition is approued of holy scripture, Aprobacion. which by y e name of godheed, calleth these thre persōs, as more playnly shall appere in the perticular intreating of eche person.
¶By the determinacion of the coūsell of Nice. What god is by the coūsell of Nyce. God is one diuyne beinge or essencie, which both is called, & also is god, eternal, vnbodily, vnꝓtable, animmense power, wisdom, goodnes the maker and preseruer of all thinges, bothe visible & inuisible, and yet thre persōs of al one being, & power euerlastinge: the father, sonne, and holy ghost.
¶God is not deuided in ꝑtes, No partes of god. Deut. vi. for there [...]s but one god. Herke, o Israel, (saith y e scripture) the lord thy god is one lord. [Page] But forasmoch as holy scripture assigneth diuine essentie to thre, therfore y e fathers haue found out the name of ꝑson, to auoyde many errours. Now, by the name of parson is mēt a substaūce indiuisible, Of god no cause. vnderstandyng. &c.
¶Forasmoche as god hym selfe is the creatour and maker of all, Rom [...] [...]. xi. d therfore he hath no cause of his beīg. For as Paul sayth: who hath giuen vnto him first, that he myght be recompensed agayn? So that god (as witnesseth also Gregory) is onely cause of causes.
¶Theffectꝭ & workes of god be these: The effectes of god. Roma. [...]. b to creat & maynteyn y t he hath created. For the power & diuinite of god (sayth Paul) is euerlastīg. Now, the power & diuinite of god to be euerlastynge, is nought els, but y t god createth gouerneth & mainteyneth his creatures euer lastīgly. In hī (as it is said in y t actꝭ) we liue, Act. [...] vii. Psal. cxlv [...]. we moue, & we haue our being. He giueth (sayth y e prophet) escā oī carni, meat to euery creature. Also his effectꝭ be: To loue his creatures bycause he maynteyneth thē. Exodi. xx. Roma. ij. Psal. cxlij. To be merciful paciēt, piteful. To heare his humble suters, for: Prope est deꝰ inuocātibus eū: God is at hād to thē y • cal vpō him. To forgiue sin̄es, for only god by him self [Page ii] is rightous. To punish sinnes, Nume. xliii. 1. Reg. ii. Deut. xxxii. for he visiteth y e wickednes of y e fathers vpō their childrē (as Moses saith) in to the third & fourth generacion. To bryng down to the graue, & to fetch vp again. To kyll & make alyue agayne. These workꝭ and effectes of god be not casual or accidental, but naturally appropriate to god and euerlastyng.
¶Cōtrary to god, Contraryes to god. is what so euer is repugnaunt to him & his nature, as: To deny w t the Symonians that god made the world. To graūt with Basilides that god is a created mynd. To graūt with Colobarsus & others, y t beside one true god, there is yet an other furious god, which is also maker of the world. To graūt w t the Gnostickes, y e nature of god to be a substaūce of soules. To graunt w t the Appellites, y t there is one god good, and an other bad, made of y • good. To graūt w t the Anthropomorpihtes, god to be an ymage of a corruptible mā. To graūt w t the Manichees two goddes. To graunt with the Epicurians, that god regardeth not mēs maters. To graunt that god knoweth not some thynges. To bynd god to any certeyn place. For in y e boke of Deuteronomie thou shalte rede thus: Deut. [...] Vnderstād [Page] [...] [Page ii] [...] [Page] therfore, & turne in to thy hert that the lord he is god in heuē aboue, & in erth beneth. To graunt w t the philosophers, that god is an element. To graunt w t some philolophers, that god had beginning. To graunt y • god any other way maye be lerned and vnderstand then by his worde.
Of god the father. CA. II.
GOd the father, What god the [...]ather is. is fyrst parson in Trinite, first cause of our saluacion, which hath blessed vs with all maner spiritual blessyng in heuēly thynges by Christ, & which hath chosē vs before the foūdacion of the world y • we shold he holy & withoute blame before hym, and which hath predestinate and ordeyned vs to be his chyldren of adopcion, through Christ Iesu.
This difinitiō is certein, Probacion. Ephe. i. a. No cause of the father. takē forth of saint Paules epistle to y • Ephesiās.
¶The father hath no former causes, but is hym selfe the cause of all.
¶This affirmeth [...]. Austin in his boke Detrinitate & vnitate dei. ca. ij. saying: the father hath giuē to all y t be, y e cause of their being, No diuision of the father. & him self hath receyued the cause of his being of none other.
¶God the father is one only person, [...] [Page iii] not the father, sonne & holy ghost togither, as certaine heretikes haue taught. Theffectes of the father. ¶The effectes of God the father be after a worldly maner gathered of the fatherly affections & circūstaunces whiche be incident to an erthly father, to thintent that we mortall men may the better vnderstande y • workynges & propertyes of god the father, as, To loue. To cherysshe his. To haue care of his. To chasten his, that he may saue them. To nourysh his. These offycies or workes of the father be eternal, euē as he is eternal. More offycies or effectes euerye where in scripture do appere, where mē tion is made of the louynge kyndenes towardes man of god the father. And hervnto maye also be added the workes a litle afore attributed to god, for y e scripture calleth y e father by his own ꝓpre name god. But albeit after thexāple of an humane father, y • properties of god y • father be set forth, yet he exercyseth thē not after mās fassyō, for god was other wise affected than is mā. A worldly father may promise his son a thing, & afterward not fulfyl the same. But god y • heuēly father deceiueth not, but kepeth promyse: accordīg to the wordes of Balā y • prophet where he saith. God is not [Page] as a mā y t be can lye, nor as y e son of mā y • he cā be chaūged. Also it manye times chaūceth y • the worldly father regardeth not his son, but god our spiritual father can not forget his children. Contraryes or heresies. ¶It is repugnaūt to this doctrine, To deny god the father to be y • first cause of oue saluaciō. To graū [...] god the father to haue had beginning. To graūt w t the Archontikes, y t the god of the law & of the prophetꝭ is not y e father of christ To giaūt with the Sabellians, y • the selfe father is the son & the holy ghost. Also that y e father suffred. To graunt with the Metangismonites, that the son is in the father, as one vessel in an other: whiche errour at this day the folysshe annabaptistes haue renued. To graunt that the officies or workes of god the father shal at any tyme cease.
Of god the Son. CA. III.
GOd the son Iesus Christ, what god the sonne is. seconde parsō in Trinite, is the expresse & sufficiēt ymage of y e inuisible god wherin the wyl of god y • father shineth apparaūtly, & wherin mā as it were ī a glasse may behold what thīg he ought to do y • myght please god the father.
¶The Christ is y e expresse ymage of y e father, Probacions of this diffinition. is ꝓued by the epistle to the Habrues [Page iiii] where it is writē thus, Ebre. [...] which son being y e bryghtnes of his glory, & express ymage of his substaūce. &c. Also that he is thymage of the iuinsible god, is confyrmed by S. Paule to the Coll. Coll os. i. e sayng which is the ymage of y e iu [...]sible god, first begottē of al creatures. ii. Cor. iiii. [...] Of the shynyng of the father ī Christ speketh P [...] where he sayth. For it is god y t cōmaū ded the lyght to shyne out of darknesse, who hath shyned ī your hertes to gyue lyght of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of Iesu Chryst. i. Pet. ii. d Finally ī the .j. epis. of S. Pe. Christ is ꝓpowned vnto vs an exēple whō we shold folow ¶Chryst is the very & the onely son of god, An other diffinitiō of god the sonne. begottē without beginyng of god y • father, veray god, not made, but wich hath ben at y e beginyng, [...]gal to the father, ꝓmysed of the father vnto Adā braham, & other holy fathers, to reden mankynde lost by the fal of the first prētes, very man, born of the virgin [...] ry, which to take away the synꝭ of th [...] hole worlde suffered, & was crucifyed, which the thyrd day rose agayn to lyfe syttīg now on the right hā [...] of god the father. a mediatour for al y t beleue ī him frōwhens also he shal ons com to iudg the quycke and deed.
¶Probacions of this diffinicion.
¶Thou art my son, Psal. ii. I haue this day begottē y •. And agayn: I shal be father vnto him, & he shal be my son. Also in the gospel. Math. ii. Out of Egypt haue I called my son. The father also sayd him self. This is my wel beloued son. Math. iii. Undoubtedlye Christ is the very son of god (that is to wete) y e natural son, begotten of the father, euē as lyght of lyght, but w tout begīnyng, none otherwise thē wordes are begotten of thinges. Iohan. i. a As Iohn̄ in the .i. cha. sayth. And the word was god. Tho was also cried whā he felt his maisters sydes. Roma. ix. My god. Moreouer Paul calleth Christ god. Collos. ii. c And to y • Collossiās he writeth, y • in him dwelleth all y e fulnes of y t godhed corporally. But ye shal vnder stande that Christ is in such wise god & y e son, as he is not after mans maner begotten, Iohan. i. a nor as a treasure made. For S. Iohn̄ in his gospel beginneth thus of y • second parson, saying. In the beginning was y • word. &c. whervnto Paul agreeth in his epistle to y • Philippiās, Philip. ii. where he writeth: which whan he was egal to god. [...]o here he maketh the son egal w t the father. Also Christ saith him self I & my father be one. Now, to Adā promise was made of Christ in .gene. iij. To abraham [Page v] in .gē. xii. &. xvij. To thother holy fathers the promises made be spred in sūdry places of scriptur. The end of the promyses is the redempciō of mākynde gen. iij. Ipsum conterer caput tuū, Gene. iii. that is to say: That sede (meanīg Christ) shal treade the on thy heed. Gene. xvii In gen. xvij. to Abraham he sayd: In thy sede al naciōs shalbe blessed. The occasiō of the redemption was the dāpnaciō gottē by y • fall of the fyrst parētes. Of the manhode of Christ teacheth vs the prophet esay, saying: Lo a vyrgyn shall conceyue. Esaie. vij. Also y e epist. Ebre. ij. d to the. Hebr. where it sayth, In all thīges it became hī to be made like vnto his brethren, that he might be merciful The cōmen Crede saith: Borne of y t virgyn Mary, which proueth also the rest, how Christ suffered, & was crucyfyed. Also how he rose ageyn which was for this only purpose to take away the sinꝭ of y e hole world. This was long before ꝓphecyed of esay which saith. Esaie. liii. a But he was woūded for our wickednes, he was smyttē for our offēces. And Iohn̄ in his epi. i. Iohan. ij. d saith for the sinnes of y e hole world. And lest we shold thinke y e Christe hath now fully executed his office & hath nothyng a do, ye shal vnderstād that he sitteth on y t ryght hād of God y e father making [Page] intercession for vs. Ro [...]a. viii. f. This testefyeth S. Paul saying. which also is on y e right hand of god & which maketh intercessiō for vs. And at last he shal com at his secōd cōming to declare him self the son of god in maiestie y t y e good may be glorified & the wicked destroyed as witnes the crede or simbol Apostilique & y e. xxv. chap. of theuangelist Mathew.
AS touching creatiō or being, No causes of Christ. Christ hath no cause for he neither was creted nor had his begīning of any other, but was frō y e begīning to gither w t y e father as S. Iohn̄ writeth. Ioh. ii. a In the beginning was y e word & y e word was w t god. But forasmoch as y • scriptur calleth Christ y e son, After a maner of the father is cause of the son. therfore in respect of y e father to discerne the ꝑsōs & their officies (after y • vsage of scriptur) we make y e father cause of y e son, No diuision. of Chryst. al humane cogitaciō laid away ¶Christ is one, one ꝑson in t [...]inite made mā being him self god for our cause not y t he is two or diuers thinges but is very god & mā, neither so y t he is seuerally prest, & kinge, prest in the spirituall kingdome & king in the kingdom of y e world but is togither prest & king in the spiritual Psal. [...]. kingdom for euermore.
THE workes or officies of Christe ought to be gathered of the hole Christ Theffectes or workes of Chryst. [Page vi] which now sitteth on y e right hād of god the father very god & mā, the workes of his māhod, as to eat, drīke, slepe, wake, & such like, now y t he is glorified be ceased, neither came christ to y • purpose y • he shold exercise thē ꝑpetually. But besides those effectes & workes of the manhode there be yet other apꝑteyning chefly to our saluaciō which shal īdure ꝑpetualli as. To saue the people frō their sinnes. To take away the sinꝭ of the world / as Iohn̄ baptist witnesseth saing, beholde the lābe of god which taketh away y e sinnes of y • world. To iustify, as y • Apostle Paul recordeth sayīg. Being thē iustifyed of faith by Iesu Christ. Roma. v [...] Esaie. lui. To satisfy for our sinnes. i. Iohan. j. a To be a mercystocke for our synꝭ, as Iohn̄ thapostle writeth in his epistle. To be our mediatour & peax maker, Gala. ii▪ to become y e prest & bisshop for euermore, Timo. ii. as in the .cix. psalm app [...]reth. Psul cix. And y • bycause of intercession as wytnesseth Paul to the Roma. Roma. viii. saying. which also maketh intercessiō for vs. Also thapostle Iohn̄ where he sayth. i. Iohan. ii. Bicause we haue Christ our spokesmā or aduocate w t the father. To be king & captayne. To be lord ouer the people of god Iere. Hiere. xi. Hiere. xv. Eze. xxxii ii. e xv. To be y e only shepherd & bisshop of his chutche as ezechiel. did prophecye sayinge I [Page] wyl raise vp vnto them (saith god) one only shepherd euē my seruaūt Dauid he shal fede thē & he shalbe their shepherd. By Dauid is vnderstande christ cōming of the stocke of Dauid. Iere. xxiii. b I the lord wilbe their lord & my seruaūt Dauid shalbe their prince. To this accordeth the prophet Ieremy, sayīg. Behold the time cōmeth (saith the lord) that I wyl rayse vp the rightous braunche of Dauid whiche shall rule. i. Pet. i. d And S. Peter where he saith, ye were as shepe going astray, but now ye are cōuerted vnto the shepherd & bysshop of your soules. To be y e hed of his church. Collos. i [...] And he is y • heed saith s. Paul of y • body of y e church. Ephes. i. And to the Ephes. he saith. And he hath giuē hī to be hed ouer al vnto y e church. Also to the Colossiās. Collos ii. d Not obteyning the hed wherof al the body by iointes & couples receyuing nourisshmēt & beyng cōpacte & kny [...] togither encreseth w t y e increace of god. i. Pet. ii. To be y e hed corner stone elected & precious. Ecce pono in Siō lapi [...]ē. Lo I put in Ston a stone. Esaie. xxviii. &c. To be the foū daciō of al saintes as Paul saith. Builded vpon the foundacion of thapostles and prophetes. Ephe. ii. These and semblable effectes or officies of Christe appeare in holy scriptur, of which many y e bisshop of Rome doth fōdly & folisshly chalēge vnto him cōtrary to y e eternal shepherd [Page vii] ship & bysshoperich of Chryst. But in gatherynge these officies & propertyes of Christ, ye must take good hede leest bycause of his .ij. natures ye chaūce to fall in errour. For whē we speke of y e officies & workes of Christ, we speke of the hole Christ as he now sitteth on the ryghte hand of god, very god and man. Contraryes or heresyes. ¶Bycause Chryst Iesu the son of god is one, for whose cause we be reputed rightous and do please god. Therfore there haueben many which by y • instituciō of Sathā, haue studied to take away, diminish & plucke from vs this Christ. And al y e herisyes agaynst Christ do cōsiste for y e moste part in y e diminisshing & derogatiō either of y e parson or of y e workes of Christ as. To graūt w t y e Arrians that Christ is not naturally god albeit they graūt y e (word) to be ꝑson. To giūte w t Paul Samosatensis y t the word or (as it is called in greke) Logos, That whiche is verbū, y • is to say worde in the latyn translacion is in Greke (in whiche tonge [...]. Iohū wrote his Gospell) logos, which signifyeth indifferently [...] worde, and a thoughte of mynde. is not a ꝑsō but only y e thought or knowlege of y e father all one w t the father. To graūte w t Seruetus that y e (word) was no parson before it toke mās nature. To graūt w t y e Sabellians & priscillanistes y e Christe is the same y t the father is To graūt w t the Donatistes y e Christ y e son is of lesse power thā y e father. To graunte w t the [Page] [...] [Page vii] [...] [Page] Metāgismonites y • Christ y e son did [...] in to the father as a lesse vessell in to a greter vessel. To graūt with the Appol [...] linaristes, that the flesh of Christe & the word haue al one substaūce. To graunt with certeyn Origeniās that Christ is a creature. To graunt with certeyn other Origenians that Christ it he be cōpared with other holy mē is the trouth self but if he be cōpared to y e father, so is he a lie or lesing, & that Christ doth so moch differ from the father as thapostles do frō Christ. To graūt with the Necians that the self Christ is father & holy ghost. To graunt with the Sethians that Christ is the son of Noye. To graūte with the Carpocratians y e Iesus was but man & naturally born of father & mother & receiued a soule which knew those thīges that were heuenly. To graūt w t the Symonians y • Christ did neither come nor suff [...]e any thing of the Iewes, but that one Simō in the time of Tiberius came to the peoples thinking in the parson of the son. To graūt with the Ualentiniās y e Christ sēt of the father brought with him a spiritual & heuēly body and that he toke nothing of Mary but passed by her only as thorow a pipe of a cōdite or conueyaūce. This heresy one Pelli [...]ica [...] [Page viii] us at this day hath renewed. To graūt with the Archontikes y • Christ was not born of woman neither had any flesh in dede or dyed or suffred any thing, but y • be fayned his passion. To graūt with y • Appellites y t Christ neither brought his flesh with him from heuen neither toke [...]t of Mary, but gat it of the elemētes of the worlde which he rendred again to y e world ascending againe without flesshe in to heuē. To graūt with y e Paulines that Christ was not euer, but y t he toke his beginning of Mary & that he was a pure man. To graūt with the Manichees y t Christ came only to deliuer mēs soul & not the bodies. And y t Christ was not in very flesh but shewed to our sēses a counterfait shape of flesh, & neither dyed ne rose againe. To graunte with certeyn heretikes that Christ was alway, but not alway the son, which name (they say) he fyrst receyued when he was born. To graunt with one Marcus y t Christ not veryly but opinatiuely suffred. Opinatiuely, is to our thynkynge opinion. To graūt w t certayne olde [...] heretikes that y e godhede of Christ suffred whan his flesh was hanged on the crosse. To graūt w t y e Seleucians that Christ sitteth not in flesh at the right hand of god the father but hath put it of and laid it in the son, [Page] takinge occacion of the ps [...]lme y • sayth. In sole pasuit tabeenaculum suum. y t is he hath put his tabernacle in the son. O grosse heretikes. The heresye of the papisteꝭ To graūt with some y • y • hole Christ sitteth not on y e right hād of god the father. To graūt that the for said officies of Christ be executed only in heuē of him, & that the same are to be excercysed here in erth of the pope, cōtrary to the place of y e psalm before remēbred. Tues sacerdos in eternū. Thou art the prest for euermore, And cōtrary to y e eternall bisshoprych of Christ. To graunt y t there is an other mercymaker, The herysie of sayntmen. mediatour & itercessour for our sinꝭ thē Christ as they do, which set vp sayntes by workes ī place of Christ. To say y t Christ only merited or deserued vnto vs y e first grace only inclyning vs to loue god, but y t we be saued by our workes. To saye w t the Nazereis & diuers other false Apostles y t the rites & ceremonyes of the olde law [...] be necessary to Christen men.
Of the holy ghost. CA. iiii.
THe holy ghost is the third persō in trinitie, what the holy ghost is. verye god, not made nor created nether begottē, but ꝓcedīg of the father & son & flowyng from the father and son togither substancially to thiutē [...] he might leade vs into al trouth [Page ix] illuminate & ballowe vs to the trouth, and kepe vs ī y e same, expownyng, declarynge & glorifienge Chryst, confermyng the inherytaūce receyued in Chryste for whiche he is also put as a pledge or ernest by god the father.
THAT the holy ghost is y e thyrd ꝑsō in trinitie & veri god, Probecions of this distinition. the places & texces of scripture folowīg do proue. Mat. xxviii. b In y e gospel of Mat. Christ cōmaūdeth his disciples to baptise al nacions ī y e name of y e father y e son & tholy ghost. This ꝓueth tholi ghost to be y e thyrd & also a distinct ꝑson, i. Iohan. v. b. S. Iohā also in his epistle ꝓueth the same, sayng. The father, son, & holy ghost these .iij. be one. In Gen. Gene. i. a the fyrst chap. also is wrytē. that the spirit of the lorde was born vpō the waters. Itē in the spal. Cxxxix. whither shall I go frō thy spirite. Psal. cxxxix. b Iohan. i. e Also in Io. i, And I saw the spirite of the lord as a doue. Nowe, the holy gost is therfore god, forasmoch as he quickneth, halloweth & cōfor [...]eth the inward myndes which work? cā not be but appropered to y e godhed. Moreouer syth scriptur assineth these workꝭ to the holy ghost it wil haue vs trust suerly to tholy ghost, y t he both wyll & maye performe y • same. But to trust, is a worship ānexed to god onely. The article of our [Page] faith techeth the same, I beleue ī y e holy ghost. Furthermore were we sayd y • tholi ghost is not made nether created this we added for thauoidīge of the name of creature. Gendred or begottē he is not, for the scripture vseth the word ofprocedīg, For tholy ghost is said to procede of the father & sō [...]e, as chryst hym selfe sayth in the gospel of Io. Iohan. xv. d whē y t coūfortour cōmeth whome I shal sēd you. &c. whiche procedeth of my father, he shall beate wytnesse of me. Loo here ye se y t y e holy ghost is sent of Chryste & ꝓcedeth of y e rather, & that the father & the sone be discerned from tholy ghost. That substācially tholy ghost floweth of the father & son is added leest y • sholdest think tholy ghost is ifetiour to the other two ꝑsons. saynt Augustyne [...] For as s. Augu. in his .vi. boke dec [...]ni. sayth. Tholy gost is sōwhat cōmō (as moche as it is) to y e father & son, but this cōmēnesse is cōsubstāciall & coeternall. The other parte of the diffinicyon is clere & ꝓued by the .xiii [...]. xv. xvi. chap. of the euage. Io. where the said work? & offycies of tholye ghoste be descrybed. That finally tholy ghost is an etnest or pledge gyuen vs of god, ii. Cort [...]. l. Ep [...]e. i. Roma. viii. b it is red in dyuers places of Paules apys [...]īes.
¶Tholt ghost ī respect of his beīg hath [Page x] no cause sith at the begīning he is with the father and son, No causes of tholy ghostes being. euerlasting god. But in respect of proceding, the father & son be in maner as causes. For as before is shewed, tholy ghost is said to procede of y e father & therfore somtime in scripture he is called y • spirite of y • father, as Christ saith. Iohū. xv. d It is not you that speake but the spirite of your father. And other whiles he is said to be y e spirite of y • son as where thapostle saith. Math. x. c. God hath sēt y • spirite of his son into your hertes. And in an other place. Roma. viii. b. He that hath not y e spirite of Christ, y e same is none of his. ¶Tholy ghost is one, No partes of thoiy ghost. & the third ꝑson in trinite called by sondry names ī scripture as in y e psalm, Iohū. ii. c. d & in y e epistle of Iohū y • is called an vnctiō or an anointīg. Psal. xliui. b I [...] y • gospel of Iohn̄ a cōfor [...]our. Iohū. x vi. b. Paul calleth him the ernest of our inheritaunce. Ephe. i. b. Otherwhiles this word spiritus (in englisshe ☞ spirite) is takē very largely, The significations of spiritus. for a styrring, a mouing natur or power, for the wind, for lyfe, for mociōs or passiōs created in mē, as wel good as euyl. Gen. viii. a Iohan. iiii. e Iohū. iiii. c But ī this place it sinifieth a spritual nature for as Christ testifyeth god is a spirite. Theffectes or offices of tholy gost may be nōbred these [...] Tgeffectes of the holy ghost. To leade into al trouth To cal, to lightē vnto the trouth: This [Page] he worketh by y e word preached. Iohū. xvi. To hallow, to preserue in trouth. These workynges appere euery where in scriptur. To expoūd, to declare, Iohū. xiiii. xv. and .xvi. to gloryfy Christ To reproue the world of iustice, of syn, & of iudgement. Iohan. xvi. b Roma. viii. To comfort, wherby he is called a cōfortour. To confirme the cō sciences vpon the trouth of the word, & vpon thinheritaūce receyued in Christe. To endow the church with al maner of gyftes. i. Corint. xii. Roma. xii. Actes .ii. a. To gyue that we may speake w t fyered tongues, that is, that mightely & boldly we may cōfesse y e word. To make new the hole mynde of man, ☞ frō whēce afterward do procede spirituall frutes true fayth, Gala. v. true awe of god, charitie and such like, for y e law can not truly be done enlesse first y e holy gost be receyued, whō Christ giueth. ☞ To prospere & further the word preached y t it may spedyly go forward. And for this cause thapostle wissheth oftētimes y e holy gost to be giuē to y e churches. Ro. viii. d. Roma. viii. i. Corin. xii Lu [...]. xii. To help our infirmities. To pray for y e weake. To serch y e depthes of god. To reche what to answere ꝑsecutours. To be a tokē of y e true liberty & ē fraūchemēt frō the curse of the law accordīg to Paul y t saith. Where y e spirite of y e lord is, there is lidertie. Now, tholy gost is called y e sprite of y e lord bicause y e [Page xi] lorde sendeth & giueth it. Of these workes or officies of y e holy gost, ☞ some tholy ghost worketh by the worde, & other some by inwarde operacion w toute the worde preached. And albeit y e outward preaching of the word shal ones cease, yet such officies of tholy ghost shal not cease as be euerlasting, like as him self is euerlasting, & worketh by the euerlasting & vnperishable word. Moreouer the holy ghost is come to execute y e said officies, not of him self, but sent of god the father, & giuen of Christ the sonne. Wherfore also tholy ghost can not be present without Christ.
TO this doctrine, & to the nature of y e holy ghost is cōtrary: Contraries or heresies. To say, after thopinion of the Grekes, y e tholy gost ꝓcedeth not of the father and son ioyntly, but onely of the father. To graunt w t certein Origenians, y e tholy ghost is a creature. To say w t the Macedoniās tholy gost is not of the same substaūce or being, of which god y e father & y e son is but a creature. To say at this time w t Cāpan • y t the holygost is not y • .iij. Campanu [...]. ꝑson in Trinite. To holde w t the Noecians tholy ghost is vnlike to the father. To graunte with the Donatistes y e tholy ghost is inferiour to the father & son. [Page] To say w t certeyn heretikes, y t the self holy gost is not giuē, but only his giftꝭ which is not tholy ghost owne self. Against whō disputeth s. Ang. Augstine libro .xv. detrinitate To graūt w t certein Anabapti [...]es y t tholy gost is not a ꝑson of y • trinite, but only a doue which god myraculously did send ones or twise. Anabaptistꝭ To graunt w t other Anabaptistes, tholy ghost is only a power of y e father & son, & not a god or a parsō of him self. To say against y e opē text in the actes of y e apostles, Actes. ii. [...] Ioel. i. g. the ꝓmise made of tholy ghost vnto the apostles, was first fulfylled in certeyn heretikes named y e Cataphriges & the Manichees. To graūt a mā may atteyn to y e knowlege of the trouth or word w tout tholy ghost. To graūt y • any mā may continue in y e trouth which he hath ꝓfessed w tout the assistēce of tholy ghost. To graūt any ꝑson may be borne again in to a new life & workes alowed of god w tout tholy ghost. To graūt w t the folish papistes, The heresie of papistes. y • the pope is here in erth the executer of the holy ghost, ☞ he to declare & expound the wil of Christ. To graūt & defend to the blasphemous reproche of the holy ghost, y t all papisticall counsels, O intollerable ātichristꝭ. yea thoughe they be repugnaunt to the open word & glory of [Page xii] Chryst haue proceded, & he confyrmed of the holy ghost.
Of predestination. CA. V.
PRedestinatiō is y e sure p̄ordinaūce of god, The definition of predestonation. wherby all thingꝭ come to passe, aswel inwarde, as outward workꝭ & thoughtꝭ, ī al creatures according to y e appoyntmēt of his wil.
THIS diffinitiō to be good, probation of the definiciō Ephesi. i. Math. x. c. is ꝓued by s. Paul, where he saith, god worketh al thingꝭ according to the coūsel of his wil. Also our sauiour Christ saith. Are not .ij. sparows sold for a farthing, & none of thē falleth on the groūd w tout your father. To this agreeth Salomō in his ꝓuerbes saying. Pro. xvi. a. The lord worketh al thingꝭ for him self, yea & the wicked also to the euil day. Paul to y e Ephesi. Ephesi. i. b. ii. Timo. [...]. c according to y e pleasure of his wil. Also to Timothe. Accordīg to his purpose & grace. But forasmoche as al creatures hāg of thordinaūce of nature, whiche god of his fre will hath ordeyned, therfore all thynges do not folowe ne come to passe of mere and symple necessitie, but by the ꝓcesse and course of nature so of good ordeyned. Yea & also in mens thoughtes & winges there is a fre choyse, and therfore synnes do procede [Page] & haue therfore ꝓceded of the free choyse of mā. But to chintent a mās cō science may be defēded & armed frō despayre, if we wil wisely speke of predestinacion, we must fetch our beginnīg at the gospel, which is an vniuersal ꝓmyse. And we must euermore haue recourse to predestinacion of condicion, wherof we shal speke hereafter, as for exēple: Yf the children of Israel shall walke in my cōmaūdementes, they shal be saued. Yf y u shalt receiue the gospell, thou shalt be saued. Augustine de p̄destinatiōe capi▪ [...] ▪ Wherfore s. Austin also agreeth, saying. God did predestinate man to be obedient vnto him, & to absteyn frō tas [...]ing of the apple y t was forbodden him: but yf he wold be disobedient, to dye. Suche is thende of the hole predestinacion (as farforth as apperteyneth to mē) y t we shold know we be predestinate vpō this cōdicion, y t yf we receiue y e word, we shal be the children of god, whom god hath chosen, to make vs his childrē by adopcion, Ephes. i [...] as s. Paul writing to the Ephesians declareth. And this condicion is proued by the vniuersal ꝓmyse of y • gospel. Now y e some of vs be damned, this is bicause we byleue not [...]he pospel. Wherfore also thapostle saith: ii. Timo ii. d Yf a man wil purge [Page xiii] self frō such (meaning wicked doctrines, for of thē he spake a litle before) he shal be a vessel sanctified vnto honour, mete for the lorde, & prepared vnto all good workes. Also herevnto perteyne such places of scripture as do promise an vniuersal grace, wherby a mans cō sciēce ought to lyft it selfe vp agaynst such assaultes as his reason maketh of predestinaciō, as this vniuersal ꝓmise. God willeth all men to be saued. i. Timo. ii. [...] Eze. xxxiii. [...] Math. xi. d God willeth not the deth of the sinner, but y t he turne & do repentaūce. Also: Come vnto me (sayth Christ) al ye y • labour & are laden, & I shal refresh you. Undoubtedly it is an extreme madnes a man to vexe his mynde w t vnfrutful questions cōcernīg p̄destinaciō, where as he may cōfort him self w t the general ꝓmise of grace, and w t sure tokēs y t he is chosen to be saued as be these tokens: to giue credite to the gospel, Tokens of elections. to desire & to receyue mercy offred by the gospel, to endure in fayth to the last end. It is gret foly to doubt whether y u be predestinat vnto saluacion, when thou hearest the worde, whan y u bileu [...]st the word, wh [...] thou deli [...]est in y • word. It is an other maner of thing w t the wicked persons, which can not but be vncerteyn & euer [Page] in doubt, bicause they lacke the worde which who so euer hath not, must nedꝭ be vtterly destitute of all solace, yea such be ꝯstrained to despaire & to think al euil of p̄destinacion. Wonder it is y • p̄destinatiō doth so tormēt mēs mindes sithēs nothing is more certeyn then y t the same is set forth vnto vs to our cō fort, Roma. viii. f. so y t by pacience & consolacion of scriptures we might haue hope. And no doubt if y • most diligeht apostle s. Paul had wist predestinacion shold haue hindered the cōfortes of godly persons, he wold not so oft haue made mencion of it in his epistles.
BVT forasmoch as some mē receiue not the gospel, & therfore ꝯsequētly do perish, it is now to be sene how they deserue there dānaciō if p̄destinacion taketh away y • libertie of our wil (as valla & others haue thought) I se not how Ualla. god can be excused y t he is not causer of synnes, Augustyne. quest. xxiii. wherfore S. Aug. semeth very rightly to saye in this wise. It is very folyshly spokē y t the p̄destinatiō of god worketh ī al mē, whether it be to good or to euil, so y t to eyther of thē mē be of a certeyn necessitie cōpelled, sithens in the good men a wil is to be vnderstāde not w tout grace, and in the euill men a [Page xiiii] wil is also to be vnderstande without grace, which wordes of Aug. may thus be declared. In y • we receyue the good, bileue the word, & kepe it to thend, this ꝓcedeth of grace, which prepareth our wil, which our wil afterward doth bileue the worde & desireth & receyueth y • ꝓmise offred by y • worde. On y • ꝯtrary part, in y t the euil men receyue not y t is good, nor bileue the word, yea & if they bileue it, do again forsake it to their dā nacion, this cōmeth of their frewil in which they stande euil & wicked ꝑsons forsakē of god, whō god may iustly forsake, as it shal be sene vnto him.
¶An other diffinition of predestinatiō against y e assaultes of reasō subtelly disputing in mens consciences vpon predestination.
PRedestinacion is a sure election by which god hath elected vs in hī self afore y • creacion of the world, Another diffinicion. to thend we might be holy & fautles before him by charite, to make vs his sōnes thrugh Iesu Christ in him self, according to y • pleasure of his wyl.
¶The ꝓbaciō of this diffinition.
THIS hole diffinitiō is takē forth of Ephe. i. a [Page] Paul. The ꝑson y • choseth is god. And where as we sayd in hī, & before y e creation of the world, by this we exclude y • merites of our workes, as the exemple of Iacob & Esau brought in of Paule in his epistle to y • Romayns declareth. The final cause of predestination, Roma. ix. is y t we might be holy. &c. by Iesus Christ which wordes also take away merite. The cause efficient of predestinacion, is the pleasure of gods wyl.
¶Now, y t predestination is not our defert, The causes of predestinacyon. & that of it no cause resteth in vs agaynst the scholemē opēly appereth by the open places of scripture, as in the text before remēbred of Paul, Ephe. i. b accordīg to y • pleasure of his wil. Also in y • late [...] epistle to Timo, ii. Timoth. i. [...] where he saith, which hathe saued vs, and called by an holye vocacion, not accordynge to oure dedes, but accordynge to his owne purpose and grace. Furthermore writyng to the Romayns, he maketh the mercye of god the cause of election, where he concludeth sayinge. It lyeth not in mans wyl or running, Roma. ix. c but in the mercy of god. S. Augustyn To this agreeth Aug. sayinge. Elegit deus quos voluit gratuitamīa. God hath chosen whō he wolde of his free mercye. Also in an other place he [Page xv] sayth: Predestinatio est diuine volūtatis ꝑ gratiā electio. That is, p̄destinaciō is the electiō of gods wil by grace.
OF predestination there may be .ij. partꝭ. The partes of predestinacion. The one is called predestinatiō of alligacion, & the other predestinatiō of cōdiciō, according to the diuisiō of Aug. in his boke of predestinaciō. Predestinacion of alligacion. Alligacion is the necessite of thingꝭ presēt, as whē a thing is sene to be present by gods foresyght, y t same must nedes be, although it hath no necessite of nature as y t all men be mortal, it is necessary, god so prouydyng. Predestinacion of condicion. Predestinatiō of cō dicion, is: as yf Adam eat of this apple he shal dye. Yf Israel shal walke in the way of the lord, & shal kepe his cōmaū demētes, he shal be saued. If y u recyuest the gospel & styckest fast thervnto to y • end of thy life, y u shalt be saued, but if y u receyuest it not, y u shalt be damned. In this part of predestinatiō we ought to comfort our cōsciēce, whē we be vexed w t the iudgemēt of reason, contrary to the vniuersal ꝓmesse of the gospel. But of these partes we shalll speke more in the title of cōtingēcie or chaūce, which chaūce bicause the aūcient fathers of y • church wold not take away, they seme to haue inuēted the foresayd partes.
[Page] THE principal effect of p̄destinatiō is set forth in scripture to be iustificatiō, which is greatly in y • mater of p̄destinatiō to be cōsidered, The effectes of predestinacion. yf we couet to saue our cōsciēce that it be not striken downe w t the throng of infinite questions. And thus cōmeth p̄destinatiō to be estemed by his effect, yf we cōpare it w t iustification as w t the final cause. For god hath chosen vs to iustifie vs, to adopte vs to his childrē, & to reward vs w t the euerlasting kingdom, according to the saying of Paul in his epistle to the Ephes. Ephe. i. Also according to y • saying of Christ him self in y • gospel of Mat. where he saith: Come ye blessed childrē of my father, Math. xxv. f inherite ye the kingdom p̄pared for you frō the beginning of y • world. Furthermore iustificaciō is the principal effect or worke of the gospel but the gospel is a vniuersal promise, wherfore by the vniuersal ꝓmise must p̄destinatiō be iudged, & yf we do so, no occasiō shal any more remayn to vexe y • mind w t any ꝑticularite. But to make al thinges y • clerer these argumētes folowing shal be here ryght necessary to be reteyned.
The gospel is a vniuersal ꝓmise. Ergo iustificaciō (which is theffect ther An argumēt. [Page xvi] of) must nedes be a vniuersal promise. The former part of my argumēt called the antecedēt is playne, for y e gospel is not boūd vnto circūstaūces, yea & many places of scripture of the vniuersal promise proue y e same, as y e text of Christ. Come vnto me al ye that labour & are laden, Math. xl. d & I will refresh you. Also the sayinge of Paule. Deus vultoēs homines saluos fieri. i. Timo. ii. a. God willeth al men to be saued. The argument holdeth frō the cause to theffect. An other argument.
Iustificacion is vniuersall. An other argument.
Ergo p̄destinacion also (whiche is the cause of iustificaciō) is vniuersal. This iustificaciō, which is y • work & theffect of p̄destinacion hath his sure foūdaciō in scripture, where so euer mencion is made of the final cause of our callyng as ī the place aboue mēcioned of Paul to the Ephesiās. Ephe. i. Roma. xv. a i. Corin. i b Also to the Romains whom he hath called, the same he hath also iustified. Itē in the first epistle to the Corinth. God is faithful by whom ye be called in to the feliship of his son Iesu Christ our lorde. These and semblable sentences, are circumlocucions of iustificacion.
OF iustificacion the worke of p̄destinaciō [Page] procede also other effectes, as to be assured y t we please god. To knowe y t we be the sonnes of god. To knowe that we can not be plucked frō Christ, for, whō god the father hath gyuen to his son, no mā can take from him. To know y t we beglorified, according to y • saying of Paul, whō he hath iustified, them also he hath glorified. To know y t we haue euerlasting lyfe. For to this effect we be iustified. To know y t we be gouerned and defended of god. These and like effectes of predestinacion wel knowē, it appereth that holy scripture speke not in vayne of predestination, Predestina [...]ion well considered is a great solace and comforte to good men. either to make vs afrayd, or to dryue vs to dispayre, yea, I dare boldly saye, yf predestinacion be w t her effectes wel cō sidered & dryuē in to the herte, there is nothyng stronger then it to plucke vp a mās cōscience, but contrarily where predestinacion nakedly w tout her effectes is cōsidered by y • iudgement of reason so ther is nothing more redy to destroy the conscience, then is predestinacion: wherfore when we be vexed about p̄destination, it is our own blame which do not measure it by the worde of god, but by reasō of mā which reasō sithēs euery where it is blīd in maters [Page xvii] of god, why shold it here se any thing?
THE aficiēt father also of y • church do cōfirme & ratifie the foresaid effectꝭ of predestinaciō. S. Austyne. S. Aug. in his boke Debono ꝑseuerantie, calleth the effecte of p̄destinacion, the apposition of grace. Also Oigen vpon the .viij. chap. to the Romains hath these wordes, Origene. he y t is iustified, semeth therfore to be iustifyed bicause he is predestinate.
Cōtrarye to p̄destinacion. Cōtraries to predestinatiō To graūt y • predestinaciō is to be iudged of reasō law, or of our worthynes. To graunt predestinacion to be particular▪ which errour disturbeth y • consciēce, maketh incerteyn y • ꝓmise, ouerwelmeth faith. To deny the p̄destination of cōdiciō. To hold w t the scholemē, y t ther is some cause in vs of p̄destinacion. To say predestination taketh away tōtingēcie or chaūce. To hold bicause al thīgꝭ chaūce by p̄destinaciō, y • god therfore is cause of syn, frō which errour the graūtyng of contingencie doth deliuer vs, which teacheth y t man synneth of his frewyl, as hereafter more playnly shal be declared. The error of Laur. Ualla. To graūt w t Ualla & others to be no libertie of wil, bicause of p̄destination. To graūt w t the scholemen, y t our worthines and merites be the cause of [Page] p̄destinacion vnto iustificacion & euerlasting life. To graūt any other final effect of p̄destinaciō thā iustificacion. To deny w t the Epicuriās the diuyne p̄destinaciō, The Epicures. saying, god hath no care of his thinges created, & forsaketh them. To disturbe the cōsciēce of man w t the suꝑsticious inquiry of p̄destinacion.
Of contingencie or chaunce. CAPI. VI.
COntingēcie or chaūce semeth at the fyrst face to be wiped awaye of p̄destinacion. Therfore nowe let vs se how both may be saued. This shal be yf we graūt to reasonable cratures some choyse and libertie in suche thinges as be subiect to the iudgement of reason
Cōtingēcie therfore is wherby thinges created in maters subiect to reason be now chaūged, what contingencie is. altered & fal ī to these & those doingꝭ & chaūges, by reason of the choise & libertie graūted thē of god at their creacion.
¶We say ī maters subiect to reasō lest ye shold thynke all thynges happen by chaūce & cōtingently. The profe herof. Of fre choyse rereceyued in creation which such thīgꝭ as be creat haue in affayres subiect to y • [Page xviii] iudgemēt of reasō, doubteth no mā. For albeit god maketh & kepeth thīges, forseeth & determineth thinges y t happē or chaūce, yet he hath create & made them reasonable creatures (y t is which be led w t fre wil & choyse ī such thinges as be vnder the iudgemēt of reasō. Al which thynges shall be more apparaunt whē we shal begyn to entreate of frewil.
THE cause of chaūce is the fre will which thinges created take in maters The cause of chaunce. subiect to reason, wherfore sith nature was ordeyned w t the frāke & fre wil of god, the naturall also necessitie is not merely & symplely necessary, but for bicause it was so appoynted & ordeyned. Also in mens affayres & doinges frewil is cause of chaūce or cōtingencie. Therfore synne commeth and hathe come of the frewyll of the denyl and of mā, as further shal be declared in the tytle of synne. And bycause it is a blasphemyng of god to say god is the causer & author of synne, therfore contingencie may not be denyed, to thintent we may impute to the deuyll and to man that thynge whiche blasphemously shoulde elles be imputed and put vpon god. Augustyne hathe a pretye sayinge where he saythe. A sayeng of Austyne. Fieri non potest vt per quem [Page] a malis surgitur ꝑ eū in mala decidatur. That is, it can not be y t by whom we ryse frō euils, by him we shold fall downe in to euyls.
¶Cōtingencie is not deuided proprely in to partes, The ꝑtes of contingentie. but yet y • it may be the better vnderstand, the distinctiō folowīg is necessary. Necessite absolute. Of necessities some be absolute or vnchaungeable, as it is necessary y • god is good, rightous, true, wise &c. And some necessities be not absolute, but bicause y • thinges to so folow, & this is called the necessitie of consequencie, Necessite of consequence. as: it is necessary y t Ierusalē be destroyed, it is necessarye y t the kyngdom of Israel perish, & such like. These be not of their owne nature necessary, but after y t they be ones determined & appointed so to be, then they must nedꝭ come to passe, or bicause they folow of some former causes as it is necessary y t heresies may be, bicause y e deuil hateth god & the gospel. These of their self nature (I say) be not necessary, but cōtingēt and chaunsing. For this cōsequēce or folowyng, taketh not away y • libertie of wil. Melāchthon in his cōmon places. But of this mater ye may se more ī the cōmon places of Philip Melanchthon, & in his cōmentaryes vpon the epistle to the Romayns.
[Page xix] BVT forasmoch as Aug. semeth to declare these ꝑtes of cōtingencie or chaū sing, August. que [...] xxiii. capi. iiii. I think it good to shew forth his diuision, who writeth in this wise.
There be two necessities, Necessite simple. the one simple, as it is a necessitie y t al men be mortal. The other of cōdicion, Necessite of condicion. as if a man know y • one doth walke, it is necessite y t he walketh. For y t a man assuredly knoweth, it can be none otherwise then he knoweth. But this necessitie draweth not w t it y t simple necessitie. For this necessitie which I cal of condiciō, is not made of the ꝓpre nature. But of the putting to of y • cōdicion. For no necessitie dryueth him y • walketh w t his wyll, to walke, although then whē he walketh it is necessary y t he walketh. Sēblably if a man se a thyng present through the prouydence of god, the same is of necessitie, albeit it hathe no necessitie of nature. &c.
THE effectꝭ or workes of cōtingēcie be in thinges subiect to reasō al fre doinges, Theffectes of contingentie▪ but yet not w tout the foreknowlege of god, as to be altred: to be chaū ged: to do this or y t. Thinges creat to fal in to this or y t chaūce, not of an absosute necessitie, but bycause they be so create & or deyned, which neuerthelesse [Page] god maye at his pleasure otherwyse chaūge, alter, & lede in to other doingꝭ & actions. But those creatures lefte to their fre wil may altre thē self do this or that, & fal in to this or that chaūce & al this ī thingꝭ subiect to reasō by gods ꝑmission, but not by gods impulsiō, as saynt August. sayth.
Contrary opinions herevnto be. Contraries. To graūt y t there is no chaunce bicause of p̄destinatiō. To deny chaūce bicause of the losse of liberte, which mā fully had before the fall. To say al thingꝭ be moued & done of absolute necessitie after y • opinion of the Stoickes, as the seruaūt of Zeno was wōt to reason y • mater w t his master, ☞ y t he ought not to be beaten bicause by desteny he was cōstrayned to sin & do amys. To graūt any chaūce in god, or in y e nature of god. To graūt that bicause of libertie which is cause of cōtingēcie, it lyeth in our power to please god, to byleue in god, & so forth▪ although not w t stādyng a mā to do his deuour for y • word, to desire & receyue it after a maner, lieth in his wil, accordyng to the saying of Paul. Nō est volentis ne (que) currentis, sed miserētis dei. i. it is not in the power of y e willer nor of the runner, but of god the shewer of [Page xx] mercy, where y • apostle yet leueth vnto vs to wil & to run of which thinge we shal more copiously intreate in y • tytle of fre wyl. To set the naturall fate or desteny against cōtingencie, & therfore to deny it. For natural desteny (as saith that ryght excellent man Philip Melanchthon bringeth not necessite vnto humane affayres or thynges & it is ꝑticular & onely to be vnderstande of astrological desteny.
Of creation. CA. VII.
CReatiō is a makīg by which god did creat the spirites & al bodily The defini [...] on of creaciō nature of nought by the word to p̄serue a susteyn the same.
AS in the very beginnīg of Genesis ye rede. Probations [...] In y e beginnīg created god heuē & erth, y t is al creatures. In y e begynnīg that is to say what time there were no creatures. Of y e creatiō of spirites testifieth the ꝓphet, Psal C. iii. a Ebre. i. b. saying y u makest thyne aūgels spirites, & thy ministers [...]ābes of fyre. Furthermore the spirytes are thought to be the fyrst creatures according to the saying of Iob, he is the begynning of the wayes of god. Iob. xl.
Now, y t by the word al thinges were create, the begynninge of the gospel of [Page] Iohn̄ declareth where he saith: Iohn̄. i. [...]. al thinges were made by it, & w tout it nothing was made. Ebre. i. a. Also in the epistle to the Ebrues, where it is said: by whō he hath also create the worldes. Psal. xxx. The prophete Dauid recorded the same, saying: by y • word of the lord the heuēs were fixed, and by the spirite of his mouth all the vertue of thē. And anone after it foloweth: he sayd, & they were made, he cō maunded, & they were created. These sayinges also proue y t of nought y • creatures were create by the word. And by y t they were create of nought is excluded any mater to haue ben layd before.
The last ꝑte of the diffinitiō, which is to y • sauing & mainteinīg of their natures, Act. xvii. [...] is ꝓued first by the place ī the actꝭ where it is said, by hī we liue, we moue & haue our being, y t is, in y t we lyue & perish not, it cōmeth of y • benefite of god. Also by the ꝓphet. Psal. Ciii. d Oīa a te expectāt vedes illis escā, that is, they wayt al vpō the, Psal. xxxv. that y u mayst gyue them meat ī due season. Itē in an other place, mē & beastes thou shalt saue lord. These textes and other lyke, teach y t god kepeth and maynteyneth his creatures.
GOD the father is cause of creatiō, The causes of creation. bicause he hath creat, & doth creat. The [Page xxi] word, y t is the son, is the mean wherby and w t whō al thingꝭ were create & yet be create, Iohn̄. i. a [...] Iohan witnessynge the same, all thynges were made by it. The holy ghost is the halower quyckener of the creation.
¶Creatiō (where of we here speke) of it self is not deuided in ꝑtes, onles a mā Partes. accordīg to the diuersitie of creatures wil say y e some creatiō ꝯcerneth spiritꝭ some humane creatures & reasonable, other some vnreasonable.
THE propre and pryncypall workes of creation, Theffectes of creation be to preserue & maynteyne his creatures, whiche workes I haue afore declared.
The mean wherby god maynteyneth is y • word, by power of which (as to y • Ebrues it is said) god y • father doth moderate & bear vp al thīges. Ebru. i. [...] Right excellētly & ful wel we be aduertised here of Philip Melāchthon, y t other workmen or makers after they haue ons finished & made their worke, ☞ deꝑte & betake the same to fortune & to the ensuing chaunses, but god departeth not frō the workes y t he maketh, but ꝑpetually kepeth vp & maynteyneth the same, & this keping vp & mayntenaūce is called y • general or vniuersal sustentacion.
[Page] Cōtraries to creatiō be. To graūt w t Symō Magus the world was creat of his aungels, Contraries and heresies. but y t he him self is y e high power, which is god. To graūt w t Saturninꝰ. Saturninus that the word & also mā was made of inferiour aungels. To graūt w t the Sethiās, that two mē, The sethianꝭ that is to wete, Cayn & Abel, were first create of aungels, of whom afterwarde the rest of mē proceded. Carpocrates To graunt w t Carpocrates, that there is one principal vertue in thingꝭ superiour, & that y • world was creat of aūgels. The same thyng also taught Cerinthus. To graūt w t the Ualētiniās that Bythos, Ualētinians that is to say depenes & silence were firste of all, of whō came seed, minde, & trouth: of whō brasted forth the word & life, of whom was creat mā & the churche. Cerdon. To graūt w t Cerdō .ij. goddes, one good, an other cruel, y • good maker of y • vpper worlde & the cruell maker of this worlde. To graūt w t Basilides, Basilides. that the hye god named Abraxaen, whom he calleth a created mynde created the worde, of whom afterwarde ꝓceded prouidēce, vertue & wysdome, of these were made afterward principates, potestates & aūgels and then were made infinite creatiōs of aungels, of which aūgels were institute [Page xxii] and ordeined thre .C.lxxv. heuens, and in the lowest heuens be aungelles, which made this worlde. To graūt w t the Manichees fyue elemētes of which all thinges were gendred, Manichees. and these elemētꝭ they called by these names, smoke darkenes, fyre, water, & wynde, in the smoke they helde opinion that beestes of two fete were borne, out of whiche also they affyrme that mē proceded. In darknes crepynge beestes. In the fyre, the four foted beastes: in the water the swymmynge creatures: in the wynde foules that flye. To graunt with certeyne philosophers anye mater aforesayd. Philosophers. Epicurians. To contend with the Epicuriās that god careth not for the creatures, which folish opiniō the poete Uirgill is agaynst, Uergill. settyng forth most elegātly the contrary & right sentence in the .vj boke of Eneis, Principio celum ac tertas campos (que) liquentes. &c. To holde that the Gentyles and Heythen persōs knowe not the effectes and workes of creacyon, that god preserueth, kepeth, fedeth, nouryssheth, and beareth vp all thynges, Roma. i. C. contrarye to the apostle where he sayth, all that myght be knowen of god, the same is manyfest amō ges them, for god did shew it vnto thē, [Page] so that his īuisible thīges, y • is his euer lasting power & godhed, are vnderstād & sene by the workes euen frō the creation of the worlde.
Of creatures. CA. VIII.
A Creature is y • hole worke of god aswel of spiritual thingꝭ create as of other thinges & bodily natures made to this purpose of god, to shew y t god is, & not only y t there is god nakedly, but also y • he is eternal, mighty, diuine, & wōderful, y • is, which createth, gouerneth & steyeth al thinges, by knowlege of which thinges god y t creatour might be glorified, magnified and worthely thanked.
¶Probation of this diffinitiōs.
GOD created heuē & erth, Gene. i. [...]. that is to say, al creatures both ī heuē & erth. Of the creaciō of aūgels witnesseth the ꝓphet, Psal. Ciii. Ebre. i. c. & also the epystle to the Ebrues: And leest ye shold thynke y t all spirites were created, I put this word created, for god is also a spirit, but vncreated. Now the vse of creatures & wherfore they serue techeth s. Paul, Roma. i. e saying y • god shewed vnto the world y • which might be knowen of him, & is manifest amōgꝭ thē, so y • his inuisible thīges, that is to [Page xxiii] say his eternal power & godhed are vnderstād & sene by the workes sithēs the crcatiō of the world. To this agreeth the boke of wysdom, where it is sayd: S [...]pi. xiii [...] Uayne are al men whiche haue not the knowlege of god, as were they y • oute of the good thingꝭ which are sene haue not acknowleged him y • is of him selfe euerlasting, neither taking hede to the workes y • are made, acknowleged not the worker of them, & so forth rede the hole chap. for it setteth forth the vse of the crea [...]ures of god very excellently. But bycause it is not ynough to know god, therfore we added, that god might therby be glorified. For thapostle in y • place before remembred, sheweth y t the Gētiles knew god, but he accuseth thē that after they had knowen him, they wold not glorify him nor rendre louīg thākes vnto him. what is to glorifye god. Now to glorify god, is to giue vnto god the glory of a creatour & gouernour, that is, to think god not to be ydle, but to haue cure of his creatures. To giue thākes, is stedfastly to thinke y • god taketh charge of vs, y • we take life & other good thīges of his handes, & furthermore to loke for helt [...] & defence of him. Finaly, the .cxlviij. & cl. psalmes of Dauid, do monisshe vs [Page] what it is to gloryfy god, & to be thā [...] full vnto him, after we haue knowen him by his creatures.
THE causes of the creatures be, The cau [...]ers of creatures. god the father, whiche is the maker. The worde wherby & wher w t they be creat. Also wherby they be mainteined, & the holy ghost the sanctifier & preseruer of the creatures: Eternitie, power, diuinitie, & al other thynges, which be appropriate to god, as goodnes, wisdom iustice, & so forthe, declare y t god bothe myght & yet may creat and defend his creatures.
Creatures according to the diuersite & variete of thē be, The particiō of creatures. some spirites, some reasonable & humane, & other some vnreasonable. The sp [...] ̄al or gostly creatures, which be good as be the aungels were create to serue & ministre as well vnto god as men, & therfore the epystle to y • Ebrues calleth thē seruing or ministratorious spirites. The rest of creatures created to the vse of mā, be al subiect to man for his cause whiche hathe made them subiect. Roma. i. Gene. i. d. Theffectes of creatures
THE workꝭ & effectꝭ of creatures be these. To declare there is god y • createth gouerneth & kepeth all thinges. For yf we wold fele & serche hī by his creatures, Roma. i. [Page xxiiii] we shold fynd him, sithēs he is not far frō euery one of vs, as Paule most eloquētly declareth ī his preachīg to y • mē of Athēs. Actes. xvii. [...]. To serue for the ꝓfyte of mā, forasmoche as to the vse of mā all creatures be creat, but yet only to the vse of y • faithful, i. timot. iiii. a. according to y • saying of Paule where he saith y t god created thē to be receyued w t thākes gyuing of such as bileue & know the truth, for al the creatures of god are good. &c. But the infidels & wicked w tout al right do vse y • creatures of god, or rather abuse thē, Ro. viii. d. wherfore also the verye creatures do feruently wayt when the sonnes of god shall appere, to thintent they may be deliuered frō the bondage of corruption in to the gloryous libertie of the sōnes of god. ii. Petri. iii. d Also s. Peter in his latter epistle sayth, we loke for a newe heuen & a new erth, in whō remayn rightousnesse. On the cōtrarye parte, scripture semeth to threten the vngodly, to be reuēged of the creatures whō they haue abused, Sapien. v. e. as in y • boke of wysdom is said that the gelousy of god shall take harnesse, & shal arme the creature to be auē ged of the enemyes. Ecc [...]. xxxix. And Iesus the son of Syrach sayth. All thinges necessary for the lyfe of man, are created frome [Page] the beginning: water, fyre, yrō & sal [...], mele whete and honye, mylke & wyne, and clothyng. All these thing are created for the best to the faythful, but to y • vngodly, shal al these thingꝭ be turned to their hurt & harme, Ge [...]e [...]s. i. d. To be iubiect to the rule of man, according to y • worde of god spokē to Adam & Eue: Dn̄amini ꝓiscibus maris, that is, haue ye dominiō ouer y • fisshes of the see. &c. And according to the saying of Paul. Roma. viii. d The creature is subdued to vanite not willingly, but for his cause which subdued it vnder hope. There may be other effectes also reckened vp of creatures, as y • god might be glorified & praysed by them, & in thē, which effectes be expressed in the. ii. psalmes aforemencioned. cxlviij. &. cl. Also y t the self creatures might glorifye & prayse god. The fathers cōfyrme these same effectes, Austyn vpon Iohan. as s. Aug. Of the perpetuite of creatures (saith he) is vnderstād y • creatour & maker to be eternal, of the greatnes he is vnderstād almighty, of y • ordre & disposiciō wife, of his gouernaūce good.
Also the same S. Aug. in an other place saythe. Austin i [...] lib. supputacionū It is mete y • the creature sholde praise god his creatour, for to y • same purpose he hath create him, y t he might [Page xxv] be praised, not nedīg any of our praise wherfore let the minde loue, the tonge syng, the hand write. &c.
Cōtraryes Contraryesto these. To graūt y t the hole workmāship of creatures hath alwayes ben, & began by creation. To deny y t the spirites, as wel the good aungels as the bad were create. To denye god may be knowen by the creatures, and that he doth creat, gouerne & mainteyn al thinges. To graūt y t the knowlege of god of y • creatures suffyseth to perfection w tout the word. To auaūce the creatures aboue the creatoure, as they do which worship saintes, gold & syluer, Psal. Cxii [...] Sapi. xiii. b Baru [...]. v. a. [...] agaynst whom the ꝓphet verye ernestly speketh, & the boke of wisdom. Also the prophet Baruch. To abuse y • creatures after a mās lust vnto vanite Not to gloryfy god by his creatures & in his creatures. Not to attend to the creatures, to thintent y t out of them y • mayst lerne the goodnes & presence of god. Not to gyue thankes to god whē y • doest vse his creatures. To say w t the Epicuriās y t god regardeth not creatures. To graut y • the study of natural philosophy, which stādeh in the knowlege of natural thīgꝭ is hurtful to christianitie, which without doubt is not [Page] hurtful, so y • the same be gouerned by y • doctrine of christianitie.
Of Aungelles or good spirites. CA. IX.
AUngels or good spiritꝭ be seruīg spiritꝭ of a fyry nature, creat to y • ministery of god & of y • godly, to thintēt to serue god & to be assistent to the godly, & to kepe them.
¶Profes of this diffinition.
HE maketh his aūgels spirites & his ministers flames of fyre, Ebre. l. [...] y t is to say of a firy nature. Psal. c. iii. a. And the aūgels be called seruing or ministring spirites of theyr office y • god vseth thē as ministers, but not but for our cause: gene. xxviii. b So Iacob fleīg Esau is protected of the aūgels. Also ī the boke of Exodus the lorde saith: behold I send myne aūgel before to kepe the in the way, Exo. xxiii. d. & to bryng the in to the place which I haue p̄pared, beware of hī, Iodith. xiii. c & hear his voyce. Also Iudith saith: the lord liueth, for his aūgel hath kept me. Math. i. [...]. In the gospel of Math thaūgel cō forteth Ioseph against the offēce of his mynde cōcernyng the byrth of Christ. God also vseth the seruyce of aūgels ī reuēging of synners, an exēple of He [...]ode, whom the aūgel of the lorde striketh. [Page xxvi] Also in the boke of Iosue, Iosue. v. d [...] where y e aungel of the lord appereth w t a naked swerde drawen in his hand to defende Israel. He vseth also his aungels in other ministeries. Luc. i. c Actes. vii. e. The aūgel Gabriel is sēt vnto Mary. The law (as it is recorded in the actes) was giuē by thaūgels. I added in the diffinitiō, to the ministerye of the godlye, to thintent ye sholde know y t aungels were create & made to the vse & seruice of the good & godlye only, and not of others, as witnesseth the .xix. psalme of the ꝓphet, in whiche psalme god promiset [...] ayde & defence by his aūgels vnto such as loue his holy worde. For that psalme cōteyneth y • prayses & cōmendaciōs of gods word, promising to the byleuers sauetye and defence by thexemple of Chryst frome all euyls.
THE causes of good aūgels be: The causes of Aungels God the father, the father & maker of them. And the worde is the meane wherby & wherwith thaungels were creat. The holy ghost is the quyckener and sanctifyer. That these fell not as other dyd, they maye thanke the mercye of God. For in that that god forsoke them not they were saued and preserued, and when he forsoke the rest and left them [Page] to theyr free wyll giuen them at theyr creation, they synned, & so were thrust downe in to the helles. By reasō wherof god is not cause of the fall of the wicked spirites, but theyr own frewil is in cause, by which they might as easyly haue chosen the good as the bad. Now, god may frely forsake, sithēs he is frāke & fre, to do what his pleasure is, & no mā can ne ought control hym, ne prescribe or appoynt him any law. Shal the worke (sayth s. Paul) say vnto the workmā, [...] why hast y • made me on this facion? But of these thinges how the euyll spyrites fell of theyr owne choyse and wil, shal be hereafttr more at large spokē.
GOOD aūgels be of one order. No denision of Aungels Neither is it to be thought y t there is any p̄ rogatiue or p̄eminēce amōgꝭ thaūgels as they haue feined, which haue deuided aūgels in to Hierarchies w tout the opē worde of god.
