was able to finde out the name of the blessed Trinitie By reason whereof the people stoode in a manunering supposing it was a newe Doctrine Your Massemongers and Idoll Préests durst not preach of it for feare of dulling the peoples heads with so great and déepe Mysteries And diuers of your Church of Roome doo thinke that this Doctrine is to hie a Doctrine for the people yet what colour so euer you all haue and beare of zeale and Religion I sée plainlie that you doo but cast away the soules of men for you reade in an vnknowne tongue you condempne your selues for you speake flatlie against the trueth you doo but dissemble in this waightie Article of our faithe and of the Trinitie and how cunningly soeuer you glose and do ceitfully soeuer it be that you colour your imquitie the Lord shall reueale it and we doo knowe it alreadie Wherefore I will first of all begin with this pointe of our faithe this ended I will come to the rest In all which I promise that no new doctrine shal be taught you or vaine matters opened to you or any doubtfull thinge deliuered to you But for that which I speake I will giue you a good and sufficient warrant out of the booke of God Thus I beléeue therefore and thus I teache all that faithfully will beléeue to hold and kéepe this ground of saluation for euer which is This reuerend doctrine of the Trinitie is in all holy and sacred wise to be read of euery person that vvilbe saued That Trinitie in Vnitie and Vnitie in Trinitie is to be woorshipped For there is the father who created all there is the sonne and he redéemed all and there is the spirit the holie Ghost that dooth sanctifie all The Father is made of none neither made nor created nor begotten The Sonne is of the Father alone not made nor created but begotten The holy Ghost is of the Father and of the sonne not made nor created nor begotten but proceeding And as in the Scriptures all things that are taught vs are of thrée sorts Either put in and set downe for man to beléeue and not to sée as was the heauen and the earth made of nothing by the Lorde Either to beholde and containe by faithe as is our redemption by Christ either which is last sensiblie to perceiue and naturally to take héede of and beware as is our obedience and disobedience in the commaundements of the Lord The naturall man is lead by reason and sense the godly is directed by faithe and hope So I am of opinion that the carnall and grose man is not able to comprehend the depth of this Christian veritie for that he referreth all thinges to the senses which deceiue him or to the outwarde apparaunces which ouerthrowe him or to naturall reasons which ouâ—e come hun or to materiall and visible apparitions which are alwayes drawing and with holding him so that as he measureth his faith by his sight and the truthe by his corporall and palpable blindnes so is he neuer able to attaine vnto the liuely perfect trueth which riseth of faith is giuen by the Lord. For my owne part I am not of your opinion which deuide your selues from the Church by your foolishe â—â—nes of Catholiques Iesuites Seminaries by which as by sâ—les coates you haue béene alwayes known amoÌ„g the righteous you shinke that this doctrine is haroÌ„e If it be it is no â—â—â—aile in you for you be hard hearted vnbeléeuing persoâ—â— you thinke that the depth thereof caÌ„not be attained vnto The vvilful and blinde are more more blinded by God in euerie thing that euery chyld coÌ„trolleth I easily grauÌ„t you this for séeing you serue not the Lord aright in matters wherin children sée your grosenes wherfore should you presume to search the depth of this secrete you thinke that the people is not able to coÌ„prehend this doctrine I think so too for at your hands they caÌ„not be taught at all your selues are ignorant In the scriptures they caÌ„not learne for you kéepe close the booke of the Lord and you hide these Misteries froÌ„ them But they be carnal you worldly it is therfore ouer hard meat for them to féede on They then be as you are no marueile if the blind leading the blind they both fall at length wherefore lye you still snorting in your Closets rather inglutted with surfetting and riot then experienced in articles of your faith and lie there so loÌ„g as you list suffer your own people to die for want of the light as you haue done rather then as ruÌ„nagates and maisterles men to trouble vs in EnglaÌ„d The Pope hath alwayes been knowne to be Antitichrist in sending foorth such as dysturbe common vvealthes I tell you the plainest Preacher that we haue caÌ„ vtter doctrine you caÌ„not coÌ„prehend and now as you fit dumbe mute speaking nothing you shal be witnesses in your own coÌ„sciences that I will speake no other thing then the trueth Therefore I make protestation of my faith vnto you in this manner There is in the Trinitie thrée persons but one God the persons be these the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost In dignitie none desire to rise higher then the other in power they are equiualeÌ„t none goeth beyoÌ„d the other in glory they are glorious none is worshipped more then is the other Such as is the Father in diuinity such is the SoÌ„ne also in his exceltencie as the Father the SoÌ„ne is in theyâ— brightnes so is the holy Ghost equal vnto them in his highnesse Maiesty which power Principality which right Honour and renowne which hath béene with them from all beginning is common and proper to all thrée Thrée be they in person one and all onely one in Goodhead In béede the Father died not but the Sonne died for vs â—he Sonne was begotten of his Father before all worldes the Father was not begotten of the Sonne The Spirite the holy Ghost protéedeth from them bothe the Spirit the holy Ghost is of them bothe the Spirit the holy Ghost is with them bothe The Father the SoÌ„ne procéeded not of the Spâ—rit yet are they vnited so in the Godhead as the one is not aboue the other neither is there superiority in the one more then is in the other The Rabbines were pitthy and vvittie in many thinges though scrupulous and superstitious in som things The Hebrew Rabbines doo assigne and expresse the Trinitie by this name God which is with them Iehouah This the Gréekes call Tetragrammaton which is a name or word of fowre Letters to outward she we yet there are but thrée indéede for He is put in twise as in the second in the fourth place By these thrée Letters they doo expresse the Trinitie Iod betokeneth Principium 1 A beginning aptlie sheweth the Father that began and created all The second Letter He signifieth To be or to lyue and declareth the SoÌ„ne which is
is the newe Testament in my bloode This figure did the fathers we often times and the scholemen too Lactanâ—â—â—â— called the churche the temple of God Hylarie calleth it the house of Gods Ambrose calleth it the mother of al that liue Epiphanius saith it is via Regia the high kinges high waye Ierome saith it is the Arke of Noe and so doe they also speake of the supper of the Lord Nazianzen calleth it the supper of the Lorde a thankes giuing and againe a Table Ambrose calleth it a spirituall restoratiue and Dionisius calleth it a societie a communion a congregation an assembly so that if the Papistes and Iesuites did not willingly erre they might see the trueth In which wordes is a deuble Metonymie a double figure First the vessel is taken for that which was contained in the vessell as the cuppe for the wine which was within the cuppe Then the wine is called the couenant or Testament where as 〈…〉 the thing it is it can bée but the signe of the Testament 〈◊〉 rather of the bloode of Christe whereby the Testamente was made And thus doe I thinke of the body of Christ for it was spoken by the same figure representing the bodie and the bloode of Iesus Christ Nowe for that you may knowe both my faith and what I thinke hereof I will make open protestation of that certaine and vndoubted veritie which I beléeue as also so farre as in me lyeth confirme and establish the weake consciences of those that are here At the supper of the Lorde you shall consider two thinges 1. The person of God 2. The person of man In the person of God 1 The