Prophetes and Apostles he hathe altogither and that very earnestly forbidden Images yea moste greeuously threatning all those which either make them or woorshippe them Wherefore that which God abhorreth calleth euil and cursseth we can not call the same good Wherfore if any man desire to sée any testimonies héereof let him reade the twentieth of Exodus Deuteronomie the fifth fourthe and seuenth and twentie seuen Psalme an hundred and thirtiâ—ne Esay fortie and fortie foure Jeremie tenth Rom. first first Corrin tenth first Peter fourth and first John the fifth c. And where as some of them say they woorshippe not the Image but him whome it signifieth that is but a single souled reason for neither God nor his Sainctes wil be so worshipped Againe Images are not like vnto God nor to the Sainctes For God is a spirite that can not be measured without beginning and without ending of most â—reate power and Maiestie and canne â—herefore be expressed by no Image as the holy scripture doth euideÌ„tly teach vs Actes 17. and in diuers other places Againe the Angels which are spirites howe can there be made any image of them The Sainctes while they heere liued on the earth had bothe a body and a soule that is consumed and this remaines in heauen howe therefore can they be expressed by any image The image of their bodyes can nothing at all helpe vs to eternall life and therefore althoughe we had them they could nothing helpe vs Againe that which is chéefest in the Sainctes as the grace of God faithe and suche like giftes can neuer be expressed vnto vs by any colour woode or stone To conclude God the Angels and Sainctes are in heauen indowed with a more excellent glorye than that they may be expressed or represented by any images which images the holy Prophetes of God haue scorned and derided as Esay 44. and Baruch 6. But if they say that images muste be made to teache and instructe only then doe we knowe that we haue receiued a more perfecte and excellenter way héereunto from God which is his holy spirite and woorde And bicause neither in the Apostles times nor in the primitiue Churche there was any vse at all of images we cannot then truely call them good sithe they are so condemned as we haue saide of God and his Sainctes Touching Relikes we haue spoken in the Question before going and therfore contented therwith we will speake no more therof The. xxxiij Question Whether they like well of the halowing of water herbes and other things vsed in the Christian Churche The Answere THe primytiue Apostolicke churche was altogether ignorant of these consecrations and blessings of water fire salt butter oyle palm herbs wafers and suche like And therfore bicause they are abuses and méere inuentions of men they can in no wise please vs For we beleeue that Christe hathe blessed all those creatures whereof the faithfull haue neede so as if they vse them moderately in faithe wyth giuing of thankes they cannot be hurtfull but pure and good vnto them as Paul witnesseth ◠〈◊〉 4. and Tit. â— But to beleeue trust that these halowed things whereof we haue spoken can defende and keepe vs from euill is meere superstitious condemned of God and reproued of all Gods faithfull ministers The eight Common place Of purgatorie and prayer for the deade The. xxxiiij Question Whether they beleeue that the soules of those which are dead be tormented in the fire of Purgatorie who not perfecting their repentance nor being thorowly purified haue departed out of this life The Answere AL that depart out of this life either depart in the true faithe or else without the same and of both these hath our Lord pronounced sentence in these woordes For God sent not his son into the vvorld to condemne the vvorld but that it might be saued throughe him He therefore vvhich beleeueth in him is not iudged but he that beleeueth not is iudged alreadie bicause he beleeueth not in the name of the only begotten son of God. But our aduersaries Obiecte that a faithfull man may die who yet notwithstaÌ„ding he be faithful yet is not thorowly purged bicause he hathe not performed his penance such one say they cannot be saued bicause he is yet vnpure neyther can he be dampned bycause he is a faithfull And therfore it necessarily foloweth that ther is a midle place betwéen these prepared of god in the which such are thorowly purged and wyth theyr paines repay that wanted in penance And this place they cal Purgatorie bicause as they say the soules are purged there But in this kinde of Doctrine which hathe no authoritie at all in the Scriptures we finde faulte with diuers things For firste Christe teacheth that the faithfull are made all pure in hym althoughe there remaine some parte of infirmitie in them whereof they haue néede to be clensed for he manifestly saithe He that is vvashed hath no nede saue to vvashe his feete for he is cleane altogether John. 13. and. 15. And S. Paul teacheth the same Romanes 7. and. 8. where he sheweth that many things are yet wanting in the faithfull which are not imputed vnto them bicause