THE workes or effectꝭ of good spirites be these: Theffectes of Aungels To ministre & do seruice vnto god, & to execute his cōmiss [...]ons, as Nu .xxij. An aūgel is sent of god to stop Balaams asse, Iudi. xiii. a [...]e. i. c. [...]. xxxiii. a. whiche cōmaundemēt he executeth. In y • boke of Iudges an aūgel is sent to Sampsons mother [Page xxvii] for the cōceyuing of Sāpson. In the gospel of Luke the aūgel Gabriel is sent ī embassade vnto the virgyn Marye for Exo. xxxiiii. a. the cōceyuīg of Christ. To be ꝓtectour of the godly, as appereth in thexemple of Iacob. Gen. xxii. Also in thexēple of Moses, to whō the lord sayth. ☞ And I wil send before the my angel. To cōfort & encourage the godly, as ī thexēple of Ge [...]ō, in thexēple of Ioseph y e husbād of Mary. Iudi. vi. c. Math. i. d. Dani. iii. c. and vi. Also in thexēple of the .iij. children, Ananias, Misael, and Asarias, whiche were put in to a burning ouen. To forsee y t the godly be not hurt ne miscary, by thexēple of christ, ps. xc. Also where after he had fasted forty dayes the aungels ministred vnto him. Mat. iiii. [...]. Sēblable effectes yet many be gathered of the office of aūgels: neither do the fathers & doctours of y e church dissēt frō these effectes. Hierom vpō s. Math. wryteth on this wise. Hiero [...] The worthines of soules no doubt, is great, forasmoch as euery one hath his aūgel appointed vnto him for his keper euē frō his natiuitie.
Bernard in his sermon of aūgels: Barnard Let vs be, sayth he, deuout, let vs be louing and kynde to so worthy kepers, let vs loue them agayne. &c.
Origene in his .lxxj. homel. Origen There is at [Page] hād to euery one of vs, yea euē to y e left of vs al, which be in the church of god a good aūgel, the messēger of the lorde to rule vs, to monish vs, to gouerne vs which seeth dayly the face of the heuē ly father for the amedemēt of our dedes & obteyning of mercy.
Greg. also saith. Gregorle Euery one of vs haue one peculier & ꝓpre aungel appoynted to his custodie, & one other euil aungel to his exercise.
¶Contraries to good spirites.
TO graunt w t certeyn heretikes that the good aūgels made this world, is to this lerning & to our religiō cōtrarye. Item to graunt & admit Hierarchies & p̄lacies of aungels, the .ix. ordres of aungels. be not grounded ī [...]criptur whiche they diuid [...] besyde gods word, in to aūgels archaū gels, thrones, dominations, principatꝭ potestates, cheruhyn, seraphin, & verrues. Also to holde y t aungels receyue [...] not in theyr creation frewil. S. Hierom de [...]i [...]io ꝓdigo. Agaynst whome disputeth S. Hierom, where he sayth. Solus deus est in quē [...]peccatum cadere non potest, that is: Upon only god synne can not fall. The reste be of their free choyse, & may be bowed in to either parties. To affyrme w t the scholasticall men, that the aungels deserue now theyr constancy & confirmacion, [Page xxviii] as no more to fal in to syn. To deny y • aūgels vnto as many as haue y • worde be gyuen to kepe & ministre vnto thē.
Of euyll spirytes o [...] Aungels. CA. X.
EUil aūgels be spiritꝭ which were fyrst ordeyned & created in veritie good, whiche of theyr free wyll swarued from the trouthe to lye in awayt of al the creatures of god by his sufferaunce.
THAT euil aūgels be spiritꝭ is testified euery where in scripture. The profe of the definiciō. Ebru. ī. which maketh his aūgels spirites & his ministers flames of fire. For certeynly the deuils were fyrst created good aū gels. Ephe. vi. [...]. Paul also to the Ephe. witnesseth the same saying: we wrestle not agaīst flesh & blood, but agaynst rule, against power, & agaynst worldly rulers of y e darknes of this worlde, against spūall wickednes for heuenly thinges. Christ witnesseth the same, saying y t the deuy [...] was a māqueller frō the beginning (y t is to were of his fall) and abode not in the trouth: Ioh [...]. viii. [...]. wherby it is apparaūt y t he was set & create in trouth good as the rest were.
[Page] Cōcerning frewil, y t it was the cause of the fall of the euill spirites, there is no question. For god in the libertye of wil created his creatures.
OF the effectꝭ & workes of deuils we be sufficiētly taught of Peter where he saith. 1, Petri. v. c. Be sobre & watch for your aduersary the deuil as a roring lyō walketh about sekynge whom he maye deuour. This effect is of the ꝑsons. Of their awaytes & sleyghtꝭ against al creatures to hurte the same to the hynderaūce of mā, we shal nede no far fetched proues. For ī the place a litle tofore remēbred of Paul, Ephe. vi. b. the euil spirites be called rulers of the worlde, ergo they be also rulers of such thinges as be in the world which to destroy, to infect, to falsefy & make troublesome, y t is to make al in a [...]ourly bourly, the deuil hath power to thintēt he may tempt & lye in awayt of mē. How be it these effectes of him selfe he can not do, but by y e suffraūce of god as appereth by y e wordes of the ꝓphet Micheas, ii. ꝑa. xviii. d. where he fayneth y t the deuil sayth, I wil go forth & be a lyenge spiryte in the mouth of al the ꝓphetes, to whō the lord sayd: thou shalt disceiue & p̄uaile. Iob. ii. b. In likewise ī the boke of Iob. God said to the deuil. Thou hast moued [Page xxix] me against Iob, y t I shold trouble & vexe him. Iob. i. b Also: Lo (sayth the Lorde) he is in thy power, but yet stretche not thy hand vpon his parson.
¶An other diffinition of the power of the euyll spirites.
EUil spirites be rulers powers, lordes of the worlde, guyders of the darknes of y e world, spūal mischiefes, subtelties & fraudes agaīst heuēly thinges. Ephe. vi, [...] I cal thē spiritual mischiefes and subtelt [...]es, by reason of y e great excesse & abundance of mischiefe, fraude, subteltie & disceyt y t is in them. And the deuyls be called spūal fraudes, not only bycause them selues be suche, but also bycause they exercise and practise such spiritual engins sleyghtes and fraudes vpon others.
THE cause of euil spiritꝭ is their frewil, The causers of euyl spiritꝭ ī which at y e begīning god created al aūgels. This frewil bicause it rather bowed to euil thē to good, caused certein spiritꝭ first to swarue frō y e trouth & rightousnes whiche were create and made ī trouth good. The lerned fathers of the churche assigne the cause of thaū gels fall some to pryde, some to enuye, [Page] which vices be theffectes of the wil declined to euill.
THE euil spirites can not be deuided in to ꝑtes, No deuysion of deuyls. or certeyn ordres, albeit that some of thē for the accustomablenes & power of hurting seme to be called prī ces: Mar. iii. c. as Beelzebub in y e euāgel of Mark is named prince of deuils.
The effectes operaciōs or workinges of thē be these: To lye in awayt vpon the good & godly ꝑsons night & day euē as the good aūgels cōtinually do kepe Theffectes of euyll spirites the godly. And this effect is general, of which those y t folow be especialties, & in maner meanes by which the euil spirites lye in await vpō the godly, & stop the wicked that they can not atteyn to godlynes. To lye & to tempt and entice vnto lies, for he is the father of lies, as Chryst saith: Iohn̄. ii. [...] when he speketh a lye, he speaketh of his owne, bycause he is a lyer & father therof. So he lyed vnto our fyrst mother Eue, as appeareth in Gene .iij. Also Satan (as it is red actes fyth) tempted Ananias to cause him to lye vnto the holy ghost. To trouble & punish the godly, an exemple of Iob & all the godly. To take away the good sede, which is the worde of god, out of the hertes of men, lest they shold bileue [Page xxx] be saued. Luc. viii. b To corrupte and falsefye the word of god with wicked doctryne, as in the parable of y • sower of good seed and of the deuyl which sowe amonges Math. xiii. d it darnell. i. pet. v. c ii. Cornth. x. To allege and cite scriptures crokedly & peruersly, as Math .iiij. where as y e deuil alleged a place out of y • .xc. psalme. To seke busyly whō to deuoure. To transfygure hym selfe in to the aungel of lyght to thintent to disceyue, Luc. xxii. [...] that is vnder the cloke of deuotion to styrre men to vngodlynes. To sift the godly as mē sift whete, accordynge to that: Lo Satan hath sought you to syft you as men syft where, but I haue prayed for the. To rule and to drawe the wicked at their pleasure to all euyls, Ephe. vi. [...] ▪ accordyng to that of Paule. The deuyll is stronge in the vnfaythfull. To replenysh the worlde with al euils, settyng all thinges in a rore. For this cause Paul calleth euil spirites rulers of the worlde. To promise and to gyue all maner of promocyons, that the worlde myght be kept stil in blyndnesse and wyckednesse, Math. iiii. [...]. for all the kingdomes of the worlde and glorye of the same the deuill bosteth to be in his power, accordyng to this: All these thinges I wyll gyue the, yf thou wylt fall [Page] downe & worship me. Now he that wil giue, he sheweth y t he hath to gyue. To cōfirme y e vngodly ī their vngodlynes w t singnes & wōders which he sheweth by his subiectes & lymmes the false ꝓphetes, as appereth. Mat .xxiiij. And by enchaūters, as in Exo. the .iiij. & .v. chap. is declared, wherfore also it is not impossible y t the deuyl may by art magyk worke many thynges. For yf wytchecraftes, sorceryes and enchaūtmentes were not made, or coulde not be doone, Moyses wold not haue forbidden thē. Neither is it any hard thing to enchaū ters to make theyr workes of effīcacie & strength, sith Sathā (as sayth Paul) is stronge in the vnfaythfull, whiche where as he vttereth in the false ꝓphetes sygnes & wonders. Why is not he of power to do the same in iugglers cō iurers, sothsayers, enchaūters, & suche lyke. i. regum. 28. b. It is red in scripture, how a womā y t was an enchaūtres, raised vp the spirite of Samuel by her wytchcraft, or rather the deuil in the likenes of Samuel, to enfect & disturbe the creatures for the hatred & enuy of man, therfore he is the lorde of the vniuersal world, & therfore he hath in his power al thinges of the worlde. But as I sayd these [Page xxxi] effectes of euyl spirites be not of force onlesse god suffreth thē. But why god suffreth Satan to haue so great power the causes be knowē to god, which neuerthelesse be also in seriptures in sundry places disclosed. Remedies agaīst the effectes of euil spirites vnto y e godly p̄scribeth the apostle to the Eph. the sixt chap. Also Peter in his first epistle cap. v. The worlde, bycause it neyther regardeth nor hathe these remedyes, therfore it can not resist these soresaid effectes.
¶The myndes of the fathers concerning the effectes of euil spirites.
AVG. saith: Austyne in sermonibus. al the euils of y e world be cōmitted by the falsehod of the deuil which hath set war in heuē, in paradise disceit, hatred amōgꝭ our first brethrē & in al our warkes hath sowē darnels. Grego. Gregor. lib. ii. moralium. wryteth. The wil of Sathan is alway wicked, but his power is neuer vnrightous, for of him self he hath his wil, but his power he hath of god. I thought it good also to adde the saying of Lactātius, Lactāciꝰ .li .v. diu [...]usti. which writeth ī this wyse. There is a certeyn wicked & disceytful spirite, which is the enemye of man, & foo of iustice, this spirite lyeth [Page] in awaye of all mankynde. And those y • know not god, he entangleth in errou [...] in foly drowneth, in darknesse ouershadoweth. &c.
¶The contraries of euil spirites.
TO graūt the euil spiritꝭ were crea [...] in malice as they be now, agaīst which heresye disputed s. Aug. very lernedly. Aust. sup. gen. To hold y t the euil spirites are not to be blamed y t they fell, bicause they coulde none otherwise do w tout grace. To hold y t the wicked spiritꝭ did fal, not of their owne ꝓpre wil, but at the enforcement of god. A folyshe opynyon. Zo make orders amōges y e euil spirites. To driue the euill spirites or theyr habitacion to Island or to y e further borders of Norwey, about which certeyn trifelers hold opiniō y t the sou [...]es of great men fleing to helward, be herd weping & lamēting, which opiniō semeth to haue ꝓceded by th [...]ccasiō of certeyn hylles, which in those parties oftentymes do cast forth brymstone & otherwhiles flakes of fyre. To dispute supersticiously of the habitacion of euyll spirites, or not by the worde of god, ii. pe. ii. [...] which calleth it Tatarus or hell, according to y e of s. Peter. For yf god spared not the aūgels y • finned, but cast thē downe in to Tartare or hell, & deliuered [Page xxxii] thē to chaines of darknes to be kept vnto iudgemēt. &c. To affyrme of trouth y t there be certeyn p̄lacies & preeminēcies amōges the euil spirites, so y t one sholde rule in one ꝓuince, an other in one man, the thyrd in two or .iij. To hold for an vndoubted trouth y t those euil spirites which ons be vaynquisshed of any of y e saītes do no more approche to him y • hath ouercome thē. To graūt y t no mo men in nōbre shal be saued, thē as many as there were aungels y e dyd perysshe, of which errour some accuse Austin. To graūt y t the euil spirites shal in tyme cōming be saued, which is Origens errour, and at this day is renued of the Anabaptistes by auctorite of the cii. psalme, where it is red. The lorde wyl not kepe his anger for euer. To deny y t the euil spirites do togither lye ī a wayt of al the creatures of god. To deny y e withcraft is of any strength by y • power of the de [...]yll.
Of man. CA. XI.
MAN after aūgels is of al creatures most noble, The descriptiō of man. created ī fre wil to thymage of god, y t is to wete, partaker of the diuyne nature, wyse, [Page] iust, good, true, & so forth, which by sinning of his fre wil again lost all those thīgꝭ, made of a ꝑtaker of y e godly nature, ꝑtaker of the deuellish nature, of wise vnwise, of rightous vnrightous, of good euil, of true a lier, & to be short such as vtterly vnderstādeth no more ī thīgꝭ apꝑteinīg to god, so y t now mā is the creature, yea the very bondmā of y • deuil, who thorow gods suffrāce or for sakīg inforceth him at his lust to what euils he will, & also continueth suche a bondmā & thral, onlesse he be deliuered by Chryst, in whome the ryghtousnesse lost returneth agayne to our helth and saluacion.
MAN is y e noblest creature after aū gels, The proues. for y t he is endowed w t reasō. That mā was creat in frewil can not be denied, as shal appere ī y t place of frewil. To the ymage of god y t mā was create is witnessed in the boke of Gen. Gen. i. d And y t by y • ymage of god is signified the nature of god, y t is to wete, rightousnes, goodnes, wisdom, trouth & such lyke y • place of Paul to the Collos. Collo. iii. b. declareth. Lye not (sayth s. Paul) one to an other, now y t ye haue put of the old mā w t his workꝭ & haue put on the new, which is renued in knowlege after y • ymage of [Page xxxiii] him y t made him. And to this sense Ambrose & Ireneus do interp̄te ymage. But again, y • mā by sinning of his owne fre wil, lost again the ymage of god is sufficiētly declared by the .xlviij. psalme of Dauid where it is said. Psal. 48. [...] whē mā was ī honour, he vnderstode not he was made like to a brute beest, as who sholde saye mā in y • stede of the nature of god was made ꝑtaker of y • deuils nature, īstede of rightous vnrightous, which of him self vnderstādeth nothīg any more ī spiritul thīgꝭ, according to the saying of Paul. A natural witted mā ꝑceiueth not such thīgꝭ as belong to y e spirite. The ꝓphet calleth honour y e very ymage of god, whervnto man was created, & all those good thīgꝭ which be apꝓpred to y • nature of god. He calleth him a brute beest now y • he is spoiled of y • ymage of god & of al those good thīgꝭ apꝑteinīg to y • nature of god. That mā is y e thrall of the deuill s. Iohn̄ sheweth where he sayth: he y t cōmitteth syn is the seruant of Sathan, which is the father and authour of syn. Also thapostle saith. The deuil is strong in the vnfaythfull, that is in natural men, & vndoubtedly such be al men whiche be not yet borne agayne neither enfraūchesed by Chryst. [Page] The deuil draweth mē as his own propre slaues vnto al maner of noughtines y t him lusteth not only ꝑforce & violētly, but as his own ꝓpre louing childrē which do study & endeuour thē selfe to obey the desires of their father, as witnesseth Christ him self, saying. Iohn̄. viii. [...] Ye be of your father the deuil, & ye wil obey the desires of your father. The rest be apparaūt ynough by the wordes of Paul to the Rom. which saith: Roma. v. d. Lykewise as by the syn of one, cōdemnatiō came on all men, euē so by the iustifieng of one, cōmeth y e rightousnesse y t bringeth life vpō al mē. Finally I added this clause (to our helth) in the diffinition, to disproue thopinion of the Anabaptistes, which say, y t by Christ mē haue so recouered the ryghtousnes y t was lost, that they now may of them selues satisfie y • law for theyr syn, with a perfyte rightousnesse.
THE causer of mā is god which created hī of the mould of y e erth. Gene. i. The cause of man. The partes of man.
MAN by reason of y e fal of our fore father Adā, is diuided after the lerning of christe mē, in to y • old mā & the new. There is also an other diuision of the hole man right necessary where scripture ꝑteth hī in to the spirite, the soule [Page xxxiiii] & the body. The spirite is which speaketh to god, which catcheth the worde of god & faith. The soul is wherby we liue, & by which our body is quickned. The body is y • outward & hole lomp of mēbres. Of this ꝑticion maketh mēciō thapostle to the Thessal. saying. i. thessa. v. d The very god of peax sāctify you holly, and your hole spirite, soule & body be kepte taulties vnto the cōming of our lorde Iesu Christ.
Of the old man. CA. XII.
THE olde mā is y t hole fleshly mā by y • fal of Adam lost & dāned before y • knowlege of y • gospel or of Christ, & before regeneratiō made by y • word thorow tholy gost, which old mā is dayly corrupted, accordynge to the concupyscences of erroure vnto all noughtynes.
¶The ꝓbatiō of this diffinitiō.
FORASMOCH as y • scripture byddeth vs put on a new man, whiche according to thymage & likenes of god must be created in ryghtousnesse, holynesse & trouthe. And also wylleth vs to be renewed by tholy ghost which thing can not be doone, Ephes. iiii. [...] Collo. iii. [...] but by the worde and faythe in Chryste, whiche afterward [Page] graūteth the holy gost. Therfore of necessitie there is an old mā, neither cā he be made new but by y e word knowen of Christ & by fayth in Christe, in whō is restored the losse & dānatiō of y • old mā. R. v. d The corruptiō according to the cōcupiscēce of errour is the general effect of the old mā put sithēs the fall in mās nature, which declareth y t the old mā can do none other thing then lust after errours & all euils. By theffect of cō cupiscēce or lust is marked & signified the vyce that cleueth in nature, Gene, vi. [...]. for the hole thought of man is bent vnto euill at all times.
THE cause of y • old mā is Satā, causes of the olde man by whose ꝑswasion & entisemēt y e first mā was made old, & al we were in hī made olde, as testifieth s. Paul in the .v. chap. to the Rom. This Sathan ruleth & leadeth the olde mā as his own ꝓpre thral & captiue vnto al euils. Wherfore also we pray that the kyngdom of god may come vnto vs and that we may be deliuered from the raygne or tyranny rather of the deuyll, in which all olde mē be subiecte vnder the tyraunt Sathan. The cause also of the olde man, is the free wyll of man, by whiche the fyrst man ranne hedlynge in to synne wherof [Page xxxv] all we be made ꝑtakers yea although we haue not synned to the similitude of the trangression of Adam, so that nowe no free wyll in maner remayneth vnto vs to take & do such thinges as be good and spirituall the deuyll so holdeth captyue our nature and inforceth vs to sun drye sinnes yea and such as be outward & notoryous crimes. Of which thing also thapostle cōplayneth where he saith. Euyl that I wyl not do, but good that I wolde do, that I do not. Roma. vii. [...]
¶The partes.
¶When we speake of the olde mā we vnderstād not certaine partes onely of mā as some which by the name of olde mā vnderstand only the oldnes of flesh. But the old man signifieth here y • hole naturall man & all the natural powers of mā. So scripture taketh the old man & so vseth Paul the name of olde mā, as to y • Corinchiās where he saith. The natural witted man receyue not thīges of the spirite. This man scripture otherwhiles calleth the outward man other whyles the erthely otherwhyles y • olde man.
THE effectes of y • olde mā be of two sortes. The effectes of thold man Some do spring of the corrupt nature according to the inward lustes and [Page] these be inward effectes. Other some be the frutes of the inwarde effecttes of y • olde man, & these be the outwarde. For he that hath a wicked hert can not wāt outwarde sinnes. For where the causes be there must nedes folow the effectes. Now, Eph. 4, d & [...] the inwarde effectes of the olde man be these. To be corrupted accordīg to the concupiscence of erroure. This effect is generall or the cause of the test ensuing. And this effect sticketh in nature. Naturally to be ignoraunt of god. Not to feare god, To dispise god. Not to trust in god. To hate the iudgement of god. To flee the rightfull iudgement of god. To be angry with god. To despaire of grace. To haue confidence in thinges present. To haue a croked harte and bēt to myschiefes. gen. vi. &. viii. To haue a croked and vnsearchable hert as witnesseth the prophete Hieremy sayinge Hieremi. 27. Croked is the hart of man & who shall searche it? 1. Corith. 2 d Not to perceyue the thinges that be of the spieite of god accordinge to Paules sayinge. The naturall man perceyueth not those thinges that be of the spirite of god. To sauer of erthlye thinges accordinge to that of S. Paul The first man of erth, erthlye. These effectes sticke in the hert of mā naturally. [Page xxxvi] The outwarde effectes of the olde man be the outward workes or frutes of the corrupt nature and wicked minde. A rablement of them Paul heapeth vp in y • first chap. to y • Romaynes, after he ones had rebuked them for their vngodlynes be gathereth the frutes of vngodlynes as these, vnrightousnes, horedome, adultetie, wickednes, couetousnes, maliciousnes, enuy and so forthe.
¶Of the new man.
THe newe man is whome the holy gost regēoreth by the worde & faith vnto trghtousnes holynes and trouthe.
¶Probacions of this diffinicion.
The holy gost to be a regeneratour witnessith Paul, sayīg. Tit. 3. [...] But accordīg to his mercy he hath saued vs by y e hath of regeneraciō & renuing of tholy ghost. The word is y e mean wherby tholy gost renueth. For then we be renued & regenerate when we here y • word, so of y • word sprī geth fayth, by faythe we take holde of Christ y • reparer of y e true ryghtousnes which giueth tholy gost, he burneth vp ī vs y e olde vices of y e olde man, as these, y e ignoraunce of god, y e dispising of god, y e distrust of god, & semblable, & createth in vs new mocions, as the knowlege of god, awe of god, trust in god, & so [...]orth. [Page] Such vertues or good workes the apostle nameth the frutes of the spirite, Galle. 5. a by reason of tholy ghost or spirite the worker of them. An all these trutes be comprised of the saide apostle vnder these thre names, rightousnes, Ephe. 4. [...]. holynes, and trouth. For vnto these vertues we be regenerate y t we might receyue in Christe the lost rightousnes, and myght worke holy and true workes, and not hipocriti call or feyned.
THE cause of the new mā is tholye ghost as affirmeth Paul, The cause of the new man whiche saith y t by y e renuing of tholy ghost we were saued. &c. The meanes of regeneracion the scripture putteth to be the word & faith, Tit. z. [...] y • word as cause, & faith as theffecte, For faith (saith Paul) is by hearīg, Roma. 10 d bearīg, by y e word of god. Baptime is a signe of y • inwarde renuing, and of gods will towardes vs y • we be new men. Of these causes ꝓperly speaketh the gospell, in which the holy ghost is promised / fayth requyred & baptisme e instituted.
EVEN as the olde man signifieth y e hole mā, so also the new mā is taken for him that is holye regenerate and renued. Partes. But how this thing is done we shall bere after declare in the effectes.
¶Theffectes of the new man be gathered [Page xxxvii] by the cōtrary of the effectes of the olde man. Theffectes of the new man as: To know god. To magnifye god. To loue god. To trust in god. To put y • hole trust & hope in god, Furthermore as the effectes of the olde mā be of two sortes, so also be y e effectes of the new man of two sortes that is to wete, inwarde effectes whiche be of the mynd, & outward, which be of outward good workes, Now, y e effectes of y e newe men differ frō the effectes of hipocrites. countertayting regeneracion or renuing in asmoch as they be truely done and of a pure herte as Paul writeh to Timothe, 1. timoth. 1. b where he sayth. The ende of the cō maundement is charite oute of a pure herte and good conscience and faith not fayned. For this cause also the workes of new men be called the frutes of the spirite, both bicause that the spirite worketh them, and bycause they be done spiritually, that is to saye, truely with a willing and consēting mynd. And heape of workes of a new mā thou shalt finde in the epistle of Paul to the Galathiās the .v. chapter. Howbeit the foresaid effectes do not so returne againe by regeneracion or new byrth which is made by y • holy ghost but y t they alway remayne entangled w t a wonderfull weaknesse [Page] which new byrth neuertheles beīg thus impe [...]te & weake god taketh in good parte in suche persons as be receiued in Christ acordinge to the sainge of Paule There is no condempnacion now vnto Roma. viii. a. them which walke in Christ, Also, ye be not vnder the law, but vnder grace, that is to saye, albeit yt fulfyll not the law, yet it accuseth not you bicause ye be the sonnes of god.
¶Contraryes to the hole man.
¶Contearyes to this right doctrine concerninge mā be these: To graūt with certaine heretikes that man alwayes hath ben, Thopinō of the anabaptistes & y t he was not created. To graunt with the Anabaptistes, that mā did not vtterly in the fall lose the nature of god but onely that it was darkened, lyke as the flame of fyre is wont to lye hide in y e asshes, or as syluer i8 hid in the drosses. But that in Christ it is come againe with such persecucion that a man maye nowe allege and plede his rightousnes against the wrath of god for sinnes. To affyrme with Saturninus that man was create of aungels. To graunt that the olde man can do ought of him selfe in thinges of god. To holde that tholde man can worke any good thing that cā please god contrarye to the sayinge of [Page xxxviii] Paul. What so euer is not of faith, is sinne. To denye that the olde man is y • seruaūt and slaue of Sathan againste that place. The deuyll worketh in the vnfaithful. To saye that the flesh onely of man now after the fal vnderstandeth not god, trusteth not to god, & so forthe. but the soule or minde of it selfe maye, although it be not born a new. To hold that a man maye be borne agayne newe without preaching of the worde, w tout faith, & without tholy ghost. To graunt that the new man receyued in Christe a part of rightousnes, y t is to wete, a generall rightousnes, but that he maye be saued, he nedeth olso a speciall rightousnes whiche is gotten by good workes. To graūt that the new man receyueth suche a free choyse and election in the renuing, that of his free and franke wyll be may satisfy the law concerning rightousnes which may suffice before god.
Of free wyll. CA. xiii.
FRe wil, by the way of teachīg, A diuision of fre wyll may be thus deuided into fre wyl before the fall or free wyl ꝓfite, & into fre wyl after the fal or impertite. And this also is of two sortes, y • one in spirituall thīges, the other in outward thīges subiect [Page] to reason.
¶Of free will before the fall.
¶Fre wil befor [...] y • fal was a ful liberte to inbrase aswel good thinges as badde to kepe the commaūdementes of god as not to kepe thē, at his franke & free wil giuen in creacion of God.
¶This hole diffinicion is set forthe in Eccles. Probations of this diffinition. the .xv. chapter. where it is written in this wyse.
¶God made man at the beginninge & left him in the hande of his counsayle he gaue him his commaundementes & preceptes, If thou wilt obserue the commaundementes & kepe acceptable faithfulnes for euer, they shal preserue the, he hath set water & fyre before the, reach out thy hande vnto which thou wylte. Before man is life and deth, good & euil loke what him liketh shall be giuē him. These wordes were spoken of y • author of the same boke of Iesus y • son of Syrach of the libertye of man which indifferently & a like freely might imbrace good and euil, neither was it any meruayle, sithēs he was the ymage of god & partaker of the nature of god. And vndoubtedly such was that libertie before the fall of man, as yet at this daye the holye aūgels haue. But after that the [Page xxxix] [...]mage of god was loste and the partakīg of the godly nature bicause of sin then was the lybertye of imbrasing good spituall thingꝭ taken away according to y • foresayde sainge of Paul. The naturall man perceyueth not such thinges as be o [...] the spirite. Yea and in outwarde thinges the lybertye is corrupted for not so moch as in them the wyll is so free but that it may be letted of the deuyll.
¶The causes of free will before the fall.
THE cause of this fre wil is god y • cretoure which in creation gaue y • libertie of [...] to his creatoures. The instrumēt or meanes of exercisinge this lybertye be reason & will. Reason iudgeth, y • will obeyeth or repugneth to y • iudgemēt or reson & ruleth the lower powers, y • lower powers be the senses & the appetites of y e senses or affection. Wherfore free wil is defined of the philosophers to be the will ioyned with reason. The scolemē The master in the sentencies & the rest of schole men setting aside reason do gather fre choise or fre wil only of the will wheras they write that free wil is called as touchīg the wyll bycause voluntary it maye be moued & with a willing appetite caried to suche thinges as it iudgeth or wyll [Page] iudge good or euil. Now, vpō y e ꝑmissiō of reasō & wyl as y e causes or fre wyl, it is apaparaūt y t the fal of Adā chaunced not of any necessitie. For where necessitie is, there is not libertie. But where is not lybertye, there can neither be wyll, wherfore vnto the will of man sinne is rightly imputed bicause of y e presence of liberti in which mā at his creaciō lyued. [...]o ꝑticion.
¶This free choyse in creatures of chosing good & euyl, is not deuided. In god is frewil but not as was in man. For god by his frewil can not be bowed vnto euylles, for asmoch as he can not put of his nature.
¶Theffectes of free wyll before the fal were these. Theffectes of fre wyll. before the fal To haue power to loue god & to hate him. To trust in god & not to trust. To kepe the cōmaūdement of god & not to kepe. To enbrace god & not to ē brace. To receyue euyll & not to receyue & such lyke. These effectes are so to be vnderstād y • they might haue proceded of y • franke lybertye no necessite cōpelling to the same. And these effectes be of free wyll, because they might haue proceded of free wyll which myght haue ben bowed, indifferently aswell to good as to euyl. Wherfore Adam by that lybertye might haue done both wel and euil. So [Page xl] also vnto thaungelles by that lybertye it was graunted bothe to receyue euyll and not to receyue, whiche when they toke euyll they fell.
¶Of free wyll or choyse after the fall.
FRE choyse after the fall in spiritual thynges is nothynge elles but a wyll desyrynge good or spirituall thynges, whiche yet can not atteyn ne brynge to passe, onlesse the holy ghost commeth & helpeth our wyll & endeuours. As perteyuyng to outwarde thyngꝭ fre choyse is a wyl, in a maner of efficacy & strēgth of outwarde thynges without the renuynge of the spirite, whiche notwithstandynge maye be letted of the deuyll.
¶The proues of this diffinicion.
THIS diffiniciō is sufficiētly proued by Paul, where he saith. Roma. vii. d The thīg that I allowe not, and that I will not, I do, and that I hate, I do, Here thou [...]eest a certayne desyre, wyll, indeuoure and studye of good, Also thou seest that the effectes whiche oughte to be done do not answere to the wyll of desyre endeuor and studye. And in an other place the said Paul saith. Roma. i [...]. It is not of y • [...]ūner nor of y • willer but of god y • hauer of mercy. Here thapostle yet leueth vnto [Page] our wyll, to runne and to wyl, Prouet. 16. b and yet he ascrybeth all thynges to the mercye of god. Salomon in his prouerbes doth attribute to the herte of man the thynking of his way, & forthwith he addeth Et dominus di [...]igit gressus suos. The lord directeth his goyngꝭ. Ye wyl aske then what is lefte vnto our free wyll ī thynges spirituall? I answere in fewe wordes: A certayne desyre of thinges or goodes spirituall, a wyll, an attēptate, a study, a rūnyng, a thīkyng, all whiche neuerthelesse be nothyng neyther to at tayne thy desyre, neyther to ꝑforme the same. Therfore the apostle always praeth for the churches, to whiche he wryteth that god wyll performe the good that he hath begonne in them, as to the Philippi. cap. i. knowyng this thynge certeynly, that be whiche hath begonne in you a good worke, shal performe the same. It is therfore to be thought vniuersally that our desyre and endeuours vnto spirituall goodes can do nothyng onles fyrst the holy ghoste approcheth & helpeth our desyre & longingꝭ, whiche holpē so, they shal ensue those effectes ī receyuyng & ꝑfourmīg y e sayd spirituall thyngꝭ. Roma. [...]. [...] For as Pau. sayth, they whiche be led w t y • spirite of god, be y e sonnes of [Page xli] god that is to saye, they y t haue tholye ghost may ꝑforme y t thyng which besemeth sonꝭ to do. Now, it besemeth the sonꝭ of god w t ioye to receyue & execute the cōmaūdementes of theyr father. Itē where y • spirite of y t lord is, there is libertie, y t is, there is truly done the wyl of god, there our endeuours be trulye made free, where tholy ghost is helper, which is called y • spirite of y • lord, forasmoch as our lord Chryst gyueth hym, & w tout Chryst he is not resident, for who so hath not Chryst, y e same can not haue tholi ghost, And cōtrarili who hath not tholy ghost y • same is none of Chrystes mā. Now to be Christes mā. is nothing els, but to receyue his word, & beleue hī which to do, y u hast nede of tholy ghoste to gyue the lyght to y • word, y e worketh faith. Howbeit, although by tholy gost our desyre is made effectuall, for y e receyuyng & ꝑformyng of thynges spiritual, yet it is not so effectual & free, that such workꝭ as be done by the same, cā be pleded for tru ryghtwysnes, agaynst y • yre of god. Wherfore oure wyll y t was loste doth so retorne effctuall by tholy ghost vnto spirituall thinges to be done and performed that yet we be iustifyed in Chryste yea in that is oure wyll made [Page] effectual by tholy gost, y t we may receyue y e word of Christ, to thin [...]ē [...] we myght be iustifyed by hym, and not to thintent that by our effectuall wyll we myght ouerwelme the ryghtwysnes of Chryste, in whose place who so euer dothe substytute & set his owne iustice, hath neyther tholy ghost, nor a wyll of any strengthe, For the holy ghost doth therfore helpe our wyll and endeuoure, that we myght receyue Chryste, & that by hym, our wyll myght remayne effectuall, the holye ghoste workynge togither w t vs, which fyrst helpeth our endeuours and maketh y e same of efficacie. wherby we may receyue Chryst & afterwarde gyuē vnto vs of Chryst kepeth our wyll myghty vnto all good thynges to be reteyned and done.
AS touching fre wyl ī outward thīgꝭ ther is no doubt. For so long as reasō & wil abide ī mē (which shal abyde so long as mē be mē) fre wil shal not cease ī outward thyngꝭ to be done of mē but so yet whyle it be graūted of reason & wyll as vnto causes to worke. For y e deuyl may let those causes ī their cou [...]s which beīg [...]etted y e outward actions cā not folow. Partes of fre wyl after the fall.
FRE choise after y e fal is deuided into fre wyl in thyngꝭ spirytual & īto fre wil [Page xlii] in thynges outward. Fre wyl ī thinges spirituall wat it is and wat it can do I haue declared before. Fre wyl in thingꝭ outward is truly fre, so it be not letted of y e deuyl & to this is not requyred tholy gost or any renuaūce by tholy ghost.
THE cause of frewyll in thynges spirituall The cause of fre wyll eyther to be accepted or performed is the holy ghoste wose office is to gyue lyght vnto y e beleuyng of y e word, so in y e word beleued is foūd Chryst for wose sake tholy ghost maketh our endeuours franke. Also tholy ghoste kepeth [...]yl the same in force to y • ꝑformaūce of good thynges. The cause of our desyre & endeuours in thinges spiritual be, resō & wyl, reason iudgeth by y e lawe of nature (after a maner) of thynges sptrytuall. The wyll obeyeth but to no effecte accordying [...]o the saynge of Paule, that which I allowe & wolde I do not, and that I hate I do, Of fre wyll in outewarde thynges the causes be reasō and wyll whiche bothe twayne the deuyll may let so y t thou shalt not alow those thynges which thy resō aloweth nor wil those thyngꝭ y t be allowed of reason. Albeit in y • meane seasō the iudgmēt accusyng thy conscience remayneth & g [...]aweth y • same cōtinually. Now yf the in [Page] ward causes be letted, it is not possyble that the outward effectꝭ can folow. also it may be that thou alowest thynges allowed of reason & also y e wol [...]est the same yet y e deuyl may let the outwarde effectes, as euery man in him selfe hath experyenc dayly herof, & thexemples of very good & godly men teache also the same, which purpose one thyng & do an other, Now free wyl in outward thingꝭ may be effectual without the holy ghost or renuaunce made by the holy ghost.
¶Theffectes of free wyll after the fall in thynges spirituall may be recounted these. Theffectes of fre wyll. after the fall. To wyl good or spiritual thyngꝭ Ro. vij. That I do I allowe not, & that I wolde not y t I doo. Prouerb [...]. 16. To thynke to doo good. To endeuour, to wyll, to tūne for thinges good or spirituall, Rom̄, ix. To take hold after a maner of the promyse after a maner to do y e outwarde workꝭ of y • lawe, these effectes must alwaye so be vnderstande. yf they be not let of the deuyll, and withoute doubt these effectꝭ be nothynge withoute the holy ghoste whiche approchynge neare dothe lyghten y • herte to beleue, doth quyckē oure endeuours to byleue hertely in god, hertely to serue god hertely to loue god, neuerthelesse all these thynges we do so. [Page xliii] that yet alwayes they be couered w t som infirmitie, which god gladly winketh at bycause of his Christ the restorer of our lost iustice.
¶Theffectes of fre will after the fall in outward thinges be these: Theffectes of fre choyce after the fa [...] To eate, not to eate. To slepe, not to slepe, To drinke not to drinke. To cloth him self with this or that garmēt. To do this or that or not to do the same, & such lyke. These effectes although they seme to be of the moost franke fre will (as they be in dede) yet this fre wyl is imperfite and bonde and whiche maye be let of the deuyll by the sufferaunce of god, as manyfestly we haue declared heretofore.
¶Contraryes to free will in a generalitie be these. Contrarye [...] to fre wyll generally. To deny that mā was creat in fre wyll. To denye reason and wil to be as meanes and instrumētes wherby free wyll was exercyced before the fall and yet is exercysed in thinges subiecte to reason. To graunte that God hathe suche a free choyse as man hadde before the fall, by whiche Adam myghte inclyne both to good, and euyll. To deny that man had such a fre wyll as yet the holy aungels haue. To graunt with the Mantchees, that orygynall synne is not imputable to the free will of man. To [Page] sayē man is inclyned to euyll, not of his free wyll, but of necessitie constrayning to the same. These persons vnderstande not what is lybertie, for yf it were inforced of necessitie it were no lyberty, wherfore eyther we must byleue that man imbraced euyll of fre wyll, or we must deny the lyberty in which mā was create. But S. Augustyne saith. August in Enchiridion. Homo male vtens liber [...] arbitito et se perdit et ip̄m quia peeditum est per peccatū, non a necessitate, sed a peccato, qui enim facit peccatum, seruus est peccati. That is to say man by euyl vsinge of fre wyl lost both hym selfe and it, for it was lost through synne, not of necessitie, but of synne, for he that committeth synne, is the seruaūt of sinne. [...]au. vall [...]. To graunt with Ualla and other that there is no lybertye of man by cause all thinges be done by gods ordynaunce. In this errour Ualla consydered not that the creatures were ereate reasonable, which be led with choyse or election in such thinges and affayres as be subiect to the iudgemēt of reason. To graunt with certayne to moch spiritual ꝑsons, [...]imium spirituales that there is no desyre good wyll attemptace he studye in vs for good thī ges or spirituall. This erroure we haue sufficiently debated before. To graunte [Page xliiii] with the Pelagians that mā of his fre Pelagian [...] wyll maye kepe all the commaundemē tes of god yea and without grace also. Agaynste whom disputeth at large saynt Augustine. Scole men. To graunte with the schole men that albeit free will is holpen of y • holy ghost or of grace yet it is in oure free wyl to deserue rightousnes. But grace in this place is taken not onely for the ayde of the holy ghost but for y e self fre imputacion & acceptaunce of rightousnes. To graunt with the Annabaptistes Anabaptistꝭ that after the deth of Christ returned fully vnto all men a lyke, such free wyl as was lost so that now it is in our powers as easely as before to imbrace good an euyll. To meynteyn and dyspute after this wyse. God hath no cō maunded thinges impossible, Ergo it is in our power to kepe the commaundementes of god. To graunt that our will is of strength without the holy ghost in thinges spiritual agaynst whiche errour Saynt Augustine disputeth in this wyse For Adam to go into synne sufficed free wyll by whiche bespotted him selfe.
But that he maye be stronge vnto rightousnes he nedeth a Phision for he that is not sounde, nedeth a quyckener bycause he is deed. &c. To graunte that fre [Page] wyll is other wise holpen of the holye ghost than be lighteninge to beleue the gospell or Christ for whose onely sake y • holy ghost helpeth our endeuours. To deny free wyl in outwarde thinges. To reasō thus we haue fre wyl in outward thinges without the renuaunce of the holy ghost, Ergo in thinges spirituall also. To graunte that God requyreth no more of vs but our endeuours and oure owne powers. To denye that our endeuours aswel in thinges spiritual as outward may be letted of the deuyl.
Of sinne. CA. XV.
SYnne is a perpetuall vice sticking in nature against the law of god which vttereth it self now and then amōg with outwarde worde & dede and y • necessaryly.
¶Proues of this diffinicion.
THE thoughtes of mās hert is euill Gen. viii. d from his chyldehode. Also Ieremy saith. Croked is the herte of man and vnsearchable. The prophet also saith. Psalm. xiii. a. Psal. c. xv. a There is none that doth good. And in an other place. Euery man is a lyer. Paul to the Romaynes witnesseth the same sayinge goodnes dwelleth not ī my flesh: Roma. vii. d. where he sheweth also that this vice wrestleth [Page xlv] with the lawe of god and therfore he addeth. The lawe delyteth me accordīg to the inwarde man but I se an other law in my mēbres rebellynge against y • lawe of my mynde. &c. Outward sayingꝭ & factes be the frutes of that vice that sticketh in nature, whiche frutes neuer fayle whersoeuer inwarde vngodlynes is at hande which thinge clerely appeareth of thordre of Paules chidinge to y • Romaynes the first chapter, where first of al, thapostle treateth of the wickednes of hert which he rebuked in the gē tyles and afterwarde setteth forthe the effectes of wickednes euen the very outward vices, saying: wherfore god hathe giuen them vp into lustes of reproche.
¶Causes of sinne.
¶The deuil is cause of synne by whose impulsion the firste parent Adā was entised Iohn̄. viii. [...] to sinne. And Christ him self calleth Sathan the father of lyes that is to say which gēdreth and worketh lies in men. The cause also of sinne is the choyse of the first mā by whiche he assented to the deuyll, prouokinge him to the same. And forasmoch as in mans thoughtes and affayres his will is yet fre, therfore sinnes do procede & haue ꝓceded of y • frāke wyll of man but hereof more copyously [Page] we haue disputed in the tytles of predestinacion and contingency.
¶Synne is one, Partes. euen the synne of byrth (which they call originall syn) cleuinge in the nature of man, the frutes wherof be all thoughtes, wordes and dedes agaynste the law of god. The fathers of the churche deuide sinne (for the playnenesse Diuison. of teachinge) into synne orygynall and synne actuall. To these maye be added the thirde, the sinne against the holye ghost.
¶Of orygynall synne.
SYnne originall is a corrupcion of nature of man, which causeth that mē he borne y • children of wrath & synners in so moche that they can not truelye obey the lawe of god nor be without sin.
¶Proues of this diffinition.
¶We were of nature the children of yre. Ephe. ii. Also psal. 50. Lo I was cōceyued in wickednesse. Gene. vi. a Itm̄. The thoughte of mans hert is euyl frō his chyldhode. More auctorytyes of scripture thou shalte fynde before in the diffinition of the generall sinne. The residue of the diffinion is declared by the wordes of Paul, where he saith. Roma. vii. d [...]. Iohn̄. i. I fynde an other lawe in my mē bres. Also Iohn̄ in his epistle sayinge. If we saye we haue not syn, we make hym [Page xlvi] a lyer. Now howe can man be without sin, sithens of nature he is both a sinner & also conceyued in syn we added, truely to obey, to note y e diuersitie betwene true obedience and rayned. The true obedience by reason of corrupcion of nature is taken from vs, but the fayned or imperfyte obedyence is after some maner ī our powers. Herevnto appertayne such places of scripture as disseuer y e true obedience of Gods law frō y • feyned. Also y • true worshyp of god from y e hipocritical as be these, thou shalt loue thy lord god Deut. vi. b▪ w t al thy hole hert▪ also in an other place put these my wordes in youre hertes & mindes. Moreouer the Lord in deutero, taketh away from men the vnderstanding of the law and true obedience. For he saith who can gyue that they cā haue Deut. v. suche a mynde that they maye feare me and kepe my commaundemētes. Esay. xxix. Also by the prophet Esay he sayth. This people approcheth to me with theyr mouth but their hert is farre fro me. &c. Where he discerneth the false obedience and worshyppe whiche colourably is doone & the true obedience and worship which oughte to be done. Saynte Paule also requyreth vnto the true obedience of Gods lawe farre greater thynges then [Page] be in our powers, where he saith. The ende of the cōmaūdement is charitie of a [...] Timoth. i. pure hert and good conscience and faith vnfeined. Of which end of the lawe who cā glory beside Christ, which alone was appoynted of god t [...] this true obediēce of the lawe as witnesseth him selfe of his office in this behalfe. Mat. v. I came not to lose the lawe but to fullfyll it, wherfore forasmoch as so greate obedience towardes the law of god is requyred we may iustly & wel confesse y t we can not be without synne.
¶The diffinition of original sinne by doctours.
¶Augustine defyneth orygynall syn to be concupiscence, S. Augustyn which haue succeded in place of rightousnes y t was loste. Other whiles diffininge it in a general itie, he compriseth the inwarde corrupcion as cause with the outwarde sinnes as effectes, and saithe, that sin is that whiche is spoken, done or coueted againste the lawe of God.
Thomas saith originanal sin is an hauour Thomas the scole man. of the sycke nature, that is (as he hym selfe expouneth) an in ordinate disposiciō of y • harmony of original iustice. Hugo diffineth it to be the ignoraunce in minde and iust in flesh. Hugo.
[Page xlvii] ¶The cause of original sinne, Causes of original sy [...]. is Sathā the deceyuer of our first parentes, & their fre will wherby they assented to euil & despised the cōmaundement of god, by this assent the nature of our first parentes Adam & Eue was corrupted, & euen as the parentes then were such folowed and were made afterwarde theyr children Roma. v. by naturull contagion & propagacion as witnesseth Paul. The doctours assigne the material cause of oryginall sinne to be concupiscence. Partes.
¶Certaine men without daunger of y • trouth do diuide originall sinne into sin parsonall in Adam, Syn ꝑsonall. Syn natural and sinne naturall in others, howbeit this ought to be added that after the fall that was also made in Adam natural whiche before y • fall was not of Adams nature. This particion maketh also to the vnderstandinge of the true succession & stretchyng forth of orygynall finne to thintēt thou mayst know that by it nature is infected and corrupted.
¶Theffectes of oryginall sinne be takē theffectes of oigrinall syn. forth of the perfection of Adams nature before the fal or forth of the fyrst right wysnes lost in Adam, and that by comparison of the contraryes, as these: To be partaker of y • deuylles nature, where [Page] as before the fal he was partaker of the nature of god that is, he was wife, rightouse, good, Gen. [...]. true. And this was bicause he was create accordinge, to the ymage of god whiche agayne by sinninge he did put of. So for wyse, he was made vnwyse, for iust iniust, for good euyll. for true a lyer. &c. To these be added for a clearer declaracion, also these effectes folowinge: Not to knowe god, to disspise god, to be withoute feare and awe of god, without trust in god. To fle god the iudge, not to perceyue such thinges as be of the spirite. To vate the iugdement i. Corinth. ii. of god. To be angry with god. To dyspayre of god and of his grace. To haue trust in tēporal thinges. To striue agaynst the lawe of god. To haue wicked thoughtes of the herte euen from the chyldehode. Not truly to obeye the lawe of god. For he that of nature is repugnaunt to the lawe of god, how can he trulye obeye god? sithens thaffections & loue of the flesh is emnitie agaīst god for it is not subiect to y • law of god no nor can not be. Rom. viii. v Also to cause y t we neuer can be without syn, for that whiche is natural we can not vtterly put of. These effectes & sēblable be ascribed to original sī, bicause they sticke ī nature or [Page xlviii] be the frutes of y • corrupt nature, which effectes be oftentimes mēcyoned in scriptures, and ought alwayes to be vnderstande of the corruption of nature, as, that euery mā is a lyer, that is to say, of nature. The prophet sayth. There is no ryghtwyse mā, no not one, vnderstande of nature. There is none y • hath vnderstandynge, of nature. There is none y t ensercheth god, of nature, vnryghtous, vnwyse, a lyer, & semblable wordes be often tymes red in scripture. & ought to be vnderstand & conferred w t the nature of man before the fall. Moreouer al the sayd effectes be deedly synnes in y e wycked, forasmoche as deth as a penalitie foloweth them, for as Pau. sayth. Roma. vi. d. Roma. v. d The wages of sine is deth. Also in an other place he saith. Through y • faulte of one man sīne entered in to the worlde, & by reasō of synne, dethe. And so vpō all mē deth came, ī asmoch as al we haue sīned wherfore in cōsyderacyō & of the penaltie original sinne hath yet other effectes as: To bryng deth, for y • stipende of sīne (saith Pau.) is deth. Roma. vi. d. i. corin. xv. g Also, The darte of sīne is deth, y t is to were, which maketh deth, or of which deth doth ēsue. Itē, by synne entred deth. To put vnder y • tirā ny Roma. viii. c. of y e deuyl, as where it is said of god. [Page] I wyll put enmyties bitwene the and Gen. iii. c the woman, bytwene thy sede and hee sede. Ephe. vi. a. &c. To make the chyldren of wrath and of damnacion. To make an euyl cō science, for as wytnesseth Salomō ī his prouerbes, Pro. xviii. n The wycked fleeth, no man pursuyng hym. To these ought to be added also other effectes of oryginal synne in respecte of the penaltie, as concupiscence and synne, which effectes do cause all thynges whiche we do of nature before we be regendred & borne anewe, be synnes. For the payn of oryginall synne is nothynge els but to synne. For lyke as no man can put of, nature in other thynges, thoughe he neuer so sore struggeleth with it, euē so nature beyng corrupted and punysshed with syn as with a penaltie, can do none other thyng thā syn. And that syn is the punysshment of orygynall vyce or wyckednes. Thapostle Paul sheweth sufficiently, Roma. i. [...] where he reherseth in order the puni [...]shmentes of wyckednes, euen the very synnes. Herevnto perteyneth the common and true saynge. Deus punit peccatum peccato. God punyssheth syn with syn. I wolde also here haue put to the penall effectes of y • vtter frutes of this oryginal vyce, but y • I thought it best to defer thē vnto [Page xlix] theffectes of actual syn, for hyther vnto the scolemen haue onely drawen them to outwarde actes and factes.
¶The contraryes of originall syn.
¶The cōtraryes of origynal syn spring chefly of the minishyng and settyng at lite and extenuacion of it, as. To graūt that origynall syn is not a vyce that hā geth in nature. To say orrigynall syn is onely fomes (as they call it) that is, Fomes peccati. the kyndlynge or a qualitie of the body by whiche the body & not the mynde is enfected and to whiche we our selues ma [...] gyue a salue or medecyne. To say orryginal syn betokeneth only an outward dede & not a contynuall & dayly disease. To say ther be none other synꝭ then outward dedes which errour they defend by these sainges of philosophers: Nature is good. Also euery syn is volūtary, ☞ which sētences & suche lyke be true among philosophers & in ciuil causes but to bryng y • same to enlesson or diminysh y • disease of origynall syn is farre out of y • waye. To graūt concupiscence or iuste to be y • punyshment of oryginall syn & not syn it selfe, S. Austy [...] agaynst S. Augustyn who diffinith origynal syn to be cōcupiscēce. Also agaīst Paul who saith, Roma. vii. [...] but I knew not sin but by y • lawe. for I had not knowē [Page] luste or concupisence onles y • lawe had said. Thou shalt not couet or luste. To graūt y t this kynlyng or fomes (as they call it) is a thyng indifferent of it selfe, neyther good nor euell. Adiaphora. But who euer durst call these thynges indifferent that knewe any good veyne of scripture, to dout of y e yre of god to be angry w t god & semblable cōbraūces of nature which be y e necessary frutes of originall synne. To extenuate & mynyshe origenall syn sayng, men be not letted by it but that they may kepe of them selfes all y e preceptes of god. To say origynall syn is onely a weakenes in nature or incitmēt & kyndling & no syn that is to say a thīg of the selfe nature worthy death & damnacyon. Pelagians. To graunt w t the Pelagians y • orygenall syn came vpō other men not by naturall corrupcyon & propagacyon but by imitation werfore the Pelagiās wyll not y • by baptysme origynal synne is losed in īfantes bycause they cōtende that in byrth there is none such original synne. Reatus To say origynal synne is onely a gylte or offence which is wyped awaye in baptyme. The manithees To graūt w t the Man [...]ches that fleshly lust werby the fleshe lusteth agaynste the spirite in vs an infirmytye procedinge of the corrupte nature in the [Page l] fyrste man but a contrary substaunce so stickynge in vs that when we be delyuered Cōcupiscence and purged it is seuered from vs. To graunt that luste is the acte of lustynge and not the fyrst vyce gotten of Adam. Anabaptistis To saye with the Anabaptystes orygynall synne ceased and is quenshed in suche as be rebaptysed. To graunt orygynall synne not to be a pure priuacion but onely a corrupte hauoure whose powers be of it selfe truely to acknowelege godes truste in him. &c. To graunt with the scole men that the punyshmēt of orygynail syn is only concupiscence. Scolastickes To denye that the punyshmentes of orygynal sinnes be besydes concupiscence also synne, dethe, the tyrannye of the deuyll, dampnacyon. &c.
¶Of actuall synne.
¶It is manyfest that scole men do onelye call those actuall synnes which stād in outewarde wordes or dedes, wherfore I thought good to treate of suche seuerally of my accustomed compendyous maner of teachynge, to thentente I myght satysfye the reder which perchaunce as yet, is intāgled with y e olde diuisyon of syn. Neuertheles I thynke A protestratiō cōueniēt to proteste & declare before vnto you y t there is one only & symple syn [Page] stickynge in the nature of man whiche accustomablye we call orrigynall synne from whiche vndoutedly actuall synne differeth nothynge but so moche as the cause and effecte do differre: wherfore it had bene ynough to haue put actual sin amonges the effectes of originall synne but y t I feared theyr iudgmentꝭ whiche accompte it a greuous offence in thingꝭ yea not necessarie to depart and swarue from the auncyent wryters. But for asmoche as oryginall syn is a vice sticking in nature from which procede not only euell wordes and dedes, but also noughty affections and thoughtes whiche before god be the verye selfe synnes. Also forasmoch as suche affections & thoughtes be the actes of the vyce styckynge in nature: Therfore actuall synnes must be vnderstanded not only outward wordꝭ and dedes but also inwarde affections and thoughtes wherfore in this wyse oweth actuall synne to be defyned.
¶Actual synne, is euery affection, euery thought, The diffinition of actuall synnes. euery worde & dede agaynst the lawe of god yea & what so euer is done without faythe. This syn issueth forth of the corrupt nature of man and is the effecte of origynall synne.
¶The proues of this diffinicyon.
[Page li] A wycked & euil mind of nature can not want actual syn, for the vice original, which is cause of it, neuer plaieth, neuer kepeth holy day. Now the cause alwaies working, theffectꝭ can not but always ensue. Also a vicious & corrupttre, can not but brīg forth euil frutes. Out of the herte (saith Christ) procede Math. xv. e. euil thoughtes, slaughters, aduotries. &c, And god oftimes scourgeth wickednes w t outward sin̄es, while he suffreth the wicked to run frō one syn to an other. Roma. [...] These synnes wher w t god scourgeth & punissheth synnes, the doctours also cal many tymes the punyshmētes of syn, Gregorye as s. Greg. writing thus. Syn y • springeth of syn is not only now a syn but it is both syn & also y • punishmēt of syn, bicause w t a iust iudgement god almighty ouershadoweth as it were w t a cloude the hert of the synner.
No mā doubteth but all actual synnes may be referred to the inward thoughtes to outward spekinges & dedes. For thaffections & thoughtes of the mynde be actual synnes it is certeyn & clere ynough, forasmoch as they be theffectes of y • original vice. Roma. vis. And thapostle saith. But syn by occasion engēdred by y • cō maundemēt in me, all maner of concupiscēce, [Page] as who sholde saye syn espied & knowē by y • law maketh afrayd & furthermore moueth the lust agaynst god to [...]e the iudgemēt of god & be angry agaynst god. Also Christ in the gospel of Mat. reherseth the thoughtes of y • hert amonges theffectes of the corrupt hert of nature. Math. xv. [...] For forth of the hert (sayth he) come wicked thoughtes, slaughters murders. &c.
Those sines which can not be referred either to thaffectiōs thoughtꝭ wordes or dedes be cōprised vnder y t general sētēce of Paul, Roma. [...]iiii. what so euer is done w tout faith, is syn, wherfore not onely thaffectiōs & thoughtes, spekinges & [...] des which be euil be actuall synnes, but also honest affectiōs, thoughtꝭ, wordes & dedes be actual synnes, not of thē selues, or bicause god wold not honest affectiōs & thoughtes, honest sayinges & dedes to be had, or disaloweth or doth not reacquite the same, but bicause the ꝑsons of whom they be done please not god, & bicause they be done w tout faith, Agayn such affectiōs thoughtꝭ, wordes & dedes as be honest do please god, & be not synnes whē they ꝓcede of fayth toward Christ, for whose onely sake all our workes he pleasaunt vnto god.
[Page lii] THE cause of actual syn is Satā, The cause of actuall syn. father of al sinnes. Our wil, which is fre to euil, assenteth to Satā the engēderer & ꝓuoker of synnes. The lesse prīcipall cause is the original vice frō whēce as forth of a foūteyn all actual synnes do flowe.
IT is an old diuisiō of actual syn in The partes of actual syn. to syn mortal & venial. The scholemen about either of these sines do but trifle very fondly & folishly, some thinke thē called venial bicause they obtein easely Veniā, y t is to say ꝑdon or forgiuenes & which may be quēched & chased awaye either by holywa [...], or other ceremonies Other some wil haue thē called venial synnes, bycause after this life they receyue pardon in purgatory. Againe other some say they be so called, hauinge respect to sin y t is irremissible, which is the syn agaynst the holy ghost. But the wiser & better lerned scholeme do refer Scole me [...] vnto venial sinnes those disposiciōs of thoughtes & affections which tende to mortal sines: & vndoubtedly al thoug [...] tes & noughty affectiōs in holy & good mē be venial synnes, w t whiche dayly y • myndes of the godlye be vexed, where as the flesh coueteth & lusteth agaynst the spiryte. But by cause the scripture [Page] damneth such affectiōs & thoughtes as be moost greuous sinnes in the eyes of god, & furthermore Paule aduertiseth [...]s to mortifye w t the spirite such dedes of the flesh. Therfore those y e begin to be called venial synnes, be not lite sinnes as to distrust in god, to be angrye and displeased with god. For vndoubtedly these synnes are become mortal sinnes in the wicked ꝑsons, forasmoch as deth as a punishment dothe ensue them, for the wicked make no resistence by faith wherfore in respect of deth as a penaltie and punyshment. there be no venial synnes in y e wicked. Albeit the same affectiōs & thoughtes against gods lawe in the good ꝑsons be venial sinnes, bicause they be forgiuē thē. For the godly disalow such affectiōs & thoughtes, & make resistēce against thē, so y t they fal not in to the outwarde factes. Now, in such as make resistēce is yet faith, wherfore in the mean seasō they be declared rightous. But on the cōtrary syde al sī nes be mortal y t be done against y e lawe of god, w t a cōscience which w t standeth not by fayth. For this cause affectiōs & thoughtes are now become deedly sinnes, whē no resistēce is made on our behalf agaynst thē, but be alowed, tyll at [Page liii] last also by our assēt they brast forth in to our outward crymes & noughtines. And such as thus do syn, be fallē frō y • grace of god, & be no more cōpted for good, whō also dānatiō foloweth, onlesse they repēt. But of this mater loke vpō Melāchton. Melāchth [...] in his places debating the thing more at large.
¶Thoccasiō of this diuisiō of actual synnes semeth to haue come hereof, bicause the fathers of the church saw .ij. sortes of actual sines, some inward, as affectiōs & thoughtes, some outwarde, as wordes & dedes. But forasmoch as they were led of their own ꝓpre iudgemēt, w tout coūsell had w t the places of scripture, or ꝑswaded w t this cōmō saying. God iudgeth not thaffectiōs, therfor they parted venial sinnes, as affections & thoughtes (by minisshīg y e same) in the wicked also frō the peyn of deth. But the diuisiō of actual sinnes shalbe symple, A true diuision of actuall synnes. syncere, & lesse peryllous yf y u wilt deuide thē in to sines which be inwarde (as affectiōs & thoughtes which may be called venial in such as do resist by fayth, & therfore be yet coūted rightous) & in to outward synnes, as wordes & dedes, in to whiche who so euer crasteth forth, be fallen frō grace, & be [Page] no more nombred among the rightous but y t as wel the inward as y e outward sines be deedly, onlesse y • resist by faith. But in the wicked in whom is no resistence, or which hath not Christ can be no venial syunes,
¶Forasmoch as of actual sinnes some be affectiōs & thoughtꝭ, Cheffectes of actuall sinnes other some wordes & dedes, therfore double effectꝭ here of (y t is to wete) of venial syn do aryse, I meane of affections & thoughtes in y e godly, & of actual syn by it self, I mean as wel of affectiōs & thoughtꝭ as of outward wordes & dedes in the wycked & in such as depart frō grace. These double effectes serue for none other thynge but to discerne the venial in the godly frō the none venial, y t is from suche as who so euer be intangled & roted in, be no longer occompted rightous, to thintent we might know the difference bitwene y e godly & vngodly which do syn in affectiōs & thoughtes. In the wicked no synnes can be venial, for al their affectiōs & thoughtes be made w tout the holy ghost y e shold gouerne, and faith y e shold resist. In the godly corrupt affectiōs & thoughtes against y e law of god be made venial sines, bicause for Christes & faythes sake they be ꝑdoned and [Page liiii] forgyuen, by which fayth they wrestle against such affectiōs & wicked thoughtes disalowing the same, lest they shold run in to outward vices, wherfore ī so great strugglinges & conflictes they be yet ꝓnounced & recompted for good & iust ꝑsons by benefyte of theyr faythe, not assenting to the temptacion of syn. Now the effectes of veniall syn in the godly may be these. Theffectes of veniall sy [...]ne To be tempted to vngodlynes. To be tēpted to dispayre to be angry w t god, to doubte whether god hath respect of them: to be prouoked against the hole law of god, y t they sholde lust after wickednes, to thynk [...] vpon euils, & haue theyr myndes occupyed thervpon. Many lyke effectes of venial synne may yet be fetched hythe [...] out of theffectes of originall syn afor [...] remembred. Also what theffectes of v [...] nyall synne be, euery man easyly hath [...] experience with hym self when his spryte and flesshe be at warre togyther neyther ought these effectes to be lytl [...] regarded sythens the same be moost greuous synnes before god, and very mortall in the wycked as perteynyng to the payne. Neuerthelesse they [...] yet called venyall in the godlye, bycause they be forgyuen and pardoned [Page] to such as valiātly resist by faith, or bicause they breke not forth ī to out ward offēces. Also herevnto belōg such places of scripture as teache y • the lyfe of the godly is a warfare vpō this erth as Ro. S. ☜ Yf (saith Paul) ye wil mortify the dedes of the bodye, ye shal lyue. &c. Truly the dedes of the body be here not only the wordes & dedes of the selfe body, but also thaffections & dedes of the mynde, & the bodye signifieth here not one ꝑte of the body, as the flesh, but the hole body. Colloss. iii. The sayd Paul in an other place saith: Mortify therfore your erthly mēbres, Roma. vi. hordom vnclēnes wātōnes, euil lust. &c. Item let not therfore syn reygne in your mortall body, so y t you shold obey it by the lustꝭ of it. Also Iob accordeth to the same, Iob. vii. [...] where he sayth. A warfare is the life of mā vpō y e erth. These places monish vs strōgly to resyst syn, left we be vaynquisshed at last by it to the committing of outward of fences & enormities, and so vtterly to dye by the same.
