kingdome of heauen but are euen as it were in hell and the ministers receiued the keyes of the kingdome of heauen from Christe that is to say the preaching of the Gospell that therby they might open shut Therefore they open when they teache true faithe promisse eternall life and exhort all men to come vnto Christe that they may be saued And they shutte vp the kingdome of heauen when they threaten eternall damnation against the vnbeléeuers wicked men and suche as do not repente testifying vnto them that they are excluded from the kingdome of god But the power or effecte to perfourme appertaineth onely vnto the Lorde like as Paule compareth the ministers of the Churche to husbande men saying Neither is he that planteth any thing neither he vvhich vvatereth but God vvhich giueth the increase VVhat then is Paule or vvho is Appollo are they any other but Ministers by vvhome you haue beleeued euen as God hathe giuen the gifte vnto euery one Therefore it is God onely that dothe forgiue or not forgiue ours sinnes and the ministers which haue receiued the keyes are onely the publishers of this deliueraunce or captiuitie Wherefore some of the Fathers haue vsed in this case a certaine distinction saying that Christe gouerneth in the Churche by his owne proper power and the ministers as seruauntes onely And héereby it manifestly appeareth that these Romishe champions which after so straunge a manner claime vnto them selfe the power of the keyes and persuade the simple people that by the authoritie of them they haue obtained I knowe not what wonderfull power are like those vnthriftie and vntrustie seruauntes who hauing receyued some certaine and limitted office not being therewith content doe vnder the pretence thereof vsurpe the power and authoritie of their Lorde and maister So these good fellowes conuerte the vse of the keyes which they haue receyued to the accomplishing of all that them selues do like off For of the keyes which in déede is the office of preaching these Popish prelates frame vp great and maruellous matters for by them they doe aduaunce and lifte vp them selues and their authoritie aboue Kings Emperors yea ouer the soules of men their dignities goodes and bodyes Furthermore vnder the pretence of these their keyes they heape vp great treasures searche out the conseiences of men and mainetaine theyr purgatorie of which muche mighte be spoken that we heere willingly ouerpasse But we knowe that the office giuen to the priestes and ministers of the church was to preach the word of God and to giue good examples of life to the congregation administer the Sacraments to féede and preserue the flocke of God as S. Paule teacheth bothe to Timothe and Titus And as touching any other greater power which the Romishe prelates chalenge in the churche there is not one woorde spoken in the Scripture sauing that in an other respect there is somewhat written thereof in the Reuelation of S. John the. 9. 11. 13. 17. and 18. chapters The. liij Question Whether mē by this retaining of sinnes are by excommunication seperated from the churche of Christe and are deliuered to the power of sathan And whether he be to be iudged a Publicane or Heathen which will not heare the church The Answere IN good soothe I maruell that these mē dare make once mention of that kinde of excōmunicatiō which the Scripture speaketh of for it it were in vse and mighte haue his force then should them selues be firste excommunicated For euē in the same place wher Paule commaundeth him to be deliuered to Sathan which had committed incest with his mother and that to be don to the destruction of the fleshe euen there also dothe he forbidde the faithfull to haue any company with whooremaisters couetous oppressers drunkardes idolaters c. And in déede we bothe knowe and confesse that the churche of Christe hathe power to admonishe exhorte punishe correcte and to Excommunicate all those who liue in sinnes wickednesse slaunders and Idolatries hauing no regarde to repentaunce and amendment of life But howe I beséeche you haue oure Romish spiritualtie as they call them vsed excommunication in their church who are they whome they haue excommunicated For they neuer vsed the same to the rooting vp of vice and vngodlynesse but to the aduauncing and setting vp of theyr owne glory and couetousnesse yea héereby as with a bridle they haue helde in the godly to be subiecte to theyr Tyranntcall power And therefore diuers Popes and Bishoppes by meanes of this Excommunication haue not onely