of their faith in Christe And therfore in the articles of our faith we coÌ„fesse that we belèeue the remission of sinnes the resurrectioÌ„ of the body the life euerlasting And as we beleue so shal it be vnto vs we beléeue our sinnes are forgiuen vs and therfore they are so Furthermore when we say sinnes we doo not onely meane the faulte but also the punishemente due for the same Wherefore when the sinnes for the whiche we are punished are forgiuen vs howe then I pray you are we vncleane Or if sin be quite â—akeÌ„ away why then should they suffer as though they were not remitted Wherefore if they had true fayth in Chryst then shall they liue for euer but if they beléeued not then are they damned And this dothe our fayth teach vs whiche is confirmed Esai 53. and John. 3. 5. 6. and. â— Chapters Secondly we blame in their doctrine that they ascribe perfecte puritie to perfecte repentaunce whiche puritie is onely had by the death bloud merites of christ For if puritie were had by our merites then is Christ dead in vayne But Chryst is not dead in vayne therefore puritie commeth onely by the grace of God throughe faythe in the deathe of Chryst. Actes 1â— Gala. 7. and. 1. John. 1. But howe féeble an argument that is which they say that the soules requite with their punishmentes in the fire of Purgatorie which before they wanted to perfecte repentaunce wée haue héeretofore shewed when wée entreated of Faythe and Workes prouing then those things which we both do and suffer not to bée worthy of that ioye wherof in the life to come we are made partakers by Chryste Thirdly wée blame in their doctrine of Purgatorie that they attribute not puritie to the bloude of Chryste
vs to eternall life â–ª For the body of Christe which was 〈…〉 uen for vs and his bloud that was shâ—â— for vs is our lyfe or lyfe is therby purchased to vs and these do we receiue bâ— faithe so as thereby Christe dothe liâ—â— in vs and we in him Wherfore in thâ— holy supper of our Lord Jesus Christe â–ª we do not eate bread and drinke winâ— onely but his body and bloude also buâ— yet in suche sorte as before I haue said spiritually by faithe so as the presence of Christe in this supper is spirituall is the eating therof also is For the body of Christe which is and remaineth 〈…〉 heauen euen vnto the laste day is a â—aturall body subiecte to a place and â—s therefore in heauen ouer vs and can â—n no wise bodely or fleshly be in diâ—ers places at once vppon this earthe â—r be carnally eaten And therefore in the celebrating of this Supper they haue alwayes sayd Lift vp your harts and therefore the aunciente wryters haue alwayes in interpreatyng the â—oordes of Christe touching the eating and drinking of his body and bloud exâ—ounded the same to be done spiritually by faithe bicause the fleshe profiteth not as in the sixth Chapter of John and therefore they haue interpreated these â—oords of Christ This is my body This is my bloud thus It so signifieth or it is the signe or Sacrament or token of my body and bloud For euen immediatly after the forsaid words our Lord himself â—aith Do this in the remembraÌ„ce of me And Paule saith shevv you the Lordes death vntill he come to witte to iudgement Wherefore to this Question we Answere that the naturall body and true bloude of Christe is in heauen as touching the substance and that in the supper or in the bread and wine which two retaine their propre substaunces they are Sacramentally or spiritually present not substancially or bodily For the bread and wine are the true Sacraments or signes of the bodye and bloud of Christe which being once offered on the Crosse â–ª are now abiding in heauen and are spiritullay by faithe receiued of vs vnto eternall life But some not being concente with this plaine exposition obiecte that in oure dayes there is great strife aboute the sacrament some teaching that Christ must be eaten spiritually other some saying that it ought to be carnally c. And these men we hartely beseeche that they woulde diligently marke those which thus so earnestly holde that the breade it selfe or that vnder the breade or formes thereof the very body of Christe is presente and corporally to be eaten for after they haue contentiously tossed themselues and others herein yet at the last they come to this poynt that they confesse this not to be done so grosly or carnally bicause the whole matter is heauenly Sacramentall and Spirituall Wherefore if this be true why then yéeide they not here vnto and ceasse hencefoorth to bée contentiouse and to perswade this thing to bée carnally spirituall and that the substaunce of bread no longer remayneth c. Wherby neither them selues nor yet others can tell what they meane Let the auncient doctrine of Chrystes Churche remayne which alwayes beléeued that Chryste had a true naturall body and that glorified in hys resurrection yet still remayning a true naturall body euen suche as our bodies shall bée at the last day and that with this body he ascended into heauen there remayneth and shall from thence come to