Hereby now it appereth what actual sines be mortal, ī respect of such as we cal venial ī y e godly (y t is to wite) those which be done agaīst the law of god, w t a cōsciēce not repugnaūt, ne w tstāding [Page lv] by sayth, where as no resistēce on our behalf is made agaīst thaffectiōs mociōs & thoughtꝭ, til at last they rush forth īto outward crimes & enormities. For such synners haue assented to syn & be now gone frō grace, & no longer can be reputed good, yea & where such repent not, they be also damned.
Now these effectes be of y e hole actual syn mortal, Theffectꝭ of the hole acte [...] all synne mortall. y t is, aswel of affectiōs and thoughtꝭ, as of wordes & dedes. Not to repugne against the tēptaciō of syn by faith. To assēt to syn y e tempteth. To approue those thinges which y e euil affectiōs & thoughtes do suggest & purpose. To haue delectacion and pleasure in synnes. To glory in synnes. To desire & ymagin ydolatry, & to be made an idolatour. To desire & ymagin anye false worship of god, and to set vp the same. To desyre & ymagin murdre & the same to execute. To desyre & ymagin disobediēce & w t outward fact to accomplish the same. To couet & ymgen aduontrye & the same to cōmit īdede & so of y e rest. But these effectes are so to be taken y e forthw t they be made mortal synnes as sone as any assēt is had to such corrupt affections & thoughtes, although y e outward dedes folow not, which neuerthelesse [Page] y e mynd can not wāt y t is fallē frō grace. So Adā shold haue synned mortally for thassenting vnto the wycked affectiōs & thoughtes, although he had neuer eaten of the apple. So also in vs affectiōs & thoughtes be made mortall synnes, yea although outward dedes do not ensue, euē as oft as we make no resistēce by fayth against y e sinnes to tēpting vs, but do giue our eare & assent to the same, as for exēple. Good mē to be tēpted, to wish & cōpasse murdre is a venial syn in such as strongly & valiaūtly make resistēce by fayth, but to assent vnto thaffections & thoughtes to obey thē eūe to the executiō of the murder & not to repugne by fayth, is now becom a deedly synne.
Wherfore to mortal synnes actuall ꝑteyn al these synnes, whervnto assent is giuē, albeit they be not accōplisshed by wordes & dedes. Itē all those which be executed in word & dede. Hither perteyn such places of scripture as cōtein heapes of actual synnes worthy death, as. i. Corin. vi. Eph. v. Gala. v. Rom. 1. Certēly such effectꝭ be called mortal sines not bicause grace is denied to such synners as syn mortallye, lyke as it is to them which being deed can not ryse [Page lvi] agayn, but bicause deth as a punishmēt foloweth suche effectes. But agayne where suche synners do chaunge theyr lyfe and do repentaunce they may obteyn grace.
These also effectes may be herevnto referred. Other effectꝭ of actuall sy [...] Of a wylfulnes or haultnes of mynde, or for other causes not to acknowlege or receyue the gospell.
TO acknowlege or receyue y e gospel & the same so acknowleged or receyued slouthfully to regarde. A mā to neglect his office in his callyng, or to do it negligently, which synnes at this day be most cōmon in y e world. For some men although they knew y t it is gods cōmaū demēt y • they shold acknowlege and rereyue the gospell, yet they despyse it & wil none of it. Agayn, others where as they promptly acknowlege & receiue it yet they regarde it negligently. Cold [...] gospelle [...]. Suche now adayes be many gospellers which now be waxen colde.
¶Common effectes which folow all mortall synnes.
TO bring deth vpō mē. Roma. v. [...]. v [...] TO put mē vnder the tyranny & power of y e deuil. For who so euer falleth frō grace by sin, cā be vnder y • power of none other thā of the deuil, sithēs there be but two kingdoms [Page] thone of god thother of the deuil. Therfore also Christ maketh the deuil father of synnes. Thapostle calleth the deuil mighty in the vnfaithful, & other whiles he calleth deuils the rulers and princes of the world. Item, he y • cōmitteth syn (sayth Christ) is of y e deuil. To bring euerlasting dānatiō to such as repēt not, Iohn̄ .xi. accordīg to y e saying of Christ Go ye cursed in to euerlasting fyre. Math. xxv. d &c. In which place Chryst reckeneth vp y e synnes, for which euerlasting dānatiō chaūseth. Iohn̄. viii. e Gall [...]. v. d. l. corint. vi. [...]. To make mē seruaūtꝭ of syn, for euery one y e cōmitteth syn is the seruaūt of syn. To depriue mē of y e kyngdom of god, for they y t do such offences shal not īherite y e kingdom of god. To make an euil cōsciēce according to the saying of the wise mā. The wicked fle [...]th no man chasing him. Pro [...]e [...]. 28. a To deserue y e syn be punisshed w t syn, according to y e sentēce of Paul, Roma. i. d. where as he sayth. For this cause god gaue thē vp in to the lustes of reproche, for euen theyr women did chaūge the natural vse vnto the vnnatural, & likewise also the mē left the natural vse of the womā, & brēt ī theyr lustes one to an other. And man w t man wrought filthynes & receyued in themselues the reward of their errour as apꝑteyned. [Page lvii] &c. To susteyn reproche & an euyl name in this life, according to the sētēce of Salomō. Prouerb. [...]8. The wicked whē he cōmeth ī to y e botom of synnes is set at nought, & reproche & sclaūdre do folow him. Nume. v To bring also outward mischaū ces & curses vpō such as commit thē, as god him self witnesseth saying. Bicause ye haue trāsgressed my cōmaundemētes ye shal not prosper. An exēple hereof is red in Eue. Gen. 3. [...] to whom god sayd: I shall multiply thy sorowes. Also ī Adā: Cursed be the erth in thy worke, hither perteyn the curses in the old testament against the breakers of gods cōmaundementes. Also exemples, which testify y e synnes were punisshed w t outward misfortunes & yet be punisshed,
¶Contraries to venial synne.
TO graūt any venial sinnes in y e wieked. ☞ To make but a trifle of venial sinnes, & compt thē for lyte offencen. To say venial sinnes be queushed or chased away by holy water or by purgatory, Holy water. or other thinges. To say y • the purging of veniall synnes nedeth not grace or Chryst. To say y • thaffectiōs & thoughtes, of which venial sines sprīg, cānot be made mortal synnes, yf assēt be had to the the same, although the outward [Page] fact or word folow not. To say al affectiōs & thoughtes be euil, bicause they be actual sinnes, but a distinctiō ought to be had bitwene affectiōs, for they be of .ii. sortꝭ. Two sortes of affections Some be clene cōtrary to y e law of god, as to couet other mēs gooddes, to enuy other mē for y e benefytꝭ of god, to haue distrust ī god, to be angry w t god, & such like. These be ꝓprely theffectes of original syn & merely euyll & vicious, worthy to be cast forth of the nature of mā. Other affectiōs there be which be not repugnaūt w t gods lawe, as to loue a mans own childrē, to loue his wife & suche lyke. To take these away, is to take away y e mouyng & lyfe of nature. But cōcerning this mater ye maye se more in the common places of Melāchton. Melāchthon To deny venial synnes in holy men.
¶Contraryes to mortal synnes.
TO put but seuē deedly synnes. Mo then. vii mortall sin̄es To deny y e thaffectiōs & thoughtes in the wicked, or in such as resist not by fayth be dedly synnes. To graūt y t such synnes as be done agaynst the cōmaūdemēt of god be not dedly, although assēt be had to the same, onlesse y e outward factes do folow. To graūt y e all mortall synnes be not dānable. To graūt y e fayth may [Page lviii] stand w t mortal syn. To hold y e mortal tymes can not be forgyuen after baptisme. To deny grace vnto suche as be in dedly syn. To make it no mortal syn not to acknowlege or receyue y e gospel or y e same receyued, negligently to folow. Also of a p̄sūptiō of mynde to despise y e gospel, & not to regarde his calling or not to execute y e same as to his duty apperteyneth. More [...] Contraryes to the hole synne. [...].
More general cōtraries to y e hole sin be these. To graūt thopiniō of y e Stoickes y e synnes be egal, so y t there sholde be no differēce bitwene Nero synnyng moche, & Pompeiꝰ Attīcus synnīg lesse. To make god causer of syn, bicause he determineth al thingꝭ. To graūt w t the Iouinianistes synnes to be egal, Iouinianists & that mā can not syn after he be ones regenerate or borne anew. To deny grace to them y • do syn after they haue ones acknowleged the trouthe. To deny y t the chief rewardes of syn be deth, the tyrā nye of Satan, & damnation. To graūt with the Pelagians y t the lyfe of good men in this worlde hathe no rewarde at all. Pelagian [...].
Of synne agaynste the holye ghost. CA. XIIII.
[Page] FOrasmoch as we be fallē in to the treaty of syn, we thinke it good to cast herevnto y e sin of the holy gost albeit it ought to haue bē reserued and put els very wel af [...] y e title of gospell, bycause this syn springeth of it, as out of his propre obiect.
THE syn agaynst the holy gost is w t an obstinate mynde against the [...]sciēce to damne the gospel & the workes of it What synne agaynst the holy ghost is. which sin not acknowledged can not be forgyuen, neither in this world, nor in the world to come, for which also it is not to be prayed.
THIS diffinitiō appereth certein of the The proues of this diffinition. .xij. chap. of Math. where the phari [...]ees, being theyr cōsciences conuīct w t y e very trouth, many argumētꝭ brought of Christ to y e same purpose, yet agaīst their cōscience they cryed out y e Christ did cast forth the deuil by the power of the deuil, wherfore cōsequently in that they condemned this worke of Chryst, they also cōdemned tholy gost, whiche was the cause & worker of that worke by whose power Christ did cast forthe the deuil. Now, & such a syn can not be remitted neither in this nor in the next world, Christ expresly declareth in the fornamed chap. but yet if it be acknowleged, [Page lix] it maye be remytted. For to such as be lyuing here in this worlde grace is not denied yf they repēt & aske forgyuenes. Finally that we ought not to pray for suche teache s. Iohn̄ in his epistle. Iohn̄. v. b For so long as this syn is obstinatly defended, it abydeth alwaye vnpardonable.
THE cause of this sin is the deuīl father & worker of al synnes. The cause. The cause also of this sin, is the wil of mā, which is fre vnto euil, for mā being forsaken of god & left to his frewil, falleth in to this synne,
¶The syn agaynst the holy gost hath no ꝑtes, No partes. The names of this synne. i. Iohn̄. v. d which syn otherwhiles y • scripture calleth Peccatū ad mortē (y t is to say syn vnto deth) as s. Iohn̄ in his epistle calleth it. But the doctours call it otherwhiles the syn of vnrepentaunce somtyme an obduracion or hardnes of hert, somtyme a stubburnnes, somtime a resistence against y • trouth, y • against the conscience, and somtime they name it the dispayre of grace: Gene. iiii. v Suche maner of synne commytted Cayn, Marc. xv. a Mat. xxvii. a [...] Luc. xxiii. a. Iohn̄ .xviii. v. where as he sayde: Greater is my wyckednesse then that I can deserue forgynenesse. Item, the synne of Iudas the betrayer of Chryst.
¶Theffectes of the syn agaynst the holy ghost.
¶Theffectes of the syn agaynst tholy ghost be these: To damne the gospel & the frutꝭ of the same, after thexēple of the pharisees. Math xii. b. To make y e syn irremmissible or vnꝑdonable in such as obstinatly & stubburnly cōtinue in dānyng the gospel. Math .xii. v. To bring deth .i. Ioh .v. To crucifie the son of god agayn, as thexēple to y e Ebrues declareth. Ebreos .vi. a. To make y e son of god a laughing stocke, as in the said epistle is shewed. But these effectes are so to be vnderstād & taken y t the syn agaynst the holy gost if it be acknowleged Ebre. vi. a ī this lyfe may be forgyuē. Herevnto also may be brought al such effectes as generally folow al mortal synnes.
Cōtraries to this doctrine be these: Contraryes. To graūt y e euery syn which is cōmitted after baptisme is a syn agaynste the holy ghost, yea though it cōmeth of a weiknes & not of any [...]tēpt or obstinacy. To graūt y t the syn against tholy gost can not be forgiuē in this life if the same be acknowleged, which erour cōfuteth s. Aug. Augustyn. vpon the wordes of Christ. Mat .xij. To make a trifle of the sin against the holy gost, cōtrary to the wordes of Christ which extolleth this syn aboue Math .xii. e [Page lx] any syn committed agaynst his owne person.
Of the lawe. CA. XV.
THe law in a generalite is whiche techeth what is to be done & what is to be left. Diffinition.
This diffinitiō is vndouted, The profe. takē forth of the ꝓpre officies of y e law, whiche be to teche cōmaunde & declare what is to be done, & what not.
OF lawes some be natural, The partes. some diuine, some humane.
THE causes of lawes be the makers and instituters. The causes.
Theffect of lawes is to declare & commaūde what thinges we ought to do, Theffectes. & what to leaue vndone.
¶The lawe of nature,
THE law of nature is a certeyn notyce or knowlege of gods lawe, what y e lawe of nature is. imprynted and grauen of god in the nature of mā, ordeyned to know god and loue his neyghboure, to thintent there myght be kept in the myndes of mē, an occasion of religion & publike quietie, peax, & teanquillitie of men amonges them selues.
That the law of nature is a notice of gods law, Profes of this diffinition. is euidēt by the first chapi [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] to the Rom. where y e apostle declareth y t the gētiles or hethē ꝑsons haue knowlege of god, by the law of nature, & not only a single knowlege, y t there is a god but also y e god doth creat, doth gouern & cōserue al thingꝭ which to vnderstād ī god, is ꝓprely to know god. Howbeit this knowlege is wōderfully dimed, obscured & corrupted by the fal of Adam as hereafter in theffectes we shal shew, in which some ꝑte of the diffinitiō shal be bet [...] declared. Nowe to acknowlege god & loue his neyghbour togyther w t the rest be the final effectes of the lawe of nature.
The cause of y e law of nature is god y e instituter, Cause which gaue his law indifferently in to the hertes of al mē.
THE lawe of nature is not deuided of it selfe in to partes, Partes. but forasmoche as some lawes of nature perteyne to know god, some to loue the neyghbour or to the cōseruacion of mākynde, therfore let the varietie, and sundrinesse of naturall lawes suffise in place of a diuision.
Theffectes of natural lawes be takē forth of y e very lawes writtē in y e mindes of mē, Effe [...]es. as: Roma. i. c. To know god y t he is euerlastīg, mighty & godly (that is) y t he [Page lxi] createth, gouerneth & [...]serueth al thīgꝭ for y t is to know the eternitie, power & diuinitie of god. To worship one god. To glorify god. To be thākful to god the maker & sauour of al thīgꝭ. To cal vpō god. Roma. [...]. These later effectes cōcernīg y e worship of god, thapostle taketh not away frō the very gentiles, but y t they haue thē by the law of nature, but he accuseth thē, y • accordingly as they knew god, they gaue hī not y e true worshyp, wherfore whyle he sayth y t the gētyles payd not neither yelded vnto god whō they knew, his tru worship, he sheweth sufficiētly y t they had a knowlege of y e true worshyp.
Now, ☞ y t the gentyles gaue not the true worship to god, whō by his creatures they knew, y e wickednes of their minde was to blame, which by meanes of original syn, wold not obey the knowlege that they haue of god, but is naturally voyde of y e fear of god & trust ī god, neither doth it aske any help of god. &c. Wherfore all y e foresaid effectꝭ be so in vs corrupt & spotted sithēs y e fal of Adā y t we can not truly know god, truly obey him. &c. which thingꝭ neuertheles before the fal mā could haue done by y e law of nature.
[Page] There be yet other effectꝭ ofS y • law of nature ꝑteyning to the loue of y • neighbour, & to the cōseruatiō of mākynd in the state of trāquillite, which be these. To hurt no mā. To saue the cōmodities of life. To haue a felow ī wedlok. To gēdre issue. To nourish y • same. To help an other. To kepe couenaūtꝭ. To haue & to vse al thīges ī cōmon. To be born vnto fredō, & such like. Of these effectꝭ or lawes of nature, some nature hathe corrected, as the law y • al thīgꝭ be in cō mō, & the law of fredom to thintent it might kepe & cōserue the hole policy of mā in a state of trāquillite & eschue the corruptiō of the hole nature or ꝑte, yet neuertheles not w tstāding this correctiō those first natural lawes be not vtterly extinct in the mindes of mā, The sentence Of M. Tulli Cicero. Marcus Tullius Cicero witnessinge y • same in the fyrst boke of his officies, where he writeth y t the law concerning the communiō of al thīges is not extinct, but according to the sentēce of Plato, y • man is borne to the vse & behoue of mā, y e one shold help & further an other in giuing receyuing. &c. by which wordes Cicero calleth vs backe agayne to the lawe of nature, which is of great efficacie and strength through thinstinct of nature, [Page lxii] which as a leder or capiteyn, we ought to folow, to thintēr y e cōmon vtilities & ꝓfites might be brought forth in to y • middes amongꝭ men by interchaūging of officies & duties of one to an other: So by the impulsiō & cōsent of nature the law cōcerninge libertie gaue place to peril, Dispensaciō. of nature. leest y • captiues & such as were take prysoners ī warres shold be vtterlye slayne, for nature had rather giue place here (as a mā wold say) vnto nature than w t great incōmoditie vtterly to perish, or not to do for the best.
YET in the mean seasō libertie which naturaly is grauē in the mynde of mā abydeth stil, althoughe outwardly for certein causes it be corrected, wherfore it is to be graūted y • natural laws may be corrected & redressed for the causes aforesayd of nature it self, which continually doth nothīg els but laboureth to the cōseruaciō of mākynde, and that in an outward vse of thynges, to thintent y • greater perils might be eschued which els wold corrupt y • hold nature, or at lest a good part of it. ☞ But y • lawe of nature in such correctiō alwais yet remayne hole and perpetual with the mynde. So w t the mynd is communitie of thynges styll remaynyng, although [Page] that thingꝭ outwardly be priuate & vncōmon. This cōmunitie whiche is the mynd teacheth y • the neighbour hauing nede, is to be holpē. Therfore it is to be lerned here whan the lawes of nature may be corrected & how, y • is whē for y • sayd causes nature maketh one law to gyue place to an other, when one dothe mitigate another, y • so nature might be kepte, which out wardly bicause of necessitie or peril of mās societie is cōpelled to giue place. Wisedome is to be had in iudgynge the lawes of nature. Certes it is very ꝓfitable also in admittīg the lawes of nature to put some differēce & choyse, lest we iudge al maner of lawes to be īdiffet rētly the lawes of nature. For there be some which seme to be lawes of nature & yet be not, but rather be [...]trary to nature, & to tēporal or ciuil lawes, for ciuil or tēporall lawes also haue ꝓceded out of the self nature & were fyrst ordeined to kepe thordre of nature, & the societie of mās life, of which sort be these lawes, Gyue & take, as the poete Hesiod ꝰ reherseth, also this law: vi vi repellere licet, it is lauful to put of violēce w t violence, & such like, which lawes be sprong forth of the noughty affections of our nature. Finally these also effectꝭ ought to be added, a quiet cōsciēce by y • [Page lxiii] keping of the law of nature. And an euil cōscience by the breache of the law of nature.
¶Contraryes to the law of nature be these. Contraries. to the lawe of nature To graūt y t the law of nature before the fall of Adam was not the true knowlege of god, y t he createth gouerneth & cōserueth al thīges. To graūt y • the lawes of nature maye be corrected by the bisshop of Rome or other rulers w tout y • violēce & iniury of nature. ☞ To this errour answereth the emperour ī his instituciōs, where as he sayth y t the lawes of nature be imutable, wherfore I answere thus, y t simplye no lawes of nature cā be corrected of any mā, for y • power of thē remayne alwayes in the hertes of mē stable & sure. Also y • lawes of nature be in no mās hādes, wherfore no mā can correct & chaūge y • which hī self haue not made. But forasmoch as we se certeyn lawes be redressed & corrected. Note how the correctiō of the lawes fyrst began. Therfore now it is to be sene frō whēs y • redresse & correctiō ꝓceded, vndoubtedly natural lawes be so long immutable, & not to be chaūged as no daū ger of the polecy & mās societie, or corruptiō of the hole nature, or of any ꝑte hereof moueth the contrary. For truly vnto the conseruacion of these thinges [Page] cōseruaciō of these thīges nature was creat, & cōsequently al natural lawes. Now because y e natural law cōcerning the cōmunitie of thīges shold haue hurted the cōseruacion of mākynde & publyque peax: Therfore came nature & made one law to giue place to another y t the societie & felowship of mā sholde be [...]serued, & the greater peril eschued. But how y • lawes now corrected do yet stik stil in the mynde of mā cōtinually, I haue shewed before. To graūt y • the law of nature can be taken forth of the mindes of mē, or vtterly extinguisshed To which errour we answered before. To graūt y t the law of nature hath the same force & efficacie in knowyng god and giuing the true worshyp vnto him that it had before the fal of Adā, which errour may be cōfuted by the .7. chap. to the Romayns. To graūt y t the lawes of nature, which concerne the loue of men, and the conseruacion of mens felowshyp or societie can doo as lytle in outwarde officies necessary to the conseruaciō of life as such laws of nature as cōcerne y e knowlege of god & the gyuing vnto him of his true worship. To graūt y t we cā satisfie y • law of nature [...]cernīg the knowing of god, & giuing [Page lxiii] vnto him true worship w tout the holye ghost. To graūt y e any mā may transgresse the lawe of nature w tout daūger or scruple of cōsciēce. To dispēce litely in natural lawes which ꝓtein to the neyghbour no such peril of extreme necessitie as before is declared cōpelling to the same.
Of the lawe of god. CA. XVI.
THe law of god in a generalitie is a cōmaundemēt requyring ꝓfyte The definicion of godde [...] lawe. obediēce towardes god & cōdemning such as ꝑforme not this perfyt obedience. And sith no mā can performe the same, it was certeyn y t the law was giuen to this purpose, y t it shold lede vs to y e knowlege of our sin & of our weiknes, which thīges knowē we might flethens vnto Christ the ꝑformer of ꝓfyt obediēce, & so be made partakers of his obedience through fayth vnto our iustificacion.
¶Proues of this diffinition.
That the law of god requireth ꝓfite obediēce it is opē ynough by many places of Moses, as ī Deu .vi. chap. Thou shalt loue him w t al thy hole hert w t thy hole mynde. Also in the .x. chapiter the [Page] same sentēce is red, wher also we be cō maūded to circūcise y • foreskyn of our hert. Iosue .xxii. a Itē in y • boke of [...]osue is red thus. And stik you vnto him, & serue him ī al your hert, Iosue .xxiiii. c in al your mynd. &c. Itē ī an other place. Now therfore fear y • lorde & serue him w t a most ꝓfyte & true hert: So thē I cal ꝓfyte obediēce, which bringeth beside y • outward workꝭ also a cō senting mynd to y • law of god. Christ ī the new testamēt requireth the same ꝓfyte obedience. Math .xxii. d. For whē he was demaū ded of a doctour of law, what is y e greatest cōmaūdemēt? He answered: y • shalt loue thy lorde god w t thy hole hert. &c. Also to this vse & purpose he in [...]preteth the law in the .v. of Mat. to thintēt he wold shew, y t it is not ynough to bring only outward workes to the fulfilling of the law, onles y • brīgest also a cōsenting mynd. The place in Deut. ca. 17. testifieth clerely y • al those be cōdēned by the law which ꝑforme not the ꝓfite obediēce of the law towardes god. For Moses saith: cursed is euery one y • shal not abide in al such thīges as is writtē in the boke of y • law. But now again y • no mā kepe the law vnto the ꝓfyte obediēce of the same, euery mā ꝓueth & feleth in him selfe sufficiēty, & Christ declareth [Page lxv] where he techeth y t his office is to fulfil the law, Math .v. b & that he came to that intent. Roma .iii. c. S. Paul also defineth the law to be the knowlege of syn, y • is, which accuseth, frayeth the cōscience, & maketh synnes knowen. Item he saith. The law entred in by y • way y • syn might aboūde. Roma. [...]. d The rest of the diffini [...]ion appereth in the thyrde chap. to the Gala. where the apostle expresseth the vse of the law giuē to the leding vnto Christ: Galath. iii. d wherfore the law was our scholemaster or leder vnto Christ, to thintent y • by fayth we shold be iustified, and not by the workes of the lawe.
OF gods lawes, Diuisyon of gods lawe Causes some be moral, some ceremonial, & some iudicial.
THE cause of gods law is god y e instituter. The publissher & declarer was Moses. The cause of enactīg gods law was the frowardnes of the Israelites which was to be chastised w t a law, as it were by a scholemaster or leader, Gala. iii. d tyl the comming of Chryst. Other occasions of the gyuynge of gods law be put of Paule in the thirde chap. to the Ro. by these wordes, where he sayth: what prefermēt hath the Iewe, or what helped circumcision. Surely very moche. First vnto them was cōmitted the spekingꝭ [Page] of god (y t is to say) certeyn lawes & ceremonies vnto a people certeyn, in which y • ꝓmises made vpō Christ shold be disclosed by the clere testimonye of god. The principal effectes of the lawe Paul putteth in the .iij. & .vi. chap. to y e Rom. Roma .iii. c Roma. v. b Roma .vii. b as these. To declare synnes, for by the law cōmeth y • knowlege of syn. Also the law entred in by the way y e sin might abounde & be encreased. But I knewe not syn (sayth Paule) but by the law, for I had not knowen [...]cupiscēce or lust, onles the law had said: Geue .iii. y u shalt not lust. Also god sayth vnto Adā, who hath shewed the that y u were naked, but that y u hast eaten of the tre, of whiche y u were commaunded not to eate. To accuse, to feare, to damne the conscience. To make the cōscience vnquiet doubting, & incerteyn, bicause it espyeth y t it can not kepe the law. And on the cōtrary parte the conscience is made quiet & certeyn, Roma .iiii. when by thexēple of Abraham it considereth onely the promesse. To kepe mē vnder awe, tyll the cōming of Chryst, as witnesseth Paul. The lawe is a scholemaster vnto Christ. Gala .iii. d i. Timot. i. b Item the law was gyuen for the vnrightous persōs, to teache the true workes y t please god, and w t whiche we exercise our obedence [Page lxvi] towardes god. To be a doctrine about which & vnder which the ꝓmises of Christ be opened, Roma .iii. a as Paul to the Romayns declareth. For this is thende of the hole polecy y t was institute among the Iues: Of these effectes, some be only ciuil namely such as monish & intreate of repressing the malice of man, & some perteyn only to the conscience, as be al the rest, but these effectes ought not only to be reiect & cast vpon the Iues, but they endure ī their ful vertue & strēgth styll amonges all suche as haue not yet Chryst, neyther the holy ghoste, accordyng to this saying: Where y • spirite of the lorde is, there is liberty, I mean to be enfraunchised & fre from the law and tyrannye of the same. Item to the ryghtous man (sayth s. Paule) a law is not giuē, Timoth. [...]. that is to saye to such as haue not Chryst, and be vnder grace, lawes be not made but to the vnrightous and disloyal or disobedient, I mean to such as yet haue not Christ, neither be led w t the spiryte of god. Rom .viii. For surely there is nowe no condemnacion to suche as be planted in Chryst Iesu. Gala .iii. [...] Forasmoche as Chryst hath redemed vs from the curse of the lawe whyle he was made for vs a curse.
[Page] THE cōtraries of gods law I wil not bring forth, tyl I haue finisshed al the partes of it.
Of moral lawes. CA. XVII.
MOral lawes be the .x. cōmaundemētes, Morall lawes what they be. which expound & declare the lawes of nature, & teache the workes y • be pleasaunt to god.
OF the fyrst ꝑte of the diffinition y • moral lawes be the .x. Probatiō of the definiciō cōmaundemētes doubteth no man. Math. v. And forasmoche as Christ saith y t he teacheth not a doctrine straunge frō the lawes & ꝓphetes, & the law & prophetes requyre fayth and the loue of the neyghbour: Therfore the moral lawes vndoubtedly doth teache workes y • please god, for they cōmaund fayth and loue of the neyghbour. Now the .x. commaundementes maye be referred and reduced holly to fayth and to the loue of the neyghbour. She fyrst table of Moses The first table of Moses fetteth forthe and expoundeth these lawes folowynge of nature. To knowe God: to worshyp god, to cal on god, to obeye god, to gloryfye god, to be grate and louynge to God. To knowe that God rewardeth the ryghtous, and punyssheth the vnryghtous. Amonges these lawes of [Page lxvii] nature some concerne the inwarde worship whiche is taught by the firste commaūdement, some cōcerne the outward worship which is taught by y e second cō maūdement, some ceremonyes declared by the third cōmaundement. The secōd table expouneth and setteth forth these lawes of nature folowinge. The second table. To prohibite iniurye & to punysh the gyltye. To hurt no man. To preserue the felowship & cōiūction of wedlocke. To vse thinges in cōmon. To norysh the yssue. To kepe promyse and couenauntes. To helpe an other, and suche lyke. Of these, the prohibicion of iniurye and punyshmente of offences maye be reherred to the .iiii. precepte. To hurte no man and to norysshe the yssue be referred to the .v. The scocie tye of wedlocke to the .vi. The communitie of thinges and to helpe an other to the .vii. To kepe couenaūtes to the .viii.
¶The institutor and maker of the motall lawes is god. Causes. The publysher & setter forth is Moses.
¶Of moral lawes some perteine to god and some to the neighbour. Partes God wolde the morall lawes to be distributed and put ī to two tables not without a great mysterye which thing I haue opened in an other place. And albeit y • forenamed [Page] effectꝭ whiche were ascribed to gods law generally, do also agree to moral lawes these that folowe be more proprely annexed to morall lawes, that is to we [...]e To declare and expounde the lawes of nature. To teache the true workes that please god. Out of these also the newe testament boroweth his worke wherw t the beleuers exercyse their obedience towardes god, not because Moses techeth those workes, but bycause nature also hath taught the same, wherfore to this effect of morall lawes perteyne all the cōmaundementes in y • new testamēt cō cernīg good maners as be ī sūdry places of Paules epist. namely. Ro .xii. Ephes. [...]iii. Balath. v. &c. Forlyke as the tables of Moses which conteyne the .x. cōmaū dementes do expounde & set forthe the lawes of nature. So such thinges as be cōmaunded in the new testament cōcerning maners declare the decalogy or .x. cōmaundementes. Also lyke as he shall moche better vnderstande the lawes of nature which hath the knowlege of the x. commaūdemētes, so he lyke wyse shal far better vnderstand the cōmaūdementes concerning maners in y e new testament which can refer y • same to the two tables of Moses as to theyr propre and [Page lxviii] originall fountaynes. Howbeit this dlygently must be consydred where th scripture speaketh of fayth as of the inwarde worshyp of god wherof y • outewarde worship & where of ceremonyes Also it speketh of y • maners of lyfe.
Of lawes iudicial. XVIII.
IUdicial lawes be such as cōmaund of temporall polytyque or ciuill causes
¶This diffinicion is certayne & appereth euen by y • very nature of y • worde Probacyo [...] and temporall or ciuile causes perteyne to iudgementes.
¶Also of these lawes god is y • īstitutor & Mases the publyssher & setter forthe. Causes.
¶Bycause y • thinges be dyuers of whithe iudgementes be gyuen and debates arise: Partes▪ Therfore dyuers also and sundrye iudicial lawes were in the policy of Moses made, whiche diuersitie of thinges shal here be put in stede of partes. Surely all the iudicial lawes of Moses may be reduced to these chiefe places and hedes. Theft, murther, burtīg, of y • parētes like for lyke called [...]alio, punyshmentes c [...]idinges, damage done, aduoutrye succession wedlocke, lawful and vnlawful persons with whome contractes of matrymony may be made or not made.
¶Beside y • effectꝭ which y • iudicial lawes Effecte [...] [Page] haue in common with such effectes as be ascribed to the hole lawe of God they chalenge vnot thē proprely these .ii. To be signes and testimonyes of the profession of faith towardes god. To re [...]reine men from outward iniuryes and vices, And bycause this effecte is merely polytike therfore theffectes politike or cyuile lawes maye also bether be broughte as be these. To dryue awaye iniuryes. To punysh the gyltye. To conserue the publique honestye and such lyke, wherof we shall speake herafter in y • intreatinge of humane lawes.
Of ceremonial lawes. CA. XIX.
LAwes ceremonial be such as be ordeyned cōcernīg ceremonies & rites of the church, Diffinition. & such thynges & persons as belonge to the perfourminge of the rites and ceremonies.
¶This diffinition appeareth good euen of the very nature of the worde, Probacion. rite is a more generall terme & includeth that whiche by the word of ceremony might be happelye omitted, but whersoeuer eccliasticall rites and ceremonyes be there suche thinges & persons be, requyred as be necessarye to thexecucion of the same. Causes
¶Thinstitutor & maker of these, is god [Page lxix] and Moses the publisher.
¶The varietie and sūdrynes of ceremonial lawes shal serue in stede of the partes. Partes For ceremoniall lawes maye be re [...]erred to these thinges ensuinge, that is to were, to the temple to sacrifices to y • garmentes of the prestes, to expiacious, to consecracions of prestes, to eatyng, to holydayes, to howes, and the most part of these thinges may be reduced to the iudaicall presthode. Nowe of these thinges chiefly treateth the thirde booke of Moses called Leuiticus.
¶Theffectes of ceremoniall lawes be, Effectes. y • they were fygures and tipes of the spirituall presthode of Christe, as the epistle to the Ebrues ryght excellentlye declareth namely in the .ix. and .x. chapiters, where it is writtē. Ebre. x. [...]. The law which hath but the shadow of good thingꝭ to come, and not the thinges in their owne fassiō can neuer make the commers thervnto perfite with sacrifices which the offre euery yere contynuallye. &c. Also co be signes and testimonies of the profession of faith towardes god. The effectꝭ properly belong vnto ceremonial lawes, beside those that they haue in common with y • hole lawe of god.
¶Cōtraryes to y • hole law of god.
[Page] ¶Contraryes to the hole lawes of god be these. Cōtraries to the hole lawe A [...]honti [...]es. To dispise or reiect with y • A [...] [...]ontickes the lawe or olde testament. To renounce & vtterly damne the lawe with the Seuerians. Seuerians. To saye the lawe pertayne nothing to christen mē so y • amonges thē no vse ne ꝓfite is of it, In which opinion some men do shew y • also S. Hierome. I [...]rome weln [...]e was. To say y • by y • law of god the naturall weakenes that is to say cōcupiscēce is not damned. To graunt y • we can satisfy the lawe of god by our owne outward workes. Also by our owne inward endeuoure of will although our cōcupiscēce or lust be repugnaunt. To say y • workes of y • law please god w tout Christ & y • holy ghost. To saye after the recept of Christ man can so satysfy the law that he is hable to allege & pleade agaynst y • yre of God his own iustice gotten by his owne propre workes. To say the gentiles were iustified by the law of nature, y e fathers by y e law of Moses & we be iustified by y • lawe of the gospel. To say that the perfect fulfilling of the lawe vnto iustifycacion before god hath euer ꝑteyned to vs or ben in our powers or yet pertayne to vs or is in our powers. This errour is agaīste the office of Christ which witnesseth y • [Page lxx] his office is to fulfyll the lawe who indede Math. v. vse fulfylled the vttermost poynte of the true rightousnes, forasmoche as he brought both the outward, workes and also a consenting mynde to the lawe as the prophete Esay openly teacheth in y • Esaie. liii. c liii. chapiter sayinge that he committed no wickednes neither was there anye gile in his mouth. To say the lawes of god be counselles gyuen onely to the ꝑfecte persons. But this is a peryllous errour which teacheth that god chaūgeth his eternal wil for our infirmity. Thou therfore which felest thou canst not fulfyll the lawe, tun to him that can. Neyther is the lawe therfore giuen y • thou myghtest be hable to kepe it. To graūt that the law outwardly kept iustyfyeth before god. To say beside the workes of the morall lawes there maye yet better be ordeyned and be al redy ordeyned which do plese god. To say there be many workes omytted in the moral lawes which the pope hath supplyed. To saye y • moral lawes be not sufficiēt to thexercise of good workes & to the testificacion of faith before god. Therrour of papistes. To say y • moral lawes at lest way do iustify a christē mā before god although neyther y • iudicial lawes ne y • ceremonial lawes cā do y • same [Page] To whiche erroure I answere that the moral lawes sholde in dede iustyfye the thristen mā yf it were in our powers perfectly to fulfyll the same. To say the morall lawes binde vs bycause Moses did publysh and promulgate them and not bycause nature hath taughte thē before Moses. To denye that al suche thinges as be commaunded in the new testamēt concerning the true worship of god and maners of lyfe maye be well referred to the decalogye of Moses conteyning the [...] cōmaundementes. To brynge agayne the iudiciall lawes of Moses & to binde the christen men to the same as nowe of late certayne hertikes haue gone about namely Monetarius Pipetius and the Anabaptistes. Monetarius Piperius Anabaptist▪ To reiecte rasshely suche iudicial lawes as consent with the law of nature. Such lawes to abrogate and disanull is to do iniurye & force against nature and to chalenge to be free from nature. So certeyn mē at this day vnder the pretence of lyberty do attempt & go about to vngarnysshe nature of the iudiciall lawes & to garnysh or rather defoyle & contamynate her with wickednes. To graunt the ceremonial lawes in y • olde testament iustified before god bycause they conteyned vnder thē sacrifices [Page lxxi] for sinnes. To graunt that albeit in the newe testament the sacrifices of Moses The errour of them that make y e masse a sacrifyce. be no longer in theyr force & strengthe, yet that the newe testament hath newe sacrifices for sinnes institute and ordeyned of Christ hym selfe, that is to wete that in the masse Christ sholde be sacrificed. To saye that christen men be not free from all ceremoniall lawes whiche erroure maye be thus confuted, christen men muste nedes be free from all ceremoniall lawes bicause the iudaical ceremones agre not w t the lawe of nature also bicause in the newe testament sacrifyces made of beestes be no lōger in strength & force ne y • other ceremonyes of Moses lawe but the spirituall workes of the harte & affections repurged by the holye ghost in the hart. Furthermore the kindome of Christ is without al maner of obseruacion. Luce. xvii. [...]
Of humane lawes. CA. XX.
THe trety of lawes by due ordre requireth y t I shold speake also here of mās lawes, though it were for none other thīg, but bicause I haue made mēciō of thē ī y e diuisiō of law ī a generalite. Diffynicyon. ¶Mannes lawes therfore be of which y • authors & makers be princes or [Page] other inferriour magistrates, ordeined to y • cōseruasiō of peax & of the publique honestly in the worlde.
¶This diffinition appeareth true by y • very nature of y • word, Proue. & I added therin feri [...]ur magistrate, lest a mā shold thynk y • humane lawes made of such be not of force and strength.
¶The causes & the authours of mans lawes be (as I said) the superiour and inferyour magistrates, Cause. as emperouces kinges, princes, common weith. cities, &c. But forasmoch as men be here offended and greued, thinkinge y • they ought not to kepe these lawes bycause they be but the ordynaunces of men: Therfore we must haue respecte to the principal cause of the magistrate which is god as witnesseth Paule, Roma. xiii. [...]. So that god whiche hath institute & ordeyned y e rulers to be his ministers & vicars, doth also consequently alowe their lawes: Therfore it were not greatly amysse ne vnꝓfytable to make god him self in maner y • cause & author of humane lawes. ☞ which lawes god do publysh & ꝓmulgate by thē as by his instrumētes & meanes. Cicero. Cicero in his .ii. boke Delegibus, maketh y • lawes of nature causes of humāe lawes where he saith. N [...] autē videntur primū humane [Page lxxii] leges e legibus nature. That is, mens lawes seme fyrst to haue spronge out of the lawes of nature. wherfore mēs lawes be so tarforth honest & good as they be eyther to the conseruacion or to the declaracion of the natural lawes but if they be repugnaūt to the lawe of nature, forth w t they are to be iudged vn honest & tyrannycall, & agayne they be wycked & vngodly, yf they be agaynste goddes lawe.
¶Mēnes lawes be deuidedd into ciuil or tēporall lawes, Partes. & into ecclestasticall lawes which heretofore haue bē called pōtyficyall lawes. I call ecclesiasticall lawes, such ordynaunces as cōcerne the honest ceremonyes & rytes in y • cōgregacyō. Also such as cōcerne priuilegies reuenues & stipendes of the ministers of the church, & such lyke, which lawes so long as they be not repūgnaūt to chrystianitie & gods worde are to be obserued, and kept not only bycause suche lawes & ordinaūces are in effecte ciuil lawes & necessary to the ryght institucyō of a publyque weale, but also bycause goddes word cōmaūdeth vs to noury [...]he y • mynisters of y • churche, & that all thyng be in the church semyngly & in order. Effectes
¶The same effectes & officies that be appoynted [Page] to rulers maye be assigned also to theyr lawes, for y • ruler oughte to exercyse his office, to iudge, & defēde, accordynge to y • lawes, Now the officyes or effectes of humane lawes by y • worde of god be these To defēde y • gilties, to punysshe y • gyltie, to dryue awaye intu [...]ies To reueng iniutyes done to y • subiectes These offyces thapostle doth assigne to y • rulers / & also saynte Peter in his first eppstle cap. Rom [...]. xiii. b ii. Itē, to cōserue y • publyque honesty. To cōserue & mayntein a quyet & peacible cōmon welth. Cicero lib. iii. delegibus. For as Cicero testifyeth, suche is y • efficacye & strengeh of y • lawes, that without them neyther any house, neyther citye, neyther nacyō cā stand, neither y e hole nature of thingꝭ nor y • world it self. Item to declare & expounde the lawes of nature, to correcte vyces, to commende vertues.
THE cōtraryes to humane lawes be these. Contraryes To saye mennes lawes be not cō uenyent and mete for chrysten men to vse. To affyrme that the gospell taketh awaye humane lawes & polytyque ordynaunces, where as the gospel is a spirytual kyngdome, Iohn̄. xviii. f as wytnesseth Christ sayng, my kīgdome is not of this world To deny that humane lawes made of any inferiour magistrate are to be kept. [Page lxxiii] To deny that mēnes lawes be violēt & tyranny call, when they be repugnaunt to nature & wycked and vngodly, when they be cōtrarye to the lawe of god. To deny y t ecclesiasticall lawes cōcernynge honest ceremonies, stipendes & lyuynges of the ministers of the churche, & suche lyke are to be kepte, who so euer made them so that the same be admytted & ratyfyed by the kynge & hed rulers. To denye y • theffectes of humane lawes may be taken forth of scripture as muche as pertayneth to the offyce of the rulers. Anabaptist [...]s
To forbydde with the Anabaptistes the vse or excercise of humane lawes vnto Chrysten men. To condemne w t the said Anabaptistes all politique lawes & ordinaunces of mā, & in theyr place to substitute & ordeyne the tēporall lawes of Moses. To affyrme that tēporal lawes touche not the conscience contrarye to y • doctryn of Pau. which sayth, we ought to obey not only for feare of vengeaūce but also bycause of conscience. Rom [...]. xiii. [...] Yea the workes of the polytyque lyfe and kepinges of mēns lawes be good workes ī y • godly ꝑsons & a tru worshyp of god. For by y • same & all one cōmaundement we obey the rulers & kepe theyr lawes. For y • selfe same god which hath bydd [...] [Page] vs to giue honour vnto the rulers hath cōmaūded vs also to kepe theyr lawes.
Of the gospell. CA XXI. Diffinicion
THe gospell is a preachynge of repentaunce and [...]orgeuenes of synnes in Chrystes name.
¶This diffiuicyon is made of y • partes Probacion of the gospel & appeareth by the wordꝭ of Chryst where after his resurrectiō be sayd to his disciples. Thus it is wryten & thus it behoued Chryst to suffre & to tyse agayn from deth the .iii. day, & that repentaunce & remissyō of synnes sholde be preached in his name amonges al natyons. &c. Chryst is the persō for whose sake repentaunce is preached & for whō forgeuenes of synnts chaunceth.
THE cause of the gospell disclosed is Cause. y • mercy of god by whiche god ꝓmysed thē glad tydynges to mākynd cōcernīge Chryst. Ephe. i. This caus y • apostle otherwhies calleth y • acceptable pleasure of god, otherwhyles grace. The ꝓmyse also may be y • cause of y • gospel accordynge to the sayng of P. put a parte to preach y • gospel of god which he ꝓmysed afore, &c. Roma. l. [...]
Hither vnto belong also such places of scripture as cōteyn the ꝓmyse of y • gospel which first was made to Adā & afterwarde [Page lxxiiii] to Abrahā & so by lytle & lytle of tētymes afterward to the holy fathers. Gen. iii. Gen. xii. xvii. and. xxii. The meane. Chryst is the meane or ꝑsō ī whom god hath promysed the gospel to mākynde, & in whom it was fyrst reueled & disclosed at the tyme appointed y • god had set with hīselfe & determyned y • thorough hym in hym and for hym sholde be offered to all y • beleue forgyuenes of sinnes which is the very effecte of the gospell. The holy ghost lightneth to the gospel which was promysed in Chryst & nowe opened. The ill [...]minator to the [...] Gospell. Thoccasion of the ꝓmise▪ Nowe mans nature oppressed. w t syn & deth for the fall of Adam was y • occasiō of y • gospel fyrst promysed & afterwarde disclosed. This occasyon is opened in the .iii. chap. of Genesis, where euen in the very synnes the gospell is promysed to Adam. The parte of the gospel Luc. iiii. [...]
¶There be .ii. partes of the gospel repē taunce & remyssyon of synnes, temyssyō of synnes is the ꝓpre parte of y • gospel, repētaunce the meane & entraunce of remissyō. For in repētaūce is knoweleged the syn which knowē the synner is occasioned to fle to Christ as to a phisiciō for whome synnes be forgyuē. And for this cause Chryst begīneth his preachyng w t puokyng mē to repentaunce as it is red in Math. Mathe. iiii. [...] From that tyme Iesus began [Page] to preach & say repent ye, the kyngdom of heuē is at hand. Also in Marke. Mat. [...] The tyme is fulfylled and the kyngdome of god is at hand repent ye and beleue the gospell. Not that it is the propre office of Chryste to preache repentaunce but he repeteth the doctryne of Iohan concernyng penaūce to thyntent he myght cōtyrme the same▪ & also that we might know that by the knowlegyng of oure synnes which in repētaūce doth chaūce we haue intraunce & accesse to Chryste.
¶Theffectes of the gospell be takē cō monly out of y e partes & thinges incidēt to the gospell, Theffectes of the gospell. which folow remissiō of synnes as y • propre effectes of y • gospell which be these. To preche repentaunce. This effecte is certayne of thexemple of Chryste whiche began his prechynge w t repētaunce. Also of thexemple of Iohn̄ Baptyst the messenger & runner before. This effect also must necessarily go before, bicause without p̄achyng of repē taunce, there is no occasyon to come to remissy on of synnes / for repentaunce is in maner y • cause of fayth, as here after shall be declared. which obteyneth forgyuenes. Item to prech remissiō of sin̄es in Christ / for y • promyse of y • gospel was made in Chryst & disclosed in Chryst, for [Page lxxv] thobteyninge of remission of sinnes.
¶Also these effectes. To preache iustifycacion in Christ, and that our reconsiliacion with god the father is in Christe To preache that we be rightous and wel takē of god the father for Christes sake. To preache the giuinge of the holye ghost, and of the euerlastinge life in Christ. To teach that y • conscience is in rest and quyet through Christ, as witnesseth Paule, Roma. v we haue pear towardes god by our Lord Iesu Christ. To teach y • we please god for no workes or merites of oure owne, but onely for Chryst. And this is y • very true lyberty of y • gospel, The true lybertie of the gospell. to know y t we be reconcyled & made at one w t god through Christ although we satisfy not y • law. Hither pertayne y • places of y • scripture which be concerning the promyse of y • new couenaunte [...] testament as Ieremy. 31. Ezechi. 35. &c. To teache y • true worship of god true faith & feare which worship was almost out of vse & lost by reason of y • humane & pharisaical cōstitucions, as y • prophetꝭ euery where complayne.
¶These effectes be vniuersall & franke euen as the gospel is a franke promise & uniuersall. But y t theffectes of y • gospel chaunce not to al mē is bicause al mē beleue [Page] not. For faith is the meane wherby theffectes of the gospel be purchased.
¶Cōtraryes to y • gospel be these. Contraries to the gospell To a [...] fyrme that the promyse of the gospel is perticuler whiche errour is reproued by manye places of scripture as Math xi. [...]. Tim [...] .ii. To say the gospell was knowen to nature, Agaynst whiche erroure Paule alone is sufficient declaring that it was hid & at last releued & opened [...] god aboue. Ephe. ii. [...]. iii. To affirme that the fathers in the olde testement had an other gospel promised than we haue now which erroure maye partly be confuted by the place of Paule .i. Cor. x. where be saith that all the fathers dranke of the spirituall rocke and the rocke was Christe If therfore the fathers dranke of Christ Ergo they had also y • gospel knowne be [...] spir [...]te, ī which Christ, was ꝓmysed. To cōtēde y • y • gētiles had y • law of nature ī stede of y • gospel, y • Iues y • law of Moses & christē mē y • gospell of Christe, but this erroure, isopē sith by y • testimonyes of scripture it is euidēt y • ther hath ben alwayes one & the same gospel from the begīning to which who soeuer hath giuē credite & faith haue ben saued. To affirme that the gospell do promyse forgiuenes of sinꝭ vnto such also as doubt.
[Page lxxvl] To say the gospel doth promyse forgiuenes of sinnes, condicionallye yf it be purchased with workes. To saye the gospel promyseth remission of synnes to ydle personnes whiche withoute any true mocion of mynde and withoute faythe take it. To graunt that any man can be beleue the gospell without the callinge & lyghteninge of the holy ghost. To denye the gospell to be a franke promise. To denye theffectes of the gospell frely to chaunce without y • and or respecte of workes. To saye theffectes of the gospell do chaunce partelye by faith partly by oure workes. To saye the promise of the gospell must be measured by predestinacion & not of it selfe. To dreame y • the gospell is onely preached by the spirite in the herte and that there nede not any outwarde preaching & ministracion of the worde contrary to the doctryne of thapostle. Roma. x. d To saye theffectes of the gospell do chaunce without faithe. To preache one parte of the gospel without the other as repentaūce without remission of sinnes, or on the contrarye part. remyssion of sinnes without repentaūce to make mē ydle & careles by ouermoch preachīg of remission of sinnes not ones touching repentaunce y • other part of y • [Page] gospel. To graunt that without preaching of repentaunce, the gospell maye be rightly receyued. To affirme that forgyuenes of sinnnes is had without penaunce. The true. diffinicion of penaunce I call penaunce the true fearing or broosing of y e consciēce & the acknowleging of sinꝭ. For the conscience beyng thus made afrayd & striken downe to y e grounde by the knowlege of synnes taketh first an occasion to draw nere vnto Christ by fayth and to receyue at his hā des remyssion of synnes Item to saye the gospell for this cause preacheth penaunce that remyssion of sinnes sholde be gyuen for our workes sake or for our owne worthynes. This errour I haue debated & refuted in the handlyng of y e partes of the gospell.
Of faith. CA. XXII.
FAyth is an assured trust vpon the ꝓmyses of Christ, Diffinicion of faythe. iustifienge al suche ꝑsons before god by his acceptaūce as haue this fayth certeyn & vndoubted ¶In the epi. to y e Ebrues, Proue. Hebr. xi. a faith is saide to be an assurāce of thīges which are hoped for, y t is to say, a most certeyn knowlege w tout doubting. And this most certeyn knowlege Paul expresseth in Abrahā w t most lyuely termes, Roma. iiii. d saying: which Abraham: contrarye to hope byleued in [Page lxxvii] hope, that he shold be y • father of many nacions, according to that whiche was spokē. So shall thy sede be. And he faynted not in the fayth, nor yet cōsidred his owne bodye which was now deed, euē whan he was almost an . [...]. yere olde, neyther yet y t Sara his wife was past childe beringe yet he staggered not at y • promyse of god through vnbeleue, but was made stronge in the fayth, & gaue honour to god, fully asured y • what he had promysed, y t he was hable to make good, & therfore was it reckened to him for rightousnes. Hithervnto we haue rehersed these wordes of Paul. Now y • faith is a trust or confidence vpon the promyses of Christ is declared by an other worde of the sayde text in the epist. Hebre. xi. a to y • Ebrues, where as it is called a certen [...]y of thinges which are not sene. Also in thexemple before remembred of Abraham where Paul said y t he staggered not, Roma. iiii, d ne wauered at the promyse of god we se manefestly y t the promyse is the ꝓpre obiect or matter whervpō faith worketh, Christ is the person for whom y • ꝓmyse was made according to this sayīg In thy sede all nacions shall be blessed This sede was Christe as witnesseth Paule. Gene. xii. a Gal. iii. c Nowe of theffecte and workyng [Page] of fayth which is that it iustifieth, we be certefied by Paule, who concludeth saynge. Arbitramur igitut [...]ide iustifica [...]t hominē abs (que) operibus legis. y t is to say Therfore we iudge y t a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the law Itē, in y • .v. chap. he sayth. Bicause therfore we are iustified by fayth. Roma. v. a we are at peace with god, through our lorde Iesu Chryst, by whom we haue a bryngīg in through fayth vnto this grace wit [...] we stande. I added (before god) bicause I wolde seperat y • ciuyle iustyce from the iustice of y • gospel. we be iustified by unpucaciō or gods acceptannce. Also Iaded (by acceptaunce) y • is to saye, by imputacyon, or imputatyuely, bycause I wolde take awaye y • opiniō of our owne meryte or workes For not accordynge to our meryte or workes faythe iustifyeth but accordinge to grace by acceptaunce or imputacio / for as Paule saythe. Roma. iiii. a To hym y • worketh is y • reward not rekened of fauour but of deuti, but to him y • worketh not but byleueth on hym y • iustifyeth y • vngodly, is his faythe counted for rightwysnes. By these words thapostle putteth as cōtraryes togyther meryte & imputaciō. [...]ene. xv. b Roma. iiii. u Also in y • exemple of Abraham y • scripture sayth. Abraham beleued god & it was coūted vnto him for rightwysnes. [Page lxxviii] Also Dauid in his psalm saith. psal. xxxi. [...] Blessed i [...] y • mā to whom god shal not [...]pute sin. Truely we haue here an exēple in Abrahā of a sure & vndoubted faith, whiche is y • father of that byleue, y • by thexēple of hī we might be iustified by faith. ¶ THE causes of faithe be y • holye gost & the worde. The causes of faythe. For y • holy ghoste by a meane that is generall & appointed of god, moueth the hertes, neither doth he giue faith but by the worde, Roma x. d accordinge to the sayinge of Paul. Faith is of hearinge. & hearinge by the worde of god. Furthermore the cause also of faith, is the holy ghost, for fayth is his gifte, i. corinth. xil. [...] as affirmeth saint Paul. Also repentaunce in maner is a cause of fayth, or at leest a greate occasion. For by repentaunce the sin is knowen, now the knowlege of sin doth ministre an occasion to haste vnto Christ, which so sone as he is caught by faith forgyueth sinnes, but bycause re [...]ē taūce is a part of the word or gospel therfore this cause is cōprised vnder y • worde nether shal we nede to seuer it frō y • word ¶Faith of which we speake here is not clouē into partes: Partes For it is one certaine mociō of mīde hauing a stedfast eye vpō the promyses of Christ and assentinge to him, but forasmoch as y • scripture [...]isce [...] neth [Page] the true and lyuely fayth from the fayned & deed fayth, therfore faith may be after a maner diuided into the true fayth & fayned fayth, not y • fayth whiche is true and iustifieth can be fayned or deed but that we myghte knowe y • the deed & fayned faith is vnprofitable vnto iustificacion & differeth nothynge in dede from an opinion. The true faith from the fayned is discerned of Paul, [...]timoth. i. b y • quicke & lyuinge fayth is dyuyded frō the ded & vneffectuall fayth of s. Iames in his epistle. Iacob. ii. d But as touchinge to that diuision of fayth which y • scole men vnto this day haue folowed I wyl speake herafter.
¶One of the principall effecteꝭ of fayth is iustifycaciō of which al the rest depēde & procede. Theffectes or workes of faythe. This effecte is cōfirmed by many places of scripture & also by sū dry exemples, as by the textes of Paule before remēbred where he saythe, We iudge therfore y • mā is iustified by faith Itm̄, Roma. iiii. d Roma. v. a Abacuc. ii. a Gala. iii. d Iustified therfore by fayth we are at pe [...]x w t god. &c. Also y • ꝓphet Abacuk saith. The rightous man shall lyue by faith. Itē to the gal. Paul writeth. The law was our scholemayster vnto Christ y t we myght be iustifyed by faith. Gene. xv. b Roma. iiii. a Exemples prouinge the same be these, Abrabā [Page lxxix] beleued god & it was coūted vnto hym for rightousnes, Christ said to the sinful womā. Thy fayth hath saued the. Math. ix. c Math. ix. d Als [...] to the blynde mā he saide, loke vp thy fayth hath saued the.
¶Also these effectes be of faythe. To make the conscience quyete, Roma. v. a accordiuge to the testimonye of Paul, Iustyfyed therfore by faith we are at peax w t god through oure Lorde Iesu Christ. To ascertayne vs that we please god, for without fayth it is impossible to please god To make vs certayne of gods promyse To make vs sure of euerlastīg lyfe. Iohan. iii. c Act. xv. v. For he that beleueth in the son hath lyfe euerlasting. To be a meane wherby hertes be puryfyed. To make vs the sonnes of god. Gala. iii. d For ye be al the sonnes of God (saith Paul) by the faithe whiche is in Christ Iesu. To make that our sinꝭ be not imputed vnto vs, psal. xxxi. a accordinge to the psalme, blessed is the mā to whom god shal not accōpt sin. To saue the beleuers that they be not a shamed, Esa. xxviii. d. Roma. x. c accordinge to the scripture, who so euer beleueth in him shal not be ashamed. To gendre in vs a callyng vpō Christ. Roma. [...] For how (saith thapostle) shal they cal on him whome they beleue not. To worke in vs hope and loue towardes god accordinge to y • [Page] workes of the prophete, let them hope in the, which haue knowen thy name. &c But y • knowlege of god is only by faith To bringe to passe that al thinges may be possible vnto vs as Christ him selfe recordeth sayinge. [...]ar. xl. [...] Haue confidence in god verelye I say vnto you whoso euir shal saye vnto this moūtaine take away thy selfe & cast thy self into the see & shal not wauer in his hert but shall be leue those thīges which he saith shal come to passe what so euer he sayth shall be doone to him. Thus the faithe of Ezechias got a right goodly victorye agaynst the Assitians. i. Reg. xvii. By faythe Dauid aduentured vpō Golyath & slew him. By fayth the children of Israel beleued God, & Phatao was drowned in the see. Roma. x. b To worke in y • faithful confession. To worke true giuīg of thankes to god, when we be ascertayned by faith that god is mercyfull vnto vs & that our workes do please him, the effectes also of faith be all good workes as frutes of charitie which y • they please god our faith assureth vs after it knoweth y • god is mercyful. And these effectes be called testimonyes of fayth by which the beleuers are knowen that the word is not the cause of faithe, but. But y t there maye be a difference betwene the true workers that worke by faythe and [Page lxxx] hypocrytes whiche pretend y • same feynedly, we ought to iudge by the worde which declareth eyther of thē. A hepe of good workꝭ as frutes or effectꝭ of faith y • apostle rekeneth vp Ro. xii. & Gala. v.
¶Contraryes to fayth be these: Contraries To graūt that fayth is only a knowlege of the hystory of Chryst, how he was cō ceyued, borne, crucifyed, & dyed. To saye scripture requireth fayth, y • is a qualite ī vs. & not that cōsydereh only the promyses of Chryst. To say y • wycked haue all one sayth w t the godly, which errour is no errour y [...] faith after y • scholemen▪ Scholemen. be but a knowledge of the bystorye of Chryst. To affyrme y • faith is a principle or a cause, bryngyng w t it other vertues for whiche vertues we be pronounsed rightwyse. The scolemen deuide saythe in to sayth formatā acquisitā, and infusam. To deuide faith w t the scolemen into faith formed, acquyred & infū ded, so y t the wycked gentyles haue formed faith althoughe they lacke y • workes of charite, & y t the īfūded faith doth not iustifye, onles it be forme w t charite. So at last, y t the acquyred fayth suffiseth to iustificaciō. To graūt y • the cause of faith is our loue, which errour commeth of y t the causes of faith be not knowē which be tholy ghost, the word & repētaūce. Anabapti [...] To holde with the Anabaptistꝭ [Page] only tholy ghost, cōtrary to Paules sayeng. Fayth is of hearyng, hearyng by y • worde of god, Hebionites. To say w t the Hebionites that the fayth in ꝓsecucyon ought to be denyed & kept in the herte. To say fayth is but an opynyon whiche dare not approche to god by callyng vpō, or which wauereth. To deny that fayth may be ēcreased, cōtrari to the parable of y t mustarde sede. & many other exēples of scripture. To call that a true fayth, whiche good workꝭ do not folowe a wytnesses of y • same. To saye fayth iustifyeth not alone, but by y t help of workꝭ, or y • faith pryncipallye, and the workes secōdarill do iustify. This errour is suffcyētly shaken & cōfuted by the wordes of Paule, which be, w tout workes, freely. To hold that fayth ꝑtayne to the knowledge of Chryst, & the workes of charite to iustifycacyō. To say fayth cānot iustifie, bycause fayth is in y • vnderstādynge, & iust yce in the wyll. The solucyō of this errour hangeth of the manifolde signifycacyō of this worde fayth, which taken only for a knowledge is a qualitie: But whē it is takē for an assent of y e ꝓmyse of Christ, so it is not a ꝙlite out a relaciō. To graūt y t our good workꝭ be accepted of god of thēselfꝭ, & not for faithes.