Excommunicated but also persecuted Kings Emperoures Princes whole Common weales and sundry honest menne yea héereby setting them together by the eares and that onely to the ende this proude spiritualtie might beare the sway alone and purchase to them selues all the authoritie and power giuen by God to the magistrate and so make Kings and Princes subiecte to them Reade the Histories of Gregorie the seconde of Gregorie the thirde and Gregorie the seuenth of Paschalis Gelasius Innocentius Alexander Bonifacius and other Popes what they did to Leo the thirde Henrie the fourth and Henrie the fifthe to Phillip and Fredericke what they did to the Princes and kings of Germanie and France with diuers others whome these Popes moste miserably bothe against the lawe of God and man excommunicated and vexed with their whole kingdomes In like manner we confesse that all those which will not heare the Church according to the woordes of oure Lorde and Sauioure Jesus Christe in the eightienthe Chapiter of Mathewe are like vnto the Publicanes and heathen But what I pray yée is this vnto the Papistes Doe they thincke that all those which speake and doe against the Church of Rome are Publicanes and Heathen Lette them selues firste become the Churche of Christe and then shal they be Publicanes and Heathen that will not heare them But if these Romishe sorte be Publicanes and Heathen themselues then shall all those be called and be in very déede true Christians which sette themselues againste their churche To conclude admonition exhortation reprouing correction and punishment ought to be in the churche of Christ and must be applied as cause requireth to edifying and therefore who so euer resisteth this good order doth gréeuously offend The. xv Common place Of Matrimonie Vowes and Chastitie The. liiij Question Whether mariage be lawfull and free for all men The Answere OUr Lord Christ after he had in the. 19. of Mathewe taught that a man mighte not put away his wife for euery cause and there vppon the disciples had said If the matter bee so then is it better not to marie He answereth All men cannot receiue thys saying saue they too whome it is geuen and then making mention of thrée sorts of chast addeth Hee that is able to receiue this let hym receiue it By which wordes in déed he testifieth and manifestly teacheth that the gifte to liue chast and without mariage is not common or giuen to all mē
sufficientlye proue that this their enoyling was neuer ordained by the Apostles And what shall I say of that which they vse to speake in this their enoyling when they say In the name of the father the sonne and the holy ghoste I annoynt thee vvith this holy oyle that thereby thou maiste receiue remission of al thy sinnes What ground or forme of institution of this haue yée in all the holy scriptures of Christe and his Apostels The Apostles taught that ful remission of sinnes was to be soughte in the bloude of Christe and not in Oyle And therefore euen by this one pointe it may euidently appeare to the faythfull that for good consideration we vse not this Ceremonie Furthermore when wée beléeue that one baptisme which we haue once receiued wherein we were once Baptized with water in the name of the Father the Sonne and of the holye Ghoste is effectuall by the operation of the holy Ghoste euen all oure life long vnto death we thinke it not néedefull to be againe at the pointe of deathe rebaptized of a Baptisme deuised by man for they call this their annointing the laste Baptisme But we according to Christianitie visite the sicke instruct them admonish them exhort them cōfort them strengthen them and pray with them and charitably looks vnto them c. The seuententh Common place Of the Magistrate and lawful obedience The. lx Question Whether the spirituall and ciuill magistrate ought not to be obeyed chiefly when the things that they commaund are not agaynst God The Answere WE wyll héere make a difference betwene the Ciuill and the spirituall Magistrates For the teachers and gouernors of the Church are ministers and not Lords to exercise a gouernement lyke kings prynces or noble men and we ought to obey them as the Ministers of Chryste so long as they bée hys preache hys worde and execute the Christian ministerie And so Paule teacheth with these wordes VVee beseeche you brethren that you will know them which labour amongest you and take the charge ouer you in the Lorde and instruct you that you honor them throgh loue for their works sake and haue peace with them And againe Obey