institutor which is Christ 2 The cause of his institution which is the remembrance of his death In the institution of these thinges 1 The externall signes 1 Bread for his bodie for his death 2 Wine for his blood shedding most precious sacrifice 3 The word for the remembraunce of both 2 The internal meaning And then shall you see all his spirituall graces most heauenly benefites Which are these most excellent 1 Faith if we beleeue 2 Assurance of life if we continue 3 Saluation if we receiue these mysteries truely 4 In Christes blood shedding our blood is not shedd 5 In his offering God the father is pacified 6 By his death hath hee ouercome the power of death and hee giueth the spirite which worketh vnto life to all those that receiue him worthily Secondly we haue here to coÌ„sider maÌ„ and it is to be done two waies 1 In his own person 2 In the persoÌ„ of his neighbor If in his owne person then let him consider 1 The time Hee is warned to flye sinne and though at all time hee bee put in minde thereof yet nowe aboue all times and though neuer vntimely yet it is the best time to remember it 2 The place it is holy for wee come before God 3 The persons and they are these 1 God the father 2 God the Sonne 3 God the holy Ghost These are al there these are naturally there these are in power ther they are not really there these are in grace there they are not in state there these are in gouernmeÌ„t of spirite truth there they will not be mocked at your handes 4 The vse of this the supper of the Lord. The vse is this 1 That we stand in faith conforme our selues to the death of Christ 2 That we examine our selues and come with a loathing of sinne meaning to sinne no more 3 That you be assured that whatsoeuer hath been done before time is pardoned Then here commeth in the last thing to be considered which is The person of thy neighbour for there be two sortes at the table 1 Thou thy selfe 2 And others For thy selfe call to minde 1 What thou wast 2 What thou art 3 What thou shalt be 1 Without God and borne in sinne 2 Made a newe man strengthned in Iesus Christ 3 An heir with God copartner with him if thou liue therafter For others remember 1 To laye aside all malice with hawtines 2 To laye aside all enuye with bitternesse 3 To lay aside all reuenge with greedinesse Then haue you fulfilled all Nowe for my owne parte I do protest simply before the Lord my God The Lord did foresee that these blasphemouâ— heretikes woulde rise vp therefore hath God giuen to vs many examples to approue that which here he spake so that Papists Iesuits cannot be excused for euer that if I had but any warrant at al in the scriptures to satistie me in this point I wold condescend willingly vnto your opinions But séeing the whole body of the Bible is against you and we haue the Lord wholy on our side what reason is there that I should credit you And as for you if you were not blinded if you were not deceiued if you were not most wonderfully drowned in your errours you might easily see the truth of this matter If God alone had vsed this figure in this place if it had béen founde no where else if the scripture would not haue permitted it if the lawe and the Prophets did not testifie it if reason and God him self did not condescend vnto it then you might haue perswaded vs but seeing that the Lord our God hath not bene against our opinions but hath euen by his owne mouth iustified all that we haue spoken what cause what reason what moueth you to coutende Search and sée looke into the booke of God if 〈◊〉 very same figure be not vsed in many thinges as it is in this one thing of his bodye The worde of God is compared to leauen that leaueneth the whole lumpe Matth. 13.33 Isay 49.2 Ephe. 6.17 Apoc. 19.15 Ier. 5.14 Ier. 23.29 Ezec. 3.3 Esa 55.10 Deut. 32.2 Matt. 13.19 the word is called a sworde the worde is called Musterde séede the worde of God is called fire the worde of God is a hammer the word of God is bony the worde of God is as snowe the worde of God is as raine the worde of God is the seede sowen yet for all this the worde of the Lord leaueneth not the worde of the Lorde striketh not the worde of the Lorde groweth not the worde of the Lorde burneth not the worde of the Lord killeth not the worde of the Lord sweeteneth not the worde of the Lorde snoweth not the worde of the Lorde rayneth not the worde of the Lorde powreth not downe materially grossely earthly and really as the wordes portende and so I say of the body of Christe you haue it not carnally you haue it not fleshly you haue it not verily flesh blood and bone in the sacrament The same maner of speach also in the scripture concerning Christ is found euery where Christ was the rocke that gushed out water 1. Cor. 10.1 yet Christ was not in the rocke and Augustine and Origen are of the same opinion that the rocke signified Christ
¶ TWO GODLIE AND learned Sermons appointed and Preached before the Jesuites Seminaries and other aduersaries to the Gospell of Christ in the Tower of London In which were confuted to their faces the moste principall and cheefe poincts of their Romish and VVhoarish religion And all such Articles as they defend contrarie to the woord of God vvere layed open and ripped vp vnto them In Maye 7. and 21. Anno. 1581. By Iohn Keltridge Preacher of the vvorde of God in London Psal 119. verse 128. I esteeme all thy precepts most iust and hate all false wayes Prou. 4.14 Enter not into the vvay of the wicked and walke not in the vvay of euill men ¶ Imprinted at London by Richard Ihones dwelling without Newgate neere vnto Holburne Bridge TO THE RIGHT HONOrable Sir Fraunces Walsingham Knight principall Secretarie to the Queenes moste excellent Maiestie and of her Maiesties moste honorable priuie Councell c. AT such time right Honourable as I at the request of certaine my deere and welbeloued freendes had beene at her Maiesties Towre of London partlie to haue some talke with the Iesuites and other Seminaries deseruedly there imprisoned partlie to see if the Lorde would haue quickened them after great preaching and much conference with manie and verie learned men that came thether I did finde that the trauaile and study of theirs hath to this day taken so small effect as not onely the Iesuites are more and more stiffned in their errors But also they are become so sencelesse in feeling so blunt in attayning so wicked and malicious in resisting so disloy all and spitefull in hearing so sturdie and malaperte in withstanding openlie the teachers of the Gospell as the people are vpon the same dismayed zealous and godly men discouraged and all fortes of people moste pittifully distracted that either heere or see them at any time VVherefore may it please you to vnderstand that for diuers causes I haue giuen vnto your Honour this briefe and shorte Confutation of their Heresies First that their damnable and grosse errors though they may be seene of all may yet especially be knowne vnto you For I doo thinke that the reformation and order to bee taken for these Heretiques dooth lye in especiall on your shoulders and is required at Gods handes of the Lordes of her Maiesties moste Honourable priuie Councell Secondly that it may appeere whensoeuer these wicked men shal be called to an accompte that then they will not be able to denie or dissemble that which they affirme For the moste principall though not all their Articles are confuted in this booke Thirdely I am of opinion that esperiallye your Honour hath to discerne the spirits of these men in as much as you be in the number of those that in Roome togeather with many other of the nobles in this Realme were threatened to be burned by the Pope if he gat you either quicke or dead The laste and the cheefe cause is this As your Honour hath beene alwayes a fauourer of the Gospell and moste forwarde in Religion so I trust that God will now mooue you to haue a more care of his poore Church then euer you had It is not vnknowne how God hath looued this Realme sithence her Maiesties moste gratious and happie raigne among vs. The like rest with such quietnes the like peace with such blessednes the like comfort with such happines