¶A brefe treatyse of faith, takē forth of the fathers & approued doctours, which cōferme y • aforesayd doctryne of faythe, ¶The diffinicyon,
FAyth, sayth, s. Augustyn, Aug. de p̄dest, sctō (rum). is to thynke with an assent suche thinges as perteyn to the chrystē relygiō. Here thou seest that vnto faith not only y • knowlege of the historye is requyred, but an assēt. Nowe to the chrystē relygyō ▪ ꝑteyn chefly the ꝓmyses of Chryst, which beleued make the chrystē relygyō. August. suꝑ Iohēm The same s, Augustyn also sayth, what is fayth but to beleue that thou seest not? But the ꝓmyses of Chryst be such thynges as be not sene but conceiued by fayth. Also in his boke de fide ad Petrum. Faith, saith he, is y • begynnyng of mānes saluacyon without which no man can come to the nombre of the chyldren of god, without which also al the loboure of mā is vain Lo this place opēly testyfyeth of what fayth Austyn speaketh, of that no dout which maketh vs the chyldren of god. & that is, which conceyueth the ꝓmyses of Chryst, & is assured to please god for Chryst. If Austyn had ment onely of a knowledge it sholde folow that al such were forth w t y • chyldrē of god as know [Page] the hystory of Chryst although they be led with no inwarde mocyō of mynde.
¶Theffectes of fayth by doctours.
¶August. Aug. quest. xxiiii. where a stedfast fayth is not there can be no ryghtwysenes. For the ryghtwyse lyueth by fayth.
ALSO he saith. There is no riches, no treasure, no substaūce of this world greter, than is the catholyque fayth, which saueth synful mē, lyghtneth y e blynde. ac.
ALSO in his boke de natura & gracia he sayth. If chryst dyed not frely, Ergo all mankynde can not be iustifyed & redemed from the moste iuste pre of god Also in an other place▪ fayth is the fyrste thynge that make the soule subiecte to god, afterwarde it gyueth preceptes of lyuynge whiche kepte oure, hope is confyrmed, charite nouryshed, and that thynge begynneth to shyne whiche before only was beleued.
¶Saynt Ambrose, Ambros. de virginitate. O fayth more plentuous & ryche then all treasures, more stronge more sauyng thā al physicyons. ¶Chrysostome also sayed, Chrysost. sup Math. Fayth is a lampe, for as a lampe lyghteneth the house, so fayth the sowle.
¶Causes of fayth by fathers.
THE scholemen make charite y • cause of faith, but y • doctours & fathers of the [Page lxxxil] churche be agaynst it. For saynt Austyn wryteth with open wordꝭ, August. de agone. ca. y • fayth must go before charite. Also Gregory saith. Greg. vpon Ezechi [...]l. Onles faithe be fyrst had, we can in no wyse atteyne to y • spritual loue, for charite goeth not before faith, but fayth before charite. No mā cā loue y • thīg y t he beleueth not, likewise as he cā not hope The pa [...]tes of faythe. [...]y doctours.
THE moost auncyent fathers be all agreed that fayth is one certayn mocyon which loketh vpō the ꝓmys [...]e of Christ and assenteth to the [...]ame. It is but a dreame and a thynge forged of scolemē to deuyde fayth in fidem for matam infusā et acquisitā, w t theyr wycked opinions which thei haue hadded to y • same.
Of iustifycation. CA. XXIII.
IUstifycacyon is a fre imputacyō of remyssyō of synnes in Chryst whiche is purchased by fayth to the possessynge or receyuynge of euerlastynge lyfe.
THE fyrst part of the diffinicyō is certayne & proued by the thyrd and fourth Pro [...]e of [...] diffinicion chapt. to the Roma. where the apostle saith. But now w t out the law the ryghtwysnes of god is manyfest. Itē they be iustifyed frely by his grace. &c. The īheretaūce is therfore gyuē by fayth y t it may be of grace. Itē a rewarde is not īputed [Page] of fauour but of dutye: &c. Ephesi [...]ns. ia. ye be saued by grace thoroughe fayth. Nowe the imputacion is free bycause it is accompted of fauour & not of dutye, lyke as Dauid declareth the blessednes of mā, Roma. iiii. a. vnto whome god ascribeth rightousnes without dedes. The addycyō of remissyon of synnes declareth what is ment by iustificacyon, y t is to wyt trmissyon of synnes. Now Chryst is the ꝑson for whome such as beleue are released of theyr synnes. Faith is y • meane wherby to purchase iustifycacyō or forgyuenes of synnes bycause fayth agreeth to the ꝓmyses of Chryst accordyng to Pa. Roma. iii. d sayng, we iudge therfore that a man is iustifyed by fayth. Euerlastyng lyfe is a thing incydēt to iustifycacyō which necessarily foloweth y e iustifyed accordyng to this texte. He y t beleueth on hī hath euerlastyng lyfe. Iohn̄. xvii. a Also this, As thou hast gyuen him power of euery fleshe, y • vnto so many as thou hast gyuē hym he may gyue euerlastynge lyfe.
THE causes of iustificacyō be, Causes. y e fre al [...]owaūce īputacyō through y • mercy and fauour of god, & fayth the obteyner of mercy. These causes are very fayrly sene & beholden in the exemple of Abraham [...] was iustifyed vnto whome forasmoch [Page lxxxiii] as he gaue credit to the mercye, rightousnes was accōpted. Roma. iiii. [...] These causes thapostle layeth as cōtraryes againste duty, reward & meryte, which thinges the scholemē dreme to be the causes of iustificacion. Against whom & against their p̄decessours y • Pelagiās s. Aug. August. de natura et gracia. disputeth very sharply, ꝓuing w t many argumētes y • grace is not giuē for our merites. Doubtles fayth is y • cause of iustificaciō, not bicause it is a qualite or worke in vs, but bicause it receyueth y • mercy ꝓmised in Christ.
¶Iustificatiō wherof we treat here, Nopartes of Iustificaciō, is not deuided in to ꝑtes. For we speke here of iustificacion y t is of valour before god, & that standeth in remissiō of synnes in the cōscience. The iustice of the law apꝑteyneth to an other place, which only serued in y • polecy of Moses. Also the iustice of reason ꝑteyneth not to this place which is wrought of reasō by y • fulfilling of honest workꝭ.
THE ꝓpre effectes of iustificaciō be remission of synnes, Effectes or workes of iustification. for herevnto we be iustified, y t we might receyue remission of sinnes. Also trāquillitie or peax of cōsciēce bicause of the release of sinnes. For beīg iustified by fayth, we are at peax w t god. Roma. v. [...] Also to be sure we plese [Page] god, & that we be the chyldren of god. To know y t the holy gost is giuē vs. To know we haue & shall haue euerlasting life. To be certeinly ꝑswaded y • god regardeth vs. These & sēblable effectꝭ or workes of iustificacion appere openly in the Romains. For yf we haue peace whē we be iustified by fayth throughe our lord Iesus Christ, we cā not be but certeynly ꝑswaded y t we haue god our mercyful & good lord, y t we please god, that we be the sonnes of god, y t god careth for vs, not onely in tyme of welth but also in our very trouble & afflictiō. And therfore it foloweth ī y • same chapitre, we reioise in hope of the glory of god. Roma. v. a Neyther do we so onely, but also we glory in tribulaciō. For we know y • tribulaciō brīgeth paciēce, paciēce trial, trial bringeth hope, & hope maketh not ashamed, y t is to say is not cōfounded or doubteth, bicause the loue of god is shed abrode in our hertꝭ by the holye ghost, which is giuē vnto vs. &c. Itē a litle before, but god setteth forthe his loue y t he hath to vs forasmoch as while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for vs moch more thē now sith we ar iustified in his blode, we shal be saued frō wrath thrugh hī. For if whē we were synners [Page lxxxiiii] we were made at one w t god by y e death of his son, moch more now whē we be made at one shal be p̄serued by his life. Finaly it is now y • lowest effect of iustification to work wel. For we be iustified to do good workꝭ, as witnesseth Paul to y • Ephe. saying: By grace ar ye made safe through faythe, Ephe. ii. b & that not of your selfes, for it is the gift of god & cōmeth not of workꝭ lest any mā shold boste hī self. For we be his workmanship created ī Christ Iesu vnto good workꝭ. Undoubtedly it were very ꝓfitable to driue this effect ful oft ī to the eares of y • hearers of gods word, lest they be made ydle & careles, not declarīg w t any good workes y t they be iustified. Truly our good workꝭ please god, bicause they be done of y • iustified which [...]ceiue Christ by fayth, which Christ only recōcileth vs to the father, & causeth that our workes please god.
CONTRARYES to iustifycacion be these: Contraries to iustificatiō Scholemen. To say with the scholemen, iustifycacyon signifyeth in vs a qualitie or vertue, or Infusionem habitus. To saye iustifycacyon is partycular. To saye the causes of iustifycacyon be oure merytes, workes, or worthynesse. To saye with the Pelagiās, [Page] iustificaciō is gyuē of our merites, & of nature. To say w t the scholemē, Meritō cōgruū et condignum. y • mē deserue iustificaciō ex merito cōgruo or cōdigno. To say mē deserue iustificacion actu elicito, doing y t lieth ī thē. That is to say, whē reasō beīg sory for y e sin, fetcheth out an act of lou [...]g god or worketh wel. To defend w t the scholemē & philosophers the rightousnes of reasō against the rightousnes of fayth, Philosophers. & to graūt w tthē y t we be recounted ryghtous before god, for the ryghtousnes of reason. To say the fathers were iustified by the law of nature, the Iewes by the law of Moses, & that we christē mē be iustified by the law of the gospel. To graūt y t the iustificacion of reasō of Moses & of the gospell, do nothing differ. To graunt y t contricion & charite, is ynough to get iustificacion. To interprete scripture falsely where it saith we be iustified by faith, that is as certeyn lewde ꝑsons do interp̄te by the hole doctrine of the christen religiō & so cōsequently by the law. To saye y t the cōsciēce may be otherwise pacified then by fre iustificacion. To deny feee iustificacion by gods imputacion, Roma. v. a contrary to the fourth chap. of Paule to y • Rom. To glory of iustificacion & neuertheles [Page lxxxv] to vtter no good workes. To say iustificaciō can stand or endure w t out the sequele of good workes. To deny y t the preaching of iustificacion w t out y e final effect of good workꝭ, is rote of al mischief.
Of hope. CA. XXIIII. Diffinicion
HOpe is a certayne vndoubted awaytyng of the bileued saluaciō which is not sene, through pacience in fayth.
BY hope saith Paul, Probacions of the definicion. we be saued, but hope if it be sene, is not hope, for y t a mā seeth, why sholde he hope the same, but yf the thing which we se not, Roma. viii. d we hope, thē do we w t paciēce abyde for it. These wordes of y • apostle be a sufficient ꝓue of the diffinitiō, by which he wil y t such as haue byleued the saluaciō set forthe in Christ, shold not doubt, but certeynly hope & abyde as a thyng inuisible w t the fleshly eyes, & that by paciēce. I added (in fayth) that y u sholdest not think y t hope can stande w t out fayth, for they be thīgꝭ ānexed, & the one cā not be seuered frō the other, ī so moch y • scripture cōfoūdeth many times fayth & hope togither, as Psal. 77. the ꝓphet saith. The children y t shal be borne, shal shew their [Page] childrē y t they may put ī god their hope. I praye you what other thinge here is hope thē faith. This alliaūce of faith & hope is very wel expressed ī the epystle to the Ebr. [...] where faith is defined to be a sure cōfidēce of thingꝭ not hoped for & a substance of thīges not sene. I added furthermore in the diffinitiō these wordes (certein & vndoubted) to take away thopiniō of suche triflers as think that hope may stand w t a wauering mynde. For like as faith can not be w t doubtīg as clerely appere by y • wordes of Paul in thexēple of Abrahā: So likewise neither hope can be w t doubtinge. For hoping is a sure ꝑswasion that y u shalt receiue those thinges which y u hast by the worde cōceyued by fayth, promised vnto the. Finally vnder the worde of saluacion, I cōprise al those thīges which be promysed to suche as byleue in the word whether they be spiritual or corporal goodes, as wel in this life, as after this life: Al which thinges hope abideth & loketh for in faith certeyn and not doubtynge.
THE causes of hope be tholy ghost & faith. The causes of hope. The holy gost is cause forasmoch as it is his gyft, & he engēdreth it in vs witnessing Paul. Hope is not ashamed, [Page lxxxvi] bicause the loue of god is shed abrode ī our hertes by tholy ghost. Roma. v. a Moreouer y e holy ghost is the cause of hope, Roma. viii. d forasmoch as he helpeth our hope. For thapostle after he hath finished the argumēt y t he maketh of hope out of the formall cause of saluaciō, forth w t he addeth likewise also y • spirite helpeth our īfirmities. I make fayth the cause of hope, bicause of the gret affinitie biewene thē. Fayth bileueth, hope abideth & waiteth for the thinges bileued, for thē we hope y • god wil giue vs such thīgꝭ as he hath ꝓmised vnto vs by his worde, when w t a fayth we cōceyue god & know y t he is merciful vnto vs in Christ.
THE obiect or mater whervpō hope worketh, is the ꝓmise of gods mercy ī al thīges promised. The ꝓuokīg cause to hope is the cōmaūdemēt of god. psa. 4. Offre ye a sacrifice of rightousnes, and hope ye in the lorde. Itē. psal. 146 The lorde is very wel pleased w t such as fear him, & in them which hope vpō his mercy.
There be no ꝑtes of hope of which we here speke. No partes of hope. For it in one certeyn mociō or aff [...]ction of minde, which abideth w t a sure trust for the thīges promised by the worde, yet neuerthelesse hope hath [Page] an eye as wel the corporal as to y • spiritual ꝓmise, in y t we certeynly hope & bileue y t we be the childrē of god, y t god wil kepe vs ī faith, y t he wil kepe al his ꝓmises, & giue vs af [...] this life, life euerlasting. Also y t he will norish defende & saue vs frō al euis & perils.
Theffectes of hope chefly spring of y • thingꝭ ꝓmised & byleued by fayth. Theffectes of hope. And bicause faith, iustificacion and hope be knit togither thone to thother, they borow diuers effectes & workes either of other. Now the ꝓmises be of .ij. sondry thynges towardes which hope also extendeth it selfe, & therfore also double effectes of hope may be gathered, some be gathered of the ꝓmise of thinges spiritual, & other some of y • ꝓmise of thinges tēporal. Effectes proceding of the ꝓmesse of spiritual thīgꝭ may be these. Certeynly to hope and be assured y t our synnes be released in Christ. Certeinly to hope y t we be the sonnes of god. To hope certeynly y • god is merciful vnto vs. To hope verily y • god wil preserue vs ī fayth, y t he wil encrease it vnto vs & furnish the same w t spiritual gyftes: w t sure hope to loke after this lyfe for lyfe euerlasting. Therfore Paul & the rest of thapostles, yea & Christ him self [Page lxxxvii] going about to cōfort the godly ꝑsons against the slaūdres of the crosse vseth none other argumēt thē y t is takē forth of the hope of y • lyfe to come. He y t shal cōtinue (sayth Christ) vntil the end shal be saued. Paul likewise sayth, we be saued by hope. Roma. viii [...] Philip. iii. Also euery creature loketh for deliueraūce. Item to the Philippiās he sayth: Our cōuersacion is in heuen frō whens also we loke for a sauiour. To be short, godly ꝑsons can haue no greater solace in al their afflictiōs thē the hope of the life to come. The work also & effect of hope, is to stey the godly ꝑsons y t they do not shrink frō y • trouth according to the psalme. He y • trusteth in y • lord as y • moūt of Siō, psal. x. [...] Roma. v. d shal not be remoued for euer. Itē not to make ashamed according to Paules saying: hope maketh not ashamed, that is, it suffreth not a man to perish, ne the cōscience to doubt of the promise or fauour of god. In tribulaciō to lift vp the cōscience y t it fal not ī to dispayre, but rather glory in the crosse of Christ, Roma. v. a according to Paules saying, we glory in the hope of the praise y t shal be giuē of god, neither do we so only, but also we glory in tribulaciō. To make vs in aduersitie cast our trust vpō the lord only, according [Page] to the saying of the ꝓphet, Psal. [...]vi. vnder y • shadow of thy wīges I shal trust. To make mē imortal, according to the saying of the wise mā, Sapien. iii. the hope of the holy ꝑsons is ful of imortalitie. To indow vs w t the true fear of god. For they (saith the ꝓphet) y t fear y • lord, shal trust ī hī. To be a sure signe of saluacion. Ro. v. By hope we be saued. To make vs blessed for blessed is he, psal. xxxiii. saythe Dauid, whiche trusteth in hī. To make vs fear the malice of mē. psal. 55. I shal trust in god, & shal not fear what mā do vnto me. Now theffectes of hope ꝓceding of the ꝓmise of tēporal thīgꝭ be these. To hope surely y • god will tēdre vs. To hope surely y • god wil gouerne vs. To hope surely that god wil defēde vs agaīst all euils, as wel inward as outwarde. Sēblable effectes be yet many ī scriptures, & they arise for the most ꝑte of the ꝓmises annexed to the first cōmaūdemēt wherin god ꝓmiseth to be our god.
Cōtraries to hope, Contraries to hope and heresyes. Thomas de Aquino. be these. To saye hope is of thīges p̄sēt, agaīst. Paul Ro. 8. Hope if it be sene is not hope. To define w t Thomas y • scholemā, to be a certeyn expectaciō of the blesse to come, cō mīg of grace & our merites, which diffinitiō is [...]trary to it self, for if hope be [Page lxxxviii] a sure expectatiō, ergo it can not be of our meritꝭ, for they cā neuer make hope to be sure. Also if it be of grace, then is it not of our merites. Itē to say hope cā stād w t out fayth. To say hope can stād w t doubting, against the nature of true fayth, whiche is the cause of hope. To graūt y t true & certein hope is our own ꝓpre worke. To deny y t the propre busynes of hope is vpō the ꝓmise of gods mercy. Scole men. To say w t Thomas y • scholemā y t hope can not stand w t out our merites [...] that if the merites be away, it is not hope, but a p̄sūptiō. To say hope is no cōmaundemēt of god. This errour maketh mē slouthful & negligent in hope. To say hope can stande w t out the true feare of god, against y • prophet: They y • feare the lord shal trust in hī. To say that hope iustifieth, bicause in scriptures hope & fayth be cōfounded. I graūt they be cōfounded, but yet w t such a difference that fayth remayne as cause of hope, and wherevnto the scrypture imputeth instificacion, but hope is theffect, & a thyng annexed vnto faith. To saye the hope of the wycked shall ones be profytable and auaylable vnto thē, contrarye to the sayinge of the wyse man. Prou. x. The hope of the wycked shal perish. [Page] Also in y e boke of wi [...]dō, Prou. [...]. it is writtē. The hope of y • vngodly is lyke a dry thistle flour, that is blowē away w t the wind, it is like thyn scome y t is scatred abrode w t the wynde, & lyke the smoke which is disꝑsed here & there w t winde and as the remēbraunce of a straunger that taryeth for a day, and then departeth. &c.
Of loue towardes god CA. XXV.
LOue towardes god, Diffinicion. is wherby we loue hym agayne, which fyrst laued vs in his son.
¶Iohn̄ ī his epistle alloweth this diffinitiō w t these wordes: Probacion. i. Io. iiii. b we loue god bicause he loued vs, & sent his son to be a sacrifice for our synnes.
THE causes of our loue towardꝭ god be these, Causes. tholy ghost whose gyft it is, & which moueth the hert to loue god. Itē the loue of god w t which god loued vs fyrst, & also fayth, which cōceyued and knoweth the loue of god towardes vs which knowē forthw t sprīgeth vp our loue towardes god.
This loue is not diuided in ꝑtes, No partes. for it is one certeyn mocion or zele towardes god, wherby god is loued for him self, [Page lxxxix] as S. Augustine sayth.
Theffectꝭ of this loue be knowē by y • ij. Theffects or workes of loue. cōmaundement, which treateth of y • outward worshyp of god, engēdred of our great zele charite & loue y t we bear towardes god, which of it self ꝑteineth to the fyrst cōmaundemēt, wherin is requyred also the louing of god as an inward worshyp. For besyde fayth, feare also & loue be referred to the first commaūdemēt: So then theffectes of loue towardes god be these: To feare god for feare, fayth & loue, be thinges kny [...] togyther, & can not wel be plucked one frō an other. But this effect procedeth only of the fyrst cōmaundement. The rest y • folow come forth of the seconde cōmaundemēt for the most ꝑte. Itē not to abuse y • name of god. Desyrously to heare the worde of god. To cal on god in necessitie. To aske helpe of god. To preche his word. To cōfesse his name. To rendre thākes to god. To obey god To worship, to magnify, to prayse, to glorifye god. Also to be a signe of the knowlege of god, according to y • sayīg of Iohn̄: i. Io. iiii. b who so euer loueth is born of god, & knoweth god. To work y • loue of y • neighbour, for he y t loueth god of his owne accorde also wil his loue neighbour. [Page] To be a signe y t we haue faith. For where so euer y e loue of god theffect is, there must nedes be also faith the cause wherfore these & sēblable effectꝭ towardes god, belong to such only as byleue, & haue alredy receiued & knowē god by faith, & which alredy haue felt y • mercy & loue of god. Iosue. xxiii. Iosue af [...] lōg rehersal of the benefites of gods mercy & loue, stereth the people againe on their behalfe to loue God: Eccl. lvii. b So we rede y • Dauid the king w t his hole hert praised & loued hī that had made hī, & therfore he brasteth forth ī to loue, praises & thākesgiuing: So also s. Paul, being assured of y • loue of god towardes hī, hopeth again that he shal vaynquish al euils. For he saith: Roma. viii. [...] In al these thīges we ouercome strōgly thrugh his help that loued vs, for I am sure, that neither deth, neither life, neither aungels, neither rule, neyther power, neither thīges p̄set, neither thīges to come, neither heigth, neither lowth, neither any other creature, shall be hable to seuer vs frō y • loue of god, which is in Christ Iesus our lorde.
Cōtraries to y e loue towardes god be these. Cōtraries to the loue towardes god▪ To say our loue towardes god goeth before his luoe towardes vs. For so some men wil, y t we shold begyn at our [Page xc] loue, so that we by louīg god, might agayne be loued of him. To say charite can stande w t out fayth or knowlege of god going before. To say our loue towardes god ariseth whē we begin to do wel, although as yet we haue not faith. To deny tholy ghost to be cause of our loue towardes god. To say god ought to be loued of vs for any other thīg thē for hī felf, that is, for the loue wherew t he fyrst loued vs. Forasmoch as y • loue of god is the cause ꝓuoking vs to loue him again. To graūt y t our loue or charite towardes god iustifieth vs, cōtrary to scripture, which assigneth iustificacion only to faith as ꝓpre cause of y • same. To say y t in this worlde we may haue so gret loue towardes god, as shal be sufficiēt to be pleded and layd to the iudgemēt of god for our sinnes. To say our loue towardes god maye stande w t distrust or feare, contrary to the place of Iohn̄ the fyrst epistle where he saith Feare is not in loue, Io. iiii. d but perfyte loue casteth out al feare. For fear hath vexacyon, he that feareth is not perfyte in loue. Undoubtedly this feare may wel be called a seruile fear, bicause it is not coupled with faythe. To saye the loue towardes god is thexecutiō of y • lawe, [Page] and therfore iustifieth. To whiche errour I answere. Albeit loue towardes god is the execution of the law, it foloweth not therfore it is in our power to fulfil this loue in such sort y t it may satisfie the lawe.
Of loue towardes the neyghbour. CA. XXVI.
LOue towarde the neighboure is wherby the neyghbour is holpen by y e cōmaūdemēt of god, Diffinicyon. & which is the frute, hādmayde or alley to faith which cā not be away where true faith is present.
That y • neighbour is to be holpen by gods cōmaūdemēt, Pro [...]acion the very tables of y • x. cōmaundemētꝭ ꝓue sufficiētly. And agayn how greatly god is plesed w t this loue of the neighbour, of which he hath also gyuē cōmaundemēt, it may be estemed by this, y • oftentymes in scripture god p̄ferreth it before his own honour as by his ꝓphet Esaie he declareth exp̄sly vnto vs sayīg. Esaie. i. d Offre me no more oblacions, for it is but lost labour, I abhorre your incense. &c. Cease frō doing of euils & violēce, lerne to do right apply your selues to equitie, deliuer y • oppressed, help the fatherles to his right, [Page xci] defend the widow. Esaie. lviii. d &c. Also the same ꝓphet: Behold, whē ye fast your lust remayneth stil. For ye do no lesse violēce to your detters. &c. Sholde y t be called fastīg, or a day y t pleaseth y e lord. This fastīg saith the lord pleseth not me, tyl the tyme be y u lose hī out of bōdage y t is in thy daūger, til y • breake y • oth of wiched bargains, til y u let the oppressed go fre, & take frō thē al maner of burthēs. Dele thy bred to the hōgry, & bring the [...]ore fatherles home ī to thy house, whē y • seest the naked couer hī. &c. To this accordeth Christ saying, Math. v. d wherfore whē y u offrest thy gyft at the aultee, & there remēbrest that thy brother hath ought against the, leue there thy offring before the alter, & go thy way, be first made at one w t thy brother, & then come & offre thy gyft. Now y t loue is the frute, hand mayd & alley of fayth it is playne by y • mutual & necessarye cleuīg togither w t which the causes & effectꝭ be coupled w t in thē selues. Also bicause loue pleaseth not god w t out faith which only causeth our workes to be wel taken w t god, according to Paul, Roma. xiiii. d workemē or Iusticiaries what so euer is not of fayth is syn. Also it is īpossible to plese god w t out fayth. Now it is not all one thing w t the christiās & w t the hethens, [Page] whose good workes these vnshamfast workmē do obiect against vs, [...]e suche as wyll be iustified by theyr workes. for y • hethēs ꝑson haue workꝭ of charite w tout faith, the christē mē w t fayth, but howe moch the charite of the christiās diffre frō charite of the hethēs declareth sufficiētly Christ, where he discerneth the loue of gētiles or infidels frō the loue of the christen bileuers, Math. v. s which pleaseth god. For we can not loue according to thexēple of the heuely father, y t we may be his children & perfect ꝑsons, onlesse we haue faith which getteth christ who afterwarde giueth the holy ghost, he finally maketh by renuinge our hertes & creating in thē new mocions vs apte & mete to performe such loue as pleaseth god, & which maketh vs his so [...] ̄es and perfect, like as he is ꝑfect. Finally y • loue to the presence of fayth is alwayes requyred this text of Paul teacheth. [...]. Corin. xiii. a Although I had al faith so y • I could moue mountaynes out of theyr places & yet had not charite I were nothynge. Also this of Iames. Iacob. ii. c Faythe w tout workes is deed. Many exemples also in scripture be setforth which declare charite necessarily to folowe fayth. Math. ii. [...]. The wyse men com frō the east to Christ they worship him. This is a work of faith. They opē [Page xcii] theyr treasures & offre vnto him gifte [...] golde, frankensence & myrre, this is a worke of charitie or loue. Math. viii. b. Also after y t Peters wyues mother was restored agayne Mar. i. c, by Christ vnto her helth (whiche Luc. iiii. [...] thing could not be done w tout faith) she began to ministre & to serue Christ and his disciples, which thing procedeth of loue.
THE causes of loue towardes y • neybour Causes. be the holy ghost & fayth. The holy gost, bicause it is his gyft, for he causeth loue to ꝓcede of a pure herte, good conscience, and fayth vnfayned. i. corint. xii. [...] For of this loue we meane here. Furthermore healinge or sanacion is the gyfte of the holy ghost, & therfore also charite towardes the neyghbour is the gyft of y • holye ghost. For al gyftes be giuē to the vse & behoue of the neyghbour, whiche by a general terme charite compriseth. Faythe is cause of loue towardes the neyghbour in that it feleth Christ who beynge felte and gotten by faythe, gyueth the holye ghoste, he createth in vs newe mocions of hert mete and apte to exercise the true charitie that pleaseth god. To these two causes maye be added also the loue that we beare to god. For he that loueth God, can not but [Page] loue his neybour: Also a ꝓuokīg cause to y • loue of y • neighbour is y t we know it to be y • cōmaūdemēt of god accordīg to the saying of Christ: I giue vnto you a new cōmaundmēt y • ye loue togither. Ie. [...]iii. d. [...]. Iohan. i. d Also his disciple Iohn̄ testifieth y • same saying: this is his cōmaundemēt y • we byleue on his son Iesus Chryst, & loue one an other as he gaue cōmaundemēt. S. Aug. vpō the sayd place of Christ, I gyue you a new cōmaūdement writeth thus. He y • loueth god, can not despise y • cōmaundemēt y • he shold loue his neighbour. Also Greg. writeth: Greg. lib. vii. moral. bicause ther be .ij. cōmaūdemētes of charite, the one of god, the other of the neighbour, by y • loue of god is gēdred the loue of y • neybour, & by the loue of the neighbour is nourisshed the loue of god. And he y • regardeth not to loue god, y • same can not ꝑfitly loue his neighbour. The formal cause of louīg y • neighbour is set forth vnto vs by Christ, Math. v. s. Luc. vi. d where he willeth vs to declare y • workꝭ of charite vpō our neighbour, w tout any respect of the circūstances, as of the time, ꝑson, place, & such like, according to thexēple of the heuēly father, which maketh his sun to aryse on the euil, & on the good, y • is to say, which indifferētly disꝑseth his benefites [Page xciii] vpon all, neyther loketh he for kindnes on their behalfes to whō he do good vnto. This cause of y • tru loue is also expressed by Paul where he saith y t i. Timo [...]. i. [...] thende of the cōmaundemēt is loue that cōmeth of a pure hert of a good ꝯsciēce and of fayth vnfeyned.
ONE single thing is this loue y t we Partes now treat of, euē a zele toward y t neighbour cōmīg of a pure hert, w t a testimony or declaracion of outward workes. Againste this, scrypture setteth feyned loue forbydden to the godly, whiche is done w tout faith & styring of tholy gost & appropriate to dissēblers or hypocrites, which though it outwardly glistereth w t gloryous workꝭ, yet w tout faith it pleaseth not god.
AN hepe of theffectes hereof reciteth Effectes or offyces of this charite. Paul. 1. Cor. 13. & Ro. 12. that is to wete these: To be paciēt, louing, not enuyous, not foule mouthed, not hault, not p̄sumptuous, not seking his owne, not redy to anger, not thinking euil, not reioysing in wickednes, but ioying ī the trouth, bearing all thinges, bileuing al thynges, hopynge all thynges. Item to edifie & profyt the neighbour. 1. Cor. 8. To rule al giftes. 1. Cor. 12. Now forth of the .12. chap. to the Ro. be takē these [Page] workes. To p̄uent one an other in gyuing honour. To help the necessities of the godly. To be redy to harbour. To speke wel of ꝑsecuters. To ioy w t them that ioy. To wepe w t them y • wepe. To lay downe the hault mynde. To make him selfe egal w t thē of the lower sorte. Not to reacquite euil for euil. These effectes & sēblable may be generally comprised vnder the text of Paul. Charite worketh not euil. To the foresaid workes, Roma. x. Gala. vi. a these also may be added. To accō plish the law of christ, I mean of louīg the neyghbour. To couer a multitude of sines. 1. Pe. 4. To be a tokē of light receyued. [...]. Io. ii. b. For he y • sayth he is in lyghte (sayth s. Iohn̄) & hateth his brother, is yet darknes, Iacob. ii. c. but he y • loueth his brother cōtinueth in light. To be a witnes of y • true fayth. For charite as effect witnesseth of faith y • true cause. To be a signe of iustificaciō receiued. For to this purpose we be iustified y • we shold do good workes, vnder which be cōprysed also the workꝭ of charite. Of this effect speketh Iacob. ii. [...]. Iames, wher ye saith. Cā his faith saue hī? as who shold say, iustificaciō can not stand ne endure where theffectꝭ of faith be lacking.
NOVV al these said effectes of charite [Page xciiii] must be directed to the form aforesaid, of whiche I spake in the causes of charite, y t is to wete, to exercise thē accordīg to thexēple of the heuēly father not only vpō the christen ꝑsons (which neuertheles ought chefly to be done accordīg to Paul which sayth: Gal. 6. [...] while we haue time let vs worke good towardes al mē, but ī especial towardꝭ thē which are of the houshold of faith) but rather indifferently, vpō good & euil, w tout al maner respecte. The worlde bicause it exerciseth not the workes of charite & loue, according to thexemple of the heuenly father, therfore it neuer loueth truely, so that the loue of it can please god.
Contraryes to charit [...] towardes the Contraryes neighbour be these. To graūt y • loue of y • neighbour is not a gift of tholy gost. To say fayth sprīgeth of charite, & not charite of faith. To say y t true loue of the neighbour may stande w tout fayth. To say loue of the neighbour pleaseth god w tout faith. To hold that the workes of charite which good mē do differ nothing frō the workes of charite whiche the euill mē & hypocrites do. I answere. They differ nothyng as perteyning to the outwarde syght, but as perteinīg [Page] to the causes of which y • workes of either ꝓcede, they do not a litle diffre also ī thacceptāce of god, ī y • god aloweth the one, & disaloweth thother. To say y t the true loue of y • neyghbour whiche ꝓcedeth of a pure hert, good ꝯsciēce & faith vnfayned, is our own work To hold y • the loue of y • neighbour sprī geth not so greatly of fayth as of a cō tinual vse & customablenes like as thother vertues do, as by oftētimes doing iustly we be made iust ꝑsons, w t oftē doing wel we be made good. So w t oftē louing, we get vs an habite or hauour of loue. This errour in thīges ciuil is to be borne, but ī the charite or loue of the neighbour it is a mischeuous erroure, forasmoch as it vtterly ouerwhelmeth the causes of loue towardes the neighbour. To say a respect is to be had of y • circūstāces, as of the places, ꝑsōs, time & so forthe, & that y • se vpō whom y • extendest thy charite, whether vpon thy frendes or enemies, christēs or not christēs. This errour is cōtrary to y • forme of loue towardes the neighbour, Math. v. g. Luc. vi. c. which ought to be directed accordīg to thexē ple of the heuenlye father, as before is said. They be hethen sayinges y • bid vs haue discrecion & respect in thexercyse [Page xcv] of charitable workes. Itē to say charite is a gift of nature, and is therfore in our powers to exercise a ꝑfect loue and charite. To which errour I make this answere. Albeit it be the law of nature to loue the neighbour, yet it foloweth not y t the ꝑfect & ful executiō of y • same is in our powers now after the fall of Adā. For who dare at this day glory y • such charite is ī vs as ꝓcedeth of a pure hert good cōscience & fayth vnfayned. Itē to say y • charite towardes the neighbour is ꝑfect, so y t the outward dedes be p̄sent, although pure affectiōs & cōsenting to the outward dedes be not there. This errour is agaīst the forme of charite ii Timoth. i. [...] y • s. Paul p̄scribeth where he sayth that charite or loue is the end of the cō maundemēt cōming of a pure hert, of a good cōsciēce & of faith vnfayned. To hold y • charite or loue towardꝭ y • neighbour doth iustifie, bicause Paul calleth i. Timoth. i. [...] it the end of the cōmaundement. This errour is sone answered, for I graunt that charite is the ende of the cōmaundemēt, of which thīges no mā doubteth But the cōtrouersye & question at this day is whether y • charite which is thēd of the cōmaūdement be in our powers so that we can execute the same ꝑfectly [Page] that is, of a pure hert, good ꝯsciēce & vnfayned faith, which ꝑfect executiō of y • law of charite, forasmoch as it is not in our powers, as euery mās ꝯsciēce cābeare witnesse, surely our charitie can not iustifie, which neuertheles shold in dede iustifie vs if we were hable truly & ꝑfectly to accomplish & ꝑforme y • same. And therfore christ bicause he ꝑformed it of a pure hert good cōscience & faith vnfeyned did satisfie the law cōcernīg charite euē to ryghtousnes. Rensōs that charite iustyfyeth not. Moreouer these reasōs ensuing do ꝓue y t the charite of the neighbour iustifieth not.
i Charite is theffect of faith, Ergo it cā not run before y t cause. Therfore fayth iustifieth, & not charite.
ii THE obiect of fayth, y • is to say, the mat whervpō fayth worketh, is y • mercy or grace ꝓmised, but y • obiect of charite is y • neybour. Ergo charite bicause of the cōtrary obiectꝭ can not iustifie.
iii S. Paul where as in the epistie to the Ro. & also to the Corī. he reckeneth vp ī maner al theffectes of charite, yet maketh no mēcion of iustificaciō, which y • papistes appoint vnto charite as her ꝓpre effect, Ergo. &c.
iiii THE ꝓpre end of y • workꝭ of charite is y • good mē by thē shold declare to the [Page xcvi] world y t they be iustified, & for y • frāke & fre iustificaciō shold agayn on theyr behalfe shew thē selues louing & thākeful, Ergo thende of charite can not be iustificacion.
IT is also contrary to this doctrine: To maynteyne that the true fayth can stande or endure without charitie, whiche errour is very strongly impugned of Iohn̄ in his epistle. i, Ioh. i. a. [...] To say the loue of the neyghbour dothe iustifie lesse prī cipally, and fayth more principally.
Of good workes. CA. XXVII.
GOOD workes which god hath cōmaunded in the decalogie or .x. Diffynicyon cōmaundementes, conteyning the true worshyp of god, set forth to glorify god, and spred his glory abrode, and that by them suche as bileue not, might be allured to receyue the worde, and prayse god.
THAT good workes be onely the preceptes of the decalogie or ten commaundementes, Profe of this diffinicion no man can denye, as well bycause the decalogie is thordynaunce of god, as bycause vnto it all good workes whiche please god maye [Page] be reduced. And forasmoch as there be of the decalogie two tables, the first teching what we owe ꝓprely to god, the secōd what to our neighbour, therfore of necessite there be two maner of workes, some be spiritual to wardes god, & some outward & politique towardes y • neighbour, these w tout the spūal be nothing worth, ne plesaūt to god. For the spiritual cōmaūdemētes of the former table, be the causes for which the outward & ciuil work towardes the neighbour do please god, accordinge to y • of Paul, Roma xiiii. d what so euer is not of faith is sin, wherfore it agreeth very euil to say as the papistes say, Papistes. y t only the ciuil or outward workes be good workes sithēs y • same for the displeasaūce in the eyes of god be vnacceptable & vnthākful onles fayth be ioyned thervnto, which only maketh our workes wel taken of god. Now the p̄ceptes of the decalogie or. why the preceptes of the decalogie be called good workes. .x cōmaūdemētes be called good workes not bycause they iustifye, but bycause they be done of the good, & of such as be iustified, & bycause god hath ordeyned thē. Certes, the .x. cōmaūdemētꝭ ꝯteyne y • tru worship of god bicause they tech aswel the īward as the outward worship of god, & bicause they be onely acceptable [Page xcvii] to god. The p̄ceptes of mē ī the mater of religiō we cal not good workes bicause they tech not y e tru worship of god: Esaye .xxix. [...] Math. xv. [...] Mar. vii. a wherfore also y • ꝓphet Esaie dā neth humane ordinācꝭ as to be takē for the true worship of god where he saith This people apꝓcheth vnto me w t their mouth & worship me w t their lippꝭ but their hert is far frō me, but they worship me in vayn, teching doctrines the cōmaūdemētes of mē. The reasō herof is bicause mēs ordinaūces be not y • true worship of god, which neuertheles the ypocrites held for the true worship of god, ꝯtrary to the tables. And for this false worships sake which is appoīted by the cōmaūdemētes & workes of mē, euē sithēs the beginning of the worlde there haue ben debate bitwen the godly & vngodly ꝑsōs. This false worship of god was the cause why Abel was slain Gene. iiii. d whiche w t faythe offered his sacrifices where as Cain did hang ī the outward sacrifice & worke only. Also all the ꝓphetes for this false worships sake suffred ꝑsecucion. For they called awaye the childrē of Israel frō mēs ordinaunces & frō the vntrue worship of god vnto the preceptes of god, & vnto his true worship. Therfore also at this daye it [Page] is no meruaile though we cā not be allowed ne brooked amōgꝭ these iustifyers of workes in y • we cal thē away frō the vntrue worship of god which they set vp of theyr owne authoritie w toute gods word. The answer to an obiectiō that might [...]e mad [...] But lest som of thē wolde say y t the decalogie or tables of Moses ꝑteyn not to vs christen men, but y t the workes diuysed by bysshops of Rome haue succeded in their place to the true seruice & worshyp of god, let thē heare what Christ saith. Math. v. [...] I came not (saith he) to lose the law, y • is, to teche other workes cōmaūded in the law or any other worship of god, but to fulfil the lawe. Ma [...]. Also whē he was demaūded of a yonge mā ꝯcernīg good workes necessary for thobteynīg of euerlastīg life, he answered of workes cōmaunded by the lawe which techeth the true worship of god forasmoch as it requyreth faith, feare, & loue of god, as an inward & spiritual worship like as god hī self is a spirite. Theffectes of good workes be euerye where set forth ī y e scripture. Esai saith we be the plāting of the lord to glorify god. Psal. xl. c Also the ꝓphet sayth: Offre to god the sacrifice of praise & cal on me and y • shalt glorify me. i. Pet. ii. [...] Also thapostle Peter sayth, Derely beloued I beseche you as [Page xcviii] straūgers & pylgrims absteyn frō fleshly lustes which fight against the soule & se ye haue honest ꝯuersaciō amonges the heathen y t they which backbyte you as euil doers, may se your good workꝭ & prayse god in the day of visitaciō. Finally, Chryste saythe, so let your lyght shyne before mē, that they may se your good workꝭ & Math. v. b glorify your father whiche is in heuens.
THE causes of good workꝭ be tholy ghost & fayth. Causes of good workes To these may be added also y • loue towardes god. For he that with faith knoweth & loueth god without doubt also wil feare god, wil magnifie his name, wil gladly hear & lerne his word, wil loue his neyghbour, & in his nede help him.
¶Tholy gost is cause of good workes forasmoc [...] as he moueth [...]ertes to good workes, & gēdereth in thē new mociōs ꝯueniēt to y • doinge of good workes y • plese god. Faith is y • cause of good workꝭ bicause before faith our workꝭ be not wel takē of god. For faith getteth vnto it christ for whose only sake our workꝭ do plese god. And Christ thus gotten by faith giueth tholy gost y • renewerof our hertes to make our workes accepted of god: Gala. [...]. [...] for this cause good workꝭ be called [Page] of Paul the workes of the spirite.
Melāchton in his cōmō places reh [...] seth .iiii. Gala. v. c. d Inuitatorious or prouokinge. ꝓuoking causes to good workes. Necessite, bicause faith ought to encrease in vs w t ꝯtinual exercises ī prayer, in repentaūces, ī tribulaciōs. Dignitie, bicause our good workes although they haue moche imꝑfection in thē yet they ꝑtein to y • glory of god, & therfore in scripture they be called sacrifices of praise. Authoritie, bicause tholy gost is y • author & worker of thē & whose gift they be, w t which also he adourneth the churche, to thintent the glorye of god might be the further spred abrode and knowē. Rewardes, bicause vnto good workes in the godly ꝑsons aswel spiritual as corporal rewardes be setforth and promised.
THE formal cause of good workꝭ is fetched forth of fayth w tout which our good workes, The formall causes of good workes neither can be truly done neither do please god. Christ ī Mathew p̄scribeth a forme of exercisynge good workes w t which the neighbour is holpen, accordīg to thexēple of the heuēly father, Math. v. Luc. vi. be you merciful euen as your father is merciful.
Accordīg to y • diuersite & Partes of good workes sūdrines of good workes, some may be called of y • [Page xcix] first table, which do execute y • true worship of god as wel inwarde as outward some be of the second table which do execute outwarde & temporall workes towardes the neighboure. But these cannot perfitly be done, on lesse the workes of the first table go before.
¶The finall effectes of good workes, Effecte [...] & princypal be these. To raise vp, to exercyse, to confirme fayth, for without thexercise of workes, faith can not stand. [...]yther perteyne such places of scripture, as prouoke vs to go forward in good workes, as Paul to the Philippians. Philip. [...]. [...]. This I desire, that youre loue maye encrease more and more in knowlege, & in al vnderstanding. &c. Coloss. i. [...] Gala. vi, [...] Likewyse to y • collos. he writteth. Being frutful in all good workes. Icē to the Galath. he saith. Let vs not be wery of well doinge. Itē neither horemongers, neither worshippers of ymages. &c. shal enherite the kingdome of god. Whiche places & seblable declared, that faith can not endure without workes, wherfore like as w t yl workes faith is quenched, so vndoubtedly with good workes it is styred vp, exercysed, and confyrmed. To be asigne of iustyfycacion receyued. For this purpose we be iustyfyed, we shold worke wel as, testifieth y • hole [Page] sixth chapiter to the Romaynes wherof the som is, that nowe, sithens we be iustified by faith, we sholde worke wel. To giue thankes to good workes for the benefites receyued ī Christ, for which cause also they be called sacryfyces of laude. To stere other to beleue the gospel, i. Pet. ii. Math. v. and gloryfye god. To gloryfy god, for as recordeth the ꝓphet Esay, we be the graf [...]inge of the lorde to gloryfye god. Item psal .xiix. offe [...] to god a sacrifice, of praise and call on me, and I shall delyuer the and thou shalte gloryfy me. To be testymonyes of the true fayth, therfore Iames saith. Iames. ii. [...] Shew me thy faith of thy dedes, and I wyll shewe the my fayth by my dedes. Also Christ saith by theyr frute ye shall knowe theym, albeit this texte semeth to go an other way. Iaco. ii. [...] To make y • faith quick & lyeuely, for as Iames saith faith w tout workꝭ is deed. To be signes in oure conscience that we be imperfyte workers, Luc. xvii. accordynge to the wordes of Christ, whē ye haue done altogither, yet say we be vnprofytable seruaūtes, y • we ought to do, we haue done. After these effectes of good workes, there be yet ot [...]er which be gathered of the rewardes y • be ꝓmysed ī y • scriptures for good workes. And forasmoch as y • rewardes premysed to good workes be of two sortes [Page c] [...]fore also theffectes which do arise of them, be of two sortes, some perteyne to spirituall goodes, some to corporal. So some places of sc [...]iture promyse to good workes euerlastinge lyfe, as thapostle wssheth to the Cortinthians that god wyll yelde them for theyr almes which they bestowed, increase of spirituall giftes. Math. vi. v Christ also promyseth a sure reward to almes which god shal [...]endre openly. Nyther ꝑteine the manyfolde promyses in the law annexed to the commaundemētes. Leuit. xxvi▪ Yf ye shal walke (sayth the lord) in my commaundemētes, and shall kepe my ordynaunces, & [...] them, I shal giue you rayne in due seasons that the erthe maye bryng forth her frute. &c. wherfore when we be ascerteyned of the promyses of rewardes made to good workes, it resteth now to se whether the rewardes of good workes do chaunce by oure desertes or by promysse, Certes, as ferforth as I coulde ens [...]r [...]h the holy scripture. I [...]inde alway where mēciō is made of rewardꝭ, y t it is done of some ꝓmyse. This word merite I neuer finde added. Also [...] often as Christ in y • new testament is asked (as ī diuers places he is) what is to be done for y • receuyng of euerlastyng lyfe, he referreth thē to y • workes of y e t [...] [Page] commaundementes & addeth. Do this & thou shalte lyue, by which answere, I graūt, Christ chalēgeth to good workes euerlastinge lyfe but not but to such as perfitly do the same. And bycause it is not in our powers perfitlye to fulfyll y • workes of the law, where as neuertheles a pefite obedyence is requyred, therfore it foloweth that we cā not de serue euerlasting lyfe, onlesse we wyll saye y • euerlastinge lyfe chaunceth vnto vs for our imperfectiō. Furthermore ī scripture rewarde signifyeth one thinge & merite an other thinge. Euerlastinge lyfe as reward is ꝓmised to good workꝭ as a recō pensacion, bycause it [...]ecōpenseth the afflictions of the rightous persons as in y • reuelacion of Ihon̄ it witnessed where he speaketh of lyfe eternall whiche he calleth a new heuē & a new life & saith. And god shal wipe away al teares from theyr eyes. [...]poca. xxi. b Esay .xxv. c Also the prophte Esaye, And deth shal be deuoured vtterly & god shal wype away euery tare, Rom. vi. Item thapostle Paul calleth euerlastinge lyfe y • gift of god by Christe Iesu our lorde. But merite is that which chaūceth properly to a mās duety which he may clayme as his ꝓpre due. Wherfore either let y • Papistꝭ denye the place of Paul which calleth euerlasting [Page ci] life y • gift of god, or els let the shew that merite & gyft betoken all one thinge yf they wyll haue their opinyon allowed.
¶Now this effecte whiche they make of good workes comminge by merite or desert they extend it yet further. For they be not content to ascrybe vnto it euerlasting lyfe but they assigne also to it the rewarde of all thinges aswel spirituall as corporall euen of propre dutye, He confuteth the errour of the papistes. And therfore these papistes these toly workemē beleue y t by theyr good workes they deserue election to grace, gods loue towardes them, lighteninge to y • gospell, saythe, forgyuenes of sinnes, iustificaciō also the feare of god, hope & loue towardes god & the neighbour, constauncy, pacyence, & fynally all as well spiritual as corporall goodes, which sayde opinion for as moch as it is clene contrarye to y • worde of god, & maketh our hole relygiō to be in certayne, therfore this effecte of good workes which they make to ꝓcede of merites is diligētly to be cōsydered & debated. For o lord who dare be so bold agaynst y • most cleare & manifest authorityes of scripture to say y • the electiō to grace is our merite & deserte, Paul teacheth contrarye Romayns .ix. where he [Page] maketh the cause of oure election gods mercy. Of deseruynge of gods loue towardes vs who shal glory against thapostle where he saith god setteth forth his loue towardes vs when we were yet sinners & the ennemyes of god. Rom. v.v Also against the sayīg of Iohn which sayth we loue hym bycause he loued vs. i. Io. iiii.d Now y e lyghtening vnto the gospel no honest & pure christiā wil attribute to merites or whiche thus speaketh y e word of god. Corin. iv God is faithfull by whome ye be called into y e felawship of his sonne our lorde Iesus Chryst. Furthermore fayth forgyuenes of synnes, iustifycacion, Roma. iiii.c yf these come of our desert thē thapostles is a lyar which saith. Therfore of fayth is thinheritaūce according to fauoure, that the promyse myght be suer. Also be saith if these whiche perteyn to y t law be heyres, the faith is made voyde, Ephe. iv. & the ꝓmyse is made frustrate. Item to the ephes. he wryteth. By grace ye be saued through faith & y t not at your selfes, for it is the gyft of god, & procedeth not of workes. Fere towardes god, hope, & loue, cā not be of our merite for these, to gyther w t faith remyssion of synnes, iustifycacion, euerlastinge lyfe, & sēblable ought to be suer & certaine sith they pertayne to the inwarde worshyp [Page cii] of god. For albeit hope hath respecte also to the promyse of outwarde thinges yet hope is rather & ꝓperly a sure expectacion of helth that is beleued, by whiche we hope certainely and trust that we be reconcyled to god by faith. As concerninge loue towardes the neyghbour, cō stauncye, & pacience in tribulacion, also y e rest of vertues which eusue the sayd spirituall goodes to gither also w t the outwarde goodes, these if a mā wyl ascribe to our merites & y t the good workes of y e godly persons do merite & deserue them & also thincrease or y e same, we wyl not greatly stryue w t them forasmoch as we se that a mittigacion of temporall paynes do oftē times folow good workes. Albete it pleaseth and satisfyeth we abū dauntlye to saye generally that rewardes both spiritual & temporal do folow & ēue good workes of good mē, bycause they be ꝓmysed vnto thē of god. Truly by this doctryne no wickednes is taught onlesse ꝑchaūce it be coūted a wickednes to auaunce the glorye of god, & suppresse our own, neither shal this doctrine make mē slouthful and neglygent to do good workes (as some mē thinke) sithēs we denye not the rewardes of good workꝭ but say only that those rewardes ꝓcede not [Page] of our desert, of promise.
NOVVE, these effectes of good workes folowing procede of rewardes. To haue a plentyfull rewarde in heuen as Math. v. Christ promyseth, yf thou vnderstande here, (according to the cōmon fygure and maner of speakinge) heauen for the kindome of heuē & so consequently for the congregacion of the true beleuers) as holy wryters be wont to vse for the most parte this worde heuen) so the sence shall be playne that such as suffre tribulacion here in erth shall haue many consolacions, but yf y u vnderstādest heuē for the lyfe to come whiche shalbe a recōpence of all affliction: thā the sence & meaning shal be that such as suffre tribulacion ī this world haue a sure hope of euerlasting lyfe. For ī y e .v. chap. of mat. Christ oure sauyour speaketh of the beatitudes & blysses in this lyfe to thintent he wold shew that the iudgement of the worlde erreth whiche thinketh that the true welth or blysse of lyfe standeth in outwarde pompe & magnyfycence. And euerlastīg life is called a reward bicause it recompenceth, but not bycause that recōpence is proprely due. Item to receyue a reward of god openly, as Christ promyseth of almes. Math. vi.a Now, to receyue a reward [Page ciii] of god openlye, is that in the sight of al men the godlye be increased in worldly goodes & enriched in this lyfe as wel with spiritual as with temporall godes and after this lyfe to receyue also other euerlasting benefites & al this by ꝓmys. To haue annexed vnto it euerlastinge lyf by promys, that y e same maye be iure for lyfe euerlasting is the gyft of god as witnesseth Paul Roma. vi.
¶Contraries to good workes be these Cōtraryes to good workes To graunt that beside the workes of y e x. cōmaundementes, and such as be commaunded in scripture, there be yet other Good dedes deuysed and made by the bisshoppes of Rome beside goodꝭ worde be not good. good workes necessarye to the practyse of godlynes. To saye humayne workes inuented of men is a part of the worship of god. To say humane workes deuyied by bisshops of Rome be egal to the workes of the .x. commaundementes, vnder lyke punisshmente to be kepte, and lyke hope of reward. To graūte that certeyn humane workes are to be prefered before certayne workes of the .x. cōmaundemētes. To say the cyuyle & outwarde The errour of scholemen. workes which be commaunded in the second table of Moses be only good workes. This is the erroure of the scholemē whiche haue dispised hyther vnto the workes of the fyrst table or at least haue [Page] not sene thē. To affirme y t y e workes of y e good & of y e bad be egal, because they be both blyssed of god. This errour is easly answered. For to y e wicked & euyl ꝑsons there is no ꝓmyse made of spritual thīgꝭ To affirme w t certeyn furyous prechers Furyous prechers. y e honest & excellēt workꝭ ī y e vnfaythful or vngodly ꝑsons be y e giftes of Sathan where as Sathan of his nature, w toute doubt, admitteth no honesty, sith he is y e disturber, & distroyer of al honesty. Wherfore it is to be thought y e honest workes also in y e euyl ꝑsons be y • singuler giftes of god gyuē for y e conseruaciō & mayntenaunce of tranquylyty in y e worlde. To say bycause in y e wicked y e noble & honest workes be called y e giftes of god, y t therfore they please god, & that they shal for the same receyue euerlastīg lyfe. The answere herof dependeth of faith, which is y e cause why good workꝭ please god, and why in time cōmīg euerlasting lyfe shal ēsue such workꝭ by ꝓmyse, made to thē y e worke wel, & of faith. To graūt y t Christ in the new testament taught other workes thē be mencyoned ī y e tables of Moses, Math. v. [...] contrary to his owne sayinge, I am not come to breake y e law, but to fulfil it To graūt y t Christ hath left power to y e byshop of Rome as to his vycar general Bysshop of Rome. [Page ciiii] here in erth to appoynt & p̄scrybe other good workes straūge & diuers from the tables of Moses. To say good workes be in our powers to do them perfectlye, to the mynyshyng of tholy ghost, & of the power of Satan whiche he hath in lercyng good workꝭ. To say there is another form of fulfyllyng good workes of y e second table, thā that which Christ Luc. vi.vi [...] appoynteth by thexemple of his heuēly father, where he sayth. Be mercyful, as youre father whiche is in heuen is mercyfull. To holde that in y e executynge of good workes towarde the neyghbour, we ought to haue respect of y e cyrcūsta [...] ces as of y e place, of the persō, of y e tyme. To say good workꝭ of helping y e neighbour be so necessary. y t he which can not ꝑform the same, yea also of necessyte, cā not be saued, which errour thapostle soyleth ii. cor. [...] where he saith. Let eueri mā do accordyng as he hath purposed ī his herte not grudgingly, or of necessite. To hold y • good workꝭ deserue of theyr ꝓpre duti all goodnes as wel spiritual as tēporal which errour I haue before ī theffectꝭ of good workꝭ debated & cōfuted. To hold y • good workes do therfore deserue euerlastyng lyfe, bycause euyl workꝭ deserue euerlastyng condēnacion. To say good [Page] workꝭ iustify. This errour also I haue soluted before in theffectes, Finally, contraryes to good workꝭ, be all euyll workes done agaynst goddes commaundemētes, as not to beleue in god, to doubt of god, not to feare god, not to loue the neyghbour, to commyt aduoutrye, theft murder, & so forth. And these euyl workes haue theyr propre effectes contrarye to theffectes of good workes. For lyke as good workes do styre vp, do exercyse, and confyrme fayth: so on the contrarye parte, euyll workes do let and quenche fayth. They deserue theyre of god, and euerlastyng condēnacion, Math. xxv.d. as wytnesseth Chryst. Go ye cursed in to euerlastynge fyre. &c. Also they sklandre y e gospell, & the glory of god, as wytnesseth Paule sayng. The name of god is through you euyll spoken of among the hēthē. They deserue induracion & to be made harde so that synnes be punysshed with sinnes, & euyl workꝭ, Roma. i.c w t euil workꝭ as Paule to y • Ro. declareth. They deserue also temporal punysshmētes, as y e tyranny of y e deuyll. whiche prouoketh vs to all kyndes of myschefe and of errour.
Of fulfyllynge the lawe. CA. XXVIII.
[Page cv] THe fulfyllyng of the lawe, is a ꝑfyte Diffinicion satisfaction, wherby the law is satisfyed both w t a consentynge hert, & also with outward workeꝭ. But bicause no man could ꝑforme this, therfore came Chryst & accōplished fully y t the lawe for vs vnto ryghtousnes, enduryng for euer, giuyng also tholy ghost y t we may truly feare god, byleue in god loue god & our neyghbour, thoughe in great imꝑfectiō, which neuertheles god taketh ī good parte bicause of his Christ the hole & perfyte fulfyller of the lawe in the name of all that beleue.
¶I cal y • fulfyllyng of the lawe a ꝑfite satisfactiō, Probation of the diffynicyon. which standeth in the cōsent of the mynde, togyther with y e execuciō of good workes. Now y t the lawe requireth a cōsentynge mynde, the wordes of Paule do proue which saith y t the lawe is spirytuall (y t is to saye) requyreth spyrytuall thynges. Also Chryst throughout the hole .v. chap. of Mat. requyreth to y • fulfillyng of the lawe y • affections & herte cōsētyng to the same. Lykewise Pau i. Timo. i. requyreth to the fulfyllīg of y e law cha [...]e of a pure hert good cōscience & fayth vnfayned. Nowe▪ the old testamēt eueri where requireth loue of the hole hert, of the hole mynd, & of y e [Page] hole power. Concernyng the outwarde kepyng of y e lawes, there is no doubte. For the vse fulfylling the law, is of .ij. sortꝭ y e one is inward, y e other outward.
THAT no mā can kept the lawe the place ī the actꝭ of the apostles teacheth sufficiētly where S. Pet. [...]. xviii.v teacheth these wordes, why tēpte ye god y • yt wyl put a yoke on the disciples neckes which nether our fathers nor we were hable to beare. This is sure yf we had bē hable ꝑfytly to haue kepte the lawe. Math. v.c Chryste neded not to haue come whose offyce (as he hym selfe expreslye declareth) was to fulfyll the lawe. But by cause the beleuers be iustifyed vnto good workꝭ (witnessynge thapostle Ephes. ij. created to good workꝭ. &c.) therfore Chryst gyueth tholy ghost to the beleuers which helpeth theyr infyrmityes y • after a maner they myght bryng a cōsentyng herte vn to the lawe, thoughe it be weake & imꝑfyte, which neuertheles god accepteth & taketh in good parte bycause of Chryst which hath satisfyed the lawe pefectly vnto the perfecte rightousnes of y e same y • is of force & strength before god for euermore, accordīge to Pau, saing, which also (meanyng Chryst) maketh intercessiō Roma. viii. [...] for vs. Also of y e prophet. Thou arte [Page cvi] the euerlastynge prseste after the ordre Melchisedech. Psal. 109. [...]
¶There be two maners of fulfilynge y e lawe, The [...] of fulfyllyng the lawe. the one īward the other outward which two conioyned togyther do ꝑfectly ☞ satisfye the lawe. But there was yet neuer mā which ꝑfectly either hath euer cōioyned or coulde cōsoyne these partes besydes Chryst, & therfore only Chryste is the perfecte accomplysher of the lawe euen to the full ꝑfection. who also vnto vs hath deserued & purchased the gylte of fulfyllynge the same after a maner so that we also may bryng (through Christ & grace of tholy ghost) to the outwarde fulfyllyng of the law a cōsētyng mynde and may feare god truly, truli beleue in god, refreyne our mynde & hande frome slaughter & suche lyke wyckednes. But yet vnder great weaknes & imperfectiō we do these thynges & therfore our fulfyllyng cā not be pleaded ne laid agaīst goddes yre, neyther is it done of vs to that purpose that we shold be iustifyed by the same, but to thyntent fyth we be all ready iustifyed of Chryst the perfect executour of the law, we myght declare & shewe by our fulfyllyng suche as it is, our kyndnes & loue towardes god for y e rightousnes receyued through Christ, as [Page] I haue heretofore declared the selfe thynge in theffectes of good workes.
AS concernyng the perfyte fulfyllyng of the lawe, The causes of thaccōplishment and fulfyllinge of the Lawe. which brought to the hole worlde a righttousnes which is of force before god for euermore: Chryst is the cause of fulfyllyng y e law, who perfytly hath satisfied the law, for which entent also, he was ꝓmysed of y e father: as him self testifyeth, sayng he cam not to breke or destroye the lawe but to fulfyll it.
¶Thoccasion that Chryst had to fulfil the law towarde vs, Math. v.b. [...] was our infirmite & weaknes, by which we were not hable to satisfye the lawe, the burthē wherof (as Pe. ī the actꝭ declareth) neyther our Act. xv.d fathers nor we coulde beare, Pau. testyfyenge y e same saing what y e lawe could Roma. viii.a not do in that it was weake bycause of the flesshe, that ꝑformed god. & sent his sonne in the similitude of synfull flesshe and by synne, damned sinne in the fleshe y t the ryghtousnes requyred of the lawe myght be fulfylled in vs, that is to say that by Chryst we myght be rekened to haue satisfyed the lawe.
AS ꝑteynyng to our fulfilling, which god requyreth of the iustifyed, Christ also togyther w t tholy ghoste is the cause. For Christ through his ꝑfyte fulfilling [Page cvii] of the lawe, Marke wherfore the gyft of our fufyllyng the lawe serueth. merited and wan vnto vs the gifte of the fulfylling the same, gyuynge vs the holy ghoost to helpe oure weakenes in y e fulfillīg therof not vnto rightousnes or that we myght be iustified therby for to that purpose onlye serueth the fulfyllyng of Christ, but for y e declaraciō of our louing & kinde herte to wardes god for y e rightousnes & great benefites that we haue receyued of his handes in Christe. Certeynlye this holy gost fasshyoneth & createth in vs new intentes & mociōs of mynde. which he cō uenyent (although in a great īꝑfection) to y • true trusting in god to the true louing of god & of the neighbour.