those which haue the ouersight of you and submyt your selues for they watch for your soules as they that must giue accountes that they may do it with ioy Likewyse Chryst sayth to his Apostles He that heareth you heareth me And he manyfestly forbiddeth his Apostles to rule as Ciuill Magistrates John. 13. Reade more of this Math. 18. and. 20. Luke 22. where you shall manyfestly finde that our Lorde saythe The kings of the Nations reigne ouer them and those which exercise authoritie ouer them are called gracious lords but it shal not be so with you And therfore the ciuil power which the Bishops and gouernors of the Churche exercise hath no groūd or authoritie in the word of god neither hath Chryst at any time commaunded them to vse bothe the swordes Saint Peter in the sixt of the Actes speaketh of him self and the other Apostles thus It is not conuenient that we should leaue the worde of God and serue Tables that is to say giue ourselues to the féeding of the poore c. And yet it is more lyke that the Apostles woulde take charge care for the poore than to take vpon them gouernemente and ciuill authoritie onlesse they had knowen the same to bée agaynst the commaundement of god And therfore doubtlesse if suche power had ben offered vnto them they would neuer haue receiued it And besides this experience teacheth vs nowe in our age that these two can not be ioyned togither Yet let the christians submit thēselues to these magistrates so long as they cōmaunde not things contrary to god yet if they do they may not therfore stir cōmotiōs but do that which god hath cōmaunded Touching the Ciuil power as kings Emperours Princes Counsellors Magistrates and all other lyke which exercise any publique office by what name soeuer they bée called wée are bound to obey them by the worde of God in all things that are not contrarie to God yea God threatneth vengeaunce agaynst all those that are disobedient stubborne and rebellious agaynst the Magistrates Moreouer wée are taughte by Gods worde that the Magistrate is ordeyned of God and is for hys sake to be honored and to be acknowledged in hys Ministers ordeined for the wealth of good men but for the punishment of euill men and that wée muste loue them as fathers geuing vnto them their due honor tribute loyaltie faythfulnesse and other bodily seruices which appertayne vnto thē and that with a good hart and wil faithfully And thus are we taughte by the worde of God Math. 17. and 22. and 1. Peter 2. Romanes 13. and Titus 1. And in the Epistle to Timothe Paule commaundeth that wée make faythfull prayers vnto God for those which haue the gouernemente ouer vs And euen as the Apostles for Gods cause were obediente vnto the Magistrates so is it méete that Byshoppes and those which gouerne in the Churche as teachers and preachers bée obedient to the Ciuill Magistrate also like as Jeremie in his firste Chapter teacheth but yet in suche sorte as they teache the worde of God fréely But if any wyll not thus doo then let them reade the seconde Epistle of Sainct Peter the seconde Chapter and the Epistle of S. Jude and sée what the Apostles doo thinke and iudge of suche And agaynst those which resiste their Magistrates and so become worse than théeues or murtherers many sharpe thinges are written in the holy Scripture and in the Prouerbes of Salomon The. Lxj. Question Whether the magistrat ought to bee obeyed if he publishe set foorth or commaund any thing contrary to the vniuersal church of Chryst The Answere WE muste héere agayne make a difference betwéene the true Christian Churche and the false bearing onely the name and tytle therof For that Churche which is called and is in very déede the true vniuersall Church of Chryst is that company of the faythfull whiche rightly beléeue in Chryste putting all their trust in God throughe Chryste geuing eare onely to him in his holy worde séeking all things in hym and seruing him in holynesse and righteousnesse And agaynst this Churche can no Magistrate decrée any thing but if they chaunce to doo then doo the faythfull knowe that it is better to obey God than man In déede at the beginning and in the tyme of the Primatiue Churche Kinges and Emperours concluded set foorth many gréeuous things against the Christians but thē they which otherwise in al bodily seruices were contente to bée obedient vnto their Magistrates dyd in déede disobey them in the things which appertayned to their faythe for they would neither woorshippe their Idols nor doo sacrifice in their Temples or communicate with them in their Religion and for thys cause many of them were put to death Yet GOD in the ende maruellouslye punyshed