was neuer seene vnder any Nation and people as we haue had vnder her Maiestie Now at lengthe after so longe and prosperous and peaceable gouernment to put this Realme in feare and dread of that woonted Tirranie which Antichriste the Pope practised vpon vs. To stirre and mooue vp by way of alienation the mindes of men and the faithfull hartes of Englande to make vs remember the blood that was shed of olde time by the Pope to compell vs againe to sorrow ouer the bodies of our dead and ouer the Sainctes whose blood was shed and ouer the multitude of good men that were taken from vs There are in the steede and roome of those blodie Fathers risen and now in processe of time growne vp their bloodie and vnnaturall sonnes Among these some would haue hathed their hands in the harts of our people as Saunders in Ireland of late was purposed to do and it is not to be thought that he was there alone Some write against vs as though wee were Haereticques and accompt vs worthy to be put to death what would these men doo if they had vs in their handes Of which sort is Iohn Howlet and one Campion who bothe of them haue presented their mindes moste praesumptuously to the right Honourable the Lordes of her Maiesties priuie Councell some also haue spread abroade their damnable and seditious Doctrine thorowe out manie places in this Realme Such bee the Iesuites the Seminaries and other Schollers of the Pope that bee now in her Maiesties Towre of London Now all these are come hether and sente in of late dayes by the Pope to disturbe vs and rayse Tumults in this Common wealth And all these are the children of such Fathers as persecuted the Saints or they be home borne children brought vp in England being the wicked sonnes of wicked Parēts and they all haue beene maintained by that man of sinne Antichriste For all which thinges it cannot be gainsay de but that these practising Heretiques are most woorthy to haue the lawe of God in execution against them which he hath set downe for them in his Booke I doo well remember what our Fathers and Forefathers did Dauid at the hower of his death called to minde the iniquitie of a man of his that shed blood and when he lay on his death bed he sayd thus to his sonne Salomon 1. Reg. 2.5 Thou knowest what Ioab the sonne of Seruiah did to me and what he did to the two Captaines of the hoast of Israel vnto Abner the sonne of Ner and vnto Amasa the sonne of Iether whome he stone shed blood of battaile in peace Doo therefore according to thy Wisedome and let not his hearie haires goe downe to the graue in rest The same also sayde Dauid of the sonne of Gera the sonne of Iemini of Bahurim neither did he accoumpt him innocent It is well knowne what woorthy and warlike fellowes the Papists slewe and how they were cunning men at the Battailes of the Lord and as ready to resist and fight against Sathan in spirituall skirmishes as Abner or Amasa either euer were in defending their Citties for their maister Dauid It is necessarie therfore those good men should be remembred in as much as they were slaine so trayterouslie And now the rather are we all to thinke vpon that treason of olde as there are risen vp disloyall and wicked men to trouble vs Irreuerend disobedient persons to prouoke vs faithlesse and hollowe hearted Papists to disquiet vs foolish and erronious Iesuites to inueagle withdraw vs from the Lord. These are they haue
practised so many things against vs this many yeeres these are the wicked whome the godlie haue feared these are the disturbers haue disquieted this Realme these are the conspirators haue withholden the hearts of the wicked from their loyaltie these are they that if God had not beene on our side would long ere this haue ouerthrowne vs. VVe know that Papistes were authors of rebellion in the North. We know that as in the Shambles men sell meate so in their priuate assemblies haue these wicked ones bothe bought and solde vs of England We know that many a time the Pope hath sent secrete messeÌ„gers hether and haue stolne away many of the Subiectes hearts We know that newes hath very often ben brought ouer how the time hath been appointed that King Phillip should haue eaten bread and giuen his Souldiors drink in LeÌ„dâ—â— We know that multitudes of Papists hauing been taken examined and imprisoned for the fame they haue sayd openlie that they hoped one day to see their golden day It is seene of all men what numbers haue beene taken 〈◊〉 Masse in despite of the Gospell It is seene of all howe many haue for treason not onely beene taken but executed in London It is seene of all men that they haue vsed witchcraft sorcerie inchauÌ„tment to destroy the Lordes annointed It is seene how vnquiet her Maiesties Realme of Ireland hath been and all only thorow them It is seen what signes and Crosses the Papistes haue had brought ouer as is their Agnus Deis and other Tablets which continually they weare about their necks as tokeÌ„s to be known by if time serued And it is seene and perceiued of all openlie how that innumerable Bulles and Pardons haue are continuallie sent ouer by the Pope And can or may true and faithfull Christians see all this and not speake Naie the heauens the earth crie out against them and if both these should cast out their slaine and dead bodies which sometimes the Fathers of these men haue killed in this coÌ„men wealth vve that liue now were neuer able to abide the yelling and crying the sighing and groning of our Fathers our Mothers SoÌ„nes Daughters Kinsfolk neighbors and of all fortes of people some for the vnspeakeable tormentes wherewith these wicked and vngodlie Baalites haue tormented them And now they thinke the time to be at hand in which they may embrew their handes and a freesh againe be dronken with the blood of righteous men which hope which trust which confidence which desire which practise which sight which thirst of theirs cannot be extinguished if God either stay not their pretended purpose or that some speedy reformation and sharpe discipline be not sought after for these Heretiques And albeit we be ready to pawne bothe our liues and ourbodies in the quarell of the Lord yet haue we a care of the Familie and house of God to keepe the wilde Boare of the wood from deuowring it Vndoubtedlie as Achan troubled Israell Iosh 7.21 in taking of the excommunicate and forbidden thinges so haue these Iesuites with their companions that of late came into this Realme greeuouslie prouoked the Lord and moued vs in bringing ouer their whorishe forbidden and Babilonish garmentes with them Gen. 35.4 True it is that all the Trinckettes and rubbishe they haue is nothing else but Ceraphims and the same straunge Gods or some such beggerlie and vnmeete trashe as the Patriarke Iacob tooke from them of his household when as for very shame he buried them vnder a Terebinth Tree in Schechem Their worshippe is all one with the worshippe of Aaron when he offended in making the golden Calfe Of which sinne committed Moses was so afraide Exo. 32.20 as in the same he let fall the Tables of stone and they brake but Moses dealt with them according to their iniquitie for all that and he stamped the golde of which the Calfe was made off to powder and made the Israelites drinke thereof And this was much that Moses did but Asa the King did more then he 1. Reg. 15.12 For he put away the Sodomites and bannished the Idolaters out of the Lande and he remooued Maacha his mother and disinherited her of Crowne and dignitie for that she offered Sacrifice to Priapus Notwithstanding Iehu did more then did he 2. Re. 10.26 for he killed all the Prophets of Baall and suffered not one of them to liue he defaced the Temple of their Gods and made a Drawght house of it for euer And Iehoiada the heigh Priest 2. Reg. 11.4 together with the yonge Kinge Ioas killed the Idolatresse Athaliah as she fled for her life out of the Temple Ezechias did wonderfull thinges in his dayes and he spared not an Idolater in the Lande How Iosiah delte being but a younge Prince and how he visited and went thorowe the Realme in his owne person the booke of the Cronicles and Kings of Iuda doo declare 2. Reg. 22.8 He