¶Forasmoch as y • perfite fulfillīg of y e Theffectis of of fulfyllyng the lawe. lawe serueth for rightousnes, & our imꝑfite fulfillīg serue to declare our kindnes toward god for the rightousnes receyued ī Christ therfore I thīke it good to set forth .ii. maner of effectes of fulfilling y e law, Theffectis of Chrystes perfect fulfilling being also of two sortes.
¶Theffectes of y • ꝑfite fulfilling of the law which Christ ꝑformed for our iustyfieng before god may be these. To satisfy y e lawe w t a consenting hert & minde togither w t outwarde workes. This effect is suffyciētly ꝓued by y e ꝓphet Esay Esay. liii.c where he describeth y t īnocency clennes & [Page] holynes of Christ w t these wordes, he did neuer violence ne vnrighte, neyther hath there ben any disceitfulnes in his mouth also to performe perfyte obedyence, for a perfite and euerlastinge rightousnes accordinge to the saide place of Paul. That the lawe coulde not do in that it was weake bycause of the flesh Roma. viii.a that performed god. &c. Sundry effectes also may be gathered of the commodydities which we haue by Christes fulfyllynge of the law as to delyuer vs from the curse of the law as witnesseth Paul Galath. iii.c To deserue vs a gifte to fulfill after a maner the law to the declaracion & vtteraunce or our kindnes in that y e Christ hath fullfylled the same to our iustyfycation. To deserue & get vs y e holy ghost whiche helpeth our weaknes & our imꝑfectiō y t we may truly kepe y • law. But we shal rekē vp moo effectes of y • ꝑfecte fulfilling of Christ in y • titles of abrogatiō of y e law & of y e christen liberty. Theffectes of our fulfyllyng. Now theffectes of our fulfillyng which Christ hath purchased for vs & which the holye gost fourmeth & fasshioneth ī vs be these To haue a cōsētīg minde vnto outward workes. To fere god hertely. To beleue god hertely. To brydle the hert and the mind frō slaughter. Not to steale actually [Page cviii] & also to haue a minde repugnafit and striuing w t any such affections of pluckīg away frō other mē their goodes. These & semblable effectes of our fulfyling forasmoch as they be weake & imꝑfite, may not be pleaded for rightousnes againste god, yet neuertheles they please god by cause of Christ, & be vnto him most commendable & thankfull sacrifices, yea and so they be called in holy scripture. These effectes of our fulfyllyng y • law serue to none other ende but to gyue thankes by them for the rightousnes which Christ hath purchased vnto vs by his perfite fulfyllyng of the law & finally to prouoke others by our fulfylling to receyue the gospell lyke as heretofore I haue declared in theffectes of good workes.
¶Contraryes Cōtraries or errours. to the fulfyllynge of the lawe be these. To saye the fulfyllynge of the law is onely an outwarde keping of the same.
TO say the fullfillyng of the law for a rightousnes before god is & hath ben alwayes in mās power, To graūt y • these is made a perfite fulfyllyng of y e law for rightousnes before god, yf we do as moch as lyeth in vs. To say y t thē y • law is ꝑfitli satisfied, whē at lest our wyl by any maner of wise is added to outward [Page] workes albeit a pure consenting minde altogither be not had to y e same, to deny y t the perfite fulfyllyng of y e law whiche is accepted before god for rightousnes requyreth not a consentinge & pure hert beside thexecuciō of outward workes. To holde that vnder the old testamēt was requyred a pure & consenting minde, but in the new testamēt that god gaue place to our infirmytye & weakenes. so y t now it is ynough in the fulfillyng of y e lawe onely to kepe outward workes. The errour of certayne papistes. To saye in the newe testamente the commaundementes of god chaunged in to counsels, and that it perteyneth not vnto all men to satisfye the law with consenting affectiōs, but only to such as be of more perfection, and can do the same. This erroure is contrary to y • wordes of Christ. Math. v. where yet styl in the new testament (which Chryst came to ordeyen) he calleth them the leest in the kingdom of [...]euen, which breake one of the leest commaundementes, wherfore also through out all the hole chapiter Chryst requyreth pure affections to the fulfilling of y • lawe. beside the outward execuciō. Also Christ cōmaūdeth there that the law of god be not destroyed & abrogate for our infirmitie. It is also an erroure to saye [Page cix] that the conscience of men can not be saued & kept from desperacion, oneles, we wyl snstre and permyte the commaundementes of god to be turned into counsels & giuen onely to men of more perfection to be fulfylled. I answere. It wolde haue besemed these p̄iudicatours of Christ (I call them so which run before y e iudgemēt & sentēce of Christ, coū ting thē selues better clerkes than he) which of preceptes haue made counsels y • whan they saw y t y e perfecte fulfilling of y e law was not ī our powers, to haue sēt rather our cōsciēce vnto Christ, who hath fulfilled the law for vs to y • exacte & perfyte rightousnes, so that thus they myght haue saued the cōscience frō despayre. To denye that it was onely the office of Christ to fulfyl the law vnto ꝑfect rightousnes, contrary to the text of Mat. Math. v. I am not come to destroy the law but to fulfil it. To holde that the lawe was for this cause gyuē, that it shold be fulfilled of vs to the ꝑfecte iustcie, wheras this honoure was appoynted of the father vnto Christ, as testify the ꝓmises gyuē of Christ lōg before y • law. To saye This errour is at this day maynteyned of some. y • Christ did ons satisfy the law only for al sinnes past, & that we now ought to fulfyl the law vnto the perfite rightousnes [Page] to be infused by the same. To argue by the place of paul, Collos. i.d col. i. That y e fulfillyng of Christ is not ꝑfite for rightousnes, but is made ꝑfecte whē our fulfylling is put thervnto. The wordes of y e apostle be these. Now ioye I in my sufferinges & fulfil againe y t which is behind of y • passiōs of christ ī my flesh for his bodyes sake whiche is the congregacion. ☞ This proueth not that the passion of Christ was lackīg or īperfecte to our saluacion but it signifieth that y • passion of Christ & of his membres is all one passion & that we suffce for his sake sith we haue ꝓfessed & are appointed to suffce w t Christ. To denye y t the fulfillyng of the law of Christ indureth for euermore for al such as beleue. To deny that Chryste by his perfecte fulfillīg of the law hath deserued vnto vs the gift of fulfilling y • lawe after a maner, not y t it sholde serue for a ryghtousnes before god whiche as many of vs as be iustified haue alredy ī Chryst but y t it sholde declare vs thākefull for Chrystes fulfylling wherin we haue foūd our perfecte rightousnes. To graūt y • the fulfylling of the law in such as be iustyfyed which Christ hath deserued vnto vs can be so perfecte as it may be set against gods vengeaunce. To deny [Page cx] that onr fulfilling of the law whiche was purchased & deserue by Christ is alwayes ful of weakenes & imperfection. To hold that one fnlfilling of the law purchased vnto vnto vs by Christ dothe therfore please god bycause we do performe it & not rather bycause it ꝓcedeth of faith in Christ. To deny that our fulfillīg displesech god if the same de done w tout faith. To deny that our fulfillīg of y • lawe is done for any other ende thē y t we sholde declare & exhibite thankfulnes and grauytie towardes god for the ryghtousnes receyued in Crhyste.
Of the abrogacyon of the lawe. CA. XXIX.
THrought the hole scripture in my opynyon there is no harder place thē is this place or title of abrogaciō of the law, not only bicause of it self it is hard but bycause (onles it be well vnderstād) it is the foūtein & groūd of al erroure, & a very pestiferous occaciō of y • carnal liberty. Horrible exēple herof we haue had lately in experiēce ī our dayes in Monetarius Piperiue & diuers other sedicius preachers going about & studiēg partely to bring vs backe againe vnder Moses, & partely to breake & cut asōder [Page] [...]l lawes, as well gods as mens vnder the pretence of abragacion. An bycause I trust easly vnder this brefe forme of doctrine, to declare & opē y e hole difficulty concernyng abrogacion of the law, therfore I thought good next vnto y t place of fulfylling of the law, which of it self also sufficiētly declareth the vse of Abrogacion to put to this place of abrogaciō of the law, to thintent that here by a seueral treatye it myght more clearlye appeare, which done. I wyl adde also an other title of Christen lyberty which .iii. tytles treate in maner all one thing. For they becauses & effectes togither amōg them selues as forthwith shal appeare.
¶Abrogacion of the law therfore is a disanullyng an abolisshment or extinguyshment of the curse of the law made The diffinicion of abrogacion. by Chryst so that now al such as beleue in Christ be enfraunched & ryd from the power of the lawe accusīg contynually the conscience & damnyng it before god for the imperfecte obedience.
¶Probacions of the diffinicion.
¶Christ, Gala. iii.c. saith Paule, hathe reduced vs from the curse of the law while he was made for vs accursed. For it is written cursed is euery one that hāgeth on tree, [Page cxi] that the blyssing of Abrahā might come on the gētyles through Iesus Christ. &c. Christ is the person by whome the lawe is disanulled ꝓmised ī scripture to that intent. Hither pertayne all the ꝓmyses ī the prophetes of that new leagge or couenaunt, as Ieremy. 33. Ezech. xxxv. gen xxxix. deu. xviii. The rest in the dyffynycion is proued by Paul where he saith. Roma. viii. [...] There is no condemnacion now to thē whiche are in Christ Iesu whiche walke not after the flesh but after the spirite. &c. But forasmoch as I sayde the curse or power of y • lawe is takē awaye I addes (to suche as beleue in Chrst Iesu) lest perchaunce I might be thought to bold that olso the wicked be made free frō the curse of the law. For the law is ordeyned for the vnrightous, that is, Note vpon whome the lawe hath stil her power & operation. for y • vnfaithful & such as be not yet vnder grace or by faith haue take hold of Christ neyther receyued the holy ghost of whome they myght beguyded, Upō these I saye the law still exeryseth her office now accusing now condemnīg theyr conscience euē as it did in times past vnder Moses For no doubte to suche as beleue not in Christ y • lawe is not abrogate but shall be still in her force, tyll y • tyme they be cōuerted to Christ accordīg to Paul, the [Page] lawe is our scholemaster tyl the commyng of Christ. Gala. iii. d I [...]ē where the spirite of the lorde is, ii. Cor. iii. d there is freedome, as who sholde laye where the spirite of Christ is there ceaseth & is abrogate the tyranny power & cursse of the law. I added the cause of the accusing or condemnyng of the law that thou myghtest know that such as beleue in Christ be no longer accused & condēned by the law. Albeit the kepe not the law to the perfect obediēce according to Paul. Roma. viii. a There is no condemnaciō now to such as be plāted in christ Iesu. Roma. vi. c An therfore the apostle calleth to be vnder grace whē the conscience is delyuered.
THE causes of the law abrogate be these the promise, Causes of a [...]brogation. Christ, & our weaknes The promyse is cause▪ bycause god hath promysed this intinguysment of y • law to be in Christ. And to this cause belong such places of scripture as treate of the newe kingdome or couenaunte of grace Chryst is the cause that the law is abrogate, forasmoch as by hym it was abrogate. Finally our weaknes is cause, for that it ministreth an occacion that the law sholde be abrogate.
FOR as witnesseth Pet. Act. xv. [...]. neither our fathers nor we were able to bere it. Thus [Page cxii] the cōmaūdemēt that went afore is disanulled Hebre. vii. bicause of her weaknes & vnꝓfitablenes. Hiere. xxxi. Also the ꝓphet Hieremie bryngeth in this cause (that is to wite) y • the fathers kepe not the olde couenaunt or testament but brake it, Roma. viii. [...] & therfore a new was gyuen, whervnto agreeth Paule, sayng: what the lawe coulde not do, in asmoch as it was weak bycause of the flesshe, y • ꝑformed god, & sent his son. &c.
VVE must thynke holly that the hole Partes of abrogacion b [...] none lawe is abrogate. For els he that wyll cōtende that but a parte of the lawe is disanulled, & saueth a parte vnabrogate is gyltye of the hole lawe, Gal▪ v. [...]. accordyng to Paule, who sayth. I testifye agayn to euery man which is circūcised that he is become dettour to kepe the hole lawe. Yea moreouer to requyre a ꝑte of y • law as necessary to iustificacion after Chryst is to make Chryst the ministre of syn, as wytnesseth the same Pau. sayng. Therfore we haue byleued on Iesu Chryste, Gala. ii. [...] that we myght be iustifyed by the faith of Chryst▪ & not by the dedes of the law forasmoch as by the dedes of the lawe no fleshe cā be iustifyed. If thē while we seke to be made ryghtous by Chryst we our selues are foūd sīners, is not thē christ y • minister of syn? god forbid. Undoubtedly [Page] I can not denye but y • the gospell kepeth styl y • parte of the lawe which cō sēteth w t nature, not bicause of Moses, or bycause it teacheth y • men be iustifyed therbi, but bycause it wolde (yf Moises neuer had bē) kepe the lawes of nature to thintent there myght be workꝭ to declare our grauitie and kyndnes for the [...] cedyng benefytes receyued in Chryste.
¶Theffectes of disanullynge the lawe, Theffectes or workes of abrogation. be fetched forth of y • cōmodities which we haue by the abrogacion, & be these: To bryng vs a newe testament or couenaūt of grace wherby we be made fee [...] from the tyranny & curse of the lawe, as wytnesseth the prophet Hiere. saing. Lothe days shall come (sayth the lorde) I shall stryke w t the house of Israell & the house of Iuda a newe bargayne, Herem. xxxi. f not accordynge to the couenaūt which I haue couenaūted w t your fathers. &c. The prophet vnderstandeth by the couenaunte made with the fathers, that couenaunt cōdicionall, by which was sought tyghtousnes vpon condicion, & yet was not found, without the promyse of the new couenaunt of grace, in which frely synnes be forgyuen without condicyon.
To bryng a couenaūt of remissiō of synnes w tout ceasyng, For y • gospell is a fre [Page cxiii] tidynges of forgyuenes of synnes. To make vs fre from the hole lawe, accordyng to Pau. ii. Corin. iii. d Gala. v. a where the spiryt of y • lorde is, there is libertie. Item he sayth. He y • is circūcised, is dettour of the hole lawe Ergo either the hole lawe ought to be kept, or no parte. Now we be made free from the hole lawe, as perteyneth to y • purchase of ryghtousnes, whiche vnder this newe couenaūt or testament is gyuen for no lawes or workes. To take a way the tyrāny domyniō power & curse of y • law accordīge to Pau. Gala. iii. [...] Chryst hath redemed vs from y • curse of y • lawe. To brīg a sure iustificacyō which is of faith For iustificaciō is therfore gyuē by faith (sayth S. Paul that it may be sure. Roma. iiii. [...] To translate vs frome vnder y • lawe vnto grace. Ro. vi. Roma. vi. [...] For ye be not vnder y • law but vnder grace. Truli to be vnder gracis to please god bycause of Chryst, & to be fre from y • law, to thyntēt y • sholdest no lenger seke w t an vncertayne & doubt full cōscience to be iustifyed ī the lawe. To bryng & gyue tholy ghost wherby y • deleuers are quyckned, guyded, & defēded agaynst the cruelty of the deuel, of deth of syn, & of law, laboryng to damne vs, vnto euerlastyng life accordyng to that saing of the abrogatour of the lawe. I [Page] wyll not leaue you comfortles as orphanes or fatherles chyldrē. Iohan. xiiii. c To make y • our fulfyllyng of the lawe wherby we testifye our thankfulnes towardes god may please god bycause of Chryste.
¶Cōtraryes to thabrogaciō of the law be these. Contraryes or errours. To holde that thabrogaciō of the lawe is onely a disanullyng y • letter of the lawe. To say the disanullyng of the lawe is onely an expyryng or extynguyshement of Moses polycye or cōmō welth. To say thabrogacyō of the lawe was not spokē of before in the ꝓphetes whiche errour spyngeth of not merkyng the cōdicyō added to the lawe, as yf ye shall kepe my cōmaūdementes. &c. Also the places heretofore cyted in the proue of the diffinicyō which be of the ꝓphecies of ꝓphetes cōcernyng a newe kyngdome to be set vp, teache the cōtrary of this errour. To deny y • our infyrmitye gaue occasiō of abrogating the law. To holde y t the abrogacyō of the lawe ꝑteyneth also to suche as beleue not ī Christ or haue not the holy ghost. To graunt with the Cerynthyans y • the hole lawe The heresye of the Cerynthians. is so abrogate y • no ꝑte of the same is ꝓfitable to the Chry [...]tians. To say w t the Nazereys all thynges of the olde lawe about Chryst are to be kept. Nazarees. To graunt [Page cxiiii] with the Hebionites y • the carnall commaundementes Nevyonyte [...]. of the lawe as circūcysion & such lyke are yet to be kept of the Chrystians. The errour of scholeme [...]. To say onlye a parte of the lawe is abrogate, y • is to wyce, the iudicyall & ceremonyall cōmaundementꝭ To this errour answereth Pau. Ephe. ii. [...]. which sayth that the lawe of the cōmaundementes, which stand in decrees is abrogate, in which place vndoubtedly thapostle speaketh of the hole lawe. More ouer to saye y t onely a parte of the lawe is abrogate by Chryst a mynistre of syn as Paule teacheth to the Galathians. Gala. ii. d In which epistle he teacheth in dyuers [...]laces that euen the hole lawe is abrogate in so moche also that he rebuked Peter which compelled the gentyles to playe the Iues, To holde that the lawe is in suche wyse abrogate as neyther y • two tables of Moses cōteynīg the .x. cō maundementes are to be kepte amonge chrystē men. But for asmoche as y • law of the .x. cōmaūdementes e [...]pounde the lawe of nature, yea and is al one w t the lawe of nature and furthermore setteth forth with a certeyn goodly and siguler ordre the true worshyp of god & the tru workꝭ: Therfore it is cōuenient to kepe the same, not for Moses sake but by [Page] cause of the mutuall consent & agremēt of the lawe of nature & the two tables. To say that onely the ceremonyal & iudiciall lawes be abrogate bycause that for the multitude of thē no man coulde kepe them but that the decalogie cōteynynge the .x. This errour is papisticall. cōmaundementes is not abrogate sithēs the same is natural, and therfore easy to be kept. To graūt that some cōmaūdemētes of the lawe are to be kept styll bycause of the plenarye or full iustificacyon, as be the cōmaundementes of sacryfices for synnes. To affyrme y • euen therfore the lawe of the .x. cōmaūdemētes is not abrogate bycause it is yet kept of y • Chrystyās. To which errour I answere, y • īdede it is kept not as Moses lawe but as a lawe consentyng with nature. Papisticall. To holde y • the lawe of the .x. cōmaūdemētes is kept amonge the Chrystyans to iustifye them. This errour is agaynste the finall effectes of thabrogacyō of the lawe which dec [...]are the lawe to be therfore abrogate y • we myght be iustifyed frely by Christ & that for no lawes or workes. Iudicialles be suche lawes as be for the conseruacyon of tranquylite in the cōmon welth To saye y • the iudicialles or at lestway not all of thē be abrogate bycause some yet remayn amonge y • Chrystyās as of wedlocke of distinction of dominions & so forth, I answer. [Page cxv] These iudicials be therfore kept amōg christiās, bicause they agre w t the lawes of nature. To hold y • in stede of Moses lawes haue succeded popes lawes, namely concernyng ceremonies. This arrour shall be brought to lyght better in the title of mēs tradiciōs. The heresye of papystes. To deny y t the chefest effect of abrogacion is y • we be frely iustified for Christ. To say the law is abrobate w t a cōdiciō annexed or cōdicionaly, as if we shall do this or y t. &c. To hold y t the curse & power of the law hāgeth stil aswel vpon the good as vpon the bad. This errour is cōfuted sufficiently among theffectꝭ of abrogaciō, & is directly against scripture. To bring agayn w t Storky, Storkie. Monetary, Monetarie. Pipery Piperie. & other heretikes y • hole law of Moses. To dreme w t the wretched Anabaptistes Anabaptistꝭ. y • the time shal ones come when the kingdom of Israel shal be restored agayn with al the lawes of the same. This erroure is all togyther Iudaical.
Of the christen lybertie. CA. XXX.
NOw ensueth the placeof y • christē liberty, which is the most propre effect of y • abrogaciō. For to this [Page] purpose was the law anulled or abrogate y • we might be fre by Christ Iesu [...] our cōsciences, & enfraunchised frō all outward thīgꝭ, like as Christ also saith My kingdom cōmeth not w t markīg or obseruing (y • is to wite) rightousnes is not gyuē for any outward thinges, for any workes, for any cōdiciō, but frely for Christ. Of this fredō speketh christ in the gospel of Iohn̄ where he saith, Iohn̄. iii. a. if the son shal make you fre, then ye shall truly be fre.
Wherfore the christē liberty is a fre clayme Diffinycion. ī the spiritual kingdom thrugh Iesu Christ, by which we be fre frō the bōdage & curse of the law, frō y • power of syn & deth, & to be short, frō the outward keping of al thīges in the mater of iustificaciō before god, which frākly is giuē to al bileuers bicause of crist But forasmoch as we forthw t dye not, after we be set ī such liberty, but must yet liue ī this world: therfore to thītēt good order & publique trāquilite might be kepte, we be bound still to kepe outward ordinaūces in this worlde.
THE christē liberty taketh his name Proue of the dyffinicion. of christ y • author, which caused & ordeyned this liberty, or bicause this liberty apꝑteyn only to such as truly & in dede [Page cxvi] be christiās I haue added (in the spsiall kingdom of Christ) y • ye might know y • the christen liberty ꝑteyneth not to the kyngdom of the world, but cōsisteth in the deliuery of cōsciences, against certeyn frantike ꝑsons which make of the christē liberty a certein carnal loosnes voyd of al honesty & godlynesse.
NOVV what maner of thynge the christen libertie is, & to what kingdom it ꝑteyneth theffectes of it do sufficiētly declare, which shew that we be fre frō the bondage & curse of the law, frō the power of syn & deth, and finally from the outward keping of thinges concerning the mater of iustificacion before god, which frankly is giuen to such as bileue bicause of Christ. Gal. iii. b. [...] For as Paul testifieth, Christ hath redemed vs frō the curse of the lawe, made for vs a curse. Item to the Rom. he sayth. Roma. viii. [...] The lawe of the spirite that bryngeth life thrugh Iesu Chryste hathe delyuered me from the law of syn and deth. Also. Luke. 17 The kingdom of god cōmeth not with wayting for, wherfore neither the christen libertye, whiche is the pryncypall part or effecte in the kyngdome of god commeth not with waytyng for or obseruynge.
[Page] This word frankly or frely excludeth al maner cōdicion of law. For the christen liberty is against al obseruaciōs & cōdicions of law, by whiche vnder the law ryghtousnes was soughte but not found, so y • now we be assured y • ryghtousnes frely chaūceth vnto vs, bicaus [...] of Christe, yea thought we kepe not the law, Ioh. iii. b so y • we byleue in Christ, y • he hath enfraūchesed vs & deliuered vs frō the bondage of the law, according to this, he y • byleueth me, hath euerlasting lyfe. Now, if he hath euerlastīg life, ergo he hath rightousnesse, sith thone is incidēt to y • other. Roma. iii. d Paul also vseth these termes frely w tout the workes of the law. &c. Finally, bicause the christē liberty hath only respect to the conscience, therfore forth of the cōscience, it deliuereth not from outward ordinaūces, be they tē poral or eccliastical, ordeyned for y • cō seruaciō of good order & cōmon quiet, though we be fre also frō these in [...]scieēre, ☞ so y • suche ordinaūces aswel ciuil as eccliastical in the mater of iustificaciō cā do nothīg, as heretofore hath bē thought very wickedly, namely cōcerning rites & ceremonies of the church, of which many be also wicked.
THE self same causes may be of the Causes [Page cxvii] christē liberty, which be of the abrogacion or of the fulfilling of the law. For these thre places be in maner all one, [...] haue welnere y • same effectes, takē forth of the ꝓfit & cōmoditie, neuerthelesse I thought good seuerally to handle the [...]e thre places bicause of the great vtilitie therof. Also bicause the cōmon vsage is seuerally to dispute of these thre places what the fulfilling of the law is, what thabrogaciō, what y • christē liberty is. Now the causes of y • christē liberty be these: The ꝓmise of god [...]cerning this liberty. Christ, for he is the ꝑson y • delyuereth, & for whō we be deliuered, accordīg to his own sayīg, Ioh. viii. [...] if y • son shal make you fre, you shall be ī dede fre. Also accordīg to this of Paul. Roma. viii. [...] The law of the spirit of life thorugh Iesus Christ hath made me fre. &c. Finally our, weyknes in keping the law is a cause of y • christē liberty, bicause it gaue occasiō of our deliuery frō y • thraldō of y • law, which burthē nether our fathers nor we (saith Peter) could beare. Act. x v. [...] Hebr. Vii▪ [...] For y • cōmaūdemēt which wēt before is disanulled, bicause of the weyknes & vnprofitablenes. Finally, the holy ghost may also be said a cause of this liberty, forasmoch as he is the gouerner & p̄seruer therof.
[Page] THE christē fredō is one only thing not cut in to ꝑtes, Pa [...]te [...] of the christen fredome be none., euē y • wherby we be fre ī our [...]sciēces frō al outward thīgꝭ cōcerning the mater of iustificaciō. Yet neuertheles this liberty hath relaciō to two sūdry effectes, frō which we be fre (y • is to wite) frō inward thīgꝭ, whiche exercise their powers in the [...]sciēce, as be these: the curse, the dominiō, the power & execration of the law, the deuyl, syn, deth, & so forth. Frō outward thinges as be ceremonies, iudicial lawes, almēs tradiciōs which we know to be in differēt, I mean which may be omitted in case of necessitie w tout synne. Beside this there is an other liberty which the scripture remēbreth, Libertie of fleshe. called the liberty of flesh, & is [...]trary to y • christē liberty. Of this speaketh Paul writinge to the Gala. Gala. v. c. saying. Brethrē ye were called in to liberty, only let not your liberty be an occasiō vnto y • flesh, but ī loue serue one an other. Truly y • liberty of y • flesh is by which we think any maner thing is la [...]ful for vs to do. The author herof is Satā, the disturber of al honest & peasible ordinaunces.
Theffectes of the christē liberty be deriued & fetched out of the cōmodityes, Theffectes of the christē lybertie which we receyue by it. And they be of [Page cxviii] two sortes by reasō of the two sondry thingꝭ of which they be formed. For we be fre, not only frō inward thynges w t whiche the cōscience is vexed, but also frō outward thinges. And to these thinges of two sūdry sortes may be al such thinges aptly referred, as we be deliuered of by this christē fredom. Theffectꝭ y • ꝓcede of y • cōmodities as wel of thinges inwarde as outwarde be these. To haue remissiō of syn̄es bicause of Christ by fre imputaciō for no lawes sake or cōdicion sake or any outwarde keping sake, to thintent the promesse (as Paul sayth) may be certeyn & stedfast. Roma. iiii. [...]. To deliuer the byleuers in Christ frō the power of syn & of death. Roma. viii. To be deliuered frō the curse of the law. Gala. iii. c. To be assured y • god is pacified and merciful vnto vs through Christ. Roma. v. To be vnder grace, as Paul recordeth, that is no longer to be tossed w t the stormes and curses of the law which they styl do fele that be vnder the lawe. To be endowed with the holy ghost, whiche quickeneth vs to a new lyfe, ruleth & defendeth, after we be ones enfraunchesed by Chryst. For Chryste beinge gotten by fayth gyueth the holye ghoste. To fulfyll the lawe truly, bycause the vayle or couerynge [Page] is takē away by Christ vnder which in tymes past was cloked so great fulfilling of the law in mere hypocresy: euē as yet at this day fained & cloked y • fulfillīg of the law, by such as frō whom the couerīg is not takē away by christ. To be deliuered frō the hole law of Moses, il. Cor. iii. c. Ephe. ii. c. according to Paules saying. Abrogating the law of the cōmaūdements y • stādeth in decrees. Certeinly to thinke otherwise against this effect & to saye y • we be deliuered onely frō a part of the law, to make Christ the ministre of syn the said Paul testifieth to the Gal. Galathi. ii. d. To be made fre frō al lawes, tradiciōs, ordinaūces & outward obseruaūces ī the mater of iustificaciō, by this effect yet is not takē away our obediēce toward such lawes, tradiciōs & ordinaūces as be not wicked, & may be kept w tout sin bicause all thinges ought to be done in the churche (as s. s. Cor. xiiii. [...] Paul cōmaūdeth) semingly and in order. Furthermore, we ought to kepe the ciuil or temporal lawes, to thintent tranquillitie and publique honesty might be kept & conserued in the worlde.
Cōtraries to y • christē liberty be these Cōtraries to the christen libertie. To graūt y • the christē liberty is a iayle deliuery & fre ryddaunce frō al maner [Page cxix] obedience to which we were bound before the knowlege of the gospell. To hold y • the christē libertye is a deliuery only frō inward thīges, as frō y • curse of the law, the power of syn & of deth, & so forth, & a binding vnto good workꝭ wherby mē deserue to be iustified. To saye the christē libertie is an infraunchisemēt frō the law of Moses, but not frō the law of Christ cōcernīg charite, which is reserued for iustificaciō. To deny that the christē liberty is a fre enfraūchemēt as ꝑteyneth to iustificaciō frō al thynges. To graūt that there is some cause in vs of the christē liberty. To say the christē liberty may be gottē by our desertes. Anabaptists. To hold y • the christē liberty taketh away obediēce due to prī ces & chaūgeth cōmō ordinaūces. This errour caused in Germany aboute ☞ .xij. yeres ago the great rising of y • cōmons in which were slayne aboue .xxx. M. of thē. To hold w t certeyn scholemē, Scholemen y • albeit we be fre frō y • ceremonials & iudicials of Moses, yet not fro the law of the .x. cōmaūdementes, called the moral lawes, which as they say be left for cristen mē for their plenary iustificacion To say the christē liberty may stād w t o [...]t faith in Christ. To say the wicked [Page] be ꝑtakers of y • christē liberty. To hold that y • law may truly be kept, The causes of the Crosse [...]. Peter. ii. Prouer. iii. Thoccasiō of the Crosse. so that y • maist byleue god, & loue truly god, although y • be not trāslated ī to this libertie by Christ. For w tout this liberty, the vaile, y • is to say hypocresie, is not takē away ī the fulfilling of the law, according to Paul. 2. Cor. 3. To say y • christē liberty may stand w tout a new life. To graūt y • we be deliuered frō the lawes of Moses, but y • the popes tradiciōs become in their places vnto rightousnes. The heresie of papistes To bynd mēs [...]sciences to the kepingꝭ or obseruaūces of outward thinges vnder hope of iustificaciō, The heresie of obseruaūtꝭ or vnder dedly syn. To disturbe vnder y • p̄tence of this liberty al tēporal & politique ordinaū ces. Anabaptistes To disanul vnder cloke of this liberty the publique nourture disciplyne & obediēce. To despise vnder the p̄text of the christē liberty al honest maners. To bynde vs agayn vnto Moses law, saue as farforth as the same agreeth w t the lawe of nature.
Of the Crosse. CA. XXXI.
THE Crosse is any maner of affliction, The description of y • crosse of Christ. be it inwardly in the mind, or outwardly in the body, which chaūseth by the grace of god for y • gospels [Page cxx] sake or for Christes name, y • by it the faith of the holy ꝑsons might be ꝓued, the loue of god knowē, & the godly glorified & renowmed, by a wonderful deliuery before theyr ꝑsecuters.
EXEMPLES of the inward afflictiō appere euerywhere in the psalmes, Probacions of the definicion. where Dauid complayneth of synnes, and of the horriblenes of deth, as ī the vi. psalme, Psal. vi. [...]. where he sayth. O lorde rebuke me not in thy anger, chasten me not in thy heuy displeasure. These inwarde afflictions and crosses we call commonly tribulacions or anguysshes of mynde.
EXEMPLES ynough of the outward affliction or crosse be neyther at this day lackyng, sithēs the tyme y • the pure word of god hath of late spronge vp agayne, wherw t also came forth the crosse, which is accoūted to be always most faythful cōpaniō of gods worde. The grace of god is the cause of this crosse, accordīg to the saying of Peter. i. Pet. ii. d. For this is the grace of god, & ī this we be called. &c. I added (for y • gospel sake or name of Christ) lest a mā shold think here that it is the crosse to be punisshed as a murther [...]r, felon, blasphemour, heretyke. &c. i. Peter. ii. d. And so Peter disserneth [Page] the crosse of y • christē innocētes frō the crosse of thē, which haue deserued it by their wicked dedes. Also Christ saith, ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake. Furthermore these wordes, for y • gospel sake, or the name of Christ do exclude such crosses as be deuised & chosē by mans wit, These be erouched fryers. holy obseruauntes and such other gloryous hypocrytes. which certeyn ioly work masters & iustifiers of thē selues do lay vpō thē selues to merite by y • same euer lasting life. For y • true crosse is a thing annexed to the gospel, which who so euer receyueth, shal haue no nede to laye a crosse vpō him self, sithēs of the own accorde it foloweth the ꝓfession of the gospell. For yf y • be a ryght gospeller, yea a right christē mā, for one deuyll y • shalt receiue infinite, for one ꝑsecuter a gret multitude of ꝑsecuters which shal lye in awayt of the continually.
Theffectes of the crosse, which I haue put in the diffinition shal be euident by the places & exēples folowing .i. Pet. i. Saluaciō (sayth s. i. Peter. [...]. b. Peter is p̄pared alredy to be shewed ī the last time, at which time ye shal reioyse, thoughe now for a seasō (yf nede requyre) ye are in heuines through manyfold temptaciōs, y • your fayth ones tried, being moch more p̄cious thā gold y • perissheth, thoughe it be [Page cxxi] tried w t fyre, might be found ī to praise glory & honour. Itē the wise mā sayth: Pro. iii. [...] whō god loueth he cha [...]eneth. He scourgeth euery son whō he receyueth. This effect of the crosse is most excellently & & godly set forth thrughout the hole. 12 chap. to the Hebr. Now exērles be these The tēptacion of Abrahā, Gene. xxii. where god bad him offre his son Isaac for trial of his faith. Iob. 1. 2. 3. 4.Iob also was tēpted, & sore afflicted for his ꝓfe of faith. Math. xxiiii. c Christ called vnto hī Peter on the see to proue & try his fayth. Iudic. ii. d. Moreouer in the boke of Iudges it is red how god destroyed not certeyn naciōs of the gentyles to thintent he wold try through thē the chyldrē of Israel whether they wold kepe y • way of the law, & walke in it or no. Finally very many exēples of y • glorious deliuery, appere ī the scripture ī which a mā may se that god for this purpose hathe brought the faithful & godly ꝑsōs to y • crosse or tribulaciō, to thintēt he wold glorify & set out their name & renowme before their ꝑsecutour. Hither belōgeth thexēple of the wōderful deliuery of y • childrē of Israel, Exod. 7. 8 [...] of Ioseph out of prisō of Anna the mother of Samuel, Gene. [...] li. of Dauid, i. Reg. i. & infinite other. i. Reg. xvii.
THE cause of y • crosse or tribulaciō, [Page] is y • kynd wil, grace, or charite of god cording to the saying of Peter. This is the fauour of god, & to this ye be called Also of y • wise mā, whō god loueth him he chasteneth. The occasiō of the crosse is the self gospel which detecteth the hypocritical & false worship of god, whiche thing the hypocrites can not beare & therfore they hasten thē selues to ꝑsecute the louers & folowers therof. The formal cause of the crosse, or forme and maner of bering the crosse, is pacience, according to Christes saying: [...]. viii▪ By pacience ye shal possesse your soules. Also accordīg to the saying of Paul, to al sufferaūce & pacience w t ioy (as who shold say) Philip. ii. b. y • the hert be not angry w t god ī tribulacion. Itē to the Phil. Do ye al thinges w tout grudging. Grudging & grefe in the crosse be cōtraryes to ioy & reioysyng. For surely the godly ought to ioy & reioyse in the crosse & in afflictions in y • they be suche as god wil let thē suffre for the gospels sake. And therfore s. Iames sayth: Iacob. i. [...] My brethrē count it for an exceding ioy whē ye fal in to sundry tē ptacions, knowing this, y t the triall of your fayth bringeth pacience, &c. Ro. 5. And not only y • but also we glory vpon our afflictions.
[Page cxxii] ¶Now, y • pacience is the gyft of tholy ghost, testifieth Paule, where he sayth. Gala. v. [...]. The frute of y • spirit is loue, ioy, peax, paciēce. &c. Itē. Psal. 61. Al my thinges be subiect to god. For from him cōmeth my pacience.
CROSSE or tribulaciō may be deuided ī to the outward & Partes of the Crosse inward crosse The inward cōpriseth thafflictiōs & tē ptaciōs of the ꝯscience. The outwarde crosse cōteyneth al outward ꝑsecuciōs Howbeit the inward & outward crosse be very greatly cōioyned & knyt thone to thother so y t the outward afflictions be seldom w tout the īward. For whē we suffre tribulacion outwardly, we be inwardly assayed & tried also w t tēptacions. Certes, it is right expedient to reteyn & know this diuisiō of the crosse, lest whē we hear y t the crosse is a thing incidēt & annexed to y e gospel, we shold forthw t iudge that he can not be a good chrysten person whiche suffereth not outwardly eyther persecucion or deth, Anabapti [...] [...] lyke as at this daye the Anabaptystes play the foles in a right weyghty & ernest mater whiche styfflye do contende and saye we can not be true chrysten men, onlesse we suffre deth & be slayne, and to thintente we myghte be slayne, [Page] they cōmaūde vs to seke occasions. In dede y • crosse as a thīg annexed to y • gospel, shal neuer fayle the christē mē. The inward crosse is moch more greuoꝰ then the outward. And albeit it shall not vexe thē outwardly, yet inwardly there shal be alwais infinite tēptaciōs of such payne & greuāce y • there is no man but had rather suffre deth most extreme & greuous ꝑils that might outwardly chaūce then suche tē ptacions, so y • the same temptacionk be true & vnfained terrours and feares of the mynde.
Theffectes of the crosse be these. Theff [...]es To proue & try a mās fayth, as y • scripture witnesseth. i. Pe. i. Iac. i. Also in y • boke of Iudges god in his anger sayth ꝯcerning the children of Israel, y • he wolde not cast forth the childrē of the gētiles Iudic .ii.d. to thintēt to proue Israel throughe thē whether they wil kepe the waye of the lorde to walke therin as their fathers did or not. Itē in Exo. xvi. he saith. To try thē whether they wil walke in my law. [...]ter. viii. [...] &c. Finally in the boke of Deut. it is red. Thinke on all the way which y • lord thy gad led the this .xl. yeres ī wil dernes, for to hūble the & to ꝓue the, to wite what was in thyne hert whether y • woldest kepe his cōmaūdementes or no. &c. Prouer. iii. b To be a token of the loue of god [Page cxxiii] towardes vs. For whom god loueth, [...] he chasteneth. To be a signe y t we be the sōnes of god. He. 12. Yf ye be not vnder correct [...]od, wherof al are ꝑtakers, thē are ye bastardes, & not sonnes. To be a signe y • we be in the kingdom of heuē, & y • the kingdom of heuen ꝑteyneth vnto vs. Math. v.b▪ For blessed be they (saith Christ) whiche suffre persecucion, for rightousnes sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heuē, as who shold say, they y • suffre ꝑsecuciō be sure they be in the kyngdom of heuē, and y • the kingdom of heu [...] belōgeth vnto thē. To haue a glorious deliuery annexed vnto it, of whiche effect there be many exēples in scripture. As of y • thre chyldren in the buring furnace. Daniel. iii. Itē of the deliueraūce of the childrē of Israel, Exodi. xiiii. of susanna, Daniel. xiii. of Ioseph, Gene. xxxvii. of Ionas of our sauiour christ, Ionas. ii. iii. & of many other. Math. ii. To haue euerlastīg lyfe aft this as a quiet frute of rightousnes to it annexed. For euer lasting life thapostle calleth the frute of rightousnesse as a thyng incident to rightousnes, where he saith. Nebre. xii. c. No maner chastifyng for the [...]sent time semeth to be ioyous, but greuous, neuertheles afterwarde it brnigeth the quiet frute of rightousnes vnto thē which are therin exercised. To haue a certein & sure ioy [Page] associate vnto it, & that by promesse. As appereth in the gospell of Iohn̄ where Christ sayth: Iohan. xvi.d verily verily I say vnto you, ye shal wepe & lamēt, & the worlde shal reioyse, ye shal sorow, but your sorow shall be turned in to ioy. To be a signe of our blesse. Mat. v. Blessed be ye whē mē shall reuile you & ꝑsecute you. &c. To haue euerlasting ioy & glorificaciō w t Christ associate vnto it, accordīg to Paul, Rom. viii. c we suffre w t him to thintent y • togither w t him we mighe be glorified. Also to Timo. ii. Timo. ii.b. Yf we be deed w t hī, we shal togither lyue w t him. Yf we be paciēt we shal togither reigne w t him. To encrease our hope in god, wytnessynge Paul: i. Corin. iiii. c. to this purpose we be betrayed & reuiled, y t we might haue sure hope in the liuing god. Also Ro. v. We reioyse ouer our afflictiōs, knowing y • afflictiō gendreth paciēce, pacience trial, triall hope.
BVT these & sēblable effectes of the crosse namely such as ꝓcede of rewardes do not folow, euē bicause of y • crosse as thīges ꝓprely due to y e same, but bycause such effectes be ꝓmised to the bearers of y • crosse. Wherfore ī the .v. cha. of Mat. & in diuers other places of scripture, we ought diligently to cōsidre y • [Page cxxiiii] causes why they y • suffre ꝑsecutiō be called blessed, Math. v. [...] as wher Christ saith, blessed be they y • suffre ꝑsecucion for rightousnes sake, for theirs is the kingdō of heuē. Here we must note that the cause of blesse is to be ī the kingdom of heuē, so y • the meaning & sēce of this text is, that such as suffre y • crosse be blessed, bicause they be in the kingdom of heuē, & not bicause they suffre ꝑsecution. Math. v.d. Also Chryst sayth blessed are ye whē mē reuyle you & ꝑsecute you, & shal falsly say al maner of euils agaīst you for my sake reioyse & be glad for your rewarde is great in heuē, here yf ye wil set the cause before ye shal easely haue the meaning & explicacion of this place in this wyse. Bycause they that be ꝑsecuted reuiled for christes cause, know y • they be regarded of god, & haue a sure rewarde by ꝓmise layd vp for them in heuē, therfore they be blessed.
Contraryes to the crosse be these. Contraryes or errours. Anabaptistes To graunt w t the Anabaptistes that by the name of crosse is only mēt an outward persecucion. To graunt that the crosse or persecucion of the godly ꝑsons chaū seth casuallye. To impute the crosse of the godlye vnto Sathan. To denye that the crosse chaunceth of the boūtiful [Page] wil of god, of the grace & charite of god. To beare the crosse vnpaciently & grudgīgly against the forme of bearīg the crosse. To curse god ī ꝑsecuciō, or ī the crosse. Chiliastes. To be angry w t god ī tribulaciō. To hold y • the godly ꝑsons shall not be subiect to the crosse euē to y • end of the world, but y • the crosse of y • godly shal ons cease here ī erth, y • they may reigne here peasibly w tout al maner of trouble or affliction to thende of a .M. yeres, al tyraūtꝭ & wicked ꝑsons slain. This errour long ago began of y • Chiliastꝭ, which now of late the wretched Anabaptistꝭ haue renued. Anabaptistes Itē rashly to run vpō ꝑsecucion & the crosse. To lay the crosse vpō thē selues. To holde y • it is syn to flee the crosse, where escape or [...]eing maye be w tout preiudice of gods name. To hold y • the crosse may be resisted w t the swerd, and w t violēce, agaīst the manyfest exemple of Christ, & of al sayntes. To rush hedling in to the daū gers of the crosse, & to pray to haue the crosse & ꝑsecuciō, as long ago y • Donatistes did, Donatistes. Anabaptistes & as y • Anabaptistꝭ do at this day. To graūt y • he can not be a christē mā, The errour of monkes & fryers. which either suffreth not outward ꝑsecuciōs or dye for y • gospel. To mainteyn the opiniō of freres & mōkes, y • the [Page cxxv] punishmētes of wycked malefactours stand for theyr saluaciō. To hold y • the crosse as a good worke iustifyeth. To hold y • theffectꝭ of y • crosse which ꝓcede of rewardes, chaūce vnto y • godly, euē for the very ꝑsecucion or crosses sake, & not bicause of the promesse.
Of humilitie. CA. XXXII.
HUmilitie or lowlynes towardes god is y • true fear of god, Diffinition. wherby the ꝯsciēce being terrified & made affrayd w t the iudgemēt of god, cast frō thē their hole cōfidēce of theyr own powers of their owne wisdome, of theyr owne ryghtousnes. &c.
THIS diffinition is ꝓued sufficiētly by the ꝓphet Esaie, Proue Esay. [...]xvi. [...] saying. Thus saith the lord, heuen is my seate, & the erth is my fote stole, wher shal now the house stand y t ye wil buyld vnto me? & where shal be y • place y • I wil dwel in? As for these thinges my hand hath made them al, & they are al created sayth the lorde. which of thē shal I regarde? euen him that is a lowly troubled spirite, & standeth in awe of my wordes. ii. Reg. xii. [...] An exemple of this humilitie is excellent i [...] Dauid who being rebuked of the prophet Nathan, espieth his syn, & not trustīg y • by [Page] his own ꝓpre iustice, he might appease the wrath & displeasure of god, whē he saw he shold he put out of his kingdom he knew y • the thing was done by gods coūseyle & prouidēce, wherfore he trusted not to his own powers or wisdom that he mighte retayne & kepe styll his kyngdome. The vessel wherin this humilitie reposeth is the mynd, and therfore s. [...]. Pet. v. a. Peter calleth it the lowlynes of mynde, saying: se ye haue lowlynes of mynde fixed in you.
OF humilite the cause is tholy ghost whose gift it is. Causes To which is also gods worde added, for the word of god teacheth & instructeth vs to distrust & condemne our selues, & to commyt our selues holly to Chryst. Barnar. suprant. serm̄. 37 S. Bernarde maketh the knowlege of a mans selfe the cause of humilitie, for thus he saythe. I know that no man w tout the knowlege of him self is saued. For of this knowlege of a mans owne self springeth humilitie mother of saluacion, & also the feare of the lord which in lykewyse as it is the beginnyng of wisdom, so also it is of helth.
THIS humilitie, No partes of which we speke hath no ꝑtes. For it is one certeyn mociō of mynd towardes god by which y • [Page cxxvi] cōsciēces feared by y • iudgemēt of god distrust thē selues, to thītēt they might be holpē by the mercy & ayd of god. The ciuil humilite or lowlynes wherby we despise not other before oure selues, is theffect of this humilitie towardes god For who so euer knoweth his own vnclēnes and wickednes shal neither contēne ne despyse other. Humilitie of religious personnes. Certes an hypocritical & coūterfeyt humilite is y • whiche our mōkes, freres, chanōs & nūnes haue fayned in ceremonies & outwarde apparel. This humilitie may be rather called arrogaunce or pryde.
Theffectes of this lowlynes of herte or humilitie in scripture be knowen to be these. Effectes of lowlynes. To fear god truly. To be frayed by y • knowlege of a mās own sin truly. To cast away in the sight of god al his own rightousnes, holines, wisdom confidence. Gsaye. lxvi. To be a cōtrite & humbled hert. Psalm. l. To be a token that god wil haue mercy on vs. [...]. Petr. v. [...] For god resisteth y • proude but to the lowlyons he gyueth grace. To be a signe y t we be in the kyngdom of heuen, accordynge to the sayinge of Chryste. Blessed are the meke. Nowe, the humble be called blessed, not bycause of the verye worke of humilitye, but bycause they be in the kyngdome [Page] of heuē. Iudith. ix. c Itē to be herd of god, as Iudith sayth. There was neuer proude ꝑson y • pleased the (oh lord) but ī the prayer of the hūble & meke hath thy pleasure ben euermore. Also ps. 101. God hath loked vpō the praier of y • hūble, & hath not despised their peticiōs. To be exalted of god. Lu. i. He putteth downe y • mighty frō their seates & exalteth the lowlye. To bere y • weyknes of others. Of this effect s. Paul treateth manifestly to the Gala. Galath. vi. a. saying. Brethren, if any man be fallē by chaūce ī to any fault, ye which are spūal, help to amēd hī in y • spirit of mekenes. &c. Also Christ Mat. 7.
CONTRARYES to humilitie be these. Cōtraries. The errour of Religiouse personnes. To hold y • humilitie or lowlynes stādeth in outward gestures, clothing, ceremonyes, rytes, & outward thinges. To say lowlynes of mynde before god is our owne worke. To saye humilitie euen of it selfe giueth remission of synnes. To make decrees of humilite, and certayne rewardes of them in the lyfe to come.
Of sacramentes. CA. XXXIII.
SAcramentes be visible signes, Difinition. institute & ordeyned to testify of y • boū tifull wil of god towarde vs, & to [Page cxxvii] moue & excite our hertes of faythe toward the ꝓmyses of god.
I cal the sacramētes visible signes for ij. Probacion. causes, thone bicause they be layd opē to y • eyes, thother bicause like as thī ges set before the eyes do moue the sight to the sacramētes moue the hert to byleue. Augustine. Therfore s. Aug. very ꝓperly calleth a sacramēt a visible word. For like as the worde is a meane wherby tholy gost moueth y • hertꝭ to bileue, & is cause togither w t the holy gost of faith (accordyng to Paul. Fayth is by hearing, Roma. x. c hearyng by the word of god) So also the sacramētes be meanes wherby tholy gost moueth hertes to byleue, & be in maner causes of the very fayth.
Theffectꝭ of sacramētes haue no ābiguite or dout, Theffectis or operaciōs of the acramentes. but be most clerely espied by y • vse of circūcisiō which was a sign y t testified & bare witnes of y • fauour of god towardes Abrahā. It admonished hī of the ꝓmise. It lifted hī vp in tēptaciō vnto fayth, & therfore this signe is called of y • apostle the seale of rightousnes, Roma, iiii. a not y t it iustified Abraham, but y t it assured, & as it were sealed vp his hert, & kept hī in a sure faith towardes y e promesse which was made vnto hī. Vndoubtedly no mā wil wōder at these effectes [Page] of the sacramētꝭ if he vnderstādeth the vse of y • word wherfore y • word serueth And where as a sacrament is a visible word, who shal doubt but y t a sacramēt may worke y • thing in the eyes, which y • word workes in the eares.
According to the varietie & Diuision of sacramentes. diuersite of sacramētꝭ, we diuide thē in to signes vniuersal, Uniuersall sacramentes & signes ꝑticular. Vniuersal signes be such as ꝑtein to al mē alike, & be not bound to certeyn ꝑsons, as baptisme & the souper of y e lord. Under baptisme we may cōprise absoluciō, which ꝓprely belōgeth to penitētꝭ or repētaūt ꝑsōs, for baptisme also is a signe of repētaūce. Truly these signes I mean baptisme (vnder which I also cōprise absoluciō) & the souper of the lord be ꝓprely called sacramētꝭ, bicause besides y t they be signes of grace, they haue also remissiō of sīnes annexed. But forasmoch as we se y t al those thinges in a generalite may be called sacramētes which ꝯteyn ꝓmises to thē annexed, as be praier, the crosse, almes matrimony, gouernāce, & suche like, therfore these and semblable ought to be referred to the vniuersal sacramētes. For prayer ꝑteineth to al mē indifferētly, lyke as also y • rest namely in respect of power. Signes ꝑticuler be [Page cxxviii] such as be giuē to priuate or peculier ꝑsōs, Signes or sacramentes perticuler. or to some certeyn people, as circū cisiō was giuen to the Iues. Also there were signes giuē to Gedeō, Ezechias, & to other. In dede y t these ꝑticuler signes although they were signes of grace, yet they had not ꝓmises annexed vnto thē of remissiō of sīnes, as haue y t sacramē tes of the new testament. Causes
THE signes or sacramentes of the new testament, which pertein proprely vnto vs were ordeined and institute of Christ. Our weyknes gaue the occasiō of instituting thē. For mans minde after the fal of Adā, being of such weyknes y t by y • bare word it could not haue stedfast bileue, therfore crist moued by our weyknes, added to y • word certeyn lignes to help our infirmite, to thintēt we might be led felyngly, as it were by the hād vnto fayth & the byleue of gods ꝓmises, as testifieth also s. Aug. Augustine. where he sayth: Man before syn saw god, vnderstode hym and trusted vnto him. After synne, man can not conceyue god, onlesse he be holpen by som meanes. To these causes is added the worde, ☞ accordynge to this sayinge, yf the worde be put to the element, so is made the sacrament.
[Page] Theffectes of the sacramētes be gathered Theffectes of the sacramentes of theyr propre vse whervnto they serue, which who so marketh, togither w t the circūstances & occasiō of thordinaūce of thē shal easely se what be theffectes of the sacramentes. Surely they may be these. To testify of gods wil towardes vs, or to be signes of grace. To aduertise vs of y • ꝓmis [...]s of god. To exercise & moue y • hert to byleue the ꝓmises of god. To lift vp the godly in tē taciō vnto fayth. To be tokēs of ꝯfessiō by which we ꝯfesse what god we serue. To be signes of thākes giuing. To be allegories & as a mā wold saye watche wordes of good maners, which myght ꝓuoke vs to serue one an other, and to chaūge our life in to better.
Cōtraries to the sacramētes be these: Cōtraries or errours. To hold y t sacramētes be only markes of our ꝓfessiō, wherby y • christē mē are discerned frō the hethen. Anabaptistꝭ. To say w t the Anabaptistes y t sacramētes be only tokēs or watch wordes of good maners. Enthusiasts. To graūt w t the Enthusiastes y t the holy gost is sufficient, & that we nede no sacramētes in the ꝯgregaciō. To hold w t the scholemē y t there be only seuē sacramētes, Scholomen if we cal al those thīges in generalite sacramētes which haue ꝓmises [Page cxxix] ānexed. To cal w t the scholemē som sacramētes which haue no ꝓmises annexed. To graūt w t the Donatistes & Donatiste [...] other heretykes y t the sacramentes maye not be hādled of euil ministers. To deny y • sacramētes to be signes of grace. To adde any thīg to the sacramētes or plucke any thing frō them. To deny y t the sacramētes be made by the cōming of the word vnto thē. To deny y t sacramētes be meanes to moue the hert vnto byleue. To deny y t the propre & prīcipal effectes of sacramētes be to testify of y • louing wil of god towardes vs, and to stire our hert to faith which receyueth forgyuenes of sin̄es ānexed to y • signes of the new testamēt. To graūt y t the sacramētes be not ratifyed or sure w tout fayth or our addiciōs. To this errour answereth s. August. S. Augustine ☞ in his boke of baptysme w t these wordes. It skylleth not whē we treat of the ꝑfection & holynes of the sacramēt, what he bileueth or w t what fayth he is endued, which receyueth the sacrament. In dede it skylleth very moch as touching to y • way of saluaciō, y t is, that y u sholdest obteyn theffectes annexed to the sacramēt. But it skylleth nothing as concernyng to the question of the sacrament. And euen in [Page] the same boke of baptisme he wryteth thus. ☞ Manifestū est fieri posse, vt nō fide integra, maneat sacramentū integrū. That is, it is manifest it may be, y t faith not being ꝑfect, yet the sacrament may remayne ꝑfect. To hold y t theffectes added to the sacramētꝭ may be take w tout faith. ☞ To adore & suꝑsticiously to worship the sacramētes, neuertheles in the meane seasō a reuerēce towardes the sacramētes is not prohibite. To wrest & straūgely to interp̄te y • wordes by whiche the sacramētes be institute. Al whiche cōtraries y u shalt fynd debated & cō futed in my Catechisme or institution of a christen man.
Of baptisme. CA. XXXIIII.
BAptysme is a signe or sacramente institute of Christ for remission of synnes.
¶The proue of this diffinition.
GO ye and teche (saith Christ the instituter of this sacrament) al nacions, [...] viii. d. baptising thē in the name of the father the son, & the holy gost. Also Mark. 16. Who so bileueth & is baptised shall be saued, y t is shal haue remissiō of synnes. Lykewise Pe [...] preaching to the people sayd. Act. ii. [...] Repēt ye, & be ye euery one of you [Page cxxx] baptysed in the name of Christ for remission of synnes.
THE causes farre and nere of baptisme be these, Causes of baptisme. the worde, the water, the ministre, the person to be baptised, the godfathers and godmothers. Of these some be of the substaunce of baptisme, as the word & the water, accordyng to the ordinaunce of Christ. Augustine. S. Augustine of the word speketh thus. Accedat verbum ad elementū, et fiat sacramentum That is, let the worde be put to the element, and so let the sacrament be made. Also in an other place he saythe. Verbo baptismus consecratur, August. vpon Iohn. detrahe verbum, et quid est aqua nisi aqua, that is: By the worde is baptisme consecrate, plucke awaye the worde, and what is the water but water? Now y • minister the person to be baptised, and the godfathers and godmother, be not the substaunce of baptysme. For baptysme is made neyther the better nor the worse by reason of persons. ☞ Faythe whiche the Anabaptystes requyre as pryncypall cause to the full perfection of baptysme, is not of the substaunce of baptysme bycause the entiertie and perfection of the sacramēt dependeth only of the worde and the water, whiche [Page] two thinges being p̄sent it is not to be disputed further of the entiertie of baptisme. For baptisme is entiere & perfect whether the ꝑsons be baptised, the minister, godfathers or godmothers do bileue or not byleue. Neuertheles this is true thobteynīg of forgyuenes of synnes, whiche is theffect annexed to baptisme is requyred faith assenting to the ꝓmesse of remissiō of sīnes. And this is it y • s. Aug. Augustine. sayth: It skylleth not as touching the entiertie of y • sacramēt what he bileueth, or w t what fayth he is endued which receyueth the sacramēt. Gret diuersitie doubtles there is as ꝑteineth to the way of saluacion. But as to the questiō of the sacramēt there is no difference. S. Aug. calleth the way of saluacion which I cal thobteyning of the effect annexed to baptisme ꝯcerning remission of synnes, howbeit after what maner and how the infantes receiue remission of synnes in baptysme, where as they haue not fayth by hearing of y • worde, I haue sufficiently declared in my cathechisme or institution of a christen man.
ONE onely thing vndiuided is baptime of which we here speke, No partes that is to wite the baptisme of water.
[Page cxxxi] THE propre effect of baptisme is remissiō of sinnes, Theffectes of baptisme. Act. ii. b according to y • saying of peter repēt ye, & be euery one of you baptised in the name of Christ for remyssiō of sinnes. Item of Christ. Mar. xvi. [...] He that byleueth & is baptised shall be saued, that is to saye shal haue remyssions of sinnes. The rest of theffectes which folowe, do spring originall of thinges incident to baptisme, & of the propre vse of sacramē tes, as: To be a signe that we be delyuered from the deuyll, sinne, deth, hell, &c. To be a signe of our remouinge out of the kingdome of Sathan into the kingdome of Christ. To testifye of the bountiful wil of god towardꝭ vs. To be a tokē that we be recōcyled to god. To be a wasshing, in which is giuen vnto vs the holy ghost, who beginneth to mortify y • concupiscence which neuerthelesse abydeth in vs, although the giltye of originall sin be taken away. To exercyse and moue y • hert to byleue as oft as we remēbre baptime & the vse therof. To witnesse y t we be christiās & sworn to Christ & so baptisme is a signe of oure ꝓfession. To testify y • we be borne to the waues of perilles, & to the chaunge of lyfe, to thintent we sholde dye contynually, as long as we lyue, from syn, & rise agayne [Page] lyke new mē vnto rightousnes as declareth Paul, & so is baptisme an allegory.
¶Contraryes to baptisme be these. Contraries or errours. To considre baptisme without the promyse to it annexed, which errour gēdreth the contēpt of baptisme. To deny baptisme with the Seleucians. Seleucians. Enthusiasts. To graunte with the Enthusiastes, that the holy ghost is ynough, & that baptisme nedeth not in the churche. To holde that worde and faith suffice to saluacion, & therfore we nede not baptisme. This erroure presumeth aboue the iudgemēt of Christ whiche ordeyned baptisme, which doubteles wolde neuer haue ordeyned it if he had knowen no vse of it in the churche. To hold y • baptisme is onely a signe of our profession. Anabaptists. To saye with y • Anabaptistes y • baptisme is onely an allegory or watch word of good maner. To say baptisme is only an outward wasshīg of y • body which the outwarde satisfactiō is forgyuen. To mainteyne y • baptisme is perfyte & entyer although the water be not there. This eroure is agaīst y • mater of baptisme. To say y • spiritual baptisme sufficeth, wherby we be baptised of tholy ghost. To hold that baptisme is hole & ꝑfite w tout the word. To say that baptisme is not perfyte or sure, but is to be [Page cxxxii] renued againe, onlesse faith be present. This erroure is confuted sufficiētly wel in the causes of baptisme by the wordes of S. August. August. cōte [...] Crescencium grāmaticu [...] To say that euil ministers make baptisme not good, which errour saint Angust. consuteth. To grasit that for the vnfaithfulnes or vnworthynes of the godfathers or godmothers baptisme lacketh of his perfection. To deny that a man is apte & mete to be baptised at any tyme of his age, which errour bīd the kingdome of Christ vnto obseruaciō or merking. For if the kingdome of christ cōmeth not (as Christ hym selfe witnesseth) w t merking, Ergo neither baptisme cōmeth by merkinge which is a parte of the kingdome of Christ. To holde that eyther we be otherwise to be baptysed thē in the name of the father, the son, & the holy ghost, or that this forme suffyseth not. This errour is against y • forme of baptisme. To holde that to be dipped thryse in the water is by gods law. To hold that baptisme is good ynough out of y • congregacion, althoughe the ꝑsons baptised returne not vnto the cōgregacion, vndoubtedly if they do not returne their baptisme is to their destruction as sheweth s. Aug. To say y • baptisme made August▪ with corrupt wordes is of no force, but [Page] oughte to be done againe. To deny y • in necessite it is lauful for euery ꝑsō to baptyse. To take rasshely or w tout calling y • office of baptising, no necessite constrayninge thervnto. To holde that suche as be baptised of herelikes ought to be baptised againe. To holde that theffectes of baptisme do folow baptisme for other causes then for faith cōcerning the promise. To say baptisme taketh awaye in vs the naturall cōcupi [...]cēce or iust. This errour is openly false against cōmon experience, albeit the gilt of originall syn is taken away. To say that the gilte is takē away by baptisme, but not y • paine or punyshment. To say that baptisme is not a cōfortable thing vnto vs through out our hole lyfe, so that by it we maye lift vp & solase our selfes. To deny that theffectes ofbaptisme do endure contynually vnto vs to our cōsolacion. To deny repentaunce vnto such as fall after baptisme w t the Nouacians & Anabaptistes. Nouacians. Anabaptistes Catharians, To deny mortificacion & regeneraciō after baptisme with y • Cathariās. This errour springeth of ignoraunce of originall concupisceuce or sin stickinge ī vs. To deny y • ceromonyes added to baptisme, by mans authorytye, be thīgꝭ indifferent, that is to wete, which may be [Page cxxxiii] left vndone or may be done so y • same be not wicked without daūger or scruple of cōscience To make but a trifle of y • misticall sacramēt of baptisme. Anabaptists▪ To holde that men ought as often tymes to be baptised as they fall into sin. To holde that bicause of theffecte of baptisme which is remission of sinnes, baptisme is the oftrner to be vsed, to thintent we maye the oftener receyue forgiunes of our sinnes To hold that children not yet borne are to be baptysed in theyr mothers wombe or those which partly be borne & partly yet sticke in their mother. Against this errour saith saint Agust. in this wyse. Angust ad darvanum. Nothinge can be borne againe, which is not yet borne. To say that infauntes which be baptised at home in time of nede according to the forme appoīted of Christ conteyned in these wordes, in the name of the father & the son & the holy ghost, ought to be baptised againe in y • temple Anabaptistes To hold with y • Anabaptistes that childrē are not to be baptised, tyl they come to thage of discrecion. This erroure is new and was neuer herd ī the church of Christ before.