the Pope to be the true onely Church of Chryst which the faythfull throughout the whole worlde without all maner of question ought to beléeue and obey as shall manifestly appeare by the questions following And this question truely is very absurde for it is alone as if it should be demaunded whether any one citie in a Realme be the whole Realme or no Or whether that any one man in a multitude be the whole coÌ„pany or no Or whether the hand or foote of some one body be the whole body or no For before I haue already shewed that this worde Catholike signifieth vniuersal and yet I am not ignoraunte also that it may be taken for any faythfull man But by these questions they openly shew vnto the world their foolishnesse or rather their excéeding and intâ—lerable pride whilest they woulde haue vs to acknowledge one parte to be the whole and to haue full power and authoritie to gouerne in the whole kingdome company and body Wherfore to this question VVhether the Church of Rome be the true catholike Church or no I answere thus If they demaunde of the auncient Church of Rome to the whiche Paule wrote his Epistle to the Romanes in the which also he remayned a prisoner and preached by the space of two yéeres then I confesse the same to be the true and faythfull Churche of Chryst but not the vniuersall Church or the head of all other churches but only a member of the vniuersall church vnder one head Chryst of like and equall power with other the churches of Chryst whiche are heere on the earthe and that the Ministers thereof are of no greater power and authoritie than the Ministers of other Churches The lyke hathe Saint Hierome written concerning the Churche of Rome and the Byshoppes thereof in these woordes Neither is it to be thought that there is one Churche of Rome and an other of the whole worlde For where so euer a Byshop is whether it be the Byshop of Rome or of EugubiuÌ„ or of Constantinople or of RhegiuÌ„ c. he is of like authoritie and like priesthoode By the whiche woordes he teacheth that the churche of Rome is no better than other churches wheresoeuer they be in the whole woride and that the Byshoppes thereof haue no more power or superioritie of Priesthoode than other Byshoppes whether they bee in small or in greate Cities But if they demaunde of the Churche of Rome whiche nowe is in the sorte and maner as all men sée vnder these Byshoppes and as it hathe bene also of late by the space of a fewe hundred yeres I aunswere that it altogither differeth from the state of the auncient and Apostolyke Churche of Rome and therefore may in no wyse bee acknowledged for the vniuersall and catholyke Churche whereof it boasteth For the signes of the true Churche of Chryst buylte by the Apostles at Rome and else where are no more there to be sounde Namely the spirite of Chryst whych loueth pure modest and humble hearts and departeth from all impuritie arrogancie and pride Yea the worde of truthe and that only voyce of the true Pastor is not onely not hearde any more nowe in the Churche of Rome purely and truely taughte but it is also forbidden and persecuted with fyre and sworde on the other side the doctrines of men whiche is contrary to the worde of GOD is by violence and all manner of deceytfull means mainteined and thrust vppo◠〈◊〉 That sincere fayth which ascribeth all mans saluation to that onely Meâ—iator betwéene God and man very God and very man our Lorde Jesus Chryst is obscured and those things which are to be sought in Chryst are appoynted to be founde in his creatures and in the workes of men The inuocation of God due to him alone through our only mediator Jesus Chryst is turned from God and attributed to many other his creatures whome they by images doo represent vnto the simple and all other christians to be honered euen in their temples The Sacraments of Chryst are moste shamefully abused for lucre and are so mingled with the opinions and ordinances of men that the sinceritie and firste institution of them can very hardely be perceiued yea euen of the faythfull What kinde of charitie and peace is in the Romishe Churche from the which what great and exceeding bloody battels and spoyling of men and Regions are sprong vp and dayly doo arise within these fewe hundred yeares in the whiche an innumerable number of widdowes and fatherlesse children are encreased excepte they would willingly be blind all men haue