of the churche is consydered and not the worthynesse of the person Thys is the sūme A wycked man and an vngodly hauyng only a dewe intent although he be an abomynable in the syght of God yet for al that in thys cause because he beareth the persōne or is in the rowme of the church he abydyng a synner and a dānable person he purchasseth and deserueth vnto other men remissyon of syn and euerlastyng lyfe This they saye The olde learnynge The Apostell in the fyrst epistell to the Corinthians the .xi. chapter preparyng the supper of the Lorde dyd wryte that he toke of the Lorde that he taught and gaue to the Corinthians And whan he expounded the busynesse and matter cōcernyng the supper he geueth both the kyndes indifferently to all the bretheren euē as Christ dyd ordeyne Mathe. xxvi Marke xiiii Luke xxii Here we haue the worde and the facte of the Lorde and of hys minister Paule and also of the primitiue church in the which as thē fayth was more lyuely charite was more feruent hope was more sure and holy christendom was more purer for it was nearer the quycke sprynge Yf it be so that it is not leful for vs to kepe the worde and the dede of Christ specially in a great mater as is the sacramēt for what intent shall the churche of God haue the scripture expoūded and declared Dyd not euen the new wryters as Gersō saye That nother the byshop of Rome nor generall councell nor yet the church oughte to chaūge the learnynge that was geuen vs by the euangelistes by Paul Yf it be lawfull to euery man that lyst to chaunge in the sacramētes of the church those thynges which Christ taught to be kept the apostles both taught and kept I pray you what case shall the church be in then which shal be cōpelled to beleue that Christ the wysedome of the father the Apostels dyd teach christendom such vnperfecte geare so negligently that theyr successours had nede to supplye amēde make perfecte those thynges that Christ his Apostels lefte behynde them raw vnperfect Wyll the Saracens the Arabiās the Agarens whome we call Turkes suffer that ony mā at his pleasure after this fashion shulde chaūge theyr Alcoram wolde sōtyme take somthyng away somtyme vtterly abrogate disanul it that theyr lawmaker had wrytten somthynge vnwarely or wtout diligent hede delyberacyon And we christen mē except we suffer the church to be turned out of frame peruerted to be darkened to be pulled in sunder minished Yee to be vtterly cast awaye we be banyshed destroyed as the enemyes of the church Put the case that these be tollerable who can abyde that ydel felowes shall make marchaundyse of it that was lefte to be the memoriall and remembraunce of the death whiche brought lyfe wherby they make a sacrifyce of the masse crucifye Christ agayne as much as lyeth in them For yf it be so that they worke with theyr dayly sacrifyce as they call it remissyon of synne I praye you thē what synnes dyd the bloude of the new euerlastyng testament take awaye This is therfore our catholyke belefe of the supper of the Lorde Fyrst The supper of the Lord ought for to be done after the ordinaunce of Christe i. Cor. xi that our fayth maye be increaced our charite may be kyndled our hope maye be made sure by the cōtinual remēbraunce of the death of the Lorde that we knowyng the cause of the moost precyous death of the Lorde maye be dayly more and more steared vp to geue thankes for the vnspeakeable loue to destroye the body of synne and to walke in newnesse of lyfe Secondarly Therfore the supper of the Lorde is a memoriall of the death of Christe whiche brought saluacyon and not a sacrifyce but a remembraūce of the sacrifyce that was once offred vp vpon the crosse Thyrdly Ther is a promes Psal c.ix that Christ shal be our byshop for euermore ordened of the father and this promes is perfourmed for Christ hath entred once in to the holy place by an oblacyon makynge perfect for euermore Hebr. ix and .x. so that we nede not to haue hym offred vp for vs agayne the which dyeth nomore Fourthly We knowe of the boke Leuiticus that the oblacyō of Moses was made for synnes whan the oblacyon dyd satisfye and the bloude dyd washe Thē yf this one sacrifyce in the which Christ dyd offer vp hymselfe dyd satisfye for the synnes of the whole worlde accordynge to the prophecye of Esay the .liii. Chapter He dyd beare our synnes and he was torne for oure wyckednesses and .i. Ioh. the .ii. Chapter He is oure satisfaccyon and so forth it foloweth and is a good argument that all the oblacyons which are besyde this be vayne and voyd the which they pretende Fyftly To rayse vp a new oblacyon is to set lytel by the fyrst to proue God a lyar and to deny Christe whiche bought vs after the wordes of saynt Peter .ii. Pet. ii For whan they saye that synnes be releassed forgeuen in the sacrifice of the masse whan the sonne of God is offered vp both for quycke dead it foloweth after theyr opinion that that onely sacrifice