put the Idolatrous Priestes to death and was so zealous in the behalfe of his God that he burnt their boanes and sacrificed them vp vpon their owne Altars We are not ignoraunt right Honorable of all the Statutes Ordinaunces and decrees from age to age which the primitiue Churches haue bothe made and confirmed against the Idolaters of there time what the Emperour Constantinus did appeareth in Eusebius Euseb in vita Con. lib. 3. and how he delte in Phaenitia and in Cilitia with the Idolaters Theodosius as witnesseth Theodoretus Theod. lib. 5 cap. 20. did referre all his studie to the suppressing downe of the Idolatrous Gratians And I doo remember that Leo in his Epistle Leo. Epist 66. requireth of Licinia Eudotia Augusta that she would roote out those Heresies spread abroade by the roauing Monkes in Palestine Therefore seeing their children are sprong vp in our dayes and in their steede are risen vp as wicked and as great Idolaters as were they It is very heigh time they should be looked vnto among vs. For my owne part I doo protest that if any thing hath made me to write it is the Lords quarrell and the feare of his name that hath doone it And in the same I haue great reason moouing me therevnto which your Honour shall vnderstande and they all perceiue that shall reade this Booke But it hath greeued me moste of all and stirred me vp espetially in that I haue from time to time seene and vewed the impudent behauiour and bolde presumptions of the Papists Amonge whom some men of late time in a sound speech perfect tongue fine wit and choyse phrase as they did thinke of them selues haue rashly encroached vpon her Maiestie and vpon your Honours the Lords of her Maiesties Honourable priuie Councell with sundrie of theyr bookes Thereby making vs beleeue that because they durste doo it they did it well Of these Maister Harding was the first that reuolted and ranne away from Christe but neuer returned who by this time knoweth
the life of all The third Letter Van and which is also a Coniunction Copulatiue dooth aptly represent The Spirite the holie Ghost who is the knitting together of bothe I am not ignoraunt that the Iewes were a superstitious and verie foolishe people therefore helde they vainely and obserued toyishly and helde ignorauntly many thinges of no moment whereof this is one That this word Iehouah was called of them Nomen inessabile 1 A name not to be spoken The things vvhich are good though in any man refuse them not such thinges as are amisse though in the highest alowe them not And in a booke of theirs which is their bookâ— Senhadrin I finde it thus written He that pronounceth the name of the fowre Letters as the Letters themselues do souÌ„d shall haue no part in the world to come I cannot tell how to think other wise of you present héere somtimes schollers to the Pope then I doo of them but it is verie like the you are drowned in this Iewish blockish opinion for howsoeuer it be that you thinke of the Trinity there is none of you all haue done it none of you that doo purpose héereafter none of you the euer I read of or haue found that durst or would in the dayes of ignorance preach openly or speake publiquelie this excellent and most heauenly Doctrine of the Trinitie The Fathers of olde were not ashamed thereof neyther halted they â—â—â—â—t good and euill but rightly and vprightly perfectly as prositably and directly as exactlie handled they euery thing to expresse the Trinitie they vsed similitudes A ugustine shewed it Per solem Currentem fulgentem et Calentem 1 By the sunne which runneth which glistreth and heateth with his beames Yet to the constitution of the body of the SuÌ„ne these thrée properties doo not come as making thrée but one body no more doo the thrée persons make thrée but one God Tertullian to Praxea describeth it thus Per fontem fluuium et riunluÌ„ 1 By the spring which deliuereth by the Flood which floweth by the Riuer which runneth And yet it is but one the same water gushing foorth into them bothe Similitudes do expresse heauenly and diuine thinges though they agree not in the comparison in all thinges The same Tertullian dooth open the same Mysterie of the Trinitie Per radicem fruticem et Truncum 1 By the Roote which gathereth by the Fruite which proceedeth and by the body of the Tree which beareth it So in like manner may we say of the Trinitie the Father giueth the SoÌ„ne saueth the holie Ghost procéedeth from them bothe yet are they not thrée but one God In common experience we may gather and collect a proper similitude to expresse this for there is the body and we stand by it there is the soule we are quickened and liue by it there is the Spirite we breathe and continew with it yet these make not thrée but one man This thing also Cyprian noted vpon the Créede for this part therefore sufficient enough it is that I haue spoken I will come to the other Particular point which is this First that I promised to speake particularlie not generallie Next is a braunche of the same to examine and trie whether any Idolatrie may be admitted and so to ponder and way equally the opinions and dealinges of you the Schollers of Roome Thirdsy shall appeare the first point required in a Christian what seruice that is that appertayneth and is duely to be giuen vnto the Lord. The thing generall to be spoken of heere is this That Idoll worship and all false adoration is condempned and forbidden in this place For this cause I haue some thing to say vnto you whome I sée before me at this present and in the same I haue to charge you déepelie in the name of the Lord how to speake vnto you and by name to all you I knowe not This I am sure of you came lately from Roome and to a good ende you could not come for you haue not come to vs in the Lord And you be they to whome I will direct my spéeche as vnto men foolorne and cast off from out the Tents of Israel for you are Leapers Tell me if you will whether in your consciences you finde not your selues guiltie of sacriledge and Idolatrie yea or no The Lord sayth Heare O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely Then I conclude and my force is bent against you thus They that serue any other saue the Lord their God onely are guilty of sacriledge commit spirituall whordome and be Idolaters You of late the Popes Schollers Seminaries and of his Colledge euen you woorship Images euen you haue Agnos Dei in your bosome and you serue not the Lord your God onely but Idolles Ergo. You are guiltie of sacriledge you commit spirituall whordome you be Idolaters And giue eare belooued in the Lord I request you be you Iudges of that I speake and be witnesses of those thinges I vtter I call not you that haue refused the Lord I speaks otherwise and thinke of you as of those that be without and yet for all that belooued if you will be belooued and belooued because the Lord may looue you and belooued for I burne in zeale looue towardes you as towardes them I would haue to looue and feare the Lord. To you all therefore I speake demaunding of you this Question why rather you séeke after Images then after God why rather to Idolâ—es then to the Lord why rather any other woorshippe wherein you are insnared then the Lord your God onely If you thinke I offer you iniury for I speake you may say nothing I preache you holde your peace I haue lybertie you are cut short I may holdly say what I can you may not say any thing in defence of your selues Then I will doo yet more for you and I will walke equally twixt you me and hauing hurthened you with that which I sée you are faulty in I wil 〈◊〉 all that before God and his Angels and in the presence of all these lay open the trueth and declare that sincere and true meaning which these woords this Scripture aloweth The Lord sayth héere Heare O Israel heare the Lord You heare the Pope and you feare man The Lord sayth Heare the Lord thy God you giue eare to your inuentions The Lord sayth I the Lord thy God am Lord onelie you haue other Gods worship Images Then iudge you let not me he your Iudge any otherwise then in this so plaine a matter which you your selues cannot deny And for all this sée how fauourably I will deale on your behalfe You say that beside this plaine coÌ„mauÌ„dement O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely That you for all that haue a liberty giuen vnto you for the worshipping of Images How shall this be tride In the deciding of the Question you will suspect me I shall not be thought to be indifferent but