knowen to be tootoo much But this miserable matter is rather to be lameÌ„ted than as doubtfull to be proued like as also the things whereof I haue before spoken are too wel knowen and that to the whole worlde And touching the lyfe and maners of the Romish courte and churche especially the principall states and chéefe spirituall persons it is right euidently knowen whereas neuerthelesse Paul saith that those which name them selues Christians and yet without repentance serue Idols are couetous pillers shamelesse whoremasters adulterers drouned in all other filthy and abhominable wickednesse giuing them selues to gluttonie dronkennesse hatred and backbiting shall neuer possesse the kingdome of God yea and no christian ought to haue any company or felowship with suche And sithe it is so euery christian may hereby gather what he ought to thinke of the churche of Rome and whether he oughte to bée bounde to that Churche or rather flée from it rather to Chryst and hys true Churche as the Lorde hym selfe hathe taughte hys in the seuententhe and eyghtenthe Chapters of the Reuelation Truely it is very lamentable that so greate turmoyles and vexations of godly men shoulde be for the Romishe Churche and that suche rumors shoulde be blowen abroade as thoughe shie were styll euen as the primatiue Churche of Rome was when all men may sée what manner of Churche shée is what is doone therein and what wée may hope to haue from thence Therefore wée muste departe and flée from hir and cleaue to Chryste our Lorde and to hys Christian Churche whiche in déede wée confesse to be holy and the communion or felowshippe of all the Saincts The. viij Question If any man doubt of the church of Rome that then he shewe where the true and Catholyke Church of Chryste hath hithervnto ben or as yet is and that he name the place wher the Church is and where it may be founde The Answere THe Donatistes agaynst whoÌ„ blessed Augustine wrote dyd thinke that the Churche of Chryste was tyed or bounde to one certayne place and that she coulde bée founde no where but in Africa and the secrete corners of the Donatistes bicause they thought that in al other places she was extincted or put out In like sort these men go about to include bring the whole church of Christ into the Papal See of Rome so as there should be no christian church
our infancie baptized in the name of the father the sonne and of the holy ghost For if we should be baptized againe yet could we haue no more than we had before only this wold remain that heereby we should deface our former baptisme to the great displeasing of God the breache of lawes and the incurring into the daunger and punishment thereof The .xj. Common place Of the sacrament of the body and bloud of our Lorde and of the receyuing vnder bothe kindes The .lx. Question Whether they beleeue that the liuing body and the very bloude of Christe be substantially in the Sacramente so that after the words of coÌ„secration the bread is transubstantiated into the body of Christ so as there then remaineth no more bread but the true naturall body of Christe The Answere CErtayne of the later Doctors of the Romish church do euidently and fréely confesse that before the councel of Lateran whych was celebrated at Rome Innocentius the third theÌ„ Pope in the yéere of our Lord. 121 in the which Synode the doctrine of transubstantiaon was first decréed confirmed there were diuers and sundry opinions in the churche touching the presence and substance of Christe in the Sacramente So that if any man did not beleue that the substance of bread was turned into the substance of Christes body yet was he not reckened for an hereticke But in this councell it is decreed that all those which will auoide the suspition of hereâ—ie muste beléeue that the very body of Christ is naturally in the Sacrament and it is greatly to be wondred at wherfore this councell would coÌ„demne the faithfull as hereticks for that which hither vnto for the space of 1200 yeeres was neuer done nor ment Whereby lette any wise man thinke whether the councell had authoritie now after 1â—00 yéeres to Decrée these things For if those menne which liued from Christe 1200. yéeres were not couÌ„ted heretikes and yet did not beleue that the substaÌ„ce of breade was chaunged into the substaunce of Christes body whye then shoulde they now be called Heretickes which beleeue not those things whiche the Churche neuer beléeued in all that space of yéeres before said But if those things which that councell now holden 