THESE cōtraryes & other more I haue cōfuted in my Catechisme or institucion where thou shalt finde a cōplete [Page] and entyer treatise of baptisme.
The supper of the Lorde. CAPI. XXXV.
THe supper of y • lord is a sacrament Diffinycion. ordeyned of Christ him self, y • such as haue faith in these wordes of Christ y • ꝓmyser (that for you is giuen & Math. xxvi. c shed for the remyssion of sinnes) may receyue pardō of all their sinꝭ to thintēt y • also they may forgiue their neighbour & do thē good frely after thexēple of christ
¶Probacions of this diffinicion.
¶That the supper of the lorde is thordinannce of Christ, Math. xxvi. [...]. Mar. xiiii. c Luc. xxii. b i. Cor. xi. e teache thre euangelistes, Mathewe, Marke, Luke. To whō also Saint Paule agreeth. Remission of sinnes is theffecte added by the ꝓmyse of Christ vnto this supꝑ. But is not here takē but by hauing faith vpō y • wordes of Christ the promyser, which be these: giuen for you or shed for the remyssion of sinnes. Finally, for asmoch as this sacrament is a signe of mutual charitie as thapostle techeth, therfore I haue made the finall frute of remyssion of sinnes, ii. Cor. [...]. y • we sholde so loue our neighbour, & studye to do him good, Causes of the Eucharistie or lords louꝑ as Christ loued vs & dyd vs good.
¶The causes of y • sacrament of the lordes [Page cxxxiiii] supper be these: Christ the institutor y • worde, bred, wyne, the receyuer, & the minister. The word the breed & wine be of the substaunce of this sacramēt, whiche beinge present it is not further to be disputed concerninge the entiertie or ꝑfection of the sacrament. The receyuer & mynister wether they be good or euyll, whether they beleue or not, byleue by their noughtynes or vnbylefe nothinge is detracted or plucked from y • ꝑfection & holynes of this sacrament, likewise as nothīg is added by the goodnes & faith of them. Albeit in the meane season▪ it is true, that theffecte annexed to the lordes supper, concerninge remyssion of sinnes doth not folow y • eaters and drinkers in this supper, onles they eat also by faith y • wordes of Christ the ꝓmyser. The materyal causes of this sacramēt be y • breed & wyne, of which this sacrament the body & blood is made. The formal causes be to eat & to drinke.
¶The lordes supper is not deuyded in ꝑtes, No partes onles a mā wil draw partes out of the mater of which it is made, I meane, of y • breed & wine or of other thīges p̄sēt of whiche consisteth y • bodye & blood of Christ. Certes of y • coniunction or rather S [...]lutinacion of these thinges, is risen [Page] the errour of one kinde, contrary to the ordinaunces of Christe, & the vsage of y • auncient church.
THE fathers, Of the two tortes of eatinge. folowīg y • apostle haue not vnaptly made two maner of eatinges of the lordes supper. The one they corporal or sacramentall eatinge which is done with the mouth onely without faith, August & as S. August. saith, which no spiritual refection foloweth. This eatinge maketh vs to vse the lordes supper vnworthely. And of this Paul maketh mē cion i. Corin. xi. f writing to the Corinth. in this wise wherfore who so euer eate of this breed or drinke of the cup vnwothely, shall be giltye of the body & blood of y • lord. Also he saith, who so euer eteth or drinketh vnworthely eateth & drinketh his owne dānacion bicause he maketh no differēce of the lordes bodye. The other they called the spiritual eating whiche is done The spirituall eating. by faith & which the spirituall refection doth folow. This maketh vs to vse the lordes supper worthelye. i. Corin. xi. f Of this, thus writeth paul, let a mā therfore examine him selfe & so let him eate of the breed & drinke of the cup. Nowe, be examine to him selfe, which by faith commeth to y • lordes supper & pōdereth wel w t him self the vse & ꝓfite of this supper, & so discerneth [Page cxxxv] this supper from a fleshly soupper. Doubtles this spiritual eating Christē ☞ persons do dayly vse although they receyue not the sacrament, when spiritually they be implāted & graft in Christ by faith, that they may abide in Christ and Christ in them. Of this eating speaketh Christ throught the hole sixt chaptre of Ioh. Iohst. vi. [...] But to eat togither with y • mouth and also with faith this onelye maketh the worthy and holsome eatyng of this supper.
¶This supper forasmoch as it is a sacrament of the new testament, Theffectes of the lordes souper. therfore remyssion of sinnes is the propre effecte therof, whiche is purchased by faith or credite giuen to these wordes of Christ the promiser. Gyuen for you, Math. xxvi. c & shed for y • remyssyon of sinnes. To this effect these also folowinge may be added. To haue ryghtousnes. To haue euerlastinge lyfe. For these two effectes be annexed to remyssion of sinnes. To testify of the boū tyfull wyll of god towardes vs. To testify that Christ dwelleth in vs. To admonysh vs of the promyses of god. To be a signe that god is appeased. For such as beleue that they receyue in this supper forgyuenes of sinnes, be also assured that god is pacified, and wel contented [Page] w t thē cōfortīg thēselues w t this sacramēt, as a signe of most certaine grace & attonemēt. To bring ioy vnto the consciences, whē apꝓching by faith to this supꝑ we be throughe ꝑswaded y • we receyue remyssion of sinnes. To kīdle raise & styre vp our faith. To prouoke vs to mutual loue & charitie for the supper of the lorde is a token of brotherly charitie To moue vs to worke well leest we polute & defyle againe our bodyes whiche be nowe ioyned to the body of Christ. For to this intent we be iustifyed or receyue remission of synnes in this sacrament that we sholde worke well accordinge to Paul, we be his workmanship created in Christ Iesu to good workes Ephe. ii. v so that thende of iustificaciō is to work wel, Roma. vi. To testifye y • we be chrystyans, and apperteine to Christ. Thus the supper of the lorde is a token of oure ꝓfessiō. why this sacramēt is called Eucharistia. Testice vs to giuīg of thākes. And therfore of y • aūcient fathers this supꝑ is called Eucharistia, y • is to say a thankes giuīg.
¶Cōtraryes & errours against this supper be these. Contraries. To brīg, forth suꝑsticiously w t the Thomistes sondry fygures and types of this s [...]uper out of y • olde testamēt Thomistes. [...] Albeit y • eating of y • pascal lābe may be a figure of this sacramēt. To holde y • [Page cxxxvi] the souꝑ of y • lorde is onelye a marke to discerne the chrysten frō the hethen. To say with y • Anabaptistes y • the souꝑ of y • Anabaptistes lorde is onely a sygne of brotherly frenshyp or loue amonges the godly ꝑsons. To hold with the papistes y • the souper Papistes▪ of y • lorde is an oblacyō or sacrifice to be applyed for other both quyck & deed so that this sacrifice may deserue & meryce vnto thē remissyō bothe of pena & culpa y • is, of the peyn & of the blame or faulte. ☞ This errour shal be sufficyently espyed by the cōparyng togither of the cōmon & euangelical soup, & of the priuate and Papisticall masse. papisticall masse, in which cōparysō we se that the popishe masse agreeth in maner nothyng at all with the lordes soup which Chryst instituted. To deny that mans reason is not forthwith offended by this sacrament whē it neglecteth the worde & cōmaundement of Chryste the institutour. To denye that mans reasō, is not forthwith offended with the vilitie of this souꝑ when it considereth it w tout the ꝓmys annexed vnto it. To denye ī this louꝑ that vnder bread & wyne is ministred vnto vs y • true bodye & true bloode of our lorde Iesus Chryst. To dispute suꝑsticyously (as of certayn scole Scholemon. men hearetofore it hathe ben disputed [Page] of the presence of the body & bloode of Chryst of howe & after what fassyon the body & blode of Chryst is there presēt or howe great & howe lytle it is. To interprete the wordes of the lordes souper allegorycally. To put to, or take fro the souper of the lorde. To denye that the cause of puttyng to a & takyng from in this souper is the selfe reason. ☞ To steale from the lay persons the one kynde, euen the blode of the lorde, contrary to the ordynaunce of Chryst. To saye that a sufficyent cause of the foresayd theft is the feare of daungers leest any thynge myght be shed out of the chalyce. This errour for the moost parte I am wount thus to answere, ☞ lyke as the testamēt or laste wyll is not chaunged bycause of y • feblenes of the heyr neither the heire is depryued of his īheretable goodes not vs standyng his feblenes or ī [...]yrmytie. So neyther we sholde haue ben spoyled and robbed of y • one kynde for any maner of our īfirmyte. To holde y • y • lordes souper is not truly mynistred or euyl ministers To denye the .ii. sortꝭ of eatyng y • lordꝭ ☞ souper, the one wherby we vse this souper worthely, the other wherby we vse the same vnworthely. To deny that in our tymes the cōfusyon of the spirytual [Page cxxxvii] eatyng, which yet dayly chrysten men do vse by fayth, althoughe they approche not to the sacramēt by y • sacramētal eatyng, hath īgendred y • errour of this souper. To appoynt & lymyte p̄cysely a certeyn tyme to take the lordes souper.
To cōpell with the Manichees the takers Manichees. of this souper to take it tēpered w t mans sede. The cursed errour of the Cataphriges To wrynge out blode w t the Cataphrigis out of chyldren of a yere olde) which blode they fetche out of the hole body of the chylde by lytle small prickynges (& myngle the same w t flowre makīg breed therof which they vse ī the souꝑ of the lord. To vse w t the Aquaries The heresie of Aquaries. The heresye of the Artotirytes. water ī stede of wyne. To mynystre in y • lordes souꝑ w t the Artotyrites breed w t these. To holde that outwarde p̄paracyons make vs worthy to y • lordes souꝑ To approche to this souꝑ w tout all reuerence & sobrenes. To deny that suche are to be dryuē away frō the lordes souper accordyng to the vsage of the aūciēt church as be notoryous synners & visyous ꝑsōs: To holde y t this souꝑ is not ā entyre & ꝑfecte sacrament onles y • fayth of the receyuer be presēt, I āswere with S. Augu. as before in the tytle of sacramentes. To saye y t we maye receyue remissyō of synnes, which is the propre of [Page] fecte of this souper, without faith or [...] any other thyng, then bycause of fayth. To denye the foresayd effecttes of the lordes souper or to admitte some of thē & to reiect & damne other some. To holde that the souper of the lorde euen for the The [...] papistes very workes sake doth iustifye & that w t out any good mocyon of the vser, that is to saye, without the fayth of the receyuer of this sacrament, To assygne or impute theffect of this souper cōcerning remyssyon of synnes partely to the selfe souper & partely to fayth. To meynteyn with Thomas of Aquyne that the body The heresye of a romyshe [...] of the lord was ones offered ī the crosse for oryginall synne and is nowe contynually offered in the aultar for daylye trespaces.
Of sacrifice. CA. XXXVI.
SAcrifice in a generalite is thoblaciō [...] of our worke which we rēdre to god whō we haue knowē to be such one to whō we giue deseruīgly this worship THAT sacrifice is ā oblaciō is certain. For to sacrifyce signifieeh here to offre, P [...]ons. & where as I added, of our worke, I note y • differēce bitwen such thingꝭ as we of fre to god, & such thingꝭ as god offereth to vs. The wordes y • folow in the diffiniciō [Page cxxxviii] shewe thoccasiō of sacrifice, which is the knowlege of some god amonges men. For whō euery men euē from the beginynge of the worlde hath knowē or decreed w t hī selfe to be god, hī he hath studyed to worshyp, to honour, to gyue thāks vnto, & to testify this knowledge w t some certeyn worshyp toward y • fame god thus knowē. And bycause sacrifyce is the pryncypal parte of worshyp, therfore by it they haue declared theyr stud [...] & zele towardes the same god. Finally, I added deseruyngly to thītent I wold shew y • powers of our knowlege, which not onely consyst ī knowyng hym to be god, but also y • he createth, gouerneth, & cōserueth al thynges creat. This knowlege of god, which out of the lawe of nature is after a maner knowē, engēdreth in men a mynde whiche beleueth that we ought to duty, & not without cause to worshyp suche a god.
THE effycyent causes of sacrifyces Cause [...] be the selfe offerers. The materiall causes he takē of the thynges offered, as be the beestes, the frutes. &c.
NOVV thoccasyō of sacrifyces was y • Thoc [...]asiō of sacrifices, natural knowlege of god ī all mē, as I haue said before. Of this knowlege cert [...] neth vs thapost. Roma. i [...] And euē there where as [Page] he sayth that the gētyles glorifyed not god whō by y • law of nature they knew by this he also cōmēdeth a certeyn worshyppynge of god naturally put in the gētyles. Of this worshyppyng is sacrifyce a parte. wherfore I conclude thoccasyō of sacrifyces was vnyuersally by nature in al mē, euē as there was naturally a certen knowlege of god. I speke vere of the generalloccacyō of sacrifyces cōmō to all mē euē of nature, that they shold worshyp such as they take for god I speak nothyng here of the true worshyp of god. I speake nothyng of those sacrifyces which of a fayth haue ꝓceded amonges the godly before y • lawe gyuē or after y • law by spe [...]yall cōmaūdemēt. But I disput here▪ generally of the indifferent & cōmō occasyō of sacrifyces cō cernyng the lawe of nature wherby euē frō the begīnyng of y e worlde, mē haue worshypped such as they haue ben perswaded to be goddes, although not w t y • true worshyp or acceptable sacrifices to god. But cōcernyng y • worshyp & sacrifices of y • godly by which they haue rightly worshypped god, & whose sacrifices haue ben acceptable to god & as the s [...]ipture sayth. In odorē suauitatis▪ that is to saye for a swete sauour or sauour of [Page cxxxix] swetnes, A distinction betwene the worshyppes or sacrifyces of the godly and of the vngodly. ye shall vnderstand y • a distinction is to be had betwen the true & ryght worshyp & betwene that generall worshyp ꝓcedyng of nature, & agayn betwē the sacrifices of the godly whiche plese god & betwen the generall sacrifyces ꝓcedyng of the lawe of nature. The true & ryght worshyp of god hath no accasiō of nature. For nature is corrupted. So neyther y • sacrifyces of the godly which please god can haue occasyon of nature. wherfore we ought to thynke that tholy ghost & fayth were causes of the true worshyp of god & of the sacrifyces of [...] godly, tholy ghoste as gyue [...] (for all our good workes be gyftes of tholy ghoste) Fayth as a cause mouyng to gratitude & kīdnes, forasmoch as faith cā not be vnkynde. Gene. iiii. [...]. So Abel w tout doubtinge rightly instructed of his parentes cōcernyng the ꝓmys made of sede & being iustified by fayth wyllynge to declare vnto god his kynde hert offered vnto hī sacrifices, of which god loked bicause thei were offered ī faith as teacheth th apostle were he saith. Hebre. xi. By faith Abel offered vnto god [...] more plē [...]ous sacrifyce thē Cayn. But Eaī offered sacrifices not moued by any faith of which he had no speek, but by y • general occasiō of nature wherby al mē [Page] be īpelled vnuiersally to some worshipping of that god that they knowe. For this cause god regarded not y • sacrifice of Cayn, Gene. iiii. a. lyke as he allowed not y • sacrifice of y • other gētiles or worshippes wher w t they worshipped god whom they knew other whiles by the ymage of mā other whiles of beestes as witnesseth Paul to the Roma. Roma. i. d. Gene. viii. d.
¶Noe buylded an altar to the lord, & of al the cleane beastes & cleane fowles of fered a sacrifice vpō y • altars & this was a iust & perfite mā wherfore he had also faith which moued him to declare again his kinde hert towardes his god for the great benefyte of p̄seruacion frō drownīg. And forasmoch as Noe offered these sacrifices by faith they were exceptable to god, wherfore it foloweth in y • text, & y • lord smelled a swete sauour I cōclude therfore of these exēples, y • faith gaue occasion Gene. viii. d vnto the godly aswell before the lawe giuen as after by commaundemēt of sacrifice & worshipping god & further more caused y • the same worshippes & sacrifices were accepted of god.
¶There be also some ꝑsons in this opinion ☞ & that not without sure groūdes y • refer the first & original beginnīg of seruing god by sacrifices vnto y • godly fathers [Page cxi] of whome they wyl that y • gētiles had their begynning by folysh coūterfeyting to offre their sacrifyes but as cō monly it cōmeth to passe, folowinge the outward worke of y • fathers w tout their faith euē as yet at this day they folowe many workes of saintes but their faith they folow not. Thus it is very lykelye that y • gētiles in sacrificing of their own children folowed Abrahā which by a specyall cōmaūdemēt was cōmaūded to offre his son Isaac.
¶Sacrifice takē in a generality for a seruice Partes. of god īdifferently amōg al men, ꝓcedinge of y • knowlege of some god, is of one only sort, y • is to wice, a sacrifice of praise, whiche aswell the godly as the hechē, sithens the beginnīg of the world haue studyed to vtter their kindnes towardes him, whō they haue knowē for god, saue y t y • godly haue had other occasions or causes & also an other intent of theyr sacrifices which were acceptable vnto god bycause they ꝓcede of faith. Afterward in the law came sacrifices of redēpciō which be called ꝓpiciatory sacrifices Sacrifyces propiciatorie or of redemption, which redemed rightousnes ī the comonalty of Moses.
BESIDE there is yet an other sacrifice of redēption whiche is a sacrifice [Page] for sinnes made to recōcyle & pacyfy god. This toke his occaciō of the fal of Adā which after he had sinned & againe receyued by grace a promyse that his fall shold be redressed forthwith in the self: promys this sacrifice of redempciō begā to stande for the sinnes of Adā, through faith vpon Christ that was to come, the offerer of this sacrifice, who shulde offre in the latter dayes a ꝓpiciatory sacrifice for the sinnes of the hole worlde for a ꝑfecte & euerlasting rightousnes. In this offerer or preest, ☞ I meane Christ beleued y • fathers & became partakers of this sacrafice.
¶Theffect of sacrafice takē in a generalitie Effectes is one onely, & hath ben generall amonges all men, that is to wite, to offre sō thing to god y • might testify their louīg hert towardes hī. Neuertheles it is not all after one fassiō ī y • godly & in y • vngodly gētiles which folishly haue coū terfayted y • godly. But to the intent all thinges may be made the clerer in this behalfe. I wyl set forth seuerally y • spices or kindes of sacrifice, wherin ye shall se openly the finall effectes of all sacrifices The cōtraryes of sacrafyce in a generalitie. I shal brīg forth after y • treaty of y • kindes.
¶Of sacrafice propiciatory or of redempcion.
I Thīke it good to begin with y • sacrifices of redempcion. For this began before y • sacrafice of praise, euen thā whan Adam receyued the first promyse of the seed to come, which promise Adam beleued, & bycause of his faith which he had vpō Christ the bisshop & offrer of this sacrifice of redempcion to come, ☞ he was saued as al y • rest of the fathers that came after were. Now this faith afterwarde brought forth sacrifices Eucharisticall, y • is to say, sacrifices of prayse or thankes giuing, wherby the godly wold vtter their gratitude & louing kindnesse towardes god for the remyssion & grace ꝓmysed them in y • offerer of y • sacrifyce of redemptiō to come. Truly there be two sorces of sacrifyces of redēption. The one which serueth in the comynaltye of Moses to redeme the ryghtousnes of y • law. The other whiche was auaylable alwayes before god, & is yet auaylable cōtynually bycause the prest or offerer of it▪ I meane Christ, is eternall, & euerlastinge for y • redempcion of sinnes & to obteyne vs the fauour of god.
¶Of the ꝓpiciatory sacrifice of Moses lawe.
[Page] A Sacrifice of redemcion in the cō mon welth of Moses, Of the ꝓpiciatorie sacrifyce in Moses lawe. is a worke y • redemed the iustice of y • law, y • he which had cōmitted sin sholde not be excluded out of y • cōmon weale of Moses, & it is a fygure of the true sacrifice of sinnes before god. Proue
¶This diffiniciō is certeine by the epist▪ to the hebrues. capi. ix where the apostle plucketh from all the sacrifices of Moses law al maner of perfection in y • cōscience. Hebre. ix. b. For he saith thus. Into the secōd table went the high prest alone ones euery yere, & not without bloode, whiche he offered for hym self, & for y • ignoraūce [...]f the people, wherfore the holy ghost [...]his signyfyed, that y • way of holy thin [...]es was not yet opened, while as yet y • [...]irst tabernacle was stāding, which was [...]simylitude for the tyme then presēt & [...] which were offered gyftes & sacrifices y • shulde not make y • ministre perfyte, as ꝑteynynge to the cōsience, &c. But Christ being an highe preest, &c. shal purge your conscyence frō deed workes for to serue the lyuing god. Also it foloweth in the x. chap. Euery preest is redy dayly ministring & often times offereth one maner of offering which can neuer take awaye sinnes. &c. By which wordes thapostle [Page cxlii] taketh away frō the ꝓpiciatory sacrifices of Moses the purgacion of sinnes, wherfore forasmoch as suche sacrifices coulde not take away sinnes, it is certein y • suche sacrafices of Moses lawe onely serued to make men rightous in the eye of the lawe. Finally that these Mosaicall sacrifices of redēption were figures of the trtue sacrifices for sinnes in the sight of god, is manifest by the epistle to y •. hebr, namely in the .x. chap [...]ter.
¶The causer of this sacryfyce is god, Causes which cōmaunded this sacrifice to the children of Israel, to admonysh them of true sacrafices of redēpciō which Christe the high byshop in tyme cōmyng sholde off [...]e Moses was the pupblysher of this sacrifyce. And the high byshop was the offerer of it.
¶Of this sacrifyce be not partes, Partes onles a mā wil take the dyuers kindes ī stede of partes. For vnto this sacrifice belong all such sacrafices as were made for sinnes or trespaces as sin offringes. &c. of which mēcion is made in the .iiii. & .v. cap. of Leuiticus.
¶Theffectes of the sacrifice of redemciō Effectes▪ in Moses law were these. To reconcile y • Iues to their comynaltye againe. To redeme the iustice of y • law. These effectꝭ [Page] be certaine by thexēples of such as haue be reconcyled by these sacrifices vnto y • publyque weal [...] of Moses. Also where as y • epistle to the Hebrues plucketh frō thē redemciō of sinnes before god it leaueth vnto them the redempciō of iustice in the polycye of Moses. Itē to puryfye or sanctify to y • purgacion of y • fles heb. ix. ☞ For if the blood of oxē & of gotes, and the ashes of an heifer, whē it was sprīkled, puryfyed the vncleane as touchinge the purifieng of y • flesh, how moch more shal the bloode of Christ which through the eternal spirite offered him self w tout spot to god, purge your cōsciences frome dead workes to serue the lyuīg god. To be figures of y • true sacrifice of Christ as testifieth the saide epist. Hebre. x. a to the Heb. For the law which hath but the shadowe of good thinges to come▪ &c.
¶The sacrifice of redemption before god.
THe sacrifice of redempciō y • serueth before god, Diffinicyon. is a satisfactory worke for the sinnes of other, reconcylyng god & appesing his wrath.
¶In this diffinicion is no difficulty, Probacion. of which who so doubteth is no christē mā Heb. ix. How moch more shall y • bloode [Page cxliii] of Christ which thorow y • eternal spirite offered him selfe w tout spot to god, purge our consciences frō deed workes. Itē in the same chap. Christe was ones offered to take away the sinnes of many.
THE causes of this sacrifice be, Causes. god the ꝓmyser, & Christ the high bisshop or offerer.
¶This sacrifice is not ꝑted. For there is one onely sacrifice of redempcion for sinnes before god, Partes herof be none. appeasyng the yre of god & satisfying vnto god, concerninge ꝑfyte rightousnes ēduring for euer. hebr. ix. he entred ones for all into the holy place & found eternall redempcion.
¶Theffectes be taken of the aduauntages & Effectes. cōmodityes which this sacrafyce hath brought vnto vs and be these. To driue away sin as witnesseth the said epistle the. heb. where it is thus said. Hebre▪ ix. s. But now in thende of the world hath he appered ones to put sin to flight by y • offerīg vp of hī self to put out sinꝭ. esay. liii. After he hath giuē his lyfe a sacrifice for sinnes. Ro. ix. Of sin he cōdemned sin. y • is to say, be put out sin by sacrifice which by the hebrue phrase is called sin as to y • Cor. him which knew not sin he madde to be sinne that is to saye a sacryfyce [Page] for sin. Hebr. ix. d To purge our consciences frome deed workes. To purifye or sanctify the beleuers accordīg to the sayīg of Christ in the gospel of Iohn where he saith, Iohn̄. xvii. c. As thou dyddest send me into the world euē so haue I sent thē into the worlde, & for their sakes sāctifie I my selfe, that they also myght be sāctified through y • truth. Finally hythervnto may be referred all theffectes or vtilitys of the deth & passiō of Christ.
¶Of sacrifice of thankes or praise.
SAcrifice eucharistical that is to say a Diffinicyon. sacrifice of thankesgiuing or of praise is an oblacion of our kindenes wherby after we be ones reconcyled to god by the sacrifice of Christe we honoure god, prayse him, & giue him thankes.
¶This diffiniō is certein for it is euidēt by the epist. The ꝓbacyō. to the heb. that there is one onely purging sacrifice for sinnes. wherfore it foloweth that al the other workꝭ in which such as be reconcyled to god do declare their obedience towardꝭ hym by honorynge praysinge & giuinge thankes be sacrifices of praise, and not of redemcion.
¶Of which sacryfice there be Particyon. .ii. kīdes y • [Page cxliiii] one is Mosaycall, the other is of the newe testament.
THE Mosaycall sacrifyce of prayse, Diffinicyon. was wherby oblacyons were offered of the chyldren of Israell to testifye theyr obedience & thākfulnes towardes god.
OF this diffinicyō no mā shall doubt Proue. after he shall perceyue that there is one only sacrifyce of redempcyō for synnes. Causes.
THE causes of this sacrifyces be these God the institutour▪ Moses the publissher, the preestes the offerers, also the in whose name this sacrifyce was offered, and fynally the cōmaūdement to offre.
THE sondrynes of sacrifices ꝓcedyng of such thynges as were offered & Partes. of the circumstaūces of them suffyseth here in stede of partes▪ For albeit there were sō dry kyndes of this sacrifyce, yet they tē ded to this ende, euen that the Israelitꝭ sholde by them declare theyr obedyence towardes god. Hyther belōge oblacyōs retribucions▪ fyrst frutes, tenthes. &c.
¶Thēffectꝭ of this Moysaical sacricyce were these: Effectes. To declare theyr obedience towardes god. To render thankes to god: To prayse god, and semblable.
¶Thankfull sacrifyces of the newe testament.
[Page] SAcrifyce of prayse of the newe testament is wherby we honour, Diffinicyon. prayse, & thanke god for y • receyued remissyō of synnes in Chryst & his other benefytes.
IN the new testament outward sacrifyces, The ꝓbaciō. slaughters of beeltꝭ, or other ceremonyes be no longer in force & strength, but onely spirituall workes of the herte & of thaffectiō of such a ꝑson as is borne agayn in herte by tholy ghost, accordyng to this of saint Peter. i. Peter. ii. a. As lyuyng stones ye are made a spirituall house, & an holy preesthode, Roma. xii. a for to offer vp spirituall sacrifyce acceptable to god by Iesu Chryst Also accordyng to this of saynt Paule. Make your bodyes a quycke sacrifyce, holy & acceptable to god, euen your reasonable sacrifyce, Iohn. iiii. c. Itē. Hebr▪ xiij. By hym let vs offre y • sacrifyce of prayse always to god, that is to say, the frute of those lyppes which cōfesse his name. Itē. the true worshyppers (sayth Chryste) shall worshyp the father in spirite & trouthe. All these places do shewe y t the thanfull sacrifyces in the new testament be spirytuall, wherin we offre our thankfulnes by good workes vnto god for our ryghtousnes and other benefytes receyued in Chryst. For thankfull sacrifyces be nothyng elles thē good workes of y • godly [Page cxlv] which serue for the declaracion of their kyndnes towardes god, and for to prouoke other to gyue credyte to the gospell, and thankes to god.
¶Causes of this sacrifice be these. Causes The holy ghost. The cōmaūdemēt & fayth. Tholye ghost is cause, forasmoche as he createth in vs new mociōs & new myndes mete to do spirytuall workes or sacrifyces. And therfore also I suppose y t y • sacrifices of chrystē mē be called spirytuall sacrifyces not so greatly bycause they be spirytuall sacrifyces as bycause the holy spiryte worketh thē in vs. The commaundemente is cause, forasmoche as we be wylled by gods cōmaundemēt to worke well, by which also we be assured that our sacrifyces or good workꝭ be pleasaūt & acceptable to god. Nowe, fayth is y • cause, inasmoche as it is a degre to the receyuyng of tholy ghost. For fayth taketh holde of Christ, Chryst gyueth vs tholy ghost. Tholy ghost engendreth ī vs new myndꝭ & spiritual which be hable to offre spiritual sacrifices. Furthermore fayth is y • meane wherby our sacrifices please god according to Paul what so euer is not of fayth is syn. Roma. xiiii. [...] Also It is īpossyble to please god w tout faith The īpullsyue cause to these sacrifices is [Page] taken of the cōlynes or cōuenience. For sithēs we be the people of god & prestꝭ, it is cōuenient y • we haue some sacrifyces. To formal cause of these sacrifyces putteth Paule Rom. xii. where he sayth the lyuely and holy sacrifyce.
OF one sorte be all thankfull sacrifices in y • new testament, Partes. euē ꝓcedynge of spiritual affections of the herte which is renewed & agayn borne by tholy ghost. Howbeit bycause the good workes of sayntꝭ or godly ꝑsons be of .ij. sortꝭ, som of the fyrst table, which prescrybe aswel the inwarde as the outwarde worshyp of god, & some of the second table which cōteyn the cyuyle & honest maners or offyces towardes the neyghbour. Therfore we maye also make two kyndes of eucharistycall sacrifices in the new testament, not y t they be double & of two sortes of theyr owne ꝓper nature, but bycause they cōsyste in two kyndes of workes, to the ꝑfyte executynge wherof, be requyred the selfe same pure affections & the selfe same holy ghost to make those workes holy & lyuely sacrifices. Thankfull sacrifices of the first table The sacrifices therfore out of the fyrst table be these. Fayth towardes god, feare of god Prayer or callyng on god. Loue or charite of god. Preching of y • gospel. Thākes [Page cxlvi] gyuyng. Cōfessyng of god & sēblable ꝑteynyng to thynwarde & outwarde seruyng of god. The scripture is ful of places whiche teache these sacrifyces to be moste acceptable to god, & therfore oftē tyme they be called odours or sauours moste swete placable sacrifyces, acceptable offerynges to god.
OF y • later table be takē forth these sacrifices. Thankfull sacrifices out of the .2. table To helpe y • neyghbour. To honour the parentꝭ & rulers. Not to slaye, Not to cōmyt adultery. To absteyn frō theft, & suche lyke whiche albeit they be outward thīgꝭ or workꝭ yet they be called spiritual sacrifices forasmoch as for y • most parte they be done by y • worke of tholy ghost, & w t a cōsētyng mīde. To be short all y • workꝭ of sayntꝭ ought to be referred hither, yet euē y • vilest & moost base workꝭ. For the [...]ēd al vnto .i. mark ¶Forasmoche as the eucharisticall or thankefull sacrifyces of the newe testament Effecte [...]. be nothynge elles but good workes of the godly: therfore they haue the same effectes in common that good workes haue with these. To prayse, to honoure god with these sacrifyces. To render graces to god aswell for the receyued benefyte ī Chryst as for al other which god doth bestow dayly vpon vs▪ [Page] To exercyse by these sacrifices our faith To prouoke others by these sacrifices y • they may beleue y • gospell & gloryfy god Many more effectꝭ of this sacrifice may be brought hyther out of theffectꝭ of our good workes.
¶Contraryes to the hole sacrifice.
¶Contraryes to sacryfice be these. To graūt y t sacrifice generally takē, is a purging sacrifice for the redempcion of our sinnes. To denye y • the gētiles receyued theyr custome of sacrificing either of nature which teacheth a certaine worshipping of suche god as it knoweth, or of the folowinge and imitacion of the godly fathers. To hold y t y e sacrifices of the godly & of y • rude gentiles were al ones of lyke vertue before the lawe was giuē To hold that the godly before the law giuen were moued by any other cause to do thankeful sacrafyces thē by faith inforcing theyr kindes as her ꝓpre effecte, Abraham cōcerning the offeringe of his owne son had a speciall cōmaūdemēt of god, To say that y • godly fathers before y • lawe was giuen, ☞ deserued rightousnes by theyr sacrifices & that after the lawe was gyuen fyrst began the propiciatory sacrifice of Christ for rightousnes. To [Page cxlvii] ny that forthw t euē in the very promise made vnto Adā the sacrifice of Christ stode for the sines of Adā: Gene. iii. e whē he herd the voice of god saying vnto him y t the seed of the womā shold trede downe y • hede of the serpēt. The errour of papistes, To maynteyn more sacrifices for purging of synnes than the only sacrifice of Christ. To mainteyn more sacrifices of redēption then two, y • one Mosaycal thother of Christ This for the fines before god, thother for the redēption of rightousnes in the cōmon wele of the Iues. To hold y t the Mosaycal sacrifice of redēption redemed synnes before god. To holde y t the new testamēt do yet after a maner requyre aswel purging sacrifices for sines, as the eucharistical or thankful sacrifices of Moses. To say y • our thākful sacrifices there, is some cause ī vs. To hold y t sacrifices of prayse do plese god in other then such as he recōciled. To hold y t our sacrifice of praise do satisfie for sinnes, & do iustifie. Papistes and scholemen, To maintein y t our thākful sacrifices may be applyed for others, so y t they may deserue vnto thē remissiō of synnes euē for the very workes sake. To cōfounde w t the papistꝭ sacrifice & sacramēt togithers, Papistes▪ where as god offereth in this his grace [Page] vnto vs and in the other we offre laudes and thankes to god.
Of repentaunce. CA. XXXVII.
REpentaūce is wherby by true contriciō we dye vnto synnes, Diffinition. & lyft vp again our selues frō sines for the receyuing of forgiuenes of y e same.
THIS diffinitiō which is made of y • ꝑtes of repentaūce is very certein. The ꝓbaciō. of y e diffiniciō For of repentaūce there be two ꝑtes, cōtriciō & fayth, which two if I can proue y • they cōcur & mete togither ī repētaūce & can not be plucked thone frō thother then my diffinitiō shal be most certein, notw tstanding y t al the schole doctours be against it. In Marke .i. Christ saith. Do repentaūce & byleue the gospel. In the gospel of Mathew he sayth. Math. xi. d. Come vnto me al ye y t labour & are laden, & I shal refresh you. Here labour & burthen signifie cōtriciō. To come vnto Christ is to bileue that for Christ synnes be released, which thing Christ calleth to be refreshed. Itē Mat. 3. Repēt you of your formar lyfe. This ꝑte is cōtricion, for at hand is the kingdom of heuē. This ꝑte requyreth faith, wherby we com to the kingdom of heuē, & wherin is foūd [Page cxlviii] remissiō of synnes. S. Paul euerywhere maketh mēciō of these two ꝑtes whereas he ioyneth togither mortifienge and quickening, as Ro. 6. Col. 2. And ī other places of scripture oftētymes these .ij. ꝑtes of repentaūce be coupled togither as in the boke of kingꝭ, where it is said. i. Reg. ii. [...] ▪ The lord killeth & maketh alyue, bringeth down to the graue, & fetcheth vp agayn. Exemples herof be these. ii. Reg. xxiiii. Dauid being chidde of the ꝓphet Nathan, and made afrayd sayth. I haue sined agaīst the lorde. This ꝑte is cōtricion. Afterward the ꝓphet addeth absoluciō sayinge. The lorde hath taken awaye thy synne, thou shalt not dye. This worde comforted & lyfted vp Dauid agayne, and by fayth, helde him vp iustified, & receiued him. In the boke of Nu. ca. xxi. The people punysshed for theyr synnes do come vnto Moses, sayinge: we haue synned. This is contricion. Afterwarde by the commaundemente of Moses they resorte by fayth to the brasen serpente, whiche the lorde caused to be rered vp, and so were made hole. Item in Exod. xiiij. The people feare the lorde. This is a part of contricion. After this, they byleue the lorde. Iosue. v [...] ▪ Agayne Iosue is sory for his sinnes, that [Page] done, he rayseth him self by faith, & putteth god ī remēbraūce of his promises. Finally, y t there be two ꝑtes of repentaūce or penaūce, it appereth most euidētly euen of the very authors of baptisme. S. Iohn̄ y • baptist baptised to repētaūce, y t is, he preched mortificaciō. Christ baptiseth by the spirite & fyre, y • is, he quickneth y • hertes. The final effect of fayth is remissiō of synnes, & to which ende repentaunce was institute. Now y t there be two ꝑtes of repētaūce cōtricion & fayth, Probaciō by doctours that there be these two ꝑtes of penaunce Gregorye. is sufficiently declared before. But lest it might be thought of the papistes y t the aūcient fathers be agaīst this diffinitiō I wil bring forth some testimonies of them.
Greg. in the third boke of dialoges. Of cōpunctiō, y t is repentaūce, there be two kyndes, by which the soule thurstīg after god, is first pricked to feare god, & afterward to loue god. This fear is cō triciō, loue theffect of fayth.
Amb. S. Ambrose writeth thus: wherfore we ought to bileue y t both repentaūce is to be had & ꝑdon to be giuē, to thintent we might hope for ꝑdō as it were by faith, which pardon fayth obteyneth, as it were by an hand writing or indenture of couenaunt,
[Page cxlix] Tertulliā agreeth to the same, Tertulian. where he saith: It is good to be always penitēt. what doubtest y u? God hath so cōmaū ded. ☞ And he hath not only commaūded but also ꝓuoketh & allureth the by the rewarde of euerlasting saluaciō, Ezechi. xviii. yea, & addeth also an oth, saying: I lyue, he y • swereth wold be bileued. O happy and blessed be we, for whose cause god swereth. On the [...]trary ꝑte most wretched be we if we bileue not the lord, neither when he swereth. Barnard.
BERN. in the third sermon of the anūciaciō writeth thus. Let euery mā in his fear & anguish of minde say, I shal go downe to y • gates of hell, to thintēt y • now we shold not loke vp for cōfort but in the only mercy of god.
CAVSES of penaūce or repētance be. Tholy ghost & the word. Causes of penaunce. The holy ghost, lest in true penaūce we shold ascribe any thyng to our owne powers. Of this cause testifieth these scriptures Hiere. 31. After that, o lord, y u shewedst my offences vnto me, I strake my selfe vpon the thigh .i. reg. ij. The lord kylleth & maketh alyue. Item Christ saith: Iohan. xvi. b whē tholy gost cōmeth he shal reproue the world of syn. &c. The worde is the cause, bicause it is the meane wherby y • [Page] holy ghost moueth to repētaūce accordinge to y • exēple in Dauid who by the word being rebuked of Nathā, sayd: ii. Reg. xii. b I haue sīned agaīst y • lord. Now I do not seuer here the law frō y • word, but vnder the word I cōprise both y • law & gospel. The law sheweth the syn, it killeth & driueth down the [...]sciēce. The cōscience at last seketh cōfort. Then the gospel cōmeth & ꝓmiseth to y • bileuers therof remissiō of sīnes & helth, if they lyue a new life accordingly.
Theffectꝭ of penaūce be takē either of the ꝑtes of the same, Effectes of repentaunce. either of thīgꝭ annexed as cōmodities which do chaūce ī [...]enaūce, or which folowe it bicause of fayth an other ꝑte of penaūce. So y t for the most ꝑte, these effectꝭ do ꝓcede ioyntly of theffectes of cōtricion & of fayth. For to be sory for sīnes, maketh not the ꝑfect effect of repētaūce, onlesse y u also addest faith which lifteth vp it self frō the sīnes, wherfore theffectꝭ be these. To be sory in y • hert for thy sīnes, & to lifte vp thy self agayn by fayth to thintēt y • mayst receyue remission of synnes. To bewayle euē frō the hert for thy sīnes: to cōfesse thy synnes & agayn to cōfort thy self by fayth, to thende y • mayst receyue forgiuenes of sīnes. To acknowlege [Page cl] w t thy hert thy sīnes, to dāne them & agyne to aspyre by fayth vnto grace. To dye vnto synnes by cōtricion, & agayne by fayth to rise vp vnto the newnes of lyfe, to thintent y t mightest be renued by the spirit, & put on a new man. To mortify the old Adam, & agayne by fayth to be renued [...]y the spirite of the myndes. Ephe. iiii. [...]. To lay downe lyes, & to speke the trouth. To tremble & quake for the horriblenes of sinnes, & agayne to seke by fayth the discharge of the same. To be sad and heuy w t the brosyng and beating of the hert, which beating I cal cō tricion, and agayne to be glad & ioyful because of fayth, to eschew euil and do good. To damne al our owne workes, our rightousnes, iudgementes, yea and the best thynges in vs, and from thens by faith to fle vnto grace. For to be truly penitent, is not only to forsake euyl workes, but also to damne al such thinges as thou hast before trusted in. Therfore Chryste sayth, Iohn. xvi. b. that the holy ghost shall come to thintent that he maye repreue the world of synne, of rightousnesse, and of iudgement, all which thinges the worlde oughte to condemne in them selues, yf they wyll be partakers of the ryghtousnes of Christ. This effect [Page] of penaūce Iohn̄ the baptist also requyreth, where he saith. Mark. i. b. Repēt ye & byleue the gospel, y t is, distrust your own rightousnes & imbrace Christ who is ꝓmised in the gospel. To receyue y • holy y • is gyuē. For whē by faith Christ is takē hold of in repētaūce, the sīnes be released & the holy is giuē, who af [...]ward ruleth defēdeth & createth new mociōs to draw w t it wiping out of synnes, according to the saying of Peter in y • act. Be ye repētaūt & turne, Act. iii. d. y t your synnes may be wiped away. To draw w t it quietnes of cōscience & helth, according to the ꝓphete Hieremy. Hiere. z. d. g Be ye turned y t ye may rest & be saued. To bring life w t it according to Ezech. Eze. xviii. c Yf the wicked shal repēt frō al his synnes whiche he hath done, & shal kepe my cōmaundemētes, & do that thing that is egal & right. &c. he shal be saued. Certes these & such sēblable effectes of penaūce takē forth of the cōmodities annexed to the same, do folow euē for y • penaūce sake, but eyther bycause of the promesse of god added thervnto, or for fayth sake thother ꝑte of penaūce, which cleueth to the promises of god.
FINALLY, forasmoch as fayth is an other ꝑte of penaunce, & charite is a [Page cli] thing allied to faith, therfore also charite fyrst towardes god, & sithens towardes the neyghbour must nedes folowe penaūce. Frō hens do flow forthe now also outward good workꝭ, which testifye y • penaūce to be true. For what outward thinges so euer penaūce requireth, yea, & what outward thīges so euer foloweth penaūce, y • same bear witnes only of the true penaūce, accordīg to s. Aug. Augustine. in his boke of penaūce, which sayth. Sicut penitēcie comes est dolor, ita lachrime sūt doloris, that is: like as the cōpagnion of penaūce is sorow, so the teres be witnesses of sorow. Hereof it cōmeth y t to worke well outwardly, to giue almes, to fast to subdue y • flesh, & to do sēblable workes or exercises cō ueniēt for repētaūce, we iudge symplely to be testimonies of y • true repētaūce in the hert which be done euen for this very purpose, y t the flesh maye be tamed by thē, to thintent y t hensforth it might the lesse offende. Also forasmoch as we rede in scripture diuers exēples which testify y t through repentaūce, temporal peynes be here mitigate ī this life therfore we attribute also this effecte vnto penaūce y t it doth mitigate tēporal peynes in this lyfe, according to thexēple [Page] of the Niniuites & of the childrē of Israel Ionas. iii. Iosue. vii. a where god turned away his furye frō them after y e Achan was punysshed which toke away of the excōmunicate thīges. Itē in the boke of iudges. cap. x. the childrē of Israel do [...]fesse theyr sinnes, and w t outward factes also declare that they truly repēted, & therfore they threw away their ydols, wherfore god deliuereth Israel frō the bondage of y • Philistins & of Amō. But this mitigaciō of tēporal peynes chaūceth not merely euē for y • penaūce sake, as tofore I haue said of the other effectꝭ, but for faythes sake thother ꝑte of penaūce. To this effect of penaūce belong al such places of scripture as either do ꝓmise mitigaciō of tēporal peynes bicause of repētaūce or declare y • the mitigaciō of temporal peines haue folowed vpō repētaūce, as be these, if we wil cōdemne our selues, we shal not be cōdemned of y • lord. Itē almeses deliuer frō synnes, y t is to wite as apꝑteyneth to the remissiō of peyne in this lyfe.
Cōtraries to penaūce be these. Contraryes to repētaūce. Catharans Nouacians. To deny w t the Catharās & Nouacians that such as fall agayne after baptisme can forthink thē selues or be penitēt, [...]trary to the manifest exēples of Dauid, of Manasses, [Page clii] of Peter, & infinite others. To hold, y • by this worde penaūce is onely signified a sorowe for sinespast, which errour cōmeth of the ꝑtes of penaunce not rightly vnderstand. To holde that penaūce is only a bewayling or wepīg for suche synnes as be past. To saye penaūce is only a ceasing from outward vices w tout the sorow of the hert. To ascribe penaunce to our own powers. To graūt y • penaūce cōmeth by any other cōmon mean, thā by the word preached, wherby the holy ghost dāncth our wickednes, yea & our own rightousnes iudgementes & opiniōs. Al which thinges the worlde lay agaynst the iustyce of Chryst. To affyrme y t there be other partes of repentaunce, or more then cō tricion & faith. Schole men. To put with the schole men thre partes of penaunce, contrici [...] confession, and satisfaction. To mainteyn that there is one & the self same penaunce common to al maner of ꝑsons. This errour confoundeth the true and fayned penaūce togyther, where as vndoubtedly besyde the true repentaunce whiche consysteth in the true sorowes of the herte, lyftynge vp it selfe w t sure faythe towardes the promyses of god concerning the frank remission of sinnes, [Page] ☞there is also a feyned & hypocritical penaūce, which mē lay vpon theyr owne backes and diuise it w t outward workes or outward chastitie w tout the true terrours of the hert & of the cōscience and w tout faith. In the meane seasō to what purpose these outward thī ges serue, I haue declared before ī theffectes of penaūce. To hold y t penaunce [...]uē for the very workes sake do iustify w tout fayth, or cōferreth grace. To say theffectes of penaūce ꝓceding of the cō modities therof do folow for any other thinges then for faythes sake an other ꝑte of penaūce. To hold y • by repētaūce or as they cal it penaūce, only y • actuall blame is remitted, & not the peyne whiche they say is done away by satisfaction. To hold y • theffectes of penaūce do Pap [...]sticall errour. folow bicause of the preestꝭ absoluciō, although the penitent lacke fayth. To maynteyn y • by repētaunce though the hole blame be released, yet not always the hole gilt, y t is to wite, that which is due to the hole payne. The [...]eresye of papistes. To say y • in repentaūce all the drosse of actuall syn is not remitted, onlesse penaūce be perfect according to al his papistical ꝑtes, y t is to wite, cōtricion, cōfession, & satisfaction. To hold y • true repentaunce can [Page cliii] stande w tout y • workes of charite or other good workes. To deny y t penaūce ought to endure throughout y • hole life for sithens we do dayly cōmit synnes, therfore so long as we liue we nede repentaunce.
Of cōtricion a parte of penaūce. CA. XXXVIII.
COntricion is a true remorse or fearfulnes of [...]science, Diffinition. which feleth y t god is angry w t syn, & therfore it soroweth for synnes.
MANY places of scripture there be Probacions. which make vs certeyn of cōtricion, y • it is a remorse & terrour of conscience. The ꝓphet Ioel saith. Iohel. ii, c. Rent your hertꝭ & not your clothes. Itē Ps. 6. haue mercy on me lord, for I am weike, heale me lord, for my bones are troubled. 2. co. 8 Ye be made sad vnto repentaūce. ☞ This word (true) excludeth hypocresy which fayneth [...]triciō in fastingꝭ, watchingꝭ & sēblable outward workes, all which neuertheles do folow, if so be the [...]triciō be true, but w tout the true feares of cōscience, al suche outward workes be nothīg worth. Finally faith also ought to approche to y • outward workes whiche make thē quicke & true.
[Page] THE causes of ꝯtriciō be tholy ghost Causes of contricion. & the word. The holy ghost moueth & ledeth vs to ꝯtriciō, according to his office, while he rep̄ueth vs of our syn, Iohn. xvi. b. of iudgement, & of our rightousnes. The world is y • mean wherby tholy gost ledeth to ꝯtriciō: [...]i. Reg. xii. a So Dauid being rebuked by gods worde of Nathan, sayth. I haue synned agaynst the lorde.
THE true ꝯtricion is one only thing Partes none ꝯsisting in the ꝯsciēce, endued w t true remorses & trobles springīg forth thrugh the preching of gods word, repreuīg vs of our sines, & is the gift of tholy gost. Besidꝭ this there is also a coūtrefet or hypocritical cōtriciō, which mē do lay vpō thē selues by outward workes w t out the true troubles of cōsciēce. This is reiected of scripture.
Theffectes of cōtriciō, Effectis be none other thing thā true fearingꝭ & troubles of cō sciēce, rising by y e knowlege of sinnes, as these, To sorow w t the herte for the sines acknowleged, & outwardly to testify this sorow w t good workes, e [...]ēple of Mary Magdaleyn, Luc. vii. [...] which in her hert sorowed for her synnes, & declared outwardly this griefe of herte w t teares & workꝭ of loue towardes Christ. To be wayle euē frō the hert thy synnes, & to [Page cliiii] cōfesse y • same. Thus Dauid (as is said) being chidden of Nathan soroweth for ii. Reg. d. his synnes, & sayth w t a mournful herte I haue synned agaynst the lord. And to the true cōtricion of synnes is necessarily requyred the cōfessiō of synnes before god. Psal. xiii. Kyng Dauid witnessynge the same wher he saith, I shal [...]fesse agaīst me myne vnrightousnes before y • lord, and y • hast ꝑdoned the wickednes of my hert. To acknowlege in hert our synnes, to whiche knowlege verye egrely ꝓuoketh vs the ꝓphet Hier. ca. 2. 3. & 4. To dāne thy synnes euē w t thy hert. To dye vnto syn euen w t the very hert. To sorow hertely for thy sines w t purpose to chaūge thy hole life ī to better. Now outwarde thinges, as fastynges, watchynges, chastitie, wepynges, & (to be shorte) all maner of outwarde thinges make nothing to the cōtricion of hert saue y t they be markes or testimonyes of the contricion of hert, profitable to subdue the flesh that hensforth it maye synne the lesse.
Cōtraryes to [...]trīciō be these. Cōtraries or errours. To say cōtricion is nothing els but a volūtary sorowing for synnes w t a purpose of cōfessing & satisfyeng. Scholemen. To trifle with certaine scholemen of the difference of [Page] attricion & cōtricion. Attricion & contricion To dispute suꝑsticiously w t the scholemē whether sinnes be remitted by attricion or cōtricion. They cal attricion an imꝑfite displeasaūce for sinnes y t be cōmitted. To say cōtricion is our owne worke. To maynteyn y • there be other causes of cō tricion thā the holy ghost & the worde. To hold y t contriciō is cōuersaūt essentially Scholemen. in the hert, & virtually in cōfessing & satisfieng outwardly. To make folish distinctions bitwene a first [...]triciō, y t must be a moderate sorow, & a second [...]triciō, y t must be the greatest sorow, but not to moche. To hold y t contricion according to grace, requyreth sorow & meryte. This errour I graūt iudgeth aryght of sorowe & grace, but of meryte it iudgeth amysse, as perteyneth to y • remission of the blame, & euerlastyng payne. To graūt y t contricion ought to be had for euery offēce which we know, but for such as we haue forgotten the cōmon contricion suffyseth. To say y • contricion be it neuer so litle euē of it self wipeth away al the blame and peyne. To hold y t the outward nurture or disciplyne of workes & exercises serueth for part of penaūce or true remorse of cōscience. To say [...]tricion [Page clv] always requyreth of necessitie teares, or other outward gestures. To defend that thobseruing of outwarde thinges serue to an other purpose thē to testify of the true [...]triciou of hert, & to bridle the flesh y • it be no more so prone to sin. To hold y t contricion by reason of charite wypeth away the blame, & by reason of sorow quencheth the peyne. To maynteyn y t contricion w tout fayth is any other thing then very desperaciō, for doubtles it can be nothing els whē the conscience do fele theyr synnes and se no remedyes howe to be discharged of the same.
Of fayth the other parte of repē taunce. CA. XXXIX.
FAyth thother & necessary ꝑte of penaūce, Diffinition. is y t wherby the [...]sciences be agayn deliuered out of the fearfulnes, vnto the certeyn & sure remissiō of synnes, lest they shold despayre, being made afrayde by the greatnes & abundance of synnes.
I thought good here seuerally to handle Proue. also fayth as it is thother ꝑte of penaūce, to thend y t the vertue of penaūce may be y • better knowē. But what thīg [Page] properly fayth is, I haue before in the title of faith declared sufficiētly, which treatise maye be also referred hyther. Now, how necessarily faith is required vnto penaūce, & how & in what wise y • cōsciēces be deliuered out of their fear by fayth these reasōs folowing which be groūded vpō y e word, shall ꝓue wel ynough. For take me awaye faith & the [...]sciēces being dep̄ssed by sines haue no thing wherby they may raise vp thē selues agayn out of [...]triciō. Furthermore sines being by [...]triciō bewayled & detested cā yet not be remitted w tout faith. Finally penaūce is vtterly vnꝓfitable yea and also full of despayre w tout this faith: Melācthon loke more of this mater in y • cō mō places of Philip Melāchton.
Faith as it is a ꝑte of penaūce is not diuided No partes ī to ꝑtes. For it is one certeyn affectiō of mynd of a sure [...]fidēce app̄hending remissiō of sinnes by Christ.
THE causes of faith be as before the Causes. holy gost & the word. To these also may be added absoluciō, which neuertheles is y • self word, which word whē the cō sciēces do hear cōcernīg remissiō of sinnes, they raise thē selues by faith which afterward receiueth theffect of y • word euen remission of synnes.
[Page clvi] HYTHER maye well be referred Effectes. theffectes of fayth, so that thou applye the same hither vnto repentaunce. For fayth as a parte of penaunce differeth nothing frō faith iustifieng. Of which I haue heretofore seuerally entreated. Theffectes be these. To attayne remyssyon of synnes acknowleged, and detested in contricyon, for fayth iustifyeth. To rayse vp, to quycken, and to releue the dismayed conscience in contricion. To delyuer the concyence frō desperacion. To make quyete conscyences, whiche be assured they be released of theyr synnes throughe Chryste. ☞ To brynge with it the holye ghoste to be our leader, and the creatour of new affections and mocyons in vs vnto a newe lyfe. For Chryste yf he be cleaued vnto by faythe, gyueth vnto vs the holye ghoste. To cause a ryghte loue towardes god and the neyghboure. For charitie can not be true and accepted, before there be an attonement made by faythe. To engenōre of it selfe al good workes, & to cause that they may plese god, accordynge to this texte, withoute faythe it is impossyble to please god. Roma. xiiii. Item, all that is not of faythe is syn. To shewe the difference bytwene [Page] frutful cōtriciō & vnfrutful, helthsom & dānable, bitwene the [...]tricion of Iudas & of Peter, of Dauid & of Saul. For the [...]tricion of Iudas and of Saul was therfore vnꝓfitable & dā [...]able bicause it lacked faith the necessary ꝑte of repē taūce. To shew the difference bitwene the seruile & the filial fear. The seruile fear is fear w tout fayth: the filial fear is ioyned with fayth. Cōtraries
Cōtraries to the faith be these. To deny y • faith is thother ꝑte of penaūce. To say penaūce auayleth w tout fayth. To hold y t penaūce w tout faith is any other thing then very desperaciō. To hold y t fayth thother ꝑte of repentaūce is our worke. To defend y t the foresaid frutꝭ of penaūce do folow by reason of any other thing then of fayth.
Of confession. CA. XL.
COnfession is of four sortꝭ. Diuision of confession. One is before god. An other opē. The .iii priuate, but yet of open crimes, & which folowed in stede of opē [...]fession. The fourth auricular.
¶Of confession before god.
CONFESSYON which is made Dyffinicion. before god is wherby we dayly cōfesse before god our synnes, cōdemning our [Page clvii] selues for vniust & wretched siners, to thende y • by the mercy of god on which we cal, we may obteyne forgyuenes of our synnes.
NOVV, Probacion. that there is a confession to be made before god, we be certified by many places of scripture. The ꝓphete saith: Psal. xx [...]i. Mine offēce I haue knowleged vnto the, & mine vnrightousnes I haue not hyd frō the. I said, I wil cōfesse against me my vnrightousnes vnto god, & thou hast forgiue the wickednes of my hert. These wordes of the prophet besides y • they ꝓue this cōfession, they do also set forth theffect, which foloweth such as cōfesse thē vnto god, y t is to wite remission of synnes. This diffinition also is approued by the hole. 50. psalme of the ꝓphet. i. Iohan. i. S. Iohn̄ agreeth to y • sane where he sayth. Yf we cōfesse our synnes, god is faythful y t he wil forgiue vs our sinnes. To this cōfession euerywhere we be exhorted by the ꝓphetes, namely of Hiere. ca. 2. 3. and. 4.
This confession is a dayly cōfession bycause we synne daylye, Math. vi. e Luc. xi. a and therfore Christ did put it in the prayer whiche be taught vs to praye, named the Pater noster, wherin we saye forgyue vs our synnes. &c.
[Page] THE causes of this [...]fessiō be tholy Causes gost & the word. For while tholy gost rebuketh vs according to his office of sin iudgemēt & rightousnes, & y t by y • word it cōmeth to passe y t we be brought to y • knowlege of our synnes, & aft we haue knowē thē, y t we [...]fesse the same before god, which he forgiueth whē his ꝓmise of mercy is ones layd hold of by faith. accordīg to his own saying by y • ꝓhet Ier. Hiere. 3. d. Know y u thine iiquite bicause y • hast forsakē y e lord thy god, ☞ & hast made thy self ꝑtaker of strange goddes vnder al grene trees, but hast had no wil to hear my voyce saith the lord: oh ye shrinkīg childrē, turne agayn saith the lord, & I wil be maryed w t you. &c. Itē a litle before he sayth. Hiere. iii. b Therfore at the lest way frō hensforth cal on me in this wise. O my father, y • art he which hast brought me vp in my virginitie, wilte y • then be angry for euer? &c.
TO the foresayd causes also the commaundementes of god is to be added, whiche comaundeth vs to confesse our synnes to god, wherby we be certified that this cōfession pleaseth god. This cōmaundement is openly espied in this place where Christ saith. Repēt ye. For this confession is theffect of contriciō [Page clviii] whiche is an other parte of penaunce. Mark. i. a. In the gospell of Marke it is red that all were baptised of Iohn̄ in the floude Iordane, confessynge theyr synnes. Furthermore, contricyon is cause of this confessyon. For he that is contryte, shall necessarily also confesse his synnes.
THERE be no ꝑtes of this cōfessiō. No partes. For it is one certeyn confession before god of synnes euen frō the hert, which neuerthelesse is done of diuers persons with diuers and sundry gestures. The cōfessiō of hypocrtis. It is an hypocriticall confessyon whiche is made onely with the mouthe, without the true terrours of cōscience without fayth. &c.
YF fayth be put to this confession, Effectes. so that y u confessest thy synnes before god vnder a certeyn confidence had vpon y • promises of god, by whiche he hath promised to penitentes & suche as confesse theyr synnes remission of the same, thā thou receyuest forgyuenes of synnes. Wherfore the chief effect of this cōfession, is forgiuenes of sinnes purchased by fayth. Thother effectes be common w t theffectes of contricion. For [...]fession before god dothe nothynge differ from contricion, but as the causes & effectes [Page] differ. And he y • is cōtrite, neuer forgetteth confession.
Cōtraries to this [...]fession before god Cōtraries. be these. To say cōfessiō which is made before god is not by gods law. To say this [...]fession before god is ynough, & so to despise the keyes & absolucion ministred by thy brother. ☞ To say y • this confession before god, taketh away [...]fessiō y • ought to be made to thy brother lerned ī gods worde, to thintēt y u mightest be instructed ī the knowlege of y t word & receyue by the word absoluciō of thy sinnes. To hold y t confessiō before god done as it shold be is our work. To say this cōfessiō hath none expresse cōmaū demēt in scripture. The errour of papistes. To hold y t cōfessiō before god is vnprofitable, bicause we be vncerteyn of absoluciō. This errour is great, for this cōfession hath his absolucion by the worde. And hitherto ꝑteyn such places of scripture as do remit synnes vnto the repentaūt ꝑsons & which testify y t by this cōfession the holy fathers haue obteyned remissyon of synnes, as psal. 31. And y u hast remitted the wickednes of my hert. To holde y • forgyuenes of synnes which folow the cōfessiō before god, doth folow for any other thing then fayth.
Of open confessyon. CA. XLI.
OPEN confession is by which in Definicy [...] times past the cōmitters of open crymes did cōfesse theyr sines before the hole cōgregaciō, ernestly ꝓmising y t they wold hēsforth amend theyr lyuing, which done, they were pardoned, and admitted agayne in to the congregacion.
VVE be certeyn of this diffinitiō by Probacion. thexēples of scripture, which do aswel testify y t this cōfession was in vre in y e church as also ꝓue the residue of y • diffinitiō [...]cerning the forme of this [...]fessiō Thexēples hereof be. 1. Cor. 5. &. 2. Cor. 2. In the first place thapostle wryteth thus. i. Corin. v. a. It is reapported cōstātly y t there is fornicaciō amongꝭ you, & such fornicaciō as is not ones named amōgꝭ y • gē tiles, y t one shold haue his fathers wife And ye swel, & haue not rather sorowed, y t he which hath done this dede might be excluded your cōpany. For I veryly as absēt in body, yet ꝑsent ī spirit haue determined alredy, as though I were p̄ sēt, of him y • hath done this dede. In the name of our lord Iesu Christ, when ye are gathered togither, & my spirite, w t [Page] the power of the lord Iesu Christ deliuer him vnto Satan for the destructiō of the flesh, y t the spirit may be saued in the day of the lord Iesus. &c. ii. Cor. ii. b In the seconde place he writeth thus. It is sufficiēt for y • same mā y t he was rebuked of many, so y t now cōtrary wise ye ought to forgiue him & cōfort him, lest y • same ꝑson shold be swalowed vp with ouermoche heuynesse. &c.