sée how plainely I will determine this controuersie You say you may worship Images I say you ought not worship Images Then what Iudge will you make choice of The Lord our God shall be our Iudge there is no acceptioÌ„ of persons with him and the Lawe and the Prophets will we call as witnesses and the holy Scriptures shall decide this matter Then the QuestioÌ„ is mooued héere whether you may woorship Images haue them in your Churches yea or no This QuestioÌ„ is two folde Affirmatiue for some alow of Images such were the Gnostickes the Carpocratians the Pythagoreans the Maniches and with them do you holde who of you some are Iesuites some Papists some Seminaries some of one sect so me of an other Or it is Negatiue and those that deny it are the whole Senate and assembly of good men who be the learned Fathers the graue Doctors of the Churches of olde the whole number of reformed Churches in the world and our Churches of England at this day and the state thereof that deny these your whorish and Idolatrous abhominations Then it remayneth eyther to affirme this as you dâ—â— or to deny it styll which we maintaine For there is not the most grosse Heretique but hath some colour of scripture for his Heresie That the trueth may appeare and for that you are subtill and glosing persons insinuating and créeping into the mindes of men deceyueable and peruerters of the trueth alledging Scriptures for your heresies and falsifying the manifest and vndoubted Veritie I will take this order and way to aunswer you first we will examine your places of Scripture next we will trie whether they be duely and truely alleadged yea or no. answer 1 A man of your side to name Harding that Apostata that twise reuolted and denied the trueth and at last dyed in his dampnable errors That at the first in the raigne of King Henrie the eight helde with the Pope that afterwards was a Protestant professed the Trueth that in King Edwards dayes most stoutly and most couragiously at Paules Crosse in London spake against the Pope afterward was a Turne coate and denied Christe and withstoode the Trueth this Weather cocke this Bifrons Ianus that had two faces for bothe yéeres as Harding had two tongues for bothe times In his hereticall Pamphlet and in his Treatise of Images which he cast foorth vnto the people of England to peruert them there he is of this opinion Hard. Diu. 1. of Images Concerning the antiquitie and originall of Images they were not first inuented by man but commaunded by God brought into vse by tradition of the Apostles allowed by the aucthority of the holie Fathers and by custome of all ages sith Christe beeing vpon the earth c. VVhat sacriledge vvyll not these men commyt in corners that openly vvyll laye vntruethes vpon the Lord and charge him vvith contrarieties A most dampnable and sacriligious opinion Images of God why they are all forbidden by him Images of antiquitie whose originall was good the good Fathers in olde tyme the good Patriarches of auncient memorie neuer had any brought into vse by tradition of the Apostles why where in what place what booke what EuaÌ„gelist what Epistle what writing of theirs doo you finde it in If any of you all whome you thinke to be so learned and so néere the Pope be able out of any good autenticke auncient and holie Father of olde to she we vnto me that the Apostles vsed Images I will subscribe to your opinion so that eyther they or you can prooue it by their owne writinges the Apostles them selues These were the argumentes of the old hereticks the Capocratians the Gnostickes and others now they are they rai sed froÌ„ the nethermost hell againe to come helpe the Pope the Iesuites his Scholles But we will procéede Maister Harding hath reasons and the verie same which you vse therefore I will aunswere bothe him and you And albeit much hath béene spoken by the reuerend Father the L.B. of Sarisbury and most diuinely and most heauenly set downe concerning this matter Yet for that he was for his time and we liue in ours and because the Lord is tyed to no one thing and you also are to be satisfied nowe and for that those excellent men of olde haue not shut vp euerie plaine way in dooing good but that the same as yet lyeth open to those that passe by I must and will aunswer that place of Scripture which you bring for your purpose and it is this Ob. In Exod. 25. God commaunded Cherubins two of them to be made of pure golde which were before the Mercie seate c. Resp You must nowe conclude Ergo Images Ergo your Images Ergo all Images are lawfull The Schoole boye will tell you A Particulari ad Vniuersale non esse argumentandum 1 From a Particular thing and from that which is speciall to a generall there can no argument be framed Also it was lawsull then Ergo it is nowe it followeth not It was in vse Ergo it is in vse now holdeth not It was so and so in that time and at that present Ergo it may at this present also is no sequell Yet I doo request and I charge you too in the name of the Lord that you enter farther into examination of this matter then shall you finde that how socuer Maister Harding for preferment and honour which he receyued in ample manner at the Popes handes hath reuolted yet that by the Grace of God we will aunswere him most fullie and you also so that you shall not but wilfullie deny the trueth God when he pleaseth is a lawe sufficient by his word to doo all and by his word a sufficient lawe to stay all thinges commaunded I might aunswere you as Tertullian dooth in his booke De Idololatria And as the Bishop of Sarisbury that reuerend Father dooth Which is That God can dispence with any thing and is a lawe of him selfe Yet if you examine the place you shall sée how deceyueablie you deale with vs. For first these Cherubins are Cherubins they were not Images as are yours Secondly they were before the Mercie seate within the inner Vaile which is the holiest of all into which the hie Préest entered as for any other it was not lawfull for them to enter therin Those tipes and figures of thinges that were to come in the lawe are now abrogated because they be fulfilled and therefore the Vaile rent in peeces to signifie howe all things were accoÌ„plished For the first Tabernacle was made wherin was the Candelsticke and the Table and the Shew bread the other had the golden Censer and the Arke of the Testament ouerlayde with golde round about there was the golden Pot with Manna and Aarons Rod that budded and the Tables of the Testament and ouer the Arke were the glorious Cherubins shadowing the Mercie seate And these saw no man but the
71. And see if there be any honor or reuerence or adoratioÌ„ giuen to any other saue onelye to the Lord God then I conclude Ergo none ought to be giuen vnto the Pope The holy order of the Priesthood is not vnknowne vnto you yet if you could finde either in Aaron or in Eleazar or after that in Ely and his sonnes or els if you made any shewe at all of the honor that was giuen to Iehosuah in Zachary Cap. 6. the may séeme to be equiualeÌ„t or come néere vnto yours which you attribute to your Pope no doubt you would cauill perilousâ—ie and fight manfully for your Popedome Your Pope Os Porci that is a Hogge for his filthines of life and after that chaunged his name to Sergius did according to his former name vsurpe the name of God and Constantinus the fyrst was also the fyrste that kissed the Popes feete fell dovvne vnto him as vvitnesseth both Nauclerus Platina but for as much as there is no resemblaunce vnto that man of sinne made by any one in the old law you are lawlesse men that so vnlawfully will striue and impugne the lawe of the Lorde And concerning the Chayre and Cathedrall estate of Peter wherin you suppose him to haue set as Lord and chéefe of the Apostles I saye thus much vnto you if in the Scripture there be