1200. yéeres after Christ were true and necessary to be beléeued then all those which liued before this time and beléeued not these things did not beléeue a righte but if their faithe were true as vndoutedly it was then is it not necessary for vs to beléeue that which after were deuised and imagined And truely the auncient fathers did thus beléeue and teache concerning this holy Sacrament to witte that there is two things chéefely to be considered the signes that is the bread and the wine the things signified that is the body bloud of Christe But if it be true which the churche of Rome teacheth that the substaunce of bread is not in the sacrament but only the body of Christ then surely the Sacrament is no more a sacrament but onely the thing signified And is not this their definition of a sacrament A Sacrament is the signe of an holy thing If therefore the breade be no breade neither kéepeth hys substance but in the place therof commeth the substaunce of Christes body I pray yée then what is that they doe breake in the sacrament Is it the body of Christ or what other thing else For it is no breade for they say there is no breade in the Sacrament Therefore if the body of Christe be present onely then is the same broken which thing cannot â—e Neyther is it any more a Sacramente for it is not the signe of an holy thing but the very holy thing it selfe Then was there no nede that the Lord should haue giuen breade and wine in â—ys laste Supper But if it be as they were woonte to say that the fourme and accidentes of the breade as the â—hytenesse coloure roundenesse and â—aste be the signes the things that are â—roken then doe we demaunde of them 〈◊〉 what substaunce the whitenesse â—oundnesse and taste doth abide They â—â—nne not say I trow that they are the accidentes of Christes bodye or that they rest in his substaunce and therefore it necessarily followeth that they remaine in the breade And therefore the substaunce of the breade in this Sacramente is not chaunged but remayneth and so theyr Doctrine hathe no good foundation Yea these woordes also Substance Accident forme and accident vvithout substaunce dothe sufficiently declare that this their doctrine was forged from the deuises of subtilâ— Sophisters and their craft whereof the Apostles were altogither ignorante But nowe when they are at a soppâ— game then say they these things aâ—â— altogyther done miraculously by the omnipotent diuine power of God bâ—â— yet they cannot proue that and there 〈…〉 no cause so false but that it may be defended by this kinde of reason In thâ— gospell and wrytings of the Apostles oftentimes this Sacrament is plaineâ— called breade and wine that without dout is in respecte of the signes that might thereby manifestly appeare that the substaunce of bread and wine dothâ— remaine in the sacrament which thiâ— also we perceiue and fast when we receiue the same although the Papists go about to persuade vs the contrary Neither by this dothe it folowe that be acknowledge and receiue in this sacrament nothing else but bread wine only as in other bankettes where oure body is fed For our Lord wheÌ„ he gaue 〈…〉 his supper the bread and the cup vnâ—â— his disciples commaunding them to â—ate and to drinke he added This is my body this is my bloude And it is to be â—oted that it is an vsuall thing to geue â—â—to the sacrameÌ„tall signes the names 〈…〉 those things which they doe signifie â–ª 〈…〉 s in this sacrament the bread wine 〈…〉 e the signes of the body and bloude of Christ and therfore Christ nameth theÌ„ is body bloud The like is to be said Baptisme Circumcision the Passeoer and other Sacrifices And they are â—us called to the ende we shoulde not â—pende vpon the signes that is on the â—reade or on the Wine but being by â—ese visible things putte in mynde of â—ings inuisible we might lifte vp our â—es vnto heauen to the things signified and that is to the bodye of Christ which was geuen for vs to his bloâ—â— which was shed for vs and so study 〈…〉 receiue these But howe or in what manner dâ—â— we receiue the body and blud of Christ Truely spiritually by Faithe so 〈…〉 outwardly with oure bodely mouthâ—â— we eate and drinke the Lordes breadeâ— and the Lordes wine the holy signeâ—â— and inwardly with the mouthe of ouâ— soule that is to say by faith we receyâ—â— the bodye and bloude of Christe Fâ—â— like as with oure mouthe we receiâ—â— meats to sustaine our body so likewisâ— by Faithe in Christe is his bodye and bloud which he offered on the Crosse made meate vnto