iudge bothe the quicke and the dead And that yet neuerthelesse he is present spiritually in the Sacramente of the supper and so receiued of the faythfull spiritually and not carnally vnto eternall life This is the auncient playne Apostolical truth to whiche not onely thou mayest yeelde thy selfe but also know what thou beléeuest Wherfore if thou goo foorth any further to séeke to contende or to quarel then must we let thee alone that euen through thine own default thou maiest al thy life long remayne and continue a most miserable man c. The. xlj Question Whether they do beleeue that Christ being present in the Sacrament is to be worshipped wheÌ„ the same is eleuated or lift vp by the priest giueÌ„ vnto other caried to the sicke or is otherwise shewed or caried about The Answere TOuching the presence of Chryst we haue answered in the former question but if any man bée not sufficiently answered therwith let him heare the answere of S. Augustine vpon the words of Chryst Tracâ— in â—oan 50 The poore shall you haue alwayes with you but me shall ye not haue alwayes Thus he wryteth Accordyng to that substance after which he was borne of the Virgin taken of the Iewes nayled on the Crosse and appeared manyfestly in the resurrection according to that substance you shal not haue me alwaies with you VVherefore he was conuersaunt bodily fortie dayes with hys disciples and after ascended into heauen and is not nowe héere on earth For there he sitteth on the righte hande of his father yet is here also for the presence of his Maiestie did not depart Therfore according to the presence of his maiesty we haue Chryst always present but as touching the preseÌ„ce of his humane body we haue it not For the Church had him present but a few dais yet faith appreheÌ„deth him though our eyes see him not And this is S. Augustines doctrine Touching the worshipping of Chryste we beléeue he oughte to be worshipped in what place so euer he bee in bodie For whylest he was héere on earth the Apostles and others dyd worship him here and after he ascended into heaueÌ„ they worshipped him there Luk. 24. Wherfore sithe we haue already sufficiently declared that Chryst is not bodily presente in the earthe vnder the fourme of bread but is in heauen therfore is he to be worshipped in heauen sitting on the right hande of God and not vnder the fourme of breade Furthermore touching the worshipping of the Sacrament we haue neither commaundement from God nor example of the Apostles For the Lorde sayth Take yée eate yee and not shew it and worship it Neither dyd the Apostles kéepe this Sacrament and shut it in a Boxe carrie it to the sicke or in procession or dedicate any festiuall day vnto it no more than they did to Baptisme which notwithstanding is an holy Sacrament giuen in the name of the blessed Trinitie the father the sonne and the holy ghost And wée truely do worship rightly the holy Trinitie and yet not in Baptisme Laste of all it is euident by Histories that 1200. yeres and somewhat more after Chryste the inuention and buylding of Chappels to the Sacraments and feastes and carying of the same aboute on procession was inuented and ordeyned onely by men cleane contrary to the worde of god Dan. 11. and Math. 24. The. xlij Question Whether those Priests which are not consecrated suche as a greate many bee amongest the gospellers haue power to make of bread and wine the
beleue the remission of sinnes the resurrection of the body and life euerlasting Secondly it is called the Communion or felowship of Sainctes that is to say of the faithfull for as appeareth by the Epistles of S. Paul the Apostles and other blessed Fathers called the faithful or Christians Sainctes Bicause as I said before they are sanctified by Christ in his blud through the holy Ghost But bicause the church is a congregation or companie peraduenture therfore it is called in our mother tong Kuch by this letter L and not as some other Germanes do sound it by the letter R. For in the Hebrewe tonge the people or churche of God is called Kâ—haâ— and Kehâ—â—aâ— whereuppon the Germanes say Kilcha But whether it be deriued from the Hebrue or from the Gréeke it is all one For ech of those wordes signifie the congregation or felowshippe of Gods people euen as this worde Ecclesia amongest the Latines dothe also signifie which worde is borowed of the Grecians And although the vniuersall Churche of God in thys earth can not be brought into one company or felowshippe before the last day yet notwithstanding is the same neuerthelesse a spirituall and inuisible body perfectely compacte vnder one heade Jesu Chryste euen as diuers members hauyng sundry operations are ioyned in one body The vniuersall Churche of Chryst is deuided first into the congregation of them whych hauing finished the course of this their lyfe and passed ouer all corruptible things do now reioyce with christ their head in heauen prayse God for euermore Secondely it is deuided into the congregation of those which do yet liue here on this earthe in dayly battell in the