of the crosse dyd not satisfye for all synnes And I praye you is not that euen to forsweare denye the Lorde which dyd redeme vs not with corruptible thynges as with golde syluer but with his owne precious bloud whā we say that it is done by the vertue of that masse the which al scripture doth say cōmeth to vs by the death of our Lorde Iesus Christ Syxtly Yet for al that we do not affirme the synnes be remytted only by the partakynge of the supper of the Lorde but whan we do remēbre with a true a kynde fayth the benefyte of our redemption in the which the sōne of god dyd geue his body a sacrifyce for synnes shed his bloud to washe away synne by this fayth we be iustifyed made ryghteous we obtayne remissyon of our synnes gotten by the death of Christ And this is a dilicyous feast of soules of the whiche they that are not partakers shall peryshe Christ in the .vi. Chap. of Ihon sayeth My fleshe is meate in dede and my bloude is drynke in dede The bread that I shal geue is my flesh the which I wyll geue for the lyfe of the worlde Excepte we eate this fleshe of the sonne of man and drynke his bloud we shall not haue lyfe in vs but we shal peryshe For it is the breade of lyfe geuynge lyfe to the worlde The whiche breade to eate is to beleue in Christ as he sayeth I am the bread of lyfe he that cōmeth to me shall not be an hūgred and he that beleueth in me shall neuer be thyrsty Verely verely I saye vnto you he that trusteth in me hath euerlastynge lyfe For as the body is fed with naturall bread
so the soule is refreshed lyueth with this heauenly bread For whā the soule beleueth that Christ is the pryce of oure redemption our satisfaccyon and our ryghteousnesse with this fayth it eateth the flesh and drynketh the bloude and accordynge to the wordes of Christ Ioh. vi by so wholsome an eatyng shal we lyue for euer These be so great thynges which be rehearsed aboute the table of the Lorde God graunt that this ceremony of Christe maye be restored to hys olde strength and integrite agayne that we which be the body of Christ oure heade admonished of the loue of God in the supper towarde vs maye growe together with vnlowsable glew of loue as it becommeth membres purgynge the flocke with the boult of excommunicacyon and eatynge truely the fleshe of the Lorde that is to beleue in Christe crucifyed and that we may be grafted in hym by the lykenesse of his death and that we maye be partakers wyth hym of the moost gloryous resurreccyon Amen ¶ Of the choyse of meates The new learnynge It is not lawfull to eate euery daye all sortes of meate for it is necessary that we abstayne from fleshe euery frydaye and saterdaye and on the embrynge dayes and in lent for he that doth otherwyse without the Bisshop of Romes bulles or the pardons of the legates of the sye of Rome doth syn and shal be rekened an euell christen man yee a wycked and an vngodly heretyke ¶ The olde learnynge In the .xi. Chapter of Leuiticus and the xiiii of Deuteronomion the choyse of meates is prescribed vnto the Iewes which were vnder Moses so that it was not lawfull to eate what so euer meate they lyste But let vs which are commaunded of Paul to the Gal. the .v. Chapter to stande fast in the lyberte in to the which Christe hath brought vs and that we shulde not put our neckes vnder the yocke of bondage agayne geue hede and attendaunce what oure mayster Christ and Lorde doth saye Math. xv Hear and vnderstād It that goeth in to the mouth defyleth not the man but it that goeth out of the mouth that defyleth a man These wordes of Christ take awaye the choyse of meates so that it is lawful in the tyme of the new testamēt to eate flesh or fyshe whether ye wyll without ony synne In the fyrste epistel to Timo. the .iiii. Chap the holy goost doth call the forbyddynge of meate of mariage the doctrine of the deuell For God hath created meate to be receaued with geuynge of thankes of them which beleue haue knowen the trueth for the creatures of God are good and nothynge to be refused yf it be receaued with thankes geuyng for it is sanctifyed by the worde of God prayer By this one texte of the Apostle is plucked vp by the rootes what so euer hether to mē haue taught or cōmaūded of the choyse of meates For the holy goost calleth it dyuelysh doctrine the whiche no man cā kepe obey wtout the losse of his saluacyō Let it moue no mā that saynt Ierome doth wrast these sayenges agaynste the Tacyans and the Marcionites doutlesse our consciences be delyuered from the choyse of meates by these wordes of the holy goost Therfore who so euer he be Marcyon or ony of this tyme that byndeth wyth a commaundemēt that thynge which Christ wolde haue to be fre he is reproued wyth this texte as vnkynde to God and a despyser of a good creature Collossenses the .ii. Chapter sayeth Paule Let no man iudge you in meat and drynke Yf you be dead wyth Christe from the elementes of the worlde why be you