any such thing founde of Peter eyther that as Lord he ruled the rest or as Christes Vicegerant he tooke the office or as Vniuersall Bishop he gouerned at Rome or as Supreame head Peter commaunded all or that Peter left any Successour behinde him or that hee was honoured and reuerenced and called vpon as your Pope is I will yéelde subscribe vnto all your opinions But if you cannot prooue this you speake of the Pope will you yéelde to vs wyll you confesse a truthe and renounce your errors will you come to the Lorde and acknowledge your backsliding from the trueth This will I doo if any one of your side can finde the name of Pope or Supreame head or Lord of the Angelles or a Man that can not sinne or generall Bishoppe or successour of Peter or a holie Father or gouernour of the whole Church or any other of your Titles that you giue vnto him I say that againe finde them in any one place of the Bible olde or newe I will subscribe and become as one of you In contrarie manner if not then yéelde you vnto vs. How euer it be we can conuince you by the Scriptures therefore against the Pope héere is the second reason Against the Pope the second reason That which is not found in the Scriptures for the which you haue no warrant which derogateth from the Maiesty of God is not to be done The name of your Pope the tytles of your Cardinals the honor and worship you giue to the Pope and them taketh and derogateth from the maiestie of God Ergo. Your Pope is not to be worshipped as you worship him and that you doo and giue vnto him is not to be done This is not rare in Popes to cause blood shed and rayse Treâ—sons and tumults in coÌ„mon vvealths for by blood Engenius vvas elected vnder Ludouicus Prus Zacharie Pope in his tyme stoode against Caesar and gaue the kingdome of Fraunce to Pâ—pinus after Christe 755. Childericus the true heyre vvas shauen then thrust into a Monastarie by the Pope and thus would he deale with Englande if he could Where finde you that death and lyfe is in the Popes handes as you doo affirme that hée may dispence with any sinne as he dooth That he can redeeme Soules from out of hel and Purgatory as you imagine that he may giue lybertie to whordome frée accesse to Treasen without breache of lawe that he may send out his Bulles with frée release of all the sinnes men haue committed Thinke you that we may suffer these horrible blasphemies or that â—ee may snffer you that vpholde them what an other redéemer beside Christe what that a mortall man shall haue lyfe and death in his handes what that they shall be lybertie graunted to finne and frée accesse to all wickednesse what that any one may redame the soule of his Brother from hell or that a satisfaction maye bée made after his departure What Bulles Pardons Indulgencies or Masses for any Soule aliue or dead Why where what place by whome in what Prophet what Scripture haue you this in It is straunge it is vnknowen to vs Abraham neuer heard thereof Isaack and Iacob neuer knewe so much Daniel Enoch Iob these thrée righteous men neuer spake it they can saue but theyr owne soules in the day of the Lord. And shall we giue more vnto the Pope then we haue done vnto them It is the Lord that bindeth the golden chaine about the necke that giueth Siluer and Golde vnto féeble men The Lorde is cloathed with glorie and honour for it is he that couereth him selfe with lyght SaluatioÌ„ commeth of none but of the Lord lyfe of none but of the lyuing glorie froÌ„ none but from God that is glotious Ergo God onely not the Pope can haue any of these giuen vnto him and spreadeth the heauens as a Curtaine The Lord openeth his handes and filleth with good thinges and the gates of death are at his pleasure He sendeth his spirite and they are created and he â—arieth downe to the nethermost hell He spared not the Families of Core and the multitude of Rebelles were swallowed vp quicke He euen the Lord dooth binde Princes to his wyll and he teacheth his Auncientes wisedome he can holde their féete in the stockes and he can chayne them with chaynes of Iron The Lord can saue and defend his people the Lord can delyuer and lyft vp but farre be it from the sonnes of men and let not disobedient chyldren take it vpon them least he strike if he be angrie least his indignation doo aryse and we perishe And if any one will haue lyfe or the people of the Land looke for redemption let them come to the Lord of hoastes the God of I acob shall be their defence Cursed is he that trusteth in man and I wishe all those that feare the Lorde to saye Amen And now concerning my selfe for that I speake vnto you at this tyme rather then any other it is bothe because I would confirme the doctrine which my brethren haue Preached héeretofore and in part also for the hope I may doo some good among you I thinke this and thus of you you haue from your Infancie béen trained vp in blindnesse and error neither doo you vse to reade the scriptures If Papists prayed earnestly lyued soberly and hardned not theyr haits vvylfully but vvould submyt them selues to the Lord vvyllingly then vvould they not erre so grossely so much as to tranaile and ware old in the Doctors So that vpoÌ„ thrée causes which may well be taken away I easily perceyue
Basill nor with Gregorie Nazianzen nor with Ambrose in this matter but with the Lord will I holde And yet I tell you that euen these men Contra Idola Ambrosius Lib. de spiritu sancto cap. 12. Denieth it law full to pray to the Virgin Marie named by me are contrarie to them selues For Athanasius sayth in his booke of Prayer that Mens fons est orationis 1 The minde is the fountaine and well spring of Prayer And to the same vpon the fiftie and fowre Psalme he sayth Promptae semper in hominum praecationes Dei aures sunt 1 That is The eares of the Lord are alwayes open to the prayers of men By which his Testimonies he is contrarie to the other places of praying to Saintes for first Athanasius referreth all to the spirite of man and secondlie The Fathers haue not defended the praying to Saintes giueth all audience to the Lord and none other And Basill in his booke De vita solitaria is verie flat against him selfe he speaketh much in other places against praying to Saints For this he saith Ora ad Deum cum timore et animi humilitate That is Pray vnto God in feare and all humilitie of the minde You sée prayer made by him to God excludeth all other For it went a lyttle afore Pete ex fide semper quod binum est operans 1 Aske by faith doing that alwayes which is good Faith excludeth héere praying to Saintes séeing that Faith and beléefe is not to be reposed in them I may say the same of Gregorie Nazianzen and of Ambrose and Ambrose him selfe is flat against praying to Saintes and against all prayers that are to be made to the Virgin Marie as appeareth in his booke Lib. 3. De spiritu sancto ca. 12 Non quicquam adorandum praeter Deum sicut Scriptura dixit Dominum Deum tuum adorabis 1 There is nothing to be worshipped but God He giueth an other reason For it is written in the scripture Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God Wherefore I am of opinion that some Miscreant and wicked man moued by the Spirite of error hath enterlaced and in many places corrupted the good sayinges of the Fathers with euill opinions Tertullian in his Apollogie Cap. 17. sayth We must worship this onely one and true God who with his worde hath made the heauens and the elementes and all spirituall bodies in the same Epiphanius Lib. 3. against the Antidicomarianites and against the worshippers of the Virgin Marie hath many excellent sayinges concerning this thing to whome I referre you Gregorius Nazianzen in his Oration to the Subiects that were affrayde sayth thus Christus tanua et reconciliatio hominum ad Patrem factus 1 Christe is made the doore and the reconciliation of man vnto his Father Cyrill vpon Iohn Lib. 7. Cap 3. sayth That an entraunce is made vnto the kingdome of heauen all onely by Iesus Christe Wherefore I doo request you to reade that learned Theophilact in his Epistle to them of Colossa and Augustine to Honoratus Cap. 10. and the same in his booke of True Religion and they