TO this confession was not added satisfaction, as openly teacheth Paule by these wordes: It is sufficiēt for the mā that he was rebuked of many.
IN asmoch as this confession semeth Causes. Mat. xviii. c. to apperteyn to the forme of repreuing the brother y t sinneth taught by Christ, it hath the commaundement of god for the cause. For albeit Chryste speaketh there of the synnes of priuate persons, yet bycause we be commaunded there to disclose the synnes of our stubborne brother vnto the churche, therfore it semeth that this publique or open confession toke her occasion & beginnyng of the said commaundemēt. Furthermore this confession in the respect of absolucion hath gods word for the cause. The circumstaunces and ceremonies of the thyng was instituted by the authoritie [Page cx] of man.
THIS confessiō is not diuided in to No partes. ꝑtes, but is one symple thing, euen a publique & open disclosyng of notorious crimes accordīg to the maner & forme aboue specified.
THEFFECTES of open confession be these. Effectes. To wyn the brother y t falleth, as Chryste sheweth Math. 18. To reconcile him that is fallen in to synne vnto the churche agayne. Of this effect monissheth vs thapostle where he saith Wherfore I pray you do so that charitie ii. Cor. ii. may be wrought vpō him, meanyng the person that was fallen in to sinne. To warne others by this open confession, and to fraye them from commyttynge the lyke enormytyes. To be a token of earnest repentaunce, or a triall whereby theyr stomackes be examined whether they haue earnestly repented.
Contraries to this confession be. Contraries. To deny open confession to be of gods law as hauing regarde to the .xviii. chapiter of Mathewe. To holde that open confession hathe satisfaction annexed vnto it. To saye that this open and publique confession, which in tymes past hath ben vsed of the fathers, ☞ is not to [Page] be brought agayn in to vre, ☞ specialy as farforth as it is of gods law.
Of cōfessyon pryuate of opē crymes before a priuate preest. CA. XLII.
COnfessiō priuate of open crimes Diffinicyon. before a priuate preest, is whiche hath succeded ī place of publique cōfessiō before remēbred by which opē synners were wont to cōfesse their sinnes before som one prest appointed out of the nōbre of the elders for y t purpose which to such as were in wil to repēt, enioyned a certeyn punishmēt (whiche coruptly thy cal now penaūce) before the [...]gregaciō, by which they were tried whether they wold ernestly forthik and forsake theyr old lyfe, which done, they were then fyrst receyued vnto the congregacion agayne.
OF this diffinitiō such writers are to Probacions be sought & loked vpō which haue writē of this cōfession. S. Cyprian. Cypriā maketh menciō of this in his sermō De lapsis, & els where. Tripartita historia. Also y • tripartite history whose wordes y u shalt fynd in y • cōmon places of Melanchtō. Also an exēple somwhat like vnto this cōfession remayneth yet [Page clxi] in such places as ꝑdons be had, whervnto murtherers or other opē synners resort, & there making a priuate cōfession before some certein prest be afterward caried aboute the tēple, holding vnder theyr lefte arme a rod, & in their ryght hand a bre [...]nyng tapre, w t the rod they be beatē of euery one of the cōfessours, al which thīges done, they be enioyned certein fastinges & prayers, & so at last be admitted to the cōpany of the faithful. Certeynly of this cōfessiō a like exē ple remayneth yet at this day in Rome where is a special place appoynted for penitētes, & where they stand euen like vnto mourners. Itē certeyn west churches are reapported to kepe styl a lyke vsage of this confession.
THIS cōfession depꝑteth further frō Causes. the word of god thē the opē cōfessiō afore mēcioned, wherfore y • cause of this cōfessiō we may laufully make mās authoritie by which it was fyrst ordeined as the tripartite history also declareth Tripartite hystorye. where it saith. ☞ It was sene to y • aūcient bisshops, y t as it were ī a stage play notorious crimes shold be layd opē to the testimony of y • church, & for this cause they appoynted forth a prest of a good [...]uersaciō, a faythful kepe [...] of coūsel, & [Page] a wise mā, vnto whō such as had offēded might approche & cōfesse their enormities. And y e prest accordīg to euery mās fault enioyned punishment. &c.
THIS confession hath no ꝑtes, No partes. but is of one sort, according to the forme before prescribed.
Theffectes hereof be not vnlyke to y • Effectes. effectes of open cōfession set forth heretofore, as. To wyn the brother y t is fallen. To recōcile him to the church. To monish and feare other from lyke fallynge. To be the tryall of true repentaunce.
Contraryes be these. Contraries To say this cō fession is by gods law although ī some parte I can not deny but it had occasiō of the former confession. To hold that the penaltie or punishment is added to this confession that the penitent by the same might satisfye for his synnes. To hold that this confession in whiche the preest enioyneth penaltie or punishmēt (which they folyshly call penaunce) is of necessitie to be vsed, wheras in dede the same is not cōmaunded by the law of god.
Of auricular or eare confession. CA. XLIII.
[Page clxii] AUricular or eare confession is D [...]ffinicion. wherby doubtfull consciences & loden w t synnes seke by y • worde assurance, instructiō, cōfort, & a certeyn way to com to remissiō of sīnes, which the bileuers also receyue bicause of absolucion & the power of the keyes.
THE necessary vse of this confession Probacyon. proueth sufficiently this diffinitiō. For man being laden w t the burthen of sinnes for the most parte can not comfort him selfe, eyther bicause he is not well taught in the worde, or bycause the batayls of his conscience be greater then that it can wel ryd it selfe of the same. Wherfore by al meanes this cōfession is necessary & ꝓfitable, to thintent y • by it the conscience may be instructed and taught where it ought to seke for comfort, y t it may obtein remissiō of sinnes. Nowe, y t remission of synnes foloweth this confession bycause of absolucion, and the power of the keys, these places teache vs. He that heareth you, heareth me. Item to whome so euer ye shall remyt synnes, Math. xviii. [...] they shall be forgyuen in heuen.
The cause of this [...]fession, Causes. I graūt, is mās authoritie. But forasmoch as god approueth absolucion, & euery mā hath [Page] nede of it, therfore this confession is to be kept still in the churche, yf so be we wil that there be any vse of the keyes ī ☞ the churche. Neyther do I se why men shold be greued w t this cōfession, onles I suppose bicause they haue no delite to be instructed in the word, where as yet they most of al glory of the gospell, or bicause remissiō of synnes is vnthankful vnto thē, which is offred in this cō fessiō by absoluciō. Thou therfore whiche hast y t gospel, which disdaynest not to run to sermōs, imbrasing the same w t great admiracion & delectaciō of mind why dost y u shrinke back frō confessing or askyng counsel cōcerning thy helth and saluacion, and frendly to talke w t the curate or shepeherde, to thintente thou mayste lerne of hym euen the selfe same thynge that thou hearest at sermons by the open preachynge of the worde.
EARE confession is not diuided into No partes. ꝑtes but is one simple cōfessiō wherby the cōsciences do seke cōfort institution & remission of synnes, through absoluciō, which is by the worde.
Theffectꝭ of auricular cōfessiō ꝓcede Effectes of the ꝓfyte & necessitie of the same as. To be institute & instructed better in y • [Page clxiii] christen doctrine. To receyue a stronger comfort by further instruction. To here of remyssion of sinnes by y e power of the keyes. To receyue remyssion of sinnes by the word throuh the power of the keyes there may also be gathered other effectꝭ of eare confession forth of the commodities of the same which helpe to repre [...]e the occasions of sinnes when the conscience do here in cōfession the heynousnes of sinnes & how horryble god punisheth sinne. On the contrary part how greate rewardes he will giue to good workes.
¶Contraryes to eare confession be these Contraryes To holde that eare confessiō is by gods lawe. Albeit I graunt that god approueth absolusion. To dispise auryculer cō fession or to neglecte it which although it be not commaūded by the law of god yet for the foresayde commodities it is not to be dispised ne neglected, oneles a man thinketh that he nedeth not the worde whiche he heareth in the institucion and absoluciō. To bynde auricular confession to to a time certaine. To saye that the rehersal & rekening vp of al sinnes is requyred in confession by goddes law. To say eare confession is therfore necessary that the penitent may receyue satisfaction for his sinnes. To hold that [Page] all y • sines are to be cōfessed vnder paine of deedly sin. Papisticall To hold that auricular cō fession without satisfaction added to y • same is in vayne & nothinge worth. To holde that all sinnes are to be confessed to gither with all the circumstaunces be longinge to the same. To saye eare confession of it selfe concerneth necessite of helth as ꝑteyneth to the remyssion of y • blame but not to the remyssiō of y • paine for whiche they holde that satisfaction is to be had. Papisticall errour. To holde that eare confession euen of it self wypeth away sinnes aswell concerning the blame as y t paine The errour of scholemen. To saye eare confessiō maketh of a deedly sin veniall sin. To holde that auricular confession as a worke of it self delyuereth frō the euerlasting peine & dimynissheth y • temporall peyne, The heresye of. S. Thomas worshipped mought he be. To holde w t Thomas y • scholeman y t the pryncypaul effectꝭ of eare [...]fession be to delyuer from euerlasting peyne & frome the peyne of purgatory in which y • sayd Thomas sayeth y t suche as be confessed be more easly pūysshed thā such [...]s be but only cōtrite.
Of satisfactiō. CA. XLIIII.
SAtisfaction is of two sortes the one A diuision of satisfaction. whiche in tymes past was added to opē penaūce y • other is deuysed by y e [Page clxiiii] scholemē, & by reason of many opinions added to the same is vtterly wicked and vngodly.
¶Of satisfaction vsed in times past in open repentaunce.
¶Satisfaction vsed ī old time ī opē penaūce, Diffinition. is a certaine peyn or punishment which in olde time was enioyned by y • preest to the penitent persons for their open sinnes to try thē whether they were ernestly repentaunt.
There is no doubt of this diffiniciō whiche Probacion. is takē forth of y • triꝑtite histo. whiche sheweth y • originall begīning of this satisfactiō ēioyned by y • prest, accordinge to the qualitie of thoffēce, by which y • penitētꝭ exercised thē selues vntil the time appointed by the bishop, whē y • bysshop being p̄sent they were admytted againe to y • ꝑtaking of y • lordes supper, y • finall effect cā not be called ī to doubt, for we must kepe stil this dorctin y • by only faith we obteyn remissiō of sinꝭ, thorow christ & not through our owne workes.
¶The cause of this effectiō is mās authorytye, Causes. according to y • of the tripertite history. It was sene to the auncient bisshops. &c. as before in the title of cōfessiō of open crymes before a pryuate preest y t cause also of this satisfactiō is the preest [Page] which enioyned the payne or punishmēt for which folowed satisfactiō, which lasted tyll the tyme prescribed of the prest Furthermore the cause of this satisfactyon is y • penitent, which ꝑformed y • same. Thoccaciō of this satisfactiō was giuen Occasion. by the malyce & noughtines of mē, whiche by their false & feyned repentaunce disceyued the church.
¶Sūdry sortes of satisfactiō there wer Partes. accordīg to y • qualytie & gretnes of thoffence. And as y e sinnes were, so had they canons rules & lawes for the same.
¶Theffectes be these. Effectes or workes of satisfaccion in olde tyme vsed. To try by y • enioyned satisfactiō whether the penitētꝭ wer truly sory for their sinꝭ. To attēpt them whether they wysshed hertely to come againe to y • cōgregaciō. To tame the flesh frō the wātonnes of sinning. To be an īpedimēt to the flesh that it fal no more so sone into vices.
¶Cōtraryes be these. Contraryes To say satisfaction ī old time was by gods law, to holde that there is an other satisfaction for sinnes thē the merites of Christ. Papistical erroures. To meynteyn two maner of satisfactions, one for veniall sinnes & an other for deedly. To say satisfactiō stādeth not of due workꝭ but superogatiue y • is of suꝑfluous workes & more than nede by which be redemed [Page clxv] the paynes of purgatorye or other temporall peynes. This is a papistical satisfactiō of which I wyl entreate her after. Purgatorie men. To holde that satisfaction chaungeth eternal peines into peynes of purgatory or other tēporal paines. To hold that such peynes be remytted partly by the power of S. Peters keyes & partly by satisfactiō. To say satisfactiō taketh awaye the blame & giueth remyssion of sinnes. Good Saint Thomas. To meynteine with Thomas y • the confessour doth laudablye when he ☞ sayth to his gostly childe. What so euer good y u do by satisfactiō y • same mought be vnto the for remyssion of sinnes. To holde that satisfaction suffiseth for the purginge of the peine eyther eternall or temporall, To defend that the penitent obteyneth by satisfaction the ꝑfite frute of grace. To defende that satisfaction is called a price raunsom or recompence for sinnes. To holde that one man maye satisfye for an other as well for the peyne as for y e blame. To graūt that satisfactions do yet serue when they be done in deadly sin. To hold that the satisfactiō of Christ serueth for y • hole nature of mā but yet y • euery man ought to satisfy for his owne sinnes. To maynteyne y • there he superogatyue or suꝑfluous workes [Page] which be not vtterly wycked & abhomynable. To holde that fastinges & other exercises to brydle the ryote of the flesh be not due workes to be done dutīg life & not at times appoynted.
Of satisfaction dyuised by scholemen. CA. xlv.
SAtisfaction diuised by scholemen is Diffinicyon. which stādeth of workꝭ not due but suꝑrogatiue or suꝑfluous wherby be redemed y • peines of purgatory or at lest way other temporall peyne. Probacions
¶The reasons which y t scholemen brīgforth for the cō [...]irmacion of their heresy be these. Iniuryes cōmytted must be recō pensed or satisfyed accordīg to the egaltye of iustice. Etgo say they workes not due but superogatiue are requyred. Also where as god is mercyfull he remytteth y • blame & wheras be is a rightous iudg he chaungeth the euerlastinge peyne in to y • peyn of purgatory or other tēporal peines. Now, part of these peynts they say is relesed by power of y e popish keit [...] & parte is to be redemed by satisfactions. ¶The cause of this satysfactiō is thautorytie Causes. of mā which besides gods worde yea agaīst y e most opē word of god hath [Page clxvi] dyuysed satisfaction. Thoccasion of this deuyse was the confession in olde tyme vsed of publique crimes before a priuate prest not rightly vnderstād which added to the penitentes a certayne penalty or punyshment not that by the executinge of the same they sholde satisfye for their sinnes but that beinge now realesed of theym by the power of the keyes they myghte declare before the hole churche y • they ernestly repented. The causers also of this satisfaction be y • popish prestes that enioyne this satisfaction or penaū [...] as they call it to suche as be confessed of thē. Out holy relygions parsons laye penaunce vpon them selues. Itē they which say it vpō thē selues as hertofore hath ben vsed to be done of workemen, I cal thē so which stryue to wyn heuē by theyr owne good workes as they cal thē, The mater or substaūce of this satisfaction is takē forth of the self workes which they cal supererogatyue or suꝑfluous (ī dede they be suꝑfluous & veine) as be pilgremages, rosaries of our lady, vygilles, tormentaryes & betīges of their owne bodyes wearing of [...]y [...]ces made of heer rope girdels goīge wolwarde & barefote or w t windowes ī their shoes, & such other most vyle workꝭ yea and often times most folysh. Partes. ¶The [...]umysshe schole doctours of later tyme [Page] which write that satisfaction deserueth remission of sinnes make two ꝑtes therof. The one which satisfieth for veniall sinnes for which they dreme that pytter patteringes dayly sayde be sufficiēt. The other, which satisfieth for deedly sinnes & for the peine of purgatory. Effectes
¶Effectes of this scholastical, or rather diabolycal satisfaction, they wyll haue these. To chaunge the euerlasting payne into paines of purgatory, of which part is remytted say they, by the power of y e popish keyes & part by satifactions. To redem themporal paines to merite remissiō of sinnes or of the blame. To merite (for they be greate meriters) lyfe euerlasting. These two last effectes, the rude and folysh monkes haue put to, deuising them out of theyr drowsy pates.
Of pardons or indulgences, CA. XLVI.
INdulgences or ꝑdons were in times Diffinicion. past forgiuīges of open penaūces (as they call them) or satisfactions. Proue.
¶This diffiniciō takē forth of y e maner & custome of open penaunce, & therfore it is certein and sure.
¶ THE cause of pardons is the preest Causes. which released the inioyned penaūce or [Page clxvii] satisfaction.
¶Indulgēces haue no partes which neuertheles Partes. according to the state of the ꝑsons, & necessitie of the thīg were otherwhiles graūted more, otherwhiles lesse vnto the penitentes.
Theffectes of ꝑdons were these. Effectes. To vnburdē y • penitēces, either bycause of their weaknes, or for other causes, To serue ī y • stede of satisfactiō, that was inioyned. ¶Contraries to this auncient ordinaū ce be these. Cōtraries or erroures. Papistes. To graūte with y e papistes that pardōs is a release of payne which deseruingly we sholde suffre for our own sinnes, taken oute of the treasure of the church, to pay home the iustice of god. To say with y e holy man S. Thomas of Thomas of Aquyn. of aquyne, that indulgences by gyuē by satisfactions to the honour of god & common profite of the church. In dede it is to great profite & aduauntage of the popish church which is ecclesia malingnā tum, euen the church of harlotꝭ. To hold with schole clerkes, that pardons be not giuen for corporall thinges of thē selues but as temporall thinges be ordeyned vnto spiritual, se how pretely they cloke their stinking gaynes. ☞ To defende that pardons by the power of S. Peters keyes do delyuer soules out of Purgatory [Page] To say pardons do good seruyce for the remyssyō of temporal paynes. Rome Pardones. To graūt out pardons with the bysshop of Rome and his reuerende clergye, for suche as gyue theyr helpyng handes to the buyldynge of chapels & churches. To holde that pardons be auaylable for those y • dyed in grace, Papistes. or also oute of grace. To mayntyne with the disgysed papystes, y • pardons take awaye both culpā & penā, the syn & the punysshmēt due [...]or y • same.
Of the ecclesiastical power or power of the churche. CA. XLVII.
THe ecclesiasticall power or power of the churche, Diffinicion. is whiche standeth in teachynge the gospell, admynistratyng y • sacramētes, & excōminicating such as [...]e opē synners, & agayn in assoy [...]ing y • same whē they demaūd absoluciō THE realme of Chryst is spyritual, Probacyon [...]er of. not ruled by the swe [...]de, by the armours, & other thīges apperteynynge to a worldly polycye: wherfore this chyrchly power is ryghtly descrybed by y e wordes aforesayd. Furthermore Chryste which is both the [...] & maker of this churchly power remoued all worldly gouernaunce bothe from him selfe, & from his discyples vnto the prynces of the world [Page clxviii] frō hīself which wolde not be chosē to be kyng, but fled away frō his apostles & disciples where as he sai [...]h vnto thē, Ioh. vi. d y • rulers of the gētyles haue dominiō on thē but so shall it not be amonges you. Now S. Peter him self, whō y • papistes make the need of theyr popysshe power or rather tyranny, vsed no worldly or tē poral power, i. Pet. ii. c. yea on the cōtrary ꝑte S. Peter wryteth that we ought to obey y e temporall rulers ordeyned of god for the defence of such as be good, & punyshment of the wycked. i. Peter. v. a. Also S. Peter exhorteth his felowe preestes to fede the flocke of Chryst & to play the ꝑtes of bisshops Some of our bysshps had nede be constrayned to this. (for so it is ī the greke) not cōstreynedly but wyllynglye, not for fowle lucouts sake but of a prompte mynde, not as though they bare rule ouer theyr flocke alotted to theyr spiritual charge but in such wyse as they may be exēplers vnto theyr flocke. Neyther doth his felow s. Paule dyssēt frō hī who also testifyeth vnto the Corynth. of hī selfe sayng. Corin. xxii. d Not that we are lordes ouer your fayth but we are helpers of your ioye Now to teache y • gospell they be commaūded of Christ who saith, Mar [...]. xvi. d Iohn. xx. f. go ye īto y • hole world & preach the gospell. Item as my father hath sent me, so send I you.
[Page] ¶By sacramētes I vnderstād here baptisme, the souꝑ of the lord, Mat. xxviij. d & absolucyō. Of baptysme speaketh Chryst thus. Go & teache all nacyones, baptisyng them ī the name of the father & the son & tholy ghost. Of the souꝑ of the lorde he sayth, Math. xxvi. c. Mat. xviii. c Eate ye drynke ye, &c. Of absolucion he sayt [...] ▪ Uerely I say vnto you, what so euer ye bynd vpō erth it shall be bounde in heuen, &c. The diffinicyō also appeareth certayne by the partes of the ecclesiastical power which be these, y • power of doctryne or order, & the power of excōmunicacyō & absolcuyō. Of excōmunycacyō speaketh Chryst in the .xviii. chap. of Math. Exemples of excōmunicacyon appeare in the fyrste epistle to Timoth. cap. i. in the ꝑsons of Hymeneus & of Alexander whom saynt Paule betoke to Sathā that is to say he excōmunitated i. Timot. i. d. that they shuld lerne not to blaspheme. Itē thapostle blameth y • Corinth, i. Cor. v. a. that they accused not, that is y t they put not out of theyr cōpany the mā y t had cōmitted adultery w t his owne fathers wyfe. And agayne afterward he blameth thē after they had excōmunicate hī whā he toke greate sorow for his offence y t they receyued him not in to their cōpany, Finally such as haue fallē & he repugnaūt [Page clxix] ought to be taken agayne accordyng to thexemple of Peter, & infynyte other.
¶Chryst is the prīcipal cause of this power. Causes of the power of the church. For he ordeyned it & cōmytted it to the cōgregaciō, as appeareth. Mat. xvj. & xviii & in the gospell of Iohn̄. cap. xx. After Chryste, the churche is a secōdarye cause of the ecclesiasticall power, which hath authorite do cōfer & to exerciyse it. No pryuate ꝑson, no bysshop, no archebysshop, or what so euer name he beateth or taketh vpō hym hath no power, onles it be cōmitted to suche pryuate ꝑsons by the hole cōgregacyō, not taken awaye agayne for the abusynge of the same. The vsurpacion of the bishop of Rome. wherfore the bysshop of Rome is not a lytle to blame that he draweth y e power of the churche to his owne ꝓpre ꝑson & vsurpeth vpon the authoritie of the same moost tyrānously. For onely y e churche hath the keyes, & therfore it also hath the power to electe & nominate suche as ought to administre the keyes of the churche where the pure worde of god is bad & the ryght vse of the sacramētes. The maner & The aunciēt vsage of the churche: forme of callyng & chosyng y • ministers in olde tyme vsed ī the churche was this. The people dyd those & ☞ afterwarde came y e next bysshop adioynynge to that diocese & approued [Page] the election. Testimonyes of this election thou shalte fynde in common places of Melancthon. And saynt Paule commaundeth Titus to ordeyne preestes in the places nere aboute hym. Afterward by authorytie of the counsayle of Nyce, the confyrmynge of the bysshop elected Dist. lxiiii. [...]a. Episcopi was gyuē ▪ to all the bysshops of y • same prouynce, which constitution bycause it semed very harde, was chaunged to the confyrmacyō of thre, eyther beyng there present, or elles by wrytynges agreynge thervnto.
¶Hable persons to the ministration of Parsones. mete to be the ministres of the congregation. gods worde be described of thapostle in his epistles to Timo. & to Titus, which descriptiō is approued. Dist. xxv. Hyther pert [...]ine also other decrees, as dist. xxiiij. where it is cōmaunded that suche be ꝓmoted to the dignitie of a bisshop as be apꝓued of longe tyme, as well by the word of fayth, as by thexemple of ryght cōuersacion. Item dist, xxiij. cap. Tales. Let suche be elected to be ministers of y e churche as can worthyly handle the diuyne sacramētes. Also dist. xxiij. cap. Hiis igitur. Let them studye & endeuour them selues to kepe ꝑpetually the chastyte of an vndefyled bodye, or at leestwaye let thē be coupled with the yoke [Page clxx] of one onely matrymonye.
¶It is ā olde diuisiō of the churchly or Partes ecclesiasticall power, to deuyde it īto power of order or doctrine, whervnto ꝑteyneth p̄chyng of y • gospel, declaryng of remyssyō of syunes, & cōmunicatyng therof, administrynge of the sacramentes.
And īto y • power of iurisdictiō, to which belongeth excōmunication & absoluciō. ¶Theffectes of the ecclesiastical power Effecte [...] be these. To teach y • pure worde or gospell, accordyng to the sayng of Chryst, I sēd you, as my father hath sent me, but Christ was not sēt to teach lyes, ergo nether y • p̄chers be sēt to teche lyes. To teche repētaūce & remissiō of synꝭ ī y e name of Chryst, for these be y e ꝑtes of the pure worde or gospel. To ministre remissiō of synnes to others, for this is y • chefe effect of y • gospel. To ministre sacramētꝭ, accordyng to y e word. To assoyle by y • power of y • keyes al true penitentꝭ demaūdyng y e same. To excōmunicate opē siners, amōgꝭ whom I reckē blasphemours, fals techers. i. Tiom. [...] &c. Sēblably Pau. excōmunicated Hymeneus & Alexāder for their blasphemie. To receyue agayn such as couet to returne agayne vnto y • churche, & so to assoyle thē, according to thexemple of the aduout [...]er mēcioned of thapostle in [Page] the seconde epystle to the Corī. ii. Cor. ii. Nowe, these effectes & offycies they may not exercyse in a corner, but opēly & in y • syght of the congregacyō. For the doctryne of the gospell is an open & ii. Cor. xiiii. manyfest preachynge. Neither is it lefull for euery pryuate ☞ person to exercyse these offyces, but onely to suche as be appoynted & called thervnto by the churche, that all thyngꝭ maye be done in the cōgregacyō semyngly, & in due ordre. Neuertheles euery mā may, yea & is bounde preuely to teache & instructe his neyghbour, to declare vnto affrayed cōscyences remyssyō of synnes & that by the word & so to assoyle them. Also in case of necessitie it is lawfull for euery ꝑson to minister the sacramentes. But to excomunicate is not lawfull for any pryuate ꝑsō as it is neyther lawful to ossoyle the excomunicate ꝑson. For these thynges bycause they be publyke iudgmētꝭ & spectacles ought to be done before the hole church. And therfore thapostle wryteth to y • hole churche of Corīth. & not onelye to the mynystres of y • churche that they sholde receyue hym agayne into theyr companye which had commytted thaduoutrye.
¶I thought good amōges y • cōtraryes Cōtraries herof, cōpendyously to touch the ecclesisticall [Page clxxi] power which vnto this daye the byshop of Rome hath vsed or rather abused with horible tyrany, which thing I wil the gladlyer do bycause I knowe that the true ecclesiasticall power shall the better be espied, when on the cōtrarye side the false & tyrannycal power of this monstre is set forth.
¶Of the popish power.
THE power of the church which hythervnto Diffinicion. the pope hath vsurped is a domynion in thinges spiritual & temporal yea rather a power aswell vpon all the laytie as vpon the clergy with authorytye of making & statuting lawes to rule men withal, aswell in spirituall as temporall thinges & where lawes haue no place there to exercise the swerd for the mayntenaūce & defēce of y • goodes both spiritual & temporal of the church mylytaunt.
THE first ꝑte of the diffinitiō is apparaunt Probacyon. dist. xix. capt. Ita dominus. Also ī the decretalles de electione. ca. significasit. Also ī the decretales de hereticis ca. A [...] abolendam. Nowe of his dominion vpon the layty, there be exēples ynough ī which we se the tyrany of the bisshops of Rome vpō emperours & kinges, pope zacharye deposed Hilderich the frenche zacharie. [Page] king & made of a king a monke. Innocēt the .iiii. dyd put downe Frederike the .ii. from the empyre & in his place set vp an other, Alexander the thyrde. pope Alexandre the thirde before hī did trede with his fete vpō Frederike the first emperour of y t name surnamed Barbarossa father to the said Friderike the .ii. And of thauthorytye of making & inactinge lawes at their pleasure which they bynd mē vnto more straightly thē to y • gospel certifieth vs Leo, Leo. Dist. 4. ca. de libellis, Now, Boniface Boniface. the .8. raised great warres in Italy. Grego. Gregorie. moued al warres vpō the emperours of Rome for maynteyning the confyrmacion of y • bisshop of Rome. Iulius. Pope Iulius bicause he made many warres is honoured of som for a Saint & a blessed mā. The false & traytorous warres or rather cōspiracyes of Clement be not vnknowen. Clement.
¶This popish ecclesiastical power Particion of the popishe power. they diuide īto ordre wherby they chose their mynistres that may proclayme & preach this power furnyshed with lyes & tirannye, & in great abuse distrybute y • sacramentes. And into iurisdiction spirituall and temporal.
¶Of this power y • causes be Tiranny Causes. & a mere lust to raign wherby Boniface the thyrd obteyned of y • emperour Phocas [Page clxxii] the name of the vniuersall bisshop, which obteyned by litle & litle to his powers, he encreased the same, and to thintent it myght be the more sure & stable & also extende the farder, his successours bysshops of Rome studyed y • same that Bonyface dyd, tyll at last they were become in worldly power far myghtyer thē kinges & ēperours, whō other whyles they vtterly deposed of thempyre, fynally, I call the popish power a tyrranny, forasmoch as it is a power gotten w t out righte & vnrightlye possed of them, namely sithens they also glory & bost to be y • vica [...]s of Christ, by which facte they declare them selues to be very ātichristꝭ that is to say agaynst Christ.
¶Their effectes & Effectes. workes be these. To d [...]uise & make lawes, statutes, ceremonyes, articles of y • faith, & now these nowe those rites which the bisshops of Rome do lay vpon the fely congregacion as oracles of god or gospels with this condicion annexed therunto y • who so euer transgresseth the same shall be depryued of y • name of a christen mā as openly testifieth Leo. dist. iiii. ca de libellis. To cō fyrme the highest temporall ruler ī erth dist. xxii.C. Omnes, where it is red that S. Peter receyued of Christ the admynynistraciō [Page] both of the erthely & of the heuenly empire. To administre wordly powers whch power y • bysshops of Rome take vnto thē of Peter their p̄decessour accordyng to their lawe aforesayd. To make temporal lawes. To giue sentēce of deth accordinge to y • same. To make warres for defēce of the church goodes. These tēporal office & be nothing mete & conuenient for bysshops especially sythens (as I sayd) they wyll be vyca [...]s of Christ ī y • kingdom of christ which was altogyther estraunge from this worlde. To ordeyne & electe blynde bousardes, cōtrary to theyr owne decrees, as well to preache impute doctrine defoyled w t mans inuencions & for the most part repungnaunt to the sincere worde of god as to distribute y • sacramētes in an horyble abuse. To curse & excōmunicate euery man at their owne pleasure, as testifye exēples of themperours of whome there hath ben in maner none before our tymes which hath eskaped their thunderboltes.
¶Here folowe the rest whiche be contraryes to y • true ecclesiasticall power.
Contraryes therfore to y • true power Contraryes of the churche be these. To holde that y • [Page clxxiii] right of conferring the ecclesiastical power remayneth only with the pope and not with the churche whiche hathe the keyes giuē vnto them of Christ. Papistical To say no mā ought to be admitted to ministre the word onlesse he be elected ordinate & cōfyrmed of the pope or his deputies. To deny that euery ꝑticular congregacion hath power to elect their ministres of the word by the authorite of the keyes The detestable heresie of papistes. cōmytted vnto thē. To say that only to S. Peter & his successours bysshops of Rome were gyuē the keyes of the ecclesiasticall power & not to the churche. To denye that the principall effectes of the churchely power be, to teache gods worde, to preache remyssiō of synnes by Christ, to bestow the same vpon such as couer it to distrybute ryghtly & purely y • sacramētes. ☞ To hold that the power of the church stādeth not but amōges the annoynted prestꝭ. ☞ To hold that priuate persons may not priuatly exercyse thoftyces of the ecclesiasticall power as to ī struct theyr neyghbour ī gods worde, to speake & talke of the gospel, ī necessitye to distribute y • sacramentes. &c. To hold y • open confession is not necessary. The erruor of phantasticall persons To do away priuate absolucion & be contē [...]ed with an absolucion phātastical. To say [Page] that publyque absolucion cā not stande with pryuate absolucion but y t thone or thother is to be abolyshed. To defend y • excommunycacion apꝑteyneth to priuat persons that they maye excommunicate of theyr own authoryty whom they lust To holde that excomunycacion may duly be done althoughe it be not openlye done before the congregacion. To say y t only such as preach euyll doctrine are to be excomunicate & not such as giue euill exemples of lyuyng. Errour of Anabaptists. To deny that such are to be receyued againe into y e congregacyon which haue repented. To seke any other thing by the ecciesiasticall power then the execucion of the fore saide effectes. To exercyse the officies of the eclesiastical power opēly without lawfull callīg by the church to y e same. To resiste rashely the mynisters of the church contrary to y • cōmaūdement of Christ who sayth. Math. xxiii. a All thinges y t they cōmaunde you to do that do ye, y • is to wyte, as longe as they sit in the chaire of Moses. What is to sit in Moyses chayer. Now to sit in y • chayre of Moses is to expown the lawe of god purely & sincere [...]y. To holde that y • vse of the ecclesiasticall power is leted or taken awaye through euyl ministers, so y t they sit in y e chayre of Moses. Therfore Christ signifieth that [Page clxxiiii] there sit in the chaire of Moses scribes & pharises both good & had. wherunto accordeth Paule writting to the phi. Philip. i. thus Some preach Christ of enuy and contē cion, some also of a good wyll. &c. But what forceth it, saith Paul, so y • Christe be preched by any maner of wayes whyther it be by occasiō or of true meanīg I therin ioye, yea & wyl ioye. To abuse the offices of y • eccliastical power for gaines & foule lurce. To hold that the ecclesiastical power is of no force. Heresie of purpatorye men. To holde y • by the power of the keyes soules be delyuered through pordons out of purgatory. Popishe errour. To say in reseruacion of cases not only y • canonical payne but also the offence maye be reserued, yea and in suche as be truly repentaunt.
Of mens tradiciōs in the churche CAPI. XLVIII.
I Wolde not put y • place of mens tradiciōs amonge theffectes of y • ecclesiastical power, as though it shold ꝓtain ꝑprely thyther, forasmoch as to cōstitute humane tradicyōs in the churche, is not the propre effecte of y • churchly power, but which myxed therwith for certayne and necessarye causes, as hereafter shall [Page] more playnly appeare. Discription.
Mens tradiciōs in the churche therfore be ordinaunces of men which they make, which haue a commyssyon of the churche to the same, to thintent that althinges may be done in the congregacion with comelynesse and in ordre.
THIS diffiniciō is playne. Probacion. For they be not gods whiche ordeyned humane tradiciōs in y • churche, or yet do ordeyn. Furthermore certayne it is y • the tradicions be not of the lawe diuyne, bicause they be not expresly mencyoned of in the worde. And thapostle, i. Corynthi. vij. where as he had not an open worde of god to serue for his purpose durste not but call his tradiciōs coūsels & not cō maūdem̄tes where he sayth: Cōcernīg virgyns I haue no cōmaundemēt of y • lorde, [...]. Cor. vii, c but I gyue counsel, &c. Wherfore we ought diligently, accordynge to the maner of Paule, to discerne mens tradiciōs frō the expresse cōmaūdementes of god, For thus the apostle alwayes ꝑte [...]eth before his tradiciōs: I speake this of fauour, i. Cor. vii. a. & not of cōmaundemēt. Item to y • rest speake I (sayth Paule) and not y • lorde. i. Cor. vii. c. The finall effect putteth Paule where be saith: i. Cori. xiiii. g. wherfore brethrē ēdeuer your selues to this, y • ye ꝑphecy (he calleth [Page clxv] prop [...]ye interpretacion of scrypture) & forbyd not to speake with tonges, and let al thynges be done honestly and in ordre. So there Paule doth institu [...]e lessons or redynges in the churche. Itē y t women speake not in the congregacion but kepe sylence. Also in the .xi. chap. y • womē haueth eyr hedes couered and y • mē be bare heeded whē they pray Item in the vij. chap. that the man and wyfe abstayne one from an other for a tyme, but not so but they come agayne togyder afterwarde. lest Sathā myght tēpt thē for incōtinēcie. Also y • the faithfull husbāde forsake not his vnfaithful wyfe, so y • she wyl agree to tary w t him. And thapostle addeth the finall effecte wherwith he cōcludeth his tradicyons, saying: Not y t I should cast a īnare vpō you, i. Cor. vii. e but y • ye myght folow that whiche is honest & comely. &c. Hereby it also appeareth y • humane tradiciōs be no sacrifices or seruyce of god, but thīges indifferēt which may be chaūged, altred, correct, & reiected, accordynge to thoccasion of y • tyme, euē as the same selfe thynge was done in coūsels, folowyng whiche customably haue corrected & oftentymes reiected y • cōstitucyons of their predecessours which thing they might not haue [Page] done yf humane tradicions had ben of gods lawe.
THE causes of humane tradiciōs in y • Causes. churche be these. Thauthorytie of mā, & the power which the pastours & mynysters haue that be called of the churche. Partes.
¶Humane tradicions be of all one sorte in the churche which som mē call rytes, som cerymonies. And forasmoch as som ordynaūces apertayne to ordre, & other some to instituciō, therfore they may be diuyded in to tradicyons ordinall & institutory. Unto ordinal may be referred holy dayes, fastyng dayes, dyuersitie of garmentes. &c. Unto institutorye lawes may be referred lessons & songes, wherwith the youth & the rude people be instructyd. The papystes diuyde the trudycions in to vniuersall & perticular. The vniuersall they say ought not to be corrected ne chaūged but the ꝑticular may.
¶Theffectes of humane tradicyons in Effectes i. Cor. xiiii. the churche be these. To make that all thinges (accordyng to the rule of Paul) be done in the churche honestlye and in ordre. i. Corin. vii. f. Also in an other place he saythe: This I speake for your profyte not to intangle you in a snare but y t ye myght folow that is honest & comely. Item to make y e confusion vnmete for y e churche [Page xvlcix] be eschued. To cause that soberly & quyetly all thinges be executed in y • church. To brynge to passe that the youth and vulerred people maye be instructe, and brought vp in the worde of god.
¶Cōtraryes to mens tradicions in the Contraryes churche be these. To hold y • humane tradicyōs be institute in the churche to be a true seruyce of god. To say mēs tradicyōs in the churche yf they be repungnaūt to y • worde ought not to be cast forthe. To say all humane tradiciōs ordeyned of popes in the churche are to be kepte vnder payne of deedly syn, The most dā nable heresie of papistes. bicause popꝭ be hedes of the church & bycars of christ To hold y • mens tradicyōs must be had in suche pryce y t we may not ones doubt or aske the questyon whether they be repungnaunce with the worde or no. To hold that it is in the bysshop of Romes power to make tradiciōs and lawes of lyke strength with the cōmaundemētes of god. To holde y t humane tradicyons deserue grace or remyssyon of synnes. To meyntayne y • mens tradicion in the churche serue to pacify god & to satisfye for synnes. To say mens tradicions in y • cōgregacion may not be brokē in case of necessitie. To cast forth of y t church al humane traciciōs, yea & those also whiche [Page] be not repungnaūt to the word whiche rashnes is cause of great dissencion & of manifold incōmodities. To denye that we ought to obey mēs tradiciōs which be not cōtrary to the gospel but ordeyned to this onely ende y • all thinges be done in the church semyngly & in ordre. To raise discorde for mens tradiciōs in i. Cor. xi. c. y • church. Against these speaketh Paule where he sayth. But if any man seme to be contentious amonges you, let hym know y • we haue no suche custome neyther the cōgregacions of god to meynteine y • this lyfe may be ruled w tout ceremonyes & rites. To auaunce & extoll humane tradiciōs aboue the cōmaundementes of god as they haue done which haue dreamed superfluyitie of ceremonyes. To snarle the cōsciēce by humane tradiciōs against whome writeth Paul i. Corin. vii. To denye mens tradicions Ceremonies be thinges in different. whether they be rites or ceremonyes to be thinges indiff [...]rent. I call y • indifferent wherin consisteth neither rightousnes neither sin. To trāsgresse the tradicions of mē in the church after a sedicious maner and to y • sklaūdre of others. To say y • scriptur only dāneth humane tradiciōs amōg y t Iewes where Christe saith: They worship me in vayne w t the [Page clxxvii] cōmaundementes of men. &c. To lade y • church w t humane tradicions. To kepe & obserue tradicions of mē supersticiouslye. The errour of supersticious persones. To say mens tradicions may not be of diuers sortes in dyuers places. To saye that of necessitie of saluaciō al humane tradiciōs ought to be in al places alyke. ☞ To deny y t honest ceremonyes & rytes vsed hitherto in y • churche whiche be not against the worde may more ꝓfytably be kept styl then new ordeyned. To denye y t the chaunginge of humane tradicions onles necessite or vrgent commodite moueth to the cōtrarye, is cause of īfinite myscheues & īcōmodities. To cōdēne such as haue throwē out of their ☞ churches vnꝓfitable & wicked ceremonyes. To denye y t charitie & necessite be the meanes wherby all mens tradiciōs in the churche ought to be measured.
Of the churche of congregacyon. CA. XLIX.
THe place or title of churche foloweth very cōueniētly y • ecclesiasticall power. For the churche is the kingdom wherin is exercised this ecclesiastical power, & from whēs it procedeth originaly by resō of y • keies cōmitted by [Page] the churche vnto the mynisters of the same. But for asmoch as the church cō sisteth īdifferētly, as wel of y t true fayth full ꝑsons, as also of hypocrytes & false harlots. it is hard so to descrybe y t churche y • thou mayst therby knowe wherin the godly do dyffre frō the coūterfayte & disgysed game players (we call such hypocrytes) namely sythens these two sortes of men haue in outwarde apperaūce al thinges alyke. I neuerthelesse to thī tent I may shew som differēce bytwene the true mēbres of the churche & the disgysed hypocrytes haue to my power seuered thē in the causes & effectes, leest I shuld gyue occasyō of sklaūdre to the papystes which be euer barkynge & crying out against vs, of y t one church we make two, bycause we make dystinction bytwene the true and the coūterfayte.
¶Wherfore y • churche in a generalytie Diffinicion. is y • cōgregacion of all suche as professe y • gospel, only y • excōmunicate excepted.
I thynke it vnknowen to no man y • Probacions. the churche taketh his original beginnyng of the professyon of the gospell, & that then it began when the fyrste promyse was made of the gospell, whiche forasmoche as it befell euen in Adams tyme, and vnto Adam, it is certayn that [Page clxxviii] the churche began euen then, & that frō Adam vntyll this day it hath stande amōgꝭ al the ꝓfessours of the gospel, & yet it standeth with all suche as professe the same. I Added (in a generalitie) bycause I wolde make a distinction & difference bytwene the true bylyuers or ryghtous persons, & bytwne false hypocrytes and dysceyuers. And albeit the scrypture nameth aswel the bad as the good vnder the name of churche, as the parable of the nette casten in to the see teacheth in which be takē bothe good & euyl fysshe, yet euery man wyl iudge that the good fysshes are to be p̄ferred before the bad. Wherfore no man oughte to merueyle though we bicause of y • opē testimonies of scrypture, haue seperated y e church of y • true bylyuers frō y • hypocrytes, which churche king Dauyd calleth ecclesiā malignantium / the churche of the euyll & wycked persons, whiche he wolde not haue done yf there were only w tout dyuersitie one generall churche, & besydes it none other which may truly be called the churche as hereafter I shall declare in y • causes. Now the excōmunicat persons be no longer of y e churche accordīg to y • saying of our sauyour Chryst. That yf he wyll not here y • churche, Math. xviii [...] let him be [Page] vnto the as a hethē person, & publyca [...]. Partes. ¶There is one churche in a generalitie (as said is) throughout al christendome in which church be two sortes of mē [...] be holy in dede, some coūterfait holy or hypocrites. The congregacion of those, the scripture otherwhiles calleth y • co [...] saile of the rightous, as. psalm. ci. other whiles the immaculate or vndefyled church, as cātt, v. now w tout wrincle as Ephe. v. now y • seat of Dauid, as Esay. ix. now the kingdome of Dauid, as euen in the same place, now the body of christ as .i. Cor. ii. now y • church of the saintes as. psalm. lxxxviiii. now the membres of Christ, now y • multitude of beleuers. &c But y e church of the other y • scriptur calleth y • congregacion of y • vngodly & of disseueraunce.
THE true & ꝓprely called church is thus discribed of Paul. Ep. i. The discription of the true churche. The churche of y • rightous is which Christ loued so wel y • he bestowed euē him self for it to thintēt he might sanctify it being purged w t the washing of water by y • word y • he myght make it a gloryous churche not hauinge eyther spot or wrincle & y • it might be holy & w tout fault. And this true church is not laid opē to y • eyes but is byleued accordinge to the article of [Page clxxix] our Crede. I byleue the holy church catholyke, the cōmunion of sayntes. The church of hypocrites describeth the ꝓphet Esaie w t these wordes. Esa. xxvi. d. This people (saith the lord) approcheth vnto me w t theyr mouth, & with theyr lyppꝭ they honour me, but their hert is far frō me in vayne they worship me, teaching doctrynes & cōmaundementes of mē. This church cōtraryly is open & apparaunt to the eyes, for al her workꝭ, al her worship wherw t it thinketh to serue god is outward. It is an outward hue or vysour of the pure churche, w t mens tradiciōs in stede of the syncere doctrine, w t the mouth & lyppes only w tout thaffections of the hert worshipping god.
AND forasmoche as I sayde in the Cause [...] churche to be two sortes of men, true faithful, & con [...]itrefet or hypocritꝭ, therfore now also two sortes of causes are to be set, ꝓceding neuertheles of al one mater, to thintent it may appere why these be hipocrites, and thother verily faythful. These causes therfore ensuing of the true churche, whiche otherwhiles the fathers haue called y • piller of the trouth. The ꝓmise of god or the gospel, Causes of [...] true churche., Christ faith, tholy ghost, y • pure doctrine hole & perfite in al her effectes [Page] and iurisdiction. THE ꝓmise of god or the gospell is the cause of the true churche, forasmoch as through the promise of the gospel it had her beginnīge whervpō it was foūded. For forthw t as the ꝓmise of the gospel was ones made the church began to sprīg, & whervnto as sone as Adam gaue credite he becam a mēbre of the same. ☞ So euē at this day such as by faith take hold of y • glad tidyngꝭ of Christ (for y • is the gospel) ar [...] become the true mēbres of the churche. I speke here of fayth as it is an assured cōfidence vpō the ꝓmise of the gospel, and not of the fayned faith of hypocrites, which is only a knowlege without true mociōs of hert, wherof I shal here after speke in the causes of the hypocritical or coūterfet church. Now, Christ is cause of the true congregacion, for asmoch as of him the ꝓmise of y • gospel was made, & who also satisfied y • same. Also bicause he is y • heed of the churche wherof the taketh al her sustentacion, Ephe xv. Colos. i. Ela. viii. i. Cor. iii. Gala. ii. increase ryghtousnesse, glory, clennes, holynes, Item bycause he is the fundacion of the churche. The holy ghost is cause of the true churche, forasmoche as he gyuen vnto the churche of Christ to be the ruler and gouernour callethe [Page clxxx] the churche by the worde, gathereth it togyther, sanctifyeth or maketh it holy (wherof also he hath his name) furnissheth it with sundry gyftes, comforteth & rayseth it vp agayne in tribulacion, maketh it apte & mete to do liuely and true workes, whiche maye please god, and which be most acceptable and thankfull sacrifices vnto hym, full of good sauoure, and finally whiche preserueth it in the trouthe acknowleged, that it fall not away agayne from the same.
THE formal cause of y e true churche The formall cause is the pure doctrine being absolute and ☞ perfite in all effectes and iurisdiction. For this doctryne is a sure signe and a certein marke wherby the true congregacyon is knowen frome the forged churche. I vnderstande vnder this doctryne the pure preachynge of the gospell, and the lyuely effectes of the same in the conscyences. For so dothe oure shepeherde Christ discerne the doctrine of false prophetes or hypocrites frome the true doctrine where he saith. Math. viii. c. Take hede of false prophetes whiche come vnto you in shepes clothes, that is to saye, in outwarde apperaunce of true doctryne. For all that hole place muste [Page] be referred to doctryne, but inwardly saith Christ) they be rauenous wolues y • is, tearing & plucking peces mēs cō sciēces w t their wicked & false doctrine by their frutꝭ ye shal know thē, y • is, by theffectꝭ of their doctrine. Whether do mē gather grapes of thornes, or figges of breres, whether can hipocrites gyue rest vnto mēs [...]sciēces w t their doctrine. For by fygges & grapes be vnderstande most swete frutꝭ of [...]science, as be peax ioy, & tranquillitie. So euery good tree maketh good frutes, y • is, good techers w t their true doctrine, bring vnto the cō sciences peax, ioye, tranquillitie. &c. A corrupt tree maketh euil frutes, that is the impure doctrine of hypocrites disseuereth, confoundeth and disturbeth the consciences. &c.
I refer also vnto the pure doctrine y • lauful vse of sacramentes, for this is a parte of the pure doctrine. Item fre remission of synnes which is theffecte of pure doctrine. Also absolucion & excō munīcaciō formed of the word of god, all which I make here to be signes and sure markes wherby the true churche is kowen.
¶The causes of the hypocriticall churche.
[Page clxxxi] AS to the outward shew & apperāce the false & coūterfet church hath y • self Causes. same causes y • the true church hath. The churche of Rome. For it hath the same gospel, the same bibles the same sacramentꝭ, they ꝓfesse y • same Christ, they glory of y • same fayth, they ꝑscribe the same holy gost vnto al their coūsels, & the same they dreme to be the author of all their affayres & doinges. But loke neuertheles how moche diuersitie there is bitwene trouth & dissimulacion, bitwene apperance of thīges & the thīges self, bitwen a painted face & a natiue colour, euē so moch difference there is bitwene the causes of the true churche & the causes of the feyned & hipocriticall churche. Fryer forestꝭ churche. A lyuely exemple of this hipocriticall churche is at this day the popish assēble. For the papistes do ascribe their church to be a societie or felowship of outward thīges & rites &c. wherfore they thē selues make their church thexēplar of y • hypocritical cō gregacion & not I, namely sith it is apparaūt y t the true churche is spiritual, not of this world, neither cōmeth it w t appointing & marking, & which is not open & layd out to the eyes, but bileued only by faith, accordīg to tharticle of y • Crede, I bileue the catholike church. [Page] Thexēple also of the ꝓphet Elias teacheth the same, ii. Reg. xxi. c Roma. xi. a▪ This Baall amonges vs is the byshop of Rome the greate god of the erthe. who [...] when he sawe the outwardly apparaunt membres of the church, said to the lord, I only am left, but the lorde answered, I haue lefte me seuē thousand in Israel of which neuer one mā bowed his knees vnto Baal, nor kyssed him w t his mouth.
¶Theffectes of the true churche.
DOVBLE effectes do aryse of the Effectes. two sundry kyndes of men in one general churche. But to y e true church these effectes ensuing apꝑteyn which the true churche worketh by thassistence & gouernaūce of tholy ghost. To heare the pure word truly. To receyue the word [...] the hert. To byleue the word w t cōfidence. To vnderstād truly the worde herd receyued & bileued, Math. xiii. c. according to y • parable of the sower where Christ expowneth y • good seed the true churche. To vse the sacramētꝭ laufully accordīg as is appointed by y • word. For who so reteyneth the pure worde, kepeth also the sacramentes in the ryght forme being a ꝑte of the word. Iohn̄. x. a. To loue the pure word, accordīg to the saying of Christ. My shepe do hear my voyce. To deꝑte in no wyse from the true worde forasmoch [Page clxxxii] as the church is the pyller of the trouth, bicause it is buylt vpō Christ y • stone. To fle the vnpure word, none otherwise then shepe do fle euil pastures and y t by the commaundement of theyr shepeherde Christ who byddeth thē beware of false ꝓphetes & also of the leuē of the pharysees. Math. vii. [...] Math. xvi. To knowe & receyue onely Christ for theyr herdman, heed, iustifiour, sāctifiour and sauiour. For what so euer holines the churche hath, what so euer iustificacion, what so euer clennesse, it taketh it al togither of Christ. To be ruled of the holy gost to thintent y t al the workes of the churche maye be bothe lyuely and affectual and also pleasaunt to god. To exercise the keyes gyuen vnto them of Chryste and to commytte the same to pryuate personnes, to thende that the pure worde maye be preached, and the free remissyon of synnes in Chryste publysshed, that men maye be comforted by absolucyon, and brydled by excommunicacion. To sacrifyce vnto god sacrifyces i. Pet. ii. H [...]bru. xiii. Roma. xii. Mat. xviiii. c. of prayse, and spirituall sacrifyces, euen of our owne bodyes, and the frute of our lyppes. To be kepte from erroure, rindx; accordynge to the sayinge of Christ that the false ꝓphetes shal arise [Page] and shal bring in to errour, euē the very elect or chosē ꝑsons may erre finally or to thende, euen bycause they be in the hand of Christ, out of whose hande no mā can take awaye. To obey euery humane creature for y • lordes sake. To haue of ꝓmise euerlasting life annexed, and other īfinite rewardes ī this life. To folow thrughly Christ as capiteyn and leader in the doctrine & maners of life. For so is Christ ꝓpowned in y e scripture, as an exēple for the church to folow. Sēblable effectes very many may be yet gathered of the true churche, all which y • scripture expresseth in y e name of spouse by which the churche is signified. Now, The propertes of a spous or bryde the offices & ꝑtes of a spouse or bryde be, in all thynges to obeye the brydegrome, to loue the brydegrome, to haue a good hope & cōfidence in y e bridegrome, to cleue only vnto him, to obeye him, to fear & honour the brydegrome, to be agaynst the dihonestie of y • bridegrome, & to do all thinges y t may tende to the honest fame & worship of him, to reuerence, to magnifie & auaunce him, to reioyse in the brydegrome, to be obedient to his cōmaundement, to execute his pleasure louingly & w t gladnes, to vse in cōm [...]ne all his goodes togyther [Page clxxxiii] with hī. &c. Al these thinges also ought to be appropriate and be the very partes of the churche towardes Christ the brydegrome.
BVT now, albeit the spouse performeth all these thinges truly & is made handfast by tholy ghoste, yet is she not called euen for these workes sake a church īmaculate or vndefyled, holy, & w tout wrincle, but for Christꝭ sake, who hath halowed it, Ephe. v. putting him self in to the vtter perils of death for his spouse sake. Also bicause y • churche hath tholy gost, yeuen her as a tuter or defensour who by christ p̄serueth & gouerneth her to thobteining of euerlasting life & the hereditary goodes of Christ, to whō she is espoused, which goodꝭ she alredy possesseth in sure & certeyn hope.
¶Theffectes of hypocrites in the churche.
Theffectes of hypocrites in y • churche be taken by the cōtrary of theffectes ꝑteyning to the true church, as be these. To hear the word but not purely. To receyue the worde but not w t the herte. To bileue the word, but not only. To vnderstād after a maner the word, but w tout frut. To vse the sacramētꝭ vnlaufully, & wickedly to abuse thē. To loue [Page] the word embrued w t mens tradiciōs, [...] w t thē to cōtaminate the pure word. To p̄fer or at lestway to matche mēs tradiciōs w t the self word of god, and w t the same to defete gods word. Of this effect Christ accuseth the hypocrites in y e gospel of Mat. Math. xv. b. where he saith: ye haue disanulled the cōmaūdemēt of god thrugh your tradiciōs. To deꝑte frō the pure worde, according to the parable of the sower, where Christ declareth the hypocrites to be shrinkers frō the word, bileuing only for a tyme. To embrace workes besides Christ, & by the same to seke rightousnes. To deny remission of synnes by only fayth in Christ. To bost & brag of the holy gost, but w tout regeneraciō w tout liuely workes & pleasing god. The reason is bycause hypocritꝭ imbrace not purely christ, therfore the holy ghost is not giuē thē, w tout which all the workes of hypocritꝭ be deed. To preche the vertues & benefitꝭ of workꝭ euē as the godly preche y e powers vertues & benefites of Christ. i. Pet. ii. To exercise the keyes of y • church after their lust as ☞ manye cruel factꝭ of bisshops of Rome do testify. To abuse the keyes horribly to y • oppressiō of the sincere word & effectes of the same. To be holly conuersaunt [Page clxxxiiii] in outward & carnal thinges, according to the saying of Chryst: Math. xxiii. Wo be to you pharisees & hypocrites, for ye make clene the outwarde partes of the cup. &c. loke vpon the hole .xxiij. chap. of Math. To worke without all frute. For lyke as w t frute the true byleuers worke their workes, bycause they byleue truly, and bycause they be regenerate & borne agayne of tholy ghost. So the hypocrites bicause they wāt fayth bicause they haue not tholy ghost, therfore al theyr workes be deed and plese not god. To sacrifyce vnto god outward sacrifyces, by which they studye to pacifie god. To haue alwayes troubled cōsciences & full of feare, Esaye. xxxi. according to the prophet Esaie. The siners in Syon be made affrayd, fear hath possessed the hypocrites. Mat. vi. xxiii Math. xxiii. To do workes to thintent to be sene of men, and to be cō mended. To couet to be glorified before men. To erre, according to Christ where he sayth: False prophetes shall aryse and bring in to errour. &c. Moreouer god punissheth hypocritꝭ for their vngodlynes, w t other sinnes & errours. To be prompt and redy to suche thynges as perteyn to this worlde, accordynge to the sayinge of Chryst: Math xvi. a ye hypocritꝭ, [Page] the face of y • skye ye can iudge, and can ye not discerne the signes of y • times. To take vpō thē tēporal power as many exēples of bysshops of Rome do teache, yea & the mēbres of the hole popish church. To be frustrate of euerlastinge lyfe, accordinge to the sayinge of Iob. Iob. viii. Spes imperiorum peribit. The hope of the vngodly shal perish. For the ꝓmise of euerlasting life, ꝑteyneth only to y • true bileuers, according to this of Chryst. Iohn̄. viii. Who byleueth in me, hath eeuerlasting life. Finally theffectes of hipocrites, The ꝓpertis of the aduoutrous church or of the paynted & hypocritical churche do appere most euidētly of proꝑties of the bride y • is an harlot, for she semeth in outwarde apparaunce to loue the brydegrome, to bileue his wordes. &c. where as in dede she doth in her hert nothing lesse but rūneth a hooring yea she cā not hertly loue y • bridegrome bicause she receyueth no dowry for the spousels of tholy ghost the handfaster but rēneth a horing after straūge goddes, ☞ namely y • pope the great god ī erth & Babylonical strompet.
Cōtraries to the church be these. Contraries. To hold y t the churche began fyrst whē the gospell was disclosed at the byrthe of Christ. To say they be true mēbres of y • [Page clxxxv] church which only do hear, & with the mouth ꝓfesse y • gospel. To cut y • church in to ꝑtes saue only for the. ij. kindes of mē which vnder the generall terme of churche be cōprised, y t is to wite of the rightous & of the hypocrites. To holde that the true mēbres of the church may be deed in whom worketh not Christ n [...] tholy gost. Popish [...] errour To mainteyn y t the churche as it is truly & proꝑly takē for the congregaciō of the holy is a tēporal kingdom, which nedeth a secular arme worldly defences, & that ought to be ruled by mēs tradiciōs to the helth of their soules. ☞ To deny y t the sayntes & true bileuers be only the true church. To say y • true churche which is of the faythfull may be sene w t the bodyly eyes cōtrary to y • article of faith I bileue y • catholike churche. &c. To define the church to be a felowship of outward thīges & rites. To defend y t the true church may stād w tout the pure gospel & lauful vse of sacramētꝭ onles tyrāny letteth the same. Papisticall. To say the church is only an outward policy of good & bad, which errour defaceth the kyngdom of Christe & ryghtousnes of the hert, & taketh awaye the holy ghost gouernour of the catholike churche. For then it is byleued that the [Page] churche is nothing els then a kepīg of certeyn rites or seruices. To bind the catholique cōgregaciō to certein obseruaūces, against this of Christ. Obseruaun [...] The detestable heresye of papistes. My kingdom cōmeth not w t obseruaciō or wayting. To hold y t the catholique churche is left to the bisshop of Rome or to any other priuate ꝑsō to be administred at his pleasure. This errour is against y • euerlasting bisshopryche of Christ. To [...]old w t the fabryle Faber, The errour of Faber. y t the catholyque churche doth not always p̄ferre the word of god before mēs tradiciōs. To say the catholique churche apꝑteyneth to mē by reasō of power of dignitie either ecclesiastical or secular. Papistes. To hold w t the papistes, y t the churche is an outward & sup̄me monarchie or raigne of the hole worlde, in whiche the pope hath a power irrefragable aswel vpō the laytie as vpon the clergie, agaynst whom it is leful for no mortal man to resist eyther in dedes or in wordes. To say the general churche may stād w tout hypocrites. To bynd the true churche to outward sacrifices. To say y • hypocrites in the church be any other thinges then a graue paynted outwardly & w tin ful of deed mēs bones, y t is to saye ful of vngodlynes. To make the hypocrites [Page clxxxvi] the lyuely mēbres of the true churche. To say hypocrites may be in the churche w tout the foyle & contaminacion of gods word, & of the sacramē tes. To deny y t the parte in the churche of hypocrites is the cloke, visour, and counterfeyture of the trouth. To make here in earth a churche, wherin be not both holy mē & hypocrites, cōtrary to the place in Mat. Math. xiii. f. So shal it be ī thende of the worlde, the aungels shal come & seuer the bad frō the good. &c. wherby is signified y • in the kyngdom of heuen here in erth, y t is to say in the church be both good & bad. &c.
Of sklaunder or offence. CA. L.
SKlaunder bycause it ryseth in the churche, therfore very cōueniently it may be put af [...] the title of church which of necessitie is vexed with many sclaunders & offences, according to the saying of Chryst: Math. xviii. a wo be vnto y e world bycause of offences, howbeit it can not be auoyded but that offences shall be giuē. &c. wherfore forasmoch as Christ saith that offences or sclaunders do necessarily chaunce, let vs diligently enserche [Page] the causes of this necessitie. Ce [...] tes of thē selues sclaūders be not necessary, neither ought they to be giuē, sith Chryst hath ꝓhibite thē, but that they shold perish which by y • iust iudgement of god ought to perish, it must nedes be that sclaunders be gyuen, which be as it were meanes wherby the vngodlye hypocrites be called away, & frayd frō the trouthe, but it is a verye perillous thing to gyue offendinges or sclaūders vnto the godly, according to the cōmunicacion of Christ in the sayd place of of Math. ☞ which although they be in the hand of Christ, neither can be takē out of his hand, yet w t offēces or sclaūders to vexe & trouble their myndes, and to make thē either to doubt of the trouth of gods word, or to be the more remisse or slacke in regardyng the same is vndoubtedly a right haynous syn.
¶The diffinition of offending or sclaūder in a generalitie.
Sclaūder therfore in a generalitie is Diffinicion. an offēce or greuaūce wherby the consciēces are frayd away frō the doctrine that they haue receyued and maners of lyfe, & be prouoked & led away to the folowynge of an other opinion and maners of lyfe, eyther by doctryne or by [Page clxxxvii] maners of lyfe.
This general descriptiō of sclaūder shal appere in y • declaraciō of ꝑtes. And throughont the new testamēt testimonyes do appere of y • doctrine & maners of lyfe, whiche be principall causes of sclaunder, as orderly shall be declared hereafter.