holden wyth decrees as yf ye were lyuyng in the worlde This texte also is playne agaynste all the praysers and preachers of mans tradicyons the whiche do trouble mens conscyences wyth mans preceptes of the choyse of meates Although thys maketh agaynste the obseruacyons of the Iewes yet it plucketh vp by the rootes all the tradicyons of men in thys matter For yf Moses lawe in that poynt be abrogate and put downe the which was once ordened of God how muche more iustly the constitucyōs of mē ought to be disanulled put awaye by the which these cruel tyraūtes coueth a kyngdome in mens consciences Gala. i. Yf ony man preach ony other gospell or glad tydynges vnto you than ye haue receaued holde hym acursed Therefore what soeuer other thynge is thrust into oure handes agaynst and besyde the worde of God to bynde mēs cōsciences by the sentence of the holy goost it is acursed wherfor we must refuse it both with hand and foote Titum i. Rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the fayth and not takynge hyde to Iewes fables and commaūdemētes of men the which turne from the trueth Vnto the cleane are all thynges cleane but to them that are defyled and vnbeleuyng is nothyng cleane but euen the very myndes and consciences of them are defyled Who wolde not abhorre those preceptes whyche turne from the trueth Euen so the holy gooste decketh mans tradicions with hys tytle with the which tradicion the deceauers of mens myndes go aboute to bynde mens cōsciences where as God byddeth not Here I do not regarde thoshe great praysers of abstinence the which wyll name me the Epicure of Christē men as saynt Ierome called Iouiniane as though I wēte about to louse the brydell of gluttony Tese felowes wyll dispute with a full belly of fastyng and yet they eate fesans partriches and al the pycked dayntyes that can be found in a contry Now tel me I pray yow what haue I sayde besyde the sentences of the holy goost I do not teache the abuse but the ryghte vse of the creatures of God with geuynge thankes I take not thought onely for the belly but also for the conscience Fo with these mans tradycions mens consciences be marked with an whote yron and God is worshypped wyth commaundementes of men the whych thynge in the .xxix. of Esaye he hateth and abhorreth It is a very ieoperdous matter to laye snares for mens consciences and to offende agaynst the christen lyberte which cost so much Yf ony mā laye agaynste vs saynt Ierome or ony other of the fathers I answere that the fathers were neuer in that blyndnesse that they wolde be beleued more then the scripture He despiseth not the fathers whiche enforceth hym selfe and laboureth to glorify the father of all which is in heauen He that in the matter of conscience doth thynke that God shulde rather be obeyed thē man doth not contemne men but magnifyeth God the Lorde of men and angels And the condicion and state of christen mē is not so that they ought to take example or rule of lyuynge of the prophetes of Iupiter that absteyne from fleshe and soden meate or of the temple of Eleusis or Ceres or of Orpheus yet that holy man is not ashamed of hys monkery of so voyde wordes in the seconde boke agaynste Iouinian As touchynge offendynge I
only of the wyll of many For the Apostles seniors cōmaunded that the people shulde absteyne from those thynges that were offred vp to ydols from bloud from strangled and frō fornicaciō The chefe and the sum of the matter was That a man shuld be iustifyed not by the workes of the lawe but by grace the whiche ryghteousnesse of fayth longe tyme ago was approued wyth the wytnesse of the lawe and the prophetes Romano iii. Farthermore yf the Apostles dyd sufficientlye teache by the authoryte of the holy goost the maner of iustifyenge an vnrighteous man why dyd they that came after deuyse ymagen other wayes of iustifyenge For those thynges that they called necessary were not necessary for rygteousnesse but for charite For the occasyōs of fallyng of the weaklynges were to be auoyded To be shorte it that the Apostles determyned they myght vphold and proue by scripture As concernynge it that was offred vnto ydoles it is playne ynough for they had it in Deutronomy that the brother shulde not be hurt or despysed Oure brother is despysed yf we geue hym an occasion of fallynge They dyd know that it was lawfull to eate all meates that were to be solde in the shambles and that to the cleane all thynges are cleane that all thynges are lawfull but all thynges are not expedient or necessary and that ther was nothynge of it self commune or vncleane but they wold not that theyr brother shuld be offended for whome Christ dyed Farthermor Exod. xxxiiii it is clearly commaunded the Iewes that they shuld not eate of the thynges that are offered vp the which obseruacion and kepynge seynge that the lawe stocke so styfly as yet in the Iewes hartes wtout offending coulde not haystely be