will satisfie you in this Question of praying and to whome to pray Wherefore I will conclude with two reasons drawne out of the Scriptures Psal 51.6 Iob. 14.4 Pron 24.16 Rom. 3.10 The first is this They which sinne as wée doo can not be helpers of vs in our prayer for all prayer is to them that are holie and perfect but the Saintes haue sinned and sinne as we doo Ergo Psalm 3.8 Esa 27.3 Hos 13.4 we haue no cause to pray to them but to the Lord that can helpe vs. Also it is euident that prayer is not to be giuen to any but such as can helpe themselues and other Now the Saints can helpe neither themselues nor any other but Christe Iesus onely must doo it Then no prayer is to be giuen to them for this is the nature of prayer and such things are to be required herein 1. First we must pray to God for he heareth the prayers of the whole world 2. Secondly to one that is able and can doo all thinges which onely is God 3. Thirdly that he be a worthy Person to whom we pray and so is none but the Lord. 4. Fourthly that he be no creature least we derogate from the creator so that the dead haue no portion or inheritaunce in our prayers but onely the Lord. Now therefore I will conclude that Israell must all onely serue the Lorde his God and none other neither in heauen neither in earth neither aboue the heauens neither vnderneath the earth is there any one to whom we must giue homage but onelye to him Then take the Cuppe of salnation into your handes and call on the name of the Lorde Sanctifie your selues and drawe néere to his Tabernacle A stronge Towre is the name of the Lord he that runneth to him shal be saued In Ierusalem is saluation and on the heads of the Goodly is strengthe no falsehood is found in the wise and no halting in those that feare God Though the world doo delight in Chariots and the Kinges of the earth in their Horses and great men in theyr strength yet will we onely call vpon the name of the Lord we wil say glory to the highest and prayses vnto him in the vppermost heauens we will offer sacrifice of thankes giuing vnto our God and paye our vowes to the Almightie we will singe to the Lord a new songe and Sion shall not staye to prayse her God we will singe with Moses and prayse the Lorde with Aaron in his holy assemblye we will not giue his powre vnto man nor the strength of his arme vnto a Forrainer our Crownes shal be set vpon his heade and we will fall downe to him as to our God we will giue blessing and glorie and honour vnto him that sitteth on the Throne for euer and euer and all the Beasts of the earth shall subscribe vnto vs. But as for you you haue not knowne the Lord the God of Iacob hath not béene your defence you haue giuen his honour to the great Beast and the Oragon hath frayed you so that you haue his markes of blasphemie in your foreheads you haue serued that great whore and bowed your knées to the Woman of sinne Therefore shall your portion be without the Gates of the holy Cittie and you shall not sée the Lambs and his face for euer In the Vinepresse of his wrathe shall you bee troden to péeces and if you repent not your portion shal be Fier and Brimstone for euermore You are the sonnes of the bloody Fathers that haue killed the Prophets you are the Children of the cursed séede You are of the posteritie of Amelech vnworthie to liue among Israell You are the reliques of Iebus and of the remnaunt of the Hittites that haue béene prickes and thornes in the sides of the righteous men You are the Chemerims
his mother nor his auncestors nor his death are writteÌ„ of and such a one is the sonne of God to wit an euerlasting Priest As he is God most wonderfully without a mother be gotten before all worldes And as he is man without father wonderfully conceiued of the holy ghost Now as the comparison standeth thus so also is there no comparison at all of Christ with the sacrifising Priestes of Leuie but with the Priesthoode of Melchisedech wherevpon I conclude thus Melchisedech was a figure of such a priesthood in Christ as is not terrestriall but heauenly but Christ offered daily in your sacrifice of the Masse is not heauenly but terrestriall Ergo Christe is not and can not be daily offered vp for vs in your Masse being heauenly and with his father It followeth in the same place Heb. 7.25 that the priesthood of Christ is such a one as may not passe from one to an other Now yours passeth from priest to priest euery day wherfore yours is not like vnto Christes Moreouer he that is a high Priest for vs must haue these properties in him First such a one as of him self is able to saue Secondly such a one The things requited of the high priest are not found in yours Ergo yours are no priestes as by whom we may come to God Thirdly one that euer liueth and one that maketh intercession for vs. Then he must be holy then he must be harmlesse then he must be vndefiled then he must be separated from sinners last of al made higher than the heauens and that néedeth not daily to haue a sacrifice offered vp Now that I may conclude and shut vp this piece also I say that all these thinges are neither found in your Priestes nor in your sacrificers therefore all your sacrifices at your Masse and else where are not lawfull The fourth thing to be enquired of in your Masse is this That if it be no sacrifice yet whether or no it be a worke sufficient to iustifie or that a man may be saued by the same yea or no I answere that your Masse is no worke of iustification that is able to iustifie for so you vnderstand it I proue it thus and you if you will learne shall knowe it thus namely Actes 4.12 Actes 15.11 Ephe. 2.5 Heb. 7.25 Ioel 2.32 We haue not two wayes or two meanes vnto saluation but one only way and meane vnto saluation Nowe Christ is the way the dore and the life and by him only haue we a meane and passage to his father therfore by the worke of the Masse excluded and without Christ you can not haue any way or entrance vnto saluation This we knowe the if your Masse were sufficient to saluation then it was first a vaine thing for God the father to haue sent his sonne Grosse errours arising out of the Papistes doctrine séeing he also might haue found out a sacrifice of Masse here in the earth sufficieÌ„t for vs Secondly what cause was there Christ should dye for our sinnes séeing the you haue found out another ordinary way vnto life Thirdly wherfore should Christ be made a sacrifice for vs if you your selues can make a sacrifice sufficient For which causes you teach as euery one may sée very damnable doctrine there is no standing for you against God Can this be or hath it euer bene Psal 5â— or will it be proued which you affirme Why Psal 18.3 what saith the Scriptures The Scripture saith that saluation is of God Psal 27.1 of him onely of the Lord of the almightie of the highest Esa 27.3 of him that is aboue and of none other Ergo not of the Masse Esa 43.3 But you say you are iustified by the sacrifice of the Masse Iames 4.12 and not saued well then if so then I pray you aunswere the Lorde Rom. 3.24 in whose name and fears I reason thus We are iustified by grace in the redemption of Christe Ergo not by the Masse Rom. 4.6 and by the worke therein We are iustified by acceptation in the meere mercie of GOD Ergo not by your worke in the Masse And you are iustified if you will be iustified Esa 53.11 and helped if you will be helped and deliuered if you wil be deliuered in the righteousnesse of Christe who hath borne your iniquities Papistes confated Ergo not by any worke of yours in the Masse And I knowe and I am assured that euerie one that shall be saued Philip. 