THERE be two sortes of sclaūder Dinision of sklaunder. one wherby hipocrites or pharisees be offēded, an other wherby the godly brethren be offended: Of this sclaūder or offence the scripture speketh more oftē then of thother.
¶Of thoffending of hypocrites.
Thoffending of hypocrites is a greuaūce what thoffending of hypocrites is. of the right doctrine or necessary workes cōmaunded in the word, which the godly do gyue frely without synne whyle they care rather to obeye god, then men.
Thexēples which throughout al the Probacyons euāgelistes be recoūted do approne this descriptiō of which the euāgelist Iohn̄ hath before other a gret nōbre, namely in the second, thirde, fyfth, seuenth and ryght chap. where Christ ꝑtly teacheth partly healeth the sycke in the Saboth daye. Also hyther perteyn all sclaunders throughoute the newe testament, [Page] where the hypocrites & pharisees togither w t the scribes were greued w t crist eyther bicause of his doctrine, or for necessary workꝭ. For doctrine & necessary workes be causes of this offendinge. I cal necessary workes which either necessitie or charite requyreth. Mark. ii. d. Math. xii. a Of necessitie an exēple thou hast where the disciples of Christ on the Saboth day passing through the cornes, began to pluk the eares of corne, at which the pharisees were offended & cryed vnto Christ lo why do they on the Saboth dayes y t which is not lawfull? Mat. xii. [...]. An exemple of charitie y u hast where Christ healed in y • Saboth day a man hauing a withered hand & dryed vp.
VNTO necessary workes ꝓtein also al fre maners and exemples of lyfe, yea though they be not p̄scribed ne appoynted expresly in gods word which neuer thelesse be done of the godly w tout syn, but the hypocrites be offēded w t thē by reason of their [...]stitutiōs. Thus were the pharises & scribes offēded w t Christꝭ apostles, Math. xv. a. only bicause they wasshed not theyr hādes, whē they eate breed according to the tradiciōs of y • elders. Thus at this day while our hypocrites do se Holy water. y • we suffre no lōger the water to be cō secrate ☞ [Page clxxxviii] they be offended as thoughe we had cōmitted a great offence. The cō maundement of god excuseth the godly in this pharisaical offending. For they haue for them a cōmaundement of god concerning the pure & right doctrine, & concerning necessarye workes wherw t the neighbour for the most part is holpen. This commaundement we oughte to obey symplely, and these hypocrites ought not to be regarded according to this texte. Act. iiii. It behoueth to obeye rather god, then men. ☞ Nowe suche thynges as the open & special commaundement of god, excuseth not in the godly concerning this kind of offēding, The christen libertie excuseth. yet the christē libertie excuseth wherby the godly be fre from al mens tradicions which oftentymes the hypocrites preferre, or at leest matche with gods worde, I am moued to speake this of the christen libertye, bycause the hypocrites requyre speciall commaundementes of god for euery work that the godly do. ☞ For they crye oute agaynste vs, that we haue no commaundement of god to despyse or neglecte the holywater and lyke tradicions.
THE causes of this offending, Causes. be the holsom doctrine and necessary workes [Page] wherby for the most ꝑte the neighbour is holpen eyther in a tyme or in a place which ought not to be done after y • tradiciōs of the hypocrites or done agaīst their fastīgꝭ or sēblable their [...]stitutiōs yea or agaynst the very Saboth day the law of god, which neuertheles god setteth behynd the vse & help of the neyghbour, as many places & exēples of scripture do wytnes, as y t of the prophete Osee. Osee. vi. [...] Misericordiā volo, nō sacrificiū. I wil haue mercy, Math. xix. b. & not sacrifice. Item the Saboth daye (sayth Christ) is made for man, Marc. ii. d. & not man for the Saboth day. Wherfore the son of man is lorde euen of the Saboth day. Also in the prophet Esaie god sayth: Esay. i. d. offre me no mo oblacions for it is but lost labour, I abhor [...] your sensing, I may not away w t your new mones, your Sabothes & solempne dayes, your fastinges also are in vayne I hate your new holy dayes & fastingꝭ euen from my very hert. They make me wery, I can not abyde them. &c. Lerne to do righte, applye your selfe to equitie, deliuer the oppressed, helpe the fatherles. &c. Math. v. d. Likewise Christ sayth: whē thou offrest thy oblaciō at the aulter, & there remēbrest y • thy brother hath any thyng agaynst the, leue there thyne offring [Page clxxxix] & go first be at one w t thy brother and then come & offre thy gyft. Necessarie worke what it is. Finally by necessary workes ought to be vnderstand not only such workes wherw t the neyghbour is holpen, but also wherw t we helpe our selues in necessitye, for yf it be leful for me to help my neighbour in y • Saboth day, how moch more may I helpe my selfe.
THE partes of this sclaūder wherby Partes. hipocrites be offēded may be takē of the foresaid causes, so that y u mayst diuide the offēding of hypocrites in to y • offēding which riseth by doctrine or teching, & in to y • which ꝓcedeth of workes or maners of lyuing.
Theffectes of this offending Christ semeth Effectes. with one word to expresse where he sayth: Math. xxi. d. who so euer shal fall on this stone, he shall be broken, but on whome so euer it shal fal, it shal grynde him to poudre. So y t the chief effect of this offending by Christes wordes is y t the hypocrites be confoūded & destroyed whiche by the iust iudgement of god ought to perysh. Luc. ii. e For Chryst is put vnto suche for a fall. &c.
Other effectes also of this offendinge may be fetched forth of the thinges annexed, as induraciō of hert & cruel tyranny, [Page] which the hypocrites being offended w t holsom doctrines & necessary workes do exercise against the trouth, & against the prechers & publisshers of the same. And albeit these effectes be euil & horrible, yet the godly oughte not to regarde thē. Act. iiii For it behoueth rather to obey god, then men: though the guttes of the hypocrites sholde brust, & of the hole worlde.
¶Of offending the brethren.
THE sclaunder or offēce wherby the brethren be offended, Diffinicion. is cōmitted when weyke cōsciences be plucked away frō the simplicitie & purenes of gods word vnto these & those opiniōs & maners of lyfe, either by false & vncerten doctrine or by maners & exemples of liuing.
THIS diffinition is certeyn of gods word. Probacion. For y e scripture alwais giueth cō maūdemēt of this sclaūder. As touchīg doctrin Crist mouisheth wher he saith, Math. xviii. a Luc. xvii. a who so euer offēd one of these litleones which byleue in me, better it were for him y t a milstone were hāged about his necke, & that he were drowned in the depth of the see, y t is to say, who so euer ledeth away these litleons frō the purenes & ☞ simplicitie of gods word. &c. For this worde sclaūder or offending signifieth [Page cxc] here proprely a griefe or a stomblinge stocke wherby we be led awaye frō the symple trouthe of gods worde, through the diuersitie of opiniōs, whiche he brought agaynste the same. Marke how the weake be offended. For who is he in maner y t can fynde in his herte to become a chylde agayne in the kyngdom of Christ, but wil sauour beyonde the worde of god, whiche thyng whē the weyke ꝑsons se done: forthw t they be offenctd, y t is, they be brought away & plucked frō the symple worde, ☞ & yf vtterly they byd not farewell to the gospel, at lestway they begin somwhat to doubte of it, till at last they shrinke clene awaye from the ryght & true doctryne vnto straunge opinions. As touching maners or exemples Paule euery where maketh menciō namely. Ro. 14. & 15. 1. Cor. 8. Gal. 6. Phil. 1.
ALBEIT it had bē ynough to haue shewed false doctrine & Causes of the offending of the weake brethren. vncerteyn and the euil maners or exēples of lyfe as general causes of this sclaūdre, yet there be other causes which may be brought declarynge the very oryginall roote of those general causes, which be these. Satan, the euyll vnderstandynge of the chrysten lybertie, dissencyon, lacke of lernyng, presumption of the teachers, [Page] batred of the neighbour, & sēblable causes. The de [...]yll Now Satā is the cause of this sclaū der or offēding forasmoch as he impelleth & stireth to y • same, & furthermore he maketh the true doctrine to be suspect bringing all thynges in to a rore. Mistaking of the christen libertye The misvndestanding of the christē liberty is cause, forasmoch as the rash christēs whyle they bileue y t they be fre frō all outward thinges as ꝑteyning to iustificaciō which is tied vnto no obseruaciōs or ceremonies, furthw t of y • christē & spiritual libertye they make a fleshly liberty, & thinke now al thīges to be lefull vnto thē especially in the maners of lyfe, ☞ by meanes wherof inumerable offendinges and sclaūders do aryse, of which at this day Germany is ful: Dissen [...]ion of preachers. this dissencion of the teachers is cause also of this sclaunder, whyle they defende [...] wicked & oftentymes folysh opinions, as they do at this day, which w t sondry heresyes disturbe the pure doctrine. The lacke of lerning also of techers is cause, Syr Iohan lacke lerning dothe moche harme. in asmoch as blind bouserdes rush out at all aduentures suche stuffe as they haue, & declare not sufficiently the maters as they haue purpsed, but leue the consciences of the hearers doubtful & in the brires. For this cause [Page cxci] thapostle Paul wil y • a bisshop i. Timot. iii. [...] (that is to say a teacher, a pastour, an ouerseer) be apt to teache, y t is to say, which hath the feat & cūning hansomly & properly to declare his maters. Certes, the apte & propre way of teaching, is to folowe in teching the methodical forme of doctrine, whiche is naturall indifferently cōmon to all men, saue y t it excelleth in some, & is more apparaūt by reason of p̄ceptes & instructions which they haue lerned to induce them. Frō which trade & forme of teaching, who so euer abhorreth, vndoubtedly shal neuer hansomly instruct the cōsciēce of mē, neither shal vtter & declare sufficiētly his purpose. Neither do there wāt at this day exemples herof in the church. Arrogancie. The arrogācie of techers is cause of this offēding whē one swelleth, whē one enuieth an other whē euery mā wold be coūted best lerned, whē no man wil be made a chylde in the churche, & while they thus striue for preeminencie & primacie, in y • mean season the weyke brother is offēded, occasiō is giuē either to forsake y • symple & pure worde, or at lest to sclaūder it, & bringe all thynges in doubte. But this cause toucheth not onely the teachers, but generally al that of hye mynd and [Page] statelynes offēd y • weike brethrē, while they declaring thē selues to moch spiritual, Hatred. thinke al thīges lawful vnto thē. Hatred to y • neibour is cause forasmoch as sclaūdersarise of it, while y • brother hateth the brother. The [...]trary to this cause s. Iohn̄ putteth charite, i. Iohn̄. ii. where he saith, he y • loueth his brother dwelleth ī light, Partes. & sclaūdre is not in him.
OF one sort is this sclaūder, wherby the brethren be offēded of the false & to fre brethrē, yet hauing respect to y • causes this sclaunder may be deuided in to Diuision. sclaūdre y t riseth of doctrine and y • ryseth of maners or exēples of lyfe. Also to the place of ꝑtꝭ of this sclaūdre may be referred also an other sclaūdre whiche the godly do suffre through y • happy lucke of the noughty ꝑsons & hypocritꝭ whyle they se y • al thinges ꝓspere with thē. This offeding now adayes entangleth many, whiche measure & wey the goodnes of lernynge by the successe of noughty hypocrites, as though their doctrine were therfore sound bicause they be in best reputaciō, & be coūted y e wise the mighty, the ryche & great mē in the world. Against this sclaūdre Christ oftentymes armeth his disciples, cōforting thē agaynst the sclaunders of the [Page cxcii] crosse. Item thapostles euer among do arme good myndes agaynst this offending. And among other places this text of s. Paul is notorious, i. Cor. i. d where he sayth: Uyle thynges of the worlde and thynges which are despised, hath god chosen. &c. To this kynd of sklaunder perteyn al bountiful thinges in the world as wysdome, power, rychesse, greate men. &c.
EFFECTES of sclaūder wherby good mē be offended be these. Effectes of offendinge the weake. bretherne. To pluck away the weyke brethren from the simple worde. To make doubtful consciences of the trouth of the christen doctrine. To styre weyke myndꝭ to sclaū dre the true gospell, & to receyue false opinions. Spritishe r [...] [...]our. To brynge to passe y • weyke brethren shal folow euill exemples and maners, which the rash brethren, & for the most parte to moche spritish vse amonges suche as haue not yet herd the pure kynde of lernynge, or be not yet throughly entred in the same. To chase away weyke myndes from the gospell causing them to condemne & vtterly to disalowe it, and to returne agayne to popyshnesse and wicked doctryne. For the auoyding of these effectes the thretes of Christ are to be red Math. xviij. [Page] Item Ro. xiiij. and .xv. where amonge other thinges thapostle saith: lose not him with thy meate, for whom Christ hath dyed.
¶Contraryes to the hole offendyng or sclaunder.
Contraryes to sclaunder be these. Contraries. To say sclaunder only cōmeth of doctrine. To holde y • vnto doctrine & maners of lyfe all sclaūders can not be [...]ueniētly referred. To say of power, wisdom, riches & other great thīges in the worlde sclaūder neuer ryseth, where as in dede these thinges be for the most parte causes of euil maners. For power, wisdom & ryches do chaunge verye oftentymes the maners of mē. To deny the pharisaical or hypocritical sclaūder wherby the pharisees & hypocrites be offended. For there is one general church in which be bothe good & bad, godly and hypocrites. To say no mā can so be offended that he shal vtterly be destroyed and lost. To hold y • the cōmaundement of god ought not alwayes to be preferred before sclaūder. To say the weyke consciences haue always iust causes to ☞be offended, when they se cloked religion & vngodly destroyed, or therfore cō corde bisturbed, debate raysed in the [Page cxciii] church, cōminalties & empires brought to nought, when the weyke cōsciences se this thing done, they ought to cōfort them selues w t this sayinge. It is better to obey god then men. To hold y t scripture forbyddeth al sclaūder. Scripture▪ forbyddeth not al man [...]r offendynge. For here is y e sclaunder excepted, wherby hypocritꝭ be offēded, which offending ought not to be eschued ī such wise as we shal deny the true doctrine, or leue necessary workꝭ. Libertie is not alwyes to be vsed. To hold y • we must vse y • christē liberty euery where ī al thingꝭ, & amō ges al mē, whether the weike be offēded or not. This errour thapostle destroyeth sufficiētly wher he saith. I am made al thinges to al mē, weyke to the weike &c. that I might wyn al men to Christ. Diffrence betwene maners and doctryne. To say by the same reason we may vse maners amonges all men as we vse the right doctrine amongꝭ al. This errour ☞ answereth s. Paul by his exēple, Act. xvi. [...] which w t out doubt kept not in the pure word & yet in the meane season thoccasion of the weyke so requyring he suffered Timothe to be circūcised. To hold it not laufull to vse the libertie where stubburnes is & not weiknes, or where mēs tradiciōs or Moses lawes be matched w t the gospell, or necessaryly requyred vnto rightousnes. Against this errour [Page] serueth the exemple of Paul, Gala. ii. a who durst kepe Titus vncircūcised. To denye y • charite is the maystres in moderating & gouerning the sclaunders of maners or in letting the same.
Of the kyngdom or reigne of Chryst. CA. LI.
THe churche & the reigne of Christ signifie al one thing wherin god reygneth in his subiectes that be godly by the word, & wherin the godly do reigne ouer all spiritual ennemies, ouer syn, y • deuil, deth, hel. &c. But forasmoch as this word reigne or kīgdom semeth to set out the name of church, & to make it more triūphant & magnificent, therfore I thinke it good to put before your eyes a cōpendious treatise of the kyngdom of Christ. Discryption.
The kingdom of Christ is spirituall cōsisting in the cōscience, & making spiritual subiectꝭ, y t is, which be led w t the spirite, & in whom Christ reigneth by y • holy spirite, & by his word here in erth, but sitting on the right hād of god the father to make intercession for his subiectes & to defende them, yea & to gyue them iustificacion & spirituall goodes for euerlasting lyfe. This their kynge [Page cxciiii] as wel in doctrine as in maners of lyfe is this spiritual kyngdom, his subiectꝭ ought to folowe as their guyde & capteyn. This reigne is begon here ī fayth and spirite, and shall be fynysshed to the ful perfection after this lyfe euerlastyngly. Probacions Iohn. [...]viii. [...].
THAT Christes reygne is spiritual is proued by Christ where he saith: My kyngdom is not in this worlde. Nowe that whiche is spirituall agreeth onely to the conscience, I call the reygne of Chryste spirituall of theffecte that it maketh spirituall eyther bycause the subiectes of this kongdome be led and ruled of this spirite, either bicause this kyngdome onely stretcheth to spirituall thynges, or finally bycause he maketh his subiectes kynges ouer all spirituall enemyes. It is called the reigne of Chryste bycause Chryste is the author of it, the preseruer and ruler in this reygne or kyngdome. The holye ghost and the worde be meanes wherby and wherwith Chryste reygneth in this kyngdome. For to this intent the holy ghost is sent where Christ ruleth that he shold glorify him, expound and proclayme hym. Iohan. xiiij. xv. and xvi. which mought lede in to al trouth, [Page] that is, mought declare Chryst the kynges wil in the hertes of the godly, his ꝓclamaciōs, his cōmaundementes, his benefites, and therw tall mought make vs obedient subiectes. But al these thī ges the holy ghost worketh not but by the worde, as thapostle teacheth. Ro. x. And left no man shold doubt eyther of the power of Christ the kyng, The seats [...] throne of Chryst. or shold not know his seat, or wold thynke him not to regarde his subiect, let hī know that Chryste the kynge sytteth on the right hande of god the father, of egall power, and beyng with god the father, bothe to defend his subiectes, in that he is kynge, and to make intercession for them in that he is preest. what rewardes the kyng christ sheweth to this subictꝭ Iustificacion and euerlastynge lyfe be benefytes and priuyleges of the kynge Chryst, wherwith he hath rewarded, and yet dayly dothe rewarde his subiectes, and whiche by his continual sute, he obteyneth and getteth for his subiectes. But now what the subiectes ought to folowe in this kyngdom, they must lerne of their kynge Chryste as well in doctryne as manours of life, and thus the scripture propowneth our kynge Chryst vnto vs for an exemplar whome we sholde folowe. So Christ hath imbrased y e onely [Page cxcv] wyll of god hath preached it & declared the same to men. 1. Pet. [...]. So we in lyke wise beside the pure & sincere worde oughte to imbrase nothinge more desyreouslye ue ought to prech & declare any thing more often. And as ꝑtayneth to y • maners of lyfe, so Christ being reuiled, reuyled not agayne beynge euyll intreated, rendred not euyl for euil. So Crist dysturbed not temporal polycies, wherfore neither we ought to disturbe them Christ bare the Crosse paciently wherfore we ought also paciently to suffre. Finally forasmuch as this kīgdom is spritual & euerlasting & not sene w t y • eyes. Therfore it is only w t faith & y • spirite espied & begon which after this lyfe shal in the very thing self be opened & made manyfest euerlastingly & as thapostle saith euen face to face. The causes of this kingdome be god the Causes of the reigne of Chryst. father which ordeined it & with ꝓmises confyrmed it christ in whome this kingdome was constitute & whiche is y • king herof. The holy ghost is cause in y • he sā ctyfyeth & with sūdry gyftes furnisheth this kīgdom. And lyke as these causes be not carnall, but spirituall: so neither the kīgdom institute of them can be carnal. The meane wherby this realm is administred is gods word by whiche the holy [Page] ghost worketh in y • same. Now the way that a mā may come ī to this kīgdom is declared sufficiētly in the places before. The kīgdom of christ is not diuided ī to ꝑtes, One onely. spirituall kingedom of Chryst. for euē as there is one kīg of this kīgdom, so his kīgdom is one y • is to say spiritual cōsistīg in y e cōsciences of mē & beginneth here ī faith to be cōsummate & made perfecte after his life eternally.
¶Theffectes of the reigne of Christe, Effectes. be partly taken of Christ the king, & partly of the subiectes. Theffectes of the kinge Christ be nothing els but benefites and priuileges whiche god bestoweth vpon his subiectes, & be these. To giue remission of sinnes. ☞ To delyuer & enfraunchese the consciences from al outwarde thynges as appertaining to iusti [...]icacion. To delyuer the subiectes from the power of sinne & of deth. To defend the subiectes frō the power of y • deuyl, of the world, & frō a [...]uyls. To giue the holy ghost y • may rule, defend, guyde, staye and kepe his subiectes in his realme. Roma. viii. i. Iohn. ii. To make intercessiō vnto the father for his subiectꝭ and play the aduocate. To make his subiectes kinges ouer all spiritual enemyes that is to saye, sinne, the deuill dethe, hell, and the worlde also, accordinge to the saying in y • reuelaciō of Iohn̄, Apoca. i. b where is saide, that Christ made vs kingꝭ & prestes. [Page cxcvi] To make his subiectes prestes so y • they may offre spritual sacrifices to god accordīg to y • saiyng of pet. i. Pet. ii. [...] Ye are made a spiritual house & ā holy presthode for to offre vp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to god by Iesus Christ, & therfore y • subiectes of this kīgdom be called a kingly or royal presthode of y e saide Peter. 1. Pet. ii. b And of Iohn in his reuelacion they be caled y e prestes of god. Apoca. i. b To reward his subiectꝭ with euerlasting life which in faith and spirite begineth here & shalbe ꝑfected after this life eternally. Sēblable effectes may be brought hither out of theffectes of Christ set out before. Also out of the places of abrogacion, & of the christen lyberty. Effectes procedyng of the subiectes. Theffectes of y • subiectes of this kindome be gathered of thobediēce, whiche they owe to their king Christ, to thī tent they sholde folow him as wel in doctrine as in maners of life, as. To loue & imbrase the same word. To teach y • same word that Christ taught. To cleue to y • worde of Christ faithfully according to thexemple of hym. To proclayme Christ their king. To magnify him. To byleue and haue affiaunce ī Christ that he will saue. kepe and defende theym, and also that he can do these thinges. Not to shrīke ne swa [...]ue frō Christe their kinge trayterously vnto Sathan and his kingdom. [Page] To execute louyngly al y • cōmaūdemētes of theyr king Christ. ☞ To deny thē selues. & to thynk no goodnes of thē selues ī respect of this christ their kyng. To suffre by thexēple of Christ their kynge paciētly. To fle vnto Christ their kyng in tēptaciō or afflictiō, & not vnto weapōs, vnto y • swerde wherw t y • mayst defēd the, & that also by thexēple of christ thy kyng, which whē he was afflicted ī the crosse he fled by prayer in faith vnto the father. To honour tēporal rulers, to obey thē, not to chase thē away, not to disturbe cōmō weyles, or to inuade empyres & other mēs dominiōs, & al this by thexēple their kynge Christ. To loue not only their frēd, but also their enemies by thexēple of Christ, Not to rēdre euyl for euyl, but good for euyl by thexē ple of christ. To be seruaūt to al mē, & cō trary to no mā, & y • by thexēple of chryst theyr kyng. These & sēmblable effectes ī numerable may be gathered of thobediēce of y • subiectes of this kyīgdō whiche for y • most part stādeth only ī imitaciō y t subiectes shold folow Christ theyr kyng in doctrine & in maners of life, & so by all thinges obey Christ euē as he obeyd y e father, &c. Itē y e tytle of church to fore expoūded gyueth more effectes of subiectes, for theris no difference bytwen [Page cxcvii] the church & the kingdom of christ but y • in thexpounīg of the kingdom y • benefites & pryuyleges of the congregaciō be more euidētly espied which it taketh at Christes hādes & him whō in this kīgdō we cal king, Contrar [...]es. in y • church we called hed ¶Contraryes to y • kingdom of Chryste are these. To graūt y • kingdom of Christ Papisticall Luke. xiii. to be carnal or tēporal or of this worlde To bynd Christes kingdom to outward obseruacions contrary to this of Christ My kingdome commeth not with markinge. To say Christ the kinge of this realme sitteth on the right hand of god the father idle & nothing regarding here in erth his subiectes. Therrour of Epicurians This errour is the Epicurians erroure. To saye Christe ascending vp to heuen left his kingdome The detestable here [...]ye of papystes. here in erth vnto the pope his deputy to be admynistred of him, which erroure is againste the eternal reigne of Christ his eternall byshoprich & presthode. To say there may be true subiectes of this kingdom which beleue not. To say Christ ruleth his kingdom by other meanes thā by the holy ghost & his worde. To deny this kingdome to begin here in faithe & in spirite & after this lyfe to endure eternally. To hold that the subiectꝭ of this kingdome owe an other obedience then that whiche Christ their kinge vsed towardes [Page] god y • father which was of all y • most ꝑfect. To say Christ y • kīg in his kīgdō is only to be folowed ī docrtine & not ī maners of lyfe. To deny y t ī this kingdō generally taken be hypocrites & shalbe to thend of y • world. Chiliasts To bold w t chiliastes y • Christ shal reigne here ī erth a. M. yere w t y • godly in al kinde of pleasures. Anabaptystꝭ. To graūt with the Anabaptistes & the captaines of that errour y t is to say Nicholas Storkey, Storkey. Monetary Pipery Monetarie Piperie. & other new heretikes that y • godly here in erth shal set vp a corporal & ciuyle kī dome al the vngodly put downe. This errour those furious ꝑsons haue taken forth of y • psal where it is wri [...]tē ī this Psal. cxlix. wise, let the saintes be ioyful with glory, let thē reioyse in their beddes, let the prayses of god be ī their mouth & [...] in their handes, that they may be auenged of y • hethen & rebuke the people that they may bynde theyr kinges in chaynes & their nobles with lynkes of yron. That they may be auenged of thē as it is writen, such honour haue al his sayntes. This psalm they haue carnally wrested to their purpose wheras if it be wel cōsidered it maketh nothinge with thē al. Itē it is contrary to this doctrine to forbyd vnto y e subiectꝭ of this kingdō [...] or ciuile workes. As to [...]er [...] any [Page cxcviii] tēporal offyce, to play y • kyng, y • mayre, the cōstable, y • sheryf, or any other īferior rowmes, to bye to sel, or to exercyse any maner of contracte in the worlde.
Of resurrection. CA. LII.
THe resurrectiō of y • deed is wherbi Diffinicion. ī y • last day all mē shal ryse agayn frō deth, y • good to euerlastīg lyfe the wycked to euerlastynge punyshmēt.
¶Probacion of the diffinicion.
Merueil not at this (saith christ) The Ioh v. e hour shal come whē al y • are in y • graues shal beare his voyce, Math. xxv. & shal com forthe, they y • haue done good vnto the resurrection of lyfe, but they that haue done euyl, vnto the resurrection of dānacion.
The vniuersall cause of y • resurrectiō Causes is y • ꝓmyse of god, wherbi god ꝓmyseth ī scripture y • resurrectiō. Hither also mai be reduced suche places of scripture [...] treat of the resurrection, namely Esai. 36. 66 24. Dani. 12. Oseas. 13. Iob. 19.
Beside the forsayd cause of resurrectiō christ also is cause specially for y • godly, according to Paul. i. cor. xv. where he ꝓueth y • resurrectiō by thexēple of y • resurrectiō of Christ ī this wyse. Chryst rose frō deth to lyfe, ergo y • deed also shal rise agayn. The same argum [...] ̄t he vseth ī his fyrst epystle to the thessa. ca. 4. wher he sayth ī this wyse, for yf we bilyue y • Iesus [Page] dyed & rose agayne, euē so them also which stepe by Iesus, god wyl bryng againe w t him. In y • same place thapostle also descrybeth the maner and forme of the resurrection. Partes.
The resurrection shall be one syngle thing & cōmon to all men euen an vprysynge aswell of the vngodly as of the godly but vnto dyuers endes.
Forasmoche as two sortes of mē shal Effectes. ryse agayn a godly & vngodly▪ therfore ther be .ij. sortꝭ of final effectꝭ to be made of y • resurrection. The godly shall haue these effectꝭ folowīg thē. To rise vp vnto euerlastīg lyfe. To be w t the lord alwaies according to Paules saying. Iohn. v. And so shal we euer be w t the lorde. i. Thes. iiii.d The vngodly shal folow these effectes. To ryse again to euerlastīg punyshmētes. Iohn. v. To be for euermore w t the deuyl & his aūgelles Math. xxv.
Contraryes Contraries to resurrection be these. To deny with y • Sadduciās, Sadducians Symoniās Symonians Archōtykes, Archontiks Hierarchytes Hierarchits & other heretykes the resurrectiō of the deed. To say with the Chyliastes Chiliastes. y • there shalbe after the resurrection in erth a ciuyle kingdom induryng a thousād yeres, in which shal reygne the godly with Chryst in al kīde of pleasure. To hold w t the Seleuciās Seleucians y • ther shal be no resurrectiō at all in tyme to come but y t it is nowe dayly made in [Page cxcix] the regeneracyon of the chyldrē of god To saye with the heretykes of Araby y • the sowle peryssheth togyther with the bodye. To be of the same opinyon that Many cheus was whiche sayd that his hearers or disciples were resolued in to y • electe or baytes of the elect & that the other sowles returned in to wyld bestes To hold with certayne heretykes y • the sowles of wycked ꝑsons be conuerted in to deuiles & ī to other beastes according to theyr desertes. To say the deed forthw t after theyr deth do rise agayn by thexemple of Christ. Agaīst whō Tertuliā disputeth ī his boke de resurrectione carnis, to hold w t y • Epicuriās Epicurians & w t certaī other philosophers y • al thīges be at a poynt after deth To hold with Marciō, Marcion Basilides, Basilides & Ualentinus Ualentinus that we shal not rise again in flesshe. To holde that the hole man shal not rise againe but onely eyther the flesshe eyther the soule eyther the spirite against which errour disputeth copyously Tertulian in his boke de resurrectione carnis. To graūt a spirituall resurrectiō after this life. To hold any other causes of y • resurrectiō than y • promise of god and the resurrection of Christ for whose cause the godlye shall ryse again [...] for whose contemte the vngodly shal be dāned risinge againe to their eternal [Page] damnaciō. To make two resurrections one of y • flesh or body, an other of y • soul or spirite. To holde with y • Anabaptistꝭ Anabaptistes that the soules of the damned persons shall rise agayne the seconde tyme vnto euerlasting lyfe whē they haue ones suffered punishment ynoughe for theyr sinnes. This erroure they haue takē by the occasiō of that text in the psalm where it is saide non imꝑpetuum irascetur deus ne (que) ineternū cōmouebit̄. God shall not be āgry perpetually, neither shal he be moued for euermore. Item out of y • fourth boke of Esdras where hel is like [...]ed iiii. Es. iiii.d to amatrix. To dispute fōdly & supersticiously byside the worde of god of the maner & forme of the resurrection. To iudge of the resurrectiō after the iudgement of reason leauinge the word, like as saducians Saducians do iudge of the resurrectiō in the gospel, Mar [...]. xxii.d. where Christ calleth them backe againe frō the iudgement of reason Math. xxii.c. vnto the worde of god saying. Luc. xx.d Haue ye not red in the boke of Moses. &c.
Of euerlastinge life CA. LIII.
EUerlasting lyfe is a certeyne & sure Diffini [...]ion. knowlege of god & of our lord Iesus Christ which beginneth here in fayth vnder suer hope & in spirite & shal be made manifest after this lyfe vnto ꝑpetual ioye & imortall inheritaunce.
¶Probacions.
As y • hast gyuē vnto him power ouer Ioh [...]. xv [...] euery flesh & all which y • hast gyuē vnto him y • he may gyue vnto thē euerlasting lyfe. Now this is the euerlasting lyfe y • they shold know y • only to be y • true god & whō thou hast sene Iesus chryst. The rest of the diffiniciō ꝓueth thapostle Peter in [...]is first epistle. ca. i. Blessed be god the father of our lord Iesus christ whiche through his aboūdan̄t mercy begate vs agayn vnto a lyuely hope by the resurrectiō of Ies [...] christ frō deth, to enioy an īheritaūce īmortall & vndefyled & vnperysshable reserued in heauen for you which are kept by the power of god thorow fayth vn to saluaciō which is p̄pared alredy to be shewed ī the last tyme whē ye shal reioyse, though nowe for a seasō, yfnede requyre, ye are in heuynesse thrugh manifold tēptaciōs, y • your faith ones beīg moch more p̄cyous thē gold y t perissheth, though it be tryed with fyre, myght be foūde vnto prayse, glory, & honour, 1. Corin. xiii.d at the appering of Iesus christ. &c. Also thapostle Paule, sayth: we se now in a glasse euen in darke speakynge but then shall we se face to face.
Theffectes of euerlastīg lyfe appeare also ī other places euery where ī scrypture, as apoc. 21. 2 pet. 3. Esa. 36. 63. 66. & [Page] they ought to be gathered by the cōtrary of theffectes of euerlastyng punisshment which abydeth for the vngodly.
The cause of euerlastīg life is y • ꝓmis Causes. of god. For bicause god hath ꝓmysed euerlastīg lyfe to suche as bilyue in christ therfore they receyue it. Therfore also y • apostle calleth euerlastyge lyfe y • gyft of god, Roma. vi. & in the fourth cha. to y • Ro. he ascribeth the inherytaūce not to the law but to the ꝓmyse. Christ is the ꝑsō for whō god hath ꝓmysed eternal life & for whō it is gyuē according to this of chryst. Iohn. v. [...] Uerily verily I saye vnto you he y • heareth mi wordes & biliueth on hī y • sēt me hath euerlastīg lyfe, & shal not come in to dā naciō but is eskaped frō deth vnto lyfe. Itē, Chryst gyueth euerlastynge lyfe to suche as cleaue vnto him by fayth according to this. Iohn. xvii. All whom thou hast gyuen vnto him he shal gyue them eternal lyfe To these causes maye also fayth be added. For fayth taketh holde of Chryste, and so iustificacyon ensueth: but vnto iustificacyon is eternall lyfe annexed.
Eternall lyfe is not cut in to partes Partes. but the scrypture calleth lyfe eternall one certayne and perpetuall ioye in a newe heauen and a newe erth in which the godlye shall be euerlastynglye with god and shal worshyp god according to [Page cci] Esay the prophete: Esay. lxvi. And all flesshe shall come to worshyp before my face.
¶Theffectes of eternal lyfe be takē chefly of y • cōmodities and ioyes ensuyng in Effectes the lyfe to come, & be these: To haue eternal ioyes. For in the euerlastyng lyfe shall cease all waylyng, all sorow, finally all afflictiōs & sadnesse. Apoc. 21. And god shal wype a way euery teare frome theyr eyes. Esaye. lxv. [...] To ioy & reioyse euerlastyngly. Note: Esaie. xxv. To worship god perpetually not to fele any more syn, deth, & persecucions. For deth also shall be vtterly deuoured, Apoca. xxi.b & god shal wype away euery teare, as a fore I sayd. Certes these effectes & semble of eternal lyfe be far frō all vnderstāding of man. For euerlastynge lyfe is suche a thyng as is beyond y • capacite of mā, & aboue al humane thinges. Math. xxii.c As also Chryst teacheth where he sayth y • in the resurectiō of the deed, Luc. xx.d they shal neyther mary nor be gyuen in maryage (that is to say) no erthly nor carnall thyng shall be in the euerlastynge lyfe. Mar [...]. xii.
¶Contraryes to eternall lyfe be these. Contraryes To say there is any other more prīcipal cause of euerlastīg lyfe then y • promyse made to y • bilyuers in Christ. Papisticall To graūte y • euerlastīg lyfe chaūceth for our workꝭ or merites. Popishe errours To say euerlastīg life is a du [...]eward for our workes. To say frō purgatory [Page] is y • way to euerlasting lyfe. The errour of the Anabaptistes To hold y • y • wicked & the deuils shal ones at last come to euerlastynge lyfe, after they be ones sufficiently pourged. To drem, any carnall thynge of euerlastyng lyfe as of pypynge and dauncyng, of eating and drynkynge, of delicate fare. &c. To iudge of euerlastyng lyfe by natural reason, leauyng the open worde of god.
Of prayer. CA. LIIII.
PRayer is an askynge with fayth of some thyng of god, [...]escriptino. with an effection of hert, and is gyuyng of thankes for benefytes receyued of god.
THIS description of prayer is playn bycause of the two kyndes of prayer, Probacion. peticion, and thankesgyuyng: Concerning the effection of the herte, we be aduertised by the prophete Esaye. Esaye. xxix. d. This people (sayth the lorde) approcheth vnto me w t theyr mouth, and honour me with their lyppes, but theyr hert is farre frō me. &c. Concerning fayth Christ saith: Marc. xi. Therfore I say vnto you, what so euer ye aske when ye pray, b [...]liue that ye shal haue it, and it shall be done vnto you.
There be two kyndes of prayer, Partes Inuocacion Peticion callyng on, or petition & gyuing of thākes. Callyng on or peticion is in which god is called vpon in some thynge, or wherī any thing is asked of god. To this kinde [Page clii] of prayer perteyne suche psalmes as be peticionarye or inuocatorye, in whiche thou mayst very well beholde the force nature, & forme of callynge on. Suche be these psalmes. xi. xij. xxi. xxiiij. xxxiiij.
Gyuynge of thankes is wherby we Thankesgy [...]uynge tendre and yelde thākes to god for the hearynge of youre prayer, and for thynges receyued of god. Unto this kynde of prayer ꝑteyn suche psalmes as be demō stratyue conteynyng prayses and thankes for the delyuery out of peryls, and for other benefytes, as be these psalmes the thyrde. xvij. xxix. xxxix.
Causes of the hole prayer be, the cō maūdemēt, Causes. ꝓmise, faith, & necessite. Iohan. xvi. [...] Of y • two former causes, thus speaketh christ Aske & it shal be gyuen you. Item what so euer ye shal aske y • father in my name he wyll gyue it you. Of faythe speaketh Paul Rō. x. How shall they cal on him vpon whome they haue not bilyued Itē Mar. xi. Christ sayth: what thynge so euer in youre prayer ye aske, bylyue y • ye receyue it & it shal be done vnto you. Vndoutedly vnto christ for whose cause we be herde of god y e father, is requyred fayth▪ which taketh holde of the ꝓmyse wherby god hath promysed y • we shalbe herde in Christe. This faithe is espyed [Page] very well in y • myracles of Christ in the gospell, where alway before any myracle was declared, fayth went before, although y • euāgelystes haue not alwaye set it out. Necessitie the fourthe cause of prayer proueth Esay the ꝓphete where he saythe. [...]. Lorde in theyr straytes they haue sought y •. So Susāna forsaken of all begā to cry to y • lord: Daniel. xiii. Iones. ii. So Ionas the ꝓphete being in y • whalles bely poured out this prayers to god: so Dauid euer amōg prayeth in his necessitie & perils, he is herde & gyueth thākes to god. So also Christ ī the orchyarde prayeth. Math. xvi. [...] Mark. xiiii. d Luke. xxii. c And these forsayd causes do ꝓprely belong to īuocaciō or callinge on: Thākesgyuyng taketh his propre cause of the duty. For in that we be the people of god, god hereth vs / yea & in maner he ouerwhelmeth vs with his benefytes. Therfore we owe of duty to rendre thankes, besyde which god requyreth of vs none other recompensacion or rewarde for his benefytes, as euery where the scrypture testifyeth.
¶Theffectes of prayer y t demaundeth or calleth on y • lord, Effectes of peticion and inuocacion. be these. To be herd of god. To obtayn our demaūdes. To be delyuered frō euyls or perils. But these efectes do not chaūce euē for y • selfprayer sake, but for y • promyse sake added to the [Page cciiii] praier, accordīg to this, aske & it shalbe giuē you. Math. vii. d Now bicause Christ byddeth vs pray, & hath ꝓmised hearing of y • father, euē therfore we be herd. Furthermore these effectes be brought forth of god, & sōtimes they folow not y • praier which thing neuertheles is not done w t out our gret vtilitie & ꝓfit. Note this s [...] mylitude For like as a wise & ☞ prudēt father giueth not forth w t al thinges to his son y t he asketh vnwisly, or of other causes, so y • heuēly father knoweth thopportunitie of tyme whē to giue to graūt & to hear vs, and y • for our incredible ꝓfyt, wherfore no tyme of hearing ought to be appointed vnto god. But when we haue made our prayer, we must abyde w t al paciēce til it pleseth god to graūt vs our requestꝭ, frō whēs therfore ꝓcede these offices of prayer. To pray alweis. Ec. 18. Be y • not letted alwais to pray. Itē in y • gospel of Luke we be cōmaūded of Christ still to pray & not to faint. Luc. xviii. [...] Loke there vpō the parable of y • wicked iudge. Colos. iiii. i. Thess. iiii [...] Itē to be in stāt in prayer. To pray w tout ceasing.
Theffectes of giuing thākes of god be these: Theffectes of thākesgiuing To praise god, to rēder thākes to god, to magnify god, to [...]fesse his name: These effectes be called in scripture y • sacrifices of prayse, & Ebre. xii. f. frutes of our lippes, [Page] which we offre to god for his benefites towardes vs. Now as in theffectꝭ of peticiō & inuocacion be excluded the circūstaunces of time & of places, so al [...] in thankesgiuing.
Cōtraries to y • true prayer are these: [...]. The erro [...] of fryers an monckes. The error of sayntment. To make of prayer a worke y t of it self deserueth iustificaciō, bearyng & other thīges. To worship saintes: to cal on saintes. To bind praier to certein circū stāces of places, of times. &c. To pray w tout faith & hope of hearing. To pray w t a wauering mind. To pray w tout necessitie or whē y u hast not occasiō to demaūde any thing of god. ☞ To mūble vp certeyn psalmes or prayers ī vayne, cō trary to the secōd cōmaūdemēt, y u shalt not take y • name of god in vayn. Not to pray or cal on god or giue thankes for benefites receyued for hī, sith we haue a cōmaūdemēt to pray, to call on, & to giue thākes. To hold y t our prayers be herd of god euē for our workes sake bicause we pray, & not bicause of y • ꝓmis made y t the praiers shal be herd. To leue praying whē god heareth vs not forthw t. The error of temple men. To expound y • cōmaūdemēt of scripture of praying always, night & day to kepe in y • tēple & to mūble vp prayers. To pray to thītēt y u maist be sene & [Page ccv] praysed of mē, after the faciō of hypocrites Mat. vi. To be a blaber & pytterpatterer Hypocrites Piterpatterynge whē y u prayest. Mat. vi. To p̄ fer or matche prayers diuised of mē w t the lordes prayer, named the Pa [...]n [...]. To deny y t god doth defer the tyme of hearing vs, to our own ꝓfite & cōmoditie. To deny y t prayer maye be applied for the necessities of other.
Of rule. CA. LV.
RUle is gods ordynaunce, Diffinicion. to appoynt good and profitable thinges to be done, to punish the fauty, and saue the vnfauty, which is to be obeied, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
¶Proues of this diffinition.
THERE is no power (saith Paul) but of god, Roma. xiii. [...] the powers that be, are ordined of god, who so euer therfore resysteth power, resisteth gods ordinaūce. And they that resist, shal haue to them selues damnacion. &c. Hither ꝑteyn manysentences out of the prouerbes of Salomō which confyrme the ciuill & temporall power to be the ordinaunce of god, as this sentence: Per me reges regnant. &c. By me the kynges reygne, Prou. viii. c and prynces make iuste lawes, through me [Page] lordes bear rule, & al iudges of the erth execute iudgemēt. Here Salomō signifieth y • the tēporal power is ordeined by y • word of god. Prouer. xvi. b Itē he saith: Diuinacio in labijs regis, ī iudicij [...] nō errabit oseius: y t is, diuinaciō is ī the lippes of y • king, & in iudgemēt his mouth shal not erre. &c. The offices & ꝑtes of a ruler be declared of thapostle Paul by these wordes: Roma. xiii. b wilt y • be w tout fear of the power, ☞ do wel thē, & so shalt y • be praysed of y • same, for he is y • minister of god for thy welth. But if y • do euil, thē fear, for he beareth not y • swerd for nought, but is the minister of god to take vengeaūce on thē y • do euil. The selfe same offices be put of Peter. i. Pe. ij. Furthermore the ruler ought to p̄scribe & cōmaūd his subiectes such thīges as be right ꝓfitable, & to punish the euil, & saue the innocent for the [...]seruaciō of publique peax & honestie. And lyke as rule is thordinaūce of god, so the ordinaūce of the ruler & his offices god ascribeth to hī self, lest a mā sholde cōtemne thē or set them at nought, Prouer. xxi. d accordīg to the said text of Salomō, di [...]inaciō is ī the mouth of y • king neither his mouth shal erre ī iudgemēt. Itē a true measure & a true balaūce are the lordes, & he is y • author or weightꝭ.
[Page ccvi] Thoffice of the ruler [...]cerning the p̄ scribing of right & ꝓfitable thīges in a cōmon wele is set forth by a goodly descriptiō of Cicero in his. ij. boke de legibus. Cicero. But [...]cernīg our obediēce towardꝭ y • ruler, Roma. xiii. b thus writeth thapostle ī his epistle to y • Ro. wherfore ye must nedes obey (saith Paul) not for feare of vengeaūce only, but also bicause of cōsciēce, y • is, y • the [...]sciēce be not spotted w t syn. Hither ꝑteyn such sētēces ī the ꝓuerbes of Salomō as teche y t rulers are to be fered, as Pro. 16. ☞ Indignatio regis nūciū est mortis, at vir sapiēs placabit. The kinges displesure is y • messēger of deth, but a wise mā wil pacify him. Itē in an other place. The terrour of the king is as the roring of the lyon, he y • offēdeth him his soule synneth.
THE causes of rule be these: Causes. God whose ordinaūce it is, & the ꝑsōs ordeyned to elect the ruler (where as it goeth by electiō) or a iust tytle of inheritaūce (wher it goeth by successiō of blood) to thintēt al thīges be done in order. The formal cause is takē out of the priuileges of themperours, kinges & princes, or by any othervsage wherby the ruler is constitute.
OF tēporal rulers, Partes. some is superiour [Page] and heed, other be inferyours & vnder powers.
Theffectes of the magistrate or ruler Effectes. be his selfe offices whiche he exerciseth for the ꝓfite & auayle of his subiectꝭ, as To p̄scribe y t is egall & profitable. To ordeyn & institute a certeyn & sure policy stablysshed w t good & honest lawes. To defend y • giltles, [...]. Petri. ii. to punish y • gylty, to put of wronges. To maynteyn tranquilitie & quietie. To defēd a peasible & quiet life, for to y • purpose will thapostle y • subiectes shold pray for their kynges, euē y t we may lyue (saith he) a quiet & [...]. Timot. ii. b peasible life in al godlines & honesty. To reuēge wrōges done to his subiectꝭ. To punish euil. Roma. xiii. a To be dred of euil doers. To p̄serue & [...]serue a publique honesty & peax ī the world. Of this effect & office haue writtē many excellēt, wise, & politikely lerned mē, Plato. Aristotle. Cicero as Plato, Aristotle, Cicero & other. To accept y • word of god according as is cōmaūded in y •. 2. psal. Nūc regis ītelligīte. Now ye kinges be ye wise, be ye lerned, ye y t are iudges of the erth. Serue ye the lorde w t feare. &c. Now, to serue the lord w t feare, is to receyue & take his word. Itē thoffice & ꝑtes of a prīce is to se the true & syncere religiō of god be set forth to his subiectes, [Page ccvii] according to thexēple of Salomō ii. Pat. viii. c who ordeined the offyces of the prestes by certeyn courses and dayes. Item according to thexemple of king Iosaphat ij. Par. xviii. of Ezechias. ii. Par. xviii. ☞ Item in the boke of Iosue. ca. viii. it is writen how Iosue the capteyn red vnto the people the boke of Deut. euen al the wordes of the lawe, bothe the blessynge and cursynge, accordynge to all that is written in the boke of the lawe. Finally it is the offyce of the ruler to nourysshe and maynteyne the teachers of the pure relygion, vnto whiche offyce the prophet Esaye exhorteth the rulers, Esaye. xli [...]. [...] where he writeth that kynges shal be the noursyng fathers of the churche and quenes shall be the noursynge mothers.
Cōtraryes to the lauful rule & temporal power be these. Contraries and errours To deny that temporal power is the ordinaunce of god, contrary to the open place of Paul. Ro. xiii. To saye in depressynge the dignitie of temporall power that is thordinaunce of nature. To hold that temporal rule is a casual ordynaunce, which men ordeyned amonges them selues by fortune and chaunce, as they dyd other thynges. To saye that an vngodly [Page] ruler ought not to be obeyed in tēporal or ciuil thinges, ☞ cōtrary to thexemple of Ioseph, of Daniel & other saintes which haue lyued vnder wicked maiestrates, in high obediēce. To hold that the gospel dothe abrogate ciuil power, wheras in dede y • gospel only ꝑteyneth to the cōscience, & in such thīges as we haue to do w t god. Euen tyrant oughte of a christen man to be obeyed. [...]. Pet. ii. c To denye y • we owe obediēce in al ciuil thīges vnto euil Magistrates & tiraūtes, cōtrary to y • place of Peter which requireth obediēce vnto the heedes, not onely yf they be good & curteous, but also yf they be froward. To say there is any other cause of disobediēce of som subiectꝭ towardes their rulers then the iudgemēt of reasō. For wheras reason vnderstandeth not y • the tēporal power is the ordinaūce of god it disdeyneth & thinketh it a thing vnworthely to obey. To deny y • a good ruler is a synguler gyft of god, [...]trary to the place of Ecclesiasticus where it is said. Ecclesia. x. a. The power of y • erth is in the hād of god, & whē his time is he shal set a ꝓfitable ruler vpō it. To deny y t an euil ruler is giuē for the synnes of mē, [...]trary to this of the ꝓphete. For the synnes of the people hath he made hypocrites to reigne, also the prophet Esaie. ca. iij. [Page ccviii] I shal giue children to be their princes (saith y • lord) & babes shal haue the rule of you. Itē Salomō saith in his ꝓuerbꝭ. Pro. xxviii. a. Bicause of syn the lād doth oft chaūge her prince. To graūt y • subiectes may a uēge thē selues of their own iniury, cō trary to this of Christ. Mat. xxvi. e Iohn. xviii. b He y • striketh w t the swerd, shal w t the swerd perish. To deny y t the coūsels, the statutes, iudgemētes, & the reignes of kinges & rulers be of god, cōtrary to these places folowing. Pro. 6. Diuinaciō is in y • lippes of y • king. Itē Iob. God casteth not away the mighty ones bicause he him selfe is mighty. Pro. 21. The hert of the king is in the hād of the lord, lyke as y • ryuers of water he may turne it whither so euer he wil. Itē the weightes & euē measures be the iudgement of the lorde. To hold we ought to obey rulers, cōmaunding wicked thinges, Act. iiii. d [...]trary to this of Pe [...]. it behoueth rather to serue god thē men. Neither wold Mathathias as we rede ī the first of the Machabees ne his i. Macha. ii. b sōnes in any wise obey the king Antiochus cōmaūding to sacrifice to ydols agaīst the cōmaūdemēt of god. In lyke wise neither y • ꝓphet Balaā wold obey kyng Balaac. Numer. xxii. To say y t the electiō of publique officers & magistrates doth not [Page] rather ꝑteyn to prīces, aldermē or such as be in authoritie, thē to the multitude of subiectes, which for their rudenes & lak of experiēce in ciuil thīges be for y • most ꝑte voyde of iudgemēt & blynded. To hold y • the felicitie of cōmō weales stādeth in altering rulers. To disturbe the cōmō peax for the electiō of y • ruler To pluk violently vnto thē the electiō of the ruler, agaīst y • old priuileges lawes & customes. To vsurpe y • office of a king or ruler w tout lauful calling or electiō. To hold y t god doth ꝓspere such ruler as violētly or tyrānically, y • is, w t out lauful vocaciō vsurpeth any rule, cōtrary to the opē exēples of histories & very experiēce. To graūt y t any impe [...]eis or kingdoms may be cōstitute & ruled w tout heroicall mē īdowed w t noble & heroical vertues, for which ma [...] loke vpō Plato. Plato. ii. de Legibus. To diuide y • ciuil magistrate or ruler in to the seculer & spiritual ruler. To deny y • such subiectes as resist y • tēporal power & refuse oftētimes light burthens be not more greuously punisshed of god, [...]ier. xxviii. d as the ꝓphet Ier. also witnesseth. Thus sayth the lord, y • hast brokē the cheines of wod, and y • shalt make for thē cheynes of yron. ☞ To deny y • the disobediēt & sedicious subiectes agaīst [Page cclx] their prynce & ruler be most greuously punisshed of god, accordīg to thexēple of Dathā, Abirō, & Chore, as is red in y • boke of Nu. 16. ii. Reg. xv. Itē according to thexē ple of Zambry.
TO say there may be such a prince or ruler as may plese al his subiectꝭ wheras y • good king Dauid [...]trarily was reported of Absolō his own son y • he was not egal ī iudgemēt vnto y • people, also Salomō y t he greued the people to moch To forbid w t the Anabaptistes tēporal power vnto christē mē, Holy & godly persons haue borne rule. cōtrary to the opē exēples of scripture wheras Ioseph & Dauid which bileued ī Christ bare tē poral rules, Cornelius as we rede ī the actes was an officer of Rome. Itē y • Cē turiō in the gospel w t infinite other. To forbid vnto christē rulers batels in defēce of their subiectꝭ, executiō of iudge mētes w t the swerd vpō y • trāsgressours & other ciuil offices wherby realmes & īperies be kept, mainteined & cōserued. So Abrahā was a christē mā for y • faith which he had in Christ, & yet neuerthelesse he made many warres. So king Dauid & other. To say y t to play the ruler is to play the thefe & robber. A wycked [...] knauishe errour This errour is against the honestie of y • offices of kynges & rulers whose offices be to [Page] defend his honest subiectes, to kepe cō mō peax. &c. whiche offices to do, is not to play the thefe. For although there be foūd some rulers which do exercise robberyes pillagies & theftes, yet the office remaineth of it self good, neither ought it to be dispraysed, bicause of certeyn euil officers. Math. xx. c. To hold by this place of y • gospel, the kynges of the gētyles haue rule ouer thē. &c. that a christē mā can not bear office or rule. This errour sprī geth of the misvnderstāding of the cō parisō where Christ cōpareth the apostles which were subiectes w t kinges cō stitute in lauful rule. To deny vnto rulers their customs, tributes & taxes to y • sustētaciō & maintenaūce of their empyre or kingdō, cōtrary to the place of Paul. Ro. 13. wher he saith, giue tribute to whō tribute belōgeth, custom to whō custom is due. &c. To deny due reuerēce to the ruler, Roma. xiii. b cōtrary to Paul, who saith giue honour to whō honour ꝑteyneth. To depose & put downe the magistrate & ruler by y • subiectes & to make new rulers, ☞ where as their formar rulers wil not receiue y • gospel, which errour was in maner y • destructiō of a sort of cities in Germany. To neglect the office cō mitted vnto hī, or negligētly to regarde [Page ccx] his office. For wheras the scripture p̄ scribeth to officers and publique ministers their offices, it wil haue them also accordingly to execute the same, to defende the good & punish the bad. Hither ꝑteyn such exhortaciōs in the ꝓphetes Ernest adm [...]nistracion as exhorte the rulers to ernest administracion of the cōmon wele, as Esaie. ☞ i. Lerne to do right, apply your selues to equitie, deliuer the oppressed, helpe the fatherles to his right, let the widowes cōplaint come before you. Itē the ꝓphet Zach. ca. 7. Execute true iudgemēt. &c. To regarde slouthfully y • offices of a ruler, whē y • seest thy subiectes rebellious & sedicioꝰ, which euil by litle & litle destroyeth cōmon weales.
Of wedlocke. CA. LVI.
WEdlok is the laufull couple of mā & wife, Definicyon ordeyned indissolubly to bring forth children, & to eschew fornicacion.
THAT matrimony is the couple of Probacyon [...] man and wife doubteth no man. This word (lauful) excludeth al gyle & fraud which may chaūce about ꝑsons cōtracting matrimony. Now the formar effect of matrimony, which is, y • it is ordeyned to the procreacion of yssue, proueth [Page] the place of Gene. ca. i. Cressi [...]e et multiplicamini. Encrease, & be ye multiplied. The latter effect declareth Paul to the Corin. [...]. Corin. vii. writynge: It is good for man not to touche a woman, neuerthelesse to auoyde fornicaciō let euery mā haue his wyfe, and let euerye woman haue her husband. As touching the institution, god did institute wedlocke. Ge. ij. I added this terme (indissolubly) that is to saye, vndepartably or w tout breakyng, that a man shold not thinke that wedlocke ones lawfullye made can be vndone & broken, which thynge Chryst him self forbyddeth saying. That god cōioyned, Mat. xix. a let no mā separate. Howbeit where aduoutry cōmeth bitwene, there is no longer wedlocke. For the ꝓmesse gyuen is broken, wherfore in such case it is lawful, according to the doctrine of Christ to seperate the persons whiche before were contracted in matrymonye.
Causes of wedlocke be these: Causes. God the instituter, the cōsent of the parētes, or of such as supply their rowmes, & of y • ꝑsons cōtracting. Itē the lawes as wel natural as politique, the customes of y • coūtrey. &c. For matrimony belongeth also to ciuil & politique thinges, wherfore [Page ccxi] the lawes of nature, of prīces, the customes of the coūtrey may not be neglected about matrimony.
Wedlok is of one kynde, Partes y t is to wi [...]e, the lawful couple of mā & wife, by the agrement of bothe.
THEFFECTES of wedlocke be these. Effectes of matr [...]monye. To bring forth children. Gene. i. This effect although it proprely belongeth to wedlocke, yet it chaunceth not without the singuler blessing of god or gift of the lord, wherwith god rewardeth suche as feare him, accordinge to the prophete: Psal. cxxvi [...]. Blessed are all they that feare the lord and walke in his wayes thy wyfe shall be as the frutefull vyne vpō y • walles of thy house, thy children lyke the olyue braunches round aboute thy table: lo, thus shal the mā be blessed that feareth the lorde. i. Cor. vii. a To be a remedy agaynst fornicacion. To be a signe of gods wil towardes vs in y t we knowe this kynd of lyfe please god, & therfore is decked with the promises of god, and w t the worde. To be a token of the spiritual wedlocke and felowship, which is bitwene the church and Christ, Ephe. v. [...] according to Paul. This is a great mistery, but I speke bitwene Christ and the congregacion.
[Page] Cōtraryes to matrimony be these. Contraryes To say matrimonye is not thordinaūce of god, but mās inuēciō. To say matrimony is a sacramēt, iustifieng euen of the very worke selfe. Poligamie, that is, the hauing of many wyues togyther is forbydden. To holde a man may haue by gods lawe mo wyues at ones thē one, cōtrary to the first ordinaūce of matrimony. Ge. 2. And they .ij. shall be one flesh. &c. Neither is there red any cōmaūdemēt in the old testamēt for the hauing of many wiues, although exemples do testify y t it was ī vre, & ꝑchaūce also suffred at those times for increase of yssue or for other causes. But y • newe testamēt doth vtterly forbyd the hauīg of many wiues, & that by thauctorite of Christ, who bringeth vs back agayn to the true instinct of nature, & right ordināce of god. ☞ To hold it a lauful matrimony y • is cōtracted agaīst gods lawes of princes, vsages of the coūtrey, [...]sent of y • parētes, or of such as rep̄sent their rowme, against the cōsent of the cōtractours or whiche is cōtracted bitwene ꝑsons impotēt vnhable & vnmete to the same. To hold y • certeyn matrimonies cōtracted agaīst some of y • causes afore said ought to be dissolued & brokē after they be made, & can not be vndone. To hold y t it is lauful about matrimony to [Page ccxii] vse al maner of gyle & fraud. Math. v. xix. To say y • bare cōsent of the mā & wyfe ought to make matrimony. To say matrimony may be broken for any other causes thē for only aduoutry. To say sycknes or other chaunce of fortune, Forbydding of wedlocke is the doctrine of deuyls i. Corin. vii. [...] either ꝓsperous or aduerse may breke matrimony ones laufully cōtracted. To hold y t the infidelitie or vnfaithfulnes of eyther of the ꝑsons in matrimony breketh matrimony, cōtrary to the apostle. 1. Cor. 7. To say it were not better to marye then to burne in outwarde concupisscence & lustes. To exercise frowardnes and vngentlenes in matrimony. To regarde matrimony slouthfully, or not to susteyn louingly suche thynges as pertayne vnto it. (?)
¶The table of the common places handled in this presente boke.
- FYrst an epistle to y • kyngꝭ maiestie.
- Of God. Folio. i.
- Of god the father. fo. ii.
- Of god the sonne. fo. iii.
- Of god the holy ghost. fo. viii.
- Of predectinacion. fo. xii.
- Of contingencie. fo. xvii.
- Of creacion. fo. xx.
- Of creatures fo. xxii.
- Of aungels or good spirites. fo. xxv.
- Of euil spirites or aūgels. fo. xxviii.
- Of man. fo. xxxii.
- Of the olde man fo. xxxiiii.
- Of the newe man. fo. xxxvi.
- Of fre wyll fo. xxxviii.
- Of fre wyl before the fall fo. xxxviii.
- Of fre wil after the fall fo. xl.
- Of synne. fo. xliiii.
- Of oryginal synne fo. xlv.
- Of actual synne fo. l.
- Of venial synne fo. lvii.
- Of syn against tholy ghost fo. lviii.
- Of the lawe. fo. lx.
- Of the law of nature fo. lx.
- Of the law of god fo. lxiii.
- [Page] Of moral lawes fo. lxvi.
- Of lawes iudicial fo. lxviii.
- Of ceremonial lawes fo. lxviii.
- Of humane lawes fo. lxxi.
- Of the gospell. fo. lxxiii.
- Of fayth fo. lxxvi.
- Of iustificacion fo. lxxxii.
- Of hope fo. lxxxv.
- Of loue towardes god fo. lxxxviii.
- Of loue towardes the neyghbour. fo. xc.
- Of good workes fo. xcvi.
- Of fulfyllynge the lawe fo. cv.
- Of the abrogaciō of the lawe fo. cx.
- Of the christen libertie fo. cxv.
- Of the crosse fo. cxix.
- Of humilitie fo. cxxv.
- Of sacramentes or signes fo. cxxvi.
- Of baptisme fo. cxxix.
- Of the souper of the lorde fo. cxxxiii.
- Of sacrifice fo. cxxxix.
- Of repentaunce fo. cxlvii.
- Of contricion fo. cliiii.
- Of faythe the other parte of repentaunce. fo. clv.
- Of confession before god fo. clvi.
- Of open confession fo. clix.
- Of confession priuate. &c. fo. clx.
- Of auriculer or eare cōfessiō. fo. clxii.
- Of satisfaction fo. clxiii.
- [Page] Of pardons fo. clxvi.
- Of the eclesiastical power fo. clxvii.
- Of the popysh power fo. clxxij
- Of mens tradicions fo. clxxiiii.
- Of the church or [...]gregaciō. fo. clxxvi.
- Of sclaunder or offending. fo. clxxxvi.
- Of the kyngdom of Christ fo. cxciii.
- Of resurection fo. cxcvii.
- Of euerlasting lyfe fo. cxcix.
- Of prayer fo. cciii.
- Of rule fo. ccv.
- Of wedlocke. fo. ccx.
Imprinted at London by Iohū Byddell, dwellyng in Fletestrete at the sygne of the Sonne ouer agaynst the Cundyte. In the yere of our lorde god. M.CCCCC.xxxviii.
Cum priuilegio. ❧ ❧