taken awaye and be contemned Genesis ix the eatynge of bloude is forbydden the same also is forbydden Leuitici vii xvii and .xix. The Lorde commaunded to abstayne from strangled Exodi xxii and Leuit. xxii Whordom fornition are forbydden Deutero v. and .xxiii. The councell had at Ierusalem might haue ben strenghtened and stabilyshed with these places of scripture the which made the Iewes that they coulde not enioye the lyberte of Christ with an whole and a sounde conscience Wherfore the lawe of charite cōmaūded that the offendyng of oure bretheren shuld be auoyded Let our councels defende theyr constitucions with scriptures or let them commaunde those thynges that be grounded vpon the scripture let them haue a respecte to the auoydynge of offences Let them lay nothyng on mens neckes but those that are necessary after the same way that they were necessary which were ordened of the Apostles at that season and no man shall withstande them Therefore bretheren I beseke yow for the mercy of God for here we do not intreat of landemarkes or of frayle thynges but of soule health take hede and loke vpon the thynge that is in all poyntes greatest of all other set all affections and troublynge of your myndes asyde weye the matter truly and syncerly Let no man seke those thynges that be hys but those that be Iesus Christes Let no mā rate snatche speake agaynste hys brother I haue a conscience also I thynke worshypfully by the fathers and the councels I do not despise the prophecyes or the interpretatiōs of scripture but before al other thynges I loue and regarde holy scripture as the only treasure of the congregaciō The scripture is of greater authorite sayeth saynte Augustyn than all the capacite of mans witte Yf it had ben sufficient vnto vs to haue holy mē excellyng both in witte in learninge to rule the church or congregacion what nede it to orden the canon of scripture Yf they only make decrees of outwarde thynges in the which we haue lyberte why do some charge mens cōsciences with these thynges and so lade thē that they cōmaund beate in as dilygently yee a great deale more diligently mās lawes then the moost holy lawe of God As for me self wittyngly with my wyll I deceaue no man nor I wyll affyrme or hold nothyng which is disagreyng to the worde of God and the tatholike congregacion So earnestly moue I to the worde of God that yet I wold not the occasion of fallyng shuld be geuen the which specially doth springe as thys tyme is of the tradycions of men And I do not study for al that I that myght vtterly destroy ceremonyes and the statutes of the fathers but I dyd geue warnyng as it was my deuty For ther was great difference betwene the kepyng of ceremonyes and mās tradicions and the ryghteousnesse of God that ther was a certayne righteousnesse which must be earnestly loked vpon that we may know after what fashyon mens consciences shuld be stablyshed made stronge agaynst the gates of hell and in what thynges trew penaūce and amendyng of our lyuyng doth stād In the meane season for the kepyng of peace and charite I moue exhorte to kepe the ceremonyes tradiciōs of the church the fathers where as they hynder not the study of true holynesse or haue no blame or faute Onely I moued that we shuld not thynke that all the strength of holynesse dyd stande in despisyng or kepynge of ceremonyes Yf ony man wyll confute it that we haue wrytten wythout the bytternesse of enuy let hym handle the matter as it were with his brother not with hys enemye for we be redy to confute without stubbournesse to be confuted wtout ony angre or stomack at al. Yf that I be thought to ony man more haysty and styrred than the mistery seruyce of the word can beare let hym not be angry with me but with them which ouercōme me with theyr dyuelyshe vngodly ouerseynge wynkyng at abuses errours They graunt playnly that ther be maruaylous greate abuses in the churche but amēde thē not wher as they be so oft warned of them both in season out of season the which they know wel ynough to be the sede of discord pestelēce destructiō of true holynes But let vs leaue alone thys kynd of mē which be not seruēt in the spret wold to god that they sayd not with the vnwyse mā in theyr hart Ther is no god Welbeloued brother I haue drawen out thys geare after a rude fashion not gatheryng together all thynges which myght haue ben spokē as it doth appere for this matter but out of a great heap I toke a few thynges here there but I wyl treate vpō these matters in our cōmun places more at large The grace of Christ be with the. Amen ¶ The ende of the olde learnynge and new ¶ To the Christen reader THat thou mayest the better vnderstande good reader the artycles of Fre wyll Fayth Good workes and of Merytes which in this present boke be treated vpon I shall here brefely shew what God doth and hath done for vs and what we agayne oughte to do for his sake as they that be thankfull of