3.9 hath not righteousnesse by sacrifices which were for a time but onely by faith in Iesus Christ through God Ergo not in your beggerly oblations can there be any worke sufficient to saluation Augustine to Bonifacius saith thus Cerium habemus quia Christus resurgens ex mortuis tam non moritur mors illâ— vltra non dominabitur c. i. We know for a trueth saith Augugustine that Christ being risen from the dead nowe dyeth no more death shall not reigne ouer him and in that place proueth he neither any sacrifice to be auaylable for vs but Christes and that he was made a sacrifice for vs but all only once for all In Heb. cap. 9. Theophilactus is of this opinion Sic Christus semel oblatus est A quonam ille oblatus est a seipso non a quouis alio hominum Qui etsi Pontifex sit hostia tamen ipse oblatio that is as saith Theophilact Goe to then Christe is once for all offered tell me of whome was he offered Of him selfe not of any other was he once offered And although Christ be a high Priest yet was he made an offering and an oblation for vs Ciryll vpon Iohn the Euangelist Lib. 5. cap. 17. saith thus Paule taketh not away the second or the thirde remission of offences of men But Paule denyeth that Iesus Christ which was a sacrifice and an oblation for vs shal nowe any more be offered vp vpon the Crosse For once was Christe offered and not for euer shall he be any more offered vp hereafter Now then what hope can you haue miserable creatures in your workes by the Masse in as much as Christe onely died for you Christe onely offered for you Christe onely sacrificed for you and your worke meritorious in the Masse was not so much as euer hearde of The Authour of our iustification is set downe by Saint Chrysostome thus The The second man came froÌ„ heauen Ser. 6. de proditoâ—â— the second man came without finne The seconde man came all onely vnlike to vs in iniquitie The seconde man came that did owe nothing either to death or sinne The seconde man came to bee made free among those that were deade Lib. 3. in Com. lib. Reg. that death by death might bee conquered Eucherius saith thus Apertio regni coelestis per incarnationem Domini saluatoris nostri nobis donata est that is The way to the kingdome of heauen
Bishoppe liued vnder Phocas the Emperour Nowe then you haue the originall of your goodly religion no doubt of many yeares long time great antiquitie which you so holde of being a thing found out almost but the other day Yet if it were so as in the same you be shamelesse lyars that all your ordinaunces and decrées were of many thousand yeres what matter were that to proue the lawfulnesse or vnlawfulnesse of the same For séeing that you haue no allowance of them nor any one thing among you that may be tolerated by the Scriptures those opinions receiued commonly by you can be no other then damnable and so I will conclude for this point of your Masse and for the beginning and entrance in of the same into the Church We haue thirdly to enquire whether your Masse be a propitiatorie sacrifice or not for the quicke and the dead I affirme Luke 22. and I wil proue it is not In the scriptures I finde not that the supper of the Lorde is called a sacrifice but other names it hath It is called the newe Testament The Apostles call it the breaking of breade Actes 2. Paul calleth it the Table of the Lord 1. Cor. 10. and a communication of the bodie and bloud of Christ and the Cup of the Lorde But as for the name of sacrifice it was neuer vsed it was neuer mentioned in the scriptures But you say the Fathers called it so Why what then shall we beare their sinnes or shall we answere their iniquities or defend all that they spake you are deceiued to the Lawe and to the Prophets Esa 8. if they speake not according to the word of God As the Prophets had all thinges by word from God so must we allowe of nothing in his seruice that came not from Christ there is no trueth in them Nowe also you belye the Fathers they called the supper of the Lorde a sacrifice indéede but they called not your Masse a propitiatorie sacrifice for the quicke for the dead this ought you to proue and leaue the other Therefore I will come plainely and directly to you aunswering you first that you haue no one place in the Scriptures or Fathers to proue this proposition Masse is a sacrifice for the quicke and for the dead Secondly I will proue by the Scripture that there is no such thing My first reason is this We are iustified before God all only by faith therfore not by the worke and déed at the Masse done by any The argument holdeth it selfe vp vpon the authoritie of the word of God Rom. 4.2 Diuers reasons against the masse For a Scripture saith Si ex operibus iustificatus pater Abraham c. If Abraham had bene iustified by workes then had Abraham wherein to reioyce but Abraham had not wherein to reioyce Therefore Abraham was not iustified by workes Ioel saith Iustus ex fide viuit i. Ioel 2. The iust man shall liue by his faith But he that is iustified and liueth by faith is not instified by the worke he worketh and sacrifice he sacrificeth in the Masse Ergo there is none iustified and saued by the worke in the Masse In Iohn it is thus written Iohn 3.15 Whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ should not perish but haue eternall life The sacrifice in the Masse done for an other that is deade by one that is aliue hath no beliefe which is reposed in Iesus Christ Ergo by the sacrifice in the Masse a man can not haue eternall life For in Iohn I finde a reason shewed of the comming of Christ into the world 1 First for that God loued vs. 2 Secondly in that he had giuen his sonne for vs. 3 Thirdly that all should beleeue in him 4 Fourthly in the same they should haue life by him Nowe in the Masse neither is Christe knowne nor our faith séene nor the loue of God euident nor yet life giuen vs but all is thought to be accomplished by a worke of man in sacrifice therefore your Masse can not be a propitiation for vs. There is a most excellent place in the same Euangelist Iohn 6.29 as followeth A question was moued by the people what worke they should worke â—o accomplish the workes of God It is aunswered by Christe thus This is the worke of God Christe was offered vp for man Frgo a Priest at the Masse may not offer vp for man for then taketh he Christes office in hand that you beleeue in him whome he hath sent Nowe I inferre this God sent his Christ to dy for vs not a man not a Priest not a Monke to offer at Masse a sacrifice for vs therefore the worke in the sacrifice of your Masse is not the worke of God But what foolishnesse is it for you to say that you can make a propitiatorie sacrifice for vs why you are confuted againe by scripture For Paul saith to the Romanes Rom. 6. That there was one only sacrifice of Christ offered once for al then I coÌ„clude that was done once and was sufficient may not be done any more for that is vaine Christe was once offered and it was sufficient Christ left behind him no deputie to offer for man Ergo none must offer none was left bicause none was named and in so necessary a thing Christ wold not haue forgotten vs. and it was good and it was auaylable and there néed no more Ergo your sacrifices at your Masse for the quick and for the dead are in vaine And nowe I demaund againe why you should yet stand in your follie Is it bicause you are ignoraunt learne Is it bicause you are lead away turne backe then and amend Is it bicause the light is kept from you pray and you shall attaine the light Is it bicause the Scriptures are hard resist not the spirite and you shall haue vnderstanding For cast vp your eyes beholde and looke on the booke of God Read to the Hebrues the seuenth chapter It will appeare euidently that Christ onely being high Priest dyed once for all and being offered vp there nowe néedeth no more sacrifice to the end of the world The order of the priesthoode of Melchisedech was an order by wiard and promise by it selfe distinguished from Aarons priesthood So that if Christe had left behind him an highe priest he must be of the order of Melchisedech not of Aaronâ— nowe none was euer like Melchisedech but Christ and none for euer like Melchisedech hereafter again then there is no priest hood behind to be looked for For in the comparison of Christe with Melchisedech which is the more honourable Priesthood the Leuitical being abrogated Melchisedech standeth to be considered and is figured in similitude like Christ for these causes Melchisedech was King Priest as is Christ else none Melchisedech was king of peace and righteousnesse as is Christ but none other Melchisedech is said to be without beginning and without ending for neither his father nor