Churche of Chryst and haue thys hope that at the time appointed by god they shall come to Chryst their heade and the felowship of their elect brethreÌ„ And in this coÌ„gregation there are some which haue true faythe and therefore are the liuely members of the Church vnder their head Chryste some lacke that liuely fayth and therfore are hypocrites being yet numbred in the visible Churche so long as their wickednesse springeth not foorthe nor they bewray theÌ„selues Touching these S John writeth thus They went out from vs by this it appeareth they were reckned in the Church for else could they not haue gone out theÌ„â—e but they were not of vs that is to say they were not the liuely members of the church true beleuers for if they had ben of vs they wold haue remained with vs. And herevpon it commeth to pas that many deuide the church into the inwarde and inuisible and into the outwarde and visible Churche Yea furthermore it is deuided into the congregation of those which haue liued froÌ„ the creation of the world vnto the coÌ„ming of christ into the coÌ„pany of those faithful which haue ben since the tune of christ and shal be to the end of the world And euery congregation of eche these parts are called the Catholike or vniuersall church yea eche of those churches which are scattered in this worlde haue but one spirite or faithe hath eche the name of vniuersall churche For in the scriptures there is mention made of particulare churches in this earthe as that Paule wryteth to the church of Rome Corinth Ephesus and suche others And therfore eueÌ„ as many Cities and Prouinces are contained in one kingdome and of many members is made one perfect body so also those churches which are dispersed vpon the face of the earth make but one church one kingdom and one spirituall body of Christe be being the head therof The fourth Question Whether they beleeue that the vniuersal church of Christ be guided ruled and gouerned by the holy Ghost The Answere GOd hathe alwayes euen froÌ„ the beginning of the world bene present with his people and churche gouerning the same by the ministerie of the Patriarkes Prophetes and Apostles and that throughe the holy Ghoste For oftentimes God speaketh in the old Testament saying Beholde I am alvvayes vvith you I vvill guide and defende you c. And in the new Testament our Lord Christ saith Beholde I am vvith you for euer vntill the ende of the vvorlde And againe I vvill giue my spirite vnto you that he may abide vvith you for euer And againe vvhere tvvo or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them But the purpose of this Question is to bring the godly and simple into perplexitie and doubte For when they confesse that god gouerneth his church by his holy spirite forthwith the popish bishops conclude therof that the churche neither hathe nor can erre and héereby they suppose that all other things are sufficiently proued to wit that what soeuer they vnder the tytle and name of the Church shal thrust vppon men are bothe good and enspired by the holy Ghost But vnto these mates we answere Firste that we doo not acknowledge that church whereof they bragge to be the true primatiue apostolike church as hereafter we shal proue Secondely we dâ—â— not confesse that the Churche can not altogither or in all points erre For so long as she is gouerned by the holy ghost and onely harkeneth vnto him dooing nothing but by his motion and worde she neither doth nor can erre But if she swarue at any time from the gouernement of the same spirite and gouerneth after hir owne luste then truely shée not onely may but also dothe erre But if any wyll aske whether the Church may swarue from the direction of Gods spirite I answere that it is euident and may in no wyse be denied that the Churche of God héere vpon this earthe often times vnder Moses the Iudges and the Kings of Israell and Iuda hath erred Yea and that the Disciples of Chryst who yet neuerthelesse were the church of christ did erre and had their falles For who is ignoraunt what happened to Dauid Aaron Peter and other the holy Sainctes and Disciples of Chryst Yea wée must note that the Church is gathered not of Angels but of men Wherefore although it be inspired and gouerned by the spirite yet it is not thereby turned into the spirite for it keepeth still hir fleshe and the infirmities thereof yea euen vnto death Who is ignoraunte of those writings which Sainte Paule hathe generally vttered touching the battell betwéene the fleshe and the spirite and that not in the vngodly and vnbeléeuers onely whiche are not of the Churche but euen in the faythefull also and members of the Church And this battell is so vehemente and sharpe that euen thereby the godly are forced not to doo that good and iuste thyng whyche they knowe but to doo that which they ought not to doo Read S. Paules fifth chapter to the Galathians also the seuenth to the Romanes Yet neuerthelesse the same Apostle calleth the Galathians and Corinthians the true church of Christ as purified by his bloude and gouerned by his